This blog started off by focussing on NZ's smaller 3rd level airlines, past and present. It has evolved to trying to present some record of NZ's domestic airline operations and some of the larger charter operators, interesting NZ international airliner movements and photos I have taken around the country. Comments, corrections or contributions are welcome, Steve - westland831@gmail.com Searching for the positive in everyday life For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser (Newser) A 94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp is going on trial this week on 170,000 counts of accessory to murder, the first of up to four cases being brought to court this year in an 11th-hour push by German prosecutors to punish Nazi war crimes. Reinhold Hanning is accused of serving as an SS Unterscharfuehrersimilar to a sergeantin Auschwitz from January 1943 to June 1944. His trial starts on Thursday and is one of the latest that follow a precedent set in 2011, when former Ohio autoworker John Demjanjuk became the first person to be convicted in Germany solely for serving as a camp guard, with no evidence of involvement in a specific killing, reports the AP. In all, about 40 Auschwitz survivors or their relatives have joined the trial as co-plaintiffs. Hanning's attorney says that his client acknowledges serving at the Auschwitz I part of the camp complex, but denies serving at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau section, where most of the 1.1 million victims were killed. The prosecutor argues guards in the main camp were also used as on-call guards to augment those in Birkenau when trainloads of Jews were brought in. "The chimneys were spewing fire ... and the smell of burning human flesh was so unbelievable that one could hardly bear it," says a 94-year-old Auschwitz survivor who is the first witness scheduled for the trial. Though he says he feels deeply unsettled about staring Hanning in the eyes in the courtroom Thursday, he adds it's important to be there. "It's perhaps the last time for him to tell the truth." (An Auschwitz medic will stand trial later this month.) (Newser) They say happiness is a state of mind, but maybe it's also a sound basis for public policy. This week, the United Arab Emirates named Ohood Al Roumi as its first minister of state for happiness, Al Jazeera reports. As such, she "will align and drive government policy to create social good and satisfaction," according to a tweet from the UAE's prime minister. Prior to the new post, Al Roumi was the director-general of the prime minister's office and the first Arab member of the United Nations Foundation's Global Entrepreneurship Council. Even without a minister of state for happiness, the UAE placed 20th on the UN's World Happiness Report in 2015. But the federation says it wants "to be the happiest of all nations so that its citizens feel proud to belong to the UAE." According to the Washington Post, reactions to the new minister of state for happiness "ranged from celebration to bemusement." "There will also be ministers for grumpiness, sleepiness, bashfulness, and dopeyness," one quipster tweets. But there is historical precedent for the position. In 2013, Venezuela created a vice ministry of supreme social happiness and Ecuador appointed a state secretary of well-being. Back in the 1970s, Bhutan started focusing on "gross national happiness" over economic performance when looking at policies. And countries like the United Kingdom and Thailand use happiness as one official consideration when creating new policies. The UAE also announced a minister of state for tolerance this week, USA Today reports. (Here's what 53,000 kids had to say about happiness.) (Newser) Two Tennessee men are forever banned from hunting in that state and 43 others after illegally killing dozens of deer and taking disturbing photos of the animals, the Tennessean reports. "We will never know how many deer these two killed, but we believe they could have poached at least 40," says a sergeant with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which inflicted its harshest penalty ever on the two men, 23-year-old Densibel Calzada and 21-year-old Eddy Albert. Calzada and Albert pleaded guilty after being charged with hunting without permission, hunting out of season, killing deer at night, and illegal transportation of wildlife. They also had their weapons confiscated and were ordered to pay restitution fees and court costs, perform community service, and serve probation. The deer were killed on private property or at night, both of which are illegal, the TWRA says in a press release. A Rutherford County landowner first notified the TWRA of Calzada and Albert allegedly trespassing on Dec. 26, and they were cited; two days later, they were detained again after someone reported firearms going off near the Smyrna airport. The officers in that case found a rifle, beer, and a dead deer in the men's pickup truck and notified TWRA, which then obtained search warrants and found the disturbing photos and videos on the men's cellphones. "They were getting on top of the deer and doing all sorts of things," another TWRA officer says. They had one where the deer was still alive and they blew his head off. They were high-fiving each other after showing the hole where they had shot one at nighttime." The men are banned for life from hunting in 43 other states because most states in the US abide by the Interstate Wildlife Violator's Compact, so a hunting ban in Tennessee will be upheld elsewhere, a TWRA officer explains. (Read more hunting stories.) (Newser) A day after placing seventh among the GOP candidates with 4% of the vote in the New Hampshire primary, Carly Fiorina announced she's dropping out of the 2016 presidential race, the New York Times reports. "While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them," Fiorina said in a Facebook post Wednesday. Fiorina was polling near the top early in the race, especially after a strong performance on the main stage in the second Republican debate, according to CNN. But things went downhill after that, with Fiorina becoming the only major candidate to not qualify for the most recent debate and receiving only 2% of the vote in the Iowa primary. The Times claims "party elders" became concerned Fiorinawho was fired as the CEO of Hewlett-Packardwould be seen as an "out-of-touch business leader" like Mitt Romney was four years ago. But CNN believes her "willingness to attack Clinton" could still make her a serious contender for vice president. Her Facebook post appears to contain a veiled reference to Clinton, asking women not to vote "for a certain candidate because you're a woman." Fiorina has now lost her only two bids for public office, having failed to unseat California's Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2010. "I've said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet," Fiorina says in the Facebook post. "I'm not going to start now." (Read more Carly Fiorina stories.) North Korea reportedly executed army chief Ri Yong-gil for corruption, South Korean media outlets and Reuters said. According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, Ri, who was the chief of the Korean People's Army General Staff, was executed last week. He had faced charges of pursuing personal gain and "factional conspiracy." Months before the execution, Ri could be seen accompanying President Kim Jong Un on several inspection trips related to the military. Over the past few days, however, Ri was not present at numerous events. Ri was the latest of several top officials who had either been executed or purged by the young leader on charges that included corruption and disloyalty. News of the execution comes just days after North Korea launched a rocket allegedly for observational purposes. Several countries, including South Korea and the United States, believe that North Korea was really testing its ballistic missile technology, which the country is forbidden to do under a United Nations ban. In response to the launch, South Korea suspended its operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, cutting off a huge source of revenue for North Korea. South Korea and the United States have also been calling for stricter sanctions to be placed on North Korea after it carried out an unsanctioned nuclear bomb in the beginning of January. The test was the country's fourth one. Turkish leaders have lashed out at the United Nations for urging them to open up their boarders for Syrian refugees when the agency and other countries have yet to find an effective way of stopping the bombings in Syria. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the U.N. Security Council and other countries "two-faced" at a news conference held in the Netherlands city of The Hague. Davutoglu stated that the international community that is placing the burden of the refugees onto Ankara has yet to move "a finger to solve the Syria crisis." Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said, reported by the New York Times, "What does the U.N. say? 'Open your border to the refugees.' What are you for then? What is your use? Is it that easy? We have taken 3 million Syrians and Iraqis into our home until now. How many did you take? Which country took them in?" Erdogan added that Turkey has spent $10 billion on helping the refugees whereas the U.N. has only provided $455 billion in assistance. Over the past few days, Turkey has been under pressure to take in thousands of refugees who have fled to the border gate at Oncupinar from Aleppo after pro-government forces, back by Russia airstrikes, have gone on the offensive to regain parts of the city from rebel fighters. Although Turkey has been supplying the Syrians living in camps outside of the border with aid, the country did not immediately open the key border, prompting the UNHCR to demand Tuesday that Turkey let in "all civilians who are fleeing danger and seeking international protection as they have done since the start of this crisis." Turkey has taken in 2.5 million Syrian refugees since the civil war began in 2011. Davutoglu has stated that Turkey will be allowing in refugees in a "controlled fashion." Suleyman Tapsiz, the governor of Kilis province, stated that Turkey would allow refugees in dire need of aid to cross first. In the conference, Davutoglu also accused the Syrian and Russian governments of cleansing the country of people who do not support President Bashar al-Assad and stated that Turkey will try its hardest to combat it. "With every refugee that we accept, in a way, we would be contributing to this ethnic cleansing aim," Davutoglu said. "If this is a strategy to change the demography in Syria, then we all have to be vigilant against it." The Turkish leaders did not say that they would be refusing entry to the refugees. Delaware Governor Jack Markell has officially apologized for the state's role in slavery by signing a resolution that also acknowledged the wrongdoings carried out against African Americans during the Jim Crow era. The resolution, which was approved by the state's General Assembly last month, read, "Delaware today is impacted by the lasting legacy of slavery, including ongoing tension between races and the existence of institutional racism. It is important for Delaware to make a formal apology for slavery and Jim Crow, so that it can move forward and seek reconciliation, justice, and harmony for all of its citizens." Rep. Stephanie Bolden (D), who sponsored the bill, told The Wilmington News Journal (via Yahoo! News) that the resolution is a big deal. "This is a powerful symbolic gesture," Bolden said. "We were one of the last states to end slavery, but we don't have to be one of the last to recognize the terrible damage it did." Delaware, along with Kentucky and Mississippi, were the last three states to end slavery. On top of the resolution, Markell will be announcing a proclamation to recognize African American History Month and unveiling an exhibit to honor the 125th anniversary of Delaware State University, a historically black school. The University's president Harry Williams and state archivist Stephen Marz will be attending the ceremony held at the Delaware Public Archives building. Delaware becomes the ninth state to issue an official apology for slavery. Virginia was the first state to do so in 2007 followed by Maryland, North Carolina, Alabama, New Jersey, Florida, Tennessee and Connecticut. The country has yet to issue a federal apology for slavery. New Delhi : The condition of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad of 19 Madras regiment, who was rescued alive six days after being buried under tonnes of ice in Siachen Glacier, remains very critical, the army said today. He continues to battle the odds and his medical condition remains very critical, a medical bulletin issued by Army Research and Referral Hospital here said. Hanamanthappa remains ventilator-dependent since arrival in the hospital yesterday, it said. The medical team at R&R Hospital is monitoring his situation continuously and is treating him with best expertise and resources available in the world, the bulletin said. The hospital has said he is expected to have a stormy course in the next 24 hours due to the complications caused by re-warming and establishment of blood flow to the cold parts of the body. Hanamanthappa was flown out by a helicopter yesterday from the site of the avalanche that hit his post at Siachen Glacier along with a medical specialist to the base camp at the glacier, from where he was brought to the Thois air base. He was then transferred to Delhi by a fixed-wing aircraft of IAF along with a critical care specialist of the force and a medical specialist from the base camp. Hanamanthappa is being treated by a team of intensivists, neurologist, nephrologist, endocrinologist and surgeons. He has been administered fluids, drugs to bring up his blood pressure, besides antibiotics. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : In a Good Samaritan act, an Indian, who was abused by a British homeless man, offered help and courtesy in such a manner that his act proved that humanity exists. It so happened that Aminur Chowdhury was racially abused by Ben Gallon, a homeless British man, but the thought did not make him sad or angry. Understanding that argument will not help out in his case, he decided to reform Ben through an innovative approach Aminur asked for Ben's contact details, and asked him if he could come and pick him up the next day for an interview. Initially, Ben thought Aminur was joking, but the very next day, he actually arrived in his car, took Ben to his friend's place for the interview, and the result was that Ben got the job! Ben was touched by the gesture and admitted his mistake. His apology to Aminur broke the barriers that humanity faces in different races. Why does one even have to think on lines of hate and racism in any society? The idea was beautifully captured by the incident and proved that the more love you show, the more the others will love you back. It shows that love is the only way to end racism in any society. New Delhi : Nearly a month after attack on Bacha Khan University, students at Viqar-Un-Nisa School and College for Girls were evacuated following an incident of firing near the institute. Fear and panic gripped the area as it brought back flooding memories to parents and students, who already have been edgy following the previous attack. Regional Police Officer Fakhar Sultan told media, "Shots were heard as police exchanged fire with car thieves. Army personnel, Elite Forces commandos, members of the Bomb Disposal Squad have reached the school to secure the area." After hearing reports of firing, parents rushed to the school to collect their children. Schools in the area have been closed for the day and are on alert after the incident. New Delhi: Apple, the maker of popular iPad and iPhone devices, will have to submit a fresh application for opening single brand retail stores in the country, as certain gaps have been found in the initial proposal. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has explained the gaps to the company and wants them to submit a fresh application, seeking more information on their proposal for further processing, according to sources. Last month, the company had filed its proposal seeking permission for single brand retailing and sell its products online. Apple had not mentioned the amount of investment and number of stores it wants to open. An e-mail query sent to Apple remained unanswered. The Commerce and Industry Ministry could exempt the company from local sourcing norms as the US-based giant makes state-of-the-art and cutting edge technology products, The sources said. The government had last year relaxed the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy for single brand retailing. The government had said that it may also relax the sourcing norms for entities undertaking single brand retailing of products having state-of-the-art and cutting edge technology and where local sourcing is not possible. Single brand retailers are also allowed to take e-commerce route for such trading. At present, 100 per cent FDI is permitted in the sector. But beyond 49 per cent, the FIPB permission is required. The company sells its products through Apple-owned retail stores in countries, including China, Germany, the US, the UK and France. It has no wholly-owned store in India and sells its products through distributors such as Redington and Ingram Micro. New Delhi: After intervention from Delhi High Court, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) workers today called off their strike after 14 days. The MCD workers were protesting against delay in the salaries of the employees. The agitation over alleged delay in payment of salaries had started a face-off between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and BJP, which controls the citys civic agencies and left garbage piling up by the capitals streets besides crippling healthcare and education. The breakthrough came Three days after a big chunk of teachers, engineers and administration staff had called off their stir. Doctors and paramedics had ended their strike earlier on Friday. Differences among the several striking unions of Delhis municipal employees is also a prime reason for the ending of strike. With a few of the bodies affiliated to Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh deciding to call off their stir, while another group of unions continued to hold protests today to press for their demands. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : To visit space and explore remains a distant dream for all of us. Nasa has now released a series of retro travel posters. The colourful space-themed travel posters for Nasas Jet Propulsion Laboratory were created by Invisible Creature. The poster collection has three space themes namely The grand tour, Enceladus and Mars. This can be considered as the latest in a series of retro posters the agency has commissioned. One of the posters called, The grand tour commemorates Nasas Voyager mission, which sent back breath taking images while exploring Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune using the gravity of each planet. The second one focuses on more of the destination, rather than travel, with highlighting Enceladus one of Saturns moons. The final theme Mars is filled with images of rockets, planes and agriculture, insinuating that we finally found evidence that the dust planet is inhabitable. The best thing about these posters is that the posters give a feel that we are getting closer to everyday space trips, but there has been no developments supporting this. "Each new poster mixes a bit of that reality with an optimistic take on what exploring our solar system might actually look like someday. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry has greeted people of the Himalayan region including India, Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet on Losar, the Tibetan New Year. On behalf of President (Barack) Obama and the people of the United States, I offer our warmest wishes to all of the peoples of the Himalayan region celebrating Losar for a joyful New Year, Kerry said in a statement on Monday. The United States joins you in celebrating the history and vibrant culture of the peoples of the Himalayan region, including those in Bhutan, Nepal, India, and Tibetan areas of the Peoples Republic of China, he said. The Losar festival marks sacred and secular practices like prayers, ceremonies, rituals and folk dancing and merrymaking. Kerry said the rich cultural heritage in song, poetry, art, and literature has enriched humanity. As you gather with family and friends to celebrate Losar, know that the US stands with you as a partner and friend. May the New Year be filled with peace and prosperity, Kerry said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : After 106 years, Titanic II will again set assail in 2018. The RMS Titanic sank into the North Atlantic Ocean during its maiden voyage in 1912. A fully functional replica of RMS Titanic will be launched by Australian billionaire Clive Palmer and his company, Blue Star Line in 2018. This updated version will be physically identical to the original Titanic ship with a number of small changes to meet the modern safety requirements. This cruise ship will be four metres wider, with its hull welded together. It will also offer first, second and third class tickets. The new cruise ship will have adequate safety requirements in terms of lifeboats, marine evacuation system, satellite controls, digital navigation and radar systems. The replica Titanic will have nine floors, 840 cabins to accommodate 2,400 passengers and 900 crew members. It will also accommodate swimming pool, Turkish baths and gyms for leisure. James McDonald, the marketing director of Blue Star Line said: "The new Titanic will of course have modern evacuation procedures, satellite controls, digital navigation and radar systems and all those things you'd expect on a 21st century ship. The ships maiden voyage will be from Jiangsu in Eastern China to Dubai. The original Titanic sank on its maiden voyage in 1912 after a collision with with an iceberg in North Atlantic which had claimed more than 1,500lives of passengers and crew members. Lucknow: Lawyers of the Allahabad High Courts Lucknow bench here went on the rampage today, torching a state transport bus and vandalising some vehicles after the body of their colleague bearing injury marks was found in the state capital yesterday. They were agitated over the alleged murder of 40-year-old advocate Sharavan Kumar Verma. His body was found in a drain close to the place where he stayed in Ganeshganj locality, police said. The protesting lawyers also pulled down posters and banners from poles and set them on fire, police said, adding fire tenders were requisitioned to put out flames that engulfed the bus. The lawyers boycotted the court to register their protest and demanded Rs 10 lakh compensation for the family of the deceased advocate. An emergency meeting of the Oudh Bar Associations executive committee was held to condemn the murder, general secretary of the association R D Shahi said. The meeting also resolved to abstain from work today in protest against the incident, he added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: India may ask Pakistan to seek deposition of Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headley through video conferencing before its court, where the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case is being tried, to gather more evidence so that those involved in the incident could be punished. As the Pakistani-American terrorist talked about ISIs financial, military and moral support to LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen in his deposition to a Mumbai court, there is a possibility of India asking Pakistan to take a similar initiative to ensure production of Headley before the court in Pakistan where the 26/11 trial has been going on. It is one of the actions which could be taken. A decision has to be taken at the highest level, a senior government official said. Since Pakistan is in denial on the evidence provided by India so far, Pakistan should speak to the US for Headleys testimony through video conferencing to get first-hand evidence, the official said. The trial of the Mumbai terror attack case in Pakistan is moving at a very slow pace with frequent disruption and change of judges. In his deposition before a Mumbai court, Headley gave out details about 26/11 attacks and his role in it. While testifying via video-link from the US, Headley said he was working for Pakistan Army and ISI besides LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) and that he knew about ISI official Brigadier Riyaz being the handler of LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi who was a key man responsible for the November 26, 2008 attacks in Mumbai. He also said that LeT had planned an attack at a conference of Indian defence scientists at Taj Mahal Hotel a year before the 26/11 strikes and had even prepared its dummy. But the plan was dropped because of logistical reasons, like difficulty in smuggling in weapons and personal and failure to know the schedule of the meet, he said. Headley, who had visited India seven times to scout for targets, said he had also conducted a recce of the famous Siddhivinayak Temple and Naval air station. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Amid a rising China, the U.S. is working to turn India into an aircraft carrier power (NationalSecurity.news) China made operational its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in recent years and is building a second carrier, the first indigenous ship of its class. As Chinese naval power grows and as Beijing is making aggressive moves to build islands in the South China Sea, all of these factors have combined to lead a strategic pivot to Asia by the Pentagon. But given the reality of Obama-era defense cuts, the Pentagon is finding it tough sailing in dedicating the resources it likely needs to deter rising Chinese aggressive. Given Russian moves in East Europe and the Middle East and the lingering problem of the Islamic State, defense planners are scrambling to assemble the resources and manpower necessary to complete the pivot. One way the Defense Department is bridging the resource gap is by relying more heavily on local Asian allied forces, especially naval assets. Another way it plans to leverage allies in the region is by providing key allies with the technology to bolster their own forces, all with an eye toward countering Chinese moves. That explains why, as Reuters reports, the U.S. is working with India the only country with an economy and technology base large enough to transform it into an aircraft carrier power in Asia: The two countries agreed to work together on aircraft carrier technology as well as jet engines during U.S. President Barack Obamas visit to India last year in a strengthening of ties to balance Chinas expanding military power in the region. The visiting chief of U.S. Naval Operations, John Richardson, said the two sides had held talks on a range of issues relating to the next generation Indian carrier from its design to construction. A high-level working group consisting of U.S. and Indian officials are set to meet this month in New Delhi as part of several meetings designed to broaden cooperation on the design of the carrier, as well as its development and production. We are making very good progress, I am very pleased with the progress to date and optimistic we can do more in the future. Thats on a very solid track, Richardson told reporters in New Delhi. India is currently undergoing a naval renaissance after years of neglect. Some 40 warships are currently under construction and the government approved 12 new submarines, six of which will be nuclear-powered. Right now the Indian Navy operates two carriers an old carrier from Russia inducted in 2014 and an aging British carrier than will be retired this year. India is building an indigenous carrier and that ship should enter service in the 2018-19 timeframe. That said, the Indian Navy is also planning a third carrier, the largest so far, and thats partly why New Delhi is seeking American technological assistance, especially with state-of-the-art aircraft launch systems. Richardson noted that electromagnetic launch technology that will allow the U.S. Navy to launch heavier planes from carrier decks was part of the conversation with officials in India. All of those things are on the table, there are possibilities, its a matter of pacing, its very new technology for us, he said. If India pulls off this kind of cooperation, The National Interest notes in a report on the negotiations, it will be nothing short of a coup. Building carriers is not an easy task; getting all the moving parts to operate and be durable is a massive undertaking and its partly why it took China from 1985 to 2012 to put is first, small-ish, refurbished Soviet-era carrier, to sea. Also, Indias carrier relationship with Russia was fraught with problems, delays and cost overruns all things that would largely be solved by a carrier technology deal with the U.S. See also: Reuters The National Interest Submit a correction >> Carol Kaliff / Carol Kaliff RIDGEFIELD The sale price for Boehringer Ingehleims generic drug business was cut by more than $500 million on Wednesday after revenue projections for the unit were revised lower. Hikma Pharmaceuticals (LON: HIK), which made the deal in July to acquire Roxane Laboratories for about $2.65 billion in cash and stock, said Wednesday its cutting its cash offer by $535 million for the division. Both Hikma and Boehringer Ingelheim have agreed to the new purchase price, according to a statement released by Hikma, which was founded in Jordan with headquarters in London. When it comes to books, romance novels arent exactly considered top-shelf contributors to the worlds great literature. But guess what? The romance genre has a rabid fan base and grosses more than a billion dollars a year outselling mystery, science fiction and fantasy combined. And there are good reasons for that. One is this: Womens feelings and emotions matter. Another is the funny and vibrant community of writers and voracious readers behind the powerhouse industry. Love Between the Covers is an award-winning documentary that explores this somewhat invisible community. It reveals how writers and readers get what they want and need to keep those pages turning in 34 languages on six continents. The film will be screened at the Danbury Palace on Sunday, Feb. 14. The Valentines Day event includes complimentary chocolates and a chance to meet film director/producer Laurie Kahn, as well as some published authors from the Romance Writers of Southern Connecticut and Lower New York the local chapter of Romance Writers of America, which has almost 10,000 members. Hearsts Movie & A Martini is pairing with the Danbury screening, which will be the first in a series of Sunday meet-ups. Writer/film enthusiast Joe Meyers will be at the Palace to see the film and chat with the group afterward. (The next meet-up will be Sunday, March 13, featuring a new documentary about Janis Joplin.) Kahn shared more on her film in a recent interview: More Information Palace Theatre, 165 Main St., Danbury. Sunday, Feb. 14, 1 p.m. $15. Free parking behind theater. 203-794-9944, thepalacedanbury.com, blueberryhillproductions.com, bit.ly/1StY9Ri See More Collapse Q: Love Between the Covers is a delightful look at the funny, savvy female community of writers (and readers) who have turned romance novels into big business. What inspired you to explore this unique subject? A: As a documentary filmmaker, I want to bring the lives and work of compelling women to the screen, because any industry dominated by women is typically dismissed as trivial and merely domestic. My previous films A Midwifes Tale and Tupperware! are very different from one another, but were both shaped by my desire to look honestly at communities of women who havent been taken seriously (but should be), who deserve to be heard without being mocked. When I learned that the romance fiction community is global, successful and almost entirely female, that caught my interest. Q: Readers who love romance books often say the genre is addictive. One author in your films trailer said she has so many characters in her head they are like planes circling over a major airport. Why do you think theres such passion surrounding the subject? A: Love stories are universal. ... Romance novels have been written primarily by women, for women and about women. They have been successful, I believe, because romance fiction is one of the few places where female characters are always center stage, where justice prevails in every book, where women get what they want and the broad spectrum of desires of women from all backgrounds are not feared, but explored unapologetically. Q: What is at the heart of a great romance novel? Must there be heaving bosoms on the cover?! A: I asked all of the romance readers and writers I interviewed, what makes a romance novel a great romance novel? Their answers varied from great believable characters, to the excitement of jumping into a different world, to reading a story that gives them hope. ... You ask whether heaving bosoms on the cover are a requirement. Well, that was once the case (back in the Fabio days). But since the 1980s, the spectrum of romance fiction has exploded it now reaches all the way from evangelical Christian romance to erotic and BDSM (bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism) romances, and everything else in between. So you will find women in rural settings with Amish caps (on the covers of Amish romances), vampires and werewolves (on the paranormal romances), cartoon chick-lit images (on the contemporary romances), men and women in historical costumes (on the historical romances), etc. Covers are designed as signals, telling readers from across the room what sub-genre that book belongs to. lkoonz@newstimes.com; Twitter: @LindaTKoonz This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BROOKFIELD Connecticuts secretary of the state has called for a repeal of a statute town Republicans used last year to expel resident Jane Miller from the party. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill released a statement Wednesday saying she has requested a bill that would stop local registrars and party officials from expelling members. Getting kicked out of a political party could bar someone from voting in this years presidential primary, Merrill said. Our concern is that the current law could restrict someones right to vote. Should the state play a role, through elections officials, in deciding the ideological purity of political party members? We dont think so. Merrill sent her request to the General Assemblys Government Administration and Elections Committee, which has until Feb. 19 to raise a bill. Miller was booted from the party in April after she and her husband, Larry, were accused by Brookfields Republican Registrar Thomas Dunkerton of not being good-faith party members. Dunkerton cited Jane Millers unsuccessful run as a Democrat for the Board of Finance and the couples contributions to the Democratic candidates as reasons why they should not be allowed to remain in the party. While Larry Miller was allowed to remain in the party, his wife was dismissed at a contentious hearing where Dunkerton and Town Committee Chairman Matt Grimes voted for her expulsion. Dunkerton did not respond to calls seeking comment on Wednesday. Jane Miller praised Merrill and said she hoped no one else would be kicked out of their political party. From the very beginning, my intention was not to simply accept this, but to make sure this would not happen to anyone else, Miller said. Im still very stunned we had to go to this extent. After she was expelled from the party, Miller lost a suit against Dunkerton to be reinstated, but is appealing that decision in state Supreme Court. Miller filed a lawsuit last week against Dunkerton, Grimes and two other Republican officials in federal court, saying her constitutional rights have been violated. The suit contends Millers voting rights have been violated since she can not participate in an upcoming primary to elect Republican Town Committee members or vote in the April 26 presidential primary. The suit contends the Republican officials discriminated against Miller because of her gender, saying two men who dropped their party affiliation to run on the Democratic slate were allowed to rejoin the party without the same scrutiny. In a statement, Grimes took aim at Millers attempt to rejoin the party through the courts. We are not certain we (or any political party) can agree on the perspective that Secretary Merrill offers on the merits, Grimes said. But she certainly is spot on that any debate about the merits of the existing legislation does not belong in the courts it belongs in the General Assembly. Republican State Rep. Stephen Harding, who is also a member of the Brookfield RTC, said he had also proposed similar legislation to repeal the statute. I hope they take it up for discussion, Harding said. Former Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, who represents Miller in the federal suit, said shes pleased her successor is pushing for the change, but admitted it was unlikely the legislation would restore Miller to the party in time for the upcoming elections. I want to thank Secretary Merrill for realizing that this is a problem, Bysiewicz said. In the 12 years that I was secretary of state, not once did we have a situation where a registrar held one of these hearings under the party purge statute. Mrs. Miller and I urge the committee and urge the legislature to repeal this law. TORONTO, Feb. 9, 2016 /CNW/ - IAMGOLD Corporation ("IAMGOLD" or the "Company") today announced the first mineral resource estimate in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") Definition Standards incorporated by reference in National Instrument 43-101 for the Diakha deposit located on the Siribaya JV project in western Mali, West Africa. With the discovery of the Diakha zone in 2014, IAMGOLD expanded its exploration drilling program, culminating in the completion of the first mineral resource estimate for the Diakha deposit. The Siribaya exploration project is operated by IAMGOLD under a 50:50 joint venture with Merrex Gold Inc. ("Merrex"). The resource estimate, which includes resources estimated for previously known zones at Zone 1B and Taya Ko (formerly Zone 1A) along the Siribaya trend as well as the new Diakha deposit, is comprised of Indicated Resources totalling 2.1 million tonnes averaging 1.90 grams of gold per tonne for 129,000 ounces and Inferred Resources comprised of 19.8 million tonnes averaging 1.71 grams of gold per tonne for 1.1 million ounces. A significant portion of the estimate is derived from the newly discovered Diakha deposit which is open in all directions and has significant potential for expansion. Craig MacDougall, Senior Vice President, Exploration for IAMGOLD, stated, "The Diakha discovery is the second greenfield discovery made by the IAMGOLD exploration team in West Africa in the last three years, including the Malikoundi deposit of the Boto gold project located in neighbouring Senegal. Despite reduced budgets resulting from a sustained industry-wide downturn, the exploration group has successfully advanced Diakha from discovery to an initial resource estimate in just two years. We believe that there remains significant potential to expand the current resource base and this will be an objective of future exploration programs. I extend my congratulations to the Diakha discovery team who have worked very hard to achieve this outstanding result." The mineral resource for the Diakha deposit incorporates assay results from 216 diamond and reverse circulation drill holes totalling 25,696 metres, and for Zone 1B and Taya Ko zones, incorporates results from 129 drill holes totalling 3,903 metres. The estimate was prepared using a block model constrained with 3D wireframes of the principal mineralized domains. Values for gold were interpolated into blocks using inverse distance squared (ID2). A preliminary open pit optimization algorithm was run on the estimated grade block model to constrain the resource and to support the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") requirement that Mineral Resources have 'reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction'. The resource estimate assumes a long-term gold price of US$1,500/ounce. Only mineralization contained within the preliminary pit shell has been included in the resource estimate. The mineral resource estimate is summarized in the following table at a cut-off grades ranging from 0.45 to 0.60 grams of gold per tonne. The effective date of this resource estimate is December 31, 2015. SIRIBAYA PROJECT - MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE December 31, 2015 Classification Zone Tonnage (000s) Gold Grade (g/t Au) Contained Ounces (Au) (000s) INDICATED Zone 1B 2,102 1.90 129 Total Indicated 2,102 1.90 129 Zone 1B 4,094 1.52 200 INFERRED Taya Ko 882 1.02 29 Diakha 14,840 1.81 863 Total Inferred 19,816 1.71 1,092 Notes: CIM definitions were followed for classification of Mineral Resources. Cut-off grades range from 0.45 g/t Au to 0.60 g/t Au and vary by weathering material type. Mineral Resources are estimated using a gold price of US$1,500 per ounce. Bulk density varies from 1.55 g/cm3 to 2.63 g/cm3 based on deposit and weathering code. The resources are constrained by a Whittle optimized pit shell. Numbers may not add due to rounding. In support of the mineral resource estimate, preliminary metallurgical testwork was completed by SGS Minerals Services in Lakefield, Ontario, on three composite samples prepared from Diakha diamond drill core. The results suggest that the gold mineralization is not refractory and that a gold recovery of approximately 92% can be expected from a conventional leach / carbon in pulp (CIP) circuit. The Siribaya project consists of 11 contiguous exploration permits which cover a total area of 876.5 square kilometres and is located in the Kedougou-Kenieba inlier of the West African Craton region of western Mali along the borders with Senegal and Guinea. The Diakha, Siribaya 1B, and Taya Ko deposits are hosted within highly prospective, Birimian-aged metasedimentary, volcanic and intrusive rocks proximal to the Senegal-Mali Shear Zone. At Diakha, gold mineralization occurs within an albitized sandstone similar to IAMGOLD's Boto gold deposit located approximately 10 kilometres to the north along strike. Zone 1B and Taya Ko occur within the north-northeast trending Siribaya structural trend, which extends over 10 kilometres along strike, and gold mineralization occurs within breccia-hosted stockworks or fault related silicified zones. Next Steps The mineralization at Diakha remains open along strike and at depth where further drilling is warranted. In 2016, the Company plans additional drilling to increase our confidence in the current resources and continue to expand the mineralization along strike and at depth. Qualified Persons The mineral resource estimate, including verification of the data disclosed, has been completed by RPA Inc. ("RPA") and reported in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) requirements and CIM Estimation Best Practice Guidelines. The resource estimate was prepared by RPA Principal Geologist Luke Evans, P.Eng., and a supporting NI 43-101 Technical Report will be posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com no later than 45 days after the date of this release. Mr. Evans, who is an independent qualified person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this release. Craig MacDougall, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Exploration, for IAMGOLD has also reviewed and approved the contents of this release. Mr. MacDougall is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Notes to Investors Regarding the Use of Resources Cautionary Note to Investors Concerning Estimates of Indicated and Inferred Resources This news release uses the term "indicated resources". We advise investors that while that term is recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") does not recognize it. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in this category will ever be converted into reserves. This news release also uses the term "inferred resources". We advise investors that while this term is recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize it. "Inferred resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that part or all of an inferred resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors The SEC limits disclosure for U.S. reporting purposes to mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. IAMGOLD uses certain terms in this news release, such as "measured," "indicated," or "inferred," which may not be consistent with the reserve definitions established by the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in the IAMGOLD Annual Reports on Forms 40-F. You can review and obtain copies of these filings from the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml or by contacting the Investor Relations department. The Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") requires mining companies to disclose reserves and resources using the subcategories of "proven" reserves, "probable" reserves, "measured" resources, "indicated" resources and "inferred" resources. Mineral resources have not demonstrated economic viability and there can be no assurance that they can be converted to mineral reserves. A mineral resource is a concentration or occurrence of natural, solid, inorganic material, or natural, solid fossilized organic material, including base and precious metals in or on the Earth's crust in such form and quantity and of such a grade or quality that it has reasonable prospects for economic extraction. The location, quantity, grade, geological characteristics and continuity of a mineral resource are known, estimated or interpreted from specific geological evidence and knowledge. A measured mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics are so well established that they can be estimated with confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application of technical and economic parameters, to support production planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed and reliable exploration, sampling and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that are spaced closely enough to confirm both geological and grade continuity. An indicated mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics can be estimated with a level of confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application of technical and economic parameters to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed and reliable exploration and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that are spaced closely enough for geological and grade continuity to be reasonably assumed. An inferred mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling and reasonably assumed, but not verified, geological and grade continuity. The estimate is based on limited information and sampling gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Investors are cautioned not to assume that part or all of an inferred resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. Forward Looking Statement This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding expected, estimated or planned gold production, cash costs, margin expansion, capital expenditures and exploration expenditures and statements regarding the estimation of mineral resources, exploration results, potential mineralization, potential mineral resources and mineral reserves) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "may", "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, failure to meet expected, estimated or planned gold production, cash costs, margin expansion, capital expenditures and exploration expenditures and failure to establish estimated mineral resources, the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, changes in world gold markets and other risks disclosed in IAMGOLD's most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information Form on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement. About IAMGOLD IAMGOLD (www.iamgold.com) is a mid-tier mining company with four operating gold mines on three continents. A solid base of strategic assets in North and South America and West Africa is complemented by development and exploration projects and continued assessment of accretive acquisition opportunities. IAMGOLD is in a strong financial position with extensive management and operational expertise. Please note: This entire news release may be accessed via fax, e-mail, IAMGOLD's website at www.iamgold.com and through CNW Group's website at www.newswire.ca. All material information on IAMGOLD can be found at www.sedar.com or at www.sec.gov. Si vous desirez obtenir la version francaise de ce communique, veuillez consulter le http://www.iamgold.com/French/accueil/default.aspx. SOURCE IAMGOLD Corporation For further information: Bob Tait, VP Investor Relations, IAMGOLD Corporation, Tel: (416) 360-4743 Mobile: (647) 403-5520; Laura Young, Director, Investor Relations, IAMGOLD Corporation, Tel: (416) 933-4952 Mobile: (416) 670-3815, Toll-free: 1-888-464-9999 [email protected] Highlights Q4-2015 Net operating income per share of $1.97 and a solid combined ratio of 88.6% of and a solid of 88.6% Strong underlying DPW growth of 7%, driven by 6 points of organic growth growth of 7%, driven by 6 points of organic growth Operating ROE of 16.6% for the last 12 months with total excess capital of $625 million of 16.6% for the last 12 months with total excess capital of Book value per share up 6% this year to $39.83 up 6% this year to Quarterly dividend increased 9% to $0.58 per share TORONTO, Feb. 10, 2016 /CNW/ - Charles Brindamour, Chief Executive Officer, said: "Our strong fourth quarter results are indicative of our continued investment in growth initiatives including branding, digital leadership, product innovation, customer experience and distribution. Overall, we delivered solid topline growth while maintaining strong profitability as reflected in our combined ratio. Our acquisition of Canadian Direct Insurance (CDI) this year extended our direct-to-consumer business from coast to coast which positively impacted our business. We ended the year with a solid capital position supporting our ability to pursue growth prospects." Consolidated Highlights (in millions of dollars except as otherwise noted) Q4-2015 Q4-2014 Change 2015 2014 Change DPW1 DPW (underlying)1 1,897 1,908 1,760 1,775 8% 7% 7,907 7,922 7,349 7,461 8% 6% Underwriting income1 221 216 5 628 519 109 Combined ratio 88.6% 88.2% 0.4 pts 91.7% 92.8% (1.1) pts Net investment income 110 111 (1) 424 427 (3) Net operating income1 265 247 7% 860 767 12% Net income 198 205 (3)% 706 782 (10)% Earnings per share (in dollars) 1.46 1.52 (4)% 5.20 5.79 (10)% Net operating income per share (in dollars)1 1.97 1.84 7% 6.38 5.67 13% Operating ROE for the last 12 months1 16.6% 16.3% 0.3 pts Book value per share (in dollars) 39.83 37.75 6% (1) This is a non-IFRS financial measure, which does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies in our industry. Please refer to Section 22 Non-IFRS financial measures in the Management's Discussion and Analysis for further details. Current Outlook The Company expects that industry premiums will grow at a low single-digit rate. In personal auto , the Company expects mild rate reductions in Ontario auto to be offset by increases in other markets. In personal property , the Company expects the current hard market conditions to continue as changing weather patterns have negatively impacted industry results. In commercial lines , the Company believes continued low interest rates and elevated loss ratio of the past years, driven in part by weather events, have translated into firmer conditions. , the Company expects mild rate reductions in auto to be offset by increases in other markets. In , the Company expects the current hard market conditions to continue as changing weather patterns have negatively impacted industry results. In , the Company believes continued low interest rates and elevated loss ratio of the past years, driven in part by weather events, have translated into firmer conditions. Overall, the industry's ROE is expected to trend back toward its long-term average of 10%. The Company expects the industry's combined ratio to continue to improve in 2016, from the recent peak above 100% in 2013. Dividend The Board of Directors approved an increase to the quarterly dividend of 9% to $0.58 per share on the Company's outstanding common shares. The Board also declared a quarterly dividend of 26.25 cents per share on the Company's Class A Series 1 and Class A Series 3 preferred shares. The dividends are payable on March 31, 2016 to shareholders of record on March 15, 2016 . Normal Course Issuer Bid The Board of Directors has authorized a normal course issuer bid ("NCIB") to purchase, for cancellation, up to 6,577,156 common shares during the next 12 months, representing approximately 5% of the Company's issued and outstanding common shares. Underwriting Underlying DPW grew 7.5% to $1.9 billion in the quarter, reflecting strong organic growth of 5.8% and 1.7 points from our CDI acquisition. Premiums grew as a result of our investments in growth initiatives and favourable market conditions. For 2015, underlying DPW increased 5.0% organically, and 6.2% including CDI, reflecting the results from our growth initiatives combined with favourable market conditions, positively impacting both units and premiums. grew 7.5% to in the quarter, reflecting strong organic growth of 5.8% and 1.7 points from our CDI acquisition. Premiums grew as a result of our investments in growth initiatives and favourable market conditions. For 2015, underlying DPW increased 5.0% organically, and 6.2% including CDI, reflecting the results from our growth initiatives combined with favourable market conditions, positively impacting both units and premiums. Underwriting Income for the quarter was $221 million , up $5 million from the strong results last year. Our ongoing organic growth initiatives combined with the acquisition of CDI helped increase net earned premiums by 6%, while the combined ratio was fairly stable at 88.6%. For 2015, underwriting income of $628 million increased 21% compared to last year, reflecting higher net earned premiums combined with improved margins. for the quarter was , up from the strong results last year. Our ongoing organic growth initiatives combined with the acquisition of CDI helped increase net earned premiums by 6%, while the combined ratio was fairly stable at 88.6%. For 2015, underwriting income of increased 21% compared to last year, reflecting higher net earned premiums combined with improved margins. Overall, the combined ratio of 88.6% for the quarter and 91.7% for the year reflects a solid underwriting performance driven by our property lines. Line of Business Personal auto reported underwriting income of $28 million in the quarter compared to $53 million a year ago. Underlying DPW grew 9.4% on 6.9 points of organic growth driven mainly by our growth initiatives and rational market dynamics. The combined ratio of 96.9% was 3.2 points worse than last year due mainly to headwinds from bodily injury trends in Alberta . We are taking claims and pricing action and engaging with the government in finding a solution. reported underwriting income of in the quarter compared to a year ago. Underlying DPW grew 9.4% on 6.9 points of organic growth driven mainly by our growth initiatives and rational market dynamics. The combined ratio of 96.9% was 3.2 points worse than last year due mainly to headwinds from bodily injury trends in . We are taking claims and pricing action and engaging with the government in finding a solution. Personal property reported underwriting income of $123 million in the quarter compared to $109 million a year ago. Underlying DPW grew 11.1% on 8.4 points of organic growth initiatives supported by hard market conditions, and a 2.7 point contribution from our CDI acquisition. The combined ratio was strong at 72.7% in an environment where there were no catastrophe losses, weather was benign and our profitability initiatives have been effective. reported underwriting income of in the quarter compared to a year ago. Underlying DPW grew 11.1% on 8.4 points of organic growth initiatives supported by hard market conditions, and a 2.7 point contribution from our CDI acquisition. The combined ratio was strong at 72.7% in an environment where there were no catastrophe losses, weather was benign and our profitability initiatives have been effective. Commercial P&C reported improved underwriting income of $83 million in the quarter compared to $53 million a year ago. The combined ratio was strong at 80.1%, improving by 7 points, benefiting from our action plan launched two years ago, lower large losses and benign weather. reported improved underwriting income of in the quarter compared to a year ago. The combined ratio was strong at 80.1%, improving by 7 points, benefiting from our action plan launched two years ago, lower large losses and benign weather. Commercial auto reported an underwriting loss of $13 million in the quarter compared to an underwriting profit of $1 million last year. The combined ratio deteriorated by 8.4 percentage points to 107.9%, as we increased reserves to match our experience in this line of business. The underperformance of this line of business has led to corrective measures starting in Q4-2015 for policies renewing in 2016 with a target of bringing this line of business back to a low 90's combined ratio. Investments On a quarterly and annual basis, net investment income of $110 million and $424 million respectively is largely unchanged, as the benefit of incremental operating cash flows was offset by lower yields. Net investment losses were up by $69 million for the quarter and $238 million for the year due to lower equity markets. Net Income Net operating income for the quarter of $265 million , was up 7% compared to last year. On a per share basis, net operating income increased to $1.97 . For 2015 net operating income was up 12% to $860 million reflecting a 21% increase in underwriting income and strong distribution income. On a per share basis, net operating income increased 13% to $6.38 . for the quarter of , was up 7% compared to last year. On a per share basis, net operating income increased to . For 2015 net operating income was up 12% to reflecting a 21% increase in underwriting income and strong distribution income. On a per share basis, net operating income increased 13% to . Earnings per share of $1.46 declined this quarter as improved net operating income was offset by investment losses related to challenging capital market conditions. For 2015, EPS of $5.20 declined 10% from 2014, as higher net operating income was offset by investment losses related to challenging capital market conditions, including higher equity impairments. Balance Sheet The Company's financial position remains strong, with an estimated Minimum Capital Test (MCT) of 203% and $625 million in total excess capital as at December 31, 2015 , following the all-cash acquisition of CDI in early May. The Company's book value per share was $39.83 , an increase of 6% year over year. remains strong, with an estimated Minimum Capital Test (MCT) of 203% and in total excess capital as at , following the all-cash acquisition of CDI in early May. The Company's was , an increase of 6% year over year. The operating ROE for the last 12 months was very healthy at 16.6%. Analysts' Estimates The average estimate of earnings per share and net operating income per share for the quarter among the analysts who follow the Company was $1.57 and $1.64 , respectively. Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) and Consolidated Financial Statements This Press Release, which was approved by the Company's Board of Directors on the Audit Committee's recommendation, should be read in conjunction with the 2015 MD&A as well as the 2015 Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, which are available on our website at www.intactfc.com and later today on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. For the definitions of measures and other insurance-related terms used in this Press Release, please refer to the MD&A and to the glossary available in the "Investor Relations" section of our web site at www.intactfc.com Conference Call Intact Financial Corporation will host a conference call to review its earnings results later today at 11:00 a.m. ET. To listen to the call via live audio webcast and to view the Company's Financial Statements, MD&A, presentation slides, the Supplementary financial information and other information not included in this press release, visit our website at www.intactfc.com and link to "Investor Relations". The conference call is also available by dialing (647) 427-7450 or 1 (888) 231-8191 (toll-free in North America). Please call 10 minutes before the start of the call. A replay of the call will be available later today at 2:00 p.m. ET until midnight on February 11. To listen to the replay, call 1 (855) 859-2056, passcode 22848980. A transcript of the call will also be available on Intact Financial Corporation's website. About Intact Financial Corporation Intact Financial Corporation is the largest provider of property and casualty insurance in Canada. The company distributes insurance under the Intact Insurance brand through a wide network of brokers, including its wholly owned subsidiary, BrokerLink, and directly to consumers through belairdirect. Forward-Looking Statements This document may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results could differ materially from these forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed in the Company's most recently filed Annual Information Form and annual MD&A. Please read the cautionary note at the beginning of the MD&A. SOURCE Intact Financial Corporation PDF available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2016/02/10/20160210_C5238_PDF_EN_618910.pdf For further information: Media Inquiries, Stephanie Sorensen, Director, External Communications, 1 (416) 344-8027, [email protected]; Investor Inquiries, Samantha Cheung, Vice President, Investor Relations, 1 (416) 344-8004, [email protected] ZUG, SWITZERLAND, Feb.10, 2016 /CNW/ - Katanga Mining Limited (TSX: KAT) ("Katanga" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its ore reserve and mineral resource estimates as at December 31, 2015. Key Updates: Mineral Resources Overall, the measured and indicated mineral resource for Kamoto Copper Company SA ("KCC") (in which the Company has a 75% interest) decreased by 65.2 million tonnes. Change in the measured mineral resource for KTO is a decrease of 17.3 million tonnes based on the depletion of the mineral resource due to mining in 2015. Changes in the indicated mineral resource for KTO, KOV Open Pit and Mashamba East Open Pit is an increase of 40.0 million tonnes at KTO, a decrease of 39.2 million tonnes at KOV Open Pit and a decrease of 48.8 million tonnes at Mashamba East Open Pit based on the depletion of the mineral resource due to mining in 2015, new geological models being developed due to additional drilling and reclassification of resources. Changes in the inferred mineral resource for KTO, KOV Open Pit and Mashamba East Open Pit is an increase of 38.2 million tonnes at KTO, an increase of 22.1 million tonnes at KOV Open Pit and a decrease of 28.1 million tonnes at Mashamba East Open Pit based on new geological models being developed due to additional drilling and reclassification of resources. There are no changes in the measured, indicated or inferred mineral resources reported for T-17 Open Pit / T-17 Underground Mine, Kananga Mine and Tilwezembe Open Pit Mine, as mining was not undertaken in these areas in 2015 and no geological work was done on these areas in 2015. A reconciliation table comparing the 2014 and 2015 mineral resource estimates is set out in Annexure A. Key Updates: Ore Reserves The outcome of the December 31, 2015 ore reserve estimate is a net increase of 10.6 million tonnes of ore reserves, the net increase in reserve is based on an updated resource model at KOV Open Pit, 6.0 million tonnes being mined in 2015 and updated economic and geotechnical parameters at Mashamba East Open Pit. ore reserve estimate is a net increase of 10.6 million tonnes of ore reserves, the net increase in reserve is based on an updated resource model at KOV Open Pit, 6.0 million tonnes being mined in 2015 and updated economic and geotechnical parameters at Mashamba East Open Pit. A reconciliation table comparing the 2014 and 2015 ore reserves is set out in Annexure B and the key mining parameters which inform the ore reserve estimates are set out in Annexure C KATANGA MINING LIMITED CONSOLIDATED ORE RESERVES AND MINERAL RESOURCES 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 as at December 31, 2015 Ore Reserves Mt %TCu %Tco Proved 10.4 3.62 0.40 Probable 88.1 3.94 0.49 Proved & Probable 98.5 3.91 0.48 Mineral Resources Measured 13.7 3.53 0.49 Indicated 193.6 3.53 0.52 Measured & Indicated 207.3 3.53 0.52 Inferred 200.3 3.81 0.43 More detailed ore reserve and mineral resource estimates are as follows: KATANGA MINING LIMITED PROVED AND PROBABLE ORE RESERVES 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9 as at December 31, 2015 Ore Reserves Mt %TCu %TCo KTO 25.5 3.60 0.47 T-17 Open Pit/T-17 Underground 11.3 3.65 0.62 Mashamba East Open Pit 5.8 2.68 0.37 KOV Open Pit 55.9 4.23 0.47 TOTAL 98.5 3.91 0.48 KATANGA MINING LIMITED MEASURED AND INDICATED MINERAL RESOURCES 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 as at December 31, 2015 Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources Mt %TCu %TCo KTO 82.4 3.85 0.43 Mashamba East Open Pit 26.2 1.51 0.71 T-17 Open Pit/T-17 Underground 13.6 3.89 0.61 KOV Open Pit/KOV Underground/KTE Underground 71.4 4.16 0.51 Kananga Mine 4.1 1.61 0.79 Tilwezembe Open Pit 9.5 1.89 0.60 TOTAL 207.3 3.53 0.52 KATANGA MINING LIMITED INFERRED MINERAL RESOURCES 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 as at December 31, 2015 Inferred Mineral Resources Mt %TCu %TCo KTO 49.2 4.44 0.33 Mashamba East Open Pit 37.2 2.33 0.53 T-17 Open Pit/T-17 Underground 5.2 4.21 0.98 KOV Open Pit/KOV Underground/KTE Underground 91.0 4.44 0.36 Kananga Mine 4.0 2.00 0.98 Tilwezembe Open Pit 13.8 1.75 0.60 TOTAL 200.3 3.81 0.43 Notes: 1. The ore reserve and mineral resource estimates have been prepared in accordance with the classification criteria of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves prepared by the Joint Ore Reserves Committee of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Australian Institute of Geoscientists and Minerals Council of Australia, as amended ("JORC Code"). If the definitions and classification standards adopted by the Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") had been used instead of those of the JORC Code, the estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources would be substantially similar to the estimates of ore reserves and mineral resources presented here. 2. The mineral resource estimates have been prepared by, or under the supervision of, Christiano Santos Goncalves, (MAusIMM CP (Geo) 306 079) and the ore reserve estimates have been prepared by, or under the supervision of, Jacobus Lotheringen, PrEng each of Golder Associates Africa Pty Ltd, who are each a qualified person under NI 43-101. 3. Mineral resources are inclusive of ore reserves. 4. Mineral resources which are not ore reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. 5. For KTO, the ore reserve and mineral resource estimates are for KCC's entire interest in such ore reserves and mineral resources, whereas the Company owns 75% of KCC. La Generale des Carrieres et des Mines and La Societe Immobiliere du Congo, state-owned mining companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, own the remaining 25% of KCC. 6. Numbers may not add due to rounding. 7. Unless otherwise noted, the Company's ore reserves are estimated using appropriate cut-off grades based on an assumed long term price of $6,309 per tonne of copper and long term price of $26,720 per tonne of cobalt. Ore reserves are estimated using appropriate process recoveries, operating costs and mine plans that are unique to each property and include estimated allowances for dilution and mining recovery. 8. Unless otherwise noted, the Company's mineral resources are estimated using appropriate lithological interpretations, grade compositing and grade estimation techniques for copper and cobalt. 9. The Company's normal data verification procedures have been used in collecting, compiling, interpreting and processing the data used to estimate ore reserves and mineral resources. Independent data verification has not been performed. However the data has been independently validated. Qualified Person and Technical Report This press release was prepared under the supervision of Tim Henderson, Technical Consultant, Katanga and a 'qualified person' as such term is defined in NI 43-101. Mr. Henderson has reviewed and approved the contents of this press release. The Company's technical report entitled "An Independent Technical Report on the Material Assets of Katanga Mining Limited, Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo" dated March 30, 2012 prepared by Golder Associates Africa (Pty) Ltd under the supervision of Mr. Willem van der Schyff as the "qualified person" is in compliance with NI 43-101 is filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Cautionary Note to US Investors concerning estimates of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources The above tables uses the terms "Measured, Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources" using the ore reserves and mineral resource categories of the JORC Code. We advise US investors that while these terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the US Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize them. "Inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of inferred mineral resources will ever be upgraded to a higher category. In accordance with Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources cannot form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies. US investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the inferred mineral resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. About Katanga Mining Limited Katanga Mining Limited operates a major mine complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo producing refined copper and cobalt. The Company has the potential to become Africa's largest copper producer and the world's largest cobalt producer. Katanga is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol KAT. Forward Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the suspension of copper and cobalt processing, reductions in headcount and contractor demobilization process, the impact of newly acquired or commissioned equipment on operations, the ongoing development of T17 Underground Mine, the improvements related to the Whole Ore Leach Project, the expectation of resumption of production and the impact of the timing thereof, and the overall expected improvement of recoveries and grades. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or describes a "goal", or variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. All forward-looking statements reflect the Company's beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the statements were made. Actual results or events may differ from those predicted in these forward-looking statements. All of the Company's forward-looking statements are qualified by the assumptions that are stated or inherent in such forward-looking statements, including the assumptions listed below. Although the Company believes that these assumptions are reasonable, this list is not exhaustive of factors that may affect any of the forward-looking statements. The key assumptions that have been made in connection with the forward-looking statements include the following: the operations of the Company during the production suspension and timeline for the recommencement of operations remaining consistent with management's expectations, there being no significant disruptions affecting the operations of the Company whether due to labour disruptions, supply disruptions, power disruptions, rollout of new equipment, damage to equipment or otherwise; permitting, development, operations, expansion and acquisitions at the Project being consistent with the Company's current expectations; continued recognition of the Company's mining concessions and other assets, rights, titles and interests in the DRC; political and legal developments in the DRC being consistent with its current expectations; the continued provision or procurement of additional funding from Glencore for operations, the completion of the T17 Underground Mine, the WOL Project and the Power Project; the successful completion of, and realizing the intended benefits from the WOL Project and the Power Project; new equipment performs to expectations; the successful development of the T17 Underground Mine; the exchange rate between the US dollar, South African rand, British pounds, Canadian dollar, Swiss franc, Congolese franc and Euro being approximately consistent with current levels; certain price assumptions for copper and cobalt; prices for diesel, natural gas, fuel oil, electricity and other key supplies being approximately consistent with current levels; production and cost of sales forecasts for the Company meeting expectations; the accuracy of the current ore reserve and mineral resource estimates of the Company (including but not limited to ore tonnage and ore grade estimates); and labour and material costs increasing on a basis consistent with the Company's current expectations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, future events, conditions, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, prediction, projection, forecast, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the actual results of current exploration activities; actual results and interpretation of current reclamation activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future prices of copper and cobalt; possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the completion of exploration, development or construction activities, delays due to strikes or other work stoppage, both internal and external to the Company as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's current annual information form and other publicly filed documents. Although Katanga has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Annexure A Katanga Mining Limited Mineral Resource Reconciliation at December 31, 2015 Classification Project Area 2015 2014 Variance Mt %TCu %TCo Mt %TCu %TCo Mt Measured KTO 9.5 3.91 0.48 26.8 4.48 0.59 (17.3) Mashamba East Open Pit 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 T-17 Open Pit/T-17 Underground 4.2 2.66 0.51 4.2 2.66 0.51 0.0 KOV Open Pit/KOV Underground/KTE Underground 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 Kananga Mine 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 Tilwezembe Open Pit 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 Subtotal 13.7 3.53 0.49 31.0 4.24 0.58 (17.3) Indicated KTO 72.9 3.84 0.43 32.9 4.78 0.58 40.0 Mashamba East Open Pit 26.2 1.51 0.71 75.0 1.80 0.38 (48.8) T-17 Open Pit/T-17 Underground 9.4 4.44 0.65 9.4 4.44 0.65 0.0 KOV Open Pit/KOV Underground/KTE Underground 71.4 4.16 0.51 110.6 5.37 0.41 (39.2) Kananga Mine 4.1 1.61 0.79 4.1 1.61 0.79 0.0 Tilwezembe Open Pit 9.5 1.89 0.60 9.5 1.89 0.60 0.0 Subtotal 193.6 3.53 0.52 241.5 3.94 0.45 (47.9) Measured and Indicated KTO 82.4 3.85 0.43 59.7 4.65 0.58 22.7 Mashamba East Open Pit 26.2 1.51 0.71 75.0 1.80 0.38 (48.8) T-17 Open Pit/T-17 Underground 13.6 3.89 0.61 13.6 3.89 0.61 0.0 KOV Open Pit/KOV Underground/KTE Underground 71.4 4.16 0.51 110.6 5.37 0.41 (39.2) Kananga Mine 4.1 1.61 0.79 4.1 1.61 0.79 0.0 Tilwezembe Open Pit 9.5 1.89 0.60 9.5 1.89 0.60 0.0 TOTAL 207.3 3.53 0.52 272.5 3.98 0.46 (65.2) Inferred KTO 49.2 4.44 0.34 11.0 5.00 0.59 38.2 Mashamba East Open Pit 37.2 2.33 0.53 65.3 0.76 0.10 (28.1) T-17 Open Pit/T-17 Underground 5.2 4.21 0.98 5.2 4.21 0.98 0.0 KOV Open Pit/KOV Underground/KTE Underground 91.0 4.44 0.36 68.9 3.59 0.32 22.1 Kananga Mine 4.0 2.00 0.98 4.0 2.00 0.98 0.0 Tilwezembe Open Pit 13.8 1.75 0.60 13.8 1.75 0.60 0.0 TOTAL 200.3 3.81 0.43 168.2 2.41 0.31 32.1 Annexure B Katanga Mining Limited Ore Reserve Reconciliation as at December 31, 2015 Mining operation December 31, 2015 Reserve Estimate December 31, 2014 Reserve Estimate Variance Mt %TCu Mt Mt %TCu %TCo Mt KTO 25.5 3.60 0.47 27.0 3.50 0.55 (1.5) T-17 Open Pit/T-17 Underground 11.3 3.65 0.62 11.3 3.65 0.62 0.0 Mashamba East Open pit 5.8 2.68 0.37 5.9 3.00 0.36 (0.1) KOV Open Pit 55.9 4.23 0.47 43.8 4.56 0.44 12.1 Total 98.5 3.91 0.48 87.9 4.01 0.49 10.6 Notes: See notes 1, 2, 5 to 7 and 9 on page 3 of this press release relating to ore reserve estimates. Annexure C Ore Reserve Estimation: Key Mining Parameters Reference Mining Costs Open Pit (USD $/t) 4.7 Reference Mining Costs Underground (USD $/t) 71.6 Reference Oxide Ore Processing (USD $/t) 44.4 Reference Sulphide Ore Processing (USD $/t) 12.2 Reference Mining Metal Price for Cu (USD $/t) 6,309 Reference Mining Metal Price for Co (USD $/t) 26,720 Operation Mining Dilutions Mining and Pillar Losses Geological Losses Cut-off Grade (Cu) Processing Recoveries (Cu) Processing Recoveries (Co) KTO 5% to 10% 5% 5% 1.50% 71% 65% KOV 8% 5% 0% 0.65% 85% 65% T17 Underground 8% 8% 8% 1.20% 85% 65% T17 Open Pit Converted to underground Mashamba East 10% 15% 0% 0.65% 85% 65% SOURCE Katanga Mining Limited For further information: Johnny Blizzard, CEO, Tel: +41 (041) 766 71 10; Matthew Colwill, CFO, Tel:+41 (041) 766 71 10 Students of the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos are protesting the death of one of their colleagues. Students of the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos are protesting the death of one of their colleagues.The students are unhappy with the attention given to a female student, who fell ill some days ago and died this morning.Sources at the institution confirmed to NE that that a female final year student, who is said to be from the department of Food Technology, was admitted at the institutions medical centre but was not properly attended to, a situation which led to her demise.The student died at about 4am today, just two weeks before her final exams.The students have now barricaded the schools gate as nobody is allowed to enter or exit the institution. Dana Airline yesterday dispelled the rumour making the round of an attempted bomb attack on one of its aircraft at the Murtala Muhammed... Dana Airline yesterday dispelled the rumour making the round of an attempted bomb attack on one of its aircraft at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.Communication Manager of Dana Airline, Mr. Kingsley Ezenwa who spoke to newsmen said that the rumour making the round that some passengers came on-board its aircraft en-route Lagos to Abuja with guns and other ammunition with intention of bombing the aircraft was not true.Mr. Ezenwa pointed out that the passengers in question were the security aides of Former Vice President Abubakar Atiku stressing that they were four in number and one of them came with some bullets which made the security officials of the airline to stop them from boarding the aircraft.Mr. Ezenwa added that the airline officials had to direct them to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to do a proper documentation of the bullets before they could fly to Abuja.He saidNothing spectacular happened. They were about four of them, one of them was on a wheel chair and we learnt they had a road accident and they were trying to fly to Abuja for treatment. One of them had some bullets on him. Our security men saw it and send them to FAAN and NCAA to do a proper documentation before they could boardThey were supposed to fly from Lagos to Abuja by 1:30pm but because of the situation on ground and in a bid to do a proper documentation of the bullets, we delayed them till 3:30pm when they finally left Lagos for AbujaWe even had to write a report to that effect to FAAN and NCAA. We learnt that the other security men that had guns with them had already travelled but not with our aircraftThere was no bomb scare at all. When we told them that they should go and do a proper documentation of the bullets, they did not argue with us, they just went straight away to do it. There was no tension at all Mr. Kingsley affirmed./ A detective with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Junaid Said, yesterday told a Federal High Court in Abuja that th... A detective with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Junaid Said, yesterday told a Federal High Court in Abuja that the embattled Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman, Olisa Metuh, allegedly transferred N500 million to Daniel Paul International Ltd.Said said the money was transferred in two tranches of N200 million and N300 million to purchase a landed property for the defendant on Banana Island in Lagos.The detective also claimed the PDP spokesman allegedly gave $2 million cash to a woman in his home to invest.Said told the court that the $2 million was Metuhs share of the N10 billion allegedly withdrawn by ex-National Security Adviser (NSA), Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for distribution to party members at the last PDP presidential convention where Goodluck Jonathan was picked as a sole candidate.The witness said there was evidence that Metuhs company, Destra Investment Limited, got N400 million from the ex-NSA for security services.But he claimed there were no records of contractual agreement or any project executed.He said investigation showed that the fund was deployed in PDP campaign.Metuh is being tried for allegedly using the N400 million he purportedly received from the Office of the NSA in November, 2014, to fund the partys presidential campaign.He was arraigned with his company, Destra, on January 15 on a seven-count.The PDP spokesman was also accused of laundering $2 million cash through a phony investment transaction.On January 25, the first prosecution witness, Nneka Ararume, an employee of Asset and Resource Management (ARM) Company Limited, admitted collecting $2 million from Metuh in his home at the Prince and Princess Estate, Abuja.Ararume, a Wealth Manager with ARM, said she collected the cash from Metuh on December 2, 2014, with an instruction to invest it in the name of his company Destra Investments.Yesterday, Said, under cross-examination by lead defence lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), said: In the course of investigation, it was shown that the former NSA withdrew about N10 billion from the CBN and converted same into dollars, which amounted to around $47 million.The detective added that the ex-NSA gave the money to the aide de camp (ADC) to the then President and his special adviser (Domestic) to share to PDP members for its presidential convention.The $2 million given by the 1st defendant to Nneka Ararume (prosecution witness 1) was linked to the disbursement of the $47 million, which was converted in November, 2014 and shared to PDP members for its presidential convention.The EFCC operative alleged that the 1st defendant gave the money to Nneka Ararume to convert to naira.There is no document in respect of this transaction, because the money was shared in cash. The document is part of the charges being prepared against those involved. Investigation showed that Ararume during the course of this transaction, worked with ARM Investment, Said said.Earlier, in his testimony-in-chief, the witness explained how Metuh allegedly disbursed the N400 million he received from Dasuki.He said Metuh gave part of the money to former PDP Board of Trustees Chairman Tony Anenih and ex-Aviation Minister Kema Chikwe, among others.Among the disbursements, N77.1 million was paid to Yomi Badejo Okusanya of CMC Connect for PDP campaign.In similar vein, N25 million was paid to Abbah Dabo for campaign.Another N21,776,000 was paid to Chief Anthony Anineh, while N5 million was paid to Chief Chkwe.Another N50 million was transferred to the joint account of the 1st defendant and his wife in the name of Olisa and Kanayo Metuh; N500 million was transferred to Daniel Paul International Ltd in two tranches of N200 million and 300 million to buy a landed property on Banana Island in Lagos by the 1st defendant, he said.The witness also gave details of how Metuh allegedly tore part of the statement he made at the EFCC.When he concluded writing his statement, which was in four sheets, he handed them over to me. I read it. I also gave it to my other team members to read. After that, I returned it to him for endorsement. He endorsed the first sheet. He also endorsed the second sheet. When he was to endorse the third sheet, in which he stated the money he receivedBut Said was interrupted by Ikpeazu, who objected to that line of his testimony on the grounds that the torn statement was not before the court.Justice Okon Abang overruled Ikpeazu and directed him to allow the witness statement to flow.Following the courts ruling, Said continued and said Metuh tore part of the statement where the money he received from the ONSA, was used for PDP campaign and to settle his debts.The EFCC agent added: To the surprise of the team (investigating team), he (Metuh) tore the sheets into pieces.The pieces of the torn sheets were recovered from him and registered with the exhibit keeper of the commission. I made entry of the incident into my EFCC pocket notebook.I also made the same entry, in the commissions Incident Duty Record Book.Said said: Because of what he did, I declined to give him the fourth sheet to endorse because I did not want him to tear it. Much later in the day, he requested to volunteer more statement, I again wrote the cautionary words, I again asked him if he understood it, he said yes and I signed it and he volunteered statement.The interview and investigation confirmed that money received by Badejo Okusanya of CMC Connect was used to carry out media campaign for the PDP on the instruction of the 1st defendant.In similar vein, the money received by Abbah Dabo was also used for media services for PDP campaign. In the course of investigation, Alhaji Abbah Dabo, having learnt that the money he was paid came from the ONSA, refunded it.Investigation showed that N88.5 million was transferred to Tiboro Nig Ltd, to source foreign exchange. It was able to source 66,000 pounds, after which it returned the balance to Destra. The 66,000 pounds was paid into an account outside Nigeria as instructed by the 1st defendant.Investigation by the commission with respect to funds paid out by the former NSA has led to two separate pending charges before the FCT High Court, the witness said.Copies of the charges and the statement made by Metuh were tendered and admitted in evidence by the court.On cross examination, the witness said his investigation team did not obtain statements from former President Goodluck Jonathan in the course of investigation.When Ikpeazu ended his cross-examination, prosecution lawyer Tahir announced the closure of the prosecutions case.He objected to Ikpeazus request for adjournment to enable his client prepare for his defence.Justice Abang noted that the defence did not deserve the adjournment because it failed to provide meaningful reasons.He, however, adjourned to February18 for the defence to open its case. Ten persons were killed and another 20 injured in yesterdays protest by the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) in Aba, Abia State, when... Ten persons were killed and another 20 injured in yesterdays protest by the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) in Aba, Abia State, when the protesters clashed with security agencies.Unconfirmed reports said over 30 members are receiving treatment in various hospitals in the city while another 20 are in detention.A source said the protesters gathered at Ibo National High School for prayers before their plan was aborted. In the morning, we gathered at Ibo National High School for prayers and address by the Aba coordinatorWhile the prayers were on, we noticed police patrol vans and because we locked the gate, they could not enter. They attempted to scale the fence, but could not. Shortly after, soldiers came in Hilux vans and scaled the fence.When they entered, they asked for our coordinator but we resisted them. The next thing we heard was gunshot. I cant say how many died because there was a stampede as people tried to escape.He added that no amount of killings or intimidation would discourage the group from pursuing its cause as the protest would continue on Friday.Commissioner of Police Joshak Habila could not be reached for comments.Police spokesman Ezekiel Udeviotu Onyeke was also yet to comment as at press time.Spokesman of the Ohafia 14 Brigade Army, Major Mbaneme Sidney could also not be reached but a source at the 144 Battalion at Ukwa West denied the allegation that soldiers shot the protesters. He said the arrested members had been handed over to the police for further investigation. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Searching for a Lenten Friday fish fry? A guide by location, date in metro New Orleans area: Add yours! WASHINGTON (AP) The House Jan. 6 committee plans to unveil "surprising" details at its next public hearing about the 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol. The session Thursday afternoon is likely to be the last public hearing before midterm elections next month. The panel is expected to include new evidence from the U.S. Secret Service about its actions with Donald Trump that day. Ahead of a report later this year, the panel is summing up its findings. The committee says Trump, after he lost the 2020 presidential election, launched an unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory. They say the result was the deadly mob siege of the Capitol. Community Its now easier than ever to connect and chat with others in your local area. You can connect with your community by asking general questions, give area updates and recommendations and even let your community know about local events that are taking place. When Sheila Cote-Meek was a young girl growing up in Temagami, she felt she couldn't succeed. When Sheila Cote-Meek was a young girl growing up in Temagami, she felt she couldn't succeed.The granddaughter of a residential school survivor, Cote-Meek faced extreme racism and bullying, and saw signs everywhere that Aboriginal people didn't finish school or move onto post-secondary education.When she was in Grade 8, though, she had a teacher that instilled in her a belief that she could achieve much more academically.Cote-Meek went on to get her nursing degree, and later a master's of business administration and a PhD in sociology and equity studies.For the past decade, she's been the associate vice-president of academic and indigenous programs at Laurentian University . She holds one of the most senior academic posts of any Aboriginal person in Ontario.Cote-Meek is also one of 13 Aboriginal role models chosen for the Council of Academic Universities' Let's Take Our Future Further Campaign The campaign aims to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Aboriginal leaders and alumni at Ontario universities and to encourage current students to continue to pursue and complete their studies.There are more than 6,500 Aboriginal learners at Ontario universities and thousands of Aboriginal alumni who are contributing to Ontario's social, cultural and economic well-being, said Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo, chair of the COU working group responsible for the initiative.We want Ontarians to celebrate that success and, now, Aboriginal learners who have blazed their own trail at university are encouraging others to do the same.Cote-Meek said she feels privileged to be featured in the campaign. She said one of her career goals has been to make other Aboriginal people feel welcome at university.We all know about the stories of residential schools, and the impact it had on that generation and subsequent generations, she said.My grandfather went to the Spanish Residential School. There's a lot of hesitancy in our families to go to school because there's mistrust about what's going to happen.So my goal in going back and finishing a PhD was to look for ways to make universities a better place for indigenous students, so when they come to these kinds of places, they feel welcome.Amy Shawanda, who's set to graduate with her master's degree in indigenous relations from Laurentian in June, is also one of the 13 role models featured in the campaign.The native of Wikwemikong on Manitoulin Island said she had great role models in her mother, who has a college degree, and her sister, who also has a master's degree.A single mother, Shawanda said she also wants to be a role model for her son.On the sleepless nights and days Ive cried, I have looked at my son and realized that Im doing this for him, she said in a biography included on the initiative's website.Upon her graduation from Laurentian, Shawanda plans to continue her education, working towards her PhD at Trent University. She ultimately wants to change policies that affect Aboriginal people.For example, for her master's degree, she's studying the policies that restrict smudging in health facilities in northeastern Ontario.Post-secondary education has had a huge impact on my life it is where my healing journey began, Shawanda said on the Future Further website.It helped me to find my identity, cultural teachings, and a connection to my language. It has also given me a great support system that has allowed me to teach my child about the traditional Anishinaabe way of life.Pursue your passion in life and transform your future if you dont go after what you want, youll never have it. Don Duval named honorary MMTS chair Modern Mining and Technology Sudbury has announced Don Duval will serve as the honorary Chair for the 2016-2017 season. Modern Mining and Technology Sudbury has announced Don Duval will serve as the honorary Chair for the 2016-2017 season. File photo. Modern Mining and Technology Sudbury has announced Don Duval will serve as the honorary Chair for the 2016-2017 season. Duval is the CEO of NORCAT, an an organization focused on skilled labour training and development and is home to the Innovation Mill, one of Canadas leading regional innovation centers partnering with community stakeholders to helpstart and accelerate the growth of innovative companies. Duval was the former vice-president of the MaRS Discovery District and has served as an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Toronto. He currently sits on the Board of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the Northern Ontario Manning Innovation Foundation, and is a two-time TEDx speaker. Modern Mining and Technology Sudbury is an organization that works to raise awareness and promote the rewarding careers in today's mining industry to the next generation. The programs and events offered by the MMTS organization are leading the way to showcase meaningful career opportunities in the global mining industry, Duval said in a press release. Given the ongoing introduction and adoption of technology and innovation in this industry, it is critical that our youth see these exciting opportunities and understand how important mining is to not only Sudbury, but also our country. Every year, Modern Mining and Technology Sudbury dedicates a week to celebrate the Sudbury mining community and aims to educate the younger generation of its importance. This year the organization will celebrate Mining Week April 22 to May 1, 2016. On Newsstands Now: Here's Everything You'll Find in CityBeat's Latest Issue From a Bigfoot hunt to delightfully spooky ghost stories from one of Cincinnati's watering holes, here are the stories you'll find in CityBeat's latest print edition. By CityBeat Staff Oct 19, 2022 For many of us, Bigfoot is a legend present only on an episode of Ancient Aliens, or perhaps only among the towering, mysterious pines of the Pacific Northwest. However, for CityBeat's latest issue, we went on a hunt for Bigfoot in a place where the massive furball had allegedly been spotted before Ohio's Pleasant Hill Lake Park... On a recent trip to Offutt Air Force Base, I visited with military leaders and the airmen of the 55th Wing. Offutt is home to many critical resources and plays a vital role in defending our nation. I was there to continue my work with military leaders and receive updates on improvements to the bases runway. These conversations revealed the positive progress taking place. We are blessed to have this military installation here in Nebraska. While at Offutt, I also toured the 557th Weather Wing, which monitors weather patterns for the military around the world. The men and women of the 557th help ensure the Department of Defense has the most accurate and relevant weather information at all times for any location around the world. From monitoring solar flares and volcanic eruptions to typhoons and blizzards, the 557th uses the latest technology to alert commanders of the threat Mother Nature poses to their missions. Following my visit, I returned to the U.S. Capitol for a busy week in the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC). The first duty of the federal government is to defend the nation. As Nebraskas voice on this influential committee, I am humbled to work with the men and women of our military. My colleagues and I strive to ensure that our service members are prepared to do their jobs and safely return home. As part of its work, SASC meets regularly to receive updates on new and emerging threats to our national security. The committee often deals with highly classified, time-sensitive information on a wide scope of defense-related issues. In this weeks column, I would like to provide you with an update on some of the committees recent activities and highlight the work my colleagues and I are doing to help make America safe. The committee continues to monitor the situation in Afghanistan. I recently met with Gen. John Campbell, commander of U.S. forces there, to discuss Americas role and the challenges facing our mission. The day after our meeting, Gen. Campbell provided an update on Afghanistan before the full committee. With an emboldened Taliban gaining ground in the region, I believe our military must have the proper authority to prosecute its mission. I was disappointed that it took the administration over a year for the White House to approve General Campbells request for permission to attack ISIS-affiliated forces that have begun appearing in Afghanistan. This year, I am continuing my work as chairman of the Armed Services Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. The jurisdiction of this subcommittee includes cybersecurity, special operations and counterterrorism policy. Recently, I convened the subcommittee for a classified briefing on ISIS with members of the intelligence community. The goal of this session was to develop a better understanding of this terrorist group and how it operates. I also serve on the Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, which is responsible for overseeing the militarys nuclear and ballistic missile defense. This month, I attended a hearing of this subcommittee focused on the future of our nuclear forces. Needless to say, the dangers of our world demand American strength. We have a moral obligation to ensure our military has the resources it needs to defend our nation. Im proud to serve on SASC, and I will continue to make the tough choices to keep America safe and secure. Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week. Rabbitohs prop Thomas Burgess has spoken out on the responsibility of being a role model and the need for all NRL players to accept that as "part of the job". Making his debut for the Harvey Norman World All Stars on Saturday night, Burgess was joined at Woodcrest College in Springfield on Wednesday by Indigenous All Stars back-rower Greg Bird and Jillaroos representatives Tallisha Harden and Brittany Breayley, speaking to captivated youngsters about the NRL's Wellbeing program. The program this year is targeting healthy eating, hydration and sufficient levels of sleep, the towering frame of Burgess a shining light of what's possible when you eat plenty of the right foods and live a healthy lifestyle. Whether elite sportspeople should be considered role models is a topic widely debated but in the light of recent off-field incidents Burgess believes that in order to play in the NRL players must be conscious of setting the right example. "To be honest, I love it. I love coming to schools and to be someone that these kids can look up to and I think that's part of your job," Burgess said. "If you want to be in the NRL and play in it it's something you've got to take on board and be aware of. "Some players may not realise that straight away but most players now are getting on to that and it's great that we can make a difference in these kids' lives." Burgess regularly works with the Souths Cares program in delivering positive messages to schools and also engages in additional charity work such as fundraising for the Cure for MND Foundation, the debilitating disease that claimed his father when he was just 14 years of age. Over the course of his 14-year career Greg Bird has been embroiled in a number of off-field incidents and is currently working hard to prove that he deserves to once again captain the Gold Coast Titans. Due to become a father for the first time early in the 2016 season, Bird says he is understanding of the influence that NRL players can have but that they also shouldn't be the primary role models in the lives of young people. "It's always a balance. There are a lot of role models in these kids' lives teaching them what they should be doing," Bird said. "Their parents and their teachers more so than us, but it's good to come out and see them and share a bit of knowledge on what we do and our opinions on what it takes to get as far as we can in whatever we want to do in life. "I understand that we're all role models. We're in the spotlight and everything we do is scrutinised a lot more than everyone else and I understand that side of things. "But I don't look at us as the be-all and end-all role models in these kids' lives." On Thursday both the World All Stars and Indigenous All Stars teams will join with the Indigenous Youth Summit that runs in conjunction with All Stars week. NRL clubs have selected 64 young Aboriginal, Torres Strait Island and New Zealand Maori students to attend the Summit, each participant carefully selected based on participating in a number of education and community initiatives in their local communities. EAST CHICAGO ArcelorMittal is looking to close finishing lines at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor to address the overcapacity thats been nagging the domestic steel industry. The Luxembourg-based steelmaker lost $7.9 billion last year, more than half of which was because of loss of cash flows from overseas mining operations due to a steep drop in the price of iron ore. ArcerlorMittal then announced its Action 2020 five-year capital plan, which aims to cut $250 million from its U.S. operations. Most of the cutbacks ArcelorMittal is proposing would take place in East Chicago, United Steelworkers District 7 Director Mike Millsap said. The steelmaker employs more than 5,000 workers at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor. The massive steel mill has numerous finishing lines, including five continuous casting machines, a slab dimensioning facility, 80-inch and 84-inch hot strip mills, a pickling line, a five-stand tandem mill, batch annealing, continuous annealing, a temper mill, two hot-dip galvanizing lines and an aluminizing line. ArcelorMittal wants to close several lines and make a major multimillion-dollar investment in the remaining ones so they can run around the clock, Millsap said. The idea is to save money by running fewer operations more efficiently. Nationally, only 72 percent of the nations steelmaking capacity was used last week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Its estimated there are 600 million tons over-overcapacity worldwide, and that adds costs, depresses prices, and makes it hard for steelmakers to turn a profit. No layoffs would take place, Millsap said. Any displaced workers would be transferred to other areas of the mill, which sprawls across 3,100 acres on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Some operations get idled, others get capital, he said. "Nobody gets laid off. The USW and ArcelorMittal are discussing what operations would be idled as part of their contract negotiations, and nothing is final until a new contract is agreed to. The union has a vested interest in the company's success, Millsap said. He said theres largely a conceptual agreement on the restructuring, though the union has other unresolved issues, such as with the increased out-of-pocket expenses on health insurance ArcelorMittal wants workers to pay. We need the company to be able to sustain itself in the future," he said. "It has to be profitable in order for us to do our jobs. The type of investment theyre talking would protect our members. True BBQ & Whiskey Bar is beloved by carnivores and vegans alike, since it's known for some fine seitan dishes in addition to all the tender, succulent slow-cooked meats you'd expect. The classy restaurant at 8940 Calumet Ave. has an extensive whiskey and cocktail selection, enough craft beer to sate most and some of the best barbecue around in the Region. Northwest Indiana has been undergoing a bit of a barbecue Renaissance with Bombers BBQ in Munster, Big Daddy's BBQ in Gary and now Q-BBQ in Schererville. True BBQ exudes an upscale ambiance with a Brunswick-style bar, Corinthian columns and a tin ceiling. You get thickly cut house-made BBQ potato chips and sweet pickles instead of rolls. There's plenty of glorious meat on the menu, and the best way to sample a lot of it is the sliders. Maybe gourmet sliders were overdone a few years ago, but think of it as a meat flight. There are four choices, but you only get three, and that's really the only flaw. There's crispy pork belly with gouda; apricot glaze and fried Vidalia onions; an exotic duck with gouda, cactus aioli, and greens; pulled pork with goat cheese, greens and raspberry BBQ sauce; and thinly sliced beef brisket with horseradish mayo. All are great, but the pork belly is a standout. The month of February is already upon us. This past week went fast and its hard to believe its past time to pen this column again. Saturday we ground all the hamburger from the beef we butchered. We made around two hundred fifty hamburger patties and packaged all the hamburger for the freezer. I will make vegetable soup yet from the meat we cook from the bones. This will wind down all the butchering from the beef. We canned the beef chunks and some hamburger. I like canned hamburger for casseroles. It doesnt have to be fried before adding it so it saves a step. We also use it to make sloppy joes. While working on the hamburger we got a call saying that Joes Uncle Benji Eicher passed away in Marysville, Indiana. Sunday we attended church in Charlotte, Michigan, at Moses brother Daniel and Mariannas place. Its always interesting to visit other communities. We appreciated the hospitality! We enjoyed visiting with Lydia Coblentz. Her husband Freeman was a cousin to my dad. He passed away twenty years ago. Lydia is almost ninety and has many interesting stories to tell from her youth. One of her granddaughters wrote a book called Seasons about Lydias life. I have the book and we all enjoyed reading it a true story of an Amish girl growing up in hard times. Monday morning Joe and I and five of our children headed south for Marysville. We arrived in Scottsburg around 12:30 p.m. We got a few motel rooms then went to the visitation which was almost twenty miles from the motel. When we came back to the motel the children had fun swimming in the motels pool. All the motels in Scottsburg were filled with people that were attending the funeral the next day. Some people had to go to other towns further south for a motel. Marysville is a new Amish community with not too many families there yet. On the day of the funeral there were over one hundred vans there bringing friends and family from all over. The funeral was held in a large pole barn and Im guessing there were more than one thousand people there. Our sympathy goes to Aunt Margaret and the family. Uncle Benji left to mourn fourteen children, one hundred thirty four grandchildren, and one hundred fifty eight great-grandchildren. We arrived back home in Michigan around 6:30 Tuesday evening. Daughter Susan, 20, and son Benjamin, 16, kept up with the chores here at home while we were gone. We had plans to butcher hogs on Saturday but changed our plans due to a funeral of an 88-year-old man from this community, Menno Eicher. He is a father-in-law to three of Joes sisters. When I was a young girl I was in the same church district as Menno. Menno was a widower for quite a few years. We plan to attend the funeral on Saturday. With two funerals in the same week my work has been pushed back so I need to get back to chores. We wish Gods blessings to all of you. Try this potato soup on these cold winter evenings. Potato Soup 1 pound bacon, fried and chopped 2 celery ribs, diced 1 onion, diced 6-8 potatoes, peeled and cubed 32 ounces chicken broth 3 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup flour 1 cup heavy cream salt and pepper to taste 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded Place bacon in a large kettle. Add celery and onion and cook until softened. (Use bacon grease if desired.) Add potatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then simmer until potatoes are tender. In a small saucepan melt butter, then whisk in flour and brown the mixture, stirring constantly for a few minutes. Add heavy cream slowly while whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and continue whisking until mixture thickens. Stir cream mixture into the potato mixture. Gently stir in cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. PORTER TOWNSHIP Two men were arrested Wednesday afternoon after police said they broke into a home and encountered a homeowner with a gun. Porter County sheriffs officers were dispatched about 12:40 p.m. to an attempted burglary that had just occurred in the 700 West block of County Road 450 South. Police said the suspects, driving a white Chevrolet van, arrived at the residence and knocked on the front door. The female homeowner did not recognize the van and could not see who was at the door, according to police. Police said a few moments later the doorbell rang at the rear of the residence and the homeowner heard what she thought was someone using their body to force their way into the house. Police said the homeowner then retrieved a firearm and her phone and called police. Police said she threatened the subjects, who then took off out of the residence back to their vehicle. According to police the subjects and the van were located in the area of 400 S. County Line Road and taken into custody without incident. Christopher Bartosik, 28, and Nedal Hamed, 34, both from Lake County, face initial charges of burglary, a Level 4 felony. Police said Hamed also had an active warrant for burglary in Lake County. Police said it is not known if Bartosik and Hamed took part in previously reported burglaries in the area. Police in Valparaiso and Merrillville are working together on the investigation of robberies that took place Tuesday night at CVS Pharmacy locations in their communities. Merrillville Detective Cmdr. Jeff Rice said Wednesday that police "found a lot of similarities" between the robberies in the two communities. Three people made off with numerous prescription pain pills during a threatened armed robbery at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night at the CVS Pharmacy at 1805 Calumet Ave. in Valparaiso. One male and two females walked up to the pharmacy and demanded pain medications, police said. One of the females claimed she had a gun, but never displayed a weapon. The female obtained numerous Oxycontin pills and all three fled the store, Valparaiso police said. One of the females wore a camouflage jacket with blue jeans and appeared to have red hair, according to police. The other female was wearing blue jeans with a blue-hooded sweatshirt underneath a black jacket. The male subject was wearing a tan Carhartt style jacket and blue jeans. All three of the subjects had their faces partially covered with hoods and other clothing, police said. Each appeared to be wearing layers of clothing and gloves. Once outside the store, the three ran in different directions. Valparaiso police made an unsuccessful attempt to track the three using a dog. Prior to the Valparaiso robbery, Merrillville police received a report at 10:21 p.m. of a robbery at the CVS Pharmacy at 5301 Broadway in Merrillville. Additional details from the Merrillville robbery were not immediately available. INDIANAPOLIS The Republican primary contest to succeed U.S. Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., which started the week with three candidates, soon may be down to just one. On Wednesday, the Indiana Democratic Party officially challenged the ballot petition signatures for the Senate campaign of U.S. Rep. Todd Young, R-Bloomington. Democratic Chairman John Zody claims Young filed only 498 signatures from the 1st Congressional District, which includes Lake, Porter and western LaPorte counties, instead of the 500 required by law. "It is imperative that every candidate seeking office in Indiana is determined to be eligible, and it appears Todd Young may not be eligible," Zody said. The secretary of state's election division reports that its unofficial records show 501 Young petition signatures from Northwest Indiana. However, the division does not individually check each signature and relies on the challenge process to spot flawed petitions. A line-by-line review of the petitions by multiple members of the Statehouse press corps tallied 497 signatures. It appears three Porter County residents signed petitions submitted for verification in both Lake and Porter counties, but properly only were counted in Porter County. Additionally, a staffer in the LaPorte County clerk's office recorded an extra signature in the 1st Congressional District from a voter who lives in the 2nd. The media review was monitored by Republican and Democratic secretary of state employees. Should the state's four-member Election Commission confirm at its Feb. 19 meeting that Young lacks the required signatures, he could be denied a spot on the May 3 primary ballot. That would make U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Howe, the Republican U.S. Senate nominee, since the third candidate in the race, Eric Holcomb, withdrew Monday after Republican Gov. Mike Pence chose him to be Indiana's next lieutenant governor. Young spokesman Trevor Foughty insisted the campaign submitted nearly 650 signatures from Northwest Indiana. "We are confident that at the end of this process, the Election Commission will reject the blatantly political gamesmanship of the Democrats," Foughty said. "At this point, any attempt to disenfranchise voters would be unfortunate, underhanded and ultimately unsuccessful." The Stutzman campaign gleefully has spread word of Young's petition issues since they came to light, and is urging Republicans to rally around Stutzman because they claim Young is unprepared to run for statewide office. GARY | A 24-year-old Gary man died Friday, marking the city's 30th homicide of the year. Benjamin Fullilove was shot at 3:20 a.m. July 13 in the 2100 block of Carolina Street, Gary police Cpl. Gabrielle King said. The shooting occurred during an argument among people at a party at that location, police said. Gary Detective Cpl. Mike Barnes is investigating and following all leads, King said. Police have no one in custody in connection with the case, King said. Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call Barnes at (219) 881-7300, ext. 3004. The spike of violence in Gary has city officials seeking solutions to the ongoing issue. Gary has requested assistance from Indiana State Police to back up city officers for 90 days. Gov. Mike Pence issued a letter asking Gary officials to explain how sending more troopers to the city would help sustain public safety in Gary in the future. Pence has asked the city to follow up with the state's Office of Management and Budget and said he has asked the Indiana State Police to work with Lake County law enforcement on a review of Gary policing practices. GARY | The spike in city violence continued this weekend with police investigation the strangulation death of a Gary man in an apparent domestic dispute and a shooting, both in the city's Midtown section. The Lake County coroner's office identified the dead man as Clester Sims, 37, of the 1400 block of West 16th Avenue. Gary police Cpl. Gabrielle King said a concerned resident called Police Chief Wade Ingram at 8:25 a.m. Saturday to report a possible homicide at the location. Ingram rushed to the home and found Sims' body. The coroner's office said its staff pronounced Sims dead at 10:05 a.m. of trauma to the neck and are tentatively classifying the death as a homicide. King said officers arrested Santrina Echols, who was identified as the victim's girlfriend. Gary Detective Cpl. Mike Barnes is investigating and will present his findings to the Lake County prosecutor's office. She said anyone with information on the crime should call Barnes at (219) 881-7300, ext. 3004. The county police crime scene investigation team assisted the investigation. Police said they also are investigating the shooting of 24-year-old Benjamin Fullilove at 3:20 a.m. in the 2100 block of Carolina Street. Police said the assault took place during an argument among people at a party at that location. Police didn't list his condition. Sims' death is the 28th homicide reported in Gary this year and sixth in the past eight days. Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson has asked Gov. Mike Pence's office to allow Indiana State Police to help the city deal with the spike in violence. State police officials have met with Ingram on the matter. CROWN POINT | Prosecutors charged a Michigan man Tuesday in the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Gary man. Benjamin Fullilove was shot during an altercation among partygoers July 13 in the 2100 block of Carolina street in Gary. Fullilove died six days later from his wounds, police said. Charged with murder is Isaiah Hughes, 24, of Holland, Mich. According to charging documents, witnesses told police Hughes was among a number of people attending a party at the home of Fullilove's girlfriend. When Fullilove returned to his girilfriend's residence with takeout food for the couple, the woman asked party attendees to leave, court documents state. A witness told police she knocked on the woman's door to report Hughes "hitting on" women outside the home. During an ensuing confrontation, Hughes is alleged to have shot Fullilove multiple times. When police, who had been called by Fullilove, arrived on the scene about 3:20 a.m., they found Fullilove wounded in the backseat of a car and about to be driven to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary for treatment. Described as "extremely hysterical and crying," Fullilove's girlfriend told police several individuals had argued with Fullilove, shot him and fled in two separate cars. GARY A local pastor implored Region leaders gathered for a prayer breakfast Wednesday benefiting the United Negro College Fund to honor their pasts by helping others have brighter futures. "I'm not so much afraid of a man with a gun as I am of a man who has forgotten where he has come from," said the Rev. R.E. Robinson of St. John Baptist Church in Gary. Robinson addressed close to 300 people gathered at the Genesis Convention Center on Wednesday morning for Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson's annual prayer breakfast. The event, conducted in partnership with the Northwest Indiana Leadership Council, was a benefit for the United Negro College Fund. "Because of all of the UNCF grads in this community, because of what they do for this community, it simply makes sense to me to create opportunities for the next group of UNCF grads who will sew seeds in the city of Gary," Freeman-Wilson said. Robinson presented the keynote address, drawing connections between a story in Joshua 4 in the Bible and the present. The passage tells the story of God calling upon Joshua as the Israelites were crossing the Jordan River to the promised land. Joshua commanded 12 men to each gather one stone from the river, carry it on their shoulders and create a monument using the stones so their children would know of their journey and struggles. "That's why it's important that we make sure our HCBUs (historically black colleges and universities) stay open, not so much for us because we know the stories, but for our children because when they ask us what is the significance, we can say that when we weren't allowed in the classroom, God erected an edifice to make sure our children would be educated. "Our HCBUs are more than just buildings, more than just stones," he said. "They are symbols that God found a way for us." The UNCF's founding in 1944 came at a critical transition in the nation, he said, much like crossing the Jordan River did for the Israelites. "It's why it's important we remember 1944, when African-Americans and the United States of America were in a transition somewhere between slavery and total equality called segregation," he said. "We did not make it this far by ourselves, but we stand as stones on the shoulders of others that came before us. It has now become our responsibility to shoulder the load for those who can't shoulder it themselves." Robinson presented the UNCF with a check for $1,300 from the members of his congregation and challenged other faith-based organizations to raise funds as well. "God wants us to take a part in our own emancipation," Robinson said. "It's not that God can not do it, but he wants you to participate in what he is trying to do." The breakfast aimed to raise $50,000 for the United Negro College Fund. VALPARAISO Alison Erickson was told she had a "cross-country heart." She was a high school athlete who always passed her physicals. So when she had pain in her chest last year, she thought it was a pulled muscle. It turned out she had severe blockage in her heart. She ended up in the same emergency room where she works as a unit assistant at Porter Regional Hospital. She had to have a pacemaker put in, at only 19 years of age. "It's different when you're a patient," said Erickson, now 20, of Valparaiso. "It's different when you're on the cart. It's a different world. It's scary." Erickson told her story Tuesday at Porter Regional Hospital, where the health system announced a multi-year partnership with the American Heart Association to help reduce the incidence of heart disease in Northwest Indiana. Porter, the only Region hospital to receive the association's top recognition for treating heart failure, plans to educate the public about heart health, as well as sponsor the 2016 Porter County Go Red for Women campaign and Porter County Heart Walk. "Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in men and women," said Diane Kemp, executive director of the American Heart Association for Northwest Indiana, marking American Heart Month. "We all know someone who's been affected, whether it's a family member or a co-worker." That would now describe Erickson's colleagues at Porter Regional Hospital. Months after her ordeal, she's doing better, having more energy and sleeping less. She says she now realizes she had symptoms going back years, namely the nightmares where she imagined she was in a car crash. A doctor later told her that was her brain's way of trying to wake her up after her heart had stopped. "Now I have a machine running my body that was the hardest part to get over," she said. But at least she has that option, and found out about her condition before it was too late. Now she wants to encourage others that, no matter their age or assumed health status, they should get screened for heart disease if they have any inkling something might be wrong. VALPARAISO A City Council member's motion to create a transparency committee fell flat on Monday. No one on the council during its regular meeting backed the motion by Councilman Robert Cotton to create the committee, which apparently would have tasks that included providing more transparency regarding tax abatements and the Redevelopment Commission. Several council members said they felt blindsided and confused about the motion and that it wasn't on the agenda and they had only heard about it several hours prior to the meeting. "There has not been a plan presented to us," Councilwoman Trista Hudson said. "Other than the discussion in the last half-hour, I have no idea what this is supposed to look like. I can't vote on something if I don't know what the plan is. Once that is presented, it might be something we can have a better conversation about." Councilman Matt Murphy said there is already a process and a committee in charge of assessing tax abatements the City Council. "I'm not in favor of creating another commission when that's our job," he said. "I'm not in favor of creating more red tape for our business community." Cotton was given a choice by Mayor Jon Costas to make a motion on the matter or come back to the next meeting with more specifics and Cotton chose to make a motion, but failed for lack of a second. The council also addressed the possibility of putting tax abatement documents online prior to the council's vote so the public can view them. No decision was made. During the public comment period, Center Township Democratic Chairman Kevin Cornett suggested the RDC offer a seminar on tax abatement forms to address confusion residebnts may have when viewing them. At the same meeting the council voted unanimously to award a four-year tax abatement of $433,160 to J & N Realty for its Eastporte Centre property that houses Sensit Technologies. The abatement is added office space next to the existing building and approximately 7,600 square feet of parking. NEW YORK Over the past few weeks, thousands of clipboard-toting volunteers have fanned out across some of the nation's largest cities, tasked with a deceptively complex job: counting the number of homeless people sleeping on the streets. They've had to do it under difficult conditions that some social service groups say are bound to produce an inaccurate tally. The official counts are done once a year, in the dead of winter, when homeless people are more likely to be hunkered down in places that are hard to see. The challenging nature of the count was on display at 2 a.m. Tuesday in New York City when volunteers knelt down to question a man sleeping on a Manhattan sidewalk beneath a camouflage blanket. Beside him, a cardboard sign read "Anything helps." "Excuse me? Sir?" volunteer Victoria Parker prodded, appearing to startle the man. "Do you have some place where you consider your home or some place you live?" "Have you served in the armed forces?" To each question the man simply shook his head "no." Finally, she asked if he would like to go to a shelter. Again he shook his head. She thanked him and, as her partner recorded the answers, the man laid his head back down to sleep as snow began to fall. The count is mandated by the federal government for cities to receive certain kinds of funding. It has taken place all over the country in recent weeks, including in Philadelphia, Houston and Boise, Idaho. Some social service groups argue that the counts should be done more often, because the number of homeless spotted on the street could change depending on how cold it is. A number also argue that the volunteers don't often venture into dark parks or remote locations such as bridges, highway embankments or subway tunnels and that the homeless are inherently transient and easy to miss during even a comprehensive survey. New York's annual count usually puts the number of street homeless in the low 3,000s, but advocacy groups have suggested the actual total could be nearly double that. This year's count won't be known for months. "It's a flawed measure and using it to make a comparison from one year to the next is deeply problematic since so many variables change," said Giselle Routhier, policy director of the Coalition for the Homeless in New York. "Doing it one day a year doesn't provide accuracy. And if you don't have an accurate read of the problem, you can't accurately identify solutions." In New York, the city is too vast to cover fully in one night. So, a mix of city blocks with a high density of people and those of low density are chosen for the survey based on existing data and the results are inserted into a formula to extrapolate a tally. Even some of the groups involved acknowledge that the system is far from ideal. "It a good thing to do but also an imperfect system," said Eric Weingartner, a managing director of The Robin Hood Foundation. "It's such a fluid population that you're never going to know what you're going to find day in, day out. But it does give the city some snapshot." Officials suggest that the one-night approach is the best that can be done considering current fiscal and manpower restraints. In Dallas, a renewed effort was made "to canvass the whole area, not just known encampments," in order to get a more accurate total, said Cindy Crain, chief executive officer and president of Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, the nonprofit that coordinates the survey of the homeless. "They will go into a Waffle House, look behind commercial buildings, back in the Wal-Mart parking lot where you may see a car with all of their stuff in it," said Crain before Dallas conducted its survey last month. She says she asks volunteers to think, "It's cold tonight. Where would you go?" In some cities, the count comes at a time of increased scrutiny of homelessness. The Los Angeles City Council in November declared a homelessness crisis, paving the way to allow people to sleep on sidewalks and temporarily live in their cars while it continues to seek ways of housing an estimated 26,000 transients. The city's homeless population has increased more than 10 percent over the past two years. In September, officials announced they planned to spend $100 million to eradicate homelessness. "Capturing the data helps us advocate for funding and helps us allocate that funding so the money goes to the right places," said Naomi Goldman, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. "It helps us identify trends and issues." Housing of Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, whose agency doles out funding contingent on cities doing the survey, joined Mayor Bill de Blasio for New York's count. De Blasio, whose administration is battling a rise in homelessness, walked several blocks and assured the homeless he encountered that the city was trying to help. "It's very, very sad to see, especially in the middle of a city with so much wealth," de Blasio said. "This is not the way it should be." ___ Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Jamie Stengle in Dallas and William Mathis in New York contributed to this report. SPRINGFIELD President Barack Obama returned to Springfield on Wednesday to call on members of the Illinois General Assembly to work together toward a less divisive, more civil politics. The speech, delivered nine years to the day after Obama launched his White House bid on the steps of the Old State Capitol, came amid an unprecedented state budget impasse between first-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-controlled Legislature, led by House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, both of Chicago. While alluding to the standoff, Obama focused his remarks on the larger issue of the increasing political polarization in Springfield and Washington and across the United States. The situation we find ourselves in today is not somehow unique or hopeless, he said, speaking in the current Capitol, where he began his political career in 1997 as a state senator from Chicagos South Side. Weve always gone through periods when our democracy seems stuck, and when that happens, we have to find a new way of doing business. Were in one of those moments. Weve got to build a better politics, one thats less of a spectacle and more of a battle of ideas, one thats less of a business and more of a mission, one that understands the success of the American experiment rests on our willingness to engage all our citizens in this work. To build that better politics, Obama highlighted four areas where work needs to be done: limiting influence of big money in politics, changing the way congressional districts are drawn, making it easier for voters to register and cast ballots, and engaging in more respectful political discourse. We cant move forward if all we do is tear each other down, he said. The president said his belief in the importance of bipartisanship and civility has its roots, in part, in his days in the Illinois Senate. As a newcomer in the then-minority party, Obama had to find ways to work with Republicans if we wanted to accomplish anything. He formed a bond with Kirk Dillard, then a GOP senator from Hinsdale and now chairman of the Chicago-area Regional Transit Authority, with whom he worked on issues such as ethics reform and combating racial profiling. He also took the time to get to know downstate Republicans away from the Statehouse, playing cards with people like Sens. Dave Luechtefeld of Okawville and Bill Brady of Bloomington. Away from the glare of TV or the tweets of the GIFs of todays media, what we discovered was that, despite our surface differences Democrats and Republicans, downstate hog farmers, inner-city African-Americans, suburban businesspeople, Latinos from Pilsen or Little Village despite those differences, we actually had a lot in common, he said. We cared about our communities. We cared about our families. We cared about America. We fought hard for our positions. I dont want to be nostalgic here. We voted against each other all the time, and party lines held most of the time. But those relationships, that trust that we built, meant that we came at each debate assuming the best in one another and not the worst. He added, And we didnt call each other idiots or fascists who were trying to destroy America. Because then wed have to explain why we were playing poker or having a drink with an idiot or a fascist who was trying to destroy America. Despite Obamas message, there were times when partisan divisions were on full display in the House chamber. For example, Democrats stood and cheered when he mentioned the importance of collective bargaining rights, as did Republicans when he mentioned redistricting reform. Obama acknowledged his disappointment that partisan discord has gotten worse during his presidency and, hinting at his post-presidential plans, said this work will be a focus of mine over the course of this year and beyond. Obama arrived aboard Air Force One on Wednesday morning at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, where he was greeted by Rauner, among others. The two spoke briefly before the president got into his limo and made his way to the Capitol after a brief stop for barley soup at The Feed Store, just steps from the Old State Capitol. Following the speech, the president shook hands with many on the Republican side of the aisle before departing the House chamber. Upon leaving the Capitol, Obama went to greet a group of about 500 supporters a few blocks away inside the Hoogland Center for the Arts. After that, he was back aboard Air Force One, en route to San Jose, California. With the presidents visit come and gone, what remains is the question of whether his words will have any impact on the partisan atmosphere in Springfield or the states budget impasse, now in its eighth month. A refreshing act of good government can be tainted by bad decisions. Nowhere is this more apparent than the ongoing bidding process for Scherervilles municipal garbage-hauling contract. Even in doing right by taxpayers in seeking competitive bids to save money, something about this issue stinks of rotting refuse. Its not too late to do the right thing, and the Schererville Town Council has that opportunity tonight when it votes to accept a new trash pickup contract from among three potential bidders. The town appears to have three very competitive rates to consider from three prospective companies. Its clear putting the contract out to bid earlier this year, rather than automatically renewing a contract with the existing vendor, will save taxpayers money. However, a piece of the process stinks. The stench emanates from the municipal email account of Schererville Town Council President Mike Troxell. I requested Troxells municipal emails for the month of January last week after learning he was an employee of GMI, a trash-hauling company and of one of the three vendors bidding on the town garbage contract over which his council will preside. On Jan. 19, Town Manager Robert Volkmann sent an email to all Town Council members, noting that current waste hauler Republic Services wanted to extend its contract with the town. Volkmanns email described Republic Services offer as a good proposal and I know cheaper than what St. John received. It would have locked in for an additional three years the $16.04 paid each month per household for garbage service under the existing contract. Troxell was the first to respond to Volkmanns email, correctly noting that seeking other bids for the work could help bring down the costs even further. Too bad the same email also regaled Volkmann and other voting councilmen copied on the same email with details of a similar competitive trash bid by Cedar Lake in which that town secured a lower $14.28-per-household bid in 2015. The winning trash bidder in Cedar Lake was a company known as GMI, where Troxell has been employed as a sales representative since August 2015. Without actually mentioning GMI, Troxells Jan. 19 email became a sales pitch for his private employer. Troxell told me Tuesday he didnt intend it that way. He was merely trying to show an example of a town that received a good deal, he said. It also should be noted Troxell appropriately disclosed his GMI employment on town conflict-of-interest forms in December, about four months after he began working for the garbage company. Volkmann and fellow Town Council members said Troxell had verbally informed them of his employment with a potential trash bidder back in the fall, well before the bids were publicly advertised on Jan. 22. Volkmann said Troxell promised he would recuse himself from voting on the matter once GMI became a bidder in the process. But the fact remains Troxell never should have used the rates offered by his private employer as an example to other council members. Even though he plans to recuse himself from the vote, Troxell has political relationships with his fellow council members. His email could be construed as seeking a favorable outcome for his private employer. As it turns out, GMI isnt the lowest bidder in the potential contracts to be considered at tonights Schererville Town Council meeting. That distinction belongs to current town vendor Republic Services, which bid $14.25 per household, or 35 cents lower than GMIs $14.60 bid. Its also worth noting the Republic Services bid is $1.79 less than what it had offered in its initial contract extension. Reopening the contract for bids worked, and the entire Town Council deserves praise. But the Schererville bidding process also reminds us to be mindful of the connections and potential conflicts our elected leaders have outside of their public offices. Leaders throughout Northwest Indiana should remember no amount of spin covers the stink of even perceived abuses in such matters. Indiana can still feel the puffy tenderness of the political and social black eye it experienced, compliments of last years ill-advised Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This year, a bill proposed by legislators on both sides of the political aisle offers a potential cold compress to reduce that swelling and help repair Indianas tarnished reputation. The injury was self-inflicted when the Legislature passed and the governor signed the 2015 RFRA bill into law. It created the perception that Indiana business owners could refuse service based on sexual orientation. Indiana immediately felt the firestorm, from nationwide social backlash to out-of-state clients and economic interests threatening to sever business ties with a state showing a lack of tolerance and inclusiveness. Gov. Mike Pence and legislators quickly acted to fix the wording before the 2015 legislative session expired, but the damage already was done. Now an urban Region Democrat and a rural Republican are proposing a law that would push the Hoosier states tolerance needle back in the right direction. The new bill would create a hate crimes clause in state law something that already exists in 45 other states, but not yet in Indiana. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, and Sen. Susan Glick, R-LaGrange, would create a new classification of crimes ones that are bias motivated. If it becomes law, the measure would allow judges to consider whether crimes were motivated by bias based on skin color, religion, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation or gender identity. Judges would be able to use such considerations to prescribe stiffer sentences against those found guilty of the bias crimes. The Rogers/Glick bill already has the unqualified support of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, a business-minded agency starving for a new tone of tolerance to bring back business lost because of the religious freedoms debacle. Whenever judges prescribe sentences, Indiana law allows them to apply a host of extenuating circumstances including whether the victims were children or whether perpetrators have prior criminal records when considering punishment. In that vein, this bill provides a new tool to judges while telling the rest of the country Indiana isnt the bigoted state that RFRA led many outsiders to believe. The hate crimes measure deserves bipartisan support from a Legislature that should concern itself with both economic and social redemption. Fresh off his big win in New Hampshire, Bernie Sanders met with the Rev. Al Sharpton in Harlem, a neighborhood that has a long history with the Clintons. NY1's Michael Scotto filed the following report. Bernie Sanders hugged the Rev. Al Sharpton Wednesday, meeting at Harlem's famed Sylvia's restaurant, just hours after Sanders crushed Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire's Democratic primary. "I think it is very important that he sent the signal that on the morning after an historic victory, that he would have breakfast with me in Harlem," Sharpton said. The 20-minute meeting comes as Sanders tries to build support in the black community ahead of crucial presidential primaries in states like South Carolina, where the black vote looms large. Clinton has enjoyed a big edge with African-Americans, and Sanders must win more of their votes to get the nomination. Sharpton said he and Sanders discussed issues important to the black community, including affirmative action and policing. "Senator Sanders coming here this morning further makes it clear that we will not be ignored," Sharpton said. Sharpton says his words are not an endorsement. He says he will decide which candidate to support after he meets with Clinton next week. But his decision just to give Sanders a hearing in Harlem, where Bill Clinton has long had an office, gives the senator new visibility in the African-American community. Sanders also visited the ladies of "The View," where he tried to win points with another Clinton group: women. "You have your own flavor ice cream," Sanders was told. "I'm tasting this for the very first time. Mmm, good," Sanders replied, sampling some Ben & Jerry's. Team Clinton fought back, organizing a conference call with prominent black supporters like Brooklyn Rep. Hakeem Jefferies, who said Sanders had been "missing in action" on minority issues. On the streets of Harlem, some voters were undecided, a sign, perhaps, that some voters who have long supported the Clintons are open to making a change. The state laws that barred nearly six million people with felony convictions from voting in the midterm elections this month date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Southern lawmakers were working feverishly to neutralize the black electorate. Poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses and cross burnings were effective weapons in this campaign. But statutes that allowed correctional systems to arbitrarily and permanently strip large numbers of people of the right to vote were a particularly potent tool in the campaign to undercut African-American political power. This racially freighted system has normalized disenfranchisement in the United States at a time when our peers in the democratic world rightly see it as an aberration. It has also stripped one in every 13 black persons of the right to vote a rate four times that of nonblacks nationally. At the same time, it has allowed disenfranchisement to move beyond that black population which makes up 38 percent of those denied the vote into the body politic as a whole. One lesson here is that punishments designed for one pariah group can be easily expanded to include others as well. The history of disenfranchisement was laid out in a fascinating 2003 study by Angela Behrens, Christopher Uggen and Jeff Manza. They found that state felony bans exploded in number during the late 1860s and 1870s, particularly in the wake of the Fifteenth Amendment, which ostensibly guaranteed black Americans the right to vote. Season 1, Episode 2: The Run of His Life This episode opens with two crucial questions: The Los Angeles County District Attorney Gil Garcetti wonders How does a murder suspect disappear from a house full of people?, and Robert Shapiro wants to know, Who the hell signs a suicide note with a happy face? The entirety of The Run of His Life (the episode takes its name from the Jeffrey Toobin book on which the series is based) is about the manhunt for O.J., the infamous Ford Bronco chase and the nonstop news coverage of both. [Related: David Schwimmer on Playing a Kardashian] I remember this day vividly, because I might be the only person in the country who didnt watch the chase. While O.J. was grappling with mortality in the back seat of a speeding vehicle, I was busy being 17 years old, on my way to a Metallica concert. I stopped to pick up my friend Karen; when I got to the door, her mom said, Theyre chasing O.J. down the highway! Then Karen flew down the stairs, and off we went, ready to rock. I didnt realize the severity of the chase until a few days later. I wasnt paying attention, because Id already decided he was guilty. Its not so clear for everyone else, though, and there are rumblings that a racial chasm is about to open up. Garcetti gives a news conference warning that action will be taken against anyone who helps the fleeing athlete; a litigator in Johnnie Cochrans office insists that the whole thing is just an example of the system tearing down another black man. People everywhere are glued to their televisions not only to see what will happen, but also to see if O.J.s actions validate their beliefs. Theres an interesting juxtaposition between Shapiro and Cochran that proves early on how both men are out for themselves. In an attempt to clear his name when the press starts pointing fingers about the bungled O.J. handoff, Shapiro holds a news conference. Cochran, still operating under the notion that Simpson is guilty, is upset that Shapiro is putting himself out front, insisting to his colleagues that lawyers should always be in service to their client. Later, Cochran does the talk-show circuit to condemn the Los Angeles Police Department for its racist treatment of citizens. Hes not on the team yet, but hes definitely making a case in favor of Simpson and hedging his bets. If you thought there was a problem with inversions deals that allow American companies to relocate their headquarters to lower their tax bills wait until you hear about the real secret to avoiding corporate taxes. Its called earnings stripping, and it is a technique that the Obama administration has so far failed to stop. The public outcry over the use of inversions is now entering its third year. Pfizer is trying the biggest one yet, a $152 billion deal for Allergan, the maker of Botox, which is based in Dublin. The flight of American icons like Pfizer has led to complaints that corporations are gaming the system to lower the taxes they pay to Washington. At the same time, the companies stay in the United States, getting all the benefits of our country. But the tax games dont stop with a relocation to Ireland, Britain or anywhere with a lower corporate tax rate than the United States. The real gains from an inversion can come from earnings stripping, and heres how it works: A company completes an inversion deal and moves its headquarters for tax purposes outside the United States. The now-foreign company still has operations in the United States. These American operations are still taxed in the United States and pay taxes here. The point of the inversion, of course, was to reduce taxes as much as possible. So, the company arranges for the United States parts of its operations to borrow large amounts of money from the now-foreign parent. The indebted American subsidiary will pay interest on that debt to the parent. Under the United States tax code, the interest payment can be used to offset the American earnings. The 92-year-old media mogul Sumner M. Redstone planned to leave his former companion Manuela Herzer $50 million and his Beverly Park mansion in Los Angeles that is worth about $20 million, but that was before he removed her from his estate plan in October, according to court documents filed on Tuesday by his lawyers. Those assets now are designated to go to Mr. Redstones charitable foundation after his death, the documents show. Mr. Redstone changed his estate plan on the same day he removed Ms. Herzer from an advance health care directive that would have put her in charge of his health decisions. In November, Ms. Herzer filed a suit, claiming that Mr. Redstone lacked the mental capacity to remove her from the health directive. The legal dispute is personal but the outcome of the suit, including any finding about Mr. Redstones mental competence, could have implications for his controlling stake in Viacom and CBS. GoodRx and Blink Health often quote prices for generic drugs that are far lower than the prices that pharmacies typically charge customers paying out of pocket instead of through insurance. Instead, the sites and their apps are offering customers prices that are closer to the rate that is typically available or even visible only to insurers. Ten of the countrys 15 most commonly prescribed drugs, for example, cost less than $10 on Blink Health, including generic versions of drugs like Lipitor, which manages cholesterol, and the diabetes drug metformin. The sites cannot help much with brand-name drugs, which are made by a single manufacturer and carry prices that can be as high as hundreds of thousands of dollars. The purchases also often do not count toward a consumers insurance deductible, which could be a problem for seriously ill patients with high medical costs. However, nearly 90 percent of the prescriptions dispensed in the United States are for generic drugs, according to IMS Health, a consulting firm. Edward A. Kaplan, the national health practice leader at Segal Consulting, a benefits consulting firm, said the prices he surveyed on Blink Health were comparable to prices he negotiated on behalf of large employers. Its about as good as youd see it, he said. Several health care experts and consumer advocates said the prescription drug market desperately needed more transparency, which they hoped would lead to lower costs. While more Americans are gaining coverage through the new health insurance law, a number of plans are demanding that consumers pay for more of their own drug costs, either through higher co-payments or deductibles, which can add up to thousands of dollars a year. In addition, many uninsured consumers do not know that the price pharmacies charge them is far higher than the rate that insurers pay the pharmacies for the same drug, health care experts said. And even insured customers are not always getting the best deal. Many people have insurance plans that require them to pay a flat rate of $10 or higher for generic drugs, even though the rate the insurers pay the pharmacy is often less. And we got totally excited, thanks to a barnburner of a call to arms by the Manhattan chef Amanda Cohen, to head to the store this evening to buy some wan supermarket tomatoes to roast into concentrated excellence. Three recipes accompany Amandas story: for roasted winter tomatoes; roasted tomato-coconut sauce; and roasted tomatoes and whipped feta on toast. We are hoping you will cook them all. Those who follow our exploits closely here at Cooking know that Wednesdays are no-recipe days, when we offer a chance to improvise a little instead of following strict instructions. Todays suggestion: old-school cafeteria tacos, with a version of the meat sauce I use for loaded nachos. Buy a pound or so of ground beef 20 percent fat if you can find it. Fry a diced onion, some garlic and a diced jalapeno in neutral oil in a large pan set over medium-high heat, then add the ground beef and break it up in the pan. Cook until it has started to crisp around the edges, then add a couple of tablespoons of chile powder, a healthy shake of ground cumin, some salt and pepper and a tablespoon of cornstarch. (Yes, cornstarch.) Let that cook for a minute, then tip into the pan a small can of diced tomatoes. Stir to combine, let it cook down for a few minutes, then add some chicken stock or water if you dont have any to the pan and watch as the gravy around the meat thickens. Cook for 10 to 15 more minutes on low and then use it as the filling for tacos, topped with cheese and sour cream and salsa, however you like. Alternatively, if no-recipe cooking is not your style, check out our collection of taco-night recipes and stick to the script that excites you. You can find other delicious things to cook on our site and apps, we hope. But if you run into any trouble, with a recipe or with the technology, we hope youll reach out for help. You can get us at cookingcare@nytimes.com, or you can find me algorithmically on Twitter, or on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Infants infected with the Zika virus may be born not only with unusually small heads, but also with eye abnormalities that threaten vision, researchers reported on Tuesday in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology. The study described damage to the retina or optic nerve in 10 of 29 newborns examined at Roberto Santos General Hospital in Salvador, Brazil. All the infants were presumed to have been infected with the Zika virus and had small heads, a condition called microcephaly. Other causes of the defect, like infection with rubella or toxoplasmosis, were ruled out. Seven out of the 10 newborns had defects in both eyes, while three infants had damage in a single eye. The most common problems were black speckled lesions in the back of the eye, large areas of tissue damage in the retina itself, or damage in the layer of blood vessels and tissue below the retina. Exactly how much these babies can see is unknown at this point, said Dr. Lee M. Jampol, a professor of ophthalmology at Northwestern University, who co-wrote an editorial accompanying the study. But, he added, when we can see these lesions, that means theres damage. By most accounts, the Bonanno crime family has been battered and crippled by prosecutions and high-profile defections in the last 15 years, even if its glory days long ago became grist for Hollywood screenwriters. But a prosecutor said in Manhattan State Supreme Court on Monday that Nicholas Santora, an aging figure in a wheelchair who has reputedly been a leader in the organization since the 1970s, was still a powerful Mafia captain in 2010. Mr. Santora oversaw a loan-sharking business and an Internet gambling site, the prosecutor said, and sold prescription drugs like oxycodone and Viagra on the black market. This is not Hollywood, the prosecutor, David Stuart, said in opening arguments at the trial of Mr. Santora and three other men. These crimes and these defendants are real. Far from being dormant, the Bonanno crime family was alive and well, and the old guard was training the new members to take over their reins. Mr. Santora, 73, whose nicknames include Nicky Mouth and Cigars, is charged with enterprise corruption, along with three younger men whom Mr. Stuart described as soldiers in the Bonanno organization: Ernest Aiello, 36; Vito Badamo, 53; and Anthony Santoro, 52. Five other men have pleaded guilty in the case. For eccentric paths followed by the justice system, few moments can surpass the events of this week. On Tuesday, nearly every living president of the New York City bar association signed a plea for clemency on behalf of Judith Clark, who drove a getaway car as part of a murderous raid on a Brinks armored car in 1981 in Nanuet, N.Y. Prison officials have said Ms. Clark had undergone an extraordinary transformation during nearly 35 years in prison, but she is not eligible to be considered for parole until 2056, when she would be 107 years old. By contrast, the man who was the ringleader of that same robbery and another in the Bronx, is due to be released on Wednesday from a federal prison in California, exactly 30 years after he was captured. That man, Mutulu Shakur, the stepfather of the rapper Tupac Shakur, was sentenced in 1988 to 60 years with a federal judges strong recommendation but not a requirement that no parole consideration be given until the maximum sentence has been served. The first sign that the City Council hearing would be different was the sign-up sheet for speakers, which would grow to more than 200 entries. And the fact that the crowd that had gathered on Tuesday would be too large for the Council chambers, and require several overflow rooms across the street. Perhaps it was the protesters, escorted out of the hearing as New York City officials began their testimony, chanting, De Blasios plan aint affordable for me. Or maybe it was the nature of the hearing itself, which stretched well into the evening, as speaker after speaker expressed concerns over, or support for, Mayor Bill de Blasios plan to require private developers to build affordable housing to meet the needs of the citys lowest-income residents. Who exactly will be eligible for any affordable housing created has become a major point of contention in the mayors sweeping effort to generate tens of thousands of new homes for poor and working-class New Yorkers struggling to remain in a fast-gentrifying city. One key element of this effort is known as mandatory inclusionary housing, which is expected to come to a vote before the full Council in March along with other proposed zoning changes. A con artist who claims he is the son of a famed leader of the Irish Republican Army lost his lawyer on Tuesday. The lawyer, a longtime I.R.A. supporter who said he took the case out of sympathy, said he could not take the chance he was being tricked. I go to Ireland all the time, the lawyer, Edward Hayes, said as he left court, having asked a judge in State Supreme Court in Manhattan to be relieved. Thats where my ancestors are. I dont want to be embarrassed. The con artist, Jeremy Wilson, 42, who is awaiting trial on forgery charges, has invented a dozen aliases over a 25-year career as a professional impostor and identity thief, prosecutors say. In a recent interview, he claimed he was the biological son of Brian Keenan, the I.R.A. member who directed a bombing campaign in Britain in the 1970s and later played a role in the peace process. Mr. Wilson also hinted that he himself was active in the I.R.A. in the late 1990s. The New York Police Department announced on Tuesday that it was reorganizing its investigative operations, a move that senior officials said would allow for an increased focus on gang activity. Under the new structure, nearly all of the departments investigative units will be brought under the supervision of the Detective Bureau, James P. ONeill, chief of department, said. An investigative chief will be assigned to each of the departments eight patrol borough commands and will report directly to the chief of detectives, Robert K. Boyce, Chief ONeill said. The changes, which are to take effect next month, are the latest in a series of moves by the department as it tries to adapt its crime-fighting methods to new technology and trends. Under the plan announced on Tuesday, the Organized Crime Control Bureau will be eliminated, and its chief, Thomas P. Purtell, will be assigned a broader role as chief of a citywide operations bureau. In that role, he will oversee units conducting a range of tasks, from special operations to homeless outreach. Updated, 9:26 a.m. Good morning on this crisp Wednesday. After an unseasonably warm couple of months including a far-from-white Christmas with temperatures in the 70s Mother Nature is making things difficult. This morning, there may be a light sprinkling of snow, possibly mixed with rain. Whatever it is, it should stop falling after your commute, around 10 a.m. After those record-breaking highs we had in December, say hello to some possibly record-breaking lows. While the temperature could climb up to 38 degrees later today, it will start to tumble. And tumble. Itll be cool today, colder tomorrow and much colder on the weekend, said Jim Connolly of the National Weather Service. In closing arguments on Tuesday at the manslaughter trial of a New York City police officer charged in the shooting of an unarmed man, the prosecution presented a new argument to jurors: The officer did not mistakenly fire a bullet that ricocheted off a wall and killed Akai Gurley, who was walking down the stairs of a Brooklyn housing project, as the defense has argued. Instead, the officer, Peter Liang, had seen Mr. Gurley, 28, while on a routine patrol and aimed, a prosecutor argued in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn. He pointed his gun, Joe Alexis, an assistant district attorney said, and shot Akai Gurley. The argument was a departure from the prosecutions theme during the previous days of the trial, in which Officer Liang, 28, was painted as reckless, inept and craven, appearing to care only about his job in the minutes after firing, not whether anyone had been hurt. The bullet from Officer Liangs gun hit a wall, Mr. Alexis suggested during closing arguments, because the officer missed. The bullet shot very close to where Akai Gurley stood, he said, and ripped through his heart. (Want to get this briefing by email? Heres the sign-up.) Good morning. Heres what you need to know: Decisive wins in New Hampshire. Donald J. Trump and Bernie Sanders dominated the Republican and Democratic primaries on Tuesday, winning almost every town. Their victories are a rebuke to the political establishment and signal a long fight for the presidential nominations. The race among the candidates aligned with the Republican Party establishment remains muddled. Here are 10 key takeaways about the challenges the winners and losers now face. 8. A small Catholic university in Maryland is being accused of censorship over the firing of the campus newspapers faculty adviser. He edited a student article revealing harsh terms the university president used to push a plan to cull struggling students. This is hard for you because you think of the students as cuddly bunnies, but you cant, the president said. You just have to drown the bunnies. He added, Put a Glock to their heads. _____ According to the European police agency Europol, more than 10,000 children who entered Europe during the last two years have disappeared, vanishing through the gaping cracks in Europes chaotic system for dealing with refugees and migrants. The fear is that many of the missing children have been trafficked into the sex trade by the same organized criminal groups that are profiting handsomely by ferrying refugees into and across Europe. In addition, many children are believed to have fled detention centers, where they do not feel safe and are too often kept in the dark about their rights. Some are teenage boys, many from Syria and Afghanistan, who have been sent ahead by families hoping to join them later. Once on the streets, they are easy prey for drug dealers, pimps or petty theft rings. Younger children and adolescent girls are also at great risk of sexual and other abuse. Some children may have become separated from their families along the routes refugees take through Europe after landing in Greece or Italy. Others arrive in Europe as unaccompanied minors 26,000 last year according to the humanitarian group Save the Children. BERNIE Sanders and the policies he advocates may represent the future for many Democratic primary voters, but his basic theory of government is very traditional, dating to the New Deal. Mr. Sanders gets cheers for these ideas, as he did from voters in New Hampshires Democratic primary with his resounding victory. But his view is being challenged by a new, more incremental liberalism, which centers on advancing liberal goals without big, universal programs an approach being invented by President Obama and Mr. Sanderss opponent, Hillary Clinton. The essence of Mr. Sanderss version of liberalism is government programs. Expansive initiatives that provide benefits to a broad cross-class constituency, as the Harvard political sociologist Theda Skocpol puts it, such as Social Security and Medicare, are not only good policy, theyre at the heart of liberal politics. They remind citizens of the essential role of government in providing security and economic opportunity. And they anchor voters to the party that backs those programs. Thats the theory, anyway, and its deeply embedded in Mr. Sanderss approach. His proposals for single-payer health care, free college tuition and paid family leave financed through a small payroll tax reflect the view that successful programs should be universal and create a connection between individuals and government. In 1996, Pat Buchanan running as a populist, a protectionist, an outsider won three of the first four Republican primary season contests, taking caucuses in Louisiana and Alaska, finishing a close second in Iowa, and then winning New Hampshire outright. None of those victories mattered in the end. Buchanan spoke only for a quarter to a third of the Republican electorate, and once the race moved on to bigger states, he lost them all to Bob Dole. His populist rebellion offered an interesting template for the future, but it was put down without much difficulty and left no lasting mark on the party. Thus far, in a sense, Donald Trump has done only what Buchanan did before him, without the early caucus wins but with a larger margin in New Hampshire. Of course that comparison understates his success: Buchanan didnt lead national polling consistently for months, or beat his closest rival by 20 points in the Granite State. But the example of Iowa, where sustained attacks drove up Trumps unfavorables and cost him late-deciding voters, suggests that like Buchanans pitchfork crusade, the Trump insurgency can be contained if the rest of the field consolidates and if his chief rivals are actually willing to attack him. Except now we know that that isnt going to happen anytime soon. If Marco Rubio a candidate broadly acceptable to the party, with high favorable ratings and decent general-election odds had succeeded in putting away the troika of Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Chris Christie on Tuesday, then the path to a three-man race between Rubio, Trump and Ted Cruz would have been clear enough, and with it the path to Trumps eventual defeat. Hillary Clinton memorably ended one of the Democratic debates by invoking the Star Wars tagline, May the force be with you. Even before voting began Tuesday in New Hampshire, a primary she was long expected to lose to Bernie Sanders, Mrs. Clinton was flirting with the dark side. Eight years after she went over the line in attacking Barack Obama, Mrs. Clintons team, notably her husband and some prominent supporters, were making tone-deaf attacks on Mr. Sanders, who has proved a tougher opponent than they had expected. On Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton sent an email to her backers, thanking them, asking them for $1 and complaining that Mr. Sanders went to the extraordinary measure of outspending us on the airwaves three to one here in New Hampshire. Mrs. Clinton knew she was going to lose the first primary, but she had no reason to panic since she remains well ahead in the next few contests. Besides, theres plenty she could say about herself instead of allowing her campaign to attack Mr. Sanders and, especially, the motives of his supporters. For the Republicans trying to catch up to Donald Trump, the challenge was different how to spin a second- or third- or fourth-place finish without sounding too silly. A number of Republican candidates are sure to drop out in the hours or days between Tuesdays vote and the South Carolina G.O.P. presidential primary on Feb. 20. Mr. Trump needed the decisive win he got in New Hampshire if he is to prove his campaign is more than a reality show. But Marco Rubios task was to maintain the energy his campaign got out of a strong third-place showing in Iowa. And Ted Cruz, despite his extensive ground game, won Iowa by only three points and needed to stay in the top tier in New Hampshire to show his support extends beyond the conservative fringe. In December at the Brookings Saban Forum on the Middle East, Atlantic magazine reporter Jeff Goldberg asked the right-wing former Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman this provocative question: Things are shifting radically not only in non-Jewish America but in Jewish America as it concerns Israel and its reputation. My question is: (A) Do you care? (B) What are you going to do about it? And (C) how important is it to you? To speak frankly, I dont care, Lieberman responded, adding that Israel lived in a dangerous neighborhood. Give Lieberman credit for honesty: I dont really care what American Jews or non-Jews think about Israel. That conversation came back to me as I listened to the Democratic and Republican debates when they briefly veered into foreign policy, with candidates spouting the usual platitudes about standing with our Israeli and Sunni Arab allies. Heres a news flash: You can retire those platitudes. Whoever becomes the next president will have to deal with a totally different Middle East. It will be a Middle East shaped by struggle over a one-state solution, a no-state solution, a non-state solution and a rogue-state solution. Q. Do you have plans to retire anytime soon? A. I wont retire, but I work less. For the first time, I feel I dont have to be in the office all day. Q. What is your focus these days? Mostly strategic? A. Yeah, new acquisitions and everything that goes on. They copy me on emails. I read and review them and write recommendations. My children always come to me, and I think it makes their decision-making much simpler. Q. How has business been? A. Very good. We had some difficulties overseas in Iraq, with ISIS, and we had some difficulties with our banks in Washington, which funded the international business. They tried to pull out, but they came back in. Q. They were nervous? A. They were nervous. Q. Youre from that region you were born in Iran. A. I was born there. But I havent been there in 37 years. I didnt leave under good circumstances, so I cant go back. I had a very successful construction business in Iran with a partner who lives in Houston. We had 6,000 people working for us, and we worked with a large number of American companies in Iran. And then one day, it was all over. After the revolution, they took everything from us our homes, our cars. I had a plane. They took the cash in the bank, construction machinery. And I let all the employees go. In June 2014, the industrial designer Celia Elmasu and the multidisciplinary artist Nelly Zagury longtime friends and intermittent collaborators made a pact over Skype. I said, If I quit my day job, you quit yours. I quit; you quit, Elmasu, now 29, remembers. Nelly said, O.K., Ill quit, and I asked, You sure? And that started it all. Zagury, 28, chimes in, Our initial idea was two parts: a hip-hop musical and doing crazy props. A year and a half later, the French-born, Brooklyn-based duo has created the first 3D-printed music video. Elmasu and Zagurys jewelry brand, Holy Faya, regularly worn onstage by FKA twigs, is a fortuitous byproduct. The brands inspiration is anchored in The Black Crook (1866), considered to be the first piece of musical theater and full of the stuff that we like, Elmasu says. Its a love story, theres good and evil, a sorcerer and a princess, battles and potions. As such, each Holy Faya collection consists of a single characters accessories that are mostly 3D-printed bioplastic with gold-plated, brass and gem detailing. Celia knows the printer so well that she invents new ways to work with it, Zagury says, adding, shell set a material in the machine and print around it. They dressed their latest lead, the sorcerer, in a Sevillano hat lined with snakes drinking from a mother-of-pearl lake; an intricate, bug-and bead-encrusted Egyptian collar; an earring, eye patch and scepter. Zagury designed the garments from leathers and python. But, before they even fired up the MakerBot, they enlisted an up-and-coming musician to provide the soundtrack and to eventually play the part. The 20-year-old French rapper Marcus Dossavi-Gourdot, a.k.a. KillASon, offered a bumpy, U.K.-grime-music-influenced track, titled Black Crook. In December, he, Elmasu, Zagury, the dancer Bathily Mamadou and the cinematographer Alexandre Degardin filmed for five days in Sunset Park. We were plunged into this universe and there were only imaginative people in the studio, Dossavi-Gourdot says. Everybody kept bringing up ideas and it nourished the video. The result an abbreviated version premieres here depicts a sorcerer-slash-goldsmith who made a deal gone wrong with the devil. He seeks revenge, 3D-printing (of course) a sort of Frankensteins monster (Mamadou). If anyone knows about gifting for Valentines Day, its the lingerie-designer-turned-candy-maker Maayan Zilberman. Her former fashion line, the Lake and Stars, blurred underwear with outerwear; her new project, Sweet Saba, delights in the mix-up between sculpture and candy. It was a very seamless shift, the sharply manicured Zilberman says of her new endeavor. Candy, like lingerie, has its biggest market around Christmas and Valentines. I think if you have the same sensibility and the same customer, its just like saying you have a new dish on the menu. Image Maayan Zilberman of Sweet Saba. Credit... Jason Lewis Formerly only available to friends and those in the know, Zilbermans one-of-a-kind treats made their first public appearance this past fall at her hard-candy rock shop on the top floor of the Meatpacking Districts gallery-cum-boutique Fort Gansevoort. This month, Zilberman is packing up her crystal-inspired candies and moving over to the Standard High Line Hotel for a romance-themed takeover of their jewel-box store. Im going to make it kind of like a pawnshop, where youd buy things like mixtapes and gold chains, she says. The spirit of the shop is romantic. Its all the little things youd have for a sleepover, your watch, your toothbrush, your keys. I like the idea that you could give your partner a set of keys, but then also package them a box of candy keys. Among the travel-size candies, customers will also find a fat-free treasure trove of pencils, sunglasses and lipstick tubes. Every detail of the Standard residency will fit into Zilbermans theme: Her candy cassettes are inscribed with love songs and molded to sit in the traditional plastic cases. Her shop assistants will wear custom Adam Selman aprons dotted with pearls. And to entice High Line visitors into her little confectionery, shes created a window vignette based on classic hand-painted signage. Zilberman plans to pop by her shop now and then, but also has other business to attend to: Selman asked her to create something sweet to put beneath everyones seat at his runway show tomorrow, just one of several projects she has cooking for New York Fashion Week. Donald Trump won New Hampshire on Tuesday night, and not just because he finished with the most votes. The results extend his biggest advantage: a deeply divided opposition. They all but ensure that several mainstream Republicans will remain in the race perhaps even long enough for Mr. Trump to take a big delegate lead on Super Tuesday, March 1. As recently as a few days ago, New Hampshire seemed as if it could produce the opposite effect. Marco Rubio had just taken a strong third in the Iowa caucuses, and a handful of polls showed him moving into the upper teens and into a strong second place in New Hampshire. Instead, Mr. Rubio fared poorly in the last debate. He is currently in fifth place in the New Hampshire returns, trailing John Kasich, who is currently in second place, Ted Cruz and even Jeb Bush by a meaningful margin. LOS ANGELES Five months after declaring that homelessness here had reached emergency proportions, city and county officials on Tuesday approved parallel plans that aim to combat the growing crisis of people living on the streets. The citys plan which comes with a price of $100 million for homeless services this year and nearly $2 billion over the next decade for housing includes appointing a city homeless coordinator, creating a network of public restrooms and showers, and, most critically, making a huge investment in affordable housing. Rising rents and home prices are considered prime culprits in the escalating number of homeless people here; according to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Los Angeles County has the largest chronic homeless population in the country. The plan approved by the county supervisors, meanwhile, committed an additional $150 million over the next two years to services for the homeless. While stubborn questions remain about where the money will come from and how quickly improvements can be made, local officials declared that Tuesdays votes marked the start of a new era for fighting homelessness in the region, after years in which the local governments did not work together and homeless people were chased from one area to another. I have won elections that I was supposed to lose, and I lost elections that I was supposed to win, he said. He added: It means you never know. Its both the magic and the mystery of politics. It had always been New Hampshire or bust for Mr. Christie, who banked his entire candidacy on a strong showing in the state, right from his first town hall in Sandown the day he announced his candidacy in June. Since then, he has spent 72 days in the state, held more than 100 events and 80 town halls and locked up the endorsement of the largest newspaper in the state, The New Hampshire Union Leader. The New Jersey governor faced a difficult road ahead in a primary race that turns quickly southward, where he is not as popular or well known. Polling in the low single digits in South Carolina, the next state to hold a primary, Mr. Christie could find himself in a similar situation as he did in Iowa, with evangelical Christians and more conservative voters flocking to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Donald J. Trump, and a strong field of more moderate candidates who performed better than he did in New Hampshire. WASHINGTON President Obamas final defense budget acknowledges that despite his oft-repeated pledge to end two protracted, costly and exhausting conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the countrys military will remain on war fronts when he departs the White House. Mr. Obamas request would keep the Pentagon budget largely flat, with a base defense budget of $524 billion in the 2017 fiscal year, a slight decrease from this years base spending of $534 billion. But that small decrease would be offset by $59 billion to pay for military operations in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, as well as the continued American presence in Afghanistan, alongside a new emerging threat: Russia. That is up from $51 billion for overseas operations in the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. The proposal increases spending on the fight against the Islamic State to $7.5 billion from $5 billion, a 50 percent rise. Included in the request for money to fight the Islamic State is $200 million in new spending to confront the Sunni militant extremist group in North and West Africa, defense officials said. While the officials declined to specify which countries would receive the funding, military experts pointed to Libya. It remains to be seen which version of Mr. Trump will emerge in the Southern states, where deeply conservative voters could decide the winners. Mr. Trump prefers the rally format visually and because it is easier for him to perform in. He has resisted calls from his advisers to invest more heavily in the race, boasting about his campaign being under budget based on figures he appears to pluck from the air. Mr. Trump barely invested resources in New Hampshire, spending only on advertising in January. And Mr. Trump will potentially face a thinned-out field of Republicans, in states that will once again test the strength of his campaign organization. His lack of running a serious, professional campaign cost him even more potential voters than he lost in Iowa a week earlier, said David Carney, a Republican strategist in New Hampshire who ran the 2012 presidential campaign of Rick Perry, then the governor of Texas. With the crowd of candidates about to dramatically shrink his lack of investing in a campaign structure will cost him even more potential delegates down the road. Mr. Trump will head to South Carolina on Wednesday, but he is not expected to linger, with stops expected in later-voting states like Florida. On Tuesday, he started airing a blistering ad against Mr. Cruz, whom he sees as his closest competitor in South Carolina, which votes on Feb. 20. In March, the race becomes a hodgepodge of primaries held in a short period, so Mr. Trumps drive-by style of campaigning could compensate for any weaknesses on the ground. And his victory in New Hampshire could ease doubts about the strength of his candidacy, including those he himself was having. Perhaps no set of budgetary ideas better illustrates the presidents limited approach than those relating to worker pensions, which would cost about $18 billion over the next decade. The president is proposing a variety of changes, including making it easier for small-business employees to buy into pooled 401(k) plans, which typically have lower costs than plans offered only to employees of a single small business. Mr. Obama also wants to encourage more employers to automatically enroll workers in 401(k) programs and allow them to opt out, which yields greater participation and retirement savings than simply offering plans to those who sign up. But the proposals are a far cry from resurrecting the so-called defined benefit model that reigned during the decades after World War II, said Teresa Ghilarducci, who studies pension systems at the New School for Social Research. She has proposed a system of portable individual accounts in which contributions are pooled, workers are guaranteed a minimum 2 percent rate of return, and the benefits are doled out annually after retirement so that workers do not prematurely run down their savings. Likewise, the wage insurance proposal would provide many former manufacturing workers who settle for lower-paying service jobs with a wage supplement equivalent to half the difference between their current and previous annual pay. That supplement would total up to $10,000 per worker over two years. The proposal is embedded in a broader overhaul of the unemployment insurance system, which would ensure that all states offer at least 26 weeks of benefits (nine currently do not), extend benefits to part-time workers and others left out of the current system, and automatically provide up to a years worth of additional benefits in states where the unemployment rate exceeds a series of thresholds. Still, for manufacturing workers, those efforts will seem vastly inferior to rebuilding the domestic manufacturing base, something the budget only feints at through small investments in manufacturing research and development and subsidies to help small manufacturers scale up operations. (The budget does propose a major investment in clean-transportation research.) To me its kind of a salve, an ointment for the consequences of trade policy and globalization, said Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, a group jointly financed by industry and labor. With near unanimity, Republican primary voters said they were concerned about the direction of the economy in the next few years, and they overwhelmingly backed Mr. Trump, who has run on his record as a businessman and billionaire. He was also chosen by a more than two to one ratio over any other candidate as best able to handle the economy. Despite Mr. Trumps wide support, there were some cracks that might give him problems in the coming weeks. Asked to select the candidate quality that mattered most to them, Republican voters said they wanted a candidate who shared their values. Those voters supported Ted Cruz and John Kasich over Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump won the voters who said they were looking for someone who can bring about change and those looking for someone who tells it as it is. The exit polls were conducted by Edison Research for the National Election Pool and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points for Republican and Democratic primary voters. COLUMBIA, S.C. With Donald J. Trumps decisive victory in New Hampshire and no strong runner-up among a pack of also-rans, the Republican race barreled into South Carolina on Wednesday shadowed by a question: whether any alternative candidate can gain enough support to threaten Mr. Trumps drive to the nomination. Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, the second-place finisher in New Hampshire with less than half the support of Mr. Trump, arrives in this more conservative Southern state where he has little staff or support. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, resuming an effort here to enlist the Christian right, the key to his victory in Iowa, faces a playing field where evangelical voters are far less monolithic. And former Gov. Jeb Bush, buoyed by outperforming his Florida rival Senator Marco Rubio, has a chance to open more daylight but it is unclear if it will be enough to inspire establishment-leaning Republicans to coalesce behind him. On the Democratic side, Senator Bernie Sanderss idealistic message, which inspired a decisive victory in New Hampshire over Hillary Clinton, faces a sharp test in South Carolina, where Democrats are more moderate and demographically diverse. WASHINGTON In a major setback for President Obamas climate change agenda, the Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily blocked the administrations effort to combat global warming by regulating emissions from coal-fired power plants. The brief order was not the last word on the case, which is most likely to return to the Supreme Court after an appeals court considers an expedited challenge from 29 states and dozens of corporations and industry groups. But the Supreme Courts willingness to issue a stay while the case proceeds was an early hint that the program could face a skeptical reception from the justices. The 5-to-4 vote, with the courts four liberal members dissenting, was unprecedented the Supreme Court had never before granted a request to halt a regulation before review by a federal appeals court. A court on Tuesday sentenced seven men for conspiring with the Islamic State group, the first time Indonesia has sent anyone to prison for links to the group. The court found four of the men guilty of violating Indonesias antiterrorism law by attending Islamic State training sessions. They were sentenced to prison terms of three to four years. Two recruiters were sentenced to similar terms for helping them go to Syria. The seventh received a five-year sentence for spreading Islamic State propaganda. 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, JAMES CLAPPER, SAYING: In my 50-plus years in the intelligence business, I cannot recall more diverse array of challenges and crises that we confront as we do today. 4. CLAPPER TESTIFYING 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, JAMES CLAPPER, SAYING: Cyber criminals remain the most pervasive cyber threat of the us financial sector. They use cyber to conduct theft, extortion and other criminal activities. 6. SENATOR LISTENING 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, JAMES CLAPPER, SAYING: Russia and China continue to have the most sophisticated cyber programmes. China continues cyber espionage against the United States. Whether Chinas commitment of last September moderates its economic espionage remains to be seen. 8. HEARING IN PROGRESS 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, JAMES CLAPPER, SAYING: ISIL has demonstrated sophisticated attack tactics and tradecraft. ISIL, including it its eight established and several more emerging branches, has become the pre-eminent global terrorist threat. Theyve attempted or conducted scores of attacks outside of Syria and Iraq in the past 15 months. ISILs estimated strength worldwide exceeds that of al-Qaeda. ISIL leaders are determined to strike the U.S. homeland beyond inspiring homegrown violent extremist attacks. Although the U.S. is a much harder target than Europe by ISIL external operations remain a critical factor in our threat assessment for 2016. 10. SENATORS LISTENING 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, JAMES CLAPPER, SAYING: Chemical weapons continue to pose a threat in Syria and Iraq. Damascus has used chemicals against the opposition on multiple occasions since Syria joined the chemical weapons convention. ISIL has also used toxic chemicals in Iraq and Syria including the blister agent sulfur mustard - the first time an extremist group has produced an and used a chemical warfare agent in an attack since Aum Shinrikyo used sarin in Japan in 1995. 12. HEARING IN PROGRESS 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY DIRECTOR, LIEUTENANT GENERAL VINCENT STEWART, SAYING: North Koreas nuclear weapons program and evolving ballistic missile programs are a continuing threat. In early January North Korea issued a statement claiming that it had successfully carried out a nuclear test. And a couple days ago they conducted their sixth space launch. This launch was the second launch to place a satellite into orbit. The DPRK display of a new or modified rogue mobile ICBM during their recent parade and its 2015 test of a new submarine launched ballistic missile capability further highlight Pyongyangs commitment to diversifying its missile force and nuclear delivery options. North Koreas also continues its effort to expand its stockpile of weapons grade fissile material. Zdravko Tolimir, a Bosnian Serb former general who was serving a life sentence for his role in the massacre of more than 7,000 Muslim prisoners in 1995, died on Monday at a United Nations detention center in The Hague. He was 67. He was taken ill at the courts detention center at around 9 p.m., Nenad Golcevski, a spokesman for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, told Reuters, adding, He received medical attention but he passed away. Mr. Tolimir was arrested in 2007 on war crimes charges. As the chief of military intelligence of the Bosnian Serb Army, he had been an important commander during the war in Bosnia. He was convicted in 2012 on two counts of genocide for his role in the capture of the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in July 1995 and the subsequent killing of Muslim prisoners in what became known as the biggest massacre in Europe since World War II. BRUSSELS When Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter convenes a meeting here on Thursday to cajole about two dozen of his counterparts into contributing more to the American-led campaign against the Islamic State, he will face one of his biggest leadership tests since he took office a year ago. President Obama told Mr. Carter in December that as the administration intensifies its efforts against the Islamic State, other countries particularly Arab ones need to do more. Mr. Carter said Tuesday that he was confident he would leave the meeting this week with pledges of aid like air support, special forces, trainers and money. But foreign policy analysts and former American diplomats say that while the administration may gain some help from European allies, it continues to miscalculate what the Arab countries are willing to do. The thing is, the Islamic State is nobodys top enemy, said Ryan C. Crocker, a former United States ambassador to Iraq. For the Turks, the enemy is the Kurds, and for the Sunni Arabs, its Iran, followed by Assad, he added, referring to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. GAZIANTEP, Turkey The United States and its allies have spent many millions of dollars backing Syrian opposition fighters they deem relatively moderate and secular, and civilian groups whose work on small businesses and local councils they billed as the cornerstone of Syrias future. But the very Syrians who benefited and risked their lives in the process now say that investment is in danger of going down the drain, and they see little urgency from Washington, diplomatic or military, to save it. What are you going to do, other than statements? Zakaria Malahifji, the political chief of one of the largest rebel groups given weapons and salaries by the C.I.A. and its counterparts in several European and Arab states, demanded in a recent message to contacts at the French Embassy. In nearly five years of war and insurrection, many Syrians have been repeatedly disillusioned by what they saw as a mismatch between tough American rhetoric against the Syrian government and comparatively modest efforts to aid some of its opponents. President Obama said President Bashar al-Assad must go, and drew a red line over the use of chemical weapons, but backed off on both, diminishing anti-government Syrians trust. LOS ANGELES An early collector of Cindy Shermans photography, Eli Broad has boasted about buying prints from her now-celebrated Untitled Film Stills series back in the early 80s for only $150 to $200 each. (Todays value: roughly 1,000 times that.) Soon visitors to the Broad museum will be able to see the extent of his commitment to the artist, as the museums first temporary exhibition will be a four-decade survey of Sherman works that plays up her interest in the starlet-creating and stereotype-perpetuating mechanisms of Hollywood movies and popular culture. The exhibition, Cindy Sherman: Imitation of Life, will draw heavily from the museums own collection of her work, with less than 10 percent of the work on loan from other sources, according to Karen Denne, a spokeswoman. Philipp Kaiser, who had been a senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art here until 2012, when he took a short-lived post as director of the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany, is serving as the guest curator. Its not yet clear how much the Broad survey will overlap with the 2012 Cindy Sherman retrospective organized by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The De Soles settled with Ms. Freedman on Sunday and her lawyer, Luke Nikas, said then that she would appear this week as a witness in the case against Knoedler. Proceedings in that case were halted abruptly on Tuesday because of what Judge Paul G. Gardephe described to jurors as unexpected developments just before the gallery owner, Michael Hammer, was to testify, with Ms. Freedman expected to follow him. I think our clients are extremely satisfied by this settlement, Gregory Clarick, a lawyer for the De Soles, said on Wednesday morning, after emerging from a conference with other lawyers and the judge. And they are also satisfied to get the truth out and tell their story. Charles Schmerler, a lawyer for Knoedler, called the settlement fair, reasonable and good and added: Were pleased to see that the parties were able to do this on the heels of the settlement with Ms. Freedman. The trial, which lasted for 12 days, featured a succession of well-known art scholars and curators, providing an unusual window into the often opaque processes by which valuable works, increasingly treated as commodities, are authenticated and sold. It also served as a sort of financial autopsy for Knoedler, the oldest gallery in New York before it closed in 2011 after 165 years in business. The closing came just ahead of several lawsuits over forged works of the sort that had been central to its profits for more than a decade. Art experts testified that Ms. Freedman misrepresented their opinions of certain works. Two, including Christopher Rothko, the artists son, said that she had included their names without permission on a list of experts who had viewed the fake Rothko that the De Soles bought. But before the widespread nature of the forgeries became clear, some experts endorsed the fake paintings while receiving undisclosed consulting fees from Knoedler. Others who denied authenticating bogus works nonetheless expressed enthusiasm for them. LONDON Smiling energetically, a video projection of a woman appears to be welcoming visitors to the Whitechapel Gallery here. But on approaching the work, Homo Sacer, by the British artist and writer James Bridle, she instead issues bureaucratic sound bites. They include text from the letter that stripped the terror suspect Mohamed Sakr of his British citizenship, two years before he was killed by a United States drone strike in Somalia in 2012. I was fascinated that someone born in the United Kingdom could have their citizenship removed, Mr. Bridle said. This work is essentially a step-by-step guide on how you can go from being a British subject to being placed in the legal position of being able to be killed. Homo Sacer, both technologically advanced and politically subversive, is typical of Electronic Superhighway: 2016-1966, a significant historical survey of digital art at the Whitechapel that runs until May 15. More than 130 exhibits explore how computers and the Internet have influenced artists since the mid-1960s. Digital art seems to be enjoying a moment of acceptance at major institutions in Britain, nearly three decades after the English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. Somerset Houses Big Bang Data explores the issues surrounding data production in the digital age, and runs through March 20. Across the city, the Serpentine Gallery and the Serpentine Sackler Gallery are hosting solo outings by the painter Michael Craig-Martin and the installation artist Simon Denny, both involving marriages between art and technology, until Sunday. At this rate, by the end of the decade every comedy troupe in North America will have its own television series about misbehaving educators. Last month, TV Land unveiled Teachers, a middling sitcom about a group of inept educators created by and featuring the Katydids, a six-woman comedy ensemble out of Los Angeles via Chicago. Now, TruTV gives us Those Who Cant, featuring the three-man Denver troupe the Grawlix. The Grawlix guys (Adam Cayton-Holland, Andrew Orvedahl and Ben Roy) also play teachers who have no business being teachers. But Those Who Cant, which begins Thursday, is a bit better than Teachers, because its disgusting. That may sound like a contradiction, so lets be clear: This isnt a show for people who like their humor refined, subtle or family-friendly. An entire episode is built around the phrase master baker. Let that sink in a moment, and youll know whether this series is a good fit for you; it goes in big on gross-out humor, crass puns and general raunchiness. HONG KONG A group of Chinese investors sees $1.2 billion worth of potential in the worlds sixth-place Internet browser. The group, which includes a Chinese private equity firm and two upstart Chinese technology companies, said on Wednesday that it had offered to acquire the Norwegian company behind the Opera web browser. The deal would give the buyers a name that has faded amid intense competition from Googles Chrome and other browsers but still has a following in the developing world. The offer is the latest effort by Chinese technology companies to look abroad. One of the partners behind the Opera bid, the mobile-game maker Beijing Kunlun Tech, acquired a 60 percent stake in Grindr, valuing that social networking app for gay men at $155 million. Chinese tech giants like Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings have also made purchases outside their home market in recent years to expand their reach. Opera, a Norwegian browser developed in the 1990s, gained prominence a decade ago with a browser designed specifically for mobile phones that used compression technology to speed download times. But others have caught up, and Opera with a 5.5 percent market share is now the sixth most-used browser behind Chrome, Apples Safari, Microsofts Internet Explorer, Firefox and Alibabas UCWeb, according to the Internet metrics firm StatCounter. LONDON Hikma Pharmaceuticals said on Wednesday that it had nearly halved the cash portion of its offer for the German drug maker Boehringer Ingelheims generic drugs business in the United States because sales were lower than it anticipated in 2015 and could continue to be below expectations. Hikma, which is based in Amman, Jordan, said it would now pay $647 million in cash and issue 40 million new shares to Boehringer, representing about 16.71 percent of its outstanding stock. That is $535 million less than the $1.18 billion in cash that Hikma said it would pay when the deal was first announced in July. Hikma said that it expected revenue in the generics business, Roxane Laboratories and Boehringer Ingelheim Roxane, to be lower than anticipated. Hikma said that was a result of higher-than-expected rebates paid to wholesalers, as retailers increasingly bought the businesss products through third parties. That leaves the bricks-and-mortar merchants, to whom the orders are passed for fulfillment, typically collecting 70 percent or less of the sale price, fueling a sort of love-hate relationship with online merchants. While they can increase business for a florist, that business can come at a high price. Its break-even at best on the vast majority, Bonnie Bank, the controller of Superior Florist, an 86-year-old flower shop in Manhattan, said of the orders placed with her shop by outside sellers. The higher-dollar ones, maybe you can make a small margin. The dilemma has also created an opening for new entrants into the online market like BloomNation, a start-up in Santa Monica, Calif., that bills itself as an Etsy for flowers, and GotFlowers, created by a software developer who is also based in California. The industrys current financial structure has its roots in a century-old practice. In 1910, a group of 15 American florists formed a cooperative, the Florists Telegraph Delivery service, to exchange orders. A customer in Denver would, for example, be able to walk into a local flower shop and arrange a delivery to a friend in Boston. The originating florist transmitted the order through the florists wire service and received a commission for the effort; the rest of the money was passed on to the fulfilling merchant. Two changes upended that genteel arrangement. First, technology made it easier for customers to shop with national retailers offering a standardized product catalog, a trend that the Internet rapidly accelerated. And around the same time, the wire services began competing more directly with their merchants to capture incoming sales. In 1994, the members of FTD, which had by then been renamed Florists Transworld Delivery, privatized their co-op and sold it to an investment fund for $150 million. LONDON The glitterati descended on Trafalgar Square amid wintry showers on Tuesday night to celebrate 100 years of British Vogue and the unveiling of the Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Stepping through the doors, however, was more like entering a hall of mirrors than an artistic retrospective. The Champagne-fueled evening, hosted by Alexandra Shulman, British Vogues editor in chief, and the sponsor of the exhibition, the Russian retail tycoon Leon Max, heaved with many of the very same guests whose faces beamed down from the walls. I shot my first Vogue cover when I was 16 years old, a long, long time ago now, drawled a beaming and recently engaged Jerry Hall, whose fiance, Rupert Murdoch, was not in attendance as she stood near a 1976 Vogue cover shot of herself wearing a yellow helmet. But ever since, its been like a beautiful lifelong courtship between us. I still use it to decide what to wear, 40 years on. The photographer Mario Testino declared triumphantly, Thats mine, thats mine, thats mine and thats mine, as he spun around and gestured toward some of the exhibitions 280 archive prints. Beauty can be a bad word in design, connoting ornament, surface and, that most suspect attribute, pleasure. These are three of the reasons that Ellen Lupton, the senior curator of contemporary design at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and Andrea Lipps, an assistant curator there, embraced beauty as the title of the museums Triennial, opening Friday. We wanted to go for it, Ms. Lupton said. We wanted to embrace that side of design. The last Triennial we did was all about saving the world, and for the next one we wanted to push in a different direction. Part of what design does is sensual storytelling, emotionally storytelling. Designers tell stories that tease the mind and please our senses. New York Fashion Week Didnt manage to score tickets to Yeezy Season 3? Cheer up: There are many more ways to take part in the fashion week festivities. On Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the e-commerce aggregator Lyst will team up with Uber on a giveaway celebrating the diversity of New York style. Enter the code FINDNYFW in the app for the chance to request a goody bag filled with items shoppable on Lyst (like, say, an oh-so-downtown Maiyet geometric block scarf) tailored to the neighborhood youre in. Later in the day, enjoy free eye-mask applications and try a new lifting eye serum ($240 for half an ounce) at the new La Mer boutique at Bergdorf Goodman. Image Metallic leather cross-body bags available exclusively at Nicola Formichettis new retail concept for Diesel. Diesel will unveil Nicola Formichettis new retail concept at a 2,800-square-foot Madison Avenue store that is meant to be reminiscent of the foyer, living room and wine cellar of a (rather large) New York apartment. It will carry a store-exclusive metallic leather cross-body bag ($450) and zip-around sneakers ($450). At 625 Madison Avenue. We lack intimacy. Jordan Roschwalb was explaining how technology, the Internet, social media all of it have been conspiring against opportunities for genuine connection. His answer: pins. Pins create a tie to a certain moment, he said. You cant buy just one. In the last year, enamel pins, those old standbys of kids and collectors, have found new favor on Instagram and in the fashion world. Oodles of small companies have emerged selling designs some grounded in pop culture, and others in original art for around $10, making for a low-cost, high-impact accessory. And business is booming. Reggie Thomas began making pins as accessories to accompany his Kinship jackets. Now the margins of his pin label, Ts For Gs, are so good, he said, that I can live off pins and make more than a first-year attorney. Mr. Roschwalbs company, Pintrill, one of the dominant brands in the pin resurgence, began two years ago with an emphasis on pop culture themes, and also emoji, the hieroglyphics of our time. Its also a frequent collaborator with fashion companies and tastemakers. Im trying to be the Nike of pin brands, said Mr. Roschwalb, who estimated that Pintrill has released about 200 designs. Dr. Appelbaum added, The idea that people are leaving their treating physician and going to a clinic that exists solely for this purpose, and being evaluated not by a psychiatrist but by someone else who has to make these very difficult decisions about levels of suffering and disease it seems to me like the worst possible way of implementing this process. The study, led by Dr. Scott Y. H. Kim, a psychiatrist and bioethicist at the National Institutes of Health, looked at records of most of the cases of doctor-assisted death for psychiatric distress from 2011 to mid-2014. In 37 of those 66 cases, people had refused a recommended treatment that could have helped. The study did not evaluate cases of people who had been denied assistance. Depression was the most common diagnosis, but loneliness was also a frequent theme. The patient was an utterly lonely man whose life had been a failure, read one account. In another, a woman in her 70s said she and her husband had decided years earlier that they would not live without each other. She had no health problems, but after her husband died, she described her life as a living hell. Five states in this country have laws allowing doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs to mentally competent, terminally ill adults: Oregon, Vermont, Montana, Washington, and California. The California law is expected to take effect this year. By contrast, laws in several European countries allow such assistance for any competent person with unbearable suffering regardless of the cause. Last year, a team of doctors in Belgium, where laws are similar to those in the Netherlands, reported that most people who sought doctor-assisted death for psychiatric problems had depression, personality disorders or both. The new study of the Netherlands fills out that picture considerably, detailing the agonizing decisions by both doctors and patients in cases that went forward, ending in voluntary death. Significantly, the decline in new dementia cases, or incidence, occurred only with people who had at least a high school diploma. High school graduates were also the only ones whose cardiovascular health, except for obesity and diabetes, improved steadily over the same 40 years. Whether education is beneficial in itself or whether education is a marker for other things like poverty and unhealthy lifestyle, we didnt parse that out, said Dr. Sudha Seshadri, a neurologist at Boston University Medical Center and a senior investigator with the Framingham Heart Study. Dr. Seshadri said the study did not yield strong evidence that college-educated people had even lower dementia risk, but with small numbers of college graduates in the studys early groups, it was hard to tell. The study led by Dr. Langa, which compared a nationally representative survey of about 10,000 Americans aged 65 and over in 2000 with a similar group in 2010, found more college correlated with less dementia. We find the more education the better, said Dr. Langa, whose study indicated that people in 2010 averaged almost a year more education than those in 2000 and that education explained about one-half the decline in dementia in that decade. There are many theories about why education may help stave off dementia, including that it leads to better economic opportunity, which can propel healthier habits and better access to medical care. Another theory is that learning generates more neural connections, allowing brains to compensate longer when memory and cognitive functions falter. Thats a major puzzle: What is the causal effect of education on dementia and cognitive function later in life? said Michael D. Hurd, the director of the RAND Center for the Study of Aging. Dr. Hurd, who led a study in 2013 estimating that the cost of dementia care would more than double by 2040, said it was too early to say if that estimate should now be lower. Some people will be living longer with dementia, needing, say, 10 years of nursing home care, instead of three, he said, adding that Framingham is not the U.S. population. In one corporate form or another, Tishman has served as the construction manager for the original 1 and 2 World Trade Center (the twin towers) and No. 7, which were destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, and for the new towers: No. 1 (formerly known as the Freedom Tower), No. 3 (under construction), No. 4 and No. 7. Image Trained as an electrical engineer, Mr. Tishman served in the Navy and taught at a racially integrated school in the 1940s. Credit... Tishman Realty and Construction Company Mr. Tishman credited himself with inventing construction management, in which a single company oversees the building of a project from start to finish. Tishmans efficiencies are apparent at 1 World Trade Center, where his firm built the towers foundations long before the design was finalized and construction of the superstructure began, said Judith Dupre, author of the forthcoming One World Trade Center: Biography of the Building. Mr. Tishmans ability to bring a fresh eye to the well-worn practices of general contracting stemmed in part from his having been something of an outsider, even in a family business. His father, Louis, died when Mr. Tishman was 5. His uncle David was running the company at the time, and John lacked the senior patron that his cousins enjoyed. Tishman Realty and Construction was involved in development, management and construction; Mr. Tishman was put into the construction unit, which he described as a corporate stepchild. Not long after he joined the firm, a draftsman clandestinely showed Mr. Tishman a corporate succession chart he was not supposed to see, a chart on which his name did not appear. Dont blame message discipline for Marco Rubios lightning-fast collapse from triumphant in Iowa to disappointed in New Hampshire. Even his opponents chalked up the I, Robot routine in Saturdays debate to message discipline. But thats a smear against one of the most effective tools any candidate has in his campaign arsenal. Mr. Rubio stumbled because he took the practice to an absurd extreme. I was a White House communications director to President George W. Bush and a communications adviser to Senator John McCain in his 2008 campaign. I was often cast as the Message Enforcer. A strong message delivered with conviction by a credible messenger can instantly shift a politician from defense to offense. President Bush was an extremely effective messenger against Senator John Kerry in 2004. He spoke with clarity, and he stuck to a belief system that he repeated often enough that he was understood by voters who agreed with him and even those who did not. That was a strategic advantage over Mr. Kerrys verbose explanations for his votes in the Senate and positions on foreign policy. Master communicators such as Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy and Tony Blair were able to move from a challenge to a strong defense of their point of view in a way that was dynamic and convincing. If you go back and watch some of their public addresses and debate performances, it never feels like youre watching someone pull a memory file from his brain and recite it on auto repeat as Mr. Rubio appeared to do last weekend. But it wasnt just the disastrous debate that doomed Mr. Rubios chances for finishing close behind Donald J. Trump in New Hampshire. Between Saturdays debate and Primary Day Tuesday, he doubled down on the performance, defending his repetition and one-liners. I would pay for them to keep running that clip, because thats what I believe passionately, he said on ABCs This Week. BERLIN THE next few weeks will most likely determine the future of Germanys approach to the refugee crisis and perhaps the future of the country itself. There are two important dates coming up: a European Union summit meeting on Feb. 18 and 19, which represents Chancellor Angela Merkels last chance to win over the rest of Europe to her open-door refugee policy, followed by elections in three federal states in Germany on March 13, which will offer an implicit referendum on Ms. Merkels political course. Future generations might remember the past months as the final days of the age of convergence. On a continental level, convergence means the postwar political development toward an ever closer union among the European nation-states, in the words of the German historian Andreas Wirsching. Until recently, convergence seemed almost like a law of nature, an inevitability that could be slowed but never reversed. For the last decade the Merkel era convergence has been applied to developments within Germany as well. The cultural and economic differences between East and West Germany, though still significant, appeared to be shrinking. Society seemed to become ever more tolerant, for example toward gays and career moms. The children and grandchildren of Turkish immigrants made it to important positions, rooting them in mainstream society. The grand coalition between the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats seemed to erase what remained of left and right. As a woman, an East German and a moderate in every respect, Ms. Merkel was at once the result of and the leading figure in this development. To the Editor: Re Trump and Sanders Win Resoundingly in New Hampshire (front page, Feb. 10): Lets not read too much into this yet. It could be that people are just fed up with the existing order and politics as usual and want to bring some new faces from outside the establishment into the mix. Neither Donald Trump nor Bernie Sanders is conventional, and that may be their appeal. When you parse what they are saying, they may not be all that appealing at the end of the day, unless people are so beyond desperate for meaningful change. Then, anything goes, as long as it is a new face. This might have been an explanation for Barack Obama as well, but that has turned out to be a totally failed experiment. Thus, most people are even more upset now. So they may be willing to go much further outside the established order of career politicians and ruling families to pick a leader. The good thing is that this will certainly shake up the career politicians and the ruling families. If it makes government more responsive, that would be a positive development. LOS ANGELES Lee Baca, the former Los Angeles County sheriff who resigned in 2014 amid a growing corruption scandal in his department, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to making false statements to the federal authorities who were investigating the jail system he oversaw. The plea agreement with the United States attorneys office caps a stunning fall for Mr. Baca, who was among the most powerful men in Southern California during the 15 years that he led the sheriffs department. Seventeen sheriffs department employees have been convicted as part of the federal investigation into corruption and civil rights violations in the Los Angeles County jails during his tenure. Inmates were routinely sexually humiliated and severely beaten by sheriffs deputies at the jails, according to the Department of Justice. Until Wednesday, Mr. Baca had claimed ignorance of both the abuse and the corruption within his department. But the authorities say he ordered his deputies to interfere with the F.B.I. investigation, said Eileen M. Decker, the United States attorney for the Central District of California. Mr. Baca told sheriffs deputies to do everything but put handcuffs on an F.B.I. agent who was investigating the jails, Ms. Decker said; the deputies went to the agents house and threatened to arrest her. Mr. Baca also knew about a plan to hide a jailhouse informant, which involved booking him under a false name so the federal authorities could not contact him. By the weekend, the changes began to take shape. I know that its maybe not the most appealing or charismatic message to say, Hey, guys, be angry, and then lets roll up our sleeves and get to work, Mrs. Clinton said at a forum with students from New England College on Saturday. Anger is a powerful emotion, she added, but its not a plan. That forum became the framework for Mrs. Clintons concession speech on Tuesday, held in the same field house at Southern New Hampshire University where she delivered her victory speech and found her voice eight years ago. People have a right to be angry, she said to a rowdy crowd that tried to lift Mrs. Clinton after the steeper than expected loss. But theyre also hungry, theyre hungry for solutions, she said. Who is the best change maker? Mrs. Clinton asked. You are! a woman yelled. In the weeks before the Iowa caucuses, Mrs. Clintons advisers had clashed over how hard she should hit Mr. Sanders. But by New Hampshire, the strategy had become clear: They would aggressively question his record and his campaigns tactics. Early last week, Mrs. Clinton was referring to Mr. Sanders as my esteemed opponent. By Sunday, her husband was calling him hermetically sealed and accusing him of condoning his supporters sexist speech. I feel like only in the last four or five days, we are finally moving into territory when we talk about things that are part of the public record, Mr. Clinton said after an event Monday in Rochester, N.H. But is it good for the Jews? Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on Tuesday became the first Jewish candidate in history to win a presidential primary election, setting off a familiar mixture of celebration and anxiety among Jews in the United States and abroad, who pondered what his victory meant for the broader Jewish population. In Mr. Sanders, 74, they confront a highly prominent Jewish politician who professes to be not very religious and whose calls for social justice often echo Jewish teachings but do not appear purposefully connected to them. There was kvelling. But there was also kvetching. Did Bernie Sanders Just Grab Jewish Crown in New Hampshire? asked a headline in The Forward. An essay published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency questioned why Mr. Sanderss victory received less attention as an emblem of acceptance and accomplishment than the selection of Joseph I. Lieberman as the Democrats vice-presidential nominee in 2000. While Mr. Sanders was raised Jewish and even spent time on an Israeli kibbutz in the 1960s, he has been muted in his own embrace of the faith, unlike Mr. Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew who observed the Sabbath and spoke often of the links between his faith and politics. Carly Fiorina, 61, the former chairwoman of Hewlett-Packard, suspended her presidential campaign Wednesday, announcing her decisions on social media after poor showings in the New Hampshire and Iowa nominating contests. This campaign was always about citizenship taking back our country from a political class that only serves the big, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well connected, she said in a statement posted on Facebook. I will continue to serve in order to restore citizen government to this great nation so that together we may fulfill our potential. Ms. Fiorina entered the race presenting herself as the Republican answer to Hillary Clinton a woman who was willing, eager even, to aggressively attack Mrs. Clinton, without the risk of being accused of sexism like her male rivals. After being relegated to the so-called undercard stage in the first Republican debate, she used a breakout performance there to generate interest and enthusiasm for her candidacy. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, a once-commanding figure in the Republican Party who struggled to attract support for his presidential campaign but unsettled the race with his strident attacks on Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, ended his run for the White House on Wednesday. The decision came a day after Mr. Christie came in sixth in the New Hampshire primary, an embarrassing result after he had focused the bulk of his campaigns efforts on the state. He was also facing the prospect of being left out of the group that will take the stage at the Republican debate on Saturday because of his poor showings in the Iowa caucuses last week and in New Hampshire on Tuesday. While running for president, I tried to reinforce what I have always believed: that speaking your mind matters, that experience matters, that competence matters and that it will always matter in leading our nation, Mr. Christie wrote on his Facebook page Wednesday afternoon. That message was heard by and stood for by a lot of people, but just not enough, and thats O.K. He also wrote,And so today, I leave the race without an ounce of regret. Mr. Christies theatrical style and management of the recovery effort after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 had made him a national political celebrity, but when he began his campaign in June, he was unexpectedly an underdog. He was viewed with skepticism by conservative activists and beleaguered by the indictments of close associates in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal. MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. Donald J. Trumps rivals for the Republican presidential nomination dug in Wednesday for a hard fight in the South Carolina primary, where Mr. Trump will seek to gain a clear upper hand in the 2016 race after his smashing victory in New Hampshire. But the effort to stop Mr. Trump was only one element of the hard-edged, multifront campaign shaping up here among five candidates, nearly all of whom are facing immense pressure to demonstrate strength. The Republican contest after New Hampshire has in some respects been clarified into two parallel battles: between Mr. Trump and Senator Ted Cruz, the anti-establishment duo, and among three establishment-friendly hopefuls. But on Wednesday the contenders began exchanging fire in a way that illustrated the complexities of the race and the unique calculations each candidate is making. Above all, there is a fight against Mr. Trump, which will be waged by both Mr. Cruz and the mainstream candidates. After largely avoiding a sustained ad assault in New Hampshire, Mr. Trump is likely to face far more attacks here, a state where campaigns can turn rough. Mr. Cruz wasted little time Wednesday in signaling how he intended to run against the New York real estate mogul in the Bible Belt. WASHINGTON In what law enforcement officials describe as a new front in international smuggling, global traffickers and cartels are increasingly turning to a new source for couriers to smuggle drugs across international borders: vulnerable American older adults. The traffickers deceive seniors with promises of prizes or relationships, setting them up to unknowingly try to carry luggage filled with cocaine or other items through customs, hoping they will not arouse suspicions. Such cases have been seen in nearly a dozen foreign countries, officials say. Details of the smuggling and a counteroperation that officials called Operation Cocoon were disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security during a hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Customs and Border Protection agency are working with international law enforcement agencies to combat the growing deception, officials said. The Homeland Security investigation into drug smuggling that targeted older people began in 2013. Alan Scott Brown, the acting assistant director for investigative programs at Homeland Security Investigations, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the agency had managed to save some seniors including a 97-year-old man from becoming drug couriers by stopping them before they could leave the country. It was an expensive deal. It called for Ferguson to pay for an independent monitor, provide new training and give raises to police officers in order to attract qualified applicants. Ferguson has been running an operating deficit of about $2.5 million since the unrest of a year and a half ago, but Mr. Knowles said at the time that he was optimistic the City Council would approve the deal. Ms. Lynch said the federal government was sensitive to Fergusons concerns. The Department of Justice had agreed to cap the costs and provide free help to the city. But at a crowded public hearing on Tuesday, the agreement fell apart. Council members and some residents said they could not afford the cost, which could have required a tax increase. The city said that giving pay raises to police officers could necessitate similar raises for other municipal employees. With senior Justice Department officials watching from Washington on a video feed, the Council voted to reject the deal as written and send it back with changes. Members of the Council proposed eliminating the pay raises for police officers and, most significant, striking a provision that would have required the city to abide by the deal even if it dissolved the Police Department and turned police duties over to an outside agency. Fergusons strategy in the face of a looming lawsuit is unclear. Mr. Knowles told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the city was not trying to reopen negotiations with the federal government, but at a news conference a few hours later, city leaders said that was exactly the goal. They said it was the Department of Justice that had dragged the case into court. We hope the D.O.J. is willing to sit down and talk to us and continue negotiations, Councilman Wesley Bell said. But if this case goes to court, it will not be because of the City of Ferguson. MANCHESTER, N.H. More than half a million voters cast ballots in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, rewarding Donald J. Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont with resounding victories, and sending some candidates home to rethink their campaigns. But the results also tell much about the electorate and the challenges the contenders face going forward. Here are some key takeaways from the nations first primary: Clinton Has a Trust Problem Among voters who cared most about honesty and trustworthiness, 91 percent chose Mr. Sanders and only 5 percent chose Hillary Clinton, according to exit polls. She fared only slightly better among voters who wanted candidates who seemed to care most about people like them. And the younger the voters, the more skeptical they were of Mrs. Clinton: She received just 16 percent of the support from people under 29, and 32 percent from those 30 to 44. The only age group she won: voters over 65. While pollsters have repeatedly identified Mrs. Clintons trustworthiness as a concern of voters, Clinton advisers have long hoped that even if people did not trust her personally, they would come to trust that she would fight for their needs. She clearly still has work to do on that front. Some of her allies, looking back on the race so far, rue that she did not apologize months earlier for using private email when she was secretary of state. They fear that a sense of mistrust became baked into the electorate before she contained the controversy. Experience Does Matter While Mr. Trump and Mr. Sanders positioned themselves as political outsiders and won big, the establishment was not entirely demolished. Sixty-nine percent of Democratic voters said they wanted the next president to have experience in politics, and they narrowly favored Mrs. Clinton, according to exit polls. Forty-five percent of Republicans said they preferred a president with political experience, and those voters favored Gov. John R. Kasich of Ohio, followed by former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida. EL CAJON, Calif. Free Pregnancy Testing, reads the large sign in front of the East County Pregnancy Care Clinic, on a busy intersection of this impoverished city east of San Diego. Inside the clinic, a woman will not only receive a free pregnancy test, but she will also see a counselor to discuss her options. She will see models of fetuses at early stages of development, which show that at Week 12, you see a recognizable human, said Josh McClure, the executive director of the clinic. If she is pregnant, she can receive a free ultrasound and attend childbirth classes. If she gives birth, she may receive help with diapers and a car seat. What she will not receive from this center is advice on where to obtain an abortion. The clinic is one of more than 3,000 crisis pregnancy centers around the country that are operated by religious opponents of abortion, with the heartfelt aim of persuading women to choose parenting or adoption. Now it and others in California are in a First Amendment battle with the state over a new law that requires them to post a notice that free or low-cost abortion, contraception and prenatal care are available to low-income women through public programs, and to provide the phone number to call. The clinics argue that the law, which took effect in January, flagrantly violates their rights of free speech, and it appears that many of the dozens of licensed pregnancy centers in California are not yet complying. SALVADOR, Brazil From a mosquitos point of view, the sweaty, minimally clothed multitudes thronging the streets of this northeastern city on Monday night must have looked especially delectable. Drunk on beer and preoccupied by the prodigious carnal possibilities, young men and women danced their way along Avenida Oceanica as Brazilian pop icons performing atop giant motorized stages exhorted them to jump, party and celebrate life. Momentarily distracted from the bacchanal, Mariana Souza, 26, rolled her eyes when asked about Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that is raging across the nation and much of Latin America. Do I look worried? Ms. Souza, a shop clerk dressed in short-shorts and a stringy halter top, shouted above the din. Ask me next week, after Carnival is over. Image Despite a World Health Organization declaration that Zika is a global emergency, millions of Brazilians this week offered a collective shrug and took to the streets for Carnival celebrations. Credit... Mario Tama/Getty Images Despite deepening fear and worry across the Americas since the World Health Organization declared that Zika is a global emergency, millions of Brazilians this week offered a collective shrug and took to the streets to celebrate Carnival. Such dispassion has alarmed public health officials, who are scrambling to curb the outbreak among a population that has long lived with mosquitoes and which seldom takes precautions to avoid bites, especially those too poor to afford repellent, window screens or air-conditioning. After Dubai announced its plans to create a Ministry of Happiness, everyone in Lebanon hailed the idea. Ironically, some started talking of doing the same over here. But that would be a fatal mistake. Claude El Khal, 2016 Actually, the worst thing that can happen to Lebanon is a Ministry of Happiness. Itll be worse than anything weve ever done. The end of whatever positive and happy that still remain in this country of ours. Why? Its very simple.In Lebanon, we screw things up. So royally, we should become international experts in the screwing-up field. We have, over the years, developed a talent for spoiling everything. In so many words: we have become the best at producing the worst.We have a Ministry of Economy and the economy is in dire straits. We have a Ministry of Environment and Lebanon has never been so polluted. We have a Ministry of Labour and theres no work whatsoever. We have a Ministry of Energy and theres no electricity. We have a Ministry of Culture, well, lets not even go there.So imagine if we had a Ministry of Happiness how utterly miserable well all be.What we really need is to change the Ministries we already have. And use reverse psychology. If we do that, we can count on our politicians to achieve the perfect opposite of what theyre supposed to achieve.They are so awfully bad, so incompetent and so corrupt, theyll fix the countrys every problem without even noticing it.So if we want a booming economy, we ought to create a Ministry of Recession. To save Lebanon's environment, a Ministry of Pollution could be the only solution. The same applies to jobs, electricity and culture: our salvation could come from Ministries of Unemployment, Darkness and Ignorance.And if we want to be finally happy, we absolutely need a Ministry of Despair. A well-known Sikh American actor, Waris Ahluwalia, who was not allowed to board an airplane in Mexico City because he refused to remove his turban during a security check, flew home to the United States on Wednesday, ending a two-day standoff with Aeromexico. Mr. Ahluwalia, who is also a jewelry designer and a social activist, landed in New York on Wednesday afternoon, after being allowed to board a new flight without removing his turban for a check. He said that he was asked to rub it with his hand, then present his hand for swabbing, which he did. That had been the past security practice, he said. On Wednesday morning before takeoff, he posted a photograph online of himself inside an aircraft with his arms around the shoulders of what appeared to be two Aeromexico pilots. He told us that the check was smooth, said Harsimran Kaur, the legal director for the Sikh Coalition, a civil-rights group that worked to resolve the impasse while Mr. Ahluwalia spent two days at the airport. BEIJING When Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, visited Americas firm ally South Korea in 2014, it seemed to be the beginning of a promising courtship. His host, President Park Geun-hye, returned the favor by coming to Beijing last year for an important military parade that other American allies boycotted, a gesture that Mr. Xi may have believed could lead to weaning her away from Washington. For her part, Ms. Park hoped that her new friend in Beijing South Koreas No. 1 economic partner would tamp down the relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons by the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. But the prospect of a friendly new era between China and South Korea seemed to collapse this week. After North Korea, Chinas treaty ally, launched a rocket, apparently to test ballistic missile technology, South Korea embraced what China had been trying to prevent: an American antimissile defense system that will be deployed on Chinas doorstep. Doctors in Yap soon knew they were facing something different. No deaths or hospitalizations had been reported but 49 confirmed cases and 59 probable cases were identified, far more than ever before. Exactly how the virus got to the remote archipelago is still unclear, though an infected mosquito or person is the most likely culprit. Colonel Duffy noted in a paper for The New England Journal of Medicine in 2009 that a medical volunteer on Yap returned to the United States in July 2007 and tested positive for Zika antibodies, indicating a likely infection. Air travel and the abundance of mosquitoes in the Pacific region raise concern for the spread of Zika virus to other islands in Oceania and even to the Americas, the paper said. As an epidemiologist, when you start making predictions about how some of these things are going to behave, theyre going to make you look silly every time, Colonel Duffy said. But simply raising concern that there is a potential for it to occur eventually, we felt that was a solid statement that we could stand behind. When Zika appeared in French Polynesia in 2013, the outbreak on Yap had helped health officials prepare. Labs in the far-flung area had developed methods to test for Zika to help out other Pacific nations, said Van-Mai Cao-Lormeau, an infectious diseases researcher at Institut Louis Malarde on Tahiti, the largest island in French Polynesia. This is a small country, Dr. Cao-Lormeau said. Everyone who worked in the lab had relatives or friends who had seen something that looked like dengue. We had more and more cases. PARIS Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius of France said on Wednesday that he was leaving his post after nearly four years, a widely expected departure and a prelude to a coming cabinet reshuffle. Mr. Fabius accompanied the announcement of his departure with thinly veiled criticisms of United States policy or lack thereof on Syria. In 2013, France was ready to join an air campaign against President Bashar al-Assad after evidence showed that it had used chemical weapons in rebel-held areas. But the British Parliament rejected participation in such an operation, and President Obama punted the issue to Congress. Ultimately, it fell to Russia to pressure Mr. Assad to hand over the chemical weapons. The regret is that the world did not follow Frances position, Mr. Fabius said. BRUSSELS The defense ministers from all 28 NATO countries approved a plan on Wednesday to enhance the alliances military presence in Central and Eastern Europe, part of its expanding efforts to deter Russian aggression, according to NATOs secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg. The forces will rotate through the countries to conduct exercises, and NATO will also enlarge its infrastructure in the region so it can quickly respond to threats, Mr. Stoltenberg said. In the spring, the alliances military planners will recommend how large the presence should be, he said. This will be multinational, to make clear that an attack against one ally is an attack against all allies, and that the alliance as a whole will respond, Mr. Stoltenberg said at a news conference at NATO headquarters here shortly after the agreement was reached. A week earlier, the Obama administration announced that it would more than quadruple its spending to expand its footprint in Eastern Europe. As part of its budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year, the administration asked for $3.4 billion compared with $789 million in the current budget for more pre-positioned war-fighting gear in the countries, and more training and exercises. ISTANBUL Allies of the United States sharply criticized the Obama administrations Syria policy on Wednesday, when the outgoing foreign minister of France called it ambiguous and the president of Turkey said American inaction had allowed the region to descend into a blood bath. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey called into question the American commitment to fighting terrorist groups in Syria and cited the Washingtons failure to recognize a Syrian Kurdish rebel group as a terrorist organization. Are you on our side or the side of the terrorist P.Y.D. and P.K.K. organizations? Mr. Erdogan said in an address to provincial officials in the Turkish capital, Ankara, referring to American support for members of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or P.Y.D., in their fight against the Islamic State in Syria. Tensions between Turkey and the United States, NATO allies, have been escalating over their differing positions on the Kurds. Turkey considers the Kurdish Democratic Union Party to be a terrorist organization through its affiliation with the Kurdistan Workers Party, or P.K.K., which has carried out a three-decade-long insurgency against Turkey. BUCHAREST, Romania The highest court in Romania upheld a 20-year prison term on Wednesday for a 90-year-old former warden from the countrys repressive Communist past who had overseen brutal treatment of prisoners, including routine beatings and starvation. The former warden, Alexandru Visinescu, convicted last July of murder and crimes against humanity for the deaths of 12 inmates in the Ramnicu Sarat prison, was unrepentant at the trial. He had appealed the sentence to the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The case, the first brought against an official of the former Communist government in almost 25 years, was widely regarded as a test of the countrys willingness to confront that period. From 1956 to 1963, Mr. Visinescu was the commander of Ramnicu Sarat, used to house many political prisoners and known for its harsh conditions. City planners who may have cursed that missed opportunity to build needed housing are now at least partly relieved; where permanent houses might have gone up, they can now erect prefab housing for refugees not housed in hangars. Holger Lippmann, 52, who leads the Tempelhof Projekt, has certainly felt the effects of the airports evolving fate. He came to the job in the summer of 2015 as a place holder, having previously been charged, for 13 years, with selling off land the city thought it did not need. Now he will stay at least two years and is among those interested in preserving every inch of city land to house not just refugees but the increasing number of families staying in Berlin, or moving here, squeezing housing and schools. For Mr. Lippmann and Mr. Elias, their part in Tempelhofs saga came suddenly. On the night of Oct. 23-24, they were told to ready a hangar for refugees. Back then, 16,000 or more refugees were arriving at the Bavarian border each night, Mr. Lippmann said. They would put them in buses, then drivers would call us from the autobahn, saying they would be in Berlin in three hours. And in that time, you have to get the fire brigade, the police, even the army, and the volunteers organized. Neither he nor Mr. Elias could give costs to date, or future costs, of the program. A lot, Mr. Elias said, when asked. Mr. Lippmann said just heating the inhabited hangars costs 20,000 euros a day, or about $26,000. DONETSK, Ukraine Fighting that had been quiet for several months between Russia-backed insurgents and government forces has picked up in eastern Ukraine, punctuated by regular artillery shelling, the use of land mines and other tactics that have put civilians at risk. In the most recent fatal episode, a minivan driver cutting through a field to avoid stalled traffic at a checkpoint set off an anti-tank mine. The vehicle was destroyed and all four occupants were killed. A week earlier, intense mortar fire on Ukrainian positions led the army to close the Zaytsevo checkpoint, near the city of Donetsk, citing safety concerns for the civilians trying to cross there. Zaytsevo is one of four checkpoints that cross the line of control in eastern Ukraine. The minivan that hit the mine was near the Marinka checkpoint, also near Donetsk, which became choked with long lines after the Zaytsevo crossing was closed. For more than four decades, it was Eiko and Koma. But two years ago, after Koma injured his ankle, Eiko, the other half of the husband-and-wife dance duo treasured for their stark, startlingly slow excavations of stillness and shape while time gradually passes struck out on her own. The pair are likely to perform together in the future, but for now, Eiko is consumed with a solo project that has transformed her career. For that, A Body in Places, she has danced in train stations in Philadelphia and New York; at the site of the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan; and at the scene of recent protests in Hong Kong. Last month, she performed on the streets of Santiago, Chile. In all of those locations, she used her slender, seemingly vulnerable body as a vessel to embody trauma, fragility and desolation. The sight of her deliberately moving frame can be both startling and hypnotic as she dances in those places, some of which have been sites of suffering or turmoil. Eiko, who imparts a sense of loneliness whether in a train station or in Fukushima, can evoke oppression and hardship without being explicitly political. Beginning Wednesday, Feb. 17, a few days after she turns 64, Eiko will land in the East Village as the featured artist of Danspace Projects Platform, a series of performances and events, now in its 10th incarnation, that highlight a theme or a specific choreographer. Her monthlong multidisciplinary series will expand A Body in Places through performances, readings, films and installations. My husband and I are gay and are exploring the possibility of having children using an egg donor and a surrogate mother. Sometimes when we mention this in conversation, people ask us, in a chiding tone, Why dont you adopt? They often then argue that with so many children in need of good homes, it would be ethically superior for us to adopt, instead of spending a small fortune so we can have children to whom we are genetically tied. In addition, there are ethical issues related to paying women for their eggs or paying women to carry our children as surrogates. Are we acting unethically or at the least selfishly or self-indulgently in pursuing biological children instead of adopting orphans who could benefit from what (we like to think) would be a good home? David Lat, New York Anybody who is contemplating having a baby, by whatever means, could be adopting a child instead. If those who chide you include people who have biological children themselves, you might want to point this out. Come to think of it, your friends who dont have children are also free, if they meet the legal requirements, to adopt. Every child awaiting adoption is someone who could benefit from parental volunteers. There is no good reason to pick on you. The path you have chosen, its true, mixes commerce and reproduction through egg donation and surrogacy. But while acquiring an egg and then working with a surrogate mother are transactions with ethical risks, they can each be conducted in morally permissible ways. The main concerns I would have are avoiding exploitation so you need to make sure that the donor and the surrogate are acting freely and are fairly compensated and taking care that your understanding with the surrogate mother is clearly laid out in advance. But any responsible agency that assists you in this should cover these bases. Wanting a biological connection with your child is pretty normal: We evolved to pass on our genes, after all, even if were free to give Mother Nature the side-eye. There are also things you can more likely do for children to whom youre biologically related notably, on the organ-donor front. So while it would be terrific if you adopted, its no more incumbent on you than it is on any other potential parents. Braddocks poorest section abuts the steel mill, the railroad and the Monongahela River. This part of town, called the Bottom because of its low elevation within this undulating terrain, is where Frazier grew up. A century ago, about 20,000 people lived there. Today, that number is closer to 2,000. There are revitalization efforts, but the town still bears its scars: empty plots, abandoned homes, shuttered businesses, frequent fires. Braddock is sometimes called a ghost town. As her work developed, Frazier was especially alert to the history of the photographs that had been made in the Pittsburgh area. There were these photographers, men like Lewis Hine, Walker Evans, W. Eugene Smith and Lee Friedlander, who had made work about the steel mills. They were all men shooting from an outside point of view. But taking on the same material could never lead to the same results for her. So she spiraled out, beginning at home, then moving out into the street and, finally, in a rented helicopter, up in the air. And in all these images, she established a continuity: a sense of surface complexity and crisp visual description. The work, when it came to its proper maturity, earned her museum exhibitions and a number of prestigious awards, including the grant from the MacArthur Foundation. But Fraziers success is not in these accolades; it is in the amplitude and intensity of her investigations. On a street stands a two-story house that has given up on being a house. Its facade has staved in, the surface is splintered timber and a scatter of plaster, each section like a variation on the theme of ruin. All this disorder is contained within the rectangular houselike shape. Brick columns indicate the roof line. On the left there remains a white door, intact, and the three steps that lead up to it. It must all once have been some familys. No more. As a child, I sat for hours in my bedroom in Lagos, Nigeria, at the beginning of the 1990s, drawing still lifes. In the hour or so it took to make one of those drawings, the arranged bottles and vases would become covered in black dust from an asphalt plant a few hundred yards from our home. I breathed that black dust for three years before leaving for college in the United States. But my family remained in Nigeria, and in the late 90s, my father fell ill with serious respiratory problems. An accurate diagnosis was difficult to establish, but the doctors finally said he had sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that mainly affects the lungs. After complicated medical interventions, he eventually recovered, but even now, he cannot stand to be around smoke or dust. SEOUL, South Korea South Korea said on Wednesday that it would shut down an industrial complex that it runs jointly with North Korea, its strongest retaliation yet for the Norths recent nuclear test and its launching of a long-range rocket over the weekend. In announcing the decision, Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo said the industrial complex in the North Korean border town of Kaesong, which went into operation in 2004, had wound up providing funds for the Norths weapons programs. Mr. Hong, the Souths point man for negotiations on the North, said South Korea had informed Pyongyang of its decision and asked it to help the 184 South Korean factory managers at the complex to cross the border safely and return home. Although the Kaesong complex was temporarily shut down in 2013, it was the North that initiated the closing, by pulling out its workers to protest joint South Korean-American military drills. The South responded by withdrawing its managers. What do you expect for life of the next generation of Americans? Not too or not at all worried 20% of voters How worried are you about the direction of the nation's economy? How worried are you about a major terrorist attack in the U.S.? Which was more important in your vote for president today? Who do you think is honest and trustworthy? The New Hampshire exit poll was based on questionnaires completed by primary voters on Tuesday as they left election locations throughout the state. The poll was conducted by Edison Research of Somerville, N.J. for the National Election Pool which consists of ABC News, The Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and NBC News. The results are based on 2,222 Democratic primary voters at 45 randomly selected polling places, interviewed as they were exiting each site. In theory, in 19 cases out of 20, the results from such polls should differ by no more than plus or minus four percentage points from what would have been obtained by seeking to interview all voters who participated in each partys primary in New Hampshire. Results based on smaller sub-groups, such as specific demographic groups or backers of a particular candidate, have a larger potential sampling error. Groups that are too small to be sampled accurately are represented with a dash. In addition to sampling error, the practical difficulties of conducting any survey of voter opinion on election day, such as reluctance of some voters to take time to complete the questionnaire, may introduce other sources of error into the poll. Prof. David R. Jones of Baruch College, City University of New York, and Michael R. Kagay of Princeton, N.J. assisted The Times in its polling analysis. LAGUNA BEACH Three detectives two from Laguna Beach and one from Newport Beach are being recognized for their investigations that led to the arrest and eventual imprisonment of a Newport Beach man with a history of fraud in California, Arizona and Hawaii. The case started with a report about a stop payment on a $15,000 deposit for a used Mercedes Benz at Franks Motorcars on Coast Highway. And it ended this month after Richard Bloustine admitted to kiting several checks totaling more than $200,000 for everything from cars to dental services to leasing a Newport Beach house, according to the Orange County District Attorneys Office. Bloustine, 50, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Feb. 1, said Marc Lebreche, the senior deputy district attorney who prosecuted him. He pleaded guilty to five counts of grand theft, 10 counts of writing bad checks and taking a car without permission. Labreche said Laguna Beach police Cpls. Larry Bammer and Paul Bixby and Newport Beach police Detective Jason Blakely did solid work resulting in Bloustines arrest and conviction. Blakely said victims told him Bloustine was well-spoken, charming and convincing. He lived the life of fraud and well beyond his means, Blakely said. He took advantage of peoples good will and trust. In doing so he got cars, houses and services. The Laguna Beach Police Department this week is recognizing Bammer, who has been with the department 15 years, and Bixby, who has 14 years of service. Bloustine was twice convicted of grand theft, in 2004 and in 2008 in Santa Barbara County. In 1996, he was convicted of credit card fraud in Hawaii, Labreche said, and three years later was found guilty of a fraud scheme in Arizona. The two Laguna detectives started investigating Bloustine in Jan. 20, 2015, when Franks Motorcars reported a series of stopped payments. In December 2014, he passed the first check of $15,000 a deposit for a $28,000 2003 Mercedes SL 500, said police Sgt. Tim Kleisser, spokesman for the department. The car dealer told police Bloustine took the Mercedes off the lot. Then Bloustine called and asked that the check be canceled in lieu of a wire transfer, Kleisser said. The car dealer canceled the check only to realize there was no wire and that another $15,000 check sent over had been marked stop payment, Kleisser said. Bloustine appeared at Franks Motorcars again a few weeks later. This time he said he was buying a Range Rover for his attorney, Kleisser said. He wrote a $20,000 check as a deposit and drove off the lot. Days later, the business discovered the check had also been marked as a stop payment, Kleisser said. On Jan. 20, Bixby and Bammer contacted Bloustine and told him to return the cars or to provide valid payment. The Mercedes was found at the Crystal Cove shopping center the next day. The Range Rover was found in the same location the day after that. Labreche said he also found that two Newport Beach dentists and their anesthesiologists in 2014 were each defrauded of more than $80,000 in dental service by Bloustine. Bloustine also kited a check for $32,000 as he tried to lease a home in Newport Beach, Labreche said. He then wrote another bad check this time for $13,000 for furniture in the home, the prosecutor said. Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@ocregister.com or Twitter:@lagunaini WASHINGTON President Barack Obama proposed a record $4.1 trillion budget on Tuesday. Heres a look at each agency and department: AGRICULTURE Up or down? Down 5.3 percent Highlight: Obamas budget for the Agriculture Department includes a proposed $12 billion over 10 years to help feed schoolchildren from low-income families during the summer. Nearly 22 million low-income children receive free and reduced-price meals during the school year, but just a fraction of those kids receive meals when school is out. Benefits under the proposed program would be loaded onto a debit card that can only be used for food at grocery stores. The numbers: Total spending: $155.4 billion, including spending already required by law for food stamps, other government nutrition programs and farm subsidies. Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $24.2 billion. COMMERCE Up or down? Up 19.7 percent Highlight: The budget proposes $521 million for the International Trade Administration, which tries to attract exports to the U.S. and foreign investments in this country. That includes money to lure companies to the U.S. that would create jobs here, plus money to help American companies find customers overseas and to enforce trade laws. The numbers: Total spending: $12.1 billion Spending that needs Congress approval: $9.7 billion. DEFENSE Up or down? Up .6 percent Highlight: The Pentagons proposed 2017 budget, while largely flat, includes increased spending to support European and Eastern European nations against Russian aggression and beefs up spending to counter Islamic State and affiliated militants across Iraq, Syria and Africa. The proposal would quadruple the amount spent to reassure European nations, with $3.4 billion earmarked for increased military exercises, troop rotations and pre-positioning of equipment. The department also is asking for $200 million to fund counterterror operations in North and West Africa, including Libya. The budget would slow plans to buy fighter jets, Army helicopters and Marine vehicles, but would increase money for cybersecurity and cutting edge technologies. It would fund a 1.6 percent pay raise for troops and civilians. The numbers: Total spending: $649.9 billion Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $582 billion, including $58.8 billion for military operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Africa. EDUCATION Up or down? Up 1.9 percent Highlight: The budget calls for $4 billion in mandatory funding over three years to expand computer science from kindergarten through high school and to boost access, help train teachers and build regional partnerships. The proposed budget also would give the Education Department $24.4 billion to help put into place the new education law Obama signed late last year, replacing No Child Left Behind. The numbers: Total spending: $79.4 billion Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $69.4 billion ENERGY DEPARTMENT Up or down? Up 6.8 percent Highlight: As part of a pledge following the 2015 Paris climate summit to double spending on clean energy research and development by 2021, the budget would spend $7.7 billion government-wide for a range of clean energy investments, including $5.8 billion in the Energy Department. The figure is a 20 percent increase over current spending money and includes more than $2 billion to boost energy efficiency and renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal power. The numbers: Total spending: $30.8 billion Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $30.2 billion ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Up or down? Up 5.5 percent Highlight: In the aftermath of the water-contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, Obamas proposed budget shifts money intended for water infrastructure projects. Overall, the budget cuts $257 million from the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Funds, reducing total funding to $2 billion for 2017. However, within that larger pool of money, the funds available to provide financial assistance to public water systems is going up $158 million, or about 20 percent. The White House also said it would support earmarking money specifically to help Flint fix its poisoned water in the upcoming energy bill. The numbers: Total spending: $8.6 billion Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $8.3 billion. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Up or down? Up 3 percent Highlight: Responding to an epidemic of heroin addiction and abuse of prescription painkillers, Obamas budget would provide $1 billion in new funding over the next two years for states to help more people get and complete treatment. The money would be allocated to states based on the severity of the epidemic and the strength of their strategy. The budget also includes $500 million in new funding to increase access to treatment for people with serious mental health problems. The numbers: Total spending: $1.15 trillion Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $78 billion. HOMELAND SECURITY Up or down? Up 0.2 percent Highlight: The budget would provide as much as an extra $23 million for Customs and Border Protection if the number of unaccompanied immigrant children caught crossing the border illegally exceeds the total number of children apprehended during the 2016 budget year. The exact amount of additional funding would depend on how many child immigrants are arrested. The numbers: Total spending: $47 billion. Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $47.3 HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT Up or down? Up 0.7 percent Highlight: Obama is seeking nearly $21 billion for the Housing Choice Voucher program, which provides vouchers to 2.2 million low-income families to help them afford paying rent. That would be a $1.2 billion increase for the program over this year. The program is aimed at helping lower-earning families afford rental housing, and move to safer neighborhoods with better schools and more job opportunities. The numbers: Total spending: $48.2 billion. Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $38 billion. INTERIOR Up or down? Up 13.6 percent Highlight: The budget would double to $900 million spending for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a program that allows governments at all levels to buy land for parks and recreation and protect public lands, historic sites and battlefields. The budget calls for spending on the conservation fund to be mandatory starting in the budget year that begins in October 2017. The presidents plan is likely to face opposition from congressional Republicans who have long argued that the federal government struggles to adequately maintain land it already owns. The numbers: Total spending: $15.9 billion Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $13.2 billion JUSTICE Up or down? Down 4.8 percent. Highlight: The proposal includes hiring 200 new special agents for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to step up enforcement of existing gun laws. On national security, it calls for $6 million in funding for locally developed programs aimed at combating violent extremism, and $4 million to fund research to better understand radical ideologies. An additional $246.9 million would be invested in the departments Smart on Crime program, which encourage prosecutors to consider alternatives to prison for low-level and non-violent offenders. The administration also seeks $1.4 billion to consolidate FBI headquarters staff into a new location, and $38.3 million to help develop forensic tools and electronic device analysis to address concerns about encrypted communication among criminal suspects. The Justice Department maintains that its budget is actually up by $265 million above the 2016 enacted level when accounting adjustments related to the crime victims compensation fund are taken into account. The numbers: Total spending: $33 billion. Spending that needs congressional approval: $18.1 billion. LABOR Up or down? Up 38.5 percent Highlight: The budget proposes a range of programs aimed at improving job training. These include $2 billion to help people find apprenticeships that pay salaries; $3 billion for partnerships between employers, local development organizations and community colleges to train half a million workers; and $1.5 billion to help states find people out of work for over six months or whove given up job hunting and steer them toward employment. The numbers: Total spending: $64.9 billion Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $12.8 billion NASA Up or down? Down 1.3 percent Highlight: Obamas proposed NASA budget includes a 17 percent cut in spending on human exploration from $4 billion to $3.3 billion. It includes $100 million in a proposed new program to reduce heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions from airplanes. The numbers: Total spending: $19 billion Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $18.3 billion STATE Up or down? Down 3.7 percent Highlight: Much of the money is reserved for major State Department efforts such as fighting the Islamic State and meeting the security and humanitarian needs stemming from Syrias civil war. This includes more than $4 billion to stabilize communities liberated from the extremists and to counter IS terrorist plots, financing and recruiting. Other priorities include stemming illegal immigration from Central America, and various global health and climate change initiatives. Embassy security gets $6.1 billion. Almost $1 billion is devoted to countering Russian aggression. The numbers: Total spending: $57.4 billion Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $52.2 billion. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Up or down? Up 11 percent Highlight: Obamas trying one last time to boost the budget of a primary Wall Street regulator, allowing it to inspect investment advisers more frequently and pursue more enforcement actions. Though the SECs budgets come out of Wall Street user fees and end up earning the government money in the form of fines, Congress has regularly stymied budget increases for both the SEC and its fellow regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The numbers: Total spending: $1.8 billion Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $1.8 billion TRANSPORTATION Up or down? Up 25.8 percent Highlight: Obamas 21st Century Clean Transportation Plan includes $200 million in fiscal year 2017 to help speed the deployment of self-driving vehicles and calls for spending an average of $400 million annually over 10 years on the program. The plan also includes $10 billion a year to boost construction of new transit projects and $7 billion a year for rail improvement and high-speed rail projects. Congress has previously rejected new money for high-speed rail. The numbers: Total spending: $95.4 billion, including spending already required by law on highway and transit aid to states Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $12 billion TREASURY Up or down? Up 17.3 percent Highlight: Obamas proposed Treasury budget would provide $530 million in additional support for the Internal Revenue Service, which has seen its budget restrained since 2010. The increase would allow the IRS to make further progress in answering taxpayers questions after the response rate fell as low as only 40 percent of calls answered. The agency has boosted that to 60 percent, but IRS officials say that is still unacceptable. The extra money would also boost IRS resources to enforce tax laws, which the administration estimates will reap a return of $6 for each dollar invested in the new efforts. The numbers: Total spending: $622.4 billion, including interest paid on the national debt. Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $13.1 billion. VETERANS AFFAIRS Up or down? Up 9.1 percent Highlight: The budget proposes $65 billion for medical care at nearly 1,300 VA facilities nationwide serving about 9.1 million enrolled veterans. The figure represents a 6.3 percent increase over current spending. The plan also would authorize $7.2 billion for medical care for veterans treated by local doctors, as directed by the 2014 Veterans Choice Act. Non-VA providers are expected to perform about 15.6 million medical procedures for veterans in the budget year that begins in October. The numbers: Total spending: $178.7 billion Spending that needs Congress annual approval: $75.1 billion CONCORD, N.H. Chris Christie the brash New Jersey governor whose fast rise in Republican politics was undone by a petty scheme to clog traffic on a bridge has decided to suspend his presidential campaign, according to two Republicans briefed on his deliberations. Christie held a meeting and conference call with campaign staff at 4 p.m. to inform them of his decision, the Republicans said. Christie finished sixth in Tuesdays primary in New Hampshire, the state on which he had pinned his last presidential hopes. Christie spent 71 days campaigning in the Granite State, and he had his best debate here just days before the primary flustering rival Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., into robotic repetition by criticizing his lack of experience in office. Christie dropped out of the race the same day that Carly Fiorina announced on social media that she, too, was calling it quits. The former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard won just 4 percent of the vote in New Hampshire. Christie had 7 percent. I have both won elections that I was supposed to lose, and Ive lost elections I was supposed to win. And what that means is you never know, Christie told supporters in Nashua, New Hampshire, on Tuesday night. He said then that he would return to New Jersey before making a decision about his future. Christies short-lived run for the presidency was a remarkable turnabout for a corruption-busting federal prosecutor who was elected governor in 2009. He quickly made a name by battling the states public-sector unions and engaging in well-publicized shouting matches at public meetings that became YouTube sensations. Christies career had once seemed so promising that in 2012 after just two years in office some Republicans urged him to challenge Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination. Christie demurred, saying he wasnt ready. This time, he said he was. Christie was reelected by a wide margin in 2013 in New Jersey, a state where Democrats heavily outnumber Republicans. Then, as Republicans looked ahead to the 2016 election, Christie was an early front-runner in both national and New Hampshire polls. But then came Bridgegate. In the fall of 2013, two lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge between Fort Lee, N.J., and New York City were closed on the first day of school. The result was an enormous traffic jam, for four days running. The state first blamed the jam on a traffic study. But later, evidence seemed to indicate that Christies aides had arranged the jam on purpose, to punish Fort Lees Democratic mayor for his refusal to endorse Christies reelection. One of Christies former aides has pleaded guilty to conspiracy in that case, and two others have been indicted. Christie was exonerated by an independent, taxpayer-funded investigation, carried out by a law firm. But fundraising data has raised questions about that firms independence: The news outlet NJ Advance Media reported that the firms lawyers had given heavily to Christies presidential bid. Christie had expected that his in-your-face personality would be an advantage in this race: His slogan was Telling It Like It Is. But the bridge scandal turned that plus into a minus, since it appeared that Christies administration had used the power of the state to punish someone over a petty grievance. As the 2016 campaign began, this was not Christies only problem. Conservative activists never warmed to Christie, believing he was too liberal on guns and social issues. They remained angry at him for a moment in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy when Christie welcomed President Barack Obama to New Jersey. Christies warmth for Obama, and his praise of the federal reaction, was good state politics but bad national politics it was seen as having boosted the president in the last days of his contest against Romney. Christie found himself constantly repeating that he hadnt actually hugged Obama, as many conservatives believed. When he got off Air Force One, I did shake his hand, which, Ill tell you what, civilized human beings do with other civilized human beings, Christie said in New Hampshire, according to a report in Time magazine. Then Donald Trump got into the race, stealing the role that Christie had envisioned for himself: the brash loudmouth who got things done. Christie wound up squeezed: He was too aggressive for voters who wanted a milder statesman and not aggressive enough for those who wanted Trump. Still, Christie spent weeks in New Hampshire, trying to recapture his magic. In his town-hall meetings, his persona was heavily flavored by his time as a prosecutor Christie repeatedly imagined himself prosecuting the case against Hillary Clinton, treating the Democrat like a defendant instead of an opponent. But he also could play the part of regular suburban dad. In campaign appearances, Christie told audiences about how expensive his childrens college tuition had become and bemoaned the unnecessary perks he had to pay for. Theres an epidemic of rock-climbing walls! Christie said at one appearance, joking that this epidemic had even reached New Hampshire, where they werent needed. Youve got rocks, man! Youve got rocks everywhere! Christie said. Youre the Granite State. Your state is named after rocks! At the final GOP debate in New Hampshire last weekend, Christie made one last plea to Granite State voters. Ive spent the last 13 years of my life focused on one thing: serving the people who have given me the opportunity to serve them, he said. Not about politics, not about partisanship, but putting the people of my state and our country first. New Hampshire, he continued, I spent 70 days here with you. Youve gotten to know my heart. My heart is to help you solve the problems of your state and the problems of our nation. If you give me your vote on Tuesday, I will do just that. Instead of propelling his presidential campaign, the Granite State ended it. The end of Christies campaign came right after its most prominent moment. At a debate just two days earlier, Christie accused Rubio of being a shallow candidate who could do little more than repeat talking points. And then Christie watched, with some delight, as Rubio repeated the same line three times in a row. There would be no repeat of that performance. Even if Christie were to stay in the race, he probably would not have qualified for the next Republican debate. WASHINGTON The Supreme Courts surprise decision Tuesday to halt President Barack Obamas climate change regulation could weaken or even imperil the international global warming accord reached with great ceremony in Paris less than two months ago, climate diplomats said. The Paris Agreement, the first accord to commit every country to combating climate change, had as a cornerstone Obamas assurance that the United States would carry out strong, legally sound policies to significantly cut carbon emissions. But in the capitals of India and China, climate change policy experts said the Supreme Court decision threw the U.S. commitment into question, and possibly New Delhis and Beijings, too. If the U.S. Supreme Court actually declares the coal power plant rules stillborn, the chances of nurturing trust between countries would all but vanish, said Navroz K. Dubash, a senior fellow at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi. This could be the proverbial string which causes Paris to unravel. The Paris Agreement was a fragile and hard-fought consensus. The courts verdict does not block the climate change rule permanently but halts its enactment until legal challenges against it have been decided, a process that could take a year or more. If the American clean energy plan is overturned, well need to reassess whether the United States can meet its commitments, said Zou Ji, deputy director of the National Center for Climate Strategy and International Cooperation, a government policy think tank in Beijing. Inaction by the United States has long been the chief obstacle to meaningful global climate change agreements. India and China in particular resisted action absent a climate change policy in the United States. Obama sought to change that by putting in place a set of aggressive but politically controversial Environmental Protection Agency rules to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. On the basis of those rules, Obama won agreements from China and India to enact their own pollution reduction plans, and helped push other countries into signing on to the Paris measure. U.S. policy experts agreed that the Supreme Court decision might be the first of many fractures in the deal. The honeymoon for Paris is now definitely over, said John Sterman, a professor of management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. When donors gift millions of dollars to universities, its no surprise that they want to keep as close an eye on the money as possible. But how close is too close? A review of major donor agreements with UC Irvine suggests that the level of control sought by the controversial Dharma Civilization Foundation in exchange for gifts of $3 million is greater than that sought by other big donors with names like Samueli, Merage, Beckman and Bren. The Dharma agreements fund professorships in the study of Eastern religions, and create advisory councils so Dharma can keep an eye on who UCI hires and what is accomplished. Some agreements specify the skills successful academics must possess such as facility with Sanskrit and effectively narrow the applicant pool to what some faculty members fear is Dharmas own, hand-picked candidates. When Susan and Henry Samueli (of Broadcom fame) gave more than $25 million to UCI for its engineering and medical schools, agreements did specify that Susan Samueli would be a member of the founding board of advisers for the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine. When Paul Merage (of Chef America/Hot Pockets fame) gave $30 million for UCIs business school, agreements specified that a panel review funding requests for grants. But nothing in the agreements we reviewed appeared as specific as what was in Dharmas. Hundreds of critics, including UCI faculty and students, have gone on record demanding that UCI reject Dharmas gifts. A university committee is reviewing those gifts, and is on the verge of recommending what to do. All of which confounds the donors at Dharma, who say they are willing to consider rewriting clauses that people are uncomfortable with and are eager to meet face-to-face with their critics. When we wrote the agreements, we did not consult other agreements, said Kalyan Viswanathan, executive vice president for the Dharma Civilization Foundation. We didnt ask for any, and we didnt compare any. We wrote what we thought we wanted, and the university administration guided us toward language that was acceptable to them. It went through several levels of review. If that language is now rankling faculty members, the donors are perfectly willing to talk about revising it, Viswanathan said. What should be a matter of simple negotiation is being unusually and regrettably played out in the public domain, he said. We are open to a constructive dialogue with anyone in the university. The donors have proposed meeting with their critics on campus. But university officials have asked them to stand down and not engage directly with faculty. So the donors just wait, feeling like they have no input into the current machinations, Viswanathan said. The donors desire to meet has been communicated to the UCI committee reviewing the agreements, but that committee hasnt made a decision yet, said UCI spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon. The conflict at UCI illustrates the tension between religion, academic freedom and the ever-growing quest for outside money. And in many ways, its big international politics played out on a little stage. Critics draw links back to Hindu nationalist movements in India. They worry that Dharma seeks to place true believers in the Hindu faith into academia and wants to squelch critical study of the religion. Two separate petitions urging UCI to reject the gifts one launched by graduate students, the other by faculty from all over the world have garnered nearly 800 signatures combined. Dharma counters that it simply seeks to upgrade the study and quality of understanding of Indian Dharma traditions, and find Dharma-centered policies to address the challenges facing humanity. The group laments that the majority of scholars studying Hinduism academically in the West are non-Hindus, which has resulted in widespread misrepresentations of the religion that it hopes to correct. This controversy, it contends, is a tempest in a teapot. Contact the writer: tsforza@ocregister.com SAN DIEGO Erika Colligan spent three decades searching for her fathers artwork paintings the South Vietnam pilot made for the U.S. Air Force aviators who trained him during the Vietnam war. The 50-year-old San Diego software consultant was only 1 when her father died in a plane crash in his native country in 1966. At age 10, her family fled Vietnam and came to the United States, leaving behind their belongings and his artwork. Colligan believes most of his paintings were destroyed after the Communist government took power, but she kept faith some of the artwork Phan Khoi made for his American friends was still out there, offering a tangible sliver of the father she never got the chance to know. For decades she showed veterans a faded photograph of Khoi sitting with a paintbrush and two portraits in his room at a U.S. Air Force base. She posted the image repeatedly online, asking if anyone recognized the American pilot in one of the portraits. Her search paid off about three months ago when it led her to Khois former Air Force instructor, retired Col. Billy Mobley. Mobley told her in an email that Khoi had given him a painting a serene landscape that has hung on his wall for more than 50 years. Colligan immediately drove to Mobleys house in Stephenville, Texas. He grabbed hold of my face and said, Yep, youre Phan Khois daughter all right, Colligan said. He then handed her the painting. I took the painting and cradled it for half an hour and cried a lot, she said. She ran her finger over her fathers signature on the back. She and Mobley talked well past midnight that cold December day. She learned her father was a quiet, serious man, a surprise to the outgoing woman with an easy laugh. It did not bring me closure, instead it marked a beginning for me, she said later. Mobley, now 83, was overwhelmed as well. That hit me right in the heart, he said of Colligans visit. Phan Khoi gave me that painting in 1962 and then here was his daughter standing in front of me. Khoi was among more than 1,500 Vietnamese pilots sent to the United States for training. The U.S. military helped build the South Vietnam Air Force to be among the ten largest air forces in the world in 1974. U.S. military instructors would spend up to a year alongside the pilots, inviting them to their homes for barbecues and holiday dinners, despite the cultural and language barriers. But once the training ended, most of the U.S. instructors lost contact with their students. After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, the South Vietnam Air Force dissolved. Many of the South Vietnam pilots returned to the United States, this time as refugees battling discrimination in their adopted country. They were such dedicated, such honorable men and we didnt know what had happened to them, Mobley said. Then I get this email from a lady looking for her father. Colligan learned that the two portraits in the faded photograph she had shared with veterans for decades were paintings her father made for his other Air Force instructor, Doyle Ruff, who appears as the young pilot in one portrait; the other was of Ruffs daughter, Rebecca, who was two at the time. After contacting him, retired Col. Ruff sent Colligan a birthday card Khoi had given him in 1963, and later Ruffs ex-wife sent her the two portraits, and shared her own memories. In early January, Colligan organized a reunion with Mobley, Ruff, other Air Force officers and some of the South Vietnam pilots they had trained more than a half century ago. She and her family spent two days at a San Diego hotel, mostly listening to the men reminisce about grumpy instructors, the risks of flying then and the pilot who loved to paint. In the room where they chatted was the painting Khoi made for Mobley. Colligan felt almost as if her father was there. Now that she has seen his paintings in person, she can see that her father would paint the name of the person into the background, as if hiding a clue. Her search continues to lead her to more people who knew Khoi. I think my father is doing this, she said of her search. My objective is still to find his artwork but along this journey Ive been able to learn what my father was like. Its been a great journey. Fox Head Inc., a motocross and mountain biking gear and apparel maker, is closing its offices in Northern California and relocating finance, IT and sales to its Irvine headquarters. Relocation offers were extended to all employees. The offices in Morgan Hill will close June 30. Fox Head also indicated it will downsize its womens lifestyle apparel line and development divisions. There will be a small reduction in headcount, according to the company. Our vision is to be the worlds number one brand in motocross and mountain biking, said Fox Head Chief Executive Paul Harrington in a statement. Getting there requires relentless focus and consistent execution. Moving the company under one roof and investing in the brands authentic core are essential steps to realizing this vision. Pete Fox, a former Fox Head chief executive and son of the companys founder, will serve on the companys board of directors. He was replaced by Harrington as chief executive last March. As part of the announcement, Fox Head has promoted David Durham from designer to creative director. The company was founded in 1974 by Geoff Fox, a physics teacher at Santa Clara University and motocross enthusiast. In December 2014, private equity firm Altamont Capital bought a majority steak of the brand. In 2013, the company moved its headquarters to an 81,600-square-foot building in Irvine, complete with a mini dirt bike course. In recent years, Altamont has also purchased surfwear brand Brixton, snowboard maker Mervin Manufacturing and DaKine. Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans NEWPORT BEACH A Cal State Fullerton engineering student from India was identified Wednesday as the man found dead near the Newport Pier the day before. He had been missing for seven days. Praveen Galla left his off-campus apartment in Fullerton, taking an Uber, on Feb. 2. He arrived at the university just after 5 p.m. but had not been seen for more than a week. Orange County Sheriffs Department harbor patrol officials retrieved his body at 11:25 a.m. Tuesday. Capt. Scot Willey of the Cal State Fullerton Police Department said officers worked with the coroner late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning to identify the body with fingerprints because it was decomposing. An autopsy was completed early Wednesday afternoon but Gallas cause of death has not been determined and is pending test results. Once a cause of death is established, authorities can try to determine when Galla died and how long his body was in the ocean. Willey said he was found in the same clothes he was last seen in. Willey said Galla, a 23-year-old graduate student, was not reported to be suicidal and did not have any mental disabilities. Willey said he could have been worried about his grades: His worry was that he might be on academic probation, and he would have been worried about his student visa. Gallas cellphone was tracked on Saturday to Newport Beach; it was not known if officials found it with his body. Willey said they are investigating to determine how Galla got to Newport Beach and died. Gallas uncle from New Jersey and cousin from San Francisco had arrived to Orange County to help with the search with the students roommates and friends. We have a lot of people on campus that are shook up, people who knew him or taught him, Willey said. Cal State Fullerton president Mildred Garcia sent an email to the campus community expressing her condolences. While we are a large campus, we become incredibly small when confronted with such devastating news, Garcia said in a statement. Praveen was a bright young mind and valued member of our campus. Campus officials reminded students, faculty and staff that professional counselors are available on campus and after hours. Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or aduranty@ocregister.com LONDON Henry VIII will be spinning in his grave! said the headline in The Daily Mail, a British tabloid. Hampton Court Palace, where the Tudor King Henry broke off ties with the papacy in 1530 just to divorce his first wife and marry his mistress with whom he was besotted and whom he later beheaded Tuesday held its first Roman Catholic service in more than 450 years. During the service, held in the palaces Chapel Royal, chants in Latin from an 18-person choir swelled up toward turquoise ceilings, adorned with golden stars and gilded cherubs. Around 350 attendees were packed into tiny wooden pews. A procession of altar boys and priests solemnly made its way toward the front of the chapel, as the scent of incense wafted across the ancient hall. The medieval Latin chants date back to before the Protestant Reformation, when they were heard throughout churches in Europe. The service symbolized in part a growing reconciliation between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church. Both are grappling with internal divisions, including a battle over homosexuality, and the service comes as several high-profile figures, including some members of the royal family and former Prime Minister Tony Blair, have left the Anglican Church. (In 2011, a ban on a British monarch marrying a Roman Catholic was lifted after more than three centuries, but Roman Catholics are still barred from taking the throne.) For his part, Pope Francis announced changes last year that were intended to make it easier for Roman Catholics to get annulments and remarry within the church, and he will soon meet with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in what will be the first meeting between leaders of the two churches in almost 1,000 years. Amid the backdrop of change in both churches, the popes personal preacher, Raniero Cantalamessa, led a prayer at Westminster Abbey in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II in November. He told his audience in London that Roman Catholics should celebrate Protestantism and benefit from its achievements. The schism dates to 1534, when Henry VIII declared himself the head of the Church of England. The split allowed Henry to leapfrog from one marriage to another in search of a male heir: He annulled two marriages and had two of his other wives executed, including Anne Boleyn, the former mistress for whom he had rejected papal authority in the first place. (Another wife died after giving birth.) The vespers service Tuesday was originally conceived to celebrate the palaces 500th anniversary and the chapels musical heritage. The prayer was led by Britains most senior Roman Catholic cleric, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and by Bishop Richard Chartres of London. John Studzinski, founder of the Genesis Foundation, an arts charity that helped organize the service, said, Dialogue between faiths is much needed and welcomed in these turbulent times. The Chapel Royal of Hampton Court, about 15 miles southwest of Central London, hosted some of the most crucial moments in the fickle love life of Henry VIII. The capricious monarch, who grew portly in later life and was known for his penchant for lobster, porpoise and custard, secretly married Anne Boleyn there despite the Catholic Churchs refusal to grant him an annulment from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. After the marriage, Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy in 1534, which allowed Henry to declare himself head of the Church of England. Henry had Anne executed at the Tower of London in 1536 after a court investigation charged her with witchcraft and adultery with several men, including her brother. The Chapel Royal of Hampton Court also hosted the baptism in 1537 of the son of Henry and Jane Seymour, Annes lady-in-waiting and the kings third wife. Jane died soon after from complications related to the birth. It was also at Hampton Court that Henry signed the annulment of his marriage to Anne of Cleves, his fourth wife, in 1540, just six months after their wedding. He followed that up with a fifth marriage, this time to Catherine Howard, who was Anne Boleyns first cousin. But when scandalous accusations were made against Catherine in a letter addressed to the king and placed on his royal seat at the palace, Henry also had her beheaded at the Tower of London. Henry married Catherine Parr, his sixth and last wife, at the Chapel Royal in 1543. Henry died in 1547; she managed to outlive him by less than two years. The federal government sued Ferguson on Wednesday, one day after the city council voted to revise an agreement aimed at improving the way police and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Fergusons decision to reject the deal left the department no choice except to file a civil-rights lawsuit. The residents of Ferguson have waited nearly a year for the city to adopt an agreement that would protect their rights and keep them safe. They have waited decades for justice. They should not be forced to wait any longer, Lynch told a Washington news conference. The Justice Department complaint accuses Ferguson of routinely violating residents rights and misusing law enforcement to generate revenue a practice the government alleged was ongoing and pervasive. Ferguson leaders had a real opportunity here to step forward, and theyve chosen to step backward, Lynch said. Ferguson spokesman Jeff Small declined to comment. Messages left with Mayor James Knowles III were not returned. Ferguson has been under Justice Department scrutiny since 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed, was fatally shot by white officer Darren Wilson 18 months ago. A grand jury and the Justice Department declined to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November 2014. But a scathing Justice Department report was critical of police and a profit-driven municipal court system. Following months of negotiations, an agreement between the federal agency and Ferguson was announced in January. A recent financial analysis determined the agreement would cost the struggling city nearly $4 million in the first year alone. The council voted 6-0 Tuesday to adopt the deal, but with seven amendments. Hours before the lawsuit was announced, Ferguson leaders said they were willing to sit down with Justice Department negotiators to draw up a new agreement. We ask that if they (the Justice Department) feel there needs to be some additional changes to the agreement, we sit down and talk, Knowles said. That seemed unlikely from the outset. Within hours of the Tuesday vote, Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, said in a statement that the department would take the necessary legal actions to ensure Fergusons police and court practices comply with the Constitution and federal laws. Knowles said the seven amendments were formulated after the analysis showed the deal was so expensive it could lead to dissolution of Ferguson. The analysis suggested that the first-year cost of the agreement would be $2.2 million to $3.7 million, with second- and third-year costs between $1.8 million and $3 million in each year. Ferguson has an operating budget of $14.5 million and already faces a $2.8 million deficit. Voters will be asked to approve two tax hikes in April, but approval of both would still leave the city short. A big part of the cost was the requirement that Ferguson raise police salaries to attract better candidates, including more minority officers. Removal of the pay-raise clause was among the seven amendments. Another new provision states that the agreement will not apply to any other governmental entity that might take over duties currently provided by Ferguson. That means, for example, that St. Louis County would not be beholden to the agreement if it takes over policing in Ferguson. St. Louis County police spokesman Brian Schellman said if the county were ever asked to take over policing in Ferguson, we would consider the implications of the consent decree before entering into such an agreement. Knowles doesnt believe neighboring municipal departments would agree to cover Ferguson under the Justice Departments requirements. Defiance has often defined Ferguson in the 18 months since Browns death. Days after Browns death, then-Police Chief Tom Jackson released surveillance video showing Browns involvement in a theft at a small grocery store just moments before the shooting, with the burly teenager pushing the store owner. The videos release only heightened anger among protesters. Knowles has vigorously defended Ferguson. Even as protesters and civil rights leaders called for reforms, the mayor noted that Ferguson was already making changes to municipal courts aimed at easing the burden on people accused of minor violations. In fact, city revenue from court fees and fines has declined by hundreds of thousands of dollars since the shooting. Its not uncommon for local governments to seek changes to agreements even after negotiations, but the overwhelming majority of investigations still end up in a settlement. Samuel Bagenstos, the former No. 2 official at the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, warned that the federal agency is serious about bringing a lawsuit if they dont get a deal. If Ferguson insists on making significant changes to the deal theyve already worked out, thats probably not going to work out well for them, said Bagenstos, now a law professor at the University of Michigan. And I think at the end of the day, Ferguson understands that, and well probably see a deal pretty soon. The Justice Department has initiated more than 20 civil rights investigations into law enforcement agencies in the last six years, including in Baltimore and Chicago. In the last 18 months, the department has reached settlements with police departments that included Cleveland and Albuquerque. There have been occasional disagreements. In 2012, the Justice Department sued Maricopa County, Arizona, after failing to reach agreement on allegations that the sheriffs office targeted Latinos with discriminatory stops and arrests. County officials voted in July to settle parts of that lawsuit. The federal government also sued North Carolinas Alamance County following an investigation that alleged biased policing practices against Latinos there. But a federal judge last August ruled in the countys favor, saying the Justice Department failed to prove the sheriff ordered deputies to target Hispanic residents. That case is on appeal. HAVANA Otto Macias was 19 when he left Cuba in the throes of a socialist revolution, enlisted in the U.S. Army and went to fight communists as a machine-gunner in Vietnam. He returned from battle in 1969 broken and suffering from post-traumatic stress and schizophrenia, his family says. After years of hospitalization in New York, Macias, then a U.S. citizen, was well enough in 1980 to fly to Cuba to visit relatives he hadnt seen in decades. He never returned. As he stayed with family in Havana, Macias hallucinations became so bad he required hospitalization and constant care from doctors or loved ones, his relatives say. Less than a year later, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cut off his monthly pension of $60 a large sum for Cuba, where salaries today average about $25 a month. The U.S. agency never explained the cutoff, but the familys American lawyer says hes certain it was because of the United States trade embargo on Cuba. Now, Macias family is suing the U.S. government seeking to reinstate the pension. They say President Barack Obamas loosening of the embargo offers the ailing 75-year-old a final chance to regain his benefits and win the recognition of the military service that his adopted country has denied him for 35 years. Its about justice, said Macias niece, Anitica. He was on the battlefield he dedicated his life to that. He mutilated his life. He didnt have a family because of it. They need to pay attention to him; they owe him an explanation. They need to recognize him. More than 200 Cubans who had worked at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and for the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II successfully sued the U.S. government in 2001 when it would not pay benefits to people living in Cuba. The court ruling allowed Cubans who still had documents proving their service to receive benefits, said Carlos Enriquez, a Florida lawyer who represented the men or their survivors. They sent them their money, Enriquez said. They purchased cars, they purchased homes. It changed their lifestyle. Macias lives with his brother in a modest apartment in a high-rise in east Havana. Psychologically stable after years of treatment but suffering from skin cancer, he spends his days running small errands like buying bread, then watching television or petting the familys graying dachshund. Macias declined to speak about his time in Vietnam. He said in Spanish that even though he feels more Cuban than American now, he remembers much of his time in the United States fondly and would enjoy visiting New York again if he were physically able. Id like to go back, he said. A spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs said he couldnt comment on pending litigation but noted the Treasury Department regulates payment of U.S. funds to other countries. The Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment on Macias case. Macias lawyer, New Mexico-based Jason Flores-Williams, said the veterans pension was clearly cut off because the U.S. embargo prohibits paying government benefits to anyone living on the island. But the lawyer said he believes legal changes stemming from Obamas 2014 declaration of detente with Cuba mean Macias has a good chance at winning his case. The Obama administration has allowed U.S. companies to do limited business with the Cuban government and lets Americans send virtually unlimited sums of money to Cubans for purposes ranging from helping relatives to supporting a private business. We would expect the Obama administration to support this litigation, Flores-Williams said. It would be recognizing what (Macias) has done for the United States and bringing this man dignity in the last years of his life. A court win for Macias could create a precedent for other Cuban-Americans who move back to Cuba in the coming years and want to receive U.S. government benefits like Social Security payments. While the number of Cuban-Americans reclaiming Cuban citizenship remains small, it is likely to grow as travel and trade between the U.S. and Cuba become easier. Moving back to the island may appeal especially to some Cuban-American retirees because of Cubas free health care and relatively low cost of living, meaning that any cases with legal issues such as Macias could eventually become more common. The second you cross that 90 miles your benefits are terminated because you couldnt receive a check due to Treasury Department regulations, Flores-Williams said. This is an opportunity for the Obama administration to show the Cubans that its serious about human rights and change. BRUSSELS NATO defense ministers on Wednesday approved a new multinational force to strengthen defenses of frontline alliance members most at risk from Russia, the alliances secretary-general announced. Jens Stoltenberg said the new force approved by the United States and NATOs 27 other members will contain troops from multiple countries who rotate in and out of eastern European member states rather than being permanently based there. He said military planners will make recommendations on its size and composition this spring. The new force will be multinational to make clear that an attack against one ally is any attack against all allies and that the alliance as a whole will respond, Stoltenberg told a news conference following the first session of the two-day defense ministers meeting. Getting firm commitments, or even deciding how many NATO troops should be rotated eastward, may take time, however. Douglas Lute, U.S. ambassador to NATO, said he expected defense ministers to agree on a framework but that actual force levels will probably be hammered out only after consultations with NATOs supreme commander in Europe, U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove. One NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements, told The Associated Press one proposal under consideration calls for the creation of a brigade-sized force: roughly 3,000 soldiers. On Feb. 2, the Obama administration announced its own plans to quadruple spending on U.S. troops and training in Europe. U.S. officials say that if Congress approves the $3.4 billion proposal, it would mean year-round presence in Europe of an American brigade engaged in training, mostly in small units sent to the NATO members nearest Russia. Whats more, enough tanks and other hardware would be stockpiled in advance to equip another U.S. armored brigade whose troops could be airlifted to Europe in case of a crisis. Most of that equipment would be stored in Western Europe, rather than in countries closer to Russia. A senior NATO official, also speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss internal alliance deliberations, said the U.S. now hopes its European NATO partners will commit to new investments for deterrence that correspond to the increased funding and troops, equipment and training moves the Pentagon wants. At Wednesdays meeting, many allies announced how they intend to contribute to NATOs enhanced presence in the east, Stoltenberg said, but declined to give details. He said the overall goal was to reassure skittish allies and deter Moscow without completely alienating the Russians in the process. This is about striking many different balances, the NATO chief said. On Monday, Russias envoy to NATO warned his country will respond to a buildup of alliance forces near Russian borders. In remarks shown on Russian television, Alexander Grushko said the deployment of NATO forces in eastern Europe cant be left without a military-technical answer. Russia wont compromise its security interests, Grushko said. Stoltenberg said he will be meeting Friday with Russias foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, in Munich, Germany, and will stress that NATO harbors no hostile intent toward Moscow. I will underline that what NATO does is defensive, it is proportionate and its fully in line with our international obligations when it comes to our increased presence in the eastern part of the alliance, Stoltenberg said. Following a request by Turkey, NATOs defense ministers are also reviewing what the U.S.-led political and military alliance might do to help slow the influx of migrants into Europe by sea. NATO already has AWACS surveillance planes, air policing and maritime patrol aircraft and an increased number of warships in the eastern Mediterranean under the reassurance measures agreed for Turkey in December, Stoltenberg noted. But he said more time is needed to evaluate how NATO might contribute to easing the migrant crisis, and added that he hoped to be able to make an announcement Thursday. We all understand the concern and we all see the human tragedy, Stoltenberg said. The International Organization for Migration on Tuesday said 409 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, and that migrant crossings in the first six weeks of 2016 are running at nearly 10 times the rate of the same period last year. IOM said 76,000 people have reached Europe by sea, nearly 2,000 per day, since Jan. 1. Germany, the leading Europe destination for the migrants, many of whom are fleeing war or poverty in their Middle Eastern or African homelands, welcomed the discussions at NATO. It is good that the Turkish government has asked NATO to help for the surveillance of the sea. We are aiming at stopping the business of the smugglers, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said. WASHINGTON Time to trade in those boots and head south and west. After Sen. Bernie Sanders and businessman Donald Trump cruised to victory in snowy New Hampshire, the presidential race sprints on to South Carolina and Nevada perhaps with a smaller cast of characters. A guide to what to watch for on Wednesday, the day after New Hampshires first-in-the-nation primary: DEPARTURE LOUNGE: Iowa turned out to be the end of the line for four candidates: Republican Mike Huckabee and Democrat Martin OMalley had dropped out by midnight on caucus night, and Rand Paul and Rick Santorum werent far behind. Additional Republican candidates could well head for the exits after New Hampshire. The state was seen as particularly important for Jeb Bush and Chris Christie, who did not finish in the top two. CHA-CHING: Look for a surge in campaign cash for those with strong finishes. Bernie Sanders, who finished a close second to Clinton in Iowa, had his best fundraising day of the race after the Iowa caucuses. Cruz, too, had a post-Iowa bonanza. Now it may be John Kasichs turn. We have a lot of people who have been promising money if we perform, said Tom Rath, a senior national adviser to the Ohio governor, who finished second among Republicans. Tonight, we performed. CREATIVE WRITING: Candidate Bill Clinton masterfully framed his second-place finish in New Hampshire in 1992 as a big victory for the Comeback Kid. Look for the 2016 runners-up in New Hampshire notably Kasich to use similar creative writing techniques to try to put a happy spin on lesser vote tallies. NEW HAMPSHIRE HANGOVER? Plenty of Republicans kvetched after Iowa. Ben Carson complained that false rumors that he was quitting the race, spread by Ted Cruzs campaign, had cost him support. Donald Trump agreed, and claimed he might have beaten Cruz otherwise. Who will harrumph after New Hampshire? PILING ON: Lower-finishing GOP candidates can be expected to gang up on the New Hampshire success stories. Thats what happened to the GOPs Marco Rubio after he exceeded expectations with a strong third-place finish in Iowa. WHERE NEXT? South Carolina and Nevada are coming up in the next two weeks. Republican candidates were bound Wednesday for South Carolina, which holds its GOP primary Feb. 20, and Democrats to Nevada ahead of that states Democratic caucus the same day. Those two states offer candidates their first opportunities to compete for a large and diverse electorate. But first, Sanders heads to New York City, where he plans to have breakfast with the Rev. Al Sharpton. AD NAUSEAM: The presidential hopefuls and their supporters already are planning to spend $35 million in South Carolina and $7 million in Nevada on TV and radio commercials, amounts that will rise significantly as voting approaches. Big spenders in South Carolina so far are Rubio and his allies, Cruz and his supporters and a super PAC backing Bush, advertising tracker Kantar Medias CMAG shows. Trump also burst back onto TV there beginning Tuesday. ENDORSEMENTS: More will pop after New Hampshire. The Republicans who hang in there will try to snag endorsements from those who bug out. And others may weigh in. Among them: The Congressional Black Caucus political action committee promised to make its endorsement after New Hampshire. Republicans are wondering if South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will pick a favorite. Is El Nino the little boy who cried wolf? Just wait, the storms are coming, forecasters said in December. Then, the same in January. And as we head into mid-February, when the wet-weather storms were really supposed to start picking up, the record-setting heat Santa Ana set a new high at 93 degrees Tuesday has us scratching our heads, putting away our sweaters and reaching for our sunscreen. But El Nino which translates to little boy in Spanish is here. Its just not showing up in the form of pounding rainstorms as we expected. El Nino is happening. Ive been telling everyone this, said Larissa Johnson, hydrometeorological technician for the National Weather Service. The biggest misconception Im hearing Where is El Nino? Its not a three-day storm or three-month storm. Its a body of water thats warmer than usual. It doesnt dictate our weather; it affects different elements. Ask the big-wave surfers traveling the world chasing massive swells, and theyll tell you El Nino is in full force. Check out snow resorts like Mammoth Mountain, and youll find more snow then theyve had in years. People in Northern California will tell you theyve had plenty of El Nino storms. The lack of rain here has to do with the jet stream not traveling far enough south to give us wet weather, Johnson explains. That has kept the storms isolated to Northern California. Fifty to 100 miles away, its a completely different scenario, she said. You get people up north saying Yeah, were getting a lot of rain. But its been a different story here in Southern California, where it was upper 70s along the coast and got in the mid-90s inland Tuesday. That record 93 degrees in Santa Ana shattered the high of 86 set in 2012. Newport Beach Lifeguard Capt. Skeeter Leeper said beach crowds were up Tuesday, with about 12,000 on the sand through the day. A normal February day might see about 5,000 people. Its hot, and the sand is warm. People are shedding their clothes. People are thawing out, he said. Its warm enough to get the beach clothing out. Theres a lot of selfies going on at the beach today. Johnson said its not unusual to have warm weather in January and February, but its especially hot this week because of a high-pressure system over the Great Basin, which continues to heat the air as it travels over the mountains. As it comes downslope, theres compressional heating, she explained. It has nothing to do with El Nino. Its giving higher temperatures than normal, she said. Really higher temperatures than normal. Johnson said its expected to stay warm through the weekend, anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees higher than normal, in the 70s along the coast and mostly 80s inland. Theres no rain on her radar until possibly Feb. 17. If youre headed to the beach this weekend to cool off, use caution. A swell showing up on Saturday and lingering through Sunday will bring waves up to 7 feet high in Orange County. And be warned it may feel like summer, but water temps are still chilly in the lower 60s. So, can we still expect El Nino storms to bring the wet stuff falling from the sky? Absolutely. We have all of March to look at, Johnson said. Well believe it when we see it. Contact the writer: lconnelly@ocregister.com New Hampshire continued the revolt against establishment politics that marked last weeks Iowa caucuses and has been prominent in polling for months. In preliminary counts, Granite State Democrats voted to feel the Bern by giving a 60-39 percent victory to Bernie Sanders, the U.S. senator from neighboring Vermont, over Hillary Clinton. Sen. Sanders victory speech set the tone: Tonight we serve notice to the economic and political establishment of this country that the American people will not accept a corrupt campaign finance system and we will not accept a rigged economy. At press time, Republican voters preferred Donald Trump and his call to Make America great again with 34 percent, followed by 16 percent for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who in recent months practically moved to New Hampshire, and 12 percent for Sen. Ted Cruz. The results bore witness to what three pollsters, led by Patrick Caddell, called a prerevolutionary moment after last weeks Iowa caucuses, in which Mr. Sanders nearly bested Mrs. Clinton among Democrats, and the top two Republicans were Mr. Cruz and Mr. Trump. The pollsters found that, nationally, 84 percent believe political leaders are more interested in protecting their power and privilege than doing what is right. For Mr. Sanders win, exit polls predictably showed he garnered support from 85 percent of those under 30 and 65 percent of those very liberal. But he curiously also triggered 68 percent support from gun owners, showing Mrs. Clintons debate strategy of attacking his sometimes weak gun-control record backfired. In his victory speech, Mr. Trump shouted out the same themes he used on the campaign trail: The world is going to respect us again. Believe me. Were going to knock the hell out of ISIS. Were going to start winning so much. Were going to make America so great again, maybe greater than ever before. We wish the candidates more emphasized freedom. And its still a long slog to the nominating conventions. But whats clear is the voters keep exclaiming they want the special interests expelled from the corridors of power. Some 150 people will lose their jobs as Georgia-Pacific Corrugated LLC closes its Buena Park facility by Sept. 1. A representative said the company determined the facility was outdated and production would shift to its more efficient plant in La Mirada, about 2 miles away. The building, at 6300 Regio Ave., was built in 1962, according to CoStar Group, a commercial real estate database and listing website. The Buena Park plant makes corrugated box products used in the paper industry. We continually evaluate our operations and the competitiveness of our facilities and made decisions based on the value we are creating, said Julia VanDeWater, manager of manufacturing communications. The decision to close this particular facility was made after we thoroughly assessed the business and the quality of the equipment and the plants performance. VanDeWater said some of the plants roughly 150 employees would find other jobs within the Atlanta-based company and others would receive outplacement resources. Georgia-Pacific owns the roughly 146,000-square-foot plant. The company plans to sell the building. Georgia-Pacific is owned by Koch Industries. Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans ISTANBUL Allies of the United States sharply criticized the Obama administrations Syria policy Wednesday, when the outgoing foreign minister of France called it ambiguous and the president of Turkey said U.S. inaction had allowed the region to descend into a blood bath. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey called into question the U.S. commitment to fighting terrorist groups in Syria and cited Washingtons failure to recognize a Syrian Kurdish rebel group as a terrorist organization. Are you on our side or the side of the terrorist PYD and PKK organizations? Erdogan said in an address to provincial officials in the Turkish capital, Ankara, referring to U.S. support for members of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, in their fight against the Islamic State in Syria. Tensions between Turkey and the United States, NATO allies, have been escalating over their differing positions on the Kurds. Turkey considers the Kurdish Democratic Union Party to be a terrorist organization through its affiliation with the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has carried out a three-decade-long insurgency against Turkey. Hey, America. Because you never recognized them as a terrorist group, the region has turned into a sea of blood, Erdogan said. The harsh words came a day after the State Department spokesman, John Kirby, reiterated U.S. support for Kurdish fighters battling the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh. Even the best of friends arent going to agree on everything, Kirby said. Kurdish fighters have been some of the most successful in going after Daesh inside Syria. The Turkish government summoned the U.S. ambassador, John R. Bass, late Tuesday to express its unease over the supportive remarks for the Kurdish group in Syria, according to Turkish officials. In his speech, Erdogan said there was no difference between the Kurdish groups fighting in Syria and the insurgents battling the Turkish government. We have written proof! he said. We tell the Americans, Its a terror group. But the Americans stand up and say, No, we dont see them as terror groups. Criticism of U.S. policy in Syria continued Wednesday in Paris, where Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister reiterated his long-standing disapproval. While announcing his decision to step down after nearly four years as foreign minister, Fabius said the U.S. plan for Syria was ambiguous and denounced an absence of very strong commitment, according to Reuters. The Obama administration has said for months that its plan for confronting the chaos inside Syria was to try to forge a political transition away from President Bashar Assad through talks mediated by the United Nations. But those negotiations collapsed last week amid heavy bombings by the Syrian government backed by Russian forces. The bombing campaign has worsened the already dire situation in Syria in recent weeks, with at least 60,000 more people fleeing to the Turkish border this week. The Turkish prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, said Wednesday that the relentless bombing around the city of Aleppo, in northern Syria, by government and Russian forces amounted to a campaign of ethnic cleansing. One of the aims of the latest attacks is to conduct ethnic cleansing, Davutoglu said at a news conference in The Hague, Netherlands. Ethnic cleansing in Syria and Aleppo aimed at only leaving regime supporters behind is being conducted by the Syrian regime and Russia in a very deliberate way. Every refugee that we accept helps their ethnic cleansing policy, but we will continue to accept refugees, he said. Davutoglu added that the U.N. Security Council and the international community were being two-faced for demanding that Turkey open its borders, but not moving a finger to solve the Syrian crisis or to stop the Russian bombings, according to The Associated Press. He also accused the PYD, the Kurdish militia in Syria, of collaborating with Russian forces and attacking civilians. Turkey fears that support from Russia and the United States for the PYD could create an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria that would spur the separatist ambitions of Kurdish militants in Turkey. The Turkish military started a major counterinsurgency campaign against Kurdish militants in the predominately Kurdish southeast region last year, imposing round-the-clock curfews in many towns and cities. Hundreds of militants and civilians have died in the operations. IRVINE Margo Sanchez self-published her first novel, Departure of Reason, in September and wanted to let people know about it. But she was having trouble learning how to use her new smartphone to help her publicize the murder mystery. I want to take a picture of the book, email it to myself and post the photo on Facebook, the 73-year-old told UC Irvine junior Bryan Nguyen on Friday. Nguyen and other members of the UCI chapter of Delta Epsilon Mu spent two hours in the recreation room at Woodbridge Manor, the senior living community in Irvine where Sanchez lives, offering one-on-one technology tutorials to seniors interested in learning how to use their smartphones, tablets and laptops. The technology workshop was coordinated by Volunteer Action for Aging, a program of Independence at Home, a Long Beach-based nonprofit organization that helps older adults and disabled people. This is fun, and its close to school, said Nguyen, chairman of philanthropy for the professional fraternity, whose members are interested in careers in health, from medicine to pharmacy. Shelly Hu, a 10-year resident of Woodbridge Manor, brought a shiny laptop her daughter had given her to the workshop. Its been a couple years, but I havent used it, she said. Hu was taught how to change the settings from the default language, English, to Chinese. Each time she learned how to do something new open a browser window, return to the previous page she wrote down the instructions in a notebook. Some volunteers used Googles free online language translation service to communicate with the seniors, who spoke a variety of languages. Ahn Dao, 84, spent time chatting with My Huynh, a UCI student who also speaks Vietnamese. She said she was glad volunteers had taken the time to help her and other Woodbridge Manor residents with their technology needs. In my opinion, its very difficult, she said. With more study, you open the mind. Volunteer Kelly Cheung, who helped a senior with her questions about an iPad, said Delta Epsilon Mu puts on about five community service events each 10-week quarter. We love working with seniors because theres such a need, and its really rewarding, she said. Contact the writer: sdecrescenzo@ocregister.com Ever heard the story of the RMS Titanic and thought: Wish Id been there? Well, now you can be. Sort of: A replica of the ship, which infamously was declared unsinkable and promptly sank on its maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg in 1912, killing 1,503 people, is being built for a whole new journey across the Atlantic. The Titanic II project is the ambitious brainchild of Australian billionaire Clive Palmer. The real estate/coal mining magnate had announced his plans in 2012 to have it ready for this year, then ran aground for a time. But now, apparently, the ship will sail after all. It wont be precisely like the original: In order to meet modern safety standards, reported the Belfast Telegraph, it will have a welded and not riveted hull and be about four yards wider. But like the original, it will have first, second and third-class tickets for sale. And presumably the new liner will feature more lifeboats; there were too few to accommodate the passengers on the original ship, and when those were launched they tended to hold only a fraction of capacity. It is considered one of the primary reasons so many ultimately died when the ship sank. The new Titanic will of course have modern evacuation procedures, satellite controls, digital navigation and radar systems and all those things youd expect on a 21st century ship, James McDonald, global marketing director of Palmers company Blue Star Line, told the Telegraph. The new ship will be almost 300 yards long and 57 yards high, with nine floors and 840 cabins that can hold 2,400 passengers and 900 crew members. It will have a swimming pool, Turkish baths and gyms, among other amenities. Read more here. Bids in the bankruptcy auction for The Orange County Register, The Press-Enterprise and related real estate could start at $40 million, according to court papers filed by the company. Newspaper owner Freedom Communications filed for bankruptcy protection in November and is starting a bidding process that could sell the company assets by March 31. The starting bid estimate made by Christopher Nicholls, senior managing director at FTI Capital Advisors, Freedoms investment banker was part of a U.S. Bankruptcy Court filing Monday detailing a new employee retention program. Bidding activity heats up this week with a Friday deadline for the starting, or stalking horse, bid. This bidder sets the opening bid for the actual auction next month. At least three publishing entities may attempt to win the stalking horse position: Freedom insiders headed by CEO Rich Mirman; Tribune Publishing, owner of the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune; and Digital First Media, owner of the Los Angeles Daily News and Long Beach Press-Telegram. An acceptable stalking horse bid is not required for the auction to proceed. Newspaper analyst Ken Doctor said the $40 million estimate is surprisingly low; he expects an eventual sale price of $60 million or more. To Doctor, Tribune will be the most aggressive because its strategy to buy and consolidate papers throughout Southern California depends on this acquisition. Last week, Tribune announced that Chicago investor Michael Ferro Jr. invested $44.4 million for a 16.6 percent stake in the company. Tribune also halted dividend payments to conserve cash. Wall Street did not like the news, sending Tribune shares down almost a third since the announcement. Tribune badly wants this, Doctor said of Freedoms newspapers. With a big asterisk. Tribunes own stability is now a question. Freedoms $40 million bid estimate lays out a plan to retain key executives through the transition to new ownership. The company said it has lost 32 employees, including a senior sales executive, since the bankruptcy was filed. Seven Freedom executives, but not CEO Mirman, could share in retention payouts totaling $500,000 to $1.5 million if the auction gets debtors more than $42 million, according to Mondays filing. The retention plan also calls for adding a severance provision, two weeks salary, if any employees are laid off as the bidding process rolls on. Currently, employees let go during bankruptcy do not receive severance. The filing said Freedom does not anticipate additional layoffs. Contact the writer: jlansner@ocregister.com SANTA ANA The county may need less water than once projected, but the Orange County Board of Supervisors made it known Tuesday that it still supports construction of a proposed $1 billion Huntington Beach desalination plant. One week after the Municipal Water District of Orange County projected that the countys water demand in 2040 would be 17 percent lower than previously estimated, supervisors voted to reaffirm their support for the desal plant and urged the California Coastal Commission to approve the projects final permit. Poseidon Waters proposed plant is only one permit away from approval, and the Orange County Water District has already signaled it will likely buy the plants water once it is completed. But local envrionmentalists have used the new water-demand forecast as evidence that the county does not need a desal facility that will produce water more costly than the imported water it would likely replace. Poseidon representatives have said the plant would benefit the county by bringing drought-proof, local control to its water supply. Supervisors have previously voiced support for the plant, and the Board did not specify why it decided to publically reaffirm that support Tuesday. The agenda item was proposed by Supervisor Michelle Steel and was approved 4-1, with Supervisor Andrew Do voting against it. Do did not say why he opposed the item and could not immediately be reached for comment. OCWD has estimated that the county would need 525,000 acre-feet per year by 2040, but the Municipal Water Districts report projected the county would need 90,000 fewer acre-feet annually. The desalination plant, which would make ocean water drinkable by removing the salt, is projected to provide the county 56,000 acre-feet of water annually. The project would require somewhere between $100 million and $300 million in public infrastructure, paid for by water customers. Contact the writer: jgraham@ocregister.com or 714-796-7960 WPPs global PR flagship Burson-Marsteller has appointed Teresa Henderson a managing director in its U.S. corporate and financial practice. She will also serve as market leader of Burson-Marstellers southwest region, which includes the agencys offices in Dallas and Austin. Teresa Henderson Henderson was previously senior vice president of client development in the Texas office of Oklahoma City-headquartered marketing communications agency Saxum, where she fielded accounts for clients such as Hess Corp., Interstate Natural Gas Association of America and RigNet. Prior to her tenure at Saxum, Henderson was a senior VP at Houston-headquartered investor relations and PR agency Pierpont Communications, where she was general manager of the Dallas office and headed accounts for Saudi Aramco, Sunoco Logistics and Emirates Airlines. She also formerly served as an executive VP at Edelman, where she was also southwest corporate practice leader and head of the independent giant's Dallas and Austin outposts. Prior to that she was a senior VP at Ketchum and director of that Omnicom units Dallas office. As southwest market leader, Henderson is now tasked with overseeing the agencys growth and business development in that region. She will work out of the agencys Dallas office and will report to U.S. corporate practice chair and New York market leader Alan Sexton. In a statement, Burson-Marsteller U.S. CEO Michael Law called Henderson a veteran corporate communicator, who will be an invaluable asset to our colleagues and clients as we continue to grow our presence in Texas and the Southwest. The U.S. healthcare system is currently characterized by increasing fragmentation, where patients, in a move to cut costs and maintain convenience, now exhibit a fleeting loyalty to prescription products and a distant relationship with physicians. This was one of the key insights gleaned by findings in a recent national survey conducted by New York-based independent agency Finn Partners, which gauged the attitudes and behaviors of patients navigating todays healthcare landscape. The Finn Futures survey shows that current insurance formularies and out-of-pocket costs could be influencing more consumer healthcare decisions than ever. Most Americans 51 percent now change their insurance plans at least every three years, and a similar number of consumers with health insurance 45 percent now keep their primary care physician for only the same amount of time, even though respondents said they still regard their doctor as the single most trusted source of health information. Almost half of those polled 46 percent said they visit their primary care physician only once a year, though 55 percent now said they avoid a doctors office altogether. For many people, theres no such thing as a primary care physician any more, Gil Bashe, managing partner of Finn Partners' health practice, told ODwyers. That means there's no central place where a record of our health information resides. One problem were going to see is that more peoples health concerns are not managed sooner because, in much the same way that the healthcare system has become fragmented, our personal health information has become fragmented as well. Cost and convenience also prove increasing factors in determining what medicines patients now opt to buy. While a majority of respondents three out of four said they consult with either their doctor or pharmacist if they have questions about a prescription, the survey found that 43 percent of consumers now receive pharmacists recommendations regarding alternatives to medications prescribed by their doctor, and nearly half of all respondents said they take their pharmacist's advice on those cost-effective alternatives. Left to navigate the system without the regular guidance of a doctor or long-term insurers, patients and consumers arguably wield a diminished voice in today's healthcare landscape. For this reason, Bashe said the onus is on leaders in the pharmaceutical, policy and provider sectors to make collaborative strides in showcasing the value of healthcare services and products for patients. Improved communication efforts are paramount. The data should cause everyone to step back and see where things are going from a communications standpoint, Bashe said. These sectors have to realize that they're not competing here, theyre part of a collaborate resource, and they need to invite the consumer to participate in being part of that dynamic. As communicators, our job has always been to connect people with a common call to action." Indeed, the survey indicated that education could play a major role in influencing consumer healthcare behavior. Nearly half of respondents in the Finn Futures survey said they were unaware that pharmaceutical companies offer co-pay cost-saving options for prescription medicine, such as savings cards, which aid the burden of out-of-pocket expenses. Only eight percent admitted visiting a medication's website. The biggest challenge for health insurance companies and providers is that many American consumers don't understand how the system works. They access the system only when they have a problem, Bashe said. We've got to make the practice of seeing a doctor something important. The Finn Futures survey was conducted in November and polled 1,000 U.S. residents online. It was led by research director Christopher Lawrence, in Finn Partners' Washington, D.C. office. The data will be presented globally next week, at the annual mHealth Israel conference in Tel Aviv. Detailed results of the surveys findings can be found here. Registration has been closed for the appearance tonight at 6 p.m. of Dan Doctoroff, CEO of Sidewalk Labs, at an NYU facility in Brooklyn. Either capacity of 380 has been reached or public access is being limited. Dan Doctoroff Doctoroff, who is supervising the $200 million replacement of 7,500 New York City phone booths with hot spot Wi-Fi transmitting terminals, will discuss the impact of emerging technology on life in cities. National Grid Auditorium Press contacts at NYUs Center for Urban Science & Progress, host of the event, would not address the question of whether capacity has been reached. An email at 11:22 a.m. said the event is an "academic lecture and not an open press event." No special privileges will be granted to reporters, it was said. Were on the brink of an historic period for cities around the world, Doctoroff is quoted as saying in a promotion for tonights event which will take place in the National Grid auditorium on the first floor of One MetroTech Center on Jay street in downtown Brooklyn. The terminals, called Links, offer free, super-fast access within a radius of as much as 400 feet, said a Jan. 4, 2016 story in re/code. People sensitive to electromagnetic radiation say this will interfere with their ability to walk the streets of New York. They are distributing via the internet forms to be sent to the New York Attorney General and New York State Dept. of Technology and Telecommunications that say the terminals violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, New York City Human Rights Law, and New York State Human Rights Law by subjecting citizens to unwanted radiation. Radiation health advocates say New York is already one of the most electromagnetic radiated cities in the world. Measurements of Wi-Fi on Times Square are depicted in a YouTube video being circulated by Parents for Safe Technology.org. Spokepeople for Sidewalk Labs have said that health aspects of the Wi-Fi terminals will not be discussed tonight. Google Created Sidewalk Labs The re/code story, by Mark Bergen and Arik Hesseldahl, said Google created Sidewalk Labs as an urban development company last June. Google then created Intersection, a merger of an outdoor ad and design firm led by Sidewalk Labs that will build a free gigabit wireless network across New York City called LinkNYC. Installation of the terminals will take place over the next eight years. Colin ODonnell, chief innovation officer of Intersection, said LinkNYC will be the largest and fastest public Wi-Fi network in the world. Were deploying a network thats so fast the most recent iPhone is only capable of using less than half its available speed, he said. The network will be supported by large ads on the two sides of the terminals. City phone booths currently generate $40 million yearly in ads and the terminals are expected to exceed that figure. Sidewalk Labs has added to staff Janette Sadik-Khan, former NYC transportation commissioner, and hired BerlinRosen as its PR firm. BerlinRosens clients include the Jewish Daily Forward, also known as The Forward. The OECD Observer online archive takes you on a journey through half a century of public policy and world progress. Since November 1962, the OECDs experts and leading guests offer insights on the questions facing our member countries with concise and authoritative analysis, and provide our audiences with an excellent opportunity to understand policy debates and consider solutions. Each edition of the OECD Observer reports on a core theme of the OECDs on-going work, from economics and society through governance, finance, and the environment, and articles are bolstered by tables and graphs. Loading... OilVoice will be with you shortly... An Iowan will be the next city manager of Sidney, Nebraska. Ed Sadler, 63, is currently city manager of Webster City, a community of 8,100 in north-central Iowa. He was hired Tuesday and is expected to begin work in Sidney in late March. Sidney Mayor Mark Nienhueser said Wednesday that Sadler has a proven track record in economic development, fiscal responsibility and managing high-quality projects. Sadler said he was eager to move to Sidney, population 6,900, and to get to work on helping the community continue to progress and grow. The Panhandle community is home to the headquarters of Cabelas, the homegrown $3.6 billion hunting, fishing and outdoor retailer now dealing with an activist investor pushing for big changes in the company to boost shareholder value. Nienhueser said the City of Sidney conducted a national search for the city manager position and received applications from 20 candidates in 18 states. Prior to his Iowa job, Sadler was assistant city manager for Aspen, Colorado, and has held management roles in state and local governments in Wyoming, Missouri and Arizona. A native of Clinton, Iowa, he grew up in Casper, Wyoming. He holds degrees from the University of Wyoming. Sidney has been without a city manager since Gary Person resigned in August. Person now is the president and chief executive of the North Platte Area Chamber of Commerce and Development Corp. Contact the writer: 402-444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com Two business leaders and one Omaha institution were recognized for their community contributions Tuesday at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerces annual meeting. Phil Moyer, a vice president at First National Bank, received the Chairmans Award of Excellence for producing exceptional membership sales and retention results for the chamber. Elizabeth Mazzotta, a vice president at Mutual of Omaha, was presented with the Volunteer of the Year Award for taking the lead in promoting the chambers initiatives. The University of Nebraska Medical Center received Headliner of the Year Award for improving the Omaha areas national visibility by its positive contributions. Chuck Hagel, former U.S. secretary of defense and former U.S. senator from Nebraska, gave the meetings keynote address, which was held at Omahas CenturyLink Center. Contact the writer: 402-444-1142, janice.podsada@owh.com WASHINGTON A divided Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to halt enforcement of President Barack Obamas sweeping plan to address climate change until after legal challenges are resolved. The surprising move is a blow to the administration and a victory for the coalition of several dozen mostly Republican-led states, including Nebraska, and industry opponents that called the regulations an unprecedented power grab. Iowa did not challenge the regulation. The courts order said the EPAs carbon pollution emission guidelines for power plants are stayed pending a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, which will hear the case this summer. It is rare for the high court to intervene in a case pending in the lower courts. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts applauded the Supreme Courts action in a statement issued Tuesday evening. The decision by the Supreme Court to halt the implementation of the Clean Power Plan until a legal settlement is reached is important for Nebraska industry and ratepayers to prevent rate increases, Ricketts said. By temporarily freezing the rule, the high courts order signals that opponents have made a strong argument against the plan. A federal appeals court last month refused to put it on hold. The appeals court is not likely to issue a new ruling on the plan until months after it hears oral arguments that are to begin June 2. Any decision likely would be appealed to the Supreme Court, meaning resolution of the legal fight is not likely to happen until after Obama leaves office. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said the court action was a rebuke to the Obama administration. The Obama era owns the record for executive overreach and has been struck down by the Supreme Court time after time, he said. The EPA is not a super-legislature, and this stay is an important step toward having the American people not unelected bureaucrats set energy policy. Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said the courts action makes him more confident that states will win the broader challenge to the EPA policy. In the state of Nebraska, our public power entities have been proactive in recent years in developing ways to reduce carbon emissions, including developing several alternative, renewable energy sources, Peterson said. The EPAs rule change would disregard these efforts and exceeds reasonable standards. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said: Todays decision by the Supreme Court is an important step toward reining in the Obama administrations unprecedented abuse of executive power. Nebraska is the only 100 percent public power state in the nation. Without this action by the court, many of our existing coal-fired power plants could be forced to shut down, putting Nebraska families and businesses at risk to pay higher electricity bills. As is its custom in stay requests, the high court did not give a reason for its action. The Obama administration had told the court that the stay request was unprecedented and that it was routine for federal programs to proceed while courts considered challenges. The high courts four liberal justices Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan said Tuesday that they would have denied the request for delay. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who spearheaded the states stay request, said the decision showed that the court was leery of the plan. The plan aims to stave off the worst predicted impacts of climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by about one-third by 2030. The compliance period starts in 2022, but states were to submit their plans to the Environmental Protection Administration by September or seek an extension. Many states opposing the plan depend on economic activity tied to such fossil fuels as coal, oil and gas. They argued that power plants will have to spend billions of dollars to begin complying with a rule that may end up being overturned. Opponents had to convince the justices that there was a fair prospect that the court would strike down the rule. The court also had to consider whether denying a stay would cause irreparable harm to the states and utility companies affected. We disagree with the Supreme Courts decision to stay the Clean Power Plan while litigation proceeds, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said late Tuesday. Earnest said the administrations plan is based on a strong legal and technical foundation and gives the states time to develop cost-effective plans to reduce emissions. Environmentalists said they hoped the setback was only temporary. Todays court decision is unfortunate but does not reflect a decision on the merits, said Vickie Patton, general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund. Yes, no, yes, no: CPI(M)'s Congress dilemma for Kerala and West Bengal polls Feature oi-Shubham By Shubham The Communist Party of India (Marxist) lacks a consensus over entering into an alliance with the Congress ahead of the Assembly election in West Bengal. Going by the reports, the camp in the CPI(M) led by its former general-secretary Prakash Karat is keen to derail the plan to have an alliance with the Congress in Bengal. The party has been dilly-dallying on the matter for some time and will take it up again in the Politburo and Central Committee meetings next week. The Bengal leadership of the CPI(M) is likely to strongly back the idea of forming an alliance with the Congress on that occasion but the Kerala lobby under the leadership of Karat is desperate to oppose it. The Kerala unit has reiterated the party's traditional stand of not entertaining any alliance with the Congress and feels the current general-secretary, Sitaram Yechury, has no business in violating that stand by making an alliance with the Congress in Bengal. One section has said the 'reformist' Yechury should give up his post. The Kerala lobby is not ready to buy the Yechury camp's justification that it has only thought of a strategic understanding with the Congress in Bengal to beat the Trinamool Congress, its arch-rival. According to the southern lobby, even the slightest compromise with the Congress is a strict 'no-no'. According to many party insiders, more than Bengal versus Kerala or politics versus ideology, it is a clash of personalities and their loyalists of Karat and Yechury which is the actual problem. It seems the party is yet to cope with the change in the leadership that occurred at the Vishakhapatnam congress last year. Why Kerala lobby is against the idea of alliance with Congress in Bengal Yechury will gain if the move increases the CPI(M)'s vote-share The Kerala lobby feels if the CPI(M) succeeds in increasing its vote-share in Bengal by entering into an allience with the Congress, then Yechury will be a gainer. Loyalists of leaders like S R Pillai don't want it. It will further downgrade Karat's credibility as a party visionary; his opponents will not like it It will also be a sharp departure from the self-defeating step that the CPI(M) had taken under the leadership of Karat in 2008 by withdrawing support from the then UPA government on a nuclear deal with the US. It has been a downhill journey for the CPI(M) since then in both national and Bengal politics. Kerala Left has a good opportunity to retuen to power this time Thanks to the anti-incumbency against and other controversies centred around the Oommen Chandy government in Kerala and the growing polarisation between the left and the right, the CPI(M) feels it has a good opportunity to come to power in Kerala this time. The Left's good show in the recent panchayat polls in the state has also boosted the party's psyche. Understandably, the Kerala lobby is against letting that advantage go by forming an alliance with the Congress in Bengal. IRCTC's affordable Dubai tour package: All you need to know Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince arrives; PM Modi receives him at airport India oi-PTI New Delhi, Feb 10: Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived here today to a warm welcome, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeping aside protocol to receive the "special friend" at airport with the hope of adding new vigour and momentum to India-UAE ties. During Al Nahyan's three-day trip, his first State visit to India, the two countries will discuss ways to enhance ties in a range of areas including energy, economy and security and are expected to sign a number of agreements to boost cooperation in sectors like oil, nuclear energy, IT, aerospace, railways and electronics. "A special welcome for a special friend. PM @narendramodi personally receives HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," tweeted the PMO with a photo of the two leaders shaking hands at the Palam Technical Airport. A special bond between the two leaders. Some more pics from the arrival of the Crown Prince. pic.twitter.com/qcek7n03An Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) February 10, 2016 Modi had visited UAE in August last year, the first by an Indian Prime Minister after a gap of 34 years, and Al Nahyan had received him at the Abu Dhabi airport. "This is Sheikh Mohammed's 1st state visit to India & am glad he is visiting with his family," Modi said in a tweet. "Sheikh Mohammed is a visionary leader. His visit will add new vigour and momentum to comprehensive strategic partnership between India & UAE," the Prime Minister added. External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup also tweeted: "A special honour 4 a special guest! Breaking protocol, PM receives Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Al Nahyan at airport." Al Nahyan, also the Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE armed forces, is accompanied by a power-packed delegation for his three-day trip till February 12 which includes several top ministers and over 100 business tycoons and CEOs of top companies. It is Al Nahyan's first state visit to India. Official sources said Modi went to the airport to receive the Crown Prince without any disturbance to the normal traffic in a compact carcade without having any ambulance. The two leaders will hold detailed deliberations tomorrow following which both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements. Ways to contain radicalism, stepping up counter-terrorism cooperation and dealing with the ISIS are likely to figure prominently in the talks between the two leaders tomorrow. Economy of UAE, one of the leading producers of oil, has been hit hard by falling crude prices and it is expected that the Gulf nation would like to invest significantly in India's energy and infrastructure sectors from its sovereign wealth fund of around USD 800 billion. India has been eying the fund, being managed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, for its infrastructure sector including for railways, ports and roads. PTI Another former TERI employee accuses RK Pachauri of sexual harassment India oi-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, Feb 11: Days after environmentalist RK Pachauri, accused by a former colleague of sexual harassment in February last year, was promoted as executive vice-chairman of TERI, another former woman employee of the organisation on Wednesday levied similar charges against him. "Ever since the FIR against Pachauri came to light, I have been stating that I have also been sexually harassed by Pachauri, but all the efforts to have my statement recorded have been obstructed by police," the victim said in an open statement issued to media here. "Pachauri, a serial sexual harasser, who should have been punished by now has actually been rewarded with a new and higher position! This is a mockery of the laws of our country and of the struggles of the complainant's long and difficult struggles," she added. Claiming to have joined The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in 2003 and worked there for over a year, the victim alleged that Pachauri would use the excuse of work assignments to repeatedly call her to his office room, even though there was no real work. "Pachauri used to also call me on my personal mobile number once or twice a week during non-office hours and holidays to ask what I was doing... he would make personal inquiries about my availability and keep requesting me to join him for dinner or wine," she said in her statement. She also claimed that on another occasion he assaulted her when she was in his office room because Pachauri had asked her to see him. "He completely against my wishes forcibly held and kissed me on my face just as I was leaving the room. I was shocked and very upset and left his office immediately," she said. The women also claimed that due to Pachauri's misconduct and sexual advances, she started to look out for opportunities elsewhere and resigned. "When Pachauri saw my resignation letter, he threatened that from the airport to the city I was going to, he had friends everywhere and that he would see how I would leave his employment," she said in her written statement. After the woman employee of TERI filed a sexual harassment complaint, Pachauri denied the charge but stepped down as chairperson of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in February last year and proceeded on leave from TERI where he was the director general. Later, Pachauri was removed as TERI head in July and Ajay Mathur appointed in his place. In November, the woman researcher who accused him of sexual harassment quit her job at TERI, alleging she was treated badly. TERI denied the charge. However, now Pachauri has been appointed executive vice-chairman of the organisation despite the ongoing inquiry in the sexual harassment case. IANS 'Kantara' to 'Sita Ramam', the success of these 4 South films have lessons for film industry A Costly SLAP: Here's why Supreme Court asked Bollywood actor Govinda to pay Rs 5 lakh fine India oi-Nairita Mumbai, Feb 10: Bollywood actor Govinda has been asked to pay Rs 5 lakh to one of his fans. The actor had slapped the fan in 2008. The man, who has been identified as Santosh Rai, had moved the Supreme Court which later asked the actor to pay the compensation and apologise for his deed. According to reports, Santosh Rai had entered a film set Filmistan Studio. He did not have permission, and he was accused of molesting and troubling the women dancers at the set. Govinda had noticed the man when the former was shooting for his movie 'Money Hai Toh Honey Hai'. He reportedly lost his cool and slapped the man. Though the incident took place in 2008, Santosh first moved the Bombay High Court complaining against Govinda in 2009. The court, however, quashed the case against the actor in 2013. Santosh later moved Supreme Court recently asked Govinda to pay the compensation of Rs 5 lakh. Santosh reportedly expressed his disappointment with the order as he wants the actor to come to his home and meet him. OneIndia News 'This may give sleepless nights to some': Eknath Shinde on sharing dais with Sharad Pawar Not just future of Sena but democracy at stake, says Uddhav From UP to Mumbai, people offer to donate organs for Siachen survivor India oi-IANS By Ians English Mumbai, Feb 10: Indian Navy's ex-sailor S.S. Raju has expressed his willingness to donate any organ of his body to save the life of "fellow-brother" and Siachen miracle survivor Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, currently battling for life in an army hospital in New Delhi. Moved by the indomitable spirit and plight of the soldier who survived all odds after being trapped for six days under tonnes of snow and ice following an avalanche on the treacherous icy warfield, Raju called up IANS Mumbai to make the offer. "I request doctors at the Army Hospital (R&R) to contact me immediately and I can go to New Delhi... I am ready to donate any organ, including liver, kidney... We must save our fellow brother who is critical," said Raju, a resident of Bhayander in adjoining Thane district. UP woman volunteers to donate kidney to Siachen avalanche survivor Moved by the inspiring real-life story of Lance Naik Hanumananthappa Koppad, who was rescued five days after being trapped in an avalanche on the Siachen glacier and is currently in a critical state at the Army Hospital (R&R) in New Delhi, a woman from Uttar Pradesh has volunteered to donate a kidney to save the brave soldier. Nidhi Pandey, a housewife from Lakhimpur Kheri, 167-km from the state capital, contacted the helpline of a local news channel and sought to know how she can contact the hospital and proceed with her wish to donate a kidney to Koppad, who is battling for his life. Pandey lives in Padariya Tula area of Lakhimpur and her husband has, in the past, been involved in organ donation initiatives. IANS 'No problem' was Gogoi's guiding mantra; Cong stalwart had said it helped him take hard decisions Gogoi did nothing except indulge in family promotion: Amit Shah India oi-PTI Kokrajhar (Assam), Feb 10: Charging the Congress-led government with "destroying" Assam, BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday, Feb 10 accused the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of doing nothing else but indulge in "family promotion" for years. "For the last 15 years there is Congress government in Assam. But I regret that the state is lagging behind due to corruption and family promotion that (Chief Minister) Tarun Gogoi has been indulging in. He has done nothing else," Shah said at function here to mark Bodo Accord Day. Noting the fact that Assam is one of poorest states in the country despite its natural beauty and hard working youth, Shah said, "Congress ne Assam ko barbad kardiya (Congress has destroyed Assam)". He asked the people to vote for BJP-Bodoland Peoples Front combine in the upcoming Assembly polls for peace and progress in Assam and Bodoland under the Prime Ministership of Narendra Modi. Further listing the "ills" in Assam under the Gogoi government, he said over 19,000 cases of atrocities against women had been filed in a year in the state, where maternal and child mortality rate is also high. "Can there be progress when mothers and women are not safe?" he asked. Referring to the alleged increase in the state's unemployment figure from nine lakh to 23 lakh, Shah said, "Can there be progress in Assam without the progress of the youth here?". Accusing the state government of not submitting the work completion certificates, he said, "Centre cannot give grants to Assam for accounts not given of the money provided to it by the Centre ... We want a corruption-free state government that brings Centre's development schemes and plans to the state and does not fight with the Union government." Shah said Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District chief Hagrama Mohilary has sought Rs 1,000 crore for development of Bodoland and has also worked out the details about how the money would be used. "I assure that the Government of India will give more than that amount for the welfare of the BTAD people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that for unity of the country, development should be equal in all parts of India," he added. PTI Haryana: Narrow escape for Dussehra revellers as burning effigy of Ravana falls in Yamunanagar Phase 1 of Panchayat polls in Haryana on Oct 30, Nov 2 2 killed, 1 injured in a brawl at dhaba in Haryana's Karnal Haryana govt orders to stop production of cough syrups by Maiden Pharma Haryana minister lands in beef controversy India oi-IANS By Ians English Chandigarh/Chennai, Feb 10: Haryana minister Anil Vij said on Wednesday, Feb 10 that "those who cannot live without beef should not come to Haryana". His comment came on a day when Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said in China that there was no controversy over the beef ban in the state. "Those who can't live without beef should not come to Haryana," Vij tweeted. Khattar is in Chennai, leading an official delegation to attract investments in Haryana. Asked about the beef ban in Haryana and how foreign investors were reacting to it, Khattar said: "No one has approached the government in this regard." He said 12 organisations had promised to invest around Rs.3,000 crore in his state. Haryana introduced a law last year under which sale of beef was banned in the state. With the state seeking investment from other countries, the beef ban has became a sticky issue for the Khattar government. Vij is a senior minister in the first BJP government in the state which came to power in October 2014. IANS Delhi air quality projected to cross 301 by Sat; GRAP stage II comes into effect ahead of Diwali Kejriwal likely to visit Punjab on February 20 India oi-PTI Chandigarh, Feb 10: AAP National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to visit Punjab from February 20 for about 5 days during which he will meet the families of farmers who committed suicide due to debt. "Kejriwal is expected to visit Punjab on February 20 and will be in the state for 4-5 days," Aam Aadmi Party's national organisation-building head, Durgesh Pathak said. "He will visit villages and districts of the state and meet families of debt-ridden farmers who have ended their lives. Kejriwal will also meet the families which are victims of drug menace," senior AAP leader and in-charge of Punjab Affairs, Sanjay Singh said. The full programme of Kejriwal's Punjab visit, will be finalised in a day or two, he said. The Delhi Chief Minister was the state last time on January 14 when he held a massive rally in Muktsar on the occasion of Maghi Mela, kicking off AAP's campaign for the 2017 Assembly polls. Yesterday, AAP had announced it would launch 'Punjab Dialogue' next month to seek people's opinion on various issues in the state and incorporate them in their election manifesto. PTI NASA says, it wasn't a Meteorite that killed a man: Is Vellore Meteorite theory fizzling out? India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Feb 10: The meteorite theory at Tamil Nadu is gradually fizzling out. Scientists have said that it does not appear to be a meteorite but also added that it is being examined. One person was killed and three others injured when an object fell on the campus of a private organisation in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. There was total confusion following this incident as some people even reported that they had heard a loud explosion. This led to the suspicion that it could have been a bomb blast. Later on during inspection a stone like object was found and the same was taken by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru for examination. Was It a land based explosion: A report in the New York Times states that the chances of the stone like object being part of a meteorite is unlikely. Lindley Johnson the planetary officer defense officer, NASA states in the report that going by the pictures posted online of the stone like object, it appears to be more of a land based explosion rather than a meteorite fall. The report also quotes her as saying that while injuries have been reported, death by meteorite impact was so rare that one had never been confirmed in recorded history. Meanwhile at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, scientists are still examining the object. Unless a final report is out none can tell what exactly this object was. There was no prediction of a meteor shower on that day. However if it has happened then it is a rare occurrence, the IIA has pointed out. Meanwhile, the Geological Survey of India has sought a directive that such cases should be reported to them first. The GSI states that in such cases they should be intimated first as they are the nodal agency. OneIndia News NIA visits Pathankot to solve mystery of two missing terrorists India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Feb 10: A team of the National Investigating Agency will be visiting the Pathankot air force base to unravel the mystery behind the two missing terrorists. The team led by the NIA chief, Sharad Kumar will be in Pathankot to carry out fresh inspection of the site to solve a mystery regarding the number of terrorists. As per the original version, there were six terrorists. While four terrorists had been killed and their bodies too had been found. In the second encounter that lasted 30 hours, it was said that two more terrorists had died. The bodies had not been recovered and it was said that only the charred remains had been found. While the NIA has managed to recover four AK-47 rifles and three pistols the weapons of the other two terrorists has not been recovered. The question is whether the rifles had melted due to the fire. Highly unlikely since an iron cot was found intact. Pathankot Terror Attack: Revealed! How was it linked with Modi's surprise visit to Pakistan The investigations that are being conducted would suggest that the the recovery of weapons took place from the first encounter site. That means investigators have managed to recover four assault rifles and three pistols from the four terrorists who were involved in the first half of the encounter. There has been no recovery from the second encounter which according to the security forces had lasted over 24 hours. There are questions that are being raised by the investigators in the wake of this. What happened to the clothing of the two other terrorists. During the recovery bed sheets had been found, but the military clothing was missing. This question would be answered by the forensic report. There could be a possibility of the entire clothing being burnt during the encounter. The ashes have been sent for forensic examination. The NIA would have to wait for the report to solve this mystery. Further the NIA will also look to recover the weapons from the second encounter site. If the NIA is unable to solve this mystery, then it would appear that there were four and not six terrorists. OneIndia News Resilience, love for the land make youth of North Karnataka a hit in the Army India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Feb 10: Out of the 27,000 applicants to the Indian army from Karnataka 9,000 alone were from North Karnataka. This goes on to show a very high percentage of persons from North Karnataka joining the army and this has been case for several years now. While earlier the number of persons joining the army was highest from Kodagu, that scenario has changed now. There are various factors that has set this trend and while many state that is is a job opportunity to many, Major (retired) B Achappa says that people there are interested in the army and serving the nation. Resilient and tough: The people of North Karnataka are known to be resilient and tough. They make the ideal candidates for a job in the Indian army. This was clearly seen in the case of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa who survived at the Siachen Glacier and several members of his regiment saying he was the toughest of them all. There is also a sense of national pride among several youth in North Karnataka and this is one of the factors that draws them to the army. Further North Karnataka is known for socio-economic problems and a job in the army would help these youth support their families as well. Siachen soldier found alive is critical However the more important aspect is that the people are very loyal to the land and this makes them excellent candidates for the army. The pain that the family of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa went through was shared by all. There are several families in Betadur village too whose near and dear ones are in the army. Family members of the Lance Naik say that they understood our pain as they too have their loved ones in the army. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 10, 2016, 14:36 [IST] At UNSC, US calls on world to tell Russia to stop its nuclear threats US Prez poll: Conservative Ted Cruz goes on offensive against Trump International oi-PTI Washington, Feb 11: Fresh off of Donald Trump's New Hampshire primary rout, arch-conservative rival Ted Cruz launched a sharp offensive today against the billionaire frontrunner, heralding a brutal battle for the next Republican contest in South Carolina. The US senator from Texas, who won the Iowa caucuses last week and placed third yesterday night in New Hampshire, wasted no time slinging mud against Trump as a fake conservative, as Cruz fights to be the evangelical and right-wing standardbearer for the 2016 Republican nomination. "The only candidate who can beat Donald Trump is me," Cruz told reporters in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where Republicans vote on February 20. Cruz highlighted the "significant glaring differences" between the two on health care, stressing that Trump was keen on "adopting Bernie Sanders-style socialized medicine," a reference to the independent senator challenging Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Trump and Cruz both say they want to dismantle President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, but Trump has been hammered by conservative rivals for expressing support years ago for universal health care. The pair occupy the far-right lane in the crowded Republican nomination race, with a handful of more mainstream candidates -- Senator Marco Rubio, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, and Ohio Governor John Kasich who finished second in New Hampshire -- seeking to push them aside. The real estate mogul has repeatedly taunted his rivals, saying those who wage war against him end up plunging in polls. But Cruz likely sees it as a necessity. Trump leads in South Carolina with 36 per cent support in the RealClearPolitics poll average. Cruz runs second at 20 per cent, with Rubio well back in third, below 13 per cent. With Trump proving in New Hampshire that he can win over a broad coalition of Republicans and independent voters, and Cruz riding high among evangelicals and other social conservatives, the Trump-Cruz battle will be paramount, with mainstream candidates likely scrapping for bronze in South Carolina. The first southern state to vote in the primaries is a rough-and-tumble political swamp. Cruz told the Mike Gallagher radio show today that "South Carolina is going to play a key role in choosing whether the Republican nominee is a proven conservative or simply a candidate who talks the talk on the trail but hasn't walked the walk." AFP Mumbai police receives bomb threats at 3 locations; Security beefed up at several areas 'This may give sleepless nights to some': Eknath Shinde on sharing dais with Sharad Pawar Not just future of Sena but democracy at stake, says Uddhav Diwali 2022: Major sites to be illuminated in Mumbai between Oct 22-29 David Headley deposition: Pakistani media preferred to stay mum on issue International oi-Jagriti New Delhi, Feb 10: The Pakistan media refrained itself from covering news stories on ongoing deposition of American-Pakistani terrorist David Headley who appeared before Mumbai court as an approver in 26/11 attacks via video conferencing. Deposing from an undisclosed location yesterday, Headley told the special judge G A Sanap that ISI was helping different terror outfits in Pakistan by providing financial, military and moral support. He made various revelations about involvement of Pakistani authorities in the 2088 Mumbai terror attacks, but, Pakistani media did not show any interest in covering this. Most of the newspapers in neighbouring nations quoted public prosecutor Ujjawal Nikam instead of Headley. Well known Pakistani daily Dawn, carried a copy on Headley deposition on day first only later it did not carry any follow up story on the matter. Live: David Headley's Day 3 deposition adjourned till tomorrow Headley's deposition news also got same response from Express Tribune also. It preffered to cover former interior minister Rehman Malik's statement rubbishing Headley's remark about ISI during deposition. Due technical snag Headley's deposition has been adjourned till tomorrow. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 10, 2016, 12:53 [IST] France votes for stripping of nationality for terrorists International oi-PTI Paris, Feb 10: Lawmakers in France's lower house of parliament has voted through a highly controversial proposal to amend the constitution to strip people convicted of terrorist offences of their French nationality. The measure, passed by a show of hands, yesterday followed weeks of debate and is one of a tough set of measures proposed by President Francois Hollande in the wake of the jihadist attacks in Paris on November 13 that killed 130 people. The nationality measure has strong public support but has deeply divided Hollande's ruling Socialist Party. Christiane Taubira resigned as justice minister late last month over her opposition to it and Hollande's former prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has publicly condemned the amendment. Lawmakers will vote today on the collective package of measures proposed by Hollande. They voted on Monday in favour of the other key measure in the package, the move to enshrine the state of emergency in the constitution. Earlier yesterday, parliament overwhelmingly voted to extend the current state of emergency by another three months, giving police and security forces increased powers. Rights groups say police are abusing these powers, but the government says it is an essential step to protect the nation at a time when France could face another jihadist attack. AFP In final budget, Obama proposes tax hike for wealthy Americans International oi-PTI Washington, Feb 9: President Barack Obama proposed new taxes on wealthy Americans in his final USD 4.15-trillion budget, as he informed the Congress about the path-breaking defence ties with India as part of its Asia-Pacific rebalance. In his budgetary proposals running into 170 pages, Obama said the Department of Defence continues to develop its India ties through Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, Joint Working Group on Aircraft Carrier Technology Cooperation, and Jet Engine Technology Joint Working Group. Obama said the budget supports his commitment to a comprehensive regional strategy in Asia and the Pacific that reinforces a rules-based order and advances security. Recognising that security in the Asia-Pacific region underpins regional and global prosperity, the budget aligns resources and activities to strengthen US alliances and partnerships with emerging powers, promote regional economic cooperation, and build a constructive relationship with China that simultaneously supports expanding practical cooperation on global issues while candidly addressing differences. In his message to the Congress, Obama said his budget is about looking forward. "It is about making sure our economy works for everybody, not just those at the top." The White House said by cutting tax loopholes and special breaks for the wealthy, reforming business and capital gains taxes, and adding a USD 10 a barrel tax on crude oil, the deficit can be held below 3 per cent of GDP. In his final budgetary proposal, Obama said: "It is about answering the big questions that will define America and the world in the 21st Century." Unlike India's parliamentary system, where the annual budget is proposed by the Union Finance Minister before the Lok Sabha, in the American presidential system the President submits his budgetary proposals as a written document. The budget proposed is for the fiscal year 2016-2017 beginning October 1. The US Congress both the House of Representatives and the Senate would debate threadbare over the next several months before it passes the budget. Among other things, the budget includes goals like cutting carbon pollution, universal preschool and criminal justice reform as well as billions in new investments in cybersecurity and clean energy. PTI Delhi air quality projected to cross 301 by Sat; GRAP stage II comes into effect ahead of Diwali Indo-Pak ties 'tense': US intelligence chief International oi-PTI Washington, Feb 10: Noting that the Indo-Pak ties "remain tense", the US intelligence chief today said India's engagement with Pakistan hinges on Islamabad's willingness to act against those responsible for the Pathankot terror attack. "Relations between Pakistan and India remain tense despite the resumption of a bilateral dialogue in December," James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, told the Senate Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing. Following the attack on Pathankot Air Force base in January, which New Delhi blames on Pakistan-based Jaish-e- Mohammad, "India's engagement with Pakistan will probably hinge in 2016 on Islamabad's willingness to take action against those in Pakistan linked to the attack," he said. Seven security personnel were killed and several others were injured when six militants stormed the Pathankot base. Clapper also said the Islamic State (IS) group has become a prominent threat because of its self-described caliphate in Syria and Iraq, its branches and emerging branches in other countries, and its increasing ability to direct and inspire attacks against a wide range of targets around the world. IS's narrative supports jihadist recruiting, attracts others to travel to Iraq and Syria, draws individuals and groups to declare allegiance to ISIL, and justifies attacks across the globe. The IS-directed November 2015 Paris attacks and IS-Sinai's claim of responsibility for the October downing of a Russian airliner in the Sinai underscore these dynamics, he said. On the other hand, al-Qaida's affiliates have proven resilient and are positioned to make gains in 2016, despite counterterrorism pressure that has largely degraded the network's leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said. Although al-Qaida's presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been significantly degraded, it aspires to attack the US and its allies, the American spy master said. Clapper also warned that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's efforts to undermine the political opposition in the country will probably provide openings for transnational terrorist groups to expand their presence there. He said that Hasina and other government officials have insisted that the killings of foreigners were the work of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e Islami political parties and are intended to discredit the government. However, the IS claimed responsibility for 11 high-profile attacks on foreigners and religious minorities. Other extremists in Bangladeshincluding Ansarullah Bangla Team and al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) have claimed responsibility for killing at least 11 progressive writers and bloggers in Bangladesh since 2013, he said. PTI A great tragedy say activists after 200 bodies are recovered from roof of Pakistan hospital International news brief: Confident of Pak's commitment, ability to secure its nuclear assets, says US & more From 'dangerous' to 'secure and confident': US makes a u-turn after Biden's comment on Pak The persecution of Hindus in Pakistan continues with a Hindu girl forcibly converted and married Pak's growing nuclear stockpile, doctrine pose risk: Pentagon International oi-PTI Washington, Feb 9: Expressing concern over Pakistan's evolving "tactical nuclear weapons" doctrine, a top American spymaster today warned the Congress about the increasing risks of an "incident" associated with the growing nuclear arsenal. "Pakistan's nuclear weapons continues to grow. We are concerned that this growth, as well as the evolving doctrine associated with tactical weapons, increases the risk of an incident or accident," Defence Intelligence Agency Director Vincent Stewart told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Islamabad continues to take steps to improve its nuclear security, and is aware of the threat presented by extremists to its programs," Stewart said in his testimony. A Congressional report in January had estimated Pakistan's nuclear warheads to be between 110-130 and that they are aimed at deterring India from taking military action against it "Pakistan's nuclear arsenal probably consists of approximately 110-130 nuclear warheads, although it could have more," the Congressional Research Service said in the report. Stewart also said Pakistan will face internal security threats from militants and separatist groups this year. Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan-Pakistan and al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent will remain significant security concerns for Islamabad, he said. "Counterinsurgency operations along Pakistan's Western border and paramilitary operations in Karachi have had some success in reducing violence and are likely to continue," Stewart said. PTI Revealed: Why Edward Snowden believes Osama bin Laden is still alive International oi-Nairita Washington, Feb 10: Five years after Osama bin Laden's reported death, it has been claimed that he is still alive. The shocking statement came from Edward Snowden, a fugitive of the law from the United States. During an interview with Moscow Tribune, Snowden recently asserted that he has proof which can prove that Osama is alive and he along with his five wives and many children have been living together on the payroll of the CIA. [Who was Osama bin Laden?] While reasoning his claim, Snowden said, "Osama bin Laden was one of the CIA's most efficient operatives for a long time. What kind of message would it send to their other operatives if they were to let the SEALs kill him?" "They (CIA) organized his fake death with the collaboration of the Pakistani Secret Services, and he simply abandoned his cover. Since everyone believes he is dead, nobody's looking for him, so it was pretty easy to disappear. Without the beard and the military jacket, nobody recognizes him," Snowden added. During the interview, Snowden was also quoted as saying, "I have documents showing that Bin Laden is still on the CIA's payroll. He is still receiving more than $100,000 a month, which is being transferred through some front businesses and organizations, directly to his Nassau bank account. I am not certain where he is now, but in 2013, he was living quietly in his villa with five of his wives and many children." [Who is Edward Snowden?] Snowden also claimed that he will show all documents in his upcoming book which will be released soon. The documents reportedly will prove his statement regarding Osama. Neither US officials nor Pakistani officials made any comments on Snowden's latest statement on Osama. However, many believe that it could be a plan of Russian agency to mar US's image as Snowden lives as a fugitive in Russia. Snowden, a former CIA agent, fled the US after leaking documents about the NSA's mass surveillance programmes to the media in 2013. US had filed espionage charges against Snowden for revealing classified NSA documents. US government in 2011 had claimed that Osama was killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 2. It was an operation carried out by a United States special forces military unit. The operation, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, was ordered by Barack Obama and carried out in a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operation by a team of United States Navy SEALs from the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (also known as DEVGRU or informally by its former name, SEAL Team Six) of the Joint Special Operations Command, with support from CIA operatives on the ground. OneIndia News 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Leanne Golding Benedicte Gravrand, Opalesque Geneva for New Managers: A hedge fund director provides her perspective on emerging hedge fund managers. She will happily work with those who have set themselves up for future growth, she says. Directors are not there only for compliance, she adds, managers should see directors as trusted partners, who they can call and ask for advice. Leanne Golding is a Senior Vice President of The Harbour Trust Co. Ltd, a Grand Cayman-based firm which provides directorship and related fund fiduciary services. She joined Harbour in 2009, after working at Goldman Sachs in the Cayman Islands for nine years. Harbor particularly enjoys working with new managers who are setting up a best-in-breed shop from day one and who position themselves to be able to make it a multi-billion firm, she tells Opalesque. "But we understand and respect the fact that that takes time." Harbours the take-on process includes getting a feel of the managers framework, their long-term and short-term goals, where they are headed, and where their seed capital comes from. "That way," she continues, "we can get a feel for whether they are going to match with our way of doing things. Obviously not every new manager is a good fit for us, but there is a good number of them out there...................... To view our full article Click here The state-run Saudi Press Agency has announced that 34 nations are forming a new " Islamic military alliance " to fight terrorism. But will this new alliance really be able to prevent future terrorist attacks and create lasting peace? There is no statistically validated guarantee that the military strategy of fighting violence with violence will work. It certainly has not in the past. Why should it now? History shows that using violence to quell violence ultimately just ratchets up the level of violence. There is hope, however, if the new alliance honors its stated goal that terrorism "should be fought by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it." Today a scientifically validated means exists to prevent terrorism and war, and all countries involved in the alliance could collaboratively deploy it. This scientific approach is known in military circles as Invincible Defense Technology (IDT). This field-tested approach to reducing stress and violence is already part of the training of Brazil's Elite Police force, and has been field-tested by other militaries. It has been validated by 23 peer-reviewed studies carried out in both developed and developing nations, including the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Independent scientists and scholars endorse it, based on 25 years of ongoing research. Military personnel in Latin America, Africa and Asia practice IDT technologies in a group to help protect their nations IDT Reduces Societal Stress As a specially trained military unit, an "IDT Prevention Wing of the Military" uses IDT to neutralize the buildup of stress in the national collective consciousness that ultimately fuels terrorism, war and crime. As collective stress and frustration subside, government leaders and citizens alike are more capable of finding orderly and constructive solutions to the issues that have separated them for generations. Experience with IDT in highly stressed areas of the globe have demonstrated increased economic incentive and growth of prosperity. Individual creativity and entrepreneurship increase as well. With greater civic calm, citizens' aspirations rise and a more productive and balanced society emerges. Such a society naturally disallows violence as a means for change, or as an expression of discontent. With this, the ground for terrorism is eliminated. Moreover, this positive change in social trends takes place within a few days or weeks after IDT is introduced. The changes are measurable from such statistics as reduced terrorism, crime rates, accidents, hospital admissions, infant mortality, etc. The IDT warrior's daily routine includes the non-religious practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique and the advanced TM-Sidhi program. Military personnel, functioning as a societal coherence-creating military unit, practice these techniques together in a group twice a day, seven days a week, preferably near the targeted population in a secure location. Their presence need not be disclosed to achieve the effect of conflict resolution and violence reduction. Such coherence-creating groups have achieved positive benefits to society, shown experientially, in just 48 hours. Modern statistical methods demonstrate a consistent causal influence of the IDT group on reducing conflict, precluding chance or coincidence. The IDT approach has been used during wartime, resulting in reduction of fighting, reduced war deaths and casualties, and improved progress toward resolving the conflict through peaceful means. Its coherence-creating effect has also been documented on a global scale in a study published in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation. When large assemblies of civilian IDT experts gathered during the years 1983-1985, terrorism-related casualties decreased 72%, international conflict decreased 32%, and overall violence was reduced in nations without intrusion by other governments. A civilian IDT group in Israel decreased the intensity of war in Lebanon in 1983 in a dramatic way in 48 hours, to name only one of 50 successful demonstrations. (See a summary of the study, published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution and summaries of follow-up studies in the Journal of Social Behavior and Personality and the Journal of Scientific Exploration). CONCLUSION Obsolete means of defense: the military fails to address social stress responsible for terrorism Invincible Defense Technology addresses social stress, thereby ending terrorism, violence and war. IDT is totally unlike any other defense technology because it does not use violence in an attempt to quell violence. It is a more civilized approach, yet the IDT defense technology supersedes all other known defense technologies (which are based on electronic, chemical, and/or nuclear forces). Therefore, militaries that deploy it gain the ultimate strategic advantage. Duluth, Minnesota (OpEdNews) February 10, 2016: After President Harry Truman dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the English novelist George Orwell wrote his dark dystopian novel Nineteenth Eighty-Four (1948) -- a kind of dark sequel to the English novelist Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel Brave New World (1935). Huxley's dystopian novel involves a satirical view of the consumerism that Pope Francis critiques in his recent eco-encyclical. Orwell's dark dystopian novel contained his critique of English socialism and Soviet communism. Orwell based his fictional figure of Big Brother, at least in part, on Stalin. After World War II ended, most Americans were anti-communist. All Republican and all Democratic politicians were anti-communist. Because the Soviet Union had officially outlawed religion, most American religionists were anticommunists. As a result, many Americans read Orwell's dark dystopian novel and relished his critique of communism. In the spirit of the Cold War, Republican politicians tended to characterize Democrats as soft on communism, despite their official anti-communist rhetoric. Moreover, the radical forces in the Republican Party had long railed against President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Furthermore, they tended to reject President Dwight D. Eisenhower's as a moderate Republican, because he did not work feverishly against FDR's New Deal and Social Security -- as the radicals wanted to. In their radical conservative imagination, so-called Big Government was as ominous as Big Brother in Orwell's dark dystopian novel. As a result, in due time, the radical conservatives in the Republican Party supported Senator Barry Goldwater from Arizona for president in 1964. One of Goldwater's star supporters in 1964 was Ronald Reagan, who at a later time led the radical conservatives in the Republican Party to victory, when he was elected president in 1980. The liberal American journalist E. J. (Eugene Joseph) Dionne, Jr. (born in 1952; D.Phil. in sociology, Oxford University, 1982), who grew up as a conservative in a conservative family, recounts the ups and downs of the radical conservatives in the Republican Party in his new book Why the Right Went Wrong: Conservatism -- From Goldwater to the Tea Party and Beyond (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2016). Dionne says that the right went wrong by following the radical conservatives such as William F. Buckley, Jr., Goldwater, and Reagan, instead of following the moderate Republican President Eisenhower. Dionne says, "Goldwater's victory [in the 1964 Republican presidential primary] was built on the conviction that the Republican Party's establishment had betrayed its conservative loyalists for a generation" -- by repeatedly not handing the Republican presidential nomination to the conservative Senator Robert A. Taft (page 16). According to Dionne, Goldwater's spirit of rebellion against the Republican Party's establishment has survived over the decades up to the present time in the Republican Party. In the book A Nation of Outsiders: How the White Middle Class Fell in Love with Rebellion in Postwar America (Oxford University Press, 2011), Grace Elizabeth Hale details how white middle-class Americans fell in love with imagining themselves as cultural outsiders, as the radical conservatives discussed by Dionne did as they saw themselves as standing over against the Republican establishment. In the book Decade of Nightmares: The End of the Sixties and the Making of Eighties America (Oxford University Press, 2006), Philip Jenkins details how radical conservatives have capitalized on anti-60s rhetoric to promote radical conservative candidates and causes. Unfortunately, Dionne does not mention Hale's and Jenkins' books. Nevertheless, it should please Rob Kall that Dionne explicitly refers to bottom-up change, which he explicitly differentiates from top-down change. Let me explain. Dionne says, "The civil rights, and moral revolutions of the 1960s created the [anti-60s] backlash that helped the conservative movement grow between 1964 and 1988, prompting the shift of white southerners to the GOP, the rise of Reagan Democrats, and the birth of the religious right" (page 7). Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Roberto Bazzano, 61 years, was born in Savona, Liguria, and earned a degree in physics at Genoa University. He then found a good job in Genoa but he decided to move to the USA. That was at the beginning of the '80s. A master's at MIT of Boston followed, then a new job for five years at NASA and at the NRC. His life seemed bright and wonderful, dotted with several visits back in Italy. Then, because of sentimental reasons, he changed his life in a radical way: he moved back to Italy, opening a esoteric library. With books things did not work well and he moved again to London. By then he seemed to have lost the way and was forced to return to Italy, accepting all kinds of jobs: truck driver, nurse, delivery boy. This sad story has gone around so much that an engineer working at Piaggio had offered him the chance to talk about his experience in a bar. The title of his first speech had been: 'From Eternity to here' and the second: 'Cosmology, first religion and then science.' He spoke recently to a journalist and he told him: "I know they are arranging a speech abroad, but I don't know where. My life has been wonderful, and it is something like I have lived ten lives and never I would have thought to find so much kindness and solidarity here sitting on this bench." During the last years he has been forced to beg in the streets and the spend his days sleeping on a wooden bench of Finale Ligure, Liguria. He keeps his head down, too ashamed to ask, but people walking around and knowing his plight freely give. He has put a cartoon paper in front of him with written on it: 'I am looking for a job, even for a day.' A stringer did interview him and publish an article on him in the local paper and since then his lot has slightly improved. Reprinted from Smirking Chimp Late last year, I interviewed Bernie Sanders while working on my biography "Bernie." I asked him if he planned to reduce the defense budget if elected president. "We will take a hard look at that," he told me, agreeing that there's an awful lot of bloat in America's military spending that ought to be cut. Why doesn't he say that now? A statement detailing his intent to reduce military spending -- not just the on-the-books budget of the Pentagon, but also the "off the books" taxdollars that go to wars like the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the National Security Agency and other parts of the surveillance state that have expanded radically since 9/11 -- would help answer one of Sanders' critics' most potent criticisms: that he'll be an irresponsible Santa Gone Wild, giving away free college tuition and Medicare for all without a care in the world for how to pay for it. Hillary Clinton's campaign, already reeking of desperation, is turning ugly. Bill Clinton, of all people, accused Bernie of lying, and his supporters of sexism. Clinton surrogate Madeleine Albright called female Sanders supporters traitors to their genders. The once-respected Gloria Steinem called them sluts, implying they were hanging out at Bernie's big rallies to get laid by hunky Bernie bros. Pathetic. But Hillary remains a potent force. She's the mathematical favorite. When she casts herself as the real-world realist ("a progressive who likes to get things done"), her argument that Bernie's promises are politically unrealistic and fiscally irresponsible carries weight with Democrats who are still on the fence. If Bernie can answer this two-part question, he wins the nomination: how will he get his far-left programs (by American standards, not those of the rest of the world) through Congress? How will he pay for them? The first question, I think, isn't as big a hurdle as the corporate punditry seems to think. Most voters can imagine a sustained progressive movement centered around street activism -- Sanders' "political revolution" -- that pressures Congress so that, as Sanders puts it, Mitch O'Connell sees hundreds of thousands of people marching outside his window whenever he plots to thwart the people's will. Like Occupy Wall Street, except that the president is encouraging the movement rather than ordering the cops to beat up its members. Anyway, liberal Democrats are angry. Hillary's "half a dream" sales pitch isn't half as enticing to them as Bernie's ambitious agenda. Come on, Hill: did you take half a bribe from Goldman Sachs? Even if Bernie's idealism gets dashed on the rocks of Republican intransigence, progressive Dems don't care; they want to see Bernie try. Democrats haven't watched a Democratic president push for radical change since LBJ. The second question of the skeptics is: show me the money! Where is the cash to pay for free public college tuition and a single-payer healthcare system? Sanders has said he would cover the $75 billion per year cost of his college reform program by imposing a tax on Wall Street speculation. He would almost certainly increase taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals as part of moving the tax code back to a more progressive, pre-Reagan structure. Everyone would pay a higher tax rate to cover Berniecare, though working-class people would pay less than they'd save. At the risk of sounding like a Republican, there's waste throughout the federal budget. There is, for example, no evidence that the NSA has ever done its job by preventing a single terrorist attack. Meanwhile, as Edward Snowden informed us, they're spying on all our phone calls and emails. Shut them down; save $10 billion a year or more. Similarly, the Department of Homeland Security could be trimmed to a fraction of its current size or eliminated, with its tiny portion of useful activities transferred to other agencies, including law enforcement. Last year's defense budget was nearly $600 billion, or 54% of discretionary federal spending. That's more than the next nine countries combined, including China and Russia. Conservatively, at least half of that is spent on waste and fraud by DOD contractors, so there's $300 billion right off the bat. I bet we could cut it 90% and still not have to worry about a foreign invasion, something that hasn't happened since 1812. These cuts could easily cover the several hundred billion shortfall between Bernie's tax increase on the rich and the cost of his healthcare plan. Nothing says fiscal conservatism like pacifism. As of 2015 the wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, the most expensive in U.S. history, cost more than $1.5 trillion. More than $1 billion a year is still going down those ratholes. Bernie has said ISIS must be "crushed," but he may want to revisit that. As of November, the anti-ISIS air and jihadi-training campaign had cost $5 billion and counting. Random thoughts from a Brit in the North West. Sometimes serious, sometimes not. Quite often curmudgeonly. The breeding of trotting and pacing horses for harness racing was popular in Nebraska during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century as indicated by documents and photographs in the Nebraska State Historical Society collections. The Clinton Briggs Stock Farm in Douglas County on Little Papillion Creek was described as one of Nebraskas model trotting horse industries by the Omaha Bee on Dec. 12, 1894. The farm encompassed two hundred acres of as lovely pasture land as lies outdoors. The farm had a mile-long track and spacious buildings. The training stable was 198 x 88 feet with a court in the center where horses could be exercised on windy or rainy days. The building had thirty-two inside stalls and another thirty stalls outside. The stable also included a well-appointed office, storage rooms for carts and carriages, a grain room, and a harness room. Water from a natural spring was piped throughout. At the head of the Briggs farms complement of forty head of horses was that peerless trotting stallion, Alamito, a five-year-old roan. While there were many other Nebraska breeders of trotting horses in those days, two are represented by sale catalogs preserved in the Historical Societys library. R. T. Scott of Pawnee City listed some seventeen head of trotting-bred stock to be sold at auction in Beatrice on Oct. 14, 1889. Ascot, a two-year-old stallion, brought the sum of $680, according to the Beatrice newspaper. Another breeders catalog is that of the Platte Valley Stock Ranch near Valley, owned by C. E. Mayne in 1887. Maynes catalog listed ninety-six stallions, brood mares, geldings, and foals for sale. A dark bay stallion named Lobasco, owned by James G. Ladd of Beatrice, was one of Nebraskas most famous trotters. According to the Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln, September 15, 1892, Lobasco broke records during a race at St. Joseph, Missouri, with a time of 2:10 in a mile heat race. When the time was announced, hats, canes, and everything movable filled the air for some seconds, and scenes were enacted that are rarely witnessed at a race track. Everybody shouted themselves hoarse and wanted to caress the horse and shake the hand of Mr. Ladd. When the horse returned to Beatrice, schools were dismissed for a parade down the main street and the mayor draped Lobasco with an immense floral horseshoe. Soon afterwards, Lobasco caught a respiratory disease and died. Many towns had one mile tracks for harness racing, such as Campbell in Franklin County. In 1910 the towns Agriculture and Fair Association hosted a three-day race meet that attracted trotting horses from Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado. Harness races were also a regular feature at the State Fair. In 1912 Columbia Fire, a pacing horse owned by E.G. Bohannan of Lincoln, set a track record at the fair. The same year the Nebraska Stallion Registration Board, an agency created by the legislature in 1911, reported that there were 359 stallions in Nebraska that had been registered with the American Trotting Register Association. According to the Illustrated American Horse Book published in Chicago in 1887, the first trotting race in the United States was at Boston in 1818. By the 1880s, the book proclaimed, The American trotter has become a distinct breed and is the most perfect road horse in the world. The Union is studded with stock farms devoted to his breeding and development. Over time, thoroughbred racing replaced trotting and pacing as Nebraskas primary equestrian sport but it, like harness racing, has become mostly a memory in twenty-first century Nebraska. To learn more about the programs and services of the Nebraska State Historical Society, call 1-800-633-6747 or visit our website at www.nebraskahistory.org Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Last week was another interesting time in Lincoln, as the first week of February usually is maybe not encouraging, but certainly interesting. Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce staff and volunteers attended the State Chamber legislative caucus and the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Executives annual meeting. These events always bring great insight into the issues in both Lincoln and Washington, D.C. Unfortunately these days that means learning where the challenges lie much more often than learning about opportunities. On the state level, the State Chamber hosted a panel on workforce issues. For the second year, we heard from Cory Epler at the Nebraska Department of Education. He shared his efforts to connect Nebraska businesses with the talent pipeline represented by Nebraska students. He encouraged business to connect with younger students and with teachers. He encouraged schools to connect with employers so they are developing relevant content and delivering more meaningful guidance. The good news is were doing all that through the School-Business Partnership between our chamber and both Columbus Public Schools and Lakeview. We got a great update from a full panel of committee chairs in the Unicameral. Ill give you one quick update from each: * Speaker Galen Hadley kicked off the panel discussing the debate over the states economic development incentives. He told us, if all companies with an open incentive contract with the state meets their goals, well have 200,000 new jobs in Nebraska. * Sen. Jim Smith chairs Transportation and Telecommunications Committee and he promoted LB960, which would create a Transportation Infrastructure Bank to move projects faster. * Sen. Ken Schilz chairs the Natural Resources Committee, and he said his committee will be discussing Nebraskas response to the federal Clean Power Plan. * Sen. Burke Haar chairs Business and Labor, and he anticipates a good debate in the full Unicameral this year on how state government interacts with other government subdivisions, primarily on property tax. * Sen. Heath Mello chairs Appropriations, and he warned the group about the states $130-million projected shortfall, which will limit the flexibility of the Unicameral to make dramatic changes in taxing or spending. * Sen. Mike Gloor was chairing the Revenue Committee hearing on some of Gov. Ricketts tax proposals, so he wasnt able to speak. However, we talked with Sen. Gloor earlier in the week at Northeast Nebraska Day and heard the same message of caution regarding the states future financials. There wasnt nearly as much good news regarding the federal issues that were discussed. I imagine thats not much of a surprise to anyone. The primary topic was all the new regulations flooding out of Washington. Given the scope of that discussion, Ill save that for a future column. I will say, our partners at the State Chamber and U.S. Chamber are being diligent in reviewing and taking action at both state and federal levels of government. Both the state and local chambers are working to make this a business-friendly state and our Legislative Committee will meet at 2 p.m. tomorrow at the chamber office. We will take part in the State Chamber conference call and discuss issues of local interest. I encourage any chamber member to get involved. This is an important effort! COLUMBUS Cellphones will be used to help inform the public of emergency situations through a new alert system. For years, Platte County has had systems in place to get the word out to residents about potential crises. Emergency management has used an emergency notification system that can call people on their landline telephone with information about emergencies like flooding and missing people in their area. It also has access to a notification system that is a backup paging system for emergency personnel. A new system will use cellphones to relay information about emergencies. The Platte County Board of Supervisors approved a contract Tuesday with AlertSense, a company that delivers public alerting services, to provide IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert Warning System). Tim Hofbauer, city/county emergency management director, said IPAWS will deliver notifications to cellphone users at no cost to the receiver for emergency events in the city or county, like a hazardous material spill or active shooter. Notifications can also be sent to media sources. Phones will vibrate and make an alert noise when receiving a notification, similar to an Amber Alert message. The contract with AlertSense is $6,750 annually and will cover IPAWS, as well as the emergency notification systems already in place. The cost will be split between the city and county. During the meeting, the board also approved the policy manual for the veterans van volunteer program that provides transportation to medical appointments for current and former U.S. Armed Forces members in Platte and Colfax counties. A Dodge Caravan was donated by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3704 for the program. Updates in the manual include changes to language since the veterans' service office now serves both counties, a move that was made after an interlocal agreement was signed by Platte and Colfax counties in 2014. Some of the procedures and responsibilities of drivers were also updated. Supervisor Hollie Olk questioned a procedure that includes the option of having another volunteer ride along with the driver for safety reasons. Olk asked why that would ever be necessary. Every once in a while, some of the passengers that we have may be of a questionable status. Sometimes people have a violent history or might be going in for treatment for substance abuse or things like that. Sometimes the driver has concerns about the safety, said Eric Mullally, veterans service officer. He said there has been only one instance when a driver has requested an additional volunteer to ride along while transporting a veteran to an appointment since the program started in 2013. Olk said she would be worried that if a dangerous person was being transported they could be a risk to two volunteers instead of just one. Supervisor Jerry Engdahl added that if there's concern about violent behavior, then that person should be refused service. Mullally said the safety procedure was only added to the manual because of a one-time incident when a driver was concerned about transporting a veteran who was reportedly charged with assault. Most of our passengers we have had are nice, elderly veterans, he said. Also during the meeting, the board discussed wages within the Platte County Highway Department. The board approved a 50-cent pay increase for hourly employees in the department retroactive to Jan. 1, and a 3 percent salary increase for Highway Superintendent Terry Wicht. The raise increases Wichts annual pay by $1,720.62. Wichts salary bump passed by a 5-2 vote, with Supervisors Olk and Ron Pfeifer voting no. Pfeifer said there was no way he could vote for the increase, citing what he said is lack of production and loss of employees within the department. I dont think people should be rewarded when the job that is expected of them isnt being accomplished, he said. In other action, the board approved: the final plat for Whitetail Lake Seventh Subdivision. The subdivision includes 18 lots for residential housing. appointing Engdahl as the liaison for the East 29th Avenue viaduct project to communicate with the state of Nebraska. the Platte County handbook. appointing Jane Cromwell as flood plain administrator. naming Hofbauer as a member of the governance committee for the Nebraska Regional Interoperability Network, which is a network that connects 911 centers across the state through transmission towers. With the rising cost of college, the sooner families learn about the resources and strategies for funding, the better prepared they will be to meet the expenses. In collaboration with the Midland County Career & College Access Network, Delta College and Saginaw Valley State University, Midland County high school counselors are hosting presentations in all four school districts for parents of middle and high school students. Attendees will learn about the local, state and federal resources that can make attaining a postsecondary degree/credential affordable. The Michigan House on Tuesday approved legislation to designate the U.S. 10 bridge over Eastman Avenue in Midland as the Corpsman Aaron D. Ullom Memorial Bridge. Rep. Gary Glenn, R-Midland, shepherded Senate Bill 513 through the House in conjunction with Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland, the bills sponsor. In January, the lawmakers hosted Ulloms parents, Kevin and Debi Ullom, and his brother, Sean Bartley, during testimony before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. A new Mid-Michigan Federal Reserve Roundtable was created by the Fed to report on economic and business conditions in the region encompassing Lansing, Flint, Midland, Saginaw, Bay City and the Thumb area. The group will expand on the states economic information that is presented in the Feds Beige Book, which is utilized by the Federal Open Market Committee to guide interest rate decisions. This Mid-Michigan advisory group is tentatively set to meet quarterly at Baker College of Flint. Its first meeting is Wednesday. This is the third Federal Reserve regional roundtable group in the state, with groups in Detroit and Grand Rapids already established. John Cote, Baker College of Flint dean of business administration, was instrumental in forming the new group and serves on the Detroit roundtable. Going forward, he will assist with combining the Mid-Michigan information with that from the states other roundtable groups. Information gathered from all three state groups, including the newest Mid-Michigan roundtable, will be accumulated by the Detroit roundtable group and submitted to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, our regional Fed bank, Cote said. Baker College of Flint is especially pleased to be a partner with the Federal Reserve on this initiative. Its an excellent example for our students that demonstrates the free and open process of assimilating economic information used to identify trends and guide decision makers on national issues. Roundtable representatives are from business and industry sectors, as well as state and local government. For example, among the representatives are those from regional banks such as JPMorgan Chase and FirstMerit, corporations such as The Dow Chemical Co., and organizations like the Michigan Retailers Association, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. Detention Center The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility on Tuesday was 80, with 37 from Platte County and 43 from out of county. Police Jan. 28 8:05 p.m. - At the intersection of 13th Street and 33rd Avenue, Sawyer Johnson, 20, Lakeview, Michigan, was cited for a traffic signal violation and a one-way road violation. Jan. 31 2:45 a.m. - In the 4000 block of 14th Street, an unknown vehicle struck a mailbox owned by Donald McConville, 2021 14th St., and left the scene. Feb. 1 8:17 a.m. - In the 2500 block of 38th Street, Robyn Determan, 31, 1708 Behlen St., was cited for speeding, 51 mph in a 35 mph zone. 8:50 a.m. - In the 2500 block of 35th Street, Rene Duell, 28, 128 S. Roselane, was cited for speeding, 49 mph in a 35 mph zone. Feb. 5 8:51 a.m. - At the intersection of 33rd Avenue and 13th Street, Sara Middleton, 34, David City, was cited for a traffic signal violation. 9:15 a.m. - At the intersection of 23rd Street and 39th Avenue, traffic accident. Drivers were Dean Hagelstine, 81, 3816 20th St., and Kristin Walker, 22, 5131 38th St. 10:56 a.m. - In the 1000 block of 23rd Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Lauryn Jaeger, 17, 2152 W. Calle Colombo, and Darrel Schmidt, 66, Meadow Grove. 2:45 p.m. - At the intersection of East 23rd Street and East Sixth Avenue, traffic accident. Drivers were Dennis Starman, 60, Elgin, and Tyler Smith, 27, 2254 31st Ave. 3:45 p.m. - At the intersection of 23rd Avenue and Eighth Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Phyllis Dubas, 83, 2208 Ninth St., and Jennifer Day, 53, 21 Jarecki Lake. Feb. 6 12:51 p.m. - At the intersection of East Fifth Avenue and East 24th Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Deena Shockley, 21, David City and Amy Phillips, 30, 1474 45th Ave. 1:25 p.m. - At the intersection of East Fifth Avenue and East 24th Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Michael Albin, 22, 858 33rd Ave., Cabin G, and Jean Britt, 68, Columbus. 3:31 p.m. - At 265 33rd Ave., Robert Spitz, 43, 5402 W. Meadow Drive, was cited for driving during revocation. 7:14 p.m. - At 3324 20th St., Lux Luna, 34, Casa Grande, Arizona, was cited for allowing an unauthorized person to drive. Jose Hernandez, 24, Ames, Iowa, was cited for no operator's license. 10:31 p.m. - At the intersection of 23rd Street and 33rd Avenue, Christina Starkey, 19, 125 S. Roselane, was cited for a traffic signal violation. 11:49 p.m. - In the 2500 block of 21st Street, Tracy Johnson, 43, 2806 25th St., No. 5, was cited for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sheriff Feb. 4 7:10 a.m. On Highway 91, 3.2 miles west of Lindsay, traffic accident. Drivers were Hope Irving, 48, Newman Grove, and Greg Severson, 53, Elk Point, South Dakota. 7:40 a.m. At the intersection of 48th Avenue and 68th Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Trevor Herchenbach, 20, Lindsay, and Joan Hoefelman, 53, Creston. Feb. 5 2:28 p.m. Traffic violation at the intersection of 14th Street and 35th Avenue, Sergio Queroi was cited for no operators license and no proof of insurance. Feb. 6 3:20 p.m. Traffic accident on U.S. Highway 30 just east of the Colfax County line, Jesus Alba-Garcia of Columbus jailed for driving under suspension and cited for speeding. 5:27 p.m. Traffic violation at the intersection of East Highway 30 and East 29th Avenue, Armando Cabanas of Schuyler cited for no valid registration. 6:56 p.m. Traffic violation at the intersection of U.S. Highway 81 and 325th Street, Pah Lah Pe of Lincoln cited for no operators license. 9:08 p.m. Traffic violation at mile marker 374 on Highway 30, Jacob Schaefer of Columbus cited for speeding. Feb. 7 4:27 p.m. - Wanted person at 1516 Eighth St., Warren Gaver of Columbus jailed on a Platte County warrant. 8:01 p.m. - Wanted person at 519 247th Ave., William Staverman of Columbus jailed on a Platte County warrant. Feb. 8 9:52 a.m. - Wanted person at the Platte County Courthouse, 2610 14th St., Dinia Duron of Columbus turned self in on a Platte County warrant. 4:18 p.m. - Traffic violation at the intersection of U.S. Highways 81 and 30, Charles Stokes of Lincoln cited for a traffic signal violation. 5:39 p.m. - Traffic violation at the intersection of 32nd Avenue and 16th Street, Jose Maldonado-Alvarez of Madison jailed for no operator's license and cited for failure to yield right of way. Fire Feb. 5 10:44 a.m. Alarm activated in the 3800 block of 20th Street. 10:49 a.m. In the 900 block of 10th Avenue in Duncan, medical. 10:56 a.m. In the 3300 block of 53rd Avenue, medical. 12:21 p.m. In the 2600 block of 47th Avenue, medical. 1:18 p.m. In the 2600 block of 21st Street, medical. Feb.6 2:33 a.m. In the 2200 block of 14th Street, medical. 10:15 a.m. In the 20 block of Deer River Road, medical. 11:24 a.m. Car fire at 1421 Fifth St., six firefighters on scene for 30 minutes, vehicle was total loss. 5:14 p.m. In the 1300 block of Eighth Street, medical. 8:37 p.m. In the 3800 block of 23rd Street, medical. Feb. 7 6:43 a.m. In the 2100 block of 44th Avenue, medical. Feb. 8 10:06 a.m. - In the 3000 block of 39th Avenue, medical. 2:05 p.m. - In the 2600 block of 45th Avenue, medical. 7:59 p.m. - In the 30000 block of 205th Avenue, medical. 10:12 p.m. - In the 4000 block of 15th Street, medical. Ohio ANG F-16s refuel over Pacific Ocean Maj. Curtis Voltz, 112th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Ohio Air National Guard chief of weapons and tactics, pilots an F-16 Fighting Falcon during a training mission Feb. 2, 2016 over the Pacific Ocean. Deployed here as part of the Theater Security Package, the 112th EFS provides combat fighter assets to augment forces already operating in the Pacific theater. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Joshua Smoot) Wolf Pack Airmen sharpened their ability to survive and operate with various simulated contingency scenarios during Beverly Pack 16-2 here at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Feb. 2 through 6. The exercise scenarios were crafted with an emphasis on readiness. We conduct multiple operational readiness exercises every year to hone that edge of readiness, said Lt. Col. Scott Seigfried, 8th Fighter Wing inspector general. We also conduct the exercise multiple times to accommodate for the high turnover rate of Airmen at Kunsan. With most of Kunsans Airmen being on one-year tours, that creates a higher turnover rate than the Air Force average. That turnover means high value is placed on educating new Airmen and preparing the wing to be ready at all times. We need to constantly exercise to ensure that we are bringing our new folks along and getting them ready to defend the Republic of Korea at a moments notice, Seigfried said. The scenarios Airmen were tested on throughout the week involved building evacuation operations, ground, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive attacks, unexploded ordinance detection, and self-aid and buddy care techniques. We simulated incoming theater ballistic missile attacks, which contained high explosives , Seigfried said. We also exercised against CBRN weapons that would deliver hazardous chemical or biological materials. Beverly Pack 16-2s scenarios allowed Airmen to practice their contingency CBRNE response and readiness levels. Defending the base and responding to CBRNE threats 24/7 allows Airmen to work on their ability to react to a myriad of circumstances under pressure. Anytime a human being is under stress, things tend to become a little bit more difficult, Seigfried said. Youre thinking about the actual danger or life-threatening situations going on. Siegfried said that when Airmen make decisions under pressure, they must ensure the actions they take are almost second-nature. Things like putting on a gas mask and donning MOPP gear appropriately need to become a reflex action when a siren goes off, Seigfried said. If you stop to think about what youre doing, youre also now thinking about the fact that there are incoming missiles that are also life-threatening. According to Seigfried, the Wolf Pack has proven its ability to be ready for any situation throughout the exercise. Overall, as far as the decisions our Airmen have been making, I think it went very well, Seigfried said. I think morale has been fairly high. Ive gotten a chance to walk around the maintenance, operations, security forces and various other organizations to check out their entry control points. The maintenance teams met all their time constraints for generating aircraft, Seigfried said. This was especially impressive, considering they worked around the clock, often out in the elements, in temperatures that often stayed in the teens at night, he added. You never know when well get recalled to start generating aircraft, he said. That could happen at any time. The mentality of being ready around-the-clock is critical when it comes to maintaining the wings ability to stand strong regardless of the circumstances and defend the Republic of Korea. OKINAWA, Japan - The Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) wrapped up its onload of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Feb. 5 as part of a scheduled patrol of the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. Amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) was the first ship of the ARG to embark Marines off the coast of Okinawa Jan. 29. Amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), the flag ship of the ARG, and amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) arrived in Okinawa Feb.1 and spent several days onloading Marine gear and equipment to ensure the ARGs readiness for the patrol. Integration with the Marines is essential to conducting the full range of amphibious operations at sea, said Capt. Ed Thompson, Commodore of Amphibious Squadron Eleven. Having the 31st MEU aboard allows the BHR ARG to support a variety of complex objectives from air, land and sea. Aboard Bonhomme Richard the embarkation began with a fly on of the Aviation Combat Element (ACE). The aviation department and the MEUs Combat Cargo team managed the logistics of embarking over 200 personnel and attached aircraft. This was actually the first time that we embarked the ACE before we picked up the Marines on shore, said Gunnery Sgt. Jesse Rubens, combat cargo assistant aboard Bonhomme Richard. We usually have the ACE fly on once we leave port, but this time we were able to accomplish the evolution smoothly beforehand. Once moored at White Beach Naval Facility, Sailors and Marines transported vehicles and equipment to the Bonhomme Richards well deck and hangar bay via cranes and forklifts. Coordinators compared the task of moving the tons of trucks, humvees, and large metal containers to a real-life game of Tetris. It takes months of coordination and preparation to load all of the equipment and gear safety and efficiently, said Rubens. Planning for the next onload begins as soon as the current one ends. Sailors welcomed Marines as they marched their personal belongings to the quarterdeck. For many Marines, this is their first time out to sea. Many of whom were doing this for the first time. Im excited for this patrol, said Cpl. Nikko Olalia, assigned to the 31st MEU. I look forward to learning and seeing new things through working with the Navy. Bonhomme Richard and Germantown are conducting Amphibious Integration Training (AIT) and Certification Exercises (CERTEX) with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to refine their sea-to-shore capabilities. Ashland is participating in the U.S. and Thailand co-sponsored joint exercise Cobra Gold. The exercise is designed to enhance and advance the security commitments in the Indo-Asia Pacific. SASEBO, Japan (NNS) -- Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Tucson (SSN 770) arrived at Fleet Activities Sasebo, Feb. 8, for a visit as part of its deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. The visit strengthens the already positive alliance between the U.S. and Japan through the crew's interaction with the Japanese community. It also demonstrates the U.S. Navy's commitment to maritime security in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. "Japan is one of our closest allies in the Pacific and the Japanese-American relationship emphasizes our shared dedication to regional peace and stability," said Cmdr. Michael Beckette, commanding officer. Tucson's crew has the ability to operate in varying environments and is always prepared to tackle any mission that comes its way. "This will be Tucson's first visit to Japan on this deployment and many crew members are excited to experience the rich culture of Japan," said Senior Chief Electronics Technician Billy Daly Jr., chief of the boat. Many of Tucson's crew members are excited to experience Japanese culture. "Being able to visit other nations like Japan and to be immersed in their culture is one of the best perks in the U.S. Navy," said Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Corey Thuringer. "I am excited to share this experience with my fellow shipmates." Measuring more than 360-feet long, Tucson is one of the stealthiest submarines in the world. This submarine is capable of supporting a multitude of missions including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Homeported in Pearl Harbor, Tucson can operate in all oceans of the world. Tucson is the 59th Los Angeles-class attack submarine and the 30th of the Improved Los Angeles-class attack submarines to be built. Twelve vertical launch tubes for Tomahawk cruise missiles and four torpedo tubes provide Tucson with great offensive capabilities and strategic value. Tucson's stealth, endurance, mobility and responsiveness make it a formidable force in multiple mission roles. Readout of the Presidents Call with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe By the Office of the Press Secretary The White House The President spoke by phone with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan last night to discuss North Korea's recent launch using ballistic missile technology. The two leaders condemned the launch, and they agreed that it represents yet another destabilizing and provocative action by North Korea in flagrant violation of numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions. The President assured Prime Minister Abe that the United States' commitment to the security of Japan is ironclad and that we will take any steps necessary to defend our allies. The two leaders underscored the importance of a strong and united international response to North Korea's provocations, including through a robust UN Security Council Resolution. COLUMBUS Columbus Public Schools board members voted to bring a program out of retirement for one year that offers longtime teachers a financial incentive to close out their classroom careers with the district. The board OKd a temporary early retirement incentive program proposal Monday evening to give certified staff who are mulling an early out decision the choice of moving up their plans to the end of the 2015-16 school year. The district has 23 certified employees who are eligible to participate this year in the temporary program, with 11 who have expressed interest so far, said David Melick, executive director of business operations and human relations for the district. The savings to the district are significant, Melick told the board. The business director said a temporary resumption of the retirement program will allow the district to reduce costs by replacing maximum-salaried employees with lesser-salaried staff members and provide a better balance of employee experience. Eligible employees who want to participate must submit an application and agreement form to Superintendent Troy Loeffelholz by Feb. 24. To participate in the program, retirees must be at least 55 years old and the sum of the participants age and years of service must total 85 or greater. CPS put its previous early retirement program in mothballs after the 2012-13 school year when state lawmakers stopped allowing school districts to levy outside the spending lid to fund early retirements. In the temporary program, CPS will pay each approved employee a $25,000 sum in three installments in September 2016-18. In other business, the board appointed Tim Pospisil to the board to serve out the term of Alan Dostal, who resigned in January after eight years of service to the district. The four-year term expires in January 2017. Pospisil, a 16-year resident of Columbus, is director of corporate security at Nebraska Public Power District. The electrical engineer is in charge of the utilitys cybersecurity. Before joining NPPD, he spent 10 years working for Motorola Inc. Pospisil is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Wilber-Clatonia High School. The board also voted to reject a request from Clint Osantowski to transfer the assessors valuation of his property from Platte County to Butler. The assessed value of Osantowskis property, located 5.5 miles south of Columbus in Butler County, is $211,210. The property owner said in his written request that he has three children already opted into David City Public Schools and three more who are not old enough yet to attend school. The Butler County man wrote that he would like his tax dollars shifted to the school system his children attend and the county the family lives in. CPS board members said they denied two similar transfer requests several years ago and have no precedent for granting them. The President spoke by phone with President Park Geun-hye of the Republic of Korea last night to discuss North Korea's recent launch using ballistic missile technology. The two leaders condemned the launch, and they agreed that it represents yet another destabilizing and provocative action by North Korea in flagrant violation of numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions. The President assured President Park that the United States stands in solidarity with the ROK and will take the necessary steps to fulfill our ironclad commitment to defend the ROK and our other allies in the region. The two leaders underscored the importance of a strong and united international response to North Korea's provocations, including through a robust UN Security Council Resolution. BLOOMINGTON The defense lawyer for an Arizona man accusing of sexually assaulting a woman twice in 2012 made good on his promise Tuesday to put tough questions to the alleged victim during her time on the witness stand. Gregory Suddreth, 48, is charged with raping a woman on Dec. 6 and 12, 2012, in Bloomington where both worked as consultants for State Farm. Suddreth and the woman are acquainted and share a family connection. The Pantagraph does not does not name alleged victims of sexual assault. Defense lawyer Donald Angelini started off his cross-examination of the woman with questions about gaps in her memory. In her testimony as the state's first witness Monday, the alleged victim claimed she is unable to recall some details of the Dec. 6 incident, including how she became undressed in Suddreth's apartment. Fear and trauma are behind the memory lapses, the woman told Angelini. "I know I did not undress myself," she said. The petite, 27-year-old witness showed an array of emotions during her testimony, smiling at times and wiping tears during other portions when she was asked about the two incidents. Suddreth took notes from his seat at the defense table during the questioning. He turned and smiled at family members behind him during questions about the woman's diary. Several diary entries describing the alleged assaults were mentioned in notes from one of the woman's doctors, but the entries no longer exist, according to Angelini. The witness denied she deleted the material to avoid defense questions. "If they're not in there now, they never were," the woman said of the entries. Later Tuesday, the jury was shown a two-hour videotaped deposition of Dr. Prapti Mehta, the California psychiatrist who treated the woman. According to the doctor, the woman suffers from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the incidents. In the deposition taken in August 2015, Angelini questioned the doctor about the lack of specifics in her records about the alleged rapes. Inclusion of sparse details in reports protects a patient's privacy, she responded. The doctor also told Angelini she did not ask the woman if she was too intoxicated to give consent on Dec. 6, 2012. The woman's account of the second incident included her attempts to end the unwanted sexual contact, said Mehta. "She was crying, she screaming, she was saying 'no,'" the doctor testified. BLOOMINGTON The city has not increased liquor license fees in 33 years, but the Bloomington Liquor Commission began a process Tuesday that could change that, in part to help pay for extra patrols of the downtown bar district. Nobody is going to be supporting a 200-and-some-percent increase in liquor license fees. That's not on the table, but we are talking about some kind of cost recovery, Mayor Tari Renner, who heads the liquor commission, told about 25 people attending a public hearing. Creating an annual fee for video gaming machines also was discussed. Phil Boulds, owner of Mugsy's Pub, 1310 N. Main St., objected to any increases, saying the city already gets enough tax money. There are a lot of people in this room who are tavern owners and every time they sell a drink (the city) gets 2 percent of that on the food and beverage tax, Boulds said, noting the city recently approved a 1-percentage-point sales tax increase. "You're getting $18,000 a year just from me for that (tax increase) on top of the stuff I sell. How much money do you guys need? You've got a lot of money coming in and quite frankly I think the people of Bloomington-Normal are getting taxed to death, Boulds added. I think it's about time you guys slowed down instead of looking for more ways to take people's money. No other owners or residents commented during the hearing Tuesday night at City Hall. Renner said the hearing was prompted by a citizens budget task force recommendation that the $130,000 annual cost of extra police patrols in the downtown bar district be paid for by bar owners and others who benefit from the patrols. City staff members came up with two choices: adding a late-hours license fee for the 27 downtown bar owners (in addition to their usual liquor license fee), or assessing a higher fee for all 167 license holders in the city. We do know that the actual fees for liquor licenses have not gone up since 1982, said Renner. "One of the things that certainly has gone up dramatically is liquor enforcement issues," he said. "The city taxpayers have been footing the bill for the increases." Renner said he has yet to find an Illinois city of comparable size that does not have an annual fee on video gaming machines. With 253 video gaming terminals in 59 Bloomington establishments, we now have more video poker machines than Peoria," he added. Normal charges an annual fee of $200 per machine. Springfield has several fees: a $50 application fee, a $500 establishment fee and $250 fee for each machine. No specific fee changes were presented by the commission. At the commission's March 8 meeting Renner and Commissioners Jim Jordan and Geoffrey Tompkins will consider all of our options and make a recommendation to the City Council, Renner said. Jordan said that if a liquor license fee increase is justified, he would like to see it phased in over two to three years. Maybe a 10 percent increase in year one and 10 percent in year two, added Renner. Video gaming machine vendors, host businesses, the state and the city split $14 million from video gaming in Bloomington, Jordan said, So it's a million-dollar-a-month proposition. The state gets a 25 percent share of total video gaming proceeds; the city gets 5 percent. That was more than $700,000 last year alone, said Bill Flessner of Midwest Electronics, a local gaming vendor. BLOOMINGTON On Jan. 15, 2009, Wall Street was in a meltdown and the U.S. economy was in a recession. Then the world saw 155 people standing on the wings of US Airways Flight 1549 after the crew successfully guided the plane to an emergency water landing in New York City's Hudson River. All was right with the world. "During the financial meltdown of '09, some people had doubts about human nature and wondered whether we were guided only by self-interest and greed," said Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, pilot of Flight 1549. "But here was a situation in which everyone rose to the occasion to see that good was done and that lives were saved." "At a time when we needed it, this story gave us hope," he said. Sullenberger spoke with The Pantagraph on Tuesday in advance of his appearance as featured speaker at the 23rd annual American Red Cross Evening of Stars on April 21 at the Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, uptown Normal. "He's a perfect fit for Evening of Stars because his message resonates and also dovetails with the Red Cross," said Steve Denault, event co-chairman with his wife, Christel. "He stepped up and answered the call when his passengers needed him, just as Red Cross answers the call when people need them after a fire or flood." During a time of economic sluggishness and political "muck and mire," Denault hopes "that people come away from Evening of Stars feeling personally motivated." Sullenberger was piloting the flight when, shortly after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport, the plane collided with a flock of geese, damaging two engines. The engines lost thrust and Sullenberger and his crew successfully landed the plane in the Hudson River. The plane remained intact, no one died and everyone was rescued. Sullenberger, 65, said he was surprised when the story didn't fade with that day's news cycle. He concluded that a story about people working together for a common good was just what the public needed. "When we work together according to our core values, we can make a difference," Sullenberger said. "This was a group effort. But I became the public face of the event. I feel an obligation to treat this story with respect because of the way it continues to touch and inspire people." Sullenberger had to get over any discomfort with the name given to the event "Miracle on the Hudson." Rather than a miracle, it was a case of professionals using their training and experience to work together to save lives, he said. "But 'miracle' sounds better than 'Preparation on the Hudson,'" he noted. Sullenberger was raised by parents who valued ideas and believed education was important. The boy with intellectual curiosity grew into a man who became an aviation safety expert. He is an Air Force veteran and was a pilot for 40 years. "I always understood that good enough isn't good enough," he said. "I always try to make my next flight better than my previous one." Sullenberger decided to use his new-found fame to improve the status of the piloting profession and highlight the importance of safety. He is an accident investigator, CEO of Safety Reliability Methods, Inc. a safety, performance and reliability consulting company and is CBS News' aviation and safety expert. "Each of us has a responsibility to prepare ourselves," he said. "When we do, we can have good outcomes. We can even save lives." Sullenberger advises young people to learn and strive for excellence throughout their lives. "Leaders aren't born," he said. "They are, in fact, made. We can learn to be better at what we do. "Follow your passion, but be willing to work very hard to achieve your goals." In May 2011, our 4-year-old granddaughter Kianna Rudesill was murdered. We tried for 18 months to get the Livingston County State's Attorney's Office to take action, but nothing was done. It wasn't until a new state's attorney, Seth Uphoff, was elected that Kianna's killer was finally brought to justice. We are so thankful Uphoff had the courage to charge the case. He saw it all the way through, including a jury trial that lasted over two weeks. We just can not say thank you enough to Uphoff and Scott Ripley, who helped try the case. COLUMBUS Mayor Mike Moser had known Joe Jarecke since they were competing salesmen, Jarecke at Tempo and Moser at Sears. I always thought he was a very fair guy, even though he worked for the competitor, said Moser. Jarecke, a former Columbus city councilman, died of cancer on Friday at the age of 81. He was elected to the city council in 1990 and represented Ward 3 for two decades. Moser remembered Jarecke was able to bridge the gap between his constituents and the city government. He was a champion for the common man always trying to explain government to people when they didnt agree with what they were doing, said Moser. Mike Fleming, a former city councilman, said Jarecke's commitment to the city council went beyond the hours he spent at meetings and hearings. He would spend countless hours with his constituents, said Fleming. Making sure he had all the information in his head correct before voting on big issues. Mosers predecessor, former Mayor Gary Giebelhaus, remembered that Jarecke could get a little camera-shy during recorded city council sessions, but was committed to Columbus. Joe bled the city, said Giebelhaus. Giebelhaus said Jarecke didnt push a specific agenda as a council member. Some councilmen are strong in one area; I never sensed that out of Joe, he said. He didnt have an ax to grind. He was very open-minded and listened to the issues. City Councilman John Lohr said even though he and Jarecke didnt always agree, Jarecke was respectful and listened to opposing viewpoints. He was always open-minded, always willing to work with people, said Lohr. He wasnt dead set in his ways. Lohr said Jarecke served as a mentor and helped him adjust to the city council. When I was first elected, he reached out to me and took me under his wing, said Lohr. I didnt know him. I knew who he was, but he just did that all on his own. Many who worked with him on the city council said Jarecke was simply a pleasant person. He was very nice, very straightforward, very much a gentleman, said Lohr. He dressed well, used appropriate language, was not insulting, not derogatory. ... A perfect gentleman in everything I ever had to do with him. (He) was always a gentleman, always a voice for the citizens of Columbus, always polite, Moser said. He was all-around a good guy. Giebelhaus said Jarecke, who served two years in the U.S. Army, was calm and levelheaded, even when stakes were high. I thought he was pretty even keel, Giebelhaus said. I never noticed any temper tantrums, never saw any anger. I never saw that in him he was always pretty levelheaded. He was just always a voice of reason, said Lohr. He was just a good, solid councilman. In addition to his service to the city, Jarecke was heavily involved in his church. He was a charter member of St. Isidore Parish and served on the Parish Council and as a trustee and member of Holy Name. He served on the Scotus Central Catholic school board and was a member of the Knights of Columbus and instructor for Setting the Limits. His nephew and godson, Jerry Jarecke, said his uncle was also deeply committed to his family and spent almost every weekend duck hunting with his father, brothers and nephews. (I learned) the importance of all the family being out there together, said Jerry Jarecke. Every weekend, every Saturday and Sunday, I got a sense of the importance of the family being together. His uncles reputation for being calm and evenhanded extended to his family life as well. Joe didnt really worry about anything, said Jerry. Nothing really got to him. Something could go really wrong and he was just, 'Oh well, cant do anything about it.'" Fleming said Jarecke remained a grounded, humble man through his extensive service and list of accomplishments. I believe that Joe considered himself to be an average, everyday citizen, even though he took on more responsibility than average, everyday citizens do, said Fleming. I think our entire community will miss him. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11 a.m. Friday at St. Isidore Catholic Church in Columbus. Visitation will be 3:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday and 10-11 a.m. Friday at the church. Some expectant parents who might have a baby on Valentine's Day would be inspired to name their babies associated on the day of love. So, do you like to name your baby after the romantic images of Cupid's love day? Huffington Post gathers the following baby names that have Valentine's Day theme. Some of these are related to romantic characters and romantic destinations. You choose any name that you think suited to your baby and will complement your heart's desire. 1. Valentina/Valentino Valentina and Valentino derived from the name Valentine which is the origin of the Valentine's Day. Wikipedia states that the early Christian martyrs before were named Valentine. And the Valentines who were honored on Feb. 14 were the Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni. Valentine of Rome or Saint Valentine was a Roman saint commemorated on Feb. 14. According to J.C. Cooper, the author of The Dictionary of Christianity said that Saint Valentine of Rome was a priest who was detained in prison for giving aid to persecuted Christians. While Saint Valentine of Terni was a bishop who was scourged and beheaded on Feb. 14 because of his unshaken faith. Frank O'Gara of Whitefriars Street Church in Dublin, Ireland told the CBN the real story of Valentine. "Valentine has come to be known as the patron saint of lovers. Before you enter into a Christian marriage, you want some sense of God in your life -- some great need of God in your life. And we know particularly in the modern world, many people are meeting God through His Son, Jesus Christ," O'Gara explained. 2. Rose Rose is oftentimes the flower given to partners during Valentine's Day. The named Rose is usually used in France and England. 3. Ruby Ruby is a Latin name meaning "precious jewel." It is also known as a dark red like roses. 4. Chad The name Chad is used for boys which have an English meaning of "protector' and "thoughtful." 5. Carys This baby girl name is derived from the Welsh word "caru" meaning "to love." 6. Romeo/Juliet These are the names of the well-known characters in the Shakespearean-inspired story. Everyone knows their love story that has a tragic ending. 7. Aiko The name Aiko can be used for either boys or girls which mean "little-loved one" in Japanese. 8. Connelly Conelly has an Irish origin which means "love and friendship." 9. Milena You can name your baby after this Czech name meaning "love, warmth, and grace." 10. Dove Dove is related to peace and love birds that are known as having "gentle" and "soft" qualities. 11. Adora The baby girl name "Adora" derived from an Old German name that means "adored, beloved and a gift." 12. Florence Florence comes from the Latin word which means "blossoming." It is an English name for girls. It is also a romantic destination for couples in Italy. 13. Esme Esme is a Persian word that means "emerald," beloved, and esteemed. 14. Amora Amora is a Spanish word that means "love." 15. Freya The name Freya is used for baby girls. Freya is a Norse goddess of fertility and love. Settle on your best choice of a baby name that would reminiscent to you the feeling of "love" -- reminding you that your baby is an inspiration to your family. A mother claimed that a Barney's employee refused to give her access to a dressing room to breastfeed her daughter. Embarassed by the experience, she filed a complaint asking the company to change its practices. Andrea O'Dowd, a first-time mother from Scottsdale, told FOX 10 that she was in the upscale department store Barney's New York when she needed to feed her four-month-old daughter, Serena. She said that she stepped into the department store to find a seat and feed her baby. She initially went to the restroom but she could find a seat. She then asked a sales associate if she could access a dressing room to breastfeed her baby. However, the department store employee refused to grant her request. "She said ultimately, we can't let you in the dressing room. I asked why that I just need to feed her, and she said it's just loss prevention," O'Dowd said. O'Dowd said she offered to have her stroller checked beforehand. However, the employee still refused to give her access to the dressing room. "I was kind of telling her how ridiculous, why can't I go in there, I was choking back my tears," she said. "I felt shamed, shamed that I needed to feed my daughter." Feeling embarrassed, O'Dowd said that she walked out of the store. She added that she already filed a complaint, hoping that the store will change its policies. "I honestly just wanted justice for this situation, because I couldn't believe it, I'm glad I am speaking up for it," she stated. In a report of the Daily Mail, Ashley Calandra, a spokesman of the department store, issued a statement in response to O'Dowd's complaints. "Barney's New York is reviewing our lactation policy and training protocol for all locations to ensure that we are adhering to best practice," Calandra said. ABC News reported that Arizona law permits mothers to breastfeed children in public or private places where they are otherwise allowed to be. The Zika virus outbreak has caused a lot of panic in Latin America because the virus has been linked to the development of microcephaly in babies. And now, doctors in Brazil are also reporting that the virus might also cause other birth defects aside from brain damage. NBC News reports that doctors in Brazil found out that more than a third of babies born with birth defects linked to Zika virus also had serious eye defects. The doctors say that they base their findings on the fact that they have ruled out other potential causes for the babies' eye problems during their study. "Of the 29 infants (58 eyes) examined ocular abnormalities were present in 17 eyes (29.3 percent) of 10 children (34.5 percent)," the team of doctors from the Federal University of Sao Paulo wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association's JAMA Ophthalmology. Although the study only involved 29 infants, the doctors assured that all of the babies went through meticulous examinations and a series of tests. "If you look at some of the images, you will see little clumps of black pigment. Those shouldn't be there," Northwestern University ophthalmology professor Dr. Lee Jampol told NBC News. Jampol wrote a commentary with Dr. Debra Goldstein about the findings of the doctors in Brazil. Experts are not yet sure if these eye defects will affect the babies' vision as they grow up. More tests are still needed to be done in order to confirm the duration and severity of the eye problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised pregnant women not to visit countries affected by the Zika virus outbreak to prevent the development of birth defects in their babies. Some governments in Latin America are even advising women to avoid getting pregnant for a couple of months to a few years, according to NY Times. Realistically speaking, most pregnant women opt for birthing in the hospital. If you belong to this group and about to give birth, then just read on, so you can have a great and enjoyable experience with your natural birth in the hospital. You probably won't be allowed to eat. Most of the hospitals don't allow women who are in labor to eat. With that being said, pregnant women are only limited to clear liquids. The particular policy exists because of the possibility of a C-section. Women undergoing cesarean delivery are at the higher risk for aspirating or vomiting due to the general anesthesia. Thus, doctors usually don't recommend women to eat while in labor, so no food can block the airways of the patients. You can request for a different nurse. If you are uncomfortable with your assigned nurse, you can ask for a different attending nurse. You deserve all the right to have your most trusted birth team. Just ask nicely though. It might take a long time before you can push your baby out. According to Jessica Anderson, a certified nurse-midwife and the associate service director with The Center for Midwifery, University of Colorado Hospital, some women, especially first- time moms don't realize that "pushing can be lengthy." Sometimes it takes more than five pushes to give birth. Some even take two hours or three hours before they can push their babies out. Thus, it is very important for the pregnant women to prepare ahead of time. They should take a comprehensive childbirth education class to learn different coping strategies. You are stronger than you think. "Giving birth is definitely challenging but after going through with it, women often developed a new understanding of how strong they are," Marcy Tardio, a certified nurse-midwife, said. You will bleed for a while. Anderson said after giving birth, women will normally have a bleeding that usually last up to six weeks. However, if you're worried about it in any way, it's okay to contact your health care provider. Just relax and take a deep breath. Always remember you are stronger than you think. So, you can definitely do it! When news broke out that "The Winds of Winter," the sixth book in the "Song of Ice and Fire" series by renowned author George R.R. Marti,n was to be delayed in publishing many fans fell into despair and disappointment. Although it is known that Martin is not the fastest author out there, the sixth book has been on wait for too long and fans cannot wait to read "The Winds of Winter." "The Winds of Winter" will be roughly the inspiration behind the sixth season of "Game of Thrones" and, though there has been many deviating story lines in the past season of the HBO series, the book is still a very good cheat in knowing what is going to happen. So, fans are now left with no idea as to what is going to happen in the sixth season of "Game of Thrones" without "The Winds of Winter". Fans were hoping for the book to be published before "Game of Thrones" season six is to be released but, unfortunately, George R. R. Martin could not finish "The Winds of Winter" on time. The author posted a blog about it on his LiveJournal, wherein he explains as to why there has been so many delays on releasing "The Winds of Winter." Up to now, fans are waiting for some news. Rumor has it that Martin is in need of a co-author for "The Winds of Winter" because, firstly, the story has always been complicated but it will only continue to be more complicated. Also, Martin is not young anymore so there are maybe times where he gets everything jumbled up. According to some news media outlet in New Mexico, USA, the rumored co-author is highly-acclaimed author Neil Gaiman of "The Sandman" and "Good Omens Bad Omens." As a matter of fact, Gaiman was spotted in New Mexico where Martin is residing in. If it is so that Gaiman is on board with Martin in creating "The Winds of Winter," then it will probably be one of the best book. Moreover, with a co-author, "The Winds of Winter" will probably be released in early 2017. COLUMBUS Clarence Veach of Columbus was the right man for the job when efficient, affordable telecommunications began making greater inroads into rural America in the early 1950s. When the federal Rural Electrification Administration started financing rural telephone projects in the years after World War II, Reed & Company Inc. engineering of Columbus was poised to participate in the development of phone services in rural areas. Veach, who died Saturday at age 99 at Brookestone Acres in Columbus, started handling the Columbus companys telephone projects at that time. He became an expert in the telecommunications engineering field as rural phone services grew. Veach (he hated the name Clarence) was a quiet, unassuming and very modest guy, said Bob Tupper, remembering his former mentor fondly. Veach, the V in what later became RVW Inc., rose to head the firms telecommunications engineering department and eventually became president and chairman of the board of the overall company before retiring in 1982. There was just something about him. He had a presence ... he just instilled confidence in other people, said Tupper, who would also become chief telecommunications engineer and company president before his recent retirement. Veach joined Reed Engineering in 1939 after graduating from Kansas State with a degree in electrical engineering. When WWII broke out with the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet in 1942. The Columbus man became a bombardier on a B-17 Flying Fortress, taking off from England to carry out strategic bombing missions against enemy targets in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and eventually Nazi Germany. Tupper said Veach finished WWII in a German prisoner of war camp, a detail of his former mentors life he learned about in a Columbus parking lot after their families attended church services. After church one evening (when Veach was 96 or 97), he told me and my wife about being liberated as a prisoner of war by Gen. George Pattons army, complete with pearl-handled revolvers, Tupper said with a smile. Veach was preceded in death by his wife, Val, who worked at Reed Engineering, and RVW for about 30 years, most of that time as executive secretary. Val was as flamboyant as Veach was reserved and had an infectious laugh that was often heard throughout the office, Tupper said. A memorial service for Veach is set for 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Federated Church in Columbus with visitation from 9:30 a.m. until the service time. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions Anyone up for a trip to Mars? We know its not possible yet, but NASA is giving us some real imagination-porn with these posters they released, commissioned by Seattle-based firm Invisible Creature. They are a part of the 2016 Jet Propulsion Lab calendar, an in-house gift for staff-members of JPL and NASA, as well as an assortment of contributors for NASA like scientists and engineers. The posters are totally retro, really giving us a 60s-esque view of what advertising a trip to space might have looked like. Don Draper and his creative team could have designed this, if there was a story-arc on Mad Men surrounding space travel. (Too bad there wasnt, right?) These posters in particular were a family affair. Don and Ryan Clark are the brothers behind Invisible Creature, and their grandfather was an illustrator for NASA for 28 years. What a great way to keep something special in their family. When the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) struck down Safe Harbor last year it sent tech companies into a tailspin. The agreement between the EU and US had been in place since 2000 and ensured that companies like Facebook and Google could transfer European user data across the Atlantic with no fuss. The CJEU eventually found fault in this. Safe Harbor didnt offer any protection for Europeans from mass surveillance by the NSA. There was nothing safe about this agreement, it found. The ruling stemmed from a case taken by Austrian lawyer Max Schrems who spent years pursuing Facebook over its handling of user data and where exactly it goes and what happens to it. Since the October 2015 ruling both the US and EU have been scrambling for a new framework for data protection. This came to a head last week, a little overdue on the deadline, with the unveiling of Privacy Shield, a new operation that is supposed to replace Safe Harbor, but many questions and concerns still hang overhead. Crucially, the European Commission said in its statement on February 2 that the two parties reached an agreement but it was lacking in detailed specifics. Our people can be sure that their personal data is fully protected, said Andrus Ansip, Vice President for the Digital Single Market of the European Commission. So what does it mean? Now that the announcement has lingered for a few days, interested parties have had a chance to break it down but have found little in the way of anything concrete at least for now. Under the details of the agreement that have been made public so far, US companies that want to transfer data from Europe will have to meet robust obligations while any companies handling HR data must adhere to rulings made by Europes various data protection authorities. The US says it ruled out any mass surveillance of data transferred from Europe and there will be clear limitations on how US law enforcement can access European data as part of investigations. This agreement will be overseen by an annual review carried out by The European Commission and US Department of Commerce with possible involvement from intelligence agencies from either side. Finally, European citizens will have redress means if they believe their data has been handled unlawfully or tampered. European data protection agencies can forward claims to the Department of Commerce or the Federal Trade Commission, both of which will have to reply to complaints within a certain deadline. Furthermore a new authority will be established to oversee complaints made regarding national intelligence access to data. These points sound good on paper but the lack of specifics means many things are still up in the air and that has many scratching their heads. Comments like robust obligations and clear limitations do not ensure anything. However it is expected that the full text of Privacy Shield will be published by the end of February. We're now finalising texts and will unveil the #Privacy Shield 2nd half of February @Ansip_EU V?ra Jourova (@VeraJourova) February 8, 2016 For now the agreement looks like a means to keep data flowing between the US and EU but it has not been set in stone yet and it may be many months before it is. One of the chief concerns levelled against Privacy Shield over the last few days is that it does more to keep business flowing rather than protect individuals privacy. A lot of global businesses will be breathing a sigh of relief today as a significant number of them didnt take action to address the risk of Safe Harbour disappearing, said Mark Thompson, Privacy Practice Leader at KPMG. The agreement is good news for companies as a number were clearly going to struggle from a financial and operational point of view with the uncertainty surrounding the movement of personal data. But its not clear skies for businesses just yet. The CJEUs European Court of Justice (ECJ) may very well put the agreement under the microscope and once again strike it down over surveillance concerns that have not been addressed. Under the new rules, law enforcement will carry out an annual review to ensure no indiscriminate mass surveillance has taken place but how is this guaranteed? We all know how good the NSA is at hiding what its actually doing from oversight bodies, writes Techdirts Mike Masnick. Secondly, the agreement states that a new authority, or ombudsperson, will handle surveillance complaints. Just how much power will this ombudsperson have? The new EU rules bring the US Judicial Redress Act under scrutiny too, which would grant US courts some jurisdiction over EU citizens under certain circumstances. This is rocky terrain for all parties involved. Many solutions have been posited including the establishment of more data centers in Europe to keep data within its legal jurisdictions but this wouldnt entirely solve the problem. Nevertheless, we are seeing more data centers spring up in Europe lately or have to plans to do so. Apple and Facebook are building new facilities in Ireland, Microsoft is opening a data center in the UK as well as expanding its Irish one, Oracle has built out its British center recently, and not to mention the facilities that Google already has around the continent. But this is only a solution for the major tech giants that can afford it. It doesnt address smaller businesses. For example, there were thousands of companies that used Safe Harbor to move data. What happens next will be vital. Berin Szoka, president of non-profit TechFreedom, has called Privacy Shield a farce in three acts that only kicks the can down the road and wont mean anything until widespread surveillance reform is put in place. Both sides have cynically exploited the furor over government surveillance to push a completely unrelated political agenda: Internet regulation, he said. But the ECJ wont be satisfied with vague promises from a president whos on his way out anyway it will require fundamental, binding reforms to how the U.S. government spies on Europeans. VoIP-Pal.com Inc. (VPLM) is a publicly traded corporation incorporated in December of 1997 in the State of Nevada and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. In 2013, VoIP-Pal acquired Digifonica International in order to fund, co-develop and complete Digifonica's patent suite. Two of Digifonica's patents are now being used to sue Apple with for patent infringement. The focus of the case is on Apple's iMessage app and Wi-Fi calling feature. The Nature of the Action According to VoIP-Pal's formal complaint before the court, they lay out the 'Nature of the Action' as follows: VPLM is a technical leader in the broadband Voice-over-Internet Protocol ('VoIP') market with the ownership and development of a portfolio of leading edge VoIP patent applications. VPLM's patents represent fundamental advancements to the prior art of Internet Protocol ("IP") communication, including improved functioning, routing and reliability for VoIP, messaging, and IP transmission of video, photographs and mixed media. Apple employs VPLM's innovative technology and products, features, and designs, and has widely distributed infringing products that have undermined VPLM's marketing efforts. Instead of pursuing independent product development, Apple employed VPLM's innovative caller attribute classification and routing product design, in violation of VPLM's valuable intellectual property rights. Basic Allegations According to VoIP-Pal Covering iMessage In this section, VoIP states that "Apple supports and operates messaging, including iMessage, an instant messaging service supported by Apple's Messages application that allows smartphone and desktop users to send messages including text, images, video and audio to other users. Apple's messaging, including the iMessage application, runs on Apple desktop computers, laptops, tablets and mobile devices running OS X, iOS and watchOS operating systems. Apple directly and/or indirectly practices certain claims of the 8,542,815 patent (the '815 patent) by utilizing a caller dialing profile comprising a plurality of calling attributes to form network classification criteria to support its messaging systems. In particular, devices running the iMessage application initiate a communication between a caller and a callee. The callee may be an Apple subscriber or a non-subscriber. In the case that the callee is an Apple subscriber, the communication is sent using iMessage. On the other hand, if the user is not an Apple subscriber or if iMessage is not available, the communication is sent using SMS/MMS. Apple's messaging system directly and/or indirectly practices certain claims of the '815 patent in order to determine the classification of a user, and, subsequently, how the call should be routed. The Apple Messaging System allows devices to initiate a communication between a caller, or a first participant, and a callee, or a second participant, which may be an Apple subscriber or a non-subscriber. A profile that includes attributes is used as part of the process that classifies a communication that directly and/or indirectly practices certain claims of the '005 patent. Basic Allegations According to VoIP-Pal Covering Apple's Wi-Fi Calling (the '815 patent) Apple manufactures and supports devices related to a calling platform ("Apple WiFi Calling") that includes Apple desktop computers, laptops, tablets and mobile devices, software applications running on such devices and servers operated by wireless carriers that allow calls to be placed over WiFi networks. Apple induces the infringement of certain claims of the '815 patent Apple WiFi Calling allows an Apple device to initiate a call between a caller and a callee using a carrier assisted voice over IP ("VoIP") system and the callee may be a subscriber of the carrier or a non-subscriber. A profile that includes calling attributes is used as part of the process that classifies a call. Apple also supports WiFi Calling on desktop computers, laptops, tablets and mobile devices. In the case of WiFi Calling, an Apple device initiates a call between a caller and a callee using a carrier based VoIP system. The callee may be a subscriber of the carrier or a non-subscriber. Apple directly and/or indirectly practices certain claims of the '815 patent by utilizing a caller dialing profile comprising a plurality of calling attributes to form network classification criteria to support its WiFi calling system." Basic Allegations According to VoIP-Pal Covering Apple's Wi-Fi Calling (the '005 patent) In this section, VoIP states that "Apple's infringement of the '815 patent and the '005 patent provides Apple with unique functionality for its products at the expense of VPLM's protected intellectual property. Rather than innovate and develop its own technology for it classification and routing of Public to Public telephony, Private to Private telephony, Public to Private and Private to Public telephony, messaging and media transfers, Apple has employed VPLM's technology, including its routing and classification systems. Apple continues to choose to infringe VPLM's patent rights through its caller attribute classification and routing systems, including at least Apple's Messaging and WiFi communication services. Apple has not obtained permission or a license from VPLM to use its inventions as identified in the '815 patent and the '005 patent." In closing, VoIP notes that "as an active participant in the communications industry, Apple had constructive notice of the patents at the time of the publication of the parent '815 patent on May 8, 2008. VPLM is informed and believes, and on that basis alleges, that Apple has increased profits by virtue of its infringement of the '815 patent and the '005 patent. The portion of such increased profits attributable to the incremental value of the infringed property, based upon information and belief, is alleged to be two billion, eight hundred and thirty-six million, seven hundred and ten thousand, and thirty one dollars ($2,836,710,031) based upon," their calculations. They use that multi-billion dollar figure to press the point that Apple's alleged patent infringement was longstanding and 'willful', a legal term that translates into wanting the court to grant them treble damages should the court find Apple guilty. The patent infringement case presented in today's report was filed yesterday in the Nevada District Court, Las Vegas Office. At present, no Judge has been assigned to the case. Patently Apple presents only a brief summary of certain legal cases/ lawsuits which are part of the public record for journalistic news purposes. Readers are cautioned that Patently Apple does not offer a legal opinion on the merit of the case. A lawyer should be consulted for any further details or analysis. About Comments: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments. See our Legal Archives for other patent infringement cases. Zen Buddhism, Unitarian Universalism, and Finding a Life that Matters, Or, Like Someone in the Middle of the Night Reaching Behind Her Head for the Pillow A Sermon by James Ishmael Ford 7 February 2016 Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach Long Beach, California Text Yunyan asked Daowu, How does the Bodhisattva Guanyin use those many hands and eyes? Daowu answered, It is like someone in the middle of the night reaching behind her head for the pillow. Yunyan said, I understand. Daowu asked, How do you understand it? Yunyan said, All over the body are hands and eyes. Daowu said, That is very well expressed, but it is only eight-tenths of the answer. Yunyan said, How would you say it, Elder Brother? Daowu said, Throughout the body are hands and eyes. Blue Cliff Record, Case 89 Of the Unitarian Universalist clergy who are also Buddhists, and Im not quite as rare a bird as that combination might seem, the majority of us appear to have come to Buddhism some time after entering the ministry. A few of us, however, came to Unitarian Universalism as Buddhists. And Im one of those. So, naturally, my story begins with that Buddhist encounter. The shortest of versions: After leaving my childhood fundamentalist Baptist faith (we were independents, thinking the Southern Baptists were dangerously liberal, and pretty sure American Baptists werent actually Christians) I looked at pretty much the full range of spiritual possibilities to be found in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late nineteen sixties. And let me tell you, there were a lot of options. However, I quickly discovered Zen practice, and found it made all the sense in the world. Ill return to that in a bit. The upshot is before I was twenty I entered a Buddhist monastery throwing myself full into the discipline. I stayed just shy of three years at that monastery, which itself moved a couple of times before ending up in Mt Shasta. I ordained and was eventually made a full Zen priest. But, eventually I left. The reasons were many. Perhaps Ill tell you about them some time. But for our purposes here among my concerns was that Zen Buddhism in the west in all its variations, as best I could tell, lacked a broad sense of community as we understand church or synagogue and with that lacked attention to the needs of children and families as well as giving scant attention to any manifestation within our larger world. Over the years things have improved, at least a little, at least in a few Zen communities. But by then, Id moved on. Once again I was at a loss for a spiritual community. And again, I looked around at what was possible. For ages friends directed me toward Unitarian Universalism. Try it, youll like it, they would say. At first I resisted, but eventually after finding and reading a nineteenth century pamphlet reprint of William Ellery Channings renowned Baltimore Sermon, On Unitarian Christianity, I thought this really isnt my mothers Christianity, and finally, I girded up my loins and attended a UU Sunday service. During the sermon, well, I fell asleep. Still, I felt there really was something there. I could sense something going on among the people at that church, even if what exactly that was wasnt immediately obvious. So I kept returning. And I found things happening in my heart and in my life. Over time I realized Zen Buddhism and Unitarian Universalism bring substantial gifts to each other, correcting shortcomings, and deepening possibilities. What I found in Unitarian Universalism was a powerful sense of community, a place to bring children and to help them find a spiritual sense in this world, a place simply to be together in all those times of life when we so need each other. Of course, for those big things, like births, marriages, and deaths. But also small things like potlucks and finding congenial friends. It was also a place from which to engage my intuition a person should reach out and help in this world together with people whose values I found I share. Im not alone in this; a lot of Western Buddhists have found a home within Unitarian Universalism. Now the various published studies of our differing faith stances within our liberal tradition seem to me all to be flawed. Still, between what these studies have suggested and my own best guestimate, leads me to believe somewhere between ten and twenty percent of Unitarian Universalists today consider Buddhism a major current in their theological thinking and identity. For perhaps a majority that means they read a lot of books (we are the people who believe in salvation by bibliography, after all), for some, however, it means taking on specific disciplines. For our denomination, for the sake of argument lets say ten percent take Buddhism seriously enough to call oneself Buddhist. That would mean about twenty thousand people which if true makes UU Buddhists the single largest convert Buddhist community in the West. And maybe its actually twice that number. I have a sense of why this has happened. In fact it is this sense that informs me, and has informed what became my twenty-five years as a UU parish minister. My Buddhism, or more accurately my Zen Buddhism, or most accurately my liberal Zen Buddhism brings three things to my life as a Unitarian Universalist and as a UU minister. These are a coherent spiritual discipline, a philosophical ground upon which I can and do stand, and beyond that a spiritual experience, which informs how I try to engage people and the world. First, that spiritual practice. I frequently summarize Zens meditation discipline as sit down, shut up, and pay attention. There are postures that support this discipline, which are sufficiently helpful some teachers in my tradition think theyre what its all about. And in a very important sense theyre right. To get inside this practice one needs to deeply understand the term just this. If one engages this just this, if one surrenders all the ifs, ands, buts and on the other hands, and instead just drops into the moment, just for a moment, then the sages of the Zen way suggest heaven and earth can reconcile, and even this suffering world can be healed. And Ive found theres much truth in this assertion. Beyond that all Im going to say here about this discipline is that it is a practice of clarification. It is a relentless watching, particularly a relentless watching of body and mind which opens us up in very interesting ways. Specifically it leads us to a place where our ideas of body and mind fall away. Through this encounter, through this miracle of human consciousness new and more useful perspectives are then revealed. This leads to what I called the philosophical ground, the great insight. Through some wonderful cosmic play, we Unitarian Universalists while trying to formulate a statement of care for the world in which we live somehow, and I think mostly by accident, formulated what I believe is the secret truth of how we exist. The seventh Principle of Unitarian Universalism is a call to respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Actually UUs didnt invent this idea of interconnectedness, just discovered it. Like many have before. For instance, just one possible example, in the Avatamsaka Sutra, a Buddhist text which dates from about the dawn of the Common Era, and which has long association with the Zen schools, contains a strikingly similar image. The Buddhist scholar Francis Cook describes it: Far away in the heavenly abode of the great god Indra, there is a wonderful net which has been hung by some cunning artificer in such a manner that it stretches out infinitely in all directions. In accordance with the extravagant tastes of deities, the artificer has hung a single glittering jewel in each eye of the net, and since the net itself is infinite in dimension, the jewels are infinite in number. There hang the jewels, glittering like stars of the first magnitude, a wonderful sight to behold. Professor Cook continues. If we now arbitrarily select one of these jewels for inspection and look closely at it, we will discover that in its polished surface there are reflected all the other jewels in the net, infinite in number. Not only that, but each of the jewels reflected in this one jewel is also reflecting all the other jewels, so that there is an infinite reflecting process occurring. This image is, of course, meant to be a metaphor, like our interdependent web. It points to living truths. So, we can engage this image and play out the various consequences of what it can mean. And there is power in such philosophical reflections. Or, we can see it as a kind of creed, this I believe. I think this idea can be particularly helpful when I am most confused. There are times for simple plain rules, and this one is straight ahead: were all in this mess together. From that, even when I have no idea what to do next, I at least feel I should try to be kind. If there were nothing more to it than this, it is a great gift. But, in fact it is more than a high philosophical assertion about reality, or, even a belief, as some rock to cling to in the storm of confusion and hurt. And I believe it is this more that is the greatest gift the Buddhist perspective brings to us here in the West. The Zen master Bernie Glassman tells us I define enlightenment as the depth to which one sees the oneness of life, the interconnectedness of life. Then joined with that statement is a corollary. Bernie adds, intriguingly, tantalizingly, And the degree of your enlightenment can be measured by your actions. Now the practice of presence, the practice of shutting up and paying attention, the practice of observing body and mind until the ideas of body and mind fall away, leads directly to a personal knowing of this world of intimacy, of our deepest interconnectedness, what Bernie calls our enlightenment, and which I prefer to call our awakening. As one Zen worthy put it, this is like taking a drink of water and knowing for yourself whether it is cool or warm. And, this takes us to that last thing I spoke of; of those gifts Buddhism brings to Unitarian Universalism, and which we find in Bernies corollary to awakening action. To explore that, lets turn to that conversation between Yunyan and Daowu. This anecdote is preserved in the twelfth century Chinese anthology of Zen stories called the Blue Cliff Record, one of my favorite Zen documents. Both Yunyan and Daowu were students of the same teacher and would themselves each become famous teachers. According to some traditions they were actually brothers, but for various reasons this seems unlikely. More interesting to me is how Zen is organized in lineages; that is my teacher had a teacher who had a teacher, in a line that historically goes to early medieval China and mythically all the way back to the Buddha. For me a really interesting thing is how Yunyan is actually my teachers teachers teacher in an unbroken line running from my life back to the beginning of the ninth century. So, were talking at least in spiritual terms of a story about my great great to a pretty large number grandfather. But the really important thing for us is that both these monks had their ideas of self and other collapse and saw deeply into authentic interconnectedness. At the time this story takes place Daowu perhaps sees a bit deeper than his dharma brother. Although perhaps not. In the great way we play a lot, each of us taking different parts in turn, and play is in fact one of the primary spiritual disciplines. That noted, in this conversation we get a sense of what it means to move from the interdependent web as a really good idea, to where it describes who we actually are. Now Guanyin is the archetype of compassion. Sometimes portrayed as a man, sometimes as a woman, occasionally in an androgynous form: but always as the deeply, profoundly felt impulse to reach out. This reaching out is the body of awakening. And Daowu says of this need to act, that it comes not through an interpretation of the image of the interdependent web, not through reading the Wealth of Nations, not through solid Marxist analysis, not through an investigation of Marys hymn in the Gospel According to Luke (although I suggest Mary is Guanyin. As do the monks at that Buddhist monastery on Ocean Blvd at Redondo who tend that lovely Mary shrine you can visit any time you wish), not through righteousness of any sort, certainly not righteous anger, a dreadful seducer beckoning us to a confusion of ends and means: but rather like someone turning in her sleep and reaching a hand behind her head to adjust her pillow. Just this. Ends and means are one thing. Our interdependence and you and I are one thing. Now an old Zen saying has it that even the Buddha is continuing to practice. And understanding the relationship between our separate identities and the web itself is complex. So, Yunyans eighty percent is that this realization is like having eyes and hands all over our bodies. True, true, says his brother. But one hundred percent is that those eyes and hands are our body. No separation, however slight and the universal comes to be known the only place it can be known, in each particular instance, in each particular person. So, this practice of refinement continues, and continues. And the path becomes one of ever greater intimacy. Each of us coming to know the other as we all walk the great way together constantly transformed and transforming. So, this is my Unitarian Universalist Buddhist faith. It is the north star of my life, to which Ive given my life. And, very much, it is as it has been, my ministry. And, one more thing, I believe, with all my heart, by many names, and none, this is our ministry as Unitarian Universalists, reaching into our own hearts and minds, seeing who we truly are, and then without a second thought reaching out to the world. Nothing less. Nothing less. Amen. Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. These are the words being spoken by Christian clergy around the world today as the faithful gather to commemorate Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Christian liturgical season of Lent. Ash Wednesday is a day that calls us to remember our finitude, the impermanence of every aspect of our lives. It is a day when we recall all of our weaknesses and remember just how much we are in need of Gods unconditional grace. This day reminds us that no matter how much weve accomplished, no matter what circumstances surround us, and no matter what lies ahead, we are dust. Our lives are but a shimmer on the screen of the cosmos. We are here and then we arent. Naturally, Ash Wednesday draws us into a process of weighing our lives. Do our values and beliefs actually align with the way that we are living day to day? Are we maximizing our potential or are we wasting our energy? Are our lives full of hubris and ego, or do we recognize and embrace our lowly estate? For America, Ash Wednesday couldnt have come at a better time. So much of our collective energies are being poured into endless political banter while families around our nation are struggling to get the medical care that they need. We grasp tightly to our wealth and freely spend copious amounts of money on personal pleasure, and get offended when the we pass by outside the shopping mall asks us for a few dollars for a meal. We spend a majority of our days captivated by computer screens, while the beauty and wonder of the world around us simply passes by. It is easy to get caught in the illusion of self-importance. Believing that the way you spend your time and the things you give your life to are actually meaningful and worthwhile. But when take a few steps back and examine our lives through the lens of our finitude, everything suddenly comes into focus. Maybe you dont need to win that argument with your spouse. Maybe watching that next video of Donald Trump yelling about building a wall isnt a good use of your life. Maybe you could spare a few dollars every day to help another person eat. Maybe you could actually survive without looking at Facebook or Twitter for a day. Maybe our lives really do have so much more potential and value than we ascribe to them by our actions. How do you spend your life? What are your priorities and values? Do they align with the way you use your time each and every day? These are the questions that Ash Wednesday calls us to ask. The ashes on our foreheads are bold reminder that our time is limited, that privilege and hierarchies are nothing but delusions that we construct, that we all begin our lives and will end them in the same exact way. They remind us that our time here is limited and that our lives hold tremendous value and potential. What will we do to redeem our time? May each of us stop and reflect on the absurdity and beauty of our lives. May we use this season of repentance to refine our rhythms and reform our actions. And may we know, deep down in our being, that we are dust. Beautiful, magnificent, mysterious, dust. And may that realization help us live our lives as people who measure our time wisely, give our lives freely, and love each other boldly. Amen. A Note From The Curator: The Other Side is a blog series hosted here on Patheos which takes selected stories submitted to the Our Witness project and shares them with a wider audience. The purpose of this series is the platform the unheard stories of LGBT+ Christians experience at Christian colleges and universities, and how they have overcome great pain at the hands of Christian leaders with their faith intact. It is my hope that these stories will counter the all too familiar narrative that once a Christian comes out as LGBT+, theyre no longer true Christians, and to raise awareness about the harmful tactics Christian colleges and universities use to deal with their LGBT+ students. Bethss Story: My name is Beth, and Im from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a small city in the prairies of Canada. Im the eldest child of a Baptist pastor. Belief in a loving God is the substrate in which Ive always existed; I cant remember a precise moment when I came to faith. Fairly predictably, I was the kid who tried to excel at everything. I got good grades and memorized all my memory verses for Sunday school. I didnt date anyone during high school or university, but like many in my generation of Christian youth, I had read I Kissed Dating Goodbye, so in my mind, I was simply avoiding dating until I found marriageable material, which in my opinion was nowhere to be found in Saskatoon. After finishing my Bachelors of Science, I decided to attend Regent College in Vancouver, BC. I had always wanted to do some Bible school, and Regent had a one-year diploma for Masters-level students. Regent billed itself as a very diverse school, with students from many different countries and denominations, which excited me, and I hoped that my lifes calling would become clearer to me during my year there. I will admit that I was also secretly hoping I might find a studious, good-looking, Christian man at Regent with whom I could fall in love and eventually marry. I was 22. Spoiler alert: the first person I met when I landed in Vancouver is Danice, the woman who is now my wife. She had been recommended to me as a housemate by a former pastor of mine, who was currently pastoring at her church. He knew we were both attending Regent and said we were a good match because we were both low maintenance. Along with a few other women, we found a basement suite together. We got along quite well. Danice introduced me to beer, good music, and the Pacific Ocean. I introduced her to the names of stars and birds and plants. She put up with my perfectionism and endless studying, brought out my fun side, watched JJ Abrams series with me, and even helped drum up my courage to dance in public. When I decided I wanted to return to Vancouver for another year at Regent, we were both excited to continue on as housemates. And she now admits that when she convinced me Id make a good pastor and that I should switch to the MDiv program, she was somewhat motivated by the reality that in order to do the MDiv, Id have to stick around for several more years at Regent with her. Our increasing intimacy as friends forced me to come to terms with a fact Id been avoiding for years: that I had been attracted to far more women than men in my life, ever since early adolescence. In 2008, halfway through our third year at Regent, I finally came out to myself, and to a trusted pastor. I was no longer the perfect Christian kid, which felt incredibly freeing, but also terrifying. I bit the bullet and came out to Danice, worried that shed be scared away. Thankfully she wasnt, so I redoubled my efforts to keep our relationship as platonic as possible, because I thought it would be the only way I could remain in her life. Still, the lines between friendship, romance, and attraction were not so easily drawn, and though she had not yet admitted she was gay, in many ways, she and I were already filling the role of partner in each others lives. I didnt come out to many people at Regent. Ever the people-pleaser, I wanted to know my stuff first. I wanted to puzzle through the theology and figure out what God thought about my attractions to women. My brother had also recently come out, so I used that as an excuse to scour the Regent library for books about homosexuality, assuming I would find an open-and-shut biblical case against same-sex relationships. I vividly remember the way the ground seemed to fall out from underneath me one night when I read an article by an affirming theologian and discovered he wasnt throwing out the Bible and blatantly attempting to justify sin, like the liberals Id been warned about, but that he had some very compelling theological arguments to support same-sex marriage. Sadly, despite the fact that Regent always prided itself on its diversity, encouraging open dialogue and even respectful disagreement on many controversial issues, the LGBTQ topic seemed to be the exception. Most professors avoided talking about it at all, and the only prof who dealt with it at length assumed everyone was coming from the traditional perspective and unfairly caricatured the affirming side. So I remained closeted at school, though I continued reading and studying, gathering quotes from books and online articles into a long Word document that is now over 150 pages long. Around the same time, Danice and I became friends with some out, partnered gay Christians. As I witnessed their faith and their love for one another bring good fruit into the world, this further challenged my expectations and understanding of whether my own attractions were pleasing to God. Danice and I graduated with MDivs from Regent in 2010, and at that point we were both already working as pastors in Baptist churches. As much as we wondered whether we should be feeling guilty or ashamed of our closeness, we also sensed that it was one of the most rewarding, beautiful and God-filled parts of our lives. We were gradually able to acknowledge that we wanted to spend our lives together, even if that meant lifelong celibacy. Soon after, Danice came to terms with her own sexuality. When she finally told me she was indeed gay and attracted to me, it was exciting, and explained a lot of dynamics between us, but it also complicated our situation further, opening up the possibility of a married future together. We lived for a couple more years with two potential paths set out before us: either celibacy and continued work in our denomination, or marriage and the loss of our jobs and denominational home. No matter which path we chose, we would be sacrificing something. In September 2012, we decided to pursue marriage, for two main reasons. First, our theology had slowly shifted to a more affirming place, and we had come to believe that God had brought us together for the purpose of loving each other long-term in a covenanted way. Second, we had a deep desire to live authentically and honestly. Not being able to share this important part of our lives had stunted our ability to effectively pastor other people. We felt it would actually be detrimental to our vocation if we stayed under the dont ask, dont tell circumstances that existed in our churches. We came out more publicly in a gradual process over the following year. It was a difficult year, but also one where my faith grew by leaps and bounds. Never before had I so deeply wrestled with Scripture, and wrestled with God. It was especially difficult for me to feel like I was disappointing many of my friends and family with this announcement, but over that year, I began to learn how to depend more on God as the source of my identity, and less on the approval of other people. Starting the day with God became a necessity as I headed into risky coming-out conversations; I had to ground myself in my belovedness, no matter how people reacted. I also had to begin learning how to love people who disagreed with me. Danice and I were married on May 3rd, 2014. It was an incredible day of celebrating our love one another, surrounded by our supportive friends and family. Shortly after, we moved to Toronto, ON, to accept jobs with a parachurch ministry called New Direction, which exists to nurture safe places for LGBTQ people to explore and grow in their faith. In my role with the ministry, I am privileged to offer pastoral care to LGBTQ Christians across Canada, and to help combat isolation by connecting them to other LGBTQ Christians in their area. Danice does the same thing with queer youth in Canada. Its fulfilling work, but its also difficult work, as we hear stories every day from LGBTQ Christians who have been rejected by their families and churches. We continue to pray for perfect love to cast out the fear and shame that separate us from one another in the body of Christ. If I were to speak at Regent College today, Id thank them for bringing my wife and me together (whether they wanted to or not!). Id tell them about the joy my marriage brings me, and how God is using it for my sanctification Danice makes me want to become more Christlike. I would show them that gay Christian is not an oxymoron by sharing stories of the many vibrant, Spirit-filled LGBTQ people Ive met through my work. I would urge them to conquer their fear of talking about this at Regent, because the silence is creating a stifling, harmful atmosphere for the LGBTQ students among them, and failing to prepare future pastors to love and understand the LGBTQ people they will encounter in their ministry. Id try to convince them that sincere, Bible-believing Christians can disagree on this topic and still love and respect one another. Finally Id encourage them to do everything possible to make Regent a safer space for LGBTQ students to live authentically without fear of rejection. This story was originally submitted to the Our Witness blog. To read more stories like Bethss or to submit your own, please visit Our Witness by clicking here. LINCOLN The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is once again raising concerns about the cost of a proposal to insure thousands of low-income residents with Medicaid funding under the Affordable Care Act. A consultant's report released Tuesday predicts the state would pay $978 million over a 10-year period under the newest Medicaid bill introduced in the Legislature. The federal government would pay an estimated $13.8 billion over that period for its share. Nebraska would initially see a $14 million in cost savings because it would eliminate the need for some current state programs, but the state's net expenses would increase annually to $181 million by 2027, according to the report by Optumas, a health care strategy firm that contracted with the state. Nebraska Medicaid Director Calder Lynch said he will testify against the bill during a legislative hearing Wednesday on the newest bill to cover people in the so-called Medicaid insurance gap. Lynch was appointed by Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, who opposes efforts to expand the program. "I think this is a very expensive way of providing health coverage," Lynch said in a briefing. "I think it's ultimately not sustainable for our state over time." Unlike previous versions that would expand Medicaid, the latest bill would use federal and state Medicaid dollars to buy private insurance for some low-income residents and subsidize coverage for others who have access to employer-sponsored plans. It also would cover people who are deemed medically frail with current Medicaid dollars. Supporters say covering the uninsured population would boost the state's health care economy, ensure that people are healthy enough to work and reduce the cost of uncompensated care that hospitals pass down to consumers. In addition, they argue that Nebraska is losing out on billions in federal aid that other states receive. Attempts to expand Medicaid in Nebraska have stalled three times in as many years. The bill by Sen. John McCollister of Omaha would cover childless adults whose incomes are too high to qualify for regular Medicaid but too low to receive tax subsidies available through the federal health care exchange. Tax subsidies are only available to people with household incomes between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level. The Affordable Care Act doesn't provide the subsidies for people who make less than that because the law originally required all states to expand Medicaid. But in 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government can't punish states that don't expand Medicaid. Nebraska is one of 19 primarily conservative states that have rejected efforts to expand Medicaid. Governors of three non-expansion states South Dakota, Virginia and Wyoming are now advocating expanding Medicaid in their latest budget proposals. According to Tuesday's report, the legislation would cover more than 74,000 uninsured, low-income residents; provide premium assistance to nearly 35,000 with employer-sponsored insurance; and offer traditional Medicaid coverage to more than 15,000 who are deemed medically frail. An advocacy group that supports the bill noted that the Legislature's Fiscal Office has not yet released its cost estimates, which sometimes differ from those put forth by the governor's administration. In a statement, Nebraska Appleseed Executive Director Rebecca Gould said the governor's office should work with the Legislature to find a way to provide coverage to the uninsured. "If the governor and director Lynch are serious about solutions, they will come to the table," Gould said. Patna: Determined to keep his seven resolves that he made during election campaign in Bihar last year, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday sat through a presentation of the Bihar Vikas Mission (BVM) that attempted to outline the means to achieve the seven goals. Kumar, while taking credits for the improvement in road, power, education, and health sectors under his administration in Bihar, said that more needed to be done if Bihar had to be truly considered as a developed state. Aided by his guiding light and election mastermind Prashant Kishore and his Secretary Atish Chandra, the Chief Minister expressed his resolve to keep his promise of providing Rs. 4 lakh loan credit card to students, a monthly stipend of Rs 1,000 for eight months twice in two years for new graduates searching for jobs, free WiFi in colleges and universities, setting up of a venture capital of Rs 5,000 crore for young entrepreneurs, toilets in all households, free drinking water, and free electricity connection to every household. The Tuesday meeting, however, did not provide details about the anticipated Rs. 3 lakh crore that would be required to fulfill Kumar's promise, that is, if everything was done by the book and no change in plan took place in future. "If we are committed to attain what we have set as our goals, there is no reason why we cannot be successful in our attempt. Doors get opened and hurdles get removed so long we have a clear goal and a plan to meet it," the Chief Minister said. Kumar, who has failed to attract industrialists to set up factories in Bihar despite several changes in the policies like the much-touted 'single-window system' and tax breaks to investors, maintained Bihar could become a developed state because of its rich ancient history and fertile agricultural land. The state which just crossed over the assembly election has been witnessing agitation all around and most interestingly, none of them is for political reasons. The state witnessed the closure of shops frequently, this fortnight against the coercive revenue generating measures of the government. https://www.patnadaily.com/index.php/readers-write/11499-traders-reject-financial-choreography-of-nitish.html#sigProId69a68f36d5 View the embedded image gallery online at: Khetan Super Market, the textile center of Bihar, witnessed Gandhigiri on Tuesday. Some 300 odd textile traders wearing typical Gandhian cap having rose in hand, opposed the VAT on clothes. It is well known that textile traders are on agitation against the imposition of VAT on clothes imposed for the first time in Independent India. Some 100 meters away Homeopathic medicine shop owners assembled and chanted slogans against the government. They went on strike on 4th February when a team of drug controllers raided and sealed three shops in Sabzibagh area in an inappropriate manner. In an aftermath, hundreds of shop owners voluntarily closed their shops and joined the agitation at the temple building next to Birla Mandir at Sabzibagh. It is unethical to raid the shops and sealed them without any set of rules, says Dawood Ali, President, Bihar Rajya Homeopathic Sangh. Anyhow the pressure worked and the government had to release the seal later on Tuesday. But a six day closure has approximately hampered a business of more than one crore rupees. On Tuesday alone, Exhibition Road-Bhattacharya Road crossing, the busiest commercial space of the city, was deserted. Some 300 odd shops were closed and business owners sat on dharna demanding rollback of the increased VAT. Across the city more than ten thousand automobile parts' traders went on a one-day strike against increasing VAT rates on spare parts. Though the agitation was limited to the traders of two-and-three wheelers, the impact was felt strongly as the capital alone witnesses 3.32 lakh two-wheelers and 1.10 lakh three-wheelers plying on the city roads. Hanuman Sahay Goyal, President of the Patna Scooter Traders Association, expressed his grudges in the following way: "The government is on exploitation mode. Jharkhand and West Bengal, the two neighboring states, got just 5 percent VAT on automobile spares. We are in touch with traders who deal in spares of four wheelers and commercial vehicles as well. We are planning to broaden and strengthen our agitation against the rise in VAT." Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has a very clear reaction on the issue of coercive method of generating revenue. "After agriculture Bihars economy depends on trade. The VAT rates in Bihar need to be the lowest in the country so that at least we could be converted into a trading hub," says Kamal Shahi, Resident Director, ICC. "Increment in VAT rates will lead to a sudden decrease in trade volume, margin, and profitability. Furthermore, non-registered traders would bring products illegally from neighboring states like West Bengal and Jharkhand where VAT is exempted on clothes and other products," he added. "The government should control wasteful non-plan expenditure first. Nitish Ji needs to understand the basic difference between tax effort by the government and the capacity of the people and stakeholder to pay it. Otherwise his financial choreography will lead the state in financial mess", rebukes Satyajit Singh, Chairman, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industries (Bihar). Why Did Rouhani Visit Italy? 02/10/16 By Cinzia Bianco and Giorgio Cafiero (source: LobeLog) photo by Islamic Republic News Agency When Irans President Hassan Rouhani visited Rome last month, Italian and Iranian officials and businessmen signed $22 billion worth of deals in sectors ranging from energy to infrastructure, steel, and shipbuilding. Rouhanis charm offensive in Europe, which also included stops in the Vatican and France, marked his first trip overseas following the nuclear deals Implementation Day as well as the first visit of an Iranian president to the continent in 16 years. Rouhanis trip to Europe was clearly aimed at capitalizing on new opportunities to bring the Islamic Republic out of international isolation, following the crippling sanctions imposed by global powers nearly a decade ago. Yet analysts have questioned why Rouhani visited Rome first. After all, Italy is a less significant actor in the global economy than France or Germany, and Rome was not a party to the P5+1 talks with Iran. The main reason might be that Iran has long viewed Italy as one of its closest partners in the West. President Rouhani has often stated that Italy represents Irans gateway to Europe. Officials in Tehran even pleaded for Italy to join the P5+1 throughout the nuclear negotiations, highlighting how Italian-Iranian relations have been founded on greater trust than Irans relationship with other Western nations. This somewhat privileged relationship dates back to the 1950s, when Enrico Mattei (then-president and founder of the Italian energy giant ENI) created an unprecedented partnership with the National Iranian Oil Company, which greatly contributed to Irans national economic development. Today, as then, Iran is looking for a genuine partner on its uncertain path toward economic development. Despite the signing of the nuclear agreement, a host of issues-including the uncertainty of the upcoming presidential election in America, escalating tensions between Iran and its regional rival Saudi Arabia, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)s actions throughout the Middle East-complicate the prospects for a substantial improvement in West-Iran relations. Iran needs friendlier countries in its corner to overcome these obstacles. For example, officials in Tehran recognize the wariness on the part of major multinational financial institutions such as Credit Suisse and Barclays, which U.S. regulators previously punished for violating the terms of sanctions on Iran, to do business with the Islamic Republic. While in Europe, Rouhani discussed the possibility of reaching deals with medium-size Italian (and French) banks to bypass this issue. Yet a closer examination reveals that Italian-Iranian relations go beyond this matter. Economic Cooperation Throughout modern history, Italy and Iran have maintained close economic relations. Italian firms remained quite active in Irans economy until the international sanctions regime began to tighten around Tehran several years ago. By 2011, Italian-Iranian trade had peaked at $7.66 billion. The volume of triangulated exports via Turkey and Dubai was also significant. Although bilateral trade was somewhat diverse, the main source of Italian-Iranian economic cooperation was in the energy sector. Iran played an important role in Italys energy consumption (exporting seven percent of its crude oil to Italy), particularly as geopolitical instability in North Africa and the Ukrainian crisis pressured Rome to find new gas providers as alternatives to Libya and Russia. However, the financial and commercial sanctions on Iran, which the European Union implemented in 2012, damaged Italian-Iranian exchanges significantly. (In 2013 and 2014 the volume of the trade exchange decreased by 24.3 and 22.6 percent, respectively). Having maintained a longstanding presence in Irans petrochemical, steel, mining, automotive, and machinery sectors, Italian firms found it quite onerous to comply with sanctions. At this juncture, major Italian companies are ready to go back to business in the Islamic Republic. Moreover, Italians view exports as a means of emerging from their dismal economic conditions and achieving growth. While Rouhani was in Rome, several major Italian firms signed substantial contracts. Danieli signed a $6.2 billion contract to provide Iran with heavy machinery and equipment for steel production. Saipem secured a $3.8 billion contract to revamp and upgrade two Iranian oil refineries-Pars Shiraz and Tabriz. Vinci landed a deal to develop a terminal at the Shahid Hashemi Nejad airport in Mashhad. Fincantieri SpA and Gavio SpA also signed deals for major shipbuilding operations and infrastructural transportation projects. Other important Italian firms eyeing a return to Iran include Alitalia in the logistics sector, Snamprogetti and Tecnimont SpA for the construction of auxiliary infrastructures for petrochemical complexes, Telecom Italia SpA for telecommunications, and Ansaldo Energia SpA for power plants. The Future of Italian-Iranian Relations When Rouhani arrived at the Palazzo del Quirinale last month, a national guard greeted the Iranian president. The Italian authorities went to great pains to demonstrate respect for his conservative countrys norms by covering the nude statutes in Romes Capitoline museum. In talks with their Italian counterparts, Iranian officials also addressed the Middle Easts ever-worsening security crises, where the two governments see common ground. Italys Prime Minister Matteo Renzi stood next to Rouhani and called on Tehran and Rome to jointly confront the evil Islamic State. Yet Italys important post-World War II strategic alliance with the U.S., its strong bond with Israel, and growing partnerships with the Gulf Cooperation Council members complicate the prospects for any further deepening of Italian-Iranian relations. Although Washington has lifted nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, the U.S. government has kept other measures regarding ballistic missiles, terrorism, and human rights in place. Israel and Saudi Arabia are going to great lengths to make things harder for Tehran in the West. Despite such complications, there is good reason to expect Italy to play a lead role in terms of advancing constructive discourse between Iran and the West. President Mahmood Khatamis visit to Rome in 1999 marked the first visit of a president of the Islamic Republic to the European continent. In early 2014, shortly after global powers and Iran agreed to the interim nuclear deal, Italys Foreign Minister Emma Bonino was the first European foreign minister to visit the Islamic Republic since Khatami left office in 2005. Soon after Boninos trip to Tehran, more than 17 foreign ministers from Europe visited Iran. Last year, Federica Mogherini, as the EU foreign policy chief, firmly supported the nuclear negotiations. In the immediate aftermath of the P5+1 and Iran reaching the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) she wrote that the watershed deal opened the door for Western powers and Iran to join efforts to resolve the Middle Easts host of conflicts, ranging from Syria to Yemen. Beyond the commercial, diplomatic, energy, and security spheres, there are cultural bonds between Italy and Iran. As representatives of two ancient civilizations, the Italians and Iranians maintain ties that rest on academic, artistic, historical, literary, and archeological affinities. Today, as Pope Francis promotes Islamic-Christian dialogues, Iran is likely to value Italy and the Vatican as important partners at a juncture in history in which Iran and the West explore a more normalized relationship. Perhaps for this reason Tehran has reached out to Rome, its gateway to Europe, recognizing that Italy has the potential to play an important role in bringing Iran out of political and economic isolation. About the author: Cinzia Bianco is a Gulf State Analytics analyst and a regulator contributor to the NATO Defense College Foundation and the Euro-Gulf Information Center. Giorgio Cafiero is the CEO and founder of Gulf State Analytics. Iranian Professors Sound Alarm Over 'Mass Disqualifications' In Upcoming Vote 02/10/16 Source: RFE/RL About 300 professors at universities across Iran have expressed their "growing concern" over the "mass disqualifications" of candidates in February 26 voting for the parliament and the Assembly of Experts, which could choose the country's future supreme leader. President Hassan Rohani (L) with disqualified candidate Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of Islamic Republic Ayatollah Khomeini. (source: President Hassan Rohani (L) with disqualified candidate Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of Islamic Republic Ayatollah Khomeini.(source: Islamic Republic News Agency In an open letter to President Hassan Rohani, the academics suggested that holding the upcoming elections, which they say will be "unfair and non-competitive" because of the disqualifications, could hurt the Islamic republic and damage its global standing. They called on Rohani to use his power as president to ensure that the elections will be free and fair -- but also suggested that, if nothing changes, it might be better to scrap the vote than to hold it. "Under these conditions, not holding such an election will have priority over holding it," the professors said in the letter released by the opposition website Kalame on February 9. The final list of candidates who are allowed to run in the vote has not been released yet. According to figures released by Iranian media, some 6,000 candidates have been approved by the Guardian Council, which is tasked with vetting all election candidates. One politician from Iran's reformist camp has said that only 1 percent of their hopefuls, 30 out of 3,000, have been allowed to run in the vote for the 290-seat parliament. Last month, Rohani criticized the disqualifications, suggesting the exclusion of so many candidates could make the vote pointless.He also said that he had asked one of his vice presidents to discuss the disqualifications with the Guardian Council. Iranian media last week reported that the Guardian Council has allowed 1,400 candidates who had been previously disqualified to run. Interior Ministry spokesman Ali Amiri told reporters on February 9 that "Reformists, moderates, and conservatives are among the newly approved." 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 Iran TV Anchor Quits, Citing Sexual Harassment 02/10/16 By Amanda Scott, VOA An Iranian news anchor says she was forced to quit her position and flee the country in mid-January following years of repeated sexual harassment by the station's director. Sheena Shirani, a former broadcaster with Press TV, last week published a series of messages and recordings of voicemails she received from news director Hamid Emadi. Sheena Shirani, Press TV anchor The station said Emadi and another Press TV official were suspended Monday until further notice while the matter is investigated. "In our society, women basically have no value," Shirani said in an interview with VOA's Persian service. "Firing people like Mr. Emadi is far from addressing the widespread sexual harassment problem of our society." In the messages, Emadi repeatedly says how he has helped Shirani at the station and has been very supportive. In a recording of one conversation, reportedly between the two, he is heard asking her to come to his house for sex. FILE - Press TV Newsroom Director Hamid Reza Emadi speaks with a correspondent during an exclusive interview with Reuters in Tehran, Jan. 21, 2012. FILE - Press TV Newsroom Director Hamid Reza Emadi speaks with a correspondent during an exclusive interview with Reuters in Tehran, Jan. 21, 2012. Iran's state news agency quotes Press TV officials as saying "publication of the audio file was made in collaboration with anti-revolution individuals for politicizing the matter." "Those who dare to rape someone should be made aware that they would be tried before justice no matter how influential they might be," Shirani told VOA. "A woman should not feel scared of verbalizing her difficulties." Media reports say Shirani has left Iran and has chosen not to disclose her current location. Emadi and his Press TV boss, Mohammad Sarafraz, were banned by the European Union in 2013 for their alleged role in extracting and broadcasting forced confessions of political prisoners. Prominent Lawyers Disqualified from Iran's Bar Association Election 02/10/16 Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran More than two dozen prominent lawyers, including well-known human rights defenders, have been disqualified from running in next months election for the Iranian Bar Associations board of directors. Judge Hosseinali Nayeri, the head of the Supreme Disciplinary Court for Judges, issued a statement on February 2, 2016 rejecting 25 of the 141 candidacy applications, according to Kaleme, an opposition website. According to a 1997 law, the Judiciarys Supreme Disciplinary Court for Judges reviews the qualifications for candidates seeking a seat in the bar associations board of directors. In this way the Judiciary exerts its influence through a body that claims its independence. The disqualified include human rights lawyers Farideh Gheirat, Mohammad Saleh Nikbakht, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, Ramazan Haji Mashhadi, and former Tehran University law professor, Ghasem Sholeh Sadi. The bar association has only published the names of the approved candidates on its website. I have all the qualifications listed in sections 2 and 4 of the law to practice as an attorney...I see no logical or professional reason why I have been disqualified, Farideh Gheirat told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. I have been working as a lawyer for 45 years with integrity and I am proud to say I have not had even a single violation, she added. This is the third time Gheirat, a well-known legal representative of many womens rights activists, has been denied the right to run as a candidate for the Iranian Bar Associations board of directors. The next election, which occurs every two years, will be held on March 3, 2016 to determine the boards 18 members from among the remaining 116 approved candidates. Sholeh Sadi, one of the disqualified lawyers, told the Campaign that the bar association should operate as an independent body and elections for its board of directors should be conducted without the interference of the judicial system. Governments want to limit the lawyers activities and try to control them, said the former Member of Parliament who has served time as a political prisoner in Iran. Sholeh Sadi also noted that he will not be appealing the decision, adding that Once the Supreme Disciplinary Court for Judges issues a decision, theres basically no hope. Nothing else can be done when decisions are politically motivated, he told the Campaign. I always sign up to become a candidate and usually they reject me. Ive gotten used to it. On April 3, 2011, Sholeh Sadi was sentenced to one-and-a-half years in prison and a ten-year ban on his law and teaching practices on charges of propaganda against the regime and insulting the Supreme Leader after he wrote a critical letter to Irans supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. He was released from prison in August 2012, upon completion of his prison term. Sholeh Sadi registered as an independent to run in the 2013 Iranian presidential election. The independence of lawyers as well as the Iranian Bar Association have been seriously underminedsince the passage of a law in 1997 that imposed several limits and controls on the process for testing and licensing new lawyers. In February 2014, some 200 lawyers wrote an open letter to President Hassan Rouhani expressing concern about the Judiciarys attempts to curb their autonomy. They accused the Judiciary of trying to destroy the independence of the legal profession established by Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh more than 70 years ago. The Head of the Iranian Judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, denied the charges, claiming that the Judiciarys supervision over lawyers would not curtail their independence. Iran: Rejected female candidates risk backlash in small towns 02/10/16 Source: Radio Zamaneh The Iranian president's advisor on women's affairs, Fahimeh Farahmanpour, has expressed grave concern over the Guardian Council's widespread disqualification of women running in the parliamentary elections. Women registering in Tehran for the parliamentary election - December 2015 (photo by Islamic Republic News Agency) Farahmandpour told ISNA on Tuesday February 9 that the widespread elimination of women from the list of candidates, especially in smaller cities and towns, will have "adverse social effects". She said when a female candidate in a small town is disqualified on the basis of paragraph 1 of Article 28, which refers to lack of practical commitment to Islam, then she will have to shoulder a heavy cost in her community. She added that such an approach will also discourage women from stepping into the political arena in the future. She stressed that this approach merely entrenches the minimal presence of women on the political scene. The Guardian Council has disqualified most of 12,000 people who had registered to run in the elections, mostly on the basis of a "lack of practical commitment to Islam". The number of female candidates was 1,234, which is up from 458 in the last parliamentary elections. The president's advisor did not provide details about the number of disqualified women. SOS Online Backup offers more advanced security options than most other online backup services, as well as some special features, including the ability to back up concurrently to a local folder and to truly archive your files. We also like that a single license is good for several computers and an unlimited number of mobile devices, even if its storage rates are expensive. 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SOS Online Backup says it encrypts locally prior to transfer with AES-256 encryption, then encrypts during transit with 256-bit SSL, then encrypts it one more time using the AES-256 standard once it's at rest on an SOS server. Besides making it impossible to retrieve your password, the UltraSafe Max option doesn't allow you to use the web portal or mobile devices. You alone possess the password for decrypting your backed-up data. Managing your own key prevents the company from handing over your data to law enforcement, even if compelled to by a warrant. However, if you lose the key, even SOS employees won't be able to retrieve your data in an unencrypted state, so it's probably smart to have a password manager remember it for you. For all but the most privacy-minded, choosing standard is probably a good idea. Speaking of passwords, SOS Online Backup does support two-factor authentication, but you have to jump through a few hoops to enable it. Basically, you need to fill out your user information in the Manage section of the website (which we discuss later) and then submit a request to a representative. Other services, including Carbonite, Backblaze, and IDrive, allow you to enable this much more easily with a dedicated option in the settings section of their respective web interfaces. SOS Online Backup is a product of Infrascale, a company based in California, in the US. Infrascale's privacy policy states that it collects a few categories of information, namely account data and system metadata. SOS uses this data to contact you, as well as provide and improve its services. We appreciate Infrascale's statement that "We do not sell or rent Customer Data or Personal Information to anyone." Note, however, that it retains the right to share data with third parties to maintain or provide its services or to comply with law enforcement "when required by a subpoena, court order, search warrant, [or] other legal process." This is all standard practice. Start Sailing With the security decision out of the way, SOS's backup wizard launches. It preselects all documents, photos, music, and videos, but you can change this selection later. SOS conveniently calculates the total space required and the number of files selected at this stage. The next screen shows a file browser, from which you can customize the selection further and add data filters. You can also choose to include network or external drives for backup. The sky is pretty much the limitthere are no file size or type restrictions on uploads. Next, it's time to choose a schedule for the backup, which can be anything from hourly to monthly. From the scheduling screen, you can direct SOS to concurrently back up files to a local folder, as well as specify how long it keeps files online after they are deleted or if they go unedited for some time on the local machine. SOS doesn't offer a true continuous backup option for the entire backup set, unlike some of its competitors. For crucial files, you can right-click and choose Enable LiveProtect. When you do this, a new version of the file is automatically uploaded to online storage every time you change the original. Other services, like Carbonite and Backblaze, make this much simpler (continuous backup applies to all files in the backup set) and we would like to see this feature reworked. When the backup process starts, a new dialog pops up, showing its progress and even which file it's currently processing. You can pause the process, but there's no estimate of how long the whole operation will take. Advanced options let you throttle the data usage by megabytes per day, in case you have ISP data limits. Note that you SOS home users cannot back up disk images, which is something that IDrive and Acronis True Image allow you to do. Desktop Interface The desktop application on Windows is functional, but it has not been updated since the time of our last review. As such, many of its elements continue to look dated. For example, the primarily gray interface is quite bland and you can't resize most windows. Additionally, the font in the Advanced Options menus is difficult to read. We like the main interface's prominent Remaining Storage indicator and Backup Now button, however. When you click the wrench icon to the right of the File and Folder header, it takes you through the same backup wizard as when you first set up the software, each and every time. We wish you could access specific options more easily. New to the latest version is an Advanced Folder Backup option, which sits directly below. This module lets you set up folders on different backup schedules and specify some new retention policies, such as Replicate or Forever Save. You can even set files to stay online temporarily or schedule their local deletion and subsequent upload to cloud storage. SOS still doesn't have right-click options in File Explorer menu, which Carbonite (30% Off - $58.99 Per Year at Carbonite)(Opens in a new window) and IDrive both offer. Also, it only presents a Taskbar notification-area icon while backups are running. Other services leave an always-accessible icon here. Recovering Files SOS Online's recovery tool is highly functional and one of its best features, althoughagainits design is dated. To access this module from the desktop application, just click the View/Restore tab from the main screen. You can search for particular files, browse a folder tree, or simply restore your entire backup to the My SOS Restores folder, with the original folder structure optionally preserved. You can recover all versions of a file by selecting a simple checkbox or use a calendar to get files back from a particular day. You can also remove files from your backup in this section by right-clicking on an item and hitting Delete. One of SOS's claims to fame is that it saves all previous versions of all backed up files. Most other services that save versions only keep them for a specified time. For example, Acronis True Image keeps the previous 20 versions of a file, but only for six months. IDrive keeps the previous 30 versions indefinitely. SpiderOak ONE (Free Trial at SpiderOak)(Opens in a new window) matches SOS Online Backup by keeping an unlimited number of versions of the files you upload. SOS also functions as an archival service; even if you delete a local file on your backup you can set SOS to retain files online for a specified period. IDrive and Acronis also offer archival features. We tested SOS Online's ability to save all versions of a file by repeatedly editing and saving a Microsoft Word document that was protected by LiveProtect. In the recovery dialog, there's a drop-down arrow in the file's Date field that gave access to all the earlier versions. Note that you have to refresh the Restore list before those prior versions show up. A SOS Online backup representative confirmed that users can submit a request for a bulk upload or download via a mailed drive. This could be useful in the event that your hard drive gets destroyed or you just want to speed up the initial backup process. The representative noted that the standard rate for this service is $300 plus shipping. IDrive, Carbonite, and Backblaze all offer similar services for cheaper. Navigating the Web Client SOS's web dashboard presents an overwhelming amount of information, but it is quick to navigate. Still, the interface feels more enterprise-focused and users just starting out may feel lost. More advanced users will appreciate the flexibility, though. Carbonite's web presence is much more approachable for most home users. The home page displays an overview of completed backups, account details and access to your cloud data. Additional features include a Monitoring tab, which shows the backup status and detailed information on every linked device; and a Reporting section, which lists the details of every backup task ever performed. This console also allows you to delete or share files directly from your online storage, though it does not allow you to password protect shared files. SpiderOak ONE and Zoolz BigMind offer much more flexibility in this regard. In the Settings > Backup Accounts section, you can specify account quotas, limit the number of file versions kept, and disable sharing capabilities entirely. Note that you need to add user information in the Manage tab, before you can request that two-factor authentication can be added to any account. Backup Speed We tested SOS Online's backup speed by uploading three separate 1GB file sets and timed how long the upload took to complete. Next, we calculated the average of those three times for the purpose of comparison. We used PCMag's fast (600 Mbps upload) Ethernet connection so that bandwidth wouldn't be a factor; we're testing the performance of the software and the company's servers. Our test machine for all services was a Lenovo Ideapad 320 running Windows 10. SOS Online's result of 6:42 (mm:ss) is a middle-of-the-pack score. IDrive took the top spot, with a time of 1:25, while Zoolz BigMind's result of 1:44 was not too far behind. SOS Online Backup's speed was comparable with Backblaze's (7:47), but much quicker than that of SpiderOak ONE (19:02) and Livedrive ($8.99 Per Month at Livedrive)(Opens in a new window) (27:11). The speed of your online backup service is not the most important factor you should consider when choosing a backup service, but it can make the initial run less disruptive to your work. Mobile Backup SOS offers apps for Android (2.2 and later) and iOS (6.0 and later). We had no issues signing into our test account on a Google Pixel running Android 9. Note that if you start your SOS account through an app, you get a free 5GB storage allotment (currently Android only). The main app interface is split into four sections, My Cloud, Protect, My Downloads, and My Favorites, but there's a ton of wasted space and the icons look old. Acronis True Image's and IDrive's apps look much more modern. The app lets you back up images, videos, music, and files from the mobile device, as well as view and download all the files in your cloud backup. Some mobile apps, such as Backblaze and SpiderOak ONE, do not allow you to back up device data, so we appreciate this inclusion. We also like that you can sort files by name, size, date, and type, which is something many apps also completely omit. There is no search functionality though in the Android app (though the iOS variant has this), which is problematic for people who need to find specific files in large backup sets. SOS Online Backup is missing other functionality too. For example, you can't share files from the mobile app, and there aren't any options for biometric logins, two-factor authentication, or a passcode lock on the mobile app, either. For a security-focused backup service, this is disappointing. In fact, the only available options are for limiting data usage to Wi-Fi and a few for setting restore preferences. We wish SOS would put more work into the mobile experience, as it has fallen well behind top competitors in terms of usability. SOS May Save Your Ship SOS Online Backup offers excellent security features, saves all previous versions of files, and is very flexible. However, this service costs much more than competitors and its apps haven't been updated significantly in recent years. It's no longer an Editors' Choice winner, but it is still a very good online backup service. We recommend Editors' Choice service IDrive, for its value, and Acronis True Image, for a superior interface and feature set. If you want to avoid using an online backup service for whatever reason, but still want to protect your files, take a look at our roundups of local backup software and external hard drives. LINCOLN Significant infrastructure investments are needed if the University of Nebraska is to sustain its position as an economic driver for the state and region, university leaders told the Legislatures Appropriations Committee Tuesday. Led by NU President Hank Bounds, backers are seeking to double a combined fund of state appropriations and tuition revenue to bring more classroom and lab spaces up to "like-new" standards. Introduced by Sen. Galen Hadley of Kearney, the bill (LB858) would allocate $242 million in state funds over 12 years for deferred maintenance projects on 17 buildings across NU's four campuses. If approved, the Legislature would increase the state's current $11 million appropriation to $22 million annually beginning in 2018. Specified appropriations for the so-called University of Nebraska Facilities Program of 2016 would end in 2028. NU would match the state's appropriation by levying a 1 percent tuition increase in each of the next four years. Regents approved a resolution supporting the plan in December. Together, the state funds and tuition revenue would finance a $400 million bond to pay for renovations. Lawmakers approved similar projects in 1998 and again in 2006 to pay for renovations and replacement of NU facilities, which make up 70 percent of the state's property and total $4 billion in assets. As part of its latest request, NU hired Nebraska-based engineering firm HDR to compile a "facilities conditions index" that the university has used to identify academic buildings that need work. Two of the largest on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, Nebraska Hall and Scott Engineering Center, are among those most in need of major overhaul or replacement, NU officials have said. Testifiers supporting Hadleys bill Tuesday represented a cross-section of agriculture, health science and STEM programs at NU. Kyle Meyer, dean of UNMC's College of Allied Health Professions, said the facilities renovation partnership between lawmakers and the university in 1998 allowed 10 allied health programs to move into a single space at Bennett Hall on the Omaha campus. Bart Ruth, president of Agriculture Builders Nebraska, said resources to build updated classrooms and labs will put graduates in position to meet the states work force needs. The universitys ability to produce talented graduates depends not only on talented staff and programs but also in providing quality facilities, Ruth said. And Shelby Williby, a sophomore chemical engineering major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, told the committee she joined the College of Engineering to pursue a career in sustainable energy and did not believe a 1 percent tuition increase -- which amounts to $2 per credit hour -- would affect her greatly. In a field like engineering, technologies are evolving even as I sit and talk with you, she said. Its important that our buildings reflect that. If our facilities are outdated, we risk not being as prepared for the work force as we need to be. Committee member Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln said while Williby might not be concerned about the small tuition increase, the increases to higher education as a whole are cause for caution. Bolz, who praised the underlying work that went into NUs proposal, said the state is only awarding Nebraska Opportunity Grants to 39 percent of high school students who apply for the financial aid tool. In the bigger context of college affordability, its not just the cost of this particular project, its how it all comes together, Bolz said. Sen. Tanya Cook of Omaha, another committee member, expressed disappointment in NU seeking funding for bricks and mortar instead of making college more accessible and affordable to students while also ensuring their success. From what youve said, the most pressing issue on each campus amounts to us meeting deferred maintenance needs, Cook said. Its not focused on researchers, faculty, need-based scholarships, ensuring students finish within four years. Bounds said students remain the universitys top priority, but NUs hands are tied when it comes to funding for ongoing deferred maintenance projects. The NU president said the $1.1 billion in deferred maintenance is something that "absolutely needs to be addressed" but added the new fund would not be a permanent fix. "Its an issue that I think every university across America is dealing with, and we have to address it," Bounds said. Amazon and Google are both tinkering with drone-based delivery systems, but Google is also eyeing a more down-to-earth approach. As reported(Opens in a new window) by Quartz, a patent(Opens in a new window) awarded to Google this week points to self-driving delivery trucks with compartments that carry individual packages (like an autonomous Amazon locker on wheels). Here's how it could work, according to the patent: customers' packages are loaded onto a delivery truck's small storage lockers, which can be opened from the outside of the vehicle using a keypad. The "autonomous road vehicle" then drives a specified route to each customer's address. Once it arrives, the customer will get a text message alert with the access code and how long the truck will wait for him or her to open the locker and collect the package. Dwell periods would be based on "factors such as the value of the package, weather conditions, and the nature of the destination, history of interaction with the addressee, and addressee preferences." If there are any traffic delays, all customers who have packages on the truck will receive updates alerting them to the estimated arrival time. The patent even suggests that recipients can swipe a credit card to unlock and pay for their purchases on the spot. Presumably, mobile payment systems like Android Pay would also be accepted, but the patent was filed in 2013 before its inception. The patent is vague on how the self-driving part of the truck would actually work, but given Google's very public research into self-driving cars, we can only assume that the technology would be similar. Google did not confirm whether or not it plans to pursue a driverless delivery serivce. A spokesperson told PCMag that "We hold patents on a variety of ideas some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don't. Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patents." If the company does decide to pursue the self-driving delivery truck, the most significant hurdles will be regulatory ones. Amazon's drones have already been tested in real-world conditions. They just need final FAA approval. So if Google does plan to launch a ground-based challenge to Amazon's delivery plans, it all comes down to who can convince government regulators to let them fly--or drive--first. Google, meanwhile, has already experimented with delivery services, albeit with human drivers and mixed results(Opens in a new window). Editor's Note: This story was updated at 3:25 p.m. ET with comment from Google. Are robots people, too? Perhaps, but only if you're a Google self-driving car. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) told Google in a Feb. 4 letter(Opens in a new window) that it will interpret the word "driver" as an autonomous vehicle when it comes to the search giant's cars. They "will not have a 'driver' in the traditional sense that vehicles have had drivers during the last more than 100 years," NHTSA Chief Counsel Paul Hemmersbaugh wrote in the letter. The move comes after Google in November submitted a request that NHTSA reinterpret provisions in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) as they relate to autonomous vehicles. "No human occupant of the [self-driving vehicle] could meet the definition of 'driver'given Google's described motor vehicle design," NHTSA's letter said. "If no human occupant of the vehicle can actually drive the vehicle, it is more reasonable to identify the 'driver' as whatever (as opposed to whoever) is doing the driving. In this instance, an item of motor vehicle equipment, the SDS, is actually driving the vehicle." This move, as Reuters points out(Opens in a new window), is a huge leap toward winning federal approval for autonomous driving. Google has been working on self-driving car technology for more than five years, and introduced its own prototype vehicle in 2014. Since then, the vehicle has travelled millions of miles on California and Texas roads. But right now, there are a patchwork of state regulations regarding autonomous vehicles, impeding testing and slowing the eventual deployment of these vehicles. In California, for example, where many car makers are testing autonomous vehicles, guidelines require a trained driver behind the wheel, and at least $5 million of liability insurance. Google did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment. Two members of Congress are trying to stop states from weakening encryption. Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Blake Farenthold (R-Tex.) introduced a bill on Wednesday that would stop states from mandating that a company intentionally weaken its smartphone encryption to facilitate law enforcement action. The bill, known as the ENCRYPT Act, is surprisingly short(Opens in a new window), saying simply that no state or local muncipality can place restrictions or rules upon device manufacturers, app developers, or product sellers. More specifically, it targets the idea of forcing companies to more easily allow those local governments to "have the ability to decrypt or otherwise render intelligible information that is encrypted or otherwise rendered unintelligible using its product or service." The bill was presented to Congress just weeks after New York(Opens in a new window) and California lawmakers introduced their own bills that would ban the sale of encrypted smartphones. Since Apple and Google encrypt their most recent operating systems by default, though, that would make it difficult to sell iPhones or Android-based devices in those two states. Neither bill has seen activity since being introduced, however. "Different rules in different states create a myriad of issues and will actually make it more difficult for law enforcement officials. We need a unified approach to this issue that both protects security and privacy while enabling law enforcement to keep us safe," Rep. Farenthold said in a statement(Opens in a new window). "The California and New York proposals do not solve the problem. We need to keep free market and trade between the several states robust, not promote a false sense of security and require things like backdoors and golden keys that can be exploited by hackers." "The ENCRYPT Act makes sure that this conversation happens in a place that does not disrupt interstate commerce," Rep. Lieu said. Regardless of what happens on Capitol Hill, all these bills again bring up the issue of encryption. Law enforcement officials have criticized Apple and Google for hardening their communication platforms. Indeed, if an iMessage user were to communicate with another, it would be impossible for Apple, as well as law enforcement, to intercept that communication. Law enforcement agencies say such features put the public at risk. Apple and Google, among others, say they're protecting individual rights to privacy and security, and have no plans to alter their OSes. Its a good day for fans of open-source software. The Document Foundation is releasing LibreOffice 5.1 for Windows, Linux, and Mac. On tap are reorganized menus, integrated support for remote servers like Microsoft SharePoint and Google Drive, improved compatibility with Microsoft Office documents, and too many smaller improvements to count. LibreOffice 101 LibreOffice is the product of more than 1,000 developers, most of whom are volunteers, and has an estimated 100 million users worldwide. Born in 2010 as a fork of OpenOffice, LibreOffice has taken the lead and left its progenitor in the dust. In keeping with the Document Foundations time-based release schedule, this latest release comes six months after LibreOffice 5.0and will be followed by another release in six months time. Make no mistake: If you want an open-source office suite, LibreOffice is the one to use. Heck, if you just want a desktop office suite thats free to use, LibreOffice is the best option. Thats why its included with most Linux distributions by default. But its available for Windows and Mac, too. Reorganized menus After spending the LibreOffice 3.x series cleaning up the code, and the 4.x series rearchitecting it, LibreOffices developers are using the 5.x series to focus on the user interface. The menus have been reorganized in Writer, Calc, and ImpressLibreOffices word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation program, respectively. The new menus are designed to provide faster access to the most-used features. Writer gained a Styles menu, Calc gained a Sheet menu, and Impress gained a Slide menu. The sidebars also got some attention, with the addition of a new Chart sidebar that allows quicker access to chart-editing options. While menus and sidebars dont sound the most exciting things, a streamlined interface is the kind of unexciting feature that will save many people time. The Styles menu gives you more convenient access to text-formatting options in Writer. Saving and loading from remote servers LibreOffice 5.1 features new integration with remote servers such as Microsoft SharePoint, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Alfresco, WebDAV, and FTP servers. You can open files directly fromand save files directly tothese services without any additional software. Any server that supports the CMIS (Content Management Interoperability Services) protocol should work. The Open a Remote File and Save to Remote Server options under the File menu give you easy access to this feature. After you set up a remote server once, itll take just a few clicks to access it in the future. Youll only need to sign in to each remote file server once. So many improvements LibreOffice 5.1 promises significantly improved performance on Windows systems compared to previous versions. It also now lets Windows users insert characters using Alt-key codes. Little improvements are everywhere. Impresss transitions were ported to OpenGL 2.1+, meaning better support for modern graphics processors. The SUM function in Calc makes better use of modern CPU features, to the tune of about five-times-faster performance. Users can easily change autocorrect settings in the spell-checking context menu. Structured references in tables have also gotten some love. The release notes for LibreOffice 5.1 are chock-full of such enhancements. Its the open-source development process at work: Volunteer developers scratch their own itches and everyone benefits. Its still possible to embed content using an NPAPI plugin like Adobe Flash, but youre now warned that this is no longer supported. Indeed, its being removed from LibreOffice 5.2, just as NPAPI support is being removed from browsers. Yes, LibreOffice is helping to kill Flash. LibreOffice still supports embedding ActiveX components on Windows, but this may also be removed in a future release. Support for inserting NPAPI plugins like Adobe Flash will be removed in LibreOffice 5.2. Improved compatibility with MS Office and more The latest version of LibreOffice also features improved interoperability. As always, the developers have tweaked compatibility with Microsofts Office Open XML format, the default file format for modern versions of Microsoft Office. While Microsofts OOXML format is technically an ISO standard, no version of Microsoft Officenot even Office 2016uses the strict version of the standard. Instead, Office still saves documents using a transitional version of OOXML by default. As the Document Foundations Italo Vignoli points out, this is a transition thats been going on nine years. The Document Foundation says this standard tends to change with each new release of Microsoft Office, often in big ways, making it a challenge for LibreOffice to keep up. There are also improvements for importing old Microsoft Office documents in binary formatsthat means DOC, XLS, and PPT files. Improvements for importing RTF files and Microsoft Visio projects are also included. LibreOffice supports new file types, too. It can now import Microsoft Write (.wri) documents and Apple Keynote 6 (.key) presentations. On Linux, LibreOffice can now import Gnumeric spreadsheet files. The WEEKNUM function in Calc also now complies with the ODF 1.2 definition for calculating the week number. This is important for organizations standardizing on the Open Document Format, such as the UK government. The future includes web and mobile apps Work on LibreOffice web and Android apps is ongoing, too. All that time spent improving the suites underlying code has made it possible for LibreOffice to go beyond the desktop and onto other platforms. While the Document Foundation doesnt have anything to announce just yet, it will be releasing more details about the web and mobile versions of LibreOffice in the coming months. Riverside council members decided late Tuesday to place a measure on the June ballot that would give the city attorney the power to prosecute misdemeanor crimes. But there was a catch: The ballot measure will only go forward if City Attorney Gary Geuss cant work out an agreement with Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin in the next month that would achieve similar goals. After a lengthy debate, the council voted 4-3 to put the measure before voters if Geuss and Hestrin cant agree. Councilmen Andy Melendrez, Paul Davis and John Burnard voted no. Geuss had asked the council to put a measure before voters that would change the city charter to designate a city prosecutor. It would give him the ability to take on quality of life crimes he says residents care about but that the district attorneys office is too busy to focus on. Tapping a stack of documents several inches high that he said represent cases in which the district attorney declined to file charges, Geuss said, These are livability crimes that cut at the fabric of a city like Riverside. Currently Hestrin handles misdemeanor and felony cases countywide. The city attorney gives legal advice to the City Council, deals with civil matters such as closing illegal marijuana dispensaries, and defends the city when it is sued. Hestrin has criticized Geusss proposal, saying its unnecessary and wont yield better service for residents. Assistant District Attorney Elaina Bentley told the council Tuesday that her office prosecuted more than 89 percent of cases Riverside police submitted to them and that until now she hadnt heard the concerns about the cases in which charges werent filed. That tells me were politicizing prosecution and we are fearmongering, she said. Geuss has wanted to address misdemeanors which include assault, trepassing, graffiti, domestic violence and prostitution since he joined the city in April. He first sought to forge an agreement with Hestrin that would allow him to handle some misdemeanor cases, but after negotiations stalled he proposed the charter change. But several residents pressed the council to give the public more time to consider the change by appointing a citizens charter review committee to vet the proposal. Contact the writer: 951-368-9461 or arobinson@pressenterprise.com Lecture on Black Lives Matter SAN BERNARDINO Marc Lamont Hill, longtime social justice activist and organizer and host of BET News, will speak from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11 in the San Bernardino Valley College Auditorium. The title of his lecture is Black Lives Matter. The college is at 701 S Mt Vernon Ave. Staff report RIVERSIDE Navy JROTC cadets from Martin Luther King High School hosted the inaugural Southern California Sea Perch Challenge, an underwater robotics competition, on Jan. 30. The Pink Panthers of Martin Luther King High School, consisting of Cadets Tori Jerusal and Jessica Martinez, won the JROTC division, making them eligible to compete at the Sea Perch National Challenge May 20-21 at Louisiana State University. Staff report RIVERSIDE The NAACP ACT-SO program will host its Annual Fish Fry from noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12 at Fair Housing, 3933 Mission Inn Ave. Walk-ins are welcome. All money raised benefits the ACT-SO program and scholarship fund. ACT-SO is an academic excellence and performing arts program for high schools students in Riverside County. Information: 951-323-8306 or reganpope@yahoo.com. Staff report COLTON Police Chief Mark Owens will discuss the departments past, present and future at the Saturday, Feb. 13 meeting of the Colton Area Museum and Historical Society. The meeting, open to the public, is 2:30 p.m. at the Colton Area Museum, 380 N. La Cadena Drive. Information: Mike Murphy at 951-283-4860 or 909-825-0671. Staff report RIVERSIDE The 37th Annual Riverside Black History Parade, Expo & Car Show is set for Saturday, Feb. 13 in downtown Riverside. It gets underway at 10 a.m. Jack B. Clarke, Jr. will serve as grand marshal of the parade, which begins at Riverside City College. The event is presented by the Adrian Dell and Carmen Roberts Foundation. Information: adcrfoundation.org. Staff report NORCO AARP volunteers are available to assist community members with their taxes from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays through April 12 at the Rose M. Eldridge Senior Center, 2690 Clark Ave. Each appointment will take about 45 minutes. Information: 951-270-5647. Amy Zahn TEMECULA The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Temecula Valley will meet at 6 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Assistance League, 28720 Via Montezuma, beginning with sharing, resources and refreshments. At 7 p.m., featured speaker Dr. Steven Galarza, medical director of Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center in Murrieta, will give a talk, Depression, Anxiety and Personality Disorders. A question and answer period will follow. Information: 951-672-2089 or info@namitv.org. Staff report BANNING The Banning Art Gallery is featuring work by artist Don Roths students. There will be a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. on Feb. 20 at the gallery, 42 W. Ramsey St. Light refreshments will be served. Anyone interested in taking a class taught by Roth may call the gallery at 951-849-3993. Amy Zahn SAN BERNARDINO In recognition of Black History Month, the Westside Steppers and the local Parks and Recreation Department is inviting the community to a competition. The Westside Stepper Drill and Drum Competition will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 20 at the Rudy C. Hernandez Community Center, 222 N. Lugo Ave. An entry fee will be charged for the following age groups: ages 12 and over ($10) and ages 3 to 11 ($5). There is no charge for children ages 2 and under. Information: Call the Hernandez Center at 909-384-5420 or email Traci Burnett at traciburnett@gmail.com. Staff report TEMECULA Temecula Valley Players will hold open auditions for the musical Guys and Dolls at 6 p.m. on Feb. 22 and 23 at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater, 42051 Main St. Auditionees should bring a headshot and resume, prepare 16 to 32 bars of a classic musical theater song, a backing track and be prepared to read from the script. Information: temeculaterri12@icloud.com or temeculavalleyplayers.com. Amy Zahn TEMECULA Taste of the World, presented by Temecula Rotary, will feature food, desserts, wines and beers, as well as a live performance by The Killer Dueling Pianos, featuring Ryan Bueter and Johnny Greco. The event is 6 to 10 p.m. March 11 at Pechanga Resort & Casino. Proceeds benefit charity. Tickets are $99 by March 4 and $110 at the door. Tickets and information: rotarytasteoftheworld,com. Staff report Send items for possible inclusion in Community Notes to community@pressenterprise.com. A school bus with students from Paloma Valley High School collided with a car Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 10, in Menifee, sending four people to the hospital and one person fleeing on foot. One passenger on the bus with 19 students complained of dizziness, was treated at a local hospital and released, according to a Perris Union High School District official. In the car, one person suffered serious injuries, one had moderate injuries, one had minor injuries and one person ran from the scene, said California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Lassig. As of late Wednesday afternoon, that person had not been located. Wed like to talk to the individual just to find out if he was injured and who he is, said Lassig. Hes got to be a part of the investigation. UPDATE: Cars driver arrested on suspicion of DUI; passenger still not located The car, a black Nissan Sentra, was traveling eastbound on Holland Road when it collided with the bus as it made a left-hand turn from Evans Road. Lassig said the cars rate of speed is under investigation. Perris Union High School District Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Candace Reines said the district sent out an automated call to parents shortly after the accident, which was reported just before 2 p.m. Follow-up calls were placed to families of the students involved, said Reines. Reines said no injuries were reported by the driver of the bus and the other students on board. The drivers name was not released. The Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department initially reported that 22 people were injured, and that a triage operation was set up to evaluate victims of what it called a mass-casualty event. The bus left Paloma Valley High School at 1:30 p.m., officials said. Residents of the area said that is a dangerous stretch of Holland Road, which attracts speeders and tailgaters. Ariana Johnson, 27, of Menifee, lives near the accident site. Just coming down that little curve (west of Evans Road) people try and either rev it or theyll just be on your butt, said Johnson. Its so bad that I turn my blinker on just to let them know Im turning. Staff writer Michael J. Williams contributed to this report. More attacks like the Dec. 2 mass shooting in San Bernardino can be expected as the Islamic State loses ground and seeks to use its carefully crafted image to inspire terrorist acts by those with no direct link to ISIS, experts told a House subcommittee Wednesday, Feb. 10. The Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non-proliferation and Trade held a hearing in Washington, D.C., titled, After San Bernardino: The Future of ISIS-Inspired Attacks. A self-radicalized married couple, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 and injured 22 at the Inland Regional Center before later dying in a shootout with police. Christopher Swift, an adjunct professor of national security studies at Georgetown University, said Islamic extremists have shifted from less-familiar lands, like Afghanistan and Somalia, to Sunni Arab-dominated areas where they know the language and tribal structures. The result was more robust and resilient organizations, he said in written remarks. Whether it is (al-Qaeda) in Yemen or ISIS in Syria and Iraq, al-Qaedas most successful successors now wage global jihad by organizing and sustaining local campaigns. Swift drew a distinction between attacks like the one in San Bernardino and the ISIS assault on Paris last November that killed 130. Unlike Paris, the San Bernardino shooters werent trained by ISIS, but were instead inspired by an imagined community instead of the actual ISIS caliphate, Swift said. While Europe is much more at-risk of attack from a directly coordinated ISIS attack, the United States is more vulnerable to terrorism from homegrown radicals inspired by ISIS, he said. The San Bernardino attack showed the success and appeal of ISIS as a broad concept, said Alberto Fernandez, vice president of the Middle East Media Research Institute. The shooting, and attacks like it, make ISIS seem more ubiquitous, he said. Swift and Fernandez agreed on the need to weaken ISIS military to dilute the power of its message. ISIS needs to lose and more importantly, needs to be seen to lose, Fernandez said, adding that an aggressive campaign to counter ISIS propaganda, featuring defectors and voices for tolerant Muslim values, is needed. Organizations like ISIS use terrorism when they cant defeat their enemies directly, Swift said. The more effective our strategy becomes in Iraq and Syria, the more likely it is that ISIS will lash out using unconventional means in Europe and the United States, he said. Retired Army four-star Gen. John Keane also testified before the subcommittee. He called for U.S. policy to better define and clarify radical Islam. Knowing what kind of war you are fighting is the first priority of a national or military leader, he said. Given this purposeful misunderstanding of self-deception, at best, by not acknowledging this narrowly focused Islamic ideology, it creates an unnecessary condition where all Muslims are brought under suspicion. Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or jhorseman@pressenterprise.com It sure is nice outside, what with temperatures reaching the balmy 80s all around Inland Southern California. But hold on just a minute. This was supposed to be a super-drenching, drought-quenching, picnic-wrecking El Nino winter. With the exception of one very wet week in early January, the anticipated heavy rain and snow hasnt materialized. We are getting for the most part nothing but sunshine. And Cal Fire, which usually sends firefighting pilots home for the winter, has been staffing air tankers at Hemet-Ryan Airport the past four days because of concerns that a wildfire might break out somewhere, pilot Mike Venable said. What happened? Where did El Nino go? El Nino hasnt gone anywhere, assured Larissa Johnson, a hydrometeorological technician for the National Weather Service in San Diego. Its just that were missing some of the elements needed to bring rain down to Southern California. Still, some scientists profess to being a little puzzled by the disappearing act. Richard Minnich, a UC Riverside earth sciences professor, said this weeks massive high pressure system and associated warmup in particular caught him off guard. I can tell you, I never saw that coming in a prime time month of an El Nino period, Minnich said. Bill Patzert, a climate scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena who early on characterized the periodic phenomenon as a monster too big to fail, termed the dry spell disappointing on Tuesday. A CHANGE IN THE WIND? However, said Jimmy Taeger, a National Weather Service meteorologist, theres still reason to hope for a wet winter. The ocean temperatures are still very warm down in the eastern central Pacific, Taeger said. Were really just waiting for the jet stream to move further south again. And that shift may be about to occur. Or not. Taeger said weather models indicate Southern California will get rain around the middle of next week, although it is unclear how much. After that, he said, it looks like high pressure will return, though not with as much strength as it has at the moment. DEATH VALLEY: El Nino storms bring wildflowers in bloom El Nino comes along every several years when the waters of the Pacific Ocean warm up along the equator. The phenomenon influences weather throughout the world and tends to bring wetter-than-normal winters to Southern California. The last major one drenched the Inland area with 30 inches of rain during the winter of 1997-98. According to a Federal Emergency Management Agency report, persistent rain that season triggered $883 million in damage statewide, caused 17 deaths and triggered the declaration of 40 of Californias 58 counties as federal disaster areas. With the dry spell, disasters have been avoided so far this year. EVERYTHING STILL IN PLACE We are more than halfway through the El Nino season and fortunately we have not had any severe incidents that have required a presidential disaster declaration, said Mary Simms, a spokeswoman for FEMA in Oakland. However, if we use the last El Nino season of 1998 as a guide, it was not until spring that we saw damages that warranted a presidential declaration. While Minnich, the UCR professor, was expecting rain in February, he said it wouldnt be out of character if the main event were to go on stage late in the season. Minnich said the heaviest rain fell during March in two earlier strong El Nino years: 1983 and 1941. Theres never been a great El Nino thats failed in the records before, Minnich said. This would be amazing, if it did. But Minnich doesnt think it will fail. Nor does Patzert, the climatologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Im sticking to my guns, said Patzert, who has been widely quoted as saying this would be an exceptionally wet winter. Everything is still in place, he said. Its going to happen. I have confidence that this El Nino will not abandon us. But the thought crossed his mind. Of course, if April and May roll around and theres no rain in Southern California, he joked, then I will go into a witness protection program. Staff writer Brian Rokos contributed to this report. Contact the writer: 951-368-9699 or ddowney@pressenterprise.com Foundation receives donation The Schuyler Community Schools Foundation recently announced the establishment of the James and Delores Sindelar Scholarships for Schuyler Central High School graduates. The estate of Delores Faltys Sindelar, a 1943 graduate, donated $226,000 to the foundation for scholarships for students postsecondary education. The James and Delores Sindelar Scholarships will be awarded annually at the SCHS academic awards ceremony. Foundation seeking award nominees The Schuyler Community Schools Foundation is seeking nominations for a Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. If you know someone who you believe deserves this honor, visit www.schuylercommunityschools.org, click on the Foundation tab and complete a nomination form. Forms are also available from the office of the superintendent, 401 Adam St., in Schuyler or by contacting Shelley Friesz at 402-352-3527 or shelley.friesz@schuylercommunityschools.org. The purpose of the Schuyler Community Schools Foundation Distinguished Alumni Award is to celebrate and acknowledge outstanding Schuyler alumni and inspire and empower current students to strive for high achievement. The criteria for this award are outstanding leadership, service and/or scholarship and significant contributions to community, state and/or nation. Only nominees who attended Schuyler Community Schools at least 10 years ago are eligible for the award. Nominees may be living or honored after death. Nominations should include biographical information, date of graduation, list of achievements, nominee's or family representative's contact information and at least two signed letters of recommendation. Nominations must be received by March 1 at the office of the superintendent by mail or online. The award will be presented at the May 15 graduation ceremony. Previous recipients include Darryl Gless, Rhodes Scholar and educator; Dale Grotelueschen, veterinary educator; Michael Heavican, chief justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court; Robert Legler, NASA engineer; Lawrence Vrba, international jewelry designer; Alden Abraham, businessman and attorney; Robert Brichacek, electrical engineer; and John Gerrard, United States district judge. St. Benedict Center events planned A Valentine's Day dinner is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday. Married couples are invited for Mass at the chapel of St. Benedict Center, followed at 6 p.m. by a four-course Valentines Day dinner prepared by Mark and Patty Bosh. Advance reservation and prepayment are required. Lenten fish fries sponsored by the Benedictine Monks of Christ the King Priory will be held 4:30-8 p.m. Feb. 19 and 4:30-8 p.m. March 4 with an Alaskan pollock buffet. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12 and free for children ages 5 and younger. A Taste of Contemplative Prayer focuses on contemplative prayer, which is the opening of our mind and heart, our whole being, to God beyond thoughts, words and emotions. This retreat, involving breath practice, is for beginners on the contemplative way. Bring loose-fitting clothing of neutral colors. The retreat runs from 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 until after lunch Feb. 21. Finding God in Troubled Times: Scriptual Approaches is a Lenten workshop led by Fr. Richard Hauser, SJ, Ph.D. Participants are invited to reflect on their faith and how suffering hurts or enhances the relationship with God and Jesus. Participants are encouraged to prepare for the workshop by reflecting on Fr. Hausers book Finding God in Troubled Times. The event runs from 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 until a closing Mass at 4 p.m. Feb. 27. St. Benedict Center is located 4 miles north of Schuyler on Highway 15 and a quarter-mile east. For more information, call the St. Benedict Center at 402-352-8819, email retreats@stbenedictcenter.com or visit www.stbenedictcenter.com. MANCHESTER, N.H. Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont harnessed working-class fury to surge to commanding victories in a New Hampshire primary that drew huge turnout across the state. The success by two outsider candidates dealt a remarkable rebuke to the political establishment, and left the race deeply unsettled. Trump, the wealthy businessman whose blunt language and outsider image have electrified many Republicans and horrified others, benefited from an unusually large field of candidates that split the vote among traditional politicians like Gov. John Kasich of Ohio and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. But Trump also tapped into a deep well of anxiety among Republicans and independents in New Hampshire, according to exit polling data, and he ran strongest among voters who were worried about illegal immigrants, incipient economic turmoil and the threat of a terrorist attack in the United States. Trump received almost 35 percent of the vote, and Sanders approached 60 percent. Kasich finished second behind Trump. The win for Sanders amounted to a powerful rejection of Hillary Clinton, who has deep history with New Hampshire voters. But Sanders, who has proposed an emphatically liberal agenda to raise taxes and impose regulations on Wall Street, drew support from a wide cross-section of voters. The mood among supporters of Clinton, gathered at a college fieldhouse for a primary night party, was grim as the results rolled in Tuesday night. She planned to huddle with her advisers Wednesday to discuss possible changes in political strategy and additions of staff members, according to Democrats close to the Clintons. While Trump led in New Hampshire polls since July, and Sanders was ahead for the past month, the wave of support for both men was nonetheless stunning to leaders of both parties who believed that in the end, voters would embrace more experienced candidates like Clinton or one of the Republican governors in the race. On the Republican side, with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas winning the leadoff Iowa caucuses and Trump prevailing here, the political establishment is confronted with two leading candidates, running well-funded campaigns, who party leaders think would lose badly in a November general election. For the Democrats, Sanders popularity has underscored potential vulnerabilities for Clinton in the nominating contests ahead. Sanders faces his own test to show that he can appeal to voters beyond the largely white, left-leaning electorates in Iowa and New Hampshire. The Palen solar project sought for public lands in eastern Riverside County is off again this time indefinitely. The California Energy Commission on Wednesday, Feb. 10, rejected a request by a San Diego-based development firm to extend a deadline to start construction, and that meant the projects state license retroactively expired. The decision kills the commissions 2010 approval of the eight-square mile project near Desert Center. That approval came with a Dec. 15, 2015 deadline to break ground. To go forward, the project now must start over with new environmental reviews, hearings and decision making. In September, the energy commission gave the projects then-owner, Spain-based Abengoa Solar, an additional year to start construction, but with the requirement that the company provide new plans by Dec. 22 showing how molten salt-energy storage could be included with a curved mirror, or solar trough, system. Abengoa never provided the new plans for energy storage. But another company, Maverick Solar, a subsidiary of San Diego-based EDF Renewable Energy, acquired the projects rights in December through bankruptcy proceedings. Maverick then asked for a new extension and requested that technology be changed from curved mirrors that capture heat energy to photovoltaic panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity. Andrew Bell, an attorney for Maverick, told the energy commission that the company filed paperwork with the commission as soon as it could. He argued that keeping the project alive would help California and the nation meet renewable energy goals. But Commissioner Karen Douglas said the commission had to stick to the order it had made in September, which said the license would expire if the commissions terms were not met. The words of that order were pretty clear, Douglas said. Douglas, however, urged the company to seek new approvals. Maverick is the projects fourth owner, and since its 2010 approval, plans have included the use of the curved mirrors or solar towers, both with and without molten salt-energy storage systems. Wednesdays decision was a win for opponents of the project. The Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity and the Colorado River Indian Tribes had argued that it would destroy important wildlife habitat and sacred places, among other environmental concerns. Contact the writer: 951-368-9471 or ddanelski@pressenterprise.com Plans to build several hundred apartments and townhouses plus commercial space in southern Wildomar are scheduled for the City Councils review Wednesday, Feb. 10. Council members will meet at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall, 23873 Clinton Keith Road. The council will consider two separate projects proposed by San Diego firm Strata Equity Group on property south of Clinton Keith Road. Strata Equitys development dubbed Grove Park would consist of 162 apartments and 55,000 square feet of retail and office space on about 20 vacant acres at the southwest corner of Clinton Keith Road and the future extension of Yamas Drive. The project titled Horizons would place an 86-unit assisted-living complex for seniors plus 138 townhouses on 20 vacant acres at the northeast corner of Elizabeth Lane and Prielipp Road. The site is a few blocks southeast of the Grove Park property. The citys Planning Commission voted 5-0 on Jan. 6 to recommend approval of both projects. Contact the writer: 951-368-9690 or michaelwilliams@pressenterprise.com Matters of the heart are front and center as Valentines Day rolls around, and the California Chamber Orchestra concert Saturday is designed to put everyone in the romantic mood. The California Chamber Orchestra has a great plan for a romantic date with your sweetheart this Valentines weekend, said Artistic Director and conductor Dana Zimbric. We are hoping lots of couples will choose to make great music a part of their celebrations this year. The orchestra, the regions professional chamber ensemble, will include some romantic favorites as well as some new music. Principal flutist Kate Prestia-Schaub will perform two works as soloist with the orchestra. Desplazamiento, a work by Martin Kennedy, was composed for Prestia-Schaub, who has performed the original piccolo-piano arrangement for two years. For this concert, Kennedy has arranged an orchestral version of the tango-style piece in its world premiere. According to Prestia-Schaub, desplazamiento is a Spanish term used in tango for the displacement of the partners leg. Kennedy, who attended Indiana University with Prestia-Schaub, used the tango rhythms and motives to convey the teasing and temptations of the dance. Prestia-Schaub describes the work as challenging and exhilarating. The tango is a very romantic dance, a real romance story, Prestia-Schaub said in a recent interview. It very seductive. Women would use that dance to decide if a man was good enough for her, paying attention to how he led her and how his passion came through. Prestia-Schaub, who lives and teaches in the Temecula Valley, is also the principal flutist with the Temecula Valley Symphony. She will perform another tango with the piece, It Takes Four to Tango, for flute and strings by Daniel Dorff. Tango is perhaps the most romantic form of dance, Zimbric said. And both these works really bring the rhythms and the emotion of the dance to life on the stage. Kennedy will attend the concert for the world premiere of his work, and CDs of both works, recorded by Prestia-Schaub, will be available. Mendelssohns incidental compositions for A Midsummer Nights Dream will offer more music for the heart. Audience members may not think they know this music, but they do, said Zimbric. Its often used in movies and on TV, and at many peoples weddings. The Wedding March will be very familiar to people. Hearing it performed live in a concert setting is a whole different experience. Contact the writer: features@pressenterprise.com Former social media darling / current NSW Premier Mike Baird is having a hell of a 24 hours. Yesterday, he finally responded to a rising swell of criticism against Sydneys aggressive lock-out laws; it did not go well. In fact, the backlash to his Facebook post in which he claimed Sydney is more vibrant than ever and dismissed community anger as rising hysteria could be termed a category 5 shitstorm. And a running theme among the 10,000+ comments on his post? Why does he make no mention of The Star Casino in Pyrmont, which was notably avoided by the lockout law parameters? (To screenshot one of literally thousands more like it.) Baird / his media team had a standard cut-and-paste answer that downplayed the increase in violence around Pyrmont and generally left much to be desires: More recent data shows that any recent increases in assaults in areas like Newtown or near The Star appear to be small relative to the significant decreases in assaults elsewhere. You can see that sentence buried in a wall of text here: It wasnt long before #CasinoMike was a thing, and that thing was trending: In addition to the still-continuing backlash, Baird is now getting accused of deleting comments by the thousand. Facebook user Anthony Skinner (one of the people driving #CasinoMike forward, btw) yesterday claimed that comments had dropped from 11,500 to 5,000, before going back up to 8,000. (At the time of writing, theyre at 10,868.) His evidence was a screenshot of the embedded post from PEDESTRIAN.TVs article yesterday to Facebook, which showed the comment count at about 11,585. So earlier Mike Bairds comment count was down to 5,000-ish, he wrote. Now back at 8000+. The official count is actually up at 11,585. 3,000+ comments deleted. What are you ashamed of Mike Baird? And in another comment thread, Skinner has collected screenshots of people who say their comments were deleted. Theres also a fair bit coming out of Twitter: The comments on @mikebairdMPs Facebook are disappearing even faster than his political career. #casinomike Brendan Maclean (@macleanbrendan) February 9, 2016 Someone tell @mikebairdMPs social team that ppl notice when FB posts are deleted. 7.6k comments & a new hashtag: #casinomike (not mine) Kimberley Ramplin (@Kimbo_Ramplin) February 9, 2016 Below are side-by-side screenshots of his post. One is taken from his Facebook page, and the other is taken from the embedded post. Both pages were refreshed moments before screenshotting: When we spoke to Mike Bairds office earlier, they flat-out denied that comments had been deleted. We reject that statement, a spokesperson told P.TV, while another staff member suggested it could be Facebooks algorithm, which sometimes hides comments that contain swear words. (As a Facebook page that attracts a fair share of comments, we can confirm that yes, Facebook does sometimes hide comments for profanities or excessive caps, but that it is a rarity and the page manager has the option to unhide it. It is also our experience that an automatically hidden comment is still visible to the original poster.) Twitter user Natasha Stuart informed P.TV that her comment was also deleted, so we asked if a) it contained profanities and b) if she had screenshots. @alexbrucesmith I wish I had thought to take one had no idea I would be deleted for expressing an opinion in a thought out, polite way! Natasha Stuart (@NatashaStuart) February 9, 2016 @alexbrucesmith absolutely NO swearing! No name calling, just my opinion. Apparently thats unacceptable! Natasha Stuart (@NatashaStuart) February 9, 2016 The Premiers office didnt comment on Bairds replies sidestepping direct questions about bias towards the casino, directing us to the Bureau of Crime instead. Has your comment been deleted? Know more? Get in touch at editor@pedestriangroup.com.au. Photo: Daniel Munoz / Getty. Access Public Relations launched as an independent start-up in 2008, specialising in media relations, digital communications and communications training. Now they are a leading, independent agency who have sister agencies in some of the raddest cities: Melbourne, New York and London, all while working with some kick ass clients including Barangaroo, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Sydney Airport. Access PR is on the hunt for a passionate and talented Content & Community Manager (SYD) to jump on board and drive social media channels of clients to better places. As Content & Community Manager, youll be the self-motivated sort, who will be more than familiar with all social media platforms. You will have an eye for opportunities, be naturally strategic in your thinking, and place the clients needs and desires at the center of everything you do in the role. If you have some solid social media sass, consider yourself a witty wordsmith and youre keen on joining a collaborative company, then shoot through your CV HERE. News Corp Australia is the nations largest media company operating over 150 household name brands across all-of-the platforms, including The Australian, news.com.au and NewsLifeMedia the lifestyle-publishing arm of News Corp. NewsLifeMedia has a digital portfolio that includes vogue.com.au, GQ.com.au and BodyandSoul.com.au. Collectively, the companys print and digital assets reach an audience of 8.5 mill peeps (wowzas). A sweet gig has arisen for one digital-savvy profesh to join the team in News Corps sweet Surry Hills location, as the Digital Campaign Producer (SYD)! As Digital Campaign Producer, your core scope will be to deliver innovative, integrated content solutions for advertisers and audiences. Youll need to be flexible in your approach to projects, as youll work on production, project management and stakeholder management. Youll froth on collaborating, and thrive on those fast-paced vibez. Youll need to have a genuine passion for the digital landscape, as youll be helping grow and evolve News Corp, as you help respond to the expectations and challenges of the digital world which we now live. If you have some serious experience under your belt, consider yourself killer at comms, and youre keen on a challenge then apply HERE! The Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) was the first Aboriginal group to be allocated a broadcasting license in 1980. The Aboriginal people of Central Australia own CAAMA through an association, and have a strong focus on social, cultural and economic advancement of Aboriginal people. A rad opportunity has arisen for a Senior Broadcaster / Producer (NT) to join the CAAMA crew. As Senior Broadcaster, youll co-ordinate, manage and produce programming at a profesh standard for CAAMA Radio, and youll be all things efficient and effective when it comes to operations. Youll also need to be community centric in your thinking, as youll get an awesome opportunity to get involved with the local community and culture. So, if youre keen on working in a vibing studio, have some serious experience in presenting and interviewing, and wouldnt mind meeting some badass musicians, sporting sorts and influential peeps on the job then apply HERE! Kicking off back in 2011, Huxtaburger launched with a simple tagline Hot Beef. Cold Beer. (with a side of top-notch tofu burgers on the menu for vegos!). But these burgers are far from simple, and Melbournians cant get enough of them! Huxtaburger are looking for Store Managers & Assistant Store Managers (MELB) to get amongst the awesome Huxtacrew-culture. To be a Store/Assistant Manager at Huxtaburger, youll need to be all things enthusiastic and energetic. Youll need to be a natural leader, youll need to understand the importance of cooking a mean patty, and be a big believer in delivering solid customer service experiences! If youre big on burgers and beers, and hella keen on joining the Huxtacrew, then apply HERE. Universal Store is a leading, online fashion-clothing store, providing the youth of Australia with the caj threads and basics they need. Universal Store stocks some of the most drooled over brands including Stussy, One Teaspoon, The Academy Brand and All About Eve. A wicked opportunity has opened up for a kick ass creative / Mid to Senior Graphic Designer (BRIS) to jump on board. To be perf for the role, youll be confident and collaborative, and have at least 3 years of profesh experience under your belt. Youll need to be the best at considering the brand and brief, and youll need to be comfy working in both print and digital channels. If you have a pretty polished portfolio, dig all things design and digital, and wouldnt mind working for a sick online platform, then go get em and apply HERE. All deets courtesy of Pedestrian Jobs. Dont let your dream job slip you by Love your work! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and get yourself signed up to our Daily Job Alerts. 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. Orrstown - new Hbg office bldg (002).jpg Orrstown Bank has purchased a building in Swatara Twp. (Photo provided.) A Shippensburg-based bank has set its sight on Dauphin, York and Lancaster counties. Orrstown Bank has purchased an office building in Swatara Twp. at 4750 Lindle Road from the Hospital & Health System Association of Pennsylvania. The new regional facility will be used to support the bank's expansion into Dauphin, York and Lancaster counties, according to a press release from Orrstown Bank. The new regional office will house employees from several departments including retail banking, commercial/business banking, mortgage lending, and trust/wealth management. The building contains flexible public meeting space that can be made available to nonprofits and community groups. Part of the building is currently leased to tenants who will remain in the building. Orrstown Bank is evaluating several options for branches or loan production offices throughout Dauphin, York, and Lancaster counties and plans to open a branch in the Harrisburg area in the future, according to a spokeswoman for Thomas Quinn Jr., president & CEO, Orrstown Bank. Orrstown Bank plans to hold career fairs in the building this spring to fill positions. Orrstown Bank which is headquartered in Cumberland County and has an operations center in Franklin County has 10 locations in Cumberland County, six in Franklin County, four in Perry County, one in Lancaster County and one in Maryland, according to the company's website. The place to be on a Friday night during Lent? One of the many local fish dinners. Fire halls and churches here in central Pennsylvania host the gatherings where on Friday nights it's not unusual to encounter long lines. (Some groups host them on Wednesdays, as well.) People gather to meet old friends and indulge in batter-fried or baked fish. There are other meatless choices ranging from mac 'n' cheese to crab cakes and pierogi. Here is the official list of dinners in central Pa. Dauphin County The annual all-you-can-eat fish dinner takes place 4:30-7 p.m. Fridays during Lent from Feb. 12 through March 25. The menu consists of baked cod, stewed tomatoes, french fries, mac 'n' cheese, coleslaw, salad, rolls, dessert and drink. Cost is $11 for adults and $6 for children ages 11 and under. Takeout is available. 6400 Chambers Hill Road, Swatara Twp., 717-564-8009. Dinners will be held 5-8 p.m. on Fridays from Feb. 12 through March 25. Menu includes an all-you-can-eat fish and chips for $10.50 served with choice of apple sauce, coleslaw, stewed tomatoes, baked potato or vegetable of the day. If all-you-can-eat fish is not your thing they have a full menu with items including baked macaroni and cheese, baked lemon pepper haddock as well as both breaded shrimp and crab cake dinners. 2655 Foxianna Road, Middletown, 717-944-2175 Lenten dinners with broiled fish or perohi with homemade side dishes will be sold 4-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays during Lent at the church starting Feb. 10. Cost is $9. In addition, you can pick up frozen perohi to take home for $6 per dozen 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays during Lent in the parish hall. Perohi filling choices include potato and cheese, cabbage, sauerkraut, prune, farmer cheese and apple. Smoked kielbasa rings sell for $6 a piece. New this year will be smoked kielbasa sticks. 5408 Locust Lane, Lower Paxton Twp., 717-652-0545 The fish fry kicks off Feb. 12 and runs 5-8 p.m. Fridays through March 18. The menu includes choice of baked or fried fish or shrimp fettuccine for $12. Sides include stewed tomatoes, mac 'n' cheese, red beets, french fries, coleslaw, rolls and salads. Live America and ethnic music starts at 7 p.m. 13 Highland St., Steelton, 717-939-4788 The popular Friday fish fry dinners are held 5-8 p.m. Fridays Feb. 12-March 18 at the church. Come early if you don't want to wait. The dinners draw big lines. The menu is extensive - crab cakes, baked sea scallop scampi and seafood chowder - but the most popular item is the all-you-can-eat fish and chips. The all-you-can-eat haddock is dipped in batter and fried and served with chips. It is priced at $10.75. As an extra bonus, the church also sells peanut butter eggs including its newest flavor, peppermint. 360 E Water St, Middletown, 717-944-5371 Knights of Columbus Council 15137 from Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish The Lenten fish dinners run Fridays from 4:30-7 p.m. Feb.12-March 11 in the Community Center located in the church's basement. Dinner choices are beer-battered haddock, baked lemon pepper tilapia and breaded shrimp. Mac 'n' cheese with fish sticks will be available for kids. Adult dinners are $10 per person and kids' meals are $5. Dessert and beverage are included. Take-outs are available. 2121 N. Third St., Harrisburg, 717-233-1014 St. Matthew Knights of Columbus Council 15351 The lodge will host three Lenten Fish dinners served Feb. 19, March 4 and March 18 at the St. Matthew Parish Activity Center, 607 Stoney Creek Drive in Dauphin. Dinner options include homemade crab cakes and baked haddock fillet dinners. Dinners come with twice baked potato, coleslaw, applesauce, roll, and drink. Dinner prices range from $10-$14. A children's meal will be available for $2. They also will sell homemade pierogies at $6 for a dozen or three for $2, as well as a variety of desserts. The weekly Friday fish dinners run 4-7 p.m. Feb. 12-March 11 with a menu including baked or fried haddock, shrimp, crab cakes and fish sandwiches. Meals come with choice of French fries or baked potato, as well as applesauce, coleslaw and dessert. Prices run $10-$11. 732 E. Main St., Lykens, 717-453-7895 Knights of Columbus Holy Rosary Council 869 Buffet-style Lenten fish dinners will be held 4-7 p.m. Fridays, beginning Feb. 12 through March 25. Cost is $12 for adults and $6 for children, ages 5-10. Buffet includes broiled and fried fish, mac 'n' cheese, stewed tomatoes, coleslaw, applesauce, rolls and desserts. 145 Peach Street in Harrisburg, 717-545-6504 Lebanon County Fish dinners are held Fridays in the church social hall starting Feb. 12 and will run through March 18. Menu includes baked or fried fish dinners, butterfly shrimp dinners and single crab cake dinners for $9.50. A two-crab cake dinner is $12.75 and pierogi dinners are $6.75. The meals run 3-7 p.m. 245 W. Pine St, Palmyra, 717-838-3369 Lenten fish dinners are held 4-7 p.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 10-March 23 in the parish social hall. Menu includes baked or fried fish and baked potato or french fries, applesauce or coleslaw, homemade dessert, coffee or tea. Salad will also be available. Cost is $9 for adult dinners and $2 for children ages 12 and under. 2596 Cornwall Road, Cornwall, 717-273-1574 York County The annual seafood fundraiser during Lent covers several meal options on Fridays from Feb. 12-March 18. Lunches will be served 11:30 a.m.-1:30 pm. and include fried fish, fried butterfly shrimp, mac 'n' cheese and baked fish along with crab cake and fish sandwiches. Prices run $3.50-$9. Dinners will be available 4-7:30 p.m. with more entree options such as coconut shrimp, baked scallops and crab cakes as well as baked and fried fish. Dinners cost $8-$16. 950 W. Market St., York, 717-781-6694 A 20-year-old missionary killed when a Cumberland County school bus collided with a car Tuesday has been remembered on social media for her loving and kind nature. "Sadie was light, love and laughter to a degree not achieved by many. Thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends," one person wrote on Twitter. Police identified Sadie D. Wells, of Kaysville, Utah, as a victim in the crash reported shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday at South Locust Point and West Trindle roads in Monroe Township. Wells was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was in the car with three other sisters when crash investigators said a loaded school bus did not stop for a stop sign and struck the vehicle. Wells was a passenger in the car, and the three others were taken to be treated for injuries suffered in the crash. According to KSL.com, Church spokeswoman Kristen Howey released a statement following the crash that read: "Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of Sister Sadie Danielle Wells, 20, of the Kaysville Utah Stake, who died in a car accident this afternoon, February 9, in Monroe Township, Pa. Sister Wells was serving in the Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Mission since May 2015. Three other sister missionaries were also in the vehicle and are currently receiving medical care for non-life-threatening injuries. We pray for the injured sisters and for the families of all four sisters at this difficult time. We extend our sincerest sympathies to the Wells family for the loss of their daughter, and to other loved ones, friends, and fellow missionaries who were blessed by her friendship and example." Wells was a 2014 Davis High School graduate where she participated in cheerleading. People took to Twitter after news of the fatal crash spread to remember Sadie and mourn her death. VIDEO: Utah sister missionary killed in Pennsylvania, 3 others injured https://t.co/mS2bDM4YFd pic.twitter.com/V4BckNmVnQ KUTV 2News (@KUTV2News) February 10, 2016 Our Davis family mourns the passing of Sister Sadie Wells, a 2014 graduate and cheerleader, in Pennsylvania today on her mission #Dartstrong DHS Sports (@DavisHSSports) February 10, 2016 Sister Sadie Danielle Wells of Kaysville killed when bus strikes her car. pic.twitter.com/B8wnvB6XWA Chris Jones (@jonesnews) February 10, 2016 Prayers go out to the Wells family. Sadie was so kind and so giving. Ckat (@ckemp_) February 10, 2016 Sister Sadie Wells was inspiring. She recently portrayed "Mary" in a live Nativity viewed by hundreds. #sadiewells pic.twitter.com/ufZMU8ApW2 Adam McBride (@AdamMcBride3) February 10, 2016 Police identified 68-year-old Edmund Clapper, of Mechanicsburg, as the bus driver and said he did not suffer any injuries in the crash. One student on the bus that carried 32 students was taken to Holy Spirit Hospital for treatment of a minor injury. Another student suffered a nose bleed in the accident. State police are investigating the crash. Police had not filed any charges against Clapper in the incident as of Wednesday morning. School counselors and nurses are available to Cumberland Valley School District students following a fatal bus crash in Monroe Township on Tuesday afternoon, the district said in a written statement. There were 32 high school and Eagle View Middle School students on a bus that crashed into a passenger car at Locust Point and Trindle Road at about 12:46 p.m., the district said. A woman in the car, who the Cumberland County coroner has yet to identify, was killed. Three passengers in the car were rushed to Hershey Medical Center for treatment. One passenger was listed in serious condition. The condition of the other two passengers was not immediately available. One student was rushed to Holy Spirit Hospital for the treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, the school district said. Coroner Charlie Hall said another student was treated for a nose bleed sustained in the accident. Following the accident, the district notified parents of students. Students were taken back to the high school, where they were picked up by their parents. Counselors and nurses will be available to students through next week, the district said. Shortly after the accident, firefighters at the scene helped students off of the bus while others attended to the car, which was severely damaged. The roads were wet from Tuesday's snowfall, but Coroner Charlie Hall said it did not appear that the accident was weather related. "Our thoughts are with those individuals, the students and their families who were involved in this tragic circumstance," the district said. "Following the emergency protocols we have in place, district administration was at the scene of the accident and an administrator and school nurse were at Holy Spirit Hospital to provide support to our students and first responders." Luis Lugo-Davila.png Though he is already serving a life sentence in the 2014 death of Erica Klinger, Luis Lugo-Davila was sentenced to an additional 40 to 120 months Tuesday for a Hampden Township burglary. (Dauphin County Prison.) CARLISLE -- He's looking at up to 120 months in prison for his part in a Hampden Township burglary, but that prison time will likely be of no significance to Luis A. Lugo-Davila. Though he was sentenced in Cumberland County Court on Tuesday, he was already serving a life sentence in the 2014 death of Erica Klinger. But adding that prison time on top of his life sentence was still important to Assistant District Attorney Scott Jocken. "This was a brazen home invasion," Jocken told the court. "He should do time on it, even though he is already serving life." Judge Thomas A. Placey sentenced Lugo-Davila to 40 to 120 months in state prison on one count of criminal conspiracy to commit burglary. He pleaded guilty to the charge on Dec. 1. This sentence will be served consecutively to his life sentence. Lugo-Davila, 30, had been sentenced to life in prison in Dauphin County Court in June for strangling 28-year-old Klinger in a Lower Paxton Township motel room in June 2014 and dumping her body in Perry County. According to court documents, the Cumberland County burglary occurred in July 2014 -- the month after Klinger's death while police were still looking for her killer. Hampden Township Police say the incident occurred like this: A resident of the 6300 block of Creekview Road was home when she saw a green van pull into her driveway. She saw a man get out and knock on her door and ring the doorbell. The same man - later identified as Lugo-Davila - then walked around to the back door. As she heard the back door being forced open, the homeowner hid in a closet and called 911. Police arrived and found Marcelino Heredia in the driver's seat of the green van and saw Lugo-Davila running away. Police investigated the scene and found glass from the back patio door had been shattered. Drawers inside the home were rummaged through and a pillow case containing jewelry was found at the foot of the stairs. The homeowner said a semiautomatic handgun was missing. Police also noticed blood on a pillow case. They sent the evidence to the Pennsylvania State Police Forensics Lab in an effort to identify the person who fled from the house, and a likely match came back for Lugo-Davila. Investigators interviewed him on July 29, 2014, and he admitted to stealing the handgun and selling it for drugs. Police also searched the van and found two cell phones - one belonging to Heredia and another belonging to Edelwardo Vazquez of Harrisburg. When police interviewed Vazquez, he said he waited at the front door while Lugo-Davila went around the back. He said Lugo-Davila let him in, but he dropped the jewelry he was taking and fled as police arrived. Heredia, 34, was sentenced on March 18 to 15 to 30 months in prison on one count of conspiracy to commit burglary, and Vazquez, 26, was sentenced earlier this month to 11 1/2 to 23 months on the same charge. WILLIAMSPORT -- State police have asked a federal magistrate judge to reconsider his recommendation a jury should decide if two state troopers used excessive force when they stunned a New Jersey motorist 17 times before arresting him in 2011 in Cameron County. State police, Cpl. Eric Farabaugh and Trooper Dennis Miller want Magistrate Judge William I. Arbuckle III to change his recommendation to one that recommends granting the defense summary judgment in a civil suit brought by Paul Kircher II. They contend in documents filed Monday in U.S. Middle District Court Arbuckle relied on disputed facts and he did not apply the proper standard in determining the troopers were not entitled to immunity. Arbuckle in December found there are factual issues whether actions by Farabaugh and Miller against Kircher on Sept. 14, 2011, in the Driftwood area were proper. He cited logs that show the troopers used their Tasers on Kircher 17 times for a period of 86 seconds at approximately 3:30 a.m. According to court documents, Kircher, who was living in Gibbstown, N.J., at the time, was en route to visit a cousin in California when early on Sept. 14, 2011, he left Interstate 80 for a pit stop. Because it was foggy, he said he was driving at a slow speed trying to read road signs. Farabaugh and Miller stopped him but let him continue after determining he had a valid driver's license and insurance. Kircher claims he got lost again, pulled to the side of Route 120, dimmed his lights and listened to the car radio to try to determine where he was. Nathan Ball, an assistant Sinnemahoning fire chief, said he stopped to offer aid but the motorist drove off without turning on his headlights. Kircher claimed he was spooked since it was pitched dark and Ball was not in uniform. Ball said he followed him for more than two miles, activated his emergency lights and through a communications center notified state police. Firebaugh and Miller claim when they stopped Kircher this time he drove away in reverse without his headlights on, ignored repeated loud speaker commands to stop so they forced his car into an embankment. Court documents give this version of what happened next: Kircher was ordered out of his car but he stepped on the accelerator trying to free his pinned vehicle and refused to raise his hands or exit the car. The passenger side window was broken, one of the troopers stunned him and when Kircher still would not get out, the driver's side window was broken. Kircher was observed breaking the wire leads from a Taser so he was stunned again after being warned. The troopers claim they did not know if Kircher was armed and thought he might be under the influence of something. A jury in October 2012 found Kircher guilty of fleeing or attempting to elude police and resisting arrest. The judge found him guilty of careless driving. Charges of aggravated assault and drunken driving were withdrawn. This post was updated at 2:21 p.m. Wednesday to add reaction from Attorney Ganeral Kathleen Kane's press secretary Chuck Ardo. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted Wednesday to launch a formal impeachment process against embattled Attorney General Kathleen Kane. The resolution, which actually empowers a House sub-committee to begin an investigation to determine whether Kane should face articles of impeachment, passed on a 170-12 vote with minimal debate. Supporters say they expect the committee to make its recommendation on whether to not to file articles of impeachment this spring. If drafted and separately approved by the full House, that could set the stage for a rare impeachment trial in the state Senate later this year. Though just a preliminary step, the House action is also one that Kane would have to see as a serious personal threat in a year where she is scheduled to stand for re-election. Kane is already facing a scheduled August criminal trial on perjury charges and a separate process in the state Senate that could see her removed from office. That debate was in progress as the House voted today. Impeachment is prescribed in the Pennsylvania Constitution as one way for the Legislature to directly remove a sitting elected official for various types of misbehavior in office. The Subcommittee on Courts that will conduct the initial probe is chaired by Rep. Todd Stephens, a Montgomery County Republican who, ironically, mounted an early run for the Republican nomination to oppose Kane. Stephens, who has since bowed out of that race, promised a "thorough, fair and impartial investigation" with no pre-determined outcomes. If the House does vote to bring articles of impeachment against Kane this spring, that would ultimately lead to a public trial in the state Senate, where a two-thirds vote would be required to convict and remove her. Kane, the first Democrat and the first woman to be elected attorney general in Pennsylvania, contends most of the allegations she is facing are the result of pushback from an "old boys club" within a justice system that Kane contends she has shown - through the release of pornographic and potentially offensive email chains over the past year - to be too clubby and insensitive to women's issues, racial, ethnic and other minorities. She's characterized the impeachment resolution, sponsored by Rep. Garth Everett, R-Lycoming County, as more of the same, arguing the legislature should turn its focus from her to problems she has exposed. Kane's press secretary Chuck Ardo criticized the House action shortly after the vote. Ardo said Kane believes the House action is "premature," and that the House should "wait until her legal proceedings have been completed before acting." A Senate vote to remove Kathleen Kane from office planned for Wednesday may seem like an end. In reality, however, it may be a new beginning as the embattled attorney general has signaled a possible legal challenge to the process and a possible reelection campaign in November. As of Tuesday, it remained unclear if proponents of Kane's removal had the two-thirds majority necessary to invoke a clause in the state Constitution that was last used -- unsuccessfully -- in the 19th century. Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County, said the Senate has made a point of following a process that he believes was fair and bipartisan because of the legal precedent the removal vote could set. In the lead-up to Wednesday's vote, he said, Republicans have not tried to lobby their fellow senators against Kane. "This isn't something we're looking to do," he said Tuesday. "If the Democrats vote for it, that's fine. If they don't, that's fine, too." Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny County, said different members of his caucus have indicated that they would vote for and against Kane's removal, but he couldn't provide a firm number in either direction. As of Tuesday, Costa said, he's still considering the evidence himself, but believes the House's impeachment process would have afforded Kane more due process. "We have this process going through the House and we probably should've waited," he said. "I think the impeachment process is the more appropriate method." Corman said the point of the entire process was not to issue a judgment against Kane, but to determine if she's able to continue on as attorney general in the wake of the Supreme Court's suspension of her law license last fall. Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County "If the Supreme Court would reinstate her license, we'd be done," he said. "If she would take a leave of absence and have an acting attorney general, we'd be done. The issue is not her or her behavior." The actual "direct address" process will begin during the Senate's 11 a.m. session on Wednesday, Corman said. After the removal resolution is introduced, it will be reported to the Senate Rules Committee. If the committee votes it forward, the resolution will then go on to a full Senate vote. Kane was not invited to speak. "We gave her the opportunity to come and she chose not to," Corman said, referring to last months' special committee hearing. No one, however, expects Kane to leave office without a fight. "She continues to believe as she has all along that the Senate process is unwarranted and unconstitutional," said Kane spokesman Chuck Ardo, who could not comment on any recourse the attorney general might have planned. Most legislative staffers and legal experts believe the "shall" language in the Constitution means that Wolf would be forced to sign off on the removal if it goes to his desk. Wolf, however, has wavered on the issue. "He will await the Senate to complete its process and he will review the decision at that time," Wolf spokesman Jeff Sheridan said Tuesday. Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University law professor and constitutional law expert, said the constitution is fairly cut and dried. "There's no question about that," he said. "He has no discretion here. If it's a two-thirds vote, she's out." Former Attorney General Walter Cohen said there have been situations where "shall" was interpreted as "may" -- primarily in elections law -- but he doesn't believe it applies in this case. One example was a case that challenged Gov. Robert Casey's appointment of a replacement and call for a special election without a primary upon the death of U.S. Sen. John Heinz in a 1991 plane crash. A prospective candidate lost his case based on a judge's interpretation of the U.S. Constitution's 17th amendment. Cohen said Kane's most likely legal recourse would be another king's bench petition with the state Supreme Court over that issue or the court's earlier suspension ruling, which stipulated that the action was not tantamount to her removal from office. Ledewitz also pointed out that much of the original debate around the direct address clause upon its addition to the constitution in the 19th century concerned its use in the event of physical incapacity. James Mundy, the attorney who represented Kane in her last-minute attempt to lift the suspension, did not respond to a request for comment. It's not clear whether the Supreme Court would be more receptive in the wake of Kane's possible removal. The three newly elected Democratic justices joined the others in rejecting Kane's recent bid to lift the suspension. They may not be so receptive to an argument on constitutional grounds, Cohen said. "It's provided for in the constitution, so it's difficult to understand how it's unconstitutional," he said. Kane's more compelling case -- and one she has yet to publicly make herself -- is about her legal standing as attorney general. On Tuesday, Costa pointed out that several court challenges to Kane's authority to prosecute have failed. Those cases will be part of his own deliberative process when deciding if Kane can continue as attorney general, he said. Cohen said Kane has yet to be proven guilty of the criminal charges related to the alleged grand jury leaks -- the very charges that spurred the law license suspension that, in turn, led to the removal process. "She's certainly been through many, many difficult situations because she did not resign," he said, "and, yet, she is correct that you're innocent until proven guilty." Additionally, Cohen said, the office itself is in the hands of deputies who've worked effectively prior to Kane's arrival and will continue to do so after her departure. "It may not be the best or most pleasant place to work, but it's functioning," said Cohen, who stepped in as attorney general in 1995 after Ernie Preate pleaded guilty to mail fraud related to a political campaign. Duquesne University Professor Bruce Ledewitz Ledewitz said he believes the Supreme Court overstepped its bounds by suspending Kane's law license in the first place. They similarly blurred the separation of powers by forcing Kane, an elected official, to hand over emails she'd recovered in the so-called 'Porngate' scandal in 2014, he said. Neither of those arguments offer protection against the Senate's direct address, Ledewitz said, but the whole scenario will serve as a case study in his own law classes. But the Senate removal also provides the surreal possibility that Kane could be removed as attorney general, win reelection in November and be sworn in again come January. Even with her various troubles, a recent public opinion poll showed her leading the Democratic primary race. "She may be removed, but it's not because she's legally incapable of holding the office," Ledewitz said. "Legally speaking, to run for office you just have to be legally entitled to hold it." And Kane's removal from office may actually bolster her pitch to voters concerned about the offensive emails and the chummy relationship they revealed between judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys. "If it's a close vote, it will further embolden her narrative of her victimhood," Ledewitz said. "A close removal may be the worst of all worlds." And, as if that wasn't enough, Cohen said Kane has a vested interest in continuing her reelection bid if she's removed from office. Even after her removal, he said, she can continue to justify using campaign funds to pay her criminal attorneys because the outcome of the case could impact the outcome of the election. Kane still had $246,000 available in her campaign fund at the start of 2016, according to recent filings. "If you're no longer a candidate," Cohen said, "it's hard to say (that) using the campaign fund will influence the election." East King Street parking garage Lancaster The East King Street parking garage in Lancaster (Lancaster Parking Authority) Lancaster's City Council has put the brakes on a much-debated parking garage project amid outcry from neighbors and historical preservationists concerned about its impact. In a case sure to repeat itself as modern day development needs continue to butt up against historical and residential ones in the growing city, council members, minus Pete Soto, voted 5 to 1 against the proposed six-story expansion of Lancaster's East King Street garage in a meeting crowded with community members on Tuesday. Councilman Tim Roschel was the sole dissenting vote. The project -- pushed for by the city's Parking Authority and business groups which called it an integral component in the continued redevelopment of the downtown corridor -- was previously opposed by the city's planning commission and Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB). On Tuesday, the council voted to uphold the HARB recommendation which found the garage project to be out of step with the character of the surrounding neighborhood and in conflict with the aesthetic and architectural protections it's afforded as an historical district. "The massive size and scale of the garage is the fundamental issue," HARB vice chair, Mimi Shapiro said in restating the board's position on Tuesday. "It is out of scale and proportion with the immediate area and its historic district properties." In the end, council agreed with Shapiro's interpretation, leaving parking authority officials no choice but to go "back to the drawing board," as their chairman, Mark Vergenes, put it. "I don't think this was a loss," Vergenes added. "We'll go back to the drawing board, but we don't have unlimited dollars either," he cautioned, saying location and pricing options remain limited in the city. There was no timetable for this process immediately available. Council's vote was taken after nearly two hours of public comment in which residents, some tearful, warned of the eyesores and traffic tie-ups the garage project represented in their backyards. Others from surrounding businesses expressed support for the planned expansion citing a dearth of parking in the bustling downtown area and a demand that has quickly outpaced supply. But opponents were unwavering. "This is a massive structure abutting an historic district," said Jon Lyons, a former council member and one-time mayoral candidate. "This is not the kind of city we want ... We want a vibrant, livable city and part of the premise of a vibrant livable city is to have neighborhoods where people can buy property and expect nothing untoward will happen to that property." Before casting his vote, councilman James D. Reichenbach said he refused to accept the either/or proposition, that opponents of the project were against economic growth in the city and supporters for it. "This is by far and away the most challenging decision I've made (in five years on council)," he said, adding "We absolutely need more parking ... But I have not been convinced that this is the smart way to do it." Others on council said they were voting, not for whether they supported the project's ambitions or relevance, but whether they feel it's appropriate for the location under city guidelines for similar historic enclaves. In the end, five members decided it was not. Carlisle homicide first in five years Carlisle Borough Police Chief Stephen Margeson, pictured, submitted his resignation Wednesday and will retire effective March 11. Margeson spent more than 25 years leading the department, capping a nearly 40-year career in law enforcement career. Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com (Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com) Longtime Carlisle Police Chief Stephen Margeson intends to retire next month, Carlisle Mayor Tim Scott confirmed to PennLive. Margeson is retiring from the department effective March 11, Scott said. He has led the department for more than 25 years, capping a nearly 40-year career in law enforcement. Carlisle Borough manager Matthew Candland accepted Margeson's resignation Wednesday. Carlisle Police Lt. Stephen Latshaw will serve as the interim chief of police until a permanent replacement is found, the borough announced in a written statement. Margeson said he was honored to lead the department of "true professionals who take their public safety missing seriously each and everyday" and promised that they will continue to going forward. Before joining the Carlisle Police Department, Margeson was the chief of police for the Wellsville Village Police Department in Wellsville, New York. Prior to that stint, he was a police officer with the was Alfred Police Department in Alfred, New York. Mayor Tim Scott and Candland thanked Margeson for his nearly four decades of public service. "During my term as Mayor, I had the opportunity to serve closely with Chief Margeson and appreciated his commitment and dedication to the borough," Scott said. "As our chief of police, he cultivated and maintained positive working relationships with so many in our community. I wish him all of the best." Candland noted that during Margeson's tenure, "the Carlisle Police Department experienced many changes and advancements." It wasn't immediately clear how long the search for a new chief of police could take, or who is being considered for the job. The borough said it soon would provide details on the process and timetable for hiring a replacement. This story was updated with more information. A Luzerne County man cheated an area horse-breeding social club out of thousands of dollars by forging checks police said he stole from a Denver home. Brian Rowlands, 42, knew someone pet-sitting at the home and pocketed the checks, according to the Lancaster County district attorney's office. He also made electronic payments to cover personal debts, police said. The office has filed felony counts of forgery, theft and access device fraud against him after police reported that Rowlands admitted to the crimes. Brian Rowlands According to the district attorney's office: Rowlands stole checks in May or June 2015 from the Denver home and wrote them out to himself. The checks were largely connected to an account with the Pa. Morgan Horse Club, which is "a Lebanon based social club that promotes the breeding of Morgan horses and events affiliated with the animals." Two other checks were from the homeowners' checking account, and he wrote one for $500 to himself. Rowlands' mother cashed $4,000 worth of checks at a Wilkes-Baree bank because he didn't have an account, and he also used the victims' account information to make $2,597 in cellphone e-payments, according to police. Investigators said Rowlands used his connection to the pet-sitter to get into the home and take the checks. "The pet-sitter was unaware and isn't charged in the crimes," according to the release. Rowlands, according to the office, is not eligible for bail because he was also arrested on an outstanding warrant from Manor Township police on a theft charge and a state parole detainer. A South Whitehall Township man is headed to state prison for running over his wife, and separately driving under the influence twice with his 10-year-old son in the truck. A South Whitehall Township man is headed to state prison for running over his wife, and two separate DUIs while he son was in a truck with him. Edward Clark Jr. on Tuesday again said he didn't realize he ran over his wife following an argument. Defense attorney Richard Webster said it was a combination of prescription medication and alcohol that led to the DUIs. "It was the most horrible accident in the world. I regret it. I had no idea I did that," Clark said. "There's no way to not know you ran her over," Judge Maria Dantos countered. Dantos cited Clark's "excuses, excuses, excuses" in his three cases, and that he has downplayed the facts around his arrests. "You have a problem," Dantos said. Under the plea agreement, Clark's minimum sentence was capped at one year behind bars, but the max was up Dantos. That meant the judge had to decide whether to keep Clark in county jail, or send him to state prison. Dantos chose state prison, sentencing Clark to one year to seven years in prison for aggravated assault, and two counts of driving under the influence. Clark previously said he and his wife were arguing Jan. 16, 2015 and she tried to stop him from leaving in his truck. His wife reached in to grab the truck keys, but Clark pushed her arm out and didn't see her as he pulled out of their driveway and left. A neighbor saw the woman laying the driveway and Clark's truck leaving, and the neighbor called police, prosecutors said. Clark's wife suffered a broken wrist and leg, but also needed more than 100 stitches to close up the open wound on her arm. Initially, Clark's wife claimed she was getting the mail and a white car struck her and fled, prosecutors said. She said her husband was leaving to catch the hit-and-run car, prosecutors said. Police found Clark the following day, where he expressed surprise that his wife was in the hospital. Police found blood and tissue from his wife's injuries in the front driver's side wheel well of Clark's truck. Clark's wife was not in court Tuesday, but in a victim impact statement she said she believes Clark did not intend to run her over. Clark said he took care of his wife as soon as she was released from the hospital, as well as caring for their two kids. On Jan. 31, 2015, Pennsylvania State Police at the Fogelsville barracks were called after Clark backed into a parked vehicle at Texas Roadhouse off Hamilton Boulevard with his son in the truck. Clark had methadone, Diazepam and Lorazepam in his system, as well a blood-alcohol content of .01 percent, prosecutors said. Five months later, Pennsylvania State Police at the Bethlehem barracks were called for a report of an erratic driver who struck several mailboxes and the guide wires on Old Post Road, near Ramblewood Lane in Washington Township. Troopers said they stopped the truck the evening of June 28 on Mauch Chunk Road in South Whitehall, and found Clark behind the wheel and his 10-year-old son buckled in the passenger seat, "firmly holding onto the roof handle." Police said the front of the truck had extensive damage, including a bent hood that blocked the entire windshield and shrubs and bushes stuck under the truck. Troopers said Clark smelled like alcohol and had slurred speech. He told troopers he took prescribed methadone and the anxiety drug Lorazepam earlier, and had two beers. Clark refused to perform field sobriety tests, telling troopers, "I would fail them anyways," police said. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., center, walks with Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., left, to the chamber for the vote to impose more stringent sanctions on North Korea for willfully violating international law by pushing ahead with its nuclear weapons program and for what they say are flagrant violations of international law, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Bhutans King Jigme and Queen Jetsun have released the first photo of their four-day-old baby son. Taken at Lingkana Palace, where the queen gave birth, the picture was unveiled as the small mountainous kingdom celebrates its traditional New Year Losar holiday. The photo, which was shared on Facebook, shows King Jigmes 60-year-old father, His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King), cradling his infant grandson, who is wrapped in an orange blanket. The young Dragon Prince is lovingly surrounded by his parents, who have been called the William and Kate of the Himalayas. The royal couple, dressed in traditional Bhutanese costume, gaze adoringly at their first-born child in the stunning shot. Ever since the announcement of 25-year-old Queen Jetsuns pregnancy, the population of the tiny landlocked nation, nestled between China and India, have been waiting for a glimpse of the heir apparent. Bhutanese families spent a wonderful Losar today, celebrating the day with family and loved ones, the Facebook caption reads. To make the day even more special, we have the honor of bringing to you the very first official photograph of His Royal Highness The Gyalsey (Crown Prince). The festival of Losar, also celebrated within Tibet, India and Nepal, is an important annual occasion in Bhutan. Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage? Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter. Similar to the Chinese New Year, it lasts for more than two weeks: its first three days are seen as paramount, and are characterized by dancing, music and general merrymaking. King Jigme, 35, studied at Oxford and in the United States. After his father abdicated, he was officially crowned Dragon King in 2008. Royal parents Prince William and Princess Kate congratulated Jigme and Jetsun on their happy news via Twitter. Will and Kate are set to visit King Jigme and Queen Jetson, who have yet to reveal their sons name, later this spring. The Duke and Duchess are very much looking forward to congratulating Their Majesties in person when they visit Bhutan this spring, Kensington Palace tweeted. Kochanny: We did one last hike before the longest day of the year The longest day of the year has come and passed already in June. If you ask me, though, this past Monday is when time began to stand still. Public satisfaction with the National Health Service dipped five percentage points in 2015 to 60 percent, just as dissatisfaction with the service climbed eight percentage points to 23 percent, show findings from the latest British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey. The survey, conducted by NatCen Social Research and published by The Kings Fund, also revealed that, while satisfaction with GP services is higher than with other NHS service, at 69 percent the figure is still ten points below that in 2010 and at an all-time low since the record began in 1983. Nevertheless, Maureen Baker, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said it is testament to the hard work and dedication of GPs and their teams across the country that at a time of such intense resource and workforce pressures, patient satisfaction with our service is the highest in the NHS. But she also warned of the relentless pressure from a surge in demand, stagnant workforce and a decline in funding that is a threat to our own health and our patients' safety and is gradually wearing down the satisfaction our patients have in us. Elsewhere, satisfaction with NHS dentistry, outpatient and inpatient services remained stable (54%, 66% and 58%, respectively), but the figure for A&E fell from 59% to 53%. The three main reasons people gave for being satisfied with the health service were the quality of care in the NHS (61 percent), the fact that the NHS is free at the point of use (59 percent), and the range of services and treatments available (54 percent), the think-tank noted. The top three reasons for dissatisfaction were long waiting times for GP and hospital appointments (55 per cent), staff shortages (44 percent) and lack of funding (39 percent). The political split Also of note, satisfaction levels among Conservative supporters remained stable at 65 percent, while that among Labour supporters dropped by 11 percentage points back to its 2013 level of 59 percent. This brings it back in line with historical precedent - satisfaction tends to be higher among supporters of the party in power, the Kings Fund noted. John Appleby, chief economist at The Kings Fund, said the survey underlines the high value the British public places on the quality of care the NHS provides and its availability free at the point of use. It is no surprise to find that dissatisfaction is driven by waiting times for appointments and perceptions of underfunding and staff shortages. However, it is also apparent that peoples perceptions are influenced by their views about a range of factors including politics, policy and public institutions, as well as by their own experience of the NHS, he noted. Rob Webster, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the results show that the public continues to value the NHS very highly. Public perception on NHS funding, staffing and wait times are however driving lower satisfaction. What the public and health service now needs is a strong clear narrative from politicians of all parties on the future of the NHS. The US Food and Drug Administrations Arthritis Advisory Committee is backing the approval of Pfizer and Celltrions CT-P13, a biosimilar to Janssen Biotech's blockbuster Remicade. The drug, which targets a variety of autoimmune diseases includes Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis, is the first biosimilar monoclonal antibody (mAb) medication to be considered by the FDA. The Committee agreed that data submitted by Celltrion shows that CT-P13 (infliximab) is highly similar to Remicade, and that there were no clinically meaningful differences between the medicines in terms of the safety, purity, and potency in the studied indications of rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. "Given that this would be the first biosimilar monoclonal antibody to be approved in the US, this Advisory Committee meeting is an essential step in increasing acceptance of these critical medicines and increasing access for every patient who needs these treatments," said HyoungKi Kim, Celltrions chief executive. "Our CT-P13 application in the US is the first in an age where biosimilar mAbs are globally recognised as innovative, high quality biologics that are highly similar in both efficacy and safety to their originator products, but are more affordable for patients," he noted. If approved by the regulator, Pfizer will assume commercialisation rights for the US under the proposed brand name Inflectra. The FDAs decision is anticipated in April. Inflectra is already on the European market, where it is sold by Pfizer unit Hospira UK. The same biosimilar, also manufactured by Celltrion, is also sold in the region under the brand name Remsima by Napp. With no signs of a resolution anytime soon, junior doctors in England have once again taken to picket lines across the country in protest against working and pay conditions being proposed by the government. Around 2,800 operations have reportedly been cancelled as doctors stage a 24-hour walk-out providing only emergency care, after several years of discussions with the government about a new contract have failed to find common ground. The British Medical Association is most concerned with the governments refusal to recognise Saturday working as unsocial hours, which would see junior doctors take a drop in salary despite an 11 percent rise in basic pay, the removal of safeguards to ensure that doctors arent over-worked, as well as the threat to impose the proposed contract if a resolution isnt reached. The BBC said it understands that talks within the government are already underway after NHS chiefs warned that ministers would have to make their move this month if they wanted a new contract in place by the summer. But imposing the contract would not be a popular move. Almost 90 percent of junior doctors said they would consider resigning from the NHS if the government does so, according to a poll of more than 1,000 medics seen exclusively by The Independent, highlighting the strength of opposition to the proposals. And it seems the public is also largely siding with the doctors. In the most recent Ipsos MORI poll, carried out in conjunction with the Health Services Journal, 64 percent of people believe the government is more at fault for the dispute lasting this long, while just 13 percent felt doctors were more to blame. Again, the majority - 66% - said they supported the strike excluding emergency care. These figures show that the ongoing nature of the junior doctors dispute is harming the government more than the doctors, said Anna Quigley, head of Health Research at Ipsos MORI. We know that doctors are among the most trusted individuals in society, and this dispute appears to have done little to dent this trust. Sols 1218-1220 update by Lauren Edgar: Change in plans (8 January 2016) We came in this morning curious to see how the Sol 1217 bump and scuff went, but unfortunately there was an anomaly that prevented any use of motors during the plan. No motors meant no drive and no scuff, and most of our planned activities did not occur. So today turned into a recovery day first trying to assess what happened and why it happened, and then figuring out how to proceed. Thanks to some impressive work by the science and engineering teams, we developed a plan that allows for recovery on Sol 1218, followed by some opportunistic science on Sols 1219-1220. I was the GSTL today, and we had a fun but challenging day trying to figure out how to do good science without moving the rover or the mast. Ultimately we delivered some ChemCam and Mastcam activities that will help to assess the composition of the soil, and search for any wind-driven movement of fines. The weekend plan provided a unique opportunity to do several coordinated change-detection observations using both Mastcam and REMS, at multiple times throughout the day. Looking ahead to next week, were hoping to proceed with the bump and scuff to get back on track with the Namib Dune sampling activities! Sols 1221-1222 update by Ken Herkenhoff: Back on track (11 January 2016) MSL has recovered from the motor controller anomaly, so tactical operations are back on track, with a drive to the dune sampling area planned for Sol 1221. I helped the ChemCam team select targets for LIBS and RMI observations today. Before the drive, ChemCam will observe a target named "Probeer" on a patch of bedrock in front of the rover. Mastcam will also image Probeer and acquire a stereo mosaic of the nearby part of the Namib dune. After the drive, in addition to the imaging planned to support arm work and targeted remote sensing, Navcam will acquire a small mosaic of the upper part of Mt. Sharp. Overnight, SAM will measure the abundance of methane in the atmosphere, then Navcam and Mastcam will look for clouds and dust early in the morning of Sol 1222. Later that sol, Mastcam and RMI will image the wall of a ~4 km-diameter crater about 30 km to the west. ChemCam and Mastcam will then observe the sky, and Mastcam will acquire a small stereo mosaic to look for changes in the nearby dune. Throughout the plan, REMS will measure wind speeds for comparison with any motion of sand observed by the cameras. Sols 1223-1224 update by Ken Herkenhoff: Scooping sand for SAM (13 January 2016) The Sol 1221 drive went well, including a wheel scuff in the dark sand dune, and the rover is in a good position for contact science. The Sol 1223-1224 plan is therefore loaded with arm activities, limited by the available power. First, MAHLI will take pictures of a couple of locations on the dune surface that has not been disturbed by the wheels, and of sand that was disturbed by the wheel scuff. Then the APXS will be placed as close as possible to the scuffed sand for an overnight integration. On Sol 1224, the scoop will be used to acquire a sample of the undisturbed dune sand. This sample will be sieved and the finest material (less than 0.15 mm diameter grains) will be dropped into the SAM inlet. SAM will then analyze the sample overnight, into the wee hours of Sol 1225. I'm paying close attention to planning today because I'm scheduled to serve as SOWG Chair on Friday. Sols 1225-1227 update by Lauren Edgar: Analyzing dump piles (15 January 2016) As seen in the images above, the arm activities on Sols 1223-1224 went well, and were ready for even more contact science in the 3-sol weekend plan. To kick things off, ChemCam will analyze the composition of the wall of the scuff and will also document a sharp-crested ripple with the RMI. Then Mastcam will document the ChemCam target and look for sand movement. Overnight, APXS will be used to measure the composition of the background undisturbed sand. On the second sol, a fine-grained portion of sand (150 microns) portions, and analyze the fine-grained dump pile with MAHLI and APXS. The third sol includes a Mastcam change-detection activity, followed by Navcam to monitor the deck to search for the movement of fines. Overnight, CheMin will analyze the sample that was delivered the previous sol. Phew! Sounds like a busy weekend for Curiosity! Sol 1228-1229 update by Ryan Anderson: Selfie and Scooping (18 January 2016) Our campaign to analyze the Bagnold dunes continues! In the Sol 1228 plan we have a bunch of arm activity, starting with a rover selfie in front of the sand dune, followed by scooping up and sieving a sample of sand. Mastcam and MAHLI will both thoroughly document the scooping process. Mastcam also has a change detection observation of the target Hebron. On Sol 1229, Mastcam will repeat that change detection observation two more times. Mastcam also has observations of the dump piles from the scoop target Gobabeb, plus a Mastcam and Navcam photometry experiment. ChemCam will take passive spectra of the Gobabeb dump piles, followed by active analysis of dump pile A. That will be followed by atmospheric observations by Mastcam and Navcam. In the afternoon on Sol 1229, ChemCam will analyze dump pile B, and Mastcam will take another change detection image of Hebron. The Mastcam and Navcam photometry experiment will also collect a few more images on sol 1229. Sol 1230-1231 update by Ryan Anderson: Getting the scoop at Namib Dune (20 January 2016) Our campaign to analyze Namib Dune continues! In the sol 1230-1231 plan the main event is dropping off some sand in the SAM instrument, but some of the other instruments got a workout too. The sol 1230 plan originally included a science block with some ChemCam, Mastcam, and Navcam observations, but unfortunately that had to be cut to save power, so those observations will have to happen over the weekend. With the science block removed, the first activity on sol 1230 is a Mastcam observation of the SAM inlet. After this, the rover will drop off a sample of sand for SAM to analyze. Then while the arm is active MAHLI will observe the dump piles, including some night-time observations using the built-in LEDs to illuminate the piles. APXS also has a couple of overnight measurements on two of the dump piles. On Sol 1231, we will start off with some Navcam and Hazcam images to document where APXS was making its measurements, plus Mastcam observations of the SAM inlet again. This will be followed by some arm activities to clean out the components of the sample handling system. Then we'll dive back in and collect another scoop of material from the dune, sieve it, and deliver it to SAM too. Finally, APXS will be placed on another of our dump piles for an overnight measurement. And of course REMS and DAN will be collecting data each sol of the plan as usual. Sol 1232-1235 update by Ryan Anderson: Working through the To-Do list (22 January 2016) We are steadily continuing to check things off of the long To Do list for our stop at Namib Dune. This weekends plan starts on sol 1232 with a day dedicated to analyzing the sand samples with SAM. Then, on Sol 1233 we will start off with Mastcam change detection on the target Hebron and then a multispectral observation of the target Hakos using all of Mastcams different color filters. Next up, ChemCam has an RMI mosaic of Gobabeb dump pile A and then an analysis of the vein target Sanitatis. Next MAHLI will take a bunch of pictures of the various dump piles and scoops in the dune. On sol 1234, we have a long, busy science block full of Mastcam and ChemCam. It starts off with Mastcam multispectral observations of the Sanitatis vein, and of dump piles C,D,E, and F. This is followed by some Mastcam atmospheric observations of the sun and the crater rim to help determine the amount of dust in the atmosphere. ChemCam will then analyze dump piles C and D, first with the laser off to get the reflectance spectra, and then with the laser on to get chemical composition. ChemCam will also use the laser to analyze the soil target Dwyka and then will finish up with a long distance RMI mosaic of Mt. Sharp. Then we will take Mastcam images of each of the ChemCam targets. We will finish up the science block with some photometry images from Mastcam and Navcam to help understand how light scatters off the Martian surface, and then some Navcam atmospheric monitoring movies. Finally, APXS will analyze dump pile B overnight. The weekend plan also includes an early morning science block on the morning of sol 1235, which will contain more Navcam movies, Mastcam observations of atmospheric dust, and a repeat of the photometry experiment at a different time of day to capture a different lighting angle. Sols 1235-1236 update by Ken Herkenhoff: CHIMRA Anomaly (25 January 2016) I'm scheduled as MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead today, and was looking forward to planning more close-up imaging as the Namib dune campaign continues. Unfortunately, the CHIMRA behaved in an unexpected way during processing of the third scoop on Sol 1231, which prevented completion of the arm activities planned for last weekend. While experts evaluate the anomalous behavior and develop a recovery plan, no new arm activities will be planned. So I didn't have much to do today and focused on what should be done after the anomaly is resolved. The Sol 1235 plan includes ChemCam and Mastcam change-detection images of Hebron and new observations of the scuff floor target Husab. In addition, ChemCam will analyze bedrock target "Etjo" and Mastcam will image CHIMRA to confirm its configuration. Overnight, SAM will analyze the 0.15-1.0 mm size fraction of the dune sand. Before dawn on Sol 1236, ChemCam will search for evidence of water frost on both fine sand and the Etjo bedrock target. After sunrise, the ChemCam RMI and Right Mastcam will take pictures of the same frost targets, then Mastcam and Navcam will acquire an early-morning set of photometry images. Later that sol, ChemCam will observe the sky and Mastcam will repeat the Hebron observation to look for changes. Finally, Mastcam and Navcam will repeat the photometry observation later in the morning of Sol 1237. Sols 1237-1238 update by Ken Herkenhoff: CHIMRA Diagnostics (27 January 2016) The cause of the CHIMRA anomaly is still being investigated, so no arm motion was planned today while diagnostic testing continues. Because only remote science observations are allowed, it was a straightforward day for me as SOWG Chair and for the rest of the tactical science team. The only challenge was that the volume of data expected to be received in time for planning on Friday is less than usual because MRO is performing some planned maintenance this week and cannot relay data from MSL. Fortunately, it looks like we will be able to get all the critical data via the Mars Odyssey orbiter. In addition to the CHIMRA diagnostic tests on Sol 1237, ChemCam and Mastcam will image the alluvial fan northeast of the rover, at the base of the Gale crater wall. Mastcam and Navcam will also take stereo images of the edge of the area disturbed by the wheel scuff, named "Mniszechis Vlei." I don't know how to pronounce that name, and didn't even try! The command to allow SAM to analyze the sample of dune sand was not received, so we'll try again overnight between Sols 1237 and 1238. Then during the day on Sol 1238 ChemCam will observe the sky and continue checking out new software that will allow autonomous ChemCam targeting. Mastcam change detection observations of the sand dune are also sprinkled throughout the plan. Finally, just after sunset the RMI will take images of the sky for instrument calibration. We have been trying to plan this observation for weeks, and were glad to be able to include it in today's plan. Sol 1239-1240 update by Ryan Anderson: Analyzing the Sands of Mars (29 January 2016) Since the anomaly with CHIMRA is still being investigated, there was no science involving the arm in todays plan. Still, there was plenty to do, and we had to be careful not to collect too much extra data because there is a backlog of data on the rover waiting to be downlinked to Earth. On Sol 1239 we planned a bunch of observations of a target called Gosser Schroffenstein in the area called Mniszechis Vlei (I am really enjoying the names list lately) where the rovers wheel scuff in the sand exposed a tiny scarp or cliff in the sand. This little scarp gives us a good view of the fine-scaled layering in the top few centimeters of the dune. ChemCam will take an RMI mosaic of Gosser Schroffenstein, followed by an active LIBS analysis targeting the face of the scarp. After that, the RMI mosaic will be repeated to see if the laser pulses caused any changes in the delicate sand scarp. Once ChemCam is done, Mastcam will take a 5 image stereo mosaic of the whole Mniszechis Vlei area. Mastcam also has another change detection observation of the target Hebron and Navcam has an atmospheric observation. Once the science is done on Sol 1239, we will do some more diagnostics on the CHIMRA. Later in the day on Sol 1239, CheMin will analyze some of the sand that was collected previously. On Sol 1240 ChemCam has a few passive (no laser) observations of the Mastcam and ChemCam calibration targets. These are followed by a couple of long-distance RMI mosaics of Mt. Sharp. These are observations that I have been advocating for recently, so it was nice to be able to fit them in the plan today while I was on duty as the ChemCam science PUL. Mastcam will take color images to help document the long distance RMI mosaics, and will repeat the change detection observations of Hebron a couple more times. Sol 1241 update by Lauren Edgar: Wrapping up at Namib Dune (1 February 2016) Curiosity is still parked at Namib dune, and we are we are close to finishing the science investigation here. The team is still working to diagnose the CHIMRA anomaly, but the arm was cleared for use in todays plan. The science activities in todays plan include some additional MAHLI images to supplement the previously acquired selfie, and some long-distance ChemCam RMI mosaics to study layering on Mt. Sharp and the northern crater rim. Well also acquire a Mastcam image to document the target Erongo, and use Navcam to search for dust devils and monitor the atmosphere. Then well use MAHLI to document several of the scoop and dump locations. Theres also an early science block on the morning of Sol 1242, during which Mastcam and Navcam will image the ripple target Epupa under favorable morning illumination conditions. Ill be on duty later this week so Im catching up on our remaining science requirements at this location. Sol 1242 update by Lauren Edgar: Last analyses of the dump piles (2 February 2016) Today was the last day for science activities at Namib Dune, as were planning to drive away on Sol 1243. Its fun looking at the disturbed sand in the workspace, and realizing how much weve done here (is it just me, or does it look like a big sandbox full of scoops, dumps and wheel scuffs?). While it might look like Curiosity has just been playing in the sand, weve managed to accomplish a lot of really great science here. Todays plan includes additional CHIMRA diagnostics, and a number of MAHLI and APXS observations of the dump piles. Its impressive how close were able to get MAHLI to the sand, which should enable some really high-resolution studies of the grain properties. The plan also includes several Mastcam and ChemCam RMI observations of the ripples to look for changes. Ill be on duty tomorrow, so Im looking forward to driving off in search of the next drill target! Sol 1243 update by Lauren Edgar: Getting ready to leave Namib Dune (3 February 2016) The contact science activities on Sol 1242 were successful, which completed our investigation at the Namib Dune sampling location. I love the above Navcam image, which shows just how close we were able to get MAHLI to the dump piles, followed by the really high-resolution MAHLI image! Now its time to leave Namib Dune and head off in search of the next drill location. I was the GSTL today, and it was a pretty straightforward day. Due to additional CHIMRA diagnostics, there wasnt much time for additional science. The plan includes turning and backing up to allow a DAN active measurement over the dune sampling location. In the geology theme group, we focused our attention on post-drive imaging, to prepare for the possibility of contact science or drilling in an upcoming plan. In addition to all of the great science on active dunes, its exciting to think about the bedrock and where we might drill next! Sol 1244 update by Lauren Edgar: Bump, Set Scuff! (4 February 2016) Todays plan is focused on bumping towards a bedrock target to set us up for contact science in the weekend plan. As we bump forward, well use the rear wheels to create one last scuff in Namib Dune, which well image as we drive away. I was the GSTL today, and we had a busy morning deciding where to drive to and how to image the scuff that well create. We decided to bump just a few meters away to a target that will allow us to characterize typical Murray formation bedrock (the intended target is in the lower half of the above Navcam image). Before the drive, we planned a ChemCam passive observation of a distant crater to characterize the material that makes up the Gale crater walls. We also planned a Mastcam image of a freshly broken rock named Askevold, and Mastcam deck monitoring to search for the movement of fines. Then well drive forward slightly, turn the wheels to undermine a ripple, image it with Mastcam, and then drive towards the contact science target. After the drive well acquire imaging to prepare for contact science and targeting in the weekend plan, and well also do some ChemCam calibration activities. Looking forward to being back on bedrock! Sols 1245-1247 update by Lauren Edgar: Analyzing Murray formation bedrock (5 February 2016) On Sol 1244, Curiosity bumped 2 meters forward to get to a nice patch of bedrock. The focus of the weekend plan is to study typical Murray formation bedrock, do some targeted remote sensing, and then drive towards the Naukluft Plateau. The 3-sol weekend plan starts by using the DRT to clear off the dust on the target Kudis. Then well acquire MAHLI images of this typical Murray formation bedrock. Nearby, theres an interesting patch of nodules, so the science team decided to go for a second MAHLI target named Tinkas. In addition to all of the contact science on Kudis and Tinkas, MAHLI will also be used for wheel imaging and to check out the REMS UV sensor. Overnight, well acquire APXS data on both targets, to compare the typical bedrock composition to the nodule-rich composition. On the second sol, Curiosity will wake up early for some atmospheric monitoring observations. Around midday, well acquire Mastcam multispectral imaging of Kudis, followed by a ChemCam passive observation of the sky. ChemCam will also be used to assess the composition of typical bedrock and the nodule-rich rock, and Mastcam will document the local geology. On the third sol, Curiosity will drive towards the Naukluft Plateau, and acquire post-drive imaging to prepare for next week. Sounds like a busy weekend! Sol 1248 update by Ken Herkenhoff: Re-planning a Drive (8 February 2016) It's not Groundhog Day, but the drive planned for Sol 1247 will be attempted again on Sol 1248. Due to a minor sequencing error, the arm activities that were planned for the morning of Sol 1247 were precluded. Because the arm was not stowed that sol, the drive did not execute and the rover has not moved. We were not able to recover the MAHLI imaging of the REMS UV sensor that was planned for Sol 1247 because it will be in shadow by the time the Sol 1248 activites start at about 11:00. So it was an easy day for me as MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead, with only a MARDI twilight image to plan. We were able to squeeze in some ChemCam and Mastcam observations of "Nil Desperandum" before the drive, in addition to the usual drive-related observations. Sol 1249 update by Ken Herkenhoff: Twelve kilometers and counting (9 February 2016) The rover has traversed over 12 km since landing, and another drive is planned for Sol 1249. The tactical planning team decided to forgo targeted remote science observations before the drive to allow more time for driving. The goal is to get the vehicle to a location that will allow the remaining dune sample to be dumped and examined in detail this weekend, and this will require more drive time than originally planned. With only a few science observations in the plan, it was an easy day for the team. I'm MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead again today, planning another MARDI twilight image. Out and About Audio Article Atascosa County Anti-Bullying Rally Oct. 19 Poteet Strawberry Festival grounds, main pavilion, 6-8 p.m. Guest speaker Batman & Co. and... JISD Supt. McAllister announces retirement Audio Article The retirement of Jourdanton ISD Superintendent Theresa McAllister was announced at the meeting of the school board held on Oct.... Via BBC Brasil: A polemica do envio de amostras brasileiras de zika virus ao exterior.[Controversy about sending Brazilian Zika virus samples out of the country] Edited excerpt from the Google translation: Complaints of American and European scientists about difficulties in accessing the Brazilian zika virus samples have been widely reported by the international press in recent days. According to reports, the country was hampering the delivery of important research material for the development of diagnostic kits, medicines and vaccines. The reasons, according to experts polled by BBC Brazil, are legal obstacles and attempts to get foreign researchers to study the disease in Brazil, in partnership with the scientists here, and not in their home countries. The aim would be to ensure that any scientific advances benefit primarily the Brazilian population - the hardest hit so far by the Zika epidemic. For many, however, it is unnecessary protectionism on a global epidemic. According to the complaints, foreign researchers must use of samples of past pandemics - in places such as French Polynesia and Uganda - to do their jobs, which is not considered ideal. In an interview with the AP news agency, Paulo Gadelha, president of Fiocruz (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, linked to the Ministry of Health), said he could not send samples abroad because of the new law that protects the national genetic heritage, not yet regulated. The law is important to avoid situations that have already occurred in the past, like the case in which blood samples of Yanomami Indians ended up in the United States without authorization. The same rule also protects the environmental heritage, avoiding, for example, the removal of native plants in the country, which could cause economic damage. Via ReliefWeb, a report from the World Food Programme: El Nino, Drought Blamed As Severe Food Insecurity Doubles In 6 Months In Haiti. The sting is in the tail of the story: without $84 million from someone, a million Haitians, almost ten percent of the population, face malnutrition or outright starvationnot to mention stunting of children, higher maternal and neonate death rates, and aggravation of public health problems including cholera, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. Haitis third consecutive year of drought, exacerbated by the global El Nino weather phenomenon, has driven people deeper into poverty and hunger, and doubled the severely food-insecure population, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today. Some 3.6 million Haitians are facing food insecurity, among them more than 1.5 million people who are severely food insecure. This was a key finding from an Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA) conducted by WFP, the Food and Agriculture Organization and National Food Security Coordination. The main 2015 harvest fell below average with losses of up to 70 percent in some areas. This is a severe blow to food security in Haiti, where agriculture employs half of the working population and 75 percent of people live on less than US$2 per day. Without rain for the 2016 spring season, farmers will lose their fourth consecutive harvest on which they normally depend to feed their families, said Wendy Bigham, WFP Deputy Country Director in Haiti. We need to help them meet their immediate needs and help build up their resilience. The current El Nino, which began in early 2015, is one of the strongest on record and is affecting the food security of vulnerable people around the globe. In some areas of Haiti, up to 70 percent of the population is facing hunger and a recent study conducted by UNICEF and the Government revealed that in several communes, malnutrition rates are above emergency levels. Based on the results of these new studies, WFP intends to scale up its food assistance programmes to address the most critical and immediate needs of 1 million drought-affected people by distributing cash and food rations. WFP will complement the immediate distributions with Cash-for-Assets programmes. In these, 200,000 Haitians are paid in cash in exchange for work on watershed management and soil conservation projects to improve local infrastructure for long-term development. WFP has already implemented Cash-for-Assets projects for 30,000 Haitians in areas worst hit by the drought. In coordination with the Government, WFP has been distributing food to about 120,000 Haitians since November in areas worst affected by the drought. A two-month food ration feeds a family of five and includes such basic food items as rice, pulses, oil, sugar and salt. In addition, WFP-supported School Meals programmes in Haiti many in drought-hit areas provide crucial support to almost 500,000 children by ensuring that they receive at least one meal daily, while at the same time encouraging them to attend school. WFPs assistance to families is essential until at least the next harvest, expected in July 2016. To meet basic needs of 1 million Haitians, WFP, which is funded entirely by voluntary contributions, requires US$84 million. Two Harford County (MD) Sheriff's deputies were wounded in two separate confrontations with a gunman this morning. Their names and conditions are not known at this time, however, one was airlifted to a shock trauma center. Sheriff Jeff Gahler said at a press conference deputies were called to a Panera Bread at a busy shopping area in Abingdon at about 11:46 a.m. for reasons that he would not divulge. After entering the restaurant, the deputy was fired on by a gunman and hit. An additional deputy or deputies followed the gunman to a nearby apartment building. At that location, another deputy was shot and the gunman was killed. Gahler speculated that the two shootings occurred not more than 15 minutes apart and called the second shooting a "continuation of events" from the Panera attack. The sheriff said authorities are not searching for any additional suspects. Gahler thanked other area public safety and law enforcement agencies for their swift and "overwhelming support." Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca (Photo: LASD) Retired Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca will plead guilty in a downtown courtroom Wednesday to making a false statement, marking a dramatic turn in the ongoing federal investigation into corruption in the Sheriff's Department, reports the Los Angeles Times. Baca's attorney, Michael Zweibeck, said his client had agreed to plead guilty to a single count as part of a deal with prosecutors that will see him spend no more than six months in prison. As part of the deal, the U.S. attorney's office will not pursue other charges against the former sheriff. A federal judge must sign off on the deal, Zweibeck said. Baca, who ran the department for more than 15 years, retired in 2014 amid an FBI probe into misconduct and abuse by deputies in the county's jail system. So far, more than a dozen former sheriff's officials have been convicted as a result of the wide-ranging investigation, which began more than five years ago. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Hillary Clinton showed her fire in an energetic New Hampshire concession speech where she vowed to take the fight for the Democratic nomination national, and fight for every vote. Video: Former Sec. of State Clinton said, Now we take this campaign to the entire country. Were going to fight for every vote in every state. Were going to fight for real solutions, and make a real difference in peoples lives. Clinton said that people are hungry for change, but they are also hungry for solutions. Clinton promised to work hard to make lives better. She linked herself to Sanders and said that she also wants to get rid of Citizens United. She reminded the country that Citizens United was a case about her campaign and vowed that there will not be a more aggressive fighter for campaign finance reform than her. Former Sec. Clinton said that the real difference in the race is on job growth. Clinton was off to a great start in the speech, until she rattled off another list of policy proposals. Former Sec. Clinton made appeals to African-American voters, Hispanic voters, and female voters. She said that barriers need to broken down, so that ladders of opportunity can be built for everyone. Former Sec. Clinton positioned herself as a fighter against injustice and for rights for all. She admitted that she has work to do with young people, and said that she supports them, even if they dont support her. The speech was Hillary Clintons first step in broadening the Democratic primary electorate by taking the campaign national. The real test for Sen. Sanders is coming up. Iowa and New Hampshire fit the Sanders demographic perfectly, but now Sanders must broaden his appeal to African-Americans and Hispanics. Former Sec. Clinton did not sound defeated. It was a speech by a candidate who is digging in for a long fight. Clinton will was fired up, and she looks ready for a national campaign. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Bernie Sanders has been declared the winner of the New Hampshire primary by numerous news outlets. It isnt a surprise that Sen. Sanders won New Hampshire. Sanders led 40 straight New Hampshire polls going back to early January. Once the Democratic race swung away from Hillary Clinton in the Granite State, Sanders dominated all of the polls. A moral victory for Hillary Clinton will be if she only loses by single digits. The Clinton campaign has been bracing for the loss for weeks. With only 8% of the vote in, Sanders was declared the winner. This is the victory that everyone expected for Bernie Sanders, and already, the mainstream media is trying to revive the bogus argument that Trump and Sanders are two shades of the same candidate. The outcome of New Hampshire was never in doubt, but beyond the neighboring state factor, a blowout has to be troubling to some in the Clinton camp. The battle between Clinton and Sanders has turned into an ideological battle for the hearts of the Democratic Party. Clinton argued for the path of incremental progress while Sanders is urging a political revolution. In New Hampshire, the message of political revolution won easily over conventional political process. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print After New Hampshire and Iowa, rough outline of a new Democratic coalition is becoming visible. Bernie Sanders is cobbling together a coalition of gun owners, liberals, and millennials that could power him to victory in 2016. According to NBC News exit polling Sanders dominated with millennials: Sanders won gun owners by a 2 to 1 margin: Sanders also won with non-gun owners: Clinton dominated with voters who want to continue with Obamas policies, and Sanders crushed it with voters who want more liberal policies: What is clear is that Bernie Sanders had a huge victory. The dismaying element for the Clinton campaign is that Bernie Sanders is building a coalition that includes two groups that some Democrats might assume are opposites, gun owners and liberals. Sen. Sanders could be in the process of building a new Democratic coalition that is made up of Independents, Millennials, gun owners and liberals. It may come as a shock to most Republicans, but there are plenty of liberals who own guns. The Clinton campaigns decision to treat guns as a dividing issue may come back to haunt them in other states like Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Bernie Sanders is not Barack Obama, but he may be building a different Democratic coalition. The Sanders coalition so far is white, young, gun owning, and Independent. Sanders is putting together a group of liberals who are frustrated with years of Republican obstruction. The characteristic that the mainstream media is missing about Sanders is that he is a fighter. A large segment of the Democratic Party is looking for a fighter, and Bernie Sanders has been fighting for decades. Bernie Sanders is the the real deal. After Iowa and New Hampshire, a rough outline of the Sanders coalition is beginning to become visible. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Bernie Sanders was the biggest winner, and Marco Rubio the biggest loser in the New Hampshire primaries. Winners: 1). Bernie Sanders Sanders got more votes than any candidate in either party in New Hampshire. Sen. Sanders didnt just win New Hampshire. He dominated. Hillary Clinton wanted to cut Sanders margin by single digits. Instead, Sanders may end up winning by a larger margin than the polling average projected. The Sanders coalition of millennials, gun owners, liberals, and Independents turned out in huge numbers. If not for a few tenths of a point in Iowa, Bernie Sanders would be universally considered the front-runner in the Democratic race. 2). Donald Trump Like Sanders, Trump got his big win in New Hampshire. Unlike Sanders, he used his victory speech for an unhinged and unfocused rant about how the unemployment numbers are being faked by the government. Yep, this is your Republican front runner. The lunatics have taken a giant leap forward in their hostile takeover bid for control of the Republican Party. 3). John Kasich Kasich has crafted an optimistic message that is the complete opposite of Trump. Kasich also pressed the flesh and worked New Hampshire hard. It was good, old fashioned retail campaigning, and it worked like a charm. What was once Marco Rubios momentum, now belongs to Kasich. 4). Ted Cruz At the time of this articles publication, Ted Cruz had slipped into third place in New Hampshire. A third place showing in New Hampshire coming off of a win in Iowa would give Cruz a legitimate claim to Republican front runner. Everyone had written off Cruz in New Hampshire, but he is in a position to finish ahead of establishment figures Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, and Jeb Bush. Losers: 1). Marco Rubio That Rubio surge that establishment Republicans were dreaming of went up in smoke at the final debate before the primary. When the Rubio bot self destructed in front of the entire world, it took out the Republican establishments best hope of coming up with a candidate that had momentum. Rubio was looking for a 3-2-1 finish in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Instead, he will be lucky to avoid finishing fifth in the Granite State. 2). Chris Christie Chris Christie took out Marco Rubio, but he also took out his own campaign. Christie needed a top 5 finish in New Hampshire, but it is doubtful that he will break 10% in the state, and the Bridgegate gov is already rumbling about reassessing his campaign after New Hampshire. It looks like curtains for Christie. Speaking of dead men walking 3). Jeb Bush Bush needed a New Hampshire miracle. What he got was a bitter battle for fourth place with Marco Rubio. Who would have guessed that using the least popular president this side of Richard Nixon would backfire in a campaign ad for Jeb? The Bush dynasty was killed by W. Its death was confirmed by zombie campaign of Jeb Bush in 2016. All of that super PAC money has gone to waste, and it couldnt have happen to more deserving bunch of guys. 4). Anyone Who Likes A Nail Biter The results in New Hampshire have been widely known and expected for months. Both Trump and Sanders had strong leads. The only question surrounded their margins of victory. New Hampshire made the pollsters look good, by delivering the expected results. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print The fallout from the New Hampshire primary has begun as Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) is expected to suspend his presidential campaign and end his bid for the Republican nomination. CNN reported, Two sources close to Chris Christie says he is huddling with his top campaign aides today and all indications are that they expect him to formally suspend his campaign and end his bid for the Republican nomination. Details are still begin worked out. ABC News added that the announcement could come as soon as Wednesday afternoon. It was all or nothing for Christie in New Hampshire. A sixth place finish was not good enough to refill the campaign bank account and qualify for more debates. The Christie team will try to spin sixth in New Hampshire as a political victory, but it was a resounding defeat. The Christie presidential campaign was an ego trip at the expense of New Jersey taxpayers. Gov. Christie virtually abandoned the state that elected him. He is so reviled in his state that editorial writers were openly questioning if the governor had lost his mind after he denied that the recent blizzard in New Jersey had caused flooding. Christie never realized that it is no longer 2012. Much like Martin OMalley, Christie pushed forward with a campaign that had been in the works for years, even though it was no longer viable. Gov. Christies great contribution to this campaign was destroying Marco Rubio. Christie revealed Rubios biggest weakness as a candidate, and caused such great damage that the Republican hopes of using Rubio to stop Cruz or Trump may have suffered a fatal blow. Bridgegate killed Chris Christies campaign before it ever began. Christie is history. The only question remaining is who he will endorse. Given his preference for governors, it is likely to be Bush or Kasich. One thing is for certain. The electoral bridge to the White House has been closed to Chris Christie. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Draft-dodging sexual predator Ted Nugent seems to think his appalling Facebook post Friday attacking Jews as enemies of freedom and haters of America was actually an attempt to honor holocaust victims and to prevent another one from happening. Only a Republican could twist reality into such a pretzel: What sort of racist prejudiced POS could possibly not know that Jews for guncontrol are nazis in disguise? NEVER AGAIN! Anyone? Anyone?? RUFKM! That was Nugent posting to Facebook Monday, and he told his critics that they can just eat him, because what more powerful argument can an ignorant hick make when confronted with his ignorance? Just when you hope that mankind couldnt possibly get any dumber or more dishonest, superFreaks rise to the occasion. What sort of racist prejudiced POS could possibly not know that Jews for guncontrol are nazis in disguise? NEVER AGAIN! Anyone? Anyone?? RUFKM! The founder of Jews For the Preservation of Firearms Ownership called me his 2nd Amendment/Freedom hero. The NEVER AGAIN battlecry was universally embraced by all good people who will make sure another Holocaust never happens again. Freaks have plummeted to whole new low. Plummet on punks. Plummet on. Meanwhile I adjust my yamika at my barmitzva playing my kosher guitar. My dad killed nazis & saved Jews in WWII. Eat me. Yeah, well, we were hoping mankind couldnt get any dumber and more dishonest too, but Nugent was happy to disappoint us. Nugent might as well wrap himself in a swastika flag as he engages in these rants. Not content with just one screed, Nugent also posted a photo Monday, of Jews being rounded up by Nazis, captioning it, Soulless sheep to slaughter. Not me. Because, you know, if the Jews had had guns, Hitler couldnt have exterminated them. Never mind that entire countries of people opposed to Hitler, like Poland, France and Britain, armed with lots of guns and tanks and airplanes and ships to boot could not stop the Nazis. What is more disturbing than Nugents complete ignorance of history, however, is his characterization as Jewish victims of the holocaust as soulless. Does he mean if you dont have a gun, you dont have a soul? Or that just Jews dont have souls? Nugent cant really defend his ridiculous assertions of course, as this response to a critic shows: Marcus King Soulless sheep..A poor and criminally reckless choice of words! Cant get the right notes together to put a tune and cant put the right choice of words together to express an idea. The sum of things is: a pathetic loser! Go hunt a buck! Like Reply 97 February 8 at 8:42pm Edited Ted Nugent my unambiguous eloquence frightens you doesnt it. cool Like Reply 390 February 8 at 8:06pm The only positive is Nugent mocking a holocaust denier and calling him a dipsh*t. The Anti-Defamation League noted Tuesday that Nugent has opened the floodgates of antisemitism on Facebook: Sadly, that was exactly what happened. Predictably, white supremacists and anti-Semites flooded to Nugents Facebook page to endorse his post and share it with their own Facebook friends (in less than 24 hours, the post had been shared over 2,800 times). Hundreds of white supremacists rushed to exploit and amplify Nugents post with their own propaganda, including a number of prominent white supremacists, such as former Klansman David Duke, neo-Nazi David Pringle, Traditionalist Youth Network founder Matt Heimbach and former National Youth Front leader Angelo John Gage. People for the American Way captured a few of the comments made on Facebook by his supporters, showing Nugent liking these antisemitic screeds: You literally cannot sink any lower than this execrable example of Republican thinking. He embodies everything that is hateful, and it is no wonder that he is attracted to Donald Trumps fourth grade verbal spew. His own thinking has clearly not passed that stage of development. The Twitterverse exploded in response, condemning Nugent as crazy, and one person contributed a real gem: Sometimes I wish Obama really was a dictator, then we wouldnt have to listen to Ted Nugent anymore. The ADLs CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt posted a statement Monday condemning Nugents original post and demanding he remove it: Ted Nugent has a long history of being an equal opportunity offender. But his latest share on Facebook, making the outrageous suggestion that Jews are behind gun control, is nothing short of conspiratorial anti-Semitism. Regardless of ones views on gun control, this kind of scapegoating of an entire religious group is completely unacceptable and completely divorced from reality. It should go without saying that anti-Semitism has no place in the gun control debate. Nugent should be ashamed for promoting anti-Semitic content, and we hope that good people on both sides of the gun control debate will reject his tactics and his message. We hope that Nugent will have the good sense to remove this share immediately so that it does not spread virally across the internet. Even pro-gun writers have begun to pressure the NRA to drop Nugent. This is what you get for your vote for your Republican vote, America: Jews are soulless, and if you disagree with Ted Nugents Antisemitism, you are a POS and somehow racist. We could blame Fox News for this, but people like Nugent have always been with us. They marched in Hitlers parades and saluted the Fuhrer as he strode past, and carried his banners. It is thinking like Nugents that led German men to push Jews out into fields and gun them down into ditches. Nugent has dehumanized the victims of the holocaust by calling them soulless. The Nazis did no less before they exterminated them. Correction to Tuesdays post: It does turn out, as the ADL points out, that Nugents original posted image was not the product of Nugents own imagination, but rather had circulated in white supremacist circles for several years before Nugent gave it new life. Portfolio English Edition's premium content is available only for subscribers Learn about the hottest news of the day, along with immediate follow-up analyses and 1000's of exclusive articles with full access to the premium content. Register and apply for a 14 days free trial period. KELLOGG Nicki Costello sees stacks of pine logs and piles of pine slash as a destroyed landscape, unwelcome for wildlife, an ugly scarring of the Sand Prairie area where she moved a few months ago because of its beauty. Mary Stefanski sees the logs and slash as a way to make the 30 acres on Upper Sand Prairie look as it did 150 years ago, a land going back to its roots with different kinds of habitat. The two views of the same scene are part of a collision of visions at the end of a long road near where the Zumbro River enters the Mississippi River near Kellogg. Costello and others who believe as she does live on private land there near land of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. The refuge is operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Stefanski is the manager of the refuge's Winona District. The land in question is being logged, beginning in late January and expected to end soon. Coming down are all the red pines as well as some oaks because of oak wilt. Costello, her husband Mike Costello, and neighbors Joe Giem and Barb Laska, met at the Costello's garage Sunday to talk about what they see. For them, it's not a pretty sight. While Giem and Laska are lifelong area residents, the Costellos moved to the land Nov. 1 ADVERTISEMENT "We like the area, we like being out in the country," Mike Costello said. He grew up in the area, while his wife is from Rosemount. When they look out windows of their home and garage, they see deer, turkeys, birds, all kinds of wildlife. They like that. They believe the cutting will hurt that wildlife. When Nicki Costello saw all the cutting, "I was in tears, I was so sad," she said. "To see those beautiful pines laying on their side." Mike Costello said, "I would have been concerned if I had seen that before we bought this property." Part of the service land being logged is already prairie. It came when the U.S. Corps of Engineers moved sand dredged from the Mississippi to the land; it was then covered with black dirt and planted into prairie. The four aren't impressed with results. "If they are trying to return sand prairie to this natural habitat, why keep pumping sand?" Mike Costello said. Why not remove river sand already there? Giem asked. ADVERTISEMENT Also irking them is that only a handful of people got letters explaining the project. "If they are so proud of what they're doing, why didn't they tell people about it?" Giem said. "It seems like they aren't telling people what's going on," Laska said. "It creates a lot of worry in people." Logging is correcting a mistake the service made when planting those pines in the 1950s, Stefanski said. "We messed with it originally. That was the wildlife management thing to do" back then, Stefanski said. "We've learned that is not the right thing thing to do, we want habitat to be what it was." She said the service held public meetings for the last two cuttings but no complained so it just sent out letters to landowners immediately adjacent to the cut area. Logging will be finished soon. The service has given contracts to loggers to take the pines out twice before; this is the final time, she said. This time, some oaks are being cut because of oak wilt, she said. Money from the sale is used to compensate counties for money they lose because the land is off the tax rolls. Part of the problem is that people see what's on land now as the way things ought to be, she said, "People grew up thinking it's supposed to be a shelter belt," she said. But it was sand prairie 150 years ago. Wildlife has a lot of other places to find trees, including on thousands of bottomlands in the refuge. ADVERTISEMENT When the cutting is done, the service will work to turn much of the land to prairie, as is being done on other parts of the land Sand Prairie complex between Wabasha and Weaver. Much of that slash will be burned. Stefanski said the dredged sand has been used to create islands in river backwaters; on land, it can be disposed of by removing topsoil, pumping in the sand and putting topsoil back on to make prairie. As for communications,"I will always gladly meet with people who have concerns," she said. Most of Minnesota has seen temperatures drop below freezing. While that may mean the end of the growing season, it is not the end of tick season. Viv Williams has info on how you can protect your family, pets and yourself from tick bites. WINONA A 34-year-old Minnesota City man has been charged in Winona County District Court with sexual assault of a minor. Cesar Eduardo Sierra Avila was charged Thursday with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct-sexual penetration with victim under 13 and one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct-sexual contact with victim under 13. Avila's bond was set at $150,000 without conditions last week by District Judge Nancy Buytendorp. His next court date was set for Feb. 24. According to the criminal complaint, the incident occurred on or about Nov. 27, when Avila took the girl into the kitchen of a home while other girls were in the living room. The alleged assault began in the kitchen, then escalated when the suspect ignored the victim's pleas to stop and took her to a nearby bedroom, the complaint says. The alleged assault stopped when a friend of Avila's returned home, according to the complaint. The victim told her family about the incident on Dec. 11, at which point authorities were contacted. ADVERTISEMENT If convicted, Avila faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $40,000 fine. RED WING Kyle Ferguson and his 3-year-old daughter, Aaliyah, ditched the blustery, cold weather on Tuesday to check out Minnesota's newest indoor water park. The Wanamingo father and daughter sat on an inner tube that slowly drifted down a winding, lazy river with palm trees soaring overhead in The Lagoon, the new 40,000-square-foot water park at Treasure Island Resort & Casino. While holding his grinning preschooler, Kyle Ferguson gave the park his seal of approval. "I love it. It's definitely fun," he said. Treasure Island invested $19 million into the expansion project, which includes not only an indoor water park but also a full service salon spa and updated fitness center. Treasure Island spokeswoman Cindy Taube said customers have long been requesting these amenities. The upgrades build on the resorts other family-friendly features, including a bowling alley and arcade. "This really will appeal to families on vacation. We'll have a larger draw throughout the Midwest," Taube said. ADVERTISEMENT The upscale, modern water park includes a 320-foot-long lazy river with rapids and two 276-foot-long body slides. There is also a zero-depth entry pool with a small toucan slide and water features that are suitable for small children. The indoor water park also includes an adult-only area equipped with two hot tubs one indoors and one outdoors. It boasts Minnesota's only swim-up bar with tables and seats in the pool. The pools are outfitted with an eco-friendly filtration system that uses Sphagnum Moss as a pre-filter water condition. There is also a 14,000-square-foot terrace with custom fire pits and a view of the Mississippi River. In warmer weather, retractable glass panels can be moved, giving guests a chance to wander from the indoor water park to the outdoor space. In addition to attracting out-of-state guests, the resort also hopes to bring in Minnesotans looking for a convenient, fun getaway, Taube said. "It's also awesome for people who want a staycation not go far, but still get away," she said. The indoor water park is free for hotel guests. Day passes can be purchased for $14.95 per person. Children younger than 3 are free with a paying adult. Full-service spa Next to the water park is the new Wave Spa, which offers an array of services including haircuts, pedicures, manicures, waxing and massage. There's also a relaxation room decked out with a fire place and lounge chairs that can accommodate up to 12 people. Taube said the spa is the perfect addition to the resort considering the large number of weddings it hosts every year. She said it's ideal for bridal parties. ADVERTISEMENT "They had no place to get their hair done or their nails done or have a girls weekend out. We didn't have anything here that was close. They had to go to Red Wing or Hastings," Taube said. The latest expansion builds on a string of construction projects at the casino. One year ago, Tado Steakhouse opened its doors and over the summer, the casino's Tradewinds Buffet was renovated. Treasure Island is owned and operated by the Prairie Island Indian Community. As part of the expansion, more than 30 new employees were hired, boosting Treasure Island's total workforce to more than 1,500 people. "It is important to our tribe and Treasure Island to be a destination of choice in Southern Minnesota, bringing in more visitors and tourists to the area. This benefits all of the neighboring businesses in the area," said Tribal Council President Shelley Buck in a statement. Swimmer Diane Hafemeyer, of Lonsdale, said she's really impressed with the water park. She chatted as her 2-year-old son, Hunter, slid down the toddler-friendly Toucan slide. "This is awesome especially in winter," she said. "We'll be coming back for sure." Minnesotans should take note of the University of Minnesota unionization efforts. The fight to organize faculty part-time and full-time against short-sighted efforts to cheapen the work of higher education is honorable. As a Winona State University Faculty Association president and member of the Inter Faculty Association, I welcome them to the challenge. The benefits of a union are many. Union workplaces are more welcoming to women and minorities and, in nearly all cases, better compensated than in nonunion occupations. Collective bargaining provides more affordable health insurance than in right-to-work states, and it has moved the nation forward to provide equitable benefits for all employees regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or sexual identity. And yet, unions are under attack. Extreme conservative think-tanks, funded by the wealthiest 1 percent of 1 percent, such as the American Legislative Exchange Council, are leaders in the anti-union movement. For instance, ALEC promotes a model bill that would eviscerate unions by effectively removing the "collective" from collective bargaining. Under the guise of the proposed Public Employee Choice Act, public employees would be free to opt out of any collective bargaining agreement and negotiate their own salary, benefits and employee rights. ADVERTISEMENT Indeed, workers would be free entirely unfettered by livable wages, affordable health insurance and free to look for a different job after their employer arbitrarily eliminates their position or replaces them with someone willing to work for less. The U.S. Supreme Court is now a forum for similar anti-union rhetoric. In Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association last month, public school teacher Rebecca Friedrichs claimed her First Amendment right to free speech was infringed by having to pay an agency fee. In Minnesota, we more commonly label this a fair-share fee, which is a smaller fee employees pay in lieu of member dues if they do not want to join the union. The employees receive the same contractual protections and benefits as everyone else and are only paying for those services. The employees pay nothing toward noncontractual or political activities. So, as an employee, if you think the union takes political positions contrary to your own, you're not compelled to pay member dues. Friedrichs and her advocates pursue a tactical enlargement of the First Amendment's constitutional footprint, and like ALEC's model bill, it is wrapped in a phony shroud of freedom. This tactic is not new. Recall a similar expansion of the First Amendment in Buckley v. Valeo in 1976, which used freedom of speech to bar limits on campaign contributions, and more recently, the Citizens United v. FEC case in 2010, which limited restraints on corporate and nonprofit campaign contributions. As an ALEC member and Minnesota legislator Rep. Cindy Pugh, R-Chanhassen, echoed, "Teachers shouldn't have to leave their first amendment rights at the door." So true, but they don't leave their rights at the door, and for ALEC and Friedrichs to pretend that their unions are compelling speech by an agency fee is a grotesque exaggeration. ADVERTISEMENT Maybe we should all take a more basic lesson from the U of M union organizers. Bucking against the wind of anti-union sentiment that exploits part-time faculty to pay for already underfunded college and university systems, the U of M unionists are taking a brave path. They are not speculating on the summer decision in Friedrichs or on ALEC's shenanigans, they are conveying to their potential members what they can gain by organizing, and what they will lose in the future if they don't. All of our public unions should do the same. Firefighters, teachers, nurses, law enforcement, professors, maintenance workers, social workers, counselors and a host of other local government employees are commonly unionized public servants. We negotiate contracts for salaries, benefits and worker rights protections; we push back against arbitrary and capricious actions by employers, and we don't compel anyone's speech by that service. If the Supreme Court decides otherwise, there will be less service and less freedom to go around. Regardless of the decision in Friedrichs, we must always remember a basic truth that lies beyond the Supreme Court's jurisdiction that working peoples' voices and well-being in our society are founded on organizing. Darrell Downs, a Winona State University political science professor, is the WSU Faculty Association president. Whenever there's a colossal winter storm as we experienced last week and likely again this season my concern for welfare and safety stretches to the dedicated Post-Bulletin carrier force and their managers out in the element serving customers. Below freezing temperatures, blinding snow. Who wrote it best? Is it a quote from the Bible or is it Shakespeare? "Neither man nor beast is safe in such weather." Regardless the weather, the vast majority of subscribers receive their Post-Bulletin on or about the usual time. Those who do not are compassionately and patiently understanding. I marvel that newspaper companies across the country have a peculiar business model. Their well-produced, timely and customer-valued product is placed with confidence into the hands of conscientious youngsters, many much too young to realize the import of their delivery role in the community. Delivering newspapers provides more than a steady income for carriers. Many are children who experience character development through earning their own spending money. They learn responsibility and discipline through working a "real job." They learn essential people skills being polite, dependable and service-minded. In a recent conversation with a community leader, the businessman said to me, "I can always tell when a new employee has had a job delivering papers because it makes the new hire a lot easier to train. The lessons learned from having a newspaper route makes a better employee." ADVERTISEMENT Albeit great business training for children, paper routes also are great for retired individuals wanting exercise and diversion and also for those looking to earn extra money with a part-time enterprise. Time necessary to deliver papers is minimal. The average walking paper route takes less than an hour to deliver, while a motor route takes two to three hours. I encourage parents and grandparents to learn more about becoming a Post-Bulletin news carrier, if not for the development of young people in their family, perhaps as a vocation for themselves. Spotlight on journalism There is one more significant dimension to the community newspaper that I choose to share with you today. I recently caught a showing of the Academy Award-nominated film "Spotlight." This stunning movie reveals how journalists really do their job. Even considering my umpity years in the newspaper business, there's always need for a reminder about the power of effective investigative journalism. I cannot recall in the last couple decades a film which has done a better job of showing reporters and editors in their "watchdog" role, digging out important news others want kept secret. The film tells the story of four members of The Boston Globe's investigative unit, the Spotlight Team, and what happens when they pursue a story likely to antagonize leadership in a community while serving the public good. "Spotlight" illustrates the way news organizations can have a positive impact in their communities and beyond. The Globe won the coveted Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003 for its investigative work. The film's over-riding message is that bringing about significant societal change through ethical journalism requires courage, risk-taking and a willingness to upset powerful people and institutions. ADVERTISEMENT Raising awareness I observe ethical journalism practiced every day in the newsroom of the Post-Bulletin. Much done day in and day out could earn the team here a Pulitzer, yet that distinction matters not to me, the publisher. What does matter is that the respected team of P-B reporters, photographers, graphic designers and editors collaborate in ways that typify the high standards of quality journalism: verifying and documenting information, providing context for readers and assuring that what is published is as comprehensive and as accurate and as fair as humanly possible. The riveting story that "Spotlight" reveals is the mission of watchdog reporting and the practices, values and standards behind it. The film serves to re-energize both people's interest and the public's understanding of the importance of investigative journalism. I went online to read more about the production of "Spotlight." In a video clip, this is what an actor-portrayed editor said to his team that resonated with me: "We have to communicate to the public that we (newspapers) are essential. We have to do that through our work, not just writing columns saying, 'Boy, you know, you're going to miss us if we're not around.' " One benefit from the film's message is to cause editors, publishers and media owners to rededicate themselves to investigative journalism, that it's absolutely core to our publishing heritage and cannot be abandoned. No. 2, my hope is that this film could cause the public to reflect on the necessity of investigative journalism, to have an adequate appreciation for what's required in order to do it an understanding of how difficult it is, but also the ultimate consequence to the community securing and preserving public interest and safety. Journalism carries responsibility "Spotlight" is a reminder to society that it's important to listen to the voices of people who have been marginalized, voices that haven't been heard. These are the voices from people who have been pushed to the margins in society. They often have something very powerful to say. ADVERTISEMENT Investigative journalism must be accomplished carefully. It needs to be done with responsibility. The process has to be nailed down tightly and airtight because when it isn't, there is the opposite effect. Confidence in the institution of community journalism is undermined rather than reinforced. Media publishing is different from a lot of businesses because we have distinct, personal and intangible relationships with the public. It's a matter of credibility and confidence worth preserving. When lost, it is extremely difficult to recover, if ever. Randy Chapman is publisher of the Post-Bulletin. He welcomes feedback to his column at rchapman@postbulletin.com A group of local Catholics says a number of their concerns have still not been addressed by the Archdiocese of Agana leadership. The group is continuing to call attention to its concerns publicly even as the church enters the Lenten season. Yesterday, Feb. 10 was Ash Wednesday which marked the start of the Lenten season 40 days of fasting, prayer and repentance for Catholics. Thousands of Catholics attended Ash Wednesday Masses throughout the day yesterday. Each year, the village parishes schedule multiple Masses during the day to accommodate a large number of church-goers, with the larger parishes offering as many as six Ash Wednesday Masses. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. An estimated 85 percent of the local population is Roman Catholic. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Were really strong in our faith, said Lou Klitzkie, a member of the Laity Forward Movement, who also attended Ash Wednesday Mass yesterday. We dont want to lose our Catholic church. The Laity Forward Movement has organized several silent protests in front of the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagatna, the latest of which took place Jan. 31. Some women in the Laity Forward Movement go to Mass every day, Klitzkie said. LFM and the Concerned Catholics of Guam have publicly opposed recent decisions made by Archbishop Anthony Apuron. Their concerns are the same as they were last year and the year before that, the group said, adding they want to see Monsignor James Benavente reinstated as rector at the Cathedral-Basilica and Rev. Paul Gofigan reinstated as pastor of Santa Barbara parish in Dededo. Property The group also has said the property on which the Redemptoris Mater Seminary sits is not controlled by the archdiocese, a claim the archdiocese has denied. Klitzkie has said in previous interviews that the group is protesting because they are disappointed with the lack of leadership from Apuron. Last week, LFM members also handed fliers to parishioners outside Nino Perdido y Sagrada Familia Church in Asan after Mass to bring awareness to the Catholics about the problems we are encountering, Klitzkie said. A lot of the people do not read JungleWatch and we have to tell them what is happening in the Catholic church, she said. If the archbishop did something wrong, then weve got to find out why he did all these things. JungleWatch is a blog run by Tim Rohr, realtor and outspoken Catholic who has followed and detailed issues between the Neocatechumenal Way and the local archdiocese. Rohr has blogged extensively about Archbishop Apuron and other top church officials. The archdiocese has defended actions Rohr has criticized, publishing statements contradicting Rohr about the ownership of the seminary and the reason for Benaventes removal. The statements have also been published in the U Matuna Si Yuos, the archdiocese's weekly publication. Most recently in November, the U Matuna published government documents that the archdiocese said proves the archbishop is in control of seminary property, which Rohr staunchly refuted. The Concerned Catholics hired a lawyer whose legal opinion differed from the archdiocese officials statements. Not yet spoken Kliztkie said her group has not yet spoken directly with Apuron. The group will continue its hand billing efforts and silent protests, she said. On Tuesday, the group held a fundraiser because they intend to hire a lawyer. We did very well for our first one and we're planning on another fundraiser, Klitzkie said. In 2014, at least 300 people signed a Concerned Catholics petition supporting the group's mission of financial transparency, and about 70 people have attended past LFM silent protests. Apuron removed Gofigan and Benavente from their positions as pastor of Santa Barbara and as rector of the cathedral, respectively. In July 2014, Apuron removed Benavente as rector of the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica. At the time, Apuron said in a statement that a financial review of two entities showed that the entities under Benavente showed poor financial accounting, prompting the archbishop to make a change in administration. Benavente issued a counter statement, denying Apurons allegations. Yes, at the GEC voting center at the Westin. Yes, at one of the satellite voting centers open on Saturdays. No; I'm voting on Nov. 8. No; I'm not voting in the general election. Vote View Results Switzerland is searching for missing account holders or their heirs. With several million francs said to be sitting unclaimed in Swiss accounts, succession could prove to be profitable. GRP Rainer LLP PR-Inside.com: 2016-02-10 09:32:05 Press Information GRP Rainer LLP Hohenzollernring 21-23 Herr Michael Rainer Lawyer, Managing Partner +492212722750 email http://www.grprainer.com/en Published by Michael Rainer +492212722750 e-mail http://www.grprainer.com/en.html # 360 Words Hohenzollernring 21-23Lawyer, Managing Partner+492212722750Michael Rainer+492212722750 Switzerland is searching for missing account holders or their heirs. With several million francs said to be sitting unclaimed in Swiss accounts, succession could prove to be profitable.GRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors in Cologne, Berlin, Bonn, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and London conclude: Swiss banks are looking for account holders, or their heirs, who have not made themselves known for 60 years or more. According to reports from the media, a total of more than 44 million Swiss francs is supposed to be lying dormant in these accounts, essentially just waiting to be collected.In order to establish contact with the account holders or their heirs, Switzerland has now set up a website online where the names of clients who have not been in touch with their bank since 1955 or longer are listed. The hope is that these persons will be tracked down and contact their bank. They have one year to do so. Of course, they have to be able to prove that they are the account holder or the legitimate successor.Even though the search for possible heirs might prove to be successful, they should not accept their potential inheritance without first obtaining legal assistance by turning to lawyers who are competent in the field of succession law, as there may be cons as well as pros to inheriting a large fortune. The estate could be burdened with tax liabilities. The capital has probably not been taxed for decades, which means, strictly speaking, that this likely amounts to illegal earnings.The heir then has to promptly report this to the competent tax office. Lawyers who are experienced in the fields of succession and tax law can assess whether it is worthwhile accepting the inheritance in the first place and what burdens the heirs could be faced with. Moreover, it is possible for legal disputes to arise among the heirs. If the account holder has passed away, this raises the question of whether he prepared a will or whether the rules of intestate succession apply. Competent legal counsel ought to be obtained if one is to resolve these issues. The National Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday said 58 people were killed and 78 victims others injured after suicide bombers detonated explosives at the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Dikwa, Borno State. Emergency workers said the incidents occurred when the IDPs queued up to collect their morning food ration in a camp that currently accommodates over 50, 000 people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency. The Zonal Coordinator of NEMA in the North East, Mohammed Kanar, said some of those killed had been buried while the injured were moved to unnamed medical facilities. The Nigerian government has repeatedly claimed Boko Haram had been significantly degraded to such a level that it could no longer carry out coordinated attacks. But the group has continued to wreak havoc, attacking communities in Borno and carrying out suicide bombings, killing and maiming scores each time. On Wednesday evening, the Nigerian government circulated a statement condoling with families of victims of the Dikwa attack. On behalf of the federal government of Nigeria, Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, expresses his profound condolences to the families of the victims of yesterdays suicide bombing of an IDP camp in Dikwa, Borno State, and also the entire people and government of the state, a statement by the vice presidents office said. His prayers are that the Almighty God will comfort them and grant the injured persons quick recovery. The Vice President stated that it is indeed regrettable that the heartless terrorists chose to unleash their wickedness on people who were taking refuge from previous acts of destruction in their homes. He reassured the nation that the full weight of the federal governments force will be deployed to hunt down the perpetrators of this evil act and also to confront terrorists continuously in the protection of life, liberty and property of all Nigerians: there will be no hiding place for terrorists. Prof. Osinbajo has given directives that formidable security in and around the IDP Camps in the country be beefed up and renewed measures put in place to guard against future occurrences. Finally, the Vice President called on the people of Borno State and all Nigerians that the commitment of the federal government to safety of lives and property continues to be of paramount concern to the Buhari administration. The Nigerian Army on Tuesday said it would not reabsorb the 250 soldiers dismissed last week for failing to join their colleagues posted to the north east. The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, said the soldiers were dismissed over gross acts of indiscipline, cowardice, and absence without leave. The attention of the Nigerian Army has also been drawn to a set of 250 protesting dismissed soldiers in Nigerian Union of journalists (NUJ) Secretariat, Kaduna, pleading through the media to be reabsorbed back again into the Nigerian Army, Mr. Usman, a colonel, said in a statement on Tuesday. They were part of the 2,023 dismissed soldiers last year that were earlier reinstated back into the Service by the present Chief of Army Staff. However these set of soldiers (the 250) absconded for more than one week when they were told that they were to move to North East on the 6th of January 2016. They started coming back when they realised that others were moved to units other than the theatre of operations in the North East. Please note that all efforts were made to make all the reinstated soldiers comfortable and integrate them back into the system. The protesting soldiers are the few who are recalcitrant to military duties and discipline. They are simply not interested in army job but want to earn salary. No one should listen to them as they are not patriotic at all. Mr. Usman said the army had been tolerant with the soldiers acts of indiscipline and unprofessional conduct. This was based on the understanding of their circumstances and conditions, he said. Efforts have been made to retrain them, integrate and give them sense of belonging. However the attitude of some of them has left so much to be desired and would not be tolerated anymore hence their dismissal from Service. The army said it arrested two soldiers at Yola park last Sunday with unauthorized military items. Two of our Explosive Ordinance Device personnel attached to 143 Battalion, 13NA/ 70/10183 Sapper Eric Nwokorie and 13NA/70/10263 Sapper Macauley Fortune were arrested at Yola park with the following unauthorised military items: 1 Smoke grenade, 2,136 live rounds of 7.62 (Special) ammunition, 50 live rounds of 7.6mm (NATO) ammunition, 5 magazines of AK 47 rifles, 2 Browning Machine Gun live rounds of ammunitions. Others include, 1 Axe, 1 Cutlass, 1 Jack knife, 9 Jungle hats, 11 pairs of Camouflage (9 Desert and 3 woodland green), 4 Military Pullovers, 1 Black beret, 1 Green beret, 1 Pair of number 7 dress, 2 General Duty belt, 12 Army T-shirts, 2 Rain Coats, 2 Water bottles, 1 Pairs of Rain boot and 5 Pairs of Desert boots. This unfortunate incident notwithstanding, troops morale remains high as they continue to dominate the general area with aggressive raids, ambushes and patrols to clear the remnants of the terrorists hibernating in the area. **PRESS RELEASE** ASTEROID DAY 2016 LAUNCHED AT EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY WITH SUPPORT FROM 20 GLOBAL PARTNERS, SIX INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES, AND A MESSAGE FROM OUTER SPACE Asteroid Day, a global movement supporting increased awareness and education of asteroids, announced its plans for 2016 in a press conference live from ESA ESTEC and live streamed to the world with messages from every continent on the globe and a special message from outer space. Participants included co-founders Dr. Brian May, astrophysicist and co-founder of the rock band Queen; filmmaker Grigorij Richters; ESA Director Franco Ongaro and AIM Mission Manager Ian Carnelli; astronauts Dr. Tom Jones, Dorin Prunariu, Dr. Ed Lu, Col. Chris Hadfield, Rakesh Sharma, Soyeon Yi, Anousheh Ansari, Helen Sharman; Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt; Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye; British Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees; astronomer Dr. Amanda Sickafoose, of the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO); media partner Discovery Science; and world-renowned scientists and asteroid experts. Asteroid Day is held on June 30 the anniversary of the largest asteroid impact of Earth in recorded history, at Tunguska, Siberia in 1908. The first Asteroid Day was launched in 2015, and attracted more than 150 events worldwide, attended by tens of thousands of scientists, academics and public citizens, with media coverage exceeding 4 billion impressions. Events are independently organized by museums, research institutes, government agencies, universities, astronomers, filmmakers, and concerned citizens. Dr. Brian May: I became acutely aware of the risk to all creatures on Earth from asteroid impacts, while watching Grig Richters film 51 Degrees North. This is an important issue in the back of the minds of all astronomers, but only recently could the probabilities and effects be quantified. And only recently has it become within the capability of Humanity to begin to plan ways to prevent such catastrophes. While making the music for the film, I got to know Grig, and we talked in depth about the possibility of bringing together the resources of the whole world to focus on asteroid impacts. The concept of Asteroid Day was formed, with the hope that we could bring about a massive leap in global awareness of this problem a problem that may now have a solution. Ian Carnelli, head of Asteroid Impact Mission, ESA: ESA has been studying the role of space missions to address the asteroid hazard over the last 15 years. Today we have the technology to change the path of an asteroid, but we need to test our technology in space and learn if our models are correct by measuring all the relevant parameters. Lord Martin Rees: The value of Asteroid Day is that its a way of raising public awareness and therefore putting this issue higher on the agenda so that when politicians and others in a position to deploy funds for scientific missions make their decisions, they are aware there is a serious case for doing more than is now being done to remove the asteroid risk, survey the sky for asteroids that could have orbits that cross the Earth, and explore technology that can be used to deflect one on a path to impact Earth. Dr. Tom Jones: The Association of Space Explorers continues to promote international cooperation in confronting the risks of a future asteroid impact on Earth. Our association of astronauts and cosmonauts is excited about supporting Asteroid Day 2016, appearing at Asteroid Day events around the globe and sharing our belief that space technology can find rogue asteroids and prevent a future damaging impact on our planet. We believe that stopping future asteroid collisions will be the most important benefit of 21st century space exploration. Executive director and co-founder of Asteroid Day Grig Richters announced the six premiere events for 2016 and recognized Asteroid Day partners. June 30 Premiere Events Barcelona, Spain: ICE (Spanish National Research Council) http://www.ice.cat/en/view_event.php?ap=4&event=1&EID=965 Tenerife, Spain: Starmus Festival http://www.starmus.com/ San Francisco, CA: California Academy of Sciences/B612 https://www.calacademy.org/ Vienna Austria: Natural History Museum http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/jart/prj3/nhm/main.jart?rel=de&content-id=1278490683856&detail_mp=yes&tid=1453834764869 Seoul, South Korea: Gwacheon National Science Museum http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1215685 Asteroid Day Partners Association of Space Explorers; Asteroid Impact Mission; Astronomers Without Borders; Astronomy Magazine; Astronomy Now Magazine; B612; California Academy of Sciences; Discovery Science; European Space Agency (ESA); Films United; Natural History Museum of Vienna; NEOShield-2; The Cote dAzur Observatory; Romanian Space Agency; Royal Astronomical Society; The Planetary Society; Seattle Museum of Flight; Space Foundation; Starmus; Universe Awareness. Starmus has promoted and supported the launch of Asteroid Day from the start, which is why the editions celebrated honoree, professor Stephen Hawking said: This year Asteroid Day coincides with the staging of the Starmus Festival, a unique debating forum for the future of humanity. Among the events planned at Starmus, we will also commemorate Asteroid Day. Astronaut Chris Hadfield: Im an adventurer, explorer, and astronaut who has flown to space three times and been around this precious world of ours 2,650 times. So, naturally with that point of view, I am a supporter of Asteroid Day. For the first time, we are at a level of technology capability to detect and do something about the threat of asteroids. The threat is low, but the results can be extremely high. Dr. Ed Lu, three-time astronaut and CEO of B612 who co-invented the Gravity Tractor, a proposed technique for asteroid deflection. In the near future, when our asteroid tracking telescopes allow us to know far in advance of an impending asteroid impact on Earth, we will then be able to nudge that asteroid out of Earths way. The ESA & NASA proposed AIDA mission will be a great step forward in testing this technology. And ESA joining Asteroid Day as a partner is a welcome addition in helping educate the world about asteroids and our future. About the European Space Agency (ESA) The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europes gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europes space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA is an international organization with 22 Member States. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, it can undertake programs and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. ESTEC, the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) is the technical heart the incubator of the European space effort where most ESA projects are born and guided through the various phases of development. The Press Conference is being presented live, live-streamed, and will be archived at http://esa.int/asteroidday and http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Engineering_Technology/Asteroid_day/Watch_Asteroid_Day_2016_press_conference Contacts: Diane Murphy pr@asteroidday.org +1 310 658 8756, +44 (0)78 1883 0551 Ninja Menning estecpr@esa.int +31 715 656 409 Follow Dave Eicher on Twitter and please check out his Author Page on Facebook. By Ebuka Onyeji An Abuja magistrate court on Wednesday arraigned three teenagers accused of conspiring with a man to kidnap a 15-year-old boy, Musa Yusuf. The co-conspirator, simply identified as Soje, is currently at large. Reading the charges, the court clerk said the offense is contrary to Section 274 of the Penal Code. He said the accused persons, Ibrahim Wada, Mohammed Umar and Musa Umar, conspired with Mr. Soje to kidnap his (Sojes) cousin on January 15 and later demanded N19,000 ransom. According to the charge, the accused were arrested at the point of collecting the ransom at a location in Abuja. The accused however pleaded not guilty to the charges, claiming that they were only asked by Mr. Soje to collect a debt payment from the victims uncle. The defence counsel, A.A Ohijiefor, pleaded with the court to grant the accused bail, saying they would not jump bail or obstruct the ongoing investigations. The presiding magistrate, Shaibu Usman, however, denied the bail application, and adjourned the case till March 3. The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Tuesday said Benin Kingdom in Edo State remained part of the expansive Yoruba race, a pronouncement that may spark fresh rivalry and altercation between people of the two ancient kingdoms. The monarch made the comment in reaction to a statement credited to the palace of the Oba of Benin challenging the claim by the Alake of Egbaland, Adedotun Gbadebo, that the Ooni of Ife remained the pre-eminent spiritual leader in Yorubaland and environs. Oba Ogunwusi, via a statement by his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, made available to PREMIUM TIMES, said he was not interested in any supremacy battle with anyone but that he would continue to put the records straight and avoid distortion of history from any quarters. The monarch said going by historical evidence detailing the Oduduwa lineage, Benin Kingdom remained part and parcel of Oduduwa House. We in Oduduwa land have always seen and regarded our people in Benin kingdom as part and parcel of Oduduwa House. They are our brothers and sisters, coupled with historical facts to back up this position, Ooni Ogunwusi said. The statement credited to the Alake of Egbaland, did not emanate from us but the reality is that as a highly experienced and well informed monarch, Kabiyesi Alake, who is a bonafide Oodua descendant is entitled to his opinion based on his knowledge and understanding of history, the Ooni said. Let me emphasize for the umpteenth time that Kabiyesi Ooni is less concerned over any supremacy hullabaloo. He is only interest for now in how the sacred throne of Oduduwa can explore measures through which the collective interest and genuine unity among Yoruba and other tribes within the larger House of Oduduwa can be enhanced. This informed his resolve to build bridges of harmony among Yourba Obas. I am resolutely committed to how Yoruba ethnic group can restore its glory and pride of position among other ethnic inclinations in Nigeria and dont want to be dragged into supremacy contest or join issues with anybody. The traditional ruler said he recalled that about six years ago, attempt was made by some people to upturn history during the launch of a book titled: I REMAIN SIR, YOUR OBEDIENT SERVANT, which he said stood historical facts on its head. Oba Ogunwusi stated that If the position espoused by the Oba of Benin Palace in the media is aimed at distancing our people in Benin from the South West and Yoruba, so be it. He however added, We still identify with them as our kinsmen, regardless of the attempt to change the course of history. The Alake had, while hosting the Oba Ogunwusi in his palace on February 7, rated the Ooni as the number one monarch in Yorubaland and other territories considered part of the Oduduwa House. In his rating, Oba Gbadebo said Oba Ogunwusi was number one of the five principal Obas in Yorubaland, followed by the Alaafin of Oyo, then by the Oba of Benin (in third position), the Alake of Egbaland (fourth) and the Awujale of Ijebuland (fifth). But in a swift reaction on Tuesday, the Esogban of Benin and Odionwere of the Kingdom, David Edebiri, rejected the ranking, saying the Ooni of Ife was a son of the Oba of Benin and that the Oba of Benin stool has no relationship with the Yoruba race. The Esogban said, We wanted to discard this report as something that was not necessary at all. We do not see how the Alake of Egbaland suddenly woke up to think that the Oba of Benin is also a Yoruba Oba. There is no basis for such classification; Oba of Benin has nothing to do with the Yoruba Obas. It is simply unnecessary, unless they simply want to stir up an unnecessary controversy. We are not in Yorubaland. To be frank, it is because many of them are not willing to come up with the truth, the word Oba is alien to Yoruba monarchy; it is not part of their title from time immemorial. For instance, the one they call the Oba of Lagos, these are recent adaptations. In the 50s, there was no Oba of Lagos, what we had was the Eleko of Eko. That is the title of the King there. In Ibadan, you have the Olu Ibadan. You come to Abeokuta, you have the Alake of Egba land. You come to Oyo, you have the Alaafin of Oyo. In Ilesha, you have the Owa-Obokun of IIesha. So no Yoruba monarch had as part of his titles the word Oba except the Oba of Benin. That word Oba is indigenous to Benin. It is only in recent times you find everybody bearing Oba. When the Western Regional conference of traditional rulers took place in Benin City in 1942, go and check the attendance, there was no other monarch in the whole of the Western Region then that bore the title of Oba, except the Oba of Benin. So it is an unnecessary excursion, an unnecessary attempt to turn history upside down by the Alake by classifying the Oba of Benin as third in the hierarchy of kings. Our own traditional history says that the Ooni of Ife was a Benin Prince who wandered from here to Ife, settled there and became the ruler there. That is the position, if they dont know, they should send people here; we will teach them. We will show them landmarks. So this is unnecessary misrepresentation of history. Maybe the Alake wanted to mention a different place and not Benin. The monarchical rulership in this part of the world started from Benin during the era of the Ogisos. It was the son of the last Ogiso, Owodo, that wandered from here to Ife and he became a ruler there, carrying everything about the Benin monarchical system to that place. There is no basis for such classification. The Ooni of Ife, by historical facts, is a son of the Oba of Benin, so they are not in the same class. The Oba of Benin is the only one that answers Oba, the rest dont. But today, we hear Oba here and there, they are all recent adaptations. I am saying categorically that the word Oba is indigenous to Benin and not to Yoruba nation. The presidency has described as misconstrued the various interpretations of President Muhammadu Buharis comments in an interview granted to the UKs Telegraph newspaper on February 5. In a statement Tuesday by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, noted that the wave of negative reactions to the Presidents remarks about the reputation of Nigerians abroad was a result of incomplete understanding of President Buharis point. President Buhari was asked about the flood of migrants from Nigeria and the fraudulent applications for asylum put in by people desperate to leave their motherland at any cost, and it was this question that elicited his response, he said, encouraging Nigerians to avail themselves of a full text of the interview, which has now been made available on the Telegraphs website. Mr Shehu added that it was preposterous for anyone to imagine that the president of Nigeria would describe all the citizens of the country he leads as criminals, when he himself is a Nigerianobviously not a criminaland when there are many Nigerians of honest living making their country proud all over the world. Unfortunately, there are also Nigerians giving their country a bad image abroad, and it is to those Nigerians that the President referred in his comments, he said, adding that people may play politics and online games with the Presidents comments, but the fact of the matter remains that Nigerias reputation abroad has been severely damaged by her own citizens. These Nigerians who leave their country to go and make mischief on foreign shores have given the rest of us a bad reputation that we daily struggle to overcome. Mr. Shehu called attention to the many efforts of President Buhari to clean up the image of Nigeria, such as the war on corruption, stating that acknowledging you have a problem is the first step to preferring a solution. President Buhari is very aware of the problems the people of Nigeria face both at home and abroad, and he is not shying away from admitting them even as he focuses on solutions to bring them to a permanent end. The Nigerian Army said it ambushed Boko Haram insurgents and killed a number of them while transporting fuel and various calibre of ammunition to their hideout. A statement by the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Sani Usman, said the troops, while on operation at a cattle market on Wednesday morning, intercepted the insurgents and seized the supplies. In continuation of their clearance operations of remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in the North East, troops of 212 Tank Battalion, 29 Task Force Brigade, early this morning laid an ambush on some Boko Haram elements at a major cattle market in Gwai Mainari around Mainok general area. The ambush party supported by a Quick Response Group (QRG), captured a Hilux vehicle containing 8 jerry cans of petroleum, oil and lubricants, large quantity of 7.62mm ammunitions, 127mm ammunitions and 4 AK-47 rifles, as well as 5 hand grenades. Some of the terrorists were killed while others escaped with gunshot wounds. It is important to note that more operational strategies are being employed to further flush out the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists wherever they might be hiding in the North East, the statement said. A member of the House of Representatives, Kehinde Odeneye, has expressed displeasure at the practice of granting lengthy tax holidays to some companies operating in Nigeria. Mr. Odeneye, who represents Ijebu Ode/Odogbolu/Ijebu North-East Federal Constituency, made his views known during a recent visit to ActionAid offices in Abuja. During the visit, Odeneye commended ActionAids Leaking Revenue report and raised the prospect of checking the abuse of tax incentives through legislation. The content and social contribution of multinational companies must be weighed against the value of tax incentives, the lawmaker said. The granting of tax breaks stretching up to ten years should be stopped. The lawmaker deplored the fact that there was no database of all companies enjoying tax breaks, clearly showing the value gained from such incentives. ActionAid Country Director, Ojobo Atuluku, drew Mr. Odeneyes attention to the existence of a bill which seeks to extend and give legal backing for companies to be granted a Pioneer Status incentive of up to 10 years. The bill is regressive and if passed into law would further strip the country of much needed revenue which could be used to provide social services and infrastructural development, she said. Mr. Odeneye promised to look into the bill and condemned practices such as the Export Expansion Grants (EEG) granted by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) to cocoa farmers and processors, which he described as a clever way to dodge tax. He also said lawmakers have a responsibility to investigate these issues to inform policy decisions. While pledging to work closely with ActionAid to address the abuse of tax incentives, Mr. Odeneye solicited the support of the organisation in providing critical information and documentation of facts. In her response, the ActionAid Country Director said complimentary actions from developing and developed countries were required to harmonize country by country reporting to provide the tax details of multinational companies. The crisis in Nigerias major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, deepened Wednesday as the Board of Trustees, BoT, held its meeting, thereby defying the decision of the National Working Committee that all meetings of the organs of the party be shifted to next week. The spokesperson of the party, Olisa Metuh, had on Monday issued a statement saying the meeting of the National Caucus of the party had been shifted to Monday next week, while that of the BoT would hold on the morning of Tuesday, February 16th to be followed by a meeting of the National Executive Committee, NEC. A member of the BoT had on Tuesday informed PREMIUM TIMES that the BoT was not answerable to the NWC and would therefore, hold its meeting on Tuesday as scheduled. The BoT carried out its threat and held its meeting at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja. One of the major outcomes of the meeting was the decision to sack its acting chairman, Bello Haliru, and appoint a replacement. Mr. Haliru is currently facing trial at a Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations he received large sums of money from the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, through his son. Briefing reporters at the Wadata Plaza secretariat of the PDP, the secretary of the BoT, Walid Jibrin, said he had been asked to take over as acting chairman, pending when a substantive chairman would emerge. Mr. Jibrin said the BoT decided to ignore the decision of the NWC because it is a special organ of the PDP, adding however, that, members of the BoT would still attend next weeks meeting of the caucus and NEC. The BoT has already called for this meeting. It is a special organ that regulate its activities. We can take our own decision. We will still attend next week meeting. The new chairman said they decided to replace Mr. Mohammed because his tenure had already expired. On the 25th of May, we appointed the outgoing acting chairman, Mr. Mohammed to act for three months, when the three months expired, we decided to extend his period by two weeks and that has expired. Very soon we are going to hold a meeting to elect a substantive chairman, probably during the next meeting of BoT, we will do it properly and elect a substantive Chairman, he said. On the controversy surrounding the position of the acting chairman of the party, Mr. Jibrin said the BoT aligns itself with the court ruling that the North-east should produce a Chairman to complete the tenure of Adamu Muazu, who resigned after the party was defeated in the 2015 general elections. He said party leaders expected the north-east to meet and pick a short list of three candidates and submit same to the meetings of national caucus and NEC next week. He said the two meetings would now zero in on one of the three candidates and announce him as the new chairman of the party. Among the contenders from the north-east are two former presidential aides, Ahmed Gulak and Rufai Alkali, as well as a former Minister, Mohammed Wakil, and a former ambassador and Governor of defunct Gongola state, Wilberforce Juta. By Oshi Oshi An Abuja Magistrate Court on Tuesday remanded an unemployed man, Danlami Isa, in Kuje Prison for stealing a pair of jean trousers valued at N3,000. The magistrate, Okey Agu, remanded the accused after he pleaded guilty of committing the offence. Mr. Agu therefore adjourned the case till February 20 for further hearing of the matter. The prosecutor, John Ameh, a police inspector, told the court that the offence was committed on January 18 at shop 30 Banex Plaza, in the federal capital. Mr. Ameh said the complainant, Ndubuisi Oko, was attending to some customers when the accused stole the trousers displayed outside the shop. He explained that the value of the trousers was valued at N3000 and that the offence contravened the criminal laws of the Federal Capital Territory. He was almost going when someone from the other shop sighted him and ran after him, Mr. Ameh said. The accused lives at Life Camp Anguan Cement, a settlement behind Efab Estate, Abuja. At least 721 Nigeria Customs Service officers in Kano State have collected assets declaration form from the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB. The Comptroller-General of the Service, Hameed Ali, had recently directed all customs officers to declare their assets within two weeks. The Director of the CCB in Kano, Umar Saulawa, disclosed the collection of the forms in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Wednesday. Mr. Saulawa said of the number, 95 officers were from the Nigeria Customs Training School, Kano. He added that of the 721 officers that collected the form, only 100 officers returned their completed forms. He disclosed that the agency also issued assets declaration forms to five army officers in the state. The director said the bureau would conduct orientation programme for army officers on Thursday on how to complete the assets declaration form. He, however, called on all customs officers who have yet to return the completed forms to do so before the expiration of the stipulated period. (NAN) Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo has agreed with the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), to immediately recall all suspended workers and stop everything about concession in the State. The National President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, read the statement to the protesting workers shortly after the conclusion of their negotiation with the Imo State Government. The statement was signed by A. N. Eluwa -Solicitor General of Imo, for the government, Chairman NLC in Imo, Austin Chilakpu, Chairman, TUC, Ezeji Ezeji and eight others for the NLC. Mr. Wabba directed the workers to suspend the protest and go back to work. The agreement stated that government would source for funds to pay workers which would be verified by the joint committee of government and labour. According to the agreement, government would fund its operations with not more than 30 per cent of the verified revenue for the month. The committee would apply the balance of 70 per cent in the settlement of salaries of public servants and pensioners. Economic and social activities had come to a halt in Owerri following a mass protest organised by the NLC. The organised labour had shut down the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, all ministries and offices, including the LGAs and the state Secretariat as workers trooped out for the protest. The protesters were led by the National President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, and other national leaders, including the state chairmen from South/East, South/South and North. They matched from the secretariat of the Nigeria Medical Association on Port Harcourt road, toward Imo Government House, where they blocked all major entrances. Mr. Wabba had demanded for immediate recall of all sacked workers and stopping further sack of workers in the state without following laid down procedures. Meanwhile, the National Chairman of APC, John Oyegun has appealed to Governor Rochas Okorocha to adopt the spirit of flexibility in handling issues concerning workers. He told newsmen at Government House, Owerri, that workers and government needed to cooperate with each other to get the state out of the present situation. If a child is crying continuously and refuses to stop despite everything done to pacify him, something needed to be done, he said. Mr. Oyegun also appealed to workers in the state to face the fact and have a round table with government on possible solutions that would continue to unite them. He said the party leadership was concerned about the welfare of the people of the state. Mr. Okorocha had insisted his idea of concession was in the interest of the people of state. According to him, he never sacked any worker in the state nor owed any but merely suspended them because of indolence. He condemned Imo labour union for bringing down the national leadership of NLC to shut down the state. The governor said he was ready to abide by labour proposal to be collecting 70 per cent of the total revenue for the state, if that would bring about peace to him. Imo, despite being an oil producing state, gets one of the least allocations from the Federal Government and that has not helped matters. For the past 10 months, Imo has been getting between N1.9 billion and N2.3billion monthly with a wage bill of over N4billion. The state had to look for external sources to make up to pay salaries every month and take care of its other obligations, he said. Mr. Okorocha, therefore, stressed the need to make some adjustments in the present situation so as to save the state from collapse. Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Wednesday appointed Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka and businessman Rasheed Gbadamosi as co-chairmen of the Lagos at 50 Planning Committee, just as he expressed optimism that the celebration will go a long way to showcase Lagos in its full splendour. The Committee also has 10 others as members, including Habeeb Fasinro, Olawale Cole, Sarah Boulos, Abimbola Obafunwa, Senapon Bakare, Chika Balogun, Folarin Coker, Ademola Abass, Bolanle Austen Peter and Olufunmilayo Balogun as Secretary. Governor Ambode, while inaugurating the Committee at the Lagos House, Ikeja, expressed confidence in the teams ability to deliver a world-class celebration, adding that the opportunity of Lagos at 50 will afford the state to not only celebrate its past achievements, but also to showcase to the world its immense potentials for future growth and development. Lagos State will be 50 years next year. 50 years is a significant landmark in the life of any individual, institution or State. For Lagos State, it has been an eventful 50 years which deserves to be fittingly celebrated, he said. He said Lagos, despite being the smallest and oldest state in Nigeria, remains the only state that has not been divided to create more states since its inception on May 27, 1967. The governor said Lagos has maintained its status as the commercial capital of Nigeria and the most cosmopolitan state in the country where peoples of every tribe, race and creed reside peacefully with an excellent record of religious tolerance. Lagos is a land of opportunities, offering all residents the chance to succeed in their vocations and endeavours. Lagos provides jobs to more people than any other State in Sub Saharan Africa. Lagos is that place where you have a chance to make it if you work hard. Indeed, Lagos State has justified its creation. Apart from being the pacesetter and first among equals in the comity of States in the Nigerian Federation, Lagos State also occupies a noticeable position in global affairs especially as the fastest growing mega city in the world. With all these in mind, it is imperative that we celebrate Lagos at 50. In celebrating Lagos, we must showcase our cultural heritage. We must celebrate the language, arts, sights and sounds of Lagos. Celebrating Lagos is to celebrate Nigerian Unity and Progress because Lagos provides the cohesion that keeps Nigeria together, he said. He said a celebration of such great significance requires proper and adequate planning, hence the inauguration of the Committee comprising respected men and women whom he said had perfect understanding of the expectations of Lagosians, Nigerians and indeed the entire world. The governor further said with the distinguished men and women that formed the committee, he was rest assured that Lagos would be excellently celebrated and the world would see Lagos in its full splendour. The terms of reference of the Committee , according to Governor Ambode, include developing a comprehensive programme for the celebrations; identifying series of events that will take place as part of the celebrations; establishing the logistics requirements to ensure a hitch free celebration; identifying areas of possible collaboration with corporate organizations and individuals for support; as well as considering and making appropriate recommendations on any other matter that will ensure a successful and memorable celebration. In his short remarks, according to a statement by Habib Haruna, the chief press secretary to the Lagos governor, Professor Soyinka said the celebration of Lagos at 50 would afford an excellent opportunity for the state to identify with the triumph, losses and experience of the Black Race at home and in the diaspora. He pledged that members of the committee would work assiduously to ensure that Lagos gets the deserved and most befitting celebration. While acknowledging the achievements of the state so far, Professor Soyinka likened the celebration to one of the programmes in past editions of Lagos Black Heritage Festival called the Black in the Mediterranean Blue, saying It would be used to project the black race not just for the colonial experience and slave trade, but also as a cultural people. The All Progressives Congress in Ondo State has faulted the content of the states N118.9 billion 2016 budget proposed by Governor Olusegun Mimiko, saying it was designed to mortgage the future of the citizens as the tenure of the present administration winds down. A statement by the partys spokesman in the state, Steve Otaloro, on Wednesday, said the decision of Mr. Mimiko to use a good part of the budget to service debt and not to embark on any capital project this year was wrong. A situation where the government will be spending N15.850billion, which represent 31.08 percent of this years budget to service debt repayment shows how the PDP government had mortgaged the future of Ondo State. This is the result of the unwarranted several loans received by the PDP led government. The allocation of N50billion for capital projects in this years budget estimates, which is planned to be used for the completion of ongoing projects like the Dome, Ondo township roads and the Fiwasaye- Oba-Ile to Airport Roads, is nothing but fraudulent. These projects had already received monetary votes in previous budgets without appreciable progress, he said. Mr. Otaloro remarked that instead of learning from the pro-people budget of the APC controlled federal government, Mr. Mimiko stated categorically before the House of Assembly that his government would not embark on any new projects. When this happens, the already poor standard of living will fall because capital projects are what impact on the standard of living of the people because most plans are dependent on capital releases of government. And if there is no execution of capital projects in the state, investors, businesses and people who depend on the allocation for capital project will suffer. In the past seven years of this administration, waste, fraud and mismanagement by the PDP-led State government has denied the people value for more than one trillion Naira the state has earned since 2009 with a budget performance rate of about 15 percent in all, Mr. Otaloro said. He added that the governments inability to control spending and plan for the rainy day had plunged the state into its present financial problems, which would have been checked by proper oversight function by the legislature, and careful reviews. Mr. Mimiko, while presenting the budget, noted the drop in the budget from N131billion in 2015, a situation he attributed to the current economic realities. He said recurrent expenditure would gulp N68 billion, while N50.9 billion would be for capital expenditure, majorly ongoing projects. Mr. Mimiko said the budget would be funded through aggressive independent revenue drive by all ministries, departments and agencies, just as it would ensure blockage of revenue loopholes and allocation of funds to economically viable projects. ( Read 5960 Times) Udaipur.20 Students of Automobile engineering of Geetanjali Institute of Technical Studies, Dabok had visited Delhi expo 2016 which was organized from 5 to 9 february as of their industrial tour. In this expo, students witnessed various vehicles of different brands so that they can also contribute their input in their work for automobile industry in near future. This industrial tour was organized for the students to let them explore the new innovations and develop their ideas for new opportunities coming their way. ( Read 11410 Times) Udaipur.The day we give our young ones enough to mull over by way of issues of national & international importance, will be the day that they will start moving in the right direction, stop getting into useless scrapes and start contributing positively to society. This was more than evident when the young audience comprising 12 to 16year olds at the Heritage Girls School grounds listened with rapt attention to 22 year old Aman Baldia, the Sr. Vice President of the Indian International Model United Nations, as he exhorted them to be a part of the movement to get India a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.Too huge brief for young school children? You would not think so, had you been there and listened to the responses that flew during the interactive opening ceremony of the Heritage Girls School Model United Nations on Friday, the 5th of February.Inaugurated by the scion of the Mewar dynasty, Maharaj Kumar ShriLaksharajJiMewar , the HGS-IIMUN will span over 3 days when more than 200 delegates from all over the state will argue, debate, discuss and ponder over issues that governments the world over are grappling with. The agenda includes burning topics like the South Sea issue, reforms in the Security Council , the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia , Drone warfare, the AFSPA and the concern over the Arunachal region.Honing leadership skills is the prime focus of this all-girls boarding school . Public speaking, group discussions, debating and organisational skills, are some of the areas that the school works continuously on. The latest exercise of holding the IIMUN was preceded by a week-long sharpening of these skills as a preparation for the event.The weekend was a rewarding one for the delegates at this beautiful school. 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. MELBOURN, England, February 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aegate has today welcomed the publication of the Delegated Regulation which sets in motion the Europe-wide implementation of the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) legislation. This new regulation introduces both digital and physical safety features to the packaging of medicinal products for human use. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150610/748687 ) This is the most significant change to the pharmaceutical industry in relation to patient safety in decades. The publication of the Delegated Regulation means that each Member State will have 3 years to implement the necessary changes and protocols. Aegate CEO Mark De Simone commented: "This is a very important step in the process of protecting patients across Europe from the dangers of falsified, expired or recalled medicines. Aegate has been investing in our authentication service for many years to ensure that we are ready for this moment. This investment has not just been in financial terms but also in relationships with stakeholders, not least our ongoing, tried and tested service delivery in Belgium, Italy and Greece." De Simone continued, "The publication of the Regulation is of course just the beginning. The real work starts now to ensure that the investment that manufacturers have already made in packaging, serialisation and tamper proofing is not wasted or, worse, dwarfed by the costs of an authentication service that does not work." "For example the huge potential cost of dealing with an issue like false positives within authentication. This could mean not only additional resources being required for investigation but, more fundamentally, the cost to the reputation of the organisation and its brands because of errors. It is therefore important that manufacturers are fully aware of the issues and are fully involved in the choice of authentication service provider in their country," he warned. "Of course this is a positive day for all of us concerned with patient safety and we look forward to taking on the hard work of the next three years to deliver the full requirements of the Delegated Regulation in partnership with National Medicine Verification Organisations and other stakeholders," he added. About Aegate Aegate operates a highly secure real-time service to verify the authenticity of medicines. This operates seamlessly from manufacturer to pharmacy, and has been independently certified as reliable, secure and 100% accurate. Aegate fully meets the requirements of the EU Falsified Medicines Directive Delegated Regulation. Contact Graham Smith, Commercial Director Aegate Ltd Cambridge Technology Centre Melbourn SG8 6DP UK T: +44-1763-268160 M: +44-7785-748970 W: http://www.aegate.com SOURCE Aegate Cumberland County community leader Jimmie George has been selected to receive Safe Harbours 2016 Leadership Through Service Award. The award will be presented to George during Safe Harbours Night Without A Tux fundraising gala on Feb. 20, the organization announced in a news release Tuesday. The Leadership Through Service Award was established by Safe Harbours Board of Directors to recognize outstanding and dynamic leadership through service to the citizens and the communities of Cumberland County. The award is presented to individuals or organizations that exhibit excellence in leadership that, by example and effort, provides programs, funding and services to support initiatives and organizations that work to improve the lives of Cumberland County residents in need of assistance. Jimmie George and his tireless service to Carlisle and Cumberland County embodies the community engagement principles that Safe Harbour strives to recognize with the Leadership Through Service Award, said Paul Strizzi, Chair of Safe Harbours Board of Directors. His long and distinguished record of volunteerism and local service has improved the lives of those in need and advanced our community in many ways, making Cumberland County a better place to live and work. It is a terrible situation when good people do nothing to help those in need. My community efforts have been founded on supporting individuals and organizations that work to enhance our society, said George. I share this recognition with everyone who has joined me in these endeavors. George was the first chairman of the Safe Harbour Board of Directors when the nonprofit organization was incorporated in February 1986. He also served as an honorary co-chair of Safe Harbours 2007 Capital Campaign. Georges service to the community includes 34 years as a member and past president of the Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities Board, according to the news release. During his years of service, Safe Harbour was formed and the Molly Pitcher Hotel was revitalized as affordable housing for the countys senior residents, among other achievements. He is a co-founder and currently serves as president of Carlisle Opportunity Homes Inc. A former Carlisle Borough Council member, George also served as president of the Carlisle Regional Arts Centers Board of Directors as the organization worked to restore the Carlisle Theatre and revitalize the facilitys distinctive marquee. George is known throughout the Carlisle community as co-owner of Georges Flowers (with his sister, Nancy George). The business is entering its 106th year of operation and previously received the Carlisle Chamber of Commerces Business Achievement Award. George also was the inaugural recipient of the Exchange Club of Carlisles Molly Pitcher Award, given annually to outstanding citizens in Carlisle and it is named after Mary Ludwig Hays McCaully, who became famous as Molly Pitcher during the Revolutionary War by bringing water to artillerymen under fire. Wendell Hollinger, president of Safe Harbour said, I have worked closely with Jimmie throughout my career at Safe Harbour. He has always given selflessly of his time and talent to assist and enhance community organizations and groups. Without Jimmie, there would be no Safe Harbour for homeless individuals and families. The Night Without A Tux gala is the kick-off to celebrating Safe Harbours 30th Anniversary in the community. Safe Harbour was officially incorporated in February 1986 and opened its doors to the homeless and nearly homeless later that year at the James Wilson Facility in downtown Carlisle. For almost three decades, the non-profit organization has worked diligently to fulfill its mission of providing housing and supportive services for homeless and nearly homeless individuals and families by increasing their basic life skills. Tickets are still available for the Night Without A Tux gala. The event raises funds to support Safe Harbours mission of providing shelter and supportive services for the homeless and potentially homeless of Cumberland County. The evening begins at 6 p.m. at the Carlisle Country Club. Tickets for the event may be purchased three ways: Online at Safe Harbours Web site, www.safeharbour.org; Via e-mail at info@safeharbour.org; or By calling Safe Harbour at 717-249-2200 DUBLIN, Feb. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/hjv79x/europe) has announced the addition of the "Europe Turbomachinery Market for Oil and Gas - Growth Trends and Forecasts (2015-2020)" report to their offering. This comprehensive report analyzes the European turbomachinery market for oil and gas, and the various factors set to affect this market in the coming years. It considers current and future drivers, challenges and opportunities, offering readers an unrivalled understanding of this market and the key topics all market participants should be aware of. The increasing number of oil and gas pipeline projects in the European region is likely to boost the demand for turbomachinery in the region. In 2015, Gazprom signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with three European companies to build a second large gas pipeline system under the Baltic Sea called Nord Stream II. The future demand for turbomachinery solutions is going to be for ones that features low emissions, efficiency, and low cost of operations. This report comprehensively analyzes the European Turbomachinery market by segmenting it based on countries, application and Type. Key drivers and restraints that are effecting the growth of this market are discussed in detail. The study also elucidates on competitive landscape and key market players. Companies Mentioned: ABB Ltd. Alstom SA Crompton Greaves Ltd. GE Co Hyosung Power & Industrial Systems Performance Group & Industrial Systems Performance Group Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Siemens Energy Schneider Electric Eaton Corp Powell Industries Report Structure: 1. Introduction 2. Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Key Inferences 5. Market Overview and Industry Trends 6. Drivers, Restraints and Opportunities 7. Europe Turbomachinery Market, Value Chain Analysis 8. Europe Turbomachinery Market, By Countries 9. Europe Turbomachinery Market, By Application 10. Europe Turbomachinery Market, By Type 11. Competitive Landscape 12. Key Company Analysis 13. Appendix For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/hjv79x/europe Media Contact: Laura Wood , +353-1-481-1716, press@researchandmarkets.net Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets DALLAS, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Alon USA Partners, LP (NYSE: ALDW) ("Alon Partners") today announced that the Board of Directors of Alon USA Partners GP, LLC, the general partner of Alon Partners, declared a distribution of $0.08 per unit payable in cash on February 29, 2016 to common unitholders of record at the close of business on February 22, 2016. Cash available for distribution for the three months ended December 31, 2015 totaled $5.0 million. This release serves as qualified notice to nominees under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b). Please note that 100% of Alon Partners' distributions to foreign investors are attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, all of Alon Partners' distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest effective tax rate for individuals or corporations, as applicable. Nominees, and not Alon Partners, are treated as the withholding agents responsible for withholdings on the distributions received by them on behalf of foreign investors. Alon USA Partners, LP is a Delaware limited partnership formed in August 2012 by Alon USA Energy, Inc. ("Alon Energy") (NYSE: ALJ). Alon Partners owns and operates a crude oil refinery in Big Spring, Texas, with a crude oil throughput capacity of 73,000 barrels per day. Alon Partners refines crude oil into finished products, which are marketed primarily in Central and West Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona through its integrated wholesale distribution network to both Alon Energy's retail convenience stores and other third-party distributors. - Tables to follow - The preliminary financial results for the three months ended December 31, 2015 presented below, and utilized for the determination of cash available for distribution, are forward-looking statements based on preliminary estimates. These results reflect the best judgment of our management but involve a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in our estimates and from past results or performance. Such preliminary results are subject to finalization of our financial closing process for the three months ended December 31, 2015. Consequently, there can be no assurances that the preliminary estimates set forth below will be the actual financial results for the three months ended December 31, 2015, and any variation between the estimates and our actual results set forth below may be material. ALON USA PARTNERS, LP CASH AVAILABLE FOR DISTRIBUTION (unaudited) (dollars in thousands, except per unit data) For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2015 Net sales $ 437,872 Operating costs and expenses: Cost of sales 369,896 Direct operating expenses 27,092 Selling, general and administrative expenses 7,699 Depreciation and amortization 13,831 Total operating costs and expenses 418,518 Operating income 19,354 Interest expense (11,942) Other income, net 26 Income before state income tax expense 7,438 State income tax expense 192 Net income $ 7,246 Adjustments to reconcile net income to Adjusted EBITDA: Interest expense 11,942 State income tax expense 192 Depreciation and amortization 13,831 Adjusted EBITDA $ 33,211 Adjustments to reconcile Adjusted EBITDA to cash available for distribution: less: Maintenance/growth capital expenditures 11,458 less: Turnaround and catalyst replacement capital expenditures 2,770 less: Major turnaround reserve for future years 1,500 less: Principal payments 625 less: State income tax payments 377 less: Interest paid in cash 11,462 Cash available for distribution $ 5,019 Common units outstanding (in 000's) 62,510 Cash available for distribution per unit $ 0.08 Non-GAAP Financial Measure Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings before state income tax expense, interest expense and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized measurement under GAAP; however, the amounts included in Adjusted EBITDA are derived from amounts included in our consolidated financial statements. Our management believes that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies in our industry. In addition, our management believes that Adjusted EBITDA is useful in evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry because the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA generally eliminates the effects of state income tax expense, interest expense and the accounting effects of capital expenditures and acquisitions, items that may vary for different companies for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are: Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments; Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the interest expense or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt; Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in or cash requirements for our working capital needs; and Our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA may differ from Adjusted EBITDA calculations of other companies in our industry, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure. Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered a measure of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using Adjusted EBITDA only supplementally. Contacts: Stacey Hudson, Investor Relations Manager Alon USA Partners GP, LLC 972-367-3808 Investors: Jack Lascar/Stephanie Zhadkevich Dennard Lascar Associates, LLC 713-529-6600 Media: Blake Lewis Lewis Public Relations 214-635-3020 SOURCE Alon USA Partners, LP AURORA, Colo., Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- American Sentinel University adjunct nursing professor Mirella Vasquez Brooks, Ph.D., APRN, FNP-BC recently authored research study findings exploring the recruitment of Asians and Pacific Islanders (API) with type 2 diabetes into a clinical research trial of enhancing diabetes self-management (December 2015 Journal of Cultural Diversity). Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160209/331345LOGO "We are thrilled that our adjunct professor, Dr. Mirella Vasquez Brooks, contributed to the research study and provided such a valuable service to the academic community," says Karen Whitham, Ed.D., MSN, RN, Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Nursing Programs at American Sentinel University. The objective of the study was to evaluate the strategies and barriers to recruiting Asians and Pacific Islanders with type 2 diabetes into clinical trials. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were utilized to analyze reasons for non-participation. A 'talk story' interview was employed to recruit participants and uncover reasons for non-participation. The study identified 1891 potential participants, and 340 declined participation. Eighty who declined were randomly selected to provide their reasons for non-participation. The findings indicated that socioeconomic issues faced by this population, such as earning wages to meet basic needs and caregiving, took precedence over altruistic participation in research. Read the findings in the December 1, 2015 issue of the Journal of Cultural Diversity. Learn more about American Sentinel University's accredited online Nursing programs (RN to BSN, MSN, or DNP) at http://www.americansentinel.edu/nursing or call 866.922.5690. About American Sentinel University American Sentinel University delivers accredited online degree programs in nursing (BSN, MSN, and DNP) and healthcare management (MBA Healthcare, M.S. Information Systems Management, and M.S. Business Intelligence and Analytics). Its affordable, flexible bachelor's and master's nursing degree programs are accredited by the Commission for the Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), of One Dupont Circle, NW Suite 530, Washington, D.C., 20036. The DNP program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) of 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, Ga., 30326. The University is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, DEAC, 1101 17th Street NW, Suite 808, Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 234-5100, www.deac.org. For required student consumer information, please visit: www.americansentinel.edu/doe Media Contact: Renee Hewitt Hewitt PR for American Sentinel University 845.382.9152 Email SOURCE American Sentinel University Related Links http://www.americansentinel.edu CONCORD, Calif., Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AssetMark recently was presented with special awards by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), recognizing the firm's new Military Time Off (MTO) policy. AssetMark's MTO benefit allows its employees to take up to 10 days of additional paid time off for required military training or call to duty. AssetMark's leadership team accepts an award for its Military Time Off Policy. AssetMark Associate Elvis Medica, Business Development Officer for the Midwest Region and a reservist, worked with the firm's leadership team to implement a Military Time Off policy. "This new policy really demonstrates AssetMark's commitment in supporting reservists and their families while away at training," said Medica. "It also makes balancing work and military life a little easier. My family and I can't express enough gratitude for all involved in making this change and salute AssetMark as they are true patriots." Charles Goldman was presented with the Above and Beyond Award, which recognizes employers who have gone above and beyond the legal requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) by providing their Guard and Reserve employees additional, non-mandated benefits such as differential or full pay to offset lost wages, extended health benefits and other similar benefits. "This is our small way to recognize the great service from the men and women of our military," said Goldman. "We are so proud of them, and we truly appreciate their service to this great country." Michael Kim received the Patriot Award, which recognizes support of warrior citizens through a wide-range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families and granting leaves of absence if needed. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Arizona Chair Darren Venters was on hand at AssetMark's national sales meeting in Scottsdale to present the awards. About AssetMark, Inc. AssetMark, Inc. is a leading independent provider of innovative investment and consulting solutions serving financial advisors. The firm provides investment, relationship and practice management solutions that advisors use to help clients achieve their investment objectives and life goals. AssetMark, Inc., including its Savos and Aris divisions, has approximately $28.5 billion in assets on its platform and a history of innovation spanning over 20 years. For more information, visit www.assetmark.com and follow @AssetMark on Twitter. MEDIA CONTACTS : Andrew Jarrell, Group Gordon (212) 784-5721 [email protected] Ben Johnson, AssetMark (925) 521-2750 [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160209/331542 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140128/SF53225LOGO SOURCE AssetMark, Inc. Related Links http://www.assetmark.com BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Becky Robinson, president and founder of Alley Cat Allies, will present at the Helen Woodward Animal Center's The Business of Saving Lives conference, taking place for the first time in Australia on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. The three-day conference, hosted by Maggie's Rescue of Australia at the University of Sydney, brings together leaders and professionals from around the world to share the newest developments and most innovative strategies, and lend support to Australian groups working toward humane treatment of animals. "At the conference, I will be explaining why policies that focus on killing cats, such as the one proposed by Australia's Minister for the Environment, simply do not work as a means to control cat populations," said Robinson. "The only solution for Australia is to do what other countries around the world facing the same situation have already found to be successful: adoption of nonlethal methods, including Trap-Neuter-Return programs. TNR is successfully used in the U.K., Denmark, South Africa, Israel, Panama, Mexico, and Canada. If it works for those countries, it can work for Australia." Robinson's presentation will focus on nonlethal population control and the role cats play in the complex ecosystem. She will explain how to conduct a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program for outdoor, unowned cats, also known as community cats, and best practices for their care. Robinson will present along with top innovators in animal protection, including Mike Arms, CEO of the Helen Woodward Animal Center; Diane Blankenburg, CEO and principal consultant of the Humane Network; and other experts. The conference will take place at the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney between Feb. 15 and Feb. 17, 2016. More information about the conference is posted on this page of the www.alleycat.org website. About Alley Cat Allies Alley Cat Allies, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., is the only national advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats. Founded in 1990, today Alley Cat Allies has more than 600,000 supporters and helps tens of thousands of individuals, communities and organizations save and improve the lives of millions of cats and kittens nationwide. Its website is www.alleycat.org, and Alley Cat Allies is active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160210/332027LOGO SOURCE Alley Cat Allies Related Links http://www.alleycat.org WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Evolent Health, Inc. (NYSE: EVH) ("Evolent"), a company providing an integrated value-based care platform to the nation's leading health systems and physician organizations, is pleased to announce the successful launch of IdentifiSM 5.0. Identifi is purpose-built as a provider-led operating platform for health systems entering, managing or growing value-based contracts and provider-sponsored health plans. The latest platform upgrades, including the launch of the Identifi Practice application, bring critical patient insights and a holistic patient view directly to the point of care. "Connecting all care team members in a way that does not disrupt workflow is paramount to success in the new world of value-based care delivery," said Frank Williams, Evolent's CEO. "Identifi is unique in its ability to close the loop between insight and action and interoperate with EMRs to truly engage physicians. Our ongoing investments in seamless integration will position our partners as market leaders in the transformation to value." Identifi 5.0 brings forward the strengths of predictive models that forecast the likelihood of specific clinical outcomes in an intuitive workflow tool. By providing these insights within the physician's workflow at the point of care, the entire care team can easily close care gaps, accurately code for risk adjustment and effectively coordinate care. Based on extensive feedback from dozens of leading health system CIOs, Identifi 5.0 improves workflow and technical integration for communication between Identifi Care, the care management application, Identifi UM, the utilization management application, and Identifi Practice, the provider application. Identifi Care received a significant user interface upgrade, and features enhanced patient-level assessment, care plan and reporting navigation. The introduction of care note messaging and care plan accessibility between Identifi and the provider's EMR simplify productive cross-team collaboration, allowing systems to more easily deliver maximum impact in a financially sustainable way. Evolent Health will be presenting Identifi 5.0 at the HIMSS Conference in Las Vegas on March 2, 2016, in a session titled "Engaging Your Extended Care Team." The session will showcase how Identifi powers connected care teams through real-time collaboration at the point of care, surfacing the most impactful interventions for the right patients at the right place and time. About Identifi: IdentifiSM is Evolent Health's provider-led value-based care operating platform. Identifi enhances existing EMR investments and enables care teams, physicians and administrators to operate in a connected fashion, working from a single view of the patient. Identifi Applications include Identifi Care, the care management application, Identifi UM, the utilization management application, and Identifi Practice, the newly launched application for practices participating in value-based care outside of the host EMR. A fully integrated platform supported by clinical and technical experts, Identifi is proven to drive clinical and financial return. About Evolent Health: Evolent Health partners with leading health systems to drive value-based care transformation. By providing clinical, analytical and financial capabilities, Evolent helps physicians and health systems achieve superior quality and cost results. Evolent's approach breaks down barriers, aligns incentives and powers a new model of care delivery resulting in meaningful alignment between providers, payers, physicians and patients. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150723/240961LOGO SOURCE Evolent Health, Inc. Related Links http://www.evolenthealth.com BOSTON and TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hexadite, Inc., the leader in security orchestration and automation, announced today it closed $8 million in a Series A funding round from Hewlett Packard Ventures, Ten Eleven Ventures, and YL Ventures, who also invested in Hexadite's seed round. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate research and development in Israel, expand its marketing and sales operations worldwide, and continue to build momentum for the industry's first solution that fully automates cyber security incident response, Hexadite AIRS. "When we saw what Hexadite accomplished in such a short amount of time, we wanted to be a part of it," said Lak Ananth, managing director of Hewlett Packard Ventures. "The ability to automate cyber alert investigations and shut down attacks in seconds gives customers a chance to defend themselves in a way that has never been possible. We're excited to partner with Hexadite and help bring their innovations to market." "Enterprises are desperate to close the gap between security event detection and resolution," said Mark Hatfield, co-founder and general partner, Ten Eleven Ventures. "We were very impressed with the maturity of Hexadite's solution; they are the only company we've seen that truly understands how to fully automate the end-to-end incident response lifecycle. Hexadite's ability to add intelligent automation and orchestration to resolve security events is a great leap forward that addresses a vital need for customers." Ten Eleven Ventures co-founder Mark Hatfield will join the Hexadite board. Hatfield is a long time security venture capital pioneer whose prior investments included Cylance, CounterTack, Trust Digital, Resilient Systems (CO3), and Digital Guardian. In 18 months with $2.5 million in seed funding, Hexadite brought to market the industry's first security orchestration and automation solution, protecting more than 500,000 devices in customers from the financial services, retail, technology, insurance, manufacturing, telecommunications, life sciences, and healthcare industries. With Hexadite, enterprises can overcome the skills, expertise, time, and resource shortages that plague their security operations centers (SOCs). "The world's attention is on cyber security, as cyber threats and hackers continue to evolve and perpetrate devastating breaches,' said Yoav Leitersdorf, managing partner at YL Ventures. "Automating the entire end-to-end process from alert to investigation through actual resolution is the only approach that allows companies to scale their defenses. Hexadite is at the forefront of the movement to intelligent automation." "Our solution can handle all the variables involved in today's cyber threats to give customers the ability to investigate, respond, and resolve an ever-increasing volume of incidents in minutes and even seconds," said Eran Barak, CEO and co-founder of Hexadite. "This round will enable us to further develop our innovative technology and bring it to more customers in additional markets to start turning the tables on today's cyber threats." About Hexadite Hexadite is changing the way cyber incident response is done with the first security orchestration and automation solution that automatically investigates and resolves all cyber security alerts in minutes instead of weeks. The Hexadite Automated Incident Response Solution (AIRS) maximizes a customer's ability to investigate attacks post-detection to resolve the full extent of a breach. This increases the customer's productivity, reduces ongoing costs associated with investigating and recovering from attacks, and strengthens their overall security. For more information, please visit www.hexadite.com. Media Contact: Steve Vittorioso InkHouse for Hexadite 781-996-4100 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160209/331617LOGO SOURCE Hexadite, Inc. Related Links http://www.hexadite.com WASHINGTON and NEW YORK and LONDON, Feb 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- February is American Heart Month, and to help spread awareness about the leading cause of death in the world and the U.S., MarketResearch.com published a blog highlighting key facts about heart disease and what the statistics could mean for the healthcare industry. To learn more, visit our blog: http://hubs.ly/H0233wD0 Cardiovascular disease, also known as heart disease, affects nearly 85.6 million Americans. Cardiovascular disease includes heart attack, arrhythmia, heart valve problems, and the after effects of stroke. Every year the American Heart Association publishes the Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update. Some of the statistics from their latest publication from December 2015 include: Cardiovascular diseases claimed 801,000 lives in the U.S. Stroke killed nearly 129,000 people in the U.S. 31 percent of all deaths in the world were related to cardiovascular disease, with 80% occurring in low- and middle-income countries as of 2013. The blog also discusses how cardiovascular disease impacts the healthcare industry. North America currently represents the biggest cardiovascular device market, with Europe in second. The Asia-Pacific market has quickly grown due to different heart maladies and the aging population in the region. To learn more, check out the blog: http://hubs.ly/H0233wD0 Need access to market research in the medical devices industry for your business? MarketResearch.com's Kalorama Information Medical Devices Knowledge Center focuses on markets and developments in the medical industry. About MarketResearch.com MarketResearch.com is the leading provider of global market intelligence products and services. With research reports from more than 720 top consulting and advisory firms, MarketResearch.com offers instant online access to the world's most extensive database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Moreover, MarketResearch.com's Research Specialists have in-depth knowledge of the publishers and the various types of reports in their respective industries and are ready to provide research assistance. Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketresearch Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/marketresearchdotcom Follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/marketresearch_ Press Contact: Caitlin Stewart 240.747.3086 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150819/259741LOGO SOURCE MarketResearch.com Related Links http://www.marketresearch.com BYRON BAY, Australia, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The music video featuring Plaito performing his original song, "Finding My Heart" was posted on the solo artist's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/plaitomusic) on 2 February in an attempt to gain exposure and avoid the need to sign a publishing deal. Plaito was concerned that creative control of his music would be lost to financial interests. Plaito - "Finding My Heart" on YouTube A scene from the "Finding My Heart" Music Video by Plaito The low-budget video has since been clocking up views and gaining momentum, as thousands of Facebook users show their support by liking and sharing it in an attempt to help the talented musician reach a larger audience and amass a fan base - without requiring the backing of a major record label. In the online description of Plaito's new music video, the budding artist vents, "From what I've seen so far, all record labels seem to just want to own, control and profit from their artists. This is why Lady Gaga threatened to quit music. She felt shallow, controlled, lost her creative freedom and said she was just being used to make money. I wrote this song after giving up my mindless pursuit of riches and returning to my first love - music. Music is Freedom. I refuse to make people have to pay money to hear this song." Plaito's unique stance against charging money for his music comes at a time when two of the world's top-selling artists - Taylor Swift and Adele, have been famously avoiding making their tracks available on most music streaming sites, a protest against decreased revenues from services like Spotify. The aspiring Australian artist, yet to release his debut EP, is publicly forgoing all future music sales with the belief that his music will be "more freely shared across the planet." But without the usual funding of an established record label for promotional campaigns, Plaito has taken on the financial risk personally. Resorting to "Crowd Publishing" the innovative artist has asked his fans to help the movement by sharing his music video online, and is encouraging fellow musicians to cover or remix his song "Finding My Heart", and to post their own versions of the track on social media sites along with the hashtag #freethemusic. "This beautiful music was given to me, so I give it to you in the spirit of Freedom at no cost. This song is open. This means that you don't need any permission from anybody at any time to copy, distribute, edit, remix or cover any of my songs. It's yours to use for whatever you want," writes Plaito on his Facebook Page, "I'd love to prove to the world that an artist can 'make it big' with the help of their fans, and without selling their soul to greedy record companies, losing creative control of their music." When asked how he plans to thrive as an artist without a revenue strategy, and with significant business debt looming, the bearded artist replied, "I really don't know, I'll figure that out later! Everything is changing so fast. I'll probably just end up making my revenue from my Live Shows, but I just hate the idea of making people pay money to enjoy my music on their devices. I want to make all my music free. Out with the old world, in with the new." About Plaito Plaito is an Independent Electronic Artist from Byron Bay, NSW, Australia with a unique musical sound that combines conscious lyrics with pop sensibilities. To view the video, visit http://www.facebook.com/plaitomusic Aaron Zaia +61497635212 Video - http://youtu.be/htBHrGA4JsY Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160210/331720 SOURCE Plaito TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Riskified, a leading e-commerce fraud prevention company pioneering the chargeback guarantee, announced today that it has secured $25 million in a growth round of financing, led by Qumra Capital with participation from The Phoenix Insurance Company, NTT DOCOMO Ventures, and existing investors, Genesis Partners and Entree Capital. This brings the company's total funding to $31 million. The new investment will be used to further accelerate Riskified's exceptional growth and customer success of online fraud prevention for global retailers including Burberry, Wish and Viagogo. Riskified's flexible e-commerce fraud prevention solution protects the bottom line and customer experience, guaranteeing peace of mind for hundreds of global retailers. Using its proprietary behavioral analytics technology and machine learning, the company takes a dynamic, adaptive approach to stay ahead of the constantly changing fraud landscape. Riskified closed 2015 on a run rate of $3 billion in approved transaction volume, with 400% year-over-year revenue growth. Erez Shachar, managing partner at Qumra said, "Riskified's exponential growth is indicative of the e-commerce industry's need for a fraud prevention platform that uncovers new revenue opportunities. Leveraging its experienced team, proven technology, and unwavering focus on their global retail customers, we're confident Riskified is positioned to build the world's best fraud prevention solution." "Riskified continues to experience unprecedented growth within the online fraud prevention industry, showing immediate improvement to retailers' bottom line and customer experience," said Eido Gal, cofounder and CEO of Riskified. "It's a win-win for global retailers. They're recouping millions in revenue from fraud loss while gaining customers that would have otherwise been rejected. Not only do we approve 66% of orders retailers plan to decline, but we also guarantee every order we approve to provide assurance and peace of mind." According to Javelin Strategy & Research, falsely declining legitimate orders due to suspected fraud costs US retailers $109 billion more than actual fraud losses. Millennials and high-income shoppers are the most affected by falsely declined orders, with 74% limiting shopping or entirely abandoning the retailer. Global retailers relying on Riskified to recoup lost revenue and customers include Burberry, Farfetch, Vestiaire Collective, Viagogo, and m-commerce companies like Wish. Gal said, "We founded Riskified with the retailer in mind, and have grown adept at servicing the needs global retailers have as they expand their e-commerce and m-commerce operations to provide more personalization to consumers. Our adoption rates continue to validate the incredible global demand for a flexible fraud prevention solution for enterprise brands. We look forward to expanding on our customer success and continuing our rapid pace in the future." About Riskified: Riskified keeps retailers safe, guaranteeing peace of mind. The leading eCommerce fraud management company is trusted by hundreds of global brands from luxury fashion houses and retail chains, to gift card and ticket marketplaces. Riskified's pay-for-performance and guaranteed approval model provides a flexible, economical solution that drives revenue for retailers and enables a frictionless customer experience. Its proprietary technology uses intelligent automation and advanced fraud detection methods to accurately analyze card-not-present (CNP) orders with machine learning algorithms, behavioral analytics, and device fingerprinting. Riskified was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv, with U.S. offices in Boston. For more information, please visit www.riskified.com. About Qumra Capital: Qumra Capital is a growth fund investing in fast growth late stage start-ups. Qumra was founded in 2014 by Erez Shachar and Boaz Dinte who are Evergreen Venture Partners and Sivan Shamri Dahan who joined as a partner. Qumra is one of Israel's growth funds leading late stage rounds in Israeli high potential advanced startups. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160209/331549LOGO SOURCE Riskified Related Links http://www.riskified.com Nationwide, the YWCA is moving forward with a major branding overhaul aimed at propelling its name to a level of prominence similar to that of the American Red Cross. Robin Scaer, executive director for the YWCA in Carlisle, called the forthcoming developments very exciting. When someone mentions the Red Cross, you can see the logo and can appreciate exactly what their focus and mission is, so our national organization is now going to take efforts over next several years to make that same kind of awareness, understanding and recognition occur on a national stage and in the local community for us, Scaer said. We are all about our mission pillars, and I feel theyve really identified a way to push the message, push us forward, in a way people can receive it. The campaign calls for the YWCA to revamp its website to be more mobile friendly, new webpage design, new imagery on the site, and easier navigation throughout. The rebranding is receiving a serious push through a series of media appearances by national leader Dara Richardson-Heron, M.D., and various billboards, print and digital ads. Currently, there is a large orange sign promoting the YWCA in Times Square, New York. I think the branding campaign, in terms of branding execution, is a smaller nuance. The beauty of what were doing is sharpening our look and focus, but the bigger part is this messaging, Scaer said. YWCA is on a mission and allows us to build from that. Carlisle Mayor Tim Scott said he is a huge supporter of the YWCA, particularly its racial justice programs. Our community benefits from this because they bring together residents in a non-threatening environment to discuss important social issues involving racial justice, he said. I have been a part of these forums both as a council member and now as mayor, on topics that range from law enforcement and racial profiling to the presidents My Brothers Keeper initiative. The YWCA pushes to increase economic opportunities for women and girls of color, addressing the race and gender inequities that exist for this historically and contemporarily marginalized community, according to its website. And at the YWCA Carlisle, staff and volunteers offer counseling services and serve as Cumberland Countys rape and sexual assault crisis center. Carlisle YWCA provides an important voice in the community, reminding us that when we come together as a community, we can solve problems and improve the quality of life for all residents, Scott said. BROOMFIELD, Colo., Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- It's time to extinguish your thirst and give back to local heroes and charities as Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery announced today the return of its popular Fire Chief Ale. The national casual dining restaurant known for its distinctive selection of craft brewed beers celebrates its 25th anniversary with the brewery's largest tapping party of the year, beginning Feb. 16 through April 17. For every pint of Fire Chief Ale sold, Rock Bottom will donate $.25 to local fire departments and other charities in the communities in which its restaurants operate. The company has raised more than $2 million in donations since the program's inception, giving back to charities such as the Denver Fire Fighters Burn Foundation, Firefighters Survive Alive, 100 Club of Chicago and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. "We are very excited to bring back our Fire Chief Ale and seasonal menu items to Rock Bottom in celebration of fire fighters across the country. Our brewers and fans alike look forward to this time of year and tapping this very special beer for nearly 20 years," said Stan Frankenthaler, chief officer of food, beverage and strategic supply for CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc. "This program is near and dear to our hearts and a true testament to the brand's culture of helping local heroes and charities in the communities we serve." As part of the promotion, Rock Bottom's local brewers will create their own take on this classic Fire Chief Ale recipe, which is a medium-bodied, auburn colored ale that gets its sweet side from the caramel and crystal malts, but also picks up a little toasty character for balance. The hand selected hops from the Pacific Northwest lend a crisp and refreshing finish. Additionally, guests can enjoy a limited-time selection of seasonal menu items that pair well with Fire Chief Ale, including: 3 Alarm Chili (cup or bowl) Housemade chili made with steak, fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans and signature Rock Bottom spices. Simmered to perfection by Rock Bottom chefs, with cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, a dollop of sour cream, diced red onion, fried corn tortilla strips and topped with a fresh jalapeno slice. Housemade chili made with steak, fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans and signature Rock Bottom spices. Simmered to perfection by Rock Bottom chefs, with cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, a dollop of sour cream, diced red onion, fried corn tortilla strips and topped with a fresh jalapeno slice. 10 oz. Top Sirloin Steak Hot off the grill and seasoned with Rock Bottom's secret spices and served with your choice of two sides. Hot off the grill and seasoned with Rock Bottom's secret spices and served with your choice of two sides. Fish 'N Chips Our own beer-battered cod served golden brown with french fries, apple coleslaw and housemade Cajun remoulade. Our own beer-battered cod served golden brown with french fries, apple coleslaw and housemade Cajun remoulade. Jambalaya Succulent shrimp, Sante Fe spiced chicken and spicy Andouille sausage sauteed and tossed in Rock Bottom's housemade Jambalaya sauce with rockin' red rice and a sprinkle of green onions. Succulent shrimp, Sante Fe spiced chicken and spicy Andouille sausage sauteed and tossed in Rock Bottom's housemade Jambalaya sauce with rockin' red rice and a sprinkle of green onions. Firecracker Shrimp Salt and pepper shrimp tossed in our sweet and spicy Thai chili sauce. Served with coleslaw and ginger citrus sauce. End your meal with a Rock Bottom classic, Carrot Cake, which features two layers of sweet and decadent carrot cake served on caramel sauce with cream cheese and butter frosting surrounded by toasted walnuts. For additional details about Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, please visit www.rockbottom.com. About Rock Bottom Rock Bottom Restaurant and Breweries are polished casual dining establishments featuring excellent service, high-quality, moderately priced food and a distinctive selection of micro-brewed and specialty beers served in a comfortable, hospitable atmosphere. The Rock Bottom menu features a wide variety of items ranging from classic favorites like Ball Park Pretzels and Brewery Nachos, to innovative dishes like Classic Mac 'N Chicken, Beer-Battered Fish and Chips, and Bacon Cheddar Burger. Rock Bottom operates in 18 states from coast to coast. About CraftWorks CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc. is the largest craft brewery restaurant operator in the country with nearly 200 franchised and company-owned restaurants primarily operating under the Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants and Rock Bottom Restaurants & Breweries brands. As a leader in the casual dining segment, CraftWorks also operates strong regional brands, including ChopHouse and Big River, and employs more than 12,000 people throughout the U.S. All of CraftWorks' restaurant brands have innovative menus with made-from-scratch food and a vast selection of unique craft beer, as well as unbeatable service and loyalty programs that tout over a half-million active members. Based in Broomfield, Colo., CraftWorks is not only committed to serving its loyal guests, but also the communities in which its restaurants operate. In 2000, the CraftWorks Foundation was formed and has contributed millions of dollars, positively impacting communities throughout the country. For additional information about CraftWorks, the foundation and its craft brewery restaurant brands, please visit www.craftworksrestaurants.com. CONTACT: Rachel Tabacnic Fish Consulting 954-893-9150 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141010/151541LOGO SOURCE Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery Related Links http://www.rockbottom.com If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Aidan Regan: It has been a truly remarkable few years for Ireland and the European Union. In the space of five years Ireland has gone from being the basket case of the European Monetary Union to its number one success story. Economic growth is now the strongest in the Euro area, and according to the most recent data, this growth is having a real impact on employment. The dominant narrative among policymakers in the EU is that other peripheral states of the Eurozone should follow the Irish adjustment back to the market. This leads to two important questions. First, what explains this remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Ireland? Second, why are other Eurozone countries that pursued a similar adjustment still struggling to recover? In reality, the Irish recovery has nothing to do with austerity induced cost competitiveness and everything to do with a State-led enterprise policy to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) from the United States. What really explains Irelands recovery? Lets unpack the official story. The European Commission argues that the Irish recovery is an outcome of the governments successful implementation of their structural adjustment programme. This technical adjustment can be explained as follows. Ireland had to increase taxes and implement radical cuts in expenditure to bring down its fiscal deficit. Given that Ireland had lost competitiveness during the 2000s (measured as increased labour costs), wages also had to be reduced. A reduction in wages and public expenditure negatively impacts domestic demand. But this negative effect is offset by the positive effect on exports. A strong state commitment to macroeconomic stability and improved cost competitiveness improved the real exchange rate (REER) and facilitated an export-led recovery. Put simply, a growth in external demand (consumers outside Ireland buying more Irish produced goods and services) compensated for a contraction in the internal demand caused by austerity (Irish consumers, households and government spending less). Its the German model of adjustment: commit to macroeconomic stability, compress domestic demand and expand exports. Figure 1: Exports of goods and services as a percentage of GDP in selected countries Prof Aidan Regan @Aidan_Regan Aidan Regan is an assistant professor at the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe) and Director of the Dublin European Institute (DEI), UCD. Previously, Aidan was a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG) in Germany and a Max Weber Fellow at the Department of Political and Social Science in the European University Institute (EUI), Italy. He has also worked at the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS), University of Amsterdam (UvA). His teaching and research interests are focused on the study of comparative and international political economy, the welfare state, industrial relations and European integration. Share: Source: World BankFigure 1 clearly shows that from 2008 Ireland has experienced an export-led recovery vis-a-vis other crisis afflicted countries of the Euro area. But is this growth in exports really associated with an improvement in price competitiveness? For the European Commission, a decline in competitiveness runs as follows: increased labour costs results in more expensive products, this causes a decline in exports, which culminates in a current account deficit. Therefore an improvement in competitiveness should equate with declining labour costs leading to better-priced products, an associated increase in exports, and ultimately an increased current account surplus.This model of competitiveness assumes a traditional industry and a classic manufacturing firm (think shoemaking, candle-making or metal fabrication). The shoemaker who reduces (or at least stabilises over a long period of time) the labour costs of his/her workers will be able to sell more shoes at a better price in bigger markets. It is this logic that underpins the structural reform strategy of the European Commission. National governments that reduce rigidities in their product and labour markets increase competitiveness, which in turn facilitates an export-led growth in a period of austerity.The problem with this old fashioned concept of competitiveness is that the firms driving Irelands export-led recovery are in high-wage price inelastic sectors (biotech, pharmaceuticals, finance, business and computer services). What this means is that their products are less sensitive to movements in international prices. According to recent data from the CSO job churn survey, these sectors of the Irish economy (particularly high-tech ICT and Finance) experienced increased not decreased labour costs during the period of adjustment. They have been increasing wages and expanding jobs before, during and after the crisis.It is worth restating this clearly as it has important policy implications: Irelands thriving export sectors increased wages and jobs in a period when the public sector was reducing wages and costs. These exporters are primarily large US multinational firms who trade in complex international supply-chains in the expanding service sectors of the global economy.The German-EU structural reform agenda is premised on the assumption that all countries are built around the Rhine-Westphalian metal manufacturing firm, where the classical model of competitiveness does apply. Irelands manufacturing sectors have been in decline for over a decade (computer hardware, optical equipment and medical machinery). It is true that if these firms (and the government) had radically cut wage costs in the 2000s (in order to compete with Eastern and Central Europe) then these firms could have been kept in Ireland. But would we call this competitive success?Source: World BankThe most important observation on Irelands export-driven recovery since 2009 is that it has occurred in the internationally traded services sectors of the economy (see Figure 2). In particular, it is associated with an expansion of those firms selling computer-tech services.. This expansion in ICT services has generally compensated for the decline in ICT manufacturing. From 2014 domestic demand also increased in Ireland (central to employment) but this was preceded by a renaissance of the export engine.Many commentators argue that the expansion of traded services is a total illusion and that there is no recovery at all. Those critical of the austerity agenda argue that the supposed growth in service exports reflects an accounting entry by US multinationals rather than real economic activity. It is a tax evasion strategy by Google and Apple that makes Irelands adjustment look like a success story, whereas in actual fact the adjustment has decimated local Irish producers, who predominantly trade with the UK. Ireland is simply creaming off rents from the US tax avoiding US MNC sector.There is an element of truth in this, much like there is an element of truth in the macroeconomic stability and cost competitiveness structural reform narrative. ICT computer services now account for over 50 per cent of Irish service exports. This is primarily driven by large global US multinationals such as Google, Oracle, Facebook, Adobe, Linkedin, Amazon and Microsoft, to name but a few (research by the author suggests that over 100 US tech firms have located in Ireland since 2004). Total service exports now account for approximately 90 billion, and a handful of global tech-Internet firms, born out of Silicon Valley, now account for around 40 billion of this.The revenues of Google and Apple are astronomical, and despite most of this being generated through complex global supply chains, a large part of it is booked in Ireland for tax purposes. Therefore, the figures are undoubtedly exaggerated. However, recent data from the annual Forfas employment survey does suggest that there has been a rapid expansion in jobs in the computer services sector, compensating for a decline in manufacturing jobs. To put this expansion in a qualitative context, Google established its Dublin European base in Dublin in 2004, employing less than 50 employees. They expanded during the crisis and now employ over 2,500 workers. Overall ICT services jobs increased from 2,900 in 2008 to almost 12,000 in 2013. In total, over 104,000 full time jobs have been created since 2012.The export-driven Irish recovery is real (albeit somewhat exaggerated) and it is primarily occurring in the high-tech (and high-wage) sectors of the economy, leading some to conclude that Ireland is experiencing the side-effects of a new emergent Tech bubble in Silicon Valley. Provisional research by myself and Samuel Brazys does suggest that Ireland is indirectly benefiting from quantitative easing in the United States. But the important point to note is that this expansion of inward investment has nothing to do with the policies of the Euro area or the Irish fiscal adjustment. It is the direct effect of a path dependent state-led developmental strategy to attract inward FDi from large global firms in high-wage, high-tech service sectors.To explain the Irish economic recovery one must trace the role of the state in the development of high-technology industries. Irish enterprise and industrial policy is built around low corporate taxes and liberal labour markets. But this alone does not explain the expansion of Internet tech sector. The latter is related to the cluster effect of having a large pool of workers with general experience of working in the tech sector, and experience of the corporate culture of working in large US multinational corporations. Once Google set up in Ireland in 2004, and Facebook in 2008, they were soon followed by at least 80 other tech companies, and most of these companies source their multi-lingual labour force from across the European Union.The public policy story of Irelands FDI-development strategy has very different policy implications than what is being prescribed to Greece to get out of the crisis. To begin with, the industrial-enterprise policy begins in the public sector not the market. The core actor driving the Irish development strategy is an international network of low-key but highly influential political actors working for the State. Central to this is the role of the Industrial Development Agency (IDA), a public sector agent tasked with attracting inward investment. The IDA are successful at attracting US winners not because of a specific administrative state structure but because they have the policy autonomy to operate independently from political parties in government.Source: World BankWe need new words to describe what the state does and therefore it is important to call the Irish recovery what it is: a state-led development strategy, coordinated by an autonomous public sector agent, specifically tasked (and adequately resourced) to attract investment from global firms in an internationally liberalised market (see Figure 3). Most economists assume that this type of state strategy will lead to clientalistic rent-seeking. All the state has to do is set rules, regulate for market competition and then get out of the way of private business.Therefore it is assumed that market liberalisation, not politics, shapes export success. This is the assumption that underpins the analyses of industrial and enterprise policy conducted by the European Commissions Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs. The only role for the state is to implement structural reforms of product and labour markets. Once this liberalisation is achieved the positive effects of inward investment and entrepreneurship will emerge, naturally, by itself.In the Troika memorandum of understanding with the Irish government, and the country specific recommendations on how to tackle macroeconomic imbalances, there is no mention of enterprise, education, skills or industrial developmental policy. Micro-economic supply-side policies imply nothing more than reducing costs, particularly in the labour market.None of this is meant to suggest that if Greece and Portugal develop a functional equivalent to the Irish Enterprise State they will somehow develop the conditions for export growth. The Irish FDI-State did not suddenly emerge in 2009, but can be traced right back to the 1960s. As Sean O Riain has illustrated, it is a deeply embedded development project that has evolved over time. The most recent major change occurred when the IDA and its affiliate agencies gave increasing priority to attracting born on the internet firms, and to shift from attracting hardware to software digital enterprises.The enterprise strategy is not to capture a whole industry but to attract parts of a firms supply chain that specialise in specific activities of an industry. In the high-tech Internet firms that now operate in Ireland, most of the focus was put on establishing marketing and sales. The state and the IDA, in effect, nurtured these large multinational firms over many years and offered executive leaders a ready-made business model for their companies to establish operations in Ireland, which in turn immediately enabled them to overcome various collective action problems in the local market: sourcing office space, recruitment agents, and linking into domestic supply-chains.This is not a normative celebration of Irelands development model. One of the biggest trade offs in prioritising FDI, and foreign-owned companies, is a lack of priority accorded to the indigenous enterprise sectors, not to mention the social justice issues surrounding a general neoliberal friendly market. But when you compare the trajectory of sectoral change in Ireland to Finland it is perhaps unsurprising that the Irish State puts more emphasis on attracting large global firms as a replacement for declining manufacturing industries.Both Finland and Ireland have experienced a rapid decline in the computer manufacturing sectors since 2005. In Finland there has been no replacement in the ICT services sector, creating a serious crisis of their export and employment growth model. This is not the case in Ireland, given that the state has actively nurtured born on the internet firms emerging out of Silicon Valley. There was a recognition that competitive success (and attracting inward FDI) is unlikely to occur in those high-tech manufacturing sectors that can produce their goods at a fraction of Irish labour costs, and therefore the strategy is to attract global multinational corporations in internationally traded services, who do not compete on labour costs.Whether one likes it or not, the core policy shaping economic recovery in Ireland is the outcome an embedded relationship between the public sector and large foreign owned global tech firms. This deeply embedded role for the state in the international market underpins Irelands capacity to make the transition to export-led growth in internationally traded services, rather than austerity, declining labour costs or macroeconomic stabilisation.It is, fundamentally, about strategic political decision-making, and economic coordination rather than market competition. If the European Commission is serious about generating the conditions for economic and employment growth in the Euro area it needs to rethink its textbook approach to supply-side structural reform. It needs a State-led industrial and enterprise policy. New Delhi, February 06 : Kerala government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Friday in favour of upholding the practice of barring women aged between 10 and 50 entry to the hill shrine of Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala. The government affidavit came in response to a poser by the apex court as to why women should be barred entry to the temple in the absence of any religious edict or constitutional provision to justify the same. The SC had made the poser while considering a petition filed by Young Lawyers Association challenging the temple entry ban on the ground that it was in violation of Articles 14, 25 and 26 of the Constitution. The fresh affidavit filed by the Congress-led UDF government overrides a previous affidavit pertaining to the same issue filed over a decade ago before the apex court by the then LDF government. In the previous affidavit, the State had favoured lifting the ban on womens entry to the temple citing the right to freedom of religion enshrined in the Constitution. The previous affidavit had also proposed setting up of a commission to study the issue and had contemplated creation of a separate pilgrimage season exclusively for women. The fresh affidavit by the State mirrors the stand taken by the TDB, which oversees the management of the temple, before the SC that customs and traditions forbid menstruating women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temple since Lord Ayyappa, the presiding deity, was a perpetual bachelor(naishtika brahmachari). The position taken by the government in the fresh affidavit was on expected lines given that Ministers Ramesh Chennithala and V S Sivakumar had said earlier that the government could not overlook customs and traditions and that the wishes of devotees would be taken into account while taking a decision on the issue. The ban on womens entry was enforced under Rule 3 (b) of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules, 1965. The Kerala High Court had upheld the ban in 1991. Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh), Feb 6 : Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Saturday greeted people on the occasion of Losar, the Tibetan New Year, and passed on information about his health. Speaking from a hospital in the US where he's undergoing precautionary prostate treatment, the Dalai Lama offered a video message on the occasion of fortnight-long Losar, beginning February 8. Assuring his friends and followers that he's in good health, the Buddhist monk said: "I want to tell you that I am doing very well. The treatment only takes a few minutes every day, but it will take time to complete the treatment. It's nothing complicated, it's not serious, there's nothing to worry about." Wishing all 'Losar tashi delek' (Tibetan greeting on Losar), the Nobel Peace Laureate requested that all "please try to live up to what it means". The Losar festival marks sacred and secular practices like prayers, ceremonies, rituals and folk dancing and merrymaking. The Dalai Lama has undergone treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for a prostate problem, his office here said. Revered as a spiritual leader across the world, he favours "greater autonomy" for people in Tibet rather than complete independence. Chinese leaders have, in fact, called him a separatist -- one who wants Tibet to secede from China. The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland Tibet in 1959. The Tibetan administration-in-exile is based here. New York, Feb 6 : Social media giant Facebook has blocked dispensary pages selling cannabis for medical purposes in the US state of New Jersey, even as medical marijuana has been legalised in the state, a media report said. "It seems high-handed to simply shut down important resources for sick patients without even saying why or giving organisations a way to ask for reconsideration," Digital Trends quoted Peter Rosenfeld, one of the 5,668 registered patients for medical marijuana programme in New Jersey, as saying on Friday. "What better use of a social media than having sites where parents of sick children can ask questions about medication and treatments," Rosenfeld added. But according to the social networking site, the reason behind blocking these businesses is that they do "not follow the Facebook community terms and standards". The community standards page of Facebook contains guidelines against drug sales, but the page says nothing with regard to authorised drug vendors, which these dispensaries are. Alex Zaleski, founder of Breakwater Wellness and Treatment Centre in Cranbury, said that both he and other officials associated with New Jersey dispensaries were "looking into the matter and hope to resolve it in the patients' favour as soon as possible". This is not the first time Facebook has gone too far in applying its standards. The social networking site previously came under fire for its stance on mastectomy tattoos, which were claimed to violate nudity guidelines. Its opinion on that issue, however, was quickly changed. Ranchi, Feb 7 : Jharkhand's main opposition party JMM on Sunday demanded a probe by a Special Investigation Team into the brutal murder of a Class 7 student inside a private school campus in the state capital. The body of Vinay Kumar was found near the teachers' hostel at the private school. Police said he was murdered around 1.30 a.m on Thursday. Police sources said the boy's liver was damaged as he was beaten up, while his head injuries indicate that he was hit by a hard object. His face was also disfigured. Police detained a few teachers and a security guard of the school, while a police source said the art teacher was under suspicion. "Even after two days, police have failed to crack the case. An SIT should be instituted to probe the case. Even young boys are not safe in the state," Jharkhand Mukti Morcha general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya told reporters. He said Chief Minister Raghubar Das has not even bothered to meet the parents of the victim. The Congress also questioned the role of police. "Police seem to be clueless about the incident. The state government is in deep slumber. The chief minister, who holds the home department, seems least bothered about the case. A young boy is murdered in the school campus and the chief minister does not bother to speak to the parents," Jharkhand Congress leader Shashi Bhushan Rai told IANS. Srinagar, Feb 9 : A protest shutdown called by the separatists on the third death anniversary of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on Tuesday adversely affected life across the Kashmir Valley as authorities imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar city. Shops, public transport, and other business establishments remained closed here and all other major cities and towns in the Valley. Attendance in government offices, banks and post offices also ran thin because of non-availability of public transport. Train services have also been suspended between Baramulla and Banihal towns. "Restrictions will remain in force in areas falling under jurisdictions of Rainawari, Nowhatta, M.R. Gunj, Safakadal and Kralkhud police stations in Srinagar city," Farooq Ahmad Lone, district magistrate Srinagar told reporters here. Heavy deployment of police and paramilitary central reserve police force (CRPF) troopers in full riot gear has been made across the cities and towns of the Valley to prevent separatists from carrying out protests. Muhammad Yasin Malik, chairman of Pro-Azadi Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) has been placed under detention. Guru's family and separatists have been demanding the mortal remains of Guru eversince he was hanged by the jail authorities in Delhi. Guru's 15-year-old son, Ghalib who recently scored a distinction in his 10th board exams, on Monday demanded that the jail authorities should at least return his father's belongings, including a copy of the Holy Quran and spectacles to the family. Guru's widow Tabassum has blamed Kashmiri separatist leadership for apathy towards the family. New Delhi, Feb 9 : The new generation must be taught war history, says military historian Shiv Kunal Verma, whose new book on the 1962 Sino-Indian war has earned a good response from different quarters. Verma, son of an army officer who was a captain with 2 Rajput in 1962, says he visited schools as part of the book promotion and found that students were keen to what happened in the war. "We assume children are not interested in history. But when we visited schools, children were very enthusiastic about the book," Verma told IANS. "We must focus on making our children aware of the military history of the nation. We must build interest in school and college students about such things," he said. Verma's book - "1962, The War That Wasn't" -- has been printed by Aleph Book Co. The publisher says it sold out within three weeks of hitting the shelves. Munich, Feb 9 : At least four people were killed and scores injured in a train collision in southern German state of Bavaria on Tuesday, police said. Traffic on the railway line, near the city of Rosenheim, was suspended following the accident, Xinhua reported citing the police. The collision caused several carriages to derail. Some of the injured passengers were reportedly in critical condition. A spokesman for German railway company Deutsche Bahn said the two trains collided on a single-track section. Rescue workers and several helicopters were rushed to the scene. The cause of the accident was yet to be ascertained. Ranchi, Feb 9 : A parents' association on Tuesday filed a public interest litigation in the Jharkhand High Court to seek a CBI probe into a student's murder in a school here. "We have filed a PIL in the high court for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe since we are not satisfied with police investigation. Even the boy's parents are not satisfied. We want justice for the murdered student and his parents," Ranchi Abhibhavak Sangh general secretary Ajay Rai, who moved the high court on behalf of the association, told IANS here. On Monday, the mother of class VII student Vinay Kumar demanded the CBI probe. "We demand a CBI probe so that the truth comes out," she told reporters here. Vinay was found murdered brutally on Thursday near the teachers' hostel at the Saffaire International school. Police sources said the boy had head injuries inflicted by blunt objects and his liver too was damaged due to the severe beating. Ranchi Police have since questioned seven schoolteachers, security guards and others in the case. Opposition Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has demanded a special investigation team's probe into the murder. Dhaka, Feb 10 : A leading Bangladeshi daily on Wednesday called for an end to corporal punishment after a schoolgirl was caned so badly that she fainted. An editorial "Caned for not wearing a uniform!" in the Daily Star said that the caning of a schoolgirl in a government school in Pabna "leaves us disgusted and horrified". Rojoni was beaten until she fainted because she was not wearing her school uniform which her labourer father could not afford to buy. "How can such barbarism be allowed in a place where young minds are supposed to be nurtured and taught? How can a teacher resort to such violence, especially when the High Court and government have expressly prohibited corporal punishment in all schools?" The daily said that obviously teachers and school authorities have "no regard for the government's directives and blatantly violate the basic right of a child to be protected from physical harm". It added that besides violating international conventions and the law of the land, this teacher has disgraced his profession. "...In this case the teacher has displayed a despicable, sadistic streak that is not uncommon in many of our schools, especially where children come from poor backgrounds." The editorial wondered why students of government schools who cannot afford uniforms are not provided with such items that are part of school regulations. "...The inquiry committee that has been formed must take steps to punish this teacher and also hold the school accountable for allowing such practices. This shameful, barbarism must be eliminated for good." Washington, Feb 10 : Two outsiders - Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders-cruised to early victories in the first primary battleground of New Hampshire turning the nomination contests into a long drawn battle that may well stretch into spring. With his win, Trump, the brash real estate mogul and celebrity who had never run for public office before, recovering from his second place finish in Iowa caucuses, seemed to legitimise his status as the frontrunner among the Republicans. With about 80 percent results in shortly before midnight, Sanders had a double digit 59.9 per cent to 38.5 percent lead over Clinton, while Trump was sitting pretty among Republicans with 34.5 percent - more than double his nearest rival Ohio governor John Kasich with 16.4 percent. Trump appeared on stage with a beaming smile on his face and gave a thumbs-up to his crowd of supporters. "Wow, wow, wow," Trump said. "We are going to make America great again." A hoarse but jubilant Sanders also thanked his supporters with a passionate speech. "Tonight we have sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California," he said. His Democratic rival, Clinton, delivered a concession speech that appeared to be an effort to co-opt Sanders' message about an economy stacked against the middle class while she vowed to fight her rival across the political map. "Now we take this campaign to the entire country. We are going to fight for every vote in every state," she said, foreshadowing a long fight for the nomination. "People have every right to be angry. But they are also hungry. They are hungry for solutions," she said, adding that she wanted to rein in Wall Street. "But I know how to do it," Clinton said, implying that Sanders' calls for a revolution were unrealistic. She also sent an email to supporters vowing to keep fighting and asking them to chip in with $1. "I wish tonight had gone differently," she wrote. "But I know what it's like to be knocked down-and I've learned from long experience that it's not whether you get knocked down that matters. It's about whether you get back up." With Trump cruising to victory as expected, the interest in the Republican race centred on who would win the second place. That distinction went to Kasich with Iowa winner Texas Senator Ted Cruz, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Florida Senator Marco Rubio battling for a third-place finish. Victories of Sanders and Trump reflect deep bipartisan discontent at professional politicians and suggest that both the Democratic and Republican races will now be long struggles that could stretch well into the spring, CNN said. The Washington Post said Sanders' decisive victory embarrassing Hillary Clinton in a state she won eight years ago against then Senator Barack Obama upends the Democratic contest and sets up an intense race for nomination. Sanders's victory "confirmed the strength of his iconoclastic appeal and the power of an insurgent message that cast Clinton as a creature of the old guard," it said. But the New York Times noting that "New Hampshire is in fact a drop in the bucket of delegates needed to win the nominations" advised the 'the candidates who go on, the trick is not letting these results go to their heads, or get under their skins." (Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) Srinagar, Feb 10 : The city authorities on Wednesday imposed curfew-like restrictions here, causing inconvenience to people. Policemen standing beside coils of concertina wire put across the road in Residency Road and Lal Chowk commercial hubs of Srinagar city refused passage to everyone, including media persons who had to reach their offices in Press Enclave on the Residency Road. "Not allowed," a police constable told media persons who showed their identity cards to him in the Residency Road area. The restrictions were imposed in five police station areas of Srinagar city on Tuesday to prevent separatist protests on the death anniversary of Afzal Guru, who was convicted for terrorist attack on Parliament House in New Delhi. "We have reports about separatists planning protests in Lal Chowk area on Wednesday," a senior police officer said. Meanwhile, pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front's chairman Yasin Malik continues to remain in police detention after he was arrested on Monday. Separatists have called for a protest shutdown on Thursday on the death anniversary of JKLF founder, Muhammad Maqbool Bhat. Bhat was hanged in Delhi's Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984. His mortal remains were not handed over to the family. New Delhi, Feb 10 : Former army chief General V.K. Singh has called for improving functional relationship between the military command and civilian leadership. He asserted that the government needed to seriously consider the recommendations made by the Kargil Committee report in this regard. "We have been talking about improving our civilian-military relationship for three-four decades now. But we are only talking about it as nothing concrete has been done," he said talking to reporters on the sidelines of a book launch in New Delhi late on Tuesday. "Government needs to take a serious look at Kargil Committee report and bring in serious changes," Singh added. Singh, who is currently the minister of state for external affairs, blamed the foreign policy of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the debacle in 1962 war with China. He also said the distrust between the then civilian and military establishment was a major reason for India's suffering. "Foreign policy of the time and approach we had adopted towards our neighbour prior to 1962 was the primary reason for India's suffering," Singh said. "1962 war is looked at as failure on two fronts. How our political leadership, bureaucracy and intelligence worked. And how military looked at it if it was allowed to shed the baggage of colonial era. Clearly there was a huge gap in communication," Singh said substantiating his views regarding the historical event. Singh launched a book '1962: The war that wasn't' authored by Shiv Kunal Verma. "Sometimes a person grows in his stature to such an extent that he goes beyond scrutiny and any kind of questioning despite the blunders he makes," Singh said, referring to Nehru, who he alleged went scot-free despite the humiliation that country had to face during the war. Mumbai, Feb 10 : Disappointing earning results, coupled with negative global cues and a slump in crude oil prices dragged the Indian equity markets to their lowest levels in 2016 on Wednesday. This led a barometer index of the Indian equity markets to provisionally close the day's trade down 262 points. Selling frenzy led to both the bellwether indices of the Indian equity markets to trade at levels which were last seen during May 2014. The bellwether indices even touched their new 52-week lows during the intra-day trade. Initially, both the indices opened on a weak note in sync with their Asian peers, especially the Japanese index. The selling pressure was accelerated by absence of any fresh positive trigger and below expected third quarter (Q3) results. Investors were disappointed with poor earnings results from the banking sector and lower guidance from an information technology (IT) major. The decline of crude oil prices below $30 a barrel (one barrel is equal to 159 litres), as well as German IIP's (index of industrial production) fall dented sentiments. Investors' doubts over the government's ability to perk up investments dragged markets' lower. In addition, frantic selling by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) dampened the equity markets. On Tuesday, they divested Rs.681 crore. Long-liquidation positions and disappointing macro-data for the third quarter growth figures also eroded investors confidence. Besides, investors were unnerved ahead of the semi-annual monetary policy testimony by US Fed chairman Janet Yellen to the US House financial services committee later Wednesday. The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) plunged by 262 points or 1.09 percent. Similarly, the wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) ended the day's trade deep in the red. It was down by 83 points or 1.13 percent at 7,215.70 points. The NSE Nifty touched a new 52-week low at 7,177.75 points. The S&P BSE Sensex, which opened at 23,938.32 points, provisionally closed at 23,758.90 points (3.30 p.m.) -- down 262.08 points or 1.09 percent from the previous day's close at 24,020.98 points. During the intra-day trade, the Sensex touched a high of 23,938.32 points and a low of 23,636.72 points -- its new low in 52 weeks. The S&P BSE market breadth favoured the bears -- with 1,981 declines and only 665 advances. "Profit bookings from the last few day's has finally matured into full-fledged panic selling today. The lower closing of Japanese markets, crude oil slump and disappointing results have all contributed to this panic selling," Anand James, co-head, technical research desk with Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services, told IANS. Nitasha Shankar, vice president for research with YES Securities, elaborated that Indian benchmark indices on a new 52-week lows suggested a prolonged bearish period for the markets. Hyderabad, Feb 10 : A young woman techie reportedly ill and missing from Hyderabad was traced in neighbouring Medak district on Wednesday, police said. P. Anushree, an employee with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), was traced in Patancheru, about 50 km from here. Police said the 22-year-old was found moving in 'poor health' and was admitted to a hospital for medical attention. The woman, hailing from Bengaluru and working at TCS's Adibatla campus here, was reported missing on Tuesday by her father P. Prabhakar who complained to Gachibowli police station. According to Prabhakar, she called him on Monday and said hat she was not well. He immediately left for Hyderabad but found her phone switched off once he arrived here. The officials at the women's hostel in Gachibowli, where she was staying, told him that she had not returned from office while the TCS staff reported she had not gone to office since Monday. Police said they were investigating as to how and why she went to Patancheru. New York, Feb 10 : The US space agency NASA is not only full of scientists but it is also home to artistic dreamers and thinkers who once again stormed the internet with the release of new space tourism posters. These artists were behind the Exoplanet Travel Bureau poster series that was published last year and after its success, they are now releasing a more extensive run of posters, The Verge reported on Tuesday. The new series known as "Visions of the Future" includes beautiful takes on Europa, Venus, and even Earth and the first three posters of the series were published on Tuesday. The artists work in a studio that was formed about 13 years ago at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The JPL design team works closely with NASA scientists and engineers and is in tune with the latest discoveries and biggest mysteries in our solar system. This proximity allows the artists to come up with a poster theme that revolves around planetary exploration easily. "Each new poster mixes a bit of that reality with an optimistic take on what exploring our solar system might actually look like someday," the report said. For example, while the poster for Venus calls for visitors to come see the "Cloud 9 Observatory", the poster for Europa advertises the ability to see underwater life -- something that does not feel so far-fetched considering the moon is home to a global sub-surface ocean, the report added. All 14 posters -- including the "Exoplanet" series -- are now available for download on the JPL website. Chennai, Feb 10 : The one-man commission inquiring into controversial land deals in Haryana, including those of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, is likely to submit its report before June, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said here on Wednesday. "The inquiry commission is looking into the matter. The commission is supposed to give its report in June. It seems the commission will give its report before June," Khattar told IANS here. Khattar said it was wrong to say that his government was going slow on the matter. "Neither is the government going slow in the matter nor indulging in vendetta," Khattar, visiting the city for an investment roadshow on Wednesday, said. Vadra had termed the inquiry commission a "political witch-hunt and vendetta" launched against him by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Haryana. The Haryana government in May last year appointed Delhi High Court's Justice S.N. Dhingra (retd) to head the one-man commission to probe the grant of licences to Vadra's company and other firms for developing commercial properties in Gurgaon's Sector 83 and some other prime areas. The commission is mandated to probe their subsequent transfer or disposal, allegations of private enrichment, ineligibility of beneficiaries under the rules and other connected matters. "Issues concerning public importance related to the grant of licences and alleged illegalities have come to the notice of the state government," a Haryana government spokesman said earlier. The scope of the Dhingra Commission inquiry was expanded in August last year and it was asked to probe the grant of all licences to colonisers and individuals in four villages of Gurgaon by the previous Congress government in Haryana led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Vadra and others were allegedly granted favours by the then Congress government in securing licences to develop commercial properties in Gurgaon's Sector 83. The Comptroller and Auditor General had pointed out that Vadra's firm - Skylight Hospitality - had not submitted documents on financial adequacy. Despite that, the firm was granted a licence. The commission was asked to submit its report to the state government as soon as possible, but not later than six months from the date of its first sitting. However, the commission work began after a delay. The commission is probing the circumstances under which licences were granted; whether the entities were eligible for grant of licences as per the applicable laws and rules; whether the transfer of licences by the original licencees within a short period of time to other entities was violative of laws and rules; and whether the TCPD (Town and Country Planning Department) had contemplated the transactions with reference to the loss of revenue to the government. The probe panel will recommend "measures to take corrective action to prevent loss of revenue to the public exchequer and also prevention of undue private enrichment at the cost of public exchequer in such cases in the future". The role of officers in the grant of licences is also being looked into. Complaints against the grant of licences and the CAG report findings form the basis of the inquiry. Kolkata, Feb 10 : At least 11 people were killed and four injured on Wednesday in two different accidents in West Bengal, police said. In the first accident four people were killed when a car collided head on with a bus on the Manbazar-Bandwan road in Purulia district. In the second accident near Suti in Murshidabad district, seven of the eleven people travelling in a motorised cycle van were killed when it collided with a truck. The condition of the four others who were admitted to the Jangipur sub-divisional hospital was critical, said a police official. New Delhi, Feb 10 : Bharti Airtel on Wednesday announced the migration of 40,000 of its network sites across India to green technology. Airtel said, in a statement, that its network transformation programme "Project Leap" is now focusing heavily on a series of fresh initiatives towards a greener environment and building sustainable network for the future, and under the project, it will establish a world-class and future-ready network, while bringing down its carbon footprint emission by 70 percent by 2018. "We are committed to bringing down the carbon emission by 70 percent and are taking all measures including bringing in state-of-art technology and partnering with the best globally," said the firm's MD and CEO (India & South Asia) Gopal Vittal. "We plan to adopt solar and new battery technologies in a big way and double our Green network sites by 2020. With a strategic focus on creating a green network, we remain committed to learning from the telecom industry's best practices from across the globe," he added. Beijing, Feb 10 : The toll from the earthquake that struck Taiwan's Kaohsiung city has climbed to 46. The collapse of the Wei Guan building, the most seriously damaged, accounted for 44 deaths, Xinhau quoted an official as saying on Wednesday. The State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the Red Cross Society of China as well as the China Earthquake Administration are in contact with the island. The mainland has offered medical assistance, the Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement. Mainland enterprises, NGOs and individuals have donated 13 million new Taiwan dollars ($392,000) to the island following Tuesday's disaster. The quake, which the China Earthquake Administration said had a magnitude of 6.7, hit Kaohsiung city at 3.57 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Saturday, just two days ahead of the Lunar New Year. Local monitoring authorities put the scale of the quake at 6.4. Kathmandu, Feb 10 : Nepal paid a fond farewell -- albeit tearful -- to a gritty soldier of democracy as the last rites of former prime minister Sushil Koirala were performed at the Pashupati Arya Ghat here on Wednesday. Thousands of Nepali Congress members, political leaders and admirers of the man known for his integrity and simple lifestyle thronged Kathmandu's prominent cremation ground on the bank of the Baghmati river beside the famed Pashupatinath temple. Koirala was cremated with full state honours and provided a ceremonial Guard of Honour by a Nepal Army troop. A national holiday was declared on Wednesday. His nephews Atul and Sudanshu performed the last rites of the septuagenarian Nepali Congress leader who died in a hospital here on Tuesday due to pneumonia. Koirala, 76, was a bachelor and lived with his nephews and close relatives. Earlier in the day, his body was taken in a procession from Dashrath Stadium where his body was kept for dignitaries and commoners to pay their last respects. Koirala had undergone radiotherapy for lung cancer in 2014 and surgery for tongue cancer 10 years ago in the US. Koirala, who became the 37th prime minister in 2014 after the second Constituent Assembly (CA) elections, stewarded the Himalayan nation's new constitution that formally declared the former Hindu kingdom as a federal republic. An all-party delegation from India, led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Congress leader and former union minister Anand Sharma, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Janata Dal-United chief Sharad Yadav, was in Kathmandu for Koirala's funeral. Guwahati, Feb 10 : The Indian shooting contingent got off to a winning start at the South Asian Games (SAG) by grabbing three of the four gold medals on offer at the shooting event here on Wednesday. Rio 2016 Olympics bound top Indian woman Air Rifle specialist Apurvi Chandela won the gold easily in her 10-metre event. Apurvi bagged a double when she teamed up with Pooja Ghatkar and Elizabeth Susan Koshy to win the team gold in the event. The other gold medal came in the men's 50m Pistol team event which was won by the trio of Omkar Singh, Prakash Nanjappa and Om Prakash. In the women's 10m Air Rifle event, India bagged the top three places in qualifying with Apurvi shooting 419.8, Pooja 417.7 and Elizabeth 411 respectively to reach the final. Their combined score of 1248.5 for the team gold was way out of reach of the second placed Sri Lanka who shot a total of 1218.4. The bronze went to Bangladesh who put up a combined total of 1215.7. Apurvi then ensured that she won. Elizabeth and Pooja, however, swapped positions to win the silver and bronze, respectively, thereby ensuring a clean sweep for India in the event. Apurvi shot 209 in the finals while Elizabeth ended with 207.1 and Pooja 185.9. In the men's 50m Pistol, the Indian trio of Omkar, Prakash and Om Prakash ensured the team won gold with a combined total of 1622. The silver medal-winning Pakistan outfit logged a total of 1583 while Bangladesh won bronze with a total of 1575. In the individual event, Sakil Ahmed of Bangladesh, who scored 187.6 won gold, outgunning Om Prakash, who scored of 187.3, to win the silver. The bronze went to Pakistan's Kalimullah Khan who scored 165.9. New Delhi, Feb 10 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday broke protocol as he received Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as he arrived here on a three-day visit to India. Modi welcomed Sheikh Mohamed with a warm embrace as the latter alighted from the aircraft at the Palam Technical Area here. "A special welcome for a special friend. PM @narendramodi personally receives HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted. The crown prince is being accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising cabinet ministers. Senior officials and business leaders. A slew of agreements, including on defence equipment manufacturing and civil nuclear cooperation, are likely to be signed between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the crown prince's visit. After the India-UAE relationship was elevated to comprehensive strategic partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UAE in August last year, the first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years, there is focus on new areas of cooperation like defence production in India, security, counter-terrorism, in nuclear and space sector, in energy sector, according to Anil Wadhwa, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry. "A number of new agreements and MoUs (memorandums of understanding) are proposed to be signed during the visit of the crown prince to expand the areas of our cooperation," Wadhwa said during a media briefing here on Wednesday ahead of the crown prince's arrival. "This list is still being updated. I cannot give the number right now but as we speak the negotiations are still going on." The welfare of the expatriate Indians in the United Arab Emirates, numbering around 2.6 million, is also likely to come up for discussion, he said. After Saudi Arabia, the UAE hosts the highest number of Indians in the Gulf, 60 percent of whom are blue collar workers. This is the second highest level visit to India from the Gulf region after the visit of the emir of Qatar in March 2015. The region, which hosts seven million expatriate Indians and is an important source of remittances, has a strong bearing on India's security and stability in its neighbourhood. The UAE is the third largest trading partner of India after the US and China. It is also the sixth largest source of India's crude oil imports. This is the third visit to India by Sheikh Mohamed and the first in his capacity as crown prince. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to call on him later on Wednesday. On Thursday, Sheikh Mohamed will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan following which he will lay a wreath at Rajghat. He will have a tete-a-tete with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after which President Pranab Mukherjee will host him for a private lunch. Delegation-level discussions will be held here between Modi and Sheikh Mohamed on Thursday evening and then the agreements will be signed. On Friday, Sheikh Mohamed will leave for Mumbai where he will visit the Bombay Stock Exchange and meet Indian business leaders. Mumbai, Feb 10 : The opening sequence of "24: Season 2" with Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor doing adrenaline pumping stunts was shot in the presence of Howard Gordon - writer of the American show here. Gordon, who co-created the series along with Alex Gansa, also interacted with the cast and crew of the show including actor-producer Anil, directors Abhinay Deo and Rensil D'silva. The opening sequence of the Colors show was shot in Vasai on Tuesday. Gordon partook in the scripting process and appreciated the team's attention to detail while taking stock of the shoot's progress. The Bollywood star reminisced about the time when he first met Gordon. Anil said: "I first met Howard while we were shooting '24' US's season eight back in 2010 where I played the role of President Omar Hassan. "He has been an equal partner and a terrific guide in bringing the show to Indian viewers; he's a visionary whose farsightedness has earned accolades for the show on international shores. It was overwhelming to host him on the sets of '24: Season 2' where he met the cast and crew and shared some valuable inputs." Gordon also confessed about binge watching the Indian adaptation of the series, which is originally based on Israeli series "Hatufim". "Inspite of being crunched for time, I have watched the whole season of '24' India because that is how much I loved it! Anil and his team have done a great job on the show. I hope that we can showcase this back in the US," Gordon said. Ever since the first season of "24" launched in India in 2013, the format owners - FOX Studios - have been keeping a close eye on the overwhelming response that the show has received from local audiences. And the makers have packed more action and thrill. "24: Season 2" will see action and thrill increase two-fold as Jai Singh Rathod (played by Anil) prevents a probable tragedy. The action sequences of the show will be directed by Allan Amin. The show will also feature actors like Sakshi Tanwar, Surveen Chawla, Ashish Vidyarthi, Sikandar Kher and Ritu Shivpuri among others. New Delhi, Feb 10 : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday called on Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, soon after he arrived here on a three-day visit. "Our honoured guest from across the Arabian Sea. EAM @SushamSwaraj calls on Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed Al Nahyan," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted with pictures of the two leaders. Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke protocol as he received the crown prince on his arrival here. Modi welcomed Sheikh Mohamed with a warm embrace as the latter alighted from his aircraft at the Palam Technical Area here. The crown prince is being accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising cabinet ministers. Senior officials and business leaders. A slew of agreements, including on defence equipment manufacturing and civil nuclear cooperation, are likely to be signed between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the crown prince's visit. After the India-UAE relationship was elevated to comprehensive strategic partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UAE in August last year, the first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years, there is focus on new areas of cooperation like defence production in India, security, counter-terrorism, in nuclear and space sector, in energy sector, according to Anil Wadhwa, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry. "A number of new agreements and MoUs (memorandums of understanding) are proposed to be signed during the visit of the crown prince to expand the areas of our cooperation," Wadhwa said during a media briefing here on Wednesday ahead of the crown prince's arrival. "This list is still being updated. I cannot give the number right now but as we speak the negotiations are still going on." The welfare of the expatriate Indians in the United Arab Emirates, numbering around 2.6 million, is also likely to come up for discussion, he said. After Saudi Arabia, the UAE hosts the highest number of Indians in the Gulf, 60 percent of whom are blue collar workers. This is the second highest level visit to India from the Gulf region after the visit of the emir of Qatar in March 2015. The region, which hosts seven million expatriate Indians and is an important source of remittances, has a strong bearing on India's security and stability in its neighbourhood. The UAE is the third largest trading partner of India after the US and China. It is also the sixth largest source of India's crude oil imports. This is the third visit to India by Sheikh Mohamed and the first in his capacity as crown prince. On Thursday, Sheikh Mohamed will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan following which he will lay a wreath at Rajghat. He will have a tete-a-tete with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after which President Pranab Mukherjee will host him for a private lunch. Delegation-level discussions will be held here between Modi and Sheikh Mohamed on Thursday evening and then the agreements will be signed. On Friday, Sheikh Mohamed will leave for Mumbai where he will visit the Bombay Stock Exchange and meet Indian business leaders. Gurgaon, Feb 10 : Mumbai police on Wednesday said they were quizzing the Gurgaon police crime branch team members who gunned down Haryana gangster Sandeep Garouli in an alleged shootout at a hotel in Andheri East. "We are questioning all members of the Gurgaon crime branch, who claimed that Garouli was killed in an encounter. Some other people, including Garouli's aides and girlfriend are also being questioned," Deputy Commissioner of Police Dhananjay Kulkarni, who is also the public relations officer of Mumbai police, told IANS over phone. Kulkarni said Mumbai police were "kept in the dark" by their Gurgaon counterparts. He said they did not inform Mumbai police properly about the raid at the hotel in which the gangster was killed. "We are investigating and an FIR will be registered against the Gurgaon policemen if they are found guilty," he said. Garouli, a criminal wanted in over three dozen cases, was shot dead on February 7 by the Gurgaon team, comprising eight members and which was led by an inspector-rank officer. Two of his associates -- Deepak and Manish Khurana -- were arrested. Garouli, around 35 years old and a native of Garouli village near Gurgaon, was the son of Haryana Police sub inspector Bhup Singh. He had a reward of over Rs.1 lakh on his head, and was on the run for some time. Meanwhile, Garouli's relatives refused to accept his body alleging that he was murdered by Gurgaon police in association with Binder Gujjar, a gangster-turned Gurgaon councillor and a rival who is now in Gurgaon jail. New Delhi, Feb 10 : Internet users in India today are more conscious about their online safety, internet giant Google India said on Wednesday as it rolled out several new features and resources designed to protect users online. Google India released some key interesting search trends of last year that point towards the demand of greater cyber security. The trends showed that in the past year there have been 20 percent more searches for "change password" and 97 percent more searches for "two-step verification". Two-step verification requires more than just a password to sign into your Google account, such as a 6-digit code that is sent to your phone for more protection. Google said that in the past year itself, there have been 591 percent more searches for "how to track a lost phone". So to ramp up the online security, Google is offering initiatives like simplifying security settings to making trustworthy messages easier to spot in Gmail. Google will also be driving multiple initiatives to drive awareness about online safety among Indian Internet users. "With an increase in the number of users coming online and the rise in the penetration of smartphone users in India, we at Google are committed to offering users a safe Internet experience," Sunita Mohanty, director, trust and safety, Google India said in a statement. "We are adding five million new users a month taking the user base of aconnected' Indians to 500 millions online by 2018-2019. It's more important now than ever before to ensure the data and profiles of these users is safe online," Mohanty added. While supporting Safer Internet Day, Google is also offering its users 2 GB of extra Google Drive storage on completion of the security check-up by February 11. Thiruvananthapuram, February 10 : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has voiced his support for granting women entry to the hill shrine of Sabarimala, taking a view contrary to that of his party. Speaking to reporters here in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, the Congress MP representing Thiruvananthapuram constituency said that in his personal opinion women should be allowed entry to all temples, including Sabarimala temple. Bad customs would dissipate over time, he said, expressing the opinion that no form of discrimination, whether caste, religious, or linguistic, should be allowed. Sharoor Tharoors view on the issue runs contrary to that of the State government, which filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court throwing its weight behind upholding the practice of barring women from entering Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala. The affidavit was filed in response to a poser by the SC, which sought the States opinion on the issue while considering a petition filed by Young Lawyers Association challenging the ban on womens entry on the ground that it was in violation of Articles 14, 25 and 26 of the Constitution. Women between the age of 10 and 50 are barred entry to the temple on the ground that the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is a perpetual bachelor (naishtika brahmachari). Kokrajhar (Assam), Feb 10 : BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday denounced the regular poaching of rhinos in Assam and said the animal will become extinct in the state if the killings don't end. "The one-horned rhinos, which draws foreign tourists to Assam, are not safe here," Shah told a rally where he announced a tie-up between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Bodoland Peoples Front for assembly polls. He said that in the last three years, over 100 rhinos were killed in Assam. "If the situation continues, there will not be any rhino in Assam in the next 10 years." Shah made the remarks while hitting out at the Congress government in Assam. Around 3,500 rhinoceros are said to be alive in India, mostly in Assam, according to experts. New Delhi, Feb 10 : Congress president Sonia Gandhi has written to Basavva, the mother of Siachen avalanche survivor Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, wishing her son speedy recovery and a long life. In her letter written on Tuesday, which was released to the media on Wednesday, Gandhi said her heart was filled with pain and grief on hearing about the 10 soldiers coming under an avalanche in Siachen but there was a ray of hope after learning that Hanumanthappa survived. She said praise was not enough for the manner in which the country's soldiers defended the borders in tough areas such as Siachen. "I pray to god for early recovery of the brave, patriotic soldier so that he starts his routine again and is able to contribute to the service of country and tasks of his near dear ones," the letter said. "I again pray for early recovery and long life of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa," Gandhi said. In a message on Wednesday, Gandhi said she joins the nation in praying for speedy recovery of Koppad. "We salute his endurance and will power to serve the nation. True to the glorious tradition of our armed forces, Lance Naik Hanumanthappa has fought against the most challenging circumstances that man can ever face. The nation remains indebted to his service," she said. Koppad was found from under 35 feet of ice at an avalanche-hit army post in the Siachen glacier in Jammu and Kashmir -- six days after he and nine other soldiers were buried. The bodies of the other nine have also been found. New Delhi, Feb 10 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the constitutional legitimacy of Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa's direction that there should not be any tinkering with the party position in the state assembly, asking how could he clip the constitutional powers of the speaker to disqualify lawmakers on grounds of defection. "Is it not an order of restraint on the speaker not to act under schedule ten of the constitution (which provides for disqualification of lawmakers on grounds of defection). Could the governor issue a direction to the speaker clipping his powers to act under schedule ten," asked the constitution bench of Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh and Justice N.V. Ramana. The "governor may have some role in the functioning of the assembly, but he has no role to play in the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection provision)", it added as senior counsel T.R.Andhyarijnua, appearing for Rajkhowa, defended the governor's action saying that his apprehensions that the speaker Nabam Rebia may disqualify the rebel legislators was born out by the subsequent events. "It is a constitutional imperative, obligation and duty of the governor to see that the constitutional powers under Schedule Ten is exercised in a right manner," Andhyarijuna told the court. Described his client as a "conscientious and impartial" person whose acts could not be described a "capricious and malafide", he said: "What were the options before the governor? There were apprehensions in the mind of the governor that the total complexion of the assembly would be changed." Pointing out that Rajkhowa's "apprehensions" were proved to be correct, Andhyarijuna said: "Governor is not a great constitutional lawyer. He has good instinct. (With) Politicians (belonging to ruling Congress) fighting like anything in the sensitive border state, he asked the president to step in." But expressing its doubts on Rajkhowa's conduct, the court asked "whether whatever the governor has done was in furtherance of democracy or to create a dent in it". Andhyarijuna held Rajkowa's advancing the assembly session from January 14, 2016, to December 16, directing that the resolution expressing no confidence in the speaker be taken as a first item, and the composition of the house not be changed was to thwart Rebia from exercising his powers under anti-defection law to create majority for the Congress. "(Exercise of) Discretion was founded strong basis and the necessity to act that way," he said, arguing the governor could not have allowed the speaker, who was acting in close proximity with Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, to have 42 days to exercise his powers under anti-defection law to disqualify 14 rebel Congress lawmakers. But the court was not convinced. "You are blaming the speaker. Speaker could turn around and blame you," the bench observed noting that Rebia acted only after the governor did. As Andhyarijuna took the court through the sequence of political events leading to the imposition of president's rule, the bench, holding said that a "constitutional discretion has to be based on constitutional principle", asking him: "What was the constitutional principle that was invoked by the governor in preponing the assembly session and sending the message. What constitutional objective the governor was seeking to achieve?" Posing a hypothetical situation, the court asked Andhyarijuna that if an assembly is in session and a resolution seeking the removal of speaker is moved, could the governor on the expiry of 14 days ask the house to consider the resolution on the 15th day. As Andhyarijuna said that the governor may not, the court said: "When he (governor) can't do when the house is in session, how can he do when the house is off." Clause (C) of the constitution's article 179 says that no resolution for the removal of speaker or deputy speaker of an assembly "shall be moved unless at least fourteen days' notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution". Hearing will continue on Thursday. New Delhi, Feb 10 : The construction of India's strategic petroleum storage in Karnataka's Mangaluru with the assistance of the UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is proceeding on schedule and will be completed soon, the government said on Wednesday. According to an Indian petroleum ministry release here, this was mentioned by Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in his meeting here with United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail Mohammed Al Mazrouei, ahead of the India visit of Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. "Pradhan expressed happiness that Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) was working with Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd. (ISPRL) on the strategic reserve project in Mangalore (Mangaluru). He conveyed that the project was on track and will be concluded soon," an official statement here said following the meeting. India, which imports nearly 80 percent of its crude oil needs, is building underground storages at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Mangaluru and Padur in Karnataka to store about 5.33 million tonnes of crude oil to guard against global price surges and supply disruptions. Some months after taking charge of the petroleum ministry in 2014, Pradhan had informed parliament that ADNOC and Kuwait Petroleum Corp had shown interest in hiring a part of India's strategic oil storage. The storages at Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Padur will be enough to meet the country's oil requirement of about 10 days. At Wednesday's meeting, Pradhan said state-run Indian explorers are interested in acquiring producing assets participatiing in the prospective exploration rounds in UAE, the statement said. "He (Pradhan) also conveyed that Indian companies are interested in acquiring a stake in Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations (ADCO) for onshore oil operations," it said. Briefing the UAE minister on various state-run projects in India's hydrocarbon sector, Pradhan "sought investments from UAE in these important projects which were at various levels of maturity and development, and required investment for the next 4 months to 4 years along with equity participation", the statement added. Declaring that India was trying to import more crude from UAE, Pradhan sought favourable terms ffor crude oil and natural gas imports from the Gulf country, it added. Kolkata, Feb 10 : Eyeware retail chain Titan Eyeplus is mulling entry into neighbouring Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as part of its plans to carry its imprint beyond India, a top company official said here on Wednesday. The Tata Group company, which opened its 100th store in eastern india at Dum Dum in suburban Kolkata during the day, said it would come up with a detailed digital strategy in the near future. "We are considering overseas expansion. Initially in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as their markets are somewhat similar to that in India," Titan eyewear division CEO Ronnie Talati told media persons here. He said the company now has 400 retail stories in India and was emphasising on entering the tier II, III and smaller markets and towns. Besides, it was also hoping to foray into the digital platform and would unveil a detailed digital strategy in the near future. The company had come up with a not-so-impressive third quarter results this year, but hoped to do better as the market condition has seemingly improve, he said. In the first nine months of 2015-16, the company has done Rs.400 crore business, which was 17 percent more than that in the corresponding year-ago period. 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Pachauri, accused by a former colleague of sexual harassment in February last year, was promoted as executive vice-chairman of TERI, another former woman employee of the organisation on Wednesday levied similar charges against him. "Ever since the FIR against Pachauri came to light, I have been stating that I have also been sexually harassed by Pachauri, but all the efforts to have my statement recorded have been obstructed by police," the victim said in an open statement issued to media here. "Pachauri, a serial sexual harasser, who should have been punished by now has actually been rewarded with a new and higher position! This is a mockery of the laws of our country and of the struggles of the complainant's long and difficult struggles," she added. Claiming to have joined The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in 2003 and worked there for over a year, the victim alleged that Pachauri would use the excuse of work assignments to repeatedly call her to his office room, even though there was no real work. "Pachauri used to also call me on my personal mobile number once or twice a week during non-Aoffice hours and holidays to ask what I was doing... he would make personal inquiries about my availability and keep requesting me to join him for dinner or wine," she said in her statement. She also claimed that on another occasion he assaulted her when she was in his office room because Pachauri had asked her to see him. "He completely against my wishes forcibly held and kissed me on my face just as I was leaving the room. I was shocked and very upset and left his office immediately," she said. The women also claimed that due to Pachauri's misconduct and sexual advances, she started to look out for opportunities elsewhere and resigned. "When Pachauri saw my resignation letter, he threatened that from the airport to the city I was going to, he had friends everywhere and that he would see how I would leave his employment," she said in her written statement. After the woman employee of TERI filed a sexual harassment complaint, Pachauri denied the charge but stepped down as chairperson of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in February last year and proceeded on leave from TERI where he was the director general. Later, Pachauri was removed as TERI head in July and Ajay Mathur appointed in his place. In November, the woman researcher who accused him of sexual harassment quit her job at TERI, alleging she was treated badly. TERI denied the charge. However, now Pachauri has been appointed executive vice-chairman of the organisation despite the ongoing inquiry in the sexual harassment case. New Delhi : Rome, Feb 1o (IANS/AKI) The Islamic State jihadist group will lose against the international military coalition of countries fighting it and will be defeated culturally, economically and diplomatically, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Wednesday. "The unscrupulous terrorists of Daesh (IS) must know they will lose their battle," Renzi told journalists here after a meeting his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi. "Iraq and with Iraq the whole international community will overcome this challenge, not only through the international coalition but also culturally, economic and diplomatically," he said. The international coalition is driving back IS and retaking territory from the group and Italy is one of the countries leading the battle against it with over 700 security personnel deployed, Renzi noted. More than Italian 100 paramilitary Carabinieri police officers are training police in Iraq, he said, adding "a united and stable Iraq can help stabilise and bring peace to the Middle East region". Abadi said Iraq aimed to defeat IS in Iraq "by the end of the year" calling for a "political solution" in his country and in neighbouring war-wracked Syria. "Iraqis are united in the fight against terrorism and we have had many victories on the ground," Abadi said. He cited the "harsh blow" delivered to IS in the central city of Ramadi, which Iraq says was completely recaptured from the group this week. Abadi also recalled that troop reinforcements were also sent to Mosul "in recent days" to liberate it from IS, which overran the northern city in June 2014. The coalition should not play a combat role in Iraq but should help with training and air cover, Abadi said. "We don't want other forces fighting that are not Iraqi," he stated. "We now need international aid to restore essential services such as schools, hospitals and clinics and enable people uprooted by the conflict to return to their homes." Help from international experts is needed to diversify the troubled Iraqi economy, Abadi said, inviting Italian companies to invest in Iraq. "We can no longer depend solely on oil," Abadi warned. Guwahati, Feb 10 : With an eye on the forthcoming assembly election, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday unveiled a draft vision document titled "Vision Assam-2030: Everything for Everyone-Achieving inclusive and Sustainable Development". Unveiling the document at a function at the Assam Administrative Staff College, he said it envisions a transformed future for the people of Assam, free from all forms of deprivation, inequities and insecurity to be achieved within the next 15 years. With this, Assam has become the "first state in the world" to have a vision document on Sustainable Development Goals, Gogoi claimed. "This has been one of the long-felt desires of the government for immaculately articulating a development vision where all the people of Assam become stakeholders and they participate in the development process of the state. "I am committed to realise Vision Assam-2030 where environment and development goes in sync with the other," Gogoi said. He said it will give a structured, broad framework to give a direction to all efforts of the government to eradicate poverty, illiteracy, hunger for ensuring health lives and achieving gender equality through women empowerment. "Though there are problems, we need to find remedies to the problems to realise an Assam where inclusive and sustainable development becomes the crux of the society," Gogoi said while seeking cooperation from sections of the society to extend their cooperation for the document. Gogoi said that Jeffrey Sachs, one of the stakeholders of the Sustainable Development Goals, interacted with him over Skype from New York and lauded the Assam government's achievement on being the first state in the world to have a vision framework for Sustainable Development Goals. Sachs also informed him that he will share the Vision Assam-2030 with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. New Delhi, Feb 10 : India on Wednesday said investors from Gulf countries could participate in its Rs.40,000-crore National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) set up last year to fund projects. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley mentioned this in his meeting here with the United Arab Emirates' Economy Minister Sultan Al Mansoori, ahead of the India visit of Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said a statement from the Indian finance ministry. Both the countries also stressed on need for increasing cooperation in the fields of innovation and small and medium enterprises, the statement said. "Both countries agreed to deepen their engagement in the area of innovation so as to harness respective capabilities in a mutually beneficial manner," it added. The small and medium (SME) industries sector is critical for the growth of the economy and employment, Jaitley said. "It was also decided that the respective institutions and industry associations engaged with SMEs would cooperate to harness the growth of SME sector in both the countries," the statement said. Following a separate meeting here on Wednesday between Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan with United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Indian petroleum ministry said the construction of India's strategic petroleum storage in Karnataka's Mangaluru with the assistance of the UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is proceeding on schedule and will be completed soon. Mumbai, Feb 10 : Actor Amitkumar Sharma says that his film "1982-A Love Marriage" and classic film "1942-A Love Story" are poles apart in its story, and the only similarity between the two is the title and the fact that they are period love stories. "We have been pestered by comparisons with '1942-A Love Story' since the time we announced that our film will be titled '1982-A Love Marriage'. Yes, the title is similar and our film is also a period love story but that's where the comparisons end... the story is poles apart," Sharma told IANS. Sharma plays a character who is overenthusiastic about love marriage in the film and even watches Kumar Gaurav's "Love Story" 22 times. When he eventually has an arranged marriage, he gets disheartened, but as seen in the trailer, he jumps with joy, when after several instances he believes that it is a love marriage with his wife. "Frankly speaking, getting associated with a film such as '1942-A Love Story' even in the minutest way is a big honour for us, since the film is a classic. But it also places unnecessary expectations on us to live up to it which we don't want and which we perhaps can't do. We don't have unrealistic demands from our film, ours is a small film with a heart. While '1942-A Love Story' was an intense love story with action and conflicts, ours is a light-hearted take on love and arranged marriages for the family audiences. We don't want to give any intense message like '1942-A Love Story' did.. we just want to entertain audiences by bringing a smile on their lips," he added. "1982-A Love Marriage", directed by Prashant M Gorey, also stars Omna Harjani and is produced by Shiv Kumar Sharma. It is releasing on February 26. New Delhi, Feb 10 : The Jawaharlal Nehru University set up a proctorial committee on Wednesday to inquire into an event organised by some former members of Democratic Students' Union (DSU) that led to violent clashes on the campus. The Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest outside the office of the vice chancellor on Wednesday to protest over the event against the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. An ABVP delegation also met Vice Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar. A decision was later taken by the university to form a four-member proctorial committee which will be headed by Professor Kishan Kumar. Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union joint secretary Saurabh Sharma, of the ABVP, said they demand an inquiry against all the 10 students who had organised this event. He said the university administration should ensure that such incidents do not happen in the campus again, and if the university fails to take an action in a week, then "a campus strike will be carried out". The varsity witnessed violent clashes between two students groups on Tuesday night over the event after which police were deployed to maintain law and order. While the organisers originally got the permission to hold this event, it was withdrawn after the ABVP complained to the administration. Doha, Feb 11 : Qatar and Pakistan signed on Wednesday a multi-billion dollar gas deal to supply Pakistan with 3.75 million tonnes of liquified natural gas (LNG) annually for 15 years. Under the 15-billion-dollar agreement, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited will supply 3.75 million tonnes of LNG to Pakistan State Oil Company from 2016 to 2031, with the first cargo expected to be delivered in March 2016. After the signing ceremony, Pakistan Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told reporters that the import of LNG from Qatar would help Pakistan to get out of its energy crisis by fulfilling 20 percent of the country's energy needs. Pakistan produces four billion cubic feet of natural gas per day (bcfd) against the demand for over six bcfd. Rents in London fell by 0.5% in July compared to the same month in 2015 as growth in the lettings market in the city stalled, but they increased across the UK by 1.5%, the latest index shows. However, a breakdown of the figures from the Countrywide Lettings Index shows that rental growth slowed across every region of the country and the drop in London was the first annual fall in rents for six years. In July the average rent in the UK was 951 a month, up 1.5% on last year, but rising half as fast as in July 2015. Rents fell by 2% in Wales, by 1% in Scotland and by 1.1% in the South East of England but in the North of England and the Midlands, the rate of rental growth hit the highest level for two years. The highest rents are in Central London at an average of 2,638, up 2.1% year on year, followed by Greater London at 1,280 and the South East at 1,173. In the East of England they are 963, up 3.8%, in the South West 856, up 3.3%, in the Midlands 703, up 4.8%, in the North of England 694, up 4.7%, in Scotland 689, down 1% and in Wales 671, down 2%%. The report points out that while tenant demand has increased nationally, the volume of homes coming onto the rental market has slowed or in some cases reversed rental growth. In July there were 23% more homes available to rent in the UK than at the same time last year, while the capital saw a rise of a third. Some of this increase has been driven by purchases rushed through to beat the stamp duty deadline, however the number of homes available to rent has continued to rise in recent months, particularly in London and the South East. An increase in the number of homes on the market has meant less deals are agreed above asking rents. In July 2015 16% of tenants paid over the asking rent to secure a home compared to 7% in July 2016. In London the fall was larger, 11% of homes let for more than the asking price in July, down from 32% in July 2015. The large rise in numbers of homes available to rent has certainly slowed rental growth, even with tenant numbers increasing. Stock levels were already running higher than usual due to investors bringing forward purchases in the rush to beat the stamp duty deadline in April, said Johnny Morris, director of research at Countrywide. Added to that, uncertainty in the sales market in the run up to, and after the European Union Referendum has caused more discretionary sellers to turn to the rental market. While rental price growth has slowed, current market dynamics are likely to accelerate the growth of renting. It seems that with more stock and demand from tenants we will see the number of households renting increase in 2016, he added. - : , ; Tecplot, Inc., developer of the leading CFD visualization and analysis software for engineers and scientists, today announced the general availability of Tecplot Chorus 2016 Release 1, a design-space simulation data analysis product that incorporates Tecplot 360 EX. The most notable new features in this release include the ability to accelerate trade studies and identify selected cases, Open CSV Project and easier license management. In the last release of Tecplot Chorus, the company introduced the Selected Cases view and Color-by-Filter Violations for 2D scatter plots. For this new this release, Tecplot extended the filter violation coloring to the Table Views to help even more with trade studies. This new capability makes it easy to identify where values lie in the range of all values and how close cases are to constraint boundaries. Tecplot also improved how the Selected Cases view works to help users rapidly identify cases of interest. For example, data in the Selected Cases view will now automatically be compared against Other Views for rapid identification of cases of interest. Open CSV Project lets users create a project file using the same base name as the CSV file if no project file already exists. If a project file of the same name already exists, users will now be prompted to specify a file name for their project file. This is a slight change in the workflow and was made to reduce the likelihood of accidentally overwriting an existing project file when using this menu option. Lastly, all Tecplot products, including Tecplot Chorus 2016 Release 1, are moving to a simpler licensing process. The new process will handle the details of validating the users license and activating their software, which makes license administration much faster and easier. Single-user license holders with an Internet connection will now be able to enter an activation code and start working. Improving existing functionality is a major emphasis of our product development efforts this year, Tecplot Product Manager Scott Fowler said. Based on customer feedback, we know our products help engineers and scientists become more efficient and productive every day at work. We also know the demands on our customers are ever-changing, becoming more challenging each year. By improving the robust functionality already baked into Tecplot software, our products will evolve to meet our customers growing demands. About Tecplot Chorus Tecplot Chorus integrates CFD post-processing, field and parametric data management, and powerful analytics into a single environment. An engineer using Tecplot Chorus can manage and analyze collections of CFD simulations, and compare them in a single environment while evaluating overall system performance. Tecplot Chorus supports 64-bit Windows and Linux platforms. Pricing for Tecplot Chorus starts at $4,700 for an annual single-facility network license in the U.S. and Canada. For more information about Tecplot Chorus, visit http://www.tecplot.com/chorus/. About Tecplot, Inc. Founded in 1981 by former Boeing engineers Don Roberts and Mike Peery, who today serve as CEO and chairman of the board, respectively, Tecplot is the leading developer of CFD visualization and analysis software for engineers and scientists. Tecplots products allow customers using desktop computers and laptops to quickly analyze and understand information hidden in complex data, and communicate their results to others via brilliant images and compelling animations. The privately held companys products are used by more than 47,000 technical professionals around the world. Tecplot has been awarded numerous Small Business Innovation Research contracts from DOD, NASA, DARPA, and the National Science Foundation. In 2012, the company was named a Red Herring Top 100 Americas Award winner. Since its founding more than 30 years ago, Tecplot has consistently delivered category-leading innovation to the engineering and scientific communities. Examples of this never-ending innovation include Tecplot RS for oil & gas reservoir simulation, Tecplot Chorus for analyzing multiple simulations of design-space exploration data, Tecplot 360 EX for lightning-fast analysis of massive CFD simulation data, and Tecplot Focus for automating routine data analysis and plotting tasks. For more information, please visit http://www.tecplot.com. The Oklahoma Horse Fair will be held at the Stephens County Fair & Expo Center on Feb 12-13th, 2016. In its 14th year, the fair will include a trade show, stockdog trials and demonstration, ranch rodeo, and more. The event will kick off at 9:00 AM on Friday, Feb 12 with the Sundowner Stockdog Association Trial and Demonstration. The remainder of the day may be spent at the western trade shows, which will close at 10:00 PM. Events will begin again at 8:30 AM on Saturday, Feb 13, with a schedule of events including a preview of rope horses, barrel horses, and select mules. The day will also include a miniature horse, premier pony, and mule sale, featuring 130 top consignments from reputable breeders, trainers, and ranchers. The day will wrap up with the Chisholm Trail Invitational Ranch Rodeo, beginning at 7:00 PM. Throughout both days, you may enjoy the Western Trade Show and Swap, which will include over 80 vendors offering everything you might need for your horse and rider. Admission to the trade show and auction are free. All event schedules and info, as well as horse sale and trade show information, may be found online at http://www.okhorsefair.com. For information about Duncan please call The Duncan Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-782-7167 or visit us online. SchoolMint School districts, charter schools, and independent schools are seeing the ways that SchoolMint can exponentially benefit their enrollment process. SchoolMint, the leading provider of mobile and online enrollment and school choice systems for PreK-12 public, charter and private schools, today announced that their recent Series A round brings total funding to close to $8 million. The $5.6 million round was led by Runa Capital, with participation from Reach Capital (New Schools), Fresco Capital, Govtech Fund, Kapor Capital, Crosslink Capital, Maiden Lane Ventures, CSC Upshot, and individual investors Jared Kopf, Josh Reeves (Founder and CEO of Gusto), and Tomer London (Founder of Gusto). The capitalization is part of the companys rapid growth as it moves into an increasing number of districts and schools throughout the country. Founded in 2013, SchoolMint is now used by more than 2,000 schools in 70 cities in 30 states and four countries, and serves more than 1.5 million PreK-12 students. The company is seeing notable expansion in large urban marketsincluding recent partnerships with districts in Indianapolis, Camden and Clevelandas it drives implementation of support-driven enrollment and technology platforms for school choice initiatives. Were excited to have moved into more than 500 schools in the past four months alone, says Jinal Jhaveri, SchoolMint CEO. School districts, charter schools, and independent schools are seeing the ways that SchoolMint can exponentially benefit their enrollment process. Were really enthused to be able to help more schools redefine their end-to-end enrollment experience and make the process more efficient for their staff and more user-friendly for parents. SchoolMints growth will be further accelerated by hiring top tier talent. The company recently appointed Lory Pilchik as the Chief Marketing Officer. Lorys marketing and leadership skills, along with her track record of success in the education sector, will expand SchoolMints footprint and impact. The funding also supports hiring within the Customer Success, Sales, and Marketing teams, ensuring clients continued delight as the company grows. SchoolMint has provided us with a comprehensive system that immediately streamlined our enrollment and registration processes, notes Kevin Alin, Executive Director of School Choice and Enrollment with Cleveland Metropolitan School District. The intuitive design has made it easy for our staff and parent community to seamlessly embrace this new best-in-class technology, and the dedicated SchoolMint team has been with us every step of the way. Adopting this technology platform has made a previously tedious and costly process significantly easier. SchoolMint transforms PreK-12 school registration with its easy-to-use and efficient online enrollment and communication system. SchoolMint automates the entire enrollment and registration process and provides real-time insights and predictive analytics. The platform also supports school choice, manages waitlists and lotteries, and supports year-round parent communications and school fee collection. Its thrilling to watch the positive change that schools experience when adopting SchoolMint. After years of struggling with outdated methods, schools can now make the process much more efficient and provide a much improved experience for both staff and parents. Its rewarding to be a part of something that creates positive change in education. SchoolMint is growing so fast because they have a great product that meets a vital need, notes Andre Bliznyuk of Runa Capital, who will be joining SchoolMints board as a part of this funding round. About SchoolMint SchoolMint provides a cloud-based student enrollment and school choice platform to PreK-12 independent, charter, and district schools. Since its founding in 2013, more than 2000 schools worldwide have chosen SchoolMint to streamline all aspects of student enrollment and registration, school choice, lottery management, fee collection, and year-round parent-school communication. Available online and on mobile devices, SchoolMints user friendly design transforms the end-to-end enrollment experience for district staff and parents. Visit http://www.SchoolMint.com to learn more. Aegify, a leading provider of risk security and compliance management solutions announced today that it has partnered with Maize Analytics to provide their leading edge privacy and access monitoring solution along with Aegifys suite of risk, security and compliance products to address next generation compliance challenges. Privacy advocates around the world lack a proper automated privacy auditing solution. Common practices include manual and rules-based solutions that result in wasted effort and high false positive rates, making it impossible for providers to practice proactive auditing. Maize Analytics provides the only system that allows users proactively audit with minimal oversight and training. Aegify provides a cloud-based, comprehensive, unified, enterprise platform for continuous risk, security and compliance monitoring and resolution. The Aegify solution delivers risk, security and compliance management with an intuitive dashboard and advanced analytics. Using a Diagnose, Cure and Protect framework driven by an expert systems based technology, customers get a clear path to diagnosing risk, security and compliance gaps, curing them through wizard based remediation guidance, and continuous monitoring to ensure business continuity and protection. The company has won numerous awards and accolades from analysts for product innovation. As part of the partnership, Aegify with Maize Analytics will help Healthcare Providers address institutional challenges in the changing privacy environment. Maize Analytics innovative Explanation-Based Auditing System (EBAS) is an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) access-monitoring tool that allows hospitals to monitor and audit for internal data breach threats. The solution integrates with any EMR and has been successfully deployed in Epic, Cerner and other leading EMR implementations. The tool combines rules and clinical context to dramatically increase internal fraud detection. The Explanation-Based Auditing System can automatically audit 95% of EMR accesses, drastically reducing the workload for privacy officers and reducing risk for healthcare organizations. said, Dr. Daniel Fabbri, Founder and CEO of Maize Analytics. Anupam Sahai, Co-founder and CEO at Aegify Inc., We are excited to partner with Maize to combine our market leading risk, security and compliance management solution offering with Maizes privacy auditing solution to offer an even more robust continuous risk, security and compliance monitoring solution. Maizes EBAS is a disruptive force in the Healthcare privacy space that will forever change how we do privacy audits. The combined solution addresses a huge problem that remains unsolved today. We foresee that hospitals, health systems and Health Information Exchanges will have a strong need for Aegifys-Maizes technology to ensure privacy and security. The solution is available immediately. To learn more about Aegify, visit http://www.aegify.com or call 408 689 2586, email info@aegify.com. To learn more about Maize Analytics, visit http://www.maizeanalytics.com About Aegify: Aegify Inc. (http://www.aegify.com) is a world-leading provider of Cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions for business security monitoring, risk and compliance management. The company's flagship product Aegify is the worlds first software only solution that disrupts the way businesses manage security, compliance and risk using an easy-to-use, cost-effective, subscription-based, SaaS solution. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Aegify has offices in the United States and India. Earlier this year, the company introduced Aegify BA-Vendor Manager, solving a significant HIPAA compliance challenge faced by all U.S. covered entities for their business associates and vendors. The company has received numerous industry awards and accolades. Aegify was nominated to the 2016 CyberSecurity 500 list of hottest Cybersecurity companies to watch. It received the highest possible, five-star rating, based on features, performance, documentation, support, and overall rating from SC Magazine, June 2014. About Maize Analytics: Maize Analytics (http://www.maizeanalytics.com), based in Nashville, TN, provides EMR access log monitoring tools for improved data privacy and security. The patented and peer reviewed Explanation-Based Auditing System leverages machine learning to understand why accesses occur to patient data. In contrast to standard anomaly detection systems, Maize can filter away 95% of false positives, allowing privacy officers to focus on suspicious behavior. Maizes technology was recognized as a top 20 most promising healthcare compliance solution providers by Healthcare Tech Outlook for 2015. Centennial Ballroom at Hyatt Regency Denver Grand Hyatt Denver and Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center announce an exclusive offer for meetings planners who host a conference at either of these award winning hotels during the 2018 calendar year: Free coffee during refreshment breaks. This is for delegations that occupy 100 rooms or more on peak night and are confirmed on or before March 31, 2016 using offer code: COFFEE18. The Free Coffee Meeting Package is a complement to an extensive redesign of these Denver Hyatt Hotels meeting and event space that was completed late fall 2015. It included the renovation of a total of four large ballrooms in the two hotels. Additionally, all 1,600 guest rooms, 516 at Grand Hyatt Denver and 1,100 at Hyatt Regency Denver, have been recently updated as well and now include free high speed WiFi. The Denver meeting space remodel at Hyatt Regency Denver encompasses the Centennial and Capitol Ballrooms and an array of prefunction areas, meeting and board rooms totaling 60,600 square feet. The new look delivers a Colorado sense of place as Denver designers Rowland + Broughton add layers of texture and color to evoke the surrounding mountains, while contemporary furnishings and design details create a modern yet residential feel to the redone areas. The hotels foyer functionality is enhanced with furnishings that can be configured for a variety of meeting and convention seating styles. Innovations also include a meeting room that features pre-placed collaborative seating and work tables for multi-functional use. At Grand Hyatt Denver, the Aspen and Colorado Ballrooms received a makeover, along with their foyers, and the meeting rooms that adjoin them and that are connected by escalator. While the artwork alone promises intrigue in these modernized areas, Grand Hyatt Denvers conference space updates include floor and wall coverings in patterns that are inspired by the Mile High Citys urban grid, using tones of grey and sunset rusts. The use of natural materials and dark walnut millwork complements custom light fixtures, providing a soft and flattering glow. Statement door entries create an unmistakable sense of arrival in foyer areas, while free-standing columns and refreshed elevator lobbies offer inviting spaces for guests to reconnect. To book the Free Coffee Meeting Package, contact the Sales office at (303) 486-4400 or e-mail dencc(dot)rfp(at)hyatt(dot)com. Conference planners should ask for offer code: COFFEE18; other restrictions may apply. About Hyatt Hotels in Denver Downtown Hyatt Hotels in Denver Downtown are comprised for two award winning properties in the heart of the Mile High City. They are located two blocks a part, one block on either side of the 16th Street Mall. Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center is one of the regions largest hotels. Towering 37 stories, sleek and contemporary in design, it offers 1,100 newly refreshed guest rooms adjacent to the Colorado Convention Center. Hyatt Regency Denver features 60,600 square feet of versatile meeting and event space, including two large ballrooms. Altitude Restaurant and Strata Bar are conveniently located on the lobby level. Peaks Lounge on the 27th floor is known for its views of the Mile High City and surrounding Colorado mountains. Also recently renovated, the 516 room Grand Hyatt Denver boasts 52,600 square feet of event space, including the renowned 38th floor Pinnacle Club, overlooking the Rocky Mountain Front Range. Pub 17 on Welton Street capitalizes on the states microbrew culture with its selection of over 50 craft beers, regionally sourced fare and western slope wines. Both hotels offer free guest room high-speed Internet access, state-of-the art fitness facilities and a host of amenities that provide ease and comfort for their guests. Reservations may be made by calling toll-free 800-233-1234. For more information, visit the hotels respective websites at GrandDenver.Hyatt.com and DenverRegency.Hyatt.com. # # # # The Free Coffee Meeting Package is subject to availability and is an exclusive offer. For conferences held at Grand Hyatt Denver or Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center, confirmed by March 31, 2016 and actualized January 1-December 31, 2018, coffee service is provided complimentary for group attendees during the morning and/or afternoon refreshment breaks. Meeting must have a minimum of 100 occupied rooms on peak night and must be booked using offer code: COFFEE18. Number of attendees based on number of room nights at peak. Inclusions determined by the hotel. Duration is subject to mutual agreement. This offer is not valid for meetings or events that have already been contracted and cannot be combined with any other offer. Hyatt reserves the right to alter or withdraw this offer at any time. We have every intention of continuing to build on our success for the next 25 years and beyond. Workrite Ergonomics, who is celebrating their 25th year of business in 2016, is a California based company that has evolved from humble beginnings to being an internationally recognized leader in their industry. "We are very proud of our heritage and of the company that we are today, said Charlie Lawrence, President of Workrite. Workrite recognized the importance of good ergonomics before most of our competition even knew the definition of the word. Workrite was founded in 1991 by entrepreneurs Ray Hendricksen, Tom James, and Brenda Hartley. The company initially operated out of Mr. Hendricksens garage but quickly outgrew the garage and relocated to a facility in downtown Novato during September of 1992. Their only products were a WristRester and a Footrest. In 1993, an order for 500 WristResters was sold to a nationally recognized insurance company based In Bloomington, IL and Workrite experienced explosive growth. Between 1994 and 1996, the company made 3 appearances on a list recognizing the San Francisco Bay Areas 150 fastest growing, privately held companies. The next few years were wildly successful and Workrite appeared on the Inc. 500 list, recognizing them as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. They also introduced many industry firsts including the first track-mounted dual arm designed to store under the worksurface, MonitorMovers support arm for CRTs, and the patented BananaBoard, which is still a top selling product for the company today. In the late 1990s Workrite added the PowerLift sit stand mechanism to their offering and introduced their first electric height adjustable table. Since then, the company has introduced hundreds of new products, including the industrys first BIFMA rated electric height adjustable workcenter, and has developed a strong reputation for providing great quality and superior customer service. In 2001 the company moved to Petaluma, consolidating all operations including marketing, administration, manufacturing and distribution into one facility. We have every intention of continuing to build on our success for the next 25 years and beyond, said Lawrence, and the best way to accomplish that will be to maintain focus and continue doing what we have always done so well - finding new ways to improve the lives of the people who use our products. About Workrite Ergonomics, LLC Workrite Ergonomics is an internationally recognized industry leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of height-adjustable workcenters and ergonomic office accessories, including adjustable keyboard platform systems and flat panel monitor support systems, and task lighting. Workrite Ergonomics is based in Petaluma, California and has been owned by private equity investors since the original owners retired in 2002. The company is represented across the United States and Canada by a broad network of highly professional sales associates. For more information on Workrite Ergonomics products, please visit http://www.workriteergo.com. The workshop was great. I was taught how to ask a questions and how to answer my teen's questions. Talk Early & Talk Often workshops have reached thousands of parents and drawn rave reviews. This nationally recognized parent education program is aimed at helping parents of middle and high school youth talk with their child about sexuality. In the workshop parents learn about ways to open the door to conversation; recognize and use teachable moments to communicate important facts and values; practice answering difficult questions; listen and respond with greater confidence and skill. Parents are the primary sexuality educators of their children. Continued communication at home is vital in helping our young people avoid sexual relationships they are not yet prepared for that may have serious consequences including pregnancy, HIV and sexually transmitted infections. On-going, age-appropriate conversations about relationships and intimacy are most effective when they begin early in a childs life and continue through late adolescence. There is no charge to attend, however you must register in advance. Visit http://www.ParentActionforHealthyKids.org for registration information. Michigan Workshop Schedule: February 18: Jackson February 22: Lansing February 25: Ann Arbor March 3: Muskegon March 9: Battle Creek March 19: Detroit March 23: Westland April 5: Flint April 13: Detroit April 14: Grand Rapids Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa will be an affordable option for US residents when considering the current exchange rate of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar The Le Cordon Bleu International campus situated in Ottawa, Canada is offering 30% tuition scholarships to US students. The scholarship will go towards their culinary program of choice if enrolled before March 15, 2016. Prospective students must: Have a High School Diploma or equivalent Be 18 years of age or older on or before the start date of the program selected Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States of America Applicants will be required to submit a letter of motivation (maximum 500 words) detailing their goals, aspirations and how they think Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa will help them achieve it. Motivation letters are to be submitted at http://www.cordonbleu.edu/ottawa/usa-scholarship. The Ottawa campus offers two classic cycle programs aimed at mastering French culinary techniques earning students a Diplome de Patisserie or a Diplome de Cuisine. Diplomas are awarded upon the successful completion of basic, intermediate and superior levels after nine months of full-time study. Studies culminate with the Grand Diplome, an intensive and comprehensive program, combining both the Diplome de Patisserie and Diplome de Cuisine. Situated in a historical mansion, the Ottawa campus has plans to expand its current facilities due to high demand. Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa will maintain its 15:1 ratio in the practical classrooms to ensure personalized attention to maximize learning. Steeped in history with a rich heritage spanning over 120 years, graduates will join an illustrious international group of alumni including Julia Child, Nancy Silverton, Gaston Acurio and Ottawa grad Virgilio Martinez. Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa will be an affordable option for US residents when considering the current exchange rate of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar. Campus Video: https://youtu.be/WJPdV_VkSXE About Le Cordon Bleu: Le Cordon Bleu is a world renowned network of educational institutions dedicated to providing the highest level of culinary and hospitality instruction through world class programs. It is considered to be the guardian of French culinary technique through its culinary programs that continue to preserve and pass on the mastery and appreciation of the culinary arts that have been the cornerstone of French gastronomy for over 250 years. Media Contact: Bernhard Huber Sales & Marketing Manager bhuber(at)cordonbleu(dot)edu As mobile technology use continues to rise, many organizations need a way for their employees or guests to print documents directly from their mobile devices including laptops, ChromeBooks, tablets and phones, said ACDI President Josh Lane Access Control Devices Incorporated (ACDI), the leading distributor of PaperCut software in North America, recently announced their partnership with Collobos Software, the developers of Presto, a mobile print solution. This partnership will give ACDIs dealer network direct access to Prestos cross platform mobile print technology. Presto supports printing from all major mobile platforms. It is designed to work the same across iOS, Android, and Chrome OS. Additional features of the new mobile printing solution include Magic Queue (pull printing), QR Code Scan release, Printer Geolocation, and Print Management Integration. As mobile technology use continues to rise, many organizations need a way for their employees or guests to print documents directly from their mobile devices, including laptops, ChromeBooks, tablets and phones, said ACDI President Josh Lane. Additional benefits of Presto include time-saving, as it eliminates the need for corporate employees to print a document on a guests behalf or call IT to set up printing. It also boasts important security features as it does not send any jobs to the cloud and can be configured to require authenticated printing. These security features are integral to several of the vertical markets ACDI serves, including healthcare, education, and legal. Even better, ACDIs premier solutions partner PaperCut has worked with Collobos Software to ensure that Presto will integrate seamlessly, added Lane. We are thrilled to add Presto to our solutions portfolio as a compliment to Papercut or as a stand-alone product. Reiterating Lanes remarks regarding the increased need for mobile printing capabilities, Scott Herscher, founder and CEO of Collobos said, With the world increasingly turning to mobile, Collobos recognized the tremendous need to develop products that enhance mobility. With Presto, IT staff can start it up and then forget its even running. Quite simply, all anyone will know is they can now print from their iPads, iPhones, Android and Chrome OS devices at locations where Presto is installed, added Herscher. About ACDI Access Control Devices, Inc. (ACDI), is a rapidly growing Professional Services Company, based in Arkansas, that sells and supports dynamic software and hardware solutions. With channel distribution and development partnerships with many of the largest copier and printer manufacturers worldwide, ACDI has a wide ranging client list that consists of fortune 500 companies, prestigious universities, large healthcare systems and various other businesses with the need to control print and copy paper costs. Additionally, ACDI is the leading distributor of PaperCut software in North America. PaperCuts print management software has helped over 60,000 organizations in over 100 countries lower their print costs and environmental impact. Learn more at http://www.acd-inc.com About Collobos Software/Presto Founded in 2010 in Palo Alto, CA, Collobos Software is a pioneer and leader in iOS mobile printing, with users worldwide in the enterprise, retail, education and SMB sectors. For more information, go to http://www.collobos.com US Housing Consultants and the New England Affordable Housing Management Association (NEAHMA) will conduct three hands-on REAC Training seminars throughout spring and summer 2016 in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. This is a nationally recognized program that explains the intricate details of the HUD REAC Inspection process, and how to understand the UPCS Inspection code. This training also includes an onsite property inspection, to provide hands-on instruction and ensure that the attendees are well prepared for their next REAC Inspection. This is the nations best and most complete REAC training seminar - no tricks or gimmicks - just the best way to guarantee a passing score every time. About NEAHMA The New England Affordable Housing Management Association was formed in 1989 to facilitate communication between management agents and local HUD and state housing finance agencies. As an organization representing affordable housing professionals, NEAHMA addresses housing issues at the national, state and local level. HUD and housing finance agencies actively support NEAHMA as a means to ensure Communities of Quality throughout New England. It is NEAHMAs mission is to facilitate communication between management agents and local HUD and state housing finance agencies, to provide quality training and education on regulatory, legal, legislative and management related topics and to promote quality affordable housing. A Nationally renowned UPCS/REAC training provider The President of US Housing Consultants, Scott Precourt, has performed dozens of UPCS/REAC training seminars across the United States each year since 2005. Scott uses a practical approach to explain the complex site processes and scoring algorithm used during REAC Inspections. These seminars have been presented to more than 20,000 people over the past 11 years and provide clear, usable insights for managers, investors, and owners of HUD and LIHTC properties. About US Housing Consultants - US Housing Consultants is the nations premier multi-family housing consulting firm. They specialize in HUD and Tax Credit compliance and have worked with tens of thousands of property owners, managers and investors to address and prevent noncompliance issues. US Housing Consultants understands the value of Affordable Housing Programs and are committed to working with clients to find solutions that meet their needs, and providing it at a price that they can afford. Persons interested in learning more about US Housing Consultants public and private training seminars, can contact info(at)us-hc(dot)com or visit the company website at http://www.us-hc.com. Dr. Philippe Monteyne is appointed as partner of Fund+ NV and Dr. Jean-Paul Prieels as an independent non-executive director designated by SFPI. Philppe Monteyne MD, PhD is VC Partner with Fund+ NV in Belgium, and visiting Professor of Neurosciences at UCL, Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. From Oct 2012 until end 2014, he was Vice President R&D France, Sanofi, in Paris area, reporting directly to the President Global R&D. Prior to that (2010-2012), Philippe was the Senior Vice President - Head of Development and CMO, GSK Rare Diseases. From 1998 to 2010, he held various executive positions at GlaxoSmithKline, including Head of Global Vaccine Development. Jean-Paul Prieels PhD is an industry expert in pharmaceutical development. He held various executive positions at GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals where he started in 1987 and has been instrumental in developing several marketed vaccines. He retired from GSK as Senior Vice President Research and Development in early 2011 and is currently a board member of several biotech companies. He is designated by SFPI (Societe Federale de Participations et d'Investissement, Belgium) to seat on the Board of directors of Euroscreen. Dr. Monteyne: "At Fund+, we are delighted to join Euroscreen as shareholders and to actively contribute to its success through this role at the Board level. Euroscreen is a highly promising clinical stage company, which fits perfectly with our policy to develop a leadership position in the Life Sciences sector in Belgium." Dr. Prieels: "I am thrilled to be able to be involved in the development of Euroscreens promising pipeline and am grateful to SFPI fort this board membership." "We are very pleased and proud that Philippe and Jean-Paul have agreed to become members of the Euroscreen Board of Directors. Their proven track record of drug development and accomplishments will bring a lot of experience and expertise in our Board of Directors, commented Jean Combalbert, CEO of Euroscreen. About Euroscreen Euroscreen is a Belgium-based, private, Drug Discovery and Development company providing first-in-class small molecule drug candidates for unmet medical needs. Euroscreen has a drug discovery track-record with multiple innovative and proprietary small-molecules. Euroscreen has advanced its orally-available and highly specific lead program ESN364 into clinical development for the treatment of Womens Health Disorders. In addition, Euroscreen advances other small molecules (preclinical stage) targeting G-Protein Coupled Receptors of interest in multiple therapeutic areas such as neurodegenerative diseases and inflammation. Euroscreen is backed by leading investors, including Vesalius Biocapital, SFPI-FPIM, SRIW, Fund+ and BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity. http://www.euroscreen.com Canadian cybersecurity firm Defence Intelligence has launched a channel program and named their first international partner in We Ankor, one of Israels leading technology solution providers. The agreement provides We Ankor with a suite of tools and expertise previously unavailable in the Israeli market, while providing Defence Intelligence with their first international partner. Defence Intelligence adds a whole new layer of advanced malware protection to enterprise networks by using DNS to prevent, identify, and mitigate threats. Lightweight, yet extremely powerful, Defence Intelligence excels at finding threats that other tools may have missed. Unmatched threat intelligence, big data analytics, and highly customized behavior analysis combine to deliver powerful protection without any extra overhead. Security professionals in Israel will now be able to access the latest in threat protection to keep their data and their reputation secure. Were very excited to bring our Advanced Malware Protection solutions to Israel, and we couldnt have found a better partner to do it with than We Ankor, said Keith Murphy, CEO of Defence Intelligence. "This is an important step for us, and we wanted to make sure that we found the right partner to help build our channel program, he added. High profile security breaches have spurred continued growth in the IT security space, and forced enterprises to reassess their defensive posture. Malware and attacks today are sophisticated and innovative but still always leave trails of evidence were just blind to some of it due to its sheer volume and complexity, said Or Cohen, Security CTO at We Ankor. A key location where evidence is located is our organizational DNS servers. Partnering with Defence Intelligence means that we can now provide actionable prevention and analytics capabilities to DNS data in the Israeli market over cloud services. Big data analytics tend to grab the headlines, but Defence Intelligence also focuses on what they refer to as small data. While theres a lot of attention paid to blacklists and datasets in the market, we focus on behavior analysis and anomaly detection at the client specific level, explained Defence Intelligences CTO, Matt Sully. Our solutions are customized to each client and that really helps in detecting new threats and also in keeping false positives to near zero. Central to the Defence Intelligence philosophy is keeping real people involved. From data analysis, to customer service, to partnerships, nothing relies solely on technology. Murphy states: The industry has been trying to fix the security problem with software for 30 years but people will always be required to tackle this threat. The same approach is evident when discussing his plans for international growth: While its important for organizations to add new technical capabilities to keep pace with the threats, I think its just as important for clients to work with a local partner that they have a trusted relationship with. We Ankor is the first step in international expansion for Defence Intelligence, and will work closely with them to mature their partner program. About Defence Intelligence: Founded in 2008, Defence Intelligence is a Canadian based information security firm specializing in advanced malware protection. Perhaps best known for discovering and dismantling the Mariposa botnet, Defence Intelligence has received international acclaim and been awarded the Global Hero Award by the Digital Crimes Consortium. About We Ankor: We Ankor, part of the publicly held Hilan Group is a leading IT integration solutions provider that serves an expanding local and global customer-base. The company offers expertise in IT solutions including Big Data, Data Storage, Backup and Virtualization, Cloud SaaS, Data and Cyber Security. Ankor became a subsidiary of the Hilan Group and merged with sister company We Consulting in 2014. Our program is built by curriculum experts to support educators and instill a love of learning in students. We look forward to serving and forming new relationships with educators throughout the state Istation is pleased to announce it has been approved by the Ohio Department of Education as an approved vendor of assessments for reading in kindergarten through 3rd grade for the 2016-2017 school year. To qualify for the approval lists, vendors must provide evidence that their assessments meet the following criteria: 1. be highly correlated with curricular objectives; 2. have enough stretch to measure the growth of both low- and high-achieving students; 3. meet appropriate standards of test reliability; and 4. have specifics on relating assessment growth measures to the 1-5 point Teacher Effectiveness scale. Having met all these criteria, Istation is now an option for Ohio school districts to choose for determining student growth in the absence of available value-added data. Istation is thrilled to be recognized as an approved vendor of assessments in Ohio. Our program is built by curriculum experts to support educators and instill a love of learning in students. We look forward to serving and forming new relationships with educators throughout the state, said Richard H. Collins, Istation Chairman and CEO. Istation ISIP ER works as a universal screener and progress monitor to report student growth in five critical domains of reading. Additionally, Istations reports map student growth in several ways: by ability index scores, percentiles (based on national norms), Lexiles, and instructional tiers. Beyond the wealth of data the program generates, ISIP ER helps educators monitor student progress, provides teachers and staff with immediate feedback, recommends teacher-directed remedial lessons for students who need them, and helps track the effectiveness of instruction. To learn more about Istation ISIP ER, see the approved proposal from the Ohio Department of Education. About Istation Istation is an award-winning comprehensive e-learning program used by more than four million students across the world. Known for its accurate assessments, engaging curriculum and trusted teacher tools, Istation helps students in prekindergarten through 12th grade achieve academic growth. Istations computer-adaptive assessments (known as ISIP) immediately place students on personalized instructional paths unique to their needs. An animated, game-like interface effectively engages students so that they dont even know theyre being evaluated. Along with its highly interactive digital curriculum, Istation provides teachers with access to thousands of lessons perfect for instructing small groups or an entire class. Comprehensive progress reports are also immediately available for educators, administrators and parents. Istation offers its ISIP assessment in Early Reading, Advanced Reading, Reading en Espanol and Math. Istation instruction is available in Reading, Reading en Espanol and Math. Students can also use their Istation subscriptions at home. Since its founding in 1998, Dallas-based Istation has seen tremendous growth. The companys animated program is now helping students in 44 states and four countries learn and grow. Dan Butcher, Strasburger Managing Partner, and General Richard B. Myers, USAF ret. Strasburger is privileged to support the important mission of creating viable job opportunities offering the potential for a lifetime of increased earning power for veterans," said Strasburger Managing Partner Dan Butcher. Retired Air Force General Richard B. Myers, 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Dallas on February 2nd to present the second annual General Richard B. Myers 2016 Veterans Hope Award to Strasburger & Price, LLP for the firms generous support of US veterans through the school that bears his name. The General Richard B. Myers Veterans Biomedical Technology School, located at Dallas-based MediSend Institute of Biomedical Technologies, trains post 9/11 veterans to be professional biomedical equipment technicians (BMETS), the individuals responsible for the repair and maintenance of critical medical equipment. It is a growing field with excellent starting salaries and good career upside in the healthcare industry. The Myers School readies veterans for employment in only five months in a fast track program. Graduates are currently working for prominent healthcare organizations around the country such as Baylor Scott & White Health, SODEXO, DaVita Dialysis, VHA, Becton Dickinson, and the US Military. Strasburger has been a major sponsor of MediSend with legal and financial support as the organization has grown from a small humanitarian organization founded in 1990 to an educational institute including the General Richard B. Myers Veterans Biomedical Technology School and the MediSend International Biomedical Technology School. Dan Butcher, Strasburgers Managing Partner, accepted the award on behalf of the firm at a ceremony held at the Strasburger offices in downtown Dallas. Strasburger is privileged to support the important mission of creating viable job opportunities offering the potential for a lifetime of increased earning power for veterans. We are honored to partner with MediSend and General Myers in this endeavor, says Butcher. The Myers School recently partnered with Dallas County Community College District to offer the training as part of an accelerated Associate Degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. Veterans can complete their degree at DCCCD colleges while fully employed as BMETS. "The ability to earn a BMET certificate in five months and complete an associate degree while employed is an exceptional opportunity for our veterans, many of whom are challenged in the transition from military to civilian life, said General Myers. All tuition and fees have been privately funded since the launch of the General Richard B. Myers Veterans Biomedical Technology School in 2013. MediSend President and CEO Nick Hallack credits organizations such as Strasburger, ReserveAid, Hillcrest Foundation, Zale Foundation, Hawn Foundation and Orix Foundation with the growth and success of the school. On April 1st 2016, the program will be approved for Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits. MediSend projects 26 veterans in 2016 in three classes, increasing to 36 veterans for 2017. For more information on the General Richard B. Myers Veterans Biomedical Technology School, go to http://www.MyersBMET.org . ALCON DTS announced today that it has joined Google Fibers Tech Partner Program in Austin, TX. The partnership offers Central Texas area small to medium businesses (SMBs) professional IT services and internal network maintenance to help them take advantage of Google Fiber's up to one gigabit Internet speeds. The partnership will combine the Google Fiber for Small Business service with ALCON DTS' complete range of services to offer area SMBs a winning combination of technology and service. Solutions will include network integration, design assistance, configuration and installation, as well as annual support contracts. Google Fiber for Small Business offers a connection that's up 1,000 Mbps, enabling instant access to the cloud, HD video conferencing, and faster connections to what matters. "ALCON DTS has been assisting small and medium sized businesses with their network integration needs since 2001, and during this time we have seen how faster internet speeds have helped propel our clients business initiatives into high gear, said Eduardo Contreras, Founder and CEO of ALCON DTS. As the trusted business advisor or vCIO to our clients, it is our primary mission to implement the best, most cost-effective solutions and we see Google Fiber for Small Business as a valuable tool that will help our clients achieve their business goals. About ALCON DTS ALCON DTS is a leader in the Computer and Network Integration industry with headquarters in Austin, TX. By focusing on providing outstanding customer service and value for our small and medium sized business clients, we have grown to become an expert consultancy with expertise in Cybersecurity, HIPAA Consulting, Cloud Computing, VoIP Phone Systems, Network Integration, Managed Computer Support Services, and Wireless Technologies. About Google Fiber for SMB Google Fiber is offering an Internet connection thats up to 1,000 megabits per second, along with static IP options for businesses that need them. The Google Fiber Tech Partner Program identifies IT partners that can help small businesses set up and maintain their computers and networks to get the most out of super fast speeds offered by Google Fiber. This means less time spent on technical troubleshooting so small businesses can focus on what they know best. Photographer David Hakamaki demonstrating portraiture on Savage backgrounds at WPPI 2015. Savage is once again looking forward to working with a talented group of photography educators to host interactive, informational product demonstrations and portrait tips we hope all conference attendees can take away useful information from. Savage Universal, the worldwide leader of backgrounds and photographic products, is pleased to announce an engaging lineup of live studio demonstrations during the WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) Expo in March 2016. The Savage Universal Corporation exhibition booth #833 in the Grand Ballroom of the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas, NV will host live portrait demonstrations featuring popular studio gear like seamless paper backdrops, Translum diffusion material and an array of new LED lights and accessories on Monday, March 7th and Tuesday, March 8th. The booth will feature a dedicated working studio space complete with seating and viewing for expo attendees. Featured speakers include a diverse lineup of skilled fashion, commercial and portrait photographers. The in-booth demonstrations will focus on a variety of photography niches and styles helpful for any attendee, whether beginner or seasoned professional. 1. From Business to Bold in One Headshot Session -Marc Anthony and Tony Ryan of the creative team, Marc & Tony, show you how to create a dynamic business headshot and with a little creativity turn the same shoot into a bold fashion session, all by using simple lighting and a reversible, collapsible backdrop. Featured products are Savage Collapsible Backdrops. 2. Getting Serious with Savage Translum -Miguel Quiles, expert commercial & portrait photographer, will show off a variety of studio applications for our top-rated Translum diffusion material and new studio accessories. Featured products are Savage Translum. 3. Bringing Outdoor Textures into the Studio -Nick Pappagallo, fine art photographer & founder of the Photographer Adventure Club, demonstrates how he creates standout imagery in the studio using natural textures and background patterns found commonly outdoors. Featured products are Savage Printed Background Paper. 4. Working with Constant Lighting for Perfect Detail Photos -Senior portrait expert, David Hakamaki of Cutting Edge Photography, breaks down the new Savage Cobra LED Light Kit with tips for adjusting lighting to capture the finest details of your models best features. Featured product is the Savage Cobra LED Light Kit. 5. Creating Vibrant Pin Up Style Portraits with Bright Backgrounds -Acclaimed portrait & wedding photographer, Jacquelynn Buck, shows off her vibrant style and creative posing on bright paper backdrops for a nostalgic pin up look. Learn about her favorite background colors to use with models, and specific tips on wardrobe and lighting when working with pin up & boudoir style session clients. Featured products: Savage Seamless Paper. 6. Incorporating Patterns into Your Portraits -Hernan Rodriguez, international award-winning commercial & portrait photographer, will demonstrate how he incorporates subtle patterns and colors into his backgrounds for a unique and eye-catching look, as well as discuss the ideal occasions to work with fun patterns and styles. Featured products: Savage Printed Background Paper. Savage is once again looking forward to working with a talented group of photography educators to host interactive, informational product demonstrations and portrait tips we hope all conference attendees can take away useful information from. said Rich Reiser, Savages Executive VP/COO. We are especially excited to debut new studio lighting gear and accessories at the show, as a great opportunity for attendees to experience their key benefits and innovative upgrades up close and personal. Schedules and more details will be posted on the Savage Universal blog this month. For more questions on Savages attendance at WPPI 2016, email press(at)savagepaper(dot)com. ### About Savage From its beginning in 1937 as a manufacturer of quality board and paper products, Savage has provided photographers the essential elements for success. Family-run from the start, Savage has a commitment to quality and innovation that defined the company in the beginning and continues to define it today. Products such as photographic backgrounds continue to be a key focus of Savages manufacturing efforts, but theres much more to the Savage story. The company continues to develop innovative products, especially in the digital arena, to meet the needs of todays more diverse photography communityprofessionals and semiprofessionals alike. We believe that our gifts carry love and tenderness to every child, delivering a message that someone cares, that theyre not forgotten. But most of what were hearing goes much deeper than that, said Genevieve Piturro. For many underprivileged children, nighttime does not include warm pajamas or a bedtime story. Many go to bed wearing their daytime clothing and have never experienced the comfort of a cozy pair of pajamas and a goodnight story to send them off into a sweet slumber. This heartbreaking reality is what inspired Genevieve Piturro to launch Pajama Program. Pajama Programs Founder and Executive Director, Genevieve Piturro, founded the organization in 2001 after identifying the need for warm sleepwear and books to underserved children and teens across the country. Since its inception, Pajama Program has donated over four million pairs of new pajamas and books to children from over 2,600 Receiving Organizations including shelters, group homes, and temporary housing facilities across the country. Celebrating its 15th year, the organization now has 60 chapters in 33 states. But this is just the start of addressing this growing need and ongoing issue. Pajama Programs One Million Good Nights campaign was launched in 2013 with a goal to raise 1 million pairs of new pajamas and 1 million books in just two years by the end of 2015. Pajama Program decided on such an aggressive goal to make a critical impact for these children and teens and shine light on the fact that hundreds of thousands of children in the U.S. are being sent off to bed without the comforting resources that many of us take for granted. Genevieve and the Pajama Program team are proud to announce that they not only met this One Million Good Nights goal, but exceeded it. With the help of lead sponsor Carters, book sponsor, Scholastic, and community members and volunteers nationwide, Pajama Program collected a total of 1,204,126 new pairs of pajamas and 1,060,085 new books in two years. It is through the One Million Good Nights Campaign that Pajama Program uncovered the somber realities that these children and teenagers are faced with and how the gift of a pair of new pajamas and a new book actually make a huge impact far greater than anyone imagined. We believe that our gifts carry love and tenderness to every child, delivering a message that someone cares, that theyre not forgotten. But most of what were hearing goes much deeper than that, said Genevieve Piturro. In 2014, Genevieve and the Pajama Program team embarked on preparing a Pajama Program Mission Report a national research project with caregiver and staff interviews from some of Pajama Programs Receiving Organizations. The purpose was to find out record statements about exactly what the children Pajama Program serves are dealing with and what the gifts of new pajamas and books mean to them. Upon collecting the interviews, trending statements started to appear. Most of the interviewees expressed how the children feel that society has shunned them; they feel like they are outcasts among other children. They dont trust anyone or anything when they are brought to a new or temporary place to live. They wont accept anything food, clothing, or even a kind word. They dont trust, therefore, they wont consent to a foster home, the ultimate goal of an agency caring for them temporarily. In an interview with an employee of Foster Childrens Resource center in California, Pajama Program asked what kind of challenging situations the children are currently dealing with. The employee responded, The most challenging situations are in their family lives drug and alcohol abuse, physical abuse, incarceration, immigration issues, illness, death and injury. Many of these children are removed from their dysfunctional surroundings on an emergency basis and are moved from one home to another with only the clothes on their backs. Families who care for foster children receive very limited resources and these proceeds do not stretch far enough to meet the needs of the children. As a result, the children are suffering. In another interview with an employee from The Osborne Association in New York, Pajama Program asked, what do the pajamas mean to the children? Giving them new pajamas is giving them something without expecting anything in return. Its a gift that makes them so happy and helps them feel good. They are able to go to sleep with confidence and wake up feeling confident and ready for the day, the employee said. Pajama Program then asked, what do the books mean to the children? The new books encourage literacy, imagination and excitement. Books open their eyes to new people and places, the employee said. It allows for a better relationship with the caregivers and makes them want to read (together) more when they see how excited the kids are about the books and how much they love the pictures and stories. Another caregiver from a Pajama Program Receiving Organization, BRAD Child Development in Arkansas explained that, In life, one has moments of extreme happiness and extreme sadness. The gesture of receiving a new pair of pajamas and book serves as a small building block for stability and emotional well-being and a happy memory that can be passed on. The importance and impact of the One Million Good Nights became evident from both the caregiver interviews and the heartwarming thank-you letters from children who were so happy to have something to call their own. These are just a few highlights from Pajama Programs interviews with many Caregivers and Receiving Organizations impacted by the programs efforts. The entire impact mission report can be found here. Carters, Inc. has been Pajama Programs lead sponsor for the last six years and signature partner in the One Million Good Nights campaign since its launch. Carters and their customers made a huge contribution to the campaign by donating a total of 604,000 pairs of pajamas over the last two years. Additionally, Carters helped to drive awareness and support of Pajama Program by asking shoppers, both online and in-store, to donate new pajamas or make a monetary donation in support of One Million Good Nights, totaling $3 million. All monetary donations collected went towards the purchasing and delivering of new pajamas and books as well as facilitating more reading activities and supporting Pajamas Programs national volunteer network. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Pajama Program to ensure more children feel safe and loved at bedtime, said Michael D. Casey, Carters, Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. We are proud to support Pajama Program and the One Million Good Nights campaign to improve the well-being of children throughout this country. Together, we can make a difference for children in need and ensure they know that someone cares. Additionally, Scholastic has been Pajama Programs leading book partner since 2009. For the One Million Good Nights campaign, Scholastic Reading Club launched a national school drive initiative, asking schools to host pajama drives in their classrooms to support Pajama Program. Since 2013, thousands of schools from across the country have rallied together to donate more than 260,000 pairs of new pajamas. Each year, Scholastic Reading Club has committed ot matching the donation with books, and even exceeding that donation, bringing the total donation of books to more than 400,000 for Pajama Programs One Million Good Nights campaign. The pajama drive touched millions of kids around the country this year, both the students who gave, and the children who received these wonderful pajamas and books, said Judy Newman, President of Scholastic Reading Club. Providing 1 million books to children in shelters is something to be widely celebrated, and it is all thanks to the tireless work of Genevieve Piturro and her team at Pajama Program, an organization and partnership we greatly treasure. The pajamas and books come in and then we send them out as fast as we can, says Genevieve. Our waiting list continues to grow and grow making it difficult to keep up with it. Its also important to remember that these children and teens grow out of their books and pajamas. Though our One Million Good Nights Campaign has ended, the need for warm pajamas and books continues. 2015 was an amazing year for Pajama Program and we are hoping we can do the same for 2016. To support Pajama Program in 2016, please visit http://www.pajamaprogram.org or call its headquarters at 212-716-9757. For media/press-related inquiries, please contact Marina Maib at Marina(at)aka-pr(dot)com or call (212) 989-3235 Jeanine Pepler at Jeanine(at)aka-pr(dot)com or call (917) 797-0676 Video: Pajama Program Presentation 2015 Pajama Program Photos About Pajama Program Pajama Program is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to delivering new, warm pajamas and books to children in need, many of whom are without parents and/or permanent homes. Pajama Program serves children ranging in age from newborn to 18 who live in group homes, shelters and temporary housing. Since 2001, Pajama Program has provided over 4 million new pajamas and books to children through 60 chapters across the United States. Pajama Program has received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, Americas largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities. Pajama Program meets the Better Business Bureaus 20 charity standards, the highest ranking for non-profits. About Carters, Inc. Carters, Inc. is the largest branded marketer in the United States and Canada of apparel and related products exclusively for babies and young children. The Company owns the Carters and OshKosh Bgosh brands, two of the most recognized brands in the marketplace. These brands are sold in leading department stores, national chains, and specialty retailers domestically and internationally. They are also sold through more than 900 Company-operated stores in the United States and Canada and on-line at http://www.carters.com, http://www.oshkoshbgosh.com, and http://www.cartersoshkosh.ca. The Companys Just One You, Precious Firsts, and Genuine Kids brands are available at Target, and its Child of Mine brand is available at Walmart. Carters is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Additional information may be found at http://www.carters.com. About Scholastic Scholastic Corporation is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, a leading provider of print and digital instructional materials for pre-K to grade 12, and a producer of educational and entertaining children's media. The Company creates quality books and ebooks, print and technology-based learning materials and programs, classroom magazines and other products that, in combination, offer schools customized and comprehensive solutions to support children's learning both at school and at home. The Company also makes quality, affordable books available to all children through school-based book clubs and book fairs. With a 95 year history of service to schools and families, Scholastic continues to carry out its commitment to "Open a World of Possible" for all children. Learn more at http://www.scholastic.com. For many residents of the 27th District, agriculture is more than just a way of life its also a family tradition, and a source of pride for those people who make their living by raising cattle, or growing corn or soybeans. In fact, agriculture makes up the largest industry in the entire state, with livestock and livestock products making up over half of that total. All this is to say, many Missourians and District 27 residents depend on the land to provide for their families, and legislation that affects their ability to do so should be brought to their attention. This is why I would like to talk about a combined piece of legislation, Senate Concurrent Resolution 51, which has successfully made its way through the Senate and is currently being deliberated on in the House Agricultural Policy Committee. Along with a partner piece of legislation, House Concurrent Resolution 58, which was truly agreed and finally passed in the Senate, SCR 51 seeks to protect farmers and ranch owners. It will do this by preventing the State Tax Commission (STC) from enacting a proposed five percent tax increase on the agricultural industry, and by reforming the commissions current inadequate land valuation methods. These pieces of legislation will help provide a more equitable and financially stable future for Missouris number one industry. Even though Missouri farmers make up such a large part of our states workforce, they are also an aging group, with the average farmers age being around 60 years old. This means there will be a lot of turnover in the market in the coming years, and up-and-coming farmers will begin to take over the bulk of the workforce. We need to ensure that these farmers and ranchers have a stable environment to enter, and increasing taxes at this time could prevent just that. We also need a reformed system of land valuation for the STC to use when assessing property values, because the current system does not take into account damaging impacts to farmland, such as flooding or droughts. Our state has seen quite a bit of damaging weather in the past few months, and our methods for evaluating farmland should reflect the amount of potential productivity a land offers in real-time, not the results of a topical property assessment every few years. The State Legislature is trying to make sure that Missouri farm and ranch workers will have a prosperous future, and a tax increase at this time could prevent this from becoming a reality. I urge you to contact me with any questions or concerns you have about state government so that I can better represent you during the 2016 legislative session. Last week, the Greater Houston Builders Association announced that Perry Homes had earned its 2015 "Builder of the Year award. The Company last earned this prestigious industry distinction in 2001. The announcement was made official during the GHBAs 75th anniversary celebration, which also served as a salute to the United States military. In additional to Builder of the Year, the Association also named annual awards in the young professional, developer, custom builder and remodeler categories. The GHBA explained that Perry Homes had been selected for its active leadership "in everything from Codes and Standards, to Government Affairs, to HOME-PAC. They are active at the state and philanthropic level. Perry Homes donated construction management for a $350,000 plus home for the GHBA charity, the Benefit Homes Project. On behalf of my colleagues at Perry Homes, we want to thank the board and membership of the Greater Houston Builders Association for recognizing our Company as their 'Builder of the Year recipient for 2015, said Kathy Britton, Perry Homes Chief Executive Officer. "This prestigious recognition means a great deal to each of us at Perry Homes because it validates the key elements of our core mission: quality, value, and a driving commitment to the communities in which we operate. Britton added: For nearly half a century, Perry Homes has worked not just to meet but to exceed the highest standards in our industry. By building quality homes, we have established both a quality legacy and a tradition of excellence that started with our founder and is being carried forward today by each employee in the Perry Homes family. About Perry Homes A Texas homebuilder in its 49th year, Perry Homes has a sterling reputation as one of the largest and most trusted home builders in Texas, building in over 40 communities in the Houston, San Antonio and Austin areas. Perry Homes offers a variety of over 150 floor plan designs for every lifestyle at unmistakable values and quality in the most desirable communities. Perry Homes is dedicated to providing first-class customer service before, during and after the sale. The companys continuing loyalty to customers, combined with their distinguished reputation, creates an unrivaled demand for Perry Homes. For more information, please visit perryhomes.com. Revolutionary bi-coastal fashion platform Art Hearts Fashion hosts New York Fashion Week shows February 15th-18th at the Neo-Gothic NYC landmark, the Angel Orensanz Foundation. A favorite of press and celebrities alike, Art Hearts Fashion brings an impressive lineup of over 20 acclaimed designers to the catwalk during 3 full days of runway shows and exclusive closing gala. The platforms fresh take on fashion reinvigorates NYFW, partnering with international platform FTL Moda in support of Global Disability Inclusion. The shows for Art Hearts Fashion will also feature an impressive lineup of designers from Serbia Fashion Week and acclaimed talents from around the globe. As a voice for artistic and cutting edge designers, Art Hearts Fashion is paving the way toward the future of Fashion Week. Art Hearts Fashions philanthropic drive stretches from coast to coast, putting the spotlight on how fashion can promote constructive ideals and influence the progressive evolution of the fashion industry. NYFW model sensation Madeline Stuart, the first model with Down syndrome to grace the NYFW runway, will return again this season with some of the other incredible diversely-abled models. The Art Hearts Fashion closing night gala will be hosted February 18th at the 40/40 club. For the full schedule of runway shows please visit Artheartsfashion.com. Featuring Designers: FTL Designer Showcase, Gregorio Sanchez, Pineda Covalin, Willfredo Gerardo, Chaz Aracil, 7Crash, Shaco Couture, Catch Michelle, Charles and Ron, Walter Mendez, House of Byfield, Stello Official, Marina Micanovic, Zvonko Markovic Couture, Bata Spasojevic, EloChee, Merline Labissiere, Mimi Tran, Mister Triple X, Hallie Sara, Lainy Gold, and Rocky Gathercole. Each season, AHF works with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Make-A-Wish, granting wishes both behind the scenes and on the runway at the shows. The platform is proud to raise funds and awareness for organizations including: Aids Healthcare Foundation, Make A Wish, Childrens Hospital LA, & Womens Cancer Research Foundation. A very special thanks to our partners and sponsors: AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Make A Wish, Prive, Vektor Vodka, Monster Energy, Illy Issimo, SoyJoy, Luna Bar, Kristina George Handbags, The Angel Orensanz Foundation, Carat23, Monticristi and Makeup Pro. Boulevard Nightlife Group/Boulevard Hospitality Group (BNG/BHG) partner in NYC, the Noctem Group, joins AHF as the bar partner for the week of shows. For press inquiries email nicole(at)parkerwhitaker(dot)com For all other inquires please email Erin(at)parkerwhitaker(dot)com We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new website. The firm of Gaslowitz Frankel LLC is proud to announce the launch of their new website, http://www.gaslowitzfrankel.com. Designed to better reflect the firm's culture and vision, the new website features a more user-friendly experience, streamlined path for visitors to find the information they are seeking, and in-depth profiles for attorneys. Visitors are now able to view comprehensive information about the firms practice areas, as well as listen to previous episodes of Gaslowitz Frankel LLCs radio show, Wealth Matters. The firm has also incorporated a blog into the new site that provides useful information about topics surrounding estate litigation. These additional features were designed provide visitors with relevant, helpful information about estate litigation, as well as to provide context and greater insight into the service the firm provides. We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new website, said Adam Gaslowitz, senior partner at Gaslowitz Frankel LLC. Weve put a lot of thought into how we can create a site that accurately reflects the culture of our firm, while providing clear, understandable information to visitors. We feel that our new site accomplishes those goals. We are very pleased that our new site is now live. To view the new Gaslowitz Frankel LLC website, please visit: http://www.gaslowitzfrankel.com . About Gaslowitz Frankel LLC: Gaslowitz Frankel is an experienced trial practice firm specializing in all aspects of complex fiduciary litigation. They have earned a reputation for excellence across Georgia and the Southeast through a long track record of success in fiduciary litigation cases involving will, estate, and trust disputes, as well as business and contract disputes, complex commercial litigation, and appeals. To learn more, please visit: http://www.gaslowitzfrankel.com. ### zvelo has an excellent global presence in the critical network security and AdTech spaces and I am delighted to join its experienced management team. James Barker, VP of Marketing zvelo, the leading provider of contextual categorization and malicious detection services, has tapped James Barker to be their new VP of Marketing. Barker, a US Navy veteran, comes from the ad agency world and has a legacy of leading successful campaigns for clients ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to small businesses. Barker will lead the Marketing team at zvelo and oversee the development of brand-focused initiatives and marketing campaigns aimed at expanding the companys leadership in the AdTech and network security industries. We are excited to have someone of James competence joining us, stated Jeff Finn, zvelos CEO. His background and skillset will provide extensive insight and understanding into the marketing efforts needed to further zvelos strong industry position, while empowering us to continue to deliver extraordinary products to new and existing customers. Barker joins zvelo at a time when the company is primed for continued growth with recent significant milestones achieved, including $2.75 million in funding. The company is also poised to bring its latest product, zveloSHIELD, out of beta later this quarter. zvelo has an excellent global presence in the critical network security and AdTech spaces and I am delighted to join its experienced management team, said Barker. The companys products help individuals and organizations be prepared for the growing tide of critical malicious detection situations. I am eager to help drive increased brand awareness for zvelos portfolio of solutions. About zvelo, Inc. As the proven market leader for content and contextual categorization, as well as malicious and botnet detection, zvelo is the trusted partner for the markets preeminent ad tech, network security and mobile subscriber analytics vendors. zvelo solves a diverse range of client business needs including brand safety, web filtering, contextual targeting, subscriber analytics and ad fraud prevention. The processing power, accuracy, coverage and speed of zvelo technology delivers the fastest real-time updates available today. zvelo http://www.zvelo.com is headquartered in Denver, Colorado with offices in the Philippines, Spain and Florida. You can follow them on twitter: @zvelo. General Richard B. Myers and Polly Weidenkopf, ReserveAid Executive Director "The school's total focus is ensuring that veterans receive the best possible biomedical education and that they are placed in careers that will ensure a successful future, says ReserveAid Executive Director Polly Weidenkopf. On February 2nd, the General Richard B. Myers Veterans Biomedical Technology School received $50k from Reserve Aid. Polly Weidenkopf, ReserveAid's Executive Director, presented the check to General Myers who was in Dallas to meet the veterans enrolled in the school that bears his name at the MediSend Institute of Biomedical Technologies. Reserve Aid is honored to be a supporter of the General Richard B. Myers Veterans Biomedical Technology School and MediSend. Their total focus is ensuring that veterans receive the best possible biomedical education and that they are placed in careers that will ensure a successful future, says Weidenkopf. The General Richard B. Myers Veterans Biomedical Technology School trains Post 9/11 veterans to be professional biomedical equipment technicians (BMETS), the individuals responsible for the repair and maintenance of critical medical equipment. It is a growing field with excellent starting salaries and good career upside in the healthcare industry. The Myers School readies veterans for employment in only five months in a fast track, boot camp style program. Graduates are currently working for prominent healthcare organizations around the country such as Baylor Scott & White Health, SODEXO, DaVita Dialysis, VHA, Becton Dickinson, and the US Military. Polly and her organization have been by our side since we launched the school in 2013. Thanks to ReserveAid, veterans are able to support themselves and their families in good jobs, performing meaningful service to their communities, said General Myers. To date, the General Richard B. Myers Veterans Biomedical Technology School has been entirely privately funded. On April 1st 2016, the program will be approved for Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits. For more information, go to http://www.MyersBMET.org Over the weekend, My Radio Chicago, an internet based radio station, broadcast live from Just Shrimp at 15940 S Harlem Avenue, in Tinley Park. Several local hip hop artists, including Sasha Go Hard, Lil Keisha, AC Style, Shaky Shawn, Sinseer P Ali, Bree, SoLow RedLine, and Setoya were in attendance for a meet and greet with fans and a live interview with My Radio Chicago. As a small business owner for over 40 years, Just Shrimp owner, John Mihalos, understands what it's like starting out and was happy to host the event, not only to support My Radio Chicago, but also to create a venue for local young artists to gain exposure. Customers were able to satisfy multiple senses, by enjoying upbeat music and feasting on delectable fried shrimp. Although the fried shrimp packs were the biggest hit on Saturday, Just Shrimp offers several other fried seafood options, such as lobster, catfish, oysters, cod, and lake perch. In addition to the fried menu items, Just Shrimp recently introduced a lobster roll and lobster bisque. This was a first appearance for My Radio Chicago at the new restaurant. My Radio Chicago was created to showcase local artists and spread a positive message throughout the Chicago area. Their goal is to give young people a voice and empower women through their internet talk show. Janet Neal, one of the stations talk show hosts, explains that My Radio Chicago wants to be heard all over the world as that new internet station that changes lives, through music and positive talk. My Radio Chicago was started through Support District Radio network based in Phoenix, AZ. Launching in December of 2015, this young radio station has already reached 200,000 listeners. To listen to My Radio Chicago, download the Support District Radio app on your device and tap on the My Radio Chicago icon at the bottom of the page. For more information on Just Shrimp, visit justshrimprestaurant.com or call (708) 444 -2770. Media Contact: Katherine Yerkes Telephone: (708) 207-0905 Email: kyerkes05@gmail.com Today, during its 16th annual Cite Online Learning Conference, Pearson announced this years online learning excellence award recipients honoring K-20 educators and administrators who are making significant contributions in online education. This years honorees are from Peabody Learning Academy, Hart-Ransom Academic Charter School, Indian Creek School, Mountain Education Charter High School, California Community College Online Education Initiative, Blue Mountain College, Excelsior College, and the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. The awards are divided into two categories: K-12 and higher education Excellence in Online Administration and Excellence in Online Teaching. As part of Pearsons commitment to inspire and support excellence in online education that drives student success, the company will donate $1,500 to the scholarship fund of each winners choice. Recipients of the Excellence in Online Administration Award include: K-12 -Seith Bedard, Director, Peabody Learning Academy, Peabody, Massachusetts. In addition to fulfilling the necessary tasks of an administrator and educator, Seith Bedard takes the extra step to ensure that Peabody Learning Academy students stay motivated to succeed. The Peabody Learning Academy was started from the ground up six years ago. Peabody Veterans Memorial High School approached Bedard to start an alternative high school program for at-risk and dropout students. He worked tirelessly to create a functioning and structured program designed to help all learners. The program has completed its fifth year and has been extremely successful. The dropout rate at Peabody High School, a school of 2,000 students, was five percent annually before the start of this program. Today only 1.4 percent of students drop out of high school. The Academy has graduated 85 students in the last five years. What is even more incredible is that more than 50 graduates are attending or have attended college and pursued other postsecondary educational opportunities. -David Cline, Principal, Hart-Ransom Academic Charter School, Modesto, California. David Cline is principal of Hart-Ransom Academic Charter School (HRACS) -- a TK-12 charter school located in Modesto, California. HRACS serves homeschooling students in grades TK-8 and grades 9-12. In conjunction with faculty and staff, Cline achieved excellence in online education through creative and innovative leadership and by implementing online platforms to prepare students for their future. He has nurtured a schoolwide culture that has increased and enhanced the online learning environment for both teachers and students. His promotion of the online learning culture, internal teacher professional development and community promotion of the school has propelled overall enrollment growth by 150 percent and more than doubled high school enrollment in just three years. Higher Education -Patricia James - Executive Director, California Community College Online Education Initiative, Sacramento, California Patricia James is the executive director of the California Community Colleges Online Education Initiative (OEI). This project is intended to support the states 113 community colleges to improve student retention and success in online courses and help more students complete their associate degrees and transfer to a four-year school. Under James leadership, the project has developed online course design standards and accompanying professional development programs. The project has developed course reviewers and online teachers that are aligned with these standards as well as assessment and online tutorials to help students prepare for successfully completing their online courses. James has overseen the launch of an online tutoring system that includes both a web-based tutoring platform as well as access to professional tutors to augment local tutoring staff. Most significantly, all of these resources are being integrated into a common course management system for the state with more than 90 of the states colleges already migrated or seriously considering migrating to the new platform. The strategies and solutions developed and implemented by James and her team are improving student outcomes and saving the state millions of dollars. -Bruce Kauss - eLearning Coordinator, Blue Mountain College, Pendleton, Oregon Bruce Kauss is the eLearning coordinator at Blue Mountain Community College in Northeastern Oregon. In 2012, Kauss and his colleagues from other colleges in the state, sought to provide greater programmatic breadth for students in geographically disparate locations through the sharing of courses among member institutions. Kauss took the lead in the development of what became the "Oregon Colleges Course Sharing Consortium," a coalition of eight small- and medium-sized colleges in the state focused on expanding learning opportunities for their students. As its leader, Kauss has driven this initiative by consulting with members and ensuring the best possible experience for consortium members and their students. Recipients of the Excellence in Online Teaching Award include: K-12 -Sarah Allen, First Grade Teacher, Indian Creek School, Crownsville, Maryland Sarah Allen is an online instructor and content creator for Indian Creek Schools blended learning program, BLinc. She created two courses for the youngest blended learning students, grades 1-5, and pioneered the schools program to enable students to gain a deeper understanding of course content as well as gain confidence in a blended environment. The students who took her course, and their parents, reported a high level of satisfaction in post-course surveys. Her course has also furthered a school-wide effort to engage the youngest students in Indian Creeks learning management system and to increase student experience with 21st century digital tools. In part because of Allens work with the BLinc program, Indian Creek is shifting to authentic digital assignments as classroom teachers begin to introduce these skills on a broader scale. Building on the success of her first class, Allen has created two additional classes, launching in spring 2016 and summer 2016. -Dianne Hardy, Lead Mathematics Instructor, Mountain Education Charter High School, Cleveland, Georgia With more than 40 years of education experience, Dianne Hardy began working at the Mountain Education Charter High School (MECHS) in 2005 and when the school transitioned from from a text-based curriculum to an online curriculum, she led the initiative to align the online curriculum to the Georgia state standards. Over the past eight years, she has worked with MECHS staff. Hardy is a strong advocate for online curriculum over printed materials and, under her leadership, the school team ensures that its online programs are designed to be prescriptive and provide instructional feedback that allows the classroom teacher to better meet the needs of the student. Hardy is a true leader in her field of mathematics and in the field of online education. Higher Education -Darren Walsh, Assistant VP of Learning and Academic Support Services, Excelsior College, Albany, New York Darren Walsh is the technical developer and administrator of a new, highly innovative and completely open-source online writing lab, the Excelsior College OWL (EC OWL). Under his leadership, the EC OWL is highly innovative, offering the first-of-its-kind writing support in an open-source environment, one that is designed to respond to the writing crisis in the United States. The EC OWL is unique because it was built from scratch to provide seamlessly integrated multimedia content, and it can be used for free by students, faculty, and programs throughout the world. A national study involving six colleges and 152 students found that students using the OWL in their courses scored 6.6 points higher for their final grades compared to students not learning with the online lab. Walsh is an innovator beyond this new resource as well. In his position he oversees the development of a wide variety of online student resources, including a student orientation, library, career center, bookstore, online student success guide, and integrated online tutoring into the course design process. -Sean Nufer, eLearning Specialist and Adjunct Professor, Chicago School of Professional Psychology Sean Nufer, Psy.D., has worn many hats at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He began his career there as an instructional designer for the Center for Academic Excellence where he led workshops on educational technologies, and created engaging tutorials and demonstrations for students and faculty. He then transitioned to a role as a lead academic instructional designer and curriculum subject matter expert for online course development specializing in incorporating technology into the online classroom, while also training other faculty on how to successfully design and implement effective eLearning content. As an instructional designer, Nufer continually worked to refine the institutions policies and technologies regarding online learning. He eventually redefined this role when he became the institutions eLearning specialist, where he continues to work closely with the instructional design team, faculty and executives to research industry trends and new developments in order to recommend and apply best practices to better engage and serve students. About Pearson Pearson is the world's learning company, with 36,000 employees in more than 70 countries working to help people of all ages to make measurable progress in their lives through learning. For more information about Pearson, visit http://www.pearsoned.com. Media Contact: Scott Overland, scott(dot)overland(at)pearson(dot)com, 202-909-4520 In this role, Pierce will be responsible for the creation and development of the centralized loan servicing department. Generations Federal Credit Union announced that Ryan Pierce joined the 76-year-old financial institution as Vice President of Loan Servicing. In this role, Pierce will be responsible for the creation and development of the centralized loan servicing department in order to better facilitate and enhance the member experience. Pierce brings more than 15 years of experience in both lending and operations to Generations with a particular focus on management and operational efficiencies. Prior to joining GFCU, he served as a Vice President of both Lending and Branch Administration for other financial institutions. Ryan is an essential addition to our lending department, and the depth of experience he brings in both operations and lending will enable us to continue to build upon the substantial and successful growth our credit union has experienced over the past few years, said Jack Curtis, Senior Vice President of Retail Lending for Generations Federal Credit Union. Pierce received a B.B.A. in Finance from The University of Texas at San Antonio and an M.B.A. from Texas State University. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Crosspoint, Inc., a nonprofit organization that offers an array of services to assist those in need through mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, life skills enhancement, and transformational residential services. Edventures - Analyzing the Transformation of Higher Educatioin Richard Garrett, Chief Research Officer commented on the new hires, I am delighted to welcome James, Howard, Amber and Noah to our research team. They bring significant expertise to our core research and advisory programs." Eduventures, Inc., the leading provider of data, research and advisory services for higher education leaders, today announced the appointment of four new research team members. They include James Wiley, Principal Analyst, Technology, Howard Lurie, Principal Analyst, Online and Continuing Education, Amber Laxton, Senior Analyst, Online and Continuing Education and Noah Lynn, Quantitative Research Analyst. These additions come as a result of the companys continued focus on helping support our clients goal of ensuring access and equity for students; improving efficiency and effectiveness of their operations; and raising the quality and relevance of the student experience. Richard Garrett, Chief Research Officer at Eduventures commented on the new hires, I am delighted to welcome James, Howard, Amber and Noah to our research team. They bring significant expertise to our core research and advisory programs and further enhance our ability to help clients make smart decisions. New research team members include: Howard Lurie Principal Analyst, Online and Continuing Education Howard joins Eduventures with more than 20 years of experience in developing and implementing online education technology solutions for the higher education, corporate and K-12 markets. As part of Consulting Services for Education (CS4Ed), Howard has worked with a variety of higher education and K-12 clients in online and continuing education. Howard also served as Managing Director for Academic Partnerships at Acrobatiq, where he led efforts to secure new partnerships and revenue from a range of higher education institutions, as well as a major grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Howard also served roles as a Vice President for External Affairs at edX, and was the Managing Director for PBS LearningMedia. Howard is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Teachers College, Columbia University. James Wiley Principal Analyst, Technology James joins Eduventures with over 13 years of education technology experience. Prior to joining the research team, James was Executive Vice President of Enterprise Services at the Center for Educational Leadership and Technology (CELT). James lead efforts to develop a network infrastructure redesign project for a Texas school district rollout of instructional tablets and to develop a statewide information security management system for over 400 school districts for the Massachusetts Department of Education. Before CELT, James successfully designed and managed over 15 large-scale education technology engagements, including the New York State Education Portal, the Rhode Island Department of Education Statewide Longitudinal Data System, and the Hawaii Enterprise Application Integration Solution projects. James has a wealth of experience in education technology and helping all stakeholders understand the steps required to successfully implement and manage enterprise systems. He holds an MA and a BA in Classics from Cambridge University, a Certificat dEnseignant in Sociology from LEcole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, and a BA in Philosophy, Greek and Latin from Lehman College, The City University of New York. Noah Lynn Quantitative Research Analyst Noah joins Eduventures with extensive work experience in education and technology. Prior to joining Eduventures, Noah was a lead researcher and developer of a Spanish language electronic health system for Medical Information Technology, Inc. Noah also worked as a K-12 educator in Quito, Ecuador, designed bilingual curricula, and helped the school earn International Baccalaureate World School status. Noah also keeps active with local non-profit organizations. Most recently he has served on the Board of Directors for the New England Translators Association, managing annual conferences and analytics. He holds an M.S. in Business Analytics from Bentley University and earned a B.A. in History and Spanish from the University of Vermont. Amber Laxton Senior Analyst, Online and Continuing Education Amber joins Eduventures with eight years of experience in continuing and professional education. Prior to joining the research team, she was the Director of Academic Services at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension, overseeing the management of four academic programs areas. Before UCSC, Amber worked as the Enrollment Services Manager at DePaul University in Chicago, administering academic and student services for the department of Continuing and Professional Education. She has expertise in optimizing technology solutions in continuing education organizations to improve operational efficiency and student services. She holds a B.S. in Political Science and earned a M.S. in Public Service Management. She also completed doctoral coursework in Public Administration and earned a fellowship with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a leading technology think tank in Washington, D.C. About Eduventures Eduventures for Higher Education Leaders provides data, research and advice that support decision making through the entire student lifecycle. Higher education leaders engage with Eduventures to make the best informed decisions on setting strategy, ensuring the financial sustainability of their institution, boosting student success and selecting and implementing technology. Our recommendations and personalized support enable clients to understand the top traits of leaders in critical disciplines and to evaluate the opportunities presented by new technology solutions. For more information about Eduventures research, practice areas and team, visit us at http://www.eduventures.com. It was honor to participate in this intimate event, and observe the level of passion from Secretaries Vilsack and Perez for finding solutions to the quickly changing labor markets in rural areas," White commented. Phynd Technologies, Inc., founder and CEO, Tom White, was invited to attend a White House roundtable on how business leaders and entrepreneurs are increasingly turning to rural America to site quality, good-paying technology jobs that present growth opportunities for rural workers, businesses, and the nations economy overall. The roundtable was held in the Roosevelt Room at the White House and was hosted by Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack with ten business leaders in attendance. The event provided a venue for the employers and two Cabinet members to discuss opportunities on how to accelerate this trend and identify key actions that the Administration and private sector can take to accelerate ongoing progress. Mr. White, who has over 20 years of experience in building software companies in the digital media and healthcare markets, was pleased to participate in the roundtable with senior business leaders from Sony, The Weather Company, Red Hat and other technology companies. It was an honor to participate in this intimate event, and observe the level of passion from Secretaries Vilsack and Perez for finding solutions to the quickly changing labor markets in rural areas. We are proud of our work at Phynd in hiring, training and promoting IT job creation in Central Nebraska; this also gives us a truly competitive business advantage, White commented The birthplace of Phynd (pronounced find) was Kearney, NE, home of the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Kearney provides a well-educated, hard-working pool of IT job candidates. The area from Central Nebraska to Omaha, to Des Moines and Kansas City, is often called Silicon Prairie, and has incubated and given birth to multiple high-tech companies. Phynds genesis and rapid growth can be attributed to its Silicon Prairie roots. Invest Nebraska is excited to have one of its portfolio companies recognized by the White House for its job creation in rural Nebraska, said Dan Hoffman, COO of Invest Nebraska. Tom and his team have clearly demonstrated that a startup high-tech company can grow in Central Nebraska. Phynd provides clients with a Unified Provider Management (UPM) Platform that enables healthcare organizations to unify, manage, customize, and share essential provider information across their core IT systems. The companys single, accurate source for provider information speeds up billing, optimizes the revenue cycle, streamlines workflow, improves productivity, and enhances care coordination enterprise-wide. About Phynd Technologies, Inc. Launched in 2013, Phynd (http://www.phynd.com) provides a Unified Provider Management (UPM) Platform that enables healthcare organizations to unify, manage, customize, and share mission-critical provider information across their core IT systems to improve financial results, clinical outcomes and compliance. The UPM is a comprehensive provider data management platform that gathers and validates the latest provider information from multiple sources (external and internal), integrates data, provides workflow tools to manage and share the data with core IT applications. Phynds UPM Platform is now used in over 100 hospitals to manage a single source of truth and share provider data throughout the enterprise. END Concerns about the recent closing of the Parkland Health Center-Weber Road facility in Farmington led the St. Francois County Mental Health Board to call a meeting last week of community partners that have been affected by the lack of psychiatric beds now available in the county. A lot of people dont make the connection of just how many agencies, people in the county and businesses are affected when theres not sufficient mental health services, said Candy Zarcone, SFCMHB member. We had people at the meeting from law enforcement; the schools; the judicial system; the Missouri Childrens Division and Youth Services Division; all the major mental health providers; and some of the local counselors as well because they dont have anywhere to refer clients to. Compounding the problems facing the county, according to Zarcone, is the shortage of inpatient beds to provide care for those battling mentally illness concerns. I found out that the state of Missouri has over 6 million people, she said. The total number of licensed inpatient beds in the state is only about 1,072 beds. No wonder we have a shortage of inpatient beds. With the recent closure of the Weber Road location and the loss of 10 general psychiatric beds, that just further adds to the problem. It was pointed out to me that the 1,072 beds in the state are licensed beds, but doesnt mean they are always utilized. Part of the reason, Ive been told, that hospitals arent opening general psychiatric beds is because the Medicaid reimbursement rate is so low that its just not financially affordable. According to Zarcone, of the 1,072 psychiatric beds in the state a large percentage are geriatric psych beds that are only accessible to those age 55 years of age or older. A smaller percentage of that 1,072 is for the use of children, so that means the actual number of general psychiatric beds in the state is a fraction of that 1,072 for the entire state of 6 million people, she said. Its staggering. Parkland Health Center has 16 geriatric psych beds, so again you have to be 55 or older to be in one of those beds. There are no psych beds available in the county for anyone under 55 years of age. Not only that, but no county touching ours, except Jefferson, has any beds. So Madison, Washington, Iron, Ste. Genevieve none of those counties have any psychiatric beds period." Zarcone noted that representatives of Mercy Hospital-Jefferson in Festus were invited to attend last weeks SFCMHB meeting. They were wonderful, she said. They brought one of their psychiatrists with them to the meeting. They just added 12 beds, so they have a total of 34 psychiatric beds and theyre trying to allot those as general or geriatric according to the need of the client. We were also told by Mercy that, of the 114 counties in the state of Missouri, 72 or 73 of them dont have a psychiatrist, so theres a huge lack of psychiatrists, too. As a result of the meeting, Zarcone said SFCMHB and its community partners are already taking action to help alleviate some of the concerns. First and foremost, Parkland Health Center is in negotiations with a third-party provider that they are hoping will take the former Mineral Area Regional Medical Center on Weber Road and turn it into a complete mental health facility, she said. If that happens that would be wonderful not just for our community, but for the entire state. That would solve a lot of problems if it were to come to fruition. Secondly, at the meeting we formed three taskforces. One is on the 96-hour hold processing. Theres different entities involved when somebody has a 96-hour hold, such as law enforcement and the judicial system. "Theres also mental health providers that provide that assessment our mental health liaison. Then the hospitals are also involved in that a lot of times and they have different criteria for transfers and things depending on the particular hospital. Zarcone explained that because of some confusion over the 96-hour hold the taskforce intends to look into just who is responsible for what in the process. She said, They will have a written procedure so that everyone will have the same protocol in place for those 96-hour holds. That will hopefully smooth out that process a good bit." The second taskforce is on youth education and resources. That is basically the schools coming up with a comprehensive, methodical plan for educating students on mental health issues and resources in the community, Zarcone said. So if one student transfers from one school to another well know theyve had the same information given to them on different topics for their grade level. The third taskforce focuses on marketing current mental health resources. I am hopeful that there are some other things that the mental health board is working on right now that were researching, including mental health courts of which there are only four in the state, Zarcone said. Weve also taken the first step to apply for a grant that would help with transportation for mental health appointments. So there are a lot of good things in the works. What were trying to communicate to the public is that the earlier people seek intervention, the greater the odds of their recovery. If they seek intervention early enough they might not require inpatient care. That saves a lot of money for them, as well as the taxpayers. Thats why we have the website in place at http://www.sfcmentalhealth.com. Its kind of a first step for people to get information to educate themselves about when to seek professional help where to go and who to go see. I think one of the best things people are going to need to do is to contact their legislators and have a conversation with them about this issue. We dont want to be that state thats in the national news about a lack of mental health services after somebody goes off and injures or kills a bunch of people. The worlds purchase decisions now start and end on the web, social media and, most of all, with mobile devices. Maison Bleu Properties, a real estate brokerage with expertise in data-driven, digital marketing announces the availability of their full-service realty to buyers and sellers of homes and land on Floridas Emerald Coast. Founded by serial entrepreneurs and local residents Jason and Rebekah Polancich along with partner and broker Shaina Hershey-Sly, the brokerage represents a new level of real estate marketing in the area that gives buyers and sellers the highest level of satisfaction in their transactions. The worlds purchase decisions now start and end on the web, social media and, most of all, with mobile devices. Weve been very successful in other market sectors selling commodity goods and services by using automated data analysis techniques that allow us to put highly-targeted marketing of our brand and products in front of the right customers at the right moments, said Jason Polancich, Vice President, Maison Bleu. Its a specialized technique but one that is commonly used among big, successful consumer brands that trade in products like shoes or cars or beauty products. Rarely is it done to a consistently high level in real estate - especially not by small local or regional firms. As a result, buyers and sellers have to put up with a lot of noise and find a great deal of patience. Unlike other small brokerages in the area, Maison Bleu employs data scientists, software engineers and full-time marketing resources with a proven track record of success building such processes for other consumer products and services. According to Maison Bleu Lead Agent, Rebekah Polancich, that translates directly to better service for their clients. Buyers and sellers benefit from a strong digital brand that can target customers most likely to be interested in a given listing, she said. The faster you find something you like, the faster you close. The Maison Bleu approach is not just about sophisticated software techniques and data, however. The companys founders are also family-oriented and focused on creating a small, comfortable feel for the firm centered on highly-personal service. Theyre also local. As long-time residents, we love the casual, healthy and happy Emerald Coast lifestyle with our families, said Shaina Hershey-Sly, Broker, Maison Bleu. We give those looking to buy or sell in the area a faster, simpler and more effective way of doing things, but we are also a reflection of what we love most about the area - warm, friendly, personal and willing to help in any way we can, she said. Its even reflected in our company motto: Buy here. Be happy. Maison Bleu is currently building out a highly-selective, differentiated team of sales and broker associates who are tech-savvy and customer service-oriented. We want to hire those agents with the experience, energy, enthusiasm, and technology expertise to fit into our targeted processes, said Hershey-Sly. Agents that value not only traditional client relationships, but also the ability to work hard and use the data and tools we give them to make their sales predictable and efficient. The firms future plans include expansion into the luxury Emerald Coast real estate market by using the same proven, digital marketing techniques designed to attract high net-worth clientele and real estate investment to the area. About Maison Bleu Properties Founded in 2015, Maison Bleu Properties is a local, well-funded and digital marketing-focused real estate firm selling homes and land on Floridas Emerald Coast in areas that include: South Walton, 30A, Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, Rosemary and Inlet Beaches. Maison Bleu offers buyers and sellers the most value in their real estate transactions with a complete digital brand that leverages the undeniable power of the global marketplace along with highly-local experience. Maison Bleu redefines what a small firm can do for you. To learn more, visit http://www.mymaisonbleu.com or info@mymaisonbleu.com. If youre an agent, work here, be happy! Learn more at: http://www.mymaisonbleu.com/blog/real-estate-agents-join-us-were-changing-the-game-on-the-emerald-coast/ Monroe College, a national leader in urban and international education, today announced that alumni and faculty from its School of Nursing are traveling to Fonfrede, Haiti today for a weeklong mission to provide medical assistance and health education to the underserved community. The Monroe contingent will be working and living with members of the Fonfrede community, a remote area in the South of Haiti that was severely impacted by the catastrophic earthquake in 2010. Its 20,000 residents face extreme poverty in an economy where healthcare is expensive and largely inaccessible, rendering them susceptible to malnutrition, malaria, tuberculosis, cholera and other healthcare concerns. This is the second year that the School of Nursing has participated in a medical mission in Haiti. Monroes nursing program, which aims to make graduates aware of the cultural differences in caring for diverse communities, gives its nursing graduates a unique opportunity to engage in clinical experiences outside of the United States. It is partnered on this initiative with CapraCare, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop sustainable community health programs for children and their families in Fonfrede. The Monroe nursing team will work at the CapraCare health clinic and make home visits in the community to provide physical assessments, wound care, and perform procedures such as blood pressure, weight and height checks, diabetes and vision screenings, and oral care. They have also prepared presentations translated into Creole, Haitis native language, to help teach individuals in the local community about important health issues, such as breast self-examination, STDs and nutrition, in addition to proper hygiene and HIV/AIDS prevention. Our nursing program provides students and graduates with a variety of real-world clinical experiences that are integral to their development, education, and understanding of the nursing profession, said Deborah Little, Dean of Monroes School of Nursing. In the past, we have directed our efforts toward initiatives within the Bronx community, but this year, with the help of CapraCare, we are eager to continue our support to a Haitian community in great need of health and medical assistance. Our students are well-equipped to put their knowledge and skills to use, and will undoubtedly receive a great amount of fulfillment and satisfaction from helping make a difference in the lives of others. Dean Little, Professor Laura Penalo, and Jean Pierre-Louis MPH, Founder & CEO of CapraCare will accompany the graduates on this mission to Haiti. Monroe Colleges School of Nursing is recognized for its commitment to innovative and engaging instruction. Taught by a faculty of experienced nursing professionals, students learn with a hands-on approach to nurture caring, compassion, clinical competency, critical thinking skills and leadership skills. Information on the School of Nursing and its programs is available online. ABOUT MONROE COLLEGE Founded in 1933, New York-based Monroe College is a nationally ranked private institution of higher learning with a real world learning approach that prioritizes hands-on academic experiences, practical and relevant academic programs, flexible learning schedules, best-in-class instructional technologies, and committed and engaged faculty to ensure that students are well positioned for career success upon graduation. Monroe is among the leading higher education institutions in the country for graduating minority students. Monroe College offers Certificate, Associate, Bachelors, and Masters degree programs. It has campuses in the Bronx, New Rochelle, as well as in the Caribbean nation of St. Lucia, with programs offered through its Schools of Criminal Justice, Information Technology, Nursing, Education, Business & Accounting, Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts, and Allied Health Professions, as well as through its liberal arts and continuing education programs, and its King Graduate School. For more information and admissions criteria, please visit http://www.monroecollege.edu Colin Lavery Mr. Colin Taylor, The CEO and Chief Chaos Officer of The Taylor Reach Group, Inc. announced today that Colin Lavery has joined the customer experience and contact center consulting firm effective immediately. Colin has over 20 years of solid customer service experience, and brings to the Taylor Reach Group, his management experience, and in depth of experience in emergency and crisis management, business continuity, disaster recovery, training, quality assurance. Colin has deep experience in process, policies & procedures, restructured departments, improved workflow and delivering extraordinary cost savings throughout the organization. Colin provides a presence for us in western Canada, we are excited to have Colin on board. His experience and competencies add further depth to the Taylor Reach team, said Taylor, Colin has demonstrated leadership in the contact center industry and is a positive addition to the Taylor Reach team Colin attended the University of Calgary and is based in Calgary Alberta. Colin will service and support, both existing and new Taylor Reach clients in western Canada. I am confident in our team, our methodology and our capabilities that know that Colin adds more depth and breadth to Taylor Reach, says Taylor, Since 2003 we have helped hundreds of clients achieve their customer experience and contact center objectives, Colin will help us keep this growth continuing for years to come. Taylor Reach has recently signed new agreements with clients in the eCommerce, publishing, education, not-for-profit, utility sectors, Taylor said. About The Taylor Reach Group, Inc. With three offices in North America, Australia, Europe and China, The Taylor Reach Group, Inc. (Taylor Reach) a is leading Call/Contact Center Consulting Customer Experience and Customer Service consulting firm. This award winning company founded in 2003 by Colin Taylor today boasts a stable of Fortune 1000 companies. The consulting staff at Taylor Reach each possess more than 20 years of hands-on Call/Contact Center, Customer Experience, Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction experience in delivering effective and significant benefits from Operational Innovation. The Taylor Reach Group, Inc. Leaders in Call Center and Customer Service consulting All We Do is Call Center Consulting For more information about The Taylor Reach Group, Inc. visit http://thetaylorreachgroup.com or phone Colin Taylor at 1 877-979-8692 ext. 102 We believe ACQUIRE will transform the way government professionals select the training that advances both their agencys mission and their careers. 1105 Media, Inc. is pleased to announce the preliminary training lineup for the ACQUIRE show, a new two-day educational event and tradeshow for government and military professionals looking to deliver on their agencies missions. The following government agencies will offer training and contract education: Army CHESS, Department of Homeland Security, General Services Administration, NASA SEWP, NIH-NITAAC and Department of State. The following organizations have also been approved for classroom training: Adobe, Management Concepts, TwentyEighty Strategy Execution and Xerox. Additional training submissions for the 2016 show, taking place June 8-9 in Washington, D.C., are still being reviewed and will be added to the program upon approval. We were delighted with the number of training courses that were submitted for this show, said Carmel McDonagh, Chief Marketing Officer, 1105 Public Sector Media Group. We are committed to making ACQUIRE the primary resource for training and educational opportunities for government and military personnel. We believe ACQUIRE will transform the way government professionals select the training that advances both their agencys mission and their careers, said Anne A. Armstrong, Chief Content Officer at 1105 Media. Training courses will be offered in one central location at the show by multiple government agencies and industry subject-matter experts. Produced by the media teams behind the FCW, GCN, Washington Technology, Defense Systems and Federal Soup brands, the conference program will feature training courses from a diverse range of government agencies, a variety of informative breakout sessions, visionary keynotes and educational clinics on the show floor. Sponsorships and booth sales for ACQUIRE are available, and attendee registration is open. Please visit: https://ACQUIREshow.com. Note to media: Registration for credentialed media will be available in February. About 1105 Public Sector Media Group 1105 Public Sector Media Group, a division of 1105 Media, Inc., provides information, insight and analysis to the Government IT and Education IT (FED/SLED) sectors. Our content platforms include print, digital, online, events and a broad spectrum of marketing services. http://1105publicsector.com About 1105 Media, Inc. 1105 Media, Inc., is a leading provider of integrated information and media in targeted business-to-business markets, including the public sector (FED/SLED) information technology community; enterprise computing; industrial health, safety, and compliance; security; environmental protection; and home healthcare. 1105's offerings span marketing services; print and online magazines, journals, and newsletters; seminars, conferences, and trade shows; training courseware; web-based services. 1105 Media is based in Chatsworth, CA, with offices throughout the United States. https://1105media.com RMU and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology have collaborated on a new doctoral program in business psychology. Robert Morris University Illinois (RMU) and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) have created a partnership through the establishment of an advanced graduate level program for students pursuing a doctoral degree in business psychology. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is a nonprofit university, and one of the leading institutions devoted to psychology and related behavioral and health sciences. The agreement between the two schools provides a post-graduate path for Robert Morris University students in the School of Business Administration program. As undergraduates, students will be granted admission to The Chicago School upon fulfilling application requirements, the completion of specific coursework, and a minimum GPA. With the objective of completing a Ph.D. in Business Psychology, students will begin graduate work at The Chicago School during the last 36 quarter hours of their Bachelor of Business Administration program at RMU, and complete doctoral studies at TCSPP. Undergraduate degrees will be conferred by RMU and the Ph.D. by The Chicago School. Both Robert Morris University Illinois and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology are regionally accredited institutions. The new program is intended for RMU management students to matriculate to The Chicago School during their senior year to complete a Ph.D. Together the schools are providing a new pathway for doctoral study to college students in the greater Chicago area. We are pleased to provide the opportunity for advanced graduate study in business psychology to our students, said Larry Nieman, dean of the School of Business Administration. Forming relationships with institutions such as The Chicago School encourages our students to think beyond a bachelors and a masters degree. Facilitating the process helps to ensure their success. We are delighted to have the opportunity to serve the students of Robert Morris University, said Michele Nealon-Woods, Psy. D., president, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Our suite of business psychology programs prepares graduates to assume high-level responsibilities in todays global and multicultural business environment. Robert Morris University Illinois and Morris Graduate School of Management have also established post-graduate programs for its students with John Marshall Law School and Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. Robert Morris University Illinois is a not-for-profit, baccalaureate and graduate degree granting institution, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.* The University serves over 4500 students interested in getting an education in business, graphic arts, nursing and health care, culinary and computer studies at its main campus in Chicago, as well as at locations in Arlington Heights, DuPage, Elgin, Orland Park, Bensenville, Springfield, Peoria, Schaumburg and Lake County. In all communications, please refer to the university by its full name, Robert Morris University Illinois. For more information, call 800-RMC-5960 or visit the web site at http://www.robertmorris.edu *Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, 30 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60602, 312-263-0456. About The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Founded in 1979, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) is a nonprofit, private university devoted exclusively to psychology, and related behavioral and health sciences. The university serves nearly 4,500 students across campuses in Chicago; Southern California (Los Angeles and Irvine); and Washington, D.C., as well as through online programs. A member of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology, TCSPP is recognized for its distinguished service and outstanding contributions to cultural diversity and advocacy. With more than 20 graduate degree programs, thousands of hours of real-world training, and a wealth of international opportunities, TCSPP is the leader in professional psychology education. To learn more, visit http://www.thechicagoschool.edu. Pallets of Water at LS Facility Before Delivery We have deep roots in the local community, therefore we have a responsibility to support our team, their families and all those affected by the water crisis. LaserShip, a regional parcel carrier that services the eastern U.S., donated and delivered 6,000 bottles of water to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan last Friday in order to aid in the Flint water crisis. In 2014, LaserShip acquired Prestige Delivery Systems, expanding their footprint into the Midwest to include a facility located in Clio, only 15 miles away from Flint. We have deep roots in the local community, therefore we have a responsibility to support our team, their families and all those affected by the water crisis. We are dedicated to helping the people and the communities we serve, said Josh Dinneen, Senior Vice President for LaserShip. "We've been delivering water that our customers have been donating to local churches as well as the Food Bank for several weeks, so I'm glad we can take part in lending a helping hand to the community since our facility is so close to the crisis. We've probably made deliveries directly to the homes of many of the people who have been affected by the water crisis, so its our responsibility to use our resources to deliver something the community needs," said Matt Korpi, Manager at LaserShip's facility in Clio. Matt personally delivered 6,000 bottles of water on behalf of LaserShip last Friday. To donate to the Flint water crisis, please call the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan at 810.239.4441 to schedule a water drop-off. You can also visit fbem.org/helpflint to donate to their Flint Response Fund, where 100% of contributions go to the procurement and distribution of water to Flint residents. Media Contact: Isabel Del Canto PR(at)LaserShip(dot)com (703) 761-9030 About LaserShip, Inc.: Founded in 1986, LaserShip is a regional parcel carrier facilitating last-mile delivery to the eastern U.S. for shippers that desire reduced transit times, increased flexibility, and the elimination of excess costs within their supply chain. In 2014, LaserShip acquired Prestige Delivery Systems to form the largest regional parcel carrier that offers a wider range of delivery solutions across multiple industries. LaserShip has evolved into a leading provider of same-day and next-day delivery services for premier e-commerce and product supply-businesses. For more information, visit lasership.com. Blue Medora, a leading innovator in the enterprise management space, today announced a global reseller agreement with VMware, a leader in cloud infrastructure and virtualization technology. The expanded relationship allows VMware to sell Blue Medoras solutions that extend the VMware vRealize Operations platform. Blue Medora management packs bring true visibility into business critical applications by simplifying management through a comprehensive view of the entire IT stack. Blue Medoras innovative monitoring solutions deliver high returns on infrastructure and software investments through improved cross-platform efficiencies. This ubiquitous access to actionable intelligence increases the overall business value of IT. Under this agreement, VMware will resell Blue Medoras vRealize Operations management packs to their vRealize customers. VMware users can monitor their environment past the virtual layer of their infrastructure into all the various layers of the stack. This level of data management is available wherever Blue Medoras solutions are used, including third party Cloud Service Providers (CSPs). Blue Medoras vRealize-focused management software solutions play an important role in extending the reach of VMware vRealize across a broad array of business critical applications, compute, network and storage technologies, said Sajai Krishnan, vice president of product marketing, Management Suites Business Unit, VMware. Blue Medora and VMware plan to continue to work together to deliver end-point management solutions that enable end-to-end visibility into the software-defined data center. Blue Medora introduced its first VMware vRealize-focused end-point management solutions to simplify what is becoming a complex web of enterprise systems. This agreement further intensifies our partnership and mutual goal of reducing the operational and capital costs of managing enterprise systems, said Nathan Owen, CEO of Blue Medora. VMware offering Blue Medoras vRealize-focused solutions directly to its customers builds upon the developing partnership between the two companies - underscored by VMwares involvement in Blue Medoras Series A financing round announced in August 2015. Blue Medoras management packs, fully optimized for VMware vRealize Operations 6.x systems, provide comprehensive insight into the health, availability, performance, capacity and contextual relationships of the critical network and compute infrastructure of VMware vSphere. Additional information is available at bluemedora.com. About Blue Medora Blue Medoras End-Point management solutions ties together data from virtualized and cloud-based databases, applications, and services with the critical underlying compute, storage and network infrastructure to create a unified view of the infrastructure. Blue Medoras products enable administrator teams to work collaboratively on the infrastructure to avoid downtime, resolve performance problems and make predictive insights using advanced analytics. Blue Medora believes true visibility into business critical applications is only achieved when enterprise cloud management systems communicate without barriers. For more information, visit bluemedora.com. VMware, vRealize, vRealize Operations, and vSphere are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. The use of the word partner or partnership does not imply a legal partnership relationship between VMware and any other company. Media Contact Betsy Grant Blue Medora Phone: (616) 719-4550 Email: media(at)bluemedora(dot)com Connect With Us http://www.bluemedora.com Twitter LinkedIn Whether your business needs PieceWork software or a Time and Attendance System, we have the right solution for you. Respected provider of time and attendance software, products, and services AMG Employee Management has been assisting some of the most well-known players in the apparel industry with their AMGtime Systems and ARKO PieceWork Software to be more efficient at employee management. On February 15, AMG Employee Management, Inc. is bringing their updated ARKO PieceWork software and their AMGtime solutions to Sourcing at Magic. Sourcing at Magic is a fashion industry network with representatives from over forty countries. Held twice each year in Las Vegas, this show connects established and emerging fashion brands to a huge network of materials, manufacturers, technology, talent, and logistics solutions. Official sources have revealed that the company will have a booth in the show where their products will be showcased. Company representatives present in the booth will help the interested attendees experience the functional aspects of different AMGtime Systems. Currently integrated with more than ninety payroll providers, AMG Employee Management is amongst the most affordable time management system providers in the market. Always committed to provide better workforce management solutions to their customers, AMG Employee Management Inc. has recently launched the ARKO PieceWork System Version 2.0 to showcase at Sourcing at Magic. The launch of the new version of ARKO PieceWork System is expected to make an impact on the way the apparel industry manages their workforce. This system can be used at the level of production, and can be integrated seamlessly with AMGtime software to provide complete visibility of employee attendance and productivity. The software also has a wage calculation feature that has been designed specifically for the apparel industry. Highlighting the companys long tradition of serving the apparel industry, the owner and founder of AMG Employee Management Tony Galstyan said, We have a good experience with the apparel industry working closely with them for over 20 years in the heart of LA downtown. We have built both our AMGtime and PieceWork systems understanding this industry well. Whether your business needs PieceWork software or a Time and Attendance System, we have the right solution for you." About the Company With more than 20 years of experience, AMG Employee Management Inc. is a national leader in time attendance products, services and solutions. This innovative Los Angeles-based company has a passion for offering employers advanced time attendance systems that boost the efficiency and accuracy of time and payroll records and facilitate clients to select the best solution to meet their needs. Regroup Named Finalist for DRI International Award of Excellence Regroup was named a finalist for Notification System of the Year for its outstanding work in the field of mass communications and for incorporating best practices in the field of business continuity management into its platform. Regroup Mass Notification, the leader in emergency and mass notification solutions, has been selected as one of two finalists for the prestigious 2016 DRI Awards of Excellence. The winner of Notification System of the Year will be presented at the DRI 2016 conference in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 8, 2016. Regroup was named a finalist for Notification System of the Year for its outstanding work in the field of mass communications and for incorporating best practices in the field of business continuity management into its platform. This award also recognizes Regroup for achieving a certain level of excellence in the fields of continuity management, technology recovery and crisis management. Business continuity is a field that is vital to every industry and sector, and the professionals in this field deserve recognition for their work, said Al Berman, DRI President. The purpose of the Awards of Excellence is to shine a well-earned spotlight not just on the profession itself, but on the people who make it so valuable. Following the announcement, Joe DiPasquale, CEO of Regroup, said, We are honored to be recognized two years in a row by such a prestigious organization as DRI. Regroup remains steadfast in our commitment to helping organizations communicate easily and effectively by providing unparalleled usability, innovation, integration, customer service and communication channels. We strongly believe easy and effective communication within an organization is the cornerstone of efficiency, productivity, safety and resiliency. For a live demo of Regroups award-winning Emergency & Mass Notification System, sign up here: http://1.regroup.com/request-demo-2016-pr/ About Regroup Mass Notification: Regroup, the industry-leading provider of Emergency and Mass Notification solutions and DRI 2015 Notification System of the Year, offers easy one-click messaging to mobile phones (text/voice), landlines, email, social media, websites and more. Regroup stands apart from other mass communication systems with its ease of use, automated messaging capabilities, seamless integration with social media and client databases, unparalleled 24/7 customer support and unlimited text/voice/email messaging. To learn more about how Regroups Emergency and Mass Notification System can provide rapid communications during a crisis, as well as streamline day-to-day communications, call 917-746-6776 or email inquiries(at)regroup(dot)com. About DRI International: Disaster Recovery Institute International is the nonprofit that helps organizations prepare for and recover from disasters. We achieve this through thought leadership, education and accreditation in business continuity and related fields. Founded in 1988, DRI International has 13,000+ certified professionals worldwide. DRI organizes industry events around the globe, offers in-depth training programs, and partners with universities to promote resilience. DRI certifies individuals from 100+ countries and conducts training in 12 languages in 50+ nations. An ANSI-accredited Standards Development Organization, DRI advises governments and international organizations in creating standards and works with the private sector to promote readiness. EWTN's Managing Editor and Lead Anchor Raymond Arroyo, host of The World Over, and Fr. Roberto Cid, General Director of Radio Paz in Miami, will anchor EWTN's English-language coverage. The Pope is expected to make news wherever he goes and, as always, EWTN will be there to cover it. Turn to EWTN Global Catholic Network Feb. 12-18 for complete coverage of Pope Francis' visit to Mexico, as well as his stopover in Cuba Feb. 12 to meet with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. EWTNs coverage begins 2 p.m. ET, Friday, Feb. 12 with the Popes arrival in Cuba. Stay tuned as His Holiness and the Patriarch make history by signing a joint declaration at 4 p.m. ET. The Pontiff will then continue on to Mexico where his schedule is, as always, jam-packed. From the spectacular waterfalls, lagoons, and jungles of Mexicos Chiapas region, where the Pope will visit with its indigenous peoples, to the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Basilica of Guadalupe, where the Pope has asked for private time to pray, EWTN will be there over the following week with expert analysis and commentary. (For a complete schedule of events and times, which will be updated frequently, please visit http://www.ewtn.com/mexico2016.) Look for Managing Editor and Lead Anchor Raymond Arroyo, host of EWTNs popular news show The World Over, and Fr. Roberto Cid, General Director of Radio Paz in Miami, to anchor the Networks English-language coverage. (Find EWTN at http://www.ewtn.com/channelfinder.) In addition, Susanna Pinto and Mark Irons of EWTN News Nightly will provide on-the-ground coverage for ENNs daily newscasts. EWTN Global Catholic Radio will also carry the papal Masses via AM & FM radio networks transmitted through SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 500 Catholic domestic and international radio affiliates. For commentary in Spanish, count on EWTN Espanol with Anchors Pepe Alonso, host of Nuestra Fe En Vivo, and Catholic News Agency/ACI Prensa Executive Director Alejandro Bermudez for complete television coverage. EWTNs Radio Catolica Mundial will broadcast the same coverage via its radio affiliates. In addition to meeting with young people, prisoners, and religious and civil authorities, the Pope is also planning to visit the border town of Ciudad Juarez before departing for Rome. The Pope is expected to make news wherever he goes and, as always, EWTN will be there to cover it. EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 35th year, is the largest religious media network in the world. EWTNs 11 networks broadcast the Gospel message in multiple languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week to over 264 million television households in more than 145 countries and territories. Properties include direct broadcast satellite television and radio services; AM & FM radio networks transmitted through SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 500 Catholic domestic and international radio affiliates; a worldwide shortwave radio station; the largest Catholic website in the U.S.; electronic and print news services, including The National Catholic Register newspaper, and two global wire services; as well as a publishing arm. Jurors deliberated about an hour Tuesday afternoon before finding a Goose Creek man not guilty of murder, arson and armed criminal action. David Sperry, 57, was accused of shooting his friend Kenneth "Kenny" Vaughn, 68, also of Goose Creek, and then setting Vaughn's body on fire on Jan. 10, 2013. Sperry had been incarcerated for the past three years awaiting trial. At the conclusion of the trial, Circuit Court Judge Wendy Wexler Horn ordered him to be discharged. Second-day testimony On the second day of trial on Tuesday, Prosecuting Attorney Jerrod Mahurin called four witnesses while Public Defender Lynn Ruess called just one witness. One of Mahurin's witnesses was a continuation from the day before. Except for testimony from an inmate, most of the testimony of the day focused around a two-hour videotaped interview of Sperry on Jan. 11, 2013 conducted by Sgt. Dets. Matt Wampler and Kenneth Wakefield and Missouri State Fire Marshals Office Investigator Kyle Carter. Jurors watched a redacted video. During questioning, Sperry never once admitted to shooting Vaughn in the back of the head or setting his body on fire. He also didnt show much emotion. When told he was the last person to see Vaughn alive, Sperry said Vaughn was sleeping when he left the mobile home, which is located on Pawnee near Osage in the lake development. Sperry spent the next couple of hours telling the investigators how he had worked with Vaughn earlier in the week to help get Vaughns new bar open in Brewer. Mo. He said on Jan. 10 he went over to Vaughns house about 11 a.m. and they played cards, ate and drank Natural Light beer. He said when Vaughns fiance left at 6 p.m. to go to the rec hall, he asked Vaughn if he could take a shower. Sperry lived in a camping trailer in Goose Creek on a friends property and the trailer did not have electricity or running water. Sperry told the investigators that afterward he used Vaughns truck to go to the pub and get a pack of cigarettes and a 12-pack of Busch beer. He said he drank two or three before going back inside Vaughns house. Sperry admitted he had a habit of removing pull tabs from the cans. He did not say anything about ordering shots at the bar. He said he probably drank eight to 10 Natural Light beers before going to the pub. He said when he got back he stayed at Vaughn's home about five or 10 minutes before telling Vaughn good-bye and that he would see him in the morning. He said Vaughn, who had also drank eight to 10 beers and had taken cold medicine, was dozing off and on in his easy chair. He said he walked up Osage to his friends house, which is located on Pawnee, instead of walking three-tenths of a mile straight down Pawnee. He said he drank a couple beers at his friends house and left without saying good-bye. He said he got disoriented and started falling down and passed out in his friends shed nearby on Cherokee Court. He said he didnt know anything about Vaughns house fire until the morning when he went back to his friends house. Wampler testified that they used several police techniques in questioning Sperry including using "fictitious evidence" that a neighbor supposedly claimed to have seen Sperry leaving Vaughns residence after hearing a boom. They also used what they speculated would prove to be evidence. Officers found what they believed to be Vaughns blood splatter on a fridge and on Sperrys clothing. It turned out that neither contained blood from Vaughn and the palm print on the fridge did not belong to Sperry. Despite being told of this evidence, Sperry still said he didnt kill Vaughn and that the only other person who had been in the home that day was Vaughns fiance, Carol Grass, who left at 6 p.m. During cross-examination, Sperrys attorney asked the detective about the Busch beer can they took into evidence. The detective said it did test positive for gas but there were no fingerprints on it. Also on Tuesday, an inmate testified that he, Sperry and another inmate played a game of medium, saying that he had psychic abilities. He asked Sperry what he would say to Vaughn. The inmate said Sperry then confessed in detail to killing Vaughn. The man told jurors what Sperry told him, including where he got the gun, that he took a couple $100 bills out of Vaughns wallet, poured gas on Vaughns body, ordered Jagerbombs at the bar after killing Vaughn, threw the gun in party cove at Goose Creek and watched firefighters at the scene of the fire from a shed. He said after the confession, Sperry broke down and cried. Mahurin said these were things that only the murderer would have known while Ruess argued these were things the inmate could have found in a police report. She reminded jurors that inmates didnt have privacy or access to locks for belongings. Ruess also shared a dive report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol from August of 2013 that showed no gun was found in party cove. A murder weapon has never been found. The defenses sole witness was called to testify that Vaughns property cannot be seen from the shed where Sperry reportedly spent the night. The inmate also testified that when he came forward there were no promises or deals made in exchange for his testimony. However, he said, since that time he violated his probation and is awaiting a probation violation hearing in a Missouri Attorney Generals Office case and Mahurin has agreed to recommend a favorable sentence for him. Closing arguments In his closing arguments, Mahurin said during the day Vaughn had talked in Sperry's presence about having $1,000 to pay taxes. He said Sperry's plan to kill Vaughn went into place when he asked to take a shower. He said it was then Sperry entered the bedroom and got Vaughn's pistol. He reminded jurors about the Busch beer can that was found that contained gasoline. Busch, as witnesses testified the day before, was Sperry's favorite beer and he habitually removed the pull tabs from the cans. The pull tab was removed from this can. In fact, 16 pull tabs were found in Sperry's pants pocket when investigators confiscated his clothing. He also reminded jurors that the state fire marshal's investigator said the fire, which was set on Vaughn's body, burned no more than 30 minutes before self-extinguishing. When Vaughn's fiance arrived home about 8:45 p.m. she reportedly saw smoke but said the door was not hot. Mahurin estimated a narrow timeframe based on her observation. Mahurin said during the questioning Sperry was accused of one of the most heinous crimes but he showed no emotion. He said a friend of Sperry's had died but he showed no emotion while being repeatedly questioned and told he did it. He said if Sperry didn't do it, jurors would have to consider an unknown third person who entered the home without startling Vaughn or his dog, and took the time to find a Busch can and some gasoline. He said when Vaughn was found he was in his easy chair with his legs crossed comfortable because nothing had alerted him to danger. Vaughn's wallet was found on his left side, empty, even though Vaughn was right-handed. Mahurin reminded jurors of the three witnesses who shared oddities of Sperry's behavior later that night and that he was nowhere to be found when his close friend's home was on fire. He asked jurors to consider why Sperry would leave Vaughn's home, where he had access to free beer, to spend his own money on a 12-pack of Busch beer which he would later leave behind at another friend's house. He said the reason Sperry was in a shed all night on a January night was because he was hiding, not because he passed out there. In her closing arguments, Ruess said the case was circumstantial evidence with a big gaping hole. She said they can't just pull stuff out of the sky "and that is what they have done." She asked jurors to consider who else could have entered the house without alerting Vaughn. She said she was not saying Vaughn's fiance did it but that there were more explanations for what happened that night. She said she was frustrated that investigators immediately decided Sperry did it. She said there are other options they could have considered and questions they could have asked. She said Sperry had no reason to want to kill Vaughn because Vaughn let him hang out at his house, fed him, gave him clothes, and gave him money for odd jobs. In the end the jury seemed to side with Ruess' reasoning and returned a "not guilty" verdict. General Colin Powell spoke at the conference, American statesman and retired four-star general in the Army making it a truly unforgettable experience. AMP releases Uber Manager App at Colliers America's Conference, showcasing the incredible technology they bring to the marketplace. This week AMP Technologies joined Colliers International at their annual Americas Conference where great minds from around the globe come together to discuss the future of Commercial Real Estate. Enterprising professionals from Canada, Latin America and the U.S. have joined in Washington, D.C. for networking, educational sessions, and practice group meetings to discover what many may consider impossible. With the industry transforming very quickly, AMP along with other leaders have gathered to help kick off 2016 and make it the most powerful year in the industry yet. AMP is proud to have sponsored this event; showcasing the incredible technology they bring to the marketplace and discussing one of their most exciting releases yet. AMPs own CEO, Neel Naicker will share his technology expertise with Colliers leadership focusing on the brightest capabilities in Commercial Real Estate. Mr. Naicker will also reveal the latest release, the Uber Manager App, which is not available anywhere else in the marketplace. Attendees of the Colliers Americas Conference will be the first to know about the next moves AMP will make to continue to be the most innovative software company in Commercial Real Estate. EXPERIENCE THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY TODAY CLICK HERE General Colin Powell, American statesman and retired four-star general in the Army spoke on Tuesday, February 9 at the Conference bringing an extremely powerful combination to the event. AMP is proud to be a part of this strong partnership with Colliers heres to the relationships that will be built this year and many more to come! ABOUT AMP TECHNOLOGIES CLICK HERE Headquartered in Mountain View, California, AMP Technologies provides a suite of products and services for commercial real estate asset management. The AMP Technologies Platform is a powerful, yet highly intuitive platform to monitor and manage individual properties and large portfolios. Its products are built on best-of- breed cloud technology and are designed for the modern enterprise to provide sophisticated business intelligence, collaboration and management tools. With a comprehensive, yet highly intuitive, platform for monitoring and managing individual properties to entire portfolios, AMP provides the key tools needed for every level of management for effective analysis and decision-making. Lonely Planet's Best in the US 2016 These are the places to pay attention to in 2016, Lonely Planet the worlds leading travel media company released its annual list of the top 10 best places to travel in the United States in 2016. Lonely Planets Best in the US 2016 list is a diverse mix of cities, regions and states across the country that are poised to shine in the year ahead places often-overlooked, hidden gems and household names with new reasons to visit in 2016. This year, national treasure Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was named number one, followed by the picturesque town of Natchez, Mississippi and the iconic Yellowstone National Park in third place. Now in its 6th year, Lonely Planets Best in the US is a handpicked list selected and ranked by the US-based editors and travel writers at Lonely Planet to point to the 10 most exciting, intriguing and up-and-coming top US destinations worth visiting in the year ahead. These are the places to pay attention to in 2016, said US Destination Editor Rebecca Warren at Lonely Planet. Whether theyve been on the public radar for years or are only recently emerging as travel hotspots, each destination offers compelling reasons to visit this year. Lonely Planets Best in the US 2016 1. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Hands up to the sky, Rocky fans. Recently recognized as the USs first and only World Heritage City and visited by the Pope, Phillys on a roll right now. Hosting the Democratic National Convention in July and celebrating the 40th anniversary of Rocky this year, the city is experiencing a transformation to its urban core, yet retaining its deep American history and uniquely gritty flavor. 2. Natchez, Mississippi Natchez will be rolling on the river in 2016. Hitting its 300th anniversary this year making it two years older than New Orleans this charming city settled along the Mississippi will be hosting hundreds of events throughout the year, from their annual hot air balloon races to historical celebrations. 3. Yellowstone National Park Where better to celebrate than where it all began? This is the worlds first national park, established 144 years ago. Yellowstones biggest draw, the Old Faithful geyser, just got a new boardwalk and gateway towns like Gardiner, Montana and Cody, Wyoming are all geared up to accommodate the millions of visitors expected while the US National Park Service celebrates its centennial this year. 4. Birmingham, Alabama Could Birmingham be the coolest city in the South? The once industrial Avondale neighborhood has been reinvigorated with a surge of pubs, breweries and good eats, and the Civil Rights District is notable for the Civil Rights Institute, the 16th St. Baptist Church and the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. 5. Alaska Hey Americans: have you crossed the Arctic Circle in your own country? Last year, President Obama became the first sitting president to visit this remote state and its time the rest of Americans follow, especially to experience the newly renamed Denali, Americas tallest peak, which can be done on foot for the adventurous, or by train or bus. 6. Somerville, Massachusetts Bostons hippest hood moved a few stops up the Orange Line. Bostons most exciting new neighborhood has cutting-edge restaurants, craft breweries and offbeat attractions like the hugely popular Museum of Bad Art, the Tiny Museum, the Fluff Festival and HONK!, a festival of socially-conscious music-making. 7. Northwest Arkansas Give the Rockies a run for their money. With wide open spaces, mountains and crystal blue lakes and rivers, this region also has cultural flare, with towns that are distinctly unique from one another, like Fayetteville an artsy university city with a vibrant literary scene and Eureka Springs, which has access to some of the best hiking in the Ozarks. 8. San Antonio, Texas Take a hearty stew of Mexican culture, add a dash of Austin weird and a big dollop of pure Texas tude. The popular River Walk has expanded from three to 15 miles and the Pearl Brewery District continues to evolve with top-notch restaurants, a cooking school and outdoor events throughout the year, helping to make San Antonio the Lone Star States most compelling, culturally eclectic city right now. 9. Southern New Mexico If it's Southwestern wilderness you're after, head toward the border. Santa Fe and Taos usually get the spotlight, but go south to truly experience the Wild West by visiting the recently established Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument and the strange scenery continues at White Sands National Monument, where you'll find alien landscapes far more out-of-this-world than anything in Roswell. 10. Milwaukee, Wisconsin The citys beery side still bubbles strong. Chicago may cast a big shadow, but the city is enjoying its moment in the sun, with attractions like beer-tasting tours at both household name brands and new craft breweries, the stunning Quadracci Pavilion and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Lonely Planets Best in the US 2016 goes beyond the locations featured in its Best in Travel 2016 book, in stores now, which includes the companys picks for where to visit in the coming year, all over the globe. Best in Travel 2016 features Nashville, Hawaii and the USA as national destinations among the global selections for 2016. The list is available online at lonelyplanet.com/best-in-us, with accompanying articles to each destination. It will also be featured in the second edition of the new US Lonely Planet magazine in March. Best in the US 2016 is sponsored by Turkish Airlines About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is the worlds leading travel media company, providing inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveler since 1973. Over the past four decades, Lonely Planet has cultivated a dedicated traveler community and printed more than 130 million books in 13 different languages to most destinations on the planet. The Lonely Planet ecosystem also includes digital and mobile apps like the all-new Guides app, a comprehensive ebook portfolio, 12 international magazines including a US edition launched in 2015, an award-winning website and over 8.5 million followers on social media. It is an honor to be recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I am looking forward to reuniting with my former bandmates. Its time to come together while putting our differences aside for the fans and to celebrate our musical legacy Past News Releases RSS Danny Seraphine, co-founder of the iconic band Chicago, will perform with the group for the first time in 25 years, as the band is inducted into the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, April 8th, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Seraphine, ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, expressed his pride and excitement over the accolade and the opportunity to perform with the band once again. "It is an honor to be recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I am looking forward to reuniting with my former bandmates, said Seraphine. He added, Its time to come together while putting our differences aside for the fans and to celebrate our musical legacy. The rock and roll pioneer also acknowledged the devoted fans who have supported the band through the years. We owe it all to our awesome fans who deserve to relish this moment with us. It has been a blessing to share the stage for decades and tour with some amazing artists including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Santana, The Beach Boys and many others." Indeed, Chicagos colorful history seems to be one that some musicians can only aspire towards, and their varied and notable musical achievements have brought them to this point in their career. Seraphine played with Chicago from 1967 - 1991. Since leaving the band he has also produced independent films and Broadway plays, and continues to tour around the world. Chicago has sold over 122 million albums worldwide, and earned 22 gold, 18 platinum and 8 multi-platinum albums in the United States. Seraphine is part of the jazz-rock powerhouse group, the California Transit Authority (CTA). Learn more about the CTA band here. Like Danny Seraphine and the CTA band on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. "The Luminox illumination system gave us the sustained superior performance that is expected of a Navy SEAL and what we expect of our gear. Shaun Marriot, Lt Commander, Navy SEAL (Retired). Luminox is kicking off 2016 by formalizing its long term relationship with the Navy SEALs by becoming their watch licensee. The relationship started over 20 years ago when the SEALs were searching for an analog timepiece to suit their needs and discovered Luminox with its unique self-powered illumination technology for optimum visibility day and night in any condition. As a research, development, test, and evaluation officer for the Navy SEALs I was asked to find a dependable watch for night missions. After testing a variety of brands in the most arduous conditions, Luminox was the only one still functioning at the end of the evaluation. Nick North, Navy SEAL (Retired). Since the first meeting with Nick North, and the first Navy SEAL series, Luminox has continuously updated its line of watches to meet the demanding requirements of this community of warriors. The Navy SEAL Colormark series is the evolution of that original series of timepieces. In 2013, Luminox had the opportunity to develop a new series of watches with upgraded features and again collaborated with SEALs, both active duty and retired. This partnership resulted in the A.N.U. (Authorized for Navy Use) series featuring a black PVD-plated stainless steel case, with screw crown and case back, sapphire crystal, multi-jewel Swiss quartz movement and 10 year lithium battery. When so much relies on the accuracy of a timepiece, we focused in on the essentials; accuracy, reliability and performance. The Luminox illumination system gave us the sustained superior performance that is expected of a Navy SEAL and what we expect of our gear. Shaun Marriot, Lt Commander, Navy SEAL (Retired). It is an absolute honor to have an ongoing relationship with the SEALs, and to be selected by U.S. Navy SEAL Commanders to design and supply watches for some of the most elite and respected Special Forces in the world. It is particularly exciting that two generations of SEALs arrived at the same conclusion and chose Luminox as their watch of choice. Becoming their watch licensee formalizes this ongoing relationship, says Barry Cohen, Co- Founder of Luminox. Over the years, Luminox became part of the SEALs Essential Gear as both the relationship and the watches continued to grow and expand. Today, Luminox can be sure that every Navy SEAL, wearing a Luminox is equipped with a timepiece where unmatched visibility is a given. About Luminox Luminox, the original self-powered luminous watch brand, is the watch of choice for U.S. Navy SEALs, F-117 NighthawkTM stealth jet pilots, other elite forces and professional divers. Luminox watches glow up to 25 years in any light condition, Always Visible. Tough, powerful and accurate, Swiss-made Luminox is the ultimate night vision gear for serious athletes, rugged outdoorsmen and other peak performers. Visit luminox.com and facebook.com/Luminox. Contact Information International: info(at)luminox(dot)com CerconeBrown&Company, Melissa Kelley / 617.248.0680, mkelley(at)cerconebrown(dot)com Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that Attorney W. Anthony Jenkins has been named a 2016 Leader in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Mr. Jenkins is a Member and Chief Diversity Officer in the firms Detroit office. He has a sophisticated and diverse corporate/transactional practice, which includes representing a wide variety of entrepreneurs and governmental entities in the structure and financing of some of Detroits most high profile developments, including Comerica Park and Ford Field. He is a nationally recognized expert in the certification of minority-owned business enterprises, and has served on the Executive/Finance Committee of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council. Mr. Jenkins also represents the boards of charter schools in school-law and other-related matters. Mr. Jenkins is a past president of the State Bar of Michigan and the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association as well as a past member of both the American Bar Associations Board of Governors and a past member of its Federal Judiciary Committee. He is currently a member of the Real Property Law Section of both the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan. Mr. Jenkins also is a past member of the Board of Directors of Western Michigan Universitys Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Outside of the legal profession, Mr. Jenkins is a committee member of the NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee. Mr. Jenkins is recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in America, Michigan Super Lawyers, Crains Detroit Business Best Lawyers, and is rated as an AV Peer Review Lawyer by Martindale Hubbell. Mr. Jenkins received his B.A. from Harvard College, his M.P.A. from Princeton University, and his J.D. from New York University Law School. Each year, Michigan Lawyers Weekly selects 30 lawyers to honor as Leaders in the Law. Leaders in the Law are lawyers who exemplify the noble tradition of the legal profession, are passionate and active on behalf of clients and the community, have a record of success in the legal profession, and have a record of achievements that displays a strength of character and ability to be a leader in the Michigan legal community. The 2016 Leaders in the Law will be honored at an annual luncheon and awards celebration on March 17, 2016 at the Troy Marriott. About Dickinson Wright PLLC Dickinson Wright PLLC is a general practice business law firm with more than 400 attorneys among more than 40 practice areas. Headquartered in Detroit and founded in 1878, the firm has fifteen offices, including six in Michigan (Detroit, Troy, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Saginaw) and eight other domestic offices in Columbus, Ohio; Lexington, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn. (2); Las Vegas, Nev.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Reno, Nev.; and Washington, D.C. The firms Canada office is located in Toronto. The firm offers clients a distinctive combination of superb client service and exceptional quality. Dickinson Wright lawyers are known for delivering commercially-oriented advice on sophisticated transactions and have a remarkable record of wins in high-stakes litigation. Dickinson Wright lawyers are regularly cited by Chambers, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and other leading independent law firm evaluating organizations. "Our Chelsea office is brand new, and it has given us the opportunity to establish our own state-of-the-art space just next door to where we were. We're very proud of the office's success." The Skin Wellness Center of Alabama has added office hours at its Chesser Drive location in Chelsea, Ala. The new hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. In addition, the range of services at the Skin Wellness Center office now include a full-time aesthetician, microdermabrasion skin rejuvenation, blue light and intense pulsed light treatments and a complete line of skin care products. "Our Chelsea office is brand new, and it has given us the opportunity to establish our own state-of-the-art space just next door to where we were. We're very proud of the office's success," said Dr. Corey Hartman, founder and medical director of the Skin Wellness Centers of Alabama. "With this space, we continue to serve our patients in the tradition of our center in Birmingham, and the new hours and services we've begun to provide only reflect our dedication to offering all of our clients convenience as well as the latest in cutting-edge treatment options." The services of the clinic's new, full-time aesthetician are designed to help improve the appearance and quality of the skin through the use of facial peels, masks and massages, full-body treatments, body wraps and aromatherapy, among others. Hair removal is achieved through waxing, electrolysis or laser treatments. The dermatologist center's microdermabrasion skin rejuvenation is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat discoloration, light scarring, stretch marks, black heads, age spots and sun damage. In the procedure, a minimally abrasive instrument is used to gently sand the skin, removing its thicker outer layer. The process also improves hyperpigmentation, thickens collagen, lessens the appearance of stretch marks, reduces fine lines and wrinkles and treats acne and acne scars. The addition of blue light treatments, or photodynamic therapy (PDT), allows the clinic to make use of a photosensitizing agent and a light source to activate the applied agent. The result is an activated oxygen molecule that can destroy nearby cells, making the therapy an effective way to treat precancerous lesions. Designed for various aesthetic and therapeutic purposes, intense pulsed light (IPL) is used to perform various skin treatments for aesthetic and therapeutic purposes, including hair removal and photorejuvenation as well as to alleviate dermatologic diseases such as acne. All of these additional treatments and therapies come in addition to the Skin Wellness Center's full line of health, skin care and wellness products. For more information on the treatments or dermatologists practicing at the clinic, visit http://www.skinwellness.com/, call 205-678-7518 or visit The Skin Wellness Center of Alabama at 398 Chesser Drive, Suite 3 in Chelsea, Ala. 35043. The Skin Wellness Center of Alabama offers innovative skin care and dermatology services to patients in the Greater Birmingham area, including Hoover and Homewood. At offices in Birmingham & Chelsea, certified dermatologists listen to patients' concerns and offer the individualized, high-quality level of care patients seek. The Skin Wellness Center of Alabama makes care accessible and affordable, and its staff members go out of their way to accommodate the visit of each patient. ...continuing to litigate would have further distracted us from our core mission: to provide the most innovative durable medical products to aid in restoring physical function and quality of life to our patients who suffer with joint stiffness... Past News Releases RSS Dynasplint Releases Five Tips for... In 2010, a former Dynasplint employee filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that Dynasplint had wrongfully billed Medicare Part B for dynamic splints provided to patients while they resided in skilled nursing home facilities. In December 2012, the federal government joined in the lawsuit. The lawsuit concerned how health care services and medical products are paid for under the Medicare program, which is administered by CMS. The Medicare Program is split into distinct parts, Part A and Part B. Medicare Part A covers eligible beneficiaries requiring inpatient medical care at a per diem rate, which is calculated to cover all in-patient-related costs, paid to the providing facility. Medicare Part B covers medical and other health services, and provides payment for the rental or purchase of durable medical equipment used by the patient only if the equipment is used in the patient's home or in an institution that is used like a home. One of the central issues in dispute in the lawsuit concerned whether a provider of durable medical equipment such as Dynasplint was prohibited from submitting any claim for reimbursement under Part B of Medicare for equipment supplied to Medicare beneficiaries who resided in Medicare-certified skilled nursing facilities, or, as Dynasplint believed, any such prohibition only applied if the institution was primarily engaged in providing skilled nursing care. Thus, if a patient received durable medical equipment while residing in a nursing facility that was not at that time primarily engaged in skilled nursing care, the provider could submit for reimbursement for use of the equipment under Part B, as long as the patient was not under Part A nor receiving skilled nursing care. In December of 2015, the lawsuit captioned U.S. ex rel. Deane v. Dynasplint Systems, Inc., et al., Case No. 10-cv-2085 (E.D. La.) reached a settlement agreement resolving litigation concerning both a Civil False Claims Act Lawsuit and a Medicare Administrative Overpayment claim. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. The Company is committed to working cooperatively with CMS to ensure continued compliance with all programs administered by CMS, and continuing the tradition of excellence established by the Company over 35 years ago. About Dynasplint Dynasplint manufactures, rents, and sells nearly 90 different dynamic splints that help patients regain joint range of motion. The Company, founded in 1981 by George R. Hepburn, II, employs sales consultants across the United States and is headquartered in Severna Park, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. For more information, please contact us at: Corporate Headquarters 770 Ritchie Highway | Suite W21 | Severna Park, MD 21146 TEL: 800-638-6771 LOCAL: 410-544-9530 FAX: 800-380-3784 http://www.dynasplint.com/ Fine Palate For Valentines Day we will be offering exclusive, rare blue lobster from the Mediterranean. No one on the Eastern Seaboard has this exotic lobster but Fine Palate. Past News Releases RSS Fine Palate Fine-Tunes Menu, Adds... Fine Palate is launching a new tasting menu that consists of Burgundy truffles, foie gras, exotic lobster and more. For Valentines Day we will be offering exclusive, rare blue lobster from the Mediterranean, said Courtney Dow, owner of Fine Palate. No one on the Eastern Seaboard has this exotic lobster but Fine Palate. This exclusive lobster will only be available for Valentines weekend. In fact, Fine Palate only brings the lobster into the states a handful of times each year. New Years Eve was the last time they brought the exotic lobster into the states. Additionally, Fine Palates tasting menu will be entirely different from its daily menu. This will be a rare treat prepared by our culinary team, a team that has deep-seeded fine-dining roots from restaurants such as Taillevent, Louis XV, and Le Bec Fin, and the head of the culinary team trained and mentored by Wolfgang Puck for over a decade, said Dow. I strongly encourage foodies to take advantage of this unique offering as its available for a very limited time. Fine Palate offers one-of-a-kind, specialized service and a superior level of creativity and flare for the most discerning palate, while providing a comfortable and casual dining atmosphere. Its Valentine's menu will also feature oysters and caviar, filet mignon, roasted duck with an Asian twist and a unique vegetarian menu. Please vist http://www.finepalategroup.com for more informaiton or reservations. About Fine Palate Fine Palate offers a wide range of worlds-class cuisine, using only the finest freshly imported and local produce. Its uniquely talented culinary team is classically trained and has fine-dining roots from some of the most exclusive restaurants around the world. Fine Palates philosophy is simple: pure hospitality with a very approachable, whimsical menu. For more information, please call (267) 318-7971, or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. The restaurant is located at 231 S. 15th St., Philadelphia, PA 19102. About the NALA The NALA offers local business owners new online advertising & small business marketing tools, great business benefits, education and money-saving programs, as well as a charity program. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361. Were taking logistics company out of our vernacular we are now connection connoisseurs. On a recent rainy Thursday, fifty guests pulled into the secluded, tree-lined Meadowood resort in Napa a bit curious. Hungry for a new type of retreat, one promising to reset their personal and professional dial, theyd registered for TPGs For the Love of YOU, but didnt quite know what to expect. Some brought water bottles and yoga mats, others carried fancy evening duds and an appetite for the fabulous meal experiences that were promised. While attendees shyly approached the registration desk as if it were the first day of school, Deb Parsons, President of TPG, knew exactly what the group would experience. This has long been a dream of mine, she said. For the Love is a disruptive idea for the events industry. While many third parties wait for their clients to ask them to create events, I decided to bring an event to them. Deb explained how shed carefully curated speakers, meal experiences, gifts all to form the type of retreat she would want to attend. Oh, and that first day shyness? That was gone after the first glass of Pinot Gris at the welcome reception. As the name indicates, For the Love of YOU was established to offer guests multiple moments that felt personally rewarding. The event website called for the smart, the irreverent, the funny, and the curious to come un-plug, connect deeply, and take some intentionally selfish "me time. So what did each day entail, exactly? Quite a lot. Jessica Micheletti, Yoga Ambassador with Lululemon, started each morning with a challenging Vinyasa yoga practice held in a charming cottage, complete with crackling fire. A longtime yogi, Jessica provided personal tips on posture and pose. As an added touch, she handed out contemplative word-cards that surreptitiously mirrored the overall goals of the event. During the day, Zeke Lopez, talent strategist, did one-on-one talent assessments for each attendee. Having studied assessment questions filled out pre-program, he dove-in deep with each individual, highlighting strengths and, what he calls, quirks. The talent talks were where we saw people get the most vulnerable, Zeke explained. While understanding our strengths and weaknesses is enormously helpful, real change comes when we open ourselves up to deep connection. Emotional engagement helps our personal and professional lives in ways were just beginning to understand this is a new concept for the average American employee. Deb piggybacked off Zekes comments, adding, Taking our guests to an emotional edge through talent assessments, hard yoga, and edgy table discussions had a surprising outcome. We knew relationship building would be an important part of our three nights together, but the authentic connections are where people found the most value. TPG took a lot away from this discovery. Its our new secret sauce for proving meaningful events for our clients, ones with high ROI. Were taking logistics company out of our vernacular we are now connection connoisseurs. Impressive meals in stunning environments designed by Dalton Fine bathed the senses in luxury while daily speakers took the retreat to new levels. The welcome reception included an intimate fireside chat with Kelly Corrigan. Armed with her book, Glitter and Glue, Kelly was endearing and funny as she shared her thoughts on work and life fulfillment. After the talk, she signed books and chatted with guests. Lunch the following day featured Fif Ghobadian and Alice Cahan from Road 22, a luxury basics clothing company that employs formerly incarcerated women. The trunk show was a huge success, and the highlight was hearing from Rachael Dunne, the companys first employee. Poised and intelligent, Rachael explained her journey from devastating circumstances to drugs and jail to her rising role at Road 22. That evening, guests tucked into a cave at B Cellars for a wine pairing dinner and presentation journey given by Kimberley Chambers. Kim is a record-setting open water swimmer who currently has a documentary under production, Kim Swims. The final speaker was Whitney Johnson, author of Disrupt Yourself. Whitney held the group captive, explaining the difference between mastery and challenge along a work-life s-curve and how, to stay engaged, we must play inside the more challenging upward climb. And, in a twist where the teacher becomes the student, Whitney also gained something from her time at Meadowood. I came to talk about personal disruption, she said. It turns out, participating in the retreat and experiencing yoga allowed me to do a little disrupting of myself. Throughout the entire For the Love retreat, Deb, Zeke, and Jessica tied together overarching themes and encouraged challenging table conversations. As Deb explained, we wanted people to get just the tiniest bit uncomfortable between the crafted cocktails and stunning table settings thats where growth happens. To find out more about TPGs For the Love of YOU Luxury Lifestyle reboot, please visit: http://www.tpgfortheloveofyou.com/ The Manor Law Firm, PC We are honored to have been able to march in this parade for the past four years. The firm is an active member of the Black Heritage Society, which hosts the parade. Past News Releases RSS Manor Law Firm Kicks Off New School... Manor Law Firm Celebrates 2nd... Attorney Jeralyn Manor, of The Manor Law Firm, PC, is proud to announce she along with other members of the firm recently celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by participating in the 22nd Annual MLK Grande Parade in Houston. We are honored to have been able to march in this parade for the past four years, said attorney Jeralyn Manor. The firm is an active member of the Black Heritage Society, which hosts the parade. In addition to members of The Manor Law Firm, Houstons Original MLK Grande Parade, the third-largest parade in the country after Pasadenas Tournament of Roses and Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, drew approximately 300,000 spectators. It was held on January 18 in downtown Houston and featured marching bands, drill teams and cultural groups from all over the city. Its just a continual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, because he was very instrumental in pulling us together, said Constable May Walker of Harris Countys Precinct 7, who has attended every MLK Grande Parade since its founding. About The Manor Law Firm, PC The Manor Law Firm is a full-service law firm based in Houston. Practice areas include criminal defense and personal injury. Attorneys at the firm operate with the belief that clients are just like them, facing real-world challenges and events. For more information, please call (713) 225-2667. The law office is located at 1730 Jefferson St., Suite 218, Houston, TX 77003. About the NALA The NALA offers local business owners new online advertising & small business marketing tools, great business benefits, education and money-saving programs, as well as a charity program. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361. Stephen Niswanger, Niswanger Law Firm PLC I feel privileged to have represented my clients for the past twenty years. Throughout my career I have always been client-focused and cost-conscious. Past News Releases RSS Attorney Stephen Niswanger Helps... Stephen Niswanger, of Niswanger Law Firm PLC, marks twenty years of practicing law, and receives the Litigation Law Firm of the Year award. I feel privileged to have represented my clients for the past twenty years, said Stephen Niswanger, founder of Niswanger Law Firm PLC and a Martindale-Hubbell Top Rated Lawyer. Throughout my career I have always been client-focused and cost-conscious. In addition to marking twenty years as an attorney, Niswanger was recently awarded the Arkansas Litigation Law Firm of the Year for 2016 by Corporate International magazine. In fact, Niswanger has been recognized by Corporate International for four consecutive years. In addition to law, Niswanger is involved with Youth Home, which provides services to adolescents that need substantial mental health care. He is also involved with the Kiwanis Activities Board, Inc. which runs Camp Pfeifer, a charitable institution dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in central Arkansas. I am proud to be a part of these outstanding organizations that help shape positive futures for kids who need guidance, said Niswanger, former president of the Downtown Little Rock Kiwanis Club and current board member for its camp. Its groups like these that turn at-risk and emotionally troubled adolescents into healthy, contributing members of the community. About Stephen Niswanger, Niswanger Law Firm PLC Stephen Niswanger is the managing member of Niswanger Law Firm PLC and focuses on business and general litigation and transactions, with an emphasis in contracts, creditors rights (including foreclosure and bankruptcy), real estate, business torts, partner disputes, trade secrets and construction. He has officially been recognized as one of the leading attorneys in the Southeastern United States by Goldline Research. For more information, please call (501) 353-1158, or follow the firm on Facebook. The law office is located at 212 Center Street, 11th floor, Little Rock, AR 72201. About the NALA The NALA offers local business owners new online advertising & small business marketing tools, great business benefits, education and money-saving programs, as well as a charity program. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361. Engaging with Stay Metrics is a go-forward strategy to be even better and continue to outperform their peers in the trucking industry. Stay Metrics announced that Grand Island Express and Halvor Lines are now using a custom-fit driver rewards, research and engagement platform from Stay Metrics to enhance the workplace experience of their drivers. Grand Island Express and Halvor Lines are current finalists for the 2016 Best Fleets to Drive For survey and contest produced by CarriersEdge in partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association. Each year, the program recognizes 20 for-hire motor carriers from across North America for providing a superior workplace environment for drivers. Two overall winners one from the 10 largest finalists and one from the 10 smallest will be revealed during the Truckload Carriers Association's Annual Convention, March 6-9, at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort. Grand Island Express and Halvor Lines are already very good at what they do, and the results are evident in their industry-leading driver satisfaction and retention rates, said Tim Hindes, chief executive officer of Stay Metrics. Engaging with Stay Metrics is a go-forward strategy to be even better and continue to outperform their peers in the trucking industry. Grand Island Express (GIE), headquartered in Grand Island, Neb., provides dry and refrigerated truckload service nationwide. The family-owned business has been a finalist in the Best Fleets to Drive For contest for five consecutive years. Grand Island Express is committed to our drivers. The Stay Metrics suite of surveys provides numerous opportunities for driver feedback, especially during our orientation and onboarding processes. The GIE custom-branded rewards platform provides an evidence-based program to reward and recognize drivers in ways that align with our business strategy, said Andrew Winkler, vice president of operations. Halvor Lines, based in Superior, Wis., operates more than 400 trucks and provides refrigerated, dry and flatbed transportation service in the United States and Canada. This year marks the fourth consecutive time Halvor Lines was named as one of the 20 Best Fleets finalists. Halvor Lines is very excited to partner with Stay Metrics. We believe their service will continue to increase our driver retention rates, add to driver performance, and give us a dimension that will put us above our competition. Most importantly, Stay Metrics will give our drivers an incentive system they can be excited for, said Bonnie Ramsay, chief information officer. The custom-branded online rewards, recognition and driver engagement platform Stay Metrics administers for clients is offered separately or as part of a full suite of services. The full suite includes driver surveys, interviews, data analytics, predictive modeling and custom research that helps motor carriers attain their financial goals while improving the work-life experiences of drivers. About Stay Metrics Stay Metrics, http://www.staymetrics.com founded in 2012, works collaboratively with motor carrier clients to solve driver retention challenges. Stay Metrics offers an industry-leading combination of driver surveys and interviews, data analytics, and predictive modeling that helps carriers simultaneously improve financial results and the work-life experiences of drivers. Driver retention rates are further enhanced when motor carriers use Stay Metrics custom-branded driver loyalty and rewards platform. Drivers earn meaningful rewards by delivering on metrics that make their companies money by engaging in gamification and educational activities such as safety and wellness programs. Stay Metrics aims to improve truck driver retention by giving trucking companies a platform to recognize and reward drivers, while at the same time gathering business insights from surveys and related research. Black Rhino Wheels- Tanay in silver with machine face The entire Black Rhino product lineup is comprised of rock-hard alloy wheels that truck and SUV owners can rest assured are up to the task of both on road and off road deployments Black Rhino Wheels (http://www.blackrhinowheels.com/) has achieved renown as a manufacturer of heavy duty alloy wheels engineered for the muscular trucks and SUVs preferred by off road enthusiasts, as well as the great looking and often quite oversized wheels sought by truckers more at home in the urban jungle. The companys newest wheel design, the Tanay, is available in variations to appeal to both segments as well as the highly popular new Cross Over Utility Vehicle (CUV) segment. Tanay Truck Rims (http://www.blackrhinowheels.com/off-road-wheels-rims-tanay.php) are named after an area of the Philippines that has rugged terrain. Catering to such a broad swath of the truck and SUV wheel marketplace requires that Tanay off road wheels be available in a wide range of sizes and in precision fitments to fit all the most popular trucks and SUVs. Tanay diameters start at 17x9 and include an 18x8 spec to fit the Mercedes Sprinter van and CUVs such as the Juke, Renegade, CrossTek, HR-V, Trax and other emerging compact trucks. Larger sizes, including 18x9, 20x9, 20x10 and 22x10 are engineered for domestic and imported trucks and SUVs, including newer Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokees. To promote precise, adapter-free fitments, Black Rhino Tanay wheels are manufactured in seven different 5, 6 and 8 lug bolt patterns, and in positive, neutral and negative offsets to meet the varying needs of different truck and SUV applications. The entire Black Rhino product lineup is comprised of rock-hard alloy wheels that truck and SUV owners can rest assured are up to the task of both on road and off road deployments, observed Terence Scheckter, Black Rhino president. That requirement met, our dealers tell us that it is our aggressive designs and progressive finishes that are the deciding factor for customers choosing the Black Rhino brand, Scheckter added. Design and finish figure large in the new Tanays appeal. Tanay wheels feature six beefy paired spokes, a deep-set center hub with an aggressive center cap and a lip accented with bright aircraft-type fasteners. Its available in three highly exclusive finishes, including silver with a bright machined face, matte black with a graphite lip and matte black with machined spoke and dark tint. The newly refreshed Black Rhino website, at http://www.blackrhinowheels.com/, enables truck and SUV owners to experience what Tanay truck wheels, and all Black Rhino designs, will look like on their vehicle. This is made possible by the ingenious Wheel Configurator tool, which enables shoppers to pull up an image of their year, model and color truck or SUV and try on each of the available Black Rhino models and finishes. Additionally the new website enables users to sort through the entire Black Rhino product line by vehicle, wheel size, construction methodology, style, design or finish. Wheel descriptions provide a full technical summary for each wheel. In the websites Explore Black Rhino section found at http://www.blackrhinowheels.com/explore/ , the Technology and Company pages permit prospective customers to learn more about Black Rhino, the company, and to peruse the Customer Gallery of photos uploaded by actual customers of their vehicles outfitted with Black Rhino off road wheels. New customers are encouraged to upload their own photos to show off their vehicle newly fitted with Black Rhino wheels. The companys website includes helpful dealer locator tools, by zip code in the United States, internationally or by calling 1-888-766-7775. The website also features dealer support tools, including online access to the inventory in Black Rhinos new 155,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Brea California. For dealers, wheels can be ordered on the website and orders received by 4pm ET are shipped the same day. Cookies What are cookies ? How do we use cookies? How to control cookies? 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You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being placed.Most browsers allow you to:If you chose to delete cookies, you should be aware that any preferences will be lost. Also, if you block cookies completely many websites (including ours) will not work properly and webcasts will not work at all. For these reasons, we do not recommend turning cookies off when using our webcasting services. Diana Renn, author of the YA novels Tokyo Heist and Latitude Zero (both Viking), shares her experience releasing a new novel set in Turkey, amid the Syrian refugee crisis the nation now faces. A few weeks before the release of my third novel, Blue Voyage, I was researching cute Turkish party favors to order for my Turkish-themed book launch party, when a shocking image hit the Internet: the body of a little boy washed up on a Turkish beach. I, and the world, soon learned of the boys identity. He was three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, from Syria. In a desperate attempt to flee his war-ravaged country, the boy, his brother, and his mother all had perished at sea. Only the father in the family survived, his life forever altered by his stunning loss. Like so many people, I found the image of the boy so arresting because he looked like a child I might know even my own little boy. Yet the familiarity of the landscape chilled me too. I knew this area of Turkey, the resort town on the Mediterranean coast. I had traveled there before. I had also spent two years stationed there in my imagination, researching and writing about that region for my forthcoming novel, Blue Voyage. I had spent months trying to achieve a balance of faithfulness to reality and creative freedom as I worked on my novels setting. I had whipped up exciting adventures for my protagonist, who would be fleeing criminals against that rugged landscape. Suddenly all of that receded, and I was left gaping at images of haggard faces, families in leaky boats, a toddler washed up on a shore. The Internet swelled with photos of Aylan and his family, and stories of the familys doomed journey. I devoured them. Following link after link, I then read stories about other refugees landing in Turkey or departing from it. I learned of a sinister industry spreading through the city of Izmir: an industry of leaky rubber rafts and faulty life jackets and I learned that this city was now a magnet for human traffickers. I also stumbled across heartwarming news stories, and I seized upon them, searching for hope. Turkey was taking in vast numbers of refugees compared to other countries. A bride and groom in a resort town donated their entire wedding feast to refugees on a nearby beach. I read everything, impatient with fiction and now hungry for current facts about my novels setting. As the day of my book launch neared, I wasnt feeling very festive. The news worsened. It dogged me. I had written a book about a privileged American teenager who gets dragged on a family vacation in Turkey to escape a political scandal back home. She starts her blue voyage, as the gulet boat cruises are called, right where that little boys body washed up. All of that now seemed trivial in comparison to current events. Every moment of the day, real people were embarking on or finishing very different kinds of voyages in that landscape. I had done months of research about Turkey, and worked with Turkish consultants on the manuscript. Accuracy is important to me, as my novels all take place in other countries. But the landscape I thought I had known had shifted. The Turkey my character traveled in now seemed like a relic from another era. And my not addressing the refugee crisis there felt like a glaring error. Eventually, though, I remembered Id experienced this before, this collision between my novels setting and dramatic current events. Several years earlier, I had also found myself doubting the accuracy of my setting as a landscape dramatically altered. When my first novel, Tokyo Heist, was heading into production in 2011, the earthquake and tsunami disaster hit Japan. After my initial shock, I struggled to comprehend the massive loss of human life. Later, deep misgivings about my own forthcoming novel crept in. Who cared about girls shopping in the Harajuku district or fleeing from gangsters? Who cared about some missing and fictitious van Gogh paintings? The landscape of Tokyo Heist seemed altered because Japans own landscape was altered. The coast of Japan had moved eight feet. The axis of Earth had actually shifted. Entire town and villages were washed away or wiped out. Nearly 16,000 people were dead. Who was I, a novelist, a writer of teen thrillers, in the face of these cataclysmic events? I felt helpless and inept watching the news footage coming out of Japan. Doctors and nurses raced to the scene. Volunteers sifted rubble, unearthing bodies and survivors. What did I have to offer in the way of assistance? It turned out other authors felt similarly helpless yet eager to help. I soon connected with groups of childrens book authors who were banding together for auctions, donating signed books and manuscript consulting services to raise money for disaster victims. Being part of a collective effort felt good. But as a debut, unknown author, the money I was able to raise in an online auction was very limited; I might as well have donated funds out of my own pocket. Which is eventually what I did, sending checks to Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross. I also felt twinges of discomfort about the online auctions. Despite the great intentions, were we truly altruistic? Nobody wants to say online auctions are promotional opportunities, but, in a way, arent they? You are getting your name and your book title in front of people, albeit in a different context. The more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I felt. I then discussed the Japan disaster with my editor, because there was still time, during copyedits, to refer to it. I reread the manuscript now with an eye toward how the Japanese characters might have been shaped by this event. The novel was supposed to feel contemporary, so these characters would have been affected. My editor and I debated whether to reference it and how much to include. In the end, I decided to reference it, yet minimally, so that it did not overtake the story which was, after all, set in Tokyo and Kyoto, and not in the direct path of the disaster. I added one explicit reference to the earthquake and tsunami, in a line of dialogue. I then clarified how one character in particular, a prominent Japanese businessman is concerned about decreased tourism after the disaster. His concern plays into his decision-making process and his motivations. In this way, I hope I struck a balance between being faithful both to Japans new reality and to my original story. With that novel, I had the luxury of some spare time to insert a reference to a real event. Other authors whose narratives are suddenly impacted by reality do not always have that option. I know of someone who wrote about the World Trade Center shortly before 9/11. Suddenly that key setting was demolished, and the novels world along with it. Time marched on. Tokyo Heist launched. I began the exciting journey of connecting with actual readers. Unsurprisingly, the Japanese setting of my novel generated a great deal of interest. What surprised me were the questions. Some people asked me if I would ever travel to Japan again, with the threat of radiation. (Yes.) Others said they hadnt been that interested in Japan until they read my book, and now they wanted to go there someday. Over the next couple of years, I received many emails and reviews responding positively to my novels setting. I began to wonder if perhaps that novel could be part of the rebuilding efforts in some way, by providing an imaginative bridge to Japan. If people young people traveled there in a story, maybe they really would have interest in traveling to the real Japan some day. That idea excited me, since the tourism industry is always hard hit in the wake of any countrys disaster. Flash forward three years. Blue Voyage was now hitting shelves in the wake of all the news stories about the Syrian refugees. I braced myself for my launch event wondering to what extent the news stories might come up, and now wrestling with a new set of questions. I was a writer who had fallen in love with a real-life place, Turkey, enough to use it as a setting for my entire novel. Unlike with Tokyo Heist, there was no time to make any change to the book to mention the refugees pouring into Turkey. It was already bound and in print. What, then, could I do? Did I have a special responsibility to address the current events there? Or even the qualifications? I was not sure. I am not a scholar of the Middle East, or a journalist. If I did address the current events, at my events or on social media, would I be perceived as trying to capitalize on a tragedy? As if I were saying, Hey, if youre interested in the situation in Turkey, check out my book? Its set there! I believed I should be engaged in some conversations about the crisis, but it felt incredibly awkward. Yes, I had written a book set in the region, but I was also trying to sell that book, and I could not deny that fact. I was not entirely sure I could neatly separate compassion and promotion. So I aimed for a middle ground. I quietly donated some money to organizations to help Syrian refugees, particularly children. I shared some links on social media about how to help refugees and forwarded some of the more positive news stories about Turkeys role in the refugee crisis. I posted pictures from my own travels in Turkey, to share pictures I thought were beautiful and compelling. I wanted people to fall in love with this place as I had, and to care about Turkey in the same way I wanted people to care about Japan in my first novel and Ecuador in my second. Throughout this process, I kept my social media sharing about news in Turkey separate from my book title. At my Blue Voyage launch events, as with Tokyo Heist, many readers were curious about the setting and asked a lot of questions. Some did ask me my thoughts about the current events. I seized the opportunity to talk about the privileged journey my character takes in Turkey, and how different it was from the refugees journeys going on right now. I also talked about the challenges of writing about setting when real-life events impact it, and the choices we make as writers about how much to include. Finally, I ventured the idea that places are more than the current events impacting them. We should understand the news stories, but we should also understand historical stories and fictional stories. All kinds of stories about a place will give a nuanced, complex picture and lead to fuller understanding. News stories shouldnt make fiction pale in comparison. If anything, they make fiction feel that much more urgent and necessary. Soon after my launch, I received an invitation from the Turkish Consul General in Boston to attend a reception in celebration of the anniversary of Turkey as a Republic. Apparently a copy of Blue Voyage had made its way into his hands. With some apprehension, I made my way into Bostons Algonquin Club. It was full of Turkish citizens and Americans, talking about not only current events, but also everything under the sun. Of course. People do not endlessly ruminate on the news. Even people who are from Turkey will eventually talk of other things. In conversing with the many people I met, I did not mention my novel. My book had given me an open door to attend this event, and I was grateful for that. There was no other reason I would have been invited. Yet now I had a unique opportunity to listen to others and to learn. I could enjoy listening to other peoples stories. Personal stories. And I was reminded of why I had fallen in love with Turkey, why I had set my novel there. Turkey, like anywhere, is far more than its news. Near the end of the reception, I got to meet the Consul General himself. He shook my hand and thanked me for having written Blue Voyage. He said he hoped it would get young people interested in Turkish culture. He smiled and added, Because you write fiction, you are a builder of bridges. Thank you for helping to make this bridge between the U.S. and Turkey. The novelist may not be able to save lives or to have the immediate impact that finances, food, and medicine can have. But we do important repair work in the realm of the imagination. We can spark interest in a place, respect for a culture, empathy for a people. We can build bridges. Maybe we can even airlift readers hearts to safety. This is not to say I am no longer rattled by current events as they impact the settings of my novels. Last month, a suicide bomber set off an explosion in Istanbuls Sultanahmet district. Ten tourists died. It happened in the heart of old Istanbul, and the heart of my novel, where my main character stays in her aunts hotel. Where she falls for a boy, where she unravels a mystery, where she makes an important friend. Its a beautiful part of the city, steeped in mystery and history. I once sat in that very spot myself, eating Turkish pastries, marveling at how lucky I was to visit such a place, and dreaming of a story I might set there someday. The area around the Hippodrome is now roped off, a crime scene, the site of tragedy. It pains me to see the pictures and to read about the ongoing investigation. I force myself to read those stories; they are important to learn. But it offers me a little comfort to know the heart of that Istanbul neighborhood still beats strong in my novel. There, the ground is not bloodstained or covered in shrapnel. There, in the fictional terrain of the novel, I hope young readers can discover the way it was, and the way it might be again. Simon and Schusters digital marketing team is officially retiring PulseIt, one of the earliest YA fan sites created by a publisher, to unveil Riveted, a website for YA fans with the tagline YA fiction is our addiction. The aim of the site is to engage fans with articles, quizzes, free content, and social media campaigns that according to Matt Pantoliano, associate director of digital marketing at S&S, aims to appeal to the YA community at large, not exclusively related to S&S titles. It didnt make sense to just focus on S&S teens and readers arent really looking at imprints, Pantoliano said of the considerations behind building Riveted. We love The Mortal Instruments series, but also The Hunger Games, The Red Queen, and others, he said. We want to talk about anything thats happening in the YA world, including movies. Riveteds first big campaign is to connect readers via social media with a scheduled binge-read of Cassandra Clares The Mortal Instruments series. Readers can follow along with Riveted staffers according to a schedule, share their thoughts on social media with the hashtag, and watch weekly YouTube broadcasts. Riveted is also set apart, Pantoliano said, by offering free content. S&S will offer a rotating selection of entire ebooks to read for free. The site has an editorial board of 15 people, working in-house to create content, but theyre looking to find new content creators outside the house to pitch ideas (though not reviews). The team behind Riveted is also looking toward expanding its reach offline, by hosting booths at YA conventions, including Apollycon in Savannah in February, YALLWest in San Diego in April, and BlogCon in New York City in July. Renuka Singhs curiosity about the nature of the mind led her to Buddhism and eventually to a life-changing encounter with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, followed by the opportunity to compile his speeches for publication, including the newest title, The Dalai Lamas Big Book of Happiness: How to Live in Freedom, Compassion, and Love (Hampton Roads, March 1). Singh, a native of New Delhi who grew up in a Sikh family, turned to Buddhism while studying for her sociology doctorate and exploring questions regarding the mind, including experiences with lucid dreaming, telepathy, and transcendence. Today, the professor of sociology at New Delhis Centre for the Study of Social Systems at Jawaharlal Nehru University describes Buddhism as the science of the mind, as it answered her questions in a very comprehensive way and gave the ultimate authority to one's experiential reality." In 1986, Singh met the Dalai Lama when she joined a small class he was teaching in New Delhi. The meeting changed her life because He said, No amount of reading will help, you have to start meditating," Singh said. "Thats what I learned from him. Since 1993, Singh has been working with the Dalai Lama in her position as director of New Delhis Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre, for which His Holiness serves as spiritual guide. Tushita used to organize his teaching every year or every other year in Delhi, and so I thought I should bring them out in the form of a book, she said. Starting with 1998s The Path to Tranquility (Viking), Singh has worked on six volumes of His Holinesss collected teachings, which were originally in India and subsequently in translated editions in other territories around the world. The books feature lightly edited selected speeches by the Dalai Lama, and most are followed by a verbatim Q&A session His Holiness had with the audience. For The Dalai Lamas Big Book of Happiness, Singh selected talks that the spiritual leader gave from 2008 through 2012, which she organized by themes such as forgiveness, compassion, reality, wisdom, and inner and outer peace. They were chosen because they have wider appeal and address common themes accessible to general audiences, rather than more obscure Buddhist teachings. His key message, Singh said, is to cultivate compassion, kindness, and love, and to have a good heart. The Dalai Lamas appeal is so universal, she said, because he is trying to address people at a secular level. Hes talking about the humane value[s]; they apply to everybody irrespective of the religious background. Further, the Dalai Lama emphasizes that fundamentally we are all the same, we are all suffering, and were all seeking happiness, Singh said. Therefore we need to actually cooperate with each other; we actually need to take care of each other. Thirty years after their initial encounter, Singh continues to be influenced by her interactions with the Dalai Lama. The most rewarding aspect of working with His Holiness is I feel very humbled and very content. Singh said. He touches your heart. Bonni Hamilton, director of marketing and digital content at Red Wheel/Weiser, which houses the Hampton Roads imprint, said that the March title would be promoted in Buddhist publications, on websites such as Patheos and Beliefnet, and through social media and other electronic means. North Korean Collection Sells to Grove Peter Blackstock at Grove Atlantic bought North American rights to The Accusation, a short story collection by a North Korean writer published after the work was smuggled out of the country. The author uses the pseudonym Bandi, and the book was initially published by the South Korean house Chogabje in 2014. Barbara Zitwer, who has an eponymous agency, is handling rights on behalf of Chogabje. In addition to the U.S. sale, the book has been acquired in the U.K. (where Serpents Tail/Profile nabbed U.K. and Commonwealth rights); France (Editions Philippe Picquier); and Spain (Libros del Asteroide). Zitwer also confirmed that offers on the book were in from a number of other territories, including the Netherlands and Germany. The collection follows a range of characters as it paints a portrait of daily life under a dictatorship. Zitwer added that the book is the first known work of fiction by a North Korean to make it out of the closed country. Italian Debut Making International Splash The Secret of Montmartre's Flowers by Donatella Rizzati has been drawing interest from a number of foreign publishers. Laura Ceccacci, who has an eponymous literary agency, has already closed foreign rights deals for the title with Goldmann in Germany (after a five way auction), and Xander in the Netherlands. Set to be released by Italian house Mondadori in the spring, the novel follows a young doctor named Viola who travels to Paris after her husband dies. Rizzati is a translator of English and French novels for Italian editors. French Crime Novel Moves to Spain Mala Vida by Marc Fernandez, originally published in France by Preludes Editions, has sold to Salamandra in Spain, at auction. Rights were handled by Marleen Seegers of 2 Seas Agency. The novel, which was released in France in September, is set in modern-day Spain and follows a series of murders that are being committed across the country. When a radio journalist decides to look into the killing spree, he stumbles on to a national scandal. Argentinean Thriller Gaining Buzz The first book in a new series, The Dagger, has been gaining notice for its growing popularity in Argentina. Written by Jorge Fernandez Diaz, the novel follows Remil, a former soldier who now works as a secret government agent and is assigned to be the bodyguard for the lover of a Spanish narco. Published in Argentina by Planeta in 2014, the novel has sold over 85,000 copies there to date. Spanish Agency Casanovas y Lynch controls all foreign rights for The Dagger and, thus far, it has sold the book to Actes Sud (France) and Globo (Brazil). In addition to publishing the book in Argentina, Planeta also published the book in Spain. A film adaptation is in the works with Marcelo Pineyro (The Method) directing. In case you missed it, balloting already has begun in Illinois. One week ago, voters in the Land of Lincoln began casting early ballots in the March 15 primary election without being required to offer any prescribed reason for doing so, a welcome revamp made a few years ago to Illinois' strict absentee voting laws. It was aimed in large part at increasing voter participation. Of course, making voting easier doesn't always result in more voters. Increased participation only will come from an engaged electorate willing to pay attention and to exercise this civic sacrament for which so many brave Americans have fought and died for centuries. Here in the Illinois Quad-Cities, the rare potential for a still-contested Illinois presidential primary in both parties, coupled with key competitive races at the state and county levels, has us hoping for record turnout in both Democratic and Republican party primaries next month. Certainly there are a host of reasons voters should vote. Quad-Cities area voters are fortunate indeed to have so many serious, quality choices given how few Illinois legislative races ever see contests in either the primary or the general election. Contested race for county officials also dot area primary and general election ballots. And we're encouraged by the number of readers who have contacted us seeking information about the candidates and for word of any candidate debates and forums that have been planned in our communities. Many we talked to were surprised and concerned that they hadn't heard about any being scheduled, particularly in the crowded race to replace retiring state Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan. We promised to share details of such sessions when we hear about them. If you have one scheduled, please be sure to contact us at press@qconline.com. If your organization routinely hosts such events and you hadn't thought to do so this time, perhaps you should reconsider. Voters could use your help with so much at stake. Toward that end, our editorial board began meeting today with candidates in key races and we plan to share our impressions in Viewpoints on some key March 15 contests. Of course our news staff is once again preparing to blanket the region, sending out questionnaires, collecting information and visiting with candidates. They will share what they learn in our news pages to help inform your vote. As always Viewpoints is eager to share with your neighbors what you think about the election. We apologize to our regular writers for repeating what you already know, but for first-timers, here's a quick primer of how to be sure your letter is published: -- We remain deeply committed to a civil debate on these pages. That means we will not allow Viewpoints to become a space to launch ad hominem attacks, or false or unprovable claims. If you resort to name-calling or specious charges, your letter will be cut, or worse, rejected. -- Limit your letters of 250-words or less to one a month and include your name, hometown and a daytime phone number for confirmation. We do not run unverified letters, so if you don't hear from us for confirmation in a few days, please call to be certain we got your letter. -- Email them to letters@qconline.com, mail them to 1720 5th Ave., Moline, IL 61265 or QCOnline.com homepage. Select "News" on the gray bar. Click on submit news/letters and follow the instructions. Finally, if you have your mind made up and are ready to vote, you can find out more about early voting sites or voter registration opportunities in your area: -- Rock Island County Clerk's Election Department at 309-558-3571 or go to rockislandcounty.org. -- In Henry County, call the county clerk's office at 309-937-3575 or online at henrycty.com. -- In Mercer County, call the clerk's office at 309-582-7021 or online at mercercountyil.org. The candidates are doing their part; now let's do ours to select the right leaders for our communities, our state and our nation. Cranky is a condition best met with afternoon tea. That's why the tradition was devised. So when our team of travelers got testy, we split up; the boys stomped one way, the girls to tea. When my girl was little, we used to take tea at The Drake in Chicago. We steeped in the fancy fantasy -- the harp music, the tiny sandwiches, the massive urns of flowers. Once, when her place-setting lacked a knife, the waiter rushed her a replacement. No scone should forgo cream and jam. Back home, at the bottom of a shopping bag, we found a knife, all silver curlicues and blunt buttering edge. For years it lounged in the cutlery drawer, reminder of tea-stained afternoons. Eventually we returned it. So when we met up in London, we couldn't forgo tea. My little girl is now a big girl. We ordered Champagne, we admired the tiny sandwiches and tall scones. She told me about her studies, her travels, her friends. She told me about her adventures, her ideas, her plans. For three bubbly hours, I did nothing but smile. No need to slide a memento off the linen; that tea soaked in, deep and indelible. Classic scones Prep: 15 minutes Bake: 10 minutes Makes: About 10 2-inch scones 1 3/4 cup flour (plus more for shaping and cutting) 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut up 1/2 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup heavy cream 1. Rub: Tip the flour into a mixing bowl; whisk in the sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Shoot in the butter, then rub together with your fingers to make a reasonably fine crumbed mixture, lifting to aerate the mixture as you go. Try not to overrub, as the mixture will be lighter if it's a little bit flaky. 2. Mix: Measure the buttermilk, then mix in the cream to slacken it. Make a bit of a well in the middle of the flour mixture with a soft spatula, then pour in most of this buttermilk mixture, holding a little bit back in case it's not needed. Using the spatula, gently work the mixture together until it forms a soft, almost sticky, dough. Work in any loose dry bits of mixture with the rest of the buttermilk. Don't overwork at this point or you will toughen the dough. 3. Knead: Lift the ball of soft dough out of the bowl and put it on to a very lightly floured surface. Knead the mixture just 3-4 times to get rid of the cracks. 4. Cut: Pat the dough gently with your hands to a thickness of 1 inch. Dip a 2-inch round fluted cutter into a bowl of flour; cut out the scones by pushing cutter down quickly and firmly into the dough with the palm of your hand -- don't twist it. You will hear the dough give a big sigh as the cutter goes in. Gather the trimmings lightly; pat and cut out a couple more scones (these last won't be as pretty). 5. Bake: Set scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until risen and golden, 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, uncovered if you prefer crisp tops, or covered loosely with a cloth for soft ones. 6. Serve: Enjoy warm with strawberry jam and a generous mound of clotted cream. Cornish people put jam first, then cream, Devonians the other way round. Americans are permitted to substitute whipped cream or creme fraiche. A Hillsdale man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to making a false 911 complaint against the village's police chief. In court before Rock Island County Judge Frank Fuhr, John H. Collier, 38, waived a preliminary hearing and entered a plea of not guilty through assistant public defender Hector Lareau. The disorderly conduct charge accuses Mr. Collier, on Jan. 8, of making a false report that Hillsdale Police Chief Paul Garza "was parked behind a gas station 'doing stuff' with a young girl." Charging documents state Mr. Collier made the report knowing there was "no reasonable ground" and could result in an emergency response. The Class 4 felony is punishable by up to three years in prison if convicted. Judge Fuhr continued Mr. Collier's case to a March 11 pretrial conference, March 24 final plea date and March 28 jury trial. The judge on Tuesday also reduced Mr. Collier's $10,000 bond by half. Mr. Collier must post 10 percent of his new $5,000 bond -- about $500 -- to be released. He remained in custody Tuesday evening, according to Rock Island County Jail officials. Public defender Baron Heintz said Mr. Collier lived with his fiancee and did not pose a flight risk. Police "keep a close eye on him," Mr. Heintz told Judge Fuhr. Assistant State's Attorney Mark Senko, who objected to the bond reduction, cited Mr. Collier's prior criminal record and several 1996 arrests in Texas -- where Mr. Collier previously lived -- for "abusive" 911 calls. A former Bettendorf High School student's attorney is seeking an acquittal for his client after a deadlocked Scott County jury last month failed to convict him of stabbing a classmate. On Jan. 25, Scott County Judge Joel Barrows declared a mistrial in the case of Drew Romkey, 18, after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict following nearly 20 hours of deliberations. Prosecutors have said they intend to retry Mr. Romkey on a count of willful injury-causing serious injury, a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The charge alleges Mr. Romkey stabbed Jacob Woodard, 18, on April 11, 2015, in the 6100 block of Lakeshore Circle in Davenport, causing serious injuries. Mr. Romkey's attorneys asked Judge Barrows to enter a judgment of acquittal. The judge denied that motion. On Feb. 3, one of Mr. Romkey's attorneys, Robert Rosenstiel, renewed the acquittal request. Mr. Rosenstiel wrote prosecutors were "unable to prove that the defendant willfully acted, or acted with the intent to cause serious injury (to) the alleged victim beyond a reasonable doubt" and that a hung jury indicated the state did not meet its burden. The motion states that, after the trial, Judge Barrows, prosecutors and Mr. Romkey's attorneys spoke with the entire jury. "All jurors agreed that defendant was not guilty of willfully causing serious injury," Mr. Rosenstiel wrote. He said jurors could not agree if Mr. Romkey was guilty of any lesser offenses. Mr. Rosenstiel cited a lack of forensic and video evidence in the case and said Mr. Romkey's testimony that he acted in self-defense was "unrebutted." "Any guilty verdict would have been based on mere speculation," the motion said, adding "no reasonable jury" could have found Mr. Romkey guilty. In a written response, Assistant Scott County Attorney Steven Berger asked that the motion be denied, stating there was "no legal basis" for it to be addressed. Judge Barrows "clearly" and "correctly" denied the motion the first time, Mr. Berger wrote. "The fact a jury was unable to come to a unanimous verdict is not grounds for rendering any decision other than scheduling a new trial date," Mr. Berger wrote. "Defendants self-serving testimony of acting in defense of himself does not negate any of this other evidence. That this jury was unable to come to unanimous agreement does not mean the next one will not either." A status hearing in the case is scheduled Friday. A Davenport man on parole, who later wrote to a Scott County District Judge saying the thought of prison is terrifying and that he wanted to become someone beneficial to this world, was arrested Thursday by Davenport Police for allegedly possessing a firearm and selling ecstasy and marijuana. ROCK ISLAND -- Gov. Bruce Rauner made use of an appearance in the Quad-Cities to call out state Reps. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, and Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, who he said were working for House Speaker Mike Madigan rather than their constituents. There was no sign of any thaw in the budget stalemate that has left Illinois without a budget since last July as the governor stuck firmly to his guns during a speech at a Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce event at Hawk Technology in Rock Island. Before an audience of about 200, Gov. Rauner said Rep. Smiddy was "working against you as taxpayers" because the Democrat sponsored a bill that would give state workers the option of arbitration in contract negotiations. "You have two representatives here in Rock Island, who are working for Speaker Madigan," Gov. Rauner added. "They should be working for you; Speaker Madigan doesn't care about the Quad-Cities." He urged the crowd to call the two state representatives and talk to them about their positions. Rep. Smiddy, who not present at the Chamber event, said the governor's decision to personally call out individual lawmakers would do little to help with the budget impasse. "It doesn't do anything to help the situation in Springfield," he said. "It's very difficult to compromise and sit down and negotiate with someone who attacks you every time they get in front of a microphone." At the heart of the budget deadlock is the governor's "turnaround agenda," a list of proposed reforms that contains anti-union measures opposed by Democrats. Rep. Smiddy said the governor didn't seem willing to compromise to reach any agreement. "When you try and speak and talk to him (Gov. Rauner) his response has been, 'I want everything that I want and that's my final negotiation,'" he said. Speaking in Rock Island, Gov. Rauner said that any suggestion that his agenda was not related to the budget was "baloney." He portrayed Democrats under Speaker Madigan as the side that was holding up progress on the budget in Springfield. Rep. Verschoore, who also was not present at the Chamber event, said it was time for an up or down vote on the governor's agenda. He also was not pleased with the governor's criticism of him. "I think what Gov. Rauner need to do is start governing and stop politicking," he said. "He's the governor, he's the one that has to pull this together." Gov. Rauner said he was not "anti-union" during his speech in Rock Island, but criticized the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, attempt to win raises. He also repeated his call for local governments to have the ability to strip workers of collective bargaining rights. Rep. Verschoore said the governor was trying to "eliminate the middle class and added, "If he thinks I'm going to turn my back on working men and women, he's crazy." Gov. Rauner, meanwhile, said that his experience in Springfield had shown him that "however bad you think government is, it's worse." "Let's be average, and we can win," the governor said. He said the reforms he backs will put Illinois on a more level playing field with other states that are creating more jobs, like Texas. ROCK ISLAND -- Aldermen on Monday night unanimously approved a rezoning request to accommodate a planned $10 million mixed commercial and residential use project at the former Zimmerman Honda car dealership in downtown Rock Island. The Rock Island Economic GROWTH Corporation requested 1740 5th Ave., the site of the planned Zimmerman Lofts, be rezoned from B-3 (community business) to B-2 (central business). Assistant city manager Jeff Eder on Tuesday confirmed officials are in negotiations with a potential commercial tenant for the building's first floor. Renaissance Rock Island President Brian Hollenback announced the project in October. The group secured a purchase agreement for the property with Mark Zimmerman in September. Mr. Hollenback said Tuesday that Renaissance could possibly acquire the property in October and start construction this year. "It's (property) now under option," Mr. Hollenback said. At Monday's council meeting, Mr. Hollenback said he didn't believe the project was going to cost the city anything. He said funding for the project will come from both public and private sources, including tax credits and a request for a federal home loan from the Bank of Chicago. A funding request also will be submitted to the Illinois Housing Development Authority, he said. Plans are to renovate the former Zimmerman showroom into 21,000 square feet of commercial space, with two floors of up to 45 apartments to be constructed above the old showroom. Andy Fisher, of GROWTH, said the rezoning will allow residential use above the first floor commercial space. B-3 zoning does not allow residential uses, city manager Thomas Thomas said. "The upper story residential use with commercial uses on a ground floor is similar in concept and use to other downtown developments," Mr. Thomas said. In other council business Monday, aldermen -- on a 4-to-3 vote -- authorized a $71,655 three-year lease agreement with Enterprise Fleet Inc. for nine 2016 Ford F150 pickups. Voting for the agreement were Alds. Ivory Clark, 1st Ward; Virgil Mayberry, 2nd Ward; Kate Hotle, 5th Ward; and Chuck Austin, 7th Ward. Opposed were Alds. P.J. Foley, 3rd Ward; Stephen Tollenaer, 4th Ward; and Joshua Schipp, 6th Ward. "Leasing vehicles provides staff with larger pickups and saves the city funds annually," according to the request submitted by Randall Tweet, public works director, and William Woeckener, fleet services director. According to a city public works department memorandum, Rock Island will pay fuel costs only during the term of the lease. Enterprise will pay the city's fleet services to perform maintenance during the life of the agreement, according to Mr. Tweet. "I feel this is a terrible idea," Ald. Tollenaer said. "It's kicking the can down the road at best. I thank the staff for coming up with innovative ways to attempt to save money. This just isn't one in my view." Ald. Hotle disagreed. "Potentially, it could save us significantly more money long term without changing our staffing levels, by providing vehicles that are well-maintained by the city," she said. Aldermen also approved an ordinance to vacate a street adjacent to 921-925 27th Ave. for UnityPoint, which wants to use the 25-foot-wide by 103-foot-long parcel to create more parking spaces and/or landscaping off of the 27th Avenue development site. 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Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America 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 Today is Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, the 41st day of 2016. There are 325 days left in the year. 1866 -- 150 years ago: The people of this region will be glad to learn that Western Union Railroad Company has made arrangements for carrying passengers by stage from Rock Island to Port Byron. 1891 -- 125 years ago: Though the building has not yet been formally accepted by the board, the new No. 2 school at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 13th Street was opened this morning with Principal Requa in charge. 1916 -- 100 years ago: Rock Islands police department will have adequate motor equipment within the next week, city authorities announced today. The department will have three cars. 1941 -- 75 years ago: Ben Hartz, manager of the Rock Island branch of McKesson, Robbins Inc., was re-elected president of the Rock Island community chest. 1966 -- 50 years ago: The early history of western Illinois, including the development of Sauk-e-Nuk, now Black Hawk State Park, into one of the major Indian communities on the Upper Mississippi River, was described last evening at Butterworth Center by Mrs. Gerald Shaw, of Reynolds, retired teacher, at a meeting of the Fort Armstrong Sesquicentennial Commission. Mrs. Shaw, who wrote the thesis for her masters degree in American history on the history of Fort Armstrong, told how chief Black Hawk was very unhappy when the army sent 800 soldiers of the 8th U.S, regiment under Brig. Gen. Thomas Smith to establish a frontier post in the Quad-Cities in May 1816. 1991 -- 25 years ago: Cindy Hearell was just an off-duty nurse, making a quick stop at a Moline grocery store for some M&Ms Tuesday evening, when she was delayed at the express lane to save a life. Ms. Hearell revived 21-month-old Thomas Christenson with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after he stopped breathing about 4:30 p.m. at the Jewel store in City Line Plaza. He had a virus with high fever, which caused a seizure and stopped his heartbeat. Here lived The Beans, according to a nameplate long since abandoned. Now, according to locals, it serves as a convenient way station for migrants and drug cartel lookouts along the Mexican border. So when Border Patrol agents recently found two suspected drug runners in a mud-stuck truck with 2,300 pounds of marijuana near here, it was little surprise that one of the suspects made a run for the house on the ridge. What happened next goes to the heart of a long-simmering debate among the Border Patrol, police responsibility groups and civil liberties advocates: When the Border Patrol uses lethal force, how much does the agency have to tell the public? The suspect who ran for the house was cornered by an agent and fought back, according to a statement issued Jan. 25, the day of the incident, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The statement also said the man was wounded. A day later, on Jan. 26, the agency released another statement. Preliminary reports indicate that the suspect assaulted the agent during the struggle, the agency said. At approximately 10:45 a.m. Mountain Standard Time, the agent fired his service-issued firearm, striking the suspect. The statement said the agent suffered minor injuries and added that the suspect was taken by air ambulance to a Tucson hospital, where he was in stable condition. No mention was made of whether the suspect had a weapon. Since then, citing ongoing investigations into the Apache shooting by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection has still not said whether the suspect is alive or dead. The agency hasnt said where on his body he was shot, nor the injuries suffered by the agent. When asked repeatedly by The Los Angeles Times over a period of two weeks, the Border Patrols parent agency, Customs and Border Protection, refused to disclose further details of the shooting. Border Patrol critics say that unlike most major police forces, the agency does not move swiftly to announce the names of the agents or suspects involved in shootings. Two weeks after the shooting in Apache, neither the agent nor suspect has yet been identified. Such an approach is at odds with the pledge made last year by Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, who said the Border Patrol would be more transparent, especially when it comes to its use of force. On Tuesday, a CBP spokeswoman declined to provide details on the Apache shooting and said the agency had turned over the investigation to the FBI. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to questions. The ultimate goal is to have the case transferred back to the CBP, said Assistant Commissioner Matthew Klein in an interview Tuesday. As for providing basic details, such as the name of the agent or whether the suspect is alive or dead, we cant release information to that level of detail because its a criminal investigation handled by the DOJ, Klein said. Then, when asked whether his agency had asked the Department Justice for information that could be released, Klein said the CBP had not. I cant say weve asked DOJ specifically at this stage, Klein said. The Border Patrols most high-profile uses of force usually involve the border itself, especially when agents fire from the U.S. on targets in Mexico. A review by the Washington-based Police Executive Research Forum analyzed Border Patrol use-of-force policies and focused on cross-border shootings, as well as shootings from police watercraft at people standing in Mexico. The Border Patrol has pledged to be more transparent, primarily after the review criticized the agency for its obliqueness. In May 2014, Kerlikowske ordered that the Border Patrols Use of Force Handbook be made public, along with the PERF report. In response to fatal shootings, the Border Patrol has also created Use of Force Incident Teams to respond to shooting sites and document evidence. Then, last year, the Department of Homeland Security restored the CBPs authority to conduct criminal internal affairs investigations. This authority will translate to more timely and transparent misconduct investigations, Kerlikowske testified to Congress in September. He said that allowing the agency to conduct criminal internal affairs investigations would ensure integrity within the CBP workforce and improve CBPs responsiveness, transparency, and accountability. When an agent uses deadly force, CBP has committed to issuing a statement on the incident within 12 hours, and a second, more involved statement within days, as it did in the Apache shooting. So far, though, the agency still has no provided basic details of the shooting incident, the kind most police departments release. Chris Rickerd of the ACLUs Washington legislative office said that any police agency would have to report when and where they used lethal force, and who was involved. I just dont understand why this agency is exempt. When asked how the agencys silence on the shooting in Apache reflects Kerlikowskes pledge of transparency, the agency said he would address that question at some point in the future. Press release submitted by Davenport Community School District Davenport, Iowa-The 9th Annual Taste of ProStart fundraiser will be held Monday, April 4, 2016 at the River Center, 136 East 3rd Street, Davenport. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with a cash bar. (5:30 to 8 p.m.) The evening will continue the fabulous food, music, a silent auction, raffle, and a jewelry pull sponsored by Neckers Jewelers. Tickets are $25 for individuals, $200/reserved table of 8. Tickets are available online at http://bit.ly/1PbFN3n (http://www.davenportschools.org/2016/02/05/9th-annual-taste-of-prostart-on-april-4th/) or in person with cash or check at the Achievement Service Center, 1606 Brady Street, Davenport (7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. weekdays). The evening offers action stations of gourmet foods prepared by some of the Quad Cities most talented chefs including: Chocolate Manor, DJs Steakhouse, Happy Joes, The River Center, Eastern Iowa Community College Culinary students, Hy-Vee Market Cafe, Milltown Coffee, The Outing Club, St. Ambrose University, Teriyaki Madness, The Phoenix, Zekes Island Cafe, Farradays, and the Davenport Community Schools ProStart culinary students. Proceeds from the event benefit students in the Davenport Community School Districts ProStart program by paying for expenses to the state and national competitions. ProStart is a nationally-recognized program developed by the National Restaurant Association to prepare students for careers in culinary arts and/or restaurant management. Davenport was the first school district in Iowa to offer the program beginning in 2003. Housed at Central, it is open to students at all three Davenport high schools. 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. Meng Brings NASA Astronaut To Queens On October 17, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) brought NASA astronaut Dr. Jonny Kim to Queens where he met and spoke with students at Francis... Celebrating Columbus The Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Queens (FIAO) held their annual Columbus Day parade in Astoria, on Saturday, October 8, during Italian Heritage Month. The... Russo-Elling Mourned More than 300 first responders lined up on Thursday night to honor FDNY EMT Lt. Alison Russo-Elling, as her body was placed into a waiting... "I am fully convinced that by March the full package will be adopted," Mrs Violeta Bulc, the European transport commissioner told delegates attending the European Railway Agency's (ERA) conference on moving towards the single European rail area staged in Luxembourg in late November. Bulc said the Fourth Railway Package will result in a 20% reduction in time to market for new operators by eliminating red tape and the numerous barriers to entry which exist today. It will also produce a 20% saving in both time and cost for the introduction of new rolling stock by streamlining the certification process. Achieving such savings will help to improve rail's competitive position, where its market share in most of Europe is at best stable and at worst declining, as ERA's executive director Mr Josef Doppelbauer pointed out at the conference. "Bus and air cost around half that of rail, and many railways suffer from bad customer satisfaction. This has led to a market share problem." Doppelbauer noted rail's share of the European passenger market has been declining for the last 15 years and is now at around 6-7%, while railfreight has a 17-18% market share which is stable if not declining. "We must understand the situation we are in and take action," he said. The different signalling systems in European countries are a major barrier to market opening and the competitiveness of rail. The introduction of ERTMS has been a cornerstone of Europe's ambition to streamline cross-border rail operations since the 1990s. But it is easy to forget that the original intention was to create a standard signalling and train control system which would be overlaid on national systems so that trains would only need two on-board signalling systems. Unfortunately, while ERTMS was being developed, train operators ordered large numbers of multi-system passenger trains and locomotives often with multiple signalling systems designed to operate in several countries so that by the time ERTMS was available commercially it was seen as yet another signalling system to be squeezed onto trains and locomotives which were already packed with equipment. At the same time, manufacturers tried to develop their own versions of ERTMS while infrastructure managers requested national variations, and incompatibility issues arose with each generation of software. "We have replaced around 20 national signalling systems in Europe with 50 non-interoperable dialects of ERTMS, something we should not be very proud of," Dopplebauer said last year. Hopefully things will start to change now that ERA is the system authority for ERTMS and it is intent on securing one set of specifications. ERA has published the specification of Baseline 3 release 2 as planned and has finalised a draft report on the strategic roadmap for ERTMS specifications which will be presented to European Union (EU) member states this month. "We will integrate their remarks and then publish it officially as the reference for delivering the agreed managed innovation," Mr Pio Guido, head of ERA's ERTMS unit, told IRJ. "We need discipline - the specifications for ERTMS must be enforced," Doppelbauer says. "Based on a stable specification, the supply industry must commit to full implementation for the on-board system." This cannot come soon enough as the experience on the ground leaves a lot to be desired for the cross-border implementation of ERTMS as two of our articles this month highlight. The complexity of introducing ERTMS across borders is mindboggling, and even then there is no guarantee that it will work, as Luxembourg Railways has discovered. There also needs to be a cull of national train operating rules, many of which are obsolete and the remaining rules should be harmonised. But it is huge task, as Bulc revealed. "There over 11,000 different national rules," she said at the ERA conference. Thankfully, a start is being made in some countries, but it is far from simple as Mr Laurent Cebulski, authorisations director with France's railway safety authority EPSF, explained in Luxembourg. "In a perfect world we would remove all national differences, but it is a matter of cost. Legacy is a real issue in the deployment of European rules - I don't know how many rules we have in France." Mr Libor Lochman, executive director of the Community of European Railways and Infrastructure Managers (CER), says that national rules should be notified so that nothing is hidden. "We have ETCS dialects because of national rules, and there is always an attempt to twist ETCS rules to comply with national rules," Lochman says. "Rather than modify ETCS, which is the road to hell, we must get used to the new system." ERA certainly has a tough job ahead of it. Under the agreement, which follows the recent signing of an MoU by the transport ministers of the two countries, FS will support RAI in the design, construction and commissioning of the Tehran - Hamedan and Qom - Arak high-speed lines. FS says its engineering subsidiary Italferr has been awarded a contract by RAI to provide technical assistance for the design of the 400km Tehran - Qom - Isfahan high-speed line. FS will also provide assistance in the procurement of new rolling stock Last year RAI awarded Italcertifer, another FS subsidiary, a contract to provide technical assistance for a project to develop a rolling stock testing laboratory, which will support the introduction of new trains. All of the cooperation commitments in the MoU will be funded through an loan based on export credits, which could be worth up to 5bn. The Federal Transit Administration on Feb. 10, 2016 highlighted $3.5 billion recommended in President Obamas Fiscal Year 2017 federal budget to advance the construction or completion of 31 public transit projects in 18 states, including 15 first-time funding recommendations. The projects would be funded through the FTA Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Program. FTAs CIG Program is the federal governments primary grant program for funding major transit capital investments that are locally planned, implemented and operated. It provides funding for investments such as new and/or expanded rapid transit, regional/commuter rail, light rail, streetcars and BRT (bus rapid transit). The program includes funding for three categories of eligible projects, as defined by the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act: New Starts, Small Starts and Core Capacity. Among the projects recommended for first-time FTA dollars: The Downtown Riverfront Streetcar Project in Sacramento, which would connect the urban cores of Sacramento and West Sacramento, serving major destinations in both cities, improving transit options for residents and encouraging transit-oriented development along the route. Phase One of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Red and Purple Line Modernization Project, which would reconstruct four stations and reconfigure track in order to relieve crowding and congestion in one of the CTAs busiest corridors. Among FTAs funding recommendations for Fiscal Year 2017: $1.4 billion for 10 New Starts projects already under construction in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Denver, Orlando, Honolulu, Boston, Charlotte and Portland, with additional funds recommended to accelerate completion. $950 million for seven New Starts projects not yet under construction in Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Ana, National Capital Area in Maryland, Minneapolis, Fort Worth and Seattle. $458 million for 10 Small Starts projects not yet under construction in Tempe, Sacramento, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Kansas City (Mo.), Albuquerque, Everett and Seattle. $599 million for four Core Capacity projects to improve capacity on existing, heavily used transit lines in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, New York City and Dallas. $125 million for the Caltrain Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project (PCEP). The project will also receive more than $72 million in prior year funding allocations. $84 million for MTA New York City Transits Canarsie Line Power and Station Improvements Project. The Canarsie (L) Line operates between South Brooklyn and Manhattan, carrying more than 300,000 passengers on an average weekday. The project will provide capacity improvements, including new power substations and other electrical infrastructure upgrades, to allow operation of additional trains on the line, NYCTs first equipped with CBTC (communications-based train control). It also will enhance and improve access at the Bedford Avenue and First Avenue Stations to provide more efficient passenger flow within the stations and to reduce overcrowding on the station platforms. (In addition to the FY2017 funding recommendation, the Canarsie Line Power and Station Improvement Project is receiving $16.3 million in FY2016 Core Capacity funds. $75 million for the Expedited Project Delivery for Capital Investment Grants Pilot Program, a new pilot program outlined in FAST that allows FTA to select up to eight projects seeking 25% or less in federal funding and using a public-private partnership approach. FTAs Annual Report on Funding Recommendations for the FY2017 CIG Program, including links to individual project profiles, can be accessed on the FTA website by clicking HERE. In addition to the FY2017 funding recommendations, FTA also announced FY2016 apportionments and allocations, which include ongoing funding for existing CIG projects. These can be accessed on the FTA website by clicking HERE. Welcome to Railway Gazette. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. You can learn more about the cookies we use here. OK Ukrainian court extends detention of alleged Russian soldiers suspected of terrorism MOSCOW, February 10 (RAPSI) - The Goloseyevsky District Court of Kiev has extended until April 9 the detention of two Russian nationals, Alexander Aleksandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev suspected of terrorism, RIA Novosti reported Wednesday. Ukrainian authorities claim that Aleksandrov and Yerofeyev were captured in an eastern region of the country during an attack on a bridge. The men, who face terrorism charges, serve in the Third Special Forces Brigade, which is based in Togliatti, a city in southern Russia, according to Ukrainian authorities. The men also face allegations of waging of a war of aggression, illegal border crossing, illegal carrying weapon and ammunition, illegal entry to an occupied territory and unleashing of war. They could be sentenced to life in prison on these charges. Moscow strongly denies the allegations. The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier that the men "were not on active service in the Russian Armed Forces" at the time of their capture in May 2015. In April 2014, the Ukrainian authorities began a military operation in Donbas against the local residents who objected to the coup. According to the UNs latest data, over 6,200 people have been killed in the conflict. Ukrainian officials and some Western states have repeatedly accused Russia of interfering in Ukraines domestic issues. Moscow has repeatedly claimed that it has had absolutely no part in the events in southeastern Ukraine and does not supply the self-defense forces with military equipment and ammunition; that it is not a party to the domestic Ukrainian conflict and is interested in Ukraine overcoming the political and economic crisis. Moscow court to review appeal by families of Airbus A321 crash victims on February 18 MOSCOW, February 10 (RAPSI) The Basmanny District Court will review an appeal filed by lawyers representing families of Airbus A321 crash victims on February 18, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday. In January, the court dismissed a complaint against investigators which had been filed by families of passengers killed in the Kogalymavia crash in Egypt. Families accuse investigators of inaction during their investigation of the crash that killed 224 passengers aboard. The Airbus A321, operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia, crashed into a mountainous area of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on October 31. The airliner was flying from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg in Russia. A militant group linked to Islamic State said in a statement that it had brought down the plane in response to Russian airstrikes in Syria. Two former Bank of Moscow managers get 4.5 and 4 years in prison for embezzlement MOSCOW, February 10 (RAPSI, Artem Ponomarev) Moscows Meshchansky District Court has sentenced Konstantin Salnikov and Alla Averina, former top managers of the Bank of Moscow, to 4.5 and 4 years respectively for embezzling over 1 billion rubles (about $13mln) from the bank, RAPSI reported from the courtroom on Wednesday. A prosecutor earlier demanded to sentence Salnikov and Averina to 7 and 6 years in prison and to fine them 500,000 ($6,350) and 400,000 rubles ($5,000) respectively. Investigators claim that Salnikov, the former senior trader at the banks Currency Transactions Department, and Averina, the former director of the banks Department of Transactions Administration, were the accomplices of Andrei Borodin, then president of the Bank of Moscow, and his first deputy, Dmitry Akulinin, who have been charged in absentia of embezzling over 1 billion rubles from the bank. Salnikov has been charged with embezzlement, and Averina stands charged with being an accessory to embezzlement and abuse of office. According to investigators, they acted in collusion with Borodin, Akulinin and one other bank employee. In 2011, a criminal case was opened against Borodin and Akulinin on charges of large-scale fraud involving state funds. They were accused of lending $443 million to shell companies, which then transferred the funds to Yelena Baturina, the wife of former Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov and the owner of the construction empire Inteco. Borodin fled to the UK in 2011. In November 2011, the Russian Interpol bureau put Borodin and Akulinin on the international wanted list. In March 2013, Borodin was granted political asylum in the UK. Prosecutor seeks 6 months in jail for author of petition on Latvias accession to Russia MOSCOW, February 10 (RAPSI) - Latvian prosecutor has demanded a six-month prison sentence for Maxim Koptelov, a local resident who was allegedly collecting signatures under a petition to integrate the republic with Russia, RIA Novosti reported Wednesday. According to prosecutors, the defendant published a petition on Latvias joining Russia in March 2014. The same month, a criminal case was opened on public appeal for abandoning Latvias sovereignty in order for the republic to accede to a foreign state. The Latvian resident who distributed the petition was detained on February 25, 2015. The investigation included a search and the confiscation of his computers and data storage devices. Koptelov was charged with public calls for destruction of Latvias independence and its integration into another state. Such crime is punishable by up to three years in prison, community service or a fine. He has pleaded not guilty. Police launch investigation possibly related to assault on opposition politician Kasyanov MOSCOW, February 10 (RAPSI) Moscow police are investigating an assault on a man in one of the capitals cafes which may be related to reported assault on a prominent Russian opposition politician Mikhail Kasyanov, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday. Earlier it was reported that Kasyanov, a leader of the PARNAS party, asked the police to initiate investigation after unknown people threw a cake at him in one of Moscow restaurants. Kasyanov told RIA Novosti that he was having a dinner in a restaurant when several unknown people entered the place. One of these people threw a cake at the politician and shouted threats. Police did not specify who exactly asked them to investigate the incident. Bangladeshis and foreign visitors to our country have been the victims of some particularly vicious and high-profile crimes committed by a small cadre of violent extremists trying to destabilize Bangladesh's secular government and strike fear into the country's tolerant populace. Bangladesh's growth and development since its hard-won independence from Pakistan in 1971 is nothing short of amazing. Poverty has diminished, life expectancy and literacy have risen, a booming economy grows at an annual rate of 6 percent, food is exported to poorer countries and Bangladesh has become a regional leader in women's rights and enfranchisement. Yet there are those who want to see this all destroyed. They want to drag Bangladesh back into a dark age of fear, violence, and bigotry. Chief among these groups is Jamaat-e-Islami, an extremist group that opposes Bangladesh's modern, secular government. Jamaat, with the blessing of its overseer, the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, has waged a three-year campaign of domestic terror against the government of Bangladesh and its people by derailing trains, firebombing buses, and even chasing down and hacking to death political opponents in broad daylight. The BNP and Jamaat have turned to these tactics because they have lost the battle at the ballot box. Bangladeshis want a secular, tolerant state, and they say so when they vote. The recent attacks targeting foreign residents, Bangladeshi bloggers and other members of civil society is an escalation of this campaign by the BNP, Jamaat and its allies. But they will not succeed. The government will hunt down, try, and prosecute the assailants. In late December, a fast-track tribunal sentenced two men to death for the brutal murder of secular blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider in 2013. Six other men were sentenced to prison for their role in the crime. The assailants were radicalized by a radical Islamist cleric, who was convicted for abetting the murder and sentenced to five years in prison. This is only the most recent example of Bangladesh's commitment to law and order and to protecting the lives of its citizens and foreign guests. Just after the beginning of this year, police in Bangladesh announced they had found and arrested 22 individuals responsible for the recent murders of four bloggers. The investigation into a fifth blogger killing is ongoing. Bangladeshi authorities partnered with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate the 2015 killing of U.S. citizen and blogger Avijit Roy, who was hacked to death in Dhaka. This is only the most recent example of the strong and ongoing cooperation between our two nations to fight terror both in Bangladesh, in the region and globally. Eight people have been arrested in connection with the killing of Roy. In addition to Bangladeshi victims, violent extremists have targeted foreign guests in Bangladesh. These attacks tear at the very heart of the Bengal tradition of hospitality. In the September murder of Italian citizen and aid worker Cesare Tavella, authorities have arrested four suspects, three of which confessed they were ordered to do the killing by a "big brother." Following this lead, police arrested a high-ranking official of the BNP. Authorities have obtained a confession from the killer of Japanese citizen and social worker Kunio Hoshi, who was gunned downed in Rangpur, in the northern part of Bangladesh, in October. In the grenade attack carried out on the Shiite Tazia Procession in October, authorities in December arrested seven suspects and recovered grenades similar to those used in the attack as well as a suicide belt bomb, several other crude bombs, bomb-making equipment and -- tellingly -- jihadi books. Authorities have made arrests in every recent high-profile crime. Trials are underway, and the procedures are open to the public. To help prevent future attacks, authorities are significantly upping protections for foreigners and Bangladesh citizens who have been threatened. Security is higher in Dhaka's diplomatic sector, with more mobile units, check points and visible deterrents. Travel routes and recreational areas frequented by foreign guests have been fortified. The government has formed a special task force to ensure the security of foreigners and monitors terrorist activities in order to defuse attacks before they take place. Regional and local governments are increasing security for foreigners residing there. Government intelligence agencies are increasing their monitoring of terrorist propaganda online and are collecting on-the-ground intelligence on terrorists nationwide. The government provides additional security for a number of high-profile members of the country's civil society that have received threats. The thread running through these arrests is that the assailants have ties to violent extremist groups, including Jamaat. These groups and the BNP seek to destroy Bangladesh's secular, tolerant society. But the government of Bangladesh is committed to maintaining it and will not rest until each assailant has been brought to justice and every Bangladeshi -- and foreign guest -- can feel safe to say and write what they believe. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate , We're sorry, this article is not currently available HOME > The Bachelor > The Bachelor 20 'The Bachelor' star Ben Higgins: Olivia Caridi made "alarming" comments and "looked down upon" her fellow bachelorettes By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/10/2016 star ADVERTISEMENT Going into the two-on-one date, Higgins was already confused about Caridi because when he confronted her before the Rose Ceremony when "I could see how those statements could be hurtful and condescending to the other women. That she felt herself on a level above them or looked down upon them. And it made me wonder if there was more to Olivia thinking of herself as intimidating than just being a woman I had singled out as a 'front-runner,'" Higgins "But when all of this was said and done, what I knew is that I didn't yet know enough. I didn't want to make a rash, emotional decision. I had two big fears (amongst many others) coming into this: One was having the wool pulled over my eyes and having a woman make me fall in love with a person that she really wasn't; the second was saying goodbye to someone that I could really see a future with too soon and regretting it. On this night I was being confronted with both." Higgins therefore kept Caridi in the running for his heart because he felt the need to respect his feelings for her and trust his gut when he had decided to give her a rose in the first place. "I mean, I would hate to send a woman as amazing as Olivia home simply because she was misunderstood by a group of women also dating the same guy as her. But I won't lie and say that my guard was definitely up at this point and my eyes open," Higgins admitted. Higgins then set up Caridi with her archnemesis in the house, Ferguson, who was the first person to voice complaints about the blonde news anchor to the Bachelor. He understood the idea of a two-on-one date with one rose at stake was probably "an awful thought" for the women, but at the same time, he was nearing his "emotional breaking point." "I knew Olivia and Emily had issues with each other, and I thought the best way to make a decision was to have a true side-by-side comparison of my feelings for each of them and make a final decision. It was important to me that this was not about Olivia vs. Emily though. It was going to be about Ben and Olivia and Ben and Emily. Nothing more. And I knew those two women would respect that," Higgins explained. For their date, Higgins and the girls took a boat ride in The Bahamas to a private beach, where the Bachelor had a private conversation with each bachelorette in order to determine who should stay and who should go. "My conversation with Olivia there reminded me what I liked about her. She was sweet and confident and poised. She put her heart on the table and I can't tell you how much that means to me. But she told me that she loved me in that moment. And those are very serious words to me. Very serious. The second she said them I fell into myself and started examining how I really felt for Olivia. Whether or not I felt like I could say those words back," he explained in his blog. "Talking with Emily after that I really remembered what I liked about her though as well. I just can't sit with Emily and not smile. She's so endearing and so honest and fun it just is impossible not to. But on top of that, what she was telling me was very meaningful. Sometimes with how fun Emily is, it's easy to dismiss how emotionally intelligent and self-aware that she is. That she knows she has a lot of growth left and that she wants me by her side as she grows as a person really meant a lot to me." Higgins couldn't get Caridi's love admission out of his mind. While he was certain he wasn't in love with her yet, he contemplated whether he could be down the road. "Even if I took away all the controversy of last week in Mexico and disregarded the previous red flags that didn't come to my attention until much later, I just couldn't see myself as her husband... I knew then that Olivia was not the one for me. And I owed it to her to tell her that right then and there," Higgins confessed. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! However, it's important to him that people don't judge Caridi for being a person she's not. "I want to stress... [after] hearing all the criticism and actually KNOWING Olivia from personal experience rather than watching her from afar, she really is a good person with a huge heart," Higgins insisted. "Far from perfect like myself? Absolutely. And I am sure there are some mistakes she would admit to and things she would do differently if she had the chance to go back. But she did it all in an effort to find true love. She may not always say the perfect thing, but when you really get to know her, she is a great woman that I will always be grateful to have met." About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON GOOGLE NEWS star Ben Higgins has owned up to why he chose Emily Ferguson over Olivia Caridi on the two-on-one date in The Bahamas.Going into the two-on-one date, Higgins was already confused about Caridi because when he confronted her before the Rose Ceremony when Jennifer Saviano went home, she basically agreed she didn't get along with the other women and just explained why that was the case. Higgins found some "alarming things" during their conversation, mainly when she described her differences from the other bachelorettes."I could see how those statements could be hurtful and condescending to the other women. That she felt herself on a level above them or looked down upon them. And it made me wonder if there was more to Olivia thinking of herself as intimidating than just being a woman I had singled out as a 'front-runner,'" Higgins wrote in his People blog, explaining however, that he hates the term "front-runner" because it turns his genuine desire to find love with the right woman into a competition someone can win."But when all of this was said and done, what I knew is that I didn't yet know enough. I didn't want to make a rash, emotional decision. I had two big fears (amongst many others) coming into this: One was having the wool pulled over my eyes and having a woman make me fall in love with a person that she really wasn't; the second was saying goodbye to someone that I could really see a future with too soon and regretting it. On this night I was being confronted with both."Higgins therefore kept Caridi in the running for his heart because he felt the need to respect his feelings for her and trust his gut when he had decided to give her a rose in the first place."I mean, I would hate to send a woman as amazing as Olivia home simply because she was misunderstood by a group of women also dating the same guy as her. But I won't lie and say that my guard was definitely up at this point and my eyes open," Higgins admitted.Higgins then set up Caridi with her archnemesis in the house, Ferguson, who was the first person to voice complaints about the blonde news anchor to the Bachelor. He understood the idea of a two-on-one date with one rose at stake was probably "an awful thought" for the women, but at the same time, he was nearing his "emotional breaking point.""I knew Olivia and Emily had issues with each other, and I thought the best way to make a decision was to have a true side-by-side comparison of my feelings for each of them and make a final decision. It was important to me that this was not about Olivia vs. Emily though. It was going to be about Ben and Olivia and Ben and Emily. Nothing more. And I knew those two women would respect that," Higgins explained.For their date, Higgins and the girls took a boat ride in The Bahamas to a private beach, where the Bachelor had a private conversation with each bachelorette in order to determine who should stay and who should go."My conversation with Olivia there reminded me what I liked about her. She was sweet and confident and poised. She put her heart on the table and I can't tell you how much that means to me. But she told me that she loved me in that moment. And those are very serious words to me. Very serious. The second she said them I fell into myself and started examining how I really felt for Olivia. Whether or not I felt like I could say those words back," he explained in his blog."Talking with Emily after that I really remembered what I liked about her though as well. I just can't sit with Emily and not smile. She's so endearing and so honest and fun it just is impossible not to. But on top of that, what she was telling me was very meaningful. Sometimes with how fun Emily is, it's easy to dismiss how emotionally intelligent and self-aware that she is. That she knows she has a lot of growth left and that she wants me by her side as she grows as a person really meant a lot to me."Higgins couldn't get Caridi's love admission out of his mind. While he was certain he wasn't in love with her yet, he contemplated whether he could be down the road."Even if I took away all the controversy of last week in Mexico and disregarded the previous red flags that didn't come to my attention until much later, I just couldn't see myself as her husband... I knew then that Olivia was not the one for me. And I owed it to her to tell her that right then and there," Higgins confessed.However, it's important to him that people don't judge Caridi for being a person she's not."I want to stress... [after] hearing all the criticism and actually KNOWING Olivia from personal experience rather than watching her from afar, she really is a good person with a huge heart," Higgins insisted."Far from perfect like myself? Absolutely. And I am sure there are some mistakes she would admit to and things she would do differently if she had the chance to go back. But she did it all in an effort to find true love. She may not always say the perfect thing, but when you really get to know her, she is a great woman that I will always be grateful to have met." THE BACHELOR 20 THE BACHELOR SPOILERS MORE THE BACHELOR 20 NEWS << PRIOR STORY 'Married at First Sight's Ashley Doherty loses all trust in David Norton, Sam Role starts to like Neil Bowlus NEXT STORY >> Jordin Sparks and boyfriend Sage the Gemini call it quits on their relationship Get more Reality TV World! Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or add our RSS feed. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Page generated Thu Oct 20, 2022 22:26 pm in 0.80968499183655 seconds Colombia, particularly for those new to or uninterested of the nation's late history, might just be seen through the perspective of challenges with medication trafficking and terrorism. In any case, a conversion of components, from a quite enhanced security circumstance over the previous decade to a steady, developing economy, a splendid light contrasted with those of numerous Latin American neighbors, has made the nation, and its land market, hot items for already sketchy outside financial specialists. "Colombia is poised for the greatest move of any country in Central or South America," says Rich Holman, founder and partner of First American Realty Medellin. "We're going to blow Panama and Costa Rica out of the water." Beforehand, the wonderful, noteworthy city of Cartagena was both the door and the end of the street for those keen on Colombian land, since it was viewed as much more secure than greater urban areas in the inside. Yet, the nation's monetary extension (after the genuine knock of an overall drop in product costs), ideal conversion standard, developing white collar class, and expanding tech scene-Facebook facilitated its first universal town lobby in Bogota-propose a business sector balanced for maintained development. Neighborhood land operators, floated by the potential for outside interest in urban areas the nation over, see it in considerably more straightforward terms. A juncture of variables has made the potential for a durable land development spurt. Colombia's late history has kept away remote financial specialists, which means the land business sector is moderately shoddy, fixing to the peso, and does not have the sudden inflows and outpourings of capital that would profoundly swing costs. The essentials of the economy are extremely solid, and numerous have recommended this business sector is perfect for retirement homes, immaculate atmosphere, socially rich urban communities, or speculation properties, particularly considering the vacationer exchange, anticipated that would grow 4 percent every year for the following decade. Jose Miguel Echenique, overseeing executive of Engel and Volkers, sees upside in about each significant city in the nation, including Barranquilla (a top money related and exchange focus on the Atlantic coast) and in addition Cartagena, an alluring destination for neighborhood and universal travelers loaded with top of the line improvements. Terror Groups Eyeing Israel's Destruction from inside NGOs Two stalwarts go sleuthing: "The research suggests that antisemitism is the fuel that primes the PSC engine" 'For as long as these antisemites wrap themselves up in the Palestinian flag, too many people are willing to turn a blind eye. Only against Jews is this type of racism openly tolerated. It is flourishing in schools, colleges, universities, unions and in city councils. In fact, so rampant is the disease now, in some settings you can be ostracised if you do not partake in the frenzy yourself. Bashing Jews has becomes a trendy position for the ignorant social justice warrior. "Palestinianism" is a viral "ponzi scheme" and as it spreads, it carries antisemitism in the undergrowth.' David Collier (2017) 'This new rise in antisemitism, which I had thought long dead, was not shaven-headed white imbeciles from the far right. It was Muslims, a large chunk of it.... Suddenly I grasped that the British far left didnt want people to know about antisemitism because it pointed the finger at people they really, really liked. From that moment on, it all fell into place.... Time and again the same tropes emerged, the same sort of stuff that Streicher and Goebbels would have commended and uttered.... And from that a whole bunch of other stuff emerged: the old blood libel business (a favourite of the repulsive Jenny Tonge).... Nice, avuncular, Jeremy Corbyn, with his peace badges, happily laying a wreath at the graveside of Palestinian terrorists who murdered innocent Jewish athletes, oh, and much much more.... It is the same antisemitism, exactly the same: the obsession with Israel to the exclusion of everything else, the conspiracy theory paranoias, the derangement.... Heres the test if you cannot see the flagrant racism in the BDS movement, and if you are obsessed with the perfidy of the Middle Easts only democracy to the exclusion of all else, you are an antisemite. That means a good proportion of the Labour Party, including the leader, and almost all of Momentum: no brown shirts, no marching bands, but the same old filth, dressed in the clothes of a polytechnic geography lecturer.' Rod Liddle (2018) Pro-Israel Down Under Shalom and Welcome to my blog! I'm the little Aussie blogger who took the screenshot and broke the story of Stephen Sizer's notorious 9/11 post, and I've since broken two other stories that subsequently went viral, one Australia-wide and one, thanks to the sterling work of two other bloggers, worldwide. I remain very surprised and very honoured to have been co-winner, Best Pro-Israel Blog, Hasby Awards, 2013 Please "Like" me on Facebook; my Facebook page is here 'In a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel ... is different.... Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, only Israel's Arab citizens enjoy real democratic rights.... Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East. Israel is what is right about the Middle East.' Bibi Netanyahu (20 Iyar 5771; 24 May 2011) Scroll to end for more quotations Tired of anti-Balfour agitprop? Balfour and Beyond Try this for Sizer 'Before the June 1967 Six Day War, there were no such things as "settlements". Palestinians were trying to destroy and displace Israel anyhow. The core problem is not, and never was, "settlements," but the right of Israel (or any non-Muslim nation) to exist inside any borders in that part of the world. If you take a stand that is based on a lie, then that stand cannot succeed. If you try to oppose antisemitism but pretend it is the same thing as "Islamophobia," then the structure on which you have made your stand will totter and all your aspirations will fail. If you try to make a stand based on the idea that settlement construction rather than the intransigence of the Palestinians to the existence of a Jewish state is what is holding up a peace deal, then facts will keep on intruding.' Douglas Murray (31 December 2016) https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9685/britain-little-lies BDS is Antisemitic The Bigotry & Immorality of BDS 'Islamophobia does NOT come from the same wellspring of hatred as antisemitism. Antisemitism is a true prejudice because the hatred and demonisation it promotes derive entirely from lies and a repudiation of rationality itself. Islamophobia is a false allegation of prejudice which is deployed to silence rational criticism based on actual facts about attitudes and practices within the Islamic world. [L]ethally compromised even-handedness is to misunderstand, and thus minimise, antisemitic attitudes and behaviour while shutting down legitimate and necessary discussion of the threat from the Islamic world even to demonise as Islamophobic anyone who draws attention to the extent and consequences of Muslim antisemitism.' Melanie Phillips (14 December 2016) "Selling a house to a Jew is a betrayal of Allah" Maps of Mendacity & Mischief These misleading maps were deliberately prepared to date from 1946 intentionally papering over the momentous events that had occurred between 1917 and 1945. Attempts to unravel binding precepts of international law established between 1917 and 1945 and failing to insist on their being upheld and enforced has a lot to do with the sorry situation the world finds itself in today. David Singer (2016) How They Twist the Truth! Jews have re-assumed the role of the canary in the mine and are the first to be targeted, but the world would face the same threat if Jews did not exist. Israel has been at the front lines confronting Islamic extremism but has received scant support... For Jews, the writing has been on the wall for a long time. The virulence of the antisemitic hatred closing in on Jews in Europe (and elsewhere) is horrifying... Europe is today facing a crisis as serious as the confrontation with Nazism. If Western leaders continue behaving like Chamberlain and fail to stand up to this global threat, it could usher in a new Dark Age in which the Judeo-Christian culture is subsumed by primitive barbarism. The writing is on the wall Isi Leibler (12 January 2015) Expose The Lies! There is a war of lies and deceit on the internet generating unbelievable hate by denigrating and delegitimising the legal rights conferred on the Jewish people by the League of Nations in 1922 and the United Nations in 1945. The idea that there are two narratives on the Arab-Jewish conflict is rubbish. There is only one the factual truth that details the return of the Jewish people to reconstitute the Jewish National Home in its ancient biblical, ancestral and historic homeland after 3500 years of dispersion with the unanimous endorsement of the nation states then comprising the League of Nations.... Generals cant fight a war without soldiers. Jews around the world need to join the fight or vacate the internet to the Jew-haters and their lies that repeated often enough eventually become accepted as truth. David Singer (2016) Exposing Lies The "Apartheid" Slur The division of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) into three separate areas A, B and C was agreed on by Israel and the PLO pursuant to the Oslo Accords. 95% of the West Bank Arabs live in Areas A and B and their daily lives are under the total administration and control of the PLO since the Palestinian Authority was disbanded by Abbas in January 2013. The PLO has total security control in A and shares security control in B with Israel. Israel has total administrative and security control in C. Israel is entitled to and will continue to take responsibility for the security of Jews living in the West Bank. Jews were given the legal right to settle in the West Bank under article 6 of the Mandate for Palestine and article 80 of the UN Charter. They did so for decades until they were driven out in 1947 and not able to return there until 1967. There are Arab roads only in the West Bank that Jews are not allowed to use. Jews are also forbidden from entering Area A. Selling land to Jews is forbidden by the PLO under pain of death. The PLO runs the daily lives of 95% of the West Bank Arabs and Hamas runs the daily lives of 100% of the Gazan Arabs. They have been under occupation and subjugation by these two evil groups for the last ten years and given no say in their future or any opportunity to elect others to lead them following the disastrous political decisions of their leaders over the past ten years. Hamas and the PLO do not accept the continued existence of a Jewish State and call for its disappearance. The narratives did not begin in 1948 they began in about 1917. How do you make peace with an enemy that has been obsessed with not recognising any Jewish national rights in former Palestine for the last 100 years? David Singer (2016) Telling the Truth The Jews of the Holy Land ... are surrounded by hostile states 650 times their territory and sixty times their population. Yet their last, best hope of ending two millennia of international persecution - the State of Israel - has somehow survived. When, during the Second World War, the island of Malta came through three terrible years of bombardment and destruction, it was rightly awarded the George Cross for bravery. Today, Israel should be awarded a similar decoration for defending democracy, tolerance and Western values against a murderous onslaught that has lasted twenty times as long. Andrew Roberts (historian) A voice of courage & reason He knows, y'know An Aussie demo against BDS On the left, black people are usually allowed to define whats racism; women can define sexism; Muslims are trusted to define Islamophobia. But when Jews call out something as antisemitic, leftist non-Jews feel curiously entitled to tell Jews theyre wrong, that they are exaggerating or lying or using it as a decoy tactic and to then treat them to a long lecture on what anti-Jewish racism really is. Jonathan Freedland (The Guardian, 29 April 2016) An awkward fact for some! Socialist thought was tainted from its very origins with the heavy baggage of anti-Jewish stereotypes. Robert Wistrich, From Ambivalence to Betrayal:The Left, the Jews, and Israel (2012) BDS hypocrisy! Want more? Israel is understandably obsessed with security, but its greatest security lies ultimately not in the Israeli Defence Forces, but in political warfare.... Most of the world is not deeply interested in what happens in Israel, and probably does not want to be deluged with legalistic defences of particular actions. What it wants is a clear, calm, repeated case. It is a case aimed more at public opinion than at foreign ministries about freedom, democracy, a Western way of life and the need for the whole of the free world to fight terrorism. Sometimes you hear Israelis say: It doesnt matter what we say. The whole world is against us. You can see why they say it, for they are indeed unfairly treated. But when they say it, they are uttering a self-fulfilling prophecy. If they wont say what needs saying, no one else will say it for them. Charles Moore (2010) #Je suis ISRAEL Aujourdhui, lantisemitisme est masque par lantisionisme. Il faut dire les choses comme elles sont! ["Today, antisemitism wears the mask of anti-Zionism. We must tell things as they are!"] Nicolas Sarkozy (27 May 2015) Once again the armies of the Arab nations are coordinating their military efforts to destroy Israel - whatever they say about wishing merely to regain the lost territories.... [I]f the present Arab offensive had been launched at the pre-1967 frontiers, then the Israelis would indeed have been fighting to avoid annihilation. It seems now that the Israelis were right to maintain the ceasefire lines gained in 1967, and that to do so is the only guarantee of their continued safety. Alan Sillitoe (The Times, 11 October 1973) A nuclear Iran threatens our existence Iran and ISIS are competing for the crown of militant Islam... In this deadly game of thrones, theres no place for America or for Israel, no place for Christians, Jews or Muslims who dont share the Islamist medieval creed, no rights for women, no freedom for anyone... [T]he greatest danger facing our world is the marriage of militant Islam with nuclear weapons. To defeat ISIS and let Iran get nuclear weapons would be to win the battle, but lose the war. We cant let that happen...[T]he days when the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies, those days are over. We are no longer scattered among the nations, powerless to defend ourselves. We restored our sovereignty in our ancient home. And the soldiers who defend our home have boundless courage. For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish people, can defend ourselves....Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand. But ... I know that America stands with Israel... You stand with Israel, because you know that the story of Israel is not only the story of the Jewish people but of the human spirit that refuses again and again to succumb to historys horrors. Bibi Netanyahu (12 Adar 5775; 3 March 2015) The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews. Other nations drive out thousands, even millions, of people, and there is no refugee problem.... [N]o one says a word about refugees. But in the case of Israel displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees.... Other nations - when they are defeated - survive and recover, but should Israel be defeated it would be destroyed.... [A]s it goes with Israel, so it will go with all of us. Should Israel perish the holocaust will be upon us. Eric Hoffer (1968) My archived Tuesday blogs at Elder of Ziyon , Most of the present Arab countries were given their freedom after the 1914-18 War, or after the 1939-45 War.... Yet to listen to Arab spokesmen one might think that they had been cheated ... because they have not also got Israel. Israel is only .2 per cent of the land where Arab States have been established. Surely no fair-minded man can begrudge the Jews their own promised land when it is remembered that for every 2 acres that went to make up Israel, 1,000 acres became Arab.... Why is there an Arab refugee problem? The oil-rich countries have the money. There is no shortage of land, and the Israelis have the technical knowledge to show how it could be developed and made fertile. Bring those things together and the problem could be solved. 3rd Earl of Balfour (1968) Blog Archive January 7, 2015 has already its place in the history of infamy, but also will be the date when the defenders of freedom and democracy will rise and pay tribute to those who died for their freedom and ours. Therefore, we must not forget on which side we are and who are our allies in the defense of the West and its values. Whether we admit it or not, the West is at war with an enemy who will not stop to destroy us... The State of Israel boasts a commandment that, in one of the darkest hours in the fight for liberty Winston Churchill taught: "Never give up". Israel has proven to be a key ally in the fight against Islamism and also an example of how a liberal democracy can resist the jihadist stake and thrive as a Western nation ... Not only France but also all the West should look to Israel to defeat Islamism... friendsofisraelinitiative.org [I]ts impossible to believe that an active antisemite wouldnt if only opportunistically seek out somewhere to nestle in the manifold pleats of Israel-bashing, whether in generally diffuse anti-Zionism, or in more specific Boycott and Divestment Campaigns, Israeli Apartheid Weeks, End the Occupation movements and the like....[T]ell me that not a single Jew-hater finds the activity congenial, that criticising Israel can never be an expression of Jew-hating, not even when it takes the form of accusing Israeli soldiers of harvesting organs... Howard Jacobson (The Independent, 27 May 2013) What has happened to the 800,000 Jews who lived for over 2000 years in the Arab lands ...? Where are they in Arab society today? You dare talk of racism when I can point with pride ... to the fact that it is as natural for an Arab to serve in public office in Israel as it is incongruous to think of a Jew serving in any public office in an Arab country, indeed being admitted to many of them. Chaim Herzog (6 Kislev 5736; 10 November 1975) I stand with Israel, I stand with the Jews.... I defend their right to exist, to defend themselves, to not let themselves be exterminated a second time. And, disgusted by the antisemitism of many Europeans ... I am shamed by this shame that dishonours my country and Europe. Oriana Fallaci For Western countries to side with those who question Israel's legitimacy, for them to play games in international bodies with Israel's vital security issues, for them to appease those who oppose Western values, rather than robustly to stand up in defence of those values, is not only a grave moral mistake, but a strategic error of the first magnitude. Israel is a fundamental part of the West. The West is what it is thanks to its Judeo-Christian roots. If the Jewish element of those roots is lost and Israel is lost, then we are lost too. Jose Maria Aznar Israel is, for us, a normal and a special country. A normal country, because it is just like any other democracy. A special country, because the Jewish culture, which eventually became the Judeo-Christian culture of the dignity of man, is the conceptual foundation of liberalism and democracy. This is why attacking Israel is tantamount to attacking Europe and the West. This is also why disputing Israel's legitimacy and its right to existence means questioning democracy. And this is why we are Friends of Israel. By defending Israel, we are defending ourselves. Marcello Pera Israel ... is beset today by a unique combination of threats. It must defend its people from attack while defending its very right to exist. No other nation in the world faces this dual challenge. To deny Israel's right to confront some of the world's most vicious terrorist groups in order to ensure the safety of its citizens is to corrode international norms from within ... The assault on Israel is one part of a more general assault on the West, on democracy, and on the moral and cultural heritage that grew from the fruitful interaction of Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome ... Should these efforts succeed, similar efforts will certainly be turned against other western democracies. George Weigel Apart from America itself, Israel still stands as the world's brightest model of national self-liberation based on ideals of individual responsibility and human freedom. Israel's ability to withstand Arab attempts to destroy it in one of the longest and most lop-sided wars ever fought serves as an indelible testimony to the strength of democratic culture.... We know from the past that the West paid dearly for ignoring Hitler's war against the Jews. One can only hope it will not pay as dearly for having ignored or underestimated for so long the Arab war against Israel and the Jews. Ruth Wisse The choice before us is not between victory and defeat, but between victory and annihilation. We therefore have not the slightest intention of allowing the re-creation of the conditions of vulnerability in which we found ourselves, abandoned and alone, in the summer of 1967. Diplomat Michael Comay (1970) I am duty-bound to defend freedom, culture, peaceful coexistence, the civic education of children, and all the principles that the Tablets of the Law have rendered universal. Principles which Islamic fundamentalism systematically destroys. This means that, since I am a Gentile, a journalist and a leftist, I have a triple moral commitment to Israel. Because, if Israel were to be vanquished, modernity, culture and freedom would also be crushed. Even though the world has failed to wake up to this fact, Israel's struggle is the world's struggle. Pilar Rahola About Me Daphne Anson I'm a writer/researcher, with many academic books and articles under my own name. Daphne Anson is my blogging alias. Combining the names of two ships, it's a moniker of special significance to me - I'm a naval history buff. I use an alias owing to a perceived need to keep my blogging and professional identities separate. An Aussie, I've long been interested in politics and foreign affairs, having studied International Relations in the USA and Britain for my first degree, and I also hold a doctorate. I began blogging in response to the exponential rise in antisemitism and hostility to Israel in the wake of the Mavi Marmara affair. Another reason I use an alias: http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2015/08/alias-two-ships-daphne-anson.html View my complete profile Followers An Athens man was found dead in his apartment Feb. 21 after not being in contact with his family for a couple of days, according to Athens-Clarke County police. A group of people that follow Return of Kings a blog for heterosexual, masculine men planned to meet at the University of Georgia Arch on Saturday, but many students took to social media to speak out against it. FILE - In this March 13, 2007 file photo, Steven Avery listens to testimony in the courtroom at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. The Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer tells the story of a Wisconsin man wrongly convicted of sexual assault only to be accused, along with his nephew, of killing a photographer two years after being released. An online petition has collected hundreds of thousands of digital signatures seeking a pardon for the pair of convicted killers-turned-social media sensations based on a Netflix documentary series that cast doubt on the legal process. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File) SHARE By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer 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. "We are ready to follow if there are significant developments and we are looking at other stories, as well," Demos said. 'Slinging mud:' Supervisor candidates trade charges ahead of election Kevin Crye, 46, is making his first run for political office, while Erin Resner, 37, was first elected to the Redding City Council in 2018. Charles Allen SHARE By Alayna Shulman of the Redding Record Searchlight Tehama County's controversy-plagued superintendent of schools has resigned as he faces having his certification revoked. The resignation letter from Charles Allen elected in 2014 despite accusations he lied about having a master's degree was accepted at Monday night's Tehama County Board of Education meeting, said Board Member Tim Morehouse. Allen's resignation will officially take effect Feb. 29, Morehouse said Meanwhile, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing will meet Thursday to consider revoking Allen's certification, which would have made him ineligible to finish the final three years of his term. The agenda includes an item recommending Allen's credentials be revoked and any pending applications from him denied because of misconduct. Specifically, violations of the education code section dealing with "immoral or unprofessional conduct, or for persistent defiance of, and refusal to obey, the laws regulating the duties of persons serving in the public school" is mentioned. Allen has been under investigation over the accusations, including a petty theft charge related to the $750 annual stipend he was receiving for a degree he doesn't have. He did not return a message seeking comment Tuesday. Morehouse said there are no current candidates being considered to replace Allen, but former Tehama County Superintendent Bob Douglas said it's become an unofficial battle between Allen's former challenger and whistleblower Harley North and his second-in-command, Assistant Superintendent Rich DuVarney. Douglas said that he and two other former Tehama County superintendents fully endorse North and question why someone with his experience wouldn't be the obvious choice to everyone. Douglas theorized that current employees are more comfortable with someone they already know and fear North's reputation as a stickler for excellence. "Mr. North has a reputation for being a very stern taskmaster; he runs a tight ship ... but the people that have worked for him for 30 years will tell you he demands a lot, he supports you 100 percent," Douglas said. "People from the outside of that looking in, that's fearful. There's a lot of mythology, if you will, from my point of view, out there about what kind of administrator he is and what he might do as the superintendent of schools." But Douglas said he knows North would do "miraculous" things for the county. "I wouldn't be making this recommendation if I didn't believe in my heart and soul that he wasn't the right man for the job," he said. "I think a lot of citizens agree with me and they're kind of looking and saying, 'Why isn't this a slam-dunk?'" Officials at the commission confirmed Tuesday that it's up to the school board to appoint a new superintendent when the elected one suddenly leaves. Morehouse said he and another board member have been tasked with coming up with a process for finding that replacement including through a public vetting effort and bring it to the board at next week's meeting, Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Education Department, 1135 Lincoln St., Red Bluff. "We want to make sure that we're transparent and fair in the process and giving the community time to have input," Morehouse said. Douglas said that's important to him as well "anything short of that is starting to look like predetermined cronyism," he said. Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight Shasta College student Elijah Relph competes in the double buck competition with Luke Seats, not pictured, during the Sierra-Cascade Logging Conference at the Shasta District Fair grounds in 2015. SHARE By David Benda of the Redding Record Searchlight Even with all the rain that fell in December and January, California isn't out of the woods from the drought. This reality isn't lost on the timber industry as it convenes this week in Anderson for the 67th annual Sierra Cascade Logging Conference. And water takes the spotlight Thursday afternoon at the Shasta District Fair grounds in "Forestry and California's Water Supply Connections and Solutions." The panel discussion 1 to 3 p.m. at Fusaro Hall. Conference spokesman Mike Quinn said forests play an important role in California's water supply. Forest scientists and researchers have been talking about the link between forests and the availability of water. "I think it's appropriate now because now that we got all this rain, maybe we are kind of not thinking" about the drought, Quinn said. On Thursday's panel will be Ray Haupt, a Siskiyou County supervisor and a former Forest Service district ranger in the Klamath National Forest. He is working on a research project in the Scott Valley that looks at the changes in forest density and how it affects water supply. Also on the panel will be Rob York, an adjunct professor for forestry at University of California, Berkeley. He also is research stations manager for the school's Center for Forestry. York will talk about sustainable harvesting to help forest restoration, reducing fire hazards and increasing water yields, Quinn said. Sara LaPlante, deputy district ranger in the High Sierra District in the Sierra National Forest, will round out the panel. She will talk about the Forest Service's collaborative efforts to work with groups to help guide projects in national forests. Moderating the discussion will be Jim Ostrowski, a consulting forester. While the conference activities started Tuesday, the event kicks off in earnest with Thursday's Gin Fizz Breakfast in Fusaro Hall. Doors open at 7:30 a.m. Tickets to the breakfast are sold out. Bill Dennison, past president of the logging conference who chairs the conference's history project, will be the breakfast's keynote speaker. Thursday also is education day at the conference. Quinn said fourth-grade students from 13 schools have been invited to learn more about forest management and the timber industry. Public exhibits open at 11 a.m. Thursday and run through Saturday. If you go What: 67th annual Sierra Cascade Logging Conference 67th annual Sierra Cascade Logging Conference Where: Shasta District Fair grounds in Anderson Shasta District Fair grounds in Anderson When: Public exhibits open 11 a.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Public exhibits open 11 a.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday. More info: Full schedule at sierracascadeexpo.com. LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE AmeriCorps volunteers Ryan Pape, from right, Dylan Hayes and Clara Meier, along with workers with the McConnell Foundation and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, install a bridge Tuesday on a branch of Middle Creek west of Redding. SHARE Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight AmeriCorps volunteers Max Weir, top, and Edison Velez removes debris Tuesday from Middle Creek in Redding. The AmeriCorps crew is also helping to build a new trail west of Redding. By Damon Arthur of the Redding Record Searchlight Before arriving in California last month, Dylan Hayes had never been to Redding, nor had she used a chain saw. The 18-year-old New York City native is getting to do both of those things in the hills west of Redding as part of an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps team. On Tuesday, Hayes and the other eight members of her team were assembling a bridge across a branch of Middle Creek west of Redding. Hayes, who is planning a career in the military, said she is adding the work to her growing list of skills. "And now I got experience in how to build a bridge," Hayes said. "It's pretty fun, actually." Having Hayes and the rest of her crew in Redding was just part of a "perfect storm" of events to get work going on a trail that has been on planning maps for some 20 years, said Bill Kuntz, a recreation engineering supervisor with the Redding Field Office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The corps members arrived in the Redding area in mid-January and will stay in the area helping the BLM build trails until March 15. The crew has been staying in tents and recreational vehicles at the BLM's Chappie-Shasta Off-Highway Vehicle Area campground. Hayes said camping out in the rain and cold hasn't bothered her. "It's amazing at night. The stars are so pretty," Hayes said. The trail they are building starts at Middle Creek Road and branches off the Middle Creek Trail in Shasta, near Highway 299. Kuntz said the trail hasn't been named yet. Unofficially, they have been calling it either the Homestake Trail, after the historic Homestake Mine that once operated in the area, or the "58 Trail," after the nearby California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection fire station No. 58. So far, about 3 miles of the trail have been constructed, with an additional 5 or 6 miles left to build, Kuntz said. The goal is to connect the trail to the Sacramento River Trail, he said. The other parts of Kuntz's perfect storm of trail building have been Steve Woodrum of Redding and the McConnell Foundation. Woodrum, who has donated to various trail and open space causes in the Redding area, purchased the fiberglass-and-wood bridge. The AmeriCorps crew carried the bridge in piece by piece and assembled the span across the creek. The crew also carried in the 240 bags of concrete used to build the bridge footings. Kuntz said the bridge footings had to stay out of the creek so they did not interfere with salmon and trout that spawn in the creek. The McConnell Foundation of Redding also donated time, materials and labor to building the bridge and constructing the trail. Brian Sindt, a program officer for the foundation, said the McConnell Foundation spends about $150,000 a year on trail construction in the Redding area. "We just believe trails are a vital part of a healthy community," Sindt said. SHARE By David Benda of the Redding Record Searchlight Bill Moule Jr., founder of Moule's California Glass in Redding, and his wife, Lynne, were seriously injured in a two-car accident in Sierra County that killed one person. The Moules were traveling to Sierra City for a hiking trip when the head-on collision occurred Friday at 5:20 p.m. on Gold Lake Road, Bill Moule's daughter, Laura Moule-Ware, said Monday. The California Highway Patrol has determined that Bill Moule, who was driving a 2006 pickup, was at fault and has forwarded the case to the Sierra County district attorney, the CHP reported. The Moules' truck drifted across the center line after Moule looked over at his wife's laptop computer, the CHP reported. Alcohol and/or drugs do not appear to have been a factor in the collision, the CHP said. Both vehicles were traveling between 40 and 45 miles per hour when the Moules' pickup hit a 1997 pickup driven by Denise Parodi, according to the CHP. The crash happened three miles west of Highway 49. The collision killed David Olufson, 55, of Volcano, who was a passenger in Parodi's truck. CHP officers said Olufson was not wearing a seat belt and suffered blunt-force trauma. Parodi, 55, of Portola, sustained major injuries and was taken to Enloe Medical Center in Chico, the CHP said. Moule-Ware said her parents were flown to Renown Medical Center, formerly known as Washoe Medical Center, in Reno. Moule-Ware, who owns Moule's California Glass, said her 69-year-old father has a broken sternum, broken wrists and knee. Lynne Moule, 60, broke her hip in eight places and will need numerous surgeries to recover, Moule-Ware said. "My mom is still in very critical condition. ? My dad is doing better than my mom," Moule-Ware said. Bill and Lynne Moule live in Red Bluff, where another daughter, Lizabeth Moule-Forsberg, owns Moule's Tehama County Glass. Moule-Ware was in Redding on Monday after visiting her father and stepmother in the hospital. She planned to travel with family members back to Reno. "My dad was hurt bad when he fell out of a tree and broke his ankle and he couldn't do anything for a year," Moule-Ware said. "The doctors gave him the OK, and they were all excited and now this happens." Bill Moule Jr. opened Moule's Tehama County Glass in 1978. He opened his Redding store in 1994. His father, Bill Moule Sr., opened his first glass shop in Grass Valley in 1949. Bill Moule Sr. and his wife, Margaret, were killed in an auto accident in 1987. Katherine Moule, Moule Jr.'s first wife, was killed in a river-rafting accident in the 1980s. "So my dad is reliving everything; it's just a nightmare," Moule-Ware said. Reporter David Benda can be reached at 225-8219 or at dbenda@redding.com. During this election year, we are destined to hear many words that are toxic in the way they misrepresent reality and substitute fantasies that can win votes. One of these words is "entitlement." To hear some politicians tell it, we are all entitled to all sorts of things, ranging from "affordable housing" to "a living wage." But the reality is that the human race is not entitled to anything, not even the food we need to stay alive. If we don't produce food, we are just going to starve. If we don't build housing, then we are not going to have housing, "affordable" or otherwise. Particular individuals or groups can be given many things, to which politicians say they are "entitled," only if other people are forced by the government to provide those things to people who don't need to lift a finger to earn them. All the fancy talk about "entitlement" means simply forcing some people to work to produce things for other people, who have no obligation to work. It gets worse. If we are all "entitled" to things, irrespective of whether we produce anything ourselves, then the question becomes: Why are some people getting so much more than others? People who are producing nothing can feel a sense of grievance against those who are producing much, and being rewarded for it, if our basis for receiving economic benefits is supposed to be what we are all "entitled" to, rather than what we have worked to earn. One of the most misleading uses of the notion of entitlement is to say that people who paid into Social Security for years are now entitled to the pensions they receive. Really? It so happens that I have put money into the same bank account for more than 20 years. But if I were to write a check for a million dollars today, it would bounce! The question is not how long you have been putting money in, but how much money you put in. If what you have been putting into Social Security over the years is enough to pay you a $1,500 a month pension, but you were promised a $3,000 a month pension, how much are you entitled to? On what basis? Social Security was created back in the 1930s, during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, one of the shrewdest politicians who ever sat in the White House. President Roosevelt understood that, if you could convince people that they were entitled to a pension under Social Security, it could become politically impossible to ever put an end to that system. The pensions promised exceeded what could actually be paid from the money that was put in by the recipients. But the first generation to enter Social Security would have their pensions paid by money received from the second generation, as well as its own money. The second generation would be paid with money that included what was paid in by the third generation, and so on. This is the principle behind a "pyramid" scheme, in which the first investors can get a big return on their money by simply paying them money received from subsequent investors. But it is only a matter of time before reality catches up with us, since the pyramid scheme is not actually investing any money or saving any money. That is why a private insurance company that sold annuities based on a pyramid scheme would be prosecuted for fraud, and its officials put in prison. But you can't put Congress in prison, even when that is what it deserves. With the money running out in the so-called trust fund for Social Security, reality is beginning to break through the fantasies, and is closing in on us. No one wants to pull the rug out from under people already retired and dependent on Social Security, or on people nearing retirement age, and expecting a pension that is just not going to be there. We can be both realistic enough, and decent enough, to rescue older people who have been victimized by political fantasies. We can pay higher taxes temporarily to rescue them. But, there is no reason to bankrupt the country by keeping the fraud going forever. Younger people can be allowed to opt out and arrange their own pension plans in the private sector, where the kind of irresponsible pyramid schemes that politicians set up are illegal. But we don't need to ruin the whole economy, in order to preserve the illusions created by toxic words like "entitlement." Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His website is www.tsowell.com. MANCHESTER, N.H. After decisive wins by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Republican billionaire Donald Trump in New Hampshire, the two campaigns sought Wednesday to build momentum while some others were left reassessing strategies amid reshuffled races. While Trump did the rounds on television, Sanders was welcomed in Harlem by the Rev. Al Sharpton, whose backing could potentially boost the Vermont senator's standing in the Democratic Party's base. Sharpton embraced Sanders before they headed to a soul food restaurant for breakfast. Advertisement Meanwhile, some of the underperformers in the Granite state -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton -- looked inward. Clinton seeks to bounce back in the upcoming contest in South Carolina, where she will likely find friendlier turf. Christie, who placed sixth in the GOP primary, headed home to mull over whether to push ahead. Advertisement Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders sweep to victory in the New Hampshire primaries, adding credibility to their upstart candidacies. Feb. 10, 2016. (AP) (Associated Press) Candidates now are retooling their pitches for the contests ahead for the GOP: the Feb. 20 primary in South Carolina, a state dominated by staunch conservatives. Then comes the party's Nevada caucus on Feb. 23. The Democrats' calendar is reversed -- the Nevada caucus on Feb. 20 and then the Feb. 27 primary in South Carolina, with its strong African-American voter base. The two GOP candidates who found their footing in New Hampshire -- Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who came in second, and former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who placed fourth -- argued Wednesday that they had defied the pundits and would fight to regain their party's political center. "We need a proven leader in Washington, D.C., to fix the mess, not just talk about how bad things are," Bush said in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." While Trump was "a gifted politician," he "would be a disaster as our nominee," he added. "My case will be national security," said Bush, who had already arrived in South Carolina, a state that boasts a large number of active members of the armed forces as well as military retirees. Kasich, for his part, told the hosts of NBC's "Today" show that he "finally broke through" in New Hampshire because he provided an upbeat assessment about how the two parties could work together. "I was the only one with a really positive message," he said. Trump, however, appeared confident that his popularity could carry him through. Advertisement While he would not identify his main rival -- "I don't want to talk about favorites. I think I'm doing well," he said -- Trump told NBC's Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie that the crowds he had attracted in Iowa and New Hampshire would translate into votes across the country. "There's something going on," he said. "There's a movement." On Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends," Trump took some potshots at Bush, at the New York Daily News for its critical coverage and at Clinton, who he claimed is struggling with shrinking confidence and momentum. With more than 94 percent of precincts reporting in New Hampshire, Trump had 35.3 percent of the vote to Kasich's 15.4 percent. The Associated Press, citing election figures, said the rest of the field remained unchanged from the earlier tallies. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz -- the winner in last week's Iowa caucuses -- was third, the AP said, followed closely by Bush. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came in fifth and Christie was sixth. Two other Republicans, retired pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson and businesswoman Carly Fiorina, trailed further behind. Advertisement The results also seemed likely to help Trump in the contests ahead, since a large number of rivals would probably continue to compete and possibly divide the vote. On the other side, Sanders defeated Clinton by the widest margin in the history of New Hampshire primaries, garnering 60 percent compared to her 34.2 percent. "And tonight, with what it appears to be a record-breaking voter turnout, because of a huge voter turnout -- and I say YUGE! -- we won," Sanders told supporters, poking fun at the New York accent he shares with Trump. The crowd yelled "YUUUGE!" along with him. Sanders wasted no time in capitalizing on his strong showing in New Hampshire, flying to New York City with his wife Jane to court Sharpton--the flamboyant civil rights leader--at a legendary Harlem restaurant. Former NAACP leader Benjamin Jealous, who recently endorsed Sanders, also attended the meeting. Sanders is a self-identified "democratic socialist," originally little known outside Washington and his home state of Vermont. But he built a massive movement with rousing attacks on the power of Wall Street, and a promise of a "political revolution" that would provide universal, government-run health insurance and free public-college tuition. Sanders was also helped by Clinton's struggles to explain why she used a private email server to handle government business while she was secretary of state, an issue that has hung over her candidacy for months. Advertisement "Now we take this campaign to this entire country. We are going to fight for every vote in every state," Clinton told supporters after conceding. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 22 Republican businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president on June 16, 2015. (Scott Olson, Getty Images) She then returned to a constant theme of her campaign, which was that she -- unlike Sanders -- was ready for the long slog that politics demands. "People have every right to be angry. But they're also hungry. They're hungry for solutions." Clinton's defeat in New Hampshire was so resounding -- and so long anticipated -- that her campaign conceded immediately when the polls closed in a state where she won the 2008 primary. Exit polls reported by CNN showed that Sanders had beaten Clinton across a wide variety of demographic groups -- including women, who voted for Sanders by a margin of 55 percent to 44 percent. Another telling detail: Clinton won handily among voters who said the quality they wanted most in a candidate was "electability." Her advantage among that group was 81 percent to 18 percent. But Sanders dominated in the group that said the most important quality was that the candidate "cares," and in the group that said it was most important that the candidate was honest. In the group that prioritized honesty, Sanders won by 92 percent to 6 percent, according to CNN. Advertisement Among Republicans, Trump's victory -- even though it had been predicted for weeks -- was still a remarkable turnabout. Last summer, the race seemed likely to be dominated by Bush -- and the massive campaign war chest assembled to back the former Florida governor. Trump is likely to be tested further in the upcoming contests in the South, starting with South Carolina's primary on Feb. 20 and turning a week later to a group of "Super Tuesday" states. One of the big New Hampshire surprises was Kasich, a pragmatic Midwesterner whose candidacy has been an afterthought nationally but who steadily built a pitch-perfect campaign for this state that roused mainstream voters with high visibility on the ground and a call to lift up people in the shadows. Kasich said he will not "be a marshmallow" and allow his rivals to attack him. But the race now moves south, where Kasich faces immediate hurdles to prove he is more than a one-state wonder and where Trump has found deep and enthusiastic support for his incendiary nationalistic platform. Cruz is well positioned to contend with Trump for the top spot in those states because of his broad coalition of movement conservatives and evangelicals. The character of the Republican race appeared to change over the weekend after a Saturday debate in which Rubio faltered in the face of stinging barbs from Christie. Advertisement Rubio, now in catch-up mode, has acknowledged the debate dive, but on Wednesday tried to project resolve that he can climb back to the top. "We're going to get back to the fundamentals. . . . We're going to be the nominee," he said on NBC's "Today" show. "It is just going to take a little longer, but we are going to get there." Late Tuesday, Christie seemed sobered by his defeat and contemplating an end to his campaign. "That's going to allow us to make a decision about how we move from here in this race. But there's no reason to sit in a hotel in South Carolina to hear that," Christie said. The Washington Post 'There were assurances that Jaish-e-Mohammad was being reined in as was the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, but Pakistan's security forces could not risk opening too many dangerous new fronts,' notes former foreign secretary Ambassador Shyam Saran, who has just returned from a visit to Lahore. IMAGE: Muhamad Saeed, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist, speaks at an anti-India rally in Islamabad, February 6, 2016. Photograph: Faisal Mahmood/Reuters I was in Pakistan last week after a gap of nearly 10 long years. The country has changed in some ways -- though the attitude towards India remains a mix of warmth and friendliness at the individual level, but Solidarity Day on February 6, my last day in Pakistan, brought the latter aspect into sharp relief. From interactions with a wide spectrum of Pakistanis, it was clear that the military is the dominant player and exercises virtual veto over policies concerning defence and security and relations with India, the US, China and Afghanistan. Thanks to its operations against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and its relative success in reducing violence and gangsterism in Karachi, the army and its chief Raheel Sharif enjoy renewed popularity while the attitude towards the civilian political leadership is critical and even dismissive. The military was said to be on board in the pursuit of better relations with India, but within narrowly circumscribed limits. It was acknowledged that hostility and mistrust of India was embedded in the military's DNA and unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. I recalled to some of my interlocutors the fruitless efforts by the Indian side to promote military-to-military confidence-building measures through regular exchanges between the National Defence Colleges and Defence Staff Colleges of the two countries, and by holding sporting events and the like. The response was that such an initiative was unlikely to find favour since the Pakistani military, in all its training courses, starting with cadets, projects India as a mortal enemy. Exchanges of the kind I had mentioned would be seen as compromising this ideology. This confirms my longstanding belief that the objective of our Pakistan policy should be the management of a deeply adversarial relationship which may evolve only gradually towards a more friendly future. This also implies that any Indian initiative which appears to threaten the Pakistan military's ideology and its pre-eminence is likely to invite a strong and hostile counter-reaction, either directly or through proxy non-State actors. We have witnessed this in the past. The better alternative is to seek modest and incremental improvements in relations which do not appear threatening and hope that cumulatively, over a period of time, these will add up to a more normal and even friendly relationship. The terrorist attack against schoolchildren in Peshawar more than a year ago and the more recent attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda do appear to have brought about a change in public mood against jihadi and militant groups. There are fewer sectarian attacks. The constant complaint was that India had failed to recognise this significant change. There were assurances that the Jaish-e-Mohammad was being reined in as was the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, but that security forces could not risk opening too many dangerous new fronts while the TTP was being tackled. Quite predictably there were dark suggestions that India, too, had been supporting anti-Pakistan groups, perhaps even the TTP, and most certainly the Baloch insurgency. In every case of Pakistani misdemeanour, there is an effort to establish 'immoral equivalence' by positing a corresponding Indian misdemeanour. This is unlikely to change. If for its own reasons the Pakistani State acts against some of the jihadi groups it has nurtured all along, this is welcome and India should acknowledge and encourage this trend. One bright spot was the general acknowledgement that the reaction of the Indian and Pakistani governments to the Pathankot terrorist attack had been mature and restrained. This was, in part, attributed to the regular engagement between the national security advisors of the two countries. The hope was expressed that this new channel would endure and the foreign secretar y-level talks would take place sooner than later. IMAGE: A shipping container outside Quetta, Pakistan, November 29, 2015. Photograph: Naseer Ahmed/Reuters. Pakistanis believe the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a gamechanger for their country. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor -- CPEC -- figured prominently in conversations being described as a game changer. The not-so-subtle message was that this had given Pakistan options beyond seeking cooperation with India. This major development, it was argued, was being reinforced by the prospects for much closer and improved relations with Iran after the lifting of sanctions. Iran was also thankful to Pakistan for not having joined Saudi Arabia in its sectarian war against the Houthis in Yemen. The revival of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline together with the recently concluded agreement on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India -- TAPI -- gas pipeline further reinforces Pakistan's role as a regional node. Reference was also made to the country's indispensable role in any Afghan peace settlement and that this was recognised by President Ashraf Ghani's Afghanistan, the US, and China. For these reasons, it was held, India risks being bypassed in the region. Some suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Lahore was out of a sense of weakness, not a sign of confidence. There seemed to be no hurry to follow through on the grant of Non Discriminatory Trade Access (Most Favoured Nation status by another name) to India. This was linked to the resumption of comprehensive dialogue. Clearly, Pakistan has a lot riding on the CPEC, though some Pakistanis were critical of the exaggerated expectations it has spawned. Though I have visited Lahore earlier, this was the first time I was able to experience the vibrant life in the city away from officialdom. It remains a city of people who celebrate its rich and varied cultural heritage and embrace its tradition of intellectual discourse, poetry, music and sophisticated cuisine. Its Sufi shrines are overflowing with throngs of gentle worshippers defying the monochromatic urgings of the Wahhabi-inspired jihadi groups. It is only the pervasive presence of security all around the city which reflects the unseen threat that strikes and kills without warning. Pakistan's diversity is real and should be factored into our policies. There is universal resentment over the highly restrictive visa regime, the little humiliations heaped on those brave enough to cross national boundaries, and the constant discouragement to the coming together of scholars, artists and writers -- all in the name of reciprocity and exaggerated security concerns. And yet, these are the constituencies that may be able to craft a different and more benign narrative of India-Pakistan relations over time. A self-confident India should be able to create opportunities for expanded engagement with these constituencies even as it confronts the hostility of the Pakistani State. The affinities across the border are real and need to be nurtured for their own intrinsic value. Keeping an eye on the upcoming assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah on Wednesday promised the people of Assam that if his party comes to power it will put an end to unabated infiltration into the state from Bangladesh. Addressing two rallies at Kokrajhar and Nagaon, Shah appealed voters to vote out the 'corrupt and inefficient Congress government in Assam. The ruling Congress party in Assam is encouraging illegal migration from Bangladesh. A BJP government in Assam will ensure no more illegal migration, the BJP chief said. Blaming the Congress for cross border migration, Shah said that illegal migrants from Bangladesh had eaten into livelihood options of indigenous youth in the state besides posing a threat to the identity of the locals. During his visit to the state, Shah also attended the celebration of 14th Bodoland Day in Kokrajhar organised by the BJPs new poll ally Bodoland Peoples Front, which is in power in Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council. Highlighting the fact that Assam is one of poorest states in the country despite its natural beauty and hard working youth, Shah said, "Assam is rich in natural resources, efficient work forces and great tourism potential. Yet, the state is lagging behind in all fronts. Even the one-horned rhino that attracts so many tourists to Assam could not be protected by the present government as about 100 rhinos have been poached in the last three years." Shah also stated that during Congress's regime state's unemployment figure has gone up from 9 lakh to 23 lakh. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has rebutted Shah's allegations saying, If my government is corrupt, then why the BJP has taken one of my former ministers (Himanta Bishwa Sharma) into the party?" Gogoi said instead of shedding poll-time crocodile tears for backward Assam, the BJP president should tell the government in the Centre to restore special category status of Assam at the earliest. So that special development funds continued to flow to the state from New Delhi. Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged Congress leaders in Kerala to shed their differences and fight the coming assembly polls unitedly even as party leaders in the state asked the party vice president not to have any truck with the Communist Party of India-Marxist in West Bengal. The demand to keep CPI-M at bay was made at the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee executive meeting, attended by Gandhi and all senior leaders with speakers terming the Left party as "undependable" and accusing it of pursuing politics of violence. However, Gandhi in his speech did not touch on the subject but sent a clear signal to party workers and leaders to end infighting and bickering in the state unit. CPI-M leaders in West Bengal have been pushing for a tie-up with Congress to oust the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress while the Pradesh Congress leaders are divided over the issue. Gandhi asked the Congress leaders in Kerala to fight the coming assembly polls shedding their differences and said it was "not the time to fight" amongst themselves. Expressing confidence that the United Democratic Front would retain power in the state, which is also going to polls along with West Bengal, Gandhi said there was only one thing -- "CPI-M cannot defeat the Congress, the Congress can defeat the Congress party". Gandhi said, "Senior leaders in the state are exceptionally talented. What one does not have, others have. They together are much more powerful than alone. They have their strength and weaknesses. They have to stay together."Once elections are over, they are more than welcome to fight. But now, it is not the time to fight. Now, it is the time to be together," he said.The Congress leader said, "For one or two months, hold hands and join together" and let Congress rule return to the state in the coming assembly polls.KPCC President V M Sudheeran and Vice President M M Hassan in their speeches attacked CPI-M, which they charged follows a policy if politics of violence.Sudheeran also reminded Congress leaders about the "insincerity" of CPI-M in Bihar polls, where they formed a third front to fight the grand alliance and divided the 'secular' votes."That actually enabled BJP to win some of the seats," he said.Hassan requested Gandhi not to have any tie up with CPI-M and said "CPI-M is a undependable party"."Their fight against communalism is not sincere" he said alleging that "CPI-M is a party of opportunists."Those who attended the meeting included former defence minister and Congress Working Committee member A K Antony, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, PCC president V M Sudheeran and AICC General Secretary in-charge of Kerala Mukul Wasnik. The prime minister is all set to break his record of spending most days in the country without travelling abroad; in 2014, he had spent 30 days outside India, reports Archis Mohan. Frequent foreign visits and increased engagement with the Indian diaspora have defined Prime Minister Narendra Modis foreign policy initiatives in the first 20 months of his tenure. But, Modi is unlikely to be as keen on travelling overseas in 2016. Given his busy domestic schedule, the PM is yet to travel outside India in 2016. His last foreign visit was to Russia, Afghanistan and Pakistan (December 23-25, 2015). Since then, he has spent an uninterrupted 46 days in India. This is his second longest unbroken stay in the country since he took over as PM on May 26, 2014. The longest stretch, in his 20-month tenure, between his one foreign visit to the next was from November 26, 2014 to March 9, 2015, which touched 72 days. He is likely to breach that record comfortably, given that no foreign visits are planned until March-end. The PM will travel to the US to attend the Nuclear Security Summit on March 31. Modis focus in 2016 is to be on domestic politics. In February, he will address four rallies across India and then get busy with the Budget session of Parliament. Campaigning for assembly polls is also likely to take up his time. As many as eight states will go to polls by March 2017, including key states of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Modi, according to sources, has conveyed to both the external affairs ministry as well as the overseas friends of the Bharatiya Janata Party that he will cut down on his visits abroad this year. In 2014, Modi had visited nine countries in seven months, which works out to 1.2 countries a month. His travel, in terms of countries visited, was nearly twice in the 12 months of 2015, with Modi visiting 28 countries, or 2.3 countries a month. However, the difference isnt stark in terms of number of days that the PM spent outside India. In 2014, the PM spent 30 days outside India -- 14 per cent of the 219 days that he spent in the prime ministerial chair after having been sworn in on May 26, 2014. He did not travel at all in the last month of 2014 as well as the first two months of 2015. But, he notched up significant flying miles in the rest of the year. The PM spent 54 days outside India in 2015, or 15 per cent of 365 days. However, 2016 doesnt hold much promise in terms of overseas prime ministerial visits. Modi is likely to visit Pakistan to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Summit and to Hangzhou in China for the G20 Summit. He is scheduled to attend the India-European Union Summit in Brussels, the Nuclear Security Summit in the US and possibly the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Uzbekistan. Apart from this, the PM will attend the East Asia Summit in Laos. It is unclear if he will travel all the way to Caracas in Venezuela to attend the Non-Aligned Movement Summit. A visit to Saudi Arabia has been in the works. The PM is likely to skip the UN General Assembly session in September, given it is an election year in the US. Year 2016 will be more about India playing the host, including to the Israeli and Palestinian leadership. It has already hosted the French President and will also host leaders of Russia, South Africa, China and Brazil for the BRICS Summit to be held in New Delhi. A Madhya Pradesh farmer has claimed that he lost his crop because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed rally in the state on February 18. Farmer Suresh Parmar and his family own 15 acres of land near the proposed site of the prime minister's rally at Sehore district. He alleged that last Thursday, top district officials came to his land and forced him to cut down his wheat crop before harvest to clear the land for Modi's rally. "A few people came and said we need to harvest the crop as soon as possible or it will be destroyed. We didn't have any choice," Parmar told NDTV. Parmar said that he may have lost more than a third of his crops as they were not ready for harvest. "Does the PM want me to commit suicide?" asked Parmar's 24-year-old nephew, Kapil. "A premature harvest means the crop will fetch very little money in the market and I will be further burdened with loans, " Kapil told Hindustan Times. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government has denied Parmar's allegation that it forced him to cut his crop. Agriculture Minister Gauri Shankar Bisen told NDTV that the land where the stage is being constructed has been taken by consent. We have not built the stage on any farmer's land and no instruction has gone to farmers to harvest the crop," said Bisen. Even Sehore district collector Sudam Khade has denied the accusations, saying no one was asked to cut down standing crops. Khade told Hindustan Times that over 300 acres to be used for the programme is largely government land while some tracts belong to private entities. Modi is set to address a massive farmers' convention in Sehore, nearly 40 km from state capital Bhopal. The PM is likely to speak on the new Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana or crop insurance scheme that aims to insure farmers against crop damage. "We want the prime minister to give us insurance against our crop loss. He is coming for us so I hope we will get some compensation for our losses," said Kapil. Nearly 200 children were on Wednesday taken to hospitals in Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana and Chhattisgarh as they complained of uneasiness after being administered deworming tablets on the occasion of National Deworming Day. 100 children complained of discomfort after they consumed the tablets and had to be taken to Sadar Hospital in Biharsharif, the Nalanda district headquarters town. In Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district, 58 students of a school were given treatment when they complained of nausea after consuming dewarming tablets given to them under a government programme. "The children of a private school in Chidawa felt side effects of the tablet so they were taken to a local hospital where they were given primary treatment and sent back home," Dr S N Dholpuriya, Chief Medical and Health Officer of Jhunjhunu, said. He said that the tablets were given to children of class 6 to 10 and those who complained of nausea were mostly from class 6 to 8. "All of them are fine now," be said. Eighteen children were taken to the government hospital in Sonipat, Haryana, when they complained of illness after taking the tablets. Out of them, only three had pain in the abdomen. The rest were fine," Sonipat Civil Surgeon, Dr Jaswant Punia said. "It is normal for some to have such reaction when a large number of children are being administered the tablets. Sometimes, a child may have a large number of worms in the body and this happens. But there is nothing to worry," he said. In Chhattisgarh, twelve school students of two different primary schools in JanjgirChampa district were taken ill after they took deworming Albendazole tablets distributed under the state-level deworming drive. "While seven students complained of uneasiness and nausea at a government primary school in Bamnidih block, five felt discomfort in another government school of Jaijaipur block after consuming the anti-worm tablets", Janjgir-Champa Collector O P Chaudhary told PTI. The students were admitted to Jaijaipur government hospital where their condition was stated to be normal. According to the doctors, the children have psychological fear of medicines which may have resulted in uneasiness among them or it might also happen if the medicines are taken empty stomach, Chaudhary said. Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Expressing concern over Pakistans evolving tactical nuclear weapons doctrine, a top American spymaster on Wednesday warned US Congress about the increasing risks of an incident associated with the growing nuclear arsenal. Pakistans nuclear weapons continues to grow. We are concerned that this growth, as well as the evolving doctrine associated with tactical weapons, increases the risk of an incident or accident, Defence Intelligence Agency Director Vincent Stewart told the Senate Armed Services Committee. Islamabad continues to take steps to improve its nuclear security, and is aware of the threat presented by extremists to its programs, Stewart said in his testimony. A Congressional report in January had estimated Pakistans nuclear warheads to be between 110-130 and that they are aimed at deterring India from taking military action against it Pakistans nuclear arsenal probably consists of approximately 110-130 nuclear warheads, although it could have more, the Congressional Research Service said in the report. Stewart also said Pakistan will face internal security threats from militants and separatist groups this year. Islamic States branch in Afghanistan-Pakistan and Al Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent will remain significant security concerns for Islamabad, he said. Counterinsurgency operations along Pakistans Western border and paramilitary operations in Karachi have had some success in reducing violence and are likely to continue, Stewart said. After being miraculously rescued from under 35 feet of snow after an avalanche in the Siachen glacier region, Indians have joined hands in praying for Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who has been in a coma since his rescue on Tuesday. School students pay tributes to the Siachen avalanche martyrs in Ahmedabad. Photograph: PTI Students take part in a candlelight vigil for Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad after he was found buried alive in 25 feet of snow six days after an avalanche. Photograph: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters Youth Congress members join hands in prayer in Bhopal. Photograph: ANI/Twitter The famous dabbawalas of Mumbai pray for well being of Siachen survivor Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad. Photograph: ANI/Twitter Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday to a warm welcome by Prime Minister Narendra who went to the airport to receive the "special friend". During Al Nahyan's three-day visit, his first to India, the two countries will discuss ways to enhance ties in a range of areas including energy, economy and security and are expected to sign a number of agreements in sectors like oil nuclear energy, IT, aerospace, railways and electronics. "A special welcome for a special friend. PM @narendramodi personally receives HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," tweeted the PMO with a photo of the two leaders shaking hands at the Palam Technical Airport. Modi had visited UAE in August last year, the first by an Indian Prime Minister after a gap of 34 years, and Al Nahyan had received him at the Abu Dhabi airport. "This is Sheikh Mohammed's 1st state visit to India & am glad he is visiting with his family," Modi said in a tweet. "Sheikh Mohammed is a visionary leader. His visit will add new vigour and momentum to comprehensive strategic partnership between India & UAE," the Prime Minister added. Al Nahyan, also the Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE armed forces, is accompanied by a power-packed delegation for his three-day trip till February 12 which includes several top ministers and over 100 business tycoons and CEOs of top companies. Official sources said Modi went to the airport to receive the Crown Prince without any disturbance to the normal traffic in a compact carcade without having any ambulance. The two leaders will hold detailed deliberations tomorrow following which both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements to expand cooperation in sectors like oil nuclear energy, IT, aerospace, railways and electronics. Ways to contain radicalism, stepping up counter-terrorism cooperation and dealing with the ISIS are likely to figure prominently in talks Al Nahyan will have with Modi on Thursday. Economy of UAE, one of the leading producers of oil, has been hit hard by falling crude prices and it is expected that the Gulf nation would like to invest significantly in India's energy and infrastructure sectors from its sovereign wealth fund of around USD 800 billion. India has been eying the fund, being managed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, for its infrastructure sector including for railways, ports and roads. Bernie Sanders swept to a huge victory on Tuesday by defeating Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic primary for United States presidential nominee while Donald Trump solidified the front-runner status in the Republican party by scoring a big win in the race to the White House. Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump reacts at his 2016 New Hampshire presidential primary night rally. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters Vermont Senator Sanders, 74, won the New Hampshire contest after Clinton conceded. With one-third of the Democratic votes being counted, Sanders had received 59 per cent of the votes as against 38 per cent received by 68-year-old Clinton. Trump, 69, was leading runner up John Kasich, the Ohio Governor, by an inaccessible more than 18,000 votes and a margin of 18 per cent. Republicans, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Florida Senator Marco Rubio are now battling for a third-place finish. With more than one-third of the votes counted, Cruz, who won the Iowa Caucus, had received 12 per cent of the votes, while Bush was following him closely with 11 per cent. Trump, a brash billionaire reality TV star who has never run for office, and Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist, were seen as long-shot outsiders when they launched their campaigns. Their victories reflect deep bipartisan discontent at professional politicians and suggest that both the Democratic and Republican races will now be long struggles that could stretch well into the spring, CNN said. The New Hampshire primary came as a shocking defeat for Clinton, who had won in the State eight years ago against US President Barack Obama. Till a few weeks, Clinton was leading against Sanders in all polls. Sanders described his win as "political revolution" while Clinton in an assertive speech after conceding defeat said that she is not giving up. A supporter reacts as results state that Trump has secured victory in New Hampshire. Photograph: Jim Bourg/Reuters Trump appeared on stage with a beaming smile on his face and gave a thumbs-up to his crowd of supporters. "We are going to make America great again," Trump said in his victory speech which he began by thanking his late parents, late elder brother and other family members. Trump who is leading in all the national polls with impressive margin had received a stunning defeat at the hands of Cruz, the Senator from Texas, at the Iowa Caucus last week. The race to White House now moves to South Carolina. Democratic Bernie Sanders gets a kiss from his wife Jane after winning at his 2016 New Hampshire presidential primary. Photograph: Rick Wilking/Reuters "He (Sanders) wants to give away the country folks, we are not going to let this happen," Trump told a cheering audience as he criticised the top Democratic winner in New Hampshire. Continuing with his anti-China rhetoric, Trump said if he elected as the US president in the November elections, he would bring back the jobs from China, Japan and Mexico -- the countries which are taking away the jobs of the Americans. "We have to make the deal for the American people," he said. Trump vowed to make the American military "so powerful" that no can "mess with us", and asserted that the US under him would have strong borders. People would be welcomed legally and not illegally, he said vowing to build the wall along the Mexico border to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country. Describing Obamacare as total disaster, Trump said that he would repeal and replace this signature healthcare of the US President. "I am going to be the greatest jobs president that God ever created," he said and urged his countrymen not to believe in the "phony numbers" of unemployment rate of less than five per cent. "We are going to knock down ISIS," Trump said. "We are going to start winning again. We are going to make America great again, greater than ever," he said. Democrat Hillary Clinton accompanied by her husband, former US President Bill Clinton, she speaks to supporters at her final 2016 New Hampshire presidential primary night rally. Photograph: Adrees Latif/Reuters In her remarks after conceding the defeat, Clinton acknowledged that when she started her campaign last spring she knew that it is not going to be easy. "Here's what we are going to do. Now we take this campaign to the entire country. We are going to fight for every vote in every state. We are going to fight for real solutions that make a real difference in people's lives," Clinton said, with the former president and her husband Bill Clinton standing by her side. Addressing his enthusiastic supporters at a school gymnasium in Concord in New Hampshire, Sanders said the people have sent a message that the government in the country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors. The New Hampshire primary results came eight days after caucuses in Iowa, where Sanders fought Clinton to a virtual tie. "Nine months ago, we began our campaign here in the Granite State," Sanders said. "We had no campaign organisation and we had no money. And we were taking on the most powerful political organisation in the United States of America, a team that defeated Barack Obama here in the Democratic primary in 2008," he added. "And tonight, through a record-breaking voter turnout, we won because we harnessed the energy and the excitement that the Democratic Party will need to succeed in November," Sanders said. Nearly 60,0000 sanitation workers of two municipal corporations on Wednesday called off their 16-day strike, which had crippled the garbage disposal system in nearly 70 per cent of the city, posing a major health hazard. The announcement to end the stir, which began on January 27 to press for payment of their dues, was made by the Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha -- an umbrella body of 38 unions of sanitation workers and class IV employees of East and North Delhi Municipal corporations. The leaders of the Morcha said they have decided to resume work as municipal officials, during a hearing on the strike in the Delhi high court, assured that there will be no delay in payment of salaries to them in the next 5-6 months. The doctors, nurses, engineers and teachers employed with the two BJP-ruled municipal bodies had also joined the agitation but withdrew after Delhi government and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung separately announced financial assistance totalling around Rs 1,000 crore five days ago. "We have decided to call off the strike and bring Delhi back on the tracks. The sanitation workers will resume work on war footing to clean the city from tomorrow," said president of the Sanyukt Morcha Sanjay Gehlot. Following the financial assistance, the corporations have paid salaries of the employees for the months of November, December and January. Rajendra Mewati, general secretary of United Front of MCD Employees, which has membership of various sections of employees of the civic bodies, said his union has decided to only suspend the strike. "The strike was suspended feeling that the court will help us in finding a permanent solution of our grievances which is yet to be achieved," he said. As heaps of garbage caused health hazards in various areas of North and West Delhi, the AAP government had on January 30 deployed hundreds of PWD and Delhi Jal Board workers to remove the trash. The strike, started by sanitation workers, was later joined by doctors, nurses, engineers and teachers. Around 90,000 of the 1.30 lakh municipal employees participated in it when the agitation was at its peak. The BJP had blamed the AAP government for the strike accusing it of not releasing adequate funds to the three municipal corporations. The AAP government, strongly rebutting the charges, had said the municipal corporations were given more money than was allocated to them in the last four years, alleging that financial mismanagement led to the crisis. Employees of South Delhi Municipal Corporation, also ruled by BJP, had extended support to the strike but refrained from joining it. The mayors of three civic bodies had met President Pranab Mukherjee and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking their intervention for release of funds to the municipal bodies as per recommendation of the Fourth Delhi Finance Commission. The Telangana government is examining the issue of increasing the salaries of the members of legislative assembly and the council in view of their "grossly inadequate" pay structure. Several MLAs and MLCs have submitted representations in this regard to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and also the legislature secretary in recent times, a release from Rao's office said. The issue was discussed on Wednesday at a meeting held by the chief minister, it said. The demand for raising the salaries in Telangana was discussed against the backdrop of hike in emoluments of MLAs and MLCs in several states, the release said. The Telangana legislators now get Rs 95,000 per month and their salary bill coupled with those having Cabinet rank, would be to the tune of Rs 14.94 crore per annum, it said. Observing that MLAs and MLCs have to meet a lot of "political and non-political expenses" every month, it said the present salary structure is "grossly inadequate" to meet the actual expenses. There is an estimate that about Rs 3 lakh is spent every month by the MLAs and MLCs to meet expenses, including paying for meals of their staff, providing financial assistance to different persons and also to attend various programmes in the constituency, it said. The Delhi assembly recently approving a hefty hike in basic salary and allowances of its members was also discussed at the meeting, the release said. The salary hike issue would be debated further and a final decision was yet to be taken, it added. 'At an altitude of 5,000 metres, the levels of oxygen in the blood of a healthy soldier would be similar to that of a patient with a severe lung disorder at sea level.' 'While such patients are admitted to ICUs, confined to bed and treated with continuous oxygen therapy, the soldier at 5,000 metres with similar levels of oxygen in his blood performs intense physical activity and fights the enemy!' BharatShakti.in founder Nitin Gokhale reveals the ordeals that await soldiers when they are posted to the Siachen glacier. IMAGE: The Indian Army's rescue operations at the Siachen glacier this past week to locate the 10 soldiers buried in an avalanche. The miraculous survival of Lance Naik Hanmanthappa despite being buried under 35 feet of snow after an avalanche hit his post on the Siachen glacier has once again brought the focus back on the tough conditions under which Indian soldiers are deployed at the world's highest battlefield. Despite tremendous improvement in the facilities -- better tents, better snow clothing, better food and well-rehearsed standard operating procedures (SOPs) -- the Siachen glacier presents a unique set of environmental challenges for the human body. These include low oxygen, partial pressure due to reduced barometric pressure at high altitude (HA), extreme cold, high levels of ultraviolet radiation and low levels of humidity. Survival on the glacier involves battling not just these gruelling environmental conditions, but also combating long periods of isolation, making do with tinned and preserved foods, battling to obtain clean drinking water, living in cramped inhospitable temporary shelter without electricity and the absence of a host of things considered essential and taken for granted by civilised society. Add to this, the constant threat of enemy action, which requires man and machine to be fighting fit and alert 24 X 7. Siachen therefore becomes the toughest call of duty for the Indian soldier. IMAGE: Specialised rescue dogs were pressed into service. 'The dogs, Dot and Misha, did a tremendous job,' army officers said. "The human body makes adjustments in its functioning to enable individuals to live and work at these extreme altitudes," says an Indian Army doctor. "These adjustments constitute the phenomenon of altitude acclimatisation." "Acclimatisation, which largely involves increase in the rate and depth of breathing and increase in haemoglobin levels in the blood, however, does not allow the human body to function on Siachen as it does at sea level," he adds. "At an altitude of 5,000 metres, for example," he says, "the levels of oxygen in the blood of a healthy soldier would be similar to that of a patient with a severe lung disorder at sea level. While such patients are admitted to ICUs, confined to bed and treated with continuous oxygen therapy, the soldier at 5,000 metres with similar levels of oxygen in his blood performs intense physical activity and fights the enemy!" IMAGE: The ice boulders the rescue team had to deal with. Studies have shown that medical problems can occur within a few days of reaching high altitudes or at times even after months of stay on Siachen. Acute Mountain Sickness is one of the commonest acute high altitude illness encountered by almost 20 to 30 percent soldiers on arrival at the high altitude. Though doctors say this condition is largely benign and self-limiting if recognised and treated in time, it is extremely distressing and often demoralising for the soldier. This is understandable since a healthy, physically fit soldier suddenly finds himself experiencing headaches, nausea and loss of appetite for no apparent reason and it spooks him out, often causing him to wonder what other terrible things lie ahead. A prolonged stay at these high altitudes presents a completely different set of medical challenges. The human body is not designed to reside and function at such altitudes and successful altitude acclimatisation does not occur at these heights. With added effects like impaired absorption of food from the intestine, dulling of taste sensation and severe loss of appetite, the combination of low oxygen levels, impaired nutrition, raised haemoglobin levels, lack of mobility and dehydration make the soldier susceptible to a host of medical ailments. These could range from raised blood pressure, increased susceptibility to infections and weight loss to life threatening events like blood clots in the lungs, brain, intestines, spleen and heart. Many soldiers also report sleep disturbances, impaired memory and loss of libido. Take the case of Captain Rajesh Mehta of the 10 Dogra Regiment. He would never have thought being posted to Siachen would alter his life so drastically. When he ascended to 18,000 feet after proper acclimatisation, he led his men to the northern glacier in early 2005. Before going to the glacier, he was active in a counter-insurgency area and also did the commando course, earning the coveted Instructor grading. In February 2005, days after settling down at his post, Captain Rajesh developed clots in the veins of his brain, hands and legs. Doctors advised immediate evacuation, but a severe snow storm for 10 days prevented any helicopter flights. His condition deteriorated. When flying resumed, he was first airlifted to Partapur, then flown to Chandigarh before being admitted to the Research and Referral hospital in Delhi. The clotting was so severe that doctors had no option but to amputate his right leg from his hip, left from his knee and the left arm from his elbow. Any lesser person and any other organisation would have given up. But army doctors with their skills and care and Captain Rajesh with his indomitable spirit, helped on by his equally courageous wife, proved everyone wrong. The army provided singular support to Captain Rajesh by way of intensive medical care and suitable employment in the army to rehabilitate him. Four years of treatment enabled Rajesh to recover. Artificial limbs were provided once his medical condition stabilised. Nearly nine years after he was evacuated from the glacier in a near-dead situation, Rajesh was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He is ow posted in Pune. "Despite the physical and mental challenges he faced, Rajesh Mehta has continued doing his work devotedly and always with a helpful attitude to find solutions to the problems of soldiers," says a retired army officer. "In such adverse physical conditions many would give up hope," the officer adds, "but not this young man, a trained commando and an inspirational leader of troops who lives up to the motto 'Mushkil Waqt Commando Sakth (When the Going Gets Tough The Commando Gets Going).' "I am especially grateful to my wife, her courage, fortitude and support during our ups and downs," says Rajesh. "My young son too is spirited and wonderful company for me. I feel great pride in being part of such a wonderful organisation, the Indian Army, its humane approach to employment management and thank them for taking care of me and my family in every way." "I wish to share with you what helps me cope with my disabilities of triple amputation and CVA (Cerebral Vascular Accident)," says Lieutenant Colonel Rajesh. "As per medical prescription, I was bound to be on lifelong medication. During the post amputation period my entire time was spent on the hospital bed with hardly any scope of exercise except being picked up on a wheelchair and taken around." "Fortunately for me," he adds, "my doctor suggested I could follow the yoga being telecast live on TV in the early mornings. Initially it was difficult for me to pick up the technique of Anuloma Pranayama, breathing through alternate nostrils." IMAGE: Nima Norbu after his rescue and surgery. The story of Nima Norbu, a porter from Warshi village, very close to the Siachen base camp, is equally inspiring. A pleasant young man, he started carrying loads up the glacier like all his friends and family from the area when he was barely 20. In December 2012, he was accompanying a platoon of soldiers and a group of fellow porters when he slipped into a crevasse all of a sudden. The crevasse was barely two feet in diameter, but was deep enough to swallow him. Initial efforts to pull him out failed and as night fell, the rescue attempt had to be abandoned. Early the next morning the search for Norbu began again. Through the day, soldiers and porters looked for him. Incredibly, as the daylight started fading again, Norbu was located nearly 25 hours after he fell in. Brought out unconscious, he was immediately flown to Partapur hospital and the next day to Chandigarh and then to Delhi's RR hospital. Prolonged exposure to cold forced the doctors to amputate -- much like Rajesh -- Norbu's three limbs. From then on life looked futile, but the Indian Army's fantastic support system came into play again. Voluntary personal donations, funds from the army welfare fund and world class medical attention allowed Norbu to rebuild his life. IMAGE: Nima Norbu today. When I spoke to him in his village, at first glance, Norbu looked absolutely normal. Three artificial limbs allow him to move about on his own. Family and friends have rallied around him. A corpus of about Rs 11 lakh (Rs 1.1 million) has given Norbu a base to begin life anew. "I cannot be my old self again, but such generous help from the army has given me renewed hope. I am going to educate my child so that he does not have to become a porter," Norbu tells me. What about his fellow porters? Do they fear going to the glacier? "We never fear the mountains or glaciers," says Norbu. "They are our natural abode. My friends continue to go up. And they will continue to help the army. After all, the army is here to protect us Ladakhis." This then is the story of Rajesh and Norbu, two different personalities, victims of two different circumstances, but both displaying indomitable spirit. Legal Case in Chelyabinsk Raises Specter of Regional Separatism in Russia Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Richard Arnold Publication Date 9 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 27 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Legal Case in Chelyabinsk Raises Specter of Regional Separatism in Russia, 9 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 27, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56baec9f4.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website As more and more low-level or hushed-up evidence makes clear, the Kremlin's Ukraine gambit may have serious, unexpected domestic ramifications for the Russian Federation, such as increasing the likelihood of regional separatism-a prospect not seriously considered since the early 2000s and the end of Russia's second war in Chechnya. In January 2016, the Chelyabinsk regional authorities detained Aleksei Moroshkin, a blogger and founder of the Church of the Chelyabinsk Meteorite. Moroshkin, who sometimes goes by the name "Andrew Brave," is accused of violating Article 280.1 of the Russian criminal code (incitement to separatism) for leading VKontakte groups under slogans like "Fighting for Ukraine!" "Free the Urals!" and "Together Against Evil!" Moroshkin is also accused of violating Article 214 (vandalism) of the Russian criminal code for painting the statue of Vladimir Lenin in the center of Chelyabinsk in the colors of the Ukrainian flag (Sova-center.ru, January 20). Moroshkin himself first identified with Russian nationalists and, on March 2, 2014, flew to Simferopol to join so-called "self-defense" units. After the annexation of Crimea, Moroshkin spent time in Kharkiv, where he participated in the storming of the regional administration building. His final tour of duty in Ukraine took him to the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas, where he fought with the "Vostok" battalion under the leadership of Alexander Khodokovksy. Having participated in the fighting in Ukraine, Moroshkin then gave an interview to TV Rain (Dozhd), in late May 2014, in which he was critical of the "Russian Spring" and the intervention in Donbas. As quickly as a year after his participation in the conflict, Moroshkin declared to an Open Russia blogger that the Russian intervention in Ukraine was an act of "geopolitical menacing" and that "under the influence of experience gained in the war, [he] had ceased to be a Russian nationalist and became a regional nationalist." Moroshkin has also become critical of both sides of the war in Ukraine, saying that it is a strange conflict, and the Russians should instead focus on building up their own country (Grani.ru, September 16, 2015). As a disaffected Russian nationalist, Moroshkin illustrates the dangers inherent in the Kremlin's strategy of commandeering the nationalist bandwagon, as it did by annexing Crimea and inciting war in Donbas. The Federal Security Service (FSB) first raided Moroshkin's apartment on August 10, 2015. It was not clear whether he was immediately detained following this investigation, as he is shown on several Open Russia videos walking freely throughout Chelyabinsk. In an interview with a blogger, Moroshkin openly talked about a "people's democratic republic of the Urals." In his VKontakte groups, Moroshkin has spoken against "the dictatorship of Moscow" and advocated the division of the country into an equitable federal union such as in the United States of America. According to Moroshkin, the self-declared autonomous "Urals Republic," which existed for four months in 1993 under the leadership of former Sverdlovsk Oblast governor Eduard Rossel, as well as the historical legacy of Yemelyan Pugachev's Cossack Rebellion (1773-1774) have left the wider Urals region with a precedent for separatism and a useable past. Moroshkin is unequivocal in stating that the "Russian-Ukrainian conflict arouses the separatist sentiments of the Urals and other Russian regions. The hypothetical new Urals republic would have its capital located in Ekaterinburg [to be renamed "Aydagrad"] and would unite all the other regions of the Urals Federal District, he proposed. For the promotion of separatism, Moroshkin is facing up to five years in prison (Uralpolit, January 18). Moroshkin's website has since been blocked by the authorities; the last post appearing there is dated September 24, 2015 (Pn14.info, January 21). Moroshkin paints a rather intriguing, and sometimes even comical, figure. The "Church" that he established in 2014-the Church of the Chelyabinsk Meteorite-takes as its inspiration the 2013 meteorite over Chelyabinsk that eventually fell into a nearby lake. The Church claims that the meteorite signaled the arrival of a new testament. His religion's other beliefs include perceiving the end of times as heralded by the destabilization of Syria. Among the more puzzling demands of the Church are calls for the regional authorities to retrieve the meteorite, which fell in 2013, and "place it in the hands of priest-psychics, in fulfillment of the mission for which [Moroshkin/Brave] was placed on Earth" (Vk.com, January 25). Moroshkin's religious organization has not yet received serious funding and seems limited in its appeal to a minority of fringe supporters. More immediately, the Church has also complained about the lack of transparency surrounding the criminal case against its leader. Some commentators on the Internet have speculated that Moroshkin's stunts are something akin to a joke, a claim that Chelyabinsk political scientist Alexander Melnikov rebuts: "Any joke can remain so as long as it is limited to rare frequency and short duration. If it lasts a long time and consistently uses the same propaganda tools and public acts 'to joke' for one and the same, even the most sensitive and disinterested observer will begin to take this seriously" (Uralpolit, January 18). Still, Moroshkin's "Church" remains so small and some of its claims are so highly dubious, that the Federal authorities may have drawn more attention to the case by their actions than they would have had they left it alone. That the Federal authorities are taking the case so seriously suggests just how sensitive the Russia authorities are to such developments as a resurgence of regional nationalism in the strategic heart of the country. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Russia Raises the Stakes in Aleppo Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Roger McDermott Publication Date 9 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 27 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russia Raises the Stakes in Aleppo, 9 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 27, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56baecf74.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website Russia's air campaign in Syria initially provoked critical remarks and skepticism from Western governments and commentators. However, the intervention, which involves targeted air strikes and close air support (CAS) for Syrian regime and allied forces, has made dramatic advances in recent days. The Russian defense ministry and the media reported on the successful regime-led advance on Aleppo, which allowed the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and supporting militias operating under the cover of the Russian CAS to cut off rebel supply lines into Aleppo. Consequently, as the Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno Kosmicheskikh Sil-VKS) continue with the pursuit of their various objectives, it is worth examining how Russian specialists understand the level and limits of success in this operation (TASS, February 8). Beyond the defense ministry's official statements, most Russian military specialists recognize that the application of VKS air power cannot be compared with the capabilities of the United States Air Force. Generally, Russian defense experts also try to avoid too much comparison with Moscow's use of air power in the Five Day War, in Georgia, in August 2008. Equally, there is recognition that the advances made by the SAA are not simply about Russian airpower, but relate to on-the-ground hardware supplies and training provided by Moscow. Mikhail Khodarenok, the editor of Voyenno Promyshlennyy Kuryer, assesses that the air grouping is capable of solving its assigned tasks. The Hmeymim airbase, which Russia is using in Syria, has around 4,000 personnel and more than 70 aircraft averaging 50-60 sorties daily. Predictably, the Su-24M is the real workhorse of the Russian air campaign, carrying up to 7.5 tons of various munitions and delivering these at ranges up to 560 kilometers. Khodarenok also highlights the importance of the Su-34, which can carry up to 8 tons of munitions and is capable of striking at distances of 1,100 km. As a result, the vast bulk of the sorties are conducted by these platforms (RBK, February 8). Estimates in the Russian media put the costs of the VKS operations in Syria at around $2.5 million per day, or $230 million in its first three months. However, there is some discrepancy between media and official coverage in terms of how to define the "success" of the campaign. The trend is to emphasize territory gained, and downplay or ignore any setbacks. Yet, Khodarenok believes it is still too early to judge the overall impact of the VKS operation (RBK, February 8). Colonel (retired) Viktor Murakhovsky, the editor of Arsenal Otechestva, has also offered insights as to the underlying reasons for the SAA's recent on-the-ground successes. Murakhovsky believes that these battlefield accomplishments rely principally upon Russian military assistance: specifically its system of training and equipping the SAA. This involves not only the supply of new weapons and hardware to SAA battalion tactical groups but also the provision of combat training to boost the effectiveness of the overall train-and-equip program. For Murakhovsky, this train-and-equip drive is more important than the VKS air campaign. Linked to the train-and-equip program, Russia also provides for the recovery of the SAA's maintenance-and-repair capabilities, ranging from aircraft to armored vehicles and other assets in the theater of operations. It is Russian assistance that facilitates the SAA's logistics and supplies and helps conduct faster repairs (Lenta.ru, January 26). Turning to the performance of the VKS in Syria, Murakhovsky interprets the operation on a gradual and cumulative basis. The impact of the VKS strikes gradually erodes enemy weapons, ammunition, fuel and supplies; it also reduces the maneuverability and firepower of enemy forces, as well as their ability to react quickly to attacks or to attempt to seize the initiative. Additionally, the cumulative effect of the VKS operations in Syria aggravates the financial capacity of enemy forces and their ability to recruit new members. This is also tied to economic factors such as falling oil prices, the reduction in income from the black market, as well as the loss of money laundering centers and transport assets due to air strikes (Lenta.ru, January 26). Murakhovsky leaves no doubt that the VKS operations are important, including their CAS role, but stresses the Russian train-and-equip efforts to bolster the combat readiness of SAA units, which is likely to grow in the coming months. Russian military experts assess positively the early indications of successes on the battlefield in Syria resulting from VKS and supporting efforts. Army-General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff, has said that the top brass is paying close attention to the results of the use of Russian weapons and hardware in Syria. He has also indicated that the General Staff wants to see more testing of advanced or experimental systems, including combat robots. It is likely, if the VKS continues its operations for a protracted period, that additional new systems will be tested in combat (RBK, RIA Novosti, February 8). In an interview in Moskovskiy Komsomolets Nikolay Patrushev, the secretary of the Security Council and former director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), offered justification for Russian air strikes against international terrorists. The theme of Patrushev's interview was anti-American and suggested Western governments should "thank" Russia for seizing Crimea. Patrushev asserted: "International terrorist organizations like ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-a former name for the Islamic State], al-Qaeda, and the al-Nusrah Front have recently become more active in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East. The expansion of the scales of their activity creates threats to the security of many states, including the Russian Federation. The military defeat of the Syrian Arab Republic and its possible disintegration would inevitably lead to the strengthening of these terrorist organizations and subsequently to the extremists retargeting toward Russian territory." He added, "We have already encountered actions by international terrorists in Russia before. But we cannot allow that kind of thing any more. It is in this connection that we are fighting international terrorism outside our country. On Syrian territory we are primarily defending our own interests and also the security of other countries of the world against international terrorism." For the Kremlin, it is equally important as to how the Russian involvement in Syria is publicly spun, rather than simply focusing on assessments of the VKS's performance (Moskovskiy Komsomolets, January 27). In terms of defining the effectiveness of the Russian intervention in Syria, given recent advances by the SAA, it seems that northern Syria will be a vital testing ground. In this context Moscow may not be ready for a full drive to find a diplomatic solution (Kommersant, February 7; Lenta.ru, January 26). Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Restoration of Aziz Mosque in Adjara Reignites Debate Over Ottoman Legacy in Georgia Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Giorgi Menabde Publication Date 8 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 26 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Restoration of Aziz Mosque in Adjara Reignites Debate Over Ottoman Legacy in Georgia, 8 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 26, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56baed524.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website Hundreds of Muslim Georgians who live in the autonomous republic of Adjara, in southwestern Georgia, held a protest rally, on February 5, in the regional capital of Batumi. The protesters demanded that Georgian authorities give them permission to construct a new, large mosque in the city. The participants of the rally handed authorities a petition with 12,000 signatures of Muslim Georgians. According to the head of the New Mosque Construction Initiative Group, Tariel Nakaidze, "The demands of the Muslims do not extend beyond the constitutional framework, and the government is obliged to respect minority rights" (Interpressnews.ge, February 5). This is not the first such public action by Georgian Muslims. In April 2014, following a similar rally in Batumi, Nakaidze told journalists that local Muslims find themselves in a difficult situation because of the Georgian authorities' unwillingness to resolve the problem of limited numbers of places of worship. The single mosque found in Batumi cannot accommodate all those who want to pray on Fridays, so Muslims are forced to lay their prayer rugs outside and pray out in the street (Dfwatch.net, April 28, 2014). The Georgian government is worried about accusations of violating minority rights. But even more so, the authorities fear the reaction of the Christian population of Adjara and the Georgian Orthodox Church to any government policies that might be interpreted as too "pro-Muslim." At the first glance, it seems strange that the construction of a new mosque in Adjara has prompted such a dispute. After all, in the past 15 years, 240 mosques and 8 madrasas (religious schools) have been built and continue to function in various areas of Georgia, including Adjara. The authorities did not obstruct this process and even helped it along (Geworld.ge, March 1, 2012). However, the debate over the construction of a larger mosque in Batumi is tied to a range of delicate, historical and contemporary issues that have muddied present-day relations between Georgia and Turkey. These issues, in particular, include the geopolitical projects of the current Turkish authorities, spearheaded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the middle of the 19th century, the Turkish Sultan Abdullah Azizie built the Aziz (Azizie) Mosque in Batumi as a conspicuous symbol of Adjara region's status as part of the Ottoman Empire. Christian Adjara ended up in the Ottoman Empire at the end of 16th century, and was freed from Ottoman rule only in 1878, after Turkey lost a two-year war to Russia. Under Ottoman suzerainty, the population of Adjara had converted to Islam, but retained their Georgian language rather than adopting Turkish (Advantour.com, accessed February 8). The Aziz Mosque was subsequently destroyed sometime in the 1940s, during Soviet rule (Radiotavisupleba.ge, January 14, 2011). Present-day Turkish authorities conflate the construction of a new large mosque in Batumi with the long-held goal to restore the historic Aziz Mosque-even though the new mosque's location will be different since the old mosque site is overbuilt with new structures. In 2012, during his official visit to Turkey, then-Georgian prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili, stated that the issues of the Aziz Mosque and the restoration of historical Georgian Churches in Turkey were being discussed in parallel. According to Ivanishvili, a final agreement was reached to build a new mosque in Batumi. In turn, the Turkish government promised that a group of Georgian experts and architects would have an opportunity to attend restoration activities of the Oshki and Ishkhani churches in Turkey (Newscafe.ge, September 9, 2012). Nevertheless, many Georgian politicians and experts fear that the construction project of the new large mosque in Batumi is tied to the Turkish government's desire to restore its influence in Adjara and even subsequently to annex the region from Georgia (see below). Turkey considers the Aziz Mosque to be part of its cultural and historical heritage and insists on restoring the mosque in its original form. Ankara conditions restoring the Georgian Christian churches on Turkish territory on the restoration of the Aziz Mosque in Georgia. However, the Georgian-Turkish agreement on this issue was never finalized, because some influential forces in Georgia attacked its provisions. First of all, the Georgian Orthodox Church called on the authorities to reject the agreement with Turkey. The Georgian Church advised the government in Tbilisi to suspend talks with Ankara and instead to ask UNESCO to defend the Christian heritage in Turkey (Geworld.ge, January 1, 2012). Following the Georgian Orthodox Church's declaration, members of the Christian community of Adjara, which makes up around 65 percent of the overall population of the autonomous republic, rallied against the restoration of the Ottoman-era mosque. Many Georgian politicians supported these protests. The deputy chairman of the Georgian parliament, Murman Dumbadze (a lawmaker from Adjara), stated that it was unacceptable to restore "a mosque named after the invader-Sultan Abdullah Azizie"-in Batumi. Dumbadze said that constructing a new mosque in Batumi would be the right move; however, the construction should not be done with Turkish money or be carried out in such a way as to highlight Ottoman influence in Adjara (Newscafe.ge, February 21, 2013). Some Georgian observers who suspect Turkey of neo-imperialistic ambitions in the region most often say that Ankara uses the needs of local Muslims to advance Turkish interests. Several years ago, the leader of the nationalist left-wing Georgian Troupe (Kartuli Dasi) party, Jondi Bagaturia, asserted that "all mosques and other Muslim enterprises in Georgia are built and financed by Turkish funds, which are supported by imperialistic circles [sic] in Turkey" (Author's interview, May 16, 2014). Furthermore, Bagaturia referenced an earlier speech by the then-Turkish minister of foreign affairs, Ahmet Davutoglu, in which Turkey's top diplomat conspicuously listed Batumi as part of the Ottoman Empire. "Now we intend to establish new relations between Sarajevo and Damascus, between Benghazi and Batumi," Davutoglu declared in 2013. "We will do it peacefully. Without fighting, but respecting boundaries. Now our country is different, not like 110 years ago, [when] Yemen and Skopje, Batumi and Benghazi were part of a single country-the Ottoman Empire" the former head of the Turkish foreign ministry said (Georgia Times, April 10, 2013). Despite Davutoglu's diplomatic caution when discussing Turkey's Ottoman past, such statements nevertheless increase local phobias in Georgia. Moreover, these fears feed on the rising influence of Turkish businesses in Adjara, where Turkish investments make up over 70 percent of the total. In addition, the number of Turkish citizens residing in Adjara also keeps increasing (The Messenger, April 17, 2012). As long as those fears and suspicions are not alleviated, the Georgian government has few incentives to respond positively to the lawful demands of Adjara's Muslim minority. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Kadyrov Tests Moscow's Strategy in the North Caucasus Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Valery Dzutsati Publication Date 8 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 26 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Kadyrov Tests Moscow's Strategy in the North Caucasus, 8 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 26, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56baed9d4.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website On February 2, Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov convened an unusual gathering of followers of the Naqshbandi and Qadiriyya Sufi orders in Grozny. Apart from the participants from Chechnya, "thousands" of other Sufis arrived from Dagestan, Ingushetia and other republics of the North Caucasus, Kadyrov claimed via Instagram. The rally of the Sufis, which Kadyrov called a "majlis," declared that true Muslims should fight the so-called Wahhabis (Salafists), which essentially include everyone who does not belong to the Naqshbandi and Qadiriyya Sufi orders. Kadyrov approved of the actions of the Dagestani government against the Salafists and expressed hope that "the pseudo-Salafists' attempts to legalize themselves and sneak into various councils will receive a "proper rebuttal" in Ingushetia as well (Instagram.com/p/BBSbompiRod, February 2). Kadyrov has been unusually active in the past several weeks. First, Chechnya's governor attacked the Russian opposition in a way that some regarded as essentially death threats. He then turned his attention back to Chechnya's neighborhood by rallying Sufis of the North Caucasus and presenting himself as the defender of the Sufi dominance in the region. Formally, Russian law does not permit discrimination against religions and sects, as long as they obey Russian laws and are not officially outlawed. In practice, the Russian authorities find ways to discriminate against undesirable religions and denominations. However, no political figure could dare do what Kadyrov has done-declare an official fight against what he called "pseudo-Salafists." Kadyrov himself tried to keep a low profile at the rally of the Naqshbandi and Qadiriyya Sufi orders, saying that he attended only as the follower (murid) of Kunta-Haji Kishiev, a Chechen sheikh who lived in the 18th-19th centuries. However, Kadyrov's statements were quite brusque and bold, as usual: he said that he and his associates swore to fight the Wahhabis "until death" and would pursue them everywhere. "We do not care where they are-in Chechnya, in Ingushetia, in Dagestan or even in North Africa," he said. "If the locals cannot stop them and if they do not come to their senses and repent, they will get what they are seeking. Everybody will get what he seeks." Kadyrov then went on to describe the situation in both Dagestan and Ingushetia as precarious in this regard. Chechnya's ruler in particular said that he was unhappy about Salafists receiving public platforms in the neighboring republics and expressed doubts that the regional authorities were capable of dealing with the problem. Kadyrov warned the Salafists to stop undermining the Sufi saints, or otherwise face repercussions (Kavkazskaya Politika, February 4). The Sufi rally held in Grozny under Kadyrov's auspices is significant in at least several respects. First of all, Kadyrov claims to be the defender of the Sufis, who are under increasing pressure from the Salafists. The latter have made substantial inroads into the Muslim population across North Caucasus, where Sufism has traditionally dominated. Secondly, Kadyrov is focusing particularly on neighboring Ingushetia, which is ethnically close to Chechnya and whose separate identity is therefore vulnerable to Kadyrov's claims that the Chechens and Ingush are the same people. Religious differences could easily spiral into violence in Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan. Ingushetia's governor, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, hastily called on the residents of his republic to stay calm and stop attacking those who have different religious beliefs. Instead of accusing the young people of rejecting the old way of worship, Yevkurov asked the religious leaders to initiate a dialogue and resolve their differences (Facebook.com, February 4). The Ingush civil activist Magomed Mutsolgov appealed to Russian law enforcement officials, asking them to provide a "legal assessment" of Kadyrov's statements. In Mutsolgov's opinion, Kadyrov made incendiary comments against all the Muslim religious groups that do not belong to the Naqshbandi and Qadiriyya Sufi orders, which is a criminal offense (Kavkazsky Uzel, February 4). Ingush religious leaders also addressed the Russian authorities, asking them to stop Kadyrov's incendiary activities (06portal.ru, February 7). Kadyrov's earlier attacks on the Russian opposition caused a significant uproar in Russia. The Kremlin seemed to justify his comments, while not overtly endorsing them. Now, Kadyrov seems to have identified a safer area for the expansion of his influence-the North Caucasus and Islam in the region. Moscow has supported "traditional Islam" in the North Caucasus in its attempt to hold back and eliminate the Salafist type of Islam in the region. Salafists are often equated with the insurgency; but perhaps most importantly, the Salafists are not under control of the authorities-something the Russian government does not tolerate. In fact, the very reason for the popularity of the Salafists may be that they are relatively independent of the government. Thus, Moscow should presumably support Kadyrov's crusade against the "wrong" Islam. However, if Moscow supports Kadyrov and his crusaders, it will expand his influence, along with that of Sufism. Ironically, the North Caucasian regional governors, especially Ingushetia's Yevkurov, find themselves in the position of endorsing the pan-Islamist teaching of Salafism rather than the local-based Sufism, because the latter is used by Kadyrov to undermine their authority. It is unclear what position Moscow will take. On the one hand, Moscow probably has no interest in seeing the expansion of Kadyrov's influence beyond Chechnya but, at the same time, is afraid of a religious teaching it does not control. Intentionally or not, Kadyrov put Moscow in the position that its influence in the North Caucasus will be undermined whatever move it takes. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Russia Losing Ground Across Central Asia Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Stephen Blank Publication Date 8 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 26 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russia Losing Ground Across Central Asia, 8 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 26, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56baee0b4.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website Increasingly, it seems that wherever one looks in Central Asia, Russia is losing ground. This retreat is not confined to economics, though it is certainly present in this sphere. Notably, Moscow is also finding it increasingly difficult to compete militarily in Central Asia. For example, in Tajikistan, Moscow is downgrading to a brigade the size of its 201st division, based just outside of Dushanbe, after having moved a Russian regiment away from the border with Afghanistan in December. This reduction in status and in numbers flatly contradicts earlier statements, made in 2015, that the number of Russian forces stationed in this small Central Asian republic would be raised from 5,900 to 9,000, due to mounting anxiety about the reported growing presence of the Islamic State (IS) organization in Afghanistan (Yezhenedevnyi Zhurnal, February 4). Although the reasons for this recent force reduction have not been made clear, the policy move unmistakably flies in the face of Russia's escalating rhetoric about the threat from the IS in Central Asia and Afghanistan as well as the deteriorating regional security situation there. Top Russian officials, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, had routinely raised concerns about the Islamic State's ostensibly growing penetration of Afghanistan (Gazeta.ru, December 24, 2015). Despite these heightened threat warnings coming out of Moscow, it appears that Tajikistan and Turkmenistan-two states that directly border Afghanistan and would be in the direct path of any northward terrorist surge coming out of this country-do not actually want more Russian troops on their soil. Yet, at the same time, these Central Asian republics lack the means or will to defend themselves directly against the Islamic State (see EDM, January 12). Moreover, experts generally discount the capacities of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to defend the area as well (Gazeta.ru, December 24, 2015). Tumbling commodity prices (not just hydrocarbons) and the depressed Russian economy are having a serious impact on Moscow's policy toward and presence in Central Asia. For one thing, the withering economic crisis has forced Central Asian guest workers in Russia to return home, and for remittances to their home countries to dry up (see EDM, September 15, 2015). Furthermore, Russia is pulling back from investment commitments it made to Central Asian governments (Azattyk.kg, December 31, 2015). This has notably led Kyrgyzstan to denounce its agreements with Russia on the major hydropower project Kambarata GES-1 and a cascade of such planned hydroelectric stations on the Upper Naryn River (Vechernyi Bishkek, December 24, 2015; Regnum, January 1, 2016; see EDM, January 15). As a result, not only are major regional investment projects being suspended, the local governments are now left to grapple with serious environmental and economic problems that have been aggravated by Moscow's inability to live up to its defense and economic commitments. The "commitment problems" Russia is now encountering may perhaps provide one possible explanation for the recent revelation that Moscow is reportedly sharing intelligence with the Taliban against the Islamic State. The Taliban-heretofore frequently cited as a threat to Central Asia that necessitated greater Russian security involvement in the region (see Terrorism Monitor, March 20, 2015; EDM, October 22, 2015)-is evidently opposed to restoring the broader Islamic Caliphate across Afghan territory. Thus, the Taliban's interests in this instance objectively coincide with those of Russia against the Islamic State (Russianews.net, December 26, 2015). Moscow has also now said it might be "flexible" with regard to the easing of United Nations sanctions against the Taliban-undoubtedly a quid pro quo for this intelligence sharing (The Moscow Times.com, December 29, 2015). Finally, both the use of the Russian language in Central Asia and the number of ethnic Russians still living there is falling dramatically. The size of the Russian population across the region has dropped by around 50 percent since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Together, these linguistic and demographic trends provide another basis for the reduction of Russian influence across Central Asia (see EDM, February 2). Thus, one can discern a steady and long-term trend of the diminution of Russia's military, political, economic and cultural power throughout Central Asia. And this trend has possibly speeded up due to the economic crisis in Russia and the wider post-Soviet space. It is far too early to state who will be the beneficiary of this Russian retrenchment from the region; though it is clear that, by several measures, China has already outstripped Russia economically in Central Asia (see EDM, July 6, 2015; China Brief, March 19, 2015). Moreover, it is likely that as China's geo-economic investments in Central Asia grow-and they have not slowed down yet despite China's own crisis-Beijing may begin to feel the need to initiate corresponding investments in military power to ensure the safety and stability of those business deals. If they can remain stable and overcome their present economic crises, the Central Asian governments might also benefit from Russia's shrinking regional presence. On the one hand, they will gain more sovereignty. But at the same time, these republics will need to take more responsibility for their own security instead of outsourcing or sub-contracting it to a Russia that cannot and will not stand by its commitments. It is, of course, possible that terrorist and militant groups-the Islamic State or others affiliated with it-might themselves gain form this Russian retreat. But for all the invocations of a rising Islamist or terrorist threat in Central Asia, there are analysts, even in Russia, who remain skeptical that such groups will take over one or more country in this region (Ferghana.ru, December 22, 2015). Indeed, reliable evidence of a rising Muslim Islamic threat in Central Asia is still elusive; not one of these states or societies has succumbed to this threat so far. To be sure, the possible threat is real enough, but much of its substance appears to have been inflated for political purposes by various governments and military establishments, who have long since learned how to raise the alarm and fool the credulous (see Terrorism Monitor, March 20, 2015). While Central Asian governments face real problems, it is also increasingly clear that they have no choice but to deal with them-and most probably will. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation The Strategic Support Force: China's Information Warfare Service Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author John Costello Publication Date 8 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol China Brief Volume: 16 Issue: 3 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, The Strategic Support Force: China's Information Warfare Service, 8 February 2016, China Brief Volume: 16 Issue: 3, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56baee584.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. On December 31, 2015, Xi Jinping introduced the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF; ), Strategic Support Force (PLASSF; ), and Army Leadership Organ. The move came just within the Central Military Commission's deadline to complete the bulk of reforms by the end of the year. Most media coverage has focused on the Rocket Force, whose reorganization amounts to a promotion of the PLA Second Artillery Force (PLASAF) to the status of a service on the same level of the PLA Army, Navy, and Air Force. However, by far the most interesting and unexpected development was the creation of the SSF. According to official sources, the Strategic Support Force will form the core of China's information warfare force, which is central to China's "active defense" strategic concept. This is an evolution, not a departure from, China's evolving military strategy. It is a culmination of years of technological advancement and institutional change. In the context of ongoing reforms, the creation of the SSF may be one of the most important changes yet. Consolidating and restructuring China's information forces is a key measure to enable a number of other state goals of reform, including reducing the power of the army, implementing joint operations, and increasing emphasis on high-tech forces. The Strategic Support Force in Chinese Media Top Chinese leadership, including President Xi Jinping and Ministry of Defense spokesman Yang Yujun have not provided significant details about the operational characteristics of the SSF. Xi has described the SSF as a "new-type combat force to maintain national security and an important growth point of the PLA's combat capabilities" (MOD, January 1). On January 14, the SSF's newly-appointed commander, Gao Jin () said that the SSF will raise an information umbrella() for the military and will act as an important factor in integrating military services and systems, noting that it will provide the entire military with accurate, effective, and reliable information support and strategic support assurance () (CSSN, January 14). [1] Senior Chinese military experts have been quick to comment on the SSF, and their interviews form some of the best and most authoritative insights into the role the new force will play in the Chinese military. For instance, on January 16th, the Global Times quoted Song Zhongping (), a former PLASAF officer and a professor at the PLARF's Equipment Research Academy, who described SSF as as a "fifth service" and, contrary to official reports, states it is not a "military branch" () but rather should be seen as an independent military service () in its own right. [2] He continues by stating that it will be composed of three separate forces or force-types: space troops (), cyber troops (), and electronic warfare forces (). The cyber force would be composed of "hackers focusing on attack and defense," the space forces would "focus on reconnaissance and navigation satellites," and the electronic warfare force would focus on "jamming and disrupting enemy radar and communications." According to Song, this would allow the PLA to "meet the challenges of not only traditional warfare but also of new warfare centered on new technology" (Global Times, January 16). By far the most authoritative description of the Strategic Support Force comes from People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo (). As a member of both the PLAN Expert Advisory Committee for Cybersecurity and Informatization () and the All-Military Cybersecurity and Informatization Expert Advisory Committee (, MCIEAC) formed in May 2015, Yin is in the exact sort of position to have first-hand knowledge of the SSF, if not a direct role in its creation. In an interview published by official media on January 5th, 2016, Yin stated that main mission will be to enable battlefield operations by ensuring the military can "maintain local advantages in the aerospace, space, cyber, and electromagnetic battlefields." Specifically, the SSF's missions will include target tracking and reconnaissance, daily operation of satellite navigation, operating Beidou satellites, managing space-based reconnaissance assets, and attack and defense in the cyber and electromagnetic spaces" and will be "deciding factors in [the PLA's] ability to attain victory in future wars" (China Military News, January 5). Yin also foresees the SSF playing a greater role in protecting and defending civilian infrastructure than the PLA has in the past: "[The SSF] will play an important role in China's socialist construction. Additionally, China is facing a lot of hackers on the internet which are engaging in illegal activities, for example, conducting cyber attacks against government facilities, military facilities, and major civilian facilities. This requires that we protect them with appropriate defense. The SSF will play an important role in protecting the country's financial security and the security of people's daily lives" (China Military News, January 5). Yang Yujun, MND spokesman, also suggested that civilian-military integration will form a portion of the SSF's mission, but stopped short of clarifying whether this meant the force will have a heavy civilian component or will be involved in defending civilian infrastructure, or both (CNTV, January 2). Yin noted that the SSF will embody the PLA's vision of real joint operations. In Yin's view, military operations cannot be divorced from "electronic space," a conceptual fusion of the electromagnetic and cyber domains. The SSF will integrate "reconnaissance, early warning, communications, command, control, navigation, digitalized ocean, digitalized land, etc. and will provide strong support for joint operations for each military service branch." Indeed, this view was also echoed by Shao Yongling (), a PLARF Senior Colonel who is currently a professor at the PLA's Command College in Wuhan. She suggested that the SSF was created to centralize each branch of the PLA's combat support units, where previously each service had their own, resulting in "overlapping functions and repeat investment." Consolidating these responsibilities in a central force would allow the military to "reduce redundancies, better integrate, and improve joint operational capabilities" (China Military News, January 5). Taken together, these sources suggest that at its most basic, the SSF will comprise forces in the space, cyber, and electromagnetic domains. Specifically, sources indicate the SSF will most likely be responsible for all aspects of information in warfare, including intelligence, technical reconnaissance, cyber attack/defense, electronic warfare, and aspects of information technology and management. Force Composition Rear Admiral Yin's comments in particular suggest that at a minimum the SSF will draw from forces previously under the General Staff Department's (GSD) subordinate organs, to include portions of the First Department (1PLA, operations department), Second Department (2PLA, intelligence department), Third Department (3PLA, technical reconnaissance department), Fourth Department (4PLA, electronic countermeasure and radar department), and Informatization Department (communications). The "Joint Staff Headquarters Department" (JSD) under the Central Military Commission will likely incorporate the 1PLA's command and control, recruitment, planning, and administrative bureaus. Information support organs like the meteorology and hydrology bureau, survey and mapping bureau, and targeting bureau would move to the SSF. The GSD's intelligence department, the 2PLA will likely move to the SSF, although there is some question as to whether it will maintain all aspects of its clandestine intelligence mission, or this will be moved to a separate unit. The Aerospace Reconnaissance Bureau (ARB), responsible for the GSD's overhead intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission will most likely form the center of the SSF's space corps. The 2PLA's second bureau, responsible for tactical reconnaissance, will also move to the SSF. This will include one of its primary missions: operating China's long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). [3] The SSF will unify China's cyber mission by reducing the institutional barriers separating computer network attack, espionage, and defense, which have been "stove-piped" and developed as three separate disciplines within the PLA. The 3PLA's technical reconnaissance and cyber espionage units will likely move, including the national network of infamous technical reconnaissance bureau's (TRB), the most famous of which is Unit 61398. The 4PLA's electronic countermeasures mission will likely form the core of a future electronic warfare force under the SSF, and the its secondary mission of computer network attack (CNA) will also likely also move under the SSF. Finally, the entirety of the Informatization Department will likely move to the SSF. This will unify its mission, which has expanding over the years to include near all aspects of the support side of informatization, including communications, information management, network administration, computer network defense (CND), and satellite downlink. Drawing the bulk of the SSF from former GSD organs and subordinate units is not only remarkably practical, but it is also mutually reinforcing with other reforms. Firstly, it reduces the power and influence of the Army by removing its most strategic capabilities. Previously the PLA Army was split into two echelons, its GSD-level headquarters departments () and units () and Military Region-level (MR; ) operational units. GSD units did not serve in combat or traditional operational roles, yet constituted some of China's most advanced "new-type" capabilities: information management, space forces, cyber espionage, cyber-attack, advanced electronic warfare, and intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance. The creation of the Army Leadership Organ effectively split the Army along these lines, with lower-echelon forces forming the PLA Ground Forces and the higher-echelon units forming the Strategic Support Force. Secondly, separating these capabilities into a separate SSF allows the PLA Army to concentrate on land defense and combat. Nearly all personnel staffing the supposedly joint-force GSD units were Army personnel and by-and-large these units were considered Army units, despite serving as the de facto joint strategic support units for the entire PLA military. Giving the SSF its own administrative organs and personnel allows the PLA Army to concentrate solely on the business of ground combat, land defense, and fulfilling its intended roles in the context of China's national defense strategy. Finally and most importantly, separating the second, third, fourth, and "fifth" departments-as the Informatization Department is sometimes called-into their own service branch allows them to be leveraged to a greater degree for Navy Air Force, and Rocket Force missions. More than anything, it allows them to focus on force-building and integrating these capabilities across each service-branch, thereby enabling a long-sought "joint-force" capable of winning wars. In many ways, taking GSD-level departments, bureaus, and units and centralizing them into the Strategic Support Force is making official what has long been a reality. GSD-level components have nearly always operated independently from regional Group Army units. Separating them into a separate service is less of an institutional change and more of an administrative paper-shuffle. Integrated Information Warfare The Strategic Support Force will form the core of China's information warfare force, which is central to China's strategy of pre-emptive attack and asymmetric warfare. China's new military reforms seek to synthesize military preparations into a "combined wartime and peacetime military footing." These "strategic presets" seek to put China's military into an advantageous position at the outset of war in order to launch a preemptive attack or quickly respond to aggression. [4] This allows China to offset its disadvantages in technology and equipment through preparation and planning, particularly against a high-tech opponent-generally a by-word for the United States in PLA strategic literature. These presets require careful selection of targets so that a first salvo of hard-kill and soft-kill measures can completely cripple an enemy's operational "system of systems," or his ability to use information technology to conduct operations. Achieving this information dominance is necessary to achieve air and sea dominance, or the "three dominances." [5] A PLA Textbook, The Science of Military Strategy, (SMS) specifically cites space, cyber, and electronic warfare means working together as strategic weapons to achieve these ends, to "paralyze enemy operational system of systems" and "sabotage enemy's war command system of systems." [6] This includes launching space and cyber-attacks against political, economic, and civilian targets as a deterrent. The Strategic Support Force will undoubtedly play a central role as the information warfare component of China's warfare strategy, and will be the "tip of the spear" in its war-plans and strategic disposition. Remaining Questions Despite what can be culled and answered from official sources and expert commentary, significant questions remain regarding the structure of Strategic Support Force and the roles it will play. For one, it is unclear how the Strategic Support Force will incorporate civilian elements into its ranks. Mentioned in 2015's DWP and the more recent reform guidelines, civilian-military integration is a priority, but Chinese official sources have stopped short in describing how these forces will be incorporated into military in the new order (MOD, May 26, 2015). Previously, the General Staff Department research institutes, known as the "GSD RI's", acted as epicenters of civilian technical talent for strategic military capabilities. If the Strategic Support Force is primarily composed of former GSD units, then these research institutes will be ready-made fusion-points for civilian-military integration, and may take on a greater role in both operations and acquisition. Even so, the civilian piece is likely to prove vital, as they will undoubtedly serve as the backbone of China's cyber capability. Secondly, it is unknown specifically what forces will compose the Strategic Support Force, or the full extent of its mission. When official sources say "new-type" forces, they could mean a wide range of different things, and the term can include special warfare, intelligence operations, cyber warfare, or space. At a minimum, a consensus has emerged that the force will incorporate space, cyber, and electronic warfare, but the full extent of what this means is unclear. It is also unknown, for instance, if the space mission will include space launch facilities, or whether those will remain under the CMC Equipment Development Department, a rechristened General Armament Department. Where psychological operations will fall in the new order is also up for debate. Some sources have said that it will be incorporated into the SSF while others have left it out entirely. Finally, although it is clear that the SSF will act as a service, it remains unclear if the CMC will also treat it as an operational entity, or how the CMC will operationalize forces that are under its administrative purview. It is unlikely that the military theaters will have operational authority over strategic-level cyber units, electronic warfare units, or space assets. These capabilities will likely be commanded directly by the CMC. This logic flies in the face of the new system, which requires that services focus on force construction rather than operations and warfare. The solution may be that the SSF, as well as the PLARF, act as both services and "functional" commands for their respective missions. Conclusion Ultimately, the strategic support force needs to be understood in the broader context of the reforms responsible for its creation. One on hand, the reforms are practical, intending to usher China's military forces into the modern era and transform them into a force capable of waging and winning "informatized local wars." On the other hand, the reforms are politically motivated, intending to reassert party leadership to transform the PLA into a more reliable, effective political instrument. The Strategic Support Force, if administered correctly, will help solve many of the PLA's problems that have prevented it from effectively implementing joint operations and information warfare. The creation of an entire military service dedicated to information warfare reaffirms China's focus on the importance of information in its strategic concepts, but it also reveals the Central Military Commission's desire to assert more control over these forces as political instruments. With the CMC solidly at the helm, information warfare will likely be leveraged more strategically and will be seen in all aspects of PLA operations both in peace and in war. China is committing itself completely to information warfare, foreign nations should take note and act accordingly. John Costello is Congressional Innovation Fellow for New American Foundation and a former Research Analyst at Defense Group Inc. He was a member of the US Navy and a DOD Analyst. He specializes in information warfare, electronic warfare and non-kinetic counter-space issues. Notes A Chinese-media report on Gao Jin's military service assignments can be found at . Gao Jin's role as commander of the SSF is noteworthy in two respects: One, he is a career Second Artillery officer, so his new role muddies the waters a bit in understanding whether the SSF will be a force composed of Army personnel but treated administratively separate from the Army-not unlike the former PLASAF-PLA Army relationship-or will be composed of personnel from various services and treated administratively separate from all forces. Secondly and more important to this discussion, before his new post as SSF commander, Gao Jin was head of the highly-influential Academy of Military Sciences (AMS) which besides being the PLA's de facto think-tank (along with the National Defense University), is responsible for putting out the Science of Strategy, a wide-reaching consensus document that both captures and guides PLA strategic thinking at the national level. The most recent edition published in 2013 was released under his tenure as commandant of AMS and many of the ideas from that edition have found their way into the 2015 defense white paper, December's guide on military reforms, and many of the changes made to China's national defense establishment. His new role could be seen as CMC-endorsement of SMS's views on China's strategic thought. Song's description of the SSF contradicts official-media descriptions of the service, which had suggested that the service will occupy a similar echelon to that of the PLASAF before it was promoted to full military service status equal to the other branches. Ian M. Easton and L.C. Russell Hsiao, "The Chinese People's Liberation Army's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Project: Organizational Capacities and Operational Capabilities," 2049 Institute, March 11, 2013. p. 14. The Science of Military Strategy [], 3rd ed., Beijing: Military Science Press, 2013. p. 320. Ibid. p. 165. Ibid. p. 164. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Belarus and Its Powerful Neighbors: A Master Class of Raw Geopolitics Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Grigory Ioffe Publication Date 5 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 25 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Belarus and Its Powerful Neighbors: A Master Class of Raw Geopolitics, 5 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 25, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56baeea44.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website As January 2016 drew to a close, news pertaining to Belarus's relations with its two large neighbors-Russia and Europe-again overshadowed any developments emanating from the Eastern European country itself. First, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) issued its report on Belarus's recent presidential elections, and every outlet of the Belarusian media has responded. Second, Russia's attention to Belarus's rapprochement with the West and problems within the Eurasian Economic Union commanded attention in Belarus itself. The OSCE's document assessing the October 11, 2015, presidential elections contains critical remarks as well as thirteen high-priority and seventeen additional recommendations. Among some of the criticisms of Belarus's elections, the report lists no changes in the electoral legislation that would follow OSCE recommendations over the past five years, a lack of transparency in selecting the members of local electoral commissions, the possibility of multiple voting registration for one person, the fact that observers cannot witness the verification of voters' signatures, the fact that institutions receiving funds from the state budget provide contributions to the incumbent president's electoral budget, limits on freedom of assembly and association, and many others (Tut.by, January 28). More suggestive than the document itself, however, is that the official communication between the OSCE and the Belarusian government about the document resembled an elaborate ritual dance whereby the utmost intention of both partners was not to step on each other's toes. Thus, Michael Georg Link, the director of the OSCE's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and Kent Harstedt, the deputy chief of the OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly, went out of their way to underscore they are not judges, lecturers or, especially, enemies of Belarus; they just want to make sure the head of the Belarusian Central Electoral Commission (CEL) understands the international electoral standards, which elections in Belarus do not always match. They underscored that they were able to work across the country "without obstacles," and emphasized a positive atmosphere and "concrete small steps ahead in several directions" undertaken by the election organizers (Tut.by, January 29). In her turn, the CEL's chief, Lidia Ermoshina, stated that the OSCE's report was "constructive enough and took heed of positive trends" (Tut.by, January 28). A blissful atmosphere of mutual contacts contrasted with the actual critical content of the OSCE's report, and that juxtaposition illustrated how Belarus has been handled by the West over the years as international realities changed. When Belarus was perceived as being too close to Russia, this country was treated as Europe's last dictatorship and a kind of European North Korea. Indeed, that image of Belarus still possesses some residual popularity across global media (e.g.: Aljazeera, January 21). But following notable recent setbacks of democracy promotion throughout the world, and after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Belarus's constructive contributions to peacemaking, the attitude toward Minsk has now noticeably changed. And this shift was entirely divorced from any political reforms or democratization inside Belarus that have yet to occur. Even if the European Union does not ultimately remove the (now suspended) sanctions on Belarus during its upcoming ministerial summit, on February 15 (Tut.by, February 1), geopolitics will nevertheless retain its notable key role in foreign relations. In the meantime, verbal attacks on Belarus by members of the Russian national patriotic camp have become frenetic, and accusations are flying about Belarus purportedly leaving Russia for the West. To that group of commentators, Belarus is almost an enemy-this is how Russian liberal pundit Dmitry Oreshkin characterized the phenomenon in his interview with the Belarusian Service of Radio Liberty. In his opinion, Belarus is on target to develop its own identity and is showing a friendly face toward the EU because Russia has fewer and fewer possibilities to retain its position as Belarus's major donor (Svaboda.ru, January 21). In Russia, flames of anti-Belarusian hysteria are frequently fanned by Regnum, a "patriotic" news agency. Thus, one Regnum publication, authored by Anatoly Shlykov, accuses not only the Belarusian opposition but also mainly Belarusian officials and analysts loyal to the government of harboring anti-Russian sentiment. For example, Dr. Igor Marsalyuk, a Belarusian historian and a parliamentarian who authored programmatic documents and publications for the presidential administration of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, stands accused of "amnesia"-more specifically, of apparently having "forgotten" that "Russians liberated Belarusians from the Polish-Lithuanian yoke that lasted six hundred years" (Regnum, January 26). This charge is an erroneous fabrication of the past rather than a genuine attempt at interpreting factual history. The same author also claims that pro-Russian Belarusians are blacklisted and threatened domestically. Yet, not every Russian publication on Belarus defies common sense. For example, Kirill Koktysh, an associate professor at the prestigious Moscow Institute for International Relations, suggests that the Eurasian Economic Union-a Russian-led bloc that includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan-does not ensure a reasonable level of economic integration for all its member countries. For example, Belarus's air carrier Belavia is charged $95.20 per 100 kilometers when its planes crisscross Russian territory. For comparison, a Russian carrier conducting an international flight is charged $40.10 in Russian airspace; and when it conducts a domestic flight, the charge is only $8.90 per 100 km. As a result, Belavia has had to cancel its popular flights from Minsk to Novosibirsk and Ekaterinburg (Izvestia, January 31). So Russian agencies should not be surprised if and when their Belarusian counterparts prefer dealing with the West, Koktysh concludes. In this peculiar West-East tug of war for Belarus, this country's powerful neighbors are clearly not always aware of the consequences of their actions. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation The Kremlin Becomes Hostage to Its Own Imperial Propaganda Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Vadim Shtepa Publication Date 5 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 25 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, The Kremlin Becomes Hostage to Its Own Imperial Propaganda, 5 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 25, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56baeef74.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website In January 2016, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the formation of three new divisions in the Western Military District of Russia. Two of them will be located near the border with Ukraine and one-near the Belarusian border (Vedomosti, January 12). At first glance, this military orientation contradicts official Russian policy statements that declare Russia's main enemy to be the Islamic State, which operates mainly in Syria and Iraq (Interfax, April 22, 2015). Moreover, the Russian government has never publicly admitted to preparing for a war against Ukraine; rather, its officials continuously insist on the need to implement the Minsk ceasefire agreements (see EDM, November 10, 2015). However, Russian media have increasingly been harping on the alleged threat from the West, particularly from the Baltic countries. Indeed, the director of the Moscow-based Center for Strategic Studies, Ivan Konovalov, directly compares the strengthening of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in the Baltic region to the concentration of Nazi German troops in Eastern Europe, in 1941 (Svobodnaya Pressa, January 15). In similarly inverted logic, President Vladimir Putin has himself claimed that the war in Ukraine was the result of Western sanctions against Russia (Interfax, July 3, 2015). The small Baltic States-Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia-fearful of Russia's imperial revanchist policies, particularly following the annexation of Crimea and invasion of Donbas, have asked NATO to strengthen its defensive presence in Central-Eastern Europe. Such fear has regularly been fueled by threatening statements made by Russian experts close to the Kremlin. For example, Mikhail Alexandrov, a military expert at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), says: "If NATO supports Turkey" after the incident with the downed Russian bomber, then "the most logical answer from the Russian side [will be] the invasion of the Baltic States. And all of them will be ours-without any losses [and] fast enough." Notably, his published interview was entitled "Time to Correct Gorbachev's Mistake" (Svobodnaya Pressa, December 23, 2015). An invasion of Russian troops in the Baltic countries, of course, would mean a direct military confrontation with the North Atlantic Alliance. Does Russia really want this? Or is it just bluffing and trying to use psychological intimidation against the West? Arguably, the Kremlin has now become hostage to its own propaganda, which is based strongly on a nostalgia for the former Soviet Union. Just like in Soviet times, Russia's current military doctrine identifies NATO and the United States as enemies (Russia Today, December 26, 2014). And this is the fundamental difference between Putin's Russia and the more democratic Russia of 1991. Then, the Russia Federation sought to integrate itself into the modern world and recognized the independence of the Baltic countries. In general, all the former Soviet republics began to build entirely new states-except Russia. Instead, Russia proclaimed itself the "legal successor" to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), and this succession gradually became not only legal, but also mental. Today's Russia sees itself as a direct continuation of the Soviet Union. Illustratively, in 2005, Putin called the Soviet collapse "a major geopolitical disaster of the century" (Kremlin.ru, April 25, 2005). Current Kremlin policy appears designed to correct this "disaster." Putin's Russia evidently considers all of the post-Soviet space as falling under Moscow's influence. To institutionalize this arrangement, Moscow spearheaded the formation of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) in 2010-2012, whose members now include Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. Russia's aggression against Ukraine was a reaction to the fact that Ukraine, after the victory of the Maidan Revolution in 2014, chose another integration path-not with the EEU, but with the European Union. In its war against Ukraine, Russia has used a number of "hybrid" technologies in addition to conventional tactics. So a possible future aggression against the Baltic State would not necessarily have the character of a direct military invasion (see "Baltic Defense & Security After Ukraine: New Challenges, New Threats," The Jamestown Foundation, April 30, 2015). For example, the Estonian region of Ida-Viru (which includes the majority-ethnic-Russian border city of Narva) and Latvian Latgale are similarly dominated by Russian-speaking populations, which receive most of their news from Russian TV channels that express an imperial viewpoint. As in eastern Ukraine, such media sources try to implant their audiences with a "Russian world" ("Russkiy mir") ideology, designed to destabilize the Baltic countries. Preventing this negative scenario will require more effective information policies and a fuller integration of these regions' populations into the broader society. A further element complicating the regional security situation is the presence of the Russian Federation's coastal Kaliningrad exclave. In the 1990s, this Baltic littoral oblast, nestled between Poland and Lithuania, was perhaps Russia's most pro-European territory. At the time, Kaliningrad's Baltic Republican Party advocated turning the exclave into an autonomous "Baltic republic." However, in the Putin years, Kaliningrad was overcome by a mental transformation, akin to the one experienced by Chechnya. Throughout the 1990s, Chechnya tried to secede from Russia and become an independent state; but today, under the leadership of Ramzan Kadyrov, it positions itself as a bastion of Russian patriotism. Today's Kaliningrad region has also given up any further rumblings on the subject of autonomy-and the Baltic Republican Party has long been prohibited. Rather, Kaliningrad has turned into a military and propaganda bastion of Russia in the middle of NATO and the EU. Notably, the exclave reportedly hosts Iskander theater ballistic missiles (Il Giornale, January 18) as well as active informational web portals like Rubaltic.ru, which lead aggressive propaganda campaigns against the Baltic States. "Opposition to the West" in the Russian propaganda over the past two years has essentially become an end in itself. The present-day situation is reminiscent of the levels of Soviet informational campaigns prior to the launch of Perestroika in the late 1980s. However, Communist and anti-Western propaganda quickly lost its influence as the economic crisis overtook the USSR in its final years. Today, the Russian authorities, by pumping out anti-Western propaganda, try to distract its people from the economic crisis, which they have created (see Hot Issue, August 13, 2014; Ecfr.eu, March 13, 2015). When discussing the effectiveness of propaganda versus economic realities, Russians sometimes repeat the idiomatic phrase "a war between the TV-set and the refrigerator." But when television propaganda vaunting "great Russia" comes into sharp contrast with falling living standards, the refrigerator inevitably triumphs over the TV-set in people's minds. Current Russian authorities, however, apparently believe in their own propaganda, and do not want to see reality as it is. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Russia Watches and Puts Own Spin on Moldova's Crisis (Part Two) Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Vladimir Socor Publication Date 5 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 25 Related Document(s) Russia Watches and Puts Own Spin on Moldova's Crisis (Part One) Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russia Watches and Puts Own Spin on Moldova's Crisis (Part Two), 5 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 25, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56baef504.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website Western officials and commentators seem, on the whole, to overestimate Russia's capacity and intentions to recapture Moldova by exploiting that country's current crisis. This overestimation partly explains the recent decisions in Washington, Brussels and Bucharest to accept billionaire Vladimir Plahotniuc's full seizure of power, as preferable to a putative Russian takeover of Moldova in some form or another (see Part One, EDM, February 4). That nervousness looked like a carryover from the real emergency in the spring of 2014, when Russia's "Novorossiya" ("New Russia") project in Ukraine's southeast, with a focus on Odesa, could have threatened Moldova. Since then, however, Moldova seems hardly visible among Russia's foreign policy priorities, interests, objectives or targets. Moscow has only displayed scant, sporadic and unfocused attention to Moldova during the ongoing crisis there. Russia's Security Council discussed Moldova as one of the items at one session chaired by President Vladimir Putin; and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called on "all sides to observe the law, stay calm, and all political forces that support this part or that part of the opposition (i.e., pro-Europe and pro-Russia) to refrain from any violent actions" (Interfax, January 21, 22). No further statements on Moldova were monitored from high-level Russian officials. On the parliamentary side, according to the Duma's Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Affairs Committee chairman Leonid Slutsky, the popular protests following the Western endorsement of Plahotniuc show the failure of the European Union's Eastern Partnership in its once-exemplary country. If pre-term elections are held in Moldova now, the "pro-Eurasia" side would win, Slutsky predicted (Interfax, January 29). This assessment is widely shared in Moldova and the West. Still, Russia's officialdom is not calling for pre-term elections in Moldova. The Kremlin's television channels have not tried to inflame the situation in Moldova (in contrast to their past practice in Moldova and current practice elsewhere). They have not encouraged demands for pre-term elections either. Their news reporting (an instrument to influence the situation on the scene of events), as seen in Moldova, has been brief and restrained. For its part, Moldova prophylactically denied entry to five reporters from three different Russian television channels. Even at the height of protests in Chisinau, the Kremlin's main television channels carried only two reportages from the scene, eight days apart from each other (Russian TV Channel One, January 24; Rossiya TV, February 1). They depicted the United States and the European Union as siding with Plahotniuc's corrupt regime, against the protesting people of Moldova. The protests had "unified political forces with opposite geopolitical vectors" against the new government of Pavel Filip, "Plahotniuc's subordinate [stavlennik]." The EU's Association Agreement-according to commentary and vox pops (man-on-the-street interviews) on screen-did not alleviate Moldova's poverty, driving it instead to the current "revolution of despair" (see EDM, January 11, 12, 14, 15, 21, 28, 29). While that slant sought as usual to alienate Moldova's populace from the West, an entirely new slant emerged: ostracizing Plahotniuc. The Kremlin's propaganda studiously ignored him years on end, for better or worse, until now. But those two reportages (see above) assaulted Plahotniuc by quoting local views of him as an "odious figure," "blackmailer," "the puppet master of corruption," the emblematic "oligarch" who provoked this "anti-oligarchic movement" in Moldova (Russian TV Channel One, January 24; Rossiya TV, February 1). And a dedicated editorial feature by Dmitry Kiselev caricatured Plahotniuc into a pro-Western, pro-Romanian figure, a supporter of Moldova joining Euro-Atlantic organizations (Russian TV Channel One, January 31). This sudden televised assault is almost certainly Moscow's response to what it must view as Plahotniuc's understandings with the US (blaming Victoria Nuland specifically), with the EU and with Romania. The message to all in Moldova is that Plahotniuc has become a pariah to Russia (at least until further notice). Plahotniuc will not receive an invitation to the Kremlin, which he had so coveted, any more than he would receive invitations to Western capitals. Plahotniuc is internationally isolated, his pocket government fully dependent on donors and lenders: Romania in the near term, the West beyond that. But Moscow's televised assault on Plahotniuc is also an expression of sour grapes. With or without Plahotniuc, with or without pro-Russia parties winning pre-term elections, Russia is in no position to assume responsibility for Moldova economically. The Kremlin has even slashed its support for Transnistria (see EDM, December 14, 2015). It is clearly beyond Russia's means to sustain a Moldova hypothetically reoriented toward Russia. An under-resourced Kremlin is overcommitted on other fronts (see EDM, June 29, 2015). For all those considerations the Kremlin does not support regime change in Moldova at present or in the near future at least. This is also why Moscow's propaganda does not support the pro-Russia opposition's calls for pre-term elections in Moldova. With Plahotniuc so vulnerable externally, there would be no excuse for failing to pressure him into ceding the key levers of power to pro-reform and pro-Western figures in Moldova. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Russia Watches and Puts Own Spin on Moldova's Crisis (Part One) Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Vladimir Socor Publication Date 4 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 24 Related Document(s) Russia Watches and Puts Own Spin on Moldova's Crisis (Part Two) Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russia Watches and Puts Own Spin on Moldova's Crisis (Part One), 4 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 24, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56baef9a4.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Many international observers anticipated that Russia would move to exploit the anti-government protests in Moldova in order to (as the assumptions went) "destabilize Moldova's pro-Europe government," "halt and derail Moldova's European course," or even stage a "Maidan in reverse" in Chisinau. The Kremlin was, at a minimum, expected to exacerbate Moldova's disorders through propaganda and covert interference, leading perhaps to full-scale political or even strategic Russian exploitation of Moldova's crisis. The specter of Ukraine's Donbas partly inspired such predictions with regard to Moldova. Yet, after several weeks of anti-government protests (and an even longer period of non-governance) in Chisinau, those predictions about possible Russian actions have not been borne out. They were implausible all along for a number of reasons, some of them fairly perceptible (see Part Two). Nevertheless Washington, Brussels and Bucharest remain concerned about the possibility of direct Russian interference in Moldova, and apprehensive about regime change from Vladimir Plahotniuc's rule to pro-Russia forces. Those considerations have produced an expediency-based approach to Plahotniuc's monopolization of state power. Western diplomacy regards his pocket government (installed on January 20) as bringing stability, so as to keep Moldova from total collapse and/or from going Russia's way. The underlying logic holds that Plahotniuc's state capture through corruption is acceptable as the least bad choice, preferable to collapse or a Russian takeover in Moldova. It is a forced choice, one that looks like an emergency response to an emergency situation. Yet, there is still no sign that Russia is about to interfere directly in Moldova. The Kremlin's policy remains, if anything, one of malign neglect of Moldova from the outset of this crisis to date. Kremlin media and government spokesmen have been slow to respond, and their reactions do not seem to reflect a sustained interest or a sharply focused policy. To be sure, Russia does persist with measures aiming to hurt Moldova economically and influence its politics. These are Russia's pre-existing policies, without showing new initiatives. Moscow is biding its time, possibly making contingency plans for pre-term elections to be held in Moldova. Meanwhile, Moscow is skillfully exploiting the West's uncritical acceptance of Plahotniuc's consolidation of power. Russian propaganda had basically ignored Plahotniuc until now, and the Kremlin ignored his personal overtures. But the West's undeclared pact with Plahotniuc's government for "stability" has suddenly turned him into a target of opportunity, alongside the West, for Russian propaganda. This now conflates Plahotniuc and the West with each other, so as to discredit Western policy in the perceptions of Moldova's populace (Rossiyskaya Gazeta, January 29; Russian TV Channel One, Rossiya TV, January 24, 28-29, February 1). Plahotniuc and his circle are seen as embodying corruption and misuse of power in Moldova. He has a personal negative rating (the difference between approval and disapproval rates) of minus 80 to minus 90 percent in the opinion polls. Russian propaganda is now working to taint the West with Plahotniuc's image in Moldova. The recent mass protests, which targeted corruption generally and Plahotniuc's government specifically, are depicted by Moscow as protests against the consequences of "European integration." Plahotniuc's Moldovan government is supposedly "pro-Europe" and apparently works with the West. Uncontested by the West itself, these perceptions allow Moscow to discredit Moldova's "European option." Russian propaganda exploits the fact that Brussels, Washington and Bucharest have long bestowed the title "pro-Europe" on Chisinau's governing coalition, and on Plahotniuc's Democratic Party specifically, despite all evidence to the contrary. Bureaucratic and intellectual inertia, hopes for the better and fears of the worse combined to maintain that assessment in Western councils and public diplomacy. Only now is that assessment in the process of being revised. But the Moldovan population cannot perceive a revision as long as Western diplomacy goes along with Plahotniuc's full seizure of power, partnering with his government for "stability" and (again) hoped-for reforms (see EDM, January 11, 12, 14, 15, 21, 28, 29). The recent mass protests in Moldova transcended ethnic-linguistic, ideological, and "geopolitical" dividing lines. Moscow depicts these protests as a broad-based popular movement, one implicitly vindicating Moscow's own antagonistic view of the European Union. Although the protests are targeting corruption, "oligarchy," and Plahotniuc's government, Russian television channels imply that Plahotniuc is the West's protege and attribute an anti-Western slant to the protest movement. They pass over in silence the fact that not a single anti-EU slogan or speech has been heard during these mass protests. While anti-EU sentiment is rapidly growing in many member countries, it has not contaminated the protests in Chisinau. Protest leaders and orators representing various groups have agreed among themselves to suspend their disagreements over this issue for the time being. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation Khasavyurt Protest Shows Growing Power of Salafists in Dagestan Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Mairbek Vatchagaev Publication Date 5 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 25 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Khasavyurt Protest Shows Growing Power of Salafists in Dagestan, 5 February 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 25, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56baf0624.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Link to original story on Jamestown website Two months ago (December 2015), authorities in Dagestan attempted to shut down mosques in the capital Makhachkala that they did not control. The attempt ended in an embarrassing defeat for the authorities and the official mufti of the republic. The mufti lost the fight for the mosques, and the imams he appointed could not function and were forced to withdraw from those Muslim places of worship (see EDM, December 4, 2015). It should have taught the mufti and the authorities a lesson, but it turns out it did not. On January 29, the authorities shut down the Salafist mosque in Shamkhal village, in the Makhachkala suburbs. The police descended on the mosque before Friday prayers and said that the mosque would resume operations only after Dagestan's official mufti replaces the elected imam with his own candidate (Kavkazsky Uzel, January 29). Two days later, on January 31, the authorities shut down Khasavyurt's "Severnaya" ["Northern"] mosque, one of the city's two Salafist mosques, under the false pretext of mosque officials lacking certain documentation. When it turned out that the mosque's documentation was intact, the authorities then claimed that rebel recruitment had taken place there. On December 26, the police detained the "Severnaya" imam on the pretext that he was in possession of a grenade launcher. While the imam was under investigation, the parishioners elected a new imam-Muhammad Nabi-without consulting the republican mufti. Earlier, on December 1, the mosque had riveted public attention after unidentified individuals killed its then-imam, Suleiman Kokreksky (Suleiman Suleimanov), near the Khasavyurt city hospital (Yuga.ru, February 1). The closure of the mosque in Khasavyurt did not follow the pattern of what happened earlier in Shamkhal village. At a roundtable organized by the newspaper Chernovik, in Makhachkala, on February 2, it was revealed that the police in Khasavyurt had acted on Makhachkala's orders when they attempted to shut down the mosque (Kasparov.ru, February 2). It is clear that such a decision could not have been made without a green light from officials in Makhachkala. The roundtable participants, Salafist imams from various parts of the Dagestani capital, concluded that fighting terrorism by shutting down mosques was a shortsighted policy (Kavpolit.com, February 2). At the same time, members of the Council of Imams of Khasavyurt gave a press conference in Makhachkala, at which they stated that the authorities were forcing six imams of mosques in Khasavyurt to resign. Those mosques have 12,000-15,000 parishioners, most of them young people. "People are exasperated," one of the imams said. "Everyone should understand that shutting down the so-called Wahhabi mosques is not only a Salafi problem" (Mk.ru, February 2). The crackdown on mosques is not limited to Dagestan: authorities across Russia have ordered the demolition of 15 mosques so far, including mosques in Tambov, Kaliningrad, Novy Urengoi, Ussuriysk, Kislovodsk and Pyatigorsk. By closing the mosque earlier in the week, the authorities intended to prevent Friday prayers there. That, however, was a miscalculation: crowds of young and strongly motivated "Severnaya" mosque parishioners took to Khasavyurt's streets along with their supporters to protest against the action (YouTube, February 1). The authorities were probably surprised by such behavior. The protesters chanted "La ilaha illallah!" ("There is no deity but God" or "There is no God but Allah") and "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is Great!") and moved toward the administration of the city of Khasavyurt. Media reported that there were 5,000 participants, but videos indicate a somewhat higher number of protesters, which is unprecedented for Khasavyurt. The crowd did not scream or insult anyone; instead, they performed a collective Friday prayer on the square in front of the city administration. District police and the military were dispatched to the city, but no clashes ensued. Under the pressure of such a large rally, the city authorities returned the keys to the mosque to its imam (Chernovik.net, February 2). It was not simply a protest action. The extraordinary events in Khasavyurt showed that the city has significantly changed since the start of the second Russian-Chechen war in 1999. In the past, the authorities asserted that Salafists comprise only a small minority in the republic, numbering several dozen people at most. The authorities in Khasavyurt see that their numbers are now hundreds of times greater than they estimated. The conflict in Khasavyurt undermined the government's prestige and handed a victory to the mosque parishioners. The parishioners showed that victories over the authorities are possible if unity is achieved. Dagestan once again surprised observers, who can say that the situation in the republic is changing so quickly that in a few years, Sufis will no longer be in charge. As the religion of the majority in the North Caucasus, Sufism is losing ground to an alliance of Sufi sheikhs and the authorities. The public protests are therefore not so much Salafi protests as protests of people against government policies regarding Islam in general. The large crowds of protesters in Khasavyurt indicated that the social support base for the armed Islamic underground movement in the republic is much wider than many have thought. Copyright notice: 2010 The Jamestown Foundation UNHCR Statement on the Situation in Turkey Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 9 February 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNHCR Statement on the Situation in Turkey, 9 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56baf8434.html [accessed 21 October 2022] UNHCR expresses its gratitude for the generosity shown by the Turkish authorities and people towards the Syrian refugees they have been hosting for the last five years. UNHCR appreciates that Turkey is continuing to give access to humanitarian and medical cases despite the increasingly complex situation in northern Syria. In view of the recent displacement in Aleppo province and the extreme vulnerabilities, UNHCR is encouraging authorities to ensure a broader access to Turkish territory for all those in need of international protection in line with the long-standing Turkish open-border policy. Turkey is already hosting over 2.5 million Syrians and shouldering the greatest responsibility in sheer numbers in this humanitarian international crisis. While UNHCR stands ready to assist authorities to manage and care for new arrivals of refugees, and has pre-positioned relief items in Turkey close to the Syrian border accordingly, far greater support is required to address the magnitude of needs. UNHCR is therefore also calling on the international community to swiftly and meaningfully increase support to Turkey. Afghans Reject Russian "Alliance" With Taleban Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Publication Date 7 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol ARR 536 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Afghans Reject Russian "Alliance" With Taleban, 7 February 2016, ARR 536, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56bb03664.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Participants in IWPR debates across Afghanistan have rejected a suggestion from a high-ranking Russian envoy that the Taleban may be an unlikely new ally in the fight against Islamic State (IS). Zamir Kabulov, the KGB's former top officer in Kabul during the 1980s war and now President Vladimir Putin's man in Kabul, told Interfax news agency last month that "Taleban interests objectively coincide with ours." "Both the Afghan and the Pakistani Taleban have said they don't recognise [IS] and they don't recognise the IS leader [Abu Bakr] alBaghdadi as the caliph; that is very important," he continued. "We have communication channels with the Taleban to exchange information." Russia has long been concerned that IS poses a particularly threat if jihadists from the former Soviet Republics who fight in Syria and Iraq return to commit atrocities at home. However, participants in discussions in Ghor, Kunduz, and Kabul provinces last month rejected any Russian support for the Taleban as roundly against Afghan interests. In Kunduz, provincial council member Maulawi Khosh Mohammad Nasratyar said any Russian backing for the insurgents would be a threat to the entire region. He added that in any case the Taleban would never deal with Russia, their former foes from the 1980s. Civil society activist Qazi Matiullah Doorman said Kabulov was trying to institute another proxy war. "The United States supported the mujahedeen of Afghanistan in the 1980s and defeated Russia this way," he said. "Today, Russia wants to support the Taleban to defeat America." Although IS has some affiliates within Afghanistan, they are not thought to be a major threat and political analyst Mohammad Hussain Nafiz demanded that the Kabul government respond forcefully to Kabulov's statements. "The situation in Afghanistan will get many times worse than it currently if the people and the government do not act decisively against the Taleban," he said. In Ghor province, provincial council member Abdul Hameed Natiqi also thought that any Russian support for the Taleban could be disastrous. "When Russia provides the Afghan Taleban with weapons and ammunition for fighting IS, this act will be dangerous not only for Afghanistan, but also for the region and the world." However, one speaker in the Kabul debate said that such a scenario could be leveraged by the Afghan government. Moscow has also suggested increasing support to Kabul, and Zabulov indicated that a shipment of small arms would arrive as early as this month. "A confrontation between Russia and US in regards to the Russian fight against IS will be beneficial for Afghanistan," political analyst Sayed Farhad Hashimi said, "[providing] the government of Afghanistan makes sure to benefit from this clash." Copyright notice: Institute for War & Peace Reporting About Me Ask not what blogging can do for you but what you can do for blogging. View my complete profile Afghan Women Empowered to Work Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Author Ahmad Farid Tanha Publication Date 8 February 2016 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Afghan Women Empowered to Work, 8 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56bb03f04.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. "I used to beg," said 30-year-old Wahida. "Now, I work as a seamstress and feed my whole family." Wahida, a resident of the Parwan's provincial capital Charikar, told IWPR that her life had been transformed due to a training course run by the provincial department of women's affairs. She had been the only breadwinner for a family of five as her husband was a drug addict and unable to work. Waheeda's only previous income had been from begging and occasionally taking in laundry, but her new skills had changed all that, she said. "I [now] charge three to eight US dollars for each set of clothes I prepare; I have an income of up to 100 dollars a month," Wahida continued. "My life is very good. I will always remember those taught me this profession in my prayers." Vocational training for women in a range of marketable skills has proved highly successful in the eastern province of Parwan, although female entrepreneurs say more government investment is needed to ensure their financial independence. Safia heads the training centre run by Parwan's provincial department of women's affairs and supported by the charity Care. She said that 600 women had so far graduated from courses ranging from sewing, weaving, baking and quilt making to English language classes, computer skills and beautician training. Most of these women, trained in six rounds, were now economically self-sufficient, she said. "Every training period lasts three to six months; during this time, the trainees are given two dollars a day for transport expenses and the trainers are paid a monthly salary of [around] 130 dollars by Care," she said. Work tools and equipment were also provided free of charge to the students. Suraya, 25, learned how to sew in the training centre three years ago and now supports her parents and her two younger brothers. Although she has put her own life on hold to look after her family, she says she has no regrets. "I am compelled to not marry until my brothers grow up, because there is no one else to feed them apart from me," she said, adding that nonetheless she can now earn between 150 and 200 dollars a month. Safiullah Shams, head of the regional office of the UN's Habitat development programme, highlighted the long-term effect of vocational training. Shams told IWPR that nearly 7,000 women had graduated from a scheme they ran from 2005 to 2012 in conjunction with the National Solidarity Programme, a scheme intended to empower local communities to manage their own development projects. He said that the courses they had offered, including carpet-weaving, poultry breeding, sewing and animal husbandry, were still showing dividends. "According to our findings, these trainings led to significant changes in the lives of needy women," he said. Nadira Gia, head of the provincial department of women's affairs, said that empowering women economically also helped combat gender violence. "The root of most violence in the family is poverty," she said. "This process has reduced the violence against women by making them financially independent." She added, "Some women have managed to set up their own small businesses." GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY Siah Moy Hashimi runs a beauty parlour in Charikar city, having learnt her trade in Iran. She charges between seven and ten dollars for a regular makeover and up to 100 dollars to prepare a bride for her wedding. Business is booming; she can expect takings of 50 dollars each day with a bridal party booked in at least once a week. Hashimi is passing on her skills to other aspiring beauticians through the vocational training centre, where more than ten students are enrolled in her course. She is paid 150 dollars a month for her teaching work. "I have trained 120 students so far," she told IWPR. "Each of them has established their own beauty salon in Parwan city; they have enough work and are doing well financially." A challenge for those entering the handicraft market is how to increase demand for traditional products. Nadia, 20, a resident of Charikar, learned how to weave with beads six months ago in the training centre. She has now abandoned that to learn tailoring. "Bead weaving is good work, however there was no demand for it," she said. "I could barely sell what I had made. There's a good market for tailoring and now I've learned this profession, I want to use my skills to look after my family." Other female entrepreneurs warn that expanding their businesses is impossible without government support. Charikar resident Parwana, 27, runs a tailoring workshop, training and employing many younger women. She struggles to keep up supply as she only has the resources to commission work that has already been paid for. "I [tried taking] various designs to sell in the market, but there was no demand. They offered low prices for them, I had to bear losses," she said. "The government should help us market the clothes these female trainees prepare." Gia, from the provincial department of women's affairs, agreed that this lack of additional investment was a problem. She said she had raised the issue during a meeting with Rola Ghani, the wife of Afghan president Ashraf Ghani, who promised her support. She added, "Improving the lives of women was a central aim of the government in the meetings I had with officials." For now, the training schemes continue to make a big difference to women in Parwan. Gul Chehra, 40, was widowed ten years ago and moved to the provincial capital from Ghorband district with her two sons and a daughter. They struggled financially, but she never gave up hope. "In the beginning, I made quilts; then, I learned tailoring through Parwan's department of women's affairs. Now, I earn at least 10 dollars a day. Our life is good now; my children attend school. I thank all those who prepared the ground to provide such opportunities for women." This report was produced under IWPR's Promoting Human Rights and Good Governance in Afghanistan initiative, funded by the European Union Delegation to Afghanistan. Copyright notice: Institute for War & Peace Reporting When There is No Place to Hide Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Author Razan al-Sayid Publication Date 9 February 2016 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, When There is No Place to Hide, 9 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56bb04794.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Sabah and her family left their home in Kfar Nbuda in a daze. The government had given residents 24 hours to get out, and all of a sudden the 58-year-old found herself homeless with nowhere to go. Sabah's displacement from Hama's northern countryside began on October 6, 2015. When she fled, her only concern was to find a safe place to live, but times were difficult and she had little money. "I had seven children and five grandchildren," recalled Sabah. "My husband had passed away and our financial situation was dire. The cost of travel was high, and we had very little money." Along with thousands of others, Sabah sought shelter in the liberated villages of Jabal al-Zawiya, but the large number of refugees had pushed rents up and she was unable to find suitable, affordable housing. Disheartened, Sabah was forced to search for a home elsewhere. "We heard that a refugee camp was under construction in al-Naqir village in Idlib's southern countryside," she said. "So we decided to try our luck there. When Sabah and her family arrived at the camp, it was already overcrowded and conditions were squalid. Nevertheless, they gladly accepted the tent they were assigned. They had slept out in the open for the past few days, and the tent felt like luxurious in comparison. As they went to sleep that night, Sabah's family felt safe and blessed. Unfortunately, their peace was short lived. "That first night it was freezing cold, so I covered my children and grandchildren with everything we had," said Sabah. "A short while after we fell asleep, the camp was targeted by missiles, and our tents turned into balls of fire." Sabah woke up to the frenzied sound of screaming and crying. She tried to get her family out to safety, but lost consciousness before she could help them. When she came to, Sabah found herself lying in a hospital bed where she received tragic news. One of her daughters and one of her grandchildren had been killed. All of her other children had been injured, along with the majority of the refugee camp's residents. "Russian air forces bombed the camp with cluster bombs and other artillery," Sabah said, weeping. "What kind of threat did we pose to them? Why would they bomb us so mercilessly while we slept? Why are they trying to force us out of our country?" Usama al-Ahmad, one of the paramedics who rushed to the scene, described the devastation to Damascus Bureau. "The situation was appalling. All the tents were on fire and most of the refugees were either injured or dead," said the 27-year-old. "Sabah had fainted due to asphyxiation. She had also suffered numerous wounds and burns while trying to protect her grandchildren using her own body." In his experience, most of the victims of such strikes were innocent civilians and children, al-Ahmad added. Following the attack, Sabah's eldest son Ahmad suggested the family flee to a camp in Turkey, arguing that life would be safer there than in Syria. His mother refused. "My mother is a courageous woman and has great faith in God," said the 32-year-old. "She lives in hope that the war will end soon, and we will be able to go back home". Sabah's daughter-in-law Amal, who lost her five-year-old child in the attack, seemed to agree. "Our cruel regime has killed many of our children, youth, and men," said the 23-year-old bitterly. "But they will never wipe out a whole population. The people will continue to be a thorn in their flesh. Our martyrs have not died in vain." Sabah said she remained resolute. "This is our country," she continued. "We will not abandon or leave it. Our lives are not more precious than those of the martyrs who died before us. We seek either victory, or martyrdom". Razan al-Sayid is the pseudonym of a Damascus Bureau contributor living in Maarat al-Numan, Syria along with her three children. The 28-year-old holds a BA in education and works as a teacher. Copyright notice: Institute for War & Peace Reporting Books not bombs for Sudan refugees Publisher IRIN Author Albert Gonzalez Farran Publication Date 9 February 2016 Cite as IRIN, Books not bombs for Sudan refugees, 9 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56bb06104.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. One of the first stops for people fleeing the conflict in Sudan's South Kordofan region is the town of Yida, 20 kilometres across the border in South Sudan. The town shelters more than 70,000 Sudanese refugees who have set up homes, businesses and have established themselves within the local community. But now, in an effort to decongest Yida and provide better services, the government and humanitarian partners are trying to persuade them to relocate to an official camp in Ajuong Thonk, further south in Unity State. It was established in 2013 to shelter civilians fleeing the fighting between the Sudanese government and rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). The camp shelters 31,000 - a population that has more than doubled over the course of 2015 - and is likely to expand further still with the end of the rainy season, which will ease travel across the border. The government has been asking people to move for two years. Now it has set a deadline - it wants all refugees to relocate from Yida by July. Resistance to moving With the camp in Ajuong Thonk fully operational, "we will encourage them to go there gradually," explained John Dabi, deputy chairman of the Commission for Refugee Affairs. But the response from refugees in Yida has not been uniformly positive. "We don't want to move," said Mohammed Ahmed Idrif, a community leader from Al Garbia, South Kordofan. "It's cheaper and easier for us here." Idrif, who arrived in South Sudan more than two years ago, explained that Yida's proximity to the border means he can cross back and forth to check on his village whenever the fighting permits. The downside of living in Yida is that the humanitarian organisations only provide emergency food - not the full panoply of services available in Ajuong Thonk - and even those rations might be squeezed as an inducement to move. "Why don't the humanitarian organisations bring all the assistance to Yida, where most of the refugees are?" complained Idrif, who heads a family of eight. Too close to the conflict Yida is an important economic centre for both the host community and refugees. It boasts markets, farms, transport services and basic schools. An announcement on 27 January by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir opening the border with South Sudan merely recognised the existing reality. "Sudanese fleeing the conflict in the war-torn Nuba Mountains will continue to use irregular routes to seek asylum in South Sudan. Using a border crossing point manned by Sudanese government officials would not be an option for them for obvious protection reasons," said Rocco Nuri, spokesman for the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. But they are fleeing into a region hit by food shortages as a result of South Sudan's own conflict. The UN has warned that the country is facing unprecedented levels of hardship, with people displaced by fighting further south in Unity State at particular risk in the coming dry season, between April and July. UNHCR supports the government's decision to relocate the refugees, arguing that Yida is too close to the border and the fighting to the north. Its proximity "creates threats to the security of refugees and undermines the principle of the civilian character of asylum," said Nuri. Yida is inside "a military area," explained Dabi. "We need to keep the refugees away from it." Rebel JEM and SPLM-N combatants are a constant presence in Yida, and it's known that some of them have relatives among the refugees. Although part of Sudan, South Kordofan is home to many pro-South Sudan communities. Protesting their marginalisation, they fought alongside southern rebels in a war that culminated in independence for South Sudan in 2011. Desperate education needs Ajuong Thonk has its attractions. It boasts in-camp roads, a primary healthcare centre, three primary schools, a secondary school and a computer lab. Saddam Tia, 17, walked for more than two days with his 10-year-old cousin, Hassan, to reach South Sudan from their village of Angolo. A Sudanese government airstrike killed his mother, destroyed his school, and he doesn't know the whereabouts of his father. "I just want to continue my education in the refugee camp and become a doctor," he told IRIN. Around 60 percent of Sudanese refugees are minors, looking for an opportunity to complete school in South Sudan. Some 11,000 students receive primary and secondary education in Ajuong Thok, supported by NGOs, the UNHCR and the South Sudanese government. The irony is that more than half South Sudan's own children are out of school - the highest rate in the world - largely as a consequence of its own civil war, which broke out in 2013. During the conflict, schools have been destroyed or turned into barracks, with children increasingly conscripted into the ranks of government and rebel forces. Elizabeth Aldukun travelled for three days from her home village of Amdorein in South Kordofan with six children. "I came to South Sudan because my husband fled to Khartoum and I need to give a better future to my kids," she told IRIN in Ajuong Thok. "Wouldn't it be better if the humanitarian organisations could bring all these services to our original villages [in the north]," she added. Despite being one of the poorest countries in the world, South Sudan hosts more than 263,000 refugees, mostly from Sudan. neighbouring Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia. The number is expected to reach 300,000 this year. As a result of South Sudan's conflict, as many as 2.8 million people - nearly 25 percent of the population - are in urgent need of food assistance, the UN warned this week. Sri Lanka war crimes in the spotlight as UN rights chief visits Publisher IRIN Author Jared Ferrie Publication Date 9 February 2016 Cite as IRIN, Sri Lanka war crimes in the spotlight as UN rights chief visits, 9 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56bb06694.html [accessed 21 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Sri Lanka's president is unlikely to cave in any time soon to pressure for international participation in a war crimes tribunal, as the United Nations rights chief urged today. But he could turn the situation to his advantage by offering up less controversial reforms to win back domestic political support and satisfy the international community. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein spoke at the end of a four-day visit to Sri Lanka, where he travelled to check on the government's progress on implementing recommendations in his report released last September. The report documented alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by both the government and the rebel Tamil Tigers in the last two years of a decades-long war that ended in 2009. It recommended a series of reforms intended to breathe life into Sri Lanka's ailing justice sector, including the creation of a truth and reconciliation commission and an office dedicated to investigating the fate of thousands of people who disappeared during the war. More controversially, it also called for the creation of a hybrid court comprised of Sri Lankan and international officials - a suggestion that was dismissed by hardliners as well as reform-minded president Maithripala Sirisena. Zeid stuck firmly to that position in his statement today. "Sri Lanka has many excellent judges, lawyers, and law enforcement officials," he said. "But over the years the system they depended on, and which depends on them, became highly politicised, unbalanced, unreliable." Justice denied Many Sri Lankans agree. In fact, justice sector reform was one of Sirisena's key campaign promises. Since he came to power in a surprise win a year ago, many in the country have lost confidence in Sirisena's commitments to investigating abuses during the war and to promoting reconciliation between the mainly Buddhist majority ethnic Sinhalese and minority ethnic Tamils, who are mostly Hindu. Sirisena's government is accused of making little progress on cases of corruption and abuse allegedly committed by members of the former government, which was led by the hawkish Rajapaksa brothers - Mahinda, the former president, and Gotabhaya, the former defence minister - who oversaw the brutal end of the war. "There is a sense that the sheen is off the government, the sense that people are beginning to lose some trust in this process," said Alan Keenan, a Sri Lanka analyst with the International Crisis Group. Acting on some of the other recommendations in the report could be a way for Sirisena to burnish his fading reputation, Keenan told IRIN. He said the overarching goal of implementing such measures is to help "rebuild the integrity of the justice system". That goal appeals to Sri Lankans from various ethnic and religious groups who in the 2015 elections abandoned the Rajapaksa brothers in droves. Those included minority Muslims who were targeted in a series of attacks in 2014 by mobs stirred up by Buddhist nationalist groups. At best, the government did little to protect Muslims, and some rights groups claim it provided tacit support to the nationalists. "All communities have suffered and they all have an interest in rebuilding the system," said Keenan. Economic benefits In addition to shoring up domestic political support, enacting reforms contained in the UN report would bring economic benefits. The European Union is currently reviewing Sri Lanka's progress on human rights with an eye to restoring access to the Generalised Scheme of Preferences, which allows imports from developing countries at preferential rates. Sri Lanka lost its privileges in 2010. Likewise, Sri Lanka is keen to have the United States return access to funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which provides grants of as much as $500 million over five years to selected countries. Progress on implementing the less controversial recommendations could provide political and economic returns, as well as give Sirisena some breathing space by delaying the tougher decision about whether to allow internationals to participate in a tribunal. But Sirisena can't dodge the question forever. Eventually, Sri Lanka will need to make a decision, and it's bound to alienate one side or the other. Supporters of the military and the Rajapaksas are vehemently opposed. They demonstrated in the streets during Zeid's visit to make it clear that they will not accept foreigners judging military men. But many victims of wartime atrocities will accept nothing less. "An internationalised, hybrid justice process is absolutely vital if it is to gain the confidence of the torture survivors we treat and for the Tamil community as a whole," said Sonya Sceats, director of policy and advocacy at Freedom from Torture, a group that works with torture survivors. "They will have no confidence in the process if there is no international participation," she told IRIN. Application for student loan forgiveness plan is available: Here's what to know Brownwood Police Chief Mike Corley announced Tuesday that he will retire June 22, which will mark his 40th year in law enforcement. And although Corley is not being put out to pasture, he said his plans do include farming. "We have a little sheep and goat farm that my wife and I started a couple years ago that we didn't plan on having," said Corley, 58, who got his first badge on his 19th birthday. Corley, a self-described "city kid," said he spent 40 years in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and only got into raising goats and sheep so he and his wife could get an agricultural exemption. "But we ended up loving to do it," he said. "We've got 40 four-legged animals at our place now and we're about to have babies in the spring. I never imagined in a million years that we would want to be farmers," Corley said. "When I got more excited about buying a tractor than a motorcycle, then I knew something had happened." Corley said he also will continue doing a '70s call-in music show on KATX radio in Eastland. He said he has been planning his retirement since June. After a law enforcement career spanning four years in Midland, 30 years in Richardson and almost six years in Brownwood, Corley said he believes he has accomplished quite a bit. "As far as Brownwood, we were able to get recognition and accreditation through the Texas Police Chiefs Association," he said. "There's 168 best practices we had to pass and it was very difficult. It's a lot of hard work to get to that," he said. City Manager Emily Crawford, on the job since June, now is tasked with finding Corley's replacement. "I have already contacted the Texas Police Chiefs Association," Crawford said. "They have a committee that works with cities to assist them in a third-party review of applicants. And they have agreed to help us." Crawford said the city most likely will post the position in March. "We plan on making our decision before Chief Corley's last day," she said. Corley has brought multiple distinguished awards to the department through events such as National Night Out, as well as various accreditations and recognitions, Crawford said. "Chief Corley has been historic for Brownwood," she said. "He is the first appointed chief of police for the city. Prior to him, we have had elected police chiefs." Twitter: ARN_Titus The head of the Brownwood Independent School District reported Tuesday that he has notified law enforcement officials about allegations involving an improper relationship between an educator and a student. Brownwood ISD Superintendent Joe Young did not specify the allegations, but he told the Reporter-News that he had contacted Brownwood police "within the hour" of learning of the potentially improper relationship. Young said Texas Rangers now are handling the investigation and already have visited the high school. He said the district has turned over all pertinent information to law enforcement and that he has notified staff and parents about the investigation. Brownwood Police Chief Mike Corley said that as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, his department had not received any allegations of an improper relationship. According to Texas law, "if a professional has cause to believe that a child has been abused or neglected or may be abused or neglected, or that a child is a victim of an offense ... the professional shall make a report not later than the 48th hour after the hour the professional first suspects that the child has been or may be abused or neglected or is a victim of an offense." Several cases involving allegations of improper relationships have been reported in the Big Country. Former Abilene High School English teacher Breanne Brown was indicted Oct. 15 on a charge of sexual assault of a child. According to court documents, Brown reportedly admitted to having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old male student. She is scheduled to appear in 350th District Court at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 18. Abilene police also investigated whether then-Superintendent Heath Burns, Associate Superintendent Mark Neal and Abilene High Principal Jennifer Raney reported the alleged incident in a timely manner. Burns, who resigned in February 2015, pleaded guilty in August to failure to report child abuse by a professional. Raney, who was reassigned to AISD headquarters downtown during the investigation, later was cleared of any wrongdoing. In September, Michael Trook, a former administrator at Holland Medical High School, received 10 years' deferred adjudication probation, a 15-day jail sentence and a $2,500 fine after pleading to a charge of improper relationship with a 17-year-old female student in 2014. He also was required to surrender his teacher's certificate. In the Moran ISD, cafeteria worker Jerica Alexander, 23, was fired Dec. 9 after another employee brought up an allegation of a sexual incident between Alexander and a male high school student off campus during the Thanksgiving holiday. Alexander later was arrested on a charge of improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony. Twitter: ARN_Titus A look at elections in Taylor County and beyond Just as radar warns of approaching storms, so does the flood of migrants entering Europe warn us of a deluge yet to come, not only for Europeans, if they continue to allow unrestricted immigration, but for the United States. Reports that women in Cologne, Germany, have been groped and robbed by men described by authorities as having 'a North African or Arabic' appearance should be warning enough, but there are other and more ominous warnings that suggest worse lies ahead, unless the problem receives immediate attention and action. And it's not just Cologne. The Gatestone Institute, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit international policy council and think tank, is in possession of what it describes as a 'leaked German intelligence document,' which says, 'We are importing Islamic extremism, Arab anti-Semitism, national and ethnic conflicts of other peoples, as well as a different understanding of society and law.' Last October, reports Gatestone, Andrew Parker, the director general of Britain's Security Service, said that ''the scale and tempo' of the danger to the U.K. is now at a level he has not seen in his 32-year career. British police are monitoring over 3,000 homegrown Islamist extremists willing to carry out attacks on the U.K..' Last week, President Obama visited a Baltimore mosque. According to The Daily Caller, the mosque 'has deep ties to extremist elements, including the Muslim Brotherhood.' That mosque is not alone, as a map on the paper's website reveals. Explaining the president's visit, White House spokesman Keith Maley said, 'The president believes that one of our nation's greatest strengths is our rich diversity.' I doubt terrorists believe that. I don't believe that diversity, as practiced in America, exists in any country with a Muslim majority. Benedicte Bjornland, head of the Norwegian Police Security Service, recently warned against further Muslim immigration. When U.S. politicians suggest a similar approach, they are denounced as 'bigots' and 'Islamophobes,' but in Norway and Sweden, two of the most liberal nations in Europe that have welcomed Muslim immigrants, that charge will be difficult to make stick. What we are witnessing is the complete breakdown and failure of multiculturalism. Dictionary.com defines multiculturalism as 'the preservation of different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society, as a state or nation.' That definition contains a glaring contradiction. A society cannot be unified if it preserves different cultures and cultural identities within itself. That's why our national motto is translated 'out of many, one.' To the multiculturalist it appears to be, 'Out of one, many.' History demonstrates that no nation can long survive if it forgets why it exists. Our failure to inculcate American traditions, beliefs and history, even in the native born, not to mention immigrants, is rapidly destroying the country bequeathed to us by our forebears. Leftists in Europe and the U.S. have promoted multiculturalism, believing that once Muslims experience our freedoms and dedication to equality they will want to be like us. It doesn't appear to be working and anyone familiar with the Koran and its 'kingdom of this world' instructions knows it likely won't. European leaders, from Germany's Angela Merkel, to Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, have deliberately closed their eyes to what they see unfolding in their countries, and in others. President Obama is doing the same thing with his trip to the Baltimore mosque. Our enemies see our weakness and failure to understand their objectives, which include destroying the West and establishing a worldwide caliphate. This is not top secret information. Not all Muslims are terrorists, to be sure, but large numbers of radical Islamists profess allegiance to the faith and they are more than willing to wreak havoc in pursuit of their goals. An ancient proverb reminds us: 'There are none so blind as those who will not see.' Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... Protesters clash with riot police as they set a fire at a junction in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong, Feb. 9, 2016. A member of a Hong Kong student activist group was arrested at the citys airport on Wednesday morning before boarding a flight to Taiwan because of suspected involvement in violent clashes between police and protesters on the Lunar New Year, the group said in a statement. Scholarism said member Derek Lam Shun-hin, 22, spent only four hours on Monday night in the citys gritty, working-class district of Mong Kok where the protests occurred, and did not take part in any violent clashes or attacks on police officers. The clashes broke out when unlicensed food vendors took exception to police attempts to clear their stalls, set up to attract the crowds of people welcoming the Year of the Monkey on the neon-lit streets of Kowloon. Some activists joined in the battle against police, and some journalists covering the event were attacked. The group also said policemen tried to search Lams home without a court warrant, but they stopped when his lawyer arrived. We are deeply resentful of the polices indiscriminate arrest of the student as means of assaulting the peoples right to assembly and freedom of expression, the groups statement said. Scholarism also urged authorities to release Lam immediately. Police, who now have detained at least 64 people suspected of being involved in the clashes, said they expect more arrests in the days to come, according to Hong Kong media sources. Lam Shun-hin did not throw things at the police, set fires, challenge the police, or instigate physical clashes with them, said Joshua Wong, leader of Scholarism. So, I do not understand why the police have arrested this kind of person who just participated in the nightlife and did not have any clashes with them. Actually, I was with him at around 2 a.m. [on Feb. 9], and we left together, he said. Li Chung Chak, another member of the group, told RFAs Cantonese Service that the members were shocked when they learned of Lams arrest. We are shocked and worried, he said. Why would the police arrest him without any reason? I do not know of any other members who were at the [clash] scene that night. We can do nothing at the moment and have handed this over to a lawyer. The attacks, which took place in the same streets as the most violent clashes of the Occupy Central pro-democracy movement of 2014, were described as a riot on the part of violent radicals by Hong Kong officials. Reported by Lin Jing RFAs Cantonese Service. Translated by Shiny Li. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Fighting that erupted between two rival armed ethnic groups in a village in Myanmars restive Shan state three days ago has injured one resident and forced nearly all of the 1,500 others to flee their homes, a village administrative official said Wednesday. Shelling between soldiers of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) and Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) injured the leg of one resident of Lotnaw village, Namhkam township, in northern Shan State, Eik Yai, chief administrator of the village, told RFAs Myanmar Service. The wounded villager is being treated at the township hospital, he said. At about 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 7, about 300 troops from the rival RCSS/SSA-South came into the village where about 100 TNLA troops were based, he said. Then a big battle began, and the villagers fled amid heavy shelling. TNLA troops have been fighting with RCSS/SSA-South soldiers in Namhkam township since last November, but their clashes have intensified during the past few days in the area around Lotnaw village, residents said. Village school shut About 900 RCSS/SSA-S troops remain in Lotnaw, forcing residents of the four communities that comprise the village to seek shelter about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away in the village of Mong Wee, Eik Yai said. The fighting has also forced the village school to shut down temporarily, he said. The clash has forced about 550 Lotnaw residents to seek shelter inside the Taang literature and culture office in Mong Wee village, where they do not have enough blankets and must sleep on a concrete floor, while others have headed into the jungle, he said. Most of the refugees are in their 50s and 60s, but their numbers also include roughly 200 children, he said, adding that more residents fleeing the fighting in Lotnaw are expected to arrive in Mong Wee. About 300 refugees from Lotnaw have been living in nearby Mong Wee village since November, residents said. Second township hit Meanwhile, fighting between the two armed groups in Kyaukme township during the past days has reportedly injured several civilians and destroyed a home, forcing 300 villagers from the area to seek shelter in nearby Pan Hsan village, sources said. The TNLA has been battling the RCSS, the political organization that oversees the SSA-S, near Mong Wee village in Namhkam township since Nov. 27, when the SSA-S crossed into front-line territory and opened fire, the online journal Irrawaddy reported. During that time, Myanmar army forces had teamed up with the RCSS after the group signed a nationwide cease-fire agreement with the government and launched an offensive against the holdout rebel TNLA army in Shan state. The 6,000-strong SSA-S was one of eight armed ethnic groups that signed the cease-fire pact with the government on Oct. 15. The TNLA, along with two other armed ethnic groups, was not invited to sign the agreement because of ongoing hostilities with the Myanmar army, however. Reported by Thiri Min Zin and Kan Tar for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Kyaw Min Htun. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Ali Mohammed al-Nimr A young protester who was reportedly forced to admit to crimes after being tortured when he was a teenager could be beheaded in the coming days. A young protester who was reportedly forced to admit to crimes after being tortured when he was a teenager could be beheaded in the coming days. Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in Saudi Arabia in 2012, along with 2 others who were also minors at the time, following anti-government protests in 2011. In 2013, aged just 17, he was sentenced to death by beheading and crucifixion. He is the nephew of the outspoken Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who was executed on 2 January without warning, along with 46 other prisoners. His mother, Umm Bakr, told The Times she fears her son was used "as a card against his uncle", and says after he was arrested he was tortured into signing confessions for a number of false charges including carrying a weapon. Mohammed al-Nimr, his father and the brother of Sheikh Nimr, believes his son was "just like any other youth," he said: "When the movement started, he joined, believing he would take on the burden for the people." However, he claims police knocked Mr al-Nimr off his motorcycle and arrested him, informing his family he would only be released if "his uncle stops talking". The mass execution sparked widespread protests around the world and lead to a sharp decline in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Following the mass killing of 46 prisoners earlier this year, the largest mass execution in Saudi Arabia since 1980, the British government maintains it doesn't expect the Mr al-Nimr's sentence to go ahead. But his father doubts he will be released: "Perhaps before 2 January, I might have believed that. Now unless I see him back home again, none of these assurances can give me any comfort." Source: The Independent, Feb. 9, 2016 MOSCOW -- Abkhazia has outlawed abortion in an apparent effort to boost the population of the breakaway Georgian republic. The ban was formally approved on February 8 when Abkhazia's de facto leader, Raul Khajimba, signed a new health-care law that was approved by parliament on January 29. The legislation includes a full ban on pregnancy terminations from the moment of conception. "The state recognizes the right to life of an unborn child from the moment of conception and forbids artificial pregnancy terminations," reads the text of the new law. "In view of the equal right to life of a mother and a child, the state defends and upholds this right." The ban, which allows for exceptions in the event of a fetus dying in the womb, comes into effect immediately. Apollon Gurgulia, the chairman of the Abkhaz parliamentary committee on health care, explained the reasons behind the legislation during an interview with RFE/RL's Georgian Service on February 9. "It is reflected in the law that the rights of unborn children are protected, abortions are a criminal offense," Gurgulia said. Speaking to Interfax, Said Kharazia, an Abkhaz lawmaker who was one of the authors of the ban, said that "abortion artificially reduces the number of the already small population of Abkhazia." Kharazia told the Russian news agency that there have been 11,900 abortions in Abkhazia since 1993. Abkhazia officially has a population of 242,000. Surge In Religious Influence The full ban on abortions in the Georgian republic, which broke from Tbilisi's rule in the early 1990s and whose claim to independence was recognized by Russia in 2008, contrasts sharply with legislation in neighboring states and under the Soviet Union, where abortion was an accepted form of birth control. After the fall of communism saw the Russian Orthodox Church and other previously persecuted religious groups surge in influence, several pro-life campaigns across the region pushed for abortion to be reined in. In 2013 there was a campaign to restrict the procedure in Georgia -- which Tbilisi and nearly all but a handful of states consider the parent state of Abkhazia -- but abortion remains legal there. In May 2015 in Russia, State Duma Deputy Yelena Mizulina presented three antiabortion draft bills for discussion that, for instance, proposed banning pregnancy terminations in nonstate clinics, and introducing measures to dissuade pregnant women from abortion. In September, the government, however, criticized the proposals, saying they would increase the use of unlicensed abortion clinics and the number of unwanted children. Written by Tom Balmforth with reporting by RFE/RL's Georgian Service An Iranian constitutional watchdog has rejected an appeal by the grandson of the Islamic republic's founder against his disqualification from running as a candidate for a top clerical body. The official IRNA news agency reported on February 10 that the Guardians Council had upheld a ban preventing Hassan Khomeini from running for election to the Assembly of Experts, which is empowered to pick Iran's supreme leader. Hassan Khomeini, 43, is a midranking moderate cleric with ties to the reformist faction of the Iranian establishment. He is also the grandson of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the cleric who led Iran's 1979 revolution and founded the Islamic republic. The Guardians Council has disqualified thousands of other potential candidates from standing in the February 26 elections to both the Assembly of Experts and to parliament. Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa Iraq's Mosul dam, already the world's most dangerous, is increasingly at risk of a spectacular failure that would deluge millions of people downstream, according to a U.S. study released by the Iraqi parliament. The dam was built on an unstable foundation that is constantly eroding, and a lapse in maintenance after the Islamic State (IS) extremist group briefly seized it in 2014 has weakened the already flawed structure. "All information gathered in the last year indicates Mosul dam is at a significantly higher risk of failure than originally understood and is at a higher risk of failure today than it was a year ago," the study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said. Since the dam's completion in 1984, the Iraqi government has continuously shored up the foundation by injecting cement into sinkholes that developed under the massive structure. Grouting has resumed since the dam was retaken from the militants, but not as frequently as needed because IS maintains control over of a nearby factory that produces the concrete for the dam. "The reduction in grouting capacity for the past year has almost certainly resulted in an unprecedented level of untreated voids in the foundation from the continued dissolution and erosion of the geology," the U.S. Corps said. Iraq has awarded Italian firm Trevi a contract to repair and maintain the dam, and Italy's premier has said the country would send 450 troops to defend the structure. But their work will provide only a temporary solution to the problem, engineers say. Since 2007, U.S. officials have been warning of devastating results if the dam suffers a catastrophic failure and unleashes a flood from the 30-mile lake behind the dam. U.S. officials have predicted a 20-meter flood wave would hit the city of Mosul and its 700,000 residents 60 kilometers downstream, and Tigris River flooding would be felt as far away as Baghdad, 500 kilometers downstream. More than half a million people could be killed and millions more would be driven from their homes, they estimate. U.S. Army Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland told reporters in Baghdad last month that U.S. engineers don't know exactly when the dam could collapse, but believe it could happen any time. "All we know is when it goes, it's going to go fast and that's bad," he said. With reporting by AP and AFP An Iraqi-led operation to retake the Islamic State (IS) stronghold of Mosul is unlikely to take place this year, a top U.S. intelligence official said on February 9. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart was more pessimistic than other U.S. and Iraqi officials, who have vowed to move this year to liberate Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. Baghdad announced plans to send thousands of additional troops to a base outside Mosul on February 9 in anticipation of an operation to liberate the city. "Mosul will be a complex operation...I'm not as optimistic that we'll be able to turn that in the near term, in my view. Certainly not this year," Stewart, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "We may be able to begin the campaign, do some isolation operations around Mosul," he said. "But securing or taking Mosul is an extensive operation and not something I see in the next year or so." Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. air strikes, reclaimed the city of Ramadi from the militant group in December. Mosul, however, is a far larger city. Based on reporting by Reuters and AP Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has announced that he will reshuffle his cabinet and appoint technocrats to replace ministers appointed because of their political affiliations. "I call for fundamental change to the cabinet to include professional and technocratic figures and academics," Abadi said in a speech broadcast on state television on February 9. The premier called on parliament "and all the political blocs to cooperate with us in this serious phase." Iraqi ministries are divided up between the country's leading political blocs, which are often more concerned with distributing patronage than with effective governance. Attempts to change the status quo have been met by resistance from politicians and their supporters who have a stake in the current state of affairs. Emboldened last summer by popular protests and a call for action by Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric, Abadi unilaterally moved at the time to dismantle the country's patronage system and root out corruption. His reform campaign soon got bogged down by legal challenges and opposition from entrenched interests, however. He has since been criticized for failing to take decisive action. Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters The Kremlin has condemned an attack against Russian opposition politician Mikhail Kasyanov and said there was no reason to associate the incident with Chechnya's leadership. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the comments on February 10 after the attack at a Moscow restaurant where Kasyanov was dining the previous night. Video footage of the incident posted by the Kremlin-loyal website Lifenews shows two men approaching Kasyanov at his table, one of whom violently slams a cake into his face while the other appears to film the attack. At least one of the men is then heard berating Kasyanov for his politics, calling him an "American agent." The footage appears to show another man linked to the assailants. Three Chechen police officers were reportedly detained in Moscow in connection with the incident and an administrative case has been opened against them. Kasyanov, a former prime minister under President Vladimir Putin and now a Kremlin critic, said he believes the attack was tied to his request that federal authorities investigate an Instagram post by the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. Last week's post featured video footage of Kasyanov and a fellow opposition activist framed through what appear to be a sniper's crosshairs. "I link this attack to my political activity," the Russian business daily RBC quoted Kasyanov as saying. "I believe that today's attack is directly linked to Kadyrov's threats posted against me and because I filed a complaint against him with the Investigative Committee and the FSB [Federal Security Service]," he added. Peskov told a teleconference with journalists that the incident "should not be associated with the leadership of Chechnya or any other Russian region." "What we are talking about is an act of hooliganism, which, of course, must be condemned," he said. Following the cake incident, Kadyrov mocked Kasyanov in a February 10 post on his Instagram account, posting a photograph of Russian pop star Nikolai Baskov smiling with cake on his face at a banquet together with the Chechen strongman. "After Nikolai Baskov had cake thrown in his face, he is still complaining, running to all international authorities and asking for a repeat of the banquet," Kadyrov wrote. Kadyrov and his allies this year have unleashed a torrent of hostile rhetoric, both on social media and in news outlets that are loyal to the state, against liberal politicians, activists, and journalists. In addition to Kasyanov, those targeted have included Aleksei Veneditkov, editor in chief of the independent-minded radio station Ekho Moskvy, veteran human rights crusader Lev Ponomaryov, and opposition activist Ilya Yashin. One such Instagram video was posted by Adam Delimkhanov, a Kadyrov ally and member of Russia's parliament from Chechnya. It showed Delimkhanov and other men chanting "Kadyrov is the rock of Russia -- Allah Akhbar!" on a Moscow bridge near the one where Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot dead in February. Many of Kadyrov's critics suspect he was behind Nemtsov's slaying. He denies involvement, and efforts by relatives and associates of Nemtsov to have him questioned have been thwarted. Russian investigators said last month that five detained suspects from Chechnya had been charged with "committing the contract killing" of Nemtsov as he was walking near the Kremlin on February 27, 2015. The man Russian authorities have identified as the suspected mastermind of the killing, a member of Kadyrov's security forces named Ruslan Mukhudinov, remains at large. Many former associates of Nemtsov believe the decision to kill him was made at much higher level than Mukhudinov. With reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and RBC NATO defense ministers have approved plans to bolster the alliance along its eastern flank. Speaking on February 10 ahead of the ministers' two-day talks in Brussels, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said a new multinational force will beef up NATO's presence in Poland and other allies close to Russia "will send a clear signal." Stoltenberg said the multinational composition of the new force will make it clear that "an attack on one ally will be an attack on the whole alliance." He added that the new unit will rotate in and out of Eastern European member states but will not be based there. NATO was considering other measures including stockpiling military equipment and building new infrastructure. It was not immediately clear what was decided on those issues. The new force deployment is part of plans drawn up by NATO largely in response to the Ukraine crisis and Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. With reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa Cyprus has released an ally of Russian opposition leader and anticorruption crusader Aleksei Navalny who was detained last month at the request of Russia, which had sought to extradite him despite his status as a political refugee. Navalny wrote in a February 10 blog post that Nikita Kulachenkov was released from a Cypriot detention facility earlier in the day after the Mediterranean island's justice minister, Ionas Nicolaou, wrote a letter to prosecutors requesting that he be freed. A Cypriot court then ordered the release of Kulachenkov at the request of prosecutors, according to Navalny, who posted a photograph on his blog appearing to show the activist after he was freed. Kulachenkov, who has worked with Navalny in his groundbreaking investigations of Russian graft, was detained at Nicosia's international airport on January 24, his lawyer, Nicoletta Charalambidou, told RFE/RL. The move appeared to be the latest effort by Russian authorities to pressure Navalny and his organization, the Anticorruption Fund, which has done painstaking research into alleged corruption involving top government officials such as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Kulachenkov is wanted in Russia on charges of stealing artwork together with fellow opposition activist Georgy Alburov, Navalny's chief investigator of Russian officials' expensive and often secretive real-estate holdings. Alburov and Kulachenkov were charged in 2014 with stealing a picture painted on plywood and affixed to a fence in Vladimir, a city northeast of Moscow. Kremlin critics say the allegations are part of a broader campaign to pressure Navalny, a driving force behind street protests in 2011-12 who is currently serving out two suspended sentences on theft convictions he calls politically motivated. A court in Vladimir last year convicted Alburov and sentenced him to 240 hours of community service. Kulachenkov fled the country, and his whereabouts were not widely known until his supporters this week disclosed his detention in Cyprus, a member of the European Union. A source close to Kulachenkov provided RFE/RL with a copy of a letter from Lithuania's Interior Ministry in December confirming that her client had been granted refugee status based on "reasons related to the political opinion of Mr. Nikita Kulachenkov." Charalambidou said that she had received assurances from the Cypriot Justice Ministry that Kulachenkov would be released, given that European law bars the extradition of a political refugee to the country from which he or she initially fled. Both Cyprus and Lithuania are EU members. She added that his supporters became more concerned as his detention dragged on. The Cypriot government has cultivated close ties in Moscow. The island nation was a longtime haven for offshore investment by Russians taking advantage of its lax tax laws and business regulations. The collapse of the country's banking system in 2013 wiped out investments for many Russians businessmen, straining bilateral ties. Since then, relations have warmed and Cyprus has granted Russian Navy ships access to its ports. Navalny's anticorruption investigators regularly comb through property records in Cyprus and other popular destinations for Russian wealth -- such as Greece, Spain, France, and London -- for evidence of corrupt officials trying to hide their wealth. Navalny's close associate, Leonid Volkov, told RFE/RL that he did not believe that Kulachenkov traveled to Cyprus in connection with a corruption investigation. Volkov said prior to Kulachenkov's release that, as far as he knew, the activist was in Cyprus for "private reasons." Scientists say they have described a new species of aquatic insect from Kosovo. The new caddisfly was discovered by an international research team led by Professor Halil Ibrahimi from the University of Pristina, Kosovo. They published their finding in the scientific journal ZooKeys. The authors said the new species, called Drusus sharrensis, is micro-endemic of the Sharr Mountains, a main biodiversity hotspot in the Balkan Peninsula. Even though just discovered, they said, it may be threatened by illegal logging, water extraction from springs, expansion of touristic activities, and other anthropogenic factors, such as rock quarries operating in the Sharr Mountains. Caddisflies are small mothlike insects with two pairs of hairy membranous wings. They have aquatic larvae. A land dispute in the Iranian capital has sparked violent clashes that reportedly left several workers at a local car wash badly injured. The incident occurred over the weekend, when dozens of municipal workers were said to have attacked a car wash in Tehran's Saadat Abad neighborhood, beating up the staff and demolishing the property. Iranian media reported that Tehran's city government and the Qods mosque have been battling over ownership of the land where the car wash is located for several years. Footage released by Iranian news sites shows several men with large sticks attacking a property that appears to be the car wash. A number of men in dark uniforms are also seen in the footage. The video also shows images of the apparent aftermath of the attack: broken windows, damaged cars and properties, and car-wash workers with bandaged heads and arms. Reports said 10 workers had been hospitalized following the incident. "I think they were Daesh. Daesh is the worst that we have," said one of the injured workers, using an alternative term for the Islamic State extremist group. One man said the municipal workers arrived at 1:30 a.m. local time on February 7 to shut down the car wash. "We told them: '[Show] us your order. If you have an order, then we'll [obey],'" he said. "There were eight of them at first, then there were 200, 300. Maybe 500," he added. He said they attacked the car-wash workers with bricks and knives, and that their cars bore the logo of Tehran's municipality. The injured car-wash employee who referred to the municipal workers as Daesh claimed they also used stun guns and tear gas. "My arm has been [hurt].... One of my ribs has been broken, they also injured my head with a cutlass. I don't know who to complain against. Do we even have someone to complain to?" Speaking on February 10, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the released footage showed only part of the incident, adding that municipal workers had also been injured. "They injured the municipal workers with rocks and [sticks]," he said, suggesting that the city employees were enforcing the law. However, he was also critical of the way the municipal workers handled their duty. "Our agents shouldn't have gotten involved in clashes. They should have chosen an alternative way to do the work and resolve the issue with an appropriate response," Qalibaf was quoted as saying by Iranian news sites. He said the city will deal with the workers who misbehaved during the car wash incident. But he added that Tehran must fulfill its legal obligations. Qalibaf praised the members of the board of directors of the Qods mosque as "trustful and respected" individuals, while adding that the land where the car wash is located belongs to the city, which has assigned it to another organization. Public execution in Saudi Arabia (file photo) RIYADH - Saudi Arabia executed on Monday an Egyptian man convicted of smuggling drugs, the interior ministry said, bringing to 59 the number of convicts put to death this year. Ibrahim Mohammed Salman was caught trying to smuggle opium which was hidden in his car, the ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA. He was executed in the northern city of Tabuk, the ministry said. Most executions in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia are done by beheading with a sword. The kingdom on January 2 executed 47 people in a single day for "terrorism". In 2015 the kingdom executed 153 people, mostly for drug trafficking or murder, according to an AFP tally. Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi Arabia last year was the highest for two decades. However, the tally was far behind that for China and Iran. The kingdom practises a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape, homosexuality and apostasy are all punishable by death. Source: Agence France-Presse, February 8, 2016 Iran has released more footage and images of U.S. sailors who were briefly detained last month by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), including images that appear to show one of them crying. The United States said the footage was clearly being used as propaganda, and expressed "disgust." The footage was reportedly aired by Iran's state-controlled television. A number of news sites and hard-line news agencies, including the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency, published the footage and the images. One video clip appears to show a sailor shedding tears and wiping them from his face. The move appears to be aimed at embarrassing the United States, which hard-liners in the Iranian establishment say remains Tehran's enemy despite renewed diplomacy between the two countries that helped produce a nuclear accord that was implemented last month. Under the deal reached in July 2015 between Iran and six world powers including the United States, Tehran has significantly limited its sensitive nuclear work in exchange for sanctions relief. State Department spokesman Samuel Werberg said the footage was "clearly being used for propaganda purposes." "We've been clear, and [Secretary of State John Kerry] was clear, about our disgust at seeing the pictures and video of our sailors being used clearly for propaganda purposes. That remains the case with the newly released pictures and videos," Werberg told RFE/RL in an e-mail. He added that the U.S. Department of Defense was still looking into the incident. The footage was released following a threat earlier this month by IRGC navy commander Admiral Ali Fadavi, who said that Iran would release additional footage of the U.S. sailors "if the Americans' acts of malevolence continue." The sailors, nine men and one woman, were captured on January 12 after mistakenly straying into Iran's territorial waters. They were released a few hours later on January 13 following several phone conversations between Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Following their release, state-controlled television aired footage of the U.S. sailors on their knees with their hands behind their heads, as well as a televised interview with one the sailors, who is shown "apologizing" for trespassing. Kerry later said that he was "frustrated and angry" at the video released by Iran. Earlier this month, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei personally awarded the IRGC commanders involved in the capture of the U.S. sailors and their vessels with one of the country's highest honors. Moscow has warned that the deployment of a sophisticated U.S. missile-defense system to South Korea could provoke an arms race in the region and complicate the resolution of the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula. In a February 10 statement, the Foreign Ministry accused Washington of using Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests as a pretext to expand its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. China has also argued that the deployment of the THAAD system to South Korea would undermine regional stability. South Korean and U.S. defense officials said they would begin formal talks on the deployment of the THAAD system to counter the growing threat of North Korea's weapons capabilities, after Pyongyang's launch of a long-range rocket into space on February 7. Based on reporting by AFP, TASS, and Interfax WASHINGTON -- Russia is testing NATO and United States and the alliance needs to craft a more robust response to Moscow's actions in Europe and the Middle East, former top U.S. military and security officials warned. The comments on February 10 before a congressional committee -- by a former NATO commander, a former top Pentagon official, and a former National Security Council officer -- reflected how quickly policymakers in Washington and other Western capitals are shifting priorities amid Kremlin aggression in Ukraine, Syria, and elsewhere. The hearing at the House Armed Services Committee came as NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels approved a new multinational force to rotate in and out of Eastern European countries, and came just days after the Pentagon unveiled its budget request for a fourfold increase in spending linked to Russia's actions. It also came just two days after the Kremlin ordered large-scale snap military exercises in regions bordering Ukraine and the Caucasus involving 8,500 troops, some 900 military vehicles, and 200 aircraft. Russia has held similarly sized snap exercises with increasing frequency in recent years. James Stavridis, formerly NATO's top military officer and top commander of U.S. forces in Europe, said Washington and NATO needed to strengthen sanctions against Russia, maintain their own nuclear deterrence, and reassure European allies. "We don't need to stumble backwards into a full-blown Cold War, that is in no one's interest," said Stavridis, dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University near Boston. "But we must confront where we see the need to do so." Nuclear Deterrent Washington should be concerned about Russian signals that it was increasingly willing to use tactical nuclear weapons as a "first-strike option" in any potential military clashes in Europe, said Evelyn Farkas, who resigned last year as the Pentagon's top Russia official. And she noted U.S. assertions that Russia has violated a key 1987 arms-control treaty. "I believe the United States needs to be prepared to deploy, unfortunately, intermediate nuclear weapons back to Europe if the Russians do not roll back their program," she said. Farkas also repeated a growing sentiment shared by some lawmakers that the United States should supply more sophisticated weapons, like the Javelin antitank weapon system, to Ukraine and elsewhere to deter Russia. The White House has resisted those calls, fearing it could provoke Russia into more aggressive moves in Ukraine. Fiona Hill, who was a top Russia officer on the National Security Council during the 2008 war in Georgia, said recent actions reflect President Vladimir Putin's world view that Washington is out to keep Russia from taking what he sees as Russia's rightful place as a world leader. "The military is not just there for show, it's there for use. It's there to be an instrument of policy and it's no good if people just think you're might just be toying with the idea of using these things," said Hill, an analyst at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. "People have to believe you will use them under certain circumstances." 'Information Warfare' Russia's skill in using "information warfare" -- to surprise adversaries, or sow confusion or doubt about its intentions -- needs a better response, both Hill and Farkas said, but they disagreed on whether the State Department was capable of leading that effort. The speakers also suggested that U.S. policymakers needed to rethink the "pivot to Asia" touted during the first term of the Obama administration, which called for redirecting military and diplomatic resources to deal with China's increasing engagement in the region. "Russia is the immediate threat. That probably does have some implications for the pivot," Farkas said. While Stavridis pointed out that while Putin's muscular image and foreign policy remains wildly popular among Russians, Hill said there was less enthusiasm for the Russian political system, systemic problems like corruption, and a sharp economic downtown that has begun to pinch consumers. "There is no political alternative to Putin right now," Hill said. Russian moves in Ukraine, along with the snap military exercises, come amid more aggressive actions by Russian warplanes and warships in the Baltic, North, Mediterranean, and Black seas, as well as elsewhere. Former Soviet bloc countries like Poland, the Czech Republic, and the three Baltics states have voiced particular alarm about Russian actions and concern about their vulnerability. Those vulnerabilities were underscored last week in a report by the RAND Corporation, a U.S. defense think tank, which concluded Russian forces would overrun Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania within three days if the Kremlin decided to attack, and that NATO and the United States would have no good options to respond. In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said a new force being set up by the 28-member alliance would rotate in and out of Eastern European member states rather than being based there. There was no immediate agreement on the size or composition of the force, however. One NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements, told the AP news agency that one proposal being considered calls for the creation of a brigade-sized unit of roughly 3,000 troops. Reinforcing NATO's presence in Poland and other allies close to Russia "will send a clear signal," Stoltenberg said. "NATO will respond as one to any aggression against any ally." With reporting by AP A judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has accused Serbia of failing to cooperate with The Hague court. Judge Alphons Orie on February 10 cited Serbian officials' failure in the last year to arrest three Serbians as proof that Belgrade was being uncooperative. The ICTY issued arrest warrants in January 2015 for indicted war criminal Vojislav Seselj's lawyers, Petar Jojic and Vjerica Radeta, as well as for a wartime aide of Seselj's, Jovo Ostojic. The three are charged with allegedly "having threatened, intimidated, offered bribes to, or otherwise interfered with two witnesses," in cases related to Seselj's long-running court case in which he is accused of crimes related to the ethnic cleansing of Croats and Bosniaks during the Bosnian war in the mid-1990s. Judge Orie told Belgrade's legal representative, Sasa Obradovic, that "it is clear to the chamber that Serbia is not cooperating in this matter." Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic said on February 10 that the government would send a protest note to the ICTY because of its "arrogant behavior" toward Obradovic. Seselj was allowed to go back to Serbia last year to undergo cancer treatment and has since vowed not to return. Based on reporting by AFP and Beta news agency The Russian Foreign Ministry says the country's foreign minister and his U.S. counterpart have discussed upcoming talks on Syria by phone. The ministry said on February 10 that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John Kerry agreed on the need for a cease-fire in Syria and the provision of humanitarian aid to blockaded areas. Kerry and Lavrov are to meet with foreign ministers from Europe and the Middle East in Munich on February 11 in a bid to revive efforts to end the five-year-old war. UN-brokered peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition broke down in Geneva last week after an offensive by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russian air strikes, against Western-backed rebels. Based on reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and TASS Ukraine says three civilians were killed and two others wounded when a minibus hit a land mine in the countrys east. The blast took place on February 10 some 25 kilometers southwest of Donetsk when the minibus was leaving separatist-controlled territory. Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Zadubinnyi said two civilians were killed at the scene and one more died on the way to a hospital. According to preliminary information, he said, the bus driver ignored warning signs and drove out onto a field to overtake a queue of vehicles near a Ukrainian checkpoint. Fighting between government forces and Russian-backed separatists has killed more than 9,000 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014. A cease-fire agreement has helped to significantly reduce the violence, although sporadic clashes continue on the front line. Based on reporting by AFP and TASS Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told EU leaders on October 20 that Russian attacks that have destroyed a large portion of Ukraine's energy infrastructure are aimed in part at provoking a new wave of migration of Ukrainians to EU countries. "Russian terror against our energy facilities is aimed at creating as many problems as possible with electricity and heat for Ukraine this fall and winter, and for as many Ukrainians as possible to go to your countries, he told an EU summit in Brussels. 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. This should be "answered immediately," primarily by more air defense systems sent to Ukraine, the president said. "We must do everything possible to make it completely impossible for Russia to destroy our energy system with missiles and drones," Zelenskiy said in a virtual speech to EU lawmakers, calling on Ukraine's partners to provide systems "to create a truly reliable air shield." Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian civilian and infrastructure facilities since October 10, mainly using kamikaze drones that Ukraine and its Western allies say are Iranian-made. Moscow and Tehran have denied the accusations. Zelenskiy also warned that Ukraine suspects Russia has mined the dam and units of the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant on the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine, and if it were blown up, more than 80 settlements, including Kherson, would be in danger of flooding. Zelenskiy said Ukrainian workers have been thrown out of the facility, leaving Russians in control. He asserted that Russia "has already prepared everything to carry out this terrorist attack." He called for an international observation mission and the return of Ukrainian personnel to ensure the mines are removed from the dam and its units. Zelenskiy's comment came two days after Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed head of the Kherson region of Ukraine, announced an "organized, gradual displacement" of civilians from four towns on the right bank of the Dnieper River to the left side. Saldo accused Ukrainian forces of planning to destroy the dam and also warned of "an immediate danger of flooding." The Moscow-installed authorities of Kherson said on October 20 that about 15,000 people had left the region. The Moscow-appointed deputy head of the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, encouraged people to cross over to the left bank of the Dnieper River and posted a video of a column of buses on Telegram. Kyiv has denounced Moscow's move, calling it a "deportation" of Ukrainian civilians to Russia. But Stremousov said people should follow the evacuation instructions and leave Kherson, one of four Ukrainian regions illegally annexed by Russia. "Give the military a chance to do what they have to do," he said, claiming that the Russian army will not surrender Kherson. Zelenskiys office said that Ukrainian forces on October 20 had mounted 15 attacks on Russian military strongholds in the Kherson region. Russias Defense Ministry spokesman said the Kremlins forces repelled Ukrainian attempts to advance with tanks on three Kherson villages. Another Russian-installed official in the region, Vladimir Leontyev, said Ukrainian forces had launched five missile strikes against the Kakhovka dam. Ukraine earlier on October 20 began restricting electricity consumption for the first time since the start of Russia's invasion as the country sustained serious damage to its infrastructure following waves of Russian air strikes targeting its electricity grid ahead of the onset of winter. Oleksandr Kharchenko, an adviser to the energy minister, said on October 19 that there would be outages, including some that are scheduled. "Unfortunately, according to new data, about 40 percent of the total infrastructure is seriously damaged. Repair and connection work is ongoing, but outages are expected today and tomorrow," Kharchenko said on Ukrainian television. The supply restriction started at 7 a.m. (0800 Prague time) and was due to last until 11 p.m. Grid operator Ukrenergo urged Ukrainians to charge their mobile phones and have blankets on hand for warmth. In the latest Russian attack, an energy facility was struck and damaged in the Kryvorizka district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, the head of the regional administration, Valentyn Reznichenko, reported on October 20. Earlier, a missile strike hit a major coal-fired power station in the city of Burshtyn in western Ukraine, the region's governor said. "Our region experienced missile fire today. The Burshtyn thermal power station was hit, which caused a fire," Svitlana Onyshchuk, governor of Ivano-Frankivsk region, said in an online video statement. The Burshtyn power station supplies electricity to three western regions and 5 million consumers. Ahead of the summit, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressed lawmakers in Berlin on October 20, condemning Russia's latest drone attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine and saying that "such scorched-earth tactics will not help Russia win the war." Scholz said such tactics by Russian President Vladimir Putin would "only strengthen the resolve and the will of Ukraine and its partners to persevere." "In the end, Russia's bombing and missile terror is an act of desperation -- just like the mobilization of Russian men for war," Scholz said. "He wants to sow fear, divide, and intimidate. He is speculating on our weakness, but he is wrong -- we are not weak." Scholz said the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war would be a "generational task in which the entire civilized community of states must join forces." In London, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace will also make a statement to parliament on Ukraine later on October 20, the House of Commons said on Twitter. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, dpa, and BBC Philippe Marcel Guy Graffart (center) A Belgian man accused of killing his 5-year-old son in their D'Leedon condominium home in October last year will be remanded in Changi Prison for another 6 weeks, pending the completion of a forensic investigation report. Philippe Marcel Guy Graffart appeared in court via video-link on Wednesday. His case will be mentioned again on March 23. The 41-year-old was charged on Oct 7, last year, with the murder of Keryan Gabriel Cedric Graffart. He allegedly committed the act at his 32nd-storey home at 3 Leedon Heights, the day before he was first brought to court. He was then remanded for 4 weeks at the medical centre in Changi Prison for a psychiatric assessment. He was subsequently remanded at the Central Police Division to assist in investigations. Graffart worked for the Singapore investment management arm of Nordea, a company that describes itself as the largest financial group in northern Europe. Graffart's lawyer Ramesh Tiwary told The Straits Times that he will study the forensic report once it has been completed. Mr Tiwary also said that he has been in touch with his client, having visited him a few times in prison. Asked about Graffart's condition, the lawyer said: "He's naturally very depressed about what's happened." If convicted of his charge, murder with intention, Graffart faces the mandatory death penalty. Source: straitstimes.com, Feb. 9, 2016 A new music festival is coming to Richmond. The RVA East End Festival: The Gift of Music will be held at Chimborazo Park from May 6 to 8 this spring, the city announced Tuesday. The new music festival will be held under the Richmond Symphonys Big Tent, which was used at the UCI Road World Championships in the fall. The festival will feature three days of music from the Richmond Symphony, the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program and many other groups. All the proceeds will go to purchasing musical instruments for students in East End public schools. The goal is to raise $100,000. This is a party with a purpose, City Councilwoman Cynthia I. Newbille, 7th District, said at the announcement. Its the first of its kind in the city and in the district. We start here, but we dont end here. There are plans for the Richmond Symphonys Big Tent to move around to different locations in the city in the months and the years ahead. Part of the reason for doing it here is to invite visitors to come to Church Hill and see what Chimborazo Park and all of this neighborhood has to offer, said David Fisk, the symphonys executive director. The RVA East End Festival will kick off Friday, May 6 with performances from the No BS! Brass Band, Desiree Roots and the Richmond Symphony. On Saturday, May 7, there will be performances by students from Richmond Public Schools, the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program and local artists. On Sunday, May 8, the festival will wrap up with spoken-word artists, gospel artists, and several church choirs. There will also be a Kids Zone with face painting, arts and crafts, a community mural project and other hands-on activities. There will also be craft beer and food at the new music festival. The festival is free to attend. Bon Secours Richmond Health System has underwritten the festival for $75,000. Other sponsors include the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the city of Richmond, the Richard and Caroline T. Gwathmey Memorial Trust and Stone Brewery. Organizations, artists, and vendors who wish to participate in the festival should go to www.rvaeastendfest.com to complete an interest form. Entry fees may apply to participating vendors, according to a release on the event. Watching last Thursdays debate between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders one might have thought a Republican had been in the White House for nearly eight years. Hearing their complaints about the economy (bad), discrimination (rampant), health care (too many without it), unemployment (too many not working, or working at low-paying jobs), it appeared hope had died and change is all we have left in our pockets. To hear these two ultra-liberals tell it, we are a horrible, miserable, evil nation. We are bigots, we are greedy because we wont surrender more of our income to the government gods, we hate anyone who isnt white, male and heterosexual, and we want to deport everyone who isnt a Christian. I wouldnt want to live in a country like that, would you? But that is not who we are. It is only who Democrats think we are. Clinton hasnt yet released transcripts of speeches she gave to Wall Street bankers and hedge fund managers. When asked why not, she reverted to familiar Clinton obfuscation, promising to look into it. In fact, Laura Myers, of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, writes that, according to Clintons standard speaking contract, she ...wont allow any press coverage or video- or audio-taping... of her speeches, for which she charges six figures. McClatchyDC adds that the former secretary of state routinely demanded that a stenographer be present at her events so she could maintain a record of what she said. So we know the transcripts exist. Want to bet theyre never released? Look how long and how many lawsuits it took to pry her emails from the State Department. And we still havent seen them all. She didnt ask for those big speaking fees, she said. They just gave the money to her. Why would anyone expect those generous Wall Street brokers and hedge fund managers to ever ask for anything in return? How dare you! During this and in previous Democratic debates, we heard nothing about what you can do to make your life better. It is all about government. Clinton and Sanders would never qualify for membership in the Optimist club. Theirs is a steady stream of gloom, doom and pessimism. Americas best days are behind us and they werent so good after all. Slavery, racism and denial of womens rights ... the list goes on. In Sanders America no one will ever have to work again. College will be free, as will health care. The rich will pay for it all. Never mind that taking away their incentive to work and make a profit will reduce the amount of money they make and the government can take. Bernie will just borrow it from others and America will become like Greece. Socialism seems nothing more than mutually shared poverty. Adopt it, and we will all be equally poor. At last Thursdays National Prayer Breakfast, Mark Burnett, president of MGM Television and Digital Group, and his actress-wife and co-producer Roma Downey, told stories about immigrating to America he from England and she from Northern Ireland. Burnett, fresh from service in the British Army, took a job as a chauffeur and part-time nanny in Los Angeles. Downeys first job was checking coats at a fancy New York restaurant where she said she could not afford to eat. Burnett can now see the house where he once worked from his office window in Beverly Hills. He and Downey are producing biblical and family-friendly television programs. They own a home in Malibu. These are the kinds of success stories we used to tell and examples we used to urge Americans to follow. No matter ones present circumstances, you could make it in America. Success stories arent in the Democratic playbook. For Democrats, the only way to improve your life is for you to rely on government led by Democrats. Those who make it on their own it seems are punished by higher taxes and more regulations. The sun will come out tomorrow, sings an optimistic Annie in the Broadway musical. For Hillary and Bernie, its a hard-knock life and its always Midnight in America. Large shareholders representing around 33 percent of the company's shares have agreed to accept the offer. Oslo: Norway's Opera Software, which makes the popular Opera web browser, said Wednesday that China's Golden Brick Silk Road investment fund had offered 10.5 billion kroner ($1.2 billion) to buy the company. The Opera board unanimously recommended the offer, saying that at 71 kroner per share, it represents a 56-percent premium on the average price over the last 30 days. The company had made no secret of its desire to find a buyer and its shares were suspended on the Oslo stock exchange on Friday pending an announcement. Large shareholders representing around 33 percent of the company's shares have agreed to accept the offer, Opera said in its statement on Wednesday. The light, quick Opera browser is the fifth most used in the world, behind Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple's Safari. It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search? Search for: Search A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. This Position Is Closed to New Applicants This position is no longer open for new applications. Either the position has expired or was removed because it was filled. However, there are thousands of other great jobs to be found on Rigzone. New Delhi: Facebook board member and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Marc Andreessen on Wednesday kicked off a controversy on the social media by suggesting that Indias decision to bar discriminatory tariffs for data services is an anti-colonialist idea, which he claimed proved economically catastrophic for the country. Anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the Indian people for decades. Why stop now?, tweeted Mr Andreessen. Another in a long line of economically suicidal decisions made by the Indian government against its own citizens... Denying worlds poorest free partial Internet connectivity when today they have none, for ideological reasons, strikes me as morally wrong, he tweeted. Many saw these tweets as implying that Free Basics is the same as colonialism, and that Indians are destined for economic disaster by banning it. Benedict Evans, Mr Andreessens partner at his venture capital firm, too took to Twitter to vent out his anger against Trai for banning Facebooks Free Basics. He tweeted that Indians also choose a government that said a 10-year wait to get a phone was good: showed how popular the system was. However, after uproar Mr Andreessen deleted his controversial tweets. I apologise for any offence caused by my earlier tweet about Indian history and politics. I admire India and the Indian people enormously, he tweeted later on. He further said: India is an amazing country with amazing people. Indian companies and people have had profoundly positive effect on the internet and world! I now withdraw from all future discussions of Indian economics and politics, and leave them to people with more knowledge!, he added. But the drama was not over with the apology as Mr Andreessen blocked some of the people who were supporters of net neutrality, including investor Mahesh Murthy. Whoa, I made it to the Cool List of people blocked by @pmarca, tweeted Mr Murthy. He had earlier tweeted Now @facebook Board director @pmarca suggests being colonised was good for India & we shouldve let Fb do so :) RICHMOND A bill seeking to repeal Virginias controversial pipeline surveying law met a quiet death in subcommittee Tuesday. House Bill 1118, sponsored by Del. Joseph Yost, died due to lack of a motion in a House of Delegates energy subcommittee. Yost, R-Pearisburg, advocated for the bill as a private property rights measure. The panel heard comments from environmental groups and landowners in support of the bill followed by opposition from energy companies, including Dominion. The subcommittee left the proposal on the table with no debate and no motion for a vote. Del. Greg Habeeb, a committee member, said afterward he supported the bill but couldnt find another member who backed it. It was clear there wasnt going to be a second on any motion, said Habeeb, R-Salem. There was nobody else in support of it. The bill would have repealed a 2004 law that allows natural gas pipeline companies to send surveying crews onto private property without the owners consent provided that advance notice is given. In the Senate, an identical bill carried by Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, was voted down in committee on Monday. Marriage officiantsbill passes House Del. Chris Heads bill clarifying protections for ministers and others who perform weddings passed the House of Delegates on Tuesday. House Bill 19 clarifies that marriage officiants cant be required to take an oath as part of their certification process and arent considered agents of the state. Head, R-Botetourt County, has described the measure as a narrow, preventive step taken to ease the minds of those who worry they could end up being required to bless same-sex marriages or other unions to which they object. The bill was supported by conservative groups like the Family Foundation of Virginia and the Alliance Defending Freedom. It passed the House on an 86-12 vote Tuesday and now heads to the Senate for consideration. Transgender student bathroom bill defeated A controversial bill that would require transgender students at Virginia public schools to use restrooms and locker rooms designated for their biological sex was killed by a House of Delegates subcommittee Tuesday on a 8-13 vote. The bill, House Bill 781, gained wide attention this year after critics suggested it would require school employees to check students genitals. The bills patron, Del. Mark Cole, R-Fredericksburg, dismissed those suggestions as false, saying the proposal was meant to protect students privacy and ward off lawsuits against local school boards. I think this will help protect schools from being sued over the issue of allowing someone of the opposite sex to use the facilities that are designated one way or the other, Cole said during a hearing before the House General Laws Committee. This is not about discrimination, this is about privacy. The bill would have required local school boards to adopt policies requiring that all restrooms and locker rooms accessible by multiple students be designated for and only used by students based on the their biological sex. The legislation would have applied to all public buildings owned by the state. Violations would carry a $50 civil penalty. Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, said lawmakers were discussing the issue in a manner that was not right, arguing that people should be able to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. Gastanagas group is involved in a federal lawsuit against the Gloucester County School Board brought by transgender student Gavin Grimm, who was assigned female at birth but identifies as male. Grimm sued after school officials prohibited him from using the boys bathroom, but the discrimination claim was denied in district court. Gastanaga encouraged the committee to hold off on the bill to allow the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rule in the case. Cole said he filed the bill at the request of parents and school officials in Stafford County and urged colleagues not to use the lawsuit as an excuse to shirk our responsibility in this area. Senate backs bill to change proffer system The state Senate voted Tuesday to back a measure that makes key changes to the proffer system, in which local governments extract payments from developers for public infrastructure. The bill bars localities from denying rezoning requests to residential developers based on unreasonable proffers. The Senate backed the measure on a 29-8 vote with two abstentions. Sens. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, and Senate Minority Leader Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax County, sponsors of Senate Bill 549, said the measure restores balance to the system, correcting what they term localities misuse of proffers. The bills opponents, including Sens. Jennifer Wexton, D-Leesburg, and Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, said the existing proffer system is an important tool for localities that need to manage rapidly expanding populations. On Feb. 4 the House of Delegates voted 68-27, with two abstentions, to pass its version of the legislation, House Bill 770, sponsored by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County. RICHMOND The gun-control group Everytown for Gun Safety continued to blast its former ally Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a full-page newspaper ad Tuesday that cast doubt on the safety benefits of the gun deal the governor struck with Republican leaders last month. The ad by the group, which is backed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, lists several quotes by the governor touting the deals safety improvements and labels each statement false. The governors office on Tuesday called the ad misleading and said McAuliffe stands by the deal, even in the face of Mr. Bloombergs negative politics. The ad, published in Tuesdays edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, is the latest surprising salvo against the governor by a group that spent more than $2.4 million to support McAuliffe-backed Democrats in last years legislative elections. Everytown had already launched a social media campaign comparing McAuliffe to National Rifle Association leader Wayne LaPierre, but the newspaper ad is the groups most in-depth critique yet of a deal McAuliffe has touted as a historic breakthrough on guns. The ad includes a call to tell the governor to reject this dangerous deal. The agreement announced late last month would expand Virginias recognition of out-of-state concealed carry permits while adding voluntary background checks at gun shows and requiring domestic abusers to give up their guns. The deal reverses a decision Attorney General Mark Herring made last year to end recognition for 25 out-of-state permits due to looser vetting processes in those states and requires Virginia to strike reciprocity deals with any state that wants one. McAuliffe has said frequently that theres no evidence of crimes committed by people with concealed carry permits, but the Everytown ad says there are many examples and points to the case of a Chesterfield County man, Corey C. Bowden, who was convicted last year of murdering his wife with a 9 mm pistol. A defense attorney noted during the trial that Bowden had a concealed weapon permit because he carried cash for his businesses, a barber shop and karate studio. The Everytown ad quotes McAuliffe as saying, There is no evidence that anyone with a concealed carry [permit] has ever harmed anyone in Virginia. In similar statements, the governor has referred specifically to out-of-state permits. The gun deal does nothing to change the process for Virginia residents seeking Virginia concealed carry permits. This out-of-state groups misleading political attacks wont distract from the real lives this historic bipartisan agreement will save by keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and people who cant pass background checks, McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said Tuesday. The governor is proud to stand with law enforcement and Virginians from both parties who worked together to make our communities safer, even in the face of Mr. Bloombergs negative politics. The ad also states that, contrary to statements by the governor, the deal doesnt close the so-called gun show loophole, doesnt prevent people who would be denied a permit under Virginias rules from getting a permit from another state, doesnt create any new liability for private sellers who fail to take advantage of the voluntary background checks and doesnt require people convicted of domestic abuse to surrender their firearms. McAuliffe has said publicly that the bill doesnt close the gun show loophole entirely, but he has characterized the expansion of background checks as a step in the right direction. The compromise legislation makes private sellers who choose to do a voluntary background check immune from liability, but the Everytown ad says existing law already makes it illegal for a seller to transfer a gun if they know or should know that the buyer is prohibited. The deal would require anyone subject to a permanent protective order due to a domestic violence conviction to sell or transfer their firearms within 24 hours or face a felony charge. The Everytown ad notes that the bills have no mechanisms for offenders to surrender their guns to law enforcement or to confirm relinquishment. Salman has dated many beauties in the past but he expressed serious doubts about ever getting married in life. Pune: Salman Khan was at his candid best when he visited an engineering college in Pune. The actor dodged questions ranging from Katrina Kaif to his own marriage some fine day. On several occasions, Katrina has acknowledged Salman as the person responsible for her rise in life and career. When asked Salman about it, he disassociated himself from Katrinas rise to fame and stressed that she is the most hardworking girl he has ever come across in his life. He said, "Katrina Kaif has achieved everything on her own because she is very hard working. I have never seen a more hardworking girl than Katrina in my whole life. She is India's biggest star for you. But according to me, Katrina is a mazdoor (labourer). That is how much she works on herself. You guys have to learn from her." When a senior journalist asked a question on her break-up with Ranbir, Salman wittily replied, "I think that thing has become old now. I think that page has been turned. I feel so as per the rumours that I have been hearing. On being asked about the two making several appearances lately, Salman said, Yes. She is doing a film called Fitoor and I was doing Bigg Boss. She had come to my show to promote her film and I was happy to meet her. Then she went to Krishnas comedy show and I was shooting in the vicinity for Sultan. When I learnt that she is around, I thought I should go and meet her. When I arrived, she was busy giving her shot and I just walked up to her on to the stage. I thought the channel would edit it out. But they didnt," replied Salman. The actor has dated many beauties in the past but he expressed serious doubts about ever getting married in life. He said, "Do you see the sweat on my forehead? You wont find it on anyone elses forehead because the weather is good here. When it comes to marriage, I am doubtful. But I want to have three or four kids. Now I know without marriage kids are difficult to get but I will manage it. Pehle umar nahi tha shaadi ka aur ab umar paas ho chuka hai and I am happy. Meanwhile, the actor was spotted mingling around with fans, posing for pictures and signing autographs. Louis Wendell Hodges, 83, of Lexington, died Monday, February 8, 2016 at Heritage Hall. He is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Helen Davis Hodges; sons, John Hodges and wife Linda, Glendale Arizona, and George Hodges and wife Nina, Arab Alabama; sister, Mary Aycock, Prairie Grove Arkansas; one grandchild, Christine Hodges; two stepgrandchildren, Shelly Farrington and Troy Baintor; nine stepgreat-grandchildren, and six stepgreat-great-grandchildren; numerous nieces; and nephews.Lou was born on January 24, 1933 in Eupora Mississippi; graduate Millsaps College, Duke Divinity School, and Duke Graduate school with a PhD in Theology. He was an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. He joined the religion department at Washington and Lee University in 1960. In 1974 he created an ethics program entitled Society and the Professions, conducting seminars for undergraduates in Medicine, Law, Business, and Journalism. From 1981 to 1986, he was Academic Director of the institute for Executives held in the summer. He taught at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in Florida in 1985. In 1987, he was named a Fellow at the Hastings Center, New York and appointed the Fletcher Odie Thomas Professor of Religion at W&L. (In an Advisory Committee memorandum to President John Wilson, John W. Elrod said of Louis; "His most distinctive accomplishment in his long career at Washington and Lee is his success with students and alumni in helping them to think critically and systematically about ethical issues in the professions.) During the winter of 1995-1996, he was the Fulbright Scholar in Journalism Ethics appointed to Osmania University in Hyderabad, India, visiting in 17 different universities and meeting with the press Council of India during his four month stay. In 1997 he was appointed Knight Professor of Journalism Ethics at Washington and Lee, retiring from the university in that position in 2003. While at W&L, Lou gave numerous Baccalaureate addresses and was known as the unofficial chaplain to many students and personnel. He often performed weddings and funerals when called upon.After retiring, he returned for temporary appointments as visiting professor of Society and the Professions and summer programs. Louis was known throughout the area as guest minister in numerous churches. His community involvement Lexington Rockbridge United Fund, 1972; President, Rockbridge Area Housing Corporation, 1968-1974; and unofficial advisor to the Rockbridge Area Hospice organizers, 1982-1992, for whom he organized and taught a seven week class on "Serving the Dying". His love of hunting led him to his part-time job as gunsmith, and with his tradecraft rebuilt and repaired many guns for his satisfied customers. An interest in Beekeeping provided many gifts of honey to friends and family, pollination of Rockbridge County crops, and Bee education to local school children and youth camps.A special "thank you" is given to Christine Hopkins, a home aide from the Maury River Home Care, who in six months became as close as family. Thanks also to the wonderful staff at Heritage Hall and the Rockbridge Area Hospice. Service will be held at the Lexington Trinity United Methodist Church, on Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 2 p.m. with the Reverand Norman Tippens officiating. Interment will be private. Family will receive friends in the church Fellowship Hall following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Washington & Lee University or Rockbridge Area Hospice. Arrangements are being made by Harrison Funeral Home, Lexington VA. Mumbai: The true mark of success for an adaptation is when the maker of the original applauds its excellence. This now stands true for Colors game changing proposition 24 whose pathbreaking success has enticed 24 USs Howard Gordon to visit the shows sets in Mumbai. Joining the team as they filmed a crucial action sequence in Vasai, Howard Gordon interacted with actor-producer Anil Kapoor aka Jai Singh Rathod, director Abhinay Deo, and the shows cast and crew. Shooting is currently in progress for S-Cross presents 24: Season 2, and the show is likely to air later this year on the same channel. Anil Kapoor and Howard Gordon at 24 bash in Mumbai Ever since the first gripping season of 24 launched in India, the format owners FOX Studios have been keeping a close eye on the overwhelming response that the show has received from local audiences. The power-packed action sequences, invigorating storytelling and gripping narrative have made 24 a heart-stopping thriller not only for Indian viewers, but also international audiences. Whilst on the sets of 24: Season 2, Howard Gordon partook in the scripting process and appreciated the teams attention to detail while taking stock of the shoots progress. Commenting on Howard Gordons visit to the sets of 24: Season 2, Anil Kapoor said, I first met Howard while we were shooting 24 USs Season 8 back in 2010 where I played the role of President Omar Hassan. He has been an equal partner and a terrific guide in bringing the show to Indian viewers; hes a visionary whose farsightedness has earned accolades for the show on international shores. It was overwhelming to host him on the sets 0f 24: Season 2 today where he met the cast and crew and shared some valuable inputs. Elated to be on the sets of 24: Season 2, Howard Gordon said, In spite of being crunched for time, I have watched the whole season of 24 India because that is how much I loved it! Anil and his team have done a great job on the show. I hope that we can showcase this back in the US! In a short span of time, 24 India managed to put itself on a global map and the second season of the show is set to be twice as grand, twice as fast, twice as exciting. 24: Season 2 will see action and thrill increase twofold as Jai Singh Rathod strives to prevent a probable holocaust encompassing the entire nation. With not just the fight against this arduous battle on his agenda; Jai Singh Rathod will also have an emotional uproar to deal with. Set against a breathtakingly large canvas, the scale and visual appeal of the show is meant to increase manifold. 24: Season 2 will heighten the drama quotient and will keep the audience at the edge of their seats. The show will be a spectacle in terms of scale, truly matching up to its international standards. Abhinay Deo and Rensil DSilva will be back as directors on this espionage series and the high octane action sequences will be directed by Allan Amin. The show will also feature actors like Sakshi Tanwar, Surveen Chawla, Ashish Vidyarthi, Sikander Kher and Ritu Shivpuri among others in pivotal roles. OPERATIONS have been cancelled at Rotherham Hospital as junior doctors hold a second strike in a row over changes to their contracts. The British Medical Association (BMA) held its first strike last month which included all junior doctors, except those on call to provide emergency cover. It was due to hold a full walkout today but following talks with the government, junior doctors providing emergency cover are not part of the action. Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said four operations have been postponed as a result of the strike action. A spokesman for the trust said: "We have carried out detailed planning across the trust to assess the likely impact of the junior doctors industrial action on patients and ensure patient safety. "We can confirm that four operations have been postponed and there has been a small impact on clinics. All patients affected have been informed and anyone who has an appointment today should attend as normal unless they have heard otherwise from us." A statement on the BMA website said: Despite the best efforts of our negotiating team, and hours of talks facilitated by Acas, we have not managed to reach agreement with NHS Employers and the Department of Health on the new junior doctors contract. A WITNESS has told how pensioner Mushin Ahmed turned the other cheek to racist abuse, before seeing him punched and kicked by his alleged killer. Shane Rice told Sheffield Crown Court this morning that Dale Jones (30), of East Bawtry Road, spotted 81-year-old Mr Ahmed going to early morning prayers and asked him if he was out grooming. The dad of four from East Dene ignored Jones and carried on walking, said Mr Rice, before Jones and co-defendant Damien Hunt (30) jogged after him to an alley and Jones attacked him. In his opening statement yesterday, prosecutor Mr Andrew Robertson told the court Jones had accused Mr Ahmed of being a "groomer", his word for a paedophile, for no other reason than that the OAP was dark-skinned. Mr Rice said he and his brother Kieran Rice had followed at walking pace. I followed them down to the alley because I knew something was going to happen, the mood Dale was in, said Mr Rice. Mr Ahmed stopped first. He turned around and said to Dale: What do you want? Then Dale hit him. He fell to the ground. The punch was to his head. As he lay on the ground Dale was over the top of him. I remember him kicking him in the side of the head. Then I ran off. Kieran ran off with me. Mr Rice said he and his brother then went to his nan's house nearby. Jones then called and asked them to come and meet him at his house, to which Kieran drove him, he said. By then Jones had changed his clothes and put them in the washing machine, Mr Rice said, with his trainers swapped for flip-flops. Police later matched the shoes, Adidas PT70s, to tread marks left on Mr Ahmeds face, the court has heard. Mr Rice said Jones told him it was in his best interests if he kept quiet about what he had seen. He said he later saw Jones in a Tesco car park, when Jones said he must keep quiet about what happened that night. Mr Rice also described another incident, minutes before the attack on Mr Ahmed, as he stood on Doncaster Road with Jones, Hunt and his brother Kieran. Jones allegedly shouted racist abuse at an Asian taxi driver turning his car around nearby. Dale noticed the taxi and as it came to turn he started shouting abuse at the driver, said Rice. He called him a P*** and told him to get out of his car. He tried opening the door but it was locked. That's when the taxi drove off. Mr Rice said he had joined Jones and Hunt at Hunts house on Doncaster Road at around midnight on August 10 three hours before the attack on Mr Ahmed. Jones was angry about an earlier incident, he said, when he went to the home of Mark Senior and complained about his stepson sleeping on Seniors sofa and not in a bed. Mr Senior alleges that Jones had made threats to shoot him and burn down his house, which Jones denies. Mr Rice said Jones was concerned the police might come for him, adding that he saw Jones swig sambuca from several bottles, take cocaine and take some pills. He just got to a stage where he seemed to be going too far, said Rice. Shane Rices brother Kieran Rice was expected to give evidence today, but he did not turn up this morning. Judge Mr Justice Stephen Males issued a witness summons, insisting that he attend tomorrow morning. Jones and Hunt both deny murder. The trial continues. A former Zimbabwe finance minister Tendai Biti has rubbished the countrys plans to establish a diamond bourse. Harare announced last month that it wanted to turn itself into a regional and global diamond trading hub with the setting up of the bourse seen as the catalyst for that. It doesnt work, like many things that come from Zimbabwe, its a lot of hot air, Biti told Rough & Polished on the sidelines of the African Mining Indaba in Cape Town. To create a diamond mining bourse there has to be trust and Zimbabwe suffers from a trust deficit. We dont trust our government, we dont trust mining houses. So if this was being proposed by Namibia or Botswana, people would care to look at it, not Zimbabwe. He said there was no incentive for international buyers to travel to Zimbabwe, as there were a lot of trusted markets such as Antwerp. Zimbabwe indicated that it studied the Antwerp model in 2013 and had invited consultants to help establish the diamond bourse. "Once we have that bourse, we will be able to attract big players in the diamond industry who buy in the tune of at least $10 million each," Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) deputy general manager (marketing), Masimba Chandavengerwa was quoted as saying by State media last month. "Most international diamond buyers have expressed their interest to come here, but they have been avoiding us because we have been doing our things in a fragmented manner. By having a diamond bourse, it means we will ensure that the grading, cutting and polishing are standardised so that we don't have different grades coming from different miners. Zimbabwe's diamond deposits were once said to constitute about 25 percent of the world diamond deposits. However, the countrys output had been on a downward trajectory after reaching its peak in 2011, as officials said alluvial diamond deposits in Marange had depleted. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, from Cape Town, South Africa, Rough&Polished Bonjour a tous, Afin de diminuer les couts de notre safari, nous proposons de le partager avec dautres voyageurs. Nous sommes deux routardes voyageant sac a dos en Tanzanie. Il reste encore 4 places a prendre. Je mets ci-dessous le programme de notre safari, le prix descendrait a 735 UDS si nous sommes 4 personnes (sans frais dentree dans les parcs, voir detail ci-dessous). Notre guide est Moses Cliff Mwanga, un guide repute en Tanzanie. N3 : ESSENTIAL NORTHERN PARKS SAFARI, 6 DAYS (Tarangire-Manyara- Serengeti-Ngorongoro) : Visit the elephant kingdom ! This is the most popular safari that anyone can enjoy at its best to discover all the main northern parks of Tanzania. Flexibility : You can add one day ecoturism experience and walkings with local guide (see previously our rates given) or take one our packages or add one night in Serengeti to have a 7 days safari. Day 1 (12/03) : Lake Manyara and its flamingos Leave Arusha in the morning, proceed to Lake Manyara National Park for afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at campsite. Overnight at campsite at Manyara. Lunchbox and dinner included. Day 2 (13/03) : Serengeti infinity plains After breakfast depart for Serengeti and starts game drive. Meals and overnight at campsite. Overnight at campsite in the Serengeti. All meals included. Day 3 (14/03) : Serengeti- Ngorongoro conservation area A full day with morning and afternoon game drives to explore the plains then depart for Ngorongoro, one of the natural wonders of the world. Meals and overnight at campsite. Overnight at campsite on the crater rim. All meals included. Day 4 (15/03) : Ngorongoro crater, the 8th wonders of the world After early morning breakfast, leave with picnic lunch for a full day crater tour, you will be taken 2000ft down the crater by a 4wheel drive vehicle. Explore the crater before ascending back to the camp for dinner and overnight. Overnight at campsite. All meals included. Day 5 (16/03) : Tarangire game drive, see herds of elephants ! After breakfast, drive to Tarangire, Tanzanias third largest national park and sanctuary for an unusually large elephant population. Majestic baobab trees are an interesting feature of the park, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. Animals concentrate along the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in the area. There is a great diversity of wildlife including lion, leopard, cheetah and up to six thousand elephant !.Afternoon game drive. Overnight at campsite at Tarangire. All meals included. Day 6 (17/03) : Tarangire/Arusha After breakfast last Safari in the morning, then depart for Arusha. Breakfast and lunchbox included. END OF SERVICE Park fees total Valid until december 2014 You are 2 persons : 1065 usd/person Estimation park fees to pay separately : Adults : 330 usd/person crater descent 200 usd/vehicle to share between number of participants. IN case we add a minimum of 2 persons to that departure, price will becomes 735 USD/Personne (hors park fees) This time, the polls were correct, as Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump cruised to easy victories Tuesday in their respective New Hampshire primaries. Sanders, the socialist-leaning Vermont Senator, was expected to dominate the Democratic race in New Hampshire - and he did. Trump, the mogul, also won by a wide margin in the Republican race. Both men were declared winners by CNN and other media outlets immediately after the polls closed, shortly after 8 p.m. ET. That was a far cry from last week's Iowa caucuses, when Trump was expected to win but it was Texas Senator Ted Cruz who came away with the victory. Conversely, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - to many the presumptive Democratic nominee - was pegged as the easy winner in Iowa - but it wasn't until the next morning that she was determined to be the winner by the narrowest of margins. With 30 percent of the vote counted, Sanders enjoyed a 58 percent to 40 percent advantage. Clinton called Sanders shortly after the race was called to congratulate him. The two will square off in another debate Thursday evening in Wisconsin. The Republican race was more wide open, given its wider field. With a third of the ballots counted, Trump had 34 percent of the vote, followed by Ohio Governor John Kasich at 16 percent and Cruz at 12 percent. Former Florida Governor and Florida Senator Marco Rubio were right behind at 11 percent apiece, followed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at 8 percent, businesswoman Carly Fiorina at 4 percent and Dr. Ben Carson at 2 percent. Next up for the Democrats is the Nevada Caucus on February 20th and the South Carolina Primary on February 27th. For the Republicans, the South Carolina Primary is February 20th and the Nevada Caucus is February 23rd. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Paints and coatings maker Akzo Nobel NV (AKZOY.PK,AKZOY) reported that its net income attributable to shareholders for fiscal 2015 rose 79 percent to 979 million euros from 546 million euros in the prior year. Looking ahead, the company expects 2016 to be a challenging year. Adjusted earnings per share for the year were up 43 percent at 4.02 euros, compared to 2.81 euros last year. Operating income increased 59 percent to 1.57 billion euros, reflecting process optimization, lower costs, reduced restructuring expense, favorable currency developments and incidental items. Revenue for the year grew 4 percent to 14.86 billion euros from 14.30 billion euros last year, due to 6 percent favorable currency effects, partly offset by divestments and slightly lower volumes. The company has proposed total dividend for 2015 up 7 percent at 1.55 euros, compared to 1.45 euros in 2014. CEO Ton Buchner said, "Looking ahead, we expect 2016 to be a challenging year and anticipate limited support from the in which we operate." The company noted that difficult market conditions continue in Brazil, China and Russia. Further, it anticipates no significant improvement in Europe, particularly in the Buildings and Infrastructure segment. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News A post shes made six hours ago has more than six hundred likes. Coming to write on Facebook, for Deepa Nisanth, is like coming home. This is where her writing as it is now was born, nurtured, grew into a memoir book thats now in its fifth edition. Kunnolamundallo Boothakalakkulir was published on November 21, last year. Book stores almost always give the same answer to those seeking her book: out of stock. Her Facebook page is full of comments about not getting a copy. The ones who do, post glorifying reviews. Its come as a big surprise for Deepa not just the attention the book was getting, but also the fact that no negative comments come even from those who had vehemently opposed her only months ago, when a post she made became viral. Thats the incident that brought her to the limelight back in October. Deepa, an assistant professor of Malayalam at Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur, had made a post about beef ban around the time there was a beef festival at the campus. She was caught in a controversy for allegedly supporting the fest. But shes come out to receive a whole lot of support from the social media. The same people had also encouraged her to write a book of her posts. Acceptance came even from those who had hurt me with their comments earlier. They wrote that while they continue to disagree with my politics, they appreciate the writer in me, Deepa says. She feels that it is perhaps a little overrated. I am not an established writer. I wouldnt even call myself a writer. Every person has memories, these are mine. The book covers her childhood memories, her college days including her relationship with another Keralavarmakaran Nisanth who became her husband, and her experiences as a teacher. Its mostly the notes I made on the different experiences of the students I come across. That has changed me a lot. One of those notes Jalam Kondulla Murivukal had increased her Facebook followers a lot, to nearly 70,000. That was even before the controversy. The controversy may have increased the reach of my book, but then social media gives the same space for good and bad comments, so they could have criticised it if they wanted to. Deepa herself has written two books critiquing works by others. But now she wishes no one reads it. People write their stories and poems, there is no need for a critic to tear them apart and examine it like a doctor, I feel now. Perspectives change. Hers had when she went to Kerala Varma College as a pre-degree student. Coming from an orthodox family, Deepa agreed when her dad asked to take second group even as she wanted third group. Two years later, the college and her teachers had given her enough confidence to say no, and she chose to learn Malayalam. After her MA, she joined as teacher. Deepa began like any other teacher, wanting every student to be silent in class and not ask questions. Somewhere along she realised you wont get anything out of making a student obey out of fear. They should listen to you out of love. And you should listen to them. Teaching should not be one-way communication. We should be like Kobayashi Master in the book Totto-Chan, giving students, confidence. Deepa had a bitter experience once when she found a student sleeping in class and asked him to leave. Later I saw him working at a shoe shop and realised there will be no food in his house that day if he didnt work. He barely has the time to come to college, but because he wished to study, he did. When I found him sleeping, I forgot to ask myself why. Thats the story of Jalam Kondulla Murivukal, at which point Deepas book ends. The controversy had happened after that. It may appear in her next book. It is something thats made me bolder. I realised that if I reacted against something wrong, there is a society to stand with me, people I have never met to support me. Now I pay more attention to my words for it reaches more people, and that brings a certain responsibility. I do not wish to be known through the controversy, but through my writing. Shares of Deutsche Bank AG (DB) are gaining more than 9 percent in pre-market activity on Wednesday following media reports that the German lender is considering buying back several billion euros of its senior bonds. The recovery in the bank's share price comes after two days of falls amid a broader rout of bank stocks due to concerns over their profitability and troubled loans. The surge in the bank's share price has also eased concerns over its balance sheet. The Financial Times reported that Deutsche Bank was expected to focus its emergency buyback plan on some 50 billion euros of senior bonds, or the debt that is repaid first if a company goes out of . According to the FT report, the buyback plan was not likely to include so-called contingent convertible bonds, or cocos, the bank's riskiest debt. These bonds, along with the bank's shares, have bore the brunt of the investor sell-off in recent days. On Tuesday, Deutsche Bank's Co-CEO John Cryan sought to allay concerns about the bank. In a message to the bank's employees, Cryan said that Deutsche Bank remained "absolutely rock-solid," given its strong capital and risk position. Deutsche Bank, on Monday, sought to reassure the market of its capacity and commitment to pay coupons to investors who hold its additional Tier 1 capital. The company clarified about its capacity to service these coupons in both 2016 and 2017. DB closed Tuesday's trading at $15.38. In Wednesday's pre-market activity, the stock is up $1.53 or 9.95 percent to $16.91. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Bulgaria has formally announced its nomination of UNESCO chief Irina Bokova for the post of UN Secretary General. The Balkan country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Tuesday that it sent a letter nominating Irina Georgieva Bokova for the post of Secretary General of the United Nations. Given her background and experience, Bokova may be one of the top candidates in the upcoming campaign for UN's top post, the ministry added. The UN's next chief will take up their post on January 1, 2017, replacing Ban Ki-moon who has held the job for two five-year terms. Bokova, 63, was the first woman to head the UN's culture body UNESCO, and the first leader from the ex-Soviet bloc when she was elected in 2009. UNESCO's admission of Palestine as a member in October 2011 spelled problems for Bokova, with the United States immediately suspending its funding of the UN body. But the former foreign minister won re-election nonetheless, and her second term is due to expire at the end of 2017. All the eight persons who have led the United Nations since 1946 were men. "I know that I will win the UN vote," Bokova told private television channel Nova. A former Bulgarian ambassador to France and Monaco, Bokova has recently been criticized over her privileged upbringing in a prominent communist family. Her father Georgi Bokov was editor-in-chief of the Communist Party newspaper Rabotnichesko Delo. Bokova received an elite education abroad, first at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and later at the University of Maryland and Harvard in the United States. After stints at the Bulgarian foreign ministry and its UN mission in New York, Bokova was elected a lawmaker for the Socialist Party after the fall of communism in 1989. Bokova was appointed deputy foreign minister to coordinate Bulgaria's relations with the European Union between 1995 and 1997. She briefly served as Bulgaria's foreign minister from November 1996 to February 1997 when she led the country's bid to join the EU. She speaks fluent English, French, Russian and Spanish, and is married with two children. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Saudi strikes kill five citizens in capital SANAA, Feb. 10 (Saba) Five citizens of the same family were killed in Saudi raids on Bait Meiyad neighborhood in al-Sabeen district of the capital Sanaa, a local official said Wednesday. The director in Yemens official TV Muneer al-Hakimi, his wife and their three children were killed when the Saudi aggression warplanes targeted on Tuesday night a hangar of a private school in Bait Meiyad, one of the densely populated areas in the capital, the official explained. He condemned the continuation of the Saudi aggression in targeting the residential neighborhoods and killing citizens deliberately, as well as destroying the infrastructure. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [10/February/2016] Some want to wipe out baby mosquito larvae in standing water where the insects breed. (Photo: AFP) Playa San Diego, El Salvador: With larva-chomping fish and genetically modified insects, Latin Americans are deploying legions of little helpers to destroy mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus in the world's latest mass health scare. Scientists are devising numerous ways to try and stamp out the mosquitoes whose bites spread the virus, which they suspect can cause brain damage in babies and paralysis in adults. Some want to wipe out baby mosquito larvae in standing water where the insects breed. Others propose to zap the male mosquitoes' privates with radiation to make them impotent. Still others just want a plain old toad in their home to gobble any mosquitoes that buzz in. In San Diego Beach on the Pacific coast of El Salvador, fishermen use fat sleeper fish to devour the mosquitoes while they are still wingless larvae. "They are true warriors in the fight against Zika. They eat all the mosquito larvae in the barrels where we store our water," said Rafael Gonzalez, 30, a local fisherman. "Everyone helps out," adds Marielos Sosa, the initiative's organizer. "The young people help catch the fish in the estuary. The adults keep an eye on the water stocks in their homes." This prevents the need to fumigate homes and water storage sites, as many towns are doing. "Fumigation can be effective in reducing the adult mosquito population, but it is not as effective against other forms of the mosquito such as larvae," said Carissa Etienne, head of the Pan American Health Organization. Fumigation by workers in overalls spraying smoke "has a political impact because it is visually striking, but we are not sure whether it is really effective in fighting the Aedes Aegypti mosquito," the species that carries Zika, she said. Killing mosquitoes with asparagus Before Zika hit the region, Latin American countries had developed various techniques for fighting these mosquitoes, which also carry fevers such as dengue and chikungunya. In Peru, biologist Palmira Ventosilla in 1992 devised an organic insecticide made from coco, yucca, asparagus and potatoes -- a recipe endorsed by the World Health Organization. Natural so-called biolarvicides "are cheap and non-toxic and can be used by the public," Ventosilla said. The treatment devised by her team at Peru's Cayetano Heredia University uses the vegetable mixture to nourish and multiply a bacteria that destroys the larvae. A kit developed by the university including a sprinkler to apply the insecticide costs about a dollar and can kill off larvae in 10 minutes, Ventosilla said. "It is a simple method that we are showing to the public so they can produce it themselves." In neighboring Colombia, the second worst-hit country in the Zika outbreak after Brazil, scientists are fighting mosquitoes with mosquitoes. Tropical disease specialists at Antioquia University are trying to spread among mosquitoes a bacteria known as Wolbachia, which blocks their ability to pass on disease to humans. "No one is really thinking they can eradicate the Aedes Aegypti mosquito completely. The aim is to keep its numbers so low that it does not pass on the illness," said the director of the project, Ivan Dario Velez. Teams in Brazil and Panama meanwhile are experimenting with male mosquitoes that are genetically modified in such a way that when they mate, the resulting larvae die off. Sterilizing mosquitoes In Mexico, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, said it was testing the use of radiation to stop the mosquitoes breeding. Scientists hope to use radiation "to make the male mosquito sterile, so then he goes back to his habitat and even if he mates, the female will not have any offspring," Amano was quoted as saying by Mexican magazine Reforma. "Bit by bit, the insect's population gets reduced and in the end it is eradicated." In Argentina, online vendors are hawking frogs and toads for $7 each. They are touting them as a protection against Zika, and especially against the more common dengue fever -- and as an alternative to mosquito repellents or insecticides. Those chemical products are often sold out in shops and the government has warned that Aedes Aegypti is resisting fumigation efforts. Argentina has only reported a handful of Zika infections among travelers returning from abroad, but like Mexico it has thousands of cases of dengue. In the 1960s Latin America brought Aedes Aegypti under control but "it started multiplying again due to carelessness by the authorities," Velez said. "Right now, the situation is more complicated. The mosquito is present in more towns, there is more population movement and global warming is helping it survive," he warned. "But if the government adopts policies to bring it under control, it can be done." The couple can attest to the fact that Paris is still very much the city of magic and romance.(Photo: Pixabay) Paris: Some visitors may be steering clear of the world's top tourist destination after terror attacks in the French capital, but for lovers, shoppers and gourmands who dare to go, Paris will always be Paris. Quaint Parisian streets have been a little quieter and lines outside the Louvre museum or under the Eiffel Tower a little shorter since a November jihadist attack which killed 130 people. Francois Navarro, head of the Paris region tourist board, said hotel reservations were down about 20 percent, with many cancellations from Japanese, Chinese and Russian tourists in the wake of the second devastating attack to hit the City of Light within a year. He said it had taken the Paris region three months to recover from the January 2015 attacks on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket."There has been more of an impact" after gunmen and suicide bombers went on a killing spree at Paris nightspots in November, Navarro said. "But security has also never been as high in Paris. That reassures tourists," he said, adding that visitor figures were expected to pick up again in March. 'The magic of Paris took over' The full impact of the terror attacks on 2015 tourism figures is not yet known, but while some backed out of their dream trip, the allure of Paris was too strong for others. "At first, I didn't want to come at all, because of the attacks. But I decided not to give into fear... Visiting Paris had always been one of my wishes," said Annika, a 23-year-old German on her first solo trip abroad. "I came to realise that I could just as easily be hit by a car anywhere in the world anytime and I wouldn't be able to do much about it either," she said. Her attitude reflects that of many who keep coming to Paris, said Navarro, adding that travellers today have "adapted to the fact that these tragic events can happen anywhere." Annika said the presence of police and soldiers on the streets and bag checks at tourist sites "made me feel a little bit safe." "The magic of Paris totally took over," she said, adding she was glad to visit the Place de la Republique, a square which has become a shrine to the victims of the attacks. Immortalised in song, movies and the hearts of romantics the world over, "there is something so particular about Paris", said Navarro, who is cheerily optimistic that tourist figures will recover. The city is a magnet for museum lovers, with its rich history and architectural gems, foodies dreaming of buttery croissants and little bistros, and shoppers looking for Parisian glamour. The greater Paris region attracted some 19 million foreign tourists in 2014, while France as a whole lured 83 million travellers from abroad, making it the world's top tourist destination. Reassuring China, Japan China, the fifth biggest contributor of tourists to France after Britain, the United States, Germany and Italy, is one of the biggest markets for growth and tourist authorities are keen to allay any nervousness among travellers there. Wang Yang, of the Liurenyou travel agency in Beijing, said that 60 percent of their clients had cancelled trips to France after the November attack. "In the mind of many Chinese tourists, security in France is lacking," she said. In a bid to win over Chinese tourists, France has cut visa waiting times and Navarro said the city would welcome 55 Chinese tour operators at the end of February to "talk security and show them what the destination has to offer." The operators would spend two hours visiting police headquarters on their trip to Paris. Chinese and Japanese tourists are some of the biggest spenders in France and a delegation of tourism officials will also visit Tokyo in June in a bid to reassure tourist agencies there. "We are seeing a certain impact from the attacks, with the number of tourists to France down compared to the past years," said Hidekazu Kihara, a spokesman for the Nippon Travel Agency in Japan. One Japanese official in Paris spoke of a "drastic" drop in visitor numbers to France. Part of our history To Navarro, the Paris attacks have "now become part of our history." "But Paris remains the capital of love, of gastronomy, of shopping." Joel Haywood, 34, and his girlfriend Yao, who live in Beijing, were walking through the unusually calm quaint streets of the Ile Saint Louis, a normally bustling island in the heart of Paris. "It is just like the Paris we always heard about," said Yao, adding they had been intrigued to come and see how Parisians were coping after the attacks, and found "everyone is happy." Like many others, they shrugged off security concerns with the phrase: "It can happen anywhere." A short walk away, across the Seine, Mark Woods and Samantha Arnold from England were waiting in line under the gargoyles and bell towers of the Notre Dame cathedral. The glowing couple can attest to the fact that Paris is still very much the city of magic and romance. "He proposed to me on Friday, that just proves it," said Samantha. "Under the Eiffel tower," added Mark. 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 Would you love to transform into a Disney Princess if given a chance? Sarah Ingle from Colorado is lucky enough to be living her dream. The 25-year-old has spent around 10,000 to turn herself into a real-life Disney Princess and seems to be enjoying every moment of it. Ingle, who works as a marketing manager, regularly dresses up as a real-life Disney princess on weekends for childrens princess parties and trips to local childrens hospitals, reports Metro.uk. Of course, it also helps that the pretty lass has been naturally blessed with large doe-like eyes, a sparkling smile and a petite frame. Ingle has splurged around 10,000 on the 17 gorgeous custom-made outfits of popular Disney princesses. We think she looks the part, what about you? Picture Courtesy: YouTube Picture Courtesy: YouTube Picture Courtesy: YouTube Picture Courtesy: YouTube Picture Courtesy: YouTube I give my consent to Sakshi Post to be in touch with me via email for the purpose of event marketing and corporate communications. Privacy Policy The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeens (AIMIM) Fahad Bin Abdul Samed Bin Abdat is the youngest corporator in Hyderabad, elected from the Uppuguda constituency in the recent GHMC elections. But even though the 21-year-old doesnt have much political experience so far, politics has always been part of his life. I can say that I am in politics right from my birth since my father Abdul Samad bin Abdat has been a politician, and I have been observing him closely, says Fahad. Though Fahad never thought that he would become a politican, it was the people around him who inspired him to become a leader and create a better society. I never thought I would become a politician but I did have the dream and the people around inspired me a lot. (AIMIM president) Asaduddin Owaisi always said that youth should join politics and can bring about the change. They have all the enthusiasm, says Fahad, who is currently pursuing a Bachelors degree in civil engineering from Deccan College of Engineering and Technology. In the final year of his studies, he says that the knowledge he gained as a student of civil engineering will help him a lot in building a better infrastructure. Fahad adds that education, proper healthcare and food for the poor will be his priorities in the near future. The first priority I will give is to education. I will work on developing anganwadi and government primary schools. When Akbaruddin Owaisi was elected in 1999, he came with a mission that he will give free education to the poor. He has completed over 70 per cent of work in Uppuguda and I will be completing the rest. I will also make sure that the `5 meal scheme is available in Uppuguda too. Proper healthcare will also be a priority for my work. Fahad also says that he would be active on social media, where people could reach out to him with their complains. I will be active on social media. People could reach me either via Facebook or whatsapp, I will always be available. They could also write to me at fahad.abdat70@gmail.com, I will frequently reply to them. Before concluding, he adds that he won because people saw the work done by his father, the previous corporator, and hence could trust Fahad to continue his legacy. Adrian Martinez thrives in K-State offense Turning Adrian Martinez loose has not come back to bite Kansas State. The senior quarterback has yet to turn the ball over this year. This post is outside my normal realm of attention, but I think it is nonetheless important for us to consider. For those of us who are... Mumbai: Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headley, now turned approver in the 26/11 Mumbai attack case, told a special court here Tuesday through video testimony from the United States that he was working for Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence, which he said gave financial, military and moral support to LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen. Answering a question by special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, Headley admitted that he had worked for the ISI besides Lashkar, and that he knew about ISI official Brig. Riyaz being the handler of LeTs top commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the mastermind behind the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. He also said that during his stay in Pakistan, Col. Shah, Lt. Col. Hamza, Maj. Samir Ali, Maj. Iqbal and retired Army officer Abdul Rehman Pasha, who was closely working with LeT and al-Qaeda, were among the ISI personnel who were coordinating with him. Read: Was working for ISI, met many people from Pakistan army: David Headley Headley also told the court that he had done surveillance of key locations in Mumbai like the Naval Air Station, the Siddhivinayak temple and the state police headquarters on Lashkars instructions. He also deposed on the operations planned by LeT in Mumbai prior to 26/11, adding these were not executed for various reasons. One such plan was to attack a conference hall in the Taj Mahal Hotel during a meeting of Indian defence scientists. But this was called off as the LeT could not arrange the logistics for it. Headley said he was specifically asked to survey the Siddhivinayak temple as a target. He also said the Naval Air Station and the Maharashtra state police headquarters were among the planned targets, but these plans were not executed. The recording of Headleys evidence will continue on Wednesday. Read: 26/11 terror attacks: India to give Pakistan Headley dossier Headley said he had visited Mumbai for the first time in 2006, but then he was not given any specific targets to survey, and only asked to take general videos and pictures of different places in Mumbai. To set up office and make my cover authenticated so that I could stay there (in Mumbai) and I could do surveillance, he said. I did surveillance of multiple targets as well as selected landing sites, Headley added. According to Headley, a meeting was held between him, Abu Kahafa and Sajid Mir at LeTs headquarters in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This was sometime in November or December 2007, when Headley was tasked with doing surveillance at the Taj, and specifically at the convention hall (conference hall) on the second floor as they had information that a conference of defence scientists was going to be held there soon. But this plan was later cancelled. When prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam asked him the exact reason why the plan was cancelled, Headley said it was mostly due to logistical problems, which he later meant getting the necessary personnel and weapons. Read: David Headley wanted to fight against Indian Army in Kashmir, says Public Prosecutor He also did surveillance at the Oberoi Hotel and the entire stretch of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg in Colaba, where Leopold Cafe (one of the places hit in the 26/11 attacks) is located, as well as Chabad House (Nariman House), another actual target on November 26, 2008. The LeT operative also said he had been asked by the ISI to recruit Indian Army personnel to spy for them. Headley told special judge G.A. Sanap: I met Maj. Iqbal of ISI in Lahore in early 2006. He asked me to gather military intelligence from India and also try to recruit someone from the Indian military to spy. I told Maj. Iqbal I would do as he asked. Read: Was inspired by Hafiz Sayeed's speeches, reveals David Headley Another ISI officer, Samir Ali, also wanted him to do some intelligence work in India, Headley told the court. On Abdul Rehman Pasha, Headley said he met the retired Pakistan Army officer in early 2003 at a Lahore mosque. When I first met Pasha he was with LeT. At that time he had no relations with al-Qaeda, but may be after two years, he left LeT to join al-Qaeda, he said. On his links with Jaish-e-Mohammeds founder Masood Azhar, Headley said: I know Maulana Masood Azhar as I saw him once in October 2003. He is the head of Jaish-e-Mohammed. In October 2003, there was a gathering of LeT and he was a guest speaker there. Read: From Daood Gilani to David Coleman Headley: A timeline Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, 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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 Ranchi: Police on Wednesday arrested a Hindi teacher who taught in Sapphire International School in Ranchi, for allegedly murdering her daughters classmate. The teacher identified as Nezma Khatoon has been accused of killing class VI student Vinay Mahto, who was found lying unconscious outside the teachers' living quarters in the school premises. According to reports, Vinay was last captured on CCTV footage, where he was seen walking out of his hostel room and heading towards the teachers quarters past midnight on Friday. After some time, he was found lying grievously wounded outside the main entrance. The class VI students were allegedly in love with each other and the girl's parents frowned upon their friendship owing to their young age. Some reports suggest it was not the first time that the boy was stepping out to have a midnight adventure and that Khatoon was waiting for him. When Vinay approached her quarter, the teacher brutally thrashed him and then pushed him off the first floor, leaving him almost dead. The boy later succumbed to his injuries in a hospital. At first the police suspected that the young boy was possibly sodomised by a male teacher and then murdered, but they abandoned the angle after evidence gathered by them failed to corroborate the theory. After digging further, the police found out about Vinays friendship with Khatoons daughter and she was arrested for murdering the boy. Dubai, UAE -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/09/2016 -- Established by a group of professionals with a vast experience in travel and hotel industry, Book Best Rate is one of the leading online marketplaces for hotel bookings that lets travelers peep into some of the finest deals on hotel accommodations across the world. Displaying a massive range of hotel accommodations, the online portal for hotel bookings helps travelers zero in on the best deal according to their needs and budget. With the growing popularity of the Middle Eastern cities, such as Dubai, Mecca, Medina and Abu Dhabi, as a tourist destination, Book Best Rate lists a massive number of hotels offering quality services in the region. Shedding light on the hotel accommodations in Downtown Dubai on offer, one of the senior business development managers at Book Best Rate, in a recent conference, stated, "Showcasing some of the most prominent structures, such as Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and Dubai Fountain, Downtown Dubai has emerged as a leading destination in past few years. Being a business hub, Dubai also attracts a large number of business travelers from different parts of the world. We, here at Book Best Rate, display a huge selection of hotels located in and around the city to make sure that both leisure and business travelers get best hotel accommodations within their budget." Having around 551,000 hotels with over 10,000,000 hotel offers, Book Best Rate simply spoils customers for choices, which most of the travelers consider a good headache to have. Travelers can compare the hotel prices and services from the comfort of their home and finally book the accommodation that suits them the best without any hassle. With the aim to cater the travel needs of the masses, Book Best Rate presents an easy to understand and navigate interface, so that even not-so-savvy viewers could get best hotel deals quickly and easily. Giving an insight into the hotel deals available in the capital of United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, on offer, the senior business development manager further stated, "Situated on an island in Persian Gulf, Abu Dhabi, apart from offering beautiful landscapes, also gives visitors an opportunity to know the Gulf culture and traditions. The capital city presents various museums, exhibitions and cultural tours to take visitors back to old times. In addition to landscape and traditional values, the emirate is also known for its cuisine, hotels, shopping malls, and hospitality. We make sure to display all the best hotels in the region to help travelers spend quality time in Abu Dhabi." With the aim to help travelers discover the world without worrying about finding their dream accommodation, Book Best Rate provides a powerful, fast and secure search to let them get best hotel deals at prices that everyone can afford. If you are planning to book your hotel in Downtown Dubai, Book Best Rate can be an ideal online marketplace to secure the best deal. For those who wish to book luxury hotels in Abu Dhabi, the online portal has a massive range of hotels located in the capital of United Arab Emirates. About Book Best Rate A vision of a bunch of experienced professionals from hotel and travel industry, Book Best Rate is a leading online marketplace that strives to ease the hotel bookings for travelers. Travelers heading to the Middle East for religious purpose can check out hotel in Mecca near Haram on the online portal to make their stay comfortable and cost effective. In addition, one can also browse hotels in Medina with Book Best Rate to get best hotel deals. Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/10/2016 -- The report "Cheese Ingredients Market by Cheese Type (Processed Cheese and Natural Cheese), Ingredients (Milk, Cultures, Enzymes, and Additives), and by Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and RoW) - Global Trends & Forecast to 2020", the global cheese ingredients market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.9% from 2015 to reach a projected value of USD 93.34 Billion by 2020 Browse 149 market data tables 100 figures spread through more than 208 pages and in-depth TOC on "Cheese Ingredients Market - Global Trends & Forecast to 2020" Ask for Brief Illustration of this Report Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. The cheese ingredients market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.9% from 2015 to 2020. The growth of the cheese ingredients market is proportionally dependent upon the growth of the cheese industry. The demand for cheese as a key ingredient in various cuisines is rising globally. Factors such as the rapidly increasing size of the global fast food industry are expected to increase the demand for cheese ingredients. Significant growth in the natural cheese segment is observed in the North American region The demand for ingredients used in natural cheese market is mainly driven by the benefits it offers, such as, it is rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and healthy bacteria (probiotics). The demand for ingredients used for natural cheese manufacturing is driven by increasing consumer awareness about the health benefits associated with it. Request for Sample of this Report Increased demand for enzymes due to increased consumption of enzyme modified cheese The market for ingredients is led by enzymes, in terms of growth rate. The demand for enzymes is projected to increase in developed regions such as North America and Europe due to the aging population and increasing consumer awareness about the health benefits associated with it. Furthermore, longer shelf life of the enzyme modified cheese makes it a preferred option for the cheese manufacturers. Large scale milk production and lower cost of production in Asia-Pacific offers growth opportunities to manufacturers Australia/ New Zealand constituted the largest country markets in the Asia-Pacific region in 2014. Large scale milk production in the Asian countries has led to wide-scale low cost production of cheese in the country. North America dominated the market and accounted for the largest market share globally, as it is the largest producer and exporter of cheese. This report includes a study of marketing and development strategies, along with the product portfolio of leading companies. It includes the profiles of leading companies such Chr. Hansen Holding A/S (Denmark), Fonterra Co-operative Group (New Zealand), E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (U.S.), Koninklijke DSM N.V. (The Netherlands), and Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.). In terms of insights, this research report has focused on various levels of analysis industry analysis, market share analysis of top players, and company profiles, which together comprise and discuss the basic views on the competitive landscape, emerging & high-growth segments of the global cheese ingredients market, high-growth regions, countries, and their respective regulatory policies, government initiatives, drivers, restraints, and opportunities. About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact: Mr. Rohan Markets and Markets UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India 1-888-600-6441 Email:sales@marketsandmarkets.com Blog: http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/food-and-beverage Phoenix, AZ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/10/2016 -- After some hard years of economic and financial crisis, small and medium-sized European companies in countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy or Greece, have been seeing the viability of their businesses going through the necessary openings of new markets abroad, thus guiding their efforts to exports. And nowadays, certainly, business development opportunities for B2B manufacturers are unequaled. The challenge behind the growth of any business should always consider how to establish a solid footprint in foreign countries. For most of these companies, the first strategy of internationalization is certainly exporting to foreign countries. But when business owners decide to take the challenge, they wonder what will be the impact on costs, how to minimize risks, how to manage the process, and definitely, how to guarantee the success of their presence in those countries. Experience shows that profitable international sales are built on a key strategy, not only on transactional issues. Starting at a comprehensive overview of the companies our business development consulting, helps businesses to export through three processes: the diagnosis of the company and its products, analysis of the target market penetration and the growth of their sales. The expertise of consultants at Global Impetus we will plan and consult with our customers, implement and execute appropriate strategies adapted to each company and their industries. Taking all into account the particular characteristics of the sector and companies, and knowing well that the combination of the potential of global sales and appropriate digital marketing offers incredible results for business seeking to expand themselves and grow. The services we offer at Global Impetus, are always highly customized and experienced in every segment of industry: market research, potential customers, new business opportunities, selection of distribution channels, comprehensive marketing and communication planning, management of events and fairs and search for partners and sales agents. We can develop fixed-term pilot projects for companies wishing to start with modest projects before committing into larger projects. Business owners can apply for a one-time free consultation. For more information, contact Maria Molina by phone at 602-324-7471, via email at info@globalimpetus.com or by visiting Global Impetus online. About Global Impetus The team at Global Impetus consultants have over 20 years of experience and a deep knowledge of various industries such as FMGC, Fashion, Manufacturing, Distribution, Production, Textiles, Retail, Wholesale, Education, Logistic and Taxation. We offer global business consulting through organizational development, business development and the internationalization of companies. Global Impetus Consultants stand out in the crowd for the attention of details, critical thinking, professional ethics, and result oriented. Our customers always count on us to deliver results. At Global Impetus we work with small to medium size companies around the globe and we help them the moment in which they need us the most. Related links: www.globalimpetusconsulting.com Facebook Twitter MEDIA CONTACT: Maria Molina, Public Relations Global Impetus Phone: 602-324-7471 Address: Phoenix, AZ Email: info@globalimpetus.com Website: www.globalimpetus.com Lewes, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/10/2016 -- The explosive growth of over-the-top (OTT) services has disrupted the telecommunications market by boosting competition and by creating a phenomenal traffic load on the transport pipes of ISPs. Network providers are using traffic differentiation to manage the increased volume and distribute the cost of additional capacity, which has raised equal-access concerns among online content and service providers and consumers. As many governments around the world strive to address the issue, regulators are grappling with how to maintain Internet equality without discouraging sector growth. Key Findings - The rapid uptake of OTT services globally is a major driver of the growth in data traffic for broadband providers. Popular OTT applications have disrupted the traffic management models of ISPs by exponentially expanding the volume of content carried over the Internet. The increased data load has created challenges for ISPs, which are coming up with methods for managing congestion. - Traffic management by ISPs has prompted governments to intervene to ensure Internet traffic equality. The need for government intervention to achieve a neutral Internet has been debated for a long time. Since the rise of the public Internet, governments have been weighing the merits of regulating such an expansive space against the risks of curtailing freedom. - Regulators must recognize the factors that enable a sustainable net neutrality program. A concerted implementation plan is needed to push forward the net neutrality agenda and attain sustainable progress. Some key enablers are identified based on each country's level of stakeholder cooperation and its progress in averting neutrality breaches. - Network operators must seek ways to partner with OTT content and app providers. In the past few years, a number of MNOs have chosen to partner with OTT service and app providers, as an alternative or parallel strategy to rolling out proprietary Internet applications. OTT partnerships reduce the time to market for the operators aiming to launch new Internet-based services. - Participation in multi-stakeholder initiatives can help ISPs engage in the policy-setting process of their respective countries. By participating in such initiatives, broadband operators can boost their influence and make sure their technical and economic interests are considered in the development of net neutrality rules. Synopsis The explosive growth of over-the-top (OTT) services has disrupted the telecommunications market by boosting competition and by creating a phenomenal traffic load on the transport pipes of ISPs. Network providers are using traffic differentiation to manage the increased volume and distribute the cost of additional capacity, which has raised equal-access concerns among online content and service providers and consumers. As many governments around the world strive to address the issue, regulators are grappling with how to maintain Internet equality without discouraging sector growth."OTT Services: Collaborative Regulation Can Promote Internet Neutrality" offers an in-depth examination of the main regulatory models and strategies adopted around the world to safeguard the neutrality of the Internet, highlighting the interests and viewpoints of the different stakeholders in the debate and the challenges facing regulators in establishing a system that works for all. The Report's analysis provides specific examples of prevalent regulatory models through case studies of Brazil, Chile, the European Union, France, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States, with a focus on the particular developments and challenges of each market. The Report is structured as follows: - Section 1: Dynamics shaping the OTT environment. This section provides an overview of the three key growth segments within the OTT services sector as well as the threats and opportunities that OTT services present for network operators. - Section 2: Ecosystem player views Here we explore the perspectives of the various stakeholders in the global net neutrality debate, focusing on their views on what net neutrality means and the government's role in ensuring an open and neutral Internet. - Section 3: Case studies - Approaches to regulating net neutrality. Seven jurisdictions are examined more closely: the European Union, Brazil, Chile, France, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. Each case study offers detailed analysis of the trajectory and approach taken toward net neutrality regulation, the progress made in recent years and the challenges going forward. - Section 4: Key findings and recommendations. We conclude with a summary of our findings on the impetus for net neutrality and key regulatory models being adopted around the world, as well as specific recommendations for network operators looking to increase their participation in the net neutrality policymaking process and the OTT market. Reasons to Buy - 'OTT Services: Collaborative Regulation Can Promote Internet Neutrality' provides a comprehensive analysis of key regulatory models for Internet neutrality that are being adopted across the world, helping executives at MNOs, fixed telcos and pay-TV providers make informed strategic decisions and develop effective partnerships in the OTT arena. - The Report's forward-looking analysis of key trends in OTT services helps providers assess the potential impact of OTTs on their business and identify related opportunities. The case studies focus on how governments and other stakeholders in seven developed and emerging markets have approached the net neutrality debate, allowing executives to refine their expectations for regulatory outcomes. - By understanding the interests and positions of the main stakeholders in the net neutrality debate - government, end users, content providers and ISPs - telecom professionals can develop strategies to ensure their respective needs are addressed in upcoming regulatory cycles. - The Report's recommendations are based on real strategies employed by network operators to position themselves to influence more effectively the net neutrality laws in their respective markets, and to increase their participation in the ever-growing OTT services market. Network operators can benefit from strategies such as partnering with OTT players, collaborating with regulators, joining multi-stakeholder initiatives and forging coalitions with consumer and content provider advocacy groups. Spanning over 63 pages "OTT Services: Collaborative Regulation Can Promote Internet Neutrality" report covers Executive summary, Introduction: Report scope and definitions, Report scope, Dynamics shaping the OTT environment, Ecosystem player views, Case studies - Approaches to regulating net neutrality, Key findings and recommendations, Appendices. The report covered companies few are - Apple, Alibaba, Amazon, America Movil (Claro), American Cable Association, Anatel (Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency), ATandT, Body of European Regulators in Electronic Communications (BEREC), Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), BT For more information Visit at: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/pyramid-research/ott-services-collaborative-regulation-can-promote-internet-neutrality Related reports; Cloud Services in Asia Pacific: Global Consolidation and Evolving Provider Specialization - visit at: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/pyramid-research/cloud-services-asia-pacific-global-consolidation-and-evolving-provider Cloud Services in Europe: Trends in Ecosystem Development and Services Integration - visit at: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/pyramid-research/cloud-services-europe-trends-ecosystem-development-and-services-integration About Market Research Reports, Inc. Market Research Reports, Inc. is the world's leading source for market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest market research reports on global markets, key industries, leading companies, new products and latest industry analysis & trends. Yearly/Quarterly Report Subscription: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/subscriptions Singapore -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/09/2016 -- In a scenario where businesses are going online to reach out to their customers, it is but obvious for them to have a decent online presence. Nonetheless, the fate of their online endeavors clearly depends on the quality of hosting services. The businesses have to be impeccable with their choice of hosting solution provider, failing which they are staring at an imminent disaster. Savvy E Hosting, a top of the line web hosting and web designing company, has proved to be a winning move to numerous such businesses, irrespective of their size and nature of operations, in Singapore. With the intent to offer some insight into the services on offer, one of the executives at Savvy E Hosting recently stated, "At Savvy E Hosting, we do not believe in restricting options of businesses looking forth for starting an online venture. Our list of deliverables includes custom website designing, corporate web designing, industry based web designing, E-commerce web designs, content management design, customized programming, and website redesigning, each of which is cost effective and tailor made to cater to the specific requirements of modern day businesses." Innovation is the buzzword for folks at Savvy E Hosting. The experts at the web hosting company are constantly experimenting with web designs while striving to deliver visually appealing, responsive and feature rich websites that can engage visitors for a long while. The creative teams present the layout in a creative and catchy manner to deliver an enduring and endearing impression on the audience. Prompt and credible support services add to the credibility of Savvy E Hosting and make it standout. The web development solutions company responds to any query within 24 hour through e-mails. Shedding light on the VPS hosting services on offer, the executive further stated, "We invite businesses to drive home the advantage of increased power, flexibility and control for their websites through our VPS hosting services. With our premium offerings, the client can control a virtual server independently, conveniently and cost efficiently. By hosting the website on the cloud, we allow the client to access dedicated resources while keeping the expenses to bare minimum. Additionally, our esteemed clients have the liberty to install applications of their choice on the virtual machines." As is the case with other services, Savvy E Hosting can personalize the VPS hosting services to suit the budget, requirements, and aspirations of the owner. With 99.9 percent uptime guarantee, the web development solutions company ensures that the website is up and running at all times. Savvy E Hosting's confidence in the quality of its services manifests in the 30-day money back guarantee, where the client can claim his full amount if the services are not up to his expectations. Whether one wishes to avail Singapore web hosting services or wants to buy domain name in Singapore, Savvy E Hosting is the name to count upon. About Savvy E Hosting Savvy E Hosting, based in Singapore, is a leading web designing, web hosting and marketing services provider. It offers an assortment of result oriented yet cost effective services that aims at providing a strong online presence to businesses across industries. Hence, of late, Savvy E Hosting has emerged as an ideal place to get Singapore VPS Windows hosting services. Phuket, Thailand -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/09/2016 -- A secluded sanctuary meant for lovebirds, The Pavilions, Phuket is a romantic and intimate adults-only resort in Asia. Ideally located in Phuket, the luxury resort is a boutique destination with global recognition, as hundreds of couples from all parts of the globe come here to celebrate their love and rekindle the feeling of romance once again. The Pavilions, Phuket offers a plethora of packages for couples, each of which is specifically designed while keeping their diverse requirements in mind. Additionally, the visitors can savor mouth-watering oriental and other cuisines prepared by expert hands under hygienic conditions. With the intent to offer some insight into the luxury resort, one of the executives at The Pavilions, Phuket recently revealed, "Love is in the air throughout the year at The Pavilions, Phuket and we accentuate it further by offering top accommodation options and personalized services. Perched at Phuket's highest point, The Pavilions, Phuket offers a slew of well-equipped pool villas, each of which is utterly private and spacious enough to make the occupant feel at home. Ensuring the best possible experience, we do our level best to offer top customer services to esteemed clients visiting us from all parts of the globe." The Pavilions, Phuket has everything required to facilitate a discrete getaway for lovebirds. With high walls and envelope of lush foliage, screens and veiled salas create a private sanctuary lovebirds can indulge without the fear of prying eyes. With elegant tables set for al fresco dining and private pools made for skinny-dipping, The Pavilions, Phuket delivers a seamless and distinct experience that every couple desires. Aptly, the luxurious resort is garnering the reputation as one of the best hotels in Phuket. Shedding some light on the honeymoon packages on offer, the executive further stated, "As Asia's most romantic adults-only resort, we invite couples to celebrate their honeymoon in unfettered privacy. We are offering a range of honeymoon packages that are comprehensive and customized according to the needs of the couple. We ensured that our settings are as charismatic as the honeymooning couple's love for each other. The kind of privacy and customer service we offer will go a long way in facilitating a blissful start essential for a satisfying married life." The Pavilions, Phuket has scores of three bedroom pool villas equipped with all top-notch amenities required for a comfortable stay. Ideally located on a hilltop overlooking lush green valleys, these villas offer ideal accommodation to couples looking to celebrate their love. Sensually designed with utter privacy in mind, these top class villas bear elegant touch of European heritage, which makes them even more desirable. Additionally, each of the villas comes with a master bedroom featuring an en-suite bathroom including an over-sized terrazzo bath and rain shower. Over the years, The Pavilions, Phuket has emerged as one of the best luxury spa resorts in Phuket. About The Pavilions, Phuket The Pavilions, Phuket is a romantic and intimate adults-only resort in Asia. It has a reputation of offering top class services to visitors coming from all parts of the globe. The luxury resort is an ideal destination for honeymooners and couples wishing to rekindle their romance in unfettered intimacy. A recipient of several coveted awards, The Pavilions, Phuket is simply the place for those looking for best hotel in Phuket. Ajman, UAE -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/09/2016 -- Attribute it to the desire of seeking a 'unified experience' of society or gaining momentary respite from daily chores, humanity, in general, have a special affinity for travel. However, in lack of proper planning, intimate knowledge of the destination and access to resources, not all travel endeavors go as intended. The situation calls for expert help, which comes from tour companies. Excellent Tours is one such tour company but with a difference. Recognized for the professionalism, impressive operational infrastructure, personalized service, creative itineraries and global links, the tour company has established itself as the front runner in its niche segment. With the intent to offer some insight into the services on offer, one of the executives at Excellent Tours recently stated, "Excellent Tours does not believe in restricting the options of the travelers, which holds true in the diversity of our deliverables. Whether one is looking for tour programs, innovative desert rips, overland tours between Dubai and Muscat, tailor-made round trips and study trips, adventurous expeditions, relaxing dinner-cruises or corporate events and launches, we are the people to rely upon. We receive a significant percentage of visitors through referrals, which speaks for the quality of our services." Excellent Tours' credentials in arranging inbound and outbound tours while catering to the unique requirements of the traveler make it stand in a league of its own. Additionally, the tour company has collaborated with revered hotels, restaurants and transport companies known to deliver top-notch services while keeping the prices within manageable proportions. Through fully computerized operations, Excellent Tours takes care of all aspects from ticketing and reservations to accounting and tour management with professionalism. Shedding light on the USA tour package on offer, the executive further stated, "USA tour package, one of our premium offerings is a comprehensive tour that allows the traveler have firsthand experience of the splendors that USA has to offer. The eight-day tour initiates with arrival in New York, the largest city of the US, where our professionals will escort the traveler to luxury hotel for diner and overnight accommodation. The coveted tour concludes in San Francisco with professionals taking care of traveler's transfer to airport for final departure." Remaining compliant with its pricing policy, Excellent Tours charges reasonably for USA tour package. The sought after tour package comes inclusive of economy return air ticket for Dubai/ParisZurich/Dubai with airline taxes, accommodation at celebrated three stars hotels along with sightseeing as per the itinerary. In addition, the traveler does not have to pay extra for transfers at Basel Train station, half-day city tour in Lake Lucerne with English-speaking guide, 3rd Floor Eiffel tower ticket and Travel insurance. Whether one intend to avail USA Holiday Tour Packages or looking for holy land trip cost, Excellent Tours is the name to trust. About Excellent Tours Ajman, United Arab Emirates based Excellent Tours is a tour company with proven credentials. It is offering a selection of thoughtfully designed tour programs, desert trips, overland tours between Dubai and Muscat, tailor-made round trips and study trips, expeditions, dinner-cruises, and corporate events and launches. Along with this, the tour company also offers quality Holy Land Trip from Dubai along with Christian Pilgrimage To The Holy Land. The car had hit four people who were rushed to a hospital, but two of them succumbed to their injuries. Chennai: A safety meet at an apartment complex turned deadly for two on ECR (East Coast Road) here, after a speeding car killed the apartment's welfare association secretary and security bureau officer on Tuesday night. The driver has been identified as an executive of Bank of Maharashtra, heading Thiruvanmiyur branch operating in the apartment complex. The irate residents of the apartment handed him over to the City Police on Wednesday. Four persons including the deceased Piyari Lal, (62), secretary of Sai Subhodaya Apartments Residents Association, and Abdul Rahim, (44), security-bureau officer of the apartment were deliberating as to how to improve the safety and security of the apartment complex when the incident took place. The banks chief manager Venkatesh, (35), after the days work, started his car parked in the campus and ran straight into the quartet near the gate. All four were rushed to a private hospital in the vicinity while the deceased were rushed to another private hospital in Adyar where the duo succumbed to the injuries late into the night. The other two injured are identified as Brindheswaran, (55), guard, and Vasudevan, (62), apartment resident, and is being treated. Venkatesh who caused the accident was roughed up by the flat residents, who later handed him over to Thiruvanmiyur Police on Wednesday. During the interrogation, Venkatesh claimed that the brakes in the vehicle failed when he started it, leading to the accident. Senior police officials who are privy to the investigation suggested that Venkatesh could have been learning to drive very recently. It appears he had confused the accelerator with the brake after he panicked on the sight of the people blocking his way. He had floored the accelerator instead of the brake pedal and hit them. Thiruvanmiyur Police who took him in custody charged him under section 304A (causing death by negligence) and had been enlarged on station bail. The car was seized and will be tested by a motor inspector to verify the claims of brake failure. Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/10/2016 -- According to the new market research report "Vertical Farming Market by Functional Device (Lighting, Hydroponic Component, Climate Control, and Sensors), Growth Mechanism (Aeroponics, Hydroponics, and Others) and By Geography - Global Forecast to 2020", the vertical farming market is estimated to reach USD 3.88 billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 30.7% between 2015 and 2020. The factors which are driving the vertical farming market include need for high quality food with no use of pesticides, less dependency on the weather, increasing urban population, and need for year round production. Browse 91 market tables and 56 figures spread through 173 pages and in-depth TOC on "Vertical Farming Market - Global Forecast to 2020" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/vertical-farming-market-221795343.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports. Lighting functional device expected to lead the vertical farming market Lighting as a functional device, in terms of value, is expected to hold the largest share of the vertical farming market by 2020. The traditional lighting system is being replaced by LED lighting system which is more efficient, emits electromagnetic spectrum ideal for photosynthesis and generates low heat. The increased acceptance of LED lighting system by end users is driving the growth of this market. Hydroponics as a growth mechanism segment dominates the vertical farming market The market for hydroponics as a growth mechanism is expected to be the largest between 2015 and 2020. This is mainly because of the benefits associated with it such as quicker growth, faster harvest, higher yield, and low nutrient wastage as mineral nutrients are dissolved in water and are fed directly to a plant's root system without any involvement of soil. APAC expected to hold the largest market share and grow during the forecast period The APAC vertical farming market is expected to hold the largest share by 2020 owing to major driving forces such as growth in urban population, less availability of cultivable land, government initiatives, and demand for food with low impact on environment, the vertical farming market is growing in this region. Do Inquiry of Report @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=221795343 Major players involved in the development of vertical farming market Aerofarms (U.S.), FarmedHere (U.S.) Koninklijke Philips N.V (The Netherlands), Illumitex Inc. (U.S.), Sky Greens (Singapore), and others. This research report categorizes the global vertical farming market based on functional devices, growth mechanism, and regions. This report describes the drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges with respect to the vertical farming market. The Porter's five forces analysis has been included in the report with a description of each of its forces and their respective impact on the vertical farming market. About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact: Mr. Rohan Markets and Markets UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India 1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Grand Rapids, MI -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/10/2016 -- viastore Systems, a leading material handling automation systems and software company, frequently asks regional sales manager, Nancy Malone to contribute best practice material handling solutions to the company blog. Malone leads viastore's software sales effort, as part of viastore systems' increased focus on winning new software customers in the United States. In this role, she develops strategies, solution concepts and new business opportunities to serve existing and new customers, specifically in regards to the U.S. software market. Malone has over twenty years' experience in the supply chain software industry with a track record of exceeding customer and stakeholder expectations. Malone was previously an executive within the software industry, as well as an independent consultant for supply chain and business technology projects, where she has lead projects as a client representative and participated on software supplier teams. Throughout her career Malone has earned the trust of the top firms across numerous industries as a successful sales leader and customer advocate, and was instrumental in leading these software companies into new uncharted vertical markets. Her career has taken her throughout the world working with companies across Australia, Europe, and Mexico. Malone began her career at Philips Consumer, where she spent 10 years leading various supply chain technology projects. MODEX 2016 viastore Systems, Inc. will be exhibiting at the 2016 MODEX event April 4-7, 2016 at the Georgia World Congress Center at Booth #1439. At MODEX, solutions needed to solve tough manufacturing and supply chain challenges, identify best practices, exceed customer demands and gain competitive edge are available. viastore will be presenting a special session titled, "An Incremental Approach to Automation and ROI" on April 5, 2016 from 12:45-1:30 in Theater H. The link to register is: http://bit.ly/1O70T0a About viastore Systems, Inc. For over 40 years, viastore Systems, Inc. (http://bit.ly/1PxYifB) has been a leading international provider of automated material handling solutions including AS/RS (automated storage and retrieval systems), conveyor and shuttle systems, warehouse management systems software, material flow and process controls, and integrated SAP logistics solutions. The company employs over 470 people worldwide and has annual sales of over $140 Million. viastore's focus is on consulting and planning, together with the implementation and constant improvement of intralogistics solutions with locations in Germany, USA, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Russia, China, Croatia, Turkey, Poland, Israel, Ukraine, Sweden, and Brazil. viastore, with North American headquarters in Grand Rapids, MI, is an integrated and certified partner for all major ERP system database and operating system suppliers such as SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft. viastore earned a return spot on Food Logistics' 2015 FL100+ list of software and technology providers whose products and solutions are key to the global food supply chain. viastore is a proud member of MHI. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/09/2016 -- The news that the government of Vietnam vide their Resolution No. 46/NQ-CP dated June 18, 2015, is allowing 15 day visa free entry into their country to citizens of UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy may gladden travelers from these countries who wish to visit the country. But these travelers must obtain a visa upon re-entry into the country if they visit again within 30 days of their last departure. This is for preventing foreigners who travel repeatedly to Vietnam within short periods for working illegally in the country. Visa-Vietnam.org points out at this resolution and urges those who wish to visit Vietnam to seek their services for obtaining their Visas on Arrival. They emphatically assert that they offer very quick Visa On Arrival services and that their services come at irresistibly cheap costs. But at the same time, they ensure to render services of very high quality to those who opt to utilize their expertise and experience in this field. Thanks to the excellent services they provide, Vietnam Visas on Arrival are now completely hassle-free, says Visa-Vietnam.org. In other words, those who wish to visit Vietnam has no need to chase down embassies for obtaining their Vietnam Visas. They need not also send off their passports for obtaining Vietnam Visas. They can just land at the airport of Vietnam and with their help, get Visas on arrival, adds Visa-Vietnam.org. Visa-Vietnam.org proudly points out how they announce attractive offers on a periodical basis. One such offer is that a discount of 22% is automatically available to travelers who use their services for frequently traveling to Vietnam. They have aptly named this offer as "frequently member." Visa-Vietnam.org has also come out with another offer for the benefit of corporate visitors. This offer will benefit students, teachers, agencies and travelers who belong to corporates. These travelers may have to spend very low amounts only for getting their Visas on Arrival. Since there are a number of companies operating in this field, customers should choose a competent provider like them, says Visa-Vietnam.org. They point out that it is wrong to assume that all the service providers are the same. While competence and efficiency are important criteria, quickness of services and the costs involved should also be taken into account, they advise. They take pride in adding that they score on every parameter and that is the reason they could leap-frog to a leading position in the field, says Visa-Vietnam.org. As a registered company in Vietnam, they have been offering their services since 2007 and since the beginning, they have always been looking for improving their efficiency and competence. Further, the fact that they have hundreds of satisfied customers establishes that they have been rendering impeccable Vietnam Visa on Arrival services at the most competitive rates. They also take all the required steps for protecting the private details of their clients. Even reputed companies like TripAdvisor, LonelyPlanet and Routard also recommend them to customers. About Visa-Vietnam.org The government of Vietnam is allowing 15 day Visa-free entry into Vietnam for citizens of United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. But these travelers must obtain visas upon re-entry into the country if they visit again within 30 days of their last departure. This is for preventing foreigners who travel repeatedly to Vietnam within short periods for working illegally in the country. Visa-Vietnam.org arranges Vietnam Visas on Arrival to tourists who visit the country. They offer quick and efficient services at the most competitive rates. For Media Contact: https://www.visa-vietnam.org Address Room A2, 64 Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, Dakao ward, district 1, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. Phone (00) (+84) 8 5404 3118 When Elizabeth Mlambo, of the University of Zimbabwe, hears that joking about separate female labs can lose you your job in the United Kingdom, she laughs in incredulity. For, at the University of Zimbabwe, where she is a librarian, her experiment in female-only computer labs is viewed as a great success. Separate male and female labs were suggested jokingly by British Nobel prize-winning scientist Tim Hunt last year, leading to a furore from those who feel women still face sexist attitudes in science. Enter the 24-hour labs in the small hours and you will find nightgown-clad women tapping away at their assignments or browsing the growing world of open-access research. Elizabeth Mlambo, University of Zimbabwe So, as we approach the first International Day of Women and Girls in Science, taking place tomorrow, I asked Mlambo why female-only computer labs were seen as the way forward at her university. Mlambo tells me she had been concerned at the low numbers of women using computer labs around the university. [1] She and two colleagues did a study revealing that 13 per cent of users were female, despite gender parity in the university as a whole. [2] Their research convinced them that well-intentioned, gender blind access rules were to blame. Computers were booked each morning on a first-come, first-served basis, but this led to a push-and-shove culture that women avoided. Many women also felt that visiting the labs later in the evening they close at midnight would lead to gossip. In addition, some women felt intimidated by the men, who had often had more exposure to information and communications technology in childhood. Mlambos first solution a computer lab for women on the main campus was rejected by the university authorities for discriminating against men. But providing facilities in the womens hostels proved less controversial. So, since 2010, this is what Mlambo and her colleague Precious Mwatsiya have been raising money to do just that. Several years later after receiving financial help from Canadas International Development Research Centre and The Maersk Group, coordination from charity Computer Aid International, and technical and infrastructure support from the university there are labs with 50 computers in three of the female hostels, serving 1,500 women in all. The reaction was just overwhelming, says Mlambo, referring to the opening of the first one. Enter the 24-hour labs in the small hours and you will find nightgown-clad women tapping away at their assignments or browsing the growing world of open-access research, she says. Training has been provided for the poorest students, many of whom were computer illiterate on arrival. The girls now feel that its their right to use computers the male students are more accepting towards them. Elizabeth Mlambo, University of Zimbabwe Mlambo says the single-sex computer labs have transformed lives. Already, several graduates have found jobs and got on courses for which they would not previously have qualified. But perhaps the most interesting consequence is on the gender balance in the mixed labs on the main campus: anecdotally, there seem to be as many women there now as men. The girls now feel that its their right to use computers the male students are more accepting towards them, says Mlambo. There are still problems. Female students who live at home, such as postgraduates juggling jobs, families and studies, or the poorest undergraduates, still have limited access. And male students have complained that the women are now more privileged than them. In fact, just this week pressure from the male students compelled the university to agree to set up labs in the male hostels too. In the long term, Mlambo hopes, the female labs will set a new standard for all to aspire to: 24-hour, widespread computer access for all, in safe, unintimidating spaces. She wants to help other Zimbabwean universities do the same, and believes the project could be repeated in other southern African countries. Aisling Irwin is a science journalist and writer based in the United Kingdom, and a former SciDev.Net news editor. She is contactable on [email protected] Since about 25 years, animal species in West and Central Africa are no longer being hunted solely for the purpose of local self-sufficiency, but increasingly also for sale in urban areas several hundred kilometres away. As a consequence, many populations have dramatically decreased or already disappeared altogether. A team of European researchers led by Goethe University Frankfurt has now predicted hunting pressure for the Congo Basin and produced a detailed map, which could help in regional planning. The hunted species are mostly mammals, but also some reptile and bird species. In many areas, they are the only cheap and easily available source of animal protein for the rural community. However, the commercialization of the bushmeat trade has meanwhile led also to the "Empty Forest Syndrome" in forest ecosystems throughout Africa. The sale of bushmeat allows the rural community to purchase products or services which go beyond simple self-sufficiency. This has far-reaching ecological consequences, which ultimately also threaten the existence of the rural population. For example, with the disappearance of the herbivorous animals which serve as seed carriers, the forests disappear in the long term too. The research team led by Bruno Streit analysed reports published between 1990 and 2007 on the bushmeat on sale on markets in the Congo Basin (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo). On the basis of the number of carcasses openly on sale and the catchment area of the markets, they calculated the annual harvest rates of bushmeat per square kilometre. They then correlated these figures with socio-economic variables, such as population density, the density of the road network and the distance of the markets to the nature reserves. In a further step, they defined different classes of potential hunting pressure. "For a quarter of the total area, we calculated a level of hunting pressure which was somewhat lower," explains Professor Bruno Streit of the Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity at Goethe University Frankfurt. "However, our prediction foresees severe to very severe hunting pressure across 39 percent of the area of the Congo Basin. This is the case above all in areas with a very dense network of traffic routes, often in proximity to nature reserves," continues Stefan Ziegler of the WWF. Thus the internationally famous Virunga National Park and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo also lie in such areas. The map produced by the researchers could help to support sustainable regional planning by ensuring that -- as far as possible -- roads do not carve up areas rich in wildlife. The map also identifies neuralgic points where the potential for hunting pressure is particularly high. Anti-poaching measures should concentrate on these zones. As population growth, greater food consumption, competition for land use, and climate change pose challenges to world food production, managing loss of crop due to pests and weeds becomes increasingly important. While chemical pesticides offer effective means for control, potential loss of crop yield is still significant, as is cost. Global potential loss from pests has been estimated to be between 50% and 80% of yield based on crop type. In a paper published last week in the SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics, authors Chris Guiver et al propose adaptive control techniques to model pest dynamics and management as a control system. Mathematics has been used to model pest control in other studies. Most of the prevailing approaches rely on deterministic or stochastic optimal control tools, where a management or intervention strategy is used to accomplish a desired behavior and minimize cost. There are pitfalls to these approaches, most notable of which is the capability to handle the uncertainty in pest dynamics due to the interaction of novel species and environments. "Modeling for the purposes of pest management is inherently uncertain," says Stuart Townley, co-author and principle investigator on the project. "Vital rates of pests, such as birth and growth rate, and fertility, are highly sensitive to uncertain and stochastic environmental conditions, while data are often limited; so detailed models to guide decision making are unlikely to be available. Relying on tools from optimal control which require this level of detail could result in poor or fragile performance." Adaptive control, on the other hand, works around the uncertainty because it does not need prior information about uncertain parameters. "Our study's primary insight is that, given the uncertainty surrounding models for pests, design of pest management strategies faces two approaches: either develop better models so that optimal controls can be more effective, or adopt design approaches that tolerate the likely level of uncertainty to be faced," says author Brigitte Tenhumberg. advertisement The authors adopt the latter approach by using adaptive control techniques. The input, state, and output in the control system are represented by pest control, the pest population, and some measure of the population respectively. The goal of the control system then, is to eradicate or lower the pest population by determining an input which stabilizes the model, driving state variables to zero. The advantage of adaptive control is that it achieves state stability with minimal knowledge of the system to be controlled, and is simple to compute. The system does not seek to update the dynamic model over time by inferring or estimating parameters. The management strategy, in turn, changes over time in response to how the measured variable changes. The downside of adaptive controllers is that the additional robustness needed to model uncertainty concedes a loss in optimality. As author Markus Mueller explains, "The trade-off between robustness and optimality is pivotal in all areas where management or control decisions are made. Management actions can steer closer to optimal decisions when reliable models are available. However, when models are poor, as is the case with pests, actions need to be more cautious and robust. It is at this end of decision making where adaptive control is especially appealing and offers significant advantages compared to other optimal or robust control approaches." The uncertainty in models necessitates approaches that must be both robust and capable of quantifying the level of uncertainty they can handle. "In applications, the compromise between robustness and optimality also has economic considerations," adds Guiver. "Optimality may reduce implementation costs, but is susceptible to costly failure; while robustness would have higher implementation costs, it compensates for these potential failures and consequent losses." Future work from the group includes adaptive deployment of biocontrol agents in order to reduce chemical pesticide usage. This would involve modeling the dynamics of the biocontrol agents in addition to that of pests. Modeling of the spatial distribution of pests will also be incorporated. "So far, our work has focused on the temporal aspects of pests with abundance changing in time. Clearly, pest abundance has a spatial dimension and this needs to be addressed as well when designing pest management strategies," says author Richard Rebarber. "Here, pest management would seek to reduce, or contain, both the spread of a pest and its abundance. Since using pesticides can have unwelcome consequences, we are also exploring the use of adaptive feedback control in the design of pest management strategies based around bio-control (also known as natural enemies, or pest-predators)." "Pest management is one of the key factors in addressing the challenge of food security for a burgeoning world population with an increasing per-capita demand," says author Brigitte Tenhumberg. "Addressing food security undoubtedly requires a holistic approach, drawing upon input from policy makers and stakeholders, as well as theoretical insights from academia. Our contribution is to seek approaches to reducing crop losses to pests by applying less pesticide more effectively." Vision-threatening eye abnormalities in infants in Brazil with microcephaly (a birth defect characterized by an abnormally small head) may be associated with presumed intrauterine infection with Zika virus, according to a study published online by JAMA Ophthalmology. An epidemic of Zika virus has been happening in Brazil since April 2015. Six months after the onset of the Zika virus outbreak, there was an unusual increase in newborns with microcephaly. In January 2016, the Brazilian Ministry of Health reported 3,174 newborns with microcephaly. Rubens Belfort, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., of the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and coauthors evaluated the ocular findings of 29 infants with microcephaly (head circumference less than or equal to 32 centimeters) with a presumed diagnosis of congenital Zika virus. The study was conducted during December 2015 and all the children and their mothers were evaluated at the Roberto Santos General Hospital, Salvador, Brazil. Of the 29 mothers, 23 (79.3 percent) reported suspected Zika virus signs and symptoms during pregnancy, including rash, fever, arthralgia (joint pain), headache and itch. Among the 23 mothers who reported symptoms during pregnancy, 18 or 78.3 percent reported Zika virus symptoms during the first trimester of pregnancy, according to the report. Abnormalities of the eye were observed in 10 of the 29 infants (34.5 percent) with microcephaly; of the 20 eyes in 10 children, 17 eyes (85 percent) had ophthalmoscopic abnormalities. Bilateral abnormalities were found in 7 of the 10 infants (70 percent) presenting with ocular lesions, the most common of which were focal pigment mottling of the retina and chorioretinal atrophy in 11 of the 17 eyes with abnormalities (64.7 percent). There also were optical nerve abnormalities in eight eyes (47.1 percent), along with other findings. "This study can help guide clinical management and practice, as we observed that a high proportion of the infants with microcephaly had ophthalmologic lesions. Infants with microcephaly should undergo routine ophthalmologic evaluations to identify such lesions. In high-transmission settings, such as South America, Central America and the Caribbean, ophthalmologists should be aware of the risk of congenital ZIKV-associated ophthalmologic sequelae," the authors write. Commentary: Zika Virus Infection and the Eye "The report by de Paula Freitas et al in this issue of JAMA Ophthalmology implicates this infection as the cause of chorioretinal scarring and possibly other ocular abnormalities in infants with microcephaly recently born in Brazil. Microcephaly can be genetic, metabolic, drug related or due to perinatal insults such as hypoxia, malnutrition or infection. The present 20-fold reported increase of microcephaly in parts of Brazil is temporally associated with the outbreak of Zika virus. However, this association is still presumptive because definitive serologic testing for Zika virus was not available in Brazil at the time of the outbreak and confusion may occur with other causes of microcephaly. Similarly, the currently described eye lesions are presumptively associated with the virus," writes Lee M. Jampol, M.D., and Debra A. Goldstein, M.D., of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago. An international team of researchers gained new insights into magnetic spin waves. Spin waves can evolve in electrically non-conducting materials given a specific temperature gradient and then be converted into electrical energy in an adjacent metallic layer. Thus, thermal energy can be converted into electrical energy. This recently discovered principle allows to think of new ways to recover waste heat and can improve a great variety of processes to be more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable. The joint research project involves researchers of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), the Walther Meiner Institute for Low Temperature Research in Garching, Tohoku University in Japan, and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The resulting research paper was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Spin waves, or magnons, are fundamental excitations in magnetic materials which transport energy and angular momentum. The latter allows to make use of them for the transmission of information within magnetic solids. Since their existence is bound to that of magnetic solids, they are challenging to measure. This circumstance led to quite a number of difficulties with respect to the proof of fundamental theories about the properties of magnetic materials. In a joined project, the researchers involved were able to show that even in complex systems consisting of many different magnetic atoms, magnons can be thermally excited by making use of the recently understood spin Seebeck effect. These results furthermore show that the spin Seebeck effect can be employed to probe fundamental properties of such systems in a simple way and thus to deduce the complex interplay of the constituents. The spin Seebeck effect represents a so-called spin-thermoelectric effect, which enables the conversion of thermal energy into electrical energy. Contrary to conventional thermoelectric effects, it also enables the recovery of heat energy in magnetic insulators in combination with a thin metallic layer. Researchers at Mainz University have recently been able to demonstrate that the origin of the spin Seebeck effect can be understood as thermally excited spin waves within the magnetic solid. These thermal spin waves present a so far unexploited way for the energy recovery of waste heat. Following this discovery, the researchers started investigations of more complex materials, so called ferrimagnets. In contrast to simple ferromagnetic materials, ferrimagnets possess a non-trivial temperature dependence of the magnetization, resulting of a complex interplay of its different magnetic sublattices. By making use of temperature dependent spin Seebeck measurements of ferrimagnetic materials, it was possible to deduce characteristic and thus unique signal features. These features can be traced back to the magnonic origin of the effect and therefore allow to gain a new idea of thermal magnons and their distribution. "Seeing the complicated signal behavior for the first time, I did not think that one could learn so much about the complex and intrinsic interaction within the materials. All this has only been possible due to the excellent collaboration with our national and international colleagues," said Andreas Kehlberger, who just recently finished his PhD in the research group of Professor Mathias Klaui, supported by a stipend of the Graduate School of Excellence "Materials Science in Mainz" (MAINZ) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. "I am very pleased that this exciting result emerged in a cooperation of a doctoral candidate out of my group at the MAINZ Graduate School of Excellence together with co-workers from Garching within the framework of the Priority Program on Spin Caloric Transport, funded by the German Research Foundation," emphasized Professor Mathias Klaui, Director of the MAINZ Graduate School of Excellence at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. "It shows that complex research is only possible in teams, for instance with funding by the DAAD SpinNet exchange program with Tohoku University." WASHINGTON The unfinished $4 billion plutonium recycling project in South Carolina would be abandoned under President Obamas proposed budget for fiscal 2017. After years of cost overruns and searches for cheaper alternatives, the Obama administration wants to finally pull the plug on the mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility at Savannah River Site. The budget released Tuesday, the last one Obama will propose before leaving office next January, would allocate just $270 million to start winding down the project. "I'm sure well have a lively discussion about this in the Congress," Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said Tuesday. As an alternative, the Energy Department will pursue the dilute-and-dispose option, which analysts predict will be a cheaper and faster way to deal with excess weapons-grade plutonium. South Carolina officials and advocates of the MOX facility near Aiken are fighting the decision legally and politically. South Carolina will not idly stand by while DOE continues in violation of federal law to ignore its commitment to the people of South Carolina, Gov. Nikki Haley wrote to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson last month. Wilson, with support from Haley, sued the Energy Department on Tuesday, demanding the federal government halt further shipments of plutonium into South Carolina and pay the state $1 million per day in economic assistance. The state says the government failed to remove 1 metric ton of plutonium from the state by Jan. 1, as required. "The federal government has a responsibility to follow through with its promises," Wilson said about the lawsuit. Members of the states congressional delegation may try to reverse the MOX decision through the appropriations process, where Obamas budget requests are routinely dismissed. The U.S. and Russia have an agreement to dispose of 68 metric tons of the excess plutonium, half in each country. MOX advocates are concerned that switching disposal methods would require the treaty to be renegotiated. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called Obama's proposal "ill-conceived and dangerous." "Simply scrapping the MOX program and not honoring the commitment made to South Carolina is a non-starter," Graham said in a statement. "If they have a better idea, one that is well-thought-out and properly vetted, then they should bring it forward. Right now, they have nothing. Energy officials have warned Congress for months that the estimated cost of finishing and operating MOX isn't affordable. The project's operational costs are estimated at between $800 million and $1 billion per year for several decades, and newer estimates of MOX's total costs are $30 billion-$50 billion, well beyond the $3.8 billion predicted 15 years ago. MOX coverts the plutonium into fuel for commercial nuclear reactors. The administrations preferred alternative involves diluting the plutonium and disposing of it at a facility in New Mexico at an estimated cost of about $400 million a year over several decades. Moniz said Tuesday that closing down the MOX project would cost $600 million to $700 million over a few years. Specifically, the federal government will direct the companies building the MOX facility to halt construction for 90 days while they develop a termination plan that puts the facility in a "safe and secure state." Moniz said there will be "some capacity to recapture some value of the project but frankly much of it will have to be written off, to be perfectly honest." Taxpayer and nuclear watchdog groups have labeled MOX a multi-billion-dollar boondoggle and applaud the administration's efforts to shut it down before more money is spent. Shutting down will cost hundreds of jobs. Energy Department officials estimate 200 people would be kept to bring the construction site to a "safe state" and 350 more employees would be needed to maintain the facility through 2017. "Once the department issues contract direction to MOX Services, approximately 500 craft personnel will be released and approximately 750 salaried personnel will be released after 60-120 days, with an average of two weeks of severance pay," according to the proposal. Moniz said the 13 tons of plutonium now at the Savannah River Site could eventually fit into the New Mexico disposal facility, which should reopen by the end of this year. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-Springdale, argued the MOX is 70 percent complete and closing it now would make South Carolina "a de facto permanent repository for nuclear waste." "The MOX facility is crucial to our environmental clean-up missions, which produces green fuel, and national security. This decision to eliminate funding to the MOX facility is counterproductive and short-sighted," Wilson said. Contact Mary Troyan at mtroyan@usatoday.com Mumbai: The deposition of American-Pakistani terrorist David Coleman Headley was adjourned till Thursday due to a technical snag in the video conference. Headley was to depose for the third consecutive day before a court here in connection with 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case. He is being examined as an approver in the case. "Today Headley was supposed to give evidence through video link. But unfortunately, on account of technical problems from American side, they could not contact us and now it has been informed to us that the matter will be adjourned till tomorrow," Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said. Read: ISI funds LeT & JeM: David Headley tells Mumbai court "It was also agreed by American side that they are ready to sit for more than one-and a half hour and it appears that till tomorrow the technical problem should be resolved," he added. Nikam confirmed that there was no technical problem from the Indian side. "In spite of the efforts of the American experts, they could not contact us through video link and therefore, the hearing of Headley is adjourned till tomorrow," he said. Nikam added that the hearing tomorrow would take place from 7 am to 1:30 pm. "We have to take into consideration the time schedule of America. We hope and anticipate the American side would be successful in repairing the technical problem and we will be in a position to pursue our case from tomorrow onwards," he said. The deposition, initially planned till February 12, may extend for some more time. Deposing from an undisclosed location on Tuesday, Headley told the special judge G A Sanap that he was working for Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence, which he said gave financial, military and moral support to LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen. Read: Was working for ISI, met many people from Pakistan army: David Headley Answering a question by special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, Headley admitted that he had worked for the ISI besides Lashkar, and that he knew about ISI official Brig. Riyaz being the handler of LeTs top commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the mastermind behind the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. He also said that during his stay in Pakistan, Col. Shah, Lt. Col. Hamza, Maj. Samir Ali, Maj. Iqbal and retired Army officer Abdul Rehman Pasha, who was closely working with LeT and al-Qaeda, were among the ISI personnel who were coordinating with him. Read: 26/11 terror attacks: India to give Pakistan Headley dossier Headley also told the court that he had done surveillance of key locations in Mumbai like the Naval Air Station, the Siddhivinayak temple and the state police headquarters on Lashkars instructions. He also deposed on the operations planned by LeT in Mumbai prior to 26/11, adding these were not executed for various reasons. One such plan was to attack a conference hall in the Taj Mahal Hotel during a meeting of Indian defence scientists. But this was called off as the LeT could not arrange the logistics for it. Headley said he was specifically asked to survey the Siddhivinayak temple as a target. He also said the Naval Air Station and the Maharashtra state police headquarters were among the planned targets, but these plans were not executed. The recording of Headleys evidence will continue on Wednesday. Read: David Headley wanted to fight against Indian Army in Kashmir, says Public Prosecutor Headley said he had visited Mumbai for the first time in 2006, but then he was not given any specific targets to survey, and only asked to take general videos and pictures of different places in Mumbai. To set up office and make my cover authenticated so that I could stay there (in Mumbai) and I could do surveillance, he said. I did surveillance of multiple targets as well as selected landing sites, Headley added. According to Headley, a meeting was held between him, Abu Kahafa and Sajid Mir at LeTs headquarters in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This was sometime in November or December 2007, when Headley was tasked with doing surveillance at the Taj, and specifically at the convention hall (conference hall) on the second floor as they had information that a conference of defence scientists was going to be held there soon. But this plan was later cancelled. When prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam asked him the exact reason why the plan was cancelled, Headley said it was mostly due to logistical problems, which he later meant getting the necessary personnel and weapons. Read: Was inspired by Hafiz Sayeed's speeches, reveals David Headley He also did surveillance at the Oberoi Hotel and the entire stretch of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg in Colaba, where Leopold Cafe (one of the places hit in the 26/11 attacks) is located, as well as Chabad House (Nariman House), another actual target on November 26, 2008. The LeT operative also said he had been asked by the ISI to recruit Indian Army personnel to spy for them. Headley told special judge G.A. Sanap: I met Maj. Iqbal of ISI in Lahore in early 2006. He asked me to gather military intelligence from India and also try to recruit someone from the Indian military to spy. I told Maj. Iqbal I would do as he asked. Read: From Daood Gilani to David Coleman Headley: A timeline Another ISI officer, Samir Ali, also wanted him to do some intelligence work in India, Headley told the court. On Abdul Rehman Pasha, Headley said he met the retired Pakistan Army officer in early 2003 at a Lahore mosque. When I first met Pasha he was with LeT. At that time he had no relations with al-Qaeda, but may be after two years, he left LeT to join al-Qaeda, he said. On his links with Jaish-e-Mohammeds founder Masood Azhar, Headley said: I know Maulana Masood Azhar as I saw him once in October 2003. He is the head of Jaish-e-Mohammed. In October 2003, there was a gathering of LeT and he was a guest speaker there. CM Akhilesh Yadav said that guilty will not be spared and strict action will be taken against them. (Photo: PTI) Muzaffarnagar: Police have booked 200 persons in connection with the death of an eight-year-old boy in Shamli district in celebratory firing by SP workers and announced a cash reward for any information on five absconding accused. A case was registered against 200 unidentified persons under section 147 (rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 and 143 (unlawful assembly), and 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of IPC in this connection yesterday, SP Vijay Bhushan said today. A reward of Rs 5,000 will be given to those who provide information about any of the five accused - Gayyur (the husband of the newly-elected block pramukh), Saleem, Mumtaz, Mehtab and Nafis. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the boy killed in firing, an official spokesman said here. He said that guilty will not be spared and strict action will be taken against them. Four other accused - Ehsan, Shadab, Raqib and Sadiq - were arrested yesterday in this connection on the basis of a video clip. The SP workers were celebrating the victory of party candidate Nafisa in the local body polls from the town last week when eight-year-old Sami, who was passing by Kairana area in a rickshaw, was killed in the firing. SP leader and Kairana MLA Nahid Hasan has been earlier booked along with 30 of his supporters for allegedly threatening the two journalists from a leading English news channel who had gone to cover the incident. Hasan had refuted allegations that he or his aides had attacked the two journalists and said it was an attempt by the opposition to tarnish the image of the ruling party. Hasan has been served a show-cause notice by his party, while the victorious block pramukh was expelled. The incident has invited sharp criticism with the BJP terming the Akhilesh Yadav government as a 'Mughal sultanate' that has issued licence to its "goons" to do what they want. New Delhi: Family members of 2002 hit-and-run victim Shaikh Noorulla Shafik, Wednesday, moved the Supreme Court challenging the acquittal of actor Salman Khan, calling it a miscarriage of justice. In a special leave petition filed through counsel Vipin Nair, Noorulla Shafik's widow Begumjaha Haroon Khan and son also sought that they be suitably compensated for the loss of the sole breadwinner in the family. Read: Salmans acquittal in hit-and-run case miscarriage of justice, Maharashtra tells SC They said Shaikh Noorulla Shafik, who was killed on the spot in an accident that occurred on September 28, 2002, in a vehicle driven by the actor Salman Khan. They have lost their eldest family member in the said accident and therefore have a vital stake in ensuring that they get justice. This Court has time and again recognized the legal principle that the victims of a crime are an integral part of the justice delivery system and that they are not forgotten and left high and dry. The petitioners are living in utter poverty in a slum having a space of around 10x10 sq. feet. They have suffered immensely ever since the death of their eldest family member in the year 2002. Despite the law laid down by this Court and the statutory recognition provided under Sections 357 and 357 A of the Cr.P.C, no compensation has ever been paid. The apex court had clearly held in a number cases that in every criminal case it is the mandate and duty of the court to ensure that the victims are compensated/rehabilitated, on its own motion, even without there being an application by the victim. The first petitioner widow is working in odd jobs on a daily basis as a domestic help. The 2nd petitioner is also doing menial labour job at construction sites. They have no permanent source of employment and both of them are uneducated and illiterate. They are somehow carrying on with their lives with the help of good Samaritans and an NGO by name Priya Janahit Sewa Foundation. Contending that the Bombay High Court made a serious error in reversing the well reasoned judgment of the trial court in awarding five year imprisonment to Salman Khan, they said they are filing the present Special Leave Petition to ensure that justice is meted out to them. Capt Shikhar Deep (25) was on his way to join duty in Jammu & Kashmir after leave (Photo: DC) Kolkata: A young Army officer has gone missing under mysterious circumstances while on his way to join duty in Jammu & Kashmir after leave. The officer, Capt Shikhar Deep (25), is posted in 8 Sikh Light Infantry Regiment. He is the son of Lieutenant Colonel Anant Kumar living at Mahenderpur in Purnia of Bihar. Lt Col Kumar, a serving officer of 623 EME battalion at Ranchi, told Deccan Chronicle on Wednesday that his son had spent around twenty days at home out of his leave period for a month. Eastern Command spokesperson Wing Commander SS Birdi said, "A 56 tall Captain Shikhar was wearing a blazer in black and brown, off white T-Shirt, Blue Jeans and Green Jungle shoes while travelling on train No 15483 Mahananda Exp from Katihar to Delhi on 06-07. The officer did not reach his destination and went missing during Transit." Lt Col Kumar said, "My son boarded the train at 7 pm on February 6. His berth number was AB1-14. He was scheduled to reach Delhi next day at night. Later he was to leave for J&K to join his duty. But the train was running late. Since February 7 we could not contact him. When the train reached Delhi and my nephew went to my son's berth he found my son missing. Only his luggage with his shoes and slippers was lying there. We have lodged a complaint of missing with the Katihar Government Railway Police station. They informed us that they have formed a special team to trace my son. I have neither enmity nor rivalry with anyone. I just want my son back safe and sound." The incident of the officer going missing has been intimated to the Army Headquarters in New Delhi, according to sources. Hyderabad: A Class V student of Condor I school in Hayathnagar was allegedly beaten up black and blue by the school chairman. The incident happened when the kid, J. Shashanth Reddy, tore a notice that was put up on the notice board. Parents lodged a complaint with the police. But the school management has denied the allegation. Meanwhile, the AP Balalahakkula Sangham demanded a criminal case against the school chairman. Police said that J. Shashanth Reddy, a resident of Vinayaknagar, on Tuesday accidentally pulled down a poster placed on the notice board and tore it into pieces during lunch break while playing along with his friends. The chairman, Mr Malla Reddy, who saw this, beat him up black and blue. The kid who returned home, started crying. Parents found that he was beaten up and saw the injuries on his back and lodged a complaint with the police. The school management said that the kid was not beaten up. Our chairman saw him tearing the poster but did not beat him. He just warned him not to repeat such things, said vice principal Satish Reddy. Police has launched an investigation. "We are inquiring into details. Based on facts we will proceed," said inspector P. Venkatshwarlu. Coimbatore: Family members of a nursing student, who is said to have died after falling off from her hostel terrace in Madukarai, alleged foul play in her death. Police said Priscilla from Ooty, 19, and studying third year B.Sc. Nursing at Royal college of nursing in Madukarai had fallen off from the second floor of the hostel in the college premises on Monday night. The college management had informed the family members that she fell from the terrace of the hostel building while trying to dry clothes. She was immediately rushed to Coimbatore medical college and hospital, where she was declared brought dead. Family members and relatives descended upon the hospital, on Tuesday morning, where Priscillas body was kept for conducting a post mortem. Parents of the girl suspect foul play in the death of their daughter. We suspect it to be murder. A few days ago, she told me over phone that a group of students staying in the hostel were abusing her over some issue in the college, said the girls father M.Yesudas, a daily wage labourer. Her sister Blessy Monisha, who is pursuing first year nursing in the same college and also staying in the hostel, claimed that some third year students had assaulted her sister as she maintained a good relationship with juniors. The seniors kept ragging second year students and maintained a distance from them. However, when my sister was friendly with juniors, they turned hostile towards her and began to harass her too, Monisha said. Further, Monisha also said that there is no chance of her sister falling off accidentally as claimed by the college as the terrace of the hostel building has a high rise parapet wall. Meanwhile, the Madukarai police have registered a case and further investigations are on. Ruling out any chances of murder, a cop attached to the Madukarai police station said that, Investigations are underway to find out the exact reason for her death, police said. Thiruvananthapuram: In a clear message to Kerala's faction-riven Congress unit, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asked the state's party leaders to sink their differences and fight the coming assembly polls unitedly, wrly cautioning, "Congress can defeat Congress party." Gandhi while asking the state Congress leaders at the KPCC Executive meeting here to stand united said it was "not the time to fight" amongst themselves. Expressing confidence that the UDF would retain power in the state, Gandhi said there was only one thing "CPI(M) cannot defeat Congress, Congress can defeat Congress party". Gandhi said senior leaders in the state are "exceptionally talented" and that what one does not have others have. "They together are much more powerful than alone. They have their strength and weaknesses. They have to stay together." "Once elections are over, they are more than welcome to fight. But now, it is not the time to fight. Now, it is the time to be together. "For one or two months, hold hands and join together and let Congress rule return to the state in the coming assembly polls," said Rahul, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala that began yesterday. At the meeting, the state leaders asked Gandhi not to have any truck with the CPI(M) in West Bengal, terming the Left party as "undependable" and accusing it of pursuing politics of violence. However, Gandhi in his speech did not touch on the subject but was more focussed on seding a clear signal to party workers and leaders to end infighting and bickering in the state unit. CPI-M leaders in West Bengal have been pushing for a tie-up with Congress in a bid to to oust the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC while the Pradesh Congress leaders are divided over the issue. KPCC President V M Sudheeran and Vice-President M M Hassan in their speeches attacked CPI(M), which they charged follows a policy of politics of violence. Sudheeran also reminded Congress leaders about the "insincerity" of CPI-M in Bihar polls, where they formed a third front to fight the Grand alliance and divided the 'secular' votes. "That actually enabled BJP to win some of the seats," he said. Hassan requested Gandhi not to have any tie up with CPI-M and said "CPI-M is a undependable party". "Their fight against Communalism is not sincere" he said, alleging that "CPI-M is a party of opportunists." Those who attended the meeting included former Defence Minister and CWC Member A K Antony, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, PCC President V M Sudheeran and AICC General Secretary in-charge of Kerala Mukul Wasnik. In protest against the governments rule of mandatory PAN card on sale-purchase of jewellery worth over Rs 2 lakh, all gems and Jewellery stores in Secunderabad and Hyderabad will remain closed on Wednesday. Hyderabad: In protest against the governments rule of mandatory PAN card on sale-purchase of jewellery worth over Rs 2 lakh, all gems and Jewellery stores in Secunderabad and Hyderabad will remain closed on Wednesday. The All India Gem & Jewellery Trade Federation and Pot Market Jewellers Association called the bandh. Mr. Kailash Charan, Twin Cities Jewellers Association president, said, Gems and jewellery industry contributes about 3.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) , Over 86 per cent people do not have PAN cards. Its verification is difficult for the jewellers. The industry has witnessed a drop of 30 per cent sales since January 1, 2016. Even today 70 per cent of our industry thrives on rural markets where people do not have PAN cards. The new rule will kill retail sector and value chain along with it. If industry slows down manufacturing will suffer and goldsmiths and artisans in millions will be jobless, added Mr. Praveen Kumar , Secretary Twin city Jewellers Association. Wide-beam hull design means ships can maintain a comparatively high slot capacity despite having a lower draught, making them particularly well suited for ports with shallow water, as for example some South American ports, says the company. Indeed, the new ships will initially be employed in the South American cabotage business, described by Hapag-Lloyd as an attractive niche market. The German company is also chartering two more identical sisterships from the same NileDutch series, for deployment on the same trade. In addition, in order to reinforce what the company says is its leading position in the North Atlantic, four more efficient wide-beam vessels of around 2,700 teu, all only two years of age, are being chartered in to replace older tonnage on Hapag-Lloyd services between the Mediterranean and Montreal, Canada. The Noah Satu owned by PT Anugerah Samudra Indomakur has been banned from entering Australian ports for 12 months to 2 February 2017 for multiple violations of international regulations. The vessel is on charter to Orica Singapore. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) barred the Noah Satu from the countrys ports for three months in September last year and has detained the vessel five times since August 2013 for deficiencies related to its equipment, its operations, its safety management system and non-compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention. The vessel re-entered Australian waters on 26 January and subject to a Port State Control inspection in Port Alma. AMSA said the Noah Satu was again detained, due to failings in the vessels safety management system related to safe navigational practice, communications, pollution prevention arrangements, firefighting systems and hours of work and rest for the seafarers. The vessel also failed to comply with mandatory reporting requirements for the Great Barrier Reef. The performance of this vessel is completely unacceptable. Unsafe vessels put the lives of seafarers at risk and pose a threat to Australias marine environment, said Mick Kinley ceo of AMSA. Operators and charterers of ships that repeatedly fail to meet Australian standards need to accept that these ships are not welcome in Australian waters. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said the shipping sector is playing a key role in navigating the island to economic recovery. He also said: It is my personal view shipping can act as a catalyst in the stability and further development of the Eastern Mediterranean region. Addressing the Cyprus Shipping Chamber (CSC) in Nicosia on 5 February Anastasiades said that despite the international adverse economic conditions and the financial difficulties Cyprus faced, the shipping sector had managed to maintain its competitiveness thanks to the combined efforts of the public and private sectors which have contributed to the impressive development of the Cyprus shipping industry". He said the contribution of the CSC was invaluable, for through its work and activity it has managed to maintain shipping as the lifeline of the economy. The government, he said, acknowledged now, more than ever, the important role the shipping sector played in the economy. Adding, at the same time, the government was well aware of the fact the local shipping sector operates in a continuously evolving, highly competitive global environment, which required stability, an essential ingredient for long term planning and investment". For these reasons, my government is determined to introduce the necessary mechanisms to protect this important sector, as well as to develop and enhance it further, said Anastasiades, reiterating the states intention to continue to place priority on shipping, and to assure you that the co-operation which exists between the government and the Cyprus Shipping Chamber will not only continue, but will be enhanced". With all sides seemingly in recent months working more closely to unite the divided island, Anastasiades said the CSC event this year came at a time when a positive momentum had been created, both in terms of our continuous efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem [the divided island], as well as the developments in the exploration and exploitation of our natural resources. A viable and functional solution to the Cyprus problem will inevitably lead to the lifting of Turkish restrictions on Cypriot ships. We will continue working tirelessly towards this end, the President vowed. State Pre University (PU) board, which last year faced the ire of students over the alleged erratic valuation of II PUC final examination answer scripts, has now modified the revaluation rules, but two points in the new circular have raised eyebrows. (Representational image) Bengaluru: State Pre University (PU) board, which last year faced the ire of students over the alleged erratic valuation of II PUC final examination answer scripts, has now modified the revaluation rules, but two points in the new circular have raised eyebrows. According to the new rules, a candidate should have to provide an undertaking that the revaluation result will not be challenged in a court of law or make any claim on account of revision of marks in any forum. Another point states that the candidate shall have to certify that the scanned soft or hard copy of the evaluated answer script shall not be given to any institution or college for display, for commercial purpose or to print media by him or her or on his or her behalf. Now students want the PU board to explain why these points have been added. On Tuesday hundreds of students held a protest demanding the PU board to withdraw these points. They wonder why PU board wants an undertaking from the students that they will not knock the doors of the court over the marks awarded to them. Speaking to this newspaper, Pragathi Bhat, an academician, observed that every Indian citizen has the right to approach the court on any issue. It is the freedom conferred by the Indian Constitution. PU Board should withdraw this circular, she said. Even the students also feel the same. Many a times, even during revaluation valuators do not award marks properly. We are left with no option other than moving the court. PU board should withdraw this strange condition, urged Suguna, a II PUC student. PU board officials have a different take on this issue. According to them, many colleges, tuition centres are misusing the answer scripts of the top scorers for their financial gains. Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday hinted at a hike of the legislators pay structure in tune with the increased cost of living. The CM has asked TS Legislature secretary Raja Sadaram to work out the modalities before finalising the proposal by the Amenities Committee of the Legislature that comprises all party leaders, headed by Speaker S. Madhusudana Chary. Presently, each MLA and MLC gets about Rs 12,000 as monthly salary and Rs 83,000 towards allowances like constituency and vehicle expenses. Besides this, each legislator is entitled to rent-free accommodation at the MLAs hostel. If he or she prefers to stay elsewhere, Rs 25,000 is paid as accommodation allowance. During Tuesdays discussions, Mr Rao opined that apart from ministers, Speaker, Council Chairman, Dy Speaker, Deputy Chairman, Government Whips and Leaders of the Opposition, who are at present being paid Rs 2,35,000 (including allowances), the salary structure of legislators means about Rs 14.94 crore expenditure on the exchequer, which is just 0.001 per cent of the annual Budget of over Rs 1,15,000 crore. The CM felt that the present salary of Rs 95,000 is not sufficient for the legislators as they need to work on both political and non-political assignments, take up extensive tours in their constituency, district and the state capital, some assistance to people in their constituencies, bear expenses on PAs, gunmen, drivers etc. Mr Rao felt that the legislators cannot meet such expenses unless their salary is hiked to Rs 3 lakh per month. He asked the Legislature secretary to work out the modalities and also study the pattern of salary structure that exists in other legislatures, including the recent hike of MLAs salary by the Delhi government. Press Release February 10, 2016 Transcript of Kapihan sa Manila Bay media forum with Senate President Franklin M. Drilon by Marichu Villanueva SPFMD: Thank you Ichu and a very pleasant morning to all of you. The campaign has started. It started yesterday. The next 90 days will be very hectic for the candidates, and it's time that we present ourselves to the people to renew our mandate. Let me answer some issues which you will ask anyway. First the issue that's being asked: Does the rating of Mar Roxas -which is not on top - a concern for us? Of course it is a concern. No question about that. But what gives us comfort is that there is a steady improvement in the surveys of Mar Roxas, he is now tied for number 2, and for the next three months we will be explaining our platform to the people. We are confident. We have the biggest political machinery in the country. We have the most credible "general campaign manager" - and that is President Benigno Aquino III. You know, I don't recall an outgoing president with a popularity level as high as that of President Noynoy, and therefore we are confident that within the next three months we would be able to bring up the numbers of Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo, especially now that we are standing on the platform of Daang Matuwid. We can stand on the platform of good governance of the almost six years of the president's term which has brought us successes not seen in the past. For the past five years, our GDP growth has averaged at 6.1 percent - the highest in recent memory. Our fight against corruption is unrelenting, in the Senate itself, we showed that we are completely transparent. We have no less than 3 senators investigated in the PDAF scam, two of whom are still in detention. And therefore, we can stand proud of the fact that we stood on the mandate of Daang Matuwid and carried it out to the letter. One of the many things that I would like to look at in the next Congress is the political party reforms. I was just discussing with Ichu here, you know campaigning today is very prohibitive. Prime A programs on television, 30 seconds would cost you P997,000, just for 30 seconds. Post-prime A programs would cost you P831, 000 for 30 seconds. These political advertising rates are higher than the ordinary rates that would be charged to other commercial ads that you would have, that of Mcdonalds or Coca-Cola, or whatever you have. So this has become very prohibitive, and this has become very outrageous. I have no solution, but certainly this is an area which we can debate on. I have no ready solution for this, I tell you, but we should start debating on this and see what kind of solution we can come up with. There is Political Party Reform Act which will allow subsidy to certain political parties, but I don't think that it will be accepted by the public. On the other hand, as I said, we must look for a solution to these outrageous expenditures that we are exposed to, if you desire to win. The report is that even before the start of the campaign, some of the candidates are already spending P600 million just for TV ads. You know, at the very least, the Comelec should call these candidates and ask them, "Where did these come from?" The fiction that the Comelec does not have the authority to look into expenses before the candidates file their certificate of candidacy is something that we should look at and examine. Because before you file the certificate of candidacy, you are not candidate and therefore your TV ads are unregulated. That's pointless. We know that a number of them are declared candidates, they spend money on political ads, these amounts are not included in your declared campaign expenses because of a technicality. We must look into this, and we must debate on this. Because pagdating ng panahon, ay talagang mayayaman na lang ang pwedeng kumandidato. So to me, this must be debated on. In the same manner I am proud of the fact that in my term as a legislator I have enacted laws that are the subject of debates today. Number one, today you read in the papers of the merger of the Land Bank and the DBP without any law being passed. These are two entities which are created by law but which the president was able to merge. Why? Because of the law that I authored, the GOCC Reform Act, which delegated to the President that power to act on issues like this. The basis is the fact that the DBP and Landbank are duplicating each other's functions, and this is precisely one of the grounds why we authorized the president to act on and merge even if there is no amendment to the charter of these two laws. The law which I wrote, the GOCC Governance Act. Second, we authored the law on dual citizenship, the Dual Citizenship Act, which today is the subject of debates in the Supreme Court regarding the case of a presidential candidate. We also wrote the Sin Tax Law which enabled the government to collect P 142 billion last year in order to give 90% of our population free medicine, free hospitalization, under the Universal Healthcare Program. The taxes that we collected under the Sin Tax Law, which was languishing in the legislature for years, enabled us to fund our universal health program to give free medicine and free hospitalization to 90% of our population. The Overseas Absentee Voting, we authored that along with Senator Angara. Today, our overseas Filipino workers are a major influence in the people we elect. These are just some of the major laws which we pushed, the matter of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, again, that is an instrument of transparency in our government. The need to discuss these matters that we should be all concerned about, because it cannot be denied that there are certain issues which we must continue to debate upon. And today, the most immediate one, is that we must debate in the next Congress a Political Reform Act based on what we see today. Thank you for this opportunity to join you this morning. Q: What happened to the Fair Elections Act? You were part of that Congress which passed it. SPFMD: Well you cannot predict everything. This is a dynamic situation. Who could have predicted when we made the Fair Elections Act, that you would see the day when you would have outrageous political spending season? That is why experience would make us better legislators. I admit, we could not have foreseen, when we crafted the Fair Elections Act, that this would happen, including allowing incumbents to file certificates of candidacy for any position without losing their present mandate. To me, you know, we should take a look at that. What I am just saying is that there is enough basis for us to have a debate and take a look in order that we can have a better policy. That's what democracy is all about. Q: Do you think reforms should start in Congress itself? There seems to be flaws in your own system. SPFMD: We try our best, but we do not have a crystal ball. We act on the basis of what we see presently, we try to predict and foresee what will happen. But you know, these laws are not carved in stone. That's why we are open to discussion and a continued debate on this issue. Q: Number 1 on your list is the GOCC Act, and you mentioned the Landbank - DBP merger. But the Monetary Board under their own laws, it should have clearance with the Monetary Board, did you include that? SPFMD: That continues, because that only applies to financial institutions such as banks, when the Monetary Board, being the constitutional body in charge of our financial system, must approve these mergers. The other aspects of the GOCC Act would need not pass through the Monetary Board. It doesn't have to go through Congress, we delegated to the President, the power to merge in this case, entities created by law, without having to go back to Congress. In this particular case, the Landbank will be the surviving entity, and therefore, all the assets of the DBP, all their personnel, all their liabilities, will be absorbed by Landbank. Even if the DBP charter remains, it became moribund, it's no longer effective as a charter because DBP as a corporation will no longer be functioning. Q: There are talks that the DBP's license is up for grabs by a foreign bank? SPFMD: Well that's academic, because the DBP will no longer be there. Q: You said earlier that you are not concerned regarding the ratings of your presidential candidate. SPFMD: It is a concern, but it is not we will sink already because of the ratings today. Q: It comes to me that you are already working for the presidential since you are already sure that you will win as senator. SPFMD: Thank you, but I will work hard. The surveys are very fickle. Q: You are at the top five diba? SPFMD: Yes, but you can be at the top five today and tomorrow be at the bottom five. We, I , have to work. Q: You mentioned that one of your pet bills, the Dual Citizenship Act, is now a hot issue. So in effect Senator Poe is a beneficiary of that dual citizenship. SPFMD: Yes, she was a beneficiary, because she became a citizen under a law that we enacted. But the issue remains as to whether she is a natural born citizen, and the matter of being a natural-born citizen is governed by the Constitution. It only enabled Senator Poe to regain her citizenship. Now whether she is a natural born Filipino is a matter governed by the Constitution. Q: There are now 59 bills which are pending with the President, for signing into law. What do you think are the chances of those? Will they be vetoed? SPFMD: I don't think so. The law on the exemption of disabled people from VAT will be signed by the President, I think - without pre-empting him - the law on the Department of Information and Communications Technology is there with him, and I hope it is passed, the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act is also a matter that is long pending. Again, these are in the President's desk. The bill which will clarify our Right-Of-Way processes, we have passed this in Congress, and this is now with the President, the amendments to the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC), which will strengthen our ability to respond to failing banks. You know, we are proud of our achievements. In this Congress we were able to enact laws which were pending for a long time, untouched because of pressure groups. We started with the Sin Tax Law, which for years could not move, the Reproductive Health Bill, we passed it, controversial as it was, the Fair Competition Act, which is our anti-trust law. So we can be proud of this Congress. The Senate led the abolishment of the PDAF which was a source of embarrassment to all of us, but we passed. Q: What happened to the veto of the SSS hike? As a former Executive Secretary you know that the presidential veto should be used very sparingly. What really happened there, the SSL IV and the SSS hike? SPFMD: First the Salary Standardization IV. It is stuck in the bicameral conference committee. What is the issue involved? The issue involved is the existing law which would index the pension payments to the retired military and police personnel, with the salary structure of those in the active service, so that every time there is a salary increase those who retired in the military, police and uniformed service will also enjoy that increase. The pension of our uniformed personnel is non-contributory, they are not covered by the GSIS, and therefore it is funded by our budget, the General Appropriations Act, to that point that by the year 2018, we will be spending more for the pensions than those in the active service. I am not saying that that is wrong, that paying the pension of our pensioners is wrong, or the indexation is wrong. What I am just saying is that let us find a way by which this can be funded by the GSIS so that the ordinary taxpayer can be unburdened by such funds that we have to allocate for the pensions. We have to put them under the GSIS law so that like ordinary government employees, they contribute to the fund from where the pension will be sourced. I repeat, I am not against the increases that the pensioners of the uniformed personnel will be entitled to under the law. What concerns us is the source of funding. It should not be the General Appropriations Act. It should be a funded trust fund like the GSIS. That's all that we are saying. Unfortunately, we do not have that system today. So what will happen, and what I have proposed, is that for 2016, the government employees should get the salary increase entitled to under the General Appropriations Act, which today has an allocation for salary increase of P57.9 billion. P57.9 billion is there for the salary increases for the 1.3 million government workers in 2016. I would urge the President to sign an executive order which will grant these increases in accordance with the Salary Standardization Law IV, but only for one year, because that is only where the authorization is under the GAA. The next Congress should work overtime for the salary increases in 2017, and 2018, and at the same time, work on how we can fund the pensions of our retired military personnel, through a trust fund. This was the original conceptualization. There was a fund that was created, the AFP-RSBS, but it did not succeed, nagkandaloko-loko, kasi they invested in real estate, etc. A concept similar to RSBS, let's have a trust fund where this can be drawn. That is the original concept when we had the retirement law, the RSBS was supposed to respond to this, it was supposed to be a trust fund. Ang nangyari, nagkandaloko loko ang RSBS, pinag-iinvest in real estate kung saan-saan, bumagsak, now you have a problem because you have to fund it with the General Appropriations Act. The taxpayers pay for it, which should not be the case. There should be a fund, that is what I am espousing. I am urging the President to already sign the executive order which will grant the salary increases to our government workers, at P1.3 million. Pang-Valentines gift siguro ng ating Pangulo sa maga kawani ng pamahalaan, on Valentine's Day, he should, I urge him, to grant these increases, so that we can address this need. Now, the SSS pension, yes I voted for it. But the President had a different view. He vetoed it, and because of the situation where the P2000 increase to the pensioners of the SSS will come up at about P 4 billion per month, because there are 2 million pensioners, or P48 billion per year. Remember that the SSS- the Social Security System - is a trust fund, which will answer for all the future benefits of all SSS members, eh there are about 30 million SSS members. The pension if we increase it by P2000 will result in an expense of P48 billion a year, the SSS, to our understanding, makes a net profit of about P4 billion per year. So if we decree the P48 billion per year, in about 10 years' time, the fund life Social Security System will be over. We brough this out during the debates in the Senate. The sponsor assured us that this will not happen, because No.1, we can always fund it with taxpayer's money and 2.) there can be a more efficient collection of premiums, and 3.) there can be an increase in the premiums. These were the representations in the floor debates, and so we approved it. However, the President had a different view, he said, we could not fund it out of this, the sources of funds are not certain to come so we will put in danger the SSS funds. So it was a difference in opinion as to how we can sustain the SSS funds with the P2000 increase for the 2 million retirees, which the Congress said, "We can do," we asked those specific questions, "How can we fund these?" And the representation of the sponsors was 1.) we can always augment the fund of the SSS through appropriations in the General Appropriations Act, 2.) we can increase the premiums of both the employees and the employers, and 3.) we should have a more efficient collection of premiums. So because of the difference the President had to veto. Now given what we have seen, I ask the officials of the Social Security Commission: Please, on bended knees, in behalf of our retirees, pag-aralan niyo po kung paano madadagdagan ang pension ng ating SSS pensioners without causing a danger to the fund life being shortened. I am sure that they can afford, or the system can absorb, an increase in the pensions. Probably not the P2,000, but for heaven's sake, nangangailangan po ng tulong ang ating mga pensioners. Kaya naman siguro po ang some increase in the pension, how much is reasonable to protect both the fund life and our 30 million SSS members, and at the same time, respond to the needs of our pensioners. Q: As I understand, you adopted the House version and the House submitted to you a companion bill that the Senate failed to act on, the SSS reforms bill. SPFMD: I do not understand. You know, the principal feature of that SSS reforms bill is this: that the Social Security Commission can increase the premiums and the benefits without going to the President. That is the only feature of that proposed measure. So how does that resolve the problem? The amount of the increase is still a question of the fund life, of the social security funds. It has nothing to do with the authority of the Social Security Commission to approve increases in pension and premiums without the president's approval. Yun lang po ang hinihingi eh. So there is absolutely no basis for that statement that we did not approve the companion bill. Even if we approved the companion bill, we will still be in the same quandary today. Because all that it did is to dispense with the presidential approval for the increase in benefits. Q: Why did no senator author a SSS pension hike bill? So it would have gone through committee hearings also. SPFMD: Even if there were no senators who filed the bill, it did go through a public hearing. The House version went to us, and under our system, it is treated like any ordinary new measure, it goes to through the process of hearing in the committee. Those issues were raised precisely in the committee hearing, and they were raised again in the floor. Q: Again, the reforms must start at Congress, because it seems that the law, the process if flawed. SPFMD: No it is not a flawed law. Yes we enacted the law. That is why we have committee hearings, yes we are not perfect, we have committee hearings, we get the views of the resource persons, we act on the basis of what we have gathered. There is also a process, the fact that this was passed by the legislature does not mean it is already a law. It goes through the president for approval. The problem is not with Congress. Q: How is the Liberal Party now? What will be the best strategy for May, except for President Aquino, to help the low surveys of your presidential candidate? SPFMD: Hindi naman low survey. Our candidate is statistically tied at 2nd place, at the last survey. You have 34% for Grace Poe, 23% for Binay, 20% for Roxas, 20% for Duterte. The 2nd to the 4th are considered statistical tie. He is not languishing down there. Having said that, we will activate our machinery on the grassroots. We have many Liberal Party governors, congressmen, mayors who are unopposed and therefore, we will activate it and have them campaign for our national candidates. Q: There is the non-passage of popular bills, the SSS pension, SSL IV... SPFMD: The SSL never reached the President. It got stuck in Congress. There is a solution for that and I have offered the solution. The SSS, there is also a solution. The solution lies in the hand of the Social Security Commission. The social security funds are for the benefit of our social security members. So, they must balance the interest of our 30 million or so members of the SSS and the mandate to provide social security pension for the retirees because this is the essence of the Social Security Act. Q: Why not plead all the way to the President in the same way you plead for the SSL IV? SPFMD: The authority is with the Social Security Commission. Q: They can recommend it to the President? SPFMD: Yes, the Social Security Commission will pass the appropriate resolution to increase the pension which, at the present system, will have to be approved by the President. This is a very technical issue and it is better for the Social Security Commission to act on it first. Q: Sir may pagkakataon po ba nung magkasama kayo ni Presidente Aquino na banggitin itong SSL IV nitong nakaraang linggo hanggang sa kahapon? SPFMD: Ang proposal, ang rekomendasyon, ang memorandum ng DBM na hinihintay ng Pangulo ay isusumite ngayong araw na ito. I have not mentioned it to him. I'm saying that the Department of Budget and Management, tinanong ko kahapon si Secretary Abad, and he said the DBM recommendation which will grant these salary increases for 2016 which is authorized under the General Appropriations Act will be with the President either today or tomorrow. So that's why I'm urging the President, as a Valentine's gift na lang, na pirmahan ito. Q: Pero sabi po ng source ko sa Malacanang baka sa Mayo pa ilalabas (on SSL IV) SPFMD: Ah..mali 'yong source mo...(laughter) Hindi naman nagsabi, ako lang ang sinabi. Suggestion ko lang. Q: Sir, since nagbabangit kayo si Sec. Abaya and DOTC Secretary Abad, they are LP stalwarts...Liberal Party officials. Don't you think it would be more appropriate for them to also resign now and actively be involved in the campaign now since you need their help right now? SPFMD: I don't think that Sec. Abad is actively involved...yes, he was there yesterday, so where the other cabinet members, including the Secretary of the Department of Energy... Q: Lozada? Kasi may Capiz project yata or Iloilo project? SPFMD: Yes...Under the law, cabinet members are not prohibited from campaigning. They can campaign. But it doesn't mean that Sec. Abaya or Abad will campaign. Unlike you are a civil servant, a career civil servant, you cannot participate in the election except to vote. Cabinet members can participate in the campaign. Q: They can? SPFMD: Yes, they can. Q: But the Comelec issued a reminder against gov't officials from making comments or endorsements favouring... SPFMD: That is limited to career public officials covered by Civil Service code, not political appointees like the cabinet secretary. Q: What about CJ Sereno? SPFMD: CJ Sereno cannot because she is a member of the judiciary. Q: You were once a cabinet member yourself and I don't think you can draw a fine line between campaigning and your position in the cabinet. How did you do it during your time? SPFMD: I could campaign because there was nothing wrong. I was the Executive Secretary, I was the alter ego of the President, I campaigned. I violated no law by campaigning. What is prohibited is the use of government funds for political purposes. 'Yong po ay bawal, hindi po bawal ang mag campanya ang miyembro ng cabinet. Ang bawal ay gagamitin ang kanyang posisyon o gamitin ang pondo ng pamalaan para sa campanya. Q: Going back to RSBS? Wala ba kayong balak to investigate 'yong Senate? Malaking pera 'yun. SPFMD: Matagal na 'yan. I think ang mga ibang nakademanda na. They purchased a lot of real estate without exercising ...(inaudible) pero marami nanaka-demanda d'yan. The RSVS was supposed to provide funds for the retirement. Q: Can you give an assessment of Edsa revolution after 30 years? SPFMD: well, the fact that we are here today, is a testament to the success of the Edsa revolution. Without the Edsa revolution, we cannot have a forum like this today. That is how I assess Edsa today. Q: Sir, do you have any concern on the timeline of the Comelec, parang maraming atrasado? SPFMD: I have very serious concerns about postponement of elections even by certain areas. Remember that the matter of the postponement of the elections, is a matter that is governed by our Election Code. Under our Election Code, the postponement of an election may only be done for ...I quote...very serious causes such as violence, terrorism, lost or destruction of election paraphernalia or records, force majure or any other analogous causes of nature that the holding of free, orderly election should be impossible in any political subdivision. The postponement therefore that they contemplate, must be within the four corners of the law that I cited, of the election code. Glitches in the system, wala po dito yan unless... these are the grounds that can be the basis for the postponement of the election. So, any act that the Comelec will do to postpone the election must be justified. Pag nag-brown out, that's force majure. Q: Sir, what about failure of election? Malfunction of machinery, ballots were stolen, killings of Comelec officials? SPFMD: That is precisely what the law says. Serious causes of causes such as violence, terrorism, loss or destruction of paraphernalia, force majure. Those are the grounds that would justify the postponement of election in any political subdivision. Q: But not glitches? SPFMD: I don't know what they are talking about, the glitches. This is something that can be addressed immediately so that the election will not be postponed. SPFMD: That is why I am saying, we have to revisit the election code. In so far as the election code is concerned. Because it is harsh not to count the election expenses where the expenses is incurred before the filing of the certificate of candidacy or even before the campaign period. Even before you filed the certificate of candidacy, hindi po bilang yong gastos mo bago the campaign period, that is a fiction that is created by law. And, the poll was reviewed at. Q: A while ago, there was a mention of CJ Sereno. I was reminded by your pet bill - judicial legislation - and recently, the Supreme Court went into a scientific legislation and that is the beauty talong. Is there any legislative remedy to correct that situation? SPFMD: Yes there is a legislative remedy. That is a part of the check in balance. They can unless constitutional interpretation. The congress can always overturn the interpretation of the structure distinguised from the interpretation of the constitution. As distinguished we cannot pass a law which will revise a decision based on the constitution. Let me give you a very specific example. Under the anti-money laundering act, this is very specific, the government, the anti-money laundering council can petition d court 4 a freeze order of the house without notice who is the subject to the target. You must notify the depositor before the freeze order. You can imagine how crazy the decision was. Talagang walang kabase base. What we did is to pass a law which would now say that can be done ex parte - meaning without notice. In contravention of the Supreme Court decision. Q: So, which one prevail? SPFMD: The law. Because there was just interpreting what they said was the law. The law should be interpreted as requiring notice to the depositor before you freeze. So, we said, we would amend the law so that we don't have to give notice. Q: So, it is now a law? SPFMD: Yes. That reversed the decision of the Supreme Court. But, if the decision of the Supreme Court concerns the amendment of the constitution, we could not do that. Q: If President Aquino joins Mar Roxas campaign, how would Mar Roxas get out of the president's shadow? SPFMD: We are campaigning on the platform of continuation. Continuation of the daang matuwid as the platform of continuity and good governance. Which brought us the benefits that the people enjoyed today. The benefits of the universal health care, pampamilyang pagtawid pilipinong program. Mar Roxas will not attempt to have different platform because this is the platform of continuity. Ang sabi nga niya, kung may kulang pa, pupunuin. Q: Wala ba kayong nakikitang danger na lahat ng focus ay mapunta kay President Aquino SPFMD: All the candidates are seeking the mandate of the people. Nobody is sure how it would come out. But we are seeking the mandate and we are convincing the people that it is the right policy - the continuity of the daang matuwid program. Q: One of our advocacies is transfer of our national Bilibid penitentiary to Forth Magsaysay and which is out for bidding next month. It is approved by the president and we appreciate it very much. Our problem is that Metro Manila is becoming very unlivable. And, with private change, some parts of Metro Manila will become flooded most of the time. Would you support the move to transfer the the administrative capital of the Philippines -- to somewhere in central Luzon, owned by the government. which is not flooded, similar to what has happened to Malaysia - Putrajaya and other similar countries? SPFMD: I am open to that. You know, it is something that we have to be carefully consider. As you said that Manila is getting to be unlivable. Kaya lumipat na kayo sa aking lalawigan sa Iloilo. Mas maganda doon. Wala kaming traffic. Malalapad ang aming kalsada. Marami kaming simbahan. Kaya lumipat na kayo roon. Yes, I am open to that idea. Because that is the way of reliving our metropolis of all of this ills, provided that we have to have a good transport system. In fact I have been advocating the transfer of the national bilibid penetentiary in fort Magsaysay. Q: Yes it is approved already for fort Magsaysay SPFMD: Dapat iyan gagawin... It is an idea which is no brainer... you have the most expensive detention facility in the whole world. And, you have an asset which should be unlock to provide. But, I cannot understand the proposal of the Department of Justice to allocate P20B for this exercise. Q: No, Mr. Senate President, the budget they place is P50B. SPFMD: P50B? How of this world! What I mean, for what? Q: I have been told that the facilities might be better than all other facilities. SPFMD: This is a perfect candidate for a PPP. Not a single peso will be spent. Because you have an asset of worth a hundred billion? That is a very attractive asset which you can utilize for PPP. Q: Mr. Senate President, the proposal is to vacate a four hundred eleven hectares in Muntinlupa. And, I don't know how big is the women's correctional and mental hospital in Mandaluyong. Those will generate a lot of income in the government. SPFMD: I find the proposal of P50B simply outrageous. Q: Sir, when you go back to the 17th, will you still be the Senate President? Will you still run for Senate President? SPFMD: I want to win first as a Senator. I won't entertain that thought yet. Q: By the end of January, tapos na dapat ang deliberation ng Supreme Court.By end of January, the SC should have decided na sana on the disqualification cases. So far, at the rate of the deliberation nila, are you satisfied na umabot pa sa February.. at masasama sa printing ng ballot nila SPFMD: Are you asking me if I am satisfied? Q: Yes SPFMD: No, I am not satisfied. The earlier to be decided, the better for all of us. And, I urge the SC to give this an extraordinary attention so it can be decided earlier. I hope that the Supreme Court will not say we know what we're doing. Such arrogance. We should decide that as early as possible. Q: Sir, when you say that the Supreme Court should give special attention, ibig sabihin ba twice a week ang oral arguments? SPFMD: I am just saying we should decide this as early as possible. Having oral arguments once a week is not giving it the urgency that it deserves. Q: Sir, with or without Senator Poe in the running, do you think Mar Roxas can win? SPFMD: Yes, we will win. Q: Sir, no less than Secretary Roxas said people's frustrations ang kanyang kalaban. SPFMD: He must overcome that. He will address that in the course of the campaign. Q: Si Senator Marcos naman agreed that people's frustrations will translate to protest votes. SPFMD: These are all opinions. Alam mo, pagdating ng kampanya, maraming lalabas na mga ideya. I am certain that these will be debated and it will come into the people's decision-making process. That's all I can say at this point. Q: Sir, you mentioned your accomplishment report. One of the failures is the failure to pass the BBL. SPFMD: Unfortunately, the Mamasapano incident, whether you like it or not, was a major incident that prevented and created an environment not conducive to the passage of the law. Your Senate reporters will attest to the fact that it is always on our agenda. There was only one senator interpellating and did not finish his interpellation. Unfortunately, the election campaign came in and it was so difficult to get a quorum. Talagang there were circumstances and events which conspired against the passage of the BBL. We were all for it. I am saying this with confidence. If not for the Mamasapano, we would have passed it last year. We will try again in the next congress because peace is something that we cannot abandon. The comprehensive agreement for peace should be pursued. The agreement should be inj place. Q: Sir, you said events conspired against the passage of the BBL, the President was echoing in Capiz and Iloilo that there were two senators who prevented the BBL passage. Did he mention it to you? SPFMD: He did not mention it to me. It's the first time that I heard that statement. Look at the events. Look at the personalities involved. You make your own conclusion. I'm not going to add anything to it. Q: You promise that you're going to take it up in the 17th congress. So, no more chances in the remaining... SPFMD: No more. Q: Will you be the one to spearhead the BBL? SPFMD: I will support it whether principal author, co-author. I will support. Q: The principal argument against the BBL was the fact that our negotiators virtually gave to the Congress the negotiations because wala man lang daw effort doon sa original agreement. The BBL right now contain a lot of flaws. They did not negotiate enough and give the job to the congressmen and senators to improve upon it. SPFMD: Whatever the agreement was, it was subject to congressional action because we have to revise the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao Law. So, that's our system of government. Congress would enact laws in order to craft the policies. That's precisely what we need. We exercise our prerogative to craft policies. We might disagree with the policies on the comprehensive agreement for peace in so far as the provisions are concerned but that's our system. We are supposed to enact a Bangsamoro Basic Law in implementation of the comprehensive agreement on peace. Assuming we pass the law, whether or not the President agrees with us, if it is totally repugnant with the Bangsamoro Basic Law, he could veto the BBL. That's our system. Q: There was a simple legislation that did not survive Congress, a resolution on economic Cha-Cha. SPFMD: The phrase "unless provided by law." I am fully supporting that amendment. Our Constitution should be dynamic. We crafted our 1986 constitution immediately after Martial Law. Many of the provisions there were a reaction to the years of Martial Law. Revising everything may not meet public support. That is why I am in favour of that amendment which will simply add "unless provided by law" in those provisions which would be restrictive. I would emphasize that it doesn't mean that we are already changing the policy as contained in the Constitution. I am just saying that let us have an opportunity to debate whether a particular provision is still valid 25 years after its passage. I think it requires votes. It was a major piece of legislation. Q: The SSS pension hike bill? SPFMD: I leave that to the House. Q: The House can override the presidential veto? SPFMD: No. The House must initiate it because that is where it originated. It can bring it to us and then we will decide. Q: Mr. Senate President, halimbawa po kayo pa rin ang Senate President after President Aquino, papaano niyo po lalabanan ng suntukan sa Senado si Manny Pacquiao? SPFMD: Hintayin na lang natin ang halalan. We have the mandate of the people because at this point, I don't know if I have the mandate to go back to the Senate. I do not know if Manny will have the mandate to join us in the Senate. So, I think it is very premature to say anything about that. Q: There were new justices for the Sandiganbayan, there were concerns na these justices did not pass the proper process of the JBC. 'Yung iba daw wala sa list submitted to the President and yet appointed. SPFMD: All the appointed were in the list. Hindi sinunod strictly yung sa division because these are vacancies in the division. What the JBC did was segregate 16 divisions. It is undue restriction on the power of the President . Principally, we must remember that the appointing authority is lodged in the President. There are restrictions imposed in the Constitution and the law. What the JBC did was unduly restrict naman. I think the JBC exceeded its power in nominating those that will be appointed. Q: FOI Bill? SPFMD: We passed it in the Senate two years ago. Sa House hindi naipasa. Q: Last statement? SPFMD: Our people will be called again to choose the next leaders of this country. We have made gains for the past six years. The critics of this admin can deny this fact. Should we choose the leaders who can continue with what we have started or dare go back to our old ways? I urge the people to choose wisely in the May 9, 2016 election. Q: What if the next president is non-LP? SPFMD: It is a democracy. I want to win first. I am not even sure if I'm going to win. Press Release February 10, 2016 Ilocos Region all out for VP bid of Sen. Marcos After getting the blessing and support of the whole of Ilocos Norte, vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. got the full support of the people of Ilocos Sur. This after Ilocos Sur leaders late Tuesday threw their full support for Marcos' vice presidential bid as he swiftly moved to consolidate the vaunted "Solid North" immediately after the formal launch of his campaign in his home province of Ilocos Norte. Led by Ilocos Sur Governor Ryan Singson and his father, former governor Luis "Chavit" Singson, business groups, people's organizations, professionals, and other civic groups from the province and adjacent areas came in force to welcome Marcos at the Plaza Maestro Convention Center in Vigan City. "His running for the vice presidency provides us new hope for the Ilocandia. Drawing inspiration from the past, I am confident that he would bring us further into a better future. Let us turn this into reality," said Gov. Singson. "Let us prove once more that we have a strong camaraderie by supporting our fellow Ilocano, Senator Bongbong Marcos, and that the Solid North will always remain a solid force in the country," he added. Former governor "Chavit" Singson said it's about time another Ilocano is elected as one of the country's top leaders. He noted that in the past few decades the country has seen various changes in administration but none in the crop of past leaders were from the North. For his part, Sen. Marcos thanked the Singsons and the people of the province for showing that the Solid North remains a force to reckon with, saying it is the lynchpin from where he could deliver his message of national unity as key to a more progressive future for the country. Marcos reiterated his conviction that many of the ills that continue to plague the country can be traced to politics of disunity that recent administrations had adopted. "Pero may mga lugar pa rin na tuloy ang pagkakaisa, at maipagmamalaki natin yan ay dito sa Norte kaya't totoong-totoo ang tinatawag nating Solid North. Kaya't dito natin simulan ang kilusan para ipagsama at ipagkaisa ulit ang sambayanang Pilipino," said Marcos. He said achieving national unity is the key towards a brighter future for the country. "This is the challenge of the future to us who claim to be the leaders of the country. This is the challenge not only of the future, this is the challenge of our children for us to leave them a better place, for us to show them the way, or us to provide the leadership, to provide the vision so that we know which way we are going and that we are going that way together," he stressed. Meanwhile, Marcos also paid a brief visit to barangay leaders of the 6th district of Manila in their Lakbay Aral seminar at the Vigan Convention Center. Marcos, chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government, reported to the barangay leaders his efforts in the legislature to promote the cause of local government units in the country, including the Barangay Retirement Benefits Bill recently approved by Congress. Marcos said the government should always listen to the concerns of barangay leaders and local government units as he underlined their indispensable role in the delivery of basic services to the people. "That is why it is important that in the coming elections you should choose leaders who really understand the concerns of LGUs," said Marcos. Kochi: The African national, who was caught while trying to smuggle out drugs worth Rs 8 crore to foreign countries through courier service, had on two previous occasions indulged in the act using the same modus operandi, it was revealed. Judee Micthele (43), a national of the Republic of Benin, was intercepted at the premises of a courier agency at MG Road which was working as a collection agent for an international courier service. The Commissionerate of Customs (Preventive) seized 4 kg of Heroine valued at Rs 7 crore and 300 gm of Methamphetamine valued at Rs 1 crore upon scrutiny of courier parcels attempted to sent by him to four foreign countries. The seized courier parcels were consigned to the Netherlands, Greece, Spain and Australia, said Dr K. N. Raghavan, Customs Commissioner, Kochi. During interrogation he admitted to have indulged in smuggling in a similar way at least on two previous occasions. Verification with the courier agency revealed that the same person had booked a parcel earlier with another passport on one occasion earlier. What led to his arrest was that one of his earlier consignments was seized by the Customs at Delhi and they had alerted the Customs Preventive Commissionerate here. Since then, the collection centre was put under surveillance. International drug gangs are not so active in this part of the country. Rather gangs smuggling using West African origins are based in Delhi, the customs official said. May be they were attempting to smuggle from here via courier service to evade detection." Customs officials seized two passports from him and further probe is on to unearth his contacts. "He will be handed over to the Delhi Customs for further probe after we finish interrogating him," Dr Raghavan said. Follow parcel rules, say cops The shipment through couriers has turned up the preferred mode of smuggling drugs from the state which has forced agencies like the Narcotics Control Bureau to hold regular meetings with courier agencies and impart training to staff on matters like nature of suspicious consignments. In many collection centres, mandatory procedures are not often followed due to lack of monitoring equipment such as scanners and often the staff reply on random checking. "However we'll take strict action against those not collecting 'Know Your Customer' information of the customers," NCB sources said. Even scanning cannot detect modern narcotics like LSD unlike the case with that of conventional contrabands such as ganja, they said. DGP Sen Kumar, through his official Facebook page, earlier urged all courier agencies to install scanners and warned them to be on vigil in the wake of rackets increasingly found adapting the modus operandi. "The role of courier agency receiving the packet is largely limited to procuring a declaration from the client and documents to identify them," said K N Raghavan, Commissioner of Customs, Kochi. NWS Several Bay Area cities broke temperature records for the day during a mid-winter heat wave that continued Tuesday, but San Francisco came just one degree short of tying its record, forecasters said. Close, but no cigar, said Diana Henderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. An African American iron worker for a Bay Bridge contractor says his foreman dropped a hangmans noose next to him and a short time later a co-worker threw him a rope and told him to put it around his neck and when he complained about racism, his work hours were reduced. James H. Brown of Hayward made the allegations in a discrimination suit against his former employer, Adams & Smith, that was filed in Alameda County Superior Court on Jan. 18 and announced by his lawyers this week after it was served on the company. Brown seeks damages for lost wages, punitive damages and court orders requiring Adams & Smith to improve employee training. It is shocking and disturbing that more than 50 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, African American employees are threatened with nooses in the workplace while their employer, Adams & Smith, sits idly by, said Browns attorney, Bryan McCormack. There was no immediate comment from Adams & Smith, a nationwide construction contractor. Brown said Adams & Smith hired him as an iron worker in late August but assigned him and another African American to mostly menial tasks, such as sweeping and picking up garbage, even though Brown is a certified welder. On Sept. 25, the suit said, Brown was doing rigging work near the toll plaza when his foreman, a white man, dropped a noose next to him. About 20 minutes later, he said, a white co-worker tossed him a rope and told him to put it around his neck. Later that day, he said, the foreman placed a rope on the car of the other African American worker at the site. Brown said he complained to his shop steward about both incidents, and spoke several days later to a company steward, who told him he was aware of what had happened and would take care of it. But Adams & Smith took no action against Browns foreman or the white co-worker, and instead reduced Browns daily work hours, the suit said. On Wednesday, Oct. 7, the company sent Brown home after a half day and told him it had no more work for him that week, the suit said. It said Brown learned that his white co-workers remained at their jobs for the week. Brown, who needed full-time work, lined up another job through his union and now works for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in Stockton, his lawyer said. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko Gov. Jerry Brown asked the Obama Administration on Tuesday to declare Californias crab fishery a federal disaster, a move that could free up money for those whose livelihoods have been harmed by the closure of the states crabbing season. The request submitted by Brown to U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker states that nearly $49 million has been lost by fishermen unable to pursue Dungeness and rock crab because of a toxic algae bloom off the coast. A federal judge has narrowed a lawsuit by a group of mostly African American women against the Napa Valley Wine Train, but left the core of their case largely intact: that they were subjected to racial discrimination when a manager evicted them from the train last year, allegedly for talking and laughing too loudly. The women, members of a book club, said they were no louder than other passengers on the tourist excursion and were singled out because of their race 10 of the 11 women are black. Their suit claims violations of both state and federal laws against race discrimination, along with discrimination against two disabled women who were allegedly denied accommodations. The suit also says the women were libeled in an online message by a train employee accusing them of abusing other passengers and staff. Suits accusing private parties of violating federal civil rights laws must show that the government was involved in some way with the wrongdoers or their actions. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson said the women had failed to show that the Wine Train was acting under state authority, as required for one of their race-related federal claims, because they had not alleged that local police who led them from the train had any part in their eviction. Henderson also said he might dismiss the second claim of discrimination under federal law if he decided at a later stage that the train was not a direct recipient of federal aid, $65 million in funding for repair of tracks and railroad bridges. But the Wine Train, while denying any racial motivations, has not challenged the legal basis of the womens claim of discrimination under California law, which applies to private conduct as well as government-funded actions. And even if Henderson dismissed the claims of racial bias under federal law, the suit would remain in federal court because the judge allowed the two disabled passengers to proceed with their federal claim that they were denied a promised accommodation. Were ecstatic about the ruling, the womens lawyer, Waukeen McCoy, said Wednesday. He said they would seek to reinstate the dismissed federal claim by showing that the Wine Train used local police as part of its security team. The Wine Train and its lawyers were not immediately available for comment. The women boarded the train in Napa on Aug. 22 for a round trip through Wine Country. They said they were laughing and having a good time, occasionally chatting with other passengers, when a train manager, Anna Marquinn, approached and asked them to lower their voices. The women said they told Marquinn they werent behaving any differently than other passengers. But they said she repeated the warning later, and they were then ordered off the train at St. Helena, halfway through the trip, and required to march past passengers in all six cars, some of whom snickered at them. They were met by police, who led them to a van that took them back to Napa. The Wine Train refunded their $62 fares, and later apologized and offered them a free trip in the future, an offer they rejected. A Wine Train spokeswoman has said the train removes guests for their conduct about once a month. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko The idea of discriminating against gender will inevitably have to change, Tharoor said. (Photo: PTI) Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the row over Kerala's Sabarimala temple denying entry to women, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday asserted the Indian Constitution does not permit gender discrimination and added that they should be allowed to enter whichever shrine they chose to visit. "We have seen many past customs and traditions that have had to evolve with time. If you look at the fact that up to the 1930s, Dalits could not be allowed into temples and we all know that was a wrong practice. Similarly, the idea of discriminating against gender will inevitably have to change," Tharoor said. Welcoming the decision by the Bombay High Court to allow women to enter the Haji Ali mosque in Mumbai, he added that the same principle applies to all religions that whatever the tradition may be, the Constitution does not permit gender discrimination. He also said that women should be allowed to enter any shrine they wish to without any discrimination on the basis of caste or gender. "I think Ayyappa is a deity mainly worshipped by men. So, I think that there will be a few women who will want to make the arduous trek. But those who do, should not be prevented on unconstitutional grounds," Tharoor added. The Kerala Government had earlier this month told the Supreme Court that banning entry of women of menstrual age in Sabarimala temple in the state is a "matter of religion" and it is duty bound to "protect the right to practice the religion of these devotees". In an affidavit, the state government said the administration of the temple vests with the Travancore Devaswom Board and the decision of the priests stands final in the matter of worship. The affidavit was filed on a PIL by the association seeking entry for all women and girls in the Sabarimala temple which, as a practice, does not allow girls after attaining puberty to enter the premises. However, the women, who have crossed menopause, are allowed. The San Francisco school board decided to delay a vote on whether to make condoms available to students in district middle schools, saying some concerned parents would not be able to make Tuesdays meeting because of Chinese New Year celebrations. Board President Matt Haney said he postponed the vote several hours before the meeting at the request of Superintendent Richard Carranza. The controversy surrounds a proposed policy that would allow school staff to distribute condoms to individual middle school students in the district. The proposal, initiated by Carranza, would authorize condom distribution in conjunction with a session with a school nurse or social worker to identify risk factors and provide referrals or resources as necessary. Free condoms are already available in district high schools. The issue surfaced this week in the citys Chinese media outlets, prompting a handful of parents to complain, Haney said. Also, Tuesday is part of the week-long Chinese New Years celebration, with banks and stores closed and families and friends gathering for dinner. There was a request to delay from some community members, especially because it was just getting out into the Chinese press and there was some concerns being voiced among parents, Haney said. We didnt want to blindside anyone and want to make sure all questions are addressed and answered. The vote will likely be rescheduled for the next board meeting in two weeks. Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker This story was originally published in the February issue of San Francisco Magazine. For 15 years, Mission Control peddled a particularly cozy breed of kink. If your fantasy was to, say, fondle a stranger inside a cage while dozens of faceless voyeurs watched, this particular sex club was not for you (the Power Exchange encourages that kind of thing). But for open-minded sensualists seeking sex with a side of theatricality, creativity, and, yeah, conversation, 2519 Mission Street was the place to be. "It was kind of a family," says blogger and porn performer Kitty Stryker. The club's semi-secret play parties unceremoniously ended in 2013, when its landlord booted it from its Mission home base. For some sex clubs, that would have been the end of the story, but Mission Control is nothing if not resilient. The group went nomadic, hosting events in dance clubs, warehouses, and, on occasion, the porn studio the Armory. If members had been less passionate about the club, it wouldn't have lasted. "There's definitely pride that we made it," says Phil, an Oakland marketer and regular. Last fall the group's wanderings finally led to a fleshly fairy tale endingcomplete with gingerbread housewhen it landed a new space on Fifth Street in Oakland, the longtime home of soul food restaurant TJ's Gingerbread House. Christened Gingerville by Mission Control partyers, the new clubhouse is a choice find, decked with antique stained glass, arched French doors, and a 500-square-foot octagonal gazebo. Hearts, cherubs, and gingerbread men are painted and carved on the walls and ceilings, lending the whole place an Alice-down-the-rabbit-hole vibean apt home for a "very homey, very cute, and very bohemian" organization, says former attendee Alisa Highfill. At double the size of Mission Control's former digs, the Oakland site is a decided upgrade. There are two playrooms where the music and lighting are low, and beds and safe sex supplies are readily available. (There's also a BDSM dungeon for those who trade in pain.) The club added a dance floor, a stage, a bar upholstered in red vinyl, and a smattering of tiki- and voodoo-lounge accents. "We were already getting too big for our old home, in many ways," says Michael, one of the volunteer house managers. "The new place gives us room to grow." In October, two years after being cast from the city, Mission Control 2.0 hosted a "reanimation" party to celebrate the club's return from the dead. "It's a time to sift through what was good about the old days," says Stryker. And the relocation comes with a bonus: Many of the club's former regulars have already migrated to the East Bay, says Ash Miller, a San Jose dance instructor and Mission Control house manager, and she's hoping that they'll return to the fold. "We want to tell people: Come see everyone you've been missing," she says. Originally published in the February issue of San Francisco Magazine. The 38-year-old Berkeley woman who died over the weekend after a city of San Francisco vehicle crashed into her wheelchair as she crossed a street was a public employee and leader in the disabled community, family and colleagues said Tuesday. Thu Phan, a UC Berkeley alumna and Department of Labor employee, was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, commonly known as brittle-bone disease. On her way to work Friday morning, while operating her electric wheelchair, Phan was hit by a worker on official business for the city Department of Public Health in the intersection of Market and Seventh streets. The phone rang, and that was normal and thats what I expected, said her fiance, Brad Trippe, who spoke with Phan half a dozen times every day. I said, Hi, sweetie, and it was this mans voice, and I immediately got this feeling of dread. For the first five hours after the collision, Phan was lucid, Trippe said, but doctors soon realized she had sustained head trauma, and her condition deteriorated. A surgery attempt was not successful, and she died Saturday surrounded by dozens of family members and friends, who spilled into the San Francisco General Hospital waiting room and corridors. Police said at the scene and continued to say Tuesday that although she was knocked to the ground by the collision, her injuries did not appear life threatening. The driver who cooperated during the investigation was making a left turn from Seventh onto Market, which was a legal move because of the cars exempt license plate, according to Officer Albie Esparza, a police spokesman. That area of downtown is kind of confused from a traffic standpoint, so you take your life in your hands crossing the street, said John Parman, an acquaintance of Phan, adding that her death should have never happened. The oldest of six siblings, Phan emigrated at age 2 as a refugee from Vietnam with her parents, who wanted to give her more opportunities in the United States because of her bone condition. The family eventually settled in Stockton, where Phan and her younger brothers and sisters were raised. Roslyn Samorano, Phans friend of 30 years, recalled teachers telling her in elementary school not to touch Phan because she would break. But once the two found a way to push each other in a wagon, they were inseparable. As far as her chair would allow her to go, we would go there together, Samorano said. We were going to grow old together and be two little old ladies in our wheelchairs. Her siblings remembered that at age 4, Phan saved their lives. One of her brothers set a closet on fire, and as the flames soared, she screamed for help. Their mother and aunt heard her yelling and rushed into the room with buckets of water. Phan went on to obtain her associates degree from San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton before studying sociology at UC Berkeley. For the last eight years, she worked as an accounting technician at the Department of Labors San Francisco office while living in Berkeley. She was a leader in the nonprofit organization Hand in Hand, which supports the rights of domestic workers, such as home attendants. Officials of the group noted she was an advocate in the domestic-worker movement, once giving testimony in support of Assembly Bill 241, which created labor standards and solidified rights for such employees. A funeral will be held Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m. in Cherokee Memorial Parks Chapel of Flowers in Lodi (San Joaquin County). Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov Cerus Corp. rose the most in more than three months after announcing a multiple-year deal to provide the American Red Cross with systems that inactivate viruses in the blood supply. The agreement, coming amid the Zika virus outbreak, could be worth more than $65 million annually if the American Red Cross began treating all the blood it collects with the Concord companys Intercept system, according to Karen Koski, an analyst at BTIG. Assuming the deal takes three years to be fully implemented, it could add 18 percent, or about $100 million, to Ceruss market value of about $600 million, Koski said in a note to investors. She recommends buying the shares, The Department of Justice is investigating whether a hacker breached its systems and obtained personal and contact information of roughly 29,000 FBI and Department of Homeland Security employees. On Monday morning, a cache of records said to contain FBI and Homeland information was posted on CryptoBin a public service that is meant to help users share text. It was accessible to anyone who used the password lol. Its unclear whether the data contains valid information. The page hosting the data appeared to have been taken down by Tuesday afternoon. The department is looking into the unauthorized access of a system operated by one of its components containing employee contact information, a Justice Department spokesman said in an e-mail. This unauthorized access is still under investigation. Vice broke news of the supposed breach, but declined to identify the hacker who claims to be behind it. The Twitter account that linked to the data and published the password uses a name too crude to print. It initially tweeted last month, has repeatedly used the hashtag #FreePalestine and recently used the social network to seek legal counsel. Anyone got a good lawyer ?!?!? it tweeted Tuesday. The Justice spokesman said that as of now there is no indication that any sensitive personally identifiable information was lost. The department takes this very seriously and is continuing to deploy protection and defensive measures to safeguard information, he said. Any activity that is determined to be criminal in nature will be referred to law enforcement for investigation. That alleged breach made news days before President Obama announced a $19 billion plan improve public and private sector coordination on matters of privacy and cybersecurity. Obamas 2017 fiscal budget proposal calls for a $5 billion increase this year, including $3.1 billion to update technology at federal agencies. Sean Sposito is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ssposito@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @seansposito File Photo / ST An energy commodities trader for a Greenwich hedge fund is suing under whistleblower provisions of the Dodd-Frank act, claiming the funds partners ignored an Enron situation in the plaintiffs words that wiped out investors. Litchfield resident Nikhil Dhir sued Vermillion Asset Management and its partners Drew Gilbert of Greenwich, Chris Nygaard of Darien and Chris Zuech, the funds chief compliance officer, as well as Carlyle Group which acquired Vermillion in 2012 when the fund had some $2.2 billion in assets under management. Dhir filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Haven citing the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that was created after the 2001 collapse of Enron. Dhir also is suing for wrongful discharge under the Connecticut General Statutes. Fast-growing San Francisco software startup Zenefits said that Parker Conrad has resigned as chief executive officer, citing inadequate processes and regulatory compliance. Chief Operating Officer David Sacks, whose startup Yammer was bought by Microsoft Corp., will take over as CEO of the human-resources software maker. Sacks was also an early PayPal executive. Zenefits hired an accounting firm in December to conduct a review of the companys licensing procedures, Sacks wrote in a memo to employees. Josh Stein, a former federal prosecutor and vice president of legal, will oversee the review as chief compliance officer. He will coordinate with state insurance regulators and put into place the recommendations from the outside audit of its policies. The fact is that many of our internal processes, controls, and actions around compliance have been inadequate, and some decisions have just been plain wrong, Sacks wrote. In order for us to move forward as a company, we cannot seek to hide or downplay the problem. Conrad, a co-founder of the company, has also resigned from the board of directors of the company that attempted to shake up the health insurance brokerage industry. Conrads recent tenure was rocked by lapses in complying with health insurance regulations in several of Zenefits markets. The company makes software that is intended to streamline the way small businesses buy health insurance for their employees. In a $500 million funding round last year, the company was valued at $4.5 billion, according to online reports. Its investors have called Zenefits one of the fastest-growing business software companies in history. But in the last few months, a series of reports by BuzzFeed News found that the company was cutting corners. According to BuzzFeed, Zenefits employed unlicensed brokers to sell insurance to customers, resulting in scrutiny from regulators and the undoing of many of its sales. The site said that more than 80 percent of Zenefits policies in force in Washington state as of August had been sold by unlicensed employees. Established brokers in many states complained to state regulatory bodies, according to tech news site ReCode. One such regulator in Utah even sought to ban Zenefits from operating in the state, until it fought back in court. In an unusual move in Silicon Valley, where a break-anything culture is revered, Sacks called on Zenefits to straighten up its image. We must admit that the problem goes much deeper than just process, he wrote. Our culture and tone have been inappropriate for a highly regulated company. Zenefits also appointed three new members to its board of directors: Peter Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal who is now an investor at Founders Fund, Antonio Gracias of the investment firm Valor Equity Partners and William McGlashan Jr. of TPG Growth. Though its current investors say they remain enthusiastic about Zenefits prospects, the resignation represents a second disappointment for Conrad, who was pushed out of SigFig, a start-up he was a co-founder of in 2007. In an interview in 2014, Conrad was frank about his fear of reprising that failure at Zenefits, which he described as the plausible danger in a company growing so quickly. Even when we think things are going well, it always feels like the wheels are ready to come off the cart, he said. Conrad, who co-founded Zenefits in 2012, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment on the moves. The controversy and abrupt change in leadership are a blow to the fast-growing startup. Fidelity Investments has written down the value of its shares in Zenefits by as much as 22 percent. Technology companies are facing more scrutiny as investment into Silicon Valley begins to cool. School children take part in a candle light vigil for the Indian soldiers who died in an avalanche at the Siachen Glacier (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The condition of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who was rescued alive six days after being buried under tonnes of ice in Siachen Glacier, has deteriorated even as experts from AIIMS joined the military doctors in their bid to save the soldier's life. He continues to remain extremely critical with evidence of oxygen deprivation to the brain on CT scan, a medical bulletin issued in the evening said. There is evidence of pneumonia in both lungs. "His multi-organ dysfunction state continues unabated. His condition has deteriorated despite aggressive therapy and supportive care," it added. Koppad was examined by a team of Army Hospital doctors comprising critical care specialists, HoD Dept of Medicine, senior nephrologist, senior neurologist and a panel of experts from AIIMS, New Delhi. "The entire team was in agreement with the management (of medical problems) that the patient had undergone till now, and concurred with the future plan of management for him," the Bulletin said. TV grab image of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa who is in Armys Research & Referral Hospital (Photo: PTI) Also read: After Siachen Glacier miracle, soldier battles for life at Army hospital The hospital had earlier said that he was expected to have a stormy course in the "next 24 hours" due to the complications caused by re-warming and establishment of blood flow to the cold parts of the body. Hanamanthappa was flown out by a helicopter on Tuesday from the site of the avalanche that hit his post at Siachen Glacier along with a medical specialist to the base camp at the glacier, from where he was brought to the Thois air base. He was then transferred to Delhi by a fixed-wing aircraft of IAF along with a critical care specialist of the force and a medical specialist from the base camp. Hanamanthappa is being treated by a team of intensivists, neurologist, nephrologist, endocrinologist and surgeons. He has been administered fluids, drugs to bring up his blood pressure, besides antibiotics. Read: Village bursts into late night celebration; soldier's family flies to Delhi Meanwhile, a retired CISF Head Constable, Prem Swaroop, has come forward to the help of the jawan, offering his kidney if necessary. Heard in news that Lance Naik Hanamanthappa's kidney failed. So I came here to offer my kidney or any part of my body for him. It is my heart's wish to do this, he said. School students, residents associations and politicians from across the country also offered prayers for Koppads quick recovery, with the dabbawalas of Mumbai holding a prayer meet at Parel. "Lord, grant Hanumanthappa long life" read the placards and banners that they held. "We have prayed for his health and well being. We are in awe of the grit and determination he showed while under ice," a dabbawala said, adding that is a highly-motivated soldier. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis also wished the soldier a speedy recovery. "Maharashtra salutes the spirit and valour of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa and wishes him a speedy recovery," Fadnavis tweeted. Maharashtra salutes the spirit and valour of LanceNaik #Hanumanthappa and wishes him a speedy recovery! Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) February 10, 2016 Congress President Sonia Gandhi was also among the leaders from across the political spectrum who commended the soldier for his grit for life. Read: Siachen miracle: Jawan was severely dehydrated, in shock I join the nation in praying for the speedy recovery of Shri Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. We salute his endurance and will power to serve the nation," the Indian National Congress quoted Sonia in a series of tweets. Assuring Koppads family of all possible help, Karnataka's Resident Commissioner in Delhi, Atul Kumar, said that the Madras Regiment soldier has made the entire state proud. "Today, we came to personally inquire about the welfare of the family and also to check the status of Lance Naik Hanamathappa. Karnataka is proud of this young jawan. He is still in ICU and coma. His condition still continues to be critical. We hope he comes out strong," he told reporters here. "We are committed to extend all possible help to the family," he added. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An alleged serial bank bandit arrested over the weekend in Lake County has been identified by federal authorities as the so-called Hefty Heister who is suspected of pulling off at least eight robberies since December. Wesley Allen Krohn, a 31-year-old Antioch resident, was taken into custody Sunday morning on Highway 20 along the shores of Clear Lake after leading Lake County sheriffs deputies on a high-speed chase. Deputies caught him when they deployed a spike strip to pop his tires and disable the vehicle he was using to try to make a getaway, said Lt. Steve Brooks, a sheriffs office spokesman. Krohn had reportedly said he would shoot it out with police if they ever tried to arrest him, and was seen on a video captured by a dashboard camera on one of the sheriffs cruisers tossing a handgun from his waistband just before his arrest. In January, the FBI released images of the Hefty Heister, saying that, in at least eight different instances, he had walked into banks, showed the teller a note demanding money and threatened to use a weapon. In at least one of the robberies, he pointed a handgun at a teller, officials said. From early December to mid-January, he allegedly hit three US Banks: one on Jan. 9 inside a Raleys store in Suisun City, another Jan. 14 inside a Brentwood Safeway, and one Jan. 19 inside a Safeway in Lodi (San Joaquin County). During that time, he also allegedly robbed two Tri Counties Banks, both inside Raleys stores, on Dec. 21 in Brentwood and on Jan. 19 in Elk Grove (Sacramento County). He also is said to have stuck up an Exchange Bank in Rohnert Park on Dec. 3, a Wells Fargo inside a Safeway in Pleasant Hill on Dec. 22, and a Bank of Rio Vista in Walnut Grove (Sacramento County) on New Years Eve. In each of the robberies, Krohn allegedly changed his appearance, sometimes wearing a fake beard, a Giants cap or a fedora. Krohn was taken to Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility, where he was booked on a federal no-bail warrant as well as suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, carrying a concealed weapon, evading a peace officer and committing a felony with a firearm, among other lesser charges, Brooks said. Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale Every so often a movie comes along thats so bad it seems like the future. Deadpool is one of those movies. Its a disturbing film, in that all the things we might normally attribute to ineptitude the fractured narrative, the confusing visuals, the repugnant lead character seem intentional, possibly the harbinger of a new aesthetic. Maybe it doesnt matter anymore that we know whats blowing up, so long as something is blowing up and at regular intervals. Maybe it doesnt matter that were not made to dislike the characters we see getting killed, so long as some violent death is depicted onscreen, which is maybe all audiences want and all they ever secretly wanted. Deadpool is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, created in the 1990s as a sort of postmodern superhero. Unlike other superheroes, he is aware of the superhero genre and his place within it. Onscreen, he seems to know that he is a fictional character, or at least that he is starring in a movie. Frequently, he looks directly into the camera and talks. In one scene, he even moves the camera himself. These are distancing strategies, and they make for a cold piece, though one with the occasional laugh. The opening credits are a self-aware spoof of credits, identifying the usual types found in these movies. But at the heart of the film and overarching everything is a creepy assumption, all the more creepy in that it might be true: Audiences will root for the most repellent of characters, so long as that character is identified as the protagonist. This hasnt always been the case, but it might be now. After all, in this era in which half the public is going around taking and posting pictures of themselves, in which self-love has broken free of all social constraint and shame, and self-forgiveness is infinite, perhaps every protagonist is acceptable. A protagonist onscreen is, after all, a kind of second self, the I and the eye through which we perceive the world. And since there couldnt ever be something wrong with any of us, well, he must be right in every way. Thus, when Deadpool announces early on that hes going to kill a bunch of people, were supposed to think thats interesting, and when we soon see him shooting and butchering various characters on a highway heads blowing off, etc. we are either to find this entertaining or assure ourselves that he has his reasons. The reasons will come in any case. In the meantime there is all that spectacle to enjoy, the quick cuts that render action scenes unintelligible and the sprays of blood that make it all worthwhile. Hes an unsavory guy, this Deadpool. In flashback, we meet him in his original incarnation as Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), a bullying ex-military man working as a strong-arm guy for hire, muscling and intimidating people for cash. He talks fast and randomly, as though wires are crossed in his brain. The movie contains a brief, almost-human interlude (five or 10 minutes, tops), in which Wade falls in love with a woman (Morena Baccarin) who is almost as wild as he is. They are so compatible in their combustibility that theyre practically on the verge of domesticity, when fate that is, the plot intervenes and takes Deadpool in a superhero direction. Its hardly an exaggeration to say that the rest of the movie is made up of scenes of Deadpool either getting tortured, planning to kill somebody or actually killing somebody. It is colossally uninvolving, interesting neither as filmmaking nor as story. Deadpool has an accelerated healing capacity, so he cant die, no matter how much we might want him to, and so he cant be in peril, which eliminates all suspense. Ryan Reynolds plays Deadpool with tremendous energy, speaking every line as though he had 12 cups of coffee, but its all in vain. Deadpool is supposed to be the funny superhero, but really, whats so funny about a character acknowledging that he is in a movie? Whats so clever about little references to other superhero movies? Its the easiest thing in the world. You know whats hard? A good story. A well-composed shot. Deadpool makes fun of itself when there is barely a self to make fun of. The experience is like listening to people improvising on instruments they cannot play. This is bad, borderline garbage, but disturbing, too, in that its just the kind of fake-clever awfulness that might be cinemas future. Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicles movie critic. E-mail: mlasalle@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@MickLaSalle Deadpool Starring Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin. Directed by Tim Miller. (R. 108 minutes.) Michael Moore has made the movie that everybody thinks about making after visiting Europe for the first time. Where to Invade Next is all about the great ideas from other countries that we might think about trying. Its about how nice it is in France, Germany and Italy and Slovenia and Portugal and Norway and Iceland. Its not that we have it so bad here, but that other countries have it good, too, and in some areas, they have it better. For many Americans, the mere concept of this documentary will be heretical. Arent we the greatest? Doesnt everybody know that? So why listen to what foreigners have to say? Theyre all jealous. They resent us because were so wonderful. Alas, the people whod benefit most from seeing this movie will never see it. People who go around chanting USA! USA! at every opportunity tend not to have passports. The central gimmick of Where to Invade Next, which borders on silly, is that the U.S. keeps getting into wars and getting nothing out of them, and so now, instead, Michael Moore will be invading countries on his own, with the idea of bringing something useful back home. He carries a big American flag with him and plants it into the ground every time he hears a good idea. He claims the idea for the United States. He goes to Italy first always a good choice where he endorses the Italian policy of government-mandated seven-week vacations for everybody. Apparently, industry in Italy doesnt collapse from this, and management and labor get along fine. Moreover, Italians live a lot longer than people in the United States, probably because theyre not overworked, overstressed and miserable. Then Moore goes to France and checks out the lunches being served to schoolchildren and high school kids. Youd be amazed. Its not the white flour and slop that we grew up on. Its good food, and somehow produced for less money than in the United States. Some of the things Moore uncovers seem, from an American perspective, positively surreal. Going to prison in Norway, for example, looks like an enforced vacation. The prisoners have their own rooms and their own keys. They read in the library. They go swimming, and nobody is ever knifed in the shower or sexually violated. Its hard to imagine how such a thing could work, but according to Moore, the recidivism rate is a very low 20 percent. In Portugal, they made drugs legal and drug use went down. In Iceland, they experienced a financial collapse and actually prosecuted the white-collar crooks responsible for it. In Slovenia, college is free, and in Germany, theyre facing their Nazi history and not sweeping it under the rug. As a piece of filmmaking, Where to Invade Next gets off to a strong start and then sags in the last half hour, but it makes a lot of interesting points and, in the way it shows other countries, conveys something about the United States: There is just something harsh in American life, something in our national personality going all the way back to de Tocqueville and beyond. You feel it when you get back from vacation, turn on the radio and everything sounds like one loud migraine. Who knows if the ideas and solutions of other countries could even work here? But Moore, at least, offers something to think about. Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicles movie critic. E-mail: mlasalle@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MickLaSalle Where to Invade Next Starring Michael Moore. Directed by Michael Moore. (R. 119 minutes.) Despite a relatively short stay in Hollywood only 10 years Ingrid Bergman quickly became, and remains, the definition of a movie star. In that decade after arriving from her native Sweden, she bewitched audiences with appearances in Casablanca, Gaslight, Notorious and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Both her extraordinary beauty and her acting style seemed totally unaffected. Her rise and fall and she fell hard are recounted in an entertaining and admiring documentary, Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words, which makes generous use of Bergmans journals (she kept a diary throughout her life), letters and home movies. Swedish actress Alicia Vikander gives voice to Bergmans writings. The result is close to mandatory viewing for aficionados of one of the great periods of American film. Director Stig Bjorkman gives due consideration to Bergmans younger days in Sweden. Using still photos, film clips and the ever-present diary entries, Bjorkman introduces us to a girl who had a natural affinity to try to embody or imitate the things she saw in the world around her. She adored her father, but both parents had died before she became a teenager. She was a tall, gorgeous young woman who would go on to study theater in Stockholm and soon make the transition to movies. In 1936 she landed a life-changing role in the Swedish film Intermezzo. That movie came to the attention of producer David O. Selznick, who was impressed enough to bring her to Southern California for an American remake with Leslie Howard. Accompanying her were her husband and first daughter. Unlike her studio-groomed public image, she was quite ambitious, and (at least after she arrived in Tinseltown) apparently had a relaxed interpretation of her wedding vows. She had several affairs, but it wasnt until she abandoned her husband and child in 1949 for Italian director Roberto Rossellini that the press and movie fans turned on her. She was even denounced on the floor of the U.S. Senate. She married Rossellini and made films with him in Europe, including Stromboli, but the glory years were mostly over. Friends and colleagues, such as Cary Grant, publicly defended her, and she gave a few more highly praised performances, including her work in Murder on the Orient Express (for which she won her third Oscar) and in Ingmar Bergmans Autumn Sonata. She died in 1982 after a long battle with cancer. The film was made with the cooperation of her family, and two of her daughters actress Isabella Rossellini and TV journalist Pia Lindstrom (who incidentally began her career at San Franciscos KGO) appear onscreen to share many memories. They are warm and affectionate, though its made clear that Bergman was not the worlds most hands-on mom. One of the most intriguing sequences has Sigourney Weaver and Liv Ullmann recounting their work with Bergman in stage productions, an important but lesser known facet of her career. Devotees of classic Hollywood will miss this movie at their peril. Walter Addiego is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: waddiego@sfchronicle.com Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words Documentary. Directed by Stig Bjorkman. In English and Swedish with English subtitles. (Not rated. 114 minutes.) WASHINGTON Eight states saw a significant drop last year in the number of residents going without health insurance, according to a government report out Tuesday that has implications for the presidential campaign. All but Florida had accepted a Medicaid expansion that is one of two major pathways to coverage under President Obamas health care law. The laws other coverage route is subsidized private insurance, available in all 50 states. GOP presidential candidates are vowing to repeal Obamacare, while offering hardly any detail on how theyd replace it without millions losing coverage. Politically, the eight states with statistically significant coverage gains in the National Health Interview Survey are a mix of red, blue and purple. They are Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. Five have GOP governors. As a whole, the nation had an uninsured rate of 9.1 percent during the first nine months of 2015, according to the survey, an ongoing research project by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The uninsured rate was 14.4 percent in 2013, before the laws big coverage expansion. The federal report does not analyze the reasons for the coverage gains, but independent experts say the trend is due to the Obama health care law, boosted by economic recovery. That poses a dilemma for Republican presidential candidates. Indeed, a recent blueprint from a group of conservative policy experts for replacing the health law said Republicans will need some kind of grandfathering exemption to avoid disrupting the lives of people who have gained coverage through the Affordable Care Act. The new state numbers from the National Center for Health Statistics focus on adults ages 18-64. Thats because virtually all seniors have coverage, and fewer than 5 percent of children and teens are uninsured. In addition to the eight states with statistically significant coverage gains, the report named another 10 with notable reductions in the percentage of uninsured residents. However, the changes in these states did not meet the surveys test for statistical significance. . The health care laws big coverage expansion got under way in 2014, and since then the nations uninsured rate has fallen to a historically low level. With the 2016 signup season recently concluded, the Obama administration is hoping to see continued improvement this year. Even with Obamas law, nearly 29 million people were still uninsured in the nine months from January to September 2015. That includes an estimated 11 million immigrants without legal permission to be in the country, who are not entitled to coverage. NEW ORLEANS Dressed in elaborate costumes, dancing to the beat of brass bands and clamoring for beads from passing floats, thousands of people gathered in the streets of New Orleans to mark the culmination of the famous Mardi Gras celebration Tuesday. The last day of parades rolled along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street, float riders throwing beads to bystanders as revelers in other parts of the city like the French Quarter and the Marigny partied in the streets in elaborate costumes. Fat Tuesday is the last day of the Carnival season before Lent, a period of penance and spiritual renewal that begins Wednesday. Its fun. You see all the people. You see everybody dressed up, and you have a good time. I love New Orleans, said Barbara Tate, who came from Maryland for the holiday. Before sunrise Tuesday, about 100 people turned out at the Backstreet Cultural Museum to see the North Side Skull & Bone Gang come out. The gang is a longtime Mardi Gras tradition. Members wear costumes resembling skeletons with papier-mache masks covering their heads. They go through the neighborhood waking people up on Fat Tuesday. Dabne Whitemore came to the door in her white bathrobe after hearing the gang and its drums coming from down the street: I was laying in my bed upstairs in the back, and I heard the drums coming and I knew it was time. ... They come and wake me up every morning for 15 years. Riders on the floats generally wear masks and throw beads or other specially made trinkets to people along the parade route. One especially prized throw is the coconuts given out by members of Zulu. The coconuts have been hollowed out, and the outside hair is removed; theyre then decorated with glitter or elaborate designs. Riders in the Zulu parade also threw out small stuffed animals, specially decorated beads and hats with the words Zulu emblazoned in yellow. After the parades, the street party generally moves to the French Quarter, where revelers pack Bourbon Street and the celebration gets a bit more risque. The festivities come to an end at the stroke of midnight, when a wedge of mounted police officers rides down Bourbon to clear it of revelers and declare the party over. Despite Mardi Gras reputation as being a raucous, adults-only party, much of the celebration is actually family-friendly. Families lined up early along the side of the streets or on the median called the neutral ground in New Orleans to get a good seat, often bringing ladders with specially designed seats on top for kids to sit in and catch beads. Naomi Shows, from Covington, La., came to the French Quarter with her three children, their black-and-white faces painted like skeletons inspired by Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead: Its been a tradition here for so long. They grow up with it, and they love it. WASHINGTON Leaders of the Islamic State are determined to strike targets in the United States this year, senior U.S. intelligence officials said Tuesday, telling lawmakers that a small group of violent extremists will attempt to overcome the logistical challenges of mounting such an attack. In testimony before congressional committees, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and other officials described the Islamic State as the pre-eminent terrorist threat. The militant group can direct and inspire attacks against a wide range of targets around the world, Clapper said. Marine Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said the Islamic State will probably conduct additional attacks in Europe and then attempt the same in the U.S. He said U.S. intelligence agencies believe Islamic State leaders will be increasingly involved in directing attacks rather than just encouraging lone attackers. Clapper also said that al Qaeda, from which the Islamic State spun off, remains an enemy and that the U.S. will continue to see cyberthreats from China, Russia and North Korea, which also is ramping up its nuclear program. North Korea has expanded a uranium enrichment facility and restarted a plutonium reactor that could begin recovering material for nuclear weapons in weeks or months, Clapper said in delivering the annual assessment by intelligence agencies of the top dangers facing the country. Clapper said Pyongyang announced in 2013 its intention to refurbish and restart nuclear facilities, to include the uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon and its plutonium production reactor, which was shut down in 2007. He said U.S. intelligence had assessed that North Korea has expanded Yongbyon and restarted the plutonium production reactor there. Clapper also told the Senate Armed Services and intelligence committees that North Korea has been operating the reactor long enough that it could begin to recover plutonium within a matter of weeks to months. Both findings will deepen concern that North Korea is not only making technical advances in its nuclear weapons program, following its recent underground test explosion and rocket launch, but is working to expand what is thought to be a small nuclear arsenal. U.S. experts have estimated that North Korea may have about 10 bombs, but that could grow to between 20 and 100 by 2020. North Korea on Sunday launched a rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite into space. The launch followed a Jan. 6 underground nuclear explosion that North Korea claimed was the successful test of a miniaturized hydrogen bomb. Many outside experts were skeptical and Clapper said the low yield of the test is not consistent with a successful test of a thermonuclear device. New Delhi: Ways to combat Islamic State threat and containing radicalism besides situation in war-ravaged Syria figured prominently when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Wednesday. Swaraj also briefed Al Nahyan about the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase, official sources said. The Crown Prince arrived here this evening on a three-day visit during which both countries will discuss ways to enhance cooperation in a range of areas including energy, economy and security. Read: Modi breaks protocol, receives Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi at Palam airport In the meeting between Swaraj and Al Nahyan, the two leaders discussed the challenge posed by the ISIS, which has under its control vast swathes in Iraq and Syria, and emphasised on the need to work closely to defeat terrorism. The issue of a Saudi Arabia-led alliance against IS also came up for discussion, sources said. Our honoured guest from across the Arabian Sea. EAM @SushmaSwaraj calls on Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Al Nahyan pic.twitter.com/HVjTVbfkQa Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) February 10, 2016 In this regard, Swaraj also complimented UAE for supporting the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) to effectively deal with the menace globally. India has been pressing for adoption of the CCIT by the United Nations. The two leaders also deliberated on the need to contain radicalism, the sources said. Al Nahyan is accompanied by a power-packed delegation for his three-day trip till February 12 which includes several top ministers and over 100 business leaders and CEOs of top companies. He will hold detailed talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. SAVANNAH, Ga. Mosquito-control workers are asking automotive retailers to get rid of old tires that can turn into mosquito incubators if they collect water in the Florida Panhandle, lining up laboratories to test the insects for the Zika virus in New Orleans, and preparing to hunt down and destroy mosquito breeding sites in neighborhoods of infected people in coastal Georgia. These are among the advance steps that the heads of mosquito control agencies in U.S. cities and counties say they are taking to combat the Zika virus ahead of the typical springtime breeding season. Theyre among hundreds of municipal workers and insect researchers from around the nation attending the American Mosquito Control Associations annual conference, which opened Monday in Savannah. Mosquitoes that spread the Zika virus are tough to fight because they breed close to peoples homes: in the standing water of outside flower pots and dog bowls, and sometimes even in tub drains or other wet spots inside. That makes them hard to target with conventional larvacide and insecticide sprays, said Mark Cothran, mosquito control director for Gulf County, Fla. Youre not going to find them in roadside ditches or in swamps, Cothran said. Youre going to find them in dog-food bowls or in 5-gallon buckets. It almost requires going door-to-door to dump out containers. The Zika virus is spreading rapidly through Latin America. While most people experience either mild or no symptoms, Zika is suspected of causing a devastating birth defect babies born with abnormally small heads and pregnant Americans are urged to avoid travel to affected areas. While the virus may be new to the U.S., the two mosquito species known to carry it are not. Aedes aegypti, the mosquito blamed for the Zika outbreak linked to birth defects in Brazil, can be found in the southern U.S. from Florida to California. Another carrier is the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, which has a more northerly range that includes cities such as Chicago and New York. U.S. mosquito fighters have already dealt with these species to prevent outbreaks of dengue fever and chikungunya virus, said Joe Conlon, the associations technical director. Harry Savage, chief entomologist with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said mosquitoes are far less likely to be found breeding inside U.S. homes, which as a rule have screened windows and air conditioning, than they are in Latin American homes, which often dont. Still, Americans backyards tend to offer plenty of dank breeding spots, from crumpled tarps to childrens toys. And while mosquito control officers said they are prepared to spread the word for residents to clean up standing in water in their yards, its very tough to get homeowners to act, Savage said. And U.S. homeowners often arent pleased to see mosquito control officers at their doors telling them to tidy up their property, Conlon added. In the U.S., we dont like the government in our houses, he said. 1 Presidential polyglots: The United States has not elected a president fluent in a language other than English in 72 years. And in a field of 11 remaining presidential candidates, only two could change that: Spanish speakers Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. The last president who spoke a foreign language fluently was Franklin D. Roosevelt. He spoke both French and German. 2 Tainted water: The state Environmental Protection Agency says the latest round of tests in a northeast Ohio village has found high levels of lead in tap water at 11 of the 180 homes where owners voluntarily submitted samples. The EPA says that 618 homeowners in the village of Sebring in Mahoning County have submitted tap water samples so far and that 30 homes showed lead levels above the federal standard. Sebring has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after state environmental officials said the operator of the village water plant waited months to notify people about high levels of lead found in some homes. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. President Obama returned Wednesday to the Illinois capital where he launched his national political career and appealed for help ridding politics of polarization and meanness that discourage participation in civic life. In an address to the Illinois General Assembly, Obama said he regretted his failure to apply to Washington politics the lessons he had learned about working across the political aisle as a state senator. Changing the tone is possible, he said, but it requires citizenship and a sense that we are one. Today, that kind of citizenship is threatened by a poisonous political climate that pushes people away from participating in our public life, Obama said. It turns folks off. It discourages them. It makes them cynical. And when that happens, more powerful and extreme voices fill the void. He offered a few prescriptions for changing the political climate, including reducing the influence of big money in politics, changing the way congressional districts are drawn and making it easier for people to vote in elections. For nearly an hour, Obama addressed the General Assembly in its ornate legislative chamber, exactly nine years after he stood on the steps of the Old State Capitol to announce what then was an improbable run for president. Before delivering Wednesdays nostalgia-laced appeal for civility in politics, he dropped by one of his old lunchtime haunts to greet diners and pick up an order to go. Obama spoke fondly of getting to know his colleagues in Springfield over fish fries and poker games, an aspect of political life in Washington that has all but disappeared as members of the House and Senate rush out of town on weekends to spend time with family back home. I miss you guys, he said as he left the cheering chamber. In his final State of the Union address last month, Obama acknowledged that rancor and suspicion in Washington had worsened, not improved, since his election. He repeated that lament Wednesday, calling my inability to reduce the polarization and meanness in our politics one of his few regrets as president. Obamas visit to his former stamping grounds in Springfield opened a weeklong trip to California, where he will raise money for Democrats, appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and host the leaders of 10 Southeast Asian nations for a two-day summit. In many ways, though, Obamas call to reclaim the meaning of citizenship and restore a sense of common purpose is harder than ever to achieve. In the presidential campaign to succeed him, Republicans are arguing about whether to ban Muslims from the U.S. and are trading personal epithets barely suitable for print. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders is calling for political revolution fueled by animosity toward corporate interests. On issue after issue, Obamas agenda has been thwarted by stark disagreements with Republicans over the governments role, leading Obama to act unilaterally in ways his opponents say is fit for a dictator. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A armed driver careened through the streets of Oakland on Wednesday morning, ditching officers as he slammed into dozens of cars and injured a pregnant woman before he was ultimately nabbed trying to nonchalantly walk away from his vehicle in Berkeley, officials said. This incident was extremely dangerous, said Officer Johnna Watson, an Oakland police spokeswoman. The driver of this vehicle was armed with a handgun as he intentionally rammed other cars. Additionally, he would point a firearm at them. Police are now searching for the gun the suspect allegedly pointed at police and civilians during the chaotic episode. The rampage began around 8:30 a.m., when someone called police about a driver of a dark-colored Mitsubishi sedan who intentionally slammed into a car near East 23rd Street and Coolidge Avenue, Oakland police Lt. Chris Bolton said. Police recognized the vehicle description from the night before, when they got a call from a woman who said someone rammed her and pointed a gun at her. As officers responded Wednesday, the driver hit two of their cruisers at Fruitvale Avenue and Hyde Street before he continued on, crashing into other vehicles around Oakland, Bolton said. In one instance, the driver allegedly plowed into a pregnant womans car, injuring her. He also was reported to be pointing a gun at people at 14th and Filbert streets in West Oakland, where police from multiple agencies caught up to him, officials said. During the fracas, the driver slammed into several dozen civilian vehicles, three or four Oakland police cruisers and at least two Berkeley police cars, Watson said. The mans driving became so dangerous that officers opted to stop the chase on the ground and try to follow him by air from a California Highway Patrol fixed-wing aircraft, Bolton said. He was driving at extremely high speeds and erratically, Watson said. At some points he was going the wrong direction. The CHP spotted the Mitsubishi on the 1700 block of Hearst Avenue in Berkeley around 9:20 a.m. and multiple officers in patrol cars and armored vehicles moved in. Berkeley police spotted the suspect, a 55-year-old man with addresses in Berkeley and San Pablo, walking away from the car with his hands in his pockets, officials said. Police ordered him to stop and comply with them, but he refused, so they hit him with several beanbag rounds, Watson said. He immediately went to the ground and was detained without further incident. The man, who was not named, was arrested on suspicion of several crimes, including assault with a deadly weapon, pointing a firearm and several vehicle violations. No officers were injured in the chase. Paramedics took the injured pregnant woman to a hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. Police continue to search for the firearm, digging through the car and retracing the steps of the police chase to see if the man threw it out of the vehicle at some point. Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky BENGALURU: The Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) has stayed the suspension of Assistant Commissioner of Police of Yeshwantpur sub-division, Ashwath Narayan Pise, and Police Inspector of Soladevanahalli station Pravin Babu for two weeks. Both the officials were suspended on charges of dereliction of duty following an incident in Soladevanahalli, where a Tanzanian girl student was allegedly attacked by a mob after a road accident. The Inspector was suspended on February 6, while the ACP was suspended the next day. The ACP was suspended on the grounds that he failed to direct the Inspector to trace the victim after the incident, and had shown negligence towards duty. When the hearing of the petitions filed by both the officials came up on Tuesday, the counsel representing that the officials, submitted that as per the Karnataka Police Manual, there should be a serious misconduct on the part of an official to initiate disciplinary action like suspension. He defended that both the officials, on Sunday, were deputed for the bandobust duty of Invest Karnataka, which was scheduled to begin from Wednesday, and they were not at the spot when the incident took place. Further, he argued that the victims themselves had made a voluntary statement that they filed an official police complaint only two days after the incident, as they felt threatened by the locals. He defended that none of the actions of the suspended officers amounted to dereliction of duty and did not call for suspension. Following the submission, the KAT Bench of Moosa Kunhi Nayarmoole passed an order staying the suspension order for two weeks. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Fewer than a quarter of what appear to be surveillance cameras inside BART train cars are real and functional, transit agency officials said Tuesday. BART detailed exactly how many of its train cameras actually record footage in response to a public records request that The Chronicle filed after revealing the agency had been relying for years on scores of decoy cameras to fool criminals and commuters. After acknowledging that most of the security devices on trains were dummies but defending the strategy BART officials said they would phase out the fakes and replace them with working cameras at a cost of $1.4 million. Each train car now has a set of four devices that appear to be cameras, mounted to the ceilings. But BART said Tuesday that just 22.6 percent of the cars had working camera systems. The agency said 70 percent of cameras were fakes, and that others were either broken or inactive. The Chronicle revealed the decoy program after learning that BART had failed to film the Jan. 9 fatal shooting of a man aboard a train at the West Oakland Station. The slaying of 19-year-old Carlos Misael Funez-Romero of Antioch remains unsolved despite a $10,000 reward. Four days after the killing, BART police released photos of the suspect that were taken by station cameras as he entered the system in Pittsburg and as he left the West Oakland Station. Investigators have discovered that the suspect and victim both boarded at the Pittsburg/Bay Point Station, 30 miles away, after riding the same Tri Delta Transit bus to the station. The men who were captured by cameras on the bus had some sort of interaction that apparently continued until the 7:40 p.m. shooting, BART said. But the relationship between the men, if any, as well as the motive for the killing, remain unknown. The suspect, a tall, thin black man with close-cut hair, appeared to be wearing a dark green jacket with a hood, a backpack, jeans and beige work-style boots. The use of dummy cameras is common in private security but unusual among transit systems. And although BARTs use of the decoys was an open secret at the agency, many officials, including some board members, were unaware of it. BART is replacing its entire fleet of trains, and officials said every car in the new fleet will be equipped with cutting-edge cameras producing footage that can be watched live from a central monitoring station. Those cars are expected to arrive between 2017 and 2021. Also Tuesday, BART said it did not rely on decoy cameras outside of its train cars. It said that 10 stations had extensive camera systems and that those stations were each outfitted with between 68 and 85 cameras. All the cameras are believed to be functional, officials said. An additional 16 cameras are mounted at sensitive sites around the BART system, officials said. BART did not provide the exact location of all cameras, citing concern that the information could aid terrorists. It also did not give the age of every camera, citing a lack of accurate records. A former elder of a Saratoga church and his wife have been indicted by a federal grand jury in San Jose on charges of defrauding the church and a wealthy foreign donor of $7.4 million. Jonathan Chang, 60, and Grace Chang, 57, of Cupertino, were accused in a nine-count wire fraud and money laundering indictment issued under seal on Feb. 4. The indictment was unsealed Monday after the couple made initial appearances before a federal magistrate in San Jose and were each released on bonds of $200,000. Jonathan Chang was formerly an elder of the Home of Christ Church 4 in Saratoga from about 2002 to 2011, with responsibility for managing the church's finances, according to the indictment. Grace Chang assisted him with correspondence and other tasks, the document said. The Saratoga church is one of six Bay Area branches of the nondenominational Home of Christ Church. The other branches are located in San Francisco, Menlo Park, Fremont, Cupertino and Newark. The charges against the pair include one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud by bilking the church and a foreign donor, identified only by the initials C.W., of a total of $7.4 million between 2004 and January 2016. The indictment alleges that Jonathan Chang set up a supposed charitable foundation called Home of Christ Associates, or HOC Associates. The couple allegedly then deceived C.W. into believing the supposed foundation was associated with the church, and deceived the church into believing it was the same as a genuine foundation established by C.W. The couple allegedly diverted a $2 million donation and $3 million loan from C.W. for a new church building, $1.5 million in other donations from C.W. and $900,000 in church funds to the supposed foundation and then used the funds for their own benefit. The indictment also charges both Changs with four counts of wire fraud for transfers of money made from C.W. in Taiwan to an HOC Associates bank account, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and three counts of money laundering for transfers of funds from the HOC Associates account to accounts they controlled. Each count carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison upon conviction. The Changs are due to return to the court of U.S. Magistrate Nathanael Cousins on Thursday for identification of their defense lawyers and a further bond hearing. Copyright 2016 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Hyderabad: The TS government has informed the Hyderabad High Court that it intends to amend the Registration Act, 1908 by bringing in a provision stopping registration of unauthorised buildings or plots in the state. The government informed its intention through an affidavit pursuant to the direction of the High Court on a petition by one Jaan Mohammed, a resident of the city, alleging that his neighbour was raising a construction in violation of the sanctioned plan, without leaving any setbacks. The government said that the Tamil Nadu government had already brought in a similar amendment and after studying it, it has decided to amend the Registration Act 1908. It said that the suggestion of the court to set up a Town Planning Tribunal by introducing a provision in Section 452, 461 and 463 of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) Act was under examination. Pending formation of the Tribunal, the GHMC has been directed to strictly enforce existing provisions under the HMC Act to curb unauthorised constructions. The HMC Act was amended in 2008 for making unauthorised construction a cognizable offence with jail term of three years. The court was told that in October 2015, the GHMC had set up a Central Crash Team in Town Planning Section with two retired city planners and one assistant city planner to look into complaints of illegal constructions. The government said that the TPSC has already issued a notification to fill 200 vacancies in the GHMC to overcome the staff crunch. It informed the court that the GHMC has identified 865 and out of which, 340 constructions were demolished after following the due process of law and 31 criminal cases were booked against the persons carrying out illegal constructions. After perusing the affidavit and hearing the arguments, the court reserved its order. Franchise Players is Entrepreneurs Q&A interview column that puts the spotlight on franchisees. If youre a franchisee with advice and tips to share, email franchiseplayers@entrepreneur.com. Healthy eating and consuming all-natural ingredients has always been a lifestyle for Panos Joulios, his wife, Heidi, and his children. So when the opportunity to become a franchisee with the uber-healthy Jamba Juice chain came around in 2010, he decided to open six stores. Joulios has since opened or taken over nine more stores in both the Phoenix, Ariz. and Fresno, Calif. areas. He had a leg up on other new franchisees in that he had been a district manager in Northern California for Jamba Juice and spent years before that working in the corporate world for high-profile restaurant chains like Starbucks, Johnny Rockets and Chevys. Related: This Man Lost Weight and Found a Career in a Fitness Franchise Avid cyclist and healthy-lifestyle advocate Kirk Perron founded Jamba Juice in San Luis Obispo, Calif., in 1990. With headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., there are now 800 locations worldwide serving juices and smoothies and supplying customers with 250 million servings of fruits and vegetables a year. Below, Joulios describes how he still glows knowing he's improving the health of thousands of people by selling them pure nutrition in delicious liquid form. Image Credit: Jamba Juice Name: Panos Joulios Franchise owned: Jamba Juice, Phoenix, Ariz. (West Valley), and Fresno, Calif. (Fresno and Clovis). Q: How long have you owned a franchise? I have been a franchisee since May, 2010. Q: Why franchising? I worked in the corporate world for over 20 years with several high-profile companies including Jamba Juice, so when the opportunity to run my own business came along, I jumped on it! I always ran my district or region with an owner mentality, so this was an easy transition in that respect. Working hard achieves certain successes, but when you work hard for yourself, it changes your life and is so rewarding -- especially when you sign your own paychecks. Q: What were you doing before you became a franchise owner? Before becoming a Jamba franchisee, I had a very successful career at Jamba Juice as a district manager in Northern California. One of my career highlights -- and one I am very proud of -- was being selected to help create our companys B.O.O.S.T service standards that are now part of Jambas culture and training. Prior to that, I worked for other high-profile companies including Starbucks, Johnny Rockets, Chevys, IL Fornaio and a number of startups. In addition to working in the restaurant industry, my wife and I started a publishing company and a Hobby Craft store in Davis, Calif. We also dabbled in real estate and had some successes over the years which helped with the seed money to get our franchise started. Q: Why did you choose this particular franchise? Eating healthy and consuming all natural ingredients has been a way of life for my wife Heidi and I ever since our children were young. This passion turned into an opportunity to work with Jamba corporate, a company that shares our values. When Jamba began franchising it was a natural fit, and it was also important to partner with a company that believes in giving back to the community as we do. For instance, in our current Jamba franchises, we donate regularly to homeless shelters, and help raise money for schools and organizations. This year alone, we helped to raise over $250,000 for our California and Arizona communities we do business in. Related: Retired Executive Finds Second Career Giving Back to His Community With Kona Ice Q: How much would you estimate you spent before you were officially open for business? I purchased six units initially and have acquired / opened nine more stores since 2010. I am developing in both the Fresno and Phoeix markets and have unit sales exceeding expectations. The average traditional store opening has run me around $275,000 to $300,000, plus soft costs. Q: Where did you get most of your advice / do most of your research? For my initial set up, I relied on my past experience for the operational side of the business, but received great advice from my accountant and attorney. I did a lot of online research for bookkeeping systems and came across Thomson Reuters accounting systems and received a tremendous amount of help getting set up from their consultants. Additionally, I asked past mentors a lot of questions and received unlimited Jamba franchise support. Q: What were the most unexpected challenges of opening your franchise? The biggest challenge initially was getting a bank to underwrite my six-store deal. Even though I had the seed money for the down payment, in 2010 banks, were not openly lending to any businesses. It took several rejection letters and a good broker to find the capital -- and in the end it all worked out. Another challenge of acquiring our initial six stores was creating an accounting and human resources infrastructure. It was an eye-opener coming out of the corporate world, where all of this was taken care of for you. You immediately have to wear multiple hats, hone your organizational and time management skills, and be flexible. The franchising process gave me a whole new outlook and respect for what franchisees go through to open their business. Laws, regulations, penalties... that was all on me now. Q: What advice do you have for individuals who want to own their own franchise? I would not take anything for granted, and learn what you dont know quickly! Also, look at your relationship with your franchisor as a partnership to achieving your paralleled goals. This is key in order to have a healthy relationship that grows and matures, because at the end of the day, it creates a win-win. The more stores you open and are successful, the more money you and the franchisor makes. One final thing I would like to mention is to remember to respect and honor the brand, because now you are the brand ambassador, or "Jambassador," as we like to say. How you represent the brand every day, in both your professional and personal life, is a reflection of the kind of franchisee you choose to be. Q: Whats next for you and your business? In the near future, we will continue to grow our family of Jamba Juice stores, especially in the Arizona market. We have agreed to open four to six stores in the Phoenix area (West Valley), and are constantly looking for new and exciting opportunities in the market. In California, we see some new unit growth in the greater Central Valley area for at least two more stores. We plan to add new jobs and opportunities in both states, adding another 20 to 25 new jobs per store. We look forward to boosting up healthier lifestyles to those new employees and adding to the already 300 team members we currently employ. Related: How Fatherhood Changed This Man's Career Course Related: Lifelong Health Advocate Finds a Natural Fit With Jamba Juice How This Second-Generation Franchisee Is Doing Things Her Way This Franchisee Left a Life of Crime (Others' Crimes) to Focus on Fitness Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Hyderabad: Director of school education G. Kishan had earlier issued circulars to all 1,115 private schools in the state that had SSC examination centres to procure CCTV cameras with connectivity to the School Education department during SSC examinations, which are scheduled to start from March 21. The school education department is also planning to install cameras in the 1,499 government schools that have examination centres. Sources from the department said that each school should procure 10 to 13 CCTV cameras with a central processing unit and monitor. As per the specifications, each school should spend at least Rs 1 lakh for the set up. Government has to bear nearly Rs 14.99 crore and private schools should bear Rs 11.15 crore, sources said. Hyderabad district has 315 examination centres out which 131 are private. Only 30 private schools currently have CCTV cameras. In Ranga Reddy, no private school has the facility. New Delhi: Boosting trade ties by ramping up UAE's investment in India and stepping up defence and security cooperation in the wake of rising threat of ISIS are set to be the major focus of talks between Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. Economy of UAE, one of the leading producers of oil, has been hit hard by falling crude prices and it is expected that the Gulf nation would like to invest significantly in India's energy and infrastructure sectors from its sovereign wealth fund of around USD 800 billion. India has been eying the fund, being managed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, for its infrastructure sector including for railways, ports and roads. Joint production of defence equipment is another key area where both the countries are working hard. Under the initiative, UAE may make investment for manufacturing such equipment in India and get the products' supply. Strengthening existing cooperation in information sharing and counter-terrorism will be another focus area in view of rising threat of ISIS. UAE has deported about a dozen Indians with suspected links to the terror group. "The security cooperation between the two countries has been exemplary. There is concrete meeting of minds on the issue," said Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs. Asked whether India will raise the issue of attaching properties of wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim in UAE, Wadhwa refused to talk about any specific individual maintaining these are "ongoing processes". Al Nahyan is accompanied by a power-packed delegation for his three-day trip till February 12, which includes several top ministers and over 100 business tycoons and CEOs of top companies. President Pranab Mukherjee will host a private lunch for Al Nahyan tomorrow, in a reflection of importance the government has accorded to his visit. Wadhwa said he does not recall such gesture by the President in recent times. The Crown Prince will also have a working dinner with Modi tomorrow. A number of pacts in a wide range of sectors like nuclear energy, oil, IT, aerospace and railways are expected to be signed tomorrow after talks between Modi and Al Nahyan, an influential leader in the UAE who is also the country's Deputy Supreme Commander of the armed forces. After visit here of Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in March last year, Al Nahyan is another important leader to come here from Gulf region, home to 7 million Indians who are a major source of remittances. It also fulfills 60 per cent of India's energy needs. "The visit takes place after we have decided to elevate our relationship to comprehensive strategic partnership during our Prime Minister's visit to UAE in August last year and this will provide an opportunity to have detailed discussions to consolidate the domains of existing partnership," said Wadhwa. He said areas of cooperation will include production of defence equipment in India, strategic partnership in security and counter-terrorism and cooperation in nuclear and space sectors. The Philippines has also asked the United States to do joint naval patrols in the South China Sea, something a US diplomat said this month was a possibility. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The United States and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that a US defence official said could include the disputed South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the waterway. Washington wants its regional allies and other Asian nations to take a more united stance against China over the South China Sea, where tensions have spiked in the wake of Beijing's construction of seven man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago. India and the United States have ramped up military ties in recent years, holding naval exercises in the Indian Ocean that last year involved the Japanese navy. But the Indian navy has never carried out joint patrols with another country and a naval spokesman told Reuters there was no change in the government's policy of only joining an international military effort under the United Nations flag. He pointed to India's refusal to be part of anti-piracy missions involving dozens of countries in the Gulf of Aden and instead carrying out its own operations there since 2008. The US defence official said the two sides had discussed joint patrols, adding that both were hopeful of launching them within the year. The patrols would likely be in the Indian Ocean where the Indian navy is a major player as well as the South China Sea, the official told Reuters in New Delhi on condition of anonymity. The official gave no details on the scale of the proposed patrols. There was no immediate comment from China, which is on a week-long holiday for Chinese New Year. China accused Washington this month of seeking maritime hegemony in the name of freedom of navigation after a US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of a disputed island in the Paracel chain of the South China Sea in late January. The US Navy conducted a similar exercise in October near one of China's artificial islands in the Spratlys. MARITIME COOPERATION Neither India nor the United States has claims to the South China Sea, but both said they backed freedom of navigation and overflight in the waterway when US President Barack Obama visited New Delhi in January 2015. Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also agreed at the time to "identify specific areas for expanding maritime cooperation". More than $5 trillion in world trade moves through the South China Sea each year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan also claim parts of the waterway. In December, the issue of joint patrols came up when defence minister Manohar Parrikar visited the US Pacific Command in Hawaii, an Indian government source said. "It was a broad discussion, it was about the potential for joint patrols," said the source, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. India has a long-running land border dispute with China and has been careful not to antagonise its more powerful neighbour, instead focusing on building economic ties. But it has stepped up its naval presence far beyond the Indian Ocean, deploying a ship to the South China Sea almost constantly, an Indian navy commander said, noting this wasn't the practice a few years ago. The commander added that the largest number of Indian naval ship visits in the South China Sea region was to Vietnam, a country rapidly building military muscle for potential conflict with China over the waterway. Still, the idea of joining the United States in patrols in the region was a long shot, the officer added. The Philippines has asked the United States to do joint naval patrols in the South China Sea, something a US diplomat said this month was a possibility. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Will you soon be able to pick up a jar of almond butter in downtown San Francisco? The folks over at Hoodline tipped us off to the fact that Trader Joe's met with the Planning Department at the end of last year to discuss the "approvals process for potentially opening a location, complete with groceries and alcohol sales, at 10 Fourth St." SFGate contacted Trader Joe's and spokesperson Alison Mochizuki said, "At this time we don't have anything to confirm." Even without a definite announcement, locals are excited about the possibility of the grocery chain known for affordable products opening up at 10 Fourth St. "This would be an amazing option!" wrote one commenter on Hoodline. "I fully support this." The 21,000-square-foot location is tucked away in the basement of Old Navy. When the clothing retailer opened its flagship store in 1999, it occupied the basement but later moved out. The bottom level became a separate retail space with its own entrance and has sat empty for years. If you want to pick up the fixings for dinner, your options downtown are limited. The Market Street Walgreens offers a small selection of prepared foods and fresh produce, while the Mission Street Target sells some groceries in the back of its store. Gourmet grocer Bristol Farms in the basement of Westfield Mall is a higher price point with an emphasis on prepared foods and not a viable everyday shopping option for the average consumer. The closest Whole Foods is a 15-minute stroll from Market Street, while the Ninth Street Trader Joe's is a half-hour walk from downtown. The downside of a downtown location is that it will likely attract crowds. The lines at the Trader Joe's in Manhattan are notoriously long. In a recent Slate article, Daniel Engber suggests avoiding Trader Joe's altogether due to the hassle of shopping among the hordes. "People get stressed out," he writes. "They say 'excuuuuse me' in a mocking tone when you bump into their carts. They threaten you with violence. They slap your husband's face for grabbing the last box of frozen vegan pad Thai." Let's hope S.F. residents wouldn't do that at a downtown location. SFGate also reached out to Colliers International, the realty company listing the space at 10 Fourth St., and hasn't heard back. Chennai: The Madras high court on Tuesday declined to order a second autopsy on the body of Saranya found in a well in Villupuram district on January 23. She was one of the three students of SVS Medical College of Yoga and Naturopathy whose bodies were found in the well. The body of Saranya was buried on January 24 and the petition for re-postmortem filed on February 3. It had been nine days since the burial. Only after conducting postmortem, the body of Saranya was buried. The body was in a decomposed state and it is not viable for conducting re-postmortem to find out whether there is any contusion on the body. Furthermore, internal organs are dilated once it is buried. So no purpose will be served in ordering re-postmortem, said Justice R. Mala while dismissing the petitions from Elumalai, father of Saranya, for exhuming her body and passing order for re-postmortem. The judge said the reason assigned by R. Sankarasubbu, counsel for the petitioner, was that since the doctors had not performed the postmortem of Saranya in a proper manner, they were unable to give reason for the cause of death. But, this argument does not hold good. If any person dies, under suspicious circumstances, after autopsy internal organs will be collected and sent to forensic science department to obtain viscera report to ascertain whether any poisonous substance is found. Only then they are able to give the cause of death and final opinion. Merely because the cause of death is not given in the first postmortem certificate, it is not a reason for passing an order for conducting re-postmortem, the judge added. The judge said the counsel for the petitioner submitted that after 15 days, it was possible to find out contusion. However, parents of Saranya, without making any objection, buried her body. After re-postmortem of Monisha only, the petitioner came forward with the petitions, which shows the intention of the petitioner to drag on the investigation. The first postmortem was conducted by a team of government doctors and the same was properly video-graphed. A portion of internal organs has been collected, which was sent for forensic science department for detection. In such circumstances, I am of the view that the petitioner has not disclosed any defects in performing autopsy, not warranted re-postmortem, the judge added. New Delhi: The condition of braveheart Lance Naik Hanamanthappa, who was trapped for six days at the Siachen Glacier under 35 ft of ice before being rescued on Monday night, further deteriorated on Wednesday evening while still remaining extremely critical. He has brain damage including evidence of oxygen deprivation to the brain, pneumonia in both lungs, and multi-organ failure, including damage to both kidneys, thereby rendering the chances of his survival extremely bleak. There were also some reports that people had offered to donate their kidney to the brave soldier in order to save him. Doctors from the AIIMS also visited the Army R&R Hospital for assistance. UP Woman offers to donate kidney A housewife on Wednesday offered to donate a kidney to Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who is battling for life after being rescued from Siachen Glacier. Nidhi Pandey, who lives in Padaria Tula village, about 50 km away from here, said she was sad to know about the soldiers condition who clung to life after being buried for six days under 30 feet of snow following an avalanche hitting his post at the glacier. It was being broadcast in the news channels that his condition is extremely critical as his liver and kidneys are not functioning properly, she said, adding that she felt that something more should be done for the soldier. Kolkata: A newborn died at Barasat State General Hospital in North 24 Parganas, as the driver of the ambulance allegedly wasted time in bargaining over the fare with the childs parents, despite the fact that the service was supposed to be free of cost. On Wednesday morning eight-month-old Rehana Sultana, the victim from Amdanga in North 24 Parganas, was rushed to the government-run hospital with acute respiratory distress. After a preliminary treatment, the doctors referred her to Dr B C Roy Memorial Hospital for Children, the lone government run super-speciality facility for paediatric care in West Bengal, in Phoolbagan of north Kolkata. The doctors told Rehana's father Imdadul Hossein that he could hire an ambulance for free, specially reserved for the newborn's treatment, and handed over the application documents of the free of cost service to him. The offer is available by the state health department under Janani-Shishu Suraksha scheme under the National Health Mission. Armed with the documents when Mr Hossein, accompanied by his family members, went to hire an ambulance on the hospital premises, its driver demanded nearly Rs 1,000 majority of which would cover the rate for hire apart from tips and oxygen cylinder charges. When Mr Hossein cried of inability the driver started bargaining which continued for around one and half-an-hour before another agreed to go. When Mr Hossein and his family members went inside the hospital to take the newborn from the ward, they found her lying dead. The patient's family members burst in anger following her death and demonstrated. A fight took place between them and the hospital staff. A police team rushed to the hospital and pacified the newborn's family. The district health department has initiated a probe and sought a report from hospital superintendent Subrata Mondal. Chief medical officer (Health) of North 24 Parganas Pranoy Bardhan said, "Strong action will be taken into the incident if anyone is found guilty." BJP National President Amit Shah, Union Minister for Sports Welfare Sarbananda Sonowal and others wave during a public rally on the occasion of 14th Bodoland Day in Kokrajhar. (Photo: PTI) Guwahati: BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday hit out at Congress and alleged that illegal influx from Bangladesh was affecting the job prospects of locals in Assam and said if his party is voted to power, it would stop the entry of immigrants into the state. Shah who was in Kokrajhar to attend the 13th anniversary of Bodoland accord signed during the NDA regime in 2003, said, The process of detecting and deporting illegal immigrants has started. He also announced the BJPs electoral alliance with Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) for 2016 assembly polls said that BPF chief has sought a Rs. 1000 crore package for development of Bodoland Territorial Council. I can assure that BJP government will give much more than what BPF chief Hagrama Mohiliary has asked for, said Mr Shah while launching a frontal attack on ruling Congress party said, "In last 15 years development has taken a back seat in Assam. Despite being endowed with natural and human resource Assam is remains a backward state. Pointing out that Assam was among five richest states of the country when it got independence, Shah regretted that Congress, which ruled the state for majority of time, has reduced the state among five poorest state of the country. Shah also reminded that in 1962 then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had abandoned Assam in the wake of attack from China. It was due to our soldiers that Assam is still part of India, he said. Referring as to how 42 per cent population of the state doesnt have safe drinking water and more than one crore population of the state is surviving below the poverty line, Shah also slammed the ruling Congress party for not doing anything to solve the problem of unemployment. When Congress came to power in 2001 there were 9 lakh unemployed youths in the state. In 2016 it has grown to 23 lakh, said Shah asking the people to give a chance to BJP-BPF to rule the state. Shah claimed that states ruled by BJP, including Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have 24x7 electricity, roads, hospitals and drinking water. Assam has one of the highest maternal mortality ratio. The state has also recorded 19000 cases of crime against women which is also highest in the country, said the BJP president who also addressed a mammoth public rally of BJP workers in central Assams Nagaon district. The BJP president said that the Gogoigovernment is yet to submit completion certificate of majority of the central government schemes. "Even UPA government had stopped funds in some projects as the state did not submit the utilization certificates. There must be a government here which can implement the schemes of Centre, not quarrel with the centre," he said. If February comes, can high-decibel talk about green shoots of the economy and the growth story be far behind? In the Budget season an outpouring of suggestions rents the air. But in all the gross domestic product talk, one critical issue typically gets missed out one sure way to boost Indias GDP is to reverse the shocking decline in the female work participation rate in the country. How can the finance ministry help? It is no secret that India has one of the lowest female participation rates in the world. It ranked 120 among 131 countries surveyed by the International Labour Organisation in 2013. Even within South Asia, it is in sixth position among eight countries, better than Pakistan and Afghanistan, but worse than Bangladesh. What is more worrying is that female labour force participation rates in India have been declining for several years now. In 2014, only 28.6 per cent of Indian women in the 15-64 age group were part of the labour force, according to the World Bank. Tellingly, the correspon-ding figure for women in Bangladesh was 60.6 per cent and 70.4 per cent for China. The National Sample Survey Office says female LFPR in rural areas fell 12-14 percentage points between 2004-05 and 2010-11 a very sharp decline. Economists and sociologists have long sparred over the reasons for the withdrawal of Indian women from the labour force. There are many explanations like rising family incomes. Then there is the issue of underestimation. But overall, academics are increasingly acknowledging a bitter truth, i.e. there just arent enough suitable job opportunities for the vast majority of women in this country. A recent report by World Bank argues that the reason for the worrying decline is a jobs deficit. Most women in India traditionally wor-ked in agriculture. But the number of farming jobs has been shrinking without a commensurate increase in other employment opportunities. In most countries, as agricultural jobs shrunk, men moved to the manufacturing sector and women to the service sector. But India bucks the trend. With agriculture becoming more mechanised, farm jobs are reducing but the manufacturing sector has not grown sufficiently to absorb all the men who are displaced from farming. So they crowd the service sector, traditionally a female terrain. This makes it tougher for women, especially those with little education or skills, to get formal sector service jobs. This worrying picture is reaffirmed by a study done the National Institution for Trans-forming India (NITI Aayog). The study notes that poor education among rural women acts as a barrier to smooth inter-sectoral labour mobility. Nearly 69 per cent of rural women are either illiterate or have been educated only up to the primary level. The good news is that many young women among the better-educated in urban India are looking to enter the workforce in large numbers. The proportion of working women in urban areas shot up from 11.9 per cent in 2001 to 15.4 per cent in 2011. But, sadly, most women are only able to find marginal work in the informal economy, with low wages and little or no job security. One of the fastest-growing sectors for urban working women in India has been domestic work. And there have been some positive signs. Recently, the Rajasthan government led by a woman fixed minimum wages for domestic help and set limits to their working hours. From January this year, the rate for an entire days (defined as eight hours) chores including cooking, washing, baby sitting and other work has been fixed at a minimum of `5,642 per month. In case of overtime, employers will have to pay workers double the minimum fixed wage per hour for each hour. Other states need to follow suit, but have not done so yet. So what should be done? How can the Budget help? The Modi government has promised new schemes to encourage women entrepreneurs as part of Start-up India. There are various financial training and mentoring programmes that help women entre-preneurs write business plans and seek funds from banks and venture capitalists. But a lot more needs to be done. The forthcoming Bud-get should provide more fiscal incentives to industries and regions that increase job opportunities for women. Equally necessary are fiscal incentives for support systems that can make this happen. Economists like Vinoj Abraham say that creating work opportunities alone will not lead to more women in the workforce policy interventions need to address a variety of issues, including impro-ving womens access to education and skills tra-ining, promoting affordable childcare to ease the burden of domestic duties, enhancing safety for women on the streets and in work places. Each of these need resources if it is not to be empty talk. One of the most critical policy intervention needed is affordable childcare. Indias mobile creches, most of them located at construction sites, are small-scale day care facilities that provide services to female construction workers with children. Such schemes need to be expanded to a grand scale and well beyond construction sites. There need to be financial incentives for employers who provide access to child care facilities. These have many benefits: Decreased absenteeism and if women dont have to constantly worry about childcare, their productivity is likely to rise. This applies to women who have jobs, are self-employed, as well as those engaged in agricultural activities. Affordable child care facilities release female siblings from child care responsibilities. This, in turn, improves the rates of primary school enrolment, retention and performance. India has transitioned to a $2 trillion economy in the past two decades without creating adequate and secure jobs for its large, mostly unskilled labour force. Now, we have the Make in India campaign and Skill India Mission. These will achieve true success only if women, half of Indias potential work force, are part of them. So dear finance minister, do remember: Parity and prosperity can go together. Air power is the most capital-intensive means of war. A modern fighter jet now could cost several hundred crores and the prices seem to be rising exponentially. In 2007, a budget of Rs 42,000 crore was provisioned for the 126 multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) proposed to be acquired, about Rs 330 crore a piece. The 36 Rafale deal is now estimated to be $9 billion or over Rs 65,000 crore or about Rs 1,500 crore each. This is almost four times the cost of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, arguably the most capable and versatile of the worlds fourth-generation fighters. The first lot of MiG-21s in 1961 cost us less than Rs 20 lakh each. A brand new and latest MiG-21 variant will cost at least one hundred times that. An Su-30MKI costs about Rs 360 crore each. Given an operational life of about 40-50 years, Rafale will require expenditure for periodic maintenance and modernisation. Aircraft delivered ordnance is also very expensive. Radar-guided cum heat-seeking missile today can cost up to Rs 50-100 lakh each, while an advanced long-range air-to-air missile could cost five times that. Then we have a wide array of laser-guided and TV-guided precision munitions that can be more expensive. For instance, the prices of runway busting Durandal bombs start at about Rs 15 lakh apiece. The cost of an air launched Brahmos supersonic missile will be over Rs 15 crore each. The cost of these new smart weapons can be gleaned from the following extract from a US government study after the Second Gulf War: While the vast majority of the expended ordnance was unguided 92.4 per cent the inverse was true for cost. About 84 per cent of cost was accounted for by the 7.6 per cent of ordnance that was guided. If the 332 cruise missiles are excluded with their extremely high unit costs unguided ordnance still represented about 92.6 per cent of the total number expended, but the percentage of cost for ordnance that was guided decreases to 75.9 per cent. While the accuracy of these weapons makes them devastating, air power alone does not win wars. If it were so, the US would have won in Vietnam or even be winning in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Israeli war in Lebanon in 2006, which mostly relied on its vastly superior air power, did not give it the results it expected. The Hezbollah was seen a victor for showing itself willing to stand up to the Israeli onslaught which in just a few days killed 1,200 fighters and civilians for a handful Israeli causalities. But even this very short war cost Israel $1.6 billion and shaved off about one per cent from its annual economic growth. The Hezbollah and Hamas continue to flourish and are now even bigger players in the politics of the region. So who won? Given our geography, the Indian Army will still have to bear the primary burden of defending the borders. But as Kargil has shown, the combination of air and land power delivers results even and, especially in the mountains. Nuclear weapons are the ultimate deterrent, but the conditions under which they become credible will seldom arise in the modern world. Our military credibility depends upon the options we have available at every step of the escalatory ladder. The more options we have the better placed we will be to have a flexible response to situations and that will give us more options to respond to situations. The cost intensiveness of modern fighter aircraft requires they stay in service for decades and also be capable of maintaining air superiority and lethality in an environment where technological advancements are rapid. This means that the aircraft we buy today must be capable of taking two or more upgrades. Thus, the later the design and development, the greater are the upgrade options. Take, for example, MiG-21, still the mainstay of the Indian Air Force. The latest upgraded MiG-21-93 has all the latest avionics and the powerful Tumansky R-25-300 engine. The next major consideration is cost. There are ways to compute these, but there are pitfalls when you compare apples and oranges. In fact, a sound equation correlating costs, age, lethality, performance, state of art, replacement and maintenance costs, political risk and other factors is well nigh impossible. But you must start with basic unit cost. Since modern fighter aircrafts are not only extremely expensive but technologically very advanced machinery constructed out of the latest materials and electronics, it goes without saying that full indigenisation will never be possible. A good percentage of the parts will always be imported, either from the original aircraft manufacturer or from original equipment manufacturers in other countries. In times of conflict, the wear and tear is greater and munitions stores run down very rapidly. The new generation missiles and bombs, most of which at all times will be imported, also do not have very long shelf lives. This means that supply lines must always be open. A multi-role combat aircraft is different from a strike fighter. The multi-role fighter is designed to equally perform both aerial combat and ground attack, while the strike fighter is typically a fighter aircraft that can also employ air-to-ground munitions. The MRCAs are essentially supposed to be replacements for the older MiG-21s and the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) whose entry service is now about 15 years overdue. In the recent years, the IAF has also phased out all its MiG-23 fighters. All these are best described as lightweight frontal aviation aircrafts. The MiG-21 is possibly the most successful jet fighter ever with over 11,000 produced and the upgraded MiG-21bis is expected to have a service life till about 2025. The Tejas programme commenced in 1983 and it is yet to enter full production. The reasons for this are many, but the IAF cannot shirk responsibility either as it has a track record of constantly delaying decisions and shifting goal posts. It took the IAF three long years to finalise its air staff requirement (ASR). After the indigenous Kaveri engine failed its tests, the designers were left with little option but to seek an engine abroad. The IAF had earlier approved the GE-F404 engine, but as this engine had become outdated and since the project was delayed due to the US technology embargo, the designer recommended the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) manufactured Eurojet EJ200. It seems the IAF dragged its feet in giving approval, which is especially odd considering it is a more modern and efficient engine. Now the latest GE-F414 engine has been approved for the next lot of Tejas. This persistent resistance to an indigenous fighter has given rise to much speculation about the deeper agendas of some of the IAFs top commanders. But the Defence Research and Development Organisation too doesnt have a particularly good track record of meeting its commitments and delivering the goods as promised. In fact, it is the DRDOs rather pathetic track record that has made us such an import-dependent military power. And one whose politics are influenced by the machinations of Indian arms agents, financiers and other assorted shadowy flimflam men operating out of luxury hotels here and abroad, their identities are quite well known. The INA had managed to do well and it was a proud moment for them when it planted the tricolour on Indian soil. (Representational Image) I returned to India in August 1946 after serving in Burma and Indonesia during the Second World War. While I was abroad, I learnt about the Indian National Army trials that had taken the country by storm. The Naval Mutiny in Bombay followed thereafter. When the war ended I was with my battalion in Burma. We were given the task of looking after a prisoner of war (PoW) camp. I was appointed the adjutant of the camp. Some 8,000 Japanese prisoners were in the camp. A couple of hundred INA prisoners also came. We had to dispatch the latter to Insein jail in Rangoon. They said they had fought for Indias Independence while we were mercenaries serving the British. I became friendly with the British captain who was the adjutant of the Insein camp. He allowed me to meet Colonel Mahboob Ahmed, the military secretary to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who was in that camp. Col. Mehboob was from my home town and five years older than me. We had been close family friends from our childhood. He became PoW in Malaya and joined the INA. He was inspired by Netaji and worshipped him. He told me that the Japanese treated Netaji with great respect, like a head of state. They, however, did not treat the INA so well and gave them subsidiary roles. Despite being short of supplies, the INA had managed to do well and it was a proud moment for them when it planted the tricolour on Indian soil at Moirang in Manipur on April 14, 1944. After the INA trials at Red Fort, Col. Mehboob was freed and arrived in Patna to a heros welcome. I proceeded on a posting to Batavia (now Jakarta) as general staff officer (operations) in Allied Forces Headquarters in Indonesia. During the war, Indonesia had been under Japanese occupation, like Burma and Malaya. I saw Asian nationalism rising out of the ashes of European colonialism in these countries. My return to India in August 1946 coincided with the Great Calcutta killings. I was among the three Indian officers posted to Military Operations Directorate for the first time. My British predecessor had been conscripted for service during the war and was in a hurry to get back home to civil life after demobilisation. He handed over the key of top secret almirah to me saying that I could check them in my own time. I was amused to see two files with a strange security classification: Top secret not for Indian eyes. I studied these files carefully. The first had a paper written by Maj. Gen. OBrien, the director of military intelligence, on the loyalty of the Indian Army. Broadly, the main points made in the paper were that the Indian Army had expanded from 450 Indian officers to 12,000 between 1939-1945. Similarly, the personnel below officer rank had increased from 1.5 lakh to 2.2 million. Those recruited during the war were from all over the country and had been exposed to the ongoing Independence movement in our country. The second file, marked Operation Gondola, was a logical consequence of the first file. It was a plan for the safe evacuation of British civilians from remote areas all over the country under escort to camps. There is no doubt that at the last stage it was the reliability of the Indian Army that was the main factor behind the decision of the British to quit so hastily as stated by Clement Attlee (the British Prime Minister who signed off on Indias independence) in 1956 to Justice P.B. Chakraborty, acting governor of West Bengal. He said that the influence of Mahatma Gandhi at that time was marginal. Based on this some people have been writing that it was Netaji who at the final stage won Indie freedom and that the Mahatma had become irrelevant after 1942. No doubt that Netaji and the INA made a tremendous contribution towards getting our Independence in 1947, but this does not mean the Mahatmas role can be ignored. The British misread the mood of Indians in 1945. They picked on a Hindu, Muslim and Sikh, tried them on criminal charges of atrocity and killing Indian PoWs with the Japanese. The place chosen for the trial, Red Fort, in full public view aroused strong nationalist sentiments. It was reminiscent of the unfair trial of the 80-year-old last Mughal emperor and his exile to Rangoon. The trial unified all Indian political groups in support of the INA. Had the British held the trials in Burma without publicity, the story could have been very different. After the declassification of several files pertaining to Netaji recently there has been a wide discussion on TV channels and in newspapers about the role of Netaji and the INA in bringing about Independence. The INA was a more potent force in defeat than during the war. The main prop upholding British military power in India, the Indian Army, was no longer willing to support British imperial rule. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Harris County Sheriff's Office has terminated a deputy for employee misconduct with a witness to the murder of Deputy Darren Goforth. The sheriff's office said in a press release that it had terminated Deputy M. DeLeon on Tuesday. THE TRIAL: Houston man accused in deputy's shooting declared incompetent "Following the murder of Deputy Darren Goforth and the subsequent investigation, Sheriff Hickman has instructed the Internal Affairs Division to continue their review of employee misconduct with a witness in the case," department officials said in a press release Wednesday. "The ongoing investigation by our Internal Affairs Division concluded that Deputy Deleon was untruthful during the course of their investigation." "I can't go into details because his appeals process has not yet been exhausted...," Sheriff Ron Hickman said, when asked Tuesday about DeLeon's termination. "But his alleged conduct would concern any law enforcement leader." Ralph Gonzales, the spokesman for the Sheriff's Department, said the relationship took place before and after Goforth's death, and that the department was investigating yet another deputy for similar allegations with the same woman. "There is another investigation in the process, with similar allegations against another deputy," Gonzales said. PREVIOUS CASE: Investigator fired, admitted to "sexual contact" with witness Goforth, 47, was gunned down at a northwest Harris County gas station last August. Department investigators arrested Shannon Miles, 31. He is charged with capital murder. Weeks after the murder, prosecutors revealed in a legally required disclosure that an eyewitness told investigators she had been sexually involved with Goforth. That information caused Anthony Osso, Miles' attorney, to argue that Goforth had gone to the gas station to meet the woman, and was not technically on duty at the time of his death, meaning his client should not be eligible for the death penalty. THE WITNESS: Lawyer in Goforth shooting seeks more info on mistress The case against Miles was further embroiled earlier this week when a Harris County district judge ordered he be committed to a mental hospital for 120 days so mental health professionals could try to restore him to competency. In October, the sheriff's office revealed that one of its homicide detectives, Craig Clopton, had also been sexually involved with the woman. The sheriff's office fired Clopton for the misconduct and led Hickman to call his behavior "unethical and inexcusable." Earlier this month, the sheriff's office clarified its misconduct policy requiring deputies not to have sexual contact with "... any individual who is a party to an ongoing active investigation." Previously, it had only forbade sexual contact with persons in custody. Brian Rogers and Lauren Caruba contributed. Google's new headset is speculated to have a new plastic casting, with better sensors and lenses. Mumbai: Over the past few years, virtual reality has been gaining traction and numerous technology giants are progressively investing towards developing better VR headsets for consumers. Now a new report has indicated that Google is planning to improve on its previous VR product offering, and releasing an advanced version of the Google cardboard. Around a year and a half earlier, Google came up with an elementary VR headsetthe Google Cardboardwith two simple plastic lenses inside a hollow cardboard. However the new headset is speculated to have a new plastic casting, with better sensors and lenses. The report by the Financial Times suggested that California-based company will be releasing the new VR headset to compete against Samsungs recently launched Gear VR. Interestingly, the report also indicated that Googles new VR headset will support a higher number of smartphones than Samsungs Gear VR. Unlike the Cardboard, the companys upcoming headset will not rely entirely on a smartphones equipment. However, most of its processing power will be drawn from the handset, according to the report. The company is most likely to unveil the new VR headset during the three-day annual developer conference Google I/O. The new product hardware will be based on a Nexus style design to extend support towards the companys hardware partners. Another specialized version of headset Android VR might also be unveiled alongside the Nexus Style VR product. The specialised version of the product will allow more virtual reality integration into android, thus extending support towards third-party apps. Even developers will be able to integrate more virtual reality features to their Android apps. Google has a slew of other projects up its sleeve and it will be exciting to see whether the company is also looking forward to integrate the upcoming products with existing projects to offer superior virtual reality experience. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Mumbai: A couple of days after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) announced its verdict to support net neutrality and ban differential pricing for data, a well-known Facebook investor and board member has lashed out at India on Twitter suggesting that anti-colonialism has been catastrophic for India. Marc Lowell Andreessen, the companys board member, was extremely disappointed with the Indian telecom regulators decision to ban Facebooks Free Basics in the country. Andreessen expressed his dissatisfaction publicly on Twitter and said that de-colonisation has been economically catastrophic for the country. "Anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the Indian people for decades. Why stop now?" he tweeted. A screen grab of Marc Andreessen's derogatory remark on Indian colonialism.The tweet was taken down by him after he received heavy criticism from Indians for his derogatory remarks on the country. Soon after, Andreessen offered a sarcastic apology and promised not to get involved in topics pertaining to India politics or economics. I hereby withdraw from all future discussions of Indian economics or politics. Carry on... Marc Andreessen (@pmarca) February 10, 2016 And for the record, I am opposed to colonialism, in any country. https://t.co/3ommgZssMm Marc Andreessen (@pmarca) February 10, 2016 TRAIs verdict comes as a major victory for supporters of net neutrality in India. The latest order disregards any pattern of differential data pricing which disallows platforms like Facebooks Free basics, zero-rating services, and special data packs. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also expressed his disappointment regarding the Indian telecom regulators decision to ban Free Basics. In a Facebook post, Zuckerberg said, Today India's telecom regulator decided to restrict programs that provide free access to data. This restricts one of Internet.org's initiatives, Free Basics, as well as programs by other organizations that provide free access to data. While we're disappointed with today's decision, I want to personally communicate that we are committed to keep working to break down barriers to connectivity in India and around the world. Internet.org has many initiatives, and we will keep working until everyone has access to the internet, he added. For readers who want to read TRAIs full order can click on this link. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Washington has signalled the need for military and police trainers as well as contributions of special operations forces from allies to fight IS. (Photo: AFP) Brussels: The United States said on Tuesday it hoped allies demonstrate a willingness to ramp up their contributions to the fight against ISIS and to deterring Russia in eastern Europe during high-level defence talks in Brussels this week. Defence Secretary Ash Carter said he plans to outline America's plan to accelerate the campaign against ISIS to defence chiefs from more than two dozen allies at talks on Thursday. The United States has long-standing concerns that many allies are not contributing nearly enough to combat the jihadist group that has spread beyond its self-declared caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria. "I don't think anybody's satisfied with the pace of the (campaign), that's why we're all looking to accelerate it. Certainly the president isn't (satisfied)," Carter told reporters travelling with him. Washington has signalled the need for military and police trainers as well as contributions of special operations forces, including from Sunni Muslim Arab allies now expressing a new willingness to contribute. "We have a very clear operational picture of how to do it. Now we just need the resources and the forces to fall in behind it," he said, noting plans to capture Islamic State strongholds of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria. A top US intelligence official told Congress on Tuesday that an Iraqi-led operation to retake Mosul is unlikely to take place this year. The US strategy in Syria is likely to come under intense scrutiny after four months of Russian air strikes have tipped momentum toward President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's five-year-old civil war. Defence chiefs were expected to discuss a major Syrian government offensive backed by Russia and Iran now underway near Aleppo that rebels say threatens the future of their insurrection. Deterring Russia On Wednesday, NATO defence ministers will begin outlining plans for a complex web of small eastern outposts, forces on rotation, regular war games and warehoused equipment ready for a rapid response force. US plans for a four-fold increase in military spending in Europe to $3.4 billion in fiscal year 2017 are central to the strategy, which has been shaped in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. "I'll be looking for others in NATO to echo (us) in our investment," Carter said. Carter said the plan aimed to move NATO to a "full deterrence posture" to thwart any kind of aggression. "It's not going to look like it did back in Cold War days but it will constitute, in today's terms, a strong deterrent," Carter said. Throwbacks from the 1990s seem to be everywhere these days: low unemployment, a Bush and a Clinton running for office, friends from X-Files entering our living rooms again. And now identity politics are back, too. In this election, as in those during the last era when identity politics thrived, politicians are desperately trying to prove theyre a Star-Belly Sneetch, or else a Plain-Belly Sneetch, on the presumption that Sneetches always vote for their own. But rather than appealing to voter identities based on race, gender or class, todays pols are citing ideological labels to incite herd-mentality voting: conservative and progressive. In recent weeks, presidential candidates have thrown themselves into semantic parsings arcane enough to make a linguist swoon. In Thursdays Democratic debate in New Hampshire, for example, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders tussled repeatedly over what it means to be progressive, whether one could be simultaneously progressive and moderate, and whether Clintons views on banking, capital punishment and foreign policy could be shoehorned into the true definition of progressivism, whatever that is. Clinton fought back with etymology, declaring that the root of that word, progressive, is progress, which she implied she has a near-monopoly on. She suggested Sanders strict-constructionist definition of progressivism would require purging nearly everyone from the Democratic Party. Viewers were apparently so confused by this exchange that online dictionary look-ups of the word progressive spiked. Days later, in a separate televised debate, Republican presidential contenders had an eerily similar verbal shootout over who and what counts as conservative. Among the key points of contention: Is supporting eminent domain conservative? What about providing services to the mentally ill? What about spending more money on national defense? Lest you blame these semantic antics on the debate moderators, note that elsewhere on the campaign trail and in social media, the candidates have also tried to weaponize these terms. Jeb Bush in particular likes to get riled up about his competitors true conservative bona fides, or lack thereof. I honestly dont get this fixation, among Republicans and Democrats, with their ideological marques. Both terms seem so elastic as to be pretty much meaningless. Given the standard-bearers of such labels in the past, the terms encompass a wide and often inconsistent bundle of beliefs. Ronald Reagan, after all, was supposed to be a paragon of conservatism, but under his watch the federal debt exploded. On the left, progressive carries even weirder baggage, especially in comparison with its near-synonym liberal (which has undergone its own brand revival of late). Under the aegis of the p-word, many members of the original turn-of-the-20th-century Progressive movement embraced eugenics, temperance, segregation and other ideas that both the public and presidential candidates are probably not so keen on today. More important, it just doesnt seem like the voters care. . Dont get me wrong, theres plenty of tribalism on both the left and the right. But both parties also now have big and oddly shaped tents. Imagining everyone in their coalitions all believe the same things about every issue, and in a way that is intellectually consistent and summarizable by any single word or principle, is foolhardy. One of Trumps most useful insights this election cycle is to recognize that voters dont actually pay much attention to whether a politician espouses traditionally conservative views, however defined, or even ideologically coherent ones. He picks and chooses positions that people like and want to vote for, or at least that sound good in the moment. (A lot of his views on trade, big pharma and special interests sound similar to Sanders, after all.) To some extent this is what politicians have always done, though usually theyve pretended to philosophical constancy more fervently than Trump has. Trump has embraced the appeal and practicality of cafeteria-style politics. Hes just waiting for the rest of the field to catch up. 2016, Washington Post Writers Group E-mail: crampell@washpost.com SACRAMENTO California would levy a new 15 percent tax on medical marijuana sales to enforce new regulations and pay for state programs, rehabilitation and parks under a bill introduced Wednesday. The Marijuana Value Tax Act could bring the state more than $100 million in new revenue. The tax was anticipated after the state passed historic regulations last year that require state and local licenses for medical marijuana businesses under the new Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulations. Now that there is a long overdue regulatory framework put into place, its time to help fund the areas that are most affected by the cultivation those communities that have long been paying the price of the negative effects of cultivation brought on by the bad actors who destroy the environment and bring in crime, state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, who authored SB987 and parts of last years marijuana regulations, said in a statement. California became the first state in the nation to allow for medicinal use of marijuana two decades ago. Until last years regulations were signed into law, the billion-dollar industry remained largely unregulated. The Board of Equalization said it anticipates medical marijuana sales to increase with the new laws. In 2014, the state took in $50 million in sales taxes from 1,623 dispensaries that registered with the Board of Equalization and filed taxes. Marijuana taxes could eventually be higher than 15 percent if the bill becomes law. As with sales taxes, cities and counties would be able to enact their own local taxes or fees on top of the states 15 percent tax. Under SB987, 30 percent of revenue from the new tax would go to the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation, which would then award grants to local agencies such as cities and law enforcement that provide oversight on the cultivation, processing, manufacturing, distribution and sale of marijuana. Another 30 percent of the new tax would go to the states general fund, and 20 percent would go to state parks to help alleviate a $1 billion deferred maintenance backlog. The state Natural Resources Agency would get 10 percent of the marijuana tax to restore public and private lands and waterways damaged by marijuana grows. The final 10 percent would go to counties for drug and alcohol treatment programs. I wont say its not excessive it is excessive, but it really provides a budget for the state to make it a legitimate industry like alcohol, tobacco or even gambling, said Eddie Miller, chief strategy officer of GreenRush.com, a San Mateo online platform that connects patients with local medical marijuana dispensaries. These are the steps necessary to have a quality industry and a safe industry for the consumer. The tax mirrors what is being proposed in one of several ballot initiatives aimed at legalizing recreational marijuana use for adults. Proponents of recreational marijuana are collecting signatures for initiatives they hope to put on the November ballot. The tax bill needs support from two-thirds of lawmakers in the Assembly and state Senate in order to pass, meaning Republicans leery of new taxes would have to sign on. Last years marijuana regulations earned bipartisan support. Former Republican state Sen. George Runner, who is now vice chair of the Board of Equalization, has called on the Legislature to create an excise tax on medical marijuana sales. Im the first to admit that government is too bloated and that Californians are overtaxed, Runner said in a statement last year. But the fundamental question here is who should pay the steep costs of marijuana-related activities that include trespass on public lands, water theft and unregulated use of pesticides. Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders swamped Hillary Clinton in Tuesdays New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, setting up showdowns in the South and West later this month. With nearly 90 percent of the vote counted, Sanders held an overwhelming 60 percent to 38 percent lead. While Sanders win was far from unexpected, the 74-year-old self-described democratic socialist from neighboring Vermont took time to savor the results. Together we have sent a message that will echo from Washington to Wall Street, from Maine to California, he told his cheering supporters in Concord, N.H., that the government of this country belongs to all the people, not just to a handful of wealthy (campaign) contributors. More for you News outlets call out N.H. after Trump's win In what was more stump speech than victory acceptance, Sanders spoke for nearly half an hour, hitting on his progressive plans of Medicare for all, free college tuition, improved Social Security and veterans benefits, and an end to the current campaign finance system. On primary night, the winner was never in question the TV networks called the race for Sanders seconds after the polls closed, and Clinton telephoned Sanders minutes later to concede. For Clinton, the former secretary of state who has been billed as the Democrats great female hope since the day she entered the race, the brutal primary loss was just another painful stop on what for her over the past few months has been a far rockier political road than anyone anticipated. Although she eked out the narrowest of victories in last weeks Iowa caucuses, it was Sanders and his battalions of young, progressive voters who won the battle of the buzz there, coming within an eyelash of beating someone who led him by more than 30 percentage points as recently as October. Clinton congratulated Sanders on the win but said the race is far from over. Now we take this campaign to the entire country, Clinton said. Well fight for real solutions that make real differences in peoples lives. As Clinton made her concession speech, you could almost hear the roar of the engines from the plane that would quickly whisk her from New Hampshire to more hospitable political climes. For Clinton, its get out of town and head on to South Carolina, where its likely to be a very different race, said Barbara OConnor, retired professor of political communication at Sacramento State University. The demographics change dramatically at the next two stops, Feb. 20 with caucuses in Nevada and the Feb. 27 primary in South Carolina. While Iowa and New Hampshire are small, heavily rural and far whiter than the country and the Democratic Party as a whole, the demographics will tell a different story after Tuesday night. While New Hampshire is better than 91 percent white, blacks make up 28 percent of South Carolinas population, and 28 percent of Nevada residents are Latino. Those percentages are likely even higher among Democratic voters. For Sanders, its a matter of taking his populist message of a political revolution against the countrys establishment Republicans and Democrats both and persuading minority voters to join his crusade. This campaign is about thinking big, not small, and having the courage not to accept the status quo, he said. We will bring together blacks, whites and Latinos. But talking about that multiethnic coalition is far easier than actually building it, especially for a senator from a state where 95 percent of the residents are white and with a population with 200,000 fewer residents than San Francisco alone. Sanders has to reach out to those under 40 who believe politics have left them behind, since theyre more liberal than Clinton, OConnor said. But this is a whole new game for Sanders. Hes not good with these (ethnic minority) audiences, and they dont know him. But his shellacking of Clinton gives him plenty of momentum leaving New Hampshire and a new answer for politicians and pundits who argue the country wont elect a socialist as president. We won because we harnessed the energy and excitement the Democratic Party will need to succeed in November, he said. This is what will happen all over the country. While Clinton and her backers were upbeat Tuesday, arguing that better days are coming, she leaves New Hampshire as damaged goods and with plenty of worrisome questions about the direction of her campaign. It was bad enough that a CNN exit poll found that she lost voters ages 18 to 29 by an 83-percent-to-16-percent margin and was beaten among independent voters, who were allowed to vote in the Democratic primary, 72 percent to 25 percent. But that same exit poll also found that Sanders beat Clinton among New Hampshires female voters, 55 percent to 44 percent. Even before Tuesdays vote, rumors were circulating about a campaign shakeup, with changes in a political team that didnt realize just how serious a threat Sanders would be. Clinton has to get every surrogate on the planet to go to the next three primary states, OConnor said. And shes got to get some younger women and working mothers out there, not just old white men. New Hampshires Republican voters were mad angry at the government, frustrated with their own party and overwhelmingly in favor of keeping Muslims out of the United States. So on Tuesday, they found the perfect vessel for their rage in Donald Trump. Polls had long predicted Trumps overwhelming victory in the nations first primary, so it was little surprise that he crushed his eight rivals by taking 35 percent of the states record turnout. The bigger surprise was that despite New Hampshires reputation as a primary that often provides clarity by winnowing the field, Tuesdays results muddied it. And thats good news for Trump. Analysts say he hit his ceiling of support Tuesday, but that will be enough to continue winning as long as the more mainstream candidates in the race split the rest of the votes. If the rest of the field doesnt shake out or narrow, it becomes a better campaign for him, said Kelly Dittmar, a professor of political science at Rutgers University and a scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics there. If the field narrows in the next couple of days, the question is, does he get the votes from the people who dropped out? More for you 15 facts you didn't know about Bernie Sanders Tuesday offered little clarity for mainstream Republicans looking for a Trump antidote to emerge. Sen. Marco Rubio, the mainstreams darling after his surprising second-place Iowa finish, dropped to fifth place in New Hampshire his terrible debate performance Saturday night hurt him. And New Hampshires runner-up, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, is polling only 2 percent in South Carolina, whose Feb. 20 primary is the next stop on the Republican trail. As in Iowa, where Kasich finished eighth, more than 60 percent of the GOP voters in South Carolina are evangelical Christians. In New Hampshire, only about 1 in 4 Republican voters identifies as evangelical, polls indicate. Kasichs percentage of the vote in New Hampshire was similar to that of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman four years ago. Huntsman was similarly perched on the more moderate end of the field in 2012 he wound up dropping out of the race shortly after finishing third in the primary. The problems that (Kasich) has moving forward are identical to Huntsmans, said Carson Bruno, a research scholar at the Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank at Stanford University. Where do they go next? They dont have the boots on the ground in the next few weeks to capitalize on this moment. And they dont have the money, either, even though hell get a boost after this. Kasich saved his candidacy Tuesday by capitalizing on a strong performance in Saturdays debate. The Ohio governor had banked everything on New Hampshire, holding 106 town hall meetings and visiting 70 times since January 2015, more than any other candidate. He wont have the time to make that sort of investment going forward. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush bought himself more time by finishing bunched near the middle. Plus, various super PACs supporting Bush have $58 million on hand more than any other Republican and his brother, former President George W. Bush, remains popular in South Carolina. A few candidates who performed poorly Tuesday New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson are going to face extreme pressure to kill their White House dreams in the next 48 hours. Fiorina and Carson promised to forge ahead, while Christie said he was going home to New Jersey to ponder his next move. If Christie exits the race, his lasting contribution to the 2016 campaign might be how he hatcheted Rubio in Saturdays debate, exposing the first-term senators propensity to appear robotic and preprogrammed. Rubio has been widely mocked on social media since Christie lampooned him, inflaming concerns among Republicans that he might be too inexperienced. Unfortunately for Rubio on Tuesday, nearly half of the Republican voters didnt make up their minds until the last week even though candidates have been tramping around New Hampshire for more than a year. According to exit polls, two-thirds of those asked said that last debate influenced their vote. That proved to be bad news for Rubio. Im disappointed with tonight, Rubio told supporters Tuesday night in New Hampshire. Our disappointment tonight is not on you, its on me. I did not do well on Saturday night. That will never happen again. Iowas winner, Sen. Ted Cruz, finished a respectable third despite spending only 27 days in the state, the same number as Trump. But Trump won nearly every demographic. His hard line on immigration resonated with conservative New Hampshire Republican voters, 66 percent of whom supported his idea of banning all Muslims from entering the U.S. in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, according to exit polls. One in four Republican voters said terrorism was the most pressing issue facing the country; 30 percent said it was the economy. Meanwhile, Kasich took a much softer tone in his upbeat post-primary speech Tuesday night. He noted that his campaign did not use negative ads despite being pilloried by rival candidates. Maybe, just maybe, Kasich said, we are turning the page on a dark part of American politics because tonight the light overcame the darkness of American campaigning. Joe Garofoli is the San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. E-mail: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli The pilot as well as two civilians, a woman and a man, were killed in the Indonesian military plane accident. (Photo: Screenshot): Malang: An Indonesian military plane crashed into a house in a densely populated area during a test flight Wednesday, killing the pilot and two people in the building, an air force official said. The Super Tucano turboprop came down shortly after taking off from Abdul Rachman Saleh air force base at Malang in East Java, said base commander Djoko Senoputro. The pilot as well as two civilians, a woman and a man, were killed in the accident, he said. The plane's engineer has still not been located. "After doing a test flight for about 45 minutes, we lost contact with the plane soon after they were requesting descent," Senoputro told AFP. "We received reports from people that the plane was seen crashing into a house and is buried in the debris," he said. An eyewitness said the light attack and trainer aircraft was climbing before it plunged into the residential area. It crashed very hard, emitting thick smoke and a strong gasoline smell, he said. "I evacuated a man and a woman whose bodies were buried in the rubble of their own house," Agus, a rescuer on site, told AFP. The air force said it would conduct an investigation into the crash, the latest of several military aviation accidents. In December last year two pilots were killed when a military plane crashed in central Java while performing manoeuvres. In June a Hercules C-130 crashed into a residential neighbourhood in Medan, the largest city on Sumatra island, killing 142 people and causing widespread destruction. LONDON The boys teachers were growing increasingly concerned. He was speaking admiringly in school of Jihadi John, the notorious British executioner with the Islamic State, and expressing a desire to travel to Syria. Twice, the teachers referred the boy a teenager from Blackburn, in northern England to a government program called Prevent, set up to spot early signs of extremism and intervene before it was too late. On both occasions, the boy struggling with his studies after his parents separated and socially withdrawn because of a degenerative eye disease that blurred his vision refused to participate in sessions intended to keep him from becoming radicalized. The need for such programs has become all the more apparent in the wake of the Paris attacks in November, which were carried out primarily by European citizens who became radicalized at home. Britains program is viewed as something of a model by other European countries and the United States. But encouraging fellow citizens to identify potential radicals has also raised questions about racial and religious profiling and the balance between security and civil liberties, igniting a debate here over whether Prevent holds the risk of further alienating Muslims in Britain. At the same time, the British program has exposed the limitations of an approach that relies on voluntary cooperation from those who are identified as potential threats. In the case of the boy in Blackburn, whose name has not been publicly disclosed because of his age, the police later arrested him after they found that he had made a detailed plan for an Islamic State-inspired massacre in Australia. In October, he was sentenced for inciting terrorism overseas and became, at 15, the youngest person to get a life sentence in Britain in a terrorism case. The Prevent program, started by Prime Minister Tony Blair in the aftermath of the July 7, 2005, London bombings, encourages and in some cases requires Britons to watch for signs of radicalization in their communities and to alert the authorities about people who could become risks, before they turn violent. Once someone is identified, the authorities judge whether the threat of radicalization is sufficient to justify further counseling; if so, the at-risk person is offered a place in a voluntary portion of the Prevent program known as Channel, which seeks to steer participants away from extremism. Last year, Prime Minister David Camerons government expanded the programs scope, making it a legal duty for schools, hospitals, local governments, social services and prisons to flag extremist behavior with the authorities. Opponents say that requirement risks turning Britain into a surveillance state where one section of the public is encouraged to snoop on everybody else. In the case of the Blackburn schoolboy, his lawyer said he knew that what he had done was wrong, but the presiding judge said that the teenager had paid only lip service to attempts to reform him. The boy is being put through a mandatory program in a youth detention center and may be released from custody in five years, but only if he is considered purged of Islamic State views. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates An Iranian drone that flew over a U.S. aircraft carrier last month was the first to conduct an overflight of an American carrier since 2014, according to a U.S. Navy report obtained by the Associated Press on Wednesday. The Jan. 12 reconnaissance flight by the Iranian Shahed drone was the latest in a series of tense naval encounters between forces of the Islamic Republic and the U.S. Navy, including the brief detention of 10 American sailors who strayed into Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. 1 Humanitarian crises: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says over 80 percent of humanitarian funding requested by the United Nations is going toward life-saving needs in a growing number of conflicts, and urgent action is needed to shift from perpetual crisis management to conflict prevention and solutions. The U.N. chief calls for far greater global leadership to end conflicts that are driving millions of people from their homes and overwhelming humanitarian organizations. Bans comments come in a report Tuesday to the General Assembly on priorities for the first World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May. 2 Police brutality: An Egyptian court on Tuesday sentenced a policeman to eight years in prison for beating a veterinarian to death, in a case that sparked public anger over rampant police abuses. The funeral for Afifi Afifi, who was killed in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia in November, triggered protests against police violence. Police officer Mohammed Ibrahim was found guilty of beating Afifi to death and fabricating an official document. Police brutality was one of the main grievances behind the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. JOHANNESBURG The body of a young antiapartheid activist who was kidnapped and tortured in 1983 by South African police has never been found, her family never able to mourn at a grave, her killers not sent to prison. Now, more than three decades later, prosecutors plan to charge four police officers for the murder of Nokuthula Simelane after Simelanes family went to court to force the National Prosecuting Authority to press charges. The new move against the former policemen goes to the heart of long-running tension in South Africa over the push for reconciliation among the countrys racial groups and the desire to punish perpetrators of human rights abuses during the traumatic decades that preceded multiracial elections in 1994. But the case is murky, with some of the officers involved having admitted to kidnapping and torturing the young woman, but claiming they released her after she agreed to be an informant. The 23-year-old, freshly graduated from university, had been a courier for the armed wing of the then-banned African National Congress when she was snatched by the police and tortured for weeks, according to the officers own testimony 16 years ago to South Africas Truth and Reconciliation Commission. But the policemen insisted that they had succeeded in turning Simelane through the torture, convincing her to work for them. The police said officers had driven her to Swaziland, where she had been living and attending college before she was kidnapped, to be their informant against the ANC. She was never seen in Swaziland by relatives or friends after she was purportedly dropped off at the border. The police indicated that antiapartheid fighters might have eliminated Simelane themselves. Luvuyo Mfaku, a prosecution spokesman, said the decision to prosecute was based on the strength of the evidence and the merits of the case. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which could grant amnesty to those who fully confessed to human rights abuses committed during apartheid, recommended that more than 300 cases be prosecuted, but the Simelane murder is one of the only cases pursued by prosecutors, according to a statement from an attorney for Simelanes family and a lawyer for the Southern Africa Litigation Centre, which is involved in the case. The suspects are Willem Coetzee, Anton Pretorius, Frederick Mong and Msebenzi Radebe, the statement said. The four suspects are due in the Pretoria Magistrates Court on Feb. 26. SEOUL South Korea said Wednesday that it will shut down a joint industrial park with North Korea in response to its recent rocket launch, accusing the North of using hard currency from the park to develop its nuclear and missile programs. The decision to end operations at the industrial complex in the North Korean border city of Kaesong, the last major cooperation project between the rival countries, comes after North Korea on Sunday launched a long-range rocket considered by other nations to be a banned missile technology test. By closing the complex, South Korean President Park Geun-hye has done something her conservative predecessor resisted, even after two attacks blamed on North Korea killed 50 South Koreans in 2010. It is among the strongest punitive measures available to her. South Korean Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo said at a news conference that the suspension of operations at the park would stop the North from using currency earned there to develop nuclear and missile technology. The park, which started producing goods in 2004, has provided $560 million of cash to impoverished North Korea, Hong said. There was no immediate reaction to the move from North Korea. South Koreas government will provide financial compensation to companies that operate at the park, the Finance Ministry said. South Korean businesses with factories at the park reacted with a mixture of disappointment and anger. In a statement, the association of South Korean companies in Kaesong denounced the governments decision as entirely incomprehensible and unjust. Lee Eun Haeng, chairman of Ilsung Leports, which produces fashion goods at the park, said the companies had become victims of a political situation. North Korea launched a long-range rocket Sunday carrying what it said was an Earth observation satellite into space. The launch, which came about a month after the countrys fourth nuclear test, was quickly condemned by world leaders as a potential threat to regional and global security. Japan announced Wednesday that it will impose new sanctions on North Korea to protest the rocket launch. The U.S. Congress is also considering imposing more stringent sanctions. And in Washington, Senate leaders pledged on Wednesday to take swift action on legislation imposing more stringent sanctions on North Korea for willfully violating international law by pushing ahead with its nuclear weapons program. BAD AIBLING, Germany Two commuter trains crashed head-on Tuesday in southern Germany, killing 10 people and injuring 80 as they slammed into each other on a curve after an automatic safety braking system apparently failed, the transport minister said. The regional trains collided before 7 a.m. on the single line that runs near Bad Aibling in the German state of Bavaria. Aerial footage showed that the impact tore the two engines apart, shredded metal train cars and flipped several of them on their sides off the rails. The first emergency units were on the scene within three minutes of receiving the call, but with a river on one side and a forest on the other, it took hours to reach some of the injured in the wreckage. Hundreds of rescue crews using helicopters and small boats shuttled injured passengers to the other side of the Mangfall River to waiting ambulances, which took them to hospitals across southern Bavaria. Nine people were reported dead immediately while a 10th died later in a hospital, police spokesman Stefan Sonntag said, adding that the two train drivers were thought to be among the dead, and one person was still missing in the wreckage. We have little more than hope of finding them still alive, he said. This is the biggest accident we have had in years in this region. German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said safety systems on the stretch had been checked as recently as last week, but Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt suggested that a system designed to automatically brake trains if they accidentally end up on the same track didnt seem to have functioned properly. The site is on a curve. We have to assume that the train drivers had no visual contact and hit each other without braking, Dobrindt told reporters in Bad Aibling, adding that speeds of up to 60 mph were possible on the stretch. Black boxes from both trains had been recovered and are now being analyzed, which should show what went wrong, Dobrindt said. We need to determine immediately whether it was a technical problem or a human mistake, he said. Each train can hold up to 1,000 passengers and they are commonly used by children traveling to school. Fewer than 200 people in all were on board Tuesday, however, because of regional holidays to celebrate Carnival. Were lucky that were on the Carnival holidays, because usually many more people are on these trains, regional Police Chief Robert Kopp said. About 700 emergency personnel from Germany and neighboring Austria were involved in the rescue effort, using about a dozen helicopters. Train operator Bayerische Oberlandbahn started a hotline for family and friends desperate to check on passengers. In Munich, 40 miles away, the city blood center put out an urgent call for immediate donations in the wake of the crash. Germany is known for the quality of its train service, but the country has seen several other accidents, typically at road crossings. Most recently, a train driver and a passenger were killed in May when a train hit the trailer of a tractor in western Germany, and another 20 people were injured. In 2011, 10 people were killed and 23 injured in a head-on collision of a passenger train and a cargo train on a single-line track close to Saxony-Anhalts state capital of Magdeburg in eastern Germany. Germanys worst train accident took place in 1998, when a high-speed ICE train crashed in the northern German town of Eschede, killing 101 people and injuring more than 80. Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press KILIS, Turkey Turkeys leaders on Wednesday lashed out at the United Nations and others who are pressing the country to open its borders to tens of thousands of more Syrian refugees, accusing them of failing to shoulder the responsibility or to stop Russian bombings that have triggered the exodus. The civil war in Syria has killed more than 250,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes since it began in 2011. In recent days, a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive around the city of Aleppo has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border. KILIS, Turkey Turkey must open its doors to the thousands of Syrians who have massed at the border after fleeing violence, the United Nations demanded Tuesday, warning that hundreds of thousands of others in Syrias largest city could be soon cut off from humanitarian aid amid blistering Syrian and Russian air strikes. Turkey, already home to 2.5 million Syrian refugees, insists that it has an open-door policy toward Syrians escaping conflict but has still kept a key border crossing closed for days. Government officials say the country will provide assistance to the displaced Syrians within their own borders as much as possible and would allow them in when necessary. The U.N. humanitarian office, OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), said 300,000 people could be cut off from aid if Syrian government and allied forces encircle the city of Aleppo and deprive those fleeing from their last way out. OCHA said local leaders believe up to 150,000 people could try to flee to nearby Afrin and the surrounding countryside. Separately, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman William Spindler asked Turkey to open the border to all civilians who are fleeing danger and seeking international protection as they have done since the start of this crisis. Spindler also urged other nations to shoulder the refugee burden and to work to end the conflict. At the end of the day, the answer to this crisis is for the peace process to continue in Syria and for the conflict to be solved, Spindler said. On Tuesday, several aid trucks could be seen moving through Turkeys Oncupinar border crossing, opposite the Bab al-Salameh gate in Syria, which remained shut to refugees for the fifth straight day. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said as many as 50,000 people had reached the border, trying to escape intense Russian bombings around Aleppo. He estimated Tuesday that up to 1 million more could flee if the onslaught continues. Also Tuesday, a car bomb tore up a vegetable market and a police officers club in Damascus, the Syrian capital, Tuesday, according to a witness and regional news reports, striking an area that had been quiet for about two years under a local agreement between the Syrian government and insurgents, the New York Times reported. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the blast, which the witness said had wounded dozens in Masaken Barzeh, a neighborhood on the northern edge of the city. It was the first attack in Damascus itself to be claimed by the Islamic State, although the group said it was behind an assault last month on the Sayeda Zeinab shrine, on the outskirts of the capital, that left dozens dead. The war against President Bashar Assads government began in 2011. It has killed over 250,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes. Baghdad: The risk of Iraq's largest dam collapsing and unleashing a huge wave onto Mosul is affecting plans to retake the city from jihadists, an adviser to the premier's office said. The army is deploying thousands of soldiers to a northern base in preparation for operations to recapture the city, the largest urban centre in the Islamic State group's self-proclaimed caliphate. Concern has grown that a failure of the unstable dam, which is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of the city, could wipe out much of Mosul and flood large parts of Baghdad. The Americans "frequently refer to Katrina" and say a collapse of the Mosul Dam would be "a thousand times worse", the adviser to the office of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told reporters. Hurricane Katrina ravaged the US city of New Orleans in 2005, killing nearly 2,000 people and leading to a wave of violence and looting that completely overwhelmed the authorities. "If the dam busts, the centre of Mosul goes under water by about a 40-50 foot wave (12 to 15 metres)," the adviser said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It just disappears, so 500,000 people (are) killed within a few hours". He said another dam in Samarra, hundreds of miles downstream, would also burst. It is estimated the wave would still be several metres high when it reaches Baghdad. A US assessment published Monday on the Iraqi parliament's website said Mosul Dam was "at a significantly higher risk of failure than originally understood." 'Nightmare scenario' High-level contacts have taken place between the US administration and Baghdad, with Washington pushing for repair work to be undertaken urgently. Since the dam's completion in 1984, Iraq has sought to shore up the foundation by injecting mortar-like grout into cavities that develop under the structure. Regular minor seismic activity in the area is now seen as a potential threat. There are also fears that IS could weaponise the dam. "If the attack on Mosul goes well, there is a nightmare scenario that Daesh (an Arabic acronym for IS) could itself strike the dam as they withdraw from Mosul," the adviser said. He said the US-led coalition, whose primary role in retaking Mosul would be to carry out air strikes, is concerned that a major bombing campaign could have an impact on the dam. "They are worried about it, they are thinking carefully about what kind of munitions they use in the Mosul operation," he said. Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for the international anti-IS operation, said the dam was far enough from Mosul for strikes not to be a threat to its integrity. Another concern as Iraq begins deploying troops southeast of the city is a mounting economic crisis. 'Moral responsibility' The government of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region is struggling to pay its peshmerga forces, who currently control the dam and will likely play a significant part in any Mosul assault. Speaking in Rome on Wednesday, Abadi said "we have a moral responsibility, a national responsibility to guarantee the protection of this dam." Iraq has awarded a contract to Italy's Trevi to repair and maintain the dam. "We need to speed up the arrival of this company in Iraq and also to guarantee the security of its technicians and workers," said Abadi. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who has said Rome would deploy some 450 troops to protect the dam, stressed Wednesday that Iraq and Italy were "working together for the security of the area." "When the Italian force comes in, the Italian force is responsible for the security of the dam, so there's no dispute over who's responsible," and Kurdish forces who hold the dam will withdraw, the adviser said. He said Abadi hoped the contract -- estimated at 284.5 million euros (around $320 million) -- would be signed within two weeks. The World Bank is helping to finance it. A warm winter could lead to early snow melt and Trevi is expected to swiftly begin work with a seven-month phase to repair the dam's lower gates. Another 18 months are needed for the rest of the major work. When people anywhere in America are held back by injustice, that demands action. That is why I believe so strongly that we have to keep up with every fiber of being the argument for, the campaign for, human rights. Human rights as women's rights, human rights as gay rights, human rights as worker rights, human rights as voting rights, human rights across the board for every single American! [huge cheers and applause] [Content Note: Islamophobia; misogyny.]Congratulations to Senator Bernie Sanders, who not only decisively won the New Hampshire primary last night, but also made history by becoming the first Jewish (and first non-Christian) candidate to win a presidential primary!The nomination race is, however, far from over, and suggestions to the contrary are premature. The last two presidents, Barack Obama and George Bush, won Iowa and lost New Hampshire. That doesn't mean it will go that way this time, but it does mean that winning New Hampshire isn't a reliable indicator of who will be the eventual nominee.The Democratic candidates now head to Nevada for a caucus on February 20, and then to South Carolina for a primary on February 27. South Carolina in particular matters, because it is the first state on the schedule that isn't disproportionately white.To be clear, I'm not making that point to delegitimize Sanders' win. I genuinely care, no matter who wins, that the Democrats' selection process starts in two very white states. Clinton won one; Sanders won one. And anyone who's been hanging around here for awhile will know I'm continually pissed that we can't have a rotating primary schedule or single-day mega-primary. It's not about who won. It's about who has gotten to vote.Anyway.Congrats to Sanders on his historic win!And while Democrats were busily handing the win to a Jewish candidate, Republicans were busily handing the win to a rank Islamophobic shitlord.Donald Trump, whose Islamophobia is only the tip of his bigotry iceberg, handily won the Republican contest last night, taking around 35% of the final tally. Ohio Governor John Kasich took second, with 16%. Of course Kasich came in secondbecause the story of this GOP primary has been: Trump! Oh no! Let's flirt with this dude! Oh crap he's a garbage nightmare! Shit! Let's flirt with this other dude! So it's Kasich's turn in the sunshine until they find out that he, too, is a horror show.Spoiler Alert, Republican voters: THEY'RE ALL TERRIBLE.You know your party is terrific when people not knowing shit about your candidates is apparently their biggest asset. I'm finally on to your brilliant long game, Jim Gilmore.And finally! It wouldn't be 2016 presidential campaign coverage without some instance of misogyny being levied at Hillary Clinton. I'm sure there were many last night, as every night, but this one just about did my head in.So, during her concession speech, Hillary Clinton said this:Cut back to CNN, where I was watching her address, and the talking headsstart castigating Clinton for using the word "I" too much in her speeches, while Bernie Sanders uses "we." Because he cares about other people, and isn't a voracious narcissist monster like she is.I may be paraphrasing. But not by much.You've really got to be operating from an agenda of straight-up hatred to listen to a candidate say the words quoted above and then immediately accuse her of insufficient concern for other people. Especially when that "human rights as X rights" has been an iconic hallmark of her speechmaking for two decades Further, as Ana Mardoll has repeatedly pointed out, women tend to be socialized to use "I" statements, as well as use qualifiers like "I think" and "I believe."And then there is this: Clinton is obliged to prove her credentials and competency over and over, in a way that Sanders is not. It's taken as read that he is capable of being president, which allows him to skip the "I can" and "I have" and go right to "We will."This shit is exhausting.In summation: Donald Trump is horrendous, and he must never be allowed anywhere near the US presidency. I have a preference between Clinton and Sanders, but either one of them is preferable to Donald Trump by a margin incomprehensible to mortal comprehension. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to be tested for various diseases perch inside a container. (Photo: AP) Beijing: China has confirmed its first case of the Zika virus in a man who had recently travelled to South America, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The virus, which is causing international alarm after spreading through most of the Americas, was detected in a 34-year-old man from Ganxian county in the eastern province of Jiangxi, Xinhua said, citing China's National Health and Family Planning Commission. Chinese health authorities downplayed the risk of the mosquito-borne virus spreading because of the winter cold, Xinhua added. The man had been quarantined at a hospital in his hometown since Feb. 6, Xinhua said, saying he was recovering with normal body temperature and a fading rash. Zika has spread quickly in South and Central America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the worst affected country. The World Health Organization declared an international health emergency on Feb. 1 over the virus, citing concern over a possible link with a rise in cases of microcephaly, a birth defect characterized by an abnormally small head that can result in developmental problems. Most infected people have no symptoms or mild ones including fever and skin rashes. The infected Chinese man had travelled to Venezuela and displayed symptoms including a fever, headache and dizziness on Jan 28, Xinhua said. He returned home on Feb. 5 via Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The Financial Markets Authority has appealed a High Court ruling that it breached Vivier & Co's rights to natural justice by failing to provide the firm with detailed evidence for the decision to remove it from the Financial Services Providers Register. The market watchdog removed Vivier, which counts one time political operator Luigi Wewege as a director and chief executive, from the register last year because it didnt believe the company was providing services in New Zealand. Vivier successfully appealed its deregistration in the High Court last September, arguing the FMA only began to investigate the firm after a member of the public passed on an Interest.co.nz online news article, linking the firm to sub-prime mortgages in Ireland. In the notice of deregistration, the FMA didnt mention the article, which Justice Timothy Brewer found in his High Court ruling was a breach of natural justice. In the Court of Appeal this morning, counsel for the FMA Mary Scholtens QC reiterated the watchdog's position that the article had not been the driving force behind the move to deregister Vivier. The FMA denies the deregistration was as a result of the article, although it accepts that it was tipped off that the Department of Internal Affairs was no longer overseeing Vivier under anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism legislation. Further investigation, including a site inspection of the Auckland offices by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, showed little evidence of activity in the office other than some administrative work. Scholtens cited another High Court decision from December, which upheld the deregistering of Pakistani-owned foreign exchange firm Excelsior Markets. In that case, Justice Gerald Nation accepted the FMA's decision to remove Excelsior was justified because "most, if not all" of its financial services were provided outside New Zealand. The FMA has powers to direct the registrar to remove companies where it is likely they are giving a false or misleading impression about the extent to which they are regulated in New Zealand. Its concerned some offshore companies may be trying to take advantage of New Zealands reputation as a well-regulated jurisdiction. When the FMA began investigating, it wrote to Vivier to ask for evidence about their operations in New Zealand and abroad, and to ask about their compliance with international regulation, Scholtens said. Vivier's response was "very belligerent and negative" said Justice Anthony Randerson, one of three justices hearing the appeal along with Stephen Kos and Helen Winkelmann. Randerson said Vivier's accusation that the FMA had acted illegally, threatening the regulator with malfeasance action, was "like assaulting a police officer." Vivier counsel Andrew Riches said Vivier's response had been aggressive, but the FMA's letter had been too general, and the month given to Vivier to respond wasn't long enough. Justice Kos said Vivier could have given the FMA what available information they had, and asked for more time if necessary. The judges questioned Riches about why Vivier had not filed financial documents for the year leading up to the FMA's enquiry. Riches said the company was on hiatus, which Justice Kos said contradicted the company's website where it claimed to have been providing financial services for the past 15 years. In his response today, Riches said the Interest.co.nz article was defamatory, containing allegations of fraud and tax evasion by Vivier, and at no point had the FMA disclosed it was acting on the basis of the article, thus not giving Vivier an opportunity to respond. "An investigation on that basis is heavily clouded," Riches said. "It's impossible for the decision-maker to be independent of the defamatory article." The appeal continues. Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update VCT - Operational performance for the 3 months ended 30 Sept 2022 NZL - Forestry Estate Acquisition October 21st Morning Report Air New Zealand Limited Retail Bond Offer Books Close Spark welcomes C-band spectrum allocation AIA - 2022 Annual Meeting Chair & Chief Executive Addresses MOVE Completes Purchase of Vessel for Trans-Tasman Service New Zealand beef exports to Taiwan rose to a record in 2015, propelling it to the countrys third-largest beef market behind the US and China. In 2015, New Zealands beef exports to Taiwan jumped 36 percent to $188.6 million, while the volume increased 20 percent to 23,442 tonnes, according to Statistics New Zealand data compiled by the Meat Industry Association. That pushed it above Japan in value and ahead of Japan and Korea in volume to become the countrys third-largest beef market. Taiwan also takes higher-value meat, with an average value last year of US$5.68 per kilogram, compared with US$5.08/kg for the US, and US$4.94/kg for China, according to AgriHQ data. New Zealands trade with Taiwan has accelerated since an ANZTEC economic cooperation agreement came into force in December 2013. Thats seen it jump to New Zealands seventh-largest export market for merchandise trade, up from the 10th largest in 2013. The agreement saw the tariff on New Zealand beef cut to zero, from a previous rate of about 46 cents per kilogram per cubic metre. Trade Minister Todd McClay said the latest figures demonstrate the many benefits that trade agreements deliver for the New Zealand economy and shows why the government continues to promote a progressive free-trade agenda. Local exporters may have been diverting product away from Japan and Korea, historically the second and third largest markets but where economic growth has been weak and where they face competition from Australia and the US, analysts said. Its really changing the face of our markets at the moment, said Nick Handley, senior analyst at AgriHQ. It used to be quite normal for 10 years or so that the US was miles in front and then South Korea and Japan pretty comfortably taking number two and three - now China is on board, Taiwan is number three and Malaysia is steadily climbing onto the radar. Last year, the US took about half New Zealand's 443,142 tonnes of beef exports, while China took about 17 percent. Taiwan and Canada each took about 5 percent of export volumes, while Korea and Japan each took 4 percent. Handley said he expects China to remain the second-largest market, with Taiwan, Canada and South Korea remaining close, and Japan continuing to hold sixth position. Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update VCT - Operational performance for the 3 months ended 30 Sept 2022 NZL - Forestry Estate Acquisition October 21st Morning Report Air New Zealand Limited Retail Bond Offer Books Close Spark welcomes C-band spectrum allocation AIA - 2022 Annual Meeting Chair & Chief Executive Addresses MOVE Completes Purchase of Vessel for Trans-Tasman Service Alliance Group, New Zealand's second-largest meat cooperative, plans to start withholding some stock payments to its farmers from next week to bolster its balance sheet and force suppliers to meet their share requirements. From Feb. 15, Alliance will withhold 50 cents per head for lamb, sheep and calves; $2 per head for deer; and $6 per head for cattle, it said in a letter to shareholders. The payments will go towards additional shares in the cooperative and will only apply to farmers who have fewer shares than required, it said. Alliance is moving to entrench its cooperative status as its larger rival Silver Fern Farms waters down its cooperative by tapping a Chinese investor for capital to repay debt, upgrade plants and invest for growth. If successful, Alliances move will ensure shareholder investment in the cooperative matches livestock supply, and will bolster its own balance sheet. "I can understand why they are doing it," said Rick Powdrell, the meat and fibre industry group chairperson of lobby group Federated Farmers of New Zealand. "Traditionally farmers have probably been under-capitalised in the processing side of the industry, particularly if you compare us with the dairy industry, or the likes of the kiwifruit industry or other industries." Powdrell said that to get farmer support, Alliance will need to clearly outline how the extra investment in shares will aid farmers. "If they want farmers to really get on board with it, they are going to have to have a really clearly defined strategy of where the company is going and how farmers are going to benefit from it." The Federated Farmers meat and fibre industry group is likely to discuss the move at its council meeting in Wellington next week, said Powdrell. A farmer in Te Puke, he isn't an Alliance shareholder and says he doesn't have the option of a sheep cooperative because of the distances to plant. In a letter to its farmer suppliers outlining the proposed change, Alliance said some shareholders don't currently hold enough shares to reflect the amount of stock they supply. This helps to ensure that the cooperative has the right level of investment from our farmer shareholders, enabling them to receive the full benefit of the cooperatives profitability and ensure some suppliers are not being subsidised by others," Alliance chair Murray Taggart and chief executive David Surveyor said in the letter, on behalf of the board. We believe these changes are in the best long-term interests of your cooperative. Alliance also wants to retain more profits to allocate towards share payments. In future, it wants to be able to withhold half of a profit distribution as payment towards shares, up from a third currently. It is also ending the current scaling shareholding system which rewards larger farmers. Currently shareholder suppliers are expected to hold 11 shares per stock unit up to 5,000 stock units and then reducing to 4.5 shares per stock unit, but limited to 25,000 stock units in aggregate. One lamb, sheep, or calf is equal to one stock unit; one deer is equivalent to four stock units; and a cattle beast is equivalent to 12 stock units. Under the revised calculation, there will be no reduction from 11 shares per stock unit after a particular level of stock units, reflecting that all stock processed requires the same use of processing facilities and therefore should require the same number of shares, Alliance said. The strength of the cooperative depends on farmer ownership and all farmers contributing and benefiting equitably, Alliance said. We are all in this together and these changes will ensure all members of your cooperative invest equitably and that the business is appropriately capitalised to operate sustainably. The cooperative is also lifting its shareholding cap to 1.35 million shares, equivalent to about 2 percent of its shares, from a current level of 145,000 shares. Alliance said it was aware farmers had faced a challenging season and its board debated the changes at length, mindful they would have financial implications for those shareholders who dont have enough shares. In the end we were of the view that delaying these changes would prolong the inequity of the current system where those shareholders who meet the standard shareholding effectively subsides those who do not, it said. Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update VCT - Operational performance for the 3 months ended 30 Sept 2022 NZL - Forestry Estate Acquisition October 21st Morning Report Air New Zealand Limited Retail Bond Offer Books Close Spark welcomes C-band spectrum allocation AIA - 2022 Annual Meeting Chair & Chief Executive Addresses MOVE Completes Purchase of Vessel for Trans-Tasman Service The Ministry for Primary Industries signed a seven-year $22.1 million contract with wool marketer The New Zealand Merino Company to improve returns from strong wool. Government and industry will each contribute $11.05 million under the Primary Growth Partnership programme in an attempt to better connect growers with consumers, differentiate strong wool products from synthetics, develop new uses and users for strong wool, and ensure on-farm production practices meet consumer expectations of a premium product. The wool partnership is part of the government's PGP programme to boost the value, productivity and profitability of the country's primary sector through investment between government and industry. A total of $746 million has so far been invested in 21 programmes and the strong wool deal is expected to deliver an extra $335 million to the nation's economy by 2025. "The wool industry was once one of New Zealands highest earners, with strong wool making up the majority of this, but it has been in decline since the 1990s, said Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy. Wool has lost its competitive edge as a fibre globally." The programme "aims to reverse this trend by delivering higher premiums for New Zealands strong wool sector," he said. NZ Merino, which markets wool on behalf of growers, is best known for securing supply arrangements for fine wool with well-known brands such as Icebreaker for high-value garments. It branched out into strong wool, commonly used for carpets, in 2014 when it secured a contract to manage the strong-wool clip of state-owned farmer Landcorp. Strong wool makes up the majority of New Zealand's production. New Zealand's national wool clip has been declining as sheep numbers fall to the lowest level in more than 70 years as farmers chase higher returns by converting to dairy, or focus more on meat producing sheep breeds. Last year, the value of New Zealand wool exports rose 8.2 percent to $814 million, making it the country's 14th largest commodity export. Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update VCT - Operational performance for the 3 months ended 30 Sept 2022 NZL - Forestry Estate Acquisition October 21st Morning Report Air New Zealand Limited Retail Bond Offer Books Close Spark welcomes C-band spectrum allocation AIA - 2022 Annual Meeting Chair & Chief Executive Addresses MOVE Completes Purchase of Vessel for Trans-Tasman Service Like I said dude, I wasn't talking about civilizations. Just small tribes and communities who hunted and later farmed together. As far as I know the first glimpses of private ownership and organized trade only emerged around the time of the Agricultural Revolution. As for a link, I don't have anything in particular to offer. I have minimal knowledge of human history before writing and civilization. Just some basic scraps I've picked up on here and there. Go for it. 10. The FDA Approved OxyContin for Use in Children: Though the approval of the powerful, addictive painkiller for use in 11-year-olds and younger children was unsurprising to those who follow the agencys track record, the FDAs justification was shocking. After lawmakers wrote a letter expressing concern to the FDA, the agencys spokesperson, Eric Pahon, said the news was, in fact, not that serious because it was already standard practice. Its important to stress that this approval was not intended to expand or otherwise change the pattern of use of extended-release opioids in pediatric patients, Pahon said. Doctors were already prescribing it to children, without the safety and efficacy data in hand with regard to the pediatric population.However disturbing, the FDAs decision comported with other related events this year: President Obama appointed a pharmaceutical lobbyist Deputy Commissioner of medical and tobacco products, a study found swaths of heroin users graduate from prescription painkillers, and similarly, 75% of high school students who used heroin had previously abused pharmaceuticals.In other stories regarding the misconduct of agencies tasked with keeping people safe, the FDA continued to allow meat companies to use a pharmaceutical additive banned in 150 countries, while whistleblowers at the USDA revealed several plants were producing pork products filled with fingernails, hair, bile, and feces.11. The Federal Government Admitted Cannabis May Help Fight Brain Cancer: Though the government has long known about the medical benefits of cannabis it holds patents on several medicinal qualities the National Institute on Drug Abuse made waves this year when it published a document acknowledging the healing properties of cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive endocannabinoid. In particular, it noted [e]vidence from one animal study suggests that extracts from whole-plant marijuana can shrink one of the most serious types of brain tumors. Though more research is needed, the governments admission was unexpected, albeit welcomed by many cannabis enthusiasts. Other studies this year suggested cannabis may help heal broken bones and is associated with lower rates of obesity.Though many Americans still faced criminal prosecution for treating themselves and their children with cannabis, 2015 demonstrated the long-term trend of decriminalization and legalization will not be reversed. Nations around the world, from Ireland to Costa Rica to Canada laid groundwork to legalize marijuana to various degrees, while a majority of Americans now support legalization.12. Nestle Paid $524 to Plunder the Publics Water Resources: This year, Anti-Media reported on the insidious relationship between Nestle and the Forest Service in California. The investigation found not only that Nestle was using an expired permit to turn exponential profit on 27 million gallons of water, but that a former Forest Service official went on to consult for the company.While corporate exploitation ran rampant in 2015, many countries around the world fought back. India sued Nestle after finding one of its products contained lead, while nations around the world banned Monsanto and GE products. Scotland, Denmark, and Bulgaria, among others, all moved to ban GE crops, while multiple lawsuits, highlighted the serious potential health consequences of the widespread use of pesticides (though the EPA disputed that glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsantos Roundup, was an endocrine disrupter in June, in November, news broke that the majority of studies the EPA used to make its decision were funded by industry). Though corporate power remains all but monolithic, 2015 saw humans across the world rise up to resist it. Most recently (and comically), a proposed initiative in California is about to enter the next phase signature gathering to place it on the 2016 ballot. If placed on the ballot and passed, it will force California legislators to wear the logos of their top ten donors while they participate in legislative activities. The effort has drawn widespread praise and enthusiasm. If the Taliban are attacking coalition forces, then I have everything I need to do that, responded Gen. Campbell, who is expected to retire soon. To attack the Taliban just because theyre Taliban, I do not have that authority. NEW YORK: In a bid to take the virtual reality (VR) experience to a new high, Google is reportedly developing a new smartphone-assisted VR headset that will have better sensors, lenses and a more solid plastic casing for its users. According to a Financial Times report, the new device with better Android VR technology will succeed the mobile VR viewer Cardboard that Google launched 12 years back. It will also give tough competition to Gear VR - the flagship headset launched by South Korean electronic giant Samsung in collaboration with the US virtual reality technology company Oculus which is now available in India. How is the new Google VR headset going to beat its rivals? According to the report, the company is embedding a new software directly into its Android operating system rather than relying on the app that is there with Cardboard for a better VR experience. The updated Google headset will be compatible with a much broader range of Android devices than Gear VR that requires a compatible Samsung Galaxy smartphone. A Cardboard unit consists of a cardboard housing, velcro and two lenses. To use the headset, place a smartphone in front of the lenses and let the app on the smartphone replicate a virtual environment for you. As you turn and move your head, the app adjusts based on the phone's sensors that detect movement. Google is expected to release the updated VR headset this year. ReadAlso: Advent launches its latest Bluetooth headset Top 10 Smartphones to be Showcased at MWC 2016 LONDON: A comparative study of Google and Microsoft smart glasses by Britain-based market research firm Juniper Research has found that the Microsofts HoloLens will be better poised at dominating the market by 2020, a media report said. In a recently published report, Juniper Research said that more than 12 million smart glasses, like Google Glass and Microsoft HoloLens, will reach consumers by 2020. However, Microsoft has the upper hand because the HoloLens is advertised as a product people could use at home or at work, whereas Google Glass is marketed as an mobile computing device, winbeta.org reported. Juniper Research classified smart glasses as head-mounted devices that provide display and computing capabilities while overlaying, but not replacing the visual world. The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive were not included in Junipers definition due to their closed head-mounted displays. "While Google Glass has similar features to a smartphone like a camera, phone messaging alerts, and directions. Smart glasses should not entirely replace the functionality of a smartphone," said James Moar, a research analyst with Juniper Research. He added that HoloLens is different from Google Glass because the former is more about solving problems, creating new products, and editing models in a 3D environment to better visualise the final product. For a consumer who does not need constant hands-free computing, most smart glasses functions can be more easily and cheaply done on a smartphone, which is now a much more common item in many markets, Moar added. As HoloLens are smart glasses that are designed and equipped to handle indoor spaces (for now), Google Glass faces a significant challenge because it has to process the large amount of information needed to handle the demands of the outside world, according to the report. Google Glass also presented a huge challenge on privacy concerns, it added. While Microsoft is expected to ship out HoloLens developer units sometime soon, Google has gone back to the drawing board with Project Aura to remake the Google Glass experience into a more private system. Read Also: 7 Gadgets & Techs that Solve Most Encountered Problems Samsung Galaxy A Series Launched with Stylish New A7 & A5 BENGALURU: Google CEO Sundar Pichai has been awarded 199 million US dollars (approximately 1351 crore rupees) worth of shares by parent company Alphabet, making him the highest paid Chief Executive in U.S. Pichai was offered a grant for 2,73,328 Class C shares on February 3, according to a company filing. On the same day, Pichai sold 375 Class A common shares at a price of 786.28 dollars each and 3,625 Class C capital stock at a price of 768.84 dollars each, the filing said. The award will be bestowed as quarterly increments over the next four years, as long as Pichai is employed by Alphabet. The award, which is also the biggest ever given to a Google Executive, will take Pichais total value of Alphabet holdings to 650 million dollars. However, it falls short of the 3 billion dollars worth shares owned by Eric Schmidt, Googles former CEO. Pichai is not the only Google Executive to be given a big payday, according to British newspaper Guardian, as Ruth Porat, Alphabets CFO was also awarded shares worth 38 million dollars. This was on top of the 30 million dollars signing on bonus she received, while joining from Morgan Stanley. Also, Diane Green, head of Googles Cloud Computing Business, received shares worth 42.8 million dollars. Greene was awarded another 148 million dollars worth shares following the takeover of her company, Bebop Technologies. Read Also: Patanjali Topples Biggies, Emerges as India's Biggest FMCG Advertiser Apple Needs to Apply Afresh for Single Brand Retail Top Democratic politicians and committees have taken tens of thousands in contributions from individuals who work at firms that lobby on behalf of Koch Industries, despite railing against Kochs influence for years, according to campaign finance filings.Charles and David Koch, the billionaire libertarian philanthropists and heavyweight political donors, have been at the center of the Democrats dark money campaign finance battle in recent years. Democrats have charged that Republican politicians who receive funds from the Koch network are beholden to their political agenda.However, individuals who work at firms that actually do represent Koch interests have also poured money into the coffers of Democrats, many of whom have long been openly critical of the expansive Koch network, such as Hillary Clinton and Sen. Harry Reid (D., Nev.).Clinton, who received $3,500 from Koch Industries in 2008, as recently as Feb. 3 chastised the Koch brothers during a Democratic town hall, claiming they want to rig the economy so they continue to get richer and richer and that Republican politicians do their bidding. Clinton hascollected more than $4 million in bundled lobbyist contributions since launching her campaign. NEW DELHI: Seeking business opportunities in Indias Smart City initiative, the US on Tuesday said it is looking to participate in all the proposed 100 smart city projects and offered technological support for developing a sustainable economy. US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews, who is on a five-day visit to India, said that the US can be a valuable partner for India in providing sustainable solutions for Smart City initiative. He is leading a delegation of 18 US companies on a Smart Cities Infrastructure Business Development Mission. Punes smart city dream gets a UK thumbs-upIndo-US bilateral meet: Assistance for smart cities, more trade access, skilling on Centres agendaSmart cities Approval in, time for a concrete plan of actionVisakhapatnam, Ajmer and Allahabad to be developed as smart citiesUS proposes to partner for Vibrant Gujarat summit next yearIndia seeks France, Singapore expertise for smart cities projectPunes smart city dream gets a UK thumbs-upIndo-US bilateral meet: Assistance for smart cities, more trade access, skilling on Centres agendaSmart cities Approval in, time for a concrete plan of actionVisakhapatnam, Ajmer and Allahabad to be developed as smart citiesUS proposes to partner for Vibrant Gujarat summit next yearIndia seeks France, Singapore expertise for smart cities projectPunes smart city dream gets a UK thumbs-upIndo-US bilateral meet: Assistance for smart cities, more trade access, skilling on Centres agendaSmart cities Approval in, time for a concrete plan of actionVisakhapatnam, Ajmer and Allahabad to be developed as smart citiesUS proposes to partner for Vibrant Gujarat summit next yearIndia seeks France, Singapore expertise for smart cities project Andrews said the delegation comprising 18 US firms have come to meet both policy makers and Indian businesses and would showcase the great technologies that provide great value and potential for India. We believe that US can be a very valuable partner in helping India to develop sustainable economy, Andrews said, adding that there are substantial business opportunities for the US companies in Indias smart city projects. US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Director Leocadia Zak said the US has helped in master planning of Visakhapatnam smart city and is provided technical support to Allahabad and Ajmer. This is the beginning of the process. Our efforts are not limited to three cities. US businesses have the technological solutions which will be helpful across India, Andrews said. Zak also said that the US is looking forward to work for all the smart city projects. Terming financing of these smart cities projects as one of the challenge, Andrews said there would be multi-financial channel for these projects, including the central government, local government and businesses. Yesterday, the US delegation met Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, who assured them that Special Purpose Vehicles being set up for implementation of Smart City plans will be empowered to ensure timely execution of all projects by taking required decisions and ensuring necessary coordination. The government had recently announced the first batch of 20 smart cities from 11 states and Delhi. Apart from Bhubaneshwar, the cities in the first batch are Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bhopal, NDMC area of Delhi, Jaipur, Surat, Kochi, Jabalpur, Visakhapatnam, Solapur, Davanagere, Indore, Coimbatore, Kakinada, Belagavi, Udaipur, Guwahati and Ludhiana. Altogether, 100 cities are to be developed into smart cities as per Prime Minister Narendra Modis ambitious programme. For this, the Centre has earmarked Rs 48,000 crore and the states will have to contribute an equal amount. Under the programme, each selected city will be given Rs 500 crore over a period of five years by the Centre with the respective states expected to make the matching contribution. Read Also: A Look on the Top 10 Richest Politicians of 2016 U.S. Dollar to be Blamed for Economic Slowdown: Forbes STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Giovanni's Trattoria in Eltingville will get its feet wet in the Sunday brunch business on Valentine's Day. Co-owner Frank Rapiucciulo celebrates almost a year in business under his tutelage. And, he talked up some new items rolling out for this extended holiday weekend. As of this week, cocktails on the menu include a Bloody Mary made with Absolut Pepper served in a peppercorn-bacon salt rimmed glass with a jalapeno-stuffed olive. "If you like spicy, it's certainly the way to go," said Rapiucciulo. Then, there's a Nutella Martini with Godiva chocolate liqueur, Bailey's, vanilla vodka and Frangelico. Giovanni's now features a Grand Rosa Mimosa with blood orange soda, Grand Marnier with prosecco. That's a nod to former proprietor Rosa Demonte of the family who owns Demonte salumeria next door. "The glass is rimmed with Nutella and crushed hazelnuts and walnuts. It's a drink you want to keep turning as you sip it," said Rapiucciulo. Rapiucciulo, by the way, works the front-of-the-house and started in this very restaurant as a busboy under its former ownership. Throughout his food career he's served at Angelina's and worked with Mario Gentile, now owner and chef of Mario's in Dongan Hills. Rapiucciulo's colleagues include co-owner Alex Colizza who handles the wood-burning pizza oven and crafts Giovanni's signature oblong pizzas. Freddie Alvarez is the restaurant's chef for Italian apps and entrees. Starting on Feb. 14, brunch will cost $32.95 per guest with three courses -- choice of three appetizers, choice of six entrees and dessert such as Nutella Calzone and an individual red velvet cake. That menu will run from noon to 4 p.m. and reservations are requested. Regular ala carte service will follow each Sunday with amped up specials, says Rapiucciulo. This will be an unusual Valentine's Day for Staten Island restaurants, Rapiucciulo maintains. With President's Day on Monday and the "holiday" itself falling on a Sunday, he thinks it will be a particularly festive weekend. -- Giovanni's Trattoria is located at 3800 Richmond Ave., Eltingville; 718-227-3914, Giovannis.NYC.com STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Ralphie Grotto is looking to prove "I Got Balls" Wednesday night on CNBC's "Restaurant Startup." Riceballs, that is. The episode airs at 10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, with borough native Grotto and a helper, Chris Salmanese, also from Staten Island. The competition for S.I.'s "I Got Balls" is Munchie Rolz, a company based in Tallahassee, FL that specializes in satisfying "munchiez." In the trailer for the episode, dubbed "Late-Night Muchies" [sic], show hosts Elizabeth Blau and Tim Love interview the pairs of entrepreneurs dedicated to creating late-night bites. Ralphie hopes his fellow New Yorkers will vote for him. HIS STORY Ralphie, a Bay Terrace resident, served as exec chef in Florida restaurants. "I'm born and raised in Brooklyn," said Grotto. "I've been making rice balls since I was eight years old," Grotto told the Advance. "We had a two car garage in my house in my house in Brooklyn," said Grotto who credits his grandfather with teaching him the craft. Coming back to Staten Island after Florida, Grotto took his recipe to a professional level and worked from a storefront. But when that location's rent became too steep, Grotto outfitted his Bay Terrace home with a commercial kitchen in the basement. "We serve all the Top Tomatoes in New York and New Jersey," said Grotto who explained that come Italian food festival season, that home operation can roll out some serious ball action. "We did 4,500 rice balls in nine days for the 18th Avenue Feast. We do all the feasts," said Grotto. He'll be a vendor at Little Italy's San Gennaro Feast this fall for the first time. And, he just bought a food truck. You can follow Ralphie's rice ball journey on his website, OrderYourBall.com. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of an Ocean Breeze man found guilty in 2007 of intentionally dipping a 3-year-old boy in scalding hot water, reversing a federal judge's ruling last year that overturned the verdict. Michael Duhs, 42, was not denied his Sixth Amendment right to confront a witness when a state Supreme Court justice allowed the victim's statement to a doctor be presented as evidence without the boy taking the stand, ruled a three-member panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. When a doctor at the hospital asked why he hadn't tried to exit the bathtub filled with scalding water, the boy said Duhs wouldn't let him out, according to court papers. The child's statement was not obtained for criminal-prosecution purposes, the appellate court determined. In February 2007, Duhs was convicted at trial of first-degree assault and endangering a child's welfare. He was sentenced in June 2007 to 20 years behind bars. The New York State Court of Appeals later upheld the conviction. VERDICT OVERTURNED Duhs pressed on and in February of last year, Brooklyn federal court Judge Jack Weinstein overturned the guilty verdict, saying the defendant had been denied his Constitutional right to confront the boy over his statement. Weinstein's ruling set the stage for Duhs' release from prison if prosecutors did not retry the case or appeal the decision. The incident took place Sept. 16, 2005. Stacy Andersen, the boy's mother, left her one-bedroom Ocean Breeze bungalow to go to medical assistant school, leaving the child in the care of Duhs, her boyfriend. Duhs told Ms. Anderson that he drew the boy a bath, left to smoke a cigarette, came running back in when he heard crying, saw that they boy's hands were stuck in the drain and tried to free him. The boy's ankles and feet were severely burned and permanently scarred. Prosecutors argued that Duhs plunged the boy, feet-first, into the water intentionally, and the victim suffered "immersion" burns. Intent was established through the testimony of a resident physician at Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze. 'HE WOULDN'T LET ME OUT' The doctor told jurors he asked the boy why he had not gotten out of the tub, to which the child responded, "He wouldn't let me out." Weinstein ruled that without the child's statement, the prosecution couldn't have proved an intent to injure him. And Duhs had been denied his right to confront the boy when the child didn't testify. "At most, evidence admissible under the Constitution demonstrated that petitioner was negligent in his care for the three-year-old," Weinstein wrote. "There is insufficient evidence of any intent to hurt the child. Without the resident doctor's testimony relating the child's declaration -- which should have been excluded under the (Sixth Amendment) Confrontation Clause -- a jury could not find intent." The appellate court disagreed. The panel ruled the primary purpose of the physician's inquiry wasn't to obtain information that could be used in a criminal prosecution. Consequently, Duhs wasn't denied his right under the Sixth Amendment's Confrontation Clause. "(S)tatements by very young children will rarely, if ever, implicate the Confrontation Clause," the panel wrote, citing a prior U.S. Supreme Court decision. Duhs' lawyer, Norman Trabulus said his client is "considering his further legal options" and declined additional comment. District Attorney Michael E. McMahon praised the ruling. "We are gratified by the Second Circuit's reversal of the District Court's grant of habeus corpus relief, and relieved that the justly obtained conviction of Michael Duhs for his reprehensible crime against a small child will stand," said McMahon in a statement. Assistant District Attorney Anne Grady prosecuted the appeal under the supervision of Appeals Bureau Chief Morrie Kleinbart. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Hungry readers, prepare for the next feast of a crime novel from Staten Island Author Rob Hart. Yes, you've binged on "Making a Murderer," you plowed your way through the "Serial" podcast. The logical next step is right in your own backyard: Hart has released his latest installment on the life of fictional Staten Island man, Ash McKenna, and his adventures in Hart's "City of Rose." It follows his debut in the series, "New Yorked," which came out last year. The novel took readers on a tour of NYC's seedy underbelly when "Chell, the woman Ash loves, leaves him a voicemail looking for help -- a voicemail he gets two hours after her body is found," the synopsis reads. "Ash hunts for her killer with the grace of a wrecking ball, running afoul of a drag queen crime lord and stumbling into a hard-boiled role playing game that might be connected to a hipster turf war." Now, the sequel in the four-part series, "City of Rose" is out, and will be followed in October by the third part, "South Village." Hart will appear Thursday at the Barnes and Noble on Staten Island (2245 Richmond Avenue) at 6:30 p.m. for a reading and book signing. RSVP on Facebook. Then he's off to the left coast for his first book tour, hitting Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles (Details here). But between stops, we caught up with the Brighton Heights writer about "City of Roses," and what it's like to be the one feeding our insatiable hunger for serialized crime drama. Where did you leave off with Ash McKenna in "New Yorked? and what is he facing in "City of Rose"? At the end of "New Yorked," Ash finds himself at the end of his quixotic revenge quest. He found the man who killed the woman he loved, and he made a decision on how to handle it. But he also realized there was so much history hanging over him, he needed a change of scenery. So he heads to Portland, where he gets sucked into the same kind of stuff he was trying to leave behind. The first book is very much about Ash recognizing who he is. The second is about him accepting it. Does one have to read "New Yorked" to understand all this in "City of Roses"? You can, but you don't have to. I'm currently signed for four Ash books. The whole series is about this kid growing up and finding his moral compass -- his definition of right and wrong. But it was important to me that each book stand on its own. So if you read one, you'll be able to enjoy it without having to read the rest, and you'll feel satisfied with the conclusion. If you read the whole series, you'll get the bigger picture. You didn't originally plan for this to be a series, right? So what changed your mind? Originally it was meant to be one and done. But I really enjoyed writing this character. Plus I had some ideas kicking around for other books. Eventually it hit me: I could make it a series, put Ash in those situations, and see how it played out. And there was an overarching story to tell. In what ways did you have to modify the first book to make it more, shall we say, serial? I meant more for the second book than the first. I had to recap events from the first book in a way that didn't overwhelm the reader. It's a fine line -- you don't want too much so that it's boring, or so little that it's confusing. I hope I hit the right balance. Speaking of things being "serial," it seems like everything lately is fitting into that format, from the podcast by the same name to our television watching habits. What do you think are the pros and cons of that kind of binge-able story? The pro of serialized storytelling is that you can get a reader hooked and carry them on a long journey. As a writer, that's really exciting. The con is that people can be intimated at the prospect. It's a lot to ask, that someone listen to a dozen podcast episodes or read a bunch of books to understand something. That goes back to the earlier question--why I wanted each book to stand alone. Why might "City of Rose" appeal to Staten Island readers specifically? Ash is a Staten Island native, and right off the bat he talks a little about the similarities between Staten Island and Portland -- they're both quiet, skewing slightly more suburban. Beyond that, it's just a fun place. I like Portland a lot, and hopefully people who've never been there get a sense of that. I like writing this character, but I really like writing about the places he goes, too. Did anything happen between writing the books that informed how you wrote City? I started the process of the second book by having a complete meltdown. Writing a book is hard, and there was a point where I had no idea how I'd do it again. Then I buckled down and got to work. It turns out I found my voice and my process during the first, so the second was a lot easier -- the first took five years, and the second took six months. Also, I found out my wife was pregnant--our daughter was born two weeks before I sent the finished manuscript to my publisher. That's why the story revolves around a kidnapped child. Part of this was me weighing some things about the responsibility of being a parent. The term perpetual traveler (also PT, permanent tourist or prior taxpayer) refers to the idea that by basing different aspects of one's life in different countries and not spending too long in any one place, a person can reduce taxes, avoid civic duties and increase personal freedom. Books and services relating to the PT idea have been a staple of companies that specialise in marketing offshore financial services, tax avoidance schemes and personal privacy services.The perpetual traveler idea proposes that individuals live in such a way that they are not considered a legal resident of any of the countries in which they spend time or operate. By lacking a legal permanent residence status, the theory goes, they may avoid the legal obligations which accompany residency, such as income and asset taxes, social security contributions, jury duty and military service.[citation needed]Flag theory[edit]The perpetual traveler idea has been presented in terms of flag theory where each flag represents one of the legal jurisdictions under which the perpetual traveller operates. The Three Flags Theory is credited to investment pundit Harry D. Schultz who proposed that everyone should have a second passport, an address in a tax haven and that their assets should be kept outside their home country. The idea was later expanded to Five Flags to include a place where money was earned and a place for recreation.Whether to minimize governmental interference (via taxes or otherwise), or to maximize privacy, the theory proposes that each of the following should be in a separate country: FOCUS ON DEFENSE CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND OCEANIA By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent. Agree In 1869, it wasnt common for girls to set their sights on college after high school if they even finished school at all. Seven college women in Iowa set out to change that mindset. They founded the Philanthropic Educational Association, known for short as PEO, to help all women achieve their educational dreams. In 1916, women in Albany followed their lead, founding Chapter O, PEO. The 47 current members of that chapter are now inviting the public to share with them in a celebration of 100 years of scholarships and service. The centennial celebration will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Pix Theatre, 321 Second Ave. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The evening will include cake, champagne and refreshments, a short program and a showing of the movie, Youve Got Mail. Tickets are $20 per person and all proceeds benefit the groups scholarship program. PEO has grown and changed over the decades, said Mary Jacq Jenks Burck, a past president and historian for Chapter O. Albany has added four more chapters since PEOs inception, and Lebanon and Sweet Home have added chapters, too. Oregon has 183 chapters now in all, and about a quarter of a million women belong to some 6,000 chapters around the world. Albanys chapter has changed direction somewhat, Burck said. In the early days, members were more focused on community activities that made an immediate difference in womens lives. A year after its founding, for instance, the chapter gave up summer meetings to help the Red Cross during World War I. Members made for hospitals and for the troops temporarily stationed in Albany, and collected leather for airmens vests, producing 16 in two years. In 1918, Burck said, the group sent 35 cents per month per member to support war-ravaged families in Armenia and Syria. During World War II, members sold war bonds, served home-cooked meals to servicemen, helped with blood drives and took in the families of the men stationed at Camp Adair. In recent years, however, PEO members have turned their efforts more toward fundraising for scholarships for better futures. Along with Albanys four other chapters, Chapter O PEO provides scholarships for two graduating senior girls, one each from South Albany and West Albany high schools. The group also supports state scholarships and provides financial assistance to Cottey College, a womens college in Nevada, Missouri. We have all this money to raise were constantly raising money, Burck said. But thats all right, because we all believe in education, in womens education. The barriers women face in getting through school are different now than they were a century ago, but theyre no less daunting, said Melinda Stevens, the current president. Some PEO recipients are high school students who need help paying tuition. Others are single moms looking to provide a better life for their children. Others are older women who need to go back to school for job training, or who are completing a long-abandoned degree, or who are developing a bachelors degree into a masters or even a doctorate. Its those kind of barriers were trying to overcome, Stevens said. I feel really good about that. Albany Police officer John Trantham stood with fellow officers at Corks Old Fashioned Donuts on Tuesday morning, prepared to meet with citizens. They were there for the third Coffee with a Cop, an event created to offer residents an opportunity to meet with the police in a casual setting. Co-organizer Sandy Roberts said its real value was in interacting with the police in a setting free of tension, misfortune or criminal activity. It helps to humanize the uniform, she said, and to reduce the perception that the uniform leads to confrontation. Trantham said he likes Coffee with a Cop because it gives him a chance to be a regular guy. A lot of times, people will walk up to you while youre working and want to have a conversation, he said. But if Im maybe dealing with a potentially dangerous situation at the time, Ill have to come off as rude when I tell them to stay clear. There is nothing potentially dangerous, and no reason to stay clear, at the coffee meetings. At the two large tables, groups of visitors sat with officers, making small talk or telling jokes. Albany resident Gary Brown stopped in simply to thank the police for what they do. As more and more visitors filled the shop, amid the lively conversations, one guest wandered up to Albany Police Chief Mario Lattanzio and quipped that after seeing all the cop cars out front, hed wondered if thered be any doughnuts left. According to the clock, the inevitable doughnut joke occurred at exactly one hour and three minutes into the event. While most come in to be friendly, Trantham said its been about 50/50 at past events in terms of people being friendly or having an ax to grind. Some of them want to come in an talk about issues in their neighborhood, he said. Its about livability issues with them. And really, thats what we do as police, is maintain livability. A lot of people think of us as a punitive function. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. 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Adani Enterprises, the Indian company controlled by billionaire Gautam Adani, is focusing on solar opportunities in Queensland and South Australia, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Adani said any solar investment in Australia would come on top of its ambitions to develop the delayed Carmichael mine and rail project in Queensland. Adani says any Australian solar venture would operate alongside its giant Queensland coal project. Credit:AP Adani is interested in joining companies from Canada, China and Europe in developing solar projects in Australia with costs projected to halve by the end of the decade. Large-scale solar in the country is forecast to experience a 15-fold increase in capacity by 2021, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The company has a green-energy unit in India, which targets 10,000 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity by 2022, according to the statement. A teenager has been charged following a brawl between schoolchildren in Sydney's south-west that was filmed on a mobile phone. The footage shows a number of teens, some still in their school uniforms, throwing punches or wrestling on the ground in separate fights, while dozens of bystanders look on. Police said up to 40 people stood by during the fight, which took place in Jiniwin Place, Ambarvale, about 5pm on Wednesday. Several can be seen carrying knives and bats, but none were used during the brawl. A 17-year-old girl was arrested after officers arrived. She was taken to Campbelltown police station and charged with affray, assaulting police and resisting arrest, police said. New Delhi: The United States and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that a US defence official said could include the disputed South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the waterway. Washington wants its regional allies and other Asian nations to take a more united stance against China over the South China Sea, where tensions have spiked in the wake of Beijing's construction of seven man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago. India and the United States have ramped up military ties in recent years, holding naval exercises in the Indian Ocean that last year involved the Japanese navy. But the Indian navy has never carried out joint patrols with another country and a naval spokesman said there was no change in the government's policy of only joining an international military effort under the United Nations flag. Black Mountain String Band launching the National Folk Festival, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. Credit:Elesa Kurtz Taxpayers look set to be slugged $20 million to fit out a new office building in regional NSW for the Tax Office , despite the ATO still not being sure about what it will be used for. 9.30am: Police say a crash on Barry Drive should not cause any further impacts to traffic. 9.11am: ACT Ambulance paramedics transported the male motorbike rider to Calvary Hospital with minor injuries after that Barry Drive crash. Police say the crash scene isn't completely cleared yet, so take care. 8.41am: That crash on the corner of Barry Drive and Dryandra St is between a car and a motorbike, police say one lane is slightly blocked, but traffic is able to get through. 8.37am: There's apparently been a crash in O'Connor on Barry Drive affecting traffic - we'll find out and bring you more: SALEM Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, said Tuesday she supports a measure to increase the states minimum wage on a three-tiered level of $12.50, $13.50 and $15 over six years, in part to avoid a ballot measure that would enact higher wages in just three years and because Oregon workers deserve a raise. Gelser is a member of the Senate Committee on Workforce and General Government that approved the three-tiered minimum wage plan Friday. Overall, there are a lot of different perspectives and a number of economists have weighed in on this issue, Gelser said. I disagree with the assessment that there are going to be a lot of job losses and businesses that close due to these increases. Gelser said she is convinced that if the Legislature does not approve a minimum wage plan, the issue will go on the November ballot offering wages of $13.50 and $15 per hour in just three years instead of six. Its a presidential election year, which always drives a higher number of younger voters who will vote disproportionately for increasing the minimum wage, Gelser said. I believe 2019 is too soon to fully implement those increases. Gelser said the Legislative plan will make some concessions to rural parts of the state and includes a gradual implementation to 2022. She said the increases would be manageable chunks for small businesses, non-profits and local governments. Gelser added that increasing the minimum wage in Portland is a major issue, and she doesnt believe rural Oregon could stop the tsunami of votes from Multnomah County, plus additional voting from young people. Gelser said the three-tiered wage bill that is now before the House would, by 2022, increase the minimum wage in the Portland area to $15; urban counties such as those that include Salem and Eugene to $13.50 and rural counties to $12.50. Those areas are not drawn on population alone but on the cost of living, Gelser said. It is a very scientific way of slicing things up. Gelser said she recognizes the need for our workers, people who are working hard full-time and who are not able to support their families. Michael Cameron says tackling high claims in Suncorp Group is his No. 1 priority as chief executive after the $14 billion insurer cut dividends and posted a 16 per cent drop in profit to $530 million for the half year to December. Mr Cameron, the former GPT Group chief executive who took over from Patrick Snowball in September 2015, said natural catastrophes caused by climate change were costing the company $2 million each day. Suncorp Group chief executive Michael Cameron says the reported profit for the half of $530 million is well short of what the group can deliver. Credit:Daniel Munoz Meanwhile, a falling Australian dollar and squeezed investment returns from volatile markets have also dealt blows to the company's bottom line. Suncorp reported a 10.1 per cent underlying insurance trading ratio for its general insurance division, compared with 14.8 per cent the previous year. "The biggest impact on the business have been the investment markets $270 million less in this period than in the same period last year," Mr Cameron said. AGL:Environmental terrorist or evangelist? Take your pick but financial pragmatist is probably the best description. The fact is that this company makes most of its earnings off the back of carbon producing coal-fired energy production and is using the proceeds to seed a $3 billion renewable energy fund that will invest in clean sources of power like solar and wind. There is nothing new age environmentally conscious in this. Like any corporation that is looking to maximise returns, AGL (like several others) understands that the writing is on the wall for the the production of dirty energy in the longer term. Thus it is making an each-way bet on the future. Make no mistake, companies like AGL make investment decisions primarily with reference to investment returns rather than environmental outcomes regardless of the rhetoric. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is considering an appeal after a court dismissed its claims of an egg-market cartel. The ACCC had accused the national marketing body the Australian Egg Corporation of cartel behaviour to keep the price of eggs high. Egg producers were facing oversupply issues in 2012. Credit:Craig Sillitoe But Federal Court Judge Richard White found the regulator had been unable to prove that the corporation's plans to reduce the supply of hens by its egg-supplier members was tantamount to cartel behaviour. The ACCC had alleged the AEC and suppliers Farm Pride and Twelve Oaks Poultry had cooked up a plan to kill hens and bury eggs to increase the price of eggs paid by consumers at an "egg oversupply (crisis) meeting" in Sydney in early 2012. The Special Broadcasting Service Corporation said that its chairman Nihal Gupta is stepping down with immediate effect "due to personal family reasons". The broadcaster declined to offer further explanation for his sudden departure. SBS says its chairman Nihal Gupta is stepping down for personal family reasons Credit:Photo: Jesse Marlow Deputy chair Hass Dellal, who will step up to temporary chairman until the government undertakes a process to find a new chair, said in a statement: "The SBS board understands and fully respects Mr Gupta's decision. "We thank Mr Gupta for his valuable contribution to SBS and wish him well." It's not every day you see analysts initiate coverage on BHP Billiton or Rio Tinto. But RBC Capital analyst Paul Hissey has done just that and backed the beleaguered BHP over its big rival. Mr Hissey said Rio's position as the stand-out performer among the mining majors was "likely coming to an end". RBC prefers the Andrew Mackenzie-led BHP Billiton. Credit:Philip Gostelow Rio was slapped with an "under-perform" rating and a target price of $37, down from its current price of $41.53. BHP was given a "sector perform" rating and a $15 target price, slightly less than its current price of $15.67. "Rio's concentration of profitability in the structurally challenged iron ore division will likely see Rio's relative flexibility erode the most over the coming 12 months in the absence of a price rally," Mr Hissey said. When you find yourself in a hole, the saying goes, stop digging. A simple lesson that arguably has bypassed a mining industry that's wiped out more than $US1.4 trillion ($2 trillion) of shareholder value by digging too many holes around the globe. The industry's 73 per cent plunge from a 2011 peak is far beyond the oil industry's 49 per cent loss during the same time. This year may become the worst yet with prices trending lower for longer, according to Anglo American chief Mark Cutifani. Credit:Ryan Stuart Just how long it will take for the world to erode bulging stockpiles of metals, coal and iron ore was the central debate at the mining industry's biggest investment conference in Cape Town this week, which attracted more than 6000 top executives, bankers, brokers, analysts, miners and reporters. Here's what they concluded. This year may be the worst yet with prices trending lower for longer, according to Anglo American chief Mark Cutifani, who says his company should be better prepared "for the winter that inevitably comes after the summer". About 100,000 'super rich' Australians would feel the burden of a new death tax, which could raise about $5 billion a year in federal revenue if introduced, according to Community Council for Australia chairman Tim Costello. Many countries including the United States and United Kingdom already have what's called a death or inheritance tax with differing rates and thresholds that aims to claw back some money from rich people bequeathing assets to younger generations. The OECD has recommended such a tax is worth exploring in Australia, but one of the major problems is that people start transferring wealth before they die to avoid being hit. SALEM Pro business and agriculture groups 7rallied Monday afternoon at the Capitol, protesting mandatory increases in the states minimum wage laws. Friday afternoon, the Senate Committee on Workforce and General Government approved a modified proposal by Gov. Kate Brown that would create a three-tiered minimum wage over the next six years. In the Portland area, minimum wage would increase to $14.75 per hour. In other urban areas such as Salem and Eugene, it would increase to $13.50 and in rural areas, it would cap out at $12.50. After 2012, annual increases in the minimum wage would be tied to the consumer price index. Monday morning, Albany Area Chamber of Commerce President Janet Steele encouraged local business and ag leaders to attend the rally. The Albany chamber opposes these mandatory minimum wage increases, Steele said. We have met with Sen. Sara Gelser and Rep. Andy Olson many times to make our concerns known. Gelser, a Democrat, favors the wage increase, while Olson, a Republican, opposes them. Sen. Gelser definitely knows our position and why our local business leaders have been very forthcoming about the affects increasing the minimum wage will have on their businesses, Steele said. It will affect the total number of employees and decrease profitability. There will be higher prices. On a 3-2 vote, the Senate committee approved the bill, which now goes to the House. Senators Dembrow, Gelser and Rosenbaum, all Democrats, were in favor and Senators Knopp and Thatcher, Republicans, opposed it. According to the bill, Linn and Benton counties would be considered urban counties. Non-urban counties would be Baker, Coos, Crook, Curry, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa and Wheeler. Roger Nyquist, chairman of the Linn County Board of Commissioners, testified before the committee last Tuesday and emphasized that Linn County may choose to not participate in increasing minimum wages because the board believes such unfunded mandates by the state are unconstitutional. The board, which includes commissioners John Lindsey and Will Tucker, believes Article XI, Section 15, of the Oregon Constitution, requires the Legislature to reimburse local governments when they spend money to comply with new laws. If the mandate is unfunded, the commissioners believe the county can opt out and all of the private businesses with whom the county competes, are also protected from having to increase wages. Oregons current minimum wage is $9.25 per hour, about $2 more than the federal minimum wage. The 2015 Australian Aid Stakeholder Survey is the second such survey of Australian aid experts and practitioners undertaken by aid think-tank, the Development Policy Centre, based at The Australian National University. The first survey was held in 2013, prior to the integration of AusAID and the large aid cuts. The second survey was carried out in the second half of 2015. These changes have not been without consequence and a new survey of almost 500 aid experts and practitioners points to the serious risks now facing the Australian aid program. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and newly-appointed Minister for International Development and the Pacific Steven Ciobo must do more to communicate to the public the importance and successes of the Australian aid program. Credit:Ben Rushton The last few years have heralded significant changes to Australia's foreign aid program. The standalone aid agency, AusAID, was integrated into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The aid budget faced the largest cuts ever in its history. The survey was targeted at those who are most knowledgeable about the Australian aid program: the leaders of NGOs and businesses who implement the aid program, as well as government officials and academics interested in aid. The results do contain some good news for the aid program. In particular, the majority of stakeholders continue to believe that Australian aid is effective. But this view is not as widely shared as in 2013. And, whereas in 2013 most stakeholders thought the effectiveness of our aid was improving, now most think it is worsening. The majority now rate Australian aid as less effective than aid from the average Western donor, again a reversal from 2013. Some of the increased dissatisfaction is due to the massive budget cuts of 2015. Funding predictability is now viewed as the biggest weakness of Australian aid. But the survey results also make it clear that the concerns of stakeholders are not just about the budget. Stakeholders perceive a loss of strategic clarity, and a reduced emphasis on helping the poor versus an increased emphasis on Australia's own interests. About three quarters of respondents view staff expertise as a weakness of the aid program up from half in 2013 and say that the merger with DFAT has had a negative impact on aid staff effectiveness. This week, the Turnbull government tabled legislation that will allow farmers to grow cannabis for medical use, and allow businesses to manufacture cannabidiol a potentially effective painkiller from those plants. If passed, the draft laws will ensure these suppliers meet strict licensing requirements and minimise the risk of the plants being used or sold unlawfully. In effect, the legislation will establish a regulated national market for a drug that has shown some promise in relieving chronic pain, and might also help suppress epileptic seizures and psychotic episodes. This breakthrough was years in the making. Not all medical professionals are yet convinced of cannabidiol's benefits but, importantly, the legislation will move treatment decisions out of the hands of politicians and into the hands of doctors. Medicinal cannabis is being legalised in various parts of Australia. Credit:Max Mason Hubers It's surprising this consensus could not be reached sooner. For years, patients, as well as some doctors and law-enforcement officials, urged governments to legalise, or at least decriminalise, the medical use of marijuana. Yet most political leaders baulked at the idea, no doubt fearful of being unable to explain effectively the differences between beneficial extracts from cannabis and the plant's unlawful use. Cannabis has long been associated with crime and, more recently, mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. The resulting, long-standing reluctance to alter the law encouraged thousands of Australians who suffer profound pain such as those with terminal cancer, HIV/AIDS or multiple sclerosis to break the law by growing or buying marijuana to suppress their symptoms. About one in seven chronic-pain sufferers are believed to use marijuana illegally. It took the courage of two premiers, NSW's Mike Baird (a Liberal) and Victoria's Daniel Andrews (Labor), to break the deadlock. Both leaders recently authorised trials of cannabidiol. Mr Andrews said last year: "The time has come for us to stop finding reasons not to do this, and instead drag this law into the 21st century." Queensland's Labor government has since joined the trials. The Greens have long supported these reforms in every jurisdiction. Amy Marlow and her dad, Doug McDowell. Credit:Washington Post And I struggled to understand why, why, why. Why did my dad kill himself? Why did he leave? What made him do it? I didn't know how to reconcile the father I loved with the man who had inflicted so much pain on our family. On me. From my 13-year-old perspective, depression was to blame. I viewed it as an unstoppable evil, not a mental illness. As he had become increasingly and more obviously sick our family never discussed it. I had no frame of reference for the symptoms I saw until just hours after he died. At which point I associated depression with dying. Mental illness seemed like dangerous business and I knew one thing for sure: I didn't ever want to have it. Doug McDowell in his Navy uniform. Credit:Washington Post There is no road map for surviving a suicide loss, especially for a seventh grader. My mother got me professional help - I went to therapy. But when I talked with the counsellor about my dad's death I felt detached, like I was describing somebody else. I couldn't seem to connect the words that came out of my mouth with the pain that I felt in my body. Talking to most people about my dad's death was at best uncomfortable but usually unbearable. I hated the awkward pause that almost always came after I said the "S" word - suicide. I dreaded the awful question about how he killed himself. I was asked if we did enough to try to save him. Once, an acquaintance called my dad a coward for giving up and leaving his family. Worst of all was being told that they couldn't understand, that they just couldn't imagine. Try, I would think to myself, try to understand. Because it did happen. It's my life. Amy Marlow and her husband Will Marlow. Credit:Washington Post So as time went by I stopped talking about my father. I took the pain and the trauma and the shame and I shoved it way down deep inside of me. I was tired of having to make other people feel comfortable when I shared, rather than feeling supported and understood. And I was tired of the sadness, tired of the bone-deep pain that never seemed to go away. I became a master at avoiding my dad's name in conversation. I stopped thinking about him, I stopped missing him, and after a while it started to feel like I never had a father to begin with. Through my teens and twenties I carried that pain inside of me like a sleeping dragon - I knew it was in there and I tried my best not to wake it up. Life went on - I was a smart kid with lots of friends and a sparkling personality. I went off to a top-tier college and graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude. On the surface, everything looked good. But when I was 22 my mother was diagnosed with cancer and the terror and anguish came roaring out. Paralysed with fear that I would lose my other parent, I stopped eating. I couldn't sleep. I would drive around for hours, sobbing and listening to the same sad songs on repeat. I told my therapist about my behaviour and she said, "Honey, I think you have depression." My diagnosis felt like a death sentence. My dad's suicide left me feeling suspicious and fearful of mental illness. I saw how bad depression could get - I had lived the worst-case scenario. I didn't want it to become my problem and I certainly didn't know how to deal with it. Depression felt more like a family curse than a legitimate health issue that demanded treatment. Although I felt conflicted, I agreed to start medication and I continued in therapy. But acceptance was still a long way off. For most of my twenties I lived in no-man's land. Part of me knew that I needed to take depression seriously and the other part of me wanted to run and hide. And though I tried my hardest to push the pain of my dad's suicide away, it was always lurking just below the surface. At 27, I got engaged and in the process of wedding planning, our minister asked how I wanted to include my father in the wedding. He's not invited, I snapped back. Surprised, she asked if I had forgiven him, if I had made peace with his death. No, I said, no I haven't found peace. I don't even know what that means. I seemed to have inherited my dad's ability to over-perform at work and keep depression hidden. We were both highly successful in our Washington, DC, professional lives - he was a brilliant labor lawyer who filed hundreds of briefs for the Supreme Court and I was a communications director, a rising star at every job I held. Mental illness didn't feel like a topic I could share at work. Like my father, I was fearful of what others would think, if it would limit my opportunities or damage my reputation. So when I struggled with the wet-blanket sadness and gripping fear that characterise my depression and anxiety, I didn't tell my colleagues. I pushed myself harder and smiled even bigger. Like so many people who live with mental illness, you never would have known. Finally, at the age of 31, the sleeping dragon woke up. Under the advice of a doctor I tapered off my antidepressants in the hopes of getting pregnant. After six months of struggling through withdrawal and becoming more and more depressed, I bottomed out. I felt myself losing control - the sadness and anxiety and shame and trauma of the past 18 years seemed to hit me with the force of a tsunami. Panic overwhelmed my body and I felt like I was going to die. Catch me, I said to my husband as I gripped both his arms, catch me. I'm falling. And fall I did. That first panic attack was the beginning of a long and slow dive into a year-long mental health crisis. I often thought that I had descended into hell and I didn't know how to come back. Unable to stabilise and feeling unsafe, I checked myself into a psychiatric hospital. Twice. I spent nearly six months in a partial hospitalisation program. I quit my job. Once again my whole life changed. But as I sifted through the ashes of my career, my self-confidence and my sense of meaning, I found some nuggets of truth. Getting so sick forced me to accept that depression and anxiety are real illnesses - not my flaws and not my fault. I found that treatment was helping me and that recovery was possible. I dug deep and finally accepted that I could live with depression. I could cope with anxiety. I came to see that depression didn't have to end with suicide. And growing into these truths helped me to find compassion for my dad. I made a promise to myself as I got stronger: that I wasn't going to hide my depression any more. I was going to say the "S" word out loud. I made this vow not only for myself but also for my dad, because I want to share what he wasn't able to. For years I have been haunted by the legacy of his obituary - printed in The Washington Post - which made no mention of suicide and listed his cause of death as cardiopulmonary arrest. Hear me now: I'm not ashamed of his life or his mental illness or his suicide. The burden of silence ends with me. As I drove home from work tonight, American Pie came on the radio - one of my dad's favourites by Don McLean. Even though it's January I rolled the windows down and turned the music up so loud it hurt my ears. I sang along and let myself cry, let myself feel the pain. The sky was on fire with a brilliant sunset, streaked with bursts of orange and magenta and purple. A long, long time ago I can still remember how that music used to make me smile Are you out there, daddy? I hope you're flying free. I've heard of being kicked upstairs but this is ridiculous. I know people get promoted to their point of incompetence, but the UN? The Vatican? These are not incompetence-friendly situations. I know that the sinecure, or cushy upstairs job, is a time-honoured tradition, but it shouldnt just protect the douchebag from the world. It should also protect the world from the douchebag. To anoint Philip children overboard Ruddock as our special envoy on human rights is an irony of breathtaking proportions. Its almost as bizarre as allowing George Pells dicky heart to distance him from those whose hearts he helped break. In both cases, Australia looks weak, venal and mean. As Howards Immigration Minister, Ruddock designed and implemented the Pacific solution. Now, as our first-ever special envoy to the UN Human Rights Commission, he must persuade them it was a solution, not simply a tactic. Mind the Gap However, proof that we're not living in a zany dreamworld came shortly afterwards when Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull delivered the annual Closing the Gap address on the state of indigenous health, education and welfare in Australia, which had the same theme as the last few years in that the gap's evidently not getting closed. The line being touted by both major parties is that progress is "mixed": child mortality is thankfully down and year 12 completion has risen, but other goals in educational attendance, employment, incarceration rates and life expectancy are all woeful-to-shameful. Thankfully the PM was clear on what was needed: respect. "That is the glue," he said at today's Close the Gap 10th anniversary parliamentary breakfast. "That is the absolutely essential element that holds us together and provides us with the ability to do better and better in the years ahead." He gave a similarly feelingsy speech in Parliament this morning, insisting that "The Closing The Gap challenge is often described as a problem to be solved. But more than anything, it is an opportunity. If our greatest assets are our people, if our richest capital is our human capital, then the opportunity to empower the imagination, the enterprise, the wisdom and the full potential of our first Australians is an exciting one." It was a nice speech - including a welcome in the Ngunnawal language - slightly soured by the fact that a fair whack of his party couldn't be arsed showing up to hear it. It was probably because, if anything, they care too much about the subject, right? Yep, that'd be it. Throwing solutions at the problems And that sounds fair, although New Matilda reported that a meeting last week with Victoria's Aboriginal Affairs Minister Natalie Hutchins regarding questions around self determination and constitutional recognition ended as soon as it began. More specifically: the 500-strong group of leaders from various Aboriginal language groups and organisations moved the motion "We as Sovereign People reject Constitutional Recognition", before passing said motion with unanimous support. It's worth keeping this in mind as the question of Constitutional Recognition starts getting batted about with increasing vigour in the coming months. The Saga of StuRob Oh, and there's more dramas in the ongoing embarrassment that is Human Services Minister Stuart Robert. His repeated and increasingly comical refusal to answer questions in Parliament on Wednesday has cleared up zero doubts about whether he was visiting China in a conflict-of-interest-seeming official or totally-reasonable-unofficial capacity in 2014, in order to celebrate a deal being cut between Chinese company Minmetals and Nimrod Resources, owned by his pal (and large-scale Liberal donor) Paul Marks, who owns businesses in which Robert has a financial interest. The matter has been referred to Martin Parkinson, head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, for an official investigation into whether Robert broke the Ministerial Code of Conduct. However, the opposition isn't letting up in asking why, if the minister was definitely just there in a private capacity, Robert won't confirm that it said as much on his entry visa - and also why the Minmetals website seems to contain details of an official speech that Robert supposedly made as a representative of the Australian government. And then there's the bizarre story of Robert, Tony Abbott and Ian Macfarlane being given Rolex watches by a Chinese billionaire in 2013 (including their assumption that said watches were fake, for some reason). Stu, maybe back off hanging out with billionaire Chinese businessmen for a little bit. It seems you're not great at it. It was a reminder how heavily we have come to rely on this most convenient of technologies. Mobile networks are now just as crucial as electricity and water infrastructure, we are told. As people abandon the copper chord, their landlines, for handsets, the White Pages and Yellow Pages aren't the hefty doorstops they once were. But for most of us, it was a minor inconvenience. Perhaps even a chance to remember what life was like before the early 1990s, before we walked around with mobile phones permanently attached to our palms. When pedestrians weren't glued to their screens, so didn't routinely crash into each other in the street. When you used your actual voice to ask a teenager to do a chore, instead of instant messaging because you know that's the only way to get their attention. According to one estimate, mobile phone users check their phone on average 150 times a day. It's estimated US smartphone users spend an average of about one hour a day using their their mobiles, and average US app usage is two hours or more daily. For most of us, not being able to get on the network is a source of annoyance rather than a matter of life and death. We usually handle it OK when we have a self-induced outage because we've let the battery run down. When it's our fault, not Telstra's. Polson said Tropfest would only require non-exclusive rights and would explore whether it was legally possible to release rights to Tropfest's back catalogue. Australian interest at British Academy Awards As the movie prize-giving season continues, the British Academy awards feature plenty of Australian interest in London on the weekend. Just as at the Oscars at the end of the month, Cate Blanchett is nominated as best actress for Carol. Mad Max: Fury Road missed nominations for best film and director at the BAFTAs but is up for seven awards best cinematography, editing, costume design, production design, sound, special visual effects and make-up and hair. And Jennifer Peedom's Sherpa, which screened at both the Sydney and Melbourne film festivals last year, is nominated for best documentary. Shot on Mount Everest as 16 sherpas were killed in an avalanche in 2014, it is up against a hot field that includes Amy, Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala and Call Me Marlon. Home Alone meets Scream in Sydney Olivia DeJonge and Levi Miller in Safe Neighbourhood. Photo: Sean Reilly. Credit:gmaddox@fairfaxmedia.com.au Just before Sydney hosts Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant, with Michael Fassbender playing both the android from Prometheus and his doppelganger, another film has snuck into Fox Studios. American-based Australian director Chris Peckover has just finished shooting Safe Neighbourhood, a thriller described as "Home Alone meets Scream" about a babysitter (Olivia DeJonge) who has to defend a 12-year-old boy (Levi Miller) from strangers breaking into the house over Christmas. The film also stars Virginia Madsen (Joy), Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld, The Dish) and Ed Oxenbould (Paper Planes) and is set in a nameless American city that producer Brett Thornquest (Infini) says was inspired by Chicago, where Home Alone was shot. "We've recreated a white Christmas in Sydney during the middle of summer," he said. "It's a thriller but there's black comedy laced throughout." With a $5 million budget, the filmmakers built an American house inside Fox Studios and shot exteriors at an home at Warrawee on the upper north shore during the 30-day shoot. The film was originally due to shoot in the US but switched to Australia to take advantage of production incentives. Like Paul Currie's thriller 2.22, which recreated New York's Grand Central Station in Fox Studios last year, and Shane Abbess' sci-fi film Infini, Safe Neighbourhood has its cast speaking in American accents. "Chris was living in America when he co-wrote the script and took it to Best Medicine Productions. So the film was always set to be shot in America until we came along and said 'here's another way to go about doing it'." The filmmakers finished shooting on the weekend to make way for Alien, which will star Katherine Waterston and Fassbender, who played ex-lovers in Steve Jobs. "They're about to invade the whole of Fox I think," said Thornquest. "A few of our crew are going over onto that." Australian producer changes Oscars speeches After a successfully introducing innovations to TV coverage of American sports, Australian producer David Hill is making a mark on the Oscars getting rid of the time-honoured tradition of winners rattling off an endless list of names. Producing the awards with Reginald Hudlin, Hill is introducing a scroll of names that will run at the bottom of the TV screen and encouraged winners to say something heartfelt instead of just thanks. According to The Hollywood Reporter, nominees are being asked to submit a list of those they would like to thank if they win. Then if they are called to the stage on February 28, a scroll of those names will run across the bottom of the screen like a news ticker tape. "Acceptance speeches have become a list of names and, more often than not, time ran out before something could be spoken from the heart about the art, about the vision, about the experience, about the meaning of the moment," Hill said at the nominees lunch in Los Angeles. "We needed to rethink how this could be a better experience for everyone." While details are still being worked out, Hill promised the scroll would serve as "a permanent record of your gratitude" while freeing up the winners to use their 45 seconds productively. Sherman teaming up with Weinsteins again It was a successful collaboration last time that saw Australian producer Emile Sherman collect the best picture Oscar for The King's Speech. Now it looks like See-Saw Films' new project, a bio-pic of Mary Magdalene, will have the Weinstein company as distributor. The Weinsteins are reportedly in negotiations to acquire North American rights, with Rooney Mara expected to play the famous acolyte of Jesus Christ. Garth Davis, who has the drama Lion out this year after working with Sherman on Top of the Lake, will direct. French Festival unveils program Brigitte Bardot in The always popular Alliance Francaise French Film Festival has announced Rosalie Blum will be the opening night attraction next month. Directed by Julien Rappeneau, the comic drama centres on a hairdresser (Kyan Khojandi) who begins following a mysterious woman (Noemie Lvovsky) after experiencing a powerful sense of deja vu. On closing night, the festival will screen a restored version of Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 classic satirical drama Contempt, starring Brigitte Bardot. The 42-feature program also includes new films from such well-known directors Jacques Audiard (Dheepan), Julie Delpy (Lolo), Michel Gondry (Microbe & Gasoline), Maiwenn (Mon Roi), Guillaume Nicloux (Valley of Love) and Catherine Corsini (La Belle Saison). The festival runs in Sydney from March 1 to 24 at Palace Norton Street and Verona, Chauvel Cinema and Cremorne Orpheum followed by a highlights program at Casula Powerhouse and Parramatta's Riverside Theatres from April 7 to 10. In Melbourne, the festival runs from March 2 to 24 at Palace Balwyn, Brighton Bay, Cinema Como and Westgarth, Kino Cinemas and the Astor Theatre. Flickerfest heads to Melbourne Adam Elliot's animated short film The Bondi short film festival Flickerfest is heading to Melbourne next week with a program that includes Adam Elliot's Ernie Biscuit, his first short film since Oscar-winner Harvie Krumpet. Also screening are David Hansen's comedy Slingshot, which won the best Australian short film award at the festival last month, Nina Buxton's Woof! which won best editing, and Mikey Hill's heartwarming The Orchestra, which won best Australian short animation. The screenings and party are at Palace Kino Cinemas on February 17. "Melbourne is my original hometown," said festival director Bronwyn Kidd. "I always get a thrill to see how well our creative and inspirational short films are received by our Melbourne friends and the capacity audiences that turn out." Grandpa stays top Released to coincide with the Year of the Monkey, this Hong Kong-Chinese co-production a sequel to the 2014 blockbuster The Monkey King, also directed by Cheang Pou-soi takes our familiarity with the source for granted rather than wasting time setting up the plot. Chinese filmmakers never seem to tire of adapting the 16th century novel Journey to the West, a classic which, from a Western perspective, appears to enjoy a cultural status somewhere between Homer's The Odyssey and The Wizard of Oz. Within a few minutes, the young monk, Xuanzang (William Feng) the character sometimes known as Tripitaka is dispatched on a quest to retrieve a collection of ancient Buddhist scriptures, accompanied by three comic magical companions: the pig-faced Bajie (Xiao Shen Yang), the blue-skinned Sha Wujing (Him Law), and last, but not least, Sun Wukong (Aaron Kwok), the impulsive, buffoonish Monkey King himself. The Monkey King 2 takes viewers on a new journey. The journey format gives the filmmakers a lot of leeway, allowing for frequent lavish fight sequences set against fantastical backdrops (the choreography is by Hong Kong legend Sammo Hung). If the storytelling lacks a certain finesse, there's no shortage of spectacle: dragons and other digitally generated monsters, hordes of sword-wielding skeletons, and uncanny transformations that sometimes confront the heroes with doubles of themselves. Taking over the role played by Donnie Yen in the previous series instalment, Kwok makes the most of his background as a dancer, though whether you find his limp-wristed capering funny is a matter of taste. Like much in the film, his performance seems geared above all to pre-teen viewers, who may well identify with Wukong's vengeful yet playful nature: striking intimidating poses one moment, giggling and blowing raspberries the next. There's an authoritarian subtext here if you choose to look for it: Wukong is the archetypal rebellious subject who must be brought into line and discouraged from using his individual judgment. On the other hand, no effort is made to deny the allure of the elegantly evil White Bone Spirit (Gong Li) who lives in an ice palace with a trio of handmaidens, makes flowers wilt at her touch and yearns for immortality as a demon. Tensions in the South African jungle have reached boiling point on I'm A Celebrity, with viewers accusing Jo Beth Taylor of being an immature bully. The former television host was lashed on social media on Tuesday night after coming to blows with former Bachelor star Laurina Fleure. Former TV personality Jo Beth Taylor and Bachelor star Laurina Fleure are at each other's throats on I'm A Celebrity. Credit:Ten Hostilities have been brewing between the two since they entered the South African jungle nearly two weeks ago, but things escalated on Tuesday when Taylor called Fleure a "stupid bitch". The City of Albany Public Works Department has proposed creating a new utility to address stormwater management. The idea was pitched Monday night at the city councils work session. This year the city will apply for a stormwater permit through the Department of Environmental Quality, one of 11 cities statewide required to do so, and does not have dedicated funds, personnel or the infrastructure to run a stormwater management system. But City of Albany Project Engineer Mark Yeager said its time to begin thinking about stormwater management as a regulated utility, and that funding for such a service should come from a dedicated source. Right now, funds from wastewater revenues and the gas tax are being used to pay for what little stormwater maintenance the city performs. Theres some nexus there, but its a limited resource, Yeager said. If the council goes with the utility model, Yeager said its implementation would be gradual. Likely there will be a phasing in of each component, he said, citing operation and maintenance, capital and regulatory compliance as three components that would require funding. For each of these, he said, there will be a process to determine the cost. Still, he said, forming a new utility is a not a foregone conclusion. The council could decide to do another form of funding, said Yeager. Still, there is precedent. Yeager said 60 other Oregon cities, including Sweet Home, Lebanon and Corvallis, have a stormwater utility program. Councilor Ray Kopczynski said it is not an option to do nothing regarding stormwater management in Albany, but that the council right now is only seeking direction, with a timeline of 18 months to two years before any new utility could be introduced. Funding for such programs in the past has been criticized as a tax disguised as a utility fee. To make the distinction, Yeager said, the funding plan would to be structured as a fee for service, rather than a tax. The department will address the council again on March 7 to ask what kind of rate structure could work for the proposed utility. Other executives, such as Rob Vertessy, head of the Bureau of Meteorology - which runs many joint programs with the CSIRO - have told estimates this week that they also had little warning about the cuts until they were made public. In his first appearance in his new role before Senate estimates, Dr Finkel said he was not aware of the CSIRO's cuts until they were announced last Thursday . Australia's new chief scientist Alan Finkel has had "significant conversations" with leading researchers to ensure planned deep cuts to climate science programs by the CSIRO would not undermine the country's ability to deal with global warming. Dr Finkel told senators he had been "doing as much as I can in the time available" to understand what capacity exists among other agencies such as the bureau and universities to "help facilitate continuous capacity" in climate research. "There is no question that Australia needs a continuous and highly effective commitment to climate science, both to meet our national needs and to fulfil our international commitments," Dr Finkel said. "Our contribution is particularly important in light of our central role in understanding the climate of the southern hemisphere." "Our most immediate national concern must be to ensure that long-term data collections will be funded and staffed; and that the climate modelling capabilities developed by the CSIRO will continue to be made available for scientists to use and refine," Dr Finkel said. CSIRO chief executive Larry Marshall, in an email sent to staff explaining the need to cut 350 full-time jobs, said the organisation needed to transfer resources away from climate monitoring to carbon mitigation and climate adaptation efforts. The job losses would be made up within two years by growth in other areas. More evidence emerged on Wednesday that CSIRO management had done little to consult in advance with the broader scientific community - let alone senior staff - to understand implications of the cuts. Losses of staff in climate change monitoring and modelling are expected to account for as many as 100 of the 350 full-time jobs the CSIRO has announced it plans to axe. Deep cuts to CSIRO's climate and manufacturing programs show the organisation is bowing to right-wing priorities Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull inherited from predecessor Tony Abbott, said Kim Carr, Labor's shadow minister for industry. Alan Finkel, the new Chief Scientist, told Senate estimates that he only learned of the cuts when they were made public. Rob Vertessy, head of the Bureau of Meteorology, said earlier in the week he learned of them just a day in advance, even though the bureau shares key modelling and other programs with CSIRO. Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Dr Finkel is understood to have been working the phones hard since Sunday, and had met CSIRO chief executive Larry Marshall, to identify ways to limit the impact of the cuts. One approach is to find other agencies or universities that can absorb some of the research facing the chop. "There is no question that Australia needs a continuous and highly effective commitment to climate science, both to meet our national needs and to fulfil our international commitments," Dr Finkel told estimates. "Our most immediate national concern must be to ensure that long-term data collections will be funded and staffed; and that the climate modelling capabilities developed by the CSIRO will continue to be made available for scientists to use and refine," he said. Attorney-General George Brandis says it is difficult to recruit and retain some federal judges because they are not offered a pension, with some moving to state courts to ensure they have one when they retire. Family lawyers and retired judge Giles Coakes have criticised the failure to replace Federal Circuit Court judges soon after they had retired last year, saying it has led to severe delays in custody battles, which often involved family violence victims. The Federal Circuit Court's Chief Judge John Pascoe last year urged the Attorney-General to make timely appointments so that the court - which handles most of Australia's family law cases - could handle its growing caseload. Attorney-General George Brandis during an estimates hearing at Parliament House. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Senator Brandis told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday that he had filled the court's two final vacancies in Melbourne and Sydney this week, pending Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove's approval. Labor senator Jacinta Collins noted reports that the court's interim hearings were taking more than a year to resolve and that judges were declining to set future hearing dates until 2018. Parliament is set to hear months of evidence of corruption and lawlessness across all sectors - wider than just the union movement - with the imminent establishment of an inquiry into the need for a national integrity watchdog similar to the Independent Commission Against Corruption in NSW. Palmer United Party senator Zhenya "Dio" Wang is confident he has the numbers with the support of Labor, the Greens and most of the crossbench, to establish a select committee to look at the need for a body to fight corruption from a federal level. The West Australian senator, who was born in Nanjing, China, told Fairfax Media that Australia could "learn from China's mistakes". "Where I come from, China, entire dynasties fell because of corruption. It wasn't because of invasion or farmers' movements, it was all about corruption. We invented corruption," Senator Wang said. Treasury secretary John Fraser has played down the reliability of economic modelling due to be released by the government to help guide the tax debate. The modelling examines the impact of swapping income tax and company tax for an increase in the goods and services tax as well as changes to state taxes including stamp duties and land taxes. Cabinet Secretary Arthur Sinodinos told ABC radio the modelling will be released soon. Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Barnaby Joyce will move public service jobs out of Canberra to parts of regional Australia. On Wednesday Mr Joyce announced three Canberra based research organisations will have work shifted out of the national capital. Two wrongs don't make a right, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The Grains Research and Development Corporation, based in Barton at the foot of Parliament House, will have four offices outside Canberra at Dubbo, Toowoomba, Adelaide and Perth even though the GRDC recently signed a new lease. Department of Defence secretary Dennis Richardson believes a revised pay deal to be put to vote on February 25 will inevitably disappoint many public servants. Negotiations between the department and unions ended in early February although the Community and Public Sector Union has already condemned the offer. Dennis Richardson said the new offer, which includes a six per cent pay increase over three years, would be comparable to offers accepted by other departments. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The existing agreement nominally expired more than 18 months ago and the new one was unlikely to take effect until mid-2016. Mr Richardson said the new offer, which includes a six per cent pay increase over three years, would be comparable to offers accepted by other departments. National cultural institutions in Canberra will cut jobs again as they deal with the Turnbull government's efficiency dividend. The savings drive will cut $20 million from the budgets of six institutions over four years and Labor senator Katy Gallagher said the demand to find $3 million of it by June was an "impossible ask". Katy Gallagher says cutting $3m by June is an "impossible ask" Credit:Graham Tidy The National Museum of Australia, National Portrait Gallery, Museum of Australian Democracy, National Film and Sound Archive, National Gallery of Australia and National Library confirmed they would need to find significant savings by job cuts and changes to operations. Mr Toole had given the council two weeks to make the case for it why should be allowed to continue operating but was not convinced. The NSW Local Government Minister Paul Toole announced on Wednesday that Auburn council would be suspended and placed in the hands of an administrator, while its planning decisions are scrutinised by an independent reviewer. The city's most scandal-plagued council, and its most famous deputy mayor, Salim Mehajer, have been suspended by the state government ahead of a public inquiry. "Given the serious nature of the allegations the council is facing, it is clear that it is in the public interest to temporarily suspend the council during the course of the inquiry," Mr Toole said. The 10 suspended councillors will not be paid and will need to hand over council laptops, phones and cars while the inquiry is completed - which could take up to six months. Cr George Campbell, part of a minority bloc on council that often voted against Cr Mehajer and his allies said the suspension was regrettable but necessary. "The culture on Auburn Council is one of mutual assistance, mutual benefit," he said. The suspension follows Fairfax reports into a vote by councillors to sell a piece of public land to Cr Mehajer at an apparent $5 million discount to its market value. The sentence given to the former head of Bega Cheese for child sex abuse has been nearly doubled on appeal from seven years to 13 years and six months with the state's highest court describing the original sentence as "an affront to the administration of justice". The father of one of the former chief executive's victims shouted "yes!" as the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal handed down the decision, following an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions. Maurice van Ryn, who was jailed for paedophilia offences, said the drugs had freed him of his deviant sexual urges. Maurice van Ryn - head of the cheese company for 15 years - was convicted of 17 child sex offences committed against nine victims over an 11-year period from 2003 to 2014. The attacks included raping a 15-year-old boy, repeatedly performing oral sex on another and molesting and indecently assaulting other children, often after grooming them with gifts and sweets. LB Housing Authority board to meet The Linn-Benton Housing Authority board of commissioners will meet at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 16, at its office, 1250 Queen Ave. S.E. The public is invited to attend. LBCC offers art, community ed classes A variety of art and community education classes, including several free classes, will be held through Linn-Benton Community College this month: Learn the basics of design and acrylic painting with professional muralist Victoria Knight in the class You Can Paint Acrylics. Take home a completed mountain passage scene. This one-day class meets Friday, Feb. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. at the LBCC Lebanon Center, 44 Industrial Way. Cost is $39. Supplies included. Corks and Canvas is an enjoyable way to explore artistic talent while enjoying the atmosphere at a local winery. No experience necessary. This one-day class will be held Thursday, Feb. 18, from 6 to 8:20 p.m. at Marks Ridge Winery in Lebanon. Cost is $39. Learn about the Corps of Discovery in this free class Lewis and Clark: Oregon and Beyond. Class will be held Monday and Wednesday, Feb. 22 and 24, from 1 to 2:50 p.m. at the LBCC Sweet Home Center, 1661 Long St. Cost: Free. In the free class Dollars and Sense, learn easy-to-follow steps to create a habit of saving, with hands-on tools and group discussions with Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services. Class will be held Saturday Feb. 20, from 9 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. at the LBCC Lebanon Center, 44 Industrial Way. Registration is required by calling 541-752-7220, ext. 300. Cost: Free. For more information, email at Lebanon@linnbenton.edu or sweethome@linnbenton.edu, or contact the LBCC Lebanon Center at 541-259-5801 or the LBCC Sweet Home Center at 541-367-6901. LB holds signing event Linn-Benton Community College will hold a National Career and Technical Education Signing Day event Thursday, February 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the college boardroom, Calapooia Center, room CC-103. High school students will sign letters of intent, which guarantees them a seat in some of the highly competitive college programs offered at LBCC. LBCCs Career and Technical Education programs include Automotive Technology, Heavy Equipment/Diesel, Welding, Mechatronics, Machine Tool Technology, Computer Aided Drafting and Design, and Medical Assistant. For more information, contact LBCC at 541-917-4658. Lacomb Grange hosts Swiss steak dinner A Swiss steak dinner will will be held 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Lacomb Grange Hall, 34100 E. Lacomb Road. Cost is $7 for adults and $4 for children under 12. A raffle will be held. For information, call 541-258-3259. Sexual and gender diversity within the thin blue line has received a boost with the introduction of the Queensland Police Service Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Support Network. Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollshewski said the LGBTI Support Network would promote the QPS as a workplace that embraced and supported its employees' diversity. Uniformed Queensland Police marched in the Brisbane Pride Festival for the first time in 2015. Credit:Glenn Hunt "The LGBTI Support Network is comprised of ten members representing most facets of the LGBTI community and is designed as a resource tool and support mechanism to provide advice and guidance to QPS officers," he said. A guide on diversity has been drafted to provide all QPS members with a greater understanding of gender-diverse people. Small cap company BWX Limited is generating a buzz about its move into the lucrative China market, but its success will not come at the cost of its booming domestic business or a break from its cruelty free approach, its chief executive says. BWX, which manufactures a range of personal care products for brands it owns as well as third parties, was listed on the ASX in November at $1.50 a share. The Sukin skincare range is not tested on animals, is vegan-friendly and its packaging is carbon neutral. Its shares climbed above $4 on Wednesday, up as much as $4.50 in early trade after it reported a 53 per cent rise in half-yearly earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation to $9.5 million and a 61 per cent rise in net profit after tax to $6.3 million. Its performance is due mostly to its Sukin skincare range, which enjoyed sales growth of 50 per cent. The range is not tested on animals, is vegan-friendly and its packaging is carbon neutral. The Archdiocese of Melbourne did not know a paedophile priest, who the church had put on paid leave, had left Australia. The Age revealed on Wednesday that Father Peter Grasby, who was put on administrative leave in 2012, had left Melbourne for Malaysia and was seeking the company of "younger Asian men" using gay dating websites. Father Peter Grasby asked to move overseas in August 2013 but the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne said 'no'. The church confirmed that the complaint against Father Grasby, which related to abuse at St Joseph's in West Brunswick against a boy aged as young as 10, had been upheld in 2013. The church said the complaint had also been referred to police, despite saying at the time that the victim had declined to report to the force. Victorian hospitals could be forced to slash services in coming months because of a decision to cut $73 million in federal government funding to Victoria, state Health Minister Jill Hennessy says. The loss is the equivalent of 12,000 elective surgery procedures or 180,000 emergency department presentations enough to blow out waiting lists for the rest of the financial year. It is also enough to cover chemotherapy for 72,000 patients. Victorian hospitals are set to lose $73 million in federal funding next month. Credit:Glen Hunt Ms Hennessy is advising hospitals to brace for multi-million dollar cuts to their budgets after the administrator of the National Health Funding Pool wrote to her on January 22 saying that an adjustment to their funding arrangement had been advised by the Commonwealth Treasurer. It comes as state and federal governments continue to debate health funding because of looming cuts in Commonwealth contributions due to begin in 2017. The former Abbott government's first budget inflicted deep cuts on the states, with Victoria losing $17.7 billion for hospitals over the decade to 2025-26. The Australian Medical Association has described the shift as a "black hole" for hospitals across the country. Six properties were affected by the wait being shut off, and residents of those properties have been supplied with free bottled water. Opposition water spokesman Dave Kelly said the latest Economic Regulation Authority report on Perth's water performance showed that over 2014-15 Perth water main breaks had increased by 15.4 per cent to a six-year peak. This translated to 15 breaks per 100 kilometres of mains in 2015. The WA government, meanwhile, had stripped $1.5 billion out of the Water Corporation's capital works budget, he said. "The government needs to come out and explain," he said. "The government will say that these things just happen but they are happening more and more in a city where congestion is already a problem. "This morning's just another bit of congestion commuters could have done without." More than 30 kilograms of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of up to $80 million, has been seized by police after raids on two separate Perth hotel apartments on Tuesday afternoon. Joint Organised Crime Taskforce officers seized 27 kilograms of methamphetamine, which was allegedly found hidden in a suitcase at an East Perth address, in one of the biggest hauls of the drug in the state's history. Around the same time, officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Division arrested a New South Wales man and woman at a Perth residence after they were allegedly caught in possession of five kilograms of methamphetamine and 14.4 litres of GHB, also known as liquid fantasy. Some of the GBL was allegedly hidden in wine bottles. Palermo: More than 100 suspected members of a Mafia clan based in the eastern Sicilian city of Catania were arrested on Wednesday on charges of running extortion rackets and drug trafficking, police said. A statement from the paramilitary Carabinieri police said the operation had dismantled the Laudani family with arrests in Sicily, mainland Italy, and abroad. Those arrested included women who police said had taken the reins of the organisation after their men were arrested, establishing a fund to help families of clan members in prison. The operation was still in progress and more details would be announced later, police said. Reuters Washington: A satellite launched by North Korea at the weekend has now stabilised in its orbit around the Earth in a step forward from a previous launch in 2012, a US official says. However, the satellite is not believed to be transmitting any data back to Earth, a second source said. The satellite was initially tumbling in orbit but has now stabilised, making it more successful than one launched in 2012, which failed to achieve a stable orbit, said the first source, a US official, who did not want to be identified by name, said on Tuesday. The US government-backed Space-Track.org website shows the satellite in an orbit ranging from 473 kilometres to 509 kilometres and inclined 97.5 degrees north and south of the equator. MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE Donald Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont harnessed working-class fury to surge to commanding victories in a New Hampshire primary that drew energetic turnout across the state. The victories by two outsider candidates dealt a remarkable rebuke to the political establishment, and left the race deeply unsettled. Mr Trump, the wealthy businessman whose blunt language and outsider image have electrified many Republicans and horrified others, benefited from an unusually large field of candidates that split the vote among traditional politicians like Governor John Kasich of Ohio and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. Senator Bernie Sanders has decisively won the Democratic nod in the New Hampshire primary. Credit:Andrew Harrer But Mr Trump also tapped into a deep well of anxiety among Republicans and independents in New Hampshire, according to exit polling data, and he ran strongest among voters who were worried about illegal immigrants, incipient economic turmoil and the threat of a terrorist attack in the United States. The win for Senator Sanders amounted to a powerful and painful rejection of Hillary Clinton, who has deep history with New Hampshire voters and offered policy ideas that seemed to reflect the moderate politics of the state. But Senator Sanders, who has proposed an emphatically liberal agenda to raise taxes and impose regulations on Wall Street, drew support from a wide cross-section of voters who trust him more to address income inequality and expand the healthcare system. Mrs Clinton, who won the New Hampshire primary in 2008, planned to huddle with her advisers on Wednesday to discuss possible changes in political strategy and additions of staff members, according to Democrats close to the Clintons. She also plans to discuss whether to mount new lines of attack against Senator Sanders on Thursday night at their next debate. While Mr Trump has led in New Hampshire polls since July, and Senator Sanders has been ahead for the last month, the wave of support for both men was nonetheless stunning to leaders of both parties who believed that in the end, voters would embrace more experienced candidates like Mrs Clinton or one of the Republican governors in the race. Yet the two men won significant support from voters who felt betrayed by their respective parties and were dissatisfied or angry with the federal government. By winning so handily, the brash New Yorker and the blunt Vermonter asserted themselves as political forces that their parties and their opponents must quickly reckon with. Mr Trump's candidacy, in particular, represents a potential takeover of a party in which he has scant ties. Leveraging celebrity and a ubiquitous presence across both traditional and social media, Mr Trump has embraced a style of populism on trade, foreign policy and immigration closer to the European nationalist parties than to American conservatism. For the Democrats, Senator Sanders' popularity with liberals, young people, and some women and working-class white men has underscored potential vulnerabilities for Mrs Clinton in the nominating contests ahead. She is now under enormous pressure to prove that her message can inspire and rally voters, and she has gone so far as to promise to rethink and adjust her campaign strategy in hopes of connecting better with Democrats, including women, whom she has long viewed as her base. He speaks in absolutes. He calls not for change or reform, but for a revolution to overturn the very real inequities in American political and economic life. A chastened Hillary Clinton reached out to Sanders supporters but acknowledged she has "some work to do". Credit:AP In the face of his surge, Clinton has been forced to fight awkwardly on Sanders' battlefield. In her concession speech on Tuesday night, she promised action on a litany of issues that Sanders has raised, from campaign finance reform to tougher regulation of Wall Street. Attendees hold up signs for Vermont senator Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire. Credit:Bloomberg "Now, people - people have every right to be angry. But they're also hungry. They're hungry for solutions. What are we going to do? What is the best way to change people's lives so we can all grow together? Who is the best change-maker?" she said on Monday night, perhaps presuming that her long record in public life would speak for itself. Her basic argument is that her more moderate reform agenda has more chance of succeeding. Trump supporters celebrate winning the New Hampshire primary. Credit:Bloomberg Her message is: What he said, but a little less. Even she seemed to see that it had failed in New Hampshire. Winning: The conquering hero addresses his euphoric crowd. Credit:AP "I know I have some work to do, particularly with young people," she said as Sanders' young crowd stomped and cheered before her image on the TV screens, "but I will repeat again what I have said this week. Even if they are not supporting me now, I support them." In the Sanders crowd, 53-year-old Diane Watson was unimpressed. "I think she has started saying what she is saying because of Bernie's popularity," she said. "You can't take $600,000 speaking fees in Goldman Sachs and then turn around and say you are going to regulate them." As chastened as Clinton might be, and as invigorated as Bernie's revolutionaries are, she is still favoured to win the nomination, and appears certain to win in the coming states of South Carolina and Nevada and in most of the 15 states to vote on "Super Tuesday" on March 1, states where her deep support among minority voters will come into play. New Hampshire Republicans also rejected their own party elders, giving Donald Trump a margin of at least 16 percentage points over his nearest rival, Ohio governor John Kasich, who secured around 16 per cent. Texas senator Ted Cruz was third with 11.5 percent as counting continued late on Monday night. This was the worst possible result for the Republican establishment. GOP elders know that Trump is barely even a conservative, let alone a Republican, and they do not believe he can win a presidential election. Many feel they cannot work with Cruz, who has campaigned more against Republicans than Democrats since he was elected to the Senate as a member of the Tea Party insurgency. There had been hopes in the party that Florida senator Marco Rubio might continue the momentum he began with his strong second place in Iowa and prove to be viable establishment alternative to the outsiders. But Rubio choked in a disastrous debate performance on Saturday night (which he apologised to supporters for in an awkward speech after polls closed) and slipped back into fifth place behind former Florida governor Jeb Bush. Kasich now will be able to claim, for a time, to be the most viable alternative to Trump and Cruz, but his campaign is poor and lacks deep infrastructure in South Carolina. Rubio, Bush and Cruz all remain in striking distance. But the split vote between second-tier Republican candidates works to Trump's considerable advantage. He appeared before his own cheering audience in Manchester, New Hampshire, to make what, in his repertoire, passes for a gracious speech. "We have to thank the candidates because they really ran - we have some very talented people," he said in that breezy way of his, at once barely coherent but oddly effective. "And to be victorious against some of these people, even if it's for one week, but believe me, it's going to be for many of weeks, OK? They really are terrific." Washington: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former business executive Carly Fiorina ended their presidential campaigns on Wednesday, narrowing the field challenging front-runner Donald Trump in the race for the 2016 Republican nomination. Christie, 53, said in a Facebook post he was leaving the race "without an ounce of regret," a day after the combative Republican's sixth-place finish in the New Hampshire primary raised doubts about his viability as a candidate. Fiorina, 61, a former Hewlett-Packard chief executive, said in a Facebook post she would suspend her campaign. The only woman in the Republican field placed seventh in New Hampshire, one of a series of state-by-state nominating contests for the November 8 election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama. Trump's remaining opponents, most of them mainstream Republicans, will likely benefit from their departures, which leave seven Republicans from a field that once had 17 candidates. Kasich's CV, in three sentences: He served nine terms as a member of Congress representing Columbus, Ohio, and at his pinnacle helped balance the US budget as chair of the powerful House budget committee. He stood for president in 2000 but quickly dropped out. He worked for eight years on Wall Street and hosted a Fox News show before running for governor of Ohio in 2010, where he's in his second term. And exit polling via The Associated Press shows Kasich may have done well in New Hampshire exactly because of that. He did best with voters looking for political experience. He also performed better than his competitors with moderates, better-educated voters and voters who made up their minds in the past few days. Kasich surged late, doing well among late deciders. 3. He's got a (long) shot at the nomination On paper, Kasich has a solid resume for a Republican presidential nominee. He has executive and legislative experience. When he entered the race, he was the only governor out of the three sitting ones still running who is still popular back home (55 per cent approval rating), and he hails from a crucial swing state. But (and there's always a but) Kasich is arguably one of the field's most moderate candidates. He was one of the few Republican governors to expand Medicaid under President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, and he has said he's open to a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. His message of caution and compromise hasn't really resonated with GOP voters who are increasingly sick of the way things are in Washington. The path to his nomination goes directly through the moderate nominating state of New Hampshire. The state, Kasich had said while campaigning, "is it for me". As voting got under way on Tuesday, there were some good signs for him: There was a spike in Google searches in the state for him. 4. But few *still* know who he is After seven months of campaigning, Kasich is still polling near or almost at the back of the pack. He was in danger of not making the top-10 cut in the Republicans' first major debate in August (which would have been embarrassing since it was in his backyard in Cleveland). He made the cut and every cut since. The problem for Kasich is once he's onstage, he often fails to break through. For whatever reason, the Governor has yet to have "a moment" like some of the other candidates have managed to squeeze in. And Kasich desperately needs one of those to help introduce himself to the nation. 5. He's kinda pitching himself as the Donald Trump of the establishment Kasich's under-the-radar campaign is not for lack of trying. In Ohio he is known for his no-holds-barred filter and even occasional temper. Vatican City: A Catholic group has appealed to Pope Francis to allow Church members to "follow their conscience" and use contraception or to let women have abortions to avoid having children with defects linked to the Zika virus. Wednesday's appeal came as the World Health Organisation advised women in areas with the virus to protect themselves, especially during pregnancy, by covering up against mosquitoes and practising safe sex with their partners. Zika has been linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil and is spreading rapidly in the Americas. The first known case of Zika in the United States was reported last week by health officials, who said it was probably contracted through sex and not a mosquito bite. MARIGOT:-- Louis F. Beauperthuy (87), was laid to rest in a family plot at his home in Orient Bay on Saturday. Born in Brooklyn, New York to Louis Ferdinand Gaston Fefe Beauperthuy and Eulalie Adelia Bryan-Beauperthuy, Louis visited St. Martin when he was six years old. Several decades later, St. Martin would become his home, a place of entrepreneurship, and his final resting place. Louis was not an idle body, but travelled frequently with his father and uncles to purchase goods for the islands business community. He later ended up in a boarding school on the French dependency of Martinique. Once completing his studies there, Louis sought adventure and employment abroad and found his way to the Big Apple (New York) where he started working at the Ford Motor Company. His father Fefe was a mechanic at the company. In 1948, Louis (19) joined the United States Army. He started as an enlisted soldier with a specialty in sharp shooting. Being an ambitious young man and willing to climb the ranks, he was selected to go to an Officer Training School in 1954 where he attained the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. Before that, Louis, did a tour of duty in Germany, and returned to the U.S. in 1952. While in Germany, Louis met his lovely wife Hilde. From Germany, Louis briefly returned to the U.S., but then after was posted to France. While there, he continued to climb the ranks within the U.S. Army. Louis became a 1st Lieutenant while stationed in France, and later became a Captain in the early 1960s. He was enlisted in the medical core and acted as a translator for the U.S. Army while in France, participating in the Armed Service meetings that included Charles de Gaulle, the 18th President of France. After his tour of duty in France which was approximately four years, Louis returned to the U.S., but was no sooner deployed to the Korean peninsula in East Asia. Besides his service there, he also served on behalf of the United States Government in Libya, Panama and several other countries. Louis career in the U.S. Army came to an end when he suffered injuries during the Korean conflict. He was discharged with honours in 1963 at the age of 34. After returning to the U.S., Louis and his wife lived in El Paso, Texas. There, he and Hilde owned and operated several businesses. These included realty, car interior upholstery, a furniture business, The Old West restaurant, and a hotel. Besides having a busy life, the couple always took time out to spend weekends with friends in New Mexico where they enjoyed fishing on the lakes. Louis (56), returned to St. Martin in 1985. After a busy lifestyle back in the U.S. that stretched over two decades, Louis, wasnt planning to slow down and enjoy early retirement. A man known to be a jack of all trades, foresaw opportunities back home and jumped in with both feet on the ground which was a trademark of his entrepreneurial success back in the U.S. The entrepreneurial spirit that made him and his wife Hilde a success story back in El Paso, Texas, led to the opening of a lumber yard known as Cash, Carry, restaurants Rancho del Sol, Palm Beach, and a Nightclub. Louiss brother Rubin Beauperthuy operated Boo Boo Jam. At his final resting place, the U.S. Government, represented by Sergeant Muriel Smith, presented to his daughter Bonny Louise Linares-Beauperthuy and visiting brother from Aruba Valentin Arrindell, an American Flag along with words of gratitude for his service to country. Titus, caretaker of Captain Louis, on Saturday toasted a bottle of Andre Champagne over his tomb along with a goodbye salute in the presence of family and close friends. Captain Louis F. Beauperthuy, will forever be remembered for his intriguing life here and abroad. May his soul rest in eternity. PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Health and Labor Emil Lee announced at the Council of Ministers on Wednesday that he is busy negotiating with agents of the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital to see if they could work out a working agreement as he is busy putting together a plan for the construction of a new hospital on the Dutch side of the island. Minister Lee said it would not be sensible for both sides of the island to offer the exact same services and to bring in the same specialists, therefore he believes that if the two hospital could come together and have an agreement in place then it would give the Dutch side a better idea on what type of hospital they need to construct on the Dutch side and the types of services that has to be provided. Asked by SMN News if the persons he discussed with at the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital are competent enough to take decisions for LCF especially since hospitals on the French side falls under the state. Also SMN News asked the Minister if he managed to discuss the payments for example if the two hospitals would begin to accept the social insurance from both sides of the island, for example LCF accepting the social insurance card from SZV and SMMC from the French Social Security. Minister Lee admitted that the discussions have to go further, one be held in Martinique since the hospitals do fall under state. He said the discussions right now is to decide if they need to go further to get the relevant authorities to continue the discussions and come to an agreement. Minister Lee said that there is a willingness from both sides of the islands and already there is some kind of cooperation in place that he believes have to be structured properly. He also admitted that costs and payments were discussed one being the acceptance of the social security cards. Another issue regarding health care is the services that are provided at SZV and how patients are treated. Several patients, some unable to walk are being sent back to work even though their house doctors placed them on sick leave. The patients who went to SZV to have their cards signed told SMN News that the doctor at SZV do not see them or examine their medical condition but instead they are given a number and told to wait while an employee will take their cards to the doctor who would immediately cut short their sick leave despite their medical conditions and order them to return to work. SMN News contacted Minister Lee on this and asked that he check to see exactly what is taking place at SZV and if there are doctors at the health insurance company that are competent to over-ride the decisions of the house doctors or if the doctors at SZV are purely administrative. Minister Lee said that while he was contacted by SMN News on the matter he did not get the opportunity to look into the matter as yet but promised to do so shortly. However, SMN News learnt that SZV is busy restructuring the organization, one being able to hire doctors who would examine patients and decide whether or not the decisions taken by the house doctors are accurate. PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Marlin was asked if the former government did anything to find a solution to pay off the debt the government of St. Maarten has with SZV and APS even though the former got an instruction to settle its debts. While it is known that the Member of Parliament who posed the questions appointed a Minister of TEATT who did absolutely nothing to collect the outstanding fees, while she was also the head of the Civil Registry that has the archives in a total mess. Marlin said that when he took office he saw a letter from APS where that no one in their right minds would have agreed to. One being that government had to pledge almost everything it owns to APS. Marlin further confirmed that it is his government namely the Minister of Finance Richard Gibson Sr that negotiated with SZV and came to an agreement for the government building and the settling of the debts that is owed to the two entities. Marlin said what is currently taking place in Parliament (opposition) will do everything possible to bring down his government or say that the 2016 budget is the worst thing one ever saw, but they conveniently forgot that the draft budget was done by their former Minister of Finance. Marlin mentioned the statements made by MP Leona Marlin who spoke about continuity in government. He said that he explained what continuity meant, but that same person is the one that was the head of the Census Office that has the archives in deplorable conditions. Marlin said he is not expecting the opposition to support the budget when the time comes for voting but he did expect the critics and the political game that is being played especially since this is an election year. He concluded that his government has already done more than the former government who was in office for one year while the Marlin cabinet is in office for 3 months. Computer Modelling Group Declares Quarterly Dividend CALGARY, ALBERTA (Marketwired) 02/09/16 The Board of Directors of Computer Modelling Group Ltd. (CMG or the Company) (TSX: CMG) announces a dividend of $0.10 per Common Share on CMGs Common Shares. The dividend will be paid on March 15, 2016 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 7, 2016. Computer Modelling Group Ltd. is a computer software technology and consulting company serving the oil and gas industry. CMG, recognized by oil and gas companies worldwide as a leading developer of reservoir modelling software, has sales and technical support services based in Calgary, Houston, London, Caracas, Dubai, Bogota, and Kuala Lumpur. CMG is the leading supplier of advanced processes reservoir modelling software in the world with a blue chip client base of international oil companies and technology centers in approximately 60 countries. The Companys shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol CMG. All dividends paid by Computer Modelling Group Ltd. to holders of Common Shares in the capital of Computer Modelling Group Ltd. will be treated as eligible dividends within the meaning of such term in section 89(1) of the Income Tax Act (Canada), unless otherwise indicated. Contacts: Computer Modelling Group Ltd. Kenneth M. Dedeluk President & CEO (403) 531-1300 Computer Modelling Group Ltd. Sandra Balic Vice President, Finance & CFO (403) 531-1300 German Law Firm, Jebens Mensching LLP, Selects Lexis InterAction to Leverage Relationship Intelligence LONDON, U.K., 10 February 2016 Jebens Mensching LLP, a German boutique law firm specialising in legal, regulatory and tax advice for property transactions, is deploying customer relationship management (CRM) solution, Lexis InterAction, from LexisNexis Enterprise Solutions, a provider of technology solutions to professional services firms. InterAction will expose the depth and breadth of Jebens Menschings existing relationships and allow the firm to leverage the relationship intelligence to uncover opportunities for business growth and enhance client service. InterAction will be the central resource for all relationship-related information. Post integration with the firms document management system, the solution will automatically collect personnel data from emails and matter-related correspondence in the document management system and combine with the corresponding information in InterAction to give the firm a comprehensive view of its network of connections. Jebens Mensching will also have the ability to calculate the strength of every relationship in its network, which will serve as valuable insight for business planning and development initiatives. Our business is specialised, we primarily undertake high value transactions, explained Dr. Philipp Jebens, Partner at Jebens Mensching LLP. Consequently, its imperative that we have a shared, 360 degree view of our network of relationships across the firm to help us deliver the best client service possible. Jebens Mensching chose InterAction for its suitability for professional services firms, wide adoption globally and ease of integration with other business systems. Due to the complex connections and relationships between people, expertise, experience and organisations, manually trying to establish the intricate connections is impossible, stated Guy Phillips, Sales Director at LexisNexis Enterprise Solutions. Automating processes is the only way to do so accurately and meaningfully. We are confident that Jebens Mensching will benefit greatly from InterAction. The Lexis InterAction customer relationship management solution is designed for professional services organisations to help drive business relationships, accelerate firm growth and increase revenue. By providing powerful relationship intelligence that goes beyond who knows whom, the solution uncovers unanticipated risks, facilitates personalised and streamlined communications and enables execution of business development plans that can be measured by client, segment or industry all enabling firms to deliver value and exceed client expectations. InterAction can be accessed by users from within Microsoft Outlook and on the move from a range of mobile devices. Feliz noches, gang. Quite frio down here today - think the high was 62f/17c! What a crock. I thought this was Guatemala, not Alaska. I didn't move all the way down here to wear sweaters and (*gasp*) jeans. Apparently all those fronts that have been passing through the East Coast are affecting the climate down here....so they say. Reckon next week should be back to normal. My mom's coming down next week, in fact. Her 2nd visit. She'll be hanging out at La Casa del Bigsombrero for a week or so, we're also going up to Lake Atitlan for a few days. Should be fun. I used to dread family visits, as it meant a change in my drinking habits. These days I still get a little perturbed, as I subscribe to the "houseguests are like fish, they begin to smell after 3 days" school of thought. But, it's my mom. She's flying all the way down here - whattya gonna do? I do enjoy showing visitors new things that I've discovered and sharing some inside knowledge. Went to look at a new casa today. Thinking about moving to new digs and there was a cool rental open nearby. Country-style livin', big house but alas there wasn't much of that "flavor" I like. Weird little neighborhood, small kitchen, strange backyard. But really cool place otherwise, 3brs, 2 bath, etc. Affordable rental, 1 year minimum. Anyway, it was nice to check it out but I think I have a few other fish to fry the next 1.5 months. I've got my mom the next week and a half, and then I'll be on the keys off Belize for 2 weeks. And of course working the whole time! This weekend: relaxing V-day trip up to Lake Atitlan with the ladyfriend. Rented a fine little cabin with a nice view. Lots of trekking around here at the start of 2016 for this sober dude. Thanks for reading the ramblin', needed to unload/write down all that stuff. I start to struggle if I don't get all my ducks in a row! how is Hypnosis for opiate addiction. Has anyone on here tried hypnosis for the addiction yet? I've tried all kinds of other ways to stop using (morphine, codeine, methadone etc... pills) But nothing else really seems that effective. I used the tapering method was down to a pretty low opiate level of use last week, but felt such a low level of energy all week, I finally caved in and upped my methadone and codeine level today, so I could at least feel normal for the weekend. But I do have an appointment with a hypnotist for next Saturday, to see how that will work. She told me she's never used hypnosis for opiate addiction before, mostly just for people to stop smoking- but said she can try it for my case if I like. She also said listening to her tape recordings in the weeks following the hypnosis is important for it to remain effective, she said the smokers she's hypnotized that don't listen to her tapes afterward found the hypnosis did'nt work as well in the long run. Also she said I should'nt have any caffeine or red meat for several days before the hypnosis. I forgot to ask her this but should I take one of my opiate pills before I go in for the hypnosis session? So I'm in a more relaxed state. I've never been hypnotized before so just wondering if that would give me a better chance of it working the way it should. Even if the hypnosis only works for a short period of time, even 3 weeks that would at least give me a better chance of feeling more normal without the drugs, and less tempted to start taking again to feel normal. Kamaljeet Singh and his wife have not met their son in seven years. Charged with the non-bailable 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), their son has been legally advised not to return to India from Canada, where he now resides, to avoid arrest. The septuagenarian couple are running from pillar to post to get justice for themselves and their son, in what they claim is a false case, according to a report in the Hindustan Times. Without the physical and emotional support of their son, the couple said that they have become too weak to fight the battle alone and want the legal proceedings to come to an end. My wife is a cancer patient and also has heart problems. We are growing old and are incapable of handling the proceedings alone. At a time when we need our son the most, he is not with us because of the law. There is no legal remedy for us, he said. According to mens rights activists, NRIs who have been implicated under 498A (Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act) are legally advised to not enter India to prevent arrests. They also prefer not to fight the case to avoid frequent travelling, the possibility of losing their jobs, and humiliation at large. While this advice may auger well with actual criminals, it makes the lives of those who have been falsely implicated more difficult. Legal experts say that avoiding legal proceedings for long can complicate matters further. Anindya Chatterjee, an NRI based in the USA, was recently acquitted from a false case of 498A slapped on him. He runs a group called Justice2NRI that has nearly 100 families from UK, Australia, Canada, and Mexico who have all been implicated under 498A. Chatterjee was slapped with 498 A, a look out circular (LOC) was issued against him and he was also declared an absconder. LOCs are issued to airports and various points of entry at international borders to arrest people who have been proclaimed offenders, upon an attempt to enter or to leave India. Chatterjee chose to stay away from the legal battle for a while, but soon he realised that if he was to free himself of the false allegations, he would have to come back and fight. My wife and I had compatibility issues from the very beginning. Within a few months of marriage she went back to India to pursue her career. After a while she started forcing me to quit my job and return to her. I told her that quitting my job would negate all the hard work I had put into my career. Eventually, I was slapped with 498A. I got to know about these charges when I came to India for work and my parents informed me about it. However, Chatterjee was not arrested at the airport as the LOC came into effect three days after he landed. He confronted the police and was told that he could not leave the country without permission from court. I lost my job in all this trouble. The police never completely probed and accepted the charges based on my wifes complaint. Later on, I fought the case and was eventually acquitted. I went back abroad and got a new job, he said. Dr. Surat Singh, advocate and an expert on International Law, told Mail Today: In India, when a case like 498A is filed against an NRI they face a lot of problems in terms of access to documents. Huge costs are involved in legal proceedings and travel. The FIR copy is not entitled to the accused on time which leaves them with barely any opportunity to prepare their case. This non-bailable warrant should not be issued against the NRI without giving them an equal opportunity to have their say in the matter. Courts should make the documents accessible online so that the accused can seek legal remedy. This would also increase transparency. Advice from justice2nri.wordpress.com Whenever NRIs are entangled in the infamous Indian Matrimonial criminal juggernaut (IPC 498A), the worst fear that creeps in is issuance of Lookout Circular against the accused NRI and his family. The modus operandi is most cases remains the same :- 1) Wife goes back to India and files a complaint of Dowry harassment, which gets converted to a FIR u/s 498A, 406, DP3/4, etc. Basically depends upon how highly imaginative the opposing party lawyer happens to be. 2) Next, the police even without doing any cursory investigation, designates the NRI as an absconder and files for LOC (Lookout Circular) against the NRI (in my case the LOC was issued in 48 days from filing the complaint), without even giving him any notification about the pending case. 3) Now the wife and in-laws start the drama of calling the guy and asking him to come down to India for discussion. 4) NRI lands in India.and VOILA.his name pops up on Indian Airport Immigration Screen. 5) NRI is straightaway arrested and handed over to the Airport police. Then he is transferred to the local police custody who start licking their tongue once they know a hard-working, tax paying NRI has landed in their lap.. 6) What happens nextI hope you can imagine well.provided you are aware of the highly corrupt police system which will make every attempt to milk as much as possible from the NRI. Photo caption: Today, you can find Islamic centres and mosques, such as Hull, Quebec's Outaouais Islamic Centre, all across Canada./ Photo Credit: Toronto10 via Wikimedia CC By Florence Hwang Ever since Muslims began settling in the Canadian prairies, theyve built bridges with their new community while maintaining their ties with their traditional culture. A devoted Muslim couple who moved to Regina, Saskatchewan in the 70s were especially involved in establishing mosques, cultural schools and building bridges between their Muslim community and Canadian society. History of the Muslims of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Their Organizations is their attempt to comprehensively document how Muslims formed communities and adapted to life in Saskatchewan. When you open the book, the table of contents looks more like an index because of the detailed chapters and sub-chapters. This historical text feels almost like a scrapbook, chronicling the lives of Muslims in Saskatchewan, told from the Muslim couples perspective. The 645-page book contains a sizeable amount of photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, meeting and conference minutes and agendas as well as other supporting documents. For example, for each Islamic centre and mosque opening ceremony mentioned, there are speeches and programs. The publication is written specifically with the Muslim community in mind. While there is a small glossary at the back of the book for those unfamiliar with the terminology used, the book contains a lot of detail regarding the faith and its teachings. Involvement in their community The authors, Naiyer and Mahlaqa Naushaba Habib, both played key roles in the local Islamic organizations that are covered in the book. Mahlaqa served as the president of theCanadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW)and a board member of the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan, Regina. Naiyer served as president of the same organization in various terms between 1977 to 1998. Mahlaqa also started a weekly Islamic school in their home from 1976 to 1984 before it was moved to the local Islamic centre and mosque. Both served as trustees on theMuslims for Peace and Justice (MPJ) board. After the terrorist attacks on America on September 11, 2001, the MPJ organization was formed. Members recognized the public perception of Muslims needed to be tempered, so the Habibs and other Muslims in the community made their voices heard in the media, through interviews and editorials, to present their faith in a positive light. We adopted the path of integration while maintaining our religious priorities and culture based on Islam, the Habibs write. We were flexible and accommodative. We mingled with the society at large and provided them opportunities to mingle with us. We and the Westerners had mutual respect for each other. Naiyer spent his life working as a cardiologist, researcher and medical administrator in Regina until he retired in 2004. Mahlaqa has her Masters degree in Political Science. The two now live in Abbotsford, B.C. What motivated the couple to write this book was that they wanted to preserve their communitys history for future generations. In the book, they explain that they wanted to leave a history of Muslims for Peace & Justice for the coming generations to see what we achieved with our limited resources as to finance and as to personnel. Exploring rich, personal histories Beyond their own experiences in Canada, the chronologically arranged book also recounts the history of the first Muslims who settled in the province, including the communities of Regina, Saskatoon, Davidson and Swift Current. The history includes a story about the first known Muslim in the region, Mohammed Ali Ta Haynee, who was born in 1864 in the Middle East. Haynee was a captain in the Ottoman empire in 1885. He moved from Lebanon to North Dakota in 1889 before making his way to Regina at the beginning of the 20th century. He had 17 children and lived to the age of 108. The City of Regina named a street in his honour in the Glencairn area in the eastern part of the city. Another personal account describes two of the CCMW members who share their reasons for wearing the hijab and the mixed responses they receive from wearing it in public. One of the women, Zia Afsar, says she chose to wear the hijab in her 40s. She explains that this was based on her own decision and not as a result of pressure from her family. People talked to me slowly as if I did not understand English or else they used hand gestures to make me understand the conversation, she writes. When a man of Asian heritage asked her if she could speak English and she responded to his question, he was surprised to hear me replying in English. As seen in the above examples, the book contains two distinct perspectives from the mens and womens organizations, which is a refreshing change from many historical texts. As the title of the book suggests, it is a true reference book that immerses the reader in the rich history of Muslim cultures in Saskatchewan. Florence Hwang has a history degree from the University of Regina. She is a media librarian and a freelance writer with various publications. This piece was originally published in New Canadian Media. See http://45.55.156.132/component/k2/31173-muslims-history-in-saskatchewan NDP Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Critic Jenny Kwan, MP for Vancouver East, is calling on the Liberal government to officially apologize for the Komagata Maru incident. In 2002, the Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation of Canada initiated a petition calling for a respectful apology from the Canadian government. Past governments refused. In 2014, attending Mela Gadri Babian Da, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a pre-election commitment that he would make a formal apology for the Komagata Maru incident within the first 90 days of his mandate. Its now 2016, more than 100 days into Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus mandate, and we are still waiting for the formal apology in the House of Commons, said Sahib Thind, President of Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation of Canada. The descendants of those who were on the Komagata Maru need closure and they deserve the respect to have a formal apology in the House of Commons, said Kwan. If the Liberals want real change from the Conservatives, they would listen to the community, support this motion and officially apologize for the Komagata Maru. The Komagata Maru marks a dark chapter in Canadian history. Nearly 400 passengers were refused entry into Canada under a discriminatory law and sent back to India where 20 of them were killed. New Democrats have been pushing for years to have this formal apology made in the House of Commons, added Kwan. Database: See how mortgage rates have changed since 1971 Here's how current mortgage rates compare to each of the past 50 years. Oak Creek to host outdoor 2022 World Cup watch party A partnership between Morans Pub in South Milwaukee and the city of Oak Creek will offer residents food, drinks, music and games on Nov. 25. Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city. Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea Could it be that simple? Could we repair Oregons public schools by just focusing on a handful of critical areas? If we improve the readiness of students who are entering kindergarten, make sure students are reading at grade level by third grade and work to increase attendance levels, will that do the trick? Well, no. Our educational system is too complex and we ask so much of teachers and administrators these days that plenty of work will remain, even if were hitting on all cylinders in those three areas. But making progress in those areas certainly wont hurt, and, in theory, improving Oregons performance in any of those should pay off in sustained improvement in the states high school graduation rate, which finally is showing some signs of life after years of being stuck in neutral. It stands to reason, though, that students who dont attend classes regularly are less likely to graduate, and the numbers in Oregon would appear to bear that out: As The Oregonian newspaper discovered in a groundbreaking investigation two years ago, nearly 100,000 Oregon students are chronically absent that is, they miss at least 10 percent of the school year. You dont need to have an advanced degree in education to understand why high rates of chronic absenteeism could lead to relatively low graduation rates and, as it turns out, Oregons high school graduation rate historically has been among the worst in the nation. But absenteeism is not an easy problem to fix (and, in fact, it seems to be a sure bet that its tied up with a number of other issues). So this years legislative session is taking a modest step toward at least identifying some ways to begin addressing absenteeism. House Bill 4002, which was approved last week by the House Education Committee, directs the Department of Education to develop a plan to deal with absenteeism. The bill says the plan should include: A process for publicly disclosing annual information about chronic absence rates at each school. The best practices to improve attendance rates that have shown promise at other schools or districts. A process for identifying schools in need of support to reduce absenteeism rates. A description of the assistance available to schools that need support in dealing with the issue. The report would be due back to the Legislature no later than Dec. 1. That deadline seems reasonable, considering that the absenteeism issue has been a high-profile one for at least a couple of years. In other words, this seems unlikely to catch the Department of Education completely off-guard. And, even though we have editorialized against packing too much into this short 35-day legislative session, House Bill 4002, a one-page bill, strikes us as a reasonably simple bit of legislation: Heres a big problem, it says. Lets spend some time, but not too much time, figuring out what were going to do about it. (Its telling that the only votes against it at last weeks committee hearing came from two Republicans who didnt think the state Education Department was equipped to make a difference on this issue. But that is the kind of issue that would benefit from examination during the longer legislative session.) Heres the upside to that: If this bill passes, the Education Department will get a chance to assuage the doubts of those two Republicans by producing a first-rate report. As a byproduct, such a report also could help fix a big gap in Oregon schools. (mm) NASA's highly anticipated mission to the potentially life-supporting Jupiter moon Europa may not get off the ground until the late 2020s, agency officials say. Last year, Congress granted NASA $175 million to continue developing its Europa mission, which will perform dozens of flybys to gauge the life-hosting potential of the icy moon's huge subsurface ocean. In that allocation, Congress declared that NASA must have the Europa mission ready to launch by 2022. But NASA's fiscal year 2017 budget request, which was released Tuesday (Feb. 9), includes just $49.6 million for the Europa effort a level that, when combined with predicted funding in the coming years, "supports a Europa mission launch in the late 2020s," NASA chief financial officer David Radzanowski said during a news conference Tuesday. [Europa May Harbor Simple Life-Forms (Video)] Getting the Europa flyby spacecraft ready to launch by 2022 would probably require a 2017 investment of about $194 million (out of a total NASA budget request of $19.03 billion), Radzanowski said. The space agency has provided this estimate to Congress, he added. "Within our $19 billion request, to find an additional $150 million whether within the science portfolio or abroad we felt would upset the balance of the overall portfolio," Radzanowski said. "So we do not think it's prudent to support a 2022 launch at the funding level requested." Scientists regard Europa as one of the solar system's best bets to host life beyond Earth. The moon's vast ocean which harbors more water than all of Earth's seas combined is in contact with Europa's rocky mantle, making possible all sorts of interesting chemical reactions, researchers say. So astrobiologists are eager to explore Europa and they're not the only ones. Congress shares this enthusiasm, in large part because of John Culberson (R-TX), who chairs the House of Representatives' Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, and has a longstanding interest in the search for alien life. Indeed, in the 2016 budget deal, Congress directed NASA to make its Europa mission more ambitious, ordering the agency to add a component that would actually touch down on the icy moon. The deal also stipulated that NASA use the agency's in-development Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket, as opposed to a currently available booster. (Launching atop the powerful SLS would cut travel time to Europa considerably.) NASA is still assessing how it can incorporate these directives, and how doing so would change the Europa mission's pricetag, Radzanowski said. (The flyby-only version, which would conduct 45 close encounters with Europa from Jupiter orbit over 2.5 years or so, is estimated to cost about $2.1 billion.) It's too soon to know exactly what's going to happen with the Europa mission, which is still in the early-development phase. For example, Congress may end up giving NASA far more for the project than the $49.6 million it requested this year, bringing a 2022 liftoff back into the realm of possibility. In fact, that will probably happen, if precedent is any indication. NASA didn't ask for any Europa-mission funding in 2013 or 2014 but ended up getting more than $120 million for those two years combined. And in 2015 and 2016, NASA requested a total of $45 million for the Europa project, and Congress allocated $275 million. Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. A Delta IV rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying the NROL-45 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office on Feb. 10. 2016. A new U.S. military satellite streaked into the sky early this morning on a clandestine reconnaissance mission, lighting up the pre-dawn sky over its California launch site. The National Reconnaissance Office's NROL-45 satellite blasted off this morning (Feb. 10) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 6:40 a.m. EST (3:40 a.m. local time; 1140 GMT), riding a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket to orbit. You can see video of the spysat's dazzling predawn launch here. It's unknown what exactly NROL-45 will be doing as it zips around Earth; the satellite's payload is classified. A brief mission description on ULA's website simply says the NROL-45 mission will "support national defense." [The Most Destructive Space Weapons Concepts] The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is the federal agency in charge of designing, building and operating the United States' fleet of spy satellites. The NRO was set up in 1961, just four years after the Soviet Union kicked off the space age with the launch of the satellite Sputnik 1. The agency worked in secret for more than three decades before its existence was finally declassified in 1992. Three more NRO missions are scheduled to blast off in 2016 one each in May and June from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and another one in December from Vandenberg. The May launch will employ ULA's Delta IV Heavy rocket, the most powerful American booster in operation today, to loft a mission called NROL-37. But NROL-45 was carried to orbit this morning by a different rocket in the family, the Delta IV Medium. Both the Delta IV Heavy and Delta IV Medium are two-stage launchers, but the Heavy can loft much more mass to space. For example, the Heavy can carry 14,880 lbs. (6,750 kilograms) to geosynchronous Earth orbit, compared to 4,960 lbs. (2,250 kg) for the Medium 5.2 (the variant used on the NROL-45 mission), according to ULA documents. Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. Having realized that the Bar-headed Geese, our winter visitors fromWhen we birders realized that the(click on the bird's name to see my blogpost from last year)which visit us each year (flying over the Himalaya, all the way from Mongolia!)are here,we decided to go and try our luck at Kaggalipura Kere, in Mysore Taluk (near Somnathpura). On the first day, it was a group of 13, and the next day, I went with friends who could not make it the previous day...we were 6 in all.Part of the group on Saturday, watching the geese.It is always nice to meet friends and spend time at the bar. Why was Kaggalipura Kere a bar? Because.... if these are Bar-headed Geese, and they've arrived at their destination, then that place is obviously a bar!The kere is a large waterbody, and on the other side of the lake bund are both fields under cultivation, and a water canal snaking its way through the landscape. In this respect, my friend Prem Prakash Garg pointed out to me, the place is similar to Hadinaru Kere, nearNanjangud, where we had seen the birds last time.When we reached the bund of the kere, there were no birds to be seen, and we hung around, hoping that a longer trip to Nugu (where the geese have been sighted) would not be necessary.Our hopes were justified. These geese, from my limited experience of their arrival, both in Hadinaru Kere and here, should be renamed the "9 o'clock " Geese! Just my watch clicked over to 9.03, a group of them arrived, floating down overhead, and settled down on the lake after a few spectacular aerobatics, sometimes.They were then followed by others, first in groups, and in ones and twos. On Saturday the 6th, we also saw several birds flying out to some unknown destination, westwards. We then titled the incoming birds "andar-headed geese" and the outgoing ones, "baahar-headed geese".The number of birds floating around on the water, occasionally taking a sip, or more likely tucking their heads into their wings to have a nap, approximated 100. On the 7th, they kept coming in till 11am...they numbered 600+ (I used the 10-bird unit form of estimate,and it was easy to add as the birds arrived.) On the 7th, we paid a return visit in the afternoon, and found that the birds were dotted all over the lake. Perhaps fewer in numbers, but it was hard to make a count.On the lake, and on the other side of road, we also got several other birds...Indian Grey Hornbills,warblers, a Blue-faced Malkoha,Red-naped Ibis,and other woodland birds.(White or Black-headed Ibis, also called "Sacred" Ibis in Africa.)A Brahminy Kite, on the 7th, took its large fish across the road to the harvested field, sat on it with its feathers spread across the fish, hiding it. Only after fifteen minutes did it start feeding, when it ensured that there would be no competition for the food.I've not seen this kind of "hiding" behaviour before...this will be a separate blogpost!We enjoyed several other things too, like a pair of mongoose playing in the haystacks:Blooming waterlilies, with pollinators:(Purple Heron in Eucalyptus)(Woolly-necked Stork)On both days, Bannur Kere was also a dream come true. A large lake with good quality of water, hardly any trash (this might change as a recreation area is being built on one side, and a road leading to it is being laid.) Pelicans, Eurasian Wigeons,Whiskered Terns, Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintails,Little Ringed Plovers, and the usual gang of waterfowl suspects...how lovely to watch three kinds of Kingfishers working the water at once! Peaceful was the word to describe this beautiful spot.(Short-toed Snake Eagle with nesting material)On the second visit, when I found that the Wigeons had flown off to the far end of the lake, I sat under the huge Peepal tree,enjoying the cool breeze off the water, watching two Pied Kingfishers mate, soaking in the serenity. Three young boys frolicked in the water. Truly, this was an example of humans being one with Nature. In all innocence, the youngsters jumped in,splashed,pulled each other out of the water...without disturbing the birds which were at a distance.We wound up on each day with a look at Harohalli kere in the evening, where we found Garganeys, Lesser Whistling Ducks,Jacanas, Purple Herons,and other fowl. Of course, the edge of the lake, abutting the kere was foul...with trash of all kinds. The contrast with Bannur kere couldnot be more pronounced.We came home tired but with our eyes, hearts (and memory cards) full!I have put up photos from the first day's visit,and from the second day,Birders:6th Feb: Aravind, Harish, Honnegowda, Mallika, Nitin, Mansi,Manjula, Pavitrakumar, Prem, Raghavendra, Sharmila, Shilpa, and I.7th Feb: Anuradha, Mohit, Devadatha, Raghunath, Tarachand and I.Here are the lists on eBird, meticulously made by Mohit on the 7th.The list from SH209 (Southern Highway) areandLet me close with two more images..(Painted Stork) SPIEGEL: Out of naivete or calculation? Gentiloni: As long as a certain problem primarily affects a different country, in this case Italy, one might not put it at the very top of one's list of priorities. The route for the refugees currently goes through Greece and the Balkans or through Italy; if there were a crisis in north-eastern Europe, Poland might just as well be affected. In this case we are dealing with mechanisms that we do not control. We need to change that. As Ms. Merkel has said, "We can handle it." But this "we" should be a European "we." We can't have a situation where everyone keeps criticizing the bouncer, meaning Greece. SPIEGEL: What effect did the chancellor's refugee policies have on Italy? Gentiloni: It had the effect of me agreeing with her. Europe can handle several hundreds of thousands of people every year who have a right to asylum. SPIEGEL: A ceiling of about 500,000 people with a right to asylum per year has been discussed in Berlin for some time now. Gentiloni: And a united Europe will also manage to send hundreds of thousands of migrants, who don't have the right to asylum, back to their homelands. Though that, given the number of flights necessary, would be of a scale reminiscent of the Berlin Airlift. SPIEGEL: Does Europe need to be more clear that we can't take in everybody who is looking for a better life? Gentiloni: The message that "we can't take in everybody" is imperative. At the same time, the decision as to who has a right to asylum needs to be made in Brussels. It is clear that several countries, in the Balkans for example, need to be considered countries of safe origin. But others like, in my opinion, Eritrea, undoubtedly need to be considered a country of origin with a valid claim to asylum. And with a third group of states, like Nigeria for example, each individual case needs to be evaluated. Then there are also very controversial cases like Afghanistan. In any case, united European action is needed. This argument for Europeanization may sound utopian, but there is no alternative. SPIEGEL: So far, Italy has built three of the six promised "hotspots" for the registration of refugees. Thus far, they have had the reputation for being departure points for illegal immigrants. Your authorities have been hopelessly overwhelmed with the surge in refugees and their redistribution. Gentiloni: We are not perfect. But we have doubtlessly fulfilled our obligations to the EU to a greater degree than the EU has its obligations to Italy, when it comes to the relocation or repatriation of refugees that are in our country. Italy does its homework better than the rest of Europe. Instead of the 160,000 migrants that were to be distributed across Europe, we are currently at 300. SPIEGEL: Do you think the future of the EU is at risk because of the refugee crisis? Gentiloni: You could put it that way. Because this crisis has an effect on other things: on the referendum of the British about their exit from the EU or on the gains by populists in several countries. This mixture endangers the future of Europe. We are currently experiencing probably the toughest crisis in the history of the EU. The touchstone for whether we can overcome it will be the subject of immigration. SPIEGEL: What needs to take place at the EU summit in mid-January? Gentiloni: We need to move forward, from the common currency to the banking union to a common financial policy and, in the middle-term, to a common foreign and security policy. That will take time, because we need to figure out how to deal with those countries that don't always want a more tightly integrated European Union. SPIEGEL: For that reason, you are advocating a "two-speed Europe." Gentiloni: I don't like that term. Because it suggests that the slower one will catch up to the faster one. London can't live with this definition. We probably need to move forward together, each at their own speed. The faster ones, that could be the countries in the euro zone. The others would be those who are interested in the continued development of the common market, but reject the idea of an ever stronger political integration. SPIEGEL: Italian Prime Minister Renzi has been critical of Merkel and French President Francois Hollande determining the direction taken by the EU. You have also said that you hoped that Berlin was continuing to emphasize a European Germany rather than a German Europe. Where is the problem? Gentiloni: The problem is, if at all, in the different view of the economy, of economic growth. Growth is too low, even for us. That needs to change: More investments, a stronger role by the European Central Bank. Otherwise, there are no tensions between Italy and Germany. But on this point, compromises must be reached and we will reach them. SPIEGEL: Matteo Renzi has recently made it extremely clear that he does not want to be lectured by Berlin and Brussels. What did you think of that? Gentiloni: On this point, I believe that Renzi is right. SPIEGEL: You have just spoken with the American Secretary of State about the fight against Islamic State (IS). Jihadists belonging to the terror group are now just 600 kilometers south of the Italian coast. What is your government's strategy? Gentiloni: We have a strong military deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan. In countries like Syria, we need a diplomatic breakthrough to end the war. In Libya, the country must first of all be stabilized to stop IS. This means supporting the Libyan government, including in terms of security. We don't want to repeat the mistakes of the past in that country. The situation is extremely dangerous and the next days could be decisive. And yet, it's the Cassandras who continue to dominate the debate. They complain of breaking points that have allegedly been crossed and warn, as German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk did last fall, that there "is no moral obligation for self-destruction." Conservative Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer joined the chorus by warning of a "collapse" of the state. Drowning Out Voices of Reason It is true that there is considerable room for improvement in the handling of the refugee crisis. People are continuing to die along the European Union's external borders (though that is not something that those who claim to be concerned about the refugee crisis are particularly concerned about), the planned distribution of refugees across Europe has failed and, yes, some of the migrants are criminals . Welcome To SpoilerTV We bring you a comprehensive and up to date spoiler service on all the major US TV shows and Movies. You can find specific show content by clicking the menu system at the top of the screen. We scour the Internet for spoilers as well as posting our own exclusive spoilers (Scripts, Casting Calls, Set Photos etc) as well as recaps and other fun articles and polls. We hope you enjoy your stay. Fischer Artur Fischer, the prolific German inventor who held more than 1,100 patents -- beating Thomas Edison's 1,093 -- died on Jan. 27 in his home in Germany. He was 96. Fischer was honored by the European Patent Office with a lifetime achievement award in 2014, and he was the mind behind the fischer S-plug, a widely used expanding nylon anchor that holds screws in place in materials such as drywall, and the first synchronized electronic camera flash. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD The phone threats that were made to five schools across the state Tuesday came within minutes of each other, were delivered in disguised voices and originated from the same phone number, law enforcement officials said. A trend of computer-generated hoax phone calls involving high-tech identity-disguising tools has been sweeping the nation. Though officials said there is not yet any indication of a connection to the Stamford High School incident, federal agents have been called in to help investigate the spate of prank phone calls that sent well-armed police to schools statewide. The call (to Stamford High School) came in to the main office from a phone number which has been common in swatting incidents, Stamford Police Lt. Diedrich Hohn said Wednesday. They all came from the same number. A phone threat that led to the evacuation of the Stamford Academy charter school Wednesday, did not follow the same pattern, police said. Swatting, the practice of falsely reporting a crime just to provoke massive police responses, has become prevalent enough nationwide to draw condemnation from the FBI. Incidents of swatting have been reported throughout the country in the past year. Such threats have forced school evacuations or closings in Delaware, Washington, Arizona, Oregon and Alaska. Similar threats forced the public school system in Fairfield to go on lockdown in October, the same month a 22-year-old Wethersfield man was sentenced to a year in prison for his role in the swatting of schools in Connecticut, New Jersey, Texas and Massachusetts. In reports on the crime, the bureau warns that so-called swatters will sometimes use technology that manipulates Caller ID systems, throwing law enforcement off their trail. A report in the Providence Journal this week said Rhode Island State Police traced a recent rash of automated, threatening phone calls to St. Petersburg, Russia. Two federal agencies have begun coordinating with local police to track the origin of Tuesdays threatening phone calls. Hohn said Wednesday his department is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating all of Tuesdays threats. Hartford police said they are coordinating with a second federal agency Homeland Security Investigations, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Charles Grady, a spokesman for the New Haven field office of the FBI, said Wednesday the bureau made an offer of technical assistance to local law enforcement. There was no indication Tuesdays phone calls were linked to other instances of swatting, he said. ICE officials could not be reached. Disguised voices Tuesdays threatening calls were seemingly coordinated, coming within minutes of one another and threatening violence at Stamford High, West Haven High School, Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford and Bristols Central High School and South Side Elementary. Stamford High Schools main office received a threat at 12:25 p.m., Hohn said, just three minutes after West Haven High School was threatened. Bristol police received a similar phone call minutes later at 12:32 p.m., Hohn said. Hartford Police Deputy Chief Brian Foley said his city received its threatening call about the same time as the Bristol call came in. I believe theyre related, Foley said of the calls. Tuesdays threats were described by the West Haven Police department as a male voice speaking an unknown language, then in English." Hohn said the call to Stamford High School involved a disguised voice." The caller said there was a bomb at the school, and there was going to be a shooting," he said. Though the Tuesday calls variously threatened bombs, shootings or both, no suspicious persons or items were reported found at any of the five Connecticut schools. Stamford Academy threat The phone threat to Stamford Academy prompted a show of force similar to Tuesdays reaction, with Special Response Team officers and bomb squad dogs searching the building. Stamford Police Chief Jonathan Fontneau told The Advocate Wednesday afternoon that the threat came from a different phone number than those received Tuesday. This was a dissimilar call, he said of the threat. We hope that it was a copycat, and that it ends now. Domus, the nonprofit that runs Stamford Academy, said in a statement Wednesday that police found no threats in the building. In the wake of the second day of hoaxes, Mayor David Martin called on state lawmakers to send a message to would-be swatters. I am calling on our state legislators to enact stiff penalties to those who call in these bomb threats, he said. This is terrible. I would call it childish, but the cost to the community is extraordinary. ESimko-Bednarski@scni.com; 203-964-2215; stamfordadvocate.com/news HARTFORD Its not the proposed $31.4 million cut to next years University of Connecticut budget that has President Susan Herbst worried. One single shortfall wont make or break the university, Herbst said. Rather, Herbst told the legislatures Appropriations Committee on Wednesday she worries about accumulated years of cuts and rescission that she said is digging deeply into the fiscal health of the states fiscal health and threatening UConns ability to carry out its mission most effectively. My fear is that this cycle will grow worse resulting in a shrinking faculty, the closure of academic programs or departments - or even entire schools, Herbst said in response to a lawmakers question. It could mean closing regional campuses, significantly reducing financial aid and cutting sports, among other possibilities. UConn has five regional campuses in addition to including its main campus in Storrs. Its Stamford campus in Southwestern Connecticut is its largest regional campus with 1,564 students as of this fall. UConn has no desire or plan to close the Stamford Campus, which is growing and successful, Stephanie Reitz, a UConn spokeswoman said. The president was making the point that all options will be examined as we consider future cost cutting possibilities should the cycle of state funding reductions continue. Last year, trying to reconcile a state budget cut, the Board of Regents which oversees all state colleges and universities in the state except UConn considered closing the Meriden branch of a community college. The legislature and governor moved to block that option. Each year, UConn awards more than 8,000 degrees, from bachelors to PhDs, statewide. Herbst asked to be spared the budget ax as lawmakers work to cut the state budget by about $500 million in the next fiscal year. The governor has also proposed cutting $20 million from the budget for the Board of Regents for Higher Education which oversee 17 other public colleges and universities in the state. A cut of $31.4 million, Herbst said, would negate all the revenue the university hoped to raise through tuition hikes. Even with tuition increases, UConn is up against a financial wall, Herbst said. There is no university that cuts its way to success. Next year, a tuition increase will generate an estimated $12.8 million. For in-state students, tuition next fall will increase $700. It is set to go up another $775 in 2017-18; by $850 in 2018-19; and by $950 in 2019-20. If the proposed budget is adopted, it would mean that combined cuts of $139 million to the institution over the past seven years. UConns aim is to grow stronger academically, Herbst said. To slide backwards, to see students go elsewhere, to see UConns benefit to the state falter after coming so far would be a terrible waste. UConn gets about 30 percent of its budget from the state with tuition, fees and grants accounting for the rest. Shutterstock.com Finally bringing the fight to an end, Warner Music Group will officially give up its rights to the most recognized song in the English language -- Happy Birthday to You. Ending the legal dispute that began in 2013, the company will pay a $14 million settlement to those who previously paid fees to use the song, reports The Los Angeles Times. February If you appreciate this content please donate by clicking on the donate button on the main page. By Der Kosmonaut2016Ottawa, CanadaThe other week more than one hundred fascists went on a rampage in downtown Stockholm attacking refugee children and anyone that didn't look white. Sweden, like most of Europe, is segregated. On one hand, the European countries have never been serious about integrating immigrants since they were for the most part brought in as cheap labor to suppress the wages of the natives. Sweden has or had, fairly high wages for the Western world. The ruling class decided to reduce labor costs by bringing in immigrant workers. In 2004 a former UK cabinet minister from the 1970s admitted this on national TV . Pakistanis were deliberately brought to the North of England to undermine the wages of English workers in the factories and mines.Charles de Gaulle was the sneakiest of them all. After losing Algeria and most of the colonies, de Gualle paid thousands of the former colonial subjects to move to France to undermine French workers and to weaken the militant French labor unions. de Gaulle never even tried to integrate the immigrants but rather specifically built the housing projects which ring all the cities in France (the so-called Banlieues ). The Banlieues served two distinct functions. The first was to isolate the Arabs and Black Africans from the rest of society. In this way the Banlieues function as Bantustans or Indian Reservations. This leads to the second function which was to re-create French colonialism domestically. The Banlieues serve as domestic colonies and the inhabitants are subjected to colonial rule. De Gaulle was forced to abandon overseas colonies so decided to import the colonies into France.Conversely, it must be said that many of the immigrants REFUSE to integrate. Yet they have valid reasons to a certain extent because no matter how much they try to integrate, they're still considered foreigners. I saw this in Germany with the Turks. It was bizarre to see Blacks and snows integrated socially in the parks, bars and restaurants in Berlin but the Turks keeping to themselves.Still this isn't the complete picture. For example many Black Americans that emigrated to Sweden did integrate and were initially welcomed but over the past two decades, they have seen that they are no longer welcomed. For reasons which can never be satisfactorily explained, Swedish society became racist. The same process occurred in France. Anyone born before 1980 had the impression that France was a much less racist society than the US , UK and Germany. But starting in 1994, racism became mainstream and discrimination became widespread.Interestingly enough, Britain has become more integrated than France but there's a key reason why. Blacks and South Asians took to the streets in the 1970s and 80s and fought . They confronted the state in the streets and made demands. Thatcher unsuccessfully tried to drive all the people of color out of the country. Finally by the 90s, the government was forced to make concessions.This brings me to the conclusion. The people of color need to organize themselves politically just as they did in the UK. Many will say that they're divided themselves not only ethnically but linguistically. But that's no excuse. It's true that the West Indians, Africans and South Asians all spoke English but the same is true of the Arab and African immigrants in France. Until the people of color organize themselves politically in Europe, they will be discriminated against and marginalized. They cannot rely on the "good" whites to help them. As I wrote the last month , many white "leftists" are showing their true colors I was horrified 4 years ago in Austria when I realized that all these so-called "anti-capitalist" Anarchists were just as racist as the Nazis. I discovered the same thing in California. There's a race war between whites and people of color within the Anarchist movement in Oakland. Many so-called "anti-racists" have a different agenda. Their "anti-racism" serves as a disclaimer. That's not to say that they aren't any sincere anti-racist whites but certainly not enough of them. European communities of color need to organize with the quickness or they will be exterminated within a couple of years. Many of these treacherous swine left wing Zionists will sit back and watch or even participate. While they will never allow Jews be exterminated, they won't lift a finger to stop Blacks, Arabs et al from being sent to the death camps. The issue: When a partner gathers courage to leave an abuser and seeks a temporary restraining order, the risk for harm is the greatest. Emotions are raw. This is precisely the time an angry person should not have easy access to a gun. A person is five times more likely to become a homicide victim if the partner has access to a gun, according to a John Hopkins University study. But a loophole in the law allows the accused abuser to keep firearms until a permanent restraining order is issued by a judge, a minimum of two weeks. Connecticut has averaged 14 intimate partner homicides a year, many by firearms, between 2000 and 2012, some in front of minor children. It is possible lives can be saved and trauma avoided if the loophole is closed. What we wrote: Connecticut has come far in the 30 years since Tracy Thurman sued Torrington and members of its police department for violating her constitutional rights by not treating domestic violence with the same seriousness as other assaults. Protective laws were enacted and awareness of domestic violence which is class-less and can happen in any city, suburb or rural town was raised. But that is not enough. Editorial, May 11, 2014 That editorial was published four days after Lori Jackson Gellatly, of Oxford, a 31-year-old mother of twin toddlers, was shot to death by her estranged husband the morning before they were to appear in court for a permanent restraining order. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat representing Connecticut, Tuesday introduced the Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act that would finally close the loophole that allows abusers to keep weapons. ... No question, this federal legislation ... is desperately needed. Editorial, June 19, 2014 Connecticut should act quicker than Congress and should join with 20 other states that prudently require those under temporary restraining orders to turn in weapons within 24 hours if theres immediate and present physical danger. ... The right for anyone to keep a weapon does not trump the right to life. Editorial, March 13, 2015 If the law was changed to allow the confiscation of weapons immediately after the issuance of a restraining order, Connecticut would be a safer place, particularly for the victims of domestic abuse. Editorial, Sept. 17, 2015 What has happened: The federal bill has languished in Congress. The state bill passed the Judiciary Committee in a close vote in the 2015 General Assembly session, but never made it to the full House. Some opponents argued that a 1999 bill suffices, but we agree with domestic violence prevention advocates that law is too cumbersome to be effective. The latest: Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Thursday announced legislation to try again to close the loophole. House Bill 5054, An Act Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence, was referred to the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Security. We agree with Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman who said, This legislation will help de-escalate dangerous situations, reduce the opportunity for fatalities, and save lives. This time legislators should act calmly and in a bipartisan fashion to enact common sense legislation. STAMFORD Attorneys have been known to say, Where theres a will there is a lawsuit. But the case of a Stamford man who left a $1.2 million estate to his four sons is even more complicated than that. The son who was first named executor of the estate was sued by his three brothers over the inheritance. Then, when a second son took over as executor, he was arrested and charged with larceny. When someone suffers a loss, it is even more unfortunate when a family member is victimized by another family member, said Sgt. Steven Perrotta, whose property crimes squad regularly gets complaints of sibling thefts. T.E. Montague Everett, who died in 2008, left his estate to be split between his four sons, Montague, Richard, Robert and Mark. The youngest son, Montague, was put in charge of overseeing the $1.2 million estate. By 2009 his brothers sued him in New York State and accused him of unjustly enriching himself, court records show. The three ended up settling with Montague in 2014 for just $600,000, which was put back into the trust and was to be split between the three remaining brothers. Richard Everett, the third youngest of the brothers, was promoted to executor in 2009. But in November, Westport attorney Thomas Brennan filed an embezzlement report against Richard Everett, of Bronxville, N.Y. on behalf of his two brothers after he refused to reveal the whereabouts of the $600,000 inheritance that he was supposed to split with them. According to Richard Everetts eight-page arrest affidavit, he failed to distribute the money and, during a probate hearing late in 2014, refused to provide a judge with any information about where the money was. He did however promise that the trust assets were safe and intact, the affidavit said. Unable to obtain any satisfactory answers as to where the money was, brothers Robert and Mark petitioned the court to remove Richard Everett as executor and early last year Brennan was appointed an independent trustee of the estate. Along with being put in control of the estate, Brennan was ordered by a judge to Pursue any and all avenues to locate and seize the trust assets and pursue any action necessary to obtain their recovery, the affidavit said. Brennan ended up tracking down a JP Morgan Chase Bank bank account that once had the assets, but by the time he got to it in February 2015, the account held only 12 cents, the affidavit said. Brennans investigation concluded that Everett transferred all the money to himself and also used it to pay for various expenses, the affidavit said. Brennan went to police. He declined comment on the arrest. A Stamford judge signed an arrest warrant, Everett turned himself over to police Monday and was charged with first-degree larceny. He was freed after posting a $75,000 court appearance bond. jnickerson@scni.com; This time around, the General Assembly may be electrified. Tesla, the upstart electric-car company, would be allowed to skirt Connecticuts auto-dealer franchise laws and sell directly to consumers under a bill that was revived Tuesday by Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff. Duff, D-Norwalk, said the legislation that died on the Senate calendar at the end of the last legislative session would find success this time around, bringing dozens of jobs and tax revenue to the state, while allowing Connecticut motorists to finally purchase the luxury vehicles in-state. For the full story, subscribe below. S hares in Deutsche Bank jumped 14% today, recovering their entire plunge this week, as talk that it may start buying back its own debt began to reassure investors. Shares in Germanys biggest lender, which employs more than 6000 people in London, are still down 33 % since the start of the year. Yesterday the banks British chief executive John Cryan and Germanys finance minister Wolfgang Schauble sought to reassure markets over Deutsches financial strength. Today the cost of insuring Deutsche Bank debt fell for the second day from a peak of 243.8 basis points to 232.8, still twice the level of a year ago. That means to protect $10 million (7 million) of debt for a year using credit default swaps investors must pay $232,800. Some investors welcomed talk of debt buyback with Neil Smith, analyst with Bankhaus Lampe, saying: With ample liquidity it makes perfect sense to buy back bad debt, especially for banks like Deutsche which are shrinking their balance sheets. But Gary Greenwood of Shore Capital said: I dont think anything has fundamentally changed overnight. The worries about insufficient capital level and weak returns are still there. European markets rose by around 2% while the FTSE 100 ended three days of losses, showing a 1% gain. RBS shares led the way with a 2.4% rise followed by Barclays at 1.8% and HSBC at 1.3%. Lucy MacDonald, chief investment officer at Allianz, said she saw no real need to buy European bank shares with more restructuring and capital raising to come. Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam told the Financial Times: The banking system is in general much stronger than in 2008 and 2009 but there are a lot of memories of that period. Banks are smaller, they are less risky and they are better capitalised. Italian bank UniCredits chief executive Federico Ghizzoni said he believed investors were waiting for some kind of signal from central banks before they moved back into equity markets. That could come tonight when US Federal Reserve chairman Janet Yellen starts two days of testimony to Congress in which she is certain to emphasise the strength of US banks. T he sharks can sense blood, and theyre circling. For anyone who has followed Londons luxury property market, news that the shorts are in to Berkeley Group should not come as a surprise. Berkeley is the main listed player in the sector, and the hedge funds Odey Asset Management, BlueMountain Capital Management and Anchorage Capital are betting that top-end houses and apartments are heading for a crash. The irony is that Berkeley is one of the more carefully managed builders. There are others, mostly private, that are in a far more fragile condition. Its Berkeleys misfortune to have made its shares publicly available. For the past few years, the developers have been propped up by the swathe of overseas investors coming to London. Suddenly, though, theyre not there any more the Russians and Chinese are no longer so interested, just as thousands of apartments are being built across the centre of the capital. LonRes, the data analysis firm, reckons 54,000 homes are planned or under construction in the smartest areas of the capital, with most of them priced at 1 million or more. This is even though only 3900 homes were sold at more than 1 million in the whole of 2014 in these districts. The first sign of what may lie ahead comes from the failure of Asian buyers in particular to complete on their purchases. They put down deposits and now Im told theyre turning round to the builders and telling them to keep the cash, theyre no longer interested. If the developer wants the rest, it will have to sue them for it they will have to sue, typically in a Chinese court. This trend, which is sweeping the market, has highlighted one of the practices beloved of some of the sharper operators in the industry. Weve grown used to boards going up saying 85% sold when barely a single brick has been laid. Often, the block has been sold off-plan to investors in centres such as Hong Kong, Moscow, Mumbai or Shanghai. They put down a deposit, usually 2000, to secure an apartment. They would use it or, more likely, keep it as a buy-to-let or even leave it empty, so confident were they that London prices will carry on rising. Now, however, all that has changed. Chinas stalling economy, Russian sanctions, the falling oil price and the increase in stamp duty on expensive homes have combined to convince them prices are going to dip. Theyd rather cut their losses and say goodbye to the 2000 than follow through on buying the apartment. Developers are left holding properties they thought theyd sold. Theres talk of 50%-plus price falls ahead. The Chinese and Russian withdrawals have exposed the reality behind the claim of 85% sold. What it really means is 2000 deposits paid on 85% and presumably subject to contract. Nerves are jangling at the thought of all those people who were impressed by the 85% sold claim now finding themselves sitting in a development for which there is little demand, certainly not at the price they paid, looking at the possibility of seeking compensation. Stand by for possible legal actions against developers and their agents. Im not saying Berkeley is affected by any of these things but it could be in the firing line for the over-enthusiasm and misdeeds of a sector. Does it really add up as BlueCrest dumps 2 and 20 investors to be its own client? In all my years, Ive never understood prop trading. Or rather, Ive never understood how those who have their own partner or employee fund can manage the business to avoid any accusations of treating it differently to their other accounts. Surely its human nature that if the proprietary fund is comprised of your money, youll pay more particular attention to it? Youd make sure it got a piece of the best deals and might not take the same risks, wouldnt you? Not according to the investment bankers and hedgies. They will claim it isnt like that, and they devote as much, if not more, care and time to managing client cash. Im very interested in developments at BlueCrest. The $35 billion (24 billion) hedge fund, at its peak Europes third-largest, had an internal fund known as BlueCrest Staff Management Allocation (BSMA). Set up in 2011 to discourage employees from leaving, it invested for them and for the partners, including co-founder Mike Platt (pictured). BSMA uses a separate group of traders to BlueCrests other funds. Its capital is locked up for longer periods and it reportedly uses more borrowed money to trade, which may increase both gains and losses. BSMA grew to be worth $2 billion on the back of a stellar performance. In the last three years, it was up by nearly 60%. BlueCrests flagship fund, BlueCrest International, by contrast, lost 1.56% in 2013, gained just 0.1% in 2014 and dropped 0.17% in 2015. Andrew Dodd, BlueCrests chief financial officer, says the firm has procedures in place to protect against conflicts of interest across all of its hedge funds, including making sure funds dont trade with each other and that one investment vehicle doesnt trade ahead of another one. Those procedures apply to BSMA, Dodd told Bloomberg. While BlueCrest employees invest in BSMA, they have put more money in funds that clients invest in, he said. Unlike BlueCrest International, BSMA was not subject to the 2 and 20 charging system, standard in the industry. Hedge funds charge a 2% flat fee, then 20% of the profits. In early 2014, Albourne Partners, a consultant advising institutional investors, drew attention to BSMA and a potential conflict of interest between BlueCrest management and its investors. The consultant said that we do not feel that BlueCrest has provided appropriate disclosure to Albourne or to external investors, as far as we are aware. Through the rest of 2014 and 2015, BlueCrest haemorrhaged client money as investors grew fed up at the lacklustre showing from BlueCrest International. They were also unhappy at the contrasting returns enjoyed by BSMA. BlueCrest fell to $8 billion under management from $35 billion. The Orange County Employees Retirement System withdrew its investment after its consultant Aksia reported an increased lack of transparency at the hedge fund, according to the minutes to the pension funds investment committee. Last December, Platt said he was returning investors cash and concentrating on running a private investment fund for partners and employees. It is no longer a particularly profitable business to run a multi-manager hedge fund on 2% and 20% fees, he said. Instead, we are happy to be our own client and run our own amount of leverage. We are going from earning 2 and 20 on clients money to earning 0 and 100 on our own. Not that Platt himself was short. Aged 48, the Preston-born former JPMorgan star trader is worth an estimated 1.5 billion. A Tory donor and art collector, he lives in Geneva. Platts announcement, however, seems to have prompted the authorities to take a look. BlueCrest said in a statement it had received a number of queries, including from the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as from its other regulators. It stressed: BlueCrest is fully co-operative with all of its regulators and to date has received no accusation of wrongdoing. BlueCrest is in the process of returning all client monies to its third-party investors, and its dialogue with regulators is not expected to have an impact on this process. BlueCrest is a Private Investment Partnership and its relationships with its regulators are confidential. As such BlueCrest, intends to make no further comment on this matter. Whether, though, that is the end of it remains to be seen. Sorry for the long absence, but life is a-churning, as is Nepal.... Please excuse the lack of complete sentences aka social media-type rambling. Take it for what its worth... ... the passing away of SuKo aka Sushil Koirala (the vanguard of the Koirala dynasty) has opened the flood gates of a rapprochement... of sorts.... Seems like the IB had intel on his impending demise. Plus the fact that the UDMF was splitting away and folks like Rajendra Mahato of the Sadhbhavana party were saying "get the hell out" to the threesome in UDMF (that is, Mahendra Thakur, Upendra Yadav and Mahendra Raya Yadav). Looks like despite the blockade, illegal trade/smuggling was going on (which would always be the case --- happens anywhere there is a border crossing) and Rajendra Mahato might have been pissed or not making enough cash relative to the threesome. So Rajendra babu loosened his hold of Birgunj and he was the one holding the forte at the Birgunj-Raxaul border crossing (70% of Indian imports go through this route, not Biratnagar, not Sunauli, definitely not Nepalgunj, not nothing)... So the Indians/IB must have been seeing all this tamasha and forced the UDMF to call off the blockade... And of course nothing moves in the Raxaul-Birgunj sector without the South Block saying ok... This is reality, however one would like to deny it. So here is my story, rumor-mill sourced or otherwise... SuKo bulldozed through a Constitution as a mission that cannot wait for the next hour, let alone tomorrow... Why I dont know... Was it the fact that he knew of his near/impending-death... wanting to be the Messiah of a new Nepal, a republican Nepal, a 21st century Nepal?... No idea, but this tamasha was easily bought in by the CPN(ML) and CPN(M) cabal... Was it just a case of entrenched Pahadi elites holding forte for eternity?.. I dont know... but does not smell right to me... But there was/is a vertical divide inside the CPN(M) camp.. with the ideologicals (aka useful idiots) led by Baburam Bhattarai saying, "what, what, why so urgent?".. and the Prachanda gang sitting opposite to the ideologicals.. There was already a split with the now not-so-healthy Mohan Baidya Kiran camp going wolf on "People's war is not over yet, we need to torch more buses, torch more thanas, recruit more thugs, fight more battles, till then laal salaam, laal salaam"... Now that Baburam-da has quit CPN(M) and started his useless party of sorts (which had been long time coming btw), Prachanda and MBK are making up... They will make up given that MBK is nearing his saranagati days and he needs the army of Prachanda cabal to sing along, lest he be consigned to the trashcan of history... Prachanda too needs MBK to shore up his wing as the real CPN(M) given that Guru Dronacharya is out of the ranch now :))... But still... how did CPN(ML) and CPN(M) buy this SuKo drama all along?.. This is something I dont see a good answer to.. its not just the anti-Indian of sorts, Jhalanath Khanal, but also the old aspiring PM-lot (aka Madhav Kumar Nepal) and that dreg who is the PM now, KP Sharma Oli... All were seeking bread crumbs??.. Makes little sense... the Indians/IB/South block/MEA/foreign office seem to have been caught up in surprise given the quick movement of things... and the quick sabaash-waa-rewa (1-2-3) from the Chinese, the Americans and the Pakistanis meant that Indians said "Start the moosik, pronto." Of course, the Nepali establishment had to retort with "We will seek the warmth and embrace of our birathers up north," but even an IQ-deficient person knows that this is just claptrap. The Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and Dhivehis do this too, but in the case of Nepalese, it is utter claptrap. China cannot supply beyond a certain point to Nepal and only the poor will suffer (as it is the case now). Even the Nepali establishment (visceral in its hatred of the Indian establishment is) knows it. All they want is for the Chinese to supply their party offices so that they are not using firewood to light up their offices, aamchi Gorkhali be damned. Anyway.... One major thing was a few amendments were made to please the Madhesis.. the kicking of the bucket of SuKo + wanting a face saver + things quickly spiraling out of control and losing the face of not holding the border to ransom meant that Indians called things off at that stage... now people (aka Singha Durbarians) will forget the remaining Madhesi demand for re-drawing provinces... none will happen, yes you heard that right. If they did not happen for so long after 4 1/2 mths of crippling blockade, none will happen with 4 1/2 yrs of People's war... So we have 6 provinces now, or was that 7?.. I lost count already. Also, plus, the person who is going to run riot in NC now (Sher Bahadur Deuba - the other pole of the NC) does not want to split one of the provinces despite the Tharu demand or inspite of it. So status quo it is. Each province shares a border entrypoint with India (is that good or bad, even that Pashupathinath will not know!)... the Madhesis get their amendments... the Nepalese get their fuel and supplies.. India gets its face saving withdrawal... now does it mean that the Nepalese will go back to normal or will people remember this blockade for far longer?... Of course, time will tell... but most likely people will remember.. they remember the 1990 blockade.. Why wont they remember this given its so immediate pain?... This is also a yug where every dog and his uncle needs to have an opinion, so yes, the blockade stings/stang/whatever. Now what can they do if they remember?.. Nothing... Nepal is landlocked, period... You can euphemistically call it any way you want, go to the UN or even a bigger body, sing dongfang hong or pak sar zameen, but that is what it is.. But did it (the blockade) help for India?.. Probably not... So I am confused... What is the grand strategy to all these tactics?.. What am I missing?.. It is idiotic to assume that the South Block decided to blockade because they woke up on the wrong side of the bed one fine day... South Block is legendary in its deep elephantine memory and things do not move up quickly unless they are serious, important and worse, painful. Did the SuKo Messiah mission ruin a carefully built decade of work, albeit moving at a glacial pace??.. the Constitution work was going on from 2004 since the 8-point agreement was signed. There was one 6 year mis-rule of CPN(M) followed by another elections (which was long time coming when I was waiting for that) and Constitution writing was going nowhere... and within a few days/weeks they promulgated one.. Even for miracles, its weird... how.. what.. wtf.. This is exactly what must have happened at South Block... So here are a few questions that make no sense (at least to me) now: 1) How did the Constitution come up overnight? 2) Who orchestrated it? 3) How did all the three parties buy into it? How did the greasing/convincing happen? 4) Why did the Indians get surprised? 5) Why did they blockade? 6) What do they want as a face saver? 7) Did they get one? 8) If so, is all well now? 9) If not, what can be done? 10) What is being to address the colossal intel failure that was? Here are more questions that can be asked, but wont be: 1) Did the INC ruin the India-Nepal relationship by cosying up with the Pahadi elites for so long, across party affiliation? 2) Is the change from embracing the Pahadi elites and ignoring the Madhesis for so long get a U-turn with the arrival of Modi? All this roti-beti tamasha make no sense with the Pahadis, it started with Modi. Innit?! 3) Why did India let the mudslinging at the "Indian-origin" Madhesi take traction when the Madhesis are Nepalis? 4) Are we preparing for a demographic shift in favor of the Madhesis? 5) Are we seeing a Pahadi (which is euphemism for the upper class partisans of the Brahmin-Kshatriya varna) vs. Madhesi (which is euphemism for OBC/more comfortable in Hindi than Nepali) fistfight in the name of something else? Or is this a regular fight of the entrenched vs. usurpers? How much of this is caste, class and status? 6) All policies get the imprint of the man in-charge, but does the current change in policy have an imprint from Nagpur? Of course, remote controlling happens across party-lines and not that one can do much if Nagpur does frame policies. But one is indeed curious as to if there is a grand strategy and if so, have all things been considered properly? In general, I am more confused with time than not... Did that non-partisan line-up (of Anand Sharma, Sitaram Yechuri, Sharad Yadav, Sushma Swaraj + Ajit Doval) cremate a SuKo type Messianic effort for good?? Did it?? I will always doubt such certitudes... Will KP Sharma Oli stop barking at the wrong tree now? While the Burnol will take a few days/months to heal, I dont expect the visceral garbage to go down any time soon. Nepal establishment is not a bosom friend of the Indian establishment, period. It never was, it never will be, and one should not even expect anything close to that. Period... So what is our strategy now? How exactly is a strategy supposed to be defined? What are the parameters, what are the contours of the optimization? "Do nothing" is loser-talk and I dont buy grand visions and strategies hinged on inaction ... So what exactly is going on in Nepal?! Labels: Nepal P inewood Studios, home to Star Wars and James Bond, has put itself on the auction block with a possible price tag of 250 million. The group, which includes joint ventures in locations such as Atlanta and Toronto as well as its north London base, has appointed investment bank Rothschild to examine the AIM-listed firms capital base and structure. Chief executive Ivan Dunleavy said: The Pinewood business has grown strongly over the past year. We want to raise additional capital to fulfil our expansion plans but we also want to broaden our share register and step up to the main list of the Stock Exchange. On the back of a bumper year for the British film industry, Pinewood has seen revenues climb and said today that it expected its full-year results to be better than it had forecast at the December interims. But shares have underperformed and 40% shareholder, billionaire John Whittaker, will have final say in the process. Were continuing to see very strong occupancy both in the UK and in our international studios, Dunleavy said. New sound stages and 300,000 square feet of new facilities are due to be completed in June, after a share placing last year that raised 30 million. But Dunleavy would like to continue the second and third phases of the studios expansion plan, which require more capital. Pinewood has attracted the attentions of Guernsey-based activist investor Richard Bernstein, whose Crystal Amber fund has a 5% stake. Bernstein tried and failed to oust chairman Lord Grade in 2010 and more recently criticised Pinewood for not making more money from a string of blockbusters, including the two latest Star Wars films, which were part-filmed in its studios. I s Boris Johnson heading for the Foreign Office? The rumour that the Mayor is set to swap London for the world after he leaves City Hall in May first gained traction in December, and was granted fresh momentum in a Times diary item yesterday. According to the latest gossip, Boris turned down an invitation to a literary festival in the autumn as he was expecting to be foreign secretary by then. Apocryphal or not, the story has the ring of truth. David Cameron has hinted heavily that he has exciting plans for Boris when his second term as Mayor ends. Not surprisingly, it is widely assumed that this appointment to high office would be a reward for his support in the EU referendum, and conditional upon it. Certainly, Boris seems to have had a bespoke law, supposedly protecting the sovereignty of Parliament over EU legislation, drafted in order to help woo a single politician over to the Remainers. Is this law the heart of a not-so-subtle campaign to get Boris on side? Is the job of Foreign Secretary also part of this renegotiation goody bag, intended to convince him that it would be worth his while to back Dave on this last, crucial occasion? In truth, however, the question Whither Boris? long preceded the present context, dominated as it is by Britains future in Europe. Having won last years general election and survived as Tory leader, Cameron was always going to have to decide what to do with his fellow Old Etonian (OE) after May 2016. I have heard allies of the PM relish the prospect of giving Boris a horrendously technical department the Department for Work and Pensions, say, or Health in the hope that the blond swashbuckler would finally get a taste of intractable policy work. But this gloating was misplaced for two reasons. First, the Mayor only looks like a man who wings it, and never puts in the hours. I am told by those who know him best that he is capable of getting up extraordinarily early to work, and that it takes a lot of effort behind closed doors to appear to be so engagingly effortless and shambolic. In any case, Camerons relationship with Boris has never been one of straightforward political rivalry. Yes, the PM has fired off some extremely Anglo-Saxon texts to the Mayor over the years, not least during campaigns, urging him (for example) to f***ing shut up after Boris had listed in print all the OEs who had reached Number Ten. But these are blips in an essentially smooth relationship, in which Cameron has tended, as far as possible, to hug him close, indulging his political theatre and eccentric singularity as much as he can. Boris Johnson mishaps 2015 Since the PM has set his own departure date on or before the end of this Parliament he cannot complain that leadership speculation is now buzzing, enmeshed, naturally enough, with the politics of the referendum. Theresa May appears to have resisted the courtship of the Leavers and will now, almost certainly, back the Remainers in the official campaign. Indeed, if Philip Hammond is shifted to make space for Boris, the three great offices of state Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary would then be held by the three most prominent contenders to succeed Cameron: George Osborne, Johnson and May. You may regard the office of Home Secretary to be the least glamorous of these roles. If so, the incumbent does not share your views for a second. Mays officials report with admiration that she makes a point of reminding them, with pride, that they work for one of the great offices of state. Equally, it now makes more sense than ever that Cameron promoted Osborne to the honorific title of First Secretary of State immediately after the election, as if to anticipate the question: which of the three is most senior, most valued, most close to you? Does Boris crave the grandeur, pilasters and cavernous rooms of the Foreign Office? In his wonderful memoir, A Different Kind of Weather, William Waldegrave describes the appeal to a politician of his education Eton and Oxford, the classics of the meritocratic, wise and honest guardians of our civilisation. Boris, though more flamboyant than Waldegrave, shares this background and this civic perspective. It is easy to imagine him at home in the Foreign Secretarys vast office, feet up, quoting from The Odyssey as he chews over some geostrategic principle. In private, Boris is a numerologist to an almost pagan extent. So it may interest him to know that of the 44 men and women to head the Home Office since 1900, only two (Churchill and Callaghan) have become Prime Minister. Of the 36 men and women who have been Foreign Secretary, seven have made it to the top, while of the 37 Chancellors since 1900, 10 have become Prime Minister. Good enough odds? In his book on the office of Foreign Secretary, Choose Your Weapons, Douglas Hurd describes those who saw their job as essentially that of a mountaineer, seeking peaks on which to hoist the flag of their country and indeed of themselves. Were the Mayor to become Foreign Secretary, he would be a permanent fixture on the front pages: in shirt-sleeves in sub-Saharan Africa; in Pakistan, sharing a joke with a goat; or shaking hands at the White House with President Trump or Sanders. On the other hand, he would be away from the Westminster village much of the time and the long, alcoved corridors where decisions are made and voting blocs traded. His global brand would soar but he would be dangerously far from the day-to-day action in Westminster. Osborne, meanwhile, is never far from the action. What Boris should be asking is why his true rival not Cameron but the Chancellor should be apparently content for his notional nemesis to be so spectacularly promoted and pose the only question that really matters in the great game: who gains? " Your warranty has expired, explained the Apple guy in such a reasonable tone of voice. You cant expect these machines to last for ever. So no, there wasnt much he could do to revive the 849 MacBook Air Id bought as present for my wife when she finished maternity leave that had inexplicably ceased to function. Not without a bill of about 500. At this point I came close to hurling my phone (also Apple, ugh) against the wall. But now that Ive had a cry, received some peer-counselling and comfort-watched the trailers for all 163 Steve Jobs biopics currently in production, I am coming round to Apple Incs point of view. After all, I did buy the computer in the mists of September 2014 and 16 months is ancient in Apple years. Also, I did decline the 199 Applecare three-year protection plan, hoping against hope that the machine could withstand a little cafe-based word processing without falling apart. I do wonder why it costs such a lot to repair a broken screen... but I neednt bore you with all the details. As Tolstoy once wrote, all happy Apple customers are the same, but each unhappy Apple customer is unhappy in their own miserable way. And there do seem to be a lot of us at the moment. It wasnt long ago that the California technology giant enjoyed near-universal esteem. But despite record profits under new CEO Tim Cook and cash reserves of more than $200 billion, its losing its aura. Walt Mossberg, the pre-eminent Apple fanboy, has complained of a gradual degradation in the quality and reliability of Apples core apps. Few developers have good things to say about the iOS operating system. Meanwhile, the developing Error 53 scandal could see the company face multiple lawsuits. It appears that if youve had your iPhone 6 repaired at a non-certified outlet and then downloaded the latest iOS software, Apple will render your phone inoperable. London barrister Richard Colbey, of Lamb Chambers, believes the company may be in breach of criminal damage laws. It is hard to see how something which ceases to work in this way could be said to be of reasonable quality, one of the determinants of which is durability, he told The Guardian. But surely this is the key to Apples success: it has effectively made electronic devices disposable. Once upon a time durability would have been a prime selling point of a mobile phone or a laptop. However, just as delicate fabrics such as lace or cashmere connote luxury, so Apple products aim for a sort of aspirational vulnerability. When I first held an iPad, I was amazed at how breakable it felt for something youre supposed to carry everywhere. I wonder if this fragility has an additional nurturing function too making users feel more tenderly towards their needy little devices. But much as no one bothers to darn clothes any more, so its become prohibitively expensive to repair electronics. MacSmith, the artisanal Apple repair shop in Hackney, told me that the new components were so expensive that I may as well buy a new MacBook on eBay. And even if you do look after your devices, you soon find theyre obsolete anyway, as the near-mandatory software updates overload the system. Theres no such thing as good enough. These machines are supposed to empower us that was my motivation for buying one when I did. If only it were so simple. Mrs Cameron rightly refuses to keep mum How embarrassing. David Camerons mother is campaigning against a policy that has been engineered by her own son. Mary Fleur Cameron, 81, lent her name to a petition to Oxfordshire County Council protesting about the closure of local childrens centres. My name is on the petition but I dont want to discuss this any further, she told the Oxford Mail. Of course, its not just personally embarrassing to Cameron but an indictment of his policies too childrens centres are a vital resource for many children and parents. My son, Ted, goes to our local one regularly (also threatened by council cuts) and its a real gem: well-run, happy and cohesive. Closing these places will simply place more strain on more cost-intensive services. But of course Cameron is beginning to realise this himself. Last year, the Oxford Mail reported on the astonishing letter that Cameron had written to the same council, complaining about the cuts and wondering if they couldnt be administered in a more creative manner. Now Labour warns that 83 per cent of the Governments 300 million relief fund to help councils deal with the worst of the cuts is going to Conservative shires. The combination of airy naivety and cynical opportunism is becoming something of a signature. The mother of all party bags Remember how you used to go home from friends birthdays with a little cake, a balloon and a bouncy ball? As a reward for just showing up to the Academy Awards, the nominees will receive a 150,000 party bag containing a 38,000 luxury trip to Israel, a 15-day walking tour of Japan, a sex toy, a breast lift and a years unlimited car hire from a famous car brand which I wont embarrass by naming here. It must be some bag to fit in all that. Beyonces perfect balancing act If Beyonces intention was to push the Black Lives Matter movement into the mainstream with her performance at the Super Bowl, she did it in style. Which hasnt stopped the wilful misinterpretations. All lives matter, say a bunch of white men at the bottom of the internet. YES GUYS WELL DONE. But thats not the point. The point is one of imbalance. Black culture has been persistently marginalised, black stories discounted and only very selected versions of the black experience ever represented in the mainstream. So for one of the worlds most famous stars to celebrate where she comes from isnt really that provocative or radical (or at least, it shouldnt be). Its just stating: This too is legitimate and lived and loved. Its saying implicitly that all lives matter. Who could object? Review at a glance F ew painters have been marked by their childhood as much as the Norwegian painter Nikolai Astrup. Born in 1881, he grew up in Alhus, a village surrounded by mountains and looking over a lake in the county of Jlster. It is a landscape of extraordinary beauty and majesty, loaded for Astrup with the ghosts of folklore: trolls in trees, ice maidens seen in the undulating mountain tops. The damp parsonage he grew up in was a motif in his paintings but also affected him physically a sickly man, hed walk in that Norwegian summer twilight, where it never gets dark, because it was better for his health. All of this, married to clear talent and eccentricity, helped make him one of Norways most distinctive painters. Studying in Paris in the 1900s, he was able to return to Norway armed with a sophisticated language and dedicate his working life to capturing Jlsters changing moods. How vividly he did so, despite occasional awkwardness in his figures. From delicate marsh marigolds amid deep green fields, to the serene blue of the lake, to the fires of pagan celebrations for Midsummers Eve, its a unique landscape, uniquely captured. Until May 15, Dulwich Picture Gallery (020 8693 5254, dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk) Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout A dam Rawson is increasingly becoming a name to know on Londons food scene. He used to work with Nuno Mendes, was until recently head chef at Marylebone Peruvian restaurant Pachamama, and meanwhile was late last year named Chef of the Year at the Young British Foodies awards. Having moved on from Pachamama, he is currently working on a number of pop-ups and residencies under his own steam. Each will focus on different cuisines to that he is familiar with, and will see him travel to these regions to get to know the food offering there, before returning to London to cook it himself. The first couple of pop-ups that he has planned will see him cook the Basque cuisine of northern Spain, which he has explored on a 10-day trip around San Sebastian. TXOTX by Adam Rawson The first of these dinners, TXOTX by Adam Rawson, will be served at The Newman Arms in Fitzrovia for both lunch and dinner on 20 and 27 February. The menus written entirely in Basque in order to keep the dishes a surprise to all but the most linguistically proficient will make use of Basque produce (some of it brought back in Adams suitcase) including Idiazabal cheese, txakoli wine and farmhouse cider. It will also feature beef from 9 year-old ex-dairy cows, renowned as some of the worlds best. Lunch will feature six courses plus snacks for 40 and dinner 10 courses plus snacks for 60. Tickets are available now. Adam Rawson presents Casa Julian at OneSixty The second Basque pop-up will see Adam take over smokehouse restaurant OneSixty in the City for the last two weekends of March. Hes put together a menu based on a restaurant called Casa Julian which he visited in Tolosa. The shorter menu will focus on the same aged, high quality Basque beef and will centre around a 1kg steak for two to share, served with roasted peppers and baby gem. There will also be sharing starters (including ox ham, white asparagus and bread with Iberico smoked butter) and a traditional rice pudding dessert with a twist. Tickets will cost 50 a head and go on sale soon. Follow Ben Norum on Twitter @BenNorum Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout E veryone likes a love-in, especially one involving food, art and two industry giants. Yet Londons latest, featuring the multi-millionaire artist Damien Hirst and a certain London chef, only happened because of a spontaneous encounter three months ago. I was going past Scotts and Damien was there, so I pulled in to say hi. He said: I need a chef for another Pharmacy, says chef and restaurateur Mark Hix, who is to be Hirsts partner at Pharmacy 2, opening on February 23. Its the second act for Hirsts first restaurant, Pharmacy, which closed in 2003, only this time it will be inside his newish Newport Street Gallery in Vauxhall. I said: Well, why dont we do a partnership and do it properly? So that was it really Hes been eating my food for years anyway, and I know what he likes to eat simple stuff, he continues. The pair have linked up before, Hix having commissioned Hirst when he was chef-director at Caprice Holdings and later at his Soho restaurant. Then, in typically casual Hix style, he texted Hirst asking him to do something for Tramshed, his Shoreditch steak and chicken restaurant, in 2012. The result was Cock & Bull, an arresting, gargantuan installation of a cow and cockerel floating in a formaldehyde tank, which he describes as certainly the biggest Hirst piece in a restaurant. Pharmacy 2 combines two of my greatest passions: art and food, says Hirst of the new project. Ive always loved Mark as a chef and his approach to food, so its great were working together on this. The drugs do work: Pharmacy 2s interior is decorated with Damien Hirst art and features a display of real medicine cabinet items Prudence Cuming Associates Their alliance began eons ago when they and various other YBAs, including Sarah Lucas and Tracey Emin, were living nearby in the East End. Ive known Damien a long time, says Hix. I got to know a lot of the artists because many of them lived nearby. At the time I had Rivington Grill, where we used to hang out, so over a period of time we got to know the crazy people, he laughs. Pharmacy 2 is 10 minutes walk from Vauxhall Tube in quiet Newport Street. Walking upstairs from the calm white oasis of the exhibition space, the restaurant suddenly materialises like a thwack in the face. At Pharmacy 1 Hirst created what many felt at the time to be a artistic rendition of an actual chemists shop; here it feels more like some madcap, vaguely hallucinogenic art space in which one can also eat perhaps more fitting for 2016s foodie-experience-obsessed Instagram generation. There are five turquoise-purplish renditions of Hirsts famous Kaleidoscope Butterflies, shelves of neatly aligned pill packets, a bar stuffed with surgical kit, plus pills everywhere. 2016: Sixteen foodie highlights 1 /21 2016: Sixteen foodie highlights 100 Wardour Street, Soho Due January Details about this latest restaurant from D&D London are still sparse. It will replace longstanding (and long-suffering) Floridita. The vast space will have room for more than 400 diners comprising an all-day restaurant, lounge and cocktail bar along with space for live music DJs. Liam Smith-Laing, formerly of La Petite Maison in Istanbul will oversee the Mediterranean and Eastern-leaning menu. Restaurant Ours, South Kensington Due: February Tom Sellers, the chef behind Michelin-starred Restaurant Story will open this second London restaurant in February. While hell oversee the menus, Daniel Phippard (previously of Ernik in Moscow and Londons Kensington Place will take the role of head chef. In terms of design, the space will apparently be punctuated by three enormous trees and enjoy ceiling heights up to 10 metres. Duende, Covent Garden Due: February This is the first solo restaurant from Victor Garvey, the co-founder of popular modern tapas spot Bravas Tapas at St Katharine Docks. It will once again serve Spanish dishes with interpretive twists including foie gras crema catalana and Iberico pork belly with piquillo pepper glaze from an open kitchen. Pharmacy 2, Vauxhall Due: Early 2016 Damien Hirst will re-open his famed Pharmacy restaurant next year as part of his Vauxhall gallery. He launched the original in Notting Hill in 1998, with backing from PR guru Matthew Freud. The minimalist space had pill pictures on the walls, stools were in the shape of pills and waiters wore surgical gowns. Its celebrity frequenters included David Bowie, Kate Moss and Madonna, but the novelty eventually wore off and in 2003 it closed until now. It is thought that Pharmacy 2 will act as a canteen for gallery visitors during the day and a standalone restaurant by night. Just how similar the new incarnation will be to the original remains to be seen. Read our preview article Sosharu, Clerkenwell Due: March Jason Atherton will finally launch his long-awaited Japanese restaurant in March, his eighth in the capital. It will serve sashimi, teppanyaki and robatayaki dishes, but Atherton has confirmed that there will be no sushi and no ramen. It will also come with a small restaurant-within-a-restaurant upstairs called Kisetsu, with seats for just 12-15 diners, which will offer a super-fine dining experience. A basement bar will play Japanese hip-hop music and serve cocktails made with ingredients such as sake, shochu and Japanese whiskey. Read our preview article Farang, Borough Due: March 2016 Former Smoking Goat, Begging Bowl and Som Saa chef Seb Holmes will launch his own venture Farang in March, serving Thai street food made with British seasonal ingredients. Aside from the young chefs pedigree, where this new restaurant will be is also an exciting proposition. It will be one of several concessions to take residency at a new Street Feast style dining space at Flat Iron Square in Borough, which will occupy railway arches between London Bridge and Waterloo East stations. Read our preview article Swingers, City Due: April A former WWII bunker by the Gherkin will become a permanent home to crazy golf, street food and bar concept Swingers in April. It follows a sold out pop-up in Shoreditch last year, and will incorporate two nine-hole crazy golf courses, four bars and three street food stalls in residence. Food offerings will include Pizza Pilgrims and a brand new non-burger concept from Patty & Bun. Read our preview article Margot, Covent Garden Due: May This new Italian restaurant is being opened by Paulo De Tarso (pictured), the well-known former maitre d at Bar Boulud and Nicolas Jaouen, currently general manager at La Petite Maison in Mayfair. Both food and style will celebrate the glamour and rustic charm of Italy, though details of actual dishes are yet to be announced. Given the credentials, service is expected to be top-notch. Shaun Rankin at Flemings, Mayfair Due: May Well known chef Shaun Rankin. who runs Michelin-starred Ormer on Jersey, is coming to London. He will open in Flemings Mayfair hotel in the spring, serving a modern British menu built around his Jersey heritage. It will also have a large bar area, a chefs table and two private dining rooms. Strut and Cluck, Shoreditch Due: Spring 2016 Turkey isnt just for Christmas, you know. At least the owners of Strut & Cluck will be hoping not its whole menu will be based around the festive birds. It will serve eastern Mediterranean dishes including grilled turkey drumstick with roasted vegetables, tahini, pomegranate molasses and schug (a Middle Eastern hot sauce), and slow-roast turkey thigh with caramelised red onions and sweet potatoes. Magpie, central London Due: First half of 2016 Following in the successful footsteps of Pidgin in Hackney, owners James Ramsden and Sam Herlihy (pictured) and chef Elizabeth Allen are gearing up to launch this second restaurant. Somewhat brilliantly, everything will be served from trolleys, with diners able to pick what they want as the small plates and pre-mixed cocktails are wheeled around the room. The location is currently still a secret, but we are told it will becentral. Som Saa Due: 2016 Following an extended stint at Climpsons Arch and a successful crowdfunding campaign, we are finally set to get a permanent Som Saa in 2016. Andy Olivers Thai food is as vibrant and exciting as it comes, so lets hope this transpires sooner rather than later. Viajante Due: Autumn 2016 This is a biggie. Nuno Mendes has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise 1.75 million towards the reopening of his Michelin-starred restaurant Viajante and announced that it will launch in a revitalised Victorian warehouse in Wapping around autumn. Details about what to expect from the new Viajante are scarce at this stage, but Nuno does confirm that it will serve numerous courses bringing wave after wave of breathtaking tastes and textures in a setting of refined beauty and calm. Read our preview article Clare Smyth Due: Autumn 2016 In October 2015 Clare Smyth had led Gordon Ramsays flagship Royal Hospital Road restaurant for eleven years when she left back in October, maintaining its impressive three Michelin stars throughout. She will launch her own restaurant this year, with backing from Gordon, and though little else is known it seems highly likely to become a London hotspot. Ramsay said: "She is undoubtedly one of the greatest chefs to have graced my kitchen and has now become the most prominent female chef of our generation. Its the right time for her to take this next step and I am thrilled to be supporting her new venture." Read our preview article Jason Atherton Italian, Victoria Due: Autumn 2016 Atherton will be busy in 2016 he has another opening on the horizon. He will launch an Italian restaurant in Victoria around autumn, as part of the vast Nova development. In terms of style, it will be a continuation of Social Eating House, and will feature a pasta room where diners can watch their pasta being made. The Stoke House, Victoria Due: Autumn 2016 Another restaurant opening as part of the Nova development in Victoria is The Stoke House, which will be a new barbecue spot focused on meat cooked over wood. It comes from Will Ricker, whose other restaurants include La Bodega Negra and XO. When trains whoosh past on the adjacent line, flutters of red and blue light drift through the stained-glass windows. Most absorbing is the cabinet lined with various normal tinctures taken by the artist during his lifetime, including Bonjela, Diazepam, mouthwash and oh, the irony gastro-resistant tablets that wont break down in the stomach. It seems fitting that Hix, known for his simple approach to British cooking, should be the chef chosen to temper all this visual stimulation. I am struck by the delicious straightforwardness of the dishes I try calming and comforting against the wild decor. Theres a Hix Soho staple dish of crushed potato and black pudding, a pot of polenta with a cracked egg and shaved truffle and, for brunch, an inspired Moroccan-like thing called Brik a lOeuf like a soft, light, crispy pancake with an oozing egg inside and a blob of rose harissa. Its not going to be completely British. The ingredients obviously will be. Well do some classics and itll be a weekly-changing menu, says Hix, emphasising that the food will vary depending on his mood. I operate a bit like that. I work a bit like an artist in that sense whats a good idea one minute is not necessarily a good idea the following day. Hix wont be cooking here, though, because if youre stuck in the kitchen you dont see whats on the customers table. Instead he is CEO and creative director, designating day-to-day cooking decisions to group head chef Kevin Gratton. But what of the challenge of setting up a new restaurant in Vauxhall, where the only considerable foodie draw is Jackson Boxers Brunswick House Cafe the other side of Vauxhall Cross gyratory? Its sort of good and bad Theres not a lot eating-wise, which is good, because it means that the locals who live here and also the businesses will have somewhere to eat, as its very accessible price-wise. Thats the idea. You can come to the bar for a quick drink or, if youve been to the gallery, for a snack or more. According to general manager Davina Sasha there are currently more than 1000 people passing through the gallery weekly, and Hix also reminds me that Hirst has a long history in south London: he studied at Goldsmiths in New Cross, had a studio in Peckham and originally used this building as a studio. Hix mentions the areas thriving artistic community with nearby galleries and Tate Britain, and says his friends hope is that people will visit an area of London they may not otherwise have experienced. Lets see if this collaboration can jolt this part of SE11 into action. Pharmacy 2 launches on February 23, booking lines open Feb 10, www.pharmacyrestaurant.com @vicstewart Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout A ctor Martin Clunes has urged police to catch a serial cat killer feared to be on the loose in south London after some 35 moggies were allegedly "massacred". The so-called Cat Ripper of Croydon has been linked to the deaths of dozens of cats which were reportedly mutilated and decapitated in the area. The Doc Martin star, who went to school in Croydon, has written to Scotland Yard on behalf of animal rights group Peta, urging police to make the search for the culprit a priority. In his email to Met commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, he wrote: "I read with horror that some of the cats had been decapitated and dismembered - this is the stuff of nightmares. "The local community is understandably distraught and frightened. No-one feels safe while this sick individual is on the loose." He goes on to note that mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider animal abuse to be a red flag indicating a deep mental disturbance. "Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals don't stop there - many of them move on to their fellow humans. That is a scary thought indeed," Clunes wrote. He concludes the letter by saying: "Because repeat crimes are the rule rather than the exception among animal abusers and given the malicious nature of these crimes, I implore you to take every measure necessary, including re-examining all available CCTV footage, to apprehend this dangerous criminal. "The safety of the entire community depends on it." Peta has offered a 5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. Additional reporting by the Press Association. A former London taxi operator who was part of a terror network that helped a teenager travel to Syria to join ISIS is facing jail today. Forhad Rahman, 21, was instrumental in helping 17-year-old Aseel Muthana join up with the barbaric terrorist group by buying him a plane ticket, arranging his transport to the airport, and helping him obtain a passport. They discussed Muthanas plan to join his older brother Nasser in Syria, calling each other cutie, honey and babe in affectionate messages prior to his departure. Rahman, who worked in an Addison Lee call centre, met Muthana at a Muslim youth event close to his home in Fulham, and they also met up in London as the plan gathered pace. He was convicted of preparing for acts of terrorism today alongside Kristen Brekke, 20, and Adeel Ulhaq, 21, who also helped Muthana to become a jihadi by offering tips on Syrian travel and buying him outdoor clothing. All three men are due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey this afternoon. Muthana, a former ice cream salesman, left his family home in Cardiff on February 21 2014 to join the ranks of ISIS. Prosecutor Annabel Darlow QC said all the members of the terror network shared the same "highly-radical ideology" and believed in waging war in Syria. The terror network also included two brothers from Portsmouth, Tuhin Shahensha and Mustaqim Jaman, who were jailed for six years for also helping jihadis travel to Syria. A third brother, Ifthekar Jaman, was killed while fighting in Syria for ISIS, in December 2013. During the trial, a home-made video of Muthana and Brekke posing with an imitation gun on Asda Hill above Cardiff was played to the jury. Muthana shared the clip online with Rahman, telling him: "If you are watching this, I'm probably dead or I'm probably a legend or something." Rahman, who now lives in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, claimed in defence he thought Muthana was going to Syria to "help people" by joining a local militia, denying he knew ISIS was involved. The sentencing hearing will start at 2pm. A man who was stabbed four times after asking gatecrashers to leave his nieces 14th birthday party today said that his leather jacket saved his life. Duwayne Holness, 24, was knifed as he tried to eject dozens of teenagers from the house party in Croydon. He was stabbed in the back, side and arm in a frenzied attack, but two blows he believes would have hit his heart were deflected by his jacket. Recovering at home after being discharged from hospital, he said he felt lucky to be alive because of the number of wounds he received. He said: There were four that needed treatment, but there were two others on my chest where the knife didnt get through my leather jacket. I feel terrible, but I know it could have been a lot worse. His sister Shurleene Fraser had organised the party for her daughter Tailers 14th birthday last month. The celebration, which was meant for 60 friends and family, quickly turned into a 200-strong riot, described as a bloodbath. Mr Holness had been supervising the music when he was asked to act as a makeshift doorman. He got rid of one group of strangers, but they returned. Mr Holness said: Three of them definitely had knives and the other one was hiding his hands. It felt like punches, but I realised Id been stabbed when they backed away and I could see blood on my chest and trousers. One of the blades had broken off and had fallen on the floor. He called the police and ambulance himself and said: Im not the sort of person to cause a scene, so when people were asking who got stabbed I didnt say straight away. I thought it was pretty bad because I saw there was a lot of blood. When one of my sisters saw so much of it on the floor she was in total shock. When the paramedics cut my clothes off, they were drenched in blood. Its difficult to believe people could do something like this simply because they got told to leave a house they werent supposed be in. Ms Fraser, 35, who works in a primary school, said she had told her daughter to invite only people she knew were good. When it started, the guests were mostly girls. Then all these hoodlum boys came. Some were from gangs, aged 17 or 18. There were boys who had drugs outside, boys in hoodies and scarves across their faces smoking weed. I thought, This has gone crazy this is not supposed to be some crazy rave. After the attack on Mr Holness, Ms Fraser and a group of friends one of whom had been comforting the mother of David Darko, 21, who died after being stabbed last month heard that some gatecrashers had gone to a KFC in Croydon, so they followed them. Ms Fraser said: When we saw them in KFC, its like they had hatred in their eyes. They were high on drugs. Its getting closer and closer to home, whether youre black, white, Chinese, Asian it can happen to anybody. This is madness, it needs to stop. Scotland Yard said no arrests had been made. it is a blog of a retired diplomat who would tend to write, personal views, on contemporary social, cultural and other matters of interest and concern. A Royal Navy officer has appeared in court charged with the rape of a woman at the Britannia Royal Naval College. Sub Lieutenant Samuel Mitchell appeared at Portsmouth Naval Base court martial centre to face two counts of rape. The offences are alleged to have taken place at the main training base for officer cadets in Dartmouth, Devon. The case against the 26-year-old was adjourned for a further pre-trial hearing on a date to be set with a trial expected to take place in June. The BRNC is the sole centre for Royal Navy officer training which has been run at the site since 1863. A womans iPhone was stolen from her pocket after a man allegedly repeatedly bumped into her at a north London station. British Transport Police (BTP) are appealing for information after the theft at Dalston Kingsland station at about 4.50pm on Monday, January 18. The female victim was using a ticket machine when a man allegedly bumped into her several times. Detective Constable Paul Cudby said the woman confronted the man about his behaviour and he then put his hand into her coat pocket and took her iPhone before leaving the station. BTP have today released an image of a man they want to speak to about the theft. Anyone with information should call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, or text 61016, quoting reference 323 of 10/02/16. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. H ospital bosses today called for the Government to end the bitter dispute with junior doctors, saying: We cant carry on like this. They said it would be legitimate and sensible for Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to impose contracts with fair and reasonable terms as a 24-hour walkout saw almost 3,000 operations postponed or cancelled. But a move to redesignate Saturdays and weekday evening shifts as normal hours would risk intensifying the four-year dispute with the British Medical Association and could lead to more protests, doctors warned. Junior doctors strike Picket lines were in place outside hospitals from 8am across the capital today as junior doctors went on strike for the second time this year. More than 600 planned operations were cancelled in London, and thousands of outpatients were unable to attend clinics. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, told the BBC: The ideal conclusion would be for employers to make a final fair and reasonable offer. "If the BMA doesnt accept it, I think our members are saying to us that the Secretary of State has to find a way to bring this to a conclusion. What we are saying is four years later, with almost 3,000 operations cancelled today, we cant carry on like this. If the BMA wont accept a fair and reasonable offer then, yes, it is legitimate and sensible for the Secretary of State to consider imposition. Beth Goulden, a junior doctor protesting outside St Bartholomews Hospital, said imposition would damage morale, recruitment and retention. She said: Jeremy Hunt talks time and time again about the importance of front-line staff being able to speak out. Ninety-eight per cent of us voted to take industrial action. He is ignoring us if he is thinking of imposing the new contracts. Hunt on junior doctors' strike Labour mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan posted a picture of himself holding an I support #juniordoctors poster, and tweeted: The Governments approach is bad for the NHS, bad for patients & bad for London. Mark Gregory, a junior doctor on a picket line outside Queens Hospital in Romford, said: We already work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "The Governments plans for a seven-day NHS will stretch a five-day NHS that already has holes in its rota and make the rota unsafe for patients. Junior doctors training as GPs said they were prepared to back action opposing what they believed were detrimental changes to the NHS. Dr Bea Bakshi, a GP registrar in north-west London, told GP Online: If that means GPs have to be put into a position where they have to stand up for themselves, I would support that. The Department of Health said: We have agreed the vast majority of the contract detail with the BMA but its a great shame they have broken the agreement we made at Acas to discuss the outstanding issue of Saturday work and pay for unsocial hours. T he police watchdog has appealed for witnesses as it probes the death of a teenage scooter rider who was being chased by police. Lewis Johnson, 18, from Islington, was riding a white Vespa when he collided with a van in Clapton, east London, while being pursued by officers just before midday on Tuesday. He died at the scene, while his pillion passenger, a man aged 19, was seriously injured. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the police watchdog, has launched an investigation into the death. There is no footage from police officers' body-worn cameras, the IPCC said, but investigators have trawled recordings from CCTV cameras and visited the area, going door-to-door in the hope of finding witnesses. The IPCC said the Met has confirmed officers were pursuing the scooter after it failed to stop for police. Police logs showed that officers had received a number of calls about reported thefts involving suspects on a scooter, it said. IPCC commissioner Jennifer Izekor, who is overseeing the investigation, said: This was a serious incident which has resulted in the tragic loss of a young life and our thoughts are with Lewiss family and friends. We will carry out a thorough, robust investigation which will examine what happened in the moments leading up to this collision and the actions of the police." Anyone with information relating to the circumstances of the collision should contact the IPCC on 0800 096 9073 or email castlerti@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk. A north London health club has been hit with a 13,000 bill after mouse droppings were discovered in the centres kitchen. David Lloyd Leisure in Carterhatch Lane, Enfield, pleaded guilty at Enfield Magistrates' Court to serious food safety failings. Enfield Councils food safety team immediately closed the kitchen in December 2014 after a number of serious hygiene breaches were found by inspectors on a routine visit. The court heard mouse droppings were found in food storage and preparation areas, behind fridges and freezers, under shelves and in the staff office. Temporarily closed: The filthy conditions were uncovered in a routine inspection and led to a temporary closure of the kitchen / Enfield Council Inspectors also noted a build up of dirt in the kitchen caused by poor cleaning and damaged equipment, which could have led to food contamination. The kitchen has since been allowed to reopen by the council after a thorough clean of the premises while the mouse infestation was eradicated. On Thursday, February 4, the owners of David Lloyd Leisure were fined 11,652.40 and ordered to pay 1,652.40 in costs. Enfield Council's cabinet member for environment, Cllr Daniel Anderson, said: "It is completely unacceptable for places which sell food to endanger the health of customers by failing to take proper precautions against pests and operating unhygienic premises. I am pleased that swift action was taken and the business has now cleaned up its act. Enfield Council does not tolerate businesses that cannot or will not comply with the law. We also take a dim view of those which fail to deal with pest problems or who do not keep their kitchens clean and we will continue to close down dirty or unhygienic food premises that endanger the health of our residents. A David Lloyd spokeswoman said: "We take health and hygiene standards at our clubs very seriously and were very concerned to hear about the findings when the inspection took place in 2014. As a result we immediately and voluntarily closed the kitchen and overnight took measures to fully rectify the situation. "Following a re-inspection by the council the kitchen reopened the next day. The individuals concerned are no longer with the business, at no point have we challenged the councils findings and have worked closely with them throughout. "We continue to closely monitor standards at the premises, including regular inspections by our independent health and hygiene consultants NSF and continue to take stringent measures to ensure that the situation does not happen again." T he family of an elderly couple knocked down and killed by a lorry driver who is blind in one eye today told of their complete shock after he walked free from court. Darren Sanders, 44, was not concentrating when he hit Vera, 80, and George Maskell, 81, as they walked home from a shopping trip in Sunbury Cross, the Old Bailey heard. The lorry driver, who is losing his eyesight in his other eye, failed to notice the pensioners, who froze in the road as his truck approached. Mr Maskell, a retired BT engineer, was pushing a shopping trolley and grabbed his wife of 57 years hand in a last-second bid to save her. He was knocked to the ground while his wife was trapped beneath the wheels. They suffered skull fractures and died from their injuries. Sanders was acquitted of causing death by dangerous driving yesterday, having admitted two counts of causing death by careless driving. Lorry driver Darren Sanders / Central News The judge handed him a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after hearing he would not be able to complete community service because of his bad eyesight. He was banned from driving for 18 months. Today, Mr and Mrs Maskells granddaughters Megan, 22, and Gemma Kyrionymou, 19, said Sanders had basically got away with it. They told the Standard: We didnt get the justice for them they deserved. For us this is a life sentence and for him he is just out and walking around. We were shocked to learn that he had problems with his eyesight and was still able to drive a lorry. Its wrong that his eyesight is so bad he cant do community service and yet he was able to drive. It just doesnt make sense. Our grandparents were like second parents to us. Their house backed on to ours, and theyd come and see us every day. It has destroyed us as a family. Sanders knocked down the couple on July 16, 2014 as he approached the end of his waste collection round, turning from a service road into a cul-de-sac. The trial heard Sanders he was driving 7mph over the 5mph speed limit on the service road and had the couple in view for almost three seconds but failed to slow down. The couples fathers were good friends who served in the same regiment during the First World War. The met as babies, later becoming penfriends and at 15 started dating before they married in 1957. Mrs Maskell had worked in the radiology department at St Peters Hospital in Chertsey, Surrey. while her husband was a telecoms engineer for BT. Judge Richard Marks QC, the Common Serjeant of London, told the court: It was a tragic accident, and no sentence I pass can bring either of them back. For very understandable reasons any sentence I pass is bound to be regarded by them as being wholly inadequate for the loss they have suffered. Sentencing Sanders he said: This was classically a case where you were not paying proper attention and you should have been. Its hard to understand why this should have occurred, you are an experienced driver, driving for many years as a living, and having a licence for over 20 years with a completely unblemished record. This incident was completely out of character. He added: Its very evident to me that you are deeply remorseful for what happened. Im satisfied you are absolutely devastated by what you did, you referred in evidence in a very heartfelt way to the way this has affected you and continues to do so. A London hospital ward has reopened after closing for almost a week following an outbreak of norovirus. Kingston Hospital bosses shut the Hamble ward on Thursday after some patients were struck down by the winter vomiting bug. A spokeswoman confirmed the unit had reopened today following eight confirmed cases of the virus. She said: The ward has now reopened. Stricter infection control measures remain in place e.g. enhanced hand hygiene procedures, wearing gloves and aprons as well as additional cleaning. The ward is open to visitors. Anyone who has had diarrhoea or vomiting should not visit the hospital until they have not had any symptoms for 48 hours. Norovirus is one of Britains most common bugs and is known as the winter vomiting bug because of its prevalence in the colder months. The virus can cause sickness, headaches, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting and typically lasts for a few days before it clears up. Patients are advised to stay off school or work for 48 hours following a bout of norovirus because of its ability to spread easily. Hamble ward, in the hospitals Esher wing, has 24 beds and cares for people with respiratory illnesses. A psychologist at Kids Company has been banned from working for a year after giving ecstasy to a vulnerable young woman she met through the troubled charity. Dr Helen Winter admitted taking MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, and being under its influence with two clients of the charity at a nightclub in south London in January 2014. She was suspended from practising for 12 months at a professional hearing on Wednesday. The psychologist said she took drugs "on several occasions" during her leisure time, tested positive for cocaine, and let two vulnerable young people, known only as clients C and D, stay at her flat. Dr Winter had denied offering the drug to the client or taking it in front of her in the nightclub toilet, but a Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) panel ruled that Dr Winter's fitness to practise was impaired after finding "all the charges proven". Panel chairwoman Penny Griffith said Dr Winter - who did not attend Wednesday's hearing - had breached professional boundaries on more than one occasion. She said: "The conduct was extremely serious, demonstrated a failure to maintain appropriate therapeutic boundaries, and was a significant breach of trust, particularly given the vulnerability of the young people concerned." But she said the panel also recognised that Dr Winter had made partial admissions about her behaviour and the incidents had taken place at a "difficult period in her life". She said: "The panel concluded that the risk of repetition was very low and that the registrant had demonstrated heartfelt remorse and a level of insight into her own failings." Ms Griffith added: "To impose the more restrictive sanction of striking off the register would be punitive and disproportionate at this stage." She said that the year would allow Dr Winter "significant time to remedy her shortcomings" and suggested that a review panel at the end of the order should ensure that she had undergone "continued and up-to-date training". The chairwoman had previously said that Dr Winter's behaviour had been "deplorable" and "brought the profession into disrepute". While she was relatively inexperienced, she should have been "well aware of the appropriate professional boundaries". Dr Winter took MDMA with a colleague, teacher Nicci Shall, from the Urban Academy, a pupil referral unit run by Kids Company in Southwark, south London. Ms Shall said they had been drinking since 4pm and later bought MDMA which they took in the Hidden club where they saw clients C and D, who were in their early 20s. Later, Ms Shall went to a toilet cubicle with Dr Winter and client C, a woman who she taught at the academy. Ms Shall said she watched the pair take drugs. During the four-day hearing, Dr Winter wept as she pleaded with the panel to allow her to maintain her "commitment to helping others in the role of clinical psychologist". She said she was now drug-free and would not "blur" professional boundaries as she had done at Kids Company. She admitted she was guilty of misconduct and that her fitness to practise was impaired. At the final hearing on Wednesday, her representative Samantha Jones argued that the lack of risk of the psychologist repeating her actions meant a permanent ban was "not necessary". The suspension order takes effect in 28 days time but she cannot practise in the meantime because an interim suspension order has been put in place. The case is the latest in a series of damaging allegations against London-based Kids Company - founded by Camila Batmanghelidjh - which closed last year following claims it misspent public money. Additional reporting by the Press Association. A pensioner has been arrested after allegedly brandishing a sword at police when they entered his home in south-east London. The man, aged in his 70s, threatened officers after they were called to help a gas supply company to get into his house in Holly Crescent, Beckenham yesterday afternoon, police say. Bromley police tweeted a photo of the sword, which was seized when the man was arrested at around 4.30pm. A Met Police spokesman said: He was arrested on suspicion of affray and assault on police after waving the sword around and threatening officers. The utility company had a warrant to enter the address to carry out some work inside the property. He was refusing them entry and causing a disturbance, hence the call to the police. The man was taken to a south London police station and bailed until the end of the month. No-one was injured during the incident. A pensioner lost control of his car before ploughing through the window of a busy supermarket. Witnesses said the gold Jaguar hit two parked vehicles before careering into the front of a Tesco branch in Sidcup. The man, aged in his 80s, was helped from the car by shop staff before being taken away. Police said he suffered a leg injury and walked with the aid of a stick. His injuries are not thought to have been serious. Firefighters were called to scene in Edgington Way, but a spokesman for the Brigade said the man had already been helped from the car before they arrived. A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: "Police were called at 11.16am on Wednesday to reports of a car in collision with a shop in Edgington Way. "Officers, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and the London Fire Brigade (LFB) are all on scene and dealing. "The male driver - aged in his 80s - is believed to have a leg injury. We currently await an update as to his condition." An LAS spokesman said: "We were called at 11.16am to reports of a road traffic collision involving a car at Edgington Way in Sidcup. "We sent an ambulance crew and an incident officer to the scene. "We treated a man reported to be in his eighties for a leg injury. "He was taken to Darent Valley hospital." Satellite images show that Iran has continued construction on a possible underground military complex and has tried to hide evidence that it tested explosives that could be used in the detonation of a nuclear weapon, The Daily Beast reported on Monday. The satellite images of the Parchin military base, which were taken on January 19 and analyzed by the private intelligence firm Stratfor, showed that Iran had built a tunnel into an underground complex and had paved over the site of previous explosive testing. Both activities suggest that Iran might be trying to hide certain activities from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Sim Tack, an analyst for Stratfor, told The Daily Beast that the images didnt necessarily show that Iran is cheating on the nuclear deal. However, he added,The images show Iran was going through the motions to hide what its done before, and it is stilldeveloping facilities that the IAEA may or may not have access to. While the sanitizing of the area near where the high-explosive experiments occurred has been reported before, the completion of the nearby tunnel is new. Stratfor said that they have images from 2014 showing construction equipment near the tunnel, and it appears that the tunnel is now completed. They were still going forward with that construction during the [nuclear] talks, Tack observed. It isnt clear what the tunnel leads to, but it was speculated that it could house part of Irans ballistic missile program. The United States first discovered that Iran was testing ballistic missile engines at Parchin in 1997. The United States imposed sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile program in January after announcing the end of nuclear-related sanctions. The U.S. had originally planned to impose the sanctions, described by an expert as the bare minimum, at the end of December, but delayed imposing them due to pressure from Iran. An official from the Obama administration did not comment on the images, but told The Daily Beast that IAEA inspectors could go to the site if the area was deemed suspicious. The official said that the nuclear deal means the IAEA will have the access it needs to any suspicious location going forward. Such transparency will ensure that these past activities will not occur again, and if they do, that they will be quickly detected. However, IAEA inspectors who arrived at Parchin in September were not allowed inside a key site. The process was described by Emily Landau, in The Looming Global Nuclear Weapons Crisis, which was published in the January 2016 issue of The Tower Magazine. The first event that tested Irans interpretation of managed access was the inspection of the military facility at Parchin over this past summer, in the context of the IAEAs investigation of Irans past weaponization work. Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had already made it quite clear over the months of negotiations with the P5+1 that Iran would never allow inspectors entry into its military facilities, and he and various military leaders reiterated this message when the JCPOA was announced, and in the aftermath of the deal. What happened in the Parchin inspection, it emerged, was that Iran collected soil samples from within the facility, while IAEA cameras monitored the process from outside. The implication for future inspections, Landau wrote, is that this was the closest that Iran would allow the IAEA to get to inspecting suspicious military facilities. Shortly after that incident, Olli Heinonen, a former deputy director-general of the IAEA, and David Albright, the head of the Institute for Science and International Security, a non-proliferation think-tank, wrote that the physical presence of trained, experienced inspectors, with the ability to investigate the building or site up close, is critical to detecting the best places to sample, particularly in the case of a country that has a history of violating its safeguards obligations. T he Prince of Wales held discussions with faith leaders from different religions as he celebrated a suburban west London church for promoting community unity. Charles joined a group of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians for talks at St John's Church in Southall before meeting some of the congregation. The Reverend Mark Poulson, who was the vicar at St John's for 12 years until his wife the Rev Anna Poulson took over the parish, chaired the private meeting. Mr Poulson, who is now the Archbishop of Canterbury's adviser for inter-religious affairs, said afterwards: "They talked about their own experiences, their own backgrounds and encouraged him (Charles) and thanked him for contributing to the debate." He said the faith leaders, who meet regularly as the Southall Faiths Forum, had their differences which they discussed but worked for the "common good". And he went on to describe how during the 2011 riots the community stood "arm in arm" in front of religious buildings to deter rioters. During the visit, Charles chatted to residents involved in community projects supported or run by St John's including a group of women from countries as diverse as Poland and Afghanistan, learning English through a "craft and conversation" project. The women were making cloth shopping bags and Charles patted one and said "much better than plastic". Additional reporting by the Press Association. A teenager in a wheelchair captured on camera the moment a bus driver refused to let her on board and pulled off without her. Melody Powell, 17, was left stranded at the side of the road after the driver of a 71 service at first lowered the disabled access ramp in front of part of the bus stop - meaning the muscular dystrophy sufferer was blocked from getting on - and then drove off. Melody's friend Isabelle Miller had asked the driver to let her friend board by lowering the ramp for her wheelchair. She was on the bus waiting for her friend to be able to get on when it pulled away - leaving a stunned Melody stranded at the kerb. Writing on Facebook, Melody explained: After my friend boarded the bus and asked the driver to pull forward as the ramp wouldn't reach the kerb, he drove too far forward and the ramp was blocked by the bus stop itself. After this a kind lady tried to explain this to the driver but he simply shut the doors and drove off with my friend on the bus leaving me alone and in the cold. Isabelle asked the driver to wait for her friend at the next stop but claims he refused, eventually dropping her off half a mile away, from where she ran back to meet her friend. Melodys mother Anita told the Standard her daughter, who has a form of muscular dystrophy, was shaken by the experience, which happened in Eden Street, Kingston, on Friday. She said: She was really shocked and upset really to have just been left like that. By the time she got home she was really, really angry that he could do that. She doesnt often go on London transport on her own but that would certainly stop her doing it. Shes capable of doing it but I dont think shed feel 100% safe and secure really. Melody Powell Transport for London (TfL) is now investigating the incident, which it said did not meet the standards expected. Mrs Powell said: We wouldnt want anything bad to happen to the driver. I just think there needs to be some fresh training. I think they need to be reminded about the needs of disabled people. Tony Akers, TfLs head of bus operations, said: I am very sorry to learn of this passengers experience. We expect the highest of standards from bus drivers and in this case they were clearly not met. We have spoken to the bus operator, London United, and they are investigating. We take accessibility extremely seriously. London has the largest fully accessible bus network in the world, serving the entire Greater London area and running to key towns over the boundary into neighbouring counties. The entire fleet of 8,900 buses are low floor, wheelchair accessible and are fitted with ramps for ease of boarding. I s it the end for English theatre? So says playwright Edward Bond, author of more than 50 plays, who has proclaimed that English theatre is dead and serves no useful social, creative function. In an interview with the Sutton Guardian, Bond rails: What has happened to English theatre, English society, is that it has become infantile. It is not dumbing down, it is actually becoming infantile... You are patronised as if you are a little child. Sir Tom Stoppard set the stage for theatrical criticism last February, when he was forced to cut abstruse jokes in The Hard Problem due to a lack of audience understanding: Its very rare to connect with an audience except on a level which is lower than you would want to connect them on. You could raise it a notch and you might lose an eighth of them, he said. Such have been the accusations levelled at new Shakespeares Globe artistic director Emma Rice, who is simplifying the Bards plays in her first season. Radio 4s John Humphrys is among those whove claimed this constitutes dumbing down Shakespeare. Theatres that Bond particularly derides in the interview include the Haymarket and the National Theatre he is angry that both productions of his play The Sea, in 2008 and 1991 respectively, were rubbish. Funnily enough, 1991 was about the time Sir Jonathan Miller last bothered going to the theatre. At Joan Bakewells book launch at Daunts last night, the acclaimed director of everything from Shakespeare to Chekhov via more than 50 operas told us: I dont go to the theatre, I dont go out. I havent been to the theatre for 25 years. Thats a long winter of discontent. ----- Also at Bakewells party for Stop the Clocks last night was, funnily enough, Joan Bakewell, who was mostly concerned that no one left sober. Her speech was an ode to the pleasures of the bottle. Asked by Panorama to present a programme on why the old are drinking so much and how disastrous it is, Joan replied: Im not going to condemn old people drinking. Theres a very good reason why theyre drinking: they enjoy drinking. Cheers to that, Joanie. Candid reflection on the general election To the launch of the British General Election, Philip Cowley and Dennis Kavanaghs new book, at Queen Mary, University of London, last night. While researching, Cowley was surprised by the candour of some MPs one shadow minister said, post-election, that Scotland had an upside. It got rid of 40 f***ing useless MPs. Labour campaign chief Lord Livermore, meanwhile, showered George Osborne with praise. He was, Livermore said, the real architect of the 2015 victory. Does that mean Osborne should give the Tory leadership a go, The Londoner asked? Livermore wouldnt rule it out. Then again, he used to work for Gordon Brown, so witnessed his transformation from Chancellor to Prime Minister. Not that Brown is the best role model... Spending a night in Judes shoes The Londoner is so used to documenting the lives of the citys great and good that we had never truly considered what it would be like to be one of them. But last night we got a glimpse of the high life with a little help from the ever-charming Jude Law, pictured. A mysterious invitation called us to Sampson House in Southwark last night to see The Life RX, an immersive theatre experience arranged by luxury car firm Lexus to mark the launch of its RX. Guests arrived in pairs and were given a tour of the buildings vaults, before being bundled into the new model and given a virtual-reality headset. So far, so corporate but when the headset was removed The Londoner was suddenly surrounded by a film crew congratulating us on our performance. An assistant led us from the building, where actors posing as paparazzi pursued us to the Mondrian Hotel, where we were snuck in via the back entrance before a meeting with designer Joshua Kane, and then had hair and make-up. Autograph hunters screamed on the red carpet, and as we waved to our fans Law himself arrived, congratulated us on our Oscar-worthy performance, shook our hand and asked for a photo. All in all an exciting experience but The Londoner prefers a life of anonymity. Sorry, Jude. ---- Down to Brook Street in Mayfair last night for the launch of Hendrix at Home, a permanent exhibition at the former address of both Jimi Hendrix and Handel. Jo Wood and Bobby Gillespie were among the guests, and we asked former model Jackie St Clair if her ex-partner Simon Cowell would be popping in. He wouldnt be interested, she joked, because theyre both real musicians. Dambisas in the running Among the stranger sights yesterday was an impeccably presented woman running down the Strand in six-inch heels, a group of heavies in tow. It was, to those that know their global economists, Dambisa Moyo, pictured, author of Dead Aid and How the West Was Lost. Shed been in Arkansas advising Bill Clinton but a delayed flight had made her late for the Names Not Numbers conference at Kings College. A quick sprint solved that and she joined an impressive roster including Dominic Lawson and A A Gill, who spoke on food and faith at St Jamess Church in Piccadilly. Do you know the difference between manners and etiquette? Gill asked. Manners are English, etiquette is French. Manners are there to put you at your ease, etiquette is all about putting you down. ----- Brutal honesty of the day: Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that he wouldnt rule himself out of the Tory leadership as no one is going to rule me in. A Conservative MP has admitted that he has had to move back in with his mother and father because he cannot afford the deposit to buy a house. William Wragg, aged 28, is among tens of thousands of Britons who have joined the clipped wing generation of graduates, despite earning 74,000 plus expenses as a Member of Parliament. The former primary school teacher, who was elected to the Commons last May, conceded he was paid extremely well but had to move home with his parents in the North West or face being trapped in a rented flat. I am part of that boomerang generation myself, he revealed. In a few years hopefully I will have saved up enough for a deposit. I know exactly what it is like. I have complete empathy with people in that position. As an MP, Mr Wragg is paid almost three times the average salary of around 26,000 a year. He is also entitled to House of Commons expenses to cover the cost of renting a second home in London and renting office space. MPs are only expected to cover the cost of their main home themselves. Mr Wragg, who obtained a First in History at the University of Manchester, qualified as a primary school teacher in 2014 under the Teach First scheme to attract top graduates into teaching but could only afford a rented flat. When I think how much I spent on rent in a flat instead of a mortgage, I think maybe I made the wrong choice, he said on The Granada Debate. He left teaching after a year to go into politics and was elected MP for Hazel Grove, a prosperous part of Greater Manchester, in the Conservative victory last year. He added: Im extremely well paid, dont get me wrong. Labour housing spokesman John Healey said the financial pressure on young Londoners who wanted to buy were even greater. He is part of a generation for whom home ownership is in freefall, said Mr Healey. This is a generation of people who are often on good middle incomes but who still find the dream of home ownership is out of reach. He said the Conservatives claimed to champion home ownership but the figures showed fewer people were achieving the dream. A million more people became home owners under Labour, but since 2010 the numbers have fallen by 200,000, he said. Campbell Robb, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, said young Londoners faced the hardest struggle to climb the housing ladder. Our drastic shortage of affordable homes is leaving Londoners languishing in expensive and unstable renting, or living with their parents well into their thirties, he said. Research for Shelter says that Young London couples with a child need to save for 25 years before they can afford to buy a home, compared with 12 years nationally. Even couples without children need to save for 13 years in London, compared with seven years elsewhere. D avid Camerons claim to have secured an emergency brake to slow down mass migration from the European Union was dismissed today by a former president of the European Commission. Jose Manuel Barroso said restricting benefits such as tax credits would make little difference to EU workers who want to move to the UK. Asked whether the proposed measure, which is the centrepiece of the draft deal which Mr Cameron intends to trumpet in a June 23 in-out referendum, would deter anybody from coming to work in the UK, he replied: No, frankly not. His verdict is the latest in a series of blows to the draft deal on migration negotiated by Mr Cameron the final details of which will be hammered out at a summit in Brussels next week. Although the Prime Minister hailed it as substantial change, it turned out that only 10 per cent of EU workers would be affected significantly. Official figures obtained under a freedom of information request suggested just 84,000 EU migrants would have been affected if the measure had been introduced four years ago. Moreover, former Europe minister David Davis, an out campaigner, claims there could be a surge in migrants because Mr Cameron unwittingly publicised the generous levels of UK benefits such as tax credits and child benefit to people in poorer EU states. Mr Barroso, the former Portuguese prime minister, is an ally of Mr Cameron on Europes centre-Right and he said the bloc would be weaker if the UK voted to leave. But he said levels of future migration would be determined more by labour market conditions than benefit levels. People who want to go to Britain, if the basic rights of the people are ensured, they will be willing to go but of course with slightly different conditions, he told BBC Newsnight. Under Mr Camerons plans, migrants will initially be barred from claiming in-work benefits when they first come to the UK. However, they will subsequently enjoy gradually increasing access to benefits. No 10 said four in 10 EU workers receive some degree of in-work benefits. A spokesman for the PM said: We believe our benefits are a pull factor and that is why we are seeking to address that. Campaigners on both sides stepped up their operations today, with senior Tory figures Liam Fox and David Davis joining Ukips Nigel Farage and the DUPs Ian Paisley Jr to set out the good life after Brexit. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron is launching his partys campaign for Britain to remain in the EU and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas will join the another Europe is possible Left-wing group pressing the case for in. Mayor Boris Johnson was yesterday warned he will never become prime minister if he fails to support the Brexit bandwagon. Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said: The great Mayor of London is still making up his mind ... But if he jumps to stay in his chances of getting the leadership vanish, because then he offers nothing against George Osborne and all the others who stay in. A Vietnamese noodle restaurant has been cleared by the advertising watchdog after complaints over a slogan that included the words Phat Phuc. Hanoi Bike Shop in Glasgow was investigated after two people objected to the restaurant's posters that were seen on trains in October and November. One of the complaints examined by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) was that when spoken, the slogan sounded like a swear word and that it was also inappropriate to be on public display around children. However, the company said Phat Phuc in Vietnamese was pronounced Fet Fook and meant Happy Buddha. Advertising firm Primesight also added the promotional material was suitable for outdoor display as Phuc did not sound like a swear word when pronounced correctly. Investigated: Hanoi Bike Shop received complaints after "Phat Phuc" was used in an advertising slogan / Google Maps The ASA decided not to uphold the complaints. The ruling said: The ASA understood that the word happy in Vietnamese was correctly spelt as Phuc and although it was pronounced as Fook, we acknowledged that it sounded similar to the expletive "f***". However, we noted that the Hanoi Bike Shop sold Far Eastern cuisine, which both posters had made sufficiently clear. "In the context of the posters, we considered that viewers who might have been offended by bad language were likely to recognise that Phuc was from a reference to Southeast Asian language, was different from the expletive and would not necessarily be pronounced in the same way. We therefore, concluded that the posters were unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence. A flea-ridden flat in Essex where people were warned to wipe their feet on leaving has sold for 147,500 just three days after it was advertised. Estate agent Rob Kahl, 42, told buyers the two-bedroom home in Westcliff-On-Sea was not for the faint hearted with pictures illustrating mouldy walls and rubbish strewn throughout the flat. His post on Rightmove began with the warning Wipe your feet on the way out. He wrote: I can't flower this one up or use my normal estate agent jargon to make this sound any better. The property is full of rubbish, there is mould on the walls and I think there may even be some fleas there to keep me company when I carry out the viewings." But despite his damning assessment, the property sold for 22,500 above its 125,000 asking price after a surge of interest from buyers. Scott & Stapleton director Simone Giles said 25 viewings had been arranged in the first 24 hours the flat was advertised for sale. She added the company had to convince the property owner to market the flat in its filthy state. She said: We were brutally honest and on this occasion it has paid off. The interest has been off the Richter scale. S cotland Yard chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has ordered an independent review of how police conduct inquiries into historic allegations such as the hugely controversial Operation Midland investigation into alleged VIP child abuse. The embattled Met chief has asked a former High Court judge to examine how police deal with sensitive allegations involving public figures. The review will be led by Sir Richard Henriques who conducted a probe into why Lord Janner escaped being investigated or charged by police and prosecutors despite evidence of child abuse against him. Sir Bernard has come under massive criticism over his handling of the Midland investigation, in particular a 10-month probe into sex abuse allegations made against former armed forces chief Lord Bramall. An inquiry into the 92-year-old D-Day veteran was dropped due to lack of evidence last month and Sir Bernard has faced calls to apologise to the peer. Today, announcing the review, Sir Bernard said: We are not afraid to learn how we can do these things better, and thats why Ive announced todays review in to how we have conducted investigations in to non-recent sexual allegations involving public figures. I am pleased that Sir Richard brings an independent legal mind to advise us whether we can provide a better balance between our duty to investigate and the interests of suspects, complainants and victims. Sir Richard will make recommendations about whether there are ways to improve the process of carrying out inquiries into allegations involving historic allegations. Scotland Yard said key findings of the review and its recommendations would be published later this year, but the full review would be private because it would contain confidential and sensitive information. His review will include Operation Midland but will not judge the outcome of the inquiries. The Met said the Hon. Lowell Goddard, who is chairing the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, has been notified of the review. Sir Bernard said : The review will focus on police procedures and will not reach judgments on the evidence. "That is for the Public Inquiry to do, should they wish to examine any of the investigations covered by Sir Richard. A full copy of the review will be given to the Public Inquiry. The decision by Sir Bernard, who has previously remained silent on the issue, will be seen by critics as an attempt to divert criticism away from the Met. The 2 million Operation Midland was launched in November 2014 following allegations from a man known only as Nick that boys were sexually abused by a paedophile ring centred around Westminster more than 30 years ago. There were claims that sex parties were held at the exclusive Dolphin Square apartment block near the Houses of Parliament. Police also announced they were also looking into claims that politicians were involved in the murder of three young boys. At the time one senior detective described Nicks claims as credible and true a statement which the force has now admitted was a mistake. There have been increasing doubts over the credibility of Nicks claims and criticism of police for taking five months to check basic facts about the claims involving Lord Bramall. Last week, Lord Bramall claimed that officers did not speak to witnesses who cast doubts on the allegations against him until 10 months after he was first spoken to and said he was left to prove the allegations were not true. Scotland Yard declined to comment on Lord Bramalls comments and senior officers say they cannot comment on allegatiions involving an ongoing inquiry. F ashion giant Gap is the latest US household name to face major questions over its use of complex financial engineering that minimises its tax bill in Britain. The multinational retailer, which trades on its wholesome West Coast image, has paid almost no corporation tax once rebates are taken into account since 2011 despite sales of more than 1 billion, according to a new analysis of its opaque accounts. It follows the huge row last month after it emerged that Google has struck a sweetheart deal with British tax authorities to pay 130 million in back taxes covering 10 years. Gap, founded in San Francisco in 1969, is one of the most familiar presences on the high street with 132 stores and turnover of more than 300 million a year. It also owns Banana Republic, which has eight UK outlets. However, accounts reveal the three British-based Gap companies made net losses between 2012 and last year allowing the worlds third biggest fashion retailer to reclaim more than 4.2 million from the taxman and set it against future profits. The accounts suggest Gap has been shuffling profits between the businesses and to the parent company in San Francisco. This strategy, al-though entirely legal, has reduced its potential liability to HM Revenue and Customs. The disclosures will add to pressure on Chancellor George Osborne to close loopholes that allow vast corporations to pay virtually no tax in Britain despite having huge sales. Nick Hood, business risk adviser at Opus Restructuring and founder of consultancy Company Watch, said: Its disappointing to find yet another multinational organising its financial and taxation affairs in such a complex and potentially opaque manner especially when the result is the UK taxpayer will be substantially subsidising any future tax bill Gap might finally end up paying. This is all despite Gaps UK retail sales income of well over 300 million a year. Gaps main British operating business is called GPS (Great Britain) Ltd. It pays an annual multi-million-pound royalty fee to a Dutch company with its statutory seat in Amsterdam but with offices in London called Gap (Netherlands) BV. This has had the effect of wiping out any profits in Britain, so that GPS does not have to pay corporation tax. Last year the Gap brand royalty payment for the British and for smaller French operations totalled 15.1 million. The UK business contributed almost 13 million of this, or four per cent of its sales. The Dutch company is itself liable for tax in Britain. However, profits at this Dutch operation are, in turn, eliminated by 12.55 million of charges for general and administrative purposes and other costs such as interest payments. These expenses include a management fee & marketing allocation from parent company The Gap Inc, and a merchandiser cost charge from a third British company Gap (UK Holdings) Ltd. Starbucks was found to be paying a fee to itself in the Netherlands which avoided making a profit in Britain, while buying coffee beans via a Swiss subsidiary. After a public outcry, it agreed to pay 20 million in tax and has subsequently based its European operations in the UK. The European Commission is still investigating whether Starbucks was given a sweetheart deal with the Dutch taxman. Yesterday it emerged that a single Google boss, chief executive Sundar Pichai, has been awarded a shares-based pay package worth 12 million more than the clawback tax deal struck with HMRC. Gap said: Gap Inc is committed to operating according to and complying with all multinational tax laws. We maintain an open and transparent dialogue with regulators in jurisdictions where we operate. We are a taxpayer in good standing in the UK, and have transfer pricing agreements with tax authorities in the UK and the US covering business activities between our entities. Our global effective tax rate has averaged approximately 39 per cent over the past decade, and we have paid almost $7 billion in taxes during this time. HMRC said: Multinational companies must pay the tax that is due and we do not accept less. HMRC enforces the rules impartially, irrespective of the size or structure of the business. Last year our compliance activities yielded 26 billion in extra tax. Your say: It's up to the government to stop this Joanne Buckley, 31, a project manager for NHS England from Nunhead: Im really disappointed. Its a brand youd like to trust. Ill consider not shopping there now. Gap and other companies paying more tax would mean there was more money to give to organisations like the NHS. Joseph Guy, 24, a filmmaker from Brockley: Its wrong but it doesnt surprise me. If its not illegal, then big businesses are always going to try and save money. Its the Government who need to tighten up the system as its only by forcing businesses to pay more tax that they will. Feruz Tesfay, 20, a history student at Queen Mary University: These companies are all out there to make money, and as long as the opportunity is there to legally do that, they will. Its up to the Government to crack down. I would have hoped a company like Gap would behave more ethically. Antoine Pinel, 25, a chauffeur from Whitechapel: It seems like there are so many companies doing this now. Its important for customers to make companies like Gap know they wont accept this kind of behaviour. If the Government could close the tax loopholes that would help too. A woman has had a lucky escape after plunging over the side of a balcony in a John Lewis store and landing on a display bed. The incident happened at the department store in Cheadle on Monday, with police and ambulances called to the scene at around 4pm. Greater Manchester Police said they responded after receiving reports that a 60-year-old woman had fallen from the upper floor of the shop on Wilmslow Road. The woman suffered hip and spine injuries in the fall, which saw her plummet about 60ft, a spokesman told the Press Association. He added: "Her injuries are not thought to be serious and it appears that she fell on to a bed." The woman was taken to hospital following the incident, which is reported to have happened by the glass balconies of the store's escalators. A John Lewis spokesman confirmed there had been a "serious incident" at its Cheadle branch on Monday. He added: "We closed the shop immediately and are offering partners who witnessed the incident our full support. "We are continuing to work closely with the emergency services and have passed on CCTV footage to the police. "We are glad that the customer's injuries are not thought to be serious, and our thoughts are with the customer and her family." The spokesman added: "Our customers' safety is of the utmost importance to us and all of our shops conform to the highest safety standards." The head of U.S. intelligence has confirmed that North Korea restarted its plutonium nuclear reactor Tuesday, giving the reclusive country the ability to create nuclear stockpiles within weeks. U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper affirmed a claim by North Koreas Atomic Energy Institute that it had restarted a plutonium reactor at a facility in Yongbyon, a city between the Chinese border and the North Korean capital Pyongyang. The Yongbyon facility was shut down in 2007, though there was speculation in April 2015 that the site had begun to resume operations. We assess that North Korea has followed through on its announcement by expanding its Yongbyon enrichment facility and restarting the plutonium production reactor, said Clapper to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Clappers comments follow a September 2015 claim from North Koreas state-run KCNA news agency that the Yongbyon facility was fully operational. As North Koreas primary nuclear facility, the spent fuel from the reactor could allow North Korea to develop one nuclear bomb a year. The announcement follows North Koreas launch of a new rocket over the weekend, which was later condemned by the U.N. and drew the ire of neighboring South Korea. The launch comes after North Koreas fourth nuclear test, conducted in January of this year. There has been speculation that South Korean officials have tried to obtain a nuclear weapon of their own in response to North Koreas provocations, hinting towards a possible arms race in the region. A mericas political elite was humiliated today as outsiders Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders scored thumping victories in the New Hampshire Primary. Billionaire bigmouth Trump cruised to his first Presidential election triumph by racing ahead of his smoother Republican rivals. He looked set to amass twice as many votes as his nearest rival. And Hillary Clintons well-funded campaign for the White House was dealt a humiliating blow as anti-establishment Left winger Mr Sanders stormed ahead in the battleground. The extraordinary result was hailed as an insurgency against the Washington heirarchy by disenchanted voters. It means both Trump and Sanders, who each came second in the recent Iowa primaries, will now attract more publicity - and, critically, more donations to fund their camapign - at the expense of their rivals. A foot-stomping crowd chanted Bernie, Bernie as white-haired Mr Sanders, aged 74, declared that the state had voted for real change. The Vermont senator told a victory rally: Together we have sent a message that will resonate from Wall Street to Washington ... that government belongs to all of the people. Commentary: How Trump and Sanders rocked the American political elite Trumps outspoken, unorthodox campaign is seen to have tapped into a deep-seated frustration among voters who love his outrageous speeches, which included calling for a ban on Muslims entering America. But polls show he is less popualr abroad and in Britain thousands have petitioned for his to be banned from the country under anti-extremism laws. Mr Sanders is widely seen as an Ameriucan equivalent to Britsins Jeremy Corbyn, an ageing left-winger who was for years dmismissed as a fringe figure. In her losing speech Mrs Clinton, the wife of former president Bill, said: Its not whether you get knocked down that matters, its whether you get back up. She vowed to take her campaign to the entire country and fight for every vote in every state. Her next test is the Democratic Primary in Nevada on February 23 where she leads Sanders 50 per cent to 30 per cent in the polls. The biggest surprise of the night was Kasich who had been put in fourth in the polls but came in second. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, seen as the establishment choice, had a poor night and came in fifth following a disastrous performance in the last Republican debate. The next Primary for the Republicans is in South Carolina on February 23 where polls show that Trump has a clear lead with 36 per cent to 19.7 per cent for Ted Cruz. New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who had staked everything on New Hampshire, was considering whether to drop out after coming sixth among Republicans. By Joe Murphy He predicted his opponents supporters would fight dirty to stop him seizing the keys to the White House. They are throwing everything at me except the kitchen sink, and I have a feeling that it is coming soon, he said. In an unusually emotional address, Trump thanked his late parents and boasted that the support he had received across the electorate was the greatest honour of his life. Coming on stage to Revolution by The Beatles, the billionaire real estate mogul started his speech by saying his victory was so beautiful. Ohio Governor John Kasich came second in the Republican vote, with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Florida Senator Marco Rubio all vying for third place. As the news was announced at Trumps campaign headquarters in Manchester his supporters shouted his name and waved foam fingers emblazoned with the phrase: Youre Hired. Congratulations to Bernie, Trump said of his fellow insurgent. We have to congratulate him, we may not like it. He wants to give away our country, folks. Were not going to let it happen. Trump, the former host of The Apprentice, paid tribute to the voters New Hampshire and said he has so many friends up here and they are special, special people. To cheers he said he would make the deals for the American people, look after veterans and knock the hell out of ISIS. Trump said: We are going to start winning again, we are going to win so much, you are going to be so happy. We are going to make America so great again, maybe greater than ever before. He also paid tribute to his family including his wife Melania and said What she puts with, oh. She said right from the beginning, you know if youre going to run youre going to win His victory was thought to be the biggest margin in a Republican Primary since George W Bush lost to John McCain 16 years ago. A man has been charged with a vicious sex attack on two young women backpackers camping with him on a deserted beach in South Australia. The women, aged in their twenties, were seriously injured and were airlifted to Adelaide, where one was treated for a severe head wound. The three were staying at a campsite near Tea Tree Crossing in the isolated Coorong National Park, six miles south of Salt Creek, when the 59-year-old, from Adelaide allegedly attacked the women, raping one of them. Witnesses told Seven TV news the attack was like a scene from the outback abduction movie Wolf Creek. They told how one of the young women broke free and ran naked along the dunes, screaming for help. Two men who had been driving near the dunes were flagged down. Witness Abdul-Karim Mohammad said the woman screamed at him: Hes going to kill us get out of here. Please get out of here. Others went to search for her friend but the attacker found her first. When she was eventually discovered, she was barely conscious. Police and locals caught the alleged attacker, his blood-spattered four-wheel drive stuck in the sand. He was forced face-down on the beach and handcuffed. A large knife and a hook were left at a nearby camp. A man, who has not been named, appeared in court today by video link from the local police station, dressed in a medical gown. He was charged with rape, abduction and attempted murder. Superintendent James Blandford said the women who are not believed to be Australian met the alleged attacker yesterday and had been travelling with him before deciding to camp at Coorong. He added that the women suddenly found themselves in a very dire situation with a newly acquainted person. B BC documentary How To Die: Simons Choice offers a stark and emotional look at a huge moral and emotional quandary what would you do if faced with a terminal degenerative illness? Directed by Rowan Deacon, the 90-minute film follows Simon Binner a lively and successful businessman who received his diagnosis early last year when in his mid-50s. Depicting Binners rapidly declining health in the grip of motor neurone disease, its at times a troubling and upsetting watch. From a January diagnosis, between July and October he loses his ability to speak and resolves to communicating in short written notes. The film culminates in Binners assisted suicide in a Swiss clinic, which took place in mind-October last year. Speaking to the Radio Times, Deacon said: I made it clear to the family that the film was not dependent upon Simon ultimately choosing assisted dying. Had he allowed his illness to take its natural course, we would have continued to film up to and after his death, however long it took, and that film would have been broadcast. Instead, the film looks at Binner and his family the personal choices they must make, Simons experiences with the illness, and how the decision for assisted suicide was reached. Best TV dramas 2016 1 /38 Best TV dramas 2016 The Missing The addictive and twisty second series of the BBC's crime anthology series BBC/New Pictures/Robert Viglasky Dark Angel Joanne Froggatt stared as Victorian mass murderer Mary Ann Cotton in this ITV drama ITV Close to the Enemy Stephen Poliakoff's post-war drama thriller BBC/Little Island Pictures Ordinary Lies The BBC anthology drama returns with more twisted tales BBC/Red Productions/Adrian Rogers The Night Of Riz Ahmed stars in HBO's critically acclaimed crime mini-series HBO Cold Feet The classic ITV comedy-drama returns - and it's just as good as it ever was ITV Victoria ITV have given Poldark some stiff competition with this period drama about a young Queen Victoria ITV Poldark The BBC's hit drama returns with more brooding, and less naked scything BBC/Robert Viglasky One of Us The BBC kept everyone guessing with this claustrophobic four-part whodunit Ripper Street The fan-favourite Victorian police drama returned for Series 4 BBC/Tiger Aspect 2016/Bernard Walsh The Secret Agent Toby Jones led the cast in the BBC's Joseph Conrad adaptation BBC/World Productions/Mark Mainz/Matt Burlem The Living and the Dead The BBC's gothic romance debuted in full on iPlayer BBC Preacher AMC's adaptation of Garth Ennis' cult comic book is available week-by-week on Amazon Prime Amazon / AMC Versailles A raunchy royal romp around the court of King Louis XIV, spicing up Wednesdays on BBC Two Canal +/ BBC Locked Up The Spanish prison drama came to the UK thanks to Channel 4's Walter Presents series Channel 4 / Global Series Peaky Blinders The Birmingham-set gangster thriller was more popular than ever in its third series BBC/Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd/Tiger Aspect/Robert Viglasky The A Word The BBC gave us a nuanced and emotional take on autism BBC/Fifty Fathoms Marcella Anna Friel stars in ITV's British take on the Scandi-noir thriller ITV Grantchester James Norton is back as the crime-solving vicar ITV / Lovely Day Stag The comedy-thriller from the team behind The Wrong Mans is both hilarious and chilling BBC/Des Willie/Hal Shinnie/Matt Burlem Vinyl Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger present a glossy drama about the Seventies music industry HBO American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson Cuba Gooding Jr leads an all-star cast in a dramatic re-telling of the 'trial of century' BBC/Fox Happy Valley Sarah Lancashire returned as Sgt Catherine Cawood for a second series of the gritty crime thriller BBC/Red Productions/Ben Blackall The X Files Mulder and Scully return for a brand new set of mysteries War and Peace The BBC's epic adaptation of the Russian literary classic BBC/Mitch Jenkins Call the Midwife The BBC period drama moved into the Sixties for Series 5 BBC/Neal Street Productions/Sophie Mutevelian Dickensian Charles Dickens' most famous characters collide in this historical soap BBC Jericho ITV's British western set in the wilds of Yorkshire Silent Witness The hugely popular detective drama returns for a 19th series The subject matter obviously makes How To Die a difficult watch, and some may not wish to while the moment of Binners death was not filmed, the moment he opens the valve to the lethal sedative was. But the questions that the film raises are undeniably important, and despite the outcome of this particular case, it will likely spark discussion from all sides and opinions. BBC Two, 9pm CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) Fixing structural problems at the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins will cost $85 million, the state's corrections chief told state lawmakers Tuesday. That $85-million price tag is nearly as much as it cost to build the entire prison 15 years ago. Several lawmakers said they were shocked by the figure. Officials said it would cost $160 million to build a new prison from scratch. The prison issue comes as the state is suffering a downturn in energy revenues and lawmakers are casting about to find hundreds of millions a year to continue the state's school construction program. "If I had an opportunity to build a new building for $160 million, and know that it was done right, and take advantage of all current technologies and all current cost saving measures, I would spend $160 million to build a new building before I would spend $85 million to try to salvage a lost asset," Senate President Phil Nicholas, R-Laramie, said Tuesday. Corrections Department Director Robert Lampert briefed state lawmakers Tuesday in Cheyenne on the estimated cost to replace the prison's cracking walls and floors and make other necessary repairs. "When the facility was constructed, it wasn't constructed exactly to design," Lampert told members of the Joint Appropriations Committee. He said after the meeting that the state hasn't determined whether it will take legal action. The troubled Rawlins prison replaced an earlier prison nearby called the North Facility that the state had to abandon because of similar structural problems. The Joint Appropriations Committee on Tuesday endorsed Lampert's request for $7 million in the coming fiscal year to protect a room that holds the core of the prison's electrical system and a gymnasium roof. The committee also is calling for an additional $13.5 million to add 144 new beds to the state's medium-security prison in Torrington space that could be critical if the state needs to rotate inmates out of Rawlins to accommodate repairs. "The most critical need is for that electrical room," committee member Rep. Donald E. Burkhart, Jr., R-Rawlins, said. "Without that electrical room, you don't have security and I don't want the inmates showing up on my doorstep." Engineer John S. Lund briefed Gov. Matt Mead and other statewide elected officials last month about structural problems at the prison. Lund said the Rawlins prison remains structurally safe for staff and inmates but said that could change in coming years unless the state addresses the problems. It will be necessary to demolish and replace interior walls and floor slabs as well as perform extensive work on the building's foundation, Lund said. All mechanical, electrical and security systems affected by the replacement of the interior walls and slabs will also have to be replaced, he said. Nicholas said Tuesday that he's shocked by the $85 million repair estimate. He said he had voted as a young lawmaker to approve construction of the Rawlins prison relying on promises from engineers and architects that the problems that plagued the North Facility wouldn't be repeated in the new building. Nicholas, who also has served on the committee overseeing ongoing renovation of the Wyoming Capitol, said he intends to introduce a bill in the ongoing legislative session that would merge the state offices that oversee school capital construction with the capital construction office at the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information. His bill would create a new, cabinet-level post to oversee state construction projects, Nicholas said. "We simply have to get a better skill set and a better team to make sure that the facilities that we build are brought in on-budget, are brought in on time, and that the final product will last the life span for which we made the initial investment," he said. Before the state commits money to try to repair the Rawlins prison, Nicholas said the state needs to analyze the expected costs against the expected service life of the building and other expenses. He said he has asked the Corrections Department to analyze the cost of keeping the prison in Rawlins versus locating elsewhere in the state closer to medical care and other services. Its that time of the year again. Coughing. Sneezing. Other things that belong in the TMI (too much information) when your Facebook friend details their illness. If you got it, Im bound to catch it at least thats how its felt the last couple of years. If youre a parent, youve probably blamed your school-aged child at least once for bringing home a bug. It may be true, but of course, the work place could most certainly be the source of many of our ills. A story this week serves as a reminder of that: Chipotle executives are reminding their employees to stay home when sick. The reminder came during a presentation to employees Monday as Chipotle went over new food safety procedures. Chiptole is trying to bounce back after an E. Coli outbreak in October. The outbreak is most likely the cause of cross contamination in restaurants. However, a norovirus incident in Boston in December and other cases of norovirus and salmonella were reported earlier in the year. My daughter works at a local restaurant, where they have a great policy of telling workers not to come in when they feel ill or sending them home. Its a sacrifice to work a shift that is short, but its the best policy to send employees home when sick. Nationally, it seems, the tide has turned on sending employees home when they are sick. I can remember a few jobs through the years where a person had to basically be dying to be allowed to skip a shift, or face termination. Though a survey by the Center for Research and Public Policy cited in an October 2015 Huffington Post article found that nearly 51 percent of food workers from farm to frontline restaurant workers come to work sick always or frequently, more friendly policies and increased awareness has likely seen that decline in recent months. Companies are now boosting sick leave and enhancing food prep and food handling protocols. A study, Ill Food Worker Study, cited on the CDC website reminds readers that germs from sick food workers can get onto food if workers do not wash their hands properly and then touch food with their bare hands. The risk is especially greater for those foods that wont be cooked your salad or sandwich. The CDC study of 426 restaurants found that the atmosphere and policies of the restaurant made a difference. Pressure on employees to work or lack of experience or knowledge by managers were cited as the most common factors at restaurants where employees didnt leave when they are sick. The CDC estimates that roughly 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness each year, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die. The CDC estimates that roughly 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness each year, 128,000 are hospitilized and 3,000 die. Chipotle and many restaurants before it have served as examples of the impact that ill workers at the food table - on the bottom line and the safety of others. I dont handle food at my job and I admit to feeling a little guilty when I have to stay home sick, like many of the workers cited in the food surveys mentioned. However, even if you dont work or own a business in food service, illness in the workplace costs your bottom line. In September, the National Partnership for Women & Familes, cited that presenteeism or workers performing at less than full productivity because of illness, is estimated to cost employers $160 billion per year. Some surveys put the figures at higher than that. Workers sent home spend fewer days overall in bed than workers without paid sick days, according to the organization. Outbreaks of illnesses are shorter at businesses that offer sick leave and insurance costs are lower. It benefits businesses and employees to have good policies for handling illnesses and to offer sick leave, when able. If youre sick this cold and flu season, do all of us a favor and stay home when sick. Use up your sick leave. Stock up on some soup and toast. The rest of us appreciate it. This page may have been moved, deleted, or is otherwise unavailable. To help you find what you are looking for: Enter Search Term(s): Still cant find what youre looking for? Send us a message using our contact us form. 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NOTE: For videos that don't start--go to article link to view. Wednesday, 10 February 2016 12:30:14 (GMT+3) | Istanbul The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has announced that it has initiated a re-investigation to update the normal values and export prices regarding certain rebar exports from China , South Korea and Turkey and the amount of subsidy of rebar exports from China In December 2014, Canada found a 3.8 percent dumping margin for a Turkish producer, 17.1 percent for a Chinese producer and 13.3 percent for a South Korea -based producer, while the margin for all other exporters stood at 41 percent. The re-investigation is expected to be concluded by June 29, 2016. The goods subject to duty investigation currently fall under the Customs Tariff Statistics Position Numbers 7213.10.00.00 and 7214.20.00.00. The goods may also be classified under the Customs Tariff Statistics Position Numbers 7215.90.00.90 and 7227.90.00.90. Wednesday, 10 February 2016 22:21:32 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo Cuba s Antillana de Acero, which is part of local group Acinox, is expected to install a new set of equipment after receiving a loan from Russia to increase productivity. The mill will install a ladle furnace for its meltshop, a cooling tower for its continuous casting machine, as well as 140 mt crane. The company also expects to modernize its 220-volt electricity substation. Its not clear, however, when the new equipment should be installed. Tuesday, 09 February 2016 00:00:29 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo Peruvian iron ore export prices declined in December last year, according to figures released by the nations central bank, BCRP. According to the Peruvian central bank, commodity prices in December reached $25.5/mt, down from $26.2/mt in November. Decembers export price is the second lowest rate in the year, just behind Octobers $25.1/mt price level. On a year-on-year basis, Peruvian iron ore export prices diminished 35.4 percent, from $39.5/mt. Iron ore exports volumes in December diminished to 800,000 mt, from 1 million in November, but rose when compared to the 700,000 mt of the commodity exported in the same month of 2014. Tuesday, 09 February 2016 10:06:32 (GMT+3) | A trader told SteelOrbis that Altos Hornos de Mexico (AHMSA) is offering HRC at $370/mt MOB to both the US and Canada. MOB, or middle of the bridge terms, do not include dutiesall customs are the responsibility of the buyers, and are usually sent to the buyer through railroads connecting the North American continent. AHMSAs HRC export prices seem to be more advantageous to Canada and US buyers, but not to the Asian customers, as flats prices there are way cheaper than the export prices offered by the Mexican steelmaker, a Mexico City-based trader commented. According to this source, Mexican HRC export prices to Asia reach similar levels. Wednesday, 10 February 2016 17:14:13 (GMT+3) | Istanbul Demand in the local Turkish merchant bar market has remained sluggish, having failed to improve since last week. In the local Turkish market, merchant bar prices depending on size, thickness and region are at the following levels: Equal Angle Prices: Region Prices (TRY/mt) Price change (TRY/mt) 04.02.2016 Denizli Region (30-100 mm) 1,140-1,160 ($390-397/mt) 10 Karabuk Region (30-100mm) 1,080-1,090 ($370-373/mt) 0 Iskenderun Region (30-100 mm) 1,030-1,050 ($353-360/mt) 0 Izmir Region (30-100 mm) 1,110-1,130 ($380-387/mt) 10 Flat Bar Prices: Region Prices (TRY/mt) Price change (TRY/mt) 04.02.2016 Denizli Region (30-100 mm) 1,170-1,190 ($401-408/mt) 10 Karabuk Region (30-100mm) 1,110-1,120 ($380-384/mt) 0 Iskenderun Region (30-100 mm) 1,060-1,080 ($363-370/mt) 0 Izmir Region (30-100 mm) 1,140-1,160 ($390-397/mt) 10 NPI-NPU Prices: Region Prices (TRY/mt) Price change (TRY/mt) 04.02.2016 Denizli Region (30-100 mm) 1,140-1,160 ($390-397/mt) 10 Karabuk Region (30-100 mm) 1,080-1,090 ($370-373/mt) 0 Iskenderun Region (30-100 mm) 1,030-1,050 ($353-360/mt) 0 Izmir Region (30-50 mm) 1,110-1,130 ($380-387/mt) 10 All prices are ex-works, on actual weight basis, for February shipment and excluding VAT. It should be considered that offers below the prices ranges in question may be available, depending on the buyer and on the method of payment. $1 = TRY 2.92 Mackinac Island The weather has been up and down this past week. We had some very nice days, and other were cold,... Outdoors This Week in the Eastern U.P. I know its fall, but, for some reason, the white stuff has started falling already and frost is covering my... West Mackinac Thats all folks, the fall fashion show is over and Mother Natures winter wardrobe is waiting in the wings. In... Chief prosecutor of the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi is asking Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Valeriu Zgonea to be notified for the approval of remanding and placing under pre-trial detention of MPs Madalin Voicu and Nicolae Paun. Kovesi reportedly submitted to the Prosecution Office with the Supreme Court of Justice and Cassation a request and report about this case so that the justice minister may be notified in order to ask the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies to approve remanding and placing under pre-trial detention of the two MPs.Voicu is standing accused of influence peddling, false representations and money laundering, all in a repeated form.Paun, who is also chairman of the Pro Europe Roma Party Association, is accused of using or producing in bad faith false, inexact or incomplete statements and documents that allegedly led to misappropriation of European funds; changing the use of European funds in breach of the law, money embezzlement, conducting financial activity as trade deeds incompatible with the office held or conducting financial transactions to procure for self or others ill-gotten gains, influence buying, unduly influencing witnesses, all in a repeated form. AGERPRES Alexandru Visinescu, a former warden of the Ramnicu Sarat penitentiary, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday, in a final decision of the High Court of Cassation and Justice (Romania's Supreme Court) for crimes against humanity in connection with the abuse upon political prisoners. The high court has rejected all the appeals in the case, including the defendant's.On 24 July 2015, the Bucharest Court of Appeals has sentenced Alexandru Visinescu to 20 years in prison, military degradation, and damage compensations to three members of his victims' families; the Public Finances Ministry, the Internal Affairs Ministry and the National Administration of Penitentiaries were deemed solidary to compensations worth 300,000 euros.Prosecutors proved that Visinescu, in his capacity of warden from 1956 to 1963, systematically abused inmates, by denying them medical care, hospitalization and heating, by imposing starvation and random punishment, beating them and ignoring their petitions, with the intention to physically exterminate them."The regime imposed did not assure in any way minimum long-term survival, considering that most of the times the sentences were longer than 10 years. The inmate deaths thus occurred following a slow, yet efficient process through which they were physically and mentally tortured," the prosecutors said.138 detainees of the Ramnicu Sarat Penitentiary under Visinescu's tenure have been identified to date. AGEPRES Now that Democrats loudly and overwhelmingly oppose the TPP, Hillary claims that what she once called "the gold standard" of trade agreements is something that she too opposes. Once again, she's rushing to get to the head of a parade that started long ago-- and way after the bloodiest battles were fought. Are people catching on-- and by "people" I exclude those on her payroll or on the list of job-seekers-- to what she is, and always has been? Now she's an opponent of the banksters who have showered her political campaigns with $39,278,192-- and God only knows how much in speakers' fees and other completely unethical legalistic bribes. When she was a senator, progressives all opposed the GOP's credit card company written bankruptcy bill, which was terrible for working families and wonderful for her corporate and millionaire donors. In September she claimed she voted with the Republicans " to protect women and children "-- a standard excuse she uses for her whole wretched, Republ;ican-lite voting record-- and because Joe Biden (virtually a career-long lobbyist for the credit card companies incorporated in Delaware) told her to. Senate progressives like Paul Wellstone (MN), Ted Kennedy (MA), Russ Feingold (WI), Dick Durbin (IL), Chris Dodd (CT), John Kerry (MA), Tom Harkin (IA), Paul Sarbanes (MD) and John Reed (RI) voted against this awful bill but Clinton was more comfortable voting with notorious Wall Street whores like Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Trent Lott (R-MS), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Strom Thurmond (R-SC), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jesse Helms (R-NC), Rick Santorum (R-PA), Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and, of course, Chuck Schumer (D-NY). She hasn't changed; that is exactly who she is. During the 2008 primary Obama delighted in pointing out that her alliance with the Republicans and banksters "put the interests of those banks and financial institutions ahead of the interests of the American people." That's Hillary; it always has been and always will be. Here's little Miss Centrist-- ex-Goldwater Gal, ex-president of the Wellesley College Young Republicans-- with Joe Scarborough when they were pals and before he turned his MSNBC morning show into a Clinton Hate Zone. In 2015 progressives were fighting tooth and nail to stop Fast Track Authority for the TPP. Hillary was generally supportive of the bad guys of course, but afraid it could harm her in the primary, so she laid low. In the House, Fast Track passed narrowly 218-208 -- just 10 votes shy of being defeated. 50 Republicans voted against it, which would have been more than enough to kill it. But then a pack of Hillary allies-- all of them are now on her congressional Leadership Committee today-- led by New Dems Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL), Jim Himes (CT) and Jim Cooper (TN)-- came to the rescue and it passed. Interestingly, last week the Communications Workers of America, one of the more progressive nation labor unions, has stated unequivocally that they're not endorsing Members of Congress who voted for Fast Track authority . They have already targeted Ami Bera (New Dem-CA) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). By voting to Fast Track the TPP, Johnson and Bera relinquished their constitutional responsibility to debate and offer amendments to this destructive trade agreement that was negotiated in secret for more than five years. They sided with corporate lobbyists and big business, instead of the constituents who asked for their help: workers, veterans, environmentalists, community activists and others. In Texas, Dallas unions won't endorse Johnson. CWA worked with other unions at the recent AFL-CIO COPE conference, making it clear why Johnson didn't deserve the labor movement's endorsement, said CWA District 6 Vice President Claude Cummings. In California, Democrats are making sure that Bera is held accountable for his vote. First, two local Democratic clubs in Bera's district voted not to endorse his reelection bid. Now, Sacramento County Democratic Party activists have decided not to endorse him, either. By not reaching the 70 percent threshold needed to secure their support-- a huge setback for an incumbent-- Bera will now have to beg for Democrats' nod at the party convention at the end of this month. "This is an obvious showing that delegates in the district are not happy with Congressman Bera's voting record," Robert Longer, political and legislative director for the CWA Local 9421 told the Sacramento Bee. "Normally, this is a matter of course; normally, he would have received the endorsement no problem. However... about 40 percent of the delegates decided that no endorsement is better than endorsing." "I think Congressman Bera needs to do some soul searching as to whether he's a real Democrat, or not. If he believes in the district, he will connect with the voters, he will connect with the folks that got him into office. Otherwise, he will have to find another job," Longer said. Needless to say, both Bera and Johnson are on the Hillary leadership teams in their states. The 700,000 members of the union voted and decided to endorse Bernie for president . Union president Chris Shelton: "Our politics and economy have favored Wall Street, the wealthy and powerful for too long. CWA members, like voters across America, are saying we can no longer afford business as usual. Bernie has called for a political revolution-- and that is just what Americans need today. Bernie Sanders stands with working families against corporate greed, against Wall Street and the big banks, against politics as usual. He stands against the flood of money in politics thats corrupting our democracy and attacking the right to vote. He knows that we have to take on the rich and powerful special interests to turn around this economy and end the 40 years of stagnant wages that working families have endured. Hes the candidate who can do it, and we are going to help him. When CWA endorses a candidate it is just the beginning. Our 700,000 members are fired up, and we are going to work overtime to elect Bernie Sanders as the next President of the United States." In 2014 the CWA gave Bera and Johnson $10,000 each towards their reelection campaigns. In 2012 and 2010 they had given Bera $10,000 each cycle and Johnson $6,000 in 2010 and $2,500 in 2012. So far this year the CWA have contributed $459,000 to Democratic House candidates but conspicuously none to Bera, Johnson and other New Dems and Blue Dogs who voted for Fast Track-- no money for Debbie Wasserman Schultz, no money for Kathleen Rice, no money for Ron Kind, no money for Derek Kilmer, no money for John Delaney, Jim Himes, Scott Peters, Jim Cooper, Jim Costa, Kurt Schrader, John Beyer, Gerry Connolly, Henry Cuellar, Rick Larsen, Greg Meeks and Collin Peterson, almost all of whom got thousands of dollars from the union in their last elections. Just hours ago the AFL-CIO released a blistering memo to its members reiterating why the TPP had to be stopped: The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a so-called trade deal that could cost 448,000 U.S. jobs, suppress U.S. wages, and irreparably weaken our democracy and sovereignty. Yet U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman is trying to get your member of Congress to vote for it. To win the vote, he is uniting with Republican-friendly organizations to win votes from the Republican side of the aisle, while ignoring many Democrats who stand with working families. If this deal is so great for working people, why are labor unions and many environmental, consumer and human rights organizations united against it, while the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Fashion Industry Association (representing apparel importers) and other business groups are for it? Can you recall a time when these special interest groups worked hard to create more American jobs and raise our wages? I cant. So we shouldnt believe their empty promises this time, either. The evidence on corporate-driven trade is in: it fails working families. The United States already is a member of an international trade deal known as the World Trade Organization, and a number of smaller deals called free trade agreements (FTAs). In 2015, the U.S. goods and services trade deficit with the world hit a new record high, $531.5 billion. This figure includes goods trade deficits with WTO partner China ($365.7 billion) and trade deal partners Canada ($14.9 billion), Mexico ($58.4 billion) and South Korea ($28.3 billion). Trade deficits cost jobs. Its as simple as that. But Congress is being asked to approve another trade agreement that incorporates the same failed trade rules we already have. Instead of falling for another deficit-increasing, job-killing, wage-cutting trade deal, lets stand up and fight against it. Join the fight against TPP today. Yesterday, during an interview with Real News Network, Alan Grayson pointed out that the TPP is "a disaster for the American middle class. If we do nothing you can kiss this country goodbye. We're already $11 trillion in debt to foreign countries. That's almost $40,000 for every man, woman, and child in this country. What if they came to you tomorrow and said, we want our $40,000 back? What would you do? Most Americans would be horrified by that, but that is the condition we're already in. We're already there. And the TPP takes that bad status quo and makes it that much worse." He pointed out that passage would accelerate "the export of jobs out of the United States... it's not really free trade anymore, it's fake trade. What's happening is that we are buying the goods and services produced by foreign workers. But they're not buying an equal amount of goods and services from America. Instead they're lending us the money, we're borrowing the money, and that drives us deeper and deeper into debt, over $1 billion every single day. Every day we're another billion dollars into debt to foreigners. If we had no trade deficit, that would be a different story. But the TPP would actually make our trade deficit that much worse. It certainly doesn't help to solve the problem. We need to be running trade surpluses, not trade deficits. The world is running a con game on America. And that con game is thank you very much, America, your purchasing power and your willingness to drive yourself into debt is putting tens of millions of foreign workers to work, and to hell with the American worker... It's multinational corporations that are doing this, driving us deeper and deeper into debt. And the endgame is very simple, it's cheap labor. It's debt slavery. And it's national bankruptcy. That's where we're actually heading, unless we get off the fast track to hell called TPP." Thanks to the fast track legislation the president can force a vote on it before the end of the year. What's happened is McConnell has told him he doesn't want to see it before the election. But between the election and January 3rd is the lame duck session. And if the president lines it up properly, given the fast track legislation, the president can force a vote on this. Now, I don't know if he really wants to do that, because he may very well lose. Last year during the president's State of the Union address when he talked about this, these trade giveaways, it was the only time during the speech the Republicans got up and cheered, and Democrats stayed utterly silent. You could hear a pin drop on our side of the room. This year, when he talked about it, he lost the Republicans as well. The only people who stood up and applauded him were his own cabinet. You can go to the tape and you can check that out. It was really shocking to see even the Republicans abandoning the president on these giveaways to multinational corporations. So he brings it up now with every Democrat, and also every Republican other than John Kasich, who is a Republican candidate for president, going against this. It should go down to defeat. You can bet that Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, these are all people who are going to understand that it's a device for them, politically, to be able to work against the president, and to be able to supposedly stand up for the working man. Although that's a farce when you're talking about any of the three of them, particularly the one whose catch phrase is You're fired. But in any event, I think that given the fact that all of the three primary Republican candidates, plus the two Democratic candidates for president that remain in the race, all of them are now against TPP, makes it politically impossible to bring it up before the lame duck session. DWT late tonight (9pm Pacific Time) or catch it in the morning when you wake up. If you agree with Grayson, you can You can listen to the whole Grayson interview here atlate tonight (9pm Pacific Time) or catch it in the morning when you wake up. If you agree with Grayson, you can contribute to his Senate campaign here through ActBlue Last week Elizabeth Warren came out strongly against passage. In fact, exactly a week ago today she said "I hope Congress will use its constitutional authority to stop this deal before it makes things even worse and even more dangerous for America's hardest-working families" and said it "would tilt the playing field even more in favor of a big multinational corporations and against working families." This is a real issue for a lot of people and everyone knows that Bernie's been on the right side and the other one hasn't been. Former PM Victor Ponta stated that during his term he was informed directly only once about a clear corruption attempt by a minister, namely Lucian Isar, and immediately ordered his replacement. "I do not know clearly the reasons for today's summoning [of Lucian Isar] to the DNA [National Anticorruption Directorate - editor's note]. But I can tell you that in approximately four years as prime minister there was only one instance when I was informed directly by the state's specialised institutions about a clear corruption attempt by a minister - Lucian Isar (who requested personal advantages in return for his support to a major American investor in implementing an important project in Romania)! (...) In a few hours I replaced Isar with Mihai Voicu. Probably those who informed me also notified the DNA. Unfortunately, such people exist," Ponta wrote on Wednesday on his Facebook account.Economist Lucian Isar, former Minister Delegate for Business Environment in Ponta's cabinet, was heard for two hours on Wednesday by anti-corruption prosecutors.Upon leaving the National Anticorruption Directorate offices, Isar answered media questions about Ponta's allegations by just saying, "Let him elaborate."According to judicial sources, Isar was summoned as witness in a corruption case. AGERPRES In celebration of another Five Diamond Award from The American Automobile Association, Chef Mavro is bringing back his famous onaga baked in a rosemary-Hawaiian salt crust, through Feb. 12.The AAA Five Diamond list is based on anonymous visits by restaurant inspectors. Only 0.2 percent of the 30,000 restaurants reviewed earn the top rating. Chef Mavro restaurants first Five Diamond Award was in 2008 and it continues to be the only independently owned restaurant in Hawaii, and one of only a handful in the U.S. to achieve the AAAs highest rating, placing the restaurant in the company of such internationally renowned restaurants as Le Bernardin, Per Se, Daniel, Eleven Madison Park, and Jean Georges in New York; and in California. The French Laundry, Gary Danko, and Benu, among others.Here is the link to the award winners. Updated at 1:30 p.m. Months after the popular incentives ended, Ameren Missouri will again offer rebates to help customers upgrade power-hungry appliances and buildings. State utility regulators approved the new suite of programs Wednesday, more than three months after unanimously rejecting an Ameren-backed proposal that led to the lapse of the three-year-old utility-sponsored efficiency program. Ameren hopes to reinstate the programs by this spring, which will include cheaper LED lights at area retailers and rebates for smart thermostats, new air conditioners and other efficient home appliances. Ameren also plans to provide energy use reports to customers that will compare their usage to their neighbors, a tactic that has been found to influence consumer energy use. A suite of business incentives will also return to help subsidize commercial building efficiency measures. One new measure will give multi-tenant building owners access to the whole structures energy usage so they can better target building upgrades. In addition, Ameren plans to expand apartment retrofits for low-income renters, a group that sees big benefits from lower utility bills but struggles to afford the upfront cost of efficiency measures. The Missouri Public Service Commission said the new program, endorsed by opponents of Amerens prior plan, included the auditing and revenue adjustments necessary to make sure customers werent overpaying for it. Commissioners and the Office of Public Counsel, which represents ratepayers in front of the PSC, said they believed Ameren overcharged customers during the first three-year phase of the program. They sought protections to adjust utility collections based on audits of energy savings and costs. The first phase was probably too rich, candidly, and too lopsided in favor of the utility, Public Counsel Dustin Allison told the Post-Dispatch. So we were able to, I think, rein that in and make sure we are in fact doing energy efficiency efforts ... as cost effectively as possible for the ratepayers. Commissioners also said it would benefit all Ameren customers, even those who dont use the rebates to buy new air conditioners and other appliances. Experts say energy efficiency is cheaper than building new power plants, and Ameren said the new campaign would help offset the need to build a new 600 megawatt combined cycle natural gas plant in the early 2020s. The $158 million efficiency program that runs through 2018 is expected to reduce peak power demand by 167 megawatts, 75 percent of the amount Ameren says it needs to cut in order to defer constructing a $948 million gas plant in 2023, according to the agreement. This is beneficial to all customers, but its also beneficial to Amerens shareholders, PSC Commissioner Bill Kenney said Wednesday. Ameren customers pay a special charge on their monthly bills to reimburse the utility for lost electric sales and the cost of rebates. Ameren also has the opportunity to earn bonus payments if it hits energy saving targets. Residential customers paid an average of $7 for the program on their monthly Ameren bills before it was reduced by about $8 at the conclusion of Ameren's first cycle of efficiency programs. Customers will likely see a small credit from the program on their next several bills before the charge increases to pay for the new round of programs around June, Ameren said. Customers should receive about $425 million in benefits under the new efficiency measures over the next 20 years, said Dan Laurent, Amerens director of energy efficiency. That doesnt include the personal savings individual ratepayers eventually see when they invest in energy efficiency upgrades using utility rebates, he added. The new three-year plan budgets about $11 million more than the program that ran from 2013-2015. However, it projects just 571 gigawatt hours of savings 28 percent less energy reduction compared to Amerens initial energy-savings goal from 2013 through 2015. The first three years saved roughly the annual energy needs of 75,000 homes, according to Ameren. Many eager homeowners and business owners have already made energy-saving upgrades, Laurent said, and rising efficiency standards for appliances mean a lot of energy savings are occurring independently of the utilitys programs. I think thats a reflection of how the energy efficiency market is evolving, Laurent said. Weve now had programs out in the marketplace for several years, and because of that, it will take slightly higher incentives and marketing to appeal to the harder-to-reach customers. Ashok Gupta, an energy economist with the Natural Resources Defense Council who supported the plan, said the higher price tag for lower energy savings reflected the PSC staffs desire for incentives that reduce peak energy demand: the kilowatts produced at one time versus the overall kilowatt hours saved. I think theres a lot of cheaper energy savings we could have gone after, Gupta said. Still, he said the agreement calls for identifying more energy savings in the coming years. More continuity for another three years is good, and well just have more experience at the end of this process, Gupta said. Ameren is under no legal obligation to provide the efficiency measures, and PSC Commissioner Scott Rupp said Ameren should be commended for coming back and renegotiating a better program. But Rupp said the Legislature may want to consider making utility-sponsored efficiency programs a policy of the state. Other states, including Illinois, require utilities to develop efficiency incentives. Updated at 10:41 a.m. LONDON Anheuser-Busch InBev has received a binding offer of 2.55 billion euros ($2.85 billion) for the European beer brands Grolsch, Peroni and Meantime a sale that is meant to address regulatory concerns about its mega merger with SABMiller. The offer by Japanese brewer Asahi Group Holdings, if accepted following an employee consultation, would move A-B InBev closer to completing the deal. It hopes to wrap up the merger by the second half of 2016. "SABMiller has grown Peroni and Grolsch into world-renowned premium brands, and we are confident that, along with fast-growing modern craft brewer Meantime, they will continue to thrive and develop," SABMiller CEO Alan Clark said. "These beers will continue to be part of SABMiller and sold and managed by us until the change of control." A-B InBev agreed last year to buy SABMiller for 69 billion pounds ($100 billion.) The combination would account for 29 percent of the world beer market, making it three times larger than its nearest rival. A-B InBev said it would be proactive about regulatory concerns. To ease antitrust concerns in the United States, SABMiller will sell its 58 percent stake in a venture with fellow brewer Molson Coors for $12 billion. The Budweiser maker wants to grow sales through SABMiller's brands in Africa and Asia, where it hopes that consumers will buy brand beers as their wealth increases. In developed markets like Europe, by contrast, the big companies are seeing sales decline and trying to fight off an onslaught of craft brewers. Asahi would gain a major inroad into the European market should the deal go through. Any deal would be conditional on the sale going through. ____ Our earlier story, by Reuters, posted at 5:17 a.m. TOKYO Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. has reached a preliminary deal to buy SABMiller's Peroni and Grolsch beer brands for over 400 billion yen ($3.5 billion), the Nikkei daily reported, as part of efforts to offset slow growth at home. Asahi, known for its Super Dry beer, is Japan's biggest brewer with a 38 percent market share. But the company has sought grow outside Japan where beer sales have fallen over the past two decades, as the population shrinks and wine becomes increasingly popular. Nikkei reported on Wednesday that Asahi had finalized its bid at a board meeting on Tuesday, and was now in discussion with SABMiller. A later report said an outline agreement had been reached. Asahi declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. The sale is aimed at easing antitrust approval for A-B InBev's $100 billion-plus takeover of SABMiller, agreed last year. People familiar with the process have said A-B InBev wants to wrap up the sale by the beginning of March. One person familiar with the process said on Wednesday that Asahi submitted final offers on Monday, but were not yet binding. Binding offers are due in two weeks. Asahi, the person said, had offered around 2.4 billion euros ($2.70 billion) to 2.5 billion euros in January, making this a significant increase. "Asahi is obviously trying to put a final price on the table rather than waiting for the deadline at the end of the month," the person said. "But $3.5 billion sounds extremely high." An earlier line-up of bidders for Peroni and Grolsch beers included U.S. private equity firm KKR & Co. LP; Fraser and Neave Ltd., which is part of Thai Beverage PCL , and European private equity firms PAI Partners SAS and EQT Corp. ($1=114.4600 yen; $1=0.8886 euros) WASHINGTON Government tests show some types of laminate flooring sold by Lumber Liquidators Holdings LLC can cause irritation and breathing problems but the risk of cancer from exposure is low, a federal agency said on Wednesday. Lumber Liquidators sales and shares were hammered after the CBS program 60 Minutes reported in March last year that the laminates from China contained excessive levels of cancer-causing formaldehyde. The companys shares rose after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the findings of the tests. We estimated the risk of cancer from exposure to this flooring and its low, the CDC said on its website. Lumber Liquidators said it supported the recommendations of the report on the safety of flooring made in China between 2012 and 2014. The CDC said customers who had installed the flooring and were concerned about formaldehyde should open windows for a few minutes every few days, use exhaust fans and avoid smoking tobacco in the home. Formaldehyde levels in your home should return to typical levels within two years after the flooring was installed, the CDC said. Lumber Liquidators shares, which have plunged 88.5 percent since the March report, rose 32 cents, or 2.65 percent, to close at $12.41 on Thursday. Following a separate investigation, Lumber Liquidators agreed this month to pay $13.2 million in fines and forfeitures to resolve a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the import of flooring products in 2013. A renowned traveling exhibition from the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., made its debut Saturday at the Missouri History Museum. Spies, Traitors, Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America opened in 2004 and has been touring since 2005. St. Louis is the final planned stop for the 6,000-square-foot exhibit, which explores nine major terrorist events in U.S. history the motivations for the attacks, public and government response, and more. They want to show that terror and sabotage and espionage theyre not new things, says Adam Kloppe, writing and research fellow at the Missouri History Museum. This isnt something that started on 9/11 or with the Oklahoma City bombing, but its something thats been with us since the very beginning. Spies, Traitors, Saboteurs begins its narrative in 1814 when British troops set fire to several public buildings throughout Washington, including the White House, during the War of 1812. This is a really good introduction to the idea that terrorism and fear of things that fit under the U.S. governments definition of terrorism have been here for a long time, Kloppe says. The section focused on the attack in 1814 is accompanied by an enlarged copy of a New York Times headline. Similarly, each of the following eight sections is accompanied by a headline that Kloppe says serves a unique purpose in the structure of the exhibit. (The headlines) set the scene for what they call a hook event, a central event that sort of sets the scene of terror, and then they sort of build out from that theme, he says. A later section explores the bombing at the home of 1919 Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer by a group of anarchists and also violence by anarchists and communist groups more generally in the early 20th century. A big part of this exhibit is about how law enforcement responds to these acts of terror, in many times and ways that are appropriate, to take steps to protect Americans from violence, but other times in ways that overstep their bounds, Kloppe says. The Palmer Raids that followed raised concern about the federal government infringing on civil liberties. Other events featured in the exhibit include the Niihau Incident, the Oklahoma City bombing and the Weather Underground bombing of the Capitol. The exhibit also features some interactive activities. Poll stations allow visitors to answer questions such as Do you think spies caught in this country should receive the death penalty? Visitors can compare their answers to earlier responses, as well as to answers of Americans throughout history. I went and saw this exhibit when it was up in Green Bay (Wis.) ... and you really see people spending a lot of time on it, talking with their families and talking about how surprising it is that in the past people voted one way and another way today, Kloppe says. Spies, Traitors, Saboteurs ends with a brief section on recent terrorist attacks in America, focusing on 9/11. The idea of terrorism as a modern phenomenon, Kloppe says, is why the exhibit ends with framed remnants of one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center. Its hard for us to imagine sometimes that our grandparents and their grandparents encountered these kinds of issues, and this exhibit shows that they did, he says. UPDATED: At 4:45 p.m. with information from the county sheriff. IRONTON, Mo. A missing 3-year-old boy who had been the subject of a massive search froze to death, and there is no evidence of injury or abuse, a spokesman for the Iron County coroner's office said Thursday. The investigation continues into how it happened. Coroner Tony Cole took part in an autopsy Thursday morning in Farmington, Mo., of Titus Greyson Tackett. Cole listed the death as accidental, said his son, Drew Cole, who assists him in coroner cases and works with his father at the Cole Family Funeral Home in Ironton. "There is no indication of any foul play or abuse," Drew Cole said. "He is comfortable in calling this a tragic accident." Iron County Sheriff Roger Medley said the investigation remains open. "The autopsy is only part of it," Medley said. "We need to find a reason why, and we haven't even finished all of our interviews. Is this logical? Is it possible? We have to determine whether it was an accident or something different." Medley said no one was considered a suspect. He said the FBI and Missouri Highway Patrol continue working with his office. Titus' body was found inside a van about 11 a.m. Wednesday covered with a blanket after someone saw him there and flagged down one of the searchers, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol. The boy and his mother were visiting a former boyfriend's residence east of Ironton. The unlocked van was off Highway 72, near the entrance to Dayspring Bible Camp, police say. It was about a mile by road from the home in which Titus was last seen alive, although closer on a line through nearby woods. Drew Cole said the owners of the van did not know Titus' family. Authorities had searched overnight for Titus after his family told police they feared he had gotten outside and wandered away from the home near Lake Killarney, east of Ironton. They told police they last saw the boy about midnight Tuesday, and that he had been wearing only a diaper. The boy's mother was visiting the ex-boyfriend at the home of the ex-boyfriend's father on Killarney Drive. Iron County Sheriff Roger Medley said the mother and ex-boyfriend told police they ran an errand about midnight and left the child with a grandparent. They returned about 1:30 a.m. to discover the door to the house open and the child missing, the sheriff said. Drew Cole said the ex-boyfriend's father was in the house when the boy was last seen. "An adult was there," he said. "It appears the boy wandered off from the house." Cole said the woods between the Killarney address and the van would be a challenge for a child to get through, although he also said that no motorist had reported seeing him along Highway 72. Sheriff Medley said the mother and friend were seen at a Casey's convenience store during the time they were away. The temperatures hovered around 15 degrees at midnight, dropped to 14 degrees at 4 a.m. and, by sunrise, it was 17 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The area is about 90 miles south of St. Louis. Authorities had searched for the boy using a Highway Patrol helicopter with infrared radar, along with dogs and volunteers on the ground, said Patrol Sgt. Clark Parrott. Curtis Rulo, 26, of Ironton, is a cousin to Titus' mother, Amber Tackett. Rulo said he considered Titus his nephew and would visit him every week or so in Potosi, where Titus lived with his mother, grandfather and other relatives. Titus' biological father did not live with them, Rulo said. Amber Tackett has a 1-year-old daughter. Rulo said he doesn't know how Titus ended up in the van, but Rulo said Titus was a smart and curious boy who was known to climb into vehicles on his own, despite his young age. Rulo said that once, while the family was at a barbecue and the adults were playing horseshoes, Titus wandered off. "We found him sitting in the passenger seat of my '92 Chevy S-10 truck," Rulo said. "He had opened the door handle on his own, and that was a hard door to open." Rulo said the truck sat low to the ground so the boy's ability to reach up didn't surprise the adults as much as the strength it took for the boy to open the door. Titus was curious about keys and vehicles, including ATVs, Rulo said. "He knew what every key in the house went to, and he knew four-wheelers," Rulo said. "He knew how to get on one and push the start button." ST. LOUIS A former lawyer with the Bryan Cave law firm pleaded guilty to a federal charge Wednesday and admitted threatening a former colleague in 2013. Ryan Walsh, 32, was charged June 19, 2013, with transmitting a threat via interstate commerce. In court, Walsh admitted making a death threat to a partner in the St. Louis office of Bryan Cave. Walsh worked in the firm's New York office for about six months, but was laid off in 2008, Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard Marcus said. After that, Walsh worked for another St. Louis firm, then moved to Cassville, in far southwestern Missouri, charging documents say. He left the threat on the other lawyer's voicemail on June 15, 2013. The criminal case was delayed while Walsh received mental health evaluations. He was found competent to proceed, Assistant Federal Public Defender Kevin Curran said in court, but might not have been responsible for his actions at the time of the crime. Walsh told U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey that has bipolar disorder and ADHD and is taking medications. He also said that he expected to receive a sentence of the time he had already served when sentenced later this year. Curran clarified that Walsh has "served more time than the (federal sentencing) guidelines call for" as punishment for the crime. Autrey made no promises, however. CLAYTON A St. Louis County circuit judge ruled Tuesday on whether to bar the prosecutors office from a high-profile manslaughter trial amid allegations of misconduct, but he would not reveal the outcome of his decision. Judge Steven H. Goldman revealed his ruling Tuesday during a hearing inside his chambers to defense attorneys for Jennifer Winkler, 34, and representatives of Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch, who was represented by St. Louis County Counselor Peter Krane. Winkler was charged in 2011 with second-degree murder after Eureka police said she shook 13-month-old Lily Rieger to death while running a home day care. Winkler pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter but withdrew the plea, and the manslaughter charge has remained. The case has taken several turns during the past five years, including Goldmans instructions to seal documents pertaining to a defense motion to dismiss McCullochs office for prosecutorial misconduct. According to court documents, defense attorneys alleged that prosecutors met with Winklers ex-husband, Steven Winkler, and discussed trial strategies that are protected by attorney-client privilege even though the marriage dissolved. The strategies discussed were shared when lawyer Neil Bruntrager represented the Winklers as a couple during matters about their children. He has remained Jennifer Winklers attorney and no longer represents Steven Winkler. On Tuesday, Mike Downey, one of Winklers attorneys, told a Post-Dispatch reporter and Benjamin Lipman, an attorney for the newspaper, that he will challenge the judges ruling on his underlying motion. That would seem to indicate that the judge discounted the allegations of misconduct and allowed McCullochs office to remain on the case. However, neither Downey nor Goldman would confirm that Tuesday. Downey also said that Goldman had ruled to open the records and redact any juvenile information. The juvenile information pertains to custody issues with Winklers two minor children. Goldman then invited a reporter and Lipman into his chambers, but he refused to answer how he had ruled. He would say only that the matter would now be in the hands of the appeals court, because Winklers attorneys were going to file a writ against him. Goldman characterized the writ as a challenge to his decision regarding the records. Winklers attorneys believe the ruling would release the privileged information in question. The details of the court battle came to light only after a Post-Dispatch reporter examining the court file found a response to Bruntragers motion to dismiss prosecutors from the case. The document, which had been filed by assistant St. Louis County prosecutor Sheila Whirley, should have been sealed under Goldmans prior instructions, but it wasnt. Twice in recent months, Goldman has asked a Post-Dispatch reporter to leave courtroom hearings on the issue. Lipman said hes optimistic that the appeals court judges will uphold Goldmans ruling as Downey characterized it. Given that it appears that the judge agrees with us, this file should be mostly unsealed, he said. Im hopeful when this is all done, the public will have the opportunity to see what is going on in this case. The European Commission and the International Energy Agency will address the impact of the energy crisis on SMEs in an online event on 21 October. ST. LOUIS A city police captain has been transferred from a key command post to a desk job while internal affairs and federal investigators try to determine whether he twice ordered officers to release suspects in felony crimes, the Post-Dispatch has learned. Capt. Ryan Cousins, a 19-year veteran of the force, was shifted this month to an administrative job involving department accreditation after officers took concerns to the Internal Affairs Division about an incident Jan. 29, according to police sources. Since Oct. 1, Cousins had been commander of the Sixth District the citys highest crime area. Police Chief Sam Dotson has asked the U.S. attorneys office to assist with an investigation of why Cousins would try to protect the suspects, sources said. Although department investigators are questioning multiple people about the incidents, no other officers have been accused of wrongdoing, sources said. Dotson said only that the issue is a personnel matter that is being investigated criminally and internally. The department did not make Cousins available for comment. THE SHOW GOES ON On Nov. 29, Cousins allegedly intervened after Antonio Harris, 18, was arrested as he was about to perform in a rap concert at the Lux, along Washington Avenue in the midtown neighborhood. Harris was wanted as a suspect in an armed robbery in St. Louis County. City officers put Harris in handcuffs. But Cousins arrived and ordered officers to release him, saying he feared there would be a disturbance should Harris be taken away before the performance, sources said. A heated exchange between Cousins and a sergeant on the scene ensued and was captured on a police car camera, but the sergeant ultimately deferred to the higher rank, sources said. Its unclear whether city police made arrangements to try to arrest Harris after the concert. County police were not notified about the encounter, said county Sgt. Brian Schellman. Harris was arrested by county police about four days later. Schellman said he did not know the circumstances of the arrest. County prosecutors charged Harris on Dec. 4 with one count of first-degree robbery and one count of armed criminal action. In court documents, county police say Harris tried to rob two people of a PlayStation game system at gunpoint on July 11 in the 12000 block of Sea Lane Drive. The victims identified Harris, according to court documents. Harris, of the 5500 block of Floy Avenue, posted $100,000 bail. SHOTS FIRED Cousins is accused of intervening in a case again on Jan. 29, after officers seized a gun from a felon at a home in the 8800 block of Lowell Street. The resident told police that two men tried to break into his home and he shot at them. Officers found evidence of an attempted break-in, as well as clothing nearby that belonged to one of the potential burglary suspects, sources said. Police put the homeowner in handcuffs after discovering he was a felon, which makes possession of a firearm illegal, according to the sources. Court records indicate he had pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a weapon in 1998, a felony. Cousins arrived and ordered officers to take the handcuffs off the man, the sources said. He allegedly had them return the gun to the mans wife and ordered them to omit from their reports any reference to shots being fired, and not to process the shell casings as evidence. The officers did not follow Cousins orders and wrote a report detailing the attempted arrest along with his instructions at the scene, sources said. Sources said that several times the suspect changed the total number of shots he said he fired, and told police the gun belonged to his wife. The Jan. 29 suspect has not yet been charged, but federal authorities are reviewing his case, a source said. Being a felon in possession of a firearm violates both Missouri and federal laws.Editors note: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect description of the neighborhood where the concert took place and a photo caption contained incorrect information about Cousins employment status. ST. CHARLES COUNTY Wrongful-death lawsuits filed this week in a crossover crash that killed a woman and her two young daughters claim the Missouri Department of Transportation should have installed a cable barrier along the busy stretch of Highway 61 where the crash occurred. Suits were filed in St. Charles County Circuit Court by relatives of the three victims, Jacqueline H. Faudi, 36, and her daughters, Autumn J. Faudi, 6, and Kaydance M. Miller, 7 months. They died Jan. 21 in a head-on crash north of Wentzville. Police say a northbound car lost control and struck the rear of Faudis car, which also was northbound. Both cars spun out of control and crossed the median into the southbound lanes, where Faudis car was struck by a southbound SUV. Ice may have been a factor. The suit claims highway crews failed to treat the highway with salt. Attorneys Walter Floyd and Stephen Schultz filed suit on behalf of relatives of the victims. The relatives include Jacqueline Faudis parents, Robert and Nancy Hall; Jacqueline Faudis two other daughters who were not in the car that crashed; and James Miller, father of Kaydance. In addition to MoDOT, the suits are filed against Brian Keiper, of Troy, Mo., the driver of the car that allegedly rear-ended Faudis vehicle. The suit claims Keiper was driving too fast for the road conditions when he struck Faudis car. The crash prompted police and fire officials to call for the installation of cable barriers in the highway median. Schultz also focused on the issue Wednesday. There should be some type of median device, at least a cable barrier because its the least expensive, Schultz said. That should have been the baseline of what they have because of the traffic flow. A MoDOT spokesman declined to comment on pending litigation. Jim Wright, MoDOT area engineer for the St. Charles area, has said more than 47,000 vehicles use that stretch of highway every day, a huge jump in recent years. After the crash, officials said they hadnt ruled cable barriers out, but didnt consider them the highest priority for Highway 61. They consider the highways at-grade crossings the more dangerous issue and are planning to build an overpass in the next two years at Highway P to eliminate an at-grade intersection. WASHINGTON The United States Senate and the online advertising site Backpage.com are headed for a legal showdown, after a Senate committee voted unanimously Wednesday to hold the site in civil contempt for not cooperating with a probe into how it screens sex ads for illegal trafficking of minors. If approved by the Senate highly likely given the 15-0 vote in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee it would be the first civil contempt declaration by the Senate in more than 20 years, according to its sponsors, Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio. Portman called the action necessary because of Backpage's refusal to cooperate with his and McCaskill's investigation into sex trafficking of children. "I really appreciate Sen. Portman's calm resolve on this because it is an antidote to how damned mad I am, and everyone should be mad," McCaskill said shortly before the vote was taken. "This is the height of arrogance and the height of thumbing one's nose at our laws in this country." A lawyer for Backpage said the company welcomes the contempt citation, and that the company has been for months calling on McCaskill and Portman for a legal test of Congress's authority to probe the actions of a company that believes it has First Amendment protections. "Backpage welcomes the decision," said Steve Ross, a lawyer for the prominent Washington law firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP. In a statement sent to the Post-Dispatch, he said a civil action in court was was "the precise course of action the company has been urging upon the subcommittee for eight months." McCaskill and Portman allege that Backpage routinely allows the advertising of sex with minors on its site, and they have asked for the company' to disclose their policies to prevent that. The company refused to cooperate with their investigative subcommittee, setting off an unusually harsh exhange in which another lawyer for Backpage - Liz McDougall - last year accused McCaskill and Portman of engaging in the same tactics of the Cold War era Sen. Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin. Ross said that the two sides "have been in disagreement regarding both the applicability of the 1st Amendment to the subcommittee's efforts to require production of documents from an online publisher of third party advertisements and the relevance of such records to the work of the subcommittee." He said the company has been asking McCaskill and Portman's investigative committee for months for a judicial review of its subpoena powers. "We welcome the subcommittee's decision to follow the course we have been urging," Ross said. The decision, if accepted by the full Senate, is likely to escalate prominence of the probe. Rhetoric has already gotten hot on the disagreement. And even strict 1st Amendment constitutionalists like Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted for the civil contempt citation. McCaskill, visibly angry, said that "today on Backpage, children are being trafficked for sex," and she decried "the notion that the company can call Sen. Portman and me names and try to smear our reputations and hide behind the 1st Amendment." Backpage has been an aggressive litigator on First Amendment grounds. Late last year it filed a lawsuit to prevent the Justice Department from enforcing a law sponsored by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, and Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., aimed at curbed advertising of minors for sex. Congress in 1978 gave the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia jurisdiction to preside over a civil action to enforce compliance with a Senate subpoena. The court can impose sanctions if a defendant does not comply with a Senate order or subpoena. According to a memo prepared for Portman and McCaskill, the last time this procedure was used was in 1995 during the probe of Bill and Hillary Clinton and associates in the Whitewater real estate deal in Arkansas. WASHINGTON A final decision on the site of a new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency complex may not come until late May, Rep. Mike Bost said Wednesday. Boss, R-Murphysboro, and Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, met Wednsday with NGA Director Robert Cardillo. Bost said that Cardillo told them he expects a temporary decision to be announced in late March, but that a review process that was previously thought to take 30 days would be most likely extended to 60. "The final decision, we are looking at the end of May," Bost told the Post-Dispatch. The location of the $1.6 billion facility that employs about 3,000, many of them well-paid information and intelligence specialists, is an extremely important decision to the region's economic future. The NGA is currently based south of downtown St. Louis near Anheuser-Busch. Cardillo's NGA has reportedly narrowed the future site to two: Near Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County in Bost's congressional district; or in North St. Louis, a location pushed heavily by Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, and other members of the Missouri congressional delegation. Clay has argued that the St. Louis site would be a boon for an economically distressed area and attractive for employees looking for urban living. He has taken his case directly to the Obama White House. Last week, he hosted the top Democrat of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., for a tour of the proposed North St. Louis site. All these sites work for NGA, Schiff said then. "So I think you then get into the question of where can the location of the facility have the biggest impact on the community in a positive way. Bost said Wednesday he reiterated his arguments for the Scott site, including its proximity to Scott in a "tight window of security," access to existing military communications networks, cost-savings at the Illinois site, and other factors. St. Clair County last year offered to donate the land next to Scott. "When you look at all of the rules, equally played, I think that they are positive" for the site in Illinois, Bost said. He said that there are "benefits on both sides of the river" and that it should be stressed as a regional impact. Bost said that Cardillo gave no clear indication of which way he was leaning, but "we are thinking it is very positive." Besides Shimkus and Bost, staffers for Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville and for Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner were in the private session with Cardillo, Bost said. JEFFERSON CITY Gov. Jay Nixon will have to find a new way to implement wage hikes he agreed to with unions representing thousands of home health care workers. In action Wednesday, the Missouri House voted 125-34 to block the increases, saying the way Nixon put the raises on the books was technically illegal. While Democrats bemoaned the circumstances of stripping raises from low-income Missourians, Republican House Speaker Todd Richardson argued that Nixons maneuver was an extraordinary overreach of executive power. If this Legislature fails to reject this rule, we might as well not exist, and just say to the executive, You not only administer the laws, you make the laws, Richardson said. The House followed the earlier lead of the Senate in acting on the raises. Both chambers approved the measure with veto-proof majorities. Nixon and the union representing as many as 12,000 home care workers could not be reached immediately. Under the original pact, the governor and the Missouri Home Care Union agreed that home care workers would see their pay rise from an average of $7.75 per hour to as much as $10.15 per hour. But, the agreement put the decision on how much the workers should receive in the hands of those receiving the services, which is not allowed under state law, said state Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, who sponsored the measure. Democrats said the situation was unfair to the workers, who perform a variety of services for elderly and disabled Missourians. Heres the problem: We can debate all those technicalities, but at the end of the day what were really talking about are working that are very low paid who have the right to bargain and the deck in our statutes is completely stacked against them, said state Rep. Gina Mitten, D-St. Louis. The legislation is Senate Concurrent Resolution 46. SPRINGFIELD, ILL. President Barack Obama on Wednesday stood before his former colleagues of the Illinois Legislature currently one of the most politically divided governmental bodies in America and made a renewed appeal to end poisonous political discourse here and around the country. The tone of our politics hasnt gotten better since I was inaugurated. In fact, its gotten worse, said Obama, recasting a key passage from his State of the Union address last month. He reiterated that one of my few regrets is my inability to reduce the polarization and the meanness in our politics, and suggested one solution is just to act the way our parents taught us to act. Obama spoke in the same silver-domed Statehouse where he served as an Illinois state senator from 1997 through 2004, before his U.S. Senate election that year. In the cavernous Illinois House chamber, he addressed a crowd of state legislators that included many he served with and debated against here during major legislative showdowns over death penalty reform, political ethics reform and, presciently, health care reform. He didnt mention any of the current crop of presidential candidates by name but appeared at several points in the speech to make veiled reference to Republican front-runner Donald Trumps now-familiar style of personal-insult politics. Rather than reward the most extreme voices or who is best at launching schoolyard taunts, we should insist on a higher form of political discourse, Obama said. Obamas Springfield speech comes exactly nine years after he announced his first presidential candidacy in the same city, on Feb. 10, 2007. Then a 45-year-old first-term U.S. senator, he used the backdrop of Abraham Lincolns hometown to call for an end to divisive politics the same venue, as he put it then, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together. Nine years to the day that I first announced for this office, I still believe in the politics of hope, Obama said Wednesday. The ensuing seven years of Obamas presidency have coincided with an arguably more divided political system than ever. There remains a deep debate whether that division is due to an inherently divisive Obama administration, as his conservative critics claim, or to an intransigent Republican culture that vowed from the start to thwart him at every turn, as his defenders claim. The president also bemoaned public cynicism about politics, and suggested several fixes, including limiting the influence of big money on politics; doing away with the long-held tradition of gerrymandering congressional districts to consolidate partisan power; and making it easy for people to vote. Even as he stressed the importance of more civility in politics, Obama joked about conservative criticism of him. If I listened to some of those conservative pundits, I wouldnt vote for me either, he said. I sound like a scary man. At another point, he quipped, to widespread laughter: I dont pretend to have all the answers to this If I did, I would have already done it through executive action, a subject that has been the top conservative criticisms of him. The seat of Illinois government today provides an apt background for any conversation about political gridlock. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democrat-controlled Legislature have been at loggerheads for a year now over fundamental issues regarding taxation and state economic policy, and the state has been operating without a budget for more than seven months. Obama didnt directly note that friction in his speech, but he did hearken to his own time in the Legislature as one of constructive bipartisanship that should provide a model for our national politics. We became friends. We went to fish fries together Wed play in golf scrambles We had a great bipartisan poker game, Obama recalled. The result, he said, was that we came at each debate assuming the best in one another and not the worst. We didnt call each other idiots or fascists who were trying to destroy America. Because then wed have to explain why were we playing poker or having a drink with an idiot or a fascist. He added: This is why Ive always believed so deeply in a better kind of politics, in part because of what I learned here. Obama warned that political polarization encourages the kind of ideological fealty that rejects any compromise as a form of weakness. If we cant compromise, we cant govern ourselves, he said. When I hear voices in either party boast of their refusal to compromise Im not impressed. While most of the speech focused on political polarization and Obamas admitted inability to end it, he did take a victory lap for his administrations successes, including saving the automobile industry, cutting unemployment in half, killing Osama bin Laden and insuring 18 million previously uninsured Americans through the Affordable Care Act. Theres no doubt America is better off today than when I took office, Obama said, to huge applause from Democrats in the room. Air Force One touched down at Springfields Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport about 11:30 a.m. Obama emerged with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a political mentor. They were greeted on the tarmac by Rauner, a Republican. The two chief executives talked briefly. Obama patted Rauner on the arm before entering his limo. En route from the airport to the Statehouse, Obamas motorcade made a stop at the Feed Store, a downtown Springfield lunch place that specializes in soups. Hundreds of local residents lined the street in front of the Statehouse as the motorcade made its way there, some holding signs of support. Traffic was severely restricted around the 19th-century French Renaissance building, with Secret Service and police stationed all around the building and snipers on roofs overhead. A few people across from the Statehouse were holding a sign that said Honk to impeach Obama as the motorcade went by. UPDATED at 5:30 p.m. Friday with additional information ST. CHARLES Larry Dobrosky, the deputy city manager of a Phoenix suburb, is likely to soon become St. Charles' new director of administration. Mayor Sally Faith confirmed that she has picked Dobrosky for the post. She added that she has run her choice by the City Council and "the support of the council is there." Faith said Friday that Dobrosky has agreed to a contract that would pay him $142,500 a year. The council must still sign off on that when it votes on final approval. Faith said Dobrosky, who now works for El Mirage, Ariz., was among 51 applicants for the director of administration job vacated last August by Michael Spurgeon. Spurgeon resigned to take a similar post in the Tulsa, Okla., area. Another finalist to succeed Spurgeon was the city's interim director of administration, Bruce Evans, who also is the city's community development director. Evans said Friday he was "bitterly disappointed with the decision but will have nothing further to say at this time." For the short term, Evans said, he would return to his development post when Dobrosky begins in St. Charles. Ell Mirage, with about 33,500 residents, is about half the size of St. Charles. In St. Charles, the mayor serves fulltime and acts as the city's chief administrator. The director of administration is the mayor's top aide. Spurgeon, who had been with the city since 2007, was paid about $145,000 a year in that role. (Mark Schlinkmann) ST. LOUIS A state constitutional amendment on the right to bear firearms does not allow nonviolent felons to carry guns, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled in a set of opinions announced Tuesday. The two 5-2 decisions, written by Judge Laura Denvir Stith, reversed lower court rulings from St. Louis that had thrown out the convictions of three men based on the Aug. 5, 2014, passage of Amendment 5. It declared the right to keep and bear arms unalienable and subjected laws restricting gun rights to strict scrutiny. Validity of the prohibition on violent felons was never in dispute. But the lower court rulings had created fear among prosecutors that they would no longer be able to charge nonviolent felons for having guns. The high court ruling said the amendment does not put that law in jeopardy. We are thrilled with the courts decision today, said Beth Orwick, chief trial assistant for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce. Prior to this decision coming down, we really thought Amendment 5 was going to impact our ability to hold felons accountable. What became problematic was the specific wording of the gun rights proposition, passed by 60 percent of voters in August 2014, which carved out an exclusion for convicted violent felons. The law prohibits any felon from having a gun. It does not differentiate between prior violent and nonviolent offenses. For that reason, the lower courts held that it did not survive Amendment 5s strict scrutiny test. If framers of Amendment 5 had intended to create a blanket prohibition on felons in possession of firearm, St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Robert Dierker asked, why would they reference only convicted violent felons? Prosecutors, in appealing his ruling and others, argued that the specific language did not prevent lawmakers from imposing restrictions on other felons as well. The measures sponsor, Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, has told the Post-Dispatch that allowing felons to automatically have possession of firearms was not the intent or legal effect of Amendment 5. The states top court agreed. The legislature has the authority to adopt laws, except when expressly prohibited by the constitution, and (Amendment 5) is silent as to the right of nonviolent felons to possess firearms, the court noted. Had Amendment 5 intended to prohibit lawmakers from regulating nonviolent felons, it would have simply said so, Stith wrote. The opinion cited prior court rulings that found the states firearm possession charge survives even the most stringent formulation of the strict scrutiny standard in that it is narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling state interest public safety. Joyces office issued about 300 felon-in-possession cases from May to December 2015. Its hard to say how many cases might have been affected by a contrary ruling, because the office has no way to track whether the prior offenses would be considered violent versus nonviolent. That 300 does not include hundreds of cases in which felon in possession was a secondary charge. The main opinion Tuesday involved the case of Pierre Clay, charged in February 2015 after being found a month earlier with a gun despite a prior conviction for unlawful use of a weapon. In April 2015, the charge was dismissed, based on challenges raised over Amendment 5. The Freedom Center of Missouri, which advocates for individual liberties and limited government, cited dissents by Judges Richard B. Teitelman and George W. Draper III in criticizing the rulings Tuesday. It believes Amendment 5 intended nonviolent felons which could include someone who failed to pay their taxes or who illegally bet on horse races to have the same gun rights as everyone else. The organization, which along with St. Louis defense attorney Nick Zotos represented Clay in his appeal, called him a hard-working husband and father who had a gun because he simply wants to keep his family safe. It is heartbreaking and senseless that he now faces time in prison for no reason other than that he exercised his constitutional right to possess a firearm for defensive purposes, the statement, by executive director Jenifer Zeigler Roland, read. The majority has today rejected the idea that our constitutions impose serious restrictions on governmental power and has announced that, no matter how clearly any individual right is stated in the Missouri Constitution, four judges (a court majority in Missouri) who do not like that right can render it meaningless. The second opinion involves Raymond Robinson and Steve Lomax. Robinson was arrested July, 28 2014, after police found a pistol in a vehicle search. He had a prior conviction in St. Louis on a felony charge of unlawful use of a weapon, for carrying a concealed weapon in 2003. On June 12, 2014, Lomax was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. Even though the cases were still pending when Amendment 5 passed, the opinion noted that what matters is the law that existed at the time the crime occurred. For that reason, the court did not rule on the merits of the argument presented by the mens lawyers. The pair of rulings reverse all three dismissals and send them back to the circuit court. Missouri Saving for Tuition, the states college savings plan, will have lower fees and more investment options under a new contract with the plans administrator, state Treasurer Clint Zweifel announced Wednesday. The state is also ending the adviser portion of the plan, which was sold by investment brokers in exchange for fees paid by the plans investors. The 15,300 adviser accounts, worth $227 million, will be rolled into funds in the lower-cost direct option. Thats the option investors can buy on their own, without a brokers advice. The result will be an 80 percent cut in the fees paid by investors in the adviser option. Investors in the direct option will see a 28 percent fee cut under the new contract, Zweifel said. The plan, nicknamed MOST, allows people to save for college while avoiding taxes. MOST will add five mutual funds managed by Dimensional Fund Advisors to its current list of 15 Vanguard stock and bond funds. The state signed MOSTs current management firm, Ascensus College Savings, to another five-year contract. Zweifel said the fee reduction puts MOST among the 10 lowest-cost plans in the nation. Investors pay Ascensuss fees through an expense charge on their investments. As a result, the expenses paid in MOST are sometimes higher than those an investor would pay for the same mutual funds outside a tax-protected plan. For instance, MOST investors are paying 0.32 percent for investments in the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund. The new contract will cut that to 0.23 percent. But investors buying directly from Vanguard pay 0.17 percent for that fund, or 0.05 percent if they invest more than $10,000. Because MOST is a 529 college savings plan, investors in the plan get a tax benefit. Earnings on the money are never taxed if used for higher education. And Missouri taxpayers can deduct contributions in any states 529 plan from their Missouri income taxes within limits. MOST was founded without an adviser option. That brought demands from the brokerage industry, which wanted to make a profit by providing advice for college savers, and MOST added an option that compensates brokers. Ending the adviser part of the plan raises the possibility that brokers will stop selling MOST and put their clients in another states college plan that pays brokers. But Zweifel noted that more brokers are moving to a system in which they charge an investor a percentage of all assets they manage, rather than taking commissions on each trade or fees collected from mutual fund companies. We think there will be more advisers wanting to use our direct plan, he said. MOST savers generally dont use advisers. MOST has 138,000 direct-paid accounts with $2.3 billion in assets. Dimensional Fund Advisors, known as DFA, is a well-known mutual fund and investment management company handling about $388 billion in investments. It was co-founded by Rex Sinquefield, a prominent contributor to Missouri politicians and conservative causes. He retired from Dimensional as co-chairman in 2005 and left its board in 2013, after his politics put Dimensional on a teachers union blacklist. Zweifel said the Sinquefield connection played no part in the decision to add DFA funds. I have had no conversation with him about it, he said. State records show no direct contributions from Sinquefield to Zweifels campaign in recent years. ABINGDON, Md. A man opened fire inside a crowded shopping center restaurant during lunchtime Wednesday and wounded a sheriff's deputy, then exchanged gunfire with another deputy outside, authorities said. The second deputy was also wounded and the suspect was killed in the shootout, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. The first shooting took place inside a Panera restaurant in Abingdon in northeastern Maryland after a deputy responded to a call at 11:46 a.m. Wednesday about someone causing a problem inside, the sheriff said. The responding deputy was wounded, and the shooter left. Witnesses gave officers a good description of the man and the direction he was headed. After at least one deputy caught up with him, shots were exchanged, leaving the second deputy wounded and the suspect dead, the sheriff said. No one else was hurt. "I saw two women and a child run from Panera to our back door. They were hysterical. They said they heard gunshots," said bartender Mike Davis, who was working at the Ocean City Brewing Co.'s Taphouse. "We locked the door and went to talk to a cop. The cop said not to let anyone in. Then, we heard more gunshots, 'Pop, pop, pop, pop,' from down in the shopping center. It was hectic." The sheriff said investigators believe the person acted alone and there is no further threat to the community. "The restaurant was very full at lunchtime," Gahler said. "Thankfully, no one else was injured." He declined to discuss the deputies' conditions; they both were taken to hospitals. Abingdon is about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore. The shopping center is called the Boulevard at Box Hill. It has a mix of shops, restaurants, a grocery store and a bank. Yellow tape blocked off the Panera and Taphouse restaurants, but people were coming and going freely at other businesses. First of two editorials Eighteen months after the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, a top police research organization has issued 30 guiding principles on the use of deadly force by officers. St. Louis-area police forces should embrace and incorporate these principles as the modern way to police our streets. Browns killing, and the protests and civil disorder that followed, marked the beginning of an intense, ongoing national debate over police use of force. Subsequent furor over high-profile killings in New York, Cleveland, Baltimore, South Carolina, Chicago and other jurisdictions underscored how widespread the problem is. Yet the FBI, to its embarrassment, doesnt keep good records on killings by police. Thats beginning to change. Media organizations, including The Washington Post and The Guardian, began tracking the incidents themselves through media reports and online searches. The Posts accounting for 2015: 987. The Guardians: 1,134. About 200 police chiefs and other law enforcement experts met in Rosslyn, Va., on Jan. 29, where Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, presented his groups Taking Police to a Higher Standard: 30 Guiding Principles. In 300 or so of the killings tracked by The Post in 2015, the suspect was not armed with a gun. Wexler suggests there are lessons to be learned from those 300 cases. The principles emphasize two main points: Lethal force must be the option of last resort. Protecting the sanctity of human life should be at the heart of every police forces mission. Wexler also urged police agencies to hold themselves to a standard higher than the Supreme Courts objectively reasonable ruling, which holds that officers are justified in taking a life if another officer, faced with a similar set of circumstances, could reasonably be expected to make the same decision. Its why officers often cite the fear for their own lives as the basis for shooting suspects, even unarmed ones. Other principles call for officers to de-escalate situations when possible by repositioning themselves and allowing more time to assess the danger. Some agencies call this tactical retreat, meaning its better to back off than to take a life if the threat is not immediate. The idea of retreat doesnt sit well with some officers, so repositioning is now the word of choice. Had Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson been taught tactical repositioning, he might have stayed in his police SUV on Aug. 9, 2014, and called for backup. Instead, as hed been trained, he went after Michael Brown on foot. Police officers are Type-A personalities, said St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson. We have not taught tactical repositioning. We have a go-go-go attitude. Still, he said the guidelines outlined in Rosslyn represent the direction that big-city police departments are heading. Dotson distributed a copy of the guidelines to his command staff on Monday. The city police department should be ready to tactically reposition itself. The Ferguson City Council is playing a game of chicken with the U.S. Department of Justice that it is bound to lose. The citys leaders are fooling themselves if they think the consent decree it worked out with the Justice Department after months of negotiation is up for retooling. Ferguson has no leverage in revising the decree, which is intended to reform the citys police department and municipal court. The council voted Tuesday night to seek revisions to the decree. The Justice Department responded with a lawsuit Wednesday. The decree does not require Ferguson police to do anything other than what any police department committed to modern law enforcement and the constitutional protection of individual rights would do. But those reforms come at a cost, which is a sticking point for a city that has lost its ATM-like municipal court and is already $2.8 million in the hole. Ferguson sent the decree back to the DOJ with seven proposed revisions. Among them: The city doesnt want to pay higher salaries for police or other city employees. And, should it hire another agency to take over the police department or other city services, it doesnt want the consent decree terms to apply to the new agency. Its important to note that the St. Louis County police have been operating under a less onerous agreement with the DOJ since October. The Justice Department made 109 recommendations to help the department build better community policing skills and engender better relations with the roughly 407,000 area residents it serves. If Ferguson contracts with the county for police services which is what it should do those officers would be following the DOJs recommendations, which are not likely to be much different from those sought in Ferguson. There may be a cost difference between what the city has been paying its police force and what it would pay the county, but its worth it if the residents of Ferguson get quality policing. If Ferguson tries to stick with its own police force, the requirement that it raise salaries is intended to ensure it will hire and train the best officers available. That, too, is reasonable. Ferguson is being asked to guarantee it will not run a substandard police department that discriminates against African-Americans. It will be expensive, but so was the decision to hire a $1,355-an-hour lawyer to negotiate with the Justice Department. The sooner Ferguson can stop paying lawyers the better off it will be. Ferguson should hire the county police. It should work with the Justice Department on a reasonable compromise between what the countys already doing and what DOJ wants done in Ferguson. Good faith would go a long way, and be a nice change. At Koch Industries Inc., applicants for most jobs no longer answer initial questions about their criminal history. Other companies have similar fair-chance hiring policies, including Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot and Bed Bath & Beyond. In this legislative session, Missouri lawmakers have a chance to adopt a fair-chance hiring policy too, also known as ban the box. Securing a fair chance in competing for jobs is something that people with criminal records want and need. I should know; I have a criminal record and support a fair chance for people with prior criminal records. It has been over 20 years now since I came out of prison and had to look for employment. When I first was released, I found it very hard to get a job. I came out of prison with a background as a certified nurse assistant and a certified medication tech. I even had worked while in prison in a work release program at a nursing home in Chillicothe, Mo. I had a good resume and recent job history. I applied at a nursing home, and they were very impressed with my resume. They said they were anxious for me to start and even agreed to give me my preferred shift, but once I filled out the official paperwork, all that changed. Even though I had experience in the field and my convictions were not related to the tasks of the job I would be doing, I was not able to be hired for that company. Eventually, I was hired for another company that gave me a chance even with my background, but it was a hard road to get where I am today. This needs to be addressed. It has been slowly changing through a nationwide fair-chance hiring movement. Progress has been championed by elected officials across ideological lines who recognize that putting people with criminal records to work improves public safety. This past year, Georgias Republican Gov. Nathan Deal and Virginias Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe authorized fair-chance hiring for state employees. This is a fairness issue. This is an economic issue. It also moves employment decisions to where they should be, based on judgment, fairness and individual consideration rather than an emotional reaction to something that may or may not be relevant to a particular position. There are many situations in which someones past mistake has no bearing on a particular job. Those who demonstrate they are no longer a risk to public safety should have a chance to make a living and be productive members of society. Excluding someone at the very start of the application process has the very real effect of disqualifying large numbers of Missourians, who are trying to improve themselves and avoid future involvement with criminal justice systems. As a society, we all will pay a price if those released from prison find themselves shut out of the workforce. Keeping a person behind bars isnt cheap: A cost of almost $21,000 per prisoner per year, according to 2014 Missouri Department of Corrections Annual Report, results in over-investment in incarceration, with limited benefits to Missouri taxpayers. Missouri would not be breaking new ground here. Ohio, Colorado and Nebraska, in addition to Virginia and Georgia, have all adopted fair-chance hiring policies. Missouri will have the opportunity to take a step in this direction in 2016 due to Senate Bill 724, filed by Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis. SB724 currently applies only to hiring in state government. Of course, fair-chance hiring doesnt mean eliminating background checks further along in the application process. No employer would be forced to hire an inappropriate applicant because of fair-chance hiring. Fair-chance policies benefit everyone because theyre good for families and the local community. A decision to join the fair-chance hiring movement would make Missouri stronger. We would be economically stronger if smart, talented, hard-working people were put to work instead of being unfairly excluded from jobs because of a question on an application form. Barbara Baker is the advocate director for the Center for Women in Transition. If the execution is carried out, it too will leave a grieving family, in addition to having lost a little boy who might have survived if he could have gotten to the hospital in time. Programs at Glen Carbon Library Upcoming events at the Glen Carbon Library include: Stop by for these upcoming youth events Preschool Story Time ("Parades and Parties" at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10); Valentine's Day "Love and Chickens" (at 1 p.m. Feb. 13); and the Teen Anti Valentine's Day (at 2 p.m. Feb. 13). The Winter Reading Program is an annual tradition at the library to encourage leisure reading among adults. This year's theme is "Brilliantly Bookish" and it runs through Feb. 27. During the reading program, adults 18 and older can participate in weekly drawings for UK themed prizes by recording each time they read for two hours, attend an adult library program or use a library database. Reading logs are available online or at the Help Desk. Multiple reading log submissions are encouraged. For rules, registration and a list of special events during the Brilliantly Bookish Winter Reading Program, check the library's website. A related event, the "Tea and Packing Party" (decorate and stuff bags with travel-sized toiletries that were donated to the library, while enjoying tea and biscuits) to benefit Good Samaritan House, will be at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 15, in the Community Room. No need to register, just drop in and join the party. Another related event, "The Real James Bond Informative Lecture" (dare to venture into the world of British legend, exploit and intrigue as you learn the true story of the real spy who inspired Ian Fleming's iconic James Bond) will be at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16. Registration is required for that one and is available online. An "All Things FAFSA" workshop will be at 10 a.m. Feb. 20. If youre considering college, youll want to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. Let a skilled instructor from Higher Education Consortium help you navigate the different types of free financial aid available, federal students loans and avoiding the debt ditch. Registration is required for these free workshops and available online, by phone or in person. For all programs requiring registration, call 618-288-1212, register at the Help Desk or go online to www.glencarbonlibrary.org Meet the Candidates Night The Conservative Women's Coalition's "Meet the Candidates Night" will be at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 11, at IHOP Restaurant, 4233 South State Rt. 159, in Glen Carbon. Those speaking will be candidates for Congress (13th District), for the Illinois 5th District Appellate Court Judge and Madison County Board, along with a representative for James Marter's U.S. Senate campaign. Literature and yard signs will be available. This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Kim at 314-402-4543. LONDON MARKET CLOSE: Investors cheer as Truss chased out of No 10 Thursday, October 20, 2022 - 17:12 The FTSE 100 moved into the green on Wednesday afternoon, with sterling also rising, as investors in the UK were buoyed by Liz Truss calling an end to her disastrous six-week tenure. Truss has announced her resignation after a chaotic 44 days in office during which she lost the confidence of Tory members of Parliament and the public and oversaw economic turbulence. She is set to become the shortest serving prime minister in history after she battled an open revolt from Conservatives demanding her departure. Speaking from a lectern in Downing Street, Truss said she had told the King she was resigning as the leader of the Conservative Party as she recognised she "cannot deliver the mandate" which Tory members gave her little over six weeks ago. "To use a phrase that has no doubt been exhausted in the past few weeks, markets don I dont think its a stretch to say Warped Cigars had a breakout year in 2015. The company has been around for the better part of a decade, but in the past couple years it upped its game with a series of releases made at El Titan de Bronze in Miami and TABSA in Nicaragua. Futuro was one of a handful of new releases from Warped at the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans last summer. Warped describes Futuros creation on its website: Future is a collaboration between Warped x Casa Fernandez, but more specifically Kyle Gellis of Warped and Max Fernandez of Casa Fernandez, son of Eduardo Fernandez, owner of AGANORSA and Casa Fernandez. We originally began speaking about this project at the 2014 IPCPR and it took that much time to develop this concept and blend. We set out to create a profile that is unlike anything Warped or Casa Fernandez has done previously, utilzing 100% AGANORSA material from their vault, a selection of tobacco under lock and key and specifically for the Fernandez family. The cigar uses a reddish-brown Nicaraguan Corojo 99 wrapper, Nicaraguan Criollo 98 binder, and Nicaraguan Criollo 98 and Corojo 99 filler tobaccos. It is made at TABSA. Futuro will be offered in two vitolas, each of which sold in 20-count boxes: Seleccion Suprema (5.6 x 46, $8.75), and Seleccion 109 (6 x 52, $9.75). I smoked four Seleccion Supremas, the size and blend preferred by Kye Gellis, for this review. The profile starts with an initial burst of creaminess before it settles into a woody flavor with light spice and hints of honey. Occasionally, I even pick up on a combination of flavors that reminds me of banana bread. As the medium-bodied cigar progresses, heavier spice and earth notes become more prominent. There are papery notes on the clean, relatively short finish. The excellent construction on this cigar is a testament to the increased quality that the TABSA factory has been producing. The factory is now producing cigars for Illusione, Warped, Casa Fernandez, Foundation Cigar Co. (El Gueguense), and others. With a combination of sweetness, spice, wood, and earth, this is a very enjoyable, complex, and balanced Nicaraguan puro. Add in excellent construction plus a fair price (under $9) and the Warped Futuro Seleccion Supremas earns our first five-stogie rating of 2016. In recent months, the strategy to ultimately defeat ISIL has begun to reap rewards. Part of that strategy included deploying more U.S. special operations forces, expanding training efforts for groups fighting ISIL, acquiring better intelligence, and improving targeting. It is fair to say, said Secretary of State John Kerry, that our persistence, our unity, our concerted commitment from every different country. . .is all making a difference. Recent successes include the recapturing of Ramadi, Bayji, and Sinjar by Iraqi forces. In Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces have retaken thousands of kilometers of territory from ISIL and cut off their supply routes. This Iraqi city of Tikrit has been liberated, where more than 90 percent of the population has been able to return and begin to rebuild their homes and lives. Some 10,000 Coalition airstrikes assisted in making these victories possible. These sorties are hammering ISILs heavy weapons, its training camps, its oil fields, supply routes, cache sites and infrastructure. In addition, more than 90 mid-level or high-level leaders of ISIL have been killed since last May. These sustained efforts are hurting ISILs finances as evidenced by reports that ISIL has had to cut the pay to their fighters by 50 percent. Ultimately, said Secretary Kerry, the war against ISIL is going to be won through our local partners on the ground. Coalition members have trained nearly 20,000 regular Iraqi and Peshmerga soldiers as well as more than a thousand Iraqi police officers. The challenge now is to relentlessly push ahead with this strategy, giving ISIL no safe havens in which to hide. That requires doubling down on choking off ISILs revenue sources. Coalition members also need to provide sufficient funding to stabilize newly regained territory. Beyond financial support, the government of Iraq needs assistance with removing thousands of lethal explosives that have been left behind by the terrorists. And in Syria, diplomatic efforts to find a political solution to the crisis must produce results. At the same time the international community must address the pressing humanitarian needs of the Syrian and Iraqi people. Through a sustained military effort and financial and humanitarian contributions by every member of the Counter-ISIL coalition, said Secretary Kerry, I have no doubt we are going to degrade and destroy [ISIL]. The United States has been reluctant to provide data on the results of the air campaign against ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) in Syria and Iraq. In part this reticence results from that face that it is difficult to send in troops to check the damage (as was common in Afghanistan and Iraq) because there are so few American troops in Syria and Iraq these days. Yet the United States has extensive intel resources (aerial and on the ground) that obtain a lot of useful information about what is happening on the ground but you dont want to make that data public because it risks revealing details of how it reached any of its conclusions. The evasiveness was understandable because if the enemy can find out who American informants are or how sensors work that would risk making methods less useful. Informants can get killed and the enemy can develop tactics to hide from sensors. In general intelligence organizations will not make public information on methods and sources because, at the very least, this makes the, more difficult to use effectively the next time around. But there is one bit of information the United States has been releasing for a long time and that is the number of missions in which weapons were used. This has become a much more useful bit of data since the 1990s when the United States and most Western nations stopped using unguided bombs and switched to smart (guided) bombs and missiles. Along with that came an unprecedented drop in civilian casualties when airborne weapons were used. This led to stricter and stricter ROEs (Rules of Engagement). As a result, after 2001 each aerial weapon used was almost always hitting what it was used against and doing damage. Thus while the number of warplanes used over Syria and Iraq has not changed much since the bombing campaign began in 2014 the ROE has. Thus the number of weapons released is telling. There were 269 weapons used in August 2014 and this rose to 1,888 in December 2014 then to 2,823 in July 2015. By the end of 2015 it was over 3,000 a month and headed for 4,000. The increased weapons count correlated with the growth in ISIL deserters and civilians who escaped ISIL territory reporting higher casualties from air strikes. The U.S. gradually loosened up its ROE in 2015 and accelerated this after October when Russian warplanes began operating in Syria. The Russians had a much less strict ROE and their air attacks were doing far more damage to ISIL and other rebel groups despite the heavy use of human shields by ISIL. All this led to more dead civilians but the amount of damage done to ISIL increased so much that in the last year ISIL manpower in Iraq and Syria has declined about 20 percent. South Korea believes that North Korea was behind a recent Cyber War campaign seeking to get into South Korean nuclear plants. Currently 22 percent of electricity in South Korea comes from nuclear plants (compared to 20 percent of the American electricity and 74 percent in France.) This attacks was traced back to servers in northeast China, which is a technique North Korea has used before. South Korea is trying to persuade China to crack down on North Korean hackers using servers in China. South Korea is a major supplier of nuclear power plant components to China and recently sold China a complete nuclear power plant. So far China has refused to crack down on the North Korean hackers even though China is mad at North Korea for defying China (about nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles). The recent North Korean attack also used a relatively new method of getting past security. This is called smishing because it is a two-step process similar to phishing. What both of these methods have in common is the exploitation of human error. This is frequently used for attacks via Internet against specific civilian, military, and government individuals using psychology, rather than just technology. Phishing is often carried out in the form of official looking email, with a file attached, sent to people at a specific military or government organization. It is usually an email they weren't expecting but from someone they recognize. This is known in the trade as "spear fishing" (or "phishing"). The attachment, if opened, secretly installs a program that sends files and information from the email recipient's PC to the spear fisher's computer. In the last few years an increasing number of military, government, and contractor personnel have received these official-looking emails with attachments and asking for prompt attention. Smishing is the expected response to more defenses against phishing attacks. Several new attack methods have been developed and one of these is smishing. This involves a spear fishing campaign that does not try to deliver malware but simply get the recipient to reply to the message. The hackers then respond with a message that does contain the malware. This sort of cleverness is seen as the sort of thing the North Korean would develop. North Korean hackers have been increasingly successful at launching Internet based attacks in South Korea. For example in 2014 North Korea managed to distribute to over 20,000 South Korean smart phone users games containing spy software. The North Korean spyware was seeking information from banks as well as documents relating to reunification plans and defense matters. The spyware allowed the North Koreans to transfer data from the infected smart phone and secretly turn on the camera. The government quickly found a way to block this sort of thing. North Korea denied any involvement, as it usually does. But since 2000 the evidence has been piling up of increasing North Korean Internet based espionage via the Internet. Long believed to be nonexistent, North Korean cyberwarriors do exist. North Korea has had personnel working on Internet issues since the early 1990s. Their Mirim College program has trained several thousand Internet engineers and hackers so far. North Korea has a unit devoted to Internet based warfare and this unit is increasingly active. Since the late 1980s, Mirim College in North Korea has been known as a facility that specialized in training electronic warfare specialists. But by the late 1990s, the school was found to be teaching students how to hack the Internet and other types of networks. Originally named after the district of Pyongyang it was in, the college eventually moved and expanded. It had several name changes but its official name was always Military Camp 144 of the Korean People's Army. Students wore military uniforms and security on the school grounds was strict. Each year 120 students were accepted (from the elite high schools or as transfers from the best universities). Students stayed for 5 years. The school contained 5 departments: electronic engineering, command automation (hacking), programming, technical reconnaissance (electronic warfare), and computer science. There's also a graduate school, with a 3 year course (resulting in the equivalent of a Masters Degree) for a hundred or so students. It was long thought that those Mirim College grads were hard at work maintaining the government intranet, not plotting Cyber War against the south. Moreover, for a few years North Korea was allowed to sell programming services to South Korean firms. Not a lot, but the work was competent and cheap. So it was known that there was some software engineering capability north of the DMZ. It was believed that this was being used to raise money for the government up there, not form a major Internet crime operation. But now there is the growing evidence of North Korean hackers at work in several areas of illegal activity. The Cyber War attacks apparently began around 2005, quietly and nothing too ambitious. But year-by-year, the attacks increased in frequency, intensity, and boldness. By 2009, the North Korean hackers were apparently ready for making major assaults on South Korea's extensive Internet infrastructure, as well as systems (utilities, especially) that are kept off the Internet. Deceased (since 2011) North Korean leader Kim Jong Il had always been a big fan of PCs and electronic gadgets in general. He not only founded Mirim but backed it consistently. The only form of displeasure from Kim was suspicions that those who graduated from 1986 through the early 1990s had been tainted by visits (until 1991) by Russian electronic warfare experts. Some Mirim students also went to Russia to study for a semester or two. All these students were suspected of having become spies for the Russians, and most, if not all, were purged from the Internet hacking program. Thus, it wasn't until the end of the 1990s that there were a sufficient number of trusted Internet experts that could be used to begin building a Cyber War organization. South Korea has to be wary because they have become more dependent on the web than any other on the planet, with the exception of the United States. As in the past, if the north is to start any new kind of mischief, they try it out on South Korea first. While many of the first serious attacks in 2009 were more annoying than anything else, they revealed a new threat out there, and one that not only got worse but turned out to be from the usual suspects. Now the threat is very real and growing rapidly. Now that the sanctions are being lifted the government can allocate more resources to the many wars and insurgencies the country is involved in. Iran proclaims that all this mayhem is merely fellow Shia trying to defend themselves from Sunni aggression. In many cases this is true but over the centuries Iran has always extracted a high price for such protection. The Iraqi Shia are feeling that pressure, with local pro-Iran Shia militia leaders making it very clear that their main loyalty is to Iran, not the Iraqi government. In Syria the Shia minority, which has ruled (as the Assad dictatorship) since the 1970s has been threatened by a Sunni rebellion since 2011. Iran has been key in keeping the Assads going since then and now believes victory is in sight. As in the past the more numerous Sunni Arabs have self-destructed. Iran points out that ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and all the other Islamic terrorist rebels in Syria are the result of the Saudis and other Gulf oil states generous supporting Islamic radicals worldwide for decades. Iran is able to keep these Sunni terrorists out of Iran and the West has managed to contain them as well. So the Sunni Islamic terrorists mainly kill other Sunnis in Moslem countries, as well as a lot of Shia. This gives Iran a legitimate excuse to get involved in nations where there are significant Shia minorities and having provided this aid for so long Iran has become the indisputable leader of the Shia world. While Iran is technically part of the international anti-ISIL coalition it often uses rather than attacks ISIL because this group of Sunni radicals is more of a threat to Sunnis than to Shia. You can see this in Syria where ISIL is less concerned about overthrowing the Assads and more into expanding the caliphate they have created out of eastern Syria and western Iraq since 2014. So while the Arabs and the Americans bomb ISIL Iran and their ally Russia concentrate on the other Sunni rebels (most of them Islamic terrorists affiliated with al Qaeda). ISIL have been at war with these other Sunni Islamic terrorists for two years now and the pro-Assad forces will step aside to allow the Sunni fanatics to kill each other and then go after the winner. ISIL and many other Sunnis Islamic terrorists were aware of this early on and had worked out some informal, and quite fragile, alliances. Everyone knew this was temporary because once the Assads were gone the victorious Sunni Islamic terrorist groups, who believe democracy is heresy, would fight it out for supremacy. Iran exploits that mentality (which is less common among Shia) and, along with Russia, says they are in Syria to fight Islamic terrorists but in reality leave ISIL alone and concentrate on rebel groups that are the biggest threat to the Assads. Meanwhile it is to Irans advantage that ISIL hold the attention of the West and the Arabs. Iran is fighting ISEL, but mainly in Iraq, where Sunni Islamic terrorists have long focused their attacks on Shia civilians. Since the Shia are a majority in Iraq Iran becomes even more popular there as Iran backed militias and other military assistance plays a crucial role in driving ISIL (and eventually all Sunni Islamic terrorists) out of the country. Iranians speak openly (especially inside of Iran) of how well they have exploited their enemies and duped into fight for Iran instead of against Iran. Iranian media (and the government) is less interested in publicizing how the Gulf Arabs, led by Saudi Arabia have driven the price of oil so low, and kept it there, that Iran has been greatly weakened. This is a defeat the Iranians are quietly seeking a solution for. The Saudis say their oil price war is directed at American frackers but savvy Iranians (especially those with kin in America) know that is a lie or a delusion on the part of the Saudis. The American oil industry has proved itself very resilient and innovative since the Americans invented the oil business in the 19th century. The frackers, as expected, shut down much of their production as it got unprofitable but are hibernating, not dying. Iranians believe they are the real target of the Saudi oil price campaign because low oil prices, which went from a 2014 peak of $120 a barrel (159 liters) to less than $40 now, keeps Iran weak. At the same time the math indicates that the Saudis cannot keep it up for more than another five or ten years. At that point the Saudis run out of cash reserves and borrowing ability. The Saudis are betting that Iran will crack first while the Iranians believe they can outlast the Saudis. Place your bets. Inside Saudi Arabia the media openly boasts of this particular victory over the hated Iranians. The Quagmire In Syria Iranian efforts to get UN-sponsored Syrian peace talks going have been a frustrating failure so far. A major stumbling block is how to deal with the Kurds. The UN agreed to keep the Syrian Kurds out of the peace talks. This was something Turkey insisted on. There were other problems, like the tensions between Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran which have also helped cripple UN efforts to get Syria peace talks going. The growing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran has made cooperation over brokering a Syria peace deal less likely. Russian efforts to mediate are also compromised because of tensions between Iran and the Saudis. A negotiated peace in Syria is always something Iran has hoped for. Iran knows that the Sunni Islamic terror groups will always be on everyones hit list but with some smart maneuvering the Assad government can be legitimate again. That will be difficult because the Assads have driven millions of pro-rebel civilians out of the country with deliberate air and artillery attacks on pro-rebel civilians in general. Israel openly proclaim that their main priority in Syria is eliminating the Iranian presence. When pressed Israeli officials admit that this means preferring an Islamic terrorist group (even ISIL) running Syria if that meant Iran was gone. To Israel Iran is a more formidable threat than any Sunni Islamic terrorist group. On the plus side Israel believes the Russian intervention in Syria will, in the short term, lessen the possibility that Iran backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon will start another war with Israel. Israel is also not happy with the way Russia used its influence to get Western nations to agree to the July 2015 peace deal with Iran that is lifting most of the economic sanctions on Iran. This means Hezbollah will get more cash from Iran. The sanctions led to Iran reducing annual payments to Hezbollah over ten percent during the last two years. Hezbollah understood that Iran was short of cash because of sanctions and low oil prices but pointed out that the missing cash was even more of a problem because Hezbollah had suffered over 8,000 casualties fighting for the Iranian-backed Assad government in Syria. This is actually bad news for Israel because over 10,000 Hezbollah militia men and hundreds of combat leaders have obtained valuable combat experience. More to the point a lot of that experience is gained fighting alongside Russian forces and learning how to fight a conventional war. This will cause Israel problems in the future. Meanwhile Hezbollah has not been ignoring its rockets (more than 50,000 of them) stored in portable or underground launch sites in over 200 Shia villages near the Israeli border. The Takeover In Iraq In Iraq the government has become less insistent about not needing foreign troops in Iraq. This is because of the increasingly aggressive and autonomous behavior of the Iran-backed Shia militias that are assisting the army in the fight against ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant). The Shia militias are also taking control of territory in urban and rural areas, displacing the police and local government. Now the Iraq government sees the American troops as saviors. At the end of 2015 there were several thousand American troops already in Iraq and more (most of them Special Forces) on the way. The government has apparently made it clear to Iran (which is very hostile to U.S. forces in Iraq) that some American troops are essential. The presence of American troops also makes it less likely that Iran will attempt anything too ambitious (like invading or backing a takeover by Shia militias) and everyone knows that. Most Iraqis are more concerned with Iranian meddling than anything the Americans might do. At the same time Iraqis are wary of the other Gulf Arabs, especially Saudi Arabia. For example the Saudi ambassador to Iraq suggested that the Iran backed Shia militias in Iraq should stand aside and let the Iraqi Army deal with ISIL. That comment was widely condemned by Iraqi Shia clerics and politicians. The Shia politicians running Iraq have to move carefully because Iran, Saudi Arabia and America are making demands, often contrary ones, on Iraq. Meanwhile Iran has been so successful in Iraq that Abu Mahdi al Muhandis, the head of the Iran backed Shia militias in Iraq has said publicly that if Iran ordered him to overthrow the Iraqi government he would do so. This confirms what Iraqi leaders have long feared. The Shia militias are supposed to be under the control of the Iraqi government, if only because the militia members are paid by the government. Yet the Shia militias often refuse orders from the government and are demanding more money while refusing to account for how they spend it. Abu Mahdi al Muhandis is also very vocal about his belief that ISIL is the invention of the United States and secretly supported by the Americans as a way to weaken Islam. Pointless Humiliation In Yemen Iran understands that Yemen is far more important to the Gulf Arabs than to Iran. Moreover the Yemeni Shia have never been dependent on Iran like those in Lebanon (Hezbollah), Iraq or Syria. Control (or substantial influence) in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon give Iran a land route to their declared main foe; Israel. The Saudi royals and Arabs in general are secondary to the Iranian official hatred of Israel. This hate campaign is maintained by the senior Shia clerics who turned Iran into a religious dictatorship in the 1980s. Historically strange things like that happen occasionally in Iran. A growing majority of Iranians no longer see the point (or if there ever was one) in this obsession with destroying the only functioning democracy and most successful economy in the region. That seems to encourage the ruling clerics to intensify the government sponsored Israel must be destroyed mania. The Iranian threat to the Arab states in the region, especially those with oil, is of more immediate concern for the Arabs and the main reason why Arabs have openly become allies with Israel against Iran. This complex web of opportunities and capabilities means Yemen is basically a sideshow where winning is not the highest priority for Iran or Arabs. Both the Arabs and Iran have an interest in shutting down the Sunni Islamic terrorists in Yemen because these cutthroats see both Arab rulers and Shia in general as prime candidates for elimination. But the Iran/Arab animosity also makes it difficult to even meet for peace talks. So far this year Iranian radicals have set fire to the Saudi embassy in Iran and the Saudis responded by cutting diplomatic ties. Other Gulf Arabs reduced their diplomatic representation in and ties with Iran. So the Yemen peace talks that were supposed to start in January, and work out a peace settlement for Yemen, are on hold. Nuclear Mysteries Even as the July 2015 treaty was being signed there was mounting evidence that Iran was already working to continue its nuclear weapons research program. Before and after July 2015 there were satellite photos available showing work performed at the underground nuclear facilities at a military base (Parchin) that was long suspected of housing a nuclear research facility. For a long time Iran never let UN (IAEA) inspectors near inspect this base. Yet recent satellite photos showed Iran cleaning up evidence that nuclear weapons research was going on there. One condition of the July 14 treaty was to let IAEA visit Parchin before the end of 2015. The facilities IAEA wanted to inspect were all destroyed or modified and much material removed before the inspectors finally arrived. Meanwhile there were new underground facilities being built that the inspectors were not allowed near. February 8, 2016: Iran went public to confirm that it was still subsidizing the Sunni Islamic terror group Hamas. This group has run Gaza (between Israel and Egypt) and its 1.5 million Palestinians since 2005. There were recently more rumors that Iran had stopped supporting Hamas. Iran had decreased its support, in large part because of the sanctions and low oil prices but never cut off Hamas completely. Although Hamas sometimes persecutes Shia, Iran supports energetic Hamas efforts to attack Israel. Hamas also supports Islamic terrorists active in Egypt and that has turned Egypt completely against Hamas and helped put Egypt firmly into the anti-Iran Sunni coalition. February 5, 2016: Saudi Arabia announced that it was ready to send ground troops into Syria to fight ISIL. In response Syria, Russia and Syria (the Assads) went public with their belief that Saudi ground troops could not handle ISIL or Syrian soldiers. Iran and Russia have long felt that the Saudi armed forces were second rate. There is some truth to this and it has long been an open secret even among Gulf Arabs. But after decades of efforts (including a lot of blunt criticism) by foreign (mainly American and British) military advisors and trainers change did occur. The Gulf Arab ground forces proved quite capable (or at least more so than Iran expected) in Yemen. Foreign Arabs have been fighting there since early 2015. Iran was also dismayed to see the skill of Saudi and other Arab pilots in Yemen (and earlier in Iraq and Syria). In this part of the world publically demeaning a neighbors troops after those forces have recently displayed competence is a form of compliment. It also sends a message to Iranian commanders and troops to try harder because the Arabs may not be as easy to beat as would they expect them to be. The fact that Iran went public with disparaging remarks about Saudi troops ensured that the war of words stayed in the media and more recently Iran has threatened Saudi troops with Iranian supplied violence if the Saudis dared to send troops into Syria. Iran knows that such an invasion would be as much against the Assads and their Iranian backers as against ISIL. The Saudis have warned Russia to stand aside if the Saudis and Iranians get violent with each other inside Syria. February 2, 2016: Iranian media showed video of the new (since 2012) Shahed 129 UAV in action. This is one of the largest (over half a ton) UAVs Iran has developed and built and has been spotted in Syria and along Iranian borders doing surveillance. But the new video showed the Shahed 129 using laser guided air-to ground missiles. Iran has also developed these from older (1970s era) American technology the monarchy has purchased. January 31, 2016: Saudi Arabia and Turkey reminded everyone that they were united in opposing Iranian interference in Middle Eastern Wars (particularly Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon). Turkey has always tried to maintain good relations with Iran but has, for the moment, joined the Arab coalition opposing Iranian expansion. Turkey and the Arabs know that one of the biggest advantages Iran has in this conflict is the historical inability of the Sunni states in the region to remain united in opposing Iran. For centuries (until 1918) a Turkish Empire united, by force, most of the Sunni states in the region. But since the Turkish Empire ended Iran has been trying to take advantage of that and Turkey is now convinced that a united Sunni opposition is the only solution to the growing Iranian threat. So far Egypt and all the Arabian states have also joined the coalition. South Korea has officially begun an effort to develop and build their own jet fighter (KFX) to replace its aging U.S. built F-4 and F-5 fighters. The KFX is intended to be an aircraft somewhere between the F-16 and the F-35 and will have some stealth capabilities. The KFX is expected to enter service in about ten years now that the government has found the cash and foreign partners to make it happen. Indonesia will be a partner in this effort by contributing 16 percent of the $8.5 billion required. South Korea will buy at least 120 KFXs while Indonesia will buy up to fifty as the first export customer. Indonesia will also get access to some of the technology and build some of the components. The KFX is currently seen as a single seat 24 ton fighter with two engines and the ability to carry more than six tons of weapons. Some of these weapons can be carried in an internal bomb bay, increasing stealthiness. The KFX is expected to look more like the Eurofighter Typhoon, than the T-50 or F-16. The KFX is based on only costing $60 million each, having advanced electronics (including an AESA radar). South Korea has been trying to assemble the cash, technology and export orders for KFX since 2001. This was part of an effort to create South Korean military aircraft development and building capability. The problem with KFX has always been cost and a lack of partners. One of the major problems, recently overcome, was the United States finally agreeing to transfer several key military technologies KFX needed. This was delayed because of American security concerns, as East Asian nations (like Japan several times in the past) have proved vulnerable to China spies obtaining key military technologies. Not just the specifications but the more difficult to obtain details of actually manufacturing such tech. Most of the technologies the U.S. would not give South Korea access to were only available from a few sources, or only the United States. Eventually South Korea struck a deal to obtain 21 key technologies used in the F-35. Another reason for the KFX delays was that several studies by South Korean analysts pointed out that the KFX would cost up to twice as much as a top-of-the line model of the F-16 bought from the United States. Critics also pointed out that Japan made the same mistake in the 1990s when they decided to develop and build a similar (to the KFX) aircraft; the F-2. It cost twice as much as an imported F-16 (or even one built in Japan under license) and was justified (unofficially) as a way to provide lots of good jobs. The F-2 did little to aid exports because Japan cannot, by law, export weapons. South Korea can and does export weapons and actively sought partners to build the KFX. Indonesia first agreed in 2010 to jointly develop the KFX. That deal fell apart because of costs as did several similar deals with other countries. The cost problem is less of an issue now because of the growing popular enthusiasm for developing the ability to design and build combat aircraft. South Korea worked out solutions here as well and believes they can learn from the Japanese experience as well as their own recent success in developing and producing the TA-50 jet trainer/attack aircraft. South Korea learned much while developing and manufacturing its TA-50 jet trainer. That effort began in the 1990s and the TA-50 entered service in 2005 as a 13 ton, two seat, single engine aircraft. More importantly the TA-50 is also available as a combat model (the F-50), which carries a 20mm autocannon and up to three tons of bombs and missiles. Since the 1980s China has been busy transforming its amphibious troops into a force very similar to the U.S. Marine Corps. The most recent bit of emulation was a late 2015 marine exercise in the northwest (Gobi Desert). Training for operations far from the sea is something the American marines been training for and doing since the 1960s. Another new Chinese development is, as recently revealed in a photo, a proposed 40,000 ton LHA (helicopter carrier). In 2014 the United States put the first of its latest LHAs into service. The eleven America class LHAs are big ships (45,000 tons, 257 meters/844 feet long) and, like all other American amphibious assault ships, look like small aircraft carriers. But the Americas are larger than earlier LHAs and have no well deck taking up lots of space in the stern. The Americas have a crew of 1,050 and carry 1,600 marines as well as 32 aircraft (helicopters, V-22s, and F-35Bs). The reasoning behind this design is that the proliferation of anti-ship missiles makes it too risky to get close enough for landing craft. So now it's back to LPHs and longer range transports like the V-22. The Chinese seem to be planning some of these LHAs as well, which would enable them to also emulate the American ESGs (Expeditionary Strike Groups). The main fighting element of the ESG is a battalion of marines supported by a helicopters squadron and a Service Support Group. All of these travel on three amphibious ships (an LHA, LPD, and LSD). The rest of the ESG consists of warships (usually a cruiser, a destroyer, a frigate, and an attack submarine.) Supporting firepower comes from cruise missiles and some 127mm (five inch) guns on the cruiser and destroyer plus attack helicopters. The American first ESG went to sea in 2003. Each ESG is built around a battalion landing team. This consists of one marine infantry battalion, an artillery battery (six guns), an armored car company, a platoon of M-1 tanks, an amphibious assault platoon (operating armored amphibious vehicles), an engineer platoon, and a recon platoon. In all, over 1,200 troops plus helicopters and landing craft from the amphibious ships, along with their troops. Currently the Chinese marines are a small force. The actual marines are 12,000 infantry. There also two army divisions trained to undertake amphibious operations and who regularly train with the marines. This is not, in a Western sense, a "marine corps" but the Chinese marines have come to be considered elite troops. In the West the nature of China's amphibious forces has been misunderstood for decades. Until the 1980s, the Chinese didn't have a distinct marine force, only army units that were trained to conduct amphibious operations. China didn't start building its own large amphibious ships until the 1980s, at the same time they organized marine brigades. There are currently two Chinese marine brigades, containing a total of 10,000 troops, plus another 2,000 troops in support and training units. The marines are equipped with amphibious armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery, anti-tank, and anti-aircraft missiles. All of these marines are volunteers and undergo strenuous training. Each brigade also has a reconnaissance battalion, with several hundred men (and thirty women) trained to use scuba gear to get ashore and look around. These are actually special operations troops and are carefully selected and trained. In Western terms, the Chinese marines share some characteristics with both the U.S. Marine Corps and the British Royal Marine Commandos in terms of training and intended capabilities. The Chinese appear to be going more for their marines to be considered special operations troops. The U.S. Marine Corps is doing the same thing. Interestingly, the Chinese marines are not stationed where they could be used for an invasion of Taiwan but in the south, where they can grab disputed islands in the South China Sea. While these islands, which control fishing and potential oil fields, are considered disputed, China has already laid claim to some of them by force. In 1974, China fought a naval battle with Vietnam off the Paracel islands. In 1988, China and Vietnam fought another naval battle, off the Spratly islands. Both of these battles were followed by Chinese troops establishing garrisons on some of the islands. In 1992, Chinese marines landed on Da Lac reef, in the Spratly Islands. In 1995, Chinese marines occupied Mischief Reef, which was claimed by the Philippines. Initially Chinese marines were trained and equipped for raiding, not for large scale landings against a defended shore. The latter task is apparently left to army divisions that have been drilled on how to get on, and off, amphibious ships. While the Chinese marines might play a part in a Taiwan invasion, their full time job appears to be in the South China Sea, where the Chinese stand ready to grab more islands, if the economic advantages seem high enough. The navy supplies the amphibious ships and any air support (fixed wing aircraft and helicopters) needed. Detachments of marines have accompanied the warships China sends to the anti-piracy patrol off Somalia. The U.S. Navy has come to view the Chinese marines as tip of the spear for any Chinese amphibious operations. While China has other special operations forces, only the marines regularly practice operations at sea. The marines have been used against Somali pirates and to provide security for Chinese aid efforts in dangerous areas. As China practices to use military force in the South China Sea or other disputed offshore areas, the marines always tend to be present. So American intel tracks the Chinese marines carefully, for these amphibious troops will often be the first in if China decides to fight. In Syria Lebanese Hezbollah fighters have been seen using the Iranian Toophan ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles). This is an Iranian copy of the American TOW (Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided) that entered service in 1970. When the Iranian monarchy was overthrown in 1979 the rebels found themselves in possession of lots of modern American weapons, including plenty of TOW systems. By the 1990s Iran had managed to copy the TOW as the Toophan. By 2000 they upgraded it and are now supplying Hezbollah with dozens of systems. Iran probably noted that in early 2015 Kurdish forces fighting in Iraq and Syria were using the Chinese HJ-8 ATGMs, which is the Chinese version of the TOW. The original American TOW is still in service worldwide and over 500,000 TOW missiles have been manufactured so far and it remains in service with the United States and many other countries. All versions of TOW are shipped and fired from a sealed launch tube. That tube is placed on a MGS (Missile Guidance Set) that contains the gunner sight, with night vision, and operator guidance electronics. The MGS weighs 25 kg (55 pounds). The 1970 version of the missile weighed 19 kg (42 pounds) and had a 3.9 kg (8.6 pound) warhead. The latest version (TOW 2B or BGM-71F) weighs 22.7 kg (50 pounds) and has a 6.2 kg (13.5 pound) warhead that can defeat ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor) at targets up to 4,000 meters away. The HJ-8 and Toophan are nearly identical to TOW 2 in size, weight, range and, according to the users, performance. Both TOW and HJ-8 use SACLOS (semi-automatic command line-of-sight) guidance. This system works by having the operator hold the target in the MGS sights and the missile will be guided to the target via wires that connect the missile to the launcher. The big problem is that the operator is often under fire and that sometimes makes it difficult to maintain aim. The next generations of anti-tank missiles were wireless and fire-and-forget which allows the operator to duck as soon as the target is identified by the MGS and the missile fired. Nearly all ATGMs use shaped-charge warheads that penetrate most tank armor and are also effective against structures and unarmored vehicles. Israel has also been using the TOW since the 1970s and now faces the prospect of fighting someone else (Hezbollah) who has it. by Austin Bay February 9, 2016 In late December 2015, Rwandan President Paul Kagame confirmed that he will seek a third presidential term. In doing so, Kagame became the latest member of sub-Saharan Africa's "Third Term President Club." If this notional "club" sounds like a joke, it is not. The "Club" represents the near-permanent retention of personal and near-authoritarian political power. In sub-Saharan Africa, where tribal rivalries can quickly escalate into savage civil wars, the club is a threat to peace. The Great Congo War (1998-2003) killed somewhere between three and five million people. If Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila seeks a third term, that horror may well reignite. Unfortunately, it appears Kabila is dead set on seeking a constitution breaking third term. As African authoritarian leaders go, Rwanda's Kagame has an upside. He is an economic modernizer who cracks down on corrupt practices. However, like other members of the third term club, Kagame is bidding to amend the Rwandan constitution so he can succeed himself. This is legality as cover. Kagame has the woof and warp of a president for life. In several hard corners on our planet, presidents who are not term-limited have a tendency to remain presidents for life, which is another way of saying dictator. Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe is an example. Burundi, bordering on Rwanda and Congo, may be providing a bloody sneak preview of Congo's club-caused collapse. In April 2015, Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he would seek a third term. His decision violated the 2005 Arusha peace agreement that ended Burundi's 12-year long civil war -- a war that resulted in an estimated 300,000 deaths. A substantial plurality of Burundi's citizens erupted in anger. But last July, Nkurunziza held a referendum ratifying a constitutional amendment allowing him to seek and hold a third term. However, turmoil and violence continue to afflict Burundi. The Republic of Congo (Brazzaville is the capital -- don't confuse it with the far larger Congo) went through a similar charade. In October 2015, the Republic of Congo amended its constitution so the current president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, could succeed himself. So far, resistance is vocal. There has been little violence. That will not be the case in the Congo if Kabila seeks a third term. For two years, Congolese opposition leaders have argued that Kabila intends to contravene constitutional limitations by delaying preparations for the November 2016 national elections. The Congolese have a word for this calculated delay: "glissement" -- meaning sliding or slippage. As 2016 began, members of the opposition Citizen Front 2016 political movement warned that Kabila will risk another civil war to remain in power. Congo has made great strides since 2003. U.N. peacekeepers have received due criticism for their failures, but they have also had their successes. At the moment, the Congo is something of a partial peacekeeping success. Kabila's constitution-smashing power grab would dash that. What would The next great Congo War look like? No one really knows. The war may not be quite Congo-wide, but analysts expect that several provinces would fall into pro- and anti-Kabila camps. Tribal conflicts are guaranteed. The peacekeeping operation, the U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo could act as a brake on Kabila's ambition. Many U.N. military contingents are quite professional, especially those serving with the Intervention Brigade tasked with eliminating rogue militias. If Kabila undermines the partial peacekeeping success, though UN forces are not supposed to take sides, he runs the risk of making MONUSCO a highly capable and well-armed adversary, if not quite an enemy. So far the military has not tried to halt the momentous and unexpected (to them) power shift. These changes accelerated in November 2015 when veteran reform advocate Aung San Suu Kyis party won 80 percent of the available seats in parliament in the first nationwide elections in 25 years (and the first to actually take power since the 1960s). The new government is expected to take action on two issues (ethnic unrest and Chinese encroachment) the military was reluctant to tackle, as was the current elected (but still military dominated) government. The military was always in favor of getting the economy growing rapidly, something decades of military rule had prevented. But many military leaders had prospered during the dictatorship because they could be corrupt (to get rich) without fear of prosecution. The new government is under a lot of pressure to crack down hard on corruption in order to increase economic growth and reduce the widespread poverty. Such a crackdown would also cause tensions with China, which has, for over a decade, invested heavily in the tribal north via corrupt deals with the military. Unwinding all these unfair (especially to local tribes) deals will be painful for the Chinese as well as prominent Burmese military leaders and businessmen. Another thorny issue the new parliament is expected to address is ethnic and religious tensions. Some 40 percent of the 52 million Burmese belong to ethnic minorities although 80 percent of the population is Buddhist. While most ethnic Burmese are Buddhists many of the other ethnics are not. A third of the non-Buddhists are Christians (mainly in the tribal north) and about 30 percent are Hindu. The ethnic Burmese are most hostile towards Moslems, who make up only about four percent of the population and less than ten percent of the minorities. Until 2012 about half the Moslems were ethnic Bengalis (Rohingya) who until the 1980s were considered Burmese citizens. The military took away that citizenship but at least prevented religious violence against the Moslems by nationalist Buddhist clerics. That changed after an elected government took power in 2011 and since 2012 nearly a quarter of the million Rohingya are believed to have fled Burma to escape the growing violence of radical Buddhist Burmese nationalists. Despite the military being guaranteed 25 percent of the parliamentary seats in 2008 Aung San Suu Kyis party still has an absolute majority (60 percent) and was able to form the current government with Aung San Suu Kyi in charge. Because of that there is growing anxiety among the officers who ran a military dictatorship until 2011 when, after decades of growing domestic and international pressure, they gave up power and allowed a new constitution and free elections. It is believed that there has been no resistance by the generals because there is an unwritten understanding that the military will comply as long as the new governments grant, in effect, amnesty for past crimes. The 2008 constitution was written by the generals and for the generals and guarantees the military some key jobs and freedom from parliamentary interference with the military budget. The new government is expected to eventually try to revise the 2008 constitution, despite the risk of another military takeover or civil war. So far the generals have kept their promises, but there is always the risk that might change if an elected government sought to punish the military for crimes committed during the dictatorship or shut down some of the illegal, but lucrative, operations the military still controls (like the illegal jade trade in the north). Then there are the corrupt (and profitable for the military) deals the generals made with China for development in the north. That stuff has kept the tribal rebellions going. Some of the most important changes in Burma since the army gave up power in 2011 have occurred inside the security forces. For example, the military is losing control over the national police. After the military took over in 1962 they absorbed many police into the army and filled the police leadership with army officers (often retired ones). For decades the militarized police were very unpopular because they were very effective at terrorizing the population. But now the 80,000 personnel of the national police are increasingly free of military control and are going to nearly double by the end of the decade. More important the new national police are concentrating on keeping the population safe rather than enforcing obedience to a military dictatorship. This is something very important to most Burmese but hardly noticed by foreigners. Both the national police and the army are getting new equipment and new training. The goal is to turn the military into a force that defends the country rather than terrorizes it into compliance. In the northwest (Arakan State) tribal rebels (Arakan Army) have been avoiding soldiers since a series of clashes in late 2015 ended badly for the rebels. This outbreak was unexpected because the northwest coast has not had as much tribal violence as states to the east. In this case the Arakan Army had help from Kachin State tribal rebels and have become a problem on both sides of the Bangladesh border. The government ordered the army to increase its efforts to destroy the Arakan Army and the successful clashes in late 2015 led to the military now working with police to find and arrest the many Arakan Army supporters in the area. Unlike most tribal militias in the north, the Arakan Army was never given official recognition, in large part because the Arakan Army was more of a gangster operation than tribal rebels. All this police activity is unpopular but at least it is less arbitrary and lawless as in the past when soldiers would torture and kill people they picked up. That sort of behavior has always been illegal but not violators are prosecuted. The Arakan Army is not alone as there are several other tribal rebel groups that the military wont negotiate with for various reasons. These include the KIA (Kachin Independence Army), the SSA-N (Shan State Army - North), the TNLA (Tang National Liberation Army) and the MNDAA (Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army). A new Burmese president, backed by the new parliament, is expected to change that. A lot of common military practices that were illegal (or are illegal now) are still going on. But as these practices come to light they are being addressed. A recent example was triggered by the appearance of a video on the Internet showing an officer beating a subordinate who displeased him. Actually this form of leadership is still quite common in Asia. It used to be common in the West but was outlawed and largely disappeared from Western armed forces during the 20th century. As recently as World War II and the 1950s this sort of hands-on counseling was still common in the American military. But increasing enforcement of rules against it saw this sort of violence largely gone by the 1980s. Burmese want to see this sort of thing gone as well but it takes a while. The appearance of the video did produce assurances from the military that the offending officer in the video would be found and punished and everyone reminded that this sort of thing is no longer allowed, especially not when it is likely someone will capture the incident on video. February 8, 2016: Military leaders, who lost control of parliament in late 2015, agreed to presidential elections on March 17th. The generals (both on duty and retired) still have a lot of influence in the bureaucracy, the courts and the business community. So if they wanted to these military leaders could stir up a lot of opposition to the changes now taking place. January 25, 2016: In the north (Kachin State) there was another landslide in the jade mining area, killing as many as twenty. That makes the third major landslide up there since November 2015. So far over 150 have died from these accidents. The landslides are made possible by all the illegal jade mining, which often involves removing most of the vegetation on a hillside. With the trees and shrubs gone there is nothing to hold soil together when there are heavy rains. All this has brought rebel commander Wei Hsueh Kang a lot of unwanted publicity because of his control of the jade trade. Burma is the main source of jade on the planet and is a $30 billion a year operation. Yet only about one percent of that is taxed and half of the jade is found by illegal mining operations and is quietly sold to Chinese traders. Most of the illegal jade trade is controlled by generals who have connections inside China. The rest is controlled by rebels, mainly the Wa of the UWSA (United Wa State Army). Most of the jade is in the northern tribal territories and the army is constantly fighting with tribal rebels who are seeking to make some money in the jade producing areas. The military men are not eager to give up all their illegal businesses. A lot of the current fighting in Kachin State is a continuation of this decades old Jade War. Local tribes also point out that all the illegal jade and gold mining ruins many water supplies (streams and lakes) but since outsiders (military and tribal warlords) dominate and protect the illegal mining, no one cares about some bad water except a few locals. January 18, 2016: In the north (Shan State) fighting broke out between feuding tribal militias. The TNLA (a rebel group) and the pro-government SSA-S (Shan State Army - South) have long been at odds over a number of issues. The skirmishing between the two groups continues. Wellesbourne Airfield Each year, The Myton Hospices and The Shakespeare Hospice care for nearly 2,000 patients and their families. They include people with a wide range of terminal illnesses including cancer, motor neurone disease and dementia. Within south Warwickshire, The Myton Hospices are the only hospice in the area that provides inpatient beds, while the Shakespeare Hospice offers a day hospice service which provides palliative and supportive care to patients and their loved ones. In more recent years, both have introduced a team of specialist nurses that care for people in their own homes and between both hospices serve the residents of this area. Both provide their services free of charge, but the total cost of providing all these services each year is approximately 12 million and the two rely heavily on voluntary donations to continue running the services they provide. Kate Hall, Head of Clinical Services at The Shakespeare Hospice, said: We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to work so closely with other hospices, including The Myton Hospices, in order to help raise awareness of the care and support we can provide for terminally ill patients and their loved ones. Ruth Freeman, Chief Executive at The Myton Hospices, added: There are still many common misconceptions which surround hospice care and we hope the advert will reflect the positive impact our hospices can have on the lives of our patients and their loved ones as well as help dispel myths surrounding hospices in general. We also hope the campaign will encourage people in the local area who believe they could benefit from our range of services to find out more about Myton. Speaking in Kigali, Rwanda, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker at the beginning of her visit to that country in late January, discussed the commitment of the United States toward strengthening economic trade with the East African Community. Secretary Pritzker said: Today I am joined in Kigali by the group of senior executives who comprise the Presidents Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa. Their charge is to provide recommendations to President Obama and me on policy steps we can take to strengthen commercial engagement between the United States and countries across Africa, including how to build lasting partnerships between the U.S. and African private sectors. Rwanda and the East African Community have a lot to offer U.S. investors, said Secretary Pritzker. East Africa is the most integrated and fastest-growing regional economic community in Africa. The PAC-DBIA members, as representatives of the American business community, have had the opportunity to share their perspective on policies that can foster deeper economic and trade ties between the East African Community and the United States. As part of this visit, our delegation ... met with President Kagame for a roundtable discussion on the opportunities presented by regional integration. While we continue to deepen our commercial relationships, our delegation arrived at a challenging moment, said Secretary Pritzker. The United States has expressed its disappointment that President Kagame has chosen to run for a third term in 2017. We believe that respecting established term limits can strengthen democratic institutions and help build a vibrant and free society. The relationship between the United States and Rwanda is deep and mature, said Secretary Pritzker. The depth of our relationship does not mean we never have disagreements, the Secretary noted, rather, the depth of our relationship means that we discuss disagreements openly and candidly and we work together to address them. Wellesbourne Airfield South Warwickshire Foundation Trust sites affected by the strike include, Stratford, Shipston, Warwick and Leamington. The strike has gone ahead after talks between the British Medical Association and the Department of Health failed to resolve the issue earlier in the week. South Warwickshire Foundation Trust medical director Charles Ashton confirmed that during the strike action consultants and other staff who are not taking part will work to ensure there is no impact on the Trust's emergency services. The Trust confirmed that thus far, 14 clinics and 1 elective surgery list have been cancelled. Wellesbourne Airfield The decision should be ratified by full council on 29th February, she said. The district council knows it is a much valued and needed service which is apparent from the user survey undertaken last year. In his statement to the Herald, Mr Russel said: I am concerned at what seems to be a threat to the UBUS service. The district council is consulting on whether to continue funding it - the implication being that it may stop doing so unless the public support it.When the councils deputy leader, I persuaded my colleagues to scrap the old system of transport tokens and replace it with Community Links, the predecessor to UBUS. They accepted the new bus service would be a lifeline to many of the most vulnerable in the community. Nothing has changed. UBUS is still a lifeline to the vulnerable. And despite the financial pressures on the council, there would be no justification for abandoning the service. I hope my concerns are groundless. Wellesbourne Airfield The most recent attack was on 21st January with a previous one on 22nd November. The financial loss of each ewe is estimated to be between 200 and 300. Tim Price, Rural Affairs Specialist at NFU Mutual, says: We are all too aware of the heart-break and huge financial loss that dog attacks cause to farmers. The majority of dog owners act responsibly and ensure that their dogs are always kept under control and on a lead when near livestock but a small minority either dont know their responsibilities or simply do not care that their pet can inflict the most terrible injuries on livestock which can often result in death. Under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953, if a dog worries sheep on agricultural land, the person in charge of the dog is guilty of an offence. The Act considers sheep worrying to include attacking sheep, chasing them in a way that may cause injury, suffering, abortion or loss of produce or being at large (not on a lead or otherwise under close control) in a field or enclosure in which there are sheep. Pump jacks are seen at the Lukoil company owned Imilorskoye oil field, as the sun sets, outside the West Siberian city of Kogalym, Russia, January 25, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices seesawed in choppy trade on Wednesday, with U.S. crude slipping and Brent paring gains as worries about a global supply glut offset data showing a surprise drop in U.S. crude stockpiles. Oil prices rallied early, up for the first time in five days, on talk that major producers might try to tackle a glut that had driven prices to 12-year lows. U.S. crude rose above $29 a barrel after government data showed crude inventories in the country unexpectedly fell by 754,000 barrels in the latest week due to lower imports. Analysts had expected a rise of 3.6 million barrels. The rally lost steam as attention drifted back to the massive overhang of global crude supplies. OPEC data pointed to a larger oil supply surplus on the world market this year than previously thought, as Saudi Arabia and other producers in the group pumped more to make up for reduced drilling by non-member countries hurt by lower oil prices. Traders also noted the record high inventories hit last week at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery point for U.S. crude futures. The weak euro added to volatility in oil, as did stronger equity markets after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's remarks that conditions in the United States allowed for "gradual" rate hikes. "We believe there's been short covering on the headline and we feel we will continue to see rallies being sold," said Tariq Zahir, crude oil trader at Tyche Capital Advisors in New York. "Since we are going into refinery maintenance season and coupled with Iranian oil coming into the market, any rally will be short-lived." U.S. crude was down 15 cents at $27.79 a barrel by 12:53 p.m. EST (1752 GMT), after falling as low as $27.39. U.K.-based global crude benchmark Brent rose more than $1 to $31.90 a barrel, then pared gains to $31.46. Oil's early rally was partly inspired by talk that Iran was ready to negotiate with Saudi Arabia on price support. Kremlin oil tsar Igor Sechin also proposed producing countries cut output by 1 million barrels per day - without saying whether non-OPEC member Russia would do so. (Additional reporting by Alex Lawler and Amanda Cooper in London; Editing by Alexander Smith and David Gregorio) IAMGOLD Corporation (NYSE: IAG) today announced the first mineral resource estimate in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") Definition Standards incorporated by reference in National Instrument 43-101 for the Diakha deposit located on the Siribaya JV project in western Mali, West Africa. With the discovery of the Diakha zone in 2014, IAMGOLD expanded its exploration drilling program, culminating in the completion of the first mineral resource estimate for the Diakha deposit. The Siribaya exploration project is operated by IAMGOLD under a 50:50 joint venture with Merrex Gold Inc. ("Merrex"). The resource estimate, which includes resources estimated for previously known zones at Zone 1B and Taya Ko (formerly Zone 1A) along the Siribaya trend as well as the new Diakha deposit, is comprised of Indicated Resources totalling 2.1 million tonnes averaging 1.90 grams of gold per tonne for 129,000 ounces and Inferred Resources comprised of 19.8 million tonnes averaging 1.71 grams of gold per tonne for 1.1 million ounces. A significant portion of the estimate is derived from the newly discovered Diakha deposit which is open in all directions and has significant potential for expansion. Craig MacDougall, Senior Vice President, Exploration for IAMGOLD, stated, "The Diakha discovery is the second greenfield discovery made by the IAMGOLD exploration team in West Africa in the last three years, including the Malikoundi deposit of the Boto gold project located in neighbouring Senegal. Despite reduced budgets resulting from a sustained industry-wide downturn, the exploration group has successfully advanced Diakha from discovery to an initial resource estimate in just two years. We believe that there remains significant potential to expand the current resource base and this will be an objective of future exploration programs. I extend my congratulations to the Diakha discovery team who have worked very hard to achieve this outstanding result." The mineral resource for the Diakha deposit incorporates assay results from 216 diamond and reverse circulation drill holes totalling 25,696 metres, and for Zone 1B and Taya Ko zones, incorporates results from 129 drill holes totalling 3,903 metres. The estimate was prepared using a block model constrained with 3D wireframes of the principal mineralized domains. Values for gold were interpolated into blocks using inverse distance squared (ID2). A preliminary open pit optimization algorithm was run on the estimated grade block model to constrain the resource and to support the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") requirement that Mineral Resources have 'reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction'. The resource estimate assumes a long-term gold price of US$1,500/ounce. Only mineralization contained within the preliminary pit shell has been included in the resource estimate. The mineral resource estimate is summarized in the following table at a cut-off grades ranging from 0.45 to 0.60 grams of gold per tonne. The effective date of this resource estimate is December 31, 2015. SIRIBAYA PROJECT - MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE December 31, 2015 Classification Zone Tonnage (000s) Gold Grade (g/t Au) Contained Ounces (Au) (000s) INDICATED Zone 1B 2,102 1.90 129 Total Indicated 2,102 1.90 129 Zone 1B 4,094 1.52 200 INFERRED Taya Ko 882 1.02 29 Diakha 14,840 1.81 863 Total Inferred 19,816 1.71 1,092 Notes: CIM definitions were followed for classification of Mineral Resources. Cut-off grades range from 0.45 g/t Au to 0.60 g/t Au and vary by weathering material type. Mineral Resources are estimated using a gold price of US$1,500 per ounce. Bulk density varies from 1.55 g/cm3 to 2.63 g/cm3 based on deposit and weathering code. The resources are constrained by a Whittle optimized pit shell. Numbers may not add due to rounding. In support of the mineral resource estimate, preliminary metallurgical testwork was completed by SGS Minerals Services in Lakefield, Ontario, on three composite samples prepared from Diakha diamond drill core. The results suggest that the gold mineralization is not refractory and that a gold recovery of approximately 92% can be expected from a conventional leach / carbon in pulp (CIP) circuit. The Siribaya project consists of 11 contiguous exploration permits which cover a total area of 876.5 square kilometres and is located in the Kedougou-Kenieba inlier of the West African Craton region of western Mali along the borders with Senegal and Guinea. The Diakha, Siribaya 1B, and Taya Ko deposits are hosted within highly prospective, Birimian-aged metasedimentary, volcanic and intrusive rocks proximal to the Senegal-Mali Shear Zone. At Diakha, gold mineralization occurs within an albitized sandstone similar to IAMGOLD's Boto gold deposit located approximately 10 kilometres to the north along strike. Zone 1B and Taya Ko occur within the north-northeast trending Siribaya structural trend, which extends over 10 kilometres along strike, and gold mineralization occurs within breccia-hosted stockworks or fault related silicified zones. Next Steps The mineralization at Diakha remains open along strike and at depth where further drilling is warranted. In 2016, the Company plans additional drilling to increase our confidence in the current resources and continue to expand the mineralization along strike and at depth. Qualified Persons The mineral resource estimate, including verification of the data disclosed, has been completed by RPA Inc. ("RPA") and reported in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) requirements and CIM Estimation Best Practice Guidelines. The resource estimate was prepared by RPA Principal Geologist Luke Evans, P.Eng., and a supporting NI 43-101 Technical Report will be posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com no later than 45 days after the date of this release. Mr. Evans, who is an independent qualified person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this release. Craig MacDougall, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Exploration, for IAMGOLD has also reviewed and approved the contents of this release. Mr. MacDougall is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. (Updated - February 10, 2016 12:04 PM EST) Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN) said to tap Jeffries to sell non-core assets, according to Reuters. UPDATE - Sources said that Devon is looking to sell over $ billion in non-core assets across four major shale basins. The sales will help Devon to raise cash and slash debt. Devon said in December it would move to sell some non-core assets. The company also said it would acquire some assets from Felix Energy LLC for $2.5 billion. Amid today's news, Devon is down over 3 percent, eschewing the broader market move higher. Refugees and migrants are seen on a dinghy as they approach the Ayios Efstratios Coast Guard vessel, during a rescue operation at open sea between the Turkish coast and the Greek island of Lesbos, February 8, 2016. REUTERS/Giorgos Moutafis By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The EU executive will push Greece and Italy on Wednesday to do more to control migrants arriving across the Mediterranean, as time runs out for Athens to fix frontier chaos or be suspended from Europe's free travel zone. EU leaders will meet next week under growing pressure to get the migration crisis under control before warmer spring weather encourages a surge of new arrivals. More than a million people reached Europe last year, putting pressure on security and social systems in some EU states and exposing deep rifts within the 28-nation bloc. "If half of the decisions and resolutions that have been taken by the European Union last year had been implemented, the situation now would be much better," William Spindler, a spokesman for the U.N. Refugee Agency UNHCR, said on Tuesday. "The mechanisms are already there, decisions have been taken, ... countries have taken commitments, but unfortunately many European countries are not living up to their commitments. They need to be doing more, they need to be doing what they agreed to do." Most people from the Middle East and Africa reach Europe via Greece and Italy. Both countries, still recovering from the euro debt crisis, have come under increasing criticism from elsewhere in the bloc for failing to properly manage the flow of people into the Schengen zone of passport-free travel. Greece and Italy say the numbers are too big to control. The European Commission will adopt "progress reports" on Wednesday, ready for the summit on Feb. 18-19, an EU official said. One issue centers around Greece and Italy setting up "hotspot" sites to screen arrivals. European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, who is due to present the Commission's stance on Wednesday, discussed the idea on Tuesday with Greece's Defense Minister Panos Kammenos. A picture posted by Avramopoulos showed the two men laughing but the atmosphere may be more somber on Wednesday when the Commission will also discuss border recommendations for Greece that would eventually allow for the extension of temporary emergency border checks that Germany and other EU states introduced inside the Schengen area and that expire in May. If and when 28 EU states approve the recommendations, Athens would have three months to fix deficiencies or else the Schengen zone could be suspended for up to two years. The Commission will also look on Wednesday at where the bloc stands on setting up a 3 billion euro ($3.4 billion) fund for Turkey in exchange for Ankara curbing the numbers of those heading on to Europe. One diplomat said part of the discussion at the EU summit in Brussels next week will also be how to help Greece fix what Brussels had described as border "neglect", but not "stigmatize" Athens. Draft conclusions so far suggest no quick solution is in sight, with the leaders expected to stress that migrant flows from Turkey remain "much too high", according to the document obtained by Reuters. They would also note progress by Greece and Italy but highlight that "much remains to be done", it said. (Additional reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel, Jan Strupczewski and Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Ruth Pitchford) Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton speaks to media after signing bills to eliminate the state's $5 billion budget deficit and reopen state government and services that have been shut down for three weeks, in St. Paul, July 20, 2011. REUTERS/Eric Miller (Reuters) - Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday proposed giving six weeks of paid parental leave to all state employees after the birth or adoption of a child, which if approved would make Minnesota only the fourth U.S. state with such a policy. If the legislature approves, Minnesota would join California, New Jersey and Rhode Island in having paid family leave, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. All 35,000 Minnesota state employees would be eligible for the benefit, which would amount to an average of $6,200 in wages workers would receive instead of having to take unpaid leave. About 500 new parents would use the benefit every year, according to the governor's office. "Six weeks of paid parental leave should be guaranteed for all hard-working Minnesotans; not just the wealthy few," said Dayton, a Democrat. "It is time for the state to lead by example." Some of Minnesota's largest employers provide employees with paid parental leave, including the Mayo Clinic, U.S. Bank and Target. Dayton made the announcement during an appearance with U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, who said that he and President Barack Obama will continue to call for a federal paid leave policy. The state legislature next convenes on March 8. The House is controlled by Republicans, while the Senate is majority Democrat. State Rep. Sarah Anderson, a leading Republican on state government finance, could not immediately be reached for comment. The federal Family Medical Leave Act provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child, or to care for a family member or to one's own serious health problem. The law applies to private employers with 50 or more employees. (Reporting by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by James Dalgleish) By Michelle Nichols, Tom Perry and Humeyra Pamuk UNITED NATIONS/DAMASCUS/ONCUPINAR, Turkey (Reuters) - World powers pressed Russia on Wednesday to stop bombing around Aleppo in support of a Syrian government offensive to recapture the city and a Western official said Moscow had presented a proposal envisaging a truce in three weeks' time. Secretary of State John Kerry is pushing for a ceasefire and more aid access to Aleppo, where rebel-held areas are being cut off and the United Nations has warned a new humanitarian disaster could be on the way. Aid workers said on Wednesday the water supply to Aleppo, still home to two million people, was no longer functioning. Kerry is hoping for agreement at a meeting in Munich on Thursday between Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other powers, aimed at trying to revive peace negotiations that foundered earlier this month. Syrian officials have indicated no plans to ease up the war effort. A Syrian military source said on Wednesday the battle for Aleppo, a major prize in a war which has killed a quarter of a million people, would continue in "all directions". Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said the government expected a tough but relatively short battle to return the city to state control. "I do not expect the battle of Aleppo to go on long," he told Reuters in Damascus. A Western official said Russia had made a proposal to begin a ceasefire in Syria on March 1, but that Washington has concerns about parts of it and no agreement had been reached. In Washington, a state department envoy told Congress the United States needs to consider options in case the diplomatic push does not succeed. Asked how soon a ceasefire could be put in place, a Russian diplomat who declined to be identified said: "Maybe March, I think so." At a closed-door meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, several members pressed Russia to end the Aleppo bombing sooner. "The (Syrian) regime and its allies cannot pretend they are extending a hand to the opposition while with their other hand they are trying to destroy them," French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters. "CROSSED THE LINE" Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Russian air strikes were being undertaken in a "transparent manner" and some Security Council members had "crossed the line" by politically exploiting humanitarian issues. "They rather crudely use humanitarian matters in order to play, we believe, a destructive role as far as the political process is concerned," said Churkin, adding that given the heightened interest in humanitarian issues, the council should also start regularly discussing Yemen and Libya. One U.N. diplomatic source said Russia was "stringing Kerry along" in order to provide diplomatic cover for Moscow's real goal - to help President Bashar al-Assad win on the battlefield instead of compromising at the negotiating table. "It's clear to everyone now that Russia really doesn't want a negotiated solution but for Assad to win," said the diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Kremlin rejects claims that it has abandoned diplomacy in pursuit of a military solution, saying it would continue to providing military aid to Assad to fight "terrorist groups" and accusing Syria's opposition of walking away from the talks. FOOD, WATER SHORTAGES Doctors working on both sides of the Syria-Turkey border say they have been overwhelmed by injuries caused by the air strikes, which Moscow says have only targeted Islamist militants but which Western countries say have caused widespread civilian casualties. "We are increasingly seeing what we call multiple-trauma injuries because of the bombs and the heavy weapons they are using. There are large burn cases, lots of amputations, and internal traumas," Mahmoud Mustafa, director of the Independent Doctors Association, told Reuters in Gaziantep, Turkey. French charity Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF), which runs six hospitals in Syria and provides support for another 153 health facilities across the country, said medical workers in the area north of Aleppo had been forced to flee for their lives. "Yet again we are seeing healthcare under siege," said Muskilda Zancada, MSF head of mission, Syria. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was delivering water to Aleppo because the city's system was no longer working but that some supply routes for aid had been cut. "The temperatures are extremely low and, without an adequate supply of food, water and shelter, displaced people are trying to survive in very precarious conditions," the head of the ICRC in Syria, Marianne Gasser, said in a statement from Aleppo. The latest fighting around Aleppo has killed about 500 people on all sides, a monitoring group said. Medecins Sans Frontiers spokesman Sam Taylor said that while its own hospitals in Syria had not been hit, many others had. "From the reports we get from MSF-supported facilities, the majority of hospitals are damaged or destroyed by aerial attacks," he said. "In last two to three weeks we have definitely seen a trend of facilities being hit in the south and in the north." FABIUS QUESTIONS U.S. COMMITMENT Saudi Arabia's King Salman plans to visit Moscow in mid-March, Russia's RIA news agency said, a meeting that would bring together the main sponsors of the opposing sides. Saudi-backed rebels said they would go to Thursday's meeting in Munich but would only go to U.N. peace talks in Geneva later this month if Russia stopped bombarding their positions and humanitarian aid reached civilians in the areas they control. Opposition coordinator Riad Hijab said the Russian and Iranian intervention in Syria was bolstering the extremist threat in the Middle East, but the rebels would not give up. On the ground, rebels say they are fighting for survival. A commander of a Turkmen contingent within the Levant Front rebel group, Zekeria Karsli, said his men faced attacks on three fronts: Islamic State to the east, Syrian government forces to the south and Kurds to the west. "Unfortunately the military situation on the battlefield is pretty bad. Russian planes are hitting us from the air and the Iranian/Assad block is hitting us from the ground," he told Reuters near the Oncupinar border post. He said Russian warplanes were carrying out hundreds of sorties every day and that the north of Aleppo city was encircled. But he said routes in to rebel-held parts of the city from Idlib province to the west were still open. Opposition spokesman Salim al-Muslat said U.S. President Barack Obama could stop the Russian attacks. "If he is willing to save our children it is really the time now to say 'no' to these strikes in Syria." The rebels want anti-aircraft weapons so they can bring down the Russian planes that have been bombing intensely over the past four months. But their Western and Arab backers have refused, fearing Islamic State militants could seize and use them against their own planes conducting air strikes against the jihadists, who have exploited the war to seize large parts of Syria and Iraq. United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has set a target date of Feb. 25 to reconvene talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva. But the offensive by Syrian forces, Hezbollah and Shiite militias directed by Iran - all backed by Russian bombing raids - have reversed opposition gains on the ground and encircled rebels inside Aleppo, a strategic prize now divided between government and opposition control. "It'll be easy to get a ceasefire soon because the opposition will all be dead," a Western diplomat told Reuters. "That's a very effective ceasefire." (Additional reporting by Warren Strobel in Munich, John Irish in Paris, Louis Charbonneau in New York, Parisa Hafezi in Ankara, Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Jonathan Landay in Washington and Michelle Nichols in New York; writing by Philippa Fletcher; editing by Dominic Evans) Brett McGurk, the United States' new envoy to the coalition it leads against Islamic State, speaks to reporters during a news conference at the U.S. embassy in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq, December 9, 2015. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy to the coalition against Islamic State said on Wednesday that the militant group's branch in Libya is the greatest cause for concern, given its attacks in the chaotic North African country and the threat it poses to U.S. partners such as Tunisia and Egypt. The envoy, Brett McGurk, said in testimony to the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee that the United States and its allies are making progress against the group, but face major challenges. "Our progress will not always be linear, and we should expect setbacks and surprises," McGurk said in his prepared testimony. McGurk also told the committee that Russian air strikes north of the key city of Aleppo were forcing U.S.-backed Syrian opposition forces to fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces rather than Islamic State militants. "What Russia is doing is directly enabling ISIL," he said, using an acronym for Islamic State. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Jonathan Landay; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Tom Brown) U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Michele Thoren Bond, concluded her five-day visit to Monterrey, Merida, Cancun, and Mexico City on January 15th. The highlight of her trip was leading the U.S. delegation in the collaborative and productive Bilateral Consular Dialogue with the Government of Mexico on January 14, 2016. Director General for the Protection of Mexicans Abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Reyna Torres Mendivil, led the Mexican delegation. Representatives from U.S. Customs and Border Protection also participated. The Consular Dialogue focused on strengthening joint efforts to protect our citizens and shared border, and facilitating legitimate travel. The United States and Mexico also discussed Consular Notification and Access obligations, the intercountry adoption process, sharing best practices for crisis management, fraud prevention, and coordinated assistance for dual citizens. Assistant Secretary Bond also visited the U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey to highlight consular services available to U.S. and Mexican citizens. A focal point of her visit was discussing ongoing efforts to improve the visa application process for seasonal agricultural laborers, and the Consulate Generals efforts to identify and document the U.S. citizen children of migrant workers. While visiting Merida and Cancun, Assistant Secretary Bond highlighted the innovations by the U.S. Consulate General in Merida and consular agencies in the region to improve assistance to U.S. citizens visiting or residing in the Yucatan Peninsula. Assistant Secretary Bond discussed crisis preparedness efforts in the event of a hurricane with representatives from the Cancun and Puerto Morelos Hotel Association, and with state and municipal tourism and civil protection offices. During her visit to Mexico City, Assistant Secretary Bond and U.S. Embassy Mexico City, in coordination with the municipality of Chilcuautla, hosted an outreach event to document U.S.-born children living in Mexico. Assistant Secretary Bond told the children that they represented the growing culture of bi-nationalism that brings our countries even closer together. The United States is proud to work with its partner, Mexico, to strengthen its close and longstanding ties, and improve the lives of those on both sides of the US. Mexico border. By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A political crisis is growing in Democratic Republic of Congo over the possibility that President Joseph Kabila might seek a third term in office, a senior U.S. official warned on Wednesday. Tom Perriello, U.S. Special Envoy to Africa's Great Lakes Region, said if Kabila sought a third term in November elections, even though the constitution bars such a move, it could undermine political and economic gains of the past decade. Kabila has stopped short of saying he will step down in November at the end of his second elected mandate, prompting concerns he wants another term. "A political crisis is building as the DRC prepares, or rather fails to prepare, for upcoming historic elections scheduled for this November," Perriello told a congressional hearing. "If the DRC chooses the path of Burundi, the scale of human suffering could dwarf what we have seen next door." More than 240,000 people have fled political violence in Burundi, sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision last year to run for a third term. It has raised concerns of a bloody ethnic conflict in a region where memories of Rwanda's 1994 genocide are still fresh. Perriello said it appeared increasingly possible that Kabila was seeking reelection, pointing at delays by his administration to prepare for the elections. "A confrontation between President Kabila and those demanding timely and credible elections in the country is not inevitable, but it is becoming increasingly probable," he said. RWANDAN MEDDLING Perriello and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. assistant secretary of African Affairs, also raised concerns over reports that Rwanda's government was meddling in Burundi's conflict. "We have seen a number of reports from our colleagues in the field that suggest the Rwandan government has been involved in destabilizing activities in Burundi," Thomas-Greenfield said. "We have raised these concerns with the Rwandan government and encouraged them to play a productive role and not to do anything that might further destabilize Burundi." Perriello said there were "credible reports" that Burundi refugees, including children, were being recruited from camps in Rwanda to fight on behalf of the Burundian opposition. Burundi and Rwanda have the same ethnic mix, about 85 percent Hutus and 15 percent Tutsis. A 12-year civil war in Burundi, which ended in 2005, pitted a Tutsi-led army against Hutu rebel groups. The United States is Rwanda's largest national donor. Reuters revealed a confidential report to the U.N. Security Council on Feb. 3 which accused Rwanda of recruiting and training Burundian refugees with the goal of ousting Nkurunziza. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Andrew Hay) Fish and Game posted this photograph on Twitter of cattle getting "free access" to Canterbury's Lake Taylor. The high-profile owners of a herd of cattle seen in a Canterbury lake have received a warning, but escaped a fine. Environment Canterbury's response has been called "very poor" by the Greens and disappointed Fish and Game. In January, holidaymaker Allan Brown photographed the cows, owned by Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias and her husband, businessman Hugh Fletcher, drinking in Lake Taylor. SUPPLIED The herd of cattle photographed standing in Lake Taylor belong to Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias and her husband, businessman Hugh Fletcher. The lake is about 50 kilometres northwest of Hawarden, a settlement north of Christchurch. Brown lodged a complaint with Environment Canterbury (ECan). ECan investigated. It issued the couple a warning, but not a fine. READ MORE: * 500 complaints about stock, no prosecutions * Owners repeat offenders * Cattle belong to Elias ECan monitoring and compliance manager Marty Mortiaux on Wednesday said an investigation found no evidence of faecal matter in the lake. There were a few cow pats on the shore and the cows were in a paddock they usually did not have access to. "We informed Hugh Fletcher and the farm manager of the outcome of the investigation, which is to issue them an abatement notice, with no further legal action taken. "The actual environmental effect of this incident was minor and we are satisfied it was an isolated incident." Green Party water spokeswoman Catherine Delahunty said the response from ECan was "very poor". "These people should know better, can do better and they've been able to get away with it. Issuing an abatement notice only undermined the work of "good farmers" who were making an effort to keep stock out of lakes and rivers. "When there's no fine for a breach it tells you that it's not being taken seriously. "At the very least they should have given them a fine to say to people this is not acceptable, this is not what lakes are for," Delahunty said. Fish and Game spokesman Don Rood said his organisation was "disappointed" by ECan's response. "ECan admitted at the time that it was a breach of their rules and it seemed really straight forward," Rood said. He also touched on ECan's admittance it had not carried out any prosecutions despite almost 500 complaints about stock in waterways. "That's a pretty woeful track record," Rood said. "The interesting thing that came out of this case was the fact there was a huge outpouring of frustration and anger that this could happen. "New Zealand does need to start addressing its problem of fresh water quality," he said. Fish and Game believed local body authorities needed to respond adequately to the level of frustration expressed by the public. Mortiaux said the abatement notice warned the owners they broke ECan's rules, and must not do so again. "If they do, then the penalties can be harsher as the person, or property owner, may face action from the initial breach as well as for breaching the abatement notice," Mortiaux said. No fine would be imposed because ECan was satisfied the effect on the environment was minor and the incident was isolated. Reports of stock in the lake water in 2013 were "attributable to a neighbouring property and not The Lakes Station", he said. The farmer had expressed remorse and was taking action "to ensure this can never happen again", Mortiaux said, adding media reports the owners should be fined were out of line with the offence. "We have treated this case the same as any other, and if the owners had not been high-profile the same outcome would have been reached as it is irrelevant who owns it. "We are only focussed on why the rules were broken and the environmental effect of this. "If the effects had been more than minor, then Environment Canterbury would have taken further action. "If the farmer and farm manager had not taken action straight away when they were informed they were breaking rules, then we would have taken further action," he said. ECan had implemented a "comprehensive set of rules" around stock access. "While this is an unfortunate incident, it has highlighted the new rules and we are confident Lake Station will not breach them again," Mortiaux said. Wellington's local politicians have lent their support to a propsoed convention centre and movie museum on Cable St, now it falls to the public to have its say. Sir Peter Jackson's movie museum has been given the thumbs up by Wellington city councillors, although one has questioned whether the 14th richest person in the country needs ratepayers to build a home for it. Helene Ritchie aired her concerns at a meeting on Wednesday as councillors voted unanimously to bring forward funding for the movie museum and convention centre project, and trigger the public consultation process. The council has proposed to spend $134m on a three-storey facility between Cable and Wakefield streets, opposite Te Papa, which will house Jackson's movie museum on the bottom two floors and a 1100-person convention centre at the top. 1 of 3 WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL The ground floor of Wellington's proposed three-storey movie museum and convention centre on Cable St. This will be the bottom level of the proposed movie museum. 2 of 3 WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL The second floor of Wellington's proposed three-storey movie museum and convention centre on Cable St. This will be the upper level of the proposed movie museum. 3 of 3 WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL The third floor of Wellington's proposed three-storey movie museum and convention centre on Cable St. This will house the proposed convention centre, capable hosting 1100 people. The Movie Museum Limited a company formed by Sir Peter Jackson and Sir Richard Taylor will lease the space for at least 25 years. READ MORE: * Ratepayers to be consulted on movie museum and convention centre * Movie museum, convention centre to get go-ahead from council * Wellington film museum a priority * Peter Jackson 'plans movie museum' Despite saying she supported having a movie museum in Wellington, and voting in favour of the proposal, Ritchie questioned whether the council needed to spend so much money on housing it. SUPPLIED One Wellington city councillor has questioned whether Sir Peter Jackson, who was worth $630m in 2015, needs ratepayers to build a home for his proposed movie museum. "This is someone who is [14th] on the rich list of New Zealand and we're asking the ratepayers to pay $140m towards this project." But she was the only one who criticised the deal, and mayor Celia Wade-Brown was quick to point out that The Movie Museum Ltd would be covering the set-up and operational costs, as well as paying rent to the council. Any suggestion that Jackson was getting a handout from the city's ratepayers was wrong, she said. "This is a really good relationship that's going to bring a global attraction to our city." KEVIN STENT/FAIRFAX NZ The proposed site for Wellington's movie museum and convention centre, which is currently a car park between Cable and Wakefield streets, opposite Te Papa. The convention centre and movie museum were both consulted on during the Long-Term Plan process in 2015 but the public is being given another say because funding will be brought forward by five years. Doing so will require the council to add $7.4m on to the rates take over the next decade, but the annual increases will have "virtually no impact" on non-commercial ratepayers, the council says. The annual cost to ratepayers is expected to average out to be $2.3m a year over 25 years, once adjusted for inflation. FAIRFAX NZ Wellington city councillor Helene Ritchie is not keen on the idea of local government funding private enterprise. But if all goes well, the new building will pump $442m into Wellington's coffers during that time. Jo Coughlan, chairwoman of the council's economic growth and arts committee, said the potential benefits justified the council getting out its cheque book. The museum was expected to attract about 350,000 people a year, while the convention centre would grow Wellington's convention market by 10 per cent. "There will be nothing like this [centre] anywhere in the world. It'll set Wellington apart and make us a place people want to visit," Coughlan said. Movie Museum Ltd project director George Hickton was not available for an interview, but in a statement a spokesman acknowledged that council support for the project was unanimous. "This is a world-class collection and a unique visitor attraction that will have a world-class home," he said. Public consultation will run from February 15 to March 15. A final decision is expected in early May and construction could begin in late 2016. HOW WILL THE DEAL WORK? * Wellington City Council will be responsible for building, maintaining and operating the new building, as well as fitting out the convention centre, which will be run by Positively Wellington Venues. * The land had already been acquired for $21.5m, the building will cost $107.9m, and the convention centre fit-out will cost $5m. This will all be funded by borrowing. * The Movie Museum Ltd will be responsible for fitting out and operating the museum. It will also pay an annual fee to the council. * To keep the cost to ratepayers down between now and 2018 (when expenses will be higher because of things like marketing and staff training), the council will allocate $3.9m from its Wellington Economic Initiatives Fund for the project. WHAT ARE THE RISKS? * The council will have to cover any construction cost blowout, but it says the cost estimates to date have been "thoroughly worked up" and have contingencies built in. * Rising interest rates could impact the council loans, which will pay for the building's construction. But the council says this will be managed through a programme of hedging. * Surpluses from the convention centre could be smaller than forecast, but the council says it will be supported by strong marketing. * If the movie museum proves to be financially unsustainable then the council's lease revenue could be affected, but it says there would be a range of alternative uses for the building in that event. * A contract with The Movie Museum Ltd. has not been finalised but the council says terms have been agreed that will form the basis of this contract. BY THE NUMBERS 350,000 people are expected to visit the museum each year. 62,450 more delegate days will be added to Wellington's conference calendar 20,000 new visitors will be attracted to Wellington each year 10,000 square metres will be the size of the movie museum 6000 square metres will be the size of the convention centre 1008 total jobs will be either generated or protected 67 new conference events will be held in Wellington Cattle seen in Canterbury's Lake Taylor has prompted debate on stock in waterways. Tourism has a responsibility to play in looking after the environment, not just farming, a Horizons councillor says. But the Tourism Industry Association says the impacts are not comparable. At the Horizons Regional Council strategy and policy meeting on Wednesday, Ruapehu councillor Bruce Rollinson raised the issue of the stock in Lake Taylor that had been brought to the fore over the holiday break. "We saw the NZ Tourism Industry come out strongly against farming... Yet at the same time 120,000 visitors were travelling around New Zealand." READ MORE: Farm owners Dame Sian Elias and Hugh Fletcher escape fine for cows in lake Rollinson said that 15 years ago 20,000 people walked the Tongariro crossing, and now it was over 120,000. He lived near Ohakune and said the population swelled from 1300 to over 10,000 in winter. "And I see the demand on infrastructure, wastewater treatment and those sorts of things and I compare that with farming impact and in our area I think tourism has got a lot to answer for." People had a big impact on the environment and "areas like ours more than highlight that," he said. "It may not be so obvious where you're in a dairy intensive area and that is the focus, but I think people need to be the focus as well." Secretary for Environment Vicky Robertson, who made a presentation to the meeting, said there was a divide. "I think it highlights that argument about us and them. I go to Auckland and they say it's all just farming, we've got no issue here. But its like hang on, how are going to deal with your growing population? "I don't think that helps, that group says it's all dairy farming. I also don't think it helps that dairy farming go 'oh there's nothing to see here'." She said the volume of tourists had an environmental aspect as well. "We want to be make that so people come to experience New Zealand as it is, not as it would be." Robertson said the issue of who paid for the infrastructure was a conversation that had not yet been had. Tourism Industry Association chief executive Chris Roberts said it was different scales. "Yes there will be impacts from visitors but in terms of direct impact on the environment, the impact would be extremely low." The impact on smaller towns had always been the case and needed to be taken into account by local authorities. "But it is really important to remember the benefits that tourism is bringing to the region. "While there is an impact, on balance it is overwhelmingly beneficial to those locations to have more visitors." In the Horizons region visitors brought $953 million last year and there would need to be investment for that to continue. Operators were committed to protecting the environment because that was what attracted people. "It's not a them versus us situation with dairy, we do not see it that way. We just see that our environment needs to be looked after if we're going to continue to attract visitors." "We certainly recognise the majority of dairy farmers operate in an environmentally acceptable way but that doesn't mean that bad behaviours shouldn't be pointed out." Ruapehu district mayor Don Cameron said farming was the main contributor to their economy but tourism was climbing rapidly. They were looking to address issues along the Tongariro crossing. "The impact has to be lessened, there's no argument." Cameron said their infrastructure was put in 30-40 years ago when they had a bigger population, giving them some leeway. People reported feeling the quake from Dunedin to Auckland. Strong aftershocks are expected after a 5.7 magnitude earthquake rattled the upper South Island. Thousands of people, from Dunedin to Auckland, reported feeling the earthquake, which hit at 1.38pm on Tuesday. There have been no reports of injuries or significant damage. The earthquake was centred near Molesworth Airport, inland from Kaikoura and 45km southeast of St Arnaud, in the Nelson Lakes District. It struck 48km below the surface, according to the latest estimate. GNS Science duty seismologist Anna Kaiser said people could expect aftershocks up to magnitude 4.7. However, because the initial quake was deeper, there may be fewer aftershocks. The earthquake was felt from Otago to Auckland, and widely felt between Wellington and Christchurch, Kaiser said. "Although it was a decent sized shake, and it certainly would have been felt by people around that epicentral region, it is in a reasonably remote area ... so we don't expect any major damage from the earthquake." The earthquake depth suggested it was associated with a "subduction system" extending from the North Island to the upper South Island. The system was much like "an amazing, major fault line, that's simply buried beneath the surface. Above that, you've got these active faults running through the crust". NO REPORTS OF INJURY OR DAMAGE St John spokesman Ian Henderson said the organisation had so far received no reports of injuries nor received any calls related to the earthquake. "We advise people to look out for each other and friends and family, especially those who are alone, infirm or elderly and who need support," he said. The Hurunui District Council said it was checking water systems and roading, but there were no initial reports of damage. "Our civil defence team are monitoring the situation," the council posted to its Facebook page. "This does serve as a good reminder for us all to check on the status of household emergency kits and family safety plans." 'EVERYTHING STARTED ROLLING' GNS Science wrote on its website the strongest shaking was felt in Kaikoura, according to its "felt reports". Kaikoura resident Lydia Melville said the quake lasted 15 to 20 seconds. "It was slow to start off with then violently shook. Nothing fell over, it wasn't as serious as some people would have thought." She said it if continued any longer she would have sheltered herself under a table. Kaikoura Top Spot Backpackers manager Noah Taylor said the quake was "intense". It was the first quake some of the guests had ever felt, and they were visibly shaken. "Some of them were quite passive at first, but others were definitely scared. We assembled in the middle of the backpackers and waited for it to stop." Kaikoura High School staff and pupils started moving towards the field before the earthquake ended. Some of the students were frightened, some "took it in their stride", and some were even excited, principal John Tait said. "We sent the teachers around the grounds to talk to the students to see if there were any issues." Kaikoura i-Site manager Mariet van Vierzen said she got halfway under her desk. "One staff member ran outside to see if the building had been hit by a car, but there was not really a lot of panic," she said. Kaikoura jewellery shop Jade Kiwi owner Cezanne Lyons said the glass cabinets in her shop rattled, but nothing fell over. "I was amazed," she said. "I felt the first one, then everything started rolling. I had a shop full of customers, I just started moving everyone away from the shelves." OFFICE WORKERS SHAKEN Some Wellington office workers panicked as the earthquake shook the lower North Island. Gaylene Hosking was on the eighth floor of Wakefield House on The Terrace, in Wellington. "There was a rumble and the place was shaking," Hosking said. "We didn't get under our desks, before we could think about that it was over." Back in the upper South Island, St Arnaud House Bed & Breakfast owner Margery Chilton said her two-storey home "swayed". "I don't think it was as bad as recent quakes, we don't have any damage that's for sure." St Arnaud Alpine Store employee Elaine Richards did not feel the earthquake in her office. "We had some people come in that were in a campervan and were stationary, they said they were really rocked," she said. St Arnaud Alpine Lodge owner Alexandra Untereerger said two of her staff stood in a doorway. "It was quite a little shake up, but we're all ok." "The first thing I was thinking about was my 1-year-old boy who was upstairs with my husband." "You just wait and think, 'Is it going to get worse?'. We're quite lucky though, we are on floating foundations." Nelson Lakes Visitor Centre supervisor Gabriella Czoma said some staff held onto their desks, but that was "about it". "Nothing fell off the shelves, we didn't feel it too much, really. We must just have a very strong building." HISTORY OF EARTHQUAKES Geonet recorded two earthquakes in the area five days ago, on February 4. Both quakes, just south of Blenheim, were considered "light", reaching magnitudes 3.2 and 3.3. In April 2015, the same area was jolted by a magnitude-6.2 quake at a depth of 52km. It was described at the time as "scary" by those who felt it, but "fairly run of the mill" by GNS Science seismologist John Ristau. Seddon was rocked by a 6.5 magnitude in July 2013. A blue shark filmed off Pukerua Bay last week, about two kilometres offshore. Vicki Streifler said she also saw another blue shark and two makos. Five large sharks have been spotted in the water off the Kapiti Coast. Police said the sharks were seen near Peka Peka Beach and Waikanae Beach by a Heliworks helicopter working in the area, and swimmers were being warned to stay out of the sea. Did you see the sharks? Email newstips@stuff.co.nz DANIEL GENDALL/ SUPPLIED A shark about 100 metres off Peka Peka, seen from the air about 3.30pm on Wednesday. Kapiti Heliworks chief executive Dennis Young said he was on a training exercise when he spotted the sharks. The first shark was seen about 50 to 70 metres off Peka Peka Beach, and the helicopter landed there so the crew could warn swimmers to get out of the water. More sharks were spotted further south at Waikanae Beach, and the helicopter landed again. The sharks were likely to have been bronze whalers, a DOC expert says. They can bite, but are not generally considered dangerous. "They [swimmers] were pretty grateful that we dragged them out," Young said. Young said in the six or seven years he'd been working in the area he'd never seen any sharks in that part of the ocean, let alone five. "I've seen dolphins and killer whales, but certainly nothing like that." He said they appeared to be about two or three metres long. Department of Conservation marine scientist Clinton Duffy said the sharks could have been a number of different species, but were likely to be bronze whalers, a type that had been recorded along the Kapiti Coast in the past. They were not considered dangerous, but had been reported as biting the hands or feet of surfers and swimmers. Sand Castle Motel owner Des Geffney, whose motel is right on the beachfront, said he heard the helicopter come in fast and circle around over the beach before heading to the south. He had seen no sign of the sharks, and never seen any there before. "It must be the extreme weather." Waikanae residents Darin Dance and Virginia Innes-Jones arrived at Peka Peka Beach to do some tuatua digging and bodysurfing, unaware of the shark warning. A member of the public told them about the warning, and they said they would wade in only up to their knees. Dance said he was surprised at the lack of information about the sighting. "I know up at Mt Maunganui they go around on quad bikes telling you what's going on." Duffy said that, further north, bronze whalers were often seen among swimmers, and tended to ignore them. The sharks could also be sevengill or blue sharks. It was possible, but unlikely, there was a great white among the five sharks seen. "Great whites are also found inshore around at this time of year, but they're much rarer. "They have been recorded [in the area], but it would be extremely unlikely all five sharks were white sharks. "It is possible there could be one in among them." Duffy couldn't say how long the sharks would be in the area, but said if there was a good supply of fish and stingrays to eat, they would stay on to feed. The shark warning from police was the second alert along the Kapiti Coast in the space of a month. It appears to be part of a growing number of sightings of sea life along the coast. Paekakariki Surf Club chairman Brent Harvey confirmed the town's beach was closed by life guards on January 25. He said the closure came after a resident spotted what appeared to be a shark at the southern end of the beach, near Ames St. The shark was not seen again and the beach was opened later that day. Harvey said the long hot spell in the region could be contributing to a spike in sightings. "There's also been a lot of orca at the beach this year." A Christchurch man who drank a bottle of absinthe while on a stag-do in Queenstown before threatening several members of the public has been called "despicable" by a judge. The behaviour of a Christchurch man, who drank a bottle of the highly alcoholic drink absinthe while attending a stag party in Queenstown, has been called "despicable" by a judge. Shane Thomas Devanney, 29, was sentenced in the Queenstown District Court on Tuesday by Judge Mark Callaghan for disorderly behaviour likely to cause violence and intentionally damaging a toilet system, belonging to New Zealand Police, on February 7. Devanney was intoxicated on a bus, shouting abuse at passengers, and when asked to get off, he started shoving the driver. He then went on to kick and punch the outside of the bus before challenging 10 people to a fight in central Queenstown. Devanney began spitting and yelling at people and a person was struck. He then punched a window at KFC before stripping off his shirt, walking onto the road, stopping traffic, and throwing his shirt onto a car. Police intervened after receiving several calls from the public about his behaviour. However, the offending did not end. Devanney was taken by ambulance to Lakes District Hospital to be treated for his level of intoxication. Once he returned to the police station, Devanney was put in a cell where he blocked the toilet with his socks, causing it to flood the room. He then smeared blood from a small cut on his finger on the walls, leaving the cell unusable for two days. Police prosecutor Sergeant Ian Collin said Devanney admitted drinking absinthe. Some Absinthe was known to contain a psychoactive ingredient named thujone and it was strongly recommended not to be consumed in excess. Lawyer Sonia Vidal said Devanney admitted he had an issue with alcohol and that he had drunk a large amount of spirits and could not recall the incident. The judge said Devanney was "despicable". He sentenced Devanney to nine months supervision, to include drug and alcohol counselling, and ordered him to pay $100 reparation immediately. Loraine Anne Jayme stands in the dock during her appearance in the Hamilton District Court on Wednesday. Jayme, 35, is facing 284 charges relating to the obtaining work visas for immigrant Filipino dairy workers by allegedly fraudulent means. The identity of a woman accused of an apparent document scam, in which more than 1000 Filipinos working on New Zealand dairy farms allegedly paid thousands of dollars for fraudulent visas, can be revealed. She is Loraine Anne Jayme, 35, of Te Aroha. Jayme's new counsel, Hamilton lawyer Roger Laybourn, on Wednesday argued unsuccessfully in the High Court in Hamilton for the continuation of name suppression. Suppression had been lifted by Judge Sharyn Otene in December; however, the defendant immediately appealed. Justice Edwin Wylie on Wednesday afternoon agreed with the earlier decision and suppression was lifted. Earlier on Wednesday, Jayme appeared before Judge Glen Marshall in the Hamilton District Court, where she was remanded without plea until March 16, to allow Laybourn to get to grips with the 284 charges his new client is facing. Three representative charges of obtaining by deception, knowingly using an altered document, and using a document for pecuniary advantage - initially laid by the police in October - were withdrawn by consent at her district court appearance. In November, Jayme had a further 284 fraud charges laid against her, covering obtaining by deception, using forged documents, supplying false information and forgery. Jayme is a joint New Zealand-Philippines national. The charges against her have been brought by Immigration New Zealand. Laybourn argued for the continuation of suppression on the basis that death threats had been made against his client, and the publication of her name would increase the likelihood of more threats. He also contended it would affect the health of some of Jayme's ailing family members in the Philippines and that it could likely lead to hardship in the form of teasing and bullying of her child. Crown prosecutor Trelise Needham said it was likely the person or persons who made the threats of harm against Jayme and her family had sent them to her in two separate emails. However, that indicated those people already knew her identity. While it was possible the people who sent those emails were Filipino dairy workers whose stay in New Zealand had been threatened due to the alleged false documents, all the affected workers had now had their visas' status confirmed by the ministry and they were not at risk of deportation. "Their motivation [to harm her] has been mitigated." Justice Wylie agreed, deciding publication would do nothing to either "accelerate or extinguish" the possibility of further threats being made or anyone acting on those threats. The potential for her child to be bullied could easily be managed by the family and school staff, and it was not likely the lifting of suppression would affect her family in her home country. "Ms Jayme's name is not the name she known by in the Philippines. It is her married name," the judge said. About 1700 Filipinos are already working on dairy farms in New Zealand. An investigation began several months ago after Immigration New Zealand staff in Christchurch noticed concerning patterns among visa applications from Filipinos seeking to work on dairy farms. Taranaki DHB may get a smaller share of national health funding after changes were made in the formula that allocates the funding. Taranaki's share of the nation's health budget will likely be reduced after changes were made to the formula that distributes the funding. Health funding was distributed among the 20 District Health Boards and after changes to the population-based formula, four DHBs Taranaki, Nelson Marlborough, Auckland and Wairarapa were likely to receive a smaller share of the health funding pie from July 1. Seven DHBs were likely to get an increase. Individual DHB funding allocations were never cut and were increased year on year, a Ministry of Health spokeswoman said. "What will change however for a very small number of DHBs is their percentage share of overall funding. This means their respective annual growth rate in funding may be less or more than under the previous model." READ MORE * Nelson Marlborough District Health Board to receive smaller share of health funding * Taranaki DHB deficit getting bigger * Funding for hospital rebuild needs to be paid back In December the Ministry of Health announced the outcome of the five yearly review of the Population Based Funding Formula (PBFF) which would be incorporated into DHB's 2016/17 Funding Advice. The review recommended no structural changes to the overall model but proposed several changes, including to the rural adjuster to better reflect DHB population and geography, the spokeswoman said. The old formula used information from the 2006 census while the new one would take into account statistics from the 2013 census. But New Zealand First health spokeswoman Barbara Stewart said reductions in funding would have serious consequences for frontline health services. "The government should reject this population-based funding formula that clearly isn't working for our communities and fund services to the current need." In 2015/16 the PBFF distributed a total of $11.4 billion to DHBs - of which Taranaki received about $317million. Taranaki DHB chief financial officer George Thomas said the consolidated financial result at the end December 2015 was a deficit of $2.32M against the planned deficit of $2.36M for the same period. "Currently Taranaki DHB is forecasted to meet its annual plan financial result for 15/16. This will be reviewed in March 2016 as is the normal practise, and any revised forecast will be advised to the board and Ministry at this time." Taranaki DHB planning and funding general manager Becky Jenkins wouldn't comment on the changes. "As with every year we are at the beginning of the funding and planning process and we will only know the outcome later this year." Taranaki's population is barely growing - it has increased just 2.8 per cent over the last 27 years. The Ministry spokeswoman said the full impact of the new model for the 2016/17 financial year would depend on new population projections, DHB starting points, the level of new funding to DHBs, implementation rules and any changes to funding streams arising from the Health Strategy review process. "The formula takes into account the number of people who live in each DHB catchment, their age, socio-economic status, ethnicity, and sex. It also has mechanisms to compensate DHBs who service rural communities and areas of high deprivation. The funding covers a range of health services including primary care, hospital and community care, health of older people and mental health." What is the Population-Based Funding Formula? The funding formula is a technical tool used to help equitably distribute the bulk of district health board funding according to the needs of each DHB's population. formula takes into account the number of people who live in each DHB catchment, their age, socio-economic status, ethnicity and sex. It also has mechanisms to compensate DHBs that service rural communities and areas of high deprivation. In 2015/2016 the tool distributed a total of $11.4 billion to health boards across New Zealand. The results of a review of the formula were released by the Ministry of Health in December. The review takes into account updated census information. If the formula was applied to funding allocation last year: Nelson Marlborough, Auckland, Taranaki and Wairarapa would get less funding. Southern, Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay, Lakes, Midcentral, Tairawhiti and Waitemata would get more funding. South Canterbury, Waikato, West Coast, Whanganui, Hutt Valley, Counties Manukau, Capital & Coast, Canterbury and Northland would get the same amount of funding. The full impact of the changes for the 2016/2017 financial year are unclear. Canadian man Kris Blair, 22, has been found after he had not been heard from in three weeks. Family and friends are concerned about a Canadian tourist, supposed to be working in the Timaru area, who has not been heard from for more than three weeks. Kris Blair has been backpacking around New Zealand for about a year, and was due to start a World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farm (WWOOF) job in the Timaru area last week. He failed to arrive, and repeated attempts by family to contact him by phone and social media had been unsuccesful. Blair's sister, Sabrina McEachern, said a check of his bank account showed no activity since he was last seen in Christchurch on January 18. The 22-year-old's parents had visited him in January, but had not heard from him since they returned to Canada, McEachern said. The lack of contact was out of character for her brother, she said. He usually got in touch with family every few days. "He buys minutes for his phone but he hasn't answered any calls, nothing. "The friends he has met are also contacting us asking us if we have heard from him." She said the family were trying to stay positive, but it was tough. "He knows how much his mum would worry, and it's just so unlike him." McEachern described her brother as "very outgoing". "You'd meet him and be instant friends, he has an infectious smile. "Blue eyes, very hard working, very tall." McEachern said friends in Auckland were planning to contact police on Thursday. Message to first time readers: Optimism and an open mind are the most radical political acts there are. We have thousands of energy options that can save our economy and planet without sacrificing our resources or lifestyles. The general public only hears of the few options that line the pockets of the few that result in the suffering of the many. The public information on this website makes it easy for anyone to clearly understand how viable and abundant our future can really be. We are not activists, treehuggers or politicians... we are EHS professionals who have thoroughly enjoyed everything this planet and its people have offered us and want to extend the quality of life for both. NOTE: I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesnt mean that I necessarily agree with everyor anyopinion in the posted article. And a lthough I often blog about disagreements, it is VERY important to understand that I agreed more with the ideas of President Obama and Dr. Chu than disagreed. (it is just part of democracy, it gives balance and is vital) Quote of the year: "If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there'd be a shortage of sand." - Milton Friedman Word of the year: Canterbury Police executed a search warrant at a residential property in Wigram this morning as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt the availability of illegal drugs in the region. Detective Inspector Darryl Sweeney confirmed that the address searched today is linked to the Head Hunters gang. A search of the property has yet to be completed. Canterbury Police are committed to preventing the social harm caused in the community by the use and distribution of illegal drugs. This includes paying particular attention to the criminal activity of gang members and their associates. Everyone has a right to be safe and feel safe and a phone call to Police or Crimestoppers to reporting illegal activity associated with drugs and gangs will help stop this offending occurring in your community. Anyone with any information should call Christchurch Central Police Station on 03 363 7400. Information can also be provided anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Source: New Zealand Police. The Governments reform of Maori land law could be in for a tough ride if the first of the latest round of information meetings is an indicator. The hui (meeting), held in South Auckland yesterday, drew about 100 people keen to hear what shape Te Ture Whenua Maori Bill is taking. Police investigating the death of Fai Deane on January 30 are continuing to make steady progress with their inquiries. Detective Senior Sergeant Matt Cranshaw of Taupo Area CIB, says a number of people have been interviewed as part of the investigation. Tauranga is among the regional centres selected for the governments TPPA roadshows planned for the coming months. Trade Minister Todd McClay announced the road show circuit yesterday, saying theyre for interested members of the public and to assist businesses to identify and plan for new export opportunities. Setting up an emergency contact is easy. :: SUR CONTACT THE BRITISH CONSULATE Email: spain.consulate@fco.gov.uk Telephone enquiries: 952352300 This is the first of our monthly messages from Charmaine Arbouin at the British Consulate in Malaga. Charmaine is the Consul for Andalucia and the Canary Islands. Her team helps thousands of British nationals in distress every year. Theres a New Years resolution you can complete in less than five minutes that could be a huge help to both you and your family in an accident or emergency. Simply add the letters AA, followed by the name and phone number of the person youd like to be contacted in an emergency, onto the lock screen of your mobile phone. This lets paramedics and the police know who they need to call in an emergency, even if they cant access your phones address book. AA stands for Avisar A (which in the case of an emergency effectively means please call), and is widely used by Spaniards on their mobile phones to assist the emergency services. And here at the British Consulate in Malaga we may also need to search for your next of kin. The Consulate is often the first place that police or hospitals call if a British national has been in a serious accident or died. We can inform family much faster if the police or emergency services are able to provide us with emergency contact information. When we lack this information, it can take much longer. In some cases, we have to call the UK police or even check Facebook to try to find someones family. That is time lost when, with the right contact details, we could reach your nearest and dearest more quickly. Not sure how to add your emergency contact onto your phones lock screen? Check your phones settings for instructions or search online for personalise lock screen. Whilst youre updating your phone, its a very good idea to update the contact details on your passport contacts page too. Again it could help the emergency services and us to help you, when you most need it. The AA campaign was devised by the Spanish Government and the Cruz Roja Espanola, and its similar to the UKs In Case of Emergency or ICE initiative. The idea for ICE came from a paramedic who had often had to look through the phone contacts of people who were too shocked or injured to provide him with next of kin details. So if you have five minutes right now, you have time to complete that new resolution! INFORMATION ASSURANCE SPECIALIST (CRANEIT-15-1048-Z): In support of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane (NSWC Crane), Bowhead seeks an Information Assurance Specialist. NSWC Crane develops and supports a variety of operations including; fleet maintenance and modernization, radar, power systems, strategic systems, small arms, surface and airborne electronic warfare, night vision systems, and undersea warfare systems. The Information Assurance (IA) Specialist will develop and maintain documentation required by DOD Instruction 8510.01, Department of Defense Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation process (DIACAP). This shall include responsibility for development and maintenance of all Crane Corporate documentation required by the DIACAP process and for providing support to the System Administrators in the development and maintenance of the required documentation for their individual systems. Focus on achieving DOD Information Assurance (DIA) Certification and Accreditation (CAP) (DIACAP), Certification and Accreditation. Ensure that employees obtain and keep current all required certifications to meet Navy Information Assurance (IA) Workforce requirements. Utilize the current system, such as TWMS, to track compliance with IA training as well as mandatory training required to obtain and maintain computer accounts. Bachelors Degree (preferred) and 3 years of relevant experience or an equivalent combination of education, experience and certifications. DoD 8570 Certification Knowledge of DIACAP and RMF wide breadth IT knowledge and understanding. SECURITY CLEARANCE: Must be able to obtain a Secret clearance and maintain access to government/military installations. US Citizenship is a requirement for access to this military installation Prior experience supporting the Information Technology Services Division (Code 104) at NSWC Crane, desired. Physical Demands: Office Environment The environmental conditions consist of computer stations and desks with adequate and adjustable lighting. Chairs are designed to fit the various individuals and the tasks being performed. Ergonomic evaluations are completed as needed, to provide up to date modifications to all work stations. This position requires sitting for long periods of time. Applicants may be subject to a pre-employment drug & alcohol screening and/or random drug screen, and must follow UICs Non-DOT Drug & Alcohol Testing Program requirements. If the position requires, an applicant must pass a pre-employment criminal background history check. All post-secondary education listed on the applicants resume/application may be subject to verification. Where driving may be required or where a rental car must be obtained for business travel purposes, applicants must have a valid driver license for this position and will be subject to verification. In addition, the applicant must pass an in-house, online, driving course to be authorized to drive for company purposes. UIC is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, age, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other protected characteristics EOE/AA/M/F/D/V. In furtherance, pursuant to The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 43 U.S.C. Sec. 1601 et seq., and federal contractual requirements, UIC and its subsidiaries may legally grant certain preference in employment opportunities to UIC Shareholders and their Descendants, based on the provisions contained within The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. All candidates must apply online at www.uicalaska.com, and submit a completed application for all positions they wish to be considered. Once the employment application has been completed and submitted, any changes to the application after submission may not be reviewed. Please contact a UIC HR Recruiter if you have made a significant change to your application. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), persons unable to complete an online application should contact UIC Human Resources for assistance (http://www.uicalaska.com/contact-us/human-resources/). UIC Government Services (UICGS) and its Bowhead family of companies are an Alaska Native Corporation owned by Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation (UIC) of Barrow, Alaska. UICGS/Bowhead provides innovative business solutions in areas such as engineering, maintenance services, information technology, program support, logistics/base support, and procurement. Collectively, the fast-growing Bowhead Family of Companies offers a breadth of services which are performed with a focus on quality results. Headquartered in Alexandria, VA, we are a fast-growing, multi-million-dollar corporation recognized as one of the top 25 8(a) companies for government contracting. ^ Link to Apply: https://rn21.ultipro.com/UKP1001/jobboard/NewCandidateExt.aspx?__JobID=15245 This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon! Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page? In a teaser for "Survivor," host Jeff Probst said he wishes he was as fit as Joe Del Campo. Del Campo is a 72-year-old Vero Beach resident and one of the 18 castaways in this season's "Survivor: Kaoh Rong Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty II," which premieres Feb. 17. Del Campo's buffness belies his age and viewers might be surprised to see that Del Campo is a member of the brains tribe, not brawn, in the competition for the $1 million prize. "I'm a brainy guy! Just because I have a body folks would kill for, c'mon," Del Campo said. The former FBI agent and Navy veteran said he did not bulk up for the show. Jogging, weight training and visiting the gym three to five times a week is routine for him. "This is always what I looked like. I like to keep a pretty good physique. I try to be a poster boy for septuagenarians." Retired for 20 years, Del Campo moved to Vero Beach six years ago from Coral Springs. Along with time devoted to fitness, Del Campo runs his own private investigation firm, is a member of the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce and rescues Yorkies with his life partner. "To say girlfriend sounds funny at my age." Del Campo is tied with Rudy Boesch, a two-time "Survivor" castaway, as the oldest competitors in the show's 16-year history. Both Navy veterans, the two became acquainted through mutual friends and it was Boesch who suggested Del Campo apply for the show. Boesch was a finalist in the first season of the reality series but was quickly eliminated in "Survivor: All-Stars." Boesch was known for being grouchy and unashamedly politically incorrect. "I am 180 degrees out from Rudy as far as personality," Del Campo said. "I am more charismatic and have some feminine qualities. I have feelings and stuff." Not a super fan, Del Campo said he watched for the first 10 seasons or so and then stopped. He applied for the show early on to no avail. Although he can't recall exactly which season he applied, his audition tape was on VHS. The audition process for this season's "Survivor: Koh Rong Brain vs. Brawn vs. Beauty II" took six months and once he was selected, Del Campo began reviewing 22 previous seasons online and taking notes. "I was obsessed. I watched eight hours a day. I was glued to the computer," Del Campo said. "I really honed my skills watching seasons 28 and 29." If those skills include lying and conniving to make it all 39 days of the show, with a motto of "Outwit, Outplay and Outlast," Del Campo won't say for sure. "You try to be as honest as you can but if you want to make it to the end you can't be a goody two shoes, it won't work." TRIVIA QUIZ | How well do you know "Survivor"? The granddaddy of reality shows includes harsh conditions and brutish physical challenges but Del Campo said he was not put off by any of them. "You go with the idea that anything can be presented to you. You go and give it your best shot." This season was filmed in Cambodia from late March through May of last year. Two hundred employees and 200 locals make up the crew. "They do an incredible job with the challenges. When I put my two feet on the mat and stood in front of Jeff Probst and saw the size of this whole thing, it's incredible. But you become so involved, especially in the challenges, that you forget the crew is there." Del Campo said he knew going in that his biggest challenge would be his social game not the conditions. "The big challenge at 72 was being able to communicate with people who are in their 20s. How is a former FBI guy going to communicate with young people? My mantra was that I can talk to these people. Being hungry and having a little sand in your shorts is nothing compared to hostage negotiating." Contractually, Del Campo can't say much about his time on the show. The network's publicist, who remained on the line for the phone interview, quickly put an end to questions about the conditions, the multiple medical evacuations that have been teased on television and social media, when the cast members actually meet, if Del Campo's recent rotator cuff surgery was the result of something that occurred on the show and even what he chose to wear for the possible 39-day stay. After 32 seasons, "Survivor" remains a ratings magnet for CBS and the online conjecture and office "Survivor" pools already have begun. Del Campo said he does read them and is aware of the assumption that because of his age, he will be eliminated early. "If you believe that stuff, I have a bridge to sell ya." "Survivor: Kaoh Rong Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty II" premieres in a 90-minute episode at 8 p.m. Feb. 17 on CBS. Christopher Vanhorn, 34, 700 block of Avens Street, Port St. Lucie; warrant for petty theft. Heather Grey, 30, 300 block of Temple Court, Vero Beach; warrant for violation of probation, giving false ownership/I.D. information to a secondhand dealer. Nancy Vazquez, 61, Miami; warrant for failure to appear, uttering a forged bill, check or draft, grand theft. Mishell Lopez, 21, 900 block of Sixth Street, Vero Beach; uttering a false bank bill, note, check or draft; grand theft. Arrested in Martin County. Allen Richards, 38, 2300 block of Merrill Road, Port St. Lucie; warrants for grand theft, giving false information to a pawnbroker. Michael Knight, 33, 300 block of Godwin Road, Fort Pierce; battery second or subsequent offense. April Berry, 21, Warm Springs, Oregon; possession of marijuana over 20 grams. Deila Harjo, 18, Hollywood; possession of marijuana over 20 grams. Trey Kingbird, 20, Eveleth, Minnesota; possession of marijuana over 20 grams. Todd Poindexter, 27, 5100 block of Ossa Court, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of probation, giving false information to a pawnbroker, dealing in stolen property. Alfredo Gomez, 27, 14000 block of Shawnee Street, Indiantown; warrant for dealing in stolen property. Christopher Vanhorn, 34, 700 block of Avens Street, Port St. Lucie; warrant for petty theft. Arrested in Indian River County. Christine Cuchel, 46, 2800 block of Bakersfield Road, Port St. Lucie; larceny/grand theft. Muhammad Malik, 49, 100 block of Magnolia Lakes Boulevard, Port St. Lucie; warrant for possession with intent to sell or deliver an imitation controlled substance. Ryan Morris, 37, 1500 block of 16th Street, Fort Pierce; warrant for court order to revoke bond of burglary, grand theft on new arrests for battery, battery by strangulation. Tracy Bingham, 32, 11000 block of Willis Road, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, possession of alprazolam. Allen Hirt, 41, 500 block of Leona Street, Port St. Lucie; driving while license suspended, habitual offender. Lindsay Brown, 32, no street address, Port St. Lucie; larceny/grand theft. Alex Douglas, 18, 200 block of Jenkins Road, Fort Pierce; obstruction of justice tampering in misdemeanor proceeding. Tarus Richardson, 20, 4000 block of Avenue P, Fort Pierce; burglary with assault and battery. Clarencia Colbert, 23, 3100 block of Avenue F, Fort Pierce; warrants for food stamp fraud, grand theft. April Krause, 34, 2600 block of Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce; warrants for petty theft, grand theft of a controlled substance. Jason Rao, 41, 10000 block of Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce; warrant for court order to revoke bond of battery on new arrest of driving while license suspended. Jessica Porter, 35, 2500 block of Delaware Avenue, Fort Pierce; re-admit, sale of hydromorphone. Jennifer Lorenzo, 37, 300 block of Kestor Drive, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of probation, dealing in stolen property. Arrested in Martin County. Dangerous bacteria is spreading in the St. Lucie River. The Florida Department of Health in St. Lucie County urged people Wednesday to avoid contact with the water in much of the North Fork of the St. Lucie River because of higher-than-normal levels of enteric bacteria. High levels of the bacteria, which indicate fecal pollution, were found in river water samples at River Park Marina on Prima Vista Boulevard, Veterans Park on Veterans Memorial Parkway and the Sandpiper Bay canoe launch in southern Port St. Lucie. The state health department at Martin County Friday advised avoiding contact with St. Lucie River water at Sandsprit Park in Stuart near Port Salerno because of high levels of enteric bacteria. Similar warnings at the Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart and at Leighton Park near the Palm City Bridge have been in place for more than two weeks. All advisories will remain in effect until results show consistent readings in the good range. Enteric bacteria inhabit the intestinal tract of humans and animals. The bacteria can come from stormwater runoff, pets, wildlife and human sewage. Symptoms of exposure for those who ingest or come in contact with the water may include upset stomach, diarrhea, eye irritation and skin rashes. Go to TCPalm.com/waterquality for a map of other avoid-water advisories and water quality conditions throughout the Treasure Coast. The Florida Department of Health in St. Lucie County announced that tests revealed higher-than-normal levels of enteric bacteria in the St. Lucie River. Residents are urged to avoid contact with the North Fork of the St. Lucie River from River Park Marina at Prima Vista Boulevard south to Martin County line. Samples were taken from three locations: River Park Marina, Veterans Park and Sandpiper Bay Canoe Launch. The advisory will remain in effect until results show consistent readings in the good range. Enteric bacteria inhabit the intestinal tract of humans and animals and their presence in recreational waters is an indication of fecal pollution. The bacteria may come from stormwater runoff, pets, wildlife and human sewage. Symptoms of exposure for those who ingest or come in contact with the water may include upset stomach, diarrhea, eye irritation and skin rashes. For more information, contact St. Lucie's Environmental Health Division at 772-873-4931 or at www.StLucieCountyHealth.com. TALLAHASSEE Two measures to buy more conservation land died Wednesday, one of which would have helped reduce Lake Okeechobee discharges into the St. Lucie River and was filed to protest the Legislature's inaction to curb them. Sen. Thad Altman, a Rockledge Republican who represents part of Indian River County, filed a measure to borrow money to increase funding for the Florida Forever land-buying program from $22.2 million to $222.5 million. His amendment would have used the $22.2 million that currently is in the Senate's proposed budget for fiscal year 2016-17 to issue bonds. But other senators asked the amendment be killed. They said it violated budget procedures that prohibit budget amendments that add too much money to the original budget and prohibit money allocated for one fiscal year from being used to pay for items allocated indefinitely, such as bond payments. Altman said he had about 21 of 40 votes to pass the amendment and believes the move was intended to kill his measure and to ensure rank-and-file lawmakers like him don't add large items to the budget. He said the state should take advantage of low interest rates to buy properties that are on a Florida Forever priority list, waiting to be purchased for habitat conservation and parks. Budget Committee Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, said the Senate is proposing more money for Florida Forever than the $17.4 million allocated last year and "there just isn't enough money to spread around" unless the state borrows money, which many lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott oppose. PROTEST AMENDMENT The other failed budget amendment was rejected by the House and had no chance of passing. Yet House Minority Leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, filed it anyway to draw attention to the Lake Okeechobee discharges into the St. Lucie River that started Jan. 30, he said. Pafford's measure would buy 153,000 acres the state has the option to purchase according to a 2010 agreement between U.S. Sugar Corp. and the South Florida Water Management District. The budget amendment would have cut $80.1 million from a program that pays ranchers not to develop their land and from water supply projects. The sugar land was intended to be used to build reservoirs and water treatment areas to move Lake O water into the Everglades. Former Gov. Charlie Crist pushed the deal with U.S. Sugar but most of it fell through during the economic recession. The Republican-controlled Legislature has shown no appetite for buying the land since. Last year, lawmakers didn't act on an option to buy 46,000 acres from U.S. Sugar after the company lobbied against it. The South Florida Water Management District board of directors voted to void a contract for that purchase, which would have expired in October 2015, during the legislative session last year. Money for the measures pushed by Altman and Pafford would have come from Amendment 1, approved by voters in 2014 to set aside money to buy, restore and improve land and water resources. Environmentalists filed two lawsuits over the Legislature's use of one-third of Amendment 1 dollars for agency routine operating expenses with little going into land acquisition. Many lawmakers are against the state owning more land because it takes the properties off the tax rolls and creates a financial burden to maintain them. The House and Senate are scheduled to pass their respective budgets Thursday and are supposed to negotiate a final budget by the March 11 end of the legislative session. Altman said he hopes budget negotiators will increase land purchase money during those negotiations. MARTIN COUNTY Stopping the Brightline passenger rail is a winnable battle as long as the Treasure Coast continues to pony up money, Martin County commissioners said Tuesday before approving an additional $850,000 for the legal battle. The money is to be used for the continuation of a federal lawsuit and new studies to examine the potentially harmful effects of the Miami-to-Orlando railroad, among other efforts. "This is not the time to waiver or show any sign of weakness," Commissioner John Haddox said. "Today is the day we take a firm stance and demonstrate our solidarity with thousands of citizens." The allocation, approved unanimously by the commission, is less than the $1.37 million county staff recommended, but more than the $650,000 staff said it needs for immediate and ongoing projects. The county already has spent nearly $1.4 million of the $1.56 million dedicated in 2014 and 2015 to fighting All Aboard Florida, which plans to begin running its Brightline service through the Treasure Coast late next year. All Aboard Florida, meanwhile, said it remains committed to exploring the possibility of a Treasure Coast rail station once initial service with stops in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando International Airport is established. The Treasure Coast metropolitan planning organizations could form a three-county working group to draft a station proposal, All Aboard Florida Vice President of Governmental Affairs Rusty Roberts said during a nearly two-hour public comment session before the County Commission. Over the past year, All Aboard Florida repeatedly has encouraged the Treasure Coast to begin the station planning process, in particular the process of determining the best location for a stop, according to Roberts. "All Aboard Florida will work with communities that identify station locations by initiating a predevelopment process, which will include analyzing ridership data and any necessary environmental studies," he told Stuart elected officials at a meeting in February 2015. Brevard County could serve as a model for the Treasure Coast. It spent the past year creating a proposal for a station, and is likely to submit it by the end of next month, according to Roberts. For now, though, Martin and Indian River counties seem unlikely to engage in station discussions. Indian River County has spent just over half of the $2.7 million it allocated for its All Aboard Florida battle, and plans to spend more of that fund in the coming year. Martin County Commissioner Doug Smith on Tuesday said he believes a third request for more money for the county's battle is inevitable. Construction of All Aboard Florida already has begun between Miami and West Palm Beach, and Brightline passenger service there is to begin in early 2017, with full service beginning in late 2017. PORT ST. LUCIE The design of Floresta Drive where it meets the future Crosstown Parkway extension could impact the safety, convenience and efficiency of the intersection, City Council members said Monday. Council members questioned project managers about their guarantees the intersection, known as a "superstreet," would reduce crashes and help traffic flow with little effect on motorists on Floresta Drive, who would be restricted from directly crossing Crosstown Parkway. "Everyone's question because we don't know, we're relying on the experts (is), 'Is this the right solution?' " Mayor Greg Oravec asked during the council's Monday night meeting. Drivers on Floresta wouldn't be able to cross the parkway or turn in any direction but right. Northbound drivers would be forced to turn east on the parkway and do a U-turn before continuing north or going west to Interstate 95. Southbound motorists would turn right onto westbound Crosstown before making a U-turn back to Floresta. The design would lessen travel time for motorists, except those continuing from one side of Floresta or the other, project managers said. It would take those motorists an extra 6 seconds to execute the U-turn, according to city documents. "I have a hard time believing it's going to be that much safer, because we have citizens that can't even navigate through a simple roundabout, and this is one that's on steroids," said Julianne Gagliardo, who lives on the south side of Floresta. In order to head north on Floresta and then head home, it will require two U-turns, she said. Superstreets, also known as restricted crossing U-turn intersections, usually are met with apprehension, said Joseph Hummer, a professor and chairman of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Wayne State University in Detroit. "We've found (there's) anxiety at the stage you're at right now, when there's one being proposed or being construction, but after it's in for a while, the drivers come to not only accept it, but then they really kind of embrace it," Hummer said. The intersections typically cut travel time by 20 percent and reduce the number of collision points from 32 at a traditional intersection to 14, Hummer said. Drivers wanting to continue straight on Floresta would experience a slight delay, Hummer said. "There's almost no way to make a mistake, and therefore there really shouldn't be much confusion there," Hummer said. Crosstown's superstreet would be the first in Florida. As of 2014, there were 50 across the country, Hummer said. The design has been successfully implemented in North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Michigan, Utah and South Carolina, according to city documents. The intersection would cost approximately $97,500 more than a traditional one, a project manager told the council Monday. The council remains concerned motorists would try to find alternative routes through residential streets to avoid the U-turns. "We need to be prepared for that," Vice Mayor Linda Bartz said. "We need to have people onboard and law enforcement onboard to negate that from the beginning instead of waiting for it to become an issue." Oravec slammed city staff for failing to present the council with a presentation on the superstreet before it was a approved by staff in 2014 and unknowingly rubber-stamped by the City Council in June 2015. The superstreet was mentioned on two pages of the 900-page design packet the City Council approved, Oravec said. "To find out that we actually approved that without a discussion and without being advised by staff is very troubling," Oravec said. Oravec called for a special City Council meeting on Tuesday to address the communication breakdown. Crosstown Parkway will link Interstate 95 to U.S. 1, carrying drivers from Manth Lane on Southeast West Virginia Drive, over the North Fork of the St. Lucie River to Village Green Drive at U.S. 1. Construction on the $150 million project is set to begin this summer and conclude in 2018. The project was challenged in federal court by the Conservation Alliance of St. Lucie County, which claims its bridge over the North Fork of the St. Lucie River would destroy state preserve land. The case was dismissed late last year. The alliance has appealed the ruling. Late last month, two petitions objecting project permits from the South Florida Water Management District were filed. Both were dismissed by a SFWMD clerk because they lacked standing. An amended complaint by one of the parties was submitted Monday, an outside lawyer representing the city in matters related to the project told City Council Monday. SHARE By Melissa E. Holsman of TCPalm Nearly two years after a Jensen Beach pharmacy was raided by federal agents who dubbed its operators a steroid and pain pill ring, nine of 13 people arrested have pleaded guilty in federal court while pharmacist and owner Peter Del Toro, a Palm City business manager and a Sebastian doctor head to trial June 3, records show. Last month without explanation, federal prosecutors dropped a 42-count indictment filed against Peter Del Toro's Port St. Lucie father, Richard Del Toro, 62, who, as co-owner and vice president of Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy, was arrested in September 2011, alongside his son. "Peter is absolutely thrilled for his father," said his West Palm Beach attorney Tama Beth Kudman. "He has always maintained that his father should never have been involved in this case, and it's great that the government has done what it should have done in the beginning, which was not to charge him at all. Kudman said she doesn't know the reason behind the March 21 dismissal. "It should not have taken this long," she noted. "The government has been in possession of the information necessary to make this decision for a very long time." U.S. attorney's office spokeswoman Alicia Valle in Miami declined to comment on the development, and she said no public records exist that explain why prosecutors dismissed their case against the elder Del Toro. Peter Del Toro, 40, of Palm City, remains free in lieu of a $500,000 bond, records show. He and co-defendants Jaclyn Rubino, 33, of Palm City, and Sebastian internal medicine specialist Dr. Timothy Sigman, 42, face a 39-count indictment accusing the trio of illegally distributing and conspiring to illegally distribute anabolic steroids and human growth hormones. Del Toro faces an additional charge of illegally distributing and conspiring to illegally distribute the powerful pain killer oxycodone. With Del Toro as top pharmacist, his pharmacy dispensed almost 11,000 steroid and human growth hormone orders and 3,700 other addictive prescriptions, such as oxycodone between October 2010 and March 2011, according to a Florida Department of Health emergency suspension order. Del Toro filled more than 84 percent of those prescriptions, the order stated. Following a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raid on the pharmacy in June 2011, the state closed the business and stripped Del Toro's pharmacy license. As a condition of his bond, Sigman forfeited his Florida medical license and DEA registration. Of the nine defendants who have pleaded guilty to various felony and misdemeanor charges, four are physicians, one is a chiropractor and four were owners or operators of South Florida pain and health clinics. Court papers show most of the defendants have agreed to testify against Del Toro, Rubino and Sigman as a condition of their plea agreement with the government. In court papers, federal prosecutors say dispensing records from Del Toro's pharmacy show co-defendant Dr. Jeffrey Perelman, who worked for three different Palm Beach County businesses that sold anabolic steroids and human growth hormones, was a prolific prescriber during a four-month period during 2010 ? issuing 4,430 prescriptions for anabolic steroids to 2,045 customers across 48 states. In Perelman's plea agreement, he admitted that while working at Palm Beach Life Extension, Inc., and The Health and Rejuvenation Center, both in Palm Beach County, he caused approximately 96,740,268 dosages of steroids and about 34,830 units of human growth hormone "to be dispensed through (Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy) to customers ... whom had not been examined and for whom no legitimate diagnosis had been determined which would have caused these drugs to be prescribed." For his services, Perelman admitted earning more than $1 million from clinic owners. Whether the June 3 trial in West Palm Beach goes forward depends on how U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra rules on a defense motion to dismiss the case filed by lawyers for Del Toro, Rubino and Sigman based on the proposition that the charges resulted from "the government's pervasive pattern of misconduct before the grand jury in securing the indictment against the defendants, as well as the government's misconduct throughout this prosecution." In a 42-page motion filed by Kudman and Rubino's Orlando attorney Fritz Scheller, they accuse federal prosecutors of repeatedly soliciting "false testimony" from DEA agent Robert Cassitta in front of two different grand juries, which the lawyers argued unfairly influenced grand jury members to return an indictment. They cite more than 21 examples of "misstatements of facts" presented by the government to a June 2012 grand jury seated in West Palm Beach. Misconduct allegations include that "the government inflated the number of prescriptions for anabolic steroids that was dispensed" by Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy. The attorneys claimed physician Perelman, for example, dispensed 3,100 steroid prescriptions rather than the 4,400 cited by prosecutors in court. Government prosecutors also were accused of misleading a grand jury in presenting testimony that the pharmacy "dispensed prescription drugs for physicians who (Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy) knew had their licenses revoked or who had been criminally charged." Attorneys countered that prosecutors knew pharmacy protocols required staff "to verify that a prescribing physician had an active DEA and state license ..." Federal prosecutors in a 24-page reply, urged the court to deny the motion to dismiss, "because defendants have not factually or legally supported any of their allegations of misconduct." Sigman meanwhile, is fighting to prevent prosecutors from showing to a jury the contents of a binder of alleged attorney/client privileged materials his former West Palm Beach attorney David Roth admitted he "inadvertently and unintentionally " turned over to DEA agents while delivering a dozen boxes containing records for 5,000 Sigman patients. According to Roth, who resigned from Sigman's case April 10, the binder contained a photo of a T-shirt Sigman had on the day he was arrested that said "U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration SUCKS!" Defense attorneys want a hearing to argue their claims of prosecutorial misconduct in court. It's unclear if that request will be granted before Marra makes his ruling. I like beer. Which you might guess about .03 seconds after seeing me in a bathing suit. I also like an occasional beer at the beach although, at the Delaware and Maryland beaches I'm used to haunting, alcohol is illegal. But you know how it is. Some people decide they're going to be surreptitious about things. They break out the red Solo cup or the koozie, they're discreet about it, and no one's the wiser. Unless the gendarmes happen to stroll by at the moment of the pour. Not that I have experience with any of this, of course. The point is, the vast majority of beach-going humans are capable of enjoying an adult beverage or two without any problems. But as is so often the case, it's that small minority, the one or two percent, who have to screw things up for everyone else. On Tuesday, Martin County commissioners voted on a measure that would have banned alcohol at county beaches and from the Jensen Beach and Stuart Causeway parks, (and also limit the hours the public would be allowed on the beach and regulate shark fishing). The idea of a ban has been around for a while, but Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said bad behavior on the beaches seems to be getting worse. And he blames booze. There's been lewd behavior, vandalism, discarded syringes and at least one shooting. "Hobe Sound, it can smell like a urinal down there, there's so much drinking," Snyder told me in an interview earlier this week. Snyder blamed young people from St. Lucie County, who bring the party to Martin County because they can't drink on St. Lucie beaches. And ultimately, it makes Martin County beaches less friendly than they should be. "I've had conversations with parents who have said, 'We don't go to the beach anymore, it's disgusting,' " Snyder said. "We want to have world-class beaches, destination beaches. You want people to come here and build sand castles and sit under the sun and spend money." So OK, this is a pretty good argument. But the libertarian in me wondered if this wasn't overreach if we know there are problems at certain beaches at certain times, couldn't patrols simply be stepped up? Just because some young idiot has too much beer and starts a fight, how does it follow that a responsible adult who's not throwing punches should be prohibited from enjoying a cold one? At the same time, though, I've had the kids at the beach when the people a few towels over have gotten loud and obnoxious. And where unregulated consumption leads to more of this yeah, it's a problem. As noted at Tuesday's commission meeting, virtually every other community/beach surveyed by Martin County officials has chosen to solve that problem by banning booze on the beach. So you figure, OK, why should Martin County be any different? At Tuesday's meeting, though, a parade of citizens stepped up to the microphone to insist Martin County is different and must remain so. En masse, they lambasted the proposed ban on booze and said it would be almost impossible to enforce without Gestapo-like tactics. They called on the sheriff's department to enforce the laws already on the books. Bust the bad guys, sure but leave the good guys who merely want an adult beverage at sunset, or any other time, alone. Realtors said they thought a ban might discourage home sales. Business owners worried about how a ban might impact their livelihood. The crowd applauded. At least one speaker got emotional. Commissioners who attempted to defend the proposed ban saying they hear from people who vow they're never going to Martin County's unsafe beaches anymore seemed back on their heels. Snyder ultimately respected the will of the people. The ban was not passed. And I'm thinking: Boy, I wouldn't have expected this. Martin County likes its liberties. And, apparently, its liquor. So with no offense intended to the sheriff and other proponents, Martin County beat back the nanny state, rhetorically smashing a beer bottle over its head. And that's quite a victory in this day and age that is, so long as the sheriff can keep the alcohol-fueled idiocy in check without a ban. Stay tuned. Five years ago, when Sanford Republican Jason Brodeur was a freshman legislator, he filed one of the most bone-headed bills in the history of the Sunshine State which is saying something. Brodeur's 2011 bill threatened to jail doctors who discussed guns with patients even suicidal ones. It also attempted to fine physicians up to $5 million for each violation. That's approximately $5 million more than the $15,000 fine for other crimes ... like murder. The bill was nuttier than an Almond Joy. Even the Legislature's own staff suggested this restriction of voluntary, private speech was unconstitutional. So Brodeur tinkered with his bill, changing the penalties from Lotto-sized fines to threats of revoked medical licenses and allowing wiggle room for some, but not all, gun talk. Basically, he made a wildly insane and dangerous bill just mildly insane and dangerous. That was good enough for Brodeur's fellow legislators. They passed it, and Rick Scott signed it into law in June of 2011. But a federal judge quickly blocked the law, agreeing with doctors who said politicians had no constitutional right to restrict private conversations. It should have ended there. But ever since, Florida politicians have been waging legal battles to resurrect their bad legislation and sticking taxpayers with the bill. Just last week, an appeals court agreed to hear more arguments, which could extend this taxpayer-funded battle another year. Such is life in the Gunshine State a place where political pandering is more important to lawmakers than safety, common sense or your tax dollars. How many of your tax dollars? I'm still waiting to find out. Back in 2013, the tally was nearly $100,000. But that was a legal generation ago. There have been gobs of hearings, briefs and outside-counsel bills since then. I requested updated totals. When state officials decide to share them, so will I. But to give you an idea of the Florida resources involved, the lawsuit names 21 different state officials and agencies. Asked this week if the five-year legal fight was worth it, Brodeur simply responded: "Yes." Well, sure. This is all just big fun if you're a politician looking to score points with the NRA. The irony, though, is that many gun owners are embarrassed by this costly foray into foolishness. People want doctors not politicians in charge of their health care. And if most people dislike a question they're asked, they don't call the cops or demand a new law; they simply refuse to answer. This all started with one case in which a couple in Ocala claimed they were denied treatment when they refused to answer a doctor's questions about safe storage of their guns around their children. It was a lone story with conflicting details. But it became the latest boogeyman for the "They're coming to get your guns!" narrative. Wrote one reader: "The doctors are recruited as spies for the Obama regime." That is the constituency to which Brodeur catered. The federal judge a nominee of George W. Bush agreed the bill was an overreaction to a nonexistent problem, saying: "It does not appear that the Florida Legislature relied on any studies, research, or statistics on physicians' practices or patients' experiences on this issue." So she struck it down. But the state appealed and netted a victory when a federal appeals panel issued a 2-1 decision supporting the law. And now the full appeals court has taken the rare step of wanting to rehear that. Part of the confusion is that the so-called "Docs vs. Glocks" bill bans gun questions, but makes exceptions for questions "relevant to the patient's medical care or safety" which is the only reason doctors say they ask anyway. So the law isn't just unfounded; it's also unclear. Listen, there are legitimate gun debates. This is not one of them. Doctors care about your blood levels, not whether you go skeet shooting on the weekend. In fact, among the few times doctors even ask about guns are when patients appear suicidal or when pediatricians ask new parents about potential household hazards such as cleaning chemicals, unfenced swimming pools or, yes, unsecured guns. Doctors have done so for generations. And nobody went screaming for more laws. That only happens when you have politicians who care more about pandering than public safety and fiscal responsibility. Scott Maxwell is a columnist for the Orlando Sentinel. Reach him at smaxwell@tribpub.com. Instead of grumbling as you slowly make your way past the road construction crew on 45th Street, take a look at the amazing changes to the area across from Gifford Middle School 28th Court is abuzz with activity. The former home of the Dubose cemetery, dating back to 1926, will once again be a haven but of a very different kind. The recently completed Martin Luther King, Jr. Park integrates family, health, fun, and history that spans a century. This is not a tale that can be told quickly, the realization of this community park has been a long time in the making. Plans had been made to create a family-friendly historical park complex in 1994, when the Old Macedonia Church was relocated from Sebastian to its current location on the corner of 45th Street and 28th Court at the behest of the Indian River County Historical Society. The church has undergone renovations and is now the Martin Luther King Museum. But the renovation and upgrade of the park were 'put on the shelf as a result of the Great Recession in 2008,' said Indian River County Commissioner Bob Solari. When Gifford community leader Freddie Woolfork told Meredith Egan, chief operating officer for United Way of Indian River County, about his vision for a walking trail at the old cemetery, that's what got the ball rolling again. The dedication of a park bench in 2013, in honor of the contributions of Victor Hart, Sr., also helped rekindle the flame for community improvements at the Martin Luther King Park. Hart founded the Gifford Progressive Civic League in 1961 and has spent his life lobbying for paved and lighted roadways, clean drinking water and a community center to name a few of his accomplishments. After the ceremony, Indian River County Commissioners committed to implementing the previously planned improvements. The feedback from the community has already brought a lot of goodwill according to Solari. 'I'm happy it's finally happening.' More features And in a case of the planets aligning at the right time, the Health Department recently won the Sapphire Award from Blue Cross & Blue Shield's Florida Blue Foundation. The department allocated the $100,000 grant toward improvements to the property adjacent to the Gifford Health Center. 'We knew they were planning to add a walking path to the park and we wanted to add playground equipment, a bike rack and water fountain,' said Julianne Price, performance improvement coordinator for the Indian River County Health Department. Before they could get started, the area had to be surveyed. Most of those buried in the Dubose Cemetery had been relocated to the Vero Beach's Crestlawn Cemetery after World War II. It was believed that the graves had been moved but not all of the tombstones, according to Historical Society records. To clear up this mystery, the County Health Department requested financial assistance for a ground-penetrating radar survey, from a portion of the funds that the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council had recently received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The trail was designed around those that the survey found still at rest on the site. 'The tombstones will remain in the park as a reminder of what was,' says Woolfork. 'I remember walking by that field when I was young. Kids would hide in the bushes and jump out and say 'boo!' he recalls. 'I did my share of saying 'boo!'' It's not scary anymore. Brightly colored playground equipment, landscaping, sod and a meandering walking trail have turned the unkempt area into a bright spot. When representatives at the United Way found out what was planned, they added their special touch to the area. All together, now The United Way Born Learning Trail is an interactive, playful and visible volunteer and community engagement tool, designed to help parents, caregivers and communities support early learning. The activities encourage parents and caregivers to follow children's lead, as well as build children's curiosity and confidence, and reinforce the learning already underway. Piper volunteers turned out in full force for the United Way Day of Caring and went to work cleaning, setting up equipment, painting and much, much more. 'This project is a true demonstration of community collaboration. We are delighted to have partnered with the IRC Health Dept. and volunteers from Piper to build the first Born Learning Trail in Indian River County. We hope we can replicate this in other locations around the community,' said Egan. So, now all on one historic site residents can access the Gifford Health Center Pediatric Clinic, which provides pediatric primary care to low-income families and the uninsured; the We Care Clinic, which provides health care services to medically indigent residents; an interactive play environment; a walking trail and a museum. Woolfork credits the impetus behind this remarkable effort to what he calls the 'pillars of Gifford': the county's Health Department, Commission, and Sheriff's Department, the Gifford Youth Achievement Center, the Progressive Civic League of Gifford, the Pastor's Association and Gifford Front Porch. 'These groups meet every month to be of one accord for the betterment of the Gifford community,' explains Woolfork. 'What we have achieved is a one-stop shop to get healthy and learn about our history. 'We have big plans for the park. There will be Community Days and Old Town Days, what I like to call a Chat & Chew. We will all be able to come together to enjoy the time, talent and treasure others shared to make this happen.' The fruition of this collaboration will be celebrated on Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. with a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony. The Martin Luther King Jr. Walking Trail and Park is located at 4675 28th Court, adjacent to the Gifford Health Center. Sylvester McIntosh was a mean, nasty, son-of-a-gun, back when he was fighting the Vietnam War as a corporal in 1st Battalion, 9th Marines according to his commanding officer Lt. Col. Albert Slater. That's what he told the crowd at a ceremony to award McIntosh one of the military's highest honors, the Silver Star Medal for extraordinary valor. And after hearing his story, everyone in attendance agreed that McIntosh richly deserved the award and their gratitude. During the Vietnam War, McIntosh's unit had the longest sustained combat and suffered the highest killed in action rate in Marine Corps history. During one of their worst battles, Mcintosh was shot in the chest while retrieving a wounded member of the squad he led. 'We had no idea he was injured,' said Master Sgt. Dennis Lee at the ceremony. 'They (the North Vietnamese Army) were everywhere.' Lee went on to describe how McIntosh returned twice more, 'with a hole in his chest,' to retrieve the wounded from the 'kill zone.' 'We didn't even know that he had been hit until after the third one, he said he couldn't go on and passed out.' Slater and Lee both credited McIntosh's heroic actions with inspiring the war-weary troops around him to eventually prevail in that terrible engagement. Commendable All of the VIPs who spoke at the ceremony, including McIntosh, were taken aback by the hundreds of people who came out to celebrate the Wabasso native. 'This is really quite impressive to see the turnout here today; to see the community come out in such numbers to support and honor one of their own. I commend you all,' said Slater. 'We don't get turnouts like this in San Diego.' McIntosh was presented with the medal by Slater and Lee. Afterward, the star on his chest gleamed in the sun as McIntosh addressed his family, church members, fellow Indian River County residents and people who had come from around the country to celebrate his overdue recognition. 'I may have been mean and nasty but I had a job to do. I had to make sure my squad was ready, so I put myself in front,' said McIntosh. 'I was responsible for them and I'd be the first person killed, if that is what needed to happen.' That same concern for his fellow Corp members also inspired him to throw himself on three hand grenades, earlier in the conflict. Upon his return, McIntosh overcame physical and emotional scars to devote his selfless energies to helping others live a better life. He was called to the ministry and spent decades preaching in Jensen Beach, Riviera Beach and Fort Pierce. He also earned a doctorate in religious education, and now trains young people to enter the clergy. McIntosh figures there was a reason those grenades never took his life. 'Someone was looking after me,' he said, and raised his eyes to the heavens above. ELKO On a cold, sunny February morning, First Presbyterian Church of Elko Pastor Pat Mecham talks with various members of his congregation as they pass by his office. One member looks at Mechams ukulele while another couple stops in for a last hug and to say goodbye. After 12 years, Mecham will step down from the Elko pastorate on Sunday and move to Sparks to lead Spanish Springs Presbyterian Church. During his stay in Elko, Mecham has built friendships both in his congregation and in the community through music and volunteering his time to local causes. Im sure people are curious as for the reasons why Im leaving, said Mecham during an interview in his office. Its not because of any lack of love for my church or for my community obviously love is flowing here but theres a time when God says its time to move on. God is calling you to another spot. He described the Spanish Springs church as being a smaller church that has been in existence for about 10 years. They want very much to grow and theyre looking forward to being challenged and facilitated in that growth. Mecham answered the call to pastor the First Presbyterian Church in 2004. His love for the people of Elko kept him and his wife of 29 years, Melissa, at First Presbyterian longer than his other pastorates in Idaho and Washington State and one of the longer serving pastors at the Elko church. Weve had a great time with Elko, Mecham said. I like that sense of close personal ties in a smaller town. The closeness to people gave Mecham the opportunities to take part in several organizations and activities based in music. I grew up in a very musical household with singing, piano, and other instruments, Mecham recalled. It was a very natural part of my life and the church had lots of musical opportunities. Its part of the air that I breathe. Mecham has supported Elko High School Band of Indians and volunteered with the Adobe Middle School band, prompted when his children Chris and Erin attended school. Hes participated in concerts through the Elko Community Orchestra, the Ruby Mountain Symphony, and Great Basin College Concert Choir, recently helping to form The Miner Chordsmen singing group. Bob Colbert, conductor of the Elko Community Orchestra and member of The Miner Chordsmen, first met Mecham when the children were taking band at what was then Elko Junior High. Mecham joined the orchestra in 2005, immediately working with the trumpet section. His positivity and strong playing ability helped to keep the trumpet section of the orchestra together, Colbert said in an email responding to Mechams departure from Elko. He made sure that all of the trumpets worked together and always had a habit of sharing parts among the group. He will be greatly missed, said Colbert. Mecham also performed in several musicals and plays produced by local theater groups. Ill never forget him as the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz, said congregation member Toni Mendive, who also took part in several productions and concerts alongside Mecham. Mecham plays the trumpet, tenor guitar, baritone ukulele, and hand drums, in addition to singing, sometimes when the mood strikes him. Hell start singing in his sermon and everybody loves that, said longtime church member Roberta Gallegos. She adds that his singing is a reflection of his outgoing personality. Always ready to give a hug to anyone. Along with his duties to the congregation in Elko, Mecham filled in at Lamoille Community Presbyterian Church and Wells Presbyterian Church. In addition to music, Mecham was involved with Horizon Hospice, Habitat for Humanity, Elko Religious Leaders Association, Suicide Prevention, serving as one of several chaplains at the hospital, and volunteering at local events such as Cowboy Poetry. Each of these activities brought him closer to people in Elko, however he has a special place in his heart for children and the elderly. Sometimes the middle-aged people get whats left over, Mecham joked as he paused during his interview to talk with 3-year-old Emily Schaffner, who rushed into his office as her mom waited at the door. Getting out the ukulele, they re-created their winning performance from the recent church talent show. Mechams heart for kids is seen every week during the Sunday Service when Mecham has A Word with the Children before launching into the main sermon. I take one of the main ideas from the big sermon and try to put it in language that kids will understand, Mecham explains. We say children belong here, theyre part of the family. Gallegos recalled how Mechams favorite time of the year is Vacation Bible School. Hes a big kid, she said. He relates to them and they love him. Member Judi Boyce also noted Mechams excitement for people and getting involved during his time in Elko. Hes enthusiastic in all of his endeavors, Boyce said. When asked what he would miss about Elko, Mecham found it hard to name one thing alone. Obviously its the people, he began. Just the culture, the friendliness and the sense of community thats a part of being here. As far as his new calling, Mecham sees that God has a plan for him, the church in Elko, and the church in Spanish Springs. I have high expectations that God is going to use me and making things happen that I cant do myself, Mecham stated. I have to trust that unless I left, the person God wants to be here couldnt come, so I have to get out of the way for the next person. As hard as it is to say goodbye, I know that this church is in Gods hands, Mecham continued. Theyll be fine theyll be better than fine. Mechams last day pastoring at First Presbyterian Church will be Sunday. The community is invited to a pot-luck fellowship following the morning service, starting at 11:30 a.m. Theres plenty of room for anyone who wants to come, Gallegos said. We hope everyone will. FORT PIERCE The Navy SEAL Museum has announced the addition of a sixth name to its Medal of Honor statue. Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator, Edward Byers, U.S. Navy, will be added to the installation as a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his courageous conduct while serving as part of the team that rescued an American hostage from Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan Dec. 8-9, 2012. The Medal of Honor is the highest military honor in the United States. It is awarded by the President in the name of the U.S. Congress for personal acts of valor determined to be above and beyond the call of duty. Three distinctions of the honor are made, one for each the Army, Navy and Air Force; the Marine Corps and Coast Guard are recipients of the Navy's medal. On Nov. 9, 2013, a Medal of Honor statue was dedicated to the Navy SEAL Museum through a generous gift from former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. The statue depicts the actions of Medal of Honor recipient, Michael Thornton, carrying wounded Medal of Honor recipient, Tom Norris, off the battlefield. The figures represent the exigent role of 'swim buddies,' a partnership between Navy SEALs to ensure respective safety and provide external accountability. Five Naval Special Warfare Operators are honored by the installation. The names of Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Robert Joseph 'Bob' Kerrey, Lieutenant Thomas R. Norris, Petty Officer Second Class Michael E. Thornton, Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy (posthumously) and Petty Officer Second Class Michael A. Monsoor (posthumously) are engraved at the base of the memorial. Presently,the museum is updating the inscription to include the name of Senior Chief Byers, which will be unveiled during the museum's annual Memorial Day ceremony on May 30. 'We are honored to recognize the inclusion of Senior Chief Byers to this distinction,' said Rick Kaiser, Executive Director of the Navy SEAL Museum and former retired SEAL Master Chief. 'The Medal of Honor is an unparalleled award, and we are pleased to support one of our men.' Senior Chief Byers began his military career with the Navy in the fall of 1998. He served at Great Lakes Naval Hospital, and then with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In 2002, he graduated with Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (B.U.D.s) Class 242, and completed the Special Operations Combat Medic course the following year. Senior Chief Byers has been assigned to different east coast SEAL Teams, completing eight overseas deployments with seven combat tours. He claims several awards and decorations, including five awards of the Bronze Star Medal with Combat V device, two awards of the Purple Heart, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor device, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V device, two additional awards of the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, two awards of the Combat Action Ribbon, three Presidential Unit Citations, two Joint Meritorious Unit Awards, two Navy Unit Commendations and five Good Conduct Medals. President Barack Obama will present the Medal of Honor to Senior Chief Byers at the White House Feb. 29. The 36-year-old is the 11th living service member to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his intrepid actions in Afghanistan. The National Navy UDT SEAL Museum is the only museum dedicated solely to preserving the history of the U.S. Navy SEALs and their predecessors. Located in Fort Pierce, the museum resides on the training grounds of the original Navy combat divers, the Frogmen. Built to honor the men who served with fortitude and ingenuity, the Navy UDT SEAL Museum first opened its doors on Veterans Day in 1985. From humble beginnings, the facility has experienced tremendous growth, achieving national statue in 2007. The main objective of the museum remains the promotion of public education by providing the opportunity to explore the history of the Navy SEALs through interactive exhibits, while honoring the fallen at the SEAL Memorial and caring for those warriors' families through Trident House Charities. CNIL, Frances data protection authority, on Monday formally gave Facebook three months notice to comply with the French Data Protection Act. A working group comprised of regulators from France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, and the German province of Hamburg recommended the action. On-site and online inspections, along with a documentary audit, disclosed that Facebook had failed to meet the requirements of the French Data Protection Act, CNIL said. What Facebook Must Do The notice gave Facebook a laundry list of things to do within the next 90 days, including the following: Stop compiling the data of French account holders for advertising purposes without a legal basis; Stop processing data thats irrelevant, excessive or inadequate with respect to the purposes pursued, and stop asking account holders to prove their identity by providing medical records; Obtain the explicit consent of account holders, based on specific information, for the collection and processing of their sensitive data including religious and political views and sexual orientation; Inform account holders on the sign-up form and profile pages about the processing of their personal data, why data is transferred outside the EU and to whom, and the level of protection offered by third countries; Fairly collect and process data of non-account holders with regard to data collected using the datr cookie and the like button; and Inform Internet users and obtain their prior consent for placing cookies on their terminal. The Europeans take a tough stance, and it makes sense, commented Laura DiDio, a research director at Strategy Analytics. Today, in a world where everythings interconnected, the question about who owns the data becomes very muddy, she told TechNewsWorld. Facebook is using illegal means of collecting data and a data transfer mechanism which was invalidated by the European Court of Justice last fall, DiDio pointed out. I think its pretty nervy that they collect the browsing activity of anybody who surfs the Web, even if they dont have a Facebook account and I laugh at their response, which is always, We are willing to work with the European authorities.' Facebook did not respond to our request to provide further details. Facebooks Options Facebook will likely try some sort of delaying tactic, whether legal or procedural remains to be seen, surmised Mike Jude, a program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan. However, Facebook has to be able to target advertising to continue being a going concern, and this order would pretty much shut down French operations, Jude told TechNewsWorld. The procedural fixes will require rearchitecting its service for the French market. Faced last year with a similar order from Belgium, Facebook responded by banning nonmembers in the country from accessing any pages on its website. That resulted in complaints of blackmail, so its unlikely Facebook will try that tactic again. Forget about going to court, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. France has a very fast legal system, he told TechNewsWorld. Penalties could be assessed and reach nosebleed levels very quickly, and appeals are very limited. The Napoleonic legal system doesnt embrace the concept of fairness, Enderle said. Further, the French are likely to make an example of the company if it doesnt comply, he suggested. This could include criminal indictments for Zuckerberg and his senior staff, and theres an extradition treaty between France and the U.S. The French take this stuff really seriously. Fallout From Frances Actions More investigations are being conducted into Facebook by the various EU regulatory authorities, and India just last week banned the companys Free Basics service. The Internet is being Balkanized by competing regulatory regimes, Frosts Jude said. As countries move to impose their own regulations on the Web, the overall freedom people enjoy there will ultimately disappear. Expect repercussions against Google, Amazon, Twitter, YouTube, and every other company doing business online that uses consumer data to tailor services, Jude cautioned. This is definitely a slippery slope. Apple has hired a team of hundreds of workers as part of a plan to develop a new set of virtual reality headsets, the Financial Times reported last week. The report came on the heels of Oculus VR finally taking preorders on its Rift virtual reality system, which it began offering for US$599 as of Jan. 6. The Rift is scheduled to begin shipping on March 28. Apple has poached a number of experts in the field from other companies, including Microsoft and Lytro, according to the FT report. Lytro last fall launched Lytro Immerge, which it billed as the worlds first professional light field solution for cinematic virtual reality. Assembling a Team Apple reportedly acquired Flyby Media, a firm that specializes in augmented reality and has developed a technology that lets mobile phones see the world around them, according to the FT. Flyby was one of the early partners with Google on Project Tango, involving research that combined 3D motion tracking with depth perception for mobile devices, which in theory would allow them to navigate the world in a way similar to humans. Flyby developed an app called Flyby Messenger, which allows people to leave messages on physical objects. Apple previously acquired smaller companies with expertise in the virtual and augmented reality field, including the AR firm Metaio, which it purchased last year. Apple reportedly also made a key new hire: Doug Bowman, a professor of computer science and the director of the Virginia Tech Center for Human Computer Interaction, has joined the company, according to the FT report. Great Expectations Although theres been no confirmation, there are plenty of signs that Apple is looking into both augmented reality and virtual reality products, said Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at Tirias Research. Apple likely will release a new virtual reality headset either later this year or by early 2017, Krewell said, noting that the company expressed an interest in the virtual reality sector in the past, prior to CEO Tim Cook making comments on the subject during last weeks Q1 conference call. In terms of virtual reality, no, I dont think its a niche, Cook said during the call. Its really cool and has some interesting applications. Apple could decide to create an iPhone headset similar to the Samsung Gear VR headset, which would not take long to develop, Krewell said. Samsung, in collaboration with Oculus, in 2014announced the Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition, a gaming headset optimized for use with the Galaxy Note 4. The company followed the Gear VR Innovator with the 2015 release of a consumer version of the headset, which was optimized for a larger set of phones, including the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 series. A more powerful VR headset, in the realm of the Oculus Rift, would take a bit longer to develop, Krewell said. Apple needs to look for new market categories to conquer, suggested analyst Jeff Kagan. iPhone growth is slowing, so they need to create some new growth sectors. Thats Apples challenge today, he said. Apple throws ideas against the wall on a regular basis, Kagan told the E-Commerce Times. Only those ideas that stick does Apple start to build. Then, like we have seen with many other Apple ideas, it could be years before anything hits the marketplace. New Delhi, India, February 10, 2016: Airtel has announced the migration of 40,000 of its network sites across India to Green technology. In continuation with the companys long term commitment towards Green network initiatives Airtels network transformation program Project Leap is now focusing heavily on a series of fresh initiatives towards a greener environment and building sustainable network for the future. Under Project Leap, Airtel will establish a world-class and future-ready network, while committing to bring down its carbon footprint emission by 70% by 2018. Commenting on the companys Green network initiatives, Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO, Bharti Airtel (India & South Asia) said, As a responsible corporate we are concerned about the environment and have undertaken a host of initiatives to promote the use of greener technology. We are committed to bringing down the carbon emission by 70% and are taking all measures including bringing in state-of-art technology and partnering with the best globally. We have maintained strict adherence to Indian emission norms along with our company safeguard policy thereby ensuring that emissions from network sites are safer than those from the light bulbs we use at homes. This is an important step towards our commitment to build a future ready and sustainable network. Additionally, Airtel has adopted a range of innovative methods like reducing power consumption by switching off unused capacity of its network sites during lean periods. It is also reducing power consumption and air wave emissions by optimizing signal transmission between the network and the device. We plan to adopt solar and new battery technologies in a big way and double our Green network sites by 2020. With a strategic focus on creating a green network, we remain committed to learning from the telecom industrys best practices from across the globe. We are confident that our Green measures will work towards speeding up the development of a clean, safe and future ready network that will deliver a world-class service experience for our customers now, and for years to come, added Vittal. The company has already installed roof top solar power capacity base of 770 KWp and plans to increase this capacity to 1 MWp in coming months and enhancing renewable energy wheeling by solar/wind/hydro on core sites thereby consuming > 65 GWH/Annum of green energy. It is also investing heavily into state-of-the-art radio technology that will help optimize both power and space. Of the total network installed base, 60% has been deployed on a zero footprint architecture with no air conditioning thereby reducing dependency on diesel. More than 40,000 of these Green network sites are designed to operate largely on battery-hybrid, lithium-ion and solar hybrid solutions with very little diesel consumption. Apart from these measures Airtel maintains strict adherence to Indian Emission Norms along with its own safeguards that ensures emissions from its network sites are safe. Technuter.com News Service CARSON CITY The Nevada State Treasurers Office is accepting applications for the Kenny C. Guinn Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded each year to two Nevada students pursuing a degree in elementary or secondary education, with intentions of teaching in Nevada. This scholarship is a tribute to the legacy of the late Governor Kenny Guinn, said Dan Schwartz, Nevada State Treasurer. The award helps future educators gain the tools they need to succeed, and in turn will continue to build that culture of education we strive for in Nevada. Applications will be accepted until midnight April 1 for the Fall 2016 semester. In order to qualify, students must be entering into their last year of college with 90 or more credits completed, pursuing a degree in education and commit to teach in Nevada upon graduation. There will be two scholarships awarded, one in Northern and Southern Nevada. Each scholarship recipient will receive a $4,500 award to pay the educational expenses for the next school year. To apply, students are required to produce a resume, a short essay, a community service statement, and recommendation letters. Those interested in applying can visit http://www.nevadatreasurer.gov/GGMS/GGMS_Home/ to learn more about the scholarship and how to apply. Senate Bill 220 establishing the Kenny C. Guinn Memorial Scholarship Award was unanimously passed by both houses of the 2011 Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Brian Sandoval. SB 220 created a scholarship fund for donations received by the Treasurers office after the tragic death in July 2010 of former Governor Kenny C. Guinn. To date, more than $211,000 has been received by the fund. People and/or businesses wishing to make a tax-deductible donation to the Kenny C. Guinn Memorial Scholarship Fund may send checks to: State Treasurers Office, 101 N. Carson Street, Carson City, NV 89701. A consortium of Chinese technology firms have offered to pay $1.2 billion for browser maker Opera, a 53 percent premium over what it was trading at prior to the news. Unsurprisingly, the Norwegian-based company's board of directors unanimously recommended that shareholders take the offer. The buyout bid comes from mobile gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech and Qihoo 360, said to be China's top mobile antivirus provider. Their efforts are being led by Golden Brick Silk Road Fund Management of China which also includes Yonglian Investment. If the deal pans out, Kunlun and Qihoo aim to sell their wares to Opera's user base and extend the browser maker's mobile advertising platform to Chinese users. Opera said its mobile ad network has a reach of over a billion users. Also of value is Opera's data-saving backend technology which compresses websites before they are served to users, thus helping to reduce bandwidth consumption. The technology has helped the company make inroads in emerging markets such as Latin America and South Asia that may lack speedy Internet connections. Even with the impressive technology, Opera ranks as the sixth most-used browser with a 5.5 percent market share according to Internet metrics firm StatCounter. Despite its mobile ad reach, 2015 was not kind to Opera. As Mashable notes, the company had to revise its outlook twice and told shareholders it was shopping itself around to potential buyers. Fuel cell technology firm Intelligent Energy said in a press release that it entered a joint development agreement with an unnamed smartphone manufacturer to develop a battery that can last for over a week without needing to be charged. The unnamed manufacturer, which was described by Intelligent Energy as an "emerging smartphone OEM," will look to have the company's fuel cell technology embedded into its devices, which will allow for the battery to last for longer than a week on a single charge. The smartphone manufacturer will be making an investment of as much as 5.25 million, or $7.6 million, into research and development for fuel cell technology that can be packed into mobile devices. Intelligent Energy has been making good progress within the fuel cell technology industry, having introduced the power solution to several of the famous black cabs of London. In fact, it was reported in August last year that the company has been developing a hydrogen-powered battery for the iPhone 6. It would seem that the next challenge for the company is to solve the increasingly relevant problem of battery life for smartphones. While smartphone technology is further developed with advanced hardware and software, it is becoming more important for the devices to have sufficient capacities for their batteries as new features add to the power requirements of smartphones. For the agreement with the smartphone manufacturer, Intelligent Energy will be building on its prototype of a smartphone with fuel cell technology embedded into it, and will look to have this technology licensed. "We have been working with the OEM over recent weeks, demonstrating to them what our hydrogen fuel cell technology can achieve when embedded into a smartphone," said the company's acting managing director for its Consumer Electronic Division, Julian Hughes. Hughes added that the company believes in fuel cell technology as the solution for the battery life problems that consumers are facing right now, as innovations so far in smartphone batteries have not been able to keep up with the increasing power requirements of the devices. Henri Winand, Intelligent Energy's CEO, added that the technology could be introduced to the market in as fast as two years. As for which company is the unnamed smartphone manufacturer, no further details were revealed. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. As China continues to claim more land for itself in Southeast Asia, its rocket program also continues to progress forward for future missions into space. The country's first mass-produced rocket, the Long March 5 (LM 5), will officially take off in September this year after completing a final round of tests. True to its namesake, the LM 5 measures nearly 187 feet tall and is about 16.4 feet in diameter. Currently, it is China's most technologically advanced rocket and it even uses a non-toxic and pollution-free propellant. Just because it's more environmentally friendly than most rockets, however, doesn't mean it doesn't pack in the power to haul huge payloads into space. "Boasting a liftoff weight of around 800 metric tons, it will have a maximum payload capacity of 25 metric tons in the low Earth orbit and 14 metric tons in geosynchronous transfer orbit - roughly comparable to those of the United States' Delta IV and Atlas V," describes the China Daily. The rocket was tested for over 130 days at a new coastal launch facility in Wenchang, China. According to Li Dong, the head of the LM 5 project and senior designer at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, there were over 300 engineers working around the clock to make sure it passed the China National Space Administration's standards. The results of the said test will be used to further improve the technology in the LM 5, which will be made by the Tianjin Long March Launch Vehicle Manufacturing Company in Northern China. From there, the rocket will get shipped by sea back to Wenchang. When the LM 5 becomes fully operational, China's launch capabilities would increase by 2.5 times in terms of payload to support its ambitious space missions in the future. Some of its upcoming space projects where the LM 5 will come in useful include launching multiple modules into space for the future China Space Station. The first major module is expected to launch in 2018 while the rest of the space station will be completed in 2023. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Samsung Galaxy S6 saw important price cuts in the United States, signaling that vendors are in a rush to clear out their wares in anticipation of the Galaxy S7 flagship. Samsung officially announced the Galaxy S7 will roll out at the Mobile World Congress 2016 on Feb. 21. We expect that the Galaxy S7 and its bigger brother, the S7 edge, to start selling soon after the public unveiling at the end of the month. For now, Amazon sells the Galaxy S6 32 GB variant at a killer price of $450, with the handset's cost going as high as $470 for posh colors. The Black Sapphire asks you to shell out $451 and plays well with both T-Mobile and AT&T carriers. The White and Gold Galaxy S6s sell for $460 and $457. The priciest model is the Blue Topaz, with $470 on its price tag. The OEM offers an unlocked Galaxy S6 32 GB model for $600, while Best Buy asks a competitive $530 price point for the device. With the Galaxy S6 being nearly a year old, the price reductions are predictable and welcome. The myriad of leaks that surrounded the Galaxy S7 gave us quite a good grasp of the upcoming Samsung flagship. Galaxy S7 looks quite similar to its previous variant, with an important difference: the rear camera protrusion has been discarded, marking a simplified and elegant design choice. When looking at the general build, the S7 promises to be sturdier than its predecessors. The Galaxy S7 will use magnesium alloy as its main material, leaving the aluminum casing behind. Rumors surfaced that the said camera will be a novel 12-megapixel rear BRITECELL camera. Samsung seems to pay attention to its fans, and the Galaxy S7 will purportedly bring back the microSD card, which could convince some customers to choose the S7 over rival handsets. Galaxy S7 edge images leaked while the phone was running a test app. The smartphone seems to borrow more from the S6 edge+ than from its direct predecessor. This means that the Galaxy S7 will renounce the 5.1-inch display from last year's Galaxy S6 edge and replace it with a 5.5-inch dual curved edge display. Insiders from the mobile industry speculate that the upgrade in screen size aims to match the Galaxy S7 edge with the iPhone 6s and upcoming iPhone 7 Plus, which should sport a consistent 6.6-inch screen. While we are on the screen subject: speculations about a 3D Touch technology reached the media, showing that Samsung does all it can to keep up with Apple's new implements. Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy S7 is designed to feature S Pen support and that the new flagship line of devices will use Android N as its original OS. The price of the Galaxy S7 was not officially announced, yet analysts speculate that the new Samsung flagship could be 10 percent more affordable than the Galaxy S6. Of course, this refers to the price the Galaxy S6 had at its launch, and not the tempting prices of today. Pan Jiutang, a Chinese mobile analyst, notes that Samsung could get an advantage out of a competitive pricing policy. We look forward to see if the rumors hit the mark, and we will make sure you find out first about the latest Samsung Galaxy S7 developments. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. For a little more than six decades, researchers at Kyoto University in Japan have been studying the effects of external factors on the genome of the typical fruit fly more specifically, if keeping generations of fruit flies in the dark can change particular factors of their genetic makeup, along with controlled interbreeding between average fruit flies with their variable group. After roughly 60 years of testing, researchers finally have an answer: yes. The basis for this study, which was recently published in the scientific journal G3 (which stands for Genes, Genomes, Genetics), was the idea of environmental adaptation genetic change prompted by environmental factors. "Environmental adaptation is one of the most fundamental features of organisms," the article reads. "Modern genome science has identified some genes associated with adaptive traits of organisms, and has provided insights into environmental adaptation and evolution." The years-long Kyoto experiment began in 1954 under the direction of ecologist Syuiti Mori, who kickstarted the study by placing a drove of fruit flies in a contained area and "sealing" it with a dark, light-blocking cloth in an attempt to see what would happen to both the original group and their offspring. Described by the scientific journal Nature as "one of evolutionary biology's longest-running lab experiments," a change became apparent to the biologists who participated in the study: the flies in captivity grew slightly darker in color and developed longer sensory hairs, earning the nickname "dark-flies," but more or less remained seemingly unchanged to the average "laymen," i.e., scientists who had not participated in Mori's generations-old experiment. In 2012, another Kyoto scientist a geneticist named Naoyuki Fuse decided to take the test one step further by breeding their "dark-flies" with normal flies, or "light-flies," and keeping the resulting progeny in a dark environment a breeding that lasted for roughly 49 generations, during which the researchers kept track of each generation's changed genes which numbered at a grand total of 84 to see if there was any effect on their physical capabilities. "We found here that Dark-fly dominated over the wild-type fly in a mixed population under dark conditions, and based on this domination we designed an experiment for genome reselection to identify adaptive genes of Dark-fly," the scientists explained. In the end, their theory proved to be correct: the bred dark-flies inherited sensory capabilities that let them navigate easily unlit or light-deprived environments, due to what the researchers believe to be caused by augmented sensory faculties and more acute chemical-signaling (i.e., pheromones). Fuse, who does not have a permanent position at Kyoto, is unsure of what will happen to the project; despite this, the results of the experiment showed progress in one arena of scientific thought that if the genetically-altered fruit flies were mainstreamed back into the general population, it could be possible that their cultivated characteristics could become more prevalent in future generations over time. Source: G3 Photo: John Tann | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A female bamboo shark is set to give birth to two babies after nine months. There is an interesting twist though: the shark is a virgin and has not had contact with a male shark in two years. In 2013, the white-spotted shark arrived at the Great Yarmouth Sea Life Centre. It was evacuated from another facility in Hunstanton, Norfolk after it was immensely flooded. During her stint at its present home, it was not accompanied by any species of its kind. Interestingly, experts were able to confirm that it had produced two fertile eggs, which is about to hatch soon. "They will be the first such births in the Sea Life network, and we're excited and privileged to be expecting such a miraculous event," says Darren Gook, a shark expert and marine biologist. Experts at Sea Life Center have removed the two fertilized eggs of the white-bamboo shark from its nursery tank. Visitors may now be able to view it and experts will closely monitor its entire development. Parthenogenesis While the occurrence seems miraculous, it is not entirely the case. There is actually a scientific explanation for it. Experts call it parthenogenesis. In the said process, female sharks somehow manage to produce an additional set of chromosomes to its eggs thus, allowing it to generate an offspring. The babies come out as complete clones or half-clones of its mother. Parthenogenesis is a phenomenon that has been present in domestic chickens and some reptiles however, its occurrence in sharks has only been discovered in 2008. So far, parthenogenesis in sharks have been noted in bonnethead, blacktip, white-bamboo and zebra sharks. Gook says asexual reproduction or generating offspring without sexual contact is nature's way of helping species grow in population. Such processes conveys that nature is doing something to ensure that species survive in the face of massive drops in numbers. Declines in population disable male and female species from finding each other thus limiting the chances for reproduction. Parthenogenesis Babies May Continue Species Evolution In the past, experts think that offsprings produced via parthenogenesis do not have the ability to reproduce further. The babies are rendered infertile and evolution stops at its part of the family tree, but recent events in Germany proved that it is not. Experts in Germany have just announced the second-generation virgin birth of the same species. Photo: Nicole Orr | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Experts have time and again linked climate change to frightening large-scale effects on human civilizations. But how does a shifting climate make or break an empire, as demonstrated by history? A new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience proposed the association between the Little Ice Age ushered in by three major volcanic eruptions in 536, 540, and 547 A.D. and historical events such as the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire and the rise of the Arab Empire. The dramatic social change that swept through Europe and Asia at that same time included food shortages, a pandemic plague outbreak in Eastern Europe, the changing of Chinese dynasties, and the migration of Slavs and other groups across Europe. The collapse of the Eastern Roman Empire even paved the way for the reign of the Byzantine Empire. Scientists cannot exactly pin all these upheavals down to the climatic shift of their era, but a connection is likely albeit controversial. Ultimately, there can be very little doubt that these sorts of abrupt climatic events place great stress on societies, and can sometimes tip them over the edge, said geographer Francis Ludlow of Irelands Trinity College Dublin. The demise of what remained of the Roman Empire, for instance, which was then limited to the Mediterranean, was sped up by the loss of land and agricultural output during the mini ice age. Shorter growing seasons affected crops and led to famine as well as greater human vulnerability to disease. The widespread food shortages are believed to contribute to the mobility of disease-bearing rodents into the empire eventually reaching pandemic status as it conquered much of Europe, killing millions, and weakening the empire. And it wasnt just the Romans who bore the brunt, but also the Eastern Turk Empire around modern-era Mongolia and Chinas Northern Wei and Sui dynasties. Historians pointed to great political turmoil in central Asia during the same period, with a conflict brewing in the regimes of Northern China. Meanwhile, in Europe, Slavic groups were spreading across the continent probably due to social instability from crop shortages, famine, and outbreaks of illness. But there were winning impacts, too. The study authors suggested that the climatic shift also paved the way for the rise of the Islamic Empire, where cooling-induced changes in precipitation trends possibly enabled scrub vegetation growth on the Arabian Peninsula. As they noted in the paper, the area became less dry, and the increased vegetation could have assisted nomadic people and camel feeding. Larger camel herds may have helped transport Arab armies and their supplies during substantial conquests during the seventh century, allowing Arabs to move into Europe and take over the land of the Romans. Other clear winners are the Lombards, who invaded Italy, as well as early Slavic tongues that apparently spread across from of the continent from their rather humble beginnings. These interdisciplinary studies are deemed useful in understanding how humans might react or adapt to climate changes in the future. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Hawaii's Big Island announced a state of emergency on Monday after more than 200 cases of dengue fever were recorded in the region over the past four months, the largest outbreak since the 1940s. Just like the Zika virus, dengue fever is an illness carried and spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. These mosquitoes often live and thrive on tires and containers with little water. Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi's declaration suspends the county law that prohibits people from disposing of tires at county landfills. As of Feb. 9, Hawaii's Health Department has confirmed 252 cases of dengue on the Big Island. Of the number, 228 are infected Hawaii Island residents while 24 are visitors. Kenoi's announcement paved the way for Hawaii Gov. David Ige to make his own emergency declaration. It would provide the state funds for mosquito-control measures. Ige said he supported Hawaii Island's efforts to break the cycle of dengue fever transmission and infection. He said the state would declare an emergency if the dengue fever outbreak needs extra resources, spreads to other Hawaii islands or expands to include Zika or other mosquito-borne disease. The state is expecting to release 5 percent of the Health Department's budget restriction, which is equivalent to $250,000. This will fund eight mosquito-control positions, one communications position, and one entomologist. Hawaii recently released another 5 percent restriction so the Health Department could support costs incurred during the onset of the outbreak. Kenoi and the team on the Big Island have been working on controlling dengue-carrying mosquitoes by engaging the communities, said Ige. "We've been cooperating with them from the beginning, providing the resources that they need to ensure that we can respond on behalf of the people," said Ige. The symptoms for dengue include severe headaches, sudden fever, pain in the joints, eye, and muscles, and rash. The fever is typically gone after seven or 14 days. Hawaii is susceptible to the outbreak not because the fever is endemic to the island, but because it has mosquitoes that can carry and transmit the disease. The state's tropical environment allows dengue-carrying mosquitoes to survive. Photo : U.S. Department of Agriculture | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has recommended the approval of Remicade knockoff Remsima for the treatment of arthritis. Of the 24 panel members of the Arthritis Advisory Committee, 21 favored the approval of the so-called biosimilar drug. No Difference The panel says the test results of Remsima did not exhibit clinically significant differences between its effects and that of Remicade. Both drugs produced similar results against rheumatoid arthritis and another related disorder called ankylosing spondylitis. The panel adds that Remicade and Remsima have similar levels of safety and effectiveness for other conditions that the former addresses. Such conditions include psoriasis and irritable bowel syndrome conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The panel gave their positive feedback even though Remsima was not tested for such disorders. Johnson & Johnson's Jay Siegel urged the committee to wait for the results of a Celltrion study that compared both drugs against irritable bowel syndrome. "Only direct clinical comparisons of (Remsima) and Remicade in active irritable bowel disease can provide the requisite assurance," he said. The FDA previously said that it may be appropriate to approve biosimilars for additional disorders for which a branded medicine has been licensed, even if the knockoff was not tested for it. Dr. Steven Solga from St. Luke's University Hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania agrees. He said the committee that it is not sensible to test biosimilars for each and every condition because such trials would be too insignificant to produce accurate results. Pharmaceutical Wars Although creator Celltrion Inc. and developer Pfizer Inc. received an initial positive response for Remsima, the road to success may be not easy to tread. In 2015, Johnson & Johnson had an annual profit of $4.45 billion courtesy of Remicade. The company may not be keen to the idea of a knockoff decreasing its whopping sales. Although Celltrion and Pfizer have not yet revealed the price of Remsima, it is expected to be far cheaper than Remicade. However, it is not only a battle between Johnson & Johnson and Celltrion-Pfizer. Amgen Inc. and AbbVie Inc. are looking at impeding the success of biosimilars by taking out new U.S. patents to ensure monopoly up until the 2020's and 2030's. Such move may significantly hinder knockoffs from entering the scene beyond FDA clearance and beyond the expiration dates of the branded medications' original patents. Looks like the pharmaceutical companies already had a preview of what might happen in the future if Remsima succeeds all the way. On Friday, the shares of Johnson and Johnson, Amgen and AbbVie took a sharp dip after FDA released a briefing paper in support of Remsima. FDA's call FDA typically goes with the recommendation of advisory panels, but that is not always the case. If the FDA would approve Remsima, it would be the second biosimilar drug to be licensed by the agency. The first one is Novartis AG's Zarzio, which is a knockoff of Amgen's Neupogen. The drugs enhance white blood cells in post-chemotherapy patients. Novartis offers a 15 percent discount for Zarzio, with respect to Neupogen's price. Photo: Sarah Reid | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Users have been complaining to Microsoft for months as Windows 10 updates did not come with information regarding what exactly the updates contained. The practice started with the release of Windows 10 in July 2015. Microsoft is finally reversing its decision to withhold information surrounding Windows 10 updates, as it has created a Windows 10 Update History website that contains all the changes that are included in past and future patches coming to the operating system. According to Microsoft, the decision to create the Windows 10 Update History website was driven by user feedback. The website will include summaries of all the important developments that are included for each Windows 10 update, with links provided for additional details. Microsoft added that the page will be refreshed regularly as the company releases more updates for Windows 10. While regular users will not really need to know all the changes being applied to their Windows 10 devices with every update, the Windows 10 Update History website will be very beneficial for power users and IT administrators of companies. Knowing what is included in the Windows 10 updates will allow them to monitor the changes being applied and trace back to the updates if certain software installed on the computers are suddenly not functioning. In the website, Microsoft also explained that it is releasing updates to two branches of Windows 10, the first of which is the branch from the initial launch of Windows in July 2015 and the second is the branch from the November 2015 update, which contained several new features. Most users have automatically been moved from the July branch to the November branch, but some customers on the Professional, Education and Enterprise models of Windows 10 can choose to stay on the July branch, with a maximum time of 10 years for some Enterprise users. Recently, Microsoft has started to become more aggressive in pushing users to upgrade their computers to Windows 10, with the operating system now tagged as a "Recommended Update" for users still running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Microsoft has set a goal of reaching 1 billion users on Windows 10 by next year. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NASHUA, New Hampshire Rick Santorum didnt do Marco Rubio any favors when, in his first appearance as a Rubio endorser, he couldnt name his former rivals Senate accomplishments. But if Santorum lost Rubio any votes with that awkward TV appearance, he may be repaying Rubio, in a quiet way, by bringing former Santorum supporters, specifically those deeply motivated by the issue of life, into the Rubio camp. Like Jim and Valerie Somers, who came to Rubios election-eve rally Monday at Nashua Community College. For Valerie especially, life is the most important issue, and she and her husband supported Santorum in 2012 and early in this campaign. I started moving away from Santorum right after Iowa, Valerie said before Rubios rally. I saw his numbers dwindling and thought we dont want to waste our vote. When Santorum threw his support to Rubio, it helped confirm Jim and Valeries inclination to support the Florida senator. For voters like the Somers, the media discussion of Rubios debate performance didnt really affect their views of him on the big issues. Yes, they thought Rubio messed up with the repetitive answers, but far more important was his set piece on life his reaffirmation of a no-exceptions abortion policy and his critique of the media and Democrats on the other side of the issue. He held his own, and he stayed principled, Valerie told me. He definitely came off well for me, and Jeb attacking him on the exceptions really hurt Jeb with me. And so Marco Rubio had two more voters. Talks with Rubio supporters or near-supporters, since many said they were only 98 percent sure, leaving themselves a little room to change their minds showed again how the concerns of media commentators are sometimes far from the minds of actual voters. Is Rubio a robot? Did his debate flub show he is not ready for the nations highest office? Its not that supporters ignored the questions; they considered them and decided that other things, like his position on abortion, were more important. A walk around the rally also showed that personal touches matter, especially when a candidate has a spate of negative media coverage to overcome. Rubio often tells audiences that after his remarks hell be happy to stay around as long as anyone wants to talk to him. The importance of doing that became clear in Nashua Monday night with John and Margie Sengstaken, of Hollis, who came in with a favorable attitude toward Rubio but had not yet fully decided. I went into the debate leaning towards Rubio, and honestly I came out of the debate feeling ummmm, I dont know, Margie told me. Then she came to the rally and stayed afterward to meet Rubio. I noticed that they chatted with him for quite a while, and I approached them afterward. As it turned out, any apprehensive feelings from the debate were erased by face-to-face time with the candidate. The Chris Christie exchange, that troubled me, Margie said as we stood near where Rubio was still shaking hands and meeting voters, half an hour after ending his speech. I was undecided until just now. But after this look at him right now with all these people. Hes taking the time, the care. It makes a difference when you come and meet them and shake their hand. I mean, he shook my hand three times. John agreed. I like Chris Christie, but right now Im leaning toward Rubio, probably because of tonight. As it happened, the Sengstakens went to Donald Trumps townhall in Londonderry earlier in the day. It was a small, uncharacteristically intimate Trump event, and afterward the Sengstakens stayed to meet the candidate. It was a very different experience, Margie told me. Trump did a quick handshake, photo, but didnt stop to talk. He was nice, but he just had this bit of arrogance, Margie said. I didnt get the impression that the Sengstakens were ever seriously considering voting for Trump. But they did take the trouble to go see him, they did want to give him a look, and some personal attention might have made their decision more difficult. Thats how politics is done in a small state where one-on-one interactions are still quite common. Jim and Valerie and John and Margie are just four voters. But they have friends, and their friends have friends. If a candidate does enough of that kind of campaigning, he can reach a lot of people. Its been noted in the past that Rubio has relied too much on TV interviews, rather than day-to-day retail politics, to reach voters. But in the last days of the New Hampshire contest, as in Iowa, Rubio showed that taking the time to meet people can pay off. The so-called Internet of Things promises increased convenience for users, with devices that can connect to the Internet and to each other to deliver on that promise. However, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper tagged the Internet of Things as among the main global threats that the world is facing in a report entitled "Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community." The Internet of Things falls under the Cyber and Technology section of global threats, with Clapper claiming that such connected devices will provide hackers with more opportunities to extract sensitive information from users. The U.S. Intelligence Community will also be able to use the Internet of Things for its own surveillance and location tracking activities, Clapper noted, though he did not specify exactly which agencies will be performing the said activities. Another threat included within the Cyber and Technology category is the fact that countries are not experiencing any restrictions in their cyber operations, with the report tagging China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as among the principal threats in the category. "Russia and China continue to have the most sophisticated cyber programs," Clapper noted. Under the Terrorism category, Clapper sees ISIS remaining as the dominant terrorist threat worldwide, though the al Qaeda is once again growing into a serious threat. For the United States, the main threat would be the homegrown violent extremists that could carry out violent acts, possibly inspired by ISIS or the al Qaeda. North Korea was tagged as a threat in the Weapons of Mass Destruction and Proliferation category due to its advancing nuclear program, along with China as it is modernizing its nuclear weapons. It is Iran, however, that was tagged as the principal threat alongside North Korea. In the Space and Counterspace category, Clapped noted that China and Russia's military and intelligence satellites are seeing rapid improvement, with these two countries also the principal threats in the Counterintelligence category. The Transnational Organized Crime category mentions Mexican and Andean drug traffickers and the spike of designer drugs, the Economics and Natural Resources category focused on weakening economic conditions, while the Human Security category listed infectious diseases and risks of large-scale violence and instability as global threats. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Take care of your heart, ladies, and not just this Valentine's Day. Heart disease is currently the No. 1 cause of death among women in the U.S. to date. Women are more likely to die from heart disease than men. For a long time, doctors have known the differences between heart disease in men and women. According to the American Heart Association, it seems that the public's awareness about the gender difference in terms of heart disease is not sufficient enough. Women's hearts are not the same as those of men, which makes the risks and symptoms for heart disease in women different. Doctors recommend increasing a woman's awareness of her own body as heart disease symptoms in women are more subtle. Moreover, women have higher mortality risk post-heart attack than men. Simple lifestyle tweaks such as quitting the cigarette habit and maintaining a healthy body weight can lower the risks of heart disease in both men and women. However, women have more risk factors including pregnancy complications. When it comes to treatment, women are less likely to get aggressive and timely treatments, which may be due to late diagnosis. Women could also be wrongly diagnosed as depressed or anxious and they may not be aware of their own individual or atypical symptoms. Most importantly, heart attack symptoms in women are different than those in men. "A lot of time they experience back pain, jaw pain and shortness of breath," said Yale-New Haven Hospital's cardiologist Lavanya Bellumkonda. Experts said 80 percent of heart disease is avoidable. The lack of awareness about individual symptoms can result in a heart disease gone unnoticed. Doctors are encouraging both men and women to talk to their physicians to become more aware about their individual risks. Ladies, here are other heart disease symptoms to watch out for. Uncomfortable chest pressure or pain that comes and goes every few minutes. Cold sweat Nausea Lightheadedness Pain in the neck, arms, back, jaw and stomach Shortness of breath Feeling of dread, anxiety Flu-like symptoms Fatigue Photo : Steven Pisano | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google has reversed the ban of ad blockers from the Play Store. In early February, Google pulled out many ad blockers including Adblock Fast, which has now been restored for Samsung's Android browser. Rocketship, the developer of Adblock Fast, made an appeal for Google to re-approve and re-publish Adblock Fast on the Play Store. It worked. "Last Monday, though, Google rejected an app update we submitted. Last Tuesday, they removed Adblock Fast from the Play store altogether," says Rocketship. "We submitted an appeal on the Monday our update was rejected and we're happy to report that Google has reversed their decision, both accepting our appeal in an email sent to us on Friday evening and approving and re-publishing Adblock Fast by the time we woke up this morning." The app developer also highlighted that Adblock Fast is not only back on the Play Store but Rocketship is also able to update it, which extends support to Android devices running on Android 4.0. Google's decision to reinstate the ad-blocking app seems like a change of course for the company. TechCrunch cites sources familiar with the matter and reports that Google's original decision of pulling out ad blockers was to support only mobile browsers, which could block ads. Google decided that standalone ad-blocking apps, which are distributed through APKs such as Adblock Fast and Crystal, will not be permitted on the Play Store under the new guidelines. These apps had emerged after Samsung introduced support for ad blocking in its own browser. Google's policy of banning ad blocking apps has also been criticized by experts. Adblock Fast was kicked out of the Play Store under the new guidelines but Crystal still appeared in the store. However, developers of Crystal were not allowed to update the app. Dean Murphy, the developer of Crystal, says that Google has not accepted the update requests made for Crystal. Google is yet to offer any clarification on the matter. Customers who want to install Adblock Fast can find the app as a free download from the Play Store. "You can now block ads without rooting your device or switching to another browser!" says the product description of Adblock Fast on the Play Store. "Adblock Fast runs an optimized filtering ruleset to accelerate webpages more but consume less disk space, CPU cycles and memory than other ad blockers do. Also unlike other ad blockers, Adblock Fast doesn't allow 'acceptable ads' and never will." The download file weighs only 6.9 MB. Users should have Android 4.0 or above to run the app. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Maisie Williams appeared in the recently concluded ninth "Doctor Who" season portraying Ashildr/Lady Me, but while it's not clear if her character will appear again in the series, the actress is more interested in making a comeback via a different role: the Doctor himself! Well, herself, in Williams' case. The actress was named Rising Star at the Evening Standard British Film Awards 2016, and said in an interview that she thinks it would be incredible to have a female Doctor. Williams is also rooting for Idris Elba in the event that the next iteration of the Doctor is black. "I'm all for Idris Elba - but if not I'll take it for the team and do it!" she said. Unfortunately, Williams is locked into other projects at the moment, so she can't focus on the series. Aside from "Game of Thrones," which is due to start shooting again later in the year, she is busy on movie projects like "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" as well as "The Forest of Hands and Teeth," both dramas. However, if she were to become the 13th Doctor, the unique production schedule of "Game of Thrones" may work in the actress' favor. The HBO series shoots its scenes across various locations all over the world and each cast member's screen time in, say, 10 episodes is not the same as what characters in more traditional dramas experience. As such, Williams should be able to fit in appearing in "Doctor Who" even while "Game of Thrones" is ongoing. Not to mention that "Doctor Who" isn't returning until 2017. By then, "Game of Thrones" should be in its eighth and possibly last season. If the series wraps up at that time, Williams will be more than free to be ready to step into the role of the Doctor when Peter Capaldi exits. If Williams is serious about picking up from where Capaldi left, she has to be ready for competition because Hayley Atwell and Helen Mirren have also said they are interested in taking up the role of the first female Doctor. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Anonymous takes its anti-whaling protests to next level by bringing down Japanese Financial Agencies Websites Anonymous has been protesting against the Japanese policy of whaling ever since it broke the international convention using loopholes. According to agency officials, three Japanese websites stopped working today as they were hacked by the international hacking collective, Anonymous. The attacks may have targeted the Japanese websites in protest against Tokyos resumption of whale hunting on December 1. The group has carried out an organized campaign to protest Japans pro-whaling policies and dolphin hunt in the town of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan. Earlier in the day, the front page of Japans National Tax Agencys website became unable to be loaded occasionally from 8:36 a.m. and became totally inaccessible at 10:40 a.m. The trouble occurred at a time many people were using the site to prepare for upcoming annual tax declarations. Further, Japan External Trade Organizations website appeared to be down for some users on Wednesday at 10:48 a.m. Also, reports of Japan Securities Finance Co.s site not working were noted. An anonymous Twitter user protesting against Japans whale and dolphin hunts, who claims to be affiliated with the hacking group Anonymous has taken responsibility for the website crashes. According to Bloomberg, the user said on Twitter that the latest attacks mostly targeted the Japanese government and their wallets because money is what they care about. The unidentified person also threatened more such attacks and refused to reveal his or her identity. He also claimed responsibility for past cyberattacks on the websites of Japanese companies and government institutions, including those of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Ministry of Finance, the Financial Services Agency and Nissan Motor Co. Anonymous has been protesting Japans whaling project, which in March 2014 was declared devoid of any scientific value by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, in December 2015, Japan began a new whaling program with the objective to hunt 3,000 Antarctic minke whales over the next 10 years. Commercial whaling has been banned across the world for nearly three decades. Despite international criticism, Japanese whale and dolphin hunting has continued. The International Whaling Commission allows hunting and killing whales for scientific research purposes, a loophole Japan has been misusing for decades by killing thousands of whales. Scientists from the U.S., Britain, Australia, and New Zealand have argued that non-lethal scientific research can also yield fruitful results similar to those that call for the animals killing. Telecom fraud is big business and poses a significant threat to carriers throughout the globe. According to a 2015 survey from the Communications Fraud Control Association, the telecom industry loses roughly $38.1 billion each year to fraud. And managing and mitigating fraudulent calling can be tough, particularly when regulations and responsibility are somewhat murky. Thats where companies like Equinox come into the picture. The company has provided back office solutions for carriers for 30 years, with a focus on usage analytics, mediation and, of course, fraud management. TechZone360 Senior Editor Peter Bernstein got a chance to speak to David West, Jr., executive vice president of Equinox, about fraud challenges at the recent ITEXPO Florida 2016 event. In a VoIP world, fraud continues to be a significant threat, said West. So much of that has to do with the ubiquity of access now. He added that 20 years ago it would take a significant effort to manually hack a PBX. Now that the process can be readily automated, carriers are open to much higher risks of fraudulent calling. Equinox customers, which generally hail from Tier 2 and smaller markets, continue to see significant fraud according to West. The company offers its Protector fraud management system to help carriers monitor network usage in real time, identify suspicious activity and receive automatic alerts about fraudulent behavior. The system was recently integrated with the PRISM database, developed by New Zealand-based Yates Fraud Consulting and Indias FRSLabs. The database includes more than 190,000 blacklisted numbers originating from more than 220 countries to help combat telecom fraud. Customers have the option to subscribe to the database directly through the Protector system. Equinox also recently overhauled the user interface of their fraud management system for customer Teloquent Communications, a provider of virtual call center solutions. The companys customers were receiving a lot of robo calls and unwanted solicitations. The robo calling thing is a real challenge in a lot of ways, said West. I think carriers tend to be somewhat confused about how they want to approach it. The wireline, VoIP, cable MSOs and the wireless carriers all have the exact same issue and all struggle with it in the same way. Equinox is working to bring the solution developed with Teloquent to a broader customer base as well as focusing on expansion and new product development. Edited by Kyle Piscioniere A 40 anos de Malvinas "Revisar el pasado es pensar el futuro". La frase de la presidenta de Telam, Bernarda Llorente, resume el espiritu del documental coproducido entre la agencia de noticias y el canal publico de TV sobre la cobertura que los medios de comunicacion hicieron del conflicto, plagada de censura y mentiras. Una autocritica necesaria para mirar hacia adelante en un (ya viejo) contexto de fake news y negocio informativo. , . The Spanish governments transparency website. EL PAIS The Spanish government has begun taking legal action to avoid having to answer to taxpayers who make information requests through a supposed transparency law it passed in December 2014. State lawyers have presented five appeals against requests for information on subjects that include spending at state broadcaster RTVE and the National Mint, as well as the hiring policy at state-owned environmental services company Tragsa. The Prime Ministers Office has also lodged appeals to avoid having to release reports on the governments progress on improving transparency. Spains transparency law covers requests for information and access to public documents. When the government denies a request or does not supply sufficient information, members of the public can appeal to the Transparency and Good Government Council, the organ tasked with overseeing compliance with the law. Going to court against a Council ruling to avoid giving information about transparency is simply astonishing Generally, its rulings are accepted by both government and the public, but it is possible to appeal its decisions in the courts. But, against expectations, so far it is the Spanish government filing the appeals, in order to avoid answering requests for information. For example, in August 2015, Access Info Europe, which campaigns for freedom of information, requested copies of the reports that the Spanish government was required to present on its progress within the Open Government Partnership (OGP). The Spanish Prime Ministers Office turned down the request, saying such reports were for internal use only. But the Transparency Council disagreed, and ruled in favor of Access Info Europe, telling the government that it had 15 days to hand over the documents. Instead, the Prime Ministers Office appealed the ruling. Lodging an appeal is an option foreseen by the law, but in this case it is particularly surprising, says Luisa Izuzquiza of Access Info. Conflicts of interest The appeals lodged against the Transparency Councils decisions by the government through its ministries and state-owned companies are creating problems. The Solicitor Generals Office, which files appeals on behalf of the government, has had to withdraw from a number of cases as a result of conflicts of interest. Transparency Council President Esther Arizmendi explains that the body has signed an agreement with the Solicitor Generals Office for it to represent it in court. But given that such cases involve two public bodies, the office has had to withdraw from representing the Council for conflict of interest reasons, meaning the latter has had to hire private lawyers to represent it against the government of which it is itself a part. We would like to be able to represent ourselves in court without it costing the taxpayer, says Arizmendi, who adds that the government is legally entitled to appeal against the Transparency Councils decisions, but that the body will defend its rulings to the end. It also points out that of the 600 resolutions it has issued so far, only one percent have been subject to appeal. Going to court against a Council ruling to avoid giving information about transparency is simply astonishing. Spain presented its first voluntary OGP plan in 2012 and the second in 2014. Joining the initiative which is led by the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil, and includes 69 countries means taking specific action to improve transparency. This essentially involves providing access to information. In the case of Spain, relations with the OGP are coordinated by the secretary of state for relations with congress, who is overseen by Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria. The Transparency Council cannot oblige the government to respond, it can only advise it to do so, says Jesus Lizcano, president of Transparency International Spain, who admits he is surprised by the governments response. Governments are supposed to be transparent: right now there are too many exceptions being made to the law and we need to approve the rules that would develop it, he says. The government released an outline of the rules in July of last year, but nothing has been heard since. The right to know should prevail except in a few outstanding cases, says Lizcano. As well as the appeal launched by the Prime Ministers Office, four others filed by public companies are to be settled by the courts. How much does the Eurovision Song Contest cost Spain? State broadcaster RTVE has lodged two appeals in the courts against two Transparency Council decisions. In May 2015, a member of the public requested information relating to the cost of the Eurovision Song Contest to the Spanish taxpayer: travel, accommodation, expenses, clothes RTVE did not even bother to answer, so the case went before the Council, which in turn asked RTVE for the information, which in turn replied that revealing the information could harm it economically. The Council dismantled RTVEs arguments and ruled in favor of the original request. On another occasion, RTVE was asked to provide information about the cost of its channels. RTVE replied in similar terms to previous requests, and the Council once again knocked them down. Providing disaggregated information about the cost of each channel open to the public would not damage the companys economic interests, noted the Council in its ruling. How much will it cost to mint the new Felipe VI coins? The National Mint was asked about the production and distribution costs of the new one-euro coin to be minted with the image of Felipe VI. But instead of providing the information, the organization said that doing so would harm its commercial and economic interests. Once again, the Transparency Council ruled in favor of the request, noting: The right to know the cost of the investment carried out after the head of state changes, which has been borne by the taxpayer, is definitely one of the reasons the transparency law was passed. The State Attorney representing the National Mint dismissed the request, saying that it was not in the publics interest, but to satisfy the curiosity of a private individual. Who works at environmental services agency Tragsa? State-owned company Tragsa, which employs around 10,000 people, has refused to make public information about its running, and the local and regional governments to which it supplies environmental services, instead appealing to the courts. This case is particularly worrying, given that both Tragsa and the Transparency Council are run by the Finance Ministry. Socialist secretary general Pedro Sanchez hopes to hold the investiture session in early March. JuanJo Martin (EFE) Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez is planning to make his bid to become prime minister in early March, according to sources familiar with the situation. That will be over two months after the inconclusive December 20 general election, which created a fragmented political scenario where no one party has been able to gather enough support to form a government. After the winning candidate, acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of the Popular Party (PP), refused to bid for reinstatement because he lacks sufficient congressional support, election runner-up Sanchez was on February 2 tasked by King Felipe VI to try to form an alternative government of his own. It does not send a good message to citizens when we push back the deadlines and delay the decision On Tuesday, congressional speaker Patxi Lopez pledged to come to the chamber next week with a date for the session to try to vote in a new prime minister. Sources close to the Socialist secretary general have said he is planning to hold the investiture debate on the week of February 29 to March 4. This falls within the period of one month that he requested from Congress to seek to build enough consensus for a successful bid. Sanchez has been racing to meet other political leaders in order to find enough common ground for an alliance that could take the form of a full-fledged governing coalition or simply a yes vote, or even abstention, at the investiture session. If Sanchez were to fail, and no other candidate succeeds in getting voted in, Spain would be forced to hold a fresh election later this year. The European Commission has repeatedly expressed its hope that Spain will have a stable and functioning government soon. Both the PP and anti-austerity party Podemos have been trying to hold the session earlier. Podemos deputies Gloria Elizo and Marcelo Exposito, who sit on the presiding committee, said that it does not send a good message to citizens when we push back the deadlines and delay the decision sine die, as it creates unnecessary concern. The Rajoy strategy In the meantime, acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy and his team are working on a document to show Albert Rivera, the leader of emerging party Ciudadanos, when both men hold talks on Thursday. On Friday, Rajoy will take the same material to his scheduled meeting with Sanchez in Congress. The crux of his message will be the convenience of a grand coalition made up of all three parties, which he describes as respectful of the Constitution and with a moderate agenda. The PP leader wants to come up with a specific list of proposals that both Sanchez and Rivera could accept ideologically. But the latter two have already been drafting a working paper of their own. Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria and the PP spokesman in Congress, Rafael Hernando, said Rajoy would come to the Friday meeting with an extended hand and to demand responsibility, stability and certainty for the country in the face of recent market volatility. English version by Susana Urra. One of the thousands of expats who fell victim to pension liberation' scams has spoken of the extreme stress he is under now he is facing a tax bill of up to 300,000. Airline pilot Jeremy Donaghy-Sutton, 51, says that even though he never took a loan from his transferred scheme, the taxman is chasing him to pay a penalty, and his dreams of retiring early have gone up in smoke. As the Telegraph reported last month, thousands of savers who used 'pension liberation schemes' to access pension cash under age 55 are being chased by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Many of the schemes were illegal scams as those aged under 55 are not allowed to release their pension unless they are in ill health. Millions of pounds were stolen by the scammers, who promised savers schemes and tax loopholes to withdraw and invest their pensions before the age of 55. The victims are being told in letters sent by HMRC that they must repay up to 55 per cent of the amount withdrawn. HMRC says it has no power to waive tax charges even when someone has been the victim of a scam. We've noticed you're adblocking. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Thank you for your support. More information Donald Trump y Bernie Sanders vencen en New Hampshire Billionaire Donald Trump and socialist Senator Bernie Sanders achieved strong wins in their respective Republican and Democratic primaries in New Hampshire on Tuesday night. After a lukewarm showing last week in the Iowa caucus, Trump secured his status as frontrunner in the Republican race, taking 35.1% of the vote. His closest rival, Ohio Governor John Kasich, finished second with 15.9%, just ahead of Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who came in third with 11.6%. Democratic voters in New Hampshire where Sanders has strong support gave him a comfortable win over Hiillary Clinton, awarding him 60% of the vote in comparison to his rivals 38.4%. Together we are going to create an economy that works for all of us, not just the one percent So you guys ready for a radical idea? Sanders asked his supporters after the results were in. Together we are going to create an economy that works for all of us, not just the one percent. And when millions of our people are working for starvation wages, yep, we're going to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour. And we are going to bring pay equity for women. For his part, Trump displayed his typical combative style. The world is going to respect us again. Believe me, he said, while pledging to create more jobs, end the heroin epidemic, win the trade wars with Japan, China and Mexico, and destroy Islamic State (ISIS). Tuesday nights results were victories for two different politicians. Trump and Sanders have little in common in terms of ideology, but they have both been able to capitalize on the discontent many American have for the status quo. The results in New Hampshire a tiny New England state of 1.3 million residents are a reflection of how the 2016 race for the White House has broken with tradition. The mainstream candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties have been unable to stop unorthodox contenders such as Trump and Sanders. The world is going to respect us again. Believe me A year ago, no one would have believed that Trump real estate mogul, casino owner, reality TV star and prone to hurling xenophobic insults would have been able to win in New Hampshire. But while Trumps victory now comes as no surprise, it could be an indication that the rules of the past are no longer valid in American politics. The New Hampshire result will not close the gap between the Republican establishment and the partys insurgent wing, led by Trump. The problem is that there are too many candidates who are preferred by the Republican elite. They are the ones who usually win the nomination, but the number of names is dividing the vote. Trump is confident that he will consolidate his position as Republican frontrunner when he goes on to the South Carolina primary on February 20 and then the Nevada precinct caucuses three days later. The last time Clinton faced a primary was in 2008 when she won New Hampshire after losing in Iowa. But the Democratic nomination eventually went to Barack Obama. This time round the reverse has happened. Last week, the former Secretary of State narrowly beat Sanders in Iowa but lost in New Hampshire, and now sits second in the race. But across the country, she is viewed as most Democrats favorite. The mainstream candidates have not been able to stop the unorthodox contenders, such as Trump and Sanders. New Hampshire is Sanders stomping ground he represents the neighboring state of Vermont in the US Senate. The Brooklyn-born politicians campaign has made significant advances in the past few months, winning more support from Americas middle classes and younger voters. Still, Sanders stance against the big banks and Wall Street while favoring free healthcare and education makes the senator an unorthodox candidate. In the United States, where socialism is still linked with communism, Sanders has now clarified to voters that he is a socialist democratic, or in other words, a social democrat. But as the campaigns move south and then west, Clinton will most likely gain ground. The Democrats will choose their candidate in Nevada on February 20 and then in South Carolina on February 27. English version by Martin Delfin. The proposed Polish payment of 500 zloty (87.46) a month is significantly less than the 147.04 per month a Polish worker with two children would receive in the UK - but nearly 30 more than the 58.82 such a family would receive if the UK payment was indexed to Polands cost of living using an OECD standard of living index. Picture of a skeletal cow taken from the Facebook account of one of the so-called Masked Riders. He is a fugitive to the justice system and a missing person to his family, who think he might even be dead. Manuel Suarez dreamed of being a great cattle breeder, but the dream slipped through his fingers. Suarez owned a farm in the tiny hamlet of Cezar, in rural Galicia. The property had enough land to house 30 cows, but Suarez kept buying more. The cows gave birth, and he ended up with 100-plus head of cattle. He had so many cows that he was unable to round them all up in the evenings, and the wolves killed quite a few They were all dairy cows, and they each had a name. He loved them as though they were his flesh and blood. Then, a little over five years ago, something snapped inside the head of this single man with a solitary lifestyle. He holed himself up with his black-and-white Holsteins, ignoring all warnings from the outside world, and ultimately turned his two pastures of sweet green grass into a bovine holocaust. Corpses awaiting removal at the Suarez property. Picture posted by a member of the Masked Riders. His relatives say they had tried to warn him: Manuel, you have to sell, you cant keep so many cows. Why do you want so many calves if they eat but dont produce anything? Calves are the future, the breeder would reply every time, right before getting angry and adopting a violent attitude. Things came to a head late last year. Officers from Seprona, the Civil Guards environmental protection department, showed up on his property. So did inspectors from the regional government of Galicia. Then, a group of environmentalists known as the Masked Riders began arriving in nearby towns on horseback, calling for justice. Finally, there was a visit by a delegation from the Betanzos courthouse and a forensic expert who declared that Manuel suffered from delirious idealization and needed to go see a psychiatrist. The Masked Riders dropped by on several occasions and took photographs of the shocking state in which the Suarez cattle were being kept. These images are available online and show cows agonizing next to dead comrades, cattle with udders made bloody by a fungal disease, and sick and starving animals standing knee-deep in filth. One day, the group of caped activists who go by the pseudonyms of Zeus, Theo, Achilles, Ulysses, Lua and Thalia, the lady of 20 mysteries announced that 87 head of cattle had died at the Suarez farm in under one year. He had so many that he was unable to round them all up in the evenings, and the wolves killed quite a few. Sometimes he would wake up in the morning and find a half-devoured cow still clinging to life, and be forced to sacrifice it. Suarez was unable to protect all of his cattle from the preying wolves. Staffan Widstrand Others died giving birth, or soon later from starvation. The cattle breeder was ruined and couldnt afford the vet bills anymore. His electricity was cut off, and he milked the cows as best he could, using a generator. By then, the price of milk was already rock bottom, but suppliers had long since stopped buying from him anyway. He could not afford feed, either. Sometimes he would rustle up a few bags of dry bread, but that and the grass from two pastures was not enough to feed so many mouths. He would go hungry in order to feed his animals, says his eldest nephew Gonzalo, in an attempt to exonerate Manuel. Showdown at the farm Gonzalo is now in charge of the 30 cows left on the property by the vets from the regional government. They showed up on January 20 with a court order to take away all the dying animals. Civil Guard officers were with them for protection. Delirious and armed with a pitchfork, Manuel Suarez attempted to stop them from taking his precious beasts. He assaulted two officers, then, realizing the enormity of what he had done, leaped out one of the barn windows, raced across the pasture in his blue overalls and green rubber boots, and disappeared into the wooded mountains beyond. The Civil Guard consider him a fugitive and are charging him with assaulting members of law enforcement. A patrol car believes it located him in Lugo, but he quickly vanished back into the brush before officers could positively identify him. He holed himself up with his black-and-white Holsteins, ignoring all warnings from the outside world He is not coming back because he thinks he is going to prison. Please, mention in the news that its not true, in case he reads it and comes back, pleads his brother Jose Luis, who has been appointed administrator of Manuels assets by a court. The judge decided to declare Manuel Sanchez unfit after considering all the reports of animal abuse, the dire health conditions at the farm, and his assault of the Civil Guards. He is an intelligent man who would not listen to reason and couldnt see what his problem was, laments his brother. He always wanted to be a cattle breeder, and had studied for it. But the Civil Guard question the familys claim that they dont know his whereabouts. He is not a missing person like the family claims, and it is very likely that somebody is helping him, insists one officer. Manuels relatives say that on the day after he ran away, they left a package of food for him in O Cadavon a craggy area where he and his cattle used to take refuge from the wolves but that the package remains intact. We combed the entire area together with neighbors: the rocks that might afford protection, the abandoned windmills... Later we looked where the Civil Guard say they spotted him. Then, on the fourth day, Manuels cellphone went dead. Since his departure, five more calves have been born on the farm. English version by Susana Urra. Just one home has been built for every eight sold under this Government, Jeremy Corbyn says. David Cameron says 400,000 affordable homes are to be built. He says that when he came to government the housing benefit situation was out of control. "Think how many Rosies were going to work every day just to support one family," Mr Cameron hits back. Mr Cameron says Rosie wants a country with a strong economy so more homes can be built, but "welfare bills have to be brought under control" to reduce the amount that goes out on housing benefits, something that Labour needs to recognise. The blaze is known to have begun in the early hours of September 2, 1666, in Farriners property, where it is thought that the baker had left fuel close to his oven to dry out for the next days baking. Farriner and his family escaped through an upstairs window, although the familys maid was not so lucky, and became one of only a handful of Londoners to die in the fire. Four of the seven spelunkers pictured after being rescued. Fred Lancelot (AP) Seven Spanish spelunkers who were had been trapped in a pit cave in southern France since Tuesday night have been rescued, French authorities reported at noon on Wednesday. The cavers were pulled out of a shaft known as Gouffre de Mile, located in the municipality of Herran, in the French Pyrenees. The seven speleologists have been pulled out of the pit cave, said the prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department through its Twitter account. Victor Ferrer, spelunker and photographer If youre in the river and get wet, and dont have the strength to get out, then the most intelligent thing to do is wait to get rescued Victor Ferrer, spelunker and photographer All seven were reported to be exhausted but unhurt. They were found 300 meters underground, according to France TV Info. The president of the French Caving Rescue Association, Bernard Tourte, said that rescuers contacted the trapped spelunkers at 8am, around four hours after eight fellow explorers managed to climb out of the pit and sound the alert. The radio station RTL reported that the seven rescued individuals six men and a woman were caught by sudden rising waters inside the shaft following several days of adverse weather conditions. Spot where the Spanish cave explorers got trapped. Conditions were made worse by the rains of recent days, but the place is well known to spelunkers and rescue teams, explained Haute-Garonne authorities to the local news outlet France Bleu Toulouse. Herran is located in the region of Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrenees. Tremendously irresponsible The president of the Catalan Spelunking Federation, Hilari Moreno, said on Wednesday morning that he considered it tremendously irresponsible to embark on a crossing of such dimensions in the knowledge that its been raining for three days in the area. Moreno added that the group of cave explorers come from various parts of Catalonia and were being tested by two instructors in a bid to obtain a Level 2 certificate, which would entitle them to train other cavers. He said the instructors, whose identities he could not confirm, were negligent on several counts, including their decision to take out such a large group of people who are very well prepared but still in a training period. Victor Ferrer, a spelunker, photographer and book publisher who knows the area very well, said that the spot where the cavers got trapped is a cavity reaching down as far as 1,018 meters underground, with more than 100 galleries and subterranean rivers. The specific spot where the Spaniards were found is a dangerous place where, if youre in the river and get wet, and dont have the strength to get out, then the most intelligent thing to do is what theyve done: wait to get rescued. English version by Susana Urra. Two puppeteers who were arrested last week on suspicion of glorifying terrorism during a city-sponsored Carnival performance were released from custody on Wednesday evening after the High Court decided that the defendants are not a flight risk. The court sided with arguments by a public prosecutor that Raul Garcia, 34, and Alfonso Lazaro, 29, will not repeat their actions if they are released from jail. Since their arrests on Friday, the two men had been held in custody at Madrids Soto del Real prison. The glove puppets acted out violent scenes, including a nuns murder, the hanging of a judge, and police beatings Their lawyers had appealed the decision to hold the men in custody, which was taken by High Court Judge Ismael Moreno. The pair left the Soto del Real (Madrid) jail at around 6pm on Wednesday after five days and five nights behind bars, one of which was spent in police cells. They were met with applause from a few dozen friends and family members who were waiting for them outside the jail. Neither of the men made any statements upon leaving the prison. According to the mother of Garcia, both will speak publically in the next few days. We have no fears over what could happen next, she said. Garcia and Lazaro, members of the theater group Titeres desde abajo (or, Puppeteers from below), had put on a performance entitled La bruja y Don Cristobal in which glove puppets acted out violent scenes, including a nuns murder, the hanging of a judge, and police officer beatings. But what landed them in jail was a placard held by the puppeteers that read Gora-Alka-ETA, or Long live Al Qaeda-ETA, referring to the Islamic and Basque terrorist groups. Raul Garcia, one of the defendants, in a photo from his official webpage. Parents who were at the presentation along with their children had reported the incident to the Madrid Municipal Police. The puppet show was held on the grounds of the citys waterworks company Canal Isabel II in the Tetuan district. Garcia and Lazaro both face charges in connection with supporting terrorism and fomenting hate and violence. Praising terrorism has been a crime in Spain since 1995. It is difficult that these actions, which are the subject of these proceedings, could be repeated for the simple reason that all material used in the presentation has been confiscated by judicial authorities, said the High Court prosecutor, adding that the theater group has also canceled all upcoming performances. The prosecutor asked that the defendants turn over their passports and report to court on a regular basis until their trial. Madrids leftist Mayor Manuela Carmena and her cultural commissioner Celia Mayer have been the targets of the political fallout Because the Carnival events were sponsored by the city, Madrids leftist Mayor Manuela Carmena and her cultural commissioner Celia Mayer have been the targets of the political fallout. Initially, Mayor Carmena called the detentions a serious action that is worrisome and played down the incident. But on Monday at a press conference, she apologized to the public for the incredibly deplorable puppet show and pledged a full-scale investigation. According to Madrid City Hall sources, officials are trying to determine who posted on the official Carnival events Facebook page just hours before the performance a message that read: And, no, no, its not for children. Its for adults only. There have been discrepancies among city officials whether the puppet show was actually intended for younger audiences. Various political parties have called for the resignation of the Madrid cultural chief, but the mayor has not said whether or not she will seek to replace Mayer. English version by Martin Delfin. Talaats Personal Account of The Armenian Massacres By Harut Sassounian, Publisher, The California Courier www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com In my last weeks column, I reported that Talaat Pasha, the mastermind of the Armenian Genocide, had told British intelligence officer Aubrey Herbert in 1921 that he had written a memorandum on the Armenian massacres. I would like now to present brief excerpts from Talaats lengthy account published in the November 1921 issue of Current History, the monthly magazine of The New York Times, titled: Posthumous Memoirs of Talaat Pasha, and subtitled: The former Grand Viziers own account, written shortly before his assassination, of why and how Turkey entered the war Secret alliance that preceded the conflict Causes of the Armenian massacres as stated by the man who ordered them. In an introductory note, Current History editors explain how they obtained a copy of this revealing report: After Talaats death, the manuscript passed into the possession of his wife, who remained in Germany; she has not yet published the whole of it, but after the acquittal of her husbands assassin she permitted the Paris correspondent of Vakit, a liberal Turkish newspaper published in Constantinople, to reproduce the most interesting portions of it. These have been translated from Turkish for Current History by M. Zekeria, a native of Constantinople. They represent about fifty pages of the original manuscript, the opening sentence of which, I do not tell all the truth, but all I tell is truth, aroused a great sensation in Turkey. In his memoirs, as in his interview with Aubrey Herbert, Talaat tries to exonerate himself by blaming everyone else Armenians, Russians, even Turks for the Armenian massacres. He does not deny the deportations of the Armenians, in some localities of the Greeks, and in Syria of some of the Arabs, but claims that such reports were exceedingly exaggerated. Talaat then adds: in saying this, I do not mean to deny the facts. I desire only to eliminate the exaggerations and to relate the facts as they occurred. The former Grand Vizier confesses: I admit that we deported many Armenians from our eastern provinces, but we never acted in this matter upon a previously prepared scheme. The responsibility for these acts falls first of all upon the deported people themselves. Russia, in order to lay hand on our eastern provinces, had armed and equipped the Armenian inhabitants of this district, and had organized strong Armenian bandit forces in the said area. Attempting to repair his tarnished image, Talaat acknowledges the Turkish brutalities against Armenians: I admit also that the deportation was not carried out lawfully everywhere. In some places unlawful acts were committed. Some of the officials abused their authority, and in many places people took preventive measures into their own hands and innocent people were molested. I confess it. Continuing his face-saving rhetoric, Talaat concedes: I confess, also, that the duty of the Government was to prevent these abuses and atrocities or at least to hunt down and punish their perpetrators severely. In many places, where the property and goods of the deported people were looted, and the Armenians molested, we did arrest those who were responsible and punished them according to the law. I confess, however, that we ought to have acted more sternly, opened up a general investigation for the purpose of finding out all the promoters and looters and punished them severely. But we could not do that. Although we punished many of the guilty, most of them were untouched. Talaat proceeds to provide excuses for not pursuing perpetrators of the Armenian massacres who were short-sighted, fanatic, and yet sincere in their belief. The public encouraged them, and they had general approval behind them. They were numerous and strong. Their open and immediate punishment would have aroused great discontent among the people, who favored their acts. An endeavor to arrest and to punish all these promoters would have created anarchy in Anatolia at a time when we greatly needed unity. To set the record straight, Talaats claims that Armenians stabbed Turkey in the back during WWI are completely false. Minister of War Enver Pasha, Commander-in-Chief of the Ottoman Armed Forces, in a letter to the Bishop of Konya, praised the bravery of Turkish-Armenian soldiers fighting against the Russian Army in the winter of 1914-1915. Ironically, Talaats assertion that his government would have taken brutal actions against Armenians even at a time of peace reconfirms long-standing Turkish genocidal practices as previously demonstrated by the Hamidian and Adana massacres of Armenians which were carried out when there were no wars. The former president of Brazil, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, deemed the comeback of the incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, unlikely. | Read More SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression I am unaware of his activities: Zaruhi Postanjyan about her HHK-backed contender (video) Zaruhi Postanjyan, one of the candidates for the vacant position of the countrys ombudsperson, says he has two reasons to nominate for the post. First, she cited her professional skills, accomplishments and extensive experience. Besides, all potential candidates for whom I have deep respect decided not to participate in the race, she said. Anyway, Zaruhi Postanjyan refrained from giving names saying they are well-known personalities - human rights activists and lawyers. When asked about her supporters, the lawyer advised waiting until February 12. On that day, the National Assemblys Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs will decide which candidate will be presented to the Parliament for discussion and vote. Everything will be known on that day, Postanjyan told media representatives today. The NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs has received three nominations for the vacant position of the countrys ombudsman. Postanjyans main condenders are Deputy Justice Minister Arman Tatoyan backed by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) and Narek Aloyan whose candidacy was suggested by lawmaker Tigran Urikhanyan, a former press secretary of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK). Postanjyans candidacy was proposed by MP Edmon Marukyan, who is not affiliated with any faction, and Hovhannes Margaryan, a member of the Country of Law (OEK) faction. When asked about her sizable advantages over her contenders, Postanjyan said, I worked as a lawyer for nine years and I was a decision-maker rather than an executor. I always protected the rights of citizens. I am unaware of Arman Tatoyans activities in the Ombudsmans Office. Perhaps he was the one who executed others decisions because I know nothing about his human rights activities. Serving as Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia for three years, Tatoyan represented the Armenian Government at the European Court of Human Rights. But never have I heard him defend the interests of the aggrieved party. Nor has he ever expressed his opinion as a human rights activist about individuals prosecuted for their political views. Speaking about the offer of opposition lawmaker Hrant Bagratyan who invited opposition forces to form a coalition, Zaruhi Postanjyan said the offer must be considered her party. FIR filed against Sunny Leone For Condom Scene In A Temple A fresh complaint has been lodged against the 'bold star' Sunny Leone. The complaint has been registered by an advocate in Delhi against the cast and crew of the movie Mastizaade. In his complaint Gaurav Gulati alleged that the actors of Mastizaade were seen in the film promoting a condom advertisement in an obscene manner in a temple. The complainant said the particular scene in the film in which the actors were seen promoting condom in a very vulgar manner that could affect the sentiments of people. Police have registered a case against the actors Sunny Leone, Tushar Kapoor and Vir Das and the crew of the film as well. Mastizaade is a sex comedy film, directed by Milap Zaveri and produced by Pritish Nandy and Rangita Nandy. The film stars Sunny Leone in a double role alongside Tusshar Kapoor and Vir Das in lead roles. The film was released worldwide on January 29, 2016 Gaurav Gulati was recently in the news for filing a case against Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan after the two actors were allegedly shown wearing shoes on the set of Bigg Boss 9 . News Posted: 10 February, 2016 VHR wants KCR to stop hike in legislators' salaries Hyderabad, Feb 10 (INN): Congress senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP V. Hanumantha Rao on Wednesday advised Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao to re-consider the decision of hiking salaries of legislators. Speaking to media persons in Assembly premises, VHR said increasing the salaries of legislators would send a wrong message especially at a time when farmers are committing suicide to financial crisis. Further, he said that the State Government was yet to clear scholarship dues of thousands of students. Under these circumstances, it was not advisable for KCR to raise the pay packages of legislators, he said. VHR also requested the Chief Minister to participate in the birth anniversary of Damodar Sajeevaiah on 14th February. He said although Damodar Sajeeviah hailed from Andhra region, he was the first Dalit CM of the then united AP. The Congress MP also objected to the appointment of Srinivas Reddy as the member of Executive Council in University of Hyderabad. He said Srinivas Reddy had served at the ABVP President in 1991. He alleged that the BJP-led NDA Government was accommodating members of Sangh Parivar in the educational institutions to saffronise the syllabus and entire education system. He said a representation would be made with AICC Vice-President Rahul Gandhi seeking his interference to reverse the appointment. He said that the NSUI would organise protest against Srinivas Reddy's appointment. News Posted: 10 February, 2016 Ponnam accuses Harish Rao of cheating Narayankhed voters Hyderabad, Feb 10 (INN): Congress senior leader and former MP Ponam Prabhakar ridiculed the statement of Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao where he promised to adopt Narayankhed Assembly segment if TRS wins by-elections. Speaking to media persons at Gandhi Bhavan here on Wednesday, Ponnam said Harish Rao's statement was nothing but a political stunt aimed at cheating the voters. He said that the promise of Rs. 500-600 crore development package for Narayankhed too was misleading. He said despite being the Medak District In-Charge Minister, Harish Rao never visited Narayankhed when Kista Reddy represented the constituency as Congress MLA. However, after Kista Reddy's demise, Harish Rao is trying to lure voters with fake promises just to win the by-elections, he said. Ponnam said that the TRS Government should release a report on the status of implementation of promises that it made with the people. He said that the Narayanakhed Assembly segment was among the development Assembly constituencies in Telangana due to Kista Reddy. News Posted: 10 February, 2016 Karen Chshmarityan has not got itchy feet, says Ministry representative Many in political circles believe that the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun will receive three portfolios in the Cabinet after forming a coalition government with the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). One of them will be the post of the Minister of Economy. Talksing to A1+, Anahit Khechoyan, Spokesperson for the Minister of Economy, said she could not give any information about it though the rumor has been circulating for some time. In his press conference on February 3, Minister Karen Chshmarityan told journalists that the Ministry is following its daily schedule, and our work continues without interruptions. In addition, the Minister holds meetings every day, we present projects and reports. I guess you know what will happen then. Decision makers will do their work. I have no more information to share with you, she said. Anahit Khechoyan assured us that Karen Chshmarityan follows his daily schedule. Today, he is meeting with two foreign partners. On Thursday the Minister is to receive the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. The two officials will address a business forum in Yerevan. We are all engaged in our daily activities and I do not think that the Minister has got itchy feet. We all tend to think that we shall continue to work together, she said in conclusion. Multilateral diplomacy deserves to have a higher place among priorities of Vietnams foreign policy in the coming time, said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in a recent article. He explained that the growing globalization and emergence of challenges on a global scale call for cooperation among countries, regardless of their size, and multilateral frameworks prove to be the most suitable mechanisms for such cooperation. According to him, the trend of multi-polarisation and democraticization in international relations also creates opportunities for small and medium-sized countries to have a bigger voice in multilateral frameworks through coordinating with partners that share the same viewpoints and interests. He noted that the country has paid heed to multilateral diplomacy ever since the foundation of the modern Vietnam. During the first years of the resistance war for national independence, President Ho Chi Minh sent letters to the United Nations nine times to make use the role of this largest international organisation. Throughout the countrys 70-year modern history, multilateral diplomacy has contributed greatly to the struggle for national independence and reunification and the protection of national security and development interests as well as the enhancement of the countrys position in the international arena, as seen at the Geneva Conference in 1954, the Paris Conference in 1973 and many other important forums. The 11th National Party Congress marked a new milestone in the diplomatic policy with the direction of proactive and active international integration, which was put in details in the Politburos Resolution 22 as proactively and actively participating in multilateral institutions, contributing to building fair and democratic political and economic order, preventing wars and conflicts, strengthening peace and promoting win-win cooperation. Following this policy, multilateral diplomacy has been elevated to a new high, reaping remarkable achievements during the past several years, the FM said, naming Vietnams election with high votes to several important agencies of the UN such as the Security Council (2008-2009 tenure), the Human Rights Council (2014-2016 tenure), the Economic and Social Council (2016-2018 tenure), the International Atomic Energy Agencys Board of Governors (2013-2015 tenure), the World Heritage Committee (2013-2017 tenure) and the UNESCO Executive Board (2015-2019 tenure). It is not without reason that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Vietnam would be a real pioneer of the UN when he visited the country in May last year, wrote the FM. Vietnam has taken the lead in joining hands with other ASEAN member countries to build the ASEAN Community and consolidate the groups central role in the evolving regional structure, he said. After joining the bloc 20 years ago, Vietnam has played an active role in the admission of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar into the association, realising the dream of an ASEAN grouping ten countries in the region. Vietnam has also been the vanguard in implementing measures to build the ASEAN Economic Community, the official said, adding the country has become a bridge connecting mainland and island ASEAN economies and promoting cooperation between the group and its partners, thus turning the bloc into a centre of the economic-trade network and connectivity in Asia-the Pacific. The country has affirmed its role as an active nuclear in Southeast Asia in promoting dialogue with the aim of preserving a peaceful environment, security and stability in the region, pushing for serious adherence to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and striving for the early formation of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) on the basis of international law and common norms. Deputy PM and FM Pham Binh Minh also stressed Vietnams initiatives to mitigate risks caused by natural disasters, and manage and use water resources in a sustainable manner at regional and sub-regional mechanisms and forums such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), thus bringing practical benefits to residents in the region. According to him, multilateral diplomatic activities have been increased in both depth and width through various channels of the Party, State, National Assembly and people-to-people exchange, winning trust from the international community as evidenced by the countrys hosting of important regional and global events such as the 19 th meeting of International Conference of Asian Political Parties ( ICAPP ) Standing Committee in April 2013, the 132 nd IPU General Assembly in April 2015 and the APEC forum in 2017. Vietnams international cooperation has been rolled out on a larger scale to address regional and global matters, especially those regarding development such as climate change, food and water resource security, poverty reduction, structural reform, green growth, regional connectivity and human resource development, instead of focusing of national issues relating to peace and war as it did in the past. The UN has honored Vietnam as one of the few nations that lead in poverty elimination and the realization of the Millennium Development Goals and the One UN Initiative, Minh said. In 2014, Vietnam joined the UN peace-keeping mission for the first time. The country also became the first Southeast Asian nation to ratify seven out of nine UNs key conventions on human rights and accelerate the revision of domestic regulations to suit international practices, particularly in protecting the rights of minority and vulnerable groups in society. Minh also highlighted Vietnams participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) at the beginning as a sound strategic measure, which enables the country to join in deciding the rules of these mechanisms as a founding member, thus maximizing national interest. This is a new approach which will help the country get an active role in multilateral mechanisms which are usually dominated by powerful countries, he said. With 15 free trade agreements to be signed or take effect by 2020, Vietnam will become involved in a network of regional FTAs with 58 partners, including all five permanent members of the UN Security Council and 15 G20 countries, which will account for 80 percent of the world GDP. Besides quantitative benefits, the effective use of multilateral diplomacy within the ASEAN has raised Vietnams strategic value and role in powerful countries policy towards the region, Deputy PM Minh said, adding that over the past 15 years, Vietnam has established strategic and comprehensive partnerships with all neighbouring countries and those having important role and position in the world. Through multilateral cooperation mechanisms with ASEAN at the center, Vietnams interests have become increasingly intertwined with those of major countries with great influence in the region and the world, thus helping maintain a peaceful and stable environment and take advantage of resources in service of the countrys development. With all these achievements, Vietnams multilateral diplomacy is confident to move forwards with a new way of thinking, new approach and new position, he affirmed. Accordingly, the official said, the country should make drastic change from the thinking of participating in to proactively joining in building common rules based on a multi-sectoral approach. Vietnam will take the initiative in making proposals and suggesting ideas to multi-lateral mechanisms, particularly the ASEAN and the Sub-Mekong region, while enhancing the effectiveness of its membership in the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, the WTO, the APEC forum, the ASEM, the Francophone and other frameworks. From now to 2020, the country should strive to successfully fulfill tasks in its new posts, particularly in its capacity as members of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2014-2016 tenure and the Economic and Social Council for the 2016-2018 tenure, and in hosting major multilateral activities. It is a must for the diplomatic sector to map out an overall long-term plan for the next 10-20 years, which is the prerequisite to elevate the sectors position in order to meet new requirements of the comprehensive international integration. Deputy PM Minh laid emphasis on the fulfillment of major international commitments during the 2016-2020 period, including WTO commitments, FTAs and those on climate change response raised by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the 21st Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris in December last year. Vietnams multilateral activities will focus on sustainable development and coping with global challenges, particularly in areas in service of the countrys socio-economic development strategy for 2011-2020, he said. Such huge tasks ahead require concerted efforts of all ministries and branches with diplomats playing the key role, the official stressed. Karen Bojar explores the rewards and challenges of retirement. Aram Sargsyan compares cooperation between HHK and Dashnaktsutyun with marriage between snake and porcupine (video) Speaking about the cooperation between the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) and Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Armenia (HDK) Aram Sargsyan reminded the words of Dashnak lawmaker Armen Rustamyan who said very clearly that the HHK is discredited and Dashnaktsutyun is coming to save the country. It is up to the HHK to decide whether they want to continue their way with the Dashnaktsutyun or not if they have really invited Dashnaks to save the country. It can be a matter of principle for them. Alternatively, they can meet halfway and form a majority in the National Assembly with some force, he said adding that it was only a fruitless political deal. In reply to a journalists question how the country will benefit from the cooperation between the two parties in question, Mr Sargsyan told an anecdote. A man was asked what would happen if a snake marries a porcupine. He said they will give birth to four-meter barbed wire. Their policy will not change as a result of the cooperation. , I cannot understand how they will work together. Dashnaktsutyun was represented in the governing coalition for ten years, did you see any changes? Those are natural processes, there is nothing terrible [in the cooperation], said HHK member Shirak Torosyan. It is too early to speak about the results and give assessments. Let us wait and see. We have been criticizing the authorities since 1991but has anything changed in these years? he asked a rhetorical question. Embattled Turnbull government minister Stuart Robert could be called to give evidence in court amid claims he overstepped his role as an MP in a dispute between a Gold Coast property developer and an Australian man who spent five years trapped in a legal nightmare in Dubai. As Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull comes under mounting pressure to sack Mr Robert over his controversial 2014 trip to China, Fairfax Media can reveal the Human Services Minister's role in the messy Marcus Lee saga could come under fresh scrutiny. Mr Robert made two contentious speeches about the case and in emails also acted as an intermediary between Mr Lee and Sunland Group, a Gold Coast firm led by Soheil Abedian and son Sahba. He says he was only doing his job as a local member and denies any wrongdoing. Mr Truss's announcement will ratchet up positioning within his party to replace him as leader. A source close to Andrew Robb confirmed the Trade Minister will resign. Credit:Fiona Goodall It also brings into sharper focus the need to replace junior minister Jamie Briggs, who resigned from the Cities portfolio over Christmas, as well as the likely replacement of Mal Brough, who is currently stood down pending a police investigation relating to his connection to the Ashby-Slipper affair. A third vacancy could also arise if advice from the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Martin Parkinson, finds Human Services Minister Stuart Robert breached the ministerial code of conduct when travelling "privately" in China in 2014. Two wrongs don't make a right, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen A ballot for the Nationals leadership is not, however, certain to take place as deputy leader Mr Joyce is strongly favoured to take the leadership post and the deputy prime ministership. Fairfax Media has been told that Mr Truss, who has led his party since December 2007 and was first elected in 1990, has spoken at least twice to Mr Turnbull about his future. Insiders say suggestions Riverina MP Michael McCormack was a contender for the role of leader were a combination of wishful thinking and mischief-making. Credit:Andrew Meares It's understood that in conversations that took place in January and then again in February, Mr Turnbull asked Mr Truss to delay his retirement. Mr Truss had been prepared to stand aside in January, before Parliament returned, and then again in early February. Mr Turnbull has, in addition, at no stage pressured the Nationals leader so he could bring forward his frontbench reshuffle. The long-foreshadowed changeover follows a protracted peri-retirement phase in which the resignation of the veteran leader had been an open secret, but the timing of his departure had been kept quiet infuriating leadership hopefuls. Tensions between Mr Truss and Mr Joyce, the heir-apparent, have been cited as the reason for the delay, with claims Mr Truss had been deliberately holding out, hoping the extra time would allow an alternative candidate to gain support sufficient to deny Mr Joyce his long-held ambition of leading the Nationals - a post which comes with the deputy prime ministership thrown in when in office. Party sources said suggestions that Riverina MP Michael McCormack was drawing level with Mr Joyce in the undeclared race for the leadership was a combination of wishful thinking and deliberate mischief-making, while another said it was merely an attempt to build on momentum "that isn't there". Joyce forces say at the very most, Mr McCormack can assemble 7 votes in the 21-member party room. "It's not even close," said one Joyce backer. While Mr Joyce enjoys the strong backing of the party room, the race for the position of deputy is harder to pick. That post comes with the allure of a cabinet membership. Mr McCormack's chances would appear to be enhanced if he elects not to run against Mr Joyce for the top job, because as one MP noted, the Joyce forces will hardly thank him for trying to knock off the favourite. Among the likely contenders for second-in-charge are the current deputy leader of the House and Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, Luke Hartsuyker, and Queensland backbencher Keith Pitt. The talented Victorian Darren Chester, is also expected to throw his hat into the deputy leadership ring. Once a new leader is chosen, Mr Turnbull can turn his mind to what portfolios the Nationals will hold, and whether the junior party's representation in cabinet should rise from three to four -considered a strong prospect. Late last year, Mr Truss, seen as much closer to Tony Abbott than to his urbane replacement, attempted to engineer the secret defection from the Liberals to the Nationals of the dumped former resources minister, Ian Macfarlane. The move failed but not before exposing Mr Truss's involvement in a plot that undermined Mr Turnbull's authority - hardly an ideal situation between Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Two female backpackers have survived a terrifying ordeal after a man allegedly tried to kidnap and murder them in South Australian bushland on Tuesday. Suffering serious injuries, the international backpackers aged in their 20s were discovered by local fishermen near Salt Creek in Coorong National Park just before 6.30pm. Police were called to Coorong National Park near Salt Creek. Credit:Ten News "One of the victims was able to run away and came across some people fishing in the area," said police Superintendent James Blandford. "They were able to comfort and secure her and make a call to the police. Tara Nettleton, the widow of Australian Islamic State terrorist Khaled Sharrouf, has died in Syria from complications associated with appendicitis. The former Sydney woman is believed to have died some time ago after she was unable to access life-saving health services. It is believed that the mother-of-five was living in Raqqa with four of her children and one grandchild as recently as last year after the death of her husband. SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Google Ad Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression Jakarta: Four people have been killed after an Indonesian Air Force plane crashed into a house in Malang in East Java on Wednesday morning. The pilot of the Embraer Super Tucano ejected himself from the plane before it crashed. He was found in a nearby rice paddy field but later died. One of four light attack and tactical training A-29 Super Tucano aircraft delivered to Indonesias Air Force in 2012. Credit:Embraer A woman and a man inside the house were also killed in the accident, Major Hamdi Londong Alu, a spokesman for Abdurrahman Saleh military airbase in Malang, told Fairfax Media. The second crew member of the plane, a mechanic, also died. Warsaw: Poland will join the fight against Islamic State, its defence minister said on Wednesday, though he signalled that the scale of its involvement would depend on NATO's response to Russia's renewed assertiveness on the alliance's eastern flank. The announcement, made by Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz after a meeting with US Defence Secretary Ash Carter in Brussels, confirmed an earlier Reuters report that Poland would boost its Middle East involvement in an attempt to convince its allies to shift NATO forces eastwards. Polish soldiers in Babylon, Iraq, in 2003. Polish troops are again on their way to the Middle East to join the fight against Islamic State. Credit:AP "Poland has joined the actions, which are now so crucial, on NATO's southern flank," Mr Macierewicz told reporters. "When it comes to details ... we will continue to discuss it, particularly as we consider it in the broad context of NATO's situation, hoping that both the US and NATO as a whole will back Poland and other countries on the eastern flank with their ... permanent presence." The ACT government has rejected a call from the Liberals to cut ties with the CFMEU after the royal commission findings of bullying and intimidation on worksites around the country. Labor has strong ties with the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, a powerful player in the party's ACT branch, and on Wednesday Industrial Relations Minister Mick Gentleman strongly defended the union. The ACT Liberals' Andrew Wall attacked the influence of the CFMEU in ACT Labor. Credit:Karleen Minney The royal commission had been a Liberal "mud-slinging exercise" and its findings were "shabby", Mr Gentleman told the ACT Parliament. While charges had been laid against "a couple" of members, to date no one from the ACT branch had been found guilty of any crimes, and "Johnny Lomax has had his case dismissed entirely". An appeal for the Essendon 34 was to be lodged in a Swiss court on Wednesday night, and while the banned players are not seeking an injunction, they do want a quick hearing. This could mean in the best case scenario and if the appeal is successful that they could be playing again this season. The players will explore all options for an extraordinary early hearing in the Swiss Federal Tribunal after choosing to appeal the one-year ban handed down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport which found them guilty of taking the banned substance thymosin beta-4. Wednesday was the deadline for any appeal. The terms of the settlement, which must be approved by the judge in the case, George H. King of United States District Court in Los Angeles, call for him to declare "Happy Birthday" part of the public domain. Warner Music had claimed it owned the rights to the famous song. Now it has to pay back thousands of people and organisations who had paid copyright fees. Credit:Fairfax Warner Music, through its publishing subsidiary Warner/Chappell, agreed after mediation to pay the settlement to a class of "thousands of people and entities" who had paid licensing fees to use the song since 1949, according to papers filed in federal court on Monday. In a coda to one of the most notable music copyright lawsuits in years, Warner Music has agreed to pay $US14 million ($19.8 million) to settle claims over "Happy Birthday to You," after a judge ruled last year that the company's long-claimed copyright to the famous song was invalid. The settlement would also grant $US4.6 million in fees to the lawyers for the plaintiffs, a group of independent artists and filmmakers who filed separate suits in 2013 that were later combined. "Happy Birthday," which the suit calls "the world's most popular song," can be traced to another tune with the same melody but different lyrics: "Good Morning to All," written by Mildred Hill and her sister Patty, a kindergarten teacher in Kentucky, which was published in 1893. Variations with the familiar birthday lyrics began to appear in the early 20th century, but their authorship was uncertain. Warner/Chappell had controlled the song since 1988, when it acquired the song's last publisher. The "Happy Birthday" case was closely followed in the music industry and among copyright specialists in part because of the song's popularity and the value of its royalties, which have been estimated at about $US2 million a year. The suit included developments like the last-minute discovery of a yellowed songbook from 1922, which the plaintiffs' lawyers called "a proverbial smoking gun" because it included a version of the popular birthday song without proper copyright notice. After the judge's determination in September that Warner's copyright to "Happy Birthday" was invalid, the parties were set to go to trial, but they announced in December that they had reached an agreement. The terms of that agreement were confidential until the filing Monday. Wounded electronics retailer Dick Smith is bleeding close to $3 million a week as receivers Ferrier Hodgson negotiate the sale of the business. Sources close to the chain suggest losses have blown out from about $2.5 million at the beginning of the year to closer to $3 million as pressure builds to shut down the weakest performing outlets in the chain. Ferrier Hodgson would not comment on the mounting losses except to say that a number of parties had been in the "confidential data room undertaking due diligence" on Dick Smith in recent weeks and it was continuing discussions with interested parties. Sources close to the embattled chain suggest the receiver is working on paperwork for some kind of sale although it's not clear whether this is for all the stores or just the top performing outlets. Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan has vowed that the Australian Taxation Office is prepared to take more companies to court in the coming year, rather than settling cases with the top end of town. The tax office struck deals worth almost $3 billion with 81 large businesses rather than heading for court last financial year. But Mr Jordan said they were going to change their strategy going forward. The ATO would now move fast to claw back revenue, emboldened by recent wins against Chevron (now under appeal) and Orica. A tax on land would be impossible to avoid and would redistribute wealth to the less well-off. Credit:Kristjan Porm Recent research has shown that Australia has become steadily more unequal in recent decades and Sydney has become Australias most unequal city, with the top one per cent of Sydneysiders earning 10.5 per cent of the citys wealth. One of the biggest questions facing New South Wales and especially our state government is how to respond to the rise of inequality. Over the course of the 20th century it was state governments that made real change in key areas such as progressive law reform, public education, health, housing and transport. And since Labor first won power in 1910, state Labor governments have had an explicit economic agenda to deliver equity and social justice in the suburbs and regions of NSW. A progressive economic agenda has to begin with land. In Sydney, the current concentration of wealth is most directly expressed through the housing market, and we are beginning to see a staggering divide between those who are able to buy and invest in property and those who cannot. This is a generational divide; first home buyers are at a record low and Sydneysiders under thirty are far less likely to own or buy property than their parents or their grandparents did at a similar age. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union represents some of the countrys most skilled tradespeople but our research shows that it will take a decade of savings for an apprentice to afford a deposit on a median Sydney house. At the same time, our state faces an extraordinary fiscal challenge. While current sources of revenue are in decline we face an ageing population, infrastructure bottlenecks, the withdrawal of significant federal funding and all of the other expenditure pressures on government that are creating a long term structural deficit. The consequence of all this movement is that the first Turnbull Cabinet - not even five months old - is undergoing more of a regeneration than a reshuffle. The timing of Warren Truss announcement, which has been pending for some time, has been holding back the Prime Ministers reshuffle which has been on the cards since Jamie Briggs announced his resignation just after Christmas and Mal Brough stepped aside. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls front bench is set to have four vacancies possibly soon to be five depending on the outcome of the departmental inquiry into Stuart Robert with news of the retirements of Andrew Robb and Warren Truss. Given the ongoing lethargy around tax reform, the regeneration is welcome and lets hope it acts as a reboot to the national discussion we were promised that never seemed to get off the ground. Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce addresses the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The Prime Minister is losing one of his most successful ministers in Andrew Robb. As Trade and Investment Minister he has delivered free trade agreements with China, Korea and Japan and the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement. By no means was he the first Minister to try to get it done but he was the Minister who got it done and that is a major achievement. We now have in place a global footprint of trade pacts that will enable Australian business to trade with the world. Minister Robb is respected by both sides of politics and the broad business community. Beyond his portfolio achievements, he leaves a great legacy in the way he openly talked about his battles with depression. He has raised the profile of mental health issues and, in so doing, made it easier for all of us to have those conversations in our homes and workplaces. Bianca Acimovic couldn't believe her luck when the email landed in her inbox on Friday. The curator at the Murray Art Museum Albury, who is in the midst of installing the new regional gallery's first international exhibition, Marilyn: Celebrating An American Icon, was stunned by the offer from an Albury man of photographs of Marilyn Monroe that have never gone on public display. Photographs of Marilyn Monroe loaned by Albury businessman Colin Glassborow for the Murray Art Museum Albury exhibition. Credit:Elenor Tedenborg/Border Mail "It was just in time," she said of the loan of the prints for the exhibition. On Saturday she visited Albury businessman Colin Glassborow, the man who sent the email, then took the photographs off to the framers and by Tuesday had them ready to hang as a local addition to the exhibition, which comes to Albury from a tour of the United States and Brazil (and just before a separate show about the actress opens at Bendigo Art Gallery). Few film festivals give anyone the chance to sit next to a star director over dinner, so spinning the lazy susan in Rotterdam's favourite Chinese restaurant with Whit Stillman was a personal highlight unlikely to be eclipsed this year. Stillman's Love and Friendship, on the other hand, was a highlight for everyone at Rotterdam Film Festival. Adapted from an unfinished novella by Jane Austen which Stillman has finished for her, rather freely but with a faithful heart Love and Friendship stars Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny reunited after starring together in Stillman's first film, 1998's The Last Days of Disco as a couple of genteel gold-diggers. Director Whit Stillman. Credit:David Koskas Stillman says they were both anxious about looking older. "But they look good, right?" he says several times, obviously quite anxious himself. Of course they do. Watching the film early on a grey Dutch winter's morning was like having champagne for breakfast. Rotterdam runs concurrently with Gothenburg in southern Sweden; these two winter festivals launch the European circuit each year and lead up to this week's much bigger, but not necessarily better, Berlinale. Their programmes and guest lists overlap a good deal to everyone's benefit but each festival has its own focus. Gothenburg is a shop window for Nordic films, while Rotterdam specialises in films from developing countries, many of which are financed by the festival's own Hubert Bals fund. Love and Friendship, a Jane Austen film adaptation starring Chloe Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale, directed by Whit Stillman. Credit:Ross McDonnell One ongoing criticism of this fund is that it has been stuck in an old groove, favouring projects that fix their subjects as exotic, traditional and threatened by modernity. A more general criticism of Rotterdam is that it is stuffed with films that are well-meaning but poor. Without Rotterdam's patronage, however, a magical film such as Pimpaka Towera's The Island Funeral, in which three Bangkok city slickers head into the troubled Muslim enclave in the south of Thailand, wouldn't be seen and probably wouldn't exist. The three travellers seem to keep getting lost even on straight roads; the darkness becomes absolute and their destination more elusive; their journey unfolds like a dream. The Island Funeral was also competing for best International debut in Gothenburg, won by the extraordinary Italian fantasy Lost and Beautiful by Pietro Marcello, which is presented as a cinematic re-imagining of commedia dell'arte. Gothenburg's biggest competition, however, is restricted to Nordic films. The standard is predictably high those television thrillers didn't come from nowhere which means many of the competing films have already been selected for other festivals. Land of Mine by Martin Zandvliet, an intense reflection on Denmark's use of very young prisoners of war to clear German landmines from its wide sandy beaches after World War II, won the coveted Dragon; it also won the audience award in Rotterdam. Gothenburg's audience award went to Welcome to Norway by Rune Denstad Langlo, which follows a hapless hotelier as he tries to turn his failing alpine lodge into a refugee hostel in a cheerful clash-of-cultures comedy. Rotterdam's prizes are the Tiger awards. The top Tiger went to Babak Jalali's Radio Dreams, a whimsically surrealist film set in a Farsi-language radio station in California where the odd assortment of disgruntled exiles who staff the station and a nervous trio of lads claiming to be Afghanistan's first rock band, both in this film and in real life - wait on tenterhooks for a promised visit by rock band Metallica. Guess what happens? Radio Dreams was a crowd-pleaser, at least in the context of Rotterdam's rather rarefied crowd. It was also a classic piece of Rotterdam programming. Few television projects come with the kind of firepower loaded into the new HBO music drama Vinyl. The legendary Martin Scorsese is the producer and director. The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger is the co-creator and co-producer. And Boardwalk Empire's writer, Terry Winter, is its writer-showrunner. The original concept for Vinyl was discussed by Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese in 1996. At that point what was on the table was a sweeping saga spanning four decades, from the late 1950s to the 1990s. "They did a couple of versions of it as a feature," Winter says. "By the time it came to me it was 2008 and they had a couple of versions of the movie that weren't really working." Bobby Cannavale plays Richie Finestra, and Olivia Wilde plays Devon, his wife, in Vinyl. Credit:Niko Tavernise Winter had just finished the Boardwalk Empire pilot, and an early draft of what would become The Wolf of Wall Street. Scorsese called him and asked him to have a crack at it. "Pretty much the month I turned it in the world economy collapsed ... it was not a time to be going out to the world with a three-hour epic period piece that spanned 40 years. It was clear that nobody was making this movie." The logical way forward was to turn the planned film into a television drama, though that change of format required some changes, notably that as a series it could not sustain the planned four-decade timeframe as well. Rather, the television series is firmly anchored in 1973. By that stage, Boardwalk Empire was taking up all of Winter's time, so Vinyl was delayed yet again. "It took another couple of years until I was freed up to do this," he said. The outspoken campaigner used the opportunity to highlight awareness of the disease which causes uterus tissues to grow outside the uterus Sharing a photo from bed on Facebook on Wednesday, the 29-year-old actress said she was going through a "rough patch" with her health. Girls creator Lena Dunham has pulled out of publicity ahead of the season five premiere of her HBO show, citing an ongoing battle with endometriosis. "Hey beloved pals, I just wanted to let you know that, while I am so excited for Girls to return on Feb 21, I won't be out and about doing press for the new season," she wrote. Dunham ruled herself out of a press tour for Girls season five as she said was too sick with the painful disease. Pictured here with co-stars Zosia Mamet, Jemima Kirke and Allison Williams. Credit:Getty Images "As many of you know I have endometriosis, a chronic condition that affects approximately 1 in 10 women's reproductive health. I am currently going through a rough patch with the illness and my body (along with my amazing doctors) let me know, in no uncertain terms, that it's time to rest." The New York-born writer thanked producers Judd Apatow and Jennifer Konner for their understand and support, along with the cast of Girls. "So many women with this disease literally don't have the option of time off and I won't take it for granted." The number of bushfires in Australia is on the rise - up 40 per cent since 2007 - local scientists have found. In a new research paper, published on Wednesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science, scientists from CSIRO and University of Tasmania also say the increasing bushfire frequency indicates a major climatic shift - though the research does not directly ascribe the rise to human-caused global warming. The research team studied NASA satellite data from 2007 to 2013 to determine the number of bushfires, to try and develop a system to forecast where they might breakout. They estimate that in 2007 Australia had an average 3284 bushfires per week. By 2013 that had risen to 4595. The numbers were corrected downwards to account for certain fire events, such as planned burns by fire authorities. "Truss said straight out that the government should use whatever triggers it's got to hold a double dissolution election," said one. "His idea was that the Senate has to be sorted out, and a double dissolution would get rid of minority figures who are always holding up government legislation. He didn't hold back." Jacqui Lambie Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Another said it sounded as if Mr Truss was giving "a bit of free advice ahead of retirement". Mr Truss is expected to announce as early as Thursday his retirement as leader of the National Party. The government already holds a "trigger" - legislation that has been rejected twice in a period exceeding three months - that could be used to force a double dissolution. The Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Bill, which seeks to hold union figures to the same standards and potential penalties as company directors, has been rejected twice by the Senate. It was most recently rejected last August - after its first rejection in March - when the independent senators Jacqui Lambie and Glenn Lazarus and the Motoring Enthusiast Party's Ricky Muir sided with Labor and the Greens. Labor has pledged to submit to international adjudication over the disputed maritime boundary between Australia and East TImor if "good faith" negotiations fail to produce agreement. The proposed deal on a new sea border, announced by opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek at the National Press Club on Wednesday, could potentially give the fledgling country a far greater share of the rich deposits of oil and gas in the Timor Sea, estimated to be worth $40 billion or more. Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek addresses the National Press Club. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Ms Plibersek lamented that Australia's pivotal role in securing East Timor's independence - "a proud moment" - was being tarnished by its refusal to negotiate a new, permanent maritime boundary with East Timor. "The maritime boundary dispute has poisoned relations with our newest neighbour. This must change for their sake and ours," Ms Plibersek said. What's going on? Suddenly, the smooth and toboganable brow of the Turnbull government has been furrowed by ministerial crises and resignations. Order has given way to a faint air of chaos. It wasn't meant to be this way at all. After a strong start propelled by the power of positive thought and the rigour of orderly process, Malcolm Turnbull's administration looks slave to events rather than the other way around. Don't panic, is the message emanating from his office, no reshuffle is imminent. Yet the strong impression being created is that parts of the show are flying off - that either through incompetence, stupidity, or a failure of due diligence, Turnbull's executive is disintegrating around him, suggesting he is less in control than he might pretend. And that's before anything serious has even been tried in a policy sense. Miss Colombia accidentally crowned the winner before Miss Philippines given the crown Miss Colombia philosophical after mistakenly crowned winner Perth is now the centre of the universe. That is if you think the world revolves around beauty pageants which is where Miss Universe Australia now calls home thanks to Perth businessman Troy Barbagallo, who was this week named the new national director of the event which launched the careers of Jesinta Campbell and Rachael Finch. His appointment by IMG - the new owners of the Miss Universe Organisation - reunites the Australian competition after years of segregation. Barbagallo, a brunette Donald Trump (with more moderate views) who is a luxury car, boat and watch dealer, has run the Western Australian arm of the competition for eight years, independent of former Miss Universe Australia owner Deborah Miller. He will now co-ordinate all local heats and finals around the country. Women from WA have won two of the last five Miss Universe Australia titles where the winners went on to compete in the international final. Both women, Scherri-Lee Biggs, in 2011, and Renae Ayris, in 2012, then went on to place in the top five. Miss USA 2014 Nia Sanchez (L) and former Miss Universe Australia Tegan Martin with new Miss Universe Australia director Troy Barbagallo. Miss USA 2014 Nia Sanchez and former Miss Australia Tegan Martin cut short their Universal Confidence Tour to travel to Perth to congratulate Barbagallo this week, however while his charm and business connections have turned Miss Universe into a popular franchise for women of the west coast, his secret weapon is his wife and business partner Sophia. Mrs Barbagallo, a former Miss World finalist, is considered a beauty queen whisperer with many on the national circuit praising her talents for scouting and grooming Biggs and Ayris from initial try outs to the international stage. Loading Jailed opposition activist can be released on bail Gayane Mazmanyan, a judge of Yerevans Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts, is expected to announce the courts decision in the case of jailed activist Gevorg Safaryan. The opposition activist can be released on bail depending on the decision. The law foresees 500.000 AMD in such cases but if the Court demands more, we are ready to pay, Safaryans lawyer Tigran Hayrapetyan told A1+. The lawyer says the investigation has not progressed after Safaryans arrest which means Safaryan was sent to prison for his political views. They are limiting his political activities by keeping him in prison, the lawyer said. Gevorg Safaryan, a member of the Founding Parliament movement, was detained on December 31 during clashes between police and demonstrators in Yerevans Liberty Square on New Years Eve. On December 31, the police refused to allow opposition New Armenia activists to install a Christmas tree there. Safaryan and four more activists were detained by the police, but later all of them, except Safaryan, were released. The activist is charged under Criminal Code Article 316.1 (violence against a government representative) and was placed under two-month custody. According to law enforcement agencies, Safaryan committed violence against police officer Gegham Khachatryan. New Armenia group members consider the charges unfounded. Safaryan was placed under arrest on January 3. Senior ranks of the Australian Defence Force have defended the use of antimalarial drug mefloquine, which veterans have linked to anxiety attacks, insomnia, vertigo and suicidal thoughts. Mefloquine remains the third choice antimalarial for the ADF despite it being banned from prescription to US Special Forces in 2013 and the subject of a British House of Commons defence select committee hearing. It is also under investigation by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force. Vice-Chief of the Defence Force Vice-Admiral Ray Griggs. Credit:Andrew Meares In recent months, numerous veterans have told Fairfax Media of their trauma after taking the drug, which they say scarred them with permanent psychological damage and hallucinations. Mefloquine, or Lariam, was trialled on Australian soldiers in 2001-02 and been prescribed to more than 1800 current and former ADF members. It will soon be possible to climb Mount Everest without leaving your lounge-room. Indeed, if you happen to have a proper virtual reality headset, a stonking computer and good IT industry contacts, you could do it now. A virtual Everest was created late last year by two Icelandic companies: software developers Solfar Studios and animation specialists RVX. The result is a completely immersive, 360-degree, hyper-real, geographically accurate recreation of one face of the mountain. Thanks to virtual reality, it's no longer necessary to climb Mt Everest to get to the top. So real is the experience that when PCWorld editor Brad Chacos tried a demo version in January, using HTC's Vive headset, he reported being almost paralysed by fear and vertigo. While Solfar's creation is certainly the most majestic tourism-related virtual reality program to come out so far, it is by no means the only one. VR's ability to recreate pinpoint-exact four-dimensional versions of physical locations may well come to redefine what we think of as taking a holiday. A man on bail awaiting trial over an alleged $76 million fraud scheme threatened a prosecution witness outside a court room, a judge has been told. William Jordanou was on Wednesday issued a "severe warning" by a County Court judge to abide by his bail conditions but was spared being sent into custody after police applied for his bail to be revoked. Bill Jordanou received a "severe" warning. Credit:Joe Armao The court heard Mr Jordanou had attended a committal hearing for his wife, Suzanne, in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday when during the lunch beak he approached a prosecution witness and told him: "Wait til I get my hands on you." Detective Leading Senior Constable Steve Howe told the court on Wednesday the witness had given evidence against Ms Jordanou and was also a witness in the case against Mr Jordanou. Fewer offenders are leaving prison on parole, meaning they are less likely to be supported and monitored as they rejoin society, according to a review by the Victorian auditor-general. While the main goal of the parole system is to maintain the safety of the community, acting Auditor-General Peter Frost said there was always the risk some people on parole would re-offend. Credit:Cathryn Tremain "The alternative to parole is prisoners being released from prison with no support or supervision," he said. In his audit report tabled to the Victorian parliament on Wednesday, Dr Frost said there was evidence people on parole committed fewer crimes than those released straight from jail into the community. St Kilda Junction has been thrust into another building row, with a plan for a wave-shaped apartment tower to rise over the chaotic road and highway intersection. An application for a 28-storey apartment and office building at the corner of Punt Road and Wellington Street was recently submitted to Port Phillip Council by developer Drekoncile. An artist's impression of the proposed 28-level mixed-use tower with 286 apartments on St Kilda Junction. Credit:Plus Architecture Its proponents have hailed the 95.55-metre building inspired by a shell and a spiral staircase as "innovative" and "contemporary". But the sculptured tower designed by Plus Architecture is facing community opposition and is almost two times taller than the discretionary height limits the council is set to introduce. The leader of a controversial right-wing political group is planning to sue the Town of Vincent council after it refused to allow them to hold a BBQ in the city. Kim Vuga, who recently formed the Love Australia or Leave Party, said she put in an application to the council on Monday to hold a BBQ at Hyde Park on March 20 for people who were interested in joining the party. Kim Vuga, founder of the political party Love Australia or Leave. The Queensland grandmother, who became a reality TV star after appearing on the SBS documentary Go Back To Where You Came From, was shocked when council bluntly knocked back her BBQ bid. She said it refused to give her a reason, instead emailing her one line saying: "The City of Vincent Reserves the right to refuse an application for hire without assigning any reason for refusal." A Perth resident who apparently baked cupcakes in the heat of her parked car, has risen to fame on social media after a post detailing her exploits went viral. "From now on when I'm travelling and people don't believe me about how hot it gets in Australia I will tell them about the day that I baked cupcakes in my car," Kellie Hill posted, along with what were apparently photos of the process, on Instagram. Perth resident Kellie Hill's post about cooking cupcakes in the heat of her parked car has gone viral on social media. Credit:Instagram Perth WA Memes' Facebook page's repost has since attracted more than 10000 likes, more than 2400 shares and more than 1300 comments as people conducted a healthy debate about whether the photos were real and whether the process was possible. Ms Hill even joined in the discussion to shed some more light on her unusual method of baking. Police have arrested 17 people and seized drugs, cash and weapons in two days of raids on Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang on the Central Coast. Fourteen men and three women were arrested during raids on Tuesday and Wednesday, following an investigation by Strike Force Gateley, police said. Of the 17 arrested, ten were members of or associated with the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang. Those arrested ranged in age from 23 through to 52 years old. Damascus: A top adviser to President Bashar al-Assad says Syria won't stop Aleppo offensive until it secures the border with Turkey, potentially cutting off 300,000 people from humanitarian aid. Bouthaina Shaaban, a top adviser to Mr Assad said on Tuesday the regime hoped "the operation will continue in the north until we control the borders and stop the terrorists who Turkey has since the start of the crisis worked to send to Syria". In an interview in her Damascus office, Ms Shaaban held out little hope for diplomatic efforts to end the five-year civil war. In the mid-2000s, dramatist Dan O'Brien struck up a friendship with noted photojournalist Paul Watson. The two were at a crossroads in their lives: Watson was haunted by the atrocities he had witnessed, while O'Brien was dealing with the destruction of his family. Here, O'Brien describes how their long-distance relationship inspired his new play, The Body of an American. On Distance When I first e-mailed Paul Watson, now almost a decade ago, I was intrigued, even disturbed, by the distance between us. Paul was living in Jakarta, covering combat zones in Asia after 25 years reporting from the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans. I was moving from Princeton to Los Angeles, then teaching for a semester of seemingly unstoppable snow in Madison, Wisconsin. I was writing a history play about ghosts. Dan O'Brien, author of The Body of an American. ( James Leynse) In another sense we were not so far apart. The year before, my birth family had collapsed, imploded I still don't know what to call it, but I felt disowned for reasons that remain unclear to me to this day. Paul was, and is, haunted by the multitude of atrocities he's witnessed, but most literally by the experience of photographing a U.S. Army Ranger desecrated in the streets of Mogadishu. Just before he snapped his shutter photographs that would win him a Pulitzer Prize months later, and change the course of U.S. foreign policy going forward he heard a voice that he believes belongs to the spirit of the dead soldier: "If you do this, I will own you forever." In the beginning I proposed we simply write each other about "where we are." Descriptions of place, of course, but our psychological settings also. Soon enough we found ourselves describing our personal histories, our ghosts, covering not just external but internal ground. A few years passed until we met in person in Ulukhaktok, a hamlet on the shores of the Amundsen Gulf where Paul was covering the "Arctic and aboriginal beat" for the Toronto Star. Soon after he would return to war reporting in Kandahar and Syria, and I'd finish a first draft of The Body of an American at home in sunny Santa Monica, then develop the script as a commission from the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis (in a neighborhood known as "Little Mogadishu"). Michael Cumpsty and Michael Crane in the Hartford Stage production of The Body of an American. ( T. Charles Erickson) Readings and workshops followed, with the New Harmony Project in southern Indiana, Pioneer Theatre in Salt Lake City, and elsewhere around the country even outside the country, in rather cushy digs at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center, a 15th-century villa perched above Lake Como in Italy. A premiere production at Portland Center Stage, directed by Bill Rauch, and productions at the Gate Theatre in London and Royal & Derngate in Northampton, England, the Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia, has brought me and Paul and the script to this Hartford Stage-Primary Stages coproduction. Our collaboration is multifarious and ongoing: I've written two poetry collections about him, War Reporter and New Life, as well as the libretto for Jonathan Berger's opera The War Reporter, all derived from Paul's writing, photographs, audio and video recordings, his memories even sometimes what I imagine could be his memories. I've gone hiking with him in British Columbia, where he lives, and he's "taken meetings" with me in Los Angeles where we cooked up a TV drama about Western journalists covering the war in Syria, a tragicomically failed pitch that has evolved into my current Guggenheim Fellowship, a new play-in-progress for Center Theatre Group. All of this travel Paul's, mine, the play's is only interesting to me as a metaphor for our friendship, for the distance that's been bridged between us, and hopefully between this play and its audiences. Paul believes deeply that we all carry wars within us, that we are all haunted by ghosts of one kind or another, and that through honest connection and affirmation we might cultivate empathy and curb our baser instincts for cruelty. I now believe this, too. U.S. News Announces Its 2016 Best Cars for the Money WASHINGTON - February 9, 2016: Honda Motor Company earns the most awards in the 2016 U.S. News Best Cars for the Money awards, unveiled today at http://usnews.com/cars-money. Covering 23 automotive categories, the awards highlight a single vehicle in each class that provides consumers with the best combination of quality and value. Honda's six awards the most awards won by a single brand in the last five years include Best Compact Car, Subcompact Car and Minivan for the Money. "Honda continues to impress reviewers with the quality and design of nearly all of their products," says Jamie Page Deaton, managing editor of U.S. News Best Cars. "No matter what kind of car someone is looking for, a Honda is almost always a good choice." Chevrolet and Toyota each won three awards. Acura, Honda's luxury division, earned two. The Lincoln MKX won Best Luxury Two-Row SUV for the Money, breaking the Lexus RX's seven-year winning streak. The 2016 awards are the first to include the rapidly expanding affordable and luxury subcompact SUV classes, with the Honda HR-V winning Best Subcompact SUV for the Money and the BMW X1 winning Best Luxury Subcompact SUV for the Money. The Best Cars for the Money awards will be presented to the winning automakers during press preview days at the Chicago Auto Show, on February 11, 2016. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2016 BEST CARS FOR THE MONEY AWARDS CATEGORY WINNER Compact Cars 2016 Honda Civic Upscale Small Cars 2016 Audi A3 Midsize Cars 2016 Toyota Camry Upscale Midsize Cars 2016 Acura TLX Subcompact SUVs 2016 Honda HR-V Luxury Subcompact SUVs 2016 BMW X1 Compact SUVs 2016 Hyundai Tucson Luxury Compact SUVs 2016 Lexus NX Full Size Pickup Trucks 2016 Ram 1500 The Best Cars for the Money methodology combines quality and value data into a composite score. Within each of the 23 categories, the vehicle with the highest score is named the Best Car for the Money in that category. Quality is measured by the overall score a vehicle achieved in the U.S. News car rankings at the time the awards are published. The rankings, updated regularly, compare cars on the basis of safety, reliability and a consensus of industry experts' opinions. Value is measured by a combination of a vehicle's five-year total cost of ownership provided by Vincentric, LLC. The hole where the fairy is said to live Another Fairy Entity Captured at the Estuary I got the following report and photos of what is said ... As soon as polls closed Tuesday evening, multiple news outlets called the New Hampshire presidential primaries for Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders and Republican candidate Donald Trump, two outsiders who have run campaigns that belie political conventions in a number of ways. Both candidates went into the first-in-the-nation primary as the heavy favorites, with polling averages showing wide leads for them in their respective races; and they came out victorious without much of a fight. With less than a quarter of the state's votes reported at 8:45 p.m. ET, projections showed Sanders and Trump with commanding double-digit leads over their party rivals. In the Republican race, the secondary narrative becomes whether John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, or Ted Cruz will take second place, each fighting it out with low-teens percentages of the vote. Trumps victory comes on the heels of a surprising loss to Ted Cruz in the Iowa caucusesa defeat which many saw as a sign of the reality TV stars impending political decline. By winning the Granite State, Trump will head into the South Carolina primary (Feb. 20) with renewed confidence and a RealClear average polling lead of 16.3 percent. The Donalds victory in the Northeastern state comes as a result of appealing to New Hampshires business-minded conservative populace, which is less concerned with the social conservatism that propelled Cruz to a Hawkeye State victory last week. Marco Rubio, a candidate that many thought could eventually galvanize support and occupy some sort of establishment lane, is barely passing the 10 percent line after suffering a bruising beatdown by Chris Christie in the most recent debate. In order to earn delegates from the state, candidates must hit that 10 percent tally, putting Rubios gains at risk. Sanderss win over frontrunner Hillary Clinton gives the self-described democratic socialist some momentum headed into next weeks Southern primary. However, he faces a tough road ahead as he is looking at an average 13-percent deficit nationwide against the former secretary of state. "We had no campaign organization, we had no money, and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America," Sanders told an energized crowd at his victory party. "Because of a huge voter turnoutand I say hugewe won because we harnessed the energy and the excitement that the Democratic Party will need to succeed in November." Trump has managed to win a primary as a political novice after calling for a ban on Muslim immigration, referring to Mexicans as rapists and calling his chief rival Ted Cruz a pussy on the eve of the primary. As for Sanders, he has mounted an impressive campaign based on a substantial base of supporters with small donations, railing against the establishment and galvanizing women to support him over Clinton. "New Hampshire, I want to thank you, I love you," Trump said taking the stage on Tuesday night. "We're going to be back a lot." He delivered a fairly typical stump speech in which he promised to restore America to its greatness with the best deals and the best safety. "I am going to be the greatest jobs president that God ever created," he boldly proclaimed, turning new shades of orange under the bright lights. "Remember that. We are going to make America so great again. Greater than ever before." President Barack Obama survived a New Hampshire loss in 2008 on his way to winning the presidency, but the first-in-the-nation primary is largely seen as a predictor, or at least a provider of momentum, for eventual wins. In fact, for the Republicans, no candidate has won the partys nomination since 1944 without coming in either first or second in the Granite State. This has been a challenging year for women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, otherwise known by the acronym STEM. To be sure, every year is challenging for women and other under-represented groups. But lately more of those issues that plague them are being brought to light. Within the past 12 months, there have been stories in the media about senior (male) scientists who insinuated that telescopes and other hardware are for boys. Another scientist stated that women were distracting in laboratories. There were blatant reports of overt sexual harassment that went on for years, with the victims of these actions being the subject of a backlash on social media. There were clashes over panels discussing online and gaming harassment at a highly regarded interactive festival that were canceled due to threats (fortunately, rescheduled). There were studies released examining these issues, such as a report in which 100 percent of women of color interviewed for the research noted they had experienced gender bias. Campaigns such as #ILookLikeAnEngineer were inspired by negative comments toward the way a woman (an engineer in real life) looked in an ad. And, just this week, new allegations surfaced about sexual harassment and misconduct by an anthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History and a genetics professor at the University of Chicago. It is, therefore, incredibly timely and important that the United Nations has declared Thursday, Feb. 11, to be the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Its charge includes the call to eliminate gender inequality in science, employment, opportunities, and education. Such events remind us that its not all bad news for women and other represented groups in STEM fields. The two of us have enjoyed long and successful careers in STEM fields, particularly in science and technology, and communicating that with the public. We are not alone. We have worked alongside many, many intelligent and talented women and men who have been mentors and who have helped foster our professional development. We are proud that the telescope we work for, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, has had women in key roles throughout the decades-long history of the project. When Chandra was launched into orbit by the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1999, Eileen Collins was the commander of the Shuttle, the first woman to hold that position; and Cady Coleman was the astronaut and mission specialist who released Chandra into space from the payload bay. Women have held many of the senior scientist positions within the Chandra project since it was first conceived in the 70s. Chandra now has the first female director, Dr. Belinda Wilkes, for a NASA facility of its size and scope. In our group, women arent an anomaly. Perhaps its no coincidence that where there are women that have long been involved with a project, other women will followand stay. Thats not to say either of us have altogether escaped negative experiences. Over the years, we have both had inappropriate comments directed at us, noticed improper looks, and had moments of being made uncomfortable in work-related settings. That said, we know that we can be considered fortunate in many regards, not least because our careers have not been derailed by sexist or biased attitudes in STEM fields. We are committed to doing whatever we can to help women and girls around the world feel like they belong in STEM fields, in whatever capacity they choose to participate. Whether its direct mentoring, writing about social issues, supporting efforts on social networks, creating public projects, or simply being visible as writers and communicators, we hope to help dismantle the perception that only white, able-bodied males are meant to be involved in STEM fields. One empowering outcome of all the negative stories that emerged this past year is the awareness that there are many peoplemen and womenwho feel as we do. There are tireless advocates to celebrateadvocates who battle injustices not only on behalf of women, but for people of a range of abilities, people of color, and other groups that have too long been seen as outside the mainstream of STEM. With the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we have an opportunity to shine a light on all that has been accomplished so far, and also recognize how much more needs to get done. Wherever we come from, we need to move forward. Together. Kimberly Arcand and Megan Watzke are award-winning directors, producers, and authors who have spent their careers in science and technology. Arcand is the visualization lead for NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory, specializing in image and meaning research, and data representation. She lives near Providence, R.I. Watzke is the press officer for NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory, specializing in communicating astronomy with the public. She lives in Seattle, Wash. They are co-authors of, most recently, Light: The Visible Spectrum and Beyond, as well as Your Ticket to the Universe and dozens of articles in print and online. The biggest crisis to hit the celebrity world in Zoolander 2 is sparked by the catastrophe-heralding collision of two of the greatest forces in millennial pop culture, neither of which were household concepts when the first Zoolander opened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks: Justin Bieber and the selfie. The cruel cycle of fame is quick to discard yesterdays darlings, a fate sure to befall this flat sequel to 2001s goofy comedy about a dim male model saving the world. In 2016, Zoolander 2 perceptively argues, there is a fate worse than death: obsolescence. Choosing the wrong Instagram filter? A close runner-up. Like the first Zoolander, the long-awaited sequel is a mish-mash of random jokes, fashion pokes, and endless celebrity cameos that begin with the grandiose sight of the Biebs dying in a glorious hail of bullets. Hes the latest in a string of pop megastars whove been found murdered sporting Blue Steel pouts on their faces, and his death is one of a few clumsy contrivances that pulls Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) out of early retirement and into a tedious plot involving another global fashion conspiracy and Da Vinci Code-like historical intrigue. Legit news personalities take us through the tragedy that sent the worlds most beloved fashion model into self-imposed exile after the events of Zoolander. Days after ground broke on the Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Cant Read Good And Who Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too, the ground literally broke beneath it, thanks to faulty building materials. The accident left Dereks wife Matilda (Christine Taylor) dead, fellow male model Hansel (Owen Wilson) horribly disfigured, and the world utterly turned against poor Derek Zoolander. In the ensuing PR crisis, Katie Couric and Christiane Amanpour tell us, Zoolander lost custody of his son Derek Jr. and dejectedly disappeared from the fashion world, banishing himself to the lonely wilds of extreme northern New Jersey. Thats where actor Billy Zane (playing actor Billy Zane) finds him, years later, pouting under a thick mane and beard. He sends Derek on a mission to Rome to reclaim the catwalk in a hot new runway show for a leather-skinned Donatella Versace-like design icon named Alexanya Atoz (Kristen Wiig) thats sure to help him get back Derek Jr. Zane completes his cameo duties by trekking to the high desert wilds of Malibu to find Hansel hiding his hideous, career-ending facial scar under a gilded mask. Hes happily leading a New Agey sex cult, but when he learns hes impregnated all 11 members of his orgyincluding Kiefer Sutherland, playing Kiefer Sutherland in Zoolander 2s most delightfully left-field cameohis daddy issues give him cold feet and he bolts to Rome, where he grudgingly reunites with Derek. Zoolander 2 struts along with purpose, and a hint of barbed cultural commentary, as Derek and Hansel find themselves the punchline of a world that has evolved far beyond their squinty Y2K-era metrosexual stares. Arriving in Italys fashion capital, theyre welcomed into a new order built on faux-haute street pretension that they cant fathom. Theyre put up in digs that theyre smugly informed were made from repurposed human waste and struggle to decipher Don Atari (standout Kyle Mooney), the bad boy designer taking the world by storm with his aggressively ironic trash-hipster steez and carefully contrived sense of hostile apathy for every trend thats come before. Of course Skrillex is the resident DJ playing Don Ataris runway show. Of course theres a skeezy Terry Richardson-type lurking in the background. And of course theres a hot swimsuit model-turned-Interpol agent named Valentina (Penelope Cruz, admirably game) who taps Zoolander and Hansel to investigate the connection between those dead celebrities and a centuries-old mystical quest for the Fountain of Youth involving the blood sacrifice of a Chosen One. Zoolander, meanwhile, is delighted to learn that the son he abandoned years ago is living at a nearby orphanagebut horrified to discover Derek Jr. has grown into a chubby adolescent who despises him. All of which exists in order to lead up to the reintroduction of Zoolanders No. 1 nemesis, the evil fashionista Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell), whos been imprisoned in solitary confinement in fashion jail since the last movie. Unfortunately, neither Mugatu nor Ferrell have as much purpose here as they did in Zoolander. Although he claims his years behind bars have made him crazierand given him a new, beefed-up bod and bald dome covered in tattoosMugatu reverts back to his poodle-haired coif just in time to rehash the same adversarial beats with Zoolander, down to a bit in which Zoolander must get his mojo back to conjure his super-powered Magnum pout. There are welcome surprises to be had, if fleeting. Benedict Cumberbatch channels Tilda Swinton-esque majesty as a gender-fluid art world darling named All who represents just how far the fashion world has moved on from Dereks guylinered Blue Steel heyday. Theres a different kind of inspired genius in the uncanny power of watching Fred Armisens head CGed onto the body of an 11-year-old as a pint-sized social media intern named VIPa character so unsettling to behold, hes simultaneously fascinating and revolting. The script by Stiller, Justin Theroux, Nicholas Stoller, and John Hamburg occasionally hits the right notes before the film death-marches its way through a tiresome succession of espionage movie cliches. Zoolander 2 is already overstuffed with blink-and-youll-miss-them cameos by random celebrities like Joe Jonas, Olivia Munn, Ariana Grande, and Trudie Styler. (Sting, on the other hand, gets a full-blown supporting role playing himself, of course, as a member of a secret order of rock stars anointed by God.) By the time Zoolander 2 gets to a green-screened rooftop gag featuring Katy Perry and astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, youll long for the simple bygone pleasures of a high-stakes model-vs.-model walk-off that never arrives. Thats why Zoolander 2s most showy cameos from actual fashion luminaries are the nails in the couture-lined coffin. Anna Wintour, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Jacobs, and two WangsVera and Alexanderare among the real-life fashion legends who play themselves in the films sadly uninspired last act. To its credit, Zoolander 2 exploits them in a surprisingly bold plot twist by tapping the old guard as veterans keenly aware of their own limited shelf lifeonly to sell it out moments later, softening the bite. Either destroy the establishment, or dont; the only thing worse than falling out of fashion is realizing you played yourself out in the first place. Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu is fond of saying Iowa picks corn and New Hampshire picks presidents. Lets hope that hes wrong this time, or America is headed for an apocalyptic choice, not an echo election. Celebrity demagogue Donald Trump and democratic socialist Bernie Sanders won massive victories Tuesday, sweeping virtually every voter group in the Granite State. It was a night for pitchfork populism, with the politics of cultural and economic resentment hitting overdrive. Whats truly troubling is that New Hampshire traditionally serves as a speed-bump in the crowded primary calendar, calming hyperpartisan passions and pandering. Unlike the low-turnout Iowa caucuses and play-to-the-base South Carolina, the Live Free or Die state offers an electorate that reflects the independent centrist sensibility of the American general electorate. Forty-four percent of New Hampshire voters are registered independents, essentially mirroring national self-identification numbers. Its an open primary, increasing competition and voter participation. And its a swing state, one of only seven that is considered up for grabs in a presidential election. For Republicans, New Hampshire is a rare state where the party is evenly divided between conservatives and moderates. Libertarians have a strong presence and perhaps not coincidentally its the least religious state in the nation. Social-conservative litmus tests have limited appeal here. For example, New Hampshire became the first state to legalize marriage equality via the legislature in 2009. While the state isnt exactly a bastion of racial diversity, New Hampshire has ideological diversity and a proud live-and-let-live culture. In the last two presidential primary cycles New Hampshire backed John McCain and Mitt Romney after the Iowa caucuses elevated Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum. Earlier in the cycle, it seemed like one of the strong center-right governorsChris Christie, John Kasich, or Jeb Bushwould be primed to repeat the pattern. So much for that streak. The record will now show that Donald Trump romped to victory in 2016 with a nativist campaign. He updated the conservative populism of Pat Buchanan, the right-wing pundit who narrowly won the state in 1996 with an anti-immigrant, anti-trade, and anti-establishment agenda. Trumps proudly anti-PC appeals defined deviancy down in this campaign, delighting in the attention that outrageously ugly us against them rhetoric can bring. His Teflon comes from being a reality-TV star with a reputation for ruthless business success. Fame and fury more than compensate for a lack of conservative philosophy to those folks who just want an anti-Obama in the White House. Trumps victory cut across all age, income, and ideological groups, according to CNNs exit pollsthough the more educated and wealthy a voter is, the less likely they are to buy his B.S. The prospect of a billionaire populist should be enough to make your head explode. But for the earnest liberal activists who clustered around Bernie Sanderss insurgent campaign, the idea must be particularly insulting. After all, the energy behind Bernies campaign comes from righteous anger at income inequality that has only deepened in the wake of the Great Recession, making millennials more receptive to a democratic socialist agenda than at any time since post-war Progressive Party members insisted that Uncle Joe Stalin was simply misunderstood. Sanderss campaign has so far succeeded in making moderate a dirty word in the Democratic primarya mirror image of what the dynamic Republicans have been wrestling with for decades. Whatever the ultimate impact, we are witnessing the birth of a left-wing Tea Party that may divide the Democratic Partywith predictable resultsfor decades to come. No doubt Bernies big win was boosted by his status as a senator from Vermont. New Hampshire has traditionally rewarded neighboring state elected officials, from Paul Tsongas to John Kerry. But his campaign also became a crusade against the governing establishment represented by Hillary Clinton. In the psychology of support, it is cool to like Bernie now. And according to CNNs exit polls, he won almost every voter cohortincluding, somewhat surreally, moderate voters. Only non-white voters, senior citizens, and those who made over $200K supported Clinton in New Hampshire. Its worth noting that these two opposite-in-everything men share two broad policy positions: a distrust of free-trade deals and a belief that big-money super PACs are trying to buy elections. But while Bernie also rode a wave of populism to his victory, buoyed by his unscripted authenticityany parallels to Trump stop there. While The Donald glories in incivility, Bernie refuses to go negative during the campaign. While Trumps policies are all bumper-sticker bluster, Bernie glories in a five-year plan with detailed bullet points. Perhaps the most relevant difference is that Trump has a positive primary calendar ahead of himhe leads the polls in the upcoming conservative states throughout the South. Bernie has a much tougher road ahead in states that are both more conservative and more diverse. Democratic socialists from Vermont via Brooklyn dont expect a friendly reception in the South. Adrenaline is surging for Trump and Sanders supporters after their lopsided wins in a centrist state. But there is something nihilistic behind the anti-establishment anger that drove them to the polls. Because polarization doesnt solve problemsit compounds them. The authoritarian-tinged appeal of a strongman or the promise of ideological purity makes true-believers feel invincibleuntil they collide with reality in a constitutional democracy. Victory in presidential elections requires reaching out beyond the base and winning over the reasonable edge of the opposition. Effective presidential leadership requires working with Congress in a spirit of principled compromise, defining common ground, and achieving common goals. The frustration that many folks feel with Washington stems from its current division and dysfunction, the sense that special interests are ignoring the national interest. Theyre right. But the populist protest candidacies of Trump and Sanders will only deepen Washingtons division and dysfunction because they dont offer any practical bipartisan solutions as a matter of pride. Banning Muslim immigration or single-payer health care may have their constituencies but they arent going to pass Congress. Insults and ideological purity are only a recipe for further polarization, creating a feedback loop of frustration and alienation. Their prescriptions double-down on the disease. Some hard-core partisan supporters no doubt love the idea of a Trump-Sanders general election, effectively forcing America to choose between two extreme visions. But despite their current popularity with the partisan base, neither man represents the vast majority of Americans. And heres a proof-point to keep the moderate majority from fearing the future: Less than 0.3 percent of Americans have voted so far in the 2016 primaries. Weve still got some time for sanity to catch up with all the crazy talk. On the campus of Texas A&M University, George Bush is a name that has ingrained itself into the culture. While that reverence is most often directed at the eldest Bush, the university received a visit Tuesday from another who bears his name -- Texas Land Commissioner George Prescott Bush. The 39-year-old ambassador of the Bush family dynasty, who was on campus discussing the challenges facing the veteran community at the 18th annual Texas Veterans Commission Veterans Summit, said whenever he has the opportunity, he makes an effort to visit the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum so that he can pay homage to the achievements of his grandfather. Bush said he sees his grandfather as a representation of "the greatest generation our country has ever offered" and he admires the commitment to service he has displayed in his life. "[He is] a guy that offered [himself] to the U.S. Navy at the age of 16," Bush said. "We need more of that type of leadership in our country. He devoted himself to the lives of others, whether that was through military service or serving here in Texas and later at the national level." Spanning back to his great-grandfather, the late Connecticut Sen. Prescott Bush, the younger Bush hails from a family of high political achievers. In addition to lending his support to the presidential campaign of his father -- former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- he can also boast his position as grandson and nephew to two living U.S. presidents. Before the Tuesday morning event, Bush said he had just returned from New Hampshire, where he had been helping his father's campaign make its final push before the primary vote. "I'm helping out my dad whenever possible," said Bush, whose father was hoping to rejuvenate his presidential campaign with a strong finish in the early primary. When asked if he might consider running for the executive office himself one day, Bush smiled and said that at the moment he is just focused on the job he has now. "Right now, I love my job and I've got my plate full here in Texas," Bush said. March 21, 1948 - February 6, 2016 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7) Elizabeth Kay Woodley passed away February 6, 2016 after a heroic decade-long battle against lupus and lung disease. Kay, born March 21, 1948, was the first daughter of O.M. "Buddy" Brown and Sarah Dance Brown. She was a 1966 graduate of Luling High School and a 1978 and 1991 graduate of Texas A&M University, with a BS in Economics and an MS in Accounting. Kay is survived by her husband of 47 years, Dr. James B. Woodley; their daughter, Susan Woodley Adams and her husband Reed; their son, Ross Woodley and his wife Chrissy; grandchildren, Mason and Chase Adams, and Zoe and Ryan Woodley; sister, Mary Alice Beachy and her husband Steve; nephews, Matthew Beachy and his wife Rachel and their son, Boede, and John Beachy and his wife Becky and their children, Cole, Seth, and Katherine Beachy; numerous cousins, and uncountable friends. Kay was predeceased by her parents, and her aunts, Frances Helen Hurst, Alice M. Smith and Mary E. McNeill. No one could tell a story like Kay did. Few people had a greener thumb. Her gift of artistic creativity is something we all wish we had. Her Christmas trees were legendary. She loved people. She was strong in faith and in spirit, generous, well-read, intelligent, witty, funny, sarcastic, of unwavering opinions on just about everything. She adored her grandkids and they her. She loved her family so very much and that love was returned. Visitation will be at 1:00 pm on Saturday, February 13 at Hempstead First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, followed by a celebration of life at 2:00 pm in the church sanctuary. Burial will be at 4:00 pm at Chappell Hill Masonic Cemetery. Memorials in Kay's memory may be made to First United Methodist Church, 1010 7th St, Hempstead, Texas 77445 or to a charity of your choice. Guest Book at www.canonfuneralhome.com This pesticide, Pyriproxyfen, is used in a state-controlled programme aimed at eradicating disease-carrying mosquitos. The Physicians added that the Pyriproxyfen is manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical, a Japanese 'strategic partner' of Monsanto. - a company they have learned to distrust due to the vast volume of the company's pesticides sprayed onto Argentina's cropland. Pyriproxyfen is a growth inhibitor of mosquito larvae, which alters the development process from larva to pupa to adult, thus generating malformations in developing mosquitoes and killing or disabling them. It acts as an insect juvenile hormone or juvenoid, and has the effect of inhibiting the development of adult insect characteristics (for example, wings and mature external genitalia) and reproductive development. The chemical has a relatively low risk profile as shown by its WHO listing, with low acute toxicity. Tests carried out in a variety of animals by Sumitomo found that it was not a teratogen (did not cause birth defects) in the mammals it was tested on. However this cannot be taken as a completely reliable indicator of its effects in humans - especially in the face of opposing evidence. The PCST commented: "Malformations detected in thousands of children from pregnant women living in areas where the Brazilian state added Pyriproxyfen to drinking water are not a coincidence, even though the Ministry of Health places a direct blame on the Zika virus for this damage." They also noted that Zika has traditionally been held to be a relatively benign disease that has never before been associated with birth defects, even in areas where it infects 75% of the population. Brazilian doctors also suspect pyriproxyfen Pyriproxyfen is a relatively new introduction to the Brazilian environment; the microcephaly increase is a relatively new phenomenon. So the larvicide seems a plausible causative factor in microcephaly - far more so than GM mosquitos, which some have blamed for the Zika epidemic and thus for the birth defects. The PCST report, which also addresses the Dengue fever epidemic in Brazil, concurs with the findings of a separate report on the Zika outbreak by the Brazilian doctors' and public health researchers' organisation, Abrasco. [2] Abrasco also names Pyriproxyfen as a possible cause of the microcephaly. It condemns the strategy of chemical control of Zika-carrying mosquitoes, which it says is contaminating the environment as well as people and is not decreasing the numbers of mosquitoes. Instead Abrasco suggests that this strategy is in fact driven by the commercial interests of the chemical industry, which it says is deeply integrated into the Latin American ministries of health, as well as the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organisation. Abrasco names the British GM insect company Oxitec as part of the corporate lobby that is distorting the facts about Zika to suit its own profit-making agenda. Oxitec sells GM mosquitoes engineered for sterility and markets them as a disease-combatting product - a strategy condemned by the Argentine Physicians as "a total failure, except for the company supplying mosquitoes." Both the Brazilian and Argentine doctors' and researchers' associations agree that poverty is a key neglected factor in the Zika epidemic. Abrasco condemned the Brazilian government for its "deliberate concealment" of economic and social causes: "In Argentina and across America the poorest populations with the least access to sanitation and safe water suffer most from the outbreak." PCST agrees, stating, "The basis of the progress of the disease lies in inequality and poverty." Abrasco adds that the disease is closely linked to environmental degradation: floods caused by logging and the massive use of herbicides on (GM) herbicide-tolerant soy crops - in short, "the impacts of extractive industries." The notion that environmental degradation may a factor in the spread of Zika finds backing in the view of Dino Martins, PhD, a Kenyan entomologist. Martins said that "the explosion of mosquitoes in urban areas, which is driving the Zika crisis" is caused by "a lack of natural diversity that would otherwise keep mosquito populations under control, and the proliferation of waste and lack of disposal in some areas which provide artificial habitat for breeding mosquitoes." Community-based actions The Argentine Physicians believe that the best defence against Zika is "community-based actions". An example of such actions is featured in a BBC News report on the Dengue virus in El Salvador. A favourite breeding place for disease-carrying mosquitoes is storage containers of standing water. El Salvadorians have started keeping fish in the water containers, and the fish eat the mosquito larvae. Dengue has vanished along with the mosquitoes that transmit the disease. And so far, the locals don't have any Zika cases either. Simple yet effective programmes like this are in danger of being neglected in Brazil in favour of the corporate-backed programmes of pesticide spraying and releasing GM mosquitoes. The latter is completely unproven and the former may be causing far more serious harm than the mosquitoes that are being targeted. Claire Robinson is an editor at GMWatch. This article was originally published by GMWatch. This version includes additional reporting by The Ecologist. Notes 1. 'Report from Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns regarding Dengue-Zika, microcephaly, and mass-spraying with chemical poisons'. 2016. Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns. 2. 'Nota tecnica e carta aberta a populacao: Microcefalia e doencas vetoriais relacionadas ao Aedes aegypti: os perigos das abordagens com larvicidas e nebulizacao quimica - fumace'. January 2016. GT Salud y Ambiente. Asociacion Brasilena de Salud Colectiva. ABRASCO. A new study by the University of East Anglia (UEA) indicates that agricultural policies which governments, international donors and organisations such as the International Monetary Fund claim to be economically successful and alleviating poverty are not working. In fact they are having large negative impacts on the poorest and most vulnerable people in rural Africa. At the forefront of these policies has been the much vaunted New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition which is made up of governments, a range of international agencies, the Gates Foundation and other large donors, and multinational companies such as Monsanto. They have been vigorously pushing to increase and 'modernise' agricultural production in Africa through seeds and cultivation techniques that are highly dependent on chemical inputs and 'innovative technologies', including genetic engineering. Policies benefit the wealthy and harm the poor This new research reveals that these policies are adversely impacting on the lives of "tens, even hundreds of millions of smallholder farmers". It shows that only a relatively wealthy minority have benefited from what has essentially become 'enforced modernisation' The poorest farmers cannot afford the risk of taking out credit for the necessary inputs of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides and they live in fear of government agencies seizing and reallocating their land. The research looked in-depth at the impact of agricultural policies on Rwanda but the findings tie in with recent concerns about strategies to feed the world in the face of growing populations, debates about the effectiveness of small versus large farms and struggles to maintain local control over land and food production. Enforced modernisation leads to landlessness and inequality Up to 90% of people in some African countries are smallholder farmers reliant on agriculture. Dr Neil Dawson, the study's lead author said: "Agricultural development certainly has the potential to help these people, but instead these policies appear to be exacerbating landlessness and inequality for poorer rural inhabitants. "Many of these policies have been hailed as transformative development successes, yet that success is often claimed on the basis of weak evidence through inadequate impact assessments. "Such policies may increase aggregate production of exportable crops, yet for many of the poorest smallholders they strip them of their main productive resource, land. "This study details how these imposed changes disrupt subsistence practices, exacerbate poverty, impair local systems of trade and knowledge, and threaten land ownership. It is startling that the impacts of policies with such far-reaching impacts for such poor people are, in general, so inadequately assessed." After years of pleading, Filipinos in Alberta will finally see a new Philippine Consulate open in the province. By end-February, the Department of Foreign Affairs will open the new consular office in Calgary to serve the more than 120,000 Filipinos in Alberta province, The Inquirer reported. DFA Assistant Secretary Julius Torres, who was appointed consul general, will arrive in Calgary on February 23. Torres said the office will be fully operational by the beginning of March offering services including passport application and renewals, notarials, document authentication, among others. In a telephone interview, Torres said Calgary was eyed because of the concentration of Filipinos in the area. The city is home to more than 40,000 Filipinos according to the 2011 census. The city was also chosen to bolster relations with commercial establishments, major industries and other diplomatic offices located in the area, he said. Torres has 35 years in foreign service experience starting in 1981. He is currently serving as the DFA assistant secretary for Middle East and African Affairs, but has previously served several leadership roles in Philippine posts in Jordan, Hawaii, Romania, Brussels, Belgium, Palau, Saipan, Toronto and Australia. In December, a team from DFA led by Torres visited Calgary to find a location for the new consul office. Centre 10 building on 10th avenue and 4th Street in southwest Calgary is being eyed for office location. It is very accessible to Filipinos. At least kung may permanent presence ka, anytime na convenient sa siserbisyuhan mo pwede silang magpunta sa opisina. They dont have to wait for consular outreach, he said. The new consular office will serve Filipinos in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, easing up workload in consulates in Vancouver and Toronto, respectively, said Torres. The new consular office will be the fourth Philippine post in Canada. Until recently, government services were being rendered by the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa and the two consulates in Vancouver and Toronto. For years, Filipinos in Alberta had been utilizing the B.C. consulate office for various services, mainly passport applications and renewals. Because of its distance, Filipinos had to travel, which meant losses in income and money spent on fare and accommodation. Torres noted that the passport outreach services carried out by the Vancouver consulate in Alberta were not cost-effective. He said that despite the increase in the number of passport missions and a weekend office in B.C., many Filipinos remained eunderserved. The increase in the Filipino population following an economic boost in 2009 in Alberta that saw the increase in Temporary Foreign Workers from the Philippines, spelled a busier operation and overcapacity at the Vancouver-based consular office. Calls to open an Alberta-based Philippine consular office renewed in 2013 when Migrante Alberta led a petition signing that gathered 6,000 signatures. This was followed by the formation of Alberta Coalition for Consular Office in the city of Edmonton composed of private individuals, non-government organizations and Filipino cultural groups. In March 2014, Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer met with members of the coalition and Filipino community in Calgary for consultation. In the meeting, he indicated a consular office would be set up in Calgary by 2015 if a budget approval passed in the Lower House of Congress during the annual budget deliberation for that year. House Bill 4971 sponsored by Gabriela Partylist in September 2014 supported the call for the opening of the consular office in Alberta citing that a majority of the Filipinos living in the province were women working under the Live-in Caregiver Program. Clarizze Truscotte, Coalition for Consular Office member said in an interview that although her group lauds the fruition of their campaign, she is hoping that the move is not geared towards gathering votes for the administrations party in the upcoming election. We are glad the Philippine government is finally paying attention to our needs here but we hope this is not to garner votes from Filipino migrants, she said. Truscotte said that her group would keep a close watch on the progress of the new consular office. Torres said the new consular offices role in the election would be to account for all the votes under its jurisdiction and submit the numbers to the Vancouver consulate. Five key Philippine presidential candidates, including a crime-busting mayor and an adopted daughter of movie stars, have launched their campaigns to lead one of Asia's most unwieldy democracies. From Manila's slums to the countryside, the candidates at the start of the three-month campaign, promised to cure the same ailments that have hounded the Southeast Asian nation for decades: widespread poverty, corruption, crime and insurgencies. The leading candidates are seen as Sen. Grace Poe, the adopted daughter of a popular movie couple and Vice President Jejomar Binay, followed by former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who has been endorsed by the president. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, known for his tough anti-crime campaign in southern Davao city, and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago are also among the main contenders. Under President Benigno Aquino, the Philippines has seen annual growth of more than six per cent on average, its best five-year record in four decades. He has also managed to rein in, if not halt, corruption. Party affiliations have historically counted for little in the Philippines and policies have mattered less than personalities. Presidential campaigns are expensive and rely on the support of rich families and companies. Candidates will be singing and dancing along with movie and TV personalities across the archipelago of 7,100 islands over the next 90 days to gain people's attention before revealing full details of their platforms. The business community, however, is looking for a leader who can further liberalise the country, easing restrictions on foreign direct investment, reducing protectionism and eliminating red tape in doing business. "It will be very interesting to see what are the positions of each of the candidates in really easing business here in the country for foreigners and Filipinos," Julian Payne, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said. The latest opinion poll shows a first time senator, Grace Poe, abandoned in a church as a baby, ahead of the pack, but analysts say it is too early to make predictions. A Pulse Asia survey last month pointed to a tight race among Poe, Vice President Jejomar Binay, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Aquino's handpicked successor, former interior minister Manuel Roxas. Senator Miriam Santiago, who had ran and lost two previous presidential elections, is a distant fifth. Poe led the pack with 30 per cent support, while Binay, Duterte and Roxas were not far behind with 23 and 20 per cent respectively. In December, Binay topped the polls with 33 percent. Earl Parreno, of the Institute of Political and Electoral Reforms, said it would be a tight race to the finish but there's uncertainty about Poe's eligibility because of a dispute about her citizenship and required residency in the country. Poe, a naturalised American, returned to the Philippines when her adoptive father, who ran for president and lost, died in late 2004. Six years later, she renounced her US citizenship when Aquino appointed her to a government post. "It's still anybody's ball game because most voters have not really absorbed the candidates' messages," Parreno said, adding poverty and corruption were among the main issues resonating with the electorate. The campaigning began in festive mood in the capital with Duterte, running on the platform of law and order, holding his proclamation rally in the crime-prone poor community near Manila's docks. Poe brought together right-wing former soldiers and left-leaning activists at her kick-off campaign in historic Plaza Miranda at the heart of the capital's old city. Binay held a rally in Mandaluyong City, next to Manila's financial district, Makati, where he was mayor for two decades. His wife and son were also mayors. Roxas barnstormed in his political bailiwick in the central Philippines while Santiago travelled to the north, the political base of her running mate, Ferdinand Marcos, son of Imelda Marcos, widow of the late dictator Ferdinand and famous for her collection of shoes and jewellery. More than 54 million Filipinos are choosing a new president, vice president, about 300 lawmakers in the two-chamber Congress and about 18,000 local government positions. Behind a large rocking chair in my den filled with books, racing and canoeing stuff, I recently rediscovered a large wooden box that I got some 40 years ago. When I moved the rocking chair, I had no idea what the box contained because it had been so long since I had seen it. Getting down on one knee, I eagerly slid back the top. There, neatly stacked together, were my high school and college year books. Wow, what a find! Several hours later, I put down the books to see what was underneath. I was equally surprised when I saw my special collection of the big old 33 1/3 record albums. I flashed back to a conversation Id had sometime back with Bryan Olinger, owner of Olds Cool on Franklin Street. He said the LPs had made a major comeback and were wildly popular with the college-age crowd. They love the plastic, he told me. There are still two nice pieces of furniture in my house that play LPs and 45 rpm recordings. After another flood of memories had settled, I dug deeper to the bottom of the box. There in plastic photograph binders were 18 glossy photographs of the first big Super Nationals dirt track race held in September 1982 at Log Cabin Raceway. It was located just south of Fork Mountain. The late Donald Worley Sr. of Rocky Mount had constructed the half-mile stock car racing oval in 1981 without a single blueprint. He had it all in my head, he once told me. Operation of the facility was spear-headed by the builders late wife, Marie. Other main players were the couples children, Donald Satch Jr., Earl, Judy, Faye, Rena, Linda and Betty. Each person had a job preparing for the weekly Friday night events during the racing season from 1982 until 1984 when Momma Worley passed away. Patrick Gann, who built and drove dirt track cars, leased the facility for 1985, the last season it was open. Each of the pages held two photos, I quickly discovered. One was of the Carolina blue and white #1 Chevy Impala pace car I drove to a lot. Another was of Donnie Morans racer on the track. He came from Ohio and won back-to-back Super Nationals on his 19th and 20th birthdays. In addition to the large photos, there were three smaller photos of Charlie Schwarzs high-flying wedge machine, sponsored by J.W. Hunt Trucking. The #1 was white with bright green lettering. The racer had three large pieces of thick clear plastic attached to the racer. The back spoiler (about 24 inches tall) went across the back to connect with two triangular side pieces. Race officials made Schwarz remove the spoilers before practice began. The 17 other large photos were of the crowd as it quickly swelled that Saturday night before the first green flag fell. The pictures were taken from different angles, not only of the front and back stretch grandstands, but of the infield from four directions. One was taken to show the infield concession stand/restrooms building and the infield tunnel under turns two and three. I believe the attendance that night was in excess of 5,000. Fans spilled over from the front and back grandstands onto the grassy areas of turns 1, 2, 3 and 4. I had two photos of the presentation of the pole award to a driver whose name I cant recall. Also pictured was Robert Smalley, president/founder of the National Dirt Racing Association or NDRA. Smalley and Satch, whose job it was to promote the track, flanked two trophy girls wearing swim suits. One was Miss NDRA and the other Miss Schlitz, representing the circuits major sponsor. All three guys had big smiles as result of all the whistles the women were receiving. I have copies of every weekly program I produced for the track, but I left the negatives of all the photos with Satch after the track closed. Each week, all the negatives went into an envelope with the date, month and year of the race written on the outside. Files were kept for each year. The first thing I did after leaving the den was call Satch and tell him about the find. He confirmed that he did not have copies of the pictures Id discovered. So I went to Shock, the computer store on Route 40 West, and had duplicates made for him. When I took the photos to his home on Sontag Road, I didnt get away as quickly as I thought I would. I stayed for more than an hour, talking to him and his wife, Joyce. We discussed everything under the sun and more, mostly centered around racing. I know there are still a lot of LCR race fans out there who remember the track and the guys who raced there. I always felt that one day LCR would become bigger and better than El Dora, which Earl Baltes sold to NASCAR star Tony Stewart. A couple of years ago, I did an internet interview with two guys from South Carolina. They told me LCR had a cult following on some websites. I know my heart was broken when I revisited the track in 1999 after returning to the county from my racing career. Bull pine trees had overtaken the track and filled the infield. Sitting in the front stretch grandstand, I couldnt see the infield concession/restrooms building. Windows had been broken out of the main building and all of the buildings were deteriorated. Tears filled my eyes as I returned to the car and drove back up the road. Returning to the newspaper, I wrote a column and used photos I had just taken of how the track looked back then. And thats been 17 years ago! Unreal Last Thursday evening, I had just returned to Ferrum for the day and something strange happened that brought a flutter in my gut and a quiver in my heart. When I checked my cell phone for missed calls, the name at the top of the list said Hazel. There was no number under the name and the time was 5:57 p.m. I sat at the kitchen table just staring at the little screen. Her name hadnt popped up for 22 months now. How did it happen? I couldnt come up with an answer. Then it suddenly dawned on me what had happened. Dialing my cell number from the house phone, sure enough, my cell started ringing and her name appeared once again. The land line has always been listed in her name since before we married. We declined to pay the extra charge back in 1985 to have the name changed to mine. So the mystery was solved. And I admit it was nice seeing her name on the phone again. Just a Note - Things worked out well for the Super Bowl as far as I am concerned. It was one of the best defensive games played in recent years with the Denver Broncos beating the Carolina Panthers and QB Cam Newton. The Panthers played well enough to make Peyton Manning, the 40-year-old QB, look very good. On the other hand, Im glad to see the Panthers QB cut down a few notches, so now he may return to earth and play like he should once again. Nuff said! Franklin County middle-schoolers may benefit from several changes next year, including year-long English classes and the addition of keyboarding and graphic design. The Franklin County School Board voted on the changes Monday night. Currently, eighth-graders are enrolled in English for one semester, giving them little time to prepare for both the reading and the writing SOL (Standards of Learning) tests given at the end of the course. After the standards changed, adding the rigor of critical thinking, our students began to struggle, said Dr. Bernice Cobbs, BFMS principal. Students taking English during first semester, for example, begin the course in August, taking the writing SOL in October and the reading SOL in December. Trying to squeeze all the information into a 90-day window is hurting test scores, according to Cobbs. Information presented to the board showed that students at BFMS scored a 93-percent pass rate in reading and an 85 percent pass rate in writing during the 2012-13 school year. Those scores have steadily dropped each year since then. This year, students scored a 70 percent pass rate in reading and a 65 percent pass rate in writing. If they have the entire school year to focus on those standards, they will do much better, Cobbs reasoned. Franklin County eighth-graders already take math year-long, and the first year that change was made, student SOL scores in math rose by 10 percent. Jessica Slough, an eighth grade P.E. teacher and chairperson of the schools module options committee, shared with board members some of the possible effects of making the switch to year-long English. The switch would keep Spanish classes intact (which is required in order for the school to remain fully accredited), but would eliminate The Gereau Centers STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art and Math) program. STREAM is a great program in that it builds problem-solving skills, but it is essentially taking up too much time during the week, Slough said. A survey of all eighth grade staff showed that eighth grade is pressed for time, Slough said. It is the only grade in all of a students 13 years of school where five SOLs are taken six if the student takes Geometry. The change would also mean that eighth grade band and choir students would no longer take P.E., allowing those students an opening in their schedules to enroll in one of the many technical modules offered at The Gereau Center. Year-long English would also eliminate the eighth grades current alternating A/B schedule. Before the board voted, Assistant Superintendent Sue Rogers pointed out that the change would require four additional positions. Approval of the switch would not guarantee approval of the additional positions. The school board also approved a change from the schools current sixth grade ScanTek class to Keyboarding and Graphic Design. ScanTek, in place since 1990, requires equipment upgrades over time and its equipment has become outdated to the point we cant service the computers anymore, Cobbs said. The new keyboarding and graphic design course would become a part of the schools WHEEL program, which also includes art and family consumer science. Students would choose two of the three classes. If one of those chosen courses were keyboarding and graphic design, students would spend the first half of the course focusing on keyboarding and the second half focusing on the graphic design portion. Eighth-graders no longer have the choice of hand-writing their written essays for the writing SOL test, Cobbs added. Those essays must now be typed. A survey five years ago showed that only 22 percent of incoming middle- schoolers were able to type at a proficiency level appropriate for their age and grade, said Brenda Muse, director of K-12 curriculum and instruction. During Monday nights meeting, the board also approved a request allowing Franklin County public schools to provide summer school in an alternative setting, partnering with Smith Mountain Lake Good Neighbors, the Franklin County Family YMCA and the Henry Fork Service Center. The alternative summer school partnerships would allow the school division to bring summer school curriculum to students where they already are, Rogers said. Currently, the SML Good Neighbors offers a summer program to students in Bedford County, as well as students in the Dudley, Burnt Chimney, Sontag and Rocky Mount areas of Franklin County. The program ensures students who eat free or reduced-priced lunches are eating over the summer break. It also exposes students to peaceful and nonviolent conflict resolution, art projects and field trips. Reading and writing skills are highlighted to make sure students dont lose those skills over the summer, said Program Director Lisa Lietz. With enrollment in the school systems summer school program at a low, bringing teachers to students instead of having them come to the schools could be a more efficient plan, Rogers said. SHARE EDDYVILLE, Ky. (AP) Gov. Matt Bevin has told employees at the Kentucky State Penitentiary that he stands by his promises to include $4.5 million in retention raises for correctional workers at state prisons. The Paducah Sun (http://bit.ly/1Xi2GFD) reports that Bevin made his first visit to the state penitentiary in Eddyville on Tuesday, joined by a team of legislators and other political officials. After touring the massive facility, Bevin told the group who gathered in the prison's chapel that he will work to keep his proposals in the budget as legislators review it over the next few weeks. Bevin also addressed the high turnover rate in corrections officers, currently reported at 67 percent statewide. He says he expects higher salaries will help lower that rate to benefit everybody. ___ Information from: The Paducah Sun, http://www.paducahsun.com SHARE By Gleaner Staff The Henderson County Public Library is celebrating Black History Month with events and activities for all ages. To register for library programs, visit www.hcpl.org or call 270-826-3712. Here's a look at some of the upcoming events: Trivia Night: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday. This activity is for all ages. Teams with five to eight participants are invited for snacks and prizes. Team registration is required. "Where I'm Coming From Coloring Contest": Through Monday. For children in preschool through third grade. Kids can stop by the children's department to pick up a coloring sheet in celebration of Black History Month and Kentucky heritage. Winners from each age category will be awarded a library prize pack. "Where I'm Coming From Essay and Poetry Contest": Through Monday. For grades four-12. Students are encouraged to write an original poem or essay on the theme "Where I'm From" in celebration of Black History Month and Kentucky heritage. Winners from each age category will be awarded a library prize pack. ePublish or Bust! Author Visit: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18. For adults. Growing up as an African-American girl in Kentucky during the 1970s and '80s presented many challenges. Traci Rapier faced racial issues in a small-town, and the family struggled to make ends meet. Torn between her mother and stepfather in Waverly and her father and stepmother in Danville, Illinois, much of her young life was spent navigating social changes brought on by race relations, music and even the AIDS epidemic. "My Life as Traci" pries open hidden corners and tells Rapier's story of faith through family, friendships and spirituality. Family Night: 5-7 p.m. Feb. 22. For children and families. Celebrate the inventions of famous African-Americans, such as Elijah McCoy, Jan Ernst Matzeliger, Garret Morgan and Madame C.J. Walker. Snacks will be provided. SHARE Here's a World War II story featuring an unsung protagonist: Jill McCormick was piloting an A-24 dive bomber/scout plane out of Baltimore when she heard the loudest sound ever an explosion followed by terrifying silence. "I got on the radio and yelled, 'Dingy, dingy, I'm gonna ditch it.' Then I put it into Delaware Bay." Her distress call summoned an ambulance, which arrived just as McCormick emerged from the drink. When the driver asked McCormick if she was OK, the flyer replied: "Sure, I always land this way." We can't vouch for the exact dialogue because the story was told with two different punch lines in a 1977 Chicago Tribune story, but McCormick flew and on that day, swam as part of the Army Air Forces. She was a WASP: one of 1,074 members of a female paramilitary air force who flew missions at home to free up more male pilots for war duty. In their day the brave WASPs never got their due. They had to fight for recognition, and now here it is all these years later and they are still getting short-changed, even as the number of surviving Women Airforce Service Pilots dwindles to its last 100 or fewer. The issue is whether to grant departed WASPs the honor of having their ashes laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery with military honors. The Army has decided to keep them out. That's wrong. WASPs were not combat-trained, but they took on a combination of dangerous flying assignments and grunge work that involved just as much risk and sacrifice as many a soldier, sailor or Marine faced. They ferried fighters, bombers and VIPs across the country, flew planes towing targets for live-ammunition gunnery practice, test-flew repaired aircraft and served as instrument instructors. They also died in service to their country: 38 WASPs were killed in accidents. One of the biggest risks they faced was the condition of their aircraft, which were sometimes worn out from combat duty. During the war years, the WASPs were civilian volunteers, not members of the military, meaning there was no official financial support or recognition for those killed on the job. In some cases fellow pilots helped chip in to ship the body home. There was supposed to be a deal with Congress during the war to get the pilots commissioned as military officers but it fell through. Only in 1977 were the WASPs granted veteran status. They got the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010. In 2002 Arlington officials said WASPs were eligible for burial with military honors, but last year the Army said the pilots' status gave them access to programs administered by the Department of Veteran Affairs, such as VA cemeteries, but not to Arlington. The concern is a lack of space, the Army told Tribune Newspapers. Over the years, 17 WASPs were laid to rest at Arlington, 15 of whom would have been eligible for other reasons. The Army says the remains of the other two can stay, but that's it. The family of the late Elaine Harmon, a WASP, and others are pushing to overturn this slight and allow the remains of WASPs to be stored in an urn in a crypt at Arlington. Legislation introduced in the House and Senate would overturn the Army decision. If you're still not sure these WASPs earned this honor, consider Margaret Phelan Taylor, born on a farm in Emmetsburg, Iowa. She saw a Life magazine cover photo of a female pilot and joined up. While flying a transport aircraft out West, smoke appeared in the cockpit. She was trained to bail out in case of trouble, but her parachute was too big to fit, she told NPR in 2010. "I thought, 'You know what? I'm not going until I see flame. When I see actual fire, why, then I'll jump.' " Turned out to be just a burned-out instrument. Those WASPs were some cool customers. This editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune. Faster loading time (lower bounce rates from) A faster loading ensures that your site visitors don't leave your site when it starts to load for too long. Guaranteed dedicated resources Bandwidth, memory, CPU power, storage of up to 200 GB SSD Storage, NVMe. 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Another reason might be a lack of technical knowledge, making VPS servers harder to set up, manage, and secure. But thats why managed VPS hosting is such a good choice. WILTON -- "Love Notes", the new short production from local theater troupe Play With Your Food, is a collage of love-related short stories, one-act plays and other literary ephemera crammed into an hour and a half. "('Love Notes') is kind of a hybrid. It's short stories matched with a couple of short plays," said Play With Your Food artistic director Carole Schweid, who compiled the material for "Love Notes" and is directing the production. "We try and do a nice mix of classic and modern pieces. We also try to shine a light on all different kinds of relationships." "Although I couldn't find a story about a guy and his car. I tried," Schweid said, laughing. Short stories from Dorothy Parker and Anton Chekhov will be presented by a four-player cast, as will brief plays from the likes of Mark Twain and Paul Rudnick of the New Yorker and several love letters collected from the annals of history. One letter, sent to Dwight Eisenhower by an ardent music fan, begs the president to spare Elvis Presley from the military draft; "and if you do (draft him), please don't take off his sideburns!," Schweid said. "An eleven-year-old girl wrote to Abraham Lincoln and said, 'I don't think people will vote for you because you have a very skinny face, and if you grew whiskers you'd look more handsome,'" in another letter that will be presented during "Love Notes", Schweid told The Hour. The Parker piece is a story of young love, while Rudnick's is about a mother and her son, Schweid said; the Twain piece is about Adam and Eve, while the Chekhov story concerns a man who overcomes his peevish nature to find romance. "He's kind of a prissy guy who wants everything to be just the way he wants it, and yet he manages to give in a little, because he's fallen in love," Schweid said of the main character in the Chekhov piece. "That's what makes these stories so good: because they're complicated." All four "Love Notes" cast members -- Schweid, who lives in Westport, as well as Emilie Roberts of Weston, Susan Terry of Westport and Nick Brooks of Greenwich -- are experienced professional actors, Schweid said. Schweid was an original cast member in "A Chorus Line" and has danced and acted in many other Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Susan Terry, who has appeared in "tons" of Broadway shows, is "probably the best reader of stories I know," Schweid told The Hour. "She has the knack." "Love Notes" will be staged on Valentine's Day, Sunday, Feb. 14, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Wilton Historical Society. The production will be followed by prosecco, chocolate madeleines and strawberries with the cast. Tickets are $25 for Historical Society members and $30 for non-members. To purchase tickets visit www.wiltonhistorical.org. NORWALK -- The Alzheimer's Association Connecticut Chapter (AACC) will hold the fundraising dinner Celebrating Hope on April 29 at the L'Escale at the Delamar Hotel, located at 500 Steamboat Rd., Greenwich. "Its called 'Celebrating Hope' because we are very hopeful. Its a very sad disease and it is fatal," said Leslie Hinshaw, Wilton, director of volunteer development and supporter events at the AACC. "There's no cure, there's no medication to do anything but address symptoms." Celebrating Hope began with six women from Fairfield County who are caregivers for people and family members with Alzheimer's and wanted to make a difference by helping to raise money for the foundation. This is the fourth year that the event will be held and it has already raised over $500,000 at three sold-out events. "All the money thats raised goes to our mission. We do shared fundraising with (the national Alzheimer's Association) so 60 percent of the money stays in Connecticut and 40 percent goes to national," said Hinshaw. "That money goes to care, support, education and the community. We do one-on-one healthcare consultations, we have a helpline thats run out of our headquarter's office in Southington, we have over 100 support groups in the state... and we train all the support group leaders..." Hinshaw started as a volunteer for AACC in 2012. She started the first social and support group for people with early stage Alzheimer's in the Norwalk office -- the GAP group, Giving Alzheimer's Purpose. Hinshaw was brought onto the AACC staff in late 2013 where she does the volunteer recruitment and assessment to see where each volunteer fits in the organization. "The great thing about the Alzheimer's Association is that you can volunteer as much or as little as you like," said Mimi Rafferty, New Canaan, volunteer at AACC. "And we want to convey just how much we support the caretakers." Rafferty's mother-in-law died from Alzheimer's disease, and her daughter Sarah Rafferty (of USA Network's 'Suits' fame) has given many speeches at fundraisers in the past -- as well as written a story in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living with Alzheimer's & Other Dementias: 101 Stories of Caregiving, Coping, and Compassion titled "Understanding Nana". "After watching the very slow and prolonged deterioration (that Alzheimer's does to a person) over the course of 18 years, I have nine grandchildren and four children and I passionatley hope that by the time they get to my age there will be a cure," said Rafferty. "Everything the AACC does just amazes me -- the money that they raise, the connections -- this was something I was never good at so I am just in awe of the work that is being done here." Many of the volunteers at the AACC have known family members who have suffered from Alzheimer's disease and because of that, want to help others with going through the same experiences. "I like to volunteer and be involved in the community and I was on volunteermatch.org looking for something to do. I'm on the board of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut and I've driven rescue dogs," said Jacquie Carlsen, Norwalk, volunteer at AACC. "So I saw that they needed help with the silent auction and I have a family member who has dementia and I thought 'Well there's not much I can do but I can do this.'" Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. Connecticut has over 72,000 people with Alzheimer's disease and over 174,000 caregivers. Every one in six women and one in eleven men will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's before the age of 65. "We wouldn't be able to do what we do without our volunteers," said Hinshaw. "They have been incredile and amazing here in Fairfield County." For more information or to join the AACC, visit www.alz.org/ct or call Hinshaw directly at 860-830-6981. "Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn." -- Benjamin Franklin In Rob Karl's Journalism class in Norwalk High School, students are involved and learning. In Room 107D 20 students are at their computers in various stages of the writing process. One is researching Planned Parenthood for a potential opinion piece. Two students are figuring out a good ending for an almost-completed story. A girl is on the phone in the corner setting up an interview. These students are deep into what educators call authentic assessment: a task that requires students to engage in real life problems for a real audience. The audience for Paw Print is the Norwalk HS community. All NHS students receive copies of the 20-page paper that is published six times a year. Parents can subscribe and receive them in the mail. Anyone can read the online version. As Jennalee said, "Our words have an effect on the school." Emma can vouch for that. Her story in the December issue about the problems with the new Social Studies textbooks got a response from the Superintendent of Schools and the Board of Education. Now, more new books are being shipped to relieve the shortage. "The paper helps all the students in the school," said Jennalee. Jennalee recalled an article that explored student attitudes towards the guidance department. The head of guidance set up a meeting to discuss those concerns. The December issue tackled a wide array of topics, from student opinions on block scheduling, to personal experiences with foster care, to a new book genre known as Quirky Classics, to the Thriller Bears, the NHS dance team. It's filled with photos taken by students and advertising sold by students. For some students, Mr. Karl said, "it becomes a calling -- figuring out how to speak the truth, writing about things that are important, and seeing their work out there." A key element of authentic assessment is that students do the work that is expected of professionals in the field. Journalists can't write stories without interviewing sources. This class forces students to talk to others, to be inquisitive and curious. Jade said Journalism encourages her to speak to people outside her social circle. Editor-in-Chief Monica Mercuri said she used to be shy, but she has been "forced out of my comfort zone" and has forged relationships with many new people. And, like professional journalists, these students are learning that their words have power, especially when they take on big issues. Evan is now an editor, taking Journalism for the second time. She said, "I learned to be not so afraid of writing certain stories. I'm not afraid to get judged as long as I have the facts to back it up." Monica created a two-page spread about the Islamic faith. She was careful in her approach. "I did not want to offend anyone," she said. Her two pages included information on the Five Pillars of Islam, a visual timeline on the rise of Radical Islam since 1979, quotes from presidential candidates and Norwalk High students. It even included pictures and explanations of the different types of headscarves that Islamic women wear. Evan said the topic was a bit risky and it created a buzz. Abby's boyfriend told her it provoked a discussion in his religion class in Trinity Catholic HS. Monica said everyone was talking about it. What she found most exhilarating was that "people said they learned something about the religion," and that was her goal. When Mackenzie wrote a story about her experience distributing clothing and toiletries to the homeless in New York City, she said her grandpa was so moved, he cried when he read it. "Writing about it was a way of helping the homeless," she said. "I felt could get people to realize how they feel and what they could do to help." She added, "It made me feel really good." Mr. Karl said he pushes students to take on topics that concern them, even if they are risky topics like sexting, underage drinking, guns, LGTB issues, or even the locked bathrooms in Norwalk HS. The key, he said, is that students must handle them professionally. What could be more authentic than that? This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK -- Four people were arrested for alleged possession of crack cocaine and heroin with the intent to sell on Tuesday morning. According to Police, the NPD's Special Service officers had received information that Shawn Milner, 25, of 59 Connecticut Ave., who was wanted for absconding probation, was in the area of South Main Street. and responded to area. The information included the vehicle in which Milner would be a passenger. Police said that officers observed the vehicle and attempted to stop the car. The vehicle increased in speed, which officers believe was an attempt to elude them, before turning onto Merritt St. where it was then parked. A motor vehicle stop was conducted where four people were located inside the vehicle who were all detained. Police said that initially, Danielle Davis, 21, of 605 Soundview Ave., Bridgeport, appeared to be adjusting her seating position and lifting herself off the seat where she kept making reaching movements towards the center console of the vehicle. Officers repeatedly requested her to keep her hands visible, which she did not heed. Police said that everyone was then removed from the vehicle where officers saw Davis reach into the center console and grab a bag filled with rice and blue paper folds which the officers suspected to be heroin based on training and experience. Davis was searched once taken into custody where several blue folds of suspected heroin where found in the pocket of her pants and suspect crack cocaine in the other pocket. According to police, when Milner was removed from the vehicle, he gave a false name. A K-9 unit was then called in which sniffed the vehicle and gave a positive indication of narcotics on the exterior and interior of the vehicle. The subsequent search produced a bag containing rice and suspected heroin. Police said no one claimed responsibility for the narcotics in the vehicle and since it was accessible by all parties in the vehicle, all four people were arrested for possession. The total packaging of the crack cocaine was 3.21 grams and 14 folds of heroin in two bundles. Angelo Murray, 25, of 601 Laurel Ave., Bridgeport, Danielle Davis and Christopher Cloud, 26, 575 Maple St., Bridgeport, were charged with possession of narcotics, illegal possession near a school, sale, possession within distance of a school and illegal manufacturing, distribution, sale, prescription or administration by non-drug-dependent person. They were issued a $5,000 bond and given a court date of Feb. 19. Shawn Milner was charged with possession of narcotics, two counts of illegal possession near a school and sale, possession within distance of a school. He was issued a $5,000 bond and was given a court date of Feb. 19. In the waning hours of the 2015 legislative session, as the exhausted members of the General Assembly debated the budget during an all-night session, Democratic leadership pulled their rank-and-file members out one by one to promise, cajole, and threaten them into voting for the budget. Several months earlier, Gov. Dannel Malloy had presented his version of the budget, which called for increases in spending and taxes, then essentially disappeared from view while the legislature tacked on hundreds of millions of dollars more in spending and new taxes. Now, half a year later, we can see why so many Democratic legislators were reluctant to join their leadership in voting for the budget. All of the warnings came true people and businesses are leaving the state at a faster pace than ever, revenues continue to lag behind expectations, and the state budget remains out of balance. We also now see a much-changed Dannel Malloy. Not only has he had a conversion from a self-described 'liberal' big-spender into a responsible budget hawk, but he also claims to want to stay involved this year, having already announced that he will embark on a town hall tour to promote his version of the budget. So far it looks like the deeply liberal leadership in the legislature has not undergone a similar conversion, so it remains to be seen whether they will follow through on his plans to cut the state workforce and other spending. The cuts are deep in Malloy's revised budget. He plans an across-the-board 5.75 percent cut of discretionary spending, and his budget chief Ben Barnes said that likely meant "thousands" of state positions would be eliminated. Malloy also laid out five "principles" that would guide him in the building of this and future budgets. The first: "(W)e need to limit our spending to available resources." Somehow, this is radical in Hartford. But does he mean it? He sure seems to for now. (At least until he asks them to vote on his tax increases for his transportation wish list next year.) Barnes also seemed serious about the new state of affairs as he presented the budget on Wednesday to a room full of reporters and lobbyists. There were audible groans, and even a muttered "insane" as he described the cuts. I'm sure they did sound insane to the people who've come to depend on the state taxpayers' generosity. But those people are competing for money against an interest even more entrenched: the public sector unions. Because here's the problem given the expected increase in spending on state employee benefits, not even the proposed deep cuts will be enough to put the state back in the black in future years. In particular our pension and retiree health-care debt, which stands at $48 billion, will eat up more and more of the budget for the foreseeable future. And while Malloy likes to blame his predecessors for that debt, the blame also lies at the feet of union officials who agreed to underfund the pensions in exchange for better pay for state employees. The results are clear. A Yankee Institute study published earlier this year showed that state employees earn an average of 25 to 46 percent more than their private sector counterparts with similar experience. Unlike most states, where state employees earn less pay but more generous benefits, Connecticut's state employees earn roughly the same pay as state residents in the private sector and more generous benefits. Much more generous benefits. The state spends 35 percent more on health care for its current employees than private sector workers receive, while pension benefits are five times, or 500 percent, more generous. On retiree healthcare, the numbers are even more staggering state employees' benefits are 33 times more generous. That's 3,300 percent. This holds true when you compare Connecticut to other states as well our retiree health care benefits are the second most expensive in the country, and, according to a Pew study on public employee health care costs in 2014, we spend about 30 percent more than the national average on employee health care premiums. Lawmakers should keep this in mind as the state negotiates new contracts with 12 collective bargaining units. All of these contracts should come in front of the full legislature for review and a vote. These contracts only include pay and work rules, not benefits. Those can't be touched supposedly until 2022. Republicans are on the right track when they say the state should legislate these benefits instead. It's how all our neighboring states set employee benefits. But there is something else they can do right now. By law, state lawmakers currently get the same generous and expensive benefits as state employees. Lawmakers could this year set an example by changing their own benefits. Don't laugh. It could happen. Suzanne Bates is policy director for the Hartford-based Yankee Institute, a free-market think tank. Looking for the big games to watch in Week 9? We have them right here. football Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Wed, February 10, 2016 Aceh fishermen are nominated to receive the 2016 Nansen Refugee Award from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) for rescuing hundreds of migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh in Indonesian waters. Geutanyoe Foundation international director Lilianne Fan said the organization had submitted the fishermen as candidates to receive the award in recognition of their services to save many lives of those who were stranded at sea. "If they hadn't been rescued by the Aceh fishermen, the lives of the children and the Rohingnya people and Bangladeshis may not have been saved," Fan said on Wednesday as quoted by news agency Antara. According to a statement on its website, the UNCHR once a year awards the Nansen Refugee Award to an individual, group of people or an organization to honor extraordinary service to refugees and outstanding work on behalf of the forcibly displaced. The UN body focuses on giving assistance to refugees as well as providing education for the children of the displaced in various countries. Fan said the Aceh fishermen exemplified concrete humanitarian action in saving the lives of the refugees without exhibiting racial or ethnic bias. The number of Rohingya refugees currently residing in the Aceh province has reportedly fallen to be 350 from the initial 1,010 people. The refugees currently live in shelters located in Kuala Langsa harbor, in the town of Langsa, and also camps in Bayeun village in East Aceh and Blang Ado village in North Aceh. The Geutanyoe Foundation is an Aceh-based NGO that focuses on humanitarian issues. The foundation has been working with the fishermen and focuses on helping the refugees improve their living conditions and create social and livelihood programs in their camps in Aceh. (liz/bbn)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is set to question former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto for a second time on Wednesday. He will be questioned over an alleged conspiracy surrounding gold and copper mining firm Freeport's contract extension negotiations, which involved oil tycoon Muhammad Reza Chalid. 'Yes, it's correct. Pak Setya Novanto will be questioned again today [Wednesday],' said junior attorney for special crimes at the AGO, Arminsyah, as quoted by kompas.com. Separately, Setya's lawyer, Maqdir Ismail, said his client had confirmed that he would answer the AGO summons. 'He should have arrived at the AGO by Wednesday morning,' said Maqdir, adding that the House lawmaker would be accompanied by only his staff members in today's questioning. Setya previously attended questioning last Thursday. In that session, he was questioned about his meeting with Riza and Freeport president director Maroef Arminsyah. During the questioning Setya denied the voice heard in an audio recording of the meeting was his. 'He denied it. He said it was not his voice,' said Arminsyah as quoted by kompas.com at his office after Setya's questioning on Thursday. Arminsyah said, however, that the AGO did not call into question Setya's answers in the questioning. He said it was Setya's right to answer all investigators' questions howsoever he liked. The most important thing was that AGO investigators would continue to seek evidence, which could reveal whether there was a conspiracy in Freeport's contract extension negotiations. Arminsyah said investigators had asked an expert from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and Maroef to listen to the recording. Both witnesses said that the voice was that of Setya. 'We will hold on to information given by our expert witness and Pak Maroef, a witness in the case,' said Arminsyah, adding that investigators had not yet drafted a plan to confront the expert witness and Maroef with Setya. Setya failed to meet three AGO summons before he finally agreed to attend his questioning for the first time last Thursday. (ebf)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 A training aircraft of the Air Force crashed in a densely populated area of Malang, East Java, on Wednesday morning injuring three people. Antara news agency reports that the aircraft, a Brazilian-made Super Tucano, crashed on Jl. LA Sucipto in Blimbing in Malang at around 10:40 a.m. A witness identified as Ananda, whose house is near the scene, said the aircraft was circling in the air before taking a nosedive. The aircraft, flying from Abdul Rahman Saleh Air Force base in Malang, crashed not far from the air base. The aircraft pilot Maj. Ifi, his co-pilot Syaiful and a local woman identified as Pujianto were taken to Syaiful Anwar Hospital in Malang, following the incident, Antara reported. Traffic congestion occurred in the Blimbing area following the crash as several ambulances, firetrucks and police rushed to the scene. Abdul Rahman Saleh Airport spokesman chief Maj. Sus Hamdi Londong Alu confirmed the crash but could not provide further information. The story is developing. (rin)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Araminta Setyawati (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The economic slowdown in in 2015 in Indonesia is still having a painful impact on several industries. One of these is the textile and textile products sector (TPT). The performance of this industry is expected to remain sluggish throughout 2016 due to a lack of positive sentiment that might lift it out of its mire. A global recovery is still elusive along with a domestic economy that has yet to any show sign of improvement. The chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API), Ade Sudrajat, is pessimistic about the TPT sector seeing any increased growth in the next year. The performance of the TPT sector as of October 2015 was far from satisfactory. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the sector has suffered a contraction, or negative growth of 6.1 percent compared to the same period the previous year. This figure represents a worse GDP growth rate than that of manufacturing industry as a whole, which stood at 4.3 percent, or the growth of Indonesia's total GDP of 4.7 percent. As to the global economic situation, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its forecast for world economic growth to 3.4 percent from 3.6 percent in 2016. Likewise with the US, economic growth of only 2.6 percent is expected. This affects the Indonesian TPT sector because Indonesian TPT exports are strongly influenced by global economic conditions, particularly those in the US and Europe which represent the sector's largest markets. The share of Indonesian TPT exports to the US and Europe generally stand at 31 percent and 16 percent, respectively. This is far greater than exports to ASEAN and Japan, for example. In 2015, the value of TPT exports was estimated to reach US$12 billion, down from the previous year's figure of $12.68 billion, a contraction of about 5.3 percent year-on-year (yoy). However, as of October last year, Indonesian TPT exports only amounted to $10.2 billion, about 77 percent of the target. Part of the reason for this is that Indonesian export products have to compete with their competitors' products, especially garments from Vietnam, in the US and European markets. In Vietnam, production costs are relatively low as they are not unduly burdened by labor costs, which remain fairly cheap. This contrasts somewhat with Indonesia at this time. In addition to the increased cost of raw materials in Southeast Asia's largest economy, production costs are also burdened by the ever more expensive cost of labor. Add to this the weakening of the rupiah, and it is understandable that many companies ' unable to withstand the pressure ' have gone out of business. Increasingly high production costs have led to industries, in particular the textile industry, being forced to lay off their employees. For example, based on the observations of the API, the textile industry centered on four districts in the regency of Bandung retrenched by 6,000 workers during the period from January to May 2015. Imagine how many tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of workers would lose their jobs if such layoffs were to take place across the island of Java. According to the API, those industries that generally resort to provisional layoffs are downstream by nature. In addition, the level of competitiveness of Indonesian TPT products continues to decline. According to the central statistics agency (BPS) data, in 2014 alone there was a drop in the level of competitiveness of Indonesian TPT products in the world market of 1.3 percent. Vietnam, by contrast, saw its level of competitiveness increase by 1.8 percent yoy. Indonesia's competitiveness decline occurred not only in the world market, but also in the US and European markets, which saw falls of 25 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Trade Minister Thomas T. Lembong sees Vietnam as a threat in terms of it being Indonesia's largest competitor in the textile and footwear sector. This is especially true since Vietnam has joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Competition with Vietnam, in the minister's view, is becoming increasingly keen as the Vietnamese have also now completed negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU. This means that Vietnam will have access to the European market, which is larger even than that of the US, consisting as it does of more than 20 countries. Minister Lembong explained that through the TPP, its 12 member states, led by the US, could soon control 40 percent of the world market. Thus, it is no wonder that Indonesia is eager to join the TPP, which it is expected to do within the next two years. For an alternative perspective, it is instructive to look to the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), which records investment plans, both foreign and domestic, in the textile sector. According to the BKPM, there was a significant increase in investment plans throughout 2015, leading to a positive assessment as to how this might encourage labor-intensive investment in 2016. As to the realization of investments across all textile sub-sectors during the first semester of 2015, positive growth was very much in evidence. For example, the textile fiber processing industry posted growth of 213 percent by as much as Rp 2.4 trillion (US$176 million) from 82 projects, the textile weaving industry posted growth of 613 percent amounting to Rp 163 billion from 25 projects, the garment industry recorded growth of 16 percent, by as much as Rp 941 billion and the clothing accessories industry recorded growth of 563 percent amounting to Rp 216 billion from 15 projects. Investment plans, as recorded in the number of principle licenses obtained from the textile sector during 2015, were valued at Rp 13.1 trillion, up 68 percent over the previous year. According to the head of the BKPM, Franky Sibarani, this investment figure in the textile sector included plans for the employment of 101,000 workers. The realization of these investment plans is expected to contribute positively toward the creation of the 2 million jobs targeted by the government in 2016. Investment data that has been presented by the BKPM indicate that there is still hope for a recovery in the textile industry. However, the industry will recover only if accompanied by effort and support from the government such as national brand development and a logistics base for cotton, which is currently being developed to ensure the availability of the necessary raw materials, continued investment and industrial development will take place as further economic policy packages are rolled out. Moreover, industrial competitiveness as a whole is likely to strengthen, backed by declining gas, electricity and diesel prices. The government is also encouraging the improved performance of this industry, including by stepping up efforts to control imports and securing the domestic market through non-tariff policies. These policies include the compulsory application of Indonesian National Standards (SNI), the use of domestic products in the procurement of goods and services (P3DN), as well as the restructuring of machinery in the textile and footwear industry. ________________________________________ The writer is an industry analyst at Bank Mandiri Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Tehran Wed, February 10, 2016 Iran's official news agency says that the country's constitutional watchdog has rejected an appeal by the grandson of the Islamic Republic's founder against his disqualification from running as a candidate for a top clerical body. IRNA reported Wednesday that the Guardian Council upheld a ban preventing Hassan Khomeini from running for election to the Assembly of Experts, a body empowered to pick Iran's supreme leader. The Assembly of Experts election will be held on Feb. 26, alongside parliamentary elections in which moderates hope to make gains. The decision to bar Khomeini likely serves as pushback against anyone proposing changes to Iran's clerical leadership after the nuclear deal with world powers negotiated by moderate President Hassan Rouhani's administration. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 An integrated yacht marina is set to be developed in Banyuwangi in East Java on the back of an increasing number of foreign yacht visits to Indonesia. The development of Boom Marina will reportedly be integrated with upgrades to Benoa Port in Bali and Labuan Bajo Port in East Nusa Tenggara--all slated to be completed by 2017. The project may also be expanded to include locations such as Karimunjawa Island in Central Java, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara and Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara. "We are confident the project will attract more tourists to Indonesia," said PT Pelindo Properti Indonesia (PPI) president director Prasetyo in a press release circulated on Tuesday. PPI is a subsidiary of state-run port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III (Pelindo III). The development of marine tourism at Benoa Port is considered particularly vital, as the port is an entry point for holidaymakers arriving in Bali aboard cruise ships. In addition to being a destination port, where cruise ships drop off and later pick up the same passengers, Benoa also serves as a turn-around port, where cruise ships can drop off passengers who then go on to holiday in Bali. These passengers leave the island via other modes of transportation, and the cruise ships pick up new passengers before leaving for the next destination. As reported by kompas.com, Pelindo III also announced other development plans including for Gili Mas and Mandalika Resort in Lombok and Alor in East Nusa Tenggara, as well as future cooperation with Raffles Marina in Singapore and Fremantle Sailing Club in Australia. Prasetyo said the cooperation would involve support in planning and development, as well as operational and business training such as overseas internship programs for PPI staff. (nov/kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 With current taxation levels and the weak value of the rupiah, big bike dealerships will still face a hard time in the next five years, says the owner of Mabua Harley-Davidson. "We recorded a loss in 2014 just after record sales in 2013. We were calculating the three-year business projections and are still bleeding. It's hard, but we need to stop," Soetikno Soedarjo, owner of PT Mabua Harley-Davidson, said on Wednesday. With a 40 percent decrease of the value of the rupiah against the US dollar and high government taxation of luxury goods, prices in 2014 were suddenly twice that of 2013, he said, adding that the losses were even bigger in 2015. The government already abolished a rule about single brand ownership (Agen Tunggal Pemegang Merek ' ATPM) in 2013. Afterwards an automotive brand could be distributed cooperatively by more than one company. "There will be a possibility of Mabua being replaced by several smaller dealers in the future," Mabua Harley Davidson president director Djonnie Rahmat said on Wednesday. With the Mabua dealership closing, Asia-Pacific Harley-Davidson is currently looking for a new dealer in Indonesia. Some names such as Garansindo ' the distributor of the Fiat-Chrysler Group ' are rumored to be submitting proposals. "We hope it will not take too much time. Before Mabua ends its service in June 2016, hopefully there will be a new dealer. Some of our friends are also submitting the dealership proposal," the chief of the Jakarta chapter of the Harley Owner Group (HOG), Ignatius Sahat Manalu, told thejakartapost.com. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Khoirul Amin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 Investors will be allowed to kick off the construction of their factories and other investment facilities without having to wait for the issuance of environmental assessment documents and construction permits under a new investment program to be launched by the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) next month. BKPM chairman Franky Sibarani said in a press conference on Tuesday that the board would launch a new mechanism allowing investors to begin construction while application processes for building permits (IMB), environmental licenses and other regional licenses are still underway. 'We hope to launch the mechanism in the fourth week of February,' Franky said. The scheme, abbreviated KLIK, will allow new or existing investors with new investment worth more than Rp 100 billion (US$7.3 million) and/or employing at least 1,000 local workers to begin construction before obtaining an IMB or environmental licenses such as environmental impact analysis (Amdal). Franky explained that BKPM had so far included nine industrial zones in the mechanism, with support already assured from the respective regional administrations. 'We hope that the nine zones will be a pilot project and that other local administrations will follow suit,' he said, adding that 20 industrial zones had initially applied for the scheme. Among the designated industrial zones in the initial phase are four zones in Central Java, one in East Java, one in South Sulawesi and three in Banten. Franky said he expected the mechanism to help investors kick off their businesses in the country and provide jobs for more local workers. The BKPM's deputy director for investment monitoring and implementation, Azhar Lubis, said at the same event that there were 49 unresolved cases in the board's 'debottlenecking' projects as of January this year, including 42 left over from last year's 88 cases. Debottlenecking refers to efforts to help potential investors overcome any problems, including to do with environmental licensing, port location licenses, raw sugar import and industry-grade salt import. Franky said that he expected that KLIK, coupled with debottlenecking and other measures, would boost employment across the archipelago. Last year alone, 40 companies investing in the country as part of the government's 'job vacancy' program employed 20,683 workers, with a target of 184,779 workers by 2019 once the investment is fully realized, BKPM data show. The 40 companies plan to invest a total of Rp 45.8 trillion, with 59.6 percent realized last year. Manpower Minister Muhammad Hanif Dhakiri said that the news belied recent labor rallies over layoffs, claiming more jobs were opening up than there were layoffs, and questioning the validity of union data. The Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI) recently announced that Japanese electronics giant Panasonic had closed its two factories and laid off 1,600 workers, while Toshiba planned to lay off 900 workers. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The government has locked in a supply of beef cattle from East Nusa Tenggara with the signing of partnerships with 13 providers in the province. The cattle providers will sell the livestock at market price directly to buyers in Jakarta. Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said local businessmen had committed to supplying 1,000 head of cattle each month, most of which would be transported to Jakarta by sea on KM Camara Nusantara 1. 'We already have a one-year program with local cattle businessmen,' Amran said on Tuesday. The minister said East Nusa Tenggara was able to supply more than 60,000 cattle each year to high beef-consuming areas such as Greater Jakarta. But, for the sake of maintaining the cattle population, the area should only send around 30-40 percent of that capacity to Jakarta, he said. On Tuesday, the ministry welcomed the second arrival of 299 cattle from East Nusa Tenggara at Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta. On the way to Jakarta, the livestock vessel KM Camara Nusantara 1 dropped 33 head of cattle at Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya, East Java, and 167 in Cirebon, West Java. The livestock vessel was set to load cattle from East Nusa Tenggara at the end of December but the reportedly left empty after local farmers and businessmen refused to sell their cattle to the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) at Rp 35,000 (US$2.57) per kilogram live weight, much lower than the price paid by private shippers. To attract the cattle businessmen, the government then guaranteed that the cattle entrepreneurs could sell their stock directly to buyers in Jakarta, a policy which was widely accepted. KM Camara Nusantara 1, operated by state shipping company PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni), first arrived in East Nusa Tenggara on Dec. 12 as part of the government's maritime highway program. The vessel, serving the Jakarta-East Nusa Tenggara route, was initially supposed to transport cattle bought by Bulog from farmers and businessmen in East Nusa Tenggara to Jakarta in order to help stabilize beef supplies and prices. Aside from the partnership, Minister Amran also said the government planned to add seven more vessels, the construction of which is expected to finish this year. 'We made the request to the Transportation Ministry two months ago. Hopefully it can be gradually finished this year,' he said. To further secure the supply, the ministry also aims to increase the country's cattle population, which has decreased by more than 3 million head of cattle since 2012. Ministry data shows that the archipelagic country's cattle population stood at 15.98 million in 2012. 'We will import 50,000 breeding cattle this year to increase the population,' Amran said, adding that the ministry would also ban the shipping of female breeders for slaughter in Jakarta, and support an artificial-insemination program. Director general of livestock Muladno said the ministry aimed to add around 900,000 cattle through the artificial-insemination program in the next two years. The ministry also claimed that the program would eventually affect the soaring beef prices, with domestic beef expected to be sold at Rp 85,000 per kilogram to consumers. The beef price reportedly hit Rp 140,000 per kilogram this month. 'But it will take time, not just one or two weeks. Price disparity is a problem that has lasted for decades,' Amran said. Meanwhile, PD Dharma Jaya president director Marina Ratna Dwi Kusumajati said Jakarta needed 650 cattle per day and that the company's current shipment of 100 would not affect the price much. 'Around 97 percent of that daily demand is imported,' she said. The ministry is aiming for 81 percent domestic beef production this year. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 Most of the cities planning to join a campaign to tax plastic bags have withdrawn from the program, saying that they were not ready to implement it. Only nine out of 23 cities scheduled to start requiring customers to pay for plastic bags used when shopping at malls, department stores, supermarkets and other retail outlets starting Feb. 21 are ready to implement the policy set by the Environment and Forestry Ministry last year. 'Not all [cities will start requiring customers to pay] on Feb. 21,' the ministry's director general for dangerous toxic material and waste management, Tuti Hendrawati Mintarsih, said during a media briefing in Jakarta. In fact, only one city, Bandung, is considered fully ready to implement the plan because it already has a regional regulation. Besides Bandung, cities like Jakarta, Bogor, Banda Aceh, Makassar, Denpasar, Surabaya, Tangerang and Balikpapan have also stated their readiness to implement the policy, despite the lack of existing regulations. 'We have talked [with Jakarta]. The governor even said that he could implement the policy before Feb. 21,' the ministry's waste management director, Sudirman, said on Tuesday. 'Jakarta is the capital of the country, so it has to become a pioneer.' Mayors of these nine cities have already issued written statements to pledge their participation in the program, especially after striking a deal with retailers in their respective administrations. Some cities currently only had acting mayors, like Surakarta in Central Jakarta and Banjarmasin in Central Kalimantan, a condition that prevented them from making strategic decisions, including issuing regulations on plastic bag charges, Earlier this year, the Indonesian Retailers Association (Aprindo) said that all modern retailers in 23 of the country's major cities were ready to implement the policy. The 23 were Ambon, Balikpapan, Banda Aceh, Bandung, Banjarmasin, Bekasi, Bogor, Denpasar, Depok, Jakarta, Jayapura, Kendari, Makassar, Medan, Palembang, Papua, Pekanbaru, Semarang, Surakarta, Surabaya, Tangerang, South Tangerang and Yogyakarta. The association chose Feb. 21 as the date to kick off the campaign so as to coincide with National Waste Awareness Day. However, what has left most of the cities not ready to start the program is that the price to be charged to customers for plastic shopping bags has yet to be decided by regional governments. The ministry has proposed a charge of Rp 500 per plastic bag and suggested that customers could get Rp 200 back if they return the bags to the retailers. Aprindo, meanwhile, has proposed a Rp 200 charge for each plastic bag. As there has been no agreement, the ministry plans to issue an order to regions that would serve as a guideline to formulate the price. Local governments would not be able to set a price lower than the benchmark set by the ministry. The ministry had been conducting an online survey since Feb. 5 to get a response from the public regarding the plan. As of Tuesday, 7,974 respondents had participated in the survey, with 87.2 percent of them saying that they would support the policy. The survey also found out that 91.5 percent said that they were willing to bring their own shopping bags. As for the ideal price, 32.6 percent chose Rp 500, while 23 percent chose Rp 1,000 and 21.5 percent chose Rp 2,000. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The Jakarta administration has long been trying to open more public parks and now, after years of searching for available land, it has opened 10 new green spaces, covering 49.33 hectares, or 0.07 percent of the city. The 10 new parks were launched on Tuesday at a ceremony in Jagakarsa Park in South Jakarta. Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama explained that despite the newly opened green spaces, the total area was still far from ideal. With the new additions, he said, Jakarta's green space still accounted for only 9.98 percent of the city's 661 square kilometers, equal to 66,100 ha. The ideal proportion of green space for a city, Ahok said, was 30 percent. 'Land procurement is challenging [...] It's difficult to achieve above 10 percent; we have been stuck at 9 percent for several years now,' Ahok said during the launch on Tuesday. The 2007 spatial planning law requires cities to have at least 30 percent green space. The city administration has plans to increase cooperation with private companies in order to procure more land for green spaces. Ahok said that he could not fully rely on the Parks and Cemetery Agency for land procurement, and would thus cooperate with the private sector. Since last year the city has cooperated with dozens of private firms' corporate social responsibility programs to develop its 17 child-friendly integrated public space, which can also function as green spaces. An integrated child-friendly public space (RPTRA), consists of not only a playground and assembly room but also a semi-natural green park. Bylaw No. 8/2007 on public order would also be enforced, Ahok said. Article 12 of the bylaw states that individuals or organizations are prohibited from occupying green lanes, which are open green spaces regulated and monitored by the city administration. There are hundreds of green lanes in Jakarta, the locations of which can be looked up on the city administration's Smart City portal at smartcity.jakarta.go.id. 'There are several buildings built over green lanes. We will make note of such buildings and buy them back at our own price,' he said. Open green spaces consist not only of parks but also cemeteries, green median strips in the middle of divided roads and other patches of greenery around roads. The Jakarta administration this year is also set to develop Plaza Reformasi in East Jakarta's Pondok Ranggon public cemetery, partly as an attempt to increase green spaces but also as a memorial for victims of the May 1998 riots. Parks and Cemetery Agency head Ratna Dyah Kurniati said that the 10 new green spaces were located in Jagakarsa, Maja, Tanjung, Pesanggrahan, Kalibata Timur and Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta; Cakung, Bambu Apus and Pondok Kelapa in East Jakarta; and Sunter in North Jakarta. Ratna said the land-acquisition process was difficult for the agency as it involved rigorous negotiation with land owners. For example, she said, the city administration negotiated with a land owner for almost a year before finally acquiring the 5,981-square-meter site for the Jagakarsa park. 'We aim to add at least 60 hectares of green space each year. Hopefully we can achieve this target much quicker with the help of private firms,' he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The Jakarta Transportation Agency plans to cancel the operation of large city buses along 124 routes in order to eliminate overlapping services with Transjakarta routes. 41 inner city bus routes will be scrapped and 83 routes linking Jakarta with neighboring cities like Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi will also be scrapped. "There are still a lot of routes that overlap, particularly with Transjakarta lanes," Transportation Agency head Andri Yansyah said as quoted by kompas.com. Some of the routes that will be eliminated are PPD 41A, serving Kampung Rambutan-Dr Sutomo, Mayasari Bakti Patas AC 03, serving Tanjung Priok-Kalideres, Jasa Utama 973, serving Rawamangun-Grogol, Steady Safe 921, serving Kampung Melayu-Terminal Blok M, and Steady Safe 948, serving Tanjungpriok-Kampung Melayu. The buses from those scrapped routes would be redeployed to other areas that do not have public transportation, he added. Andri said the transportation agency would still maintain about 10 overlapping routes, adding that the city would consider the fate of another eight routes in the future. The elimination of bus routes would be followed up by rerouting the services of medium-sized buses and minivan public transportation services, known locally as angkutan kota, soon after all the operators of those modes of transport joined up with Transjakarta, he added. After joining Transjakarta, the operators will be paid based on a rupiah-per-kilometer scheme and the drivers will receive a monthly salary. Mayasari Bakti field manager told thejakartapost.com that his company had agreed to join Transjakarta. Mayasari has around 800 buses and employs 1,600 drivers. (cal/bbn)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Wed, February 10, 2016 Feb. 6, 2016 Thousands of Indonesian labor union members flooded into Jakarta for a massive rally on Saturday, urging the government to stop layoffs at multinational corporations. Simultaneous rallies were held in Jakarta, Bogor, Batam, Bekasi, Depok, Medan, Surabaya, Semarang and Tangerang. In total, 30,000 workers joined in the action, said Said Iqbal, the chairman of the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI). Your comments: Are the owners of the factories and business, as well as the maids, still getting paid below the expected minimum wage that the Indonesian government set up? Some of the maids in my ex-wife's house never made more than US$50 per month. But the minimum wage for Jakarta is either $100 or $300, isn't it? Thomas7919 Being the labor force in our own country is terrifying and horrible for Indonesian people. When will we become bosses in our own country and hire other people from all over the world? Sachrul Nopian Last year there were only 53,000 foreigners in Indonesia. But it feels as if they do all the work for us. Foreign companies calculate that for one expat, five to 10 locals are needed to do the same job. So let's kick out those 53,000 foreigners and create 265,000 roles for local ''talent''. See how long that lasts. Betawi Spring Increased pay with no improvement in productivity. Strikes become more militant by the day. How do you not expect multinational corporations (MNCs) to relocate to other countries (e.g. Vietnam)? Well, protest all you want, the MNCs are gone. Powerful unions with members unemployed, with nothing to feed their families. What a joke! WNI333 These people really need to enter the entrepreneurship world. The government should spend more to educate and train its unskilled population to be entrepreneurs. Jalasveva Vice President Jusuf Kalla pledged to boost economic growth to magically provide new jobs in 2016 for laid-off workers! 'We will try to keep the economy running', he said. One feels truly sorry for Indonesians who deserve a job to support themselves and their families but Indonesia's government and its militant unions and workers need to understand their country is only one player in a global marketplace and multinationals often change production locations as world economics ebbs and flows. BL So, maybe, the companies involved should move out of Indonesia. The government has no power to stop any multinational corporation lay off workers. For some bizarre reason, Indonesians think that they have a right to these things, that they are owed them. It's wrong. Charles Jarret Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Annie Ho (The Jakarta Post) Tainan, Taiwan Wed, February 10, 2016 Three Taiwanese construction company executives have been detained on charges of professional negligence resulting in death following the collapse of an apartment building in an earthquake, killing dozens. The district prosecutor's office in the city of Tainan said Wednesday that Lin Ming-hui and architects Chang Kui-an and Cheng Chin-kui were suspected of having overseen shoddy construction of the 17-story Weiguan Golden Dragon building, which crashed onto its side during the earthquake Saturday. It said the three were detained to prevent collusion or other acts that could disrupt the investigation. Among the accusations was that only half as many fasteners had been used in the supporting columns as required. The death toll in the 6.4-magnitude quake stood at 44 on Wednesday, with all but two of the deaths coming in the building collapse. About 100 people are believed to still be trapped in the debris. The broadcaster FTV and other Taiwanese media said Lin had changed his name after a previous bankruptcy and had run multiple property development companies in Tainan in an apparent attempt to avoid creditors and bilked clients. Although the shallow quake was potentially devastating, few buildings were damaged as a result of strict construction standards in force in Taiwan, an island frequently struck by quakes. The Weiguan Golden Dragon building, built in 1989, was the only major structure to collapse in the temblor. Most of the 320 people who were rescued from the disaster were saved in the hours immediately after the quake, in which the building's foundation and lower floors gave way before it toppled onto its side. Earthquakes rattle Taiwan frequently. Most are minor and cause little or no damage, but a magnitude-7.6 quake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed more than 2,300 people. More stringent building standards were introduced following that disaster and appear to have been tightly enforced. The quake struck during the most important family holiday in the Chinese calendar ' the Lunar New Year. Celebrations of the holiday in Taiwan have been subdued. (kes)(+) ___ Associated Press videojournalist Tassanee Vejpongsa in Taipei, Taiwan, and writers Louise Watt and Christopher Bodeen and news assistant Henry Hou in Beijing contributed to this report. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 Retailer PT Hero Supermarket, which owns the Swedish furniture franchise IKEA in Indonesia, said they would continue to use the brand name despite a recent court ruling stipulating the loss of its right to use the trademark in the Indonesian market. The retailer said in a statement on Sunday that its store in Alam Sutra, Tangerang, Banten, would remain open as normal and sell the entire range of IKEA products. 'Despite the Supreme Court's decision, Inter IKEA Systems BV has provided for continued ownership of the IKEA trademark rights in Indonesia,' it said referring to the Swedish furniture giant. It did not elaborate further on what action it might take following the court ruling. Inter IKEA Systems BV has reportedly registered the 'IKEA' trademark with the Indonesian directorate-general of intellectual property twice, in 2006 and 2010. However, a local furniture firm PT Ratania Khatulistiwa argued at the Jakarta Commercial Court that the Swedish firm had not used its trademark for commercial purposes for three consecutive years. In 2014, the court granted the rights to use the 'Ikea' brand name to Ratania. IKEA filed an appeal to the Supreme Court, which was rejected last year, according to court documents uploaded to its website last week. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni and Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The government is ordering the Indonesian Air Force to evaluate its aircraft following the fatal crash of a Brazilian-made Super Tucano aircraft in Malang, East Java on Wednesday morning that killed three people. The incident was the second crash of an Air Force aircraft in recent weeks. A T50i Golden Eagle fighter jet crashed in Dec. 20, 2015 during an acrobatic airshow in Yogyakarta, killing the two pilots on board. "Since the accidents in Malang and Yogyakarta happened in a relatively short time, the Air Force must conduct an evaluation of their training aircraft," Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung told journalists at the State Palace on Wednesday. The incidents also led to a call for a thorough evaluation of the purchase of a military primary weaponry defense system (alutsista) as part of the modernization of weaponry systems. The Super Tucano aircraft was in the first 2013 delivery from Brazilian aerospace conglomerate Embraer SA that had since been used by the Air Force squadron at the Abdul Rahman Saleh Airport in Malang. The Defense Ministry signed a US$284 million contract with Embraer in 2010 to build a squadron of 16 Super Tucanos to replace the OV-10 Bronco aircraft, which had been in service since 1976. Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said that the aircraft is relatively new, produced in 2003 for a 2010 procurement date, and was in good condition. The ministry would examine why the aircraft crashed, he said. "We will look for the cause, be it from the aircraft, the people or other things," he said. The aircraft crashed on local houses in the densely populated area in the Blimbing subdistrict in Malang on Wednesday morning while it was undergoing a test flight after regular maintenance. A local resident named Irma Wahyuningtyas, whose house was smashed by the aircraft, died in the location along with another resident named Nurcholis who lived nearby, Antara news agency reported on Wednesday. The third victim was the pilot, Maj. Ivy Safatillah, who died after being treated in Saiful Anwar Hospital in Malang. His body was found in Karanglo, Malang, far from the location, said Maj. Hamdi Landong Allo, spokesman of the Abdul Rahman Saleh Airport. Meanwhile, the Air Force was certain that the co-pilot, First. Sgt. Syaiful, survived the accident, indicated by the empty ejection seat authorities found in the crashed aircraft. A parachute was also found in the Jl. Ikan Tombro area in Malang, Hamdi said. (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 A legal precedent in counterterrorism was set by the judicial system on Tuesday, with a court finding seven men guilty of joining the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria or having recruited and facilitated the travel of Indonesians to join the terrorist group in the war-torn country. While the sentences were lower than those sought by prosecutors, the West Jakarta District Court proved that the existing Terrorism Law was sufficient to prosecute propagators of violent ideology on the heels of IS-sponsored attacks in Central Jakarta last month. Law enforcement authorities have previously struggled to prosecute suspected terrorists, with many released or charged with petty crimes such as travel document fraud. Cleric Tuah Febriwansyah, aka Fachry, was given the highest sentence of five years, lower than the prosecutors' demand of eight years, as well as a Rp 5 million (US$370) fine, for conspiring to plot an act of terrorism. Fachry was also found guilty under the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law of distributing information on radicalism and encouraging people to join IS through a website he had created, al-mustaqbal.net. 'The defendant Tuah Febriwansyah, aka Ustadz M. Fachry, is proven beyond reasonable doubt to have committed criminal terrorism by disseminating information and fear among the public,' presiding judge Achmad Fauzi said. Febriwansyah responded: 'Alhamdullilah, I accept the judges' decision.' On the same day, the West Jakarta District Court also tried two separate IS-related cases. Former drug convict Koswara, aka Abu Ahmad, was found guilty of facilitating and funding IS supporters' trips to Syria under the Terrorism Law and Terrorism Funding Law, alongside Aprimul Henry and Helmi Muhammad Alamudi, who bought plane tickets. The three men were sentenced to four years, three-and-a-half years and three years in prison, respectively. Helmi's lawyer, Abi Sambasi, said his client rejected the charges against him, claiming that his reasons for buying the ticket to Syria were purely transactional. 'The facts in court show that Helmi only sold tickets to make a profit, which was then donated to an Islamic boarding school housing many orphans,' said Abi. 'There was no other motivation,' he said, adding that Helmi had in the end visited Syria for two weeks, but only because he had been given a free ticket. In another hearing, Ahmad Junaidi, aka Abu Salman, Ridwan Sungkar and Abdul Hakim were found guilty of having participated in military training with IS in Syria for 24 days in 2014. Junaidi and Abdul were sentenced to three years in prison, while Ridwan was sentenced to four years. All three admitted that they had traveled to Syria with one of the leaders of IS' Indonesian faction, Salim Mubarak Attamimi, aka Abu Jandal Al Yemeni Al Indonesi. Their lawyer Asludin Hatjani said that his clients all accepted their sentences, but maintained their innocence, as the government had not prohibited IS until October last year. 'They do not feel that they were involved with IS because Abu Jandal had told them that they would be sent there to teach others to read the Koran and provide humanitarian aid,' said Asludin. With repeated high-profile terrorist attacks, not to mention dozens of smaller ones, Indonesia has become a regional haven for terrorism and a breeding ground for violent extremists. The world's most populous Muslim-majority nation most recently fell victim to a brazen bombing and shooting attack in a district of Central Jakarta crammed with high-end malls, embassies, government headquarters and UN offices on Jan. 14, leaving four attackers and four civilians dead. ________________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 PT Freeport Indonesia has received a recommendation from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry for the extension of its export permit although the gold and copper mining giant has yet to pay a roughly US$530 million deposit as a guarantee for its development of a smelting plant. 'We have issued a recommendation for Freeport to get a permit extension for another six months,' Bambang Gatot Ariyono, the ministry's director general of mineral and coal said in Jakarta Tuesday. He said that Freeport would be allowed to export up to 1 million tons of copper concentrate during the six-month period. Bambang said that the recommendation was issued because the company had agreed to pay the required 5 percent export tax. 'Then, the $530 million deposit requirement, we are still discussing,' he said. The recommendation from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry will be used as the basis for the renewal of the export permit which will be issued by the Trade Ministry. As reported earlier, Freeport's copper concentrate exports were stopped in late January because the mining giant had not met the government's demand that it pay $530 million as a guarantee of its commitment to building a new smelting plant. The company is required to pay the deposit because the construction progress of the smelter is behind, at only 14 percent, far below the minimum 60 percent. Previously, the ministry's minerals director Mohammad Hidayat said that the government would ease requirements for mining companies to build smelting plants. 'With the current economic condition it is financially difficult for mining companies to build smelters,' he said. Smelter development is mandatory for all mining firms as a consequence of the 2009 Mining Law that requires all minerals to be processed and refined before export. The law allowed a five-year period for the necessary facilities to be completed, ending in 2014, so that companies would have time to prepare for the full ban on exporting raw-minerals. However, most mining firms have been reluctant to work on processing facilities, citing the massive investment needed. The 2014 deadline passed with no significant smelter developments in sight. As consequence, the government relaxed its policy and allowed companies to continue exporting semi-finished minerals, such as copper concentrate, until 2017, as long as they were making progress on smelter developments. Freeport, which runs one of the world's biggest copper mines in Papua, produces around 2 million tons of copper concentrate a year. As much as 30 to 40 percent of the total production is shipped to an existing smelter in Gresik, East Java. The remainder is shipped overseas. The new smelter, expected to cost $1.2 billion, will be located near the existing one in East Java. The government's demand for a smelter deposit was 'inconsistent' with an agreement reached between the two sides in mid-2014, Freeport CEO Richard Adkerson said as reported by Reuters in late January. According to that agreement, Freeport must sell the government a greater share of the Grasberg mine, and invest in domestic processing to win an extension of its mining contract beyond 2021. The US mining giant wants to invest $18 billion to expand its operations at Grasberg, but is seeking government assurance first that it will get a contract extension. Freeport's long-held desire to continue mining in Indonesia beyond 2021 has been beset by controversy, including cabinet infighting, resignations and a major political scandal that led to the resignation of the House of Representatives speaker. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Khoirul Amin and Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The government will negotiate with the European Union (EU) to reduce tariffs currently imposed on Indonesia's palm oil and cocoa products as negotiations are set to resume soon on the much-awaited Indonesia-EU comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA). Trade Minister Thomas Lembong said that obtaining lower tariffs for the country's crude palm oil (CPO) and cocoa products would be among the top agenda items in the CEPA negotiations. 'Many of our export commodities are still subject to high tariffs,' he told reporters on Tuesday. Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said the EU currently imposed tariffs of between 8 percent and 12 percent on Indonesian CPO and cocoa products. 'We'll strive for zero percent tariffs, especially for our CPO,' he added. The EU, formerly the largest importer of Indonesia's biodiesel, has imposed a five-year tax on biodiesel from a number of Indonesian and Argentine companies since 2013. The tax imposed on Indonesia's biodiesel ranges from around '76.94 (US$86.3) per ton to '178.85 per ton. The regional bloc imposed the taxes after the European Biodiesel Board found that the import volume of biodiesel from Indonesia had surged from 157,915 tons in 2008 to 1.09 million tons in 2011 as a result of prices that were deemed below the European market's fair price. The government, meanwhile, has stated that Indonesia's cheaper biodiesel price in Europe is a result of the lower tax that the government imposes on downstream products. Under President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's administration, the government is committed to concluding the Indonesia-EU CEPA negotiations in the next two years before moving on to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. The Indonesia-EU CEPA negotiations were first initiated in 2011, with the partnership forecast to add '9.2 billion to the value of Indonesia's exports and 1.3 percent growth to the country's GDP. The CEPA, negotiations on which have stalled for quite some time, is set to cover market access, capacity building and the facilitation of trade and investment. The EU has already concluded a similar partnership with Vietnam and is in the process of drawing one up with Malaysia. 'For Indonesia, the EU is a potential export destination. It is the most prominent market for Indonesia after the US and Japan,' said Achmad Hafisz Tohir, House of Representatives Commission VI chairman. He hoped that the partnership could support micro, small and medium enterprise development, state-owned enterprises and exports of manufactured goods. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The government is offering incentives to prospective investors of East Kalimantan's Bontang refinery in the form of free use of infrastructure and a tax holiday. Under a planned term, investors will be allowed to use all existing facilities currently available at the refinery's site at no cost and they can also enjoy a longer tax holiday at the facility, as the period could be extended from 10 to 15 years. 'All on-site facilities can be used by investors for free. This will significantly reduce investment costs,' Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said told a press briefing on Tuesday after attending a meeting at the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister in Central Jakarta. The meeting, led by Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution, was attended by high-ranking officials of the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Ministry, the Finance Ministry, the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry, the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry and state-run oil and gas giant PT Pertamina. Currently, the Bontang refinery site already has adequate infrastructure, such as a sufficient electricity supply and proper roads and ports, Sudirman added. The Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry had given assurances that there would be no problem in the site's land certification process. One point also agreed to in Tuesday's meeting was an approval of Bontang city's spatial planning as a part of the refinery's land certification process. The government expected it could soon find an investor thanks to such incentives being offered. The Bontang refinery is among 10 priority infrastructure projects that President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has requested should have their development accelerated. The government announced on Tuesday that the funding and construction of the Bontang refinery would be carried out through a private public partnership (PPP) scheme. Pertamina, as the project's party in charge, would hold an auction to determine an eligible private company for the project. The Finance Ministry would appoint an international consultant to accompany Pertamina in the auction process. The State-Owned Enterprises Ministry's deputy of energy, logistics, estates and tourism business, Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, said that Pertamina had to work with a private investor given the significantly high costs of the refinery. According to an official statement by the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister, the Bontang refinery required investments amounting to between Rp 75 trillion (US$5.51 billion) and Rp 140 trillion. The construction of the refinery, which would have a production capacity of at least 235,000 barrels of petroleum per day, was slated to break ground in 2018 and it was to start operating in 2022. Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) executive director Fabby Tumiwa said that incentives and market certainty were the biggest attractions of investment in refinery, which usually had a fixed margin. 'The refinery's products will continually be consumed as domestic demand for petroleum keeps increasing,' he said. He expressed optimism that plunging oil prices would not adversely affect the investment as it was a long-term one. The new Bontang refinery will add to Indonesia's oil refining capacity. Currently, the country has six refineries operated by Pertamina that are located from Cilacap in Central Java to Kasim in West Papua. All of the refineries have a total capacity of more than 1 million barrels per day. However, due to their old age, the refineries are currently running below capacity. _________________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The government has agreed to provide a legal guarantee for the country's first high-speed railway project, assuring that the project will not be affected by regulatory changes and that the government will not unilaterally cancel the concession agreement. Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan said that the concession period would be set depending on the feasibility study. If the concession is granted, PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) may pocket rights to operate the railway for 50 years since its first operation. "If construction is delayed, the concession [period] will abide by the agreement [not affected]," he said at the press conference in the State Palace complex in Jakarta on Tuesday. Therefore, he urged KCIC to submit the revised feasibility study in order to win the concession. The necessity for a revision rested mainly on the technical and financial assessment, which had to be reviewed by a third party. Jonan reiterated that there was no financial guarantee provided despite the project's status as one of the government's priorities. The concession period is among nine requirements that KCIC must meet as the project developer and operator to secure a business permit. KCIC is expected to build four stations between Jakarta and Bandung for the railway, at Halim, Karawang, Walini and Tegalluar. Previously, Jonan said, KCIC wanted the area to be exclusive with no other railway operating there. However, he denied the request, but said the government would only allow other stations to be located far away. "We will not give exclusive rights for them," he said. In terms of building permits, Jonan also obliged KCIC to revise technical documents. Currently, KCIC has only lodged technical documents for the first five kilometers of the 142.3-km railway. "[We need] at least, [documents] for 35 km, or one-third of total railway," he added. KCIC president director Hanggoro Budi Wiryawan stated the company was committed to fulfilling the requirements. The feasibility study, he said, was still being reviewed by a consultant. "One thing to be noted is potential passengers. There are optimistic, moderate and pessimistic scenarios. We will review this and hopefully immediately submit it to the Transportation Ministry," he said. According to a previous study, passengers on the high-speed train will number about 60,000 per day. In the revised feasibility study, Hanggoro said, the predicted number of passengers was slashed to about 28,000-30,000 per day. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 Construction of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project faced further uncertainty on Tuesday as the Transportation Ministry said it would not grant PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) exclusive rights to operate the 142-kilometer railway. KCIC, a consortium consisting of China Railway Corporation and four Indonesian state-owned companies, had demanded exclusive rights to the railway to ensure business certainty. However, Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan insisted such exclusivity would not be granted to the company. 'Why should exclusive rights not be granted? Just read the [2007] Railway Law, which stipulates that no public railways are entitled to such exclusive rights,' Jonan said at a press conference, which was also attended by KCIC president director Hanggoro Budi Wiryawan. The minister, however, left room for negotiations, particularly on the distance between stations built by KCIC and those of other companies that may have an interest in using the Jakarta-Bandung rail track in the future. Jonan said his ministry was also open to negotiate the length of concession given to KCIC to operate the rail track. The ministry earlier said the government was considering building a Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed railway next to the Jakarta-Bandung rail track. If the government granted exclusive rights to KCIC, the firm could fully control the track or charge other rail companies using it. Aside from the arguments on exclusivity, KCIC and the ministry were also of different opinions on the length of the concession. While KCIC wants the concession be calculated only after the commercial operation of the railway begins, the government says the concession should be calculated from its issuance ' ie from the start of the railway construction. Jonan also demanded that KCIC submit a revised feasibility study as a requirement to determine the concession timeline, as well as to include an independent review of the revised feasibility study from a third party. 'In principle, the concession can begin at the same time as the commercial operation. However, there must be a time limit for the construction,' Jonan said, adding that KCIC needed to provide a clear length for the construction process. Therefore, if there were delays in the construction, the lost time needed to be included in the concession period, he added. KCIC has predicted that fares for the high-speed railway will be around Rp 200,000 (US$14.68), with an expected 28,000 passengers on 50 trips daily. Based on KCIC's calculations, the company will reach break-even point in 40 years, hence the proposed concession period is 50 years. After the concession period was over, Jonan said, the company would have to hand the project over to the country, debt-free and properly functioning. Any bank loan the KCIC might use to fund the construction project ' which will be mostly financed by loans from the China Development Bank, with the rest sourced from KCIC's capital ' must have been settled within the concession period, he added. The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway has been listed as a priority for President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's administration and is therefore entitled to special treatment from the government. Meanwhile, Hanggoro said KCIC was still working on the revision of the feasibility study and the concession deal, adding that they might be ready to be submitted to Jonan within the next month or two. However, Hanggoro stopped short of commenting on whether the company agreed with Jonan's statement. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama has demoted Jansen Saragih from his position as head of the East Jakarta Parks Agency because the governor said he considered the latter to have failed to maintain an interactive park in Klender, East Jakarta. Ahok said Tuesday that the East Jakarta administration should have been able to restore the damaged park instead of waiting for the 2016 regional budget disbursement. He added that the agency head should have used plant seeds owned by the Parks Agency. 'Why is it so hard to restore a park? I demoted him because he did not do his job,' Ahok said as quoted by beritajakarta.com. He said the interactive park under the Klender overpass was damaged by street vendors who continued to peddle their goods at the location while city administration officers were not present. 'The park used to be a business place for the street vendors, so we cleaned it. Now the vendors have returned and damaged the park again,' he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 Twenty-year-old domestic worker, Ani, has run away from her employers' house in Matraman, East Jakarta, and reported her employers to the police for assault. Tribunnews.com reported that Ani, who looked terrified, came to the Matraman Police station on Tuesday. Her body was covered with bruises and swelling. She also had blunt-object trauma on her head, ears, nose and lips. Ani told the police that she was hit with a slipper and a broom by her employers. 'Hot water was once poured on my chest and I have a mark of an iron on my stomach,' she said, adding that she decided to run away by jumping over the fence of the house. After receiving the report, the police officers immediately raided the premises. While the owners were absent, the police found stains on a broom and a palm print possibly made with blood on the wall. One of the tenants was brought in by the police to testify. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 Darmawan Salihin, the father of Wayan Mirna Salihin, 27, who died after drinking cyanide-laced coffee of Olivier cafA, is personally carrying out investigations into the mystery behind the death of his daughter. In an interview with Kompas TV on Monday he said he had ordered some employees at his company to search for the pants Jessica Kumala Wongso, 27, the official suspect in the case, wore at the time the coffee was poisoned in the Grand Indonesia Shopping Mall in Central Jakarta on Jan. 6. Darmawan said he had the workers from his crisis management company search for the pants around Jessica's house. 'They have searched the nearby dumps, everywhere, but to no avail,' he said in the interview. Jessica, who ordered and paid for the coffee that Mirna drank at Olivier, has been named a suspect in the case but she has so far maintained her innocence, saying she did not put cyanide in the victim's coffee. The Jakarta Police raided Jessica's house to look for the pants she wore at the time of the incident but failed to find them. Jessica said she had ordered her maid to dump the pants into a nearby trash bin because they had gotten torn when she helped carried Mirna to a clinic. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The House of Representatives legislation body (Baleg) on Wednesday agreed to continue discussing the amendment of Law No. 30/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), following support it received from most of the House's political party factions. In a plenary meeting on Wednesday, nine parties agreed to amend the 2002 KPK Law while the Gerindra Party remained the only faction that has rejected the idea since it started to be discussed last year. 'Today, we presented results of the harmonization of the draft KPK Law revision, which will be discussed in the House deliberative body [Bamus] meeting on Thursday,' Baleg deputy chairman Firman Subagyo told journalists after the meeting in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday evening. Discussions about the revisions took place on Monday and 12 points emerged. One was about the antigraft body's authority to issue investigation termination warrants (SP3) and another was about a rule to prevent the KPK from recruiting investigators independently. Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction member Al Muzzamil Yusuf criticized Articles 32 and 36 of the draft revisions. 'These two articles do not stipulate clear rules on the prohibition against KPK commissioners from resigning before the end of their terms of office if they aim to run for a public position,' Muzzamil said. The PKS and eight other factions, namely the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Hanura Party, the Golkar Party, the Democratic Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP) and the NasDem Party, supported that there be further discussions about the revisions. Results of the Bamus meeting on Thursday will need approval from House members during a plenary meeting to be held shortly afterward. After receiving a Presidential Mandate (Ampres) from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the Baleg established a special committee to discuss the amendments. PDI-P faction member Ichsan Soelistio became the only lawmaker supporting the amendments who showed up at the Baleg's plenary meeting. The KPK Law draft revision is one of priority bills listed on the 2016 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas). House speaker Ade Komarudin recently said the legislative body aimed to finish 37 out of 40 priority bills on the Prolegnas 2016 this year. As many as 45 House members support the amendments to the KPK Law. They comprise 15 members of the PDI-P faction, 11 members of the NasDem Party faction, nine members of the Golkar Party faction, five members of the PPP faction, three members of the Hanura Party faction and two members of the PKB faction. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had rejected Russia's request for the extradition of Russian citizens imprisoned in Indonesia because of a lack of extradition treaty, a minister said on Wednesday. The request was made during a meeting between the government and Russian delegates lead by Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev on Wednesday.The Russian government had asked Jokowi to extradite six Russian citizens jailed in Indonesia, including a convicted drug lord, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said. "They have requested an extradition that we cannot lawfully fulfill," he said at the State Palace as quoted by tempo.co. Indonesia could not comply with Russia's request as the two countries did not have an agreement for extradition, he explained. However, the government is willing to share information on the concerned inmates. Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly said the extradition would only be possible if Indonesia and Russia had in place a Mutual Legal Assistance proposal, a draft of which has been submitted by Yasonna's Russian counterpart. "Soon a team from the Law and Human Rights Ministry, the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister and the National Police will discuss the matter. Following that, we hope there will be a signing of a memorandum of understanding during a planned working visit to Russia," he said. An extradition agreement must begin with the signing of an MoU, followed by a discussion of cooperation and the signing of a treaty on extradition, Yasonna added. Boosting ties In the meeting with the Russian delegation, the government also discussed the possibility of intelligence-sharing between the two countries. The government had mainly focused on cooperation with the US, Luhut said, noting that greater cooperation with Russia could benefit Indonesia. The two countries also discussed issues surrounding the exchange of information, human resource training and equipment cooperation. Russia and Indonesia agreed to cooperate on combating drugs through information-sharing between the two governments. On the issue of defense, Russia offered advanced military vehicles such as a Sukhoi SU-35, a helicopter, a submarine and a speed boat. An agreement had not been reached, however, Luhut added. "Most importantly there has to be a transfer of technology, so that we do not only become a market for developed countries," he said. (liz/rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Palu Wed, February 10, 2016 The police suspect that a pick-up car used by armed men in a shootout with the police in Poso, Central Sulawesi, on Tuesday, was a stolen car, a police officer has said. The Isuzu Panther pick-up used by the two men killed in the shootout belonged to a local resident initialed S, Operation Tinombala commander Sr. Corm. Leo Bona Lubis said on Wednesday. "The owner used the car to take sand," Leo, who is also the deputy chief of Central Sulawesi Police, told journalists at the headquarters of the Central Sulawesi Police. The car was taken by the two armed men when the owner was taking sand from one of the rivers in Poso Pesisir Selatan subdistrict, he said. The two alleged terrorists and Brig. Wahyudi, a member of the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob), died during a shootout in Sanginora village in Poso Pesisir Selatan subdistrict on Tuesday morning. The police have not yet fully identified the deceased suspects, thought to be members of the East Indonesia Mujahidin terrorist group, led by Indonesia's most wanted terrorist, Santoso, alias Abu Wardah, who runs his terror network from inside the forests around Poso. The police have only established a preliminary identification on one of the armed men, based on the man's physical features and information gleaned from locals reporting on a missing family member. Still, the man's identity could not be confirmed as yet because investigators still needed to run some DNA checks and an antemortem inspection, Leo said. The police have discovered that the two men worked as active couriers for Santoso's group with the task of supplying logistics such as homemade bombs, firearms, bullets and food. They had hoped to transfer goods to the group in the pick-up truck when the authorities raided and stopped the car on Tuesday. From an investigation at the crime scene, the police found 12 homemade grenades, one FN pistol, three 99 millimeter bullets, one firearm magazine, one camouflage chest rig, five sacks of rice, one package of instant noodles and one flashlight in the Isuzu Panther pick-up truck. (rin)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dylan Amirio and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 Support has poured in for the government's plan to open up the local film industry to foreign direct investment, a move that is expected to benefit filmmakers and the industry in general. At least 11 professional associations related to the film industry jointly urged President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo on Tuesday to approve the latest revision of the negative investment list (DNI), which allows 100 percent foreign ownership in certain sectors, including in the film industry in areas such as technical services, production, distribution, exhibition and cinemas. 'It will open up opportunities for filmmakers and creative talents to level up their standards and capacities through the transfer of knowledge and technology,' said Sheila Timothy, who chairs the Association of Indonesian Film Producers (APROFI). She argued that the industry had been troubled by financial restraints that hampered filmmakers' creative processes. 'To make a good production, there should be a well-prepared pre-production phase where scriptwriters have enough time for research and actors to embody their characters. 'At the other end of production, which is the exhibition, producers cannot meet the targeted viewers and get their money back to finance the next production.' The access to foreign investment, either in the form of film co-production or the establishment of more theaters, according to Sheila, will break the vicious cycle. At present, foreign direct investment is allowed to account for a maximum 49 percent stake in companies providing any technical assistance in film-related production, including film producers, production houses, distribution and promotions. Triawan Munaf, head of the Creative Economy Agency said that the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) was currently revising the country's DNI to increase the foreign ownership in certain economic sectors including in the film industry. Separately, film director Joko Anwar explained that films that have non-commercial themes are rarely made due to the low number of screens allocated to local films pushing directors to focus on market-friendly movies with longevity in cinemas. 'With the help of foreign investment, more local productions can be created and exhibited. Films with untouched and non-commercial themes will have more opportunities to be made, thus increasing the quality of our films,' Joko said on Tuesday. Data gathered from various commercial cinemas shows that there are only 1,117 film screens available in the whole of Indonesia, with 35 percent of all cinemas being in Jakarta. He added that a more equal distribution of film screens across Indonesia would benefit both production and attendance, making local productions more noticeable in rural areas. Additionally, Sheila said that only around 20 percent of [those screens were] allocated to local productions with the rest dominated by imported films, noting that local producers had to regularly 'battle' within that 20 percent. The ideal number of screens, she said, was around 3,000 to 5,000. A revision of the DNI in the film industry is currently being considered by the government and has garnered the support of around 10 Indonesian film-industry associations and drawn criticism from one, the Indonesian Film Industry Association (APFI) that says the measure seems 'too rushed'. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 Mabua Harley-Davidson has announced it will sell its remaining stock of around 100 motorbikes and merchandise at discounts of between 30 and 70 percent, having previously announced it would not extend its franchise license because of skyrocketing tax in Indonesia. Based on the distribution agreement, the license expiration will revoke Mabua's right to sell any more motorbikes, though it will still be allowed to sell spare parts and merchandise. "We will sell off our inventory such as merchandise and spare parts and around 100 remaining motorbikes. We will offer 30 to 70 percent discounts," PT Mabua Harley-Davidson sales and marketing director Irvino Edwardly said in Jakarta on Wednesday. According to the press statement, the US motorcycle manufacturer is looking for a new dealer in Indonesia, while PT Mabua Harley-Davidson will provide maintenance and reparation services until June. Any new purchases will be made through Harley-Davidson Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. "The dealer is a facilitator for HOG [the Harley Owners Group] to buy merchandise and spare parts and organize gatherings. After Mabua ends its partnership with Harley, the Asia-Pacific Harley-Davidson in Singapore will be HOG's caretaker," HOG Jakarta chair Ignatius Sahat Manalu told thejakartapost.com. After enjoying excellent sales from 2002 to 2013, Mabua decided not to renew its agency license after the government introduced a 300 percent tax on large motorcycles in 2014. Things got worse in 2015, as the rupiah weakened by 40 percent, causing prices of the vehicles to soar. "The period from 2002 to 2013 was our golden period, with increasing sales that reached a peak in 2013. Then the storms came," Irvino said. In 2011, he continued, Mabua sold 500 motorbikes, with 660 sold a year later. In 2013, sales reached a record 991. "The new taxation rules doubled the price of all models. In 2014, our sales dropped almost 50 percent to 471 units," he said. Mabua's margins were slashed significantly from 35 percent to between 5 and 7 percent, Mabua CEO Djonnie Rahmat said. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 In an unprecedented move, the Jakarta High Court has rejected an appeal filed by former regent of Bangkalan, East Java, Fuad Amin and increased the 67-year-old's prison sentence from eight to 13 years for corruption and money laundering. The verdict was a departure from the court's usual practice of reducing prison terms for graft convicts. In the latest verdict, announced Tuesday, the court also decided to strip Fuad of his political rights, banning him from running for public office for five years after his release. 'A panel of judges at the court, chaired by Elang Prakoso Wibowo, believed that he deserved this sentence for his guilt of both corruption and money laundering,' Jakarta High Court spokesperson Muhammad Hatta told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. The anti-corruption law carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for both corruption and money laundering collectively. In their findings the panel of judges also ruled that Fuad had to pay a Rp 1 billion fine or serve an additional six months. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) praised the Jakarta High Court's move, saying such a decision could provide a deterrent effect for others. 'We also applaud the revocation of his political rights,' KPK spokesperson Yuyuk Indriati said on Tuesday. Yuyuk, however, said that KPK prosecutors in charge of Fuad's case would convene to decide if they would file a cassation plea to the Supreme Court because the verdict was lower than the 15-year sentence they had earlier sought. On Oct. 19, the Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Fuad to eight years for his crimes despite the fact that KPK prosecutors managed to prove Fuad's offences and demanded a 15-year prison term. The KPK said the judges' findings were rife with inconsistencies as they also ordered the KPK to return assets seized from Fuad worth billions of rupiah, despite their conclusion that the assets were the result of money laundering over the past 11 years. The panel of judges also ordered Fuad to pay a Rp 1 billion fine for accepting Rp 197 billion in bribes from various sources during his decade-long tenure as Bangkalan regent. The verdict found that Fuad was guilty of laundering the Rp 197 billion, but it failed to confirm whether assets controlled by Fuad were bought using the ill-gotten funds. The Rp 197 billion includes a Rp 15.65 billion Fuad accepted from PT Media Karya Sentosa as a bribe for a multi-trillion rupiah gas contract he signed in 2007. Fuad also collected a total of Rp 159 billion in cash by cutting 10 percent from the budget intended for the Bangkalan administration's working units (SKPD). Fuad, a Gerindra Party politician, also collected a total of Rp 20 billion from civil servants who wanted to attain strategic positions in local government agencies in Bangkalan between 2003 and 2010. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Novani Nugrahani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 At least 11 local film associations have announced support for the government's plan to revise the negative investment list (DNI), to allow greater foreign ownership in certain sectors, including the film industry. Previously, the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) and the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) revealed plans to open the cinema-chain business to foreign investors, saying that the involvement of foreign investors would help develop the country's cinema industry. At present, foreign direct investment is only allowed to account for up to 49 percent ownership of companies providing technical assistance in movie-related production. According to Presidential Regulation No. 39/2014 on the DNI, cinema operators, film-production houses, film distribution and film and movie promotion are still closed to foreign investment. Removing the film industry from the DNI, film industry spokespersons said, would provide greater access to investment; increase the number of films, screens and quality; improve local film workers' capacity and competence standards through transfers of knowledge and technology; and open new opportunities for local filmmakers and producers to distribute their works worldwide. 'What the Indonesian film industry needs right now is growth, which can only be achieved by providing more investment to produce more films of better quality,' film director Angga Sasongko told a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday. The associations also urged the government to make the necessary preparations so that the DNI revision will run effectively and to provide safety nets for local film business players. Film director Joko Anwar said that Indonesia could learn from China regarding the matter. "The film industry in China has grown over 40 percent in just one decade since its government decided to allow foreign investment in the Chinese film business," said Joko. Indonesia reportedly has around 1,117 screens nationwide, with privately owned Cinema 21 owning the largest number. According to research conducted by filmindonesia.or.id in 2014, only 13 percent of Indonesians had access to cinemas, as up to 87 percent of the screens are located in Java, of which 35 percent are situated in the capital city. The Association of Indonesian Film Producers (PPFI) chairman Manoj Punjabi said Indonesia needed at least 3,000 to 5,000 screens to be able to achieve the target number of viewers. "The only way to gain 20 million viewers for one Indonesian film is to add as many more screens and film theaters as possible," said Manoj. (kes)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nani Afrida (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) stated on Tuesday that it did not find toxic waste inside a cargo ship recently stranded near Riau Islands. The Navy said scientists deployed by the government to test whether the load inside the tanker, the MV Ocean Carrier, was uranium waste, had declared it was not. 'We have checked the cargo and interrogated the crew members. We have also opened one of the ship's hatches to check its content,' TNI AL spokesperson Commodore Muhammad Zainuddin said. The ship's hatch contained iron ore, in accordance with its manifest. 'Another sign is that the ship's crew members were not wearing special radioactive waste-handling attire,' Zainuddin said. The cargo ship, flying the flag of Hong Kong, last week found itself stranded in waters near Riau before being assisted by the Navy's Western Fleet (Armabar) and towed to nearby Sambu Island. According to the ship manifest, the MV Ocean Carrier was transporting iron ore and was headed to Yang Jian, China, from Fujairah, Iran. The cargo ship got stranded after trying to avoid the busy traffic between Indonesia and Singapore. Riau's waters are part of Malacca Strait, a busy maritime route for ships, cargo vessels and tankers. The MV Ocean Carrier suffered no serious damage when two warships, the KRI Surik and the KRI Siwar, arrived to start the rescue effort. It was reported that 22 crew members were onboard during the incident, and no casualties were reported. However, information leaked to the public suggested that the ship was transporting uranium waste from Iran when it got stranded. Head of the maritime security office for the western maritime zone Comr. Agung said that the cargo was now at Sambu Island port for further investigation. 'We confirmed that the information was not true. We have checked and found no uranium material, [...] only iron ore,' Agung said. He also said that the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten), the sea security agency (bakamla) and related institutions had worked hand in hand on the investigation so far. Agung asserted that if the cargo had been or contained uranium waste, it would have meant a serious problem in the area. '[Uranium waste] is very dangerous for the security and safety of the waters of Riau Islands,' Agung added. In December, Iran sent its first shipment of low-enriched uranium material to Russia, a key step in Tehran's implementation of an historic nuclear accord with world powers. According to ISNA news agency, Iran sent 8.5 tons of low-enriched nuclear material to Russia and received about 140 tons of natural uranium in return. Another cargo ship, identified as Red Rock, was caught in West Nusa Tenggara waters last month, suspected of carrying toxic waste from a mining company operating in Sumbawa Island. There has yet to be any confirmation of those allegations. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The association of pesticide producers, CropLife Indonesia, expects a further increase in pesticide demand in Indonesia thanks to the government's intensified program of improving farming productivity in the country. CropLife Indonesia chairman Midzon Johannis said the group estimated there would be at least a 5 percent increase in pesticide sales in Indonesia this year. 'The Agriculture Ministry has many programs to boost production so there will be more plants to protect and they need more pesticide,' he told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday. This year the ministry has launched aggressive targets compared to last year. Rice field expansion, for example, is aimed at 200,000 hectares (ha), a 1,000 percent leap from 20,000 ha of new rice fields targeted last year. To boost productivity, it has also signed Rp 4.6 trillion (US$338 million) worth of contracts to buy agriculture equipment and Rp 30 trillion of subsidized fertilizer in January, according earlier media reports. Midzon said that to boost sales of pesticides, the association would not only focus on direct marketing of the products but also educating farmers on the right methods of using pesticides, which would lead to effective results and maintain farmers' trust in pesticides. In 2001, the organization launched the 'Stewardship Program', through which its members jointly fund experts in the field to train farmers on how to use pesticides properly every year. Dadang, a toxicologist from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) said many farmers in Indonesia still misused pesticides due to a lack of education. He noted at least 23 mistakes that farmers made, including erroneous dosages, mixtures, spray timing, parts of plants that needed to be sprayed, handling of chemicals, the re-use of containers and broken sprayers. 'These mistakes threaten farmers' health, waste pesticide, have ineffective results and reduce plants' resistance to some diseases and insects,' he said at the same event. According to CropLife Indonesia, developing a new product, when a currently available product is no longer effective, costs about $100 million, with 10 to 15 years of research and development. The data also show that 100,000 pathogens or infectious organisms and tens of thousands of nematodes or roundworms threaten agricultural products. The use of pesticides, though considered the last option in plant protection under the Crop System Law, was inevitable in practice and had increased harvests by 40 percent, Midzon said. Stewardship Program manager Dedi Triadi said that every year, the body focused on different regions, including those outside its company members' customers' areas. CropLife Indonesia's members are BASF, Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont, FMC, Monsanto, NuFarm and Syngenta. This year, the organization will focus on training cacao farmers in Sulawesi; vegetable, chili and tomato farmers in several highland areas in East Java; and onion farmers in Probolinggo, East Java. Every year, the program embraces about 1.1 million farmers, a relatively small proportion of the country's 26 million farmers. 'Hence, we are now approaching other companies and the government to integrate efforts in the program to achieve more effective results,' Dedi said. Besides CropLife Indonesia, other companies have also conducted independent training for farmers in chemical handling. The government also provides training through the Community Empowerment Body (LPM) at the village or sub-district level. (rbk) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Indra Budiari, Safrin La Batu and Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 Police have once again bowed to hardliners at the expense of minority groups and civil society by shutting down an LGBT group's closed workshop at the Cemara Hotel in Menteng, Central Jakarta. Filing a report to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Tuesday, Yuli Rustinawati, chairman of LGBT group Arus Pelangi, said dozens of Menteng Police officers had disbanded a workshop on access to justice for LGBT communities last week. The police officers said they were deployed to the hotel as soon as they received a report from hardliner group the Islam Defenders Front (FPI). 'The officers told us we should secure a permit from the police to hold such an event, otherwise it would be disbanded,' Yuli told The Jakarta Post. She insisted that no regulation stipulated that an event held indoors with fewer than 50 people required a police permit. Based on the National Police chief's Instruction No. Pol/02/XII/95 on permits and notice of community activities, events that require a permit are music festivals, shadow puppet shows, Javanese theatrical performances and other shows. Arus Pelangi's event, held between Feb. 1 and 8, was none of those. With the tagline 'LGBT Rights are Human Rights', the workshop gathered 26 participants from LGBT groups from eight provinces. On the third day of the workshop, participants and committee members received uninvited guests in five FPI members and a police officer who asked that the event be disbanded immediately as it did not have a permit. 'We weren't committing any crime by holding the event, so we decided to continue,' said Lini Zurlia, the event's organizing committee and Arus Pelangi member. However, a few hours later around 25 uniformed police officers swarmed the lobby and gave the hotel management no choice but to ask the committee to stop the workshop. Lini said Arus Pelangi decided to change the venue, so the workshop could be finished as scheduled. West Jakarta Police spokesperson Comr. Suyatno said the group should have informed them about the activity, emphasizing that the police did not intend to prohibit such activities. 'But as Indonesians, we normally report our activities [to local police], especially if it involves inviting outsiders,' he told the Post. 'We would then process the event proposal and see whether or not nearby residents accepted it. Then we would make our recommendation. If something bad happens, who will society blame?' he said. Human Rights Watch Group (HRWG) ASEAN program manager Daniel Awigra lambasted the police's actions. 'What's the basis of it? The police are responsible for protecting everyone, regardless of their politics, religion or sexual orientation. The [LGBT community] are not a threat to safety, public order, public health or morals,' he said. Daniel believed that the police's actions stemmed from society's tendency to look at everything through a religious lens only, including homosexuality, which has been increasingly perceived as a contagious disease following recent remarks from various public officials and religious leaders. Daniel then pointed out how the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared that homosexuality was not a disease back in 1990. It was not the first time the police have disbanded an event following pressure from certain groups. In November 2015 the Jakarta Police did not give the go-ahead for a discussion on terrorism held by the Association of Journalists for Diversity (SEJUK), as the FPI accused the association of putting up a provocative promotional poster for the event. A month later, the police also pressured the Jakarta Arts Council to cancel a discussion on the 1965 tragedy following a protest from dozens of artists who said that political issues should not be brought up at an arts festival. In December, hundreds of FPI members inspected cars passing through Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta where the Indonesia Theater Federation Award was being held. They were trying to stop Purwakarta Regent Dedi Mulyadi from attending the event as they accused him of debasing the tenets of Islamic by using the Sundanese greeting Sampurasun instead of the Muslim-approved assalamualaikum. _____________________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The police have said that they are not in a rush to complete the investigation into the death of Wayan Mirna Salihin because their investigators were digging into the case and trying to collect strong evidence. 'If the case can be completed soon, it will be good for the police. However, the police do not have to be in a rush in investigating this case,' said Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian in Jakarta on Wednesday. "The stronger the evidence that the police have, the better it will be,' he said, adding that the detention of the suspect could be maintained for up to four months. In the Mirna murder case, the police have named Jessica Kumala Wongso, who shared a table with Mirna at the Olivier cafA in Central Jakarta, the prime suspect. Mirna died shortly after drinking iced coffee ordered by Jessica. The police have said that Mirna's death was caused by cyanide poison. Tito said the police were still waiting for an endorsement from the Australian government to cooperate with the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The police hope to gain from the AFP some insight into Jessica and Mirna's relationship in Australia. "We cannot jump into an investigation without an endorsement from Australia's attorney general and justice minister. [After that], it will be the time for us to work with the AFP to do the investigation," Tito told journalists. Tito said Jessica's status as a permanent resident of Australia would not hamper the police's investigation because the status of permanent resident meant that Jessica was still an Indonesian citizen. (bbn)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The police are seeking permission from President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo to investigate a lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Masinton Pasaribu, who has been accused of assaulting a female aide on Jan. 21. National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Agus Rianto said police investigators would continue to question witnesses in connection with the alleged assault after they summoned and questioned Dita Aditia Ismawati, who reported Masinton, her boss, to the police for allegedly punching her in the eye. Dita cried after undergoing police questioning regarding the case on Feb. 4. She also declined to respond to questions from journalists about the interview, sparking speculation that she had withdrawn her report with the police. Agus denied that Dita had revoked her allegations. 'So far, the investigators have not received any information about the revocation of the case. The investigators are now making a timetable to summon those who have connections to the case,' Agus said on Wednesday as reported by tribunnews.com. Dita, who is one of Masinton's expert staff members, claimed he punched her in the eye after he picked up her from a cafA in Central Jakarta. Apart from reporting Masinton to the police, Dita also sought support from the Legal Aid Foundation of Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK) and from the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan). LBH APIK has reported the case to the House of Representatives ethics council. Masinton has denied the allegations, saying the bruise on Dita's face was unintentionally caused by the driver of the vehicle. Dita claimed she was alone in the car with Masinton. The police are currently preparing a letter to the President to seek permission to summon and interrogate Masinton as existing laws require law enforcers to gain permission to question members of the House, the People's Consultative Assembly and the Regional Representatives Council. 'This case is still in the early stages; the investigators are still working on it,' Agus stressed. (bbn)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 The city authorities have been spurred into action by a recent accident involving a car and a motorcycle ' not because it led to the deaths of four people, but because the car's driver was revealed to have been heading home after visiting the Kalijodo red-light district. The accident appears to have reminded the city authorities that they promised to clear the vice-ridden area early last year. In the wake of the accident, Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has revived a plan to demolish buildings constructed illegally along the Grogol River, turning the area into green space. "Kalijodo should already have been closed and turned into a green area," Ahok said on Wednesday. Riki Agung Prasetio, the driver of the SUV and a named suspect in the fatal crash on Jl. Daan Mogot, West Jakarta, told the police that he and the car's eight passengers had visited a cafA in Kalijodo before the incident, consuming copious quantities of alcohol. Two of the car's passengers died in the accident, along with the driver and passenger of a motorcycle hit by the car. Riki, who claim the visit was his first to Kalijodo, expressed regret that his outing to the area had had such tragic consequences. Jakarta Police chief. Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian said on Wednesday that he would support the Jakarta city administration's policy to close down the area. "If the city administration wants to deal with the Kalijodo area, we will hand it over to the administration. We will support any policy decided on by the administration," Tito said, adding that the accident was caused by the drunken driver being unable to control his vehicle and, indirectly, by the existence of the red-light district. Kalijodo, also known a hot spot of illegal gambling, is home to hundreds of sex workers, brothel owners and petty criminals. Some Kalijodo residents reacted with anger to Ahok's announcement. "Don't try anything here. All of the residents here are criminals. Ahok will never manage to crush this area," local resident Maman said as quoted by kompas.com. Tito stressed that the police would cooperate with the city administration to close down illegal buildings in the area. "We are not afraid to crack down on Kalijodo. The police, city administration and Indonesian Army fear nothing," Tito claimed. Meanwhile, City Secretary Saefullah said that the administration had begun the process of registering residents of Kalijodo in order to ascertain the status of their properties. For those whose ownership is proven by land certificates, the city administration will provide compensation following relocation to low-cost rental apartments. Sex workers, however, will be given no compensation. 'Candidates for relocation are couples with families, not sex workers,' Ahok said. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 Seven supporters of the Islamic State (IS) radical group were pronounced guilty of terrorist-related activities and sentenced three to five years in prison by the West Jakarta District Court on Tuesday. The men are Tuah Febriwansyah, alias Muhammad Fachry; Koswara, alias Ibnu Abdullah alias Abu Hanifah alias Abu Kembar alias Jack; Aprimul Hendry, alias Abu Dim alias Mul bin Arifin; Ridwan Sungkar, alias Abu Bilal alias Iwan alias Ewok; Ahmad Junaedi, alias Abu Salman; Abdul Hakim Munabari, alias Abu Imad; and Helmi Muhammad Alamudi, alias Abu Royan. All seven were pronounced guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of committing acts of terrorism that violated the Terrorism Law, the judges said in their verdict. The heaviest sentence of five years was handed to Tuah, who was found guilty of spreading hatred and messages of terrorism through his website. He was also fined Rp 5 million (US$367) or ordered to stay an additional three months in prison. "Alhamdulilah (thank God), I accept the verdict," Tuah told the judges. Meanwhile, Ridwan and Munabari were sentenced to four years and three years, respectively. Both of them accepted the verdicts. Helmi was sentenced to three years and six months and fine Rp 100 million or ordered to spend an additional three months in prison. The judges said Helmi facilitated the sending of 39 Indonesians to Syria to join IS. "The convict has been proven to have facilitated acts of terror,' said judge Syahlan, adding that Helmi provided, collected and lent funds for acts of terror. Abi Sambasi, Helmi's lawyer, said his client had not decided whether he would appeal. He claimed he had done nothing wrong but had simply donated money he earned from his ticket business to an Islamic boarding school. 'He had no other motivation,' Abi said. Koswara was sentenced to four years for facilitating Indonesians to go to Syria, while Junaedi and Aprimus were each sentenced to three years in prison. (bbn)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin N. Adri (The Jakarta Post) Balikpapan Wed, February 10, 2016 Six orangutans were flown from Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang to Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Wednesday, from where they will be transported to Nyaru Menteng in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, via trucks. 'They were returned from Thailand. We will bring them to Nyaru Menteng, because based on DNA examinations, they are Central Kalimantan orangutans or Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii,' said Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) CEO Jamartin Sihite on Wednesday. The return of the six orangutans to Central Kalimantan is part of government efforts since September 2015 to repatriate the mammals. Overall, the government has returned 16 orangutans smuggled abroad to Indonesia. Sihite said two out of the six orangutans rescued were female baby orangutans called Puspa, 10 months, and Moza, 3 years old. The two baby orangutans were returned from Kuwait. Apart from the six orangutans, he said, BOSF would also release one baby orangutan, called Junior, rescued during a smuggling attempt at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. 'Those orangutans still need to be rehabilitated before they are released back to the forests,' said Sihite. While awaiting the results of their DNA examination, the seven orangutans had been treated in the quarantine facility of Indonesia's biggest public zoo, Safari Park, in Cisarua, West Java. Sihite said Puspa would be handed over to the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP), which is headquartered near Medan, North Sumatra, and led by Ian Singleton. 'From the DNA examination results, we know that Puspa is a Sumatran orangutan or Pongo pygmaeus abelii,' said Sihite. 'Moza, Junior and two pairs of mother and baby orangutans returned from Thailand will go back to BOSF in Nyaru Menteng, near Palangkaraya,' he went on. The return process involves the directorate general of Natural Resources Conservation and Ecosystem at the Environment and Forestry Ministry, the Indonesian Orangutan Forum (FORINA), BOSF, the Safari Park, the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology and low-cost carrier Sriwijaya Air. Sihite said he was apprehensive about Puspa's and Moza's cases, because they had been smuggled to Kuwait on a commercial flight. This meant they had been smuggled via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, which should have applied tighter security procedures to prevent wildlife smuggling. He urged greater commitment from all parties to stop wildlife trade and smuggling. 'A lack of such commitment has led to Puspa and Moza being stranded in Kuwait,' he said. (nov/ebf)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Wed, February 10, 2016 Yogyakarta is the repository of Javanese culture, a famed center for intellectuals and students. But the city is gaining a less attractive renown: With 26 people, most of them university students, recently passed away after consuming illegally produced alcoholic concoctions, the city is making a name for itself as a haven for bootleg liquor. Sales of the bootleg booze, known locally as oplosan, have been mushrooming since the 1990s and the drink can be easily sourced in every corner of the city, which is home to some 120,000 university students. Some vendors sell the drink openly, others keep their trade underground. Many denizens of Yogyakarta ' considered to have a relatively low cost of living ' prefer oplosan to beer because of the price disparity and greater alcohol content. A 300 milliliter bottle of oplosan with alcohol content of around 40 percent is sold for around Rp 30,000 (less than US$3), while a 330-ml can of Bintang-brand beer with alcohol content of 4.7 percent costs around Rp 18,000. 'Oplosan is both bitter and sweet. As it flows down your throat, the burning sensation is fiercer than with other drinks,' said a Yogyakarta State University (UNY) student by the name of Arcie on Tuesday. Like any other university student on a budget, Arcie usually chips in with friends to buy several bottles of oplosan for a drinking binge. 'We drink when we are bored with our studies and societies. We have a lot of homework, but even though I drink frequently, I never fall behind,' he claimed. The illegal distribution of oplosan has been making headlines in the city after 26 people died in separate incidents last week after consuming brews sold by a number of vendors. The police arrested a couple from Depok district who allegedly produced and sold the oplosan consumed by some of the victims, including nine students from the remote and indigent province of Papua. Local musician Gonjes Matopane said drinking oplosan was habitual among youngsters because of the drink's low price. He added that the concoctions often proved lethal, however, because producers experimented with the addition of any number of substances. 'They often experiment by mixing the brew with various substances to increase the intoxicating effect,' said Gonjes. Based on his experience, consumers often mix oplosan with paint thinner, mosquito repellent, sedatives, ethanol and soft drinks. A Yogyakarta oplosan seller initialled J said most of his customers were university students, blue-collar workers and other low-income citizens. He explained that he did not produce oplosan daily, but worked to order. 'When there's orders, or on special occasions, we may produce 20 liters of oplosan. We sell a bottle of oplosan for Rp 30,000, but sometimes the youngsters haggle the price down to Rp 20,000,' said J. He claimed that oplosan was in reality harmless, as producers always tasted the brew before bottling and selling it, and professed ignorance as to the cause of the recent spate of deaths. 'Perhaps they didn't feel drunk after drinking a liter of oplosan, so they just kept drinking,' J hazarded. An expert team from Sardjito General Hospital in Yogyakarta found high methanol content in the blood of an oplosan drinker who was treated and later died at the hospital. In large doses, methanol attacks the central nervous system, weakening the victim, who eventually suffocates. Forensic expert Lipur Riyantiningtyas said that methanol content above 15 milligrams in human blood could be fatal. 'Just 15 milligrams can cause blindness, as it destroys the eye nerves,' she said. Faisal Haryono, a physician at Sardjito Hospital, said those who had died had arrived in the early hours, already unconscious. 'We might have saved them, if they'd been brought to the hospital earlier,' said Faisal. 'It's been a tough week. Many young and bright individuals have left us in such a regrettable way.' _________________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Barbara UnmAssig (The Jakarta Post) Berlin Wed, February 10, 2016 Underneath all those hot regional conflicts, another war is being fought ' one that is conducted much more silently and stealthily. This silent war is nevertheless bound to have a big impact on the global stage. It undermines the very foundations of social progress and stronger democratic rights for hundreds of millions of people around the world. This war is conducted by governments in as many as 50 countries, ranging from India to Egypt, Peru and Bolivia to Cambodia, and prominently including Russia and China. These governments are systematically eroding the operating space of civil society, mainly by issuing a raft of new laws and regulations that impede the work of NGOs. Measures taken range from sheer intimidation to arrest ' and also include licensing requirements, office closures, the blocking of websites as well as the freezing of accounts. Serving as the co-head of one of Germany's largest foundations, in our case one primarily focused on promoting sustainable development and civic rights, I know that NGOs can be controversial anywhere, including in our own country, Germany. But ultimately, that is their essential role. Their purpose and function is to provide ideas and inputs into the very challenging task of advancing societies. Governments everywhere, including those in the Western world, are under great pressure these days. It is not becoming any easier to manage people's aspirations and secure or improve their livelihoods. But civil society plays a critical role in that task, including many NGOs founded and based in developing countries and operated by these countries' citizens. To their credit, and to their society's benefit, an increasing number of NGOs in developing countries have managed to build up networks of intellectual and operational, as well as in some cases financial, support from well-established NGOs in the Western world. It is understandable ' and entirely legitimate ' that the role of foreign NGOs receives critical attention. And while there may be some 'bad apples,' my experience ' based on well over two decades of working in this field and covering a vast range of activities in many countries ' is that there are very few such cases. That is why I am very concerned about the present wave of broadly levied ' and often unspecified ' charges that foreign NGOs improperly seek to influence the domestic affairs in these countries. For example, Russian lawmakers claim they merely want to ban 'undesirable' groups that want to achieve the overthrow of Russia's government. China says domestic 'social organizations' are spreading 'Western values.' In Bolivia, the Vice President alleges NGOs are 'lying and political meddling' in pursuit of 'transnational imperial policy.' And India has accused what it described as 'political' (but what is really environmental) NGOs of delaying infrastructure projects in the 'national interest' on behalf of foreign parties. The key point here is simple: NGO activity everywhere essentially follows a demand model. Where there is a problem, it tends to be a good thing if both the government as well as nongovernmental actors respond to the challenge at hand. NGOs, foreign and domestic, add their competence, capacities and their sense of caring to dealing with these problems. Seeking to push them into the sphere of illegality, whether this strategy is applied to domestic NGOs and/or to their foreign NGO partners, ultimately yields no benefits. The reason for that is clear: The underlying problems don't go away. Rather, the opposite effect is achieved. By hampering the work of the NGOs, fewer hands and minds can be brought to bear on resolving the actual problems. It is a long journey to resolve the various vexing problems that societies face, beginning with our home countries. Coincidentally, that is also why, virtually nobody who leads an NGO in the developed world is under any illusion that, say, 'the West' has the answers for everyone else. But it is far better to benefit from one another's experience, learn from one another and collaborate with each other than pursue go-it-alone solutions. Just as this go-it-alone approach has failed as a strategy with regard to national economic development, so it is bound to be with the social and political development of nations. __________________________________ The writer is Co-President, Heinrich Boell Foundation, Berlin, Germany. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Suzan Fraser (The Jakarta Post) Ankara Wed, February 10, 2016 Turkey has summoned the U.S. ambassador to "convey unease" a day after the U.S. State Department spokesman said that, unlike Turkey, Washington doesn't recognize Syrian Kurdish forces as "terrorists." The issue has strained ties between the two allies and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even called on Washington to choose between Turkey and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, as its partner. A Foreign Ministry official said Ambassador John Bass was called to the ministry on Tuesday where a senior Turkish official expressed Ankara's concerns. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn't authorized to make public statements. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday: "We don't, as you know, recognize the PYD as a terrorist organization. We recognize that the Turks do." (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mehmet Guzel, Jamey Keaten (The Jakarta Post) Kilis Wed, February 10, 2016 Turkey must open its doors to the tens of thousands of Syrians who have massed at the border after fleeing violence, the U.N. demanded Tuesday, as an aide group said tents on the Syrian side are overcrowded and food in short supply. Turkey, already home to 2.5 million Syrian refugees, insists it has an open-door policy toward Syrians escaping conflict but has still kept the key Bab al-Salameh border crossing closed for days. Government officials say Turkey will provide assistance to the displaced Syrians within their own borders "as much as possible" and would allow them in "when necessary." UNHCR spokesman William Spindler asked Turkey on Tuesday to open the border to "all civilians who are fleeing danger and seeking international protection as they have done since the start of this crisis." Spindler also urged other nations to shoulder more of the refugee burden and to work to end the conflict. "The answer to this crisis is for the peace process to continue in Syria and for the conflict to be solved," Spindler said. The war in Syria against President Bashar Assad's government has killed over 250,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes since it began in 2011. In recent days, a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive around the country's largest city Aleppo has sent an estimated 75,000 Syrians fleeing toward the border with Turkey, according to Abdulsalam al-Shareef, a consultant for the Turkish charity group Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or IHH. The group, which has been distributing food, medicines and blankets at the border, said Tuesday it was expanding an existing displaced persons camp a few kilometers away from Bab al-Salameh and was "surveying" sites for possible new camps. "Today the situation got worse because yesterday night and (this) morning, Russian jets started bombing two big cities, Tel Rifaat and Marea," he said. "It is really a big disaster." Although some humanitarian aid has arrived, there is still quite a large need for basic humanitarian assistance because of the sheer scale of the situation, said Dalia al-Awqati, north Syria director for the Mercy Corps aid group. "The ability to provide individual shelter for new arrivals is definitely being challenged," she said. "The tents are definitely overcrowded and the food is overstretched." Al-Awqati added the displaced Syrians are not likely to return because their homes "are no longer accessible." On Tuesday, the U.N. also warned that hundreds of thousands of others in Aleppo could soon be cut off from humanitarian aid amid blistering Syrian and Russian airstrikes. The U.N. humanitarian office OCHA said 300,000 people could be cut off from aid if the Syrian government and allied forces encircle the city of Aleppo and deprive those fleeing from their last way out. OCHA said local leaders believe up to 150,000 people could try to flee to nearby Afrin and the surrounding countryside. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu estimated that up to a million more people could flee if the onslaught continues. The country's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu urged the world to speak out against Russia for "mercilessly bombing civilian targets" in Syria. He predicted that Russia would eventually retreat from Syria in "embarrassment" ' in a way similar to the Soviet retreat from Afghanistan. "Those ... who turned Syria into a bloodbath will certainly pay for it one day," Davutoglu said. Russia has insisted its warplanes target the Islamic State and other extremist groups and has firmly denied that they hit civilian areas. Several aid trucks could be seen moving Tuesday through Turkey's Oncupinar border crossing, opposite the Bab al-Salameh gate in Syria, which remained shut to refugees for the fifth straight day. One of the few Syrians who managed to cross into Turkey from Oncupinar recently was six-year-old Aya al-Sharqawi ' who was wounded in Russian airstrikes 10 days ago at her hometown of Tel Rifaat ' and her uncle, Abdelrahman al-Sharqawi. "I went to buy (biscuits)," the girl said from her hospital bed at the Kilis hospital. "When the plane came I started running. I was near the entrance of my sister's house when the plane came and dropped a bomb." Her uncle said the girl was first taken to a field hospital in Tel Rifaat, which then sent her to Turkey for further treatment. Also being treated at the Kilis hospital was Ejnad Akkad, a fighter for the opposition Free Syrian Army, who was wounded by a mine planted by the Islamic State group near the border with Turkey. "The Russian planes have decimated people. The (improvised explosive devices) and mines belonging to (IS) have also slaughtered people," he said. "The (Syrian) regime is advancing only thanks to the Russian warplanes and Shiite militias." At a joint news conference with his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest, Cavusoglu said Turkey was admitting refugees "in a controlled manner" and that 10,000 Syrians had been allowed in recently. He did not elaborate, and it was not clear if he was referring to the thousands of Syrian Turkmens who were admitted into Turkey earlier this month. The U.N.'s World Food Program said Tuesday it has begun shipping lentils, pasta, beans, vegetable oil, wheat flour, sugar and other items to the town of Azaz northwest of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey, and hopes to continue in coming days. "We are extremely concerned, as access and supply routes from the north to eastern Aleppo city and surrounding areas are now cut off," said Jakob Kern, the WFP country director for Syria. "But we are making every effort to get enough food in place for all those in need, bringing it in through the remaining open border crossing point from Turkey." (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Bassem Mroue (The Jakarta Post) Beirut Wed, February 10, 2016 The director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said he does not think the Syrian government of Bashar Assad is likely to collapse or be defeated in the near term because of increased support from Iran and Russia. He said Assad's forces will likely regain key territory in some key areas. "He certainly is in a much stronger negotiating position that he was just six months ago," Stewart said Tuesday speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart predicted, however, that Iranian and Russian interests in Syria will likely diverge because they won't share the stage there as a regional power. For now, however, Iran wants to maintain its relations with Moscow so it can purchase Russian arms without preconditions. Meanwhile, a suicide car bomber dispatched by the Islamic State group struck near a police officers' club in the Syrian capital on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and destroying a number of cars. Syrian state TV reported the toll and showed footage of the aftermath in Damascus, including several damaged vehicles and a burnt-out car. The police officers' club was next to a vegetable market. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group that tracks the civil war, said the blast killed eight policemen and wounded 20. The IS group claimed the bombing in a statement circulated by its followers on Twitter, saying it was carried out by a fighter known as Abu Abdul-Rahman al-Shami. It vowed more attacks. The blast came a day after an international rights group said Syrian government forces and the Russian military have been carrying out daily cluster bomb attacks over the past two weeks in Syria, killing 37 people. The Human Rights Watch report, released Monday, said that cluster munitions, which are widely banned, have been used in at least 14 attacks across five provinces since Jan. 26. The attacks killed at least 37 civilians, including six women and nine children, and wounded dozens, HRW said. Cluster bombs open in flight and scatter dozens of explosive munitions over wide areas. Some 98 States are party to a convention banning their use but several countries ' including Syria and Russia, as well as the U.S., China and Israel ' have not signed onto the ban. Syrian troops have been on the offensive in the northern province of Aleppo under the cover of Russian airstrikes in recent weeks in an attempt to besiege rebel-held parts of Aleppo city, the country's former commercial center. Last week, Syrian troops and their allies were able to lift a three-year siege imposed on the Shiite villages of Nubul and Zahra in Aleppo province. HRW said some of the recent attacks using cluster munitions occurred near the two villages. Opposition activists have said that Russia has been using cluster bombs since the start of its aerial campaign in Syria on Sept. 30. HRW previously documented at least 20 cluster munition attacks by the Russian-Syrian joint operation between Sept. 30 and Dec. 14. It called on Syria and Russia to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders said airstrikes hit a hospital run by the international charity in southern Syria's Daraa province, killing three people and wounding at least six, including a nurse. The group, also known as MSF, said the strike on Tafas field hospital, some 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from the Jordanian border, took place on Feb. 5. It said more than 20,000 people from Tafas town have fled to the surrounding countryside. MSF did not say who was behind the airstrike. Syrian troops and their allies, backed by Russian airstrikes, have also been on the offensive in the area. (ags) Read the digital edition 2020-09-25 E-Edition The Jewish Advocate is a not-for-profit reader-supported 501(c)3 organization. We rely on your donations which are tax-deductible. Police say a 68-year-old woman was attacked and robbed in broad daylight Tuesday after visiting a grocery store under the Manhattan Bridge. The incident happened in from of 68 Henry St., located between Forsyth and Market streets at about 11:45 a.m. A suspect came up to the woman, tore a pocketbook from her right shoulder and shoved her to the ground. The victim suffered a bad cut on her head. According to witnesses who spoke with the Post, she stumbled into the grocery at 75 East Broadway to get help. The woman was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital for treatment. The pocketbook contained about $200 in cash, plus a cell phone and credit cards. Police are still searching for a suspect. The Posts police blotter recounts another Lower East Side incident. This one happened at around 10:30 p.m. on Monday at the East Houston St./FDR Drive traffic circle. A man driving a white Nissan Altima went through a stop sign, barely missing another driver. The two cars met up at the next stop light on Houston Street. According to the Post, the driver of the Nissan became angry and said to the other driver, Shut the fk up. Im a cop. I will shoot you in the face. The suspect reportedly grabbed for the butt end of a firearm before both cars sped off. The 27-year-old victim called police to report the incident. Fire crews keep busy over holiday weekend The Millen Fire Department and North Jenkins Volunteer Fire Department received a call Friday afternoon, 10/7, regarding a house fire at 3579 Clayton Road. When fire crews arrived on the... Jenkins Grand Jury returns true bills The Grand Jury, in the Superior Court of Jenkins County has handed the following indictments during the September 2022 term: Davon LaChristopher JonesCharles Allen Webb Burglary in 2nd degree- 2... All aboard! The Jenkins County Senior Citizens Center recently took a Savannah Dinner Cruise. Thanks to the community for supporting our spaghetti dinner fundraiser and also helping with contributions and donations, we... Fair on the Square sees large crowds The 49th annual Fair on the Square saw the largest crowds in years. Despite having to reschedule due to Hurricane Ian that battered the Florida coast, and losing several vendors... Phuket sea gypsies seek answers to land dispute PHUKET: Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthamkuland yesterday (Feb 9) told a delegation of about 50 Phuket sea gypsies that he will conclude his investigation into the legitimacy of the Chanote land titles used by developer Baron World Trade Co Ltd to claim beachfront land disputed by Rawai sea gypsies as their own by this Friday (Feb 12). By Eakkapop Thongtub Wednesday 10 February 2016, 02:59PM The Rawai sea gypsies also delivered the same formal letter to the Phuket Land Office. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Security personnel were present as the Rawai sea gypsies gathered outside Phuket Provincial Hall. Photo: PR Dept Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthamkuland (right) looks over the assembly of Rawai sea gypsies gathered outside Phuket Provincial Hall. Photo: PR Dept Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada tasked V/Gov Prajiad with heading an investigative committee to resolve the dispute at a meeting on February 2. (See story here.) The meeting was called after the dispute escalated into violent clashes between members of the sea gypsy community and employees of developer Baron World Trade Co Ltd, which is aiming to develop the land into a villa resort. (See story here.) Gov Chamroen gave V/Gov Prajiad seven days to conclude his investigation. That seven days expired yesterday. The committee will conclude their finding within the next few days. We will know the outcome by Friday, V/Gov Prajiad said. The delegation of Rawai sea gypsies, led by Niran Yongpan, handed V/Gov Prajiad a formal letter explaining their description of events leading up to the violent clashes, and their ancestral claim to the land. The investigation is taking too long, Mr Niran said, adding that that officials allegedly wanted the land in dispute to be handed over to Baron World Trade. But the villagers have been fighting to not let that happen and to keep the land as a public area for everyone, Mr Niran said. Mr Nirans remarks follow Dr Prajiad and a slew of officials mobilising last Friday (Feb 5) to mark out a three-metre wide path along the beachfront so that sea gypsies can access their longtail boats, with which they eke out a meagre living. (See story here.) However, the Balai shrine that the sea gypsies use for prayers and religious ceremonies is not included within the pathway marked out, and officials have to rule whether the shrine can stay where it is currently located and that sea gypsies can have free access to it, or whether they will order that the shrine be moved. Another delegation from the Rawai sea gypsy community yesterday handed another copy of the letter to the Phuket Land Office. Meanwhile in Bangkok, a group of about 30 sea gypsies arrived at Government House to seek help from Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan to settle the land dispute. (See story here.) Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon on January 27 ordered state agencies to find a solution to the land dispute conflict that led to attacks on the Rawai sea gypsies. Gen Prawits remarks prompted interior permanent secretary Kritsada Boonrat to issue an urgent order to every provincial governor to help solve land disputes. (See story here.) Poor test scores spur reform bid The persistent failing of core subject examinations by Thai students, despite higher budgets every year, reflects glaring discrepancies in the countrys education, according to specialists. By Bangkok Post Wednesday 10 February 2016, 08:48AM Thai students on average fail eight of every nine international standard test. Photo: Bangkok Post The results of the 2016 national tests in nine core subjects for Mathayom 6 (Grade 12) students organised by the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (Niets) show that Thai students failed eight out of nine subjects on average. Of nine core subjects, each comprising a total of 100 marks, Thai had the highest average score at 56.65, while the mean results for the other eight subjects Social Science, English, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and General Sciences were less than 50. The last two subjects were introduced in the tests for the first time this year, increasing the subjects to nine from seven in previous years. A total of 179,968 students participated in the tests. The phenomenon of students scoring over 50 marks in Thai only has persisted for the past five years. Sompong Jitradup, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn Universitys faculty of education, said the exams for the nine core subjects were designed to evaluate students who applied for admission at 27 universities nationwide. Since the universities consider applicants based on their scores for admission, the exam is considered one of the most important and difficult tests. Students who have never used tutorial services would find the exam too difficult for them to finish within two hours. I think most students just guessed the answers they did not know, Mr Sompong said. Still, Mr Sompong said the public should not jump to the conclusion that the competence of all Thai students is poor based on these test results as some students also got perfect scores in several subjects while very few got zeros in the tests. In my opinion, I think we should not pay much attention to the average scores of the tests of the nine subjects as they may not reflect the true performance of Thai students, Mr Sompong said. Most concerns arising from the exam results are about the inequality and discrepancies in the Thai education system as this can be seen by the wide gap between the scores of urban and rural students, he said. According to World Bank data, the level of knowledge among rural students in Thailand is about three years behind students in urban areas due to the lack of qualified teachers and because rural students cannot pay for private tutors. What we should be concerned about is how to narrow this gap, not how to improve the average scores in the exam because if this gap gets wider, the average scores will never get better and could get worse, he said. Amornvit Nakornthap, an education academic and former spokesman of the Education Ministry, said revealing just the average scores in nine core subjects is quite useless. He suggested that Niets classify the scores according to area or the size of the school. The poor scores are believed to be from small schools mostly in rural areas while most students in urban areas and from leading schools are believed to have got higher scores, Mr Amornvit said. The inequality in the education system is the biggest issue, he said. Mr Amornvit said Niets should change the way it collects statistics about the tests. The scores should be clearly classified between urban students, rural students, students at leading schools and students at small schools so the data can be much more useful, he said. If we know in which specific areas students have problems, the government can use its resources and budget to target those places. But the data we have got today is quite useless, he said. Mr Amornvit said Thailand at present has about 15,000 smaller schools in rural areas that have less than 120 students each. Meanwhile, most teachers in such smaller schools usually only spend about two years teaching before submitting requests to be transferred to more developed areas. The ministrys regulations require teachers to teach at a school for at least two years before requesting transfers. So it is hard for students to achieve academically in these circumstances, he said. Education Minister Gen Dapong Ratanasuwan yesterday (Feb 9) said he has ordered Deputy Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin to analyse the Niets exams to find out whether they are too difficult. The Niets director told me the exams were designed to focus on students critical thinking. However, the exam should not be too difficult because students in provincial areas are not familiar with this kind of exam, Gen Dapong said. Read original story here. Invited by Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, political science major and College Republicans president George Lane got the opportunity to speak at the Iowa Republican Caucus. 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 Watertown to host state Cheer & Dance: Here's what you need to know Canadas biggest auto show opens its doors to the public this Friday at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. From free gas to test drives, seeing a McLaren F1 to playing an Xbox One, heres your guide covering everything there is to experience before the show closes on Sunday, Feb. 21. A: Art and the automobile A wonderful collection of extraordinary vintage cars, all set against a backdrop of the original advertising that promoted them. The oldest is a 1904 Oldsmobile, but its followed closely by a 1908 McLaughlin-Buick a foundation car for General Motors. There are 17 in all, including a 1930 Duesenberg Model J, a 1935 Auburn Boat-tail Speedster, and, perhaps the rarest in the collection, the American LeBaron-bodied Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS, one of only two constructed, that took Best in Show honours at the 2013 Cobble Beach Concours dElegance. Come see them all on the 700 level of the South Building. B: Basketball The NBA All-Star Game is at the nearby Air Canada Centre on the Auto Shows opening weekend, so Fords given its collection of performance vehicles a basketball theme. No need to jump through hoops to see them just head to the Ford booth. C: Cars and stars A showcase of celebrity-owned vehicles. Dont miss the yellow 1969 Corvette of TV chef Guy Fieri. D: Drugged driving Its as dangerous to drive stoned or high as it is to drive drunk, but sometimes we need a reminder. Go to Fords booth to wear a drugged-driving suit that clouds your reactions in the same manner to appreciate the consequences. E: E-tron Take a real test drive of Audis innovative E-tron, to see what its like to drive a plug-in hybrid electric car. Sign up at the Audi booth. F: Fan cars Five lucky members of the public are showing off their cars and vying for a top prize of $5,000, presented by the Toronto Star. Their cars were chosen from more than 75 vehicles entered online to be featured at the show: a 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, a 1936 Ford pickup Copperhead, a 1974 Citroen 2CV, a 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1, and a 2011 Ford Mustang GT. Come vote for your favourite. G: Gas giveaways Save $4 on fuel by visiting the Esso booth in the North Building just ask for a free Price Privileges card, worth five cents a litre on your next fill up of up to 80 litres of gas. Also, enter to win free gas for a year at the CAA booth in the South Building. Somebodys going to win it could be you. H: Hot rods Come to the 700 level of the South Building to see how cars would have been chopped, lowered and modified back in the 1950s, with a collection of hot rods that includes a 1954 Ford F-100, 1925 Ford Model T Roadster pickup, and a 1949 Chevy Coupe. Many were built at Binbrook Speed & Custom, near Hamilton, Ont. Im not reinventing the wheel here, but Im also not building something that comes out of a box, says garage owner Keith MacIntyre. Every car is unique, every project is different. I: Indianapolis Six of the most iconic cars to ever compete at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are on display, on loan from the Speedways Hall of Fame Museum. This year will be the 100th running of the race, and the cars represent 65 years of that century at the Brickyard: a 1914 Duesenberg, 1935 Ford V8 Miller, 1950 Cummins Diesel, 1968 Lotus Type 56 Wedge Turbine, 1968 Rislone Special, and 1979 Norton Spirit. J: Jaguar F-Pace Jaguars first entry into the hottest car demographic of them all, the F-Pace is a luxury compact performance SUV. It was first shown at the Frankfurt auto show last fall, but this is its Canadian debut. K: Kreater Prefer motorcycles? Torontos Kreater Customs has 10 very special, hand-built choppers on display, each worth $150,000-$300,000. Owner George Tchor will also be building a custom bike at the stand, shared with the Hot Rods exhibit on the 700 level of the South Building. The plan is to fire it up on the last day of the show. L: Learn Find out more about the Auto Show by taking a free guided tour with a student from the Automotive Business School of Canada. There are three 90-minute tours each day, leaving from the ticket counter in the North Building lobby at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., and its first come, first served. Or for $15, join a group of up to 12 people at 9:30 a.m. each day for a behind-the-scenes tour before the show opens. M: Muskoka Brewery restaurant Enjoy a craft beer and a pulled-pork sandwich at the Muskoka Brewery restaurant on the 600 level of the South Building. Kick back and relax for a while before heading back into the Auto Show. N: Niro Kias Niro concept was first seen at the Frankfurt auto show. Its here to demonstrate how ultralow emissions and a gas-electric hybrid powertrain can still look great. Tell the Kia people at the booth to put it into production! O: OMG! Its a McLaren F1! Probably the most expensive car ever to be displayed at the Auto Show the last F1 sold at auction fetched almost $14 million. This is a racing F1 GTR, and the only car to have ever won the 24 Hours of Le Mans on its first outing, in 1995. Its No. 17, driven by Johnny Cecotto, Danny Sullivan and Nelson Piquet. Its at the Pfaff booth and on loan from its owner, BMW North America, which made the 6.1L, V12 engine. P: Playcare Centre Give your kids and yourself a break by dropping them off for two to three hours at the Volkswagen Childrens Playcare Centre. Theres no charge for kids aged 3 months to 8 years old, and theres arts and crafts, dress-up and DVDs to keep them busy. Find the centre on the 600 level of the South Building. Q: Q60 Infinitis debuting its 2017 Q60 sports coupe at the Auto Show, after revealing the cars original concept at the show last year. Its high-performance 3.0L, V6 twin-turbo comes in two different states of tune: 300 horsepower or 400 hp. R: Rock the road raffle Buy a raffle ticket to win a customized 2016 Audi S5 coupe worth $119,000 from the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association; come see the car at level 300 of the North Building. S: Subaru Scavenger Hunt Download the Subaru Scavenger Hunt app (for both iOS and Android) and use it to explore the Auto Show. Follow clues, find checkpoints, and you might just win a Gap Adventure tour of your choice. T: Tuners Cant get enough of one-off specials? Eurocharged Canada brings a collection of street-tuners to the show, at the 700 level of the South Building. Some of the top tuners in the region have their best vehicles on display, alongside luxury performance cars, including an Audi R8 and Ferrari 458. U: U2 Not U2 the band, but U2 the Toyota: an urban utility concept vehicle thats never been seen anywhere in the world before the Auto Show. From its retracting roof panels, to its uniquely configurable utility rail system, the U2 offers a concept vehicle that is only limited by the imagination, says Cyril Dimitris, Vice President, Sales, Toyota Canada Inc. Our North American design team left no stone unturned in masterfully creating a concept vehicle that truly embodies the spirit of todays Maker culture from the inside out. V: Volkswagen family admission ticket For two adults and two kids aged 7-12, its $45 if purchased before the show opens, the cheapest way to visit the show and is valid every day, including Family Day. W: Wrap Sekanskin of Mississauga will demonstrate every day how to properly wrap a car in vinyl, either to carry a promotional message or just to make it look really sharp. Thinking about getting it done? Come see the right tools and techniques, and if youre at the show on the final Sunday, therell be a special unveiling. X: Xbox One Race at full speed, and if you crash, just reset and carry on all ages will love the challenge of Forza Motorsport 6 at the free Xbox One Gaming Area in the South Building. Y: Year Its been almost a year since the last Auto Show in Toronto, and a lots changed since then. Most of the vehicles on display now are updated or completely new from 2015. This will be the biggest gathering of new vehicles on display in the city this year. Z: Zzzzz Spend a day at the Auto Show and youll be tired by the end of it. About 650,000 square feet and 1,000 vehicles is a lot to take in. Bring the kids theyll sleep well after. SHARE: WASHINGTONThe U.S. Supreme Courts surprise decision Tuesday to halt President Barack Obamas climate change regulation could weaken or even imperil the international global warming accord reached with great ceremony in Paris less than two months ago, climate diplomats said. The Paris Agreement, the first accord to commit every country to combating climate change, had as a cornerstone Obamas assurance that the U.S. would carry out strong, legally sound policies to significantly cut carbon emissions. Over history, the U.S. is the largest greenhouse gas polluter, although its annual emissions have been overtaken by Chinas. But in the capitals of India and China, two of the worlds largest polluters, climate change policy experts said the Supreme Court decision threw the U.S. commitment into question, and possibly New Delhis and Beijings, too. If the U.S. Supreme Court actually declares the coal power plant rules stillborn, the chances of nurturing trust between countries would all but vanish, said Navroz K. Dubash, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. This could be the proverbial string which causes Paris to unravel. The Paris Agreement was a fragile and hard-fought consensus. The courts verdict does not block the climate change rule permanently but halts its enactment until legal challenges against it have been decided, a process that could take a year or more. Legal experts said the justices unprecedented decision to stop work on the rule before any court had decided against it appears to signal that the regulation could ultimately be overturned. If the American clean energy plan is overturned, well need to reassess whether the United States can meet its commitments, said Zou Ji, deputy director of the National Center for Climate Strategy and International Cooperation, a government policy think tank in Beijing. It had seemed that with the American commitments, it was possible to get on the right emissions path globally, said Zou, who was an adviser to the Chinese delegation at the Paris negotiations, by telephone. But without those commitments, that could be a blow to confidence in low-carbon development. In China domestically there is also resistance to low-carbon policies, and they would be able to say, Look, the United States doesnt keep its word. Why make so many demands on us? Inaction by the U.S. has long been the chief obstacle to meaningful global climate change agreements. India and China in particular resisted action absent a climate change policy in the U.S. Obama sought to change that by putting in place a set of aggressive but politically controversial rules to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. On the basis of those rules, Obama won agreements from China and India to enact their own pollution reduction plans, and helped push other countries into signing on to the Paris measure. Visiting Beijing in 2014, Obama made a joint announcement that both countries would enact concrete domestic policies to cut emissions. Over the past year, Obama worked closely with the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to bring India to the table for the Paris deal. Modi and many within India were resistant; the prime ministers top priority is to make cheap electricity available to the 300 million Indians who live without power. If the U.S. reneges on its commitments, it really would strengthen the hand of those who say Paris was ineffective and a bad deal for India, Dubash said. U.S. policy experts agreed that the Supreme Court decision might be the first of many fractures in the deal. The honeymoon for Paris is now definitely over, said John Sterman, a professor of management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who attended the Paris talks. Already, some people deeply familiar with the climate negotiations worry that the events in the U.S. could lead to a repeat of what happened after the signing of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the first major climate change treaty. Then U.S. Vice-President Al Gore, a staunch environmentalist, negotiated the treaty with other world leaders. But in Washington, the Senate voted against ratifying it. Then George W. Bush pulled the U.S. out entirely. The Supreme Courts decision particularly if it ultimately strikes down the rule will put U.S. climate policy, and its participation in the Paris Agreement, largely in the hands of the next president. While Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have pledged to continue and strengthen Obamas climate change agenda, the Republican contenders, including Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, have questioned or denied the science of human-caused climate change and have sharply criticized the Paris Agreement. Who can we negotiate with if the White House cant be sure if it can keep its promises? Zou asked. Not the Congress. Not the court. The division of powers creates a very complicated situation. Read more about: SHARE: A pattern is developing in Canadian politics. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet a group expected to be unfriendly or censorious. He will listen carefully to its position but make no firm commitment. To the surprise of his critics, he will emerge unscathed. The scenario keeps repeating itself. After each encounter, his adversaries accuse him of delivering empty platitudes or coasting on good will, but the people who were actually in the room say the prime minister was well-briefed, reasonable and understood their position. It happened last week in Calgary when he met oil company executives. He couldnt promise relief from plummeting crude prices or guarantee that a pipeline to either coast would be built on his watch. What he undertook to do was build a national consensus that getting Albertas landlocked oil to a sea port is in the interest of all Canadians. It happened the week before in Montreal, where he met the citys combative mayor. Denis Coderre had publicly declared his opposition to the Energy East pipeline. The pundits were primed for an embarrassing clash between the two Liberals. But after his audience with Trudeau, Coderre indicated that he could change his mind. It happened in November when he attended his first G20 summit meeting in Turkey. Critics of the fledgling prime minister warned he was in for a dressing down by world leaders over his decision to withdraw Canadas fighter jets from the U.S.-led coalition combat mission in Iraq and Syria. The timing could scarcely have been worse for Trudeau. The night he left for the summit, terrorists attacked Paris and killed 129 people. ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) claimed responsibility. Stemming a tide of retaliatory rhetoric, Trudeau stood his ground, saying Canada would bring home its CF-18s in March but contribute to the mission in other ways. If he faced reproach or pressure to reverse his stand, there was no report of it. On issue after issue his admission that his government couldnt meet its year-end deadline to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees; his acknowledgement that Canada faces a deficit of at least $3 billion this year; his decision to sign the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership Trudeau has escaped the day of reckoning his critics confidently predicted. Part of the reason is he is still in his post-election honeymoon, the brief period when a new leader is given the benefit of the doubt as he tackles the challenges of governing. A second possibility is that Canadians are tired of political upheaval. Theyve been through the longest election campaign in postwar history, a race marred by fear-mongering, race-baiting and corrosive incivility. Maybe a change in tone is all they need right now. There could be a certain amount of sympathy for the Liberals. Since they took office, the price of oil has dropped by 33 per cent, undercutting their revenue projections and ambitious plans. The most likely explanation is that Trudeau hasnt yet given his foes a substantive target. His government hasnt enacted any legislation, tabled its first budget, produced its climate change strategy, approved any pipelines or pulled a single warplane out of the Middle East (although it soon will). Although the first 100 days are a staple of political commentary, they are seldom a reliable guide to what lies ahead. No recent prime minister was faster off the mark than Stephen Harper. Within 64 days of taking office he had his Federal Accountability Act before Parliament. Yet he ran one of the most secretive, impenetrable governments in memory. No one would have guessed from Brian Mulroneys first 100 days in office that his legacy would be free trade with the United States. He waited a year before announcing his intention to negotiate what was then the worlds largest free trade agreement. Jean Chretien certainly didnt look like a deficit-slayer in his early days. He pledged to reduce the federal deficit to 3 per cent of Canadas GDP. Within four years he blew past that goal. By the time he stepped down in 2000, Canada had a $24.7-billion surplus. What generally becomes clear early in a prime ministers tenure is his style of leadership, approach to governing and character. Trudeau is a team captain, not a one-man team. He takes his time assessing challenges before acting. He places a high priority on communicating directly with Canadians. And he is not immune to having fun. None of that is likely to change. Carol Goars column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. SHARE: Re: Canada to end bombing mission against ISIS, triple size of training troops, Feb. 8 Canada to end bombing mission against ISIS, triple size of training troops, Feb. 8 When Canada was not invited to a recent meeting in Paris to discuss strategies going forward in the fight against ISIS, it was clear other countries felt we were no longer in the fight. By putting more military trainers on the ground, now without Canadian air support, Justin Trudeau is raising the risk of Canadian casualties. It seems keeping his election promise is more important than continuing the bombing mission that has prevented ISIS taking over even more territory in Iraq and Syria. Canada has never cut and run when any group has threatened world peace, as ISIS continues to do, and we should not be doing that now. We certainly should not be relying on other countries to protect our national security interests. Larry Comeau, Ottawa SHARE: Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener. The longer oil prices remain low, the more stress there will be in the markets, Jim Cramer told his Mad Money viewers Tuesday after another day where stocks moved almost in lock-step with the price of crude. Why are the markets so focused on oil? Cramer said it's because of Chesapeake Energy (CHK) and all of the other oil producers we don't yet know about. He explained that Chesapeake borrowed big and made big bets on oil when prices were much higher. Now the company's debt load is a huge problem for Chesapeake and the banks that loaned it money. Cramer said the markets are not ready for these upcoming oil company defaults. But as bad as these defaults may be for the energy sector, it will be worse for the banks. Bank of America (BAC) , a stock Cramer owns for his charitable trust, Action Alerts PLUS, disclosed it has over $17 billion in energy-related loans on its books, and that is far too much exposure for a bank that is still recovering from its housing-related missteps. Then there are the foreign banks, mainly those in Europe. Unlike the U.S. where more stringent lending and reserve requirements were put into place after 2008, no one really knows how many oil- and commodity-related loans the European banks have, or if they can handle them. All of these unknowns are the reasons why investors are seeing the markets so linked to the price of oil, Cramer concluded. That linkage will continue as the pain from the oil patch ripples through the system. Off the Charts In his "Off the Charts" segment, Cramer checked in with colleague Bob Lang over the charts of "FANG," his acronym for Facebook (FB) , Amazon.com (AMZN) , Netflix (NFLX) and Alphabet (GOOGL) , formerly Google. Both Facebook and Google are Action Alerts PLUS holdings. Cramer noted that since introducing FANG in February 2013, the four high-growth stocks are up 250%, 81%, 246% and 83%, respectively. But recently FANG has also been in the grip of the bear, prompting a re-evaluation from Lang. Using long-term monthly charts, Lang noted that Facebook has remained above its 20 and 30-day moving averages for almost nine years. The Chaikin money flow has also confirmed the uptrend. Google and Netflix displayed a similar pattern, with pullbacks to the 20-month average but all part of a healthy uptrend. Taking a shorter-term view with a daily chart, Lang saw Facebook's floor of support at its 200-day moving average, and the possibility of returning to its old highs if the 50-day average can be breached. As for Alphabet, Lang called out the recent morning star pattern, which could take those shares back to their 50-day moving average. Lang saw the daily chart of Amazon being problematic, however, as that stock has dipped below the 200-day moving average on high volume, making Amazon a tough chart to gauge. He was more bullish on Netflix, however, as that stock has a floor of support around $80 a share. Cramer agreed with Lang's analysis that the long-term bullish thesis of FANG continues, but shorter term there may be more pain ahead before things start to get better. Extreme Valuations The market's wild mood swings have created some extreme valuations, Cramer told viewers, as he examined the disparity between American Airlines (AAL) and Ford (F) , which trade at just five times earnings, and the consumer packaged-goods stocks of Procter & Gamble (PG) and Clorox (CLX) , which trade at 23 and 25 times earnings. The airlines and the automakers are trading at 52-week lows, Cramer explained, and that signals a recession is coming and the earnings estimates for these groups are significantly too high. Meanwhile, the packaged-goods stocks, which are trading near 52-week highs despite having sub-4% growth rates, are also signaling recession. These are the stocks with dividends that investors flock to in times of panic. These two different groups are signaling the same thing, only in very different ways. Cramer said of the consumer group, he likes Procter the best. Executive Decision: Kevin Plank For his "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer unveiled more of his recent interview with Kevin Plank, chairman and CEO of Under Armour (UA) . Every aspect of Under Armour's products, whether it be the fit, fabric, form or function, is true to the brand, Plank continued. That's how his company has become so important to its customers. When asked why he chose Baltimore, Plank said the city "felt like home." Unlike New York or Washington, D.C., Baltimore is still largely under appreciated for what it has to offer companies that are based there. Lightning Round In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on Blackstone Group (BX) . Cramer was bearish on Lannett (LCI) , PacWest Bancorp (PACW) and Charles Schwab (SCHW) . Executive Decision: Martin Richenhagen In his second "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer spoke with Martin Richenhagen, chairman, president and CEO of agricultural equipment maker Agco (AGCO) , which delivered a 1-cent-a-share earnings beat when it reported last week, only to see shares plunge 9%. Richenhagen said that business is slowly improving in Europe, where he expects sales to only be down by 5% in 2016. He noted that in that region, Agco has four established brands that are helping to maintain marketshare. Meanwhile, here in the U.S., Richenhagen said Agco competes with a large competitor, John Deere (DE) . Agco is preparing to get more aggressive in the Americas, however, by launching a new, high-tech tractor that will give farmers 500 horsepower in a more compact, fuel-efficient package. To watch replays of Cramer's video segments, visit the Mad Money page on CNBC. To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter with all of his latest articles and videos please click here. At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had a position in BAC, FB and GOOGL. Editors' pick: Originally published Wednesday, Feb. 10. After six seasons of vicariously experiencing the regal lifestyle of the British nobility, their fabulous castles and manors, to-die-for clothing and enviable legions of tuxedoed personal servants, Downton Abbey fans may be wondering how they'll get their aristocracy fix when the popular PBS show ends. Saying goodbye to the marvelous Crawleys, Lord Grantham, Lady Mary and the entire colorful lot of them will be challenging indeed. We can only hope that another equally accurate and well-written show comes along again, allowing us to pick up where we leave off with the Grantham dynasty in a few weeks - perhaps bringing us up to date with British aristocracy through the 1980s? Would that be too much to ask? In the meantime, however, it turns out there are other ways to continue your study of life as a member of nobility, that are far more satisfying then reading every last bit of tabloid news about the comings and goings of Princes William and Harry or Duchess Kate. Dust off your best tuxedo (or rent one if need be), because for those who can afford it, the 7th Earl of Erne, John Crichton, is waiting to host you in his sprawling Crom Castle, providing a real life glimpse of a nearly extinct world. It's one that at its height included footmen, under butlers, afternoon teas and drinks in the drawing room. Crichton, whose family has lived in Crom Castle for centuries, has recently taken over the property from his father. And as part of a valiant effort to preserve the costly home for future generations of the family, Crichton is offering small groups of travelers the opportunity to spend three nights as his personal guests. In other words, you too will have servants dashing off to accommodate every need. Carson, Mrs. Patmore are you there? "You're getting to meet an Earl who is as highly ranked as Lord Grantham was in the fictional show Downton Abbey, and you will be treated like royalty by his staff," says Mark Stiles, whose travel company Blaycation, is the exclusive representative of the experience. As VIP guests at Crom Castle, which is located in the heart of Ireland's lake district, you will be wined and dined by the gregarious and very accessible Crichton. There will be formal dinners, boat rides, introductions to the region's other lords and ladies and visits to other stately homes. Or as the Earl likes to say, you will be immersed in the aristocratic experience 21st Century style. "I'm offering the opportunity to come to a very, warm hospitable and cozy aristocratic castle -- to come and be entertained," the 7th Earl of Erne himself explained during a Skype interview from the castle's west wing. The current castle on the property was built for the third Earl of Erne in the 1830s. It was designed by the same architect who was responsible for many sections of Buckingham Palace. Speaking of the British monarchy - they are personal friends of the Crichton family. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip dined at the castle in 2012, and Prince Charles spent the night there. How's that for aristocratic credentials? "Throughout the years we would sail and socialize, and give amazing house parties," Crichton says of the nearly 20,000-square-foot castle he calls home. "We would welcome members of the aristocracy and dignitaries." Like nearly all proper aristocratic children, Crichton was sent off to boarding school early in his childhood. But he has fond memories nevertheless of growing up at the castle, which under his father, the 6th Earl's leadership, had about 22 servants, including footmen, a butler and cook. "I was a huge fan of Downton Abbey," the 44-year-old Crichton said. "I loved it, because it was quite close to home. The world has moved on now, though. It's not all about the aristocracy, or about titles. It's about the hard working person. I think the aristocratic duty days are disappearing. We are changing every day, with everything in life. The Downtown Abbey days were what they were, but now everyone is equal." The price for the opportunity to eat, sleep and play at Crom Castle like a member of the remaining nobility is $2,995 per person. The experience is only being offered about four times each year, says Stiles. The visits will take place in June, July, September and a final one later in the fall, he says. If just one Downton Abbey-esque experience isn't enough, there's a handful of other jaw dropping castles in England that also offer overnight stays of one sort or another - albeit without a modern day Earl as a personal host. Brocket Hall, in Hertfordshire, England, is a stunning and stately property that has its own illustrious history. It was home to two British prime ministers and hosted numerous royal figures including Queen Elizabeth I, King George IV and Queen Victoria. In fact, King George stayed at this home so frequently, he had a bedroom suite made to his exact specifications and the room remains the same today, replete with hand painted silk wallpaper imported from China. The property includes opulent public rooms, halls lined with priceless artwork and 30 bedrooms. It is available to rent on an exclusive basis and comes fully staffed with butlers, housekeeping and a private chef. Meanwhile, Belvoir Castle, a private estate located on more than 16,500 acres in Leicestershire, continues to serve as the residence of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland. However, much like Crichton, they have begun opening the doors of their home to the public. (The Crawleys would no doubt be horrified by all of this). "The castle is absolutely vast," says Rebecca Cole, managing director for Elysian Estates Limited, which lists the property. "There is a wing that the Duke and Duchess keep for themselves privately. And they only offer a small number of lettings each year." The Duke and Duchess allow a select few guests the opportunity each year to take over the castle's main state rooms and 12 bedrooms for a night, weekend or longer. The experience includes full catering, nightly turndown service, housekeeping and butler. Such rentals have become something of a necessity among many modern day aristocrats in order to maintain the historic homes for posterity. "I met with the Duchess, and she explained that it costs about 250,000 pounds a year just to maintain the roof, just one part of it," Cole explained. "And then there are the windows, things break and need replacing and updating, not to mention the running of it and the heating of it." One last stately home worth noting in this aristocratic home tour bonanza is Broughton Hall, in Yorkshire. The estate has been the seat of the Tempest family since the 10th century and is located on more than 3,000 acres. Like many of his aristocratic peers, the current owner, Roger Tempest, has decided to open his doors to the common folk, allowing them to stay at Broughton Hall on an exclusive use basis. The opportunity includes having access to all 16 bedrooms and the full staff - butler private chef and maids. "There aren't many of these homes left now, that are still private homes. They are all getting sold off or made into hotels," says Cole. "You are, in a sense, getting to walk in the footsteps of famous people from history, who have stayed in these homes." And if the final episodes of Downton Abbey are subtly, or not so subtly, about the breaking down of barriers between nobility and the rest of the us, here's a chance to traipse through those barriers yourself and experience a fading way of life. LONDON (The Deal) -- European stocks were back in positive territory on Wednesday as investors snapped up shares in companies including Deutsche Bank (DB) and Danish brewer Carlsberg (CABGY) . In London, the FTSE 100 added 1.29% to 5,705.08, while in Frankfurt the DAX gained 2.65% to 9,115.06. In Paris, the CAC 40 jumped 2.34% to 4,097.17. S&P 500 futures were up 1% at 1,867, ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's eagerly awaited testimony before Congress. In the U.K., the mood was slightly tempered by a greater-than-expected 1.2% monthly drop in U.K. industrial production in December, led by a 4% decline in mining and quarrying. But in most main markets across the region, deal news and bullish corporate outlooks lifted a number of stocks and inspired a return to buying. In Frankfurt, Deutsche Bank was up more than 10.5% after Bloomberg News reported that Germany's largest lender is thinking about buying back some of its debt, a day after CEO John Cryan reassured staff that the lender is "rock solid." Among other banks, Commerzbank added 7.63% in Frankfurt, BNP Paribas was up 6.82% in Paris, Unicredit climbed 13% in Milan and Greece's Eurobank Ergasias added 7.04% in Athens after a sharp decline on Tuesday. In Oslo, Opera Software (OPESY) soared 37% after the maker of Web software agreed to a $1.2 billion takeover offer from a group of Chinese buyers backed by mobile gaming developer Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. and Internet security specialist Qihoo 360 Technology (QIHU) . It was also a good day for Heineken (HEINY) and Carslberg, as the world's third- and fourth-largest brewers, respectively, gave bullish full-year outlooks that had investors raising their glasses. In Copenhagen, Carlsberg was up 4.75% following its forecast of low-single-digit organic operating profit growth in 2016 and a further reduction in financial leverage. The company, which said 2015 was challenging in Western and Eastern Europe but saw its Asian business grew, is due to unveil its new strategy in March. Heineken rose 0.63% in Amsterdam after the company said it expects to deliver further organic revenue and profit growth in 2016 "despite and increasingly challenging external environment." In 2015, Heineken's profit before exceptional items and amortization rose by 16.2% to 2.05 billion. In London, Pinewood Group climbed nearly 19%. The film studio whose credits include Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the latest Spectre James Bond film, said its expectations for the financial year ending on March 31 are higher than they were last December and said it had launched a strategic review of the business that could lead to a sale of the film studio. In Paris, Hermes International was up 1.38%, recovering from an initial decline after the French maker of luxury goods warned that sales growth this year could fall below the medium-term 8% target amid global economic, geopolitical and monetary uncertainties. Annual results for 2015 are due out in late March, with the company saying that operational profitability should be close to the 2014 figure of 31.5%, despite the diluting impact of currency fluctuations. Among decliners, Royal Ten Cate slid 0.47%. in Amsterdam. The Utrecht-based maker of fabrics for protective gear worn by firefighters, police and the armed forces, will soon be delisted from Euronext after a consortium led by Gilde Buy Out Partners BV said it had secured 98.01% of the shares, to be followed by a planned mandatory squeeze-out. In London, Tullow Oil (TUWOY) erased 7.34% after posting a wider-than-expected 2015 loss following writedowns exacerbated from falling oil prices. Broken down by category, the writedowns included $749 million for exploration, a $406 million pretax impairment charge and an "onerous" $186 million service contract the company blamed on much lower levels of exploration and appraisal drilling activity planned for the first half of 2016. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei fell 2.31% to 15,713.39, led by declines in mining companies including Sumitomo Metal Mining and Mitsubishi Materials on cuts in profit forecasts. NEW YORK (TheStreet) --Shares of Cerus Corp. (CERS) are advancing by 8.79% to $6.19 on heavy trading volume on Tuesday afternoon, as the company signed a multi-year purchase agreement with the American Red Cross for the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma. Concord, CA-based Cerus is a biomedical products company engaged in developing and commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System for blood safety. The treatment is designed to target and inactivate blood-borne pathogens, such as viruses like HIV and West Nile, while preserving the therapeutic properties of platelet, plasma and red blood cell transfusion products. The American Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood products in the U.S. "The INTERCEPT Blood System will serve as an intervention to protect patients against infection from emerging and potentially unknown blood-borne viruses, bacteria and parasites," said Dr. Susan Stramer, VP of Scientific Affairs at the Red Cross Biomedical Services, in a statement on Tuesday. About 6.56 million of the company's shares were traded by this afternoon, well above its average volume of 1.44 million shares per day. Separately, TheStreet Ratings Team has a "Sell" rating with a score of D on the stock. This is driven by a number of negative factors, which should have a greater impact than any strengths, and could make it more difficult for investors to achieve positive results compared to most of the stocks covered by the team. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its deteriorating net income, disappointing return on equity, weak operating cash flow and feeble growth in its earnings per share. Recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. You can view the full analysis from the report here: CERS CERS data by YCharts Hillary Clinton was beaten handily on Tuesday in New Hampshire, but her campaign is gladly looking South and West where her name recognition, field organization and longstanding relationships with African-American and Hispanic voters provides a formidable set of advantages against Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Yes, Sanders dealt Clinton a bruising defeat, 60% to 38.3%, according to The New York Times, and Clinton's staff is forced to grapple with lagging support from young people, both men and women. But Sanders voters in New Hampshire, one of the most liberal of Democratic states, cut across age and gender. He took 55% of women voters and 83% of those under 30, according to exit polls conducted by Edison Research. The long -- maybe too long -- presidential race moves next to Nevada on Feb. 20, where Latinos have become a larger part of the state's electorate, and a week later, to South Carolina, where a majority of registered Democrats are African-American. For Clinton, both primaries hold the possibility that she can steady a campaign that so far has failed to look unbeatable. For Sanders, it's another chance to beat expectations and continue his improbable run. "The question all along has been does Bernie have any reach into communities of color," Steve Schale, a Democratic strategist and former Barak Obama campaign organizer, said in an interview from Tallahassee. "A lot can happen between New Hampshire and South Carolina, but up until now, we don't have a lot of evidence that Sanders has been able to build a national campaign." As of late-January, Clinton held a nearly 30 percentage point lead over Sanders in South Carolina. Of course, those polls were conducted before the populist senator's New Hampshire victory, a win that can provide momentum and increased media attention on his underdog campaign. Sanders has already been outspent by Clinton $90.2 million to $46.8 million, but has seemingly used that money wisely. Nonetheless, Hillary Clinton has a head start in the South. Hillary and Bill Clinton have been politicking and campaigning in the South among African-Americans and liberal white voters for more than 30 years. First as the wife of the governor of Arkansas and then as First Lady and presidential candidate in 2008. To her advantage, voter registration among African-American woman tends to be higher than among men, and African-American officeholders in the South tend to be women. Her name recognition underscores the "firewall" that observers have said for months offers Clinton her best chance of defeating Sanders. In rather stark terms, the Democratic race is also breaking along generational lines, with younger voters, 30 and under, ironically going for the older candidate, Sanders, while older voters are leaning toward Clinton. Sanders, relatively unknown in the region, is expected to visit a lot of colleges. "It's the intersection of race and gender, and gender is a very important part of it," Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida, said in a phone interview from Tallahassee. "There are a lot of black colleges in the South as well, so it will be interesting to see how he's received on those campuses." Sanders is certainly banking on his message that the federal government needs to take more concrete steps to reverse income inequality. It's a message, of course, that has resonated especially well with younger voters. However, among African-Americans, who comprise a larger portion of registered Democrats in the South, the issue of race and civil rights is just as important, said Andra Gillespie, an associate professor of political science at Emory university. For Sanders to be successful in the South, Gillespie said, he'll have to make clear that he views race as much a factor in the making of income inequality as class. "The Clinton team is also probably relying on traditional factionalism between white progressives and blacks," Gillespie said in a phone interview from Atlanta. "Blacks want greater emphasis on civil rights issues while progressives, like Sanders, tend to frame everything in terms of class." To Sanders' credit, Gillespie said, he began talking more about the challenges that blacks and Latinos face because of their racial and economic identity following some peppery exchanges over the summer with Black Lives Matter activists. "Much will depend on whether Sanders has time to explain his message and win people over," Gillespie said. Clinton is also banking on the South proving to be more conservative than other parts of the country, less receptive to Sanders' "democratic socialist" moniker and more apt to embrace a Democrat from its establishment wing. The Super Tuesday primaries on March 1 of Georgia, Texas, Virginia and Tennessee look a whole lot different than Iowa or New Hampshire, said Schale. "Iowa and New Hampshire are two of the whitest states in all of the primaries," he said. "The coalition that got him to a tie in Iowa and a victory in New Hampshire is not a coalition that's going to carry him to victory in almost any other state in the union." Sanders' call for higher tax rates on the highest earners in order to fund new programs such as a single-payer health care, family leave and free college tuition has won ardent followers in Iowa and New Hampshire. Yet Clinton has made many of the same pronouncements, albeit on a lesser scale, promising to boost income for the middle class, raise taxes on the wealthy and require employers to allow for workplace flexibility. "Income inequality has long been a driving issue among African-Americans," MacManus said. "But will they be convinced that there's really that much difference between the two candidates -- I'm not sure they will." Yet campaigns are loaded with surprises, and indeed much is likely to happen over the next three weeks. The Clinton campaign, which was hoping for a narrower loss in New Hampshire, was hinting at a staff shake-up even before voters went to the polls on Tuesday. Sanders' best hope, Gillespie said, lies with leveraging the momentum built from his New Hampshire win to fuel a nascent but enthusiastic field operation combined with the possibility that Clinton's own ground game doesn't function as well as planned. In recent days, Schale says he's been fielding calls from party stalwarts unnerved by Sanders' steady rise in national polls. "My counsel to the Democrats who have been calling me to freak out over the last 24 hours, is let's wait to see what happens after South Carolina," Schale said. "I suspect that the race will level itself out." NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Deutsche Bank (DB) stock is rallying by 6.89% to $16.44 in pre-market trading on Wednesday, as the German bank considers buying back some of its debt. Shares of the company are down by about 36% so far this year amid a broader selloff among European banks, as investors worry about global growth and banks' profitability. Deutsche Bank stock is rebounding this morning on a potential buyback of several billion euros of its debt, the Financial Times reported. The purchase would underscore Deutsche Bank's belief that the market is undervaluing its securities. Should Deutsche Bank purchase its bonds above market prices, it's "effectively creating a floor" for senior notes "to discourage investors either selling or shorting risk," Roberto Henriques, a credit analyst at JPMorgan Chase, told Bloomberg. "They're attempting to invert the negative pressures we've seen on the CDS; 'stopping the rot', so to speak." Despite the recent drop in its stock price, the company remains "rock-solid," Co-CEO John Cryan wrote in a letter to colleagues yesterday. He noted that the bank's financial plans already set aside enough cash to pay bondholders and legal bills, the Wall Street Journal reports. Separately, TheStreet Ratings team rates the stock as a "sell" with a ratings score of D+. Deutsche Bank's weaknesses include its deteriorating net income, disappointing return on equity and generally disappointing historical performance in the stock itself. TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this article's author. DB data by YCharts Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen makes her semi-annual appearances before House and Senate committees today and tomorrow. No matter what she says, investors should be taking their cues from the performance of the global equity averages, which have all fallen deeper into bear market territory. The stock markets around the world are in "sell strength" mode, and that includes the five major averages in the USA as this "year of the bear" continues. Before we look at the major global here's a summary and charts of key markets. Here's the weekly chart for the U.S. Treasury 10-year note. Courtesy of MetaStock Xenith The weekly chart for the 10-year yield show that the 200-week simple moving average, now at 2.201% has been the "flight to safety" yield downtrend since the yield was as high as 5.333% in June 2007. The cycle low yield has been 1.381% set in July 2012. My proprietary analysts indicate that this yield will decline to 1.596% by the end of March. What investors should be concerned about is a decision by Janet Yellen to reverse course and cut rates into negative territory following the lead of the Bank of Japan. It is not working in Japan and it will fail in the U.S. as well. Savors in Japan are selling stocks to raise cash to live on, as the Japanese 10-year benchmark yield is fluttering at zero percent. Here's the weekly chart for the Comex gold futures. Courtesy of MetaStock Xenith The weekly chart for Comex gold is positive with the nearby futures contract above its key weekly moving average (in red) of $1,121.7, which targets the 200-week simple moving average (in green) of $1,344.1. This "flight to safety" is supported by rising weekly momentum as shown in red along the bottom of the chart. A key level on technical charts of $1,152.0 should hold on weakness through March, and a key level of $1,639.8 is the upside potential by the end of 2016. Here's the weekly chart for the Nymex crude oil futures. Courtesy of MetaStock Xenith The weekly chart for Nymex crude oil is negative but oversold with the nearby futures contract below its key weekly moving average (in red) of $33.14 with the 200-week simple moving average (in green) out of sight at $80.35. The weekly momentum reading is projected to rise to 18.92 this week up slightly from 18.19 on Feb. 5. For oil to be positive, there needs to be a weekly close above the key weekly moving average with momentum rising above the oversold threshold of 20.00. A key level to hold in February is $26.97, while a key level of $29.90 should remain a magnet through March. Rather than concentrating on the ups and downs of crude oil prices, and assuming that global monetary policies have been failures, focus on the fact that markets in Japan and India have followed Germany into bear markets, while the markets in China are closed this week in celebration of the "year of the monkey." Here's the daily chart for Japan's Nikkei 225. Courtesy of MetaStock Xenith The Nikkei 225 closed Wednesday at 15,713.39 down 17.4% year to date and now in bear market territory 25% below its multiyear high of 20,952.71 set on June 24. The horizontal lines are the Fibonacci Retracements of the decline from the multiyear high to the Sept. 29 low of 16.901.49. Note how the Japanese benchmark cascaded lower from above its 50% retracement of 18,928.02 at the end of 2015 to below all other retracements setting a new 2016 low of 15,429.99 on Wednesday. After the Bank of Japan announced its negative interest rate policy the Nikkei 225 spiked to its 23.6% retracement of 17,858.26 on Feb. 1, and since then has quickly lost more than 2,000 points. Investors are saying that if I can't earn anything on my savings, I cannot afford the risk of owning stocks. Here's the daily chart for India's Nifty 50. Courtesy of MetaStock Xenith The Nifty 50 closed Wednesday at 7,215.70 down 9.2% year to date and is now in bear market territory 20.9% below its March 4, 2015 high of 9,119.20. The Fibonacci retracements are from this high to the low of 7,539.50 set on Sept. 8. Note how India's benchmark cascaded lower from above its 23.6% retracement of 7,913.77 as 2016 began to below all other retracements setting a new 2016 low of 7,177.75 on Wednesday. The Reserve Bank of India continues to have its repo rate set at 6.75%. Here's the daily chart for Germany's Deutsche Boerse DAX. Courtesy of MetaStock Xenith The German DAX traded as low as 8,772.88 on Feb. 10 and is rising so far on Wednesday in anticipation that the European Central Bank may offer additional comments given the dovish comments expected from Janet Yellen Wednesday and Thursday, then rebounded as the U.S. markets opened higher. The German benchmark ended 2015 with a failed test of its 50% retracement of 10,857.65. These Fibonacci Retracements are from the April 10 high of 12,390.75 to the 2015 low of 9,325.05 set on Sept. 29. The German benchmark held the low end of the retracements of 9,323.88 on Jan. 20, and has been below this key level since the close on Feb. 5. The European Central Bank continues to pledge additional money printing but any bounce on ECB talk has been short-lived. Here's the daily chart for the S&P 500 undefined . Courtesy of MetaStock Xenith The S&P 500 closed Tuesday at 1,852.21, down 9.4% year to date and in correction territory 13.2% below its all-time high of 2,134.72 set on May 20. The benchmark for U.S. equities ended 2015 above its 61.8% Fibonacci Retracement from its all-time high to its Aug. 24 low of 1,867.01. Remember that Aug. 24, was called "Black Monday" in China and every major global average have set lower lows in 2016. The 61.8% retracement is 2,032.5. By Jan. 15 this index tested the Aug. 24 low, then rebounded to the 23.6% retracement of 1,930.22 on Jan. 29, which proved to be a "sell on strength" opportunity. The S&P 500 set its 2016 low of 1,812.29 on Jan. 20, and so has the Dow Jones Industrial Averageundefined and the Dow Jones Transportation Average. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. Editors' pick: Originally published Feb. 10. Intel (INTC) could be on the verge of losing its iron grip on the server-chip market, according to a Bloombergarticle last week. Citing anonymous sources familiar with the situation, the article said that Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google unit is planning to pledge its support for server chips from Intel rival Qualcomm (QCOM) . Given that Google is a huge customer of server chips, this would be a big blow for Intel, which Bloomberg estimates now supplies nearly 100% of the chips used in servers. Here's a look at the three companies involved in the deal and what it means for each of them. INTC data by YCharts Intel Personal computer sales are declining, which means there's less demand for the chips that power them. In this environment, Intel has been relying on its robust data center/server division to make up the lost revenue. In its fourth-quarter and full-year 2015 earnings report, revenue from Intel's client computing group (which includes PC and mobile chips) fell 8% in 2015, and overall revenue was lower than expected. The bright spot was the 11% growth in Intel's revenue from data centers. "Our data center business now is a $16 billion business," CFO Stacy Smith said onCNBC. "It's been growing in the double digits. It really is what's powering and fueling our profit and our growth." Those profits are at risk if Google leaves, as Google operates one of the largest data centers in existence. Google's orders in this segment were growing fast, which benefited Intel. By losing both this existing revenue source and the potential growth, Intel will have a big hole to fill. Intel has had to face competition in the past, but the company has overcome those challenges to attain its remarkable near-100% percent market share in chips. The potential loss of Google, however, could be a tough hurdle to surmount. QCOM data by YCharts Qualcomm This San Diego-based chipmaker is known for its work on mobile phones and tablets, with companies such as Microsoft, Amazon and Asus using Qualcomm processors. A break into the data center industry could pay off well for Qualcomm. According to Bloomberg's report, Google and Qualcomm have cooperated on design work and could announce the partnership as early as this week. If the processors meet performance standards, Google will commit further to the upstart rival of Intel. Qualcomm is coming off a strong quarter that exceeded expectations with $5.8 billion in revenue. Even so, Qualcomm beat guidance that it had lowered earlier in the year. It also lowered guidance for this quarter. Qualcomm's foray into data centers isn't unexpected, as the company announced its latest processors in fall of 2015. GOOGL data by YCharts Google When you're a company the size of Google, you have a leeway in dictating terms to vendors. Who knows what went on behind the scenes, but Google is looking to save money by going with a less expensive supplier that can fulfill its needs. Bloomberg reports that Google has tripled spending on data center equipment since 2011. Looking at the work Google's data centers have to handle, these big expenses aren't a surprise. In December 2015 alone, Google's search engine processed 11.1 billion searches on desktops, capturing a 64% of the market share. There's already an intense demand for Google's services, and continued growth is expected. If Qualcomm manages to deliver products that fulfill Google's needs, then it could be a lasting, beneficial partnership for both companies. Intel, however, will be the odd man out. You see Jim Cramer on TV. Now, see where he invests his money and why Alphabet and Qualcomm stock are core holdings of his multimillion-dollar portfolio. Want to be alerted before Jim Cramer buys or sells GOOGL or QCOM? Learn more now. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. The odds of a global recession are going up, and the evidence can be clearly seen in the Chinese economy, said Raman Srivastava, managing director of global fixed income at Standish Mellon Asset Management. "There will be more ripple effects from the drop in commodity prices across many emerging markets," said Srivastava. "And in the past, the Chinese policy response has been stimulative with a focus on infrastructure spending, but now it's more mixed with the depreciation of currencies. And that's a headwind to the rest of the region instead of a pure stimulus effect." Srivastava co-manages the $2.1 billion Dreyfus/Standish Global Fixed Income Fund (SDGIX) , which is up 76 basis points so far in 2016, according to fund tracker Morningstar. The fund has returned an average of 2.8% annually over the past three years, outpacing 93% of its peers in Morningstar's world bond fund category. He said the fund hedges out the currency risk in order to maintain stability. Standish is a wholly owned investment boutique of BNY Mellon Investment Management, and is a leading fixed-income and credit specialist with $156.5 billion in assets under management. Srivastava said he is picking his spots when it comes to buying European bonds, but in general he is positive because ECB president Mario Draghi is putting a "nice wind at your back" with his quantitative easing program. Srivastava said he is finding opportunities in Italy, where the government is "more stable and you get a yield advantage." He said he is cautious on emerging market bonds because of the collapse in commodity prices, but is still finding opportunities in places like Morocco, which he said is stable and benefiting from lower oil prices. "In this uncertain world, given the headwinds on growth, there is an allocation in an investor's portfolio that should be in safe bonds, and it should be global," said Srivastava. Ferguson mayor James Knowles III looks out at the crowd on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, after the Ferguson city council voted to approve a modified consent decree with the United States Department of Justice during a meeting in Ferguson, Mo. It is unclear if the Department of Justice will accept the modified version of the consent decree Ferguson passed. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) A Syrian woman holds a child and waits for information regarding the possible opening at the closed Turkish border crossing with Syria in the outskirts of the town of Kilis, in southeastern Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. A Russian-backed Syrian government offensive around the Syrian city of Aleppo has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border in recent days. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) FILE - This Oct. 31, 2007 file photo, shows a general view of the dam in Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. An Italian engineering firm is set to ink a contract with the Iraqi government to begin shoring up the countrys rickety Mosul dam. But engineering experts warn the rehabilitation plans are nowhere near a solution and that the key piece of Iraqi infrastructure is beyond repair. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed, File) Hospital acquires new surgical robotics technology Burke Health announced the purchase of new robotics technology for use during spine surgical procedures last week. The Globus ExcelsiusGPS is a revolutionary robotic navigation platform system designed to be intuitive and streamline the surgical workflow. Real-time tracking of instruments and implants, along with audible, visual and tactile feedback, enables... County center wins senior trike Local seniors now have access to an adult tricycle. Director Kimberly Mathis attended the Move Augusta Senior Expo and Bike Rodeo sponsored by Augusta Urban Ministries October 8. The event, held at The Salvation Army Kroc Center, was aimed at people over 50 years old, and included resources and health... 4-H Food Challenge Team takes State For the first time, Burke County 4-H decided to put together a junior food challenge team this summer. Teams are compromised of 2-4 students in the 6th-8th grades. This competition is very competitive and teams must advance to state after the district competition. Our team started practicing weekly in July... County rehashes trash problem I am bringing up the trash again, Commissioner Evans Martin said during the October 11 meeting. We have to do something about the trash. Martin asked that the record show that he wants to do something about the countys dumpster sites. He made a suggestion that eliminating 10 sites would... Amid the ongoing deposition of 26/11 terror attack convict David Coleman Headley in a Mumbai court, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have expressed similar tunes saying that now the ball is in Pakistans court to act against the culprits. There is no iota of doubt left after this deposition with regard to the involvement of the ISI in providing all sorts of support to these terrorist groups that work against the interest of India. The question is what Pakistan is going to do in terms of the concerns we have had, whether its on 26/11, Pathankot or cross border terrorism and that needs to be seen, BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said. Resonating similar sentiments, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said, During the Congress government, we had clearly said and given information, but it was not accepted at that time by Pakistan. But now, everything has got revealed. The present government should tell Pakistan on international level that even if all the evidences, if Hafiz Saeed is not surrendered to India, then it wont be trusted. Tiwari further stated that India should now be cautious after getting to know the role of the ISI and the Pakistani army in the terror attack. Headley's deposition which entered the third day today before the Mumbai court, was delayed due to technical glitch in video conferencing. In his revelation during the deposition yesterday, Headley said that Pakistan's spy agency ISI provides financial, moral as well as military support to terror outfits like the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. On the first day of the deposition, he revealed the sequence of events and planning behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Headley, one of the main conspirators in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, deposed as a witness in the case and admitted that he had come to the city with a false identity at the behest of his colleague and handler Sajid Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders coasted to victory on a wave of voter anger in the New Hampshire presidential nominating contest, thrashing traditional US politicians in a display of anti-establishment power. Sweeping wins by Trump, a New York billionaire, and Sanders, a democratic socialist, on Tuesday testified to the sizable share of American voters upset at US economic conditions and willing to send a shockwave to Washington in the November 8 presidential election. New Hampshire's verdict sets up a tough fight for Republicans in South Carolina on February 20 and for Democrats there on February 27. Some of the most monumental campaign battles in elections past have been fought in the state that holds the first primary election of the American South. For Trump, New Hampshire showed he has staying power and can take a punch after losing on February 1 to Texas Senator Ted Cruz in the first contest, the Iowa caucuses. His win showed pundits were wrong to think he would ultimately self-destruct based on his penchant for insults and imprecise plans for the presidency. Democrat Hillary Clinton, the former US secretary of state and former US senator, now looks wounded, trailing Sanders by 60 to 39 per cent based on 86 per cent of the returns. The wife of former President Bill Clinton, Clinton barely won Iowa and now has been trounced in New Hampshire, where young voters liked Sanders' populist proposals to break up big banks and have the government pay for free college tuition. People have every right to be angry but theyre also hungry, theyre hungry for solutions, Clinton, 68, said after congratulating the 74-year-old Sanders. "I will work harder than anyone to actually make the changes that make your lives better." Clinton was headed to New York, home to her campaign headquarters, to regroup with top aides and prepare for Thursdays Democratic debate. Her campaign has denied reports it is considering a shakeup but acknowledged it would be natural to add members to their team as the campaign progresses. Sanders said his victory showed "we have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California, and that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors." Some 73 per cent of voters say they think the United States is on the wrong track, and these disaffected people make up a majority of the support bases for Trump and Sanders, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. They are worried about the economy and distrust establishment politicians they perceive as being part of the problem. Shadow-boxing Trump Trump, 69, who has campaigned to deport illegal immigrants and temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States, was in first place with 35 per cent of the vote on the Republican side based on 88 per cent of returns. At his victory rally, Trump dispensed with niceties. He congratulated other candidates in the race but promised to soon return to his pugnacious approach. "Tomorrow: boom, boom," he said, shadow boxing while his supporters cheered. The New Hampshire Republican race did little to clear up confusion about who would emerge as the establishment contender to Trump on the Republican side. Ohio's Republican governor, John Kasich, won a spirited fight for second place in New Hampshire, with Cruz, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and US Senator Marco Rubio of Florida fighting for third place. All four were headed to South Carolina. Bush, the son and brother of former presidents, lived to fight another day, making something of a comeback after a strong debate performance and solid weekend of campaigning. While the reality TV star is doing well, it looks like you all have reset the race," Bush told supporters. "This campaign is not dead. We're going on to South Carolina." Rubio failed to dispatch Bush, seeing a drop in his support after a debate on Saturday in which he drew criticism for repeating rehearsed lines from his stump speech. "I did not do well on Saturday nightlisten to this: that will never happen again," Rubio told supporters. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who called out Rubio for his robotic debate, fell behind the others in the voting and canceled plans to go to South Carolina, a sign he could drop out soon. Disenchanted voters Independent voters wield special clout in New Hampshire, second in the series of state-by-state contests that lead to the parties' formal presidential nominating conventions in July, because they can vote in either party's primary. At a polling station in Manchester, Joan and Roland Martineau said they voted for the two candidates they believed they could trust to shake things up. Joan, 68, went for Sanders. I like this views, I like the way he speaks, I think I can trust him, she said. Roland, 73, a registered Republican, went for Trump, a man he said was "more honest" than other candidates. But he said he would back Sanders over Trump in the general election in November. Clinton had for months been the front-runner nationally. But a Reuters/Ipsos poll done February 2-5 showed Clinton and Sanders now in a dead heat. Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo that the Democratic nomination would "very likely" be decided in March, with the support of black and Hispanic voters key to victory. The next primary races are in Nevada and South Carolina later this month. "It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African-American and Hispanic voters," Mook wrote. PA (Palestinian Authority) officials are reporting a deal with Israel for the return of the bodies of terrorists from eastern Jerusalem is all but sealed. Israel has held the bodies of ten of the terrorists who were killed while perpetrating an attack in recent months and their families want them back so they can bury them as they wish. One of the conditions being stipulated for their release by Israel is a quiet funeral without the media hype and incitement as is often the case. Leaks of ongoing negotiations with Israel from the PA signal the families of the terrorists are willing to hold quiet private funerals during the night if that is what it takes. Such funerals would be closed services for families only. If reports are accurate, two of the bodies of eastern Jerusalem terrorists will be released on Tuesday night the eve of 1 Adar I or thereabouts. Israel may use the funerals of these two to determine if the others are to be released. In the meantime, as the terror attacks continue, some lawmakers, including Avigdor Lieberman, is calling on the government not to return any of the bodies for burial, and to use this policy as a deterrence to future attacks. Such a decision was passed in a previous cabinet but the current administration does not seem interested in adopting this policy. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) [AUDIO IN EXTEND ARTICLE] Who needs Ban Ki-Moon or the United Nations to slam Israel for as long as there is the IDF-funded Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) and veteran host Razi Barkai. All too often the shouts to shut down the leftist liberal and at times anti-Israel station, but event today, during a period the IDF is cutting services drastically, funding for the station continues. In the latest Galei Tzahal scandal, veteran host Razi Barkai compared the efforts of bereaved Israeli families who are trying to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones for burial to the efforts of Arab families seeking the return of the bodies of slain terrorists. His words sparked an outcry, albeit a pained one, particularly among the families of soldiers such as Lt. Hadar Goldin HYD and Sgt. Oron Shaul HYd, who bodies are in Hamas hands since Operation Protective Edge as they were killed in Rafiach area fighting. Barkai, who is now facing suspension for his unacceptable remarks, made his statements on Sunday, 28 Shevat, during an interview with Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan. Barkai raised the matter of the recent meeting between a number of Arab Members of Knesset, who met with families of Arab terrorists in a showing of support and solidarity, observing a minute of silence for the slain terrorists. Barkai questioned can you imagine a similar situation regarding the families of Operation Protective Edge, who are waiting for the return of their loved ones. Erdan was quick to question the tasteless comparison. The families of Goldin and Shaul sent a letter to Yaron Dekel who runs Galei Tzahal as well as to Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, demanding Barkais suspension. They expressed their outrage over his callus remarks. Galei Tzahal Army said in a statement, There was no comparison between IDF soldiers and terrorists. We apologize if Barkais question was misunderstood. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Shas party leader was among the many state officials that traveled to the Ohr Yehuda home of slain border policewoman Hadar Cohen HYD, where her parents and family are sitting shiva. Hadar was critically wounded in a Palestinian terror attack at Shar Shechem. She was shot in her head during an attack. Deri listened attentively as Mr. Ofir Cohen, her father, told how she died heroically and how she managed to neutralize one of the terrorists before collapsing. Deri promised to assist the family in their effort to establish a shul in her memory. The mayor of Ohr Yehuda has promised to give the family a plot of land to use for the shul and Deri asked Israel Border Police Commander Yaakov Shabtai to declare this shul the official shul of the border police. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photo: Media Resource Group) The defendant in the assault case against MK Ahmed Tibi was convicted and sentenced to four months imprisonment. The defendant admitted to throwing a hot cup of tea at the Member of Knesset which hit him in his face, as part of a plea-bargain agreement. The Beersheva court convicted the defendant who is not required to pay compensatory damages since Tibis complaint did not include any request for damages. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Education Minister (Bayit Yehudi) Naftali Bennett and Deputy Minister (Yahadut Hatorah) Meir Porush on Tuesday morning, 1 Rosh Chodesh Adar I visited educational institutions in Yavne. Bennett used the opportunity to lash out at his predecessor, Shai Piron of Yesh Atid, stating he will not permit continued discrimination against chareidim. While not mentioning Piron by name, it was clear that his remarks were directed at him. Also accompanying the ministers were the ministrys Head of Chareidi Chinuch Itzik Zahavi and CEO of Chinuch Atzmai Eliezer Sorotzkin. The visits to chareidi schools will continue for a number of days after chareidi school administrators announced they are boycotting the ministrys chareidi unit. Bennett asked about the school and the chareidi education system, speaking to school faculty in an effort to better understand this system. Bennett stated In recent years the atmosphere has not always been sympathetic to the chareidi tzibur and this era is over. My policy is clear. I care about every child including the children in the chareidi network no less than all the others. They deserve equality, not discrimination. I am here to learn as we are opening a new page in relations with the chareidi tzibur. Zahavi told those present that from his perspective, his unit was opening a new page in relations with the chareidi education system. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Michael Puah, the talmid at Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook who was arrested for singing Hatikvah on Har Habayis, has been distanced from the holy site for two weeks by a court. He was held by police overnight and then remanded in a Jerusalem court. The Jerusalem Magistrate Court decided the young man must distance himself from Har Habayis for fifteen days in line with an Israel Police request. Justice David Shaul stated The suspect went onto Har Habayis with permission, and behaved in a fashion that can lead to disturbing the tranquility of the public. He does not have a criminal record. I saw the substance of the investigation, including two videos which were shown to the and I am satisfied there is reasonable suspicion that the respondents behavior was indeed intending to create a disturbance. The video shows the defendant spoke to his friends camera, gave an explanation and then turned and began singing Hatikvah. This act was not connected [to any ongoing event] and it is not clear why he chose this time and place for his actions. He told interrogators he visits Har Habayis once monthly, and he has signed a written pledge not to violate the court order which includes any form of demonstration or outside the Har Habayis area, including the entry of flags and other objects or singing Hatikvah on Har Habayis in the circumstances described during these tense times in which we exist today. An act of minor violence and incitement has substance and meaning and I am satisfied that this is a demonstrative act under the circumstances, thereby deciding to grant the police request to distance him for 15 days. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) A handful of Senate Republicans on Tuesday dealt a severe blow to prospects for overhauling the criminal justice system in Congress this year, with one lawmaker calling the bipartisan legislation championed by President Barack Obama and some prominent conservatives a massive social experiment in criminal leniency. The opposition from Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and others will make it difficult for proponents to push the bill as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., assesses GOP support. Backed by the White House and a coalition of conservatives and liberals, supporters had hoped it would be a rare legislative accomplishment in a fiercely partisan election year and a final piece of Obamas legacy. At an event for congressional staff, Cotton and Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., joined a group of federal prosecutors and argued against the bill, which would allow judges to reduce prison time for some drug offenders. The two senators along with Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah and David Perdue, R-Ga. also issued statements of opposition. Cotton later stood on the Senate floor, warning his colleagues that they would be held accountable if criminals were released and committed more crimes. If supporters of this bill and President Obama are wrong, if this grand experiment in criminal leniency goes awry, how many lives will be ruined? Cotton asked. How many dead? How much of the anti-crime progress of the last generation will be wiped away for the next? The bipartisan legislation, passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee in November, would give judges discretion to give lesser sentences than federal mandatory minimums, eliminating mandatory life sentences for three-time, nonviolent drug offenders. It also would create programs to help prisoners successfully re-enter society. The idea is to make the sentencing system fairer, reduce recidivism and contain rising prison costs. Disparate voices from Obama and the American Civil Liberties Union to the conservative Koch Industries have said the system is broken and have backed the Senate bill. In 1980, the federal prison population was less than 25,000. Today, it is more than 200,000. Supporters of the bill are considering some changes to win over opponents, even though they sharply dispute the charge that the legislation would let violent criminals out of prison. Under the Senate bill, each case would be reviewed by a judge before the prison sentence was reduced. Possible changes include revising or eliminating parts of the bill that would allow judges to consider reduced mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenders or criminals who had possessed a firearm. How those changes will look is still being determined, but were moving ahead to get a bill ready to be considered on the Senate floor, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement Monday with Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, another supporter. Cotton said he has been talking to staff as they look at changes, but still believes the legislation is based on a false premise that those who would be released are low-level, nonviolent offenders. Cotton and others have been more supportive of the prison reform piece of the bill that helps prisoners re-enter society. The Arkansas senator is talking to Senate colleagues individually as advocates rally McConnell to move the bill this year. Cottons lobbying pits him against Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate. Cornyn has been pressing his colleagues to support it, saying that opposition from Cotton and other conservatives like Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, who has similar concerns, is misplaced. As conservative opposition has grown, Cornyn and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., have said the legislation doesnt have to move this year. Unlike McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has said the legislation is a priority, but hasnt committed to a timeline. The House Judiciary Committee has approved several separate criminal justice bills, with the eventual goal of moving them separately or together on the House floor. The panel plans to consider additional legislation later this week. (AP) The plea bargain agreement signed between Ehud Olmert and the prosecution was rejected by the Jerusalem District Court Justice Avital Chen on Wednesday morning, 1 Adar I. The agreement addressed Olmert admitting to two counts of obstructing justice in the hope of a reduced prison term. The courts decision not to accept the agreement adds an additional month to his sentence and he is now expected to serve 18 months in prison. In the previous hearing, Chen was critical of the sentence according to the agreement, citing it was too light for a former prime minister convicted of such crimes. Has the Jerusalem District Court accepted the agreement, Olmert would have served six months in jail, which would be concurrent to his 8-month sentence in another case. The lower court agreed to permit Olmert to serve five of those six months concurrently. If there are no last-minute changes, Olmert enters prison on 6 Adar I 5776 (February 15, 2016), and he is also required to pay a NIS 60,000 fine. He is expected to be serving his sentence in relative luxury, in Bloc 10 in Massiyahu Prison, a white collar facilty that was remodeled as per instructions from the ISA (Israel Security Agency Shin Bet). He will not have a private cell however, but compelled to share with two other inmates and will be permitted visitors once in two weeks. The bloc that will accommodate the former Prime Minister houses ten cells with three inmates in each. Each cell has a TV and the bloc has a clubhouse and canteen. Prisoners may also subscribe to newspapers should they wish to do so and are permitted to wear regular civilian clothing. However, they must wear orange prison jumpsuits during visits. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Jerusalem Councilman Aryeh King, who is a member of the dati leumi community, spoke with Mordechai Lavi of Kol Chai Radio on Wednesday, 1 Adar I. He explained that he is unwilling to accept the decision to allocate an egalitarian prayer area near the Kosel, at the area known as the Kosel Dromi (Southern). King is organizing a Shabbos mincha at Southern Kosel Dromi. He explains his effort is in line with the ruling of gedolim, including Rav Auerbach and Rav Unterman, to daven in that area, explaining that unfortunately this has not occurred but instead, it has become a place for Reform services which he views as outrageous and unacceptable. King stated I am going to do what Jews stopped doing by order of the Turks 150 years ago and plan to renew tefilos there. It is not incitement but if they wish to view it as this, so be it Kol Chai With all due respect, the decision was approved by the Chief Rabbis as Deri met with Rav Yosef before the cabinet decision. King This is exactly what I am saying. Deri came and told the Chief Rabbi what he wanted and painted the picture he wanted Rabbi Yosef to have and therefore, the Chief Rabbi agreed. Another example would be regarding the draft law. I am telling you the chareidi politicians may have remained passive regarding the prayer area but the chareidi masses are far from accepting it The Jerusalem Chief Rabbis do not accept this either, including Rabbi Shlomo Amar, with whom I have spoken. I also spoke with Rabbi Nebenzahl, rav of the Old City, who six months ago opposed any such plan yet today, he is okay with it. Once again, persons come and continue badgering him until he is persuaded, influenced by politicians. I might be compelled by the High Court, which is against my conscience, but I will not accept this on my own free will as the chareidi politicians are doing. Following King was the Rav of the Kosel & Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz. Rabbi Rabinowitz (synopsis): The rav explained for the past years he has remained firm on the front lines of the battle and that 16 years ago the High Court already ruled in favor of the Women of the Wall (WoW). In an expanded hearing that followed, with 11 justices, the court wanted to divide the area to provide a place to daven in all areas. Bdieved, with a pained heart, following consultations with gedolei yisrael, we offered Robinsons Arch but the court and WoW wanted something at the Kosel, not nearby. A great deal has been going on in recent years, albeit behind the scenes. People do not understand just how much was done towards preventing this but it is the best available solution today. Kol Chai then contacted Rabbi Amar to verify Kings claim that he is adamantly opposed to the chareidi backing and the government decision to formally allocated an egalitarian prayer area. Rabbi Amar (excerpts): I shouted and made my opposition known but then Rabbi Rabinowitz and others phoned me and explained the situation to me. They quoted words of gedolei yisrael. There is an issue that does not permit me to rest, that the Government of Israel, for the first time in history, has given official recognition to these reshoim (Wicked) people. Kol Chai But the High Court will compel it is any event Rabbi Amar This we do not know for sure but even if this is the case, better the court than the government doing it. Making it worse the agreement says the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has no say regarding what goes on at the new prayer site. There were even MKs who are not Shomer Shabbos who voted against it for they were too pained. Rav Amar also cited he is willing to sit and meet with Rishon LTzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef to discuss the matter with him. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Albert Heath and his brother-in-law David Towe spent a year planning their trip to the Pieta Military Cemetery in Malta. They wanted to lay a wreath at Christmas on the grave of Davids uncle, Private Wallace Towe, who died 100 years ago aged 21 of wounds suffered at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, in World War I. They booked their flights last March and arranged to stay in a hotel in Sliema, two and a half miles from the cemetery on Our Lady of Sorrows Street where Wallace is buried. In September, each bought a week-long European travel insurance policy from specialist insurer Insure & Go. Travel insurance: The European cover Albert had been sold excluded Spain, Cyprus, Turkey and Malta But when Albert, 82, returned from Malta in January he noticed something odd in the policy documents small print. The so-called European cover hed been sold excluded Spain, Cyprus, Turkey and Malta the very place he had just been. Bizarrely, it would have covered him in North African countries such as Egypt and Morocco. Albert, a retired chief inspector engineer from Coventry, says: I couldnt believe it. I said on the phone I needed cover for Europe how can Europe exclude popular sunny countries like Spain and Malta? Im glad I didnt know while I was away or I would have been worried the whole time that had I needed to claim they wouldnt have paid up. This is the first time Money Mail has seen a European insurance policy that does not cover popular holiday destinations. But we have now discovered that several major insurers are writing this type of policy as medical costs soar in countries such as Spain. When you take out travel cover, the main options are Europe, worldwide excluding the U.S., or worldwide including the U.S. Insurance for America is usually more expensive due to hefty medical fees a night in intensive care can cost anything up to 6,000. Check the small print: Several major insurers are writing policies that do not cover popular holiday destinations as medical costs soar in countries such as Spain Now insurers are applying similar rules to Europe. The Post Office, All Clear and Insure & Go admit to doing so. All Clear says the average travel insurance claim is twice as high in Spain at 6,400 than in France, where it is 3,199. Often travellers who fall ill in these countries are transported in a private ambulance or taken to a private hospital instead of using the state system. This is to avoid over-burdening these nations stretched public finances. But it means extra costs for insurers. Insure & Go says only customers who call in to declare a medical condition are offered policies excluding major European countries, where appropriate. If they are going to Spain, Cyprus, Turkey or Malta they are put into category A; those going elsewhere in Europe are put into category B. Both are priced accordingly. Some countries outside Europe are covered because they are popular package holiday destinations. When Albert called, he explained he has a permanent catheter and takes aspirin daily for an irregular heartbeat. He should have been put into category A for Malta. But the call handler clicked the wrong box. This meant Albert was not sent the correct policy and went away without vital cover. New York: Insurance for America is usually more expensive due to hefty medical fees Insurers claim they categorise people in this way to avoid penalising those visiting countries with lower medical costs. But travellers with medical conditions already pay extra to compensate for the higher risk they pose to insurers. Without cover for his medical conditions, Albert would have paid just 25.20. But after declaring them his premium jumped to 98 even though the policy didnt cover Malta. Had the call handler correctly noted Alberts destination he would have had to pay 26 more just because he was going to a different part of Europe. Albert says: I admit that I never read the paperwork. I just paid over the phone using my card and filed it away when it arrived a few days later. But I picked Insure & Go because it was supposed to give a good deal to older holidaymakers travelling with medical conditions. There is clearly a lesson to be had in reading the small print. A spokesperson for Insure & Go says: Having listened to the call Mr Heath made to us we, rather embarrassingly, found we had made an error. Mr Heath did tell us he was going to Malta but for some reason the wrong region was selected on our system. They say 95 per cent of new businesses fail in their first five years. Its a risk you have to take if you want to start your own company. But would you feel as comfortable ploughing your money into someone elses dream? That is what thousands of savers do on crowdfunding websites. This new type of investment involves many individuals handing chunks of money to start-ups in need of cash. There are similarities with penny stock investing, which was popular in the Eighties and Nineties. With both, you are gambling on a little-known outfit becoming a major success in the hope of stumbling on the next Google or Apple. Celebrity fan: Pippa Middleton wearing a Crumpet Cashmere scarf But just like penny stocks, crowdfunding is a giant gamble: unless you pick one of the five businesses in 100 that succeed, you could lose everything. So is it just a fad or is it worth your time? There are three main types of crowdfunding. In the equity version, you get shares for your cash. You make money if the company pays a dividend, is bought or if it lists on the stock exchange and the share price grows. Debt crowdfunding is when you lend a firm money. Youre paid interest and, in time, get back the original sum. Finally, reward crowdfunding is like a donation. In exchange for cash you get a product sample, a discount or sometimes nothing. But there have been a few incredible success stories. Camden Town Brewery was bought last year by industry giant AB InBev for around 85million. Just five months earlier, the microbrewery which only started in 2010 had used crowdfunding to raise 2.75million needed to expand. Investors are thought to have been offered up to 1.25 for each share a return of almost 70 per cent on top of their original investment within a year. Success story: Camden Town Brewery used crowdfunding and was bought last year by giant AB InBev But the story doesnt always have such a happy ending. Last week, claims management company Rebus went into administration, less than a year after raising 800,000 through crowdfunding site Crowdcube. More than 100 people had invested and could now lose their money. In December, designer label Crumpet Cashmere collapsed for a second time. The clothing firm, which had celebrity customers including Pippa Middleton, secured 163,000 from 112 crowdfunders in 2014. Some savers put in 20,000. In November, Zano a start-up that made palm-sized drones which could be controlled by smartphone also failed. Less than a year earlier, it had raised 2.3million through crowdfunding. Ben Yearsley, director at investment experts Wealth Club, says: These are very high-risk investments better suited to experienced investors, but the companies raising cash accept tiny amounts, which appeals to newbies. My main concern is quality control who is really doing any research on the prospects of these firms? There are better ways of investing in small or start- up companies. The dangers with crowdfunding are different to penny stocks, where dodgy salesmen often manipulated prices for a profit. Rather than foul play, investors must worry about whether they can trust the bold claims of the company seeking funding. Raising money to start a business through a crowdfunding website is scarily simple. Each is different, but most sites ask as a minimum for applicants to be aged over 18, registered as a UK company and to have a business plan and financial forecasts that savers can read (though they dont have to). Worrying: Two-thirds of crowdfund customers have never invested in anything before The business owner sets a fundraising target and lays out what the investor gets in return. The middleman website takes a cut for its service. Typically, if the target isnt reached, savers get a refund. Investors merely need to create an account, pick a project, read the business plan and enter their bank details. In some cases you can invest as little as 10. Worryingly, two-thirds of crowdfund customers have never invested in anything before. The City watchdog regulates some types of crowdfunding, but warns that it is high risk and is not covered by the consumer compensation scheme. The regulator says: It is very likely that you will lose all your money. Most investments are in start-up companies and will result in a 100 per cent loss of capital as most start-up businesses fail. The industry body, the UK Crowdfunding Association, comprises just a few companies that have signed a code of conduct. Jean Miller, founder of crowdfunding website InvestingZone, says: This is a newly developing area. There is a lot of nonsense out there and the projects which dont offer proper returns are muddying the waters. Crowdfunding isnt about just picking one business or about putting tiny punts on lots of things that is never going to fund your retirement. Savers interested in small companies could instead consider investing in a micro-cap or Alternative Investment Market (Aim) fund. These are still risky, but your money is spread across lots of different firms which have been hand-picked by an expert. The Marlborough UK Micro Cap growth fund invests in firms worth less than 250million. Its shares include secure payments provider Eckoh, marketing firm Next Fifteen Communications and soft drinks manufacturer Fever Tree. It has returned 46.8 per cent over the past three years. Slowdown concerns: China accounts for 5 per cent of ARMs sales Tech-maker ARM Holdings shrugged off cooling demand for iPhones by focusing on the growing demand for gadgets linked up to the internet. ARM posted a strong rise in full-year sales and profits because of the growth in connected items or the internet of things, where devices such as central heating can be switched on by someones mobile phone. It dodged a slowdown in the crucial Chinese market and managed to avoid the slump suffered by rival Imagaination Technologies. ARM said more than half of the worlds smartphones produced over the past three months contained its most powerful processor technology. But despite this, shares fell yesterday 41p, or 4.4 per cent, to 899p. Some of ARMs biggest customers, have been raising concerns about demand in China and Apple, which, experts say, accounts for 5 per cent of ARMs sales, forecast its first drop in revenue in 13 years last month. The business posted a 31 per cent rise in pre-tax profit to 414.8million from 316.5million on sales of 1.4billion, up 15 per cent. MANZINI The civil servants march to deliver a petition to the prime minister is in limbo as the Mbabane municipality has vowed to enforce a law, which prohibits the public from marching without permission. The Municipal Council of Mbabane has stated that organisations intending to stage a march or public demonstration within the citys public roads and spaces, needed to forward to the council a letter requesting to satge such action and also to submit the letter seven days before the intended march or public performance. In an interview with this publication, the councils Information Officer, Gugulethu Hlophe, said this was not a new law that was being enforced but was an old one and the council was merely reminding stakeholders on regulations that needed to be adhered to. This regulation not only applies to those seeking permission to march, it also applies to the churches that seek permission to mount tents within the city for revivals as well as the pastors who visit the bus rank and hold services there, said Hlophe. She confirmed that the municipality would from now on expect those who intend to hold public functions within Mbabane to have adhered to this regulation or deal with the subsequent consequence of their actions. This information comes on the eve of the meeting expected to be held by public sector unions and the Government Negotiations Team (GNT) to discuss the salary review report. In earlier meetings, workers had vowed to march with their union leaders to these meetings until the contentious salary review report was released to the unions. MBABANE Judge Qinisile Mabuza has sentenced the two men in the Royal Villas theft case, Sikhumbuzo Thulani Makhanya and Asif Patel, to a total of 22 years imprisonment. Makhanya was sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of a fine for the theft of goods amounting to E734 391.58 and five years imprisonment or a fine of E5 000 for dealing in foreign currency. The items belonged to Equatorial Guinea Vice President (VP) Teodoro Nguema Obiang, who had visited the country in August 2011. At the time of his visit, he was the Minister of Finance in his country. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently, which means Makhanya will spend seven years behind bars. Judge Mabuza backdated his sentence to March 12, 2012, which is his date of arrest. He was, however, acquitted on the charge of housebreaking. Patel was sentenced to five years imprisonment or a fine of E5 000 for receiving stolen property and five years imprisonment or a fine of E5 000 for selling or dealing in foreign currency. His sentences were also ordered to run concurrently Patel is, however, a free man after his lawyer Busizwe Dlamini applied that the E50 000 he paid as bail be converted to be part of the fine. In her judgment, Judge Mabuza found that from the evidence it clearly showed that the complainant did not known how much he had brought into the country. He clearly did not know how much was stolen from him on August 31, 2011. The amount of E6 million was clearly estimated as indicated by the witness number 12, said the judge. She further stated that analysis of the evidence showed as follows: That the complainant of Equatorial Guinea had his villa broken into and various items were listed in the indictment or charge sheet as stolen. MBABANE A head teacher of one of the worst performing schools in the country has allegedly told owing pupils in his school to engage in prostitution at the Mahhala traffic circle in order to raise money for school fees. The head teacher is said to have made the utterance during morning assembly, where he told pupils that he cared less about their plight, because he was solely interested in them paying their school fees. The head teacher of the high school, which will not be named as the allegations have not been substantiated, is said to have uttered this statement last week. Some of the pupils, who have not paid their schools fees, are orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs). The head teacher allegedly also advised the boys to find work in construction companies and even mentioned the names of the firms, situated in Matsapha. A widow, who wept during an interview, told this publication that the head teacher said the children should find work or venture into prostitution so they could help their parents pay their fees. The woman, who is a mother of two of the children, alleged that the children were told that education was very expensive and was not for the poor. Utsi labafana abaye egontrakini, lamantfombatana aye eseklini kuMahhala ayotsengisa umtimba, the woman said in vernacular, which could be translated to mean; he said the boys should find work in construction companies while the girls should go to the traffic circle to sell their bodies. The parent said she was surprised at how the head teacher could say this to the pupils when they, as parents, trusted him with their children. How can he brainwash the children like this when he should be telling them that education is key. How could an adult say this to children? Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Madina Toure Although it has nothing to do with its Feb. 14 namesake holiday, Valentine in downtown Flushing receives a lot of love from its customers who shop the store looking for unique, Korean accessories. Located at 136-54 39th Ave., it was previously part of another store nearby called Small Magic, according to Chris Jang, 21, of Whitestone, Valentines co-manager. It was established in 2007 after that store started deteriorating. Valentine sells a variety of items, including clothing, makeup, toys, accessories, pens, pencils and jewelry. Jang, who has been working at the store since she was 15 years old, said the shops appeal is that it offers authentic Korean items that cannot be found in other parts of New York City such as Manhattan and that its employees are friendly. Theyre straight from Korea and most of these items are uniquely handmade, especially the accessories, Jang said. She also said the atmosphere is especially inviting, noting that the lighting and interior design are brighter compared to other stores in the area. Its much more uplifting compared to the rest of the stores in Flushing, she said. The items cost anywhere from $1 to hundreds of dollars, with coats costing between $100 to $200 and the pens costing $1.99, the manager said. Its not just one category of class, she said. Anyone can come here. Although many Koreans come to the boutique, Jang said people from a variety of backgrounds buy items from the store, with at least 500 people in the store per day. They are known for offering nice gift wrapping services, she said. It gets extremely chaotic in the holidays because were essentially a gift shop, she said. Reviewers on Yelp echoed the managers sentiments. One reviewer from California who visited New York in September was roaming around the streets of Flushing and the sparkliness of the boutique caught her attention. She said she loved the wide selection of cute items. Another reviewer from Queens said she always goes to the shop once a year to get her scheduler/planner. They have a a very adorable collection which ranges from very plain and simple to ones with a lot of pictures or themes, she wrote. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Philip Newman The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has approved the final major contract for construction of the $10.8 billion East Side Access project to provide tens of thousands of commuters a faster and more direct route from Queens to Manhattans East Side. The latest contract is for construction of four railroad platforms and eight tracks in the station more than 100 feet below Grand Central Terminal. Another project just awarded will be for the construction of a tunnel approach and rebuilding of a bridge in Sunnyside. The value of both projects amounts to almost $750 million. These are a significant milestone for East Side Access and will turn raw underground caverns into the modern station that Long Island Rail Road customers will use when they head directly to and from the east side of Manhattan, said MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast. And the Sunnyside contract will make it possible for trains to reach Grand Central Terminal. East Side Access will save Long Island and Queens customers up to 40 minutes a day in travel time, demonstrating why transit expansion is a key element of our 2015-19 Capital Program. The project more than 100 feet below Grand Central Terminal will transform two 1,143-foot-long caverns cut from rock into a subterranean railroad station, including more than 12 miles of track work from Queens to Manhattan, with eight tracks and four platforms, elevators and stairways to carry travelers to and from the underground station. With the award of these contracts, the eventual completion of East Side Access is starting to come into view, said Dr. Michael Horodniceanu, president of MTA Capital Construction. This is the next chapter in the long history of Grand Central Terminal and the growth and development of New York City. The MTA chose Tutor Perini Corp. for the 31/2 year caverns project valued at $663 million. Perini also was awarded the $79 million project to upgrade railroad infrastructure in Sunnyside, Queens to enable LIRR trains access to Grand Central Terminal. The East Side Access project is scheduled to be completed in December 2022. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Tom Momberg The Public Advocates office filed a lawsuit against the city Department of Education earlier this week, claiming the agency has failed to meet the needs of its students with disabilities, which has resulted in a loss in Medicaid revenue for the city. More than 47,300 students from Queens with disabilities were enrolled in public school during the 2014-2015 school year, according to DOE demographic data. That number has grown significantly, from about 42,700 in the 2010-2011 school year, according to the same data set. The suit, which was filed with State Supreme Court in Manhattan, asks for a judicial inquiry leading to a plan to address neglect to the education systems growing disabled student population, Public Advocate Letitia James said. James accuses DOEs Special Education Student Information Systemintended to establish and track data from the Individual Education Programs, or IEPs, of students with disabilities to ensure compliance with state and federal requirementsof failing to do that. Requests by the public advocate and the Independent Budget Office for IEP data have been denied by the DOE. James said failure to collect proper data, using a system which has cost the city $130 million since 2009, is a failure both on the behalf of taxpayers and on the behalf of children with disabilities, who could have benefited from services implemented with the use of such data. The public advocate also said the city has missed out on millions of dollars in Medicaid revenue by not meeting state and federal mandates. DOE has failed our children with disabilities for decadesignoring pleas of parents, students and teachersso we are taking them to court, James said in a statement. We will never stop fighting for our children in need to get every opportunity they deserve. ~ Tom Momberg Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Madina Toure Flushing residents, business owners and community leaders have launched the Flushing 2050 Community Building Initiative to establish a collective, community-led vision for the neighborhoods future. Partners in Progress, a collaboration created by Asian Americans for Equality, was set up to assess the areas progress and quality of life for the future. Citi Foundation and the Low-Income Investment Fund provided funding. More than 30 representatives from Flushing, including elected officials, community leaders and key institutions, came together Jan. 28 in the Topaz Room of the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel on 39th Avenue near Prince Street for the formal kickoff of the initiative. Isabelle Leighton, director of AAFEs Equality Fund, said the organization has been working in Flushing for 20 years. Its limited because we know theres so many institutions here, theres so many different voices, so we want to be able to bring in even more, Leighton said. The first phase of the initiative will start March 5 with a Flushing 2050 Community Forum that will include workshops and meetings facilitated by the Municipal Arts Society, the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce and AAFE. Other activities over the course of the year will include a commercial district needs assessment, site studies, consumer market surveys, cultural mapping tours and a creative economy session featuring local artists, entrepreneurs, young professionals and performers. John Choe, the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerces executive director, said the initiative is about not only helping people feed their families but also job creation. The chamber was selected by the city as one of the first organizations to host the new Neighborhood 360 Fellows program, which pairs community organizers to facilitate increased collaboration between local stakeholders centered on economic development initiatives. He noted the chamber is working with the city to collect information on business owners in the area over the next couple of months. This is the first time that the city has funded a survey of the business community in Flushing, Choe said. State Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing) said it takes this type of brain trust to figure out how to zone and prepare properly for the next 35 years. Urban planners did not anticipate the type of growth that has occurred in the neighborhood, Kim said. This is a vision thats been needed for so many years, where people from private, public and community groups that have represented Flushing since the 17th centurythe Bowne House to third-generation building ownerstheyre all here today because they care about the future of Flushing, Kim said. Also in attendance were Simon Gerson of Gerson Properties; Dian Yu of the Flushing Business Improvement District; and Maureen Reagan of the Queensboro Hill Civic Association. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Philip Newman Both of the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys commuter railroads reported modern ridership records in 2015. For the Long Island Rail Road, its total of 87.6 million passengers was a 2.1 percent increase over 2014 for the nations biggest commuter rail line. Metro-North reported an all-time high total of 86.1 million passengers, an increase of 1.6 percent over 2014. The LIRRs total surpassed the modern record set in 2008 when the railroad carried 87.4 million passengers. Metro-Norths total ridership growth means it has more than doubled the ridership it carried when it was founded in 1983. When ridership set records in 2008, many said it was because of high gasoline prices and that certainly is one factor, MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast said. But gas prices have sunk to low levels and the trend is continuing. We are seeing the confluence of a strengthening regional economy, healthier downtowns around the region, a new generation of millenials who value public transportation and greater productivity on board our trains through the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and laptops. Prendergast said Metro-North had also added more frequent trains, more more real-time information as well as new electric trains. Ridership west of the Hudson River increased faster than east of it. On the Port Jervis Line and the New York State portion of the Pascack Valley line, Metro-North expects 2015 ridership will have increased 4.9 percent over last year to a combined total of 1.8 million customers. The Port Jervis and Pascak Valley line are operated by NJ Transit under contract to Metro-North. Both railroads said they looked forward to even more growth because of investments included in the MTA 2015-19 Capital Program. The program will provide money for a major expansion of the LIRRs main line between Floral Park and Hicksville, enabling significant reverse commuting to Long Island for the first time, and construction of new LIRR stations in Elmhurst and Sunnyside. It will also underwrite construction of four new Metro-North stations in the Bronx and expansion of Metro-Norths New Haven line to Penn Station, Airport development adding to economy, jobs in the region Pittsburgh may always be known as the Steel City, but a wave of new industries are popping up near its airport to redefine business in the region. TRN Archives SHARE By Bridget Knight of the Times Record News Sometimes, the Times Record News archives present more questions than they answer, as in the case of this picture tucked in a folder simply marked "Frank V. Fecher." No date or clipping accompanied it, and the occasion can only be assumed by the photo itself, which seems to indicate the presentation of a life membership in the Telephone Pioneers of America to Fecher, possibly on his retirement. Yet something about the photo is intriguing, possibly due to Fecher's resemblance to the famous Irish character actor Barry Fitzgerald, most memorable as John Wayne's crafty sidekick in "The Quiet Man." Fecher, it turns out, well deserved his life membership, based solely on his listings through the years in Wichita Falls city directories. He joined Southwestern Bell Telephone sometime between 1921 and 1924, with his profession listed as a "roll repr" (representative perhaps?). As the years passed, he was variously classified as a lineman, junior clerk, and stockman, always with Southwestern Bell. The last listing available for Frank Fecher was in 1957, then by 1961, his wife Lula was classified as a widow living alone at their longtime home on Marshall Street. The Fecher family name, once abundantly represented in the city's archives, also seems to have died out. In the 1920s, a half dozen Fecher families were living in town. The most recent city telephone book lists none.

WFISD Education Center

By Lana Sweeten-Shults of the Times Record News The Wichita Falls ISD board at a work session Tuesday approved increasing the starting pay for a first-year teacher those who are new to the district and have no previous teaching experience from $41,500 to $43,000 for the 2016-17 school year. The increase applies to librarians and nurses, who also are on the same salary schedule as teachers. The salary for a first-year-with-the-district librarian with no experience is a little more, since they work 192 days compared to 187 for teachers. Their salary will go from $42,610 to $44,150. Also approved was a hiring salary scale for 2016-17 for new-to-the-district teachers, librarians and nurses with pay dependent on experience. The news comes just a year after the board approved a significant adjustment for teachers in 2015-16 the largest increase in almost eight years. Administrators based the salary adjustment on a market analysis by Ann Patton from the Texas Association for School Boards. Patton found that the Wichita Falls ISD paid way below the market value for teachers with no experience to 20 years of experience. "We wanted to retain the best and brightest" for the district's students, Superintendent Michael Kuhrt said, and so first-year teachers in 2015-16 went from a salary of $39,000 to $41,500, though the recommendation from TASB was to bump that salary to $43,000. "We thought that was too big of a jump for us," Kuhrt said. Now the district is able to meet that $43,000 goal. "We're starting our recruiting efforts as early as next week," Director of Human Resources Denise Williams said, adding how the $43,000 first-year starting salaries "would raise some eyebrows." Kuhrt said, "We're still below a competitive group, but compared to our local group, we're where we want to be." In 2015-16, Holliday ISD paid first-year teachers a starting salary of $29,153; Iowa Park, $34,060; Vernon, $34,750; Lawton, $32,641; Burkburnett, $36,000; and City View, $33,475. The district employs 1,006 teachers, 20 librarians and 12 nurses full-time. With 1,038 employee salaries tied to what the district calls its "teacher matrix," the impact of the raises on the budget would be $1,077,444. Early notice pay Besides the pay raise, the board approved incentive pay for early retirement/resignation notice. The incentive is for certified teachers/professionals who are on a term or continuing contract and who submit an early notice of retirement or resignation for the end for the 2015-16 contract year. The district will pay $1,500 to employees retiring with the Teacher Retirement System and $750 for employees resigning from the Wichita Falls ISD. They must notify the district before 4 p.m. March 11. The earlier the district knows how many positions it has to fill, the earlier it can begin the hiring process. Williams, in her address to the board, related that these early notifications would "allow the WFISD to be at the front end of the hiring process ahead of competing school districts, rather than waiting until late in the summer." The estimated impact on the 2015-16 budget, using the three-year average of retirements (an average of 33) and resignations (an average of 91), would be $117,750. Opt outs According to Debby Patterson, executive director of school administration, if the district approves all the opt-out requests it received from students wanting to opt out of their assigned zoned campus, "We end up with three campuses that will be over on operating capacity that would be Rider, McNiel and Kirby," though they would still be under the maximum capacity. Administration is looking at a number of criteria in prioritizing opt-outs, such as if the student was affected by a recent attendance zone change or if the student has a sibling going to the opt-out campus. "We have an operating capacity for a reason," Board President Trey Sralla said. To get the opt-out numbers below or at operating capacity, the district now also will consider a student's proximity to a campus in determining whether or not to grant an opt-out. School start times The district received about 70 responses to its Facebook post seeking opinions on changing school start times. The WFISD is looking at moving elementary start times to 7:45 a.m. and secondary start times to 8:30 a.m. Elementary students currently start class between 8:15 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Secondary schools currently start class at 7:45 a.m. "I was very surprised at how little we had people voice an opinion," Patterson said. After throwing out some comments because of various reasons, 27 respondents were for flipping school start times and 35 were against the idea. The board did not take any action on changing school start times. TORIN HALSEY/TIMES RECORD NEWS This bridge on Friberg Church Road, northeast of Wichita Falls in the Friberg-Cooper Community, was damaged by drought-ending rainfall in May 2015. It has been repaired and reopened for traffic. SHARE TORIN HALSEY/TIMES RECORD NEWS The asphalt caved in on a bridge on Bohner Road after record rainfall in May 2015. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is helping with much of the funds needed to rebuild the structure over Wildhorse Creek. Bohner Road is located northwest of Burkburnett. TORIN HALSEY/TIMES RECORD NEWS The Bohner Road bridge northwest of Burkburnett was partially washed out during record-setting rains in May of last year and has been closed since. Wichita County officials are working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for funding to rebuild and upgrade the entire bridge which is estimated to cost $460,000. TORIN HALSEY/TIMES RECORD NEWS A remote section of Bohner Road in northern Wichita County was closed after a bridge over Wildhorse Creek washed out during heavy rains in May 2015. The structure will have to be completely re-engineered and enlarged with a price tag of about $460,000. By Judith McGinnis of the Times Record News Soon Wichita County commissioners could get the best news possible on funds to repair an important piece of transportation infrastructure that was ravaged by last year's floodwaters. The Bohner Road culvert in north Wichita County was washed out last spring when rising tides engulfed parts of the county, prompting $420,000 in repairs. Now FEMA the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to reimburse for county for 75 percent of the estimated repair cost, county officials said. "This is going to be a long-term fix," said Precinct 2 Commissioner Lee Harvey, adding that FEMA is expected to entirely cover the cost of a $43,000 consulting fee paid to Cornerstone Engineering for developing Bohner Road work specifications. The work includes the installation of three 10x10-foot box culverts needed to safely channel Wildhorse Creek, Harvey said. "We had quite a bit of damage in rural areas," said Barry Mahler, Wichita County's precinct 3 commissioner. "The good news is we are getting some help." Wichita Falls recorded a record 46.69 inches of rain in 2015, much of it in the spring and early summer. "If enough water runs fast enough it can wash out a bridge," said Jim Hertel, director of operations for the Texas Department of Transportation Wichita County district. He added that water can erode the seal coating of roads, causing potholes and other problems. In the case of Bohner Road culvert, the creek's rising tide washed away dirt inside and outside the culvert pipes under the road. According to a Texas Department of Transportation hydrology study, the Wildhorse Creek culvert structure would require a re-sized channel for water to flow underneath it. In May three large culvert pipes failed to manage flood water under Bohner Road. Also damaged in last year's flooding was the Friberg Church Road bridge near Burkburnett, where an estimated $30,000 of damage was done. Both projects have been on hold while FEMA reviewed commission preferences for how the work should be done to achieve long-term results. "We're not authorized to tell the county what to do, just how to do it," said Bill Harris, FEMA task force leader, at a recent meeting with county commissioners. The agency is expected to cover about 75 percent of FEMA-approved costs associated with repairing the bridges. County officials are further now in the process than they were last year. Before flood damage could be assessed and repair work begin, county work crews had to wait for floodwaters to recede. At one point last year, water covered both southbound lanes of U.S. 287 about 1 mile west of Burnett Ranch Road; Peterson and Old Iowa Park Roads were engulfed. Ultimately traffic was diverted from all of Old Iowa Park Road from Interstate 44 to Bell Road in Iowa Park. The Friberg bridge has washed out three times before so when the county initially filed for FEMA reimbursement, the agency made clear it wouldn't award grant money to reconstruct it in the same way, said Harvey. FEMA "made clear we couldn't spend grant money to put it back like it was," Harvey said. "(The agency) said the plan needed to prevent it from ever washing out again." The recommended FEMA plan to fix the bridge includes winglike concrete work on its upstream side. "Long-term planning is what mitigates the problem," Harvey said. "We really need to give credit to Sandra Santiago and Carol Bruni with FEMA. They got us back on track with original estimates and life is good." The Bottom Line is a Times Record News-exclusive series where we examine local city, county and school district finances to explain how your money is being collected and spent. This series is published in print Sunday Thursdays and is available online at timesrecordnews.com/trninvestigates through February 25, 2016. Ted Cruz speaks as Carly Fiorina tries to make a comment. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) SHARE By Chicago Tribune It was an election marred by missing votes, questionable tallies, tricky tactics, late reporting, disputed outcomes and demands for recounts. Is this Chicago? No, it's Iowa. The Iowa caucuses are supposed to be a quaint but inspiring example of American democracy at work. In the first contest of the presidential campaign, people gather with their neighbors in schools, churches and restaurants to debate, ponder and finally vote. But this year's version, while not devoid of inspiration, left many voters and candidates feeling shafted. On the Democratic side, the battle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders was agonizingly close, making every caucus important. But some of those in charge didn't keep records of the votes and some of them didn't call in the results on time. In a few caucuses, a tie vote was broken by we are not making this up a coin flip. When the chair of the Monday night meeting in one Des Moines precinct realized Tuesday that its votes had not been transmitted and might decide the outcome, reported The Des Moines Register, he had to go home to retrieve his notes only to discover that "he didn't know who was logging the tallies. The party's caucus hotline was no longer working. The party headquarters was locked." Campaign aides for Sanders, the runner-up by a razor-thin margin, demanded paper records to determine whether the results were tabulated correctly. That request prompted Clinton's state director to accuse the Sanders team of having the chutzpah to "disparage results that don't come out in their favor." But an editorial in The Register said, "What we can't stomach is even the whiff of impropriety or error," and it demanded "a complete audit of results." Andy McGuire, chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party, said, "Asking for raw vote totals demonstrates a misunderstanding of our process. As does asking for a recount." Plenty of old-time Chicago ward bosses would have smiled at that assertion. Republicans had their own mini-scandal. After CNN reported on caucus day that Ben Carson would proceed to Florida instead of New Hampshire, U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a supporter of Ted Cruz, tweeted, "Carson looks like he is out. Iowans need to know before they vote." King's claim likely allowed Cruz to capture some votes that would have gone to Carson who explained that his Florida swing was to get fresh clothes before heading north to campaign. So after finishing a disappointing second, Donald Trump said, "Ted Cruz didn't win Iowa, he stole it." Trump demanded that the vote be redone or the results nullified. Cruz laughed off Trump's complaint but apologized to Carson, whose campaign issued a statement saying, "These 'dirty tricks' political tactics are part of the reason Dr. Carson got into this race and reflect the 'Washington values' of win at all costs regardless of the damage to the country which he is trying to change." Trump supporter Sarah Palin said her candidate had "opened so many eyes to the lies, corruption and total lack of accountability that come so naturally to the permanent political class." This is not the first time things have gone awry in the Hawkeye State. In the 2012 Republican caucuses, the initial count gave the win to Mitt Romney. A couple of weeks later, though, the state GOP announced that the actual winner was Rick Santorum who by then had lost the chance to capitalize on his victory. All these situations have to be embarrassing to the people of Iowa, who treasure their special role in the election of presidents. The good news for them is that their job is done. The next round of voting is Tuesday, in New Hampshire. And by the time it's over, no one will be talking about Iowa. Albany A baby born in Albany with a birth defect characterized by an abnormally small head was the impetus for testing a Schenectady woman for Zika virus, local sources told the Times Union. The baby was born with microcephaly after the mother's return from a South American country where the Zika virus is spreading. The birth defect, which can include incomplete brain development, has been linked to the Zika virus, especially in Brazil. If tests show the baby's mother contracted Zika, it would be the first case in the continental United States of a baby born with microcephaly to a mother with the virus. The only other known U.S. case is in Hawaii, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Schenectady County officials announced Monday that a Schenectady resident who had traveled to a Zika hot zone had been tested. But a county spokesman would not provide further information on the patient, and would not confirm the resident's gender Tuesday, nor that the patient was the mother of a newborn. "I cannot confirm or deny anything," said Schenectady County spokesman Joe McQueen. The state Health Department is performing the tests on the Schenectady resident, McQueen said. Results could take anywhere from one to 21 days, he said, depending on the tests performed. McQueen said he did not know more about the testing, or when the clock started on getting the results back, because that was in the state's purview. The state Health Department did not respond to inquiries on Tuesday. Conditions other than Zika virus can also cause microcephaly. They include rubella, cytomegalovirus and genetic abnormalities. But it is not a common condition. About 2,500 babies are born each year in the United States with microcephaly, according to CDC. At least 12 New Yorkers have been diagnosed with Zika virus. All have traveled to regions where the virus is spreading at epidemic levels, which include Central and South America, the Caribbean, Samoa and Cape Verde. Most people who contract Zika virus get it through the bite of an infected mosquito, and many feel only mildly ill. Symptoms include acute fever, rash, joint pain and pinkeye. Symptoms typically begin two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. There is currently no vaccine or specific medication to treat Zika virus infections. Concerns about the disease have heightened following the link discovered between Zika in pregnant women and microcephaly. The state Health Department has said it will provide free Zika virus testing to all pregnant women who traveled during their pregnancy to an area where the virus is spreading. The Health Department on Tuesday issued instructions on testing to health providers. Schenectady County officials did not release information on where the woman being tested had traveled. They had been concerned about residents traveling to and from Guyana, where Zika is spreading and from where many city residents have immigrated. Joseph Gambino, CEO of Hometown Health in Schenectady, said the federally qualified health clinic is asking people with Zika symptoms about their travel history. He recommended people who have both symptoms and a history of travel talk to their doctors about getting tested for the virus. "Just because they were (in a Zika-infested region) doesn't mean they have it," Gambino said. "But you're better safe than sorry, so get the test." Until last week, all cases of Zika virus in the United States had been among travelers. A Texas resident was confirmed last week to have contracted the illness through sexual contact with an infected person who had recently traveled to a Zika-infested region. Paul Nelson contributed to this report. chughes@timesunion.com 518-454-5417 SCHENECTADY A Buffalo man is jailed on charges that he robbed a bank and a credit union a few miles apart on State Street in the city over a four-day span, Schenectady police said. James Hamilton, 45, was arraigned Wednesday on two counts of third-degree robbery, both felonies, in front of City Court Judge Bob Hoffman before being sent back to the county jail without bail. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Glens Falls The Glens Falls Civic Center will receive a $2 million capital improvement grant from New York state for what economic development officials described as a "major makeover" that will make it more competitive with other venues in attracting shows and events. The announcement was made Tuesday by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul during a visit to the civic center. The money, which supplements an earlier state grant for $700,000, can be applied toward a new scoreboard, improvements to the locker area, new chairs for floor seating and other projects within the building. The earlier grant was used for a new outdoor marquee, LED lighting, Wi-Fi, and for an upgrade to the sound system that will begin shortly, according to the Warren County Economic Development Corp. State Sen. Betty Little also secured additional funding for painting the arena's steel beams. The new funding "will significantly change the landscape and improve the ability for this center to compete for shows and events," said Ed Bartholomew, the EDC president. "These improvements will showcase our center in time for next year's ECHL All Star game in January 2017." Bartholomew was Glens Falls' mayor when the building opened in 1979. ALBANY A Watervliet man was charged with felony DWI after State Police said he ran into a state vehicle at a construction site. Raymond H. Hebert, Jr., 64, drove into the back of a state Department of Transportation vehicle parked at a construction site on I-90 about 8 p.m. Tuesday, State Police said. Menands Dr. Joseph Marotta, an orthopedic surgeon, former team doctor at Siena College and founder of an organization working to build a medical center in Africa, died Monday night at age 57. His son, Joe Marotta, posted on Facebook that his father had died "unexpectedly." The cause of death was not immediately available. Friends recalled Marotta Tuesday as kind and dedicated in his work and personal life. "Joe was a very passionate and compassionate man," said Thomas Baldwin, a friend of Marotta's for 40 years, who hailed from the same hometown of Farmingdale, Nassau County, attended Siena College and played on the lacrosse team with him, and now serves on the board of Marotta's nonprofit, Medicus Christi. "He believed deeply in what he was doing." Baldwin said the way Marotta got the inspiration for Medicus Christi seven years ago was indicative of the doctor's character. The nonprofit is working to build an orthopedic center in Ghana. Marotta was affected by a missionary from Ghana visiting his parish, St. Joan of Arc in Menands. The missionary asked for support, adding, "If you think putting a $20 bill in the collection plate today absolves you of your responsibility to your fellow man, you are wrong." Marotta, then 50, had built a successful medical practice in Troy that provided his family with a comfortable life, he told the Times Union in December. He had considered serving the less fortunate since undergraduate days at Siena. "I was ripe for the picking at that point," he said, then added in more religious terms: "Sometimes the Holy Spirit comes to you and gives you the opportunity and opens the door for you." Marotta found an early powerful ally in Cardinal Peter Turkson, a native of Ghana. Appointed to the Vatican, Turkson introduced Marotta to members of Congress and to Pope Benedict, who gave the doctor his personal blessing. But it was last year that Medicus Christi began garnering international support and hit what Marotta termed a turning point. The doctor spoke with exuberance in December about the likelihood of breaking ground on the orthopedic center this year. In 2015, connections through the Giving to Ghana Foundation put Marotta in touch with the bishop of Sunyani and officials at one of the largest Catholic hospitals in the country, who expressed interest in locating the orthopedic center there. After Marotta gave a presentation in Rome, an Italian orthopedic surgeon launched Medicus Christi Europe. At the same time, the Ghanaian ambassador to the United Nations began raising awareness and funds for the orthopedic center. Perhaps the biggest honor for Marotta came in early fall, when the Papal Foundation granted the organization $50,000. These grants carry the weight of Pope Francis' blessing, Marotta said. People who worked with Marotta said he will be missed immeasurably. "Those who, like myself, had the blessing of knowing and working with Dr. Joe will never forget his love for his family and the people he served," said Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. Former Siena President Rev. Kevin Mullen had just met with Marotta Saturday to discuss this year's plans for Medicus Christi. Marotta approached the task with the boundless enthusiasm that he was known for, Mullen said. "This is a passion that he had to help people in need and particularly the poor, and to use his skill as a physician and a surgeon to really alleviate suffering," Mullen said. chughes@timesunion.com 518-454-5417 @hughesclaire Fresno, Calif. A new state report shows California farmers reaping record sales despite the epic drought, thriving even as city-dwellers have been forced to conserve water, household wells have run dry and fish have died. California's 76,400 farms recorded $53.5 billion in sales in 2014, the year Gov. Jerry Brown declared the state in a drought emergency and launched what in 2015 became mandatory conservation for cities and towns. The sales figures are the most recent annual ones released by the state agriculture department. With the punishing drought entering its fifth year, the figures are sure to stoke tensions between farmers on one side and, on the other, city-dwellers and environmentalists, who complain they are being forced to make greater sacrifices than growers. Experts cite two key reasons for California farms' strong showing even in dry times: a California almond boom fed by surging demand from China and elsewhere, and farmers' ability to dig deeper, bigger wells to pump up more groundwater when other sources run out. The state report tracked sales, not profits. Higher costs for water and other expenses of the drought outstripped sales for some farmers, but experts said it is clear many others made strong profits, as evidenced by the rush by growers and corporate investors to get into the almond business and take advantage of a run-up in prices. Jay Lund, a water-resources researcher at the University of California at Davis and an influential voice in water policy in the state that is America's agricultural powerhouse, said the sales figures show that California farmers are doing what they should be doing in a dry spell. "To me it illustrates that you can actually have a fairly good job in managing water," Lund said. Some of those who consider themselves the losers in California's water wars see it differently. "The water they're taking, they're also taking from communities around them like us," said Guillermo Lopez, a resident of Fresno County, the state's third-most productive farming county, who was forced to haul water when his family taps ran dry. "We're the ones left with no water." Lopez's family well was one of 2,520 household wells around the state to run out of water because of the drought and overpumping of the state's underground water reserves, according to state figures. Wells in Lopez's neighborhood outside the city of Fresno began running dry a year ago, and his family was forced to buy bottled water until a state relief fund paid to have a large water tank installed next to the home. Lopez said that was about the same time he also noticed farmers nearby pumping heavily from deep wells to irrigate their crops. Wildlife has also suffered, including endangered fish. Federal and state water managers, trying to balance competing demands from farms, cities and the environment, were unable to keep enough water in rivers for California's endangered winter-run Chinook salmon, which have gone through record die-offs. California farmers' record sales come "at the expense of our rivers and fisheries," said Kate Poole, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "There've been vast amounts of water taken away from the environment" by water managers in the drought, Poole said. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. [February 10, 2016] iSingaporeMath LLC Launches iSingaporeMath.com Website for K-5 Students to Master Math Concepts CHATHAM, N.J., Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- iSingaporeMath LLC is proud to announce the launch of iSingaporeMath.com, an interactive online math practice and test prep website. Unique to iSingaporeMath.com are online Math Sprints, unlimited Singapore Math practice, FREE Placement Tests that accurately assess student readiness for grade level material, Test Prep for PARCC State Assessments, Bar Modeling for solving word problems, Unit tests and Quizzes for immediate feedback on concept retention. Already in use on three continents in pre-release, the platform encourages young students at all skill levels, enrichment, onlevel and remedial, to improve their math skills through the use of engaging problems, timed Math Sprints and cheerful graphics. iSingaporeMath.com empowers K-5 students to improve their math skills to mastery and supports teachers, administrators and parents in helping to achieve that goal. The Singapore Math methodology is recognized by educators throughout the United States and in over 40 countries around the globe as the #1 ranked elementary level math teaching program in the world. "Teachers learn powerful techniques to motivate their students to become self-directed learners . . . iSingaporeMath [is] at the forefront of the methodology behind the program's success." - Nadine McDermott, Principal, Todd Elementary School, Briarcliff, NY Different program sections help teachers differentiate their math instruction and help parents provide enrichment or remedial options to their children. The website provides a convenient, easy to use, safe and engaging platform for students, teachers, administrators and parents using Singapore Math to access a variety of online practice areas and reporting functions. iSingaporeMath.com supports all Singapore Math based programs in use in the United States and is Common Core aligned. Two levels of membership are available. iSingaporeMath LLC is an educational consulting company that is the developer and provider of iSingaporeMath.com, an interactive online math practice and test prep website that supports students, teachers, administrators and parents in achieving desired math learning goals. Explore 21st century K-5 math enrichment at http://www.isingaporemath.com Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160210/331734LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/isingaporemath-llc-launches-isingaporemathcom-website-for-k-5-students-to-master-math-concepts-300218076.html SOURCE iSingaporeMath LLC [February 10, 2016] Syncplicity Ensures Secure Collaboration across 100 Indiana Government Agencies SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Syncplicity, a market leader in enterprise file sync and share (EFSS), today announced the completion of a large-scale deployment of its file sharing and collaboration solution for the Indiana Office of Technology (IOT). Facing dramatic security vulnerabilities from employee "shadow IT" usage, the IOT turned to Syncplicity to deploy a secure and collaborative solution that would protect valuable government information. The agency, which is tasked with providing cost-effective, secure, consistent, and reliable enterprise technology services to the state's 100 government agencies, had been looking for easy and productive tools to more effectively allow employees to get their jobs done. Absent a coordinated solution, employees began finding and deploying unsanctioned cloud applications that were putting the taxpayers' sensitive files at risk. Now, IOT can deploy Syncplicity for many of the state's critical functions. "We were seeing a lot of requests for cloud storage solutions and we had to block access to certain cloud-only solutions to maintain file and system security," sid Jason Reid, deputy assistant IT director, IOT. "We knew it was important for IOT to offer our users an enterprise-grade solution that would not only give them the power of collaboration, but meet the stringent security standards required." In an age where government data breaches are becoming more prevalent and costing taxpayers millions of dollars, it was critical for the agency to have a flexible and secure storage and collaboration solution. "With the IT industry changing almost daily, the agency needed options on where our data would be stored, whether on-premises, in the cloud or a hybrid approach," continued Reid. "Syncplicity adapted their solution to meet our unique needs with an intuitive mobile application and a simple UI that enabled users to easily find, share and interact with files. In short, Syncplicity makes it easy for field workers to access the information they need to get their jobs done and serve the state's citizens." In addition, Syncplicity's solution eliminated the agency's traditional data transfer methods such as FTP servers, shared drives and USB drives, which previously opened up the agency to data loss or breach. "It's refreshing to see a government agency getting ahead of data transfer vulnerability and taking appropriate steps to deploy secure file transfer solutions to protect their citizens' sensitive data," said Jon Huberman, Syncplicity's CEO. "In addition, the enthusiasm with which the state's thousands of users, both in agencies and deployed in the field, have embraced and adopted the solution is commendable and a testament to the user experience our team has created." Since the initial rollout, the agency has increased their number of seats by 50 percent based on user demand and is expecting similar growth in the near future. ABOUT SYNCPLICITY Syncplicity is a leading enterprise-grade file sharing and mobile collaboration solution that provides users with the experience and tools they desire and gives IT the security and control it needs. Some of its customers include Texas A&M University, the Associated Press and the Boston Red Sox. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150728/248193LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/syncplicity-ensures-secure-collaboration-across-100-indiana-government-agencies-300217728.html SOURCE Syncplicity [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 10, 2016] Start-up hub gains 100Gb/s connectivity by plugging directly into TeliaSonera International Carrier's Internet backbone STOCKHOLM, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Stockholm-based start-up hub, SUP46, has effectively gained unlimited connectivity via a direct connection to the core of the Internet. TeliaSonera International Carrier (TSIC), in collaboration with Cisco Systems, has connected the site directly to their global backbone with a staggering 100Gb/s. "We wanted to see what happens when you remove the limits on innovation," says Brendan Ives, CEO TeliaSonera International Carrier. "Innovation is already borderless thanks to the Internet. We wanted to see what happens when we also remove the limits on connectivity. We believe limitless connectivity will give big ideas the space to grow. Today's start-ups will be an important part of our customer base in the near future, so we are pleased to be able to support them now. It's all part of our mission to carry the big ideas of tomorrow." TeliaSonera International Carrier owns and operates a top-two ranked Global IP backbone. Using a new generation Cisco ASR 903, SUP46 gets direct access to a 100Gb/s backbone router at the core of TSIC's global network, effectively turning their downtown Stockholm premises into a high-capacity Internet PoP (Point-of-Presence). Stockholm was chosen due to its start-up pedigree. It is second only to Silicon Valley in terms of billion dollar companies per million inhabitants. These include now hosehold names such as Skype, Spotify, Truecaller and King. SUP46 works closely with established and emerging Internet pioneers to catalyze the applications and services that will help shape the future. "Anyone in the start-up world knows how important great connectivity is," says Jessica Stark, CEO & Co-Founder of SUP46. "Our members are really excited to be able to work with what is probably one of the fastest workplace connections in the world. It also shows the support that companies like TeliaSonera International Carrier and Cisco have for the start-up community at large. They know where the future is coming from." The costs of hardware, power and cooling have historically limited the roll-out of high-bandwidth Internet connections. However, Cisco's new generation ASR 9xx series routers can deliver previously unimaginable bandwidth with a minimal footprint. All they need is a fiber backbone capable of doing them justice. Combined with TSIC's ability to cover the world in a single network hop, it creates a perfect storm for limitless connectivity. And in SUP46's case, the opportunity to unleash limitless innovation. Updates on the advances this initiative will make possible will be documented on the TSIC web site. Media Enquiries: Rickard Backlin, VP Brand & Marketing, TeliaSonera International Carrier, +46-72-2368327, [email protected] About TeliaSonera International Carrier TSIC operates one of the world's most extensive fiber backbones and also a proud partner of SUP46 and carrier for over 1200 wholesale customers in 110 countries. Our mission is to provide exceptional network infrastructure and services empowering individuals, businesses and societies to execute their most critical activities. By working close to our customers we make big ideas happen at the speed of fiber. www.teliasoneraic.com About SUP46 Startup hub SUP46 was founded in 2013 to gather the startup community. Through the world class ecosystem of investors, advisors and mentors members are offered a competitive advantage. Located in the heart of Stockholm, it is home to more than 50 startups and a natural meeting place for the startup community. Only the most exciting and innovative companies, mainly within Internet, mobile, media, gaming and IoT, are accepted as members. www.sup46.com Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160209/331598LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/start-up-hub-gains-100gbs-connectivity-by-plugging-directly-into-teliasonera-international-carriers-internet-backbone-300217842.html SOURCE TeliaSonera International Carrier [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 10, 2016] Raytheon performance, deliveries continue for Zumwalt TEWKSBURY, Mass., Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), the prime mission-systems equipment integrator for the DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer program, continues its strong performance, supporting the government-industry team as ships progress toward delivery. Raytheon systems performed well during DDG 1000's Alpha Trials, a week-long, at-sea exercise that demonstrated key ship capabilities, including the Total Ship Computing Environment and engineering control systems. TSCE provides all shipboard computing applications, including the combat management system; command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence elements; ship and machinery control systems; damage control; embedded training; and support system. "It was a privilege to see the first of these revolutionary ships set sail," said Raytheon's Paul Ferraro, vice president of Integrated Defense Systems' Seapower Capability Systems business. "The sea trials represent the culmination of years of design, development and production, systems and shipboard integration, testing and training. We share in the collective pride of the government- industry team, knowing what an outstanding contribution we're making to the Navy and the nation." Raytheon provides electronic and combat systems for the three-ship class, contributing some of the most advanced systems in the Navy. These technologies will benefit these ships and the Navy for years to come. Recent program milestones have advanced critical mission systems of the Zumwalt class. Raytheon's onsite Ship Integration and Test team continues to work in close collaboration with the Navy and the shipyard, supporting ongoing installation, integration and testing in line with construction progress. Critical program accomplishments for each ship include: DDG 1000 Test and activation of equipment and components (exceeding 1,800 elements); the majority have been activated and were successfully demonstrated during Alpha Trials. TSCE-driven engineering controls and data center have successfully activated and are fully functional onboard, supporting the Hull, Mechanical & Electrical phase of the program. The integrated system was tested during sea trials, demonstrating more than 200 continuous hours of operation. Navigation and bridge activation is complete. More than 330 hours of training have been completed with the sailors of the DDG 1000 Pre-Commissioning crew, covering ship control system, TSCE operation, the integrated ship plan, combat systems overview and the fundamentals of the ship mission center. The Raytheon team is poised to support combat and mission systems equipment activation. DDG 1001 Initial equipment installed, supporting shipyard electrical system activation. Equipment deliveries continue in synch with ship installation and integration schedule. DDG 1002 On December 31, 2015 , Raytheon was awarded a $255 million contract modification for remaining mission systems equipment for the third ship of the class. With each ship at advanced stages of development and integration, the Raytheon team remains focused on the efforts ahead to deliver the critical technologies and capabilities of the Zumwalt-class to the Navy. About Raytheon Raytheon Company, with 2015 sales of $23 billion and 61,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 94 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, capabilities in C5I (command, control, communications, computing, cyber and intelligence), sensing, effects and mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. Visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @Raytheon. Media Contact Carolyn Beaudry +1.401.842.3550 [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160208/330791 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-performance-deliveries-continue-for-zumwalt-300216932.html SOURCE Raytheon Company [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 10, 2016] OSET Foundation and Amazon Web Services Work Together to Advance Cloud-Based Election Administration Innovations WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- 2016 NASS Conference - The non-profit technology research institute Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Foundation today announced that it is collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) on the Foundation's TrustTheVote Project. The project is an open source initiative that makes the software used to run elections free to the States and counties managing elections. OSET and AWS are working together on thought leadership and outreach to champion the cause with decision-makers and researchers also working to improve elections. The cloud-driven open source approach means that anyone can adopt and adapt OSETs existing apps for voter services, like online registration and results reporting, and launch these apps and services faster and more cost effectively. With the open source nature of the tools, modification and improvement is possible by anyone. Finding ways to innovate the critical infrastructure of elections administration is imperative. In 2014 the US had 178,636 election precincts and over 114,000 physical polling places spread out over 7000 Election Jurisdictions in all 50 states and 3,143 Counties. Elections occur every week, including primaries, ballot initiatives, and voter referenda. American University estimated that there were 519,682 elected officials United States in 2012. A study released in September 2015 by the Brennan Center for Justice revealed that the vast majority of the nation is relying on archaic voting technology with severely limited budgets to make any improvements to either elections administration tools or voting machinery. OSET launched the TrustTheVote Project to foster innovation in elections technology, which is outdated, difficult to maintain, and in the case of voting machinery, relies on proprietary software that's difficult to inspect or audit. The administration tools project is run on AWS's GovCloud (US), because it offers a cost effective, secure, compliant, and scalable solution that doen't require buying hardware, and can be delivered easily anywhere in the country. OSET's TrustTheVote Project so far includes software for handling voter registration services, ballot generation, and election results reporting. The OSET Foundation's goal is to improve the critical infrastructure that makes fair and verifiable elections possible and help revitalize an industry that needs innovation. "Cloud technology combined with open data, open standards, and open source development has the potential to be a game-changer in election administration," said Teresa Carlson, VP, Worldwide Public Sector, Amazon Web Services, Inc. "The OSET Foundation is taking advantage of the cloud's ability to help lower costs, while increasing innovation in voter registration services, creating ballots, and reporting election results." Gregory Miller, Chief Development Officer for the OSET Foundation explained, "There are several aspects of managing elections that can be innovated. There is enormous opportunity to innovate the many aspects of managing election processes." AWS is supporting OSET with cloud computing credits, and elections administration software will be available on AWS Marketplace, and helping with outreach to elections officials. "Now on the AWS GovCloud (US), the TrustTheVote Project technology can be developed, demonstrated, and proven for any State or county looking to rapidly deploy election administration services, while gaining the agility, cost savings, compliance, and scalability offered by the AWS Cloud," said John Sebes, Chief Technology Officer for the OSET Foundation. For example, the TrustTheVote Project offers open source online voter registration and services portal software for any State or county to use for a fraction of the cost of building such web services from the ground up. "We are thrilled to host this technology on the AWS Cloud to further our open source efforts to innovate election administration in the digital age for the benefit of the public," added Miller. "Cloud-based voter registration, ballot design, and elections results reporting is an ideal start to lowering costs and improving the public trust in our democracy. I anticipate this is the beginning of a unique collaboration to help develop new elections technology for the public benefit." About the OSET Foundation The Open Source Election Technology ("OSET") Foundation is a 9-year old tax-exempt 501.c.3 non-profit technology research and development institute located in the heart of the Silicon Valley focused on electoral innovation. OSET is led by a team of social entrepreneurs comprised of seasoned technologists with extensive hardware, software, and systems design experience from leading Tech Sector companies including Apple, Netscape, Facebook, and Sun Microsystems. OSET is focused on making voting systems more verifiable, accurate, secure, and transparent using open source principles to treat this technology as "critical democracy infrastructure." The OSET mission is to reinvent voting technology using open data, open standards, and open source in order to increase confidence in elections and their outcomes, and improve voter participation. The outcome of that mission will deliver lower cost higher quality publicly owned election technology and rejuvenate the commercial industry to deliver, deploy, service, and support resulting democratic voting systems globally. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oset-foundation-and-amazon-web-services-work-together-to-advance-cloud-based-election-administration-innovations-300217914.html SOURCE Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Foundation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 10, 2016] Apttus to Deliver Over 1,000 Quote-to-Cash Training Opportunities in 2016 SAN MATEO, Calif., Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Apttus, the category-defining Quote-to-Cash solution provider, has unveiled a new set of training sessions, documentation, modules, and online learning opportunities through its Community Portal and at its upcoming user conference, Accelerate 2016. These training tools are available to customers, partners, and employees in support of the successful adoption of Apttus' technology. Accessible, intuitive, and requiring no prior usage of Apttus solutions, they are designed to provide operational knowledge to administrators, end-users, and more. In addition, these educational resources allow users to demonstrate the power of Quote-to-Cash to the rest of their organization. Through the Apttus Community and on-site Academy, users can gain access to training that offers: Over 1,000 classes scheduled for 2016, including over 500 on-site trainings, each addressing specific utility and needs for QTC offerings Customized customer trainings available to Apttus customers, available online or in-person and scheduled at more than 12 per week Over 250 per year offered internationally to users in Australia , India , Poland , Spain , and London , , , , and All training sessions are divided into topics that appeal directly to Admins, End-Users, Professional Service teams and Strategic company personnel, to ensure that QTC is being used to optimize every aspect of the revenue cycle In addition to these trainings, hundreds of documents, whitepapers, guides and resources are available within the Apttus Resource Center and Apttus Community. Many of Apttus' most successful customers have dedicated time and personnel to attending these trainings, as well as those offered in-person. As a result, these organizations have brought new levels of speed and efficiency to their revenue operation. Recently announced sessions at Apttus Accelerate, taking place April 12 at San Francisco's Pier 48, are specifically built to get new users up to speed and providing the benefits of Apttus to their organization immediately after implementation. Getting Started: providing the building blocks for developing a successful Quote-to-Cash strategy Deep Dive: this expert track will provide a deep dive into the Quote-to-Cash footprint, offering admin hacks, strategy and training for new product features. This track will also introduce Apttus Advanced Solutions, including X-Author for Excel and Assets for CPQ. CPQ Only Training: this intermediate track will center on all things Configure Price Quote! Hands-on courses will demonstrate ways to increase CPQ efficiency, tips in configuration and pricing rules, streamlined approvals and more. CLM Only Training: this intermediate track will center on all things Contract Lifecycle Management. Hands-on courses will expand upon CLM introductory courses, exploring hacks in Comply System Properties, techniques in accelerating approvals, and other various admin tips. "We lead our industry with more than best-in-class solutions. One of our top priorities is to build and maintain the most knowledgeable and best prepared community of Quote-to-Cash professionals in the world," said Kirk Krappe, chief executive officer at Apttus. "We view our training opportunities as a way to ensure that every employee is empowered to grow their organization's revenue and network with other like-minded contributors." To learn more about these training opportunities or meet with the Apttus leadership team, or learn more about Quote-to-Cash, register to attend Apttus Accelerate 2016, scheduled for April 12-14 at San Francisco's Pier 48. The event will play host to the most comprehensive Quote-to-Cash and revenue cycle discussion in history. Apttus, as the category-defining provider of Quote-to-Cash solutions, continues to drive the industry forward. Information on recent product updates and many more can be found at Apttus.com and in this recent product announcement. About Apttus Apttus, the category-defining Quote-to-Cash software company, drives the vital business process between the buyer's interest in a purchase and the realization of revenue. Apttus is delivered on the Salesforce App Cloud, the world's most trusted and comprehensive cloud delivery infrastructure. Applications include Configure Price Quote (CPQ), Renewals, Contract Management and Revenue Management. Additionally, Apttus' patent pending X-Author technology enables Microsoft Office to be a user-interface with full interaction and control between Salesforce and Microsoft Office. Apttus is based in San Mateo, California, with additional offices located across the globe. For more information visit: apttus.com. Alex Cohen [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151207/293789LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apttus-to-deliver-over-1000-quote-to-cash-training-opportunities-in-2016-300217863.html SOURCE Apttus [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 10, 2016] Cohere Communications Leads Cross Border Cyber Requirements To The Canadian Business Markets TORONTO, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cohere Communications, a leading provider of managed security services, announces plans to address US-Canadian security risks with expanded cyber support for Canadian businesses. Founded in 2004 with three global offices, Cohere Communications is a leading service provider of cyber, IT, and hosted cloud-based services. Serving clients as a trusted single-sourced partner, Cohere tailors its solutions to ensure the necessary policies, governance and technologies are employed to the meet the emerging regulatory doctrines. "The vast majority of firms don't always recognize their most critical asset is their internal business data," comments Steve Francesco, Chairman and CEO, Cohere Communications. "In the current business landscape, a security breach can overnight dissolve a company from existence. Cohere is committed to identifying those risks and providing solutions to ensure Canadian businesses are protected from attacks." Recently announced is the strategic partnership between Cohere Communications and Invictus International, a Washington, D.C. based cyber security consulting firm. "Emerging from a background in the US defense and military sectors, Invictus International has some of the world's leading experts in cyber security," states Jim Kelly, CEO of Invictus International. "Accordingly, our partnership with Cohere gives Canadian businesses access to extensive cyber expertise." "Our goal is to create partnerships with Canadian companies, o offer a comprehensive solution that exceeds industry security compliance standards," adds Francesco. Focused on global financial and media businesses, Cohere with Invictus has the ability to address these emerging regulatory requirements. Cohere is poised to set the stage for cross border information protection policies. About Invictus International Invictus International, based in the Washington DC metro area, is a premier solutions provider to the National Security and Defense Communities worldwide. Invictus was founded by military veterans and is designated as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). Invictus traditionally provided technology solutions to the Intelligence, National Security and Homeland Security communities. Invictus clients now include commercial, as well as international entities. Invictus leverages its extensive national security experience and critical talent to conduct mission-oriented analyses, assessments, planning, and information technology services. About Cohere Communications Founded in 2004, Cohere Communications LLC is headquartered in New York City, with an active presence throughout Canada via its Toronto office. The Company also maintains data center facilities strategically located throughout North America as well as internationally. Cohere's service offerings include Cloud/Hosted Services (IaaS), Next-Gen VoIP telephony, Unified Communications, Disaster Recovery (DRaaS), and fully outsourced IT asset management. Additionally, Cohere advises companies on cyber compliance and performs security protection assessments. Our staff is composed of more than fifty professionals, who specialize in these areas and also provide for unparalleled support. Cohere's clients include companies and other organizations located across the United States as well as in strategic global locations. For more information, please visit http://www.coherecomm.com or http://www.invictusic.com. For more information or to book an interview with Cohere Communications, please contact: Manita Lane, Cohere Communications, Marketing Associate 416-477-6761, [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cohere-communications-leads-cross-border-cyber-requirements-to-the-canadian-business-markets-300217812.html SOURCE Cohere Communications LLC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 10, 2016] Source3 and the U.S. Army Announce a New Licensing Agreement NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Source3 and the U.S. Army have entered into a licensing agreement to offer 3D printed personalized ornaments for U.S. Army service members, family and friends. These customizable keepsakes featuring personal photographs of proud U.S. Army service members will be printed using Color Jet Print (CJP) 3D technology and sold on the MyKeepsake website. The agreement between Source3 and the U.S. Army was facilitated by Beanstalk, a leading global brand extension agency based in New York. "The U.S. Army is a longtime client of our agency and we are delighted to open up a whole new world of bespoke products for service members, family and friends of the U.S. Army through 3D printing technology with Source3," says Allison Ames, CEO of Beanstalk. "3D printing enables new categories of personalized products by presenting brands with opportunities to engage fans in the individualized ways consumers love," commented Scott Sellwood, Co-Founder and VP of Business Development for Source3. These full-color keepsakes can only be created by utilizing 3D printing technology. They are available now and are sold exclusively on the MyKeepsake marketplace at https://mykeepsake.xyz/usarmy/. About Source3 Source3 is a large-scale licensing and distribution platform for 3D content based in New York City. Founded by Google and 3D Systems veterans, the team's previous venture was RightsFlow, an enterprise licensing technology for te music industry acquired by YouTube in 2011. Source3 works to bring premium branded content to the 3D ecosystem. For more information, please visit www.source3.io About Adamation/ MyKeepsake Adamation was founded in 2012 with the belief that 3D printing would enable a new market for mass customizable products to emerge. Adamation's www.myKeepsake.xyz branded website integrates patent pending technology, curated 3D art and in-house 3D printing capabilities into a unified experience where users can upload and embed their photos into a full-color personalized keepsake. About U.S. Army By federal law, licensing fees paid to the U.S. Army for the use of its trademarks provide support for the Army Trademark Licensing Program, and net licensing revenue is devoted to U.S. Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs. The U.S. Army name, trademarks and logos are protected under federal law and used under license by Source3. About Beanstalk Beanstalk, a global brand extension agency, works closely with our clients to unlock brand equity and create many of the world's most recognizable products and services. We help leading brands, celebrities, media properties, manufacturers and retailers creatively find ways to strengthen their relationship with their most important stakeholder the consumer. Beanstalk offers a breadth of services including brand representation, manufacturer representation, retailer partnerships, creative services, approvals management, legal and financial services, and royalty auditing. Blueprint Powered by Beanstalk, our consulting division, advises clients through four key practice areas: brand extension + retail development, research + insights, design + identity, and operations + governance. Tinderbox, our digital division, works with gaming and new media properties to realize their potential in the world of consumer products. The company is headquartered in New York, with offices in London, Miami, and Cincinnati, and affiliates throughout the world. For more information, please visit www.beanstalk.com. Beanstalk is part of the DAS Group of Companies. About The DAS Group of Companies The DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (www.omnicomgroup.com), is a global group of marketing services companies. DAS includes over 200 companies in the following marketing disciplines: specialty, PR, healthcare, CRM, events, promotional marketing, branding and research. Operating through a combination of networks and regional organizations, DAS serves international, regional, national and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/source3-and-the-us-army-announce-a-new-licensing-agreement-300217936.html SOURCE Source3 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 10, 2016] Schneider Electric to Deploy Microgrid Energy System at Boston One Campus ANDOVER, Mass., Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, will build a microgrid system at its Boston One Campus to develop, test and showcase microgrid energy management solutions. The system will include a 400 kilowatt photovoltaic system built and operated by REC Solar, a national provider of commercial solar and energy solutions. The microgrid will be deployed via a new business model that does not require any capital investment by Schneider Electric. It is expected to begin generating 560,000 kilowatt-hours per year of electricity by the fall of 2016. Beyond saving the company nearly 5 percent on electricity costs at the site in its first year, the microgrid will offer power resiliency in the event of a power loss from the local utility. "The Boston One Campus was built to showcase the connectivity, sustainability, efficiency, reliability and safety innovations at the heart of Schneider Electric," said Laurent Vernerey, President and CEO of Schneider Electric's North American Operations. "Deploying Schneider Electric technologies across the Boston One Campus creates a living laboratory at our North American R&D hub that will drive global innovation in efficiency and energy management solutions." The system includes Schneider Electric photovoltaic inverters that convert direct current from the solar modules to alternating current that will be used by the facility for power. It will also store up to 1 megawatt-hour of electricity using EcoBlade, the company's fully flexible energy storage system powered by lithium-ion batteries. EcoBlade can be integrated into the wide ecosystem of Schneider Electric solutions for electricity using the StruxureWare software suite of cloud-based integrated service modules. The company's microgrid controller and StruxureWare Demand Side Operation will optimize use of photovoltaic energy, storage and the facility's existing natural gas generation set during grid-connected and islanded operation. StruxureWare collects and manages eather and operational data, optimizing energy performance across the entire chain to deliver cost effective energy storage and consumption. The microgrid will use 1,613 solar modules. Phase one construction is expected to begin in early spring 2016, with installation of 209 photovoltaic modules on the roof of the site's main building. Phase two should begin late spring with construction of carports that will hold 1,404 photovoltaic panels. The carports are also designed so that electric vehicle charging stations can be added. Located in Andover, Mass., the Boston One Campus is U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. It was built on the company's vision of sustainable design and energy efficiency using about $8 million of its own Schneider Electric products and solutions. Made up of more than 240,000 square feet across two buildings, the campus serves as the company's North American headquarters and one of five global research and development (R&D) centers worldwide. The company's North American headquarters is home to about 750 employees across all disciplines of Schneider Electric's business units and part of the company's mission to drive innovation, collaboration and efficiency. It was designed to foster employee collaboration and innovation with customers, R&D engineers and employees. The campus is also a fully immersive Discovery Center that demonstrates the Schneider Electric energy management and innovation story. The Schneider Electric Boston One Campus is located at 800 Federal Street in Andover, Mass. About Schneider Electric Schneider Electric is the global specialist in energy management and automation. With revenues of 30 billion US dollars in FY2014, our 170,000 employees serve customers in over 100 countries, helping them to manage their energy and process in ways that are safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable. From the simplest of switches to complex operational systems, our technology, software and services improve the way our customers manage and automate their operations. Our connected technologies reshape industries, transform cities and enrich lives. At Schneider Electric, we call this Life Is On. http://www.schneider-electric.com/ww/en/ About REC Solar REC Solar is a renewable energy provider focused exclusively on businesses and backed by Duke Energy, one of the largest energy companies in the world. Incorporating experience from more than 500 successful commercial solar installations over 17 years, REC Solar tailors financing and technology solutions to immediately deliver bottom line savings. REC Solar makes commercial solar simple, working seamlessly with customer operations to deliver clean energy for decades. For more, visit RECSolar.com or call 844-REC-SOLAR (844-732-7652). Discover Life is On Hashtags: #LifeIsOn Follow us on*: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Google+ YouTube Schneider Electric TV Schneider Electric Blog To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/schneider-electric-to-deploy-microgrid-energy-system-at-boston-one-campus-300218046.html SOURCE Schneider Electric [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 10, 2016] The Knot Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary and Shares Secrets to Long-Lasting Love NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Knot, #1 wedding brand, announced today that it's celebrating its 20th anniversary by honoring some of the greatest love stories of our timeand paying it forward. From newlyweds to couples married 67 years, The Knot is capturing couples' heartfelt love stories and sharing their sage advice for long-lasting love. The Knot has teamed up with StoryCorps, NBC's TODAY, and more to celebrate and share the love. The home base for the #ShareYourLove national movement can be found at TheKnot.com/ShareYourLove. "We hope this initiative will inspire all of us to better appreciate and share the love in our lives," said Kellie Gould, editor in chief of The Knot. "I believe these heartwarming stories will show that the love felt on your wedding day can grow even deeper." Activities to Support the #ShareYourLove Movement The Knot & NBC's TODAY Team Up for "Little Romance" Music Video With Ingrid Michaelson The Knot and TODAY teamed up to host an event that will result in three broadcast segments on TODAY and editorial coverage in The Knot magazines and digital sites. The centerpiece is a music video of Ingrid Michaelson's song "Little Romance." The music video will premiere on TODAY on Friday, February 12, and it follows couples who have been married 50 or more years to a sweetheart dance and vow renewal ceremony produced by The Knot at Cipriani 25 Broadway. Go behind the scenes of the making of this music video at TheKnot.com/ShareYourLove on Friday, February 12, and see The Knot team and some of the best professionals in the wedding business who graciously offered their services for this event. Love Stories and Marriage Advice After 20 years, and helping 25 million couples plan their weddings, The Knot has learned a lot about love. From personalized vows to marriage advice from parents, The Knot 20th anniversary content will showcase the sweet truths around getting and staying married. Get inspired by the most memorable real wedding moments, our favorite proposal stories and mother-daughter images. Additionally, couples married from one year to more than 50 years share their marriage advice in a new video produced by The Knot: To Have and to Hold: Real Coupls Share Their Secrets of Lasting Love. Below are excerpts of the love advice, and for complete coverage visit TheKnot.com/ShareYourLove. The best love Rx is laughter : Find new ways to make each other laugh and it will help you through life's ups and downs. : Find new ways to make each other laugh and it will help you through life's ups and downs. Reaffirm your love: You know you love each other, but it is important to say it. Saying "I love you" reinforces the lovefor both of you. You know you love each other, but it is important to say it. Saying "I love you" reinforces the lovefor both of you. Give each other a chance to screw up: It's easy to hold your significant other to a higher standard, but remember no one's perfect. Let them screw up and then be kind and forgiving. It's easy to hold your significant other to a higher standard, but remember no one's perfect. Let them screw up and then be kind and forgiving. Don't jump to conclusions: Always hear your partner out and give them the room to communicate before assuming you know what he or she is thinking and feeling. The Knot + StoryCorps: Your Love Story Matters The Knot has joined forces with inspirational nonprofit StoryCorps, an organization focused on strengthening and building deep connections and letting people know that every story matters. The Knot readers are encouraged to record and share their personal stories of love and marriage, while at the same time adding to the 100,000+ stories already house in the StoryCorps archive in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. This not only will give them an opportunity to create a contemporaneous recording of their thoughts and feelings as they sit together this Valentine's Day, but it will also leave them with a permanent record of their voices and wisdom that they can one day share with their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and generations beyond. Couples can download the free StoryCorps app and begin sharing their love story here: StoryCorps.me Insta-LOVE! #ShareYourLove on Social Media and Enter to Win Anyone can tell their love story on Instagram and be featured on The Knot. Post a pic and tell your love story on Instagram by tagging @TheKnot and including #ShareYourLove in the caption. Each story will appear on TheKnot.com/ShareYourLove, and one lucky couple will win a performance of their first dance song at their wedding by country music star Russell Dickerson. Additionally, collect tried-and-true marriage advice on Pinterest.com/TheKnot and check out creative vow inspiration, gift ideas and more on The Knot Snapchat. The Knot Magazine Celebrates Platinum Anniversaries The spring issue of The Knot magazine, on stands now, is celebrating the brand's 20th anniversary. It includes a trilogy of platinum-inspired articles, one of which looks back at how bridal fashion has changed while another looks forward to the newest and coolest 20 wedding ideas The Knot is loving right now. Top wedding professionals who helped create the sweetheart dance and vow renewal event include: Cipriani 25 Broadway, Bespoke Moments, Amanda Savory, 5 Design LLC/Star Group Productions, Sandra Bargemen, Rye Workshop, Two of a Kind, Xedo, Rent the Runway, Elan Artists, Ana Parzych Cakes, Kleinfeld Bridal, Nuage Designs, Ira Lippke Studio, The Booth and Classic Car Club Manhattan. About The Knot The Knot is the nation's leading wedding resource with a marketplace that seamlessly engages, matches and connects couples with the right local vendors, products and services they need to plan and pull off their wedding. The trusted brand reaches nearly every bride in the US through the #1 wedding website TheKnot.com, its mobile apps, The Knot national and local wedding magazines and The Knot book series. The Knot has inspired approximately 25 million couples to plan a wedding that is uniquely them. The Knot is the flagship brand of XO Group Inc. (NYSE: XOXO), the premier consumer internet and media company dedicated to helping people navigate and enjoy life's biggest moments - from getting married, to moving in together and having a baby. Please visit The Knot online at TheKnot.com and follow on social media: Facebook.com/TheKnot and @TheKnot on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Forward-Looking Statements This release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or our future financial performance. These statements are only predictions and reflect our current beliefs and expectations. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in the projections or forward-looking statements. It is routine for internal projections and expectations to change, and therefore it should be clearly understood that the internal projections and beliefs upon which we base our expectations may change. Although these expectations may change, we will not necessarily inform you if they do or update this release. Please refer to documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of the risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein. Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. CONTACTS: Lauren Nolan Public Relations Manager XO Group Inc. (212) 515-3595 [email protected] Melissa Bach Public Relations Director XO Group Inc. (212) 515-3594 [email protected] Jennifer Perciballi VP, Corporate Communications XO Group Inc. (212) 515-1595 [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160210/331835 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120618/MM26636LOGO-a To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-knot-celebrates-its-20th-anniversary-and-shares-secrets-to-long-lasting-love-300218171.html SOURCE The Knot [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 10, 2016] Group Delphi Achieves 30 Percent Year-Over-Year Growth Going Into 2016 ALAMEDA, Calif., Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Experience creation shop Group Delphi today announced a significant addition to its workforce in order to support its continued momentum, achieving record growth in the company's nearly 26-year history. With increased demand for Delphi's expertise in designing and producing immersive experiential marketing programs, 2015 revenues rose nearly one-third over the year prior. Key to Delphi's continued rapid growth is the company's programmatic approach to experiential strategies across the entire mix of face-to-face touchpoints, which has proven particularly successful for the enterprise technology clients the company serves. "This is a defining time to be at the forefront of the experiential marketing space," said Justin Hersh, Founder and CEO, Group Delphi. "As companies continue to embrace face-to-face marketing channels, Group Delphi has experienced a period of massive growth across the board growth in our client roster, growth in the demand for our holistic services and growth into new verticals. The underpinning of this growth is the committed, creative team we've carefully brought in over the past 20 years. We're thrilled about what our expanded team, guided by our bolstered leadership bench, will accomplish together in the years ahead." To support this substantial growth, Delphi has added signifcant depth across marketing and sales, project management, design and operations with key new hires and promotions. They include: Promotion of Tony Erpelding to Senior Vice President of Creative Services to Senior Vice President of Creative Services Promotion of John McKibbe to Senior Vice President of Operations to Senior Vice President of Operations Promotion of Sara Ost to Senior Vice President of Marketing and Culture to Senior Vice President of Marketing and Culture Promotion of Katie Bottrell to Director of Marketing to Director of Marketing Hire of Brand Journalist Peter Celauro, based in Chicago , responsible for storytelling companywide , responsible for storytelling companywide Hire of Experiential Marketing Consultant Amy Wolpa, based in Los Angeles , managing the company's relationships with key marketing agency partners , managing the company's relationships with key marketing agency partners Hire of Environmental Designer Melissa Rivera Torres, who recently appeared on HGTV's "Ellen's Design Challenge Designer of the Year Award, recognizing his innovation in design, strategy and compelling storytelling. McKibben, who landed at Group Delphi in early 2015 as the company's head of operations, expands his scope of responsibility over the company's processes and procedures across both its West Coast and Midwest locations. His past training in the Toyota Production System and General Motors Global Manufacturing Product System allows him to implement and uphold processes that maximize efficiency and productivity as Group Delphi grows. As the most recent addition to Group Delphi's executive team, Ost's expanded role gives her responsibility over both the company's marketing and culture teams, where she has initiated an innovative cross-functional group. Also hailing from outside the experiential marketing industry, her technology and media background equips Ost to drive an ethos of healthy disruption and nimbleness across the organization. For more information on Group Delphi, visit www.groupdelphi.com. About Group Delphi Group Delphi is an experience creation shop recognized as a leader in the experiential marketing space for more than 25 years. The company provides a robust offering of face-to-face marketing solutions from trade shows and corporate events to museums and pop-up environments. Delphi serves a wide range of industries and clients including Apple, Pixar and Medtronic. Its award-winning work is the result of a collaborative team including engineers, artists, scenic designers, wood workers and digital technologists. Delphi is a privately held company based in Alameda, California, with offices in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Paris. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/group-delphi-achieves-30-percent-year-over-year-growth-going-into-2016-300218372.html SOURCE Group Delphi [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 10, 2016] Powervision Robot Unveils Its First Consumer Drone SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Powervision Robot Inc., a leader in robotics and big data best known for its industrial drones, announced their first consumer drone, the "PowerEgg," today. The PowerEgg features an innovative egg shape which, in addition to being aesthetically different than the many X-shape four-axis drones currently on the market, makes it foldable and easy to transport. The lightweight PowerEgg can be easily folded and carried in a backpack and will be available in early Q2 of 2016. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160210/331977 According to Powervision CEO Wally Zheng, "Powervision wanted to create a beautiful yet functional design for the PowerEgg. We think the oval shape is not only clean and pure but also has the structural and functional benefits. This simple yet vital design means that this is more than a flying robot but a work of art." Although PowerEgg was developed for the mainstream consumer market to allow everyone to enjoy the drone flying experience, it still includes advanced technologies that rival industrial drones, including a 360-degree panoramic 4K HD camera on a 3-axis gimbal, real-time long range vide transmission, advanced "optical flow" sensors for indoor navigation, as well as an intuitive and easy-to-use remote control. The Powervision team spent over 18 months perfecting this one-of-a-kind product. Although extremely lightweight, it has a compact and revolutionary structural design. The unique design includes larger propellers that required advancements to transform from the compact egg shape to the larger flight mode. In addition, on the software side, Powervision used its extensive software expertise to make the drone easier to fly. Currently, the average consumer drone requires at least 10 hours of flight time for consumers to learn how to use. By using their extensive knowledge in design and user experience, Powervision is able to lower that significantly. As Zheng explained, "We want flying a drone to be child's play, something even a five-year-old can do." Zheng believes that the entire drone industry is going through a transition from the easy to transport drones to a revolution in ease of use. "With this next generation of drones, much like the Internet expanded access to information in the virtual world, drones 2.0 led by innovations like the PowerEgg can expand access to the physical world and bring together humans and machines in this journey." For video of PowerEgg, click this link: https://youtu.be/4QVK3B7hsFQ About Us Powervision Robot Inc. has a mission to innovate the future, focused on artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and big data since its inception in 2010. Powervision has been a market leader in commercial UAV-related products and services including smart drones, data visualization and forecasting, virtual reality and augmented reality. Beyond its headquarters in Beijing, China, Powervision has international offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Silicon Valley, Boston, Helsinki, Perth, and Frankfurt. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/powervision-robot-unveils-its-first-consumer-drone-300218492.html SOURCE Powervision Robot Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Here's how much your natural gas bill will go up this winter No need to buy coal in South Africa through current heating season Ukraine does not plan to buy coal in South Africa through the end of the current heating season as there is no shortage of coal on the domestic market and coal stocks are enough, Energy and Coal Industry Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Demchyshyn has said. "We would not [buy coal in South Africa] through the end of this hearing season for sure," the minister told reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday. On February 7, a bulk cargo ship with 79,000 tonnes steam coal from South Africa was anchored at Yuzhny port (Odesa region). The previous batch of 168,000 tonnes was shipped to the port on December 5, 2015. The coal is shipped under a bilateral agreement with Mercuria Energy Trading SA (Switzerland), which was signed late in September 2015. Ukraine saw a 69% fall in imports of steam coal from Russia in 2015, diving to 628,000 tonnes. Imports of steam coal from South Africa soared by 2.4 times in 2015, reaching 897,000 tonnes. The ministry said that demand on steam coal in 2015 fell by 35%, from 38 million tonnes to 27 million tonnes. Coal stocks at thermal power plants as of February 8, 2015 reached 2.218 million tonnes, including 869,000 tonnes of anthracite coal and 1.349 million tonnes of gas and long-flame coal. Energy and Coal Industry Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Demchyshyn has said that the privileged price of electricity for companies that export it could be set. "There are some measures that could stimulate exports. We should meet the interests of those who will increase exports from the point of the tariff of electricity they buy [from state enterprise Energomarket]. Of course, not at the loss of Energomarket," he told reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday. He said that the hryvnia devaluation could positively influence the volumes of electricity exports. As reported, earlier electricity exporters were exempted from buying subsidy certificates, although the practice was revoked to form the equal conditions for all energy market players. Poland sees a serious potential of partnership with Ukraine in the space area, and one of the most promising directions of cooperation in the new conditions could be the joint creation of space and rocket technologies, President of the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) Marek Banaszkiewicz has said. At a meeting of the working group for the use of outer space of the intergovernmental Ukrainian-Polish commission for economic cooperation held in Kyiv, the POLSA head pointed at the creation of Earth remote sensing satellites as one of the promising direction of partnership. "Ukraine and Poland have interesting practices in the area of Earth remote sensing data processing, but we're also interested in the technology of creating spacecrafts of this kind, taking into account Ukraine's achievements in the creation of Earth remote sensing satellites," the press service of the State Space Agency of Ukraine reported, citing Banaszkiewicz. He expressed confidence that uniting experience and Ukraine's potential with the opportunities and knowledge of Poland in the space area has a serious competitive market potential. Servicemen of the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian multinational brigade (LitPolUkrBrig) on February 1 will start a final stage of the Brave Band exercises, during which they train to hold humanitarian operations, the press service of Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported. "According to the scenario of the exercises, officers from Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine plan to complete tasks adhering to the basic principles of the decision-making process under NATO standards. They've studied the situation in the operation zone where a humanitarian crisis is arising due to a large-scale natural disaster... During a week, the LitPolUkrBrig will be developing possible courses of action and carrying out a simulation of the humanitarian operation," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on its website on Tuesday. The ministry also noted that the Brave Band exercises were the first combat training of the LitPolUkrBrig headquarters since the formation of the brigade on January 25, 2016. The exercises will finish on February 12. As reported, in July 2015 Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Polish defense ministry chiefs signed an agreement on the operation of the joint military unit - multinational brigade LitPolUkrBrig. On January 25, 2016, an opening ceremony of LitPolUkrBrig headquarters was held in Lublin (Poland). Assets of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) on general account balances, not taking into account the results of external audit tentatively grew by 62% as of late 2015, to UAH 1.009 trillion, the central bank said on its website. "The NBU's assets in the final annual balance report will be smaller compared to the preliminary data thanks to closure of the matching and unused financial tool balances as swaps with foreign central banks. The sum of growth of NBU's assets, taking into account these adjustments, would be around UAH 272 billion or 47%," the bank said, citing Director of the Financial Controlling Department at the NBU Oleh Strynzh. He said that according to tentative data, the increase in the NBU's assets is first linked to growth of Ukraine's forex reserves from $5.77 billion to $13.3 billion. Their hryvnia equivalent in the NBU's balance grew by UAH 200.4 billion in a year. The second largest factor is growth of the hryvnia-pegged securities portfolio by UAH 73.3 billion. The regulator said that in 2015, banks returned UAH 8.2 billion on refinancing credits to the NBU, which is reflected in the trend of the decline in credits in the assets of the central bank from UAH 126.1 billion to UAH 117.9 billion. The bank's liabilities portfolio posted a rise in SDRs thanks to the attraction of tranches worth UAH 110.5 billion in equivalent from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from UAH 65.6 billion to UAH 176.1 billion. The deposit certificate portfolio of the NBU grew by UAH 70.3 billion in 2015, to UAH 89.9 billion. The central bank's capital rose by 100% or UAH 80.3 billion, to UAH 161 billion. The NBU's preliminary report for 2015 will be audited and approved by the board and council. By April 30, 2016, profit will be distributed to the bank's reserves and Ukraine's national budget. You have reached a premium content area of Transitions. To read this entire article please login if you are already a Transitions subscriber. Not a subscriber? Subscribe today for access to: Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles). The Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry of Ukraine predicts that grain exports in 2015/16 agricultural year (July-June) will expand to 37 million tonnes. "With the revision of figures we do not see 36 million tonnes, but 37 million tonnes [for exports]," Agricultural Policy and Food Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Pavlenko said in Kyiv on Wednesday. He said that it is planned to export 15 million tonnes of grain in the next five months, while since the beginning of the agricultural year 22 million tonnes of grain has been exported. Earlier it was reported, referring to the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) that since early 2015/16 agri-year as of February 3, 2016, Ukraine exported 23.85 million tonnes of grain, including 11.066 million tonnes of wheat, 3.94 million tonnes of barley and 8.691 million tonnes of corn. UGA President Volodymyr Klymenko said that in general exports of grain and flour reached 24.092 million tonnes. Ukrainian Social Policy Minister Pavlo Rozenko has said that he doesn't intend to comply with the court ruling to reinstate head of the State Employment Service Yaroslav Kashuba in his post. "As far as I know, the investigation into allegations of bribery regarding the former State Employment Service head has not yet been completed; the case has not been transferred to court. Therefore, I do not see any grounds to restore Kashuba without a final court ruling per se," the press service of the Social Policy Ministry quoted Rozenko as saying. Thus, in the words of the minister, there won't be an order to reinstate Kashuba in his previous post. "I do not intend to cancel my resolution dismissing Kashuba from the post of the State Employment Service head. It is clear that we should soon expect the ex-head of the State Employment Service to appeal to court with a request to restore him in office," Rozenko added. As reported, Kyiv's Pechersky District Court ruled to reinstate Yaroslav Kashuba as a head of the State Employment Service. In September 2015, Kahuba was arrested in his official car in Kyiv city center, while receiving a bribe in the amount of UAH 622,000. Ukraine's Security Service jointly with the Prosecutor General's Office carried out the operation. Law enforcers also found a shotgun with ammunition in Kashuba's car, besides a large sum of money in foreign and national currencies. What is more, the head of the tender committee of Ukraine's State Employment Service was also detained following a receipt of unlawful advantage. The Kyiv's Pechersky District Court chose an identical restraint measure detention permitting bail for both the detained officials of the employment service Ukraine is constantly present on the agenda of NATO, but it does not mean that the NATO-Ukraine Commission should meet at each of the ministerial sessions of the North Atlantic Alliance, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said. "We provide political support for Ukraine, we provide practical support both as an alliance with different trust funds, where we help Ukraine with command and control logistics and many other areas. But in addition to that NATO allies provide training and help and support for Ukraine," Stoltenberg said at a press conference held prior to the NATO ministerial meeting scheduled for February 10-11, the program of which has no meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. "Then we have had many meetings in the NATO-Ukraine Commission but we don't [have a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine commission on February 10-11], but we are not able to have commission meetings on all our ministerials. We had a NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting as of just last fall, we will have it again I'm certain, but we, we are not in a position where we can have all the different commissions we have established at all our ministerials," he said. Stoltenberg said he has met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko recently, said that there will be new meetings and that NATO will continue to provide strong support for Ukraine. When asked about NATO's stand on the situation in Ukraine's east, Stoltenberg said that the Alliance supports Ukraine. "We give strong political support for Ukraine, their independence, their territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine but of course we then also support the efforts to find and to implement a negotiated peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine," he said. The NATO secretary general said that it is extremely important that the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented meaning a ceasefire, the withdrawal of heavy weapons and that the international monitors have full access so they can monitor and make sure that the agreement is fully implemented. "And that's what we are doing, we will continue to do so and we will do so in close cooperation with the government of Ukraine," he added. After a long, five-and-a-half-year wait, one of Australias most acclaimed bands has finally returned from hiatus. Following a well-deserved break, Cog are coming back to thrill fans with a new East Coast tour. Following 12 years of virtually non-stop touring, Cog finally took a break, giving the band some time to reflect on a career that has yielded multiple EPs, singles, and DVDs, as well as two beloved studio albums. One of the most respected and hard-working bands to ever come out of Australia, the band command a considerable reputation as live performers, having completed multiple tours of regional areas of Australia. Cogs 2016 tour will see them hitting up select spots on the East Coat this July, including Byron Bay, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. Readers can check below for all dates and ticketing details. Cog National Tour Dates Friday, 8th July 2016 The Northern, Byron Bay Tickets: Moshtix Saturday, 9th July 2016 The Triffid, Brisbane Tickets: Oztix Friday, 15th July 2016 170 Russell, Melbourne Tickets: Ticketscout Saturday, 16th July 2016 The Metro, Sydney Tickets: Ticketek If youve looked at a map lately, you may have noticed that Australia is really freaking far away from everything else. Especially America, which is kind of a bummer if you happen to want to, say, play SXSW. This was the conundrum facing Sydney outfit Big White. The Sydney band really would like it if they could head on over to Austin to play the internationally renowned and attended music, film, and arts showcase. The problem standing in their way, of course, is that flights to America aint cheap and the situations even more dire if you happen to need tickets for five band members, plus all of their instruments and luggage. Instead of going the crowdfunding route, Big White decided to go old-school and held a house party slash fundraiser to help them raise enough money to make it to Austin. They got a little help from fellow Sydney bands Den, Greenwave Beth, Solid Effort, Hunch, and Benefits. 400 people turned up. Wait, what? Oh yeah, 400 people showed up to their little house party shindig, partying to the bands on the lineup, climbing in and out of windows (see the pics below), and no doubt keeping the neighbours up for a few hours. Its not the first time Big White have held a house party fundraiser, this was in fact their sixth, but the first where the money raised wasnt going to a charity. Check out some wild snaps from the party below. Photo: Oscar Colman As weve previously covered, 2015 was something of a dark year for Australian music festivals, and no, were not talking about all of the cancellations and fallen companies. Were referring to the six deaths and the countless overdoses. The death of 19-year-old Stefan Woodward in December marked the fourth death at an electronic music event in as many months, leading many in the music community to call on the government to finally put a stop to the tragedy. Pill testing has been common practice at festivals and dance parties in Europe for decades and experts like ER doctor and drug harm minimisation advocate Dr David Caldicott agreed it was time to introduce the practice in Australia. As the biggest consumers of ecstasy in the world, its clear Aussies wont be giving up their pills any time soon. And yet, the governments only move seems to be to double down on ineffective and even dangerous methods, like the aforementioned sniffer dogs. Most politicians wont even consider such a measure. When asked about the possibility of introducing pill testing at Aussie festivals, NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant scoffed at the notion, arguing that it would effectively endorse drug use. But just what happens when you test peoples pills at a music festival or dance party? According to the literature, those who discover what they bought is not what they thought it was are less likely to end up taking it. Is the effect the same in Australia? Its hard to say. Australia only had pill testing for a short time and there is currently no reliable research available on the impact of pill testing on the habits of Australian drug takers. Its that mystery that recently inspired Vice to attend an unidentified bush doof and walk around offering to test peoples drugs. Naturally, many were reticent to offer up their drugs to strangers claiming to want to test their pills. It took a while to find someone to volunteer their stuff, Vices Dan Roxanne writes. Everyone thought I was a cop until I told them I wasnt. Then, after theyd decided I wasnt a cop, they were reluctant for me to take photos of their drugs. I was going to take it without any thought, but now this has got me a little scared. The pill testing process is about as simple as taking a pregnancy test. You mix a small sample of the given drug in a colourless solution and wait for the colour to change. You then compare the colour against a provided chart, which tells you whats actually in your drugs. After wandering around the festival in search of a willing participant, Roxanne found a guy named Edward who purchased $200 worth of ketamine, which after being tested, turned out to be Ritalin, much to the chagrin of Edward. Another punter named Matt was chuffed to discover his pills were in fact pure ecstasy, whilst others werent as lucky and discovered what they thought was ecstasy was in fact amphetamine or speed not what they thought they were buying. Roxanne and a punter named Gus were given a particular fright when a test showed a colour they hadnt previously seen (black) and which did not appear in the manual which came with the EZ Test pill testing kits. It was supposedly MDMA but after mixing a sample it went sort of orange but with a black tinge. I emailed the photos to EZ Test who confirmed the orange indicated amphetamine, but the black was anyones bet, Roxanne writes. [include_post id=466128] Gus, who had donated the sample, didnt seem surprised. The guy I bought it from is a douchebag and shady as hell, he said. I was going to take it without any thought, but now this has got me a little scared.' And therein lies the point of pill testing. Sure, Gus could still take the substance he purchased if he felt like it, but probably he wont and at the very least he now has the data to make an informed decision. As Roxanne notes, one of the main issues with drugs at music festivals today is not that punters are overdosing, but are instead purchasing substances they think might be pure, but instead turn out to be adulterated and containing something they could have a fatal reaction to. Politicians like Troy Grant would do well to pay attention to reports like Vices and the wealth of literature about pill testing thats out there. But theyll probably just continue to keep their heads in the sand as more young people die. Photo: Vice NSW Premier Mike Baird managed to tick off everyone in the country yesterday when he issued an incredibly condescending post about the supposed success of his states controversial late-night lockout laws. Now, the director of the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has come out and said that Bairds post was, in addition to being infuriatingly patronising, spruiking entirely faulty data. As ABC News reports, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics director Don Weatherburn says assaults in Sydney have not decreased by as much as the Premier claimed and that violence was already in decline before the lockouts. In his Facebook post, Baird claimed alcohol-related violence had dropped by 60 percent in Kings Cross and 42.2 percent in Sydneys CBD since the lockouts were introduced. But as Weatherburn told ABC Radio, its more like 40 percent in the Cross and 20 percent in the CBD. So was Baird simply lying? Not quite. Dr Weatherburn thinks the Premier was comparing assault rates just before the lockouts and immediately after and not taking into account the general downward trend that had already begun. The problem with that is assaults have been coming down in NSW since 2008, so you had this pre-existing downward trend, Dr Weatherburn said. What the lockout laws did was accelerate the existing downward trend, so it fell even faster than before. Lets start with a statistic about Sydneys nightlife that matters: alcohol related assaults have decreased by 42.2 per Posted by Mike Baird onMonday, February 8, 2016 The people that used to go to Kings Cross at one or three oclock in the morning have simply scattered to wherever they came from, and theyre not bumping into the people they would have had a fight with. Kings Cross tended to attract people who liked to drink a lot and liked to fight when they drank. Now they dont run into people like themselves as much. Dr Weatherburn also refuted the claim that lockouts had pushed violence into other areas, like Newtown. We dont see any evidence of that, he said. In the early part of the evaluation we saw a brief increase around Darling Harbour, near the casino. However, theres nothing suggesting violence in Newtown has exploded. People have talked endlessly of an increase of assaults in Newtown; we dont see any evidence whatsoever of that. I have a suspicion that what people are getting confused about is the usual seasonal increase in violence in summer months. [include_post id=470867] The numbers of domestic violence incidents have not changed, but you have to remember that only a third of incidents are reported to police. According to Dr Weatherburn, theres evidence of a displacement effect spurred by the lockouts. Baird was comprehensively torn apart over his post, including by Sydney businessman Matt Barrie, author of a viral LinkedIn post in which he eviscerated the lockout laws for their devastating effect on Sydney. Several Aussie musicians have also weighed in on the situation, including DJ and producer Alison Wonderland, who wrote on Facebook about her embarrassment at the fact that Sydney has become a laughing stock internationally. I miss the feeling of being able to discover music whilst exploring Sydney. Thats what made me fall in love with what I do. Sydney is now a ghost town, she wrote. It would be easy for Courtney Barnett to make her life the Courtney Barnett show. After all, shes one of the most hyped artists to come out of Australia in years, nabbing awards and accolades as she makes the rounds of every major festival on the globe. But Barnett is more interested in spreading the love and hopes that her success gives a leg up to some of her favourite fellow Aussies. Its the ethos thats built Milk! Records, the award-winning independent record label she founded with Jen Cloher. The goal isnt to take over the world and be a huge label with a million bands on it, Barnett recently told the Sydney Morning Herald. Its a place for us to make our art and share it with each other. Were already doing that and Im pretty happy with it. In addition to Barnett and Cloher, Milk! Records is home to the likes of Fraser A Gorman, The Finks, Ouch My Face, and East Brunswick All Girls Choir. The roster will be embarking on a special Milk! Records tour next month to celebrate their new label compilation. Its all part and parcel to Milk!s philosophy of group support. Speaking to Fairfax, Cloher explained that finding like-minded artists is of the utmost importance as an indie artist, before going behind the scenes into how Milk! keep their books. Id say the first rule is to come out of isolation and find your comrades, she said. Its a lot more fun being with other artists, particularly when youre independent, self-managed, self-funded you get exhausted and you burn out so you really need comrades. Naturally, money is a big concern when running an indie label. The second one is dont go into debt, said Cloher. Whatever you can do to raise money, whether its go play some shows, get a grant, crowd fund then thats what youve got to do. No one had to go out of pocket for the labels most recent compilation, Good For You, which was funded entirely by sales of Milk!s 2014 compilation, which was itself funded by a crowdfunding campaign. Business wise, each band makes their money off their own sales, but then theres what youd call the Milk! Records pool, Barnett explained, to put on events; make these kind of compilation albums. We sell T-shirts and merchandise and stuff, added Cloher, and thats really the way the label sustains itself because we dont do licensing agreements with bands. None of us have the time to sit there and work on each others release plans. The main idea was to just have a collective and community because when youre out on your own you can go a bit crazy. As for Barnett sharing the love, she said, I love that I direct people there to buy my record, but then they buy the East Brunnies album on the side. We get lots of feedback saying Thanks so much for sharing your friends with us. Thats always nice to hear. Good For You Tour Courtney Barnett Jen Cloher Fraser A. Gorman The Finks East Brunswick All Girls Choir Ouch My Face Tickets on sale Monday, 1st February Thursday, 3rd March 2016 Fat Controller, Adelaide Tickets: Milk Records Friday, 4th March 2016 Theatre Royal, Castlemaine Tickets: Milk Records Saturday, 5th March 2016 Howler, Melbourne Tickets: Milk Records Thursday, 10th March 2016 UC Live, Canberra Tickets: Milk Records Friday, 11th March 2016 Anitas, Wollongong Tickets: Milk Records Saturday, 12th March 2016 Vic On The Park, Sydney Tickets: Milk Records Sunday, 13th March 2016 Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Tickets: Milk Records Thursday, 17th March 2016 Bangalow Hall, Bangalow Tickets: Milk Records Friday, 18th March 2016 The Triffid, Brisbane Tickets: Milk Records Saturday, 19th March 2016 Joes Waterhole, Eumundi Tickets: Milk Records Sunday, 20th March 2016 Miami Marketta, Gold Coast Tickets: Milk Records A least three people were killed when a Volkswagen Transporter minibus hit a landmine near the Maryinka checkpoint in Donetsk region on Wednesday morning, the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) headquarters reported. "At least three people are dead. An ambulance has left for the scene from the Ukrainian government controlled side, the number of casualties is being clarified. This happened 600-700 meters from the Maryinka checkpoint. The minibus was coming from the 'gray zone' and was trying to overtake the row of cars. There were signs warning of a minefield," he told the agency. According to preliminary information provided by the press service of the State Border Service of Ukraine, there were five people in the car. Two of them died on the spot and one was seriously injured and was taken to the medical institution at Kurakhove, where this person died from the injuries. The incident occurred at around 0800 on Wednesday there were civilians in the car, the Ukrainian border guards reported. OLATHE INTERRACIAL COUPLE DOMESTIC DEATH DRAMA EARNS EXAMINATION FROM THE DR. PHIL SHOW AMID SUSPICION AND TRAGIC ALLEGATIONS FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF THE DECEASED!!! - Take a look at initial outcry from the guy's mom that called out the white lady in the midst of this talk show drama. - Thankfully, Mr. Washington offers an olive branch to the broad at the center of the televised debate. A controversial Kansas City metro death is making national news right now and local media are strangely turning a blind eye.To wit . . .Remember that our blog community noted Mr. Washington's initial work to help family voice their concerns.Now, here's an update . . .Again, this death debate on a nationally syndicated show is not only raising a lot of hard feelings but should remind locals that interracial dating drama and crime rage in the Kansas City suburbs.Developing . . . Another meetup gets a great responseas anything less than the 1993 total of 150+ homicides doesn't get much reax from authorities. Take a look: People pack Kansas City community center for violence meeting NOBODY SAW OR HEARD ANYTHING FROM JACKSON COUNTY LEGISLATOR CRYSTAL WILLIAMS AMID THE FIRST KCMO CITIZEN CRIME TASK FORCE MEETING??? "The first meeting was important because it set the tone. County cooperation in KCMO crime-fighting in partnership with KC Nova and COMBAT is important. Crystal should have been the point person on that or at least a reference for people looking to voice their concerns and find out more. But she was basically a no-show . . . Nobody heard or saw a peep out of her. Once again she proves that she's more about building her resume than doing her job." A good question from our blog community about politics and crime tonight . . .After watching the video,and checking with other members who did bother to waste their Saturday morning . . .We've talked about the ineffectiveness of this committee but here's a quick comment from a reader who notes the implications of this Saturday skip day . . .The silver-lining here is that this "task force" is going to take a year to hold these listening sessions and gauge public sentiment as bodies to continue to drop on local streets. We hope Ms. Williams can clear time in her schedule to become a more active participant in the discussion. Tourexpi, turizm haberleri, Reiseburos, tourism news, noticias de turismo, Tourismus Nachrichten, , travel tourism news, international tourism news, Urlaub, urlaub in der turkei, , holidays in Turkey, , global tourism news, dunya turizm, dunya turizm haberleri, Seyahat Acentas, This site is best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+, at a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768. Ukraine's Deputy Prosecutor General and Chief Military Prosecutor Anatoliy Matios has signed notifications of suspicion for another 50 judges of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, who have betrayed the people of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) said on its official Facebook account. "The objective aspect of the crime they [50 Crimean judges] have committed is that they, as citizens of Ukraine; serving as judges; having an adequate level of education, expertise, and life experience to understand the fact of the Russian occupation of the territory of the Crimean Autonomous Republic, and the city of Sevastopol; being aware of ongoing subversion activities against Ukraine; ... being willing to help in carrying out these subversion activities against Ukraine and to personally contribute to the formation and operation of the Russian authorities in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, including work of judiciaries; in violation of the oath; starting form the temporary occupation of Crimea, around March 16, 2014, and until the present time have been administering justice on behalf of Russia, based on the Russian substantive and procedural law, as judges of the illegally established judiciaries on the temporary occupied territory of Ukraine, using their book knowledge and practical skills gained in Ukraine," the PGO's statement said. The work to gather evidence against judges continues, however, the major share of evidence lies within the temporary occupied territory of Crimea, the PGO added. The prosecutor general's statement also recalled that relevant units of Ukraine's PGO investigate crimes under Part 1 of the Article 111 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (high treason), committed by judges of Crimea and Sevastopol. The punishment under the mentioned article foresees 12 to 15 years of imprisonment with confiscation of assets. Earlier, in May 2015, Matios signed notifications of suspicion of high treason for 276 judges on the basis of the collected evidence. The PGO's statement also provides a list of names of all 50 Crimean judges, suspects of high treason. now has a 100% French label thanks to Maimaimaiii It provides Chinese travelers with touristic benchmarks while offering marketing and educational services to accredited facilities.Its members enjoy a practical guide to better understand Chinese culture allowing to, in turn, offer a high-quality experience to their clients coming from China.For this, Maimaimaiii provides a The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) has signed a connection and interface agreement (C&IA) with the Abu Dhabi Transmission & Despatch Company (Transco). The agreement establishes a contractual operating framework between the two entities that will allow for the electricity generated from Enecs four nuclear energy units located in Barakah to be transmitted over Transcos power lines to the UAE grid. The official contract was signed at Transcos offices in Abu Dhabi by Mohamed Al Hammadi, Enec CEO, and Mohammed Bin Jarsh, Transco acting managing director. This is a pivotal agreement and the result of hard work and a close collaboration between Enec and Transco, said Al Hammadi. Close working partnerships and relationships with our stakeholders are vital components for the success of Enecs programme and for the organisation to continue to deliver each milestone of the UAE peaceful nuclear energy program, safely and to the highest international standards of quality. Thanks to Transcos singular expertise, we are progressing efficiently and in a focused manner and have been able to sign the C&IA agreement that will allow for the nuclear energy plants in Barakah to safely supply the UAE with clean, reliable and sustainable electricity to power the nation. Bin Jarsh said: We are pleased to support Enec in what is a strategically important development for the United Arab Emirates. Finalising the agreement is a milestone event that signifies the commitment of Transco to this project and its objectives. The signing of this agreement allows ENEC to prepare for the energisation of the switchyard, which is an important milestone for the UAE peaceful nuclear energy programme and the delivery of the four nuclear energy reactors. The energisation of an electrical infrastructure is a safety test performed under the supervision of qualified experts to examine new electric equipment and verify its conformity to the regulatory requirements. This important phase allows the equipment to be energised and for testing to be performed. Once the equipment is deemed satisfactory for normal service, the equipment is turned over to the system operator for normal service. Enec continues to progress safely and to the highest standards of quality in the delivery of the four nuclear energy units in Barakah. Unit 1 is now over 84 per cent complete, Unit 2 is 64 per cent, Unit 3 is 41 per cent and Unit 4 25 per cent. All four units and the associated subsidiary buildings are now over 58 per cent complete and, pending regulatory approval, the four nuclear energy units are scheduled to be operative in 2020, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service Middle East Specialised Cables (MESC) is making its debut at the Gulf Industry Fair being held in Bahrain where it is showcasing cable solutions that have been designed and manufactured to international standards. The UAE-based company is looking to reinforce its position in the Bahrain market, where it has acquired a significant market share through its agent Al Moosawi Trading and other major distributors and authorised resellers including Kavalani and Sons, Power On Trading, Bilal Tower Trading and Teams Bahrain. MESCs area sales manager K V Ramaseshan comments: MESC is well known in the oil and gas sector but it has now diversified and forayed into the power and construction businesses since it has a large capacity to produce the required cables and a wider approval. At the fair, MESC is spotlighting its newly launched Pyro SI fire-resistant cables for fire alarm systems. MESCs cables are being used in some major projects in its local market, including the Sustainable City in Dubai. For the project, the company is supplying its armoured flexible and single core cables and Cat 6 data cables worth more than Dh3 million ($816,782). Another current project in Dubai is Mohammad bin Rashid City, where cables measuring a total of 200 km have been supplied by MESC including special flexible and low-smoke halogen-free cables to the tune of Dh2.5 million ($680,652). In Abu Dhabi, its special rubber flexible cable, CU/EPR/SW4 is being installed on the Neighbourhood One Residences project in Masdar City. These cables have an operating temperature of 150 deg C. In January, MESC launched a state-of-the-art fire performance laboratory at its UAE factory. The facility allows MESC to conduct rigorous and comprehensive validation of a cables resistance to fire and propagation in accordance with various international standards. Commenting on Bahrains market, Ramaseshan says it is one of the brightest in the GCC despite its small size, and adds that MESC has the potential to meet 20 per cent of Bahrains cabling needs. The Gulf Industry Fair, being held at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Conventions Centre, is organised by Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE). TradeArabia News Service Khalifa A Algosaibi Diving & Marine Services Company (Adams), a global player in offshore services operating out of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, is showcasing its new ADF engineering and survey services division at the Gulf Industry Fair. ADF is a joint venture between Adams and Delta Forst International, which provides a single platform to serve both offshore and onshore engineering and survey requirements, says R Rajeev Kumar, general manager of the company. He says: We have chosen the Gulf Industry Fair 2016 as our platform to celebrate our reputation as the Middle Easts global operator in the offshore industry. Our state-of-the-art dynamic positioned (DP) fleet, purpose built for diving, ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) and survey services have been globally deployed since inception. Our special vessels, expertise and much more are on show at the event, he adds. Established in 1964, Adams core business activities include provision of diving and marine services and sale and rental of related equipment, in support of the offshore oil industry. Adams, an IMCA (International Marine Contractors Association) member, has been at the forefront of offshore diving activities in Saudi Arabia supporting Saudi Aramco for the past 50 years. It operates to international standards and has been approved by leading classification societies to carry out diving, Uwild (under water inspection in lieu of dry-docking) and related work. Services offered by Adams include air diving works, diving consultancy, underwater cleaning, cutting, welding and maintenance, provision of marine and diving vessels and 24/7 support. Having pioneered offshore supply and dive support in the Middle East since 1964, the company has now become a global player in offshore diving and subsea operational support with its state-of-the-art DP fleet. As part of improving core competitiveness and operational efficiency, the DP fleet management has now been restructured to operate as Adams Offshore Services, based in Bahrain. TradeArabia News Service The United States and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that a US defence official said could include the disputed South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the waterway. Washington wants its regional allies and other Asian nations to take a more united stance against China over the South China Sea, where tensions have spiked in the wake of Beijing's construction of seven man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago. India and the US have ramped up military ties in recent years, holding naval exercises in the Indian Ocean that last year involved the Japanese navy. But the Indian navy has never carried out joint patrols with another country and a naval spokesman told Reuters there was no change in the government's policy of only joining an international military effort under the United Nations flag. He pointed to India's refusal to be part of anti-piracy missions involving dozens of countries in the Gulf of Aden and instead carrying out its own operations there since 2008. The US defence official said the two sides had discussed joint patrols, adding that both were hopeful of launching them within the year. The patrols would likely be in the Indian Ocean where the Indian navy is a major player as well as the South China Sea, the official told Reuters in New Delhi on condition of anonymity. The official gave no details on the scale of the proposed patrols. A Pentagon spokesman, Commander Bill Urban, said the US and India "continue to explore ways to deepen defence co-operation, including in the area of maritime security", but no decisions had been made on joint patrols. There was no immediate comment from China, which is on a week-long holiday for Chinese New Year. China accused Washington this month of seeking maritime hegemony in the name of freedom of navigation after a US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of a disputed island in the Paracel chain of the South China Sea in late January. The US Navy conducted a similar exercise in October near one of China's artificial islands in the Spratlys. Neither India nor the US has claims to the South China Sea, but both said they backed freedom of navigation and overflight in the waterway when US President Barack Obama visited New Delhi in January 2015. Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also agreed at the time to "identify specific areas for expanding maritime co-operation". More than $5 trillion in world trade moves through the South China Sea each year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan also claim parts of the waterway. In December, the issue of joint patrols came up when Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar visited the US Pacific Command in Hawaii, an Indian government source said. "It was a broad discussion, it was about the potential for joint patrols," said the source, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. India has a long-running land border dispute with China and has been careful not to antagonise its more powerful neighbour, instead focusing on building economic ties. But it has stepped up its naval presence far beyond the Indian Ocean, deploying a ship to the South China Sea almost constantly, an Indian navy commander said, noting this was not the practice a few years ago. The commander added that the largest number of Indian naval ship visits in the South China Sea region was to Vietnam, a country rapidly building military muscle for potential conflict with China over the waterway. India has extended a $100 million credit line for Hanoi to buy patrol boats and is training Vietnamese submariners in India, while Hanoi has granted oil exploration blocks to India in waters off Vietnam that are disputed with China. Still, the idea of joining the US in patrols in the region was a long shot, the Indian officer said. The Philippines has asked the United States to do joint naval patrols in the South China Sea, something a US diplomat said this month was a possibility.-Reuters Saudi Arabia would be willing to commit special forces to Syria should the international coalition decide to deploy ground troops against Islamic State, the country's foreign minister said on Wednesday. It was the Saudi minister's second reference to sending special forces since he met US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington on Monday for talks on the war in Syria and the crisis in Yemen. "We will discuss details with experts from the countries involved to decide on the nature of the participation," Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir told reporters during a visit to Morocco. He has declined to give any specific numbers. President Barack Obama, anxious to avoid being sucked into another Middle East conflict after the long and costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has been deeply reluctant to commit US ground forces in Syria. But four months of Russian air strikes in Syria - which Moscow says are targeting Islamic State - have helped President Bashar Al Assad claw back territory from rebel fighters, alarming Gulf Arab states who back the insurgents. Saudi Arabia is a member of the US-led coalition that has been fighting Islamic State in Syria since 2014. The government says it has carried out more than 190 aerial missions there, although it has focused its military efforts over the last year on the conflict in Yemen, where it is leading a coalition of mainly Gulf Arab forces battling Houthi fighters who control Sanaa. Last week, an adviser to the Saudi defence minister said the kingdom was ready to participate in any ground operation in Syria, but did not specify the possibility of sending special forces on the ground. Saudi Arabia in December also announced the formation of a 34-nation Islamic military coalition which it said would combat terrorism.-Reuters Masgo Ventures, a top lifestyle and retail concepts company, and First Bahrain have jointly announced the introduction of NKD Pizza which will open soon at El Mercado - Janabiya. Jenan Almaskati, managing partner of MASGO Ventures, said: We are pleased to be opening our first NKD Pizza location in El Mercado Janabiya to provide an exciting healthy eating concept to the neighbouring area and customers accessing the Saudi Causeway. We look forward to our partnership with First Bahrain and the opportunity to be a part of this unique tenant mix that complements the NKD Pizza brand. First launched in New Orleans in 2007, NKD Pizzas unique healthy offering is built on a pizza crust recipe made from an Ancestral Blend of 10 grains, prebiotic fibre from the agave plant, and special heat-resistant probiotics, also known as healthy or good bacteria. This results in a diversity of nutrients and fibre along with the added probiotics that support digestive health and provide a lower calorie count. NKD pizza also provides customers with the option of ordering a gluten free pizza. Commenting on the signing, Amin Al Arrayed, CEO of First Bahrain said: "We are pleased to announce the latest addition to El Mercado. NKD Pizza perfectly complements our family friendly neighbourhood market with their healthier approach to everyone's favourite meal. We are delighted to partner with Masgo Ventures and appreciate their confidence in the facility we are delivering to the Janabiya community." El Mercado is now over 50 per cent leased with construction ahead of target with completion scheduled for the end of February 2016. The impressive new neighbourhood market, conveniently located on Avenue 27 just off the Shaikh Isa bin Salman Highway, will offer 48,500-sq-ft of retail space including an Al Osra Supermarket and three anchor restaurants. The centre has secured a mix of exclusive restaurants, cafes, kids play areas, and salons for both women and men. TradeArabia News Service The sultanate of Oman received over 2 million visitors during the first 10 months of 2015, recording a notable increase of 302,221 tourists in comparison to 2014, where 1.76 million tourists visited the country, said a report. Statistical indicators issued by the Ministry of Tourism, carried by Oman News Agency, showed that the number of licensed hotels rose from 297 in 2014 to 318 hotels in 2015, jumping 7.1 per cent, a report in WAM said. Indicators included the largest number of hotel facilities, which opened in 2015 within the two-star hotel category, an increase of 27 per cent from 2014, followed by an increase of hotel apartments 9.7 per cent from 2014. The number of five-star hotels reached 11 in 2015, an increase of one hotel, in comparison to 2014 while the number of four-star hotels increased by two to reach 23 hotels in the same year. The number of hotel apartments, licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, rose from 103 apartments in 2014 to 113 in 2015, an increase of 9.7 per cent while the number of rooms and apartments totalled to 3,661 (up 11.3 per cent). Last year also saw a rise in the number of camps and guest heritage houses and inns. The U.S., Canadian, and Lithuanian instructors provide trainings in artillery and aviation fire control for Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen on the territory of the International Center for Peacemaking and Security of the Petro Sahaidachny Land Forces Academy in Lviv region. The servicemen perform tasks within various military units, namely, squads, platoons, and companies; learn how to interact within the units; read the battlefield picture; to draw and control artillery and aircraft based fire, etc. Trainings take place in full combat gear and with combat fire. Foreign instructors change training locations and target setting every time. Unit commanders learn to efficiently give orders to soldiers without exposing them to danger; to promptly identify and hit the most dangerous targets, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's press service reported. "With the help of foreign trainers we have done battle teamwork and individual training in line with NATO standards," the press service quoted mechanized platoon commander, senior sergeant with a codename 'John' as saying. "We find trainings with Americans interesting, as most of the instructors were in conflict zones and teach based on their own combat experience," he added. According to junior commanders, the foreign counterparts have a lot of interesting techniques. In particular, on training soldiers to properly cover themselves from the enemy fire in open areas; and on how to fire back. What is more, Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters learn to move around the battlefield. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko expects efficient work from the government. "I think when the matter concerns the fate of the state, we are not talking about games, and we are talking about the effective interaction of authorities. I think in the near future we'll see quite effective steps," the president told journalists, commenting on the situation in the government related with the withdrawal by the ministers of their resignation letters. As reported, on February 4, 2016 some ministers withdrew their previously filed resignation letters. For instance, resignation letters were revoked by Minister of Agricultural Policy and Food Oleksiy Pavlenko, Information Policy Minister Yuriy Stets, Health Minister Alexander Kvitashvili, and Infrastructure Minister Andriy Pyvovarsky. However, they put forward a number of conditions under which they are ready to continue work in the government. U.S. ambassador calls IMF statement further argument for reload of Ukraine's government, zero tolerance for corruption U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt has said the recent statement by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the threat to the program of assistance to Ukraine was another argument for the need to implement reforms. "Further argument here for completing reload of Ukraine's reformer-led government and zero tolerance for corruption," he wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday, commenting on the relevant IMF statement published in the media. As reported, on Wednesday IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde stated that it was hard for the IMF to continue its cooperation with Ukraine under the Extended Fund Facility program without a substantial effort to fight corruption. "I am concerned about Ukraines slow progress in improving governance and fighting corruption, and reducing the influence of vested interests in policymaking. Without a substantial new effort to invigorate governance reforms and fight corruption, it is hard to see how the IMF-supported program can continue and be successful," she said in a statement published on Wednesday. "Ukraine risks a return to the pattern of failed economic policies that has plagued its recent history. It is vital that Ukraine's leadership acts now to put the country back on a promising path of reform," Lagarde said. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that he hopes MPs will revisit his bill on abolishing parliamentary immunity from prosecution. "This bill has received a positive conclusion of the Constitutional Court that it complies with the Constitution; now the Verkhovna Rada has the ball in its court. Public requests and public pressure are needed," Poroshenko said during a meeting with employees of Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau. He recalled that he previously submitted the relevant bill to the parliament, and the Verkhovna Rada sent it to the Constitutional Court. Following the latter's conclusion, the parliament hasn't considered the immunity cancellation again. Darya Olifer, the press secretary for Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine's official representative in the Trilateral Contact Group for settling the conflict in Donbas, has confirmed that the group will meet for the next time in Minsk on February 17. "This really is so: the Trilateral Contact Group will meet in Minsk on February 17," Olifer told Interfax-Ukraine. Russia's representative in the Trilateral Contact Group and permanent member of the Russian Security Council, Boris Gryzlov, had said earlier that the group's next meeting in Minsk was scheduled for February 17. U.S. will facilitate cooperation between Ukraine and IMF if necessary reforms carried out The United States will provide assistance to Ukraine in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if Kyiv carries out necessary reforms, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt has stated. "The Ukrainian government and the parliament must remain disciplined in implementing the government's reform strategy, and resist pressure to slide back on these critical efforts. The United States will continue to work closely with the IMF, the EU, the G7, and other donors to provide the necessary support for Ukraine's efforts to improve the investment climate, integrate Ukraine into the global economy, and put this nation on a path to self-sustaining growth as long as Ukraine continues to press forward on vital reforms," the official said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine. The ambassador stressed that "Ukraine needs to continue to make progress to improve the business climate, strengthen governance and competition, tackle corruption, repair the financial sector, and eliminate poorly targeted energy subsidies while protecting the most vulnerable members of society." "There's more work to be done to curb corruption, improve tax administration, strengthen intellectual property rights, deepen the gas sector reform, continue privatization in a transparent manner, and support the rule of law," Pyatt stressed. The United States welcomes Ukraine's positive contribution to global security, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt said. "We welcome Ukraine's positive contributions on issues of global concern. This year, with Ukraine on the UN Security Council, the country has the opportunity to play a leading role whether on Syria, DPRK [the Democratic People's Republic of Korea], Iran, or on other pressing issues," Pyatt told Interfax-Ukraine in an exclusive interview. "Ukraine has an impressive record of contributing international peacekeeping operations. And it's important to see Ukraine continue to step up and contribute to global security as it works to strengthen ties with European institutions and as it moves toward NATO," he said. The full interview in English will be posted on Interfax-Ukraine's website at http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/interview.html. South Korea Fires Warning Shots After North Korean Boat Allegedly Crosses Maritime Border A North Korean patrol boat allegedly crossed a maritime border Monday, forcing the South Korean navy to fire warning shots against the vessel. The alleged trespassing took place a day after the North Korea launched a long-range missile, Yonhap News Agency reported Monday. According to reports, the North Korean patrol boat allegedly crossed the disputed maritime border in Yellow Sea, also known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a South Korean military official said. After being fired with warning shots, the North Korean patrol boat reportedly withdrew northward. "The South Korean military is on high alert, beefing up surveillance near the NLL and monitoring any abnormal activities by North Korean soldiers," the official said. Advertisement A spokesman for South's Joint Chiefs said five shots were fired at the North Korean patrol boat before the vessel retreated. "After trespassing the NLL in the West Sea, through the issuance of warning shots [the military] was able to drive out the boat immediately," Jeon Ha Gyu said, as noted by UPI Monday. A source also said they have been monitoring the activities of the North Korean troops. "We have been monitoring North Korea troop movements, while staying on high alert in a state of preparedness," the source revealed. President Park Geun Hye has called for intensified alertness against possible provocations following North Korea's recent hydrogen test last month. A spokesman at the ruling Saenuri Party said North Korea's invasion breached the Korean Armstice Agreement. "The North Korean military's intrusion is a clear violation of the 1953 Armistice Agreement," Kim Yong Woo said. "It was quite intentional as the country made back-to-back provocations during the Lunar New Year's holiday." On the other hand, main opposition Minjoo Party called on North Korea to end its provocations, adding that the South Korean military should be prepared for possible provocations from the rival. "Our military should be fully ready for further signs of North Korea's provocations," spokesman Kim Sung Soo said. Advertisement Advertisement Like us and Follow us Follow @Koreaportal and 2022 Korea Portal, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. United Nations Aviation Organization Imposes New Standards On Commercial Air To Cut Carbon Dioxide Emissions The United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has released new emission standards for large commercial aircrafts in order to trim reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 650 million tons between the years 2020 and 2040. While the rules may apply to all sizes of commercial carriers, it will be phased in specifically for aircraft models that will be launched in 2020 and those that are being engineered for 2023, as reported by Time on Monday. ICAO also recommended that the cut-off date for non-compliant planes shall be on 2028. The initiative was drafted after several United Nations member countries cooperated during the U.N. Conference in Paris to become active participants in global efforts to combat the effects of climate change. Advertisement "Our sector presently accounts for under 2 percent of the world's annual CO 2 emissions," ICAO council president Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu said, as quoted by Business Travel News. "But we also recognize that the projected doubling of global passengers and flights by 2030 must be managed responsibly and sustainably." Aliu added that the goal was to guarantee reductions in carbon emissions from the next generation of aircraft models. Several environmental advocates applauded the agreement saying the organization is in the "right direction" and is taking a "positive step" to reduce carbon dioxide emissions contributed largely by the aviation industry. "Having more efficient aircraft take to the sky can help airlines begin to slow aviation's skyrocketing climate pollution," said Annie Petsonk of the Environment Defense Fund International Counsel. Meanwhile, the standards still need approval from the 36 member states of the International Civil Aviation Organization governing body. The initiative will be finalized later this year. Reuters reported yesterday that said standards, should it be given final approval, shall subject all national aviation authorities across global regions and countries to adhere and comply. Advertisement Advertisement Like us and Follow us Follow @Koreaportal and 2022 Korea Portal, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The wreckage of a carriage is pictured at the site of two crashed trains near Bad Aibling in southwestern Germany, February 9, 2016. At least 10 people died after two trains collided in the southern German state of Bavaria on Tuesday, a police spokesman said, adding about 100 people were also injured. [Agencies] BERLIN -- A wrong decision of a dispatcher is supposed to be the reason for the train collision which killed at least 10 people in the southern German state of Bavaria on Tuesday morning, German media reported. A railway worker suspended the automatic signal system exceptionally, in order to "wave through" a belated train set, German newspaper Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung quoted investigators. However, the train set did not make it in time to a meeting point where the single-track line is expanded to double track, said the report. So far, one person is still missing in the train wrecks, while 17 people were seriously injured, according to local police and media reports. A police spokesman confirmed on Tuesday chances were small for the person missing in the train wrecks to survive. About 150 people were onboard the two trains when they collided head-on at around 6:40 am local time (0540 GMT) in Bavaria. Rescuers stand in front of a carriage at the site of the two crashed trains near Bad Aibling in southwestern Germany, February 9, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] News Oct 19th, 2022 at 15:35 The cloud-native IT will continue to be offered as a stand-alone product as well as integrated with the Guestline platform Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : VIETNAM GRANTS VISA-FREE ENTRANCE FOR RUSSIAN TOURISTS Industry: Visas The Vietnamese government waives visa requirement for Russian citizens staying in Vietnam for 15 days or less. Visa-Vietnam.org provides visa for citizens preferring extended stay. (TRAVPR.COM) VIETNAM - February 10th, 2016 - The Vietnamese government has been encouraging tourists from all over the world to indulge in the picturesque beauty of Vietnam. The Ministry of foreign affairs of Vietnam has recently announced exemption of Vietnam visa for Russians citizens staying in the country for up to 15 days. However, Visa-Vietnam.org provides their services to easily avail visa for citizens preferring a prolonged stay. Visa-Vietnam.org is a leading travel agent known to offer Vietnam visa in a fast and secured manner for foreign nationals. Their visa on arrival service has been acclaimed for the convenience of remote visa application and the subsequent prompt delivery upon arrival at the airport. A spokesperson for the firm stated, "Russian passport holders are not required visa for entering Vietnam if stay less than 15 days. Moreover, if you want to stay more than 15 days, you can request for visa pre-approval letter to get visa on arrival at international airports of Vietnam without pay for stamp fee at the airports." The government has also exempt requirement of Vietnam visa for five European nations namely UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy for the same 15 day period. Those travellers who have been exempt from visa requirement for the said period are however required to have a visa upon re-entry to the country within 30 days of their last departure. "We understand that last minute rush to apply for visa just in case travellers have decided to stay longer than 15 days will make things tuff and stressful. That is why we are ready to offer them help. Availing a visa is just a few clicks away when you visit our website. It's as easy as filling out our form and availing the approval letter to procure a visa at the airport," explained the spokesperson. The firm already offers affordable pricing schemes and membership offers for their visa application services. Applying for Vietnam visa at Visa-Vietnam.org for a stay beyond 15 days will cost just the service fee and no charges on arrival for all. The spokesperson claimed about the authenticity of their services by describing, "We established from 2007 with service of arranging visa pre-approval letter for picking up visa on arrival at international airport of Vietnam. The visa pre-approval letter and visa issuing office at airports come from Vietnam Immigration for making travelers getting visa to Vietnam with less hassle, especially for travelers come from country without embassy or consulate of Vietnam." About Nam Thang Travel Co., LTD: Visa-Vietnam.org is one of the prominent travel agents offering Vietnam visa in a simple and affordable manner. They execute simple procedure and offers easy accessibility for visa applicants. ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release : CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Ta Hoai Nam Company: Nam Thang Travel Co., LTD Phone: 84966569956 Email: visavietor@gmail.com Web: PRESS RELEASE TAGS One of the key limitations in the design of many tiny houses is the fact that they have to be built on trailer chassis. Many zoning bylaws have minimum building sizes to keep the riffraff out and the property taxes up; many building codes have minimum room sizes and other rules that make it very hard to build small. By having wheels, it becomes a recreational vehicle and it can sneak under a lot of radars. But it's really tough to design a decent space in an 8'-6" wide (exterior dimensions!) space. Tiny House Build Andrew and Gabriella Morrison have pulled it off in their 221 square foot home and write about it (and how they live in it) on the Tiny House Blog. In many tiny houses, designers compromise on something, be it kitchen or bathroom. Gabriella writes: To our surprise we have not felt, at any point, that we have had to make any compromises or sacrifices in our self designed and built home. Not once have we felt that our space was too small, that our needs werent luxuriously met, or that we didnt have enough space to run our home business, entertain, cook, bathe, watch movies, play guitar, wrestle with our dog, or store our clothes and belongings. Not once have we been uncomfortable, hurt our backs in the lofts, struggled on our stairs, felt like our fridge or kitchen sink was too small, or felt that we didnt have enough space for an item. Tiny House Build By putting the kitchen at one end and the bathroom at the other, they are able to use the full width of the trailer and make them generous. In fact, they have a full size five burner range, an 18 cubic foot fridge and more cabinet space than they can fill. Gabriella says " We know we CAN cook in a tiny kitchen with two burners, wash dishes in a tiny sink, and cram all of our food into a dorm sized fridge, but we dont WANT to." Tiny House Build The bathroom is also generous, which you need if you are going to use a big Sun-Mar composting toilet (and the bigger, the better. This is the same model that my friend Laurence has used for almost 20 years) Tiny House Build What's really different here is the central area, with that built in sofa and eating counter/ home office. I think a flip-top on the office might have been nice, so that it could be bigger when you have company, but otherwise it is a clever way to deal with dining, just like sitting at a bar with a nice view. It is a bit counter-intuitive to build permanent seating into such a narrow space, but it seems to work here. Tiny House Build Then there is the storage stair, (that everyone is complaining about in comments because of the lack of a handrail) which is a whole lot nicer in the middle of the night than a ladder. It leads up to a very generous loft, with another ladder-accessible loft over the bathroom at the other end. Living in a small space is as much about lifestyle as it is about architecture, you have to think about everything you own. On their own website, Gabriella describes how they went totally paperless in their office, using a Scansnap scanner and Evernote so that all of their documents are in the cloud, not their filing cabinets. This is a smart move; I have tried to do the same thing, but using my iphone as a scanner. It is slow; I am going to upgrade to the real thing. In her conclusion, Gabriella nails the reasons that tiny house living is so seductive to so many people, even if it is an impossible dream for most. Because we chose to build tiny rather than a larger house, we were able to pay for the materials in cash and now have the security of knowing that we will always have a place on this planet that we can live for free. And being that its off grid, we arent bound to utility bills and the system. It's not for everyone, but it is an attractive vision. More at the Tiny House Blog and Tiny House Build. BEIJING -- Worried about losing traffic on their smartphone apps while people are distracted by Spring Festival celebrations, Chinese internet firms vied to keep users tuned in with cash gifts. Traditionally, Chinese people gives red envelopes filled with money, known as "Hongbao," to friends and relatives during the Lunar New Year celebrations. Tapping into the tradition, internet firms including Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu and Sina Weibo launched apps that enabled users to send, snatch and draw cyber red envelopes on their smartphones. Alibaba's financial arm Ant Financial allowed users of its mobile payment app Alipay Wallet to draw money in the run-up to the Lunar New Year Eve. It partnered with the state broadcaster's annual Spring Festival gala as its official red envelope distributor during the gala's five-hour broadcast on the new year's eve. Tencent got the upper hand on the social front as its popular instant messaging app WeChat was the primary platform for hundreds of millions of smartphone users sending and opening digital red envelopes between friends, colleagues and family. Tencent launched the red envelope service two years ago in hope that tradition would encourage people to exchange cyber red envelopes on WeChat and spend the money through its payment service Tenpay. The plan worked, with millions of users tying their bank card with Tenpay to transfer money, shop online or simply send out more cyber envelopes on WeChat. Other domestic internet firms followed suit, but with mixed results. The enthusiasm for various forms of cyber red envelopes has been high among Chinese smartphone users, though the money they get is often minuscule. Despite shaking her phone day after day for pocket money from Alipay this year, Hao Yueyua often received less than one yuan. But she never gets bored. "It has a lot to do with luck, but that's what makes red envelopes on the smartphone so fun," Hao said. For others, cyber envelopes have made gift-giving during this time of the year less burdensome. "Sending out money envelopes on smartphone is so much more efficient than handing out physical ones," said Wu Yan, who works at a bank in central China. "It really saves me from all the usual back-and-forth when friends and relatives show their politeness by pretending to refuse your money envelopes," she said. Chinese microblog Sina Weibo reported a surge in daily active users on Sunday thanks to the red envelopes distributed on its apps and a surge in discussions about the Spring Festival gala. Sina said the number of active users from Sunday to the early morning of Monday, when the five-hour live broadcast of the Spring Festival gala ended and the Chinese Lunar Year of the Monkey officially began, surged 31 percent from last year's Lunar New Year eve on Feb. 18, 2015. It said promotional cash gifts have been distributed to 100 million users through the platform. Celebrities and dignitaries from Hong Kong and Taiwan to the United States and the United Kingdom also used Weibo to send out celebratory greetings for the Lunar New Year. The United Nations teamed up with Chinese actor Liuxiaolingtong, known in China for his portrayal of Monkey King in the TV series Journey to the West, to send out wishes to the Chinese for the Year of Monkey. Aman Sood Tribune News Service Patiala, February 9 The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed the state Chief Secretary to act on a complaint against the then Deputy Commissioner of Patiala and the Patiala SSP for the alleged misuse of the National Flag. The Chief Secretary has been told to take an appropriate and necessary action according to the Flag Code of India, 2002, and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. On January 27, former Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh had shot a complaint to the MHA alleging that the then DC Varun Roojam and SSP Gurmeet Chauhan had audaciously violated the National Flag Code, while inspecting the dress rehearsal of the Republic Day parade on January 24, 2016, at YPS Stadium in Patiala. The MHA, while taking the cognisance of the matter, has directed the state Chief Secretary to take an appropriate and necessary action in this matter. The Ministry has further stated that action taken in the matter may be directly intimated to me as an applicant. It has also sought an action-taken report from the state government, said Bir Devinder. Both officers had denied the allegations and claimed that they did nothing wrong and followed the laid-down procedure only. In a complaint to state Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal, Bir Devinder had alleged that both officials violated the Flag Code while inspecting the dress rehearsal of the Republic Day on January 24 at YPS Stadium here. They were seen riding a police gypsy with the Tricolour flying on it, which violates the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs for the strict observance of the National Flag Code, the leader had complained. Sukhmeet Bhasin Tribune News Service Bathinda, February 10 Mayor Balwant Rai Nath has taken up the issue regarding problems being faced by residents in getting their maps approved in unapproved colonies with Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi and demanded to scrap the norm of construction on 25 per cent of the area, which has been made mandatory. He told the minister that due to this norm, getting plots regularised in the unapproved colonies has become a headache for city residents. As it is mandatory to construct on the 25 per cent area of the plot, residents, who rely on loan from bank for construction are in a fix. The city has over 6,600 illegal plots and 90 per cent people want to construct houses on bank loans, but as long as the maps are not approved, they are unable to get loan, he added. He said he had received many complaints regarding the same. He also demanded to extend the deadline (February 5) of this policy for three months. Mayor Balwant Rai Nath today held a meeting with Joshi in Chandigarh. In the meeting, the Mayor also raised the issue of more recruitment of staff in the Municipal Corporation. While talking to Bathinda Tribune over phone after the meeting from Chandigarh, Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said he had raised the issue to recruit 48 sewermen and 328 municipal corporation workers on daily wages. He claimed that Joshi had told him that this issue would be addressed in a state-level recruitment event and it also needs approval from the Vidhan Sabha. He said he had also raised the issue the norm of 25 per cent of building for approval of the map for the unapproved colonies in the city and to extend its last date, on which the minister has stated that you should pass it in your General House meeting and then sent it to him. The Mayor also claimed that some other important issues were also reviewed and discussed with the minister. There are some issues which need to be dealt at the MCB level, while some are to be sent to the Secretary, Local Bodies. Dinesh Kumar Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari's recent visit to Brunei and Thailand marked the first high-level bilateral visit by an Indian dignitary to Brunei from the time that tiny oil-rich sultanate attained Independence 32 years ago in 1984 and the first in 50 years by an Indian Vice President to Thailand. The last time that an Indian President visited Thailand on a bilateral visit was also almost half-a-century ago in 1972 by Varahagiri Venkata Giri. Considering that the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian nations, better known by its acronym Asean, has increasingly become critical to Indias strategic and economic interests, such bilateral visits are regarded with importance. The Asean region, which stretches from Myanmar to the Philippines in the east and up to Singapore and Indonesia in the south, is central to India's Look East (renamed Act East in 2014) policy and is located in New Delhi's very front yard. India shares a land border with Myanmar, an Asean member state, and maritime boundaries with two other member states Indonesia and Thailand. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an archipelago of 572 islands in the Bay of Bengal, is located close to the three eastern approaches to the Indian Ocean comprising the three straits Malacca, Lombok and Sunda located in Southeast Asia. Of considerable value are the close historical and cultural ties India has with many Asean members, with tens of thousands of non-resident Indians living in these countries. The shared heritage ranges from Borobudor, the Mahayana Buddhist temple, in Indonesia to Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious monument, in Cambodia. The spread of Buddhism to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam through emperor Ashoka's emissaries, the spread of Indian mythology and folklore, the Thai epic Ramakien based on the Ramayana and the many Indian emigrants to Southeast Asia all reflect these traditional ties. But geography, history and culture apart, India embarked on concerted efforts to forge closer relations with the Asean (established in 1967) soon after the end of the Cold War and was relatively quick to attain success. India's Look East policy, adopted in the early 1990s, coincided with India becoming a Sectoral Dialogue partner in 1992, a Full Dialogue partner in 1995 and a member of the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) in 1996. In 2002, India's arrival was announced with the holding of a first-ever Asean-India Summit in Phnom Penh (Cambodia). In 2003, India acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), signed a counter-terrorism declaration with Asean in 2009 which was followed by signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in goods that same year and an FTA in services with nine out of the 10 Asean members in 2014. In July 2015, the India-Asean Trade-in-Services and Investment Agreements came into force. Then again, for the first time, India was present at the East Asia Summit (EAS) in 2005, marking its entry into the East Asia zone. Such has been the rapidity and expansion of engagement with Asean that within two-and-a-half decades, India and this regional grouping have created as many as 30 annual dialogue mechanisms, including a summit at the Prime Ministerial level, seven sectoral dialogues at the ministerial level, and three funds the Asean-India Cooperation Fund, Asean-India Science and Technology Fund and the Asean-India Green Fund. India has also opened a separate Mission to Asean and the East Asia Summit in Jakarta to further strengthen the engagement with these two regional groupings. In addition, there are the numerous bilateral agreements that India has entered into with the Asean members. Of equivalent significance are the areas of sub-regional cooperation with Asean members. These include the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) and the BIMSIT-EC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand Economic Cooperation). But a strategic priority for India is to achieve connectivity in all its dimensions physical, institutional and people-to-people. For this, special efforts are being made to link Asean with North-East India. This is reflected in the finalisation of negotiations on the India-Myanmar-Thailand Motor Vehicles Agreement and the Asean-India Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement. India is keen that the trilateral highway is extended to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are already well connected by road. The Asean-India Civil Aviation Task Force is expected to oversee optimisation of air connectivity while other major projects on connectivity include the Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project and Rhi-Tiddim Road. There has similarly been a steady growth in Asean-India trade, which in 2014-15 had increased to $76.58 billion from $44 billion in 2009-10 and just $7.4 billion in 2001-02. The balance of trade, however, continues to be in Aseans favour, which is of concern to India. Of late, India has been exhorting Asean members to participate in Make in India, Digital India, Skill India and Smart Cities projects. India is specifically seeking investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, trade, agriculture, skill development and urban renewal. Of paramount importance, along with connectivity and economics, is cooperation on defence and security. India has developed a vibrant defence relationship with some of the Asean member states, with regular holding of joint military exercises. The Navy has been the most active, considering the huge maritime dimension to India-Asean relations. It is imperative to protect the sea lanes of communication and counter non-traditional threats such as piracy, smuggling, transnational crimes and drug trafficking which require strong coordinated action. Then again, the heightened threat of extremism and terrorism has evoked a high level of concern. India and some Asean members have been regularly holding both bilateral and group level naval exercises and maritime patrolling. India is gradually expanding to army-to-army level exercises with members such as Thailand. Singapore has been accorded an artillery firing range in India for practice. Air force-to-air force level exercises are expected to be the next level. India has the advantage of being a benign partner to Asean, considering that it has no territorial disputes with any of its member states. Neither is India perceived by any of the member states as posing a threat to them. India's discord with its maritime neighbor Indonesia over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the 1960s is long over. India's foreign policy towards the military junta-ruled Myanmar has been more pragmatic and Nay Pyi Taw has actually been cooperating with New Delhi with regard to use of its territory by Naga and other rebels from India's North-East. On its part, Asean would be interested in a more balanced relationship with major Asian economies, particularly with an assertive China fast attaining the label of a superpower. Some of the Asean members have territorial disputes with China over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. However, India will need to keep its act together, both economically and militarily and build significant indigenous capabilities in order to be taken seriously as a balancing force. dkumar@tribunemail.com Robert Fisk THERE are times in the Middle East when nightmares and delusions take the place of the real and growing tragedy which is consuming the Arab lands. More and more earnest are the calls for peace as more and more nations launch more and more air raids, from Kabul to the Mediterranean, and down through Sinai and Yemen and across to Libya. The bloodbath is real, yet no one plans for a future for Life after Isis. By my reckoning, there are now 11 different national air forces bombing five different Muslim countries to degrade and destroy their enemies. But what comes afterwards? History teaches us that for 100 years now, the people of this magnificent, dangerous region have sought justice and received only injustice. Foreign and proxy occupation, corruption and dictatorship the hands of the torturer have taken from them the one value which so many millions finally sought in the great Arab awakening of 2011: dignity. Yet what are we doing about this? Why have we never addressed the great historical injustices which have caused this human earthquake? Instead, we conjure up imaginary armies as if the real ones aren't frightening enough. We dream up 35,000 Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syria when perhaps there are a thousand and 20,000 Afghan Hazara Shia and hordes of Iraqi Shia militiamen in Syria and another 10,000 Hezbollah and this is before we even remember David Cameron's ghost army of 70,000 warriors ready to fight for democracy. The Turks are about to invade Syria, we are told, but they haven't. Then there are the thousands of Saudi soldiers which our favourite Gulf monarchy is ready to send to Syria to fight Isis although presumably they'll have to leave their air-conditioned Mercedes limousines back at the start line. As for the Russians, I'm surprised nobody has yet suggested that they arrived in Syria with snow on their boots. This is insanity. Europeans react with horror when a million refugees cross their borders yet while it's informative to know that Hungary thinks it is the frontier of Christendom, no one has suggested that we need to address the original problems of all these poor people. We obsess about persuading Turkey to stop the refugees and asylum seekers pouring into Europe, but without any long-term planning for a new Middle East which will reduce their numbers. We blather on about how we are suffering the greatest movement of refugees since World War II. But in World War II (the real one), Allied leaders were planning for the post-war world a United Nations - years before the end of hostilities. Today, I cannot find in my files any record of a single Arab or world leader who has spoken of what the Middle East might look like in the future. Why can't we plan ahead now? At the end of World War I the war which destroyed the Ottoman empire and crushed the last caliphate a few years later many of the American diplomats in the collapsing empire and the NGOs of the time (they were missionaries then, of course) argued for one great Arab nation; one in which Muslims and Christians and Jews and other minorities would be citizens of a land which stretched from Morocco to the Mesopotamian-Persian border (the frontier of what is now Iraq and Iran). But, of course, the US lost its interest in such Wilsonian dreams, while the Brits and French had other plans and moved in to take the mandates of their choice Thus began the age of humiliation, of Western occupiers and local butchers and hangmen which stripped all these peoples of their honour. And now, 100 years on, we see its frightening apogee in the gruesome caliphate which is spreading Ebola-like around the world. But what the poor old Middle East needs now are not more air strikes, but an intellectual search by all those who still live there and by those who have fled for what kind of a homeland they want to live in. What institutions can replace the broken ramparts of the old Middle East? What can replace, for example, the doggerel Arab television preachers who have so much to answer for, many of them encouraged by the Gulf rulers? How did Islam become so weakened by these people? An old friend of mine (a Sunni Muslim, if you want to know) put it very well to me at the weekend. Islam is afraid of Isis, he said. Isis isn't afraid of Islam. So for starters, why not plan for a new Middle East founded not on oil and gas though they will remain but on education? Not on dictators' palaces but on universities; not on torture chambers but on libraries. Islam lay at the heart of the ancient universities of the Middle East. Scholarship was not dominated by Islam faith and religion were themselves enhanced and enriched by knowledge. From education comes justice. And justice only justice will destroy Isis. This may sound preachy but I suspect it would make a lot of sense to the Arabs and the Jews who lived in Spain, in Andalusia, 700 years ago (until, of course, we chucked them out). I have noted before that Abu Dhabi abjuring the madness of Dubai has placed a special need on first-class university education for its citizens. And across the Middle East, lack of education, a policy fostered by dictators, of course, lies like a cancer. For lack of education actually is a substance that spreads. Look at the tens of thousands of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon who will one day return to their ruins without even the gift of literacy to pass on to their own future children. I cannot stand the old cliches about when the guns fall silent. But schools and universities are going to be more deadly to Isis than any air-strike. That's how you deal with nightmares. The Independent. G Parthasarathy SAUDI ARABIAS foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir faced some difficult questions in Washington on January 20, following a meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry. The visit to Washington took place amidst reports that the desert kingdom was set to acquire nuclear weapons from Pakistan, in response to perceived threats from Iran. Just a day earlier, Kerry had warned both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia against partnering in any transfer or deployment of Pakistani nuclear weapons in Saudi Arabia. He bluntly stated that there would be all kinds of NPT consequences if any such transfer took place. Responding to queries on Kerrys comments, Jubeir retorted: I will not discuss these things in a public forum, certainly not on television. While not ruling out a Pakistani nuclear umbrella to guarantee his countrys security, Jubeir averred: Saudi Arabia is committed to two things. I always say two things we do not negotiate over our faith and our security. Saudi Arabia will do what it takes in order to protect its security. Referring to his discussions with Kerry, Jubeir said: I discussed the bilateral relationship with Pakistan, which is a strategic one. We discussed the regional situation and ways to promote security and stability in the region. We discussed the negative and aggressive Iranian interference and the affairs of the region. He predictably lashed out at Iran, saying: Iran should cease support for terrorism. Iran should cease to assassinate diplomats and blow up embassies. (This was perceived as a condemnation of alleged Iranian attacks on Israeli diplomatic missions.) For good measure, Jubeir added: Iran should cease its negative propaganda in the region, while adding that the nuclear deal with Iran would release billions of dollars for funding its nefarious activities. The concerns expressed by Kerry came after meetings that Saudi Arabias deputy crown prince and defence minister Mohammad bin Sultan had with General Raheel Sharif and Prime Minister Nawaz on January 10. After meeting Prince Salman in his office in Rawalpindi, Raheel Sharif warned that any threat to Saudi Arabias territorial integrity would evoke a strong response from Pakistan. Raheel Sharifs nominal boss, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was more circumspect, telling Prince Salman that the people of Pakistan will always stand by the people of Saudi Arabia, while holding that defence ties with Saudi Arabia were held in high esteem. Saudi Arabia has, however, rejected a Pakistani offer to promote dialogue with Iran, though the Pakistani offer has been welcomed in Washington and Moscow. Saudi Arabia has been assiduously wooing Pakistan, ever since it found out that it had landed itself in a military quagmire in Yemen, where its relentless bombing campaign has led to the displacement of 2.5 million Yemenis. About 78 per cent of the Yemeni population is today in desperate need of water, food and medical assistance. Despite the fierce and unrelenting bombing, the resistance to the Saudis, spearheaded by the Shia Houthi population and former President Abdullah Saleh is resolute in preventing Yemens takeover by a Saudi nominee, like former President Mansur Hadi. Saudi diplomatic woes have been compounded by the US led deal to end global sanctions on Iran and stern warning by President Putin that Saudi Arabia will be utterly destroyed and annihilated if it falls out of line, with military intervention in Syria. Shortly after the Saudi intervention in Yemen commenced, Nawaz Sharif was welcomed personally at the Riyadh Airport on March 3, 2015, by King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, together with Crown Prince Mukri and the entire Saudi cabinet. This was rare honour, especially for a country, which has depended for decades on Saudi doles and handouts. But the Saudis obviously had high expectations from Nawaz Sharif, whom they saved from possible execution and sheltered, after the Musharraf coup, in October 1999. More important, was a low-key visit to Riyadh, a few weeks earlier, by Pakistans seniormost military officer, who oversees the Strategic (Nuclear) Forces Command the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, General Rashad Mahmoud. Subsequent developments have made it clear that Pakistan will be unable to commit forces for backing the Saudi military misadventure in Yemen. But nuclear ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia go back decades, commencing with the Saudi financing of Pakistans nuclear ambitions in the 1970s. Saudi defence minister Prince Salman was given unprecedented access to the Kahuta uranium enrichment and missile facilities headed by Dr AQ Khan, popularly described as the chairman of Pakistans nuclear Walmart, just prior to Pakistans nuclear tests. Khan thereafter paid visits to Saudi Arabia. Significantly, just after the visits of General Mahmud and Nawaz Sharif to Riyadh, Pakistan tested its 2,750-km range Shaheen 3 missile, which could well replace the obsolescent CSS 2 missiles supplied by Beijing to Riyadh, in the 1980s. The Chinese missiles have an adequate range to target Tehran. Pakistans Shaheen missiles are originally of Chinese design. The visits of President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia and Tehran clearly demonstrate the dexterity of Chinese diplomacy in the oil-rich Gulf region. Saudi insecurities resulting from the virtual U-turn in American policies following the nuclear deal with Iran are being addressed by China, with Beijings all-weather friend Pakistan, signaling that it has missiles that can replace the obsolescent Chinese missiles. Differences between Iran and Pakistan over Afghanistan will likely continue, as a Wahhabi oriented, Taliban dominated, Pakistan sponsored regime in Kabul will be seen as threatening in Iran and neigbouring Central Asian republics. It remains to be seen if the Saudis return to their earlier policies of support for a Pakistan sponsored, Taliban dominated setup in Kabul. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia have pledged to treat China as their most favoured customer for oil supplies. This should not cause undue concern in India, given the global glut in oil supplies and the reemergence of Iraq, as a growingly significant player in world energy markets. India will, however, have to move much faster in dealing with crucial projects like the development of the Chabahar Port in Iran, and in the development of undersea gas pipelines. We have to recognise that the inexcusable delays in the implementation of projects abroad, like the Kaladan Corridor in Myanmar and the Parliament building in Kabul have tarnished our image and reputation. Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 9 The Congress today accused AAP minister Imran Hussain of bribery and demanded his resignation from the Delhi Cabinet. Addressing the media today, senior Congress spokesperson and president of the party's Delhi unit Ajay Makan released some tapes to drive home the bribery charge. The tapes capture a person, employed in the office of Hussain, demanding a bribe from a man who has approached him for the construction of a house. The tapes also show the person seeking the bribe saying that a lot of money had to be spent in getting a cabinet berth in the AAP-led Delhi Government and earlier in contesting elections. "This is the real face of Aam Aadmi Party. These tapes reveal how AAP is throwing to the winds its own promise of transparent, graft-free governance. Yet another minister of AAP government in Delhi has been caught red-handed demanding a bribe through his aide. We demand the resignation of this minister," Makan said today. He also said the Congress had written to the Union Home Minister along with the tapes against the minister and demanded appropriate action. Hussain, an MLA from Ballimaran constituency, took oath as Environment Minister in the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government. He denied Congress' charges as "fabricated". AAP govt must resign, demands BJP After the broadcast of a video-audio sting linked with AAP minister Imran Hussain, BJP president Satish Upadhyay demanded that since minister's corruption has allegedly been exposed, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should resign immediately. Upadhyay said that the ministers of Delhi Government are being found to be involved in corruption one after another, the Kejriwal government has no moral rights to remain in power. He said that after ministers Jitender Singh Tomar, Asim Ahmad Khan and now Imran Hussain's case has exposed the character of this government. He added that recently a TV channel had shown charges of corruption against a councillor. The BJP said that the Kejriwal government has been demanding an enquiry into corruption in the municipal corporations, now it should also explain the extortion charges levelled against its ministers, MLAs and councillors. Tribune News Service Jammu, February 9 Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir will be meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi to discuss the logjam over government formation in the state. Mir, who has been camping at the Capital for the last couple of days, will meet Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday to decide the partys role in the prevailing political uncertainty in J&K. Over the last few days, Mir has been discussing the state situation with party leaders in Delhi. Sources said the party was divided over being part of the government at this point of time. Mir will be meeting Sonia to decide the partys line in the present scenario. The high command, however, is averse to the idea of being part of the government at this juncture so the state leaders have been given directions not to give statements which will add to the confusion, a source said. The sources said the Congress high command had already asked the state leadership to adopt a wait-and-watch policy on government formation. Why should we involve ourselves in the present political turmoil, Mir said while chiding the PDP leadership for raising questions over the Agenda of Alliance. The document was finalised by the PDP-BJP leadership when Mehbooba Mufti was president of the PDP so I fail to understand why is she questioning it now? Mir asked. Aman Sood Tribune News Service Patiala, February 9 The Punjab government is set to place orders for two statues of legendary Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh one to be installed in a French tourist town associated with his army general and another at his own birthplace in Sangrur. A statue of Banda Singh Bahadur is to be installed in Delhi as well. While the Sangrur fibreglass statue will be placed at Badrookhan village, a 100-kg bronze bust of the Maharaja will be installed at Saint-Tropez in France, the birthplace of his army general, Jean-Francois Allard. While senior Akali leaders have justified the move saying there is nothing wrong in promoting history, the Congress has targeted the government for such spending when they are unable to pay a large section of employees on time. The tender process, it is learnt, has been completed and the agencies will soon be finalised for fabrication and installation of both the statues. The Department of Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museum has been assigned the task to float tenders to select the sculptor. The offer to install a statue in France was made by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal last year during a meeting with Henri Allard, the Deputy Mayor of Saint-Tropez, who is a direct descendant of General Allard. While the initial idea was to have a white marble statue, the government has now opted for a bronze bust. Henri had narrated the contribution of General Allard along with General Ventura in the army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and how both raised Fauj-i-khas, the royal brigade. NPS Randhawa, Director, Tourism and Culture, said, The project will be completed within four to five months and the agencies crafting the statue will be responsible for shifting these to the place of installation and maintain these for three years. He refused to disclose the allocated budget. Several Punjab ministers have gone on record to state how the present SAD-BJP tenure could be compared with the rule of the Maharaja. The state government is also spending lakhs to install a lifesize bronze statue of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in a park to be adopted by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee from the Delhi Development Authority in Mehrauli. Punjab Congress senior vice-president Lal Singh said the government should think 100 times before spending even a single rupee of the taxpayers' money on such wasteful expenditure that serves no purpose. We are not against raising statues, but when the finances of the state are in a mess, the government should desist from extravagant expenditure," he added. Leader of Opposition Charanjit Singh Channi called for a public debate before deciding to spend crores on installing such statues. Meanwhile, confusion persists on the actual birthplace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. While successive governments have made it a point to celebrate Maharaja Ranjit Singh's birth anniversary on November 13 at Badrookhan village, eminent historians are of the view that the Maharaja was born in Gujranwala (now in Pakistan) on November 13, 1780. Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 11 An Indian Army officer, Capt Shikhar Deep, of Sikh Light Regiment, has gone missing under mysterious circumstances after boarding a train in Bihar. He was travelling on train Mahananda Express from Katihar to Delhi during the intervening night of February 6 and 7. The officer did not reach his destination and went missing during transit. His father Lt Col Anant Kumar has told the Army that his son had spoken to him from onboard the train on February 6 at 10.40 am. Sikhar Deep (25) has told his family that two persons who did not have confirmed tickets were in his compartment. The Captain's relative arrived at Delhi station and did not find him but his belongings were in the train, this included shoes clothes and an empty wallet. The phone of the Captain was last at a location at a hotel in Bihar Sharief in Bihar in the morning on February 7 before being switched off. R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent New Delhi, February 10 The Delhi High Court on Wednesday allowed the CBI to retain the documents seized during a raid on the office of senior IAS officer Rajendra Kumar, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a corruption case on December 15, 2015. Justice PS Teji ruled that the Delhi governments plea for return of the documents is neither justifiable nor desirable as this could hamper the CBI investigation which was at the initial stage. The HC also questioned the logic behind the city government moving the CBI court for the return of the documents when the corruption case was against Kumar, not against it. The Delhi government has no connection with the accusation against accused Rajendra Kumar, the HC pointed out. Kumar is facing corruption charges for allegedly favouring some private companies in the award of contracts. CBI Special Judge AK Jain had directed the CBI on January 20 to return the seized documents to the Delhi government, prompting the investigation agency to move the HC. The HC today set aside the trial court order. In the 29-page ruling, the HC pointed out several lapses and contradictions on the part of trial court. First, the trial court passed the order without hearing CBIs plea for retaining the files. Second, the trial judge should not have gone into the relevance of the seized documents which could be done only after the filing of the chargesheet whereas the present case was still under investigation. Third, the relevancy is to be examined by the Investigating Officer and not by the Court and the same tantamount to interference in the investigation conducted by the IO, the HC held. Fourth, the HC said the trial judge should not have questioned the lodging of the FIR without conducting any preliminary inquiry. Even the Delhi government did not raise this point while seeking return of the documents, it noted. Such observations may even affect the ultimate judgment to be passed at the finality of the trial, the HC said. Fifth, the HC found fault with the trial judges remark that the CBI could re-seize the returned documents, if necessary at a later stage. What was the point in first returning and then seizing it again, particularly because of CBIs contention that the files had several pencil entries which could be erased to change the character of the documents, the HC asked. Bijay Sankar Bora Tribune News Service Guwahati, February 10 BJP president Amit Shah today said not a single Bangladeshi infiltrator would be able to sneak into Assam, if the BJP was voted to power in the forthcoming Assembly election. Addressing two rallies in Assam at Kokrajhar and Nagaon Shah said illegal migrants from Bangladesh had been posing a threat to the identity of the sons of the soil. A BJP government in Assam will ensure no more illegal migration from Bangladesh by securing the border, Shah said adding it is the Congress that has been encouraging illegal infiltration. Shah today addressed a party workers' rally in Nagaon and the celebration of 14th Bodoland Day organised by the BJP's ally Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) in Kokrajhar. Promising uniform and all-encompassing development in the state, he lambasted the 15-year-old Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government in Assam for putting the state on reverse gear of development. He accused Gogoi of running a corrupt government. Assam is rich in natural resources and has efficient work forces and great tourism potential. Yet the state is lagging behind in all fronts, be it unavailability of power, roads, clean drinking water or basic healthcare in rural areas. Even the one-horned rhino that attracts so many tourists to Assam could not be protected by the present Congress government as about 100 rhinos have been poached over the last three years. The number of unemployed has increased from 9 lakh to 23 lakh over the last 15 years, he said. Addressing a rally in Kokrajhar, Shah pledged the BJP-led NDA government would grant more than the Rs 1,000 crore development fund demanded by the ruling BPF for the BTC areas. He appealed to the people of Bodoland areas in Assam to facilitate a BJP-BPF (Bodoland People's Front) government in the state for the sake of development. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi rebutted allegations made by Amit Shah saying, If my government is corrupt, why the BJP has allowed one of my former ministers (Himanta Biswa Sarma) to join the party. If the BJP loves Assam so much, then why the special status of the state has been done away with by the BJP government at the Centre. Kathmandu, February 10 Thousands of mourners attended the state funeral of former Nepali Prime Minister Sushil Koirala on Wednesday who was cremated with Hindu rites by the side of a sacred river in the capital, Kathmandu. Koirala, 78, was a major contributor in drafting Nepals first democratic constitution that, its authors hoped, would take the Himalayan country closer to stability and peace after years of conflict and the abolition of a 239-year-old monarchy. His death could make the granting of greater rights to ethnic minority groups under the constitution less likely as he favored a more conciliatory approach on the issues. It may also end the Koirala dynasty that controlled the Nepali Congress party for most of the past six decades and produced four prime ministers. Nepal, home to 28 million people, has been in turmoil since the new constitution was adopted in September as some ethnic groups launched often deadly protests against the charter saying it failed to give them a greater role in government. The leader, who quit as prime minister in October, died of a respiratory illness on Tuesday. We have lost a simple and honest leader at a time when many politicians are selfish and corrupt, said mourner Ramesh Dahal on the banks of the Bagmati River. Koirala, head of the centrist Nepali Congress party, the biggest opposition group in parliament, spent years in India and had close ties with Indian leaders. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj flew in and paid homage to the leader on Tuesday. Thousands of people, many carrying flowers, marched in a funeral procession around the capital with Koiralas body mounted on a truck festooned with marigold garlands. Many carried placards with his pictures. Reuters Baghdad, February 9 Iraq said today that its forces have completely retaken areas surrounding Ramadi from the Islamic State and reopened the road linking the city to Baghdad. Iraq announced in late December the recapture of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, west of Baghdad, but daily fighting with IS jihadists continued for over a month on the city's eastern outskirts. Iraqi forces "were able to liberate areas east of Ramadi," including Sichariya, Juwaiba and Husaiba, the joint operations command said in a statement. With the latest advances, Ramadi and all its surrounding areas have been retaken from IS, the statement said. Iraqi forces "were also able to open the Ramadi-Baghdad road passing through Khaldiyah," it said, referring to a government-held area along the route. IS overran large areas of Iraq in June 2014, but security forces and allied tribesmen held out against the jihadists in parts of Ramadi as other areas of the country fell IS overran Ramadi in May 2015 in an assault spearheaded by a wave of car and truck bombs, a major blow to Iraqi forces, which had been regaining ground from the jihadists in other provinces. But the capture of Ramadi was the last major advance by jihadists in Iraq, and Baghdad's forces slowly tightened the noose around it in the following months before moving into the city itself. IS still holds Fallujah, east of Ramadi, and Mosul, Iraq's second largest city that is located in the north. Iraq is deploying thousands of soldiers to an area southeast of Mosul for operations aimed at cutting supply lines linking it with areas farther south, which will set the stage for direct efforts to retake the city.AFP Beirut, February 9 A suicide car bomber dispatched by the Islamic State group struck near a police officers' club in the Syrian capital today, killing at least 10 people and destroying a number of cars. Syrian state TV reported the toll and showed footage of the blast scene in Damascus, including several damaged vehicles and a burnt-out car. The police officers' club was next to a vegetable market. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group that tracks the civil war, said the blast killed eight policemen and wounded 20. The Islamic State group claimed the bombing in a statement circulated by its followers on Twitter, saying it was carried out by a fighter known as Abu Abdul-Rahman al-Shami. It vowed more attacks. The blast came a day after an international rights group said Syrian government forces and the Russian military have been carrying out daily cluster bomb attacks over the past two weeks in Syria, killing 37 people. The Human Rights Watch report, released on Monday, said that cluster munitions, which are widely banned, have been used in at least 14 attacks across five provinces since January 26. The attacks killed at least 37 civilians, including six women and nine children, and wounded dozens, HRW said. Cluster bombs open in flight and scatter dozens of explosive munitions over wide areas. Some 98 States are party to a convention banning their use but several countries including Syria and Russia, as well as the US, China and Israel have not signed onto the ban. Syrian troops have been on the offensive in the northern province of Aleppo under the cover of Russian airstrikes in recent weeks in an attempt to besiege rebel-held parts of Aleppo city, the country's former commercial center. Last week, Syrian troops and their allies were able to lift a three-year siege imposed on the Shiite villages of Nubul and Zahra in Aleppo province. HRW said some of the recent attacks using cluster munitions occurred near the two villages. Opposition activists have said that Russia has been using cluster bombs since the start of its aerial campaign in Syria on September 30. HRW previously documented at least 20 cluster munition attacks by the Russian-Syrian joint operation between September 30 and December 14. It called on Syria and Russia should join the Convention on Cluster Munitions. AP Islamabad, February 9 A parliamentary panel in Pakistan has cleared the Hindu Marriage Bill 2015, paving the way for regulations on registration of marriage and divorce for the Hindu minority community. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice yesterday passed the final draft of the Bill. Though the delaying tactics continued almost to the last, the committee adopted the Bill unanimously after making two amendments to fix the minimum age of the marrying male and female at 18 and making the law applicable to the whole country, Dawn news reported. The Bill will now be tabled in the National Assembly where it has fair chances of being passed as the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party is supporting it. Committee Chairman Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk expressed regret over the long-drawn tactical delay in framing family law for the Hindu community. Virk and ruling PML-N lawmaker Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani had been pushing for approving the Bill but members of other parliamentary parties persisted with raising objections. After the 18th Amendment, issues relating to religious minorities and their family matters became provincial subjects. Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have passed the requisite resolutions, but the Sindh and Punjab Assemblies have not yet done so. Agencies BEIJING/HONG KONG, February 10 China has confirmed its first case of the Zika virus in a man who had recently travelled to South America, the official Xinhua news agency said. The virus, which is causing international alarm after spreading through much of the Americas, was detected in a 34-year-old man from Ganxian county in the eastern province of Jiangxi, Xinhua said, citing China's National Health and Family Planning Commission. Chinese health authorities downplayed the risk of the mosquito-borne virus spreading because of the winter cold, Xinhua added. Hong Kong's Department of Health said in a statement that the man, who had travelled through the city on his return to China, worked in Dongguan, a bustling manufacturing city in the neighbouring southern province of Guangdong. Hong Kong's Port Health Office has stepped up inspections at the airport in response and reinforced training for boundary control inspectors, the statement added. Health officials in Guangdong urged people to guard against the illness during dengue season, and vowed to step up efforts to ensure early detection, Xinhua said. The dengue season runs during the hot summer months of June to August, studies show. There is a risk Zika could be spread locally if it was introduced to Hong Kong, the statement said, because Aedes Albopictus mosquitoes, which transmit the virus, live there. Reuters tricountyleader.com expired on 09/23/2022 and is pending renewal or deletion. Backorder Domain MANCHESTER, N.H. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders rode a wave of voter frustration with American politics to commanding victories in Tuesdays New Hampshire primaries, adding crucial credibility to their upstart candidacies. Sanders swept majorities of men, women, independents and young people in his win over Hillary Clinton, but faces challenges in the more diverse states to come next on the primary calendar. Trump appealed to those seeking a political outsider, and he could benefit from a persistent lack of clarity among the more mainstream Republicans struggling to challenge him. We are going to do something so good and so fast and so strong and the world is going to respect us again, believe me, Trump said at a victory rally. At his own raucous rally, Sanders said his victory sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California. And that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super PACs. The enthusiasm behind Trump, a real estate mogul who has never held political office, and Sanders, who says he is a democratic socialist, underscores the publics anger with the current political and economic system. Even if neither candidate ultimately becomes his partys nominee, whoever wins that nomination will have to reckon with the voter frustration theyve tapped. Clinton appeared to recognize that reality in her concession speech, echoing Sanders calls for taking on Wall Street banks and tackling income inequality. But she cast herself as more prepared to make good on her pledges. People have every right to be angry. But theyre also hungry, theyre hungry for solutions, she said after congratulating Sanders on his win. New Hampshire did little to clarify the crowded contest among more mainstream GOP candidates fighting to emerge as a challenger to Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who won the Iowa caucus. Ohio Gov. John Kasich claimed second place after devoting almost all of his campaign resources to New Hampshire, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush battled for third, along with Cruz. In the midst of a heated primary campaign, Kasich has prided himself on not attacking his rivals. He told supporters Tuesday night that his second-place finish could be an indication that were turning the page on a dark part of American politics. The day was a blow for Rubio, who had appeared to be breaking away from the second-tier Republican pack after a stronger-than-expected showing in Iowa. But he stumbled in Saturdays debate under intense pressure from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has relentlessly cast the young senator as too inexperienced and too reliant on memorized talking points to become president. Rubio conceded that the debate may have hurt him in Tuesdays contest and pledged to supporters that his poor performance will never happen again. Christie, however, didnt benefit from roughing up Rubio. He lagged behind the pack as votes were being tallied. Republican voters were more negative about their politicians than Democrats, with about half of GOP voters saying they felt betrayed by party officials. Trump carried a majority of those who said they wanted an outsider to win, according to exit polls conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks. Nearly half of voters in the Republican primary made up their minds in the past week. However, Trumps support appeared more sustained, with his supporters saying they made up their minds some time ago. In a sign of Trumps impact on the race, two-thirds of GOP voters said they supported a temporary ban on non-citizen Muslims entering the U.S., a position the billionaire outlined last year amid rising fears of terrorism emanating from the Middle East. Sanders pulled from a broad coalition of New Hampshire voters, gathering a majority of votes from men, independents and voters under 45, as well as a slim majority of women. Hillary Clinton won the majority of those over 65 and those with incomes over $200,000 a year, according to the exit polls. Clintons campaign argues she will perform better as the race heads to more racially diverse states, including Nevada and South Carolina. Both New Hampshire and Iowa are overwhelmingly white states that are far less diverse than the nation as a whole. As polls closed, her campaign manager Robby Mook blasted out a memo touting Clintons strength with Hispanics and black voters and arguing that a Democrat cannot win the presidency without support from those constituencies. The distinctions between what motived Sanders and Clinton voters were sharp. The Vermont senator was backed by 9 in 10 voters for whom honesty was important and 8 in 10 who wanted a candidate who cares about people like me. Clinton, meanwhile, won support from nearly 90 percent of those who considered the right experience important in their decision and about 80 percent of those regarding electability as the most important factor. Last month's traffic showed increases in revenue passenger miles for every geographic area in which the air carrier measures service with the exception of two sub-segments in the domestic division Latin America, which fell 3.3 percent year over year; and the Atlantic, which remained stable. Overall, domestic revenue passenger miles increased 1.4 percent to 9.8 billion due to large gains in the Pacific. WPX Energy announced Tuesday a $910 million sale of its business line in Colorados Piceance Basin and plans for staff reductions, including some layoffs in Tulsa, company spokesman Kelly Swan said. We will be a smaller organization this year, but the process is just beginning, Swan said during a phone interview Tuesday morning. WPX CEO and President Rick Muncrief announced the asset sale and staff reductions to employees in an email sent early Tuesday morning titled Our Industrys Changing Environment. With commodity prices at levels not seen in more than a decade and a current and future gas market that appears challenged, we must make further changes to live within our means, Muncrief writes in the email. We will have to reduce our overall headcount in a post-Piceance environment. Piceance is an amazing asset, but has required a significant amount of support both in Colorado as well as in Tulsa. Terra Energy Partners is a relatively new, private equity-backed company that does not have the existing organization to work this asset and, therefore, it will need additional employees. We will provide detail about this process along with transition services as more information is known. Companywide, WPX has around 1,000 employees, with 500 in Tulsa, Swan said. Approximately 200 workers are in the Parachute, Colorado, office that directly supports the subsidiary being sold to Terra Energy Partners LLC. Employees directly tied to the subsidiary WPX Energy Rocky Mountain LLC will have to interview for jobs with Terra Energy. Swan said the number of Tulsa employees who will be affected and the timeline for the reductions are not yet clear. The company will know more when the transaction closes, he said, which is expected to happen during the second quarter. Strategically, the deal makes a lot of sense for WPX, Swan said. It will bring in a significant amount of cash, which will help WPX weather this period of low commodity prices. In addition to the $910 million sale, the transaction announcement notes that Terra is assuming approximately $100 million in transportation obligations in exchange for more than $90 million of WPXs natural gas hedge value. WPX will retain more than $110 million in additional hedge gains, which will be realized throughout the year. The release states that in addition to greatly enhancing WPXs liquidity, benefits of the divestiture include significantly improved capital efficiency and returns as well as materially lowering general and administrative expenses going forward. The move also solidifies WPX as a Permian-focused company and provides a more balanced commodity mix given the pro forma exposure to oil and natural gas. WPX expects oil to comprise approximately half of its future production volumes, up from roughly 20 percent during 2015. On a per-barrel equivalent basis, WPXs 2016 cash operating costs are not expected to change materially following the divestiture. In August, WPX acquired assets in the Permian Basin where it has about 94,000 acres representing more than 670,000 prospective net effective acres. WPXs early results in the Permians Delaware Basin are exceeding its acquisition estimates. In the past 21 months, WPX has executed approximately $5.5 billion in transactions to reshape the company, high grade its portfolio, add decades of drilling inventory and protect its financial position. Our bias for action and being opportunistic wont change. We will pursue our very best investment options and continually evaluate how to optimize our assets. Weve created a balanced portfolio with an excellent runway for sustained value generation, Muncrief said in the statement announcing the sale. Each year, Forbes Magazine ranks the top-50 richest people in the world. At the tail end of the list in 2015, coming in at No. 49, was the Albrecht family of Germany. According to Forbes, they own Aldi and Trader Joes two private discount grocery brands known for private label products. There are six Aldi stores in the Tulsa metro area. Trader Joes plans to open its first Oklahoma store in Brookside later this month. Aldi told the Tulsa World on Tuesday that the companies are not connected. Aldi US and Trader Joes are independently operated companies with no joint ownership, the regional division of Aldi said in a statement. Trader Joes spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki said the company doesnt comment on ownership. According to its web site, Aldi got its start in post-World War II Germany after two Albrecht brothers returned home following the war. The store reportedly gets its name from an acronym of Albrecht Discounter. Its formula is simple: a limited range of consumer staples stocked in bulk and at low, private label prices. Its not a traditional discount grocer in the Wal-Mart style. Its smaller and usually carries only one brand for a particular good. A few popular name-brand sweets stick out PopTarts and Hershey bars. The meat selection is relegated to a few freezers. There arent large coolers of soda at the front of every check-out counter. The Aldi stores in Tulsa are on high traffic roads close to middle-class areas. Households within a mile or so of the northeast corner of 61st Street and Memorial Drive make between $30,000 and $45,000 on average. The Wal-Mart Supercenter just down the street at 66th Street and Memorial Drive is trying to draw those same shoppers. Another Aldi location in east Tulsa on 21st Street has similar demographics surrounding it. Most of the census tracts around the store have an average household income of less than $40,000. Trader Joes, which is similar in terms of footprint and private-label brands, picked a different neighborhood. There are some middle-class homes to the west of the store toward the river and wealthy areas to the north, south and east. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Albrecht family bought Trader Joes in the 1970s. Mochizuki wouldnt comment on why Trader Joes selected the site in Brookside or the companys business practices in general. The two grocers are very popular in the U.S. Marketforce Information, a company that specializes in customer insight, surveyed more than 7,000 U.S. shoppers and found Trader Joes is the most popular U.S. grocer. Aldi came in third. The Food & Drink section of the Houston Press took a light-hearted look at the appeal of the Trader Joes stores and said that its the experiential aspect of shopping there that draws people in. Its also the private label too, it said. In the news release announcing the Tulsa opening, the company said it provides a real value by taking name brand goods, removing preservatives and additives and putting them under the Trader Joes label. There is some evidence, according to real estate company Zillow, that Trader Joes and Whole Foods, which is just a half-mile away, raise home values. The company released an analysis of home prices near the two stores about two weeks ago. It said it found that between 1997 and 2014, homes near one or both of the two stores saw more of an increase in value than those that werent. The grocery store phenomenon is about more than groceries, said Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff in a statement. It says something about the way people want to live in the type of neighborhood favored by the generations buying homes now. Todays homebuyers seek things in neighborhoods that werent even in real estate agents vocabularies a generation ago: walkability, community, new urbanism and maybe we should add words like sustainable seafood and organic pears. OKLAHOMA CITY A Senate panel passed several measures on Tuesday in an effort to rein in tax credits and incentives. The Senate Finance Committee passed Senate Bill 977, by Sen. Mike Mazzei, R-Tulsa, which would have suspended 23 tax credits for two years beginning July 1. But three of those credits were removed from the bill through an amendment by Sen. Kim David, R-Porter. The credits removed from the bill benefit historic preservation, firefighters and medical research. David said the historical preservation credits affect a number of projects and jobs already underway. Funding for historical preservation projects would be lost if the measure passed out of committee without the changes, she said. Todays vote to amend Senate Bill 977 is a first step in ensuring this bill does not halt planned growth and development already underway across Oklahoma, said Nick Doctor, senior vice president of government affairs for the Tulsa Regional Chamber. We greatly appreciate Sen. Kim Davids and Sen. Mike Mazzeis leadership in allowing projects currently underway to continue under the promises made by Oklahoma to these individuals and businesses, Doctor said. Critical incentives with a proven record of creating jobs and generating a financial return for Oklahoma continue to be included in Senate Bill 977s moratorium, however. The Tulsa Regional Chamber intends to demonstrate the value of the Investment/New Jobs and Aerospace Engineering tax credits to the Legislature and ensure that they, too, are preserved, he said. Continued business investment is key to driving future revenue growth in our state, and keeping our promises to businesses that are willing to invest in Oklahoma is critical if we want to remain a business-friendly state, Doctor said. State officials declared a revenue failure for the current fiscal year, forcing agencies that receive state appropriations to cut their budgets. Lawmakers expect to have at least $900.8 million less to spend in crafting the fiscal year 2017 budget. The Finance Committee is considering, studying and deliberating any and all options that can help us deal with this financial crisis, Mazzei said. Our options are to eliminate some special tax breaks altogether, reduce the cost of most or all tax credits or temporarily suspend most or all tax credits. The bill contains language that would suspend the state earned income tax credit, low-income sales-tax relief and the state child-care tax credit. Other proposals approved by the panel include a reduction in the amount some tax credits provide. Sen. Ron Sharp, R-Shawnee, was successful in securing approval for Senate Bill 957, which would make it more difficult to reduce the income tax to 4.85 percent from 5 percent in 2018 or later. If the growth of the general revenue covers the cost of the tax rate drop plus 4 percent, the tax rate will drop under this bill, Sharp said. This is a safety net measure to protect our state in sudden economic downturns like the one were currently experiencing. OKLAHOMA CITY A Senate panel killed a measure on Tuesday that would have allowed religion to be used as justification for discrimination. Senate Bill 1328, by Sen. Joseph Silk, R-Broken Bow, failed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 4-5. Members of the LGBT community sought to have the measure killed. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. Dubbed the Oklahoma Right of Conscience Act, the measure would have let individuals refuse service based on religious beliefs or conscience concerning marriage, lifestyle or behavior. Silk called the measure proactive, but others said the measure was a solution in search of a problem. Silk said the state had a duty to protect those who were following their conscience. As an example, he said the measure would protect a Christian who owned a printing business who refused to make fliers for supporters of the recreational use of marijuana. It would protect individuals from being forced into actions with which they do not agree, Silk said. Senators voting for the measure were Rob Standridge, R-Norman; Anthony Sykes, R-Moore; Brian Crain, R-Tulsa; and Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City. Senators voting against the measure were Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City; John Sparks, D-Norman; Corey Brooks, R-Washington; Roger Thompson, R-Okemah; and A.J. Griffin, R-Guthrie. Thompson noted that he is a Christian who owns a printing business and said that if anyone wanted something printed about marijuana, I am available. Brooks said he had concerns that the measure could open the door to legal trouble and was discriminatory. He questioned whether the measure went too far. Griffin asked Silk if he had a cost estimate for any forthcoming litigation should the measure pass. No, I dont, Silk said. Crain thanked Silk for bringing forth the measure. Crain said Silk agreed to strike the title on the measure knowing that it needed additional work. He wanted to make a good bill better, Crain said. Troy Stevenson, Freedom Oklahoma executive director, praised the bills defeat and said lawmakers should quit trying to legislate hate. Senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties sent a clear message this morning: The politics of distraction should not be the focus of this legislative session, Stevenson said in a statement. We are proud of the senators from both parties who stood up against this discriminatory legislation, and stood up for the best interest of Oklahoma. A man and woman are being held in a Colorado jail without bail after being indicted on multiple counts related to trafficking a 14-year-old girl in Tulsa for sex, a deputy U.S. marshal confirmed Tuesday. Ryan Wise, who goes by Fly, and Jasmine Lynch, who goes by the names Carmen and Juicy J, were each charged in federal court last week with one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a child, criminal forfeiture, sex trafficking of a child, and interstate trafficking and racketeering. Wise also faces charges of obstruction and coercion and entitlement. Deputy U.S. Marshal John Gage said the pair were arrested in the Pueblo, Colorado, area on Friday. They appeared before a Denver court Monday and are set to be extradited to Tulsa to face the charges, which were filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. An indictment against Lynch, 24, and Wise, 35, alleges that the crimes occurred from Oct. 1 to Nov. 8, when they rented hotel and motel rooms around Tulsa to harbor and maintain the girl for commercial sex. Authorities additionally claim the pair arranged for Wise to rape the girl as a way of grooming her for sex trafficking and that he threatened to kill her if she talked about the situation. The girl would pass out pieces of paper with Wise and Lynchs phone number to people in the city for advertising of sexual services, according to the indictment. Lynch and Wise are accused of keeping all the girls financial proceeds for themselves. Gage said the Tulsa Police Departments Special Investigations Division investigated the case and called the U.S. Marshals Service for help after realizing that the two were no longer in Oklahoma. Marshals found Wise at a Motel 6 around noon Friday and found Lynch at a Pueblo residence less than an hour later. They planned on taking the girl to California, but they never did, Gage said. She got away from (Wise and Lynch) sometime in November, and thats when TPD launched their investigation. Gage said the case remains under investigation. Tulsa County voters approved more than $180 million worth of school bond issues Tuesday, with Bixby Public Schools scoring big with its $142.4 million package. Union's $27 million bond issue, Jenks' $11 million package, and Berryhill's $300,000 bond issue have also passed. With almost all precincts reporting, all the county school bond issues are passing with about 80 percent of the vote. A supermajority of at least 60 percent of voters is required by state law for approval of school bonds. Cindy Decker has won the Tulsa Public Schools District 5 Board of Education race. 1997 Top Army enlisted soldier suspended for sex claims Sgt. Maj. Gene McKinney, the Armys top-ranking enlisted soldier, was suspended after being accused of sexual harassment by a retired female sergeant major who had been on McKinneys staff. Sgt. Maj. Brenda Hoster said McKinney asked her for sex and grabbed her and kissed her in a hotel room in Hawaii during a business trip. Five other women later claimed that McKinney, 46, had pressured them for sex. McKinney, the first black soldier to serve in the top enlisted post, later was acquitted of 18 counts of sexual harassment but was convicted of obstruction of justice. 2009 Tulsa attorney indicted in pumping up stocks, selling An indictment charged Tulsa attorney G. David Gordon, 47, and others with defrauding investors of more than $41 million through manipulating the publicly traded penny stocks of three companies, including two based in Tulsa. The two Tulsa-based companies in which the stock was manipulated were Deep Rock Oil & Gas and Global Beverage Solutions. Gordon was accused of pumping up the stock of three companies and then dumping the stocks quickly at the expense of other investors. Gordon was sentenced to a 15-year, eight-month sentence in federal prison after being found guilty in 2010 by a Tulsa federal jury. 2009 Tulsa pointer, Savvy, wins at Westminster Savvy, an almost 3-year-old pointer, was named best of breed at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City. Its honestly been a little overwhelming, her owner, Tulsan Kelley Cheek, said before the sporting breeds round. Ive been showing dogs since I was 10 almost 22 years now and Ive never been here. I was in awe and overwhelmed. Linda Clark, a Tulsa dog handler, put Savvy through her paces. It was the first time Savvy was handled by someone other than Cheek, a dog groomer at PetSmart in Tulsa. But like a good girl, Savvy took her best-of-breed win in stride in the midst of all the excitement. 2011 Nowata sets -31 degree low temperature record Nowata shattered the states cold record at minus 31, and Bartlesville recorded a temperature of minus 28. The previous record-cold day, with minus 27, was set in Vinita in 1905 and again in 1930 in Watts. It was so cold in Nowata five years ago today that a relay switch on an electricity transmission line froze in place, leaving about 3,000 customers in the area without electricity for about four hours. Tulsa hit minus 12 degrees making it the fifth-coldest day in recorded history here. This cold day followed the record blizzard the day before in 2011 when Spavinaw set the all-time state record for 24-hour snowfall. For Ray Feldman, backing his wife whenever she took on a new cause was all part of being a devoted husband. But it was never just about that. Many times I supported her when she went into crusader mode because her ideas simply made a lot of sense, Ray told the Tulsa World once, discussing his wife, Nancy Feldman, a former University of Tulsa professor and legendary civic activist in Tulsa. From social and civic arenas to education and the arts, there were few boundaries that Nancys ideas did not cross. But while Ray was often at her side, or at least providing moral support, he didnt cede the crusaders mantle entirely to his wife. In cultivating a few causes of his own, the longtime Tulsa attorney and volunteer just had a different way of going about it. Raymond Guy Feldman died Jan. 30. He was 94. Feldman donated his body to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. No service is planned at this time, family members said. The Feldmans were inducted together in 1997 into the Tulsa Hall of Fame for their contributions to the city. Nancy Feldman died in 2014. The couples son, Richard Feldman, of Los Angeles, said his parents were the perfect team. My mother was such a firebrand. She could be impulsive with her ideas, jumping on things, he said. His father, on the other hand, was cautious and even-keeled, with a strong sense of reason and an unmatched attention to detail. Not to say he was without passion, Feldman noted. But he could look at the big picture, look at all ramifications, bring up other options. Its why he was a good lawyer. A Tulsa native and son of Latvian immigrants, Ray Feldman graduated from Central High School in 1938. He attended the University of Tulsa and University of Oklahoma, and following brief service in World War II would go on to the University of Chicago law school. Thats where he met his future wife, Nancy Goodman of Chicago, a fellow law student. They married in 1946 and settled in Tulsa. Feldman began practicing law, and in 1953 helped start the firm known originally as Feldman Franden Woodard Farris. Feldman would use his legal expertise on behalf of many causes he believed in. He served on the board of the Oklahoma Civil Liberties Union, and helped organize and then served on the OCLUs first Tulsa Legal Panel. He also was chairman of the Tulsa Human Rights Commission and vice chairman of the states Human Rights Commission. Among other volunteer roles, he was chairman of the Tulsa Red Cross chapter; president and chairman of Tulsa Chamber Music; and served on the boards of the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa, Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa and the United Jewish Federation of Tulsa, as well as on the Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trusts program committee. Feldman was also a founding board member of the Simon Estes Educational Foundation, as well as its vice president at one time. Besides the causes he had in common with his wife, Feldman shared with her an anthropologists passion for the worlds tribal cultures and customs. For some 40 years, they spent at least four months annually traveling the globe sleeping in yurts, caves, tree houses and tents and requiring only the most primitive accommodations, as they experienced firsthand the native cultures of South America, Africa, India, China, New Guinea and other places. Richard Feldman said his parents plans for dying were consistent with how they lived. Both donated their bodies to science. That was their goal to be of service, he said. Ray Feldman was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Nancy; and a daughter, Elizabeth Jingle Feldman. Survivors include his two sons, Richard Feldman and John Feldman; five grandchildren; and one step-grandchild. SBS Chairman Nihal Gupta is stepping down from duties today, citing personal family reasons. He has been Chairman of the SBS Board since October 2014 but his departure follows controversy over his appointment, ahead of other profile candidates including former NSW Premier Nick Greiner. Last year Labors Communication Spokesman Jason Clare called for his sacking after he refused to answer senate hearing questions over whether he misled Malcolm Turnbull on his business experience. In a single-line statement he said, It has been a privilege to Chair SBS and I wish the organisation all the best for the future. Deputy Chair Dr Dellal said: The SBS Board understands and fully respects Mr Guptas decision. We thank Mr Gupta for his valuable contribution to SBS and wish him well. SBS Deputy Chair Dr Dellal will act as Chairman until the Government undertakes a process to appoint a new Chair. The Board now comprises non-executive directors, Dr Bulent Hass Dellal AO (Deputy Chair), Michael Ebeid (Managing Director), Peeyush Gupta, Patricia Azarias, Jacqueline Hey, Daryl Karp, Dorothy West and William Lenehan. 2:44 p.m., Feb. 10, 2016--The University of Delaware Faculty Senate held its first meeting of the spring semester on Monday, Feb. 8, in Gore Hall. University Provost Domenico Grasso noted the recent appointments of Lynn Okagaki as deputy provost for academic affairs and Ann Ardis as senior vice provost for graduate and professional education. I would like to thank them very much for taking on these very important roles, Grasso said. The title of senior vice provost for graduate studies really underscores the importance of the graduate mission at this University. Grasso also noted the creation of a new initiative that will affirm and expand the institution's commitment to community engagement. This is consistent with our strategic plan, which we all own and agreed to, as well as UDs most recent designation as a Carnegie Engaged University, Grasso said. The initiative is going to be directed by Dan Rich, former provost and University professor, and Lynnette Overby, who will serve as deputy director. Grasso also noted that the search for the position of vice provost and director of libraries is going forward. We have five candidates who will be all coming to campus and will be engaging with the faculty and staff and seeking your input, Grasso said. Grasso also updated senators on the change of the reporting line of University Museums directly to the director of libraries. Both are curatorial functions, so it just makes sense to organize it this way, Grasso said. The new vice provost and library director will be overseeing both operations. In addition, Grasso noted that students will have the entire week off for Thanksgiving break during the 2016 fall semester as they did during the 2015 fall semester. We have received comments, some that are positive and some that are a little more critical, Grasso said. We have asked John Sawyer and the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness to give us a systematic assessment of that practice, and we will look at how this will play out over the coming years. Grasso also discussed the resolution making the SAT/ACT optional as a criterion for admitting Delaware residents during a four-year pilot period. (The motion was later approved by a 47-3 vote.) This is something that was thought through and given a lot of analysis before we put this proposal before you, Grasso said. It is something that I think is going to be in the best interest of the students and the University. It is the University's goal is to make sure that it graduates very well qualified students who have had the opportunity to take advantage of a UD education, he said. His remarks indicated that it is not the goal to bar or dissuade anyone from attending UD based on spurious or incomplete predictors of collegiate success. Our data, as you will see, shows that there should not be a deleterious impact for going test optional, and in fact it may increase diversity and success rates for many of our students. He added, "There are many prestigious universities across the country that have already going down this path. We should be one of the universities that joins them in this short-term experiment that may have long-term consequences. General Education Initiative Fred Hofstetter, past president of the Faculty Senate and professor in the School of Education, introduced Eric Rise, associate professor of sociology and associate chair of criminal justice, who chairs the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on General Education. Rise updated senators on the progress of the Universitys General Education Initiative. At the close of the spring semester last year, the senate approved in principle the creation of a core curriculum of a minimum of one course and directed the senate president to proceed in appointing an ad hoc committee on the topic. Rise noted that UD is accepting applications for courses to be taught as part of the pilot of CORE 1: Grand Challenges and Great Debates. The pilot is intended for students in their sophomore year, and will build on critical thinking and reflection skills introduced in the required English 110 course and First Year Experience courses from their freshman year, Rise said. We are seeking a set of innovative proposals that will promote student engagement and serve as models that could be implemented in fall 2017 or later, if a new requirement is adopted. We plan to pilot up to six proposals in fall 2016. Proposals, due by Feb. 22, will be reviewed by the Faculty Senates Ad Hoc Committee on the Core. Applicants will be notified of the committees decision by Feb. 29. Rise said the University welcomes inquiries about the core pilot and the requests for proposals. Interested faculty can send questions and completed applications to erise@udel.edu. Senate announcements Robert Opila, president of the Faculty Senate and professor of materials science and engineering, reported that discussion on the revision of Section 4.1.6 of the Faculty Handbook will take place at upcoming senate meetings. There will be two versions. One is going to incorporate all of the changes coming from the resolution voted on last May, and the other one is going to contain a couple of improvements on what is in the Faculty Handbook, Opila said. We have a lot to think about before they come up. Opila encouraged senators and faculty members to sign up for various committees, saying, This is a really important time. I know that we are very lucky to have some really excellent activities around the general education and teaching committees, and this can only be done with the help of you and your colleagues. I encourage you to sign up for this and take part in anything you might be interested in. Opila also urged senators to support this years UDance student philanthropy initiative, which benefits childhood cancer programs. You saw the table outside for UDance 2016. This is an excellent activity and I encourage everybody to consider it. Regular agenda During the regular agenda portion of the meeting, senators approved the motion to make the SAT and ACT test scores optional as a criterion for admitting Delaware residents. Reports by Doug Zander, director of admissions, and Grasso expressed support for the approved initiative. Regular agenda items passed by the senate also included changing the name of the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management program (HRIM) in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics to Hospitality Business Management (HOSP). Senators also approved revising the Faculty Senate Library Committee charge and disestablishing the master of education in school leadership, as there are no students currently in the program. A recommendation to revise promotion and tenure dates and deadlines in Section 4.4.8 in the promotion process schedule was referred back to committee for further consideration. Consent agenda During the consent agenda portion of the meeting, senators approved requests to create several 4+1 programs, including a bachelor of science in organizational and community leadership with a master of arts in urban affairs and public policy and the master of public administration. Also approved was the creation of a 4+1 program in particle technology. For additional consent agenda items approved at the meeting, visit the Faculty Senate's website, where they are listed on the Feb. 8 agenda. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Faculty Senate is 4 p.m., Monday, March 7, in 104 Gore Hall. Article by Jerry Rhodes 9:13 a.m., Feb. 10, 2016--Growing up, University of Delaware graduate Susan Mitchell always swore that she would never be a teacher. Luckily for her and her students the future generation of agricultural leaders that she teaches every day at Millsboro Middle School she had a change of heart when she was in high school and got exposed to agriculture through her involvement with FFA. My entire family are teachers so I would always say, Im not doing this. I just wasnt going to do it because my mom did it, but I ate my words pretty quickly, said Mitchell, who now works in the same school district as most of her family members and was recently recognized as one of a select group of agriculture teachers nationwide who received the 2015 Teachers Turn the Key professional development scholarship. As a scholarship recipient, Mitchell attended the National Association of Agricultural Educators annual convention in New Orleans last November, an experience that she called one of the coolest things that Ive done in my professional career. I learned a lot and I brought back a lot. I picked up awesome skills and techniques that really helped me, specifically in class. I appreciate them for sending me. Time at UD After initially heading to UD with the goal of becoming a veterinarian, Mitchell majored in animal and food sciences in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, but soon realized that she was drawn to the educational aspects of agriculture and added agricultural education in her junior year. I liked the fun, hands-on stuff because thats what got me into it. I didnt think I wanted to be in a school. Originally, I wanted to work at a zoo but after student teaching, I knew I wanted to be in the classroom and I knew I wanted to be in Delaware, which has a tight-knit agriculture community, said Mitchell. At Millsboro Middle, Mitchell got to start her own agriculture education program, which she has run for the past three years, establishing an FFA chapter in the process. Mitchell, who is also a member of the Delaware Association for Agriscience Educators (DAAE) the organization that nominated her for the Teachers Turn the Key scholarship teaches two classes a day of each sixth, seventh and eighth graders. She gets 42 minutes with each group to try to provide them insight into agricultural issues and prepare them for studies at Sussex Central High School, which is Millsboro Middles feeder school. They start out with an introduction to agriculture and FFA as a sixth graders. Its a lot of history and early agricultural practices and what agriculture is, and a lot of FFA leadership information, said Mitchell. The seventh grade class does an embryology project where they work in groups to hatch their own poultry eggs, a project that is set up like an agricultural science fair project. They weigh them every day, candle for a peek inside the shell to determine development and record the change in weight of the egg throughout the incubation period, said Mitchell. Is it going to increase, decrease or stay the same? Thats one part of the poultry unit, then they move onto plants, learning propagation techniques, flower anatomy, plant anatomy, and then we do some really cool food labs with them. The eighth graders learn about animal science, with goats and pigs brought in for live demonstrations and to teach the students about showmanship if they want to show an animal at the Delaware State Fair. They study cows during their dairy unit to learn about milk and ice cream, and they also evaluate the dairy cattle to determine the strongest and weakest in the group. The students can strut their stuff when they actually know the anatomy, and they can explain and choose the best dairy cow in the group, said Mitchell. Educating non-agricultural students Some of the students have an agricultural background but not all, and Mitchell said there are fewer than she anticipated. A lot of them have goats but theyve never participated at the fair, so thats a whole new thing for them. I really try to get them into it because summer activities are part of what makes FFA so cool. Its not just any September to June club. Its way more. Its definitely a lifestyle, said Mitchell. The importance of having agricultural education teachers for the next generation cannot be understated, Mitchell said, explaining that she gets to disseminate information from growers to those who are not as familiar with agriculture. I think its probably one of the most important careers right now because people dont know where their food comes from in a time where theres a lot of controversy over a lot of agriculture issues, Mitchell said. Agriculture educators are the middlemen. We bridge that gap where we can educate people without being super technical. She added it is important to do an outstanding job as an agricultural educator because the generation that I teach are the ones who are going to come up with the new food laws and with the better technology and the better practices for agriculture. Offering advice to current undergraduates considering careers in teaching, Mitchell said it is important that they find a support system, which for her is DAAE and fellow agricultural educators. Dont get discouraged. It can be stressful. Kids can be different every day and your attitude can be different every day, so you just need to remember the good days and plug through the bad ones, she said. Its just like anything else you do. Sometimes its awesome and sometimes its not, but you just need to remember on those bad days why you love it. Article by Adam Thomas Barcelona set a club record of 29 games in all competitions without defeat as a much-changed side drew 1-1 with Valencia in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, surpassing the previous mark set by Josep Guardiola's team between September 2010 and January 2011. UEFA.com analyses the differences and similarities between the all-conquering sides. Personnel There has been both continuity and evolution in the Barcelona squad over the last five years, with Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Dani Alves and Javier Mascherano still holding down a starting place, although their roles have changed. Take Messi, who plays deeper and tends to drift out to either wing. Highlights: watch Neymar at his best He has retained his hunger for goals, but is equally happy to supply strike partners Luis Suarez and Neymar. The presence of the Uruguayan international and the Brazil forward is the main difference between the teams, making Luis Enrique's XI more top heavy. Guardiola's lineup hinged on a midfield axis lead by Xavi Hernandez, who left the club last summer. Strengths Guardiola's obsession with possession had a doubly fortifying effect: it gave his team total control of games, allowing them to conserve energy as they seldom found themselves chasing the ball. They could tire out the opposition by holding onto the ball for long periods, or mesmerise them with quick short-passing combinations. Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United were one of many victims, the Scot remarking: "Xavi and Iniesta have never given the ball away in their lives." Watch Luis Enrique's Barcelona put six past Roma Luis Enrique's side share the same technical qualities but are more unpredictable, mixing up long periods of possession with rapid counterattacks. Suarez's winner against Real Madrid last season, assisted by a long ball from Alves, demonstrated the strength of their direct play. And last week the former Liverpool man finished off a devastating break against Valencia, started by an interception and pass out wide by Neymar. Weaknesses Although they were the supreme team in Europe, Guardiola's side occasionally struggled to prise open opponents who sat back and put men behind the ball. This happened more often towards the end of his reign in 2012, Barcelona losing the Liga title to a Real Madrid side that perfected the counterattack and being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the semi-final stage by Chelsea despite playing most of the home second leg with an extra man. Luis Enrique's charges, meanwhile, have found themselves susceptible to high pressing. Atletico Madrid, Malaga and Levante have made life tough for them in 2016, even though the Azulgrana eventually ran out winners in each game thanks to the ruthlessness of their attacking triumvirate. 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). The Polish side expects from Ukraine specific proposals on the use of 100 million euro loan, which the Polish government granted to Kyiv last year. This is reported by UKRINFORM correspondent in Poland. "The choice of specific projects that will be implemented in the framework of the government loan, as well as companies that will implement these projects is made by the recipient of the loan, i.e. the Ukrainian side. At the moment, work is in progress to identify specific projects that are planned to be financed through this loan," this is said in a letter of the Ministry of Finance of Poland in response to the request of the information agency. Meanwhile, a Polish source close to the negotiations confirmed that Warsaw has not yet received from Kyiv a specific plan for the use of credit. According to official information, the Polish loan granted to Ukraine must be spent to finance projects on the development of road infrastructure along the state border and construction of Ukraine-Poland border-crossing points. One of the conditions of the agreement is that the volume of Polish goods and services used in projects implementation shall be not less than 60% of the contract value. The tied aid loan is non-cash and the funds for the implementation of specific projects will be transferred directly to Polish exporters by the National Economy Bank (BGK) on the basis of documents previously approved by the Ukrainian side. Under the agreement, contracts for projects under the loan will be concluded within two years after the agreement becomes effective. Under the agreement, the loan term is 30 years with deferred payments and interest on the loan (0.15%) during the first 5 years. We remind that in January 2015 during his visit to Kyiv, the former head of the Polish government Ewa Kopacz announced the readiness to grant Ukraine a loan of 400 million zlotys (100 million euros). In September 2015, the intergovernmental agreement on the loan was signed. On February 3, the Verkhovna Rada ratified the document. The National Bank of Ukraine on February 9 decided to declare TK Kredit JSC CB insolvent because of the non-transparent ownership structure of financial institutions. The press service of the NBU reports. The regulator notes that since the middle of 2014 the NBU has repeatedly warned the bank to comply with requirements for transparency regarding its ownership structure. However, the bank ignored demands of the regulator and did not submit the requested documents. The National Bank said that funds owned by 98.9 percent of depositors will be reimbursed by the Deposit Guarantee Fund of private entities in full. The Fund will provide payments guaranteed amount of deposits in the amount of about UAH 0.6 million. Recall that all Ukrainian banks must have provided information to the NBU to prove transparency of their ownership until the end of 2015. On February 10, IMF Chief Christine Lagarde made a statement on Ukraine, in which she was concerned about successful implementation of the IMF-supported program in Ukraine. I am concerned about Ukraines slow progress in improving governance and fighting corruption, and reducing the influence of vested interests in policymaking. Without a substantial new effort to invigorate governance reforms and fight corruption, it is hard to see how the IMF-supported program can continue and be successful. Ukraine risks a return to the pattern of failed economic policies that has plagued its recent history, she said in the statement. Christine Lagarde stressed the importance of turning the country back to reforming. It is vital that Ukraines leadership acts now to put the country back on a promising path of reform, she stated. As a reminder, Ukraines Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko has stated before that the IMF will cut off funding in case of the governments resignation. mk Head of the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, Jan Tombinski states that by rendering assistance to Ukraine the European Union is investing in its own safety. The support for Ukraine is the support for the European Union We need a safe country, where people are lobbying rights, but not collections and bribes. This is also the strengthening of the European Union security, this means that our investment into this is the same investment into the European Union security, Tombinski said at a joint sitting of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry and the Justice Ministry entitled from new police to new justice and public safety, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. According to him, Ukraine is following a way of reforms not because this is a requirement of the European Union, but because Ukraine itself needs this. iy Seven UW Projects Awarded Use of Cheyenne Supercomputer Seven new projects, led by UW researchers, were chosen to receive computational time and storage space on the supercomputer in Cheyenne. (UW Photo) Seven projects, many of which have applications to Wyoming issues -- including wind farm efficiency, aerosol impacts on snowpack and snow melt, and cloud formation -- were recently chosen to receive computational time and storage space on the supercomputer in Cheyenne. University of Wyoming faculty members will lead projects that will use the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC). Each project was critically reviewed by an external panel of experts and evaluated on the experimental design, computational effectiveness, efficiency of resource use, and broader impacts such as how the project involves both UW and NCAR researchers; strengthens UW's research capacity; enhances UW's computational programs; or involves research in a new or emerging field. The Wyoming-NCAR Allocation Panel recently evaluated the large allocation requests to use computational resources at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center, says Bryan Shader, UWs special assistant to the vice president of research and economic development, and a professor of mathematics. The projects were granted allocations totaling 42 million core hours. In addition, 6 million core hours were recently awarded to a new faculty member as part of his start-up package, he says. Twenty-five UW-led projects used Yellowstone (the nickname for the supercomputer) in 2015, and this places Wyoming as the top university in total allocations, users and usage among all universities that use the NWSC. Since the supercomputer came on line during October 2012, allocations have been made to 42 UW research projects, including these latest seven, which commenced this month. The newest projects, with a brief description and principal investigators, are as follows: -- A project, titled Climate Change Impacts on Precipitation and Snowpack in Wyoming Using a Dynamical Downscaling Method with CCSM Bias Corrections, is funded by the UW Office of Water Program. This on-going project will use modeling to study how trends in regional climate affect precipitation, snowpack dynamics and stream flow in the headwaters region surrounding Wyoming. Bart Geerts, a UW professor of atmospheric science, heads the project. Collaborators include Yonggang Wang, a UW post-doctoral scientist; Changhai Liu, from NCARs Research Applications Laboratory; and Xiaoqin Jing, a UW doctoral student. -- A project, titled WRF Non-LES and LES Simulations of the Cloud Microphysical Effects of Ground-Based Glaciogenic Seeding of Orographic Clouds, will study the impact of ice-crystal seeding on clouds and precipitation over mountains in the Interior West. The project will use data from a 2008-2014 seeding project in Wyoming, and the power of computational simulations to help guide an NSF-funded cloud seeding campaign to begin in early 2017. Geerts also heads this project. Collaborators are Jeff French, a UW assistant professor of atmospheric science; Lulin Xue, a project scientist with NCARs Research Applications Lab; and Xiu Chu, a UW doctoral student. Lamia Gaoul (left), an adjunct professor in UWs School of Energy Resources (SER), leads a research project that will undertake a series of simulations aimed at elucidating hydrocarbon/mineral interactions under reservoir conditions with a focus on the effects of fluid composition, surface roughness, and brine salinity on dynamic surface wettability in carbonate systems. (UW Photo) The project is funded through an ongoing NSF grant with Roy Rasmussen and Dan Breed, both with NCAR; and a pending NSF grant with French and Robert Rauber, a professor and head of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. -- A project, titled Surface Phase Behavior of Hydrocarbon Mixtures in Natural Mineral Media, will look at oil production from both conventional and unconventional reservoirs, and how it can be highly dependent on mineral-fluid interfacial phenomena. This project will undertake a series of simulations aimed at elucidating hydrocarbon/mineral interactions under reservoir conditions with a focus on the effects of fluid composition, surface roughness, and brine salinity on dynamic surface wettability in carbonate systems. Lamia Gaoul, an adjunct professor in UWs School of Energy Resources (SER), leads the project. Collaborators are Mohammad Piri, the Wyoming Excellence Chair in Petroleum Engineering and a UW professor of petroleum engineering in the SER; and Will Welch, a post-doctoral researcher in petroleum engineering. -- A project, titled Modeling Planet/Disk Interactions to Understand Planet Formation, is motivated by the challenge to determine how exoplanets (that is, planets that orbit stars other than the sun) form. Disks of gases and debris around young stars hold vital clues to exoplanet formation. By creating a library of simulated images of a range of disks, Hannah Jang-Condell, a UW assistant professor of physics and astronomy, hopes to be able to determine properties of real disks by comparing capture images with simulated images. Jang-Condell heads the project that is funded by the NASA Exoplanet Research Program. -- A project, titled Effect of Microscale Phenomena on Macroscale Events, will enable Zac Lebo, a new UW faculty member, to pursue his research on cloud systems. Cloud formation is one of the key components that governs Earths atmosphere. Yet, basic questions about cloud formation remain unanswered. Lebo, a UW assistant professor of atmospheric science, will develop models and algorithms to better understand how changes in objects and processes (aerosols and nucleation) that cant be seen can influence phenomena clouds and weather -- that affect everyday life. Project collaborators are Ben Shipway and Adrian Hill, both from the UK Meteorological Office; and Hugh Morrison from NCAR. The project is funded through start-up funds from UWs Office of Research and Economic Development. -- A project, titled High-Resolution Climate Simulations and Future Climate Projections in the Rocky Mountain Region (RMR) Using the Variable-Resolution CESM (VR-CESM), will assess the performance of the variable-resolution NCAR Community Earth System Model (VR-CESM) in simulating the regional climate in the RMR. In addition, the role of deposition of absorbing aerosols (black carbon, organic carbon and dust) on snow, and the impact of future climate variations on the hydrologic cycles in the RMR, will be investigated. Xiaohong Liu, the Wyoming Excellence Chair in Climate Science and a professor of atmospheric science, is the project leader. Collaborators are Geerts and Jianting Julian Zhu, a UW associate professor of civil engineering; Andrew Gettleman and Colin Zarxycki, both from NCAR; and UW doctoral students Chenglai Wu and Zheng Lu. The project is funded through a College of Engineering and Applied Science grant. -- A project, titled Computational Study of Wind Turbine Performance and Loading Response to Turbulent Atmospheric Inflow Conditions, will allow a UW research team to further develop, validate and employ a suite of software tools and models to predict performance of wind farms consisting of hundreds to thousands of turbines. The models will account for spatial and temporal scales over eight orders of magnitude -- from the continental scales that govern wind patterns to the thin boundary layers over the wind turbine blades. Dimitri Mavriplis, a UW professor of mechanical engineering, is the project lead. Collaborators are Michael Stoellinger, a UW assistant professor of mechanical engineering; Tom Parish, department head and a UW professor of atmospheric science; and Jon Naughton, a UW professor of mechanical engineering. Funding is provided through a U.S. Department of Energy grant secured by Naughton. Xiaohong Liu, the Wyoming Excellence Chair in Climate Science and a professor of atmospheric science, will assess the performance of the variable-resolution NCAR Community Earth System Model (VR-CESM) in simulating the regional climate in the Rocky Mountain Region. (UW Photo) By the numbers The most recent recommended allocations total 42 million core hours, 71 terabytes of storage space, 222 terabytes of archival storage, and 9,000 hours on data analysis and visualization systems, Shader says. To provide some perspective on what these numbers mean, here are some useful comparisons. In simplest terms, Yellowstone can be thought of as 72,567 personal computers that are cleverly interconnected to perform as one computer. The computational time allocated is equivalent to the use of the entire supercomputer for 13 days, 24 hours a day. The 222 terabytes of storage would be enough to store the entire printed collection of the U.S. Library of Congress more than 20 times. Yellowstone consists of about 70,000 processors, also known as cores. An allocation of one core hour allows a project to run one of these processors for one hour, or 1,000 of these for 1/1,000th of an hour. A new supercomputer, dubbed Cheyenne, is expected to be operational at the beginning of 2017. The new high-performance computer will be a 5.34-petaflop system, meaning it can carry out 5.34 quadrillion calculations per second. It will be capable of more than 2.5 times the amount of scientific computing performed by Yellowstone. The NWSC is the result of a partnership among the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), the operating entity for NCAR; UW; the state of Wyoming; Cheyenne LEADS; the Wyoming Business Council; and Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power. The NWSC is operated by NCAR under sponsorship of the NSF. The NWSC contains one of the world's most powerful supercomputers dedicated to improving scientific understanding of climate change, severe weather, air quality and other vital atmospheric science and geo-science topics. The center also houses a premier data storage and archival facility that holds historical climate records and other information. UPDATE (9:55 p.m.) - CNN and multiple media outlets are projecting that Ohio Governor John Kasich will take second place in the Republican New Hampshire Primary. He is currently sitting at 16% of the vote with 41% of precincts reporting. On the Democratic side, Hilary Clinton has officially conceded to Bernie Sanders, with both candidates having already given their speeches. According to the Associated Press and multiple media outlets, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are projected to win the New Hampshire Primaries. The call was made right as the majority of the polls closed, which is fairly early for a call to be made. The current numbers, with less than 10% of Republican precincts reporting, have Trump leading the race with 33% of the vote, with John Kasich in second place with 17% of the vote. Jeb Bush sits in third place, with Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz rounding out the top five. On the Democratic side, Sanders jumped out to the lead and has led the whole way. He was leading heavily in the polls, which makes sense when you realize that this is the Vermont senator's home turf. The current numbers have Clinton not even winning one county, which would be a huge boon for Sanders. CNN is reporting that Clinton is preparing a concession speech, which should be delivered shortly. Following his victory speech, Sanders will head to New York, where he will make the talk show rounds tomorrow, beginning with The View and ending with the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The battle for second place on the Republican side is still important as New Hampshire gives delegates proportional to the amount of votes a candidate receives. This will keep the race for second interesting because candidates will want to get as many delegates as possible. The current numbers have the gap from second to fourth at just 6%, which can rapidly change as more numbers come in. After tonight, the Democrats will turn their attention to Nevada, while the Republicans will head to South Carolina to campaign. Both the Nevada Caucus and the South Carolina Primaries will take place on February 20th. Following that, the Republicans will head to Nevada, while Democrats will turn their attention to South Carolina. This is a developing story, stay with VAVEL USA for continuing coverage throughout the night as more results come in. Shinji Nakamura is one of the world's most respected performers, WWE acquiring the former IWGP star was a huge boost for the company and further paraded their dominance in the wrestling industry. Following a host of other stars such as AJ Styles, the 35-year-old was acquired to shake up the roster but unlike the former TNA man, Nakamura is likely headed to NXT in an effort to become the main man in developmental. His signing has been kept under wraps which is unusual considering the star quality he could bring, with rumors of a failed medical progressing what would happen to the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion? WWE Medicals The dominators of professional wrestling now have a duty to their talents to provide the tightest health screening processes in the industry, with their reluctance to let Daniel Bryan back into the ring, they will be under no obligation to let their new talents who may have issues perform either. Nakamura is not officially signed by the WWE as of yet, and his move has been put on hold until the contract has officially been penned. The company are yet to release any details of how the veteran's medical went nor are they in any hurry. The company did however confirm that he would be featuring in the upcoming NXT: TakeOver event in Dallas on 1 April 2016. Despite not yet featuring in the developmental company he arrived in the United States on the 2nd of February to begin the pre-contract talks following his medical results. With no confirmation yet, we can only speculate that the company are becoming very thorough with their testing or from a negative aspect a complication has arose. Possible Plans Sammi Zayn looks set to be Nakamura's first opponent in NXT (image: BleacherReport) The original idea was for Nakamura was to face Sammi Zayn at the TakeOver event, but no further comment has been made regarding a feud between the two. The "King of Strong Style" was reportedly being used on the developmental stage in order for him to be transitioned to the main event, as NXT was his foundation stage to build a following with the WWE Universe. The international star is set to keep his already well known ring name and the company were rumored to have already purchased the rights to his theme song "Subconscious" but with the star not yet a full employee, they are reluctant to do so. WWE has a habit of messing up International stars with ridiculous gimmicks; (see Funaki and Tajiri for example) fans will be hoping they opt for the right path with Nakamura and use his strengths correctly, with the recent influx of superstars from the Japan wrestling scene the outlook on the roster now looks more promising than ever. Index Ventures, which is well known for funding Skype, Dropbox and Candy Crush Saga online game during their inception is spinning off its life science investment into an independent firm named Medicxi Ventures. The new venture-capital firm will continue to operate with Index Ventures' current life science team alongside the existing biotech portfolio companies. Medicxi Ventures which would emerge as one of the largest biotechnology investment companies in Europe would reportedly have $750 million under management. The company will be backed up by two of the giant pharmaceutical companies Johnson & Johnson of New Brunswick, New Jersey and GlaxoSmithKline Plc. London, according to The PE Hub Network. GlaxoSmithKline Plc. and Johnson & Johnson have funded $230 million to Medicxi Ventures and each of the drug giants would reportedly contribute 25 percent of the total investment. With about $1 billion under management, including Medicxi Ventures and GlaxoSmithKline Plc. and Johnson & Johnson's contribution, the new life-science investment firm is the largest independent life-science investment firm in the whole of the Europe. "The creation of Medicxi Ventures as a new entity is a natural evolution given that Index' life sciences team has been operating autonomously within the firm for several years," commented Neil Rimer, co-founder of Index Ventures, noted Out-Law.com. "We retain close ties and look forward to continuing to share ideas and expertise." Francesco De Rubertis, General Partner of Medicxi Ventures, who joined Index Ventures back in 1997 to invest in life science and health care companies, said that it is the right time to make early stage life-science investments in Europe, reported Bloomberg Business. "This is good news for the funding of early stage biotech companies, particularly coming close on the heels of the formation of the Apollo Fund, in which J&J and GSK also participated alongside AstraZeneca, and the UCL technology fund," said Life sciences expert Allistair Booth of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com. Rubertis noted that about 40 percent of the drugs approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration are developed in Europe and marketed by American companies. He added that he and his partners, Kevin Johnson, Michele Ollier and David Grainger aim at giving opportunity for researchers from Europe, say from Cambridge, London to Geneva to work on the ideas they conceive in their own laboratories. Rubertis also added that Europe has a great scope for new biomedical innovations. As far Medicxi Ventures, Rubertis will reportedly manage the firm alongside Index veterans Johnson, Grainger and Ollier. The US-based automaker Ford is reportedly intending to start a new plant in Mexico with an aim to boost its production capacity of US plants. The reports said that the news of the New Mexican plant comes after the signing of an expensive labour deal with UAW. The automaker intends to build 500,000 units of Mexican capacity commencing in 2018, which represents over double the capacity that it constructed in 2015, Wall Street Journal said citing people close to the source. This move by the company reflects its rival General Motors' investment plan of 5 billion US dollar to multiply the production capacity in Mexico within 2018. According to the Journal, the automaker will construct a fresh assembly complex in the location of San Luis Potosi and will also broaden its current factory that is close to the city of Mexico. This plan will enable Ford factories in the US to concentrate on more profitable sport-utility cars and trucks. Last year, Ford produced 433,000 units of vehicles in Mexico, which represents 14% of its net production in North America. People familiar with the source told reports that the costs for the new plant is expected to exceed 1 billion US dollar. The construction of the new plant is anticipated to begin in late 2016. In June, the automaker confirmed its intention to finish its production of Ford C-Max and Ford Focus at Wayne in 2018 and to shift the car production outside the nation, reports USA TODAY. According to Dennis Williams, President of UAW, the Mexican investment is a 'huge problem' and that the automakers including Fiat Chrysler, General Motors and Ford are making huge profits in North America and there is no need for them to shift their production to earn profit. The automaker's plant in Cuautitlan presently constructs Fiesta subcompact vehicle and manufactured nearly 105,272 Fiesta cars in 2015, according to Automotive News. The C240 hybrid vehicle is anticipated to reach the market in 2018 as 2019 year model. Last spring, Ford invested 2.5 billion US dollar to construct a transmission plant and an engine in Mexico. Mexico has attracted many automakers who poured billions of dollars in the territory that promises free trade, low pay and advanced logistics feature. Global car companies like Volkswagen AG, and BMW AG have opened a new plant in Mexico. South Korean car company, Kia Motors, is also intending to open a fresh Mexican plant in 2016. Ford intends to design two models at the fresh Mexican plant, including the hybrid car that is made to compete with "Prius fighter" from Toyota. The Detroit automakers believe that Mexico will serve as a suitable place with high fundamentals. Mexico plants will continue to contribute to the automakers' future profit. Human Resources and Insurance software startup Zenefits is now under the management of new CEO after its co-founder Parker Conrad steps down as the CEO after the company is under attack for missing its revenue projection. He was replaced by Zenefits current COO, David Sacks. The news was confirmed by Sacks himself through an email to the employee. According to the email, "I believe that Zenefits has a great future ahead, but only if we do the right things. We sell insurance in a highly regulated industry. In order to do that, we must be properly licensed. For us, compliance is like oxygen. Without it, we die." The harsh statement comes because, besides missing its revenue projection, the $4.5 billion company is also currently under investigation for breaking few insurance laws and regulation according to the USA Today. Zenefits which garnered the attention by selling health insurance in a new way is now being investigated for allowing unlicensed brokers to sell health insurance in certain states. The misconduct was reported by BuzzFeed News in their series of reports according to the New York Times. The practice had caused the company to undo lots of its sale and currently there are regulators from at least seven states is investigating the matter. Zenefits was once considered as the fastest growing software startup by venture capitalists as the company managed to get lots of investment and able to grow up to 30 percent per month for a few consecutive months as reported by Reuters. However, its failure to meet its target revenue shows that the company is worth less than expected. The company managed to raise more than $500 million from investors after it was founded in 2013. Besides that, it also raises another two rounds of financing from Andreessen Horowitz firm entitling the company to a unicorn status among startup. The insurance service adopted by Zenefits has been causing lots of criticism and argument with the traditional brokers and insurance regulator. The company which only act as the middlemen between a healthcare provider and insurance company provide the business with free software and in return they took a commission fee from it. David Sack joined Zenefits a little over a year ago after selling his own startup, Yammer to Microsoft in 2012 and had an experience working with PayPal as its CEO. Sack also had pulled in PayPal cofounder, Peter Thiel as one of the boards of directors after Conrad also resigned as the members. Adobe released its new animation tool, Animate CC. This new software was a rebranding of its Flash Professional with the change of name and some major significant improvements, rewritten to incorporate native HTML5 Canvas and other newest supports. The California-based software company considered the name change as an appropriate move to better describe the new concept of the rebranded animation tool. Adobe stated that the new tool had been developed over the past few years, and it has finally been released on Monday, on what the company claimed as on of their biggest releases ever, as quoted by Venture Beat. Animate CC users can enjoy new features including HTML5 templates, HTML5 Canvas and WebGL support, 4K+ video export, custom platform support, and real-time drawing, among other distinctive features. But perhaps the most highlighted new feature is CreativeSync integration, whereas Creative Could libraries would be supported in the new tool. That means, now Animate CC users can share contents and creations with other users. TechCrunch reported that the emergence of HTML5 has been underlined throughout the Flash Professional rebranding process to Animate CC. The tool was made to conform to the new standard that is HTML5, and the new concept and features reflect it. It is also worth noted that HTML5 can now replace Flash for most standard use cases, making Animate CC a great substitution for web animation tool. Animate CC will still support SWF and AIR contents, so users still have the option to export for the Flash player, as noted by Webdesignerdepot. Adobe is also expanding its output in Animate CC to much more format than Flash Professional, including to SVG. The new tool also makes it easier for users to export project to an .OAM format, making it easier to import the content to other Adobe tools, including Adobe Muse, InDesign, and Dreamweaver. Besides Animate CC, Adobe also launched a new version of its website designing tool, Muse CC, on the same day. Like Animate CC, the newest version of Muse CC will also feature CreativeSync, enabling Creative Cloud libraries support, Adobe Stock, and Typekit. Adobe also improved its new Animate CC to be compatible wit iOS 64-bit system operation. That would expand the tool's range of users, especially to those who use more sophisticated devices that can now be supported by the animation tool. Adobe's rebranding of Flash Professional to Animate CC has created a lot of positive buzz around animators and design-enthusiasts. One of the key new features is CreativeSync integration, which makes it much easier for users to share and access other users' works. Nearly half of the capital have been poured into Super Pacs' wallet beating the presidential and congressional races. Many donors volunteered to spend their money for the presidential election. The biggest contributors of 2016 have poured nearly $195 million in order to inspire the presidential poll. Small donors have contributed a combined amount of $155 million to back up the election, according to the campaign finance numbers analysed by POLITICO. Jeb Bush's campaign for the GOP candidate received $49 million, Ted Cruz's GOP crusade raised $37 million and super PACs dedicated to Hillary Clinton received $38 million from the contributors. Ted Cruz, a senator from Texas, seems to have sealed the support from four donors including Bob Mercer, a hedge fund magnet in New York, Toby Neugebauer, an energy investor in Texas, Dick and Liz Uihlein, manufacturers in Illinois, and Cisco's Wilks family. Meanwhile, a super PAC backing Marco Rubio, a rival of Ted Cruz's GOP, has received $22 million from the donors. However, Marco Rubio seems to have the backing from 14 top donors, which suggests that Marco might receive more capital from his supporters if he endures the 'Saturday night debate performance' and emerges to beat Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. Jeb Bush, who is struggling in the presidential election, said he wants to upturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling that allows unlimited spending for the election campaign, according to CNN Politics. Bush wants to prevent the dark money from entering into the political arena. Following the comment made by Bush, Donald Trump, the national GOP election head, ridiculed him on Twitter. Trump tweeted "Now that Bush has wasted $120 million of special interest money on his failed campaign, he says he would end super PACs. Sad!" The super PAC Right to Rise has raised $118 million, which is nearly four times more than other super PACs. A new one day poll conducted by the Bush's super PAC Right to Rise showed that Donald Trump ranks highest with 29% vote, John Kasich ranks second with 14 percent vote and Bush placed in third position with 12 percent in New Hampshire, according to Breitbart. While senator Ted Cruz ranks fourth with 10% vote and Marco Rubio ranks fifth with 9% voters. The poll was conducted following the Saturday Republican debate. This shows that Kasich and Trump are well positioned in New Hampshire location than Jeb Bush. Millions of dollars have been spend for the 2016 presidential race and more donors are willing to support their presidential candidate. Capital from small donors are also filling the campaign finance box with an aim to elect the new President. Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group AG will soon venture in sunglasses with its partnership with Italian eyewear company Safilo Group SpA. The new alliance would be a rather long-term partnership of five years whereas Swatch will contribute in the design process of Safilo sunglasses' design collections. The collections that would involve both Safilo and Swatch in collaboration would be available in Spring this year. The collection is called Swatch The Eyes, reflecting the collaboration between the watchmaker and eyewear maker. The nature of the partnership between Swatch and Safilo would be that Swatch help design the collection. Then, Safilo will be in charge of the development and production on the sunglasses as designed. Safilo would produce the sunglasses with its usual manufacturing network in Europe. Both the companies will take care of the sales and distribution of the collection. According to Padovaoggi, Swatch The Eyes will be available in Swatch's retail stores worldwide, and also Safilo's chain of shops in America and North America. Furthermore, the two companies also agreed on a plan to expand further distribution in Safilo's other stores outside North America. Swatch The Eyes aims to establish creativity, playfulness, and dynamism. According to Bloomberg, this is not the first time Swatch had ventured in eyewear sectors, specifically in sunglasses. In the beginning of the 1990s, the watchmaker company had produced retro sunglasses. But then Swatch pulled away from the eyewear game and focus on watch. It's not until this partnership that Swatch reintroduce another eyewear products. Safilo CEO Luisa Delgado stated, as quoted by Zonebourse, "This agreement represents a further step in our strategic plan of 2020. We add an iconic brand to our portfolio, complementing our presence in the segment with a unique concept based on the clever, playful and innovative Swatch." Safilo also added that they reconfirmed their commitment to the production of European glasses. "It is a privilege to become a partner of the Swatch brand and apply his philosophy to design eyewear products," Delgado said. Swatch chairman Nick Hayek is also delighted by the partnership. He elaborated that Swatch is a lifestyle brand that captures trends and emotions. And glasses, like watches, also belong to the same categories of products, combining fun, style, and emotion. "Safilo is a quality partner who has an excellent knowledge of the trade. We are pleased to join forces as well," Hayek stated. With the five-year partnership between Swatch and Safilo, not only we could expect their joint products this spring, but it's likely that the two companies will also release other collections in the years to come. The products will be available worldwide in both Swatch and Safilo stores. Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. and Chairwoman of HP Inc., has witnessed 13% decline in pay package during 2015. The compensation drop is due to the change in her leadership roles followed by the split of Hewlett Packard Co. Meg Whitman has received total compensation of $17.1 million in the 2015 fiscal year compared to $19.6 million in 2014. The last year compensation is closer to that received in 2013, $17.6 million, according to a report published in Bloomberg. Whitman has executed one of the highest-profile separations in corporate history, splitting the beleaguered Hewlett-Packard into two divisions in 2015. HP Enterprise Co. includes server, storage and networking products. AccelFoods, the food and beverage accelerator, has raised their second fund which touches $20 million. The investor added six Class IV startup companies to its portfolio who will receive backing from the newly raised fund. The growing demand for specialty food and beverage has kept the investors busy with raising such capital and pumping them into the channel that feeds the expanding niche market. According to The Wall Street Journal, investments in venture firms' food and beverage division soared to $603 million for a total of 48 deals in 2015. This sets the record for the highest annual amount invested in this sector, representing a 60% increase. However, in this niche packaged foods market, AccelFoods is interested in the makers of allergen- and gluten-free foods, ethnic foods, and organic snacks rich in protein and nutrition that are easily available and designed for fast consumption. "Families are purchasing foods to accommodate the needs of an allergic friend or family member, increasingly," AccelFoods co-founder and Managing Partner Jordan Gaspar stated. "And millennial shoppers, in particular, expect natural ingredients as a standard." The food and beverage investor has always been known for backing some of the most innovative products in the market, says the PE Hub Network. Similarly for the six new next-gen food and beverage houses, the company has taken pride in identifying and investing in them. They will now receive support from AccelFoods' operating team in day-to-day activities, guidance from industry experts and an eight-month program conducted by strategic partners as a value-added support. As Project Nosh reports, these class IV next-gen startups are: Crunchsters - maker of savory snacks from mung beans; Wandering Bear - ready-to-drink cold coffee brewer; Nona Lim - maker of instant, all-natural noodles and soups that are based on age-old recipes; il Morso - maker of coffee and cocoa butter bars that give an instant caffeine kick; Tea Drops - maker of bag-less tea solution that dissolves when mixed with water; and Purely Pinole - maker of gluten-free, high-protein, high-fiber hot cereal. "AccelFoods is proud to continue investing in founders and companies that represent our core values of professionalism, quality and disruption," says Jordan Gaspar. To this, the other co-founder and managing partner Lauren Jupiter added, "Class IV represents true innovation in the food and beverage space. These companies are primed for growth and we are excited to apply AccelFoods' proprietary suite of resources to these companies as they look to grow big." British luxury fashion brand Burberry Group filed a lawsuit against U.S. retailer J.C. Penney over an accusation of violation of the brand's trademark. The lawsuit seeks up to $2 million for each infringed trademark, or triple damages, or the disgorgement of illegal profit. Burberry accused J.C. Penney of alleged infringement of the brand's famous check pattern. The Burberry check trademark is a tartan-like pattern mostly featuring the color combination of red, black, white, and camel that appears to be the base color. There have been some variations to the pattern, but the original one remains the most popular. The brand has been using the trademark pattern its products since the 1920s. The brand itself was founded in 1856 in London. According to Reuters, the lawsuit stated that J.C. Penney was illegally selling quilted jackets and scarf coats with the Burberry pattern all over the products. It is also stated that the retailer kept selling the products even after they had learned Burberry's objections. The infringed jackets and scarf coats were still found in the retailer's stores for two months after Burberry's initial statement of objection. Besides J.C. Penney as the retailer, the Levy Group was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The New York-based clothing distributor was accused of allegedly supplied the products. Burberry stated that even though the infringed products are of inferior quality, they appear superficially similar to the genuine products by the brand. "Defendants' actions are intended to deceive and mislead consumers into believing that defendants' or their products are authorized, sponsored by or connected to Burberry," the brand noted. According to Fortune, J.C. Penney caters to more frugal customers. The lawsuit seeks either triple damages, the disgorgement of illegal profits, or up to $2 million for each infringed trademark. In addition, Burberry also seeks to stop further infringements in production and sales. BizJournal reported that last year J.C. Penney was also involved in two lawsuits for false claim over products materials and advertising lowered prices from a falsely inflated price. The Plano-based retailer gets more than half of its sales from in-house brands of clothes and home goods. Both defendants, J.C. Penney and the Levy Group haven't commented on the matter. Burberry claimed that the two defendants intentionally infringe the brand's trademark pattern to deceive and mislead consumers into believing that the product is connected to the 160-year-old brand. And for that, the defendants could face a $2 million lawsuit or triple damages, or disgorgement of illegal profits. Snapchat video mesaging application scored an advertising deal with Viacom on Tuesday. Both companies agreed to allow Viacom selling advertising for Snapchat content. Snapchat was a popular video message app which gained a popularity with its "story" created for each users based on users' posting. Despites its popularity, Snapchat was not able to go mainstream. On the other hand, investors of Viacom has raised concern about entering the Internet market. On Tuesday, both companies agreed to sign an advertising deal. This multiyear agreement that allows the Viacom to sell advertising on Snapchat's behalf. The deal gives benefit to both companies, which have been struggling to face competition. Snapchat will be able to attract big advertisers, while Viacom will be able to extend its advertising arm to a wider audience in the Internet business. Viacom Chief Financial Officer Wade Davis told Wall Street Journal, "We had early on made a big commitment to developing premium, original content for the channels we had on the platform. Based on the success we had, we started talking about what we could do beyond that." While Snapchat Chief Strategy Officer Imran Khan said in a statement as cited by Los Angeles Times, "We can now offer television advertisers a way to tell their stories across television and mobile in a frictionless way." According to Reuters, Snapchat and Viacom's deal includes advertising in Snapchat's un-partnered "Live Stories." This the the features unique to Snapchat, that provide curated submitted posts from users in specific geographic locations, which connect the users to a specific events or large holidays. Both parties have not announced the exact amount of the deal. Snapchat was founded in 2011, started as a class project in Stanford University. The founders, trio Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown were a student when they started building an application which aimed to communicate what they called as a full range of human emotion. Focusing on allowing users to share their photos and videos through its platform, Snapchat was reported to have a more than 7 billion daily video views. Even so, the app was not been able to enter mainstream, and even experienced problems with users privacy and security. While Viacom is a spinoff of the CBS Corporation in 2005 focused on cable television and cinema production, while CBS will specialized on commercial broadcasting, publishing, and television production. CBS Corporation itself is a spinoff from the original Viacom founded in 1971 as a TV division of Columbia Broadcasting System. Since the 2005 spinoff, the New York-based company has been trying to enter the Internet market to expand its audience based and reaching out to millennial age groups. The deal with Snapchat will provide exactly what the cable TV needs. Viacom and Snapchat has made an advertising deal on Tuesday. Both companies agreed to allow Viacom selling advertising for Snapchat content. The deal will expand the audience and market for both companies who struggle amidst the competition. Sonos announced that its system will start to deliver Apple music streaming starting Wednesday. The service has initiated in December as a public beta version. Sonos chief executive officer John MacFarlane told in a press release from Sonos, "This partnership has been an excellent example of two companies that truly care about music coming together to deliver a great listening experience. Working with Apple gives us the opportunity to share Apple Music throughout people's homes in a way that's easy, intuitive, and sounds great." While Apple senior vice president Eddie Cue told Buzz Feed News, "We're big fans of Sonos. We've been looking forward to this." Furthermore, Eddie Cue explained his excitement regarding Apple Music partnership with Sonos, "Apple has a high bar for this stuff; So does Sonos. Apple Music isn't even 6 months old yet, so this really did not take much time at all." Since the beta testing launched in December, hundreds of thousands owners of Sonos music system has tried the Apple Music streaming to their device. In order to have Apple Music streaming service played in their Sonos speakers, customers can select "Add Music Services" from any Sonos controller app, scroll down to the Apple Music icon, and login. Now, as the official announcement has been made, all features in Apple Music will be available to all Sonos music system. Including the popular features such as For You, New, Radio, and My Music. For Apple Music, this new announcement is a new step in its competition in music streaming service against Spotify. According to Re/Code, Amazon accounced that its Echo connected speaker would work with Spotify last week. Although Re/Code also noted that Sonos and Apple may have different type of service. Sonos is a consumer electronics producer, specialized in making wireless audio products. The company was founded in 2002 by quartet John MacFarlane, Craig Shelburne, Tom Cullen, and Trung Mai. Its most famous product line is the Sonos wireless hi-fi music system. Sonos wireless hi-fi music system is a wireless music system which connecting multiple Sonos' speakers through wireless network connection. Other than wireless network, Sonos also provide ethernet connection. Both connections provide users with simultaneous audio playing in different areas. Apple Music is a music streaming service owned by Apple Inc which provides a selection of music curated by Internet radio station Beats 1. The service was launched in 2015, but Apple Music received a lot of criticism due to many bugs. Now, as the public beta version has been tested for more than a month, Apple Music streaming service is ready to stream in Sonos music system worldwide. The service is available starting Wednesday. Microsoft had just acquired a streaming music player app called Groove Smart Music Player. The acquisition follows Microsoft's decision to rebrand its music player and relaunched it by the name Groove. Previously, the tech giant's music player is called Xbox Music until it was rebranded last year. When Microsoft rebranded its music streaming service as Groove, a Montreal-based startup called Zikera already have a music player under the same name, Groove. The app was also available in the Windows Store, the application store for Windows phones. According to ZDNet, Microsoft had not made any statement then. The company had not mentioned acquiring the Zikera startup or whether Microsoft had bought the name or acquire the brand. The company had not comment on the matter even after it was reported that Microsoft bought two Groove-related domains from Zikera. On Tuesday, Zikera announced on a Medium post that Groove has been officially acquired by Microsoft. The startup told the story of Groove's journey, also how and why it was born. The blog post also elaborated about the acquisition by Microsoft. "In light of this acquisition, Groove is no longer available for download, but current users may continue to use the app. Please note, however, that we are not submitting any more updates," the co-founders wrote. If new users try to access the Groove app, they will be redirected to Microsoft Groove, as reported by Beta Kit. Zikera's Groove could learn users' personal music tastes and generate personalized playlists suggestions based on users' preferences. The app learns users' listening habits in order to concoct completely personalized playlists. Ever since the app was launched in 2009, more than 2 million users had downloaded it. Groove was a free app before it was admitted into the FounderFuel accelerator program in 2013. When the app became popular with more than one million downloads, it was shifted to a freemium model, restricting full access for free users. The details of the acquisition deal were disclosed by both companies. However, Montreal in Technology reported that after the acquisition, Groove's co-founder will not join Microsoft. However, they will continue to consult with the giant company during the post-acquisition period. Groove was founded by Tri Nguyen, Bruno Sylvain, and Eduard Lucic. The acquisition was considered as a significant achievement for the Montreal-based startup. Although the details of the deal were not revealed, Zikera announced that they are thrilled that Groove has been acquired by a tech company as big as Microsoft. Microsoft did not only buy the app's name but will also incorporate some of its technology to its own music player. Q: My parents are getting on in age and will eventually need my assistance. I have no idea where to start planning. Can you suggest some starting points? A: Many people avoid dealing with this subject until a crisis arises. You are to be congratulated for wanting to be prepared. There are four main areas you should become knowledgeable with: living arrangements, medical coverage, estate planning and finances. Talk with your parents about their thoughts on future living arrangements when and if they become unable to care for themselves. If they want to remain in their own home, you should familiarize yourself with the community resources available to provide the support they will need. You should also research alternative living arrangements in case remaining at home is no longer an option. You will have to become familiar with the type of medical coverage your parents have selected and what it covers. You should obtain the name and telephone number of their primary care physician and any other doctors who are treating them. Become aware of any illnesses or disabilities they have and especially what medications they are taking. Estate planning includes legal, financial and final-needs issues. You should find out if your parents have an advance health care directive, a will and/or trust and a general power of attorney for finances. Know who has copies of these vital documents or where they are kept. If your parents have an attorney, you should also have his or her name and telephone number. Finances are a key part of making any arrangements. Discuss with your parents their financial resources, both income and assets. This information will be of utmost importance if you need to place them in a long-term care facility or apply for government programs. You should also know if they have long-term care insurance and what it covers. The most difficult area to discuss will be final needs. Try to find out if your parents have made funeral arrangements and possibly have prepaid them. If no plans have been made, encourage them to tell you what they want. Discuss all issues with your parents while they are still able to make appropriate decisions and make their wishes known, and if you have siblings, make them part of that discussion. Q: I am ashamed to admit I was the victim of a scam. Can you give some hints that will help others spot a con artist? A: Don't beat up on yourself for being taken anyone can be a victim. A clever con artist is a good actor who disarms the victim with a good-guy approach. Potential victims often share the same characteristics. Many times they will be older, female, living alone and very trusting. But if that description doesn't fit you, still be careful. Others become victims as well. You'll likely never detect a con artist by looks. Words and expressions, however, can reveal his or her true identity. The con artist's ultimate goal is the victim's assets. The scheme will often require cash only or involve secret plans and get-rich-quick and something-for-nothing promises. Time is always of the essence. A potential victim will be required to act in haste. Today-only or last-chance opportunities are seldom good investments. Money-saving home improvement projects offered by door-to-door workers with leftover materials may not be as economical as they seem. The materials are often defective or inferior. The con artist can dream up more ways of separating cash from a victim then we can comprehend. If you are a victim, don't be too embarrassed to report it to authorities or testify in court. This is the only way to help stop this kind of crime. HAPPENINGS Feb. 17 1:30-3 p.m., "Will You Pass Your Next Driving Test?" Westlake Village Civic Center, 31200 E. Oak Crest Drive. For information, call the advocate's office at 495-6250. Feb. 21 2 p.m., Music Comes Alive, Gilbert and Sullivan Repertoire Company will present "Broadway Music Scores," including music from "Les Miserables" and "Phantom of the Opera," Goebel Adult Community Center, 1385 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks. Tickets are $5 and available at the Goebel center. Feb. 22 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Individual Economic Check Up appointments, Goebel Adult Community Center, 1325 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks. For information and appointment times, call the advocate's office at 495-6250. Feb. 22 3:30-4:30 p.m., "Savvy Saving Seniors It's in the Cards," learn the ins and outs of various credit, debit, prepaid and gift cards and discover tips and tricks for protecting your money, Goebel Adult Community Center. For reservations, call the Goebel center at 381-2744. Feb. 23 5:30-7 p.m., Empowered Caregiver Series, "A Healthier Year: Enjoy Better Hearing & Protect Your Pearly Whites," Senior Concerns Day Care Center, 401 Hodencamp Road, Thousand Oaks. For reservations, call 497-0189. CORRECTION Tax Services at the Newbury Park Library are available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, except Feb. 10, when hours will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Betty Berry is a senior advocate for Senior Concerns. The advocates are located at the Goebel Adult Community Center, 1385 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362, or call 495-6250 or email betty@seniorconcerns.org (include your telephone number.) You are invited to submit questions on senior issues. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/KASEY MITCHELL Two people were displaced by a motor home fire Tuesday in Moorpark. SHARE By Staff Reports Two people were displaced by a motor home fire that damaged some nearby buildings Tuesday in Moorpark, officials said. The blaze was reported about 2:30 p.m. in a residential area in the 100 block of First Street, the Ventura County Fire Department said. The motor home was engulfed in fire and crews on the scene were concerned the flames could spread to the nearby buildings. The motor home fire was knocked down by 2:40 p.m., authorities said. Some minor damage was reported to the nearby buildings, officials said. The American Red Cross was requested to assist two adults who were displaced by the motor home fire, authorities said. The cause of the blaze was under investigation. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Will Reed (left) at a Ventura County Homeless Count. SHARE By John Scheibe of the Ventura County Star A former manager of an Oxnard homeless program has been sentenced to a year in county jail and four years' probation after pleading guilty to four felony counts of misappropriation of public funds, prosecutors said Tuesday. William Reed ran the city's emergency solutions grant program, which is part of the Oxnard Housing Department. The program helps homeless families and others get shelter and housing. Ventura County prosecutors said Reed abused his position of trust by misappropriating money that should have gone to the homeless. "He falsified documents so that checks could be issued to three unqualified individuals and conspired with at least two of them to split the proceeds," prosecutors said in a news release. Reed also shredded documents to conceal the fraud that involved about $5,800 in losses, prosecutors said. Reed is barred from holding public office in California after his conviction. Reed, 48, worked for Oxnard for seven years. A federal probe was launched into some activities involving the program Reed worked for in March 2014. Reed resigned a month later. Reed was arrested in Las Vegas in October. He later admitted to misusing federal grant funds, falsifying paperwork and shredding documents. SHARE California public schools do not have enough teachers. In 2015, there were more than 42,000 teacher openings in California and 3,900 of them were still unfilled by mid-October, fully two months after school started. Schools are handing out provisional and short-term teaching permits to get folks in the classroom. One-third of new teaching credentials went to teachers to teach outside their area of training. Clearly we have a problem in California's classrooms. It's not a result of a huge influx of children. In fact, predictions are that school-age enrollment is expected to be fairly stable in the state for the next decade. What we have is a huge influx of money. School districts are suddenly flush in cash that was yanked from them during the Great Recession. They want to spend it to bring back teaching positions that were dumped along the shoulder of California's economic highway. Those cuts over the years raised the state's pupil-teacher ratio to 24-to-1, the highest in the nation. The problem is that since California started cutting teaching positions, new college students turned their back on education as a career. Only 5 percent of incoming college students said they wanted to go into teaching, down 16 percent in four years. Given the roller coaster financial treatment California has given teachers, and education, you really can't blame them. So a group of state senators, including our own Sen. Fran Pavley, who is a former teacher, have rushed to the rescue with a package of three bills aimed to fix California's teacher shortage. They are all good pieces of legislation, ones that we can support. But they do not fix the problem. The Pavley bill would revive a state program to provide some student loan forgiveness for teachers who work four years in schools that are having a hard time attracting teachers. A bill by Sen. Carol Liu, D-La Canada Flintridge, re-establishes a program to recruit prospective teachers. A bill by Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, pays for a residency program to give new teachers time to apprentice alongside mentors. All good ideas. But none would have helped Ventura County school districts last year as they scrambled to fill 501 teaching vacancies. Here is how we think the state should approach this: First, California should figure out what teacher-pupil ratio works for us. If we want to hit our pre-recession number, we need to re-create 60,000 teaching jobs. If we want to simply meet the national average of 16-to-1, we need 135,000 jobs. Then the state should look to immediate fixes. The solution is not to toss unqualified people into classrooms. If you don't have someone trained, then keep your classroom sizes higher until you do. There were more than 26,000 teaching positions eliminated in the state from 2007 to 2012. Make an effort to attract and then reinstate those teachers. California's system for teacher re-entry is one of the most stringent in the country. Loosen the reins a bit, reduce the fees, and bring those trained teachers back. Look to recent retirees to see if you can attract them back into the classroom for four or five years. Then you can turn to programs that make a degree in education more attractive. First, though, you need to make the idea of a career in education more attractive. Let's find a way to help our great high school teachers become mentors for their current students, encouraging the best and the brightest to follow in their footsteps. Then revive programs like the Governor's Teaching Fellowship that create a path for students through college and to the front of the classroom. Then bills such as the three proposed last week make sense. Most importantly, the Legislature must decide this is important enough to create and fund and sustain these teacher recruitment and support programs. Putting great people in our classrooms, compensating them appropriately, giving them the tools to succeed, will be how California is successful for generations to come. On Tuesday, August 20, celebrated hot spot Hakkasan Las Vegas at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino was home to the official Hudson and Creative Recreation after-party during the fashion tradeshow in Las Vegas, MAGIC (Photo credit: Al Powers of Powers Imagery LLC). Photo credit: Al Powers of Powers Imagery LLC. For the first time in Hakkasan history, the main room of the nightlife mecca was transformed into an open-format destination, welcoming a never-before-seen performance by GRAMMY Award-nominated artist Nas. Photo credit: Al Powers of Powers Imagery LLC. Throughout the night, renowned SKAM Artists including DJs Crooked, D-Nice, Fashen, Homicide, Five and Irie took turns manning the decks pumping up the crowd while spinning their hard-hitting tracks for over 5,000 partygoers. Photo credit: Al Powers of Powers Imagery LLC. Nas arrived at 10:30 pm with his entourage at Hakkasan Restaurant to dine on its world-class authentic Cantonese cuisine, sampling a variety of signature dishes including Roasted Silver Cod with Champagne and Chinese Honey and Crispy Duck Salad. Following his dinner, he entered Hakkasan Nightclub at 12:30 am and was seated in an exclusive VIP table on the stage next to the DJ booth. At 2 am, the rap phenomenon took over the stage and immediately jumped on top of the DJ booth to perform his chart-topping hits including If I Ruled The World, Made You Look and You Can Hate Me Now. Nas ended his energetic show-stopping performance with an impromptu freestyle inspired by the energy of the night leaving fans wanting more. Photo credit: Al Powers of Powers Imagery LLC. Guests were dazzled during his performance as lights flashed, confetti flew in the air and cryo cannons went off, while DJ Irie MCd. The evening was a historic one for Hakkasan, as it was the first live performance by an artist in the clubs main room, normally home to electronic music legends including Hakkasan resident DJs Tiesto and Calvin Harris. Photo credit: Al Powers of Powers Imagery LLC. After Nas completed his stellar show he returned to his table and was presented with a celebratory cake by the Hakkasan staff, rounding out a night of festive revelry. FIZZ, the lavish champagne bar and lounge at Caesars Palace, will feature an indulgent champagne flight offered exclusively during MAGIC from Monday, Aug. 18 through Wednesday, Aug.20 (Photo credit: Anthony Mair). FIZZs MAGIC Brut Flight will include 2-ounce champagne tastings of Krug, Dom Perignon and Moet & Chandon, priced at $130. While sipping on fine champagne, guests will enjoy the award-winning atmosphere, complete with $1.5 million in photography by Guy Bourdin, Edward Burtnysky, David LaChapelle and many more from the personal collection of FIZZ Creative Director, David Furnish, and partner Sir Elton John. Shelby American has launched its new online program to unlock the creative spirit in all Shelby enthusiasts. The new Shelby Build One system puts a prospective owner into the designers seat by allowing them to build and order their favorite Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT500 Super Snake post-title packages. The new Shelby Build One system is available exclusively at www.shelbyamerican.com. Customers can do this online or print and send their order in with a check or credit card number to reserve a production slot. At that point, theyll have instant gratification knowing theyre now a Shelby owner. .Using the exclusive options available from Shelby American, our online Build One program allows customers to create their perfect Shelby GT350 or GT500 Super Snake, said John Luft, president of Shelby American. It gives customers the ability to choose their options and see an image of their car immediately with the click of a mouse. And the build sheet pricing module makes it easy to determine the amount they want to invest in their Shelby. With the choice of options, build sheet and online purchase system, the Build One program is the perfect way to design and order a Shelby. The Build One program is available for new Shelby customers ordering a 2012 Shelby GT350 and/or upgrading their Shelby GT500 to a Super Snake. The base vehicles are purchased directly from a Ford dealer by the customer and shipped to the Las Vegas factory for their Shelby upgrades. The Shelby American team is available to assist customers in locating their base car and Ford dealer. When a customer completes their Build One session and submits their order online, one of our Shelby American team members will contact them to confirm the order and arrange the purchase and/or shipment of their 2012 Shelby GT350 base Mustang or Shelby GT500, explained Gary Patterson, vice president of operations. Customers can do this online or print and send their order in with a check or credit card number to reserve a production slot. At that point, theyll have instant gratification knowing theyre now a Shelby owner. About Shelby American, Inc. Founded by legend Carroll Shelby, Shelby American manufactures and markets performance vehicles and related products. The company manufactures authentic continuation Cobras, including the 427 S/C, 289 FIA and 289 street car component vehicles. The company offers the GT350 and GT500 Super Snake post-title packages for the current generation Ford Mustang. For more information, visit www.shelbyamerican.com. Vietnams digital economy has seen significant growth over the last decade and is expected to be valued at US$57 billion by 2025. The countrys digital... remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Not content with his own success in giving up smoking, Prime Minister Hun Sen wants the rest of Cambodia to kick the nicotine habit too. The long-serving leader announced with much pride back in 2014 that he had managed finally to kick the habit that he picked up as a young soldier. After joining the army, I become a smoker. I smoked at that time in order to reduce my intensity while I was working, and to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and insects, Hun Sen said in a Jan. 28 Facebook post, reminiscing about the 1970s, when he fought in Cambodias jungles for the Khmer Rouge. Then the smoke started to taste good and it was addictive. After that, I suppose, I was a smoker. The post was characteristic of a Hun Sens new public relations approach, which has seen him replace hours-long strongman diatribes with friendly updates about the comings and goings of Cambodias prime minister and first family. He is now using Facebook to launch a sort of public health campaign, urging his followers, and all his countrymen, to extinguish their last cigarette. In this post Im asking my Cambodian people to quit smoking, especially youth, the Facebook post read, this part in English. I used to be a heavy smoker for more than 40 years. Ive tried 12 times to quit smoking. Finally, I quitted smoking about 22 months now [sic]. I hope Cambodian people can do it for their own health. Tobacco, which causes cancer of the lungs and other forms of the deadly disease, is a serious health problem in Cambodia. About 10,000 deaths a year can be attributed to smoking or chewing tobacco, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). That means that, on average, more than 28 people in the country die each day for their habit. One of those feeling the effects of this scourge is Meach Sokhoeun, 49. She doesnt smoke, but expends large quantities of her energy worrying about her husband Sar Kimso, a one-pack-a-day smoker. Shes already convinced him to cut down from two or three packs daily, but stopping completely has proven difficult, despite a doctor warning him more than a decade ago that he may have lung disease. I told him to stop, but he wont stop. He can stop for several months, but then he starts smoking even more, she said, adding that the impact on the health of 73-year-old Kimsowho started smoking at 13was visible. I want him to quit because he has this white skin on his head like dandruff. His legs and arms are all covered with itchy skin, like he has a skin disease. His teeth are decayed. Then theres the financial cost. Sokhoeun said her husband gets 300,000 riel, or about $74, each month as an armed forces veteran. But 4,000 riel per day, or about 120,000 for the month, is spent on Kimsos smoking habit. In Cambodia, very little tax is levied on cigarettes, making smoking comparatively cheap. Still, the adult population manages to spend more than $200 million a year on tobacco products, according to Dr. Yel Daravuth, a national professional officer with the WHOs Tobacco Free Initiative. Alongside the well-known health problems linked with smoking, Dr. Daravuth said some Cambodians spend about 10 percent of their income on the habit. Weve seen that its economically damaging to families, as well as to the nation, he said. But other countries have managed to reduce significantly the number of smokers. Dr. Daravuth said practical measures like raising taxes on cigarettes, restricting the areas in which smoking is permitted, and promoting awareness of the dangers of smoking could all help more Cambodians to quit. Critics point out that while Hun Sen has made an appeal on social media to the nation to stop smoking, he has not attempted to introduce any of the measures that have been proven to work elsewhere. Ou Virak, president of the Phnom Penh-based think tank Future Forum, said the prime minister could take practical action if he truly wants to make Cambodia a smoke-free nation. Hun Sen has personally been at the top of Cambodian politics since the 1980s, and wields almost absolute power over the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party. Prime Minister Hun Sen is the president of the ruling party. The ruling party has the most seats in the National Assembly. If the prime minister wants to help reduce smoking, he could do so in many ways, said Ou Virak. First, they shouldnt allow [cigarette] advertisements on billboards, TV, radio or elsewhere, he said, adding that tax increases and awareness raisingbeyond social mediawere also well within Hun Sens grasp. The prime minister has enough power to do so, if he wants. Among the other legacies of years of having Hun Sen in charge of Cambodia are the countrys wide gap between the rich and the poor, with many people living around or just above the poverty line. Hun Sen and many senior government officials, meanwhile, can afford to travel to Singapore for regular health checks. The prime minister also went to his Facebook page to let people know about such a visit last month, posting photos of himself in an expensive-looking medical facility, being subjected to high-tech tests. (He was able to report back to this followers that he had been given a clean bill of health). But most Cambodians cannot afford to take such precautions with their health, let alone pay for treatment at a domestic private clinic or hospital if they do fall ill. Most of the Cambodians who do become ill from smoking have to rely on a poorly funded government health service that is riddled with corruption. Thirty-two year old Heng Vann makes his living from scavenging on the streets of Phnom Penh. He earns about 20,000 riel, or $5, each day, and must use that money to take care of his wife and two children. Vanna has been smoking since he was 15, and cannot bring himself to stop, despite several quitting attempts. Now I smoke from one-and-a-half packs to two packs a day, he said, adding that the habit consumed about one-fifth of his entire income. However, he said, the prime ministers message about smoking had provided some inspiration, and he would try to quit once again, or at least cut down. Ill try to take just four or five cigarettes per day, and Ill try to keep busy with other things, he said, hopefully. Then Ill get tired and I wont think about smoking. The new US ambassador to Cambodia says he will focus on improving relations between the two countries and improving trade between them during his time here. In an exclusive interview with VOA Khmer, Ambassador William A. Heidt said many opportunities now exist for the two countries to build stronger ties. I feel very lucky to be here in Cambodia at a time when really there are a lot of interesting possibilities to work together more closely on those issues, he said. So Im excited about making progress on those trade and economic issues. Ive also noted that the people-to-people relationships between the United States and Cambodia is very strong. Heidt worked as an economic officer in the embassy from 1997 to 1999, speaks Khmer and is married to a Cambodian. He said he would also work toward improving Cambodias food security and environmental protections. Heidt will work on establishing a Bilateral Investment Treaty, which would improve trade by encouraging investment, he said. We think that would help Cambodia track higher technology investment that will enable Cambodia to manufacture and export sophisticated projects, in what they call global value chains, he said, adding that these days one product may be produced from input in multiple countries. Cambodia exported some $2.8 billion in goods to the US in 2014, making it the countrys largest single export market. The US exported about $328 million in goods to Cambodia. Heidt said Cambodia could also consider joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a US-led trade pact that could open US markets further. Actually we hope all ASEAN countries come in somewhere down the road, Heidt said of the TPP. I think its going to be a powerful trade agreement. Its going to help countries develop their economy, especially Cambodia, which has now become a middle-income country and wants to export more sophisticated product to the world. I think it can be very helpful. Heidts interview comes less than a week before Prime Minister Hun Sen and other ASEAN leaders are expected to meet with US President Barack Obama, in Sunnylands, California. The Feb. 15-16 meeting will focus on US-ASEAN relations, trade and security. Other meetings around the summit will focus on entrepreneurship and economic growth, Heidt said. Chum Sounry, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Cambodia is happy to join with ASEAN leaders in the Sunnylands meetings, but what Cambodia would like most is the Bilateral Investment Treaty. This is the main goal that we want to increase the economic relations, particularly with US he said. And, we are also considering whether to join the TPP or not. Southeast Asia has seen renewed diplomatic interest from the US amid the growing influence of China in the region. However, Heidt said the US is not asking Cambodia to choose between the US or China. Rather, it would like to see Cambodia have better economic success. I think, as an economist, in the next step for Cambodias development, America is going to be very important to it, he said. The integration helps Cambodia to move up the value change in manufacturing. Thats why the United States is important too, so Cambodias job is to use the relationships effectively with both countries. Chum Sounry agreed, saying that Cambodia is looking for greater technology and trade relations with other nations in the world. As we have stated, even though Cambodia has good relations with China, Cambodia still needs to build good relations with other countries in the world, including the US, he said. The US is the biggest market of Cambodian garment products, so it is very important to strengthen greater economic trade with the US. It is our goal and hope. Kung Phoak, head of Cambodia Institute for Strategic Studies, said he sees the possibility for greater trade and ties with the US, particularly after the visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry, earlier this month. Thats a signal of improved relations from which both countries can build trust, he said. During his visit, Kerry said the US wants Cambodia to improve its human rights record, governance and democratic development. Heidt said those remain priorities for his US mission, as well. Economic development will help that too, he said, as will the non-governmental groups that operate here. We hope for step-by-step improvement in the Cambodian economy, Heidt said. Just like the Cambodian economy. As the Cambodian economy develops, we hope that its democracy develops too. And so to me, Cambodia needs to just keep making progress on democracy and human rights issues. I think some of the civil society groups in Cambodia are really very good for the country. /Click here to read in Khmer Editors note: The leaders of the 10 ASEAN countries, including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, are about to travel to an unprecedented US-hosted meeting with US President Barack Obama at the Sunnylands estate, California, set for Feb 15-16. The meeting comes as the US looks to step up its foreign policy initiative known as the pivot, or the rebalance to Asia, an attempt to counter growing Chinese influence in the region. The government of Cambodia, which has close trade and diplomatic ties with China, has said it does not want to pick sides in a contest between superpowers. With the US-Cambodia relationship in the spotlight, VOA Khmers Neou Vannarin sat down for a comprehensive discussion on Wednesday with William A. Heidt, the American ambassador in Phnom Penh. Heidt was sworn in as ambassador on Sept. 14, 2015, and previously served as economic and commercial officer at the US embassy in Cambodia from 1997 to 1999. What are the priority sectors for your mission in Cambodia? I think Secretary [of State John] Kerry touched on some of the things were most excited about working with Cambodia. He mentioned, of course, our work together on POW/MIAs [prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action] over the years; our work on building our people-to-people relationship; and he also talked about our hope to build our economic relationship. My specialty in the foreign service for 28 years has really been economic trade and development. I feel very lucky to be here in Cambodia at a time when really there are a lot of interesting possibilities to work together more closely on those issues. So Im excited about making progress on those trade and economic issues. I also note that the people-to-people relationship between the United States and Cambodia is very strong. Of course, VOA helps a lot in that respect. But theres a lot of interest in studying in America and learning about America. And our cultural exchangesespecially some of the artifacts we have been able to return to Cambodiathats also an area where I think theres a lot of exciting things were going to be able to do in the next three years. How do you think the trade relationship between Cambodia and the US can be improved? The United States is Cambodias largest single-country trading partner and largest single-country export market. We already have a big and strong trade relationship. But the trading world is changing now. The United States just signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement with 11 other countries. In fact, we just signed it last week in New Zealand. The text of that agreement is now made public. Thats going to change regional trade. Thats going to drive economic integration in the region. That agreement is designed with an open architecture. Right now, were focused on getting it through our own Congressand all the other parties to the agreement are getting it through their parliamentsbut, eventually, thats going to be out there as a possibility for Cambodia. We want to start looking at the issues with Cambodia, working on concrete steps we can take that will both increase our trade now, but [also] set Cambodia up, potentially, for some day coming into the TPP. [Thats] one of the things we talked to [the Cambodian government] aboutwe had a very good discussion last week when one of our delegation from the US Trade Representatives office was in town. We had a very good discussion on the possibility of doing a bilateral investment treaty [BIT]. Thats a treaty that gives American investors in Cambodia additional legal protections, and the same thing for Cambodian investors in America. We think that would help Cambodia attract higher-technology investment that would enable Cambodia to manufacture and export sophisticated [products] in what they called global value chains. Thats the way trade works these days. Its not so much products are made from one country and exported directly to another. But now inputs come from many countries and they get assembled in one country. They may get shipped to a second country for final packaging and consolidation, and then maybe get shipped to another country yet. So there are these networks called global value chains, and Cambodia is just starting to get into them. So what we want to do iswith things like a bilateral investment treatyhelp Cambodia to get into those global production networks. Ill say that both sides are looking at the BITwe havent made any decisions. The Cambodians are trying to see if its in their interest, and the United States is also looking at that issue as wellwhether its in our interest. But I think its potentially a very exciting step. How important are ASEAN and Cambodia to the US? Well, of course the fact that were having the summitthe first time any US President has ever invited all the leaders of ASEAN to come to Americais a sign that it is an important region for us. Of course, the Secretary was just here in Cambodia and Laos. He said when he was here it was his seventh trip to the region. And that also shows how important it is. If you add it up, there are simple reasons why. [ASEAN] is the worlds seventh largest economy. I believe its our fourth largest trading partner, if you add all the ASEAN countries together. The economies are growing rapidly in many countries, including Cambodia. So its very natural for us, as we implement the policy we call the rebalance to Asiathat is, giving Asia the appropriate amount of diplomatic and economic attention it deserves. As we rebalance to Asia, its very natural that ASEAN is a big part of that, and Cambodia is right in the middle of ASEAN. So we want Cambodia to be part of that process. Thats another one of the reasons that the Secretary was here. We think theres a lot we can do to improve our relationship. Cambodia can benefit from integration inside of ASEAN with the United States. So were very excited about that. Do you think Cambodia will get something from the summit, like improved trade ties with the US? After the summit itself, which is in Sunnylands, were going to have what we call the trade roadshow. Theres going to be series of meetings in the San Francisco Bay Area. After the summit, they are going to have meetings to talk in detail about economic issues, also to meet big US companies, potential investors in the region, so that all the countries can have some good meetings with our important economic people out there. That will be a part of the process. One of the sessions in the summit is going to deal with innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth. So were going to have a good discussion on those issues at the summit as well. I dont think its going to be a concrete announcement. Theres not going to be new trade agreement announced or anything like that, but thats certainly one of the three main topics that are going to be discussed. China has been growing in influence in Cambodia in recent years. How does that impact Cambodias relationship with the US? Everyone wants to talk about that now. Look, were sophisticated people. We understand Cambodia wants to have a good relationship with many countries. We dont ask Cambodia to choose between China and the United States or anyone else. We understand, and we wouldnt like it if a country asked us to choose either. We understand that it is in Cambodias interests to keep a good, strong relationship with China and to keep a good, strong relationship with the United States. I can see, having been here in the 1990s, China has given Cambodia a lot of assistance on infrastructure. Its much easier to get around this country. There are new roads, theres electric infrastructure China has helped Cambodia to build. Thats all good. We understand why Cambodia would be interested in that. But I think, as an economist, in the next step for Cambodias development, America is going to be very important to it. Those trade ties I described, the integrationhelping Cambodia move up the value chain in manufacturing. Some observers have expressed concern that the US is not putting enough pressure on the Cambodian government on human rights, democracy and governance. How can your mission help on these issues? To me, at the end of the day, its not that different than the economic side. We hope for step-by-step improvement, just like in the Cambodian economy. As the Cambodian economy develops, we hope that the democracy develops too. The Secretary said we want to deepen our relationship with Cambodia, but we also think that Cambodian people want a democratic, multi-party system. Thats going to be important. Thats going to affect the way our relationship develops. To me, Cambodia needs to just keep making progress on democracy and human rights issues. I think some of the civil society groups in Cambodia are really very good for the country. Theyve brought Cambodia a lot of credit internationally. Supporting civil society groups is something we have done for 20 years, and we are going to continue to do. Cambodia has had five elections now. Naturally, we hope that each election gets a little bit better than the one before. We think thats what Cambodian people want too. I think they want a full multi-party competitive democracy, and we hope Cambodia will keep moving towards that. The political situation is currently quite tense, with opposition leader Sam Rainsy outside of the country avoiding charges in the courts. Do you have any suggestions about how to ease the political tension in Cambodia? I havent actually seen Mr. Rainsy since Ive been back. He has only been here for a couple of days since I came to Cambodia as ambassador. But it struck me that the culture of dialogue, if you look at the original provisions, was a very sensible thing. Its not, honestly, the way we do our politics in America. But I thought, for Cambodia, it was a very sensible way to sort of turn down the political rhetoric, to try to have openrespectful disagreements. To fight over policy issues, but not over personalities. Like I say, we dont have things like the culture of dialogue in America, but to me I understand why Cambodia did, and it made a great deal of sense to me. That was last May when the culture of dialogue came, and it seemed to break down pretty significantly in October/November. But things are a little better now. I notice the opposition party is able to work more in the provinces than it was. Its doing its things, like a political party should. But, to me, the question is: Can we get back? The first step is a more respectful political discourse, where were not throwing insults at each other, but were disagreeing over policy. I would note, incidentally, that on the Trade Union Law, they are doing just that. The two parties are working pretty well together and having very subjective discussions on how to reform the Trade Union Law. So I think thats the first step. That will help reduce tensionsto go back to the principles of the culture of dialogue. Its not a natural situation to have the opposition leader in the situation where he cant return to Cambodiaor he feels he cant return to Cambodia. Weve made that clear in our statements last Fall. I think youd like to see a process that results in him being able to come back and resume his normal political life, and normal political situation. Sam Rainsy has asked for President Obamas help to mediate political discussions. Do you think that can happen? Youre talking about the letter he wrote. I saw the copy of that letter. Obviously, we made sure that got delivered to the President [Obama]s office. I dont really know or have a comment for you on how theyll react to that. I do think they take it very seriously, but I am not sure if thats something we have to do during the Sunnylands conference or not. I also think that theres been some progress recently in Cambodia and that the parties are talking themselves. While we wait, while we look at that letter, I think they should continue that talking and, really, theres much they can do without mediation as well. Will the US provide any more funds for the Khmer Rouge tribunal? The importance of bringing the Khmer Rouge leaders most responsible for that era to trial, weve always supported that. Over the years weve givenover $30 million, which makes us really one of the very largest contributors, so our record in contributing the tribunal is clear. We do our funding year by year. The Congress passes budgets every year. Were working with the Congress right now on what the size of our contributions going into the future is going to be. But of course, as the overall cost of the tribunal comes down, our contributions have gone down as well. Why does the US continue to support the tribunal? That was the darkest era in Cambodias history. Those four years, they continue to affect the country today, in big ways and small ways. Well never know some of the personal trauma. How do you repair that? All the trauma that millions of Cambodians went through during that period. My wife was one of thoseshe was here in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge era, so she knows that personally. The tribunal, of course, isnt perfect. We agreed early on that we were going to seek to bring to trial those most responsible for the crimes of that era. You could argue, what good is it, to try [only the top leaders]? Why focus on a few older people? But to me, its important to do that, its symbolically important, its important for the development of Cambodias legal system. Its important to show Cambodians from that era, even if they cant get a full measure of justiceas we say in Americathere is some justice out there. We support it because it is the right thing to do and we think its important for Cambodia. We also support, incidentally, other things, and prominent among those is the Documentation Center of Cambodia, which is really doing a lot to simply document what happened in that era, which most people dont know. Many younger Cambodians dont really have a full idea of what it was like to live in Srok Khmer back then, and so the Documentation Center has put together a lot of good information that is going to be available for the future generations so that Cambodians can understand your own history. Its a young country and, rightfully so, its looking forward. I think Cambodians are very future-oriented. Honestly, the parts of the relationship that I am most excited about are those forward-looking elements. We are trying to do a lot of science and technology, helping Cambodia on coding and all those 21st century economic skills theyre going to need. Young people in Cambodia, thats what they are interested in, I understand that. But I dont think one should forget the past either. Human rights group Amnesty International says more needs to be done to strengthen the U.N. mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA. In a new report, Amnesty argues weaknesses within the mission were exposed during violence last September. MINUSCA says it has learned from that experience. Amnestys report pays tribute to MINUSCA forces who it says have saved many lives, helped prevent the Central African Republic from escalating further and often displayed bravery at significant cost. But it says gaps in their capacity were cruelly exposed during three days of armed group violence in September when 75 civilians were killed in the capital, Bangui. Amnesty researchers say MINUSCAs 2,660 soldiers and police in Bangui were almost entirely absent from key areas of this conflict until late afternoon on the 27th, and were unable to help transfer badly wounded people to hospitals. The report finds that since then the mission has performed better, but that key weaknesses remain. These include lack of armored personnel carriers, lack of intelligence gathering capacity, and poor motivation of some units, particularly some that have not been paid their full U.N. salaries. Commenting on the report Wednesday, MINUSCA spokesman Vladimir Monteiro said the U.N. High Commission for Human Rights also raised concerns about MINUSCAs late reaction to the events in September. We welcome this report, said Monteiro, because it helps us see things more clearly; at the same time it confirms that MINUSCAs intervention has saved lives. The mission has learned lessons and taken steps since then, he added. One of the main steps taken, he said, was to set up a joint task force for Bangui, which has produced results with MINUSCAs operation Free Movement, so that today people can move freely to and from the PK5 district. PK5 is Bangui's lone remaining Muslim community and has been the main flashpoint in the capital. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a MINUSCA insider told VOA that many criticisms in the report are not really of the United Nations, but of countries involved with the mission. Some governments do not pay their men their full U.N. salaries, and do not have the means or the political will to move assets like armored vehicles out of the home country, he said. MINUSCA will guard for any unrest as the CAR holds a presidential run-off vote this Sunday. With a backdrop of Beijing's growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea, President Barack Obama is set next week to host the leaders of the 10 ASEAN members at an estate near Palm Springs, California. Analysts caution that expectations about the outcome need to be managed. This being the last year of President Obama in office, I'm not particular strong on the idea that a great deal of substance can be done, said Simon Tay, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. The Philippines and Vietnam are among those involved in maritime territorial disputes with China, and increasingly looking to Washington for security assurances. That puts them apart from some of the other ASEAN states, which resist amplifying the rhetoric toward Beijing. That also could make it difficult for any substantive or groundbreaking proclamation emerging from the meeting in California. I don't think the United States is setting out to wreck anything, said Hong Kong University international law professor Chin Leng Lim. But of course the United State has concerns about the South China Sea, about freedom of navigation... and these issues will be put up front at the summit. Obama administration officials see ASEAN as a key pillar in America's geo-strategic rebalancing to Asia and the Pacific, as well as a desire to enhance economic ties with the growing region. "We want to make very clear that the United States is going to be at the table and a part of setting the agenda in the Asia Pacific in the decades to come. In order to do that, we need to be engaging organizations like ASEAN at the highest levels," Deputy National Security adviser Ben Rhodes said this week. Professor Lim, a specialist on regional trade and development, told VOA, that "We don't have an ASEAN speaking with one voice on several issues of interest. And I think if you accept that, what it means is that the United States and the U.S. agenda for the meeting is effectively and firmly in the driving seat of this summit. And much of the current focus in ASEAN is on trade. Twelve countries signed in Auckland, New Zealand last week the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The trade pact includes four ASEAN members: Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. Two others, Indonesia and Thailand, are seen as eventual candidates for the TPP. If the United States is pushing the TPP and the idea of an ASEAN-United States free trade agreement isn't going to fly, then we really have to look at pragmatically at how the various ASEAN members can be brought into the TPP over time, said HKU professor Lim. ASEAN has been negotiating for more than three years with six other countries (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand) for another so-called free trade agreement known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). ASEAN is facing a new competitive landscape, with the signing of the TPP and the near conclusion of RCEP negotiations that will bring together 16 countries in Asia, said Asian Trade Center executive director Deborah Elms in Singapore. To remain relevant, ASEAN must take regional integration seriously. Without concrete results, globally mobile firms will focus their attention and resources elsewhere. ASEAN also launched its own long-planned economic community from the beginning of the year, theoretically creating a single entity for 600 million people. It has little of substance yet, but its proponents express optimism that it will achieve its goal of being a single market and production base, with free flow of services, investments and labor by the year 2020. The US-ASEAN summit venue, the 80-hectare Sunnylands estate, once the home of a billionaire publisher, was used by President Obama to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. Diplomatically, symbolically, this is putting ASEAN 10 medium-size and smaller countries virtually on par on China, which is a great acknowledgment of the distance ASEAN has come since past years, Tay in Singapore told VOA. ASEAN members run the political gamut from full democracies to states under one-party Communist rule. President Obama personally invited all of the ASEAN leaders to Sunnylands when he attended the ASEAN summit three months ago in Malaysia. The summit participants, besides addressing the key regional security and trade issues, also are expected to discuss climate change and human trafficking. After decades of solid growth driven by its garment industry, Cambodia is seeking to shift its economy into more sophisticated light manufacturing, such as electronics and auto-parts. Most of these manufacturers are Japanese and they are slowly coming online in Cambodias special economic zones, aiming to establish another hub in the regional supply chain. Cambodias garment sector helped kick-start the countrys economy following decades of civil war and the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge. Since the early 1990s, the industry has grown from about 1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to more than 10 per cent of GDP today. In 2015, Cambodias garment exports, shipped largely to the European Union and the United States, were valued at 5.7 billion, up by almost 7 percent on the previous year. Today, the industry employs more than 600,000 workers, mostly women, nationwide. Along with agriculture and tourism, garment manufacturing has helped Cambodias economy to become one of the fastest growing in the region, averaging close to 7 percent yearly growth over the past 20 years. But as impressive as it sounds, this economic expansion has come from a very low starting point. Although there has been a significant reduction in the poverty in 2004 more than half the nation lived below the poverty line, by 2012 it was about 19 percent much of the population sits just above that poverty line today, meaning Cambodians are vulnerable to economic slowdowns. To maintain its growth momentum, the government is seeking to expand its manufacturing base, moving away from dependency on garments and aiming to attract more sophisticated manufacturers, like auto-parts and electronics producers, whose know-how leads to an upgrade in local skills and eventually higher wages. We have to have development of the industrial sector, meaning manufacturing, said Mey Kalyan, a senior advisor to the governments Supreme National Economic Council. Meaning what ever sectors support the industries in Cambodia, because any country, you can not develop a country on agriculture and tourism alone. In order to draw these light-manufacturers the government is aiming to reduce notoriously high energy costs, strengthen the level of skills for those entering the workforce, and improve roads and ports so that Cambodia can play a larger role in a regional supply chain that supports auto-manufacturers, according to Kalyan. We have to connect with the production base in Thailand, which is mainly focused on auto, and other light-manufacturing, he added. Infrastructure Improvements Plans are underway to enhance roadways, or to construct a belt, that runs from the Vietnamese border in the southeast, through Phnom Penh and up to the Thai border in the northwest. There is also a focus on upgrading Cambodias largest port, in Preah Sihanouk province, to enhance shipping to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and even Japan and China. But some investors havent waited for the logistical improvements. Over the past few years, a handful of Japanese light manufacturers have started production in Cambodia, including auto-components and electronics. One of the light manufacturing pioneers is the Japanese-owned Nikko-Kinzoku, which produces heat-resistant steel baskets to transport and store auto-parts. Some 60 Cambodian employees work at the factory located inside Phnom Penhs most developed special economic zone, with the products playing their role in an automobile supply chain that leads to Japan. Yoshiyuki Sato, president of Nikko-Kinzoku in Cambodia, says that rising labor costs in traditional manufacturing hubs like China, coupled with a need to spread business risk across multiple bases, has manufacturers seeking alternative Asian countries in which to set up shop. If we focus on Asia, Thailand also is a little bit expensive, Sato said. Therefore we try to choose a cheaper labor cost, he added, referring to Cambodias labor market. Obstacles But there are still many obstacles to overcome. According to an Asian Development Bank survey of factories inside Cambodias special economic zones, corruption, low levels of education, as well as expensive and unstable electricity are ongoing constraints to business. Trade facilitation must be improved to reduce costs and delays associated with importing and exporting, said the ADB report, which was released last year. Corruption must be reduced and rules of payment to government agencies clarified, it continues. The ADB found that electricity supplies must be improved. But the bank said the most important hurdle for Cambodia is an educational upgrade for its workforce. Most important, but most difficult, labor quality must be improved by investment in basic literacy and numeracy, the report concluded. But despite the competition to attract investors from more mature manufacturing sectors like neighboring Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodia is well positioned to play a major part in the regional supply chain, said Chan Sophal, director of the Center for Policy Studies for Cambodia Development. The industrial approach by major manufacturers is that they take a cluster approach, so they may have parts produced in Thailand, but some produced in Cambodia, some in Vietnam, he said. They know how to place their factories to get the most out of the advantage of their location and their conditions. Analysts say that policy makers will need to ensure red tape is cut and the regulatory environment stable if the country is to take a similar development pathway as China and Thailand, and one day become a major manufacturing hub in Asia. As warming relations with the United States bring new money and tourists to Havana, some black Cubans like Miguel Campuzano Perez say racial inequalities are widening and they are being left out of a potential capitalist boom. Cuba's economy grew by 4 percent in 2015 and more than 3.5 million tourists visited the island in the year Washington and Havana restored diplomatic ties, ending more than five decades of Cold War animosity. New hotels and restaurants are opening around the capital famous for its colonial architecture and 1950s American cars, and Cubans with money to invest in businesses have seen living standards improve. But with no access to capital, and no family living abroad to send back money, 54-year-old Perez said he and other black Cubans are being excluded from the benefits of economic liberalization. "The black people don't have powerful families, and that continues generation to generation," Perez, a musician and former soldier, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "The people benefiting from remittances are white; the landlords are white," he said. As capitalism creeps into Cuba more than 60 years after a revolution that promised social equality, local residents and analysts are concerned about the gap between the haves and have nots and the ethnic undertones of growing inequality on the island. 'White Flight - to Miami' Just under 10 percent of Cubans identified themselves as black in the country's 2012 census. But statistics on Cuba's racial makeup are imprecise as more than a quarter of the population is a mix between various ethnic groups. Following Cuba's 1959 revolution, the government of Fidel Castro, brother of current president Raul, introduced laws on racial inclusion, launched a literacy campaign, and universal public services in an attempt to tackle entrenched inequality. African slaves, primarily from West Africa, were brought to Cuba by Spanish colonizers from the 1500s to work on the sugar plantations. Slavery was formally abolished on the island in 1886 but blacks were still banned from some high-end establishments and excluded from well-paid, and most Afro-Cubans worked on plantations or as manual laborers. Free education and healthcare programs from the communist government helped made it possible for previously disadvantaged groups to get jobs as teachers, doctors or government workers in the 1960s, residents said. "Afro-Cubans have been the biggest reservoir of support for the revolution and are those most affected by worsening inequality," Paolo Spadoni, a political scientist at Augusta University in the United States told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Today, outright discrimination isn't the main cause of the growing wealth gap between blacks and whites, Havana residents said. Rather, migration networks, remittances and broader economic changes are the driving factors. Much of the island's predominately white business elite left following the revolution with many settling in Miami, Florida, just 90 miles (150 km) from the Cuban coast. "The vast majority who left to live abroad happened to be white Cubans," said Isaac Saney, a Canadian university professor who researchers ethnic issues in Cuba. "They are sending remittances home and their relatives can invest in small businesses. This has led to an increase in racial inequality," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Two Economies In 1991, the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba's main trading partner, ravaged the island's economy, making life particularly difficult for residents who didn't have family members abroad. The average salary for a government worker, about $25 per month, has lost three quarters of its purchasing power since 1989, Spadoni said. While poorly paid, many state workers continue to receive other perks like subsidized food, and accommodation. Cuba has two currencies - the Cuban peso which is paid to state employees and is worth about $0.04 and the Convertible Peso, which is worth one US dollar. In the pursuit of foreign currency, professors left university jobs to work as hotel waiters and doctors took to driving taxis. Some black Cubans say they have trouble getting comparatively lucrative jobs in hotels, because of discrimination. "You need to be white to get good work," said Daniel Alberto Suarez, 42, an informal tour-guide, while drinking rum with two female European clients. "Hotel and bar owners are making good money, but for regular people life is hard. I have no family abroad to send me money." A raft of economic reforms beginning in 2008 made it easier for Cubans to open private businesses, intensifying the importance of remittances as start-up capital. Miguel Hernandez, who has light skin, manages a restaurant popular with foreigners in old Havana earning $100 per day, a large salary by local standards. "There is a lot of inequality between my friends who work for the state, and me who works in tourism," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "People will study to be a doctor, hang the title on the wall, then go work in a restaurant." 'Preserving the Revolution' While many young people, black and white, said they're positive about Cuba's new direction, some older Cubans are concerned about what they could lose and what it could mean for the island's society. "We need keep the ideas of the revolution: free education, healthcare, taking care of the elderly and racial equality," Maria Luz Fernandez, 52, a primary school administrator, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Earning $40 per month, Fernandez, who is of mixed race ancestry, is well aware she earns less than young waiters from her neighborhood who walk by the school wearing flashy cloths and knock-off designer watches. Young people want big houses and cars, but "the revolution can't afford to provide that for everyone," she said, her long, gold fingernail extensions tapping the table. With more foreign money coming into the economy, she hopes the benefits will trickle down, and teachers and other state employees will eventually see higher salaries. "When the Americans come, [there will be less] equality," she said, as children wearing school uniforms and carrying pink Barbie backpacks wait for their parents. "The government needs to share the new wealth with the people." In Kenya, six elephants have died in one week under unclear circumstances. Some conservationists suspect the animals were poisoned. The six elephants were found dead in three wildlife refuges in Narok County, southwest Kenya. The animals all died between February 1 and 6. Kenya Wildlife Service spokesman Paul Gitau told VOA that investigators were trying to establish the cause of the deaths. Samples have been taken of all the six of them, because another male was also found in the February 5th in Mara north conservancy. Samples have been taken to Nakuru for analysis, they are analyzing. They dont seem to suspect anything particular cause of it so we are waiting for them to give us conclusion, he said. According to Gitau, the animals did not have any physical injuries. Some conservationists suspect the elephants might have been poisoned, and government officials have called on investigators to look into that possibility. Residents of Mara, a game reserve area that borders Tanzania, have complained in the past of wild animals destroying their crops and killing domestic animals. In December last year, three lions died of poisoning in the same area. Two people were arrested in connection with that incident. Gitau noted that at this time of the year, there was usually less conflict between the locals and animals. The human and wildlife conflict there in that particular area for this period wasnt reported to be acute, so we dont think there will be that kind of reaction [poisoning the animals]. But we are not quick to jump to any conclusion at the moment until we get those results, he said. Investigators are also looking at the local environment, to see if the grass, crops and water the animals consume might have been toxic. The elephants also face threats from poachers who kill the animals for their ivory -- but in these cases, the elephants' tusks were intact. For the moment, the deaths remain a mystery. Nineteen people from near the Kurdish Syrian town of Kobani fled an Islamic State (IS) prison this week after U.S.-led coalition airstrikes hit the area where they had been held, some of the ex-prisoners told VOA. At least 13 of them were from one family. They are now resettled in a refugee camp outside the border city that was a battlefield between Kurdish forces and IS militants last year. They talked to VOA shortly after they arrived in Kobani. IS went to their village six months ago and rounded up residents and jailed them, they said. We were heldfor five months, but last month they [IS] moved us to another prison, said Sherif Mislim, an elderly man who was among the prisoners. Watch: A refugee camp outside Kobani. The Kurdish prisoners were first held in the IS-controlled town of al-Bab in eastern Aleppo. As the coalition warplanes targeted the prison last week with an airstrike, IS guards fled and the prisoners were able to make their way out of the building. The building wasnt entirely damaged from the airstrike and this worked to their [prisoners] advantage, Seyfedin Qasim, a local official in Kobani Canton, told VOA by phone. While in captivity, prisoners spoke of torture and ill treatment by IS guards. After long investigations, they would badly beat us up, said one ex-prisoner, Osman Sherif. They kept us at an underground prison and we didnt know when they would behead us. Sherif said they were blindfolded often. He also said IS commanders questioned them to find out if they supported the Democratic Union Party (PYD), whose armed wing, the YPG, has been making advances in the fight against IS. Supported by international coalition air support, the YPG forces have pushed IS out of several Kurdish regions in northern Syria. Most recently, they have marched towards new territories controlled by IS in the eastern part of Aleppo province. The [U.S.-led] coalition is giving momentum to our forces on the ground, said Qasim, the local official in Kobani, explaining why more people are able to flee IS-control. According to local accounts, there are at least 500 Kurdish prisoners held by IS whose fate is unknown. They were arrested over the course of nearly two years. With the help of Arab tribes, we have tried to negotiate a prisoner exchange with Daesh [IS], but they always dont keep with their promises, Qasim said. IS militants had hoped to use the Kurdish prisoners as fighters in the future, the recently freed prisoners said. They were preparing us to undergo Islamic education courses, said ex-prisoner Mislim. He is planning to go back to his village from where he was taken by IS six months ago. It is now under Kurdish forces control. French lawmakers have approved controversial changes to the constitution the leftist government argues will help France better fight terrorism after last years Islamist attacks. The vote Wednesday was just the first hurdle before the legislation becomes law. After days of emotional debate at the National Assembly, the results were announced swiftly: 317 in favor of the constitutional changes and 199 against. President Francois Hollande proposed the changes following attacks that killed 130 people last November in Paris. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Manuel Valls expressed confidence the lower house and Senate would approve the final text during a vote later this year at the Palace of Versailles. But the Senate must still examine and vote on measures that have deeply split both the right and the left. Already the most controversial clause, to strip convicted terrorists of their French citizenship if they are dual citizens, sparked last months resignation of Hollandes justice minister, Christiane Taubira. The second proposal aims to write state of emergency provisions into the constitution. Parliament this week extended the current state of emergency, declared after the November attacks, for three months. Hollande is expected to announce a wider Cabinet reorganization soon. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced his resignation Wednesday to become head of Frances highest judicial body, the Constitutional Council. Francois Asensi was among many far left lawmakers to vote against the constitutional changes he described as useless and dangerous, a conclusion shared by some conservative deputies. Rights groups have harshly criticized the proposed constitutional amendments, and slammed what they say are abusive and ineffective police actions under the state of emergency. But the government argues the security crackdown has helped destabilize terrorist networks and thwarted at least one planned attack. Polls also show most people in France support the constitutional amendments. Two Cameroonian hostages who managed to escape from Boko Haram captivity in Nigeria have returned to Cameroon. They say the insurgent group used them and hundreds of others in a camp to loot and kill. Former hostage 32-year old Gaullaume Minka said he was taken to Nigeria along with 7 other men by 15 heavily armed suspected Boko Haram fighters who seized their transport bus near the northern Cameroon town of Kousseri on the night of January 23. He said he knew he was in Nigeria because their captors spoke English and Kanouri, languages spoken in northern Nigeria. He said while in Nigeria, he and the others were told they would be freed only if $4,000 was paid by their families or the government or if they themselves went out and stole the money. Gaullaume said they were chained by their legs for two weeks. They could only have a meal on a day when some of the captives succeeded in stealing cattle, rice and other livestock. When some Nigerian and Cameroonians held in captivity were taken out from the camp to steal, he decided to escape into the forest with Sylvian Nradim, another Cameroonian held in captivity. They were later found in the forest by Cameroonian soldiers and taken to the town of Maroua after identification and handed to the governor of far north Cameroon, Midjiyawa Bakari. Sylvian Nradim said that while in captivity they were given machetes to use in attacking people. Last month Cameroon government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary said about 5,000 cows and smaller animals have been stolen since the country started fighting Boko Haram three years ago. He said that Boko Haram's fire-power had been weakened since then and the group was now resorting to kidnapping people. Human Rights Watch is calling on Uganda to publicly state that security forces are legally obliged to protect freedom of assembly and the right to peaceful protest in the days leading up to the nation's February 18 election. The U.S.-based rights group made the statement Wednesday, saying there has been a troubling rise in "implied and explicit threats" against anyone who might protest President Yoweri Museveni winning another term in office. It said that recently one ruling party official, Kasule Lumumba, was recorded telling people in the local language of Luganda, that if people protest election results, the state "will kill your children." Human rights groups have documented cases of children being shot to death by security forces during public demonstrations in Uganda, including a two-year-old in 2011 and a 13-year old in 2009. President Museveni has held his office for the past 30 years and is running this year for another five-year term in office. Museveni did not attend the first political debate preceding the February 18 vote, and it is unclear whether he will attend the second and final debate, scheduled for February 13. Critics say the first debate did not meet expectations because Museveni was not there to answer pointed questions, including why he wants another mandate after being in power so long. Robb Paul sees history every day. It comes through the front door of his Prairie Archives Book Store, in Springfields Old State Capitol Mall. The original capitol, just across the street, is remembered most as the location for Abraham Lincolns House Divided speech in June 1858. Lincoln is a specialty of ours, absolutely, said Robb, displaying one of the many old Springfield newspapers for sale in his store. One from the 1850s advertised Lincolns old law firm in the town. Weve had more than our share of modern as well as historic politicians, said John Paul, Robbs father and business partner. The Pauls have had a unique front-row seat on Barack Obamas journey from Illinois state senator to president of the United States. The trip literally began in front of their store, and the Pauls were present on the cold but sunny February day in 2007 when Obama made it official that he was a candidate for president. Pretty electric, Robb Paul said. We had 10,000 to 15,000 people just across the street here," near the original capitol. "This was a huge crowd with a tremendous amount of excitement. He fondly recalled the campaign signs and distinctly remembered the themes of hope and change not just in that cold February moment, but also in Obamas return to Springfield the following summer, when he introduced Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. Robb got caught up in the excitement and said he ultimately voted for Obama. Feelings fade But that was then. Nine years later, Robbs enthusiasm for Obama has faded. And the Prairie Archives Book Store is in some ways a business divided. We dont argue politics, John Paul said. We discuss it in I wouldnt say scholarly, but a low-key fashion. Like they say, its not polite to talk politics and religion, Robb said. But religion and politics are two of their top-sellers. People arent wishy-washy, John said. They either love him or they hate him. We hear both sides of the story. Coming home On Wednesday, the ninth anniversary of the launch of his quest for national office, Obama returned to Springfield where his political career started to address lawmakers in the Illinois General Assembly, where he served as a state senator. Robb Paul isn't the only one with misgivings. Its not been a really pretty time in terms of American politics, said Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois-Springfield. It is clear that the era that he is in has a lot of partisan rancor, that there is not a lot of bipartisanship. That's something Obama is keenly aware of: I had to acknowledge that one of my few regrets is my inability to reduce the polarization and meanness in our politics, he said in his address in the Illinois State House Chamber. I was able to be part of that here, and yet couldnt translate it the way I wanted to into our politics in Washington. Yet, the current General Assembly has been unable to come up with a state budget, which has dominated local politics in Illinois. "In a big, complicated democracy like ours, if we can't compromise, by definition, we can't govern ourselves, Obama said. He said that when he was a state lawmaker, we voted against each other all the time. And party lines held most of the time. But those relationships, the trust we built, meant that we came at each debate assuming the best in one another and not the worst. No compromise at bookstore He cant do any worse than what were in already, John said about Obama's effect on the budget impasse. Hes got to be a help. Im not optimistic, not here in Illinois, Robb Paul said. I mean, we have so many problems, and we havent had a budget in so long. Robb said he was also concerned about the cost of Obama's visit to the city. If he could have just sent a letter, it would have saved a lot of money, he said. Redfield said he thought Obamas Springfield visit might indicate that he's looking ahead to the end of his tenure in 2017. Iraq's ambassador to the United States tells VOA Iraqi forces will now focus on retaking Mosul after completely recapturing Ramadi from Islamic State. Lukman Faily spoke to VOA Tuesday, saying that like the situation in Ramadi, the battle for Mosul is an Iraqi fight and not one for foreign forces. "We have not asked the United States for troops and there was clear agreement from both capitals that the fight should be led by the Iraqis, Faily said. "We don't need boots on the ground or combat forces." Faily said Iraqis have been grateful for cooperation so far from the U.S.-led coalition, but he said more is needed to complete the job. "We need to have close collaboration, we need other countries to have a clear sense of urgency as we do have. So when you say we are satisfied, I think the only satisfaction we will get is when we get rid of ISIS (Islamic State) once and for all." Watch Ambassador Faily's interview with VOA: In Washington Tuesday, Marine Corps Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart told the Senate Armed Services Committee the operation to take Mosul will be very complex. "I'm not as optimistic that we'll be able to turn that in the near term, in my view, certainly not this year," he said. WATCH: Iraqis Complete Recapture of Ramadi from Islamic State Clearing bombs Iraqi forces are now dealing with the thousands of bombs the terrorists planted throughout Ramadi when they had control of the city and surrounding areas. Iraq first declared Ramadi liberated in December when Islamic State was pushed out of the center of the city. But it took until this week for Iraqi forces to say the city is completely in their hands. U.S.-led coalition airstrikes helped the Iraqis drive out the militants. Islamic State seized Ramadi last May in what was a huge blow to the government and military. The city is nearly empty of civilians and U.N. officials say the level of destruction left behind is staggering. Iraq says its forces have completely recaptured the city of Ramadi and surrounding areas from Islamic State, but now must deal with the thousands of bombs the terrorists planted throughout the city. Iraq first declared Ramadi liberated in December when Islamic State was pushed out of the center of the city. But it took until this week for Iraqi forces to say the city is completely in their hands. U.S.-led coalition airstrikes helped the Iraqis drive out the militants. Islamic State seized Ramadi last May in what was a huge blow to the government and military. The city is nearly empty of civilians and U.N. officials say the level of destruction left behind is staggering. Iraq's ambassador to the United States, Lukman Faily, told VOA that the Iraqi forces will now focus on retaking Mosul, lost to Islamic State in 2014. But just like the situation in Ramadi, Faily said this is an Iraqi fight and not one for foreign forces. "We have not asked the United States for troops and there was clear agreement from both capitals that the fight should be led by the Iraqis, Faily said. We don't need boots on the ground or combat forces." Faily said the Iraqis have been grateful for the cooperation they have gotten so far from the U.S.-led coalition, but he said more is needed to complete the job. "We need to have close collaboration, we need other countries to have a clear sense of urgency as we do have, he said. So when you say we are satisfied, I think the only satisfaction we will get is when we get rid of ISIS [Islamic State] once and for all." Watch Ambassador Faily's interview with VOA: A Liberian opposition leader is calling for an independent investigation into the mysterious death of a government critic Harry Greaves whose naked body was discovered last month on the beach behind the Liberian ministry of foreign affairs building in Monrovia. An American pathologist hired by the Liberian government said Greaves died from drowning. Simeon Freeman, leader of the opposition Movement for Progressive Change in Liberia, is wanted for questioning by the police after accusing the government of having a blacklist of politicians and critics of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Freeman also questioned Greaves' alleged drowning. He called VOA from an undisclosed location in Africa to say that what hes wanted for saying represents the prevailing sentiments in the country. These are not even my expressions. We are public figures and we read things in the public space. When you turn on a radio station in the morning, you hear tons of what callers say; when you read social media, you see tons of what people say; when you read newspapers, in fact in one of the newspapers, there was a blacklist, that people should be careful, he said. Freeman said when public figures like himself see that someone like Harry Greaves died under mysterious circumstances, they have a responsibility to elevate the conversation by bringing the publics concerns to the attention of policy makers. The greatest threat to national security is not my presence or things that I have said. The greatest threat to national security is the underfunding of the police that has made it a vehicle to be exploited by criminals and criminal elements. When people go to bed and have no security, that's the greatest threat. So its the action of policy makers thats causing the threat, and not those who talk about it, he said. He repeated comments attributed to him earlier in the Liberia press that the late Greaves had enemies within the Liberian government. Obviously, Harry Greaves was a serious champion for cheap electricity. Harry Greaves' letter that was published by FrontPage Africa showed some of the strong opposition that he had to deal with regarding the electricity issue. So he took on a monumental thing, and obviously that generated for him strong enemies, Freeman said. Autopsy report The government hired a team of U.S. pathologists headed by Dr. Thomas Bennet from the state of Montana. Despite repeated requests to several government agencies, including the police and information ministry, no one from the Liberian government was immediately available to comment on the death of Harry Greaves. But according to reports in the local media, Justice Minister Cllr. Benedict Sannoh said: The probable cause of death is as a result of salt water drowning, there is no gross evidence of ante-mortem traumatic injuries. The findings include multiple post-mortem blunt traumatic muscular skeleton injuries as skin changes consistent with prolong immersion in sea water and in part on ocean rocks, Sannoh said. Also, the Justice Minister disclosed that there was no evidence of sodomy as reported in the media. Freeman said there should be an independent investigation of Mr. Greaves death because the pathologist hired by the government has a tainted record. He said if the Liberian government wants to act in good faith, it must set up a committee representing political parties, civil society, and the Council of Churches that will find a pathologist with a good record to come to Liberia and do a second autopsy. Freeman said he has every legitimate reason to be afraid of the Liberian police because there have been a number of mysterious deaths of high-profile individuals whose killers have yet to be apprehended I was attacked in the street, and we made contact with very powerful people near our capital who are very committed to the practice of democracy, and they were able to get us out of Liberia. Thats all I can say at this stage, Freeman said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife mistreated and abused a former member of her housekeeping staff, a court ruled Wednesday, awarding the man $42,000 in damages in a decision that dealt an embarrassing blow to the country's first family. The Netanyahus have been widely criticized in Israel for leading a lavish lifestyle while the middle class is struggling, and Sara Netanyahu has faced accusations of abusive behavior toward household staff going back to the 1990s. The judge wrote in her ruling that numerous testimonies presented to the court point to an atmosphere of harmful work conditions at the residence due to the behavior of Mrs. Netanyahu and her attitude toward the workers. These included irrational demands, insults, humiliation and outbursts of rage. The Jerusalem labor court awarded Meni Naftali NIS 170,000 (about $42,000) in damages and court costs. Naftali said he was subjected to abusive language and insults by Sara Netanyahu. At a press conference later in the day he thanked his supporters and said that David has beaten Goliath. I am sure there will be more suits, he added. In one instance, Naftali has said Sara Netanyahu called him at 3 a.m. to complain that he had bought milk in a plastic storage bag instead of a carton. In another case, he says she threw a vase of day-old flowers on the floor, scolding him that they were not fresh enough. Naftali has also claimed that Sara Netanyahu derided his ethnicity when he ordered food for them in a hotel, implying that his Middle Eastern background was somehow uncouth. Netanyahu's office had no immediate comment. It had previously rejected Naftali's allegations, calling them outrageous. Sara Netanyahu has been a lightning rod for criticism going back to her husband's first term in the late 1990s, when she came under fire for allegedly squabbling with her staff and meddling in state affairs. Among other things, she was accused of firing a nanny for burning a pot of soup and of throwing a pair of shoes at an assistant. Since her husband returned to office in 2009, she has kept a lower profile, though she has been unable to avoid the spotlight entirely. In 2010, a former housekeeper accused her of using abusive language and forcing her to shower several times a day to ensure a sterile environment. NATO's secretary general says the alliance's increased forward presence in Eastern Europe sends a "clear signal" to any would-be aggressor. Speaking Wednesday in Brussels before a two-day NATO defense ministers meeting, Jens Stoltenberg said with an obvious reference to Russia, that NATO will respond as one to any aggression against any ally. "I expect the defense ministers to agree to enhance our forward presence in the eastern part of our alliance. This will send a clear signal. NATO will respond as one to any aggression against any ally. We have already significantly enhanced our presence and readiness of our forces," said Stoltenberg. Since Russias seizure of Crimea almost two years ago, the Western military alliance has been increasingly concerned that Moscow could rapidly invade Poland or the Baltic states. British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon repeated that concern on arrival Wednesday in Brussels. "NATO faces pressure now on its eastern border and in the Mediterranean and today we need to unite round a clear plan to deploy troops and ships to deter any aggression and the threats that we have seen. And we want to see faster deployment of those troops," he said. According to Reuters, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday NATO's military build-up on its eastern flank, the biggest in Europe since the Cold War, was a destabilizing factor designed to contain Russia. NATO defense ministers are also expected to discuss Turkeys request for NATO help to slow the influx of migrants into Europe. The newest U.S. ambassador to Cambodia says he will focus on improving relations and boosting trade between the two countries during his tenure. In an exclusive interview with VOA Khmer, Ambassador William Heidt said many opportunities now exist for the two countries to build stronger ties. I feel very lucky to be here in Cambodia at a time when really there are a lot of interesting possibilities to work together more closely on those issues, he said. So Im excited about making progress on those trade and economic issues. Ive also noted that the people-to-people relationships between the United States and Cambodia are very strong. Heidt worked as an economic officer in the embassy from 1997 to 1999, speaks Khmer and is married to a Cambodian. He said he would also work toward improving Cambodias food security and environmental protections. Improving trade Heidt will work on establishing a Bilateral Investment Treaty, which would improve trade by encouraging investment, he said. We think that would help Cambodia track higher technology investment that will enable Cambodia to manufacture and export sophisticated projects, in what they call global value chains, he said, adding that these days one product may be produced from input in multiple countries. Cambodia exported some $2.8 billion in goods to the U.S. in 2014, making it the countrys largest single export market. The U.S. exported about $328 million in goods to Cambodia. Heidt said Cambodia could also consider joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a U.S.-led trade pact that could open U.S. markets further. Actually we hope all ASEAN countries come in somewhere down the road, Heidt said of the TPP. I think its going to be a powerful trade agreement. Its going to help countries develop their economy, especially Cambodia, which has now become a middle-income country and wants to export more sophisticated product to the world. I think it can be very helpful. US-ASEAN relations Heidts interview comes less than a week before Prime Minister Hun Sen and other ASEAN leaders are expected to meet with President Barack Obama for a summit at the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, California. On Wednesday, White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz was asked about reports that the Cambodian prime minister threatened protesters who would demonstrate against Phnom Penh's human rights record at the upcoming summit, which is scheduled to kick off February 16. A lot of these countries are in different phases of becoming democratic with a small 'd,'" Schultz said. "Those are reforms that [Obama] takes very seriously and pursues in private conversations and in public forums ... so Id expect the right to protest and the right to peacefully be heard falls under that umbrella and do expect the president to talk about the importance of democratic reforms as part of the summit conversations next week. The two-day talks will focus on U.S.-ASEAN relations, trade and security. Other meetings around the summit will focus on entrepreneurship and economic growth, Heidt said. Chum Sounry, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Cambodia is happy to join with ASEAN leaders in the Sunnylands meetings, but what Cambodia would like most is the Bilateral Investment Treaty. This is the main goal that we want to increase the economic relations, particularly with the U.S. he said. And, we are also considering whether to join the TPP or not. Southeast Asia has seen renewed diplomatic interest from the U.S. amid the growing influence of China in the region; however, Heidt said the U.S. is not asking Cambodia to choose between the U.S. or China. Rather, it would like to see Cambodia have better economic success. I think, as an economist, in the next step for Cambodias development, America is going to be very important to it, he said. The integration helps Cambodia to move up the value change in manufacturing. Thats why the United States is important too, so Cambodias job is to use the relationships effectively with both countries. Chum Sounry agreed, saying that Cambodia is looking for greater technology and trade relations with other nations in the world. As we have stated, even though Cambodia has good relations with China, Cambodia still needs to build good relations with other countries in the world, including the U.S., he said. The U.S. is the biggest market of Cambodian garment products, so it is very important to strengthen greater economic trade with the U.S...It is our goal and hope. Kerry visit Kung Phoak, head of Cambodia Institute for Strategic Studies, said he sees the possibility for greater trade and ties with the U.S., particularly after the visit of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry last month. Thats a signal of improved relations from which both countries can build trust, he said. During his visit, Kerry said the U.S. wants Cambodia to improve its human rights record, governance and democratic development. Heidt said those remain priorities for his U.S. mission as well. Economic development will help that too, he said, as will the non-governmental groups that operate here. We hope for step-by-step improvement in the Cambodian economy, he said. Just like the Cambodian economy. As the Cambodian economy develops, we hope that its democracy develops too. And so to me, Cambodia needs to just keep making progress on democracy and human rights issues. I think some of the civil society groups in Cambodia are really very good for the country. President Barack Obama took a trip down memory lane Wednesday, recalling more political collegiality in his home state of Illinois where he first held public office and decrying the fractious national political scene in Washington. In a visit to Springfield, Illinois, he told the legislature, where he was a state senator before entering national politics, that he recalled Republicans and Democrats voting "against each other all the time," but that they also trusted each other. We didnt call each other fascists and idiots, Obama said, because then wed have to explain why we were playing poker with fascists and idiots. Now in the last year of his presidency, Obama has acknowledged his failure to reduce the polarization and the meanness in our politics. Watch: President Barack Obama speaking in Springfield, Illinois. He called for the elimination of the vast, unregulated sums of money being spent on U.S. political campaigns, creation of independent agencies to redraw congressional districts after the 2020 national population census, and easier rules for registering voters to encourage more citizen participation in government at all levels. Obama lamented the harsh tone of American politics, even as he acknowledged the United States has a long history of candidates angrily calling each other foul names. But he said, We should insist on a higher form of discourse in our political life. Pakistans civilian intelligence agency is warning the Islamic State terrorist group is an emerging threat in the country and hundreds of fighters linked to local banned religious groups have left for Syria in recent days to join IS ranks there. In testimony before the Pakistan Senate Committee on Interior Affairs, Director General Intelligence Bureau Aftab Sultan revealed media groups and educational institutions in Pakistan are under threat from extremists linked to Daesh (the Arabic acronym for Islamic State, which the group considers derogatory). It was the strongest admission by a high-ranking government official of an IS footprint in Pakistan. Sultan said local Sunni-based Islamist organizations such as the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba, which are blamed for deadly attacks against the countrys minority Shiite Muslims, have a soft corner for Daesh. The spy chief alleged the group has established its headquarters in neighboring Afghanistan and is receiving cooperation from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban, in planning terrorist attacks. IS is also recruiting Pakistanis to join its forces in Syria, Sultan said. There are reports of fighters being recruited by sectarian and other outfits and being sent to Syria, Sultan said, according to Pakistan's Express Tribune. The number of people leaving from Pakistan to Syria to join IS are in hundreds. IS is luring prospective recruits through social media, Sultan continued said, adding that IS uses the Internet to communicate with militants. Growing concern Islamabad has vowed not to even tolerate the shadow of Daesh in the country. Officials cite recent successful raids in parts of Pakistan, particularly in the most populous Punjab province that have detained dozens of suspect IS fighters along with IS propaganda material. But many prominent Pakistani politicians are concerned about a growing IS presence in the country. It [IS] is a danger not only to Pakistan but to the entire world, Rahman Malik, former interior minister and chair of the committee that held the hearing, told VOA. I think Pakistan and Afghanistan will suffer a lot in the future. China may also suffer, Malik said. He added that a task force should be created to counter the growing IS influence in Pakistan otherwise, the growing epidemic of terror will be extremely dangerous to Pakistan, he said. Pakistani analysts say if IS is not countered, it will create serious challenges to the country. Forces like these already exist in Pakistan, Islamabad-based security analyst Sayed Nazir told VOA. There are groups which provide shelters for them and support their ideology and help recruit for them. He added that the government should not be hesitant in taking firmer measures against the banned outfits. Peshawar University international relations professor Ijaz Khan told VOA: They [IS affiliates] are two steps ahead of al-Qaida. They [government/security] had turn a blind eye to themlets see what they [government] are going to do about this issue. IS presence Afghan and U.S. military commanders believe Islamic State fighters have seized areas in eastern Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan, and have been attempting to expand their influence on both sides of the long porous border. They also believe that mostly militants formerly linked to the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani Taliban are occupying Daesh ranks. IS has identified Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Iran as its "Khorasan" province and appointed a former Pakistani Taliban commander as its head in the region. In recent weeks U.S. drones and the Afghan air force have repeatedly attacked suspected IS hideouts, particularly in and around Nangarhars remote Achin district, killing scores of militants linked to the group. IS announced the formation of its Khorasan branch in South Asia January 2015. "Despite quick early growth in 2015, ISILs Khorasan branch will probably remain a low-level threat to Afghan stability as well as to U.S. and Western interests in the region in 2016, U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper said Tuesday in testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. VOA's Noor Zahid contributed to this story. Russia's Catholic minority has welcomed an historic first meeting this Friday in Cuba between the Pope and the Patriarch of Russia's dominant Orthodox Church. There are an estimated 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in the world, but in Orthodox Russia there are around 700,000, only half of one percent of the population. In contrast, three out of four Russian citizens identify themselves as Orthodox Christians. While a small minority, Russia's Catholics are voicing a loud welcome to a historic first meeting in Cuba between Pope Francis and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. Father Kirill Gorbunov is a spokesman for the Mother of God Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Moscow. I feel that this is an answer to our prayers, he told VOA. Of course, we were hoping that it would take place in Moscow." Ekaterina Bozhenova, a Russian Orthodox believer and housewife, says she supports any meeting that proves beneficial. That the meeting is not happening in Europe, where things are difficult, inappropriate, ambiguous that it is in Cuba I welcome that, she added. But there are no illusions that the talks, to take place at the Havana airport, can somehow heal the thousand-year-old rift from when the Orthodox Church split with Rome in 1054. 'Some cooperation' Politics, both church and state, have been driving the tenuous relationship in the centuries since. Catholics were subjugated during Soviet times with church properties seized by the state and given to the Orthodox Church. After the Soviet Union broke apart, the Catholic Church took back properties in Ukraine and incurred the wrath of Moscow. Catholics still face prejudice as a foreign influence under a resurgent Russia in conflict with the West. They say, 'What are they doing here? They do not belong here, says Father Gorbunov. They belong to Italy, they belong to Spain, to Europe. But Catholics are everywhere, and also here. Elena Baranova, a Russian Catholic and translator attending mass in Moscow, says the historic meeting between church leaders shows improving relations. "Of course I do not think the churches will unite like a kind of utopia, but I think there will be some cooperation, she said. We are seeing it already." Because even now it seems the Orthodox Church has become better intentioned, she added, not just the church but the Russian authorities as well. Attacks against Christians Russia's Patriarch had refused the Vatican's previous offers for talks because of the property disputes in Ukraine. But the Orthodox Church says increasing global attacks against Christians compelled them to put aside differences. Russias Interfax news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the meeting was a "mutual step halfway" between Russia and the Western world. Russia's ambassador to the Vatican, Alexander Avdeyev, told Russias TASS news agency in conditions of Western sanctions, the meeting of the two church leaders is a confirmation of the Christian civilizational role of Russia. Political analysts say President Vladimir Putin has a mutually beneficial relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church, giving vocal and financial support to its traditional values and getting the Churchs vocal support in return. Orthodox Church leaders have faced heavy criticism in the past for cozying up to the Kremlin and covering up conspicuous wealth among church leaders. The Patriarch-Pope meeting is in line with President Vladimir Putin's efforts to reach out to conservative leaders in the West who are less critical of Russia. Putin met in June with Pope Francis in Rome where the two discussed persecution of Christians in the Middle East as well as peace and humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. The pope made no critical public comments about Russias actions. His labeling of the Ukraine conflict as fratricidal irked many Ukrainians as it failed to recognize what Kyiv and many Western government see as Russias military aggression against its neighbor. So, it is an attempt to find a 'better West' than the West of globalization, tolerance, and current political leaders, says the Carnegie Moscow Centers Alexander Baunov. Putin wants also to work on a legacy, says Baunov. And, with increasing criticism of the Kremlin's actions in Syria, this historic meeting can only help. Mark Grinberg contributed to this report. Terrorism, corruption, a precarious judiciary and the upcoming general elections are some of the key risks of doing business in Kenya, according to Control Risks, a global consultancy firm that has released its RiskMap 2016 report. The report highlights what the firm considers some of the most significant trends in global risk for both public and private organizations. East Africa senior analyst Paul Gabriel said during Wednesdays report launch that the perception of East Africa as being negatively impacted by terrorism affects the business community and the regions economy. But there isnt always a well-understood differentiation between different parts of Kenya, said Gabriel. So you might have a company operating in Nairobi and therefore being perhaps not so much exposed as a company operating along the Somali border. But an outside client, an outside customer might not necessarily understand that. However, Gabriel emphasized that that these current dynamics may change, as terrorist groups alter their tactics. Just because those groups dont operate in the big economic hubs of East Africa right now doesnt mean that their evolution will not lead to them becoming strong enough to regain that capability again, Gabriel said. Control Risks East Africa Senior Managing Director Daniel Heal said that terrorism is not going away. The actual terror attacks aside, a major concern to businesses is the threat of these attacks which has the effect of deterring foreign investors from entry, investment or partnership with Kenya or Kenyan companies, Heal said. WATCH: RiskMap 2016 video Election-Year Effects Control Risks analysts say that politicians are increasing their anti-graft rhetoric ahead of the 2017 elections -- but that rhetoric may not lead to results if those candidates win office. So we find that more and more politicians, more and more presidents are being elected on an anti-corruption campaign, said Gabriel. At the same time, we see that those vested interests, those interests that exist in the political and the business environment, mean that actual progress in combating corruption is still very slow. The reports findings suggest that Kenyas 2017 national and local elections will be "highly contested" and will likely result in the recruitment of youth gangs and militias, heightened ethnic tensions and pressure on companies to meet local demands for benefits like employment and development. While Kenya's last elections in 2012 were relatively peaceful, the disputed presidential election in 2007 set off weeks of riots and ethnic violence that killed more than 1,100 people. Romanian appeals court has upheld a 20-year jail term for a man who ran a notorious communist-era prison and was convicted of crimes against humanity. The Bucharest High Court on Wednesday rejected an appeal from 90-year-old Alexandru Visinescu, who was convicted in July 2015. He ran the Ramnicu Sarat prison for political detainees, where all prisoners were kept in solitary confinement, could not speak to each other, and were starved and beaten. Visinescu's lawyers said he was only obeying orders and did not break the law. Supporters of the ruling say it sets an important precedent for communist-era crimes. Besides Visinescu, the only other person who has been charged with crimes against humanity from Romania's brutal Soviet Bloc days is dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who was tried and executed in 1989. As Moscow continues to deny accusations that its air campaign against Syrian rebel forces is causing mass casualties among civilians, some observers in Russia say the country could find itself embroiled in a large-scale international conflict in the Middle East. On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel strongly criticized Russia's actions in Syria. "We have been, in the past few days, not just appalled, but horrified by what has been caused in the way of human suffering for tens of thousands of people by bombing. Bombing primarily from the Russian side," she said after meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara. Human Rights Watch alleges that the joint Syrian government-Russian military operation against rebels in Syria had employed internationally banned cluster munitions in attacks since January 26. Those attacks, it said, killed at least 37 civilians, including six women and nine children, and wounded dozens. The New York-based group noted that the Syrian government-Russian military operation targeting the rebel stronghold of Aleppo has caused at least 20,000 people to flee toward the Turkish border. Russia: No evidence On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, rejected Merkel's criticism. "As for the Chancellor's words about the alleged casualties as a result of Russian airstrikes, surely we should pay attention to the fact that, despite the huge number of such statements, thus far nobody has presented a single piece of credible evidence for those words," Peskov said. Alexander Shumilin is head of the Center for Analysis of Middle East Conflicts at the Institute for U.S. and Canada Studies in Moscow. He said the joint Syrian government-Russian military offensive was deliberately ramped up just as U.N.-mediated peace talks were set to start, and as the International Syria Support Group prepared to meet in Geneva in the search for a political solution. "The [Russian air force] operation was very carefully calculated, and the latest offensive actions [by the Syrian army] were undertaken at the moment of preparations for negotiations and the start of the conference in Geneva," he told VOA. Shumilin believes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military used the preparations to buy time for its offensive, with the goal of blockading Aleppo and other rebel strongholds. Tensions escalate Earlier this month, U.N. special envoy for Syria Staffan De Mistura announced a "temporary pause" in the talks between the Syrian government and the moderate opposition, after the latter complained about the relentless bombardment by the Russian air force and Syrian army. Shumilin said Moscow seems "little worried" by international reaction to its intensified bombing campaign. Meanwhile, tensions between Russia and Turkey, already high after Turkey's air force shot down a Russian warplane it says violated its airspace from Syria, have escalated. Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper quoted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week as calling Putin an "occupier" in Syria, a charge Kremlin spokesman Peskov dismissed as "absurd." On Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Moscow its forces in Syria would face the same kind of defeat that Soviet forces suffered in Afghanistan in the 1980s. "Nobody should forget how the Soviet forces, which were a mighty, super force during the Cold War and entered into Afghanistan, left Afghanistan in a servile situation," Davutoglu said. "Those who have entered Syria today will also leave Syria in a servile way." Davutoglu has called for a no-fly zone in Syria "so that Aleppo will be protected, at least against the air bombardment." Unexpected actions Irina Zvyagelskaya, a senior research fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Oriental Studies, told VOA that Turkish leadership has shown it is ready to take "completely unexpected and not always calculated actions, especially in regard to Syria and Turkish interests in the region, as they are understood in Ankara." As examples of "unexpected" Turkish actions, Zvyagelskaya cited Erdogan's reaction to a meeting held last week between U.S. envoy Brett McGurk and members of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), in Kobani, the Syrian town once held by IS. After that meeting, Erdogan aimed a barbed rhetorical question at Washington, asking, "Is it me who is your partner or the terrorists in Kobani?" Vladimir Ryzhkov, a former Russian parliament member and prominent opposition politician, told Echo of Moscow radio earlier this week that there is a "great risk" fighting in Syria will escalate into a "big world war." Saudi Arabia, he noted, recently said it is willing to send ground forces into Syria, while "the Turks say that they are ready to enter Syrian territory to protect the population from the advancing army of Bashar al-Assad." Meanwhile, Russia's air force and Iranian troops are backing Syrian government forces, he said. "It's a scary and dangerous situation," Ryzhkov said. "We may find ourselves in the situation of a general world war in the Middle East with the participation of Russia." Russias United Nations envoy said Wednesday his government is not about to be apologetic for its airstrikes in Syria, which have been widely criticized for targeting the armed opposition instead of Islamic State terrorists. We are acting in a very transparent manner, Vitaly Churkin told reporters after a closed session of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the escalating humanitarian situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo. We are present there legally, at the invitation of the Syrian government, he added. Western governments have heavily criticized Russian airstrikes, which began in late September with the stated goal of diminishing Islamic State. Instead, the air campaign has dealt some crippling blows to the moderate armed opposition and led to the displacement of tens of thousands of Syrians. In the past week, the Syrian government, backed by Russia and Lebanese Shiite militants from Hezbollah, have been waging an offensive against rebel-held parts of Syrias second largest city, Aleppo. The increased fighting also has been blamed for the rapid breakdown of new peace talks in Geneva. As to the actions of the Syrian forces, supported by the Russian air force, our Western colleagues on the eve of Geneva II, used to say some balance on the ground must be restored. So if there is some change in the balance on the ground, then that should be taken as a logical development in any armed conflict," said Churkin. Geneva II was the last round of failed peace talks among the parties that was held in Switzerland 13 months ago. The United Nations says the nearly five-year war has killed more than 250,000 people, displaced 7 million within Syria and nearly 4.6 million others have fled as refugees. Much of the remaining population some 13.5 million people is in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Many of them live in hard-to-reach or besieged areas which aid workers cannot reach. Ambassador Churkin criticized council members for having several meetings on the humanitarian crisis, calling it a propagandistic use of the Syrian humanitarian file. He said it would not deter Moscow from the humanitarian work it is doing with the Syrian government. Churkin said Moscow is also discussing possible humanitarian cooperation with the World Food Program and with the United States. Humanitarian pauses Council members New Zealand and Spain are urging consideration of a humanitarian pause for besieged areas. We ask that serious consideration be given to a humanitarian pause to enable assistance to get through, because its clear aid is not getting into Madaya and other besieged areas, said Ambassador Gerard Jacobus Van Bohemen of New Zealand. He said the great division within the Security Council over the military campaigns in Syria is a real problem for us all. He urged that the suspended political talks get under way as quickly as possible, saying a political solution is the only real way to end the humanitarian crisis. Frances ambassador told reporters that there must be a tangible improvement in the humanitarian situation for there to be a credible, political negotiation. The regime and its allies cannot pretend they are extending a hand to the opposition, while with their other hand they are trying to destroy them, Francois Delattre said. Syrian Envoy Bashar Jaafari accused some council members of having a full-fledged obsession with his countrys so-called humanitarian situation. The United Nations and its partners have asked for more than $8 billion to cover this years needs in Syria and for the refugees living in neighboring countries. On Thursday, nations in the International Syria Support Group will meet in Munich. Moscow has said it plans to present a proposal for a Syrian cease-fire at the meeting. Agencies appeal On Wednesday, 160 humanitarian agencies appealed for an immediate cease-fire and unimpeded, sustained access to bring lifesaving relief to those affected by the worsening violence in Syria. The humanitarian agencies include the World Food Program, UNHCR and UNICEF, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Care, Caritas, Islamic Relief, World Vision and scores of other NGOs from all over the world. These are practical actions. There is no practical reason they could not be implemented if there is the will to do so, the appeal stated. In the name of our shared humanity for the sake of the millions of innocents who have already suffered so much and for the millions more whose lives and futures hang in the balance, we call for action now. For womens rights activists in Saudi Arabia, this year began with a thump. It was going to be an exciting new era in Saudi Arabia one in which women voted in elections and held office. Of the nearly 1,000 local council members elected in late 2015, roughly 20 of them were women for the first time ever. But the moment was dulled when at least two of the female representatives tried to sit in council in the same room, at the same table, with their male counterparts. Some of the men said mixed-gender meetings are counter to Islamic law, a point liberals in Saudi Arabia hotly debate. A couple of weeks later, Lama al-Sulaiman, one of the newly elected representatives and former Jeddah Chamber of Commerce vice-chair was on social media and in the press, the debate was raging about the unresolved issue of seats, but she was reserved. There is a pool of people that are more conservative and believe men and women should be segregated, she explained. And then you have a more moderate conservative that believe[s] men and women should be able to mix, especially on leadership positions or in decision-making positions. Activists on both sides of the debate were more forceful. Samar Fatany, a commentator for the Saudi Gazette wrote: Women have had enough of this extremist nonsense. Meanwhile, Twitter users lamented a decline of morals in their society. The women are sad because they cant sit next to the men? tweeted a user named Salah. How can a mentality like this be developing in our country? Restrictions The tangle over the seats, according to al-Sulaiman, is part of a larger battle for womens empowerment in Saudi Arabia. Women in Saudi Arabia face significant restrictions, like needing permission from male guardians to travel, go to school and hold certain kinds of jobs. In general, mixing between unmarried or unrelated men and women is strictly forbidden. Earlier this week 11 peopleincluding men and womenwere reportedly arrested in Jeddah for having a mixed-gender beach party that served alcohol, which is also banned. Women are forbidden to drive in Saudi Arabia and are required to wear lose fitting gowns over their clothes called abayas. But these restrictions, according to al-Sulaiman, are secondary to larger problems, like the small number of women in the workforce and the control men have over their female dependents finances. Challenges are realities, she said.The will to change them is there. We win some. We fail some. But at the end, you know, we are moving forward. Segregation is the Norm At a mega-shopping mall in Riyadh, 17-year-old Selma told us that Facebook is too old-fashioned for her, but she still uses Twitter. But separating genders in schools, she said, is not old-fashioned just common sense. Ive heard even in the West they are going to stop mixing genders, she continued, Because it causes so many problems. Men and women in Saudi Arabia usually eat at different restaurants, frequent different shops and enter buildings by different doors. Schools and workplaces usually have separate places for men and women. But when local municipal councils opened early this year, only Jeddah had a problem with the new dual-gender bodies. In some places, women sat comfortably in the same room with the men; in others, the women wished to appear at council meetings electronically. The controversy in Jeddah was a surprise to many, according to Abdulaziz Sager, the chairman of the Gulf Research Center in Jeddah, because the 30 female members of the national Shoura (consultative) Council, the countrys highest religious body, have long shared a room with their male colleagues. A lot of the Shoura members are women, he said. And they are in the same hall. Other commentators said because the Saudi government had declared that women could work with men in the same room on the Shoura Council, the complaints in Jeddah were tantamount to objecting to the Kings decision. Women in Workforce While many in Saudi Arabia say elected representatives should share unsegregated spaces, dismantling the system is not on the table. For example, desegregating workplaces could discourage women from joining the work force, by creating hostile atmospheres for many women and their families. More than half the Saudi population both men and women prefer to work in a segregated place, according to a recent survey of 3,000 people, said al-Sulaiman. Getting more women to work requires creating more female-only spaces, she continued. I cannot bring in a woman and impose on her to mix with men when she has never mixed with men all her life, she said.It is traumatizing. Saudi women make up about 16 percent of the workforce, according to John Sfakianakis, who has advised the Saudi government and serves as chief economist for several Saudi banks.The number is small, he said, but a significant leap from 2003, when it was about 9 percent. It is a significant increase if you take into account that this is a very different culture, he explained.And within a very short period of time it has nearly doubled. South Korea said it is suspending all activities at an industrial complex it operates jointly with North Korea, in response to the North's recent nuclear test and rocket launch. Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo told reporters Wednesday that Seoul is taking the action to prevent Pyongyang from using the proceeds from the Kaesong Industrial Complex to fund its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development programs. "The fact that this situation continues without any changes does not mean that the status quo [will be maintained] but rather means that North Korea's nuclear capability becomes heightened, which could lead to an atrocious disaster.If North Korea is left as it is with its nuclear and missile developments, [the situation] could lead to the fundamental imbalance and threatening of not only the Korean peninsula but also the East Asian security region.Also, the countries within this region will be forced to take action for their own survival and security.And there is a concern that this could lead to the nuclear domino phenomenon," he added. Pyongyang informed of decision Hong said North Korea has been informed of the decision to shut down the Kaesong industrial park, located about 10 kilometers across the border in North Korea.All South Korean managers based at the park are being summoned home. The park first opened in 2004 as a symbol of cross-border cooperation and reconciliation.About 124 South Korean companies operate in Kaesong and employ more than 53,000 North Korean workers.The park has been a source of badly-needed hard currency for the impoverished North but has been shut down before the first time in 2013, when Pyongyang withdrew all of its workers and shut down the complex for five months during a period of heightened cross-border tensions. Japan sanctions imminent Meanwhile, Japan announced Wednesday that it will impose its own set of economic sanctions on North Korea in response to the rocket launch and nuclear tests. The government has decided to impose stern sanctions on North Korea.We will cooperate closely with the international community in order to resolve the abductions, nuclear and missile issues," said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe following a meeting of the country's National Security Council. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that the measures include a complete ban on visits by North Korean ships to Japanese ports, re-entry ban on foreign residents in Japan who are also nuclear or missile engineers if they travel to North Korea, and a ban on remittances of money to North Korea. North Korea launched a long-range rocket Sunday and placed what it described as an "Earth observation satellite" into orbit.The launch was condemned by the international community as a violation of United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang for previous tests of long-range ballistic missiles. Sunday's launch came a month after the North carried out its fourth nuclear test. Syria is quickly becoming the heart of an increasingly unpredictable world, serving as a cauldron for many of the most critical threats facing the United States. The grim appraisal came Tuesday, as top U.S. intelligence officials briefed lawmakers in Washington on the newest "Worldwide Threat Assessment," described by National Intelligence Director James Clapper as a "litany of doom." Many of the concerns in the latest assessment are familiar, ranging from terror groups like Islamic State and al-Qaida to state sponsors of terror like Iran, and to Russia, aggressively thrusting itself onto the world stage as a rival to U.S. power. Yet despite differing aims and means, the one thing that links so many of these threats together is Syria, where the U.S. and coalition allies have so far limited their involvement to backing anti-Islamic State forces. Plagued by civil war and an ever-growing humanitarian crisis, Syria has seen each player seek to impose its will on the tattered country, often at odds with the others. To date, the conflict has now attracted more than 38,200 foreign fighters, including at least 6,900 from the West, Clapper told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Islamic State More than half of those fighters are thought to have joined Islamic State's self-declared caliphate, which still boasts a force of up to 25,000 fighters despite more than a year of U.S. and coalition airstrikes. Watch: National Intelligence Director James Clapper briefing lawmakers. But the group's staying power, thanks to its Syrian base, is only one of the factors that have helped turn Islamic State into "the preeminent terrorist threat," Clapper warned. One key concern, Clapper said, is how the group is using the Syrian humanitarian crisis to spread its reach. "One technique they've used is taking advantage of the torrent of migrants to insert operatives into that flow," he cautioned. Clapper and other intelligence officials also worry Islamic State has managed to turn its de facto capital of Raqqa into the center of a command-and-control network, to "direct and inspire attacks against a wide range of targets around the world." That includes inspiring what officials say are "homegrown violent extremists," such as those who carried out deadly attacks in recent months at an armed forces recruiting office in Tennessee and a local government center in California. Clapper said such attacks, coming with little or no warning, pose the biggest internal threat to the U.S. while also serving as fodder for Islamic State propaganda. Combine Islamic State's social media success and the group's eight established branches including a growing base in Libya and Clapper said the group's estimated "strength worldwide exceeds that of al-Qaida." Al-Qaida Yet al-Qaida, too, remains a potent threat, continuing to plot attacks against the U.S. U.S. intelligence believes much of the core group's leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been decimated. But officials say that along with its Yemeni branch, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), its Syrian branch Jabhat al Nusra is now thought to be one of its most capable. Analysts say al Nusra is also growing in strength in Syria, ingratiating itself with many of the smaller, less radical rebel groups trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. It has an estimated 6,000 to 9,000 fighters at its disposal. Russia, Iran Making Syria even more treacherous for the U.S., according to the new threat assessment, is the presence of Russia and Iran, which for now are working together to prop up Assads regime. It seems to be working. "The Russian reinforcement has changed the calculus completely," Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart told lawmakers. "I am more inclined to believe he [Assad] is a player on the stage longer term than he was six months ago." Stewart said such Russian-Iranian cooperation is likely to end as both compete for dominance in the region, but Iran will make it work for at least the foreseeable future for one reason. "The ability to procure weapons from Russia without any preconditions," he said. "Within the next two to five years, we can expect Iran to invest in some of those weapon technologies being displayed in the Syria battlefield by the Russians." It is a prospect that has long worried military and intelligence analysts. "They [the Russians] are formalizing their alliance with Iran, Hezbollah and Syria, those are two state sponsors of terror and a major terror organization," Christopher Harmer, senior naval analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, told VOA back in October. "We have to look at these two state sponsors of terror and that foreign terrorist organization as if they had access to top-end capabilities that they didn't have previously," he added. "That makes those states and that foreign terrorist organization much more capable, much more dangerous." Already, Tehran has thousands of forces on the ground in Syria, including its own Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and Shia militia fighters from Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Analysts say some of them are just as brutal as Islamic State. Such forces "will probably deepen sectarian tensions in response to real and perceived threats from Sunni violent extremists and to advance Iranian influence," Clapper warned. As the doctor cradled Nada, her head and neck swaddled in bandages, at a temporary clinic at the Bab al-Salameh border crossing, 50 kilometers north of Aleppo, the three-year-old Syrian toddler cried, Cover me, cover me. She screamed protests at the pain from her wounds, according to an eyewitness, VOAs translator. The injuries were sustained earlier in the day in a Russian airstrike on Tell Rifaat, one town in a chain of northern Syrian settlements targeted by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. The blistering week-long offensive has dimmed the rebels' hopes and transformed the battlefield in the north of the war-tortured country. Nearby on a gurney, an old man from the same town struggled for breath as he bled from grave leg and groin injuries. He and the three-year-old, transferred to a hospital inside Turkey, were among the few refugees admitted by Turkish border authorities. Struggling to cope The old man died hours later. Doctors and clinics in northern Syria are struggling to cope. Heavy fighting is placing extreme pressure on the areas already devastated health-care system, Doctors Without Borders warned Wednesday. The emergency medical charity said displaced people, including young children and the elderly, could be stuck living in the open in freezing conditions, with severe effects on their health. Pneumonia is a big concern. As the Assad government moves to press a choke-hold on Syrian rebels in Aleppo and the countryside beyond, backed by relentless airstrikes from Russian warplanes flying around-the-clock sorties, the numbers of civilian casualties are climbing rapidly across northern Syria. More are likely to die. Rebels fear that not only will opposition-areas in the city of Aleppo be cut off soon, but that Russian warplanes will expand their bombing runs to Idlib city, heralding a twin offensive aimed at interdicting supplies coming from Turkey through the border crossing west of Bab al-Salameh at Bab al-Hawa. Rebels see Western 'passivity' British officials estimate more than 1,380 civilians have been killed in Russian and Syrian government airstrikes since U.N.-brokered Geneva peace talks stalled last week. And bitterness is rising among Syrian rebel factions and civilians alike, with much of the anger not only directed at Damascus for the destruction it is wreaking but also at the West for what anti-Assad combatants and civilians alike see as Western passivity in the face of an offensive that has turned upside down the five-year-long uprising. By failing to act, the rebels say, the West is dooming the revolution to defeat. Everything has changed. I dont know how long our fighters can hold on for I dont know how they are managing to hold any positions, General Salem Idris, the former chief of staff of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, told VOA in an exclusive interview. Idris still advises moderate rebel commanders on tactics. The fighters cant continue to resist without modern anti-aircraft missiles, he added. He says it is hard to get responses from U.S. military officials. Since the offensive started, most of the senior ones have disappeared and arent to be found here in Gaziantep, he says. FSA commanders have complained that since the start of the Assad offensive, they have been receiving fewer supplies than before. Idris says the weapons come through the Turkey-based Military Operations Center, which is staffed by Arab and Western intelligence personnel - including CIA officials - from 11 nations that support the FSA. A European diplomat disputes the claim by General Idris that the flow of weapons has been reduced, but says not all of the rebels' requests for specific weapons are being answered. Push for political solution I think this is a way to pressure the opposition politicians to agree [to] a deal at Geneva that they would otherwise not accept," Idris says. "They can simply come to us and say, Look, you are not having any success. We will not fight the Russians, and you have to accept negotiations and you have to accept any solution that is put on the table.' That is a widespread view among rebels and opposition activists. I think they are trying to force us to accept a deal at Geneva, says Moayyad Yousef, an official with the Assistance Coordination Unit, which coordinates urgently needed humanitarian aid inside the war-wracked country for the main political opposition group, the Syrian Coalition. But U.S. officials say there is little to be done to counter militarily the Assad offensive and they argue the vicious Syrian civil war that has left upwards of 250,000 dead wont be resolved by the clash of arms but through a negotiated political solution. Rebel commanders, including Idris, contend the offensive indeed could be halted, if rebel factions were supplied with shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, thereby denying Assad control of the skies. Obama officials have long refused to supply so-called MANPADS and have urged Gulf allies to withhold them, too, fearing that some will be sold to jihadist groups like al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, much as there has been a steady stream of Western-supplied TOW anti-tank missiles sold to jihadists by FSA factions. Pro-Assad Kurds Anger is also rising at the role of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG. Islamist and nationalist FSA insurgent commanders accuse the Syrian Kurds of revealing their true pro-Assad colors and of being in league with Damascus a long-standing claim by the rebels that has been vehemently denied by YPG leaders in the past. There is no difference between the YPG, the regimes troops or the Russian forces, because they all attack us, Abu Yousef Al-Muhajir, a top commander of Ahrar al-Sham, one of the most powerful Islamist militias in Syria, told ARA News, a local pro-opposition broadcaster. The YPG has been combating our forces at the battlefronts in northern Aleppo, added, calling the Kurdish forces absolute enemies. That view is echoed by Zakaria Malahefji, the political officer of the 3,000-member Fastaqim Kama Umirt, a brigade aligned with the rebel alliance Jaish al-Mujahideen (Army of Holy Warriors). We consider the YPG now the same as the Assad regime, he told VOA. Malahefji says YPG commanders broke an agreement not to attack the strategically important air base at Menagh, six kilometers south of the border town of Azaz, close to Bab al-Salameh. The rebels seized Menagh from the Syrian government after a lengthy siege in August 2013. Kurds seize airfield YPG commanders contacted rebels holding the base Tuesday night and told them to withdraw, and Wednesday they took over the airfield, he added. YPG supporters have posted photographs of Kurdish fighters in combat at the base on social media sites. Malahefji claims the YPG received arms supplies from Damascus and Moscow months ago. In December, he says, a series of Syrian government and Russian helicopters flying in and out of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, near Menagh, were believed to be ferrying in weapons. Operations by YPG forces and their allies in northern Syria the past few days have complicated the defenses the FSA and Islamist militias have tried to mount. The YPG is acting as a spoiler tactically, says General Idris, who believes the Syrian Kurds are facilitating the regimes forces. They say they are not coordinating with the regime, but that is a lie, he claims. Many months ago, going back to the start of the war, the regime forces withdrew from Kurdish towns, handing control over to the YPG. At the time, Assad was weak and didnt want a confrontation with the Kurds. Defectors say there was a deal cut for Damascus to accept a semi-autonomous Kurdistan in northeast Syria in the event he won. 'No deal with Assad' Salih Muslim, the leader of the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, which dominates the YPG, has denied the rebels' claims in several interviews with VOA over the past three years, and he maintains no deal was struck with Damascus. A senior EU diplomat, though, told VOA Wednesday that he is no doubt that this week there has been close collaboration between the YPG and Damascus. Of course, they are coordinating. The Kurds will do anything that will further their interests and national identity and bring them closer to get a small state, he says. Whatever the truth, rebels and opposition activists say YPG has also been fighting FSA and Islamist units around the Kurdish enclave of Afrin and on the northwestern outskirts of Aleppo. Earlier this week YPG fighters seized 460 tons of wheat intended for the Syrian Coalition from a silo at Alqamiya village, the activists say. YPG commanders in Afrin say their operations are of a humanitarian nature, and that by expanding their territory they are in fact blocking government forces from making further advances. In a bid to avoid being hit by Russian warplanes, locals in at least two villages invited the YPG to occupy them. YPG commanders issued a statement Wednesday saying they are ready to meet the call of all civilians who request that the YPG secure their villages. That, the rebels say, is doing Assads work for him. Turkeys prime minister criticized the U.N. Security Council and the international community Wednesday for failing to stop Russia's intense airstrikes against Aleppo and other parts of northern Syria, while demanding that Turkey must open its borders to tens of thousands of refugees. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said it is "hypocrisy" to press Turkey to take in a swelling human tide of war refugees, while at the same time, he added, "there is nobody who dares to tell the Russians that they must stop" their bombardment of civilian areas. Speaking in The Hague at a joint news conference with his Dutch counterpart, Davutoglu accused Syrian government forces and their Russian allies of carrying out a deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing in and around Aleppo - driving out everyone who opposes the government of President Bashar al-Assad. "We should all accept refugees but these attacks are also intended to bring about a kind of ethnic cleansing in Syria so that all people who don't support Syrian regime, they are driven out of the country. It is a systematic ethnic cleansing," said Davutoglu. The intensified Syrian-Russian operation around Aleppo has forced tens of thousands of people to flee toward Turkey. Turkey is not closing its doors to those war victims, Davutoglu said, but its priority is to provide aid to people in refugee camps inside Syria. The Turkish prime minister said Russian warplanes have destroyed refugee camps that his government helped set up in Syrian territory, as well as a humanitarian corridor that had linked the Turkish border and Aleppo. "What we wanted is that Syrians should be received in camps in Syria. That's why we have set up camps there, but these were destroyed by Russian bombardments. These people were forced to flee their houses in the direction of the Turkish border. There was a humanitarian corridor between Turkish border and Aleppo and that corridor was destroyed by these evil forces," he said. At the United Nations, the Security Council has been meeting privately on the growing humanitarian crisis in Syria. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which collects data from a variety of Syrian rebel factions, said Wednesday that the recent Russian air campaign has killed at least 500 people. The United Nations Security Council is holding a private briefing Wednesday on the humanitarian situation in Syria, where government forces backed by Russian airstrikes are waging an offensive against rebels in Aleppo. The operation has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing the northern city toward the Turkish border and raised alarms with the United Nations and aid groups who fear a humanitarian disaster in the region. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday at least 500 people have been killed since the offensive began, including about 100 civilians. On Tuesday, U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said he is gravely concerned about what is happening in Aleppo and how the fighting is affecting aid access to the city. "It is absolutely clear that we need to continue to stress that the highest need and the best humanitarian response is for the bombing to stop, and secondly to ensure that the border is open for people to be able to cross and for supplies to get in," he said. Deteriorating situation U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the situation in northern Syria is getting worse and reiterated criticism of Russia's air campaign. "It would be a lot less worse if the Russians weren't continuing to bomb opposition groups and civilians and civilian infrastructure," Kirby said. "That would be a big help to try -- to alleviating this problem along the border. That's a real, immediate thing that could happen. A cease-fire would do wonders to help alleviate that concern." Russia has repeatedly rejected criticism of its military operations in Syria, which began in late September backing President Bashar al-Assad's troops. Rebel groups have said they want the bombing to stop before they will consider returning to U.N.-sponsored peace talks. Displaced civilians on Turkish border Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday urged the international community to speak out against Russia for "mercilessly" attacking civilian targets in Syria. He also said his country has not closed its borders to more refugees, though it has not admitted the wave of Syrians who have arrived in the past few weeks. The tens of thousands of people displaced by violence are in the area close to the Bab al-Salam border crossing. The World Food Program says it is distributing urgently needed food to 21,000 people over the next few days in the nearby town of A'zaz and is concerned about the potential severing of supply routes from the north into Aleppo. Doctors Without Borders also says it has increased its operations in the same region and expressed fears about "an impending food, water and fuel crisis in the coming weeks" in Aleppo. The group said three of its facilities near the front lines in northern Syria have been hit by bombs in recent weeks. Kerry, Lavrov to meet Thursday U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are due to meet Thursday in Munich as a group of international powers works to restart the peace process after the U.N. suspended talks last week. Leaders have continued to stress the need for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, while forces from more than a dozen nations take part in military operations that have so far included no deployments of foreign ground troops. The United States has been leading a multi-nation coalition carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria for a year and a half, but some critics of President Barack Obama's strategy have advocated adding ground troops to meet his goal of defeating the militants. Obama's top official for the campaign against Islamic State, Brett McGurk, will likely face tough questions Wednesday when he goes before a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. The latest U.S. intelligence assessment is skeptical about prospects for political reconciliation in war-torn Afghanistan and has warned it is at "serious risk of a political breakdown during 2016." U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper told a Senate committee Tuesday the Kabul government faces persistent hurdles to political stability, including eroding political cohesion, assertions of authority by local powerbrokers, financial shortfalls, and countrywide, sustained attacks by the Taliban. Clapper said the Afghan government will confront larger and more divisive issues later in 2016, including the implementation of election reforms and long-delayed parliamentary elections. Taliban peace talks The assessment comes as Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis national unity government is expected to hold direct peace talks with the Taliban by the end of February to seek an end to a 15-year insurgency. Senior diplomats from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States agreed last week in Islamabad on a road map to further the peace efforts and vowed to arrange the negations. But the Taliban has not indicated whether it wants to join the peace process and has instead reiterated its demand for the complete withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces from Afghanistan before any peace talks. Clapper told the Senate committee he thinks the Taliban position has consistently been not to negotiate. "The pre-condition they always describe is the removal of foreign forces (from Afghanistan) and I do not see them changing that position, he said. Clappers assessment also suggested that after initial infighting over a leadership succession, the Taliban has again become a united force under its new leader Mullah Akthar Mansour, who took charge in July when it was disclosed that longtime Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, had been dead for more than two years. He added, the Talibans two-week seizure of the northern provincial capital Kunduz provided an important boost to Mansours leadership. We assess that fighting in 2016 will be more intense than 2015, continuing a decade-long trend of deteriorating security that will compound these challenges, he said. Kabul will be unable to effectively address its dire economic situation or begin to curb its dependence on foreign aid until it first contains the insurgency, which is steadily chipping away at Afghanistans security, he said. Afghanistan downplays remarks A presidential spokesman in Kabul, Sayed Zafar Hashemi, has downplayed Clappers remarks about a possible political breakdown in Afghanistan. Hashemi told VOA that the national unity government is the representative of the absolute majority of the people of Afghanistan. But Afghan and independent foreign observers acknowledge political differences have prevented President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah from establishing an effective working relationship to promote good governance in the country where nepotism and corruption critics say are order of the day. Despite public pledges, Ghani and Abdullah have made little progress towards reforming the national electoral process to discourage the repeat of the disputed 2014 presidential election. They both claimed victory in the polls and the controversy plunged Afghanistan into months of political uncertainty until the United States intervened and mediated a political deal between the two, allowing Ghani to take charge as the president and his election rival Abdullah to occupy a newly created post of chief executive. The U.S. Senate has unanimously confirmed career Foreign Service officer Scot Alan Marciel to serve as ambassador to Myanmar. Tuesday's 90-0 vote elevates Marciel from the post of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs, a position he assumed in 2013. Marciel, who replaces Ambassador Derek Mitchell, has also served in Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Turkey and Brazil. President Barack Obama nominated Marciel in October. His Senate confirmation briefly stalled over congressional concerns that the White House might ease long-standing economic sanctions against Myanmar, before the Southeast Asian nation fully follows through on promises to improve human rights conditions at home. But Tuesday, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell praised Mitchell's tenure and welcomed Marciel to his new position. The U.S. Supreme Court has put on hold President Obama's plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's power plants. Obama announced the regulations in August as a way to fight climate change, saying states had until September 2016 to come up with their own plans to meet a target of reducing emissions by 32 percent below 2005 levels. But a group of 27 states balked at the Clean Power Plan and filed a lawsuit, saying it amounted to an overstep by the Environmental Protection Agency and would unnecessarily hurt businesses and cost jobs. The Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday saying the new guidelines must be suspended until the legal challenges are resolved. A lower court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, is due to hear arguments in the case in June, and the Supreme Court itself could end up considering the matter later. Texas and West Virginia, which are two of the leading carbon-producing states, led the legal challenge. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the Supreme Court's action a "major victory" for people who feared losing their jobs or seeing energy prices rise. "The Obama Administration clearly exceeded its authority in imposing this plan, which would cost taxpayers and consumers alike hard-earned money in exchange for less reliable service," Paxton said. West Virginia's Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said the ruling protects workers while "saving countless dollars." The White House said in August its projections showed the plan would save average households $85 dollars a year on their electric bills by 2030. In addition to cutting carbon emissions, the program would increase the amount of energy that is produced by renewable sources such as solar and wind. In a statement Monday, spokesman Josh Earnest said the White House disagrees with the Supreme Court order and remains confident it will prevail in the legal battle. "The Clean Power Plan is based on a strong legal and technical foundation, gives states the time and flexibility they need to develop tailored, cost-effective plans to reduce their emissions, and will deliver better air quality, improved public health, clean energy investment and jobs across the country, and major progress in our efforts to confront risks posed by climate change," he said. Environmental groups also expressed their support for taking further action against climate change following the court's ruling. "Tonight's Supreme Court decision has delayed the implementation of the Clean Power Plan while we are running out of time to combat climate change," said Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth Action. Bob Perciasepe, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, said there is "no reason to halt progress and innovation" while waiting for a resolution of the court cases. "Whether or not the court ultimately upholds this particular rule, the need to cut carbon emissions will remain, and states need to figure out the most cost-effective ways to do that," he said. "It's in everyone's interest that states keep at it, because whether it's the Clean Power Plan or some other policy, they'll need smart strategies to get the job done." Even before the president issued the new regulations, power companies across the U.S. had already begun converting their energy generation away from coal to rely more on natural gas, solar and wind. As a result, carbon emissions from coal-burning power plants fell by 13 percent nationwide between 2011 and 2013, according to government data. A South Korean government official has confirmed that North Korea's military chief has been executed on corruption and other charges. Army General Ri Yong Gil, the chief of staff of the Korean People's Army, was put to death last week, according to the official. The details of his death were not revealed. The general was also charged with abuse of power and pursuing personal gain. He assumed the post in 2013 and had become one of leader Kim Jong Un's closest advisors, accompanying him on inspection tours of army units and factories. Speculation on his fate grew after he missed a meeting of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party. Ri's execution is the latest in a line of officials who have been purged by Kim Jong Un since he assumed power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il. In January of last year, he reportedly executed General Pyon In Son, head of operations for the army, for disagreeing with him, while in May he purged his defense minister Hyon Yong Chol, supposedly for dozing off at a rally. Lawyers for South African President Jacob Zuma have admitted the president erred by not paying back at least some of the $15 million in government money used to pay for upgrades at his private home. The admission came in front of South Africa's Constitutional Court, which is considering whether the president disobeyed the country's public protector when he refused to pay. Last year, President Jacob Zuma angered opponents when he defied an order to pay back $15 million used for upgrades at his home in KwaZulu-Natal province. The upgrades included a swimming pool, an ampitheater and a chicken run. Lawyers for two opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters, told the court Tuesday by refusing to pay Zuma undermined the office of the public protector. Zumas legal team agreed, saying the president is now ready to pay at least part of the money if the court rules he must. Both teams also agreed the orders of the public protector are binding and have to be carried out, except in cases where they are under court review. The sides are now waiting for the court's ruling in the case. Lawyer William Trengove, who represented the Economic Freedom Fighters, is confident judges will rule in their favor. "Every single matter that we wanted a ruling on has been now traversed in court and we got a distinct impression and setting from the line of questioning of the justices that we are going to get at least, if not all the orders we want, then at least the most important ones," said Trengove. Democratic Alliance spokesperson Refiloe Ntsekhe welcomed Zuma's admission he disregarded the public protector. "We think Mr. Zuma should actually just go to prison. He still has the 700 charges, which were basically put under the carpet. He needs to step down and then face the music with those 700 charges," said Ntsekhe. There was no public reaction from the president, who was not in court Tuesday. Outside the court, thousands of opposition supporters demonstrated against the president. Legal experts say a ruling forcing Zuma to pay back the money would not only be a victory for the opposition, but would also strengthen the position of those who want him impeached. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is fast approaching his 92nd birthday, on February 21st, and as in past years, it promises to be quite a high-priced bash, expected to cost US$800, 000. While many are happy about the Presidents continued long life, theres some disgruntlement from certain areas, where cash-strapped and struggling citizens are finding out that they have to contribute to the party, despite having no source of income to feed even their own families. This is the situation some residents in Masvingo Province said they are currently being confronted with. Villagers and rural teachers in the province told VOAs Studio 7, that leaders from the ruling Zanu-PF party have instructed village heads and headmasters to collect between $1 and $7 from locals, to help meet the $800, 000 target for the lavish birthday party to be held at the Great Zimbabwe monuments. The villagers said forcing them to contribute money for the one day event was not logical as their families were staring massive starvation in the face due to severe food shortages caused by the El Nino linked drought. Tedious Makore of Chimombe in Gutu said he is very angry with the ruling party as his family was struggling to afford two decent meals per day. We are not happy actually if you look at the economic conditions things are tight. We cant afford money for food and send our kids to school but we are forced to fund a party for someone who is moneyed, said Chimombe, adding that this is not fair. Another villager who did not give his name, said he was surprised that the party could force them to fund the bash that they are never invited to, at a time their cattle were succumbing to the severe drought. I feel very disturbed by this. I myself have never celebrated my birthday since I was born, but right now I am being forced to fund someones birthday. Right now I cant cater for myself and my family and I am losing my cattle with nothing to do, the villager said. Teachers said Zanu-PF officials met their district education officers who in turn instructed headmaster to collect the money from them. Resisting the move, the teachers argued that their salaries were too low for them to afford to contribute. The teachers also complained that Zanu-PF was being insensitive to their reality, as they know that they did not receive their bonuses last year. A teacher from Zaka who declined to be named for fear of victimization, said they were forced to pay $5 despite the fact that they were living from hand to mouth. Recently some party official came and had a meeting with our head. After that he called for a meeting with us and told us to contribute money towards the party. They said they are going to note our names down if we dont pay and we are afraid. But this is not fair considering our low salaries. Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), President Takvafira Zhou confirmed the development, and said it was illegal to force teachers to pay for the Presidents bash. We have received information to the fact that teachers are being forced in Gutu, Zaka, Chivi, and Bikita to pay extortionary money to fund the Presidents bash, said Zhou. We have communicated to teachers to tell them that they must not pay that money, we are also writing to government to express our dismay. We want teachers to be treated professionally, Zhou said. When reached for comment by phone, Zanu-PF party chairman for Masvingo Province, Ezra Chadzamira, refuted the allegations, saying his party does not rely on funds donated by the poor, referring to the villagers and teachers. The bitter succession rivalries in Zanu PF were threatening to unravel following the bussing in of thousands of Zanu PF loyalists ahead of a tense politburo meeting in Harare Wednesday. However, the tensions between the rival factions fizzled out when President Robert Mugabe called the perceived rival camps to order. Speaking at a mini rally organized by the Women' league before Zanu PF's crucial Politburo Mugabe acknowledged that there was violence that prevented some members of the party from attending the meeting and he deplored the violence. Hurungwe East Member of Parliament, Sarah Mahoka, said it was high time that Mnangagwa also known by his supporters as Ngwena declares if he has Presidential ambitions. President Mugabe did not directly respond to Mahokas assertions but acknowledged that the factional wars with the party had been discussed at Tuesdays cabinet, adding todays Politburo meeting would discuss the issue that has threatened to tear the party apart. In a long winding speech, Mugabe thanked the organizers of the gathering that had been threatened of disruption by war veterans. Mahoka, an alleged Grace Mugabe ally also denigrated those wearing T- shirts with the crocodile symbol, known to be Mnangagwas emblem and said this was furthering divisions in the party. Mahoka also attacked the Herald newspaper which she accused of fanning factionalism. She also accused permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information George Charamba of misusing his position to push his own agenda. Mahoka pleaded with Mr. Mugabe to discipline both Charamba and the Herald newspaper that is increasingly being accused by one rival faction of being used by the one said to be sympathetic to vice president Mnangagwa. You will die in a house. These things you are seeking will get you killed. We support the President and the leadership chosen at congress. We are not saying Mnangagwa should be removed but he must not sit there like a duck while his people violate us, Mahoka said. Zanu PF's women's league President who is also President Grace Mugabes wife also discouraged factionalism in the Party. Grace Mugabe also revealed that she is living in fear after the alleged attempted bombing of his Alpha Omega Dairy by members of a fringe political party called Zimbabwe Peoples Front whose leader was yesterday jailed for nine years for the attempted bombing of the first familys property. "There are some people who think that because they went to school to learn those big words they are better than others," she said. While Mr Mnangagwa was not given any time to respond to the women's League allegations some of the Zanu Pf supporters who attended the rally said there was no problem in having presidential ambitions.One such person is Farai Nyemba Another Zanu PF supporter, Timothy Moyo however told Studio 7 that the VP should indeed come out especially for his constituency and declare his aspirations War veterans leader, Chris Mutsvangwa had sais they were going to disrupt the mini-rally and stop education minister, Jonathan Moyo from attending the politburo meeting. Factionalism has rocked the ruling party resulting in social media wars among some senior members who are said to be positioning themselves in the event that Mugabe leaves office. The watchdog group, Transparency International-Zimbabwe is cautiously lauding the governments anti-corruption drive, which now enables members of the public to unanimously report cases of corruption, particularly by law enforcement agents. Transparency international, which monitors levels of corruption around the world and releases annual ratings of the scores, ranked Zimbabwe 150 out of 168 countries in the world, in 2015. Loughty Dube who heads TI-Zimbabwe said the move is a step in the right direction. Its a commendable exercise in the sense that we are just getting a commitment from government, said Dube. To enable citizens to participate in bringing down corruption, Zimbabwe last week issued out so called green cards with phone numbers for various sections, including the Office of the Attorney General, the Judicial Service Commission, the Prosecuting Authority, the Prison Services and the Law Society of Zimbabwe, where the public can report incidents of corruption. But Dube said the problem is not that citizens dont know what to do or where to go to report corruption, but that the offices responsible are ineffective. They do know, said Dube. Theyve seen that when theyve tried to report in the past nothing has happened and people have just come to the conclusion that whatever is obtaining has the support of the government, the corruption that we see is supported by the government. Even with the new efforts by government to encourage the public to be more forthcoming with incidents of corruption, Dube said he doubts many will respond. From experience, I do not see them now all of a sudden thinking that the government is committed to dealing with corruption, and theyll start coming up and exposing it, said Dube. I think theyll be a bit of skepticism drawn from previous experience that ultimately whatever they say or do, nothing will happen. Dube argues that it will take a lot for the public to take the governments anti-corruption stance even after the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Commision, which itself has been spotted for gross corruption. The Commissions chief executive Ngonidzashe Gumbo was last year found guilty of defrauding the commission of more than US$400,000. Dube said thats the extent government has shown its effectiveness. They (government) have failed to deal with corruption, and the only instance when they tried to do that, we saw commissioners being arrested, Dube said. Transparency International aims to stop corruption and promote transparency, accountability and integrity at all levels across all sectors of society, according to its web site. Twenty female entrepreneurs from Zimbabwe will leave the country Saturday for a a week-long trade visit to exchange ideas their Dutch business counterparts, in the Netherlands. Organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands in partnership with ZimTrade , Zimbabwe's trade promotion organisation, the trade visit will draw entrepreneurs from different sectors including agriculture and horticulture, events management and waste management. Deputy Head Of Mission Anne-Sietske Brinks said the trade mission is important as it will create sustainable capacity for the female entrepreneurs, while showcasing what Zimbabwe has to offer international markets. "The trade visit has different components there is a training element to it, which for a day the business women will be practicing elevated pitches and on-line marketing, there will be visiting companies in the Netherlands that have shown interest in their products or possibly partnering with them, they will be match making there will be themed dinners around innovations and new guidelines for import so what we trying to do is to make a complete program for them in order to enhance the bilateral trade between the two countries," said Brinks. Asked why the trade delegation comprised only women, Brinks said the trade visit's aims were two fold, firstly to promote trade between the two countries in line with the Aid Trade Agenda the Dutch government adopted a few years ago. "Besides stimulating trade, we wanted to advance the position of women within Zimbabwe, and while progress has been made over the past years there remains a lot of space for further improving the opportunities for women across the country," said Brinks. "To further these goals the selected female entrepreneurs have been selected to come to the Netherlands and experience first-hand how we do business. We really hope this will lead to more co-operation between Dutch and Zimbabwean companies," Brinks added. Further, Brinks said the Dutch mission selected entrepreneurs with thriving businesses in sectors that were relevant to the Netherlands and that would be agriculture and horticulture, food and creative industry and these are three industries the Dutch Government has labelled top sector. "We expect the trade mission will lead to a win/win situation where Dutch expertise means Zimbabwean needs and vice versa, and there are also companies from the construction industry, and travel and tours amongst others," concluded Brinks. Zimbabwes National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) has toned down its rhetoric to block Education Minister Jonathan Moyo and National Commissar Savior Kasukuwere from attending the ruling Zanu-PF partys weekly meeting of the decision-making body, the politburo. The groups Secretary General, Victor Matemadanda told VOAs Zimbabwe Service that it was reassessing its plans, after learning that Kasukuwere and the partys womens league, also plan to demonstrate against Vice President Emmerson Mnangangwa, ZNLWVA chairman Christopher Mutsvangwa, and also Presidential spokesperson George Charamba, as reported by the state run Herald. Kasukuwere and the womens league were reportedly organizing buses that would bring hundreds of them to the capital, to put up a stiff fight against the efforts to block their entry into the meeting. Matemadanda said they have to be careful not to pit war veterans against fellow party supporters, specially women. They are trying to use a strategy whereby they are going to cause our women to fight war veterans. They would do that because as they are coming, theyve not been told exactly what they are coming for, said Matemadanda. You see war veterans cannot be seen to be fighting their own supporters, he said. Reports of factionalism in the party have continued to grow with every week, escalating at times to public slinging of words, as happened recently between Education Minister Moyo and ZNLWVA chairman Mutsvangwa, who questioned each others war credentials, and parentage. The factionalism is reportedly split between supporters of First Lady Grace Mugabe who call themselves the G40, and those supporting Vice President Mnangagwa, referred to in some reports as Team Lacoste. The apparent factionalism reached its peak in 2014 ahead of the partys annual Congress, which resulted in the expulsion of former Vice President Joyce Mujuru and many other members accused of aligning with her in her plans to unseat President Mugabe. Despite several shakeups, allegations of factionalism have continued to circulate in the party, drawing calls from even President Mugabe for the divisions to stop. Matemadanda said hes counting on President Mugabe to address the divisions and bring the party back to normalcy. The president is going to preside over the politburo meeting, and we are looking forward to seeing solutions being offered as towards these problems, said Matemadanda, and maybe we might see sanity from there on wards. An estimated crowd of about 10-thousand is expected to attend the politburo meeting, according to the Herald. Its Sorkin time! Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images Aaron Sorkin is returning to Broadway with a stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, producer Scott Rudin announced on Wednesday. The production will be directed by The King and Is Bartlett Sher, with no word on a premiere date or location. Harper Lees novel was previously adapted for the stage by Christopher Segel, in productions in New Jersey and London, but the West Wing creators version will be Mockingbirds Broadway debut. Sorkin is a perfect match for the iconic novel, which is, of course, the story of an older man explaining liberal values to a young woman. Cover of the Better Call Saul superhero comic. Courtesy of AMC. Photo: AMC In the first season of Better Call Saul, we saw Bob Odenkirks Jimmy McGill before he assumed his alter ego as sleazy superlawyer Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad, who antiheroically pursues half-truths, shady justice, and the tax-dodging American way. In advance of Mondays second-season premiere, AMC has released a bizarre and delightful online comic wherein Saul, clad in a Superman-esque cape, flies around Albuquerque to combat some rowdy youths. Its written by Jenn Carroll and Gordon Smith, and features artwork by Steve Ellis. This is actually the second Better Call Saul comic, after last years more realistic Better Call Saul: Client Development. The new caped-crusader series will be told in six parts and released bi-weekly. You can read the whole first installment on AMCs website right now. Up, up, and away (to a plea bargain)! Photo: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images Among other things, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story reminds us of a time in American culture when the name Kardashian sounded foreign. The point is driven home in episode two, as the young Kardashian children watch TV reporters mispronounce their fathers name during a press conference. Kardashian! Kardashian! Kardashian! they chant from home. Its a harmless embellishment designed to drive home the point: Things have changed. The press conference scene in and of itself was anything but humorous in real life. O.J. Simpsons loyal friend, the late Robert Kardashian, somberly took to the cameras to read what he believed was Simpsons suicide note as Simpson and his friend A.C. Cowlings drove up and down Los Angeles freeways in a white Ford Bronco. David Schwimmer, who plays Kardashian, says he was drawn to the project because it presents new insights into the people involved in the case. We only knew the half of it, and that half was really dramatic and incredibly memorable, but this show really shows the other half of what was going on behind the scenes, and the humanity, how personal it was for all of the players involved. Every single persons life was changed by this ordeal. Schwimmer spoke to Vulture about what drew him to Robert Kardashian. When you were approached for the role, you had to think about it. What were your concerns after you read the first two scripts? I thought it was incredibly well-written, and I was intrigued by who Robert was because I really didnt know anything about him. Thats why I was hesitant. I didnt know who he was, and I needed to do my homework. So I talked to [executive producer Ryan Murphy] and the writers and [executive producer Nina Jacobson] and [executive producer Brad Simpson] to understand a little better what Roberts dramatic arc in the series was, and what his journey was. It seemed to be centered around his faith: his faith in God, his faith in O.J.s innocence, and his faith in his own friendship with O.J. And once I realized that was the journey and it comes to a point in episodes seven and eight where he has a crisis of faith, and hes suddenly uncertain about everything that, I thought, was really moving to me. I also thought it was really interesting that Robert is the only person who has nothing to gain. When I heard Ryan say that, I realized thats extraordinary. He basically put a year of his life on hold, if not more, and was thrust inadvertently and unwittingly into the public eye. He lost a lot of friends and a lot of colleagues over the process of this trial. It was a great loss that Robert incurred from doing this, but he did it for very personal, I believe, reasons of faith. There was no upside, nothing for him to gain, like the rest of the lawyers. This was a career-making case for all of them. For Robert, he just felt that he had to be there for [O.J.]. To prepare, did you read other books or materials besides Jeffrey Toobins? [Ed. note: The series is based on Toobins 1996 best seller The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson.] There is a lot of material. Theres almost an overabundance. I didnt read Chris Dardens books, or Marcia [Clark]s. I took a peek at some other books, but Jeffreys was the most important to read, which I read twice. For me, a lot of my research was done online any article that referred to Robert or in which he was quoted. Any interview he ever gave, including his Barbara Walters interview, the archival footage of the trial, and the footage of his reading the suicide note. Those were all great and very informative. But the single greatest help was my conversation with Kris Jenner, and just hearing from her who he really was as a man, as a father, as a husband, what his character was like. That was hugely influential. We didnt know that much about him, yet we cant escape his name now. But he didnt live to see that. That, to me, is the most ironic thing about us today watching this show to learn that Robert was actually incredibly private, not a public person, and a man of great humility and loyalty and faith. It was not something he ever sought, that kind of celebrity. The irony is this terrible trial, this ordeal, this harrowing kind of experience, and the tragedy of these two innocent people being murdered, led to, completely inadvertently, his family name becoming a household name. When you were watching his interviews and studying him, was there anything you focused on speech patterns or gestures that you were really conscious of including in your performance? I wasnt trying to mimic him ever. I was more interested in his essence, his spirit, and what was really guiding him and motivating him. Thats what I was focused on. The scenes in the Encino house before O.J. leaves in the Bronco were actually filmed in Robert Kardashians former home. What was it like to film where all of that actually transpired? It was unnerving to know that the events that actually unfolded happened in the rooms we were filming in. It was a sense, for me, at least, of unease and sadness, that this could have been the room that O.J. had a gun to his head and was about to take his own life, and Robert was trying to save him. There are some very emotional and poignant scenes in the episode for Robert Kardashian. America saw him read that letter on TV, but we didnt know what he was going through at his house. It was sad to see he believed O.J. had already killed himself. What was that like to film? The thing I realized when I was in the car is that Robert really believed O.J. was dead. I had just pulled up to the house and was about to break the news to the family that, as far as Robert believed, O.J. was dead. He really believed that O.J. had every intention of killing himself and then he drove off to do so, and then no one had heard from him for hours, and Robert was hoping to save the family, and especially O.J.s kids, the shock and the indignity of learning that information from the television. He wanted to be the one, since he knew them so well and was so close to them. And, of course, as we all know, it was untrue, and Robert was more shocked than anybody. I imagine it was very painful. Was there one thing you learned about him that was most helpful to you? It was that he was a man of great faith. His relationship to God was a very personal one, and a very strong one. All of his decisions and actions were guided by that. Now that I know so much about him and what a man of great loyalty and faith and compassion he was, it makes total sense why he stuck by O.J. that entire time. Were you interested in the case back then? Absolutely, I was watching it like everyone else. It happened to be the same year we began Friends. It was a strange experience to be suddenly launched into the heightened and exciting world of this real break as an actor I was experiencing, and at the same time, remaining very aware and connected to being a resident of Los Angeles at the time. It was a time of great tension and unrest. Did you watch the Bronco chase? What do you remember about that day? Yeah. I do. A buddy of mine called me and brought it to my attention, and told me to turn on the TV. I did, and I watched. I couldnt believe it, like everyone else, catching up to it and watching it for quite a while. It was unlike anything Id experienced before and many people had experienced before. You were watching in real time the fall of an icon. It had the air about it of myth, of a Greek tragedy. This great kind of hero and icon falling, and you were watching it unfold in real time. And that was very, very troubling. Photo: Joe Lederer/Twentieth Century Fox The male lead in a new studio comedy loves unicorns and rainbows almost as much as he adores George Michaels seminal 80s band Wham! When he goes to work, he dons a form-fitting tank top emblazoned with the face of Golden Girls star Bea Arthur; at home, while casually relaxing, hes more likely to wear a T-shirt touting the musical Rent. Our protagonist has got a girlfriend, but hes not afraid to lightly flirt with a male baddie or two, and by the time the closing credits roll, hes even willing to admit that the films hunky villain is hotter than his live-in love. And while he ostensibly presents as straight, his sexual fantasies involve Tony-winning gay icon Bernadette Peters, and hes pretty open-minded in bed: In the films most memorable moment, he gets on all fours and lets his girlfriend plow him with a strap-on. Somehow, this all happens in Deadpool, a film thats aimed at 13-year-old boys and is likely to become the New Years biggest blockbuster in its opening weekend. While Deadpool is based on a comic-book superhero whos been described as pansexual, I was surprised to find just how many queer details survived the jump to the big screen, given that comedic protagonists especially those who wear superhero suits dont generally leave room for nuance. Then again, maybe I shouldnt have been so shocked: Over the last year, when it comes to the movie comedies youd expect to be stuffed with gay jokes, it seems like heteroflexibility is the new homophobia. This trend first started to pick up steam last summer, with a pair of indie comedies starring mainstream leading men whose stated sexual orientation wasnt going to get in the way of a little experimenting. In Patrick Brices The Overnight, Adam Scott and Jason Schwartzman are both married to women, but after a rambunctious, confidence-building night, one comes on to the other, and the serene make-out that follows is presented as both sweet and empowering. Things go a step further in The D Train, where nebbishy Jack Black reconnects with his high-school idol James Marsden during a business trip. After a wild night out on the town together, Marsden screws Black, but this surprise development isnt just a pit stop on the way to a traditional coming-out plotline: Blacks character is a straight family man whod rather not reprise his one-night-only walk on the same-sex side, yet still feels all sorts of complicated feelings arising from it, including an intense surge of self-esteem that the hottest jock in his high school found him sexually desirable. The fact that he got drilled actually makes him a more confident, empathetic straight guy in the end. Even studio comedies, formerly the last bastion of gay-baiting humor, have been getting in on the act. In The Night Before, released last December, Seth Rogen is a happily married man who goes on one last bender with his friends, during which he accidentally trades phones with a woman played by Mindy Kaling. Rogen is too stoned to realize the mix-up, so when Kalings phone starts blowing up with dick pics from an unknown male caller, Rogen thinks, in his drugged-up haze, theyre actually meant for him. Whats more, hes kind of intrigued by the sexual braggadocio of this sexting partner, and increasingly eager to entertain the notion that the two of them could get together. That this subplot leads to a cameo from James Franco the most heteroflexible movie star in Hollywood right now is the inevitable icing on the cake, but its Rogens casual consideration of a man-on-man hookup that proves to be the the films full-circle moment. Ten years ago, in The 40-Year-Old Virgins most famous scene, Rogen and Paul Rudd claimed that merely liking Coldplay meant that a man was gay, but now one crazy, sexual night with another man isnt necessarily out of bounds for Rogen, and its no cause for gay panic or even gay self-identification. Comedies have been inching this way for a while now think of the extended kiss between Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen that closes Talladega Nights, or the theyre-really-going-there sex scene between Bradley Cooper and Michael Ian Black in Wet Hot American Summer but Deadpools ease with being perceived as something more than straight still feels like a watershed moment. (Hes not the only movie lead this week to flirt with heteroflexibility either: Zoolander 2s Owen Wilson is willing to hook up with just about anyone, including Kiefer Sutherland, without putting too fine a point on his sexuality.) The least charitable read on this trend is that its a way for movies to have their cake and eat it, too: These films are still relying on the gay jokes that have provided a lazy punch line since time immemorial, but in a more advanced, politically correct era, the humor now comes from how far the actors are willing to take it without flinching. Its gay chicken, a way to subvert your comic expectations by fully committing to what used to be taboo. But thats progress, at least. A movie like Deadpool or The D Train may be mining can you believe were showing you this shock value for laughs, but the simple act of showing that heteroflexibility is important, and even inadvertently inclusive. The genius part of that Wet Hot American Summer subplot isnt just that they made the (surprisingly hot) Cooper/Black hookup so full-fledged that you let out a laugh, its that afterwards when you keep expecting the characters or the film itself to condemn these two gay lovebirds those expectations are continually subverted. Even the bro-iest guys at the summer camp, who aggressively call out Black and Cooper after learning of their relationship, arent actually put off by it: Instead of their callout serving as the prelude to a homophobic prank, they just wanted to get everyones attention before they give their gay friends a well-considered wedding gift. Thats one kind of joke for straight audience, and its in line with the films subversive sense of humor, but its a joke that hits home in a whole other way for gay men in the audience who are used to steeling themselves for the worst while watching a big-screen comedy. There still remain some last vestiges of homophobic cringe humor out there to keep a gay guy on guard watch a Michael Bay movie, or Will Ferrells recent misbegotten Get Hard, if you must but fortunately, those movies already feel musty, like theyre part of a bygone comic era. In new-school comedies like Deadpool, straight characters are unbothered by the traditional signifiers of gay panic, and maybe theyre even a little willing to poke the boundaries of their sexuality. Id still prefer full-fledged gay characters over occasional flashes of gay humor, but for once, its nice to feel in on the joke rather than the butt of it. And while Ive got no doubt that Deadpool would seize on that sentence-closing double entendre, at least Id be willing to trust him with its comic potential. From left: Steve Buscemi, Louis C.K., and Edie Falco in Horace and Pete. Photo: Louis CK Its fitting and funny that Louis C.K.s formal experiments would ultimately take him back in time 60 years, to the age of televised theater: Studio One, Playhouse 90, and the like. Over five seasons, he exhausted most, if not all, of the possibilities of his experimental comedy Louie including multi-episode arcs that were basically feature films broken into pieces, two of which cast other actors as his same-named alter ego. Now hes made a series thats as aggressively classical as a 21st-century TV artist can get. Horace and Pete, the surprise series C.K. released last week through his website, is old-school, save for its political and cultural references (super-recent) and its language (profane, of course this is Louis C.K.). Were it not for C.K.s roving, zooming camera and the brown-orange sets that echo stagey 1970s sitcoms like All in the Family, Horace and Pete could be performed in a community theater, for an audience seated on folding metal chairs. Theres even an intermission in the middle of each episode, and entry and exit music by Paul Simon. The first two installments take place in and above a Brooklyn bar, Horace and Petes, built in 1916 and named after several generations worth of owners, brothers, or cousins, all named Horace or Pete. C.K. plays the latest Horace, Horace Whittell VII, a 49-year-old, confrontation-averse zhlub whos not dissimilar from the character C.K. plays on Louie. Horaces dad died a while ago, and its not easy for him to bear the weight of family tradition; he has the laid-back gravity of an experienced boss but is easily flustered. Steve Buscemi plays the current Pete, Horaces cousin, who needs expensive meds to stave off psychotic outbursts. Alan Alda plays another Pete, Horace VIIs uncle, a racist, sexist, homophobic old bastard. He wants the bar to stay in the hands of a Horace or a Pete indefinitely, because thats how things have always been done. These three men Horace VII, Pete, and Uncle Pete are at the center of most of the shows big scenes. That theyre all guys locked into a century-old patriarchal succession turns out to be important. The show is about a lot of things, but a big one is the idea of tradition being nurtured for tribal reasons (continuity for continuitys sake) rather than because its really the best way to do things. The bar is a microcosm of white ethnic Brooklyn, which in turn is a microcosm of America, with its class and racial and gender wars and old-guard pushback. The shows women challenge the mens assumptions, their life choices, their mentalities. Horaces estranged daughter, Alice (Aidy Bryant), admits shes only started hanging around because she wants to condition herself to tolerate her father again. Pete the younger is a human train wreck; hes gone off his meds due to an insurance issue and is spacing out his remaining medication. It soon becomes clear that if he wasnt pressured to enter the family business, because thats what men do, he might have run the other way. When Horaces sister Sylvia shows up with her attorney and tries to take control of the bar, C.K. turns one of the series recurring subtexts into text: Do you just keep doing things as theyve always been done, come hell or high water, or do you face reality and start doing them differently? Sylvia is right to insist that Uncle Petes yammering about tradition means nothing in the face of common law, which entitles her to some say in the direction of the business that her brother and his cousin have driven almost into the ground. She also has no tolerance for Uncle Petes nostalgic veneration of generations of Whittell men. How many women have been beaten in this place? she demands. Horaces girlfriend, Rachel, is kind and sweet and supportive, but Horace still kicks her out of their shared apartment above the bar, supposedly to make space for his economically distressed daughter, but more likely because hes a self-loathing man who cant accept love. Horaces fathers last girlfriend, the curvy, whiskey-voiced Marsha (Jessica Lange), believes shes entitled to a piece of the bar, and Horace is inclined to grant it to her. But she struggles to be accepted because shes an older woman in a male-dominated bar who has the temerity to carry herself like a brassy, still-sexual dame rather than the pie-baking earth mother so many of these guys seem to crave. Class comes into play here, too. The Archie Bunkerstyle, working-class Anglo demographic represented by the Whittells has been pounded into dust. Places like Horace and Petes are increasingly viewed as irrelevant remnants of an earlier time, ill suited to modern New York, a claustrophobic open-air strip mall of cell-phone stores, Chipotles, Chase branches, and Starbuckses. Uncle Pete and Horace VII agree on little, but theyre united on the necessity of charging millennial patrons whove discovered the bar $4.50 for a glass of Bud instead of the $3 they charge regulars. A 20-something gay, Jewish patron at first assumes hes being discriminated against by homophobic anti-Semites, then realizes hes being asked to pay a douche tax because he and his pals visit dive bars to drink ironically, and ponies up. As is so often the case on Louie, many of the exchanges revolve around the language, specifically the meanings that speakers attach to whatever theyve just said and the secret agendas that the listener accuses them of harboring. The pilots very first scene finds Horace gingerly informing Pete that he left a pile of rags on the bar after closing time, which isnt usually his style; Pete grouses that hed much rather Horace tell him he did a shitty job of closing than imply hes better than that. Every five minutes theres an exchange like this. As on Louie, C.K.s characters seem incapable of looking at sentences as arrangements of subjects, verbs, and objects that mean certain basic things. Instead, they go looking for secondary meanings, hurtful schemes, disguised motives, even when theyd be better off just processing the information. This, of course, makes it harder to discuss the Big Issues affecting the family, the family business, and the country. Everyones parsing each others motivations and raging against the dying of the light and assuming the worst about everyone and everything. A defeatist shroud hangs over Horace and Pete. Most of the regular customers (including Steven Wright, who barely speaks, and Kurt Metzger, who never shuts up) are alcoholics; Uncle Pete claims the drinks are watered down for the patrons own good. Metzgers character makes a nihilistic pitch on Trumps behalf: If we vote for him, that just means we want to go down. So let us go down. Its possible that future episodes might take us to some other location (the second episode included a brief scene on a park bench), but would we notice? The whole thing feels like a rebuke to the idea that TV should be as cinematic as possible a notion that C.K.s own Louie embraced by weaving in and out of real and figurative storytelling, fracturing time, and generally not giving a damn about continuity. This new show flaunts its theatricality, not just by staging scenes of five to ten minutes in length within a single confined space, but by cutting it together so that it feels continuous even if it was shot in pieces. The mercilessly unfolding, irrefutable fact of time is a much stronger presence here than in any other current TV series. You can almost hear the clock ticking on these characters lives. Every installment of the series is written and directed by Louis C.K. This is not an unambiguously good thing. In fact, not since season two of True Detective have I seen a stronger argument in favor of writers rooms. This is not to say the show is uninteresting, much less terrible. Its good most of the time, sometimes its excellent, and its fascinating even when its not working. C.K. is an intelligent filmmaker, an intriguing actor, and a writer whos surprising and daring even when hes not putting his ideas across as well as you might want. But the magnitude of what hes attempting here often defeats him because its too big for anybody not named Orson Welles or Jackie Gleason, and because hes working in a format that usually contains the implied promise of a strong narrative but seems constitutionally averse to telling stories with traditional beginnings, middles, and ends, much less gracefully structured setups and payoffs. Here and there it seems as though C.K. wants to be the great American storyteller without being weighed down by the responsibility of having to tell a story. The combination of a hermetically sealed setting and no-fuss filmmaking is spot-on, but scene for scene, the shows scripts are a mess as lumpy as a typical half-hour of Louie, but without the insurance policy of knowing youre watching a filmmaking laboratory where the point is to throw stuff at the wall and see if it sticks. (Though apparently this show, too, is a kind of lab; the dialogue about the presidential primary in the pilot suggests it was filmed days before it was released on C.K.s site.) The result is a show that looks and moves like a tight one-act play adapted by people with film sense (some parts evoke John Frankenheimers 1973 film version of Eugene ONeills The Iceman Cometh, likewise set in a New York dive bar) but thats yoked to scripts that feel not-quite-there even when theyre sinking roots into your imagination. The actors are terrific especially Alda, whose sneering, hateful character would be insufferable if not played by an actor who seems ecstatically committed to each syllable. But they all struggle at times with half-baked notions, poorly shaped confrontations that end with people screaming whatever they want or mean at top volume, and dialogue that ranges from Arthur Milleresque (Please let me use you so that I dont die, Sylvia beseeches Horace) to subMarried With Children (Dont forget to bring your fat daughter some elephant food). Too much of the show may remind you of the experience of being trapped in a bar with shrill drunks who arent anywhere near as fascinating as they seem to think. Still, the series lingers in the mind. With its hurts and silences, its yellow-brown lighting and oak-and-sawdust textures, and its sense of impending doom, it is unlike anything else that calls itself American television. And theres something inspirational about ordering this Eisenhower-era kitchen-sink stage play for 2016 on your phone or laptop, sitting through an hour of profane, masochistic psychodrama, then getting an email with the subject header, Louis C.K. has charged you $5. What gall, and bravo. Malcolm-Jamal Warner (right) and Cuba Gooding Jr. in the Bronco-car-chase scene. Photo: FX For two days last May, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Malcolm-Jamal Warner journeyed up and down a Los Angeles freeway in a white Ford Bronco, re-creating one of the most bizarre days in modern American history the 1994 summer afternoon that 95 million Americans stopped what they were doing to watch as fallen hero and suspected murderer O.J. Simpson appeared to flee justice, on live television. By the end of it, Gooding Jr., who stars as Simpson on FXs The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, felt like he was having a nervous breakdown, and Warner, who plays Simpsons devoted lifelong friend Al A.C. Cowlings, the man driving the Bronco in tonights episode, was very drained. For Los Angeles motorists, it was disturbing moment of deja vu. Officials allowed the closing of a mile-long southbound section of the 710 freeway near California State University, Los Angeles, but the northbound lanes remained open. Four car accidents happened as a result. People didnt know what the fuck they were seeing, Gooding Jr. said. Even though there were some camera cranes, [the cameras] were mainly inside the Bronco. People were like, Look! Whats happening? The production team spent a weekend filming the Bronco, which was tailed by a dozen police cars traveling about 40 mph on an otherwise deserted highway. Theres something eerie about looking in the rearview mirror and seeing [a bunch] of cop cars with their lights flashing behind you, said Warner, who did all of his own driving. An estimated 170 crew members and 200 extras worked to pull off the emotionally charged scene, while director Ryan Murphy spent the two-day shoot inside a follow van alongside executive producers Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson, an assistant director, a cinematographer, a cameraman, and a sound tech, all watching the action from inside the Bronco on small monitors. It was quite harrowing. Ryan couldnt wait to get out of the van, said Brad Simpson (World War Z), who distracted Murphy by playing 90s hits, including TLCs Waterfalls and Ace of Bases The Sign. Its a very peculiar sensation because youre right behind [the Bronco], but all you can see is whats on the camera, said Jacobson (The Hunger Games). Youre all crammed in together. Youre not going to, but it feels at times as though youre going to crash. Its a little bit like when youre driving in a garage with a low ceiling and you feel like you have to duck. Murphy used walkie-talkies to tell the actors what he needed from them. By then, production was a month into filming, and Gooding Jr. said he and Murphy had developed a shorthand communication. The intense scenes, which called for the actor to cry, point a gun at his head, and portray utter anguish, turned out to be the toughest of the series, Gooding Jr. said. Two days of crying with a gun in your mouth was brutal, Gooding Jr. said. Cuba Gooding Jr. in Tuesday nights episode, The Run of His Life. Photo: FX This take, I need you emotional because you might have done it, Gooding recalled Murphy saying. Or, This take, I want you frustrated because you think your son did it. It would send me into an emotional state. I was ready to go anywhere he wanted me or needed me to go at any time. It was one of the things where, as I walked towards the Bronco, I almost started to shake. I think of it now and it puts me in a frame of mind. When I see the backseat, that leather. The series creators relied on recorded conversations between Simpson and Cowlings and the police during the eight-hour law-enforcement debacle to frame the events in the episode. For the rest, they and the actors used their imaginations to craft Simpsons unraveling and Cowlings panicked state. Culturally, we were all so obsessed with [the chase] at such a superficial level, and yet the idea of what was actually happening inside the car went well beyond anything that anyone might have imagined at the time, Jacobson said. To have that emotional access to those characters and get beyond the spectacle was the goal. Even from inside the follow van, Jacobson was struck by what she was seeing on the monitors. The way Cuba plays it, youre just so aware this is a guy who knows that no matter what happens, the life he had is over. He loved being the Juice, she explained. In that scene, Cuba really captured the enormous sense of loss and tragedy, and the suicidal component. Some of the action in the car, especially the actor close-ups, were filmed at a nearby lot at Cal State with the aid of a process trailer, a stationary platform that is pulled by another vehicle, which did not require Warner to drive. When they were on the freeway, Warner drove the Bronco back and forth as they tried to land the scene where Simpson breaks down crying, I should die I dont know what is happening why is this happening to me? I dont understand I had such a beautiful family, Nicole and Sydney and Justin. Camera cranes were used to capture overhead and sweeping shots. We did it over and over and over again, so I knew theyd have plenty of footage to choose from, Warner laughed. We wanted to shoot it in one piece so you get the performance and [dont] break it up, Jacobson said. But we only had one mile of freeway to work with, so we had to get the timing right. It took a symphony of logistics and craft and artistry of the entire crew and both actors. It was so grueling for both Cuba and Malcolm. They just gave it their all. But the conclusion of the two-day shoot didnt mark the end of Gooding Jr. and Warners time with the Bronco. They spent another couple of days filming the Broncos arrival at Simpsons Rockingham mansion and the scenes in the driveway. Cuba and I would see the truck and wed be like, Not the Bronco again, Warner said. Not the Bronco again! We spent way too much time in that truck. Look, PLL. Im not asking for any of these episodes to make sense. Not in this real world, where I reside, and certainly not in the Rosewood world, where the space-time continuum is a mere suggestion that characters can obey or ignore at will. Im not even asking for a solution to the mystery mysteries? of who A is at any given moment, or how Ali managed to talk to so many people on the night she was killed, or how all the moms got out of that basement. But please, if youre going to be insane, for the love of Ashley Marin, be insanely entertaining! Anyway, the girls are ostensibly getting together to take down A by using the same tricks that never worked in high school lying inconsistently, jumping to conclusions, tampering with evidence, not going to the police but at least theyre in it together? Time to take no prisoners in this weeks Pretty Little Power Rankings. 1. Caleb (last week: 9) THE T-SHIRT RETURNS. 2. Emily (last week: 1) I love her on-character reaction to Hanna referring to all parents by their first names. Of course Hanna would start doing this the second it became borderline-appropriate, and of course Emily will never be comfortable with it. Anyway, Emily has to take hormones, gets that egg removal procedure, has a fear fantasy where Sad Robyn jabs her with a needle for reasons unclear, and then A/evil emoji leaves her a carton of eggs thats all, Do what I say or Ill take your eggs. Maybe were crossing a weird line here? I kind of feel like we have. 3. Ashley Marin (last week: 2) Another great dress, another slick exit, another disaster averted. 4. Hanna (last week: 3) Hanna tells Jordan she cant drive back with him because she needs to be by a landline since reception on the turnpike is bad. That is nope. In what alternate reality is Hanna Marin going to perch by a landline phone all day, like some girl from the ancient past (ca. 1994) who is hoping her boyfriend will call? Whatever, Jordan is distracted by how they stayed up having sex all night. Good for these two beautiful, blonde soul mates. Hanna quits her job in a blaze of righteous rage, and approximately 20 seconds later, she realizes three things: She will be blackballed in the fashion world. She should have just apologized. She left behind her panda mug. I respect how quickly Hanna gets to the most important issue on the table: the fate of her New York Times wedding announcement, and how she will need to come up with something better than unemployed before her Vows column goes to print. Honestly, Hanna is pretty obnoxious to Ashley about the backup security tapes, especially considering Hanna is kind of a guest in her mothers home, and she is once more, with feeling engaging in criminal behavior to save Hanna from that orange-jumpsuit life. 5. Aria (last week: 13) Owns a selfie stick. Also, reminiscent of how these girls made fun of Jenna for not being able to see when they were the ones who blinded her, Aria cracks a joke about Sad Robyn learning how to make hospital corners with her teeth. 6. Ali (last week: not ranked) Wears a strapless dress with a cardigan to work at a high school. Still dont know what shes up to, or how anyone is supposed to feel about her, or if she is a good person, or, really, anything. All I know is that I miss the complicated, difficult, cutthroat teen she used to be. Why is she cowering in front of Sad Robyn? Ali should stand on that desk like, I AM YOUR O.G., AND I WILL BE RESPECTED AS SUCH. 7. Spencer (last week: 7) We dont know if this is A, Spencer says of the text messages that are exactly similar in tone and timing as all the text messages the girls have been receiving from A since the dawn of this series 10,000 years ago. It could be anybody. Anywhere. Hiding in plain sight. So it could be A, because thats what A is? This is just the beginning of Spencers very un-Spencer-like idiocy: She follows up with a real genius gem, saying, Maybe Sad Robyn is signing her texts with emoji because an image is easier to send, which is patently ridiculous because you still have to type to send emoji. In fact, it is harder to send them, since you have to take the extra step to switch keyboards, and then scroll around until you find the picture youre looking for. (Even if we assume the devil emoji is in As frequently used section, she still has to tap away from the ABC page to get there.) Spencer also makes really weak metalworking metaphors about her distrust of the outside world telling secrets to the one person she shouldnt be telling secrets to, like the guy from Stillwater and then swipes Yvonnes phone, a move you just know will come back to destroy her. Swanky lingerie, though. I find it hard to believe that she owns it at all, or that she would bust it out on a random Tuesday, but sure. 8. Mona (last week: not ranked) So underutilized! More Mona! Bring her back, and give her something better to do than Yvonnes dirty work. 9. Emilys doctor (last week: not ranked) Weve seen our fair share of incompetent medical professionals in Rosewood, but I dont know that anything matches this fine M.D. telling Emily who just underwent a major, invasive medical procedure that theres been an unforeseen development, when what she really means is, That couple you were going to donate to doesnt need your eggs anymore. That is not the language you use, doc! It sounded like she was about to tell Emily theyd sliced her uterus in half and shed never be able to have kids, or something. And then the doctor is like, Well, you could destroy them or freeze them, as if theres no door No. 3, when the obvious solution to this not-particularly-dire problem is for Emily to just donate her eggs to someone else. When Emily suggests this, the doctor seems genuinely stunned at the idea that the eggs dont need to be iced or offed, and goes to fetch the paperwork in a daze. 10. Sad Robyn (last week: not ranked) I really did laugh out loud at this chick lurking around Rosewood High in broad daylight. You just know that five years in the future, after all the teen-centric murder thats happened round these parts, plus general paranoia about school shootings and/or terrorism, there would be much better security at this school. At the very least, the doors would lock and you wouldnt be able to get inside without someone from a main office buzzing you in. Anyway, shes cosplaying as Jessica Jones and does the quickest about-face I think weve ever seen on this show: I didnt realize you worked here, she tells Ali. A single beat. I knew you worked here. Well, theres some valuable dialogue! So glad that stayed in the script. (Did they use a first draft by mistake? And did they realize the mistake halfway through shooting, but it was too late to fix, so they just rolled with it?) 11. Jordan (last week: 6) Still handsome, still boring. 12. Yvonne (last week: 11) Still boring. 13. Claudia (last week: not ranked) This character is such a wasted opportunity. Weve seen the whole harried, demanding, high-power fashion boss thing 8 billion times. If you arent going to top Devil Meryl, dont even bother. 14. Byron (last week: 14) Im going to address the improbably named Byron directly, as I want to be certain he hears me: So you thought it was a good idea to literally sit in the dark like, total darkness, in your own house, even though you are so close to a lamp that you could reach out and turn it on without even shifting your weight on the couch waiting for Aria to get home, so you could greet her by saying, Did I scare you? Did you forget the part where your daughter has severe PTSD and is, yet again, not-so-tangentially involved in a recent homicide? Was it worth it for the not-exactly-romantic reveal that youre re-engaged to her mom? Was Ella just, like, chilling around the corner, also in the dark, waiting for you to say, Ive been seeing someone before she entered? What? Why? No. 15. Doctor Elliott (last week: not ranked) Who even are you? Lingering concerns: Ugh, how do we feel about the fact that Spencer has an Apple Watch? Has the show ever referred to Spencer and Aria as Team Sparia before this episode? Where do we think Aria is now? Ive been pushed around by a lot worse than you, J From John Patrick Shanleys Prodigal Son, at City Center. Photo: 2016 Joan Marcus A playwright enters dangerous territory when he attempts to dramatize his struggle to become an artist: a struggle that is supposedly resolved, or at least justified, by the artistry he now puts before us. When the play turns out to be less than thrilling as was the case, for instance, with A.R. Gurneys What I Did Last Summer the disproportion between the setup and the result risks bathos, if not ridiculousness. John Patrick Shanley has often seemed on the verge of this sort of self-parody even in nonautobiographical works, like Doubt, that take dramatic fiction as close to the electrified fence of narcissism as possible without getting electrocuted. But that propinquity to danger is also where his power lies, a tricky problem that animates and partly defeats Prodigal Son, the latest of 11 plays of his to be produced by Manhattan Theatre Club. Telling the story of the two teenage years he spent at the Thomas More School in Harrisville, New Hampshire, years that confirmed him in his artistic path, it displays all of his mature talents for moral inquiry, rich dialogue, and compelling scene-making and not incidentally creates a role that the 20-year-old actor Timothee Chalamet is able to knock out of the park. But Prodigal Son, like its biblical namesake, is also a mopey and vexing testament to the confusions of self-regard. Trying to climb that electrified fence has apparently shorted some of Shanleys circuits. Chalamet tall, flat, floppy-haired, and dreamy-eyed plays Shanleys stand-in, Jim Quinn, a tortured smart-aleck misfit from the Bronx. Its easy to see why he was kicked out of all his previous schools: He is (as Shanley describes himself in that period) rather violent, a bit delusional, hungry for all kinds of things, and wild-eyed as a rescue dog. But he is also deeply read, an original philosopher, a budding poet, and a questing soul: in short, the kind of kid sensitive adults want to save, seeing in him their own youthful struggles reflected, or sometimes just projected. In this way, Jim first comes to the notice of Alan Hoffman, a lonely literature teacher at Thomas More: During a game of charades at an Opus Dei retreat, the boy correctly guesses The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam after one clue. Next, the schools headmaster, Carl Schmitt, offers Jim a scholarship despite his terrible grades; the unformed but bright boy presents a challenge but also a sop to his idealism. Eventually the headmasters wife, Louise, befriends Jim, too, with tea and sympathy (if no sex) and encouragement of his critical thinking in semiprivate poetry seminars. (Jim doesnt like The Waste Land because T.S. Eliot looks like an undertaker.) As long as Jim is blossoming in the sunshine of his mentors liberality a liberality that allows him to try on new identities every minute this is vastly amusing: Jim: I am Rafael Sabatini. Louise: But if that was your name then youd be Italian. Jim: Or Siegfried Sassoon. Louise: The poet? Jim: Yes. Louise: Whats wrong with James Quinn? Jim: Come on. What is James Quinn when compared with Rafael Sabatini or Siegfried Sassoon? Louise: I think James Quinn is a fine outline, and its up to you to fill it in. Jim: I think my parents named me to work in the Sanitation Department. But soon enough, the faith of all three adults in Jim and, through him, in their Catholic mission is sorely tested by his various self-inflicted scrapes involving alcohol and apostasy. (He concludes that Jesus, like Thomas More, was a suicide by proxy.) By the time Hes the most interesting mess we have this year devolves into His struggle is taking up a lot of room, the play has reached a murky depth of perplexity from which, unlike Doubt, it cant seem to find its way back to the surface. I dont even know whom Im criticizing when I say, in teacherly fashion, that the work is promising but undisciplined; is that Jims fault, or Shanley the playwrights, or Shanley the directors? (This is one of those cases that confirms the conventional wisdom of not directing ones own work.) Another intelligence, not so in love with the authors, might have helped him prune deadwood, focus the narrative, avoid the whirlpools of narcissism, and possibly even eliminate the interstitial narration that too directly pleads for indulgence. In particular, Shanley appears to have come too close to the heart of his self-regard as the play reaches its climax in a crucial scene that tries to merge past and present, drama and commentary, naturalism and something very like a seance. Its very moving, but its hard to like where its moving, as you begin to realize that the rabbit Shanley is hastily pulling out of the hat is himself. Chalamet, recently a featured player on Showtimes Homeland but making his first New York stage appearance in Prodigal Son, very nearly makes even this work; despite all the difficulties of the role not just capturing Jims pinwheel emotions but calibrating the right Bronx accent his is one of the most accomplished debuts Ive seen in years. Chris McGarry, a Shanley regular, is equally powerful in the much less showy role of the brush-cut headmaster, and Robert Sean Leonard as Hoffman does as much as possible with a character who doesnt make much sense to us because Shanley, still seeing his teacher through a teenagers eyes, cannot make sense of him either. That being the case, and knowing from the play that Hoffman, before he died, specifically asked Shanley not to write about him, I wonder whether this material was ill served, not just theatrically but morally, by its fully autobiographical treatment. (The names, except for Shanleys, are barely changed.) It seems that Jim and John both take Thomas Mores example too much to heart, telling too much truth, or what they imagine to be truth, for their own good. Prodigal Son is at New York City Center Stage 1 through March 20. The Baylor University Association of Black Students will host its 29th annual Black Heritage Banquet at 7 p.m. Feb. 23 in Room 250 of the Paul Foster Business Building at Baylor University. Judge Lynn Toler, host of the nationally syndicated television show Divorce Court and a regular on WeTVs Marriage Boot Camp, will be the keynote speaker. Tickets cost $20, which includes dinner, and are available at Baylors Bill Daniel Student Center. Reservation deadline is Feb. 17. For more information, call Geoffrey Griggs at 710-3004 or email Geoffrey_Griggs@baylor.edu. Friends of Peace Waco Friends of Peace will screen the climate change documentary This Changes Everything at 6 p.m. Thursday at Poppa Rollos Pizza, 703 N. Valley Mills Drive. The film presents seven portraits of communities on the front lines of the climate change struggle. A pizza and salad buffet will be provided. For more information, visit www.friendsofpeace.org. Historical commission McLennan County Historical Commission will meet at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Commissioners Courtroom at the McLennan County Courthouse. The agenda will include an item to show support for the effort to obtain a historical marker for the lynching of Jesse Washington in Waco on May 15, 1916. For more information, call Van Massirer at 486-2366 or email vmassirer@yahoo.com. Dinner and dance First Lutheran Church of Waco, 1008 Jefferson Ave., will have a Dinner, Dance and Delight fundraiser at 6 p.m. Saturday. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the event, which will include dancing, music, a photo booth and a dinner of pork loin, select sides and vegetables, and various cobblers for dessert. Tickets cost $15 for individuals, $25 for couples and $70 for a table for six. For tickets, email flcwaco@hotmail.com or call 752-4583. Parkinsons support The Heart O Texas Parkinsons and Caregivers Support Group will meet at 3 p.m. Thursday at Community Fellowship Church, 2001 N. Valley Mills Drive. Attendees will view videos from recent webinars on Parkinsons disease. The meeting is open to the public, especially people newly diagnosed with Parkinsons and their caregivers. The late Don Dwyer, who founded the Waco-based franchising empire known as The Dwyer Group, had an idea 25 years ago to give veterans returning from the Gulf War a leg up on owning a business by offering discounts on companies that fall under the Dwyer umbrella. It attracted the attention of the International Franchise Association, based in Washington, D.C., which adopted what The Dwyer Group called VetFran. Today, more than 650 companies around the country participate in the program, and about 6,000 veterans have acquired a business with its help since 2003. Franchisees helped by VetFran nationally have created 238,000 jobs, and The Dwyer Group has granted more than $2 million in discounts on company purchases in the past five years, said Mike Bidwell, CEO of the company whose headquarters sprawl across a site near Lake Brazos and University Parks Drive. Bidwell, 57, who attended a Platoon Leaders Class offered by the U.S. Marine Corps while attending the University of Arizona, said he became part of the business world after graduation instead of pursuing a career in the military. But he will never forget the lessons he learned in that limited exposure. He said The Dwyer Group sees VetFran as a reward for veterans service and a way to tap into their expertise. Were very fond of what the military does and the people they turn out, and were proud to provide the opportunity to become franchisees, Bidwell said. Ex-military typically do well in a franchising environment because it involves following a template, procedures and a proven method. And they are not afraid of hard work. The Dwyer Group oversees 11 franchising concepts, most of them in the service industry, including Mr. Rooter, Mr. Electric and Glass Doctor. It typically charges a franchising fee ranging from $35,000 to $45,000 to secure a concept and a territory, and veterans will receive a discount averaging $7,600. Veterans, like other franchisees, are responsible for providing working capital and buying their own start-up equipment, vehicles and office space. But The Dwyer Group has a list of preferred vendors who offer these items at reduced prices, and it also can finance the franchise fee. We believe that our franchise companies, being hands-on, are conducive to attracting vets, Bidwell said. Some food franchises, for example, are quite expensive and may require an investment of up to $1 million, which would make them out of reach to veterans even with our financing help. Bidwell said The Dwyer Group constantly talks up the benefits of VetFran to other member companies of the International Franchise Association that may not yet participate in the program, adding he would like to see it grow nationwide and in Texas, where 16 vets own Dwyer-backed companies. The International Franchise Association has partnered with the White House Joining Forces initiative, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to step up recruitment of veterans interested in becoming their own bosses. Jerry A. Allen Jr., 56, a native of Virginia who served 26 years in the U.S. Army before retiring in Central Texas, owns a Grounds Guys franchise from The Dwyer Group. He found himself up a tree Tuesday in Temple, cutting away mistletoe before taking a break to talk about his plans for the future. Allen, calculating figures off the top of my head, said he acquired his franchise two years ago for about $25,000, which represented a discount of about $10,000. He said he had his own lawn service in Killeen but parted with his customers while continuing to work for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. Allen said he soon realized he needed both incomes and linked up with Grounds Guys at the suggestion of a friend. He said he just hired four people. Im starting to make a good living with Grounds Guys, enough so that I may work myself out of a job at the railroad, Allen said with a laugh. More than a discount He said the discount provided by The Dwyer Group was significant enough to allow me to acquire a franchise. But beyond the reduced price, Allen said, he has access to a franchise coordinator who provides a shoulder on which to lean and others in the business who may supply tips and moral support. Mark McGaughy owns a Mr. Rooter franchise in Waco and in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and employs 31 people between the two. He is a former Marine who left the military in 1994 and went to work for the owner of a Mr. Rooter company in Dallas, later buying the franchise with financing from his former boss. Last year, he acquired the Mr. Rooter in Waco. I received two discounts, one for being an employee buying a franchise, and then I got a special deal for being a veteran, McGaughy said. I saved a significant amount, much more than a guy off the street. By paying less for a franchise, profitability is easier to accomplish. He said he pays $27,000 a month on his loan to acquire the DFW operation and secured an $85,000 loan to get started in Waco after paying cash to cover part of the expenses. Robert Cresanti, president and CEO of the International Franchise Association and a graduate of the Baylor University law school, said he expects growth in VetFran as the United States continues its drawdown of troops stationed around the world. Cresanti is a self-described military brat whose family moved often as his father pursued a career in the Air Force. He said vets have been an incredible addition to the franchising industry, whether they served in the infantry or as an F-16 mechanic on a runway. Cresanti described The Dwyer Group as a storied member of our organization and said he had the idea to launch VetFran under the leadership of the late Don Dwyer. Dwyer was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who grew up in New York but launched his franchising empire in Waco with Rainbow International, then a carpet cleaning and dyeing company. Cresanti predicted a 3.1 percent growth in the franchising sector during 2016, meaning it will create 278,000 jobs. Steve Hernandez, a McLennan County Veterans Services staff member, said he applauds VetFran for giving veterans a shot at owning a business. Hernandez said he would like to see local educational institutions get involved in training vets who may want to own a franchise but who dont have the required skills. The International Franchise Association will honor VetFran at its monthly convention scheduled later this month in San Antonio. A former secretary for the Texas High School Rodeo Association was placed on deferred probation Wednesday for stealing $100,000 from the nonprofit group. Judge Matt Johnson of Wacos 54th State District Court granted Leigh Ann Flores request for deferred probation, placing her on deferred adjudication probation for eight years and ordering her to perform 300 hours of community service. Flores attorney, Bill Morian, of Jasper, presented a check for $100,000 to state prosecutors to satisfy Flores restitution requirements. Flores, rodeo secretary for Region 10 of the Texas High School Rodeo Association, pleaded guilty in December to stealing more than $100,000 from the statewide organization from March 2007 to September 2014. Flores was living in McLennan County at the time but now lives in Athens, according to court documents. Theft of more than $100,000 but less than $200,000 is a second-degree felony. But theft from a nonprofit group enhanced the crime to a first-degree felony. Morian said Steve Dickey, the association president, and its board of directors asked the Texas Rangers to investigate after accounting irregularities were discovered. Flores, who managed the Region 10 groups books for a number of years, commingled funds from her personal account with the associations funds, including putting her paychecks and IRS refunds into the account. That caused a number of problems, he said, but Flores also admitted to misappropriating rodeo association funds when confronted by the board and a Texas Ranger. Leigh Ann Flores has been a rodeo secretary for many years and continues to be a rodeo secretary for various organizations, Morian said. She made it plain and clear from the very beginning when she was approached what she had done. The only question we had was paying back the proper amount. She is a mom and a hard worker and made a bad mistake. There is no question about that. An initial forensic audit showed Flores took $129,000, Morian said. A second audit showed the amount was closer to $96,000. As part of the plea bargain, she agreed to make $100,000 in restitution, Morian said. Caritas of Waco has launched a new initiative to help low-income veterans in the area get up on their feet after receiving a $150,000 grant from the state. Executive Director Buddy Edwards said Caritas applied for the grant from the Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans Assistance after seeing the successes of Caritas case management program, which launched in 2014. The case management program complements existing services by connecting clients to area agencies while filling gaps in service, Edwards said. With the high number of low-income veterans coming through the office, he said, the grant seemed like the perfect opportunity to expand services. There are wonderful services already in our community for veterans, he said. We feel like we can make a significant impact on these peoples lives too. We believe its going to be a very positive thing in our community. Program director Tammy Stevens said the goal is to get the low-income veterans to the point where they no longer need its assistance. Caritas, a nonprofit charity organization founded in 1967, will work with veterans to help them overcome financial, emotional, educational and employment barriers, among others, to help them become more self-sufficient. Caritas launched its case management program after receiving a more than $32,000 grant from the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation and began matching clients with a case manager to guide them through services and opportunities. Income requirements Unlike the rest of Caritas services, which offer food, clothing, household items and travel arrangements for anyone in need, the Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans Assistance comes with income requirements for participation. The program aims to help veterans who earn less than twice the federal poverty guideline. For a single individual, that amounts to $23,540 or less a year. For a family of two, it is $31,860 a year, and for a family of four, it is $48,500 a year, Stevens said. Stevens said veterans often come in needing assistance buying work clothes like steel toe boots because they recently have been hired but dont have cash in pocket to purchase what they need to begin the position. Caritas also tries to help people starting new jobs with child care. They want to do work. They need to work, but the child care doesnt kick in until theyve started working, she said. She said Caritas also focuses heavily on certification training to help connect people wanting to work with the skills needed for employment. Veterans in McLennan, Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill and Limestone counties can contact Caritas in person or by phone and schedule an appointment for the program, she said. Stevens said the group will offer pre-vocational training, assist with housing and utilities and costs associated with acquiring certifications or licenses, among other barriers. Many people who walk through the door are interested in a one-month- or six-month-long certification class to allow them to access employment on a quicker timetable, she said. Each person is given an assessment to determine whether he or she qualifies for the program, Stevens said. Clients outline goals they want to accomplish, whether in employment, education or other areas, and then are paired with a case manager. Stevens said the program is all about helping individuals reach their dreams and goals and have the vision to become what they want to be. Waco church leaders are mobilizing their congregations to help J.H. Hines Elementary School improve its academic scores this year through a new student mentoring program. J.H. Hines plans to partner with more than six churches in town through Pastors for Texas Children, a Fort Worth-based nonprofit group that advocates for public school students. Volunteers will provide one-on-one weekly visits for Hines students. Principal Tra Hall said if the majority of the churches in the area provided between five and 10 volunteers, each student would have a person to meet with each week, which could provide stability and connection for students who might not receive that at home. Hines student population sits at about 550. Wed have an army of faith-based folks that are mentoring and loving kids, Hall said. It only takes one person to be one kids leg up out of poverty. The U. S. Department of Justice website states that a Big Brothers Big Sisters of America study showed students with mentors were 46 percent less likely to use drugs while in school. Another study done by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation shows that students with mentors have higher attendance rates, better behavior and are more likely to attend college. The Rev. Ryan Butler, the associate priest for pastoral care at Christ Church Waco, said each mentor will meet with a student one-on-one each week for about 30 minutes to get to know the student and provide emotional support. So far, 10 Christ Church members have volunteered, and Butler said he expects to have more soon. Each mentor is required to receive a background check and go through an orientation program at the end of February. The idea is just to walk alongside the kids, build relationships with them, Butler said. Hall said he hopes that once mentors begin meeting with children, they will begin to see other needs the students have and step up to provide them. These mentor times are not for tutoring, because the school already has tutors coming into the school to assist with intervention, Hall said. Failing standards J.H. Hines is one of two campuses in the district that have failed state standards every year since 2011. The state did not rate districts in 2012. If the campus does not reverse its declining academic scores, it could face closure in the 2018-19 school year. The mentor program is part of a broader initiative to provide students with support beyond the classroom. The campus already has implemented counseling and behavioral improvement aides to assist students with emotional regulation and behavior management. James White, a minister at Good Samaritan Missionary Baptist Church, said he decided to participate because it provides an avenue to reach families and encourage parents to keep education as a focus in their childrens lives. White already has hosted several meetings to recruit volunteers for the school. The consensus here is that we need to do this. Its pretty obvious that were needed in this area, he said. White said pastors are uniquely suited to mentor and reach out to families because they already have a good understanding of the community and what challenges students face. Many students who attend J.H. Hines come from single-parent homes or have parents who are unemployed, he said. Hines student population is 99 percent economically disadvantaged, with 55.7 percent of the 3,266 households in the schools primary ZIP code earning less than $20,000 a year. Of that percentage, 27 percent, or 894 households, earn less than $10,000, and 12 percent, or 418 households, make less than $15,000. White said he already has experience ministering to families in similar situations, and the mentorship program gives him another avenue of contact. Youre kind of going into an area that most people keep private, especially when they feel like youre just bringing another problem, White said. But we minister past that, we go at it easily. LINCOLN The Nebraska Democratic Party has announced the site locations for the 2016 Presidential Caucus. The 2016 Presidential Caucuses will take place in Nebraska on Saturday, March 5 at various times between 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Caucuses will take place in all 93 counties in Nebraska. In Saunders County, several caucus sites have been established by voting precincts. Caucuses will begin at 10 a.m., but participants are asked to arrive between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. for registration. Democrats in the voting precincts of Ashland Ward 1, Ashland Ward 2 and Ashland Rural, which includes the townships of Ashland Rural and Clear Creek and Village of Memphis, are asked to meet at Ashland Community Resource Center. The voting precincts of Cedar Bluffs, Malmo and Prague will gather at the Cedar Bluffs Senior Center. This caucus site includes residents of North Cedar, South Cedar, Morse Bluff, Elk, Chester, Bohemia, Mariposa and Douglas townships. The caucus for the voting precincts of Ceresco, Valparaiso and Weston will be at the Ceresco Community Center. In addition to the included villages, townships for this caucus are Richland, Green, Oak Creek, Rock Creek, Newman and Chapman. The Wahoo High School cafeteria will be the caucus site for the Wahoo Ward I, Wahoo Ward II, Wahoo Ward III, Wahoo Rural and Center voting precincts. This includes the townships of Stocking, Wahoo and Center and the towns of Wahoo, Ithaca and Colon. Marietta, Yutan and District 4 need to report to the Yutan Veterans Country Club. This caucus will be for the townships of Marietta, Marble and Union, which includes the towns of Yutan, Leshara and Mead. In Butler County, the presidential caucus will be held at Runza in David City. A time had still to be announced, as of last week. This years presidential caucus organization marks a first in the NDPs history, as Nebraska Democrats will now be able to attend their caucus in every county of the state. For additional information please visit nebraskacaucus2016.org, or call the NDP at 402-434-2180. Hansen describes the international seminar as life-altering Melissa Hansen got to ride an elephant during her recent visit to Thailand and Laos. She said it was fun, but frightening! Hansen describes the international seminar as life-altering WAITSBURG Having been home for only a couple of weeks, Melissa Hansen is still mentally and emotionally processing her recent trip to Thailand and Laos, but she knows for certain that it was life-altering. The trip, called an international seminar, was just one part of the 18-month AgForestry Leadership program that she will graduate from in May. The Washington Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Program (AgForestry) awards fellowships to 24 people each year from across Washington State. The program is designed to provide leadership training and networking to individuals engaged in natural resource industries. In addition to completing individual and group projects, participants take part in twelve three-day seminars on topics of government, economics, international trade, communication, water issues, media relations, the criminal justice system, and the environment. The program also includes two study travel seminars; a seven-day seminar in Washington D.C., which Hansen completed last year, and a two-week foreign seminar. Hansen said several locals have participated in the program including her husband Norm Hansen, Dan McKinley, Pat McConnell and Lori Stonecipher. Hansen's class worked in a soup kitchen in Tacoma as part of a social issues seminar and toured the Walla Walla State Penitentiary as part of a crime and corrections seminar. She said the goal of the international seminars is to expose students to different governments, ways of farming, and social issues. Of the 24 students in her class, 22 went to Thailand and Laos. In Bangkok, Thailand, the class visited the U.S. Embassy, met with USAID at the Center for Disease Control, and attended market briefings at the UFM Food Center. They also visited the Thai Red Cross Snake Farm, a folk arts and crafts center, palaces and temples, and took a boat ride on the Chao Phraya River. The class visited a flour mill and baking school and heard from representatives from the U.S. Potato Board, Northwest Cherry Growers, Washington Apple Commission, U.S. Wheat Association, and more. "We were able to visit two supermarkets to see what our products looked like on the shelves there. They love anything that says 'Made in America.' That to them, means quality," Hansen said. "They don't have the clean air and clean water that we do," she added. In Chang Mai, Thailand they visited hill tribe villages and a tea leaf farm. They met with representatives of WonGeneration, which is an organization that befriends troubled children and teens and brings them in to live in a safe hostel and offers work in their coffee shop. "The streets are pretty tough in Thailand. There is a lot of human trafficking in the sex industry and AIDS is a huge, huge problem," Hansen said. In Luang Phrabang, Laos, the group visited the Ministry of Agriculture and saw teak forests. They also toured the Northern Agriculture and Forestry College where students are taught to grow hops, vegetables and rice. "Not a lot of people get to attend that because it costs money," she said. "The $2,900 tuition covers three years of study, books and lodging. But most people live at or below the poverty level, equal to $1.25 a day in U.S. dollars." The group was so impressed with the college that they donated $2,900 of group funds to sponsor one student's tuition, Hansen said. They also visited an orphanage where they pooled funds to donate rice, pork, eggs, and toys. An eight-hour bus ride took the group to Xieng Khouang, Laos, which is where Hansen said she was the most impacted. At the Mines Advisory Group and UXO Survivor Information Center, she saw firsthand the destruction the country suffered, and continues to suffer, from landmines left and bombs dropped by the U.S. government during the Vietnam War. Laos was declared neutral during the war, but was caught in the middle when Vietnam established supply Viet Cong supply lines through the country, she explained. "I was shocked to learn that after we quit bombing in '73 these people are still dealing with the lasting effects of unexploded ordnance (bombs)" she said. Signs at the UXO center read that there were 50,000 UXO (unexploded ordnance) victims and 20,000 post-war casualties. All 17 provinces in Laos suffer and 25% percent of all villages are UXO contaminated. "They have such beautiful scenery, and natural resources like teak forests and fertile soil. It's amazing given that, how poor they are," she said. Hansen attributes the poverty to a combination of the lack of infrastructure, the communist government, and land that is contaminated with bombs, which contributes to their food dependency. "We have to accept some responsibility for that. Our servicemen were doing what they were told and that's not their responsibility. But our government needs to be accountable," she said. Hansen said the trip was filled with lessons. "We have a saying in our group that 'true leadership begins at the end of your comfort zone.' I learned that getting to the end of my comfort zone means being a leader and doing what I can to help. Courtesy Image Recovered bombs on display at a restaurant in Laos. "I also learned lessons in forgiveness. In the face of tough and challenging situations, they (the Laotians) face those situations with determination. They were determined, despite their poverty, to do the best they could. That was interesting because we don't always see that here. You don't see panhandling there. We were told they are a 100% employment rate country, and that's because there's no job they are not willing to do," she added. Hansen said she hopes to return to Laos in a humanitarian capacity and would like to take her son, E.J. Meserve, with her. Meserve attends WSU, studying communications, political science, and criminal justice. "There are so many lessons to be learned by going someplace like that. It truly changes your perspective," Hansen said. Hansen described the AgForestry program as "phenomenal" and strongly encourages anyone involved in agriculture, forestry, or fisheries to consider it. Learn more at agforestry.org. Hancock Prospecting's Roy Hill iron ore company has taken control of the Pilbara operation from head contractor Samsung C&T, which has suffered heavy losses developing the mine, rail and port. In a statement issued by Roy Hill chief executive Barry Fitzgerald said Roy Hill had taken over the mine, rail and port operations from Samsung on February 1. Gina Rinehart's Roy Hill project must drive up volume to achieve exconomies of scale, according CEO Barry Fitzgerald. Credit:ABC TV However, the project has not reached practical completion, a key milestone that when reached is expected to trigger financial obligations struck under Roy Hill's $US7.2 billion debt package ($10.2 billion). Court proceedings in a dispute between Samsung and Roy Hill put the practical completion deadline at May 31. Roy Hill has not confirmed a date for practical completion. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will table the 2016 Closing the Gap Report in Parliament on Thursday. Since 2009 these annual statements tracking the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians rarely bring good news. Worse still, the associated solemn deliberations have yielded little beyond the expression of fine sentiments and an ever-growing proliferation of programs of dubious value. The pessimism expressed on Tuesday by Patrick Dodson and last month by Noel Pearson, Australia's two most respected Indigenous leaders, seems only too well-founded. We wonder how much longer this depressing repetition will continue even while solutions exist which would allow Indigenous Australians to take real responsibility for their lives and futures. Illustration: John Spooner Far from being inevitable, Australia's failure to achieve meaningful progress in the lives of our first people contrasts with the experiences of other settler nations. In the United States, the experiences of Native Americans fall short of parity with the mainstream but far surpass what is experienced by Indigenous Australians. The gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Australia is more than double the equivalent gap in the US in terms of high school graduation, employment measures and incarceration. It's a topic as old as time that rears its head throughout the year and intensifies during the twice-yearly fashion weeks with criticism this time aimed directly at Myer ambassador Jodi Anasta (nee Gordon). The former Home and Away actress and model has been criticised for her weight over recent months during which time she has split with husband of three years, retired Roosters star Braith Anasta. Disapproval has peaked for the 31-year-old's physique ahead of the Myer Autumn 2016 Fashion Launch on Thursday in Sydney that Anasta is scheduled to attend alongside face of the department store Jennifer Hawkins, fellow ambassador Rachael Finch and guest Shanina Shaik. A piece in the The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday wrote about Jodi Anasta's "skeletal frame" and referred to an unnamed source as saying she was "urgently encouraged [by Myer] to start eating". However, Myer rebuffed such claims by revealing to Fairfax Media that they have re-newed her contract for another 12 months. Cassi Van Den Dungen has come out in defence of Myer ambassador Jodi Anasta after she was criticised for her weight. Credit:Daniel Munoz "It's important for us to have healthy brand ambassadors and models to showcase our range of fashion. We are comfortable with our current group of ambassadors," a Myer spokesperson added. Ahmed and Pooja Sharafi, his school counsellor. Credit:Courtesy Pooja Sharafi Across Europe, young male asylum seekers just a few years older than Ahmed have become a lightning rod for controversy in recent months. In Germany, they have been blamed for a spate of sexual assaults and thefts on New Year's Eve. In France, they are viewed with suspicion after several Islamic State militants posed as refugees before launching their deadly attack in Paris. And even in Sweden, the country that has accepted more migrants than anywhere else in the continent, Swedes have started to look askance at asylum seekers after several incidents high-profile incidents. In August, an Eritrean migrant snapped after his asylum petition was denied. He fatally stabbed a mother and son inside an IKEA. And just a few weeks ago January, another asylum seeker stabbed to death a social worker who tried to break up a fight at a centre for unaccompanied migrants. Once viewed as a safe haven for migrants streaming into Europe, Sweden has recently taken a U-turn, closing its borders and promising to deport between 60,000 and 80,000 asylum seekers. Support has surged for anti-immigration parties, and a recent poll found that 40 per cent of Swedes think "integration and immigration" is now the biggest issue facing the country, according to the Local. Ahmed's letter, however, shows that Sweden should put aside its fears and consider its asylum seekers as an asset, Sharafi said. "Sweden is getting more intolerant and closing its borders and pointing more fingers, instead of listening and including the people coming here," he said. "We should see the value, the benefit of having people that can really contribute to the country instead of blaming them." Sharafi has some first-hand knowledge of how immigrants are helping Sweden. His parents came to the country from Iran, and his identity as a first-generation Swede helps the 29-year-old counsellor talk to recently arrived immigrants. When Ahmed asked Sharafi to help him send his letter to the king, the counsellor agreed. But he also suggested taking Ahmed's campaign to social media. The two set up a Facebook page called Brev till kungen, or "Letter to the king." "My name is Pooja Sharafi and I work as a school counsellor at Sofielundsskolan in Malmo," Sharafi wrote. "One of our students, Ahmed, 12 years old, came to see me two weeks ago and needed to talk about his journey from Syria to Sweden and about the feelings that have arisen during the trip. Ahmed also told about a desire to send a letter to King Carl Gustav and meet His Majesty to tell his story. I asked Ahmed to finish writing the letter in Arabic (his mother tongue). The letter was translated and is now complete. The letter touched me to tears. Help me to share the post so that the letter arrives at his majesty." Here is Ahmed's letter, translated twice-over: "Hey King Gustav! "My name is Ahmed and I am 12 years old. I have a mother, a father and a brother. We have always lived in a beautiful house filled with joy in Aleppo, Syria. My dad had a large factory and shops for children's clothing. He bought many gifts and toys for us. My parents had cars and we lived happily until the war started with the sound of missiles, shooting and terror. Dad's factory burned down, nothing is left of it and the joy that we experienced began to cease. I could not go to school anymore because my teacher was killed by a shot right before our eyes. . . . I cannot forget those seconds. They were my worst moments. "My father went into his room to tell Mom that the factory was burning. My mother went out of the room crying. Then my father decided that we had to travel for our safety. Now began my worst days. Early Saturday morning we went to Turkey. We made it in a scary inflatable boat. The water was all around me and the darkness above my head. I was terrified. People were screaming, children crying, my dad smiled all the time to try to calm me down and my brother, but the situation was more difficult than I thought. I talked to myself and said, what has happened to us? Where is my house? Where is my bed and my toys? "We arrived to an island. The police took us to a place that is worse than the rubber boat. The crowd was huge. There was a terrible stench. We had to stay with the crowd until the police released us. We were without a home for 15 days. This was the peak of my depression, my grief for mom and dad. They could not do the things they always did for us before. "I always went away to cry. I did not want my parents to see me when I did not want to increase their grief. My mother was crying just like I did, made sure no one could see her. But I saw her. My heart was crushed. "We came to Sweden. I want to meet the Swedish king to tell him about my story. I heard he is a noble king. I carried with me a bag of new clothes to have them on me when I meet the king. "We arrived in Sweden. We stayed with my aunt in a small room instead of our lovely big house. I wake up every morning to see my father in front of the window, sad that he did not have enough money to buy us, the family, what we desire. "Therefore, I would seek to meet with you, the king! "I wish to see you when I'm wearing my new clothes, which I have brought all my way to Sweden to meet you. Sincerely Ahmed, 12 Malmo 2/2/2016" Ahmed's family has asked that their surname not be used. His mother declined to be interviewed by The Post, but did confirm that her son's letter is authentic. In an interview with The Post, Ahmed said writing the letter was painful, but had brought him great pride. "It was hard to write it," he said in clipped but courteous English, his third language. "It was difficult because I wrote about my journey from Syria to Sweden." His parents and his counsellor could hardly believe that the 12-year-old had written the moving letter on his own, he said. "My father said, 'Are you the writer?'" Ahmed said with a chuckle. "Nobody helped me. I wrote it. Only me." Ahmed told The Post that he misses Syria and worries about family members still there. But he is fond of his adopted country, too. "I like it very much," he said. "The people here in Sweden smile to my face all the time." Sharafi says the letter hasn't yet led to a meeting with the king, but the counsellor still holds out hope. Even if the meeting doesn't happen, however, he believes Ahmed's story is opening eyes about asylum seekers. "He has a gleam in his eye," Sharafi said of his student. "He's ambitious, really goal-oriented, really driven in what he wants to do. A wild elephant went on a rampage in a village in India's eastern West Bengal state on Wednesday, damaging around 100 structures, villagers said. Video taken in the village of Ektiasal showed the beast wandering around and knocking over flimsy huts. The elephant strayed into the village early in the morning and woke up villagers with its roaring. "The elephant entered from a nearby forest area. It has destroyed many houses and people are scared and helpless," villager Milan Saha said. Patrick Norman Pat Chapman is a 34-year-old, Caucasian male who was last known to be in Piedmont which is near the area of Greenville, Missouri on May 10, 2020. Pat had stayed the night with a friend and his wife at their home. In the early morning when the friend woke to go to work. Pat was gone in his own Burgundy color 1995 Ford Escort. That is the last anyone was known to have seen him. The vehicle was later recovered on May 29, 2020 in Mill Spring, Missouri. At the invitation of the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations in New York and Chair of the UN 1540 Committee, Ambassador Roman Oyarzun Marchesi , Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya addressed the UN 1540 Committee at UN Headquarters in New York on 9 February 2015. The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1540 in 2004. The Resolution obliges States to control the development, acquisition, manufacture, possession, transport, transfer, and the use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their delivery systems. Secretary General Mikuriya outlined the work of the WCO, with a particular focus on illicit trade and security. Mr Mikuriya referred to the development of standards, the value and necessity of information exchange, and the establishment of best practice as a means to achieve the objectives of the WCO. In the context of security he referred to the SAFE Programme, work underway with several international organisations, the WCO Security Programme, and the recent Punta Cana Resolution on Security. Outlining the key components of the WCO Security Programme including the Strategic Trade Controls Enforcement which includes training, regional awareness raising and operational capability such as operation Cosmo, identification of precursor chemicals and their potential use in IEDs (Programme Global Shield), Small Arms and Light Weapons control, passenger controls and terrorist financing, the Secretary General spoke about how the WCO assisted its Members to develop risk management capabilities, information exchange systems, and operation coordination in order to fully implement and benefit from the Security Programme. Members of the Committee engaged with the Secretary General in a comprehensive session of questions and answers on aspects governing the practical application of Resolution 1540. In conclusion, the Committee and the Secretary General noted the relevance of Resolution 1540 to the work of the WCO and agreed that Customs are best placed to monitor and control the export of commodities addressed in the Resolution. The complementarity of the roles of the 1540 Committee and the WCO and the importance of enhancing the regional delivery of the goals of the Resolution with the continued involvement of the WCO were also emphasized. Furthermore, the Committee acknowledged the necessity of the inclusion of national Customs administrations in the assessment of a Members capacity to implement the Resolution, although this was entirely a matter for Members. The Committee expressed its appreciation for the work of the WCO and the excellent cooperation that exists between the 1540 Committee and the WCO. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Azad Hasanli - Trend: The World Bank (WB) will continue to be a reliable partner of Azerbaijan in assisting the country in economic diversification in conditions of global instability, head of the WB Baku office Larisa Leshchenko said. She made the remarks Feb. 10 on the fifth Tax Forum themed "Azerbaijani tax system: Realities and Prospects". Leshchenko said that the development of non-oil sector is especially important, given the fact that it's not worth waiting for increase in oil prices in the near future. She noted that in previous years Azerbaijan took serious steps to ensure stability of the economy. "Even with oil prices at $60 per barrel in the first half of 2015, Azerbaijan achieved significant economic growth of 5.7 percent, and in the second half of 2015, despite an even further fall in oil prices, the country was able to ensure GDP growth, though at a slower pace," Leshchenko said. The head of the WB Baku office said that the difficulties caused by low oil prices are at the same time good opportunity to hold serious reforms and strengthen economic resilience. Leshchenko welcomed the steps taken by Azerbaijan to improve the tax system, noting the application of simplified tax for companies with a turnover of capital of up to 200,000 manats. She said that this will seriously affect the development of non-oil sector of the country's economy. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Azad Hasanli - Trend: At present, the main priorities of Azerbaijan's tax system development is to improve the investment business environment, broaden the tax base and develop tax accounting, head of the Tax Department No.1 of Azerbaijan Natig Shirinov said. He made the remarks Feb. 10 on the fifth Tax Forum themed "Azerbaijani tax system: Realities and Prospects". Speaking about the need to broaden the tax base, Shirinov at the same time stressed the importance of continuous monitoring of the process of preferential exemption from taxes. He said that if the existing benefits don't help to stimulate economy, it's necessary to cancel them and introduce the new ones. "It is also very important to introduce taxation of e-commerce and stimulate non-cash payments, and this will help to increase tax revenues to the state budget in the future," said the head of the department. Shirinov also touched upon the improvement of tax accounting. He said that entrepreneurs should be responsible and fully pay taxes, but it's necessary to improve tax accounting for that. "Work in this direction has been underway for several years, and this work is likely to be completed in the near future," he said. "Introduction of e-accounting should be noted among the measures to improve tax accounting. Unfortunately, taxpayers often keep tax accounting incorrectly, so it's necessary to ensure transparency in this sphere. In addition, by expanding e-audit in the future, we will help taxpayers to save time." Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 Trend: Azerbaijan may introduce a limit on cash payments, chairman of the Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD) of the country Vugar Bayramov said. He made the remarks Feb. 10 on the fifth Tax Forum themed "Azerbaijani tax system: Realities and Prospects". He said that it is possible to set a limit in the amount of 1,000 manats for cash payments within a single transaction. The expert also proposed to exempt e-commerce within the country from VAT. "The matter rests in entrepreneurs who sell their products only through the Internet," he said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Azad Hasanli - Trend: The level of disbursement of World Bank's (WB) funds in Azerbaijan is 17 percent, Larisa Leshchenko, head of WB Baku office told reporters Feb. 10. It is one of the highest figures in the European and Central Asian regions, according to her. She estimated the level of disbursement of WB's funds in Azerbaijan as good, though, according to Leshchenko, there are some minor delays. Speaking about the current economic situation in the world, she emphasized that the WB is ready to advise Azerbaijan on economic development. "We do not consider the situation in Azerbaijan recessionary; the country faced a decline in oil revenues," she said. "But Azerbaijan has necessary financial resources, and it can't be called a poor country. The country was able to use oil revenues to provide safety buffer for itself," added Leshchenko. Azerbaijan joined the WB in 1992. During the cooperation period WB allocated over $3 billion to the country to implement more than 60 projects. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Anvar Mammadov - Trend: Azerbaijani Texnikabank OJSC has been declared bankrupt by the decision of the Baku Administrative Economic Court No.1 from February 10, 2016, said the message released by the bank Feb. 10. In accordance with the decision of the court, M.M.M. Perfect Consulting LLC has been appointed the liquidator of the bank. The message said that measures will be taken in accordance with the law regarding those having debts to Texnikabank and those who don't carry out payments in time. "The announcement of the bank's bankruptcy doesn't give customers a reason not to pay debts on loans," the message said. "Individuals who have obligations to the bank may apply to both the head office and the branches of the bank to pay debts or get information." The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) revoked the license of Texnikabank OJSC Feb. 2. This decision was made because the total capital of the bank didn't correspond to the CBA minimum requirement of 50 million manats. The total capital adequacy ratio amounted to three percent [the CBA minimum requirement is 10 percent]. The bank couldn't fulfill its obligations to creditors and didn't manage its current activity prudentially. Texnikabank has been operating in Azerbaijan since 1994 (previously - Rashadbank). Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 09, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 09, 2016 | 04:42 PM | PADUCAH, KY A Paducah man was arrested Tuesday morning on drug charges, after deputies got a call about a suspicious vehicle off Cairo Road. The McCracken County Sheriff's Department got a call Tuesday morning from Rural King on Cairo Road about a suspicious vehicle in their parking lot. The caller told deputies that a man in a vehicle was seen smoking something from an aluminum can. Deputies responded and found 24-year-old Joshua Heater, of Paducah, sitting in his vehicle. Deputies said Heater appeared to be under the influence of drugs. Heater told deputies that he was unfamiliar with the area. He said had parked so he could rest, and that he had taken sleeping pills earlier in the morning. Deputies said they found the aluminum can, which had been used to smoke crack cocaine. They also found firearms in the vehicle. Heater was arrested and booked into the McCracken County Jail on charges of public intoxication, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia. The investigation is ongoing, and deputies say more charges are possible. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 10, 2016 | 07:35 AM | FRANKFORT, KY The Kentucky Arts Council has awarded grants to eight Kentucky schools to pay for transportation to and from arts-related field trips for students through the popular TranspARTation Grant. The TranspARTation Grant is awarded quarterly by the arts council. The program is now in its fourth year. Grants are based on the mileage from the school building to the arts organization or performance venue and the number of buses necessary. This round of grant funding is for trips scheduled between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2016. Saint Gregory Elementary School in Nelson County received a grant to pay for transportation to the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts to see Stage One Family Theatres production of And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank. This grant was actually recommended to me by Stage One, said Paula Cecil, a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher at Saint Gregory Elementary. We are close to Bardstown, so its very expensive for us to get a bus to take our students to these venues, and were taking two busloads. The opportunity to see the production fits in perfectly with Cecils lesson plans. Her students are reading Anne Franks Diary of a Young Girl and the screenplay to the film The Diary of Anne Frank. For our students to see a professional production of this play brings the story to life for them, Cecil said. And when we can cover transportation costs, it makes it more affordable for parents to send their children on these field trips. The cost savings also may allow us to schedule another field trip later in the year. Schools that received grants, listed by county, arts activity and amount awarded, are: Bowen Elementary, Jefferson County, And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank presented by Stage One Family Theatre at Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, $192 Lyon County Elementary School, Lyon County, the Paducah Symphony Orchestra: Planets-A Musical Tour of Our Solar System at The Carson Center, $280 Maryville Elementary School, Bullitt County, Harold and the Purple Crayon presented by Stage One Family Theatre, Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, $180 Mt. Washington Middle School, Bullitt County, And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank presented by Stage One Family Theatre at Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, $400 Saffell Street Elementary School, Anderson County, And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank presented by Stage One Family Theatre at Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, $440 Saint Gregory Elementary, Nelson County, And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank presented by Stage One Family Theatre at Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, $272 Sedalia Elementary School, Graves County, Skippyjon Jones Snow What presented by The Carson Center, $140 Waggener High School, Jefferson County, And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank presented by Stage One Family Theatre at Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, $196 Any Kentucky public or private school that supports grades pre-K through 12 may apply for a TranspARTation Grant. There are three application periods per year for TranspARTation funding. The next deadline is May 17 for field trips taken July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017. Schools receiving TranspARTation Grants must attend arts events presented by one of many preapproved TranspARTation organizations. For more information about applying for a TranspARTation Grant, visit the TranspARTation webpage, or contact Jean St. John, arts council arts education director, at jean.stjohn@ky.gov or 502-564-3757, ext. 486. The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, fosters environments for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. The arts council is celebrating 50 years of service in 2016. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 10, 2016 | FULTON, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 10, 2016 | 04:50 AM | FULTON, KY Fulton County Police are asking for your help locating a Hickman man wanted on several felony charges. Police say a Fulton deputy doing a home bond verification visit in Hickman spotted Richard McClure, who has outstanding warrants in Kentucky and Tennessee. The deputy tried to pull McClure over, he fled instead, down Beech Grove Road then into a field, where he got his car stuck, and fled on foot. Police brought in other officers, including a K-9 unit, but after about five hours of trying to track McClure searching the woods, they called off the search. Police say while McClure is already wanted on various charges, he will be charged with more felonies as a result of the chase. If you have any information about McClures whereabouts, please contact the Fulton County Sheriff's Office at 270-236-2454. All tips will remain completely confidential. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 Trend: A soldier of Azerbaijan's Armed Forces, Rahib Guliyev, was killed Feb. 10 as a result of an Armenian sabotage, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Feb. 10. The ministry offered deepest condolences to friends and family of the killed soldier. 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. Paducah Police looking for woman accused of allegedly stealing $6,600 in merchandise from Wal-Mart Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world With just over a week to go until the WhatsOnStage Awards concert, we are offering one lucky pair the opportunity to be there on the night. Rub shoulders with the great and good of theatreland, witness performances from the West End's finest talent and, most importantly, find out who has won this year's coveted awards. We are giving away a pair of top price tickets to the concert on Sunday 21 February, along with a one night stay at the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Hampshire hotel in Leicester Square. To enter the competition answer the question below, a winner will be drawn at random on Monday 15 February at midday. This competition is now closed. The winner will be announced on twitter shortly. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 Trend: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hasn't signed the amendments to the law "On currency regulation" and sent them back to the Milli Majlis (Parliament of Azerbaijan), the office of the country's presidential aide on economic reforms said, AzerTac news agency reported. The message said that this was done taking into account numerous appeals of entrepreneurs and investors. In accordance with the proposed amendments to the law, it was planned to introduce 20-percent mandatory fees to the state budget from the foreign currency transfer transactions beyond Azerbaijan by individuals and legal entities, who are residents and non-residents of the country, excluding some categories. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 Trend: Russia will not do anything that could worsen relations between Moscow and Baku, Maria Zakharova, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry said responding to a question about the request of the State Duma members about the termination of the agreement between Turkey and Russia. Russia develops relations with Azerbaijan and it will only focus on what would improve the Azerbaijani-Russian relations, Zakharova said. A request about the termination of the agreement between Turkey and Russia from 1921 was received by the Foreign Ministry, and we are studying this issue," said Zakharova. Members of Russia's State Duma (lower house of parliament) Valery Rashkin and Sergei Obukhov (Communist Party faction) sent a letter to the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposing to denounce the Moscow Treaty of Friendship and Brotherhood signed on March 16, 1921, by the government of Soviet Russia (RSFSR) and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Izvestia newspaper reported. Welcome to my random web of succulent wine tasting and travel features, winery profiles small and large, 'wines of the moment', conversations with winemakers and atmospheric regional guides. All stamped by my take on planet vino and some of the people who populate it. There's also a hint of culinary talk, restaurant reviews and food pairing, as well as occasional insight into posh spirits (Armagnac, Calvados, marc...), craft beer and cider. The extensive 'wine words' pages, blog archive and A to Z list of featured countries and themes are highlighted in this column below, revealing hundreds of posts and articles published on WineWriting or other magazines and websites. These include many organic, biodynamic and 'natural' wine producers, but certainly not exclusively. Roussillon (delve deeper and buy my book!) and Languedoc, the southwest, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone Valley, Provence, French Riviera, Corsica, Alsace, Loire Valley and Champagne. 'French Mediterranean Wine' is the mostly south of France part of the blog oozing with opinions, wines, winegrowers, places and vine-scapes across the(delve deeper and buy my book!) and Languedoc, the southwest, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone Valley, Provence, French Riviera, Corsica, Alsace, Loire Valley and Champagne. Obviously, any reviews or images of alcoholic drinks on this site are destined for those of legal drinking age, whatever that is in your part of the world. RMJ fully endorses sensible consumption of alcohol, especially with good food and company. Lecture over. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 Trend: Robert Watt, BP safety and operational risk vice president made presentation on 'Safety and Operational risks' for BHOS (Baku Higher Oil School) students. Prior to presentation BHOS rector Elmar Gasimov touched upon cooperation existing between BHOS and international petroleum companies and BP. He said that BHOS students systematically take internship at BP and they have opportunity to commence their future career at BP and other international companies. BHOS rector also emphasized the significance of such kind of presentations held at BHOS for students. Robert Watt, BP safety and operational risk vice president informed the attendees about accidents that ever occurred in the history of petroleum industry. BP vice president talked about security measures taken by BP to prevent this kind of accidents. He also stressed the importance of duties and functions of engineers in prevention of the accidents. Robert Watt answered students' questions. As many as 150 students of BHOS attended the above mentioned meeting. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/02/2016 (2445 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The woman who became Greg Selingers top political adviser in the midst of a cabinet insurrection 15 months ago has resigned a key patronage appointment and has been removed from the NDPs re-election effort amid an internal review of her role in one of the provinces largest unions. Sources tell the Free Press that Heather Grant-Jury has dropped off the political radar over concerns of possible financial impropriety as education and training director of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832. The union told the Free Press Tuesday that it has cut its ties with Grant-Jury, 53, a former United Way of Winnipeg campaign chairwoman (2007). TREVOR HAGAN / FREE PRESS files Premier Greg Selinger arrives at a provincial council meeting with political advisor Heather Grant-Jury in December. Heather Grant-Jury is no longer employed by the UFCW Local 832 Training Centre. We are conducting an internal investigation and have no other details to provide at this time, union spokesman Blake Crothers said in an email. Grant-Jury was named Selingers principal secretary, a new position, on Nov. 3, 2014, the same day five members of Selingers cabinet resigned their portfolios over the premiers leadership. Ten days later it was learned the premiers chief of staff, Liam Martin, had been placed on leave. He later received $146,047 in severance. Grant-Jury, on secondment from UFCW, was hired at a rate of $134,000 a year to work for the premier. She remained on the payroll until after the March 8, 2015, leadership vote, returning to the union on April 2. However, the Selinger loyalist was rewarded with a patronage appointment and continued influence within the NDP as a member of the partys election operations committee. That is, until Dec. 31. The NDP confirmed Tuesday that Jeremy Read, the partys campaign director, requested and received Grant-Jurys immediate resignation that day from the NDPs election operations sub-committee and from all other party positions. Two months earlier, on Oct. 28, the premier signed a cabinet order appointing Grant-Jury to fill a vacancy on the board of directors of Manitoba Public Insurance. The three-year appointment was to pay the union staffer $7,500 per annum. But on Jan. 4, Grant-Jury resigned the patronage post, MPI confirmed. A source close to government said her resignation was abrupt, catching the Crown corporation by surprise. She resigned in a real rush, the source said. Sources say the government and the NDP are distancing themselves from Grant-Jury over the alleged misuse of UFCW training funds. The union has not said whether it has filed a complaint with police. However, in a cryptic email in response to a question from the Free Press, the Winnipeg Police Service said it has received a report from UFCW. Repeated efforts to reach Grant-Jury for comment using social media were unsuccessful. A message left on her home phone Tuesday was not returned. Neither was a message left on her cellphone. Asked for comment recently, Selinger confirmed Grant-Jury was no longer part of the NDPs re-election team, but offered little more. Its a matter with a separate organization (UFCW), and its a personnel matter. And Im not able to comment on that., the premier said. Asked if he had been briefed on the matter, Selinger said: Just that theyve got an issue that theyre addressing internally and they plan to look after it within the confines of their organization. Wayne Glowacki / Free Press files Heather Grant-Jury at the State of the Province at the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the RBC Convention Centre in 2014. Late Tuesday, Selingers press secretary, Naline Rampersad, issued a statement again refusing comment on the allegations surrounding Grant-Jury but stating that a high-ranking Selinger political staffer received a call from UFCW Local 832 president Jeff Traeger about a potential internal human resources matter on Dec. 30. When it was confirmed the following day that the UFCW believed there to be a serious matter that would require further steps to be taken, the Chief of Staff (Jeremy Read) informed the Premier and at his direction requested Ms. Grant-Jurys immediate resignation from the MPI board Her formal resignation was received by MPI on January 4, 2016, Rampersad said. Progressive Conservative House Leader Kelvin Goertzen, the partys MPI critic, noted he raised Heather-Grants MPI appointment in November, not long after it was made. I think its an example of what happens when you have a premier who puts his party and patronage ahead of the province, Goertzen said. He was too busy looking after his friends and those who supported him during the leadership process. And unfortunately MPI gets dragged into it. Goertzen said Manitobans deserve a full statement from the premier on the matter. For example, the files that she worked on when she was working with the premier are those being looked at? Was anything compromised in terms of these particular allegations that are now out there? Grant-Jury has been a labour activist for decades. At age 23, she became the Winnipeg Labour Councils first woman president, according to biographical information supplied at the time of her receiving the 2009 United Way of Canada Partnership Builder Award. In early January, the Manitoba Federation of Labour withdrew Grant-Jury as one of its three nominees to the steering committee of Workplace Education Manitoba, an organization that offers skills training to workers, a spokeswoman for WEM said Tuesday. She said she did not know why this occurred. MFL president Kevin Rebeck could not immediately be reached for comment. A Winnipeg labour activist told the Free Press that he is shocked by the rumoured allegations against Grant-Jury. I was dumbstruck when I heard it, he said. This surprises me. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter has thanked his Canadian counterpart Harjit Sajjan for tripling the contingent of military trainers in Iraq in a conversation that reprised the defence ministers past soldiering experience in Afghanistan, sources say. The pivotal conversation marked the first face-to-face meeting between the two ministers, and it came at Wednesdays larger gathering of NATO defence ministers in Brussels. The two-day NATO meeting comes just days after Ottawa rolled out its long-awaited strategy for helping fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The Liberal government followed through on its election promise to withdraw its six CF-18 fighter jets, which will stop bombing in Iraq and Syria by Feb. 22. Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephane Dion responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, Feb. 5, 2016. Lebanon and Jordan are at a critical "tipping point" and need more Canadian help in order to survive the pressure of the Syrian civil war, says Dion. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Instead, Sajjan joined Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and two other cabinet colleagues in announcing Monday that Canada would triple its current contingent of 69 special forces trainers currently working with northern Iraqs Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. The Carter-Sajjan meeting was significant because the government has faced heavy criticism for withdrawing its fighters jets. The opposition Conservatives have characterized the move as a step backward from the fight against ISIL terrorists. Carter thanked Sajjan for Canadas additional contribution of trainers as well as its plan to double its intelligence-gathering assets, according to a Canadian government official who was not authorized to speak on the record, but was corroborated by Pentagon accounts. Carter told Sajjan the Canadian response is what the U.S. wants to see from other coalition members to step up the fight against ISIL on the ground, said Canadian officials. A Pentagon statement said Carter told reporters travelling on his jetliner to Brussels on Tuesday that he would be asking others at this meeting also to accelerate their efforts in the fight against ISIL. But were looking for others to make a contribution as well, Carter said, adding that some countries had already indicated a willingness to do more. The ministers also discussed Sajjans three tours of duty in Afghanistan, which included one as a special adviser to an American general, the Canadian source said. It was a departure from the usual scripted bilats that tend to happen, said the source. He was able to speak to his experiences working on the ground with Americans in Afghanistan. The very public American thank yous resonated with the Liberal government in Ottawa. Having made this announcement and now being able to speak face to face, and have it reinforced how positively the U.S. views our contribution, is definitely significant for this government, the Canadian official said. The official suggested the Conservatives and other critics should take note of the U.S. reaction. Going into the NATO meeting Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion emphasized the need for Canada to do more to help Lebanon and Jordan survive the pressure of the Syrian civil war. They are at the tipping point, Dion told The Canadian Press. We need to help them, because if Lebanon and Jordan are not stable countries it will be very bad for the region, for all our allies, including Israel. Thats why Canada will beef up its military and diplomatic presence in the two countries, which are buckling under the pressure of the influx of millions of fleeing Syrians, as part of its reconfigured contribution to the U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic militants in the region, Dion said. Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of the defence staff, said this week the Canadian Forces would deploy about 100 personnel to the two countries, but the exact details were still being planned. Alex Bugailiskis, an assistant deputy minister at Global Affairs, said theres an urgent need to fill in the gap between short-term humanitarian aid and longer-term development programming as the Syrian war stretches on and affects its neighbours. These countries are really feeling the pressure of hosting millions of refugees and its having an impact on the communities in which theyre housed, Bugailiskis said this week. The governments new anti-ISIL plan includes spending more than $1.6 billion over the next three years on security, stabilization and humanitarian and development assistance in the region. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrives for talks in Ottawa on Thursday as part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus efforts to reinvigorate Canadas relationship with the world body. Bans visit will also take him to Montreal, but his Thursday meetings with the prime minister will underline a key foreign policy priority for the new Liberal government, closer ties with the UN. He represents a very important institution, said Trudeau spokesman Cameron Ahmad. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addresses delegates during the fourth 'Thermatic Pledging Session', in London, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016. Ban Ki-moon arrives in Ottawa on Thursday for meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Dan Kitwood, Pool Photo via AP Trudeau wants Canada to play a larger role in the worlds multilateral institutions and the UN is the largest and, at times, the most controversial. The prime minister has criticized the Harper government for diminishing Canadas role at the UN and he has stressed the need to work more closely with the world body. Harper and his ministers engaged the UN on some files, including the maternal, newborn child health initiative, which the Liberals have pledged to carry on. But the Tories were not shy about criticizing the UN for being ineffective, especially when it came to the Syrian civil war. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion will participate in an expanded portion of the meeting. Ban and Trudeau are expected to discuss climate change, gender equality and womens rights, the Syrian refugee crisis and the potential for Canada to contribute more to UN peacekeeping. The prime minister wants to increase Canadas contributions to peacekeeping missions, which have fallen to a few dozen troops in recent years from a high of several thousand in the mid-1990s. But that topic is now imbued with controversy because of a scandal that erupted last year over what has been described as rampant sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic. French peacekeepers have faced allegations of child sex abuse involving boys as young as nine. A pair of prominent Canadians played major roles in helping the UN deal with the crisis. They will likely discuss how Canada can contribute to the UNs efforts to curb sexual abuse by peacekeepers, said Ahmad. Stephen Lewis, a former Canadian ambassador to the UN, has been highly critical of Ban for not taking concrete steps to address the systemic problems at the root of the problem. Lewis is one of the leaders of an international coalition that calls for the creation of an independent management board to oversee UN peacekeeping. The group wants Ban to lift the blanket immunity that protects UN diplomats because many of them have been aware of peacekeeping abuses, but have done little to stop them. In December, retired Supreme Court of Canada justice Marie Deschamps co-wrote a report that accused the UN of a gross institutional failure in its response to the abuse allegations. Lewis has urged Trudeau to play a leading role in stamping out the abuse. On Monday, Ban appointed a special adviser to curb what the UN describes as a scourge. Despite Trudeaus desire for Canadians to do more peacekeeping, a recent report by the Rideau Institute and the Centre for Policy Alternatives said the Canadian Forces no longer have the skills for such missions after spending the better part of the last decade focusing on counter-insurgency in Afghanistan. Trudeau and Ban will also meet a teenaged audience at an Ottawa high school to discuss the importance of building diverse societies to promote peace and broad economic growth. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Brian Bowman is hopeful that last weeks Big City Mayors conference will help Winnipeggers get the infrastructure projects they need without a hefty hit to their pocketbooks. Bowman said he and the other Big City mayors pressed the federal government to increase its share of infrastructure projects from the current one-third to 50 per cent, adding its possible Ottawa might even contribute more than the $45.875 million it announced for the $155-million Waverley underpass project. Well obviously wait to hear from the federal government to see if theyre receptive to that, Bowman told reporters Wednesday, adding he expects an announcement to be included in the federal budget. All the signals were very positive from the prime minister, the cabinet ministers, that they are very open to it. The Canadian Press Mayor Brian Bowman Im very confident that well see some positive changes in the upcoming (federal) budget. Bowman described the gathering in Ottawa as historic, with attendance by Prime Minister Trudeau and several federal cabinet ministers. Bowman acknowledged that Winnipeg is competing with cities across the country for federal dollars but, in a dig against former mayor Sam Katz, Bowman said Winnipeg now has an advantage. The mayor of Winnipeg needs to show up, Bowman said. Katz attended Big City Mayor meetings at the start of his 10-year mayoral run but quickly tired of the events and rarely attended, describing them as a waste of time. The fact that Im at these meetings now, representing Winnipeg is part of it, Bowman said. The other is just building these relationships relationship with the prime minister, relationship with other Big City mayors and cabinet ministers Im not only present, Im providing a strong voice Winnipeg as a strong voice on the national stage is something that was long overdue. Bowman took personal credit for securing provincial and federal funding for the Waverley underpass and said there could be additional funds for the project in the upcoming federal budget. Bowman said the city of Winnipeg collects 8 cents out of every tax dollar yet its required to contribute a third of the cost for major infrastructure projects. Our ability to pay is compromised by the funding model, Bowman said. Something needs to give and discussions are happening now with both the federal and provincial governments We are looking not just for our fair share, were looking for a fair say. aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Liberal government has come under heavy political fire over its decision to adjust Canadas military role against Islamic State, particularly the withdrawal of six CF-18s that have been hitting targets in Iraq and Syria. The partisan sniping, however, has failed to address the real question, namely: Will the new strategy be more effective than one that relied almost exclusively on aerial bombing? The Harper government had made bombing the centrepiece of its contribution, with a small number of troops (69) dedicated to a training role. It might have been the right combination at the beginning of the operation in 2014 when Islamic State was overrunning large swaths of Iraq and Syria. The extremist group needed to be stopped or slowed down and bombing was the best (and most politically palatable) means available. Neither Iraq nor Syria had the capability and the western allies were opposed to using their own ground forces. Canadian jets flew about five per cent of the coalitions air strikes in Iraq and Syria, but only 20 per cent of the missions flown by Canadians resulted in the dropping of bombs. One of Canadas first successful bombing missions was the destruction of a dump truck. The fact is Canadas air power was far from vital to the coalition war plan, even at the beginning. The Liberal governments new strategy is focused on training Iraqi forces, which for the first time will be provided with Canadian small arms and helicopters. The number of troops involved in training will be tripled to more than 200, while other ground forces will provide training in Jordan and Lebanon, for a total of more than 800 personnel in the region. If theres one thing on which almost everyone agrees, its that Iraq and other Arab countries must take the lead in expelling Islamic State. There is a role for air power, but no one believes it alone can settle anything. Of course, its hard to know today if anything will work against a cancer that is continually metastasizing. Islamic State has spread to Yemen, Libya and elsewhere, morphing into a global threat. It needs to be opposed wherever it appears, but Iraq and Syria remain the centre of its power and influence. The U.S. war plan calls for Iraqi forces to reoccupy two cities before taking back the land occupied by Islamic State. That wont happen unless the Iraqis are properly trained, a task at which Canada excels. Canadian troops were noted for their training skills in the Afghan war, which, by the way, did not involve CF-18s either. The Americans also want Arab troops to provide policing and security once, or if, Islamic State is subdued. The idea of western troops providing those functions is a recipe for more failure. Canada will continue to contribute to the bombing campaign by providing aerial reconnaissance, ground targeting and one refuelling plane, which critics say is evidence of hypocrisy or, at least, inconsistency. Its true that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau never explained his opposition to bombing, except to say there was a better way to help. If Mr. Trudeau wanted to score political points, it would have been easy to stick with bombing without suffering any loss of support. Polls show most Canadians wanted the CF-18s to stay and the prime minister could easily have justified such a decision following the attacks in Paris and the killing of six Canadians in Burkina Faso. The bottom line is Canada is making an important contribution to the war against Islamic State and one that carries more risk than dropping 500-pound bombs. Rather than retreating, Mr. Trudeau is sticking out his neck. Its not exactly what you might call good politics. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 Trend: The fire at the platform #10 of the Gunashli field in the Caspian Sea has been extinguished, SOCAR said Feb. 10 in a message posted on its website. The fire was fully extinguished at 19:24 local time (UTC/GMT +4 hours). The fire broke out on the offshore platform Dec. 4, as a strong storm damaged an underwater high-pressure gas pipeline. As many as 33 people were rescued in an ensuing large-scale operation. The bodies of 12 killed were retrieved, while 18 people are still listed as missing. Winona State Universitys RE Initiative Club and MSUSA Winona State Committee will co-host a panel series, How Gender Based Violence Affects Different Communities, throughout the spring semester. Each month, participants will be invited to ask questions and discuss the intersectionality of various communities and how they are affected by gender based violence. The Males Panel will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15, in room 120. The panel of students, who identify with being male, will be discussing how gender-based violence affects the male community differently than normally taught, including talks on masculinity. The People of Color Panel will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, in Stark Auditorium, room 103. A panel of students, who identify with being a person of color, will be discussing how gender based violence effects the communities of color differently than normally taught. The Disability Panel will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, in the Stark Auditorium, room 103. A panel of students, who identify with having a disability, will be discussing how gender-based violence affects the disability community differently than normally taught. The events are free and open to the public. Cold got you stuck indoors? If so, the Winona Winter Carnival is back to entice you out and about, with more than 15 events and activities throughout the weekend. Winona parks and recreation coordinator Lisa Gernand said the carnival capitalizes on the rich history of celebrating winter in Winona, and is now in its third year back after a decade-long hiatus. The carnival of today, though lacking in the parade and beer-barrel-tossing shenanigans of old, offers plenty of activities to suit every attendee. The carnival invites local businesses and organizations to create their own unique events. The result is a combination of free and paid activities for all ages, alternatives to the standard hunkering down that tends to happen this time of year, Gernand said. The heart of it, I think, is a great way for people to get outside and come together, she said. Its a great time for tourists to come to Winona, because we live in an insanely beautiful part of the state. Its a great place to be and to recreate at all times of the year. The carnival this year happens to fall on Valentines Day weekend, and it features a bunch of activities embracing the holiday. Theres the Valentines Day Bash at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum Saturday, an I Love History Open House at the History Center on Sunday, and a Sweetheart Skate at Lake Lodge Sunday evening. New to the carnival this year are the Winona Farmers Market and Winona Artisan Market, both at the East End Rec Saturday morning. The combined markets will feature hot soup, a silent auction, and a chance to get a last-minute gift for Valentines Day. This year, Mid West Music Fest is back in the carnival, offering two performances from Minneapolis folk rock band Reina del Cid. The first show is Friday night at Eds no-name Bar, and the second is in a heated tent outsideyes, outsideHolzinger Lodge after the Snowshoe Snowdown race Saturday afternoon. Tucked into the side of the bluff, the family-friendly concert will feature fat biking demonstrations and displays from several local outdoor gear retailers, along with refreshments. Were really going for that winter fest vibe, Gernand said. Im very excited about it. And of course, the carnival wouldnt be complete without allowing brave and foolish alike to embrace the bitter cold and jump into Lake Winona through the Goose Bump Jump and SMU Cardinal Plunge. Gernand said that, too, speaks highly of Winona. Theres also a really nice culture here of doing quirky things, she said. CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the outdoor concert at Holzinger Lodge. The family-friendly afternoon event will include snacks and drinks, but not beer. In the middle of their discussion of an upcoming service project Wednesday morning, the Washington-Kosciusko Elementary student council took time out of their agenda for an important visitor: Minnesota Commissioner of Education Brenda Cassellius. Cassellius also happened to share the name of the student councils adviser, W-K third-grade teacher and former Winona Teacher of the Year Emily Cassellius. Id like to introduce you to a special guest we have, Emily Cassellius said, as she quieted the group of student council members gathered in her classroom. Could they guess the name of their guest? Cassellius! the students replied in unison. Their teacher laughed, then offered a paraphrase of the student councils missionto make W-K the best school ever, create a place where everybody wants to be, and help others. In fact, that very morning the student council was planning a school-supply drive for an elementary school in Jamaica. Commissioner Cassellius nodded her approval. Doing these service projects so early on is really going to help you get the kind of experience you need, she told the young councilors. Cassellius was visiting W-K as part of an ongoing tour of 37 schools statewide that have earned four or five Reward School designations. W-K was named a Reward School for the fourth year in a row this fall, meaning it is in the top 15 percent of Title 1 schools, which have a significant percentage of disadvantaged students. W-K was also named a National Blue Ribbon School for its progress in closing the achievement gap, one of just seven across Minnesota to get the federal recognition in 2015. Cassellius, who was appointed Minnesotas Commissioner of Education in 2010, said she considers getting into schools and classrooms a central part of her job. Her purpose in visiting the 37 repeat Reward Schools is twofold: recognizing them for a job well done, and finding out what makes them perform well year after year, so those best practices can be replicated across the state. Together with W-K principal Brad Berzinski, district superintendent Stephen West, and several members of the school board, Cassellius visited classrooms at W-K during her hourlong visit, snapping photos with staff and talking with students along the way. One of their stops was in the classroom of second-grade teacher Luke Merchlewitz. Cassellius thanked him for his work both inside and outside school doors, then asked him for three keys to the schools success. Merchlewitz didnt have to think too hard about that one. He pointed to the variety and diversity of school staff, the schools partnership with local universities, and the strong community around the school. Its the people, its the familieswe dont do this job alone, he said. Then he asked Cassellius what she considered three keys to her job. Listening to classroom teachers and valuing their role, she said. Then, building respectful relationships with legislators to forge a broad consensus. When were creating policies, we make sure that theyre very well vetted by all sides, she explained. Finally, a strong focus on the kids and on the work, aiming at giving teachers the right resources and limiting regulatory distractions. On her way out of Merchlewitzs classroom, Cassellius spotted two students and a WSU student tutor sitting on the floor, using masking tape and floor tiles to learn about area and perimeter. Look at thatno wonder youre a Reward School, she said. Throughout her visit, Cassellius saw the schools halls full of Winona State students tutoring W-K students, and she said W-Ks strong partnership with WSU stood out. She said that level of engagement contributes to a supply of great teachers, and shed like to see partnerships like that in place wherever possible. At the conclusion of her visit, Cassellius said she was impressed by the deep level of community at W-K, a common trait among Reward Schools. The teachers and staff function like a big, dedicated family, treating the kids as a shared responsibility. New teachers are welcomed in and supported as part of the whole. And all of that creates an environment for kids to thrive. The culture is so good and alive for the children, and they dont let the children fail, she said of the school and district staff. Cassellius said another take-away from her visit was that even a fairly traditional school like W-K can be a great place for kids to succeed. You dont have to be doing any special programs. Its really about the incredible dedication in teachers and community members, she said. Winona County is closer to filing open committee positions, but there are still openings for citizen involvement. The county board at its regular meeting Tuesday decided to continue advertising on the countys and the Extension websites, as well as use word-of mouth to fill the openings. Instead of spending money to advertise, I would ask that we all try to drum up some candidates, commissioner Marcia Ward said. Tuesday, the board also discussed the potential for an updated strategic plan and board goals based on earlier discussions. The broad plan includes engaging the community, improving infrastructure both in county operations and in areas like roads and bridges, and working out sound fiscal plans The board will make a decision soon on what kind of funding levels should be set aside as reserves from year to year. Reserve money factored heavily into the 2016 budget discussion, with the ultimate decision to use about $1 million to keep the tax levy increase at 3.5 percent. Winona County administrator Ken Fritz said having a set fund balance level provides a good basis for decision-making and long-term budgeting, and is recommended by state accounting practices. This follows government accounting standards, Fritz said. This puts us in good stead with national accounting practices. The county currently projects an ending fund balance of $20.1 million for the end of 2016, which doesnt include restricted funds that have mandated uses. The unrestricted reserves are often earmarked for different uses, but could be used in case of emergency, Fritz said. State standards recommend maintaining an unrestricted fund balance of between 35 percent to 50 percent of fund operating revenues, or at least five months of operating expenditures. Commissioner Steve Jacob said setting an amount would let everyone know what to expect about the use of the funds. I think this will give us a clear picture, Jacob said. This is really taking steps toward transparency. Possible vehicle leases The board Tuesday directed Fritz to look into revamping the countys fleet of vehicles. Wang Nystrom, a representative from Enterprise, said the company could save the county $85,493 over a five-year period by leasing vehicles, and reducing the need for the county to pay as much for maintenance and replacement. Enterprise would replace vehicles every four to seven years. Enterprise identified 49 light-duty vehicles that could be included in the program. The remaindercounty sheriff patrol cars, dump trucks, loaders, and other equipmentwould continue to be managed by the county. Other Minnesota counties using Enterprise include Isanti, Chisago, St. Croix, Becker, Pope, Clay and Douglas, Nystrom said. Fritz said that aside from saving money, the county would hope to see other benefits, like less staff time used on repairs. Sometime around the 13th century, maybe mid-February, excommunicated Franciscan friar William of Ockham made a simple suggestion. Ockhams Middle Age notion remains popular today, known as Ockhams (or Occams) Razor. Simply stated, given a number of alternatives, the simplest is likely to be the most successful. The common or street version of Ockhams Razor is the KISS method; that is, Keep It Simple Stupid! Humans tend to repeat doings good or bad and too complex. Too many of our habits, sometimes inappropriately called virtues, also complicate living increasingly over time. One would think the opposite would be the case; that living would grow simpler as we learned and corrected mistakes. But, we blunder on. The longer a government/society exists, the more complicated it becomes, apparently for the same reasons. Nonetheless, simple typically cloaks something very complicated. For example, try explaining green! Might the ultimate KISS example be e=MC2? (Energy = mass times squared light speed) Simple; til explained! Again, if simple is best, why is life so complicated? For one thing, more people require more everything, including having to endure more political-religious self-justifications and greater greed and selfishness! Dont we tend to complicate laws and beliefs? Although statutes begin as simple rules, doesnt minority meddling muddle things? (What does it take to change a local traffic situation?) Then we re-elect those who intentionally complicate simple matters. Too many expect free service! Preachers and politicians need never worry about job security! Dont both groups seem to abhor simple? KISS is absent where it would be most beneficial. Make sense? How many unknown (unenforced) laws exist; how many of us go along with political and religious pontificators? Then, when complicated fails, dont we add ad hoc (special) applicationsthrow more money at problemsand exacerbate those same problems? Then, after time and expense, we void what complicates! At what cost? Where is the folly in questioning the self-promoting pronouncements of religious and political temple priests who thrive under self-gratuitous complications? So, would it be wrong to suggest the reason we banish something distasteful is because hustlers play on our lassitude to foment the unnecessary? If the irony of fundamentalism is how complicated it makes living, then why allow us to be bamboozled time and time again? Why not expect a KISS? While it may be a rejection of business (as usual), maybe KISS-ing is the best practical/pragmatic virtue generally? No covering up unnecessary complications later, with obfuscating political/religious gobbledygook! Like truth, KISS-ing is what it is, always! What happened to recent Holiday Spirits? Has the simple goodness we expressed succumbed to our odious habit of putting self-wants before the needs of other persons? Love is simple; it is also easy to explain: Wish good to others; love them simply for themselves, not for what they offer. KISS-ing is living! If we practiced the KISS method in all doings, not just ad hoc seasonal celebrations, might we avoid unjustified, complicated beliefs and politics? Be a Valentine daily! Paradises simple bliss is a KISS away! JUNEAU | A 21-year-old Beaver Dam man was placed on a deferred prosecution agreement after pleading no contest to charges that he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl. Edward T. Linn entered a no contest plea to one felony count of second degree sexual assault of a child, one count of exposing genitals/pubic area/intimate parts to a child and one count of bail jumping. Two additional felony counts of bail jumping and two counts of misdemeanor disorderly conduct were dismissed but were read into the court record. Judge Steven Bauer withheld finding Linn guilty of second degree sexual assault, but found him guilty of the remainder of the charges. Linn was placed on a deferred prosecution agreement for the sexual assault charges. He was also sentenced to two years of probation, withheld, and six months in jail with Huber and transfer privileges. Linn may have no unsupervised contact with juvenile females and must maintain absolute sobriety. He wil also undergo an alcohol and other drug assessment. Linn is also ordered to obtain a GED or high school diploma and must maintain full time employment or education. He will not be placed on the sex offender registry at this time. Police were called to a home in the 100 block of Washington Street Nov. 8 at 2:30 a.m. According to the criminal complaint, a woman reported that she came home from work to find people outside her home who wanted to speak to Linn, who lives in the house, about sexually assaulting their daughter. She found Linn in her home passed out naked on the couch. An officer contacted the mother of the victim and they went to the Beaver Dam Police Station. According to the criminal complaint, the 15-year-old girl told police that she had gone to the house with friends. The girl said she had been sexually and physically assaulted by Linn. Police woke Linn, who told officers that he was not a bad person and was not trying to cause problems. He asked if he could put clothes on, which the officers allowed him to do. He told officers he met the victim, but only for about 60 seconds, and denied having contact with her. Disorderly conduct Monday at 3:51 p.m., a man reported that a 12-year-old boy was exposing himself in an inappropriate way in the 100 block of Gould Street. Hit and run Monday at 6:43 p.m., a woman told police her vehicle was struck while it was parked in the Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 120 Frances Lane. Theft Monday at 7:09 p.m., a woman reported the theft of items from her residence in the 600 block of West Third Street. Accident Tuesday at 4:12 p.m., a 78-year-old woman and a 45-year-old woman were involved in a vehicle accident near the North Spring Street and Industrial Drive intersection. Disorderly conduct Tuesday at 4:34 p.m. someone at Recheks Food Pride, 609 N. Spring St., reported seeing a 27-year-old woman eating chicken from the store deli before paying for it. She did pay for the chicken. Hit and run Tuesday at 4:46 p.m., someone reported that a vehicle backed into his/her vehicle and left in the 700 block of DeClark Street. Retail theft Tuesday at 4:58 p.m., an employee at Walmart Supercenter, 120 Frances Lane, told police that someone stole cigarettes and razor blades. Break-in Tuesday at 5:20 p.m., a 27-year-old woman reported that her car window was broken and her purse was missing from her vehicle parked in the 100 block of Fakes Court. Retail theft Tuesday at 6:41 p.m., an employee at Walmart Supercenter, 120 Frances Lane, told police a 21-year-old woman and a 26-year-old woman were in custody for shoplifting. Both were cited with retail theft. Disorderly conduct Tuesday at 10:09 p.m., a man and a 61-year-old woman were fighting in the 200 block of Seippel Boulevard. The woman was arrested and cited with domestic disorderly conduct and was transported to jail. Fire Wednesday at 12:35 a.m., someone reported that a vehicle was on fire in the 700 block of Wayland Street. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: The UK-Dutch oil and gas company Royal Dutch Shell is interested in expanding presence in Kazakhstan, the company's press service has told Trend. Royal Dutch Shell has stakes in such Kazakh oil and gas projects as the North Caspian (Kashagan field), Pearl and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which operates an oil pipeline running from Kazakhstan's largest Tengiz and Karachaganak fields. Karachaganak is one of the world's largest fields. Its oil and condensate reserves stand at 1.2 billion tons, and gas reserves exceed 1.35 trillion cubic meters. Karachaganak Petroleum Operating (KPO), which includes BG Group (29.25 percent), Eni (29.25 percent), Chevron (18 percent), Lukoil (13.5 percent) and KazMunaiGas (10 percent), is engaged in development of the field. In early April 2015, Royal Dutch Shell said it reached an agreement to buy the smaller KPO company - BG Group for $70 billion. "Shell continues to see Kazakhstan as a strategically important country," said the company commenting on the plans regarding BG Group's share in Karachaganak. "The Shell-BG combination re-affirms Shell's commitment to Kazakhstan and would expand the company's already substantive footprint in the country". Meanwhile, BG Group has said that in case of a merger with Royal Dutch Shell, it can lose its 29.25 percent stake in the Karachaganak project, because in case of a change in control over the BG Group, Kazakhstan is entitled to enjoy its priority right to buy the company's share in the project. Kazakhstan, however, hasn't stated about its interest in buying a stake of BG Group in Karachaganak. Shell didn't comment on a possibility for BG Group to lose its share in Karachaganak. A recent report from Royal Dutch Shell quoted the company's director general, Ben van Beurden as saying that the deal to acquire BG Group is expected to be completed in a few weeks. Myrtle Holton Dillon, 88, Waupun, went to be with her creator on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Myrtle was born April 4, 1927, in Hochow, Kansu, China, to missionary parents, Carter and Lora Holton. Carter and Lora had met each other in Kansu, China, with the Christian & Missionary Alliance and were married in June 1925 on the mission field. Their first child, Myrtle, came along soon thereafter and when Myrtle was only one month old, the missionaries in Kansu were forced to leave to evade the approaching communist forces by floating down the Yellow River on a raft made of inflated pigskins. The family returned to Kansu in September 1928 and remained there until 1934 when they returned to the U.S. They returned to China in 1936 and Myrtle attended the CIM boarding school at Chefoo in Shantung Province. She enjoyed the British educational system used by the Chefoo School and grew deep bonds with fellow missionary classmates. Myrtle and her sister, Lora Jean, left Chefoo abruptly in the spring of 1941 as World War II had begun and conditions there had become very dangerous. By Gods great mercy they were safely evacuated and eventually arrived in Orlando, Fla., in the fall of 1942 where they began attending Hampden Dubose Academy, a Christian boarding school. Myrtle and Lora Jean were separated from their parents for five years until they were reunited in May 1944 in Florida at the time of Myrtles graduation from HDA. Myrtle enrolled at Wheaton College in Illinois in the fall of that year. Soon after arriving in Wheaton she met a handsome and ardent boy from a farm in southeast Michigan named Alan Dillon. They both enjoyed the thriving Wheaton College environment and grew tremendously, spiritually and academically. They fell in love and were married in March 1948 in a ceremony at College Church in Wheaton performed by Dr. Merrill Tenney. In the fall of that year they left for Japan as missionaries with the Far Eastern Gospel Crusade. Because the effects of the war were still very present and the country of Japan was on food rations, they brought two tons of food with them aboard the U.S. Troop Transport David C. Shanks for use during their first term in Japan. At first they lived in Zoshigaya at the mission headquarters, which at that time was in a home in the Toshima Ward of Tokyo. They began to study the Japanese language and to be involved in mission work. At times, in those early years after the war, they were surrounded during street meetings by Japanese who were interested by what they were teaching. Alan became the training director for the mission (Far Eastern Gospel Crusade, now called SEND International) in 1950, and in addition to his mission work he helped new missionaries become acclimated. Two children, Daniel and James, came along during that period and added much joy to their lives. Myrtle always had a strong interest in Christian education with children in particular. Almost every Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning found Myrtle teaching a large roomful of Japanese children about the Bible. Their third son, David, joined them in 1956 as a late Christmas present. In 1960, at the beginning of their third term in Japan, they moved to the city of Kawagoe in the Saitama prefecture northwest of Tokyo. They put down roots in Kawagoe and ultimately played a major role in helping to start the Kawagoe Seisho Kyokai (Kawagoe Bible Church) which is still thriving and worshiping God today under the leadership of the Rev. Hiroshi Kishimoto. Alan and Myrtle continued their mission work in Kawagoe through childrens meetings, teaching English, and leading Bible studies. They left the mission field in 1978, at which time the church was being led by the Rev. Koji Yoshida. Upon arrival in the U.S., Alan and Myrtle lived in Rockford, Ill., for a number of years and then moved to a beautiful, quiet, farm community near Waupun. They enjoyed worshiping and helping in ministry at First Reformed Church of Waupun, where Myrtle served as director of childrens ministries from 2001 to 2005. Myrtle loved to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and blessed all those who knew her. She is survived by her sister, Lora Jean (Jack) Heurlin; three children, Daniel, James (Connie), and David (Michele); grandchildren, Luke, Paul, Kristin, Lauren and Caroline; and great- grandchildren, Oscar and Milo. Friends and relatives may call on the family at Werner-Harmsen Funeral Home, 201 E. Jefferson St., Waupun, on Saturday, Feb. 13, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Donations may be directed to First Reformed Church of Waupun in lieu of flowers. Werner-Harmsen Funeral Home is serving the Dillon family. Visit www.wernerharmsenfuneralhome.com for further information and to send condolences. A funeral service will be held Saturday, Feb. 13, at 1 p.m. at First Reformed Church, 422 W. Franklin St., Waupun. The Rev. Rick Boon will officiate. Burial will follow at Forest Mound Cemetery in Waupun. The Odd Fellows Lodge in Columbus (Tri-County Lodge #40) announced that Kelsey OKeefe and Samantha Kanouse from Columbus High School have been selected to participate in the annual United Nations Pilgrimage for Youth. They were chosen by the Columbus Lodge because of their evidence of leadership, character, concern for community welfare and interest in world affairs. In their two-week tour this summer they and hundreds of other youth from around the world will visit notable landmarks such as Ground Zero and Ellis Island, tour Rockefeller Center and 5th Avenue, attend a Broadway play and meet with United Nations delegates from around the world. Tour stops will also include Washington, D.C., Toronto, Ontario, Gettysburg and Philadelphia, Penn. This unique educational opportunity was established by The Sovereign Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) in 1949 when the United Nations was just four years old. Annually the UN Pilgrimage brings together high school students from around the world to study and learn about the United Nations. For young adults interested in world affairs, international relations, economics and/or political sciences this is an opportunity of a lifetime to observe the United Nations in person while exchanging views on education, politics and religion. Students tour the United Nations building and listen to behind-the-scenes briefings conducted by specialized United Nations agencies and departments including ambassadors, minister counselors and country representatives. Each student (delegate) will participate in in-depth discussions with other young people from around the world as well as make new and lifelong friends. In addition, students experience one of the greatest cities in the world: New York. The Odd Fellows have been providing this free trip for their communities promising youth annually for over six decades. Locally, the Odd Fellows hosts a number of fundraisers that help contribute to this and other charitable efforts. If you would like to learn more about the U.N. program, have a child interested in the program or desire to assist in the financial sponsorship of a student, visit the website at www.wioddfellows40.org and click on site map to get the UN Pilgrimage link. You can also visit the organizations website at www.unpilgrimage.org. For more information about the Odd Fellows, visit the website listed above or find them on facebook (Odd Fellows Tri-County Lodge #40). Email the local Odd Fellows at wioddfellows40@yahoo.com. Reedsburg officials are grappling with a rift between the citys leadership and its utility commission in which some city leaders have said the utility has not been forthright about its activities. Reedsburg officials met Feb. 8 for the third time in six months to discuss the operation and future of the citys utility and the commission that governs it. The Common Council meeting, which was attended by utility officials, ended with no formal action but the one-hour discussion revealed a rift between officials from the utility and City Hall. We all agree theres a communication issue, Mayor Dave Estes said at the close of a meeting that included the revelation that at least one utility employee recently had been investigated for misconduct. Last month, the Common Council met behind closed doors for consideration of specific personnel problems at the Utility Department, according to the meeting notice. The Utility Commission also met behind closed doors to discuss unspecified personnel issues. In September, the citys Ordinance Committee discussed whether the city should take over operation of the utility. That session came at the request of Common Council members concerned about the utilitys debt, personnel policies, a perceived lack of cooperation with the city and possible cost savings that might result from consolidation of utility and city operations. The utility, which is overseen by a five-person commission made up of two members of the Common Council and three citizens, operates as an independent entity but its debts are an obligation of city taxpayers. Were not trying to hide anything, commission President James Krueger said. Redacted budget Common Council member Dave Knudsen, who is not one of the two council members who sits on the commission, was booted from the commissions closed session last month. In January 2015, Knudsen criticized utility General Manager Brett Schuppner and the commission for presenting the Common Council with an annual budget he said was greatly redacted, vague and created in secret. To this day, there continues to be what seems to be a concerted effort to limit the amount of information, not only to the members of this council, but specifically to the general public, Knudsen said. Schuppner and the commission have said closed sessions are necessary because the utility competes with private businesses to deliver telecom services. Knudsen said getting information from the utility and commission was a daunting task and that, while the commissions closed sessions do not constitute evidence of bad behavior, they create the perception that officials could be hiding something. Several other members of the Common Council said they had not encountered problems obtaining information from the utility and the commission. Ive always had good results getting information I needed, Alderman Phil Peterson said. Krueger said he was within his rights to ask Knudsen to leave the commissions closed session about personnel issues. You were there for something you couldnt have, Krueger said. Schuppner said he is willing to communicate with city officials. But there shouldnt be a hidden agenda when somebody is coming to a commission meeting to try to dig up information that is supposed to be a personnel matter of the Utility Commission, Schuppner said. Knudsen denied he had a hidden agenda. My concern is what in the best interest of the citizens of our community, the 9,200 citizens that have guaranteed the debt of the commission nothing more, Knudsen said. Misconduct investigation In response to a question from Common Council member Megan Cowan, Schuppner said the closed session Knudsen was asked to leave included discussion of the results of an investigation into the actions of a utility employee that determined the employee had committed no misconduct. Common Council member Jim Heuer, who is a member of the commission, said the investigation will lead to unspecified policy changes. There will be changes, Heuer said. The changes have not occurred yet. According to Knudsen, the investigation was triggered by what he called an anomaly discovered by city Administrator Ken Witt, who submitted a written report of his finding. Knudsen noted that Witt is the principal adviser to the Common Council and that Witts interpretation of the situation differed sharply from that of the investigator hired by the commission. Herein lies some of the dilemma, Knudsen said. Who are we supposed to trust? Whose advice are we supposed to give the most weight to? The Times-Press filed a written request Jan. 29 with commission President James Krueger under the states Open Records Law for a copy of the investigators report. No response had been received as of press time Feb. 9. Witt attended the Feb. 8 meeting and discussion but did not participate. After the meeting, Witt declined to provide details of his report but said he would release a copy of it under the Open Records Law after providing legally mandated notice to affected parties. The Times-Press filed a request Feb. 9 for Witts report. Past clashes At the September meeting of the Ordinance Committee, Witt and Schuppner clashed over handling of the utilitys debt refinance. That animosity continued Feb. 8 when Schuppner suggested that Witt was at least equally to blame for communication problems between City Hall and the utility. Information that the administrator shares with the council regarding the utility, are we shared with that information? We have never been, Schuppner said. At the September meeting, officials urged Witt and Schuppner to share information despite their apparent dislike for one another. And its not happening, Alderman Calvin Craker said. We have to have information so we can do our jobs better. Schuppner countered that the city needs an administrator who will work with all units of city government. Right now we dont have that, Schuppner said. Youve got a leader here thats supposed to be bringing all the departments together. Instead, he divides them. Cowan asked officials from both sides to go above and beyond in efforts to communicate better. You might not like it. I dont care, Cowan said. Do it with a smile and swallow your pride, because thats what best for the city and for all utility customers. Council member Dave Moon also sounded a conciliatory note. We could talk til midnight, I dont know that anything would change, Moon said. But theres hope. Estes declared the meeting a success because it clearly identified a problem with communication that is solvable. We need to have that communication shored up so that when there are questions that come up theyre being answered, Estes said. I think the commission needs to talk about that. The city council needs to talk about that, about what we can do to ensure proper communication. We are committed to making this thing work, Krueger said. The hallways of Pineview Elementary School were barren at 4 p.m. on a recent Monday. No surprise. The school day was long over. But it would have been a mistake to conclude nothing was going on. Downstairs, in the basement, plenty was going on and it was all about education, even if the tools were wrenches instead of pencils. Its about problem solving and empowerment, said Gary Williams, who oversees the schools Bike Shop. Williams started the Bike Shop almost 20 years ago, when he was a guidance counselor for the school district and discovered that he could sometimes produce better results by involving kids in tasks than by talking at them from across a desk. Especially with the boys Id say, Why dont you bring in a bike? or Id find an old bike and wed talk while fixing the bike and it just grew into this program, Williams said. The program is open to fourth- and fifth-grade students at Pineview, as well as students in the same grades from Reedsburgs parochial schools. Students attend Bike Shop after school on Mondays four consecutive weeks for what Williams termed hands-on lessons in engineering, science, mentoring and the importance of finishing what you start. And it helps them to feel good about their own bike they know how to fix it, Williams said. The bikes come from many places: the local police department, people who clean out garages or whose kids outgrow them, and from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, which donates bikes left by students at the end of the school year. The bikes come in all sizes and colors and types, but they all need some TLC, and thats what Bike Shop is all about. They get to keep one free as long as its fixed and safe, and then they have the opportunity to fix one for a needy kid somewhere else, Williams said. When Bike Shop began, Williams used to sell the bikes to fund the program, but about six years ago began donating them to impoverished kids in the Dominican Republic and, just last year, to needy kids in Mississippi. So far, Williams said, the program has sent about 1,000 bikes to the Dominican Republic and 87 to Mississippi for the benefit of other children the Bike Shop kids will never meet. Getting kids involved with other kids world peace through bicycles, Williams said. Williams is assisted by two volunteers, both retired: Bill Schallhammer and Jim Wittenberger. Neither man said they knew much about bikes when they started, but theyre learning along with the kids. I worked on my own as a kid, of course, said Schallhammer. You keep running into new ones as you go every day. I had to learn everything, too, Wittenberger said. Joe Gundlach was busy helping his son Gabriel work on a bicycle. Im a maintenance man by trade, so for me seeing kids fix things is great, Gundlach said. It really needs to happen more often. Members of Reedsburgs Old Settlers Association arent given to bragging. Not that theres a need for bragging. When your organization has met annually for 139 consecutive years, the facts speak for themselves. Doesnt that say a lot for an organization to be around for 140 years? said association President Linda Borleske. The group thats met in Reedsburg every year since 1876 will do it for the 140th time Feb. 20. The first meeting was held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Rork, one of the areass founding families. A period newspaper report of the first meeting declared it was held for the purpose of bringing together the ties of common brotherhood and natural affinity without the thought of wealth, religion or politics, Borleske said. The first year there were 50 people present, Borleske said. It went so well that the next year they had it again and it doubled in size. The Rorks likely didnt know their idea would survive them, their children and their grandchildren, too. Today, the group survives as a nonprofit organization with a member requirement about as easy as it gets. Anyone who lives within 15 miles of Reedsburg can become a member simply by signing the registration book at the annual meeting. That makes you a member, Borleske said. But dont arrive empty handed. The meeting is also a potluck with a reputation to uphold. The highlight of that (event) is probably the best potluck in Sauk County, Reedsburg Mayor Dave Estes said. Estes said he attended his first Old Settlers meeting a few years ago because someone advised him he should. I wont miss it now, Estes said. If you leave there hungry theres something wrong with you. The event has seen many changes over the years. In recent decades, in addition to the potluck, the event has included a brief business meeting followed by a program built around a theme. This years theme: Reedsburg, Wisconsin here we come. The associated program will include presentations by local historian Bill Schuette on the settlement of Reedsburg and by association member Cheryl Schwarzenbart on the history of the Old Settlers Association. Other wrinkles this year include a 140th birthday cake, a raffle to support the associations inaugural Founders Day planned for the Fourth of July weekend and an invitation to express individuality. If you have an old hat that was popular years ago bring your old hat and wear it, Borleske said. The Rorks had been in the Reedsburg area 15 years when they organized the first Old Settlers meeting, which was the likely origin of a 15-year residency requirement the group abandoned a few years back in the face of an increasingly mobile world in which people dont stay in one place the way they did when transportation was by horse. But the association has stuck with other traditions. The groups gavel, for example, is made from wood taken from part of the horse collar used by James Babb, the first white settler in what became Reedsburg. The timing of the annual meeting is also a tradition. The meeting is always timed to coincide with a full moon in a tip of the hat to the founders of the event, which once took the form of a picnic in the day followed by an evening dance. The farmers attended the picnic and then went home to milk the cows before returning for the dance. When settlers took their horse and buggies to the dance, if there was a full moon they had more light to travel home in, Borleske said. As the population ages, the need for healthcare, both in rural and urban areas, will increase. Advances in medicine and technology will save more lives and allow for quicker recoveries, but hospitals will grapple with ways to provide care for a larger aging population. The nurses providing care for these patients are getting older, too. With the Baby Boom generation already heading into or thinking about retirement, hospitals across the country will be faced with an employment gap as they try to recruit new nurses into the field. Hospitals in rural areas of the state already are dealing with the challenge of nursing shortages. However, many large hospitals in the area are implementing programs to retain quality nurses and ensure theyre efficiently staffed. Rural challenges From Ashland to Monroe, rural Wisconsin hospitals face many of the same challenges, but they have an ally supporting them along the way. The Sauk City-based Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative serves 40 hospitals across Wisconsin. The co-op supports many of the areas regional hospitals, including Mauston, Reedsburg, Portage, Baraboo, Sauk Prairie, Hillsboro and Friendship. Cella Janisch-Hartline has worked in rural healthcare for 30 years and has spent the past five years working as the co-ops nursing leadership senior manager. Its very difficult for rural hospitals, at this time, to recruit experienced nurses, Janisch-Hartline said. The Baby Boomers are now at a place where theyre beginning to leave practice and thats going to open up millions of jobs across the nation. Feeder facilities Hospitals such as Mile Bluff Medical Center in Mauston or Divine Savior Healthcare in Portage are playing the role of teaching facilities for young nurses to gain experience. Theres a surplus of new graduates that apply at our centers because some of the urban hospitals like in Madison really want experienced nurses who have at least a year of experience to come in and work in their organizations, Janisch-Hartline said. She said the nurses who work in the rural facilities gain valuable experience, since Registered Nurses often are asked to work in multiple departments. They dont get to just work in medical surgery or just work in OBGYN; they have to work across the continuum, so they become a generalist, Janisch-Hartline said. However, once a nurse has gained that experience, smaller hospitals have to find creative ways to retain the best workers or risk losing them to larger hospitals such as UW Health or St. Marys Hospital in Madison. Historically weve wanted to stay away from sign-on bonuses and those types of programs, but now were being forced to look at that type of structure and strategy, Janisch-Hartline said. Residency program To keep entice rural nurses to stay at their current locations, hospitals across the region are taking part in the co-ops nurse residency program. Its definitely had a positive impact on the organizations that are participating, Janisch-Hartline said. Since the program started in 2004 through a Marquette University grant, turnover of first-year nurses at co-op member hospitals fell from a high of 50 percent to 8 percent. It helps nurses become integrated into the program in a networking, supportive environment, Janisch-Hartline said. It helps people get more comfortable in rural healthcare. Janisch-Hartline said the residency program isnt a full-proof solution. That doesnt mean they stay forever, but just maintaining and holding onto those new people for that first year is a significant reimbursement for organizations because they invest a lot of time and energy into training new nurses, Janisch-Hartline said. In the past 12 years, more than 500 rural nurses from 15 of the cooperatives member organizations have gone through the residency program. Program benefits In Mauston, Mile Bluff Medical Center has seen the benefits of the residency program. Jean Surguy has served as chief nursing officer at the hospital for six years and is always looking for programs to keep nurses happy and productive. That residency program gives them a good foundation from being a student to being a practitioner, Surguy said. It gives them that perspective that Im not the only one feeling this, because they were finding that many nurses were leaving within that first three years. She said the biggest factor in retention was stress, and that many who left their first job left nursing entirely. Healthcare is an intense profession because youre dealing with peoples lives, she said. If a young nurse has a bad day or a doctor gets angry with them, they need to know that its just the heat of the situation and that its not them. I think the program has really helped with keeping young nurses around. Similar to many rural hospitals, Mile Bluff faces challenges to find specialty nurses who have experience in specific fields such as emergency care, surgery and OBGYN. Surguy said rural facilities have difficulty attracting experienced nurses from larger, metro hospitals. Because you have smaller volumes here, it takes longer to get the experience because youre not working a 100-bed OB unit, we have a five-bed OB unit, Surguy said. Nationwide, nursing shortages have come and gone in recent years. The recession kept many nurses working longer for job security so it was difficult for young nurses to break into the field. Many students decided to pursue another field or leave the profession early. But now its kind of opening up again, so theres definitely been an ebb-and-flow with what the market is doing, Surguy said. We know theres going to be a lot of nurses retiring in the next five to 10 years. Experience wanted For most rural hospitals in Wisconsin, the search for experienced specialty nurses is challenging. Ginger Selle, Vice President of Patient Care Services at St. Clare Hospital in Baraboo, said her hospital takes part in a fellowship program for nurses. St. Clare, which is also associated with Dean Health Clinic in Lake Delton, also has its nurses go through a long orientation process. Selle also has seen many Certified Nursing Assistants develop into RNs after a few years on the job. A lot of our nursing assistants are nursing students, which is nice because they get experience taking care of patients on the job, Selle said. While theyre here they go through school and graduate and we do hire a fare number of those grads and it works out really well that way. St. Clare offers programs to help nurses transition from a two-year to a four-year degree. St. Clare also works with local high schools to attract students to the hospital for hands-on experience. High school students can get a taste of the rigors of nursing before paying for the education and training during college. We have an advantage at St. Clare because people like the community and they tend to stay, Selle said. Our nursing turnover at St. Clare is very low far below the national average and we have a lot of longevity here. We also have opportunities to advance so we set up programs for nurses who want to specialize in a certain area to allow them to gain experience and they feel more comfortable to take care of those patients over time. Positive staffing Not all rural hospitals face a nursing staff shortage. We have not had trouble recruiting or retaining nurses at Sauk Prairie Hospital or our clinics, said Denise Cole-Ouzanian, Vice President of Patient Care Services at Sauk Prairie Hospital in Prairie du Sac. But we are aware that nationally there are some reports of up to 20 percent vacancy rates. Sauk Prairie Hospital is part of the Sauk Prairie Healthcare system, which includes several clinics in the Sauk Prairie area. According to Cole-Ouzanian, the hospital has built a strong reputation and nurses want to stay and contribute to that legacy. We do a good job of attracting individuals and once they come here, they tend to stay here, Cole-Ouzanian said. We have won several awards for best patient experience and best patient safety and outcomes, and nurses do like to work in places where there is evidence-based practice and success. While its turnover rate is about the same as other local hospitals, according to Cole-Ouzanian, Sauk Prairie has a solid track record of retaining nurses after their five-year mark. Several stay for 25 years or more. Unlike similar hospitals, Sauk Prairie has recruited both new grads, along with experienced nurses. Nationally, there have been a lot of efforts since 2000 to address the nursing shortage gap that was coming by 2020, Cole-Ouzanian said. As of 2006, it was projected that about 64 percent of the vacancy in nursing would be filled. In the past 10 years, hospitals have developed programs to raise that 64 percent even higher. Changes in technology also have increased the workforce with organizations using telemedicine, utilizing online video conferencing and assessments. Real-time questions can be fielded and answers can be met through the comfort of a patients home. In the meantime, the staff at Sauk Prairie Hospital continues to forge ahead with a full complement of nurses. Were just very fortunate to have great nurses here and to be able to recruit great nurses, Cole-Ouzanian said. Strike continues at Racine Case tractor factory with no clear end in sight Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 Trend: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has started the second session of a four-day workshop for women entrepreneurs who want to develop their entrepreneurial skills and understand key financial concepts to help their businesses grow, according to the EBRD press release Feb. 10. On February 10, 2016 seventeen women entrepreneurs representing various sectors of the economy attended the workshop. The workshop is a part of the EBRD's Women in Business program funded by EU, Sweden and the Early Transition Countries Fund. Over 50 million euros will be made available from the EBRD for credit lines channelled through partner financial institutions for on-lending to women-led SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). This is combined with nine million euros in donor funding, enabling risk mitigation funds and technical assistance to partner banks, as well as business advice, training and mentoring for women entrepreneurs. "We firmly believe that women's entrepreneurship plays an important role in creating jobs and driving economic growth," Jeff Ferry, associate director of the EBRD Advice for Small Businesses within the Small Business Initiative for South Caucasus and Russian Federation said. "That's why, in our countries of operation, we help women entrepreneurs succeed and be more engaged in business." "Our workshop series is based on international best practices and the curriculum is adapted and delivered in accordance with the local needs," he said. "It promotes and support women's entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan and more broadly women's participation in business." Since starting work in Azerbaijan in 1993, the EBRD has helped over 700 enterprises access consulting know-how to help them develop and grow. The EU has provided 3.7 million euros to support this work in Azerbaijan since 2003 and Swedish International Development Agency contributed 47 million Swedish Kronor to the development of women entrepreneurship in Eastern Partnership countries. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Azad Hasanli - Trend: The tax debt of Azerbaijani citizens hit 2.4 billion manats as of January 1, 2016, Sahib Alakbarov, Azerbaijani deputy minister of taxes, told reporters Feb. 10. He said that taxpayers' debt has been varying around this figure during several years. "Currently, 70 percent of taxpayers pay their taxes voluntarily," he said. Alakbarov said that there are tax debts in all areas and about half of them accounts for the state sector. He added that the ministry takes the necessary measures to reduce the tax debt. Alakbarov said that almost 30 percent of the tax deductions transferred by the ministry to the state budget, accounts for the tax arrear charges. The tax authorities fully wrote off mainly small debts of around 24,000 taxpayers as a result of comprehensive inspections in 2015. Most of representatives of the small and medium-sized enterprises paid the debts to the budget following the inspections to assist in the elimination of these entrepreneurs' tax debts. Some taxpayers' debts were reduced in accordance with the legislation. Academics support #Access The Academic Staff Association of Wits University (ASAWU) approved in a majority poll by 87%, a proposal to donate R100 000 to the #Access campaign. The campaign, launched on Welcome Day by the Wits Students Representative Council and the University, aims to raise R10 million for the 'missing middle'. ASAWU President, Dr David Hornsby, said this donation underscores the commitment that Wits academics maintain for improving accessibility to those in need and how we collectively recognise the importance of higher education to the development aspirations of South Africa. The academics estimate that the donation will make a difference to approximately 1 000 students and ASAWU also further encouraged its members to make personal donations. To donate, visit http://www.witsfoundation.co.za/SRC.asp. Wits physicists involved in search for new bosons at CERN Southern Africas talent in high energy particle physics displayed at annual workshop. Where does Dark Matter in the Universe come from? Is the Large Hadron Collider seeing new bosons and can these bosons give mass to particles in the Universe? In 2012, the world stood in awe as the Higgs Boson the particle that gives known matter mass was found at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2016, the world may be astonished again, as physicists are preparing to describe a range of new phenomena, which they were previously unable to explain. Wits physicists are at the leading edge of experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, which has been restarted in 2015 after a two-year shut-down. These experiments have reported a number of tantalising peculiarities in the data. Together with collaborators from the Harish Chandra Institute, Wits researchers have postulated in June 2015 the existence of a new boson, which is able to explain a number of these peculiarities. In December 2015 the ATLAS and CMS experiments reported an excess of events consistent with an even heavier boson. These two bosons could explain the suite of peculiarities in the data, and predict the existence of yet two more bosons, this time with electrical charge, and a family of new particles. These particles, if confirmed with new data, would signify a revolution in Physics. With the discovery of the Higgs boson a new window of opportunity has opened to discover new particles and interactions in nature. These may help us understand many unresolved mysteries, such as where most of the matter in the Universe comes from, among others, says Professor Bruce Mellado from the Wits School of Physics. Experiments in the LHC also provide an insight of what happened right after the Big Bang via the study of collisions of heavy ions at high energies. In June 2015 the LHC has resumed in providing proton-proton collisions for physics data at a record energy of 13 TeV (1012 eV). The Higgs boson was discovered with data collected at 7 TeV and 8 TeV. Then on 25 November 2015, the first heavy ion collisions at a record energy of more than 1 PeV (1015 eV) were provided. The results following the data analysis by the ATLAS and CMS experiments bears witness of the excellent readiness of the experiments to collect, distribute and analyze vast amounts of data in a short period of time. Getting these exciting results from LHC Run two depended on understanding the early measurements at this new center-of-mass energy, where the Wits group played a significant role, says Dr Deepak Kar of the Wits School of Physics. The amount of data delivered in 2015 is a glimpse of what will be delivered this year. New data is expected to be delivered starting at the end of April 2016, leading to a data sample significantly bigger than obtained in 2015. This data set will give an invaluable insight on whether we will have new discoveries or not, says Mellado. Workshop The High Energy Particle Physics Group at the University of the Witwatersrand hosted the second High Energy Particle Physics (HEPP) Workshop from Monday, 8 February to Wednesday 10 February. The second edition of the HEPP Workshop was aimed at training students in presenting research on High Energy Particle Physics. Lectures were given by leading researchers, including Prof. Eilam Gross, convenor of the Higgs Boson working group at the ATLAS experiment when the Higgs Boson was discovered. This workshop is an opportunity for over 30 Masters and PhD students from various South African institutions to give presentations on their work, on topics that include theory, phenomenology, data analysis, synergy with nuclear physics, Big Data and electronics, says Mellado. The work of these students, together with the research that we are doing at CERN is evidence of the contribution that South Africa as a whole, and Wits in particular, make to the knowledge and understanding that we have of how our world is working, says Mellado. The workshop was opened by Wits Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi, the Head of the Wits School of Physics, Prof. Joao Rodrigues, Dr Daniel Adams from the Department of Science and Technology, Prof. Azwinndini Muronga, President of the SA Institute of Physics, Prof. Jean Cleymans, Chair of the SA-CERN consortium. Russia and Iran have signed documents for opening a $2.2 credit line within the visit of Iran's delegation to Moscow, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanai said on Wednesday. "Documents for financing two contracts on construction of thermal stations and a railroad worth $2.2 bln have been initialed," Tass quoted Sanai on Feb.10. In November 2015, after the talks between Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani an intention to increase the trade turnover between the countries was announced. Putin declared determination to grant a $5 bln public export loan for financing joint projects. Russia and Iran also agreed a loan for financing the construction of a railroad and thermal stations in Iran during President Putin's visit to Tehran. According to the diplomat, Iran is planning to start the construction of the Bushehr-2 nuclear power plant in March. "Iran is open for foreign investments but Russia has a priority at the Iranian market, in particular, regarding the Russian experience in the construction of the Bushehr NPP," the diplomat said. "The construction is set to begin in March," he added. In November 2014, Russia and Iran signed in Moscow a package of agreements on the construction of eight nuclear power units in Iran, including Bushehr-2. The project is estimated at over $10 billion. The ambassador also pointed out that Iran is ready to sign an agreement on export tariffs with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in the nearest future. "We plan to sign an agreement on export tariff reduction with the EAEU in the nearest future," he said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Elchin Mehdiyev, Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia are working on the establishment of the North-South energy corridor among three countries, Azerbaijani Minister of Energy Natig Aliyev told reporters Feb. 10. He said that lifting of sanctions from Iran will play a great role in the development of Azerbaijan's relations with this country. "Both countries are working hard in the transport sector," he said. "The North-South corridor is being established, moreover, not only transport, but also energy corridor. It envisages the export of electricity from Russia to Azerbaijan and further to Iran. A special working group has been established. The energy ministers of three countries are working on this issue." He said that Azerbaijan and Iran are implementing major projects in the oil and gas sector. "The issue of the Iranian gas transit through the territory of Azerbaijan is on the agenda," he said. "Such issues as using of Azerbaijani gas storage facilities by Iran and other areas of cooperation, which we will develop, are also on the agenda." Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak confirmed the interest in uniting the energy systems with Azerbaijan and Iran. Novak made this statement at the 12th meeting of the permanent Russian-Iranian commission on trade-economic cooperation in November 2015. In response, Azerbaijan confirmed the interest and readiness for resuming the meetings as part of the tripartite working group. Obama seeks to terminate MOX project at Savannah River 10 February 2016 Share US President Barack Obama wants to scrap the Department of Energy's project at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina that was designed to take plutonium no longer needed for nuclear weapons and turn it into fuel for commercial nuclear reactors. Areva says the MOX fuel plant is now 70% complete (Image: Areva) The mixed-oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) - built as part of a long-standing agreement with Russia whereby each country would dispose of 34 tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium - has been in a cold standby for two years. Obama's Fiscal Year 2017 budget proposal issued yesterday calls for the termination of the MOX project, which includes the MFFF. Instead the proposal wants a "change in plutonium disposition" and would appropriate $285 million for the DOE to "complete pre-conceptual design" for 'downblending'. In December, the US Congress had appropriated $340 million to support construction of the MOX facility. This would mean that, instead of transforming plutonium into nuclear fuel, the Savannah River Site facility would be used to dilute plutonium and dispose of it at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, in Carlsbad, New Mexico. This would start in 2017. Tim Scott, Republican senator for South Carolina, issued a statement on the proposed change yesterday, in which he said: "The United States cannot just terminate the MOX project and walk away from our long-standing international agreement with Russia to dispose of a total of 68 metric tons of weapons grade nuclear material. Throughout the Obama administration, his Department of Energy has consistently worked to undermine this vital project and attempted to spread misinformation about its progress." Scott added: "As the budgeting process for Fiscal Year 2017 begins in earnest in Congress, I will continue working to ensure that MOX is funded at acceptable levels for the project to continue. Too much is at stake, and political games cannot take precedence over common sense." South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced yesterday that he is suing multiple parties for failing to meet commitments made to the state regarding construction of the MOX facility. Wilson argues that a 2003 agreement says the DOE should either remove one tonne of weapons-grade plutonium from the state or process it through the MOX facility. As the DOE has done neither, it owes the state $1 million a day, up to $100 million annually, beginning 1 January this year, Wilson said. Work started on the MFFF in 2007, with a 2016 start-up envisaged. Although based on France's Melox MOX facility, the US project has presented many first-of-a-kind challenges and in 2012 the US Government Accountability Office suggested it would likely not start up before 2019 and cost at least $7.7 billion, far above original estimate of $4.9 billion. The project has seen progressive cuts to its funding, with only $320 million requested for the facility in the 2014 budget, reflecting a slowing down of construction and associated activities as the DOE's National Nuclear Safety Administration embarked on a review of its plutonium disposition strategy. The project was placed on cold standby after being effectively cut out of the DOE's Fiscal Year 2015 budget request. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) signed an order on 13 November 2014 extending the completion deadline for the MFFF by ten years, to March 2025, at the request of its builder, Shaw Areva MOX services. It issued the original ten-year construction licence in March 2005. The previous month, the NRC published an environmental assessment that found the licence extension "would not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment because it does not involve any additional impacts or represent a significant change to those impacts described and analysed in the previous environmental report and final environmental impact statement." The NRC noted that its order also reflected some administrative changes to the construction permit, including the change in the licensee's name to CB&I Areva MOX Services to reflect Chicago Bridge & Iron's acquisition of the Shaw Group in 2013. Maximum value Areva said yesterday that the MFFF was "achieving maximum value from meagre funding"and was now 70% complete, up from 56% in 2013. The company said Richard Lugar, a former Republican senator representing Indiana, had toured the MOX Project site earlier this month and had called on the DOE "to finish the job", since "much of the sophisticated instruments and equipment that will populate the building is already on site". Another recent visitor to the facility, Georgia Republican senator Rick Allen, said: "This is a necessary piece of a comprehensive national security plan, and was reauthorized and funded by Congress again late last year. As the only real solution I see for our military grade plutonium, the MOX project is vital." Areva noted that, according to their Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement, the USA and Russia must change their surplus plutonium at the isotopic level to render the nuclear material unattractive for weapons use. "Though considerations have been raised about pursuing other non-proliferation options, none of the other methods change the plutonium's isotopic structure, so would require renegotiations with the Russians," Areva said. Russian progress Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear corporation, announced last September that it had started producing MOX fuel. In a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the corporation's director general, Sergey Kirienko, said the agreement between Russia and the USA on the disposal of excess plutonium "is not needed". "Russia and the USA have each launched the construction of MOX plants. The Americans have already spent $7.7 billion and eight years on building theirs, but at the start of [last week] the US Congress announced that, with no end in sight, they are halting construction. We also have a MOX facility, which we built in two-and-a-half years for RUB9 billion ($136 million). The plant is in operation," Kirienko said. The director general of the Mining and Chemical Combine in Krasnoyarsk told World Nuclear News that month the enterprise's MOX fuel fabrication facility would increase its annual production of fuel assemblies from 20 in 2015 to 400 in 2017. These will be the first nuclear fuel assemblies for the BN-800 fast neutron reactor - unit 4 at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in the Sverdlovsk district. Rosatom said yesterday that the BN-800 reactor had successfully completed tests under its first power program - at 50% of its nominal capacity over 72 hours. The company expects to be able to apply soon to regulator Rostechnadzor for the next stage of the reactor's program, during which the unit will be brought to 100% capacity and enter commercial operation. The 789 MWe BN-800 Beloyarsk 4 is fuelled by a mix of uranium and plutonium oxides arranged to produce new fuel material as it burns. Its capacity exceeds that of the world's second most powerful fast reactor - the 560 MWe BN-600 Beloyarsk 3. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics Coco Austin decides to ignore criticism over the way she dresses and shows off her child to the world. Coco Austin, wife of rapper/actor Ice T, expressed her desire to continue dressing up her baby girl in unconventional and controversial outfits. This behavior has caused many to criticize her due to the unusual treatment and exposure of a baby, but it has not been enough to stop Austin from showing her off however she sees fit. The 36-year-old had her first child, Chanel, in November 2015 with Ice T, 57. Not long after their daughters birth, Austin created social media accounts on Instagram and Twitter exclusively for the newborn. According to the glamorous actress, she merely wanted to keep fans in the loop about her child, she explains on a post-pregnancy blog. Its more for people who want to keep an eye on her while not overloading our pages with photos of her, Austin said. The Ice & Coco star stated that Chanel has an admirable shoe and wardrobe collection, but she also acknowledges the amount of backlash for calling her baby a real-life doll and dressing her up as such. Of course I know shes a real human being. Dont you know I know that? she further explained. Should I just dress her up in a normal T-shirt? Is that better? Why cant I just have my moment of dressing my daughter up? Why is that such a negative thing? Does she look like shes really mad in these pictures? She actually looks very happy dressed up. The television personality was also shamed during her pregnancy, as she had only gained 13 pounds and her stomach was not quite noticeable, according to many. Austin later observed as people became critical of other aspects regarding her parenting skills. Im damned if I do, damned if I dont. No matter what I post on Chanel, people are going to find something negative about it. It amazes me, the star said. Forensic pathologist Dr. Joseph Ohr said one of the dogs attempted to pick the child up. The autopsy showed the cause of death as several small puncture wounds to the baby's head. A Youngstown, Ohio, newborn baby has died over the weekend when one of the familys four dogs bit him inside the family home. Three-day-old Aiden Grims mother called 911 after waking up from a nap and finding her baby covered in blood and crying. There were five dogs in the home. Police Lt. Doug Bobovnyik said the infant was bitten on top of his skull. He was sleeping in a laundry basket on the living room floor, next to the couch where his mother was sleeping. Forensic pathologist Dr. Joseph Ohr said one of the dogs, a Labrador-shepherd mix, attempted to pick the child up. The autopsy showed the cause of death as several small puncture wounds to the babys head. Ohr stated that there was no evidence of a mauling, or that the child had been shaken. There was no massive tissue loss. Police say the death has been ruled as accidental and the babys mother, 21-year-old Kristy Grim, will not be charged, as there is no evidence that she intended harm to her child. The 55-pound dog, dog was taken to the Mahoning County dog pound and placed in a 10-day quarantine after paramedics and police were called to the home at about 5:45 a.m. Sunday, where the found the baby dead. The dogs fate is unknown at this time. Although the death of the child has been ruled as accidental, the Aidens grandmother, Patricia Grim, said the family has been receiving threats and had to call police to watch their homes. Nakeisha Hall's job was assisting taxpayers who were experiencing problems with identity theft. Nakeisha Hall, a 39-year-old former IRS employee, pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to ID theft and orchestration of a tax-fraud scheme. The scheme involved as much as $1.5 million in fraudulent income tax returns. Halls job was assisting taxpayers who were experiencing problems with identity theft. She had worked in the Birmingham Taxpayer Advocate Service office from July 2007 to November 2011. Since November 2011 she was in TAS offices in Salt Lake City, New Orleans and Omaha. U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance stated that Hall used her IRS access to compromise taxpayers identities and try to steal more than $1 million dollars from the U.S. Treasury. Vance went on to say that taxpayers must be able to trust IRS employees to protect their private information, not steal it and use it for personal gain. Charges against Hall include aggravated identity theft, theft of government funds, conspiracy to commit bank and mail fraud, and unauthorized access to a protected computer. She was indicted by a federal grand jury in December, along with 37-year-old Abdulla Coleman and 37-year-old Jimmie Goodman, both of Birmingham. They were charged with taking part in the scheme. Hall has agreed to restitution and forfeiture of $438,187, which represents funds actually paid out by the IRS due to the scheme. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 29. British air in a bottle By: Mahesh Sarin (Scroll down for video) The owner of a British company that sells clean air to Chinese consumers, said that he is making a fortune because of the bad air quality in China and the good air quality in the United Kingdom. 27-year-old Leo De Watts, who owns and operates Aethaer, collects clean air by trapping it in large nets. He then transfers the air to bottles. A bottle of clean air sells for around $115. Watts said that the demand for British air is high due to terrible pollution problem in the country, especially in urban areas such as Beijing, Zhuhai, and Shanghai. Watts admits that he initially rejected the idea of selling air as ridiculous. However, after learning about a Canadian company selling air from Canada to Chinese consumers, he decided to give it a try. A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Russia's Rosneft is retaining interest in the project for development of the Absheron field in Azerbaijan, TASS news agency quoted Rovnag Abdullayev, president of Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR, as saying. He made the remarks speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the International Petroleum Week in London, Feb. 10. It was reported earlier that Rosneft and SOCAR agreed to cooperate on the projects on exploration and production of oil and gas in various countries, including Russia and Azerbaijan. The two companies are also creating a joint venture for this purpose. The first volume of gas from the Absheron gas and condensate field is expected to be obtained in late 2021 - early 2022. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Aygun Badalova - Trend: Amid the wide spread news about the readiness of some oil producers to discuss the possible production cut in order to stabilize the prices, the agreement on this is very unlikely, oil markets analyst at the US research company IHS believes. "It would be very hard for OPEC and non-OPEC producers to agree exactly who would cut how much (particularly while Iran is trying to increase production and recover market share) and even harder to then stick to this agreement," Spencer Welch, director of Downstream Consulting at IHS Energy told Trend. "It would be even less likely that this would happen if some significant producers were not part of the agreement, because effectively those not part would be benefitting, getting increased price and increased market share," he added. Welch believes that those reaching agreement would be providing an incentive to those not part of the agreement to increase production and gain market share. "And therefore, this is very unlikely to happen", he said. Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh said on Tuesday that the country is ready to negotiate with Saudi Arabia over the current situation on oil markets, according to Iranian media reports. "We support any form of dialogue and cooperation with OPEC member states including Saudi Arabia," Zangeneh told reporters. Last week Saudi Arabia's oil minister Ali al-Naimi talked about cooperation between OPEC members and other oil producers to stabilize the global oil market with his Venezuelan counterpart, but there was no agreement to hold an early meeting of suppliers. Venezuela is an initiator of holding an urgent meeting with involvement of non-OPEC producers to discuss the possible production cuts. Reportedly, six countries, including Iran, Oman and Russia have already agreed to hold a meeting. With regard to the oil prices, Welch said he expects the oil market to come back into supply-demand balance in the second half of2016. The re-balance will be the result of increasing demand (mostly Asia and Middle East) and reducing supply (mostly North America), he believes. "Only once the market is rebalanced will oil price start to increase, but slowly," Welch said. According to the estimates of the International Energy Agency's (IEA), the global oil supply dropped 0.2 million barrels per day (bpd) to 96.5 million bpd in January. IEA expects global oil demand to ease back considerably in 2016 to 1.2 million bpd. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts the supplies from OPEC countries will increase up to 39.16 million barrels per day in 2016 and up to 40.01 million barrels per day in 2017. The supplies from the countries-non-OPEC members are expected to reduce up to 56.77 million barrels per day in 2016 and up to 56.68 million barrels per day in 2017. Speaking about Iran's return to global oil market following the sanctions removal, Welch said that obviously Iran increasing production will increase oil supply, but this is expected and most likely already priced into the market. He said that IHS expects an additional 400,000 barrels per day of Iranian oil by mid-2016 compared with 2015. Iran's current oil production is estimated to be around 2.8 million bpd, of which about one million barrels are exported. Free of sanctions, the country plans to increase its oil export by 500,000 bpd, and then raise the figure by another 500,000 to two million bpd within a six month period at the next step. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Feb .10 By Demir Azizov- Trend: Samarkand NPK Uzbek-Chinese joint venture has commissioned a plant for the production of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) fertilizers on the basis of Samarkandkimyo JSC (Samarkand Chemical Plant) worth $20 million in Uzbekistan, Uzhimprom JSC, which unites the chemical industry enterprises of the country, told Trend. The design capacity of the enterprise is 240,000 tons of NPK fertilizers per year. Samarkand-NPK joint venture was established in mid-2015 by Samarkandkimyo JSC and the Chinese Jiangsu Right Machinery Group Co., Ltd with the parity equity participation. The project was financed through a loan of Uzpromstroybank in the amount of $15 million and equity of the co-founders of the joint venture. This is the first enterprise in Uzbekistan for the production of ternary compound fertilizers. Earlier it was planned to implement the project with the Chinese Citic Construction Co. Ltd. (CITIC), but the companies failed to reach an agreement. Samarkand Chemical Plant was commissioned in 1954 and was specialized in the processing of phosphate ore of the Karatau deposit (Kazakhstan). Currently, delivery of phosphate concentrate is carried out from the Kyzylkum phosphorite complex - a structural unit of the Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combine, which operates on the basis of Jeroy Sardar phosphate deposit in Central Kyzylkum. Samarkand Chemical Plant produces nearly 25,000 tons of ammophos and nearly 100,000 tons of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers annually. HYAK - A new traffic shift is now in effect near Easton as one of the busiest construction seasons on Interstate 90 between North Bend and Ellensburg winds down for the upcoming winter. The Obama administration sent its final annual budget proposal to Congress Tuesday, beginning a process that is entirely overshadowed by the ongoing escalation of US military operations around the world. The bulk of the $4.1 trillion budget is consumed by ongoing mandatory expenditures like Social Security, Medicare and interest on the federal debt, but fully half of the $1.2 trillion in discretionary spending goes to the Pentagon and related military and intelligence operations. Overall spending would rise 4.9 percent, largely because of automatic increases in the mandatory programs. Discretionary spending, under terms of a bipartisan agreement reached last fall between the White House and Congress, is to rise barely one percent. While media coverage focused on the election-year wrangling between the Democrat in the White House and the Republican-controlled Congress, comparatively little attention was paid to the real significance of the budget, which lies in its unstinting funding of ongoing US military operations in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Eastern Europe, the Pacific and in cyberspace. There are several eye-popping increases for high-profile military programs: Quadrupling of funding for US military preparedness in Eastern Europe, labeled countering Russian aggression and supporting European allies, up from just over $1 billion to $4.3 billion; A 50 percent rise in funding for US military operations in Iraq and Syria, to fight the Islamic State group as well as undermine the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad. A total of $7.5 billion is earmarked for that purpose, including $1.8 billion to pay for 45,000 GPS-guided smart bombs; An increase of 35 percent for cybersecurity, from $14 billion to a whopping $19 billion, much of which goes to the National Security Agency and Pentagon cyberwarfare programs, as well as to revamping the entire federal computer network to make it more impervious to hackers. Overall military spending will continue to escalate, with the total proposed Pentagon budget set at $582.7 billion. Each of the three main military departments will have larger budgets than any other country on Earth will spend on war preparations: $166.9 billion for the Air Force, $148 billion for the Army and $164.9 billion for the Navy (including the Marine Corps). In the course of the past week, the Obama administration has announced a series of concessions to demands from the Pentagon or congressional Republicans on specific weapons systems. The Air Force abandoned plans to retire the A-10 Warthog attack plane, extending it for another two years. The Pentagon will also continue buying F-18 Super Hornet jet fighters and Tomahawk cruise missiles. The State Department budget was set at $50 billion and funding for the Department of Homeland Security at just over $40 billion, while the overall spending for the intelligence apparatus is believed to be higher than either of those figures, although the number is officially classified. The State Department and DHS budgets include billions in funding for programs to block immigrants leaving Central America or arrest and deport them once they arrive in the US. When the spending is added up for all the programs involved in military operations, intelligence, homeland security and other repressive purposes, either foreign or domesticincluding funding for the FBI, Bureau of Prisons and other Justice Department programs, and grants to state and local police agenciesthe total comes to at least two-thirds of all federal discretionary spending. There is a stark contrast between the lavish spending on war and repression, and the stinginess in the face of acute human need. Humanitarian aid, largely for the refugees fleeing US wars (or US-instigated civil wars), is pegged at $6.2 billion, about one percent of the total being spent on the military. A proposed increase of $158 million for the Environmental Protection Agency, to deal with the crisis in drinking water in Flint, Michigan and other cities, will cost about as much as a single new F-35 jet fighter. The new domestic social spending proposed by the White House is entirely cosmetic, for electoral purposes, and not taken seriously by anyone either in the Obama administration or in Congress. The Republican leadership was so openly contemptuous that they announced, for the first time since the present budget process was established in the 1970s, that the House and Senate budget committees would not even bother to take testimony from the head of the Office of Management and Budget, Shaun Donovan. The White House proposed nearly $1 trillion in tax increases on the wealthy to fund about an equivalent amount of new social spending on education, the environment, health care and programs for the poor, knowing full well that the Republican majorities in the House and Senate will dismiss both the new taxes and the new spending out of hand. The sole purpose of this part of the budget is to provide some raw material for the presidential and congressional campaigns of Democratic candidates in the November elections. It is a brazen attempt to bolster illusions in the Democratic Party as a defender of the poor, the sick and the elderly against the Republicans, when the two parties actually work in tandem to serve the needs of corporate America and the super-rich. The overall budget numbers do give a glimpse of the precarious state of American capitalism as a whole. Even assuming a 2.6 percent annual growth ratefar beyond what is likely given the ongoing financial shocks and the sharp slowdown in China and Europethe Obama administration projects large and rising federal deficits. The deficit for the current fiscal year, ending September 30, 2016, is projected to rise sharply from $438 billion last year to $616 billion, mainly because of tax cuts for business that were enacted as part of last Decembers bipartisan deal. The federal deficit as a percentage of GDP will jump from 2.8 percent to 3.5 percent, above the 3 percent level regarded as the desired ceiling by the International Monetary Fund and debt-rating agencies. Canadas Liberal government announced Monday that it will triple the size of the Special Forces contingent in northern Iraq that is providing frontline support to Kurdish militia fighting ISIS and will increase the total number of Canadian troops in the region by a third to 830. These moves are part of a broader plan to expand Canadas role in the Mideast war, while fulfilling the Liberals election commitment to withdraw the six CF-18 fighter jets that have been bombing Iraq and Syria since the fall of 2014. At a press conference Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized that Canadas revised Mideast war mission was developed in close consultation with its allies, above all the United States. The new policy includes the deployment of an extra 230 ground troops to the neighbouring countries of Jordan and Lebanon for purposes of capacity building and the continued deployment of two surveillance aircraft and a refuelling plane to assist the bombing of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. Canada will also deploy a team of senior officers to the US-led war coalition command center to assist in directing the air war, provide increased intelligence and a team of military advisers to the Iraqi government, and contribute $1.6 billion in humanitarian aid and infrastructure support over the next three years. The latter figure includes already announced spending of around $880 million for long-term aid and refugee support. Trudeau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, who were joined by Foreign Minister Stephane Dion and Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau for Mondays announcement, argued that Canada will be both increasing and better focusing its contribution to the war effort. Their comments were an attempt to deflect criticism from the opposition Conservatives and sections of the ruling elite who have claimed that the withdrawal of the CF-18s will weaken Ottawas standing in Washington and its position in the imperialist scramble to redivide the Middle East. Nonetheless, interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose was quick to denounce the withdrawal of the fight jets as shameful, a step backwards for Canada and a betrayal of its military traditions. Since Canada was excluded from a January 20 meeting in Paris led by US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the war coalitions strategy, the Conservatives and much of the corporate media have been coupling exhortations for the government to do more to ensure Canadas military presence on the global stage with dire warnings that Canadas influence among the cabal of imperialist powers is at risk. Trudeau deliberately evaded answering a question on whether the Special Forces deployed to northern Iraq will continue to sight bombing targets for coalition aircraft, but the Globe and Mail reported that they have been mandated to do so. Trudeau was insistent that his government has now fulfilled its election pledge to end Canadas Mideast combat mission. This pledge was a cynical ruse, meant to appeal to popular antiwar sentiment, while ensuring that Canada would remain an integral part of US imperialisms latest war in the Middle East. Going forward, Canadian forces will be playing a major role in every part of the bombing campaign except the actual delivery of payload: helping choose and surveil targets, sighting them on the ground, and refuelling the bombing planes. No less mendacious was Trudeaus claim that the Special Forces frontline advise and assist activities with the Kurdish Peshmerga, which have now been expanded to include the provisioning of light arms, constitute a noncombat operation. Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance was at pains not to contradict his political boss. But, speaking to reporters shortly after Trudeau, he warned that the Special Forces would invariably be engaged in battle. Said Vance, We want Canadians to know that we will be involved in engagements as we defend ourselves and those partners who we are working with. Despite an official noncombat mandate, the 69 Special Forces that have been active in Iraq since the fall of 2014 have repeatedly engaged in frontline battles. Vance, who played a leading role in drafting the governments new Mideast war policy, added, The Prime Minister has clearly described it as noncombat. In my view, its a noncombat mission in that we are not the principal combatants here. By such logic, it would be possible to argue that Canadian imperialism has never been a combatant since even its participation in the two world wars was conducted in alliance with bigger imperialist powersBritain and the United States, respectivelymaking them the principal combatants. The Liberal governments announcement came as Washington is moving in collaboration with its allies to massively escalate combat in Syria, where the USs principal objective remains the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, a close ally of Iran and Russia. Last Thursday, Saudi Arabia declared its readiness to intervene with ground troops in Syria and there are indications that Turkey is preparing an invasion from the north. These developments are part of the reckless drive of the US to consolidate its geopolitical and economic hegemony over the worlds most important oil-producing region, so as to weaken its rivals, above all China and Russia. Canada is playing a prominent role in the United States three major geostrategic offensives around the globe: in the Middle East; in Washingtons aggressive drive to isolate Russia and undermine its influence in Europe and Central Asia; and in its military, political and economic moves to encircle China in the Asia-Pacific. In the week prior to the announcement of its new Mideast war policy, the Trudeau government officially signed onto the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the economic arm of the Obama administrations anti-China drive, at a ceremony in new Zealand. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Dion visited Ukraine, where he reassured the Kiev regime that Canadas announcement that it is resuming regular diplomatic contact with Russia in no way implies a lessening of Canadas staunch support for the far-right Poroshenko government in its civil war against the population in the countrys east. While in Kiev, Dion reiterated the governments commitment to implementing the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement the Harper Conservative government announced last July. The attempt of Trudeau and his colleagues to cast Canadas Mideast policy as a humanitarian effort that returns Canada to its purported traditions of compassion and diplomacy is risible. While he touted humanitarian aid of $1.6 billion over three years, his government is staunchly supporting US imperialism, the power whose succession of wars and regime-change operations have blown up one Mideast and North African country after another. Moreover, the Trudeau government is pressing ahead with a $15 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia and another multibillion-dollar deal with Kuwait. These authoritarian regimes are collaborating in waging a war in Yemen that has laid waste to much of that small country. In explaining the governments Mideast war plans, Trudeau and his ministers repeatedly pointed to Canadian Armed Forces nearly decade-and-a-half-long involvement in the Afghan war. Canadas extensive experience in both counterinsurgency war and training local forces means, argued Trudeau and his ministers, that Canada has unique capabilities to bring to the training of indigenous forces loyal to western strategic interests. Significantly, Trudeau made a point of noting that, because of the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East, his governments policy could be open to revision at any time. Going well beyond the previous government, he added that the current deployment would last at least two years. Washington was quick to endorse Canadas war plans. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said, The Canadian announcement is the kind of response the US has been looking for from coalition members. After Trudeau spoke with US President Barack Obama by phone, the White House issued a statement that said the president welcomed Canadas current and new contributions to coalition efforts. Discussions within Canadas ruling elite indicate that the new mission unveiled for Iraq and Syria will form part of a wider military intervention encompassing the Middle East and North Africa and aimed, under the false banner of fighting terrorism, at assuring Canadian imperialism a role in this energy and mineral resource-rich region. At Mondays press briefing, a reporter asked Trudeau if his government is considering deploying forces to support French troops in several countries in north and west Africa, including Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad. The issue of a possible mission in Libya was also raised. Trudeau refused to rule out a military intervention in Libya, remarking that discussions with allies on all such matters are continuing. Sajjan is due today to meet with his NATO counterparts in Brussels for a two-day summit. Meanwhile, around 100 Canadian Special Forces troops have travelled to Senegal to participate in the annual Exercise Flintlock, which began Monday. The exercise, organized by the United States Africa Command, involves the training of commando units from African countries, including Niger, Algeria, Mali, Senegal, Chad, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. Personnel from the Royal Canadian Air Force and army medical staff are also involved. The Canadian military has significantly expanded its engagement in Flintlock since its first deployment of 14 soldiers in 2011. Ten people were killed early Tuesday morning in a head-on collision between two trains near Bad Aibling in Upper Bavaria, Germany. Both train drivers and two conductors were among the dead. According to rescue workers, 90 more were injured, 55 of them seriously. Seventeen people remained in critical condition as of Tuesday evening. Shortly before 7 a.m., the two commuter trains collided on the track between Holzkirchen and Rosenheim. According to the schedule, the trains were not authorized to travel on the single-track line at the same time. One of the trains was scheduled to wait at one of two passing points, either in Kolbermoor or Bad Aibling. Instead, they sped toward each other at approximately 100 kilometres per hour. Their paths crossed on a wooded hillside near the Mangfall canal, preventing the drivers from seeing what was up ahead. As a result, the trains collided at full speed. The entire length of a railcar was ripped open. Both of the drivers compartments were completely destroyed and several cars derailed. Several hundred rescue workers, firefighters, Red Cross workers, doctors, technical relief workers and others worked intensely for five hours to free the victims from the wreckage. The crash site is inaccessible to vehicles. The injured had to be ferried across the canal in water rescue service canoes and lifted by cable winches into helicopters, which flew them to area clinics. Aid workers from Austria were also on hand, and hospitals in Munich and Tirol made beds available. The population of nearby Munich was called upon to donate blood. This was the worst railway accident in Bavaria in a long time. The number of victims might have been higher still had school been in session and the annual Carnival not been taking place in Bavaria. On a normal working day, thousands of commuters are riding local trains in the direction of Munich at the hour the crash took place. Since 2013, the Bayrischen Oberlandbahn (Bavarian Overland RailwayBOB) has operated the Meridian trains, belonging to the French transport company Transdev, on the line where the crash occurred. Five thousand people in Germany work for Transdev, which has 83,000 employees in 20 countries. Its revenues are reportedly 6.6 billion worldwide and 850 million in Germany. The German railway company Deutsche Bahn supervised the rail lines. In a statement, Deutsche Bahn asserted that its safety systems normally prevent two trains from being on the same single-line track at the same time. Every German line has built-in sensors, part of the PZB 90 intermittent train control system. The system uses magnets on the track bed and train cars that can determine whether a train is going too fast or has ignored a signal to stop. In emergencies, the system can trigger the trains brakes. There is, however, an override button that allows the train driver to turn off the system. It remains unclear why neither of the trains involved in the crash were automatically forced to stop in one of the two passing points to await the arrival of the other. The trip recorders from three black boxes must be analysed before it can be determined whether a technical failure occurred, whether there was an error in the signaling system or whether the crash was due to error on the part of one of the train drivers. Karl Peter Naumann, former chairman of the passengers association Pro Bahn, said on the ARDs news program Tagesschau on Tuesday that there were very secure systems to prevent train accidents. He doubted, however, whether the necessary technology was in place everywhere. High-tech security systems have up to now been installed in approximately 10,000 of the almost 40,000 kilometres of train lines in Germany. Security costs money, said Naumann. Politicians must be ready to invest billions That has not always been the case. Naumann also pointed out that there was a railway construction site in the area. Unclear conditions always prevail then, he said. What is certain is that major route changes and replacement bus services were announced on the Internet for this precise train line for the end of February. Whether this has something to do with the accident remains unclear. Outdated train and rail technology, poor maintenance and material defects have led to several tragic accidents in recent years. The worst rail catastrophe in Germany was the 1998 accident in Eschede in Lower Saxony. An ICE-Express train derailed, killing 101 people. In February 2000, an accident in Bruhl killed eight people and seriously injured 50. Five years ago, two trains collided on a single-line track in Oschersleben in Saxony-Anhalt. This accident, in which 10 people were killed, was very similar to Tuesdays catastrophe in Upper Bavaria. In Belgium, rail workers went out on strike in 2010 after a catastrophe in which two transport trains careened into one another in Brussels. Eighteen people were killed and almost 200 injured. The main cause of these devastating accidents is the drive for profit by banks and corporations, which demand the privatization and deregulation of public rail companies. For train drivers and conductors, this has already led to positions being cut in half and wages being slashed. They face compulsory overtime and increasingly stressful working conditions. In the last two years, train drivers in Germany have carried out seven strikes lasting several weeks each to fight against sinking incomes, increasing work loads and job cuts. In July 2015, the German Train Drivers Union (GDL) accepted a strike ban. The union capitulated before a joint offensive by rail management, the federal government, the business trade associations, the media and the German Confederation of Labour (DGB). All of these institutions were united in sacrificing the health of workers and the safety of travelers on the altar of corporate profit. A few weeks later, Deutsche Bahn Chairman Rudiger Grube announced a new wave of job cuts. Grube told Die Welt: Naturally this concerns economic stability and securing the future sustainability of corporations. Jobs will be lost in the course of restructuring. The announcement that the armed forces and the Ministry of Defence have been assigned the leading role in the pseudo-left Syriza governments handling of the refugee crisis is part of a deliberate and systematic expansion of the domestic role of the military in Greece. Greece must set up hotspots on the islands bordering Turkey and relocation centres on the mainland by February 15, three days ahead of the European Union (EU) leaders summit in Brussels. Hotspots are essentially concentration camps on the EUs external borders, where stranded refugees fleeing the war zones of the Middle East and North Africa are detained and have their fingerprints taken. Those deemed to have a genuine asylum claim will be transferred to the relocation centres on the mainland, while the rest will be sent to detention centres and ultimately deported. The demand to set up the camps is part of the three-month ultimatum issued by the European Commission to expel Greece from the Schengen Agreement for passport-free travel in Europe unless the government demonstrates that it can stop the influx of refugees fleeing the war zones of the Middle East and North Africa. The announcement follows the recent clampdown by Greek authorities against NGOs and volunteers that are helping refugees stranded on Greek islands on the sea border with Turkey. Details of the plans were outlined in a February 2 press conference by Defence Minister Panos Kammenos alongside his deputy, Syrizas Dimitris Vitsas, and the chief of staff of the Greek armed forces, Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis. Kammenos is the leader of the right-wing xenophobic Independent Greeks (ANEL), Syrizas junior coalition partner. Control of the Ministry of Defence was one of the preconditions set by Kammenos last year before entering into coalition with the pseudo-left party. Kammenos explained that army and air force engineers will assist contractors in setting up hotspots on the islands of Chios, Kos, Samos and Leros. On Lesbos where there is a hotspot already in place since October, the army will assist in expanding existing infrastructure. Relocation centres will also be set up in two army camps on the mainland of Greece in Schisto (near Athens) and Sindos (near Thessaloniki). Once established, both centres will be administered and guarded by the army. In 2015, over 850,000 people made the boat crossing from Turkey to Greece, with 60 percent of them going to Lesbos. More than 250 people have so far died this year attempting to make the same crossing. This includes more than 39 people who drowned on the morning of January 30 after their boat capsized between Greece and Turkey. More than 52,000 people made the crossing in January, 35 times more than the same month last year. The plan to allow the military to intervene in the handling of the refugee crisis is testament to how far right Syriza has travelled since it was swept to power in January 2015 on an anti-austerity mandate. Just seven months later, it betrayed this mandate, signing the most severe austerity memorandum yet with the EU in July. Whether enforcing the EUs reactionary agenda on the refugee crisis, or implementing austerity, Tsipras government is now reliant on the police and armed forces to force through its measures. Kammenos announced that the operationthe biggest ever undertaken by the Greek Armed Forces in peacetimewill be managed by the newly established Coordinating Organ for Managing Immigration. This will be headed by Major General Konstantinos Floros. Floros is a Special Forces Officer who has served both as a Paratrooper and Navy Seal (OYK). Kammenos justified Floros appointment stating, The choice for a Special Forces Officer as a coordinator implies that special circumstances require special people who can make decisions quickly. The OYK was one of the bastions of the military junta that ruled Greece between 1967-1974. In more recent years it has developed strong links with the fascist Golden Dawn. Last year an OYK detachment shouted fascistic slogans during the annual March 25 Greek Independence Day parade in Athens. Floros currently heads the National Operations Centre, which is located in the Ministry of Defence and is where operations are coordinated in times of war. Normally, it can only be accessed by officers with special clearance, and it is where the Coordinating Organ will be centred. According to Kammenos, civilians participating in the operation will only have access to a special designated area. The involvement of the armed forces has been justified as the only viable way of meeting the tight deadline for setting up the hotspots and relocation centres. However, the plan announced by Kammenos goes far beyond merely assisting with construction projects, with a remit that extends in areas of civilian policy. For example, the Coordinating Organ will include: * A transportation department, which will monitor existing arrangements to transport refugees and migrants from the islands and hotspots to the reception centres * A health department headed by army and police doctors * A catering department made of 10 different catering corps units * An NGO department, which will coordinate all registered volunteers While Kammenos was at pains to stress that the Armed Forces intervention is only temporary, the plans he announced are essentially a framework for establishing martial law on the pretext of the refugee crisis. This in a country that was ruled by a brutal military dictatorship between 1967 and 1974. Since the crisis began in Greece six years ago, leading members of the Armed Forces have been increasingly active in public affairs, something that was taboo until recently. In the run-up to the July referendum on EU austerity called by the Syriza-ANEL government last year, retired General Fragkoulis Fragkos, a former defence minister and one-time head of the Greek army general staff, called for a loud yes vote. In 2011, Fragkos was cashiered by then-Prime Minister George Papandreou amid rumours of a coup. A yes vote was also endorsed by a group of 65 retired high-ranking officers, who issued a statement warning that by choosing isolation, we place the Fatherland and its future in danger. The use of the refugee crisis to justify the far-reaching intervention of the armed forces must serve as a warning to the Greek working class and youth. As opposition mounts to the governments austerity policies, as seen by the farmers blockades and ongoing strike wave, culminating in last Thursdays general strike, any crisis can and will be used by the ruling elite to impose its agenda by any means necessary, including a military coup. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pulled back over the weekend from any move by his Liberal-National Party Coalition government to raise the rate of Australias consumption-based Goods and Services Tax (GST). Turnbull, a former Goldman Sachs investment banker, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporations Insiders current affairs program on Sunday that, despite various big business reform summits and government-sponsored tax reviews calling for a GST increase, he remained to be convinced or to be persuaded. Lifting the GST from 10 percent to 15 percent is viewed in corporate circles as the most rapid means of shifting more of the tax burden onto the working class, by transferring most of the estimated $46 billion in additional revenue to business and the wealthy via cuts to company and income tax rates. The inherently regressive character of such a measure lies behind the broad popular hostility toward the GST. With an election due this year, the opposition Labor Party had recognised a political opportunity and vowed to place any attempt to raise the rate at the centre of its campaign to unseat the government. On Sunday, Turnbull declared that his verdict on the GST was not going to be a political decision. This has been ridiculed in an outpouring of accusations by business and media figures that the prime minister has capitulated to short-term electoral calculations. Turnbull faced pressure to rule out changes to the tax from parliamentarians within both the National Party and his own Liberal Party, who feared losing their seats. Editor-at-large of the Australian, Paul Kelly, headlined a comment: Politics over policy as PM loses taste for this battle. Australian Financial Review (AFR) columnist Jennifer Hewett warned: Turnbull himself now risks looking like a political leader without the courage of his convictions. Or worse, no convictions at all. Business Council of Australia head Jennifer Westacott wrote in the AFR: Tax reform runs the risk of being the latest victim of Australias dysfunctional political debate. Turnbull has been prime minister for barely five months, since his victory in the Liberal Party inner-party coup that ousted Tony Abbott as leader. The chorus of recriminations against Abbotts leadership, which preceded his removal, developed alongside the ever-worsening position of Australian capitalism. The global collapse in the price of major commodity exports, such as iron ore and coal, has led to a sharp decline in the Australian dollar, a slump in corporate tax revenue and a blow-out in the countrys current account and budget deficits. The key corporate demands are for lower taxes, financed at the expense of the working class, and industrial relations reforma euphemism for further major reductions in workers wages and working conditions. Under Abbott, the prospect for action on both fronts had faded. Turnbulls challenge for the prime ministership was backed within the government, big business and the media due to his pledge that he would push through controversial taxation and legislative changes that Abbott and his inner circle had deemed too politically difficult. The former merchant banker marketed himself as socially progressive who, unlike the conservative and populist Abbott, could explain the necessity for reactionary free market measures such as budget cuts, tax increases and attacks on working conditions. The Sydney Morning Herald wrote at the time: Australians will accept pain in return for gain if it is explained clearly. Turnbull in other words, could navigate the opposition from those who suffered the painworkers, the unemployed, social welfare recipients and pensionersand deliver gains to corporations and high-income earners. Five months later, Tuesdays editorial in the AFR lambasted Turnbull not only for his GST retreat, but for his failure to address economic reform and reframe the industrial relations debate. The voice of finance asserted that business was shocked, dismayed and puzzled, and complained that, even if Turnbull won re-election, he may have no mandate to pursue reforms that, sooner or later, Australia will have to make. The editorial concluded: In the meantime, the question will be asked: what is the point of Mr Turnbulls government? Such commentary underscores the crisis of the longstanding two-party, Labor and Liberal-National Coalition political system. Both parties represent the interests of the Australian ruling class, but neither has been prepared, to this point, to risk the social backlash and potential electoral annihilation that will follow any attempt to implement the full agenda being demanded by finance and industrial capital. While the Greens-backed Gillard Labor government made draconian changes to eligibility for single parent and disability welfare in 2012, and the Abbott government reduced funding for long-term health and education in 2014, the budget deficit has continued to burgeon and tax cuts have failed to materialise. On January 28, Treasury secretary John Fraser made an open political intervention into the increasingly vitriolic GST debate, insisting that tax changes were not the solution and that the government needed to focus on slashing spending on programs like aged care, disability care and help for the unemployed and sick. Australia, Fraser declared, was far more at the mercy of international financial and economic pressures. On February 3, former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating, who presided over sweeping free market deregulation in the 1980s and 1990s, followed Frasers pronouncements, denouncing GST-type consumption taxes as a socialist tax used to finance unsustainable spending. The big falls in commodity prices mean that Australias income has been cut, he wrote in the Melbourne Age. The world has trimmed us downwe now have to trim ourselves down. Trim our spending and not accommodate more of it by ever more taxation. On Tuesday, the editorial of the Australian reluctantly accepted that any prospect of tax cuts financed by a GST increase appeared to be off the agenda. Turnbull and his treasurer Scott Morrison, however, had raised expectations about meaningful reforms. The Australian declared: Without a GST rise there is only one way to find the tens of billions of dollars needed to pay for useful income tax cutsthat is, doing what both Peter Costello [former Liberal treasurer, 19962007] and Paul Keating have recommended, and cutting expenditure. The Turnbull governments first budget in May, and the measures proposed by both the Coalition and Labor during the forthcoming federal election campaign (due by the end of this year) will be subjected to close scrutiny in ruling circles. If both parties avoid committing to the tens of billions in austerity cutbacks being demanded by the finance houses and major corporations, it will be taken as a sign that new and more ruthless political mechanisms will be required to act in their interests. On February 7, Haitian president Michel Martelly formally stepped down from the post, in keeping with the constitutional requirement that he not occupy it beyond the end of his term. Two failed attempts at elections to replace Martelly have led instead to the creation of an interim government with a provisional president to be chosen by next week. After intervention by diplomats from the Organization of American States (OAS), on Friday night Martelly reached an agreement with Senate president Jocelerme Privert and Chamber of Deputies president Cholzer Chancy about the structure of the interim government. Under Friday nights agreement, candidates for the position of interim president have five days to register, and members of parliament will then elect one, whose term will expire on May 14 of this year. Evans Paul will remain prime minister until a consensus replacement is chosen by the ruling elites. The interim government will organize a presidential election scheduled for April 24, and the winning candidate will be sworn in on May 14. Nominally, Haiti is governed under a constitution adopted in 1987 after the fall of the Duvalier regime; however, that constitution makes no provision for an interim government when elections are not held. The first round of voting for Martellys successor occurred on October 25. A run-off election between top vote-getter Jovenel Moisethe candidate of Martellys PHTK (Parti Haitien Tet Kale) political formationand second-place candidate Jude Celestin of LAPEH (la Ligue Alternative pour le Progres et lEmancipation Haitienne) has been postponed twice because of street protests and Celestins refusal to participate. It was scheduled first for December 27 and then for January 24; the second postponement left no possibility of organizing another election before the end of Martellys term. The facade of democracy that has been propped up by United Nations soldiers since the US-orchestrated coup against Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004 is collapsing. Fraud in the October 25 elections was so widespread that Jude Celestin refused to participate in the run-off and instead sought support from protesters and opposition parties calling themselves the Group of 8. PHTK candidate Moise has been left to campaign, with no opponent, for elections that have not taken place. Although Parliament has begun meeting again after a year of not having enough elected members, there are still 6 empty Senate seats out of 30 and 27 vacant deputies seats out of a total of 119. Five of the nine members of the Provisional Electoral Council (Conseil Electorale Provisoire, CEP), including its president, Pierre-Louis Opont, have resigned because of the failed elections. Among the CEPs responsibilities is approving election results. Le Nouvelliste reported that, during its special mission to intervene in the crisis, the OAS held 25 meetings with Haitian figures who included Martelly, Evans Paul, Jocelerme Privert, Cholzer Chancy, leaders of the Group of 8 opposition parties, union leaders, high-level business leaders, and other presidential candidates. Sir Ronald Sanders, president of the Permanent Council of the OAS, exuded false humility when he declared that my delegation is satisfied thatour presence had a favorable effect on the search for a consensus formula by diverse groups. Behind these machinations, however, Haitis ruling class and its imperialist sponsors are panicking. On January 20, NBC reported that a few thousand people joined the demonstration in downtown Port-au-Prince on Tuesday marching through narrow streets and occasionally chanting: The revolution has started, get your gun ready. A January 21 article in the Guardian stated succinctly that a sense of dread and foreboding has settled on Haitis political elite. According to Haiti Libre, US special coordinator for Haiti Kenneth Merten said after the January 24 postponement that what would be bad is to see the population in the streets with disturbances and intimidation, which is unacceptable in our eyes. We are following the situation very attentively. Street protests have been ongoing since the first round of elections on October 25, with thousands participating in Port-au-Prince on a regular basis. The Group of 8 opposition parties have sought to co-opt these protests for their own ends. The Platform Pitit Dessalines, for example, was heavily involved in the January protests that contributed to the second postponement of elections. Pitit Dessaliness candidate, Moise Jean-Charles, finished third in the October 25 voting. Reuters found Volcy Assad, a Jean-Charles aide, at a January 23 protest where he told the news agency, We want a transitional government to set up an investigation commission that will determine the sincerity of the elections. On Friday, however, former soldiers from the Forces Armees dHaiti (FadH) drove through Port-au-Prince and other cities armed and dressed in fatigues, with the tacit support of newly installed defense minister Lener Renaud. Le Nouvelliste reported that the participantson motorcycles and in pickup truckswere silent as they drove from Carrefour to Delmas to Petion-Ville to downtown Port-au-Prince, except for one who declared that we are in the streets to reestablish order. When the soldiers reached the Champ de Mars and confronted protesters, the latter pulled 78-year-old Raphael Nero Ciceron from one of the vehicles and stoned him to death in his military uniform. Renaud claimed afterward that despite the uniform he was wearing, Ciceron did not appear in the register of the Office for Management of Demobilized Servicemen. This detail did not stop Renaud from fully supporting the actions of the former soldiers or threatening more such interventions. He told Le Nouvelliste that former servicemen are citizens in their own right and they have the right to protest no matter when and no matter how. Its like a natural spirit, Renaud went on, they have the right to make their voices heard. Anti-government protests have not been limited to the capital. According to Haiti Libre, a protest expected to draw 2,000 Haitian emigres in French Guiana was scheduled for last Wednesday to oppose the establishment of an interim government in Haiti. AlterPresse reported protests in the city of Hinche, in Haitis Central Plateau, starting at the end of last week. While these included members of opposition parties and public administration officials, their demands went further than just electoral reforms. They called for the arrest of Martelly and members of his administration for impoverishing the country. Issues other than the elections are also motivating Haitian workers and peasants. On January 19, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship carrying nearly 3,800 tourists was unable to dock at the companys private resort in Labadee because of protests carried out by local residents in small boats. In the following days, two more Royal Caribbean ships did not dock because the company feared more protests. The protesters, banging pans and shouting, were upset about the lack of jobs and economic benefits from the Labadee resort. Known for its long zip line over the water, the property is surrounded by armed guards and a 12-foot-high fence. A witness reported a sign saying USA Away! in one of the protest boats. Royal Caribbean said in a statement that although the protest was peaceful in naturethere would be a significant impact on our guests ability to enjoy Labadee. Italy's state-run company known as Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) in a statement announced that it has signed an agreement with its Iranian counterpart to develop Iran's railway system, IRNA reported. The agreement was signed by Abbas Akhoundi, Iran's minister of transport, and Graziano Delrio, Italy's minister of infrastructure, during a four-day visit to Rome and Paris by Iranian president Hassan Rouhani. 'We have held talks with China and some European countries for launching high-speed rail on affordable budget; I hope the talks will yield positive results,' Akhoundi said. The deal will mark the resumption of commercial relations between Iran's railway and FS, which were broken off after the imposition of UN Security Council sanctions in 2006. President Rouhani's visit is being reciprocated this week by an Italian trade mission. Speaking to Italian news agency AGI before his departure yesterday, Mr. Delrio said Iran was "a very important gateway to the whole of the East". "The Iranian Republic intends to strengthen the country's infrastructure, and is considering 10,000km of railways, thousands of kilometers of motorways, as well as ports and airports, and is in favor of partnerships between the public and private sectors, so the market is opening." FS is likely to work on the line between Tehran, Qom and Isfahan, which is the high-speed showpiece of the Iran's ambitious new rail network. Italcertifer, FS's certification arm, is working on the design of an infrastructure and rolling stock test centre, while Italferr, FS's engineering arm, will work on the construction of a metro in Mashhad, Iran's principal city in the north-east of the country, for which it has already been named preferred bidder. Iran has also been holding talks with Italy and France on the general renovation of Iran's existing rail system. Speaking on the sidelines of a rail conference on Sunday, 31 January, Mr. Akhoundi said he had been consulting with French and Italian companies on a "hire purchase" basis. He added: "We have held talks with China and some European countries for launching high-speed rail on affordable budget; I hope the talks will yield positive results." Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire Democratic primary decisively on Tuesday, defeating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and posting the largest vote and the widest margin of victory ever recorded in the state that traditionally holds the first US presidential primary. Sanders, who calls himself a democratic socialist, defeated Clinton by a margin of 60 percent to 39 percent, outperforming most pre-election polls. He won an across-the-board victory, powered by enormous margins among young voters (85 percent of those 30 and under) and working-class voters (65 percent among those earning less than $50,000 a year and 67 percent among those without a college education). Clinton won the 2008 New Hampshire primary in an upset over Barack Obama, receiving 112,404 votes to Obamas 104,815. Sanders topped both those totals with 70 percent of the ballots counted, and is projected to reach 140,000. One election analyst noted that Sanders improved on Obamas showing across-the-board, but particularly in working-class towns like Berlin, which Clinton won in 2008 but lost by a double-digit margin in 2016. The Clinton campaign was in deep crisis even before voting began on Tuesday, with opinion polls predicting a sizeable loss after the unexpected near-tie in the first contest of the Democratic presidential campaign, the February 1 Iowa caucuses. This was reflected in the intervention of former President Bill Clinton, who made a series of angry and disjointed attacks on Sanders over the weekend. The Clinton campaign sought to evoke a response among women voters on the basis of Clintons status as potentially the first female US president. It brought forward several prominent female supporters of Clinton, including former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Gloria Steinem, founder of the National Organization for Women, to play the gender card. This proved to be entirely unsuccessful. Women voters as well as men gave a sizeable majority to Sanders. The only demographic groups where Clinton prevailed were voters over 65 years of age and those with incomes over $200,000 a year. The upsurge of support for Sanders, as the World Socialist Web Site has explained, is a delayed political reaction to the 2008 financial crash and the economic slump that followed, which continue to have a devastating impact on the jobs and living standards of the American working class. According to exit polls, the overwhelming concerns of Democratic primary voters were economic inequality, jobs and health care, and these class issues entirely predominated over the issues of gender and racial identity that the Clinton campaign sought to raise in the final week of the campaign. These same issues played a key role in the Republican primary as well, albeit in a right-wing populist form, with the victory of billionaire Donald Trump, who won 34 percent, more than double the vote for the second-place finisher, Ohio Governor John Kasich. Three other candidatesTexas Senator Ted Cruz, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and Florida Senator Marco Rubioplaced third through fifth, with 11 percent of the vote, while New Jersey Governor Chris Christie trailed with 8 percent and was expected to end his campaign. The Trump campaign represents the mobilization of a criminal element in the American elite, based on national chauvinism, militarism and the glorification of authoritarian rule. His thuggish persona and racist attacks on Muslims, Mexicans and others express openly a grotesque coarsening of politics, even by the degraded standards that prevail in the United States. Trumps attacks on Muslims, in particular, have evoked a response of a fascistic character. Exit polls in New Hampshire found that 66 percent of those participating in the Republican primary supported Trumps call for an outright ban on Muslims entering the United States. The first stage in the election campaign demonstrates the extreme polarization of social and political life in the United States, with large sections of the working class and youth moving to the left, destabilizing the entire political system and both corporate-controlled political parties. The American ruling elite is seeking to control and disrupt this leftward movement with populist demagogy of both a left (Sanders) and overtly right-wing character. Media commentators were clearly shaken by the scale of the Sanders victory and the repudiation of the political establishment in both parties. At one point during NBCs coverage of the primary results, Chris Matthews flatly declared Sanders the new frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. Andrea Mitchell (wife of former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan) said in wonder that voters were rejecting American capitalism. What frightens the millionaire pundits is not the politics of Sanders himself, long a fixture in the Democratic Party congressional establishment, despite his nominal independence, but rather the radicalization of the American people, particularly the younger generation, revealed in the growing support for his campaign. A Boston Globe poll of Democratic primary voters released Saturday found that more than half of those aged 17 to 34 described themselves as socialist, as well as 31 percent of all ages. In this unfolding political crisis, the Sanders campaign is the most important political instrument of the ruling class. It is striking how conscious the Vermont senator is of the role he seeks to play in safeguarding the Democratic Party and the political monopoly of the two-party system. This was expressed in his victory speech Tuesday night, which differed from his speech the week before in Iowa, after the near-tie with Clinton, in two critical respects. First, he went out of his way to emphasize the necessity for unity in the Democratic Party, tacitly warning the Clinton campaign not to go too far in its attacks on him, while pledging his unconditional support for the winner of the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. The campaign needed to remain issue-oriented, he said, a clear reference to Bill Clintons attacks on him, because we will need to come together in a few months because the right-wing Republicans that we oppose must not be allowed to gain the presidency. Second, after repeating the main points of his indictment of Wall Street domination of the US economy and political system and his proposals for higher taxes on the wealthy, he turned to foreign policy, pledging to destroy the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and keep this country safe. He thus sought to reassure both Wall Street and the military-intelligence apparatus that a Sanders presidency would uphold the global interests of American imperialism. The author also recommends: Sanders and the left feint in capitalist politics [6 February 2016] Behind the backs of the American people, the Obama administration is carrying out one of the most significant measures of its tenure in office: the gutting of benefits for hundreds of thousands of retired workers covered by multiemployer pension funds. This attack on private-sector pension benefits coincides with an escalating assault on the pensions of public-sector workers. On Monday in Detroit and Tuesday in Minneapolis, longtime Washington fixer Kenneth Feinberg held the final public hearings before the implementation of plans to slash the pension benefits of 270,000 retired truck drivers, package handlers and other beneficiaries of the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund by between half and 75 percent. Pensioners will receive ballots to vote on the benefit cuts, which will be counted and totally ignored, as Feinberg, appointed by the administration to serve as the Treasury Departments special master for multiemployer pension funds, rules unilaterally to proceed with the cuts. As the Obama administrations special master on executive compensation for banks and other firms that received taxpayer bailouts in 2008-2009, Feinberg rubber-stamped multimillion-dollar bonuses at companies such as the insurance giant American International Group (AIG), which was bailed out by the government to the tune of $185 billion. At the Detroit meeting, hundreds of retired long-haul truckers, package handlers and delivery workers packed the hall to protest the brutal cuts. One after anothertheir hands trembling, many clutching canes, others in tearsworkers rose to explain how their lives and those of family members would be destroyed by the proposed reductions in benefits. The workers seemed shell-shocked. How could this be happening? Had they not worked their whole lives, spent years alone on the open road, broken their bodies, missed hundreds of family functions, strained or ruined marriagesall so they could have some security in their retirement? Were these not contractual guarantees? Did not institutions such as the government, the courts, the unions, the press exist to prevent such injustices? History, wrote the Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky, is cruel, not kind. Like the proverbial wicked stepmother, it teaches lessons with blows, not caresses. In letters received over the Christmas holiday, these workers were informed, in effect, that the official political institutions had conspired to rob them of any rest in the final years of their lives. In the eyes of capitalist society, they have no rights, their lives mean nothing, and they should just hurry up and die. The drive to dismantle pensions is part of a conspiracy to destroy all of the social gains won by workers over the course of more than a century of strugglea conspiracy that extends beyond America to the entire world. This is a social counterrevolution, and it has been underway for decades. It has seen the destruction of millions of US manufacturing jobs, the slashing of wages, the undermining of health benefits, the gutting of social programs, a frontal assault on public education, and the replacement of defined-benefit pensions with 401(k) plans tied to the stock market. As a result of this ruling-class offensive, the share of US private sector workers receiving only a defined-benefit pension has fallen from almost 30 percent in 1980 to less than 3 percent today. The social counterrevolution has been intensified since the financial crisis of 2008-2009. To pay for the bank bailouts, in which the US government handed over some $7 trillion to Wall Street, the Obama administration, with the support and collaboration of the unions, ratcheted up the attack on the living standards of the working class. First came the 2009 restructuring of the auto industry, in which the pay was slashed for all newly hired workers and the share of second-tier workers, earning half the pay of older workers, was expanded from 20 to 40 percent at GM and Chrysler, even as health benefits for retirees were slashed. In 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, which created a mechanism for companies to offload workers from their existing health care plans into low-quality, high-cost private plans sold through exchanges. It introduced a sharp penalty, known as the Cadillac tax, on higher-quality health plans. Next, in a series of deals with congressional Republicans, the White House repeatedly slashed vital social services such as food stamps and unemployment insurance and chipped away at the bedrock social programs Medicare and Social Security. Then came the 2013-2014 Detroit bankruptcy, in which an unelected emergency manager used the bankruptcy courts, in collaboration with the Obama administration, to set a precedent for slashing constitutionally protected pension benefits of public-sector retirees. This opened up the floodgates for the dismantling of pensions in states throughout the country, including Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and New York. In late 2014, the Obama administration worked with Congress, major corporations and trade unions to pass the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act, which opened the door to the slashing of the pensions of up to a million retirees, starting with the beneficiaries of the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund. Every one of these initiatives was promoted by the unions, which backed Obamas forced bankruptcy and restructuring of GM and Chrysler, served as cheerleaders for the Affordable Care Act, supported the Detroit bankruptcy plan of adjustment, and worked behind the scenes to ensure the passage of the law to cut multiemployer pension benefits. In the years since the 2008 financial crash, the mask has fallen off capitalist society: the essence of social relations has increasingly appeared on the surface. Capitalism stands exposed as a de facto dictatorship of the corporations and banks. No one should be under any illusions: with the US teetering on the brink of recession, the ruling class will redouble its efforts to shore up its own social wealth at the expense of workers. The drive to reduce the working class to penury will not end until workers organize a counteroffensive that matches and exceeds the determination and consciousness with which the ruling class pursues its interests. There are signs of growing militancy in the working class. Last years auto contract votes were marked by mass opposition to the UAW-corporate alliance. In Detroit, teachers and students have launched mass sickouts this year. In Flint, Michigan, workers have staged protests and demonstrations against the lead poisoning of the citys water supply. The widespread support for Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, who falsely claims to be a socialist, is a pale and distorted reflection of growing anticapitalist sentiment within the population. The central task is to unify the mounting struggles of workers and youth and arm them with a political perspective capable of opposing the dictates of the financial aristocracy. Workers must realize that all of the official institutions, including both major political parties, the courts and the media, are instruments of the financial oligarchy and are rigged against them. It is not a matter of appealing to the politicians or courts, but rather of independently mobilizing the immense social power of the working class, both within the United States and internationally. None of the social rights of the working class can be defended outside of the building of a working-class socialist movement aimed at overthrowing the capitalist system and reorganizing society to meet social needs, not private profit. In its annual report on world human rights abuses, the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) last month highlighted the inhumane conditions and denial of basic democratic rights facing asylum seekers at the hands of the Australian government. The HRWs World Report 2016 , surveying over 90 countries around the globe, paid particular attention to the abuses in Europe. There, refugees face barbed wire fences, attacks by border guards and police and being herded into camps, accompanied by a wider roll back of human rights protections, stepped-up mass surveillance and curtailment of free speech. But, as the HRW report documents, these abuses are mirrored in Australias border protection regime of denying entry to anyone seeking asylum via boat and of incarcerating refugees on Nauru or Papua New Guineas Manus Island, where they suffer indefinite detention and further abuses. Under this policy, implemented by the current Liberal-National government with the full support of the Labor Party, the Australian navy forcibly turns away refugee boats, and any asylum seekers who reach Australian waters are thrown into offshore detention camps on Nauru and Manus. The report condemns the heavy human toll being taken by the governments failure to respect international standards for asylum seekers and refugees. Australia outsources its obligations to asylum seekers and refugees to poorer, less well-equipped, and unsafe countries such as Nauru and Papua New Guinea (PNG). The HRW adds: Australia has also returned several boats carrying migrants and asylum seekers to Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The report further notes that in May Indonesia accused the Australian government of paying more than $US30,000 to people-smugglers to turn a boat back to Indonesia. The report states: As of October 31, 2015, 929 asylum seekers and refugees were detained on Manus Island, PNG, while 621 were in a center on Nauru. It draws attention to the long detention times of those imprisoned in the camps. Three years after Australia first started sending asylum seekers to PNG, not a single refugee had been resettled. The HRW also points to the pressure being applied to detainees to return to the countries they fled, despite the likelihood of persecution or death. In August, an asylum seeker detained on Manus Island for more than two years was persuaded and paid by Australian officials to return to Syria. He has said he was detained by intelligence officers upon arrival in Damascus, and in October, was injured by shelling. The report cites an Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) investigation finding that mandatory and prolonged detention had profoundly negative impacts on the mental and emotional health and development of children. More than 300 children committed or threatened self-harm in a 15-month period in Australian immigration detention, and 30 reported sexual assault. Further, an immigration department review into the conditions in Nauru found: Thirty-three asylum seekers allege they have been raped or sexually assaulted at the center. HRW also refers to an Australian Senate inquiry that concluded the conditions on Nauru were not adequate, appropriate or safe. These official reports actually whitewashed the responsibility of successive governments, Liberal-National and Labor alike, for the treatment of refugees, and called for limited reforms and transparency while supporting the underlying border protection framework. Even these reports were treated with hostility by the government. HRW comments that after the release of the AHRC report in early 2015, senior government officials made personal and unsubstantiated attacks on the credibility and integrity of the president of the AHRC, Professor Gillian Triggs, including calling for her resignation. The report also criticises the introduction of the Border Force Act last May, which made it a crime punishable by two years imprisonment for anyone who works directly or indirectly for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, including contractors such as doctors and aid workers, to disclose information obtained by them while doing that work. This Act, which received bipartisan support, sought to silence the continued revelations of the oppressive conditions facing asylum seekers, particularly by former employees who worked at the centres. The HRW report also points to the expansion of the mandatory and indefinite detention regime beyond refugees to other unlawful non-citizens, including children. It notes the December 2014 Migration Act amendment to allow the Australian government to cancel the visas of non-citizens for committing certain offenses or failing a character test, which is affecting migrants, long-term Australian residents (including those from New Zealand), and refugees. According to the report: New Zealand citizens bear the brunt of changes to Australias immigration laws and face detention and deportation, provoking a New Zealand government minister to accuse Australia of a concentration camp approach. In fact, some 200 New Zealanders and others have been thrown into detention, many on Australias Christmas Island outpost in the Indian Ocean, and are threatened with deportation, even after living in Australia for most of their lives. The HRW report outlines the broader ramping up of repressive powers during 2014 and 2015, particularly the extensive and overly broad new counterterrorism laws. The report cites the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Act amendments which criminalize disclosure of information that relates to a special intelligence operation punishable by 5 or 10 years imprisonment. These measures have a chilling effect on whistleblowers, human rights defenders, and journalists, and impede reporting that fosters legitimate public debate and is in the public interest. The report also highlights the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Allegiance to Australia) Bill, which allows the government to strip citizenship from dual citizens who act in a manner contrary to their allegiance to Australia, including engaging in or supporting terrorist activities. Despite cataloguing such violations of basic democratic rights, the HRW report claims that Australia has a solid record of protecting civil and political rights. In an accompanying media release, HRWs Asia director Brad Adams implored Australia to seriously rethink its abusive refugee policies and take steps to restore its international standing as a rights-respecting country. In reality, the record of the Australian political establishment is no aberration. Like all its Western government counterparts, it is seizing on the reactionary and catastrophic consequences of the US-led predatory wars in the Middle Eastwhich include the flight of millions of refugees and outbreaks of terrorismto justify police-state measures to block asylum seekers and in the future suppress opposition to the underlying program of war and austerity. The author also recommends: Human Rights Watch report documents attack on democratic rights in US and Europe [1 February 2016] Australian High Court sanctions indefinite offshore detention of refugees [4 February 2016] Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh said on Tuesday that Iran is ready to negotiate with Saudi Arabia over the current conditions in international oil markets, Press TV reported. "We support any form of dialogue and cooperation with OPEC member states including Saudi Arabia," Zangeneh told reporters. He said some Persian Gulf countries have announced that they are looking for trying to make economic benefits for themselves by helping to push down oil prices. "But what they want to achieve is not at all for economic gains," said Zangeneh. "If there were a strong political will, the price of oil would have been balanced within one single week," IRNA quoted him as saying. The Iranian oil minister had in early January emphasized that the current oil prices harm all producers and certain countries' insistence on overproduction is politically motivated. "None of the oil producers is happy with the existing prices which will harm suppliers in the long term," he has emphasized. According to the Iranian minister, "there is a political will behind OPEC indecision over production ceiling in the organization." OPEC has been producing nearly a million more barrels of oil each day than its 30 million bpd ceiling for the past 16 months. The organization approved a Saudi plan to scrap allocating fixed production quotas to member countries in its December 2011 meeting and introduced output ceiling of 30 million barrels per day (bpd) which does not specify quotas. Zangeneh has described the decision a "historic mistake", saying "making up for this big mistake and reviving the quota system in OPEC is a very hard task." Because of overproduction chiefly by Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC producers, there is currently up to 2.5 million bpd of excess oil in the market which has caused crude prices to lose around 60% of their value since mid-2014. TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - Police are investigating a sexual assault that happened Tuesday morning at Tallahassee Community College's Ghazvini Center. The Ghazvini Center is TCC's Health Education building located near Tallahassee Memorial Hospital on Surgeons Drive. TCC students received an alert Tuesday afternoon about the incident. Police believe the victim may have some knowledge of the suspect, but investigators are still asking for the public's help in locating him. He's described as a black male, 5'10" and about 145 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black sweater, blue jeans, and Ray Ban style glasses. Officers say he left in a small dark-colored 4-door vehicle. As of Wednesday evening, Tallahassee Police believe they have a suspect in the case. However, they have not made any arrests so far. If anyone has any knowledge about this incident please contact TCC Police at 850-201-6100 or use the Silent Witness form via the TCCPD webpage. TCC Police say they will provide enhanced patrol to areas of campus throughout the next several days. MIDWAY, Fla. (WTXL) -- From the Storm Team Weather Center ... The winds continue to howl around a strong low-pressure system in the Ohio Valley, creating blustery conditions locally. Temperatures will still manage to fall to around freezing overnight with only a slight decrease in wind speeds. The sky will be clear, and the wind chill "feels-like" temperatures will plunge into the 20s by sunrise. Actual air temps will level off in the upper 20s and lower 30s, which is cold enough for a Freeze Warning for most inland counties. High pressure will move into the northern Gulf region by late tomorrow, sustaining a clear sky and helping winds to relax a bit. Highs will still fall below average, in the low to mid 50s. The high will produce one more subfreezing night before readings jump back into the 60s to around 70 by Friday afternoon. A minor cold front may trigger a spot shower by then, with sunshine and coolness in store for the weekend. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 9 By Dalga Khatinoglu - Trend: Iran's industrial GDP growth experienced a 11.94 percent contraction during 9 months of the current fiscal year (started on March 21, 2015), said the head of Tehran Chamber of Commerce Masoud Khansari. Khansari noted that the index of Industrial production has shown negative figures in all spheres, except for pharmaceutical and food industries. The growth of industrial production index during the fall was 24.8 percent, compared to last year, he said. The share of industry in Iran's overall GDP was 11.83 percent during last year, the Statistical Center of Iran reported. The center put Iran's GDP growth at 1 percent in the first half of the fiscal year. However, the International Monetary Fund estimated that the figure would stand between -0.5 percent and +0.5 percent in the current fiscal year. Meanwhile, the World Bank seems to be more optimistic, putting the figure at 1.9 percent during a period from March 2015-March 2016. On the other hand, the Central Bank of Iran put the industrial GDP growth at 5 percent for last year and -2.9 percent in the preceding year. After the West imposed tighter sanctions on Iran in 2012, the Islamic Republic's GDP fell from above $590 billion in 2011 to about $425 billion in 2014, according to the World Bank. The real GDP growth is projected to reach 4-5.5 percent in 2016-17 and to average 4 percent throughout the medium term, International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated. Groups Exports ($, M) Change Y/Y Gas condensate 5801 -54% Industry (including petrochemicals) 25118 3.40% Carpets and handicrafts 292 -10% Agriculture 3608 -7% Mine 795 -39% Coming to industrial exports, according to the latest statistics, released by the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, the country's total industrial exports (includes petrochemicals inside the industrial export group) at $25.118 billion, remained unchanged in volume, but increased by 3.4 percent in value during 10 months of the current fiscal year. However, the weight of petrochemicals in Iran's total industrial exports are very high. For instance, the share of gas condensate and petrochemicals in Iran's total non-oil export is always around 46-49 percent. Shana reported on Jan.17 that some 48 percent of total export revenues among top 500 Iranian companies in the past fiscal year (March 2014-March 2015) accounted for petrochemical companies, followed by oil product exporters and industrial exporters, with 12 percent and 10 percent shares respectively. Dalga Khatinoglu is an expert on Iran's energy sector and head of Trend Agency'sIran news service Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 11 By Umid Niayesh - Trend: Iran's oil-dependent economy has been recently freed from the pressure of international sanctions, thanks to the July 2015 nuclear deal, but it seems the country will suffer the negative effects of embargos for a long time. During the sanctions period, some people and entities made big money bypassing international sanctions on Iran, leading to intensification of corruption in the country, which has already been suffering from lack of transparency. Iran's Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi has recently said that lack of transparency in economy and business environment, which was significantly obvious during the sanctions era, remains one of Iran's economic problems. "The Iranian administration now makes efforts in the areas of transparency, anti-corruption and legal protection of people and entrepreneurs, as well as the promotion of business environment," Pourmohammadi told reporters in Tehran Feb. 10. A day earlier, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, in a similar statement, called for taking measures to counter corruption in the country. He also criticized corruption in an organization without revealing its name. "When we want to produce, a corrupt organization, which I don't want to name or how it can smuggle [goods into country], does not allow the country to grow," said the Iranian president. Rouhani noted that ending monopoly and allowing competition will boost the economy. It is not the first time that the issue of smuggling by some governmental organizations in Iran comes into the agenda. Earlier in 2011, Iran's then president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a controversial statement that the "smuggler brothers" were using the navy docks in southern Iran to conduct their business. Many experts agreed at the time that the term "smuggler brothers" was a reference to the IRGC commanders. Earlier, Ahmad Tavakkoli, a senior Iranian MP, warned that systematic corruption is threatening the future of the Islamic Republic. "Not military aggression, neither military coup, nor even velvet revolution can have any impact on the Islamic Republic, but corruption is a certain threat," Tavakkoli said December 2015. He also said Iran has reached a state of systematic corruption, which means that the institutions tasked to battle corruption in the judiciary branch, the security forces and parliament are themselves corrupt to some extent. Following months of negotiations with six world powers, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear activities, in exchange to removal of the international sanctions. Last January, the US and the EU lifted their nuclear-related sanctions, as the deal, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, aka nuclear deal) came into force. Although the "sanctions story" is already over, it apparently will be used in the future as a tool by Iranian officials to cover the economic shortcomings in the country, including the outstanding corruption. --- Umid Niayesh is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh The Chairman of the Knesset Education Committee, MK Yaakov Margi (Shas), demanded Monday at a committee meeting that all Education Ministry-sponsored trips to Poland be suspended until a budget solution for disadvantaged students who are forced to forgo the trip was found. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "The Committee is strongly opposed to the fact that the Ministry of Education did not handle the issue, said MK Margi. "This is a very important issue, but because of the costs it scars the students. We cannot continue and support this industry of trips to Poland," he added. MK Itzik Shmuli (Zionist Union) who participated in the Committee's discussion of the issue noted that the protocols show that about 30,000 students out of about 120,000 students a year go to Poland. "We cannot acquiesce to the fact that these trips are only for the rich. The thought that a child who was denied the chance to go only because he has no money gives me no rest." MK Yaakov Margi. "We cannot continue the status quo." (Photo: Efi Sharir) The meeting was attended by MKs and representatives of teachers' unions, student representatives and the Ministry of Education. Although the Ministry of Education allocates scholarships of 50 million shekels to students, students told the officials that the procedure embarrasses them in front of their friends. MK Shmuli added that scholarship recipients feel that they are being done a favor. "If they think it is important, they must include the trips in the curriculum with all the financial implications that entails," he argued. Also attending the discussion was Ohed Friedman, an eleventh grader from Yehud who said that "the trip to Poland cost 7,000 shekels, including preparations. I could go afford to go on the trip, but as a Scout I leaned the value of solidarity. I will not take care of myself and leave my friends who are less well-off remain at home. Scholarships are degrading and today there is no discretion. When a child asks for a scholarship everyone in the school knows about it and it is degrading." MK Yifat Shasha-Biton (Kulanu) argued that we should examine the students' willingness and perhaps reconsider the justification for the trip during the school year in high schools. "My feeling is that over time a real investigation into what students go through while on a trip to Poland has not been carried out," she said. "I'm not sure about the trips' effect. We should ask ourselves if this is the only way to teach the Holocaust. Maybe we should find an alternative, perhaps even in a military framework." The Military Police has been investigating a series of bribery and fraud offenses in the IDF over the past few weeks. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter In one case, Military Police suspects that parents paid a broker to arrange for their children to be placed in the IDF positions of their choice. Parents allegedly paid several thousands of shekels to a middleman, a former public service employee who has connections in the IDF, to ensure their children get accepted into prestigious units, get stationed close to home, or get to retake qualification tests. Yedioth Ahronoth learned that several soldiers and their parents were questioned last week on suspicion of involvement with the illegal "brokerage" deals. Recruits at the military's entrance and processing station. It is likely that the undercover investigation, done in cooperation with the Israel Police, included eavesdropping on senior officers in the IDF Manpower Directorate. The details of the investigation revealed that this arrangement has been going on for years, and it is possible that many people have been involved. Military sources said that the officers suspected of being involved did not know that someone was charging money for the assistance they provided, and there is no suspicion that the current commanders of the Meitav Unit, which is in charge of the entrance and processing of new draftees and recruits in the IDF, were involved in the affair. The assignments made with the help of the suspect will now be examined closely. The investigation now focuses on civilian suspects such as the parents of released soldiers. One of the suspects in the case explained that the money was intended to pay for the broker's "expenditures," which only included his travel costs. The IDF confirmed the existence of the investigation, but because of the sensitivity of it, the military declined to give further details. Lawyers of two of the suspects denied the charges against them. Attorney Idan Pesach from Kuznitz Pesach and Co., representing one of the officers who was questioned under caution, said: "We will not comment on the merits of the investigation, we will only say that our client is completely innocent and his name snaked into the investigation in an unfounded manner, there is no flaw in his actions." Attorney Guy Ashkenazi, representing one of the families suspected of paying the same broker, stressed that "it is a moral and patriotic family whose son served in an elite unit, and is truly the salt of the earth. We have no doubt that at the end of the investigation, it will become unequivocally clear that no one of them have anything to do with the affair." Fraud suspicions in secret elite units In another case, Military Police has questioned under caution dozens of officers of two very elite and secret IDF units on suspicion they took advantage of their technological capabilities to carry out fraud and to obtain financial benefits. The officers, both commissioned and noncommissioned, who are considered among the military's highest quality personnel, are suspected of criminal offenses within the military system, rather than security-related offenses. Most of the details of the investigation are still under gag order until March 10, but some information was cleared for publication. After suspicions arose a few weeks ago that several officers and noncommissioned officers were committing fraud, they were summoned to the Military Police's special investigations unit. Since then, the investigation has branched out, and the military is now trying to assess how many career personnel are involved in the case. The Military Police believes that only those with advanced technological background could carry out such sophisticated offenses. IDF officials now find themselves faced with a dilemma: The investigation could result in the abandonment of the officers involved, which, as mentioned, have skills and abilities that are quite unique. The suspects, however, do not consider their actions a criminal offense, they view it as a breach of discipline at most - and they are also considering their future career in the military in light of the investigation. In an era when the IDF suffers from a brain drain of talented personnel leaving for the private sector, there is fear in the IDF that the suspects might decide to leave the military because of the investigation - and thereby seriously harm the IDF's technological capabilities. Attorney Idan Pesach from Kooznitz, Pesach and Co., who represents several of the suspects, said: "The career personnel we represent have not committed a criminal offense, and certainly not one that justifies a police investigation. We will continue to fight for the closure of the cases against them and prove that they acted properly." Serious charges against Civil Administration officer In a third case, Jaffa Military Court Judge Col. Orli Markman partially lifted a gag order earlier this week over a Military Police investigation against an officer in the Civil Administration suspected of various criminal offenses, including receiving benefits and bribes. There remains a gag order over the rest of the details of the case, due to the grave nature of the offenses that could pose a risk to national security. The Civil Administration Officer (Photo: Yaron Brener) IDF officials said that "due to severe violations of unbecoming conduct, a request was made in November 2013 to the discharge committee to release the officer from service as soon as possible. The committee decided that the officer would continue serving in the military and would retire as soon as possible (2017). When the officer was arrested, all of the unit's commanders were gathered and a clear message was sent that this is a case that must be purged from the system, and that it is not in line with the values of the IDF and the unit." NEW HAMPSHIRE - Bernie Sanders won a commanding victory over Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, and Donald Trump also scored a big win in a triumph of two candidates who have seized on Americans' anger at the Washington political establishment. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter For Trump, the brash real estate magnate and television personality who has never held public office, the win was an important rebound after his loss to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in last week's Iowa caucuses. Trump has led national polls for months and the New Hampshire victory reinforces his position as front-runner, proving he can win votes, and giving credibility to his upstart populist candidacy. "Wow, wow, wow, wow," Trump declared, savoring his victory at a campaign rally before promising swift action as president on the economy, trade, health care, drug abuse and more. "We are going to do something so good and so fast and so strong and the world is going to respect us again. Believe me." Donald Trump at a campaign rally (Photo: Reuters) Ohio Gov. John Kasich finished second after devoting almost all of his campaign resources to New Hampshire. Competing for third were Cruz, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who had dedicated a significant amount of time to New Hampshire, lagged behind in the vote count, casting doubt on the future of his campaign. He told supporters that instead of going to South Carolina, he'll head home to "take a deep breath" and take stock of his struggling presidential bid. The day was also a blow for Rubio, who had appeared to be breaking away from the second-tier Republican pack after a stronger-than-expected third-place showing in Iowa. But he stumbled in a debate Saturday under intense pressure from Christie, who cast the young senator as too inexperienced and too reliant on memorized talking points to become president. Among Democrats, Sanders, who narrowly lost in Iowa, had maintained a sizeable advantage over Clinton in New Hampshire for weeks. He appeals to liberal Democrats who believe Obama hasn't done enough to address the nation's disparity in wealth. Sanders said at a victory party that his win sends a message "that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors" and their political committees. Bernie Sanders at a campaign rally (Photo: AFP) Clinton echoed Sanders' calls for tackling income inequality, but cast herself as more prepared to make good on her policy pledges. "People have every right to be angry. But they're also hungry, they're hungry for solutions," she said. Clinton's campaign argues that she will perform better as the race heads to more racially diverse states, including Nevada and South Carolina. Both New Hampshire and Iowa are overwhelmingly white states that are far less diverse than the nation as a whole. There are only 23 delegates at stake in New Hampshire's Republican primary, and they are awarded proportionally, based on the statewide vote. A candidate needs 1,237 delegates to win the nomination While Sanders' victory means he's assured of a majority of the state's pledged delegates, Clinton remains ahead in the overall delegate count due to support from superdelegates - the party officials who can support the candidate of their choice at the convention. Overall, Clinton has amassed at least 392 delegates and Sanders at least 42; the magic number to clinch the nomination is 2,382. The Jerusalem Magistrade's Court added on Wednesday another month to the sentence of former prime minister Ehud Olmert on bribery and fined him NIS 50,000. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Judge Avital Chen harshly criticized and rejected parts of the plea bargain Olmert signed, as part of which he pleaded guilty and was convicted of two counts of obstruction of justice in the Holyland and Talansky trials. Olmert, 70, is expected to started serving a prison sentence of a year and seven months on Monday, making him the first former head of government in Israel to go to prison. Olmert in court (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg) The bribery charges related to his 1992-2003 term as Jerusalem's mayor and real estate deals in the city. As part of the agreement, Olmert was sentenced to six months imprisonment, but only five of which will be served concurrently with the sentence he received in the Holyland case. Judge Chen noted that "The court was not presented with reasoning to overlap the sentences. The meaning of the agreement is that Olmert will not serve a sentence for the obstruction offenses. I'm having a hard time approving an arrangement according to which a man who committed two grave obstruction offenses will not serve an accumulative sentence." Ahead of the court hearing, inquiries were made to see whether both sides would agree to change the plea bargain at the last minute, so another month is added to the sentence. After a short negotiation, the two sides could not reach an agreement, leading Judge Chen to make his unusual ruling. Olmert is still facing an additional sentence of eight months imprisonment in the Talansky case, but he is still pending a decision from the Supreme Court. Attorney Eli Zohar, who represents Olmert, claimed there was no special reason to add 30 more days to the former prime minister's sentence, particularly since the law states the sentences should be served concurrently. Olmert in court (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg) "I regret the judge's ruling," Zohar said. "We went for the deal as it was based on the legal opinion of the top officials in the justice system, and received the approval of the attorney general. I regret that the court thought 30 days justify the ruination of the deal. Olmert's reaction was disappointment, because we had an agreement. Agreements must be kept, as do plea deals." Prosecutor Keren Bar-Menachem from the State Attorney's Central District said the prosecution "viewed the plea as appropriate punishment. We saw the great importance of having the defendant for the first time publicly take responsibility for his actions. The court chose to slightly deviate from the agreement." At the center of the obstruction case are recordings supplied by onetime Olmert aide Shula Zaken as state witness. Olmert can be heard in the tapes trying to dissuade her from testifying against him. He was recorded explaining to Zaken that if she declined to testify, it would be impossible to use the diaries in which she recorded payments to "the secret cash box" as evidence. "If you don't get on the witness stand," Olmert was recorded saying, "he (prosecutor Uri Korev) can jump, dance in the air, but he can't convict you. He cannot present these diaries He'll murder you and you'll incriminate yourself on the witness stand, that's what bothers me." Olmert was found guilty in 2014 of two bribery charges - accepting 500,000 shekels ($129,000) from developers of a Jerusalem real estate project and 60,000 shekels ($15,500) in a separate land deal. He was sentenced to six years in jail by a judge who said Olmert's crimes as a public official were akin to treason. Ruling in December on his appeal, the Supreme Court said it had not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Olmert had solicited the 500,000 shekels, and it cut his jail term to 18 months. A separate eight-month prison term is pending since Olmert's conviction last May in another case related to cash payments he was alleged to have received from an American businessman. His appeal against that verdict is being considered by the Supreme Court. DUBAI - Iran will unveil an upgrade of its Emad ballistic missiles this year, the defense minister was quoted as saying, advancing a program that has drawn criticism from the United Nations and sanctions from the United States. The Islamic Republic would also start taking delivery of an advanced Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system in the next two months, Hossein Dehghan added - a system that was blocked before a landmark nuclear deal with world powers. "We will unveil the next generation of Emad with improved precision in the next (Iranian) year (starting from March 20)," Dehghan was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency late on Tuesday. "The Emad misisle is not a violation of the nuclear deal or any UN resolution since we will never use a nuclear warhead (on it). It's an allegation," he said, adding that mass production would begin in the near future. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a rare meeting on Tuesday in Ankara with a delegation of 20 American Jewish leaders, an indication the normalization of ties with Israel is closer than ever before. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The delegation was led by chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, Malcolm Hoenlein, a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ishak Ibrahimzadeh, the president of the Jewish community in Turkey, was also present at the meeting. The meeting marked the first time the Turkish president met with American Jewish leaders since his confrontation in front of Shimon Peres at Davos in January of 2009, after Operation Cast Lead. As part of Erdogan's campaign to prepare the Turkish public for reconcliation with Israel, his office reported on the meeting and released photographs and video footage of it. Erdogan meets with Jewish leaders X Delegation leader Hoenlein was reportedly asked by senior Israeli officials to convey messages to Erdogan about reconciliation talks between the two countries. "We discussed a variety of issues," he said after the meeting. "We talked about the opportunity for reconciliation. Erdogan raised specific issues, including the fight against extremists, the war on terrorism and the role of Turkey and Iran in the region. We were there as representatives of the American Jewish leadership. We consulted with Israel before the meeting but it is not true to say that we conveyed messages from Israel. We discussed the concerns of all parties, including Israel." Erdogan meets with Jewish leaders When asked about the meeting with Erdogan, Netanyahu said: "Malcolm met with many leaders. I'd love to hear what the Turks had to say to him. We aspire for normalization with all our neighbors, but it is always a two-way street." The Israeli and Turkish negotiating teams were expected to hold another meeting in Geneva in an effort to complete talks on the reconciliation agreement between the two countries. So far, understandings were reached on most issues, although disagreements remained on conditions set by Turkey regarding the blockade of Gaza, and Israel's demands regarding Hamas activities on Turkish soil. The negotiations on Israel's behalf are still led by new Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, who was was still the national security advisor when talks began, and Netanyahu's envoy Joseph Ciechanover. Over the last few days, Israel has sent a message to Hamas via the Turks, warning them against terrorist attacks using tunnels. Israel also made it clear to the Turks that if Hamas does use its tunnels to launch attacks in Israel, the IDF will retaliate with great force. Israel is banking on the fact that the Turks do not want an escalation at this time, and could persuade Hamas to restrain itself. Terrorists recently arrested have almost been set free because of a dispute between the Israel Prison Service (IPS) and the IDF. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The IPS has refused to receive security detainees held at police stations, but eventually relented when a court threatened to free them. On Monday, border and civil police arrested an approximately 40-year-old female resident of East Jerusalem after finding a large knife in her purse, suspecting that she intended to use it to carry out an attack. The woman, who is facing charges of attempted murder, spent the night at a holding cell at the David police station because efforts to transfer her to a prison proved unsuccessful. Palestinians arrested in Jerusalem on suspicion of planning attack (Photo: Roi Yanovsky) During her court hearing, the IPS said it would not receive security detainees because IDF soldiers are no longer assigned to prisons, while the number of security detainees increased in light of the recent wave of violence. The IPS assumed responsibility for security detainees approximately a decade ago. As a result, the IDF assigned hundreds of soldiers to guard and manage them. But over the years, budget cuts led to less soldiers being assigned to the prisons, and the IPS is struggling to operate its facilities. The IPS said that as far as security detainees arrested within the Green Line by Police and Border Police, the problem has been resolved, but it cannot take in Palestinians arrested by the IDF in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. At the remand extension hearing for the East Jerusalem woman, Magistrate's Court Judge Joya Skappa-Shapiro said an affidavit by the prison commander "describes a major decision by the Israel Prison Service to not receive adults and minors suspected of committing security crimes with the exception of specific circumstances that do not relate to this case. "It is difficult to comprehend the logic of this decision," she remarked. Judge Skappa-Shapiro criticized the fact the detainee's rights were violated when she was made to stay the night at a police holding cell, where was not afforded basic conditions like a clean bed or a shower. "There is a difference between a case in which the defendant's rights have already been violated, and the situation was then rectified, and a case in which the court orders the extention of a suspect's remand," she remarked. As a result, the judge ordered the Prisoner Service to receive the suspect, or her detention will not be extended and the detainee will be set free. Attorney Faris Mustafa, who represents the suspect on behalf of the Public Defender's Office, claimed that not placing his client in a prison undermines her rights and the legitimacy of the request to extend her remand. As long as the IPS has not found a place for her, holding her in her current location is against the law, he said. The IPS said in response: The Prison Service stopped receiving detainees for security crimes who are not being interrogated by the security services. After examining the detainee's case, she will be transferred to a prison." The IDF said in response: The IDF appreciates and values the work of the Israel Prison Service. Naturally, we will not comment on an internal matter between the security services. We emphasize that Israels security stands above all disputes between the security services. Another military official added, The National Security Council made recommendations on this matter and the political echelon is expected to discuss them in the coming days. The terror attack at the Damascus Gate last week should serve as a waving red flag. The attack that was thwarted by Border Police officers, much like other terror attacks in recent days committed with firearms, signals the natural evolution of the third intifada from knife-wielding lone wolves to armed terror cells. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The transition to this new stage, which is far more deadly and dangerous, is natural because history and experience have taught us that this is an almost deterministic process. As long as the side that has already chosen the path of guerrilla warfare and terrorism remains highly motivated, it will continue looking for effective and painful new ways to cause damage without considering the cost - until its goals are met. The Palestinian youth are not about to give up. (Photo: AFP) In this case, religious incitement, which was the main generator of motivation for the hotheaded Palestinian youth at the beginning of this wave of terrorism, has now been upgraded with two powerful motives: The thirst for revenge (for relatives who were allegedly executed), and mostly - the desire to imitate terrorists who succeeded, in order to enjoy the fame they did and become "shahids" (martyrs). This time they were prepared. One of the weapons carried by the terrorists at the Damascus Gate. (Photo: Israel Police) This is a new kind of intifada, which social media provides with ideology, organization and logistics, and more importantly - it feeds and inflames itself. For example, it's safe to assume that the 13-year-old girls who stabbed a security guard in Ramla on Thursday tried to imitate the attackers from Qabatiya who murdered Border Policewoman Hadar Cohen at the Damascus Gate. Social media blurred the difference between girls, daughters of Arab citizens of Israel, and the Palestinian youths in the West Bank. But at the same time, it appears that many young Palestinians have recently came to the realization that the current wave of violence has so far failed to lead to any psychological or physical achievements that could help promote their ambitions. It was probably the wisdom of the crowd, the young Palestinians of the "Facebook generation intifada," which led each of them separately, but more or less at the same time, to the same conclusion. The young Palestinians noticed that the Israeli public has become accustomed and almost indifferent to the terror attacks over the past five months: The rate of two or three stabbings or vehicular attacks a day does not impress the Israelis, especially as in most of the incidents the perpetrator himself is the one who pays with his life. The scene of the attack on Wednesday in Jerusalem What frustrates them even more is the fact that the lone wolf attackers have remained alone. The older Palestinian public hasn't joined them and is not even helping them, quite the contrary. At times, adult family members even try to stop the youth from committing an attack in fear of Israeli punitive action, or to prevent the certain death of their family member. In addition, if they were hoping for international attention, they were disappointed, as the attention of the Arab world has long been directed elsewhere and it is not ready to mobilize for the Palestinians. It is safe to assume that the young Palestinians' intuition, passion and burning desperation will lead them to try, in addition to stabbing and vehicular attacks, new kinds of attacks, on a bigger scale, that could redeem the intifada from its bleeding stagnation. These new kinds of terror attacks will include the use of: Firearms, be it improvised or standard, which are found in abundance in the territories and in Israel; IED's (improvised explosive devices), mainly pipe bombs, which local groups use instead of hand grenades that they cannot buy or steal; and above all, the lone wolves will make way for the terror cells, which allow for the distribution and division of labor while committing the attack. They will do whatever increases efficiency, allowing them to overcome problems and extend the sequence of events, and thus the number of victims. This is exactly what happened at the Damascus Gate. There is no need for advance intelligence gathering ahead of such an attack or sophisticated planning and execution. All that is required is for several terrorists to operate simultaneously to achieve results that are far more deadly than what one or two attackers could achieve. Using the internet as a weapon The third intifada is not only far from abating - as defense establishment officials have been purporting based on a statistical decline in the number of disturbances in the territories - it is rather likely to further escalate. It is safe to assume that on the next stage the Tanzim, Fatah's armed militias, will join the Facebook generation intifada, which could expand to an overall popular conflagration, similar to the second intifada. It only takes a spark for us to find ourselves in a murderous conflict with the Palestinians, which will end only after hundreds are killed and thousands are wounded on both sides. It is then that the countdown for the fourth intifada will begin. One promising measure by which it may be possible to nip this vicious cycle in the bud is fighting the motivation for committing attacks and the actual attackers using social media, something that has yet to be attempted in Israel. A considerable share of the young attackers were related to or friends of terrorists who were killed. Over the years, many of them have made suspicious statements on Facebook. It goes without saying that it is impossible to deal with every one of them and certainly impossible to arrest all of them, but we can start by monitoring posts of friends and relatives of the terrorists killed in the current wave of terror. Security forces know how to quickly get to those who exhibit suspicious behavior online, arrest and interrogate them, and then call their parents a few days later and release them on bail. This would delay those who are already mentally prepared to carry out attacks, and will surely deter other young Palestinians from expressing themselves on the internet in an inflammatory manner and from committing attacks. There's no need to arrest anyone who implies on Facebook or Twitter that they plan to become a shahid (martyr). It would suffice to arrest a few from each city or village, and let the message to potential attackers be passed on by word of mouth. There are those in the defense establishment who would know how to do it if only they had the budget for it. The solution also lies in dialogue We mustn't, of course, neglect conventional military and intelligence methods, which have been proven to reduce terror attacks: Increasing the arrests of known agitators, based on basic intelligence the Shin Bet possesses. Interrogating these agitators would allow security forces to reach concrete groups they are likely aware of. Another measure is imposing curfews and closures on Palestinian communities where security forces have identified a concrete threat, or to punish villages after a terrorists from there carried out an attack, as was done in Qabatiya, where the three terrorists who carried out the attack at the Damascus Gate came from. The immediate demolition of terrorists' homes can also serve as deterrence. If Israel decides to make a move that appears like collective punishment, it must show determination and consistency. But it's important to admit that this special intifada has already reached the stage in which military-intelligence initiatives, and even cyber initiatives, can no longer provide an adequate solution within a short span of time. A political initiative is now needed, perhaps most than all. We must communicate with the Palestinians. Abu Mazen and Netanyahu. (Photo: GettyImages) It may be difficult for us to accept it, but the Palestinians, especially young ones, will not recognize our right to exist here any time in the foreseeable future. Even fewer are willing to accept us as occupiers. After all, the majority of Israeli citizens do not think that a binational state is a good idea. On the contrary. But they have no political leverage to overcome the lobbying efforts of the hard ideological core of settlers in the West Bank and their supporters in the government and Knesset, who imprison us and our sons and daughters in a bloody stalemate until the next murderous catharsis. It's true that, at this time, there is no true Palestinian partner for a diplomatic process, but the Israeli government can make several unilateral moves that would make it easier to control the security situation on the ground as well as send out a message of hope to the Palestinians: Primarily, giving the Palestinian Authority complete control of the East Jerusalem Arab neighborhoods. This does not mean that the IDF and Shin Bet will not be able to enter Abu Dis or Qalandiya when the need arises - based on intelligence. But the residents in these neighborhoods should not have Israeli IDs, which allow them to drive terrorists to attacks inside Israel. Another solution is transferring Area C to the Palestinian Authority, granting building permits to Palestinians and even encouraging projects that could create jobs. Israel can also hint to the Palestinians that if things calm down, it will consider freezing settlement construction outside the large settlement blocs and releasing prisoners. Each of these political measures, and other similar ones, could and should bring about a change in the current climate, and signal to the Palestinians that their situation could change. This may affect even the hotheaded youths and mostly give parents a good reason to restrain their offspring. The Jerusalem Labor Court partially ruled on Wednesday in favor of plaintiff Meni Naftali in his lawsuit decrying the treatment he received from Prime Minister Netanyahu's wife Sara, awarding him damages of NIS 170,000. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter His claims of hostile work conditions were fully accepted by the court, which stated that "many pieces of evidence were presented to the court, which point to the Residence having harmful working conditions due to the behavior of Mrs. Netanyahu and her treatment of employees." The court mentioned that testimony indicated "exaggerated demands, insults, humiliations, and outbursts of rage. Employees were also required to work long and unusual hours. Due to all of this, the turnover rate for employees at the Prime Minister's Residence was high, and it had a chronic shortage of staff members." Meni Naftali. Won damages of NIS 170,000. (Photo: Gil Yohanan) President of the Labor Court Dita Pruginin wrote in the verdict that "the Residence being a unique and complex work environment does not justify offensive working conditions, in which helpless employees are forced to work very many hours while being exposed to exaggerated demands, insults and bursts of rage the Prime Minister's Residence of all places, with all of its complexities, is supposed to be an example and a standard for preserving the rights of workers." Of the testimony of Mrs. Netanyahu, Judge Pruginin wrote: "In opposition to her version, that she tries not to be involved in household affairs, and that she did it due to not having any other choice during the plaintiff's period of work, the evidence we have been presented shows that Mrs. Netanyahu runs the Residence very actively and with a strong grip." Mrs. Netanyahu at the Labor Court. (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky) Naftali, 35, worked as the head of housekeeping at the Prime Minister's Residence under the Netanyahus for a period of about 20 months, from February 2011 to November 2012. He claims to have resigned because a government worker's position as well as tenure, allegedly promised to him, were not given. The defendants in his lawsuit were the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Deputy Director General of Material and Operational Resources at the PMO Ezra Saidoff, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Netanyahu themselves. Tehran, Iran, Feb.10 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: Iran is manufacturing its own tank - Karrar, instead of purchasing Russian T90 tanks, said the country's Defense Minister Hossein Dehgan. Dehgan said that Karrar has all the capabilites of the T90, Defense Ministry's official website reported on Feb.10. "We are producing Karrar domestically," he said. "It is more advanced than T90." Iran previously held talks with Russia regarding the purchase of the T90 tanks, however later abandoned the idea. Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, commander of the Iranian army's ground forces has previously said that buying the T90 tanks is not on the country's agenda. "The Russian T-90 tank is one of our favorites," he said, adding however purchasing this tank was later abandoned considering Iran's domestic capacities for producing tanks. "Iran currently plans to use its domestic capacities to meet its demand for tanks," the commander said. Sputnik news agency earlier reported that the purchase of T-90 main battle tanks would considerably rehabilitate Iran's tank fleet. The T-90 is considered to be among the 10 best main battle tanks in the world. Currently it is the most commercially successful main battle tank on the global market, said the agency's report. Under international restrictions, Iran has turned to domestic talents to improve its military power, frequently unveiling new products. Since 1992, Iran has been manufacturing its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radar, boats, submarines and fighter aircraft. Meanwhile, Deputy Director General of Russaian Uralvagonzavod company Alexey Zharich said on Feb. 4 that his company proposed to license production of T90 in Iran if the UN sanctions on the country are lifted. AYSE WIETING. and SUZAN FRASER., Associated Press - 10 February 2016 10:58-05:00 KILIS, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey's leaders on Wednesday lashed out at the United Nations and others who are pressing the country to open its borders to tens of thousands of more Syrian refugees, accusing them of failing to shoulder the responsibility or to stop Russian bombings that have triggered the exodus. The civil war in Syria has killed more than 250,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes since it began in 2011. In recent days, a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive around the city of Aleppo has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border. At a news conference with his Dutch counterpart in The Hague, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu labelled the U.N. Security Council and the international community as "two-faced" for telling Turkey to open its borders while not moving "a finger to solve the Syria crisis" or to stop the Russian bombardments.Davutoglu also said the Syrian and Russian military operations were an attempt to drive out people who don't support the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. By taking in the refugees that have fled Aleppo, he said Turkey would be indirectly contributing to what he termed as an "ethnic cleansing." With every refugee that we accept, in a way, we would be contributing to this ethnic cleansing aim," Davutoglu said. "If this is a strategy to change the demography in Syria, then we all have to be vigilant against it." YORK Calls from concerned citizens resulted in the alleged discovery of a methamphetamine manufacturing site and the arrests of two men. York Police Chief Don Klug said his department received reports from residents at approximately 3 p.m., Tuesday. They were concerned about suspicious behavior in the 300 Block of West 11th Street, as two men were running back and forth between a camper and a vehicle on a property that has been vacant for a long period of time, Chief Klug explained. Police officers went to the scene to investigate. Upon their arrival, Chief Klug said they found two men on the property. And upon entering the camper, they found what they believed to be the necessary elements of manufacturing methamphetamine, Chief Klug said. Assistance was provided by the York County Sheriffs Department and the Nebraska State Patrol. The state patrol lab staff were brought in order to secure the property, to make sure the public was safe, Chief Klug said. The chemical components of meth manufacturing are considered hazardous, which is why the NSP special unit was called to assist. David Shepherd, 36, whose address is indicated to be York, was taken into custody a short distance from the property, Chief Klug said. Joseph Watros, 24, whose last known address is Osceola, was arrested later in a traffic stop. Chief Klug said the components believed to be consistent with making methamphetamine were seized and the property was deemed to be safe for the surrounding neighborhood. It should be noted that a church is located across the street from the area where the activity was taking place, which could become an enhancement to the legal charges when they are formally filed. YORK Jason Glenn Lee Pence, 32, of Bradshaw has pleaded not guilty in a case alleging the sexual assault of a mentally incompetent person. Pence, who is currently out of jail on bond, appeared in York County District Court this week with his attorney, Matthew McDonald. Judge James Stecker read the list of charges against Pence: two counts of first degree sexual assault, both Class 2 felonies, and one count of third degree assault, a Class 1 misdemeanor. If Pence is found guilty, he could be facing a possible maximum sentence of 3-101 years in prison. According to court documents, the case began when sheriffs deputies were contacted by case workers with the Department of Health and Human Services. They were asked to accompany HHS staff when entering a house in Bradshaw, upon a report of unhealthy living conditions and a child having flea bites. There were also allegations of physical and sexual assault on a 20-year-old female who is of diminished mental capacity. The responding deputy wrote in his affidavit to the court that upon entering the house, he was struck by the overpowering smell of urine and that the house was filthy with food on the floor and animals were being housed in cages in the kitchen, The alleged victim in this case was transported to Lincoln for a medical examination, which investigators said showed indications of assault. Court documents indicate that Pence previously served 10 years in a Tennessee prison for facilitation of first degree murder. No other details from the court documents can be published to the sensitive nature of this case. Pence pleaded not guilty to all three charges and a trial was set for June. Tehran, Iran, Feb.10 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: Russian air defense missile system, S-300 is ready to be delivered to Iran, said the country's Defense Minister Hossein Dehgan. Dehgan said that a part of S-300 systems will be delivered to Iran in first quarter of 2016 and the remaining parts until the end of 2016. Dehgan also said Iran can purchase the S-400 defense system in the future, if necessary. He said that Iran itself is manufacturing a long-range defense missile system, Barvar 373, which would be tested by March 2017. Russia signed the contract in 2007 to sell Iran five S-300 ground-to-air missile systems. The $800-million contract to deliver S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran was cancelled in 2010 by then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, falling in line with the UN sanctions imposed on Iran due to its disputed nuclear program. This has been a long time in the making, but in our continuing pursuit to bring only the best of firearms, 2nd Amendment and defence related news to our readers, we are very excited to announce the next step in our evolution as a company. As of 2020, Minuteman Review is now the proud owner and operator of Your Defence News, a website with a long history of breaking huge news stories and investigative journalism. We hope you are equally as excited as us. This means that now the teams of Minuteman can combine with the firepower of Your Defence News to stay at the absolute forefront for our readers. Keep an eye. Big things are coming soon. We couldn't be more excited. In the meanwhile, here are some of our most popular posts and categories to keep you busy. Happy shootin' my friends! Buying Guides: Firearms Firearm Accessories Ammunition Gun Safes Scopes & Optics Hunting Air Rifles Best AR-15 Best AR 15 Scope Best Hunting Rifle Best Gun Safe Best AK 47 Best AR 10 Best Glock Triggers Best Glock Best Home Defense Shotgun Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Fatih Karimov - Trend: The Russian state Duma will discuss the visa waiver plan between Tehran and Moscow, Assadollah Asgaroladi, head of Iran-Russia Joint Chamber of Commerce said. Iran and Russia have agreed to issue one-year multiple-entry visas for the businessmen of the two sides, Asgaroladi said, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported Feb. 10. He further said that the Duma is scheduled to discuss the elimination of visas for ordinary citizens for one-month trips as well. Earlier Iran's Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanai said Iran and Russia are working toward removing visa requirements for their citizens at a time of a changing geopolitical landscape which has made closer tourism cooperation more viable. The two countries have just begun implementing an agreement to simplify visa procedures, Sanai remarked. The two countries have stepped up their tourism cooperation in recent months. Iran seeks to take advantage of a diplomatic spat between Russia and Turkey to attract Russian tourists. Head of Russia's State Agency for Tourism Oleg Safonov has said Iran was one of the safest places for his country's citizens. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Khalid Kazimov - Trend: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called on the officials to prepare the country for a second joint comprehensive plan of action "JCPOA-2". He described the "JCPOA-2" as a national plan to change and develop the country, IRNA news agency reported. Alluding to a nuclear deal also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action clinched between Tehran and the world major powers last July which put an end to most of the international sanctions against the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program, Rouhani said that the country should get ready for development. President Rouhani made the remarks at a ceremony to inaugurate several development projects across the country on the occasion of the "Ten Days of Dawn", marking the 37th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the late revolution leader Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran after almost 15 years of exile. Saying that the JCPOA paved the way for the country's development and removed the obstacles, Rouhani added that the Iran is capable of advancing forward. After a number of nuclear talks between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries, the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced Jan. 16 about the implementation of the JCPOA and the removal of economic sanctions on Iran. According to the statement, the EU confirmed that the legal framework, providing for lifting of its nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions, is effective. Recent figures from the REIQ revealed that over the December 2015 quarter, inner city Brisbanes vacancy rate increased by 0.4% to 3.8%. While that movement means the inner city rental market now fits the REIQs criteria for a weak rental market, chief executive officer Antonia Mercorella pointed to historical data in defending the areas prospects. Twelve months ago, in December 2014, the vacancy rate was 3.8% - exactly the same as it is in this survey, December 2015 and in the March quarter it returned to 3.1%. In December 2013 the vacancy rate rose to 4.1% and then the next quarter it fell to 3.1%, Mercorella said. But Simon Pressley, managing director of property investment advisory firm Propertyology, said the historical comparisons may not hold weight this time around. Ive seen what the REIQ had to say and Im not questioning the evidence theyve used to make that claim, but I dont think were going to see the same sort of occurrence this year where the vacancy rate is lower over the March quarter, Pressley said. Its something weve been tracking for a while now and the increasing vacancy rate is a real thing in the city. Were not going to dramatise it and say that its going to go up to 5% or 6%, but it is going to be higher for the next couple of years, he said. While the REIQs figures show seasonal fluctuations in the inner Brisbane vacancy rate in the past, Pressley said the sheer number of new dwellings, in particular apartments, built in the area recently has altered the market and landlords should brace themselves for a period of poorer rental returns Propertyology anticipates that rents will soften in parts of Brisbane over the next couple of years. This is particularly the case for apartments within the 3 kilometre radius of the CBD. Propertyology tracks building approval data of every city council in Australia and the data for Brisbane is quite incredible. Historically, Brisbane City Council approves 4,000 apartments each year; however, 24,000 have been approved over the last two years. Much of this new stock is being purchased by ill-informed investors and they are unlikely to get the rental income which they had hoped for. Source: Propertyology It may not only be the cash flow of investors that takes a hit from the increased supply levels, with Pressley believing buyers of new apartments may suffer in the capital gains stakes as well. I think if you look across most of Australia theres a distinct possibility that if youve bought a brand new property that it might be worth less in six or 12 months time. Obviously that doesnt apply to everywhere and there will be pockets where values go up, but its a possibility people should be ready for. If youve got a lot of properties that come online and struggle to sell and people end up discounting them to sell then thats going to drag down prices. Hopefully those people that have bought those new properties havent borrowed on the breadline and all of a sudden we have a situation where theyre forced to sell, but I do think a lot of people are in for a reality check in the next couple of years. The Global and United States Hydrobike Market Report has been published by QY Research recently. Hydrobike Market Analysis and Insights This report focuses on... Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Khalid Kazimov - Trend: Iranian deputy foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed the issue of Syrian crisis with the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura over the telephone. Amir-Abdollahian criticized the participation of some "terrorist" figures in a recent round of peace talks in Switzerland, IRNA news agency reported. "The only way to end Syrian crisis is through political solutions and the participation of some of the known terrorist figures in Switzerland is not a constructive measure," the deputy foreign minister said. A UN Security Council resolution in December last year approved a draft resolution on peace process in Syria. According to the resolution, Syrian government and opposition groups should attend peace talks to find a solution for putting an end to the crisis. However just a few days after launching the talks in the Swiss City of Geneva, the UN suspended peace talks suggesting that they will be resumed soon. Syrian sides keep blaming each other for the collapse of the talks. According to IRNA, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will head Iran's delegation in a meeting of the International Syria Support Group on Feb. 12. Over 250,000 people have died and at least 11 million have been displaced in Syria, since the crisis broke out in 2011. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Fatih Karimov - Trend: The most complicated disputes in the world can be settled through mutual respect, said Iran's President Hassan Rouhani. He made the remarks during a meeting with foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran Feb. 9, Iran's state IRINN TV reported. "The nuclear talks indicated that the most complicated global issues can be settled with help of better alternatives such as logic, reasoning, mutual respect and cooperation within the framework of international laws, instead of violence, pressure, and sanctions," Rouhani said. Following several months of talks, Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries reached a deal dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) last year to curb Iran's nuclear activities in exchange to removal of international sanctions. Last month, the US and the EU lifted their nuclear-related sanctions, as the deal came into force. Rouhani further said the nuclear deal showed that Iranophobia is baseless, adding certain countries are seeking new excuses to promote Iranophobia. "Some claim that Iran seeks to dominate the region, which is baseless," Rouhani said, adding that Iran doesn't interfere in the internal affairs of any country and doesn't seek to dominate any country. Noting that stability and security in the region has high importance for Iran, Rouhani expressed readiness for fighting terrorism and extremism and promoting friendly ties with other countries. He underlined that terrorism is threatening not only the Middle East, but also the entire world. "Combating terror, violence and extremism is not possible with slogans, bombs and missiles," Rouhani said, adding the region's problems should be settled in order to end terrorism. Sign up to get the latest news delivered to your inbox every week! The Zika Virus epidemic has been the cause of global concern since the turn of the year. The mosquito-borne disease, which was initially only a problem in Latin America, has now reach the United States and can now be transferred sexually. The World Health Organization or WHO has since stepped in and has formed a committee in order to address the massive outbreak. There have been multiple attempts to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus which is believed to be the cause of microcephaly. In fact, last week an Indian pharmaceutical firm has claimed to have developed a vaccination for the disease. The drug is now being tested for authenticity by government officials. Despite the continued development in curing and preventing the spread of the Zika Virus, some scientists agree that one form of proposed solution to the outbreak might not be all that effective. Advertisement During the recent GOP debate conducted last weekend, presidential candidate Chris Christie was asked if he plans to quarantine participants of the upcoming Olympics in Brazil. The New Jersey governor without hesitation responded with a "You bet I would." Several scientists have since spoken out about the effectiveness of quarantines to halt the spread of the Zika Virus. According to most of them, given the nature of the disease there really is no point to the proposed action plan. "While it is true that there have been - literally - a couple of instances where Zika transmission has been suspected or documented through sexual activity, Zika transmission won't occur through casual contact with others. In that regard, quarantining travelers doesn't make sense" explained Kamran Khan founder of Bio.Diaspora. Furthermore according to Isaac Bogoch, an expert from the Toronto General Hospital, the US is already doing the best it can in preventing the spread of the Zika Virus in the country. The widespread use of heroin in the United States has been called an epidemic and a scourge. It is affecting all parts of life in many areas of the United States and is changing the way that police are dealing with drug abuse. Many police departments are using new approaches to drug abuse and drug abusers, and are redefining the roles police officers have in the community. They making referrals to drug rehabilitation and counseling, with efforts that are more social work than police work. In Colerain Township, OH, police, paramedics and addiction counselors joined forces to steer drug users into treatment after they overdose, while the memory of the event is still frightening. In Gloucester, MA, the police department started to help get addicts into treatment if they turned in their drugs and drug equipment. Advertisement These are signs that the former "get tough on drugs" stance did not always work and that arresting the addicts was not stopping the epidemic. It is a big change from when the rule was to throw all "junkies" into jail. "We may think this is soft (for police), but when you have a crisis in your community, you need to be proactive. We're being aggressive," John Tharp, sheriff of Lucas County, OH, said in an interview with the Associated Press. Heroin overdose deaths have more than tripled since 2010, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The drug is easily available, stronger than it used to be, and cheap: a bad combination. Heroin use is also an outgrowth of the epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse. These antidrug efforts by police have had an impact on crime. In addition to reducing the number of overdoses, there are fewer robberies by addicts trying to get money to buy drugs. However, there has been some that say the changing face of addiction plays a role in why policing has become more proactive and preventative and less punishment-oriented. Heroin use has grown widely among white Americans. When drugs like crack cocaine were decimating the black community, programs that diverted users to treatment instead of jail were not in place, according to an Op-Ed piece in The New York Times. Medical officials revealed on Monday that the last known Ebola patient in Syria has been released from the hospital. A six-week countdown has started before the officials can finally announce to the world that the West African country is free of the virus. Reuters Health reported that the patient, 38-year-old Memunatu Kalokoh was discharged last Friday. This was confirmed by Col. Sahr Foday, the head of the Sierra Leone Army Medical Unit where the patient was being treated. Kalokoh's case was an interesting one. Last month, when the World Health Organization declared the region free of Ebola virus, a young 21 year old student, Mariatu Jalloh died. The case socked the country and led to a search for people who might have come into contact with Jalloh and therefore, contracted the virus. Kalokoh is Jalloh's aunt and was actively caring for her when she got sick. Advertisement Now that Kalokoh is declared treated, Health ministry spokesperson Sidi Yahyah Tunis claimed the country is once again waiting for 42 days for any new cases to emerge. If there will be none, then they can officially announce the country as being free of the deadly virus. Waiting for 42 days is necessary because this number represents twice the length of the Ebola virus' incubation time. Sierra Leone would have been the first country to be free of the virus had Jalloh's case did not emerge. When Jalloh died, there were intense fears of a new upsurge. Health officials also said that the necessary procedures to contain the virus were not implemented in her case. This is why all of the people who came into contact with Jalloh were asked to come forward.A dozen more remains missing to this date, some wary of coming out for they do not trust the authorities. "There will be no punitive action against them and we will treat them if they are sick," Tunis now assured. Even if the country is declared free of virus, the WHO said that there is likely to be a new case in the future. International efforts to stamp out the virus as a result, remain steadfast and continuous. The virus already killed 11,300 people for the past two years. Most of the casualties were in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 Trend: Tehran and Moscow are negotiating on abolishing visas for tourists, Iran's ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei said, RIA Novosti reported. "I hope that visa for tourist groups will be abolished in the future," he said at "Iran after lifting sanctions" conference. It was previously reported that Iran and Russia have facilitated bilateral visa regime, in particular, according to the memorandum on consular cooperation the period for issuing visas should not exceed three working days and getting multiple-entry visas should not take more than ten days. It is easy to say that scientists the world over aspire to win a Nobel Prize for their achievements in their respective fields. The award, which was a result of Alfred Nobel's guilt over inventing dynamite, comes with not only an actual medal minted in Sweden and a Diploma from the king of Sweden itself, but also a sizable sum of money. Because of the accolades and the financial compensation, there have been candidates who have done everything they can to win the prestigious award with some going so far as falsifying results. Such is the case of surgeon Paolo Macchiarini. Paolo Macchiarini, a thoracic surgeon from Italy, was recommended by Urban Lendahl for a position at the Karolinska Institute - the university which houses 50 of the voting members for the Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine. The recommendation came following Macchiarini's supposed revolutionary work on stem cell and artificial organs. In fact, Macchiarini was part of the team who conducted the first windpipe transplant made from stem cells in 2008. Advertisement However, a recently released Swedish documentary, The Experiments, exposed questionable facets of Macchiarini's work. According to the film, despite the glowing successes Macchiarini described his operations to be, six out of eight of his patients have died after receiving his polymer windpipes. The documentary has led to an inquiry surrounding Macchiarini's work. The Karolinska Institute has since announced that Paolo Macchiarini's contract would not be renewed after his current contract expires. The university has since released a statement explaining details of their actions. "The head of Macchiarini's department has been instructed by the Vice-Chancellor to ensure that, until 30 November 2016, Macchiarini uses his working hours to phase out the research he has conducted at KI. The head of department is also responsible for ensuring that the work of his research group is dismantled" read the official release. The Zika virus is not considered an entirely threatening disease. The infection has been well documented since the 1950s and outbreaks have been known to occur in areas near the equator. The mosquito borne disease usually only have mild symptoms which includes a rash, joint pain, headaches and fever. However, the Zika virus was recently shot into the spotlight when an uncanny correlation between the spread of the infection and the rise of birth defects has been charted in Brazil. As of late 2015, over 1.5 million people have suffered from the Zika virus. In turn, instances of children born with the birth defect microcephaly increased from less than 500 to more than 3,500. Scientists were quick to explain that a definite link between the two maladies has yet to be proven. Thankfully, the Brazilian government has asked the countries researchers to study the effects of Zika on pregnant women. Advertisement So far scientists have proven that the Zika virus can permeate the placenta. They are speculating that the virus' ability to reach the baby is the reason for birth defects. "It can infect the baby, and it's likely the reason why these fetuses were stillborn or had congenital malformations. That is what we know up to this point" explained Dr. Albert Ko from Yale University. Dr. Ko has since warned that should the study prove the relationship of the Zika virus to birth defects, incidence of microcephaly and other similar maladies would rise as well. He posits that there is a need to do research on microcephaly as well in order to better deal with the upcoming surge of birth defect cases. ""We have to start settling down and think about how we're going to take care of these kids. We have no idea how big it's going to get" explained Dr. Ko. Is this your business? Promote your business through our innovative Marketplace system! It's free to sign up! Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Stiri pe aceeasi tema - President Klaus Iohannis declared, on Thursday, that the new justice laws that were recently adopted by Parliament are good and he indicated that he would promulgate them if they pass the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR). Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro - President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday stated that the European Commission's proposal regarding the high gas prices is good and Romania agrees with the new measures. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro Help your friends - The Union of Students in Romania wishes the National Council for Attestation of University Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates (CNATDCU) be maintained as a competent body in matters of decisions on plagiarism reports, the award of a PhD be one of the universities' remit, shows a press release of the - President Klaus Iohannis declared on Wednesday that the ideal way would be for all EU member states to share the same approach and stand together in all matters, but a democracy works with a diversity of opinions. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook - The European Commission should come up with a clear plan in terms of the temporary capping of the natural gas price at the European Union level, based on which we will discuss what to do next, President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste - President Klaus Iohannis will participate, on Thursday and Friday, in the first meeting of the European Political Community and in the informal meeting of the European Council, which is taking place in Prague, in the Czech Republic, the Presidential Administration informed, told Agerpres. Fii - As many as 2,630 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were recorded in the last 24 hours in Romania, down 467 from the previous day, with over 17,000 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Thursday. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste - More than 9,300 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were recorded in the last 24 hours in Romania, down 463 from the previous day, with over 28,000 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Thursday. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste Since the 2016 session began, Gov. Peter Shumlin has begun calling for state managed funds to divest from coal companies and ExxonMobil stocks. During my career as a consulting economist, I have often been asked to examine the risk of proposed fiscal policy. While the political benefits of divestment may be appealing to some, unfortunately the economic risks could harm the financial security of Vermonts retirees.Firstly, divestment entails serious and immediate financial consequences for the $4.02 billion Vermont State Pension Fund and its 50,000 public sector beneficiaries. State Treasurer Beth Pearce understands this and has called for a real assessment of the cost and benefits of divestment. When the State Treasury studied divestment in November 2014 it found that costs to the state pension funds would include $10 million per year in lost returns and another $8.5 million in implementation fees. Clearly a well-diversified investment portfolio is better for Vermonts pension beneficiaries.Second, the mission statement of the Vermont Pension Investment Committee (VPIC) is to manage investments for the Vermont public pensions with integrity, prudence, and skill to meet or exceed the financial objectives of the beneficiaries of the funds. Given that mission, it would be imprudent, and violate fiduciary responsibility, to risk millions in returns to make a political point about fossil fuel use. In fact, the very reason the VPIC was set up is so that public funds could be stewarded by an independent body, not susceptible to political pressure and whims.Its clear that divestment makes little sense in terms of dollars and fiduciary duty, but it also fails on the environmental front, which is supposedly Shumlins motivation. Selling stock in fossil fuel companies will do nothing to lower greenhouse gas emissions or address climate change.For starters, the handful of energy specific or company specific equities that would be sold off will be immediately bought by other market participants. Additionally, the proposal to divest from fossil fuel stocks takes the very limited view that suppliers of these fuels are to blame for climate change. But what about all of the companies, and individuals, that buy and use fossil fuels to power their production processes or to light their homes? By the logic of those calling for divestment we should also divest from any company that uses fossil fuel.When pressured to divest the University of Vermont, my own alma mater, unanimously rejected divestment and made it clear that it is the universitys fiduciary responsibility to serve its faculty and students and divestment would pose a significant risk to financial returns. As many have pointed out, allowing legislators to insert their political agenda into the states retirement fund and use beneficiaries dollars to push ulterior motives, whether social or political, sets a bad precedent. Simply put, as Beth Pearce states , legislating divestment and investment decisions is simply not good investment policy. Thats why organizations like the Vermont Troopers Association, Vermont Retired State Employees Association (VRSEA), Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the Vermont State Employees Association (VSEA) have all passed resolutions calling for funds to be managed by VPIC in accordance with fiduciary responsibilities, not by the Legislature.For the security and well-being of Vermonts retirees we need to let our public financial managers do their jobs and not legislate investment decisions.Representative Robert Bancroft (Chittenden-8-3)------I received this op-ed from Representative Bancroft, whom I have never met. I rarely write about divestment or things of that nature. However, my mother was a school teacher. I do not like the idea that state pension funds are being invested as a set of political statements, instead of being invested solely for the benefit of retirees. I decided to publish this op-ed, because I agree with it. Lacking the skill to download embedded Twitter video into blogger sidebar posts, a botched sidebar attempt has been removed. So --in this sidebar post. The DFL'S tweet has sequential video of first Scott Jensen and then Jim Schultz, each on record, saying very clearly, that ABORTION IS INDEED AN ISSUE IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION. and that they each were intent on making it unavailabe in Minnesota if they could. No equivocation from them in the fighting-words videos. There has since been backfilling and yin-yanging their positions, to what is online now, Lying? You decide. The wish is still to have the Twitter posted videos each in full, but, no. Downloading and reposting Twitter video remains a skill I presently lack. Sorry about that: Here is a link readers can try in order to recover the DFL's beginning of the Tweet thread. https://twitter.com/MinnesotaDFL/status/1574446417095032833 The EU may cancel visa regime for Georgia by summer of 2016, EU Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos said at a joint briefing with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Sputnik Georgia news agency reported. In June 2014 the EU and Georgia signed an Association Agreement, which includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA). The Agreement significantly deepens political and economic ties with the EU in the framework of the Eastern Partnership. On Dec. 18, 2015, the European Commission said Georgia has fulfilled all the benchmarks of its Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP) and it will propose in "early 2016" to the EU-member states to allow visa-free travel to the Schengen area for Georgian citizens. "The Commission is now preparing the legislative proposal to the EU member states and the European Parliament," Avramopoulos said. "The timing for actual visa free travel for the Georgia citizens will depend on when the final decision will be taken by the Council and the European Parliament." Asked about specific timeframe and if the finalization of the process would be possible by summer, Avramopoulos responded: "Maybe earlier, maybe around summer." Patna: In a shocking incident, at least 180 school children in Bihar took ill after they were administered deworming Albendazole tablets on Wednesday, as per a media report. Indian Express quoted an officials as saying that about 100 children fell ill at the Maghra Middle School in Biharsharif district headquarters of Nalanda, 37 in Jamui, 36 in Sitamarhi, four in East Champaran and two in Rohtas district. In the first place, we have reports of only three Nalanda and one Nawada children complaining of side-effects of anti-worm tablet. These symptoms are nornal in some children because of worm load and such cases have been reported from other parts of the country. Side effects such as giddiness and nausea are not at all alarming. In no case, a child had to be hospitalised, Dr Surendra Kumar, State programme officer with Bihar State Health Society was quoted by the Daily as saying. On National Deworming Day, deworming tablets were given across all schools and Anganwadi centres free of cost. On the other hand, eighteen children reportedly complained of illness after taking deworming tablets today in Sonipat in Haryana on the occasion of National Deworming Day. "Eighteen children were brought to the government hospital in Sonipat as they complained of illness after taking the tablets. Out of them, only three had pain in the abdomen. The rest were fine," Sonipat Civil Surgeon, Dr Jaswant Punia said, as per PTI. "It is normal for a few to have such reaction when a large number of children are being administered the tablets. Sometimes, a child may have a large number of worms and this happens. But there is nothing to worry," he said. It was only some parents who pressed the panic button, he added. Meanwhile, lauding India's National Deworming Day initiative the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it would go a long way in improving the health of children as well as that of the country. "The de-worming initiative, along with measures to address hygiene and sanitation, will go a long way in improving the health of children as well as that of the country," WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said in a statement. The official congratulated India for launching last year one of the largest public health campaigns to de-worm 270 million children in the age group of one to 19 years, on a single day across the country. (With Agency inputs) New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday set aside the order of the trial court directing the CBI to release the documents seized during the raid at the office of Rajendra Kumar, principal secretary to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on December 15, 2015. Justice PS Teji said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will retain the documents seized by it during the raid. "Claim of the CBI to retain the documents justified," it added. The court`s order came on a CBI plea challenging a trial court order directing the probe agency to release the documents. The Aam Aadmi Party government had told the court that the CBI was trying to give a "political colour" to the raid and that the agency acted under "political pressure" to indiscriminately seize the documents. The CBI, however, said the documents seized from the office of Rajendra Kumar "prima facie reflect criminal conspiracy and criminal misconduct and abuse of official position by the accused people". Defending the seizure of documents from the office of Rajendra Kumar, located next to the chief minister`s office in the Delhi Secretariat, the agency had said the proper procedure for the search was followed. The decision to raid was not influenced by any political party and "the colour given by the AAP government is unwarranted", it added. The CBI said it raided the Delhi Secretariat while investigating corruption charges against Rajendra Kumar. Kejriwal claimed his office was raided too, and linked it to a probe he had ordered against Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on issues related to alleged corruption in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) which Jaitley had led earlier. The CBI denied searching Kejriwal`s office. New Delhi: In a big setback for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday quashed a trial court order asking the CBI to return some documents seized during its raid on his Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar's office recently. CBI had raided the office of Rajendra Kumar on December 15 last year during which entry of officials and staff were banned on third floor from where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal runs his government. The CBI was earlier directed by the Patiala House Court to return some documents seized by it during the raids to the Delhi government. The court passed its order while disposing of an application filed by the Delhi government seeking release of some of the documents seized by the agency during its raid. Special CBI Judge Ajay Kumar Jain then said, "directions have been given to release the documents". "The application dated December 21, 2015 filed by the Government of NCT of Delhi is disposed of. CBI is directed to release the documents in terms of para number 8 of the order," the judge said while pronouncing the order. In its plea, Delhi government had also sought initiation of stringent action against erring officials responsible for raiding "malafidely the office of applicant and seizing documents which cause immense dislocation of work in the office of the applicant." CBI had earlier told the court that the raid at Kumar's office was not aimed at the Delhi government but against an alleged corrupt officer who had misused his official position. CBI's prosecutor had also said the documents seized during the raid were relevant for the ongoing probe by the agency and had alleged that the accused in the case was a senior officer who was possessing the documents seized by it, and in all likelihood, he could have tampered with them. CBI had registered a case against Kumar and others on the allegations that he had abused his official position by "favouring a particular firm in the last few years in getting tenders from Delhi government departments". In all, CBI had carried out searches at 14 places connected with Kumar in Delhi and various locations in Uttar Pradesh Gupta and claimed to have recovered about Rs 16 lakh, including Rs 2.4 lakh in cash. Foreign currency of the value of Rs 3 lakh from the residence of Kumar, CBI had claimed. The case was lodged for alleged offences under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. With PTI inputs Ahmedabad: The contentious issue of 'Love Jihad' has rocked the state of Gujarat. A SMS has gone viral on the social networking platform WhatsApp, enticing Muslim youths to marry girls belonging to other religions in return of cash reward. The message circulated by 'Students of Muslim Youth Forum' encourages Muslim boys to trap girls from other communities in love and tie the knot. The message says: If a Muslim youth marries a Hindu Brahmin girl, he would be awarded with Rs 5 lakhs, similarly if someone gets hitched with a Sikh Punjabi girl, he would be given Rs 7 lakhs. If the girl is from Kshatriya Hindu community, the cash reward would be Rs 4.5 lakhs, Gujarat Brahmin girl Rs 6 lakhs, Punjabi Hindu Rs 6 lakhs, Christian Roman Cathlolic Rs 4 lakhs, Christian Protestant Rs 3 lakhs, Jain Rs 3 lakhs, Gujarati Kutch girl Rs 3 lakhs. The message further gives four addresses from where the Muslim youth, who successfully marries a girl from another religion, can collect their reward. It also mentions 11 phone numbers. Meanwhile, the Vadodara Police has asked people to ignore such messages and apprise the authorities in case they receive it on their cell phones. A probe has begun into the matter. New Delhi: The army today sought public assistance for locating an officer who went missing while travelling by train from Katihar in Bihar to Delhi. In a public appeal, the army said Captain Shikhar Deep, posted in Jammu and Kashmir, was travelling by Mahananda Express (15483) from Katihar to Delhi on February 6-7. "The officer did not reach his destination and went missing during transit. Any information with regard to the whereabouts of the officer may please be conveyed to Lt Col Anant Kumar on mobile number 9128724351," it said. The 25-year-old officer's relatives had registered a case of suspected abduction with the railway police yesterday. His father, Lt Col Anant Kumar, who is posted in Ranchi, has claimed Sikhardeep's disappearance could be linked to some terrorist organisation. According to the police, while his luggage was found intact in the train coach he was travelling in, the officer was nowhere to be found and his mobile was also switched off. The ticket examiner and the man, who provided bedsheet in the coach, said he was last seen at Kanpur during the journey. Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday wrote a letter to the mother of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad who was found alive on Monday, buried under 25 feet of snow for six days after an avalanche hit his post at an altitude of 19,600 feet close to the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan. The temperature at that altitude was minus 45 degrees Celsius. In the letter Sonia has written - "I was deeply pained to know about the death of ten brave soldiers of the Indian Army in the horrific avalanche in Siachen. But the news about your son has shown a ray of hope. Living in insurmountable circumstances in a place like Siachen, the soldiers brave against all odds to save our country, any appreciation is less for them," Gandhi said in her letter to the Lance Naik's 62-year-old mother. "I pray to lord that he cures such a brave heart quickly so that he can start his routine activities and serve this nation yet again. I once again pray for Lance Naik Hanamanthappa's quick recovery and long life," she added. Letter written by Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi to Smt Basamma, mother of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. pic.twitter.com/j4cAhXa8lL INC India (@INCIndia) February 10, 2016 After being evacuated, he was transfered to to Delhi by an IAF aircraft accompanied by a critical care specialist of the force and a medical specialist from the base camp. Hanamanthappa is being treated at Army Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi by a team of intensivists, neurologist, nephrologist, endocrinologist and surgeons. He has been administered fluids and drugs to bring up his blood pressure, besides antibiotics. "He continues to battle the odds and his medical condition remains very critical," a medical bulletin issued by the hospital said today. (With Agency inputs) London: British newspaper The Independent will switch back to using Bombay rather than Mumbai when referring to India's financial capital, its editor said Wednesday. Amol Rajan said the move was a stand against what he said was the closed-minded view of Hindu nationalists. The city was officially renamed Mumbai in 1995, a change forced through by the far-right Shiv Sena party. However, within the city, the old colonial name and the Marathi-language name are often used interchangeably. "The whole point of Bombay is of an open, cosmopolitan port city, the gateway of India that's open to the world," said Rajan, who was born in Kolkata -- formerly known as Calcutta -- and raised in London. "If you call it what Hindu nationalists want you to call it, you essentially do their work for them," the 32-year-old told BBC radio. "As journalists, as someone who edits The Independent, it's incredibly important to be specific about our terminology. "I'd rather side with the tradition of India that's been open to the world, rather than the one that's been closed, which is in ascendance right now," he said, referring to the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Their coalition partner Shiv Sena is strongly pro-Marathi, the dominant language and ethnic group in the state of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital. Rajan said post-colonial India had the "open, secular, pluralist and tolerant" tradition of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. It also had a "slightly nastier strain of Hindu nationalism" and it was important to "venerate the tradition of India which shows the best of India -- an open metropolis". Shiv Sena renamed the western Indian city after the goddess Mumbadevi, the protector of fisherman who were the area's original inhabitants. Marathi speakers had always called the city "Mumbai", and the move was popular among that community, whereas "Bombay" was an anglicised take on the Portuguese colonial name "Bom Bahia", or "good bay". Over 60 people have been killed in a pair of suicide bomb blasts at a refugee camp in northern Nigeria, Sputnik reported. The attacks occurred on Tuesday, but because of technical problems with area telephone lines, the news became public on Wednesday. Striking a refugee camp called Dikwa, 50 miles outside the capital of Borno state, the bombings were reportedly carried out by two female bombers. Over 70 additional people are being treated for wounds. The camp hosts approximately 50,000 people and was set up for individuals displaced by the terrorist group Boko Haram. Officials are blaming Boko Haram for the incident. During its six-year insurgency, Boko Haram has killed approximately 20,000 people displaced as many as 2.5 million in Nigeria. New Delhi: Former Army chief General VK Singh has called for improving functional relationship between the military command and civilian leadership. He asserted that the government needed to seriously consider the recommendations made by the Kargil Committee report in this regard. "We have been talking about improving our civilian-military relationship for three-four decades now. But we are only talking about it as nothing concrete has been done," he said talking to reporters on the sidelines of a book launch in New Delhi late on Tuesday. "Government needs to take a serious look at Kargil Committee report and bring in serious changes," Singh added. Singh, who is currently the minister of state for external affairs, blamed the foreign policy of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the debacle in 1962 war with China. He also said the distrust between the then civilian and military establishment was a major reason for India`s suffering. "Foreign policy of the time and approach we had adopted towards our neighbour prior to 1962 was the primary reason for India`s suffering," Singh said. "1962 war is looked at as failure on two fronts. How our political leadership, bureaucracy and intelligence worked. And how military looked at it if it was allowed to shed the baggage of colonial era. Clearly there was a huge gap in communication," Singh said substantiating his views regarding the historical event. Singh launched a book `1962: The war that wasn`t` authored by Shiv Kunal Verma. "Sometimes a person grows in his stature to such an extent that he goes beyond scrutiny and any kind of questioning despite the blunders he makes," Singh said, referring to Nehru, who he alleged went scot-free despite the humiliation that country had to face during the war. Washington: Indo-Pak relations "remain tense" after the Pathankot terror attack and India's engagement with Pakistan this year may depend on Islamabad's willingness to take action against those linked to the incident, US intelligence chief has said. "Relations between Pakistan and India remain tense despite the resumption of a bilateral dialogue in December," James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, told the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday. "Following a terrorist attack in early January on Pathankot Air Force base in India, which New Delhi blames on a Pakistani- based group, India's engagement with Pakistan will probably hinge in 2016 on Islamabad's willingness to take action against those in Pakistan linked to the attack," Clapper said during his testimony. State Department Spokesman John Kirby said he agreed with the assessment of Clapper. "The Pakistanis have said themselves publicly that they're not going to discriminate amongst terror groups, and we know that this is a threat they face as well," he said. "We want both sides of this to continue the dialogue that has started, understanding that it's still a tense situation, but we want them to continue the dialogue that they've started to try to get at what is a very common challenge to both countries," he said. Seven security personnel were killed and several others were injured when six militants stormed the Pathankot base on January 2. Kirby said it's important for everybody facing these kinds of threats to take the actions that they need to do to protect their own people and their borders, but also to eliminate this very transnational threat that terrorism is. "The Pakistanis have taken additional steps in the recent past. Can they do more? Every nation fighting terrorism can obviously do more because it's still a very real threat out there in many parts of the world. But again, what we want is for India and Pakistan to continue to work together," Kirby said. Responding to a question, he said that tension between India and Pakistan has an impact on Afghanistan. "The tension between India and Pakistan affect - well, obviously, both countries have interest in regional stability and security. And the degree to which Afghanistan is not stable - and we all recognise that Afghanistan is still a dangerous place - obviously, it affects the calculations of India and Pakistan with respect to their own national security concerns. And we recognise that," Kirby said. "India has played a helpful role in Afghanistan in the past in terms of mostly a training capacity or a willingness to participate in that, and Pakistan in ways has played a useful role in terms of getting at the cross-border threat there in the border regions," he said. "What we want with Afghanistan is the kind of normal bilateral relationship that we have with nations all over the world, that so far it's been very heavily dependent on the security component. And nobody is arguing that that doesn't still matter today," he said. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Tuesday night witnessed clashes between two student groups over Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged on February 09, 2013 in Tihar Jail. The incident happened after a group of students organised a programme and termed the hanging of the Parliament attack convict as "judicial killing. The students allegedly shouted slogans hailing 'Shaeed Afzal Guru' and also chanted anti-India slogans. They also expressed solidarity with "struggle" of Kashmiri migrants and advocated for 'Azad Kashmir'. Notably, the university authorities had not give permission to hold any programme supporting Afzal Guru as they "feared" the same might "disrupt" peace on campus. Student organisers had pasted posters across the campus inviting them to gather for a protest march against "judicial killing of Afzal Guru" and in solidarity with "struggle" of Kashmiri migrants, at varsity's Sabarmati dhaba. Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) affiliated ABVP objected to such a program and complained to the Vice Chancellor. However, when the other group didn't relent and went ahead with the event, the ABVP supporters went ahead and protested, which led to the scuffle between the two student groups. The authorities later called the police in order to restore law and order in the campus. JNU VC Jagdeesh Kumar told PTI, Earlier we were told that it is going to be a cultural programme. When I got to know that it is a protest, we decided to cancel the programme as it is administration's responsibility to ensure peace and calm on campus. New Delhi: Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, who beat death to survive under 25 feet of snow for six days in the icy heights of Siachen Glacier - the world's highest battlefield - continues to battle for his life at a hospital here. The soldier is in coma, a medical bulletin issued by the Army's Research and Referral Hospital said on Tuesday. According to doctors, the soldier from Karnataka is in "extremely critical" condition. That Hanumanthappa is alive is itself a miracle as he had been presumed dead along with nine other colleagues of the Madras Regiment following an avalanche at Siachen Glacier. The bodies of the other soldiers who too were swept away by the avalanche on February 3 at a height of 20,500 feet on the southern side of the glacier in Jammu and Kashmir have also been found. The dead included a Junior Commissioned Officer. A medical bulletin said Hanumanthappa, who was flown to Delhi early on Tuesday, was in shock with low blood pressure and was on ventilator in the ICU. The next one or two days are critical for him. "He has been placed on ventilator to protect his airway and lungs in view of his comatose state," said the bulletin issued at 4 pm. "He remains extremely critical and is expected to have a stormy course in the next 24-48 hours due to the complications caused by re-warming and establishment of blood flow to the cold parts of the body. "He has pneumonia and his investigations have revealed liver and kidney dysfunction. Fortunately, there was no cold exposure related frost bite or bone injuries to him," it said. The soldier, being treated by experts, has been given fluids and drugs to bring up his blood pressure. President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lauded the "indomitable spirit" of Hanumanthappa. Modi even visited the hospital along with Army Chief General Dalbir Singh. Mukherjee said in a message to the Army Chief: "I am happy to know that Koppad has survived the avalanche... I applaud his indomitable spirit and ability to endure adverse conditions." Modi tweeted: "No words are enough to describe the endurance and indomitable spirit of Hanumanthappa. He is an outstanding soldier." The Army Chief visited the Army's R&R Hospital again on Wednesday morning to enquire about Hanamanthappa's condition. In Karnataka, his distraught family and relatives continue to pray for his well being. The soldier was luckily inside an "arctic tent" which possibly aided his survival despite being under the ice sheet, Army sources said. The tent is designed to withstand extreme temperatures and has a fibre-reinforced structure. While Koppad's survival is a miracle, doctors say he was possibly trapped in an air pocket which saved him. Soldiers posted in harsh icy conditions are trained to look for air pockets in case of an avalanche and know how to clear the snow near the nose and the mouth so that they can keep breathing. Meanwhile, Hanumanthappa continues to battle on in Delhi -- this time for his life. (With IANS inputs) New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University administration on Wednesday ordered a disciplinary enquiry into holding of an event on campus against the hanging of Afzal Guru despite that the event was cancelled by the authorities a day before, on Tuesday. Terming the act by protesting JNU students as vague, the university authorities maintained that any talk about disintegration of nation cannot be 'national'. Talking to PTI, the authorities said that the committee headed by Chief Proctor of JNU will look into the matter. "The permission for the programme was sought by giving incomplete information, so it is an act of indiscipline. A committee headed by the Chief Proctor will examine the footage of the event and speak to the witnesses. It is on basis of the report, the varsity will take appropriate action," JNU Vice Chancellor (VC) Jagdeesh Kumar told PTI. A group of students organised a programme and termed the hanging of the Parliament attack convict as judicial killing. The student organisers of the event pasted posters across the campus inviting the students to gather for a protest march against judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt and in solidarity with struggle of Kashmiri migrants, at varsity's Sabarmati dhaba yesterday. On Tuesday, ABVP members wrote to the Vice Chancellor that such kind of marches should not be held on campus of an educational institution, prompting the university administration to order cancellation of the march as they feared that it might disrupt peace on campus. But the organisers went ahead with the event despite the cancellation of the permission and held a cultural programme, art and photo exhibition on the issue rather than a protest. Agitated over the issue, ABVP members gathered outside VC office and shouted slogans demanding expulsion of the students. JNU students union joint secretary Saurabh Kumar, who is the only ABVP member in the union, said, How can an event on Afzal Guru, who attacked the temple of democracy, be held? We are demanding expulsion of those who organised it. This was an anti-national event. When we tried to stop them from holding a march, I was shown a gun. They raised anti-India slogans and for freedom of Kashmir, Kumar alleged. The decision of ordering an enquiry was taken by the VC after he met the agitating students. The VC has told us that an enquiry has been ordered and based on the report action will be taken. But we will approach the HRD ministry as well as the Home Ministry demanding that the students who contributed to this anti-national activity be expelled, President of ABVPs JNU unit Alok Singh told PTI. Meanwhile, police officials said that a complaint in this regard has been received from the agitating students and the matter is being looked into. (With inputs from PTI) New Delhi: India may ask Pakistan to seek deposition of Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headley through video conferencing before its court, where the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case is being tried, to gather more evidence so that those involved in the incident could be punished. As the Pakistani-American terrorist talked about ISI's "financial, military and moral support" to LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen in his deposition to a Mumbai court, there is a possibility of India asking Pakistan to take a similar initiative to ensure production of Headley before the court in Pakistan where the 26/11 trial has been going on. "It is one of the actions which could be taken. A decision has to be taken at the highest level," a senior government official said. Since Pakistan is in denial on the evidence provided by India so far, Pakistan should speak to the US for Headley's testimony through video conferencing to get first-hand evidence, the official said. The trial of the Mumbai terror attack case in Pakistan is moving at a very slow pace with frequent disruption and change of judges. In his deposition before a Mumbai court, Headley gave out details about 26/11 attacks and his role in it. While testifying via video-link from the US, Headley said he was working for Pakistan Army and ISI besides LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) and that he knew about ISI official Brigadier Riyaz being the handler of LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi who was a key man responsible for the November 26, 2008 attacks in Mumbai. He also said that LeT had planned an attack at a conference of Indian defence scientists at Taj Mahal Hotel a year before the 26/11 strikes and had even prepared its dummy. But the plan was dropped because of logistical reasons, like difficulty in smuggling in weapons and personal and failure to know the schedule of the meet, he said. Headley, who had visited India seven times to scout for targets, said he had also conducted a recce of the famous Siddhivinayak Temple and Naval air station. Washington: The US and India have taken no decision on conducting joint naval patrols, the Pentagon today said but stressed the two countries were exploring ways to expand defence their ties, amid reports that the naval patrols may include the disputed South China Sea. The response from Defence Department spokesman Commander Bill Urban came as media reports suggested that India and the US recently held talks about conducting joint naval patrols in areas that may include the disputed South China Sea. "On the matter of joint patrols, no decisions have been made and we do not have any additional details to provide at this time," Urban told PTI. "The United States and India continue to explore ways to deepen our defense cooperation, including in the area of maritime security," Urban said, without giving the details of the areas likely to be covered under the proposition. The Department of Defence and India's Ministry of Defence prioritised cooperation over maritime security in the "Framework for the US-India Defence Relationship" signed by Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter and his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar in June 2015. "We continue to work with our Indian counterparts on how and where to expand engagement in this area," Urban said. In recent years, India and the US have ramped up their military ties. They held naval exercises in the Indian Ocean last year, that also involved the Japanese navy. The response also came in the backdrop of an assertive China, whose recent actions in the disputed South China Sea have left many nations, including Vietnam and the Philippines who have rival claims in the region, worried about security. Yesterday James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence said that regional tension will continue as "China pursues construction at its expanded outposts in the South China Sea and because competing claimants might pursue actions that others perceive as infringing on their sovereignty." The US accused that recent Chinese actions of building artificial islands in the disputed area has threatened freedom of navigation in the region through which more than USD 5 trillion in world trade passes every year. China this month accused the US of seeking maritime hegemony after a US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of a disputed island in the Paracel chain of the South China Sea. New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee yet again asked Governors to act within the framework of the Constitution and "they must not only be fair but also be seen to be fair". In his concluding remarks in the two-day conference of Governors today, he said that they have been charged with an onerous responsibility--to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. "It is, therefore, imperative that all their actions are within the framework of the Constitution and conform to the highest ideals enshrined in this living document," Mukherjee said. He said as holders of high offices they must not only be fair but also be seen to be fair. The President's mention assumes significance amidst a raging controversy over the role of Governor J P Rajkhowa in Arunachal Pradesh that led to the imposition of central rule. Inaugurating the conference, he had yesterday said all those who hold Constitutional positions should maintain sanctity of the Constitution. "Governors, as the live-link between the centre and the states, can catalyse initiatives. Governors may take up smart solutions in their Raj Bhavans which can serve as technology demonstrators. They may also ask the universities to make use of the 'Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan' for developing smart villages. "Governors can also sensitise states and union territories about adopting a well-knit strategy to achieve the objectives of the Make-in-India programme," Mukherjee asked. He said strong monitoring, rigorous follow-up, and validation of progress are essential for the success of the Swachh Bharat Mission. New Delhi: Indian Army brave soldier Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad who miraculously survived under 35 feet of ice and snow at the avalanche-hit army post in Siachen glacier continues to be critical on Wednesday. He has been kept on a ventilator in the ICU at the Delhi's Army Research and Referral Hospital. The entire nation is praying for his speedy recovery. Here are some interesting facts (as reported by The Hindu) about Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad's life:- Walked 6 kms every day for schooling - Lance Naik Hanamanthappa used to walk over 6 kilometers every day to attend the school in Aralikatti village in Dharwad district in Karnataka. Always showed 'never say die attitude' - Hanamanthappa Koppad was rejected rejected thrice by the Indian Army during recruitment process but he was always loaded with 'never say die attitude'; finally, he cracked the Army recruitment and joined 19 Madras Regiment. Hails from village known for bravery - Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad belongs to a farming family of Betadur village in Kundagol taluk of Dharwad district of Karnataka. The village in recent years has seen six brave men joining the Indian Army. Phoned his family a day before avalanche - Hanumanthappa has called up his family members and enquired about the well-being of them. Married four years ago - Four years ago, Hanumanthappa married Mahadevi (Jayashri). They have a two-year-old daughter. Kathmandu: An unexpected lifting of the nearly six month-long border blockade with India and back-to- back high-level visits by Indian and Nepalese officials have cleared the decks for the much-awaited visit of Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to India beginning February 19. The two neighbours, ties between whom had witnessed an all-time low following violent protests led by Madhesis, largely of Indian-origin, have warmed up to each other since the beginning of this month. A surprise announcement on Monday by the agitating Madhesis over lifting the blockade of key border trade points with India fulfilled Oli's condition of embarking on his first trip overseas after assuming charge some four months ago. The thaw in ties was evident when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj travelled to Nepal for a one-day visit to pay respects to former prime minister Sushil Koirala, who passed away yesterday. Foreign ministry spokesperson Deepak Prasad Adhikary confirmed that Oli will leave Kathmandu for Delhi on February 19 to pay an official visit to India, but did not give any details saying they are yet to be worked out. The beginning of the trip on February 19 also coincides with National Democracy Day in Nepal, sources close to the prime minister said, adding that he will attend the democracy day function in the morning before flying to Delhi. Invitation to pay an official visit to China was pending and the government was preparing for the prime minister's visit to both the neighbouring countries, India and China. However, Oli was waiting for border blockade to be lifted to embark on his much-awaited visit to India. He had earlier announced that he would not visit India unless the border blockade was lifted. Nepal alleged that the blockade in its southern border with India was imposed by Indian authorities, who are backing the agitation led by Madhesis - a charge India had vehemently denied. The United Democratic Madhesi Front, the four-party alliance, officially announced withdrawal of their protests including the border blockade. The Front had launched indefinite agitation protesting against the new Constitution promulgated on September 20 last year, saying it failed to address their concerns over representation and homeland. Russia will propose weekly UN Security Council meetings on the humanitarian situation in Yemen as well as revisiting of Libyan humanitarian struggles, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin told reporters on Wednesday. "Now that we see this heightened interest of the Security Council on humanitarian matters, we are going to propose weekly meetings on the humanitarian situation in Yemen, until a political settlement is reached there," Churkin stated. "We need to revisit the humanitarian situation in Libya." Churkin added that propagandistic use of humanitarian issues in Syria would not prevent Russia from doing the humanitarian work. Earlier in the day, a high-ranking source at the Yemeni General People's Congress Party told Sputnik that UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed had resumed the consultations with parties to the Yemeni conflict in the Omani capital of Muscat. Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Shiite Houthi rebels, who have been supported by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Washington: Scientists at the US space agency NASA have discounted reports that an Indian bus driver in Tamil Nadu was killed by a meteorite, saying he was likely hit by a land based explosion. Online photographs of the site of the suspected meteorite hit in a college campus on Saturday were more consistent with "a land based explosion" than with something from space, the New York Times reported Tuesday citing NASA scientists. Early reports included images of a crater, five feet deep and two feet wide. Witnesses described hearing an explosion, and police recovered a black, pockmarked stone from the site in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu. Lindley Johnson, NASA's planetary defence officer, told the US daily in an email that a death by meteorite impact was so rare that one has never been scientifically confirmed in recorded history. "There have been reports of injuries, but even those were extremely rare before the Chelyabinsk event three years ago," she said, referring to a 2013 episode in Russia. In addition, meteorites are often cool to the touch when they land, and the object recovered from the site in India weighed only a few grams and appeared to be a fragment of a common earth rock. The US daily also cited a scientist at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics which is analysing samples of the rock provided by the police as doubting if it was a meteorite. "Considering that there was no prediction of a meteorite shower and there was no meteorite shower observed, this certainly is a rare phenomena if it is a meteorite," professor G.C. Anupama, the dean of the institute, told the daily over telephone. Deaths and injuries by meteorites are tracked by the International Comet Quarterly, which notes the locations and sizes of meteorites. Some smash through houses, kill animals and spatter buildings. But deaths have been hard to confirm, the Times said. In 1908 in Tunguska, Siberia, an apparent "airblast" of an object entering the Earth's atmosphere leveled hundreds of square miles of forest and killed two men and hundreds of reindeer. But no meteorites were recovered, the New York Times said citing the quarterly. In one of the largest recent events, meteorites or pieces of space rock, fell in Chelyabinsk from a meteor that hit the Earth's atmosphere in February 2013. About 1,200 people - 200 of them children - were injured, mostly by glass that exploded into schools and workplaces, the Times said, citing Russia's interior ministry. Srinagar: The city authorities on Wednesday imposed curfew-like restrictions here, causing inconvenience to people. Policemen standing beside coils of concertina wire put across the road in Residency Road and Lal Chowk commercial hubs of Srinagar city refused passage to everyone, including media persons who had to reach their offices in Press Enclave on the Residency Road. "Not allowed," a police constable told media persons who showed their identity cards to him in the Residency Road area. The restrictions were imposed in five police station areas of Srinagar city on Tuesday to prevent separatist protests on the death anniversary of Afzal Guru, who was convicted for terrorist attack on Parliament House in New Delhi. "We have reports about separatists planning protests in Lal Chowk area on Wednesday," a senior police officer said. Meanwhile, pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front`s chairman Yasin Malik continues to remain in police detention after he was arrested on Monday. Separatists have called for a protest shutdown on Thursday on the death anniversary of JKLF founder, Muhammad Maqbool Bhat. Bhat was hanged in Delhi`s Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984. His mortal remains were not handed over to the family. Bengaluru: Ahead of zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat elections in Karnataka, former state chief minister and Janata Dal (Secular) state president HD Kumaraswamy has initiated a war of words with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Talking to the media in Bidar, where he had gone for campaigning for Ayaz Khan, the JD(S) candidate for the byelection to the Bidar Assembly constituency, Kumaraswamy alleged that Siddaramaiah's diamond-studded watch is worth Rs 68,56,000, and with customs duty is worth Rs 70 lakh. "I do not have anything against him wearing such expensive watch. But the CM claims he is a follower of Ram Manohar Lohia, and is a socialist. If he was a socialist, why would he wear a Rs 50 lakh watch?" asked Kumaraswamy. He added: "In fact I have even sent the image of the same watch to Dubai, for confirming the rates of his wrist watch. The remarks were seen as a reply to Siddaramaiah's comments about Kumaraswamy spending around Rs 60 crore on his son Nikhil Kumaraswamys debut film. Responding to Siddaramaiah's comment that he is ready to sell the watch for Rs five or 10 lakhs and shades for Rs 50,000, Kumarswamy said: "Do I own a scrap shop. If I owned a scrap shop then I could have bought that watch for whatever value he intends to sell. Personally I do not care as to whether he wears a Rs 50 lakh watch or a Rs two crore watch, but why does the CM project he is a Lohia follower and a socialist when he has such expensive taste?" Kumaraswamy added that the Karanataka CM has left wearing the sunglasses which is worth Rs one lakh. Siddaramaiah had left the Janata Dal (Secular) in 2007 to join the Congress. Thiruvananthapuram: While his party believes that the tradition banning entry of women of menstrual age in historic Sabarimala temple should continue, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said that he was against such kind of practice. Speaking to NDTV, Tharoor said, though Congress has maintained that the tradition should be followed, but personally he was against such practice, as he believed that customs and traditions evolve. The Kerala government had told the Supreme Court that banning entry of women of menstrual age in historic Sabarimala temple in the state is a "matter of religion" and it is duty bound to "protect the right to practice the religion of these devotees". Hearing a PIL filed by Indian Young Lawyers' Association, on January 11, the Supreme Court had questioned the tradition of banning entry of women of menstrual age group in the temple, saying it cannot be done under the Constitution. Union Minister Mahesh Sharma has favoured the entry of women in Sabarimala temple, saying there should be no discrimination on the basis of caste and gender. "The government is of the opinion that there should be no discrimination in all religious places on (the basis of) caste and gender," the Minister of State for Culture and Tourism said. Thiruvananthapuram: Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said, the present dispensation is taking away the power from the people of India which was entrusted to them by his party. Addressing Congress supporters in Kerala, Rahul mocked PM Modi for his statement that 'MNREGA will continue, it is living example of Congress's failure'. The Gandhi scion alleged that Finance Minster Arun Jaitley told him that when they analysed MNREGA, they found that that biggest reason of growth in rural India was due to UPAs flagship rural job scheme. They are scared to tell the PM that what he is saying in the Parliament is wrong, actually MNREGA is a good program, the Congress vice president exhorted. The Congress vice president accused the NDA government of doing nothing on the development front, but only giving slogans. Further criticising the Prime Minister, the Amethi MP asserted, PM Modi likes to come up with an idea and have a big media celebration around that and then moves towards any other. He likes to do his politics in form of events, Rahul added. While trying to boost Congress supporters' morale for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections, Rahul said, CPM cannot defeat Congress in Kerala, only Congress can defeat itself in Kerala. While advising the Congress senior leaders to unite and work, Rahul quipped, After elections, you can fight. Gandhi said, "Senior leaders in the state are exceptionally talented. What one does not have, others have. They together are much more powerful than alone. They have their strength and weaknesses. They have to stay together." "Once elections are over, they are more than welcome to fight. But now, it is not the time to fight. Now, it is the time to be together," he said. Mumbai: Mumbai terror attack convict David Headley's deposition, which entered the third day on Wednesday before the Special Mumbai court, was initially delayed due to technical glitch in video-conferencing and later adjourned till Thursday. Special public prosecutor Ujjawal Nikam, who is presently examining Headley, told reporters that the deposition has been cancelled due to a technical snag from their side. Due to a technical snag, even after repeatedly trying, a connection could not be established via video conferencing, the special public prosecutor claimed. ''Tomorrow the hearing will take place from 7 am - 1:30 pm, Indian time,'' Nikam told reporters. Time difference (India-US) is also a technical difficulty. We hope the snag is dealt with so we can question Headley again tomorrow, Nikam added. Headley is being examined as an approver in the 26/11. In his revelation during the deposition so far, Headley had said that Pakistan's notorious spy agency ISI provides financial, moral as well as military support to terror outfits like the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. Headley also disclosed that he was asked by the ISI to recruit Indian Army men to spy for them. On the first day of the deposition, he had revealed the sequence of events and planning behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Headley, one of the main conspirators in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, deposed as a witness in the case and admitted that he had come to the city with a false identity at the behest of his colleague and handler Sajid Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. Headley further admitted that he was a true follower of the LeT and had changed his name from Dawood Gilani to David Coleman Headley for the purpose of acquiring a new passport to come to India. He said he had visited Mumbai seven times prior to the attacks on November 26, 2008. He even visited Delhi in March 2009 after the attacks. With ANI inputs New Delhi: Embattled Arunachal Pradesh Governor J P Rajkhowa today strongly defended his actions of advancing assembly session and fixing its agenda claiming that the Chief Minister and the Speaker were "hand-in-glove" and trying to remain in power despite losing majority, even as the Supreme Court observed that he cannot take away the House's discretion on the basis of "mere apprehension". Terming the political situation in the "sensitive border" state as "chronic and chaotic", Rajkhowa's counsel said, "the Speaker (Nabam Rebia) was under the clout and was hand-in- glove with the Chief Minister (Nabam Tuki). "The Governor apprehended that the biased Speaker would act in support of the Chief Minister...It was not justified to wait till January 14 this year, so he advanced the session to December 16. This was done for the public cause and in their interest. What was wrong in that?" A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice J S Khehar reiterated its objection, saying the Governor may advance assembly session but he cannot take away "discretion of the House" to "discuss, debate and decide" any issue. "There are two aspects to it, that is whether the resolution (to remove the Speaker) is debated upon and decided is upto his discretion or the discretion of the House. How can you (Governor) ask them to deal it as the first agenda?... Who is he to say this. Therefore, by saying so, he has taken away discretion of the House," the bench, also comprising Justices Dipak Misra, M B Lokur, P C Ghose and N V Ramana, said. It also said that the Governor cannot act on mere apprehension and has to apply his "intellect" so that the "sanctity of democracy remains". "The Governor cannot act on mere apprehension. He has the right to play under the Constitution, as constitutional discipline warrants that the sanctity of democracy remains," it said. Senior advocate T R Andhyarujina, appearing for Rajkhowa, began the arguments by referring to the sequence of events and alleged "arm-twisting tactics" adopted by the Tuki government in its attempt to rein in 21 revolting MLAs and said there was little scope for judicial review of the discretionary decisions taken by him. The bench, examining constitutional schemes on the scope of discretionary powers of the Governor and his actions to advance the assembly session, also said, "not only the Governor but any prudent man will apply his intellect before acting on a complaint or an apprehension. At the outset, Andhyarujina referred to a meeting of Congress MLAs called at the behest of the then Chief Minister on September 16 at Itanagar and alleged that the rebel MLAs were forced to sign on blank papers and later, they became resignation letters. Moreover, the legislature party meeting was also attended by the assembly Speaker, he said, asking "what business the Speaker has got to attend the meeting?" "The MLAs had written letters against the Speaker alleging that he was hand in gloves with the Chief Minister ... The Governor was compelled to exercise his power, because there was an apprehension that the Speaker may disqualify the revolting MLAs to get good majority in the house," he said, adding that it created a situation for the Governor to act prudently. The bench then observed that "Democracy is a paramount. It is duty of a constitutional body to see that democracy remains in place. The Governor's duty is to keep the democracy running and not to make a dent on it." The senior lawyer, who would continue with his arguments tomorrow, also referred to the purported resignation letters of two rebel Congress MLAs which were accepted by the Speaker, to drive home the point about the alleged collusion between the Speaker and the Chief Minister. He also said that when the Chief Minister came to meet the Governor, some Congress leaders also abused Rajkhowa. "They (Tuki's cabinet colleagues) physically assaulted the Governor and locked the Legislative assembly," Andhyarujina said, adding that this was "not to be tolerated". "What kind of democracy is this where a Governor was assaulted. This has never happened anywhere," he said. "It was the talk of the town. The turmoil in the state was such that the Governor had sent letters to the President on it," the Governor's counsel submitted, adding that the then Speaker has even manipulated resignation letters of two MLAs. "The state is near the sensitive border. It was necessary for the Governor to step in and hence, he did the right thing as per his discretion," he said. The bench also referred to the Governor's letter on summoning the assembly session and fixing the agenda for the house and said "the discretion of the House has been taken away by the Governor. Who is he to take that away?" The Governor is putting up his version in the case, despite the apex court withdrawing its notice to him. Tokyo: The Kubota Corporation of Japan has invented an air purifier that covers about 200m2, an area almost same as a tennis court. "This machine purifies air by using water. It not only sterilises and deodorises air but also humidifies," said Hiromichi Doi of sales department, Kubota Corporation. The strong purification power of `Pure Washer' is the result of Kubota's high technology . "Our company has been in business for 120 years. We started with offering safety water to drink. So, we are proud of our technology about water and that is used in this machine. Besides we have been operating air conditioning business for about 50 years. So we combined the technology of water and air conditioning then Pure Washer was made," Hiromichi Doi added. Pure Washer has several ways to use. For example, slightly acid electrolysis water made by Pure Washer can be took out and used for sterilisation of room or cooking utensils by itself. "We have recently launched this machine. And we have already accepted orders by mainly nursing-care facilities. Those facilities have a lot of problems about air such as odour and infection. So we think they can be our main clients," Hiromichi Doi said further. The deodorisation functionality of pure washer was demonstrated to a Korean visitor and it showed that the device works for 30 seconds and then the air becomes clean. "Wonderful! It's very clear nice to smell there is no ammonia smell. So I think it's very good production for everyone," said a Korean visitor. In another technological development, a water screening technology removes impurities from water and revives into clean water. Japan's filtration device manufacturer has developed a new screening device called "wedge wire screen", proposing the new water filtration method that performs in four-stage. In the first stage, the screening device collects the impurities up to about 100A size. "The device attached here is the "wedge wire screen". Based on the customer's screening requirement and the amount, we will customize the suitable screen size. This device is mainly used for industrial water, especially for the contaminants generated in the waste water treatment facilities, and it has been used as a Solid-liquid separation equipment for the product accumulation that occurs in the circulating water in the manufacturing process," said Takao Imamura, general manager, sales department, Toyo Screen Kogyo co. Ltd. For the filtration of impurities, the device utilises the inverted triangle gaps of wedge-shaped wires arranged at equal intervals. The main material uses stainless steel with high strength with excellent durability. It features extreme dehydration resistance with less clogging which comes from the less contact surface to solids. In the second stage, the screening device collects the impurities of smaller than 100A to 30A size. "This is the Solid-liquid separation equipment using a fine wedge wire screen. Mesh size is 30A," Imamura added. The third stage screening uses 5A size mesh screens. "This strainer device combines a reversal device for continuous filtering, with the cylindrical screen arrangement as you see. Currently we are developing product for further aims of filtration and accumulation of under 5A as a fourth-stage. We are targeting to expand to the areas such as membranes and filters," Imamura added. These devices have already been sold to Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, as a part of the environmental equipment. "Environment has grown up to be a serious issue in Southeast Asia. Some of the waste water is dumped into rivers and the sea, which often includes a variety of impurities that are particularly not allowed to discharge into the environment. We believe that we can help from the environmental aspects in the future, by developing a device that can easily handles the waste water in the preceding process," Imamura added. This advanced technology would be a big help for the industries that challenge to the environmental measures. Washington: The Obama administration on Tuesday proposed $860 million in aid for Pakistan, including $265 million for military hardware, which it said would help the country fight terrorists, secure nuclear weapons and improve ties with India. While there was no mention of Pakistan in President Barack Obama's budgetary proposals, Secretary of State John Kerry in his proposals said the budget includes $859.8 million towards sustaining ties with Pakistan and making progress to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat violent extremist groups." "The requested funding will support the country's counter-insurgency missions, and bolster stability, energy access, economic growth, and social reform," Kerry said in a letter accompanying his proposals. "Pakistan lies at the heart of the US counter-terrorism strategy, the peace process in Afghanistan, nuclear non-proliferation efforts, and economic integration in South and Central Asia," State Department said making its case for the aid to Pakistan under the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund. "OCO resources will support critical US activities such as ensuring the safety of Pakistani nuclear installations,working with Pakistan to facilitate the peace process in Afghanistan, and promoting improved relations with India," it said. For Pakistan, the OCO request supports a robust diplomatic presence and critical assistance programmes to advance cooperation and reforms in energy, economic growth, and agriculture, education, health, and stabilisation of areas vulnerable to violent extremism, it said. This includes supporting the government and its people, while maintaining diplomacy and outreach in the face of challenging political and security conditions, it said. The State Department plans to sustain the presence necessary to "achieve our essential strategic priorities of combating terrorism and enhancing stability in Pakistan and the region following the transition in Afghanistan." Under the Economic Support Fund (ESF) of the OCO, the State Department has proposed $400 million to Pakistan. The State Department said this will support the US' strategic objectives in the region, including combating terrorism and violent extremism and increasing security, growth and stability within Pakistan and the broader region. "The request will also demonstrate the US' commitment to fostering longterm cooperation with the Government of Pakistan in order to address areas of mutual interest," it said. Under OCO's International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement section, the State Department has proposed $40 million for Pakistan-funded programmes that will promote stability during the transition in Afghanistan. Proposing $265 million under Foreign Military Funding (FMF)-- which mainly means providing military hardware, the State Department said given the transition in Afghanistan and continued terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, it is essential to Pakistan's efforts to increase stability on its western border and within the country. Washington: US health officials laid out details of their battle plan against the Zika virus for lawmakers on Tuesday, saying that more than $1.8 billion in new emergency funds is needed to protect pregnant American women by the summer mosquito season. Emerging from a closed-door meeting with Senate leaders, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell pushed back against Republican assertions that the Obama administration had no immediate need for money and could divert existing funds from a longstanding campaign against Ebola in Africa. "The money is important and is urgent," Burwell told reporters, saying the government needs to ramp up preparedness and mosquito control in Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas and other Southern states while pursuing new research and an accelerated vaccine programme. Zika has spread quickly in South and Central America and the Caribbean, raising fears of the possibility of a birth defect known as microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. Most infected people have no symptoms or mild ones including fever and skin rashes. Brazil is investigating more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly and has identified evidence of Zika infection in 17 of these cases. But much remains unknown about the virus, including whether it actually causes microcephaly. Zika can be spread by mosquitoes, sexual transmission and blood transfusions. Its discovery in the saliva and urine of infected people has added to concerns. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international health emergency on Feb. 1, citing a "strongly suspected" relationship between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly. Zika is spreading inside Puerto Rico, and more than 50 people in the United States have been infected, mainly while travelling overseas, officials said. Part of the emergency funds would go towards developing new diagnostic tests for the virus. But while Democrats joined with the administration to call for emergency funding, Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri said the administration can find Zika funding in an unspent sum of $1.49 billion for Ebola, and additional money allocated to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health last year. "So theres no immediate shortage of money for the administration to do what they think needs to be done," Blunt, a member of the Senate leadership, said before the meeting. Burwell said the unspent funds are earmarked for a global health security initiative to establish disease surveillance in 17 countries over five years. A Turkish police officer was martyred and another wounded Tuesday during a counter-terror operation against the terrorist organization PKK in the southeastern Sirnak province, police sources said, Anadolu reported. The incident occurred when PKK terrorists attacked an armored police vehicle with rocket launchers, leaving two officers wounded, police said. One of the policemen transferred to Sirnak State Hospital succumbed to his wounds. Meanwhile, a Koycegiz gendarmerie border post in Sirnak's Idil district was attacked by a group of PKK terrorists who fired with rocket launchers and long-barreled weapons late Tuesday evening, according to the Turkish armed forces. Another soldier was wounded and rushed to Sirnak State Hospital by helicopter. Earlier in the day, a police officer and a soldier were martyred in southeastern Sirnak's Cizre district, which has been the focus of counter-terror operations and military curfews since December 2015. According to latest figures released by Turkish Armed Forces, the total number of PKK terrorists killed during anti-terror operations is 575 in Cizre as of Monday. The PKK - also considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU - resumed its 30-year armed attack against the Turkish security forces in late July 2015. Since then, more than 260 members of the security forces have been martyred and thousands of PKK terrorists killed in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq. Damascus: As many as 500 people have been killed since the Syrian army launched a wide-scale offensive in the province of Aleppo, a monitor group reported on Wednesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 89 civilians were among those killed since the beginning of the month, adding that the rest were militant fighters, Xinhua reported. The Syrian army has made sweeping progress in Aleppo, capturing key towns from the Turkey-backed rebels, aiming to close the borders with Turkey, from which many foreign jihadists are infiltrating Syria. A day earlier, Syria's Presidential Political and Media Advisor Bouthaina Shaaban said the aim of the army's advances in Aleppo is liberating cities and village seized by terrorists for nearly three years and controlling the borders with Turkey. Two female suicide bombers on Wednesday killed at least 58 at a camp for people made homeless by Boko Haram`s Islamist insurgency in northeast Nigeria, emergency services, in the latest violence to hit the remote region. The attack happened in Dikwa, some 90 kilometres (55 miles) from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, on Tuesday morning and is believed to be a reprisal for a military strike on Boko Haram strongholds in the area last week. It will again raise security fears about the safety of internally displaced people (IDPs) and put pressure on the government, which maintains it has the upper hand against the insurgents and is pushing for the return of civilians caught up in the violence. Nigeria`s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, deputising for President Muhammadu Buhari who has been on holiday, described it as "regrettable that the heartless terrorists chose to unleash their wickedness on people who were taking refuge from previous acts of destruction in their homes". He promised those behind the attack would be hunted down and ordered that "formidable security in and around the IDP camps in the country be beefed up and renewed measures put in place to guard against future occurrences". The head of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, Satomi Ahmed, earlier told AFP 35 bodies were recovered from the camp, which houses some 53,600 people, with 78 injured. He later said the other dead had been buried locally, leading to the revised toll. "From what we gathered three female suicide bombers disguised as IDPs arrived at IDP camp at about 6:30 am (0530 GMT)," he said. "Two of them detonated their explosives. The third one refused to set off hers when she realised her parents and siblings were in the camp. She surrendered herself to the authorities." Ahmed said the woman told the military why she refused to detonate her explosives and warned them of further attacks to come in the remote region. The injured were taken to the Borno State Specialist Hospital and the Umaru Shehu Hospital, both in Maiduguri for treatment, he added. The camp in Dikwa is currently home to people from six local government areas in Borno: Dikwa itself, Gamboru Ngala, on the border with Cameroon, and the towns of Marte, Kalabalge, Bama and Mafa.Last week, the Nigerian military attacked three villages considered Boko Haram strongholds near Kalabalge, killing dozens of militant fighters and rescuing hundreds of women. The women were largely from the Shuwa Arab tribe, who had been kidnapped, prompting the authorities to suspect the latest attack to be revenge for the military operation. Boko Haram, which has increasingly used suicide and bomb attacks as the military pushes them out of territories it once controlled, has hit IDP camps before. On September 11 last year, seven people were killed when an improvised explosive device went off at the Malkohi camp, near Yola, in neighbouring Adamawa state. The camp had been used to house kidnapped women and children rescued by the military. IDPs fleeing Dikwa were also the target of a female suicide bomber as they tried to reach camps in Maiduguri on November 22 last year. A woman disguised as an IDP blew herself up, killing eight. On January 31, at least 85 people were killed in Dalori, some 12 kilometres from Maiduguri, when Boko Haram fighters attacked and burned down surrounding villagers. Suicide bombers tried to get into the IDP camp, which is the largest around Maiduguri, but were prevented. The Boko Haram insurgency has left at least 17,000 people dead and forced more than 2.6 million from their homes in nearly seven years of violence that has also spread to neighbouring countries. At least six civilians were killed and more than 30 injured on Wednesday in a double suicide attack in the village of Nguetchewe, in northern Cameroon. Manchester: Bernie Sanders has defeated Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary, and Donald Trump also scored his first victory in a triumph of two candidates who have seized on Americans' anger at the Washington political establishment. Both outcomes would have been nearly unthinkable not long ago. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, beat a former secretary of state and first lady once seen as the all-but-certain Democratic nominee. While Clinton remains the favorite in the national race for the Democratic nomination, the win by the Vermont senator could be a springboard into a competitive primary campaign. For Trump, the brash real estate magnate and television personality who has never run for public office, the win was an important rebound after his loss to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in last week's Iowa caucuses, the first nominating contest. Trump has led national polls for months and the New Hampshire victory reinforces his position as front-runner, proving he can win votes and adding credibility to his upstart populist candidacy. For some Republican leaders, back-to-back victories by Trump and Cruz, an uncompromising conservative, add urgency to the need to coalesce around a more mainstream candidate to challenge them through the primaries. However, it was unlikely that New Hampshire's contest would clarify that slice of the field, with Ohio Governor John Kasich, Florida Sen Marco Rubio and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush all locked in a tight race, along with Cruz, behind Trump. Rubio appeared to be breaking away after a stronger-than-expected showing in Iowa, but he stumbled in Saturday's debate under intense pressure from Christie. The New Jersey governor has relentlessly cast the young senator as too inexperienced and too reliant on memorized talking points to become president. At stake yesterday were less than 1 per cent of the delegates who, at party national conventions in July, will choose nominees to succeed President Barack Obama. But a strong showing in New Hampshire can result in a wave of media coverage, donations and give a candidate momentum ahead of state contests in coming weeks, including the March 1 "Super Tuesday, when 11 states vote. Nearly half of voters in the Republican primary made up their mind in the past week, according to early exit polls conducted by Edison Research for the Associated Press and the television networks. Republican voters were more negative about their politicians than Democrats, with about half of Republican voters saying they felt betrayed by party officials. London: Julian Assange should leave the Ecuadoran embassy in London and bring to an end the "whole sorry saga", British Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament on Wednesday. WikiLeaks founder Assange faces a rape allegation in Sweden but has been inside Quito`s mission for more than three and a half years in a bid to avoid extradition. The 44-year-old Australian fears deportation from Sweden to the United States over WikiLeaks` release of 500,000 secret military files. A United Nations panel last week found the anti-secrecy campaigner had been arbitrarily detained by Britain and Sweden. "I think this was a ridiculous decision," Cameron said in the lower House of Commons. "You`ve got a man here with an outstanding allegation of rape against him. "He barricaded himself into the Ecuadoran embassy and yet claims he was arbitrarily detained. The only person who detained himself -- was himself. "And so what he should do is come out of that embassy and face the arrest warrant that is against him." He stressed that the allegation against Assange was in Sweden, "a country with a fair reputation for justice". "He should bring to the end this whole sorry saga." A Swedish prosecutor said Tuesday she still aims to question former computer hacker Assange inside the embassy, despite the UN report. "It does not change my earlier assessments in the investigation," Marianne Ny said in a statement. She said she was "currently working on a renewed request to interview Julian Assange at Ecuador`s embassy in London". Washington: US President Barack Obama will deliver a tough message to China during a summit with Southeast Asian countries next week that disputes in the South China Sea must be resolved peacefully and not with a big nation bullying smaller neighbors, the White House said on Tuesday. Obama will also address North Koreas provocations, a nuclear test last month and a rocket launch over the weekend, when he hosts the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in California on Monday and Tuesday, aides said. Ben Rhodes, Obamas deputy national security adviser, said the president will reiterate that territorial disputes over the area, where China and several Southeast Asian states have conflicting and overlapping claims, must be handled through negotiations and consistent with international norms. Though China will not be represented, Obamas aides made clear that Beijings actions in the South China Sea, where it has proceeded with island building that U.S. officials suspect could be turned to military use, will be one of the focal points of the summit at the Sunnylands estate near Palm Springs, California. The president will call on all claimants to halt land reclamation, construction of new facilities and to carry out no militarization of outposts in the South China Sea, Dan Kritenbrink, Obamas top Asia adviser, told reporters on a conference call previewing the ASEAN talks. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. Rhodes said part of Obamas message at the summit will be the need to avoid efforts to resolve those disputes through one nation, bigger nation, bullying a smaller one, uphold freedom of navigation and avoid inadvertent and unnecessary" military action in the South China Sea. A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other states in the South China Sea in late January to counter what Washington deems unacceptable efforts to limit freedom of navigation, prompting an angry reaction from Beijing. It was the second such U.S. military exercise carried out last year. Obama will specifically discuss with Southeast Asian leaders his concerns about Chinas recent test flights on a newly constructed runway on the Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands, Rhodes said. But even as Obama seeks to reassure Southeast Asian leaders of his resolve, he is expected to face divisions within the 10-nation bloc on how far they are willing to go in angering China. The Philippines and Vietnam have taken a harder line while Cambodia and Laos are more reluctant to confront Beijing. U.S. officials insist the summit is not about targeting China but about bolstering economic and security ties with Southeast Asia, a region Obama has focused on as part of his signature rebalance toward Asia-Pacific. At the same time, Obama will update Southeast Asian leaders on efforts to increase international sanctions pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs, a process that the U.S. officials said China had every reason to assist. We approach China on the basis that we have a shared interest in the principle of denuclearization and avoiding an escalation on the Korean peninsula, Rhodes said. But China and the United States have not entirely seen eye to eye on how strong the response should be to North Korea, with Washington urging harsh punitive measures and Beijing stressing the need for dialogue. Cairo: As the sun began to set on February 11, 2011, the protesters in Cairo`s Tahrir Square wavered between hope and despair, waiting for a signal that Egypt`s autocrat would step down. Hosni Mubarak had been expected to resign the day before, after 30 years in power. Instead, he delivered a truculent speech insisting he would stay on until September. But the military had already decided his fate: he would have to go after days of protests had paralysed the country. So just before sunset, the announcement came. Mubarak was gone, the army was now in control and Cairo exploded in euphoric celebration. Five years later, that day has a dreamlike quality for activists who say they are now living through the darkest times of their lives. "I was ecstatic," said Mona Seif, a human rights campaigner who was in Tahrir Square that night. Seif said she knew then that activists like her still had a struggle ahead. But she told AFP she thought "the hardest thing has passed", referring to Mubarak`s overthrow. There are now more activists in prison than at any point during Mubarak`s reign. Seif has a brother behind bars -- prominent leftwing activist Alaa Abdel Fattah -- and her sister Sanaa was in jail until being pardoned recently. Their father, Ahmed Seif, died in 2014 with both children incarcerated. Egypt`s preeminent human rights lawyer, he spent his last year alive in courtrooms, trying to free them and other activists. Alaa and Sanaa were allowed to attend his funeral, but wearing white prison garb.Egypt is now ruled by another leader who came from the military. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected in 2014 after overthrowing the unpopular Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, and unleashing the bloodiest crackdown on dissent in the country`s modern history. Protests that are not approved by the police are banned. Alaa, Sanaa and many other activists were jailed for violating that law. Hundreds of protesters, mostly Morsi supporters, have been shot dead in the streets, and the government is locked in a war with Islamist jihadists who have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers. Reports of police abuses are also on the rise. Activists who had remained sanguine as the country lurched from one crisis to another after Mubarak`s ouster are now reluctant even to talk about that day. "No, leave me alone. It`s too depressing," one dissident told AFP. For them, February 11 was not just about removing a dictator, although that in itself had been unimaginable just 18 days previously when the protests began. It was also about empowerment, social justice and self respect in a country that brimmed with daily humiliations and abuses by corrupt officials and police. "The nature of despair (now) is so different," said Seif. "Under Mubarak, you didn`t have a lot of hope. But you haven`t experienced a moment with the full potential of hope and open space and then the fall down from it."Timothy Kaldas, a non-resident fellow with the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, was also in the square on February 11 five years ago. "This is the undoing of what they accomplished," he said of what has happened since. "What makes it so difficult to stomach and upsetting is not simply that the situation is very bad right now, but the fact that for a brief moment we created an opening, we forced open political space and public discourse." Heba Morayef, a prominent rights defender who went to Tahrir to celebrate Mubarak`s ouster, remembers that day as "pure joy". But "very soon we were back to doing the usual work as human rights activists". Rights activists fought abuses and military trials during the interim period of army rule until mid-2012, and then were busy during Morsi`s year in power, which was marred by crackdowns on opponents. Many leftwing dissidents who had led the anti-Mubarak protests supported the massive rallies demanding Morsi`s overthrow in the days before his ouster in July 2013. What confronted them next was a pit of despair in which talk of human rights was practically portrayed as treason by pro-government media. "I can imagine change in the future, but it`s difficult to see change in a positive direction," said Morayef, the associate director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. Despite this, Seif says she will always cherish what she experienced on February 11, 2011. "Whatever comes, no matter how harsh it is, you can`t just go back and regret feeling it." Rome: The European Union faces "critical times" and all its members should set aside selfish interests to tackle problems such as immigration and terrorism, the bloc`s six founding nations said on Tuesday. A week after the EU accepted that some members may never go further in sharing sovereignty, as part of the price for keeping Britain in the club, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg pledged to pursue "ever closer union" at a meeting in Rome, where they founded the bloc in 1957. "We are concerned about the state of the European project," the foreign ministers of the Six said in a statement after their talks. "Indeed, it appears to be facing very challenging times. It is in these critical times that we, as founding members, feel particularly called upon." The meeting was held against the backdrop of deep division in the 28-nation bloc over how to handle the flows of hundreds of thousands of migrants arriving in Europe fleeing war and failing states in the Middle East and North Africa. It also came a week after Brussels agreed a draft deal with Britain Prime Minister David Cameron that, among other things, reaffirmed the limitations of a treaty commitment to pursue the "ever closer union" of the peoples of Europe, part of a package to help Cameron campaign before a referendum that the EU`s second biggest economy should continue its 43-year membership. While acknowledging that the Union "allows for different paths of integration", the original signatories of the Treaty of Rome declared: "We remain resolved to continue the process of creating an ever closer union among the people of Europe." Meeting in Italy, which has been in the frontline of a wave of migration to Europe across the Mediterranean, the ministers also stressed the need to overcome divisions on the EU response. Hungary and Austria this week called for fences on the Macedonian and Bulgarian borders with Greece and between Austria and Slovenia, and several states have called into question the Schengen accord on free circulation inside the EU. [nL8N15L0B7] The statement called for better management of the Union`s external borders in order to make them more secure while preserving Schengen and not hampering freedom of movement. It contained no concrete policy proposals, but said Europe "is successful when we overcome narrow self-interest in the spirit of solidarity". Naypyidaw: At least four Myanmar military personnel were feared dead after a small air force propeller plane crashed shortly after take off in the capital Naypyidaw Wednesday, official sources said. The Beechcraft passenger plane, which was carrying five crew members and believed to be on a routine patrol, went down in agricultural land near the airport. Hundreds of people gathered in the area as officials raced to extinguish the fire and sift through the smouldering wreckage of the plane, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. "Four people were killed and we think one is alive," a senior police official in the capital told AFP, asking not to be named because the incident involved a military aircraft. The plane burst into flames soon after leaving the runway, according to an airport official, who also asked to remain anonymous. No one from Myanmar's powerful and secretive military was immediately able to comment. Myanmar has a busy aviation sector, partly to compensate for the country's poor road and rail infrastructure. While news of military air crashes is relatively rare, there have been several incidents involving commercial planes in recent years. In July, an Air Bagan ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop carrying 49 passengers skidded off the runway after landing during heavy rain at Yangon International Airport. Berlin: German investigators raced Wednesday to determine whether human error or technical fault was to blame for a train crash that killed 10 people, as police said all bodies had been recovered from the wreckage. There are "no more missing people", police said in a statement, adding that 17 people were severely injured and 63 others slightly hurt in Tuesday`s collision near the southern spa town of Bad Aibling. Two trains travelling at high speeds crashed head-on on a single track, with one slicing the other apart, ripping a large gash in its side. Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the line was fitted with an automatic braking system that should have prevented such accidents and investigators were probing whether the mechanism malfunctioned or whether there had been human error. Newspaper group RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschand (RND), citing sources close to the investigation, said a signalling station worker had manually deactivated the automatic signalling system to let the first train -- which was running late -- go past. That action would have also shut off the automatic braking system. The second train then forged ahead on the same track in the opposite direction, before the first was able to split off where the line divides into two, according to RND. Police would not confirm the report.Dobrindt himself had cautioned against any speculation on the causes of the disaster. "At the moment we will have to wait (for the result of the investigation). Everything else is speculation, and would be unhelpful and inappropriate," he had said on Tuesday. Stefano, 24, a passenger on one of the trains, told Bild newspaper that the horrific accident began with a sudden "screech, like with an emergency brake". "Then there was a real crash, it was damn loud. The back of the train was thrust up. The lights went out and I was thrown across half the train. Baghdad: The risk of Iraq's largest dam collapsing and unleashing a huge wave onto Mosul is affecting plans to retake the city from jihadists, an adviser to the prime minister's office said. The Iraqi army is deploying thousands of soldiers to a northern base in preparation for operations to recapture the northern city, the largest urban centre in the Islamic State group's self-proclaimed caliphate. Concern has grown that a failure of the unstable dam, which stands about 40 kilometres northwest of the city, could wipe out most of Mosul and flood large parts of Baghdad. The Americans "frequently refer to Katrina" and say a collapse of the Mosul Dam would be "a thousand times worse", an adviser to the office of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told reporters. Hurricane Katrina ravaged the US city of New Orleans in 2005, killing nearly 2,000 people and leading to a wave of violence and looting that completely overwhelmed the authorities. "If the dam busts, the centre of Mosul goes under water by about 12 to 15 metres," the adviser said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It just disappears, so 500,000 people (are) killed within a few hours," he said. He said another dam in Samarra, hundreds of miles downstream, would also burst. It is estimated the wave would still be several metres high when it reaches Baghdad. A US assessment published on the Iraqi parliament's website yesterday said Mosul dam was "at a signficantly higher risk of failure than originally understood." Since the dam's completion in 1984, the Iraqi government has sought to shore up the foundation by injecting mortar-like grout into cavities that develop under the structure. Regular minor seismic activity in the dam area is now seen as a potential threat. As Iraqi forces backed by the US-led coalition ramp up preparations for an offensive against IS in Mosul, fears are also growing that the jihadists could weaponise the dam. "If the attack on Mosul goes well, there is a nightmare scenario that Daesh (an Arabic acronym for IS) could itself strike the dam as they withdraw from Mosul," the adviser said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 Trend: Ankara always supported the continuation of contacts and political dialogue with Moscow, Turkish Ambassador to Russia Umit Yardim said, RIA Novosti reported. "In fact, the last time on Dec. 3, 2015 on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council's meeting in Belgrade, a bilateral meeting between the Foreign Ministers of the two states, in which both sides adhering to mutual politeness framework, openly expressed their positions," said the ambassador. Diplomatic relations between Russia and Turkey soured after a Russian SU-24 violating Turkish airspace was intercepted and shot down on Nov. 24, 2015 by Turkish F-16 fighters. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on measures to ensure national security and economic measures against Turkey. Jerusalem: An Israeli court on Wednesday handed former prime minister Ehud Olmert one month of prison for obstructing justice, in addition to a previous 18-month sentence for bribery. Olmert is due to become the first former Israeli premier to serve jail time when he reports to prison on February 15. He had sought a plea bargain to serve a six-month term for obstruction of justice concurrently with the bribery sentence, in exchange for admitting to the crime. But magistrates court judge Avital Chen ordered one month of jail to be served consecutively and five months concurrently. Olmert was present in court on Wednesday but did not speak. His previous confession to obstructing justice was the first time Olmert had pleaded guilty to any misconduct or crime in his various trials. He was given six years` prison in May 2014 for taking bribes in the early 2000s in connection with the construction of Jerusalem`s massive Holyland residential complex, but the sentence was later reduced to 18 months. Israel`s supreme court is still debating a January 19 appeal by Olmert on a third conviction from May 2015 over fraud and corruption, for which the former premier had been sentenced to eight months` imprisonment. Olmert`s sentence on Wednesday was in connection with an attempt to persuade his former secretary Shula Zaken not to testify against him in the bribery case and in the fraud and corruption case. Zaken had recorded him and used the materials to win a lesser sentencing for her part in the cases. Tokyo: Japan announced fresh sanctions against North Korea on Wednesday for its latest rocket launch, including a total ban on shipping from the country and barring Pyongyang`s nationals from entering. Japan`s announcement comes after the UN Security Council strongly condemned Sunday`s rocket launch and agreed to move quickly to impose new sanctions of its own. "We have decided to take firm sanction steps," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters of the latest move, which adds to measures Japan already has in place over past North Korean nuclear and missile tests. The announcement came as South Korea also decided to suspend all operations at a jointly run Kaesong industrial park in North Korea to punish Pyongyang. It was the first time Seoul had suspended operations at the estate since it opened in 2004 as a symbol of cross-border reconciliation. The South Korean and Japanese moves came a day after Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye spoke on the phone. The two leaders also held separate telephone talks with US President Barack Obama to discuss strong action against North Korea in response to recent nuclear and missile tests, including a UN Security Council resolution that would bring new sanctions. The latest Japanese measures include prohibiting North Korean ships from entering Japanese ports and a total entry ban on North Korean nationals into Japan, a government statement said. "All North Korean ships, including those for humanitarian purposes, shall be banned from coming to Japanese ports," the statement said. "Third-country ships that visited North Korea shall be also banned from entering," it added. The measures also toughen financial reporting requirements for people transporting cash to North Korea, the statement added. The measures bring back and add to some sanctions that Japan eased in 2014, such as the travel ban, after Pyongyang agreed to re-investigate issues related to Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korean agents decades ago. "We strongly urge North Korea to take positive steps toward a comprehensive resolution of various concerns, such as abductions, nuclear and missiles, under a policy of dialogue-and-pressure and action-for-action," the Japanese government statement said. In 2002, North Korea admitted that it had kidnapped 13 Japanese citizens during the Cold War era to train its spies and allowed five of them to return to Japan, while saying eight had died. But Japan believes dozens of other people were also snatched mostly in the 1970s and 1980s to train the North`s agents in Japanese language and customs. Japan has had various sanctions against North Korea in line with UN resolutions, such as freezing of assets by groups and individuals linked with the secretive regime. Istanbul: Kurdish militants killed two Turkish soldiers and one police officer, Turkey`s military and state-run media said on Wednesday, with the rebels in one incident trying to cross the border into Turkey from neighbouring Syria. In Sirnak province`s Cizre district, security forces spotted seven Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters entering Turkey from Syria on Tuesday evening and as they clashed one soldier was killed and one wounded, the Turkish armed forces said. Another Turkish soldier was shot dead on Tuesday by PKK militants in the Sur district, under curfew since early December, of mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey`s largest city Diyarbakir, the armed forces added in a statement. Turkish security forces have been trying to clear southeastern towns and cities of PKK militants since last July, when a two-year ceasefire collapsed, shattering a peace process and triggering the worst violence in two decades. Separately, one police officer was killed and one wounded when PKK rebels launched a rocket attack on an armoured vehicle in the town of Sirnak, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday. It was not clear when the attack occurred. The PKK, which says it is fighting for autonomy for Turkey`s large ethnic Kurdish minority, is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. The 31-year-old conflict has cost more than 40,000 lives. Beirut: More than 500 people, including dozens of civilians, have been killed since a major Russian-backed regime offensive in Syria`s Aleppo province began this month, a monitor said Wednesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of sources for its figures, said the toll of 506 included 23 children killed in Russian air strikes on Aleppo city and its surroundings since the operation was launched on February 1. "At least 143 pro-regime fighters, 274 rebels and foreign jihadists, and 89 civilians were killed from February 1 until Tuesday night," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said that 14 Iranian troops and at least three fighters from Lebanon`s Hezbollah movement had died fighting alongside the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Abdel Rahman added that more than 100 foreign jihadists, including members of Syria`s Al-Qaeda affiliate, had died since the offensive began. Fighting on Wednesday raged around Tamura, north of Aleppo city, with intense Russian air raids on several nearby villages, the Observatory said. Pro-regime forces have made a series of gains this month in Aleppo province, severing rebel supply lines and prompting tens of thousands to flee towards the Turkish border. The UN has warned 300,000 people in eastern Aleppo city could be cut off from humanitarian aid if government forces encircle the area, a tactic used by the regime to devastating effect against other former rebel bastions. Washington: North Korea`s recently launched satellite has achieved stable orbit but is not believed to have transmitted data back to Earth, US sources said of a launch that has so far failed to convince experts that Pyongyang has significantly advanced its rocket technology. Sunday`s launch of what North Korea said was an earth observation satellite angered the country`s neighbours and the United States, which called it a missile test. It followed Pyongyang`s fourth nuclear test in January. "It`s in a stable orbit now. They got the tumbling under control," a U.S. official said on Tuesday. That is unlike the North`s previous satellite, launched in 2012, which never stabilized, the official said. However, the new satellite was not thought to be transmitting, another source added. US President Barack Obama spoke with the leaders of South Korea and Japan by phone on Monday night and reassured them of Washington`s support, while also calling for a strong international response to the launch, the White House said. Obama will also address North Korea`s "provocations" when he hosts the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in California early next week, aides said. The United States and China, Pyongyang`s only major ally, are negotiating the outline of a new U.N. sanctions resolution that diplomats hope will be adopted this month. The U.N. Security Council has imposed sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear tests and long-range rocket launches dating back to 2006, banning arms trade and money flow that can fund the country`s arms programme. But a confidential U.N. report, seen by Reuters, concluded that North Korea continues to export ballistic-missile technology to the Middle East and ship arms and materiel to Africa in violation of U.N. Restrictions. The report by the U.N. Security Council`s Panel of Experts on North Korea, which monitors implementation of sanctions, said there were "serious questions about the efficacy of the current United Nations sanctions regime." Western diplomats told Reuters that restricting North Korean access to international ports is among the measures Washington is pushing Beijing to accept in the wake of the Jan. 6 nuclear test and the weekend rocket launch. "Provocative, Disturbing and Alarming" Missile experts say North Korea appears to have repeated its earlier success in putting an object into space, rather than broken new ground. It used a nearly identical design to the 2012 launch and is probably years away from building a long-range nuclear missile, the experts said. Vice Admiral James Syring, director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, told reporters that North Korea`s launch was "provocative, disturbing and alarming," but could not be equated with a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. He said North Korea had never attempted to flight test the KN-08 intercontinental ballistic missile it is developing. Syring said U.S. missile defenses would be able to defend against the new North Korean missile given efforts to improve the reliability of the U.S. system and increase in the number of ground-based U.S. interceptors from 30 to 44. "I`m very confident that we`re, one, ahead of it today, and that the funded improvements will keep us ahead of ... where it may be by 2020," he said. The latest North Korea rocket was based on engines taken from its massive stockpile of mid-range missiles based on Soviet-era technology and electrical parts too rudimentary to be targeted by a global missile control regime, experts said. South Korea`s defense ministry believes the three-stage rocket, named Kwangmyongsong, had a potential range of 12,000 km (7,457 miles), Yonhap news agency reported, similar to that of the 2012 rocket and putting the U.S. mainland in reach. "I suspect the aim of the launch was to repeat the success, which itself provides considerable engineering knowledge," said Michael Elleman, a missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Separately, U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper said on Tuesday that North Korea could begin to recover plutonium from a restarted nuclear reactor within weeks. Clapper said that in 2013, following its third nuclear test, the North had announced its intention to "refurbish and restart" facilities at its Yongbyon nuclear complex. "We assess that North Korea has followed through on its announcement by expanding its Yongbyon enrichment facility and restarting the plutonium production reactor," Clapper said in prepared testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Washington: Russian air strikes in and around the city of Aleppo against opponents of the Syrian regime are benefitting the Islamic State group, a senior US official charged on Wednesday. "What Russia's doing is directly enabling ISIL," Brett McGurk, President Barack Obama's special envoy to the coalition fighting the group in Syria and Iraq, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. US Secretary of State John Kerry has taken the lead over the past week in accusing Russia of derailing efforts to get Syrian peace talks going, by carrying out air strikes around Aleppo in support of a government offensive. Kerry and some 20 foreign ministers, including Russia's Sergei Lavrov, are meeting in Munich tomorrow to try to arrange a ceasefire and humanitarian access to Syrian cities besieged by government forces. Yesterday, Kerry called on Moscow to work for an immediate ceasefire in Syria and to halt its air campaign, which has intensified in recent days. The US-led coalition has waged a separate air campaign against IS since September 2014. Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's closest ally, began conducting air strikes of its own September 30, 2015, targeting mainly rebels backed by the West, according to US officials. In his testimony, McGurk outlined coalition plans to intensify its campaign against IS in Iraq and Syria, acknowledging the complexity of the task because it relies heavily on a diverse array of local forces on the ground. "This is extremely difficult, but now doable. Our progress will not always be linear, and we should expect setbacks and surprises," McGurk said in his written testimony. Washington: The US envoy to the coalition against Islamic State said on Wednesday that Russian airstrikes in Syria are boosting the militant group because of the toll they are taking on U.S.-backed opposition fighters. "What Russia`s doing is directly enabling ISIL," the envoy, Brett McGurk, told a hearing of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, using an acronym for Islamic State. He left the hearing for a flight to Germany, where world powers are meeting on Thursday to try to revive the first effort in two years to negotiate an end to the war in Syria after it faltered last week. Rebel groups have been urging U.S. President Barack Obama to do more to stop Russian bombing raids that have left them on the verge of collapse ahead of the talks. McGurk said Washington is committed to securing a ceasefire, but needs to consider options in case the diplomatic push falls short. Under questioning from House members frustrated over the sputtering anti-Islamic State campaign, McGurk said the United States and its allies were making progress against the group, but face major challenges. "Our progress will not always be linear, and we should expect setbacks and surprises," McGurk said. Committee members said they wanted Washington to do more. "These gains have been too slow to come and too limited," U.S. Representative Ed Royce, the panel`s Republican chairman, said. McGurk also acknowledged Islamic State`s growing influence outside of Iraq and Syria. He said its branch in Libya is the greatest cause for concern, given its attacks in the chaotic North African country and the threat it poses to U.S. partners such as Tunisia and Egypt. He did not rule out U.S. aid airdrops to help ease the humanitarian crisis in Syria. "We`re looking at all options on the humanitarian side," McGurk said. Rabat: Saudi Arabia would be willing to commit special forces to Syria should the international coalition decide to deploy ground troops against Islamic State, the country`s foreign minister said on Wednesday. It was the Saudi minister`s second reference to sending special forces since he met U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington on Monday for talks on the war in Syria and the crisis in Yemen. "We will discuss details with experts from the countries involved to decide on the nature of the participation," Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters during a visit to Morocco. He has declined to give any specific numbers. President Barack Obama, anxious to avoid being sucked into another Middle East conflict after the long and costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has been deeply reluctant to commit U.S. ground forces in Syria. But four months of Russian air strikes in Syria - which Moscow says are targeting Islamic State - have helped President Bashar al-Assad claw back territory from rebel fighters, alarming Gulf Arab states who back the insurgents. Saudi Arabia is a member of the U.S.-led coalition that has been fighting Islamic State in Syria since 2014. The government says it has carried out more than 190 aerial missions there, although it has focused its military efforts over the last year on the conflict in Yemen, where it is leading a coalition of mainly Gulf Arab forces battling Houthi fighters who control Sanaa. Last week, an adviser to the Saudi defence minister said the kingdom was ready to participate in any ground operation in Syria, but did not specify the possibility of sending special forces on the ground. Saudi Arabia in December also announced the formation of a 34-nation Islamic military coalition which it said would combat terrorism. Seoul: South Korea`s military said Wednesday it had stepped up border propaganda broadcasts targeting North Korean soldiers in protest at Pyongyang`s widely-condemned rocket launch. The army since last month has blasted across the heavily-fortified border a mix of news, propaganda messages and K-pop music using giant banks of loudspeakers, in response to Pyongyang`s fourth nuclear test on January 6. It deployed more loudspeakers -- mounted on moving vehicles -- along the frontier after the North`s rocket launch on Sunday, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP. "We have deployed more loudspeakers to the border and are airing the broadcast for longer hours every day since then," the spokesman said without elaborating further. The military reportedly airs the broadcast -- hated by Pyongyang which last year threatened to open fire on the loudspeakers -- about six hours a day. The rocket launch, widely seen as a disguised long-range missile test, sparked international fury and prompted an agreement at the UN Security Council to slap new sanctions against the increasingly defiant state. The launch was a violation of several existing UN resolutions that banned the nuclear-armed country from use of ballistic missile technology. The propaganda broadcasts targeting North Korean troops have been turned on and off in line with the swings of volatile inter-Korea ties. Seoul last August resumed them for the first time in 11 years after two of its border patrol soldiers were maimed by mines it said was planted by the North`s soldiers. But the broadcasts came to a halt two weeks later after two Koreas reached an agreement to defuse growing military tension and Pyongyang expressed regret over the mine explosion. Since the broadcasts resumed in January, the North responded by airing its own propaganda towards the South using similar massive batteries of loudspeakers along the border. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The US must decide who is its ally - Turkey, or the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria, which is a terrorist organization, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, TRT Haber TV channel reported Feb. 10. Turkey, unlike the US, is well aware that the PYD and the PKK is a terrorist organization, he said. The fact that the US does not recognize the PYD as a terrorist organization, is very upsetting for Turkey, said Erdogan. Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the US must make a choice between Turkey and terrorist organizations. He thinks that the US's statement that the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria is not a terrorist organization is contrary to common sense. "Turkey has repeatedly reported about the facts of the PYD's close cooperation with the PKK terrorists," said Cavusoglu. US officials said before that the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria is not a terrorist organization. US Ambassador to Turkey John Bass was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Feb. 9. The ambassador was demanded to clarify the words of the US State Department's spokesperson John Kirby regarding the PYD. Kirby on a daily press conference said that the US does not consider the PYD as a terrorist organization. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake jolted central Chile on Tuesday, though there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to property, the US Geological Survey reported. The quake struck at 7:33 pm (0033 GMT Wednesday) 326 kilometers (203 miles) north-northwest of Santiago, according to USGS. It had a depth of 31.5 kilometers. The quake`s strength and depth however were not powerful enough for a tsunami alert to be issued, the navy`s Water and Oceans Office said. Chile is located on the Pacific Ocean`s "Ring of Fire," a seismically turbulent region where many of Earth`s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. In the past few years, the South American country has had three huge earthquakes with a magnitude greater than eight. But Chile is also resilient, thanks largely to its demanding building code. The standard is that buildings must save lives during an earthquake by remaining standing. The country learned some key lessons from a deadly 8.8-magnitude earthquake that, along with the subsequent tsunami, killed more than 500 people in 2010. One of the lasting images of the disaster was of low-income housing projects that collapsed like a house of cards because the builder had used steel rebar that was thinner than required. Lawmakers tightened the rules after that, and builders have set new anti-quake features and technologies. Kilis: Syrian farmer Mahmud Turki was sitting on his couch at sunset watching the news with his family after eating supper. Then an air strike hit his home and turned his life upside down. His story is typical of accounts of the "hell" that is life in the war-scarred region around the northern city of Aleppo, where up to 31,000 people have fled as government forces press an offensive against rebels, according to the UN. "The moment of the air strike... nobody can describe it," Turki -- stitches still in his head and his body covered in bruises -- said from his hospital bed in neighbouring Turkey, where he was among just a few allowed across for treatment. "I lost consciousness. The roof fell on me and on my children. I remember hearing the voice of my wife asking me if I was alive or dead," he told AFP. Turki, 45, was admitted to hospital in the border town of Kilis on Friday after being pulled alive by his friends from the rubble of his home in Minnigh. Fierce fighting in Aleppo province -- sparked by a week-long government assault backed by Russian air support -- have displaced tens of thousands of people. Alaa Najjar also arrived in Turkey on Friday to be treated for a shoulder injury incurred during an aerial bombardment in Marea, also just north of Aleppo. "It was like hell. We couldn`t stand the bombings. Even the animals couldn`t stand them," he told AFP, saying there were up to four air strikes a day. "I had a kitten. When the kitten heard the sound of the planes, she ran directly under the bed. If animals were intimidated that much, how can human beings endure it?" Russia launched a bombing campaign in Syria last year at the request of President Bashar al-Assad, saying it was targeting the Islamic State group and other jihadist organisations. The West has accused Russia of targeting more moderate factions that oppose Assad`s regime, and Syrian activists say the strikes have killed civilians, allegations Moscow dismisses as "absurd". Russian backing has helped Assad`s forces make significant advances in recent months - including its latest offensive seeking to encircle rebel-held areas of Aleppo and sever their supply lines to Turkey.Rebel fighter Mohammad crossed the border on Tuesday, walking with crutches and bandages around his right leg and a finger. "The situation is very bad. People are fleeing. The town was completely destroyed by Russian air bombardment," the 30-year-old -- whose father was killed when six Russian air strikes hit his town -- told AFP. "We are besieged by the Russians on one side, the YPG (Syrian Kurds) from the west and Daesh (Islamic State) from the east, and the (Syrian) regime from the other side." Aleppo was once Syria`s thriving economic powerhouse, home to several World Heritage sites including its famed ancient souk and citadel. But it has been ravaged by war and divided since mid-2012 between government control in the west and rebel control in the east. Regime air strikes in the east, where they also use barrel bombs, have caused massive destruction, rendering parts of whole neighbourhoods virtually unlivable. Rebels also fire mostly crude and unguided missiles into the west, often killing civilians. Fleeing Syrians have been massing for days around the Bab al-Salama border gate across from Turkey`s Oncupinar border point, which remains closed.Turkish officials say the border is kept open for "emergency situations," including the evacuation of the injured like Turki and Najjar. Ambulances and aid trucks are seen coming back and forth throughout the day. Turki was taken to Turkey in an ambulance before his family who arrived three days later. Taking AFP to their room where his daughter Raghad was sleeping and four-year-old son Mussa was with his wife, Turki said his two children had skull fractures that required surgery. The father asked little Mussa, with a bandage on his head: "Who attacked us?" Mussa answered: "Bashar`s air strikes." Turki lashed out at the international community for lack of action on Syria and denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow`s bombing campaign. "There is no international community, no United Nations, no Geneva. NGOs are just a lie. The Security Council is also a lie," he said. He poured scorn on Putin`s claim only to be targeting Islamic State and other jihadist groups, pointing sarcastically to his children and saying: "They are Daesh members hit by Putin`s air strikes." "They are Daesh. The murderer Putin, the killer of children." Istanbul: One Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded when security forces clashed with Kurdish militants crossing over from Syria, the army said on Wednesday, hours after Ankara summoned the US ambassador over Washington`s support for Syrian Kurds. The latest clash could add to Turkish frustrations with its NATO ally Washington which supports the PYD Syrian Kurds in the battle against Islamic State in Syria. Ankara sees the fighters as terrorists, citing their links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has carried out a violent, three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey`s southeast. As well as battling both a Kurdish insurgency and Islamic State, Turkey has been grappling with an influx of more than 2.5 million refugees since the start of the Syrian civil war. Separately, military sources said the army seized up to 15 kg of explosives and four suicide-bomber vests when it detained 34 people trying to cross into Turkey from an area in Syria under Islamic State control. It has announced such seizures in the past. Turkish soldiers spotted seven PKK militants entering Sirnak province`s Cizre district from Syria on Tuesday evening and, as they clashed, one soldier was killed and one wounded, the Turkish armed forces said. In another incident, one police officer was killed and another wounded when PKK rebels launched a rocket attack on an armoured vehicle in the town of Sirnak, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. It was not clear when that attack occurred. New York: The United Nations urged Turkey to let in tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing a regime offensive around Aleppo on Tuesday, adding to calls for Russia to end air strikes ahead of fresh peace efforts. Up to 31,000 people have fled Aleppo and surrounding areas since last week, as government forces backed by Russian warplanes press an offensive that threatens to encircle the rebel-held eastern part of Syria`s second city. "The highest need and the best humanitarian response is for the bombing to stop," UN aid chief Stephen O`Brien said, when asked if Russia should halt its air campaign in Aleppo. "All bombings should stop." UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesman William Spindler urged Turkey to open its border to "all civilians from Syria who are fleeing danger and seeking international protection". Huge crowds of Syrians, most of them women and children, have spent days waiting at the Oncupinar border crossing into Turkey, sleeping in the open or packed into tents. Ahmad al-Mohammad, a field worker with medical aid group Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, said crowded conditions were causing health problems including diarrhoea. "There are no longer enough places for families to sleep," said told AFP. "Most of the families left with just the clothes they were in." Turkey, which already hosts 2.5 million Syrians, is delivering supplies across the border but has said it will let the new arrivals in only "if necessary". Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has said that a "worst case scenario" could see up to 600,000 refugees arrive at the border. "Our objective for now is to keep this wave of migrants on the other side of Turkey`s borders as much as is possible, and to provide them with the necessary services there," Kurtulmus said.The Aleppo offensive is piling on the pressure for a political solution ahead of a 17-nation contact group meeting Thursday in Munich aimed at getting peace talks back on track. US Secretary of State John Kerry warned that Russia`s aerial bombardment of Syrian opposition targets could derail efforts to revive the peace process, after discussions collapsed last week. "Russia`s activities in Aleppo and in the region right now are making it much more difficult to be able to come to the table and to be able to have a serious conversation," Kerry said in Washington. "We have called on Russia -- and we call on Russia again -- to join in the effort to bring about an immediate ceasefire." EU president Donald Tusk said the Russian air strikes were "making an already very bad situation even worse". "As a direct consequence of the Russian military campaign, the murderous Assad regime is gaining ground, the moderate Syrian opposition is losing ground and thousands more refugees are fleeing towards Turkey and Europe." NATO said it would take any request to help with the refugee crisis "very seriously", after Ankara and Germany said they would seek the alliance`s help combating people smugglers. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is also expected to discuss the situation in Aleppo during a trip to Europe this week designed to drum up support for the fight against Islamic State jihadists in Syria and Iraq.Syria`s nearly five-year-old conflict has claimed 260,000 lives and displaced half the population. The UN has warned 300,000 people in eastern Aleppo city could be cut off from humanitarian aid if government forces encircle the area, a tactic used by the regime to devastating effect against other former rebel bastions. A report from Washington-based The Syria Institute and PAX, a peace organisation based in the Netherlands, said Tuesday that more than one million Syrians are living under siege. The UN`s World Food Programme said it had begun food distributions to the displaced, despite the severing of access and supply routes. "We are making every effort to get enough food in place for all those in need," said WFP Syria country director Jakob Kern. Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air raids, began a major operation in the northern province of Aleppo last week and are now around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the Turkish frontier. The regime advances came as peace talks in Geneva collapsed last week in part over rebel anger about the government offensive. More than 20 suspected Russian air strikes hit several towns northwest of Aleppo city and in the northern countryside on Tuesday, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground. Trade agreements like TPP and the US-EU TTIP are notorious for their Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clauses, which let corporations sue governments in secret proceedings, in order to force them to get rid of environmental, safety and labor laws that reduce profits. In a bid to save TTIP, the European Commission has rebranded them as "Investor Court Systems" that are functionally equivalent to ISDSs. The German Magistrates Association ("the largest professional organization of judges and public prosecutors in Germany") has published an "Opinion on the establishment of an investment tribunal in TTIP the proposal from the European Commission" that condemns the whole idea of ISDSes, saying that it lacks a "legal basis" and that there's no evidence that it is needed and worse, ISDS tribunals don't "meet the international requirements for the independence of courts." This attack from a very unexpected quarter is a really devastating blow for the ICS idea. It will be hard for Malmstrom to claim with a straight face that, unlike the current corporate sovereignty system, ICS is a real court, with all the protections that ISDS lacks, because a large number of EU experts in this area have just stated unequivocally that it isn't. The judges' opinion makes it even more likely that the US will reject the ICS idea out of hand, not least because it can now simply point to the German Magistrates Association's analysis as proof that ICS doesn't do what Malmstrom says it does. That leaves the really interesting question: where does the EU's Trade Commissioner go from here? She can hardly return to the old-style ISDS for TAFTA/TTIP, since she has been busy rubbishing it in order to promote her new ICS idea. Moreover, this latest rejection comes at just the wrong time, since it is widely expected that corporate sovereignty will be one of the main items on the agenda for the next round of TAFTA/TTIP negotiations. Awkward. Top German Judges Tear To Shreds EU's Proposed TAFTA/TTIP Investment Court System [Glyn Moody/Techdirt] Opinion on the establishment of an investment tribunal in TTIP [Bilaterals.org] (Image: TTIP Trojan Horse, Greensefa, CC-BY) Rumble This video shows the incredible behaviour of a caring mother elephant on high alert, quickly stopping her adorable baby which was curiously straying away from her towards a vehicle full of safari tourists. Going on safari in the Kruger National Park is a life changing experience. Driving around multiple tarred roads, slowly scanning a massive area of wilderness is all part of the thrill. You never know what will be around the next corner or what animal will suddenly appear from the bush onto the road. Its an exciting experience and one of the must-see animals for most tourists are elephants. Not only are they the largest land mammals on our planet and fairly intimidating, elephants are also one of the most intelligent and emotionally intelligent animals that roam this planet. Seeing these giants in the wild is always a sight to remember. The video shows an incredible moment filmed in the Kruger National Park when a safari vehicle full of tourists found a large elephant cow and her adorable calf next to the road. The safari vehicle stopped and it looked like the mother elephant and her baby wanted to cross the road. The baby elephant was the cutest thing alive in the wild right at that moment. While the elephant cow remained focussed on crossing the road, her baby took notice of the safari vehicle and curiously started straying away from its mother towards the vehicle. The caring mother elephant immediately went into high alert and quickly took her trunk and stopped her baby from going any closer to the safari vehicle. The mother elephant gently used her trunk to guide her baby back and into the right direction. It was incredible to see how quickly the elephant cow became protective over her baby. The elephant calf listened to its mother and in a well-behaved manner, walking on the opposite side of its mother, continued to focus and follow its mother as it should. This is crucial for the survival of the calf in the wild. The gestation period of an elephant is twenty-two months, so it is very understandable that an elephant calf is seen as a huge investment and there will always be a mother around, ready to protect her calf from any potential danger. Even though the tourists were not a direct threat, the mother elephant knows all to well that there are humans that still pose a danger for them in the wild. The mother of such a small calf is definitely not something to mess with at all and its best never to get too close to a mother and her calf. One Turkish soldier was martyred Wednesday during ongoing anti-PKK operations in southeastern Diyarbakir's Sur district, the military said, Anadolu Agency reported. The Turkish General Staff said in a statement that the soldier was heavily injured in a gun attack during operations against the terrorist organization PKK today. He has succumbed to his injuries in hospital, the statement added. The Turkish army said that a terrorist was also killed in Wednesday's operations. Parts of southeastern Turkey have been the focus of counter-terror operations and military curfews since Dec. 2015. By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - At Roberto Santos General Hospital in Salvador, Brazil, Dr. Antonio Almeida and a team of specialists are closely following two groups of women: Those who deliver babies with abnormally small heads and those who deliver apparently normal babies. The hospital is one of three in this city on Brazils eastern coast where investigators are studying the most urgent question of the Zika outbreak: Is the virus causing a spike in birth defects, and, if so, how great is the risk? The answer will help shape the response to the rapid spread of Zika throughout the Americas. Concerns over the potential link to microcephaly have prompted a U.S. alert advising pregnant women against travel to 31 countries and territories with outbreaks. Officials in El Salvador, Colombia, Ecuador and Jamaica have urged women to delay pregnancies. The many unknowns about Zika's effects and transmission have cast a shadow over plans for the Olympic Games in Rio, set to begin in early August. The evidence so far is compelling enough that the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency Feb. 1. But it is mostly circumstantial: Suspected cases of microcephaly - a rare birth defect characterized by small head size and an underdeveloped brain - spiked 30-fold in late 2015, months after Zika's arrival in Brazil. There is harder evidence as well. Brazilian researchers have isolated the virus in brain tissue and amniotic fluid of 17 babies and stillborn fetuses with microcephaly whose mothers had symptoms of Zika infection during pregnancy. The finding provides scientific plausibility that Zika could cause microcephaly, a condition that can result in developmental delays as well as seizures, hearing loss, vision problems and trouble swallowing. They can range from mild to severe. "We know the virus can cross the placenta," said Dr. Albert Ko, a tropical disease specialist at Yale University and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a government research institute in Salvador. "It can infect the baby, and it's likely the reason why these fetuses were stillborn or had congenital malformations. That is what we know up to this point." The study in the Salvador hospitals is one of several aimed at proving or debunking the suspicion that Zika causes microcephaly. In the northeastern city of Recife, Dr. Ernesto Marques, a researcher from the University of Pittsburgh and Fiocruz Pernambuco, the state arm of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, is finalizing plans for a similar study in 12 hospitals. Separately, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning a retrospective study looking at microcephaly cases already reported and comparing them to healthy births. ACHIEVING CONSENSUS The virus was discovered in 1947 in Uganda's Zika Forest. For decades, Zika had been associated only with mild symptoms, making it less of a concern than similar mosquito-transmitted viruses, such as dengue and yellow fever. Brazil is investigating more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly reported since October and, so far, has confirmed more than 400. That is a significant increase from about 150 cases in a typical year. Experts believe it will take six to nine months to begin to understand whether Zika can cause microcephaly. But it may take longer to reach scientific consensus. To establish proof that a microbe causes a disease, researchers often follow Koch's postulates, a method developed in the 19th century and used to show the HIV virus was responsible for AIDS in 1984, three years after the first cases emerged in the U.S. The method requires researchers to establish that the suspected pathogen is strongly associated with disease and that it can be passed from one infected host to an uninfected host and cause disease. The pathogen also must be isolated and grown outside the host, a step that Marques said had been accomplished with Zika. The epidemiological studies are case-controlled - following and comparing pregnancies that result in healthy babies to those that result in cases of microcephaly. They are looking for evidence that the Zika virus is passed from infected mothers onto fetuses who develop microcephaly. THE STUDIES The study in Salvador hospitals is funded by Brazil's Ministry of Health and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. It aims to rule out Zika as a suspect in cases where other causes of microcephaly - including genetic disorders, cytomegalovirus and rubella infections, or exposure to drugs or alcohol during pregnancy - are found. In apparently normal babies, Ko and his colleagues will look for problems other than microcephaly that could be related to fetal Zika infection, such as vision and hearing impairment, intellectual disability, bone and growth problems, and liver and spleen damage. Such problems can also occur with exposure to other viruses, such as rubella, that cause microcephaly. "One possibility is that those microcephaly babies are just the severest cases and that they are only a small proportion of all the babies who were infected," Ko said. Along with full clinical and imaging tests, Ko's team is testing babies and mothers for active Zika infections or antibodies. Pregnant women are asked about any fever, rash, itching or red eyes to determine possible exposure, said Almeida, hospital director at Roberto Santos General. They receive fetal ultrasounds to look for signs of microcephaly, such as brain calcifications. The study now includes more than 80 babies with microcephaly, and hundreds of normal births. Within the microcephaly group, some of the babies have unusual lesions in the eyes and ears. Preliminary results could be shared with the scientific community within the next month, Almeida said. In a recent case, Zika virus was found in the brain, bone marrow and spinal fluid of a stillborn baby who had severe brain lesions, he said. Head measurements suggest the baby also had microcephaly. The mother had no Zika symptoms during pregnancy, suggesting that the virus may cause microcephaly even in asymptomatic women. "We see the patients, and we are very, very scared," Almeida said. "You can't imagine the suffering of the pregnant women in Brazil." In Recife, Marques is gearing up a similar study that aims to enroll 200 babies with microcephaly and 400 healthy babies by June or July in 12 hospitals. Marques hopes to have some answers by August. No one wants answers more than Dr. Manoel Sarno, a fetal medicine specialist on Ko's team. In July, Sarno began to notice a spike in microcephaly cases among patients who recalled having Zika symptoms. Since then, he has identified 80 cases of microcephaly and has wept with many of the mothers. "I know all the world has a lot of questions," he said. "We do also." (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Lisa Girion) Climate change will make transatlantic flights even LONGER, according to new research. A study by the University of Reading revealed that increases of CO2 in the atmosphere will be responsible for accelerating the jet stream - a high altitude wind blowing from west to east across the ocean - and slowing down commercial flights across the pond. Dr Paul Williams, who led the study, estimates that the delays will mean that aircrafts spend an extra 2,000 hours in the air every year. Unsurprisingly, this is likely to cause some hefty price hikes for globetrotting passengers. Dr Williams said: The aviation industry is facing pressure to reduce its environmental impacts, but this study shows a new way in which aviation is itself susceptible to the effects of climate change. The bad news for passengers is that westbound flights will be battling against stronger headwinds. The good news is that eastbound flights will be boosted by stronger tailwinds, but not enough to compensate for the longer westbound journeys. The net result is that round trip journeys will significantly lengthen. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, specifically claimed that average jet-stream winds between London and New York are predicted to become approximately 15% faster in winter, increasing from 48 to 55 mph, according to the research. Dr Williams has concluded that flights from London to the Big Apple will become twice as likely to take more than seven hours than they are now. New York City Police (NYPD) officer Peter Liang (C) departs the criminal court after an arraignment hearing in the Brooklyn borough of New York City February 11, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan MCDermid (Reuters) By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - Prosecutors told a jury on Tuesday that the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a New York police officer was not an accident, as dramatically different accounts of the incident were heard at the close of his criminal trial. Officer Peter Liang faces charges of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and other counts in the death of Akai Gurley, 28, who was struck in the chest by Liang's bullet after it careened off a wall in the pitch-black stairwell of a Brooklyn public housing complex on Nov. 20, 2014. Liang testified that a loud sound startled him as he entered the stairwell, causing his finger to slip onto the trigger and fire inadvertently. But Assistant District Attorney Joseph Alexis said Liang recklessly discharged his weapon toward the source of the noise. "He put his finger on the trigger of the gun, he pointed his gun directly at where the sound was, and he fired," said Alexis, who held Liang's unloaded gun to show it can only be fired if the finger is placed deliberately on the trigger. "It's no accident." Liang's defense lawyer, Robert Brown, performed his own demonstration, pulling the trigger of the gun while mimicking an involuntary start. "The slightest flinch, and that gun can go off," Brown said. Gurley's death added fuel to nationwide protests over police treatment of minorities, although Liang, a Chinese-American, is not accused of deliberately killing Gurley. Prosecutors, however, have said Liang initially refused to call in the shot and then failed to render CPR to Gurley, who lay bleeding to death. During his closing argument, Alexis also said the noise could only have been caused by another person in the unlit stairwell. "I think it's clear to all of you that he knew that someone was there," Alexis said. That assertion appeared to go significantly further than the prosecution's previous arguments. Story continues Brown argued that Liang had no idea anyone was in the stairwell and that he followed his training at all times, drawing his weapon but keeping his finger off the trigger and the gun pointed downward. The gun's position explains why the bullet ended up striking Gurley, who was walking unseen one floor below Liang, Brown said. "Police need to be able to take their guns out of the holster when they feel they are in danger," Brown said. Brown also said Liang immediately called for help upon realizing someone had been hit and did not have adequate training to offer medical aid. Both sides seemed wary of the emotions surrounding the national debate over police tactics. Brown cautioned that "policing in America is not on trial," while Alexis told the jurors that convicting Liang "is not a conviction of the New York City Police Department." (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Scott Malone and Alan Crosby) By Matt Spetalnick and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will deliver a tough message to China during a summit with Southeast Asian countries next week that disputes in the South China Sea must be resolved peacefully and not with a big nation bullying smaller neighbors, the White House said on Tuesday. Obama will also address North Koreas provocations, a nuclear test last month and a rocket launch over the weekend, when he hosts the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in California on Monday and Tuesday, aides said. Ben Rhodes, Obamas deputy national security adviser, said the president will reiterate that territorial disputes over the area, where China and several Southeast Asian states have conflicting and overlapping claims, must be handled through negotiations and consistent with international norms. Though China will not be represented, Obamas aides made clear that Beijings actions in the South China Sea, where it has proceeded with island building that U.S. officials suspect could be turned to military use, will be one of the focal points of the summit at the Sunnylands estate near Palm Springs, California. The president will call on all claimants to halt land reclamation, construction of new facilities and to carry out no militarization of outposts in the South China Sea, Dan Kritenbrink, Obamas top Asia adviser, told reporters on a conference call previewing the ASEAN talks. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. Rhodes said part of Obamas message at the summit will be the need to avoid efforts to resolve those disputes through one nation, bigger nation, bullying a smaller one, uphold freedom of navigation and avoid inadvertent and unnecessary" military action in the South China Sea. A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other states in the South China Sea in late January to counter what Washington deems unacceptable efforts to limit freedom of navigation, prompting an angry reaction from Beijing. It was the second such U.S. military exercise carried out last year. Obama will specifically discuss with Southeast Asian leaders his concerns about Chinas recent test flights on a newly constructed runway on the Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands, Rhodes said. But even as Obama seeks to reassure Southeast Asian leaders of his resolve, he is expected to face divisions within the 10-nation bloc on how far they are willing to go in angering China. The Philippines and Vietnam have taken a harder line while Cambodia and Laos are more reluctant to confront Beijing. U.S. officials insist the summit is not about targeting China but about bolstering economic and security ties with Southeast Asia, a region Obama has focused on as part of his signature rebalance toward Asia-Pacific. At the same time, Obama will update Southeast Asian leaders on efforts to increase international sanctions pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs, a process that the U.S. officials said China had every reason to assist. We approach China on the basis that we have a shared interest in the principle of denuclearization and avoiding an escalation on the Korean peninsula, Rhodes said. But China and the United States have not entirely seen eye to eye on how strong the response should be to North Korea, with Washington urging harsh punitive measures and Beijing stressing the need for dialogue. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Eric Beech and Leslie Adler) By Gabriela Baczynska and Shadia Nasralla BRUSSELS/VIENNA (Reuters) - The European Union's executive proposed on Wednesday to suspend a third of the relocations of migrants to Austria as requested last year by Vienna, which has already taken steps to cut the number of people it receives. More than a million migrants and refugees crossed the Mediterranean into Europe last year. The U.N. Refugee Agency says some 74,000 have landed in Greece and Italy so far in 2016 and the influx had caused a political crisis in the bloc. The 28-nation union agreed to relocate people from Greece and Italy, which are struggling under the influx, to share the burden more evenly between other EU countries. But the system is barely operational, with only around 500 people actually relocated - and none from within the EU to Austria, which had been due to take in nearly 2,000 people under the bloc's plan to relocate 160,000 people. Last year, however, around 700,000 migrants entered Austria outside of the EU's failing relocation system and some 90,000 of them applied for asylum there. The European Commission's move on Wednesday therefore has a largely political - rather than practical - significance as an attempt to avoid alienating Vienna and to prevent more unilateral measures by EU countries that further undermine the bloc's unity. "Austria in December asked the Commission to suspend relocation to Austria temporarily. So this is the positive reply to the request," a spokesperson for the Austrian interior ministry said on Wednesday. The decision means Austria has an additional year, on top of the two years under the initial relocation plan, to host a third of its allocation of migrants. Vienna, which initially had the same "open-door" policy for refugees as Germany, recently said it wanted to speed up deportations and repeatedly complained of other countries not accepting more migrants in the name of European solidarity. It strengthened border controls and said it would not allow more than 37,500 asylum requests this year as it seeks to reduce overall immigration. Vienna said its cap this year should be a "wake-up call" for Brussels. (Additional reporting by Tom Koerkemeier in Brussels; Editing by Dominic Evans) By Gabriela Baczynska and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union states took a new step towards a two-year suspension of their open-borders zone on Wednesday as the bloc's executive again rebuked them for failing to act on agreements to stem irregular migration. The European Commission, in reports ahead of an EU summit next week when leaders will again discuss how to resolve a crisis that has set them against each other, renewed its pleas for Greece and Italy to speed up the establishment of processing centres to register refugees and deport illegal migrants. Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos praised Athens and Rome for a "spectacular" increase in how many arrivals they are fingerprinting but said they were still falling short. He said other member states were also failing to stand by front-line Mediterranean counterparts and take in more than a few hundred asylum seekers from Italy and Greece under an EU scheme that stipulated the relocation of at least 160,000. "We need urgently to shift gears," Avramopoulos told a news conference, saying he had written to each of the bloc's 28 interior ministers spelling out what more they needed to do. The arrival last year of over 1.1 million migrants, many of them refugees from Syria, and their subsequent chaotic overland journeys across Europe, where most have ended up in Germany, has strained the passport-free Schengen zone to breaking point - with numerous member states reimposing temporary border checks. The European Commission said on Wednesday that returning to internal border controls on a systematic and long-term basis could cost as much as 18 billion euros ($20.15 billion) in total direct costs alone, excluding second-wave effects. In an effort to at least maintain the structure within its legal framework, EU officials and diplomats are working to give governments a legal right to extend temporary internal border checks to which Germany and others resorted as an emergency. The legal basis for some of these expires in mid-May and so the EU has begun a process to trigger an unprecedented use of a longer-term derogation within the Schengen treaty by that time. The Commission ruled that an inspection in Greece found that it was seriously deficient in protecting its section of Schengen's external border, a key condition for allowing other states to then declare a need to impose controls of their own. Envoys from the member states in Brussels agreed on Wednesday to a new set of measures Greece must take to remedy matters. Assuming those are formalised by governments on Friday during a finance ministers meeting in Brussels, that will begin a three-month countdown to a deadline few expect Athens can meet to put its frontier controls in perfect order. Should it fail, member states will then have a right under the Schengen code to reinstitute border checks within Schengen for up to six months, renewable three times. A Greek government official declined comment on the envoys' unpublished decision but voiced frustration with the way fellow EU members have treated Greek efforts to cope with the biggest movement of people in Europe since World War Two. The official said: "The blame game must end." (Additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski and Tom Koerkemeier in Brussels and Renee Maltezou in Athens; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Fourteen-year-old Chen Yiyue, who is half-Chinese, half-French, has always relished the atmosphere of a Chinese Spring Festival celebration. When her mother invites friends to dine with them during that festival, the table is full of delicious food, ladies all wear red and grandparents give her cash-stuffed red envelopes. Advertisement Yiyue's father Herve Delmaire immediately fell in love with the festival when they started celebrating it about 10 years ago, and actively joins in the preparations each year, always rushing to decorate rooms with red lanterns. Now, their French friends ask the family each year on what day they celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. For Yiyue's mother Chen Li, the Spring Festival celebration is more than a tradition to keep the memory from her hometown and home country alive. It is also a chance for her husband and French friends to share in the joy and warmth of the traditional Chinese festival, and send good wishes to each other for the next year. The themes of the festival, including reunion, luck, peace, affluence, good health and safety, are all ideals that Chinese people have held for thousands of years, said Feng Jicai, a famous writer and president of the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association. In order to be with families at the most important festival of the year, Chinese people travel long distances to go back home, as 2.9 billion trips are expected to be made during this holiday season. However faraway and inconvenient -- even settling with a standing ticket for a 20-hour-plus trip -- Chinese people would not be willing to miss the annual family reunion. They go home, bring gifts, hand out red envelopes to seniors and children, and offer their best wishes to each other for a good year. The festival, an occasion which features exciting family reunions and sincere caring for families and friends, is also known for its inclusiveness, which allows people from across the world to join the celebration regardless of their cultural, racial and religious backgrounds. In New York, a video celebrating the start of the Year of the Monkey made its debut on the screen at Times Square on Sunday, the Chinese Lunar New Year's eve. Thousands of miles away, London planned a variety of traditional Chinese celebrations at the city's largest shopping mall Westfield London, ranging from lion dances to calligraphy demonstrations, lantern workshops to stilt walking. New stamps to commemorate the Year of the Monkey were put on sale in various countries including Canada, France and the United States. The popularity of the festival stems from its positive, universal spirit, which incarnates the best of human nature. The traditions of the festival, such as going home for a family reunion, enjoying food together, getting rid of old clothes and wearing new ones, praying for a peaceful year and exchanging blessings, can be found across different cultures. Both political heavyweights and business tycoons worldwide have already begun to understand the importance of this spirit. In a message sent to the Chinese people on Saturday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the monkey symbolizes intelligence, agility and good fortune, so 2016 is a good year full of hope and energy. "We wish to have a good start from the year of the lucky monkey," Ban said, referring to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. British Prime Minister David Cameron, Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, US Secretary of State John Kerry and a lot of other political leaders have sent New Year's greetings to the Chinese people worldwide as well. Facebook hosted top Chinese chefs at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, inviting them to cook dishes at the company kitchen during their Chinese Cuisine Week, which is dedicated to recognizing the Chinese culture and celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, with his Chinese American wife and daughter, even posted a video with new year's greetings in Chinese. In the video, they mentioned a family reunion dinner they held to celebrate the New Year, and wished the audience health and prosperity in the Year of the Monkey. As the world is facing daunting challenges including economic downturns, regional turmoils and refugee crises, the spirit of the festival is needed by the international community more than ever. "Only with family members at home could I enjoy the festive atmosphere and delightful feeling of celebrating the new year," said Sally, a Syrian refugee, who only gave his last name. Sally said his dream was to go back to his home country as soon as possible to celebrate the new year with his family members. Credit: China Daily By Paulo Prada RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - One major hurdle is thwarting efforts to measure the extent of the Zika epidemic and its suspected links to thousands of birth defects in Brazil: accurate diagnosis of a virus that still confounds blood tests. Genetic tests and clinical symptoms have enabled scientists to partially track Zika, and Brazil guesses up to 1.5 million people have been infected in the country. The World Health Organization says as many as 4 million people could become infected across the Americas and that Zika has already been locally transmitted in at least 30 countries. But a true measure of the outbreak and its implications is impossible until doctors can quickly and reliably identify Zika through serology, a common test of blood contents that measures antibodies triggered in the immune system by a given infection. Laboratories in Brazil, the United States and elsewhere are rushing to develop serology tests that can accurately identify Zika antibodies while ignoring those triggered by other related viruses with similar structures. For years, the similarities have confused serology research. Brazil's government, desperate for tests to deploy at clinics and hospitals across the continent-sized country, hopes such a test could be developed in months. Many researchers are skeptical. "The likelihood of this happening soon is close to zero," says Robert Lanciotti, chief of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's diagnostics laboratory in Fort Collins, Colorado. "It is a long-standing problem that many people have been unable to solve even with cutting-edge molecular biology." At stake is knowing just who may have carried an infection that does not even show symptoms in four out of five people who get it. Even for those that do get the aches, mild fever and rash most associated with Zika, the symptoms can easily be confused with those of other tropical maladies. Sure diagnoses would also enable scientists to better understand suspected links to microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can result in development problems. Brazilian officials believe Zika may be associated with more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly since October. Researchers have identified evidence of Zika infection in 17 cases, either in the baby or in the mother, but have not confirmed that Zika can cause microcephaly The lack of clear diagnoses is part of the reason that the number of confirmed links between Zika and microcephaly lags so far behind the number of those suspected. "The testing available now is very limiting because we need to know far more about who actually had this infection to be able to research the virus and its complications," says Claudia Nunes dos Santos, a researcher on Zika serology and the director of molecular virology at a lab operated by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a prominent government health institute, in Curitiba, in southern Brazil. VIRAL RESEMBLANCE So far, confirmed cases of Zika have been proven by so-called PCR tests, which identify genetic material from the virus but are available only at major laboratories and can only be used during the few days when the virus is causing symptoms in patients. Serology, on the other hand, is used widely at most hospitals and for many viruses can detect antibodies for months or years after an infection. With Zika and the related family of flaviviruses, which cause yellow fever, West Nile, dengue and several other tropical illnesses, serology stumbles because of resemblance among a protein they share. The resemblance causes so-called "cross reactions" when searching for antibodies, meaning that past infection by any one of the viruses can make it seem as if a patient had one of the others. In a country where dengue is prevalent, and many people have taken yellow fever vaccines, the problem to date has been intractable. The most advanced methods so far, which use a technique called neutralization to measure specific antibodies, still fail when used on samples from people with previous flavivirus infections. "There is a test, but it's not a good test," says Mauricio Lacerda Nogueira, head of the virology lab at the Sao Jose do Rio Preto medical school in the state of Sao Paulo. "It's not going to work with someone who has been exposed to related viruses." Still, some researchers are optimistic, arguing that the urgency of the Zika outbreak is leading to more concentrated research by a greater number of scientists. Some small private laboratories say they have already developed more accurate serology for Zika, even though none has gone through the rigorous process of validation by the scientific community and regulators. Such validation is essential not just to determine the reliability of a test's claims, but also to measure them using geographic, genetic and other variables. And while partial progress may be welcome for epidemiological purposes, such as calculating the number of cases and determining the rate of contagion, doctors and patients need certainty to make clinical decisions. That is a particularly difficult issue when it comes to an illness that may make some pregnant women, after testing positive, want to consider abortions especially in Brazil and many other countries in Latin America where terminating pregnancies is illegal. "You have to be careful of what the implications are," says Michael Diamond, a physician who researches flaviviruses at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "The threshold for clinical decisions must be high." (Additional reporting by Brad Brooks and Anthony Boadle; Editing by Kieran Murray) By Krishna N. Das and Mayank Bhardwaj NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Officials may decide on Friday whether to allow what could be India's first genetically modified (GM) food crop, mustard, spurred by food security concerns and as China makes a big bet on the technology with a $43 billion bid for seed firm Syngenta. Permitting GM food crops is a big call for a country that spends tens of billions of dollars importing edible oils and other food items every year. Farmers are stuck with old technology, yields are at a fraction of global levels, cultivable land is shrinking and weather patterns have become less predictable. Two straight droughts for the first time in three decades have made India a net importer of some food products for the first time in years. If a commercial launch of GM mustard is allowed, it could pave the way for other food crops such as corn varieties developed by Monsanto, in one of the world's biggest farm markets. "I see this as a test case and I am hopeful," said Deepak Pental, the lead scientist who used government grants to conduct tests on the oilseed crop over the past decade. "How can we keep on running so scared when there is so much need for improving agricultural production?" But even winning the panel's approval is no guarantee that the GM crop would be introduced. Political and public opposition to lab-altered food remains strong amid fears they could compromise food safety and biodiversity. There is also suspicion among farmers that their introduction would give foreign seed suppliers too much control. "Why is the government imposing its decision on farmers on an unsafe and unproven technology, despite the availability of good varieties of mustard in our country?" Manish Sisodia, Delhi's deputy chief minister, told Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a letter this week. "We pray to you not to compromise our agriculture, citizens' health and the environment under pressure from a handful of foreign companies." PRESSURE BUILDING? Friday's meeting, the third held to evaluate field trial data on GM mustard, is an indication of how serious Modi's government is about pushing technology to lift food production after an impasse under the previous government halted research on transgenic crops. A member of the GM approval committee comprising government and independent experts said they had already discussed the mustard in the past two meetings this year, and the next gathering would be crucial to deciding its future. He declined to be named and did not give more details. Ashok Gulati, a farm economist who advised the last government, said that China's takeover of Swiss GM seed developer Syngenta should push the government into taking quick action. "It should come as ... a wakeup call for India, which has to feed more than a billion mouths," said Gulati. "India now doesn't have the luxury to sit on the issue of GM. It just needs to take this bold and decisive step." India placed a moratorium on GM aubergine in 2010, fearing the effect on food safety and biodiversity. Field trials of other GM crops were not formally halted, but the regulatory system was brought to a deadlock after that. However, Modi, who was instrumental in making Gujarat state the leading user of GM cotton in India when he was chief minister, cleared several field trials soon after taking office in New Delhi in 2014. Some grassroots groups associated with Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party have opposed GM crops because of the reliance on seeds patented by multinationals like Monsanto, DuPont, Dow Chemical and Syngenta. But New Delhi-based Pental said the mustard variety was developed by Indian scientists, and local firms could easily supply farmers with cheap seeds. TESTS REVEAL NO PROBLEMS The government's chief scientific adviser, R. Chidambaram, has also asked Modi for a quick decision on the issue. A senior environment ministry official, who is a member of the GM approval committee, had said earlier that studies found no ill effects from GM foods. Pental's mustard makes use of three genes already incorporated in rapeseed hybrids in Canada, the United States and Australia and extensive biosafety tests have revealed no cause for concern, according to a copy of the field trial report submitted to the government and seen by Reuters. Additionally, oil derived from its seeds does not contain proteins linked to the three genes used, Pental said. The mustard's yield is up to 38 percent higher than normal varieties, which would help Modi slash an annual bill for vegetable oil imports of more than $10 billion. A farm ministry official said they were keen to roll out any innovation that can help farmers produce more, as long as concerns of human and soil health are addressed. (Editing by Mike Collett-White) The World Health Organization (WHO) has published guidance for pregnant women concerned about the Zika virus. Amid fears the mosquito-borne infection can cause foetal abnormalities, the agency issued advice on a number of areas - including facts on prevention and how the illness is transmitted to others. It comes as a senior Public Health England official confirmed that seven travel-associated cases of the Zika virus had been documented in the UK. The main advice included: :: There is no evidence to suggest Zika is transmitted to babies through breastfeeding :: Early ultrasound cannot accurately predict the presence of microcephaly - which can cause abnormally small heads in infants. However, WHO stressed there is only a "possible association" between this rare condition and Zika :: More evidence is needed to determine whether sex transmits the Zika virus, but all men and women in affected South American countries should "correctly and consistently" use condoms to prevent infection :: Though no travel restrictions are being implemented, women "must determine the level of risk they wish to take" to Zika-hit nations :: Women who want to end their pregnancy over concerns of microcephaly "should have access to safe abortion services to the full extent of the law". Dr Dilys Morgan said six of the seven UK cases were linked to the current outbreak spreading rapidly in South America - and warned more reports of infections were expected from people returning to the UK from a Zika-hit country. However, she stressed there was no risk to the UK population at large. Meanwhile, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed it will be working to fight against the virus as part of a coalition of 21 regulators from around the world. Scientists in Asia are trying to develop kits which can detect the virus, but are experiencing setbacks because they do not have a live sample of the virus. Story continues India, one of the countries working on a diagnostic kit, tried to use a strain from 1950 as a sample - but it was unsuitable for research as it was dead. Several countries have confirmed they are dealing with new cases of the Zika virus. Two people in Finland have tested positive for the infection - one of them a man who had returned from the Maldives in June. China's first case of the Zika virus has been found in a 34-year-old man who had recently travelled to Venezuela, but he is said to be making a speedy recovery. And in Australia, a pregnant woman has tested positive for the Zika virus. Although the government there has refused to provide details on where she had travelled, officials have stressed she was not infected locally. Ukraine has been warned it could lose its financial support from the International Monetary Fund because it has failed to implement reforms demanded in exchange for the aid. Christine Lagarde, the organisation's managing director, issued the ultimatum as Kiev continues to sweat on a payment that had been due in October last year but was held back because of budget disputes. Ukraine has relied on the support of the world's lender of last resort and others as its finances remain mired in difficulties. They are a product of corruption since its independence from the old Soviet Union in the 1990s and a legacy of that breakaway as its conflict with Russia resulted in the annexation of Crimea and continuing tensions. The IMF had agreed a $18bn (10.8bn) aid package with Ukraine in 2014 to help it avoid the prospect of defaulting on its debts. In return for the money, it demanded an end to massive energy subsidies and other major tax reforms and spending controls but political squabbling has delayed their implementation. Only last week, Ukrainian economy minister Aivaras Abromavicius resigned, saying his reform efforts had been blocked by government colleagues. He accused allies of President Petro Poroshenko and the prime minister of involvement. It was the fourth such resignation since Ukraine's political revolution that saw ex-president Viktor Yanukovych flee the country and Ukraine align itself with Europe. Ms Lagarde's statement reflected the frustration at the political turmoil. She (Munich: SOQ.MU - news) said: "It is hard to see how the IMF-supported programme can continue and be successful. "I am concerned about Ukraine's slow progress in improving governance and fighting corruption, and reducing the influence of vested interests in policymaking. "Ukraine risks a return to the pattern of failed economic policies that has plagued its recent history", adding: "It is vital that Ukraine's leadership acts now to put the country back on a promising path of reform." Ukraine has been lobbying for greater international support but that would now appear to be tough to achieve given the IMF's stance. The World Bank, which has been among the organisations providing financial aid, forecast in October that Ukraine's economy could emerge from three years of recession this year. Large numbers of babies with borderline normal head sizes were born in Brazil as far back as 2012, two years before the Zika virus is thought to have entered the country, say researchers searching for answers to urgent questions. Pediatric cardiologist Dr. Sandra Mattos had been collecting data on 100,000 newborns in the Brazilian state of Paraiba as part of her work studying and treating congenital heart disease. The microcephaly fears linked to the Zika virus drove her team to check back into hospital records for head circumferences of more than 1,600 babies born in the state in the last four years. "We were very, very surprised," Mattos said. Babies with mild microcephaly were present in the population dating back to at least 2012. Having a head slightly smaller than the limit doesn't mean there's neurological disease. "Borderline cases seem to be present all along," she said. Brazilian authorities set the criterion for microcephaly, a measurement of head size, at 32 centimetres for full-term births. Doctors were asked to report babies at or below that level for further investigation. Mattos said the data analysis also confirmed the number of severe microcephaly cases increased starting in October or November of 2014. Scientists think the original reports of 4,700 suspected cases were inflated by over-reporting that didn't stand up when specialists examined the babies. Brazil's Ministry of Health said Tuesday that 404 cases have been confirmed as involving microcephaly or other nervous system disorders and 709 have been ruled out. The other cases remain under investigation. Lingering questions remain, including why more than 80 per cent of suspected microcephaly cases are confined to Brazil's northeast region. And why has microcephaly not appeared in other Latin American countries with similar climates, such as among the 2,100 pregnant women infected with Zika in Colombia? In her research paper submitted to the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Mattos and her colleagues suggest other potential factors need to be considered. Story continues These include boosting effects from other infections, exposure to teratogens or agents that cause birth defects, such as drugs, and malnutrition, which could have "an intensifying effect." In Berlin, epidemiologist Dr. Christoph Zink has been charting publicly available data from the Zika virus outbreak in terms of when cases appeared, the geographic distribution and the continuous microcephaly epidemic. "I soon got the idea that blaming the Zika virus for this epidemic does not really get to the point," Zink said. Zink suspects there was massive under-reporting of microcephaly in Brazil in the last five years. He proposes another potential explanation for the recent concentration of severe microcephaly cases in the northeast. "I would ask my toxicological colleagues in Brazil to please look very closely into the practical application of agrochemicals in their country," Zink said. Pressing needs of pregnant women Mattos said pesticides have been raised as a potential factor by her colleagues in Brazil. At this point, there's more speculation than answers or enough data to draw conclusions. "I think we jumped a little bit too fast into Zika. It may be well. Not saying it isn't. But just saying there are a few things that don't seem to kind of match very easily in this picture and that we may need to investigate a bit further," Mattos said. On Thursday, Mattos will present her data to officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We have to deal with an unknown enemy, a big problem, a major disease, a new disease that has changed, an environmental problem we don't know," Mattos said. "At the same time, we need time for science to run its routines we have tremendous pressing needs of the population, pregnant women, women of reproductive age, for quick answers." This week, Canadian health officials released recommendations on prevention and treatment of Zika virus, including how to evaluate pregnant women with a travel history and followup screening for infants. One of the challenges of events like the Zika outbreak is how they are defined by a high level of scientific uncertainty, said Prof. Joshua Greenberg, who researches risk communication in public health at Carleton University in Ottawa. "I think the World Health Organization, the CDC, the Public Health Agency of Canada are doing the best they possibly can to communicate what they know and don't know about the virus and the links it has to the microcephaly cases. And that's a really difficult thing for public health officials to do, because of the expectation or the desire among the scientific community, but I think among the population as well, to have a higher degree of certainty about what's going on, to provide reassurance, to express confidence," Greenberg said. Researchers expect it will take months before the questions about the association between microcephaly and the Zika virus are answered. For her part, Mattos is now checking to see if there is evidence of microcephaly in Brazil as early as 2010. The chief of North Korea's military has been executed by order of the country's leader, Kim Jong-Un, according to reports. General Ri Yong-Gil, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, was killed last week after being accused of corruption and other charges of pursuing personal gains, sources told the Yonhap agency. "Ri Yong-Gil is known to have been faithful to principles, so it appears the North cited (the charges) to justify his execution," one source said. The general was put to death around the time Mr Kim was chairing a joint meeting of the North's ruling Workers' Party and the military, they said. If confirmed, the general's death comes less than a year after Mr Kim ordered the execution of his then-defence minister. "This shows that Kim Jong-Un is very nervous about the armed forces," one source said. "It also shows his reign of terror continues." The source suggested General Ri might have objected to Mr Kim's recent appointment of party leaders to key military posts. Alternatively, members of the party leadership might have been involved a plot to get rid of him, it was suggested. :: Kim Is Building His Reputation With Launch General Ri was appointed to his job in 2013 by Mr Kim and his popularity with the North Korean leader meant he subsequently joined him in attending a number of military exercises held by the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces. However, he dropped out of view last month and was not seen at the joint meeting of the party and the military, nor at events held in Pyongyang to celebrate the successful launch of a satellite on Sunday . In listing the leaders present at the celebrations, the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper did not mention the previous army chief and instead listed General Ri Myong-Su - a former security minister - in his place. Separately, Japan is to impose sanctions on the secretive communist state following its satellite launch, seen by the West as cover for the development of ballistic missile technology that could be used to deliver a nuclear weapon. Story continues Japan says it is to stop money being sent to North Korea. The country lifted some sanctions on North Korea in July 2014 after Pyongyang agreed to reopen an investigation into the fate of Japanese citizens abducted decades ago by North Korean agents to help train spies. Progress in the investigation has since been slow. By Jeff Mason and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama proposed a $4.1 trillion spending plan for fiscal year 2017 on Tuesday in a final White House budget that met immediate Republican resistance for its cost and reliance on tax hikes to fund domestic priorities. Obama, a Democrat who leaves office next January, sought to outline his fiscal and political vision for the country with proposed investments in infrastructure, cyber security, education, and job growth. It also includes more than $11 billion for the Departments of Defense and State to fight Islamic State militants and stabilize Syria - one measure that could draw bipartisan support. But the plan is primarily a political document and is unlikely to be embraced by the Republican-controlled Congress. Paul Ryan, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, called it a "manual for growing the federal government at the expense of hardworking Americans." The budget envisions a deficit of $503 billion in fiscal 2017 after a $616 billion budget gap in the current fiscal year ending on Sept. 30. It seeks to cut deficits by $2.9 trillion over 10 years largely through smaller tax breaks for wealthy earners, new savings in Medicare healthcare, and assumptions that adoption of its policies on immigration reform and other areas would boost economic growth. "The budget that were releasing today reflects my priorities and the priorities that I believe will help advance security and prosperity in America for many years to come," Obama told reporters at the White House after a meeting with national security advisers on cyber security. "It drives down the deficit. It includes smart savings on healthcare, immigration, tax reform," he said. The budget seeks $19 billion for cyber security investments across the U.S. government. White House officials sought to play down the portrayal of the budget as dead on arrival in Congress. They noted bipartisan support for increases in funds for cancer research, opioid addiction programs and anti-poverty measures such as an expansion of the earned income tax credit (EITC), which helps low-income taxpayers. Other proposals were clear non-starters, though, including one to levy a $10.25 per barrel tax on imported and domestically produced oil to fund transportation infrastructure such as mass transit and high speed rail. "The presidents final budget continues his focus on new spending proposals instead of confronting our countrys massive overspending and skyrocketing $19 trillion in debt," said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi. BIPARTISAN DIVIDE The budget forecasts that deficits would average 2.5 percent of U.S. economic output over 10 years compared to about 4.0 percent in the Congressional Budget Office's estimate, which is based on existing tax and spending laws. It stayed within the bounds of an agreement reached between the White House and Congress last year that lifted mandatory "sequestration" cuts on both defense and domestic spending. The budget proposes lifting the limits entirely from 2018. Obama and Ryan agree on some anti-poverty policies, but the general differences between the two men and their parties are vast, particularly in a presidential election year. Underscoring that divide and the fact that the budget is Obama's last, Republican lawmakers took the unusual step of not inviting Obama's budget director Shaun Donovan to brief about the proposal. White House spokesman Josh Earnest, who has likened the snub to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's decision to skip a debate with fellow candidates before the Iowa nominating contest, challenged Republicans to move on areas of compromise. "The question really for Republicans at this point is, are they going to do anything? Are they going to use their majority in Congress to strengthen our cyber security, to fight opioid addiction, to cure cancer, or are they not?" he said. Congress can advance elements of the budget without endorsing the entire proposal. Republicans are especially resistant to the White House's tax proposals. The budget takes aim at tax breaks for the wealthy that have been perennial targets, including the carried interest loophole allowing investment fund managers to treat income as capital gains. It would also increase the top tax rate on capital gains and impose the Buffett Rule to ensure that millionaires pay a tax rate of no less than 30 percent of their income after charitable contributions. In addition, it proposes a new fee on the liabilities of the largest banks that would raise $111 billion over 10 years and discourage excessive leverage in the financial system. The budget foresees $375 billion in new 10-year savings to federal healthcare programs, including several changes to the Medicare program for seniors. The budget calls for $152 billion in research and development, an increase of 4 percent over fiscal year 2016. (Additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe, David Shepardson, Susan Cornwell, Richard Cowan, and Julia Edwards) Refugee children at asylum seeker centres in Norway are "very likely" to have been sexually abused by paedophiles, according to police. Officers are investigating several cases of sex offenders allegedly targeting youngsters at camps in the country. Axel Wilhelm Due of Norway's National Criminal Investigation Services said the claims included abuse by known sex offenders visiting the sites as well as residents of the centres. He said the allegations were reported to authorities during the autumn and winter and that police were reviewing every case. :: Migrant Rescue Filmed On Coastguard's Camera Mr Due said: "We are looking very seriously at every individual case, and based on our information it's very likely that children living in reception centres in Norway have been and are being subjected to sexual abuse. "But generally there is low criminal activity in and around the reception centres." Last year, more than 31,000 people applied for asylum in Norway of whom 5,300 were unaccompanied children. Meanwhile, more than a dozen people suspected of planning an attack on an asylum seeker's centre near the Swedish capital Stockholm, have been arrested by police. The 14 men detained are reported as being Polish, and possibly members of right-wing groups. The arrests come amid growing opposition in Sweden to migrants and reports of attacks against refugee centres. The country has been a top European destination for asylum seekers, with 163,000 arrivals last year. Previously known for its liberal immigration policies welcoming refugees fleeing war and persecution, the Social Democratic-led government changed its stance late last year tightening border controls and immigration regulations. The International Organization for Migration has announced more than 400 people have already died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean and reach Europe. It also said migrant crossings in the first six weeks of 2016 are running at nearly 10 times the rate for the same period last year. Foreign Minister Wang Yi just concluded his week-long visit to four African countries on Saturday, Feb. 6. He has chosen Africa for his trips for three consecutive years. (Photo : Getty Images) Africa has always been a top destination for Chinese government envoys, a testament of Chinas high regard of the continent, according to a report by the Global Times. Foreign Minister Wang Yi just concluded his week-long visit to four African countries on Saturday, Feb. 6. He has chosen Africa for his trips for three consecutive years. Advertisement Included in his itinerary were the African nations of Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique and Mauritius. "Choosing Africa as the destination for the foreign minister's first trip each year is a fine tradition of China's diplomacy," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying before the visit. "It shows the importance attached to China-Africa ties." Wang's visit to the continent is also timely, as several African countries are experiencing an economic slowdown brought about by a slow global economic recovery. Africa has also taken a hit from issues such as the international financial crisis. With this in mind, China and Africa have always been committed to achieving their goals of successful development. Their shared historical experiences and struggles are two other factors that have strengthened Chinese-African ties. Aside from meeting his Malawian counterpart, Wang also met with other leaders and foreign ministers to discuss the implementation of the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which took place in Dec. 2015. Among the outcomes include a pledge of $60 billion in financial assistance and the establishment of 10 plans designed to accelerate agricultural modernization and industrialization in Africa. As a means to help Africa get back on its feet, China has already invested in the region's infrastructure, agricultural technology and equipment, and industrial development. China has also given loans of over $20 billion to several African countries since 2012 to encourage investment, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and manufacturing, among others. Aside from financial assistance, China has also organized approximately 900 assistance programs that target health, education and agriculture. "As a faithful friend of Africa, we insist that Africa must get out of its difficult situation through its own development," said Wang during his meeting with George T. Chaponda, Foreign Minister of Malawi. [Rona Ambrose/CBC] Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose says its shameful that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pulling back from the combat mission against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, even as the United States lauds the new Canadian contribution. The Alberta MP said Trudeau's plan to pull CF-18 fighter jets back from the region by Feb. 22 was tantamount to surrendering Canadas role in the fight against global Islamic terrorism. Mr. Trudeau likes to say Canada is back, when in fact we are stepping back, Ambrose told reporters in Moncton, N.B. Every ally in the fight against ISIS has stepped up their military efforts in the bombing mission, and Canada is now, today, ending our combat role against what is the most heinous terrorist organization weve seen in my generation. The interim Conservative leader pointed to the extremist groups rampage through Iraq and Syria, its enslavement of women and children and its barbaric treatment of gay and lesbians as proof that ISIS is the greatest threat to human rights in the world. Mr. Trudeau doesnt think its our fight, Ambrose said. "If he doesnt think that we should use our military against this group, I dont know when he thinks we would ever use our military. Its shameful, its absolutely shameful. The prime minister announced Monday that while Canadas role in the bombing campaign would end, that contribution would be supplanted by a much larger contingent of military trainers on the ground and an increase in the number of Canadian military personnel overall. Canada will also provide hundreds of millions of more dollars in humanitarian aid for the region to help Syrian refugees fleeing the horrors of the civil war that has beset their country. Training boost 'great call Steve Day, the former top commander of Canadas elite JT2 special operations force, was broadly supportive of Trudeau's move, saying the Liberals are on the "right track. I think [the new mission] will make a significant difference because you are tripling the capacity of that training mission and, for the long-term win, you need to build that indigenous [Iraqi] capacity and capability. Tripling the training mission is a great call. Story continues Pulling the CF-18s fighters is a loss of capability for the coalition, Day conceded, but "if the calculation is less aircraft equals more trainers, then OK, I can understand that logic. Trudeau tried to preempt criticism of his plan Monday, saying his government would not resort to hyperbole in its fight against the terrorist group. Call us old fashioned, but we think we ought to avoid doing what our enemies want us to do. They want us to elevate them, to give into fear, to indulge in hatred, to eye one another with suspicion and to take leave of our faculties. The lethal enemy of barbarism isnt hatred, its reason, the prime minister said. Ambrose said those remarks are a display of Trudeau's naivete. I think its dangerously naive. I dont know what else to call it. This is a group of people that enslave women and children, that throw gay people off of the top of rooftops to their death and that burn people alive in cages. "Theres no reasoning with terrorists of this kind, thats why its important to send a very clear signal that we are willing to do what it takes to fight a threat of this nature, Ambrose said in a later interview with Rosemary Barton on CBC News Network's Power & Politics. 'Open-ended combat mission The New Democrats took a much different tack Monday, raising red flags about potential mission creep as the number of military trainers increases. We are concerned that the Liberal government has chosen to place Canadian Forces personnel deeper into an open-ended combat military mission in Iraq, the NDPs foreign affairs critic, Helene Laverdiere, said in a press release Monday. The Liberals are tripling the size of so-called advisers to the Iraqi military, with some forces working in a 'battlefield context and others working to 'enhance in-theatre tactical transport. [The] Liberals promised to end the Conservative governments mission and said we need a clearer line between combat and non-combat. Todays announcement actually blurs these lines even more, Laverdiere said. U.S. applauds While the Conservatives slammed the move, the United States, which is leading the coalition against ISIS, said Monday it supported the Liberals mission shift, calling it a model for other countries looking to take the fight to ISIS. "The Canadian announcement is the kind of response the secretarys been looking for from coalition members as the United States and our coalition partners push to accelerate the campaign against [ISIS], Peter Cook, a Pentagon spokesperson, said on behalf of U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter. The U.S. official seemed to reject the assertion that air bombings alone are what is required to defeat ISIS in the region. It is not all aircraft, there are a host things other countries could do that we think would further this effort and Canada is an example of a country that is adjusting its contributions in very specific ways that will certainly help the coalition moving forward, Cook said. Russia has proposed a ceasefire in Syria starting on 1 March, according to a Western official. The move by Moscow to halt the fighting comes after gains made by government troops backed by Russian airstrikes, against rebel forces. The timing of the ceasefire call is likely to be treated with suspicion, as it would allow bombing to continue for another three weeks, during which period the military of President Bashar al Assad could complete its capture of rebel-held Aleppo and consolidate its advance. The US is pressing for an immediate stop to the hostilities. Up to 35,000 people have fled the Russian-backed assault in northern Syria in recent days, according to the United Nations, with tens of thousands massing on the border with Turkey. Meanwhile, world powers are to meet in Germany in an effort to end the bloody five-year civil war, which has left more than 250,000 people dead and forced around 11 million people to flee. But one UN diplomatic source said: "It's clear to everyone now that Russia really doesn't want a negotiated solution but for Assad to win." Diplomats expressed little expectation the talks will succeed as long as the Kremlin-backed offensive continues. French UN ambassador Francois Delattre said: "The (Syrian) regime and its allies cannot pretend they are extending a hand to the opposition while with their other hand they are trying to destroy them." But Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow would not be "apologetic" about its military campaign and suggested Western powers were arguing the need for humanitarian aid for propaganda purposes. He said: "We are there legally, at the invitation of the Syrian government." Rumble The idea of making cheese at home can be really intimidating. Cheese feels like something you have to buy at the store or the farmer's market. But not anymore, you can make fresh cheese at home with four simple ingredients: whole milk, lime juice, apple cider vinegar and sea salt. Queso Fresco translates from Spanish is "fresh cheese." It has its roots in Spain but has been popularized by Mexican food culture. It's mild taste is a perfect canvas to bold build flavour profile. This video shows you how to make Queso Fresco three different ways: sweet, savoury and spicy. Bon Appetit! check out my first novel. https://www.amazon.co.uk/KAT-Matthew-... Whole milk 2L - 3.5 pints Lime 1 large Vinegar 120ml - 1/2 cup - 4fl oz Salt 2 tbsp Heat the milk gently to 77c - 170f, squeeze in the lime juice and stir with a slotted spoon. Keep heating to 87c - 190f and add the vinegar. Turn off the heat and stir occasionally for 15 minutes, strain into cheese cloth sitting in a sieve or colander and leave to drain for between 30 minutes and 2 hours. The cheese remaining will be quite firm, turn into a bowl and beat with a fork or your hand with the salt for a few minutes to create a smoother mixture. Muy caliente chopped pickled chilli pepper, garlic, hot sauce and coriander Honey and rosemary Basil and sun-dried tomato (fresh and puree) By Radu-Sorin Marinas BUCHAREST (Reuters) - A 90-year-old Stalin-era prison commander faced the rest of his life in prison on Wednesday after Romania's top court dismissed his last appeal against a 20-year jail term for murder and crimes against humanity. Alexandru Visinescu was convicted in July of direct involvement in the deaths of 12 inmates, the first case of its kind since the collapse of Nicolae Ceausescu's dictatorship in 1989. The pensioner, who did not attend the hearing, was waiting in his downtown Bucharest apartment on Wednesday for police to pick up and take him to jail, witnesses said. He was accused of subjecting inmates to beatings and starvation, and denying them medical treatment and heating, during his time in charge of the institution from 1956 to 1963. The last survivor of the jail where Visinescu worked, Valentin Cristea, 85, told Reuters he did not want to comment on the case but added: "I'm now old and sick ... What can I say? The justice system has done its duty." Cristea said he had spent six years in the jail on the outskirts of the small town of Ramnicu Sarat, 150 km (94 miles) east of Bucharest for disclosing state secrets to an anti-communist group. He said he lost 20 kg (44 pounds) during his detention. Earlier in the legal proceedings, which stretched over two years, Visinescu had described himself as a victim of the system who only followed orders, stating at one point: "I have no regrets, I have no regrets". According to the Institute for Investigation of Communist Crimes (IICCMER), up to 2 million people are estimated were killed, imprisoned, deported, relocated or otherwise victimized between 1945 and 1989. About half a million people including peasants, politicians, priests, doctors, officers, land owners and merchants were jailed in the early 1960s after hastily assembled trials and a fifth of them perished in prisons such as Ramnicu Sarat. Visinescu, who has been living on a special military pension, will likely go to the municipal prison, a police source said, adding he would likely become the country's oldest inmate. Former IICCMER head Andrei Muraru said: "This is a precedent proving political crimes before 1989 can be punished." (Editing by Andrew Heavens) A Syrian refugee family living in a central Halifax apartment say they're suffering from something that plagues a lot of buildings: bedbugs. Ten-month-old Rayan Zeina grimaces as his mother, Wafaa Al Safadi, lifts his shirt to show his chest and back covered in itchy bites and large scabs. "He's not sleeping. It's all bitten by the bedbugs, unfortunately. See all those bites," she says through an interpreter, Basim Sobeih. The Zeinas, a family of six, moved into the 10th floor of Harbour View Apartments on Gerrish Street less than two weeks ago and the problem is getting worse. Al Safadi said the bites began appearing the next day. The whole family has been bitten by bedbugs, but the youngest children have it the worst. Seeking new home Her husband, also speaking through the interpreter, said the family can't take it any longer. "We have to change buildings because this is non-stop and it's not going to change and there's no solution at this moment," Ziad Zeina said. The government-sponsored family has started fumigating the apartment themselves with bug spray and say building management hasn't been helpful. The interpreter said building managers have told the family they are the problem. "They're basically blaming them, saying that you're getting used stuff from [the refugee donation centre] and from other stuff," said Sobeih, adding the family has told managers that's not the case and what they have is brand new. Sobeih is with the Muslim refugee assistance group, United For One, which is working with Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia to help settle government-sponsored Syrian refugees in the province. Grateful to be in Canada So far, 19 families have moved into the Gerrish Street building, and another four are living in two other buildings in the complex, he said. "We have to make everyone is aware this is an issue. And bedbugs are easily transferrable. They jump onto clothes, we go outside, they go onto buses We have to really make sure that this is taken care of immediately," said Sobeih. Story continues Despite the circumstances, the family said they're grateful to be in Canada. Al Safadi said their home in Daraa, Syria, was levelled by a missile in 2012. "She's saying that obviously she's happy here, she feels like she's a little bit settled now, which is a good thing. The only thing that she can't stand is seeing her children in pain," said Sobeih. CBC News is awaiting a response from the building owner and ISANS. By J.R. Wu and Damon Lin TAINAN, Taiwan (Reuters) - Rescuers pulled out alive an eight-year-old girl and her aunt from the rubble of a Taiwan apartment block on Monday, more than 60 hours after it was toppled by a quake, as the mayor of the southern city of Tainan warned the death toll could exceed 100. The official death toll from the quake rose to 38, with more than 100 people missing. The girl, named as Lin Su-Chin, was conscious and had been taken to hospital, Taiwan television stations said. Her aunt, Chen Mei-jih, was rescued shortly after. The quake struck at about 4 a.m. on Saturday (2000 GMT Friday) at the beginning of the Lunar New Year holiday, with almost all the dead found in Tainan's toppled Wei-guan Golden Dragon Building. Rescue efforts are focused on the wreckage of the 17-storey building, where more than 100 people are listed as missing and are suspected to be buried deep under the rubble. Earlier, Wang Ting-yu, a legislator who represents the area, told reporters that a woman, identified as Tsao Wei-ling, was found alive, lying under her dead husband. Their two-year-old son, who was also killed, was found nearby. Another survivor, a man named Li Tsung-tian, was pulled out later, with Taiwan television stations showing live images of the rescues. Several hours later, Li's girlfriend was found dead in the rubble. Tsao and Li were both being treated in hospital. Tainan Mayor William Lai said during a visit to a funeral home that rescue efforts had entered what he called the "third stage". "There are more fatalities than those pulled out (alive), and the number of fatalities will probably exceed 100," Lai told reporters. Rescuers continued to scramble over the twisted wreckage of the building as numbed family members stood around, waiting for news of missing relatives. Taiwan's government said in a statement 36 of the 38 dead were from the Wei-guan building, which was built in 1994. President-elect Tsai Ing-wen, who won election last month, said there needed to be a "general sorting out" of old buildings to make sure they were able to cope with disasters like earthquakes. "There needs to be a continued strengthening of their ability to deal with disasters," she said. Outgoing President Ma Ying-jeou, speaking to reporters at a Tainan hospital, said the government needed to be a better job in ensuring building quality. "In the near future, regarding building management, we will have some further improvements. We will definitely do this work well," Ma said. Reuters witnesses at the scene of the collapse saw large rectangular, commercial cans of cooking-oil packed inside wall cavities exposed by the damage, apparently having been used as building material. Chinese President Xi Jinping also conveyed condolences to the victims, state news agency Xinhua reported late on Sunday, and repeated Beijing's offer to provide help. China views self-ruled Taiwan as a wayward province, to be bought under its control by force if necessary. (Additional reporting by Faith Hung in TAIPEI and Megha Rajagopalan in BEIJING; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Paul Tait and Nick Macfie) China has become the world's third largest insurance market, driven by the surging insurance premiums in the country. (Photo : REUTERS) Data from the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) showed that China has become the world's third largest insurance market in 2015, as insurance premiums continue to grow in the past five years, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Advertisement According to the CIRC data, insurance premiums increased from 1.3 trillion yuan (about $197.9 million) in 2010 to 2.4 trillion yuan in 2015, with an annual growth rate of 13.4 percent. The report said that the insurance market in the world's second largest economy continues to expand, as the total assets of China's insurance industry has more than doubled from 5 trillion yuan in 2010 to 12 trillion yuan in 2015. Experts noted that the performance of the industry may be attributed to the country's growing economy and improving living standards of the people. The report, however, said that despite the booming market, insurance companies in the country have also experienced bumper years. The data further showed that profits of the whole insurance sector totaled 282.4 billion yuan in 2015, compared to only 83.7 billion yuan in 2010, back when China was the world's sixth largest insurance market. The report said that China contributed 26 percent of the growth of global insurance market in 2015. A report by cctv-america.com in Nov. 2015 said that China's insurance sector is among the leaders in the country in terms of better access to investors, as foreign insurers enjoy the same treatment as domestic peers. Australian national Yin Xiaosong, general manager at Ergo Life Insurance, one of the first batch of insurers to test waters in the Chinese market, said: "We are now almost enjoying the same kind of treatment compared with local insurance companies, especially in areas like life insurance and property insurance. And also in terms of business coverage, regions and product lines, the differences are getting smaller." The report said that foreign insurers gained access to the car insurance market in 2012, and more changes followed as some 56 foreign insurance companies from 16 countries have set up shops in China and others followed suit. Last year, CIRC data showed that China's insurance companies' profits rose an estimated 95 percent year-on-year to reach 244 billion yuan ($ 38.4 billion) in the first three quarters of 2015. By Patricia Zengerle and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy to the coalition against Islamic State said on Wednesday that Russian airstrikes in Syria are boosting the militant group because of the toll they are taking on U.S.-backed opposition fighters. "What Russia's doing is directly enabling ISIL," the envoy, Brett McGurk, told a hearing of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, using an acronym for Islamic State. He left the hearing for a flight to Germany, where world powers are meeting on Thursday to try to revive the first effort in two years to negotiate an end to the war in Syria after it faltered last week. Rebel groups have been urging U.S. President Barack Obama to do more to stop Russian bombing raids that have left them on the verge of collapse ahead of the talks. McGurk said Washington is committed to securing a ceasefire, but needs to consider options in case the diplomatic push falls short. Under questioning from House members frustrated over the sputtering anti-Islamic State campaign, McGurk said the United States and its allies were making progress against the group, but face major challenges. "Our progress will not always be linear, and we should expect setbacks and surprises," McGurk said. Committee members said they wanted Washington to do more. "These gains have been too slow to come and too limited," U.S. Representative Ed Royce, the panel's Republican chairman, said. McGurk also acknowledged Islamic State's growing influence outside of Iraq and Syria. He said its branch in Libya is the greatest cause for concern, given its attacks in the chaotic North African country and the threat it poses to U.S. partners such as Tunisia and Egypt. He did not rule out U.S. aid airdrops to help ease the humanitarian crisis in Syria. "We're looking at all options on the humanitarian side," McGurk said. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Jonathan Landay; Editing by Bill Rigby) A hand is silhouetted in front of a computer screen in this picture illustration taken in Berlin, May 21, 2013. (Photo : Reuters) China is set to reward anyone who gives important information concerning online terrorist content in its latest crackdown on extremism in cyberspace. The intensified campaign is meant to curb the recruitment and radicalization of extremists. Based on the value of the tip-off, a person can receive a reward of up to 100,000 yuan ($15,210) for each tip, according to Reuters. In 2015, China doled out 2 million yuan worth of rewards. Advertisement An unnamed source from Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) told the Xinhua News Agency, "The Internet has become a channel for terrorists to spread extremist religious ideas, provoke ethnic conflicts, and advocate separatism." However, there isn't yet an official statement from CAC with regard to the assertion. The move comes shortly after China admitted that extremist organizations are actively utilizing microblogs like Weibo and WeChat to brainwash young susceptible women and children. In December last year, the Iraqi military group Islamic State (ISIS) gave a short propaganda song on Mandarin in a blatant move to recruit Chinese Muslims. The four-minute song made its way to the Internet through jihadist channels, according to Jihadology. Uyghur Muslims have been the target in the Chinese-language song, together with the entire Muslim community in China. As a result, the ruling Communist Party in the country is cracking down heavily on online content. It is set to protect its cyber warfare abilities, which would be less reliant on ground troops, in a move to boost its virtual fight. In the white paper on military technique published in May 2015, Beijing's ministry of national defense said that it is looking forward to identify its forces to clinch "informationized local wars." Giving unusual information on their efforts in 2015, CAC received reports of more than 20,000 cases, and gave out 2 million yuan. The government said in a statement that it faces a serious threat from Islamist militants and separatists in energy-rich Xinjiang, where many people died of violence in the recent years. By Luciana Lopez NEW YORK (Reuters) - A prominent Democratic donor worried about the party's chances of winning the presidency emailed dozens of fans of Vice President Joe Biden on Friday, urging them to remain prepared to donate if Biden jumps into the race. The donor, Bill Bartmann, cited new polling showing Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont nearly tied with the Hillary Clinton, eroding the 30-point lead the former secretary of state held at the end of last year. Bartmann and other party insiders are concerned that Sanders, a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist, is too far to the left to win against a Republican in the Nov. 8 presidential election. "We cannot afford to lose the White House," Bartmann wrote in the email, seen by Reuters. The email drew a string of affirmative responses, also seen by Reuters. Biden announced in October that he would not seek the presidency, despite support from a group of backers under the name "Draft Biden 2016." But whispers have continued among some donors who hope that Biden could be convinced to run after all should Clintons campaign prove fruitless. "My sitting on the sidelines has a lot to do with my disappointment that the vice president decided not to get in the race," Patrick Baskette, one of the recipients of Bartmann's email, told Reuters. Baskette, a public affairs consultant in Tampa, Florida, was a special assistant to Biden during his time as a senator. Baskette said he was not opposed to either Clinton or Sanders. "I don't think that they offer the solutions to our nation's future that Joe Biden does," he added. Clinton only barely squeaked out a win against Sanders in the Iowa caucus this week, adding to fears that she could lose a nomination that once was thought all but inevitable for her. Clinton is widely expected to lose the New Hampshire primary to Sanders on Tuesday. "Count me in," Gary Hindes, chief executive of the Delaware Bay Company LLC and a former chairman of the Delaware Democratic Party, wrote on the email chain. "I am hoping that the stars line up right and that Joe becomes the nominee," Hindes said to Reuters. "Sanders is too far to the left," he added, saying Clinton could be vulnerable as well. "My heart is with Joe," Hindes said. (Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Leslie Adler) By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran will unveil an upgrade of its Emad ballistic missiles this year, the defense minister was quoted as saying, advancing a program that has drawn criticism from the United Nations and sanctions from the United States. The Islamic Republic would also start taking delivery of an advanced Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system in the next two months, Hossein Dehghan added - a system that was blocked before a landmark nuclear deal with world powers. Tehran agreed the deal on curbing its nuclear work in July last year and international sanctions were lifted in January. But tensions with Washington have remained high as Tehran continues to develop its military capabilities. Iran first tested the Emad missile in October. With improved accuracy over its existing arsenal, Iran says the new missile will be an important part of its conventional deterrent. But the United States says the Emad is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and the test therefore violated a U.N. resolution. Washington imposed fresh sanctions last month against Iranian individuals and businesses linked to the missile program. "We will unveil the next generation of Emad with improved precision in the next (Iranian) year (starting from March 20)," Dehghan was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency late on Tuesday. "The Emad missile is not a violation of the nuclear deal or any U.N. resolution since we will never use a nuclear warhead (on it). It's an allegation," he said, adding that mass production would begin in the near future. Iran is also due to start taking delivery of the S-300 missiles system from Russia in the next two months, Dehghan said, and the order would be completed by the end of the year. Russia canceled a contract to deliver the advanced anti-missile rocket system to Iran in 2010 under pressure from the West following U.N. sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program. Tehran and Moscow have also started talks on the supply of the Russian-made Sukhoi-30 fighter jets to Iran, Dehghan said. "We have even decided on the number of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets that we want to buy," Dehghan said. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Sam Wilkin and Andrew Heavens) A lion dancer marks the celebrations of the Chinese Lunar New Year. (Photo : Reuters) A ban on fireworks in downtown Shanghai during the Chinese New Years Eve reduced the workload of street cleaners by 80 percent. However, it seems to have no effect on the quality of the air, which was not better than 2015. According to Shanghai Daily, Shanghai banned fireworks within the Outer Ring Road this year. Advertisement Police in large numbers, assisted by over 300,000 volunteers in orange jackets, patrolled the streets during the New Year's Eve. The number of sales rates for fireworks declined from more than 700 to approximately 70 this year, and people had to register with their national ID cards to purchase them. The new policies proved effective, with no reports of fireworks from any place in downtown. 33,919 kilograms of fireworks wastes, all from outside the city's Outer Ring Road, were cleaned. The waste volume was a drop of 86.3 percent from last year, according to the city's fire bureau statistics. Furthermore, the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau pointed out that air quality within the Outer Ring Road also improved. As of 2 a.m. Monday, Feb. 8, the average density of PM2.5 was 96 micrograms per cubic meter within the Outer Ring Road, while outside the ban area it was at 152 micrograms per cubic meter. The highest density was recorded in Jiading District, reaching 291 micrograms per cubic meter. However, overall results indicated that the general air quality on the New Year's Eve this year was worse than last year's. The density of PM2.5 this year started picking up from approximately 40 at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 8, and increased to a high of 130 micrograms per cubic meter by 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9. In 2015, the curve of the figure remained below that of the start of 2016, and only increased to about 70 at 1 a.m. on New Year's Day. The Independent Liz Trusss government has been thrust further into disarray with the apparent resignation of her chief whip in a row over a contentious vote on fracking. Wendy Morton and her deputy Craig Whittaker are understood to have quit after a minister withdrew the threat that the Commons division would be treated as a vote of confidence in the Government. Labour MP Chris Bryant identified deputy prime minister Therese Coffey and business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg as being among those present, though he did not accuse them of being involved in misbehaviour. Smoke billows from smokestacks at a steel factory in the industrial province of Hebei, China, Nov. 19, 2015. (Photo : Getty Images) Chinas Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Tuesday that the government is taking concrete steps to cut down the countrys steel capacity, in response to concerns from the European Union (EU) that overcapacity of Chinese steel may hurt markets in the region. After a string of measures to cut steel overcapacity, China has seen marked progress at considerable costs with the capacity growth having been curbed, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday citing a statement from the MOC. Advertisement The State Council announced on Thursday that China will reduce its steel production capacity by 100 million tonnes to 150 million tonnes over the next five years. The government previously cut down steel production capacity by more than 90 million tonnes between 2011 and 2015. "The moves and plan show China's resolution," the MOC said. The announcement comes as the EU expressed worries that steel imports from China may hurt the interests of member-nations. It announced that it is considering new anti-dumping investigations this month, according to Xinhua. As steel overcapacity is a common problem worldwide and requires joint effort, China is willing to make contributions to the matter through sincere talks with members of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the MOC said. The ministry urged WTO members to stop using a "surrogate country system" on China's exports, saying that the practice will lose its legal basis by the end of the year as stipulated on an agreement signed when China joined the WTO. Under the "surrogate country system," importers utilize the costs of production in a third country to determine the normal value of exports from a non-market economy. The system should no longer be adopted in order to trade with China, which has built its market economy after decades of reform and opening up to international markets, Xinhua said. By Michelle Nichols, Tom Perry and Humeyra Pamuk UNITED NATIONS/DAMASCUS/ONCUPINAR, Turkey (Reuters) - World powers pressed Russia on Wednesday to stop bombing around Aleppo in support of a Syrian government offensive to recapture the city and a Western official said Moscow had presented a proposal envisaging a truce in three weeks' time. Secretary of State John Kerry is pushing for a ceasefire and more aid access to Aleppo, where rebel-held areas are being cut off and the United Nations has warned a new humanitarian disaster could be on the way. Aid workers said on Wednesday the water supply to Aleppo, still home to two million people, was no longer functioning. Kerry is hoping for agreement at a meeting in Munich on Thursday between Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other powers, aimed at trying to revive peace negotiations that foundered earlier this month. Syrian officials have indicated no plans to ease up the war effort. A Syrian military source said on Wednesday the battle for Aleppo, a major prize in a war which has killed a quarter of a million people, would continue in "all directions". Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said the government expected a tough but relatively short battle to return the city to state control. "I do not expect the battle of Aleppo to go on long," he told Reuters in Damascus. A Western official said Russia had made a proposal to begin a ceasefire in Syria on March 1, but that Washington has concerns about parts of it and no agreement had been reached. In Washington, a state department envoy told Congress the United States needs to consider options in case the diplomatic push does not succeed. Asked how soon a ceasefire could be put in place, a Russian diplomat who declined to be identified said: "Maybe March, I think so." At a closed-door meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, several members pressed Russia to end the Aleppo bombing sooner. "The (Syrian) regime and its allies cannot pretend they are extending a hand to the opposition while with their other hand they are trying to destroy them," French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters. "CROSSED THE LINE" Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Russian air strikes were being undertaken in a "transparent manner" and some Security Council members had "crossed the line" by politically exploiting humanitarian issues. "They rather crudely use humanitarian matters in order to play, we believe, a destructive role as far as the political process is concerned," said Churkin, adding that given the heightened interest in humanitarian issues, the council should also start regularly discussing Yemen and Libya. One U.N. diplomatic source said Russia was "stringing Kerry along" in order to provide diplomatic cover for Moscow's real goal - to help President Bashar al-Assad win on the battlefield instead of compromising at the negotiating table. "It's clear to everyone now that Russia really doesn't want a negotiated solution but for Assad to win," said the diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Kremlin rejects claims that it has abandoned diplomacy in pursuit of a military solution, saying it would continue to providing military aid to Assad to fight "terrorist groups" and accusing Syria's opposition of walking away from the talks. FOOD, WATER SHORTAGES Doctors working on both sides of the Syria-Turkey border say they have been overwhelmed by injuries caused by the air strikes, which Moscow says have only targeted Islamist militants but which Western countries say have caused widespread civilian casualties. "We are increasingly seeing what we call multiple-trauma injuries because of the bombs and the heavy weapons they are using. There are large burn cases, lots of amputations, and internal traumas," Mahmoud Mustafa, director of the Independent Doctors Association, told Reuters in Gaziantep, Turkey. French charity Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF), which runs six hospitals in Syria and provides support for another 153 health facilities across the country, said medical workers in the area north of Aleppo had been forced to flee for their lives. "Yet again we are seeing healthcare under siege," said Muskilda Zancada, MSF head of mission, Syria. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was delivering water to Aleppo because the city's system was no longer working but that some supply routes for aid had been cut. "The temperatures are extremely low and, without an adequate supply of food, water and shelter, displaced people are trying to survive in very precarious conditions," the head of the ICRC in Syria, Marianne Gasser, said in a statement from Aleppo. The latest fighting around Aleppo has killed about 500 people on all sides, a monitoring group said. Medecins Sans Frontiers spokesman Sam Taylor said that while its own hospitals in Syria had not been hit, many others had. "From the reports we get from MSF-supported facilities, the majority of hospitals are damaged or destroyed by aerial attacks," he said. "In last two to three weeks we have definitely seen a trend of facilities being hit in the south and in the north." FABIUS QUESTIONS U.S. COMMITMENT Saudi Arabia's King Salman plans to visit Moscow in mid-March, Russia's RIA news agency said, a meeting that would bring together the main sponsors of the opposing sides. Saudi-backed rebels said they would go to Thursday's meeting in Munich but would only go to U.N. peace talks in Geneva later this month if Russia stopped bombarding their positions and humanitarian aid reached civilians in the areas they control. Opposition coordinator Riad Hijab said the Russian and Iranian intervention in Syria was bolstering the extremist threat in the Middle East, but the rebels would not give up. On the ground, rebels say they are fighting for survival. A commander of a Turkmen contingent within the Levant Front rebel group, Zekeria Karsli, said his men faced attacks on three fronts: Islamic State to the east, Syrian government forces to the south and Kurds to the west. "Unfortunately the military situation on the battlefield is pretty bad. Russian planes are hitting us from the air and the Iranian/Assad block is hitting us from the ground," he told Reuters near the Oncupinar border post. He said Russian warplanes were carrying out hundreds of sorties every day and that the north of Aleppo city was encircled. But he said routes in to rebel-held parts of the city from Idlib province to the west were still open. Opposition spokesman Salim al-Muslat said U.S. President Barack Obama could stop the Russian attacks. "If he is willing to save our children it is really the time now to say 'no' to these strikes in Syria." The rebels want anti-aircraft weapons so they can bring down the Russian planes that have been bombing intensely over the past four months. But their Western and Arab backers have refused, fearing Islamic State militants could seize and use them against their own planes conducting air strikes against the jihadists, who have exploited the war to seize large parts of Syria and Iraq. United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has set a target date of Feb. 25 to reconvene talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva. But the offensive by Syrian forces, Hezbollah and Shiite militias directed by Iran - all backed by Russian bombing raids - have reversed opposition gains on the ground and encircled rebels inside Aleppo, a strategic prize now divided between government and opposition control. "It'll be easy to get a ceasefire soon because the opposition will all be dead," a Western diplomat told Reuters. "That's a very effective ceasefire." (Additional reporting by Warren Strobel in Munich, John Irish in Paris, Louis Charbonneau in New York, Parisa Hafezi in Ankara, Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Jonathan Landay in Washington and Michelle Nichols in New York; writing by Philippa Fletcher; editing by Dominic Evans) By Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi ZURICH (Reuters) - Asylum requests in Switzerland dipped in January due partly to harsher winter weather but the country is bracing for the arrival of at least as many people this year as in 2015, migration authorities said on Wednesday. Europe is experiencing its worst refugee crisis since World War Two, with more than a million people arriving during 2015, the majority fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere and crossing the Aegean Sea and the Balkans to reach western Europe. "The overall situation in the origin countries hasn't changed, the circumstances haven't improved, transit countries are still under stress," Martin Reichlin, spokesman for the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), told Reuters. "We don't expect lower numbers in 2016 than we had last year," Reichlin said, adding that authorities expected requests to start picking up again in spring. Switzerland registered about 40,000 asylum applications last year. In January Switzerland received 3,618 asylum requests, down from nearly 5,000 in December, he said, due both to a deterioration in the weather conditions and to the improved registration of migrants in neighboring Germany. Processing delays in Germany, which registered more than a million asylum seekers last year, had diverted some migrants to Switzerland in the latter months of 2015. "(The January dip) is to be seen as a seasonal fluctuation, mostly because migration across the Mediterranean is becoming more difficult," Reichlin said, adding that Germany's improved registration had also reduced the "backflow" of applicants to Switzerland. Looking ahead to 2016, he said: "We have to prepare if we don't want to be surprised by a rapid increase." Despite the scale of the migrant crisis engulfing Europe, Switzerland - which historically has taken in large numbers of refugees relative to its population - accounted for only three percent of Europe's asylum requests last year. (Editing by Gareth Jones) A prototype of the Nissan Leaf electric car is on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on Jan. 12, 2010. (Photo : Getty Images) Renault-Nissan will be developing an affordable electric vehicle (EV) for China as the Franco-Japanese alliances current offering, the Nissan Leaf, is proving to be too expensive for Chinese buyers, according to a Tuesday report from Automotive News China. Advertisement In 2015, Nissan China sold just 1,273 units of the Venucia e30, a local version of the Leaf, the report said. The car has a starting price at 242,800 yuan ($36,900). "We envisaged much more [sales of the e30] than that," Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told reporters at the opening of Renault's plant in Wuhan, Hubei Province, in the past week. "We know price is a handicap. For me the solution will be a very cheap electric car." Ghosn declined to comment on the size of the new EV or whether it will be made available to markets outside China. China's demand for new-energy vehicles, which include EVs and plug-in hybrids, has rapidly risen over the past few years. In 2015, sales of such vehicles reached 379,000 units, according to China Daily citing government data. The announcement comes after Renault said it will sell its own Fluence EV in 2017 under a Chinese brand name. The vehicle will be assembled at Renault's plant in Wuhan using kits imported from the company's facilities in Korea. Renault expects to sell just a few thousand Fluence EVs a year, Thierry Bollore, the company's chief competitive officer, told Automotive News China. The car will be badged with an unused brand name from Dongfeng, Renault-Nissan's domestic partner in China. China's EV market has been shored up by substantial government subsidies, with Beijing envisaging five million electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids plying the country's roads by 2020. Ghosn said that despite the incentives, a huge chunk of EV sales in China are cheap models made by local brands with price tags ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 yuan ($4,600 to $7,000). The country's bestselling electric car for 2015, the Kandi EV city car, sold 16,376 units at a price tag of 41,517 yuan ($6,317), according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) "The government is saying we want more electric cars. The public is saying, 'Yes, but we want them cheap,'" Ghosn said. Ghosn added that Renault-Nissan would start development of an affordable electric car provided that automakers must figure out what the public wants. "We need to work out what are the best compromises between acceptable performance and lowest price possible," he said. Hu Xindong, the head of the Dongfeng-Renault joint venture, said the EV market in China is "passive," and driven mainly by government incentives rather than choice. He cited the example of China's two biggest cities, Shanghai and Beijing, where residents can obtain a license plate and permission to own a car for free if they buy an electric vehicle. Weak Export Inspection Data Pulled Down Grain Prices (Continued from Prior Part) Wheat prices fell Wheat March futures trading on the Chicago Board of Trade (or CBOT) plunged by 1.8% and closed at $4.58 per bushel on February 8, 2016. Wheat futures prices were lower because of higher supply and lower cues for export sales. The Teucrium Wheat Fund (WEAT) followed the prices on CBOT and dropped by 1.4% on February 8, 2016. The US Department of Agriculture released the Grains Inspected or Weighed for Exports f or the week ending on February 4, 2016. Wheat export inspections were 398,216 metric tons, 39.8% higher from the last week and 16.7% up from the previous two-week average. The year-to-date wheat export inspections of 13,766,678 metric tons were 11.7% down from the last year. Despite higher-than-consensus export inspections, the anticipated high production and competition in the export markets dragged down wheat prices on February 8, 2016. The US Department of Agriculture reported that Ukraines wheat production for the marketing year 2015-16 was 27.2 million tons. It was the highest production since the independence of the country in 1990. The speculation of higher export sentiments due to stronger production adversely affected wheat prices. Wheat futures prices continued to fall in Europe and the Black Sea regions. Other than this, poor demand, abundant wheat supplies, and favorable weather conditions in the major wheat production regions kept hurting wheat prices on February 8, 2016. Food companies The fall in wheat prices benefits food companies, as it reduces their cost of production. Pilgrims Pride (PPC), Campbell Soup (CPB), JM Smucker (SJM), and Hormel Foods (HRL) rose by 2.0%, 0.7%, 0.15%, and 3.1% on February 8, 2016, with the decline in wheat prices. The PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (DBC) fell by 0.5% on February 8, 2016, with the drop in wheat prices. Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: Hillary Clinton is struggling to connect with young women voters, so she has brought in Madeleine Albright? Enlisting the 78-year-old to chase millennials may seem far-fetched, but its a gift to voters and to the GOP. Just as Hillarys claims of advocacy for women encouraged criticism of her husbands sexual misadventures, trotting out Bill Clintons former Secretary of State allows us to revisit how her husbands presidency all but ignored the brewing Islamic jihad against the U.S. Hillary Clinton offers her husbands time in office as a halcyon time of peace and prosperity. The truth is that Bill Clinton, like President Obama, made a cataclysmic choice early on that has cost this country untold amounts of blood and treasure. That choice was to ignore the numerous attacks on Americans by Islamic radicals, a decision which served to embolden the jihadists behind 9/11. Like President Obama, Bill Clinton, distracted by endless scandals, led from behind. Related: The Clinton Scandal That Still Matters Is Not the One You Think Americans may have forgotten that during the Clinton presidency al-Qaeda bombed the World Trade Center in New York, leaving 6 dead and 1,040 injured. The administration, focused on pushing Hillarys unpopular healthcare proposal, characterized the attacker as someone who did something really stupid, and handed the investigation over to the cops. Intelligence groups, who suspected that Osama bin Laden orchestrated the bombing, were muted. 1993: The first bombing of the World Trade Center points to al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. 1995: As Bill begins his affair with Monica Lewinsky, a car bomb explodes at U.S. military headquarters in Saudi Arabia killing 5 service members. 1996: Hezbollah detonates a truck bomb outside the Khobar Towers military center in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 men in uniform and injuring hundreds. Bill Clinton, caught up in Filegate and the Whitewater investigation, denies pleas by the FBI to ask the Saudis help with the investigation. 1998: Al-Qaeda explodes truck bombs near U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 and injuring more than 4,000; Osama bin Laden was tagged as behind the anti-American campaign. Bill was embroiled in the Lewinsky scandal. 2000: Osama bin Laden was suspected of orchestrating the bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 7 Navy sailors. The White House was caught up in the Travelgate investigation; the report described Hillarys testimony as factually false but she avoided indictment. Story continues Related: How Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright Misplayed Clintons Gender Card Like Obama, Bill Clinton constantly belittled the mounting Islamic threat, concerned only for the political fall-out. He was advised by the likes of Dick Morris, who later recalled, Whenever there was a crisis, I ordered an immediate poll. I was concerned about how Clinton looked in the face of [the attack] and whether people blamed him. Ms. Albright was right there beside him. It was not only ignoring Islamic radicalism that tars Albrights record. The Wellesley alum became Secretary of State in 1997. She had earlier served as Ambassador to the UN, having been appointed by Bill Clinton in 1993. Under her watch, the U.S. watched the mass slaughter of 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu in Rwanda, considered by many one of the gravest crimes of the twentieth century. Like President Obama dithering over the use of the term Islamic extremism, President Bill Clintons administration refused to call the extermination of the Tutsi a genocide because that term carried certain obligations under UN conventions. In a 2004 interview about Rwanda, Albright says, Well, I think, as you know, this becomes a legal definitional thing, unfortunately, in terms ofas horrendous as all these things are, there becomes a definitional question. A perfect Clinton staffer. Ironically, one of the most vocal critics of Bill Clinton and Madeleine Albrights role in allowing the Rwanda disaster has been Samantha Powers, now serving as Obamas Ambassador to the U.N. In 2001, she wrote a piece for The Atlantic entitled Bystanders to Genocide. She wrote, As the terror in Rwanda had unfolded, Clinton had shown virtually no interest in stopping the genocide, and his Administration had stood by as the death toll rose into the hundreds of thousands. Related: Clinton Distances Herself from Obama in the Fight Against ISIS Powers highlights the administrations ever-paramount political calculus, noting that Susan Rice, who at the time worked on the National Security Council, shocked officials at an interagency teleconference by asking, "If we use the word 'genocide' and are seen as doing nothing, what will be the effect on the November [congressional] election?" Powers reports that during the three months of the slaughter in Rwanda, President Bill Clinton never once assembled his top advisers to discuss the killings. More horrific, Madeleine Albright, at the urging of the president, led the charge to reduce the number of UN peacekeepers in Rwanda, which lifted any restraints on the genocidal government. In 2002, when the public was last asked to weigh in on Albright, 45 percent of the public had either never heard of the woman or had a negative impression of her. And that was when people were just beginning to understand that the failure of Clintons administration to respond to no fewer than 5 attacks on Americans by Islamic radicals would have lasting and profound repercussions, starting with those of 9/11. In the past fourteen years. Ms. Albright hasnt gotten out much meaning most young women have no idea who she is. This is what millennials should know about Albright: like Hillary, she accomplished almost nothing as Secretary of State. On the campaign trail, she has embarrassed herself by scolding young women for not supporting the former first lady and fellow Wellesley alum, saying, There is a special place in Hell for women who dont help each other. Theres also one for those who think that a president should be elected solely based on gender. Happily, it seems most millennials wont end up there. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Android 6.0 Marshmallow is a version of the Android mobile operating system, which was first unveiled in May 2015. (Photo : YouTube/Andropalace) Fans are eagerly waiting for news about Samsung's upcoming flagship phones, which will be released in less than two weeks. There are high chances that the Galaxy S7 iteration will be released running on Google's latest operating system, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, although the OS has not yet rolled out on most Samsung handsets. Advertisement The Korean tech giant has already unveiled a beta version of the software to some Galaxy S6 and galaxy S6 Edge users in some regions. While the software did not come with many visual changes to the stock version of Android, Samsung changed their TouchWiz, used a new color palette, and redesigned some icons. According to Android Headlines, Samsung began rolling out the final construct of Marshmallow for Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, although only in South Korea. Poland was among the first countries to receive the update in smartphones from other companies, and now, T-Mobile Poland has given some information through their Twitter account. Android #marshmallow jest juz w drodze na nasze Samsungi #s6 i #s6Edge Gwiazdka przyjdzie wczesniej w tym roku? ;)@SamsungPolska T-Mobile Polska (@TMobilePolska) February 8, 2016 Although there is no specific date given, the tweet implies that the carrier has already endorsed the update for their handsets and it will commence rolling out soon. Carriers in other regions could as well be testing the update so that they can unveil it later. Android 6.0 Marshmallow has been available for some time now. However, it seems Samsung took its sweet time to ensure that the update runs well on their devices. In addition, the tech giant has been updating some of their applications for compatibility with the new operating system, so that when the gadgets eventually are updated the apps would be ready for use, according to a different report by the same publication. The Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5 will possibly be updated shortly after the two aforementioned smartphones. Users are hoping that the rollout does not take long because all of the devices were considered among the most powerful ones, and they can only perform better with the new feature associated with Android Marshmallow. Watch the footage for apps on Samsung Galaxy S6 running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ Android Marshmallow release news for Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S5, Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z5 (Photo : YouTube/ Samsung Mobile) Here is the Android Marshmallow update news for Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S5, Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z5. According to a SamMobile report, the Android Marshmallow update has already been rolled out to Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge in South Korea. The latest Marshmallow update will start rolling out to the two devices in Poland soon. Reports suggest that other countries will get the Android 6.0 M update by the end of this month or the beginning of March. Advertisement Rumors are also doing the rounds that the international versions of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge will get the Marshmallow update on the same day as the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and Samsung Galaxy S7. Also, the electronics giant has confirmed that the Galaxy S5 will get the Android Marshmallow update. However, according to some reports, the device will get the update after the Samsung Galaxy S6 devices. Furthermore, the mobile carrier T-Mobile has disclosed that the Galaxy S5 update is in the manufacturer development phase. Several reports suggest that the handset will get the update by the end of March. Android 6.0 Marshmallow update is currently rolling out to Sony Xperia Z5 in Turkey. It indicates that the Marshmallow update will roll out to more countries pretty soon. The Xperia Z5 Premium, Z5 Compact and Z5 have already got the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update. Reports also suggest that the Sony Xperia Z3 will get the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow update. However, it is not known when the device will get the update. Some reports claim that the Sony Xperia Z3 will receive the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update after the Sony Xperia Z5. It is likely that the company will roll out the update to the Xperia Z3 in March. Meanwhile, leaked images of Galaxy Note 5 running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow has surfaced online. It is not known whether this is a final version that will soon roll out OTA or a test firmware. The pictures of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 running the Android 6.0.1 version shows the changes are similar to the changes on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and Samsung Galaxy S6 running the new software. According to The Verge report, Google Now on Tap, Fingerprint support and USB Type-C are some of the new features of Android 6.0 M. Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis heads to Cuba and Mexico on Friday for a trip encompassing two of the defining themes of his papacy: bridge-building diplomacy and his concern for migrants seeking a better life. Prior to embarking on his long-planned February 12-17 tour of Mexico, the 79-year-old pontiff will stop over in Havana for a historic meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill. The encounter on Friday lunchtime at Havana's Jose Marti airport will be the first of its kind between the leaders of the two biggest Christian churches since an 11th century schism between them. The son of Italian emigrants to Argentina, Francis was not under any pressure to go to Mexico, which was graced by the presence of previous pontiffs six times between 1998 and 2012. But he appears to have chosen to visit Mexico because its troubled backdrop touches on many of his priority social concerns: immigration, arms dealing, the drugs trade and its associated violence, prostitution, corruption, the rights of indigenous people and the environment. Millions are expected to turn out to welcome the the first pope from the Americas in a country of 120 million people which is home to the second largest Catholic community in the world, after Brazil. "I want to come as a missionary of mercy and peace," Francis said in a pre-trip video message. "I want to be as close to you as possible but in a special way to those who suffer." Francis will meet President Enrique Pena Nieto on Saturday prior to an early evening mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a sanctuary dedicated to the virgin Mary which is one of the world's most visited Catholic shrines. Francis has said the visit there will be the spiritual high point of his visit, declaring in his video message that he plans to "bring to the feet (of the Virgin) all that I have in my heart." It will be the third time in his life that Francis has visited the "Morenita" (the brunette virgin), a revered icon for many Mexicans. Story continues - Cross-border mass - In political terms, the most eagerly awaited section of the trip will come on the final day, Wednesday, when the pope visits Ciudad Juarez on the border with the United States. His journey there will be a symbolically charged affair in the middle of the primaries for a US presidential election in which the issue of immigration is set to feature strongly. A mass has been organised close to the frontier on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. Believers on the other side of the river, close to the Texan town of El Paso, will also be able to follow the service. While in the region the pope will meet victims of armed gangs who control the smuggling of illegal migrants across the border. "Already in 2014 Pope Francis raised the possibility of his entering the United States from Mexico to draw attention to the immigration issue," recalled Jean-Pierre Ruiz, a Catholic priest at New York's St John University. "He will pray for the thousands of men, women and children who have died trying to cross the frontier and escape violence, political repression and poverty." Earlier this week Francis described his overtures to the Orthodox Church as part of a broader policy of bridge building which has also seen him controversially reach out to China, arguing that both powers can contribute to a more peaceful world. "Bridges last and contribute to peace," he said in an interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera. "Walls no. They have to be destroyed not built. In any case they are destined to fall, one after the other. Think of Berlin. It seemed eternal and one day it fell." The pope and the patriarch are scheduled to spend two hours in a private meeting before they both give speeches and sign a joint declaration. Russian church officials have said the meeting will focus on the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. Authorities Arrest Three After Taiwan Apartment Tower Collapse The construction of a collapsed apartment tower faces scrutiny after a deadly earthquake Three people were arrested Tuesday, all of whom are former executives of the real estate company that built a 17-story apartment building which collapsed after a magnitude-6.4 earthquake hit Taiwan. Lin Ming-hui, Chang Kui-an, and Cheng Chin-kui all face charges of professional negligence resulting in death after at least 40 people were killed and more than 100 were still missing. The majority of the city of Tainan remains unharmed, but the collapse of the Golden Dragon tower has left many concerned about the construction of the building. Images have surfaced of tin cans believed to be used in the construction of the tower. "There are so many other older buildings in Tainan that are still standing. Why was it only this building that was completely destroyed?" asked Wang Xingyou, a city cab driver, speaking to CNN. NIST Dedicates New National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence Lab Willie E. May, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST's director, noted that employees how have five times more lab space "for collaborative advanced information technology projects." Numerous federal officials, including Maryland's two U.S. senators, attended the Feb. 9 dedication ceremony in Rockville, Md., for a new national laboratory facility for the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE), which is a public-private partnership launched by the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2013. Willie E. May, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST's director, noted that employees how have five times more lab space "for collaborative advanced information technology projects." Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said economic security through strong cybersecurity "is national security" and "companies and their boardrooms are our country's front lines." "I'm proud of how much the Center has accomplished in helping to fortify those lines in such a short time. Twenty-two formal industry partners have pledged to provide hardware, software, and/or expertise, and several of these (Intel, HP, Hytrust, RSA, Symantec, Splunk) have just renewed those commitments," May explained in an article about the new facility, adding that the New York Power Authority on Feb. 9 became the first utility to publicly pledge to adopt a new NCCoE-developed cybersecurity guide for identity and access management. "NIST has been in the cybersecurity business in a big way for decades. But the NCCoE now adds a key missing element. It's a single collaborative space where government and industry can brainstorm and assemble off-the-shelf commercial products into practical solutions for today's toughest cybersecurity issues," he wrote. "Building-block solutions for a wide array of IT fields are already under way in access control, data integrity, smart card credentials, secured email, mobile device security, privacy-enhanced identity brokers, software management, and trusted geolocation. What we need urgently now are fresh examples, many more collaborators and use cases in key industry sectorsretail, automotive, health care, energy, financial services, transportation." NIST also announced a new deadline, Feb. 23, for information on how the "Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity" is being used to improve cybersecurity risk management. The Framework, as directed by Executive Order 13636, "Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity," consists of standards, methodologies, procedures, and processes that align policy, business, and technological approaches to address cyber risks. It was released Feb. 12, 2014. Information that is provided will assist in developing the agenda for a workshop on the Framework being planned by NIST for April 6-7, 2016, in Gaithersburg, Md. Alcoa's Nice Little Rally: Will It Last Once China Is Done with It? (Continued from Prior Part) Alcoas party Investors in the metals and mining space are closely watching Chinese economic data. China is the worlds single largest consumer of most commodities (DBC), including aluminum. So news flows from the country naturally impact material stocks such as Alcoa (AA) and Rio Tinto (RIO). However, we dont get a lot of data points from China in the first two months of the calendar year due to the Chinese New Year holiday. As has been the case for the last few quarters, no news from China is actually good news. Having said that, theres a series of Chinese economic data points scheduled for next week. Well get Chinas January vehicle sales and trade data, which might throw some light on the nations economy. January trade data January trade data will be crucial for Alcoa investors in two ways. First, Chinas overall exports and imports will provide insight into the state of the worlds second-largest economy. Second, it will be crucial for aluminum company investors to see how much aluminum China exported in January. One of the factors driving aluminum to lower price levels has been raising Chinese aluminum exports. Aluminum producers, including Century Aluminum (CENX) and Norsk Hydro (NHYDY), have been crying foul over rising Chinese aluminum exports for quite some time now. Capacity curtailments? China has stated its intentions to cut the excess industrial capacity, especially in steel and aluminum. However, the reality is that Chinese aluminum exports havent come down. In November, Chinas unwrought aluminum exports were the second highest ever. Although exports declined somewhat in December, they were still above 400,000 metric tons, the fifth highest on record. If January trade data show no letdown in Chinese aluminum exports, we could see a downward movement in aluminum prices. On the other hand, if China indeed cuts its aluminum production as it has been saying for more than two months, we could see aluminums upward momentum continue for a while. Story continues Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: Photo: Gunawan Kartapranata/Wikimedia Commons Falling currencies in some of Southeast Asias most popular real estate markets, including Thailand, has created opportunities for overseas investors to reap significant savings if those purchasing property are willing to cope with some of the uncertainties, reported The Wall Street Journal. Property in Thailand is now ten to 15 percent lower than it was at the beginning of 2015 as the value of the Thai baht has sunk, property agency Engel & Volkers Phuket explained. The Thai baht has fallen 10.5 percent against the US dollar since May 2014. Barry King, Managing Director at Prime Real Estate Phuket, said that price declines for inland villas has helped him to sell about 20 percent more properties priced at US$3 million or higher during 2015. At the same time, Andrew Hunter, Managing Director at Hunter Sothebys International Realty in Phuket, noted that inquiries for properties priced above US$2 million have increased in the past 12 months, but actual sales have been soft as investors are waiting to see how the current political situation and economic instability plays out. However, property agents said that the military junta has not created significant upheaval in daily life and it is business as usual throughout the country, including the island of Phuket. The government is also making significant investments in the regions infrastructure to help enhance the area. The tourism sector has benefited from the relative political calm since the military took over, noted Krystal Tan, Asia Economist at research firm Capital Economics. Tourist arrivals rose 19 percent in 2015 from the previous year, even with the Bangkok bombing. Many analysts believe that tourist arrivals are often a precursor to an increase in foreign buying of property. Bali in Indonesia along with Malaysia are two other locations experiencing the same currency devaluations that are leading to more foreign interest in property. The Indonesian rupiah dropped 11.3 percent against the US dollar in the past year while the Malaysian ringgit fell over 22.7 percent against the US dollar. This has created some opportunities in the luxury housing market in both countries along with Thailand. This article was first published on DDproperty.com, Thailands leading property site. More from PropertyGuru: 5 tips to help you organize and declutter your closet Home buyers must set realistic aspirations: Shanmugam Mixed results for S-REITs in Q4 2015: report Expats now living in Phuket, working in Singapore Sri Lanka will review a controversial deal reached by the previous administration to buy new Airbus aircraft despite huge losses at the national carrier, the prime minister said Wednesday. Ranil Wickremesinghe said SriLankan Airlines could not economically operate long-range A350-900 aircraft ordered by the previous government, but needed short-haul planes for its profitable Asian routes. Responding to a question from the opposition, Wickremesinghe told parliament the airline was losing money on every flight to Europe and adding new planes would only worsen accumulated losses now standing at over $650 million. "They (the previous government) had agreed to buy four A350-900 planes and lease another four," he said. "We have not paid a deposit, but if we default we have to pay a penalty of $12 million." "We are stuck. We have to review the deal and take a decision if we are going ahead with the purchase or not." He said the police Financial Crimes Investigation Department was already probing the entire aircraft purchase agreed by the administration of then-President Mahinda Rajapakse, which was toppled in January 2015 elections. The initial transaction, including six A330 planes, was estimated at $2.3 billion. An airline official said all A330 planes had been delivered while the A350 aircraft were due to be delivered from this year. By Sanjeev Miglani NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The United States and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that a U.S. defence official said could include the disputed South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the waterway. Washington wants its regional allies and other Asian nations to take a more united stance against China over the South China Sea, where tensions have spiked in the wake of Beijing's construction of seven man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago. India and the United States have ramped up military ties in recent years, holding naval exercises in the Indian Ocean that last year involved the Japanese navy. But the Indian navy has never carried out joint patrols with another country and a naval spokesman told Reuters there was no change in the government's policy of only joining an international military effort under the United Nations flag. He pointed to India's refusal to be part of anti-piracy missions involving dozens of countries in the Gulf of Aden and instead carrying out its own operations there since 2008. The U.S. defence official said the two sides had discussed joint patrols, adding that both were hopeful of launching them within the year. The patrols would likely be in the Indian Ocean where the Indian navy is a major player as well as the South China Sea, the official told Reuters in New Delhi on condition of anonymity. The official gave no details on the scale of the proposed patrols. A Pentagon spokesman, Commander Bill Urban, said the United States and India "continue to explore ways to deepen defence cooperation, including in the area of maritime security", but no decisions had been made on joint patrols. There was no immediate comment from China, which is on a week-long holiday for Chinese New Year. China accused Washington this month of seeking maritime hegemony in the name of freedom of navigation after a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of a disputed island in the Paracel chain of the South China Sea in late January. The U.S. Navy conducted a similar exercise in October near one of China's artificial islands in the Spratlys. MARITIME COOPERATION Neither India nor the United States has claims to the South China Sea, but both said they backed freedom of navigation and overflight in the waterway when U.S. President Barack Obama visited New Delhi in January 2015. Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also agreed at the time to "identify specific areas for expanding maritime cooperation". More than $5 trillion in world trade moves through the South China Sea each year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan also claim parts of the waterway. In December, the issue of joint patrols came up when Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar visited the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii, an Indian government source said. "It was a broad discussion, it was about the potential for joint patrols," said the source, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. India has a long-running land border dispute with China and has been careful not to antagonise its more powerful neighbour, instead focusing on building economic ties. But it has stepped up its naval presence far beyond the Indian Ocean, deploying a ship to the South China Sea almost constantly, an Indian navy commander said, noting this was not the practice a few years ago. The commander added that the largest number of Indian naval ship visits in the South China Sea region was to Vietnam, a country rapidly building military muscle for potential conflict with China over the waterway. India has extended a $100 million credit line for Hanoi to buy patrol boats and is training Vietnamese submariners in India, while Hanoi has granted oil exploration blocks to India in waters off Vietnam that are disputed with China. Still, the idea of joining the United States in patrols in the region was a long shot, the Indian officer said. The Philippines has asked the United States to do joint naval patrols in the South China Sea, something a U.S. diplomat said this month was a possibility. (Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom in Washington and Megha Rajagopalan in Beijing; Editing by Dean Yates) By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran will unveil an upgrade of its Emad ballistic missiles this year, the defence minister was quoted as saying, advancing a programme that has drawn criticism from the United Nations and sanctions from the United States. The Islamic Republic would also start taking delivery of an advanced Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile defence system in the next two months, Hossein Dehghan added - a system that was blocked before a landmark nuclear deal with world powers. Tehran agreed the deal on curbing its nuclear work in July last year and international sanctions were lifted in January. But tensions with Washington have remained high as Tehran continues to develop its military capabilities. Iran first tested the Emad missile in October. With improved accuracy over its existing arsenal, Iran says the new missile will be an important part of its conventional deterrent. But the United States says the Emad is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and the test therefore violated a U.N. resolution. Washington imposed fresh sanctions last month against Iranian individuals and businesses linked to the missile program. "We will unveil the next generation of Emad with improved precision in the next (Iranian) year (starting from March 20)," Dehghan was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency late on Tuesday. "The Emad misisle is not a violation of the nuclear deal or any U.N. resolution since we will never use a nuclear warhead (on it). It's an allegation," he said, adding that mass production would begin in the near future. Iran is also due to start taking delivery of the S-300 missiles system from Russia in the next two months, Dehghan said, and the order would be completed by the end of the year. Russia cancelled a contract to deliver the advanced anti-missile rocket system to Iran in 2010 under pressure from the West following U.N. sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme. Tehran and Moscow have also started talks on the supply of the Russian-made Sukhoi-30 fighter jets to Iran, Dehghan said. "We have even decided on the number of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets that we want to buy," Dehghan said. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Sam Wilkin and Andrew Heavens) By Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) - One Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded when security forces clashed with Kurdish militants crossing over from Syria, the army said on Wednesday, hours after Ankara summoned the U.S. ambassador over Washington's support for Syrian Kurds. The latest clash could add to Turkish frustrations with its NATO ally Washington which supports the PYD Syrian Kurds in the battle against Islamic State in Syria. Ankara sees the fighters as terrorists, citing their links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has carried out a violent, three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey's southeast. As well as battling both a Kurdish insurgency and Islamic State, Turkey has been grappling with an influx of more than 2.5 million refugees since the start of the Syrian civil war. Separately, military sources said the army seized up to 15 kg of explosives and four suicide-bomber vests when it detained 34 people trying to cross into Turkey from an area in Syria under Islamic State control. It has announced such seizures in the past. Turkish soldiers spotted seven PKK militants entering Sirnak province's Cizre district from Syria on Tuesday evening and, as they clashed, one soldier was killed and one wounded, the Turkish armed forces said. In another incident, one police officer was killed and another wounded when PKK rebels launched a rocket attack on an armoured vehicle in the town of Sirnak, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. It was not clear when that attack occurred. ENVOY SUMMONED The area of Syria near where the soldiers clashed is controlled by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD). Tensions between Ankara and Washington flared up again over the PYD after State Department Spokesman John Kirby said on Monday the United States did not regard the group as a terrorist organisation. In response, Ankara summoned the U.S. ambassador to express its displeasure. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that the United States' refusal to label the PYD as terrorists, while applying that label to the PKK was unacceptable. "If you're putting one of them on your terror list, and ignoring the other, that's naive to say the least - and unacceptable," Cavusoglu said while on an official visit to Hungary. Turkey fears that the advances by Syrian Kurds against Islamic State on its 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria will fuel separatist ambitions among its own Kurds. It has been conducting a violent crackdown on the PKK in the southeast, with hundred of militants, security force members and civilians killed as the military tries to force the PKK out of towns and cities across the region. (Additional reporting by Gergely Szakacs in Budapest and Tulay Karadeniz in Ankara; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by David Dolan and Andrew Heavens) By Sylvia Westall DUBAI (Reuters) - Kuwait backs international efforts against hardline Islamist groups in Iraq and Syria although the Gulf Arab state's constitution prevents it from fighting in anything but defensive wars, a senior Kuwaiti official said. Kuwait, a U.S. ally and neighbour of Saudi Arabia and Iraq, is part of a 34-nation alliance announced by Riyadh in December aimed at countering Islamic State and al Qaeda in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan. Several Gulf Arab states including Kuwait also provide varying kinds of support to a U.S.-led coalition that has been fighting Islamic State in Syria since 2014. The issue of Gulf Arab participation in Iraq and Syria has come to the fore because Saudi Arabia said on Monday it was open to sending special forces to Syria, and the United Arab Emirates has said it would be willing to send troops to train and support a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State. "Kuwait stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our brothers in Saudi on all fronts. We are always ready and able to provide what is needed to our Gulf partners within the confines of our constitution," said Sheikh Mohammad al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Kuwait's minister for cabinet affairs, in an interview in Dubai. Speaking late on Monday, he said this could be "intelligence-sharing, the provision of establishments required by the coalition to facilitate their activities". He did not elaborate. AIRFIELDS Diplomats in the region have said Kuwait has permitted some foreign air forces participating in the U.S.-led coalition to use airfields in its territory. Major OPEC oil producer Kuwait, which was invaded by Iraq in 1990, can declare defensive war if under direct threat, according to the constitution which states: "The emir declares defensive war by decree. Offensive war is prohibited." Home to several U.S. military bases, Kuwait suffered its deadliest militant attack in decades in June when a Saudi suicide bomber blew himself up inside a packed Shi'ite mosque, killing 27 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility. "It's very difficult to stop a lone, deranged person from doing something like that," Sheikh Mohammad said, when asked about security measures since the attack. "However many new procedures have been put in place in public areas in order to make it more difficult ... be it religious venues or commercial or social venues." This included new legislation requiring government buildings to install closed-circuit television and for private institutions to have CCTV with a data log in public areas. He described the attack as a failed attempt to stir up sectarian tensions in Kuwait, which is home to a sizeable Shi'ite minority active in business and politics. "If anything, that bombing showed the world, and showed specifically the deranged people who adhere to this skewed doctrine, what it is to be Kuwaiti," said Sheikh Mohammad, a member of the ruling Al Sabah family. "It brought us closer together," he said, because it had reawakened the idea of Kuwaiti national identity. IRAN Kuwait, which sits across the Gulf from Shi'ite Muslim power Iran, welcomed Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers and hoped it would bring greater regional security. But, like other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, it stood beside Saudi Arabia in a flare-up of tensions between Riyadh and Tehran. That erupted when Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shi'ite cleric on Jan. 2 and Iranian protesters retaliated by attacking Saudi diplomatic missions. Iran should respect Saudi Arabia's implementation of its sovereign law, Sheikh Mohammad said. "What occurred in the aftermath, specifically the abhorrent infringement of the Vienna convention and the bullying tactics with the Saudi embassy and consulate ... were and are a great cause for concern in Kuwait, the GCC and the wider diplomatic world." Sheikh Mohammad, who is also acting minister of electricity and water, said Kuwait's widening budget deficit had made urgent economic reforms necessary, including reducing subsidies for utilities, which he said would help prevent waste. Most Gulf states are planning economic reforms as low oil prices strain their finances. Kuwait needed to protect its welfare programme over the longer term, to ensure it is enjoyed by those who need it, by cutting out "free-riders" from the system, he said. The plan, which would be Kuwait's biggest subsidies reform since the 1980s, is being discussed by the government and parliament this week. Thanks to subsidies it costs just over $10 to fill a car's 50-litre petrol tank while electricity costs less than 1 U.S. cent per kilowatt hour, a fraction of what it costs to produce. "One of the issues that is worrying for us, is within the next 10-15 years, if electricity and water consumption remains at present levels, more than a quarter of installed oil production will have to go to the power plants, irrespective of what the price of the barrel is," he said, adding it was important to maximise oil exports. (Editing by William Maclean and Giles Elgood) Moscow on Wednesday warned that Washington's deployment of a US missile defence system to South Korea could spark an arms race in the region. South Korean and US defence officials said last week they would begin formal talks on the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System (THAAD) system in response to North Korea's recent nuclear and missile tests. "The appearance of elements of the US global missile defence system in the region -- which is characterised by a very difficult security situation -- can provoke an arms race in Northeast Asia and complicate the resolution of the nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula," said the Russian foreign ministry. "On a more global scale, this step can increase the destructive influence of the US global missile defence system on international security and stability." The foreign ministry reiterated that Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests "could not but inspire strong condemnation" but accused Washington of using them to expand its missile defence system. The US insists that the defence system is a deterrent necessitated by the North's advancing ballistic missile programme. China has also argued it would undermine stability in the delicately balanced region. Pyongyang has said that the deployment of a missile defence system would be a Cold War tactic to "contain" China and Russia. The THAAD system, in service since 2008, includes truck-mounted launchers, radars, interceptor missiles and global communications links. Five THAAD batteries are currently operational, according to the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, and two more were ordered in 2014. North Korea's rocket launch last week, widely seen as a disguised long-range missile test, sparked international fury and prompted an agreement at the UN Security Council to slap new sanctions against the increasingly defiant state. The launch, which violated multiple UN resolutions, came just weeks after Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test. By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepals ethnic minority groups lifted a four-month-old blockade along a major trading point with India on Monday, saying it didn't want ordinary people to suffer anymore, but vowed to carry on with its campaign against the new constitution. The Madhesi Front of four small parties based in the Tarai lowlands launched the strike in September to force Nepal's major political parties to amend the new charter and give them a greater role in the power structure. But the strike has led to a severe fuel shortage, and last week traders, fed up with the prolonged closure of the border crossing, burned the tents of the Madhesi activists and removed the barriers they had placed on the open border with India. "We have called off the protests at the border, transport strike and closure of government offices, said Sarbendra Nath Shukla of the Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party, part of the Madhesi Front. Trucks began moving through the main border point at Birgunj for the first time in more than four months on Friday after the traders chased away the protesters. Nepal made changes to the constitution to ensure greater participation of the Madhesis in parliament but the community leaders said the amendments failed to address their central fear of redrawing the provincial borders in a way that would divide them. Shukla said the Madhesi Front would try to rally the public against the new charter with signature campaigns and public meetings. (Additional reporting by Ross Adkin; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani) By Wiktor Szary WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will join the fight against Islamic State, its defence minister said on Wednesday, though he signalled that the scale of its involvement would depend on NATO's response to Russia's renewed assertiveness on the alliance's eastern flank. The announcement, made by Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz after a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter in Brussels, confirmed an earlier Reuters report that Poland would boost its Middle East involvement in an attempt to convince its allies to shift NATO forces eastwards. "Poland has joined the actions, which are now so crucial, on NATO's southern flank," Macierewicz told reporters. "When it comes to details ... we will continue to discuss it, particularly as we consider it in the broad context of NATO's situation, hoping that both the U.S. and NATO as a whole will back Poland and other countries on the eastern flank with their ... permanent presence." Alarmed by Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014 and its support for armed separatists in eastern Ukraine, Poland hopes NATO will agree at a summit in Warsaw in July to send more troops to former communist eastern Europe. NATO agreed on Wednesday its boldest steps yet to deter Russia from any attack in the Baltics or elsewhere in eastern Europe, setting out ways to rapidly deploy air, naval and ground forces without resorting to Cold War-era military bases. The United States and its allies are bombing Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq, where the militant group occupies swathes of territory. Poland's contribution to the campaign against Islamic State could involve reconnaissance and training, Macierewicz said. NATO defence ministers are meeting in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for the Warsaw summit. (Reporting by Wiktor Szary; Editing by Gareth Jones) By John Irish and Louis Charbonneau PARIS/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Major powers meeting in Germany on Thursday aim to revive Syria peace efforts, but with Russia backing a government push for a military victory, opposition delegates and Western officials see little hope of a diplomatic breakthrough. United Nations Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura halted the first attempt to negotiate an end to Syria's war in two years after an unprecedented offensive by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Western-backed rebels supported by Russian air strikes. In an attempt to prevent a collapse of diplomatic efforts to end Syria's five-year-old civil war, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is pushing for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid access ahead of a meeting of the so-called International Syria Support Group (ISSG) in Munich this week. But one U.N. diplomatic source said Russia was "stringing Kerry along" in order to provide diplomatic cover for Moscow's real goal - to help Assad win on the battlefield instead of compromising at the negotiating table. "It's clear to everyone now that Russia really doesn't want a negotiated solution but for Assad to win," said the diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity. A senior adviser to Assad, Bouthaina Shaaban, told Reuters in Damascus on Tuesday that there would be no let-up in the army advance, which aimed to recapture the city of Aleppo from rebels and secure Syria's border with Turkey. TARGET DATE De Mistura set a target date of Feb. 25 to reconvene talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva. But in less than two weeks, the offensive by Syrian forces, Hezbollah and Shiite militias directed by Iran - all backed by Russian bombing raids - have reversed opposition gains on the ground and encircled rebels inside Aleppo, a strategic prize now divided between government and opposition control. This has caused alarm among U.N. and Western officials, who believe the goal of the Russian-Syrian-Iranian campaign is to destroy the opposition's negotiating power in Geneva, kill them on the ground, and secure the first major military victory since Moscow began bombing opposition forces in Syria in September. "It'll be easy to get a ceasefire soon because the opposition will all be dead," a Western diplomat told Reuters. "That's a very effective ceasefire." The latest fighting around Aleppo has killed about 500 people on all sides, a monitoring group said. Rebel groups say that while Washington put pressure on them to attend peace talks, there is less commitment to helping them on the battlefield. Appeals for anti-aircraft missiles to counter the latest offensive are falling on deaf ears. Other Western officials said Kerry overestimated his influence and ability to bring the Russians around. They said he appeared to believe that since he achieved what some saw as unachievable by getting a nuclear deal with Iran he could do the same with Syria. They noted that the two cases were different. With Iran, Russia wanted a political agreement whereas in Syria it is pushing for a military victory by the Syrian government. "The Russians are playing cat and mouse with Kerry," said a senior European diplomat. While it will not be difficult to get Russia to agree on an increase in aid deliveries, Western officials said, Moscow is clearly not committed to a comprehensive ceasefire that would halt what it seems as military momentum that favours the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed supporters. FALSE ASSUMPTIONS "U.S. policy was always based on a series of false assumptions. The main false assumption was that there is no military solution to the Syria crisis," said Christopher Harmer, an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War. "The Assad regime has no interest in a political solution," he said. "The Russians have no interest in a political solution. Iran has no interest in a political solution. Hezbollah has no interest in a political solution." Russia says its air strikes have been targeting Islamic State, a militant Islamist group that has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq, and not Western-backed opposition groups. But U.S. and European officials say that is not the case. Fewer than 30 percent of Russia's air strikes are targeting Islamic State, a group that a U.S.-led coalition conducts bombing sorties against on a daily basis, Western officials say. From the beginning, ISSG, which includes the United States and Russia, as well as key regional powers such as rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran and European nations, has been struggling to find common ground within its disparate ranks on ending the Syrian war. After agreeing in November a road map for a ceasefire, U.N.-brokered talks between the government and opposition, and eventual elections, the ISSG has been unable to move ahead with peace talks. Some officials predict that the talks, like the opposition, could die a slow death in the coming months. BICKERING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS A December meeting of the group was largely characterized by closed-door bickering about which groups in Syria should or should not be labelled a terrorist organization, which would bar them from the negotiating table. Jordan had been assigned the task of drawing up the list and collected proposals from members of the group. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was infuriated when he saw that someone had proposed putting the Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, which is actively supporting Assad, on the list of terrorist groups. "Zarif suggested that Iran might propose including the CIA as well," a Western diplomat said. After that, Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who were chairing the meeting, briefly discussed the idea of having the CIA included. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar have not hidden their view that there is little holding international negotiations when the Russian air strikes and Syrian government advance continue. On the other side, Iran has made clear that it believes the Saudis - not Iran, Russia or Assad - are the major obstacle to peace. "There are some countries that it seems don't want peace to be restored in Syria," a senior official involved in the Syria talks said. He also predicted there would be no breakthrough in Munich. Meanwhile, Western-backed opposition figures have become increasingly exasperated by what they see as a failure of the Americans to put sufficient pressure on Russia to stop bombing them. They say it is it is impossible to negotiate when they are being bombed. "One cannot expect the opposition to negotiate with a gun to their heads," French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre said in New York. Advised by Western officials, notably France and Britain, and backed by Saudi Arabia and Turkey in particular, the disparate opposition groups representing political and armed factions in the talks are demanding concrete measures before returning to Geneva. The Kremlin rejects claims that it has abandoned diplomacy in pursuit of a military solution, saying it would continue to providing military aid to Assad to fight "terrorist groups" and accusing Syria's opposition of walking away from the talks. Diplomats said Kerry was taken aback by the sudden shift in the Russian position from apparently supporting efforts to replace Assad to throwing its military might behind him. "You couldn't sabotage the process more than what the Russians have already done," said a senior Western official. "I don't see any hope today." (Additional reporting Parisa Hafezi in Ankara, Jonathan Landay in Washington and Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by Giles Elgood) By Joern Poeltz BAD AIBLING, Germany (Reuters) - Ten people were killed and at least 81 injured on Tuesday when two passenger trains collided head-on at high speed in remote countryside in southern Germany. One passenger was still missing, police said, and 18 of those injured were in a serious condition. The crash happened during the morning rush-hour about half way along a six-km (four-mile) stretch between the spa town of Bad Aibling and Kolbermoor in Bavaria, near to the border with Austria. Ambulances could not reach the site, which was heavily wooded with a steep hill on one side and a river on the other, so helicopters had to airlift people to nearby hospitals. Police said recovery operations with heavy machinery would be suspended overnight and restart at daybreak on Wednesday. The trains had been carrying about 100 passengers, mainly commuters. Police said more people would have been travelling if it had not been a holiday week. Hundreds of emergency service workers, including mountain rescue teams, worked to save passengers at the crash site, where several derailed blue, yellow and grey train carriages lay on their side next to the track. Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the trains and track had been fitted with an automatic brake system that was introduced across Germany after 10 people died in 2011 near Magdeburg when a train driver drove through two red signals. "It's one of the biggest accidents we have had in the last few years," he said. Germany's most serious post-war train accident occurred in 1998 when 101 people were killed near the northern town of Eschede after a high speed ICE train crashed. Dobrindt said both trains on Tuesday must have been travelling at high speed entering a curve and the drivers had probably not seen each other. Police declined to comment on the cause of the crash. They appealed for people to donate blood. Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed shock and sent her condolences to families of the victims. "I trust that the authorities responsible will do everything they can to clear up how this accident could happen," she said in a statement. Dobrindt said an investigation had begun and that the priority was to find out whether the cause was a technical problem or human error. The trains' operator, Meridian, is part of French passenger transport firm Transdev, which is jointly owned by state-owned bank CDC and water and waste firm Veolia. Transdev said in a statement that management and staff were terribly shocked by the "exceptionally serious accident" and that Chief Executive Jean-Marc Janaillac was at the scene. State-owned Deutsche Bahn is responsible for the track, which has a speed limit of 100 km per hour. The company said the safety system had been checked last week. (Additional reporting by Rene Wagner and Thomas Seythal in Berlin, Michael Dalder in Bad Aibling, and by Geert de Clercq in Paris; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Gareth Jones) By John Irish and Louis Charbonneau PARIS/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Syrian rebels called on U.S. President Barack Obama to do more to stop Russian bombing raids in support of a military offensive by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad that threatens to scupper new peace talks this week. World powers are meeting in Germany on Thursday in an attempt to revive peace efforts, but with Moscow backing a government push for all-out military victory, opposition delegates and Western officials see little hope of a breakthrough. United Nations Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura halted the first attempt to negotiate an end to Syria's war in two years after an unprecedented offensive by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Western-backed rebels supported by Russian air strikes. In an attempt to prevent a collapse of diplomatic efforts to end Syria's five-year-old civil war, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is pushing for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid access ahead of a meeting of the so-called International Syria Support Group (ISSG) in Munich. But one U.N. diplomatic source said Russia was "stringing Kerry along" in order to provide diplomatic cover for Moscow's real goal - to help Assad win on the battlefield instead of compromising at the negotiating table. "It's clear to everyone now that Russia really doesn't want a negotiated solution but for Assad to win," said the diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity. A senior adviser to Assad, Bouthaina Shaaban, told Reuters in Damascus on Tuesday that there would be no let-up in the army advance, which aimed to recapture the city of Aleppo from rebels and secure Syria's border with Turkey. Saudi-backed rebels said they would go to Munich and attend U.N. peace talks later this month but called on Obama to be more forceful with Russia over its bombing. Spokesman Salim al-Muslat said: "I believe he can really stop these attacks by the Russians on Syrians. If he is willing to save our children it is really the time now to say 'no' to these strikes in Syria." "I believe he can do it but it is really strange for us that we don't hear this from him," Muslat told Reuters. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also questioned the commitment of the United States to resolving the war. "There are the ambiguities including among the actors of the coalition ... I'm not going to repeat what I've said before about the main pilot of the coalition," Fabius said. "But we don't have the feeling that there is a very strong commitment that is there." Rebel groups say that while Washington has put pressure on them to attend peace talks, they see less help on the battlefield. Appeals for anti-aircraft missiles to counter the latest offensive are falling on deaf ears. TARGET DATE De Mistura set a target date of Feb. 25 to reconvene talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva. But in less than two weeks, the offensive by Syrian forces, Hezbollah and Shiite militias directed by Iran - all backed by Russian bombing raids - have reversed opposition gains on the ground and encircled rebels inside Aleppo, a strategic prize now divided between government and opposition control. This has caused alarm among U.N. and Western officials, who believe the goal of the Russian-Syrian-Iranian campaign is to destroy the opposition's negotiating power in Geneva, kill them on the ground, and secure the first major military victory since Moscow began bombing opposition forces in Syria in September. "It'll be easy to get a ceasefire soon because the opposition will all be dead," a Western diplomat told Reuters. "That's a very effective ceasefire." The latest fighting around Aleppo has killed about 500 people on all sides, a monitoring group said. Other Western officials said Kerry overestimated his influence and ability to bring the Russians around. They said he appeared to believe that since he achieved what some saw as unachievable by getting a nuclear deal with Iran he could do the same with Syria. They noted that the two cases were different. With Iran, Russia wanted a political agreement whereas in Syria it is pushing for a military victory by the Syrian government. "The Russians are playing cat and mouse with Kerry," said a senior European diplomat. While it will not be difficult to get Russia to agree on an increase in aid deliveries, Western officials said, Moscow is clearly not committed to a comprehensive ceasefire that would halt what it seems as military momentum that favours the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed supporters. FALSE ASSUMPTIONS "U.S. policy was always based on a series of false assumptions. The main false assumption was that there is no military solution to the Syria crisis," said Christopher Harmer, an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War. "The Assad regime has no interest in a political solution," he said. "The Russians have no interest in a political solution. Iran has no interest in a political solution. Hezbollah has no interest in a political solution." Russia says its air strikes have been targeting Islamic State, a militant Islamist group that has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq, and not Western-backed opposition groups. But U.S. and European officials say that is not the case. Fewer than 30 percent of Russia's air strikes are targeting Islamic State, a group that a U.S.-led coalition conducts bombing sorties against on a daily basis, Western officials say. From the beginning, ISSG, which includes the United States and Russia, as well as key regional powers such as rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran and European nations, has been struggling to find common ground within its disparate ranks on ending the Syrian war. After agreeing in November a road map for a ceasefire, U.N.-brokered talks between the government and opposition, and eventual elections, the ISSG has been unable to move ahead with peace talks. Some officials predict that the talks, like the opposition, could die a slow death in the coming months. BICKERING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS A December meeting of the group was largely characterized by closed-door bickering about which groups in Syria should or should not be labelled a terrorist organization, which would bar them from the negotiating table. Jordan had been assigned the task of drawing up the list and collected proposals from members of the group. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was infuriated when he saw that someone had proposed putting the Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, which is actively supporting Assad, on the list of terrorist groups. "Zarif suggested that Iran might propose including the CIA as well," a Western diplomat said. After that, Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who were chairing the meeting, briefly discussed the idea of having the CIA included. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar have not hidden their view that there is little holding international negotiations when the Russian air strikes and Syrian government advance continue. On the other side, Iran has made clear that it believes the Saudis - not Iran, Russia or Assad - are the major obstacle to peace. "There are some countries that it seems don't want peace to be restored in Syria," a senior official involved in the Syria talks said. He also predicted there would be no breakthrough in Munich. The Kremlin rejects claims that it has abandoned diplomacy in pursuit of a military solution, saying it would continue to providing military aid to Assad to fight "terrorist groups" and accusing Syria's opposition of walking away from the talks. (Additional reporting Parisa Hafezi in Ankara, Jonathan Landay in Washington and Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by Giles Elgood) Syrian farmer Mahmud Turki was sitting on his couch at sunset watching the news with his family after eating supper. Then an air strike hit his home and turned his life upside down. His story is typical of accounts of the "hell" that is life in the war-scarred region around the northern city of Aleppo, where up to 31,000 people have fled as government forces press an offensive against rebels, according to the UN. "The moment of the air strike... nobody can describe it," Turki -- stitches still in his head and his body covered in bruises -- said from his hospital bed in neighbouring Turkey, where he was among just a few allowed across for treatment. "I lost consciousness. The roof fell on me and on my children. I remember hearing the voice of my wife asking me if I was alive or dead," he told AFP. Turki, 45, was admitted to hospital in the border town of Kilis on Friday after being pulled alive by his friends from the rubble of his home in Minnigh. - 'How can we endure it?' - Fierce fighting in Aleppo province -- sparked by a week-long government assault backed by Russian air support -- have displaced tens of thousands of people. Alaa Najjar also arrived in Turkey on Friday to be treated for a shoulder injury incurred during an aerial bombardment in Marea, also just north of Aleppo. "It was like hell. We couldn't stand the bombings. Even the animals couldn't stand them," he told AFP, saying there were up to four air strikes a day. "I had a kitten. When the kitten heard the sound of the planes, she ran directly under the bed. If animals were intimidated that much, how can human beings endure it?" Russia launched a bombing campaign in Syria last year at the request of President Bashar al-Assad, saying it was targeting the Islamic State group and other jihadist organisations. The West has accused Russia of targeting more moderate factions that oppose Assad's regime, and Syrian activists say the strikes have killed civilians, allegations Moscow dismisses as "absurd". Russian backing has helped Assad's forces make significant advances in recent months - including its latest offensive seeking to encircle rebel-held areas of Aleppo and sever their supply lines to Turkey. - Surrounded on all sides - Rebel fighter Mohammad crossed the border on Tuesday, walking with crutches and bandages around his right leg and a finger. "The situation is very bad. People are fleeing. The town was completely destroyed by Russian air bombardment," the 30-year-old -- whose father was killed when six Russian air strikes hit his town -- told AFP. "We are besieged by the Russians on one side, the YPG (Syrian Kurds) from the west and Daesh (Islamic State) from the east, and the (Syrian) regime from the other side." Aleppo was once Syria's thriving economic powerhouse, home to several World Heritage sites including its famed ancient souk and citadel. But it has been ravaged by war and divided since mid-2012 between government control in the west and rebel control in the east. Regime air strikes in the east, where they also use barrel bombs, have caused massive destruction, rendering parts of whole neighbourhoods virtually unlivable. Rebels also fire mostly crude and unguided missiles into the west, often killing civilians. Fleeing Syrians have been massing for days around the Bab al-Salama border gate across from Turkey's Oncupinar border point, which remains closed. - 'The murderer Putin' - Turkish officials say the border is kept open for "emergency situations," including the evacuation of the injured like Turki and Najjar. Ambulances and aid trucks are seen coming back and forth throughout the day. Turki was taken to Turkey in an ambulance before his family who arrived three days later. Taking AFP to their room where his daughter Raghad was sleeping and four-year-old son Mussa was with his wife, Turki said his two children had skull fractures that required surgery. The father asked little Mussa, with a bandage on his head: "Who attacked us?" Mussa answered: "Bashar's air strikes." Turki lashed out at the international community for lack of action on Syria and denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's bombing campaign. "There is no international community, no United Nations, no Geneva. NGOs are just a lie. The Security Council is also a lie," he said. He poured scorn on Putin's claim only to be targeting Islamic State and other jihadist groups, pointing sarcastically to his children and saying: "They are Daesh members hit by Putin's air strikes." "They are Daesh. The murderer Putin, the killer of children." By Juarawee Kittisilpa and Amy Sawitta Lefevre SATTAHIP, Thailand (Reuters) - The largest multilateral military exercise in Asia-Pacific kicked off on Tuesday in Thailand, with the United States maintaining a scaled down presence due to a 2014 coup in Bangkok and calling for a swift return to democracy. The exercise, attended by some 27 countries this year, also comes amid rising tension in the region following North Korea's latest rocket launch. It also follows an attack in Jakarta last month that killed eight and was claimed by Islamic State, the radical group's first assault on Indonesia. The Cobra Gold military exercise has been held annually in Thailand for more than three decades but the United States scaled down its presence following a May 2014 coup by the Thai military. "As in 2015 when the exercise was significantly refocused and scaled down in light of the military coup, in 2016 it will remain somewhat reduced in size...to reflect U.S. concerns about Thailands political developments," U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Glyn Davies told reporters. "Diplomatic ties are not on hold with Thailand. Certainly the military ties are not on hold with Thailand." Washington has sent 3,600 troops for this year's exercise, the same as last year, said Major Dave Eastburn, a spokesman for the U.S. military. Thailand's junta, known as the National Council for Peace and Order, has faced repeated criticism for what rights groups say is a deepening slide into authoritarianism since the army took power. Following the coup, the U.S. responded by freezing $4.7 million of security-related aid and cancelling some security cooperation. The United States and others have called for a swift return to democracy for Southeast Asia's second-largest economy but, with the election timeline ever-sliding, how soon polls will take place remains unclear. The military generals running Thailand have previously made a new constitution a prerequisite for a general election but last month Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the vote would go ahead in mid-2017, even if it had to be held under an old constitution. Since the coup, Thailand, a long-time Washington ally, has cosied up to regional superpower China, which says it supports the Thai military government. (Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Michael Perry) By Mohammed Ghobari and Yara Bayoumy CAIRO/DUBAI (Reuters) - The recapture of Aden by Gulf Arab coalition troops last summer has failed to provide any respite from Yemen's civil war, with residents facing a wave of bomb and gun attacks that is crippling efforts to stabilise the city. Seven months after rebel fighters from the Iranian-allied Houthi militia were driven out of the strategic southern port, there are almost daily assassinations of judges, security officials and police. Since July, the Gulf coalition and local security forces have struggled to impose order in Aden, opening the way for Islamic State, al Qaeda and other armed groups to operate there with impunity. The challenges in Aden show how difficult it will be to restore order to a country gripped by months of conflict in which 6,000 have been killed and where Islamist militants have exploited widespread security weaknesses in what Saudi Arabia sees as its backyard. In Aden's Mansoura district, al Qaeda have clashed in the streets with local security forces. Four Yemeni soldiers and three civilians were killed in heavy clashes overnight between security forces and suspected Islamist militants in old Mansoura, a local official said on Tuesday. Residents reported that the area was rocked by blasts as aircraft believed to belong to the Arab coalition flew above, and the gunbattles set ablaze a newly-built mall. The local official said dozens of gunmen belonging either to Islamic State or al Qaeda are thought to be holed up in the neighbourhood among hundreds of civilians. A Reuters witness described a tense scene in the neighbourhood as residents stayed in their homes for their safety and armed militants walked the streets. Residents said a family of four including two little girls were killed when an errant RPG crashed into their apartment as they were sleeping. The Saudi-led coalition launched military operations this year to prevent the Houthis, whom Riyadh sees as a proxy for its enemy Iran, from taking control of Yemen after they seized much of the north. For their part, the Houthis deny backing from Tehran and accuse the coalition of launching a war of aggression. Continuing violence in Aden, the biggest prize yet won by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in Yemen's 10-month-old civil war, threatens to undermine the campaign waged on his behalf by the coalition against the Houthis and army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. "If we leave the situation as it is, you will have the situation you have in Libya," coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri said, referring to the situation in Yemen as a whole. A lot of people who oppose the Houthis would form their own militias, he said, and Islamic State would also see an opportunity. "There will be a chaotic situation. So I think when we start something we have to finish it, by bringing back security and stability to Yemen," Asseri told Reuters. PATCHWORK OF RIVAL GROUPS Islamist militants from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have mounted operations in southern Yemen, including Aden, for years. But the pace of attacks in Aden has accelerated since July, when local forces backed by Hadi's government and the Saudi-led alliance recaptured the city from the Houthis after months of street fighting, but have seemingly failed to secure it. Aden residents blame the attacks on Islamist militants, including the Yemeni wing of Islamic State, who appear to be present in the city. But in reality, it is impossible to know who is responsible, given the number of armed groups in Aden and the authorities' failure to investigate. The coalition and Aden's security forces suspect that Saleh and loyalist fighters are orchestrating the violence to derail any progress in Aden. Saleh, ousted after Arab Spring protests in 2011 and whose exact whereabouts are unknown, denies such accusations. In December alone, the governor of Aden, a colonel in the southern secessionist movement that seeks independence from Yemen, and a senior militia leader fighting alongside the government, were all killed. Three senior southern Yemeni officials narrowly escaped a car bomb attack in January. Regardless of who is behind the attacks, stabilising Aden is a priority for the Saudis, not only to counter Islamist militants, but to show that Riyadh's aggressive intervention to stop what it sees as Iranian expansionism is working. "Restoring some modicum of security to Aden remains a - if not the - key challenge facing the coalition and their allies in Yemen," Adam Baron, a Yemen specialist with the European Council of Foreign Relations, told Reuters. "While it's certainly not an insurmountable one, it's proven - unsurprisingly - difficult, owing to the myriad of differing factions and a significant influx of arms, to say nothing of the widespread destruction and dissolution of order owing to months of conflict." The International Crisis Group said that after nearly a year of combat, no side is close to a decisive military victory. "Neither is defeated or exhausted; both believe they can make additional military gains; and neither has been willing to make the compromises required to end the violence," it said in a report. BATS OF DARKNESS Spooked by the attacks in Aden, one southern secessionist activist said he had moved to Sanaa, which is under Houthi control. "In Aden, if you leave your home, you can't guarantee that you will return safely," said Fahmy, who declined to have his full name published out of fear for his safety. Extremists can shoot at people in shops, in the market where the drug qat is sold, or while they are travelling in their cars, he said. East of Aden, al Qaeda militants have taken control of entire towns, meeting little resistance before displaying their black flags and setting up checkpoints. Even Hadi, who fled Aden last year when the Houthis overran the city, never ventures too far from home since returning to his temporary capital in November. In late January, a suicide car bomb targeted a security checkpoint near the gate of the palace where he lives, killing at least six people, in an attack claimed by Islamic State. Aden's security directorate has blamed attacks in recent weeks on the "bats of darkness", groups it says are affiliated to intelligence services and armed gangs loyal to Saleh and the Houthis, rather than Islamic State. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Asseri also said attacks ostensibly claimed by Islamic State in Yemen are really the work of Saleh and his loyalists to make it appear that the government is unable to run the country. In the meantime, Aden residents say coalition forces, mostly troops from the United Arab Emirates, are rarely seen on the streets. Many in the city doubt the security situation will improve anytime soon. "We never think we won't be targeted," said Salah Saqladi, a journalist. "The coalition has been weak to a large extent," he said. "There are many coalition troops in Aden and the suburbs, but they're all in their bases and haven't spread out on the streets." (Additional reporting by Mohammed Mukhashef in Aden and Angus McDowall in Riyadh; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by William Maclean and Giles Elgood) Policy & Funding Tech Ed Getting Short Shrift in President's Proposed Budget As experts pore over the details of the proposed Fiscal Year 2017 budget just released by the White House, one education technology organization has already begun preparing for collateral damage related to the amount allocated to enrichment grants. When Congress passed and President Obama signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESSA) into law in December, the act included a provision for "student support and academic enrichment grants," which were to be used to support technology usage by schools, as well as other activities. The recent budget proposes $500 million for the new grants, an amount considered a pittance by ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education. Under the statute, the money would be allocated by the Department of Education to states using a formula that takes into account each state's share of Title I, Part A funds, those monies trickled down to local education agencies and schools with high numbers of children from low-income families. States would turn around and allocate "sub-grants" to the LEAs, which are supposed to prioritize activities that support schools they deem of the greatest need. According to ESSA, the school agencies that receive $30,000 or more need to spend at least a fifth of their allocation on "well-rounded education activities," at least a fifth on activities for promoting "safe and healthy students," and "a portion of remaining funds" on other activities that promote the effective use of ed tech. By the time the rest of those allocations are handed out, ISTE suggested in a prepared statement, there will be too little left to support the effective expansion of technology that American schools need. "This figure falls well short indeed, it's less than one-third of the Title IV authorization level Congress passed by an overwhelming majority and the President signed into law just two months ago," said ISTE CEO Brian Lewis. "It's particularly puzzling to ISTE, given the administration's otherwise powerful education technology legacy." ISTE's concern is that the technology professional development those funds could have covered will be greatly reduced. "Title IV of ESSA is designed to encourage school districts to provide technology professional development to teachers, principals and administrators. But it will be of only limited effect with so little money allocated to it." Less educator training, Lewis added, will "decrease the value of other crucial and much-needed investments," including E-rate-funded technology expansions and the president's recent commitment to universal student education coding and computer science. Lewis vowed to "work hard" to persuade Congress to allocate "greater funding" for Title IV in the eventual appropriations bill. "Our children's futures, and, in fact, our collective future, are too valuable to skimp now." Today in One Paragraph New Hampshire residents headed to the polls to cast their ballot in the first-in-the-nation primary. President Obama sent his eighth and final budget to Congress. In a Senate hearing, top U.S. intelligence officials warned of looming threats from both ISIS and North Korea. The International Energy Agency said demand for oil is expected to slow down. And more than 40,000 released felons in Maryland now have the right to vote. Top News Primary Watch. The polls in New Hampshire close between 7 and 8 p.m. ET. Follow along for live coverage of the results as they come in tonight here. ( The Atlantic staff) Dead on Arrival. President Obama submitted his $4 trillion budget proposal to a Republican-controlled Congress, which included a multi-billion dollar cyber-security initiative. Just a few days ago, Republicans in both the House and Senate budget committees snubbed the administration by announcing that they would not grant a hearing for the proposal. (Jackie Calmes, The New York Times) Recommended: The 2016 Presidential Cheat Sheet: Fiorina and Christie Drop Out Suffrage for Felons. In a 29-18 vote, the Maryland Senate granted felons the right to vote without having to first complete probation or parole. Supporters say civic responsibility will help felons become reacclimated to society. (Erin Cox, The Baltimore Sun) On the Hill. In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said that ISIS will likely attempt to direct attacks on the U.S. homeland in 2016. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper also noted that North Korea has restarted a plutonium reactor, which could also pose a threat. ( Deb Riechmann and Richard Lardner, Associated Press) A Huge Glut. In its monthly report, the International Energy Agency said that global oil prices are at risk of falling to less than $20 per barrel as a result of limited storage capacity. (Sean Farrell, The Guardian) Story continues Tomorrow in One Paragraph: Most of the presidential hopefuls will head to South Carolina ahead of the states primary on February 20. And the House Committee on Foreign Affairs holds a hearing on the Zika virus. Follow stories throughout the day with our new Politics & Policy page. And keep on top of the campaign with our 2016 Distilled election dashboard. Top Read: Though generally seen as cool-headed and quick on his feet, Rubio is known to friends, allies, and advisers for a kind of incurable anxiousness and an occasional propensity to panic in moments of crisis, both real and imagined. BuzzFeeds McKay Coppins on Marco Rubios latest debate performance and what it reveals about the freshman senator. Top Lines What Clinton Said. Attendees shared their recollections of Hillary Clintons paid speeches to Goldman Sachs, with one person claiming that if the Clinton campaign ever released the transcripts, It would bury her against Sanders. (Ben White, Politico) Recommended: The Supreme Court's Devastating Decision on Climate Kids These Days. The Atlantics Molly Ball examines the youth movement powering Bernie Sanders. The new campus left has adopted Bernie Sanders as its champion, and now he is riding the wave it has created, she writes. Top Views What to Look Out for in New Hampshire. For a deeper understanding of the nuances between the old mill cities and suburban towns of the Granite State, visit NPRs cheat-sheet on the first-in-the-nation primary. (Dan Barrick) Do Polls Matter? The Atlantics Andrew McGill explains why todays survey methods so often yield inaccurate results in this short video. We want to hear from you! Were reimagining what The Edge can be, and would love to receive your complaints, compliments, and suggestions. Tell us what youd like to find in your inbox by sending a message to newsletters@theatlantic.com. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. By Clare Baldwin and Donny Kwok HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong riot police fired warning shots on Tuesday during clashes that erupted in the Chinese-ruled city when authorities tried to remove illegal street stalls set up for Lunar New Year celebrations, the worst violence since pro-democracy protests in 2014. Demonstrators prised bricks from the sidewalk to hurl at police, while others toppled street signs and set fire to rubbish bins in Mong Kok, a tough, working-class neighbourhood just across the harbour from the heart of the Asian financial centre. "We have noticed a shift in some members of the public," said Hong Kong Police Commissioner Lo Wai-chung. "(They) have an inclination to use violence or radical acts in order to express their opinion." Nearly 90 police sustained injuries ranging from fractured bones to lacerations and bruises and 54 protesters were arrested, Lo said. Hong Kong television showed police officers being beaten with poles and sticks as they lay on the ground. Many protesters and police were also shown with blood streaming down their faces. Police said two warning shots were fired into the air, with pepper spray and batons also used to disperse the crowd. Television footage showed the shots were fired as protesters surrounded traffic police, pelting them with rubbish, bricks and bottles and wrestling one of them to the ground. Lo said the life of the officer who fired the shots was being threatened. He also said there would be a full investigation into the incident. The remains of burned bins and flower pots, chunks of brick and broken bottles lay scattered along the Nathan Road shopping strip, which leads to the harbour at Tsim Sha Tsui. A taxi with shattered windows was parked nearby. The narrow streets in and around Mong Kok were the scene of some of the most violent clashes during protests in late 2014 to demand greater democracy for the former British colony that returned to Beijing rule in 1997. The violence broke out after police moved in to clear illegal vendors who sell local delicacies, trinkets and household goods from makeshift streetside stalls. The hawkers, a common sight on Hong Kong's bustling streets, quickly attracted a strong social media following under the hashtag #FishballRevolution. Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said the government strongly condemned the violence. Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok said police were investigating indications the clashes had been organised. The protesters had dispersed by 8 a.m. (0000 GMT) but more than 100 had confronted police in a tense, pre-dawn stand-off during the Lunar New Year holiday, when most of the city is shut down. Police said they did not expect another riot on Tuesday night, when new year fireworks are planned over the harbour, but they were boosting manpower nonetheless. Hong Kong Indigenous, a "localist" group that is fielding a candidate in a Legislative Council by-election in a few weeks, was involved in the protest, though it was not immediately clear the role it played or the extent to which it was involved. The group said on its official Facebook page and confirmed to Reuters that its candidate, Edward Leung Tin-kei, had been arrested. Many so-called localists remain deeply embittered by the lack of any concessions from Beijing or Hong Kong authorities during the 2014 protests. Television footage showed protesters on Tuesday shouting: "Establish a Hong Kong country!" during running battles with police. The clashes in December 2014 came when authorities cleared the last of pro-democracy demonstrators from the streets after more than two months of protests that had presented Beijing with one of its greatest political challenges in decades. (Additional reporting by Anne Marie Roantree, Bobby Yip and James Pomfret; Editing by Paul Tait and Nick Macfie) By Ahmed Rasheed and Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's political blocs will likely resist Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's attempts to replace politically appointed ministers with technocrats, a possible last-ditch effort to reform the government that could end up costing the premier his position. Abadi, 18 months into his four-year term, said on Tuesday he wanted to reshuffle his cabinet, which was formed in 2014 and which distributed posts based loosely on political blocs' representation in parliament. He offered few details but appealed for cooperation from parliament, which must approve ministerial changes and has blocked earlier reform efforts. Politicians, diplomats and analysts doubt he has enough backing to overhaul Iraq's governing system, which distributes positions along ethnic and sectarian lines, creating powerful patronage networks. They said that Abadi may have set himself up for defeat and discussions have begun, mostly in private, about his possible replacement. "He is at the mercy of the blocs now. Unless they agree, he can't do anything," said Sami Askari, a senior lawmaker from Abadi's State of Law coalition. He said the most Abadi could hope for was "cosmetic changes" by replacing a few ministers with candidates from the same blocs, which would only add to his growing weakness. Politicians and diplomats said there could be moves at the ministries of finance, foreign affairs, transport, water and industry. Abadi's spokesman Saad al-Hadithi declined to comment on which ministers might be replaced but said Tuesday's announcement was "the beginning of a dialogue to know the seriousness of political blocs towards his initiative". Sunni lawmaker Hamid al-Mutlaq told Reuters he was sceptical of the premier's intentions but saw no other option. "If Abadi fails to win the blocs' full support this time around, the mismanagement of the state would push Iraq into the abyss," he said. SISTANI LOSES PATIENCE Abadi did not consult widely enough with political leaders before revealing his plan to reshuffle the cabinet, lawmakers and diplomats said, echoing a criticism of his earlier efforts to shake up Iraqi politics. "This announcement seems to have more buy-in than previous reform announcements but still not the buy-in of the full political spectrum," said a diplomat in Baghdad. Emboldened last summer by popular protests and a call for action by top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Abadi launched reforms in August aimed at dismantling a system of quotas and patronage that was put in place after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. His biggest challenges are reforming Iraq's corrupt military, which largely collapsed in the face of Islamic State advances in 2014, and streamlining a government seen as inept amid an economic crisis triggered by low oil prices. But Abadi's efforts became bogged down by legal challenges and opposition from entrenched interests, amid signs that Sistani was losing patience with the prime minister. Last week Sistani, whose opinion carries weight with millions of followers, suspended weekly sermons about political affairs in apparent frustration with Abadi. "In the early weeks when the Marjaiya (religious leadership) and the public wanted this, he could have put the blocs in the corner," said Askari. "No one dared say no to reform. But now they are willing to say no because the Marjaiya is fed up." The diplomat questioned the timing of Abadi's announcement, on the eve of a trip to Europe. "He's given his opponents a week to strategise. They may decide it's in their best interest to keep things how they are and replace him instead." (Editing by Dominic Evans) Three Hills Capital Partners has soared past 1bn for the final close of its fourth flagship fund, almost doubling the total it collected for its predecessor vehicle. Santa Clara, CA: Nissan North America is facing a Nissan North America is facing a defective automotive class action lawsuit alleging its side air bags in certain Nissan Frontier trucks deploy unnecessarily. The suit further claims that Nissan also refuses to pay for the resulting repairs. Defective Automotive Legal Help Filed by plaintiff Bobette Brantley, the lawsuit asserts that the automaker designed side air bags in 2011-2012 Nissan Frontier trucks to inflate in rollover and near rollover conditions. However, it failed to warn consumers about how sensitive the air bags and seatbelt pretensioner igniters actually are. The seatbelt pretensioner igniters tighten any slack in seatbelts during an accident.The lawsuit states that a defect in the class vehicles causes the side curtain air bags to deploy simultaneously and unnecessarily while also causing the seat belt pretensioner igniter to deploy. Once this happens, the vehicles are no longer safe to drive and consumers must pay thousands of dollars to have extensive repair work done.According to the lawsuit, "The deployment of the side curtain air bags and the seatbelt pretensioner igniters is extremely distracting to drivers of class vehicles. The distraction is of such a magnitude that drivers of class vehicles are at risk of losing control of class vehicles, greatly increasing the possibility of a traffic accident, and injury."In the suit, Brantley states that while she was driving her vehicle in December, in a way that she said Nissan represented the vehicle can be driven, the side curtain air bags suddenly and unexpectedly deployed, causing her to nearly lose control of the vehicle. As a result, she spent thousands of dollars to restore her Frontier to a safe, driveable condition.Brantley asserts that Nissan was aware of the alleged defect as a result of consumer complaints, internal testing and dealership repair records. However, she claims, the automaker failed to disclose the defect and, in fact, actively concealed it from consumers.The suit further claims that evidence of Nissan' knowledge of the alleged defect can be seen in the owner's manual for the Frontier, which states that the curtain air bags are designed to inflate in rollover or near rollover conditions and can inflate due to certain vehicle movements such as severe off-roading."It is plaintiff' contention, based upon plaintiff' own experiences, and based upon plaintiff' awareness of the complaints of other class members, that the class vehicles are too sensitive. As a result the 'near rollover conditions' design threshold, which signals the side curtain air bags and seatbelt pretensioner igniters to deploy, signals deployment under conditions where there is no true risk of a rollover,"the complaint states.Brantley asserts Nissan refused to warn customers about the alleged defect, refused to remedy the defect and refused to compensate customers for any damages resulting from the defect.The suit seeks certification of a class consisting of everyone who has bought or leased a class vehicle, as well as an order holding Nissan financially responsible for the defect, enjoining the automaker from continuing its deceptive practices, requiring the automaker to fix the defect and making Nissan disgorge part or all of its profits received from the sale or lease of the class vehicles.Brantley is represented by Robert L. Starr and Adam Rose of The Law Offices of Robert L. Starr and Stephen M. Harris of The Law Offices of Stephen M. Harris.The case is Brantley v. Nissan North America Inc. et al., case number BC609400, in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.If you or a loved one has suffered similar damages or injuries, please fill in our form on the right and your complaint will be sent to an automotive accidents lawyer who may evaluate your claim at no cost or obligation. The Egyptian foreign minister says that General Haftar's forces are an important component in the battle against terrorists in Libya Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday that the international community should recognise Libya's General Khalifa Haftar and his forces in their fight against "terrorists" in the country. In an interview with the Washington Post, Shoukry stated that Haftar's forces, which Egypt officially supports, are an important component in the battle against the expansion of Islamist militants. The role of General Haftar who controls militia forces in the northeastern part of Libya in the coming National Accord government has been a subject of controversy, with Egypt promoting him as a nominee for defence minister while the Islamist factions in the UN brokered government reject his presence. General Haftar visited Egypt late January where he held a series of meetings with Egyptian officials over the situation in Libya, with a focus on the Islamic State militant group in the country. The Egyptian foreign minister also added that the international community should not intervene militarily in Libya unless a unified Libyan government is formed and requests military assistance. Shoukry is currently visiting Washington where he has held talks with the administration of US President Barack Obama and officials in Congress. On the situation in Syria, Shoukry stressed that the focus by the international community on the fate and role of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in the country's political transition has not led to any positive result. We have tried to insulate ourselves from this discussion, he told the Washington Post. Search Keywords: Short link: Modified On Feb 10, 2016 07:26 PM By Sumit The successful trial phase of the Odd-Even formula has propelled the Delhi Government to discuss the second phase of the same. After receiving positive feedbacks for the controversial policy, the AAP government will be organising a review meeting with all the concerned authorities. Chances are high that dates for the implementation of the second phase will be announced tomorrow. "The Chief Minister has convened a review meeting with his ministers and officials from concerned departments tomorrow to discuss and analysis the responses sent by the masses since January 26," said a senior official. The government took feedback from public through emails, missed calls, online forms and voice response system. They received approximately 9 lac responses. Around 28,300 suggestions have been received through online forms while another 9,000 and 1,82,808 have come through emails and missed called respectively. The government, on its part, has made more than 9,00,000 calls to gather public opinion, said another official. The policy has been highly controversial, as it has targeted automobiles, which were assumed to be technologically updated machines. Though, one has to remember that four-wheelers are not all that responsible for environmental pollution. While Maruti Suzuki was one of the early responders to the declaration of this policy, Jaguar reacted late, but came out with a strong response. Ralph Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, explained the overall relation between the cars and pollution. He expressed his disappointment over the recent ban on diesel cars (above 2,000cc) in the capital and said that as per the Euro VI norms (comparable to BS-VI norms), the air their vehicles consume in Delhi, is far dirtier than the smoke which is emitted by them. Also Read: Everything You Need to Know About Odd-Even Policy in Delhi In a parliamentary sitting on Sunday, MPs attacked Egypt prosecutor-general's decision to impose a gag order that bars media from discussing the country's top auditor's figures about corruption in Egypt A recent statement by chairman of the Central Auditing Agency (CAA) Hisham Geneina that corruption in public and government circles resulted in the loss of LE600 billion in state revenues between 2012 and 2015 triggered a new wave of attacks from MPs in Egypt's House of Representatives on Sunday. Despite objections from parliamentary speaker Ali Abdel-Al, MPs launched scathing attacks against Prosecutor-General Sadek's decision on 20 January to impose a media gag order on the investigation of corruption allegations issued by Geneina. MP's also attacked a letter sent by Sadek to Abdel-Al on Saturday, informing him that Geneina's claims are under a gag order. Sadek's office announced that the gag order will remain in place until the investigation into the case is complete. Sadek's decision came after Geneina's statement in December about corruption that caused shock waves in political and parliamentary circles. It prompted President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to order a fact-finding committee, which would include judicial and financial experts, to open an inquiry into the top auditor's claims. In a report issued on 12 January, the committee accused Geneia of deliberately inflating figures about corruption in Egypt for political reasons and tarnishing the image of the country abroad. MPs of Egypt's new parliament also opened fire on the top auditor, accusing him of acting on behalf of the ousted regime of Muslim Brotherhood, which, they said, is doing its best to "mislead the public and discredit the rule of president El-Sisi". Limbo Following a brief debate on 17 January, 415 MPs voted in favour of forming an ad hoc committee to investigate Geneina's claims that more than LE600 billion of public funds in Egypt were misappropriated between 2012 and 2015. However, the top prosecutor's decision to impose a media gag order on 20 January has left the parliamentary ad hoc committee in limbo. On Sunday, MPs said a prosecution's investigation into Geneina's claims should not stand in the way of parliament also investigating the issue. According to MP Adel Al-Sherif, "parliamentary deputies are the ones who are more keen than the judicial authority to express the will of the people and that the prosecutor's order in the Geneia case should not prevent legislators from exercising their supervisory powers." MP Al-Sherif's words received quick backlash from speaker Abdel-Al who ordered that "they be removed from the session's minutes." "The legislative and judicial authorities are working on equal footing and nobody can say that one is more keen than the other to express the people's will and that the two authorities can not exercise their powers in isolation from each other," said Abdel-Al. Abdel-Al also announced that the prosecutor-general sent him a letter on Saturday, informing him that a media gag order was imposed on Geneina's statement on corruption in Egypt. "For this reason, I propose that the formation of the parliamentary committee on Geneina's corruption claims be postponed to a later date and should only begin its work after the top prosecutor's investigation becomes complete and the gag is lifted," said Abdel-Al. However, MPs lashed out at the top prosecutor's letter, insisting that the parliamentary committee should begin its work very soon. Upon putting the issue to a vote, 211 MPs were in favour of the committee performing its job soon, while three MPs abstained and 175 MPs objected. Following the no-delay vote, Abdel-Al announced: "Let the committee be formed first and the house's office will inform MPs what the criterion upon which the committee will be formed." Egypt's parliament will hold new plenary sittings on 13 February. MPs also insisted that while the house is not in session, they should be informed every day with a press brief about the activities of its committees. Abdel-Al said the house's secretariat-general will issue a daily brief on the progress achieved by a committee currently in charge of amending parliament's outdated bylaws and code of conduct to go in line with the constitution. Also on Sunday, MPs voted down three requests submitted to lift the parliamentary immunity of three MPs. Abdel-Al indicated that the requests did not follow the correct constitutional procedures. However, high-profile journalist and independent MP Abdel-Rehim Ali attacked Abdel-Al and secretary general Ahmed Saadeddin for opening the immunity requests for discussion. "As long as these requests were not submitted by the prosecutor-general or the justice minister, they should not have been opened for debate in the first place," Ali said. Joining forces with Ali, MP Mohamed Anwar Al-Sadat said "parliament's new by-laws should dictate new procedures and immunity-lifting requests should be discussed." Search Keywords: Short link: The ministers are reviewing the French consultancies technical offer for the impact of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam The irrigation ministers from Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia met in Khartoum early Wednesday to study the French consultancies technical offer regarding the impact studies of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, state-owned MENA reported. The tripartite technical committee finished its report on the joint technical offers from French consultancy firms BRL and Artelia on Tuesday in Khartoum. The technical committee was tasked in 2013 with choosing consultancy firms to conduct a study on the social, economic, and environmental impact of the dam along with a study on the dam's effect on the water supply of downstream countries Egypt and Sudan. The contracts with the two consultancies that will conduct impact studies of the dam were intended to be signed early February. Egypt has expressed its concerns that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will affect its watershare from the Nile, but Ethiopia claims that the dam will not affect neither Egypt nor Sudan's watershare. Search Keywords: Short link: Over 4,600 academics from 90 countries signed an open letter condemning the killing of Giulio Regeni, demanding an independent probe into his murder and other reported cases of torture and disappearances in Egypt Egypts foreign ministry said on Tuesday, in response to an open letter by international academics condemning the killing of Italian student Giulio Regeni, that it is "premature" to draw conclusions on his death. The body of PhD student Giulio Regeni, who was living in Cairo and conducting research on Egyptian trade union movements, was found with signs of torture by a roadside on the outskirts of Cairo last week after he disappeared in the capital on 25 January. Over 4,600 academics from 90 countries signed the open letter condemning Regenis torture and killing, demanding an independent probe into his murder. The letter also demands investigations into other "instances of forced disappearances, cases of torture and deaths in detention during January and February this year...in order that those responsible for these crimes can be identified and brought to justice," the letter, published by The Guardian on Monday, read. "It's premature to pass judgment about the official criminal investigations," ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in response to the letter. "Attempts to level accusations at the Egyptian authorities without evidence could backfire," he warned. Following an initial autopsy performed in Egypt, a second autopsy conducted in Italy revealed that the 28-year-old was subject to "something inhuman, something animal, Italy's Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told Sky News 24 on Sunday. The spokesman expressed his "full rejection" of allegations of torture, slamming the claims as "rumours and deliberate distortions" of facts. He added that Egypt's authorities are highly committed to hold those convicted of torture to justice, while stressing that these are "individual incidents." He said recent reports by the country's semi-official human rights body have shown claims about disappearances to be "unfounded." Search Keywords: Short link: People who develop the skill to earn, invest and create a large net worth still make tax mistakes. From failing to understand tax-loss-harvesting rules to a lack of knowledge about international investing laws, these errors cost rich people both money and time. Following are five key tax mistakes rich people need to avoid if they want to hold on to their wealth. 1. Investing Overseas Without Understanding the Tax Consequences People with high income and substantial net worth often invest internationally. After all, such investments can have a tax-minimizing allure. But putting money to work outside the U.S. can have risks. Stewart Patton, a U.S. tax attorney and offshore investing expert with Belize City, Belize-based U.S. Tax Services, told one such cautionary tale. Credit Union National Association (CUNA) President/CEO Jim Nussle wrote to national tax policy leaders Tuesday to refute bankers willful misunderstanding of why and how credit unions exist and operate. Nussles letter to Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committee leadership came as a response to a Feb. 5 letter from the American Bankers Association involving the National Credit Union Administrations (NCUA) field-of-membership (FOM) proposal. The NCUA proposal that the bankers are so concerned with would further facilitate the fulfillment of the credit union mission. It would update current rules that are outdated and filled with burdensome processes and requirements. The proposal is clearly within the scope of the Federal Credit Union Act, which gives the NCUA board authority to promulgate implementing regulations. In our view, the proposal is not only well within the scope of the law but it does not go nearly as far as regulations, which were on the books between 2003 and 2010, and as we outline in our comment letter on the proposal, we believe NCUA could go much further to facilitate consumer access to credit unions than they have, Nussle added. English Danish Company Announcement No. 05-2016: FLSmidth has signed an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract with a value of more than EUR 200m with the Algerian cement producer SARL Amouda Ingineering for the supply of a greenfield cement plant in Algeria. The plant will be located in El Beida (Laghouat), approximately 400 km from the capital Algiers. The order includes engineering, equipment supplies, construction, commissioning and training. Once completed, the cement plant will have a capacity of 6,000 tonnes per day. "EPC solutions are increasingly requested by the industry and we are very happy that SARL Amouda Ingineering chose FLSmidth as the preferred supplier based on a very close collaboration and our extensive knowledge of the region. Algeria is a very important market for FLSmidth and we have supplied several cement plants in the country," Group Executive Vice President of the Cement Division Per Mejnert Kristensen comments. The order will be booked by the Cement Division and contribute beneficially to FLSmidth's earnings until early 2018. ------------------------------------- Please address any questions regarding this announcement to Group Executive Vice President of the Cement Division Per Mejnert Kristensen, FLSmidth & Co. A/S at +45 36 18 18 00. For further information about FLSmidth, please visit www.flsmidth.com. Yours faithfully Pernille Friis Andersen Group Communications & Investor Relations The Long Tough Struggle For Latino Farmworker's Rights Date: Saturday, February 13, 2016 Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Event Type: Speaker Organizer/Author: Andy Location Details: The Green Arcade 1680 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94102 Grounds for Dreaming is a sweeping critical history of how U.S.-born and immigrant Mexican communities in agricultural California fought for equality and respect in a hostile climate of labor repression and xenophobia. Long before the seminal labor strikes led by Cesar Chavez, farmworkers wrote to newspapers, wore zoot suits, formed civil rights organizations, exercised their right to vote, and filed landmark lawsuits against agribusiness. Grounds for Dreaming is a history about Latinos longstanding and complex position in Americas economy and society, and the issues of comprehensive immigration reform and workers rights across borders. Lori Floress eloquent and deeply researched account[is] an unusually potent vantage point from which to assess not only the forces behind much of our food production but also the making of American ideas of race and community, and our capacity for reform and social justice.the debut of an important new voice in American history. Karl Jacoby, Columbia University Flores will be in conversation with David Bacon, author of The Right to Stay Home which Noam Chomksy describes as "Combining evocative personal narratives with penetrating geopolitical analysis, this compelling book vividly reveals the devastating effects on Mexico of the global class war of the past decades and their impact on the United States. Perhaps the most striking demand of the victims is 'the right to not migrate, ' the right to live with dignity and hope, bitterly attacked under the neoliberal version of globalization." Admission is free. UNvSyria...2-9-16 Mouse Report by DJ Mouse Jeffry Feltman's assassination campaign against Syria from 2005 to his present position as #2 murder boss at the United Nations is detailed by Thierry Meyssan on Voltairnet and World Crisis Radio...plus some info on the release of GMO mosquitoes in the alleged outbreak area and vaccinations mandated by Brazil BEFORE current scare around the Rockefeller 'owned' bug Listen now: Copy the code below to embed this audio into a web page: (From Thierry Meyssan's Voltairnet) "In 2005, when Jeffrey Feltman then the US ambassador in Beirut - supervised the assassination of Rafic Hariri, he relied on support from Germany, both for the assassination itself (Berlin supplied the weapon) [1], and for the UNO Commission charged with accusing Presidents el-Assad and Lahoud (prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, police commissioner Gerhard Lehmann and their team). The international campaign against the two Presidents was notably led by the German political analyst Volker Perthes [2]. Volker Perthes studied in Damascus, Syria, in 1986 and 1987, funded by a German research grant. He then went on to pursue a career as professor of political science in Germany, with the exception of the period between 1991 and 1993, during which he taught at the American University of Beirut. Since 2005, he has been the Director of the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), the main German public think tank, which employs more than 130 specialists, half of whom are university professors. However, when Feltman organised the Israeli attack on Lebanon in 2006, he implicated only the United States, hoping that once Hezbollah was beaten, Syria would come to its rescue in Beirut, which would provide an excuse for US intervention. Finally, Berlin sent only its marines to participate in the United Nations Forces (Finul). During the annual meeting of the Bilderberg Group, between the 5th and the 8th June 2008 - five years before the war - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a presentation which underlined the necessity of overthrowing the Syrian government. She was accompanied in this task by the Director of the Arab Reform Initiative [3], Bassma Kodmani (future founder of the Syrian National Council), and the Director of the SWP, Volker Perthes. The Bilderberg Group is a NATO initiative, and NATO directly handles security for these meetings [4]. According to a cable revealed by Wikileaks, Volker Perthes advised Ms. Rice concerning Iran. He believed that it would be dangerous to launch a military operation which could have unpredictable regional consequences - it was, however, more efficient to sabotage its economy. Volker Perthes advice was followed, in 2010, with the destruction of the software of Iranian nuclear plants by the Stuxnet virus [5]. In March 2011, Volker Perthes published an opinion column in the New York Times mocking President el-Assads speech to the Peoples Chamber, during which the President had denounced a conspiracy against Syria [6]. According to Perthes, the revolution was under way in Syria, and el-Assad had to go. In the summer of 2011, the German government managed the breakthrough of the Muslim Brotherhood in Tunisia and Egypt. It noted that at the CIAs demand, it hosted the international coordination of the Brotherhood in Aix-la-Chapelle. Berlin thus decided to support the Brotherhood everywhere they attained power, with the exception of Hamas in Palestine, in order to avoid annoying Israel. Under the influence of Volker Perthes, the German Minister for Foreign Affairs at that time, Guido Westerwelle persuaded himself that the Brotherhood was not Islamist , but guided by Islam . He created a discussion forum with the moderate Islamist movements (sic), and a Task Force for Syria. As for Perthes, he organised a reception at the Ministry in July for a delegation from the Syrian opposition, led by Brother Radwan Ziadeh. On the 6th October 2011, on the proposition of the State Department, Volker Perthes took part in the closed conference organised by the Turkish Industry & Business Association (Tusiad) and the private US intelligence company Stratfor in order to study Turkeys energy options, and also the possible responses of eight other countries, including Germany [7]. Present at the meeting were the ten top Turkish fortunes and Taner Yldz the Minister for Energy the man who was supposed to help the Erdogan family organise the funding of the war with oil stolen by Daesh. In January 2012, Jeffrey Feltman then State Department director for the Near East asked Volker Perthes to direct the The Day After programme, which was tasked with putting together the next regime in Syria. These meetings were held over a six-month period and resulted specifically in a report which was made public after the Geneva Conference. The Day After mobilised 45 members of the Syrian opposition, including Bassma Kodmani and the Muslim Brothhood. It was financed by the US Institute of Peace, the equivalent of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), but is under the authority of the Department of Defense. Also solicited were Germany, France, Norway, Holland and Switzerland. The Day After drew up the first draft of the plan for the total and unconditional capitulation of Syria, which became the obsession of the United Nations once Jeffrey Feltman was nominated Director of Political Affairs for the United Nations, in July 2012. Here are the principles of the Perthes-Feltman plan - the sovereignty of the Syrian People will be abolished ; - the Constitution will be repealed ; - the President will be relieved of his functions (but a vice-President will remain in charge of formal functions) ; - the Peoples Assembly will be dissolved ; - at least 120 leaders will be considered guilty and banned from any political function, then judged and condemned by an international Tribunal ; - the Direction of Military Intelligence, the Direction of Political Security and the Direction of General Security will be dismantled and dissolved ; political prisoners will be freed and anti-terrorist procedures will be repealed; - the Hezbollah and the Guardians of the Revolution will be made to withdraw ; then, and only then, will the international community fight terrorism [8] At the same time, Volker Perthes organised the Working Group on Economic Recovery and Development for the Friends of Syria . In June 2012, under the co-presidency of Germany and the United Arab Emirates, this group distributed to the member states of the Friends of Syria concessions for the exploitation of Syrian gas, which could be claimed in return for their support for the overthrow of Assads regime [9]. Volker Perthes also organised the Working Group on Transition Planning for the Arab League. Finally, he set up the Syrian Transition Support Network in Istanbul. As from the Geneva Conference (30th June 2012) and the meeting of the Friends of Syria in Paris (6th July 2012), we can find no more public traces of Volker Perthes role, apart from his publications, which are aimed at maintaining Germanys support for the Muslim Brotherhood. Germany is maintaining its policy, and after the abdication of the Emir of Qatar and the powerful rise of Saudi Arabia, nominated Boris Ruge - the director for Syria in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs - as its ambassador to Riyadh. In the summer of 2015, during his visit to Damascus, the Syrian government asked Staffan De Mistura for an explanation concerning the Perthes-Feltman Plan, of which he had only just been made aware. Highly embarrassed, the special envoy of the General Secretary of the UNO confirmed that these documents did not engage him, and promised to take no notice of them. It seems that Moscow had threatened to make them public at the Security Council during the presence of the heads of state at the opening of the General Assembly in September 2015. However, the documents were not divulged their revelation would have questioned the very existence of the United Nations Organisation. During the same period, Berlin once again made contact with Damascus, but the Syrians were unable to determine whether this secret initiative was a reflection of a new policy by Chancellor Merkel, or one more attempt at infiltration. However, at the same time, Volker Perthes was nominated by Staffan De Mistura and his superior Jeffrey Feltman [10] as a peace negotiator (sic) for the next meeting in Geneva. He will be tasked with meeting alternatively with the delegation from the Syrian opposition and the delegation from the Syrian Arab Republic. For the last three years, in violation of their own Charter, the United Nations, far from doing anything at all to help restore peace to Syria, and without presenting the slightest evidence, accuse the Syrian Arab Republic of having put down a revolution, of using chemical weapons against its own population, of the massive practice of torture, and of starving its people. Above all, it is dragging its feet on any peace initiative, leaving time for NATO and the Gulf Co-operation Council to pilot the overthrow of the regime by foreign mercenaries, in this instance the terrorist organisations al-Qaida and Daesh. Keep in mind : - Since 2005, the group assigned to preparing the war in Syria is being piloted by the US diplomat Jeffrey Feltman, assisted by the German academic Volker Perthes. - In 2005, Feltman organised the assassination of Rafic Hariri (because the security of Lebanon was handled by Syria) ; in 2006, he organised Israels war against Lebanon (because Hezbollah was then armed by Syria) ; in 2011, he directed the 4th generation war from the State Department ; since 2012, from the United Nations, for which he has become the number 2, he has been working to make the war last long enough for the jihadist groups to achieve victory. - Perthes associated himself with Feltman and the private group Stratfor in order to influence German policy in the Near East. In 2008, he presented the project for regime change in Damascus to the Bilderberg Group. In 2011, he convinced Merkels government to support the Muslim Brotherhood during the Arab Spring . In 2012, he presided a work group tasked with preparing the new regime, then drew up a plan for the total and unconditional capitulation of Syria. Today, he is the UNO director for the Geneva peace negotiations." Declarations by Santa Cruz News TIMOTHY B. BRODERICK (97082) KATRINA M. SALEEN (253706) Broderick Saleen Law Firm 2600 El Camino Real, Suite 506 Palo Alto, California 94306-1705 Telephone: (650) 857-9000 Attorneys for Plaintiff Savanna Halliwell SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ SAVANNA HALLIWELL, ) CASE NO. ) Plaintiff, ) DECLARATION OF XXXXXX ) XXXXXXX v. ) ) EMILY REILLY; ROBERT NAHAS; and ) EMILYS GOOD THINGS TO EAT, ) a California Corporation; and DOES 1-20, ) ) Defendants. ) I, XXXXXXXXX, declare: 1. All of the facts in this declaration come from my personal knowledge, except for those stated on information and belief and as to those facts I believe them to be true. If called upon to testify in a court of law, I could, and would, competently testify to the facts in this declaration. 2. I worked at Emilys Good Things To Eat (Emilys Bakery) for about 16 months from 2010-2011. I worked under the direct supervision of Robert Nahas. 3. During the time I worked at Emilys Bakery, I witnessed Robert Nahas act inappropriately toward some of the female employees, including talking to them inappropriately about their boyfriends, following them around the bakery, hugging them, and touching them. 4. If a female employee was not one of Roberts favorites, he would use bullying tactics, to belittle and humiliate the employee. I would not be charming to appease Robert Nahas when I worked at Emilys Bakery, and he belittled me and brought me to tears and humiliation in front of customers over trivial mistakes. He would use his power as my supervisor to demean me. 5. One night while I was working there, there was a birthday celebration for a female employee after the Bakery closed to the public. Robert Nahas got extremely intoxicated, hugged female employees for prolonged amounts of time, and mumbled inappropriate remarks to some of the female employees that were there. 6. It was not unusual for Robert Nahas to drink heavily. One day at work Robert Nahas had scratches down his face and bragged to me and other employees that he had gotten really drunk and had passed out in the street in front of Emils Bakery the night before, and that people were having to step over him to get by. 7. I was told by co-workers that a female employee namedX X Xmade sexual harassment claims against Robert Nahas shortly before I began my employment for Emilys Bakery. I am not aware of any changes that Emilys Bakery put in place as a result of the sexual harassment complaints they received from XXXX. I am not aware of any steps that Emilys Bakery took to prevent further sexual harassment by Robert Nahas. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct, and that this declaration was executed in XXX, Texas on , 2015. TIMOTHY B. BRODERICK (97082) KATRINA M. SALEEN (253706) Broderick Saleen Law Firm 2600 El Camino Real, Suite 506 Palo Alto, California 94306-1705 Telephone: (650) 857-9000 Attorneys for Plaintiff Savanna Halliwell SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ SAVANNA HALLIWELL, ) CASE NO. ) Plaintiff, ) DECLARATION OF XXXXXXX ) XXXXXXXX v. ) ) EMILY REILLY; ROBERT NAHAS; and ) EMILYS GOOD THINGS TO EAT, ) a California Corporation; and DOES 1-20, ) ) Defendants. ) I, XXXXXXXXXX, declare: 1. All of the facts in this declaration come from my personal knowledge, except for those stated on information and belief and as to those facts I believe them to be true. If called upon to testify in a court of law, I could, and would, competently testify to the facts in this declaration. 2. I worked at Emilys Good Things To Eat (Emilys Bakery) from approximately September 2010 to January 2011. I worked under the direct supervision of Robert Nahas. 3. When I first started working at Emilys Bakery, my supervisor, Robert Nahas, tried to get me to let him hug me, tried to get affection from me, and pushed his body up against mine and put his arms over me when he was trying to teach me how to work the register. I made sure that he knew that I was disgusted if he got too close and rejected all sexually harassing advances he made. 4. Once Robert Nahas understood that I would not put up with his sexually harassing behavior, he began to mistreat me. He began constantly yelling at me and blaming me for things that went wrong at the bakery that were not my fault. 5. Emilys Bakery opened up a kiosk on the UC Santa Cruz campus shortly thereafter, and I got to work at the kiosk, away from Robert Nahass harassment. 6. Once I was away from Robert Nahas, I reported to Emily Reilly that Robert Nahas was mean to me and yelled at me all the time because I would not return his flirtations or give him hugs. Emily Reilly replied by telling me that he just has a bit of a temper, and that everything was fine. She made excuses for Robert Nahas no matter what I told her about his behavior. I am not aware of any investigation that was performed regarding my complaint. I am not aware of any steps that were taken to prevent further sexual harassment after I complained. 7. I was wrongfully terminated form Emilys Bakery because I rejected Robert Nahass sexually harassing behavior. Emilys Bakery decided to discontinue having an employee work at the kiosk, and so I expected to be transferred back to the Emilys Bakery location, where I started my employment. Because that would mean working directly with Robert Nahas, I was planning to quit my job. However, before I had a chance to quit, a manager namedX X Xcalled me in for a meeting and told me that she had spoken with Robert and that it was not working out to have me at the bakery, so they were going to have to let me go. 8. I witnessed Robert Nahas sexually harass new attractive female hires. His sexually harassing behavior toward new hires included being overly flirtatious, batting his hand at female employees shoulders, touching female employees hair, asking female employees for hugs before they left the bakery, and asking female employees personal questions such as questions about their boyfriends and where they liked to socialize. I also witnessed Robert Nahas ask employees out for drinks, and ask female employees to go to the bar with him to play pool. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct, and that this declaration was executed in Santa Cruz, CA on , 2015. TIMOTHY B. BRODERICK (97082) KATRINA M. SALEEN (253706) Broderick Saleen Law Firm 2600 El Camino Real, Suite 506 Palo Alto, California 94306-1705 Telephone: (650) 857-9000 Attorneys for Plaintiff Savanna Halliwell SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ SAVANNA HALLIWELL, ) CASE NO. ) Plaintiff, ) DECLARATION OF XXXXXXX ) XXXXXXXXX v. ) ) EMILY REILLY; ROBERT NAHAS; and ) EMILYS GOOD THINGS TO EAT, ) a California Corporation; and DOES 1-20, ) ) Defendants. ) I, XXXXXXXXXXXX, declare: 1. All of the facts in this declaration come from my personal knowledge, except for those stated on information and belief and as to those facts I believe them to be true. If called upon to testify in a court of law, I could, and would, competently testify to the facts in this declaration. 2. I worked at Emilys Good Things To Eat (Emilys Bakery) for several years, ending in or about 2005. I was a manager. I worked under the direct supervision of Robert Nahas. 3. Robert Nahas sexually harassed me. He made inappropriate sexual comments to me. One example is when he told me that people would come to Emilys Bakery if I were naked. 4. While I was working at Emilys Bakery in the upstairs office, Robert Nahas locked the office door and screamed at me and would not let me out. I also witnessed Robert Nahas made other female employees cry. 5. I told Robert Nahas that his behavior was inappropriate. I also complained to Emily Reilly about Robert Nahass sexual harassment. I told Emily Reilly that Robert Nahas should be gone from Emilys Bakery, and she told me that he was going to stay. Emily Reilly told me to do what I needed to do to make myself feel oaky. She said if that was leaving the job, then to go, and that if it was filing a lawsuit, to file one. 6. After I complained to Emily Reilly about Robert Nahass behavior, his behavior got worse. I quit on a day that Robert Nahas was yelling at me because I could not take his abusive behavior any longer. 7. I filed a complaint with a California agency that investigates sexual harassment. I believe it was the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. They opened an investigation into my sexual harassment complaints, which Emily Reilly and Robert Nahas were aware of. 8. I am not aware of any actions taken by Emilys Bakery, Emily Reilly, or Robert Nahas to prevent further sexual harassment at Emilys Bakery in response to my sexual harassment complaints. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct, and that this declaration was executed in XXXX , NY on August , 2015. TIMOTHY B. BRODERICK (97082) KATRINA M. SALEEN (253706) Broderick Saleen Law Firm 2600 El Camino Real, Suite 506 Palo Alto, California 94306-1705 Telephone: (650) 857-9000 Attorneys for Plaintiff Savanna Halliwell SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ SAVANNA HALLIWELL, ) CASE NO. ) Plaintiff, ) DECLARATION OF XXXXXXXXX ) XXXXXXXXXXX v. ) ) EMILY REILLY; ROBERT NAHAS; and ) EMILYS GOOD THINGS TO EAT, ) a California Corporation; and DOES 1-20, ) ) Defendants. ) I, XXXXXXXXXXXXX, declare: 1. All of the facts in this declaration come from my personal knowledge, except for those stated on information and belief and as to those facts I believe them to be true. If called upon to testify in a court of law, I could, and would, competently testify to the facts in this declaration. 2. I worked at Emilys Good Things To Eat (Emilys Bakery) from approximately 2008-2011. Robert Nahas was my supervisor. 3. Robert Nahas would routinely and repeatedly ask me for hugs before I left work and would be physically too close to me at work. He also initiated inappropriate conversations with me nearly every day that I worked with him. Robert Nahas also repeatedly invited me to go on expense-paid trips with him. 4. Robert Nahas told me on more than one occasion that he did not get physical attention from his wife, Emily Reilly, and that he therefore had to find physical attention elsewhere. 5. I often stuck with the other female manager at Emilys Bakery, so that neither of us had to be alone with Robert Nahas. I witnessed Robert Nahas ask the other female manager about her personal life and personal relationships. 6. On one occasion, I gave my boyfriend a kiss goodbye before I went into work. Robert Nahas told me that this was inappropriate behavior and asked me about my relationship with my boyfriend. 7. On another occasion, Robert Nahas got very drunk and told me that a girl told him that he was attractive for his age and Robert Nahas told me that he was thinking about exploring it. 8. On another occasion Robert Nahas was drunk and text messaged me asking me to pick him up, which I refused. The next day at work he was upset with me. 9. As a manager, I was part of the hiring process at Emilys Bakery. After interviewing candidates, Robert Nahas implied that he would be in favor of hiring the more attractive females. 11. When I would perform work in the office at Emilys Bakery, Robert Nahas would watch me while I worked, even when he had no reason to be in the office. 12. After leaving my employment at Emilys Bakery, I got married and moved to XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX. In or about early 2014, Robert Nahas text messaged my cell phone and let me know that he had just gotten to the location that I was going to be at for a beach clean-up event that I had posted about on Facebook. I had not told him to meet me and had not spoken to him about the event. I avoided seeing him at the event. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct, and that this declaration was executed in XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, CA on , 2015. TIMOTHY B. BRODERICK (97082) KATRINA M. SALEEN (253706) Broderick Saleen Law Firm 2600 El Camino Real, Suite 506 Palo Alto, California 94306-1705 Telephone: (650) 857-9000 Attorneys for Plaintiff Savanna Halliwell SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ SAVANNA HALLIWELL, ) CASE NO. ) Plaintiff, ) DECLARATION OF XXXXXXXXXXX ) v. ) ) EMILY REILLY; ROBERT NAHAS; and ) EMILYS GOOD THINGS TO EAT, ) a California Corporation; and DOES 1-20, ) ) Defendants. ) I, XXXXXXXXXX, declare: 1. All of the facts in this declaration come from my personal knowledge, except for those stated on information and belief and as to those facts I believe them to be true. If called upon to testify in a court of law, I could, and would, competently testify to the facts in this declaration. 2. I worked at Emilys Good Things To Eat (Emilys Bakery) approximately 7-8 years ago. Robert Nahas was my supervisor. 3. Robert Nahas sexually harassed me while I worked at Emilys Bakery. I was always made to feel very uncomfortable by Robert Nahas. Robert Nahas often inappropriately brushed up against me and other female employees in their late teens to early twenties. Robert Nahas also would often touched the small of our backs. He also would often ask us for hugs. Robert Nahas flirted with me while I was employed at Emilys Bakery and I witnessed him flirt with other young female employees. 4. Robert Nahas generally hired young females to work at Emilys Bakery, aside from some male employees that worked in the back. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct, and that this declaration was executed in XXXXXXXXXXXX_, CA on , 2015. TIMOTHY B. BRODERICK (97082) KATRINA M. SALEEN (253706) Broderick Saleen Law Firm 2600 El Camino Real, Suite 506 Palo Alto, California 94306-1705 Telephone: (650) 857-9000 Attorneys for Plaintiff Savanna Halliwell SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ SAVANNA HALLIWELL, ) CASE NO. ) Plaintiff, ) DECLARATION OF XXXXX ) XXXXXXXXX v. ) ) EMILY REILLY; ROBERT NAHAS; and ) EMILYS GOOD THINGS TO EAT, ) a California Corporation; and DOES 1-20, ) ) Defendants. ) I, XXXXXXXXXXX, declare: 1. All of the facts in this declaration come from my personal knowledge, except for those stated on information and belief and as to those facts I believe them to be true. If called upon to testify in a court of law, I could, and would, competently testify to the facts in this declaration. 2. I worked at Emilys Good Things to Eat (Emilys Bakery) in or about 2008 while I was in college. I worked under the direct supervision of Robert Nahas. 3. Robert Nahas sexually harassed me while I worked at Emilys Bakery. He would block the back entry door to the Bakery until he got a hug from me, he repeatedly asked for hugs, and he would ask me personal questions about me and my boyfriend at the time. 4. On two separate occasions Robert Nahas gave me a $100 bill as an apology to me for asking me personal questions. 5. Robert Nahas made it clear to the staff, including me, that he had a crush on a female employee namedXXXXXXXwho was younger than me. 6. I was forced to quit my job at Emilys Bakery because of Robert Nahass behavior. On Halloween, Robert Nahas called my cell phone and asked me if I wanted to hang out with him. I said no. Later that evening, I was stranded at a party in Santa Cruz. I knew that Robert Nahas had a car, and I called him to ask him if he could pick me up and drive me home. Robert Nahas came and picked me up and said he would drive me home, but when we got to my house he kept driving. I became distressed and told him I wanted to go home and eventually just had him pull the car over and I got out. The next day I called Emilys Bakery and told Robert Nahas that the night before had crossed boundaries and that I had to quit. I was seriously upset, distressed, and disturbed by Robert Nahass behavior and talked about this incident with my friends and family at the time. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct, and that this declaration was executed in __________, New York on August , 2015. TIMOTHY B. BRODERICK (97082) KATRINA M. SALEEN (253706) Broderick Saleen Law Firm 2600 El Camino Real, Suite 506 Palo Alto, California 94306-1705 Telephone: (650) 857-9000 Attorneys for Plaintiff Savanna Halliwell SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ SAVANNA HALLIWELL, ) CASE NO. ) Plaintiff, ) DECLARATION OF XXXXXXXXXX ) v. ) ) EMILY REILLY; ROBERT NAHAS; and ) EMILYS GOOD THINGS TO EAT, ) a California Corporation; and DOES 1-20, ) ) Defendants. ) I, XXXXXXXXXXXX, declare: 1. All of the facts in this declaration come from my personal knowledge, except for those stated on information and belief and as to those facts I believe them to be true. If called upon to testify in a court of law, I could, and would, competently testify to the facts in this declaration. 2. I worked at Emilys Good Things To Eat (Emilys Bakery) from in or about 2008 to 2011 when I was attending college at UC Santa Cruz. I worked under the direct supervision of Robert Nahas. 3. During the time I worked at Emilys Bakery, I was told by one of my female co-workers that Robert Nahas had showed up at her house late at night wanting to hang out with her. She said that on other nights she had received unwanted calls from Robert Nahas in the middle of the night. 4. Another female co-workerXXXXXXXmade sexual harassment claims against Robert Nahas. When she quit, I heard her call Robert Nahas a creep and a sexual harasser. I had noticed Robert Nahas watching this female employee in a strange way when she worked. After XXXXXmade her sexual harassment complaints, an attorney came in and interviewed me and other employees. I never heard aboutXXXXXsexual harassment claims again. I am unaware of any steps that were taken as a result of XXXXXcomplaint to prevent sexual harassment at Emilys Bakery. I am unaware of any actions taken by Emilys Bakery to protect employees from being sexually harassed by Robert Nahas. 5. One night, Robert Nahas let a female employee celebrate her birthday at Emilys Bakery after business hours. At this party, Robert Nahas let the employees drink, and got very drunk himself. Robert Nahas had employees each take a shot of hard alcohol, and then he lifted his head back and turned the bottle of alcohol upside down in his mouth and finished the rest of the bottle of alcohol in front of us. I saw Robert Nahas inappropriately hugging female employees in his intoxicated state. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct, and that this declaration was executed in XXX, Texas on , 2015. BY: XXXXXXXXX The Fatah delegation arrived from Doha after two-day talks with rival Hamas A delegation from the Palestinian Fatah movement arrived in Cairo Tuesday evening to hold meetings with Egyptian officials and provide updates on the latest reconciliation talks in Doha between the movement and its rival Hamas, MENA reported. According to Fatah sources, the delegation headed by Azzam Ahmed came to Cairo to share the results of the two-day talks in Doha between the rival Palestinian groups. The round of reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas started in Qatars capital two days ago. Palestinian news agency Maan reported two days ago that Hamas and Fatah had reached an agreement regarding a number of issues, including the Rafah crossing's security arrangements. According to Maan, the two sides agreed that Fatahs Presidential Guard would take charge of the Rafah crossing (which connects the Gaza Strip to Egypt's Sinai) while allowing Hamas staff to continue to work there, as well. However, disputes remain between the two groups, with Hamas accusing Fatah of preventing the government from paying the salaries of its 50,000 employees who have been on the books since the Islamists seized power in Gaza in 2007. Fatah, meanwhile, accuses Hamas of maintaining a rival government and refusing to cede the management of Gaza's borders. Tensions between Egypt and Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, flared when former Islamist president and Brotherhood member Mohamed Morsi was ousted in 2013. The Egyptian government has accused Hamas of helping Islamist militants in Egypt's North Sinai, which borders Gaza. Hamas denies this. In statements to pan-Arab Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper earlier Sunday, Hamas representative Ali Baraka revealed that the basis for the reconciliation talks in Doha was the reconciliation agreement signed by the Palestinian factions in May 2011. Baraka added that the two rival powers now need to form a unity government. Search Keywords: Short link: Community members in Monterey returned to Alvarado Street on February 5 for their first sit-lie protest of 2016. The activists have been organizing protests once a month since February of last year to oppose the city's sit-lie law, which first went into effect in October of 2014. Future sit-ins will continue to be held on the first of the month, with the next protests planned for March 4 and April 1. The sit-lie protests are organized by Direct Action Monterey Network (DAMN). Sec. 32-6.2 of the Monterey municipal code bans sitting or lying on most commercial sidewalks in Monterey between the hours of 7am and 9pm. Based on their outreach with Monterey's homeless community, DAMN believes the sit-lie ordinance is discriminatory and has been selectively enforced by police.DAMN posted the following event announcement on Facebook in advance of the February 5 sit-in:"On Friday, February 5th from 4pm-6pm we will once again sit down on the sidewalk on Alvarado Street in violation of Monterey's Sit/Lie Ban. Once a month, we carve out space for people to sit and relax and simply exist who would otherwise be kicked out by police/security."This ordinance is only one expression of Monterey's war against people without homes! End the criminalization of homelessness!"The police have only given written warnings once in the past year of this campaign. After receiving a warning, you won't be cited if you don't do it again for 30 days. If you don't want to risk a warning/citation you can still stand near us and display signs."Meet in front of Walgreens on Alvarado Street in downtown Monterey. Bring signs and lawn chairs if you would like. Coffee will be provided! We will continue this action on the first Friday of every month from 4pm-6pm."For more information about Direct Action Monterey Network, see:Alex Darocy Burke's Work Lauded by Professional Sociology Society Meghan Burke Feb. 10, 2016 BLOOMINGTON, Ill. The Midwest Sociological Society (MSS) will present its biennial Early Career Scholarship Award to Illinois Wesleyan University Associate Professor of Sociology Meghan Burke. The award recognizes publications by a younger scholar, working alone or with collaborators, which are particularly meritorious, creative or enlightening, and is designed to recognize the creative and original work of an individual at the beginning of a promising career. Burke, whose scholarly research centers on racial discourse, will receive the award at the MSS annual meeting March 25 in Chicago. The awards committee noted she has already produced several peer-reviewed articles and two important books: Race, Gender, and Class in the Tea Party (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2015) and Racial Ambivalence in Diverse Communities: Whiteness and the Power of Color-Blind Ideologies (Lexington Books, 2012). In notifying Burke, the committee wrote they were greatly impressed with the depth and coherence of Professor Burkes scholarly vision, as well as her distinctive voice and clear research agenda. Her work squarely addresses urgent and compelling sociological questions about race, politics, and social inequality. The committee also noted Burkes written publications are penned for public as well as scholarly audiences. Taken together, her books and articles show strong evidence of a sophisticated theoretical and empirical project, the committee wrote. Burke joined the Illinois Wesleyan faculty in 2009 after earning a Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago. At IWU she directs the Engaging Diversity program, an innovative pre-orientation program designed for white students to learn about privilege and racism. She was named Student Senate Professor of the Year in 2013. Nearly 1,400 scholars, students and practicing sociologists in universities, government and business belong to the Midwest Sociological Society. The organization was founded in 1936. Porter Ranch, CA Since one of 115 natural gas wells owned by SoCal Gas in Aliso Canyon began leaking methane gas on October 23, there have been conflicting reports and rumors, from public safety and health issues to environmental damage. Public officials, spokespersons from the gas company, Porter Ranch residents and their lawyers more often than not have disagreed on key issues. Attorney Patricia Oliver of the R. Rex Parris Law Firm has been closely monitoring Since one of 115 natural gas wells owned by SoCal Gas in Aliso Canyon began leaking methane gas on October 23, there have been conflicting reports and rumors, from public safety and health issues to environmental damage. Public officials, spokespersons from the gas company, Porter Ranch residents and their lawyers more often than not have disagreed on key issues. Attorney Patricia Oliver of the R. Rex Parris Law Firm has been closely monitoring Porter Ranch , and she has filed environmental lawsuits on behalf of many residents. Attorney Patricia Oliver (PO): I have asked the city attorney to investigate how far the methane is moving underground, and then we will be in a position to advise the community whether or not it is safe to return.PO: I have heard concerns that underground methane leaks will affect the groundwater and I have asked for an investigation because of this concern.PO: As of now, the word is about two or three weeks away. But yesterday [February 8], there was a spike in benzene and methane levels reported. This spike happened on the day that SoCal tried to intercept the well, so this is not the success they hoped for.PO: Every one of our clients wants checks in place. For example, we sent a letter to both the city attorney and SoCal asking for evidence about migration of the plume above and below ground. The latter has not been addressed at all, meaning there is a potential for the gas to migrate underground and up into other areas.Of course this can be real or hypothetical. But it could be real because the houses at Porter Ranch have been built in methane buffer zones, meaning that parts of the city are built on old oil wells, and city ordinance in 2004 described those zones as such, not that methane is an issue now...PO: From a health perspective we still have a lot of unknowns and as we develop the case, we will have answers to those questions regarding health concerns. We revealed back in December that the sulphur dioxide in the leak, which has not been mentioned by media, is causing nosebleeds.Attorney Patricia Oliver at the R. Rex Parris Law Firm specializes in cases involving water contamination from oil production and waste injection wells. The firm has filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Porter Ranch residents. Boston, MA As more As more Xarelto lawsuits are added to the multidistrict litigation, concerns have been raised that a medical device used in Xareltos clinical trial was faulty, which may have affected test results. Now critics are asking for an investigation, while Janssen Pharmaceuticals and the studys authors maintain the studys conclusions are accurate. The study in question is the ROCKET-AF trial (Rivaroxaban Once Daily Oral Direct Factor XA Inhibition Compared with Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation), which was published in 2011 in theThat study found that both rivaroxaban (the generic version of Xarelto) and warfarin - the older-generation anticoagulant - each reduced the risk of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism. The study also found no significant difference between rivaroxaban and warfarin in the risk of a major bleeding event, but found rivaroxaban was associated with a lower risk of bleeding in the brain and fatal bleeding.According to editors at The BMJ (2/3/16), Janssen and Bayer Pharmaceuticals relied only on ROCKET-AF when it applied for approval from the FDA and European regulators. The study used a device called an INRatio Monitor System, which measures how long it takes for blood to clot and which was recalled in December 2014 due to clinically significantly lower test results than patients might see in laboratory testing.A falsely low reading could mean that patients had their warfarin dose unnecessarily increased, leading to a great risk of bleeding, Deborah Cohen writes inIn terms of the trial results, it could make rivaroxaban seem safer than it was in terms of the risk of bleeding and throws doubt on outcomes used to support the use of the worlds best selling new oral anticoagulant.Some critics have now called for an independent investigation of the ROCKET-AF trial, to determine whether the results were skewed by the recalled device. The FDA reportedly toldthat it would review relevant data. Representatives for the device maker, meanwhile, said their own analysis confirmed the results of the study.In a letter to(2/3/16), the studys authors reviewed data and found that the possible malfunction of the device did not have any significant clinical effect on the primary efficacy and safety outcomes in the trial. The European Medicines Agency has also said in a news release posted on its website that the recalled device did not affect the results of the ROCKET-AF trial.As of January 15, 2016, there were 2,826 lawsuits consolidated for pretrial proceedings in MDL-2592, In Re: Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) Products Liability Litigation before US District Judge Eldon E. Fallon. Legal Help A $13.5 million verdict has been awarded by a Philadelphia jury in the second transvaginal pelvic mesh injury lawsuit pending against Johnson & Johnson, and its subsidiary Ethicon, makers of the defective pelvic mesh.The jury agreed that an Ethicon Inc. transvaginal tape product, known as TVT, was not reasonably safe, and that plaintiff Sharon Carlino' physician would never have implanted the product had he been aware of its risks.In her suit, Carlino claimed that as a result of having the defective pelvic mesh implanted, she was in near constant pain and discomfort, and was unable to have sex.The verdict is the second damage award against Ethicon. The company is facing nearly 180 cases consolidated as part of a mass tort program in Philadelphia County' Court of Common Pleas, which began to go to trial in December.In the initial case, the jury awarded $12.5 million to the plaintiff, agreeing that Ethicon' Prolift pelvic mesh product was negligently designed and that a physician who implanted the product in plaintiff Patricia Hammons in 2009 received inadequate warnings about the risks. This most recent verdict returned for Carlino includes $10 million in punitive damages, $3.5 million in compensatory damages, and another $250,000 to Carlino' husband for loss of consortium.The case is Carlino et al. v. Ethicon Inc. et al., case number 130603470, in the Court of Common Pleas of the State of Pennsylvania, County of Philadelphia.If you have a similar problem and would like to be contacted by a lawyer at no cost or obligation, please click the link below. 4:22pm: SB Nations Chris Cotillo tweets that Ishikawas deal comes with a $900K base salary in the Majors the same figure hed received on the Mariners deal that ultimately fell apart. 3:54pm: The White Sox and first baseman Travis Ishikawa have agreed to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training, MLB.coms Scott Merkin tweets. Ishikawa had previously agreed to a minor league deal with the Mariners earlier this offseason, but that deal fell through last month. This will mark Ishikawas second stint with the Sox, as he signed there in July 2013 and finished out that season with Chicagos Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte. The 32-year-old Ishikawa, a Jim McDowell client, split the 2015 campaign between the Pirates and Giants, batting a combined .206/.306/.302 in 72 Major League plate appearances and a combined .267/.337/.420 in the minors with the two organizations. Though he hasnt occupied a semi-regular role since his 2009 season with the Giants, Ishikawa has averaged 112 big league plate appearances per year across the past six seasons, and hes a career .255/.321/.391 hitter in the Majors. The White Sox dont appear, on the surface, to have much in the way of at-bats for another first baseman, though Ishikawa does have a bit of corner outfield experience. Hell serve as a depth option for the Sox, who have Jose Abreu and Adam LaRoche penciled in as their primary first base and DH options, with right-handed sluggers Mike Olt and Jerry Sands serving as potential corner/DH alternatives on the 40-man roster. Before appealing, former minister of information Anas El-Fiky was handed a one-year prison sentence in 2014 on charges of acquiring illicit gains Anas El-Fiky, Egypt's minister of information during former president Hosni Mubarak's rule, was acquitted of corruption by a Cairo criminal court in his retrial earlier Wednesday. In February 2014, El-Fiky was given one-year prison sentence and was fined EGP 1,800,000 after being convicted of acquiring illicit gains amounting to EGP 33,400,000 during his career in the government from 2002 to 2011. In January 2016, the Court of Cassation accepted his appeal against the court's ruling and ordered his retrial and release from detention. El-Fiky served as Mubarak's information minister from 2004 to 12 February 2011, resigning the day after Mubarak was ousted. Search Keywords: Short link: - The senator lamented that Nigerians travel to other African countries to get educated - She claimed Nigerians spend at least $2 billion annually on school fees abroad annually Some Nigerian students Despite the growing economic challenges, it has been revealed that Nigerians spend at least $2 billion annually on school fees abroad annually. This was made known by Senator Binta Masi, chairman senate committee on tertiary institution and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) when she official commissioned Federal University of Lafia, (FUL) to the Nigeria Research and Education Network (NgREN). According to Vanguard newspaper, the senator was worried that Nigerians travel to other African countries to get educated. READ ALSO: National Assembly delays controversial budget passage She added that the NgREN initiative would be further exposed to the members of the National Assembly to fully engage all stakeholders and ensure adequate funding and support for maximum delivery of the NgREN services. On his part, the coordinator of NgREN, Dr Joshua Attah, said the network helped in cutting cost as its present connection fee was $59 per megg. It helps to avoid unnecessary travels and also help cut cost of capacity building as teaching can be delivered to several people. Meanwhile, the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna state has joined the drive to make education available to more Nigerians by introducing its Distance Learning Center (DLC). Legit.ng gathered that after introducing the distance education programme, the institution also unveiled seven Diploma programmes that will be offered on the e-Learning platform. Source: Legit.ng Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is expected to deliver a keynote speech before the country's newly-elected parliament, foreign ambassadors, and religious dignitaries Parliamentary sources told reporters Wednesday that Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will address the country's newly-elected House of Representatives for the first time next week. El-Sisi is expected to address a wide array of domestic and regional issues, including the current economic situation. Sources told Ahram Online that El-Sisi's visit is expected to be on Sunday or Monday. Egypt's parliament will hold a plenary session Saturday to discuss a number of controversial issues, including a draft of the House's new by-laws and code of conduct, as well as another resignation request submitted by appointed MP and former high-profile judge Sirri Siam. The parliament building in Downtown Cairo has been under tight security since Tuesday in preparation for El-Sisi's visit, which will be the first since he took office in June 2014. Parliament's secretary-general Ahmed Saaddin told reporters that the presidential Republican Guard took control of the parliament building to implement final security measures before El-Sisi's visit. "This is a routine measure and all parliamentary staff on this day will be on duty," said Saaddin. Saaddin also added that a number of foreign guests, primarily ambassadors of foreign countries and speakers of a number of Arab parliaments, would also be invited to attend the speech. He said that Prime Minister Sherif Ismail and 34 other cabinet ministers, the grand sheikh of Al-Azhar, and the pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church would also attend. Egypt's new parliament is composed of 596 MPs, an unprecedented figure in Egypt's 150-year-old parliamentary history. "This big number, in addition to more than 100 guests, will push the number attending the speech to more than 700," said Saaddin. The last time an Egyptian president visited parliament was in December 2010 when ousted president Hosni Mubarak addressed a newly-elected People's Assembly which was voted in a process marred by widespread rigging fraud by the then-ruling party, the NDP. In this speech, Mubarak ridiculed some political figures who decided to form a parallel parliament in protest against rigging practices, saying, "Let them have fun." The assembly, which was dominated by Mubarak's now defunct ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), was dissolved two months later, after Mubarak was deposed from office in February 2011. According to Article 150 of the 2014 Constitution, the president of the republic may, if he chooses, delivers a public speech before parliament after its inaugural session. After El-Sisi's speech and after parliament's new by-laws are endorsed and its new committees are formed, the government of Prime Minister Sherif Ismail will be required to deliver its policy statement before the House. According to Article 146, the government's policy statement must gain the confidence of the majority of MPs within 30 days. If it loses the confidence vote, the president will entrust a parliamentary coalition to form an alternative government. If this coalition failed to gain the confidence of the majority of MPs, parliament would be considered dissolved and the country would be invited to elect a new parliament. Prime Minister Sherif Ismail told a business conference in Dubai Tuesday that his policy statement will focus on three challenges: reinforcing internal stability, achieving social justice, and completing Egypt's democratic transition. Search Keywords: Short link: - Army spokesperson disappointed over the recent discoveries - Maintains that troops are in high spirits regardless The Nigerian military has opened up on how some of its soldiers are making a mockery of its efforts to win the war against insurgency in the country. According to Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, the acting director of public relations, some of their officers may have been in secret discussions with some of the insurgents, hence some of the setbacks being recorded by the troops who are on the battlefields with the terrorists. He made this disclosure while briefing newsmen of the latest successes recorded by the Nigerian Army following recent raids on the terrorists' camp in different parts of Nigeria's northeast. Some of the military kits recovered from the terrorists' den after the recent raid. Colonel Usman said: "Unfortunately, despite these successes, a crop of black sheep amongst us are bend on tarnishing the image of the Nigerian Army. READ ALSO: Nigerian Army allegedly dismiss 250 reinstated soldiers "Last Sunday 7th February 2016, two of our Explosive Ordinance Device personnel attached to 143 Battalion, 13NA/ 70/10183 Sapper Eric Nwokorie and 13NA/70/10263 Sapper Macauley Fortune were arrested at Yola park with the following unauthorised military items: 1 Smoke grenade, 2,136 live rounds of 7.62 (Special) ammunition, 50 live rounds of 7.6mm (NATO) ammunition, 5 magazines of AK 47 rifles, 2 Browning Machine Gun live rounds of ammunitions. Cartridges and live ammunition also recovered by the Nigerian troops. "Others include, 1 Axe, 1 Cutlass, 1 Jack knife, 9 Jungle hats, 11 pairs of Camouflage (9 Desert and 3 woodland green), 4 Military Pullovers, 1 Black beret, 1 Green beret, 1 Pair of number 7 dress, 2 General Duty belt, 12 Army T-shirts, 2 Rain Coats, 2 Water bottles, 1 Pairs of Rain boot and 5 Pairs of Desert boots." On whether the treasonable act committed by some of the bad eggs within the military affected the performance of others on the field, the Army spokesperson was rather positive with his response. READ ALSO: Tension in Nigerian army as CDS takes over Buratai to lead Boko Haram war He said: "This unfortunate incident notwithstanding, troops morale remains high as they continue to dominate the general area with aggressive raids, ambushes and patrols to clear the remnants of the terrorists hibernating in the area." Boots belonging to the Nigerian military after being seized from the insurgents. Earlier, during his address, Colonel Usman had informed that about 31 terrorists were killed as scores of men, women and children were rescued from the insurgents as the Nigerian troops leveled most of their camps in the northeastern part of the country. He also noted that this recent victory was recorded because the insurgents were believed to be on a retaliatory mission following the killing of a suspected Boko Haram Ameer during an ambush by the Nigerian troops at Kekeno. Source: Legit.ng Flights from Kazakhstan to Sharm El-Sheikh will resume in March Kazakhstan is set to resume its civilian flights to Sharm El-Sheikh in March, Egypt's civil aviation ministry announced in a statement on Wednesday. The Ministry of Civil Aviation said it received a letter from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informing it that Kazakhstan will resume flights to Sharm El-Sheikh in March after their suspension following a Russian passenger plane crash in Sinai in October. The decision to resume flights to Sharm El-Sheikh in March was taken after Kazakhstans civil aviation committee sent a delegation to visit Cairo and Sharm El-Sheikh airports. Kazakhstan, a former Soviet Republic, suspended flights to Sharm el-Sheikh in November over security concerns following the crash of the Russian airliner in Sinai that killed all 224 people on board. The Islamist IS group claimed that it downed the plane. A Russian investigation concluded that the downing of the plane was a criminal act. However, Egypt, which has not yet released its final official report on the disaster, maintains that its "technical investigative committee has so far not received any evidence indicating criminal or terrorist activity." According to the Egyptian aviation ministry, the first flight from Kazakhstan to Sharm El-Sheikh will take place on 19 March. A number of countries, including the United Kingdom and Russia, have suspended flights to Sharm El-Sheikh citing safety concerns after the crash. Search Keywords: Short link: - Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has weighed over the raging controversy over the ranking of Obas in southwest - He said that Benin Kingdom in Edo is Yoruba territory and he was not after any form of supremacy battle The supremacy battle raging on over who is the highest oba has taken a new twist as the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi on Tuesday, February 9, has replied Benin palace. Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi The palace of the Oba of Benin had reacted to the controversy over the supremacy of Obas in the southwest stating that it was untrue that the Benin king was third in the ranking of kings. The Alake had listed the Ooni, Alaafin of Oyo and Oba of Benin as first, second and third in that order and listed his title, the Alake of Egbaland and Awujale of Ijebuland as the fourth and fifth respectively. READ ALSO: Ooni of Ife says Ife is a land of mysteries The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo had during a visit of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi in his Ake palace, Abeokuta, declared that Ooni was the highest of the five major kings in Yourubaland. Oba Adeyeye pointed out that Benin Kingdom in Edo state remained part of the expansive Yoruba race, Premium Times reported. This current statement from the palace of the Ooni of Ife might spark another round of controversy. The Ooni bears his mind on this issue through his media aide, Moses Olafare, saying that he was not interested in any form supremacy battle with anyone but will continue to put the fact straight in order to avoid the concocting of historical facts. The king explained that going by historical evidence showing the Oduduwa lineage, Benin Kingdom remained part and parcel of Oduduwa House. The Ooni statement read: We in Oduduwa land have always seen and regarded our people in Benin kingdom as part and parcel of Oduduwa House. They are our brothers and sisters, coupled with historical facts to back up this position. READ ALSO: Ooni of Ife's grandmother dies at 104 The statement credited to the Alake of Egbaland, did not emanate from us but the reality is that as a highly experienced and well informed monarch, Kabiyesi Alake, who is a bonafide Oodua descendant is entitled to his opinion based on his knowledge and understanding of history, the Ooni said. Let me emphasize for the umpteenth time that Kabiyesi Ooni is less concerned over any supremacy hullabaloo. He is only interest for now in how the sacred throne of Oduduwa can explore measures through which the collective interest and genuine unity among Yoruba and other tribes within the larger House of Oduduwa can be enhanced. This informed his resolve to build bridges of harmony among Yourba Obas. I am resolutely committed to how Yoruba ethnic group can restore its glory and pride of position among other ethnic inclinations in Nigeria and dont want to be dragged into supremacy contest or join issues with anybody. Source: Legit.ng A lawsuit is expected to be filed soon by Egypts rights lawyer Khaled Ali, who will be representing taxi drivers against the increasingly popular companies Cairos taxi drivers on Wednesday repeated their demands to the Egyptian government to immediately ban taxi service operators Uber and Careem. In a press conference hosted by the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights at the Egyptian press syndicate, taxi representatives said that foreign companies are creating strife between Egyptian drivers and riders. They also called on Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Prime Minister Sherif Ismail to interfere to ban the services. An initiative under the name Were the real taxi, not the outsiders was launched at the press conference, with taxi drivers behind the action hopeful that Wednesdays press conference would be the beginning of a successful campaign. Mahmoud Abo-Ali, one of the taxi drivers speaking on stage, said that the San Franicso-based Uber and Dubai-based Careem were operating in Egypt to steal our bread. Many taxi-riders have argued that people would not have resorted to private taxi services like Uber and Careem if the normal taxis services were actually satisfactory. However, many taxi drivers believe that there is an organised campaign by the media and private driver companies to defame them. There is an organised campaign against us on social media to portray us as horrible drivers who are sexual harassers with rigid taximeters, Sherif El-Sayed, one of the taxi drivers speaking at the press syndicate said. Taxi drivers chanted against the private companies, saying that they were American infiltrators. We cant stand this, we cant stand this, you have robbed us, taxi drivers chanted. Another taxi driver, Walid Mohamed Sayed, told Ahram Online that he does not refute the fact that there are problematic issues with the behaviour of some taxi drivers. Indeed, many taxi riders have been calling on taxi drivers through social media outlets to stop ripping off Egyptians through [rigged] taximeters. However, Sayed added that he believes that the taxi drivers syndicate and the interior ministry should be the only parties that handle problems between drivers and passengers. Uber and Careem are both companies that came to Egypt to fool the state and the local taxi drivers They dont pay the right taxes, and theyre using the gasoline of the country," Sayed said. Taxi drivers also argue that they have to pay thousands of Egyptian pounds to obtain a taxi license. Speaking to Ahram Online, Uber Cairos Operation Manager Abdellatif Waked said they are not against taxi drivers and that they understand the fact that they might be upset about some aspects of their operations. Cairo has about 20 million people, the market is large, so it is possible that it can accommodate taxi drivers, Uber, and other competitors, Waked said. Waked also argued that theyre trying to encourage taxi drivers to join the Uber platform, adding that the service is open for negotiations and discussions with taxi drivers to include them in the system. There are many taxi drivers who have actually joined us as Uber drivers, Waked elaborated, saying that "the door is always open for more to work with us." Waked said Uber is licensed as a technology company in all the countries it operates in, stressing that they pay taxes and carry commercial registers. Waked also added that the companys partners limousine and tourism companies actually act as offices for anyone who wants to join Uber as a driver, saying these outlets are licensed and have their own commercial registers. Dubai based Careem also insists it is operating legally in Egypt. In a recent interview with Ahram Online, Careems General Manager Hadeer Shalaby said they have provided thousands of work opportunities every month to unemployed Egyptians, arguing that their service is not only important for customers, but for their drivers or captains, as they prefer to call them. A lawsuit is expected to be filed soon by Egypts rights lawyer Khaled Ali, who will be representing taxi drivers against the foreign companies. This is the first time since the applications launch in the Middle East that the private services have faced a lawsuit from taxi drivers. In France, two Uber executives are set to face criminal charges on Thursday for the illegal storage of personal information and the operation of a service that puts passengers in touch with car-service drivers that have no professional licenses. The trial comes following a series of protests by taxi drivers in France. The latest outcry by French taxi drivers against Uber came on Tuesday when drivers partially blocked roads on the edge of Paris and other areas to protest against what they say is unfair competition from such companies. Search Keywords: Short link: - Former national secretary of Labour Party, Kayode Ajulo, criticized President Muhammadu Buhari for politicization of his anti-corruption campaign - Ajulo condemned the invasion of the residence of King AJ Turner by the DSS operatives - He wondered why those who worked or supported Goodluck Jonathan were the primary target of the ongoing probe Kayode Ajulo stressed that the anti-corruption campaign should not be selective and limited to some perceived political enemies. Former national secretary of Labour Party and Human Right Lawyer, Kayode Ajulo, has criticized President Muhammadu Buhari for politicization of his anti-corruption campaign. Leadership reports that Ajulo raised his voice against bias in the anti-corruption crusade while briefing journalists on Wednesday, February 10, in Abuja. No doubt that there is need to wage a decisive war against corruption which is essential to put Nigeria on the global map of business-friendly nations that will earn the country prosperity is a most welcome development, he noted. The lawyer stressed that the anti-corruption campaign should not be selective and limited to some perceived political enemies as being presently carried out by the Buharis administration. Recalling the invasion of the homes of some opposition politicians and other Nigerians believed to be close to the former president Goodluck Jonathan, Ajilo stated that using the Department of State Security (DSS) for such purpose was ridiculous. READ ALSO: Nigerians want anti-corruption war extended to Lagos, other states The lawyer challenged Buhari to tell Nigerians why the only member of his party quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Colonel Jafar Isa, is yet to be arraigned before court. Condemning the invasion of the residence of Bayelsa state monarch King AJ Turner by the DSS operatives, Ajulo wondered why those people who worked or supported Jonathan were the primary target of the ongoing probe. According to him, the use of the DSS for such operations is turning to an embarrassment of the president and Nigerian nation. Ajulo called on Buhari not to interfere and allow the statutory agencies saddled with the responsibility of anti-corruption to do their job. The human right lawyer urged the president to be guided by laws stressing that rule of law and liberty reign in the land where government is answerable to the people. President Buhari must remember that he requires the support of every Nigerians irrespective of their tribe or political affiliation, to successfully pilot the Nigerian state to a successful end, he concluded. Meanwhile, the former president Olusegun Obasanjo has recently called on President Buhari to start his anti-graft fight with himself, the vice president, the Senate president and the speaker of the House of Representatives. Source: Legit.ng Colonel Ahmed Al-Mesmari, spokesman for the Libyan chief of staff, tells Ahram online that the head of the Libyan army Haftar enjoys local consensus; Libyan-Libyan dialogue is key to any resolution Western countries are moving towards a military intervention in Libya to face the Islamic State group. However, many of the recently held meetings hosted by Western countries, such as last weeks Rome conference, revealed differences and divisions regarding a military solution to Libyan crisis. Confronting the IS group is not the contentious point in forging a solution to the 5 year-old civil war in Libya: preserving western interests, such as oil, in Libya is a top priority for western governments. Indeed, Rome has recently sent special forces to protect the port of Italy's ENI company on the Libyan coast. Meanwhile, France is also conducting occasional intelligence surveillance over Libya. There is a western consensus on the importance of curbing illegal immigration via Libya. War-torn Libya does not seem to have a say in deciding its own fate after all. The country continues to be split between an internationally recognised government in Tobrok in the east and a defiant Islamist-led coalition sitting in Tripoli in the West. Meanwhile, Cairo is preoccupied with the importance of accelerating coordination efforts with western countries to combat radical Islamist groups in Libya. However, these efforts do not seem to have produced tangible results. Ahram Online interviewed Colonel Ahmed Al-Mesmari, spokesman for the Libyan Chief of Staff, on the situation in Libya in light of the threat of Western military intervention. Ahram Online: What is the Wests current stance following developments in Rome? Colonel Ahmed Al-Mesmari: The West hinted at military intervention in Libya to help the Libyan people, yet they set as a condition the House of Representatives approval of Fayez Al-Sarraj's [national unity] government. So now it's about political trajectory. This trajectory faces a lot of obstacles, as the government has not yet been formed. Al-Sarraj requested on Monday that the council grant an extension, allowing time for further consultations. AO: Are questions about the future of Gen. Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan army, impeding the formation of the government? Al-Mesmari: General Haftar has local unanimous consensus within the Libyan army as well as in the eastern, western, and southern regions. Haftar is the symbol. Only terrorist militias and armed radical groups object to him as they are fully aware that if Haftar reaches a leadership position, there will be no place for militias in Libya. Even though the neighbouring and Western countries, particularly France, Britain, and the United States, are aware that the spread of those militias is dangerous to their interests, they exert pressure on Parliament and the government to exclude Haftar and to include the Islamists, the Muslim Brotherhood in particular, to participate in the political sphere. AO: There is, however, an unstructured military intervention taking place in Libya, is there coordination between these foreign players and Libyan army? Al-Mesmari: Libya is in a crisis on all levels. However, there is a local Libyan appeal to work on the unity of Libyan land. There is also a rejection of the Western role that does not consider the societal dimensions in Libya. There are military breaches of foreign countries, which Libyan officials have denied taking part in. From this we have to exclude Egypt, which is in coordination with the Libyan general command, as any move could deepen the Libyan crisis. AO: How are the political and tribal blocs reacting towards a possible consensus? Al-Mesmari: The positions now are pointing towards reaching a Libyan social consensus on the political level through a Libyan-Libyan dialogue. The political party blocs as well as the social tribal blocs see that the solution of the crisis lies in agreement. This will create an effort to get out of the cycle of control and conditional aid. We can fight the IS group and extremism and even their supporters, but the embargo on the Libyan army and the media campaigns that are conducted by hostile states and enemies is what we are suffering from. The United Nations also has to support anyone fighting extremism and terrorism in Libya. It has not yet given any support, but we continue fighting the IS group and others. AO: How can you convince the international community of the effectiveness of a Libyan-Libyan dialogue? Al-Mesmari: It's true that there are many challenges and obstacles, but these challenges increase with the intervention of the international community. The Libyan people have a certain conviction regarding the importance of the national consensus; I believe that Fayez Al-Sarajj himself is aware of this. AO: So did the meeting between Sarraj and Haftar, which was facilitated by Cairo, help ease the tensions between them? Al-Mesmari: Yes, of course the meeting was very fruitful and clarified a lot of vague issues. The role that Cairo played was very important, especially in helping the warring parties reach a compromise, where both sides started trusting one another. In the end, this will result in something good. In my opinion Sarajj started to lean towards a strategic transformation on the Libyan- Libyan dialogue. Search Keywords: Short link: Libya's internationally recognised parliament has extended to Sunday a deadline for the formation of a new national unity government aimed at ending years of chaos in the North African country. Lawmakers from the parliament, currently exiled in eastern Libya, on Tuesday voted to give a UN-backed Presidential Council "until Sunday to form a national unity government", it said on its website. The council -- made up of nine members from Libya's rival factions and headed by businessman Fayez al-Sarraj -- was supposed to present a new lineup for the power-sharing authority on Wednesday. Sarraj, who is to become prime minister under a UN-brokered deal signed by a minority of lawmakers from the country's two rival parliaments in December, asked for a deadline extension on Monday. UN envoy to Libya Martin Kobler on Wednesday tweeted that presidential council members gathered in the Moroccan resort of Skhirat were meeting day and night to work on a new cabinet lineup. "Never seen the presidential council so committed in day/night (meetings) to present a good list of the new unity (government)," he wrote. Last month the recognised parliament, which needs to approve any unity government before it begins work, rejected an initial lineup of 32 ministers and asked for it to be trimmed. Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with two rival administrations and armed groups fighting for control of the oil-rich country. A militia alliance including Islamists overran Tripoli in August 2014, establishing its own government and parliament and causing the recognised administration to flee to the country's remote east. The Islamic State militants group (ISIS) has taken advantage of the turmoil to establish a stronghold in the coastal city of Sirte. During a visit to Shahat in east Libya on Friday, Kobler met with parliament speaker Aguila Saleh and urged lawmakers to back a new proposal for a unity government. Search Keywords: Short link: McAleer & Rushe has entered into an agreement with Queens University Belfast to develop 1,200 student bedrooms on two of their prime city centre sites. The Tyrone and London based developer/contractor has agreed with Queens University to deliver the completed buildings, by the summer of 2018, i... [] Javascript Error Javascript is deactivated in your browser. To use all functions on this portal, for example the login, Javascript must be activated. Please activate Javascript in your browser settings. Launched in September 2015, not for India, but only for exports, Bajaj Qute quadricycle has been well received in export markets. Priced at about US $2,000 (INR 1.35 lakh), Bajaj Qute India has not been launched in India because of some opposition which claims that it is not safe. But, that seems no longer of an issue as the Qute is getting ready for India launch later this year. Bajaj Qute is a four-seater passenger vehicle weighing 400 kgs, aimed at replacing the three-wheeled rickshaws from the market. They not only offer safer transportation solution, but also a more comfortable and faster option as compared to three wheeled rickshaws. Bajaj Qute is strong and lightweight thanks to a hybrid construction with high strength steel body and plastic closures that are impact resistant. Bajaj Small Car Specs Bajaj Qute is now on sale in Turkey. [table id=182 /] Bajaj Qute quadricycle is powered by a 217cc, four valves, liquid cooled fuel injected engine capable of 13.5 PS power at 5,500 rpm and 19.6 Nm torque at 4,000 rpm mated to a 5-speed sequential gearbox. Besides meeting safety standards, Bajaj Qute also meets Euro 3 emission standards and Indian Quadricycle emission standards while fuel efficiency stands at 36 kmpl, emitting 66 gms CO2. Bajaj wanted to launch the Qute in India first, but even after waiting for months and fighting various PILs, the company failed to convince the Indian government about the safety of their new Qute. There are PILs filed in several states across India. Bajaj Qute Small Car India Launch Despite the uncertainty over the launch of Qute in India, Bajaj is confident that their new small car will be launched in 2017, reveals Moneycontrol. They have allocated 25,000 annual production capacity for the Qute at their Aurangabad plant. Bajaj Qute India Price [table id=183 /] Rajiv Bajaj with the new Qute In the meantime, Bajaj has shared a series of videos which highlight the safety features of the Qute. Below are the videos. Who can buy Bajaj small car? Well, if you are thinking of buying the Bajaj small car for private use, then that is not going to be possible. It has been made very clear by the government that the Bajaj Qute, and such quadricycles will only be sold for commercial use. Meaning, they can only be used for ferrying people and that too inside city limits. Their use outside city limits has been banned as of now. Bajaj Small Car Safety Videos Bajaj Qute Safety features Majority of the PILs filed against Bajajs Qute small car are because of its lack in safety. But Bajaj claims otherwise. They are of the opinion that their new small car is safer than the three wheeled rickshaws which are currently in circulation across every Indian city. Below are some safety test videos which put their word forward. Bajaj Qute Photos [wp-review id=185305] MG Motors, which are going to start a fresh innings in India, has confirmed the debut of the new Hector SUV as their first offering in the country. The upcoming SUV will be officially revealed on 15th May, with launch date set for sometime in June this year. Their second offering will be the eZS electric SUV which will launch later this year. Ahead of debut, manufacturing of the Hector SUV is in full swing, at the company plant in Halol, near Vadodara in Gujarat. This is the same plant which was used by GM India, and was then taken over by MG India. MG has invested about USD 1 billion in India, part of which has gone into overhaul of the manufacturing facility. Earlier today, MG India revealed the first video, which not only shows their upcoming SUV, but have also detailed their state of the art plant. The plant was commissioned in June 2017, and in a record time, it is now ready to roll out production ready Hector SUV. Watch the video below. We are proud to be rolling out the first made in India, feature-rich internet car, the MG Hector, from our all-new assembly line in Gujarat. Adopting the highest quality global manufacturing standards, the Hector has been specially customized to suit Indian customer preferences and road conditions. The MG Hector is poised to become a new benchmark in SUVs, said Rajeev Chaba, President & Managing Director, MG Motor India. MG Hector is the first connected car in its segment. It will receive new advanced connectivity system called i-SMART with an M2M SIM making it the companys first internet car. The new Hectors i-SMART system is a completely integrated solution with a combination of hardware, software, connectivity, services and applications. This system is developed along with tech partners such as Cisco, Unlimit and Microsoft, offering advanced technology built in Apps, artificial intelligence, voice assist and infotainment. It gets a vertically mounted 10.4 full HD infotainment system with pre loaded entertainment. It comes in with first machine to machine SIM, Internet Protocol Version 6 which makes it 5G ready and offers features such as real time navigation, remote location, emergency response and geo fencing. The system is secured by Microsoft. The new MG Hector, a five seater SUV will come in with several segment first features. Its exteriors have been seen with bumper mounted LED headlights and DRLs which are positioned on top and close to the hood, a design feature which has been gaining in importance in global markets. It also gets faux silver skid plates, roof mounted spoiler, dual tone diamond cut alloy wheels and an electrically operated tail gate with LED tail lamps. Where dimensions are concerned, the Hector will be among the largest in its segment. It will measure 4,655mm in length, 1,835mm in width and 1,760 mm in height. These dimensions make it larger than the Tata Harrier. Engine specifications include a 1.5 liter turbocharged petrol engine offering 143 PS power and 250 Nm torque and a Fiat sourced 2.0 liter Multijet diesel engine giving out 173 PS power and 350 Nm torque. A higher level of localization, to the extent of 70 percent, will allow MG Motors to price the Hector affordably and competitively with prices slated to range between Rs.15-20 lakhs. It will rival the Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson, Tata Harrier, Hyundai Creta and upcoming Kia SP once launched in the country. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan upbraided the United States for its support of Syrian Kurdish PYD rebels on Wednesday, saying Washington's inability to understand the group's true nature had turned the region into a "sea of blood". "Are you on our side or the side of the terrorist PYD and PKK organisation?" Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara to provincial officials, referring to Washington's backing of the Syrian Kurdish fighters PYD against the Islamic State. Turkey considers the PYD to be a terrorist organisation, citing its ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has carried out a three-decade violent insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. Search Keywords: Short link: Footage taken at a wildlife sanctuary in Laos has gone viral for its "funny" depiction of a rescued Asiatic black bear walking upright on two legs like a human - but the likely reason for this behavior is nothing short of heartbreaking. Jinata's "educated guess" is that this detrimental treatment contributed to his propensity to walk around on two feet. "With this living condition it's not surprising that he's malnourished, which is shown by how short his legs are and the body size is disproportionately small for his head size. He is much smaller than an adult Asiatic black bear of his age should be," Jinata writes on her blog, Holiztic Vet. "Before his current place was turned into a rescue center, it functioned as a zoo where visitors could feed him and other bears by throwing food from outside the fence. With his smaller and malnourished body, it is easier for him to stand on his hind leg because his spine can support his light body weight. Standing up and waiting for food slowly became a habit which he does on a daily basis now," Jinata continues. Today, more than 10,000 bears are believed to be subjected to lives of pain and suffering on bile farms throughout Southeast Asia, but help may be on the way as demand for bile has been plummeting. Rescue groups, like Animals Asia, have so far rescued around 400 bears and retired them to sanctuaries. To learn how you can help, visit Animals Asia's website here. It's a dismal reality that dogs who enter shelters must also eventually leave those same shelters. Whether that's through adoption or, sadly, otherwise. Space is space, right? There's only so much of it to go around. Why then, one wonders, do we see dogs being put down at shelters where kennels stand empty? It's an emotional question that rings out again and again on social media. Why kill dogs when kennels stand empty? Well, that may be because the answer is more complex than simply space. Dodo Shows Soulmates Growling Little Kitten Becomes Her Mom's Best Friend For one thing, a dog may be in such an extreme state of medical distress, euthanasia is deemed the most humane option. "If they are doing it it's probably because there's either something medically or behaviorally wrong," Randall Brown, chief field supervisor at Multnomah County Animal Services in Oregon, tells The Dodo. Dogs in ailing health, whose days are likely only to get darker, fall into that category. Same goes for dogs who have been deemed dangerous to others by shelter staff. "They can only put so many resources into one animal," Brown says. And there's the rub. Space is just one resource a shelter relies upon to care for dogs. There's also staff and volunteers - two of the most underrated factors in prolonging a shelter dog's life - and funds, which are critical for obedience training and enrichment programs designed to make animals more adoptable. And less of a candidate for euthanasia. MINDA HARRIS MINDA HARRIS Ironically, a dog who spends too long at a shelter can also develop behaviors that make her more likely to be put down. A veteran in the shelter industry who didn't wish to be identified for this story describes a condition known as "kennel craziness". "It's a really horrible thing to witness," she tells The Dodo. "The animal's personality drastically changes. They may become aggressive or completely checked out, and many of them begin to circle their kennels endlessly or chew their tails. At that point, the quality of life of the animal has to be considered." Friends of Collier Domestic Animal Service At penny-pinched county shelters, the question looms especially large: How much time and energy can be spent on one dog? "If a dog that is pet-aggressive takes three months to find a home and an overall well-tempered dog takes two weeks, you could save six dogs in the time you had that pet aggressive animal in a kennel," the shelter staffer explains. "That's not to say that animals are just numbers in a shelter. They aren't. Shelter workers take each euthanasia decision very seriously and it's something that is emotional and very challenging. But in the end, the goal of most shelters is to save as many animals as they possible can." At the other end of the spectrum, MSPCA-Angell, a privately funded shelter system in Massachusetts, has managed to dramatically reduce its kill rate to the point where it's almost negligible. "If a shelter can garner the resources," Terri Bright, the organization's director of behavior services, tells The Dodo, "if they have good behaviorists, if they have good volunteers, then they can help more dogs to hang in there until they get adopted." Amy Klein This browser does not support the video tag. Amy Klein In the last seven years, for example, the organization has increased its adoption rates for bigger dogs from 77 percent to 92 percent. That's a startling success considering the organization runs an open shelter. "We take in every single dog someone gives us," Bright says. "They might bring us a dog who's 15 years old and literally on the last days of life. They might bring us a dog who has bitten someone in their family. We'll take both of those dogs because we don't turn any dog away." The longest stretch a dog has spent at MSPCA-Angell? 305 days. That dog didn't develop symptoms of prolonged shelter life, and was eventually adopted. "When she left here," Bright recalls, "she was a better dog than when she came in. She had been to two or three obedience classes. She knew lots of great behaviors." Executives Ex-Tyco CEO named chairman of nonprot A former business titan convicted more than a decade ago in a notorious corporate fraud case is now board chairman of a New York City nonprofit organization that helps ex-prisoners reenter society, the group announced Tuesday. Ex-Tyco International chief executive L. Dennis Kozlowski, who served 6 1/ 2 years behind bars after he and another executive were convicted of looting the security-systems company of $600 million, said he was honored to lead the Fortune Societys 31-member board. I was fortunate where I had a support system and was able to have family and friends to help me land on my feet, he said. But most people dont have that, and most people need a lot of help. The group serves about 5,500 formerly incarcerated people every year with help getting jobs, housing, health services and education, as well as meeting other needs. JoAnne Page, the groups president and chief executive, touted Kozlowskis business experience and passion for the work, saying in a statement that he has already proven himself to be an inspirational leader. A 2005 inquiry into whether Kozlowski evaded paying millions of dollars in taxes on art turned into a sprawling investigation into his use of Tyco funds for lavish spending, including a $6,000 shower curtain and a $2 million toga party he threw on the Italian island of Sardinia. Associated Press Music Industry Settlement reached on Happy Birthday The copyright to the worlds most popular song, Happy Birthday to You, has been in dispute for decades, but if an agreement by Warner/Chappel Music to pay $14 million to end a lawsuit over the song is approved by a U.S. court, it will be free for all to use as they please. The settlement, unveiled in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday, would end the music publishers claimed ownership of the song. It also specifies that once the settlement is approved by the court, the song will be in the public domain. A hearing is scheduled for March 4. A group of artists and filmmakers filed a class-action lawsuit in 2013 against Warner/Chappell, the music-publishing arm of Warner Music Group. In a court filing Monday, the group hailed the settlement as unquestionably an excellent result. The settlement money will be distributed among those who paid licensing fees for the song back to 1949. In September, U.S. District Judge George King ruled that Warner/Chappel did not have a valid copyright claim to the songs lyrics. People who sing Happy Birthday at private gatherings have typically never been at risk of being sued. But when the song was used for commercial purposes, such as in films, Warner demanded payment and took in an estimated $2 million in royalties for such uses each year. Reuters Also in Business From news services Coming Today From news services Much like The Revenant and The Hateful Eight, Rosamund Luptons suspense novel The Quality of Silence pits its characters against a heartlessly cruel Mother Nature. Set on Alaskas James W. Dalton Highway, the notorious stretch of road made famous by the History Channels Ice Road Truckers, the book centers on a mother-daughter pair searching for the girls missing father. Its the dead of winter and dark 24 hours a day. The cold is so mean it will bite at your face like a half-starved animal. Amid these stark conditions Yasmin Alfredson and her 10-year-old daughter, Ruby, barrel down the Dalton in a 40-ton 18-wheeler. Theyre making a run from Fairbanks to the roads stopping point at the town of Deadhorse, near the Arctic Ocean. Not only is it Yasmins first time driving a big rig, but a polar storm is imminent. Seasoned truckers are warning over the CB radio that the pair is headed into a hellscape thats bound to kill them, but they wont turn back. [Best mystery books and thrillers of 2015] Never mind that an Alaska state trooper has told Yasmin that her husband, Matt, a wildlife filmmaker, was one of 24 people killed when a catastrophic fire engulfed a native village 35 miles from Deadwood, where he was working. The police have called off their search for survivors but Yasmin is convinced that Matts alive. She pays a trucker to drive them north, but bad luck strikes early on, and Yasmin finds herself behind the wheel. As if the weather isnt enough of a threat, theres also the menace of a tanker driver who seems to be following them. About half of this teeth-chattering novel is narrated by the indomitable Ruby, who is profoundly deaf and a model of girl power. Shes bullied at school for being different and on the outs with her only friend. Her parents are her anchor to self-esteem. Matt tells her to think about it this way: Its not that Im deaf but I hear quietness. She even has a Twitter account where she writes about words as only she can hear them. WEIRD Looks psychedelic; tastes dip-dab-sherbet-fizzy. NOISE Looks like flashing signs, neon-bright; feels like rubble falling; tastes like other peoples breathed-out air. Her bravery, as the story unfolds, is enormous. Rosamund Lupton (Charlie Hopkinson) The quality of Rubys soundless world is juxtaposed against the deadly quiet of the Alaskan tundra. When the polar storm hits and when the sky and land seem to fuse into a single white entity, Yasmin pulls off the road to wait things out. The temperature outside the truck drops steadily and horrifyingly to minus-55 degrees, and the temperature in the truck cab to minus-4. The Alfredsons suffering seems unfathomable. Yet, like Hugh Glass in The Revenant, this mother-daughter team cant be vanquished or stopped. In this tale, the deadly cold and treacherous road are no match for the fiery heat of enduring love. Carol Memmott, who lives in Virginia, also reviews books for the Chicago Tribune. Michael M. Thomass Fixers isnt just an audacious financial thriller, its also, even primarily, a meditation on values. The novel juxtaposes traditional ideals of loyalty, service, patriotism and noblesse oblige against the relentless, pathological venality of contemporary Wall Street, where, as Thomass narrator observes, legality is the sole animating principle of morality. More dramatically, Fixers reveals the purported financial shenanigans that made possible the 2008 election of our current president and the real reasons the federal government bailed out the banks and investment groups that caused the global financial crisis of that same year. As Thomas says in his acknowledgments, the book imagines connections between known sets of facts that add up to an alternative, plausible interpretation and explanation of the financial crisis and its aftermath. Call it a fantasy, then, but is it? Besides being a best-selling novelist, Thomas is also a former partner at Lehman Brothers. His initial premise certainly seems believable: The exercise of power in America today is almost entirely an insiders game that completely shuts out 99.9 percent of the population, which is never made truly privy to the backstage dealings that decide matters of great pith and moment which in this great, shining republic generally run to the issue of who is to get what and for how much, with the bulk of the money coming from the full faith and credit of the American taxpayer. We groundlings are never told what was actually, exactly said and agreed, as opposed to what They with a capital T and their stooges in the media tell us. You might say that I intend to bridge the gap between the true facts of the matter and what the public will have been told. That I, by the way, is 46-year-old Chauncey Arlington Suydam III, a high-end arts adviser who helps institutions find donors to underwrite operas, exhibitions and other expensive cultural events. Chauncey, as his name suggests, was brought up in the WASP establishment banker father, education at Groton and Yale, membership in Skull and Bones, a few years in the CIA, where he specialized in covert financial operations. While deeply devoted to the vanishing ideals of the old-money, Yankee ascendancy, hes nonetheless a man with few illusions: The key to Wall Street is that these people really dont give a damn about what anyone other than peers and competitors think and their lawyers and accountants tell them. . . . That said, you also need to consider that theyve managed to work things out so that what they do, overpaid though it may be, has become essential to the working of the world. Life runs on fossil fuels and credit. [A Wall Street thriller where women take center stage] One morning in mid-February of 2007, Chauncey is summoned to a breakfast meeting by his old CIA boss, Leon Mankoff. Now the head of the giant investment bank Struther Strauss, known as STST, Mankoff explains that hes worried about the future. He foresees every kind of computer-driven financial calamity: credit freeze, bank insolvencies, a foreclosure pandemic, a liquidity crisis, accounting scandals, balance sheet implosions, a few big firms driven to the wall, total breakdown of trust between institutions and more. Something needs to be done, he tells Chauncey and right now. I want you to fix next years presidential election for me. Mankoff believes that the election of Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic candidate, would be a disaster for Wall Street. If the crisis comes, only Uncle Sam will have pockets deep enough to fund a bailout. But Clinton, both egregiously ambitious and untrustworthy in Mankoffs view, might see political fodder in attacking rather than assisting the Street. However, theres this other guy, a young senator from Illinois. Hes charismatic but lacks the serious money to mount an effective challenge to Clinton. Still, that could change if his campaign were suddenly enriched by, say, $75 million. Just for starters, of course. Despite a few qualms, Chauncey soon finds himself flying to California, where he accidentally bumps into the senators chief adviser during a think-tank weekend at Bohemian Grove. While giving the pol a ride back to Chicago in a private jet, Chauncey dangles Mankoffs $75 million carrot, which he promises to deliver in ways that wont draw attention to its true origins. The candidate referred to only as Our Guy or OG doesnt need to know a thing. In return, Mankoff simply wants three particular people appointed to positions high up in the new administration. Fixers takes the form of Chaunceys laptop diary, as we follow him through years of secret machinations, culminating in a lot of second thoughts. Along the way, we meet the gossipy Lucia, who runs public relations for STST, legendary Merlin Gerritt (obviously based on Warren Buffett), muckraking reporter Marina Hochster and Washington insider Ian Spass (his last name means joke in German). Best of all, the San Calisto gang a quartet of retired, old-school brokers provides a kind of Greek chorus to the novel. If theres one philosophical point theyre agreed on, says Chauncey of the group, its that back in their day, the work was about building: raising money for new companies, new factories and stores, new processes. Today its mainly about extracting whether whats under the microscope is a company being hollowed out financially in a leveraged buyout, or practically everything in the magic slice-and-dice world of securitization. Most of the impending financial crisis, Chauncey realizes, grew out of the 1999 gutting of the protective regulations of the Glass-Steagall Act, coupled with the complex, interconnectivity of modern investments. One bad apple can make everyone sick. Of course, the cardinal principle of the Street remains invariable: Its always the other persons fault. Such cynical observations are among the many pleasures of Thomass book: Complexity is the first refuge of the scoundrel; Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. Chauncey himself reminds us of Adlai Stevensons great one-liner: Heres the conclusion on which I base my facts. As Fixers progresses, the Mankoff plan initially seems to be working perfectly and then complications, some of them personal, lead Chauncey to reflect on what hes wrought. I wont reveal too much more but do want to stress the novels breezy, engaging style, one that can move effortlessly from explaining junk bonds and derivatives to quoting Gibbon and making wisecracks. One Wall Street legend, Chauncey tells us, was the sort of fellow, you saw him in the locker room, you took your wallet into the shower with you. Slick spin-doctoring, he notes, readily transferred responsibility for the mortgage crisis to Uncle Sam and the borrowers. The mortgage promoters, lenders, and packagers were just poor saps, mere putty in the hands of indigents and incompetent, crypto-socialist bureaucrats. Fixers is, in the end, an exhilarating book to read and a depressing one to think about. A guilt-ridden Chauncey increasingly mourns the principles and traditions upheld by a dying WASP aristocracy. High standards in business practice, service to our country, a truly useful life can such ideals, he wonders, be reawakened in a culture that so zealously worships Mammon and grotesquely rewards cheats and scam artists? You tell me. Michael Dirda reviews each Thursday in Style and is the author, most recently, of Browsings: A Year of Reading, Collecting, and Living With Books. Darra Goldstein talks about Scandinavian food with The Posts Tim Carman at the Hill Center on Feb. 19. A book signing and reception follow the conversation. (Deb Lindsey/The Washington Post) THURSDAY COOKING CLASS: Chef Mark Haskell teaches participants how to make various types of sausage. 7-9 p.m. $49. Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-549-4172. hillcenterdc.org. FRIDAY CONVERSATION WITH AUTHOR DARRA GOLDSTEIN: The Posts Tim Carman talks with Goldstein about Fire + Ice, her book on Scandinavian cuisine. 7 p.m. $40 including copy of book; $20 entrance only. Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-549-4172. hillcenterdc.org. WINE DINNER: Special menu paired with Piemontese wine. 7 p.m. $235, including tax and gratuity. Masseria, 1340 Fourth St. NE. 202-608-1330. masseria-dc.com. SATURDAY COGNAC & ARMAGNAC TASTING: Participants learn about the history and production of cognac, Armagnac, brandy and more. Lunch included. 1-3 p.m. $85. Acadiana, 901 New York Ave. NW. 202-408-8848. acadianarestaurant.com/acadiana-cookingclasses.html. CULINARY CLASS: Geared towards couples, participants decorate cupcakes in a cherry blossom theme. 4-5:30 p.m. Fairmont Washington Hotel, 2401 M St. NW. 202-457-5020. fairmont.com/washington. SUNDAY COOKING CLASS: Demonstration on cooking comfort foods. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $55 for one, $100 for two. Veggie Gourmet, 9302 Hallston Ct., Fairfax Station. 703-643-2713. veggourmet.wordpress.com. WINE CLASS: Participants learn about wines made from grenache grapes. Part of the One Sip at a Time series. 5 p.m. $25. Chain Bridge Cellars, 1351 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean. 703-356-6500. chainbridgecellars.com. RESERVE NOW FEB. 25 CHEF'S TABLE DINNER: Five courses paired with wine, hosted by chef Fabio Trabocchi. Seating is limited. 7-10 p.m. $300, including tax and gratuity. Fiola, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202-628-2888. fioladc.com. TEA TASTING: Attendees learn about and sample tea. 7:30 p.m. $12 in advance; $15 day of. Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. 202-408-3100. sixthandi.org. VINEGAR: A NEW VINTAGE: Daniel Liberson, owner and founder of Lindera Farms in Delaplane, Va., discusses vinegar. 6:45-8:45 p.m. General admission $45, members $30. S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW. 202-633-3030. smithsonianassociates.org. FEB. 27 COOKING CLASS: Class led by Doron Petersan of Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats. 11 a.m. $85. Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-549-4172. hillcenterdc.org. MARCH 1 COOKING CLASS SERIES: An introductory lecture kicks off a series of five cooking classes designed around a plant-based diet. 6-7:15 p.m. Free. The Physicians Committee, Friendship Heights, 5100 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 400. 202-527-7500. pcrm.org/barnardmedical. MARCH 13 BLUE JEANS BALL: 13th annual event of food tastings, live music and more, featuring chefs Ruth Gresser, Sherry Yard and Jeff Buben. Proceeds benefit Capital Area Food Bank. VIP option also available. 6 p.m. $200. Marriott Marquis, 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 202-644-9800. capitalareafoodbank.org. Kara Elder Submit event listings at washingtonpost.com/gog/talk-to-us.html at least 14 days in advance. Chip and Joanna Gaines, co-hosts of HGTVs Fixer Upper, used white walls to great effect in this living room. (Jeff Jones) Good news, renters. White is in. When two major paint companies, Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams, chose shades of white for their pick of 2016 (Simply White and Alabaster, respectively), your plain, unpaintable walls became your greatest asset. White makes the space look bigger, says Pamela Gaylin Ryder, an interior designer based in the District. Theres more continuity with open floor plans. It doesnt break the space up. And it makes it look a lot cleaner and spacious. The challenge is making that white-based color palette feel intentional and lived in, not borrowed. You want it to have texture, interest, dimension, impact. For expert ideas on making white walls feel serene and homey, we talked to Ryder, EasyPaints Tracy Morris, and Joanna Gaines, co-host of HGTVs Fixer Upper (with her husband, Chip), who almost always sticks to a simple palette. Instead of limiting you, think of those neutral walls as opening the door to all kinds of design possibilities. [Add sparkle to a home of almost any size and style with these five West Elm items] Add vintage-style and heirloom pieces Your favorite art and family pieces actually get lost with bold-colored walls; white walls allow them to be seen. White is a great palette for anything thats interesting from a design standpoint, Gaines says. Incorporate architectural elements, old carvings, old windows, old mantels, old clocks. They really help to balance the stark white. Gaines advocates taking your time to find the right older pieces, but if you want to create the found look fast, search for items in stores that already have a vintage feel to them, whether they reuse materials in a new way or are reproductions of older items. Birch Lanes Malbec Wall Clock is made out of reclaimed wine barrels ($319, birchlane.com). (Birch Lane) From L.A.-based Bauer Potterys original 1929 Ringware collection, the Spool Candlestick resembles an empty spool of thread ($18, bauerpottery.com). (Bauer Pottery) Make white walls look intentional No one has to know youre stuck with white. When you tie other neutrals into your color palette, whether its with a white sofa like the one Gaines has in her Texas home or with a clear coffee table, your white walls are going to look purposeful and sharp. The main big pieces the sofa, coffee table, chairs and the walls those should be lighter or more neutral so that your eye can focus on the bolder pieces, Morris says. (Homeowner tip: If youre able to paint your walls and want white, Morris recommends Benjamin Moores White Dove especially if you like a contemporary look and want to paint the walls and trim the same color. She also likes Benjamin Moores Ballet White for those with art collections and Maritime White for houses by the beach.) White furniture connects with white walls. Gaines isnt afraid of white sofas because hers, the Ektorp Sofa in Blekinge white, has a washable, replaceable slipcover ($399, ikea.com). (Ikea) A clear coffee table, such as the House of Hampton Coffee Table ($113, www.allmodern.com), keeps the color palette cohesive. The gold metal and glass top add sheen to the space, too. (AllModern) [6 ways simplifying your home can simplify your life] Lay the foundation with a rug that has some white I always start with the rug, Morris says about designing a room. Paint can be customized, art can be commissioned, but there are often only a small amount of rugs that work for a space. If the main pieces in a room are white sofa, coffee table, chairs Morris says its okay to go bold with the rug. Make sure the rug pattern has some white in it, though, Gaines says, so that it ties into the white walls. The Fab Habitat Zen Rug is bold and graphic, with tiny stripes of white that will pick up and highlight anything else thats white in the room ($40-$350, nordstrom.com). (Nordstrom) Introduce other colors strategically White goes with everything, which means that its the perfect backdrop for changing out colorful accessories seasonally. Gaines likes to pick up fun things at good prices from Target and West Elm; for February, she has a touch of a red-and-white theme in her living room. Ryder likes to do the same. Im an advocate of keeping a great backdrop and letting artwork bring heart and soul into the house, she says. The Chindi Colorblock Pillow Cover in Poppy is hand-loomed with recycled cotton in India, giving this pillow color, texture and a story ($54, westelm.com). (West Elm) When youre looking for accessories, think about function, Gaines says. You can find pieces that are unique but also functional. . . . Everything in my house is taking up square footage, so it better be practical. The red Locker Basket, for example, from Gainess own Magnolia Market, can become a colorful shoe drop ($21, magnoliamarket.com). (Magnolia Market) Give the room a focal point Having one standout element in the room such as big, bold art or a masterful grouping of smaller art makes it feel calm; your eye isnt wandering from thing to thing. If you cant paint the walls, really get creative above the sofa, Gaines says. Put up a collage of frames with color in them . . . photographs that you take over the weekend of nature. The white walls allow the frames and artwork to really be the focus. Keep the frames all one color for a strong statement. Black frames stand out on white walls, Ryder says. Even white-on-white, shiny white frames, with black-and-white photos look good. Or mix different styles, but no more than two. For example, you could do black and gold, or you could do black and silver, Morris says. Keep the arrangement to an odd number of items, she adds, and throw in a mirror to make it even more eye-catching. Making a gallery is easy when you buy the frames from one source. Pottery Barns Gallery in a Box comes in sets of six, 10 or 15, in black, white, espresso or wood ($209-$499, potterybarn.com). (Pottery Barn) [Nine designers tips for upping your decorating game] Use organic elements The fastest way to inject life into a stark space is to add living things. Consider air plants; at most, youll need to submerge them in water for two to three hours every few weeks. And pick up flowers when you can and arrange them in an interesting vase. In between fresh bouquets, Gaines likes high-quality faux florals. Good fake florals and good pillows can stand the test of time, she says. A set of Three Ceramic Vases with air plants can be staged together in a grouping or spread about a house or apartment ($37, airplantsupplyco.com). (Air Plant Supply) The nine-inch-tall Moretti Marble Vase could make dandelions look refined ($85, rhmodern.com). (RH Modern) Think about texture Texture takes a design from stark and cold to interesting and warm. It helps you warm up the space while still having a real simple palette, Gaines says. The designer and owner of retail store Magnolia Market also likes to hang baskets with faux florals or leaf wreaths on the walls to give them texture. Anything the hand wants to reach out and touch is a winner here. CB2s Icelandic Sheepskin Chair Cushion graces the Roadhouse Black Leather Chair for a meeting of fluffy and rigid ($50 and $249, cb2.com). (CB2) A super-soft throw, such as Anthropologies Cozy Dot Throw, is especially nice during colder months ($98, anthropologie.com). (Anthropologie) Roberts is a freelance writer. She can be found at lindseymroberts.com. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo said on Wednesday he may consider including members of new political parties in his cabinet in a future reshuffle. "It is in process," Widodo told Reuters in an interview at the presidential palace, adding that erstwhile opposition parties like Golkar, which is also the country's second-biggest, may be featured in a new line-up. Widodo's ruling coalition has four major parties, all of which control seats in the cabinet. Several former opposition parties like Golkar and the National Mandate Party (PAN) have pledged their support for the government in recent months. Only one party, failed presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra, remains in opposition. Widodo's last reshuffle in August was aimed boosting investor sentiment in Southeast Asia's biggest economy and was seen to be largely free of political interference from his backing coalition. Six cabinet ministers were replaced in that reshuffle including the chief economics and trade mininsters. Search Keywords: Short link: Dear readers: I have stepped away from my daily column for two weeks to finish writing my next book, which is due to be published next fall. I hope youll enjoy these topical best of questions and answers while Im away. Todays letters explore the subject of romantic complication. Dear Amy: I am in an ethical quandary. Three of my friends call them Trish, Bill and Janet have become embroiled in a romantic situation that has me perplexed over what I should do. Trish and Bill had been going out for about nine months when they befriended Janet. Janet is very lively and personable, and she rapidly became very close to both Trish and Bill. Bill gradually began spending more time with Janet and less with Trish, and about six months after meeting Janet, he broke up with Trish. Two weeks after that, Bill and Janet became romantically involved. The obvious implication is that Janet betrayed Trish, that she used her friendship to get close to Bill and steal him away, but the reality may not be so black and white. Anyway, Im closest with Trish, and she is very hurt. How should I relate to Janet now? I dont want to be judgmental, but if I remain friends with her, I feel disloyal to Trish. What should I do? Confused in Connecticut Confused in Connecticut: In the old days, people could be cordial without having to disclose their every opinion, feeling and reaction. A person could be friendly without being intimate friends. Lets bring those days back. If you are closest to Trish, then stay closest to her. You can be cordial to Janet and Bill without getting embroiled in their relationship and/or judging their behavior. When they became involved, surely they knew that their choice would have some fallout losing you and Trish as intimate friends might just be it. Trish has a right to expect you to be a loyal friend to her, but she should not insist that you stop interacting with these other friends. The best way to preserve all of these relationships is to maintain your position as the friendship equivalent of Switzerland and insist that everybody allow you to remain neutral. (February 2006) Dear Amy: I discovered that my husband of 35 years has been in contact (for several years) with his high school girlfriend via e-mail. I happened to see an old e-mail that was saved on the computer, which had terms of endearment in it and referred to their recent times together. After asking him about the e-mail and his actual contact with her, he said that I was overreacting and that if he really wanted to be with her he would have left me. Ive requested that we go into therapy, and he has said no because he hasnt done anything wrong. Needless to say, I am so hurt. Feeling Betrayed Feeling Betrayed: Your husband seems to have confused therapy with the penitentiary. You dont go to therapy when youve done something wrong. Therapy isnt the last stop for incorrigible husbands. You go to therapy when you want to understand yourself. Obviously, your husband doesnt want to understand himself better. His version of marriage is, If it aint broke, dont fix it, and it aint broke unless I say it is. What a disappointingly low standard. I can imagine how bad you must feel knowing that your feelings hold so little interest for your husband of 35 years. Because you seem to comprehend what therapy is for understanding, self-awareness and healing you should go. You may never figure out what, exactly, your husband is up to with his old girlfriend. You will figure out how you feel about it, however. Then youll be in a position to know what you intend to do about it. Ignoring your husbands behavior is one option. Leaving the marriage is another. But there are many variations and gradations of reactions between those two extremes. Therapy will help you to sort this out. (January 2006) Amys column appears seven days a week at washingtonpost.com/advice. Write to Amy Dickinson at askamy@tribpub.com or Ask Amy, Chicago Tribune, TT500, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. THE DISTRICT 3 injured in crash near Nationals Park A crash Sunday near Nationals Park that left three people injured one of them critically was caused by a driver who sped away from a D.C. police officer who tried to pull him over for a traffic infraction, according to a department spokesman. But the spokesman, Dustin Sternbeck, said authorities do not think the officer was chasing the vehicle. Our investigation to this point has revealed no evidence that suggests that a pursuit was initiated, he said. The crash occurred about 4:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of South Capitol Street. Sternbeck said an officer tried to pull over a car on South Capitol Street near the bridge over the Anacostia River. The driver did not comply and fled, Sternbeck said, and moments later crashed into another car. Police said the male driver of the fleeing car was ejected and taken to a hospital in critical condition. A woman and a child in the other car were also injured. They were treated for injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. Peter Hermann MARYLAND Dozens arrested over Super Bowl weekend Authorities in Maryland arrested 51 people, including one of their own, for allegedly driving under the influence over Super Bowl weekend. State troopers responded to a crash about 11 p.m. Saturday and found a pickup truck that had veered off the road into a field in Marion, Md., in Somerset County. The driver of the pickup was Maryland State Trooper 1st Class John Dize Jr., who was off-duty. In a statement, state police officials said Dize was charged with driving under the influence. Dana Hedgpeth THE REGION Metrorail ridership lowest since 2004 Metrorail ridership in the second half of 2015 dropped to levels not seen since 2004, according to a report set for delivery Thursday to the Metro boards finance committee. On a year-to-date basis, the report says, overall weekday ridership was down six percent compared to FY2015 [the fiscal year that began in July 2014 and ended in June 2015], and weekend ridership was down twelve percent. The report said the drop was pervasive and not linked to any particular event or weather and was evident in rail and bus service and at nearly all stations. The staff report adds that during 2015, Metrorails morning commuters experienced worse median travel times, unpredictability of travel times and more frequent severe delays. Robert Thomson Alexandria These were among incidents reported by the Alexandria Police Department. For information, call 703-838-4636 or visit alexandriava.gov. ASSAULTS Alfred St. S., 300 block, 4:49 a.m. Jan. 31. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Armistead St. N., 400 block, 12:37 a.m. Jan. 31. An assault was reported. Armistead St. N., 400 block, 9:58 p.m. Jan. 28. An assault was reported. Beauregard St. N., 1400 block, 5 p.m. Jan. 30. An assault was reported. Bragg St. S., 100 block, 9:54 p.m. Jan. 27. An assault was reported. Bruce St., 3900 block, 6:48 p.m. Feb. 1. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Drake Ct. and Reading Ave., 2:27 a.m. Jan. 31. An assault was reported. Duke St., 5800 block, 6:02 p.m. Jan. 28. An assault was reported. Four Mile Rd., 500 block, 9:15 p.m. Jan. 27. An assault was reported. Kenmore Ave., 4700 block, 12:52 p.m. Jan. 31. An assault was reported. King St., 100 block, 6:47 p.m. Jan. 31. An assault was reported. King St., 2700 block, 7 p.m. Jan. 28. An assault was reported. Quantrell Ave., 5800 block, 6:29 p.m. Feb. 1. An assault was reported. Queen and N. Washington streets, 1:20 a.m. Jan. 31. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Reynolds St. S., 300 block, 4:45 a.m. Feb. 2. An assault was reported. Sanger Ave. and N. Beauregard St., 7:58 p.m. Feb. 2. An assault was reported. Taney Ave., 5300 block, 12:26 a.m. Jan. 28. An assault was reported. Van Dorn St. S., 100 block, 11:17 p.m. Jan. 30. An assault was reported. Whiting St. S., 400 block, 10:50 p.m. Jan. 30. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. PEEPING TOM Normandy Hill Dr., 200 block, 7:18 p.m. Jan. 29. A peeping Tom incident was reported. ROBBERIES Holmes Run Pkwy., 5300 block, 9:01 p.m. Jan. 29. A robbery was reported. N. Beauregard St. and W. Braddock Rd., 12:22 p.m. Feb. 2. A robbery was reported. Van Dorn St. S., 100 block, 11:17 p.m. Jan. 30. A robbery was reported. THEFTS/BREAK-INS Anderson St., 1100 block, 1:40 a.m. Feb. 3. Property was stolen. Armistead St. N., 400 block, 9:54 a.m. Feb. 2. A theft was reported. Braddock Rd. E., 400 block, 9:42 a.m. Jan. 31. Property was entered. An arrest was made. Bradford Ct., 5400 block, 1:54 p.m. Jan. 29. A theft was reported. Duke St., 4600 block, 4:05 p.m. Jan. 29. A theft was reported. Duke St., 5000 block, 5:22 p.m. Jan. 30. A theft was reported. Duke St., 5800 block, 6:02 p.m. Jan. 28. A theft was reported. Edison St., 3600 block, 4:56 p.m. Feb. 1. A theft was reported. Eisenhower Ave., 4500 block, 8:31 a.m. Feb. 1. A theft was reported. Ford Ave., 4400 block, 2:14 p.m. Feb. 1. A theft was reported. Holmes Run Pkwy., 5300 block, 9:10 p.m. Jan. 27. A theft was reported. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3800 block, 12:19 p.m. Jan. 29. A theft was reported. Kenmore Ave., 4600 block, 5:03 a.m. Jan. 28. A theft was reported. Kenmore Ave., 4700 block, 4:42 p.m. Jan. 28. A theft was reported. King St., 1100 block, 9:14 a.m. Jan. 28. A theft was reported. King St., 2900 block, 12:21 p.m. Jan. 29. A theft was reported. King St., 4300 block, 1:33 p.m. Jan. 28. A theft was reported. King St., 4300 block, 4:04 p.m. Jan. 30. A theft was reported. King St., 500 block, 10:01 p.m. Feb. 2. A theft was reported. Medlock Lane, 200 block, 6:43 p.m. Feb. 2. A theft was reported. Morgan St. N., 6200 block, 11:24 a.m. Feb. 1. A theft was reported. Mount Vernon Ave., 2100 block, 1:33 p.m. Jan. 29. A theft was reported. Old Dominion Blvd., 3900 block, 9:07 p.m. Jan. 28. A theft was reported. Quaker Hill Dr., 1200 block, 2:45 a.m. Feb. 3. Property was entered. Raleigh Ave., 4500 block, 1:09 p.m. Jan. 29. A theft was reported. Richenbacher Ave., 5400 block, 9:34 a.m. Jan. 31. A theft was reported. Taney Ave., 4000 block, 10:53 p.m. Jan. 29. A theft was reported. Taney Ave., 4100 block, 7:15 p.m. Jan. 28. A theft was reported. Van Dorn St. S., 500 block, 4:02 p.m. Jan. 30. A theft was reported. Virginia Ave., 300 block, 12:37 p.m. Jan. 29. A theft was reported. Wyndham Cir., 3300 block, 4:10 p.m. Jan. 27. A theft was reported. Wyndham Cir., 3300 block, 9:48 a.m. Jan. 29. A theft was reported. First St., 600 block, 5:05 a.m. Jan. 28. A theft was reported. First St., 600 block, 8:36 a.m. Jan. 29. A theft was reported. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS Edsall Rd., 6100 block, 9:14 p.m. Feb. 1. A vehicle was stolen. Powhatan St., 1300 block, 7:18 p.m. Jan. 29. A vehicle was stolen. Wythe St., 300 block, 8:57 p.m. Jan. 28. A vehicle was stolen. First St., 600 block, 5:51 p.m. Jan. 28. A vehicle was stolen. VANDALISM Armistead St. N., 400 block, 11:45 a.m. Jan. 28. Property was damaged. Duke St., 5300 block, 6:16 p.m. Jan. 29. Property was damaged. Edsall Rd., 5700 block, 12:50 p.m. Jan. 30. Property was damaged. Mount Vernon Ave., 1000 block, 12:20 p.m. Feb. 10. Property was damaged. Reynolds St. S., 300 block, 10:07 p.m. Jan. 28. Property was damaged. Reynolds St. S., 400 block, 4:07 p.m. Jan. 28. Property was damaged. First St., 600 block, 5:05 a.m. Jan. 28. Property was damaged. Arlington These were among incidents reported by the Arlington County Police Department. For information, call 703-558-2222 or visit newsroom.arlingtonva.us. ASSAULTS Columbia Pike S., 3000 block, Jan. 29. An assault was reported. Danville St. N., 1200 block, 2 a.m. Jan. 30. A man entered a residence and assaulted a male acquaintance. A Centerville man, 25, was charged. Frederick St. S., 800 block, Feb. 1. A harassment incident was reported. George Mason Dr. S., 1500 block, Jan. 31. An assault was reported. Glebe Rd. S., 2400 block, Jan. 30. An assault was reported. Glebe Rd. S., 2900 block, Feb. 2. An assault was reported. Monroe St. S., 2400 block, Feb. 1. Threats were reported. Quincy St. N., 1000 block, Feb. 1. An assault was reported. Shirlington Rd. S., 2400 block, Jan. 29. An assault was reported. Taylor St. S., 1300 block, Feb. 2. An assault was reported. Vermont St. N., 1100 block, Jan. 31. An assault was reported. Wilson Blvd. N., 3100 block, 1:30 a.m. Jan. 30. A woman struck a 27-year-old male in the face with a glass bottle. The male was taken to a hospital and treated for his injuries. Wilson Blvd. N., 3100 block, 2 a.m. Jan. 30. A 33-year-old man was struck in the face and in the back of the head and sustained a laceration to the face and a concussion. Wilson Blvd. N., 3100 block, Jan. 30. A police officer was assaulted. Third Rd. N., 4100 block, Jan. 28. An assault was reported. Eighth Rd. S., 5100 block, Jan. 31. An assault was reported. 23rd St. S., 400 block, Jan. 29. An assault was reported. 31st St. S., 4200 block, Jan. 29. An assault was reported. INDECENT EXPOSURE Fairfax Dr. N., 4200 block, 8:40 p.m. Jan. 29. A man exposed himself to a woman while urinating in public. ROBBERIES George Mason Dr. S., 1400 block, 7:38 p.m. Jan. 29. A man struck a woman in the face and robbed her of property. He fled in a nearby vehicle. Second St. S., 2300 block, 12:12 a.m. Feb. 3. A man robbed a convenience store of cash and assaulted an employee. THEFTS/BREAK-INS Arlington Blvd. N., 1100 block, Jan. 29. A theft was reported. Buchanan St. S., 1000 block, Jan. 28. A theft was reported. Columbia Pike S., 5500 block, Jan. 27. A theft was reported. Fillmore St. N., 1000 block, Jan. 29. A theft was reported. Glebe Rd. N., 600 block, Jan. 28. Two thefts were reported. Glebe Rd. N., 700 block, Feb. 1. Two thefts were reported. Glebe Rd. N., 700 block, Jan. 30. A theft was reported. Hayes St. S., 1000 block, Jan. 29. A theft was reported. Hayes St. S., 1000 block, Jan. 30. A theft was reported. Hayes St. S., 1000 block, Jan. 31. An employee theft was reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block, Feb. 1. Two thefts were reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block, Feb. 2. A shoplifting incident was reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block, Feb. 2. A theft was reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block, Jan. 27. Two thefts were reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block, Jan. 29. Two thefts were reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block, Jan. 30. Three thefts were reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block, Jan. 31. A theft was reported. Hayes St. S., 1200 block, Jan. 29. A theft was reported. Hayes St. S., 1200 block, Jan. 29. Property was entered. Hayes St. S., 1400 block, Feb. 2. A theft was reported. Highland St. N., 1100 block, Jan. 30. Property was entered. Jefferson Davis Hwy. S., 1700 block, Jan. 28. Property was entered. Jefferson Davis Hwy. S., 2600 block, Feb. 1. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Key Blvd. N., 1500 block, Jan. 29. A theft was reported. Lee Hwy. N., 3900 block, Jan. 31. A theft was reported. Manchester St., 600 block, 9:15 a.m. to 6:35 p.m. Jan. 27. Property was stolen from six vehicles. Thomas St. N., 100 block, 5 p.m. Jan. 29 to 8 a.m. Feb. 2. Toilet paper and a space heater were stolen from a storage facility entered by force. Van Buren St. N., 1700 block, Jan. 27. Property was stolen from two vehicles. Walter Reed Dr. S., 800 block, Jan. 27. Property was entered. Washington Blvd. N., 4800 block, Jan. 29. Identity theft was reported. Wilson Blvd. N., 4200 block, Feb. 2. An employee theft was reported. Second St. N., 4500 block, Jan. 29. An attempt was made to steal property. Third Rd. N., 4100 block, Jan. 28. Property was entered. Fourth St. N., 4400 block, Jan. 28. A theft was reported. 11th St. N., 2300 block, Jan. 30. An attempt was made to enter a property. 12th St. S., 200 block, Feb. 2. A theft was reported. 14th St. S., 3900 block, Jan. 31. A theft was reported. 15th St. N., 2100 block, Feb. 1. A theft was reported. 24th St. S., 3200 block, Feb. 2. An attempt was made to enter a property. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS Crystal Dr. S., 1400 block, Jan. 29. A white 2000 Ford E-250 was stolen. Illinois St. S., 600 block, Jan. 27. A green 1998 Nissan Quest was stolen. VANDALISM Crystal Dr. S., 2800 block, Jan. 27. Property was damaged. Crystal St. S., 2300 block, Jan. 28. Property was damaged. Buchanan St. S., 900 block, Jan. 30. Property was damaged. Scott St. S., 800 block, Feb. 1. Property was damaged. Stafford St. S., 3400 block, Feb. 2. Property was damaged. American Cancer Societys Road to Recovery program seeks volunteer drivers to provide transportation to cancer patients. Schedules are flexible. 804-527-3719, leah.seldinsommer@cancer.org or cancer.org. Arlington County Invasive Plant program needs volunteers to remove invasive plants: 9-11 a.m. first Saturdays, Haley Park; 2-4:30 p.m. second Sundays, Gulf Branch Nature Center; 10 a.m.-noon third Saturdays, Tuckahoe Park; 2-5 p.m. third Sundays, Long Branch Nature Center; 10 a.m.-noon fourth Saturdays, Benjamin Banneker Park; 10 a.m.-noon fourth Sundays, Fort Bennett Park. Information: environment.arlingtonva.us. To register, call 703-228-1862. Arlington Neighborhood Village needs volunteers to help senior citizens with various tasks. Must pass a background check. arlnvil.org. Arlington Therapeutic Recreation seeks volunteers for adapted aquatics, social clubs and adapted ice skate night programs. 703-228-4740, trinfo@arlingtonva.us or parks.arlingtonva.us. Rebuilding Together Alexandria needs volunteers for A Home of Your Own project day, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Feb. 20. Remove carpet, paint, install lights and blinds and more. 703-836-1021 or bd@rebuildingtogetheralex.org. Shepherds Center of McLean-Arlington-Falls Church needs volunteers to visit seniors or provide transportation to medical appointments, pharmacy and grocery stores. 703-506-2199, info@scmafc.org or www.scmafc.org. Travelers Aid needs volunteers to help travelers at Reagan National Airport. Must be able to work evenings and weekends, and commit to six months. Parking provided. 703-417-3975, travelersaiddca@mwaa.com or travelersaiddca.com. Virginia Hospital Center Auxiliary in Arlington County offers opportunities to help on information desks, the surgical center and in gift shops. 703-558-6401. Wildlife Rescue League needs hotline volunteers, transporters and wildlife rehabilitators. 703-391-8625 or volcoord@wildliferescueleague.org. Volunteer Alexandria: Call the numbers below or contact Volunteer Alexandria at 703-836-2176, mail@volunteeralexandria.org or volunteeralexandria.org for information on the following opportunities: Ballyshaners needs St. Patricks Day parade marshals, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. March 5. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Capital Caring needs a receptionist, handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org and volunteers for We Honor Veterans program, handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Child and Family Network Centers needs young professionals council volunteers. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Code of Support Foundation seeks volunteers to provide office support. 571-418-6364 or volunteer.truist.com. D.C. Paws Rescue needs volunteers to handle animals during the adoption event at the Dog Park in Alexandria, 1-3 p.m. every fourth Saturday. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Fitizen seeks volunteers for the 5K Race/Clothing Drive on April 23. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Reset STEM Education needs volunteer scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians in elementary schools and prekindergarten centers to lead students in STEM learning. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Volunteer Alexandria needs Community Service Day event planners. Meeting is 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org; George Washington Parade volunteers, 12:30-3 p.m. Monday, handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org; and St. Patricks Day Parade volunteers, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. March 5, handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Volunteer Arlington: Call the numbers listed below or contact Volunteer Arlington at 703-228-1760 or volunteer.truist.com for information about the following: American Heart Association needs volunteers for Hearts Delight Wine Tasting and Auction, 9:30-11:30 a.m. March 12 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in the District. 703-248-1784, joellen.brassfield@heart.org or volunteer.truist.com. Arlington library system central library needs teen and adult volunteers to join the Maker Teams Open Make program, volunteer.truist.com; and teen volunteers to help with youth services, volunteer.truist.com. 703-228-7688. Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing seeks an Amharic translator (volunteer.truist.com) and a childrens activity leader (volunteer.truist.com) at Arlington Mill Residences; and food distribution assistants at Columbia Grove volunteer.truist.com. 202-413-6563. Bikes for the World seeks volunteers to prepare donated bikes for overseas, 2-6 p.m. March 16. 703-740-7856 or volunteer.truist.com. Edu-Futuros Emerging Leaders Program seeks young professionals as a career panelist, volunteer.truist.com; a scholarship committee member, volunteer.truist.com; a speech competition judge, volunteer.truist.com; and mentors, volunteer.truist.com. 703-228-2560. Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, Arlington County, seeks volunteers for the master financial education program. Must attend training sessions scheduled May 7, 14, 21 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Fairlington Community Center, 3308 S. Stafford St., Arlington. Application deadline is April 1, volunteer.truist.com. Master food program training dates are March 1, 8, 15, 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Applications are due Monday, volunteer.truist.com. 703-228-6417. Compiled by Ria Manglapus TO SUBMIT AN ITEM Email: axliving@washpost.com Fax: 703-518-3001 Mail: Volunteer Opportunities, The Washington Post, Alexandria-Arlington Local Living, 526 King St., Suite 515, Alexandria, Va. 22314. Details: Announcements are accepted on a space-available basis from public and nonprofit organizations only and must be received at least 14 days before the Thursday publication date. Include event name, dates, times, exact address, prices and a publishable contact phone number. Public meeting on Commuter Benefits Law is Thursday The District Department of Transportation and Department of Employment Services will have a public meeting on the Commuter Benefits Law from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday in the DES community room, 4058 Minnesota Ave. NE. The law requires employers with 20 or more workers to offer pre-tax or subsidized commuter benefits. The agencies will explain the law and take questions. Representatives from Metros SmartBenefits program, third-party benefits administrators, and transit and van-pool providers will attend. For information, go to ddot.dc.gov. DPR offers reduced rates for camps to low-income families The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation is offering a discount of 50 or 75 percent on its summer camp programs to qualifying low-income families. The rates must be approved before camp registration and do not apply to before- and after-care fees, or to other DPR recreation camps. A table explaining the qualifying household income level is at dpr.dc.gov. Applicants must apply in person from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays or 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at the summer camps office, 1480 Girard St. NW, fourth floor, before Feb. 22 (the first day of summer camp registration). Applicants should bring completed registrations forms, 2014 or 2015 income tax returns or documentation of other income sources, and proof of District residency. A birth certificate or current pay stub may be requested if tax documents are unavailable. For information, call 202-671-0372 or email dprcamps@dc.gov. Summer meals program seeks food distribution sites The D.C. Free Summer Meals Program, which offers meals to low-income District children during the summer break, is seeking organizations to sponsor distribution sites. Suggested applicants include public or private nonprofit school food authorities; faith-based and nonprofit community-based organizations; housing authorities and other local government agencies; and public or private nonprofit summer camps. Some for-profit organizations may be considered. Groups may be reimbursed for serving up to three meals per day at approved locations. The program, June 18 to Aug. 28, is part of a U.S. Agriculture Department summer nutrition program for children from low-income families and is administered by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. Organizations can apply from Feb. 22 to May 16. Groups that want to apply after May 16 must contact the program coordinator. For information, go to dcsummermeals.dc.gov. Beginning in June, D.C. residents can find sites by calling 866-348-6479 or texting FOOD to 877-877. Compiled by Terence McArdle Fairfax school board adopts fiscal 2017 budget The Fairfax County School Board recently adopted an advertised budget of $2.67 billion for fiscal 2017, marking an increase of 4.8 percent, or $121.4 million, from the 2016 approved budget. The budget includes a salary increase for all employees, funding to reduce class sizes in elementary schools, the replacement of aging buses and $13.5 million in retirement rate increases. The Superintendents Budget Task Force spent many hours over several weeks last summer and fall developing a list of potential program cuts and new fees, School Board Chairman Pat Hynes (Hunter Mill) said in a news release. Those cuts and fees are not in the advertised budget because they would fundamentally change the quality and character of FCPS. I did not leave the classroom to serve on the School Board so that I could preside over the dismantling of this world class school system. Potential cuts will, sadly, have to be considered should we not receive the revenue our schools need. The school board will present the budget to the Board of Supervisors on April 5. Public hearings on the budget will be held April 5-7. Meeting will address new Gum Springs outdoor gym A public meeting on the outdoor gym planned for the Gum Springs area of Alexandria will begin at 7 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Gum Springs Community Center gym, 8100 Fordson Rd., Alexandria. The Fairfax County Park Authority and the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services are coordinating the outdoor fitness initiative, which is designed for residents 14 and older of all levels of physical ability. For information or to register to speak at the meeting, call 703-324-8662 or email parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov . Operating hours are changing at county dog parks The Fairfax County Park Authority is altering the operating hours of county dog parks as a result of changes to the countys noise ordinance that go into effect Wednesday. The countys off-leash dog parks currently follow all park operating hours dawn to dusk. Effective Wednesday, dog park operating hours will be from 7 a.m. to one half-hour after sunset on weekdays and 8 a.m. to one half-hour after sunset on weekends and federal holidays. For information, call 703-324-8662 or visit fairfaxcounty.gov/parks. Interpreter program at Claude Moore farm The Claude Moore Colonial Farm is seeking children 10 to 17 for its Junior Interpreter Program. Interested youths must volunteer at the farm with a parent or guardian before applying for the program. Junior interpreters wear late 18th-century period costumes and take part in activities and chores that young colonists performed, including planting, weeding, cleaning animal pens and helping to cook midday meals. They also interact with visitors, explaining their tasks. In addition to orientation and training, junior interpreters are required to participate at the farm at least one day a month. The 2016 season runs from April 1 to Dec. 11. For information, email youth volunteer program manager Lisa Berray at lberray@1771.org or visit new.1771.org/juniorinterpreters. Juliann Cruikshank of Sterling drops off several cases of bottled water to donate. At right, Beverly Parker-Lewis of Women Empowering Women. (Jim Barnes/For The Washington Post) When Sumayya Sulaiman learned about the water crisis in Flint, Mich., her thoughts turned to the babies who had been drinking formula mixed with lead-tainted water. Young children are particularly vulnerable to the toxic levels of lead in Flints water supply. And Sulaiman, 20, a Herndon resident, wanted to do something to help. She decided that collecting donations of bottled water to deliver to Flint would be an ideal project for the Northern Virginia chapter of Women Empowering Women Diamonds in the Rough, which she recently started with her longtime friend, Juli Diaz-Perez. Late last month, the group set up a table outside the Giant supermarket on Dranesville Road in Sterling to collect donations of water and other supplies. Sumayya and I were a little apprehensive at first about whether we were going to meet the minimum that we wanted to meet, said Diaz-Perez, 20, also of Herndon. But as the day went by, we started getting more and more supplies, and we definitely exceeded our expectations. We were completely surprised by how much people were willing to donate, Sulaiman added. Members of Women Empowering Women collect donations to deliver to Flint, Mich., in front of the Giant supermarket on Dranesville Road in Sterling. Sumayya Sulaiman, left, and LaTosha Jarman. (Jim Barnes/For The Washington Post) As of last weekend, the group had collected 115 cases of bottled water and raised $597, which Sulaiman said she will use to buy more water, baby wipes and hand sanitizer to send to Flint. The Richmond-based organization Women Empowering Women mobilizes volunteers to help meet community needs, said Galanda Shaw, who co-founded the group in 2009. We just look out into the community and find out where theres a need, and then we gather a bunch of people and go out there and do our volunteer work, Shaw said. Sulaiman joined the organization last year, when she was a student at Virginia Commonwealth University. When she moved back to Herndon to study midwifery, she decided to start a Northern Virginia chapter with Diaz-Perez, a student at George Mason University. The two have been friends since they were classmates at Herndon Middle School. Their first project was to assemble kits of feminine hygiene products, which they delivered to more than 50 homeless women in the District and Northern Virginia, Diaz-Perez said. Sulaiman said that she had been looking for another project for the group when the situation in Flint made national news. Its really terrible that mothers who are formula-feeding their babies have to use this lead-filled water to make formula and give it to their babies to drink, which is causing severe developmental disabilities, Sulaiman said. But they dont have any choice. Sulaiman and Diaz-Perez had planned to drive the donated supplies to Flint after their first day of collecting donations. But they took in so much that their vehicles couldnt hold everything. They are storing the supplies until they track down a bigger truck. Last weekend, they were back at their table in front of the Giant. Tahlia Cummings, of Reston, a shopper who made a cash donation, said the project isclose to her heart because she grew up in Detroit. It gives you a sense of humanity to see people across the country donating something that we take for granted clean water, Cummings said. Juliann Cruikshank of Sterling donated several cases of bottled water. She said she had been sitting at home, wondering how to help the people in Flint. And then I saw this and thought, What a great day! she said. Barnes is a freelance writer. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan established a commission Wednesday to help update the states approach to buying goods and services, saying the current system is unpredictable and discourages participation. It has become apparent that Marylands procurement system is a patchwork of archaic laws and processes that are inefficient, ineffective and result in wasted taxpayer dollars, Hogan (R) said. By modernizing the way Maryland deals with procurement, we will create a predictable, consistent and transparent system, and get the best value for every dollar we spend. The governor charged the new 19-member commission with recommending ways to standardize interpretations of contracting code across state agencies; using new technologies to make the acquisition process cheaper; creating a statewide procurement manual; and simplifying the existing template that the state uses to request proposals. Hogan is one of three panelists on the Maryland Board of Public Works, which oversees about $4 billion worth of state contracts annually. The other members are Comptroller Peter Franchot (D) and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp (D). The governor appointed Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford (R) to head the new commission. Rutherford oversaw billions of dollars in annual procurement while serving as an assistant secretary and chief acquisition officer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the George W. Bush administration, and he served as No. 2 at U.S. General Services Administration. Other members of the panel include representatives from various state agencies and Franchots and Kopps offices, along with five members from the private sector who have experience with procurement law, information technology, construction and engineering services. Marylands gun laws are among the strictest in the nation, but Democrats are pushing for more. (Scott Roberson/AP) Democratic lawmakers in Maryland on Wednesday proposed a package of gun bills designed to keep firearms off college campuses and out of the hands of felons, domestic abusers and suspected terrorists. The legislation along with two gun-control bills proposed Tuesday by Senate Majority Whip Jamie Raskin could set up a new standoff with Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who was endorsed by the National Rifle Association during his 2014 campaign. Hogan pledged as a candidate not to try to roll back Marylands existing gun laws, which are among the most strict in the nation. But gun-rights advocates said Hogan told them that he would look for ways to expand access to firearms. Hogan has made no such proposals since taking office a year ago; his spokesman said he had no immediate comment on the bills unveiled this week. [Senate overrides Hogans vetor of felon voting-rights bill] One bill announced Wednesday would ban firearm possession on the campuses of public colleges and universities, with exemptions for police officers and security personnel. The schools now set their own gun policies, but they must comply with state law. Some ban firearms outright, while others allow them with permission from campus police. Rural Frostburg State University, for example, permits firearms but requires them to be registered and stored with university police. Another proposal would prevent the Maryland State Police from issuing permits to people on the FBIs terrorist watch list. A third bill would require courts to inform domestic abusers and felons, within 48 hours of a conviction, that they must turn over their firearms and verify within three days that they have complied. Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel), Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) and Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) offered support for the bills during a news conference, saying that the proposals would make communities safer and are constitutional. Guns dont need to be on college campuses, Frosh said. They dont need to be in the hands of domestic abusers. Raskins legislation would mandate background checks for purchases of rifles and shotguns and provide new tools to help alert local law enforcement when individuals who are barred from buying firearms try to purchase them. Existing law requires background checks only for handguns. NRA spokeswoman Amy Hunter said Democrats are trying to push a political agenda by proposing bills that are redundant, impede law-abiding citizens from exercising their constitutional rights and would do nothing to improve public safety. If the bills pass, Hogan will have the option to sign them, veto them or allow them to become law without his signature. In 2013, then-Gov. Martin OMalley (D) signed legislation that banned the sale of nearly all semiautomatic rifles and ammunition magazines holding more than 10 bullets; required new gun buyers to submit digital fingerprints to state police; limited firearm purchases for the mentally ill; and required individuals who want to buy any gun other than a hunting rifle or shotgun to obtain a license, a process that includes training and background checks. A Washington Post poll that year found widespread approval of tougher gun statutes. On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader J.B. Jennings (R-Baltimore County) signaled his reluctance to expand the states gun laws, particularly in light of recent legal challenges to the 2013 statute. Maryland has the most restrictive gun laws in the union, Jennings said. I believe anybody that has not violated any laws and has been a good citizen should have a right to own a firearm and protect themselves and their family. [ Legal decision casts doubt on Marylands assault weapons ban ] Last week, a federal appeals court cast doubt on the legality of Marylands assault-weapons ban, sending the legislation back to a lower court for review but allowing the prohibition to continue. Veteran French politician Laurent Fabius bowed out of government Wednesday after a career spanning more than three decades that saw an early string of scandals but ended with his shepherding a complex climate deal as foreign minister. Fabius holds the distinction of being France's youngest ever prime minister, a post he took up at 37, and has remained a Socialist heavyweight, ending his career in the ornate hallways of the Quai d'Orsay as his country's top diplomat. Amiable and sometimes witty in person, the cerebral 69-year-old also has a reputation for being aloof. Nevertheless, his experience made him a popular foreign minister with the French people, who largely saw him as a fitting representative abroad. On Wednesday, President Francois Hollande nominated Fabius to head France's prestigious Constitutional Court, a post the outgoing foreign minister told reporters he would take up in March "if things go as planned". Segolene Royal, the high-profile environment minister and ex-partner of President Francois Hollande, is among the rumoured successors, but former prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is also believed to be in the frame. As foreign minister since 2012, Fabius helped to negotiate the Iran nuclear deal, as well as dealing with the thorny dossiers of the Syria conflict, and the growing threat of jihadism in western Africa, where French troops are deployed. Journalists became accustomed to his pithy expressions. Whether discussing the Islamic State group or Nigeria's Boko Haram, he would often repeat: "They are fake believers, but true criminals." However, it is Fabius's final big project that is likely to shape his legacy: sealing a historic deal to save mankind from global warning. As host of the global climate talks at the end of 2015, he presided over 13 days of gruelling talks to get 195 nations to agree on transforming the energy system underlying the world economy. While fending off rumours of ill health -- and a persistent suggestion that he suffered from Parkinson's -- Fabius threw himself into the complex world of climate science and politics for two years preceding the talks. He made 12 trips to China, four each to India and Saudi Arabia, and also went to Brazil and South Africa to get them on board and listen to their concerns. Fabius, who comes from a long line of art merchants, is independently wealthy, and his status as the richest of the Socialist ministers has been seen as off-putting to the rank and file. Haughty, highly pedigreed and clad in classic suits -- Hermes, according to one local report -- he has often been labelled a member of the "gauche caviar", the French term for a champagne Socialist. Fabius followed the well-worn path to political power in France: graduating from the elite Ecole Normale Superieure and attending the National School of Public Administration (ENA). A political wunderkind, he became a lawmaker aged 32. Then-president Francois Mitterrand appointed him as budget minister three years later and then sent him to the ministry of industry and research. In 1984, he became France's youngest-ever prime minister. However, Fabius would quickly face a major scandal, when French agents were caught after the sinking of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand as it was on its way to protest against a French nuclear test. After initial government denials, Fabius later told journalists the French secret service was indeed behind the bombing, adding: "The truth of this affair is cruel." However the biggest stain on his career was a scandal in the late 1980s in which blood infected with HIV was distributed in France, and later abroad, even after government became aware of the problem. Hundreds were infected, and Fabius was charged with manslaughter, but acquitted in 1999. His health minister was convicted but never punished. In more recent times, it is his 34-year-old son Thomas who has caused Fabius the most embarrassment. Thomas Fabius has faced a raft of legal problems over his passion for gambling and is wanted in the United States for allegedly writing rubber cheques for millions of dollars at several Las Vegas casinos. He has also been charged with forgery in France. Search Keywords: Short link: Three shopping days left till our annual celebration of love. That should give you plenty of time to get something good, or at least not bad, for the loved one in your life. Whats bad? The following items, culled from the experiences of readers who wrote in describing the worst gifts they received from sweethearts. These include the Mothers Day present Lenore Walsh received from her husband 35 years ago. Lenore was the mother of four active children. Her husband was at sea for months at a time. It seems I might have had a reputation for escaping often by myself, wrote Lenore, of Fairfax City. With an eager smile on his face I was presented the gift he thought I would most appreciate: a padded toilet seat. He meant well. A reader who prefers to remain anonymous said that in the 1980s, her husband spent a lot of time working in Texas. While out shopping in San Antonio with some good old boys, he was convinced that what his wife really needed for Christmas was a Krugerrand, one of those gold coins from South Africa that are valuable but rather soulless. I believe this purchase was testosterone-driven, my reader wrote. Her initial response What am I supposed to do with this? was answered with, You can drill a hole and wear it on a chain. The coin was sold to a metals dealer. A jeweler was found. The situation was remedied. Men: Gold is nice, but only after it has been transformed into a ring, necklace, bracelet or pair of earrings. A reader from Culpeper, Va., said she will always remember a gift she received from her husband when they were newlyweds: It was a lovely wooden jewelry box with a musical movement inside, she wrote. My husband, who is not prone to giving ironic gifts, was mortified and I was convulsed with laughter when we heard the tune it played. It was Strangers in the Night. Of course, they were far from strangers. Please dont use my name, she wrote. Fifty-two years of saying, Im sorry, is enough for any man! In around 1972, Nancy Sias of Carroll Valley, Pa., had a boyfriend who for Valentines Day gave her a plastic paperweight. Embedded inside was a real and real dead butterfly. It did not have the intended effect. Nancy considered herself a free spirit, as in the play and movie Butterflies Are Free. I guess he was into plastic metaphors, she wrote. I was repulsed. Ah, the 70s, when novelty manufacturers embraced thermochromic materials with gusto. These compounds change color based on temperature, most famously in the mood ring. They had other applications, too, as Washingtons Dan Weiss discovered. For my then-girlfriends 20th birthday, I bought her mood panties for $1 at Kresges, he wrote. On the front of the underwear was a plastic, thermochromic heart that changed colors based on the wearers mood. A color-coded guide was printed alongside the heart, helpfully corresponding to the wearers feelings about romance. The bottom was black and labeled, Hands off. The top of the thermometer was bright red and labeled, Lets do it. Scientifically suspect, of course, but a funny gift surely? Um, no. Six months later, her mother found them in my GFs dresser, Dan wrote. Neither mom nor daughter was amused. In 1952, K.B. Willis of Midlothian, Va., was a college sophomore who had been dating the same girl for four years. He felt that he had exhausted all gift possibilities. Inspiration struck during a comparative anatomy class. Each student had a huge cat preserved in formaldehyde, and the blood vessels had been injected with latex to make the heart and arteries red and the veins blue. I created a card with art paper, glued the heart to it and used the arteries to spell out Happy Valentines Day! wrote K.B. I mailed it to her. Her reaction upon receiving it was somewhat subdued. And they say romance is dead. Years ago, the Districts Ari Fingeroth dated a woman for whom Valentines Day was a really big deal. She kept telling me how much she loved it, and I kept reminding her I didnt get worked up over Valentines, Ari wrote. Also, we had only met at Christmas and hadnt seen each other that many times. Ari bought a nice card and composed what he felt was an adequate note telling her how great it was getting to know her. He had a friend of a friend drop the card off at her office early in the morning. Around 9 a.m. the woman called Ari, positively gushing about his gesture. It was such a lovely surprise, she said. He was the nicest guy in the world. I kept telling her it was nothing and the least I could do, Ari wrote. Three hours later, she called Ari again. Now she said he was the biggest SOB in the world and had disappointed her greatly. How could he have done such a thing? It turns out one of her co-workers had a crush on her and decided to tell her on Valentines Day, Ari wrote. This man had snuck into her office and decorated it in pink balloons and streamers, roses, glitter and cupcakes. She assumed it was me when she made the first call, but when her co-worker showed up she found out it wasnt me and was [ticked]. Im not saying that was the end of the short-lived relationship, but it certainly didnt help anything. Happy Valentines Day, everyone! Twitter: @johnkelly For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly. The neon sign that was atop the Lanham, Md. headquarters of Radio One and 1450 WOL-AM is now in the Prince Georges African American Museum and Cultural Center. (Hamil R. Harris/The Washington Post) Traveling north along Rhode Island Avenue, it is easy to miss the town of North Brentwood and the Prince Georges African American Museum and Cultural Center. But North Brentwood, incorporated in 1924, was the first majority African American municipality in Prince Georges County, and it is home to a museum that houses memorabilia honoring national and local African American pioneers. We present art and culture from African American artists and the history of African Americans in Prince Georges County, said Jon West-Bey, acting executive director of the museum, which for Black History Month is featuring information online and continuing a special exhibit, Patented Ingenuity: The Art of African American Inventors. The exhibit, which was funded by Pepco and the Dr. Donald W. Jones Foundation, was put together by Patricia Carter Sluby, a former primary patent examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It is so worthwhile to let America and the world know the achievements of African Americans in the field of invention and innovation, Sluby said. African American inventors have been issued patents and inventions since 1821, and that number is now in the thousands. Sluby, a resident of Temple Hills, pointed to Garrett Augustus Morgan, who on Nov. 20, 1923, was granted a patent on an improved traffic signal, as an example of that spirit of innovation. Morgan also developed an improved breathing device now known as the gas mask. Morgan, the son of former slaves, was born outside Paris, Ky., and has a street named after him in Prince Georges. In 2004, Metro opened the Morgan Boulevard Metro station. The exhibit also honors Lonnie G. Johnson, who in 1986 created the oversized toy water gun known as the Super Soaker. Johnson holds more than 100 patents in the field of engineering, Sluby said. Also featured is Valerie Thomas, a retired NASA scientist in the county who in 1980 created an illusion transmitter, a forerunner of the hologram. Sluby said one of the most interesting people in the exhibit is Henrietta Bradberry, a Chicago housewife who in 1945 patented a torpedo discharge device. Sluby, who interviewed Bradberry in the 1980s, asked her how she developed the device, given that she had no technical training. Bradberry said the idea just came to her. This shows you the creativity of the human mind, Sluby said. Patents have been given to people who have been incarcerated, migrant workers and many others. In addition to the special exhibit on patents, the museum houses a regular collection of artifacts of county pioneers. There is a campaign poster that belonged to former county executive Wayne K. Curry, as well as the neon sign that was atop the Lanham headquarters of Radio One and 1450 WOL-AM. This museum is important to learn about the historical aspects of the county, and that goes beyond Black History Month, said Tracey Tolbert Jones, director of government and corporate partnerships at the museum. It is very important that we share our story to people of all generations. Thursday, Feb. 11 AARP income-tax preparation help Thursdays and Tuesdays 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Chinn Park Regional Library, 13065 Chinn Park Dr., Woodbridge. 703-792-4800; and Thursdays noon-8 p.m. Mondays 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Bull Run Regional Library, 8051 Ashton Ave., Manassas. 703-792-4530. Free. Neighborhood Watch training The Crime Prevention Unit of the Prince William County Police Department leads the training on topics, including crime reporting, emergency preparedness and patrolling. 7 p.m. Dr. A.J. Ferlazzo Building, 15941 Donald Curtis Dr., Woodbridge. 703-792-7270. Free, reservations suggested. The Art of Danger Exiled Iranian cartoonist and human rights activist Kianoush Ramezani exhibits his mid-career retrospective. Through Friday, Northern Virginia Community College, 15200 Neabsco Rd., Woodbridge. 703-590-1437. Free. What the Civil War Soldier Carried This exhibit features selections from the collection of Charles Poland, a retired history professor. Through Feb. 28, Manassas Museum, 9101 Prince William St., Manassas. 703-368-1873. manassasmuseum.org. Free. Friday, Feb. 12 American Legion dinner The public is invited to dinner with a different special every week. Proceeds support local veterans and the community. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Woodbridge American Legion, 3640 Friendly Post Lane, Woodbridge. 703-494-4304. vapost364.org. $5-$15. Saturday, Feb. 13 Manassas winter farmers market 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Parking Lot B, West Street (next to the train station visitors center), Manassas. 703-361-6599. visitmanassas.org. Haymarket indoor farmers market 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Indoor Winter Farmers Market, 14600 Washington St., Haymarket. 571-494-0897. frontierkitchen.org. Free. Islam talk The topic will be Not in the Name of Islam. The event includes lunch. 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Dar AlNoor Islamic Community Center, 5404 Hoadly Rd., Manassas. 703-717-3086. Free. Lucasville School open house In celebration of African American Heritage Month, the one-room school house will be open to visitors. Saturday-Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Lucasville School, 10516 Godwin Dr., Manassas. 703-365-7895. Free. Basement to Attic tours A tour of the 1825 house as it undergoes restoration. Noon, Liberia Plantation, 8601 Portner Ave., Manassas. 703-368-1873. manassasmuseum.org. $15, reservations required. SySTEMic Saturdays Northern Virginia Community College presents a series of STEM hands-on lessons. This months topic for elementary and middle school students is on electricity. Through May 14. Noon-5 p.m. Manassas Mall, NOVA's Global Learning Center, 8300 Sudley Road, Manassas. 703-257-6507. Free. Catherine Cole: Drawing and Printmaking With a touch a whimsy, Coles printmaking pieces focus on figurative imagery. Artists reception 1-5 p.m. Through March 17, Center for the Arts, 9419 Battle St., Manassas. 703-330-2787. center-for-the-arts.org. Free. Sunday, Feb. 14 Dale City winter farmers market 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Dale City farmers market, Dale Boulevard, Dale City. 703-670-7112, Ext. 227 (Betty Finney). Free. Art Journaling Hosted by Yellow Brick Road Studio, no art or writing experience necessary. 2-4 p.m. Vint Hill Craft Winery, 7150 Lineweaver Rd., Vint Hill. kerryc627@yahoo.com. 540-351-0000. vinthillcraftwinery.com. $25, journal $7. Bingo Proceeds support local veterans. Doors open at noon on Sunday with games beginning at 2 p.m. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. Mondays with games beginning at 7:15 p.m. Woodbridge American Legion, 3640 Friendly Post Lane, Woodbridge. 703-494-4304. $15 minimum. Ballroom dancing A waltz lesson followed by music and dancing. 3:30-6 p.m. Candy Factory, Kellar Theater, 9419 Battle St., Manassas. 703-330-2787. center-for-the-arts.org. Lesson and dance, $15; open dance, $10. Monday, Feb. 15 Job search network group Plus discussion of various topics related to the search process. Mondays at 1-3 p.m. House of Mercy, 8170 Flannery Ct., Manassas. 703-659-1636. Free. Bingo Proceeds support Dale City Knights of Columbus activities and charities. Doors open at 6 p.m. with games beginning at 7:30 p.m. VFW Post 1503, 14631 Minnieville Rd., Dale City. 703-491-2378. $9 minimum. Lake Jackson Mid County Lions Club meeting 6:30 p.m. Great American Steak and Buffet, 8365 Sudley Rd., Manassas. 703-369-6791. Free. Manassas Lioness Lions Club meeting New members welcome. Mondays at 6:30 p.m. City Tavern, 9550 Center St., Manassas. 703-368-5563. thoseladylions.org. New member fee $25, quarterly dues $50. Prince William Community Band Rehearsal, for musicians 19 and older, no audition necessary. 7:30 p.m. Saunders Middle School, 13557 Spriggs Rd., Manassas. 703-791-4119. pwcb.org. Free. Tuesday, Feb. 16 Virginia family law session The law firms domestic relations practice group answers questions. Noon-1 p.m. Compton & Duling, 12701 Marblestone Dr., Suite 350, Woodbridge. kny@comptonduling.com. 703-583-6060. comptonduling.com. Free, registration required. Friends of Leesylvania Park Regular meeting, new members welcome; the group raises money and supports park programs such as the Junior Rangers, free fishing tournaments for kids and Haunted History hikes. 7:30 p.m. Leesylvania State Park, 2001 Daniel K. Ludwig Dr., Woodbridge. friendsofleesylvania@gmail.com. 703-583-6904. Free. Wednesday, Feb. 17 Lake Ridge Toastmasters Club Members 18 and older develop their public speaking and leadership skills. 7:30-9:15 p.m. Tall Oaks Community Center, 12298 Cotton Mill Dr., Lake Ridge. 703-491-3020. contact-8913@toastmastersclubs.org. lakeridge.toastmastersclubs.org. $34-$64 membership fee. Compiled by Sarah Lane To submit an event E-mail: pwliving@washpost.com Fax: 703-392-1406 Details: Announcements are accepted on a space-available basis from public and nonprofit organizations only and must be received at least 14 days before the Thursday publication date. Include event name, dates, times, exact address, prices and a publishable contact phone number. Two Harford County sheriffs deputies were killed in Maryland on Wednesday by an armed man who entered a Panera Bread restaurant at lunchtime. The gunman was fatally shot by authorities after he shot the two deputies. Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler announced the deaths of two members of his department Wednesday afternoon. Theyre both two outstanding deputies who served the citizens of this county for 16 and 30 years respectively, Gahler said. He did not identify the deputies because he said their extended families had not been notified. The sheriffs office identified the armed man as David Brian Evans, 67. They said that he was wanted on a warrant from Florida for assaulting a police officer there, as well as on a civil writ issued in Harford County. Gahler said Evans entered a Panera in Abingdon during the busy lunchtime rush Wednesday. At 11:46 a.m., someone called the police to say that a man was behaving suspiciously in the restaurant. When a deputy arrived, Evans shot the deputy and then ran out the door. I think the suspect took that action because he was wearing a police uniform, Gahler said of the deputy who was shot. He certainly targeted him. People who saw Evans running away pointed authorities in the right direction, sheriffs office spokeswoman Cristie Kahler said. Gahler said that a deputy found Evans almost immediately, down the hill from the restaurant. Evans then shot that deputy. The next two deputies who arrived then fired at the gunman, fatally wounding him. Both of those deputies have been placed on administrative leave while the department investigates the shooting. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) issued a statement Wednesday night about the deputies deaths. Todays violence in Abingdon and the deaths of two Harford County sheriffs deputies is nothing less than absolutely heartbreaking, he said. The First Lady and I send our most sincere thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of the brave deputies who made the ultimate sacrifice today for the community they selflessly served. It is my hope that their commitment and dedication to law enforcement and protecting others will be remembered and will forever serve as an inspiration to others, Hogan said. Gahler said that no one inside the Panera, which was full of lunchtime diners, was hurt. He said authorities interviewed everyone in the restaurant before allowing them to leave. He said that the sheriffs office has had contact with Evans before, but he did not provide further information. Maryland lost three officers in the line of duty in 2015, and Virginia lost one, according to statistics from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. The organization, which said that 124 officers nationwide died in the line of duty in 2015, said that 42 of those officers were shot. Traffic fatalities accounted for 35 of the remaining deaths. Julie Tate contributed to this report. A 29-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday in what D.C. police say was the random stabbing of a man as he slept in a chair in a hospital waiting room in Northeast Washington. The victim suffered a deep wound to the left side of his head, police said in an arrest affidavit, and was treated at Providence Hospital, where the attack occurred. Police said hospital security restrained the suspect, who officers found sitting on a floor in handcuffs with a bloody knife lying nearby. The incident occurred about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday at the hospital in the 1100 block of Varnum Street NE. Police said they charged Janet Latoya Daniels of Southeast Washington with assault with intent to kill. Prosecutors later amended the charge to assault with a dangerous weapon. A D.C. Superior Court judge ordered her detained until a preliminary hearing Friday. The victim told police that he was attacked without provocation and that he does not know or have any connection with Daniels. Police said in the arrest affidavit that Daniels was at the hospital to be treated for a drug problem and was waiting to see a doctor. The affidavit says she went into a restroom and then walked out with a knife and attacked the victim. The document says the first strike missed, but the second struck the victim in the head. Police said security guards intervened and stopped the attack. The victim told police that he fell asleep in his chair and was attacked in his sleep, the affidavit says. The principal of a Prince George's County school was placed on paid administrative leave as officials investigated a volunteer who admitted to making child pornography recordings. (WUSA 9) The principal of a Prince George's County school was placed on paid administrative leave as officials investigated a volunteer who admitted to making child pornography recordings. (WUSA 9) An investigation into child pornography at a Prince Georges County school broadened Wednesday as officials interviewed more than two dozen families, placed the principal on leave and examined whether any policies on reporting child abuse were breached. But officials offered few new details about how an unpaid library volunteer in suburban Maryland allegedly managed to make videos of children performing sex acts on school grounds during school hours. Police said they have now identified 11 victims and expect that there may be more as the investigation continues. Deonte Carraway, 22, of Glenarden has been charged with 10 counts of felony child pornography and related charges. He has admitted creating the videos, in which he sometimes can be seen or heard directing children between 9 and 13 years old to perform various sexual acts, police said. [He always had six or seven kids around. Its a little strange] Prince Georges County Executive Rushern L. Baker III speaks at a news conference with county education and law enforcement officials. (Mark Gail for The Washington Post) Kevin Maxwell, the school systems chief executive officer, said at a news conference Wednesday evening that the principal, Michelle Williams, was removed and put on paid leave out of an abundance of caution as the investigation at Judge Sylvania W. Woods Elementary School in Glenarden unfolds. The move came just days after the arrest of Carraway, who allegedly produced 40 pornographic videos. Parents are demanding to know how the abuse could have happened and how it could have gone on so long without someone noticing. Maxwell and other county officials said Wednesday that they arent able to answer those questions yet. When we have the answer, we will be as transparent as we can, Maxwell said. Police said that so far, the investigation has found that Carraway directly abused seven of the 11 victims and otherwise abused the rest through his actions, without being more specific. School system officials require background checks for volunteers, but they have not responded to questions about whether there are rules that spell out how volunteers should be supervised or whether adults are allowed to be alone with children. Deonte Carraway (Prince Georges County Police Department) They also havent answered questions about whether any school staff members were aware of suspicious behavior by Carraway before the uncle of a Sylvania Woods student found a nude photo on the childs cellphone and reported it to police last week. Long before news broke about the Carraway investigation, the Prince Georges states attorneys office had offered to work with the school system to train staff on how to identify and report child predators. That offer has not yet been accepted, said Angela Alsobrooks, the countys top prosecutor, but she said Wednesday that it is still on the table. Alsobrooks said school staff members absolutely could be charged if they are found to have failed to report suspicions about Carraway. We will go as far as our investigation leads us, and we will take action based on what we learn, the prosecutor said. School and county officials said they are providing counseling services and other resources to victims and their families and are reminding school staff workers across the district of their duty under Maryland law to report suspicions of child abuse. They have also set up a hotline that anyone can use to report such suspicions. Every child in this county is our baby. And it is our job it is my job to protect them from predators like the one we arrested, County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) said. I want you to know that were going to do everything in our power to make sure that this type of situation doesnt happen again, he added. Some of the video recording and sex abuse took place during the school day at Sylvania Woods Elementary, where Carraway worked as a paid classroom assistant before becoming a volunteer, according to Prince Georges police. In at least one instance, a student was recorded performing a sex act on Carraway in a school restroom while Carraway recorded it on his orange phone, according to charging documents. On Wednesday morning, a man at the address listed for Carraway in online records declined to answer questions from a Washington Post reporter. Carraway is being held on $1 million bond. About 700 students attend Sylvania Woods, almost all of them black and Latino. The vast majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of poverty. Attempts to reach Williams, the principal, for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday. Williams reported concerns about Carraway to police and Child Protective Services immediately after becoming aware of them, said Doris Reed, executive director of the Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel, the union for those workers. CPS told the principal that police would handle it, Reed said. Its a horrible situation, Reed said. I dont think anyone can question that, but I hope the administration will not overreact when dealing with the principal. Maxwell said that the school system learned of Carraways arrest Saturday but did not notify parents until Monday because administrators were still gathering information. On Wednesday afternoon, attorneys for the family of the 9-year-old victim who brought the case to police filed a civil rights lawsuit in Prince Georges County Court against the school system and Carraway. The lawsuit says Carraway recorded students performing sex acts in the school auditorium, bathrooms and elsewhere on school property, using his position as a teachers assistant to remove students from class and escort them to various locations. Carraway told some of the students, including the Plaintiff, that they would be participating in a club with him to help persuade them to engage in these sexual acts on camera, the lawsuit states. The childs uncle found a nude photo on his nephews phone, sent via the anonymous messaging app Kik, according to the complaint. The uncle periodically checks the childs phone as an adult being vigilant, said Dave Simpson, an attorney representing the family of the young victim. The civil case also names Maxwell and Williams. Maxwell said he could not comment because the school system had not yet been served with the complaint. The Prince Georges school system requires volunteers to undergo one of two kinds of background checks, according to the school systems website. All employees and volunteers who are likely to have unsupervised contact with children are required to be fingerprinted. Volunteers who work with children only occasionally or who work with them regularly but in supervised settings, such as a classroom, are required to get a less-intensive background check a search of court records based on written information that the volunteer provides. Carraway worked for the school system from 2014 until he was laid off for budgetary reasons in September 2015. As a paid employee, he worked as a classroom assistant, said schools spokeswoman Sherrie Johnson. Johnson said that at the time of Carraways hiring, a criminal background check was done, as happens with all employees. It came up with nothing, no criminal history or anything, she said. Experts say background checks should be regarded as one part of a comprehensive plan to prevent offenders from gaining access to children at school. Most child sex offenders dont have a criminal history and would not be flagged by a background check, said Jennifer Alvaro, a longtime clinician in the field of child sexual abuse who has advocated for safeguards in Montgomery County schools. Juriese Colon, executive director of outreach for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said that many schools and after-school programs prohibit adults from being alone with children one-on-one; under such a policy, there must be at least two adults present as a check and balance, Colon said. Carraway also made video recordings at Glenarden Municipal Center and the Theresa Banks Memorial Aquatic Center as well as in private homes, according to police. The Prince Georges division of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police has jurisdiction over the aquatic center. Acting Chief Stanley Johnson said Carraway, as a Glenarden resident, would have had access to the aquatic center with an activity card that all local residents are required to use to enter. The last time the agency recorded Carraway entering the pool with an identification card was in 2014. It has no record of him entering the facility since then, but there is a possibility that someone can be part of a program or special event and might gain access, Johnson added. If Carraway was working with the school system, Johnson said, he could have had access to the facility through a swim program it offers as part of a partnership with the county parks department. Hamil R. Harris and Arelis R. Hernandez contributed to this report. Investigators ask anyone with information about this case to call 800-CALL-FBI or 301-772-4930. Police are looking for this man, who they say stole $75 from a photo booth that also took his picture in the act. (Courtesy of Batavia Police Department) Smile! A man stole $75 from a photo booth in Batavia, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, police say. But as he was doing it, the machine snapped his picture. And now police in the town have put that photo on Facebook. Police said they are trying to identify the robber. The incident happened in November. Police said on their Facebook page that the man went into the stand at Funway Amusements and pried open the photo booths drawer of cash. According to police, the machine is designed to take photographs when it senses tampering to the cash drawer. Police said they were unable to put out photos of the alleged thief until now because the photo booth owner couldnt get a repairman to pull the [mans] image from the machine. The estimated damage to the machine was also $75. The police department asks that if anyone recognizes the alleged thief to call them at 630-454-2500. Shari Berenbach, second from right, on a visit to Rwanda with the U.S. African Development Foundation. (U.S. African Development Foundation) Shari Berenbach, a former official with the U.S. Agency for International Development who had served as president of the U.S. African Development Foundation since 2012, died Feb. 7 at her home in Bethesda, Md. She was 64. The cause was breast cancer, said her husband, James Heaney. Ms. Berenbach was the director of the Microenterprise and Private Enterprise Promotion office at USAID for two years before joining the African Development Foundation, an independent federal agency that awards grants to community groups and small businesses on the continent. At both agencies, she focused on microfinance initiatives, which provide low-income individuals and small businesses with loans and other financial services. From 1997 to 2010, she served as president of the Calvert Foundation, a nonprofit investment company in Bethesda started by the founders of the Calvert Group mutual fund company. Under her direction, the organization grew to invest more than $500 million in nonprofits and small businesses around the world with the aim of reducing poverty. Shari Sue Berenbach was born Sept. 17, 1951, in Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1974 with a bachelors degree in political science. She received a masters degree in Latin American studies from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1982 and an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1990. Ms. Berenbach began her microfinance work in the early 1980s as a program director for the now-defunct Partnership for Productivity International, a Washington-based nonprofit that trained and advised entrepreneurs around the world. She served on boards and committees for groups such as the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the Association for Enterprise Opportunity, a microbusiness advocacy group. In addition to her husband of 23 years, survivors include their daughter, Moriah Heaney, also of Bethesda; a brother; and a sister. An air traffic controller works in the tower at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Legislation would put oversight of the controllers with a private nonprofit corporation. (Julio Cortez/AP) Thirty-five years ago, President Ronald Reagan parted ways with the nations air traffic controllers, and now they are prepared to return the favor, the head of their union told Congress on Wednesday. Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told the House Transportation Committee that his union supports legislation that would move his members to a private, nonprofit corporation that would supervise 50,000 U.S. flights each day. The House bill to create the federally chartered corporation would transfer about 38,000 federal workers, including 14,000 controllers who now work for the Federal Aviation Administration. With the workforce would go a mega-project called NextGen, a modernization of the air system that will cost at least $40 billion. Rinaldi said that he doubted modernization of the current antiquated system would progress expeditiously if left in the FAAs hands. Moving the operation to a corporation that would draw its revenue from user fees would free it from dependence on the instabilities of Congress. Our 24/7 aviation system has been challenged by 23 extensions in authorization, a partial shutdown, a complete government shutdown, as well as numerous threatened shutdowns, Rinaldi testified. Aviation safety should not come second to defunding Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, Syrian refugees or gun control or any other important issue that comes before the body. The transformation of the way in which aircraft travel is controlled comes in a six-year reauthorization bill for the FAA that also would require airlines to refund baggage fees if bags are overdue by more than 24 hours, prohibit in-flight cellphone calls and require the FAA to move more quickly in regulating small drones. Facing a March 31 deadline, Congress must pass a new bill to fund the FAA or extend the current legislation. Gaining traction for the bill during a presidential election year, when Congress traditionally slows to a crawl, will be Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shusters challenge, but the Pennsylvania Republican holds out hope after devoting more than a year to building support among stakeholders. While House Republicans are reluctant to separate the controller and NextGen divestiture from the larger FAA bill, stiff opposition from some Democrats already has surfaced. The committees ranking Democrat, Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (Ore.), meeting with reporters before Wednesdays session, said creating a nonprofit corporation to govern the controllers and implement the $40 billion NextGen program would have a dramatic impact on the flying public. Theyll make the point that its nonprofit; doesnt matter, its a corporation, DeFazio said. There is no elected member of Congress who will have any say over that. The hearing drew a trio of supporters of the bill to the witness table the controllers group, the industry group Airlines for America and the Reason Foundation and one opponent, the National Business Aviation Association. The business fliers say they fear that the new corporations board would be too heavy with commercial airline interests, who would tailor a system to suit their purposes, perhaps at the expense of those who fly their own planes. Another opponent, Delta Air Lines, has broken ranks with the other major U.S. carriers. NATCA was a union born in a tumultuous era. In August 1981, talks collapsed between the union that then represented nearly 13,000 controllers and the FAA. The controllers walked off the job, and about 7,000 flights were canceled in the height of the summer travel season. Reagan called the walkout illegal and ordered the strikers back to work. When most refused, he fired 11,345 of them and their union was decertified. Six years later, the association was formed to represent the replacement workers, with the promise that it would not strike illegally. But without the leverage of a strike threat, the unions contentious contract battles came to a head in 2005, when it could not reach agreement with the George W. Bush administration. Rebuffed in its appeal to the Federal Labor Relations Authority, NATCA had no choice but to accept contract terms dictated by the FAA. Rinaldi came of age as a NATCA executive during that period, ascending to the unions top job the same year President Obama took office. The new administration made it clear that it did not want to wage war with unions, and recent years have seen such a symbiotic relationship between the union and the FAA that when reporters made a call to one of them, there were occasions when their call was returned by the other. If the bill passes, Rinaldis union would be subject to binding arbitration in contract negotiations with the new corporation. The current NATCA-FAA contract would remain in force, and wages and benefits would continue under its terms. The FAA has been silent publicly about the proposal that would cost it about 80 percent of its workforce and remove from its supervision the keystone NextGen program. Its silence has been governed by the fact that neither the White House nor Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has weighed in beyond saying it would take time to digest the ideas. Commuters exit a Metrorail station as snow begins to fall on Jan. 22. That night, Metrorail shut down for the weekend. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) I didnt fault Metro for deciding to shut down on blizzard weekend, but many travelers did. This letter is the best case Ive seen for at least keeping open the underground service. Dear Dr. Gridlock: The newbie head of Metro [General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld] was quoted as saying, in effect, that he wanted to establish a performance floor for his organization. I can help him in that endeavor. 1. Recognize that Metrorail is a utility that nearly everyone benefits from, either directly via riding, or indirectly via the benefit of fewer auto travelers to compete with. The highest level of performance possible should be striven for, even under difficult circumstances. We dont hear of water and electrical utilities deliberately shutting down system-wide service just because some near-surface pipes freeze or a few aerial power lines go down. Their goal is always continuity of service for the largest number of customers, thus maximizing revenue. 2. Metrorail exists to facilitate movement of large numbers of people, which would be otherwise difficult or impossible via road, even under the best of circumstances. Metrorail serves as the circulatory system of the city. Under limited circumstances, it might be reasonable, for an interim, to shut down snow-covered surface portions of Metrorail, as that is akin to putting a temporary tourniquet on a badly injured limb. But shutting down the entire rail system is like injecting the drug curare into a beating heart. Metros tunnels are presumably weather-proof, as proven in early 1996, when trains ran underground despite a similar heavy snowfall. [How the region prepared for the blizzard] 3. The closest rail yard to the underground tunnels is just north of Union Station. Thats where the strongest efforts should be concentrated for preparing cars for service. From there, snow-freed cars can access Red, Blue, and Orange Line tracks (the latter two via the interchange between Farragut North and McPherson Square). There is talk of using air rights over the Union Station tracks for buildings, so perhaps that initiative should be expanded to include covering Metro tracks from Union Station to the yard and cover the yard itself. Then there would be a truly weather-proof set of tracks for assembling trains. 4. Strenuous efforts should be made to clear Blue Line tracks from Rosslyn to the Pentagon, and Yellow Line tracks from the Pentagon to LEnfant Plaza. Given that Reagan National Airport is a transportation hub, the Blue/Yellow surface tracks to it deserve attention for when airport operations resume after a snowfall. 5. Long-range, consideration should be given to building more underground pocket tracks for housing cars during bad weather or for temporarily storing disabled trains. Metro was built on the cheap and the near-absence of pocket tracks continually creates operational difficulties. Jerry Deily, Charlottesville, Va. DG: The writer is a retired professional engineer, and was a friend of Ed Tennyson, another engineer who frequently contributed to this column. Tennyson died in 2014, and I miss his pithy letters and ideas about how to improve Metrorail. Metro officials said the blizzard shutdown was meant to protect both travelers and equipment during the storm, and to speed up the restoration of service afterward. Deily explains well why the shutdown was such a big deal. Metrorail is a fundamental part of the Washington regions transportation system. People not only benefit from it, but also count on it to be there when every other part of the travel network is overstressed. A historic example was Metros much-praised role in getting commuters home during the crisis of Sept. 11, 2001. Other subway systems in the path of the snowstorm did not react the same way. New York continued running trains underground while temporarily suspending above-ground operations. Among other things, Metro officials were worried about the possibility that a power failure could leave passengers stranded. Weve certainly had enough of that. This is why I cant fault Metro for its decision about keeping riders and its employees safe while the snow fell and all forms of travel were nearly impossible. During the lengthy recovery phase after the snow stopped, travelers I heard from were far more critical of the highway departments than of the transit agency. While praising the hard work of the road crews, they were enormously frustrated to find that even major routes had lanes blocked with high banks of snow on the curbs and sidewalks well into the post-storm work week. It wasnt what they expected, and complaints continued through the weekend after the blizzard. Meanwhile, Metro pretty much stuck to the service restoration schedule it announced, and by late week was operating at full service. I dont mean Metro was complaint-free. The six-car rush hour trains were jammed, there was a delay restoring the Silver Line in Fairfax County and the Yellow Line Rush Plus did not operate for several days from Franconia-Springfield. A winter from now, when hes no longer a newbie learning what the transit system is capable of handling and has had a chance to make some improvements, Wiedefeld might make a different decision about a shutdown. But given the extent to which our transportation system got clobbered this time, he did okay in managing Metros recovery. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday said the alliance had approved plans for an increased presence in eastern member states alarmed by a more assertive Russia, sending a "clear signal" to any aggressors. Stung into action by the Russian intervention in Ukraine and shock 2014 annexation of Crimea, NATO has boosted its resources and readiness to meet any new threat but its nervous former Soviet allies in the east are pushing for more. Former Norwegian premier Stoltenberg said the 28-nation alliance's defence ministers had agreed at a meeting in Brussels on plans for an "enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of our alliance". "This will send a clear signal. NATO will respond as one to any aggression against any ally," Stoltenberg told reporters. "This will be a multinational (force) to show that an attack on one will be an attack on all." He spoke of a "more assertive Russia which has used force to change borders" and said that NATO, formed in the depths of the Cold War, now faced the "most challenging security environment in a generation." The force will likely involve between 3,000 and no more than 6,000 troops, NATO diplomatic source said, although Stoltenberg gave no further details as the project must now go to the military planners to be fleshed out. They will rotate continuously through the three Baltic states -- Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, plus Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, the sources said. Critics say the Ukraine crisis and the annexation of Crimea badly wrong-footed the alliance, which under-estimated Russia's ability to move so quickly and make such effective use of hybrid warfare. Stoltenberg recalled that in response, NATO has already taken steps to boost its readiness by creating a very fast reaction force, setting up forward command centres and pre-positioning equipment so that reinforcements can hit the ground running. Combined, the measures amount to what NATO dubs "modern deterrence," a doctrine meant to ensure that NATO can react quickly and flexibly to all emerging threats. NATO leaders are expected to formally endorse the plans at a July summit in Warsaw, the capital of Poland which has led calls for the alliance to station troops permanently along the border with Russia. Other NATO member states have been reluctant to revert to what they see as a Cold War stand-off with Russia, especially when seeking Moscow's help to solve other conflicts such as in Syria. Stoltenberg stressed that there was no going back "to the days of the Cold War when we had hundreds of thousands of troops on bases." Asked whether having just small forces on the ground acting as a tripwire would really be enough to deter Russia, the secretary general said he had no doubts. "We believe it is the best way to deter in a changed security environment," he said. The Ukraine crisis has largely driven the changes in NATO but turmoil across the Middle East and North Africa has stoked fears the alliance faces a whole new series of threats. Stoltenberg has said the changes made are also applicable to some of these threats, with the war in Syria directly impacting key alliance member Turkey. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter will host a meeting of the anti-ISIS coalition at NATO HQ after the defence ministers meeting closes on Thursday to see what more can be done to defeat the extremists in Syria and Iraq. Search Keywords: Short link: Commuters await a train on the platform at the Bethesda Metro station in Maryland in this file photo. (Nikki Kahn/THE WASHINGTON POST) Metro is late in submitting plans to correct some of the numerous problems found during a federal safety inspection of the rail and bus systems last spring, the Federal Transit Administration says. But Metro contends it is late in filing five corrective action measures only because federal officials abruptly changed the due dates, giving Metro less time. The FTA says it did so to prevent the transit agency from dragging its feet a result of what appears to be growing impatience among federal officials with Metros progress on safety improvements. In another example, on Monday, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said that Maryland, Virginia and the District are moving too slowly in creating an agency to monitor Metro safety. Foxx said the jurisdictions could lose millions of dollars in federal transit funds if they dont expedite their efforts. He gave them a year to complete the process. [Delay in creating Metro safety agency could be costly, Foxx warns] As for the five delinquent corrective action plans, there are no immediately consequences for Metro, FTA spokesman Steven Kulm said Tuesday. Its not like theyre going to be fined or anything like that, he said. But were going to keep the pressure on them. Weve got our public website showing that theyre behind schedule. And were continuing to work with them on that on a daily basis. After the Jan. 12, 2015, incident in which smoke from a electrical malfunction engulfed a stalled train in a Metro tunnel, killing one rider and sickening scores of others, the FTA launched a weeks-long safety inspection of the subway and bus systems. The report, issued in June, listed 51 safety problems that required 91 corrective steps. Of the 91 plans, eight have been filed by Metro and are under FTA review, and 78 more are due to be filed in coming months. [Heres where you can track Metros progress in correcting its safety issues] The five that are late were due to be submitted by last month, according to the FTA. Those corrective plans are supposed to address problems related to the quality of track inspections, the training of certain Metro workers, the installation of tunnel smoke detectors and Metros system for investigating rail accidents. [FTA inspection finds significant Metro safety flaws] In September, four months after the report was issued, Metro provided estimated submission dates for each of the 91 corrective plans, including January dates for the five plans that are now late. But Metro said the five due dates were later reset for March and April. Metro has had coordination meetings with FTA over the past several months to discuss and refine completion dates, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said in an email. Last week, however, the FTA changed their website to use original estimated completion dates, which in some cases are earlier than what both agencies had previously agreed. Kulm, the FTA spokesman, agreed with Stessel on that point. Metro changed their dates for a few of the corrective actions, and the FTA made those updates to the schedule, Kulm said in an email. But last week, Kulm said, the FTA abruptly reverted to the earlier due dates. That meant Metro suddenly was late with five plans. Kulm said the FTA took that action in the interest of transparency and to more easily monitor [Metros] progress in addressing the safety issues. As for Metro not facing immediate consequences for being late, Kulm said that is because the dates are Metros estimated dates, not statutory or FTA-set deadlines. At some point much later, if Metro were to fall massively behind schedule without good cause, the FTA could seek to withhold federal funds, Kulm said. But Metro is not close to that point yet. [Metro is the only major U.S. subway under federal safety oversight] After the smoke incident and revelations of other Metro safety shortcomings last year, Foxx took the unusual step of putting the FTA in charge of monitoring the safety of the transit agencys subway operations. A 2012 law gives the FTA the ability to assume safety oversight in the absence of effective state or local oversight. Under FTA oversight, day-to-day operations continue under the auspices of Metro, but FTA officials can intervene when safety concerns arise. They also can conduct surprise inspections and issue directives to Metro to immediately address safety problems in the system. The arrangement is supposed to be temporary, until Maryland, Virginia and the District create a new agency. But after learning that the jurisdictions have no immediate plans to take legislative action to establish such an agency, Foxx warned that they risk losing millions of dollars in federal funds if they fail to form a safety-oversight body this year. This is a rendering of what a light-rail Purple Line train would look like running through the University of Maryland campus in College Park. (Maryland Transit Administration) Marylands plan to build a light-rail Purple Line in the Washington suburbs would receive $125 million in federal aid in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, under the Obama administrations proposed transit budget released Wednesday. [Read The Posts coverage of Marylands Purple Line Plan] The rail project would receive federal money the Federal Transit Administration has recommended a total $900 million for construction only if the state finalizes a full funding agreement with the FTA. Under federal funding rules, that agreement would not be signed until the state has finalized the projects estimated cost and secured the rest of the 16-mile lines funding. [Md. receives four proposals to build light-rail Purple Line] However, the fact that the Purple Line remains in the FTAs budget recommendation for a third year shows that it is still an Obama administration priority, even though Maryland officials have yet to announce a winning bid that will determine the projects projected final cost. That announcement is expected sometime this month. Gregory Sanders, vice president of the Purple Line Now advocacy group, noted that the $125 million in aid recommended for next fiscal year surpasses the $100 million included for the Purple Line in each of the two previous Obama administration budgets. Congress appropriated about $200 million, but the Maryland Transit Administration has not been able to spend it without the funding agreement in place. An FTA report released Wednesday said the MTA anticipates having a full funding agreement in mid-2016. The $125 million is not just a vote of confidence, Sanders said. I think a little more funding gets you a faster start. It gives Maryland a lot of flexibility to hit the ground running to begin construction. The new FTA report listed the Purple Lines estimated construction cost at $2.45 billion and annual operating costs at $53.4 million. However, state officials had recently scaled back the project to an estimated cost of $2.15 billion. State officials have cautioned that no numbers are final until the state awards a 35-year contract to a team of private companies that would finish the lines design, build it over five years and help finance its construction. A private partner would then operate and maintain the line for 30 years. State officials have said they hope to begin construction this year and open the line to service in late 2021. The line would run east-west inside the Capital Beltway, between New Carrollton in Prince Georges County and Bethesda in Montgomery County. [Will the money be there to build the Purple Line?] Federal transit construction grants are increasingly competitive among cities and states vying for limited funds to expand rail and bus lines or build new systems to accommodate growth and spur economic development without significantly worsening traffic congestion. The Purple Line retained its overall FTA rating of medium-high, even after the state cut some costs one plan involves running trains less frequently in the opening year. That rating keeps it more competitive for clinching money than projects with medium ratings. The ratings are based on project costs and how they would affect local land use and economic development. However, federal officials knocked the states estimate for the amount of growth it has assumed in Marylands transportation trust fund and the lines operating revenue. In its report, the FTA said the growth predicted for both revenue streams is more optimistic than historical experience. The FTA also said state officials estimate for the lines construction cost is toward the lower end of the range of what may be expected and is slightly optimistic. Asked about the FTAs findings that the revenue and construction cost estimates were overly optimistic, MTA spokesman Paul Shepard said, Any comment we would make would be premature until a [bid] proposer is selected. The FTA report said Maryland has committed to pay $484 million of the Purple Lines construction from the states transportation trust fund, which would be about 20 percent of the total under the current cost estimate. A private partner would finance about $1 billion, or 43 percent, and the federal governments $900 million would make up about 37 percent. The Purple Line would run two-car trains aboveground, mostly along a three-mile recreational trail in Montgomery, and on local streets for the rest. The line would have 21 stations and connect neighborhoods with Metrorail stations and Amtrak and MARC commuter rail stations. Supporters say it would provide faster and more reliable transit service than buses that become stuck in traffic. They also say it would serve a large number of transit-dependent residents and spark redevelopment around stations in aging inner-Beltway suburbs. Opponents say the project is too expensive and would disrupt neighborhoods along the route and destroy the parklike feel of a wooded recreational trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring. [Hogan: Maryland will move forward on Purple Line, with counties help] Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) had balked at the projects estimated construction cost but later changed course, saying he would build it if the state contributed less to a less-expensive project. The test will be whether any of the private bidders have offered a price that Hogans administration will accept. Ben Ross, a longtime Purple Line advocate, said he is optimistic Congress will continue to appropriate the money that the FTA has recommended for the project. This is now a bipartisan project with Governor Hogan behind it, Ross said. The transit administrations recommended $125 million, he said, is a statement by the [Obama] administration that they consider this project on track and moving forward. A Virginia hospital industry group Wednesday yanked a $200,000 TV and radio campaign that made dire warnings about a GOP-sponsored regulatory bill and drew the ire of House Republicans. The commercials, in the style of political attack ads, aimed to get ordinary Virginians stirred up about seemingly arcane laws governing hospital expansions. A spokesman for the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association suggested in a written statement on Wednesday that the campaign had simply run its course. The ads debuted last weekend with the intention of raising awareness about a pending policy issue set for a vote in the House of Delegates this week, said Julian Walker, vice president of communications. The vote on this policy issue is scheduled for tomorrow. The campaign has concluded as of today. But in an email sent to board members earlier Wednesday, Sean T. Connaughton, the association president, said the ads were scrapped in response to complaints from the GOP. The House Republican Caucus has voiced a great deal of displeasure about the ads, Connaughton wrote We have pulled them. An ad released by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association Tuesday, Feb. 9, says the Virginia General Assembly is "voting on legislation that will financially ruin your local hospital." (Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association) [Hospital group bankrolls ominous-sounding TV ads] The ads were launched after House committees voted last week to advance legislation to eliminate regulations requiring state approval for hospital expansions, surgery centers and certain medical services. Critics say the laws create local monopolies. The hospitals association and some individual hospitals contend that the regulations, known as certificate of public need laws, prevent providers from artificially increasing prices and protect facilities that care for indigent patients. The measure to eliminate the certificate of need laws comes amid a national push to jettison such regulations. Virginias bill has Republican backing, but the issue does not always fall neatly along partisan lines. The House legislation, sponsored by Del. John M. OBannon III (R-Henrico), is up for debate in that chamber Thursday, with a final vote expected Friday. If the bill passes, it would then go to the Senate, where its fate is unclear. The hospital association had reserved $200,000 in TV and radio time in Charlottesville, Roanoke, Lynchburg and rural stretches of the state bordering Tennessee and West Virginia for its campaign against the legislation. While it is not unheard of for political campaigns to reserve more air time than they ultimately use, Connaughtons email left little doubt that the group had cut the campaign short. With ominous music and dramatic claims, the ads did not blame the Republicans for the legislation or identify lawmakers by name. But it rankled Republicans all the same. The General Assembly is voting on legislation that will financially ruin your local hospital, began an ad that ran in the western half of the state. Putting lives at risk, impacting life-saving medical procedures for young and old. Eliminating emergency services that save lives. Good-paying jobs gone. Your local hospital could close. Youll pay more for medical care and get less. Call your legislator now. On Tuesday, a spokesman for House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) took issue with the claims and the tone of the ads. It is unfortunate to see the overreach in the rhetoric; these claims are absolutely baseless, spokesman Matthew Moran said in an email. Demagoguing lawmakers and misleading their constituents is not how to have a productive conversation on such a significant issue. Everyone expects candid and frank discussion, but this approach will damage their relationship with legislators. In response, Walker said the ads fairly portrayed the risk to hospitals. A regional grant program backed by leaders in business, education and government was approved in the Virginia House Tuesday, despite some opposition from Republicans troubled by what they described as free-market meddling. The way to spur economic growth in Virginia is to reduce taxes for businesses and working families and let them keep more of their hard-earned dollars, Del. Ben L. Cline (R-Rockbridge) said after voting against the grant program. One bill under consideration would set up a state board to establish regional councils that can apply for money for projects, such as job training centers. A second would give cities and counties that work together up to half of the income tax revenue from new jobs they have a hand in creating. Business leaders would run the board and councils, but board members from the Senate, the House and the governors Cabinet would each have veto power. Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) supports the program, which his two-year budget proposal would fund with nearly $40 million. [Boost for economy proposed by Va. power brokers] Although an early version of the program would have paid grants directly to companies, Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R-James City) said the bills now call for local matches. The system is intended to prevent what he called hiccups in economic development deals, and to encourage localities to work together. This is a fairly significant cultural change in the way we do regional government, Norment said during a committee meeting Tuesday. This needs to be a long-term commitment, and I am absolutely persuaded of the viability of it. Lawmakers and officials who support the grant program talked up the need to diversify the state economy. Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax) said across-the-board federal funding cuts known as sequestration provided a rude awakening for Virginia businesses, which until now has relied largely on federal defense spending. Todd Stottlemyer, who is CEO of the Inova Center for Personalized Health at Inova, said the newest campus of Northern Virginias largest hospital system is a collaboration with universities and others, similar to what could be created through the new grants program. GO Virginia will help us jump start more collaborate initiatives, he said. After hearing the glowing testimony, Sen. Emmett W. Hanger Jr. (R-Augusta) asked whether anyone opposed GO Virginia to laughter from the morning crowd of lobbyists and lawmakers. But a few hours later, Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William) spoke against it on the House floor. He and a handful of colleagues voted against the bills, both of which passed the overwhelmingly Republican body with 93 yes votes. We are entering into the marketplace as a government entity at arms reach, but its nevertheless the state asking our subordinates in the localities to do this, he said. John O. Dubby Wynne, chairman of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation and former chief executive of Landmark Communications, has been the primary driver of the program. He sits on the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, which hired the lobbying giant McGuireWoods to craft the bills, with input from lawmakers. Both bills say localities can only win grants for proving they had a hand in creating at least 200 jobs and a $25 million investment. The Senate version would lower the bar to 25 jobs and a $1 million investment for communities with high unemployment. The Senate version gives their members equal representation on the state board as the House. In the House version, their members have a one-delegate advantage. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) was joined by Democrats and Republicans last month when he announced a compromise on a set of gun bills. (Steve Helber/AP) The Virginia House on Wednesday passed a package of bills that make up a compromise on gun laws, forged by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and Republican lawmakers over the objections of gun-control advocates. The Republican-controlled House voted 72 to 26 to restore and expand the rights of concealed-carry handgun permit holders in Virginia and around the country. Two pieces of companion legislation that would impose tighter restrictions on gun ownership by domestic abusers and allow voluntary background checks at gun shows passed more easily, by a vote of 96 to 3, with three Republicans dissenting. The agreement secures the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens and takes reasonable steps to make our communities safer, House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) said in a statement. This agreement shows what can be accomplished when we set aside our political rhetoric and work together for the Commonwealth of Virginia. [Governor, legislators reach deal on I-66 expansion, tolls] Democrats also applauded the deal but said more needs to be done. I have worked hard on this issue, and I am glad we were able to finally take a positive step to prevent these tragedies, said Del. Kathleen J. Murphy (D-Fairfax), the lead sponsor of the bill on protective orders. More than half of women murdered with guns die at the hands of a domestic abuser. This bill will save lives. The concealed-carry permit bill would reverse a December move by Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) to revoke the reciprocity rights of hundreds of thousands of permit holders in 25 states whose standards are weaker than Virginias. The bill not only restores concealed-carry reciprocity with those states, it also requires state police to enter into new reciprocity agreements with other states. Herring, who was not part of negotiations over the current deal, praised Murphys intent. But he panned the overall agreement for coming at the price of dangerous or irresponsible people carrying concealed handguns in Virginia. A nearly identical set of gun bills passed in the Senate last week. Each chambers bills must pass the opposite chamber before they will be sent to McAuliffes desk. The governor has said he will sign the bills into law, despite strong criticism from a onetime political ally Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun-control organization founded by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. [Bloomberg gun-control group launches new ad against McAuliffe] The group has responded to the deal on guns with a social media campaign and a full-page newspaper ad titled Terry McAuliffe is wrong. McAuliffe, a New York native, responded by dismissing the opposition as coming from one gun-safety group out of New York City. Last fall, Everytown spent more than $2 million to support Democratic candidates McAuliffe was backing for Virginias Senate, part of the governors ultimately unsuccessful attempt to create a Democratic majority in that chamber. During the first phase, the firm will evaluate Cairo, Sharm El-Sheikh and Marsa Allam international airports Egypt signed on Wednesday an agreement with the UK-based Control Risks firm to evaluate Egyptian airports over two stages, state news agency MENA reported. During the first phase, the global independent consultancy company will be tasked with the evaluation of three airports Cairo, Sharm El-Sheikh and Marsa Alam -- at an approximate cost of $700,000, Aviation Minister Hossam Kamal said. According to the minister, the financing will be provided by Egypt's tourism support fund - an investment fund launched in 2014 which aims to raise $1 billion from local and Arab Gulf investors to improve the ailing tourism sector. The contract with Control Risks comes to address western concerns over security meassures at Egyptian airports following the deadly Russian plane crash in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula last October that killed all 224 people on board. A number of countries, including Russia and the United Kingdom, have suspended flights to Egypt's Sharm citing safety concerns. The Islamist IS group claimed that it downed the plane. A Russian investigation concluded that the downing of the plane was a criminal act. However, Egypt, which has not yet released its final report on the disaster, maintains that its "technical investigative committee has so far not received any evidence indicating criminal or terrorist activity." Search Keywords: Short link: In a devastating outcome for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, this was the most unkindest cut of all: Women flocked to Bernie Sanders. Not by single digits, but by a margin of 55 percent to 44 percent. These numbers matter, and not, as Shakespeare wrote of Brutus stabbing Caesar, because ingratitude, more strong than traitors arms, quite vanquishd him. Clinton is not vanquished by what she and her supporters may see as female voters ingratitude; she will soldier on. But moving forward, the candidate and her campaign need to figure out how better to speak to women, especially younger ones and those who are unmarried. In particular, they need to navigate the treacherous waters of celebrating the prospect of the first female president without sounding as if that is a qualification in itself. Or, worse, as if female voters tempted by Sanders are traitors to the feminist cause Brutus to Clintons Caesar. Women are key to electoral success, especially for Democrats. Not so long ago, analysts could debate whether the country was ready to elect a female president. Not anymore. If Clinton loses the nomination or the general election, she wont have been defeated because shes a woman. Shell have lost despite that electorally helpful fact. Consider these numbers. Women accounted for 57 percent of Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa, where they provided Clintons millimeter-thin margin of victory. They constituted 55 percent of Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire. Even though Clinton did not garner a majority of support among women, according to network exit polls, female voters significantly softened Sanderss win. Men backed him by an astonishing 67 percent to 32 percent. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton emphasizes human rights as she spoke to supporters after conceding to Bernie Sanders in the New Hampshire primary. (Reuters) Women similarly make up the majority of general election voters 53 percent in 2012. While Republican nominee Mitt Romney won the majority of male voters (54 percent to 46 percent for Barack Obama), women supported Obama (56 percent to 44 percent). In short, in an unimaginable world in which women still lacked the right to vote indeed, in a world in which women voted in fewer numbers Clinton would stand no chance. Her gender is still a very strong asset for this campaign, said Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. So what should she do? First, drop the argument, heavy-handed and unconvincing, that gender is Clintons anti-establishment calling card. Honestly, Senator Sanders is the only person who I think would characterize me, a woman running to be the first woman president, as exemplifying the establishment, Clinton said at the most recent debate, and shes made this point before. Come on. The Clintons embody the Democratic establishment. Women know that. Instructing them differently just makes them feel as if they are being treated like fools by another typical politician. Second, stop the insinuations, subtle and explicit, that Clinton is the victim of sexism. Yes, the Bernie bros have tweeted ugly things. Yes, women who raise their voices face criticism that is not leveled at shouting men. But the Clinton campaign has been too quick to suggest sexism more accurately, to leave it to their supporters to make those suggestions when confronted with what is simply tough politics as usual. Third, cut the guilt-tripping. It wont only fail to convince younger women its going to insult their mothers as well. Madeleine Albright was understandably frustrated about complacent young women who fail to grasp the significance of electing the first female president, but the former secretary of state edged into offensive lecturing. So people are talking about revolution. What kind of a revolution would it be to have the first woman president of the United States? Albright said. We can tell our story of how we climbed the ladder, and a lot of you younger women [think] its been done. Its not done. And you have to help. Then, the controversial part, And, just remember, theres a special place in hell for women who dont help each other. This is true in general, and great advice on a Starbucks cup. Its offensive in the specific context of instructing young women about their electoral obligation. Clinton would have been better advised to acknowledge this point than to dismiss it. Well good grief, were getting offended by everything these days, she told NBCs Chuck Todd, channeling her inner Trump. Not everything. Just suggestions that its a slap to the sisterhood to fail to support the female candidate. Feminism doesnt mean imposing a moral obligation on women to vote a certain way. It means trusting them, not demeaning them, when they choose the candidate they like best, male or female. Even if their mothers disagree. Read more from Ruth Marcuss archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook. Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in an interview that the United States is nearing a final crunch time on Syria in which it will either make progress toward a cease-fire or begin moving toward Plan B and new military actions. For Kerry-watchers, its a familiar moment of brinkmanship: Hes making a last, desperate push for a diplomatic breakthrough with Russia and Iran at a meeting in Munich on Thursday, even as he warns that the United States has other leverage if diplomacy fails. Kerrys problem, skeptics would argue, is that his strategy has the same logical flaws that have scuttled three years of Syria diplomacy: Russia and Iran wont compromise on their fundamental support for President Bashar al-Assads regime; and President Obama wont approve military tactics that could actually shift the balance. So each diplomatic inflection point comes and goes with greater misery for the Syrian people. But Kerry presses on, doggedly and, some critics would say, unrealistically. In the interview Tuesday, he offered a frank, on-the-record explanation of his approach. From the beginning, Kerry has hoped that Russia would decide that its interests are best served by a political transition in Syria. Heres how Kerry put the dangers for Moscow if theres no settlement: the threat of implosion in Syria, and the threat of a very prolonged war that keeps Russia embroiled on the ground, and the threat of increased numbers of terrorists. But rather than seeing disaster ahead, Russia seems to think its winning. James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, assessed Moscows motivations bluntly Tuesday in testimony to Congress: Increased Russian involvement, particularly airstrikes, will probably help the regime regain key terrain in high priority areas in western Syria, such as Aleppo and near the coast, where it suffered losses to the opposition in summer 2015. Kerry conceded that ripeness is crucial in negotiations. If one party thinks its winning, it makes demands that the losing side wont accept and the carnage continues. Kerry said it would be diplomatic negligence of the worst order not to make one last try for a cease-fire that could assist the thousands of civilians newly fleeing Aleppo. What were doing is testing [Russian and Iranian] seriousness, he said. And if theyre not serious, then there has to be consideration of a Plan B. . . . You cant just sit there. Although Kerry wouldnt discuss specific military options in Syria, he did offer some broad outlines. The aim, he said, would be to lead a coalition against [the Islamic State], and also to support the opposition against Assad. He said Obama has already directed the Pentagon and the intelligence community to move harder and faster against Islamic State extremists so that the terrorist group is reined in and curbed and degraded and neutralized as fast as possible. Asked whether Obama would support more aggressive Special Operations forces tactics, Kerry responded that Obama has already made the decision to put special forces in, and hes made the decision to test the proof of concept of how they are operating. Impatient critics would argue that the proof of concept came 10 years ago in Iraq, and that Obama is temporizing. Kerry said sure when asked if the administration would accept recent offers by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send ground troops into Syria, noting that Arab special forces could augment significantly the capacity to . . . do greater damage to [the Islamic State] much faster. Certainly, wider Arab military involvement would up the ante in Syria. Kerry pointed to the roster of other diplomacy thats overshadowed by the Syria conflict: from North Korea to Ukraine, from Cuba to the South China Sea. And he discussed the nuclear deal with Iran, arguably his biggest diplomatic achievement, likening the Iranian pragmatists battle against hard-liners there to his fights with Congress. The hard-liners made Foreign Minister [Mohammad Javad] Zarif and President [Hassan] Rouhanis life very difficult, just as hard-liners in the United States had a role in making oppositionists, I wouldnt call them hard-liners, Id call them oppositionists . . . made it difficult for our negotiations, Kerry said. But he sharply cautioned against any U.S. effort to support Rouhanis camp in this months parliamentary elections: The worst thing we could do is meddle. Kerrys tireless, implacable diplomacy led Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News, to suggest in a tweet last week that perhaps he should run for president if Hillary Clinton falters. Asked about Murdochs trial balloon, Kerry responded: I dont think thats how the process works. . . . Theres no reality to it whatsoever. . . . Im doing my job, and theres going to be no change. That sounded like a diplomatic non-answer. Read more from David Ignatiuss archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. I agree with President Obama on the need to reform our solitary confinement laws, especially for children. It is time to change things. I introduced Virginia Senate Bill 215 as the first step in making juvenile isolation safer and rare in Virginia. If passed, the bill would direct the Board of Corrections to develop regulations that reflect evidence-based practices in rehabilitating youth. These regulations would require that isolation be used only as a last resort, identify conditions under which isolation may be permitted and specify short time intervals for staff to check on juveniles in isolation. The intent is to ensure that our juvenile-detention facilities achieve the best possible outcomes for our youths. Solitary confinement heightens the negative effects of mental illness and makes it more difficult for juveniles to reenter society. According to a 2015 Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice report , 53.1 percent of juveniles in Virginia correctional facilities already need mental-health treatment, and 80 percent of them will be rearrested. These are not statistics. These are children, and we are failing them. We must show our youths that we believe in rehabilitation by limiting the use of juvenile isolation. Barbara Favola, Arlington The writer, a Democrat, represents Arlington and parts of Fairfax and Loudoun counties in the Virginia Senate. The Russian missile cruiser Varyag on patrol in the eastern Mediterranean. Russian warships equipped with long-range missiles cruise off Syria's coast to back the air campaign in Syria. (Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via Associated Press) AN EXTRAORDINARY new crisis is beginning to unfold in Syria, a country that already has suffered through some of the worst war crimes, humanitarian depredations and refugee flows in recent history. Russia, Iran and the Syrian government are conducting a major offensive aimed at recapturing the city of Aleppo and the rebel-held territory that connects it to the border with Turkey. They have cut one supply route to the city and are close to severing another, trapping rebel forces along with hundreds of thousands of civilians. Tens of thousands have fled to the border, where Turkey is denying them entry. This campaign is being waged in open defiance of a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted in December, which required the Syrian government to provide humanitarian access to areas under siege and demanded an end to the shelling and bombing of civilian areas. Russia, which voted for the resolution, is indiscriminately bombing civilian targets in the Aleppo area, using banned cluster munitions, according to Human Rights Watch. Iranian commanders are on the ground, directing attacks by Shiite fighters from Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan. In the face of this onslaught, which promises to destroy any chance of an acceptable end to the Syrian civil war, the Obama administration has been a study in passivity and moral confusion. President Obama is silent. Secretary of State John F. Kerry has been reduced to reading the text of Resolution 2254 aloud, as if that would somehow compel a change in Russian behavior. Mr. Kerry on Tuesday faulted Moscow for making it much more difficult to be able to come to the table for the peace talks he has been trying to broker, which were stillborn last week in Geneva. Yet Mr. Kerry also has been blaming the Syrian opposition, which succumbed to U.S. pressure to turn up for the talks but refused to go forward while the bombing continued. Russia and Iran, Mr. Kerry insisted Friday, were ready to support a cease-fire; that it hadnt happened, he suggested, was because the rebels had not come to the table. That conclusion is as preposterous as it is self-serving. Russia launched bombing operations in northern Syria within 48 hours of the Security Council vote on Dec. 18 and never stopped; it has long been obvious to almost everyone that the regime of Vladimir Putin is seeking a military victory over Western-backed rebels, not a truce. Mr. Kerry conceded last week that Moscow might have lulled him with talk for the sake of talk in order to continue the bombing, adding, We will know that in the course of the next days. If he is honest, he will now acknowledge his error. By insisting on the Geneva talks and reducing support to the rebels as a way of forcing their participation the United States has paved the way for the ongoing military debacle. Having predicted that Russia would find itself in a quagmire, Mr. Obama now is at risk of watching as Mr. Putin eliminates any non-terrorist alternative to the Assad regime, and thus strengthens the Islamic State. It might still be possible to rescue the Syrian opposition and the hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk but only if the United States and its allies act quickly to bolster rebel forces and create havens for refugees. The alternative to hope that Russia and Iran stumble, or suddenly embrace a truce has already been proved a fantasy. Following Bernie Sanderss victory in New Hampshire, supporters are optimistic that the Bern will gain momentum and spread to South Carolina and Nevada next. They also couldn't help but dance throughout the rally, going as far as dedicating some serious dance moves to the senator. (Alice Li/The Washington Post) Following Bernie Sanderss victory in New Hampshire, supporters are optimistic that the Bern will gain momentum and spread to South Carolina and Nevada next. They also couldn't help but dance throughout the rally, going as far as dedicating some serious dance moves to the senator. (Alice Li/The Washington Post) Sen. Bernie Sanders took a few moments in his victory speech Tuesday night to make a small request of his supporters: Please help us raise the funds we need, whether its 10 bucks, 20 bucks or 50 bucks, he said. The response was so overwhelming that his website buckled under the traffic . Between the close of polls and 8 p.m. Wednesday, his campaign brought in $6.5 million, a single-day record for his campaign. Sanders is barreling out of New Hampshire in a position that few expected when he entered the 2016 White House race: financially competitive with Hillary Clinton. Boosted by an online fundraising juggernaut, the senator from Vermont has been scooping up donations at a faster clip than Clinton so far this year, giving him unexpected resources for the rush of coming votes in Nevada, South Carolina and the 11 Super Tuesday states that hold Democratic contests March 1. [Sanders defeats Clinton in decisive New Hampshire primary victory] Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders thanked supporters for high voter turnout after winning the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9. (Reuters) Clinton started the year with $10 million more than him in the bank, but Sanders raised $20 million to her $15 million in January, helping him narrow her cash advantage. He had his previous best fundraising day to date in the 24 hours that followed his close loss in last weeks Iowa caucuses, collecting $3 million. Sanders plowed some of his ballooning war chest into additional TV ads in New Hampshire, where he outspent Clinton on the airwaves in the final weeks before beating her resoundingly there. With more than 89 percent of precincts reporting, he held a lead of more than 20 percentage points. His campaign plans to use its funding surge to build up its ground operations and roll out robust advertising campaigns in upcoming states. One of the big things that separates us from past insurgent campaigns is that well have the resources to enable us to compete across a broad range of states, said Tad Devine, a senior strategist for Sanders. [Winners and losers from the New Hampshire primary] Devine said the campaign is planning to launch ads Wednesday in three Super Tuesday states: Colorado, Minnesota and Oklahoma. And he said it will expand its reach in a fourth: Massachusetts, where the campaign has been advertising in the Boston market to reach New Hampshire voters. Starting Wednesday, it will add markets in the southern and western parts of the state , Devine said. Clinton who outraised Sanders $114.4 million to $74.9 million in 2015 has formidable financial resources, including a national network of donors that she and her husband, Bill Clinton, have cultivated over four decades. January marked her campaigns best small-dollar and online fundraising month to date, and the pace has only increased in February, officials said. 1 of 40 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad On the ground at the New Hampshire primary View Photos Voters cast their ballots in New Hampshire. Caption Voters cast their ballots in New Hampshire. Feb. 9, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders reacts to his primary victory at a rally in Concord, N.H. Lucian Perkins/for The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. More than 700,000 people have contributed to this campaign, the vast majority giving less than $100, the former secretary of state told supporters Tuesday night. I know that doesnt fit with the narrative. I know there are those who want to deny the passion and the purpose you all show every day for this campaign, but you are the reason that we are here, and you are the reason we are going to win the nomination, and then win this election together! [What you need to know after New Hampshire] Clintons operation has used its resources to make early investments that her team thinks will pay off. The campaign laid down the markers of a national-caliber organization early last year, when it temporarily dispatched staff to all 50 states to begin building local support for her. For months, Clinton has had paid organizers in states that hold primaries and caucuses in March, where they have been mobilizing volunteers and training precinct leaders. Clinton is expected to be on friendlier terrain after New Hampshire, as the race moves to states with sizable populations of African American and Latino voters. In South Carolina in late January, she led Sanders by 37 percentage points in an NBC News-Wall Street Journal-Marist poll. African Americans and Latinos are also likely to account for a significant share of primary voters in delegate-heavy contests early next month in Texas, Virginia and Georgia. Clinton has another potential advantage: millions of dollars that could be mustered by independent groups on her behalf. Priorities USA Action, one of the two pro-Clinton super PACs, was sitting on nearly $45 million at the end of last month. Were going to do everything we can to make sure that Hillary Clinton is the next president, and were constantly assessing how best to do that, said Guy Cecil, chief strategist for Priorities. [Inside the pro-Sanders groups taking on Clintons powerhouse allies] Still, Sanderss ability to turn on an enormous cash spigot has provided his campaign with extra firepower as the race expands to a much larger playing field. He has deployed paid staff to all the states that vote through March 1, including 50 each to Nevada and South Carolina, where he is also running TV ads. The senator used his win in New Hampshire to appeal for more money, telling a national television audience that instead of raising money from Wall Street, I am going to hold a fundraiser right here, right now, across America. The resulting surge in online contributions broke the campaigns traffic record and slowed its donation processing to a crawl. Sanderss fundraising success has prompted urgent email solicitations from Clintons campaign to her supporters. For the first time this campaign, were being outraised by our opponent, read a Feb. 4 email from Clintons national finance director, Dennis Cheng. This should be a very loud wake-up call. Sanders is drawing from an enormous base of more than 1.3 million contributors nearly twice as many as Clinton has. The vast majority have contributed tiny sums online and can be repeatedly tapped for more money without reaching the maximum allowed under federal election rules. [New Hampshire primary election results] Through the end of 2015, Sanders brought in nearly $47 million from donors who gave $200 or less 64 percent of his total haul and more than twice as much as Clinton raised through contributions of $200 and under, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Campaign Finance Institute. Its a fundraising operation that requires little traditional overhead. Unlike most candidates, Sanders does not have paid finance staffers assigned to cultivate fundraisers who bundle checks, and he has held just a handful of events to solicit larger donations. [How much money is behind each campaign?] Clinton leans much more heavily on wealthy backers: She raised 58 percent of her money in 2015 from contributors who gave the $2,700 maximum, according to the Campaign Finance Institute. She cannot turn to them again for support during the primary. Sanders also has far lower operating expenses than Clinton, who has built up a massive operation. He spent $5.4 million on payroll in 2015 to her $25.4 million and $400,402 on travel to Clintons $1.8 million, campaign finance records show. While Clinton has paid six polling firms more than $2.8 million combined, Sanders has only hired one pollster, Tulchin Research of San Francisco, which received $527,767 all in the last three months of 2015. He has plowed the majority of his money into TV and digital ads: $20 million by the end of 2015, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Clinton reported spending $18.3 million on ads. Sanders is also being lifted by a network of advocacy groups. While he maintains that he does not have an allied super PAC flanking his campaign, a super PAC financed by National Nurses United has already spent more than $1.2 million on a bus tour, digital ads and billboards supporting him. The nurses union is not letting up. It will deploy its signature red bus in Nevada and South Carolina in the coming weeks and roll out a comprehensive field program in Super Tuesday states, according to Michael Lighty, NNUs policy director. Were going to contest everywhere, he said. Clintons well-funded independent allies are also stepping up their engagement. So far, more than a dozen unions and womens advocacy groups, such as Planned Parenthood, have reported spending more than $1.7 million to support her. The Service Employees International Union doled out more than $564,000 on voter outreach in South Carolina just this week. Gold reported from Washington, Wagner from Concord, N.H. Scott Clement and Anu Narayanswamy in Washington contributed to this report. Chris Christie just dropped out of the presidential race. Here's why he was never going to be president. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) Chris Christie just dropped out of the presidential race. Here's why he was never going to be president. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) Chris Christie the brash New Jersey governor whose fast rise in Republican politics was undone by a petty scheme to clog traffic on a bridge suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday, saying that his standing in the polls was just not enough to justify soldiering on. Christie finished sixth in Tuesdays primary here in New Hampshire, the state on which he had pinned his last presidential hopes. Christie spent 71 days campaigning in the Granite State, and he had his best debate here just days before the primary flustering rival Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) into robotic repetition by criticizing his lack of experience in office. After all that, Christie garnered only 7 percent of the vote. While running for president I tried to reinforce what I have always believed that speaking your mind matters, that experience matters, that competence matters and that it will always matter in leading our nation, Christie wrote in a Facebook post announcing his withdrawal. He added: I leave the race without an ounce of regret. Im so proud of the campaign we ran, the people that ran it with me and all those who gave us their support and confidence along the way. Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie addressed supporters following the New Hampshire primary. (Reuters) [After New Hampshire, candidates on new ground amid reshuffled races] Christies short-lived run for the presidency was a remarkable turnabout for a corruption-busting federal prosecutor who was elected governor in 2009. He quickly made a name by battling the states public-sector unions and engaging in well-publicized shouting matches at public meetings that became YouTube sensations. Christies career had once seemed so promising that in 2012 after just two years in office some Republicans urged him to challenge Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination. Christie demurred, saying he wasnt ready. This time, he said he was. Christie was reelected by a wide margin in 2013 in New Jersey, a state where Democrats heavily outnumber Republicans. Then, as Republicans looked ahead to the 2016 election, Christie was an early front-runner in both national and New Hampshire polls. But then came Bridgegate. In the fall of 2013, two lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge between Fort Lee, N.J., and New York City were closed on the first day of school. The result was an enormous traffic jam, for four days running. The state first blamed the jam on a traffic study. But later, evidence seemed to indicate that Christies aides had arranged the jam on purpose, to punish Fort Lees Democratic mayor for his refusal to endorse Christies reelection. One of Christies former aides has pleaded guilty to conspiracy in that case, and two others have been indicted. Christie was exonerated by an independent, taxpayer-funded investigation, carried out by a law firm. But fundraising data has raised questions about that firms independence: The news outlet NJ Advance Media reported that the firms lawyers had given heavily to Christies presidential bid. 1 of 19 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Candidates who have dropped out of the 2016 race so far, and why View Photos With the primary season in full swing, several have dropped out in recent days. Caption With the primary season in full swing, several have dropped out in recent days. John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), who ran as a sunny, center-right prince of light and hope but won only his home-state primary, bowed out of the presidential race on Wednesday with a reflective speech in Columbus. Read the story Kyle Grillot/For the Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. Christie had expected that his in-your-face personality would be an advantage in this race: His slogan was Telling It Like It Is. But the bridge scandal turned that plus into a minus, since it appeared that Christies administration had used the power of the state to punish someone over a petty grievance. As the 2016 campaign began, this was not Christies only problem. Conservative activists never warmed to Christie, believing he was too liberal on guns and social issues. They remained angry at him for a moment in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy when Christie welcomed President Obama to New Jersey. Christies warmth for Obama, and his praise of the federal reaction, was good state politics but bad national politics it was seen as having boosted the president in the last days of his contest against Romney. Christie found himself constantly repeating that he hadnt actually hugged Obama, as many conservatives believed. When he got off Air Force One, I did shake his hand, which, Ill tell you what, civilized human beings do with other civilized human beings, Christie said in New Hampshire, according to a report in Time magazine. Then Donald Trump got into the race, stealing the role that Christie had envisioned for himself: the brash loudmouth who got things done. Christie wound up squeezed: He was too aggressive for voters who wanted a milder statesman and not aggressive enough for those who wanted Trump. Still, Christie spent weeks in New Hampshire, trying to recapture his magic. In his town-hall meetings, his persona was heavily flavored by his time as a prosecutor Christie repeatedly imagined himself prosecuting the case against Hillary Clinton, treating the Democrat like a defendant instead of an opponent. But he also could play the part of regular suburban dad. In campaign appearances, Christie told audiences about how expensive his childrens college tuition had become and bemoaned the unnecessary perks he had to pay for. Theres an epidemic of rock-climbing walls! Christie said at one appearance, joking that this epidemic had even reached New Hampshire, where they werent needed. Youve got rocks, man! Youve got rocks everywhere! Christie said. Youre the Granite State. Your state is named after rocks! At the final GOP debate in New Hampshire last weekend, Christie made one last plea to Granite State voters. Ive spent the last 13 years of my life focused on one thing: serving the people who have given me the opportunity to serve them, he said. Not about politics, not about partisanship, but putting the people of my state and our country first. New Hampshire, he continued, I spent 70 days here with you. Youve gotten to know my heart. My heart is to help you solve the problems of your state and the problems of our nation. If you give me your vote on Tuesday, I will do just that. Instead of propelling his presidential campaign, the Granite State ended it. The end of Christies campaign came right after its most prominent moment. At a debate just two days earlier, Christie accused Rubio of being a shallow candidate who could do little more than repeat talking points. And then Christie watched, with some delight, as Rubio repeated the same line three times in a row. There would be no repeat of that performance. Even if Christie were to stay in the race, he probably would not have qualified for the next Republican debate. Fahrenthold reported from Washington. Bunge Ltd has launched legal proceedings against Egypt's state grain buyer over a rejected cargo of French wheat, highlighting uncertainty among suppliers who are already charging a risk premium to the world's largest wheat importer. Egypt, which buys wheat to provide its poorest citizens with bread, has in recent weeks fueled confusion in the global grain market because different government agencies have made conflicting statements about whether the country would accept shipments with any presence of ergot, a fungus. The quality of a cargo that Bunge, one of the world's top grain traders, shipped to Egypt met the terms of a tender that allowed a maximum of 0.05 percent ergot at loading, according to the company. "While the cargo's quality has been called into question, the facts are clear," Bunge said in a statement. The company did not say where it had started legal proceedings and did not immediately respond to a request for more information. Egypt in December rejected the French wheat shipment it said did not meet import rules. But Bunge said that quality certificates for the cargo were signed by a surveyor nominated and appointed by Egypt's General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC). And a phytosanitary certificate issued by French authorities and certificates issued by an Egyptian delegation "prove compliance of the cargo with Egyptian requirements and regulations," the company said. Mamdouh Abdel Fattah, vice chairman of Egypt's General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), said a wheat import agreement stipulates that health and agricultural authorities in Egypt need to approve shipments of wheat. "There is no comment because the terms of agreement are clear," he said in an interview when asked about Bunge's legal action. Egypt imports around 10 million tonnes of wheat each year, most of which goes to providing subsidized bread to feed its population of 90 million. Confusion over the allowed limits of ergot fungus have forced Egypt to cancel two tenders to buy wheat, and Bunges legal action could add to caution among suppliers about bidding in future tenders, one European trader said. "It doesn't really change the overall situation but it won't help and people will still add a risk premium in the tenders," the trader said. French wheat offers in a Feb. 5 GASC tender were about 2 to 3 percent higher than offers in a tender two weeks earlier. Benchmark French milling wheat futures were down nearly 5 percent over that period. On Sunday, Egypt's ministries of supply and agriculture held a joint press conference to calm traders' concerns and affirmed that they would accept all shipments with less than 0.05 percent ergot. Egypt's ministry of supplies and GASC had baffled traders by assuring them their wheat could contain up to 0.05 percent ergot, even as the agriculture ministry said it would categorically reject all such shipments. "That is the scary and dangerous thing about now trying to do business with Egypt because you've got these agencies that are fighting amongst themselves," said Al Conway, a U.S. trader and consultant for Cascade Commodity Consulting Company. Search Keywords: Short link: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton emphasizes human rights as she spoke to supporters after conceding to Bernie Sanders in the New Hampshire primary. (Reuters) Hillary Clinton, after a rocky primary-season start, heads toward more favorable electoral terrain with a retooled strategy aimed at rallying the non-white voters she hopes will put her struggling campaign back on track. In her concession speech Tuesday night, the former secretary of state nodded to the themes of political and economic inequality that have fueled Sen. Bernie Sanderss campaign, but also said there is a need to break through the barriers of bigotry. African American parents shouldnt have to worry that their children will be harassed, humiliated and even shot because of the color of their skin. Immigrant families shouldnt have to lie awake at night listening for a knock on the door, Clinton said. Her campaign has come under criticism from other Democrats who say she lacks a message as clear and compelling as that of Sanders, who fought her to a virtual tie in the Iowa caucuses and won the New Hampshire primary by double digits. In New Hampshire, Sanders bested Clinton even among female voters, long presumed to be the core of her support. Preliminary exit polls reported by CNN said Sanders won 55 percent of female voters, 11 percentage points more than Clinton received. The Vermont senator has harnessed the passions of the partys liberal base particularly young voters with a promise to fix a political system that he says is rigged in favor of the wealthy. He beat Clinton in every demographic group except voters older than 65, non-whites and those with family incomes over $200,000, according to the exit polls. Both campaigns now face a different set of challenges than those of Iowa and New Hampshire, which are small, ethnically homogeneous states. The Democratic race heads next to Nevada, where there is a significant Latino population. Clinton is expected to win the Feb. 20 Democratic caucuses, although Sanderss team is predicting the finish could be close. A week later comes the South Carolina primary, in which Clinton is heavily favored because of her support among African American voters, who make up more than half of the Democratic electorate there. Clintons decision to leave New Hampshire on Sunday and make a visit to Flint, Mich., was an early indicator of the new direction that her campaign is taking. Clinton has pointed to the poisonously high levels of the lead in the water of the predominantly African American city as evidence of lingering economic and racial inequality. Shortly before the polls in New Hampshire closed Tuesday, the Clinton campaign announced that the mothers of Eric Garner, Dontre Hamilton and Jordan Davis African American men whose deaths as a result of gun violence or at the hands of police helped spawn the Black Lives Matter movement will be appearing at events on her behalf in coming weeks. Clinton also will be speaking more about her work as a young woman investigating racial discrimination by private academies in Alabama, examining the living conditions of young people incarcerated in adult jails in South Carolina, and registering Latinos to vote in Texas as a campaign worker for 1972 Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern. She plans to continue hammering Sanders for his mixed record on gun control, which her campaign sees as a top priority among African Americans. She will also argue that his proposal for a government-run health-care system is not as good for low-income and minority Americans as the existing one set up under the Affordable Care Act. People have every right to be angry, but theyre also hungry, she said in her remarks Tuesday night. Theyre hungry for solutions. Sanderss campaign, however, noted that voters in most states have yet to hear his personal history. Latinos will connect with the fact that he is the son of an immigrant who grew up in an immigrant community, aides predicted, and African Americans will relate to his involvement in the civil rights movement as a young man. Sanders was scheduled to attend a breakfast Wednesday with African American activist and radio-show host Al Sharpton. We havent even begun in many ways to tell that story, Sanders strategist Tad Devine said. He added that the campaign will begin airing biographical ads Wednesday in Minnesota, Colorado and Oklahoma, as well as in parts of Massachusetts outside the Boston market, where they have already been airing. Moreover, the message that he has is not limited to a narrow set of voters. It is a big, powerful message, Devine added. Clinton aides remain confident that the former secretary of state will ultimately emerge with the Democratic nomination that only a few months ago seemed as though it would be hers for the taking. Now, it appears that it will be a long struggle in some ways a replay of 2008, where she and Barack Obama battled until June. That one did not end in her favor. Her strategists now believe it could take until the end of March at which point 60 percent of the delegates chosen through the primary process will have been selected before she can claim to be her partys de facto standard-bearer. The nomination will very likely be won in March, not February, and we believe that Hillary Clinton is well positioned to build a strong potentially insurmountable delegate lead next month, Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook wrote in a memo released Tuesday night. Many of the most delegate-rich states also have some of the largest minority and urban populations states like Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Illinois and Florida, Mook added. 1 of 40 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad On the ground at the New Hampshire primary View Photos Voters cast their ballots in New Hampshire. Caption Voters cast their ballots in New Hampshire. Feb. 9, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders reacts to his primary victory at a rally in Concord, N.H. Lucian Perkins/for The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. Even if Clinton gets on a winning streak through the March round of primaries and caucuses, Sanders has the capacity to stay in the race for a long time. One reason: Democrats allocate their delegates in proportion to the results, unlike the Republicans, whose later contests are winner-take-all. That means that Sanders will continue to pick up delegates even if he comes in second. The second, and perhaps more important, reason is his enormous fundraising capacity. In January, Sanders raised $20 million, marking the first time he had brought in more than Clinton, who reported $15 million in contributions. And unlike Clinton, who relies heavily on big-dollar fundraising events, Sanders raised nearly all of his contributions over the Internet in small amounts. That means he can keep going back to his donor base, because his contributors have not given the maximum allowed under federal law. But Clinton has an asset that Sanders does not: a super PAC, Priorities USA Action, working on her behalf. I do not have a super PAC and I do not want a super PAC, Sanders said in his victory speech. To date, Priorities has spent a minimal amount in the primary season on digital ads defending Clinton against Republican attacks. It had $45 million in cash on hand at the end of January. Should Priorities USA Action decide to start spending to defeat Sanders, thats going to be the real moment of truth, Sanders strategist Devine said. A presidential campaign that already has produced a series of surprises now moves to a new round of contests in the South and West with Republicans no closer to knowing who can emerge as the strongest challenger to Donald Trump and with Hillary Clinton under new pressure to right her shaky campaign and fend off a surging challenger in Bernie Sanders. Trump and Sanders were the big winners in New Hampshire on Tuesday night, a moment of triumph for a pair of candidates who have tapped anti-establishment anger and energy across the political spectrum. Everything that shaped the politics of 2015 came together to produce a seismic result, even though the contours of the finish had been forecast by months of polling. South Carolina and Nevada are the next two states on the calendar, and the battles there are likely to be even fiercer than took place in the closing days here in New Hampshire. After that come 30 contests in the first 15 days of March, a series of Southern states on March 1 and, by March 15, verdicts from big industrial or swing states such as Ohio, Florida and Michigan. By then, perhaps there will be clarity around the big questions left hanging Tuesday: Can Sanders cut into Clintons strength in the minority community and turn his challenge into a genuine threat to the candidate who was once the presumptive nominee? And can any of the Republicans consolidate anti-Trump sentiment in the party in time to stop the billionaire developer and reality-TV star, whose unorthodox, nationalistic campaign has shaken the foundations of American politics? Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders told supporters in Concord, N.H., that his win there sent a "message" across the country. Rival Hillary Clinton said despite the loss, she still loves Granite Staters. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) When the Democratic race started last year, Clinton looked like an easy and potentially quick winner. Sanderss victory in New Hampshire, coupled with his photo-finish second place in Iowa a week ago, virtually guarantees that Clinton has a long fight ahead to secure the nomination, if she is able to do so at all. Sanders has proved to be a record-breaking fundraiser in terms of individual contributions that reflect the grass-roots enthusiasm behind his campaign. Victory in New Hampshire could result in a new flush of cash rushing into his campaign treasury. Given the high rate at which the Clinton campaign was spending its money, its entirely possible that Sanders will have a financial advantage in available cash in the coming days and weeks. I think were now in a position of resource superiority with the Clinton campaign, said Sanders strategist Tad Devine. If true, that is an astonishing turn in a campaign that began as Goliath vs. David. But if Sanders will have the resources and the grit to carry on his fight deep into the spring, he and his advisers know that the next rounds could be even more challenging than the first two in Iowa and New Hampshire, where the electorates were overwhelmingly white. His next target will be the Feb. 20 Democratic caucuses in Nevada. Sanders will be looking to show his capacity to win over Hispanic voters, hoping to convert enthusiasm into support that can overcome the organizational muscle of the Clinton operation. But Nevada is a small-scale contest compared with what comes after that the Feb. 27 primary in South Carolina. Clintons strength and Sanderss weakness are among African American voters, who make up half or more of the Democratic electorate in the Palmetto State. There will be much on the line for both campaigns in South Carolina, but especially for Sanderss. After that comes Super Tuesday, the March 1 round of roughly a dozen contests, many but not all concentrated in the South. Sanders sees opportunities in Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Massachusetts, along with targeted congressional districts in many of the other states. Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook, in a memo issued just as Sanders was being declared the winner here, said the Democratic race probably will be settled in March, not February, because of the huge number of delegates at stake. What Mook is forecasting is a war of attrition and a battle for delegate superiority. Eight years ago, Clinton found herself on the wrong side of a set of numbers and projections that showed the virtual impossibility of her overtaking then-Sen. Barack Obama. Obamas campaign team stoked that narrative with ruthless efficiency. Clintons campaign hopes to employ a similar strategy against Sanders, but that depends on her ability to rebalance her candidacy, fix a broken message and straighten out other problems in her campaign. Despite the competition between Sanders and Clinton, the two-person Democratic contest is a marvel of simplicity compared with the Republican race. In a year of endless talk about candidate lanes, the fall or rise of the establishment and the GOPs tea-party-fueled grass roots, the Republican race comes out of its first two contests with a measure of clarity and confusion. The clarity is the mark Trump has left on the GOP race. The confusion is the muddle in the middle, a pack of GOP candidates tugging and pulling at one another in a desperate bid to claim the mantle of finalist. A week ago, two candidates appeared ready to challenge Trump. One was Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who won the Iowa caucuses. The other was Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who finished a strong third and claimed a virtual victory. But New Hampshire has never been too kind to conservative Republicans who come out of Iowa as the candidate of evangelical Christians, which made the going harder for Cruz these past few days. Rubio, meanwhile, melted down on the debate stage Saturday night and lost some of the momentum he once enjoyed. John Kasich agrees with Bernie Sanders on this one campaign issue. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) The results in New Hampshire scrambled the field anew, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who had staked his entire candidacy on the state, the story beneath Trump. Kasich burrowed into the state and conducted more than 100 town hall meetings. His bring-us-together message found an audience in a state that has shown a propensity for similar candidates in the past. Where he goes next is his big challenge. John Weaver, Kasichs chief strategist, said the campaign would plant its flag next in Michigan, a state he described as a must-win. Kasich must survive South Carolina and Super Tuesday to hold on until the campaign moves back to the industrial heartland. Behind Kasich, closely bunched with about a third of the vote counted, were Cruz, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Here are key moments from speeches by Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina, all in just over three minutes. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) For Bush and Christie, the tight finish held out the possibility of continuing on to South Carolina after it appeared both their candidates were headed for the political graveyard. That could still happen, but they got a reprieve on Tuesday. Rubio will have to regroup. How serious the damage to his candidacy wasnt clear from the outcome in New Hampshire, but a significant majority of voters said the debate was an important factor in their decision. Cruz, who now stands as the dominant candidate on the hard right, sees the future with some optimism, hoping that the competition among Kasich, Bush, Rubio and Christie will allow him to rise up to challenge Trump beyond South Carolina. But Trump moves to the next rounds with two advantages. After months of concentrating on individual battles in Iowa and New Hampshire, the campaign shifts gears into one in which the states come thick and fast. That benefits a guy with a dominant national lead, said independent analyst Matthew Dowd. The only way that changes is if somebody disrupts him in South Carolina. That primary will be held Feb. 20. Trumps other advantage is his fractured opposition. The longer the field includes four or five other candidates, Trump can win states with roughly the same one-third of the vote that brought him a big victory here. The Democratic and Republican campaigns are still in their first phases, and the pace will accelerate in the coming weeks. But the two opening states have set up a pair of contests unlike any envisioned when the campaign began. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses ecstatic supporters following his win in the New Hampshire primary. (Reuters) The Donald Trump who won the New Hampshire primary in a landslide Tuesday night is a different candidate from the one who finished second in Iowa last week. Heading into this contest, he was a bit more humble, acknowledging that he needed more than an outsize personality to win elections. He spent more time with voters one on one and allowed reporters more access. He was a bit more composed and compared with his normal tone made somewhat fewer controversial comments. Trump now heads to South Carolinas Feb. 20 Republican primary with a new burst of confidence and momentum. But Iowa and New Hampshire exposed weaknesses in Trumps campaign that, if not corrected, could become liabilities in the coming weeks, especially as the field narrows and he has to juggle more than one primary at a time. Labeling Trump as a nontraditional candidate or a political outsider does not fully capture the extent to which he has set the traditional campaign rule book on fire. Tuesday night, he celebrated a victory that few would have predicted a year ago or even a few months ago. You started it, remember, you started it, Trump said in a 15- minute speech to several hundred staffers, volunteers and supporters gathered at a banquet hall in Manchester. Half of the crowd broke into chants of USA! USA! USA! The other half chanted Trump! Trump! Trump! In many ways, Trump is his own spokesman, campaign manager, strategist and policy adviser. He is such a constant presence in the daily news cycle that when he briefly takes a break from actively campaigning as he did from Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon his absence is noticed and criticized. Some in New Hampshire questioned why he didnt spend all eight days after the Iowa caucuses in their state. [New Hampshire primary election results] For months, Trump has employed a long-term strategy, never becoming too focused on the first few nominating contests and making regular appearances in the states to come. In the week between Iowa and New Hampshire, he ventured to South Carolina and Arkansas. This week, Trump will hold rallies in South Carolina on Wednesday, Louisiana on Thursday and Florida on Friday. He seems happiest doing one major rally per day especially in places that rarely see presidential candidates and thousands easily pack into large arenas. But in New Hampshire, Trump experimented with small town hall meetings capped at 200, wandering around with a microphone instead of standing behind a lectern where he has long seemed most comfortable. At three such events on Thursday and two more on Monday, Trump showed a softer, more personable side as he listened to locals share their problems: a father who lost his son to prescription drugs, a flight attendant who had to quit her job after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a small-business owner who feels crushed by regulations. This rush of events, often announced at the last minute, revealed just how disorganized Trumps campaign can be. At Trumps rally Monday night, hundreds of reporters had to wait outside in a snowstorm for at least 45 minutes because of a slow-moving and understaffed security line, even though the campaign had a rough head count ahead of time. On Tuesday morning, the campaign sent reporters a list of eight campaign stops that Trumps daughter Ivanka Trump would make on her fathers behalf, complete with exact locations and times. When reporters showed up to one of these stops MaryAnns Diner in Derry about lunchtime Ivanka Trump seemed alarmed that reporters were there and refused to answer questions. Im just a daughter supporting her father, she said, before leaving the diner ahead of schedule with her husband. [These are the towns that love Donald Trump] On the trail, Trump is unpredictable and politically incorrect two things that have been key to his popularity with conservatives but have made him a rather unmanageable candidate. In the days after Iowa, Trump seemed to tone down his rhetoric on the campaign trail and spent less time attacking his opponents. He was refocusing on his core issues: stopping illegal immigration, fighting terrorism, standing up to lobbyists and bringing jobs back from overseas. The campaign spent $850,000 airing a commercial that featured some of Trumps minority supporters explaining why they support him a far different message from the ads Trump ran in Iowa showing wartime explosions and people rushing across the border. Many of Trumps tweets suddenly read like formal campaign talking points rather than, as they usually do, the candidates random thoughts. But Trump is still Trump. On the eve of the primary, Trump was in the midst of a rowdy, rock-concert-like rally in Manchester when he mentioned that one campaign rival, Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), was hesitant to fully support waterboarding, an interrogation technique that the Obama administration considers torture. A woman in the crowd shouted something. She just said a terrible thing, Trump said with a smile. You know what she said? Shout it out. The woman shouted louder but still couldnt be heard in the cavernous arena filled with about 5,000 people and hundreds of journalists. She said, Hes a pussy. Thats terrible, Trump said, jokingly reprimanding the woman for calling a senator such a vulgar word. That five-letter word became the headline of the rally, and on the morning of the primary it came up again and again in a series of television interviews. The comment didnt exactly make Trump look presidential, although he insisted that he was just having some fun and would never use such a word himself, especially in the White House. Ill tell you what, Trump said in an interview with NBC Nightly News on Tuesday, when youre president or youre about to be president, you would act differently. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio expressed disappointment in the votes he drew in the New Hampshire primary after polls closed. Its on me, he said, citing his poor performance at the last GOP debate. (Reuters) Marco Rubio came into New Hampshire with the hope of consolidating establishment Republican support behind him. He leaves with his campaign damaged, perhaps badly so. After surging to a surprisingly strong finish in Iowa last week, Rubio was mired in fifth place with most of the results reported Tuesday night. Rubio was well back of winner Donald Trump and the second-place finisher, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and was bunched behind Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and former Florida governor Jeb Bush. Rubio took the blame, saying that his poor Saturday debate performance, in which he repeated the same line about President Obama multiple times, cost him. Our disappointment tonight is not on you its on me, Rubio told supporters before the final results were in. I did not do well on Saturday night, so listen to this: That will never happen again. Rubios mea culpa was a stark change of tone from that of the last couple of days, when he has insisted that he didnt make a mistake in repeating lines about how Obama was damaging the country because they were true. I would pay them to keep running that clip, because thats what I believe passionately, he told ABC News on Sunday. Republican donors who had been ebullient about Rubio after his stronger-than-expected performance in Iowa exchanged deflated messages Tuesday night. The prevailing mood: gloom, laced with hope that Rubio could turn things around in South Carolina. His chastened comments played well and gave supporters optimism that the campaign would step it up. There were no signs of immediate defections amid his contributors, but there was a sense that he is entering do-or-die territory. I dont think its over, but its certainly not good, said one fundraiser for the campaign, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. Hes got to do well in South Carolina. If he doesnt beat Bush, its over. The Florida senator now heads to South Carolina aiming to do what he could not do in New Hampshire: turn the nomination battle into a three-way race between him, Cruz and Trump. It wont be easy. Trump and Cruz both have strong bases of support in South Carolina, and the Bush family has built a network there over many years. Kasichs revived viability also complicates matters for Rubio. Another challenge is that the focus for Rubio has shifted away from his inspirational life story to questions of leadership and experience the terrain to which the trio of governors has been trying to take the discussion for some time. Rubio planned to fly to South Carolina Wednesday morning to immediately show off his support there. He scheduled campaign stops Wednesday with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), who have both endorsed Rubio. On Thursday and Friday, he planned to hold four campaign events ahead of a Saturday night debate in Greenville. That forum will give Rubio a chance to undo the damage from last Saturday night, when he repeated one of his talking points nearly verbatim three times, even as Christie was accusing him of doing little more than repeating talking points. For those of us who are old enough to remember vinyl records, it comes off as a skip, said Fergus Cullen, a New Hampshire Republican strategist who said he was leaning toward Rubio at the beginning of the campaign but ended up supporting Kasich. Rubio reinforced the exact main doubts [voters] had about him to begin with, Cullen added. Rubio also wasnt helped earlier in the week when former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, who endorsed his former rival after dropping out of the race, struggled to name anything substantial that Rubio had accomplished in the Senate. Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio clashed with protesters dressed as robots at a polling place in Manchester, N.H., on the day of the New Hampshire primary. (Twitter/Americans United) By Tuesday, a tense atmosphere had surrounded Rubio at polling places. At some, his backers scuffled with people who showed up dressed like robots a reference to his robotic debate performance. And at one site in Windham, where Rubio went to make a final push, he was surrounded by a crush of photographers, videographers and reporters while supporters of several campaigns tried to out-shout each other. One voter complained directly to the senator, saying the crowd was forcing him to walk into the snow, and he did not like the chants of Rubio volunteers. They were yelling at us on the way in. We dont like that in New Hampshire, the man said. I changed my vote. Im sorry, Rubio responded. South Carolina presents an opportunity and a challenge for Rubio. National security is a top issue for many voters, and Rubio has put it at the center of his campaign. Rubios team is full of seasoned South Carolina operatives, such as campaign manager Terry Sullivan. Sullivans former business partner J. Warren Tompkins runs a pro-Rubio super PAC. South Carolinas Upstate region is heavy with Christian conservatives, whom Cruz has been aggressively courting for months. The low country is populated by more moderate, traditional Republicans who are less motivated by the culture wars. But with Bush and Kasich showing no signs of bowing out after Tuesday, Rubio faces the daunting prospect of a center-right vote split that will enable Cruz and Trump to march to better showings in South Carolina. Rubios strategists thought that finishing behind Kasich was preferable to trailing Bush. In Kasich, they see a candidate who lacks the infrastructure and donor base to compete in the next few states. Bush, however, has built a broader and better-funded operation. Rubio strategists are now bracing for a campaign they think will come down to who can accumulate the most delegates in a race that could stretch on for months. They are aiming to survive the early nominating contests in good enough shape to compete March 15, when most states will begin to allocate delegates on a winner-take-all basis. While Cruz has been positioning himself for months to do well during the SEC primary on March 1, Rubios team thinks there are states they can compete for on that day, such as Massachusetts and Minnesota. And they think that even if Cruz wins his home state of Texas that day, they can still pick up delegates on a proportional basis. Following Bernie Sanderss victory in New Hampshire, supporters are optimistic that the Bern will gain momentum and spread to South Carolina and Nevada next. They also couldn't help but dance throughout the rally, going as far as dedicating some serious dance moves to the senator. (Alice Li/The Washington Post) Following Bernie Sanderss victory in New Hampshire, supporters are optimistic that the Bern will gain momentum and spread to South Carolina and Nevada next. They also couldn't help but dance throughout the rally, going as far as dedicating some serious dance moves to the senator. (Alice Li/The Washington Post) Sen. Bernie Sanders scored a decisive victory in Tuesdays New Hampshire presidential primary, embarrassing Hillary Clinton in a state she won eight years ago and upending the Democratic nominating contest. Sanderss victory, which Clinton conceded when polls closed at 8 p.m., confirmed the strength of his iconoclastic appeal and the power of an insurgent message that cast Clinton as a creature of the old guard. The outcome provides a fresh burst of momentum for Sanders, a senator from Vermont, in a race that will soon broaden to more challenging terrain and that is widely expected to grow more combative as Clinton tries to regain her footing. The former secretary of state, who was declared the winner of the Iowa caucuses last week by the narrowest of margins, now finds herself struggling to right her once-formidable campaign against a self-described democratic socialist whom she has accused of selling pipe dreams. People have every right to be angry, but theyre hungry. Theyre hungry for solutions, Clinton said in a brief concession speech shortly after she called Sanders to congratulate him. What are we going to do? That is the fight were taking to the rest of the country. Sanderss lengthy victory speech focused on his core issues of Wall Street greed and income inequality, but also ranged to national security, immigration, Social Security and more. He told cheering supporters that the same improbable arc that brought him to victory here can happen across the country. What began last week in Iowa, what voters confirmed here tonight, is nothing short of the beginning of a political revolution, Sanders said. We will all come together to say loudly and clearly that the government of our great nation belongs to all of us, not just a few wealthy campaign contributors. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton emphasizes campaign finance reform and economic policy as she spoke to supporters after conceding to Bernie Sanders in the New Hampshire primary. (Reuters) Shortly before midnight, with roughly three-quarters of precincts tallied, Sanders had a huge, double-digit lead. Four hours earlier, a Clinton campaign memo was released as the polls closed stating that the loss was long anticipated. Attention will inevitably focus on the next two of the early four states: Nevada and South Carolina, Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook wrote. Weve built first-rate organizations in each state and we feel very good about our prospects for success there and in states that vote in March, the memo stated. Sanders planned to challenge those assumptions immediately. He was scheduled to leave New Hampshire late Tuesday and head to New York for a day-long victory lap. Following a breakfast with civil rights leader and television host Al Sharpton, Sanders is scheduled to appear on The View and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, among other media appearances. The meeting with Sharpton is part of an effort to widen Sanderss support among African American voters, who will figure prominently in several upcoming primaries in Southern states and who have favored Clinton by broad margins in polls. Clinton is racing to shore up that advantage by turning next to states with large minority populations. She has scheduled campaign stops in South Carolina and Nevada in the next week, with an emphasis on criminal justice and gun control, issues on which she has attempted to get out ahead of Sanders or to his political left. Her campaign also announced new support from African American mothers who have lost children to gun violence and said some of the women would campaign for Clinton in South Carolina. The fundraising race will also intensify and already had, shortly after the race was called Tuesday. Even before Sanders took the stage Tuesday night to acknowledge his victory, his campaign sent out a text message to supporters saying: With your help, we were just declared the winner in New Hampshire! Reply GIVE to contribute $10 from your phone bill and keep up the momentum. 1 of 40 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad On the ground at the New Hampshire primary View Photos Voters cast their ballots in New Hampshire. Caption Voters cast their ballots in New Hampshire. Feb. 9, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders reacts to his primary victory at a rally in Concord, N.H. Lucian Perkins/for The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. In addition, a fundraising email sent out by Sanders on Tuesday night warned of the tough fight ahead: There are 14 primaries and caucuses over the next three weeks, and you can be certain that our victory tonight will prompt a desperate response from the nations financial elite and the political establishment who want to stop our campaign to transform America. Clintons campaign sent out an email fundraising appeal that presaged her poor showing and looked ahead. We absolutely, critically need to make sure Hillary comes out on top in the states that lie ahead, the email said. Our opponent is raising massive amounts of money online, and we need everyone on Team Hillary to step up, too. Sanders was written off as a fringe candidate when he launched his bid last spring against one of the best-known Democrats in the country. But in New Hampshire, even more so than in Iowa, Sanders found a receptive audience for his populist, anti-establishment message. He has vowed to curb the corrupting influence of money in politics and power of Wall Street while rebuilding the American middle class by offering free college tuition, universal health care and an array of other programs. Clintons campaign had been lowering expectations for New Hampshire, based largely on what Clinton called a neighborly impulse, although Sanderss appeal here cannot be chalked up to that alone. Clinton trailed by an average of 15 points in major polls going into the nations first primary vote, and she ran an underdog campaign here in the closing weeks. Her campaign had watched as a 30-point lead here dwindled and then evaporated late last year. Sanderss appeal Tuesday was greatest among younger voters, according to exit polls reported by CNN and other networks. He also benefited from New Hampshires open primaries, which allow independents to vote in either the Democratic or Republican contests, winning roughly 7 in 10 not registered as Democrats. Sanders also won decisively among male voters and more than held his own among female voters against Clinton, who would be the first woman to serve as president, a fact several of her high-profile boosters made a central part of their appeal in recent days. The Democratic race now moves to Nevada, which holds caucuses on Feb. 20, and then South Carolina, which holds a primary on Feb. 27. After that, 11 states hold contests on March 1, known as Super Tuesday. Clinton and Sanders have spent much of the year courting largely white electorates in Iowa and New Hampshire, but the next two states will test their abilities to connect with Latinos and African Americans. Clinton is well known among both key Democratic constituencies, while Sanders, who represents a state that is 95 percent white, has been laboring to make inroads with both groups. His campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, said Sanders believes those efforts which include Spanish-language radio ads in Nevada and an army of paid door-knockers in South Carolina will pay off in coming weeks. He should also get a boost from the win Tuesday, Sanders said. For many voters, there was a question about whether Senator Sanderss message and his campaign could go toe to toe with the Clinton organization, and I think in Iowa he proved that we could, he said. A victory in New Hampshire further amplifies that reality to voters all across the country. Sanders also faces a challenge as the playing field expands and the race starts moving more quickly. He benefited from sustained ground campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire, which led to a greater familiarity among voters. That luxury soon disappears, as candidates must hopscotch around the country and the race becomes far more dependent on TV advertising. Despite her expected loss, Clinton was upbeat Tuesday morning and she and daughter Chelsea dropped in on polling places in Manchester and Nashua. Clinton volunteers lined up at Parker Varney School here chanted 6-0-3 for H-R-C, using the New Hampshire area code. As Ive said over the past couple days, were going to keep working, literally, until the last vote is cast and counted, and were going to go from there, she told NBC. When her double-digit lead slipped last fall, Clintons biggest boosters in New Hampshire insisted it was a temporary dip, reflecting restlessness within an electorate that would ultimately return to the candidate best prepared to be president. Clinton got off to a three-month head start over Sanders airing television ads in the state, and in the closing days of the contest, both she and her husband and daughter were fixtures on the campaign trail, doing all they could to promote her and undermine Sanders. Bill Clinton unloaded on Sanders in a speech Sunday, accusing Sanderss followers of sexism and his campaign of fabricated attacks. On Monday, Hillary Clinton sought to turn the tables on Sanders, who for weeks had highlighted the millions of dollars in campaign contributions and speaking fees she received from Wall Street firms to call into question whether she is prepared to reform the financial sector. Clinton suggested Sanders was being hypocritical because he accepted about $200,000 from Wall Street firms through the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Weaver dismissed that suggestion as a sign of an opposing campaign in disarray. The fight is expected to get nastier as the stakes get higher. Already, Clinton and her surrogates have questioned Sanderss record on gun control, his commitment to reproductive rights and other womens issues, and the feasibility of his call to move to a single-payer Medicare for all health program. Despite vows to get money out of politics, Sanderss campaign has not suffered from a lack of resources. In the two most recent fundraising quarters, he nearly matched Clintons haul. Sanderss campaign recently announced it had taken in an eye-popping $20 million in January $5 million more than Clinton and $3 million in just the 24 hours that followed his near-tie in the Iowa caucuses. Aides said they were prepared for a fresh wave of donations after a New Hampshire victory. His take, fueled by hundreds of thousands of small online donations averaging $27 apiece, enabled Sanders to put on a robust television advertising campaign in New Hampshire that exceeded Clintons in the closing weeks. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders acknowledges the crowd during his victory speech to supporters Tuesday at Concord High School in Concord, N.H. (CJ Gunther/European Pressphoto Agency) It was impossible, then improbable, and then it was almost too easy. Sen. Bernie Sanders had won the New Hampshire primary, his smiling face dominating the big TV screen at Concord High School just seconds after 8 p.m. It was up to the 200-odd people who had made it to the room already to cheer, high-five and wave signs for the cameras. I know the polls were saying that, but its still awesome, said Max Furerder, 25, who works two jobs on Long Island and drove to New Hampshire for the Vermont senators final push. Ill never get sick of cheering for this guy. The cheers quieted, then rose again, when the television announced that Hillary Clinton would concede. Keep it coming, baby, said Victor Demeroto, 48, a New Hampshire man who had once he admitted ruefully admired Chris Christie. Weeks of spin and voter data had prepared New Hampshire for this, and in the moment it looked like any other win. But there had never been a win like this. A democratic socialist was never supposed to win this primary, no matter if he could drive to some precincts from his home state next door. That is not who wins this state. New Hampshire Democrats had, in the past, rewarded the budget-balancing sobriety of Sen. Paul Tsongas, the stay-the-course neoliberalism of Al Gore, the ready on Day One safety of, yes, Hillary Clinton. Some of the people cheering for Sanders, such as 63-year old Peri Stockinger, had once organized for Eugene McCarthy. And even he lost New Hampshire. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders thanked supporters for high voter turnout after winning the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9. (Reuters) I never doubted that this could happen, said Jonathan Tasini, a New York labor activist who had run against Clinton in the 2006 U.S. Senate primary. He had gotten creamed, as Sanders was supposed to. He proved that he could raise the money. Now, the question is whether he can get known. And this he pointed at Wolf Blitzer on the television screen trying to explain what just happened gets him there. By the day of the primary, as the faithful admitted, Sanderss victory had started to look inevitable. Some people at the victory party asked journalists what sort of margin could actually be read as a win. Ten? Fifteen? Twenty? I mean, 15 would be pretty good, said Sue Kiley, 64, who had gassed up her car weekend after weekend and drove from eastern Vermont to canvass for Sanders. The awareness of those optics, and of the unavoidable media spin to come, had kept organizers busy. In Concord, it looked as though everyone was voting for Bernie. Tuesday afternoon, the campaign dispatched a few of the musicians whod been playing pro-Sanders concerts to a coffee shop; then, seeing few voters, they walked them to a polling place. There was no question here that a President Sanders could fix the country, because he had identified the problem with the country. Ive seen a lot of people die because of this system, said Xavier Dphrepaulezz, a musician who performed under the name Fantastic Negrito and wore socks patterned with voodoo dolls. We cant continue on this path as a country. At the polling place, Fantastic Negrito joined other musicians in a rendition of This Land Is Your Land. Fox News was invited to film it Fox News, which may represent everything Sanders is against. Eight years ago, when Barack Obama was the change agent of Democratic Party politics, he did not threaten the accepted narrative the way Sanders is doing today. He had reacted to a narrow loss in New Hampshire with the Yes, we can speech, which musicians turned into a song, devoid of irony. Wyclef Jean had found poetry in Obamas promise to give a seat at the table to the drug and insurance industries and to bring doctors and patients, workers and businesses, Democrats and Republicans together. 1 of 42 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Highlights from Bernie Sanderss campaign, in pictures View Photos The senator from Vermont has become Hillary Clintons chief rival in the contest for the Democratic nomination. Caption The senator from Vermont is Hillary Clintons rival in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. June 14, 2016 Bernie Sanders arrives at the Capital Hilton to meet with Hillary Clinton in D.C. Matt McClain/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. Sanders would never cut a deal. Back at the Concord campaign headquarters, Sanderss army was inviting international media to watch how it would win. A trio of new friends, all of them regular travelers from Connecticut, had come off a successful canvass to recharge. They sat underneath homemade signs, stenciled with Sanderss glasses and fringe of hair, and some signs that recommended answers to skeptics. Is Bernie a starry-eyed idealist who cant get things done? No, Bernie is the amendment king! Is Bernie electable? Yes! The Connecticut volunteers, all in their early 20s, had avoided electoral politics until Sanders arrived on the scene. They had discovered him in 2010, when he filibustered the compromise that saved most of the Bush tax cuts. Then they had wound into the Occupy movement. Im kind of addicted to Bernie, Mark Gardner, 24, said with a laugh. As the Occupy movement grew, he was one of the only politicians who seemed to support it, said Dave Coffey, 23. Before they headed back out to work, someone asked if the volunteers had too many sandwiches. Someone else answered that there was a food bank nearby that could take them. This was a bigger immediate problem than whether Sanders could win he would. Half of the country will be terrified if Bernie wins. Half will be delighted, Fantastic Negrito said. Maybe weve always been that divided and I just didnt notice. There would be time to find out. First there was the victory party, and the sweet victory, at 9:15, of seeing a defeated Clinton break into cable to concede and echo Sanderss campaign platform, the one that had seemed impossible not so long ago. Together, we have sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California, Sanders said. The government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super PACs. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses ecstatic supporters following his win in the New Hampshire primary. (Reuters) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses ecstatic supporters following his win in the New Hampshire primary. (Reuters) Donald Trump resoundingly won the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary Tuesday night, giving the billionaire mogul his first victory in an improbable and brash campaign that already has turned American politics upside down. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, on the strength of his optimistic focus on economic renewal and lifting people out of the shadows, finished a distant second, while former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Sens. Ted Cruz (Tex.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.) headed toward a photo finish for third place. Trump galvanized voters here with a visceral fixation on immigration and economic populism, affirming that even after last weeks setback in the Iowa caucuses, his candidacy has genuine appeal with the GOP base as well as with the independent voters who were part of his winning coalition. Beaming as he claimed victory before hundreds of cheering supporters, Trump vowed to work like hell as president to fix what he sees as the nations chronic problems. We are going to make our country so strong, Trump said. We are going to start winning again. . . . We dont win with anything. We are going to start winning again, and we are going to win so much, you are going to be so happy. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders thanked supporters for high voter turnout after winning the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9. (Reuters) On the Democratic side, Sen. Bernie Sanders notched a decisive win over Hillary Clinton in a state she had won in 2008. The Vermont senators win sets the stage for long nominating battle against the former secretary of state who is struggling to right her once-formidable campaign. Written off as a fringe candidate when he launched his bid last spring, Sanders has found a receptive audience for his populist, anti-establishment message. His insurgent message casting Clinton a member of the old guard appears to be resonating with many voters. Sanderss appeal Tuesday was greatest among younger voters, according to exit polls reported by CNN and other networks. But he also won decisively among male voters and held his own among female votes against Clinton. [Sanderss decisive victory promises to make Democratic race more combative] For many voters, there was a question about whether Senator Sanderss message and his campaign could go toe to toe with the Clinton organization, and I think in Iowa he proved that we could, said Sanderss campaign mananger Jeff Weaver. A victory in New Hampshire further amplifies that reality to voters all across the country. The Democratic race now moves to Nevada, which holds caucuses on Feb. 20, and then South Carolina, which holds a primary on Feb. 27. After that, 11 states hold contests on March 1, known as Super Tuesday. Once a huge favorite in New Hampshire, Clinton had tempered expectations of late, and her campaign had sent out an email fundraising appeal that presaged her poor showing and looked ahead. We absolutely, critically need to make sure Hillary comes out on top in the states that lie ahead, the email said. Our opponent is raising massive amounts of money online, and we need everyone on Team Hillary to step up, too. New Hampshire, the initial primary of the election year, could jolt the chaotic 2016 Republican race by reinvigorating the flagging candidacies of Kasich and Bush and delaying the winnowing of the establishment contenders. 1 of 40 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad On the ground at the New Hampshire primary View Photos Voters cast their ballots in New Hampshire. Caption Voters cast their ballots in New Hampshire. Feb. 9, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders reacts to his primary victory at a rally in Concord, N.H. Lucian Perkins/for The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. Theres magic in the air with this campaign, Kasich told supporters in Concord. We see this as an opportunity for all of us and I mean all of us to be involved in something thats bigger than our own lives, to change America, to reshine America, to restore the spirit of America and the leave nobody behind. Rubio, who arrived in New Hampshire last week on a roll after claiming momentum from his impressive third-place finish in Iowa, suffered at the polls after his halting performance in Saturday nights debate and a week of intense attacks from his rivals. Our disappointment tonight is not on you its on me. I did not do well on Saturday night. So listen to this: That will never happen again, Rubio told supporters in an uncharacteristically subdued speech Tuesday night. [New Hampshire primary election results] Cruz, the Iowa victor, whose hard-line politics were an ill fit for New Hampshire, was in the hunt with Bush for third place. But New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who had staked his political future on this state, trailed the leading candidates in sixth. Like many of his opponents, Christie was scheduled to take his campaign to South Carolina on Wednesday. But running low on money, and with the upcoming map looking bleak, he announced he would head home to New Jersey and discuss with his family whether to continue his campaign. Turnout in the Republican primary was predicted by state officials to set a record of about 280,000 voters. For Trump, the victory here was sweet vindication, showing that his atypical campaign which invested relatively little in advertising, field organizing or data programs could prevail largely on the power of celebrity and saturation media coverage. In his speech Tuesday night, Trump cast himself as the savior for a beleaguered country. From trade to illegal immigration to terrorism to drug abuse, Trump said he offers the cure. I am going to be the greatest jobs president that God ever created remember that, Trump boasted. Were going to knock the hell out of ISIS. He added: We are going to make America great again, but we are going to do it the old-fashioned way. . . . The world is going to respect us again, believe me. The margin of Trumps win was the largest in a New Hampshire Republican primary since 2000, when John McCain defeated George W. Bush by 49 percent to 30 percent. But there was also potential for concern in Tuesdays outcome. As in Iowa, Trump faced doubts in the New Hampshire campaign about his discipline as a candidate and about whether he can build his support beyond the levels he has shown in the polls. Those vulnerabilities are likely to be tested further in the upcoming contests in the South, starting with South Carolinas Republican primary on Feb. 20 and turning a week later to a group of Super Tuesday states. As the race moves south, Kasich faces immediate hurdles to prove that he is more than a one-state wonder. In the South, Trump has found deep and enthusiastic support for his incendiary nationalistic platform. Cruz is well positioned to contend with Trump for the top spot in those states because of his broad support from movement conservatives and evangelical Christians. Jeb Bush, whose once-promising candidacy had languished since last summer, pulled out every stop over the past week in hopes for a finish strong enough to start a revival. Bush pledged to fight on to South Carolina, vowing that this campaigns not dead. He said pundits last week had declared a three-person race between two freshman senators and a reality-TV star. And while the reality-TV stars still doing well, it looks like you all have reset the race. Cruz avoided raising expectations that he might win in New Hampshire and instead tried to showcase his organizational strength in states where he thinks voters will be looking for an ideologically consistent conservative. Another candidate with his eye on the South is Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, who sees a more hospitable environment for his soft-spoken and faith-infused conservatism. He finished fourth in Iowa but fell behind in New Hampshire amid campaign difficulties. Twenty-three delegates were to be awarded proportionally in New Hampshires Republican primary, a fraction of the 1,237 total needed to secure the nomination. Yet in recent presidential campaigns, New Hampshire has played an important role in crowning the eventual nominee Mitt Romney in 2012 and John McCain in 2008 and the state prides itself on a better track record than Iowa of predicting winners. But the state also has a history of being a launching pad for insurgent candidacies with a maverick streak, including Patrick J. Buchanan, who defeated Robert J. Dole in 1996, and McCain, who bested George W. Bush in 2000. Trump in many ways has echoed Buchanans nativist emphasis on immigration and trade. Party leaders and prominent donors had hoped that New Hampshire would deliver a clarifying verdict that would anoint a consensus establishment candidate who could challenge Trump and Cruz. But there was little finality to Tuesdays result. The jumbled finish signaled that the nominating battle may be contentious and crowded for weeks to come as a half-dozen or so candidates see reasons to soldier on. Kasichs rise in New Hampshire was as quiet as Trumps was loud. During a political season in which a number of voters seemed drawn to outsiders, Kasich ran squarely on his insider credentials: 18 years in the House, an architect of a balanced federal budget, a denizen of Wall Street and the Fox News Channel studios, and a two-term governor of Ohio. The sometimes cantankerous 63-year-old governor shrugged off his skeptics, trained his eyes on New Hampshire and ground out an old-fashioned campaign. He held 106 town hall meetings in every corner of the state, charmed local Republican leaders and won a large share of newspaper endorsements. In the closing days, as his opponents lobbed increasingly caustic attacks at one another, Kasich took a different route, refusing to engage in the negativity and sounding upbeat and even-tempered in Saturday nights ABC News debate. Celebrating his second-place finish, Kasich told supporters, Tonight, the light overcame the darkness of negative campaigning. The debate was a harbinger for other candidates, too. Rubios jarring and mechanical repetition of his talking points as Christie assailed him for being callow and rehearsed zapped the energy that came with his Iowa finish. In the days since, he was widely mocked from local radio programs to national late-night television. Although he tried, Rubio did not recover quickly enough to salvage his standing in New Hampshire. Still, he was set to carry on as a top-tier national candidate. Despite having knocked Rubio down in the debate, Christie did not reap the rewards himself. He was burdened by his states fiscal record and administrative scandals as well as with stinging ads from a pro-Rubio super PAC highlighting some of the governors past liberal positions. Bush also hoped to be buoyed by Rubios stall. Running as a conservative voice of reason and an aggressive Trump foe, he slowly found his footing here and was assisted by his allied super PACs substantial, multimillion-dollar advertising blitz. Overall in New Hampshire, more than $72 million was spent by outside groups alone, including ad buys, media production and direct mailers, according to federal filings as of Feb. 9. Carly Fiorina, a former technology executive who briefly ascended as a grass-roots favorite after fiery debate performances, finished with just 2 percent of the vote in Iowa. In New Hampshire, she clocked another finish in the low single digits, which could add pressure on her to drop out. Anu Narayanswamy in Washington contributed to this report. John Kasich was irrelevant in Donald Trumps assessment three months ago. After a second-place finish Tuesday, Kasich has a rejoinder: Not anymore. For months, the Ohio governor was the un-Trump, trying to stay positive while quietly and methodically building a New Hampshire base the old-fashioned way one town hall meeting at a time. He skipped the Iowa caucuses, betting that his centrist, laid-back brand wouldnt break through in that conservative bastion. Meanwhile, back in New Hampshire, he sneaked up from behind the pack, designing a data-driven campaign to target Republicans and independents alike. In the end, when voters here tuned in most intensely in the closing days, Kasich was in position to grab them. A quarter of the GOP electorate decided late, and Kasich performed strongly among them, according to network exit polls. Theres magic in the air with this campaign, a jubilant Kasich said Tuesday night. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush addressed supporters following the New Hampshire primary. (Reuters) Kasich had maintained that he had my own lane in the GOP field, bristling at the suggestion that he should be lumped in with fellow establishment-friendly candidates, including the two others with gubernatorial experience, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie, as well as Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Ted Cruz (Tex.). For now, his finish puts him on top of that pack. But Kasich still placed far behind the front-runner Trump. And he faces a far greater challenge. He must compete in less-hospitable Southern territory before heading to his home ground of the Midwest. And, after being mostly ignored by Trump and the rest of the field, he is bound to come under sustained assault from the competition, prompting a deeper examination of his record than occurred here, and testing his vow to remain on the sunny side of the street. Nor did Kasich pull far enough ahead to shake off Bush and others competing to be the partys Trump alternative. Kasich had been the only candidate to explicitly vow to drop out if he performed poorly in New Hampshire. Now he and the other leading candidate plan to head to the next primary, in South Carolina on Feb. 20, and beyond. Christie, with a more disappointing finish in New Hampshire, is expected to decide Wednesday whether to continue. Before Tuesday, the trio with gubernatorial experience had pitched their executive background and belittled the talkathon role of the senators, Rubio and Cruz, all while Trump held a wide lead. Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie addressed supporters following the New Hampshire primary. (Reuters) Bush, who entered the race with high expectations and was backed by a super PAC that had more than $100 million, was briefly in first place in the polls before plummeting, hurt both by voter wariness of extending a family dynasty and by an anti-establishment mood that helped Trumps rise. Trump hammered at Bushs proposal to provide a path to citizenship or legal status to 11 million illegal immigrants, and he lampooned Bush as low-energy. Christie, while performing worse than he had hoped, played a vital role in the political dynamics of the race by taking on the attack role that Kasich eschewed. Christie savaged Rubio in Saturdays debate for a robotic performance. That may have taken votes away from Rubio some of which may have gone to Kasich. Bush advisers also seized on Rubios performance, saying it proved their argument that the senators carefully crafted image masked inexperience and raised questions about whether he would be able to hold his own against a Democratic opponent. Bush advisers dismissed the importance of Kasichs showing here, arguing that Bush has the resources to run a national campaign while Kasich does not. Bushs South Carolina operation is led by Brett Doster, a longtime aide who was responsible for driving Bush across Florida during his failed 1994 gubernatorial campaign. In addition to the operation built by his team in the past seven months, theyve recently inherited a political operation led by Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), whose aides and donors have fallen into line with the Bush camp across the state. Graham said in an interview Tuesday that Kasich will fade as the campaign moves south. Of the three early states, South Carolina has always been Jebs best, in terms of infrastructure and dynamics, Graham said. We have a reputation for voting for the most conservative candidate whos electable. Johns a good guy, and a good governor, but when it comes to military issues, hes been more of a budget-cutter than a hawk. That was a knock, with an eye on South Carolina as a pro-military state, at Kasichs comments in September that the government should consider whether there is excess infrastructure being paid for in the military budget. Kasich has spent months overshadowed by his rivals. He entered the race over the summer as Bush began his slide, telling voters here that, frankly, I thought Jeb was just going to suck all the air out of the room, and it just hasnt happened. He had won a hard-fought gubernatorial election in 2014, leaving him a battle-tested team that has transferred its skills to the presidential bid. In New Hampshire, Kasichs campaign strategy was months in the making identifying potential supporters, cultivating them and turning them out. Theres a science to it, but a lot of it is just sweat and work its calling people, its knocking on doors, Kasich adviser Tom Rath said. In many ways here you treat an independent voter like you treat a Republican theyre a potential voter. As he campaigned here, Kasich unabashedly walked the middle of the road on two touchstone issues for conservatives immigration and health care. Kasich has aggressively rejected the feasibility of deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. He has instead advocated strengthening border control while giving such immigrants a path to legalization so long as they meet certain conditions and pay back taxes. Kasichs greatest vulnerability in the Republican primaries relates to his decision to expand Medicaid in Ohio under provisions created by the Affordable Care Act. The governor has been lambasted by critics who accuse him of increasing the size of government in the state; Kasich instead says his decision was based on the premise that accepting the $13 billion offered by the federal government would serve the dual purposes of helping to balance the states budget while fulfilling a moral duty to its poorest citizens. Anticipating the battle ahead, Bushs campaign on Sunday posted a Web-only ad that criticized Kasichs decision to accept the money. David Weigel and Ed OKeefe contributed to this report. Mai Masri's feature film 3000 Nights will be released at Al Quds Cinema in Yabous Cultural Center in Jerusalem Following the success in Ramallah and Nablus, Palestine, Mai Masri's feature film 3000 Nights will be released at Al Quds Cinema in Yabous Cultural Center in Jerusalem on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays for 3 weeks from 11 to 27 February. At the Ramallah premiere, director Mai Masri received three honourary shields from An-Najah National University, The Civil Society of Nablus Governorate (CSNG) and the Al Masri Family for her efforts in supporting the Palestinian cinema." 3000 Nights made its world premiere in September 2015 at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It then made its Arab world premiere in December 2015 as part of the Dubai International Film Festivals 12th edition where it participated in the Muhr Arab Feature Films Competition. The film's tour across Palestine comes right after the film's US premiere as part of the Palm Springs International Film Festival in early January. Most recently, 3000 Nights also opened Luxor Arab and European Film Festival, which took place between 30 January and 5 February, Co-produced by Palestine, France, Jordan, UAE, Qatar and Lebanon, '3000 Nights' centres on a young newly-wed Palestinian school teacher who is jailed in a top-security Israeli prison where she eventually gives birth. During the press conference for the Luxor Arab and European Film Festival, the Palestinian director May Masri said her film 3000 Nights, was shot in a real prison, without any set decor, as a way of preserving the film's authenticity. Masri added that the jail where they filmed was neither in Palestine nor Jordan. The film was based on an old story from 1980, where there were jails that kept Israeli women arrested on criminal charges together with Palestinian political prisoners, Masri stated. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: North Koreans gathered at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on Monday to celebrate the launch of a satellite-bearing rocket a day earlier. The launch has further intensified talk of expanded sanctions against the country. (Jon Chol Jin/AP) Crossing a red line. Unacceptable. Wont be tolerated. Serious consequences. Those are just a handful of the scolding phrases uttered over the past two decades at every bend on North Koreas road to becoming a nuclear state, from pulling out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and expelling inspectors to its more recent advances in weapons and missile technology. Over the past decade in particular, since North Korea tested its first nuclear device in 2006, the international community has turned repeatedly to one means of showing Pyongyang just how angry it is: sanctions. There have been sanctions designed to stop North Korea from acquiring weapons technology and conventional arms, sanctions to block its ability to move money around the world and sanctions to prevent the ruling Kim family and its cronies from getting personal watercraft and fancy watches. The United Nations was already considering a new round of measures to punish Pyongyang for its fourth nuclear test, conducted last month, when leader Kim Jong Un ordered the launch Sunday of a long-range rocket thought to be part of his countrys ballistic missile program. [U.N. condemns North Korean launch after an emergency meeting] Denunciations of North Koreas behavior and pleas for China a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council to get tough on the regime followed immediately, prompting a familiar sense of deja vu. The U.S. and North Korea are mired in a tit for tat situation where there is a provocation by North Korea followed by a U.S. or U.N. response, followed by a North Korean response, said Keith Luse, executive director of the National Committee on North Korea and a former top congressional aide. The situation resembles layers of an onion. Although sanctions have no doubt made it harder for Pyongyang to do business, they clearly have not forced the regime to change its behavior or prevented significant advances in the Norths nuclear weapons program. As Iran prepares to welcome international oil companies after its historic nuclear deal with the United States, Cuba welcomes American tourists and Burma comes to grips with democracy, one question continues to vex U.S. officials: How do you solve a problem like North Korea? The Obama administration has exercised strategic patience, the idea championed by Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state that the United States can wait for North Korea to agree to denuclearization talks. Republican presidential hopefuls, no doubt mindful that Clinton could end up as the Democratic nominee, have denounced that policy and laid out alternative plans. At the most recent GOP debate, which began just half an hour after North Korea launched Sundays rocket, former Florida governor Jeb Bush said he was not against a preemptive strike on North Korea, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said North Korea should be put back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and businessman Donald Trump said, Let China solve that problem. Analysts across the spectrum agree that the current policy appears not to have worked. Theres a decent consensus out there that we have no strategy. Its very hard to find anyone to defend strategic patience, said John Delury, an international relations professor at Yonsei University in Seoul. We cant just go on like this. But there is no appetite in Washington for engagement, and North Korea has made clear that it has no interest in talks about denuclearization. Its message has been: Were a nuclear state now. Deal with us as such. Military action, meanwhile, is problematic. While North Koreas outdated military technology is no match for the United States, it has enough artillery trained on Seoul to inflict huge damage on the South Korean capital before falling. So whats left? Sanctions. And in the absence of tough new punishments from the United Nations, where China and Russia typically water down multilateral action, the burden of strengthening existing sanctions falls on the United States. Theres lots more we can do on the punitive track, said Bruce Klingner, a former North Korea analyst at the CIA, now at the Heritage Foundation. We can continue to try to enforce our own laws and to constrain North Korea. This is a rare subject of bipartisan agreement on Capitol Hill. The House last month approved a sweeping new sanctions bill by a vote of 418 to 2, and the Senate is set to vote on a similar bill Thursday. [House passes harsher North Korean sanctions, inserting itself into debate] There are still plenty of tools left in the sanctions box, Klingner said, noting that the United States has targeted twice as many Zimbabwean entities as North Korean ones and has not designated North Korea as a primary money-laundering concern, as it did with Iran and Burma. Even Christopher Hill, the former U.S. diplomat who brokered a 2005 agreement under which North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear program, advises against trying to engage the regime. We have to take the North Koreans at their word, and they have repeatedly said that theyre not interested in negotiation, Hill said. They want to talk to us, but they want to talk to us as a nuclear power. Instead, it all comes back to China, he said. I would like to see much more focus on a deep dive with the Chinese to see what can be done. Indeed, no matter how strong any sanctions may be, they count for almost nothing if China is not on board. As North Koreas main, if reluctant, patron, China could cut off its neighbors access to goods, oil and financing. But even as it has supported U.N. sanctions, Beijing has still allowed enough trade and aid to get through to keep North Korea afloat. If North Korea realizes that the road is blocked, then they will have no choice but to turn around, said Scott Snyder, a Korea specialist at the Council on Foreign Relations. But can we block the road? The less China cooperates, the more difficult that challenge is for us. Chinese officials have not sent positive signals on the expansion of sanctions, instead urging all sides to remain calm, act cautiously, avoid taking moves that could further increase tensions on the peninsula. China has long shown it prefers a contained North Korea to a collapsed North Korea that could bring thousands of the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea right up to its border. They suggest that the imperative for stability has trumped denuclearization, Snyder said. But in trying to figure out how to deal with North Korea, Snyder said, the United States has taken the wrong approach. Washington has been sending officials to Beijing to exhort it to crack down on North Korea, he noted, while also trying to make up for Chinas lack of action with unilateral punitive measures. We should be showing up in Beijing, Snyder said, and saying, Hey, thats a heck of a problem youve got on your hands with North Korea. Read more: North Koreas rocket launch shows that Mr. Obamas strategic patience has failed North Koreas growing economy and Americas misconceptions about it Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world A prominent Russian human rights organization was ordered shut Wednesday by a regional court, potentially silencing one more voice in a continued Russian crackdown on independent civil society. The Agora human rights association is a network of lawyers and advocates who have defended the many Russians caught in the crosshairs of the Kremlin and the courts for political activity under Russian President Vladimir Putin. Among its high-profile clients are the opposition rock group and arts collective Pussy Riot and opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Since Agoras founding in 2005, it has mounted a progressively lonely push for civil liberties and the rule of law as one group after another has been shut down. [Proposed Russian law would designate some NGOs as undesirable] Agoras leaders said they would appeal the decision to Russias highest court. The supreme court of Russias southern republic of Tatarstan agreed with a finding in a case brought by Russias Justice Ministry that Agora had engaged in political activity, since it was attempting to influence public opinion through its work. Political activity is a violation of Russian laws restricting nongovernmental organizations. We are confident that there is a little short-list of leading human rights organizations that need to be destroyed by any means, Agoras head, Pavel Chikov, said on Facebook. He said the groups lawyers were working on more than 300 cases in Russia, and he vowed that they would continue their work even if they were no longer organized under the groups umbrella. The Tatarstan courts decision drew condemnation from international groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, as well from other human rights advocates in Russia. Read more Russias Justice Ministry targets Memorial, a human rights defender Russia foreign agent law imperils democracy Putin pushes NGO foreign agent law Zdravko Tolimir, a former general in the Bosnian Serb army, appears in 2007 at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. (Michael Kooren/AFP/Getty Images) Zdravko Tolimir, a Bosnian Serb general convicted by U.N. judges of genocide in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and described as the right hand of military commander Ratko Mladic, died Feb. 8 in his cell in The Hague. He was 67. The Yugoslav war-crimes tribunal announced the death but not the cause. The court said that local authorities have commenced standard investigations as mandated under Dutch national law. The organization dealing with legacy issues from the Yugoslav and Rwanda war crimes tribunals as they wind down their operations also announced an inquiry. Gen. Tolimir, the Bosnian Serb Armys top intelligence officer, was convicted in December 2012 of genocide and other crimes in the massacre by Bosnian Serb forces of some 8,000 Muslim men in Srebrenica, eastern Bosnia Europes worst mass killing since World War II. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Announcing the verdicts, Judge Christoph Flugge said witnesses described Gen. Tolimir as Bosnian Serb military chief Mladics right hand. His eyes and ears. The judge said Gen. Tolimir had full knowledge of the despicable criminal operations of Bosnian Serb forces that carried out the massacre. Appeals judges upheld most of his convictions last April and confirmed his sentence. Despite the genocide conviction, Gen. Tolimir was considered a hero among Bosnian Serbs. In a statement, Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic called him, an exceptional man, brave and honorable general who . . . contributed greatly to the defense of his people and the Serb-controlled part of Bosnia. The alleged main architects of Bosnian Serb atrocities, Mladic and former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, are both being held at the tribunals detention unit where Gen. Tolimir died. Mladics trial is still underway, while verdicts in Karadzics case are expected to be delivered early this year. Both men are charged with genocide and other crimes allegedly committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war that left 100,000 people dead. Gen. Tolimir was born in Glamoc, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Nov. 27, 1948. His wife, Nada, told a Serbian newspaper that she not informed of his grave condition. He was ill, but the idiots did not allow him to come here and get treatment at home, she was quoted as saying in the Kurir newspaper. I was surprised by the news, she was quoted as saying. Associated Press This photo of a sketch by courtroom artist Janet Hamlin shows five prisoners charged in the 9/11 attacks, during a hearing Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in October 2012. (Pool photo by Janet Hamlin/via AP) The chief military prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has stipulated in a filing yet to be made public that the executive summary of a scathing Senate report on the CIAs former interrogation program is accurate. The prosecutors statement puts him at odds with CIA Director John Brennan, former senior agency officials and congressional Republicans who have said the Senate Intelligence Committee document, released in December 2014, is strewn with errors and flawed in its conclusions. Brig. Gen. Mark Martins made the declaration in a lengthy motion filed Friday in the military commission case against five suspects accused of carrying out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, including self-declared mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. The declaration, a portion of which was seen by The Washington Post, states, While the opinions and conclusions of the [Senate report] are irrelevant to these proceedings, the factual recitations of what occurred to the accused are gleaned from the very same Executive Branch documents the Prosecution has reviewed, or is in the process of reviewing, in its own holdings. As such, the Prosecution will stipulate that the facts contained within the Executive Summary occurred, Martins stated. The report, based on a years-long Senate investigation, described brutal treatment of prisoners held at CIA black sites around the world, including high-value detainees such as Mohammed. Three CIA prisoners, including Mohammed, were waterboarded in what agency medical personnel described as a series of near drownings, according to the Senate report. Detainees were also beaten, forced into confinement boxes, deprived of sleep for long stretches and subjected to rectal rehydration. Unapproved techniques included mock executions, and one detainee died after being left in the freezing cold at a facility in Afghanistan. The 528-page summary released to the public is drawn from a classified study that exceeds 6,000 pages. [Read: Senate Intelligence Committees report on the CIA program] Defense lawyers want access to all documents about the treatment of their clients and ultimately plan to use the issue of torture as a mitigating factor to argue against the death penalty if the defendants are found guilty. Martinss stipulation appears to be an effort to limit the amount of classified material that will be used in the trial and speed up proceedings. By acknowledging that the defendants were treated as described in the report, he hopes to avoid a protracted discovery process in a case that is already taking many years to prosecute. He wrote in the filing that the executive summary contains a wealth of information for the defense to use in its preparation. Martins, through a spokesman for the military commissions, declined to comment. Mohammed and the other defendants were taken to Guantanamo Bay in September 2006 after being held at secret CIA prisons. They were first charged in 2008 under the George W. Bush administration. Those proceedings were suspended by the Obama administration, which had hoped to put the men on trial in federal court in New York. When that effort failed because of congressional and local opposition, military charges were reinstated in 2011. James Connell, the civilian attorney for Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, also known as Ammar al-Baluchi, one of the 9/11 defendants, said defense lawyers will continue to fight to see the entire Senate report as well as any other relevant documents. The government is taking a bare-bones approach to discovery, trying to provide as little information as possible about CIA torture, he said. A CIA spokesman pointed to the agencys response to the report at the time of its release. To be clear, although we did mount a serious effort to respond, we were not able to perform a comprehensive fact check, according to the CIAs 2013 response to the Senate report before it had been released. The agency said it found that accuracy was encumbered as much by the authors interpretation, selection, and contextualization of the facts as it was by errors in their recitation of the facts, making it difficult to address its flaws with specific technical corrections. Brennan has said the committees findings provided an incomplete and selective picture of what occurred-- a conclusion echoed in a minority report issued by Senate Republicans. Former senior CIA officials also criticized the report, releasing a book that defended the interrogation program. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who presided over the investigation as then-chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said in a statement last year, The new book doesnt lay a glove on the factual accuracy of the Committees report. Saleh was honoured for being one of the most famous actors who commenced their career in university theatres Related Egypt universities theatre festival kicks off As part of the ongoing "Season of the University Theatre's Stars" festival, the president Khaled Galal gave out an honorary shield in the name of late Egyptian actor Khaled Saleh, which was received by the late actors son Ahmed Khaled Saleh on 9 February. Saleh, who died in September 2014 from complications after undergoing open heart surgery, was honoured by the festival for being one of the most famous actors who began his career in university theatres. Born on 23 January 1964, Saleh was one of Egypt's most respected actors with an impressive list of cinema and television productions under his belt. During his law studies, he participated in several university theatre performances. Upon the opening of Hanager Theatre in the 1990s at the Cairo Opera House grounds he joined independent and amateur theatre troupes at the venue. He was cast in several roles during this time, including his first main role in a theatre play Ehtefal Khas Ala Sharaf El A'ela (1992), written by Sayed Haggag, which brought much attention to his unique acting skills. In cinema, Saleh starred in a number of successful film productions including Malaki Eskendereya, Tito, The Yacoubian Building, Heya Fawda. His last cinematic role was in El-Gezira II which came out in 2014. Besides cinema, his television career was also thriving, with almost yearly performances. His most important roles in television include Al-Rayan and Faroan (The Pharaoh). Season of the University Theatre's Stars" second edition opened on 7 February and will run until 17 February, with daily performances by students of different theatre faculties. Ten troupes will compete for the festival's main awards. Held at the premises of El-Ibdaa (The Creativity Centre), the festival's jury consists of actors Ezzat El-Alayli and Mohamed Riyadh, stylist Marwa Ouda, scenographer Amr Abdallah and theatre critic Abla El-Roweini. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: Under President Obamas proposed budget for fiscal 2017, the Justice Department would abandon a program that reimburses state and local prisons for housing illegal immigrants convicted of crimes. The move to eliminate the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) which would save the Justice Department $210 million is likely to face significant resistance in Congress and from local officials concerned about a loss of funding. The White House has moved in the past to trim or cancel the program, and each year, it has survived, said Jessica Vaughan, the director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, which generally supports reduced immigration. [Budget breakdown: What the White House wants to spend money on] You could say if you dont start offsetting the costs, some of these local jails might start releasing more people, Vaughan said. I dont understand why they bother with this fight every year. Republicans in Congress have said they broadly oppose the presidents budget, and the program is just a blip in the Justice Departments $29 billion budget, including spending on national security and cybersecurity and countering violent extremism the top priorities on a long list. In budget materials disclosing its proposed termination, the Justice Department asserted that robust funding for immigration matters elsewhere in the budget renders this redundant. The budget request for the Department of Homeland Security includes enhanced efforts on deportation including $347.5 million in funding for a program to apprehend and deport illegal immigrants. SCAAP gives federal money to states and localities that house illegal immigrants with at least one felony or two misdemeanor convictions for at least four consecutive days. The program doles out millions of dollars to jurisdictions nationwide, particularly to those with high numbers of immigrants. In fiscal 2015, California received more than $44.1 million, Florida received more than $6.7 million, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice received more than $8.2 million, according to materials on the Office of Justice Programs Web site. H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the California Department of Finance, said it was disappointing, but not surprising, that the White House had proposed slashing the funding. He said that the state had more than 16,000 inmates with Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention orders and that for the coming fiscal year, he anticipated $44.2 million in federal reimbursement. If the federal money did not come through, Palmer said, California would have to turn to its legislature for money. Its certainly significant, and were certainly not the only state thats affected by this, he said. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who is running for president, Rep. John Culberson (R-Tex.) and others have proposed withholding federal funding to force sanctuary cities, which dont work with federal authorities to enforce immigration laws, to become more cooperative. Culberson referenced the fiscal 2017 budget proposal in a letter to Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch on the topic earlier this year. The bottom line is very simple, State or local law enforcement agencies are expected to work cooperatively with Federal law enforcement agencies, Culberson wrote. Communities that do not work with Federal law enforcement officials, in violation of Federal law, should not expect to receive Federal grant funding from the Department of Justice. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the program was first authorized by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, although it was not funded until years later. The group said that funding never covers the full costs that state and local jurisdictions bear but that it is still a worthwhile program. NCSL has advocated for better or even full funding for SCAAP over the years and would continue to do so should the need arise, said Susan Parnas Frederick, the conferences senior federal affairs counsel. A child cries as Syrians fleeing the northern embattled city of Aleppo gather near a Turkish border crossing. Nearly 40,000 Syrian civilians have fled a goverment offensive near Aleppo. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images) Suddenly, after four years of brutal civil war, Syria this week became even more of an uncontrollable military, diplomatic and humanitarian disaster. We are not blind to what is happening, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Tuesday, as he prepared for a meeting in Munich of stakeholders from outside Syria. We are all very, very aware of how critical this moment is. The Thursday gathering could well be the last gasp of a three-month, Kerry-orchestrated effort to bring together powerful countries on all sides of the conflict from Russia and Iran on behalf of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to the United States and its partners on the opposition side to try to forge a political solution that would allow them all to focus their efforts on defeating the Islamic State. [Syrian rebels are losing Aleppo and perhaps also the war] What seemed possible even two weeks ago, however, now seems all but hopeless. Failure of planned peace negotiations could lead President Obama finally to a decision he has long resisted whether to more fully arm and back rebel groups whose cohesion and commitment to a democratic and secular Syria he mistrusts. In recent days, Russian bombardment of opposition forces north of Aleppo, a rebel stronghold, has severed opposition supply lines and threatened to allow government-aligned forces to encircle the city. In a letter sent to the Obama administration this week, Russia proposed to stop the bombing on March 1, allowing it to continue for another three weeks. The Russian blitz has allowed pro-government ground forces, mostly composed of Iranian-trained militiamen from Iraq, Iran and Lebanons Shiite Hezbollah, to push north to within 20 miles of the Turkish border. This is the same area where the United States and Turkey have planned to carve out an opposition-held zone to combat Islamic State forces approaching it from the east. Tens of thousands of new refugees have fled Aleppo and its environs to the recently closed Turkish border. Mercy Corps, one of the few aid agencies in a position to help them, said Tuesday that its supplies will soon run out. For those who havent fled, the encirclement of Aleppo would leave up to 300,000 people, still residing in the city, cut off from humanitarian aid unless cross-line access could be negotiated, the United Nations said. [What the fall of Aleppo would mean for Syria and the world] In Europe, where nearly a million migrants and refugees fleeing the region, most of them Syrians, have already arrived, political and social tensions are threatening the foundation of European unity constructed over the past 70 years. There are fault lines emerging that we thought we had overcome, said Peter Wittig, Germanys ambassador to the United States, who described the situation as an existential threat to Europe. The United States has been slow to recognize this is a much bigger thing than anything else weve experienced since the beginning of the European Union, Wittig said. We didnt see it earlier, we were totally unprepared. . . . Were not blaming the United States. It takes time for this country to realize that its really that serious. The alliance between Russia and the regime of Bashar al-Assad goes back decades. Here's a bit of historical context that explains why Russia is fighting to prop up its closest ally in the Middle East. (Ishaan Tharoor and Jason Aldag/The Washington Post) Germany has taken in the bulk of the migrants and refugees, while some Eastern European members of the E.U. have closed their borders to them. Negotiation track derided U.S. ties have become strained with partners closer to the conflict. These allies fear the Obama administration has been blinded to the threat from Russia and Iran by its desire to believe they can be swayed by diplomatic reason and appeals to shared worries about expansion of the Islamic State. One senior official from a close partner nation described the negotiation track as a farce. The official said that it was unrealistic to expect the opposition to come to the table when its forces are being decimated on the ground and civilians are being starved by Russian bombing and the government gains it has enabled, in violation of United Nations resolutions that Moscow agreed to in order to get the talks started. The official, who said that U.S. leadership is still essential if the war is to end, did not want to be identified by name or nationality in order to speak candidly. Front-line Turkey, a NATO ally and member of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, has dithered over its priorities, concerned that a U.S. alliance with Syrian Kurds fighting against the militants will give advantage to Turkish Kurds who seek independence. Even as pro-government forces expand north from Aleppo, Kurdish fighters in Syrias northwest corner are pushing into the same area. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has demanded that the United States choose between Turkey and the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party. After State Department spokesman John Kirby said this week that the United States does not consider the Syrian Kurds to be terrorists while recognizing that Turkey does, the Ankara government called in U.S. Ambassador John R. Bass on Tuesday for a dressing-down. Talks between the Syrian government and opposition were suspended before they began this month after rebel representatives said they would not sit at the table until the government provided humanitarian access to besieged areas and released women and children it is holding prisoner. The Munich meeting, originally scheduled to monitor progress in the negotiations, became a final effort to get them started. Scorched-earth policy Kerry has long sought a more muscular U.S. policy than Obama has allowed. But he also firmly believes that if negotiations can begin, Assad will eventually be forced from power, with Russian acquiescence in the face of the inevitable. For the moment, Moscow seems more interested in adjusting the balance of power on the ground where just months ago the rebels were on the ascent to strengthen Assads position before entering talks about his future. [Even Europes humanitarian superpower is turning its back on refugees] Near the Turkey-Syria border Tuesday, rebels said they fear they are being betrayed by the countries they thought were their allies most notably the United States. Without significant new injections of arms and ammunition, they said, they will not survive the combined onslaught of intense Russian airstrikes and advances by pro-government ground forces. Russia is the second superpower in the world, and Russia is using all of its power against the rebels, said Mohammed Adib, a political officer with Jabhat Shamiya, the main rebel group fighting in northern Aleppo province. Theyre using a scorched-earth policy, and they dont care what the international community says. The problem is the friends of the regime are really good friends and give lots of support, whereas our friends sometimes give support and sometimes not, he said. While they dont expect they will receive anti-aircraft missiles, which would have a major impact on the balance of power, rebels said they still hope to receive upgraded weapons, including new-generation models of the TOW missiles that have proved effective at taking out the Syrian governments aging battle tanks, though these are no match for newly supplied Russian T-90 tanks. If the rebel fighters cannot rebound, Adib and other rebel spokesmen said, there is a risk that opposition fighters will join more radical organizations, including the Islamic State. People will not surrender to [Assad] under any circumstances, said Khaled Shihabeddine, a political adviser to the Noureddin al-Zinki rebel group. If things stay as they are, with no support and no one stopping Russia, the rebels will be pushed into a corner and . . . all possibilities will be open. Sly reported from Kilis, Turkey. Zakaria Zakaria, also in Kilis, contributed to this report. Read more: Thousands of Syrians fleeing Russian bombs are being stopped by Turkey What the fall of Aleppo would mean for Syria and the world A soccer player in Turkey gets banned for talking politics Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Brett McGurk, President Obama's envoy to the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, speaks to reporters at a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Dec. 9, 2015. (Thaier Al-Sudani/AP) Progress by U.S.-backed forces to isolate the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State, and intensified efforts by Turkey to seal off its southern border are two examples of the modest advances the United States and its alliesare making against the militant group, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. Brett McGurk, President Obamas envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State, said the U.S.-led military campaign is starting to see results, a year and a half after militants seized the Iraqi city of Mosul. But in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he said, We have a long ways to go, given the enormous complexity of this challenge. McGurk said U.S. and allied airstrikes had reduced Islamic State oil output by 30 percent. Still, in an illustration of the challenge that remains, he said the militants continue to control 80 percent of Syrias energy resources, infrastructure and assets. In Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces, a group of U.S.-backed Kurdish and Arab fighters, have captured the strategic town of al-Hawl and the Tishreen dam, which McGurk said would have the effect of choking off Islamic State leaders in nearby Raqqa. These operations, all of which require political and military coordination, have begun for the first time to restrict the supply and access points into ISILs heartland, McGurk said. ISIL and ISIS are acronyms for the Islamic State. He also cited Turkeys steps to enhance control of its border with Syria including berms, lighting and augmented patrols in an effort to starve the Islamic State of foreign fighters, funding and supplies. McGurk met with Syrian Kurdish groups during a recent trip to rebel-held territory in Syria, the first high-level U.S. visit since the military campaign against the group began. The Pentagon is hoping that enhanced support for those forces, along with a small-scale U.S. Special Operations initiative within Syria, will help reduce the Islamic States ability to hold on to Raqqa and sustain fighters in neighboring Iraq. Doing so would be a needed success for the Pentagon, whose military campaign has suffered a series of setbacks over the past year, including the fall of the Iraqi city of Ramadi and the failure of a major effort to train Syrian opposition forces. But the outlook for U.S. and allied efforts in Syria looks increasingly grim as Russian and Iranian support strengthens President Bashar al-Assad against his opponents. Forces loyal to Assad are now in the midst of a major campaign to recapture the countrys largest city, Aleppo, deepening an already dire humanitarian crisis and impeding beleaguered peace talks. On Tuesday, senior U.S. intelligence officials said the entry of Russias military into Syria last year had made it more likely that Assad would remain in power. While the U.S. military campaign is not directed against the Syrian leader, Western officials agree that Syria will remain dangerously unstable until he leaves office. The expectation of difficult campaigns in Iraq and Syria makes it unlikely that Obama will be able to claim success against the Islamic State before he leaves office next year. In Iraq, local forces have recaptured the western city of Ramadi, but political squabbles and ongoing weaknesses in the countrys army have put prospects for a full recovery of occupied territory well into the future. Lt. Gen. Vincent R. Stewart, head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, said this week that he did not expect Mosul to be retaken within the next year. McGurk said it was too soon to provide a timeline for recapturing the northern city but said that Iraqi officials are laying the groundwork for an incremental offensive. Mosul will not be a D-Day-like assault, he said. The praise for Turkeys border security comes at a time of heightened tensions with Ankara, which summoned the U.S. ambassador in Turkey for a dressing-down this week because of U.S. support for Syrian Kurds, fighters Ankara sees as terrorists. On Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at U.S. backing for Kurds in Syria, now an important pillar of the American strategy there. He said it had created a sea of blood on Turkeys doorstep. Lawmakers in both parties called for an intensification of the Obama administrations effort against the Islamic State. Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Edward R. Royce (R-Calif.) called the overall U.S. response to Syria downright shameful. Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.), the committees ranking Democrat, said, Sometimes . . . it seems as if were only halfheartedly going after ISIS and halfheartedly helping the Free Syria Army and others on the ground. McGurk also described the Obama administrations effort to get a handle on the spread of the Islamic State in vulnerable countries from Africa to South Asia. Of the eight groups the Obama administration considers official Islamic State affiliates, McGurk said, the groups Libyan branch is the most worrying. The United States conducted an airstrike in November against an Iraqi militant believed to be the top Islamic State leader in Libya. But it has held off on additional actions since then, partly out of concern that foreign intervention could upset a U.N. effort to broker a new unity government there. McGurk said the Pentagon, the State Department and intelligence agencies are working on options to assist a future unity government once it is established. A North Korean worker seen in 2013 in a factory in the Kaesong Joint Industrial Park, which South Korea ordered closed on Wednesday. (Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters) South Korea abruptly shut down an industrial complex just over the border in North Korea on Wednesday, cutting off a major source of income for the regime in Pyongyang as punishment for its extremely provocative nuclear and rocket tests. In an unusually harshly worded statement, Seoul flatly accused the North of using money made from inter-Korean projects for its nuclear and missile programs. About $120 million flowed into North Korea through the Kaesong industrial complex last year alone, the Souths Unification Ministry said. In the 12 years since the complex was established, North Korea had made a total of about $560 million from the site. It appears that such funds have not been used to pave the way to peace as the international community had hoped, but rather to upgrade its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, the ministry said. As a result, President Park Geun-hyes government in Seoul said it had completely shut down the complex. The zone, where North Koreans worked in South Korean-owned factories, opened during a period of engagement and and was originally championed as a way to improve the Norths economy with a long-range goal of minimizing the gap between the countries if they are eventually reunified. The South Korean government and private companies invested about $1 billion in the industrial zone, which had about 124 companies mostly in light manufacturing, such as clothing and electronics. About 54,000 North Koreans were employed there, with the South paying their wages directly to the regime. A South Korean soldier setting a barricade on the road leading to North Korea's Kaesong joint industrial complex at a military checkpoint in the border city of Paju in 2015. (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images) [Norths launch also carries Western worries about missile development] But the Unification Ministry statement said the international community needed to come up with a vigorous response to a recent nuclear test and rocket launch that exacts a price for North Koreas misguided actions, as well as extraordinary measures that compel North Korea to give up its nuclear capabilities and change its ways. Separately, Japan on Wednesday announced new unilateral economic sanctions on North Korea in response to the tests, banning North Korean citizens from coming into Japan and North Korean ships from calling at Japanese ports. Transfers of money, except for humanitarian gifts of less than $800, will also be prohibited. Meanwhile, South Koreas Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday that the North executed its army chief of staff, Ri Yong Gil, this month for corruption and factional conspiracy. If true, it would be the latest in a series of executions, purges and disappearances under leader Kim Jong Un. Last month, North Korea carried out its fourth nuclear test, claiming it tested a more powerful hydrogen bomb, but analysts say it was another atomic blast similar to the previous three. On Sunday, the North launched a rocket that, it said, carried a satellite into orbit. The West and allies, however, viewed the launch as another step in developing technology for a ballistic missile program. The United States, South Korea and Japan were already leading the charge at the United Nations to impose another round of sanctions on North Korea in response to the nuclear test when the rocket was launched. [Outrage flows easily. Punishing the North is harder.] Immediately after Sundays rocket launch, Parks government said it was opening discussions with the United States on deploying a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) antimissile system in South Korea. Seoul had been cautious about the move for fear of angering Beijing, but the North Korean tests appeared to have spurred Parks government into action. The South also increased anti-regime broadcasts into North Korea through loudspeakers lined up along the demilitarized zone that separates the two countries. Cheong Seong-chang, a North Korea specialist at the Sejong Institute outside Seoul, said that the South Korean government appeared to be making emotional decisions when dealing with the North's provocations. Opening a discussion with the U.S. about THAAD, which China and Russia are strongly against, means that South Koreas relations with these two countries will get worse, Cheong said. But good relations with China and Russia is vital to work on sanctions on North Korea. Plus, it would not have the desired impact because North Korea could just get its workers to produce for Chinese companies, he added. Companies whose factories were shut down were also unhappy. It is unfair and emotional for the government to come to this conclusion without giving the companies any time to minimize possible damages, said Chung Ki-sup, head of the council of South Korean companies in the Kaesong complex, according to local media reports. After similar tests in 2013, the South Korean government promised that the Kaesong complex would be allowed to operate separately from politics, he said. We urge the government to review todays decision, Chung said. Aidan Foster-Carter, a Korea analyst based in Britain, called shutting down Kaesong stupid, short-sighted and inconsistent. Soon after Park was elected in 2013, she worked hard to reopen Kaesong after it was closed by the North, and both sides agreed that the two Koreas will not make Kaesong suffer again, Foster-Carter said. That, too, followed [North Korean] nuclear and missile tests, so why has Park changed her mind, done a U-turn and broken a pledge? he asked. Fifield reported from Tokyo. When a school makes wearing a specific item of clothing off-limits, its usually the students who stage a protest to have the rule changed. But in one North Carolina district, about two dozen parents rallied outside a high school for an hour on Monday, demonstrating against a policy that banned students from wearing headgear (such as hats, hoods, and bandannas). STORY: Why Schools Want Parents to Stop Wearing Pajamas to Drop Off Kids The protest stemmed from an incident earlier this month, when a group of female students, the Young Women of Excellence, decided to celebrate Black History Month by each wearing a traditional colorful African headdress called a gele to their school, the School for Creative Studies. According to the parents, when the students arrived at school in their geles, the principal demanded that the teens remove them, citing the headgear policy. If they didnt, their daughters were threatened with disciplinary action, parents told Raleigh, N.C.s Eyewitness News/WTVD. This is not right. This is not fair. We will not stand for it, Afiya Carter, mom of a 15-year-old girl who wore a gele to school, told WTVD. This is about supporting these young people and letting them know that their cultural expression is something to be valued, and value other peoples cultural expressions. Theyre having to alter who they are in order to assimilate into society, and I dont feel like thats right, parent Dosali Reed-Bandele told North Carolina news station WNCN. STORY: Teens Exposed Collarbone Sets Off Dress Code Controversy But a spokesperson for Durham Public Schools tells Yahoo Parenting that though city schools do ban headgear and that the students were asked to comply by removing their geles, no student was threatened with punishment. The principal and others at the school tell me they never threatened the students with suspension, and indeed would not have found suspension to be an appropriate discipline for students breaking the policy against hats and headwear, Durham Public Schools chief communications officer Chrissy Deal tells Yahoo Parenting. Story continues After talking to the students, The principal met with those young women and encouraged them to share their lessons with the rest of the school, says Deal. The way some parents see it, their daughters should be able to wear geles as often as they want. Were saying that its not just for one day; were saying our daughters who express themselves should be able to express themselves culturally every single day of the their lives, Reed-Bandele told WTVD. In a statement sent to Yahoo Parenting, Durham Schools superintendent Dr. Bert LHomme said that as a result of the incident and protest, his office is reviewing the code of conduct. I have heard the concerns of parents and community members who feel our policy prohibiting hats and headwear is too strict or that it infringes on students cultural expression, he wrote. I understand their concerns and assure them that I will share their thoughts with the committee that is currently reviewing and suggesting revisions to our Code of Student Conduct. LHomme added that he appreciates both the initiative shown by the young women at SCS and the schools willingness to give these student leaders an opportunity to incorporate their ideas into a schoolwide program. The gele, its history, and how to wear it are now part of the schools Black History Month activities for both middle school and high school students. Allowing teens to express their culture and identity through clothing is a smart policy because it prevents students from feeling marginalized or shamed, Beverly Hills child psychotherapist Fran Walfish tells Yahoo Parenting. Banning cultural displays is detrimental because it implies that kids have to hide who they are, and that forces them to go underground and not be integrated into the world, she says. Whether its a cultural expression, a religious one, or relating to their sexual identity, displaying it is important to healthy self-esteem. Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, andPinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com. Photo: WNCN MANCHESTER, N.H. Top aides to Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., believe his win in New Hampshires Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday can propel him to the White House. In a series of conversations with Yahoo News, they detailed elements of their strategy for victory: emphasizing his personal history and record on civil rights as a way to connect with minority voters and targeting Super Tuesday primary states where he may hold an edge over Hillary Clinton. Michael Briggs, Sanders longtime communications director, discussed the race during an event in Manchester, N.H., on Monday afternoon, one day before the primary. Briggs emphasized that Sanders began the race far behind former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the polls. I think what youve seen all over the country so far, and in Iowa, and in New Hampshire, where he started up 30, 40, 50 points behind, in some cases the more people who know about Bernie and his ideas, the better they like him, Briggs said. SLIDESHOW The battle for New Hampshire >>> In recent days, Sanders campaign has certainly had the trappings of a winner. On Monday, a group of musical artists, including the band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, performed a new theme song for Sanders, Feel the Bern, at a rally at the University of New Hampshire. Afterward, Sanders wife, Jane, gushed about the song to Yahoo News. It was so fantastic! It was so moving! Really nice, she said. Sanders even seems to be stealing media attention from his rivals. On Tuesday before the New Hampshire primary results were announced, Yahoo News spotted Fox News chief White House correspondent Ed Henry at Sanders party in Concord. Henry generally covers Clinton. Yahoo asked Henry why he was at Sanders primary party instead of reporting on Clinton. Were going with the winner, Henry said. Sanders started his campaign in April as the ultimate underdog. Clinton was the overwhelming frontrunner, and the Democratic primary was regularly characterized as her coronation. Less than 10 months later, Sanders has forced his way into the race. Story continues Sanders came within a fraction of a percentage point of winning the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1. His victory in New Hampshire on Tuesday came by a large enough margin that it was declared by multiple networks within minutes of the polls closing. Still, conventional wisdom holds that Clinton has an insurmountable advantage in the next states to come on the primary calendar. Nevertheless, Sanders team is bullish about his positioning going forward. Briggs pointed to the fact Clinton is far more well known than Sanders. SLIDESHOW New Hampshire results are in >>> Its a matter of introducing him to people who might not have heard of him up against a person whos perhaps the most famous one of the most famous people in the world, he explained. Briggs predicted Sanders would benefit from momentum and name recognition gained through his performances in Iowa and New Hampshire. I think that doing well coming from so far behind to a dead heat in Iowa and doing well here in New Hampshire will help slingshot us into the states that follow and give us the bigger stage, the bigger forum to present his views and let people know more about him, Briggs said, adding, Thats going to be a key to turning those states into the Sanders column. The next two states on the primary calendar, Nevada and South Carolina, are thought to constitute a barrier that could protect Clinton from the Sanders surge. According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls, Clinton is ahead by nearly 20 points in Nevada, where Democrats will vote on Feb. 20. She also has nearly a 30-point lead in South Carolina, where members of the party will head to the polls on Feb. 27. Clintons advantages in these next two states in part reflect her edge with African-American and Latino voters. However, at Sanders New Hampshire primary party on Tuesday, his senior adviser Tad Devine proclaimed the campaign is really looking forward to the opportunity to compete for votes among minorities. Devine suggested the campaigns internal polling shows there is movement with Latinos in Nevada heading toward Sanders. He also hinted at the strategy Sanders and his team plan to use to woo African-American and Latino voters. by focusing on the senators personal history. Bernie Sanders has an incredibly powerful story to tell from his own biography and experience. Hes the son of a Polish immigrant. He grew up in an immigrant neighborhood in Brooklyn, Devine said. We believe that story is going to resonate powerfully. Devine also argued that African-American voters could be swayed by the fact Sanders pushed for civil rights when he was a student at the University of Chicago. Even if Sanders manages to survive Nevada and South Carolina, the so-called Super Tuesday primaries on March 1 are expected to favor Clinton. In addition to Sanders home, Vermont, Briggs identified a few areas he believes they could compete in out of the 11 states that will hold Democratic Party elections that day. I think we like our chances in a lot of states on Super Tuesday. Were still figuring out his schedule and where he goes, but weve been to Massachusetts, to some very big rallies in Boston and large rallies outside Boston, and parts of the state. One of his first big rallies ever was in Minneapolis so Minnesota I think is a place thats in play for him. Its a caucus state, and those tend to work better for Sen. Sanders. Colorado looks good, Briggs said. Another senior adviser to Sanders gave a far more blunt assessment of Clintons supposed Super Tuesday advantage at the New Hampshire primary party on Tuesday night. Im telling you, the March 1 firewall, it aint much of a firewall, the Sanders adviser said. Cover tile photo: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters MANCHESTER, N.H.Donald Trump, the billionaire businessman and unlikely presidential candidate, claimed his first win in the race for the GOP nomination, easily winning the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night. Trumps victory was shaping up to be historic. His margin of victory was on pace to almost equal John McCains trouncing of George W. Bush in 2000, when the Arizona senator bested the Texas governor by 19 points. It was a significant victory for Trump, the real estate mogul and former reality television star whose celebrity and willingness to speak without a filter has upended the Republican presidential race. After a disappointing loss in Iowa last week, Trump proved for the first time he is capable of actually winning without a traditional campaign, a robust get-out-the-vote operation and the kind of grip-and-grin retail stops that early state voters are said to prefer. Trump, who campaigned as an outsider and party disrupter, led here in the polls since he officially declared his candidacy in July a rise that was fueled by voter support for his hard-right immigration proposals and a vague promise to Make America Great Again. His win puts him in good position to win the next primary in South Carolina, where he has a 20-point lead over his closest rival, Sen. Ted Cruz. SLIDESHOW New Hampshire results are in >>> But Trumps victory, while significant, was less important than the competition for second, third and beyond, where governors John Kasich, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie were battling Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to keep their campaigns alive. At the Trump election night party, supporters wearing Make America Great Again trucker hats and waving foam fingers emblazoned with the Trump logo screamed and hollered as their candidate was declared the victor early in the night. Backstage, Trump aides were equally jubilant, arguing that their bosss victory shows his unlikely message and unusual campaign operation has the staying power to win the nomination. Oh, woooow, Trump said, taking the stage at his election night victory party as Revolution by The Beatles played in the background. Wow, wow, wow. The real estate mogul, whose face was flushed bright red during most of his speech, thanked a litany of people, including his late parents, his siblings, his wife and even his campaign press secretary, before finally offering gratitude to the people of New Hampshire. We love you, he said. Remember, you started it. Palestinian short Ave Maria will compete in the Live-Action Short Films category and Jordanian Theeb is nominated for best foreign language film Oscar On Sunday, Cairo's art-house Zawya, will be hosting an Oscar's night with screenings of two films by Arab directors Ave Maria and Theeb. Both films are nominated to Academy Award, in different categories: Basil Khalil's Ave Maria will compete in the Live-Action Short Films category while Jordanian Theeb is nominated for best foreign language film Oscar. The films will be screened during the 7.30 and 10 pm showings. Directed by Basil Khalil, Ave Maria is a 14-minute comedy that tells the story of Palestinian nuns living in the middle of the West Bank and who have their daily routine of silence and prayer disrupted when a family of Israeli settlers car breaks down outside their convent at the beginning of the Sabbath. The family needs to get home but cannot operate the phone, while the nuns have taken a vow of silence. The film is a French/German/Palestinian co-production, spoken in Arabic, English, and Hebrew. The films cast includes Maria Zareek, Hoda El-Imam, and Shady Srour. Recently, Ave Maria won the Silver Egg award for Basil Khalil and the Vilko Filac Award for Best Cinematography for Eric Mizrahi at the 8th Kustendorf International Film and Music Festival in Serbia. On the same night, the film also received the Special Jury Recognition for Short Film award at Coronado Island Film Festival (CIFF) in USA. The film also received the Prix de Hermes (Best Short Film) award at Frejus Short-film Festival and competed at the 3rd Sudan Independent Film Festival (SIFF) in Sudan, which which closed on 27 January. Ave Maria is competing for Oscars along with Everything Will Be Okay (Austria), Shok (Kosovo), Stutterer (Ireland), and Day One (or Alles Wird Gut-U.S.). Jordanian film Theeb the debut feature for Naji Abu Nawar tells the story of the young boy who accompanies his brother, an English soldier and his guide to a well near the newly established train tracks for his mission. According to the director, all the actors with the exception of the British soldier Jack Fox, are actual members of the Bedouin tribes who are featured in the film. This gives the film the authenticity that transcends the screen in an organic manner. Theeb is a result of year-long research by the director Abo Nawar and other screenplay writer of the film Bassel Ghandour, who spent time conversing and studying the Bedouin communities in the region. Theeb has screened in the Toronto Film Festival, Venice Film Festival (where Abo Nawar won the New Horizons Award for Best Director) and the Abu Dhabi Film Festival earlier this month where it went home with even more awards: Best Film from the Arab World, FIPRESCI Prize for Best Narrative Feature. Apart of its Oscars nomination, Theeb is also nominated to BAFTA awards, for Best Film not in the English Language and the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. Programme: 7.30pm and 10pm, Sunday 14 February Zawya, Cinema Odeon, Downtown, 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 Search Keywords: Short link: If you want politicians to give you money, you need to build public support for what you do. NASA has been doing just that since the 1960s. Back then, to build excitement for missions to the moon and beyond, the space agency would send astronauts and astronauts-in-training on tours to towns all across America, giving stump speeches about the space program and its goals. These days, NASA does much the same thing, but now it harnesses the power of the Internet to make its case. One way it does so: It invites people with significant social-media followings to NASA facilities and events. Which is why, on the day President Obama released his 2017 budget proposal, I found myself at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field next door to Googles headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. to watch a live stream of a State of NASA speech by NASA administrator Charlie Bolden and to hear from other NASA folks in person. What good is NASA? Bolden and those other speakers all stayed tightly on-message. Their first talking-point: NASA is all about making peoples lives better an attempt to tie the often-abstract business of scientific research and space exploration to the tangible benefits they provide for the American public. Sure, you can argue that space exploration and pushing the boundaries of science are inherently important. But such arguments dont always carry a lot of weight with people who feel that every dollar spent on a Mars rover is a dollar taken out of a social program here on Earth. NASA knows that a lot of people view the space program as remote and irrelevant to their daily lives. Thats a view the agency is constantly trying to fight. So during his speech, Bolden made a point of highlighting NASAs business ties. That message was especially resonant at Moffett Field, where a public-private partnership with an Alphabet (formerly Google) subsidiary has led to facility upgrades and budget improvements. Moffett Field, where Google, er, Alphabet is up to something. (Photo: Google) Story continues NASA says it creates 1600 new technologies every year and that it has helped private businesses transfer thousands of them into the marketplace. Bolden also pointed out that there was more venture-capital investment into private space business in 2015 than in the previous 15 years combined, largely owing to NASAs commercial cargo and crew programs. NASA Ames is even working on a cloud-based air-traffic system for drones. NASA versus Congress Another perception problem NASA is seeking to correct: The public thinks NASA takes up nearly a quarter of the federal budget, when the actual number is one half of one percent. NASA fights this misperception with the message that the agency gives great value for the money it does get that all of its high-profile initiatives consume just a tiny fraction of the federal budget. Its a strange time for NASA, politically: Congress is skeptical of its plans to go to Mars, and Tuesdays budget did not provide many specifics beyond targeting a Mars landing in the 2030s. The proposed 2017 NASA budget is actually lower than what Congress provided NASA for 2016, continuing a strange divide between the Obama Administration and Congress. Like it or not, NASA is going to Europa. (Image: NASA) This year Congress authorized a mission to Jupiters moon Europa that NASA didnt want, and the 2017 budget reluctantly continues work on that mission, albeit with lower funding and a delayed launch date. Expect Congress to press the issue during its 2017 budget process. Whats next for NASA While the give and take between NASA and Congress is sure to go on with the election of a new president later this year as a complicating factor the fact is that NASA has a $19 billion budget for 2016 and a $19 billion budget proposed for 2017. Heres some of what the agency is planning on doing with that money: Mars Robots: NASA continues to fund the Mars 2020 rover mission, the latest and highest-tech rover to be launched to the Red Planet. The proposed 2017 budget also starts work on funding the next mission on Mars past 2020, whether its an orbiter or a lander. Journey to Europa: Jupiters moon Europa interests scientists because its got a huge water ocean that could possibly contain life. Its also a subject that fascinates Congressman John Culberson (R-Texas), who chairs the House committee in charge of NASAs budget. NASAs current administration reluctantly supports the program with a start date in the latter half of the 2020s; Congress wants it to happen in 2022 and include a lander. Space Telescopes: The James Webb Space Telescope, NASAs long-gestating sequel to the Hubble Space Telescope, is being assembled at a NASA center in Maryland right now, targeting an October 2018 launch date. Next up is WFIRST, another space telescope due to be launched in the mid-2020s. Return to Human Spaceflight: The plan is to have NASAs Commercial Crew program in which astronauts are carried to the International Space Station aboard private American spacecraft, instead of renting seats on the Russian Soyuz capsule fly its first two crewed missions in 2017, following two demonstration flights. Your new ride to the Space Station. (Image: SpaceX) Snag an Asteroid: NASA is gearing up for a robotic mission in the 2020s that would lasso a small asteroid and propel it into near-Earth orbit, at which point astronauts using NASAs new Orion long-range space capsule would rendezvous with the asteroid and explore it. Its an esoteric mission thats designed to test human spaceflight beyond the moons orbit, without the extremely long travel time it would take to get to Mars. Finding Exoplanets: The TESS mission, which will scan the entire sky to find planets circling around stars even closer to Earth than those found in the Kepler mission, is on track to launch in 2018. Those are all the plans currently in progress, but heres where the reality of politics comes back in: In 2017 there will be a new President and Congress, and quite possibly a new NASA Administrator. NASAs plans and priorities could shift quite dramatically in a years time. Such is life when the cutting edge of space exploration is wrapped inside a government bureaucracy. Health workers spray insecticide to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito that transmits Zika in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo: AP) As Zika continues to spread, the Centers for Disease Control has issued travel notices for several countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. One group not heeding that warning is travelers over the age of 60. According to a survey conducted by Travel Leaders Group, 93 percent of travel agents reported no cancellations from clients 60 and older. Five percent reported older travelers canceling their plans, and a mere three percent have had their more mature clients delay trips. To put it into perspective, 74.1 percent of travel agents reported no cancellations for their clients in 20s or 30s, and 89.8 percent stated no cancellations from clients in their 40s and 50s. But older clients arent the only ones deciding to travel to Zika zones. 94.5 percent of travel agents have had no cancellations for their destination wedding clients. Similarly, 93.3 percent have had no cancellations for their honeymoon clientele. Pregnant women have been advised to avoid travel to areas where the Zika transmission is ongoing. (Photo: Thinkstock) While anyone can contract Zika, the CDC has specifically advised women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant not to travel to areas where the Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Zika is spread by mosquito bites and can also be sexually transmitted. The virus is possibly be linked to birth defects in unborn babies. Given the recent coverage of Zika, The Travel Leaders Groups admits that they were a bit shocked by the findings of their study. Even we were a bit surprised to learn just how limited the impact of the Zika virus has been on the overwhelming majority of our clients travel plans, said Travel Leaders Group CEO Ninan Chacko. According to the CDC, about 1 in 5 people infected with the Zika virus become ill. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis. Story continues WATCH: 10 Things to Know About the Zika Virus Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Check out our original adventure travel series A Broad Abroad. 'Ghaybouba'(Coma), a play starring well-known Egyptian actor Ahmed Bedeir, has been banned again for its anti-January message Qalioubiyas Governor Reda Farahat has banned the staging of Ghaybouba (Coma), a play starring well-known Egyptian actor Ahmed Bedeir, ordering the removal of the play's poster from the Culture Centre in Banha, the governorate's capital. The decision comes in response to complaints issued by Egyptian citizens who expressed their dismay that the play tarnishes Egypts 2011 Revolution and its martyrs. Many citizens communicated their disapproval of the play via the governorates official Facebook page. In January , the city of Hurghada in the Red Sea governorate hosted Ghaybouba, where Governor Ahmed Abdallah presented Bedeir with an honorary governorate shield. However, last week, the governorate of Suez, home to the first martyrs of the 25 January uprising against Mubarak, banned the play in response to a public outcry. The actor Ahmed Bedeir is an outspoken critic of the January revolution and continues to be a staunch supporter of the Mubarak regime. The play is written by Mahmoud El Toukhy and directed by Shady Sorour. It was produced by Theatre House (Beit El Masrah El Fanni), a body that operates under the culture ministry. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: "The extreme overruns of NOx emissions that have meanwhile been detected with an Opel Zafira, a Renault Espace, a Mercedes C-Class and now a Fiat SUV are technically not plausible and point towards defeat devices," campaigner Axel Friedrich said. DUH has already accused General Motors' Opel division, Renault and Daimler's Mercedes-Benz brand of violating emissions levels. At a press conference in Berlin, DUH turned to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). German environmental lobby group DUH stepped up its campaign against auto industry pollution on Tuesday, accusing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' 500X compact sport-utility vehicle of releasing excessive levels of toxic diesel emissions. The carmakers deny they are acting illegally, but acknowledge that some models produce higher levels of pollution when tested in conditions which are more akin to real-world driving rather than according to the norms set out in a specific test regime prescribed by regulators. European lawmakers earlier this month backed more stringent testing methods which cut overall emissions but under some circumstances still allow a 50 percent overshoot of the legal ceiling for nitrogen oxide of 80 milligrams/kilometre. European regulators and authorities are investigating various carmakers. But so far only Volkswagen has been accused of illegal behavior after it admitted to using software to manipulate emissions test results in a laboratory. On Tuesday, citing tests carried out by the University of Applied Sciences in Bern, Switzerland, DUH Managing Director Juergen Resch told a news conference that a Fiat 500X, a 2015 model of the latest Euro 6 diesel generation, had released nitrogen oxide emissions that were between 11 and 22 times the legal European limits when tested with a warm engine. The Fiat 500X released excessive emissions in all eight tests carried out with a warm engine on the dynamometer, DUH said. The model exceeded the statutory 80 milligrams limit only during two tests with a cold engine after "specific pre-conditioning", the group said. Friedrich is a co-founder of the Washington-based International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), which commissioned the original investigation that led eventually to the exposure of Volkswagen's test-rigging. China still driver of global economy: Italian experts 2016-02-10 08:59 By Marzia De Giuli, Song Jian MILAN, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- A number of Italian experts and entrepreneurs are not worried about the economic slowdown of China, which they said still makes sizable contributions to the global economic growth and has considerable development potential. China was viewed "as a huge development market" when iGuzzini, a leading Italian company in the lighting design sector, made its first investment in China years ago, said company president Adolfo Guzzini. China's market, with its large presence of research centers and universities, is a "very open and strong challenger" able to further push the development of Italian top companies, said Guzzini, whose company now owns a plant in China that now employs 250 people. Despite China's economic growth slowed to a 25-year low in 2015, the 6.9 percent growth rate was still outstanding against the backdrop of a sluggish world economy, he noted. Maurizio Tamagnini, CEO of Fondo Strategico Italiano (FSI), a risk capital investment company with 4.4 billion euros (4.97 billion U.S. dollars) of equity commitments, sees China as "a patient investor with a long-term perspective, a huge economy offering opportunities that are complementary to the Italian economy." "China means great opportunities for our companies, which are excellent in research and innovation but need big markets to strengthen their growth. At the same time, China is looking at our entrepreneurial world to develop a stronger presence in key sectors such as mechanics, food, health and many others," he said. Enrico Mentana, a journalist and director of Italian television channel LA7's newscast, highlighted China's important role in the global economy. "We have to consider first of all that China's economic situation is influenced by a vivid market of 1.3 billion people," he said. "When we say that the world economy is up 2.5 percentage points, we have to consider that China plays a big role in this growth. And when we talk about the world trade rise, a large slice is also determined by China." Mentana added. "China has made incredibly fast steps and has contributed to globalization in a decisive way, but we are not yet realizing how huge is the strength of a country whose population represents a fifth of humankind and can represent a fifth of the world also in other fields," he said. In his view, the world should not be worried about an economy that has registered a growth rate above 6 percent in 2015. "Of course China has to face a series of challenges in the coming years, but it is clear that the country will continue to be a fundamental engine of global growth and will certainly not be the cause of a possible economic crisis, given that Western countries have faced years of recession," he pointed out. For Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, president of Italian flagship airline Alitalia and chairman of the promoting committee for the Rome candidacy at the 2024 Olympic Games, China's slowdown was not worrisome. "I am not worried. We have to remember that we are talking about a big country, a huge market, a nation of young people with a great future ahead," he said. Feature: Italians celebrating Chinese Spring Festival in Milan 2016-02-10 07:42 by Marzia De Giuli MILAN, Italy, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- It was in 2006 when Michele Gattoni, export manager at a company based here, celebrated his first Spring Festival in China. "I was in Beijing and the sound and colors of fireworks set on the lunar New Year's eve are still deep in my mind," he told Xinhua. Ten years later, Gattoni celebrated last night's Spring Festival with a group of Italian and Chinese friends in a Chinese restaurant of the Italian business capital, enjoying a variety of Chinese delicacies. "For me, the Chinese Spring Festival especially means dumplings," he told Xinhua, recounting the long-ago dinner in Beijing with some Chinese friends who had invited him along. "I remember that the group's women at a certain point started to make dumplings, and they were so delicious. Then we watched the fireworks all together. I felt welcomed by these people, I felt that I was part of their families. It was such a touching experience, and that is why I am here tonight," he concluded. Francesca Romana Di Biagio, a journalist at Il Giornale newspaper, also celebrated the Year of the Monkey with Gattoni and other friends in the same restaurant. "I wish this new year will bring me luck and happiness," she said while asking a Chinese friend to help her translate some characters that Chinese people believe will give them blessing in the coming year. Di Biagio was in Shanghai when she celebrated Spring Festival in China years ago. "It was 2010 and it was snowing in Shanghai. The atmosphere was magic and I spent the lunar New Year's Eve in a club on the Bund with a few friends," she said. "What I especially remember about the Chinese Spring Festival is the red color. Red was everywhere, and it was so overwhelming especially the day after, when I had a walk in the city historic center and I saw an infinite variety of red banners and red lanterns. I feel that day I saw the Spring Festival with Chinese eyes," Di Biagio told Xinhua. Di Biagio said more and more Italians, including many who have no links with China, like to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival. "This festival has become increasingly popular in Milan. Many people have the habit of celebrating it in Chinese restaurants, which is also a sign of a growing integration of the Chinese community in Italy," she explained. In fact, early in the 1990s Milan used to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival with "extraordinary dragons and lanterns full of colors and joy," noted Davide Rossi, an historian and director of the Locarno-based ISPEC Institute of History and Philosophy of Contemporary Thought, while sitting next to Di Biagio at their round table of friends on Sunday night. "This means that the Chinese community in Milan since a long time ago has been a very influential presence able to transfer the value and beauty of China's traditions," he told Xinhua. Rossi said he had never celebrated the Spring Festival in China, yet every year he feels increasingly close to Chinese people in enjoying the festive atmosphere, no matter in which part of the world. Monkeys bring Chinese New Year festivity to Chicago From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-02-10 12:27 An artistic Monkey King appears in a window at the Macys State Street in Chicago to mark the Chinese New Year. [Photo/Xinhua] Chicago is filled with joy and festivity as it celebrates China's Lunar New Year, with lots of decoration and activities featuring monkey in the city, which aims to boost its attraction to Chinese visitors. Entering China's Year of Monkey, it is easy to find images of monkey in Chicago, the third largest U.S. city that Mayor Rahm Emanuel aims to make as the top destination in the U.S. for Chinese New Year celebrations. No one can find more monkeys elsewhere than in Bloomingdale's on the Magnificent Mile, where tens of paper-cut monkeys hang high along the top-end store's major aisles, and porcelain monkeys either wear a sunglass or carry a bag to greet customers. Bloomingdale's is not the only shopping mall that has monkey as decoration. Macy's, a U.S. chain retailer, granted a prized window for the Chinese Ministry of Culture to install a red face of "Monkey King" in Beijing opera. Passers-by are fascinated by the monkey who keeps winking at them. The retailers certainly do not stop at having monkeys as decoration. Bloomingdale's is giving out Chinese New Year red envelopes and KatCheung Monkey bags to customers. Customers are also getting coupons with face values of 8, 88 and 888 dollars, as "eight" sounds like enrichment in Cantonese Chinese. The Art Institute of Chicago Monday has kicked off its 2016 Chinese New Year celebration with the theme of "Monkeying Around." Monday takes the 9th place on the Chinese zodiac circle of 12 animals. The museum is offering Chinese language tour guide books, standard Chinese Audio Guide and Chinese food at its cafe during the holiday season. Among over a million visitors each year, more than 100,000 are Chinese. "Chinese visitors to the museum increased about 30 percent last year," Nora Gainer, director of Tourism Marketing, told Xinhua. "We'd like to welcome more of them to our museum." Major landmark buildings in Chicago, including Willis Tower, John Hancock Center and CME Group Building, have been decorated with red lights, an embodiment of prosperity and happiness in China. This is the third year for Chicago to gear up for Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations. In the past three years, the City Government of Chicago has launched various events during China's spring festival, with a view to attracting more Chinese tourists. "Tourism is a vital and essential part of Chicago's economic strategy," Melissa Cherry, vice president of Marketing and Cultural Tourism of Choose Chicago, told Xinhua. "When they come, they enjoy a lot of our great city assets, including our cultural institutions, shopping, dining, all of which bring dollars into the city in term of spending, which then helps support jobs and continue to brew events like this," said Cherry. She told Xinhua that Chicago aims to attract 55 million visitors by 2020, "Chinese visitation is a critical component to our growth strategy." Statistics from Choose Chicago show that the number of Chinese tourists that visited Chicago in 2014 reached 133,000. Compared to visitors from other countries, Chinese tourists stay longer and spend more. On average, Chinese travelers to Chicago spend more than 4,435 dollars per travel party per trip. Chinese Consul General in Chicago Zhao Weiping regards Chicago's celebration of the Chinese New Year as, to a large extent, a reflection of rapid growth of economic, trade and cultural exchange and cooperation between the two countries. "Chinese elements are everywhere in Chicago, and investment from China in Chicago has increased rapidly in recent years," said Zhao, "Chicago is optimistic of development prospects of the Chinese economy and is confident of the bilateral economic and trade cooperation." Chicago's commitment to cultural exchange does not stop at Chinese New Year celebrations, Cherry told Xinhua. "We will continue to collaborate and share China's wonders at some of Chicago's leading cultural events in 2016 like the World Music Festival and EXPO Chicago," said Cherry. The Forest Department wants the felling of a nesting tree put off till the chicks are old enough to fly independently. #producer prices Producer prices bounce higher in Sept. amid inflation woes South Korea's producer prices bounced back in September following the first downturn in about two years a month earlier, as high energy and farming bills drove up costs, central ba... It's a right of passage for almost every Irish student that they do 'To Kill a Mockingbird' for their Junior Cert and for many it holds a special place in their hearts for the rest of their lives. Which is why today's news that Hollywood producer Scott Rudin has bought the rights to adapt Harper Lee's classic into a Broadway show would make a lot of people uneasy. We already have an excellent film adaptation of the book starring the wonderful Gregory Peck. Maybe it's best to leave well enough alone and not risk tarnishing a classic? However the news that arguably the best Hollywood screenwriter working today, Aaron Sorkin, is giving us great relief. Sorkin has worked with Rudin to great success in the past with the pair collaborating on Moneyball, The Social Network and Steve Jobs. Commenting on the announcement, Sorkin said that it was both exhilarating and daunting to tackle such a cherished classic. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most revered pieces of 20th century American literature, Mr. Sorkin said in an interview with the New York Times. It lives a little bit differently in everybodys imagination in the way a great novel ought to, and then along I come. Im not the equal of Harper Lee. No one is. The Broadway adaptation is the second big shock for fans of the novel in the past two years with a 'sequel' to the book, 'Go Set a Watchman', released last year. Unsurprisingly Harper Lee had many offers for the Theatre rights for Mockingbird over the years but she felt that Scott Rudin was the right man to take on the challenge. If the Broadway run is a success, expect the show to be brought to London at some point and perhaps even an International tour that will include Dublin. Via The New York Times Someone in your life, possibly someone you've not even met yet, will be hammering you to go see Frozen on Broadway. Disney issued the following press release via the Broadway production's Twitter account yesterday, and it should have parents fanning themselves everywhere. As I type, the three-year-old is crowing her variation of 'Do You Wanna Build a Snowmaaaan'... FROZEN is slated for Broadway spring 2018 following a preaAAA?Broadway engagement summer 2017 https://t.co/fMTWzu5XAi Frozen (@FrozenBroadway) February 9, 2016 According to the press release: "A new musical based on Disneys Academy Award-winning musical film, is slated to join Disney hits Aladdin and The Lion King on Broadway at a theatre to be announced in spring 2018... Frozen will play its out-of-town tryout beginning in summer 2017 at a theatre to be announced... Casting and Broadway dates and theatre will be announced at a future date." So, it's still pretty much up in the air, but Kristen Bell's going to play Anna, right? RIGHT?! 2018 is a fair whack away, so - in the meantime - Disney has released a load of new Frozen merch via Hasbro. They include 'Elsa's Castle', and The Princess Royal Dream Castle (Us Weekly got a sneak peek at the wares). They only retail at about $100 each. A mere snip in comparison to flights to New York. We can only hope a variation of the show comes to the Bord Gais Energy Theatre sometime in the next decade. They have already had massive success with their Amy Winehouse documentary 'Amy', and Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees are currently in post-production on a film about Oasis. However, there is one musician's story that they would love to tell more than anything: that of David Bowie. The pair - who are nominated for an Oscar this year for 'Best Documentary' with 'Amy' - said that Bowie is number one on the wishlist. Producer Gay-Rees told The Hollywood Reporter: "We would kill to make that film. We would do anything to make that film. If his estate is listening, please give us a callbut its far too soon. But if there was ever a conversation to be had around it...." He also said that if it were ever to happen, it would need to be made in a longer format than a 90-minute documentary, given the length and breadth of Bowie's career. "There's so much great material to work with," he said. "Trying to do that in 90 minutes would be tricky." Charlie Cox says his return as Daredevil "still feels too good to be true" Tis one of the most hyped shows returning to TV land courtesy of Netflix (it debuts on February 26th) and now Ellen's after coming across with the latest trailer. There has been a few, this is the most up to date one, promise. And it's not just a trailer, there's a rake load of snippets too. We still wish the Olsen Twins were reprising their roles, but sure you can't have everything. Unless they take DJ on her offer of a guest appearance - "the door's always open!" Given the twins are multi-millionaire entrepreneurs, with husbands like Olivier Sarkozy, the likelihood of them putting in a guest appearance is less than slim. Prepare yourselves for lashing of corn and ropy 90s references. House of Cards season four returns to Netflix shortly when we get to see what those power-hungry Underwoods have been up to since we last saw them. Fans of the show will know those opening credits all too well, as that unmistakable music takes us on a time-lapse tour of Washington. Well now you can re-imagine the whole thing as if it was set in Dublin, thanks to Snollygoster Productions, with beautiful shots of the city throughout courtesy of Darragh O'Doherty. Question is, who's Ireland's answer to Frank Underwood? We dread to think... House of Cards season four premieres on Netflix on March 4th 2016. Via Snollygoster Productions You all know Crimewatch, it's the UK's answer to Crimecall but with a lot less Grainne Seoige, and more of, well, a criminal look-alike. Monday night's episode of the show has got the internet's attention thanks to one unfortunate mug shot, which looks strangely like the show's presenter, Jason Mohammad. Naturally, Twitter were quick to run with it... That awkward moment on Crimewatch when... pic.twitter.com/9wum3fvewo Paul Stanworth (@paulstanworth) February 9, 2016 When you present #Crimewatch but steal penny sweets on the side. pic.twitter.com/TPh6F0lYid RTE 2fm (@RTE2fm) February 8, 2016 The man in the mugshot is in fact a fella called Victor Lakatos, who is locked away in prison as the presenters were just updating viewers on previous cases that had since been solved. Jason said after the show; Imagine the Sphinx (or a frog?) next to the pyramids sitting in a reflecting pool of water.... In short, my blogs are a series of thought clusters on the origins of the state, religion, mythology, and their significance today. A major theme is reflected by the story *blogs 8,9) of Prince and Princess Goldenlocks;. http://jesusthebogomil.blogspot.com From time to time, some of the blogs may be edited and revised. PS I remain convinced that humankind must (and will) return to the wood to survive. Jacob Funk Kirkegaard (The Peterson Institute for International Economics) Although it is a major source of Europes economic growth, it has at worst a neutral impact on government finances, it significantly contributes to the accumulation of human capital and it is also an important safeguard of countries future economic prosperity, the current levels of immigration raise considerable concerns in the minds of Europeans. Its uncontrolled and precipitous course therefore earned it the label of a migration crisis. This development can, however, also bring certain positives because it is in the times of a crisis that politicians can find the courage to take decisive steps to solve problems that would otherwise have remained neglected. The quotas for the relocation of refugees will not solve the crisis. Even if the intended transfers took place, it is highly likely that at least some of the relocated immigrants will be returning back. Therefore, it is necessary to opt for a new, more sophisticated approach. One of the feasible alternatives is, for example, the following three-step plan. First, it is necessary to ensure the protection of the external borders of the Schengen area, in particular by deepening cooperation with key neighboring countries (especially with Turkey), personnel reinforcement of the border surveillance and a faster return of the unsuccessful asylum seekers. This will obviously require significant financial resources. The second step therefore is to find them, which should be achieved by combining several elements, such as national contributions and customs duties levied at the Schengen border. Third, it is necessary to at least partially harmonize the asylum policies of individual countries, whereby asylum policies of some EU Member States look so much more attractive for refugees than those of other Member States. Certain improvements could be achieved by introducing a system of two regimes of immigration, which would consist of a common minimum part and a higher-level national part. In the latter one, individual countries could choose immigrants themselves, which would reduce the concerns of a loss of national sovereignty and also allow for a more effective placement according to the preferences of the given state. These reforms, which would probably have to be led by the French-German alliance, would probably require these countries to implement the reforms first among themselves. Other Schengen countries could then gradually join in. The countries outside the Schengen area would have to be, at least initially, omitted because it would thus be easier to find political support for the realization of this project. (The study can be downloaded here: https://www.piie.com/publications/pb/pb15-23.pdf) The European Union has decided to cut funding for the African Unions (AU) peacekeeping mission in Somalia by a fifth. The move has been criticized by AUs leadership as it comes at a time when the missions troops are entrenched in deadly fights with terrorist militants. The AU has been sending troops to Somalia for almost a decade to help fight Al Shabaab, a faction of al-Qaeda operating in the Horn of Africa. At the moment, about 22,000 troops seconded from the military forces of Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda are deployed in the country under the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The EU has been so far covering most of the costs of the mission, which is about $200 million annually. The block, being AMISOMs biggest donor, now intends to decrease the budget by 20 percent. AU leaders have expressed their concerns of what impact a lower budget could have on the missions day-to-day operations. This measure will no doubt affect the personnel who are making the ultimate sacrifice in service of Africa. Especially now, when more is expected of AMISOM. It is my view that we should pursue various funding mechanisms to sustain the current support for AMISOM, Ambassador Francisco Caetano Jose Madeira, head of AMISOM, said. Al-Shabaab, which literally means the youth or the youngsters, is a jihadist group aligned with al-Qaeda having been active in Somalia for a number of years aiming to establish an Islamic theocracy. In 2014, its troop strength was estimated between 7,000 and 9,000 militants. AMISOM is the only peacekeeping mission in Somalia supporting transitional government structures, implementing national security plan, training Somalian forces and assisting to create safe conditions for the provision of humanitarian assistance. The EUs decision to cut funding will mean that the pay of AMISOM soldiers will decrease from $828 a month to less than $165. For official diocesan information please click the diocesan logo on the right. to Bishop David's blog. Here you can find news, information, articles and pictures about the Church of England Diocese in Europe. We have over 300 congregations or worship centres serving Anglican and (mostly) English-speaking people in Europe, Morocco, Turkey, Russia and some central Asian countries. The opinions and views expressed on this blog are my own and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps. We want your comments and your story tips! geniusofdespair@yahoo.com (use ALL caps in subject line) afarago@bellsouth.net. Actually I never look at my email, Genius, so write to Gimleteye. Older Posts Sometime around 2009-2010, Blogger had problems and lost the paragraphing for all my posts. I am slowly going through them and restoring them. Johanna Faust, a mixed race Jew, prefers to publish pseudonymously. She is committed: first, to preventing war, ecological disaster, and nuclear apocalypse; last to not only fighting for personal privacy & the freedom of information, but, by representing herself as a soldier in that fight, to exhorting others to do the same. She is a poet, always. All these efforts find representation here: "ah, Mephistophelis" is so named after the last line of Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus, whose heretical success flouted the censor for a time. 479544342 Ta-Nehisi Coates, an award-winning author whose recent book "Between the World and Me" landed on The New York Times best seller list, just announced that he's supporting Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) for president a major endorsement for the candidate. "I have tried to avoid this question, but, yes, I will be voting for Senator Sanders," he told Democracy Now. "I try to avoid that, because I want to write as a journalist do you know what I mean? and separate that from my role as, I dont know, a private citizen. But I dont think much is accomplished by ducking the question. Yes, I will vote for Senator Sanders. My son influenced me." Coates said it can be argued that Sanders should have a more explicit anti-racist policy in his social justice platform, but that the same person could still feel that "Sanders is the best option that we have in the race." "Just because thats who youre going to vote for doesnt mean you then have to agree with everything they say," he said. Last month, Coates wrote a piece in The Atlantic challenging Sanders' position on reparations for black Americans, which Sanders said he is not in favor of. "Unfortunately, Sanderss radicalism has failed in the ancient fight against white supremacy," he wrote. "This is the 'class first' approach, originating in the myth that racism and socialism are necessarily incompatible." Sanders, who won the New Hampshire on Tuesday, has to pick up black votes in the South to have any chance of overcoming former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) in the upcoming primaries. In South Carolina, the next Democratic primary on the trail, Sanders trails Clinton by a 54-point margin with black Americans, per a CBS poll from January. On Wednesday, Sanders met with the prominent black activist Rev. Al Sharpton in New York City. Sharpton has not yet made an endorsement in the presidential race. NOW WATCH: Donald Trump's 'strange' morning habit tells you everything you need to know about him More From Business Insider Bolivian President Evo Morales (centre) welcomes the first rays of sunlight during a traditional ceremony celebrating his 10 years in office, at the pre-Inca archeological site of Tiwanaku, on January 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/Aizar Raldes) Tiahuanaco (Bolivia) (AFP) - Bolivian President Evo Morales, the country's first indigenous head of state, held an ancient ceremony Thursday to mark a record-setting 10 years in office -- a term he is now seeking to extend to 2025. In a dawn ritual, the leftist leader raised his hands to receive the first rays of the morning sun, then breathed in the incense from a large pyre lit to bring good fortune. The rite, set to the sounds of Andean music, was held at the archaeological site of Tiahuanaco (or Tiwanaku) in western Bolivia, a city of pre-Incan stone ruins thought to have been a spiritual and political center from AD 400 to 900. "With this small but very important act, I would like to take the opportunity to express our gratitude for these 10 years of service to the Bolivian people," said the president, who faces accusations of seeking to cling to power. Morales took office on January 22, 2006, after defying centuries of discrimination against Bolivia's indigenous communities to win a landslide election victory. He has since presided over a period of robust economic growth and transformative changes for the long-suffering indigenous majority. A former coca grower who got his start in politics as a union leader, he has deftly managed the resource-rich economy, which has more than tripled in size during his decade in office. Thanks to that growth, Morales, an Aymara Indian who grew up with no running water or electricity, has managed to largely win over even his former critics in the business community. "When I swore in as president in 2006, some of our opponents said, 'Poor little Indian, let him have fun for a few months. He won't be able to govern and after that we'll get rid of him,'" he has said. But with the opposition riven by infighting, Morales, 56, has won resoundingly in the past three presidential elections: 54 percent of the vote in 2005, 64 percent in 2009 and 61 percent in 2014. Story continues His politics blend the indigenous power movement with environmentalism and the "21st-century socialism" preached by late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. He has nationalized the oil, gas, mining and telecommunications sectors, rolled out welfare grants for the elderly, children and expecting mothers, and moved to empower marginalized groups -- especially the 65 percent of the population that is indigenous. Defying opponents' dire warnings of economic catastrophe, Bolivia has instead boomed. Despite plunging prices for its oil, its economy grew 4.8 percent last year, one of the strongest rates in Latin America. - Changing the constitution, again - The economic and political stability are welcome in the landlocked South American nation, which has had 160 coups since independence in 1825 and remains one of the region's poorest countries. But opponents accuse Morales of presiding over expanding corruption and investing in flashy big-ticket infrastructure projects at the expense of basic needs like health and education. And "Evo," who is already the longest-serving president in Bolivian history, is increasingly accused of trying to cling to the presidency for as long as he can. A new constitution adopted in 2009 imposes a limit of one reelection for sitting presidents, but Bolivia's Supreme Court ruled that Morales's first term was exempt -- clearing the way for him to run again in 2014. His current term ends in 2020, but he is pushing for a referendum to amend the constitution and enable him to serve until 2025. Morales has had an antagonistic relationship with the United States, defending coca growers from the US "war on drugs." Besides being the base ingredient for cocaine, coca leaves are widely chewed in Bolivia and brewed as tea -- uses Morales argues are part of the country's cultural heritage. In 2008 he kicked the US Drug Enforcement Agency out of the country, along with the American ambassador, accusing them of conspiring against his government. Morales will officially mark the anniversary Friday with a ceremony in Congress, where he will deliver a nationally televised address. * CPPIB achieved Q3 gross investment returns of 4.6 pct * CPPIB ended Q3 with net assets of C$282.6 billion (Adds CEO comment on global economy, deal outlook) By Matt Scuffham TORONTO, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, one of the world's biggest dealmakers, said volatile global markets are providing the best opportunities for long-term investors since the 2007-09 financial crisis. CPPIB, which manages Canada's national pension fund, on Wednesday reported gross investment returns of 4.6 percent in its fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31. The results were driven by a strong performance from its global equities portfolio, as the weak Canadian dollar increased the value of overseas investments. Canada's biggest public pension fund said it ended Dec. 31 with net assets of C$282.6 billion, compared with C$272.9 billion at the end of the previous quarter. Chief Executive Mark Wiseman said CPPIB was benefiting from investments it made during the financial crisis while others headed for the exit. He said the current market provides similar opportunities. "It's periods like this that we find fertile for investing. I would say for us this is the most interesting investment environment we've seen since the wake of the financial crisis," Wiseman told Reuters. Like other Canadian pension funds, the CPPIB has diversified into alternative asset classes, such as infrastructure and real estate, and from investing across different geographies. (Reporting by Matt Scuffham; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) 160894397 John Brennan, the CIA director, told a Senate committee Tuesday that the violence and instability in the Middle East was the worst it had been in 50 years, painting a dire picture of a region he said was facing "unprecedented" bloodshed. Brennan spoke at the Senate Intelligence Committee's annual worldwide-threats hearing, emphasizing the threats the US faces as the Middle East devolves further into chaos. "The Middle East right now I think is racked by more instability and violence and inter-state conflict than we've seen certainly in the past 50 years," Brennan said. "And the amount of bloodshed and humanitarian suffering is I think unprecedented." Brennan pointed to the Arab Spring uprisings that started in 2011 as the flash point for the chaos. "I think it's been five years now since the Arab Spring started to take root, which had a very traumatic impact on governments throughout the region, and the street became alive," Brennan said. "Al Qaeda and terrorist organizations did not trigger that, but they've taken full advantage of it." Once governments in places like Libya and Yemen were overthrown, power vacuums opened up, allowing conflict to explode out into the open with no organized force to suppress it. "There are sectarian tensions that are playing out, all these things that were repressed because of the authoritarian governments that were in power for many years," Brennan said. "And once their control was shaken, I think it then loosed this popular reaction that now is finding expression in basically civil war, sectarian conflict, and challenges against the government." And tensions among different populations often supersede any sense of nationalism for countries that just gained independence in the past century and have seen many changes in rule. "A lot of these countries were carved out of previous colonial realms and therefore were almost patchworks of people of various backgrounds that now are finding ways to fight among themselves," Brennan said. Story continues Al Qaeda now has a strong presence in Yemen, which is home to what is widely considered the terrorist organization's most dangerous affiliate, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP. Libya map The US is also struggling to defeat the terrorist group ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, ISIL, or Daesh, as countries in the region, namely Saudi Arabia and Iran, divert resources toward expanding their regional influence and fighting proxy wars. Libya is of particular concern for US officials. ISIS recently established a stronghold there, where it is trying to establish a backup base of operations as a US-led coalition targets its core territory in Iraq and Syria. The country is still struggling to establish order after its previous authoritarian leader, Muammar Gaddafi, was deposed and killed in 2011. Rival governments fighting for power in Libya one in the east that's internationally recognized and one in the west that controls the capital of Tripoli have failed to establish a unity government. Meanwhile, extremist groups have risen up in the vacuum. "We see Libya as the most important theater for ISIL outside of the Syria and Iraq theater," Brennan said. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper made a similar assessment during his testimony. He pointed out that ISIS had seized territory in Libya as it had done in Iraq and Syria, with the goal of governing it according to its draconian laws. Libya is "essentially an ungoverned space" that also allows ISIS access to "substantial oil resources just as they've had in Syria," Clapper said in the hearing. And ISIS has plans to expand beyond its coastal stronghold in Sirte. "They're right now centered or headquartered in Sirte ... and they're trying to spread out along the coast and take over more and more areas," Clapper said. NOW WATCH: Jeff Sachs: Here's why the Middle East is going to get a lot worse More From Business Insider Faraday Future Nevada executives Electric-car company Faraday Future and the state of Nevada appear to be hitting some gridlock. The two entities announced an agreement late last year to build Faraday Future's first manufacturing plant in Las Vegas. Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting from the tech company, Leshi, is among the backers expected to invest $1 billion in the project. But now, Nevada's state treasurer says he's worried about Leshi's financial health, and the fate of that seven-figure investment. According to the Las Vegas radio station, KNPR, treasurer Dan Schwartz planned to meet with Faraday Future's Chinese investors last week, because of a couple concerns: Shares of Leshi stopped trading in China In early December, shares of Leshi were pulled from the Chinese stock market due to an internal reorganization, KNPR reported. The radio station notes that trading was supposed to pick back up shortly after the pause, but it has reportedly been delayed until March 7. The uncertainty surrounding Leshi has Schwartz asking questions. He told KNPR that if he's going to "issue and sign $175 million in general obligation bonds to finance the [Faraday Future] project ... I want to feel comfortable that the Nevada taxpayer is protected." Faraday Future The money appears to be delayed Speaking about Jia's allegedly delayed $1 billion commitment, Schwartz told Reno radio station KUNR he needs reassurance that the funds are "personally available" to Jia, and that the money needs to be "sitting in a US bank account ready to be invested in Faraday." Despite his candor, Schwartz said he still supports the project, and wants to make sure that "building the factory will proceed" as intended. Story continues In December, Faraday Future's VP of manufacturing, Dag Reckhorn, and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval shook hands on the plant deal. Faraday Future factory concept "Our plan is to invest $1 billion dollars in a 3-million-square-foot facility on approximately 900 acres," Reckhorn said at the time. The plant, which is expected to be the first site of Faraday Future's global manufacturing operations, would bring about 4,500 jobs to the region, according to Faraday. We've asked Faraday Future for comment on this story. We'll update this post when we hear back. NOW WATCH: Tesla's rival just unveiled its first car and it looks like a futuristic Batmobile More From Business Insider HELSINKI (Reuters) - Two people in Finland have tested positive for the mosquito-transmitted Zika virus since last summer, the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) said on Wednesday. The first case was a man who returned from the Maldives in June, the World Health Organization said on its website - about the same time that the outbreak was first reported in Brazil. The second case was diagnosed more recently, THL said, declining to give any further details. The Zika virus is linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil and is spreading rapidly in the Americas. There are also cases in European countries. (This story corrects to say the first person returned from the Maldives, not South America) (Reporting by Jussi Rosendahl; Editing by Louise Ireland) (Adds quotes, background) By George Georgiopoulos ATHENS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Greece's central bank governor warned on Wednesday that further delay in completing a first review of the country's bailout reforms could imperil a projected economic recovery in the second half of this year. Bank of Greece Chief Yannis Stournaras has repeatedly underlined the need to implement reforms the leftist-led government agreed with official lenders under a third bailout clinched last July, saying any backtracking entailed risks. Reforming Greece's ailing pension system is a prerequisite for the conclusion of the review, which is expected to open the way for debt relief talks, but the government is facing protests from farmers and other groups of workers. "Every hour that we fail to complete the review weighs on confidence," Stournaras told the Greek parliament's economic affairs committee. "It (completion) should have been done before the end of last year." "Social and political consensus is very important, Cyprus is the closest example. It exited the bailout faster than us," he added, stressing the need to persuade Greeks of the need for further sacrifice to get the economy back on an even keel. Eurogroup head Djisselbloem said last month the conclusion of the first review of Greek reforms could take months rather than weeks. There are also concerns in Europe that the review might be derailed by domestic politics. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has a parliamentary majority of just three. A positive assessment of Greece's reforms by its official lenders would boost confidence, improve the banking system's liquidity through the return of deposits and pave the way for a further loosening of capital controls. BIG DIVIDEND Stournaras told deputies the Bank of Greece would pay the state a large dividend of around 700 million euros on the profits it has made from providing billions of euros of emergency funding to the country's banks. Greece's banks will not need another recapitalisation this year or in the future if they manage well their load of non-performing loans, he added. Story continues The Bank of Greece, which supervises a 9.5 billion euro portfolio of 14 bad banks after a wave a consolidation, has so far managed to recover 800 million euros of low quality loans. "This shows that banks could at least recover 10 percent out of the 100 billion euros of non-performing loans," he said. Asked about the impact of Europe's migrant crisis on the Greek economy, Stournaras said transit countries such as Greece bear substantial costs while final-destination countries such as Germany enjoy long-term benefits from an expanded workforce. Athens is speeding up the completion of five migrant centres and two relocation camps after the European Commission accused it of neglecting its duties as a member of Europe's passport-free Schengen zone Stournaras said Greece would suffer significantly in terms of goods transportation and tourism if the EU followed up on its threats to expel the country from Schengen. (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Gareth Jones) ATHENS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Greek farmers on Wednesday vowed to step up action against a controversial pensions reform bill, spurning an appeal from the country's prime minister to negotiate plans which have triggered mass blockades across the country. "We will only examine the possibility of a dialogue with the prime minister if he rescinds the (pension reform) bill," said Vangelis Boutas, a representative of a farmers alliance of 65 groupings across Greece staging protests. Earlier, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he was willing to enter talks with farmers on ways to correct any perceived shortcomings in the pension reform bill. Thousands of farmers are threatening to descend on Athens with their tractors on Feb. 12 against the reforms which will force them to substantially increase social security contributions and pay more tax. (Reporting By Lefteris Papadimas, writing by Michele Kambas) Getty Images. The outcome in New Hampshire may be like a "Seinfeld" episode: amusing, full quirky characters but with no clear message, Politico's Ben White says. The 2016 contest in New Hampshire could wind up being the "Seinfeld" primary, a political event about nothing. Or at least one that clarifies nothing. If current polling holds and that is a massive "if" these days Donald Trump will score a fairly convincing win. But after Trump, there could be a four-candidate pile-up. Jeb Bush, John Kasich , Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are all tightly bunched behind. One of them will get the bragging rights of finishing second but none is likely to gain much separation. If that turns out to be the case, then the question of who emerges as the "establishment lane" alternative to Trump and Cruz will remain completely unclear. Bush, Kasich and Rubio will likely all have rationales for staying in the race at least through South Carolina and Nevada and possibly even through Super Tuesday on March 1. The things we do know about the race are not likely to change after New Hampshire . Cruz and Trump will continue to battle for the title of hardcore conservative outsider champion. And someone, eventually, will emerge as the more mainstream, traditional GOP option. After Rubio's strong third place finish in Iowa, it looked like the Florida senator had the clearest path to unifying the establishment wing. But then Rubio had his robotic debate meltdown and raised fresh questions about his readiness for the role of Republican presidential nominee. Kasich has promised that if he didn't do well in New Hampshire he would pack it up and head back to Ohio. But Kasich's moderate approach and sunny demeanor has helped him rise in the Granite State, and he is likely to get a ticket out of the state to continue his campaign, even though subsequent Southern contests offer little hope for him. Bush needs a strong result to stall a rush of donors to Rubio and keep his hopes alive. And he seems likely to get it. As Rubio falters, the once-dead Bush dream of playing the long game and emerging as the establishment savior now appears to have at least a sliver of life. Story continues The lone odd man out in New Hampshire could turn out to be Chris Christie , who despite his strong debate performance and evisceration of Rubio is still mired in single digits in late polls. If Christie does wind up well out of the top group in New Hampshire it's hard to see a reason for him to continue. He doesn't have much money and has little to no shot of doing well in South Carolina without a momentum boost from Tuesday's primary. If anyone is likely to drop out after Tuesday night, it's Christie. Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina might be another who decides to call it quits after New Hampshire. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson will also likely finish near the bottom but has already moved on to South Carolina. After premature reports of his demise in Iowa, it's hard to imagine Carson giving anyone the satisfaction of actually leaving the race based on New Hampshire. So after all the millions in ad spending and exhaustive coverage, New Hampshire could wind up leaving the race pretty much where it is was before Iowa. Trump would once again be the front-runner in a pitched battle with Cruz and a trio of hopefuls battling behind them. Of course there is also the chance that the polls, as they were in Iowa, are totally wrong. If someone manages to beat Trump, that would be a truly momentous event. A Trump loss might not knock the billionaire out of the race. But it would likely mean that he is definitely not going to be the Republican nominee. The more likely outcome is New Hampshire winding up like a "Seinfeld" episode: amusing, full of weirdness and quirky characters with no clear message at all. Ben White is Politico's chief economic correspondent and a CNBC contributor. He also authors the daily tip sheet Politico Morning Money [politico.com/morningmoney]. Follow him on Twitter @morningmoneyben. More From CNBC Joshua Wong, prominent student activist from Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement, blames the deteriorated relationship between police and the people of Hong Kong for the Mong Kok riots on Monday. "Those relations have reached a critical point of hostility and Hong Kong demonstrators are using violence to challenge the police's violence and fight against the rule of law," said Joshua Wong, in a self-authored TwReporter.org article. A ballooning crowd began protesting government officials' clearing of illegal street vendors -- many of whom were selling local food -- at a central intersection on Monday night, which was also the first day of the Lunar New Year. The riot police were also deployed to the area. Tensions quickly escalated into a violent clash between protestors and the police in Tuesday's early hours. Protesters threw large objects and bricks pried from the sidewalks at the police, who had initially fired warning shots and then used pepper spray and batons on protestors. The Mong Kok riots were reportedly the most violent clashes in Hong Kong since November 2014 and have been trending on social media as the #FishballRevolution. The riots are the culmination of "two years of heated dissatisfaction and public distrust of the government," said Wong in the TwReporter.com article. He pointed to the disappearance of the Causeway Bay Books staff and a 2014 incident in which seven policemen who had attacked a protestor for nearly four minutes as reasons behind the Hong Kong public's dissent. Demonstrators are "using force to defend the social values they believe in," said Wong. Wong said while he empathized with demonstrators, he does not condone the use of violence, preferring a "non-violent struggle for Hong Kong people's rights." The 19-year old student activist also warned of Hong Kong citizens' growing defiance, which "will not disappear just like that." He added that there is a snowball effect for "ignoring the violent crimes of the police "who have reached unacceptable levels of brutality." Story continues Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung addressed the protectorate in a television-aired statement on Tuesday, condemning demonstrators and voicing his support for the police force. "A few hundred [demonstrators] attacked police officers and the media in Mong Kok. They damaged police cars and public properties, committed acts of arson, threw bricks and odd objects at police officers, including those who had already been injured and lying on the ground," said Leung. "The SAR (Special Administration Region) government strongly condemns such violent acts, the police will apprehend the [demonstrators] and bring them to justice," said Leung, who also voiced his sympathies for injured police officers. The police-public clash wasn't just about Hong Kong's street food. The Mong Kok riot follows the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests, which blocked major streets in Hong Kong for months, as pro-democracy activists braved tear gas, pepper gas and police baton charges. The protesters' primary demand was the ability to select candidates for Hong Kong's chief executive post, rather than being forced to choose from a slate pre-determined by Beijing. Other demands have included the resignation of the unpopular current chief executive, CY Leung. The demands weren't met and that protest ended in December 2014 after authorities cleared away barricades and tent cities. Joseph Cheng, founder of Power for Democracy, a pro-democracy political group, said the Mong Kok riot was "an unexpected clash between regulators and illegal hawkers who are usually quite tolerated during the Chinese New Year period." Similarly, the Hong Kong student activist group Scholarism said in a statement released today that the unlicensed street stalls are "cherished and viewed as a precious heritage" of Hong Kong. Media reports indicate that Hong Kong Indigenous, a local rights group, was heavily involved in the Mong Kok protests. Hong Kong Indigenous was founded after the Umbrella Revolution, and its members harbor strong anti-mainland sentiment. The group confirmed on its official Facebook page that Edward Leung Tin-Kei, its candidate for the upcoming Legislative Council by-elections was arrested Tuesday. Groups such as the Hong Kong Indigenous and radical youth groups are dissatisfied with the "unpopular administration who have been refusing to talk to the public and to the opposition and these groups," Cheng told Asia Squawk Box . He explained that factions such as the Hong Kong Indigenous and radical youth groups "believe the only way to express their grievances are to take part in direct action against the authorities." But Cheng was concerned that such violent protests may be a fillip to "the [Hong Kong] administration and cause a public opinion backlash against the mainstream, moderate and pro-democracy groups." Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. -- CNBC's Huileng Tan contributed to this report More From CNBC IMF chief Christine Lagarde warned last week that it was "hard to see" how the bailout could continue without Ukraine pushing through the economic restructuring and anti-corruption measures (AFP Photo/Mandel Ngan) Washington (AFP) - The International Monetary Fund threatened to cut crucial financial aid to cash-strapped Ukraine Wednesday because of the country's "slow progress" in fighting corruption. "Without a substantial new effort to invigorate governance reforms and fight corruption, it is hard to see how the IMF-supported program can continue and be successful," Christine Lagarde, the IMF managing director, said in a strongly worded statement. Lagarde's comments followed the shock resignation one week ago of Ukraine's reformist economy minister, Aivaras Abromavicius, in protest against alleged influence-peddling and state graft. Lagarde last week said the reasons for his resignation were troubling, and she went much further Wednesday. "I am concerned about Ukraine's slow progress in improving governance and fighting corruption, and reducing the influence of vested interests in policymaking," she said. "It is vital that Ukraine's leadership acts now to put the country back on a promising path of reform." If the IMF makes good on its threat, it would freeze all future lending under the $17.5 billion four-year aid program agreed in March 2015 on the condition that cash-strapped Ukraine delivers drastic reforms. The Fund has disbursed $6.7 billion to date. The IMF program is the keystone of a roughly $40 billion international bailout of Ukraine that could collapse, with almost-certain disastrous consequences for a country reeling from a severe recession and a pro-Russian insurgency in the east. The IMF is the largest provider of aid for Ukraine. But the country is also hoping for billions of dollars in debt relief and loans from other countries and multilateral development banks. The World Bank, which is participating in the bailout, said it shared the IMF's concerns about Ukraine's slow progress in improving governance and fighting corruption. "Determined action is needed now," a Bank spokesman said in a brief emailed statement. Story continues - 'Political games' - The president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, spoke by phone with Lagarde Wednesday and emphasized that he is willing to carry out "decisive actions" to ensure the country's political and financial stability, including a cabinet shakeup without early parliamentary elections, his office said in a statement. "The parties agreed to elaborate a roadmap of the top-priority reforms that will give a boost to the Ukraine-IMF relations. They also agreed on the necessity of urgent adoption of all reformist laws by the Parliament," it said. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk renewed his pledge to reform the former Soviet republic. "The recent political games could cost our country dearly," Yatsenyuk told a meeting attended by foreign security and justice officials, as well foreign ambassadors, including those from the United States and Germany. "We will not permit a return of all the old Ukrainian rules," said Yatsenyuk, who threatened to quit Friday along with his entire government. "We will only get help when the whole world sees that we are helping ourselves and moving our country forward." The stakes are also high for the IMF, which has been criticized for offering aid to Ukraine in 2015 under pressure from the US, its largest stakeholder, and the European Union, despite concerns about the country's high debt, recession and the serious geopolitical conflict with neighboring Russia. The IMF recently modified one of its key lending rules which had threatened the continuation of its aid to Ukraine over sustainability issues, triggering an angry response from Russia which said the move "seriously undermines" its confidence in the IMF's decisions. The latest developments with Ukraine also bring back bad memories for the IMF. In 2008 and in 2010, the IMF abandoned two previous lines of credit for the country -- $16.4 billion and $15.1 billion, respectively -- over the lack of political will in Kiev for reforms. "Ukraine risks a return to the pattern of failed economic policies that has plagued its recent history," Lagarde said Wednesday. The US ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, was even firmer on Twitter. "Policies & practices that held this country back in the past can no longer be tolerated," he tweeted. Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan speaks during an interview with Reuters in New Delhi, June 12, 2015. REUTERS/Anindito Mukherjee/Files By Nidhi Verma and Sankalp Phartiyal NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has invited investments from the United Arab Emirates in a slew of oil projects as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drive to attract greater foreign participation in upgrading and expanding the South Asian nation's stretched infrastructure. India is eager for foreign capital and technology to develop its economy while the UAE, among the richest of the Gulf Arab energy exporters, wants to use overseas investment to diversify its asset base. During Modi's trip to the UAE last year, the two states agreed to set up a $75 billion fund to invest in India's infrastructure projects and other fields "India is looking at UAE as a preferred partner for some of the projects ... They have realised the potential of the Indian market," Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters after a meeting with UAE Energy Minister Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazroui. Pradhan said that the UAE is keen to use half of the 1.5 million tonne oil storage facility India has built at Mangalore in Karnataka. India has offered the UAE one chamber at the Mangalore site to store oil. Of that oil, the gulf state would be allowed to use only a third for exports while the remainder would be utilised by India as strategic reserves. Pradhan told the visiting minister that Indian companies are interested in acquiring a stake in Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO), which is developing the UAE's biggest oilfields. In a presentation to the visiting minister India also showcased opportunities in India's refining, petrochemical and pipeline sectors. These included an Oil and Natural Gas Corp petrochemical plant in western India and a Hindustan Petroleum Corp facility in southern India, with a 25 percent to 40 percent stake available for an estimated $530 billion to $850 million. Pradhan offered a 24 percent stake for $200 million in the Bina refinery aiming to increase its capacity by a quarter from 120,000 barrels per day. Story continues India, the world's fourth-biggest oil consumer, has also sought more oil from the UAE on favourable terms. In the financial year starting in April, state refiners wants to boost term purchases from the UAE by about 50,000 bpd from the current 204,000 bpd, Pradhan added. (Editing by David Goodman) FRANKFURT/LONDON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Gas Connect Austria, the pipeline unit of Austrian energy group OMV, has drawn interest from several parties ahead of an auction that could value the asset at up to 750 million euros ($845 million), three people familiar with the deal said. The sales process, which the sources said was organised by Citi, is expected to start in March and comes after OMV in October said interest for the up to 49 percent stake in the unit was "strong", adding it expected a deal this year. Parties expected to participate in the auction include a consortium of German insurer Allianz and Borealis Infrastructure, which is part of Canadian pension fund OMERS. Both groups had previously teamed up in 2013 to acquire Net4Gas, the Czech gas pipeline operator previously owned by German utility RWE. Gas Connect Austria is also expected to fetch interest from Belgium's Fluxys, Czech-Slovak energy group EPH as well as First State Investments, the asset management arm of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), the people said. Allianz, Citi and Borealis declined to comment. EPH, First State and Fluxys were not immediately available for comment. ($1 = 0.8877 euros) (Reporting by Christoph Steitz, Freya Berry and Arno Schuetze; Editing by Maria Sheahan) Iran Is Ready to Talk to Saudi Arabia: Can Oil Gain? Possible production cut? In an official statement, Irans petroleum minister said that the country is ready to talk to Saudi Arabia about continuing conditions in the crude oil market. It might hint at a possible production cut initiated by Russia (ERUS). However, Saudi Arabia still isnt commenting on this issue. Experts think that Saudi Arabia is buying time. Oil experts know that a production cut without Saudi Arabia concerned will be a direct threat to the market share of other top oil exporters. Saudi Arabia is also facing geopolitical tensions from Syria and Yemen. The Syrian peace talks failed. They should resume on February 25. The talks will be key to breaking Saudi Arabias silence. The series will focus on the following points. Decoding Saudi Arabias silence Why Iran is willing to talk to Saudi Arabia Why there may not be huge upside in crude oil even after a production cut Moving average analysis of different energy streams along with a look at renewable energy resources Energy portfolio waiting for a production cut As of February 9, 2016, the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP) is trading below its February 2009 lows. The above graph shows the impact of lower crude oil prices on the upstream benchmark. Upstream stock such as Denbury Resources (DNR), Kosmos Energy (KOS), Apache (APA), and others are trading close to their 52-week lows. Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem May 10, 2015. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner Prominent Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz served as an appellate adviser for O.J. Simpson during the trial that captivated the US in the mid-1990s. Proving "the trial of the century" had far-reaching impact, Dershowitz shared a story about a surprising world leader who was also captivated by the trial. Dershowitz relayed the following exchange he had with Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, about Simpson's trial back in the '90s. Benjamin Netanyahu had just been elected prime minister for the first time and I'm in Israel so he calls me into the office and he says, 'I want to go to the secret office where no one can can overhear. I want to ask you something.' I thought he was going to ask me about Iran's nuclear program. He said, 'So, did O.J. do it?' I said, 'Mr. Prime Minister, does Israel have nuclear weapons?' And he said, 'Alan you know I can't tell you that.' And I said, 'Aha! You know I can't tell you that.' Dershowitz belonged to "The Dream Team" that succeeded in getting Simpson acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in 1995. Dershowitz says even he was surprised when the jury came back with a not guilty verdict. "I never thought we were going to win. I was always prepared to do the appeal," he said. NOW WATCH: Michelle Obama jokes that Barack was a bum in high school More From Business Insider Premium technical services company Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. JEC recently announced that it has secured a new contract from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). The deal, aimed at modernizing the transportation infrastructure of Georgia, has a duration of three years. Per the new contract, Jacobs would offer its unique generalized engineering and support services for the Lower Piedmont Region of Georgia. This region includes the entire of GDOTs District 3 and certain portions of Districts 7 and 2. Jacobs would be providing professional, administrative and technical services associated with traffic engineering, roadway plans, environment, utility coordination, bridge design and other transportation-related services in specified regions of Georgia. Jacobs is one of the leading providers of technical services and construction solutions for diversified public, industrial and commercial clients worldwide. The company also offers rail planning, rail consulting, and designing & construction services to several private as well as public railroads in the U.S. The firm remains keen on improving its business through appropriate organic growth initiatives. We believe the latest contract from GDOT, apart from helping to improve the transportation facilities of Georgia, will also reinforce Jacobs organic growth path. Stocks to Consider Jacobs presently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the industry include Fluor Corporation FLR, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. BR and Deluxe Corp. DLX. All three stocks hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report JACOBS ENGIN GR (JEC): Free Stock Analysis Report FLUOR CORP-NEW (FLR): Free Stock Analysis Report BROADRIDGE FINL (BR): Free Stock Analysis Report DELUXE CORP (DLX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research * Asahi, AB InBev in exclusive talks following $2.9 bln bid * Asahi eyes overseas expansion beer sales fall in Japan * AB InBev seeking antitrust approval for SABMiller takeover (Adds financial details from source) By Pamela Barbaglia, Edwina Gibbs and Martinne Geller LONDON/TOKYO, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Japan's Asahi Group Holdings said it is in exclusive talks to buy SABMiller's Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime beer brands for 2.55 billion euros ($2.9 billion), as it looks to offset slow growth in its home market. The sale of the European brands is being orchestrated by Anheuser-Busch InBev, which is trying to secure antitrust approval for its $100 billion-plus takeover of SABMiller, agreed last year. Asahi is Japan's biggest brewer with 38 percent of its home market, where a shrinking population and the increasing popularity of wine have weighed on beer sales over two decades. With Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime, the company would diversify its footprint with sizeable positions in the premium beer segments of Italy, Britain and the Netherlands, and new distribution opportunities for its namesake Asahi Super Dry. Asahi said it was buying the overseas businesses for growth, while its home market will remain its profit mainstay. "For Asahi this is the answer to a prayer," said a source familiar with the matter. The $2.9 billion price tag represents an estimated multiple of 21.5 times the brands' earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), according to Nomura analysts. They say that compares to a multiple of 17.1 times EBITDA that AB InBev is paying for SABMiller. "We believe that the high multiple likely reflects competitive tension as well as low borrowing costs in Japan," Nomura said in a note. However, the source said Asahi had based its offer on an EBITDA figure of 170 million euros, a multiple of only 15 times. The offer is on a debt and cash free basis and hinges on regulatory approval of AB InBev's purchase of SABMiller, which is expected later this year. Story continues Asahi and AB InBev, the world's biggest brewer, have agreed to a period of exclusivity while they conduct the relevant employee information and consultation processes. Reuters previously reported that AB InBev had received offers from U.S. private equity firm KKR & Co LP, Fraser and Neave Ltd, which is part of Thai Beverage , and European investment firms PAI Partners SAS, EQT Corp and Jacobs Holding. AB InBev, which makes Budweiser and Stella Artois, is making the biggest acquisition in consumer goods history with the purchase of London-listed SABMiller. It has already agreed to sell SAB's majority-stake in U.S. venture MillerCoors to Denver-based venture partner Molson Coors for $12 billion. Questions remain over the future ownership of SABMiller's Chinese joint venture CR Snow. Asahi was advised by Rothschild, while AB InBev was advised by Lazard and Deutsche Bank. Legal advisers were Hogan Lovells for SAB and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for AB InBev. ($1 = 114.4600 yen) ($1 = 0.8886 euros) (Reporting by Martinne Geller and Pamela Barbaglia in London, Ritsuko Ando in Tokyo and Robert-Jan Bartunek in Brussels; Editing by Keith Weir and Alexander Smith) Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia arrest Sinaloa cartel One of the Sinaloa cartel's highest-ranking woman operatives was arrested in the cartel's home turf of Culiacan on Tuesday. Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, 55, also known as "La Patrona," served as a lieutenant for one of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's sons and has been indicted for money laundering and drug trafficking. In November, she was designated a "Foreign Narcotics Kingpin" by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), which said she was "originally from Michoacan, [and] moves both drugs and money for the Sinaloa Cartel." Sinaloa cartel leaders Nov. 2015 Fernandez, is "responsible for importing large quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana from Mexico into the United States," according to a statement from Mexico's National Defense Commission, cited by Vice News. The statement added that she had been arrested in 1998 and imprisoned in California before returning to drug-trafficking. Fernandez is one of the Sinaloa cartel's top-ranked women, Jose Carlos Cisneros, an academic who has investigated the role of women in Mexican cartels, told Vice News. She will be held in federal prison in Mexico until authorities there decide how her case will go forward, according to the statement from the National Defense Commission. Her arrest comes just a month after that of "El Chapo" Guzman himself, who is also awaiting possible extradition to the US, though he is reportedly already trying to negotiate the terms of his imprisonment in the US. NOW WATCH: This is how Mexican drug cartels make billions selling drugs More From Business Insider (Adds closing peso price) By Michael O'Boyle MEXICO CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Mexico's peso sank to a record low on Tuesday, pressured by what analysts described as bets against riskier assets in general and a move by investors to hedge big positions in local bonds. The peso tumbled to an all-time low of 18.9350 per dollar as fears of a global slowdown pushed investors to safe-haven currencies like the Japanese yen and Swiss franc. The currency pared losses to close at 18.80 per dollar, down 0.8 percent versus Monday, but analysts expect the peso to face further losses ahead amid a rout in emerging market assets. Oil prices fell 6 percent, hurting the peso which often trades off oil prices. While Mexico is a major crude producer, its economy is far more dependent on its factory exports. "There is a lot of panic in the global market," said Benito Berber, an analyst at Nomura in New York, who said the peso's slump "doesn't have a lot to do with Mexico itself." Mexico's peso is among the most liquid global currencies, which often makes it the most convenient asset to bet against whenever global sentiment turns sour against riskier assets in general. That liquidity is partly behind why the peso has suffered deeper losses so far this year than Brazil's real, Russia's rouble or South Africa's rand - all currencies linked to countries with crises spurred by poor local policymaking. The peso has shed nearly 9 percent this year, while the rouble is down more than 7 percent and the rand more than 3 percent. Brazil's real has gained more than 1 percent. Speculative short positions, such as bets by hedge funds, against the Mexican peso recorded on the Chicago exchange have spiked since late last year and are near their most extreme levels ever. But even as bets against the peso have climbed, foreign holding of the country's local currency bonds have held steady near record levels, around 2.12 trillion Mexican pesos ($112 billion). That contrasts to big outflows from other emerging markets. Story continues Foreign holdings of Mexican peso bonds surged eightfold since the 2009 financial crisis as investors cheered Mexico's orthodox fiscal and monetary policy and major economic reforms, like opening its energy sector to private investment. Now those bondholders are partly responsible for driving the peso weaker as they put on hedge positions to compensate for the weaker peso, said Andrew Stanners, an emerging markets fund manager at Aberdeen Asset Management in London. "Mexico is a victim of its own success," said Stanners. "There isn't anything specifically within the fundamentals of Mexico that is a reason for the peso to depreciate so much." Sergio Luna, an economist at Citigroup Mexican unit Banamex saw low liquidity early this week as exacerbating the peso's move. Markets in Brazil are closed due to the Carnival holiday while markets in Asia closed for the Lunar New Year. "This is really weird," Luna said, noting that his bank had not seen signs of big bets by hedge funds or real money investors this week. "This is more offshore, it must be some robots working on risk aversion algorithms," Luna said. (Reporting by Michael O'Boyle and Miguel Angel Gutierrez; Editing by Tom Brown) (Adds details and background) CASABLANCA, Morocco Feb 10 (Reuters) - Morocco's four largest labour unions have called for a 24-hour general strike by both public- and private-sector workers on Feb. 24 to protest government reforms of pensions and subsidies, the unions said in a statement on Wednesday. More than its neighbours in North Africa, Morocco has been praised by international lenders for progress in controlling the high public spending. It has ended fuel subsidies and frozen public-sector hiring. Last month, the government moved into another sensitive area, when it adopted a bill last month outlining planned pension reforms. Unions have vowed to block the reforms, saying they would damage workers' rights. The walkouts are the second general strike against the Islamist-led government that the four biggest unions intend to organize. "The government has been taking decisions on its own without any dialogue and repressing peaceful protests," a statement from the Moroccan Labour Union (UMT), Democratic Labour Confederation (CDT), Democratic Federation of Labour (FDT) and General Union of Moroccan Workers (UGTM) said. "The government says these are reforms, but we call it corruption," said Miloudi Moukharik, the leader of the biggest union, UMT. General strikes in Morocco used to be very violent, although the most recent organized by the country's unions, in 2014, was a limited success. However, the new call comes at a sensitive time. Government decisions are starting to create social tensions, triggering protests, sit-ins and strikes that challenge the government's resolve. The government may face even more pressure in 2016. Weak economic growth is expected with a drought looming, after an exceptional cereal harvest in 2015. (Reporting by Zakia Abdennebi, writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Larry King) Hundreds of migrants and refugees disembark from a ferry at the port of Piraeus on February 10, 2016 (AFP Photo/Louisa Gouliamaki) (AFP) Brussels (AFP) - NATO defence ministers discussed Wednesday a request by key members Germany and Turkey to help cope with a massive influx of refugees, mostly fleeing the Syrian conflict, alliance head Jens Stoltenberg said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Ankara on Monday that Turkey and Germany would ask NATO to help police the Turkish coast to prevent smugglers from packing migrants into boats for the perilous crossing to Greece. Stoltenberg said the 28 allies "are now considering the request for NATO support for coping with the migrant and refugee crisis and we are of course doing that in very close dialogue with the allies that are most affected." "There are consultations and discussions going on now but I can not tell you anything about the conclusions," he said as NATO defence ministers held a two-day meeting in Brussels. "We have to look very carefully into whether and how NATO can make a contribution and a difference," he said, adding that there could be an announcement on Thursday. Agreeing a NATO role could prove difficult as Turkey and Greece have a long history of disputes, including in the Aegean Sea where the migrants cross. Turkey -- the only Muslim-majority nation in NATO and with one of its largest armies -- was the main transit country for the more than one million migrants who reached Europe last year. Once in Greece, they mostly made their way north to Germany and other richer countries in the European Union, driving what has become Europe's worst migrant crisis since World War II. The problem shows no sign of slowing -- more than 70,000 made the dangerous crossing in January, with over 400 dying, according to the International Organization for Migration (OIM). As fighting intensifies in Syria, there are growing fears hundreds of thousands more could follow as the EU struggles to control the influx, having agreed a joint action plan agreed with Turkey in November. EVANSTON, IL--(Marketwired - February 10, 2016) - Oregon manufacturing employment rose 1.2% in 2015, reports the 2016 Oregon Manufacturers Directory, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. According to MNI's database of manufacturers, Oregon gained 2,683 manufacturing jobs from December 2014 to December 2015. Oregon is now home to 5,628 manufacturers employing 229,819 workers. MNI data shows the state has so far added 14,383 industrial jobs or 6.7% since December 2010, recovering 60% of jobs lost during the recession. "Oregon boasts a unique and diverse manufacturing sector, with strongholds across a variety of subsectors from electronics to lumber. Its abundant natural resources and relatively low business costs have been a draw for many manufacturers," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "However, like much of the nation, finding skilled workers for 21st century jobs remains a challenge for the state." For the full report, including a regional analysis and specific company news, click here or visit http://www.manufacturersnews.com/news. MNI reports gains were led by the food processing industry, which increased 3.3% over the year. Food processing accounts for the largest share of Oregon's manufacturing employment, employing 33,808. The second-ranked electronics sector accounts for 31,804 Oregon manufacturing jobs, virtually unchanged over the year, while the third-ranked lumber/wood sector accounts for 29,550 jobs, up 1.1% in 2015. Other Oregon industries adding jobs over the year included leather products, up 8%; chemicals, up 4.5%; and transportation equipment, up 2.9%. City data collected by MNI shows Portland is the state's top city by manufacturing employment, down 1.9% over the year to 50,501 jobs. Employment in second-ranked Hillsboro held steady at 25,063 jobs, and rose 1.5% in third-ranked Beaverton to 18,775 jobs. Manufacturing jobs in Eugene rose 3.6% to 12,150, and climbed 7.2% in fifth-ranked Salem to 8,346. Established in 1912, Manufacturers' News, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest publisher of industrial information. MNI offers a variety of tailored solutions to help customers connect with 430,000 manufacturers and suppliers. MNI's industrial database subscription service EZ Select (www.ezselect.com) allows users to tap into a live interactive database of manufacturers, while its industrial search engine IndustryNet (www.industrynet.com) connects buyers and suppliers and allows users to view profiles and obtain competitive quotes. For more information, contact Manufacturers' News, Inc. 847-864-7000. http://www.mni.net or follow MNI on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mfrsnews. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/2/10/11G082347/Images/OR_2016-3921cdb86fd9865991bc1f604f71f98f.jpg Ohio Governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich walks onstage during a primary election party after finishing second to Donald Trump, February 9, 2016, in Concord, New Hampshire (AFP Photo/Dominick Reuter) (AFP) Manchester (United States) (AFP) - Republican John Kasich surged into national view following the New Hampshire presidential primary, clinching a coveted second-place finish by betting on his image as an experienced, more moderate optimist compared to his firebrand rivals. The Ohio governor won about 16 percent of the vote after staking his White House dreams on this small northeastern state, where he ran an intense campaign that was often left out of a spotlight that favored negativity and bombast on the 2016 trail. He has lagged in national polls at around four percent, but his showing in New Hampshire may signal a reversal of fortune. "There's magic in the air with this campaign," an elated but thoughtful Kasich told supporters after the results came in. "We see this as an opportunity for all of us -- and I mean all of us -- to be involved in something that's bigger than our own lives: to change America." Kasich traveled to New Hampshire dozens of times starting last March -- months before he declared himself a candidate for president. He took part in 106 town hall-style campaign events. Affable and seemingly relaxed on the campaign trail, the 63-year-old Kasich largely refrained from attacking his opponents, projecting a relentlessly positive image that set him apart from his combative rivals, the billionaire frontrunner Donald Trump chief among them. "We never went negative because we have more good to sell than to spend our time being critical of somebody else," Kasich said to loud cheers Tuesday night. "Maybe, just maybe, we're turning the page on the dark part of American politics because tonight the light overcame the darkness of negative campaigning." - Endorsement - Kasich has emphasized his experience, harking back to his party's more moderate past at a time when the Republican camp is dominated by increasingly extreme voices. "Looking for a Reagan conservative? You've found one," his campaign tweeted Tuesday above a photograph of a young Kasich shaking the Republican icon's hand. Story continues Kasich earned an endorsement from The New York Times, which called him "the only plausible choice for Republicans tired of the extremism and inexperience on display in this race." Still, in absolute terms, Kasich is "no moderate," the Times noted, citing his record of confronting trade unions, limiting abortion rights, opposing same-sex marriage -- a reflection of just how far right the Republican Party has moved. Kasich is also a vocal defender of the right to bear arms, another fault line in America's increasingly polarized politics. A father to teenaged twin daughters, Kasich -- whose campaign presents him as a "husband, father, friend" -- came a lowly eighth in the Iowa caucuses that kicked off the nomination race last week, taking a mere 1.9 percent of the Republican vote. But he knew his chances would be much better in New Hampshire's key primary, the country's first. - 'Deep in the heart' - Elected Ohio governor in 2010 and re-elected in 2014, Kasich previously served as a US congressman from 1983 to 2001, when he earned kudos for helping balance federal budgets, and as a state senator from 1979 to 1983. He considered a presidential bid in 2000 before giving up politics, going to work as an investment banker and commentator for Fox News. Kasich has often touted his bipartisan credentials while in office. In 1994 he voted with Democrats to support an assault weapons ban under president Bill Clinton, which earned him the National Rifle Association's wrath. He also proposed his own version of universal health care as a House Budget Committee member during the 1990s. Although his campaign budget is dwarfed by those of big spenders like Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz, Kasich has promised to stick to his positive campaign script. "It's not just what's up here in the head, it's also what's here deep in the heart," he said, tapping his fist against his chest. Since he launched his campaign, Kasich has been mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick, someone who could help carry the crucial swing state of Ohio while lending gravitas and experience to the ticket. He will now be hoping his result in New Hampshire will buoy his own nomination fortunes in South Carolina, where the Republican primary contest heads next week. Limited prospects are pushing investors to secondary markets. Despite investors continued interest in the local hotel investment market, transaction activity in Singapore as well as Hong Kong will be sluggish in 2016, according to a report by JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group. Investors will continue to look at these established financial centres. However, lack of available assets in Hong Kongwhich saw its highest number of transactions ever in 2015will make it competitive. Similarly the tightly-held hotel stock in Singapore will mean any opportunities will be highly sought-after, stated the report. Meanwhile, the scarcity of prospects will have investors flocking to pockets of liquidity across Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. Interesting investment opportunities will probably pop up in markets such as Thailand, the Maldives, and Mauritius. China and Japan will also continue to bask in investor attention in 2016. China will see sustained and likely increased hotel trades as big-ticket acquisitions attract even more interest, and Japan will also probably register high deal volumes that comprise domestic REITs coupled with interest from US Private Equity funds and Southeast Asian families. Japan will also be flush with demand from Chinese investors looking to purchase hotels in second tier Japanese markets. Meanwhile, Australia will keep attracting strong investors interest. The widely expected scarcity of available stock will likely result in increased competition for the opportunity to enter the the Sydney and Melbourne market in particular. Moreover, hotel REITs in Asia will also be on the rise if tax structures change to offer similar benefits to those seen in the US. More From Singapore Business Review Sri Lankas former president Mahinda Rajapakse (R) with his brother Gotabhaya Rajapakse (L), who was the country's defence secretary in 2009 (AFP Photo/Ishara S. Kodikara) Ex-president Mahinda Rajapakse's brother denounced Monday the UN human rights chief's visit to Sri Lanka as a "big joke", as the former regime stepped up opposition to a UN-backed war-crimes probe. Former president Rajapakse and his brother, ex-defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, have signed a petition against the probe into allegations of thousands of civilian deaths during the final months of Sri Lanka's separatist war. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein arrived on Saturday for a four-day visit to gauge the island's progress in investigating war-time atrocities, before he delivers an assessment to the UN Human Rights Council in March. Gotabhaya Rajapakse accused authorities of arranging for Zeid to meet only sympathisers of Tamil rebels, who were crushed by government troops in 2009 following a 37-year war for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils. "He can't come here for a day and expect to understand the situation. He is only meeting one side," Gotabhaya, who was defence secretary during the war's finale, told reporters in Colombo. "It is a big joke." Flanked by the ex-president, Gotabhaya repeated the former regime's longstanding position that no war crimes were committed by government troops in the final push. After defeating Rajapakse at presidential elections a year ago, his successor Maithripala Sirisena agreed to investigate allegations troops killed up to 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months. Zeid on Sunday visited the former war zones of Jaffna and Trincomalee in the island's north and northeast. He told local Tamil leaders on the Jaffna peninsula, which saw some of the worst fighting, that there should not be a general amnesty, but a swift legal process to deal with rebel detainees. "As a general principle it is not acceptable to grant amnesties to those convicted of the most serious crimes -- war crimes or crimes against humanity," a spokesman for the rights chief told AFP. Story continues But the UN would welcome a release of those against whom there was insufficient evidence. More than 200 suspected Tamil separatists remain in prison, many without charge. Tamil political and civil society groups have long demanded their unconditional release, though the government has refused a blanket amnesty. Syrians fleeing the northern embattled city of Aleppo wait in Bab-Al Salama, near the Turkish border (AFP Photo/Bulent Kilic) Riyadh (AFP) - With rebel forces facing the prospect of a crushing defeat by Syria's Russian-backed regime, their allies Saudi Arabia and Turkey may send in limited numbers of ground troops, analysts say. Riyadh has left open the possibility of deploying soldiers, saying it would "contribute positively" if the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in Syria decides on ground action. The fate of Saudi-backed Syrian armed opposition groups fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad is also a major concern for Riyadh. "I think Saudi Arabia is desperate to do something in Syria," said Andreas Krieg of the Department of Defence Studies at King's College London. Krieg said the "moderate" opposition is in danger of being routed if Aleppo falls to the regime, whose forces have closed in on Syria's second city, backed by intense Russian air strikes. "This is a problem for Saudi and Qatar as they have massively invested into Syria via the moderate opposition as their surrogate on the ground," said Krieg, who is also a consultant to Qatar's armed forces. Russia, which along with Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran is a major Assad ally, has meanwhile accused Turkey of "preparations for an armed invasion" of Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the claims "laughable". On Saturday, Damascus issued a grim warning to both Riyadh and Ankara against any military intervention on the ground. "Let no one think they can attack Syria or violate its sovereignty because I assure you any aggressor will return to their country in a wooden coffin, whether they be Saudis or Turks," Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said. - Iran warning - The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard mockingly said Saudi Arabia wouldn't dare send ground troops, and that any such intervention would be suicidal. "I don't think they would dare do that... If they do, they will inflict a coup de grace on themselves," Major General Ali Jafari said. Story continues Aleppo province is among the main strongholds of Syria's armed opposition, which is facing possibly its worst moment since the beginning of the nearly five-year war, at a time when peace efforts have stalled. The Saudi-backed opposition umbrella group, the High Negotiations Committee, says it will not return to peace talks which recently collapsed in Geneva unless its humanitarian demands are met. "The Saudis believe that the chance of a peaceful solution for the Syrian crisis is very limited," said Mustafa Alani of the independent Gulf Research Centre. "They don't see that there is a real pressure on the regime to give major concessions... They think eventually it will have to end in the battlefield. "Turkey is enthusiastic about this option (of ground troops) since the Russians started their air operation and tried to push Turkey outside the equation," Alani added. He said the Saudis are serious about committing troops "as part of a coalition, especially if the Turkish forces are going to be involved". But he and other analysts said Saudi involvement would be limited, given its leadership of a separate Arab coalition fighting in Yemen for almost a year and guarding the kingdom's southern border from attacks by Iran-backed Yemeni rebels. - Saudis 'overstretched' - "They are overstretched. But in principle I think they will not hesitate to send a certain number of their fighters to fight in Syria," Alani said, adding that this would probably include Saudi special forces. Turkey and Saudi already belong to a US-led coalition which officially has 65 members. It has been bombing IS in Syria and Iraq, as well as training local forces to fight the extremists. Krieg said that with Saudi and other Gulf kingdoms "bogged down" in Yemen, he could only foresee a possible expansion of "train and equip" missions involving Gulf special forces to help rebels in Syria. "Saudi and Qatar have already networks on the ground," he said, viewing Doha as a link between Riyadh and Ankara as relations improve. On Friday, US Central Command spokesman Pat Ryder welcomed Saudi Arabia's willingness to send soldiers against IS. The United States has been calling on coalition members to do more. In November, the United Arab Emirates said it was also ready to commit ground troops against jihadists in Syria. Jane Kinninmont, senior research fellow at London's Chatham House, said Riyadh is more interested in the Yemen war than battling IS. "But what you might see is small numbers of ground troops and perhaps also special forces which would be there partly to make a symbolic point that Saudi Arabia is supporting the fight against ISIS," she said, using another acronym for IS. She declared herself "a bit sceptical" about potential Turkish army involvement in Syria, "but we might see them having some kind of interest in containing Kurdish influence". (Adds details about U.S. Coast Guard investigation) By Laila Kearney Feb 10 (Reuters) - A Royal Caribbean cruise ship battered by an Atlantic storm will be met by a team of maritime investigators when it returns to its New Jersey port late on Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard said in a statement it could conduct an investigation, together with authorities from the Bahamas where the ship is registered, to determine "causal factors or lessons learned from this event that could help prevent injuries or damage in the future." The Anthem of the Seas ship departed on Saturday with 4,500 passengers and 1,600 crew from Cape Liberty, New Jersey, for what was supposed to have been a seven-night cruise to the Bahamas. On Sunday it was hit by high winds and 30-foot (9 meter) waves off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, cutting short the cruise. At least four people suffered minor injuries as the storm toppled furniture, collapsed ceilings and shattered glass on the vessel. Royal Caribbean said the storm was more severe than expected. The company said in a statement that the ship's operation was not affected, but concerns about more rough weather prompted the decision to return to port rather than continue on. Among other duties, the Coast Guard said it would inspect the ship to determine the extent of damages and ensure all repairs are made before the vessel's next trip. Coast Guard spokesman Charles Rowe said such inspections and investigations are not unusual. The vessel is set to dock at about at 9 p.m. EST (0200 GMT Thursday). (Reporting by Laila Kearney in New York; editing by Bill Trott and Tom Brown) IMF Managing Director Lagarde and Ukrainian President Poroshenko attend news conference after their meeting in Kiev International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko attend a news conference after their meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, September 6, 2015. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko By Tim Ahmann and Alessandra Prentice WASHINGTON/KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's president on Thursday told the International Monetary Fund he was committed to pursuing reforms to keep Kiev's $17.5 billion IMF bailout on track, after a sharp warning from the lender that the funds were at risk. The warning followed the shock resignation last week of the economy minister, Aivaras Abromavicius, which highlighted divisions inside the ruling coalition and its patchy performance on reforms promised under the IMF programme. "Without a substantial new effort to invigorate governance reforms and fight corruption, it is hard to see how the IMF-supported programme can continue and be successful," IMF chief Christine Lagarde said in a statement. In an apparent reference to Abromavicius's complaint that vested interests still dominated Ukrainian policymaking, Lagarde said she was concerned about slow progress on corruption. Later, however, Lagarde and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko spoke by telephone and agreed to draw up a "roadmap" aimed at keeping reforms moving forward. "The president noted the necessity of rebooting the government without snap elections, which would only deepen the political crisis and worsen conditions for carrying out reform," a statement on Poroshenko's official website said. In a separate statement, Lagarde said Poroshenko "reassured me of his unwavering commitment to reforms, including improving governance and fighting corruption." "We agreed on the principle of a roadmap of actions and priority measures to ensure prompt progress," she said. POLITICAL GAMES Ukraine's Western backers have warned it not to repeat the mistakes of the past when the euphoria of 2004's pro-European "Orange Revolution" eroded amid government infighting and a failure to stamp out graft. The central bank said it was vital Ukraine continued to work with the Fund and other foreign donors, who together had come forward with an international bailout totalling $40 billion. Story continues "Further delay in resuming cooperation with the IMF could have negative consequences as much for the financial stability of our country as for the welfare of citizens," it said. Ukraine has been waiting since October for a third tranche of IMF loans, worth $1.7 billion, but slow reforms and political squabbles have delayed its disbursement. The government's approval ratings have tumbled over concerns about the pace of change and it could face a no-confidence motion in parliament in mid-February. The political crisis has weighed heavily on the Ukrainian bond market and has helped push the hryvnia currency close to 11-month lows. (Additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Natalia Zinets; Editing by Gareth Jones and Meredith Mazzilli) Beirut (AFP) - The United Nations urged Turkey to open its borders to tens of thousands of Syrians who have overwhelmed nearby emergency camps and an end to bombings of their home province Aleppo. "The highest need and the best humanitarian response is for the bombing to stop," UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien said, when asked if Russia should halt its air campaign in Aleppo. "All bombings should stop," he said. The main border crossing north of Syria's second city Aleppo remained closed Tuesday, forcing huge crowds including women and children to sleep in tents or in the open. "There are no longer enough places for families to sleep," said Ahmad al-Mohammad, a field worker with medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF). "Most of the families left with just the clothes they were in," he told AFP, adding that the cold and crowded conditions were causing health problems including diarrhoea. Two days ahead of a 17-nation contact group meeting in Munich aimed at getting peace talks back on track, US Secretary of State John Kerry warned that Russia's aerial bombardment of Syrian opposition targets could derail such efforts. "There is no question, and I have said this before publicly, that Russia's activities in Aleppo and in the region right now are making it much more difficult to be able to come to the table and to be able to have a serious conversation," Kerry said in Washington. The United Nations says up to 31,000 people have fled Aleppo city and surrounding areas since last week, as government forces backed by Russian warplanes press an offensive that could encircle the rebel-held eastern part of the city. "We are asking Turkey to open its border to all civilians from Syria who are fleeing danger and seeking international protection," said UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesman William Spindler. - Damascus blast - EU president Donald Tusk said the Russian air strikes in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime were "making an already very bad situation even worse". Story continues "As a direct consequence of the Russian military campaign, the murderous Assad regime is gaining ground, the moderate Syrian opposition is losing ground and thousands more refugees are fleeing towards Turkey and Europe." Syria's nearly five-year-old conflict has claimed 260,000 lives and displaced half the population. On Tuesday, a suicide car bomb claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group killed at least nine people at a police club in Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has said that a "worst case scenario" could see up to 600,000 refugees arrive at the border. "Our objective for now is to keep this wave of migrants on the other side of Turkey's borders as much as is possible, and to provide them with the necessary services there," Kurtulmus said. Turkey already hosts 2.5 million Syrian refugees, but has come under pressure to allow in more, as well as to prevent them from seeking to reach Europe. NATO said it would take any request to help with the refugee crisis "very seriously", after Ankara and Germany said they would seek the alliance's help combatting people smugglers. With Turkey's Oncupinar border crossing north of Aleppo city staying closed, with only medical emergencies allowed through. The UN's humanitarian aid agency OCHA said on Monday that eight informal camps on the Syrian side of the border were at "full capacity". - Under siege - MSF said aid groups were distributing warm clothes and mattresses to those stranded on the Syrian side. The UN warned that 300,000 people in eastern Aleppo city could be cut off from humanitarian aid if government forces encircle the area. Government sieges have been employed to devastating effect against other former rebel bastions. A report from Washington-based The Syria Institute and PAX, a peace organisation based in the Netherlands, said Tuesday that more than one million Syrians are living under siege, a tactic also used by rebel forces. The UN's World Food Programme said it had begun food distributions to the displaced, despite the severing of access and supply routes. "We are making every effort to get enough food in place for all those in need," said WFP Syria country director Jakob Kern. Syrian government forces backed by allied militias and Russian air raids began a major operation in the northern province of Aleppo last week. They are now around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the Turkish frontier. The regime advances came as peace talks in Geneva collapsed last week in part over rebel anger about the government offensive. More than 20 suspected Russian air strikes hit targets in several towns northwest of Aleppo city and in the northern countryside on Tuesday, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground. Regime forces and their allies were also fighting rebels, including jihadists from Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front, in the southwestern countryside of Aleppo province. James Clapper intelligence NSA Director of National Intelligence James Clapper gave a chilling threat assessment today to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Clapper's testimony to the committee reflected the US Intelligence Community's Worldwide Threat Assessment for the coming year. Based on the insights of the various branches of the US Intelligence Community (IC), Clapper provided a rundown of the major global and regional threats. Based on his released statements, we have summarized the main global threats facing the world below: Cyber Security The rise of smart devices and the Internet of Things (IoT) will lead to further opportunities for hackers to gain access to personal information. On the flip side, the IC will be able to use the IoT for "identification, surveillance, monitoring, location tracking, and targeting for recruitment." An increasing reliance on "Narrow AI" systems, that perform specialized tasks, can both increase efficiency but leave systems open to disruption. Overreliance on these systems, or a lack of securing them properly, could lead to "disruptive or deceptive tactics." As an example, stock market fluctuations have happened due to automated trading systems taking in false data, Clapper notes. Hackers and foreign military cyber actors will seek to exploit the integrity of networked and online information. This runs the gamut from modifying and transmitting false data to public utilities and market firms, to implanting false information on online media. Foreign nations are increasingly buying and exploiting aggregated online personal data tp "inform a variety of counterintelligence operations." There is still little impetus for countries to restrain themselves in cyber operations. "Many actors remain undeterred from conducting reconnaissance, espionage, and even attacks in cyberspace because of the relatively low costs of entry, the perceived payoff, and the lack of significant consequences." Principal threats: Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and nonstate actors. Terrorism Jakarta ISIS attack Sunni Muslim extremist groups remain on the upswing from the 1970s. This rise in Sunni Muslim extremism has been met by a rise in Shiite groups back by Iran, leading to a deepening in sectarian tensions. ISIS remains the dominant global terrorist threat. The group has shown it is able to conduct operations abroad, hold territory, create affiliates around the world, and lure foreign fighters into either joining their ranks abroad or carrying out homegrown attacks domestically. Although ISIS attracts the most attention, al Qaeda is once again a growing threat. The group has proven able to conduct and inspire attacks abroad, while also seizing and holding territory particularly in Yemen and Syria. The main threat to the US will be US-based homegrown violent extremists. These individuals will likely try to plot and carry out attacks like the San Bernardino and Chattanooga shootings in 2015. Such incidents may either be inspired or directed by ISIS or al Qaeda. Terrorists and insurgencies around the world have increasingly become intermixed. No single paradigm exists to explain this, but terrorists are taking advantage of civil unrest in some capacity from Mali in West Africa to Afghanistan. Social media and online media will continue to aid and abet terrorists with spreading their message and reaching new generations of recruits. ISIS is particularly adept at using social media to influence opinion. Principal threats: ISIS and affiliated groups, al Qaeda and affiliated groups, and Shiite groups backed by Iran including Hezbollah. Weapons of Mass Destruction north korea North Korea has continued to advance its nuclear program. It has committed itself to developing long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons to the US. Pyongyang is also believed to have restarted and expanded its plutonium production reactor. Pyongyang has also proven willing to proliferate its nuclear technologies to other rogue regimes, having supplied Iran and Syria with technology and expertise in the past. The IC believes that North Korea's drive for nuclear weapons is aimed at deterrence and "coercive diplomacy." China has modernized its nuclear forces. It has invested in road-mobile and silo-based systems that are hard to target, as well as nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines which provide Beijing with its first long-range, sea-based nuclear capability. This provides China with a nuclear deterrent. Russia has developed a ground-launched cruise missile. The US believes that this weapon capability violates the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a charge that Moscow denies. Syria has continued to use chemical weapons against the opposition forces. It was determined that the regime used chlorine against the opposition multiple times in 2014 and 2015. ISIS is also believed to have used chemical weapons in multiple attacks across Iraq and Syria. Iran continues to not face any "insurmountable technical barriers to producing a nuclear weapon" despite the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. However, the treaty does make significantly slow any potential development of a nuclear weapon as well as making it much more likely that the international community will detect weapon's development in Iran. Due to the increasing speed and ease of genome editing, there is an increased risk of the creation of dangerous biological agents. Principal threats: North Korea and Iran Space and Counterspace china missile Russia and China are beginning to rival the capabilities of military and intelligence satellites. Due to the inherent advantages that the US gains from its space satellite systems, Russia and China will likely "progress in developing counterspace weapon systems to deny, degrade, or disrupt US space systems." Electronic warfare systems capable of jamming communications and GPS satellite systems will continue to proliferate across the world, eating away at a potential US advantage. Russia has admitted to developing systems that can blind US intelligence and ballistic missile defense satellites. Russia and China are continuing research into developing antisatellite missile systems. Principal threats: Russia and China Counterintelligence Foreign intelligence communities will make it a top priority to penetrate the US IC. Additionally, groups will target US companies and research institutions to gain access to critical information related to "defense, energy, dual-use technology, and other sensitive areas." Insider leaks remain a significant cause of concern for the IC. Nonstate actors, ranging from terrorists to organized crime, will use counterintelligence to try to avoid detection and capture. Principal threats: Russia and China globally, Iran and Cuba regionally, and various nonstate actors Transnational Organized Crime El CHapo capture Mexican drug traffickers have increased their operations throughout the US. These various organizations have rapidly increased their production of heroin and methamphetamine to meet growing US demand. Andean traffickers have drastically increased their output of cocaine. Designer drugs have spiked in use throughout the US. These drugs, often produced in Asia, are psychoactive and are quickly redesigned before they are made illegal. Organized crime have used their profits to co-opt local governments. In Africa, transnational groups exploit regional instability to purchase arms, poach endangered animals, and influence political processes. Human trafficking continues to occur in every country in the world. Organized crime takes advantage of porous borders to sell individuals, and terrorist groups including ISIS and Boko Haram use trafficking to gain recruits and as a source of funding. Principal threats: Nonstate actors Economics and Natural Resources putin arctic A continued economic downturn in China has caused decline in world energy and commodity prices. This has helped prompt a global slowdown in trade that impacts the world economy as a whole. Falling energy and commodity prices will foster instability across the world. Venezuela is particularly hard hit and will have to struggle to avoid a default. Nigeria and Angola are now also struggling, increasing both countries' instability. The Arctic could become a point of competition and potential confrontation between Russia and the West if Russian-Western ties continue to deteriorate. Russia is continuing its process of militarizing its northern Arctic coastline. Principal threats: Weakening economic conditions Human Security zika Infectious diseases will pose a national security risk to the US. Increasing globalization and land-use changes will increase the chances for new epidemics that the international community "remains ill prepared to collectively coordinate and respond to." "Risks of atrocities, large-scale violence, and regime-threatening instability will remain elevated in 2016." Spillover from wars, such as Syria, is likely to increase throughout the year. Seven states as of 2015 were also unable to project authority through more than 50% of their territory. An unprecedented number of displaced peoples will strain the international community's ability to respond. This will lead to increased tensions and augment further issues. The UN is also expected to be underfunded for its 2016 global assistance fund. Principal threats: Infectious diseases, government instability, and global displacement Here's the full report: NOW WATCH: This precision weapon is the Navy's last line of defense More From Business Insider Virgin America Inc. VA witnessed a slight decrease in air traffic in the month of January. Traffic measured in revenue passenger miles (RPMs) was 834.33 million, up 12.9% from 739.12 million recorded in Jan 2015. Also, on a year-over-year basis, consolidated capacity (or available seat miles/ASMs) increased 11.8% to 1.08 billion. Meanwhile, the load factor or percentage of seats filled by passengers dropped to 77.2% in Jan 2016 from 76.5% in last January. However, passenger count in the month under review improved 13.5%. Virgin America continues to benefit from innovative product launches and efficient customer service. In order to enhance its services, the carrier teamed up with Netflix, Inc NFLX to deliver online video services to onboard passengers through ViaSat WiFi-connectivity. In December last year, Virgin America initiated a daily non-stop service between Dallas Love Field (DAL) and Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS). Further, Virgin America and China Southern Airlines entered into a codeshare agreement last year. Hence, we believe that such bullish factors will continue to drive traffic for Virgin America. Meanwhile, Virgin America plans to buy 10 new Airbus A321neo aircraft which are expected to be delivered between 2017 and 2018. The company believes that the new fleet will not only boost fuel efficiency by 20% but will also drive operating margins for the company. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Virgin America currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the same space are Hawaiian Holdings Inc. HA and Southwest Airlines Co. LUV. Both the companies sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report SOUTHWEST AIR (LUV): Free Stock Analysis Report HAWAIIAN HLDGS (HA): Free Stock Analysis Report NETFLIX INC (NFLX): Free Stock Analysis Report VIRGIN AMERICA (VA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Cape Town (AFP) - South African President Jacob Zuma delivers a state of the nation address this week to a country facing its toughest year since Nelson Mandela took power more than two decades ago. Special security precautions are in place for Zuma's address to parliament, which last year degenerated into chaos when opposition lawmakers prevented him from speaking and were violently evicted. As the president speaks on Thursday -- if his most vocal opponents in the assembly allow it -- protesters supporting a "Zuma must fall" movement will demonstrate in major cities around the country. Social unrest has flared in South Africa over a sharply slowing economy, high unemployment and grinding black poverty contrasting with white wealth. And a resurgence of racial animosity in a nation born out of apartheid has added a toxic element. "We are poised at the beginning of what is going to be the most testing year in the short history of the new South Africa," said veteran commentator Allister Sparks. Unless Zuma is ousted from the presidency by his own ANC party, the dire economy carries "the risk of triggering a populist political uprising leading to chaos and violence," Sparks wrote in a recent News24 column. But Zuma's recall by the ruling African National Congress is unlikely, said analyst Moletsi Mbeki. "I don't think there are any calls from inside the ANC for Zuma to go," Mbeki told AFP. "I don't think there is a chance of him leaving before the end of his term (in 2019)." - ANC in decline? - Mbeki pointed out that Zuma is not a directly elected head of state, but holds the position as leader of the majority party. However, there are signs that the ANC has begun to rein in Zuma as the country heads towards municipal elections which could expose declining support for the party of iconic anti-apartheid leader Mandela. In December, Zuma was forced into an embarrassing climbdown after firing a respected minister of finance and appointing a man widely seen as a stooge. Story continues As the local rand currency went into freefall and the stock market took a hammering, Zuma bowed to pressure and re-appointed an admired former finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, to the key post. Then last week came one of the biggest climbdowns of all, when Zuma agreed to pay back some of the $24 million in public money spent on his private rural residence at Nkandla in his KwaZulu-Natal powerbase. The 73-year-old had previously denied any wrongdoing over the property's upgrades, while opposition lawmakers regularly disrupted his parliamentary speeches by chanting "Pay back the money!" On Tuesday, opposition parties will continue their legal battle over Nkandla at a Constitutional Court hearing in Johannesburg, with further street protests expected. - Racial fault-line - Whether the recent compromises will prevent a repeat of last year's disruption of the state of the nation address is uncertain. There are still plenty of other issues behind the "Zuma must fall" campaign -- particularly the tanking economy, which has sparked service delivery protests by the poor, and violent demonstrations by students demanding free university education. The World Bank this month slashed South Africa's 2016 growth forecast from 1.4 percent to 0.8 percent, and said the economy was "flirting with stagnation, if not recession." The political unrest has also seen race relations plumb depths perhaps unseen since the end of apartheid and Mandela's election in 1994. That issue however could play to the ANC's advantage in the municipal elections due by August, as the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), is seen as the political home of most whites. Anger erupted earlier this year when Penny Sparrow, a white realtor and DA member, complained on Facebook about black people littering beaches and likened them to "monkeys". In the ensuing uproar, local government employee Velaphi Khumalo wrote in another viral Facebook message that blacks should act towards whites "as Hitler did to the Jews". While this might be social media showing the worst of its ugly side, the gap between wealth and poverty, jobs and joblessness, is still starkly racial. Steven Friedman, director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Rhodes University and the University of Johannesburg, said race would trump concerns over the economy in municipal elections. "It remains the South African issue -- it's the fault line. Most things in South Africa, politically, can be explained by race," he told AFP. Friedman believes that even if the ANC loses a substantial number of seats in the municipal elections there is no certainty that Zuma might be recalled by the party. "He is weakened, but weakened doesn't mean finished," Friedman said. 2000 - 2022 24 .- . focus-news.net, () . 24 . 24 . . 24 . We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. Come and enjoy Read more [...] From what I've read, they were considered to be proselytizing, asked to stop and they did not, that's why they were banned. I would have thought the intelligent thing to do would be to question what it was they were proselytizing, stop that one part of it and they couldn't be banned. Instead they broke the rules and now are getting attention for it because "OMG CHRISTIAN'S ARE PERSECUTED". Give me a break. I also have to ask, if Canada was founded on Christianity, what version of it should we all be following? Cause, depending on who you ask, some versions of it aren't. Just want to be sure of the one I 'have' to follow and all. Do I think it was right they were banned? Not if they didn't do anything wrong. They should be allowed just as any others there are allowed to vomit their opinions on faith are. But if they did do something wrong... then they deserve being tossed. Canadian Federation Of Students Pushes Liberals To Spend $3.3B On Free College, UniversityOTTAWA Facing higher than average unemployment and a growing threat of bankruptcy, post-secondary students are lobbying the federal government this month for billions in new spending to help cover the cost of university and college education.The largest organization for post-secondary students in Canada is calling on the federal government to fund university and college education the same way it does health care and enshrine it in legislation.The Canadian Federation of Students used about 200 meetings in a week of lobbying on Parliament Hill to argue for a federal post-secondary education bill that would repurpose cash used for programs like the registered education savings plan into a $3.3-billion annual transfer for provinces to make post-secondary education free.Post-secondary education should be funded in the same way as health care because it's an essential expense that would help those with low-income backgrounds who "don't have the funds today to start saving," said CFS national chairperson Bilan Arte.Typically a provincial issueIt's not the first time advocates have pushed for Ottawa to play a bigger role in post-secondary education, which is traditionally a provincial domain.This time, however, student groups think they will find a sympathetic ear with a Liberal government that wooed young voters during the campaign with promises of making it easier to pay for post-secondary education and pay off federal student loans.The Liberals promised to create a $300-million youth jobs strategy _ a response to youth unemployment rates of 13 per cent, nearly twice the national average of seven per cent.They also promised to increase the value of and eligibility for non-repayable student grants at a cost of $750 million, and to waive loan repayment demands until a graduate was earning at least $25,000 a year.The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations wants to see that salary threshold increase to $30,000, and will be pushing that message as part of its lobbying efforts later this month. Matthew Rios, the group's head of government relations, has high hopes for the Liberals' first budget, but is also looking down the road."This government will be rolling out a number of budgets subsequent to this one and our role is to ensure they have policy alternatives that provide what we call good return on investment," Rios said."We have really looked at what policies are the most progressive and ... help those who need the help most."The total amount of student loan writeoffs in Canada has grown every year over the last five years, with virtually the entire $837.6-million total the result of debts having passed the six-year legal statute for collection.The number that have been written off due to bankruptcy was $33.6 million in the 2014-15 fiscal year, which ended last March, compared with $244,676 in 2010-11, according to figures released by Employment and Social Development Canada under the Access to Information Act.Last year, the number of student loan recipients who declared bankruptcy hit a 10-year high: 6,050 borrowers declared bankruptcy in 2015, more than double the 2,692 who did so in 2014, the next highest total since 2006. 'Refugees' Harass Women in Russian Nightclub, Are Promptly Beaten and Sent to Prison Beat down, Ruskie style. We can't speak for Europe, but in Russia, molesting women in public places is not advisable.A group of approximately 50 "refugees" who were deported from Norway for bad behavior decided to partake in a bit of groping at a Murmansk nightclub.Being Russia, the results were predictable The refugees allegedly groped and harassed women in a similar manner as the assaults in Cologne on New Years Eve. A group of male Russians took them aside to educate them that Cologne is 2,500 kilometers south of here.The refugees tried to flee but were quickly captured by the Russians. They then took them out to the street and gave them a beating they will remember. Police arrived to break up the fight but locals report that they threw a few punches at the refugees before arresting 33 of them. Eighteen refugees were in such bad condition they had to be taken to hospital.We don't want to romanticize vigilante justice, but in a civilized society, assaulting women (or anyone, for that matter) should have swift, painful consequences. Ball's in your court, Europe...........................:lol: Christopher L. Hodapp is the author of Freemasons For Dummies, the worldwide, best-selling introduction to the Masonic fraternity; Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C. ; and Deciphering the Lost Symbol. His most recent book, Heritage Endures, was published in January 2018. Since 2009 he has been on the Board of the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana, and serves as its Associate Director and Treasurer. In 2021, Chris was named as Public Relations and Marketing Director for the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of the State of Indiana. Chris is also the co-author with Alice Von Kannon of The Templar Code For Dummies and Conspiracy Theories And Secret Societies For Dummies. As a Freemason, Chris is a Past Master of Broad Ripple Lodge No. 643 and of Lodge Vitruvian No. 767 under the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana; he is a member of Indiana's Schofield Lodge 1818 U.D.; and of Internet Lodge No. 9659 in the Province of East Lancashire of the United Grand Lodge of England. Most recently, he was named the Worshipful Master of the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research U.D. in Indiana for 2019-21. In 2018 he was awarded the Caleb B. Smith Medal of Honor by the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana for his "distinguished service to Freemasonry in Indiana and worldwide." Chris is a 33 Mason in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite (NMJ), Indianapolis Valley. He is a Past Sovereign Master of Imhotep Council No. 434 of the Allied Masonic Degrees. He is a founding member of Levant Preceptory, a medieval Knights Templar period recreation degree team in the York Rite, and he is an officer of the Indiana College of the Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis. He belongs to numerous other Masonic appendant organizations. As a Masonic author, in 2012 he was named as Friar No. 101 in the Society of Blue Friars. Chris is a Founding Fellow of The Masonic Society, and was the founding Editor in Chief of The Journal of The Masonic Society. He remains a regular contributor today, and its Editor Emeritus. He was the editor and a contributor in 2004-5 to "Laudable Pursuit: A 21st Century Response to Dwight Smith" by the Knights of the North, a Masonic leadership think-tank focusing on modern lodge solutions. He has written for Indianapolis Monthly, Heredom, Masonic Magazine, Templar History, the Scottish Rite Journal, the Knight Templar Magazine, the Indiana Freemason , the Phylaxis, and numerous other publications. Chris was a commercial filmmaker for twenty-three years with Dean Crow Productions in Indianapolis. Hodapp and Alice Von Kannon developed scripts for the History Channel program, Brad Meltzer's Decoded in 2010, and contributed material on conspiracies and secret societies for TruTV and the American Heroes Channel. They have both appeared on National Public Radio, the History Channel, Discovery, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and the American Heroes Channel - most recently in 2017 on America: Facts vs Fiction. Chris and Alice live in Indianapolis with Sophie the Flying Poodle who has them both answering to basic commands. However, they can frequently be found alarming the wildlife and dazzling the rustics in their Airstream trailer as they crisscross the country. Appropriately, their newest book together is RVs and Campers For Dummies, released in June 2021. PLATTSMOUTH A Plattsmouth man who sexually assaulted a younger member of his family will spend time in prison for his actions. Joseph B. Osthus, 53, appeared in Cass County District Court for sentencing on a Class IIIA felony charge Tuesday afternoon. Osthus pled guilty in late November to one count of third-degree sexual assault of a child. The state dismissed three other charges as part of a plea agreement. Deputy County Attorney Steven Sunde told the court Osthus had sexually assaulted a family member 20 to 30 times over a three-year period. He said Osthus had also paid money to the family member to remain silent about the incidents. Osthus was charged last year after the child spoke with other family members about the crimes. Sunde told the court he felt Osthus had not taken full responsibility for his actions. He said the state was requesting a prison sentence due to the length and frequency of the incidents. The defendant says if he could go back and change things he would do it in a minute, Sunde said. That remorse rings hollow because he continued to do these things year after year. Im sure hes sorry he got caught, but Im not sure hes sorry that he did it. Defense attorney Donald Schense asked the court to place his client on probation. He said Osthus had admitted to the charges when he first spoke with authorities. Schense said his client had also obtained an alcohol and drug evaluation soon after being charged. Judge Jeffrey Funke said he would sentence Osthus to prison. He said the sexual assaults had been traumatic events for the family member. He also said probation was not a justifiable option due to the nature of the charges. You violated this relationship in egregious ways, Funke said. On top of that, you tried to cover up the events by offering money to the victim. These types of actions cannot be tolerated in our society. Funke sentenced Osthus to serve a term of 36-60 months in the Nebraska Department of Corrections. Osthus will be eligible for parole in 18 months and will be mandatorily released after 30 months. PLATTSMOUTH An Omaha woman who struck a Plattsmouth police officer after trying to pass a fraudulent check was sentenced to state prison Tuesday afternoon. Samantha E. Allen, 29, appeared in Cass County District Court for sentencing on a pair of charges. Allen pled guilty in late November to one Class IIIA felony count of third-degree assault of a peace officer. She also pled guilty to a Class II misdemeanor of second-degree forgery $0-$500. Allen entered the Caseys General Store in Plattsmouth Sept. 21 and tried to pass a check for $77.61. Caseys employees became suspicious and asked authorities to come to the business. A Plattsmouth police officer arrived on scene and asked Allen if she was writing a legitimate check. Allen began walking to her car when the officer began asking her questions. Allen then struck the police officer twice during an argument. Allen and Rebecca Earlywine, 29, then drove away from the gas station. Plattsmouth investigators arrested Allen several days later and transported her to Cass County Jail. She remained in jail before posting bond Dec. 1. Allen was later arrested on new theft charges in Douglas County Dec. 9. Deputy County Attorney Colin Palm said the state felt a prison sentence was appropriate. He said Allen struck the officer hard enough to require a trip to the hospital. He also said Allens criminal record included multiple charges of theft and forgery in Douglas, Cass and Otoe counties. Judge Jeffrey Funke sentenced Allen to a term of one year in the Nebraska Department of Corrections on the felony charge and six months on the misdemeanor charge. Allen must serve at least seven months before she becomes eligible for release. An upcoming exhibit at the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery takes a look inside the closets of Nebraska women. Seventy years of years will be represented in Nebraska: State of Fashion I. The exhibit opens Monday and runs through April 1. The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery is located on the second floor of the home economics building at 35th and Holdrege streets on the University of Nebraskas East Campus. Pieces in the exhibit are from the closets of former Nebraska Gov. Kay Orr, Avery Woods and the late Lincoln dressmaker Ilona Berk. They are examples of fashion worn in Nebraska between 1920 and 1990. Many of the garments demonstrate the art of dressmaking in Nebraska while others are examples of key fashion trends in the United States at that time. The work of notable fashion designers, both American and European, are included in the exhibit as well as select designs by Nebraskas Mary Anne Vaccaro. Garments by American designers Patrick Kelly, Michaele Vollbracht, Norman Norell, James Galanos and Hattie Carnegie are featured. Zandra Rhodes, Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani, David Tribouillard and Emilio Pucci are among the European designers represented in the exhibit. All of the garments in the show are part of the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Designs Historic Costume Collection. Featured in the exhibit are garments Orr wore to state and national events while she served as the states 36th governor from 1987 to 1991. During that time, much of her wardrobe was designed and made by Omaha dressmaker Vaccaro, who was known for producing garments of fine fabrics with a classic minimalism and meticulous fit. Berk (1918-2013) was a prominent Lincoln designer who became an influential player in fashion for those who sought distinctive design and custom fit. She was a Czechoslovakian native and a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to the United States in 1948. Her collection of garments includes not only her custom-made designs, but European fashion from the last half of the 20th century, hand-picked on her visits to Europes fashion capitols. Woods offers three generations of fashion worn by her and members of the Woods family. Fashion worn for business, international travel and community fundraising events and celebrations, including Nebraskas Ak-Sar-Ben Ball, are included in the exhibit. The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment. Admission is free. Guest parking is available near the building and metered stalls are located in the Nebraska East Union lot. Events have been scheduled to coincide with the exhibit. A reception and gallery talk hosted by the Friends of the Hillestad Textiles Gallery will take place from 5:30-8 p.m. March 4. A gallery talk featuring Berks story is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. March 25. A public lecture by Barbara Trout and co-curator Kylin Jensen titled Design that Lasts is set for noon Feb. 26 in Room 31 in the Home Economics building. Editors note: Due to a production error the entire council story did not get into Wednesdays newspaper. It is now being printed in its entirety. The editor apologizes for the error. The Fremont City Council unanimously pushed through the Nebraska Department of Roads proposed resolution for the Federal Emergency Management Agencys Flood Plains Study Tuesday evening. Two studies, one completed by the Department of Roads, and another, in the process of being completed by the Omaha District Corps of Engineers, take two different approaches to dealing with Platte River flooding in the Fremont area. The NDORs project is a hydraulic model and study that is part of its U.S. Highway 30 project, said Justin Zetterman, Fremont city engineer. The study helps them define sizes of bridges, heights of road requirements and other aspects they need to address on the project. The project has been going on for several years, and the third phase being completed now addresses the stretch of road leading from Fremont to Schuyler. The next phase of their plan is to have FEMA look at their hydraulics model because it does differ from the existing accepted flood plain map that is out there, he said. Then they will need to make a determination as to whether they are going to accept and recognize their study. The other proposed study, being completed by the Corps of Engineers, will propose to build a levee to address flooding issues. It would bring the southeast and north side of Fremont and Inglewood and the general area out of the flood plain. Zetterman said that two different methodologies are being used, and that the Corps plan is likely a year away from being completed and proposed to FEMA. The issue of flooding in the area is a big one, he said, noting that well over 1,000 properties in the Fremont area that are within the flood plain, which is equating to 1,000,000 in premiums that people are paying in flood insurance. The levee project is designed to remove as much of that area away from the flood plain as possible, Zetterman said. That is critical because it would save the local population that much money and then that money could funnel back into the economy. So it would be a huge benefit. Unfortunately, though, the process of getting studies to FEMA and having something approved isnt a speedy process. Councilmember Scott Schaller said that he hopes the issue can be resolved sooner rather than later. The goal has been to get Fremont out of the flood plain forever, he said. Viola Pugh Viola E. Pugh, 92, of Fremont, formerly of Omaha, died Tuesday morning, Feb. 9, 2016, in Omaha. She was born March 6, 1923, in Carson, Iowa, to John and Maggie (Hamilton) McKenzie. She came to Fremont with her family when she was 5 years of age. She grew up in Fremont, graduating from high school in 1941. She attended Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, and after receiving her teaching certificate, she taught school for a brief time. She was married to Archie Pugh, who preceded her in death on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 1965. After her marriage, she and Archie lived in Omaha. Then in the 1970s, she lived in Kansas City, then returned to Omaha where she lived until moving to Fremont last November. She worked for the Social Security Administration for several years. She was a member of St. Pauls United Methodist Church in Omaha. Survivors include: a brother, Verne (and wife, Janet) McKenzie of Gainsville, Fla.; several nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews She was preceded in death by her husband, Archie; two brothers; and four sisters. The funeral will be 2 p.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church in Fremont with the Rev. Greg Hall officiating. Visitation will be from 3-8 p.m. Thursday at Ludvigsen Mortuary in Fremont with the family receiving friends from 6-8 p.m. Burial will be in Memorial Cemetery in Fremont where her husband was buried. Memorials are suggested to St. Pauls United Methodist Church, Omaha, and Fremont Area Alzheimers Fund. An online guestbook may be signed at www.ludvigsenmortuary.com. One day you wash up on the beach, wet and naked. Another day you wash back out. In between, the scenery changes constantly. ibtm arabia 2016, which is celebrating its ten year anniversary as the leading international exclusive event for the Arabian meetings, incentives, conferences and events industry, opened its doors. This year ibtm arabia takes place at the exclusive 5-star Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi from 9th 11th February. Following the opening ceremony, Carol Talbdot, who is the Keynote Speaker, took the stage and presented some of the key steps to being successful. As a world class motivational speaker, Carol empowered people to think differently, to create and deliver a vision for themselves and ultimately accelerate and succeed in this industry. In her session, she covered, mind keys to success, leadership starts with you, and how to access resourceful states instantly (confident, motivated, energized). On Feb. 9 was the Discovery day that we have visited Yas Marina Circuit Track, Ferrari World and following a lunch, we visited Sheikh Zayed Mosque. ftnNEWS, represented by Suat Tore, one of the hosted media at this years IBTM Arabia, talked with Mr. Shinu Pillai, Exhibition Manager of the event. Mr. Pillai said, "There are 115 exhibitors and same number of hosted buyers from 35 countries at ibtm arabia 2016". ibtm arabia is run with the support of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau and Etihad Airways. Acacia Africa is putting a greater focus on Zimbabwe in 2016. Three of its small group safaris including the 14 day Southern Africa Magic, seven day Kruger & Victoria Falls and 11 day Delta and Chobe Waterways will now make several stops in the country. All of the itineraries will visit the Victoria Falls, Bulawayo and the Matobo National Park - one of the best places to view rhino in Africa. Arno Delport, Sales & Marketing Manager at Acacia Africa comments Zimbabwe is a riding star on the Africa travel circuit and based on the increasing number of enquiries for the destination we decided to reroute several of our small group tours. A further change, Acacias seven day Okavango Wilderness Trails will also start at the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. 14 day Southern Africa Magic (from 1,395pp (two sharing) + Safari Pass from 870pp including transport, accommodation (twin share chalets and guest houses with en-suite facilities 12 nights, pre-erected tent with en-suite facilities one night), most meals and services of as tour leader/driver. Zimbabwes new $150 million dollar Victoria Falls International Airport terminal officially opened in December 2015 and the possibility of new direct flights is expected to be a game changer for Southern Africa as a region. Acacia Africa (0207 706 4700; acacia-africa.com) Conservative thoughts on the issues of today SIOUX CITY | A series of armed robberies that ultimately ended in the shooting of a Sioux City police officer all contained the same factors. Police believe the offenders knew the victims, they were not randomly chosen. Drugs were likely involved. And all of them involved firearms. "Their MO was pretty close in all these situations. We don't really get too many reported like this," Sioux City police spokesman Lt. Pat McCann said Tuesday. Six suspects ranging in age from 16-20 face robbery and other charges. A seventh, Isaiah Mothershed remained in police custody at Mercy Medical Center Tuesday with a gunshot wound to his leg, a wound sustained Sunday after he pulled a gun from a couch while handcuffed and fired a shot that wounded Officer Ryan Moritz in the leg. Mothershed, 18, was shot when the gun went off during an ensuing struggle with police. He is suspected in those same robberies and a separate one in December, as well as a violent kidnapping incident this summer in which a man and 17-year-old boy were bound, blindfolded, burned and transported in the trunk of a car before they escaped. Woodbury County Attorney Patrick Jennings later dismissed the case, saying more investigation was needed. The case remains open, Jennings said Tuesday. "If we were able to gather enough evidence and facts, we would certainly look at recharging," Jennings said. Jennings would not say what kind of evidence is still needed, but his office is working with police to get the evidence necessary to build a strong case against Mothershed. Jennings said he understands that his decision to dismiss charges wasn't well-received with police, especially after one of their own was shot. "Anytime you have an individual you believe committed certain acts and crimes, you want to see them brought to justice," Jennings said. McCann said Mothershed will be booked into the Woodbury County Jail once released from the hospital. He was arrested on two counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree robbery. Court documents detailing his involvement in the robberies will not be filed until he's been booked, but complaints filed against six alleged accomplices show a pattern of forced entries and use of force in four separate incidents. Those arrested, all of Sioux City, were Austin Bulizak, 16, four counts first-degree robbery; Jamaal Ferguson, 16, Justin Ferguson, 19, and Robert Seaberry, 20, all three counts first-degree robbery; Macayla Knight, 17, one count first-degree robbery; and Jordyn Delfs, 18, harboring a runaway, keeping a disorderly house -- both misdemeanors. Court documents recount the following incidents: -- Jan. 29, at about 9:30 p.m., Jamaal Ferguson, Bulizak and another accomplice broke into a home at 3321 Pierce St. looking to steal guns. When the owner returned home, they made him get on his knees at gunpoint, open a gun safe and threatened to kill him. One of them pistol-whipped the victim, who was robbed of his wallet and a shotgun. -- Feb. 2, at about 11 p.m., Bulizak, Justin Ferguson and Seaberry broke into a home at C College Court, ordered residents to the basement and held them at gunpoint while they ransacked the residence, stealing marijuana and personal belongings. -- Friday, at about 9:45 p.m., Jamaal Ferguson, Justin Ferguson, Bulizak and Seaberry went to 4538 Polk St. One stayed in the car as a lookout while the others broke into the home. When the residents came home, one of robbers shot out a window in the back door to escape and fired a round at the homeowner while getting away. -- On Saturday, at about 11 p.m., Knight contacted a victim and asked him to come to an apartment at 2940 Park Ave. When he arrived, Jamaal Ferguson, Bulizak, Seaberry, who were armed with a shotgun and two handguns, robbed the victim of his wallet, phone and car keys. Knight later told police the victim owed her $150 for marijuana she had given him. Delfs is charged with allowing Knight and the others to stay at her apartment, 13C at 2947 Park Ave., and told police that Knight wasn't there when they came to look for her. Other suspects in the robberies were at the apartment smoking marijuana. In the hours that followed, police arrested them all except for a 15-year-old juvenile. Moritz was shot in that same apartment, where Justin Ferguson also lived. The shooting and robberies remain under investigation, McCann said. He said he did not know if there were other robberies the suspects may have been involved in. -- Nick Hytrek is a writer for the Sioux City Journal. Like the Globe, the Journal is owned by Lee Enterprises. ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bit Stew Systems, a global leader in Software Defined Operations for the Industrial Internet, continues to expand its recently launched partner program with the announcement of a partnership with Black & Veatch. Black & Veatch is a global engineering, consulting, construction, and operations company specializing in infrastructure development for private and government clients in the energy, water, telecommunications, and oil and gas industries. As a Certified Strategic Consulting and System Integration partner, Black & Veatch will apply its proven industry consulting expertise to help its customers turn big data into actionable intelligence using Bit Stews MIx Technology for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). IIoT harnesses the power of machine learning, sensor data and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication being built into tomorrows energy and utilities infrastructure. As part of our ambitious growth plan, Bit Stew continues to expand our global partner ecosystem, says Scott Harden, Vice President, Strategic Alliances at Bit Stew. This new partnership enables Bit Stew and Black & Veatch to drive the rapid adoption of Bit Stews MIx product portfolio and accelerate the value of the Industrial Internet of Things for our customers. Reducing time to value for complex industrial data integration Black & Veatch Management Consulting, LLC will become a Certified Strategic Consulting and System Integration partner with Bit Stew and will jointly pursue new sales opportunities in the Energy, Utilities and Industrial sectors. Black & Veatch will leverage its expertise in intelligent infrastructure implementation, technology and operations by delivering Bit Stews MIx technology to help its customers drive new operating efficiencies, optimize asset reliability, and increase uptime. Bit Stew partners access the MIx Developer Network (MDN) Bit Stews partners, like Black & Veatch, will gain access to the MIx Developer Network (MDN) where they can learn best practices and collaborate with other partners who develop new MIx applications. Earlier this week, Bit Stew announced that their partners can apply to join the MDN now. Building on the strengths of MIx through the MDN Through this critical partnership with Bit Stew, Black & Veatch will implement advanced data analytics by delivering MIx technology solutions and implementation services for our customers, says John Chevrette, President of Black & Veatchs Management Consulting. Through Bit Stews fully-functional developer environment, the MIx Developer Network (MDN), we will access the tools and support we need to create powerful applications that extend the capabilities of Bit Stews MIx products. Bit Stew and Black & Veatch at DTECH2016 Catch Bit Stew's MIx product portfolio in action at DistribuTECh from February 9 -11, in meeting room #1990. Schedule your demo at the show and learn more about the Bit Stew Partner Program. About Black & Veatch Black & Veatch is an employee-owned, global leader in building critical human infrastructure in Energy, Water, Telecommunications and Government Services. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people in over 100 countries through consulting, engineering, construction, operations and program management. Our revenues in 2014 were $3 billion. Black & Veatch Management Consulting, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Black & Veatch created to provide clients with comprehensive financial, technology and strategic consulting services within the electric, oil and gas and water markets. Our consulting expertise is backed by deep industry, technical and engineering experience that enables us to understand and address the most complex issues facing our clients. About Bit Stew Systems Bit Stew is building the premier platform for handling complex data integration, data analysis, and predictive automation for connected devices on the Industrial Internet. Through data-driven automation, Bit Stew Systems removes the complexity of industrial operations and connected machines to give clarity and control back to operations. Purpose-built for the Industrial Internet, Bit Stews MIx technology automates data ingestion, applies machine intelligence to learn patterns in the data, allowing industrial companies to discover actionable insights that optimize operational performance. In 2015, Bit Stew was named to Greentech Medias Grid Edge 20 list, as one of the top 20 innovators architecting the future of the electric power industry, and was ranked as one of the Top 100 Analytics Companies and Top 100 IoT Startups by Forbes. Incorporated in 2009, Bit Stew is a venture-backed private company that is headquartered in Canada with offices in the USA, Australia and Europe. Visit www.bitstew.com to learn more. DGAP-News: Deutsche Wohnen AG / Key word(s): Offer Deutsche Wohnen AG: Majority of shareholders of Deutsche Wohnen declines takeover offer by Vonovia 10.02.2016 / 13:25 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Majority of shareholders of Deutsche Wohnen declines takeover offer by Vonovia Frankfurt/Main and Berlin, 10 February 2016. Vonovia's hostile takeover offer to the shareholders of Deutsche Wohnen failed. The minimum acceptance threshold of 50 per cent of the share capital was clearly missed. The Supervisory Board and Management Board of Deutsche Wohnen welcome the clear vote. "We are pleased and thank our shareholders, employees and tenants for their support," said Michael Zahn, CEO of Deutsche Wohnen. "Our arguments against the transaction have convinced the market." Deutsche Wohnen Deutsche Wohnen is one of the largest publicly listed property companies in Germany and Europe with a business focus on managing and developing its residential property portfolio. As at 30 September 2015 the portfolio comprised a total of 149,100 units, of which 147,000 are residential units and 2,100 commercial properties. The company is listed in the Deutsche Borse's MDAX and is also included in the leading indices EPRA/NAREIT and GPR 100. Important Notice This publication represents neither an offer for sale nor request for purchase of securities. Any statements regarding the future in this document do not represent any facts and use terms such "will", "expected", "believe", "estimate", "intend", "strive", and "assume" and other similar phrases. The statements express the intention, views and current expectations and assumptions of Deutsche Wohnen and parties acting in concert with Deutsche Wohnen. The statements directed at the future are based on current planning, estimates and forecasts, which Deutsche Wohnen and the parties acting in concert with Deutsche Wohnen have made to the best of their knowledge but do not contain any statement about their future validity. Future-based statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which are generally difficult to predict and are generally not in Deutsche Wohnen's sphere of influence or that of the parties acting in concert with Deutsche Wohnen. Please note that the actual results or events may deviate substantially from those provided in or removed from the future-based statements. Contact Phone +49 (0)30 897 86-5413 Fax +49 (0)30 897 86-5419 ir@deutsche-wohnen.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10.02.2016 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: Deutsche Wohnen AG Pfaffenwiese 300 65929 Frankfurt am Main Germany Phone: +49 (0)30 89786-0 Fax: +49 (0)30 89786-5419 E-mail: ir@deutsche-wohnen.com Internet: http://www.deutsche-wohnen.com ISIN: DE000A0HN5C6 WKN: A0HN5C Indices: MDAX Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart End of News DGAP News Service --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 436169 10.02.2016 ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 10, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DivvyCloud, a developer of innovative technology to automate and manage todays cloud infrastructure, achieved a breakout year in 2015. Explosive growth in enterprise adoption of public and private cloud technologies is driving requirements for scalable, automated solutions to ensure security, cost and operational compliance across deployments of virtual cloud infrastructure. DivvyCloud offers on-premise and hosted versions of its cloud agnostic, extensible platform allowing customers to automate cloud infrastructure and policy enforcement. New Customers DivvyClouds technology has attracted new customers, large and small, helping accelerate and scale cloud strategies with multi-cloud visibility, lifecycle management, and compliance automation. Customers value DivvyClouds pervasive, real-time discovery of cloud resources and the ability to take automated action regardless of how those virtual resources are provisioned. Customer DevOps and Enterprise IT teams have complete flexibility to create their own custom automation to monitor and self-heal cloud deployments, or leverage DivvyClouds growing repository of pre-built Automation Bots. Business Growth DivvyCloud raised a $1M second seed round from its existing investors in March to bring total invested capital to approximately $1.9M. With the commitment of new customers, DivvyCloud exceeded its financial goals in 2015 achieving 7x growth in monthly recurring revenue in its first full year of commercial operation. The company doubled its staff in 2015 and plans additional hiring to scale the business in 2016. To accommodate rapid growth, DivvyCloud moved into new offices in Rosslyn, VA with easy access to Washington DCs pool of technical and start-up business talent. Recognition DivvyCloud was named a Gartner 2015 Cool Vendor in Cloud Management. The innovative start-up also enjoyed coverage from other leading analyst firms including 451 Research and Forrester Research. Follow DivvyCloud on Twitter (@DivvyCloud), the blog www.cloudsprawl.net, or visit the website at www.divvycloud.com About DivvyCloud DivvyCloud software enables organizations to achieve their cloud computing goals by simplifying and automating the lifecycle management of IT resources across leading public/private cloud technologies. DivvyCloud was founded by seasoned technologists who understand first hand what is necessary to succeed in todays dynamic, multi-cloud world. DivvyCloud delivers multi-cloud resource visibility, provisioning, automation, monitoring and migration capabilities to improve security, reduce costs, and maintain operational agility. SAN DIEGO, Feb. 10, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC Pink:MJNA) is pleased to inform shareholders and the general public that the Companys Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Stuart W. Titus, will deliver a historic keynote address on cannabidiol (CBD) at the VII Mexico City World Anti-Aging Congress on February 13th. The global healthcare conference takes place February 12th 14th at the Hotel Fiesta Americana Reforma, Mexico City. Last week, Mexicos government (COFEPRIS) issued the first permits for individuals to begin importation of CBD hemp oil (RSHO-X) with a doctors recommendation. This global healthcare education event represents the first opportunity for the medical community to receive hands-on education about CBD directly from the Chief Executive Officer of Medical Marijuana, Inc. We are extremely honored to participate in the VII Mexico City World Anti-Aging Congress to educate the healthcare community in Mexico about CBD, says Stuart W. Titus, PhD and Chief Executive Officer of Medical Marijuana, Inc. Our presentation will address the unique anti-aging properties of the hemp cannabis, research that supports cannabinoids as anti-oxidants and neuroprotectants, and why hemp is widely regarded as a whole food and superfood throughout the world. The VII Mexico City World Anti-aging Congress (Congreso Mundial en Medicina Antienvejecimiento AMA Mexico) event details are: Congreso Mundial en Medicina Antienvejecimiento AMA Mexico 7th A4M Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine Exhibit Space #19 HempMeds Mexico 12-14/02/2016 Puebla Privada Jalisco 8 Colonia El Carmen 7200 Tel: +56 80 65 68 or E-mail www.medicina-antienvejecimiento.net Venue: Hotel Fiesta Americana Reforma, Mexico City For instructions on how to begin the RSHO-XTM import process, contact COFEPRIS for details. For information on RSHO-X product availability in Mexico, click here to register with HempMeds Mexico website at http://www.hempmeds.mx. To speak with a HempMeds Mexico representative, contact the customer service department at: US: 1-866-786-2440 MX: 001-883-786-2440 Attention Members of the News Media: Contact Andrew Hard to pre-register for a media pass to cover the historic keynote address and conduct interviews at the HempMeds Mexico exhibit #19. Phone: 917.660.5418 or email to: Andrew.Hard@CMWMedia.com About HempMeds Mexico HempMeds Mexico is a Mexico-based company, created to provide access to cannabinoid-based products including cannabidiol (CBD) hemp oil products as they become legal in the country of Mexico for the first time. Our Company is a sales, marketing and distribution company. HempMeds Mexico plans to work directly with the Mexican government to safely and legally provide access to our CBD hemp oil products. HempMeds Mexico is the first company to legally ship RSHO-XTM CBD hemp oil into Mexico. For more information, please review the companys website at: http://hempmeds.mx/. About HempMeds HempMeds offers mainstream marketing, sales, customer service, and logistics for the cannabis industry. HempMeds is a corporate portfolio company of Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC Pink:MJNA) and the Companys exclusive master distributor and contracted marketing company. In addition to handling sales and distribution, HempMeds is the communication hub for the Medical Marijuana Inc. portfolio of companies. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) DISCLOSURE These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. FORWARD-LOOKING DISCLAIMER This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Medical Marijuana, Inc. to be materially different from the statements made herein. LEGAL DISCLOSURE Medical Marijuana Inc. and HempMeds do not sell or distribute any products that are in violation of the United States Controlled Substances Act (US.CSA). These companies do grow, sell, and distribute hemp-based products and are involved with the federally legal distribution of medical marijuana-based products within certain international markets. Cannabidiol is a natural constituent of hemp oil. elibead wrote: I'm currently working in industry in Dallas and am trying to decide between part time programs at Booth, Kellogg and Anderson. Anderson's Flex program would allow save a lot on commuting costs (commuting every 3 weeks vs. every week for Kellogg and Booth) but I imagine meeting fellow MBA students every week would provide more opportunities to bond with and learn from classmates. Also, I'm not convinced passing up on two M7 schools would be a good move in the long run. Post-MBA, I'd like to stay in industry in Dallas until such a time when I can quit my day job and become an entrepreneur full time (I'm currently pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors on a part-time basis). Also, I'm interested in social impact and hope to be able to apply MBA lessons to further the non-profit I recently started. I'm leaning towards Booth because of its flexible curriculum and strengths in entrepreneurship and social impact. Another reason I'm more inclined towards Booth is because over time my goals may change and I get the sense that the University of Chicago is a stronger overall brand than Northwestern. Also, I'm drawn to UChicago's philosophy of challenging the status quo and the reputation for intellectual rigor. However, given that math is not a strength of mine and given Kellogg's better placement in industry I get the sense that Kellogg may be a better fit. Also, if I choose Kellogg I could save approximately $25k and graduate sooner by choosing the accelerated option. Any thoughts on which way to go? I'm a Kellogg AO student. Feel free to PM me any questions you may have. I was in the exact same situation a year and a half ago (Kellogg v. Booth PT programs). Mo2men wrote: Congrats and welcome to big Dilemma. Actually, you can choose schools from different perspectives. 1-Those schools are located in big cities but each one has its territory with different corps in every location. You need to consider where you want end up working and living. You may have friends in one city bigger than the others. Some people cant afford the harsh cold environment in MN and PA so you may think in TX and then MD. 2-The cost of living is really a major consideration. MD seems to be the highest relative to other cities. 3-The way the school not only prepare you for your dream job but most importantly also its attractiveness to employer. a. Electives: from my view Carlson and cox has most attractive wide electives related to strategy and consulting. The level of electives in Katz and Smith are less. All program has some kind of consulting project but Carlson has its consulting program which starts early which means more consulting and experience. b. Employment rates: From numbers, Cox is the lowest one with 87% with no info about international students. Also low acceptance for consulting over 3 years, something that makes me skeptical as always average hide unpleasant number. The best is Carlson with 96% with no info about international students but it is more likely that a lot international students secured an offer. High percentage went to consulting. Maybe it is not popular MBB destination, but it seems Deloitte and Accenture..etc recruited there. Katz has also good numbers 91% less than 2014 (96%). However, (92%-94%) international students secured offers in last 2 years. 34% went to consulting. It seems the same tier 2 consulting firms. According to Smith, 88% international students secured jobs, taking into consideration that most consulting is related federal services which is open only for domestics. From my view, taking all factors above, I would limit my option between Carlson and Katz with leaning more towards Carlson. I hope it helps. You can add other factors that related to you. You can contact current students to get more info. Good luck Thank you so much for your reply. I just came to know that Carlson is not offering any scholarship. I think as an international, passing with such a big debt would be a risky affair. On the other hand Smith is offering my quite good scholarship. I am intact leaning more towards Smith because of this reason.Thanks again for sharing your view. Please let me know what do you think on this. GMAT tomorrow, first AWA try, please rate it! [ #permalink Hello, I will take the GMAT tomorrow and that is my first try on AWA (did not have time to practice it before). It would be great if someone could try to evaluate my essay and even give me some advices. Thanks in advance! ESSAY QUESTION: The following appeared in a science magazine: The Space Race of the 1960s between the USA and Russia was very expensive but it yielded a tremendous number of technological advances. These advances have provided many economic and humanitarian benefits. The benefits have more than paid for the effort and money spent during the Space Race and therefore the government should make allowances within the budget to pay for a manned Mars landing by 2020. Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Point out flaws in the argument's logic and analyze the argument's underlying assumptions. In addition, evaluate how supporting evidence is used and what evidence might counter the argument's conclusion. You may also discuss what additional evidence could be used to strengthen the argument or what changes would make the argument more logically sound. --- MY ESSAY (533 words): The argument states that the Space Race, which happened 50 years ago, brought many technological advances and these improvements caused several economic and humanitarian benefits to our world. Also, it mentions that, assuming this past experience as a true, we could reproduce it easily in the future, by trying to land in Mars by 2020. Despite the author makes some logical connections among the facts he states, there are some strong and unproven assumption he takes for granted, making the argument unconvincing and too extreme. First, the author assumes that the many economic and humanitarian benefits more than paid for all the effort and money spent during the Space Race. Clearly, there is lack of evidence in this assertion because, as there were so many different sources of expenses during the Space Race and humanitarian benefits are almost impossible to quantify, we can not compare these two things. The author could even say that the benefits that came from the Space Race were extremely important and it seems they compensated all the effort that the USA and Russia had, but he goes too far in his assertion. It is not clear whether the author really has a good knowledge of the situation, if so, he should mention that in order to make his point. Second, The author assumes that an successful endeavor of the past implies that it will be successful again in the future. Surely, this is a leap of faith as we have no guarantee of that. The world changed a lot since the Space Race and it is much more difficult to develop new and relevant technological advances nowadays than it was 50 years ago. To illustrate, 50 years ago we did not even have the personal computer, which is almost considered an old technology currently. Third, the author readily considers that the government is in an economic situation that permits devoting a lot of resources and effort to a project that can, maybe, bring some benefit in the future and we are not even aware of what kind of benefit it is. It shows a lack of sense of reality from the authors' point of view, as we know that even developed countries, such as USA, are not in their best days, financially-speaking, and can not engage in such a demanding project in this moment. Even if a country change the destination of its resources, for instance, from education or healthy to a new Space Race, it would probably makes more bad than good and could cancel the benefits that the Space Race could bring, even if we consider the best scenarios. In conclusion, the argument makes extremes and unverified assumptions in order to convince the reader about the authors' opinion. To improve the argument, the writer should consider researching about the real facts of the Space Race so he could make a more accurate comparison between its costs and benefits, be more cautious while assuming that this past experience can be replicated in the future, and try to understand what takes for a country to start such an overwhelming project. Considering these points, the author can make several improvements in the text and be more well reasoned. Sat, 10/15 (12pm ET): Getting into Stanford GSB with GMAT 770 - How David Made it Possible in 6 Months As a coffee snob not typically interested in dropping $4 on a mediocre cappuccino, I tend to consider Starbucks a phone-charging station first and coffeeshop second. That said, I'm also a compulsively early person, which means I've spent my fair share of time walking around aimlessly to while away 20 minutesor, when it's cold or I'm feeling lazy, looking for the nearest coffeeshop in which I can warm up and kill some time. In Manhattan, that nearly always winds up being a Starbucks, and, it appears, that's for good reason: according to data mined by CUNY Baruch student Aleksey Bilogur, on average, you're only ever 5.6 blocks from the nearest pumpkin spice latte. Bilogur, a programmer studying mathematics, was inspired by a post on Reddit earlier this week, in which a user recounted giving coffeeshop recommendations to a tourist couple: In a thick southern accent, they ask me if I know anywhere to get a cup of coffee. "You kidding me? You're on the Upper West Side! There's amazing coffee everywhere. My favorite is the Sensuous Bean, 70th and Columbus. About five blocks up." They looked unsatisfied. "Well, we're really looking more for tea." "Oh, they've got tea! Plus there's Alice's Tea Cup three blocks up, cute little tea house." They look at each other, then back to me. "Well actually, uh... We were just looking for a Starbucks..." I just stared at them, then walked away. I pointed in a direction - any direction it didn't matter - and said, "Walk two blocks." This ever-so-benevolent Redditor wasn't all that far off: according to Bilogur's map, which he compiled using Yelp data, there are at least six Starbucks in a two-block radius of Columbus Circle, though none immediately to the north or east. And that's nothing compared to most of Midtown between 9th and 2nd avenues. Outside of Manhattan, things are comparatively sparse, though as Bilogur notes, Yelp's data on outer boroughs was patchy, often listing locations simply by borough rather than by address or even neighborhood. The programmer also cited work by Ben Wellington of I Quant NY, who has previously mapped the farthest Brooklyn address from a subway and the city's cleanest fast food chains, among others. Wellington did a similar project last year using data from Google and found that a fifth of Manhattan is indeed within just two blocks of a Starbucks. Wellington also located the farthest residential address from a Starbucks in Manhattan: 140 Baruch Place on the Lower East Side, which is .93 miles from the nearest location. Heaven. But the most omnipresent chain in the borough is not, in fact, Starbucks: Subways pop up on average every 4.8 streets, Bilogur learned, and Dunkin Donutswhich has made $10 million overcharging New Yorkerscomes in second, with 5.3 blocks between locations on average. But good luck just stumbling upon a Forever 21 when you've got time to kill: those average over 2 miles between locations. Two days after he was barred from a flight In Mexico City for not removing his turban at airport security, actor Waris Ahluwalia reached an understanding with Aeromexico Wednesday morning and boarded a plane to New York. Ahluwalia, who has become a favorite in director Wes Anderson's films and is a practicing Sikh, posted a photo to Instagram of himself on the plane, and thanked the airline "for understanding the importance of religious and cultural tolerance." Ahluwalia had been at an art fair in Mexico City and had hoped to fly back to his Manhattan home on Monday. At the airport, the actor and jewelry designer was marked for secondary security screening and received a pat-down, during which he refused to remove his traditional turban. "I happen to get it quite often, which leads me to believe that maybe it's not so random" Ahluwalia told CNN during an interview Tuesday. For demanding that his turban stay on, Ahluwalia was ultimately barred from his flight. "It's a symbol of my faith," told the Times. "It is something that I wear whenever I am in public." "No traveler should be subjected to what I was today," he wrote in a separate post Monday. In a statement apologizing to the Indian-American actor, Aeromexico wrote Tuesday: "This incident inspires us to make sure that our safety personnel strengthens its customer service protocols, with full respect for the cultural and religious values of our customers. The Times also reports that the airline plans to better train its staff on how to accommodate passengers' religious head coverings. "That's all I wanted, and here it is in a few lines it's right there in black and white," Ahluwalia told ABC News. "I'm getting goosebumps right now that if this makes a difference for anyone traveling into the country or leaving the country, then it was all worth it." Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen had just begun testifying at a City Council zoning subcommittee hearing yesterday morning when a barrage of catcalls erupted. De Blasios plan aint affordable to me! the hecklers shouted, and about a dozen were ejected from the Council chambers. The hearing marked the beginning of the 50 days the Council has to vote on Mayor Bill de Blasios mandatory inclusionary housing program. When several city neighborhoods are rezoned, the plan would allow for developers to build taller buildings and require them to rent 25% to 30% of the apartments for less than market rate. Seven neighborhoods are being considered: East New York in Brooklyn, the Jerome Avenue region of the Bronx, Bay Street near the ferry in Staten Island, Inwood and East Harlem in Manhattan, and Flushing West and Long Island City in Queens. The Council would have three options for these neighborhoods. In one, they would require 25% of the apartments to rent for an average of about $1,165 a month, affordable to people making 60% of the metropolitan areas median income (AMI)which amounts to $36,300 for an individual and $51,780 for a family of four. In the second, 30% would rent for an average of $1,550, for people making 80% of AMI, about $62,000 for a family of three. The third would be available in emerging marketsa.k.a. gentrifying neighborhoods outside the southern half of Manhattanand would slate 30% for households at 120% of AMI. These would rent for about $2,300. This system is a monumental achievement, said Land Use Committee Chair David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn), who is sponsoring the proposal in the Council. It would be the first time New York developers would be required to include affordable housing, and would cover builders seeking individual zoning variances. Critics say the plan will yield a grossly inadequate amount of housing for people who make less than $40,000 a yearthe people who need it most, and the majority of those in the neighborhoods currently slated for rezoning. The citys median household income, a bit more than $50,000, is well below the metropolitan AMI (which includes Rockland County, Westchester County and Putnam County), so people who can afford moderate income housing are actually in its upper half. Affordable housing advocates packed the hearing (William Alatriste for the New York City Council) Councilmember Inez Barron, who represents East New York, held up a pie chart showing the difference: 53% of current residents make less than $35,000, but only 13% of the plans housing would be slated for them. More than half of it would go to households making more than $75,000, although only 14% of residents make that much. Councilmember Antonio Reynoso said that in Bushwick, 40% of the residents make less than $31,000 a year, but only 7% of the housing built under the plan as is would go to people at that income level. Why arent we reaching the very incomes that reflect our communities? subcommittee chair Donovan Richards (D-Queens) asked the trio of Deputy Mayor Glen, city housing commissioner Vicki Been, and City Planning Commission chair Carl Weisbrod. We have a program that does not reach our populations. Is it enough? Of course not, Glen responded. But it is the best the city can do under the economic and legal circumstances, the administration argues. This is the strongest, most rigorous program anywhere in the U.S., Glen told reporters at a roundtable discussion hosted by City Hall on Monday. Its not Are you going to provide affordable housing? Its, You will provide affordable housing. The goal is to harness the private market, Been told the reporters, and Glen used a similar phrase before the Council. If the percentage of lower-cost apartments is set too high or rents are set too low, the administration argues, developers simply wont build, and 30 percent of zero is zero. If the affordability requirements are too onerous, the program might face a property-rights challenge under the Constitutions takings clause. Some rents will be lower because the programs affordability levels are averages, Been said. In this scenario, instead of all the affordable apartments in a building renting for $1,165, some might go for $775 and others for $1,550. There are other subsidy programs the city can use to help poorer renters, she added, and getting the private market to build housing for more middle-class people frees up city funds for them. According to Weisbrod, in East New York, some sites will be 100% affordable housing, with some rents as low as $450. Gentrification is not going to stop, they say, as long as market pressures remain the same. In the emerging markets where landlords can get $2,300 a month rent, the program will "'lock in' the affordability of some units for moderate-income households," Been told the Council. "Dont make the perfect the enemy of the good." Glen added, "We are in a true housing crisisand we cant just sit by and do nothing as market pressures change the city." But gentrification is built into the plan, says Tom Waters, housing policy analyst at the Community Service Society. For any affordable housing to be built, he explains, developers will have to be able to get rents of $2,300 and more in new buildingsand if the market in a neighborhood will support that, landlords of older buildings will try to get higher rents too. The administration has pledged $76 million in legal assistance for tenants facing eviction. That wont help tenants in unregulated apartments, however, because they have no legal right to renew their leases. And the states weakened rent-stabilization laws allow large increases on vacant apartments. Im still hearing the same arguments as in the previous administration, Public Advocate Letitia James said angrily. The Bloomberg administrations rezoning of downtown Brooklyn promised affordable housing, she said, but where are all the low-income residents in downtown Brooklyn? Theyre in North Carolina, South Carolina. I get letters from them saying they couldnt afford to stay." The de Blasio administrations Housing New York plan promises 80,000 new affordable apartments and another 120,000 preserved. Only 20% of those will go to people who make less than $40,000, however. Of the slightly more than 40,000 units the administration claims credit for building or preserving in the past two years, about 15% went to people making less than $39,000. More went to people making between $93,000 and $128,000. Slightly less than 2,000 went to people making less than $23,000. Two alternative proposals come from the Real Affordability for All coalition, which advocates requiring 50% of housing built to be affordable for people at or below the neighborhood median income, and the Association for Neighborhood Housing Development, which wants 15% reserved for people making less than $23,000, and a deep affordability option in which 30% of apartments would go to people with those incomes. Failing to provide housing that cheap in Bushwick, said Jose Lopez of Make the Road New York, is telling more than half the neighborhood you should find somewhere else to live. Building housing for people that poor, Glen said, is impossible without subsidies such as the federal Section 8 program, which has been curtailed to the point where the city closed it to new applicants in 2009. Its expensive, says Alexa Sewell, head of the Settlement Housing Fund, a nonprofit developer. A hypothetical 12-story building in the Bronx aimed at people making 30% to 90% of AMI would cost $55 million to build, she says, so it would need $20 million in subsidies up front. Costs per apartment are about $667 a month, so if tenants cant afford that much rent, they need subsidies too. Ultimately, the politics of this plan resemble those of Obamacare: A dispute between the Democratic center and the left, in which both sides agree on the need but disagree sharply on the means. The center relies on leveraging the market, insists that this is the only practical solution, and responds to critics with the mantra of don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." The left believes that these solutions are grossly inadequate, whether they be a health-insurance policy that leaves people agonizing over whether the baby is sick enough to incur a $150 emergency-room copay, or a housing program that would leave hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers lamenting, I dont make enough to get into affordable housing. The zoning subcommittee hearing continues today. The Cornell fraternity president accused of raping a fellow coed in his frat house has been banned from campus following his release from police custody. Wolfgang Ballinger, 21, has been charged with attempted rape, criminal sexual assault, and sex abuse stemming from the January 31st incident, in which he allegedly took a female student to his bedroom at 2 a.m., forced her to have oral sex with him, sexually abused her with his hands, and attempted to have forcible sexual intercourse with the victim. Ballinger turned himself in last Thursday and was released yesterday after pleading not guilty to the charges. He has been ordered to stay away from campus, according to university officials, and Cornell University President Elizabeth Garrett called the rape allegations "deeply disturbing. The fraternity, Psi Upsilon, has been placed on interim suspension "pending the conclusion of a full investigation." Ballinger, who attended high school in New York City, is the son of the operator of music venue Webster Hall. After his resounding primary win in New Hampshire, Senator Bernie Sanders made his way back to New York City for some important meetings. First was breakfast (or just tea?) at Sylvia's with the Rev. Al Sharpton. Sanders apparently asked for the meeting, as he looks to win over more African American voters ahead of the primary in South Carolina, where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is leading in polls. The Daily Beast first reported the planned meeting yesterday: "By meeting with Sharpton at Sylvias Restaurantthe very place then-Sen. Barack Obama sat down with the preacher in 2008Sanders is sending a message to Clinton forces: Dont sleep." (In 2007, Sharpton met with then-Senator Barack Obama at Sylvia's.) When the two Brooklyn natives appeared outside the soul food temple, the crowd erupted into cheers for Sanders: Sharpton said, "I've asked him very bluntly about Flint. I've asked him very bluntly about affirmative action. I've asked him very bluntly about the issues of police brutality and police misconduct, things I want to hear... I think it is very important that he sent a signal that on the morning after a historic victory it's the widest margin we've seen in the history of New Hampshire he would come to Harlem and have breakfast with me." Clinton will be meeting with Sharpton next week. Harlem is also where President Bill Clinton set up his Clinton Global Initiative offices. Then Sanders went to a taping of The View, where he discussed Wall Street ("How many people in Goldman Sachs will now have a criminal record? Zero. Some kid in New York City picked up with marijuana today will have a police record for the rest of his life."), the Flint water crisis (an "unspeakable tragedy"), the GOP candidates, his Ben & Jerry's flavor and support from African American voters: Tonight, Sanders will appear on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today The details about a looming long-term suspension of L train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan are slowly becoming more of a reality, after the initial news that the Canarsie tube under the East River would be partially or completely closed for between one and three years. At Brooklyn Community Board 1's full board meeting last night, City Councilman Stephen Levin, whose constituents include residents of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, said that the repairs could actually take substantially more time: two years with a complete shutdown, and up to seven years if work is limited to nights and weekends. "It's going to be significantly disruptive, whether you're talking about a full shutdown, which is kind of mind boggling to me to think about...that would be probably two years," Levin said at Tuesday's meeting. "If youre looking at just nights and weekends, thats more, like, five, six, seven years, so were talking significant, significant work." Levin's disclosure was the result of the first meeting between high level MTA staff and elected officials about the potential shutdown. On February 5th, MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast and New York City Transit President Veronique Hakim met with Levin, Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol, Senator Martin Malave Dilan, Senator Daniel Squadron, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, and Borough President Eric Adams to discuss the damage to the Canarsie tube that occurred during Hurricane Sandy. As Lentol told the Daily News, there are several plans under serious consideration. One would close the Canarsie tube completely for at least 18 months. Another option would close just one of the two tunnels that comprise the Canarsie tube, allowing continued service between Brooklyn and Manhattanalbeit at less frequent intervalsand taking at least three years. A third alternative, limiting tunnel work to nights and weekends, would allow regular daytime service but would take at least five and, as Levin said, as many as seven years. Lentol said that work will likely begin in 2018. At Tuesday night's meeting, Levin emphasized the importance of starting sooner rather than later, given the currently available federal funds for Sandy recovery. "We have federal funds right now, about $700 million of federal funds, for Sandy recovery that can be dedicated to this, so thats the lions share of what it would cost to do a significant amount of work there, and thats not money you can always count on being there, to be honest with you," Levin said. "We don't know what's going to happen with a new administration on the federal level, so...probably the prudent thing to do is to start looking ahead as soon as possible on how to do this." The MTA did not immediately respond to request for confirmation of the updated estimates on how long repairs to the tube will take. In a statement released after the meeting between elected officials and MTA staff, the MTA said that it has committed "to meet regularly with residents, businesses and others affected by the Canarsie Tube work, as well as to consult with elected officials representing the affected areas, before making any decisions about the construction process and service alternatives." However, according to a spokesperson for Maloney's office, no timetable for these meetings has been set. "The potential for closings does sound as catastrophic as we were concerned," Felice Kirby, one of the organizers behind the L Train Coalition who heard Levin's announcement at Tuesday night's meeting, said. "We need to see metrics. This is a world that's driven by data and science and we look forward to hearing why the problems might require or best be solved with a total shutdown, and what the extent of the damage is. It sounds very dramatic." Kirby added that the MTA's forthrightness (or lack thereof) so far is "a sad beginning of a working relationship." The coalition, which is composed of business owners, residents, and commuters who rely on L train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan, is set to meet on Wednesday, February 24th at 6:30 p.m. at 211 Ainslie Street to continue organizing against a total shutdown. Capacity is limited, so show up early to ensure a spot. Last night, a guy from Queens and a guy from Brooklyn won the 2016 New Hampshire primaries: Real estate mogul and race-baiter Donald Trump proved the polls right, by winning 35% of the Republican vote, while Senator Bernie Sanders killed, seizing 60% of Democratic support. While it was expected for Sanders to win New Hampshire, in part due to his deep roots in neighboring Vermont (by way of Brooklyn), Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lost very badly, getting only 38% of the vote. From Politico: The Clinton team, hunkered down in a grubby Manchester Radisson saturated in booze and ill-kempt Morning Joe groupies, knew it was going to be a terrible, not-good night by mid-afternoon: The exit polls showed big turnout among young voters and, ominously for her, liberals who think Barack Obama isnt liberal enough. It was a complete and humbling defeat: Sanders beat Clinton among all demographic groups - including all women, a remarkable rebuke eight years after she found her voice by tearing up at New Hampshire diner. The WSJ offered this factoid: "Young women, who many presumed would be part of the Clinton coalition, are instead turning to Mr. Sanders. He carried women under age 45 by 40 percentage points in New Hampshire, 69% to 29%." The NY Times noted, "The only age group she won: voters over 65." Sanders told his supporters, "Together we have sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California. And that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people, and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super PACs.'" According to the Washington Post, Clinton's campaign issued a memo as the polls closed, saying the loss was "long anticipated... Attention will inevitably focus on the next two of the early four states: Nevada and South Carolina. Weve built first-rate organizations in each state and we feel very good about our prospects for success" there and in other primary states. On the Republican side, things could be summed up in this headline: "GOP establishment stares into the abyss." Trump overperformed poll predictions (dropping the pussy-bomb along the way), and acknowledged his second place showing in Iowa last week: "We learned a lot about ground games in one week, let me tell you that. Were going to make our country so strong again." *shudder* Ohio Governor John Kasich came in second, with 16% of the Republican vote. Senator Marco "The Robot" Rubio was polling in second place, but dropped to fifth place; Senator Ted Cruz got about 12% and Jeb! Bush had 11.1%. Rubio apologized for his viral-in-a-bad way debate performance, acknowledging, "I did not do well on Saturday night. So listen to this: that will never happen again," which dovetailed nicely into this excerpt about Rubio's "anxiety" from Buzzfeed reporter McKay Coppins' book about the election process. While the rest of Real America is very different from New Hampshire, Bloomberg News explains that the state "historically serves to narrow crowded presidential fields, like this years Republican contest, but the volatile nature of the race could prolong the nominating fight in both parties, as well as provide a possible path for third party candidates." Enter the owner of Bloomberg News: Michael Bloomberg. Choosing an old-school restaurant, cafe, or bar that's steeped in history is an easy way to make your Valentine's Day date special. All of the mom-and-pop businesses we will be highlighting have stood the test of time in a city known for its rapid pace of change. We have included pairings for dinner and drinks/dessert in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens. Whether it be a romantic ambiance, delicious specialities, the glow of neon that washes over their facade, hand-painted murals along their interior walls, or a pleasant mix of all of these things, these choices will help make the night a success. James and Karla Murray We start off in the East Village with two vintage locations set on quiet side streets. JOHNS of 12th STREET at #302 near Second Avenue has been in business since 1908. It is one of the oldest Italian restaurants in the East Village and has its original Belgian mosaic tile floor, walls inlaid with terrazzo, and oil murals painted on canvas depicting scenes of the city-states of Italy. We highly recommend checking out the back room to see the giant tower of thousands of candles burning. Nick Sitnycky, owner of Johns Italian Restaurant, shared, "This restaurant has an interesting history in that it operated as a speakeasy during Prohibition. John ran the restaurant on the ground floor while his wife was the brew master and served her homemade hooch out of espresso cups. The tradition of burning candles in the back room started as a celebration of the end of Prohibition. The candles have been burning back there since 1938 and the collection just keeps growing. Although we have been a traditional Italian restaurant for over 107 years and have kept the original menu, we have also added our own off-menu specials and introduced a vegan menu with a vegan take on traditional Italian foods. This is the first time in a tablecloth restaurant that there is both a regular and vegan menu, which closely mirrors the traditional menu." After the warmth of John's it's a short walk to Veniero Pasticceria, located on 11th Street near First Avenue for dessert. VENIERO PASTICCERIA and CAFFE was established in 1894 by Antonio Veniero and is the only family-run Italian pasticceria left in the East Village, which once had a huge Italian population. It retains much of its original interior, including the hand-stamped metal ceiling, terrazzo floors, and wood display cases and mirrors. Gracing the facade is a huge overhanging neon sign from the 1940s. Robert Zerilli told us, I am the fourth generation owner. A lot has changed here over the years, including the pastries and cakes we offer. We still serve many of the true Italian specialties such as our cheesecakes, biscotti (Italian biscuits) and Italian butter cookies, but we have also expanded the offerings instead of just profiting from the same old thing over and over again. We bake so many cakes and pastries that we go through about 1,000 pounds of sugar every week. Tourist-heavy MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village has two treasures that hide in plain sight on the busy blocks south of Washington Square Park. MONTES TRATTORIA is a romantic Italian restaurant at 97 MacDougal Street between Minetta Lane and Bleecker Street, which has been in business since 1918. It has been owned by chef Pietro Mosconi and his family since 1983 and continues to serve authentic Northern Italian dishes. Pietro Mosconi told us, In 1976, my sister and I opened up the restaurant, Villa Mosconi, down the block from Montes. In 1983, I had the opportunity to purchase Montes from the original owner. I installed a new kitchen and dining room and even put in a private room upstairs for parties or for a la carte dining when we are busy. What is original is the neon sign outside, which was installed in the 1950s. I kept the signage because I liked it and also felt strongly about keeping the name Montes, which was shortened from Monteverde, a city in Italy known as the 'green mountain.'" After dining at Montes Trattoria take a walk down MacDougal Street's narrow sidewalks to Caffe Reggio, the first caffe in the United States to serve cappuccino. A variety of coffee, teas and desserts are served in a beautiful setting with authentic Italian Renaissance artwork gracing the walls, including paintings from the school of Caravaggio. CAFFE REGGIO, located on MacDougal Street between W. 3rd Street and Minetta Lane, has been open since 1927. The caffe is famous for its vintage espresso machine, which was imported from Italy by the original owner, Domenico Parisi. Mr. Parisi spent his life savings of $1,000 to import the chrome and bronze espresso machine to his cafe. The machine was made in 1902 and was the first of its kind; it features a base formed by dragons and an angel sitting on its top. When filled with hot water, the machine makes a cup of espresso in about three seconds. Manhattan's West Village and Meat Packing District have both experienced monumental changes and continue to feel a full-on gentrification assault, but it's still possible to have a romantic old school evening. Old Homestead, New York City's oldest steakhouse, is just north of 14th street on 56 Ninth Avenue. OLD HOMESTEAD STEAKHOUSE is one of the longest continually operating restaurants in the United States. It was founded in 1868 and has been run by the same family for three generations since 1951. Steve Mangione, head of PR for Old Homestead Restaurant explained, This restaurant has always specialized in what it considers the most important major food groups: beef, beef, beef and beef. It is known for its prime aged USDA Texas-size slabs of beef, including its signature sirloin, porterhouse, prime rib and filet mignon. For the non-meat eaters, Old Homestead also offers whale-size lobsters and seafood towers filled with gargantuan shrimp and colossal crab. Since it opened its doors in 1868, Old Homestead attracted both locals and visitors who could afford to venture all the way up to 14th Street and splurge on an entire meal of sirloin steak with salad and sides for 8 cents. Now the same meal costs $50 dollars for the steak alone, with salad and sides costing extra." After dinner at Old Homestead, bundle up for a romantic stroll down tree-lined Hudson Street to another historic locale, this time for drinks at The White Horse Tavern. Once home to longshoremen on their "lunch" breaks from the nearby docks that once lined the river, it is now home to a diverse crowd. WHITE HORSE TAVERN on Hudson Street at 11th Street has been in business since 1880. It is one of the few wood-frame structures still in existence in New York City and has an original interior including a tin ceiling, wooden bar and horse-head lamp fixtures. The overhanging neon sign made of cobalt blue enamel was installed in the 1940s. Eddie Brennan, who has owned the tavern since 1967, told us, During Prohibition it was business as usual here at the tavern. Jimmy Walker, who was Mayor at the time, was born down the street on Leroy and went to school at St. Veronicas where my father went to school and where I also went to school. So when Prohibition hit, nobody closed the tavern. It was that simple. This was the last place Dylan Thomas had drinks at before he became ill and died in 1953. Down in Chinatown, authentic Dim Sum can still be found at our favorite Nom Wah Tea Parlor located on narrow and crooked Doyers Street, once called The Bloody Angle. NOM WAH TEA PARLOR on 13 Doyers Street is the oldest dim sum restaurant in Chinatown. It was founded in 1920 and is now being run by second generation owner Wilson Tang. Its gorgeous vintage sign was installed around 1968. Most of the interior is original, including the lunch counter and stools. Wilson Tang revealed to us, As far as Chinese restaurants are concerned, I am able to bridge the gap between a traditional Chinese place and an American-Chinese place. I am probably one of the few Chinese people in New York who has stuck with the family business and also brought it to the next level. This restaurant was originally more of a bakery and tea parlor but my whole idea when taking it over, was to serve dim sum all day long. We are probably one of the few places that serve dim sum almost exclusively all day long. After dinner at Nom Wah, take a short walk to 195 Grand Street near Mulberry, to visit one of the last vestiges of what remains of Little Italy as Chinatown continues to spread north of Canal Street. FERRARA BAKERY & CAFE was established in 1892 by Italian immigrants Antonio Ferrara and Enrico Scope. Ferraras is considered Americas first espresso bar. The cafe later added Italian specialties including cannoli, sfogliatella, and gelati to its menu. Ferraras is currently owned by the fifth generation of the Lepore family. In addition to their on-site bakery and two-floor cafe, they ship throughout the continental United States. The serve a full line of coffees, pastries, specialty cakes, wedding cakes, ice cream and gelati. Further uptown in Manhattan is Rolf's German Restaurant. which is especially famous for the over-the-top interior Christmas decorations. ROLFS GERMAN RESTAURANT located at 231 Third Avenue at 22nd Street has been in business since 1968. It is known for its traditional German dishes like Weiner Schnitzel, Bratwurst, Knackwurst and Weisswurst. Bob Maisano, explained that, The original owner was Rolf Hoffman and I took the business over from him in 1981 and have kept the menu the same. Our customers really appreciate the consistency of our dishes as well as their authenticity. We have many Germans who tell us that our food tastes just like it does back home, and to us, that is the biggest compliment. After a hearty dinner at Rolf's, stroll past Gramercy's famous private park and along historic townhouse lined streets to the Old Town Bar for drinks. OLD TOWN BAR at 45 East 18th Street near Park Avenue South was founded in 1892. It has been in the same family since the early 1980s, and is now being run by the second-generation family member, Gerard Meagher. Gerard told us,The entire interior is pretty much original. We have a mahogany bar with a marble top, which at 55 feet long, is one of the longest mahogany bars in New York. We have 258 square feet of bevel-edged plate mirrors and original gas-lit lamps, which were rewired once electricity became available. We also have our original 16-foot tin ceilings and have giant shoulder-height porcelain urinals in the mens bathroom that were made by Hinsdale in 1910. Over in Brooklyn, set your sights for Queen Ristorante in Cobble Hill, with its glowing vintage neon sign. QUEEN RISTORANTE on 84 Court near Livingston Street is a second-generation family-owned Italian restaurant, which was founded in 1958. It has been in its present location since 1989. Vincent Vitiello, second-generation co-owner, told us, We still have some items on the menu that were from my fathers original Italian recipes, but we have changed and updated things quite a bit. Even though there is a neighborhood feel to our restaurant, we try to keep the food at a world-class level but with a neighborhood sensibility. The fact that we have been in business over 50 years with consistently high ratings from the critics attests to the fact that we are one of the best Italian restaurants in Brooklyn and the top in all of New York City. After your red-sauce dinner at Queen, take a walk down Court Street; turn right on Atlantic Avenue and head to the historic Montero Bar & Grill for drinks. Another great vintage neon sign guides the way to 73 Atlantic Avenue near Hicks Street. MONTERO BAR & GRILL was founded in 1939 and is one of the last old longshoremans bars on Atlantic Avenue. It is decorated with nautical memorabilia and has a vintage cash register and pool table. Go now, because its future is uncertain, as the building it's located in (along with six neighboring buildings) is for sale for $65 million. Tucked away on a quiet street in the Columbia Street Waterfront District, you'll find another romantic old school Italian restaurant, Fernandino's Focacceria. FERDINANDOS FOCACCERIA, located on 151 Union Street by Columbia Street, has been in business since 1904. It has a vintage decor and specializes in classic Sicilian food including homemade rice balls, focaccia, and panelle. Francesco Buffa, the second-generation owner, told us, I began working here in 1972 for Ferdinando, who taught me everything from A to Z about this place. In 1975, I got engaged to his daughter Antoinette but six months later my father-in-law passed away. It was a very hard time because of our loss and also because the neighborhood was changing drastically. The longshoremen were leaving and many Italians were moving out of the area. I decided to concentrate on lunch and dinner but still served focaccia, which is basically a hot sandwich made with bread that is a round shape and filled with things such as cheese and calfs spleen. The reason why the restaurant has been such a success over the years is because of my father-in-laws recipes and his old Sicilian standards of quality and tradition. After dinner at Ferdinando's, take a short taxi ride down Van Brunt Street to Sunny's Bar in Red Hook. SUNNYS BAR at 253 Conover Street has been owned and operated by the Balzano family since the late 1800s. After being flooded by Super Storm Sandy in 2012, the community banded together to repair and restore the beloved bar. Tone Johansen, co-owner, told us, This bar has a long nautical history as it catered to all the seamen who lived and worked around the neighborhood. The mainstay of our business now is no longer seamen, because we have attracted a lot of young, new customers to our bar, who have found it after walking around the waterfront area or shopping at nearby IKEA. City Island in the Bronx is romantic in a Cape Cod kind of way any time of year. Take a trip over the narrow metal bridge from the Bronx mainland to an island with a small fishing village vibe. City Island is chock full of seafood restaurants, but we chose to highlight The Original Crab Shanty. THE ORIGINAL CRAB SHANTY RESTAURANT located at 361 City Island Avenue was founded in 1977 and serves both seafood and Italian style dishes. In the early 1900s, the building it's in functioned as a silent movie theater, complete with tall ceilings. The Original Crab Shanty, although not located on the water like many of its nearby competitors, became very popular due to its large portions of great quality food, reasonable prices and great service. Many of the same waitresses and staff have been working at The Original Crab Shanty since it opened. Michelle Valenti-Debitetto told us, We are definitely one of the oldest continuously run family restaurants in City Island. Ive been the manager for the last 20 years but I started working here when I was only twelve years old as a salad girl. We make people feel comfortable and welcome them into our restaurant as if they were dining in their own home. After dinner, head back to the mainland for dessert and espresso in Belmont, or the "Little Italy of The Bronx." Egidio Pastry's white neon signage marks the corner as the spot for authentic Italian pastries. EGIDIOS PASTRY SHOP, located on the corner of East 187th Street at Hughes Avenue, was founded in 1912 by Pasquale Egidio. They specialize in Italian pastries including strufolle, biscotti, cannoli and sfogliatelle. Carmela Lucciola, who has owned the shop since 1987, told us, Many of our customers have been coming here for years and respect that I have kept the menu the same and treat people with the same welcoming attitude as the Egidio family always did. On the weekends, which are our busiest time of the week, we often get three generations of family members stopping by for pastries. The neon sign we have outside is original and was installed in the 1960s. Even though it is difficult to maintain, I always try to keep it lit because to me it is an important symbol of the store. Instead of dinner and dessert in Queens, we decided to suggest a movie at an independent theater in Forest Hills followed by dessert. CINEMART CINEMAS at 106-03 Metropolitan Avenue at 72nd Road features first-run & art house films. The theater has an adjacent, cozy cafe but we recommend to head directly across 72nd Road to the absolute jewel, Eddie's Sweet Shop. EDDIES SWEET SHOP on Metropolitan Avenue has been in business for nearly a century. It is known for its delicious homemade ice cream in over 18 flavors. Its neon signage is from 1968 but the interior including the marble counters, stained glass windows, tin ceiling and inlaid wood cabinetry is original. (visible in the photo above) Vito Citrano, the present owner told us that he first worked as a counter boy for Eddie and then took over the store when he retired but didnt change a thing. The charm of enjoying two authentic New York City places is a great way to share the night with your Valentine. James and Karla Murray are husband-and-wife New York based professional photographers and authors. All photos and interview excerpts are from their trilogy of books highlighting New York City's disappearing mom-and-pop shops: STORE FRONT: The Disappearing Face of New York, (Gingko Press 2008), New York Nights (Gingko Press 2012) and STORE FRONT II-A History Preserved (Gingko Press 2015). More of their work can be viewed at www.jamesandkarlamurray.com, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. A stage production of Harper Lee's timeless 1960 novel To Kill A Mockingbird is headed to Broadway, with a script to be written by walk-and-talk specialist Aaron Sorkin. The news was announced Wednesday by producer Scott Rudin, who confirmed that the show will debut during the 2017-2018 theater season, with Tony winner Bartlett Sher to direct. Sorkin (whose magnum opus is without a doubt "Dead Irish Writers" from The West Wing's third season) already has a bit of Broadway experience. The Oscar winner penned a stage adaptation of A Few Good Men in 1989 and debuted his original play, The Farnsworth Invention, at The Music Box Theatre in 2007. He and Rudin previously worked together on films including Moneyball, The Social Network, and Steve Jobs. Lee's novel won her the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961, has sold over 40 million copies, and is a staple of high school English courses. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most revered pieces of 20th century American literature, Sorkin told the Times. It lives a little bit differently in everybodys imagination in the way a great novel ought to, and then along I come. Im not the equal of Harper Lee. No one is. Sorkin told the paper that his new script will feature an opening scene that differs from the book, along with new, original dialogue. It should be really quite something. Police are investigating a brutal mugging that took place in broad daylight Tuesday on a busy Chinatown street. An elderly woman was reportedly forced to the ground and robbed at 11:45 a.m. outside of a supermarket at 68 Henry Street. According to an NYPD spokesperson, the 67-year-old woman had been grocery shopping when a man ripped her pocketbook from her right shoulder, pushed her to the ground, and ran off. The victim suffered a laceration to the right side of her head. Witnesses told the Post that the victim then sought refuge in a supermarket at 75 East Broadway. "She was bleeding," a worker told the tabloid. "She came in and asked for help. All of her things were [stolen]." Police confirmed that the woman's purse had contained her cellphone, ID and bank cards, and approximately $200 in cash. She was taken to New York-Presbyterian hospital and treated for the laceration and minor bruising. An NYPD spokesman said investigators are searching for a black male suspect. No arrests have been made, and an investigation is ongoing. I like to think of myself as a Renaissance Man, who champions the values of the Enlightenment and aspires to the Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Temperance, Justice and Fortitude. I am also a student of the Misery of the Human Condition. "" [more] News VIDEO: Sheikh Sultan inspects progress of 'Hanging Gardens' project Sheikh Sultan was briefed on the plans for the remaining stages in the implementation of the project, which extends over an area of one and a half million square feet, listening to the progress of work and the most important completed and remaining stages. -- Thomas JeffersonSyndicated columnist Charley Reese (1937-2013): "Gun control by definition affects only honest people. When a politician tells you he wants to forbid you from owning a firearm or force you to get a license, he is telling you he doesnt trust you. Thats an insult. ... Gun control is not about guns or crime. It is about an elite that fears and despises the common people."The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles -- Jeff Cooper (1920-2006)Note for non-American readers: Crime reports from America which describe an offender just as a "teen" or "teenager" almost invariably mean a BLACK teenager.We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics.Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."How much do you know about Trayvon Martin? It's all here (Backups here and here An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. -- Robert A. HeinleinAfter all the serious stuff here, maybe we need a funny picture of a cantankerous cat Hands Across the Sea is a non-profit organization serving children and their families in Haiti. Founded and run by Karen Huxter, HATS includes an orphanage, a school serving children from preschool to grade 10, serving over 400 children, many of whom are sponsored by individual donors in Canada and the U.S. The children receive a high-quality nutritional drink and a hot lunch each school day. Finally, HATS-Haiti provides ongoing support to families in the community with financial aid in times of crisis, nutrional support, clothing distribution, and assistance with medical costs at the nearby hospital. I'm a passionate writer - and therefore spend most of my time writing thriller novels. But I also live an interesting life in the nations. This blog is here for that aspect of my life - our life - I live with my wonderful wife and two daughters. I believe in encouragement. I live for obedience. I believe in learning from our experiences, and this blog exists for both of those, and more. So that you stay connected, getting every new update, please add your email address to receive all updates directly, or follow the RSS feed. I was part of the leadership team in St Petersburg, Russia - which planted Hope Church in 2009. ( www.hopechurchstpetersburg.com ). In March 2012 Hope Church sent my family to plant into Tallinn, the Capital of Estonia. I therefore lead this small but growing church plant team. Here is the website for Hope Tallinn ( www.hopetallinn.ee For details on our journey here, read the series called Adventures of Faith which is linked for you on the right hand column, just below. That details our original journey to Russia and then onto Tallinn 4 years later. Author for fiction novels - Cherry Picking (2012), The Last Prophet (2015), The Tablet (2015) and The Shadow Man (2016) are available on all major bookselling sites. Please visit: are available on all major bookselling sites. Please visit: www.timheathbooks.com Some want to help in practical ways: A Helena-based company says it's reached an agreement to buy First Security Bank of Helena. Ascent Bancorp expects to close that deal as soon as April 1. The company plans to keep First Security's name and its employees. It did not disclose the family-owned banks purchase price. First Security, located at 1721 11th Ave., was founded by Montana native Paul Caruso in 1970. His son, First Security President and CEO Paul Caruso Jr., did not immediately return requests for comment. A statement issued Wednesday says Ascent, which is helmed by an executive team of Helena natives, looks forward to building on the strong Caruso family reputation. Ascent CEO Loren Brown, a former executive with Mountain West Bank, said the company signed a purchase agreement to take ownership of First Security on Dec. 30, but is still raising capital to complete the move. If completed, that deal would count as a first for Ascent, which was founded by Brown and 11 other board members in July 2015. Prominent Helena-area doctors, bankers and businessmen are all set appear in the fledgling company's boardroom. Even Rep. Chuck Hunter, the term-limited Montana House minority leader, holds a stake in the company. Brown and two top Ascent executives plan to take over for Caruso and another, unnamed First Security executive -- both of whom Brown said are planning to retire -- as soon as the deal is finalized. The company, founded specifically to acquire First Security, isn't necessarily planning to snap up any other banks any time soon. "At this point, we're definitely growth-oriented, but there's no firm plans to buy anything else," Brown said. "We want to give First Security time to grow." Sandra Stiffler sobbed as she recalled the day she returned home after her husband, James, shot and killed a man he thought was burgling their house. "He was really upset," she said. "He was crying." "And we just kind of hugged each other." James Stiffler wiped away tears as he listened to his wife of 47 years testify in Helena district court Tuesday. Stiffler is on trial for a charge of deliberate homicide. Stiffler fatally shot Henry Thomas Johnson on May 22, 2013. He says the killing was in self-defense after Johnson threatened him. Prosecutors say Stiffler shot Johnson as he tried to flee the home through a window. Stiffler testified Monday he thought his wife might have been in their home at the time he saw Johnson. She generally would have been arriving home about 2 p.m. Prosecutors recalled that in his 911 call and his initial interview with investigators, Stiffler never mentioned any thought his wife may have been home at the time. Stiffler also said he planned on arresting Johnson for breaking into his home. After being shot, Johnson fled the home and died behind the wheel of his girlfriend's car, which was parked in the nearby driveway. Stiffler called 911, alerting dispatchers he had fired at a burglar and requested an ambulance. Following an extensive forensic investigation into the case, 665 days later Stiffler was charged with deliberate homicide. Defense expert witness, Massad Ayoob, a trainer in firearms and use of force, testified he felt it was a valid shooting. Johnson was within seconds of being able to assault Stiffler and potentially grab the handgun, Ayoob told the jury. Judge Kathy Seeley clarified that Ayoob could give his opinion but not testify that under Montana law the shooting was justifiable use of force. Ayoob, whose latest book is entitled "Deadly Force -- Understanding Your Right to Self Defense," said he reviewed the police reports, assessed hundreds of photos, traveled to the scene and spoke with Stiffler. He said he teaches a triad of criteria needed to justify use of deadly force, and the Stiffler scenario meets all three. The first is ability of the offender to kill or cripple. He said this could also include Johnson disarming Stiffler and firing. Opportunity is second, he said. This means the opponent can immediately react with that power. The third component is jeopardy, which Ayoob said is using words or actions to show threat. Ayoob told jurors if he was in the same situation as Stiffler, he would think Johnson had a weapon and react accordingly. "Even if I couldn't see one," he added. Testimony will continue Wednesday morning. An innovative new suicide prevention program is slated to be launched at Helena High School next month, reported Helena Public Schools Superintendent Kent Kultgen at Tuesday nights Helena School Board meeting. The program by Montana State Universitys Center for Mental Health Research and Recovery follows on the heels of a recent HHS suicide, which was the fifth one at the school in four years. The program, Young Adult Mental Health Services, is aimed at training students to be aware of of signs someone may be suicidal, said Kultgen, and is based on a highly successful European program. Although staff at Helena High School have received prevention training, said Kultgen, one loop we left out is educating students. The YAMHS program, which is fully funded, is being implemented in Montana and Texas, he said. The MSU center will be working with Helena, Kalispell and Butte high school students. He expects the center will make a public presentation in Helena in March. State Rep. Mary Ann Dunwell, D-Helena, also addressed the school board, advocating legislation that would call for mandatory mental health screening for 11-to-17-year-old students. Similar proposed legislation received a lot of pushback from school districts previously, she said. Dunwell reported the screening was one of several recommendations made by Karl Rosston, the suicide prevention coordinator for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Other recommendations she shared were conflict resolution training for students from first and second grade on, early teaching of skills for facing bullying, teaching kids what to look for as signs of a person in suicidal, mandatory training of teachers in suicide prevention and safe storage of firearms. In other matters, the board called for an election by mail ballot for three K-12 board trustee openings, for seats currently held by Libbi Lovshin, Libby Goldes and Betsy Baur. Goldes plans to run for another term, however Baur and Lovshin do not. Business services administrator Kim Harris gave an initial estimate of a proposed high school levy of $100,000 on the May 3 ballot, and an estimated $300,000 elementary levy. The sole nay vote was by trustee Karen Goldsberry, who opposed the proposed high school levy. Ballot language will have to be finalized in time for printing and mailing of the ballots by April 13, Harris told the board. A final decision on whether to run levies and the amounts to set will be voted on at a March board meeting, Kultgen said following the meeting. Board candidates need to file paperwork by March 24 with the clerk of the district court. Candidates no longer need to obtain signatures, but must turn in a notarized form. In other actions, the board approved the 2016-17 school calendar, which includes a shortened holiday break because Christmas lands on a Friday this year. In recent years, the break has been two weeks. Baur and student representatives Aidan Reed and Hanna Ludlow said theyd heard from staff who preferred when the board held a poll to approve the calendar, rather than having it set by a committee. Assistant superintendent Greg Upham said the district stopped doing the poll because it was divisive. The committee weighed such concerns as parents needing childcare over a two-week break and also stress on low-income children who might not have adequate food, said Upham. The board set March 17 for its next retreat with facilitator Virginia Tribe to work on developing the districts educational vision. Board president Aidan Myhre said the board realized at its recent retreat that it had to have a broader education vision to guide the districts facility planning. The board is aiming to work on a more comprehensive educational vision in March and April, with a completion deadline of May 1. Trustee Cherche Prezeau urged the public to share its ideas about the districts educational vision with the board. The board briefly discussed the effect disruptive behaviors were having in the classroom. Trustee Sarah Sullivan said she was struck by the common theme of behavioral problems in the boards discussions with staff members at different schools. Several board members suggested there should be some uniform guidelines on what are minor infractions and what are not. However, trustee Terry Beaver, who is a retired teacher, cautioned against that approach, saying that what one teacher considers a minor infraction another teacher wouldnt. Some teachers never send a student to the office, he said, while other teachers send two or three students per day. Kultgen suggested that the subject should be part of a future board presentation. In other matters, it was announced that Helena School District was recognized by the College Board as one of 425 districts across the United States and Canada as a high-achieving AP School. It was placed on the Sixth Annual AP District Honor Roll for increasing access to AP (Advanced Placement) coursework, while also maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams. AP is a College Board program offering college level curricula and exams to high school students. Governor candidate Greg Gianforte carried out what Montana's top political cop called "coercion" by sending a campaign email to state employees' government email addresses. However, a campaign complaint against Gianforte was dismissed by Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl. Motl dismissed a complaint filed by Gerald Thomas, the county coroner in Anaconda, that said Gianforte violated campaign practice laws by sending a campaign email to Thomas' government email account. Gianforte's campaign bought a list of government employee email addresses from the Montana Association of Counties, which advertises on its homepage a directory of county officials for sale for $15. The campaign then imported the list into their campaign's contact database and sent out an email asking for donations. At least three government employees who did not submit their government email address to the Gianforte campaign received the email. Motl wrote that a "deliberate, systemic campaign use of public employees' work addresses is coercion. ... If this were not the case then the addresses of Montana public employees would be fair game for any political campaign. ... This sort of activity is exactly what Montana law is designed to prevent." Reached for comment Wednesday, Motl clarified that the specter of the remaining six gubernatorial candidates emailing government employees at their government-issued email addresses amounted to an intrusion that "would be seen as coercion." In his dismissal, Motl referenced a previous decision dismissing a complaint from 2000 in which a governor candidate sent campaign literature to state employees at their office buildings. The mailings were found to be accidental and limited. Motl called Gianforte's campaign actions deliberate, and said the distinction will be used going forward to weigh if mailings violate campaign practice rules. Motl ordered Gianforte's campaign to purge all public employee addresses, email or physical, from campaign mailing lists. He also ordered Gianforte and all other candidates to refrain from using the work addresses of public employees. Motl wrote the "public employee time involved in opening the Gianforte email on governmental addresses was no more than that involved in any junk email that slips into governmental addresses." Motl's decision in part cites a complaint from 16 years ago, when then-candidate for governor Joe Mazurek mailed campaign literature to state employees at their state office buildings. The commissioner of political practices in 2000, Linda Vaughey, didn't find Mazurek broke any laws because he didn't use public facilities, equipment, supplies, personnel or funds to make the mailing. Vaughey also said the state time involved in processing and distributing unsolicited mail addressed to public employees did not cause any state employee to engage in prohibited political activity while on state time. Motl's decision said Gianforte did not use state resources to create or send the email. A Gianforte spokesman said the GOP candidate was traveling and not immediately available for comment. He said the complaint was dismissed in a "timely manner." Thomas said he wasn't miffed by that dismissal, one he said still managed to address his concerns. "I don't have any hard feelings (toward Gianforte), I just don't like political emails on a service we're paying for," Thomas said. "In Anaconda, you don't talk religion or politics. ... I figured the only way to stop it was to complain." A quota range for the city of Helenas deer cull will be before the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission on Thursday, although department officials say most public comment on the issue spoke to the overall plan and instead of the quota itself. FWP received 18 comments on a proposed quota range of up to 250 deer for the 2016-2017 biennium. Two comments spoke to the quota range, with both in favor. Other comments included five against the culling program, seven in support and some general comments about deer in Helena. Three comments encouraged hunting to maintain deer numbers. Two comments encouraged sterilization rather than killing. All the public comment will go to the commission, said FWP Game Management Bureau Chief John Vore. It will be up to the commission on how to consider it, he said. The city of Helena came up with its own deer plan, and the Fish and Wildlife Commission approved it and authorizes quotas, Vore said. Direct support or opposition to the plan is better directed to the city commission, although in theory, the Fish and Wildlife Commission can alter proposed quotas or quota ranges or reject proposals, he said. If the commission were to vote against the quota range, it would then have to consider annual quotas, Vore said. The plan itself has been the subject of three environmental assessments, and local law enforcement supports the cull, citing a drop in deer-related incidents since 2008. Venison produced by the program goes to Helena Food Share. The majority of comments supporting the plan and quota range spoke to a need to maintain lower deer populations that were once exploding. I would encourage maintaining an annual deer culling program in Helena at the recent levels or even higher, wrote Chad Lee of Helena. My problems with deer have decreased significantly compared to when no culling program was in place. I also notice that the deer are becoming less tame (more flighty) which I think is positive. We have participated in the culling program every winter it has been operating, wrote Jack Stults and Daphne Crosbie. We support the proposed quota. The Helena Police do a superb job in all aspects of the program. Furthermore, the large benefit to the local food bank is worth having the program. Yes, I support the quota numbers as proposed, or even more, as the urban deer need to be kept in check, wrote Melanie Ruby of Helena. Give the city some leeway in taking out as many as needed to keep deer numbers manageable. Plus, the meat is well used. Some of the comments against the plan questioned whether culling is humane and encouraged living more harmoniously with wildlife. I find the proposal to kill the city deer barbaric and inhumane, wrote Jannis Conselyea of Helena, who condemned the shooting of animals "simply for the reason that humans have moved into their habitat instead of developing a more humane way to co-exist with the wildlife people share the environment with." Conselyea also took issue with justifying the brutal attack by offering their bodies to be ground up for food and donated to the poor, as if this makes killing the innocent animals the socially proper thing to do, instead of creating a more humane community solution." It would seem to me that those who prefer only a city life without these beautiful animals, they should pack up and go to the places where no deer or other animals reside, wrote Patricia Sharp of Helena. This is the deers home as much as it is humans. We should learn to live in harmony with natures living plants and animals. Please do not continue the slaughter of these wonderful creatures. The Fish and Wildlife Commission meets at 8:30 a.m. on February 11, although the quota range is scheduled as part of the afternoon agenda. The meeting will take place at Montana WILD, 2668 Broadwater Ave. BILLINGS -- A contentious proposal to extend elk hunting from August into February in 43 Montana hunting districts down from the 44 originally proposed comes before the Fish and Wildlife Commission for approval on Thursday in Helena. After meetings held statewide that generated about 700 comments, the regulations were slightly modified, according to John Vore, Fish, Wildlife and Parks game management bureau chief. The highlighted changes can be found online in the commissions agenda in the Elk Master List. In most cases there wont be an archery season overlapping with the rifle season, Vore said, one of the main concerns that came up at meetings. These changes will affect Regions 3, 4, 5 and 6. The overlap will be maintained in Regions 1 and 2. We need to maintain that early season from August into October because its a rich opportunity to harvest elk, Vore said. Archery seasons provide recreation, but it is not a management tool. The extended seasons are meant to reduce the states overpopulation of elk, which when added up are 29,000 above department population goals. So if we are going to be serious about reaching population objectives we need to be serious about harvesting elk, Vore said. With so much confusion about the shoulder seasons which was enacted on a trial basis this winter in the White Sulphur Springs area Vore said its important to stress that the shoulder seasons are performance based. The department still wants to see the majority of the elk harvested during the regular season, or it will drop the shoulder season. Another hot topic among FWPs hunting proposals was the reduction in the bull elk harvest in Hunting District 313 near Gardiner and north of Yellowstone National Park. With declining bull numbers showing up in department counts, FWP proposed cutting the district to only 75 branch-antlered bull permits. An active and vocal group of outfitters in the Gardiner area criticized the reduction as unnecessary and said it would kill a portion of the areas winter economy. Faced with such disapproval, FWP modified its recommendation to allow a brow-tine bull harvest with a general tag during the archery season and the first three weeks of the rifle season. The last two weeks of the rifle season would be open to mature bull hunting only for those who possess a permit. Only 50 of the permits will be issued through the annual drawings. The agency clarified how it would measure if the restrictions are working: If we observe 10 or more brow-tined bulls per 100 cows for two consecutive years within HD 313, then we will consider that this change has been successful. Alternately, the long-term average among the entire elk population is 23.2 brow-tined bulls per 100 cows. If we observe 18.5 brow-tined bulls per 100 cows for two consecutive years among the entire elk population including HD 313 and the northern range of Yellowstone National Park we will consider this proposal successful. Hunters in HD 313 were also warned, though, that if the restrictions dont work to raise the ratio of bulls to cows in the herd, a shorter season or extension of when only permits are allowed may be implemented. This strikes a balance, Vore said. We dont expect it to cure the problem as quickly as we would have liked, but it maintains opportunity. In addition, FWP is extending its emergency closure area to protect elk migrating from Yellowstone to Montana winter range. The closure would range from Deckard Flats next to the park boundary north to Trail Creek. In the past the closure was at Deckard Flats only, which simply pushed the firing line to Eagle Creek, Vore said. Some of the other items on the agenda include: 2016 and 2017 hunting rules, season dates, quota ranges and structures for deer, antelope, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, bison, black bears, mountain lions, upland game birds and migratory game birds. Expansion of the number of elk hunting districts in northwestern Montana where certain permission holders may hunt from a vehicle. Quota ranges for a Helena urban deer hunt. Maximum numbers of deer, elk and antelope that can be harvested during damage hunts and management seasons. A five-year commercial carp fishing permit for Lake Helena and Canyon Ferry Reservoir. A proposed channel-migration easement on the Navratil property in Eastern Montana. Sen. Jennifer Fielder of Thompson Falls in a recent IR editorial reiterated a great deal of misinformation about the facts surrounding the arson convictions of ranchers Steve and Dwight Hammond that ignited the Malheur Refuge standoff in Oregon. Ms. Fielder suggests the Hammonds were maligned by the federal employees and an unfair court system. Im familiar with the Hammonds and their long-standing conflicts with the Malheur Refuge and BLM land managers in Burns, Oregon. These folks are anything but model citizens. Fielder starts her comment by saying the ranchers face the death penalty for accidentally setting arson fires that burned up yours and my lands. That is simply an incendiary statement. They are being jailed for up to five years based on two separate arson convictions and they are not facing any death penalty. The arson convictions are the tip of the iceberg and only came after decades of aggressive disrespect and criminal violations by the Hammonds towards yours and my lands and the dedicated public employees who are trying to manage them for all Americans not just welfare ranchers like the Hammonds. According to the court documents from the U.S. Attorney, the Hammonds set their arson fires when burn bans were in effect. One of the fires nearly trapped a BLM fire crew that was fighting another wildfire and could have potentially led to their death, and their second arson fire forced a hunting guide to flee and move his camp to avoid the flames. Even more telling of their criminal intent is that one of the arson fires was set to hide the fact that the Hammonds had poached at least seven deer and likely wounded a number of others. Though the Hammonds were convicted of these charges by a local jury, it ignores the fact that, according to the court papers, over a 28-year period the Hammonds purposely set numerous arson fires that burnt up to 45,000 acres of public lands. For almost all of these fires, except for the two recent arson convictions, they did not even face charges just slaps on the wrist. The arson charges were not the Hammonds first brush with the law. According an article by Kathy Durbin in High Country News, the Hammonds were arrested in 1994 and both faced felony charges for interfering with federal officials. In an affidavit from Special Investigator Earl Kisler, the Hammonds purposely disabled a bulldozer along the route of a fence line that was being constructed to keep their cows from trespassing on the refuge. When the fence crew showed up, Dwight Hammond leaped to the levers and suddenly lowered the blade that narrowly missed killing another special agent. The charge for these crimes had a three-year maximum sentence, but they only spent two nights in jail after then-Congressman Bob Smith intervened on their behalf. After this incident, the refuge manager and others began to receive death threats over the phone. The refuge managers wife and family had to leave the area for fear of her life. However, this intimidation was nothing new. According a 1995 Village Voice article, Hammond made repeated death threats against refuge managers in 1986, 1988 and 1991, plus frequently engaged in verbal abuses towards other federal workers. And among the many anonymous phone threats, the Village Voice reported the refuge manager received was one (it is not clear if this was from the Hammonds or others in the community) that promised to wrap his 12-year-old son in barbed wire and shove him down a well. According to a document filed by the Harney County Sheriffs office, the Hammonds were investigated for child abuse, including among other things, using sandpaper to rub marks off a teenager relatives chest. The Hammonds own more than 12,866 acres of private land which easily makes them millionaires. However according to Environmental Working Group, the Hammonds received nearly $300,000 in direct government subsidies between 1995 and 2012. And we should not forget the subsidized grazing fees they enjoyed during the decades their livestock foraged on public lands, as well as, government-subsidized predator control, among other public subsidies. When you know the backstory on the Hammonds, its a wonder they were not put in jail years ago. And if they we might have avoided a lot of damage to our public lands and perhaps there would be no take-over of OUR public lands by armed criminals. *** George Wuerthner is the ecological projects director for the Foundation for Deep Ecology, where he does research and writes about environmental issues. For many years he was a full-time freelance photographer and writer and has published thirty-eight books on natural history, conservation history, ecology and environmental issues. An open letter to Secretary Jewell: We, the members of the Helena Hunters and Anglers Association of Montana, are writing to express our full opposition to the illegal takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge administrative building in Burns, Oregon. Many of us have spent our careers in the western states managing public lands and facilities. We ask you to fully prosecute these criminals. Without prosecution, they will only be emboldened. What could they do next? Will they take over a national park, ranger station or research center? We wish to be on record, as hunters, recreationists and citizens of the United States, that we will stand with you and your staff at all levels in management efforts to keep our public lands public. Criminal behavior must not be allowed to proliferate on, or substitute for management of our public lands. Renegade groups must not be allowed to hold public lands hostage, and then receive a free pass for their illegal acts. Stan Frasier is president of Helena Hunters and Anglers Association. "... It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings."....I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" Lancet Study: These findings firmly counter those of a Cochrane review of direct-acting antiviral treatment trials that could neither confirm nor reject if direct-acting antivirals had an effect on long-term HCV-related morbidity and mortality. They also provide the best evidence to date to support guidance documents that recommend direct-acting antiviral treatment for all patients with chronic HCV infection. Latest Update Feb 12, 2019A systematic review published by the Cochrane Collaboration suggested achieving SVR (cure) for patients using hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) doesn't correlate with any long term benefits. View each rebuttal and all ongoing media coverage. I take great exception to Miley Palmer's Jan. 13 letter to the editor, Editorial board praised for stance on gun rules, for calling the newspaper's stance on guns as being "modest and reasonable." Forty million gun owners in America will agree that any law and/or adjustments is a Second Amendment threat, simply because it places another roadblock to the legal ownership of guns by honest, freedom-loving Americans. Changing the notion of how they define a "gun dealer" and the idiotic "smart gun" technology is both stupid and a logistical nightmare. We should all remember that legitimate gun ownership is a constitutional right, not a privilege. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan rejected pressure for more gun laws since, he stated, there are already more than 20,000 laws on the books. Not a single one of the 20,000 existing laws deters crooks, terrorists and others from getting their hands on guns. They don't get them from legitimate sources like the rest of us do, so they are not subject to the hoops, red tape, background checks and psychobabble analysis that the rest of us are. Illinois has more restrictive gun laws than any state in our nation, second only to California. Illinois is the only state requiring the registering of gun owners. Many agree this is the first step toward gun confiscation such as happened in Germany under Hitler. Illinois was the 50th state to allow concealed carry. It shouldn't be a surprise that the most anti-gun president in our history is from the most anti-gun state in our union. If we enforce our existing laws, there is no need for additional modest and reasonablerules, which are neither modest nor reasonable. Bob Kimmons Warrensburg The public may not need to know every detail behind the dismissal last week of Brad Sweeney as Decatur's police chief, but it certainly deserves to know more than what has been revealed so far. What we know is that Sweeney, who had been serving as chief for about a year, was relieved of his duties on Thursday by City Manager Tim Gleason. Sweeney, who spent his entire law enforcement career with the Decatur Police Department, had recently returned from a 12-week training session at the FBI National Academy. Deputy Chief James Getz, who had served as interim chief while Sweeney was gone, is now the interim chief. Gleason added he would not have any additional comment because it is a personnel matter. Certainly, Gleason legally has no reason to tell residents any more than he has. Personnel matters are protected under the states law involving public employees. There are a number of rumors swirling around town as to why Sweeney was relieved of his duties so quickly. But those stories are just that, rumors. The public deserves to know more than unsubstantiated rumors or the minimum information required by law. The police chief of any community is a high-profile individual and one who the public entrusts not only to protect the community, but also to deal with everyone in the community fairly. From our observations, Sweeney was doing a good job of working with the public. He started the practice of having coffee gatherings with residents and, along with the local chapter of the NAACP, worked on a procedure to be followed in the event of a law enforcement officer shooting a citizen. The procedure was developed in order to get the correct information to the public quickly and accurately in order to avoid problems based on misinformation. Its ironic, and unfortunate, that Sweeneys dismissal is being subjected to the types of rumors and innuendos that he worked hard to avoid as a police chief. The laws concerning public employees cover all employees. But in the real world, there are some positions that carry more responsibility than others. While the public may not need to know the details of every personnel matter of every public employee, it certainly deserves more information when the man entrusted to protect the city is suddenly dismissed. It may not be necessary, or wise, to offer up all of the details at this point. But there are ways to phrase information so that the public can have some idea as to why Sweeney was dismissed. The public puts a lot of trust in city government and its leadership. But trust is a two-way street and it seems that the dismissal of the citys police chief is an instance where the public should be told more than the minimal amount required by Illinois law. The following is an official USAID press release. During a public event on February 10, USAID announced the launch of the Advanced Science and Partnerships for Integrated Resource Development Project (ASPIRED) a three-year initiative designed to curb the rate of groundwater abstraction in the Ararat Valley to sustainable levels. USAID Armenia Mission Director Karen Hilliard, Deputy Minister of Nature Protection Simon Papyan, representatives of the central government, regional authorities of Armavir and Ararat provinces, and local and international organizations attended the event. USAIDs recent assessment of the status of groundwater resources in the Ararat Valley the countrys key agricultural hub has indicated an alarming situation. The decreasing level of the groundwater supply and the uncontrolled use of artesian water by fish farms has left some 30 communities in the Ararat and Armavir marzes without reliable access to drinking or irrigation water. In addition, these water shortages pose a real threat to the countrys agricultural sector, the socio-economic and environmental well-being of these regions, as well as the safety and security of Armenias sole nuclear power plant, Metzamor, which relies on these water resources for its cooling system. Despite recent measures by the Armenian government to regulate the use of artesian water in the valley, the situation remains serious and is among the Armenian Governments top priorities. USAIDs new ASPIRED project will assist the Government of Armenia in developing consistent policy and technical solutions for a more regulated use of these vital groundwater resources. The project will focus on closing data gaps, improving technical capacities and tools for informed decision-making, increasing access to innovative water conservation and energy efficiency technologies, and promoting regulatory and enforcement mechanisms. ASPIRED will also conduct an inventory of the wells and springs in the Ararat Artesian Basin, create a publicly accessible integrated data system for the valley, install an automated control system for monitoring groundwater abstraction in ten selected fisheries, and pilot innovative technologies for efficient groundwater and energy use. Policy recommendations will be provided to the Armenian government to optimize fees for underground water use by fisheries and introduce stricter water permit practices and oversight. FCC Aqualia awarded in Saudi Arabia for contribution towards modernising water sector The Governor of Riyadh (H.R.H Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud) presented the Award for Water to Javier Diaz, manager of FCC Aqualia in Saudi Arabia, during the Saudi Water Electricity Forum (SWEF) held in Riyadh this week. The award pays recognition to the work carried out by FCC Aqualia over the last five years, including the sectioning and leakage project in the city of Riyadh, as well as the operation and maintenance of the wastewater treatment plants in Mecca (Hadda and Arana Plants). With this activity the company has become the "Best Performer of the Year in the Kingdom". Endorsed and supported by the Ministry of Water and Electricity, the SWEF is the main calendar event in for the water and electricity industry in Saudi Arabia. Key players in the sector, such as the National Water Company and the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (government agencies that manage supply, sewerage and desalination in the country), gathered to discuss the priorities in these sectors or how the low oil prices have an impact on current policies regarding water and electricity. Groundbreaking solutions in the Middle East This award acknowledges the work carried out by FCC Aqualia in the Middle East, where the company has been at the forefront in terms of managing major contracts. FCC Aqualia became the first company to secure a water management contract in the Middle East with the implementation project of an innovative improvement plan for the drinking water supply network of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. In this sense, FCC Aqualia has initiated a plan to search for and repair leakages in the city's water network. Its efforts have helped to minimise the number of incidents and increase the efficiency ratio of the network that provides water to a population of 6 million people. As an example of the synergy, the company's knowledge of the networks ensured that it was allocated works in 2014 and 2015 by other companies in the FAST Consortium, including the modification of the water network layout and the services affected by the construction of the corresponding metro sections. The award also recognises the role FCC Aqualia played in the management of the Hadda and Arana wastewater treatment plants in Mecca. Since last year, the company has been managing both wastewater treatment plants which have a maximum flow capacity of 375,000 cubic metres. This project falls within the framework of the program carried out by Saudi Arabian authorities which aims to transform and modernise the country's water cycle management. In the United Arab Emirates, FCC Aqualia manages the sewerage and purification system in the eastern area of Abu Dhabi. This commission was the first to be awarded to a Spanish company in the United Arab Emirates and includes the operation and maintenance of a wastewater sewerage network stretching more than 2,400 kilometres, with 68 wastewater pumping stations and 19 wastewater treatment plants in the city of Al Ain (in the western area of Abu Dhabi, at the border with Oman) and the surrounding areas. In addition to these projects, FCC Aqualia works in sewerage system management in the Qatari city of Al Dhakhira. The project, awarded at the end of 2014 for 300 million euros, entails the construction of a wastewater treatment plant that will manage an average flow of 56,200 m3 per day and will serve more than 205,000 people. FCC Aqualia is the water management company belonging to the Citizen Services Group. According to the latest ranking by the specialist publication Global Water Intelligence (GWI), the company is the leading Spanish company in its sector, the third private water company in Europe and the sixth worldwide. It provides a service to 22.5 million users in 1,100 municipal areas in 22 countries. In 2014, the company logged a turnover of 954 million and achieved a record business portfolio of more than 15,000. write your comments about the article :: 2016 Construction News :: home page Robert Lee Stinson hugs his sister Charlene Stinson in 2009 as he leaves the New Lisbon prison. He has received more than $100,000 from the state for his wrongful conviction. Under an Assembly bill passed Tuesday, others wrongfully convicted could get $50,000 a year for each year they were in prison. Right thinking, left city: Young Republicans experience Madison differently as they move against its political current Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. This black lab was adopted last year from the Dane County Humane Society. Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders shake hands Feb. 4 before their presidential primary debate hosted by MSNBC at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. PHOTO BY DAVID GOLDMAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS Whenever theres a discussion about Highway 33 in Portage, its a foregone conclusion that someone will utter the B word. Portage mayoral candidate John Morauski was the first to suggest at a Wisconsin Department of Transportation informational meeting Monday that perhaps the DOT should consider a bypass, so that Highway 33 and all its truck traffic would no longer go through downtown Portage. DOT officials made it clear at the outset that the recently commenced Highway 33 corridor preservation study doesnt include money for a bypass, or for any major overhauls of the roadway between Highway 12 in Baraboo and Garrison Road east of Portage. But keep talking it up, said DOT Project Manager Tom Kratt, and a bypass might happen someday. Kratt said one key reason for holding Mondays public involvement session which attracted 14 people, including DOT representatives is to hear from people who live, work or drive on Highway 33 about the problems associated with the roadway. Morauski and his wife, Heather, had plenty to say. On one of the numerous maps posted in the Portage High School commons, the Morauskis showed where a speeding car once crashed into their front yard. As a mayoral candidate, John Morauski said, hes forming a vision for Portages future, and that vision includes eventually eliminating truck traffic not only in the downtown business district, but also in front of schools like St. Marys Catholic School. Trucks through downtown, he said, are not conducive to the downtown. Kratt said this is not, by far and away, the first time hes heard that. But right now, he said, the focus of the Highway 33 study is extending the life of the roadway for as long as possible. We realize its a good highway, he said, and we really want to preserve it. How can we do that without major expenditures? Study details Chuck Wade of Madison-based TranSmart Technologies, project manager for the Highway 33 study, said there is no money set aside for any work on the Baraboo-to-Portage corridor at this time, and there wont be unless problems and solutions are identified. Thats why the study is being conducted. We want to quantify things we know anecdotally, he said things like the percentage of Highway 33 traffic that consists of trucks, the condition of the pavement, traffic counts, accident-prone intersections and the concerns of people who use the roadway frequently. Between now and March, Wade said, there will be an inventory of the corridor, followed by a draft of potential improvement strategies (and at least one more public meeting) before the summer is over. A final draft of strategies is expected to be completed before the year is out, with a final report submitted in March 2017, to allow DOT officials to include Highway 33 in their road improvement programs. Some potential improvements that could result, according to Wade, include turning lanes or other geometric improvements, though traffic counts in the corridor dont appear to warrant making it a four-lane highway. Wish list Steve Sobiek, the city of Portages director of business development and planning, said his wish list for Highway 33 improvements in Portage includes: Improvement of the highways intersection with East Albert Street, because many people use East Albert Street to get access to the Portages north side businesses. More identified, consistent crossing areas, primarily downtown, such as Highway 33s intersection with DeWitt Street. This will be especially important, he noted, once Columbia Countys two new buildings alongside the Portage Canal are completed and in use, sometime in the spring of 2017. Diversion of truck traffic away from downtown Portage, though Sobiek acknowledges that a Highway 33 bypass is not likely to happen any time soon. Some attention to problem Highway 33 intersections, such as Pierce Street near Pauquette Park and Wisconsin Street. Improvements that are friendly to bicyclists and pedestrians. Highway 33 is important to Portage, because its the way people come to Portage, or come through Portage, Sobiek said. The longest-running Indian restaurant in Madison, Maharaja on Odana Road, recently changed hands and now has a new name and new menu. Restaurant consultant Anwar Zaidi and his wife, Reba, are half owners of the new Tandoori House, 6713 Odana Road, with chef Dev Raj, who has worked at Maharaja West and the former Maharaja East for about 11 years combined. His cooking experience goes back 25 years, Zaidi said. Raj went to work at original owner Baldev Bolla's Milwaukee restaurant and is now back in Madison. About a year and a half ago, Bolla sold Maharaja to Rohit Lamba, who sold it to Raj and the Zaidis. Lamba still owns Maharaja Grocery & Liquor on the East Side. "I always wanted to have a restaurant," Zaidi said. "I'm passionate about good food." With Tandoori House, Zaidi said, he is bringing back "authentic Indian food." Zaidi said he's been a consultant for all 13 Indian restaurants in the Madison area, which he dismisses as serving "mass produced" Indian food. "We are doing away with what I call industrial Indian food," Zaidi said. "Every single Indian restaurant in town, it's the same thing, once you go into the restaurant you can't differentiate between one and another." He and his partners have streamlined the menu, he said. The previous menu had more than 200 items, which they've brought it down to about 60. "We are bringing in a lot of fresh items," Zaidi said. "People have developed a taste for Americanized Indian food, and with time we will do away with that. (Tandoori House) will have real Indian food." In terms of tandoori, the menu will have close to a dozen items cooked in a clay oven. The menu also offers a couple of Pakistani specialties. The partners have brought in another chef, Steve Nath, who has been cooking in the U.S. since 1981. Nath comes from a family of chefs and has most recently worked in restaurants in Chicago and New York, Zaidi said. Nath is focusing solely on curries and biryani, he said. Maharaja opened in 1999. Tandoori House is Zaidi's first restaurant. He has been a restaurant consultant since 2005. A Madison man charged with shooting a former grocery store co-worker to death last week outside the store where they worked was ordered to stand trial on first-degree intentional homicide and reckless endangerment charges. Christopher T. OKroley, 26, waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday before Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke. He did not enter pleas to the charges against him but will do so when an arraignment is set before the assigned trial judge, William Hanrahan. A criminal complaint states that OKroley blamed Caroline Nosal, 24, of Stoughton, for getting him fired from his job at Metro Market, 6010 Cottage Grove Road, after she complained to management that he was harassing her. The criminal complaint states that Nosal had rebuffed OKroleys desire to have a more serious relationship, which upset OKroley. After his arrest, OKroley told police that he bought the handgun he used to shoot Nosal on Feb. 1, right after he was fired, and that he planned to shoot Nosal that day, but instead decided he needed time to practice with his new gun, according to the complaint. After finding out when Nosal would be leaving work on Feb. 2, OKroley waited for her in the parking lot and shot her, the complaint states. OKroley fired shots at a Madison police officer, who returned fire, on Feb. 3 when he was spotted by a passer-by near East Towne Mall. Nobody was hurt by the shots. A former girlfriend told the Wisconsin State Journal that OKroley has had mental health issues for years and that he attempted suicide in 2014. OKroleys lawyer, state Assistant Public Defender Adam Welch, said he couldnt comment on whether he plans to pursue an insanity defense for OKroley or whether he had decided not to enter a plea to the charges on Tuesday in order to consider a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. OKroley, who appeared in court shackled to a wheeled restraint chair, but no longer wearing suicide prevention clothing, remains in the Dane County Jail on $1 million bail. A Madison native charged last year with trying to join the terrorist group Islamic State is competent to stand trial, a psychologist at a federal correctional center has concluded. But U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker gave a lawyer for Joshua Van Haften, 35, two weeks to discuss the report with a defense expert to decide whether to contest the competency finding. Van Haften was charged in April with trying to cross from Turkey into Syria to join IS. He flew to Turkey in August 2014 and was to meet with a contact to take him into Syria, according to court documents, but nobody came for him. Van Haften was arrested by Turkish authorities after returning to Istanbul, and was arrested in Chicago on April 9 after his release from Turkey. Van Haftens lawyer, federal defender Joseph Bugni, sought a competency evaluation, and Van Haften was sent to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, where he underwent the evaluation by Dr. Ron Nieberding. The court was given Nieberdings findings under seal on Jan. 29. Minutes from a status conference held by telephone Wednesday indicate that Nieberding concluded that Van Haften is competent to proceed. But Crocker gave Bugni two weeks to consult with Dr. Kenneth Robbins, after which Bugni must tell the court either that he doesnt contest Nieberdings conclusion or that the defense wishes to contest it by conducting its own competency examination. In the meantime, Van Haften remains in custody and is now back in the Dane County Jail. No trial date has been set. A Madison man convicted of sexually assaulting a young girl in 2014 was sentenced Tuesday to nine years in prison. Dane County Circuit Judge Nicholas McNamara told Abraham Thomas, 52, that because of what Thomas did, the girl has continued to face an emotional struggle, and that the impact of the crime has been astronomical. But McNamara said he gave Thomas credit for pleading guilty to one of three sexual assault charges and sparing the girl of having to testify at a trial toward which the case appeared headed. The nine-year prison sentence was recommended jointly by Thomas lawyer, David Geier, and Assistant District Attorney Rachel Sattler. What was left open was the length of time that Thomas would remain on extended supervision after his release from prison. Sattler recommended 20 years of extended supervision while Geier asked for seven to eight years. McNamara ordered 16 years of extended supervision, noting that sex offender supervision is rigorous because the public demands to be protected. Thomas said he is deeply sorry for the negative impact Ive had on (the girls) life. According to a criminal complaint, Thomas assaulted the girl in November 2014 in a hotel room where she was living with her family. Thomas knew the girl and her family. Thomas is the father of Adore Thomas, who was 16 when he was convicted of attacking and raping a woman on Madisons East Side. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He is appealing the conviction. Abraham Thomas said, however, that he didnt spend much time with his son and had little to do with his upbringing. UW-Madison University Health Services will spend an extra $400,000 next academic year for additional staffing and new or expanded programs aimed at reducing student-reported rates of campus sexual violence. In September, UW-Madison released results of a campus survey that found more than one in four undergraduate women or 27.6 percent reported experiencing some form of sexual assault while enrolled, exceeding the 23.1 percent of college women nationwide who reported it. It was really shocking, said UW-Madison senior and sorority leader Sarah Laudon, about the reaction she and other students had when they heard the survey results presented for the first time last fall. The room was silent. People needed some time to process it. A university task force chaired by UHS Executive Director Dr. Sarah Van Orman was formed to study the survey results and come up with recommendations to reduce sexual assault and gender-based violence on campus. Van Orman and David Blom, the universitys Title IX coordinator, presented the task force recommendations at a media briefing Tuesday. In one of the process improvements thats already occurred, Blom started supervising campus-based investigations of sexual assault and misconduct accusations last fall so that the previous campus investigative arm, the Dean of Students office, could be responsible only for ruling on the cases. Many other changes are in the works, with cooperation from all corners of campus required. Encompassing a multi-pronged strategy focused on increased prevention and education efforts, stronger victim support and more accountability for perpetrators, the overall effort will work to make safety from gender-based violence a shared responsibility, officials said, with the shared benefit of a safer place for all to live and learn. The idea of a single program that will change the culture on campus is just not going to happen, Van Orman said. But with comprehensive change through multiple channels, we know we can shift the curve on this. Besides UHS, partners in the effort include university housing, communications, the provosts office, the dean of students, university police, professional school deans, the division of student life, and Greek student organizations. Most of the changes will start this fall, with a new student survey to gauge their efficacy perhaps in spring 2018. We definitely do need to make a culture change, said Laudon, who served on a parallel task force made up of fraternity and sorority leaders that came up with recommendations for organizational changes to the universitys Greek system to fight sexual assault. Recommendations from Van Ormans task force include: Additional prevention programming for all first-year students in university housing, on topics such as alcohol-facilitated sexual assault, consent and healthy sexuality, with a push to change cultural norms that tend to make sexual violence acceptable. A new bystander curriculum aimed in part at helping students learn the skills to speak up when they see unacceptable behavior by their peers. Among the student groups targeted for the training will be all new members of fraternities and sororities. A required program to help all graduate and professional students learn more about campus resources around sexual assault and misconduct issues, after the survey showed they knew less about these topics than undergraduates. The offering expands a pilot program that started Sept. 1. More UHS prevention staff, 15 new peer educators and two additional victim advocate positions. From the Greek task force, one recommendation is to have a Safe Sister/Safe Brother in each chapter with knowledge of campus resources around sexual assault who can support and advise other members. More than 9,000 UW-Madison students participated in the Association of American Universities survey, part of more than 150,000 students at 27 universities who took it. In addition to the findings for female students, the local survey found 5.4 percent of UW-Madison male undergraduates reported being sexually assaulted, which is defined for both genders as non-consensual penetration or sexual touching accomplished by force or victim incapacitation, typically fueled by excessive drinking. Perpetrators of sexual assaults were overwhelmingly identified as fellow students who were male and often a friend or acquaintance. The local survey also found most sexual assaults occurred in student residences both private apartments and campus residence halls with assaults disproportionately reported in fraternity houses. The state Assemblys Republican majority on Tuesday passed bills including a rollback of lake and wetland protections, new constraints on local power to control pollution and a fundamental change in the way judges handle environmental lawsuits. Authors of Assembly Bills 600 and 582 said they were long-overdue measures that would restore and expand rights of private property owners. Lawmakers approved Assembly Bill 600 57-39 and Assembly Bill 582 56-39. AB 600 was aimed at curtailing government authority to regulate lakefront landowners and developers who want to build on wetlands. The bill loosens limits on dredging shoreline areas, requires the state to classify less lake acreage as sensitive, and mandates shoreline lakebed be deeded to property owners in places where fill material was dumped to push back the waters edge before 1975, even if it was done illegally. An amendment to the bill that was offered Friday makes several changes, including allowing public access to the filled-in lakebed in some cases, but conservationists said such changes were cosmetic. Under the state constitution, state government is supposed to hold lakes in trust for the benefit of the public. Amber Meyer Smith, a lobbyist for Clean Wisconsin, said AB 600 takes a step in the wrong direction by allowing public access to filled lakeshore only under certain circumstances. Conservationists said a provision allowing each lakefront owner to dredge 25 cubic yards enough to fill several dump trucks of sediment each year risked destruction of fish habitat and degraded water quality because it can spread invasive species and toxins buried in sediment. But Republicans said current laws and enforcement actions by the state Department of Natural Resources have been too costly and have unfairly constrained the freedom of property owners to use boats, extend piers and repair boathouses. The bills author, Balsam Lake Republican Rep. Adam Jarchow, met with conservation groups that oppose the legislation and business lobbyists who support it after a Jan. 5 public hearing drew strong condemnation from environmentalists. But changes unveiled last week only softened language without changing much substance, said Carl Sinderbrand, an attorney who has represented clients interested in environmental policy for decades. One Republican, Rep. Joel Kitchens of Sturgeon Bay, has said he wanted to see changes in the provisions allowing each lakefront owner to dredge several dump trucks of sediment each year. The bill includes a provision to make it easier for business developers to fill wetlands. Under current law, a developer may be required to buy other land to avoid eliminating wetland, but in certain circumstances the bill would require a developer to move a project only to land already owned. The Senate version of the bill, SB 459, still faces a public hearing and a vote in committee before the full Senate would consider it. AB 582 would stop local governments from declaring moratoriums on certain types of development. Several counties have declared moratoriums to give themselves time to write ordinances to control environmental effects of frac sand mines. Another provision would stop municipalities from setting certain conditions on the repair of buildings that have been constructed legally in shore land setback areas. Construction in those areas can degrade lake water quality by adding to soil and chemical runoff. The bill also would require judges to stop the long-standing practice of giving deference to the expertise of state regulators when an agency such as the DNR is challenged in court. The bills authors are Jarchow and Sen. Frank Lasee, R-De Pere. The Senate version of the bill is SB 464, which was recommended by a committee but not scheduled for a vote Tuesday. Business associations for real estate interests, builders and the state business lobby, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, are pushing for the legislation. Most major environmental groups are opposed. The bills were passed during a 11-hour floor session on Tuesday part of an ambitious schedule Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, has set in order for the Assembly to wrap up its work next week. UW-Madison researchers plan next week to start monkey studies of Zika virus, which has caused an outbreak apparently linked to birth defects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Campus scientists will infect rhesus macaque monkeys with the mosquito-borne virus to examine three questions: how long Zika persists in blood, urine and saliva; if infection protects against future exposure; and whether the stage of pregnancy in which infection occurs impacts the effects on offspring. Theres a lot thats unknown about Zika virus right now. Its an understudied virus because it doesnt make people very sick, said David OConnor, a UW-Madison pathology professor who is part of the research team. We dont know the basics of how and where the virus replicates, what sort of immune response the body mounts to the virus and under what circumstances the virus causes diseases, OConnor said. The research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, will be conducted in secure facilities at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center designed for the safe study of potentially harmful viruses. The findings could help with vaccine development and treatment for Zika virus and inform recommendations by health officials. People want clear answers, and we want to be able to make clear public health recommendations, Thomas Friedrich, a UWMadison professor of pathobiological sciences, said in a university statement. There are a lot of countries in the tropics right now saying, Dont get pregnant until 2018. Thats not a sustainable public health recommendation. Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised pregnant women not to travel to affected countries, which have seen an uptick in cases of microcephaly, a birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and often underdeveloped brains. The National Institutes of Health has made Zika virus research a high priority. Groundwork underway at UWMadison led to NIH support for three studies of the virus in rhesus macaques, monkeys whose physiology and immune systems are similar to humans, the university said. A total of 15 monkeys will be used, including six pregnant monkeys, two at each trimester of pregnancy, OConnor said. Amniotic fluid will be sampled to see if it contains the virus. These are experiments that you just cant do in people, he said. Zika does not mutate quickly, so it could be easier to target Zika with a vaccine than HIV, for which no approved vaccine exists, or influenza, which requires annual shots. But its not clear how to best provoke an immune response to Zika, OConnor said. Thats why we need to have data that shows what natural immunity looks like and the sort of immune responses that arise to protect an individual when they encounter that virus again, he said. OConnor was in Brazil for HIV research in October, when the Zika outbreak was first reported. His collaborators there were looking into unusual cases of microcephaly and asked OConnor to help them look for new viruses. At the time we didnt know it would explode into the public consciousness like it did, OConnor says. UW-Madison pathobiological sciences professor Jorge Osorio and research scientist Matthew Aliota were first to identify the Zika virus circulating in Colombia in October, the university said. They will be joining in the new research, along with Ted Golos, professor of obstetrics and comparative biosciences. He studies how other infections during pregnancy impact newborn health. OConnor said Zika was first discovered in macaques in Africa in the late 1940s. Since Zika has been around in Africa for 65 years, at least, it begs the question why were seeing these disease associations now when we havent seen them before, he said. Caroline Nosal was killed after leaving work at a local grocery store. The suspected shooter, Christopher O'Kroley, had been fired from the same store after Nosal complained about his behavior toward her. In the past, O'Kroley had allegedly attempted suicide and was currently under investigation for sexual assault, but this troubled young man still was able to legally purchase a gun with no waiting period. It was a historic moment for women when the Defense Department announced that all combat positions would be open to them. There will be no exceptions, Secretary Ash Carter said in December. Theyll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars and lead infantry soldiers into combat. His purpose was a matter of practicality. Fielding the best forces, he said, requires drawing strength from the broadest possible pool of talent. Military women have already seen combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, with at least 161 killed in those wars. Hundreds have won awards for valor under fire. But opportunities often come with obligations. The one that young women may now face is registering with the Selective Service System, which all men from the ages of 18 to 25 have been required to do since 1980. The commandant of the Marine Corps and the Army chief of staff have recommended including females in registration. Legislation has been introduced to require it. Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie have indicated they support the change. One presidential candidate who would not is Ted Cruz, who said that he loves his young daughters and that the idea that their government would forcibly put them in a foxhole with a 220-pound psychopath trying to kill them doesnt make any sense at all. (We wont try to decipher exactly what he meant.) He blames the very notion on political correctness. Its not hard to elicit bizarre fears from Cruz. But this one is especially unwarranted. In the first place, the draft ended 43 years ago, and there is close to zero chance it will be revived in the foreseeable future. Neither the military brass nor the average high school senior wants to go back to conscription. The obvious question, then, is why anyone should have to register. Permanently reserving this machinery, at an annual cost of $23 million, brings to mind Ronald Reagans quip: The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program. Timothy Kane, a former Air Force captain and now an economist at the free-market Hoover Institution, doubts that the manpower needs of the military will ever be so great as to warrant reviving the draft. Noting the expanded use of drones, he says, Were going to see the continuing automation of not only aerial combat but ground combat. For future wars, he notes, we wont need huge numbers of fresh recruits nearly as much as well need professional soldiers with years of training. But if our leaders are not going to scrap the Selective Service System, its hard to see why women should be exempt from registering. Nor is it clear that the Supreme Court would allow such sharply differential treatment based on sex. Women have served in the vast majority of military jobs for years. If the demands of a future war or emergency ever warrant calling up millions of young people, women would have just as much potential utility as men. In Israel, military conscription includes females, who make up one-third of all uniformed personnel and 51 percent of officers. Most military occupations, of course, dont involve combat. When he announced the opening of all jobs to women, Carter acknowledged that because of physical differences, only small numbers of women will qualify for elite infantry and special forces units. The great majority of female draftees would not be subject to the dangers that so concern Cruz. In the absence of any plausible need, there is a good case to be made against keeping the apparatus of conscription around. If its a bad idea to draft women, though, thats for the same reasons its a bad idea to draft men. The cover and introduction of the BIT travel guide The first "edition" of this guide, which became known as the "Bible o... A commission created last year by executive order from Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner just released its first set of recommendations that aim to reduce the prison population in the Illinois Department of Corrections by 25 percent over the next decade. The Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform this week presented Rauner with 14 proposals in the first part of its final report. Recommendations include improving and expanding the use of electronic monitoring technology, establishing a council to facilitate better information sharing between state and local units of government, and giving judges more discretion when determining whether probation is appropriate for certain, less serious felony offenses. From the report: Echoing national trends, Illinois rate of incarceration, even when controlling for population growth, has increased more than 500 percent in the last forty years, with a disproportionate impact on the States poor, mostly minority, citizens. Today, Illinois prisons are operating at roughly 150 percent of design capacity, and, at the beginning of 2015, housed 48,278 inmates, most of whom were sentenced for non-violent offenses. Nearly all of these prisoners will eventually return to their communities, and about half will be re-incarcerated within the following three years. Rauner said some of the recommendations outlined in the report can be implemented by his administration without approval from state lawmakers. Reforms that would require the passage of legislation should garner bipartisan support, he added. The Commissions proposals revolve around four main goals laid out in the governors executive order: ensuring the lawfulness of sentencing and programming, reducing the number of prison admissions, reducing the length of prison stays and reducing recidivism by increasing the chances of successful reintegration into society. Here are brief summaries of the 14 recommendations listed in the Commissions initial report: *Enhance rehabilitative programs in Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) by implementing or expanding programming that address particular needs, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and substance abuse treatment. Prioritize access to such programs for high-risk offenders. *Remove unnecessary barriers that prevent offenders from obtaining professional licenses, which often makes it impossible for released inmates to find lawful employment. *Require IDOC and the Secretary of State to provide inmates with a free state identification card upon release when their release plan considers residence in Illinois. *Prevent the use of prisons to house felons with projected lengths of stay of less than one year, and authorize IDOC to use existing, alternative forms of imprisonment for such individuals. *Give judges more discretion to determine whether probation is appropriate for the following lower-level felony offenses: residential burglary, Class 2 felonies (second or subsequent) and drug law violations. *Before an individual is sentenced to prison for a Class 3 or 4 felony, require the presiding judge to explain during sentencing why incarceration is appropriate if the offender has no prior probation sentences or no prior convictions for a violent crime. *Expedite and promote the use of validated risk-and-needs assessment tools by IDOC, the Prisoner Review Board and Illinois Circuit Courts in order to assess an offenders risk of reoffending and the needs that must be addressed to change future behavior, which could help reduce the rate of recidivism. *Incentivize the creation of local Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils to develop strategic plans between state and local agencies, allowing the latter to target specific crime problems and identify how state funding can be used more effectively to address those problems. *Support the establishment of the Illinois Data Exchange Coordinating Council to expand data collection and facilitate information sharing among units of government. *Require state agencies that provide funding for criminal justice programs to evaluate those programs and eliminate those found to be ineffective while expanding ones that are effective or promising. *Expand eligibility programming credits to allow all inmates to earn credits for successfully completing rehabilitative programming, except for credits that would reduce a sentence below Truth-in-Sentencing limits. *Pair risk-and-needs research and evidence with appropriate programming to better utilize Adult Transition Centers, which should be reserved for high- and medium-risk offenders prior to their release. ATCs have proven to be effective at preparing offenders for reintegration into society. *Develop protocols to place inmates who are terminally ill or severely incapacitated in home confinement or a medical facility, except those sentenced to natural life. *Expand and improve the use of electronic monitoring technology. Reducing recidivism by increasing the chances of successful reentry into society Some of these recommendations may be controversial, especially for lawmakers in an election year. Rauner said its important that legislators not be afraid to talk about some of these issues. Some of the recommendations include giving judges discretion to sentence probation for residential burglary, class 2 felonies and drug law violations, removing barriers keeping those convicted of crimes from obtaining professional licenses, and prevent the use of prison for felons with short lengths of stay, among other suggestions. Rauner says the state has to be honest about the issues spanning from racial disparities in the criminal justice system to drug laws and sentencing provisions. All of us, every single man, woman, and child on the face of the Earth were born with the same unalienable rights; to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And, if the governments of the world can't get that through their thick skulls, then, regime change will be necessary. We are gathering information for the 2022 general election. On desktop, click "election information" on the right side of this pag... Update! Another thing got Swedes talking last night: Carola's boobs when she was giving away an award. This is not the first time her boombs cause headlines; her misfortunate adventures in the 80's in Japan wer explained with her boobs being too big for Japanese market. Ok.... Or was it the song ? Anyways, Carola apologies and says she thinks the dress is stylish and elegant (even her friends said so) and she's a mature woman in her 40s, not a 16-year-old girl and looks like one. The Swedish Oscars, Guldbagge awards were given out last night. Carola was there as a guest star to sing Barbra Streisand's The way we were when honoring the movie stars who passed away during 2012. However, the cameras were too much on Carola, not on the stars showed in photos in the background and that upset many viewers as that part of the show was to celebrate them, not Carola. Oh well... The producer of the show tells in Aftonbladet the part of the show was made the sam Tonight in New Hampshire Governor John Kasich took a major step toward winning the Republican nomination with a strong, second place finish in the New Hampshire Republican primary. Kasich's dominant finish came despite being outspent by millions and having more than $7 million in negative ads targeted at him by those he overcame. Ulimately what carried the day, however, was Kasich's positive, conservative vision of bringing people together to create a jobs-friendly climate, rein-in Washington and move America forward. Governor Kasich is now the leading governor in the race and the only one with a realistic chance at the nomination, said Senior Strategist John Weaver. He showed that a conservative with a positive message will succeed and, in fact, thats the only way for Republicans to win the White House. As the governor of Ohio he knows how to do it. Kasich is leaving for South Carolina tonight where he will hit the ground running leading up to the state's Feb. 20 primary. He is now in a key position to accumulate delegates in the early primary calendar before winning Michigan and taking the nomination battle to the Midwest, the home turf where he will win the nomination. John Kasich is a successful, conservative governor from a key swing state who knows how to bring people together and solve problems without leaving anyone behind. Not only did he work with Ohioans to turn around their state, cut taxes by $5 billion and create 400,000 private sector jobs, he won re-election with 64 percent of the vote. With 18 years on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, he has more national security experience than any other candidate and is the only candidate to successfully balance budgets at both the state and federal levels. John Kasich is a change agent with the record, experience and proven ability to bring people together that America needs. He will hit the ground running as president on Day One. The whole world, and especially the nation, will be watching, most unaware that the Illinois legislature is seriously divided along party lines and has yet to agree upon a state budget for the current fiscal year. SPRINGFIELD - Wednesday, President Barack Obama will return to the Illinois Capitol, where he served three terms as a state senator, to address the Illinois General Assembly on the topic of "What we can do, together, to build a better politics - one that reflects our better selves." Fingers are pointing from D.C., however, to the federal budget the president presented to Congress yesterday that would leave the nation deeper than ever in debt when Obama leaves office next January. Just yesterday, President Obama proposed a $4.1 trillion budget for fiscal year 2017 , including a $2.6 trillion tax hike with a component that would raise the price of gas by 22 cents per gallon. According to The Heritage Foundations Romina Boccia, President Obama is leaving a legacy of debt Since [he] took office, the national debt has nearly doubled, growing from $10.6 trillion to exceed $19 trillion. In dollar terms, this is the largest increase in the national debt in U.S. history. While budgets may be just too touchy a subject to raise during his visit, Governor Rauner hopes the president will revisit two issues the two of them agree upon: term limits and redistricting reform. As Rauner mentioned in last month's State of the State address, Obama has in the past voiced support for the efforts Rauner says is key to bi-partisan compromise in the Illinois General Assembly. The speech will commence at 1:00 PM at the State Capitol, and the event is not open to the public. While the three groups voiced approval for McCann's dependable stance on pro-life, pro-family issues, Family PAC, which normally agrees with the other groups' endorsements, sided this time with Governor Rauner and fiscal conservative Liberty Principles PAC in the 50th District's tightening race. CHICAGO - Tuesday afternoon, an ideological tug of war broke out in the 50th State Senate district, where three groups of social conservatives joined together behind incumbent State Senator Sam McCann and oppose GOP primary challenger Bryce Benton. Senator McCann has been a strong voice for the pro-life cause, recently voting against a bill that would have forced crisis pregnancy centers, that devote their efforts to helping women choose Life for their unborn babies, to participate in abortion said Ralph Rivera, Chairman of Illinois Citizens for Life, PAC and state lobbyist for Illinois Citizens for Life at the State Capitol. David E. Smith with Illinois Family Action, PAC also voiced his strong support for Senator McCann. Sam stood up for families and religious liberty when he voted against the so-called same-sex marriage bill. He has a consistent record of defending our families and our religious liberties. Dawn Behnke, President of Illinois Federation for Right to Life PAC agreed. Since being elected to the Illinois Senate, Senator McCann has supported our efforts and has been actively involved with numerous pro-life events to protect unborn lives, she said. Illinois Citizens for Life and the Illinois Federation for Right to Life PACs are organizations that support candidates who take positions in support of the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. Illinois Family Action, PAC supports candidates who will defend life, family, and religious liberties. I am humbled and honored to have the support of these three grassroots organizations that represent many families in my district. I stand with them and will continue to advocate for life, and family, and protect the religious liberties of all Illinoisans, said State Senator Sam McCann. In addition to the traditional values endorsements, McCann is being financially backed by public sector unions whose members are represented in his Springfield-based district. Thus far, challenger Bryce Benton - a State Police officer - and his campaign have received over $670,000 in support from PACs and and Super PACs directed by conservative radio talk show host Dan Proft. The Illinois Republican Party has thus far stood on the sidelines in the ongoing battle, although they are financially engaging to protect State Rep. Avery Bourne, who represents a neighboring district. President Obama is uniquely unqualified to deliver this message and the Illinois legislature is uniquely unqualified to play host to a speech on bipartisanship. I served alongside Barack Obama in the state senate and have attempted to work with him during my time in Congress. One thing in particular Ive noticed about the President is his utter incapacity to be reflective about the weaknesses of his worldview. President Obama believes that the economy is a zero sum game in order for one person to succeed, others must fail or be made to fail by the government. Over his entire career he has never veered off course from this governing philosophy despite disastrous results in both Springfield and Washington. This president has raised the blame game to an art form. He believes all of his failures and there have been many are the fault of Congress, foreign leaders, or even the American people. Its not surprising the president doesnt recognize the clarity of leadership Governor Rauner is trying to bring to Springfield. Speaker Madigan and Illinois Democrats have turned our state into a fiscal basket case. Grandiose speeches may help President Obama frame his legacy but they wont help our state climb out of the hole his party has been digging for decades. It's hard to believe that nine years have gone by since that freezing but bright and sunny day on the steps of the Old State Capitol Building. For many of us, here at the White House and across the country, the President's return to Springfield today is a walk down memory lane - a moment to think about where we came from and what has happened since. For me, it was also a moment to revisit the vision he laid out for this country when he announced his candidacy for President. When I woke up on February 10, 2007 in Springfield, Illinois, my heart was full of hope about the infinite possibilities that lay ahead. We knew there would be challenges but we also knew that our country is strong, resilient and exceptional because of the spirit, grit and determination of the American people to constantly work hard to perfect our union. Re-reading his speech, nine years later, with lots of battle scars, and victories, and what feels like lifetimes of wisdom under our belts, is nothing short of amazing. Many of the policy ideas he put forth from re-shaping our economy to compete in the digital age, to expanding access to broadband, from ensuring workers can share in our economic prosperity, to becoming the generation that finally tackles our health care crisis have become reality. Nine years ago, the President spoke of the need for change to come from communities across the country, not just from Washington. He brought that approach with him - galvanizing governors, mayors, faith, civil rights and business leaders, workers, students, and a broad spectrum of advocates to act, whether by raising the minimum wage, extending family-friendly workplace policies to their citizens, providing early education to their children, overhauling job training programs, joining his My Brother's Keeper Initiative, or ending veterans' homelessness. And together, we have cut our unemployment rate from 10 percent at the height of the economic crisis we inherited to 4.9 percent today. Nine years ago, the President urged ours to be the "generation that finally tackles our health care crisis." And today, Obamacare is simply health care in America. Nearly 18 million Americans have gained health insurance. Health care prices are growing at their slowest rate in half a century. Americans can no longer be discriminated against because they have been sick before. And young adults can stay on their parents' insurance until they are 26. Americans no longer have to worry about going broke if they get sick or are in an accident. Nine years ago, President Obama rallied Americans to rise to the challenge that climate change poses to all of humanity. Since then, he has protected more natural resources than any previous president. His fuel economy standards will double the efficiency of vehicles by 2025. His investments in clean energy have transformed the American energy landscape. And together with other world leaders, he brought together 196 nations from around the globe to forge an unprecedented agreement to combat climate change. And nine years ago, the President talked about the work he had done and education he had received from some of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. In fact over 30 years ago, the President's job with the Developing Communities Project was to ensure that the residents of neighborhoods across Chicago had a voice in addressing issues facing their communities, from drugs, to violence, to job training. When Barack Obama became President, he pressed to improve the way the federal government partners with citizens and local leaders. These efforts all disrupt the outdated, top-down way the federal government has historically worked with communities in favor of a more citizen-centered and customized approach. This led to initiatives launched by 15 agencies reaching over 1,800 rural, tribal, and urban communities to tackle challenges as varied as climate change and entrenched poverty. Together, these reform efforts work to make local voices and improved local capacity an integral part of community planning and development, improve the federal government's approach to working with communities, and invest in leaders with experience working at the local level. As the President will lay out again today in Springfield, the change we have made is very meaningful and so is the work we have left to do. That is no more apparent than when it comes to our divided and broken politics and that is why you will continue to hear the President talking about this throughout his final year of office. But at a time when policy ideas from the campaign trail too often never again see the light of day,examining the change of the last nine years provides an important blueprint of what it means to turn ideas into action and to make hope and change real. You can read more about what the President said back in 2007 and how he delivered on his promises in my first ever Genius annotation: his announcement speech. Then, you can share your story about where you were when the President announced his candidacy and how it touched you using #WhereWereYou. First published at WhiteHouse.gov US vehicle safety regulators have told Google that an artificial intelligence system piloting a self-driving Google car can be interpreted as a driver under the Federal Law. Now this is one small step for Google, one giant leap for autonomous vehicles. By India Today Web Desk: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had told Google in a letter dated February 4, 2016, that an artificial intelligence system can be considered a driver under Federal Law. Now with all the laws complicating things for autonomous vehicles, this will definitely spur things on. Google had previously written to the NHTSA on November 12, 2015, and submitted a proposed design for a self-driving car that has "no need for a human driver". NHTSA's reply was in context to that letter and the vehicle safety regulation organization has told Google that none of the occupants will be considered the driver of a vehicle other than the self-driving program, if engaged. advertisement This will definitely spur other companies also involved in developing autonomous vehicles as a common problem all of them have faced in testing and deployment is Federal and State laws in the US. The next step for the NHTSA is to determine how to judge if a self-driving program is up to the mark. But ultimately, this gets us one step closer to seeing autonomous cars become a reality. --- ENDS --- Daimler has decided to recall approximately 705,000 Mercedes-Benz cars and about 136,000 Daimler vans. Daimler did not immediately respond to a question about which models are being recalled. By Reuters: German automaker Daimler said on Tuesday it would recall 840,000 US vehicles with Takata airbag inflators that could be defective, a step that would result in a charge of 340 million euros ($383.96 million). Daimler said it had decided to recall approximately 705,000 Mercedes-Benz cars and about 136,000 Daimler vans. It did not immediately respond to a question about which models are being recalled. advertisement ALSO READ: GM recalling 473K SUVs, pickups in North America for brake pedal problems Last month, Takata Corp, said it was declaring 5.1 million additional inflators defective after new testing and following the death of a driver in December in a 2006 Ford Ranger after an airbag rupture. Takata's inflators can explode with too much force and spray metal shrapnel into vehicle passenger compartments. They are linked to at least 10 deaths worldwide and more than 100 US injuries. To date, 14 automakers have recalled about 24 million US vehicles involving about 28 million Takata air bag inflators. ALSO READ: Ford recalls 391K Ranger pickups due to air bag death Takata said other automakers involved in the most recent expansion include Honda Motor Co, Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) and its Audi unit, and Mazda Motor Co. American Honda Motor Co, BMW AG and Saab. Honda has recalled 2.23 million US vehicles in the most recent Takata expansion. Ford has recalled 361,000 Ranger trucks and Mazda called back nearly 20,000 2004-2006 B-Series trucks. Daimler said it will account for the cost in its 2015 financial year results. It said full-year net profit will decrease to 8.7 billion euros, and group earnings before interest and tax will be 13.2 billion euros. ALSO READ: Nissan recalling 930K Altima cars for hood latch problem In December, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration named a former Justice Department official as a monitor to help regulators oversee one of the biggest and most complex safety recalls in US automotive history. In November, US regulators fined Takata $70 million. The company faces an ongoing US Justice Department investigation. --- ENDS --- By India Today Web Desk: The National Deworming Day is observed on February 10 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and its main objective is to deworm children between the ages of (1-19) at schools and anganwadi centres. This year for the first time, the Ministry has decided to give the deworming tablets to the private schools children also. advertisement The government of India had launched the initiative in 2015, making it one of the largest single-day public health initiatives in India. Necessity of deworming children: Worm infections can cause anemia, malnourishment, impaired mental and physical development; and may cause a serious threat to children's health, education, and productivity. According to a study, the infected children cannot concentrate on their studies and they find very hard to put up their daily activities. Necessity of deworming programme in India: According to WHO, India has the highest burden of Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH) in the world, with 220 million children aged 1-14 estimated to be at risk of worm infections. Almost 7 in 10 children between 6 month and 5 years are anaemic, with even higher rates of anaemia in rural areas, the 2006 National Family Health Survey reported. Deworming tablet and its side effects: Children at the age of (1-2) are given half a tablet of albendazole (400mg), and above the age of 2 are given 1 full tablet of albendazole (400mg) to chew. Albendazole is very safe and has very few side effects and it occurs with mild side effects like nausea and diarrhea and pass quickly Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STHs): According to WHO, Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH) or parasitic worms are among the most common infections worldwide. It lives in human intestines and consume nutrients meant for the human body. They produce thousands of eggs each day, which are passed in faeces and spread to others in areas used for public toilet. Expert's View on National Deworming Day: Dr. Munish Raizada, a board certified pediatrician from Chicago lauded the efforts of Govt of India for launching a National Deworming Day (NDD) in 2015. He said even though India carries the highest burden of worm infestation, a national combat program coupled with health education, proper hygiene and precautions would result in drastic reduction in this disease burden. Raizada cautioned, however, that the cycle of parasitic infections cannot be broken with drugs alone. Proper hand washing and sanitation play an important role in preventing such diseases. advertisement Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? Click here to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section. To get more updates on Current Affairs, send in your query by mail to education.intoday@gmail.com --- ENDS --- The government has decided to increase the length of national highways from the present 96,000 kilometres, to two lakh kilometres. By India Today Web Desk: Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, announced that the government has decided to increase the length of national highways from 96,000 kilometres, at present, to two lakh kilometres. "At present, we have 96,000 km national highways or 52 lakh road length in the country. As much as 40 percent of the traffic moves on these 2 percent national highways and as a result five lakh accidents take place," Gadkari told. advertisement "Three lakh people get injured and 1.5 lakh are killed in these accidents. The main reason is traffic congestion. Therefore, to save lives of people and diversify traffic, our government has decided to extend national highways from 96,000 kilometres to two lakh kilometres. Nearly 70 percent to 80 percent traffic of the country move on this," he added. As per the reports, two new highways would be developed in Uttar Pradesh. The first is the east-west highway on which the government is going to spend Rs 1400 crore. This will reduce Delhi's traffic by 50 percent. The second one is from Delhi to Dasna, which would be 14 lane, a first time in the country. Lucknow-Kanpur access control highway has also been planned, which would reduce travel time to 40 minutes. With this announcement, we tell you about six Asian highways in India you probably don't know about: AH42 The length of the road is 3,754km. It connects Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, China to Barhi in Jharkhand. This is the nearest Asian highway to Mount Everest and it passes through Lhasa in Tibet and Kathmandu in Nepal. AH43 This road is 3,024km long. It connects Agra to Matara in Sri Lanka. To reach Sri Lanka via this road, one needs to take a ferry ride from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu. AH45 The 2,030-km road connects Kolkata to Bengaluru. The road provides one with a beautiful view from the East Coast. A plan to extend it from Doha in Qutar to Jakarta, Indonesia, is under way, and it may get done by 2030. AH46 Named as Great Eastern Highway in India, this 1,967-km road connects Hazirah in Gujarat to Howrah in West Bengal via Surat and Jalgaon. The road crosses five states such as West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. AH47 The road's length is 2,057 km. It runs from Gwalior to Bengaluru. The road passes through cities such as Dhule, Thane, Mumbai and Belgaum. AH48 The 90-km stretch, locally known as the SAARC Road, connects Phuentsholing in Bhutan to Indo-Bangladesh border point at Changrabandha in Cooch Behar, West Bengal via Dooars. Some parts of this road is still under construction. advertisement Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? Click here to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section. --- ENDS --- The Secretary General has listed out five core responsibilities to commit to. Read here. By India Today Web Desk: United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon has released a report called 'One Humanity: Shared Responsibility' which has called for a global campaign to prevent the destruction of humanitarian laws and to protect civilians in conflict. The campaign has been launched as a part of the World Humanitarian Summit. The theme of this summit will be One Humanity: Shared Responsibility. advertisement The Secretary General has listed out five core responsibilities to commit to. They are: Preventing and ending conflicts This includes preventing conflicts in the world and finding political solutions to resolve them and to end bloodshed and suffering. As per the report submitted by the Secretary General, conflicts occupy 80 percent of all humanitarian needs. Upholding the laws to safeguard humanity The report says that every day, millions of civilians are deliberately or indiscriminately getting killed in wars and other conflicts. Taking this in consideration, the world leaders must uphold and commit to the rules to protect humanity. 90 percent of people get killed or injured by the use of explosive weapons. Leaving no one behind Reaching out to everyone is one of the agendas of the campaign. It also includes empowering all women, men, girls and boys to be agents of positive transformation. Reducing displacement, supporting refugees and migrants. Ending gaps in education and fighting to eliminate sexual violence. Changing people's lives This will need: Respecting and strengthening local leadership and capacity, not undermining them Anticipating crises Transcending the humanitarian developments Investing in humanity Sharing responsibilities for humanity. According to the report, at present, 43 percent of people live in fragile situations. By 2030, the figure is estimated to reach 62 percent. Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? Click here to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section. --- ENDS --- After being declared dead and kept in a morgue at -12 degree Celsius temperature for 15 hours, a baby in China's Zhejiang province came back to life minutes before being cremated. By India Today Web Desk: It's all about the miracles of the world. A one-month-old baby, after being declared dead in east China's Zhejiang province last Thursday, was kept overnight (for over 15 hours) in a morgue at a bone-chilling temperature of -12 degree Celsius. The next day, minutes before being cremated at a funeral home in the Pan'an district of Zhejiang, the baby woke up crying - very much alive and breathing. advertisement A local television channel reported the employees at the funeral home were 'preparing for the cremation, when the baby suddenly began to moan'. The baby was then rushed to a hospital and admitted to the neonatal intensive care. This miraculous story, along with the newborn's picture and death certificate, has gone viral. "It's the first time I see such a case, it is a miracle," said Dr Chen, who works at the Pan'an hospital where the baby was born. Born prematurely last month, the baby had spent 23 days in the incubator. After being taken home earlier this month for the Chinese Lunar New Year, the baby's heath deteriorated and was hospitalised again. On February 4, the baby was declared dead at the hospital, with a doctor issuing the death certificate. Before being placed in the morgue, the baby's father wrapped the child in two layers of woolen clothing and a thick sleeping bag, which was perhaps what protected the baby from the cold. However, despite the miraculous revival, doctors are still worried about the baby's chances of survival. Let us all remember this child in our prayers. --- ENDS --- So far Sanders' strong performance has been due to the mostly young white voters who have embraced his populist anti-Wall Street message and call for income equality. But in the upcoming nominating contests, Sanders needs to carry that message to a broader group of voters, particularly minority voters, who will help determine the Democratic nominee. Bernie Sanders thrusts his fist in the air as he arrives with his wife Jane at his 2016 New Hampshire presidential primary night victory rally in Concord (Photo: Reuters) By Reuters: Bernie Sanders was due to have breakfast with one of America's most prominent civil rights activists, Al Sharpton, just hours after trouncing Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential nominating contest. The meeting marks recognition by Sanders that his campaign must swiftly broaden its base of support if he has any chance of mounting a long-term challenge to Clinton, who consistently polls better among African American voters. advertisement African American voters will play a crucial in the Democratic race as it moves to South Carolina- where more than half of the Democratic primary voters in 2008 were African American - and other states more diverse than New Hampshire or Iowa, which held the first contest of the 2016 election. Sanders will meet with Sharpton in the same Harlem restaurant where the activist met with Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign - an obvious bit of symbolism for the Vermont senator trying to connect with minority voters. There was no immediate comment from Sharpton on the breakfast. Even before the exit polls showing that Sanders had won New Hampshire, Clinton's campaign was already trying to highlight her double-digit lead over Sanders among African American and Latino voters. "It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African American and Hispanic voters," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo sent to reporters. He predicted the Democratic race would be won in March, when it quickly expands to 22 delegate-rich states with some of the largest minority and urban populations -- and that Clinton would have the advantage. Clinton has a long history of support for civil rights, and she has benefited from her husband Bill Clinton's popularity in the black community during his presidency, although that became strained during the fierce 2008 primary battle with Obama. Reuters/Ipsos polling nationally showed that in January, blacks backed Clinton by a margin of 3 to 1 over Sanders. Among Hispanics, 48 percent supported Clinton and 32 percent backed Sanders. But as black and Hispanic voters became more familiar with Sanders through televised presidential debates, they seemed to like him more, with his favorability ratings rising slightly among those groups over the last few months, the polling showed. GOING BEYOND YOUNG WHITE VOTERS So far Sanders' strong performance has been due to the mostly young white voters who have embraced his populist anti-Wall Street message and call for income equality. But in the upcoming nominating contests, Sanders needs to carry that message to a broader group of voters, particularly minority voters, who will help determine the Democratic nominee. advertisement African Americans and Hispanics comprise 35 percent of the Democratic party, according to a 2013 Gallup poll. Sanders already has intensified his efforts to reach black voters with more campaign stops before African-American audiences and ads on black-oriented radio stations. Rapper Killer Mike sometimes introduces Sanders at rallies, and academic Cornel West has also campaigned for him. Sanders also frequently condemns the disproportionate rate at which blacks are targeted by police and has called for increased police transparency and accountability. Sanders' intensified effort to appeal to minority voters follows questions about whether he has broad enough support to take the White House. Clinton herself has raised the issue of Sanders' electability on the campaign trail and in debates. Even some Sanders supporters have expressed fears that a vote for him could allow Republicans to win the election. But Sanders' campaign shrugs off any worries about the road ahead. "We recognize we are moving to a bigger stage, but it's another opportunity for him to spread his message. People have responded to his message when they hear it," said Sanders campaign spokesman Michael Briggs. Sanders already has begun airing ads in Nevada and South Carolina, has hired staff in 15 states and is prepared for a national race, Briggs said. advertisement On Super Tuesday, Sanders will be looking to do well in several states, including his home state of Vermont, as well as Massachusetts, Colorado and Minnesota, where the grassroots enthusiasm of his supporters could be an advantage. Still Irene Matz, a retiree in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said she was worried about Sanders' electability and had yet to make a decision on who to vote for. "Hillary has been hit with everything for years, we know what we are getting with her. Now Bernie will get his turn, and they won't be kind to him," Matz said. "I'll vote for Hillary unless I feel Bernie has a good shot," she said. ALSO READ: bernie sanders attacks hillary clinton's progressive credentials --- ENDS --- Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh has taken to online interactive platforms like Skype and Google Hangout to understand their concerns. By Amit Agnihotri: Keen to connect with the young voters ahead of 2017 Assembly polls, Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh has taken to online interactive platforms like Skype and Google Hangout to understand their concerns. He is also visiting campuses in the state to convey his message better. According to sources, while Amarinder has done around a dozen interactive sessions with youngsters on Skype, he will start interactions on Google Hangout next week. advertisement Besides, he has met separate groups of students at his residence in Patiala twice and visited campuses like Panjab University, Chandigarh and Government College, Patiala. Sources said the numbers in Punjab guide the poll strategy, which suggests a smart reach out to the youth, whose primary concerns are unemployment and drug menace. As per estimates, out of the 2.9 crore population, 9 million voters are between 18-40 years in the state. Out of this, around 5 million lack any employment opportunities, said party's poll managers. This segment, which appears to be miffed with the current regime and is aspiring for a change, can swing the elections in the favour of any player, said Congress strategists. "Wherever Singh has gone and talked to the youth, they ask him how is he going to generate jobs and how will he end the drug menace," said a close aide of Amarinder. Sources said Singh, a former chief minister, has vowed to end the drug menace within four weeks besides inviting investment to facilitate generation of jobs. "The youth of the state want a better deal from their leaders. We will address their concerns," Shakeel Ahmad, AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab told Mail Today. Congress leaders blamed the ruling Akalis for the Rs 1.25 lakh crore debt that Punjab is under at present. By 2017 this figure is expected to touch Rs 1.4 lakh crore, a huge challenge for the new government. As he tries to reach out to the young voters, Amarinder also had to grapple with the concerns of the upper caste youth who are economically weaker. Sources said Singh has assured to help them while pointing out that he would not tinker with the current system of reservation. While providing government jobs to the youth would be humongous task, the former CM has said that he will reduce the high application fee for applications for various government jobs. "This is a strange problem in the state. Reduction in application fee will at least provide some relief to the youth," said the aide. Sources acknowledged that the AAP's presence often weighs heavy on the minds of managers. advertisement They, however, find respite in the fact that while the AAP is struggling to present a known face to attract the voters, Amarinder has a better recall than most of his rivals. ALSO READ Congress plans Bihar-like alliance for Punjab Assembly polls --- ENDS --- The South African Constitutional court on Tuesday heard the case against President Jacob Zuma based on the report from South Africa's anti-graft authority. Zuma has been accused of breaking the law by misusing the state funds of about 250 million rand that was spent on his private homestead at Nkandla. By India Today Web Desk: The South African Constitutional court heard a case of impeachment against the President Jacob Zuma, on Tuesday at Johannesburg. The bench of 11 judges was hearing the case on Zuma based on the report from South Africa's anti-graft authority in which he has been accused of breaking the law by misusing the state funds of about 250 million rand that was spent on his private homestead at Nkandla. advertisement The opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters have asked the constitutional court to rule on the case as it will set the proper precedence for the future Presidents. They are hoping that a case in the constitutional court will put pressure on Zuma and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) ahead of municipal elections this year and help them win control of some cities, including the capital Pretoria, reported Reuters. The chant "Pay back the money" 'echoed outside the court as thousand of the opposition party supporters demonstrated against the use of the state fund for the personal benefits by the president. Zuma agreed to pay back some part of the money on February 3. In wake of the economic slowdown the opposition has flaked Zuma's leadership in a hope to remove him from power. The court is yet to decide whether to rule (With Inputs from Reuters) ALSO READ: Pitch for UNSC reform marks meetings with African leaders --- ENDS --- Courtesy Men's Health magazine, Germany, Europe is all set to welcome its first transgender cover star this April. By India Today Web Desk: Europe is all set to welcome its first transgender cover star this April. The German edition of Men's Health magazine will see transgender fitness model Benjamin Melzer flaunt his hot bod on the cover of the magazine. The fitness model achieved the feat after winning the magazine's cover model contest. Though he was christened Yvonne at birth, he started transitioning when he was 23 years old. advertisement Also read: Caitlyn Jenner's Woman of the Year award sparks controversy Talking to NowThis about his experiences, the fitness model revealed his contempt for the colour pink, showing pictures of himself upset as a child, while he was dressed in the colour. "I was never a typical girl. As soon as I started thinking, pink was a no-go." He wants to use his fame to help people from the transgender community. Discussing his motivation behind going public with his story, he said, "Why do you do this, why did you go public and tell your story? But that's easy to answer. When I was in that situation, I had nobody to talk to, nobody to ask all these questions. That's what I want to do. I want to give the community a face, stand up and answer those questions for people." Also read: Caitlyn Jenner wants to get a taste of motherhood? He added, "If there is one person out there I can help, I will succeed." You will, Ben! --- ENDS --- Next 24 hours are extremely critical for Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who was found alive on Monday, five days after an avalanche hit Army's post in Siachen. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa was buried under 35 feet of ice at 20,500 feet at the Siachen glacier. By India Today Web Desk: Next 24 hours are extremely critical for Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who was found alive on Monday, five days after an avalanche hit Army's post in Siachen. In pics Hanamanthappa was buried under 35 feet of ice at 20,500 feet at the Siachen glacier when a rescue team pulled him out. He was drowsy and disoriented with a faint pulse. He was rushed to Delhi's army hospital, where he has been put on ventilator. advertisement The latest medical report released by the Army Research and Referral Hospital said that Hanamanthappa's "condition remain to be extremely critical and is expected to have a stormy course in the next 24 hours." A medical bulletin issued by the army hospital on Tuesday said that Hanamanthappa was severely dehydrated, hypothermic and in shock. He also has pneumonia and liver and kidney problems. More than 200 soldiers worked round the clock for five days looking for survivors after the ice wall came crashing down on the 19 Madras post in Siachen glacier. Hanamanthappa's other 9 colleagues could not survive the avalanche. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the army hospital yesterday to meet the soldier, tweeted: "No words are enough to describe the endurance & indomitable spirit of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa. He is an outstanding soldier." Hanamanthappa's family has arrived in Delhi from Dharwad in Karnataka and is expected to see him today. The medical report is grim. Hanamanthappa is comatose, continues to be in shock with low blood pressure and investigations have revealed liver and kidney dysfunction. But India is hoping the miracle continues. ALSO READ | Inside Mission Siachen: How avalanche rescue team battled -40 degree Celsius temperatures to find survivors Siachen's lone survivor is a yoga expert, used to do breathing exercises --- ENDS --- Headley disclosed that terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen targeting India are given financial and military support by the ISI. By Mail Today: Claiming that he worked for the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, US-based terrorist David Coleman Headley spilled the beans on the agency via a video conference on the second day of his deposition. Headley disclosed that terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen targeting India are given financial and military support by the ISI. Besides admitting to his links with the ISI, Headley also said that ISI official Brigadier Riyaz was the handler of LeT's top commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi - the mastermind of the November 26, 2008 attacks in Mumbai. He said the LeT as a whole is responsible for terror attacks in India on that Wednesday and it can be speculated that all orders come from Lakhvi since he is the top commander. The LeT operative also identified Lakhvi from a photograph shown to him and added that the ISI had asked him to recruit Indian Army men as spies. advertisement "I was also working for ISI and had met many people from the Pakistan Army," he told the Special Judge GA Sanap. He named three officials of the Pakistan Army and ISI, Colonel Shah, Lt Colonel Hamza and Major Samir Ali, besides retired army officer Abdul Rehman Pasha, who was working closely with the LeT and Al-Qaeda. Headley said that according to his assessments the ISI and LeT were coordinating with each other. "ISI provides financial, military and moral support to terror outfits JeM, LeT and Hizbul Mujaideen," he said. However, he added that his opinion was formed on the basis of hearsay. Headley said he had visited Mumbai seven times to scout for targets and revealed that plans to attack Mumbai had started over a year before the attack in 2008. He added that LeT initially wanted to attack a conference of Indian defence scientists at the Taj Mahal Hotel, but the plan was dropped. He said he had also conducted a recce of the Siddhivinayak Temple and the Naval Air Station. Divulging details about plans to target Mumbai, Headley said, "In November-December 2007, the LeT held a meeting in Muzaffarabad (in PoK) which was attended by LeT operatives Sajid Mir and Abu Kahfa. It was decided here that terror attacks would be conducted in Mumbai. The task of conducting a recce of Taj Hotel was assigned to me." Headley said that Mir and Kahfa had information about a meeting of scientists in Taj and wanted to plan an attack at that time. "They also made a mock (dummy) of the Taj Hotel. The was plan to attack the conference hall, but it was cancelled due to logistical reasons, like it was not possible to get weapons and personnel into the hall," he said adding that another reason for dropping the plan was that he could not get details of the conference schedule. ALSO READ David Headley will testify in 26/11 case, says his attorney --- ENDS --- The United States and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that a U.S. defence official said could include the disputed South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the waterway. By Reuters: The United States and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that a U.S. defence official said could include the disputed South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the waterway. Washington wants its regional allies and other Asian nations to take a more united stance against China over the South China Sea, where tensions have spiked in the wake of Beijing's construction of seven man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago. advertisement India and the United States have ramped up military ties in recent years, holding naval exercises in the Indian Ocean that last year involved the Japanese navy. But the Indian navy has never carried out joint patrols with another country and a naval spokesman told Reuters there was no change in the government's policy of only joining an international military effort under the United Nations flag. He pointed to India's refusal to be part of anti-piracy missions involving dozens of countries in the Gulf of Aden and instead carrying out its own operations there since 2008. The U.S. defence official said the two sides had discussed joint patrols, adding that both were hopeful of launching them within the year. The patrols would likely be in the Indian Ocean where the Indian navy is a major player as well as the South China Sea, the official told Reuters in New Delhi on condition of anonymity. The official gave no details on the scale of the proposed patrols. There was no immediate comment from China, which is on a week-long holiday for Chinese New Year. China accused Washington this month of seeking maritime hegemony in the name of freedom of navigation after a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of a disputed island in the Paracel chain of the South China Sea in late January. The U.S. Navy conducted a similar exercise in October near one of China's artificial islands in the Spratlys. MARITIME COOPERATION Neither India nor the United States has claims to the South China Sea, but both said they backed freedom of navigation and overflight in the waterway when U.S. President Barack Obama visited New Delhi in January 2015. Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also agreed at the time to "identify specific areas for expanding maritime cooperation". More than $5 trillion in world trade moves through the South China Sea each year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan also claim parts of the waterway. In December, the issue of joint patrols came up when Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar visited the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii, an Indian government source said. advertisement "It was a broad discussion, it was about the potential for joint patrols," said the source, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. India has a long-running land border dispute with China and has been careful not to antagonise its more powerful neighbour, instead focusing on building economic ties. But it has stepped up its naval presence far beyond the Indian Ocean, deploying a ship to the South China Sea almost constantly, an Indian navy commander said, noting this wasn't the practice a few years ago. The commander added that the largest number of Indian naval ship visits in the South China Sea region was to Vietnam, a country rapidly building military muscle for potential conflict with China over the waterway. Still, the idea of joining the United States in patrols in the region was a long shot, the officer added. The Philippines has asked the United States to do joint naval patrols in the South China Sea, something a U.S. diplomat said this month was a possibility. Also read: China says won't cease building on South China Sea islands Countries should play by same rules in South China Sea: Obama --- ENDS --- advertisement By India Today Web Desk: Won't it be an exciting thing to happen if you are allowed to visit a navy ship as a tourist? A lot of us have even secretly dreamt of doing so, whenever we saw one of them on TV or any other form of media. This far-fetched dream will soon turn into a reality as INS Viraat will soon be turned into a tourism destination. This warship has been serving as an aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy for almost six decades. advertisement In a recent announcement made by Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said, "The Indian Navy is going to decommission INS Viraat very soon and there is a proposal by the defence ministry to develop it as a tourist centre." He further revealed that a joint venture between the Andhra Pradesh state government and a private organisation will soon allow people to enjoy tourism-related activities on the warship, that would include yachting, sea sports, sailing, gliding and cruising. Also read: New travel destinations to come up in Andhra Pradesh Besides offering a host of activities to tourists, INS Viraat will also be converted into a hotel. Giving a brief on this, Naidu said that the 1,500 rooms in the warship can be used to house tourists. --- ENDS --- By Mail Today: For the last six days, septuagenarian Basamma, mother of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, had not slept properly and had lost appetite. Every time, she tried to sleep, the picture of her daughter-in-law and her 18-month-old grandchild flashed in front of her eyes. In pics "Last night, when they called me around 2 am and informed me that my son was alive? I couldn't believe it. It was as if someone was talking to me in my dreams. It took me some time to realise that it was true," said Basamma thanking the almighty. advertisement As news spread that Koppad was alive, Bettadur village in Kundagol taluk in Dharwad district (northwestern Karnataka), erupted in joy. His wife Jayamma Mahadevi rushed to the local temple and offered special prayers along with the villagers. "This is unbelievable? God has answered our prayers. Every day I would be offering prayers to the village deity, as my husband's grandmother told me that is the only way we can hope for a miracle. Today indeed is a miracle to hear that my husband is alive. I am forever indebted to the lord. It is a rebirth for all of us," Jayamma said with tears in her eyes. Apparently, the extended family members had given up hope. "We had heard from Koppad first hand reports about the living conditions in Siachen. We never expected this kind of a surprise call from New Delhi. We hope he recovers fast. We cannot wait to bring him back home," said the soldier's cousin Eshwar Koppad. The family was surprised with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gesture. "What more can one expect when the PM drops in to check the condition of my son? I hope everything will be fine in the coming days," said Basamma, who was told that her son was yet to come out from the critical condition. Koppad's family was extremely happy with the response from the Army. "They visited us every day and counselled us. They instilled confidence to hope for the best. It has worked for us," said Eshwar. ALSO READSiachen miracle: How a soldier survived under 35 feet of snow for 5 days --- ENDS --- The university turned into a battleground on Tuesday as the Right and the Left clashed when a group of Left-oriented students called a meet to commemorate the "judicial killing" of the duo. By Siddhartha Rai: Afzal Guru, who was hanged on February 9, 2013 for his role in the 2001 attack on Parliament, and the lesser-known co-founder of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Maqbool Bhat, who was hanged in 1984, are "martyrs" in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The university turned into a battleground on Tuesday as the Right and the Left clashed when a group of Left-oriented students called a meet to commemorate the "judicial killing" of the duo. The situation turned violent and administration had to call in the police. advertisement A poster, which was pasted all across the campus, read: "There will be an art and a photo exhibition portraying the history of the occupation of Kashmir and the people's struggle against it." Interestingly, the commemorative meeting went ahead even after the JNU administration revoked permission for the programme in the wake of complaints from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Peeved at this, the ABVP has called upon its cadre to impose a general bandh on the JNU campus on Wednesday. While the meet, couched as a "Cultural Evening of Protest" in solidarity with the "struggle of the Kashmiri People for their democratic right to self determination" was supposed to commence in front of the Sabarmati hostel at 5pm, the ABVP registered its reservations against the move with the vice-chancellor (VC) M Jagdesh Kumar. Tensions rose after Kumarcancelled permission for the event. ABVP in protest against the glorification of Afzal Guru. Photo: Siddhartha Rai "As the vice-chancellor of the university, it is my responsibility to maintain the peace and tranquility of the campus. Hence, the top administrations of the campus met this evening and decided that this protest cannot be given permission. We informed the organisers that we had cancelled permission, which they claimed to be a cultural event. The top administration of the varsity decided that in the interest of the peace and calm of the university, the permission was cancelled," Kumar told Mail Today. Meanwhile, the station house officer (SHO) of Vasant Kunj police station told Mail Today that the JNU administration had informed the police about the possibility of a confrontation between students of differing ideological hues over the contentious issue, thus the police presence on the campus. "No untoward incident occurred at the venue, though preventive measures had been taken by the police," said the police official. Joint secretary of JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) Saurabh Kumar Sharma told Mail Today that not only did the protest meet take place in front of Sabarmati hostel, the protesters staged a march from the hostel to the Ganga Dhahba near the main gate. According to the ABVP and its representative in the JNUSU Sarah Kumar Sharma the protest organised to glorify terrorists was attended by scores of outsiders who were not students of the varsity. "When we tried to stop the procession while it was moving FROM sabarmati to Ganga Dhaba by lying on the road, an outsider in the protest March showed us a country made pistol or katta and then disappeared in side the crowd," Sharma told Mail Today. advertisement "We had expressed our reservations against such anti-national activities taking place on the campus to the authorities. Despite them having denied permission for the event, it still went ahead. This is deplorable," said Sharma. Meanwhile, president of the JNUSU and AISF leader Kanhaiya Kumar told Mail Today that the Left organisations were against curbing of freedom of expression and the right to protest democratically and had thus supported the meet. "The administration told the organisers at the last moment that the programme had been cancelled who in turn informed the administration that the denial had not come in time. Though we did not organise the event, we went to support it in principle. ABVP is not the police, nor the guard here," he said. ALSO READ:Jaish chief Masood Azhar used Afzal Guru hanging to motivate his men, says intelligence report advertisement --- ENDS --- Just when you thought Emma Watson couldn't get any cooler... By India Today Web Desk: This girl never fails to surprise us--be it with her intelligence, acting prowess or just those good looks. Now, Emma has been give a new role, that of a visiting fellow at Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford University. Emma Watson, who rose to fame after her role of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, has shown a huge transition over the years, while making headlines for just the right reasons--she's been named the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, launched the He For She campaign, which encourages men to help fight for gender equality, and also attended Oxford University's Worcester College in 2011, while studying at Brown University in America. Pheww! advertisement AND all this at the age of 25! Apart from Emma, Hollywood actor Benedict Cumberbatch has also been appointed as one of Oxford University's visiting fellows, among nine others. Also read: Fancy being part of Harry Potter star Emma Watson's new feminist book club? Wondering what a visiting fellow needs to do? Well, if a person is selected as a fellow of Lady Margaret's Hall, they will be required to visit the college and engage with the staff and students from time to time. According to the college's principal, Alan Rusbridger, visiting fellows' positions normally lasts for around three years and basically involves being an influence in students' lives. "They are people drawn from a variety of backgrounds, callings and professions and we want them to form a bridge between our own academic community and the worlds they inhabit and represent," he told BBC. "At a minimum, we'd like them to drop in occasionally at college, eat with us and meet informally with a variety of the Lady Margaret Hall community. It could be a conversation or debate, a performance, a lecture or seminar, a form of outreach or something we haven't thought of." Alan added. Emma is also set to return to the big screen with Beauty and the Beast, where she'll portray the role of the beloved bookworm, Belle. --- ENDS --- You know him as the Sikh who was barred from boarding an Aeromexico flight because of his turban, but do you know THIS about him? By Somya Abrol: Sure, if we say the nouns Waris and Ahluwalia together right now, you'd think, 'oh, the Sikh who was stopped from boarding a flight in America because of his turban. Yaa yaa, I know about him'. Well, you don't. Not what we're about to tell you. The man who has now come to be known as the sound-minded Sikh who said, "Fear is an opportunity to educate," has been around for a few years now. He was headed to the New York Fashion Week for a reason, you know. For those of you who don't know, he has been on the fashion and film scene in the US for a few years now, having modelled for a number of high-fashion brands like GAP. advertisement And surprise, surprise--the Aeromexico incident is not the first time he's faced racial discrimination, which is probably why he's handled the whole thing #LikeABoss! Here's pretty much everything you need to know about him: 1) Waris was born in Amritsar in 1974. He moved to New York City at the age of 5. 2) He started his career as a jewellery designer, and went on to tie up with designers Prabal Gurung and Bibhu Mohapatra to create his own fashion label called 'House of Waris'. The brand produces exclusive designs that have been inspired by Ahluwalia's visits to Rajasthan and Rome. 3) In 2010, Ahluwalia was placed on Vanity Fair's Best Dressed List, anointed British GQ's second best dressed man internationally and included in Vogue's 10 Most Impactful people list. 4) Ahluwalia made headlines in 2013 as the first Sikh man in a national Gap ad campaign. When his Gap ad ran, many of the billboards featuring Ahluwalia were vandalized with racist graffiti. PHOTO: On this GAP subway ad featuring a Sikh man...Vandals have written "Make Bombs" & "Please stop driving taxis" pic.twitter.com/yvw2vhfexW Arsalan Iftikhar? (@TheMuslimGuy) November 25, 2013 5) Ahluwalia's first film was The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) by Wes Anderson. It also starred Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston and Cate Blanchett. Ahluwalia also played a short role in Wes Anderson's critically acclaimed, The Grand Budapest Hotel. 6) His other works in Hollywood include the Inside Man (starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster) and The Darjeeling Limited (starring Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody). 7) His most recent movie, Beeba Boys, was directed by Deepa Mehta and also starred Randeep Hooda. It released on October 16, 2015. 8) He also starred in a couple of small-screen shows, namely The Unusuals and The Carrie Diaries. 9) Ahluwalia took part in a 500-km auto rickshaw race across India, with his racing partner Adam, to raise money and awareness for the endangered Asian elephant, in November 2015. On the road. 60km an hour. There's no stopping El Banditos. #travelstomyelephant ??@cthelamb A photo posted by Waris Ahluwalia (@houseofwaris) on Nov 9, 2015 at 12:55am PST --- ENDS --- Amitabh Bachchan, who was with his family in Maldives recently to ring in son Abhishek Bachchan's 40th birthday, gave a glimpse of their awesome holiday in yet another breathtaking picture. The 73-year-old actor shared an adorable picture of Aishwarya Rai and Shweta Nanda with Aaradhya in Maldives on his blog. By India Today Web Desk: Amitabh Bachchan, who was with his family in Maldives recently to ring in son Abhishek Bachchan's 40th birthday, gave a glimpse of their awesome holiday in yet another breathtaking picture. The 73-year-old actor shared an adorable picture of Aishwarya Rai and Shweta Nanda with Aaradhya in Maldives on his blog. ALSO READ: Abhishek celebrates his birthday with Aishwarya, Aaradhya and Bachchan parivar in Maldives advertisement ALSO READ: Aaradhya Bachchan unwell, Aishwarya pulling out all stops to be with daughter Big B, who is back from his vacation, posted a picture of his 'three beauties' on the blog and wrote, "Orchids are varied but rare and of some value .. to them that reach out to me such value is worthy of its presence ..But worthy are them that adorn my life .. my 3 beauties .. flowers on the right side of the hair dressing and all .." He added, "Ladies are special .. they always were and shall always be .." In the picture, Aishwarya and Shweta can be seen chilling on the beach along with Aaradhya. The Piku actor earlier made his fans go green with envy when he posted a picture of the Bachchan family on yacht in Maldives. The family flew to the island to celebrate Abhishek's birthday on February 5. Abhishek and Aishwarya along with daughter Aaradhya later flew to Bengaluru for a kabaddi match. While Amitabh and Jaya returned to Mumbai. --- ENDS --- A teacher of a prominent school in Jharkhand capital Ranchi was arrested today for killing her student, who was reportedly in love with her daughter. By India Today Web Desk: A teacher of a prominent school in Jharkhand capital Ranchi was arrested today for killing her student, who was reportedly in love with her daughter. Sapphire International School teacher Nezma Khatoon killed the class VII student because she was against him having friendship with her 11-year-old daughter. The boy named Vinay Mahto was found near the teachers' quarters within the school campus on Friday. Khatoon stays with her husband, son and daughter in the school quarter. Reports said Mahto was badly injured when he was taken to the hospital. advertisement CCTV footage helped the police crack the case, which had become talk of the town ever since the incident was first reported. Police said that the boy was seen in the CCTV footage walking towards the teachers' quarters late on Friday. A little later, a teacher spotted him outside the boys hostel with severe injuries. He later succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. --- ENDS --- Cannot contain your excitement? Trying to pre-book already? Here is everything you need to know about Bond's memoir. By India Today Web Desk: "I may stop loving you, but I'll not stop loving the days I loved you." Yes, it's happening, finally! Beloved children's author Ruskin Bond is finally writing his memoir, and not just one--the book will be published in three different volumes, which will be based on specific aspects of Bond's life. And one of these volumes will even tell us why the author decided to not get married! advertisement In an interview to PTI, the Delhi is not Far author said, "I will write three memoirs. First one will be on my writing life, second one on my personal life, which includes my love life." Also read: Delighted to be here, says Ruskin Bond as he joins Twitter The third book, he said, would be on his "invented life"--the life Bond would like to have. "I can tell a lot of tall stories. That book will probably be the most amusing," said the 81-year-old bachelor. Ruskin Bond, who lives with his adopted family in Landour near Mussoorie, recently joined social micro-blogging site, Twitter, much to the delight of his readers. Although many of his stories are semi-autobiographical in nature, his first attempt at writing a full-fledged memoir was in the year 2000, when Scenes from a Writer's Life: A Memoir was published. The book, however, covers only the first few formative years of the Anglo-Indian's life. Then came The Room on the Roof, also a semi-autobiographical book, which made Bond win the coveted John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, which is awarded to British Commonwealth Writers who are under the age of 30. Also read: An evening with Bond, Ruskin Bond Ruskin was born to a British Air Force personnel in Kasauli, where he grew up in smaller towns of Jamnagar, Shimla and Dehradun. Then he went to London for a few years to complete his studies, only to eventually return to India. Also called the 'Indian William Wordsworth', Bond is the winner of the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Bhushan. "I am extending that book now to include some of the things I had left out. And some of the things I see in a different perspective now. It will be ready in the next 3-4 months," said the author, who was recently in Kolkata to talk at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet. (With inputs from PTI) --- ENDS --- Salman Khan's acquittal by the Bombay High Court in the 2002 hit-and-run-case was today challenged in the Supreme Court by the victim's familyDeceased Noorullah Sheikh's son Firoz Sheikh today filed a special leave petition in the Supreme CourtBombay High Court had acquitted the actor of all charges in December 2015 By India Today Web Desk: Salman Khan's acquittal by the Bombay High Court in the 2002 hit-and-run-case was today challenged in the Supreme Court by the victim's family. Deceased Noorullah Sheikh's son Firoz Sheikh today filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court. Bombay High Court had acquitted the actor of all charges in December last year. The high court had held that the prosecution had failed to prove its case due to bad investigation by police. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was drunk and driving his SUV when it ran over persons sleeping on a pavement in Mumbai in 2002, Maharashtra government on February 5 told the Supreme Court while seeking reversal of the Bombay High Court verdict acquitting him. advertisement The Supreme Court deferred the Maharashtra government's appeal against the actor till February 12. The apex court said it needs more time to hear the appeal. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi who is representing the Maharashtra government in the case questioned HC's approach over evidence against Salman Khan. "How did the driver appear after 13 years? Why wasn't he brought before the court earlier," he said. Rohatgi claims that the level of alcohol in Khan's blood was high even after 12 hours, and he had full knowledge of what he was doing. The Maharashtra government had decided to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against Salman Khan's acquittal in the 2002 hit-and-run case. The state government's petition also refuted the high court's finding that the probe was conducted to weaken the prosecution's case. Also Read Salman Khan's acquittal 'travesty of justice', Maharashtra tells SC Salman, Shah Rukh in trouble for entering sets of temple with shoes on --- ENDS --- An anonymous phone call about the presence of a "terrorist" at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi sent the security agencies into a tizzy, leading to extensive screening of everyone at the airport. By India Today Web Desk: An anonymous phone call about the presence of a "terrorist" at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi sent the security agencies into a tizzy, leading to extensive screening of everyone at the airport. The call was later declared as "non-specific" by the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC), airport sources said. Flight operations during this period were unaffected, they said. advertisement "At around 2.30 AM the call centre of the Indira Gandhi International Airport received an anonymous call saying that someone from Amritsar present at the airport was a terrorist. The information was immediately passed on to the airport authorities as well as all the aviation security agencies," the sources said. The BTAC was formed to assess the threat, they said, adding, security agencies carried out an extensive screening of the people at the airport. The BTAC declared the call as "non-specific" at around 3.30 AM, the sources said. Also read: Iranian held with gold worth Rs 36 lakh at IGI airport --- ENDS --- Deepika Padukone, who recently joined the star cast of XXX The Return Of Xander Cage in Canada, is providing her fans with a sneak-peek into her big Hollywood debut film. By India Today Web Desk: Deepika Padukone has taken her fandom and pretty much all of social media by storm after her first look from her Hollywood debut XXX The Return Of Xander Cage was revealed. The Bollywood actor was with Vin Diesel in the much-shared photo from the sets of the film. ALSO READ: Deepika's boyfriend Ranveer just made sure her XXX The Return Of Xander Cage shoot is fabulous advertisement ALSO READ: Deepika-Vin to Sonakshi-Ranveer - The best of Instagram this week ALSO READ: XXX The Return Of Xander Cage - Watch Deepika Padukone's first video with Vin Diesel After Vin Diesel, another actor who has succumbed to Deepika's charm from the XXX The Return Of Xander Cage team is Tony Jaa. The Thai actor is known for films such as Ong-Bak Muay Thai Warrior and Tom-Yum-Goong. He recently shared a photo with Deepika Padukone on Twitter. The 40-year-old actor captioned the image, "With our xXx 3 leading lady, the very talented #DeepikaPadukone #TheReturnofXanderCage (sic)" Deepika can be seen pouting for the selfie with the actor in the picture. Another photo from the XXX 3 sets was shared by Deepika herself on her Instagram. Here, she can be seen hugging her director DJ Caruso. Deepika has captioned it, "On the first day of shoot for #xXx, here's @deepikapadukone with the director, D.J. Caruso! #TheReturnOfXanderCage (sic)". On the first day of shoot for #xXx, here's @deepikapadukone with the director, D.J. Caruso! #TheReturnOfXanderCage A photo posted by Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) on Feb 9, 2016 at 9:54pm PST DJ Caruso is known for directing films such as Disturbia (2007) Eagle Eye (2008) and I Am Number Four (2011). Deepika Padukone has just joined the star cast of the film which is being shot in Canada. Padukone will essay the role of Serena, Vin Diesel's love interest in the film. XXX The Return Of Xander Cage actors have flooded social media with images from the film sets. Vin Diesel was the first to share pictures with his leading lady. Deepika, 30, looks fabulous with Furious 7 actor Vin Diesel in the pictures on his Facebook page. Deepika Padukone with Vin Diesel from the sets of XXX The Return Of Xander Cage Vin Diesel has praised the Bollywood beauty for her talent and popularity. In a video that Diesel shared a few days ago, he had said, "You have heard some of the casting, you have heard about Deepika, who is somebody I have wanted to work with for a long time. We were really close to working together in Furious 7 and... we are going to have a blast," Diesel said. advertisement VIN DIESEL talks about working with DEEPIKA PADUKONE (@deepikapadukone) Part 1 pic.twitter.com/yOaCxTb3K9 Aish (@deepikalove86) January 28, 2016 "I have been dying to work with someone from Bollywood and bridge that gap, and I think there is something very multi-cultural about that, and very exciting. I think she is going to be just such a delight. I think the world will go crazy over her character," he added. VIN DIESEL talks about working with DEEPIKA PADUKONE (@deepikapadukone) Part 2 pic.twitter.com/qZ7q6qVh0R Aish (@deepikalove86) January 28, 2016 XXX The Return Of Xander Cage features Samuel L Jackson, Nina Dobrev, Ruby Rose, Jet Li and Tony Jaa in pivotal roles. The film is slated for a 2017 release. --- ENDS --- advertisement The condition of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa, who was pulled out alive after being buried under 35 feet of snow for 5 days in Siachen, has deteriorated. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa was buried under 35 feet of ice at 20,500 feet at the Siachen glacier. By India Today Web Desk: It is a tough battle that Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad is fighting for survival at Delhi's army hospital. The condition of the gritty soldier, who was pulled out alive after being buried under 35 feet of snow for 5 days in Siachen, has deteriorated. In pics A latest medical bulletin released by the Army Research and Referral Hospital said that Hanamanthappa "continues to remain extremely critical." advertisement "He continues to remain extremely critical with evidence of oxygen deprivation to the brain on CT scan. There is evidence of pneumonia in both lungs. His multi-organ dysfunction state continues unabated. His condition has deteriorated despite aggressive therapy and supportive care," the health bulletin said. A team of senior doctors from AIIMS also examined the soldier at the army hospital earlier today. Hanamanthappa was severely dehydrated, hypothermic and in shock when he was flown down to Delhi after being rescued on Monday night. He also has pneumonia and liver and kidney problems. More than 200 soldiers worked round the clock for five days looking for survivors after the ice wall came crashing down on the 19 Madras post in Siachen glacier. Hanamanthappa's other 9 colleagues could not survive the avalanche. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Army chief General Dalbir Singh had visited the army hospital yesterday to meet the soldier. "No words are enough to describe the endurance & indomitable spirit of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. He is an outstanding soldier," the PM had tweeted. The medical report is grim. But India is hoping that the miracle continues. ALSO READ | Inside Mission Siachen: How avalanche rescue team battled -40 degree Celsius temperatures to find survivors Siachen's lone survivor is a yoga expert, used to do breathing exercises Also watch: --- ENDS --- Sheer grit, determination, will to live against all odds, a miracle and perhaps a little yoga helped Lance Naik Hanumanthappa survive being buried under 35 feet of ice at 20,500 feet at the Siachen glacier. By Gaurav C Sawant: Sheer grit, determination, will to live against all odds, a miracle and perhaps a little yoga helped Lance Naik Hanumanthappa survive being buried under 35 feet of ice at 20,500 feet at the Siachen glacier. In pics Those posted at the Siachen glacier currently and veterans since 1984 when the Indian Army launched Operation Meghdoot and was deployed on the Saltoro ridgeline - are unable to fathom how a soldier could survive being buried under 35 feet of ice for five days in rarefied atmosphere. advertisement With 13 years in service, miracle man L/Nk Hanumanthappa is being described as a deeply religious soldier who was also a practitioner of yoga. "We have been told he used to not only practice yoga himself but also help fellow soldiers with their breathing exercises. Medical science can perhaps explain better but we believe yoga perhaps had a role to play in his being able to survive in those conditions. Apart from being the almighty's favourite child,'' a senior officer posted in the 14 Corps told Mail Today. More than 200 soldiers worked round the clock for five days looking for survivors after the ice wall came crashing down on the 19 Madras post in the northern glacier. The rescue team could not believe their eyes when they saw he was conscious. He was drowsy and disoriented. "It is unbelievable. In Siachen if you are exposed to nature for more than four hours without taking adequate precautions, chances of survival are slim. There has never before been an instance of a soldier having survived being buried in snow and ice for five days," he added. The medical report is grim. L/Nk Hanumanthappa is comatose, continues to be in shock with low blood pressure and investigations have revealed liver and kidney dysfunction. "Yoga plays a very important role in controlling your breathing especially in high altitude areas and is also important in the mental and spiritual toughening of a soldier," says Lt Gen (retd) Ved Chaturvedi, former Director General of Armed Forces Medical Service. "It defies logic. I was posted at the Siachen glacier at the same spot near the sheer ice wall. There is no way one can survive for five days buried under ice with no oxygen. It's a miracle," says Lt Gen (retd) Ata Hasnain former Srinagar Corps Commander. The Army, of course, says it is too soon to say whether yoga had any role to play in the soldier's survival. Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, though, is convinced. "There is no such thing as a miracle. In extreme high altitude conditions those who practice yoga not only have stronger lungs but also their body utilises oxygen better even when lesser amount of oxygen is available in the atmosphere," says Baba Ramdev. The yoga guru is convinced that practicing breathing exercises will benefit all those who go to high altitude areas. advertisement ALSO READSiachen miracle: How a soldier survived under 35 feet of snow for 5 days Exclusive: How Indian Army carried out its biggest rescue operation at Siachen --- ENDS --- Investigative reporting from the inner city to Wall Street to the United Nations This is the blogspot version InnerCityPress.com The Kansas Republican Party is filled with characters on the inside. I'm looking through the window and holding up a mirror. Welcome to Inside The Rock Poster Frame A blog about posters, art prints, movie posters, vinyl toys and other cool stuff. More than just rock posters, posters that rock. More World Premier Exclusive Releases then anyone. If you want to see it first, you will see it here. More giveaways than anyone else to the best readers in the world (that's YOU) Subscribe to the RSS feed and follow my blog. Please feel free to leave comments by clicking on comments below the title. Click on the images for larger versions of them. Click on the title banner to be taken back to the main page. Be the first to know when your favorite items are going on sale and cool events in your area. Your new source for the best information first. Contact me at insidetherockposterframe )( gmail .com Nina E. Kallen, Attorney At Law40 Florian StreetRoslindale, MA 02131ph: (617)363-0547fax: (617)344-6041While I am happy to have you contact me by telephone, surface mail, or email, merely communicating with me does not create an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship is only established by an agreement between you and me that I will handle a particular matter. Please do not convey to me any information that you regard as confidential until an attorney-client relationship has been established. Any information I receive from you prior to the formal establishment of such a relationship may not be confidential. Welcome to H&C,,, where I aggregate news of interest. Primary topics include abuse with "the church", LGBTQI+ issues, cults - including anti-vaxxers, and the Dominionist and Theocratic movements. Also of concern is the anti-science movement with interest in those that promote garbage like homeopathy, chiropractic and the like. I am an atheist and anti-theist who believes religious mythos must be die and a strong supporter of SOCAS. Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksandr Turchynov has discussed the issue of violation of the Minsk agreements by the Russian side and the extension of sanctions against Russia with a delegation of representatives of the European Union Foreign Ministries in the framework of the Eastern Partnership. According to the NSDC's press service, Turchynov thanked the participants in the meeting for the position of the whole European community, "which the EU holds in relation to the aggressor and which was embodied in the resolution of the European Parliament, which explicitly condemned aggression on the part of the Russian Federation." According to Turchynov, Russia and its political leadership are doing everything to destabilize the situation not only in Ukraine but all over the world. "Russia does not conceal its aggressive intentions towards the West. They are moving their force commands closer to the western borders," the official said. As for the extension of sanctions against the Russian Federation, Turchynov said this instrument should be considered for at least a medium term. There won't be next tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if Ukraine does not speed up the reforms, Ukrainian Minister of Finance Natalie Jaresko said, commenting on the statement by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde. "I see that this [statement made by Christine Lagarde] emphasizes that tranches are not issued without reforms. Acceleration rather than slowdown of reforms is needed," the minister said at a meeting of the parliamentary committee on economic policy in Kyiv. Jaresko noted that thanks to the deputies the IMF has no questions to the parliament as for the budget for 2016. "But now there is a question to all of us how we'll continue to act amidst the political crisis and agree on changes in the government and how to speed up these reforms," she said. The Ukrainian Finance Ministry has confirmed the plan to raise $8-10 billion in financial assistance from external creditors in 2016, including $5.8 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "We plan to obtain $8 billion or $10 billion for budget and investment needs this year, including $5.8 billion from the IMF (four tranches), $1 billion from the United States (this is the guarantee for the issue of our eurobonds), another $1.2 billion from Japan, Switzerland and the EU within the framework of the existing macro-financial assistance, some more funds from Poland, Germany, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank and the World Bank," Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko said at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada committee on economic policy in Kyiv. She noted that part of the said amount, including loans from the EBRD, Germany's KfW, the World Bank and Poland, will be used directly for financing investment projects rather than funding the budget or replenishing the reserves. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt has called on Ukrainian politicians to put Ukrainians' interests above their own and press forward on vital reforms. "Ukraine's stable, secure and prosperous future will require the sustained efforts of a broad and inclusive team of dedicated professionals who put the Ukrainian people's interests above their own. It is important that Ukraine's leaders set aside their parochial differences, put the vested interests that have hindered the country's progress for decades squarely in the past, and press forward on vital reforms," he said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine. "As my Ambassadorial colleagues and I said, we were deeply disappointed by the resignation of Minister for Economic Development and Trade Aivaras Abromavicius, who has delivered real reform results for Ukraine. During the past year, Abromavicius and his professional team made important strides implementing tough but necessary economic reforms to help stabilize Ukraine's economy, root out endemic corruption, bring Ukraine into compliance with its IMF program obligations, and promote more openness and transparency in government," he said while commenting on recent developments related to the Ukrainian government. Pyatt says that more can and must be done, particularly in the area of corruption. "The Prosecutor's Office, for instance, must hold thieves accountable for the criminal plunder of the state, and truly empower an independent Inspector General to put an end to corruption within the PGO. Legislation has been passed, people have been appointed. Now is the time for action. The world is watching, and Ukrainians in every oblast are watching," he said. Another issue the ambassador flagged for 2016 is work by the Cabinet of Ministers to accelerate the pace of deregulation and create an environment that fosters both domestic and external investment. "It's increasingly clear that Ukrainian consumers alone cannot fill the hole created by the nearly 12% GDP contraction in 2015. Foreign investment can and should make up much of the difference, but will only do so if it's crystal clear that the 'old Ukraine' of bribes, regulation and appropriation has been put behind us," he said. The full interview in English will be posted on Interfax-Ukraine's website at http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/interview.html. * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati received the 2022 Adepi Award * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the World Intellectual Property Review's "Influential Women in IP" of 2020. * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2018. * IPKat founder and Blogmeister Emeritus Jeremy Phillips listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2014. * Recommended by the European Patent Office as reading material for candidates for the European Qualifying Examinations, 2013. * Listed as "Top Legal Blog" in The Times Online, March 2011. 2010 ABA Journal 100. * One of the only two non-US blogs listed in the Blawg100. * Court Reporter Top Copyright Blog award winner, November 2010. * Number 1 in the 2010 Top Copyright Blog list compiled by the Copyright Litigation Blog, July 2010. * Selected by the United States Library of Congress for inclusion in its historic collections of Internet materials related to Legal Blawgs as of 2010. * Top Patent Blog poll 2009: 3rd out of 50 in the "Favourite Patent Blog" poll and 2nd out of 50 in the "Most-read" poll. Blog of the Year, 20 August 2008. * ComputerWeekly IT Law and Governance, 20 August 2008. It has also been subject to commentary from foreign parties who were not directly related to the proceedings. For instance, warning the US Congress that the then-emerging deal would pave the way to an Iranian nuclear weapon, rather than barring the way. The deal has since been fully implemented, and aspects of that implementation have played into the hands both of the deals supporters and its critics. On the one hand, implementation was only able to go forward after the International Atomic Energy Agency certified that Iran had dismantled the majority of its enrichment centrifuges, removed its stockpiles of low-enriched uranium from the country, and disabled the plutonium-producing core of the Arak heavy water facility. On the other hand, implementation resulted in the rapid release of large quantities of previously frozen Iranian assets. The Iranian central bank claimed last week to have gained access to 100 billion dollars worth of such assets a figure that was double what the US Treasury Department had previously estimated. And this came after US Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged that some of the sanctions relief was likely to end up in the hands of terrorist groups. Taken together, these developments have only amplified concerns that Iran received much more from the deal than it was required to give in return. This perception offers one way of looking at the recent ceremony to confer medals on the architects of the deal. While it is possible that those medals were merely intended to commemorate the acquisition of sanctions relief, it is also possible that they represent the accuracy of critical assessments of that deal as being insufficient to constrain Irans progress toward a nuclear weapon, much less its other dangerous activities. That assessment was brought back to the forefront Tuesday when several news outlets reported upon the latest release of satellite images of Irans Parchin military base, which has long been suspected of being the site of covert nuclear weapons work. The January images once again suggested that areas of the site had been demolished, consistent with efforts to hide the former presence of nuclear material. The Patriot Post also quotes one analyst as saying that the images seem to suggest the ongoing development of facilities that the IAEA may or may not have access to. In December, the IAEA closed its years-long investigation into the past military dimensions of the Iranian nuclear program, after having obtained environmental samples from the Parchin base. But the IAEAs final report on the subject noted that the Iranians had made every effort to limit their disclosures to the bear minimum, and this fact left serious questions in the minds of Tehrans leading critics. Such experts as former IAEA Deputy Director Olli Heinonen emphasized that a lack of clarity about the exact nature of Irans past nuclear work would make it more difficult for the IAEA and the international community to assess Irans further progress after the nuclear deal. The Patriot Post also connected the latest satellite information to Irans defiance over the issue of its ballistic missile stockpiles. Within four months of the conclusion of nuclear negotiations, Iran conducted a test of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. It followed up with another test one month later, further confirming Tehrans official declarations that it would not abide by such restrictions. Naturally, critics of the nuclear deal have worried that unwillingness to cooperate on this point might undermine Irans compliance with the nuclear deal itself. In testimony before Congress on Tuesday, US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper underscored the deliberate defiance implicit in those missile tests and suggested that it was indicative of a broader pattern of persistent behavior on Irans part. According to a brief he submitted to legislators, another aspect of that defiance relates to the retention of US citizens and permanent residents as hostages. CNN reports that Clapper feels the Iranians may use American prisoners as bargaining chips in order to secure further concessions from US negotiators. This commentary comes just weeks after a prisoner exchange that set four Americans free in exchange for the release of seven Iranians detained in the US, plus the dropping of charges against 14 others who were still at large. That prisoner exchange was portrayed by the Obama administration as a victory for diplomacy along the same lines as the nuclear agreement. But it was also subject to similar controversy, with some critics insisting that the exchange was unbalanced in Irans favor, especially in light of a 1.7 billion dollar payment, stemming from a 37 year-old debt, which may or may not have been connected to the prisoner swap. The issue of American prisoners thus reflects both on the issue of Iranian leverage and on the issue of Iranian defiance of Western and especially American demands. And other Iranian behaviors have similarly prompted discussion on both these points. Another CNN report, for instance, points out that Iran has demanded that payments for its oil exports be in the form of Euros, despite the fact that the global oil industry ordinarily trades in US dollars. The report describes this as being simultaneously an expression of animosity toward the US and an attempt to diminish US leverage over Iran in the event of future violations of UN resolutions, the nuclear deal, or the provisions of sanctions that remain in place. By avoiding transactions in dollars, Iran may be able to shield itself, at least partially, from the seizure of assets and other enforcement measures, should the US government decide to re-impose sanctions that were lifted under the nuclear deal. In the meantime, Iran is also attempting to gain financial leverage over the West and its closest allies by exploiting sanctions relief in order to draw closer to other adversaries to the West. Russia is chief among the targets for Iranian partnership, and an article that appeared in the New York Times on Tuesday emphasized once again that Moscow is at least as eager as Tehran to solidify such a partnership in order to secure certain economic advantages over the US, especially where oil is concerned. 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. I WRITE NEWS ABOUT AND PUT NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM PERTAINING TO BIBLE PROPHESY HAPPENINGS.JOEL 3:20 But Judah (ISRAEL) shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.(THATS ISRAEL-JERUSALEM WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED AGAIN)-WE CHRISTIANS ARE ALL WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE TO OCCUR.SO WE CAN GO TO JESUS AND GET OUR NEVER DYING BODIES.SO WE CAN RULE OVER CITIES OURSELVES.WHILE JESUS RULES FROM DAVIDS THRONE FOREVER IN JERUSALEM. [February 09, 2016] Fitch Upgrades Salem Health (OR) Bonds to 'A+'; Stable Outlook Fitch Ratings has upgraded the following outstanding debt issued on behalf of Salem Health (Salem) to 'A+' from 'A': --$75,000,000 Salem Hospital Facility Authority (OR) (Salem Hospital Project) variable rate revenue bonds series 2008B (LOC: U.S. Bank National Association); --$39,185,000 Salem Hospital Facility Authority (OR) (Salem Hospital Project) revenue bonds series 2008A; --$111,930,000 Salem Hospital Facility Authority (OR) (Salem Hospital Project) revenue bonds series 2006. The Rating Outlook is Stable. SECURITY The bonds are secured by a gross revenue pledge of the obligated group (OG). Salem Hospital is the only member of the OG and accounted for 98% of total assets and 96% of total revenue of the consolidated entity (Salem Health) in fiscal 2015 (Sept. 30 fiscal year end). Fitch's analysis is based on the consolidated entity. KEY RATING DRIVERS STRONG PROFITABILITY: The rating upgrade to 'A+' from 'A' reflects Salem's strong operating profitability in fiscal 2015 (year-ended Sept 30) and expected continued operating EBITDA margins around 12%. Salem generated a 7.8% operating margin and 15.4% operating EBITDA margin in fiscal 2015 reflecting strong volume growth and cost reductions through implementation of lean management techniques. Fiscal 2015 was the third consecutive year with operating EBITDA margins above 12%. AFFILIATION WITH OHSU: Effective November 2015, Salem affiliated with Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU; rated 'AA-'/Stable Outlook) under a Joint Management Agreement. While Salem and OHSU will remain separately obligated on their debt, the clinical enterprises will be operated a single entity with a single management team and a shared bottom line (operating income). DOMINANT MARKET SHARE: Salem maintains a dominant market share position of almost 80% in its primary service area, which includes the cities of Salem (the state capital) and Keizer. Volume growth has been strong and Salem has experienced a positive impact from expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act. SOLID LIQUIDITY POSITION: Liquidity metrics have consistently grown over the last four years and compare favorably to Fitch's A category medians. At Sept. 30, 2015, Salem had 299 days cash on hand and 165.6% cash to debt compared to the A category medians of 205.3 and 143.7% cash to debt, respectively. MODERATING DEBT BURDEN AND CAPITAL PLAN: Salem's debt burden has been moderating due to good revenue growth. Debt service coverage improved sharply in fiscal 2015 due to improved profitability with MADS coverage by EBITDA of 5.6x. There are no current plans for additional debt but a master facility plan by OHSU Partners is underway. Capital spending is expected to be higher than normal in fiscal 2016 (2x depreciation expense) due to the addition of 40 beds and IT spending which be absorbed at the current rating level. RATING SENSITIVITIES STABILITY AT CURRENT RATING LEVEL: Fitch believes that Salem Health can maintain operating cash flow at the level projected (12% operating EBITDA margin). Fitch views Salem's relationship with OHSU positively and believes it should provide stability in a consolidating and evolving reimbursement environment. CREDIT PROFILE Salem Health includes Salem Hospital, a 413-staffed bed hospital located in Salem, OR, approximately 45 miles south of Portland, as well as other healthcare related entities. Salem Health had $694 million in operating revenue for fiscal 2015. Salem will be changing its fiscal year end to June 30 for fiscal 2016. OHSU Affiliation OHSU is based in Portland, Oregon and is the state's only health science university and major academic health center. In addition to the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Dentistry, OHSU operates 564 beds in its two hospitals (OHSU Hospital and OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital) and provides highly complex tertiary and quaternary care with a case mix index over 2.0. OHSU has trained over a third of the physicians in the state, which provides a good foundation for the physician integration expected with the affiliation. OHSU and Salem entered into a 40-year joint management agreement, which states that the clinical enterprise will be jointly managed by a common management team (OHSU Partners). The academic and research missions of OHSU are excluded from this. OHSU Partners' executive management team includes individuals from both OHSU and Salem and the hospitals of both entities will be managed on a combined basis with integrated financial and capital planning. The OHSU Partners budgets have to be approved by both the OSHU board and Salem board. The profitability (operatig income) of the combined entity is split based on each entity's historical share of financial performance (Salem 19%, OHSU 81%). The expectation is that growth will be greater as a combined entity as the entities leverage each other's resources, capacity, and capabilities. Fitch views this relationship favorably as it allows Salem to be part of a larger system while maintaining local control. However, effective implementation and consensus on a shared strategic vision can be challenging achieve. Strong Fiscal 2015 Performance Salem's operating performance significantly improved in fiscal 2015 due to very strong volume growth, benefits from Medicaid expansion, and continued focus on reduction in costs through lean management practices. Salem's emergency room had 103,849 visits in fiscal 2015 and was up 8% from the prior year while discharges increased 6.5%. Through lean management and other action plan projects, Salem achieved efficiency improvement through reducing waste and reducing costs in the management of heart failure, sepsis and diabetes. Operating income was $54 million (7.8% operating margin; 15.4% operating EBITDA margin) compared to 4.2% and 12.2%, respectively in the prior year. The ten year financial plan for OHSU Partners is expected to be complete in spring 2016; however, Salem has long term targets of maintaining at least 12% operating EBITDA margins. Solid Liquidity Salem's liquidity metrics are solid for the rating level and unrestricted cash and investments have steadily increased year over year since fiscal 2012. Unrestricted cash and investments totaled $491.6 million at Sept. 30, 2015, which equated to 299 days cash on hand and 165.6% cash-to-debt from 255.1 and 114.6%, respectively at fiscal year end 2012. Elevated Capital Spending in Fiscal 2016 There are several large projects planned in fiscal 2016 and include a new outpatient rehabilitation building, adding 40 beds in currently shelled space, and investing in information technology (Epic) for its community connect program for independent physicians. Capital spending is elevated in fiscal 2016 and projected to total $66.6 million (for full year; 1.9x depreciation expense) with $51.4 million total expected in the shortened fiscal 2016 with a new June 30 fiscal year end. This compares to capital spending at 1.2x depreciation expense in fiscal 2015, 1.4x in fiscal 2014 and under 1x in fiscal 2013 and 2012. Fitch believes the elevated capital spending is manageable based on Salem's financial profile. There are currently no plans for additional debt; however, a master facility plan is underway. Moderating Debt Burden Salem's debt burden has been moderating with maximum annual debt service (MADS) accounting for 3.2% of total revenue in fiscal 2015 down from 4.2% in fiscal 2012 but still above Fitch's A category median of 2.8%. MADS coverage has also improved over the same time period due to better profitability with 5.6x in fiscal 2015, 4x in fiscal 2014, 3.7x in fiscal 2013 and 2.8x in fiscal 2012 compared to Fitch's A category of 4.2x. MADS is $22.4 million and debt service is fairly level and declines to about $20 million at final maturity in 2036. As of Sept. 30, 2015, Salem had $294.4 million of bonded debt outstanding; with a debt mix of 75% underlying fixed rate and 25% underlying VRDBs. Salem's VRDB exposure totals $75 million (series 2008C) and is supported by a letter of credit (LOC) from US Bank that expires April 2018. There is an 18-month term-out period under the reimbursement agreement if there is a draw on the LOC. Salem issued two direct bank loans in June 2013 that totals $70 million ($35 million series 2013A with JP Morgan (News - Alert) and $35 million series 2013B with US Bank) to refinance $50 million series 2008C VRDBs and provide $20 million of new money. The direct bank loans are fixed rate and have an initial term to June 2020. The covenants under the direct bank loan are more restrictive than the covenants in the master trust indenture. Including the impact of Salem's fixed payor swap, Salem has 100% fixed-rate debt. The swap is with UBS and the collateral posting threshold is $20 million. Currently, no collateral posting is required. Disclosure Salem Health only covenants to provide annual audited financial statements to the Municipal Securities Rule Making Board's EMMA system, which is viewed negatively; however, quarterly disclosure has been provided voluntarily. Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Applicable Criteria Revenue-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 16 Jun 2014) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=750012 U.S. Nonprofit Hospitals and Health Systems Rating Criteria (pub. 09 Jun 2015) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=866807 Additional Disclosures Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=999267 Solicitation Status https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=999267 Endorsement Policy https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&detail=31 ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160209006546/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 09, 2016] Political Match Making App, VoterGuru, Finds Your Top Presidential Candidate Match NEW YORK, Feb. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- VoterGuru, a New York-based tech startup that matches users with declared presidential candidates, announced today the launch of its web platform. The company has raised capital via Horizon Media's Incubator program to fuel the launch of its new web-based platform across the United States ahead of the Presidential elections this year. VoterGuru tracks voting records and public statements of political candidates, and compares user inputs with politician records to find the closest ideological match. In addition to matching users with candidates, VoterGuru educates users on political topics by explaining the ideological spectrum, from "very liberal" to "very conservative," on specific issues, ranging from abortion laws, to education policy, to privacy and more. VoterGuru is the brainchild of Ben Krakow, who also works as a Digital Business Analyst at Horizon Media, and Ben Atkins, a Software Engineer. Krakow and Atkins brought the idea to life through the Dunes of Dreams invention development program created by Horizon Media, the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. Through the company's Dunes of Dreams competition, its employees are invited to invoke the agency's entrepreneurial fiber by submitting their business plans and ideas for the chance to receive start-up funding and development resources those selected by the agency leadership are then invited to participate in Horizon's five month start-up Incubator. "We are at a unique turning point where, more than ever, Americans are paying ttention to politics," explained Ben Krakow, Co-Founder and President of VoterGuru. "We, at VoterGuru, are excited for the opportunity to educate the public and simplify the process of learning about candidates and issues." Key features of the web platform include: Issue education - Concisely explaining the spectrum of debate Interactive visualizations - Comparing candidate and user views on each issue Candidate conviction - Weighing how long and/or consistently a candidate has held a view and visualizing issue conviction for VoterGuru users Krakow and Atkins submitted their idea to Dunes of Dreams and participated in Horizon's start-up Incubator from May through October 2015. During this time, Krakow has assembled a team of experts to launch VoterGuru, bringing on Ben Atkins, Co-Founder and CTO, and Catherine Mayell, Creative Director and Web Designer. Chris Kane, founder of Jounce Media and former Chief of Staff to Tim Armstrong at AOL, has signed on as an advisor to the VoterGuru team, alongside a team of mentors including Maria Freda, Senior Vice President and Controller at Horizon Media, Taylor Valentine, Chief Invention Officer at Horizon Media and Jeremy Shure, Director of Invention at Horizon Media. "Ben's team is the triple threat: they've identified white space and the ability to solve for a real problem with a captive audience, they're incredibly bright and motivated, and they have created a scalable platform with many exciting opportunities," said Jeremy Shure architect of and Director of Horizon's startup Incubator. "We are incredibly proud of the platform that Ben has created and excited for Ben and his team to bring VoterGuru to market," continued Shure. Visit www.voter.guru today to find your political match for the 2016 Presidential election. About VoterGuru Voter Guru, Inc. is an early stage consumer technology start-up. Based in New York, it was founded by two young entrepreneurs, Ben Krakow and Ben Atkins. The company is a winner of the 2015 Dunes of Dreams start-up competition held by Horizon Media and is a graduate of Horizon Media's inaugural incubator program. VoterGuru's mission is to educate and inform a new generation of voters through its simple and intuitive interface. By analysing public statements and voting records, the non-partisan company matches individuals with political candidates based on their ideologies and personal beliefs. For more information, please visit www.voter.guru Contact Kaya Lobaczewski (212) 220-2102 [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/political-match-making-app-voterguru-finds-your-top-presidential-candidate-match-300217523.html SOURCE VoterGuru [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 09, 2016] Portable Privacy Champion Anonabox's 'Project Blue' Soars to Funding by More Than 350 Percent CHICO, Calif., Feb. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second time in as many Indiegogo campaigns, Anonabox has far surpassed its fundraising expectations. Project Blue, a fundraising campaign benefiting famed programmer/hacker John Draper, is currently more than 350 percent funded, with 25 days remaining. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160209/331314 Campaign perks include a limited edition blue Anonabox PRO VPN and Tor router, battery pack, and functional whistle that doubles as a USB drive. Proceeds from Project Blue benefit the 72-year-old Draper (also known as "Captain Crunch" or "Crunchman"), as he co-writes his autobiography with Craig Wilson. Anonabox, the leading Tor and VPN brand, set its monetary goal at a modest $7,500. This was eclipsed in the first five days, and was doubled within nine days. In every sense of the word, Anonabox considers Project Blue a success. Alan Burwell . "We're grateful for Project Blue's early backers, and we have a few other very special perks to introduce in the coming weeks." Campaign contributions have come from as far away as Iceland, Hong Kong and The Netherlands, underscoring Draper's global impact on technology and computing. Draper's influence in early counterculture and computer hacking circles remains legendary. His work with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in the 1970s led to the genesis of Apple Computer. Draper is best known for the 1971 discovery that blowing a toy whistle from a box of Cap'n Crunch cereal could open up phone lines for free long-distance calls. About Anonabox Anonabox privacy routers provide a robust layer of anonymity and privacy to web browsing by routing Internet traffic over the Tor network or via built-in VPN services (Virtual Private Network). These measures cloak the user's IP address and location, allow the user to easily access the Deep Web, bypass censorship, and much more. To learn more about Anonabox, visit our website, or find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/portable-privacy-champion-anonaboxs-project-blue-soars-to-funding-by-more-than-350-percent-300217674.html SOURCE Anonabox [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 09, 2016] Fitch Affirms Philadelphia School District's Underlying Rating at 'BB-'; Outlook Remains Negative Fitch Ratings has affirmed the underlying 'BB-' rating on the following bonds issued for the school district of Philadelphia (SDP, or the district): --$1.1 billion Pennsylvania State Public School Building Authority school lease revenue and revenue refunding bonds issued on behalf of SDP; --$1.6 billion school district of Philadelphia general obligation (GO) and GO refunding bonds; The Rating Outlooks for the underlying district and authority ratings remain Negative. The enhanced rating of 'A+' with a Stable Outlook on the bonds reflects protections under the Pennsylvania School Credit Enhancement Law. (For more information on the Pennsylvania School Credit Enhancement Law, see 'Fitch: Pennsylvania Interim Budget Supports Value of School Credit Enhancement Programs', dated Jan. 11, 2016.) SECURITY The bonds are payable from the district's full faith, credit and taxing power. The rating on the bonds is enhanced by the Pennsylvania School Credit Enhancement Law. KEY RATING DRIVERS UNCERTAIN RECOVERY PROSPECTS: The district has made progress towards structural budgetary balance with several years of dramatic expenditure cuts and implementation of substantial recurring revenue increases. Major obstacles remain, including rising cost pressures and the incomplete commonwealth budget. RAPID CHARTER SCHOOL GROWTH: The number of students enrolled in charter schools more than doubled in the past six years. Further growth is expected, increasing financial challenges as charter schools divert resources from the district. LIMITED ABILITY TO RAISE REVENUE: As is typical for school districts, the largest source of funding is from the state. Raising locally generated revenue requires city council approval. ELEVATED DEBT LEVELS: The district's overall debt burden is high relative to the tax base, although annual debt service expenditures consume a moderate share of the district's operating budget. Payments for other long-term liabilities are moderate but growing. STABLE, BUT CHALLENGED, SERVICE AREA: Demographic and economic indicators are weak, although the city's economy is anchored by the presence of several large healthcare and higher education institutions. RATING SENSITIVITIES FURTHER FINANCIAL DETERIORATION: Additional reductions in the Philadelphia school district's financial flexibility over the medium term due to an inability to continue making progress toward long-term structural balance would lead to a further downgrade. CREDIT PROFILE FISCAL PROGRESS BUT CHALLENGES PERSIST The district's fiscal 2015 budget was balanced through a number of largely recurring measures, including $120 million from a one percent city sales tax and $49 million from a new locally-levied cigarette tax. SDP ended the year on June 30 with a modest budgetary operating surplus of $6.9 million across its three primary funds. For fiscal 2016, the district anticipates another modest operating surplus, benefiting from $70 million in new recurring revenues via city tax increases and continued fiscal austerity. This follows several years of operating deficits and $300 million in deficit borrowing in fiscal 2013. UNION NEGOTIATIONS GARNER SAVINGS; TEACHERS AT IMPASSE New labor contracts have been a key source of recurring savings for SDP. The district reached an agreement in 2012 with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) that provides $100 million in savings over the four year life of the contract, largely from an approximately 10% reduction in wages. In 2014 the district also reached agreement with its administrators for a new contract that includes 12% - 16% pay cuts, a shorter work year, and increased health care contributions, netting $20 million a year in savings. Both contracts expire on Aug. 31, 2016 and the district is engaged in negotiations to extend them. Fitch anticipates SDP will work with the unions to reach fiscally sustainable terms. The district's contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) expired in August 2013. For some time, the district was requesting large wage cuts similar to those agreed to by SEIU, but the two sides could not reach an agreement. PFT is not legally permitted to strike. In October, 2014, the School Reform Commission (SRC), the commonwealth-appointed board overseeing the district, cancelled the union's existing, expired contract and attempted to impose changes in health care benefits, require employee contributions to health care benefits, and eliminate an existing health and welfare fund. This would have saved the district approximately $50 million a year. In January 2015, the Commonwealth Court ruled the SRC's actions illegal. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania accepted SRC's appeal in August and is currently reviewing legal briefs on the case. Fitch is not aware of a scheduled trial date. In the interim, teachers continue to work under terms of the expired contract and all salary increments under the prior contract have been frozen since August 2013. SUSTAINED STRUCTURAL BALANCE STILL A CHALLENGE While positive, recent fiscal improvement does not fully address SDP's lingering challenges. The district's fiscal 2015 - 2019 five-year financial plan projects a steadily increasing structural budgetary gap across its three primary operating funds reaching $152 million, or 5.6% of revenues, in fiscal 2019. This plan was adopted in December 2014, before recent revenue-raising actions by the city council, discussed further below. Charter school enrollment continues to grow, consuming larger portions of the district's operating budget as the district makes per-pupil payments to charter schools based on a state formula. In fiscal 2015 (unaudited) charter school payments made up nearly 38% of general fund expenditures, up from 18% in fiscal 2009. In its five-year financial plan, SDP estimated charter schools would account for $140 million of an anticipated $282 million in new costs by 2019. Escalating pension payments are another fiscal pressure point. As with charter schools, pension costs are dictated by state law with steep increases in recent years and another one anticipated in fiscal 2017. Under current law, increases in following yeas should moderate but by fiscal 2019, SDP's five year financial plan projects pensions will account for $75 million of the $282 million in additional costs. District officials believe that their recent expenditure control efforts (including school closures and layoffs) bring them to a bare minimum service level, and are seeking significant additional funding. Additional resources could also stem the flow of district residents to charter schools and alleviate cost pressure. In the last several years, the city of Philadelphia (general obligation bonds rated 'A-' with a Stable Outlook) made significant recurring contributions to SDP with tax and fee increases including $70 million enacted for fiscal 2016. With state legislative support, the city also began directing $120 million in a local sales tax levy to the district and implemented a new cigarette tax. In contrast, beyond assenting to these local tax changes, commonwealth funding increases have been minimal. COMMONWEALTH FUNDING REMAINS IN FLUX The lack of a full-year commonwealth budget creates significant uncertainty for all school districts in Pennsylvania. SDP is particularly exposed given its significant reliance (approximately 50% of budgetary operating revenues) on state aid. The district borrowed $300 million in tax revenue anticipation notes (TRANs) at the start of the current fiscal year for its normal cash flow needs, and added an additional $525 million as the state's budget impasse continued (all via private placement). The partial commonwealth budget enacted at the end of calendar year 2015 provided six months of basic education funding (BEF) to school districts (the primary stream of state aid) and a full year of funding in other categories including special education and transportation. SDP repaid $250 million of TRANs in January following the partial commonwealth budget, with the $575 million balance due on June 1. Fitch believes that the commonwealth remains committed to supporting its school districts, as evidenced by passage of the partial budget and close engagement with fiscally challenged districts. Fitch anticipates Pennsylvania will make every effort to ensure SDP is able to meet its debt service obligations. However, the lack of a full budget creates liquidity pressures and operating uncertainty warranting the continued negative outlook for the district. A key point of contention in the ongoing commonwealth budget impasse is the extent of increased BEF and its distribution across school districts. All key parties agree that some increase should be included in a final budget agreement, but they differ on the magnitude and how it should be paid for. Conservatively, SDP's most recent fiscal 2016 forecast and its current five-year financial plan project no increase in commonwealth funding from the prior year. ELEVATED DEBT LEVELS Overall debt ratios are above average at over $4,700 per capita and a high 8.1% of market value. Amortization is slightly below average at approximately 50% in 10 years. SDP's pension costs will nearly double from fiscal 2015 to fiscal 2019 under current law. The district is hoping for relief from statewide pension reform, and the issue is part of the ongoing budget negotiations. SDP participates in a state-sponsored plan (Public School Employees Retirement System) with approximately 67% of employer contributions made by the state through appropriations to the district. The plan is currently approximately 60% funded using a Fitch-adjusted 7% return level, and the funding level has been deteriorating as the state has consistently underfunded its annual required contribution (ARC). The increased costs are partially caused by the plan shifting towards full funding of the ARC by 2017, which Fitch views favorably. Other post-employment benefits are minimal. Carrying costs are a moderate 16% of governmental spending, though this will grow with increased pension costs. LARGE URBAN DISTRICT WITH WEAK SOCIOECONOMICS The Philadelphia School District is the nation's eighth largest school district and the largest in the commonwealth, with fiscal year 2015 enrollment of 207,000 students, including charter school students. District enrollment has shown growth in recent years primarily because charter school enrollment continues to escalate at a healthy rate. As of fall 2014, 71,183 students within SDP enrolled in charter schools with 64,301 enrolled in brick and mortar charters within the district, 6,619 in cyber charters (essentially online schools intended mainly for alternative students), and 263 in charters outside of SDP. In fall 2008, SPD charter school enrollment was just below 35,458. Non-charter school enrollment declined nearly 18% since then. As both a city and county and with an estimated population of approximately 1.5 million residents, Philadelphia benefits from its role as a regional economic center with a stable employment base weighted in higher education and health care sectors. Led by the University of Pennsylvania, Jefferson Health System and Temple University, the city is home to several large colleges and universities and is anchored by multiple hospitals and health systems. Though down from past levels, the city's December 2015 unemployment rate of 5.4% remains high as does the poverty rate at 26% of the population. Income levels on both a per capita and median household level are well below state and national levels. Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Fitch recently published exposure drafts of state and local government tax-supported criteria (Exposure Draft: U.S. Tax-Supported Rating Criteria, dated Sept. 10, 2015 and Exposure Draft: Incorporating Enhanced Recovery Prospects into U.S. Local Tax-Supported Ratings). The drafts include a number of proposed revisions to existing criteria. If applied in the proposed form, Fitch estimates the revised criteria would result in changes to less than 10% of existing tax-supported ratings. Fitch expects that final criteria will be approved and published in the first quarter of 2016. Once approved, the criteria will be applied immediately to any new issue and surveillance rating review. Fitch anticipates the criteria to be applied to all ratings that fall under the criteria within a 12-month period from the final approval date. In addition to the sources of information identified in the applicable criteria specified below, this action was informed by information from Lumesis. Applicable Criteria Exposure Draft: Incorporating Enhanced Recovery Prospects into US Local Tax-Supported Ratings (pub. 02 Feb 2016) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=875108 Exposure Draft: U.S. Tax-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 10 Sep 2015) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=869942 Tax-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 14 Aug 2012) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=686015 U.S. Local Government Tax-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 14 Aug 2012) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=685314 Additional Disclosures Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=999275 Solicitation Status https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=999275 Endorsement Policy https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&detail=31 ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160209006815/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 10, 2016] ClearDATA to Present "Developing a Cloud Security Roadmap" at HIMSS16 PHOENIX, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthcare data is under attack. Since 2009, more than a hundred million health records have been breached. A quick analysis of the Wall of Shame website of major health data breaches shows that many of them were preventable. How? By creating a hardened, multi-layered approach to security. Recognizing the need for heightened awareness on this topic, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has selected ClearDATA's founder and chief privacy and security officer, Chris Bowen, to present an educational session at the 2016 HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas. Bowen will co-present with health IT industry veteran Gary Seay, former senior vice president and chief information officer of Community Health Systems, one of the largest publicly-traded hospital companies in the United States with 196 affiliated hospitals in its system. Bowen and Seay will co-present "Developing a Cloud Security Roadmap" on Wednesday, March 2, from 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. PST in the Sands Expo Convention Center (Palazzo E). Attendees will learn how to implement a "Defense in Depth" multi-layered approach to security. This approach involves hardening security at multiple layers: physical; network; application; server; data; devices; users. Cloud technology enables healthcare organizations to take advantage of many layers of security, ranging from data encryption to threat management, and drives accelerated compliance, cost savings, innovation, and data analytics. "Healthcare organizations considering a move to the cloud ought to conduct due diligence to ensure their cloud provider has in-depth healthcare security expertise," said Bowen. "Working with patient data requires a very specific, ever-evolving knowledge set; it's not something you can learn from a webinar." Bowen, founder of ClearDATA, is a security expert triple-certified as a Certified Information Privacy Professional, Certified Information Privacy Technologist and Certified Information Systems Security Professional. Seay, recently retired from Community Health Systems, is a recognized industry leader with an extensive success record of creating and delivering robust, cost effective technology solutions and infrastructures. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Management for Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management and is a long-time board member of the Tennessee HIMSS Chapter. "With data breaches becoming a common occurrence in the healthcare industry, there's a pressing need for professionals adept not just at meeting but exceeding HIPAA security and privacy requirements," said Seay. "Because cybercriminals have many methods at their disposal, today's cyber security professional must have expertiseboth in depth and breadthin multiple layers of security." Click to Tweet: [email protected] to present "Developing a #CloudSecurity Roadmap" & launch new compliance dashboard at #HIMSS16 http://bit.ly/1PTmmcR #HIT About ClearDATA ClearDATA is exclusive to healthcare and is the industry leader in healthcare cloud computing, platform and information security services. More than 320,000 healthcare practitioners rely on ClearDATA's secure, HIPAA-compliant, HITRUST CSF-certified cloud, HealthDATA infrastructure and SaaS HIT Cloud Management platform to store, manage, protect and share their patient health information and critical applications. For more information, call (888) 899-2066 or visit www.cleardata.com. Media contact: Marcia Rhodes Amendola Communications for ClearDATA Ph: (480) 664-8412, ext. 15 Email: [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140618/119411 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cleardata-to-present-developing-a-cloud-security-roadmap-at-himss16-300218151.html SOURCE ClearDATA [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Endless Night: First Floor Index ENDLESS NIGHT A Fantasy Core Adventure Jerry Harris 2014 Published here as Open Game Content. (This link will take you to the Fan... St. Petersburg ALMS race: Something Missing I was planing on writing an Indy 500 blog and decided Im only commenting on other non-NASCAR races if I saw something worth writing about. ... Fantasy Core RPG FANTASY CORE PDF of Fantasy Core Rules Character Creation Rules , Spell Lists Weapons & Armor , Equipment , Travel & Transport ... 5e Confessions [I'm off Monday. I plan on doing sports posts next week, and then posting the new setting mentioned here.] Ive got one last new set... Artifacts: Valle Verde Maps These are maps of the El Paso Community College, Valle Verde campus, where I received a piece of paper for showing up f... Endless Night: Introduction ENDLESS NIGHT A Fantasy Core Adventure Jerry Harris 2014 Published here as Open Game Content. (This link will take you to the Fan... Artifacts: Archie #70 and Uncle Scrooge #14 [Cyber-Pulp update: Made up some sample characters today. A lot work left to do. I've shown some rough draft material to playtester Ev... Dark Continent Redux: Introduction Dark Continent Redux A Fantasy Core Adventure Jerry Harris 2016 Published here as Open Game Content. (This link will take you to... Fantasy Core Ireland--Adventure NPC & Monsters 6 FANTASY CORE RPG (c) Jerry Harris, 2012 Published here as Open Game Content. Adventure Index NPC & Monster Index Moin Coltna Bo... Jesus in Love supports lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer (LGBTQ) spirituality, with an emphasis on art and literature. It promotes artistic and religious freedom and teaches love for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is based on these beliefs: God loves all people, including sexual minorities. The creative process is sacred. The queer visions, especially the gay Jesus and LGBT saints, will free people to experience the divine in new ways and lead to a more just world. Jesus in Love was founded by lesbian Christian author Kittredge Cherry as her personal project. It is her gift to the world. Many thanks to everyone who supports her vision. RANTOUL -- The future may not be so bright for the Illinois agriculture industry, one of the states leading economic drivers, if more agricultural education teachers arent recruited and retained, and soon. Specifically, 25 percent of all jobs in Illinois are directly or indirectly related to agriculture. A recent study by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) finds that schools are struggling to fill positions and find qualified candidates, according to a press release from the group. Those involved with agricultural education in Illinois could not agree more. Over the past five years, demand for graduates in agriculture education has exceeded supply by an average of 32 per year. The shortage of teacher candidates comes at the most inopportune time as Agricultural Education in Illinois is growing in order to supply the agriculture industry with the talent necessary. Only 65 percent of high school districts offer agriculture programs and less than 4 percent of the secondary student body takes an agriculture course. This industry perspective fine-tunes the results of the IARSS findings which identified that 60percent of Illinois school districts report trouble filling teaching positions and 75 percent of these districts are seeing fewer qualified candidates than in past years. Those numbers are much higher in rural districts, the Teacher Shortage Study notes. Ultimately, the problem for agriculture is about teacher recruitment and retention. Andrew Bowman Chair of the Illinois Leadership Council for Agricultural Education (ILCAE) said, If youre passionate about teaching but have large student loans to pay off, then youre probably going to industry not the classroom. Bowman cites statistics from a Purdue University study released in May where 57,900 new job opportunities are expected annually, but only 60 percent of those jobs will be filled by people with agricultural majors. As demand outpaces supply, salaries increase and school districts are less competitive. Our average first-year agricultural teacher salary is $36,975 compared to a $44,900 average for WIU and U of I ag-majors taking industry positions. If youre in debt, how do you say no to nearly an extra $10,000? Its unfortunate, but about 10 percent of our teachers could qualify for public housing based on Illinois median income, Bowman said. Its a problem that the Facilitating Coordination in Agricultural Education team (FCAE) fights constantly. Jess Smithers, FCAE coordinator, points out that the demand for agricultural instructors is growing dramatically with an average of more than sixty vacancies annually for agriculture teachers despite an average of six new agriculture programs over the last five years. But with only an average of twenty agricultural teachers graduating each year from Illinois universities, FCAE has had to resort to alternatively licensed, retired, and out-of-state candidates to meet the annual demand. Smithers said, Its not ideal, but it gives students access to classroom instruction, work-based learning and leadership development. We seek the best candidates, but worry about filling the next vacancy. Industry is recognizing the alarming trend. Doug Hanson, former agricultural teacher at Waterloo and Clifton Central High Schools, now with ProHarvest Seeds, and current ILCAE Board Member, sees great potential. He said, Our current state funding, which is only $1.8 million, is nowhere near enough. But we are working on solutions to increase teacher pay. ILCAE is also seeking to have agricultural education identified as a designated teacher shortage area by the Illinois State Board of Education, opening up loan forgiveness options. Since this is federal money, the state of Illinois pays nothing. Thats a common sense approach that wont require arm-twisting in Springfield, Hanson added. Bowman agrees, stating that ILCAE membership is also seeking to extend agricultural teachers contracts to increase their pay and also engage businesses statewide to invest in agricultural education. He said, We understand state funds are tight. And we understand that the private sector must provide resources to supplement, not replace, state funds. The solution is investors taking action in addition to donors writing checks. One in four future jobs in Illinois may depend on how successful ILCAE is in these endeavors. About the Illinois Leadership Council for Agricultural Education (ILCAE) ILCAE works to secure the future of agriculture in Illinois is prosperous through the continual advancement of quality agriculture education. This volunteer organization representing the agriculture industry works to promote education in and about agriculture, address the changing needs of agricultural education to strengthen its viability and competitiveness to serve industry and is working to develop investment opportunities in agricultural education. About Facilitating Coordination in Agricultural Education (FCAE) FCAE is a state project administered through the Illinois State Board of Education in cooperation with and advisement by the Illinois Committee for Agricultural Education (ICAE). FCAE addresses the aims of Public Act 84-1452 involving the implementation of identified goals for improving education in and about Agriculture in Illinois. Guns Save Life monthly meeting set CHARLESTON -- The monthly meeting of Guns Save Life will be held at 7 p.m. today at the Charleston VFW, 1821 20th St. All meetings are open to the public and are family friendly. An optional catered dinner will be available at 6 p.m. The scheduled main speaker will be Dr. Richard Hummel, who will talk about the German Gun Collector's Association. There will also be legislative updates, a Tech Time presentation, door prizes, and the monthly drawing for a gun. For more information, contact Bill Harrison at 217-345-2556 or Justin Bawcum at 217-508-2405. Class of 1958 to meet for breakfast MATTOON -- The Mattoon High School Class of 1958 plans to meet for breakfast at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Airport Steakhouse. For more information, call 217-856-3554. Joe Bailey Cancer Benefit set for Saturday SULLIVAN -- The Joe Bailey Cancer Benefit will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Sullivan American Legion, 8 E Strain St., Sullivan. Bailey has incurable pancreatic cancer. He is 56 years old and unable to work and has no income at the present time due to his illness. He does have insurance but the out of pocket expenses are proving costly. The meal will be served at 5 p.m. and is $5. There will be an auction, silent auction, 50/50 raffle, and a bake sale to help raise money for Bailey's medical costs. For more information, contact Edna Bailey at 217-972-1003 or secretout13@yahoo.com MATTOON -- The Lake Land College Board of Trustees voted Monday evening to cut four staff members as the college continues to deal with a funding shortfall caused by the state's budget impasse. The college will permanently eliminate a special projects technician position and a Web learning specialist position in the Center for Technology and Professional Development, and lay off an assistant director of physical plant operations and a custodian. All four of these personnel cuts will be effective Feb. 26. Board Chairman Gary Cadwell said Tuesday afternoon that Lake Land has an excellent workforce, but the state has placed public colleges and universities in a situation where they are having to balance their budgets by cutting staff members. He said Lake Land has not received any of its annual state funding since July 1. "We have a crisis where we expected to get approximately $11 million and we have gotten nothing, plus the state is not funding the MAP grants for students," Cadwell said. He added that Lake Land has been covering the tuition cost for MAP grant recipients, a cost that totals more than $300,000. Cadwell said Lake Land may need to make additional personnel cuts if the state does not approve a budget and allocate funding for higher education. He said Lake Land is trying to avoid cutting faculty so that it can minimize the impact on classrooms, but every cut has an affect on the services that the college provides. "It is really hard to provide the services that we need to for students in this kind of environment," Cadwell said. Lake Land had to cut approximately four staff members in 2014 and three from the Adult Education Program recently due to the state's budget troubles. The college also is leaving several vacant positions unfilled. In other matters, the board heard a report from Vice President for Student Services Tina Stovall on student enrollment for the 10th day of the spring semester. This report does not include enrollment in Illinois Department of Corrections educational programs. The board heard that there are 5,629 students enrolled in classes this semester, a decrease of 3.4 percent (195 students) compared to the 10th-day enrollment of 5,824 students in spring 2015. Stovall reported that 5 percent (273) of the students in the 10th-day enrollment report are new college students who are attending Lake Land for the first time. She reported that the number of new students increased by 20 percent (46 students). In addition, Stovall reported that 122 students are enrolled through the Dislocated Worker Program. This is an increase of 19 students from spring 2015 levels. Other action taken by the board included: Issuing $5.1 million in bonds to fund planned Vo-Tech Building renovations this summer and information technology infrastructure upgrades. Accepting the upcoming retirement of Vice President for Business Services Ray Rieck. The college plans to have a new vice president hired and in place by May or June. Rieck will remain available for consultations on business services matters during the transition in this office until his retirement is effective on Aug. 31. CHARLESTON -- As of Tuesday, applications from prospective students to attend Eastern Illinois University in the fall are slightly down from last year but still remain strong in comparison to previous two years. While projections are being tabulated to get an estimate as to whom will actually enroll, Kara Hadley-Shakya, interim director of admissions, said it is too early to tell overall what the fall semester will look like. The institution has projections, but it is too soon in the enrollment cycle, Hadley-Shakya said. Application-wise, were strong and our goal is to increase our yield in our applicant or admit population. Were constantly working that pool. The university is assessing several areas to get an idea for the future with enrollment including Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) submissions, orientation sign ups, housing and dining completions. Hadley-Shakya said admissions and several other departments are working together to do targeted mailings and outreach to prospective students and their parents to remind them of steps that need to be taken when coming to Eastern. Right now, our biggest challenge is, I think, the budget and not getting our state appropriations. That has definitely, yknow, had an impact, Hadley-Shakya said. Were are going to still continuously call and do what we can Weve been getting calls and parents inquiring about the state of the institution and really the state of Illinois as a whole. She said she is optimistic with a strong foundation and constant communication with prospective students, the message will come across to those students that Eastern will be open and is a viable option. Peer universities in Illinois are feeling similar stings as a result of the state budget crisis. Hadley-Shakya said freshmen and transfers are down at local peer institutions as well. Freshman enrollment had increased by 2 percent in the fall 2015 from the previous year, but Eastern, overall, saw a decrease from the previous year, largely because of bigger graduating classes that created a larger hole to fill, officials said. Layoff notices to 198 civil service Eastern employees will given out Wednesday or Thursday, as result of the current state budget divide. In addition, all administrative and professional employees will be required starting on March 1 to take the equivalent of one day of furlough time per week every month until further notice or until June 30. This does not include the 67 employees laid off in August as a result of the elimination of 118 civil service and administrative and professional positions to keep Easterns budget in line with a projected 6.5 percent cut to higher education funding. As of Oct. 15 after the fall layoffs, there were 20 administrative full-time employees; 248 full-time and five part-time other professional employees; 650 full-time and eight part-time civil service employees; and faculty; and 468 full-time and 129 part-time faculty employees. In response to these economic crises that have had to take place, Faculty Senate members are drafting a resolution, open letter to the governor and General Assembly stating the economic difficulties that have arisen as a result of their inability to pass a budget and fund higher education. SPRINGFIELD -- Speaking to business leaders Tuesday night, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner set a goal for Illinois: Lets be average. That was Rauners refrain as he wrapped up a two-day tour of speeches to business groups around the state with an address to members of the Illinois and Greater Springfield chambers of commerce at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Were among the worst on workers (compensation). Were among the worst on property taxes. Were dead last for state support for education, he said. On good things, were last, and on bad things, were a leader. And what Ive decided to start doing is, Im going to say, Lets be average. If Illinois gets to the middle of the pack on those and other key issues, Rauner said, well win because weve got better people and a better location, better infrastructure, more strategic assets. To blame for these problems are politicians, most notably the supermajority Democrats in the General Assembly, led by House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago, the governor said. Right now, theres a titanic struggle for the future of our state, Rauner said. The question is, are we going to stay on the trajectory that weve been on, which is one where weve been deficit spending, unbalanced budgets, more borrowing, more taxing, more job losses, more reduction in family incomes, more cuts to school funding, and ongoing conflicts of interest in government or are we going to go in a new, more positive direction? he added. Rauner said hes proposing reforms in four major areas to move the state in that direction: politics, government, economic competitiveness and education. These include many issues hes been discussing since taking office last year, such as changing the way legislative districts are drawn and cutting workers compensation costs, and some more recent areas of emphasis, such as streamlining the way the state buys goods and services. These changes would help the states economy grow at a rate closer to the national average, Rauner said, adding that Illinois would have a balanced budget and no backlog of unpaid bills, without tax increases, if the economy had grown at that rate over the past 17 years. Illinois is now in its eighth month without a budget, a situation Rauner called outrageous and unconscionable and which he also blamed on Madigan and the Democratic majority. Democrats blame Rauner for the impasse because he vetoed all but the elementary and secondary education portion of the budget the General Assembly approved. While they acknowledge that the plan would have spent roughly $4 billion more than the state expects to bring in, Madigan and others have said that Rauner could have used his amendatory veto power to adjust it to his liking. Rauner said he hasnt done that because it wouldnt address the root of the problem. If all we do is a little veto or a little bit of a tax hike and dont change the cause of the deficit spending, we wont fix the problem and we wont have balanced budgets in the future, he said. Todd Maisch, president of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, said that while some businesses are feeling the impact of the impasse, members support the governors reform efforts. And while lets be average might sound like a low bar, youve got to get to average before you can get to above average, Maisch said. CHARLESTON -- It apparently won't take a judge's order for Coles County to receive state reimbursement for some county officials' salaries. The Illinois Comptroller's Office has released money for the state's share of the salaries, Coles County State's Attorney Brian Bower said Tuesday. And once it's established that the reimbursements will now come in as scheduled, which the comptroller's office indicated, the county will dismiss a lawsuit it filed in connection with the issue, Bower said. He said the state agency released money to cover its unpaid share of the salaries through the end of last year. County Treasurer George Edwards said the reimbursement received was just more than $139,600. The comptroller also indicated that Coles County will now begin to receive its reimbursement when they're due, Bower also said. The Coles County Board authorized the lawsuit last month. It specifically addressed the state's attorney's and public defender's salaries, for which the state is supposed to cover two-thirds, and the supervisor of assessment's salary, for which the state is obligated to pay about one-third. The suit was a result of the lack of a state budget agreement since Illinois' fiscal year began in July that's meant a lack of funding for several agencies and organizations. The lawsuit contended a state budget doesn't have to be in place for there to be reimbursement for the county officials' salaries. That's why the lawsuit sought only the unpaid salary reimbursements and not any other delayed state payments to the county, according to Bower. State Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger and Constance Beard, director of the Illinois Department of Revenue, were named as defendants in the lawsuit. The Revenue Department never filed a formal response to the suit but Bower said regular payments from the comptroller will be enough for the county to ask a judge to dismiss the case. According to Bower, several counties in Illinois filed similar lawsuits after action by St. Clair County that led to a court order for the reimbursements. CHARLESTON -- A Mattoon woman repaid about $22,000 to a state food assistance program as part of the agreement that had her admit to receiving payments to which she wasn't entitled. The prosecutor in the case against Amanda D. Weber also noted that her actions were likely "by omission" rather than an intention to defraud, as well as her lack of a past criminal record in agreeing to let her plead guilty to a reduced charge. Weber, 30, for whom records show an address on South Ninth Street, was accused of misrepresenting personal information to obtain aid from the Illinois Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program between September 2011 and February of last year. During that time, Weber didn't report that another person was living with her and didn't include that person's income information on her aid application, said Coles County State's Attorney Brian Bower, who prosecuted the case. The other person's income would have resulted in a reduction or cancellation of Weber's aid, Bower said. He said a state inspector discovered the situation after Weber reported that the other person was paying the mortgage on their residence. Weber was originally charged with fraud offenses, felony charges for which the most serious could have resulted in a prison sentence of four to 15 years with a conviction. With the agreement reached in her case, she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge and was placed on probation for two years. Case records show that Weber complied with the requirement to immediately pay the restitution and submitted the payment of just more than $22,000 the day she pleaded guilty. Probation terms also included jail time but it was stayed. That means Weber won't have to serve it now but some or all of it could be ordered later as a sanction if she violates any of her sentence's requirements. Coles County Circuit Judge Teresa Righter sentenced Weber by accepting the terms of the plea agreement that Bower and defense attorney Jay Ferguson recommended. Position Title Agriculture/Livelihood Advisor Requisition Number 16-0013 Post Date 2/10/2016 City Addis Ababa Description At the heart of Pact is the promise of a better tomorrow. The promise of a healthy life. Of a decent livelihood. Of sustainable natural resources that benefit communities. Now more than ever in its 42-year history, Pact is helping millions of people who are poor and marginalized discover and build their own solutions and take ownership over their future. Pact enables systemic solutions that allow those who are poor and marginalized to earn a dignified living, be healthy, and take part in the benefits that nature provides. Pact accomplishes this by strengthening local capacity, forging effective governance systems, and transforming markets into a force for development. Department Overview Pact seeks an Agriculture/Livelihood Advisor for the proposed USAID-funded five-year Growth Through Nutrition Activity to improve the nutritional status of women and young children of Ethiopia. This position is contingent on award. Position Purpose Reporting to the Chief of Party, the Agriculture/Livelihood Advisor will be responsible for technical leadership of the agriculture and livelihood components of the program, ensuring the implementation of high-quality, evidence-based interventions, and managing a team of senior staff and sub-partners to ensure quality, timeliness, and efficiency of all activities and products generated under the project. The Agriculture/Livelihood Advisor will play a pivotal role in guiding the implementation of technically sound and innovative approaches, in close collaboration with Government of Ethiopia and Feed the Future partners, to increase household production of nutritious and diverse foods; increase availability and affordability of nutritious foods in the markets; improve technologies for food storage, preservation, and processing; develop SBCC approaches to influence household production and consumption practices; and increase assets and steady income for vulnerable households. Key Responsibilities Coordinate and oversee the quality of all technical activities, providing direction, feedback and support to ensure success. Ensure program adherence to internationally accepted technical norms and standards of practice. Provide input into and ensure that all donor reporting requirements on program impact are met. Assist implementing partners/grantees in setting up reporting and tracking systems to provide required information in an efficient and timely manner. Facilitate continuous quality assessment and improvement and ensure that program best practices are documented and disseminated throughout the program cycle. Ensure effective coordination and communication and standards of practice among each partner organization. Ensure high quality program delivery and the cost-effective use of USAID and Pact resources Provide regular written/oral program progress updates, as requested. Establish and manage Pacts local technical training activities. Ensure that the most up-to-date information regarding the programs or initiatives are shared via a range of mechanisms including reports, newsletters, and the Internet. Perform any other relevant duties as assigned by the COP. Basic Requirements Skills and Abilities Leadership Ability to sustain interpersonal and professional relationships with internal colleagues and contacts in donor and peer organizations Deep understanding of Pacts strategy and how efforts contribute to the greater good Ability to consistently work within internal process and procedures Strong interpersonal and team building skills Proactive engagement in corporate initiatives Project Management Strong planning and time management skills Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to effectively present complex ideas to diverse audiences Ability to problem-solve difficult issues Ability to multitask with ease, adapting to frequently changing priorities Strong negotiating and conflict resolution skills Proficiency in developing and managing a budget Technical Skills Strong agriculture and livelihoods experience, as well as experience in at least one of the following fields: Health, Nutrition, and/or Behavior Change Communication. Strong knowledge and understanding of donor policies and regulations High competence using common desktop applications and internal systems Demonstrated proficiency in supervising staff, including providing honest feedback Ability to mentor others Preferred Qualifications Advanced degree in a related field of study such as agriculture, food security, food science, and/or food technology. Minimum of seven years experience developing and managing agriculture and livelihood programs, preferably in rural settings. In-depth understanding of agriculture value chains (including livestock) as well as food storage, preservation, processing, and safety. Significant expertise providing technical assistance to project/host country government staff working on agriculture, livelihood, and/or food processing activities. Knowledge and understanding of resiliency building approaches targeting food insecure and nutritionally-at risk households. Experience in dairy and/or poultry, fruit, legume, vegetable and tree crop production and processing, and/or food microbiology is a plus. Wednesday, February 10, 2016 Berry Is A Man In A Hurry When It Comes To His Buses And More On The Rio Rancho Mayor's Bond Dilemma Mayor Berry is a man in a hurry when it comes to turning the first shovelful of dirt for a controversial rapid transit plan for a nine mile stretch of Central Avenue, part of which would run through the Nob Hill shopping district. He's in a hurry to turn dirt because with each passing day more controversy ensues, with now over 150 Central Avenue businesses opposed to what some of them are fond of calling "Berry's Boondoggle." But the plan receive a girt boost this week President Obama included nearly $70 million in find for it in his annual budget. The project is expected to cost over $100 million with the city shouldering about $10 million of the cost. If all this sounds remarkably familiar to the "street car" that Dem Mayor Marty Chavez proposed and was derided for by Mayor Berry when he ran againt Chavez, that's because it is. Chavez was also looking to spend in the $100 million ballpark for his transit legacy project that became one of the reasons he lost to Berry in 2009. But flash forward and both Republicans and Democrats on the city council are supportive of the Berry buses and that has the Alligators in full hypocrisy watch. One of them writes: I absolutely love the blatant hypocrisy of conservatives and Republicans who went bananas over Mayor Chavez's streetcar plan Where is all that conservative and GOP outrage and concern over wasteful federal spending and what this will do to our national debt? Well, if it's Republican, I guess it's all right. For many the plan seems out of sync with the times. The city has been flat on its back economically for years. Only this week we lost 150 good paying aerospace jobs and earlier we forfeited 400 Rio Rancho call center positions. In the middle of an employment crisis and when one of the largest front-page advertisers in the local paper is Bekins moving company, there's no shortage of critics who say Berry hasn't just taken his eye off the ball, he's on the wrong playing field. The $100 million grand plan would tear up Nob Hill and narrow traffic through the neighborhood that the biz folks say would take a big bite out of their bottom lines. One major landowner on Central is so upset we would not be surprised to see a lawsuit to stop the project and slow down Berry who wants to start building the project as early as May. Never mind that fast buses already come barreling down Central Avenue every few minutes, many of them mostly empty. What could ABQ do with $70 million in federal cash? How about devoting it to improving the quality of the workforce for the jobs of this century that are bypassing the town? President Obama is probably oblivious to all this. The $70 million is just another line item in a $4.2 trillion budget. But the President could do better for his own legacy and the progress of the city, if he did not lend his name to what amounts to a legacy project that Berry can brag on but which will make little difference for our future. PARSING IN RIO RANCHO You might see it as a distinction without a difference but Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull wants us to know he "personally" supports raising taxes to finance needed road repairs in the city, but as mayor he is not taking an official position in support of the $9 million bond issue that is on the ballot March 1. Early voting starts today. Hull talked with us after we blogged Tuesday of his apparent back down from his initial position of supporting the bonds and the accompanying small property tax increase homeowners would incur. Hull says "it is clear to anyone" who has heard him talk about the bonds that he is for them, but he says he has received advise not to openly endorse the bonds in his capacity as mayor. We told him that that argument holds water in a partisan contest, but the bonds are not a partisan election. Hull says his decision to stay officially neutral on the bonds--but personally supportive--has nothing to do with a possible Republican primary election down the road in which any elected officials who supported a tax increase would be accused of GOP heresy. Hull says he has no future political plans that are inhibiting him from giving a hearty endorsement of the bonds. However, his name has been mentioned in GOP circles as a possible lieutenant governor contender. Republican Mayor Berry also refused to publicly endorse a tax increase recently, although it was clear he wanted the gross receipts tax hike to finance improvements to the BioPark. So while citizens made a firm voting decision, the mayor of ABQ was able to have his cake and eat it, too. Most mayors of the past have gladly endorsed general obligation bonds loudly and publicly--even if they meant a tax increase. But we live in an era where the radical Republicans contend that any tax increase for any reason is unjustified and anyone in the party who wants to advance better not support a wee tax hike, even if it's to improve desperately needed roads. The bottom line is that Mayors Hull and Berry may have found a way to hang back on vital public issues without alienating their radical base, but in doing so they have also diminished the power and relevancy of their offices. This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. ( c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2016 Mayor Berry is a man in a hurry when it comes to turning the first shovelful of dirt for a controversial rapid transit plan for a nine mile stretch of Central Avenue, part of which would run through the Nob Hill shopping district. He's in a hurry to turn dirt because with each passing day more controversy ensues, with now over 150 Central Avenue businesses opposed to what some of them are fond of calling "Berry's Boondoggle."But the plan receive a girt boost this week President Obama included nearly $70 million in find for it in his annual budget. The project is expected to cost over $100 million with the city shouldering about $10 million of the cost. If all this sounds remarkably familiar to the "street car" that Dem Mayor Marty Chavez proposed and was derided for by Mayor Berry when he ran againt Chavez, that's because it is.Chavez was also looking to spend in the $100 million ballpark for his transit legacy project that became one of the reasons he lost to Berry in 2009. But flash forward and both Republicans and Democrats on the city council are supportive of the Berry buses and that has the Alligators in full hypocrisy watch. One of them writes:For many the plan seems out of sync with the times. The city has been flat on its back economically for years. Only this week we lost 150 good paying aerospace jobs and earlier we forfeited 400 Rio Rancho call center positions. In the middle of an employment crisis and when one of the largest front-page advertisers in the local paper is Bekins moving company, there's no shortage of critics who say Berry hasn't just taken his eye off the ball, he's on the wrong playing field.The $100 million grand plan would tear up Nob Hill and narrow traffic through the neighborhood that the biz folks say would take a big bite out of their bottom lines. One major landowner on Central is so upset we would not be surprised to see a lawsuit to stop the project and slow down Berry who wants to start building the project as early as May. Never mind that fast buses already come barreling down Central Avenue every few minutes, many of them mostly empty.What could ABQ do with $70 million in federal cash? How about devoting it to improving the quality of the workforce for the jobs of this century that are bypassing the town?President Obama is probably oblivious to all this. The $70 million is just another line item in a $4.2 trillion budget. But the President could do better for his own legacy and the progress of the city, if he did not lend his name to what amounts to a legacy project that Berry can brag on but which will make little difference for our future.You might see it as a distinction without a difference but Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull wants us to know he "personally" supports raising taxes to finance needed road repairs in the city, but as mayor he is not taking an official position in support of the $9 million bond issue that is on the ballot March 1. Early voting starts today.Hull talked with us after we blogged Tuesday of his apparent back down from his initial position of supporting the bonds and the accompanying small property tax increase homeowners would incur. Hull says "it is clear to anyone" who has heard him talk about the bonds that he is for them, but he says he has received advise not to openly endorse the bonds in his capacity as mayor. We told him that that argument holds water in a partisan contest, but the bonds are not a partisan election. Hull says his decision to stay officially neutral on the bonds--but personally supportive--has nothing to do with a possible Republican primary election down the road in which any elected officials who supported a tax increase would be accused of GOP heresy. Hull says he has no future political plans that are inhibiting him from giving a hearty endorsement of the bonds. However, his name has been mentioned in GOP circles as a possible lieutenant governor contender.Republican Mayor Berry also refused to publicly endorse a tax increase recently, although it was clear he wanted the gross receipts tax hike to finance improvements to the BioPark. So while citizens made a firm voting decision, the mayor of ABQ was able to have his cake and eat it, too.Most mayors of the past have gladly endorsed general obligation bonds loudly and publicly--even if they meant a tax increase. But we live in an era where the radical Republicans contend that any tax increase for any reason is unjustified and anyone in the party who wants to advance better not support a wee tax hike, even if it's to improve desperately needed roads.The bottom line is that Mayors Hull and Berry may have found a way to hang back on vital public issues without alienating their radical base, but in doing so they have also diminished the power and relevancy of their offices.This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Links HOME E-MAIL ME About Joe Google News Real Clear Politics Huffington Post Drudge Report The Politico New Mexico newspapers NM TV stations Gov. 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"Then imagine they both met and had a baby," said Dave Bernier, vice president of operations for Fresh Thyme. The natural foods grocery chain did a "soft" opening Tuesday afternoon of its new 30,000-square-foot store at 52nd and O streets, with family and friends of employees on the invitation list. The store is the chain's 30th overall since it was formed in 2012 and its first in Nebraska. Bernier said Fresh Thyme's mantra is "healthy foods, healthy values," which means people should be able to get good healthy food without breaking the bank. Fresh Thyme focuses almost exclusively on food and vitamins, carrying just a "little bit" of general merchandise, mostly soaps and lotions, Bernier said. The store carries predominantly large national brands, although it does have about 300 private label items, which it hopes to grow to about 400-500 in the near future, he said. Bernier says the company tries to source produce locally when it's in season. Though Fresh Thyme got its start in Phoenix, it is now based in the Chicago area and plans to put all its stores in the middle of the country. Bernier said Lincoln likely will be the chain's westernmost market. He said the company's plan is to grow to about 125-150 stores. There are two stores planned in Omaha, with the first expected to open this summer. Bernier said Fresh Thyme likely will consider Lincoln for at least one more store, although he didn't say where a second store might be located or when it would be likely to open. Fresh Thyme's official grand opening is Wednesday at 7 a.m. The first 250 people in line will get 20 percent off their purchase, and the store will pay for the groceries of every 100th customer on Wednesday. More supporters rallied to Gov. Pete Ricketts' side Tuesday as he touted the second half of a property tax plan he calls his top priority this year. Farmers and ranchers from Gothenburg, Martell and other parts of the state piled on their concerns about the damage soaring land valuations and the resulting property tax bills have done to their livelihoods. They placed blame for their predicament largely at the feet of school districts, which build their budgets around property taxes and are the largest consumers of those dollars in the state. "This system isnt sustainable for me or any other family farm," Glade Smith, a third-generation rancher from the Cozad area, told members of the Legislature's Education Committee during the public hearing. "Nobody has any money. He called the need for property tax reform "cattle-farmer common sense." Emotion-packed testimony from Ricketts' backers lasted an hour before making way for about 20 representatives of Nebraska's public schools, who raised a litany of concerns with the proposal. Their objections closely mirrored those raised by city, county and other local government officials during a similar hearing last week before the Legislature's Revenue Committee. Ricketts' proposal, which consists of a pair of measures being considered by lawmakers this year, would tighten taxation and spending limits on schools and local governments across the state. Opponents Tuesday called that approach misguided. "School spending is not the problem," said York Superintendent Mike Lucas. "We have a school funding problem. Statewide, school spending over the past decade has increased by an average 4.3 percent. That's a slower rate of growth than state government has experienced during that time, opponents of the governor's plan noted, although the current state budget approved by Ricketts holds spending growth at 3.5 percent. Instead of dropping the hammer on school budgets and potentially harming students in the process, the state should focus on offsetting property taxes with an increase in state aid funded by income or sales tax dollars, opponents of the governor's plan said. They said restrictions proposed by Ricketts would deny money needed by the state's fastest-growing districts to accommodate their booming enrollment, particularly for high-needs students such as English language learners and those with special needs or struggling with poverty. The proposal would also eliminate a spending lid exception which districts commonly use for emergency building improvements such as mold remediation, a point stressed as key by several school officials who testified. "These projects are a response to the safety needs of students," said Lincoln Board of Education member Connie Duncan. As with last week's hearing on its companion measure (LB958), Ricketts remained in the room for more than three hours of public testimony. Education Committee Chairwoman Kate Sullivan of Cedar Rapids, who sponsored Tuesday's bill (LB959) on the governor's behalf, called it reasonable and doable. She noted that districts could still appeal to voters directly for permission to spend beyond the limits established in the bill a step school officials say would be cumbersome and expensive. "I dont think it diminishes local control," Sullivan said of the bill. "Rather, it underscores it. Despite the concerns expressed by school districts, the proposal doesn't go far enough for many property taxpayers, Ricketts said. "To me that says we're striking a good balance." After six hours of first-round debate, spread out over a week, the Legislature on Wednesday voted 34-6 to advance a bill that would more clearly define which passengers injured in a police chase could collect damages from cities and counties. Debate was stopped with a cloture motion that passed on a 37-5 vote. Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse introduced the bill (LB188) because, he said, judges have said the term "innocent third party" needs to be clarified to determine liability of law enforcement agencies for injuries to passengers in fleeing vehicles. It would affect only a small number of cases, Watermeier said. Nebraska, he said, is the only state that imposes strict liability for police chases, even when the injuries are to a passenger in the car being pursued. During debate, Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers meticulously detailed how the bill -- which he said he believed was cities and counties trying to get out of liability -- would place the burden of proof on injured passengers. The current law was introduced by Chambers and passed in the 1980s. Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus said the issue that caused the filibuster could have been easily resolved before the bill made it to debate. A simple amendment could have been worked out, he said, to say the passenger would not have been an innocent third party if he did something to increase the probability of the police chase or egged on the driver. Instead, he said, the Legislature was being played by lobbyists. And senators had to burn up time in debate instead of moving forward with other bills in a short session. Chambers wanted an amendment that said law enforcement would have to identify any passenger that was being sought by police to superiors prior to giving chase. Watermeier said he would propose an amendment that would take out segments of the bill that say a passenger was not considered innocent if he or she entered the vehicle knowing the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or if the passenger failed to try to persuade the driver to stop the vehicle. Senators adopted a Judiciary Committee amendment that said a passenger would not be considered innocent for liability purposes if the person engaged in conduct that could be charged as a felony prior to entering the vehicle or while in it. Watermeier said he would add the word "immediately" prior to the phrase "entering the vehicle." Then a judge would have to decide how immediately would be interpreted. A 30-year-old Grand Island woman was sentenced to eight to 10 years in prison Tuesday in the hit-and-run collision that killed a 50-year-old woman on Interstate 80 in Cass County. Mandy MacDonald pleaded no contest in November to motor vehicle homicide and a felony count of leaving the scene of an injury accident. On May 31, she lost control of her SUV near the I-80 Greenwood exit and collided with a westbound car, Nebraska State Patrol investigators said. That car ran into the ditch and rolled, and driver Kristin Olson, also Grand Island, was thrown out. MacDonald drove off but was stopped by a state trooper a few miles west. On Tuesday, Cass County District Judge Jeffrey Funke gave MacDonald consecutive sentences of one year and eight to 10 years in prison on the convictions. He also revoked her license and ordered her not to drive for 15 years. MacDonald will receive credit for 255 days served in jail. Authorities are looking for a man impersonating a law enforcement officer who reportedly tried to pull over at least two drivers in Lancaster County on Saturday. A 60-year-old woman told Lancaster County Sheriff's deputies she saw the pickup about 3:30 that afternoon. The truck had blue lights on the top of the cab but no other markings, she said. When she saw the truck, the driver had a woman pulled over on U.S. 34 near Northwest 126th Street. He got out of the pickup truck, and the woman he had pulled over sped off, Sheriff Terry Wagner said. The woman who reported the incident told deputies she made a left turn and the man in the dark blue, extended cab pickup began following her. The driver turned the lights on, she said, and she held out her phone to indicate she had called police. That's when the man sped off, Wagner said. A similar incident was reported Thursday in Gage County. It's unknown if the incidents are connected. Wagner said deputies are working with other agencies while actively searching for the pickup. He said motorists who are suspicious of a vehicle trying to pull them over should call 911. "Dispatch can see if they have someone trying to pull you over," he said. Anyone with information about the Saturday incident, or a similar incident, should call Wagner's office at 402-441-6500. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is taking steps to address issues of racism on campus and in the community, Chancellor Harvey Perlman said in a letter to organizers of a Black Lives Matter rally held in November. Multiple discussions between administrators and organizers followed the rally, which drew a few hundred UNL students, faculty members and others from the community. It was powerful and appropriate, provided an outlet for voices that needed to be heard, and reflected the kinds of conversations that should occur at a major university, Perlman wrote in his letter dated Monday. Responding to a list of seven specific demands rally organizers presented to administrators, Perlman outlined steps the university is taking to make UNL a more inclusive space that fully embraces the value of all its members. Most important, rally organizers said, was the outgoing chancellors acknowledgment that racism is present at UNL and in the Lincoln community. It is impossible to deny that we have experienced racism and racist acts on our campus, Perlman wrote in the four-page letter. In this respect we are no different than the community at large. And we will make every effort to take appropriate and effective measures against them. Carnetta Griffin, one of the leaders of the Black Lives Matter event at UNL, said Perlmans words are an important step in addressing the problem. In the past, I dont believe anyone would have said that, Griffin said. While Im always pushing for more, that is a start -- and its a great start. Maybe it will become more clear because our chancellor has now said it is happening. Perlman cautioned the university would not restrict students free speech on campus, however, even that rising to the level of hate speech. Other universities, he said, have tried to impose penalties on language deemed hateful, and those penalties have been overturned in the courts. While those of us in the administration, as well as the community, can and should speak out against such comments, it is not permissible to impose penalties on those who utter them, Perlman said. Other demands forwarded by organizers are already being met, the chancellor said. Academic departments and units are looking for new ways to include multicultural programs while providing training opportunities for faculty to better engage with an increasingly more diverse student body. Perlman said UNL is also working to increase diversity through its hiring of new faculty and administrators. Every short list of potential candidates is reviewed by the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance to ensure that diverse candidates who meet required and preferred qualifications are provided the opportunity to interview, Perlman wrote, adding administrators were open to suggestions. While we have encouraged departments and faculties to be open to diverse candidates, we are unable to impose such a requirement given the Nebraska constitution that forbids race to be taken into account in making decisions such as this. UNL has also implemented a reporting system where issues of racial bias or harassment can be anonymously reported, while also creating diversity officer positions in the offices of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Human Resources. Once the search for a new campus chancellor is completed, and a senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs is appointed, Perlman said UNL will hire a Chief Diversity Officer to coordinate diversity and inclusion efforts across the campus. Workshops and programs for faculty, students and community members to learn more about racial issues and diversity have also been created, and new students hear more about those topics during orientation sessions. UNL will also be undertaking a diversity mapping, or audit, of its practices and programs next year, as suggested by faculty member Joy Castro in a 49-page document commissioned in 2014. Griffin said students will continue working with the administration to ensure their demands are being addressed, while also working for greater transparency between the two groups. Though this has taken some time, I think its been done efficiently, she said. To know how busy our chancellor and other administrators are but see how high of priority this has, that's been good. Around 9 a.m. Wednesday several hundred tweets went out with a message about lifting Lincoln higher, and the hashtag #prosperlincoln. This social media blitz was part of the kickoff for the action stage of Prosper Lincoln, a new community effort designed to make Lincoln an even better place to live. More than 1,000 people attended a breakfast at Pinnacle Bank Arena where Prosper Lincoln leaders announced the three areas of focus: early childhood, employment skills and innovation. Each of the three areas will have its own development director, business sponsors and oversight committee, said Barbara Bartle, president of the Lincoln Community Foundation, the lead agency for the Prosper Lincoln project. The process began with surveys in 2014 and 2015, called Vital Signs, showing Lincolns strengths and weaknesses, which included an increasing number of people in poverty. In the second public step, last May, Lincolnites were asked to submit ideas for improving Lincoln. The Wednesday breakfast kicked off the community agenda, where Prosper Lincoln leaders will encourage Lincoln residents to help out in those areas by volunteering, making a donation and spreading the message. Mayor Chris Beutler identified the Prosper Lincoln process as the American way. We identify our problems, we move on those problems and we solve those problems, he said at the breakfast. Lincoln residents will soon be seeing messages about one of the areas of focus, early childhood. The messages will encourage people, from parents to volunteers, to read aloud to a child 15 minutes a day, said Library Director Pat Leach. It is such a sweet image, she said of a child in granddad's lap with a book. But dont let that sweetness blind you to the rock-solid evidence that 15 minutes a day makes a difference, she said. Prosper Lincoln is shooting for 1 million minutes a month of reading to preschoolers as a first step. Companies involved in the community action phase include the Abel Foundation, Ameritas, Buffet Early Childhood Fund, Firespring, FUSE Coworking, Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, Lincoln City Libraries, Lincoln Community Foundation, Lincoln Industries, Lincoln Public Schools, Mapes Industries Inc., Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, Nebraska Innovation Campus, Nelnet, Southeast Community College, Tetrad Property Group, Union Bank, W.K. Kellogg Foundation. More information is available at prosperlincoln.org. The sunny name of a new lobbying organization, Educate Nebraska, belies the groups shadowy funding sources and motives. Launched last month to push for charter schools in the state, like previous charter school efforts in Nebraska, the groups goal is to defund public schools, and to open the door for public dollars to be used toward private tuition and private gain. Nebraskans know better. Governor Pete Ricketts, Senator Bill Krist, and the right-wing Platte Institute all support charter schools, saying they may help students in poverty. But one would be hard-pressed to find a cast of characters with a more dismal record on poverty. According to a recent profile of Katie Linehan, Educate Nebraskas founder, the group does not disclose its sources of funding. Her organization claims charter schools are the solution to educational disparities in struggling areas of North Omaha. Ms. Linehan herself attended private schools in Omaha, while her mother served as Chief of Staff to then-U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel. Ms. Linehan's own education notwithstanding, Educate Nebraska misses the bigger picture. Charter schools are wrong for Nebraska. Nebraska has one of the best graduation rates in the nation, ranked #1 in ACT scores for states where 80 percent or more of students take that college readiness exam. And Nebraska already has school choice. A student in North Omaha can choose to attend a school in Millard, Elkhorn or for that matter, Scottsbluff, and state funding follows that student to the new school. So why arent students leaving the small number of struggling Nebraska schools? Many parents work two jobs or rely on public transportation. Many cant afford long drives each day to take a child to a distant school. The real problem is that Nebraskas funding formula for education relies more heavily on property taxes than 48 other states. Schools in low-income areas have smaller budgets than schools in wealthier areas, even though low-income homeowners pay more property tax as a percentage of their income than their wealthier neighbors do. In addition, charter schools can be exclusive when enrolling students. Children who most need a stable, supportive school children who are homeless, children who have an incarcerated parent, who exhibit behavioral problems are less likely than others to apply or be accepted into a charter school. Charter schools cherry pick the best students, further concentrating struggling students in the public schools that face the greatest obstacles. Senator Ernie Chambers represents the North Omaha schools that Educate Nebraska purports to help. Chambers has long opposed charter schools, and as reported by the Washington Times in 2014, "vowed to fight any renewed effort [to allow charter schools], saying he rejects proponents stance that its better to help some children escape struggling schools than none. We dont feed some of our children and starve the others. Charter schools are a first step toward cutting funding for public schools and using tax dollars toward vouchers for private education. For the dismal record of that policy, we need only look at whats happened in Kansas. There, the Koch brothers anointed Sam Nightmare Brownback as governor, who promptly slashed the state budget in 2011. Kansas has now lost 4,500 teachers, and some schools had to end the 2014-15 academic year earlythere were no more funds. Educate Nebraskas board of advisors and directors includes just one Nebraska native from outside Omaha, who now lives in New York City. How much Koch money is represented is anybody's guess. But more members have ties to charters schools in Chicago, New York, Texas and Arizona than Lincoln, let alone anywhere else in Nebraska. A better solution would be to adjust the state funding formula for public schools to balance the costs more fairly and rely less heavily on property taxesspreading funding more evenly across wealthier and less wealthy districts. Nebraskans know better than to be schooled by out-of-state advisory boards funded by unnamed donors. With access to adequate funding, a strong public school education offers life-changing opportunity to every Nebraska childas it did for me. In an era long ago lawmakers decided to make it illegal in the state of Nebraska for voters to show their ballots to other people. Secretary of State John Gale and his staff say the law still has a purpose, even in the age of ballot selfies -- photos that voters post on social media of themselves and their ballots. However, a U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker may have had people like Gale in mind when she quoted Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis 1928 warning that the greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding. Barker added, Over the course of the eighty-seven years that have passed since he sounded this warning, neither the truth nor the importance of his observation has waned." State Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln thinks allowing ballot selfies would actually be a good thing. Hes introduced a bill, LB787, to give voters the explicit right to take photos of themselves with their ballots to encourage tech-savvy younger people, and others, to participate in the excitement of the civic process (and) encourage others to do so. Baker was the second federal judge to strike down a ban on ballot selfies on the grounds that they violate a persons constitutional right to freedom of speech. In an earlier case U.S. District Judge Paul Barbado struck down a New Hampshire ban on ballot selfies for the same reason. In that state one plaintiff had posted a selfie of himself and a ballot showing he voted for his dead dog as a protest against the quality of the field. In testimony at a committee hearing earlier this month, Deputy Secretary of State Neal Erickson told a legislative committee that the ban helps prevent fraud at the voting booth and that the practice could be used by partisan activists. New Hampshire officials claimed that ballot selfies could be used in schemes to buy and coerce votes, with the ballots selfies serving as proof that the votes were delivered. Vote-buying and intimidation were flagrant in the 19th century in America, according to historians. The practice was ended when voting procedures were improved to keep ballots secret Barbado, however, ruled that the ballot selfie ban on the books in Indiana would punish only the innocent while leaving actual participants in vote buying and voter coercion schemes unscathed. In the 21st century the lack of civic engagement is a bigger problem than schemes to buy votes or scare voters. Everybody from conservative talk show host Sean Hannity to Kim Kardashian has posted ballot selfies. The selfies seem innocuous to the Journal Star editorial board, and possibly could stimulate more interest in voting. The Legislature should protect Nebraskans freedom of speech by approving Morfelds bill. Our letter is in response to the recent coverage regarding the ministry of Bishop Robert Finn and his appointment within the Diocese of Lincoln ("Protesters call for embattled Catholic bishop to be removed," Jan. 27). Unfortunately, the full story has not been told. First, in September 2012, Bishop Finn was convicted of a misdemeanor charge, related to negligence in reporting a priest in possession of child pornography. This is a very serious issue. He was sentenced to a period of probation, which he has completed. Bishop Finn was not accused of any direct crimes against children. From all reports we have read, Bishop Finn has accepted responsibility, and expressed an apology for all that occurred. Secondly, our support goes out to all who vigilantly work to weed out all people and elements associated in any kind with child abuse and child pornography. We are glad that the Diocese of Lincoln is fully compliant with the civil laws of Nebraska and all ecclesiastical laws related to child and youth protection. From our perspective, what we have seen in the Diocese of Lincoln is a continued effort to develop and follow best practices regarding the protection of young people. Lastly, we strongly support Bishop James Conley in welcoming Bishop Finn to our Diocese. We know that Bishop Conley consulted with the School Sisters of Christ the King and other church authorities prior to Bishop Finns appointment. All of these entities have concurred with Bishop Conleys decision. Bishop Finns assignment, in a spiritual capacity among the School Sisters of Christ the King, does not include administrative work. Instead, it represents an opportunity for a retired Bishop to engage in priestly ministry in an appropriate setting. We welcome Bishop Finn to our Diocese and are thankful for the continued integrity, judgment and leadership by Bishop Conley. Paul and Mindy Edwards, Lincoln Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts cheered the U.S. Supreme Courts Tuesday decision to pause sweeping new environmental regulations aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. "The decision by the Supreme Court to halt the implementation of the Clean Power Plan until a legal settlement is reached is important for Nebraska industry and ratepayers to prevent rate increases. I applaud Attorney General Doug Petersons continued work to defend Nebraska against EPA overreach, Ricketts said in a news release. The 5-4 decision by the high court is a victory for 27 states, including Nebraska, that joined with business and industry groups seeking to stop implementation of the federal carbon dioxide reduction plan. Opponents say the plan would kill coal-mining jobs, hamper economic activity and cost electric providers billions. President Barack Obama pledged to press on with efforts to curtail emissions in the wake of the order that put implementation of his signature plan on hold until legal challenges are resolved. The plan calls for Nebraska to reduce its carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030, using 2012 levels as a starting point. Each state was required to submit a plan to comply with the rule or request an extension by Sept. 6. But the Supreme Court ruling undercuts any urgency states have to meet the deadline. The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality on Wednesday said it will postpone a series of 18 meetings it had planned to hold across the state on the issue. And now, DEQ won't file a plan with the EPA until after the Supreme Court makes a final determination, department spokesman Jim Bunstock said. Bunstock said the department will keep any public comments or information received through its website for future consideration. Jane Kleeb, director of the energy advocacy group Bold Nebraska, criticized the decision to postpone the meetings. Nebraskans want more clean energy powering our homes and businesses, she said. Nebraska can and should move forward with developing a plan to reduce our carbon pollution. Citizens no longer accept the deep pockets of Big Oil and Big Coal stopping progress for clean power in Nebraska. Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, called the Supreme Court decision a step toward reining in an unprecedented abuse of executive power. Nebraska is the only 100 percent public power state in the nation. Without this action by the court, many of our existing coal-fired power plants could be forced to shut down, putting Nebraska families and businesses at risk to pay higher electricity bills." The Nebraska Rural Electric Association also lauded the Supreme Court's move saying Nebraska's electric utilities have developed a generation mix that ensures an affordable, reliable and environmentally sensitive power supply. The EPA has overreached its authority, and this stay will provide time for the courts to rule on this issue before the electric utility industry makes irreversible decisions which could impact Nebraskans electric rates for generations," said association General Manager Troy Bredenkamp. Dear Dr. K: I am in near-constant pain because of arthritis. My doctor suggested that I try hypnotherapy. My first reaction was that it sounds like hokum, but now I'm wondering if it could help. What do you think? Dear Reader: Hypnotherapy may in fact help with pain management. These days it is used to treat many mental and physical health problems. I spoke to my colleague Dr. Max Shapiro, a psychologist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. He explained that hypnotherapy is most effective in treating problems that require stronger control over the body's responses. Pain is a good example; insomnia is another. Hypnotherapy turns your attention inward. A hypnotherapist helps you enter a trancelike state. In that state, your attention is highly focused, so you're more responsive to suggestions. With the guidance of a hypnotherapist, you can start to control or alter your thoughts, feelings and physical state. A hypnotic trance empowers you to activate neural circuits that are otherwise inactive. When activated, this circuitry can reduce pain, among other things. Let's consider insomnia. Hypnosis can be very effective in blocking out the distracting chatter that interferes with sleep. A hypnotherapist will first teach a patient how to go into a trance. Once in a trance, the patient will focus on his or her own past experience of falling asleep easily, effortlessly and comfortably. The patient will then be taught to practice going into a trance at bedtime and re-creating those feelings. About half of people who use hypnotherapy for insomnia see improvement after a few sessions. Others require several more sessions. Only about one in 10 people won't find it useful. The success rate for hypnotherapy in treating pain is much more complicated. That may be because the source and nature of pain can vary so widely. Some people experience quick and long-lasting relief; others find it more challenging. Hypnotherapy may be much more effective for some people than for others. In part, a successful outcome depends on how committed you are. In order for hypnotherapy to work, you will need to put the lessons learned at each session into practice at home. If you need an outside voice to help you focus inward, recordings may help to get you into a trance state. Hypnotherapy is typically a complementary therapy. That means it should be part of a broader treatment plan that may include more traditional pain relief techniques and medications, if needed. Like most doctors, I was skeptical that hypnosis really could work to help relieve suffering. It seemed like magic, and I don't believe in magic. But now we know that the brain experiences symptoms -- like pain -- and that the brain has its own natural ways of relieving those symptoms. However, those "natural" ways often lie dormant and need to be activated. Hypnosis is a way of activating the brain's ability to quiet bothersome symptoms. A physician colleague of mine tried hypnosis after no traditional treatments were able to adequately relieve his pain. The treatment was so successful that he now uses hypnosis in his practice. There's nothing like getting your own suffering relieved to make a believer out of you. 1. Wisconsin has won 13 straight home games against unranked Big Ten teams, and after suffering four Big Ten losses by an average of 3.8 points, the Badgers have started winning some close games. Overall, they've played eight games decided by three points or fewer, the second most in the nation. According to ESPN.com, Wisconsin has faced the ninth-toughest schedule in the nation, with four top-50 RPI victories. 2. Nebraska has been a foul-prone team, averaging 18.9 fouls in Big Ten games. The Huskers have committed 37 more fouls than their league opponents and sent them to the free-throw line for 61 more attempts. Wisconsin, meanwhile, averages 22 free-throw attempts, second in the Big Ten, and is averaging 29 attempts over its last five games. In two games between these teams last season, the Badgers went a combined 41-of-54 at the free-throw line, while the Huskers were 15-of-24. These are a bad combination of numbers for Nebraska, especially in a road game. 3. Nebraska has been a much better offensive team this season, averaging 12.2 points more per game than last season's total. But without Shields, and against a team the Huskers have usually struggled against offensively, can Nebraska score enough? The Huskers have scored more than 55 points against Wisconsin just once since joining the Big Ten and have averaged a mere 51.3 points per game against the Badgers. COVID-19 drove a dramatic increase in the number of women who died from pregnancy or childbirth complications in the U.S. last year, a crisis that has disproportionately claimed Black and Hispanic women as victims. A government report released Wednesday lays out grim trends across the country for expectant mothers and their newborn babies. It finds that pregnancy-related deaths have spiked nearly 80 percent since 2018, with COVID-19 being a factor in a quarter of the 1,178 deaths reported last year. The percentage of preterm and low birthweight babies also went up last year, after holding steady for years. And more pregnant or postpartum women are reporting symptoms of depression. RACINE It was a missing cellphone that first prompted Jacob W. Rogers to accuse a friend at gunpoint of stealing from him. Next it was $100 that was missing. Only that time when Jacob W. Rogers turned his gun on that man and another friend, he unloaded the clip into the person whom he regarded as his best friend, witnesses testified on Tuesday during the second day of Rogers trial. Rogers, 28, of Racine, is on trial this week in the fatal shooting of his friend, Andrew L. Jones Jr., 27, of Kenosha. Rogers is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and possession of a firearm by a felon in the March 2 shooting death of the man he had named as his infant daughter's godfather. Jacob M. Albright, 28, of Somers, testified Tuesday that Rogers confronted him on March 1, the night before Jones was shot, when Rogers couldnt find his cellphone. Albright said Rogers pointed a gun at him, accusing him of stealing the phone while they were out drinking and partying that night. Rogers then made a call and his cell was found on or in a freezer at a friends house, Albright said. Afterward, Rogers discovered money was missing, too, Albright told jurors. Rogers is accused of fatally shooting Jones on March 2 after an alleged dispute about $100 missing from Rogers dresser. Rogers first confronted Albright about the missing cash, Albright said. He made me strip down to my boxers (in a back room) while pointing a gun at me. I didnt have anything, said Albright. Then Rogers accused Jones, but didnt make him strip, Albright said. Then Mr. Jones said he didnt have anything and he wouldnt do anything like that because they (rogers and Jones) were so close, Albright said. Four motion-activated cameras were recording inside the Racine apartment when Jones was killed, but the alleged theft that reportedly prompted the killing wasnt recorded. Rogers girlfriend, Katelyn McGraw, 23, of Kenosha, is seen in the footage near Jones feet, and suddenly places money on the floor. McGraw testified Tuesday that after telling Rogers she found money in Jones boot, Rogers jumped out of bed, his gun in tow, and went into the living room where Jones and Albright were sleeping. McGraw testified that Rogers said Hes supposed to be family. How could (Jones) steal from him? McGraw testified. Jones was on the couch and told Rogers, 'Bro, I didnt take no money and thats when Jacob shot him two times, McGraw said. Rogers is seen in the video footage walking away, but immediately returns and repeatedly fires at Jones. The shooting occurred in Rogers apartment at the Allegro Apartments, 522 3 Mile Road, according to Rogers criminal complaint. After the shooting, Rogers and McGraw grabbed his puppy and fled, she testified. Extremely distraught Albright testified Tuesday that Rogers seemed extremely distraught that his daughter was taken from him and McGraw after the infant was born Feb. 27, 2015, in Illinois. (Rogers) said that it had been taken away because of the girlfriends past drug habits, I believe, Albright testified, adding Rogers wanted his daughter back. McGraw already had two children taken from her when the daughter she shared with Rogers was taken into protective custody, but she was Rogers first child, McGraw testified. McGraw remains in the Racine County Jail on a material witness warrant. Court records show she has been convicted twice of drug and bail jumping charges in Kenosha County. Albright is accused of trying to hide the gun allegedly used to kill Jones. He also remains in jail, charged with harboring or aiding a felon and possession of a firearm by a felon. Albright is scheduled for a plea and sentencing on Feb. 19 Rogers remains jailed on $1 million cash bond. His trial is set to resume Wednesday morning. RACINE A Town of Norway woman was sentenced to time served on Tuesday for allegedly drunken incidents outside two homes before being taken to a Racine hospital, where she reportedly twice punched a nurse. Gloria Aponte, 51, is accused of yelling outside of Town of Norway homes on June 18 and June 19 and pounding on the door and windows before she was taken to the emergency room at Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints hospital. During her plea and sentencing on Tuesday, Aponte pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. A felony count of battery to hospital personnel was dismissed. Racine County Circuit Judge John Jude sentenced her to time served. A misdemeanor is punishable by jail time while a felony carries prison time as a possible punishment.Court records show Aponte spent two months in the Racine County Jail before posting $750 cash in August to bail out. Racine County sheriffs deputies responded at about 11:46 p.m. on June 18 to a home in the 8300 block of Stonegate Road for a report that a woman who rang the doorbell, pounded on the door and yelled to ask for a ride, according to Apontes criminal complaint. The woman left after a resident said he was going to call police. While deputies were enroute to that house, dispatchers received another call that the woman was pounding on the front window and screaming at the top of her lungs at another home in the 8300 block of Stonegate Road, the complaint states. A deputy found Aponte lying on the ground between the screen door and the front door of that home, mumbling loudly, the complaint states. Her breath-alcohol concentration registered at 0.225 on a portable breath testing device, the complaint states. The legal limit to drive in Wisconsin is 0.08. At the hospital, a nurse was trying to maneuver Aponte onto a bed when she punched him twice in the face, according to the complaint. MADISON A 9-year-old Town of Norway boy who conducted toy drives on behalf of Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin received the State Assemblys Hometown Hero Award on Tuesday. Vance Wilks spent time at the Wauwatosa hospital in 2014 while having a benign brain tumor removed. While there, he noticed the children in the hospital didnt have enough toys. He and his parents, Chad and Amanda, launched Vances Toy Voyage, which collected more than 1,000 toys and raised $1,800 for Childrens Hospital in two drives. The success of Wilks efforts led him to be recognized by the Assembly Tuesday. His work to bring joy and happiness to children who are hospitalized is remarkable, said state Rep. Thomas Weatherston, R-Caledonia. I commend Vance and his family for helping his community and for setting such a wonderful example for others. The award is the Assemblys highest citizen honor, and only a handful of people from around the state receive it each year, according to a press release. Vance is a hero not only to his hometown, but also to the hundreds of kids whose stay at Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin has been made easier through the toys and games he has helped collect, said Peggy Troy, president and CEO of Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin. Vance reflects the amazing community support that helps make Childrens special. Sinus headache? Feeling feverish? Theres an app for that. The wonderful world of technology may soon help us take a nostalgiac turn that will return us to the days when doctors made house calls. No, not in Racine, not yet. But recent news reports in the San Diego Union Tribune chronicled the rise of a new web and mobile app in southern California, called Heal, that is raising health care eyebrows and sending licensed physicians out to meet patients at their homes, offices, hotel or even a coffee shop. The company hires doctors who work as contractors or employees and, so far, has seen more than 2,000 patients since the app was launched a year ago, the newspaper said. Not only that, but the company has already worked out agreements with a couple of major insurance providers in California Anthem Blue Cross of California and Blue Shield of California which means the cost for an app patient is no more than a standard co-pay. For others, the newspaper reported, the cost of an app doctor visit is usually a fixed cost price of $99 excluding anything additional like lab work. Heal is the brain-child of Renee Dua, a kidney care specialist, and her husband, Nick Desal, an entrepreneur. Their inspiration came after the couple couldnt make arrangements with a pediatrician for their ill child and ended up waiting for an hour at an emergency room for their childs not-too-urgent ailment. On the way home, we thought about how we could fix a broken operation, she told the paper, and Heal was born. The promise of doctor service with a knock at the door, instead of crowded, noisy, take-a-number waiting rooms is enough to make one lightheaded and giddy. And even if Heal doesnt make the jump from California to a national enterprise, the San Diego newspaper reported that Uber, the company that revolutionized the car-ride business, is looking to expand and apply its logistics engine to the health care industry. Now that would be health care to go. On liberal fascists "It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their consciences." -- C. S. Lewis Withering on the Vine The Demographic Time Bomb is Most Marked in Japan The demographic time bomb whereby the elderly population assumes a greater and ... Government Sexual Libertinism Coming to a Government School Near You Further to our piece yesterday on the promotion of sexual libertinism in government schools, we rep... Some Random Observations The Aftermath of Mass Pre-Mediated Murder A few observations on the murder of 14 people in San Bernadino and the wounding of many more see... Letter From the UK (About State Tyranny) Ta-ta UK freedoms! Miranda matter outs vindictiveness of wounded police state Annie Machon is a former intelligence of... The Big One The Panoptican State Is Actually Operational Yesterday the "big one" dropped. The Guardian reported that the US and UK spy age... Fraud Central German Professor: NASA Has Fiddled Climate Data On Unbelievable Scale by James Delingpole BreitbartLondon A German professor ha... Statist Groupthink More and More Fashionable The Rise of Liberal Intolerance in America Edward Luce Financial Times I t ought to be a triumphal moment for American liberalism .... Vacuous Greenism Anti-Fracking Luddiocy Think of any technology that involves carbon based energy and its utilisation, and the lunatic fringe can be found ... "It is Finished": the Sixth Word from the Cross It is Finished: our Lords Sixth Word from the Cross What is history? That simple question covers a multitude of complexity, profundity... US District Court Judge David Godbey on Monday rejected [order, PDF] a Texas lawsuit seeking to halt the federal resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state. The federal judge ruled that Texas officials had failed to show a substantial threat of irreparable injury in the request for an injunction to stop further Syrian refugee resettlement. The lawsuit was filed [complaint, PDF] against the Obama administration after the terrorist attacks in Paris. The Texas government argued that terrorists could infiltrate the refugees and commit acts of terrorism within Texas. Godbey, however, rejected that position: The Court does not deny that the Syrian refugees pose some risk. That would be foolish. In our country, however, it is the federal executive that is charged with assessing and mitigating that risk, not the states and not the courts. It is certainly possible that a Syrian refugee resettled in Texas could commit a terrorist act, which would be tragic. The Court, however, cannot interfere with the executives discharge of its foreign affairs and national security duties based on a possibility of harm, but only on a proper showing of substantial threat of irreparable injury and a legal right to relief. The Commission, again, has failed to carry its burden. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is one of more than 30 governors who have said that they would oppose the resettlement of Syrian refugees in their states. So far the only other state to sue the federal government is Alabama. The rights of migrant populations has emerged as one of the most significant humanitarian issue around the world, as millions seek asylum from conflict nations. In November, Indiana Governor Mike Pence was sued [JURIST report] over refusing to accept Syrian refugees. Earlier that month UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed [JURIST report] the UN General Assembly and cautioned the international community to avoid discrimination against Muslims, especially refugees and migrants entering Europe, as a result of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris a week earlier. Earlier that month Amnesty International analyzed [JURIST report] the EUs approach to the refugee crisis and recommends changes to ensure international law is followed and human rights are appropriately valued. In October Human Rights Watch called on [JURIST report] the EU and Western Balkans states to focus on remedying what it characterized as deplorable conditions for asylum-seekers in Europe. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights gave the opening statement [JURIST report] at the 30th session of the Human Rights Council in September in which he addressed, among other pressing human rights issues, the migrant crisis. Germany announced [JURIST report] that month that it was invoking temporary border controls at the nations southern border with Austria, after thousands of immigrants entered the country. Judges for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] on Wednesday accused Belgrade of not cooperating in their efforts to arrest three suspects charged with witness tampering. The UN tribunal issued arrest warrants for the three men, Petar Jojic, Vjerica Radeta and Jovo Ostojic, last January after charging them with allegedly having threatened, intimidated, offered bribes to, or otherwise interfered with two witnesses in two cases involving Serbian nationalist leader Vojislav Seselj [case materials], who has been indicted for war crimes. The warrants allege [AFP report], among other things, that Jojic and Radeta, both members of Seseljs defense team, approached a witness for the prosecution and that Jojic dictated statements for witnesses to memorize and sign. The judges for the tribunal Wednesday expressed frustration that Belgrade has had more than a year to arrest them, and ordered Serbia to draft regular reports of their efforts to apprehend the three suspects. The ICTY [JURIST backgrounder] and the Balkan States continue to prosecute those accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity that left more than 100,000 people dead and millions displaced during the Balkan conflict of the 1990s. Earlier this week Bosnian Serb General Zdravko Tolimir died in custody [JURIST report] in The Hague after being convicted of genocide and given a life sentence by UN judges in 2012. In December the appeals chamber of the ICTY ordered a retrial [JURIST report] for two senior Serbian officials acquitted of war crimes during the conflict. In May the ICTY ordered [JURIST report] Serbias justice ministry to return Seselj to his detention cell immediately. Seselj had been held in The Hague on charges of leading ethnic Serbs to persecute non-Serbs during the Croatia and Bosnia wars in the 1990s but was released last year [JURIST op-ed] to return to Serbia for cancer treatment. Seselj has pleaded not guilty on nine counts including murder and torture. The ICTY had revoked his provisional release [JURIST report] in March, because Seselj spoke at a news conference in Belgrade and stated that he would not return voluntarily to The Hague. [JURIST] The Maryland Senate [official website] on Tuesday overrode a veto by Governor Larry Hogan [official website] to pass bill [materials] that will allow felons to vote before they complete parole or probation. Sixty percent of the Democrat-dominated Senate voted in favor of overriding the veto, which is the exact amount required to do so. The bill will now become law in 30 days and will affect [WP report] approximately 40,000 people currently on probation or parole. Hogan put significant effort into quashing the override effort, arguing that parole and probation are part of a prisoners punishment, and voting rights should not be returned to those people until they complete these programs. However, supporters of the bill believe that allowing ex-convicts to vote will speed up their assimilation back into everyday society and improve their rehabilitation. Voting rights remain a controversial legal issue in the US. Last month a judge for the US District Court of the Middle District of North Carolina declined to grant [JURIST report] a motion by the NAACP and other plaintiffs that would have kept the state from implementing their voter identification law in the upcoming March elections. In September a North Carolina Superior Court judge refused to dismiss [JURIST report] a case challenging the states new voter ID requirement. In March the US Supreme Court denied certiorari [JURIST report] in challenges to Wisconsins voter ID law. Wisconsins Act 23, which requires residents to present photo ID to vote, was struck down by a federal district court but reinstated [JURIST report] by the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Also in March Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed a new law [JURIST report] that made Oregon the first state in the nation to institute automatic voter registration. A federal appeals court rejected [JURIST report] a Kansas rule that required prospective voters to show proof-of-citizenship documents before registering using a federal voter registration form in November 2014. [JURIST] North Korea last week executed its army chief of staff, General Ri Yong-gil, on corruption charges, according to media reports from South Korea. General Ri Young-gil served [Independent report] as the chief of the general staff for Kim Jong-uns army since August 2013. It is believed the relationship between General Ri and Kim Jong-un began deteriorating in 2014. General Ri is the highest ranking official to be executed since Kim Jong-un took power in 2011. The news of the execution arrives as North Koreas military is under heightened international scrutiny following the nations launch of a long-range rocket [JURIST report] on February 7. North Koreas military and political track record has raised international concern. In January the US House of Representatives approved [JURIST report] legislation that would increase sanctions against North Korea for its continuation of nuclear testing. In November Japan and the EU circulated [JURIST report] a draft UN resolution condemning North Koreas human rights abuses and encouraging the UN Security Council to refer the country to the International Criminal Court, noting reports of torture, limits on freedom of mobility, restrictions on freedom of speech, restrictions on freedom of religion, privacy infringement, arbitrary imprisonment, prison camps and more. In October the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, Marzuki Darusman, expressed deep concerns regarding human rights violations [JURIST report] in the country just a month earlier. In November 2014 Darusman said that there is enough evidence [JURIST report] to hold Kim Jong-un responsible for massive human rights atrocities committed in the country. In response to these concerns, the UN opened a new office [JURIST report] in Seoul to specifically monitor human rights in North Korea. 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. Bangladesh, US condole demise of NC President Koirala Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has expressed her great shock and profound sorrow over the demise of Nepali Congress (NC) President and former Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. Bdesh Minister Mahmood Ali pays homage to Koirala Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Abul HassanMahmood Ali, briefly visited Kathmandu on Wednesday to pay his last respects to former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress (NC) President Sushil Koirala. EU, SI and Japan condole NC president Koirala's demise The European Union, Socialist International and Japan have expressed sorrow over the passing away of Nepali Congress president and former Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. Inmates mark Sonam Losar Nuwakot Prison looked a different place on Tuesday. It was full of activity when more than 150 prisoners set up the stage for the Tamangs New Year celebrations. Kaski self-sufficient in chicken products Kaski district has become self-sufficient in chicken products as output has risen sharply. Nepals friends send words of comfort in hour of grief Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and political leaders have expressed their heartfelt condolence on the demise of former prime minister and Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala. NOC to resume refuelling services for foreign jets The state-owned fuel supplier has also been mulling a big price cut in aviation fuel sold to intl airlines Pvt sector mourns death of former Prime Minister Koirala Nepals private sector has expressed grief at the demise of former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress (NC) President Sushil Koirala. Koirala passed away athis residence on Tuesday morning. He was 77. San Bernardino: FBI still trying to crack attacker's phone US investigators are still unable to unlock a phone owned by one of the attackers involved in the shootings in San Bernardino last year, the FBI says. UN secretary general pays tribute to Koirala The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed sorrow over the demise of Nepali Congress President and Former Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. US govt proposes 4 times Increase In aid to Nepal The US government has proposed a four-fold jump in relief to Nepal at Rs. 434 crore (USD 64 million) as part of its aid to rebuild the country after the 2015 devastating earthquake killed nearly 9,000 people and destroyed thousands of buildings. Wondering about wind Rather than focusing only on hydropower, the government should consider other energy options such as wind power 1. Yes. Its important to cast my votes early and avoid the lines on Election Day. 2. Yes. With nearly two weeks of early voting, its a more convenient way to take part. 3. No. Its better to wait until Election Day, in case any last-minute information surfaces. 4. No. Im not planning to vote early or on Election Day. It isnt worth my time. 5. Unsure. It depends on how the campaigns are shaping up. Ill play it by ear. Vote View Results The President of the opposition Forum for Integrity in Leadership has come out to express support for the NRM presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni. Emmanuel Tumusiime made the revelation at Musevenis rally in Nakawuka Wakiso district. Addressing NRM supporters, Tumusiime who has often attacked president Musevens regime said his decision to support the NRM candidate was informed by the fact that he has managed to unite the country. He further says Museveni is the only one with a vision of solving Africas problems, adding that his destiny and that of Museveni are intertwined. Addressing his supporters at Nakawuka, the NRM candidate Yoweri Museveni said government is committed to ending land disputes in the country. Museveni said people currently occupying public land have suffered for long with illegal evictions which must stop. He said government would set aside funds to pay landlords so that people can get land titles. He has also promised to extend electricity to the area and tarmac the Busiiro Road that stretches right up to Mpigi-Nakawuka-Kasanje and Kisubi. Museveni also addressed rallies in Masuulita in Busiro North Constituency and Makindye Saabagabo in Entebbe Municipality. Story By Benjamin Jumbe 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. South Korea and North Korea have stepped up their psychological warfare in response to the North's rocket launch by putting additional loudspeakers in place along their border, military officials said Wednesday. Both sides have installed loudspeakers along their heavily fortified border to broadcast messages critical of each other. North Korea is sensitive to such broadcasts because they could threaten the stability of the Kim Jong-un regime. "Immediately after North Korea fired its long-range missile, we placed additional mobile loudspeakers in front-line areas and increased the length of the broadcasts," said a South Korean military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. North Korea launched a long-range rocket Sunday, drawing strong condemnation from the international community for what it sees as a test of its ballistic missile technology. The communist nation is banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions from conducting launches using that technology. In response to the South's move, North Korea has also turned on mobile loudspeakers and continued to send anti-South Korea propaganda leaflets across the border inside balloons, officials said. "We stand fully ready for the possibility of further provocations from the North," an official said. (Yonhap) Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York to coordinate their response to North Korea's nuclear and missile tests, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. Yun flew to New York on Tuesday to drum up support for a strong U.N. resolution that will punish the North for its fourth nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. The U.N. Security Council began work on a new resolution shortly after the North claimed it detonated a hydrogen bomb on Jan. 6. On Sunday, North Korea fired a long-range rocket into space in an apparent test of its ballistic missile technology. In his meeting with Ban, Yun stressed the importance of adopting a resolution that will force North Korea to change its course, noting the communist country has repeatedly violated past U.N. resolutions. "We need to respond with a stern determination that this resolution will be the last Security Council resolution," the ministry quoted Yun as saying. Ban expressed "deep concern" over the North's nuclear test and long-range rocket launch, saying they are in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and create instability. He also voiced hope that a new resolution would be adopted soon. (Yonhap) The National Assembly Wednesday endorsed a resolution censuring North Korea's recent rocket launch, demanding additional retaliation measures from the Seoul government. The resolution, which was put to a vote during an extra session, was passed 241-0, with seven abstentions, three days after the North fired off a long-range rocket and placed a satellite into orbit. The resolution urges Pyongyang to stop weapons development and become a responsible member of the international community, stressing repeated provocations will only deepen the impoverished regime's isolation. "North Korea's long-range missile launch, in addition to the fourth nuclear test, is a clear violation of the U.N. resolutions," it said. South Korean lawmakers also said they will cooperate with the government and the international community to come up with strong countermeasures to stop the recurrence of such provocations. It marks the second resolution denouncing the North since the assembly unanimously passed a resolution condemning its fourth nuclear test last month. South Korea is currently working with the U.S., Japan and other regional powers for the swift adoption of a U.N. resolution to slap strong sanctions on North Korea. North Korea has already been under U.N. sanctions for its three previous nuclear tests: in 2006, 2009 and 2013. (Yonhap) No Yes, a light case Yes, two or more light cases One serious case Two or more serious bouts Vote View Results ALBION Its the kind of consistency county officials could likely do without. In 2015, Noble County had the second-highest number of meth labs seized with 70, according to numbers provided by the Indiana State Police. Only Delaware County, with a whopping 234, had more. Allen County was third with 59, followed by Kosciusko County (58) and Vigo County (5) DeKalb County had 37 meth labs seized, according to the ISP, good for 12th in the state. Noble County is no stranger at the top of such rankings. Every year since 2003, the earliest year statistics were made available, Noble County has ranked in the top 10 of the states worst counties for meth seizures. Since 2003, more meth labs have been seized in Noble County 683 than any other county in the state. Noble Countys total jumped from 57 a year ago. The number of meth labs seized in Indiana also increased, from 1,488 in 2014 to 1,530 last year. The state has ranked No. 1 in the United States for meth lab seizures in each of those years. Indiana State Trooper Sgt. Mike Toles is a Noble County Councilman and heads the ISPs Meth Suppression Section for this part of the state. He said Noble Countys high numbers are due, in part, to the skill and diligence of local police officers. We have very proactive law enforcement, Toles said. Noble County Sheriff Doug Harp said he never could have predicted that the meth problem, which arrived in Noble County in the mid-1990s, would still be such a scourge today. Most of the drugs are cyclical, he said. It is here, it is entrenched, and its just not going away. Indoctrinated earlier than most, police officers in Noble County have gotten far too good at spotting meth users and the signs that come with methamphetamine production. Our guys know, so were getting more cases, Harp said. We have a huge problem. Its also a problem that bleeds into other areas. Finding an active meth lab could eat up half of a shift for a road officer. That half a shift that is not spent doing proactive patrolling or working on property crime cases. Harp said the only proven way to get rid of the meth lab problem is to make pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in some cold medications, available by prescription only. States such as Oregon, which have enacted such a measure, have seen a dramatic drop in the number of home made labs. Theres just no way around it, Harp said. Indianas General Assembly has been slow to come on board. Early momentum to finally get such a measure passed in the Statehouse this session died out. A compromise, supported by state Rep. David Ober, R-Albion, would allow pharmacists to refuse larger-dose packs of pseudoephedrine to customers they dont know or regularly deal with. Ober praised state Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, for his work getting the bill passed. This is the hardest Ive seen anyone work on an issue, Ober said. He deserves a lot of credit for getting it out of the House. That measure is now being dealt with in the state Senate. According to Ober, it will be assigned to a committee to see if a compromise the Senate can vote on will be reached. He said in two to three weeks, the fate of the bill at least at the committee level should be known. Toles called Smaltzs legislation a step in the right direction. On the national level, federal lawmakers are also working on the issue, though specifics are difficult to come by. Across Indiana and our country, we are facing devastating drug epidemics and a public health crisis including increased rates of methamphetamine and heroin use, as well as prescription opioid abuse, U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat, said in an emailed statement. These epidemics are harming communities, and too many families have come to know firsthand the pain of a loved one suffering from addiction. I have been working to stem the tide of these epidemics and am encouraged to see momentum and bipartisan consensus both in Indiana and in Congress to take action. To effectively address these challenges will take a concerted, aggressive effort from federal, state, and local officials, law enforcement, doctors, and families as we work to expand prevention, treatment, and recovery services. The three-and-a-half month long gas leak drama in Porter Ranch appears to finally be coming to an end. Last week, officials announced that the Southern California Gas Company was possibly just days away from sealing its ruptured gas well, putting an end to this months-long saga (or at least to part of it; there are plenty of lawsuits stemming from the environmental and publish health disaster). Porter Ranch residents living in temporary housing will no doubt be thrilled to return to the homes they left behind when the fumes became unbearable, but if the SoCal Gas Company had their way, those gas-leak refugees would be back in their old places even sooner. SoCal Gas was initially going to give residents just 48 hours to move back into their homes once the leak is stopped, but after some pushback, residents will now have eight days to transition back to their permanent housing, according to the LA Business Journal. When fumes from the nearby gas leak in Aliso Canyon began giving Porter Ranch residents nosebleeds and headaches (and exposed them to benzene), they abandoned their homes and sought shelter elsewhere. So for the past few months, SoCal Gas has been paying rent for 4,461 relocated households, often at inflated prices, and that's in addition to the millions of dollars in natural gas that the company is losing into the atmosphere. The company is probably eager to move residents back home quickly, as it would relieve them of an astronomical expense. But after months of living in hotel rooms and short-term housing, the displaced residents of Porter Ranch were none too pleased to find out they would have just two days to arrange a move back into their old homes. Luckily, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office had their back, saying 48 hours was not a reasonable timeframe, and negotiated a more favorable eight day window. City Attorney Mike Feuer says the six extra days will "help residents resume their daily routines on schedules that work best for them." The Department of Public Health isn't so sure about the quick pace of the return eitherthey will be evaluating the air in Porter Ranch for 30 days after the plug to ensure it's actually safe. One problem, though: if they find the air is still contaminated, those that already moved back in, well, they're kinda out of luck. SoCal gas isn't on the line for their expenses once they move back home. Nor is the gas company financially responsible for anyone who remains in temporary housing after the eight-day deadline expires. Even the eight-day timeline for returning Porter Ranch residents seems rushed to many officials. LA County Supervisor Michael Antonovich says the eight-day deadline "victimizes residents," not allowing them the proper time to confirm the air in their neighborhoods is actually safe. He wants a 30-day relocation window that will more closely match up with Public Health's monitoring of air quality. Antonovich says Porter Ranch residents "should have the confidence once the well is sealed, that the area has been appropriately tested and assessed before the Gas Company discontinues paying for relocation expenses." Gas-Leak Refugees Get Some Relief [LA Business Journal] Nightmare Porter Ranch Gas Leak Might Finally Be Stopped Next Week [Curbed LA] Residents Fleeing Enormous Porter Ranch Methane Leak Getting Hit With Super-High Rents [Curbed LA] HOLMEN Ansel Burton Bratberg, 94, of Holmen died of congestive heart failure Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, at River Hills Care Center, Pewaukee, Wis. Burt was born July 1, 1921, and spent his early years on his familys dairy farm in Long Coulee, near Holmen, Wis. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1942, and as a crew member of the B-17 Puddin, flew 42 missions out of Rougham Airfield in Bury St. Edmunds, England. After the war, Burt spent his career working for Harnischfeger Corp. in Milwaukee, eventually rising to the position of superintendent of Assembly at the Cudahy plant. He married Pauline in 1950, and together they raised three children. Burt was an avid outdoorsman and spent many fall weekends hunting ducks along the Mississippi River. He trained hunting dogs and was a national field trial judge. He was also a member of the New Berlin Lions Club. After his wife died and he retired from Harnischfeger, Burt moved to Gulfport, Miss., where he met Sue. They spent over 25 years together, often traveling around the U.S. in their travel trailer, visiting family and friends. Burt is survived by his children, Roger, Nadine and Wendy (Hugh); and his grandchildren, Matt, Katie, Daeni, Joe, Julia, Ellie and Clara; and his great-grandchild, Annika, as well as his adopted family, Sue Weaver; her son, Steve (Jana) and their children, Kaylee and Landon. In addition, he is survived by five brothers and sisters, as well as numerous nieces and nephews and their children. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at Dickinson Family Funeral Home, 515 McHugh Road, Holmen. Chaplin Wendy Langhans will officiate, and burial will be in Long Coulee Cemetery, rural Holmen. Friends may call from 11 a.m. until time of service Saturday at the funeral home. The family would like to thank River Hills West Driftwood unit staff for their wonderful care during Ansels last days. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.dickinsonfuneralhomes.com. A Fillmore County tourism group is in dire straits, with a former director charged with taking thousands of dollars from the group the second time the organization has suffered the scenario in recent years. A Rushford woman was charged with using a debit card to purloin about $10,500 from Southeastern Minnesota Historic Bluff Country, a small organization created to boost the regions profile to visitors. Tricia Ann Parrish, 46, was charged Jan. 22 in Fillmore County District Court with three felony counts of theft and transaction card fraud. According to court documents, Parrish was hired as director of Historic Bluff Country in 2012. Her duties included bookkeeping and writing checks for bills and payroll. All checks drawn on the nonprofits account had to be signed by two people, Parrish and the board treasurer. In August 2014, the board became aware of financial irregularities in the organization after a review of the checking account record cast suspicion on Parrish and the suspicions were reported to Rushford police, according to court records. Police learned Parrish had been using a debit card attached to the organizations checking account to make withdrawals and pay some personal expenses, all without authorization or knowledge of the board, according to court records. An investigation indicated substantial irregularities, and court documents note that in August 2014 the organization was moving out of its offices with heat bills, federal taxes and other expenses unpaid. Parrish is accused of taking more than $8,000 between July 2012 and August 2014, and more than $2,500 from February to June 2014. This marks the second incidence of embezzling from History Bluff Country, of which the city of La Crescent is a member, by a director of the organization. Parrishs predecessor, Kristina Nolte, was convicted of stealing before she left the organization in 2012; she was convicted of felony theft in July 2013 and ordered to pay $14,000 in restitution. The group had been based in Harmony until 2011, when it was discovered Noltes actions. After making significant cuts, due in part to losing a major grant, the organization chose to move to Rushford in the summer of 2011. At the time, the city of Rushford supported the move by offering to locate the organization in a city-owned building. The requirement for states to conform to federal Real ID legislation wont affect most Minnesotans for a few more years, but a state senator feels now is the time to begin at least talking about the changes thatll become mandatory so residents arent left in a panic when theyre enforced. Sen. Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) spoke to members of the La Crescent Chamber of Commerce recently about the Real ID Act of 2005. The Congressional act, amongst other areas, will affect most Americans at the airport, as it will require an enhanced form of identification before boarding airplanes and standard Minnesota drivers licenses wont cut it. Minnesota, Nelson pointed out, is one of just a handful of states that has not worked toward compliance under the new regulation. However, the Department of Homeland Security notified all states that the earliest travelers will need Real ID-complaint licenses to board planes is Jan. 22, 2018. States can apply for extensions beyond that day, but all travelers will need the new ID starting Oct. 1, 2020. Real ID passed Congress on the heels of the 9/11 report, which stated that U.S. citizens would be safer if states better regulated the identification cards or drivers licenses that are used to enter nuclear facilities, enter federal buildings, and board airplanes. Part of the dialogue was they needed to immediately establish and soon implement minimum standards for these documents for drivers licenses, said Nelson, who wasnt in the Minnesota senate at the time the act passed. Well were in 2016 and theres still not a lot of implementation. Amongst the requirements of having a compliant ID, the document must be able to prove a persons identity, address, and lawful residency in the United States. These mandates started rolling out as requirements for federal building and nuclear facility entrance, and the last piece, airplane boarding, Nelson said, was scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1 of this year. As you can imagine, those earlier phases didnt really affect many people, Nelson said. (Air travel) is part and parcel to our daily lives and to commerce in the country and this state, so thats where people began to get very concerned. However, Minnesota was loath to comply with federal regulation of state-issued identification. It, Nelson said, was still feeling the sting of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, federal legislation that left the states holding the bag. Many legislators and perhaps many Minnesotans were concerned about federal overreach. There had been a lot of federal overreach in 2008 where the feds had come in and told states they had to do certain things certain ways, and they didnt exactly pay for it, said Nelson, a member of a Real ID legislative working group. Others at the state level simply felt it was the states right to determine standards for its drivers licenses. Personal privacy was also a concern, she said. So in 2008, the legislature tacked on a line to the transportation policy omnibus bill forbidding the state from planning or implementing Real ID measures. That bill was vetoed by then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who said it was premature for the state to say it wouldnt talk about compliance. But in 2009, a stand-alone was introduced and an overwhelming majority voted for the bill barring Real ID planning. Pawlenty signed the bill. I think it is time that we take our head out of the sand and we do have to be able to plan, Nelson said. Im confident that we can come up with a way to ensure that Minnesotans can continue to travel, board airplanes, and still protect our personal privacy. And thats still part of the rub, between personal privacy and federal overreach. For some, though, the new regulations wont require a new drivers license just an extra step. As part of Real ID, government-issued passports and passport cards are considered enhanced forms of identification, so they can be used to get on planes even if just for domestic travel. An enhanced drivers license would be needed for air travel only if a person does not have either the passport or passport card. Minnesotans, at this point, will not be required to additionally get an enhanced ID drivers license which will have an information chip in it if they choose to use a passport or passport card, or if they do not plan to travel through the air. However, if an enhanced license is needed, the nearest station to Houston County is in Rochester the DMV office in La Crescent City Hall cannot issue them. The cost is $15 more than a standard license and residents must specifically ask for them; they arent, according to Nelson, options that are well-advertised. She stressed the need to offer choices, allowing those who dont want the enhanced license to keep their standard ID for driving and other purposes, such as purchasing alcohol, and using a passport if they fly. She noted, though, that the enhanced drivers license cannot act as a passport. Some states, all they offer are enhanced drivers licenses and nothing else, she said. I personally think thats a mistake. We need a two-tier system where Minnesotans can choose what level of drivers license they need. One person at the gathering that day, though, felt inconsistencies with whats accepted for particular situations may cause problems in the future. It may happen, over time, that an enhanced ID is required for other reasons. He likened it to credit cards with chips soon replacing those with magnetic strips not both. I can now foresee that with the use of your drivers license. If you dont have this enhanced one, what you have isnt going to work, he said. Simply put, Nelsons immediate goal it to remove the ban from talking about the issue, and she hopes its the first item of business the legislature tackles when it convenes in March. Remove the ban on the plan, she said. We have to figure out how we can do both of these things give Minnesotans the ability to travel and also protect personal privacy. We definitely cannot do that if we cant even talk about it with the people who work in those departments. Three elk in Jackson Countys herd recently were killed by wolves. The total number of the recently reintroduced animals in the county now sits at 17 after the deaths of a cow, calf and bull in January. We knew things like this would happen. Weve been very honest and open about it, and youd kind of be foolish to think it wasnt going to happen, said Kevin Wallenfang, big game ecologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. This is part of a reintroduction knowing youre going to have some losses. Thats why you dont start with 20 thats why you try to start with 75. Wildlife officials know that the elk killed were living in the same area as a group of wolves since their release from their acclimation pen because of tracking collars the DNR has on both the elk and some wolves. Wolves killed the cow and calf during the same incident in mid-January, and it is the first time the DNR believes two deaths occurred simultaneously since elk were reintroduced into Clam Lake in northern Wisconsin more than 20 years ago. Its likely the calf was killed first and the mother died while trying to defend it, Wallenfang said. Weve never had a situation where weve had two taken down at once in the 20 years weve had elk, he said. That was a little strange, and then it was a few days later that they got the third one. Wisconsin and Kentucky officials trapped 28 elk in Kentucky last year and brought 26 back to Jackson County where seven died during the quarantine period and four were born to bring the total released to 23. Two since have been killed by cars and another four by wolves in the four months since being released from their acclimation pen. Elk were last seen in the state in the mid-20th century and are native to 52 Wisconsin counties. They werent again present in the state until a university project reintroduced animals into Clam Lake, and the latest reintroduction effort funded all through private dollars brings animals to both Jackson County and the northern herd. This years five-week trapping effort in Kentucky concluded this last Sunday and the animals obtained will be brought to Jackson County. The DNR hasnt released the official number trapped yet, but Wallenfang said the number is higher than last year. The animals trapped in 2017 will be brought to Clam Lake and conclude the three-year agreement with Kentucky. For the people that are really connected to (the project), its kind of a roller coaster ride, Wallenfang said. You have great things happen, and then you have a little bit of setbacks. Its always disappointing when we lose animals, but that kind of stuff is expected, and thats why we want to bring a good population of them to start with if you can do that. That way they should be able to overcome from some of those early setbacks. Next Tuesday will mark the 2016 Spring Primary Election, although most Jackson County voters will only weigh in on the state Supreme Court race. Some voters on the countys western side, though, also will see a primary for the Blair-Taylor School Board. The three-way race for the states top court will headline the Feb. 16 primary statewide. Incumbent Judge Rebecca Bradley will try to defend her seat against Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Joe Donald and state Court of Appeals Judge JoAnne F. Kloppenburg. The top two vote-getters will move onto the Spring Election in April. Bradley, a former Court of Appeals judge herself, was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Scott Walker last October. The B-T School District also will have a three-way race for its District 1 director. David Thompson, George Joe Clark and Kevin Lisowski are on the ballot with the top two vote-getters moving onto the April election. The B-T School District primary will affect some voters in Jackson County who reside in Taylor and the towns of Curran, Albion, Springfield and Franklin. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. After years of debate and numerous court challenges, 2016 is the year the rubber hits the road for voter ID in Wisconsin. The voter ID requirement takes effect in a statewide election for the first time this year. The state elections board has created a Bring It To The Ballot voter ID website as a public resource about the requirement. Here are some questions and answers on how voter ID affects you: When do I need to show an ID? Every time you head to the polls to vote, starting with the Feb. 16 spring primary. Voters must also be registered prior to voting. Why now? Voter ID in Wisconsin isnt new; Republican lawmakers and Gov. Scott Walker enacted it into law in 2011. But the law has been on hold, with a few brief exceptions, since that time while a series of legal challenges to it filtered through the courts. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the law, paving the way for voter ID to be implemented. What if Im voting absentee? Youre still required to provide an ID. If youre voting absentee in person at your local municipal clerks office, you can show your ID then. Or if youre requesting an absentee ballot by mail, email or fax, you must provide a copy of your ID with your request. There are exemptions from this requirement for military, permanent overseas and confidential voters. Theres also an exemption for voters who are indefinitely confined meaning they would have difficulty getting from their home to the polling place on Election Day due to age, illness or disability or living in care facilities such as nursing homes. What kinds of IDs qualify? You must bring one of a list of IDs sanctioned under state law. The following are acceptable if theyre current or recently expired meaning they expired after Nov. 4, 2014: Photo IDs issued by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, including driver licenses, state ID cards and learner permits. Military IDs issued by a U.S. uniformed service. U.S. passports and passport cards. An ID issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe in Wisconsin (acceptable even if expired before Nov. 4, 2014). The following IDs also are acceptable. Certificates of naturalization issued not earlier than two years before the date of the election in which youre voting. A driving receipt or ID card receipt issued by the Wisconsin DOT no more than 45 days ago. A citation or notice of intent to revoke or suspend a Wisconsin DOT-issued driver license dated within 60 days of the election. You also may use some student IDs from colleges, technical colleges or universities, though that makes things more complicated. What are the strings attached to a student ID? In addition to the student ID, you also must provide a separate document, such as a tuition statement, that proves your current enrollment at the applicable college or university. Also, the student ID must expire no later than two years after it was issued. Another wrinkle is that the IDs issued by some public colleges and universities dont comply with the requirement. What if the address on my ID is out of date? It does not matter if the address on your ID isnt the same as where youre registered to vote. Youre using your ID to prove your identity, not where you live. What if I dont have one of these IDs? You may obtain an ID from the state Division of Motor Vehicles for free. Be sure to check the box that says you need the ID for voting. When you go to your local DMV, youll need to bring documents that prove your name, date of birth, identity, citizenship or legal status, and Wisconsin residency. According to the Bring It To The Ballot website, most people will be fine if they bring a certified birth certificate, a Social Security card, and a utility bill or cell phone bill. You must bring the original documents; copies wont work. What if I dont have a birth certificate? You will need to bring the documents you do have to the DMV office, where they will help locate your birth record for free. As part of the process, you must fill out an application claiming that the documents you need are unavailable. The information provided on this form is used to communicate with state and federal partners to verify unavailable documentation, according to the state DMV. Once that verification is made, the ID will be processed and mailed to the applicants address. What if I go to vote but forget my ID? You have the option to vote without your ID by casting a provisional ballot. But theres a crucial catch: Your vote wont be counted unless you return to show your ID. If you can return to your polling place on Election Day with your ID, you can do so any time before 8 p.m. If you cant return to your polling place the same day, you have until 4 p.m. on the Friday after Election Day to visit your local municipal clerks office to show your ID. Can I vote now? Yes. Early and absentee voting for the spring primary are underway. You can request an absentee ballot by mail, email or fax, so long as your request reaches your local municipal clerk no later than 5 p.m. Thursday. Early voting in-person at local municipal clerk offices lasts until Friday. Check with your local clerk for office hours. Last year in Jackson County 127 pets were altered during our World Spay Day coupon program. Statistics show that in just six years, two unaltered dogs and their offspring can number 67,000. In seven years, two unaltered cats and their offspring can number 420,000. Spaying or neutering is the only proven way to ensure that our pets and community stray animals will not add to this large number of homeless animals. Considering these facts, now would be a good time to have your companion animal altered. According to the Humane Society of the United States, with campaigns such as World Spay Day, along with local spay and neuter programs, the number of animals having to be euthanized due to overpopulation of pets continues to decline. However, this is still an on-going challenge with even our local animal shelter taking in many surrendered and stray animals. Because of this, the Jackson County Humane Society is again offering coupons toward the cost of spaying or neutering your dog or cat. Coupons will be printed in the Jackson County Chronicle and may be used from Feb. 10 to April 15. The offer is open to all Jackson County residents, pets may be taken to any licensed veterinarian and there is no limit to the number of coupons used per owner. If you have any questions, please call the Jackson County Animal Shelter at (715) 284-0251. Please consider joining our humane society. Our annual meeting will be held on March 8 at 7 p.m. at the Black River Country Bank Community Room at 221 Main St., Black River Falls. Hope to see you there. Eat your veggies. Thats what my mom used to say, and I bet thats what your mom used to say, too. With my mom, that often meant canned peas and lima beans. Fresh was not her strong suit. Sometimes wed have a treat a bottle of Coke. It was an 8-ounce bottle of Coke, not a 32-ounce bottle. Those hadnt been invented yet. What every mom and every dad should say today, along with eat those veggies, should be, stop drinking your calories. Thats right, folks: Americans slurp down, now get this, 50 gallons of soft drinks a year for every man, woman and child. Drinking your calories is a sure way to obesity. Talk about a gateway drug its soft drinks. And Im including juices, too. Ounce for ounce, a glass of orange juice or apple juice has just as many calories as Coke and Mountain Dew. Way too many. Now, Im not putting down juice. Its not in the same category as Coke because it has other nutrients that are well worth drinking up. But dont overdo it or you might get fat. The same is true of milk. Yes, Wisconsin milk, although healthy, should be consumed in moderation. I had a guy in my office the other day, and when I asked him how much soda he drank he said he never touched the stuff. When I asked about milk, I got a different answer he said he drank about a half-gallon a day. I told him that wasnt good, but he countered that milk is healthy. He was drinking 1,200 calories a day and thought that was healthy. What to do, what to do? We dont want fat kids, and we dont want fat kids to become overweight adults, but thats whats happening. Just look around at any school and youll see what I mean. Go into a classroom and it becomes obvious. Were not teaching our kids good eating habits. Two recent studies have shown how some minor changes just might make a massive change in the obesity epidemic. The first study took place in Mexico, where enlightened legislators put a tax on soft drinks. (Can you see that happening in this country? Hmmmm.) The tax reduced soft drink consumption by more than 10 percent. And when they looked at the demographics, they found that poor people, who are more likely to be obese, cut soft drinks by nearly 25 percent. It worked just like cigarette taxes did to reduce unhealthy habits. The next study came out in the Journal of the American Medical Associations Pediatrics publication. New York schools do not have soda, but they do have milk. And milk, although healthy, also has calories. So too much milk can lead to becoming fat. The schools started installing water fountains that had nozzles to fill up water bottles. When they did this, the kids cut down on milk. This simple intervention changed behavior. And more than that, they discovered that the kids who could fill their water bottles started losing weight. Their body mass index readings improved. My spin: I doubt if well ever get a tax on soda. From New York to Oregon, the tax-the-soda movement has failed. So be it. But we can teach our kids to drink water, and we can do the same thing. If youre drinking your calories, think again. Just like those kids in New York changed their behavior, you can change yours, too. And small changes can bring big results. Stay well. Dr. Zorba Paster is the co-host of Zorba Paster On Your Health, which airs at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday on the Ideas Network of Wisconsin Public Radio in La Crosse on WHLA-FM. He can be reached at features@madison.com. MADISON (AP) The state Assembly was expected to move a pair of Republican bills Tuesday night that would relax water-body development regulations and expand property owners' rights. The chamber was scheduled to consider the bills during an afternoon floor period that has an agenda jammed with more than 60 bills as legislators rush to get their proposals passed before the two-year session ends. It was unclear when debate on the development and property measures would begin. The first bill would make sweeping changes to statutes and regulations governing construction in water bodies. One of the biggest changes involves water bodies designated as areas of special natural resource interest, or ASNRIs. Under current law, such areas include waters of significant scientific value that contain endangered or threatened species, wild rice waters, ecologically significant coastal wetlands along Lakes Michigan and Superior and wild or scenic rivers. Construction permits in such areas require builders to meet a long list of standards. The bill would remove the requirement that an ASNRI have significant scientific value and narrow the list of such areas to include only wild rice waters, ecologically significant coastal wetlands, wild and scenic rivers and portions of water bodies that state environmental officials deem in need of special protection or are home to critical or unique fish and wildlife. The Department of Natural Resources could not designate a new ASNRI based on that last finding without legislative approval. The legislation also would create a general permit authorizing shoreline property owners to dredge 30 cubic yards of material from an inland lake and 100 cubic yards of material from outlying waters annually. It also would a requirement that the DNR review alternatives to filling wetlands on individual sites of a common development initiated after July 1, 2012. The changes would make dredging and filling wetlands easier. The other proposal would prohibit counties from imposing development moratoriums, forbid municipalities from blocking property owners from selling or transferring the title to their land and block counties from regulating repairs on structures legally located in shore land setback areas. The bill also would require judges to resolve any question about the meaning of a zoning ordinance in favor of property owners. Undeveloped land zoned for residential, commercial or manufacturing use would be taxed at 50 percent of its value. A number of environmental groups, including Clean Wisconsin, the Clean Lakes Alliance and the state's Sierra Club chapter, have registered against both bills. The bills' authors, Rep. Adam Jarchow of Balsam Lake and Sen. Frank Lasee of De Pere, contend the measures will cut red tape, clarify regulations and puts more power in property owners' hands. A host of business associations, including Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state's largest business group, have registered in support of both measures. ST. PAUL (AP) Gov. Mark Dayton announced a new push Tuesday to offer paid leave to new parents among the states 35,000-member workforce, a proposal his Democratic allies have deemed a first step toward their goal of extending sick and parental leave to all Minnesota workers. Dayton is asking the Legislature to dip into a budget surplus this year to fund the new benefit, estimated to cost about $6 million annually. It would mean mothers and fathers with new children who work for the state would qualify for six weeks of paid leave rather than exhaust vacation days or forego paychecks. The benefit would apply to parents of biological or adopted children. More generous leave policies are a rallying cause among Democrats, but the proposal faces an uncertain path in Minnesotas Republican-controlled House, where a broader measure gained little steam last year. Dayton said he had not yet discussed the possibility with House leadership, and a top House Republican expressed concern that the governors plan would widen the gap between public and private-sector workers. Even as they stood behind the governors more modest proposal, top Democrats in the House and Senate said they still hoped to require employers across the state to provide both paid sick and parental leave. It builds on what we want to do at the state Legislature for the entire state, said Sen. Katie Sieben, DFL-Newport. We have more work to do here in Minnesota. Dayton defended the incremental approach, noting that just three states currently offer paid family leave to public employees California, New Jersey and Rhode Island, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. I think this is a very big step forward, he said. The state expects about 500 employees would use the six-week allowance each year, adding up to a $6 million price tag. While Republican Rep. Sarah Anderson said shes open to expanding parental leave opportunities, she put a greater emphasis on private-sector employees. I am concerned that this plan puts government first, and not the people it serves, she said in a statement. Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk said hed continue pushing for a wider, statewide leave requirement to allow all workers to take time off to care for new babies or ailing relatives. He plans to meet with top business advocacy groups in the coming weeks. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction announced the Wisconsin Title I School of Recognition awards, which acknowledge schools that have demonstrated success in educating students from low-income families. To be eligible, schools must receive federal Title I funding to provide services to large numbers or high percentages of economically disadvantaged children and meet other achievement criteria. Ettrick Elementary School in the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District was recognized as a high-progress school for its improvement in reading and mathematics test scores, as well as efforts to address an achievement gap. Maplewood Elementary School in Sparta was recognized as a beating-the-odds school for high academic achievement compared with similar high-poverty schools. Two La Crosse School District schools were recognized: North Woods International School was named a high-progress school and Hintgen Elementary was recognized as a beating-the-odds school. MADISON The Legislature's budget committee overwhelmingly approved state health officials' request Wednesday to pump millions of dollars more into upgrades at Wisconsin's mental health institutions. The Department of Health Services asked the Joint Finance Committee for authorization to spend an additional $15.8 million beyond the state budget on improvements and additions at the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, the Winnebago Mental Health Institute near Oshkosh and three centers for the mentally disabled in Madison, Union Grove and Chippewa Falls. The agency asked for permission to spend $10.6 million to upgrade information technology at all the institutions and centers so they can shift to an electronic health records system. The DHS also asked to spend $1 million to finish renovating two unused units at Mendota to accommodate 20 additional beds for people committed in criminal cases. The agency requested another $1 million, too, to start design work on building two more housing units for the criminally convicted. The 2013-15 capital budget included $5.7 million in borrowing for accommodating the 20 additional beds but that wasn't enough to complete the renovation. DHS asked lawmakers for $13.3 million in borrowing as part of the 2015-17 budget to build the additional housing units but the request wasn't included in the final spending plan. The agency also requested authorization to spend $1.4 million for a patient monitoring system at Mendota; $1.2 million to finish building a five-bed unit at Winnebago for female criminal patients; and $600,000 to help criminal defendants in the Milwaukee County Jail regain competency to stand trial. DHS officials say the additional money would help reduce a backlog of people waiting to get into Mendota. Currently, usually more than 40 people are waiting to get into the institution at any given time, with the average stay on the waitlist more than 30 days, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The money would come out of a $33.2 million balance in the DHS' mental health facility operations account. The balance was built with payments from counties, who pay for their civil commitments and Medicaid payments. The Republican-controlled finance committee approved the spending requests unanimously. Democrats on the panel complained that the GOP hasn't moved faster to fund the institutions' needs. "Obviously, we need to spend this money," Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, said. "We haven't really made the capital investment in these facilities." GALESVILLE, WIS. Seventeen-year-old Maggie Stoner hopes to be an artist someday. The Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School senior has been accepted to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. And shell have a good head start when she starts next fall thanks to the career and technical education classes she has taken in high school. It is really great, she said during an art class Wednesday as she designed shoes for the VANS Custom Culture contest. We have a lot of CTE classes in our school. It gives students a nice break from their regular classes. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers visited the art classroom as part of a tour of G-E-T High School in celebration of Career and Technical Education month. The high school offers a number of CTE classes, including family and consumer sciences, automotive, art, accounting, agriculture and woodworking. In Wisconsin, roughly two-thirds of high school students take CTE courses in areas such as health occupations, manufacturing, technology and engineering, agriculture and business, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Many of these courses are supported by partnerships with local businesses and technical colleges, and allow students to explore career options, receive industry certification and earn post-secondary credits during their high school careers. These classes give kids an opportunity to see what kinds of occupations are out there, Evers said. The classes provide more than job training, Evers added. Students have to work together on most of the projects in their CTE courses, he said, learning people skills and how to work on a team. These are the kinds of skills needed on the job, Evers said, like how to critically think, and career and technical education makes that happen. In teacher Jennifer Johnsons art class, Evers spoke with Stoner about her shoe designs; in past years, students designed shoes with custom skateboard laces or with a farm theme. In visits to other classrooms, the state superintendent learned the potential for an accounting apprenticeship or co-op with a local firm came about after a student approached Principal Troy White with the idea. Evers stopped at the high schools large technical education facility, bouncing between the woodworking and automotive shops, as well as visiting students making animal models for an agriculture class. On Wednesday, two students in Lance Walkers auto II class were fixing a pair of broken sensors on a cars transmission. While the parts themselves were small, to get to them the students had to remove a lot of components under the hood of the car. It is quite the experience they are getting with this task alone, Walker told Evers. The students, Derek Halvertson and Brett Domnie are both seniors, and said they hope to work in the automotive industry after going to college, probably at Western Technical College. Having a full auto program at the high school is great, they said, and an opportunity not every student gets. Its nice to know you are getting the background information, Domnie said. That way you arent going into things clueless. These are the kinds of skills needed on the job, like how to critically think, and career and technical education makes that happen. Tony Evers, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Nuns who help homeless face eviction SAN FRANCISCO Sister Mary Benedicte wants to focus on feeding the hungry lined up outside a soup kitchen in a gritty part of San Francisco. But the citys booming economy means even seedy neighborhoods are demanding higher rents, threatening to force out an order of nuns who serve the homeless. The sisters of Fraternite Notre Dames Mary of Nazareth House said Tuesday that they cant afford a monthly rent increase of more than 50 percent, from $3,465 to $5,500, and they have asked their landlord for more time to find a cheaper place to serve the poor. Bergdahl case delayed over classified information dispute WASHINGTON A military appeals court halted proceedings against U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on Tuesday while it considers a dispute over how much leeway the defense should have in accessing classified information. The order delaying the case against Bergdahl, who walked off an outpost in Afghanistan in 2009, was issued by the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals. Prosecutors asked the appeals court to consider overturning a decision by the trial judge regarding thousands of pages of classified documents. The defense has argued that prosecutors want them to follow a cumbersome process of seeking classified information while it prepares for trial. The issue had been debated for weeks in pretrial motions and emails between the sides. It wasnt clear how long the trial tentatively scheduled for this summer could be held up while the prosecutions appeal unfolds. Former Police officer sues over firing COLUMBUS, Miss. A former police officer is suing a Mississippi city after he was fired for his role in a fatal death. WCBI-TV reports Canyon Boykin filed the federal civil suit Monday against Columbus. It claims Boykin was not given due process when he was fired over the October shooting death of Ricky Ball. Officials said Boykin was fired for not turning on his body camera or recorder before the shooting. The suit also provides details of Boykins actions the night Ball died. Boykin says he used a stun gun on Ball, who later got up and ran. During a foot pursuit, Boykin says, Ball turned toward him with a gun in his hand and Boykin opened fire, striking Ball. Boykins attorney, Jim Waide, says the case has been assigned to U.S. District Chief Judge Sharion Aycock in Aberdeen. Bill would stop removal of Confederate, historic markers MONTGOMERY, Ala. Confederate monuments first erected after the Civil War to honor Southern soldiers have increasingly been targeted by civil rights activists who say they are offensive to blacks and should be taken down. An Alabama legislator wants to make sure that doesnt happen without state lawmakers approval. Republican Sen. Gerald Allen of Tuscaloosa has proposed a bill that would prohibit the removal of historic monuments, plaques and statues from public property unless a committee of lawmakers grants a waiver. I think there is an undercurrent, not just in Alabama, but throughout the nation of people who want to kind of rewrite history or whitewash it, Allen said during a public hearing on the bill Tuesday. Allens bill does not specify Confederate monuments, only historic objects of remembrance, but it comes after a handful of Southern cities including Birmingham, Alabama are seeking to shed symbols of the Old Confederacy. A 23-year-old Sparta man remains in serious condition at a La Crosse hospital after a man shot him twice in the head late Saturday before committing suicide. According to police, Carlos Bothel, 41, shot Nicholas J. Johnson about 11:10 p.m. through the closed window of a car parked in the driveway of Bothels home at 217 N. Spring St. Bothel then shot himself in the head outside the car. Police recovered a .38-caliber pistol next to his body. Bothels wife and five children were inside the house at the time of the shooting. She called police, while a neighbor reported hearing three shots. Johnson, of Sparta, is a friend of Bothels wife, Sparta police Sgt. Jason Pipkin said. He was flown to Gundersen Health System. Bothel was stationed at Fort McCoy. A native of Flandreau, South Dakota, Bothel, a Sgt. First Class, entered military service July 16, 1996, as an infantryman. He has been assigned to the 181st Infantry Brigade, First Army Division West at Fort McCoy since November 2012. An official at Fort McCoy called the shootings a very sad tragedy. Were sincerely saddened by the death of Sgt. 1st Class Bothel, and we mourn his loss with his family and friends. We also would like to extend our heartfelt concern for Mr. Johnson and his family during this very difficult time, said Maj. Gen. Jeffrey N. Colt, commanding general of First Army Division West. We are resolute in our commitment to supporting Sgt. 1st Class Bothels family and friends, as well as our own professional colleagues shaken by this terrible event. Bothel served two tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Valorous Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal and a Combat Infantry Badge. You have the power to keep local news strong for the coming months. Your financial support today keeps our reporters ready to meet the needs of our city. Thank you for investing in your community. Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. Subscribe For over 40 years the California Coastal Commission has served as the guardians of the Golden State's 1,100 miles of coastlineensuring megaprojects don't crowd our beaches and public access for all. Environmental groups say that could all change on Wednesday. Charles Lester, executive director of the California Coastal Commission (California Coastal Commission) Tomorrow, the commission will hold a hearing in Morro Bay, deciding whether to oust current executive director Charles Lester. According to the group of commissioners seeking his dismissal, Lester's management and leadership have been shaky since his appointment in 2011. "We hear from applicants that they can't get their e-mails answered, that they can't get their calls returned," commission Chairman Steve Kinsey told the L.A. Times. "Commissioners feel they are not getting the attention from staff when they call for it."Despite this internal strife, Lester has received an enormous outpouring of support. Last week, 35 former commission members said they opposed the firing of Lester, and 76 environmental groups said they were "deeply concerned over the unjustified and misguided attempt currently underway to oust Dr. Lester." According to the New York Times, the commission has received over 14,000 letters from the public in support of Lester. The L.A. Times' Steve Lopez has called the attempted overthrow a "coup." Last month, Lester defended his record in a memo posted to the agency's website, saying his achievements have been "exceptionally strong." "I believe that my vision has been clear and incisive," he said in the memo. "We have accomplished much together that we should be extremely proud of." Supporters fear that the removal of Lester would pave the way for a commission that is more development-friendly. They say it's no surprise that this brouhaha has come while the commission considers projects such as development at Banning Ranch, over 400 acres of environmentally sensitive habitat in Newport Beach. Lester's critics say that recent project approvals under the commission have been marred by unnecessary delays, including five mansions U2's The Edge wants to build on a Malibu bluff. Despite this criticism, the numbers show that the Coastal Commission has been more efficient at approving projects under Lester's tenure. According to the Times, they have only rejected 24 projects in the last four years, compared to 26 in 2006. If Lester is forced to step down, it would be the first time in the Coastal Commission's 44-year history that an executive director was removed. Last month the commission gave Lester the option to either resign or to hold a public meeting to consider his fate. In the same memo he posted defending his record he wrote, "I believe the public should be heard." A large turnout is expected at tomorrow morning's hearing. From: janet williams < janetwilliams07@hotmail.com > Sent: Mon, Feb 1, 2016 8:40 pm Subject: I really need to have somebody by my side. . Hello dear, I am writing this letter with due respect and he-artful of tears since we have not known or meet ourselves previously after I have gone through a profile that speaks good of you,it's highly reputable that is while I pick an interest getting across to you in respect of trust and love at my disposal. I will be so glad if you can allow me, I will make my proposal well known. I would like to use this opportunity to introduce myself to you, My name is Miss Janet William, 24 years old. I am the only daughter of my parents, am from Sierra-Leon in West Africa but i am presently living in Senegal due to the civil war and crisis that was fought in my country sierra Leone. Earlier i was in Largo refugee camp, at a time there was a division and dispatch of some of the refugees due to the over population of the people, i was taken to Senegal in West African where I'm presently in Caritas orphanage home by the help of Roman Catholic Missionaries Senegal and Red cross society. due to the civil war in my country. i am suffering in pains in this place andI really need to have somebody by my side to encourage me. i am willing to relocate from this country. My late father is Dr. Jack Kelvin Williams. He was a very successful politician and a business man and he has more of his business in Gold and Diamonds trading, before the rebels attacked our house one early morning and killed him with my mother in cold blood. I escaped death because i was in school when the rebel attack our house, I was a first year Medical student of University of Makeni, Sierra-Leone. I would like to know more about you. I will tell you more about myself in my next mail. Attached here is my pictures. Hoping to hear from you soonest. Regards. Janet. From: janet williams < janetwilliams07@hotmail.com > Sent: Wed, Feb 3, 2016 1:12 pm Subject: l would like you to assist me transfer this money $4.2m. Dearest one, My day is very boring over here in this orphanage home we find it hard to go out, I am actually searching through this medium, a trusted person , who will help me relocate to his country. i don't have any relatives now that i can go to, all my relatives was murdered some ran away, the only person i have now to complain to is Rev. John Paul who took me to this orphanage home. he has been very good to me since i came here, i am using his office computer to send you mails. his tel number and E-mail address is +221-76-613-6227 revjpauljesus@yahoo.com if you call and tell him that you want to speak with me he will send for me to come to his office to speak with you. I want to go back to school because i only attended my first year before the tragic incident that lead to my being in this situation now. Dear, please keep this secret within us because i would like you to know everything about me. i have my late father's Will, statement of account and death certificate here with me which i will like to send to you to assist me achieve my dream, because when he was alive he deposited some amount of money in a leading bank in Europe which he used my name as the next of kin. the amount in question is $4.2m. (Four Million Two Hundred Thousand US Dollars) l would like you to assist me transfer this money to your account and you help me to get my traveling documents and air ticket to come over to meet with you. i can't withdraw the money myself due to my situation here in this country. i want you to send me your contact information's such as Your Names . . . . . . Age . . . . . . . . . . . . Address . . . . . . . . . Telephone . . . . . . . I got in touch with the bank and made them to know about my intentions to withdraw this money, i also got them aware of the death of my father and they have verified it with all their confirmation and verifications. However, they advise me to get in touch with a very responsible person who will stand on my behalf as my trustee in regards to withdraw this money. I just have to let you know all about me so that you can assist me to achieve my future dream. i kept this secret out of people here, the only person that knows about it is Reverend John Paul because he is like a father to me. my dear, i hope to hear from you soon. yours, Janet. From: janet williams < janetwilliams07@hotmail.com > Sent: Wed, Feb 10, 2016 9:18 am Subject: Please, dear, send me your informations My dearest one, It's my pleasure to write to you once again. i really love to establish a good relationship with you that is why am telling you all about this money so that you can help me to transfer it and me and you will live together and plan our self with the money, i don't have a laptop of my own as i told you that am using reverend John Paul office computer and he only allow me to use it for sending mail not to be doing any other thing, please dear i send you the phone number of the reverend please you can call me so that we talk and hear from each other. Please dear, i want you to understand that i have all the documents about this money, so you don't have to be afraid of anything , all you have to do is to find out if am telling you the truth about this issue, i will like to send you the contact of the bank as soon as you send me your informations which i ask you to send. please i want you to know that i have some of the documents and prove over this money so please try and give me a chance and commitments over this issue then we will know the out come of it. I have written to the bank concerning this issue and they advised me to provide apartner who can stand on my behalf so that the money will be released. That is why i took all the risk in giving you information about the money because in order for you to help me i have to trust you, i don't have a choice, am begging you to help me, Please i am an orphan suffering here because of the consequences of war, i want you to know that all my survival depends on this money, that is to tell you how important this money means to me, may be its fate that brought us together, think about me and help me in this situation. If you accept to be my partner i will need the following informations : Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . So that i can write to the bank and introduce you as my nominated partner, I will be waiting to hear from you. Janet From: janet william < janetwilliamjk@gmail.com > Sent: Tue, May 3, 2016 9:44 pm Subject: I would like to know more about you Hello dear, I am writing this letter with due respect and heartful of tears since we have not known or meet ourselves previously after I have gone through a profile that speaks good of you,it's highly reputable that is while I pick an interest getting across to you in respect of trust and love at my disposal. I will be so glad if you can allow me, I will make my proposal well known .I would like to use this opportunity to introduce myself to you, My name is Miss Janet William, 24 years old. I am the only daughter of my parents, am from Sierra-Leon in West Africa but i am presently living in Senegal due to the civil war and crisis that was fought in my Country sierra Leon. Earlier i was in Largo refugee camp, at a time there was a division and dispatch of some of the refugees due to the over population of the people, i was taken to Senegal in West African where I'm presently in Caritas orphanage home by the help of Roman Catholic Missionaries Senegal and Red cross society due to the civil war in my country. i am suffering in pains in this place and i really need to have somebody by my side to encourage me. i am willing to relocate from this country. My late father is Dr. Jack Kelvin Williams. He was a very successful politician and a business man and he has more of his business in Gold and Diamonds trading, before the rebels attacked our house one early morning and killed him with my mother in cold blood. I escaped death because i was in school when the rebel attack our house, I was a first year Medical student of University of Makeni, Sierra-Leone. I would like to know more about you. I will tell you more about myself in my next mail. Attached here is my picture. Hoping to hear from you soonest. My regards, Janet. From: janet william < janetwilliamjk@gmail.com > Sent: Wed, May 4, 2016 2:47 pm Subject: PLEASE REPLY ME Dearest one, How are you today ? Thanks very much for your mail i understood all you said. I will be so happy to come to your country but the problem is that i don't have any traveling documents including passport, that is why i want you to help me to transfer my late father's money from the b ank in London to your account, then after the transfer you send me some money to so that i can get my traveling documents to come to your country and start a new life. Ever since my parents died in the war and i managed to found my way down here in Refugee Camp in Senegal, life has not been easy for me, I have written to the b ank concerning this issue and they advised me to provide a partner who can stand on my behalf so that the money will be released. That is why i took all the risk in giving you information about the money because in order for you to help me i have to trust you, i don't have a choice, and praying and begging you to help me. Please i am an orphan suffering here in Refugee camp because of the consequences of war, i want you to know that all my survival depends on this money, that is to tell you how important this money means to me, may be its fate that brought us together, think about me and help me in this situation. If you accept to be my p artner , i will need the following informations : Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . So that i can write to the b ank and introduce you as my nominated partner, I will be waiting to hear from you. Janet Sent: Fri, Jul 8, 2016 11:08 am Subject: I would like to know more about you Hello dear, I am writing this letter with due respect and heartful of tears since we have not known or meet ourselves previously after I have gone through a profile that speaks good of you, it's highly reputable that is while I pick an interest getting across to you in respect of trust and love at my disposal. I will be so glad if you can allow me, I will make my proposal well known. I would like to use this opportunity to introduce myself to you. My name is Miss Janet William, 24 years old. I am the only daughter of my parents, am from Sierra-Leone, in West Africa, but i am presently living in Senegal due to the civil war and crisis that was fought in my country Sierra Leone. Earlier i was in Largo refugee camp, at a time there was a division and dispatch of some of the refugees due to the over population of the people, i was taken to Senegal in West African where I'm presently in Caritas orphanage home by the help of Roman Catholic Missionaries Senegal and Red cross society. due to the civil war in my country. i am suffering in pains in this place and i really need to have somebody by my side to encourage me. i am willing to relocate from this country. My late father is Dr. Jack Kelvin Williams. He was a very successful politician and a business man and he has more of his business in gold and diamonds trading, before the rebels attacked our house one early morning and killed himwith my mother in cold blood. I escaped death because i was in school when the rebel attack our house, I was a first year Medical student of University of Makeni, Sierra-Leone. I would like to know more about you. I will tell you more about myself in my next mail. Attached here is my picture. Hoping to hear from you soonest. My regards. Janet. From: janet williams < janetwilliams07@hotmail.com >Sent: Fri, Jul 8, 2016 11:08 amSubject: I would like to know more about you Envoye le : Ve, 8 Jul 2016 21:09 Sujet : Darling, I need you to stand on my behalf as my trustee. . Dearest one, Thanks for your kind concern towards me, my day is very boring over here in this orphanage home we find it hard to go out, I am actually searching through this medium a trusted person who will help me relocate to his country. i don't have any relatives now that i can go to, all my relatives were murdered some ran away, the only person i have now to complain to is Rev. John Paul who took me to this orphanage home. he has been very good to me since i came here, i am using his office computer to send you mails. his Tel number and email address is + 221 783 727 734 revjpauljesus @yahoo.com if you call and tell him that you want to speak with me he will send for me to come to his office to speak with you. I want to go back to school because i only attended my first year before the tragic incident that lead to my being in this situation now.Dear, please keep this secret within us because i would like you to know everything about me. i have my late father's Will, statement of account and death certificate here with me which i will like to send to you to assist me achieve my dream, because when he was alive he deposited some amount of money in a leading bank in Europe which he used my name as the next of kin. the amount in question is $4.2m. (Four Million Two Hundred Thousand US Dollars) l will like you to assist me transfer this money to your account and you help me to get my traveling documents and air ticket to come over to meet with you. i can't withdraw the money myself due to my situation here in this country.I want you to send me your contact informations such as Your names . . . . . . Age . . . . . . . . . . . . Address . . . . . . . . . Telephone . . . . . . . I got in touch with the bank and made them to know about my intentions to withdraw this money, i also got them aware of the death of my father and they have verified it with all their confirmation and verifications. However, they advise me to get in touch with a very responsible person who will stand on my behalf as my trustee in regards to withdraw this money. I just have to let you know all about me so that you can assist me to achieve my future dream. i kept this secret out of people here, the only person that knows about it is Reverend John Paul because he is like a father to me. My dear, i hope to hear from you soon. yours, Janet. De : janet williams < janetwilliams07@hotmail.com >Envoye le : Ve, 8 Jul 2016 21:09Sujet : Darling, I need you to stand on my behalf as my trustee. . 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.... Wednesday, February 10, 2016 On the subject of, again, releases for liability for negligence, a recent Delaware case, Ketler v. PFPA, LLC, No. 319 2015, examined one in the context of a Planet Fitness gym. The plaintiff was a member at Planet Fitness and had signed a membership agreement that contained a release for liability from negligence. The plaintiff was later injured while working out at Planet Fitness when the rowing machine he was using broke. He tired to argue that the release from liability for negligence was unenforceable. The court disagreed. Under Delaware law, a release is enforceable if it is unambiguous, not unconscionable, and not against public policy. Here, the language of the release was straightforward and unambiguous. Furthermore, the court found the release wasn't unconscionable. It was true that the plaintiff had no opportunity to negotiate the terms of the contract but that wasn't enough on its own to find unconscionability. The court noted that the plaintiff was free to not join Planet Fitness so the release wasn't unconscionable. Finally, the release wasn't against public policy because the Delaware legislature has never spoken on the issue of releases of liability and it is the legislature that establishes public policy. So the release was enforceable and the plaintiff's claims were barred. https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/contractsprof_blog/2016/02/negligence-liability-releases-delaware-planet-fitness-edition.html Wednesday, February 10, 2016 Ronald D. Rotunda, Chapman University School of Law is publishing The Right of Dissent and America's Debt to Herodotus and Thucydides at 1 Revista Estudos Institucionais (Journal of International Studies) 144 (2015). Here is the abstract. The United States prides itself as a country that respects free speech, the right of all persons to criticize the government even in times of war. However, it was not always so. The events related to World War I brought the first cases raising free speech issues to the U.S. Supreme Court. While several justices, in particular, Oliver Wendell Holmes, praised free speech, the Court upheld all the Government prosecutions of dissidents. It has taken nearly a century since those cases for the Supreme Court to come full circle and now protect those who criticize the Government in time of war. When the Court changed its views to create the modern protections, it relied on philosophical justifications for free speech that go all the way back to the ancient Greeks, 2,400 years ago. The modern justification for free speech relies on these philosophers from ancient Greece. There is little new under the sun. While governments typically believe that, for the public good, they must censor speech and squelch dissenters in time of war, the Greeks believed that their free speech made them stronger, not weaker. There are those who argue it is more difficult for a democracy to go to war because it cannot conduct the war successfully if the people oppose it and dissenters remain free to criticize. That is a good thing, not a bad thing. In modern times, no democracy has warred against another. As Pericles reminds us, [t]he great impediment to action is, in our opinion, not discussion, but the want of knowledge that is gained by discussion preparatory to action. As other countries embrace democracy and protections for dissidents, our increased freedoms should bring us more peace and less war. Download the article from SSRN at the link. Cross-posted to the Law and Humanities Blog. https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/media_law_prof_blog/2016/02/rotunda-on-the-right-of-dissent-and-americas-debt-to-herodotus-and-thucydides.html British Prime Minister David Cameron says it is time for Julian Assange to leave the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Cameron told the British Parliament Wednesday that Assange should answer rape charges against him in Sweden. What he should do is come out of that embassy and face the arrest warrant that is against him, Cameron said. Assange set up the Wikileaks website 10 years ago. The site became world famous for publishing secret government documents and images. Assange entered the Ecuadorean embassy 3 years ago. He went there to avoid deportation to Sweden. Swedish government lawyers say two women have accused him of rape. Assange denies the charges. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled this month that Assange has been unfairly denied his freedom. It said he should be freed and allowed to seek compensation. Assange spoke by video from the Ecuadorean embassy. He said it is settled law that he has been wrongly detained. Assange also said he plans to leave the embassy, but did not say when. The British government said it is not required to accept the U.N. ruling. Im Bruce Alpert. VOA correspondent Luis Ramirez reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section OR share your views on our Facebook Page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story warrant n. a document issued by a court that gives the police the power to do something deportation n. to force a person to leave a country arbitrary adj. not planned or chosen for a particular reason compensation n. payment to make up for some problem or damage detention n. the act of keeping someone in a prison or similar place The leading measure of Japanese stock prices dropped more than 5 percent Tuesday. It was the biggest one-day loss in Japans Nikkei Stock Average in nearly three years. In Europe, leading measures of stock prices also were lower on Tuesday. Investors across the world have a number of concerns. They include slower growth in the world economy, concerns about the financial health of big European banks, and low oil prices, according to Dick Hofschire of Fidelity Investments. Hofschire said China may help determine future share prices. If China can recover from slower growth, he believes prices will move higher. Adding to concerns is North Korea. On Tuesday, the Japanese parliament passed a resolution that criticized North Koreas decision to launch a rocket last Sunday. The resolution said the launch hurts international peace. The measure passed with no opposition. In the United States, a new study showed growing public concern about the economy. For the week ending Feb. 7, 31 percent of U.S. adults rated the current economy as poor, compared to 26 percent who rated it excellent or good. Fifty-eight percent of Americans surveyed said the economy is getting worse, compared to 38 percent who said it is getting better. The Gallup organization reported the findings. Im Bruce Alpert. VOAs Victor Beattie reported on this story. Bruce Alpert adapted this report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story stock n. a share of the value of a company which can be bought, sold, or traded as an investment determine v. to be the cause of or reason for something survey v. to ask (many people) a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something This is Whats Trending Today. When you see a red carpet outside an event, it often means that the activities taking place inside are important. When movie stars arrive at the opening of a new film, or attend an awards ceremony, they walk on a red carpet. As they enter, they stop for photographers or to answer questions from reporters. Sometimes political leaders are given a chance to walk on a red carpet when they arrive at an important event. In English, if you are getting the red carpet treatment, it means you are being treated well. But Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took the red carpet treatment to the extreme last Saturday. And people are talking about it on social media. One writer for Buzzfeed says Sisi does things high-end or not at all. The Egyptian government rolled out a four-kilometer-long red carpet for the last leg of Sisis visit to a public housing project outside Cairo. One Egyptian made an estimate of how much the carpet might have cost. He thought it probably covered 32,000 square meters, which would have cost about $190,000. An Egyptian military general went on television to explain that the government was using existing carpets, and the government did not purchase the material. But even still, people enjoyed poking fun at the outlandish display. Most people made the point that Sisi was making a speech about the need for all Egyptians to cut costs while using a very high-priced-looking red carpet. And thats What's Trending Today. Im Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Who do you think of Egypts massive red carpet? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story carpet n. a heavy fabric floor covering celebrity n. a famous person outlandish adj. very strange or unusual poke fun v. to make a joke about something This is Whats Trending Today A video of hundreds of Florida manatees has gone viral. Manatees are aquatic mammals. The friendly creatures are sometimes called sea cows. But they are actually an aquatic relative of the elephant. In the winter, the Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River is a warm-water refuge for Florida manatees. The water temperature in the springs stays at about 71 degrees F, or 21 degrees C, year-round. And visitors from around the world come to Crystal River for a chance to see the gentle animals in the wild. On Monday, though, Three Sisters Springs announced it could not permit tourists to visit. Why? Because too many manatees were in their waters. The weather in Crystal River has been unusually cold. On Monday, as many as 300 manatees sheltered close together in the clear, shallow waters of Three Sisters Springs. A short, 20-second video of the hundreds of manatees in Three Sisters Springs went viral on Facebook. And Three Sisters Springs became a trending topic. On Tuesday, Three Sisters Springs announced it had reopened to visitors. But with expected cold temperatures, they might have to close again if more and more manatees come to shelter in their warm waters. The manatee population in Florida has increased from just 1,267 to more than 6,300 in the last 25 years. Just last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to downgrade the West Indian manatee from endangered to threatened. But, recent media reports say that some conservation groups do not welcome the proposal. While the Florida population of manatees is growing, West Indian manatees also live in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Manatee populations in other areas may face stronger threats to their habitats. And thats Whats Trending Today. Im Ashley Thompson ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story viral - adj. relating to an image, video, advertisement, etc., that is circulated rapidly on the Internet aquatic - adj. living or found in or near water shallow - adj. having a small distance to the bottom from the surface or highest point Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders easily won the New Hampshire presidential primary election Tuesday night. Businessman Trump is seeking the Republican Party nomination. Senator Sanders of Vermont wants the Democratic Party nomination. The results are not a surprise. Public opinion studies had predicted the two men would win. The real race was who would finish second among Republican candidates. That position went to Ohio Governor John Kasich. Candidate Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, called Sanders to congratulate him on his victory. Sanders remains behind Clinton in most national studies. But he been steadily narrowing the distance between them. Sanders spoke to supporters at a school in Concord, New Hampshire. He thanked Hillary Clinton for her call and praised her vigorous campaign. Sanders also praised the record-breaking voter turnout in New Hampshire. "Together we have sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California. And that is that the government of our great country belongs to all the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their Super PACS (independent campaign committees)," Sanders said. Donald Trump opened his victory speech with a simple Oh wow. He thanked New Hampshire voters, his family and campaign volunteers. "We are going to make America great again," Trump told supporters. "But we're going to do it the old-fashioned way." Like Sanders, Trump also talked to his supporters about the money in politics. He said it was very important that he was self-funding his campaign. I see all of this money being poured into commercials, and its not their money, its special interest money. He suggested that he would not be influenced by special interests as a result of funding his own campaign. It is still unclear just how big Sanders' and Trump's leads will get. With about three quarters of the votes counted, Sanders had just under 60 percent, compared to 38 percent for Clinton. On the Republican side, Trump had 34 percent of the vote. Kasich had 16 percent. Close behind him were former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. Florida Senator Marco Rubio had hoped to gather Republican support behind his candidacy after a strong showing in Iowa. It was not to be, as Rubio came in fifth. Frank Luntz is a leading conservative pollster. He says Trump must win New Hampshire by at least 10 percentage points to secure his frontrunner position. Luntz told VOA, "When you consider all the negative comments that are made about him, all the attacks. If he can survive it, and beat all these guys by 10 points or more, then he's clearly the frontrunner." I'm Caty Weaver. Caty Weaver wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story turnout n. the number of people who go to or participate in something contributor n. someone who gives (something, such as money, goods, or time) to help a person, group, cause, or organization old-fashioned adj. typical of the past in a pleasing or desirable way pollster n. someone who makes questions for a poll, asks questions in a poll, or collects and presents results from a poll negative adj. expressing dislike or disapproval Are you following the US presidential race? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. scholarship, news and new ideas in legal history The memory of a beloved pet inspires one couple's fight against injustice. LEXINGTON, Neb. - The City of Lexington sued the Islamic Center of Lexington in Dawson County district Court days before the ACLU sent a letter to city management urging the city council to grant the Centers request for a conditional use zoning permit. The Islamic Center has occupied a portion of the building at 401 N. Grant for several years. In March 2015, the Center expanded into the rest of the building (a former Laundromat) without requesting a conditional use permit from the city, even though Lexingtons government updated zoning laws in 2014 to list churches as conditional uses in certain commercial zones. When the Islamic Center did apply for a conditional use, the city council denied the request in Dec. 2015, citing that an expanded mosque in downtown Lexington would hinder future development of the area as well as noting that the mosque does not have the required parking stalls for an expansion. According to the complaint filed Feb 5 by the City, the Islamic Center filed for the permit on April 30, 2015. The city council denied the request on Dec. 22, 2015, but on Jan. 6, 2016, confirmed that the Islamic Center was in fact occupying the contested portion of the building, the complaint continued. On Jan. 20, the city posted a cease and desist letter on the property addressed to property owner Javier Quintero. On Jan. 25, the Islamic Center officially purchased the property, prompting the city to post another cease and desist letter on Jan. 27. In addition to violating zoning regulations, the citys complaint said the Center also failed to secure a Certificate of Occupancy, as required by city code. The complaint said city code provides for up to a $500 fine for each day in violation for both the zoning and building code violations, in addition to other fines and penalties, from Jan. 6, 2016 to present. The City requested that Judge James Doyle grant an injunction against the Islamic Center to prevent them from occupying the contested portion of the building. The case was filed on Feb. 5, and according to court records, a summons was issued on the Islamic Center on Feb. 8. The ACLU sent their letter to Lexington City Manager Joe Pepplitsch on Feb. 9. Here's the link to that story: http://lexch.com/news/aclu-sends-letter-to-city-of-lexington-regarding-islamic-center/article_2bf58e08-cf5f-11e5-bc7a-9bcf2a3e08e0.html The Cozad Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department was on the go last week. On Tuesday, the department worked with officials from Dawson and Custer Counties to rescue a stranded motorist in the middle of the night on blizzard-stricken roads. The following day department was inundated with calls in the wake of the storm. Then, on Friday, several department members traveled east to bring joy to the people who need it most: pediatric patients at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha and their families. The Omaha trip is an annual tradition now in its 10th year, according to Rescue Chief Marlene Williams. Most years weve made toy donations to Childrens Hospital or Nebraska Medicine. One year it was the pediatric rehabilitation center at Madonna, and the year Monroe closed we donated the proceeds of our soup supper to the food pantry, she said. This year the department donated four battery-powered fire trucks that the children can ride along with two big tubs of dinosaur toys and two big radio flyer wagons that can hold three children each. Those are pretty cool, Williams said. They also presented the hospital with a check for $5,000. The department also donated some books, and read to the children. We asked if we could bring some books, and they told us to bring books about planes and trucks and ambulances, she continued. A lot of the children traveled to the hospital by these means, so its something they could relate to. The impact that the toy and book donations had on the young patients at Nebraska Medicine was immediate. One three-year-old boy who had a quadruple-organ transplant ran right over to the dinosaurs, then climbed on one of the fire trucks. That was at one oclock, Williams said. At 3:30, we got a text that he was still at it. The department has long enjoyed the support of the community in making these donations. The first year we did it, we had so many people contacting us, wanting to donate wagons in memory of loved ones. We ended up taking 27 Radio Flyer wagons to Childrens Hospital, Williams said. A Nebraska Medicine press release said the donation will be used to help pediatric patients staying in Nebraska Medicine's Burn Unit, Oncology Hematology Special Care Unit (OHSCU), Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and General Pediatrics. It will also provide funding for the hospitals Patient Assistance Fund, which helps pediatric families with food, travel and lodging expenses. "Many of our patients are from out of town, and stay here for weeks to months," says Debbie Barrier, child life specialist at Nebraska Medicine. "This $5,000 donation will help us provide essential needs for our pediatric families." Williams shared the story of an eight or nine-year-old girl whos family moved from Texas to Omaha when she was one so she could be treated at Nebraska Medicine. Shes been in and out of the hospital since then, and her current stay has lasted over a year, Williams said. I read the book Dont Dance in My Ambulance, and she laughed at some of the silly parts. Then after it was over, I told the children that I always catch a couple of our paramedics dancing in our ambulance, and they did a little jig. She just laughed and laughed. We heard later that her mother couldnt stop sobbing because it was the first time the girl had laughed or even smiled since she went into the hospital, she said. Thats what this is about. You dont get it until you witness something like that. By Joseph Morton and David Hendee World-Herald staff writerS Michal Bilsland wants that big, beautiful border wall Donald Trump promises to deliver as president. This is our country, said the 80-year-old retired lab technician from Sheldon, Iowa. We cant find work for our own people. ... Its important to me, its important for my children and my grandchildren. Why should their jobs go to somebody else thats not even a citizen of this country? Austin Moore, a 20-year-old studying agricultural education at Iowa State University, thinks Marco Rubio has a tough-but-smart plan to defeat Islamic State militants. I like his no-nonsense approach to ISIS, Moore said of the Florida senator. Not necessarily just ride in on the sunset, guns ablazing, but a strong tactical approach working with our allies to isolate ISIS and cut them off from their resources. National security and immigration are the biggest topics that Republicans have sparred over in the months leading up to Mondays Iowa caucuses, and they are part of a thread that has run through all of the GOP talk this cycle, said Dennis Goldford, a political scientist at Drake University. Theres tremendous anger and fear at Republican events, Goldford said. Underlying particular issues is this broader theme or framework of fear that the America they believe they knew and grew up in is slipping away. Republican voters, like their presidential candidates, have sharp criticisms of the current occupant of the White House, including on the health care law and the economy. And because the Republican contenders agree in so many areas, much of their contest has been more about personality. But policy differences also have played a role. Trump jumped into the presidential race last summer with a supercharged rhetorical broadside against illegal immigration. The billionaire businessmans comments set the tone for the GOP race. Democrats were quick to denounce Trumps call to find and deport all of those in the country illegally, but many of his GOP rivals scrambled to catch up with his tough talk. Candidates criticized each other for immigration positions deemed too soft. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for example, pointed out that Trumps plans would allow for those deported to come back into the country legally. Cruz took criticism for an amendment he offered to the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration plan; opponents said he flip-flopped. Cruz regularly points out that Rubio worked with Democrats on that broad plan. Rubio, who says he learned from that experience, now emphasizes that he would actually focus first on a slew of get-tough measures before moving on to those in the country illegally. We are not going to round up and deport 12 million people, but were not going to hand out citizenship cards, either, Rubio said at last weeks GOP debate. There will be a process. We will see what the American people are willing to support. Moore, the Iowa State University student, cited Rubios approach to immigration as another reason to support him. Hes wanting to strengthen our borders, strengthen the process, but also make it workable for those people that want to get here legally, Moore said. I appreciate that instead of some candidates wanting to isolate us in some respects to certain groups. Jeb Bush was supposed to be the heavyweight in this election but has struggled in the still-crowded establishment lane of the race. On immigration, the former Florida governor continues to advocate a path to legal status for the millions living in the country illegally. They could come out of the shadows, he said, by paying a fine, learning English and staying on the right side of the law. Julie Johndreau, 69, of Lawton, Iowa, likes that approach to immigration. The retired middle school teacher said she plans to caucus for Bush, saying hes the only rational candidate. Our country stands for a melting pot, and a lot of us wouldnt be here if our ancestors hadnt immigrated but I do think we need to exercise caution, Johndreau said. I dont think we can even consider having Mexico build a wall. Thats not going to happen. Thats not even sane. National security also has been a potent issue on the campaign trail. Im very much concerned about ISIS, said John Moir, a retired utility manager from Sioux City. They can attack anywhere. Thats the major concern, even in the middle of Iowa. Thats what really bothers me more than anything. Lindsey Graham was easily the most hawkish candidate in the race, calling for 10,000 U.S. troops in Syria, but the South Carolina senators blend of aggressive foreign policy and moderate domestic proposals failed to gain any traction with GOP primary voters, and he bowed out. Trump, meanwhile, has talked about taking oil out of Iraq to starve the Islamic State of resources and concentrate the fight against the militants rather than Syrian leader Bashar Assad. For his part, Cruz has proposed a carpet-bombing campaign to deal with the Islamic State, and talked about making the sand glow in the dark a strategy critics say is unrealistic and ill-advised. Many of the candidates have suggested they would build up U.S. military forces, and Rubio criticized Cruz for supporting budgets with lower military spending. The fighting in Syria has created an international refugee crisis that has brought sharp rhetoric from the candidates. Cruz suggested accepting only Christian refugees, while Trump has called for banning all Muslims from entering the U.S., at least temporarily. Trumps proposal resonated with Bilsland, the lab tech, who said she doesnt trust the Muslims coming to the United States. But Moore rejected that kind of talk. Its unconstitutional to put a ban on people of a certain faith entering our country, Moore said. I dont think we can paint everyone with one brush. Pat Dermody, 51, of Norwalk was at a rally for Cruz in Ankeny and praised the Texas senators conservative dedication. He said Cruz has more credibility on issues such as a border wall with Mexico. He also said that hes scared by some of Trumps tough talk on trade deals, noting that he works for a Japanese medical equipment company. I dont want a trade war, Dermody said. Other issues have popped up here and there along the way. For example, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky have sparred over domestic spying. A former U.S. attorney, Christie takes a hard line on the need to empower the government to stop terrorist attacks, and says hed like to increase the tools they have. Paul says the domestic surveillance programs have violated Americans rights without making them safer. Ohio Gov. John Kasich has defended his decision to expand Medicaid in his state. Ben Carson has touted his tax and health insurance plans, which impressed Cristina Schnurr, a 46-year-old registered nurse from Glenwood. Still, after seven years of President Barack Obama, more than a few Republican voters say their real No. 1 issue is finding a nominee who can deliver a GOP victory in November. Weve got to win, with the situation our countrys in now, said Clare Tweedt, 80, of Ames. Thats the most important thing. Contact the writer: the associated press While GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump, above, snubbed Thursdays candidate debate in Des Moines so that he could stage his own political event across town, his challengers including, from left at top, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush stuck to the Fox News-sponsored program. By Robert Pore HASTINGS Nebraska beef processed in Hastings is headed to Israel. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new agreement with Israel to lift the ban on U.S. beef imports for the first time since 2003. Shipments will come from the WR Reserve plant in Hastings. "Nebraska beef producers are the best in the world," said U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. "This historic agreement with Israel is a testament to our producers' tireless commitment to delivering safe, high-quality beef products to dinner tables around the globe. I was pleased to work with the USDA and the Israeli government to enable our state to supply the first American beef shipments to Israel in over a decade." In January, Israel reopened its markets to U.S. beef for the first time since December 2003. The U.S. Meat Export Federation said Israel was one of many countries to suspend imports of U.S. beef following confirmation of the first bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) case in the United States and is one of the last to lift those restrictions. The reopening became effective on Jan. 13. Although Israel imposes strict kosher slaughter and handling requirements on beef suppliers, meat federation President Philip Seng said there are opportunities for some U.S. companies. He also noted the significance of yet another BSE-related market closure coming to an end. Currently, Argentina and Uruguay are Israel's largest beef suppliers, followed by Brazil and Paraguay. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro said resuming U.S. beef exports to Israel has been a priority for him. He said it marks a significant milestone in U.S.-Israel trade relations and is an outstanding example of the power of the U.S. government working with the private sector to achieve foreign economic policy objectives. "This agreement gives Israeli consumers access to the world's highest-quality beef," Shapiro said. "At the same time, it creates and supports jobs in the great state of Nebraska. Later this year, we hope to serve USDA-certified beef at our July Fourth celebrations for the first time in nearly 13 years." U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., said, "It is fitting Nebraska's 3rd District the No. 1 agriculture district in the country will supply Israel with its first U.S. beef shipment after the lifting of this multi-year ban." "This success story exemplifies how important it is for us to work with our trading partners around the world to combat non-scientific trade barriers and open more markets to Nebraska products," Smith said. In November, he sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack asking the USDA to assist WR Reserve in acquiring the appropriate certifications to provide kosher meat products for international markets, including Israel. Smith serves on the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade policy. U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said that, with the announcement of Nebraska beef heading to Israel, "Nebraskans are proud to feed the world." "Through their hard work and uncompromising commitment to quality, Nebraska beef producers are second to none," Sasse said. "This agreement will benefit our state and our friends in Israel." Nebraska Cattlemen's Association President Barb Cooksley said her organization is also pleased the first kosher beef from the U.S. to return to the Israeli market since 2003 will be from Nebraska. She said the Nebraska Cattlemen appreciate Fischer's work to reopen the market. "This is another example demonstrating she understands how important trade is to ranchers, feeders, processors and all Nebraskans," Cooksley said. Fischer, who visited Israel last fall, said Shapiro asked her to work with the USDA to bring Nebraska beef to Israel. She joined officials from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture in an effort to lift the ban on U.S. beef imports. "This is a major step toward increasing Nebraska beef exports to an important market," said Greg Ibach, Nebraska Department of Agriculture director. "We applaud WR Reserve for complying with a rigorous inspection process that included Israeli government regulator visits and final sign-off by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service." Fishel Ziegelheim, owner/manager of Minnesota-based Noah's Ark Processors, parent company of WR Reserve, said the company is excited to move forward and provide Israeli customers with high-quality Nebraska beef. According to USDA data, $405 million of beef products were imported by Israel in 2014, with 95 percent of those coming from Latin America and the rest from Europe. "We consider this a real success story that we will be able to build upon to continue to position beef from Nebraska as the world's choice of beef," Ibach said. On Jan. 15, South Africa also reopened to U.S. beef for the first time since 2003. Third party candidates are usually regarded as "spoilers" that ruin the elections of the two-party system. That in itself is part of the problem; the Norwegian software company Opera may be heading to China sort of. A consortium of Chinese companies wants to buy Opera for $1.2 billion, which is a lot of money for a company whose web browsers for desktop and mobile devices arent nearly as popular as competitors like Googles Chrome or Mozillas Firefox. In fact, its more than 50 percent higher than the value of Operas average share price for the past 30 days. Still, Opera does have a habit of being a bit ahead of the curve. Opera introduced a Speed Dial user interface with large thumbnail icons for your favorite websites before other browsers adopted the idea. Tabbed browsing, server-side data compression, and many other features were also implemented by Opera before they were more widely used. Opera also launched one of the first web browsers for a smartwatch (if thats something you want), and has a history of experimenting with new ways to interact with the web. The company also recently announced plans to expand Opera Apps Club to additional markets, giving wireless carriers a chance to offer customers a sort of Netflix-for-apps style subscription service with access to more than 400 Android games. The Chinese consortium includes Qihoo 360 and Kunlun, among other companies, and Operas board has released a statement recommending that shareholders approve the deal. If approved, the buyout could result in more than a big payout for Opera and its shareholders. According to the statement, the companys board thinks the transaction would give Opera access to the extensive internet user base of Kunlun and Qihoo in China, while giving those companies opportunities to offer their products to Operas user base and tap into Operas mobile advertising platform. New Delhi: Internationally acclaimed sitarist Anoushka Shankar, who has been nominated for a Grammy award this year, is coming up with a new album Land of Gold, which will release on April 1. The album focuses on the refugee crisis and will be released by Universal Music, read a statement. The five-time Grammy award nominee will perform songs from the album on tour throughout the year, including festival dates in the summer in Europe and concerts in North America, the United Kingdom, continental Europe, India and the United Arab Emirates. The album is said to be her response to the trauma and injustice being experienced by refugees and victims of war, taking inspiration from recent news images of people fleeing civil war, oppression, poverty and unbearable hardship. It also offers an uplifting message of hope for dark times. The album contemplates the common thread of humanity and its power to reconnect people divided by hatred and fear. Anoushka had, on several instances, emphasised that the seeds of Land of Gold originated in the context of the humanitarian plight of refugees. She has been nominated at this year's 58th Annual Grammy Awards for her album Home. The awards gala will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 15. IANS There's no denying that the common consensus on Sunny Leone, Tusshar Kapoor and Vir Das starrer Mastizaade is that it is creepily disgusting. However, an FIR has now been lodged against the film for showing a condom inside a temple. FIR filed in Adarsh Nagar Police Station in Delhi over a scene in the movie 'Mastizaade' where condoms were discussed inside a temple. ANI (@ANI_news) February 10, 2016 In the scene in question, Sunny Leone and Vir Das are shown to be promoting a condom brand inside a temple, and the complainant, advocate Gaurav Gulati, has taken offence to this, reports India Today. Gulati had previously also filed a complaint against Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan for entering a temple on the set of Bigg Boss 9 with their shoes on. Mastizaade, a sex-comedy, stars Sunny Leone in a double role, alongside Tusshar Kapoor and Vir Das. Sunny Leone had earlier been in the news for her viral interview with Bhupendra Chaubey. This is not the first time a complaint has been lodged against Leone on account of vulgarity. Mumbai: E-commerce major Flipkart will continue to fund discounts to win customers and stay ahead of the competition while investing in back-end operations, the company's co-founder and chief executive Sachin Bansal said here today. "As Flipkart, and the overall e-commerce industry continue to grow the business, we will continue to pass on discounts to the consumer," Bansal told reporters here today. Customer and seller acquisition as well as heavy investments in back-end operations will be the focus of the company in the next few years. In the next 3-5 years, the company plans to invest more than USD 1 billion in infrastructure and technology, he said. The company has recently infused over Rs 600 crore in its logistics business EKart. In order to build the business, technology and pricing are the areas where the company is investing heavily as it is in customer acquisition mode, he said. Outside of technology and pricing, Bansal said Flipkart's cost of operations has "significantly come down, to mid-single digits". Online fashion retailer Myntra, which Flipkart acquired in 2014, has also turned profitable at an operational level, "excluding cost of technology," he said. While the company claims lower operational costs, the overall sales of e-commerce firms are running into losses due to deep discounts. Flipkart is among the highest valued e-commerce entities in the country at USD 15 billion, and has liquidity to run the business for another year, after which they require to raise further capital. PTI India has ranked second last in new US Chamber International IP Index rankings, largely unchanged from the last year's, said a press release from the chamber. The index, produced by the Chambers Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC), measured the IP environment in India alongside 37 other economies. Patent protection in India remains outside of international best practices, and Indian law does not provide adequate enforcement mechanisms to effectively combat online piracy, the press release said. While we have been encouraged by the Modi Administrations rhetoric to improve Indias IP environment, we have yet to see it translate into concrete action. Nations like Thailand, who surpassed India in the rankings this year, provide an example of the way that incremental changes to a countrys IP framework can strengthen the overall IP ecosystem," said David Hirschmann, president and CEO of GIPC. Venezuela finished last out of the 38 economies studied, while the United States ranked first. According to the chamber, half of the 38 economies measured improved their total score from last years Index. This indicates increased recognition of the benefits of intellectual property. The 38 economies benchmarked in the 2016 Index accounts for nearly 85% of global gross domestic product (GDP). The index is based on 30 measurable criteria critical to innovation including, patent, copyright and trademark protections, enforcement, and engagement in international treaties, among others. This years Index illustrates that many countries embraced the upward momentum in the global intellectual property environment, and continued to take steps to improve their IP systems, said Hirschmann. The deposition of Pakistani American terrorist David Coleman Headley before a court in Mumbai for the third consecutive day, was on Wednesday adjourned till Thursday due to a technical problem in the video-link at the US end. "There was a technical snag in the video conference link from their side (US) due to which we could not connect despite several attempts since morning," Special Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told PTI. The testimony will continue tomorrow, he said. While initially the court adjourned the deposition for an hour, Judge G A Sanap was later informed by Nikam and other officials that the glitch could not be rectified immediately. Following this, the court allowed the adjournment sought by the prosecution till Thursday. The deposition, initially planned till 12 February, may now extend for some more time. Headley, for the past two days, is deposing from an undisclosed location in the US in connection with the 26/11 terror attacks case. In his bare all deposition, Headley revealed about how ISI was helping different terror outfits in Pakistan by providing financial, military and moral support. He also said that he also used to work for ISI and met many Pakistan army officials. He also said that he had suggested to LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and its operational commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi about dragging US government to court for banning LeT as a global terror outfit. Deposing from a undisclosed location on Tuesday, Headley told the special judge G A Sanap that ISI was helping different terror outfits in Pakistan by providing financial, military and moral support. Terror outfits LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen are given "financial" and "military" support by the ISI, Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley said on Tuesday as he made fresh revelations including about an aborted plan to target Indian defence scientists and famous Siddhivinayak temple here. Continuing his expose on the role of Pakistan-based terror organisations, its army, spy agency ISI and others, LeT terrorist-turned-approver Headley on Tuesday described how he was assigned to gather military intelligence in India, recruit spies from the Indian Army and stay at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai to do a thorough recce before the attacks were firmed up. On Tuesday, his second day of his deposition through video-conferencing from a US jail before the special TADA court here, Headley said he was tasked with luring spies from the Indian Army to work for Pakistan's ISI. A man identified as Major Ali of the Pakistan Army wanted him to note troop movement in India as part of the plan to infiltrate the military establishments here. "He wanted me to note the movement of troops in India. He wanted someone to spy on matters of military intelligence, movement of officers. He wanted me to develop contacts with officials of Indian military forces with a purpose to gather intelligence," said Headley. In response to questions posed by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, Headley admitted to working both for the LeT and the ISI. Headley on Monday revealed that the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks were planned over a year in Pakistan. Detailing the planning for the 26/11 strike, he said that in November-December 2007, he had attended a meeting in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir along with his LeT contact Sajid Mir and Abu Khafa, in which they asked him to conduct a recce of Hotel Taj Mahal Palace and other locations in Mumbai. Headley spoke in detail about the methodical planning that went into the Taj Mahal hotel attack. He stayed there on the second floor with wife Faiza, where he conducted surveillance of the floor, reports The Hindu. At the fag end of the deposition, Headley spilled one more shocker: Bhabha Atomic Research Centre was one of the targets, reports The Telegraph. With inputs from agencies New Delhi: About 188 children were on Wednesday taken to hospitals in Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana and Chhattisgarh as they complained of uneasiness after being administered deworming tablets on the occasion of National Deworming Day. 100 children complained of discomfort after they consumed the tablets and had to be taken to Sadar Hospital in Biharsharif, the Nalanda district headquarters town. In Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district, 58 students of a school were given treatment when they complained of nausea after consuming dewarming tablets given to them under a government programme. "The children of a private school in Chidawa felt side effects of the tablet so they were taken to a local hospital where they were given primary treatment and sent back home," Dr SN Dholpuriya, Chief Medical and Health Officer of Jhunjhunu, said. He said that the tablets were given to children of class 6 to 10 and those who complained of nausea were mostly from class 6 to 8. "All of them are fine now," be said. "Eighteen children were taken to the government hospital in Sonipat, Haryana, when they complained of illness after taking the tablets. Out of them, only three had pain in the abdomen. The rest were fine," Sonipat Civil Surgeon, Dr Jaswant Punia said. "It is normal for some to have such reaction when a large number of children are being administered the tablets. Sometimes, a child may have a large number of worms in the body and this happens. But there is nothing to worry," he said. In Chhattisgarh, twelve school students of two different primary schools in JanjgirChampa district were taken ill after they took deworming Albendazole tablets distributed under the state-level deworming drive. "While seven students complained of uneasiness and nausea at a government primary school in Bamnidih block, five felt discomfort in another government school of Jaijaipur block after consuming the anti-worm tablets", Janjgir-Champa Collector OP Chaudhary told PTI. The students were admitted to Jaijaipur government hospital where their condition was stated to be normal. According to the doctors, the children have psychological fear of medicines which may have resulted in uneasiness among them or it might also happen if the medicines are taken empty stomach, Chaudhary said. PTI Srinagar: The city authorities on Wednesday imposed curfew-like restrictions here, causing inconvenience to people. Policemen standing beside coils of concertina wire put across the road in Residency Road and Lal Chowk commercial hubs of Srinagar city refused passage to everyone, including media persons who had to reach their offices in Press Enclave on the Residency Road. "Not allowed," a police constable told media persons who showed their identity cards to him in the Residency Road area. The restrictions were imposed in five police station areas of Srinagar city on Tuesday to prevent separatist protests on the death anniversary of Afzal Guru, who was convicted for terrorist attack on Parliament House in New Delhi. "We have reports about separatists planning protests in Lal Chowk area on Wednesday," a senior police officer said. Meanwhile, pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front's chairman Yasin Malik continues to remain in police detention after he was arrested on Monday. Separatists have called for a protest shutdown on Thursday on the death anniversary of JKLF founder, Muhammad Maqbool Bhat. Bhat was hanged in Delhi's Tihar Jail on 11 February, 1984. His mortal remains were not handed over to the family. IANS Mumbai: Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday sanctioned Rs 100 crore to fund the ongoing development work of the Shirdi airport. Shirdi, famous for its Sai Baba temple, attracts about 15,000 devotees every day, according to government's estimate. The airport works are expected to be completed by next year, before the centenary celebrations of Sai Baba start. An official from the general administration department said the government expects at least 6-8 chartered flights to take-off and land at the new airport every day. "The pending work will be completed by Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation. Rs 100 crore will be used for extending the length of the runway from 2,200 metres to 3,200 metres and to increase the capacity of the terminal building," the official said. "Also, the capacity of parking lots will be increased, baggage and screening machines will be installed, arrangements for passenger security checks, wind direction indicator and parallel taxiway facility will be made available," he added. The airport would be operational by 2017-18. The cabinet also approved acquisition of additional 22 hectares of government land for the remaining work, over and above the 350 hectares already acquired for the airport. The government cleared the proposal of development of the airport at Kakdi village, 15 km from Shirdi in Ahmednagar district, in June 2008. The total cost of the project was Rs 264 crore. It was decided back then that Saibaba Sansthan (temple trust) will contribute Rs 50 crore. "The Sansthan has already paid Rs 45 crore, balance is yet to be paid," the official said. PTI Scientists at the US space agency NASA have discounted reports that an Indian bus driver in Tamil Nadu was killed by a meteorite, but Indian experts said this can only be ruled out after "detailed analysis". Only a detailed analysis of the object that has been received from the Vellore police can tell whether it is a meteorite or not, said a senior official of Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA). "The IIA team has received a sample from the local police. The nature of the object can be ascertained only after a detailed analyses by experts," IIA dean G.C.Anupama told IANS on Wednesday. A senior scientist from Indian Institute of Astrophysics Vainu Bappu Observatory at Kavalur received the only evidence of the Vellore meteorite incident a dark bluish stone weighing roughly 10 gm from Tamil Nadu police on Tuesday, reports The Indian Express. Kamaraj, employed as a driver with Bharathidasan Engineering College in Natrampalli in Vellore district, around 170 km from Chennai, was killed and three others were injured in an explosion after a burning object fell from the sky on February 6. Police said Kamaraj and others were hit by splinters due to the impact of the unknown object which also created a three-feet wide crater. The BBC reports that scientists believe the most likely cause could be an object falling from an aircraft. Police said the fragments of material embedded in Kamaraj's body had been sent for forensic analysis and the post-mortem report would be finalised only after the receipt of the analysis report. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa had announced a solatium of Rs.100,000 to Kamaraj's family saying he lost his life due to meteorite hit. Anupama said: "Most meteoroids (as the object is known before it impacts the Earth) disintegrate as they traverse through the Earth's atmosphere, but a few can disrupt giving rise to several meteorites - as the object is known once it impacts the Earth. But NASA scientists held that online photographs of the site of the suspected meteorite hit in a college campus on Saturday were more consistent with "a land based explosion" than with something from space, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Early reports included images of a crater, five feet deep and two feet wide. Witnesses described hearing an explosion, and police recovered a black, pockmarked stone from the site in Vellore. Lindley Johnson, NASA's planetary defence officer, told the US daily in an email that a death by meteorite impact was so rare that one has never been scientifically confirmed in recorded history. "There have been reports of injuries, but even those were extremely rare before the Chelyabinsk event three years ago," she said, referring to a 2013 episode in Russia. In addition, meteorites are often cool to the touch when they land, and the object recovered from the site in India weighed only a few grams and appeared to be a fragment of a common earth rock. The US daily also cited a scientist at the IIA which is analysing samples of the rock provided by the police as doubting if it was a meteorite. Deaths and injuries by meteorites are tracked by the International Comet Quarterly, which notes the locations and sizes of meteorites. Some smash through houses, kill animals and spatter buildings. But deaths have been hard to confirm, the Times said. In 1908 in Tunguska, Siberia, an apparent "airblast" of an object entering the Earth's atmosphere leveled hundreds of square miles of forest and killed two men and hundreds of reindeer. But no meteorites were recovered, the New York Times said citing the quarterly. In one of the largest recent events, meteorites or pieces of space rock, fell in Chelyabinsk from a meteor that hit the Earth's atmosphere in February 2013. About 1,200 people - 200 of them children - were injured, mostly by glass that exploded into schools and workplaces, the Times said, citing Russia's interior ministry. Another, less likely cause, could be space junk - a piece of space junk, for example, entered the atmosphere just before Christmas, but it is doubtful anything made it to the ground. If it did, it possibly fell into the sea. With IANS Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Wednesday sanctioned Rs 25 lakh for the family of Lance Naik Sudheesh, who hailed from Kollam and who was one of the nine soldiers who died in an avalanche on Siachen glacier. Addressing reporters on Wednesday evening after a cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the victim's wife would also be given a state government job. Ten soldiers were buried under an avalanche on Siachen glacier on 3 February, at an altitude of around 19,500 feet. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad was found alive on Monday. The bodies of nine others were also found. IANS Mir Suhail Qadiri, a Kashmiri artist, on Tuesday had said that Facebook removed a cartoon he had posted on the social media website, marking the third death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Confirming that the cartoon post was deleted from the page, a Facebook spokesperson had told Firstpost, "We remove any comments - posted by anyone - that praise or support terrorist groups or their actions." Here is the full text of the Firstpost podcast with Qadiri (This transcript has been edited for clarity): So, first of all, tell us what happened with your cartoon. When did you find out about it? I always post a cartoon in the morning on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter where I have an account. So I had posted a cartoon yesterday at around 9.30 or 10 am. At 10.55 am, I received a message from Facebook saying that there was some problem with my post. When I clicked on the post, I found out that my cartoon had been deleted. Then, I messaged my friend just to make sure that the post had not been deleted because of something I did. But when I tried to message my friend, I found out that I was blocked from messaging. I was also unable to post anything on Facebook. When I told my friend in China about everything that had happened, he asked me to send him a screenshot of my original cartoon and the message which Facebook had sent to me. And he posted those screenshots online. After that happened, the people including journalists who follow me and my work, both in India and abroad, called me up and asked me how a thing like this could happen. Are you still unable to post on Facebook? Now, I'm able to post on Facebook because I was able to send a friend request at 11 am. So, I have been able to post since then. What were you trying to tell the people through your cartoon? What was your message? My job, as a cartoonist, is to depict the problems, pain and emotions which people have. Even I am a common man. Even I do the things that common people do. There's nothing special about me. And obviously, when I talk to people, they tell me about their problems. I can't make any cartoon locked in a room isolated from other people. I can't assume or think of some problem and its solution on my own and make a cartoon out of it. I talk to people. And yesterday, there was a strike and people were protesting (in Jammu and Kashmir) over this issue. So you can understand the problem people are currently facing. That's why I made this cartoon. Even today, his (Afzal Guru's) family is asking for his mortal remains. But the government is obviously not giving it back to them. So through this cartoon, I wanted to show that the roots of that tree called Kashmir are connected with the roots of that grave which is far away in Tihar. So I wanted to show that there is a subtle connection between the two. I wanted to show that there is some feeling due to which this connection is not direct or visible. This feeling, which also comes from Afzal Guru's family, is strong enough to reach that grave in Tihar. This was the message of the cartoon. You said that you were expressing the pain of the people through your cartoon. This issue is still in the news today as there was a clash among JNU students last night on this issue. Earlier, Omar Abdullah and Shashi Tharoor have also spoken against Afzal Guru's hanging. So do you think that instead of deleting the cartoon, Facebook should have just let the cartoon remain on the site to allow a healthy discussion or debate on the issue? When we talk about Facebook, let's look at why it was made in the first place and how it was made to represent the people. When Facebook was first introduced and people were told that they could share their personal photographs, issues and problems on the site, you can understand the freedom of expression which people should have on Facebook. But of course, this doesn't mean you can do something which is considered to be an offence according to the laws of the society you live in. There are extreme elements in every society and even I admit that extremism shouldn't be allowed. But an artist's job is artwork. For many people, what an artist makes might not be important but for the artist and some others, it is an important document or even part of history. Deleting that document or history is a wrong thing. This shows that there is no respect for the artist. Yesterday, we had asked for a reaction from Facebook on this issue. And a Facebook spokesperson told us, "We remove any comments - posted by anyone - that praise or support terrorist groups or their actions." So this tells us that a certain section of people think that you were supporting terrorism through your cartoon. What do you have to say to this? First of all, one needs to define what terrorism is. What do you call terrorism? When you find people with different ideologies on Facebook, you see that they come from different environments. I don't know what you're calling terrorism. Everyone knows about Guru. Everyone knows about the intense debate on Afzal Guru and how he was hanged. People engaged in long debates and politics while he was hanged. No one even knew when he was secretly hanged. And moreover, he was locked up for a very long time before his death. And after so many years, they suddenly said that he will be hanged, like a chicken who was killed because someone wanted to eat it. In a democracy, one can't be so cruel even towards a convict. And there has been a lot of debate on this issue earlier too. People know about the entire situation. So why then do I have to explain what I'm doing? I'm just bringing back the old debate. I am just another person who is debating with people through his cartoons. Some people are debating through videos and articles. I'm just debating through cartoons. And I want answers. And deleting the cartoon was not an answer. You can understand. In a screenshot of the Facebook message that you had sent to us, the title of your Facebook post was 'The martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Afzal Guru.' This makes it seem like you were sympathising with a person who was convicted for the 2001 parliament attack. Do you think it is fine to say this because of artistic freedom? The work which I do is for all the people and presents their problems. This is not my personal ideology or comment. This is a collective comment. And I told you earlier also that everyone has their own medium for debating. And I presented my debate. Now, many people might find this wrong. I'm not saying everyone will like that. But when I started the debate, they have to answer to me. Even if ten people give me ten answers, I will learn. And then I will create better cartoons for the next debates. But forget about debating, they deleted the debate in the first place. They want debates on such controversial topics to be removed. Now, if they are 100 percent sure that he (Afzal Guru) was indeed a terrorist, they should show us evidence like documents instead of deleting posts. Is deleting my cartoon their evidence? So, you're saying the people who had a problem with the cartoon should have posted their problem as a comment? Obviously, let them comment. Whether they think it's right or wrong, they should comment. It's only then that we'll find out what the people think. When you are suppressing the voice of a small section of people, where is the freedom of expression and democracy? This is the beginning of a debate. This was just the start. Someone could have taken the debate to an even more extreme extent but Facebook deleted my cartoon before the debate could begin. Has an incident like this, in which some authorities deleted your cartoon because they thought it was wrong, happened before? No, something like this had never happened earlier. This was certainly a shock for me. Of course, I have not done anything to deserve this kind of action. This was something which was really new. But this is great experience. Everyone gets a new experience or education at some point of time. So it was kind of an education or experience for me. Now, I found out how they treat people and artists. As I had told you earlier, an artist's work often becomes document or history. And the fact that they tried deleting that should tell us that everyone should be concerned about the safety of their work and the platform which they choose so that others respect and understand their work. That's why I was shocked when this happened. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the constitutional legitimacy of Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa's direction that there should not be any tinkering with the party position in the state assembly, asking how could he clip the constitutional powers of the speaker to disqualify lawmakers on grounds of defection. "Is it not an order of restraint on the speaker not to act under schedule 10 of the constitution (which provides for disqualification of lawmakers on grounds of defection). Could the governor issue a direction to the speaker clipping his powers to act under schedule 10," asked the constitution bench of Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Madan B Lokur, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh and Justice NV Ramana. The "governor may have some role in the functioning of the assembly, but he has no role to play in the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection provision)", it added as senior counsel TR Andhyarijnua, appearing for Rajkhowa, defended the governor's action saying that his apprehensions that the speaker Nabam Rebia may disqualify the rebel legislators was borne out by the subsequent events. "It is a constitutional imperative, obligation and duty of the governor to see that the constitutional powers under Schedule 10 is exercised in a right manner," Andhyarijuna told the court. Described his client as a "conscientious and impartial" person whose acts could not be described a "capricious and malafide", he said: "What were the options before the governor? There were apprehensions in the mind of the governor that the total complexion of the assembly would be changed." Pointing out that Rajkhowa's "apprehensions" were proved to be correct, Andhyarijuna said: "Governor is not a great constitutional lawyer. He has good instinct. (With) Politicians (belonging to ruling Congress) fighting like anything in the sensitive border state, he asked the President to step in." But expressing its doubts on Rajkhowa's conduct, the court asked "whether whatever the governor has done was in furtherance of democracy or to create a dent in it". Andhyarijuna held Rajkhowa's advancing the assembly session from 14 January, 2016, to 16 December, 2015 directing that the resolution expressing no confidence in the speaker be taken as a first item, and the composition of the house not be changed was to thwart Rebia from exercising his powers under anti-defection law to create majority for the Congress. "(Exercise of) Discretion was founded strong basis and the necessity to act that way," he said, arguing the governor could not have allowed the speaker, who was acting in close proximity with Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, to have 42 days to exercise his powers under anti-defection law to disqualify 14 rebel Congress lawmakers. But the court was not convinced. "You are blaming the speaker. Speaker could turn around and blame you," the bench observed noting that Rebia acted only after the governor did. As Andhyarijuna took the court through the sequence of political events leading to the imposition of president's rule, the bench, holding said that a "constitutional discretion has to be based on constitutional principle", asking him: "What was the constitutional principle that was invoked by the governor in preponing the assembly session and sending the message. What constitutional objective the governor was seeking to achieve?" Posing a hypothetical situation, the court asked Andhyarijuna that if an assembly is in session and a resolution seeking the removal of speaker is moved, could the governor on the expiry of 14 days ask the house to consider the resolution on the 15th day. As Andhyarijuna said that the governor may not, the court said: "When he (governor) can't do when the house is in session, how can he do when the house is off." Clause (C) of the constitution's article 179 says that no resolution for the removal of speaker or deputy speaker of an assembly "shall be moved unless at least fourteen days' notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution". Hearing will continue on Thursday. IANS New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday accused the BJP of "stifling" students' voice, as it reacted sharply to IIT- Madras reportedly issuing a circular to bar all kinds of political activity. "BJP stifling student's voice-FTII, JNU, ban on Ambedkar Study Circle, Rohith Vemula's death & now ban on political activities by IIT Madras," AICC Communication Department Chief Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter. A newspaper report had it that IIT-Madras has issued a circular with an aim to bar all kinds of "political activity" because that is "against the apolitical nature of the institute". IIT Madras had courted a controversy in past over banning Dalit students' group, a decision which it revoked later following nationwide protests. The report mentioned that one clause in the circular an undertaking to be signed by students, scholars, project associates and others said that they shall not indulge in any activity that will adversely affect the image of the university. Congress earlier took up the issue of Vemula's suicide aggressively with Rahul Gandhi visiting the Hyderabad University Campus twice. HRD Minister Smriti Irani had accused the rivals of BJP of attempting to "instigate" students across the country over the issue. PTI by Srinivasa Prasad Long before Vipin Gopal, a Malayalee chemical engineering student, thought up the phrase Gods Own Country in 1993 to describe Kerala, Swamy Vivekananda had called the place a mad house. This was what Vivekananda said in 1897: ...the poor Pariah is not allowed to pass through the same street as the high-caste man, but if he changes his name to a hodge-podge English name, it is all right; or to a Mohammedan name, it is all right. What inference would you draw except that these Malabaris are all lunatics, their homes so many lunatic asylums... This has been widely interpreted to mean that Vivekananda considered the whole place to be a mad house of a byzantine and medieval caste system. For some time now, a man called Vellapally Natesan, with blessings from the BJP, has been trying to make Kerala less of a mad house by welding together the many Hindu castes. He even talks of one god and one religion but makes no secret of his designs to turn all Hindus into a single political force. Natesan, 79, heads the 113-year-old Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, which represents the backward caste of Ezhavas. The Ezhavas, traditionally toddy-tappers, make up about 23 percent of Keralas Hindus, followed by upper-caste Nairs, some 14 percent. But with Assembly elections in the state around the corner, Natesans unification project is only making the mad house look even madder. He hasnt ended up unifying the castes. He has ended up creating a new buzz phrase in Keralas politics: the Hindu vote. Along came Kummanam Rajasekharan, a 64-year-old unmarried Nair and a hardcore Hindutva man, as the state BJP President in December, and the phrase began to be tossed around even more. Its another matter that Rajasekharans appointment he was an RSS Pracharak and a VHP functionary earlier and never part of the BJP left some party members fuming. He, however, quickly galvanised the Sangh Parivar into a combative election mode to grab the Hindu vote. All this has left Keralas Congress Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, already hassled by corruption charges, wondering what is going on, and he has no hope of finding an answer till the Assembly elections are held in April or May. Chandys confusion is not surprising. In Kerala, it has always been the Christian vote and the Muslim vote. As for the Hindu vote, it was never the Hindu vote: It was either the Nair vote or the Ezhava vote or the Brahmin vote or the Dheevara vote and so on. According to the 2011 census, of Keralas 3.3-crore population, Hindus constitute 54.73 percent against the nation-wide percentage of 79.8 percent, Muslims are 26.56 percent (national: 14.23 percent) and Christians, 18.38 percent (national: 2.16 percent). But is there really a monolithic Hindu vote now? The Sangh Parivar fancies there is. Ground realities, however, show that a consolidated Hindu vote is a chimera that the BJP is chasing. For one thing, Ezhavas and Nairs have been traditional foes. The Nairs have their own 102-year-old Nair Service Society (NSS), headed by G Sukumaran Nair, 75. He is dead set against Natesans Hindu consolidation drive, a year after he was quite gung-ho about it. Both Nair and Natesan face opposition from within their outfits. Moreover, the clout the NSS and SNDP have among their respective castes is no big deal. Not every Nair or Ezhava waits for a wink from either Sukumaran Nair or Natesan before pressing the buttons on the voting machines. And yet, if the talk of the Hindu vote continues to dominate all political discussions in places ranging from chai addas to newspaper offices, dont blame Natesan or BJP alone for it. At least in theory, the idea of a Hindu vote does make sense to many Hindus of all castes in the context of blatant minority appeasement by the Chandy government. Never mind that the catchphrase is fired like a bullet even when a single Hindu caste is troubled by the pampering of minorities at the cost of that particular caste. The Congress, which leads the United Democratic Front (UDF), has always depended largely on the backing of Muslims and Christians Muslims through its constituent Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Christians via the many factions of the Kerala Congress. Besides, a good number of Nairs, some of the Ezhavas and other castes have stood by the party. As for the CPI(M), which heads the Left Democratic Front (LDF), the Ezhavas have been its backbone. Post-poll studies showed that more than half the Ezhavas plumped for the LDF in the 2011 Assembly election. The LDF also gets its votes from Dalits, other backward castes, some from the upper castes and some from the minorities. More than the Hindutva rhetoric and the talk of Hindu consolidation, its the way the Congress has been kowtowing to minorities that is eroding whatever support it has from Hindus. Minority appeasement by the Congress has always been a pet theme of the BJP, but its clear that in Kerala, the Congress capitulates under pressure from Christians and Muslims whether in the allocation of tickets, ministerial berths or other favours for its own survival. The feeling that Hindus are given a short shrift by the Congress in Kerala is not new but it became stronger after Chandy took over. Having won the 2011 Assembly election with a slender margin of four seats in a house of 140 in 2011, Chandy felt compelled to bend over backwards to entertain his Muslim and Christian constituents to save his government. Despite its highfalutin discourse on secularism, the Left has not been entirely innocent of playing the communal card. But the Congress is seen as the bigger culprit. And so the increasingly disenchanted Hindus of one caste or another who voted for the Congress in the past, see the BJP and the Left as alternatives in that order. Thats the reason why the BJPs vote share went up from 4.75 percent in the 2006 Assembly elections to 6.06 percent in the 2011 Assembly elections, to 10.3 percent in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and an all-time high of 13.3 percent in the 2015 civic elections. The civic elections, held just three months ago, confirmed Chandys fears. The Left walked away with most of the local bodies and the BJP, with some. The Congress was pushed to the second place. It was clear that the BJP ate more into the Congress votes than the Lefts. Chandy knows he needs the Hindu vote badly, but is at a loss to know how to get it. If he tries to placate Hindus in some fashion in the next two months or at the time of distributing Assembly election tickets, he may lose some Muslims and Christians to the Left. If he doesnt, he will lose more Hindus. Right now, Chandy is doing the only thing he can: Keeping his fingers crossed. New Delhi: BJP on Wednesday accused Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh of doing a "cover up" of Shamli incident in which a young boy was shot dead and asked why the state police was unable to catch the culprits when they act with alacrity to find lost buffaloes of a state Minister. "Four days have gone by and no concrete action has been taken against the accused. The Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh is only doing damage control by suspending some officials while its leaders are making insensitive statements. The government is instead doing a cover-up of the incident," BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath told reporters. Singh alleged the five main accused in the FIR are roaming free while three others whose names are not even mentioned in the FIR are put behind bars. BJP also asked a set of questions to Akhilesh Yadav over the inaction in the case as it charged the police of being a mere 'spectator' and SP leaders of making "insensitive" statements instead of acting against the accused. It said it will also ask the Governor to send an independent report to the Home Ministry over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state but said it would oust the SP through democratic means and not through imposition of President's Rule. Taking a dig at the Uttar Pradesh police, he said, it has attained international acclaim for showing alacrity in finding the lost buffaloes of a minister but is yet to arrest the culprits even after parents of the boy killed have identified the main accused. Singh said while Mulayam Singh Yadav talks of being a Samajwadi and asked Akhilesh Yadav if killing a child in broad daylight during a victory procession is called Samajwadi. "The law and order situation of Uttar Pradesh has been shattered by Samajwadi Party goons drunk on power. The power of victory has taken to the heads of Samajwadi leaders and when such goons are elected, they don't shower flowers but fire bullets and that is called 'jungle raj' where police is a mere spectator," he said. Training his guns on SP leader and Kairana MLA Nahid Hasan for attacking the media covering the incident, the BJP leader asked him under which law were the goons of his party firing at the innocent child while taking out a victory procession. He also questioned Akhilesh Yadav if he would act against hiw own MLA for making such insensitive comments and one who had a criminal record. PTI Beijing: China has reported its first case of the Zika virus in a man who recently traveled to Venezuela. The National Health and Family Planning Commission says the 34-year-old man from the southern city of Ganzhou had been treated in Venezuela on 28 January before returning home on 5 February via Hong Kong and the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. The commission said the man was confirmed as having the Zika virus on Tuesday, but his temperature was now normal and a skin rash was receding. It said the virus is highly unlikely to spread in China due to low winter temperatures and a lack of mosquito activity, the primary avenue by which Zika spreads. Zika infections in pregnant women has been suspected for causing a rare birth defect. AP Bad Aibling: Two commuter trains crashed head-on Tuesday in southern Germany, killing 10 people and injuring around 90 as they slammed into each other on a curve after an automatic safety braking system apparently failed, the transport minister said. The regional trains collided before 7 a.m. on the single line that runs near Bad Aibling in the German state of Bavaria. Aerial footage shot by APTN showed that the impact tore the two engines apart, shredded metal train cars and flipped several of them on their sides off the rails. The first emergency units were on the scene within three minutes of receiving the call, but with a river on one side and a forest on the other, it took hours to reach some of the injured in the wreckage. Hundreds of rescue crews using helicopters and small boats shuttled injured passengers to the other side of the Mangfall River to waiting ambulances, which took them to hospitals across southern Bavaria. Nine people were reported dead immediately while a tenth died later in a hospital, police spokesman Stefan Sonntag said, adding that the two train drivers were thought to be among the dead and one person was still missing in the wreckage. "We have little more than hope of finding them still alive," he said. "This is the biggest accident we have had in years in this region." German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said safety systems on the stretch had been checked as recently as last week, but Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt suggested that a system designed to automatically brake trains if they accidentally end up on the same track didn't seem to have functioned properly. Dobrindt, however, said it was too early to draw a definitive conclusion. "The site is on a curve. We have to assume that the train drivers had no visual contact and hit each other without braking," Dobrindt told reporters in Bad Aibling, adding that speeds of up to 100 kph (60 mph) were possible on the stretch. Black boxes from both trains had been recovered and are now being analyzed, which should show what went wrong, Dobrindt said. "We need to determine immediately whether it was a technical problem or a human mistake," he said. Authorities had initially reported 150 injured but federal police spokesman Stefan Brandl later lowered that figure to 89. Ten of those had serious injuries, including the person who died in hospital. Each train can hold up to 1,000 passengers and they are commonly used by children traveling to school. Fewer than 200 people in all were on board Tuesday, however, because of regional holidays to celebrate Carnival. "We're lucky that we're on the Carnival holidays, because usually many more people are on these trains," regional police chief Robert Kopp said. About 700 emergency personnel from Germany and neighboring Austria were involved in the rescue effort, using about a dozen helicopters. Train operator Bayerische Oberlandbahn started a hotline for family and friends desperate to check on passengers. "This is a huge shock. We are doing everything to help the passengers, relatives and employees," said Bernd Rosenbusch, the head of the Bayerische Oberlandbahn. In Munich, 60 kilometers (40 miles) away, the city blood center put out an urgent call for immediate donations in the wake of the crash. Germany is known for the quality of its train service, but the country has seen several other accidents, typically at road crossings. Most recently, a train driver and a passenger were killed in May when a train hit the trailer of a tractor in western Germany, and another 20 people were injured. In 2011, 10 people were killed and 23 injured in a head-on collision of a passenger train and a cargo train on a single-line track close to Saxony-Anhalt's state capital of Magdeburg in eastern Germany. Germany's worst train accident took place in 1998, when a high-speed ICE train crashed in the northern German town of Eschede, killing 101 people and injuring more than 80. AP WASHINGTON President Barack Obama's plan to loosen some requirements of a visa law spurred by the deadly attacks in Paris met with open resistance from both Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress on Wednesday. The measure, which went into effect in late January, requires that citizens of 38 countries who previously were able to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa must now obtain one if they have visited Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria since March 1, 2011. Ed Royce, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Wednesday said he wanted to add Libya to the list of countries covered by the visa waiver restrictions. At a hearing of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, lawmakers voiced particular concern over exempting from the new visa clamp-down some travellers who visit Iran, including those conducting business. "Nowhere does the law include this authority. In fact, Congress explicitly rejected the waivers requested by the White House," Chairman Michael McCaul, a Republican, said. Lawmakers enacted the visa restrictions on fears that travellers from the mainly European countries in the Visa Waiver Program could easily travel to the United States even if they have, for example, visited countries like Syria, Iran or Iraq, where militants are active. The Nov. 13 attacks in Paris had stirred fears about such travel because some of the Islamic State attackers who killed 130 people that day held European passports that would have allowed them easy entry to the United States. The restrictions implemented last month also require visas for individuals who are dual Iranian, Iraqi, Sudanese or Syrian nationals. Representative Bennie Thompson, the Homeland Security Committee's top Democrat, echoed Republican concerns about Obama's announced plan to allow visa waivers for foreign business people who travel to Iran. "I have some questions about how the (Department of Homeland Security) would go about determining the legitimacy of the business-related purposes," he said. Obama administration officials countered that they wanted to shield journalists, humanitarian aid workers and employees of other international organizations, as well as business people helping economic reconstruction efforts in Iran and Iraq in particular, from the tougher requirements. Administration officials noted that travel under the Visa Waiver Program requires that citizens of the participating countries meet eligibility requirements, including a one-time rigorous background check. Gil Kerlikowski, U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, told the committee the United States routinely shares security and intelligence information with authorities in visa-waiver countries. He and other administration officials expressed concern that if the United States fails to loosen some of the new restrictions, foreign governments might cut back on information sharing, or impose awkward new visa requirements on Americans who travel to their countries. (Reporting by Mark Hosenball; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Richard Cowan and Leslie Adler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Mumbai: Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley on Wednesday continued his deposition for the third consecutive day before a court in Mumbai. Deposing from a undisclosed location Headley told the special judge GA Sanap that Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) was helping different terror outfits in Pakistan by providing financial, military and moral support. He also revealed that plans to target Mumbai had started over a year before 26 November, 2008 and that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) initially wanted to attack a conference of Indian defence scientists at Taj Mahal Hotel for which even a dummy of the hotel was prepared. But the plan to target scientists was dropped because of logistical reasons, like difficulty in smuggling in weapons and personal and lack of details about the schedule of the meet, he said. About plan to target Siddhivinayak Temple, Headley said that Sajid Mir (Headley's handler in LeT) specifically asked him to make video of it. Headley also said that he also used to work for ISI and met many Pakistan army officials. He also said that he had suggested to LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi about dragging US government to court for banning LeT as a global terror outfit. Continuing his expose on the role of Pakistan-based terror organisations, its army, spy agency ISI and others, LeT terrorist-turned-approver Headley on Tuesday described how he was assigned to gather military intelligence in India, recruit spies from the Indian Army and stay at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai to do a thorough recce before the attacks were firmed up. On Tuesday, his second day of his deposition through video-conferencing from a US jail before the special TADA court here, Headley said he was tasked with luring spies from the Indian Army to work for Pakistan's ISI. A man identified as Major Ali of the Pakistan Army wanted him to note troop movement in India as part of the plan to infiltrate the military establishments here. "He wanted me to note the movement of troops in India. He wanted someone to spy on matters of military intelligence, movement of officers. He wanted me to develop contacts with officials of Indian military forces with a purpose to gather intelligence," said Headley. In response to questions posed by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, Headley admitted to working both for the LeT and the ISI. Headley on Monday revealed that the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks were planned over a year in Pakistan. Detailing the planning for the 26/11 strike, he said that in November-December 2007, he had attended a meeting in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir along with his LeT contact Sajid Mir and Abu Khafa, in which they asked him to conduct a recce of Hotel Taj Mahal Palace and other locations in Mumbai. Headley spoke in detail about the methodical planning that went into the Taj Mahal hotel attack. He stayed there on the second floor with wife Faiza, where he conducted surveillance of the floor, reports The Hindu. At the fag end of the deposition, Headley spilled one more shocker: Bhabha Atomic Research Centre was one of the targets, reports The Telegraph. At the meeting, the LeT leaders gave information about a plan to strike during an upcoming conference of Indian defence officials and scientists at the luxury hotel opposite the Gateway of India which they wanted to hit, Headley told the court of Special Judge G.A. Sanap. However, that plan to be executed a year before the Mumbai terror attacks was subsequently dropped as the conference itself was cancelled, he added. Headley was specifically asked by his handlers to survey and videograph the second floor of the hotel which he did along with his wife Faiza, when they stayed there between 14-28 September, 2006, and selected the landing site for the vessels which would sneak in from the Arabian Sea at Colaba. He said he had met Major Iqbal of the Pakistan Army first time in 2006 at a house in Lahore and discussed the matters with him. Besides Hotel Taj, Headley made videos of Leopold Cafe, Colaba police station, markets and restaurants in Colaba, the naval and air force stations, the Maharashtra Police headquarters, Hotel Trident-Oberoi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, and the Siddhi Vinayak temple in Prabhadevi. "Sajid Mir and Major Iqbal were satisfied with the videos and photos of the hotel which I gave them," Headley said, adding that the plan to target the Hotel Taj conference hall was later scrapped for "logistics reasons". All the data and locations were stored in a GPS device provided by Sajid Mir and Abu Khafa, which he later handed over to Sajid Mir, Headley added. Headley unravelled before the special court how the LeT and Al Qaeda, which he termed a "terrorist organisation", Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahiddeen and other groups in Pakistan function under the "United Jihad Council" and were working against India. He said the LeT and the ISI have a close nexus with the spy agency providing the "financial, military and moral support", Nikam later told media persons. Admitting to his links with both the LeT and the ISI, Headley described Hafiz Saeed as LeT's "spiritual leader," while Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi was its "operational commander" and both worked with the sole aim of unleashing terror in India. Headley said that in 2003, he was present at a LeT meeting when Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar made a guest speech about his anti-India activities and his release from India (in December 1999 in exchange for passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814). He met Azhar at the location, around 150 km from Lahore, and the same year he met Lakhvi in Muzafarrabad at the LeT headquarters. However, it was at a meeting in 2006 attended by Sajid Mir, Muzammil, Abu Khafa it was decided that he should go to India. On Monday, Headley deposed roughly on the period between 2003 and 2005 and on Tuesday, he spoke on the period after 2005 till 2008. The deposition will resume again on Wednesday, Nikam said. The Hindu reports that NIA will continue to press for Headley's extradition. Our stand is clear. He is still an accused for us and we would continue to press the U.S authorities for his extradition through proper channels. Our case against him and Tahawwur Rana still hold ground. Till now, we have no such intention to make him an approver, an NIA officer told The Hindu. With inputs from PTI and IANS New Delhi: Ways to combat Islamic State threat and containing radicalism besides situation in war-ravaged Syria figured prominently when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Wednesday. Swaraj also briefed Al Nahyan about the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase, official sources said. The Crown Prince arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday evening on a three-day visit during which both countries will discuss ways to enhance cooperation in a range of areas including energy, economy and security. In the meeting between Swaraj and Al Nahyan, the two leaders discussed the challenge posed by the Islamic State, which has under its control vast swathes in Iraq and Syria, and emphasised the need to work closely to defeat terrorism. The issue of a Saudi Arabia-led alliance against IS also came up for discussion, sources said. In this regard, Swaraj also complimented UAE for supporting the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) to effectively deal with the menace globally. India has been pressing for adoption of the CCIT by the United Nations. The two leaders also deliberated on the need to contain radicalism, the sources said. Al Nahyan is accompanied by a power-packed delegation for his three-day trip till 12 February which includes several top ministers and over 100 business leaders and CEOs of top companies. He will hold detailed talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. PTI Federal environment minister Greg Hunt has been singled out as the "best minister in the world" by a high-powered international conference. The World Government Summit, which is meeting in Dubai, was due to present Mr Hunt with the inaugural award in the early hours of Wednesday. Mr Hunt told Fairfax Media he was "genuinely humbled" by the prize, but noted "this is really an award for Australia". In the Christian calendar, Lent is the six-week period leading up to Easter which is characterised by prayer, fasting and abstinence. It is traditionally described as lasting for 40 days, representing the time Jesus was said to have spent in the desert leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection, according to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Lent is a time of self-reflection before Easter. Credit:Reuters During Lent, many Christians fast or give up certain luxuries as a form of penitence. Some Christians pledge to give up foods, such as chocolate, while others may give up an activity, such as watching television for a day a week. It is a time for self-reflection and examination, and the idea is to live more simply and focus on God in the lead-up to Easter. A record of feedback from a drummer, DJ, writer on the road. The migrant crisis in Europe is fueling debate in Britain ahead of a referendum on whether to stay in the European Union. Prime Minister David Cameron has warned that leaving the EU could lead to thousands more migrants arriving in the country. There is growing tension in the French port of Calais, where thousands of migrants are living in squalid camps. The graffiti on an underpass in Calais so-called Jungle Camp reads, "London Calling," the prime target for the 4,000 migrants who live here in makeshift tents and shipping containers, waiting for their chance to somehow get to Britain. Under a 2003 agreement, British border checks are performed on French soil in Calais, which keeps the migrants in France. Speaking Monday, British Prime Minister David Cameron warned that the deal would be under threat if Britons voted to leave the union. There are a lot of opposition politicians in France who would love an excuse to tear up that treaty and would like the border not to be in France, but to be in Britain and I do not want to give people an excuse to do that," said Cameron. Border police and migrants play a constant game of cat and mouse in Calais port. Migrants try to sneak into trucks as they board ferries bound for Britain or even break into the tunnel that carries trains beneath the English Channel. There is growing tension between migrants and locals. Members of the anti-Islam group PEGIDA, which was founded in Germany, attempted to stage a march Saturday, despite local authorities banning all public protests in Calais. North France region President Xavier Bertrand welcomed the ban. These people do not want the common good; they just want to exploit poverty and anger and they have no place in Calais," said Bertrand. In recent weeks, the migrant camps have been hit by snow and winter storms. Natalie Roberts of Doctors Without Borders, the only major charity working around Calais, says conditions at one camp near the town of Dunkirk desperately need to be improved. There are about 2,500 people living there at the moment, mainly Kurds from Iraq and from Syria. And the conditions in that camp are really horrific. People are living in this kind of muddy wasteland. Every time it rains, the mud goes up to your knees. There are rats; the people are getting scabies because of poor hygiene," said Roberts. Doctors without Borders successfully lobbied for a new camp to be built in Dunkirk, which is due to open later this month. The longer-term fate of the camps, and of their residents, could depend on Britains choice to stay in or leave the European Union. Poland signaled on Tuesday its willingness to play a more active role in tackling the Middle East security crisis, in an apparent attempt to persuade its NATO allies in return to boost their presence in eastern Europe. Alarmed by Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014 and its support for armed separatists in eastern Ukraine, Poland hopes NATO will agree at a summit in Warsaw in July to send more troops to former communist eastern Europe. But sources familiar with the negotiations say Warsaw is facing resistance, including from southern member states which downplay the Russian threat and argue that Islamic State and other jihadist groups pose a more immediate danger to Europe. "We have announced an increase in our participation, also military, in actions in the Middle East," Deputy Defense Minister Tomasz Szatkowski said at a panel discussion ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels later this week. Szatkowski told Reuters Poland's involvement in the region had so far been limited to actions such as sending ammunition to Jordan, which is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State. "Right now, we are working on other things. The talks are ongoing, (but) directional decisions have been made," he said, adding that Poland would announce the precise details of its involvement in the coming days. A security source said Poland's involvement in the region would likely be military, but not frontline, and could involve logistics. Brussels meeting Poland's involvement on NATO's southern flank is "absolutely necessary" if it is to secure a satisfactory agreement on the alliance's presence in eastern Europe, said Michal Baranowski, Director of the German Marshall Fund of the United States in Warsaw. "The meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels [this week] is a good moment to announce this move because it will be key for establishing the outlines of an agreement which may be reached at the Warsaw summit," Baranowski told Reuters. The United States and Britain have proposed sending troops to Poland for military exercises but diplomats say there will be no permanent NATO base in eastern Europe such as the U.S. Air Force base in Ramstein, Germany, because European countries want to stick to a 1997 agreement with Moscow on not stationing substantial combat forces on the NATO-Russia border. Without a permanent base, Poland is hoping to persuade its allies to substantially increase the size and frequency of NATO exercises on its soil, among others. At the NATO meeting in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, defense ministers will begin outlining plans for a complex web of small eastern outposts, forces on rotation, regular war games and warehoused equipment ready for a rapid response force, which NATO generals say will amount to a "persistent" allied presence in the region. Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders and outspoken Republican billionaire Donald Trump coasted to big victories in their respective party presidential primaries in New Hampshire on Tuesday, but the focus of the U.S. presidential campaign quickly moved to upcoming votes in South Carolina and Nevada. Sanders, a Vermont senator, routed former secretary of state Hillary Clinton by a 60 - 38 percent margin in neighboring New Hampshire. Trump collected 35 percent of the Republican vote, more than double that of his nearest challenger, Ohio Governor John Kasich, with even bigger margins over several other challengers. The New Hampshire outcome winnowed the large Republican field of candidates, with former technology executive Carly Fiorina, the seventh place finisher in the primary, and the sixth place contender, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, announcing they have dropped out. All of the top contenders immediately eyed the next party contests on February 20, when Republicans hold a primary election in South Carolina, a conservative state along the Atlantic coast, and Democrats hold party caucuses in the western state of Nevada, best known as the country's gambling center. Three days later, Republicans have their caucuses set for Nevada, while Democrats will hold their South Carolina primary on February 27. The flamboyant Trump has routinely belittled his opponents, especially former Florida governor Jeb Bush, the son and brother of two U.S. presidents who finished fourth in the New Hampshire voting behind a conservative firebrand, Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Fresh off his first-ever election victory, Trump, a one-time television reality show host, complained about a Kasich ad that targeted him and said he may "have to take a little tougher stance [against him] than I would have normally." With a large field still in the race, Trump said his rivals are "all really potential threats; but, I'm OK at handling threats." Moving on to South Carolina Early political surveys in South Carolina show Trump with a big lead over Cruz in a state long accustomed to tough political battles in Republican presidential campaigns. In the Democratic race there, Clinton is holding a large edge over Sanders, largely because of her support from black voters, who are expected to comprise a large part of the electorate in the state's Democratic primary. Sanders said his victory "sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California. And that is that the government of our great country belongs to all the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their Super PACs [independent campaign committees]. His campaign launched ads Wednesday in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Colorado and Massachusetts all states where it believes he has a chance to boost his nomination chances. Even with Sanders's New Hampshire win, U.S. political analysts still say Clinton will eventually be the Democratic candidate in next November's national election to pick the successor to President Barack Obama, who leaves office next January. Clinton concedes to Sanders After her trouncing in New Hampshire, Clinton, the country's top diplomat from 2009 to 2013, conceded to Sanders, even as she pressed her contention that his proposals are unlikely to be enacted in politically fractious Washington. "People have every right to be angry," Clinton said. "But they are also hungry. They're hungry for solutions. What are we going to do? Heres what were going to do. We take this campaign to the entire country; we fight for every vote in every state; we are going to fight for real solutions that make a real difference in peoples lives." The New Hampshire results were in line with recent opinion polls which showed Sanders and Trump with comfortable, double digit leads over their rivals. Candidates react We are going to make America great again, a triumphant Trump told supporters during a victory speech. But were going to do it the old fashioned way. We are going to start winning again, and we are going to win so much, you are going to be so happy, Trump added. The soft-spoken Kasich, whose campaign has focused on issues rather than personal attacks, put nearly all his resources into doing well in New Hampshire. Maybe, just maybe, we are turning the page on a dark part of American politics, because tonight the light overcame the darkness of negative campaigning, Kasich said after the vote during what felt like a victory speech even as he trailed far behind Trump. WATCH: Candidates react to New Hampshire Primary victories Second-tier candidates Bunched up a few percentage points behind Kasich were Cruz, Bush and Florida Senator Marco Rubio. They each received about 11 percent of the vote. It is not clear whether the result will further narrow the Republican field; but, many analysts now say that Trump appears to be the consensus GOP frontrunner. When you consider all the negative comments that are made about him, all the attacks - if he can survive it, and beat all these guys by 10 points or more, then hes clearly the frontrunner, conservative pollster Frank Luntz told VOA. BOISE A public auction of oil and gas leases for nearly 35,000 acres in Twin Falls, Cassia and Owyhee counties has been canceled by the Idaho Department of Lands. The lease auction was first scheduled for Dec. 17 and rescheduled for Feb. 17. The auction was canceled Feb. 5, after most of the tracts were withdrawn by the applicant because of the low price of gas, Sharla Arledge, Department of Lands spokeswoman, said Tuesday. Gas prices are the lowest since 2004, thanks to the huge glut of oil around the globe. But when the market picks up, Cedar Creek Resources could reapply, Arledge said. Oil and gas leases are rare in south-central Idaho, said Laird Noh, a former Idaho senator from Kimberly who owns 640 acres in Shoshone Basin that were listed in the auction. The last time any similar activity occurred was in the 1970s. In Idaho, only Payette, Gem, Canyon, Owyhee and Bear Lake counties have active oil and gas leases, but only Payette County has active drilling. On Tuesday, Noh, a longtime rancher and environmentalist, said he felt blindsided when he first heard about the auction and relieved when he heard it was canceled. His land is a split estate, meaning he owns the surface land but the state of Idaho owns the mineral rights basically whats under the ground. Nohs family bought the property from the state in the 1940s. The Department of Lands sends out courtesy letters to each affected split-estate landowners, notifying them of an upcoming auction and explaining their rights. To keep the applicant off the land, the landowners could outbid the applicant. Anyone can bid on the leases, Arledge said. If a lease is issued, the lessee will have the right to explore for and develop the oil and gas, says the letter Noh received. This could result in surface-disturbing activities on your land. These activities are regulated by the IDL, regardless of surface ownership. The surface-disturbing activities effects on sage grouse concerns Noh, who chaired the Senate Resources and Environment Committee for 22 years. The federal government decided in September sage grouse didnt need protection under the Endangered Species Act. It was a decision Idaho ranchers had sought for years, but the decision included new restrictions on mining, energy development and grazing that led Idaho Gov. C.L. Butch Otter to file a federal lawsuit. According to Otter, federal officials wrongly ignored local efforts to protect the bird. We didnt want a (threatened or endangered) listing, but in many ways these administrative rules are worse, Otter said. About 22,000 acres out of the 35,000 nominated acres are in Twin Falls County. The big part of this yet to unfold is the issue of the sage grouse, he said. The public needs to be aware of this. To what extent could this kind of a large scale potential development or auction by a state affect the sage grouse? BUHL A Jerome man charged with leading police on a three-county chase Monday night involving officers from six law enforcement agencies was arraigned Tuesday in Twin Falls on drug and eluding charges. Jose Castillo Valdez, 20, was charged in Twin Falls County Magistrate Court with felony counts of possession of a controlled substance and eluding police and a misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing arrest. The chase started about 5:30 p.m. in Jerome when an officer at a gas station on Main Street noticed Valdez, who she knew had warrants for his arrest, Jerome Police Chief Dan Hall said Tuesday. She tried contacting him, Hall said. But he ran and left. Valdez later told police two people were in the red Pontiac Montana van with him, but he kicked them out of his car before he took off, court documents said. He refused to give police the names of his passengers. Jerome police chased the van onto Interstate 84 westbound until it got off on exit 157 toward Wendell and then drove south on Idaho Highway 46, Jerome County Sheriff Doug McFall said. Buhl police, Gooding police and Gooding County sheriffs deputies pursued the van into Twin Falls County north of Buhl. Twin Falls County sheriffs deputies had spike strips ready to use in the area, but before they needed them the van had mechanical issues, a Twin Falls sergeant said Monday. The van stalled in the middle of 1250 East near 4400 North, and Valdez refused to get out, telling officers he was on the phone with his girlfriend, court documents said. At 6:11 p.m. he finally opened the door and got out with his hands up. Inside the van officers found a black backpack with throwing knives and a baggie of methamphetamine, court documents said. Valdez denied the backpack was his and said the van belonged to a friend who lent it to him two months ago. Valdez was booked into Twin Falls County Jail Monday night, but he could face more charges for the chase in other counties. We plan on filing charges on him as well, Hall said. I dont know for certain what, but certainly felony eluding charges. Valdez is being held in Twin Falls County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bond on the felony charges and $1,000 bond on the misdemeanor charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 19. TWIN FALLS Tabithea Clifford glared at Caleb Hinton, the man shes convinced killed her brother. Youll never have a life again as long as I have the words to talk, she said. Clifford told Hinton at his sentencing Tuesday shell spend her life making sure people know he went to jail for homicide, not robbery. Hinton, 32, of Twin Falls will spend 15 to 20 years in prison for beating and robbing Tigre Darin Martinez, who was 45 when he was found dead just hours after the May 26 robbery. But Hinton will never face homicide charges in connection to Martinezs death, according to terms of a plea deal. Youre going down for robbery, you got lucky, Clifford told Hinton. But I hope you pay for it every single day in prison. And when you get out, Ill make sure everyone knows that you went in there for a homicide. You didnt go in there for robbery. Hinton pleaded guilty in Twin Falls County District Court to felony counts of robbery and intimidating a witness. District Judge Randy Stoker was bound to the 15 to 20 year sentencing term by the Rule 11 plea agreement signed by prosecutors and the defense. Clifford ended her impassioned statement with the same words she said Hinton spoke to Martinez the night of the robbery. And, hey, its nothing personal. Katie Lynn Pingree, 20, of Twin Falls also pleaded guilty to the robbery last month and agreed to serve three to five years in prison. Her sentencing hearing has not been scheduled. Dwayne Lee McCormick, 32, and Laaken Shai Draper, 20, both of Twin Falls, are still fighting their robbery charges in the case and both are waiting to be arraigned in District Court next week. (Hinton) admitted today he was involved in the robbery of Tigre Martinez, Deputy Prosecutor Rosemary Emory told Stoker during her argument Tuesday. The evidence would have showed he did participate in tying him up. It also would have shown that Tigre Martinez was taped with electrical tape over his mouth and nose at some point and that a rag was put in his mouth. While Martinez died soon after the robbery, Emory said, there wasnt enough evidence to charge Hinton with a homicide. The autopsy report did not support the conclusion that the robbery conclusively killed Mr. Martinez, she said. So we do think that the robbery charge is appropriate and that 15 to 20 (years) is also appropriate. Stoker also sentenced Hinton to five years in prison for intimidating a potential witness the morning of the robbery. That sentence will run concurrently with his robbery sentence. The soonest Hinton could be paroled is 2031. I understand that there is certainly more to this whole matter than a robbery and an intimidation, the judge said. This is not a homicide case. And I understand there are things that could be said about that, but were not here to sentence a homicide we are here to sentence this defendant for the crimes that hes pled guilty to. And thats what I intend to do. While Stoker could sentence Hinton based only on the robbery, Clifford was able to speak freely while giving her victim-impact statement. Sitting next to the prosecutor, Clifford asked the judge for permission to face Hinton while speaking. He had three children, and you knew that, Clifford said. You threatened Tigre with his son if he didnt stop moving, you would hurt his son. Hes got an autistic little boy and he kisses his daddys little picture because he misses him so much. You dont know how this affects people. I want you to do every single day of 20 years in prison for what youve done, she said. ...You stuck methamphetamine in his body. You tied his hands and his feet up. You put a gag in his mouth, you and Dwayne, and put tape over his nose and his mouth so he couldnt breathe. So he suffocated. And you took the rag out of his mouth and he took his last breath. You were the last one to see him alive. Hinton, who wore sunglasses and an orange jail jumpsuit and spoke in a loud, clear voice throughout the hearing, answered no comment when given the chance to speak before the sentencing decision. Earlier in the hearing, Hinton admitted to robbing Martinez while he was tied up, using a gun-like instrument to threaten a neighbor that morning and telling him, Sorry that it has to be this way, but you need to go back into your house right now. Stoker did not order Hinton to pay restitution but gave prosecutors two weeks to make a motion seeking restitution, after which Hintons attorney, Loren Bingham from the public defenders office, will have 30 days to make any objections. We are hopeful that this sentence will bring (Martinezs family) some satisfaction, Emory told the court. Outside the courtroom, Clifford hugged County Prosecutor Grant Loebs as other members of Martinezs family shook hands with Emory. The family expressed disappointment with Loebs office last year that nobody was charged with Martinezs death, but Tuesday, Clifford said, they understand the autopsy wouldnt have allowed prosecutors to win a homicide conviction. Facing Hinton in court helped them gain a measure of justice. I was speaking for me, for my dad and for Tigre, Clifford said. Everything Ive been feeling and everything Ive been thinking since May 26 of last year finally got to come out verbally. And I finally got to see the man who murdered my brother and look into his eyes I was letting it all out on him, and he couldnt say anything back. He had to stand there and take it from me like my brother took it from him. TWIN FALLS A Jerome man wanted for attempted murder in an execution-style shooting last month in the desert southwest of Shoshone was arrested in the parking lot of a Twin Falls McDonalds Tuesday. David Gonzalez Ceballos, 24, was arrested at the Blue Lakes Boulevard fast-food restaurant after leaving a Twin Falls home police were observing, city spokesman Joshua Palmer said. He left that home in a vehicle and was arrested on that outstanding warrant from the Lincoln County incident, Palmer said. He was detained without incident. Ceballos was wanted for his part in an early-morning shooting Jan. 23 when a Jerome man was shot in the head, stomach and leg and left to die in the desert. Francisco Javier Bravo-Martinez, 29, survived the shooting and called police for help about 10 a.m. that morning. Lincoln County officials issued a warrant for Ceballos arrest Jan. 26 with a $1 million bond. He was wanted for attempted murder and two kidnapping charges. In court documents obtained by the Times-News before the case was sealed, prosecutors said Ceballos shot Bravo-Martinez in the head with a pistol in a premeditated attempt to kill and murder Francisco Javier Bravo-Martinez. Another man shot Bravo-Martinez in the stomach and leg before Ceballos shot him in the head, Bravo-Martinez told investigators. Ceballos is the second person to be arrested in connection to the shooting. Erik Lopez, 23, of Wendell was arrested Jan. 24 and charged in Lincoln County with two felony counts of kidnapping and one felony count of intimidating a witness. A third man wanted in the shooting is still at-large, Lincoln County Sheriffs Sgt. Scott Denning said. Ceballos was also wanted in Sequoyah County, Okla., on a no-bond warrant for drug trafficking, court documents said. He was arrested Tuesday on both the Oklahoma and Lincoln County warrants and charged Wednesday in Twin Falls County Magistrate Court on a felony count of possession of a controlled substance. After questioning Ceballos on Tuesday, police arrested a woman at another location, Palmer said. Her name has not been released, but the Lincoln County sergeant said she was connected to the shooting. Prosecutors say Ceballos, Lopez and the unidentified man kidnapped Bravo-Martinez early in the morning Jan. 23 over a $3,000 debt. While recovering from the shooting at a hospital, Bravo-Martinez told investigators a more complete story of what happened. The assailants showed up at Bravo-Martinezs house about 4 a.m. and wanted to party, he told investigators. The men drove separate vehicles into the desert north of Jerome where Bravo-Martinez got out of his vehicle to check on a problem with one of his headlights. While outside his vehicle, Bravo-Martinez heard someone yell hey. When he turned around, the unidentified man shot him in the stomach, he told investigators. When he tried to run away, he was shot in the leg and fell. After he fell down on to the ground Bravo-Martinez said that Ceballos walked to where he lay, pointed a pistol at his head, said bye, bye ass and then fired approximately three times before he was struck in the head, court documents said. Ceballos and Lopez are also accused of kidnapping a woman later that day and threatening to kill her family if she told anyone what she knew about the shooting. Denning did not know when Ceballos would be arraigned in Lincoln County but expected it to happen Thursday. TWIN FALLS | As Zika cases pop up in more states and travel notices caution against visiting countries where people have transmitted the virus, global health organizations are trying to understand the virus and its association with microcephaly, a condition largely known for stunting head growth and brain development in infants. About 35 cases of Zika have been found in the United States this year. None have been reported in Idaho, but medical professionals here are taking direction from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and say they're ready to handle cases if they reach the Gem State. What is Zika? Zika is a member of a virus family related to dengue and yellow fever. The CDC says the virus, which causes fever-like symptoms and might cause birth defects, is typically out of a person's blood after a week of infection. It's transmitted primarily through Aedes mosquito bites though a person in Dallas, Texas contracted it through sexual intercourse in January. That led the CDC to recommend men who have lived in or traveled to an area with Zika and have pregnant partners to abstain or use condoms for the duration of the pregnancy. Though the virus has been part of the national dialogue since the beginning of the year, the infection dates back to 1947. In the spring of that year, the virus was observed in a rhesus monkey that was used for yellow fever research in the Zika Forest of Uganda. What are the symptoms? The symptoms, which the CDC says aren't experienced by everyone, are mild. They include fever, red eyes, rashes and joint pain and are typically over, along with the virus, within a week, said Dr. Clarence Blea, who specializes in maternal-fetal medicine at St. Luke's in Boise. About only one out of five people will experience those symptoms, he said. The rashes often appear similar to basic dermatitis, he said. "There is no treatment other than treating the symptoms," he said. Is it fatal? Fatal cases are rare. There haven't been any fatal instances since the virus began making waves in the news in the U.S. this year. But the cause for concern is Zika's association with microcephaly in infants born to infected mothers in Brazil. The condition, a cephalic disorder, causes reduced head sizes and seizures and can impede motor functions in infants. It isn't clear in which trimester a fetus is most likely to develop microcephaly, Blea said. There have been no reported cases of microcephaly just before birth or once a baby was born. Though a link between the two has not been confirmed, the CDC has issued travel notices particularly to pregnant women to areas where transmission is active. Those places include warm, jungle areas like Central America, South America, the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands and Mexico. Who's likely to get it? Anyone who's spent time in those regions could potentially be infected. The focus has primarily been on pregnant women who have spent time in endemic places or are planning to. Though there have been cases in the United States from Florida to California, none in the country so far have been contracted locally that is, infected by mosquitoes stateside. Monday, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement about missionaries serving in areas where Zika exists. "We instruct our missionaries on how to avoid becoming infected," said Elder Gregory Schwitzer, assistant executive director in the churchs missionary department. "...Missionaries are instructed to use insect repellent and to reapply it during the day. They are also instructed to spray their clothing with a solution that kills mosquitoes." The statement said the church has had missionaries in areas with mosquito-borne diseases for decades and encouraged serving missionaries to keep in compliance with medical guidelines. What should I do if I think I'm infected? Medical professionals in Idaho suggest people who think they're infected visit their health care providers. Logan Hudson, a nurse manager with the South Central Health District, said he doesn't know what the expectation of Zika emerging here are and that no one has been tested for it in Idaho. If someone does need to be tested, he said, the district is prepared to take specimens from people to be sent off to the CDC for confirmation. "Because there's no treatment, the decision to test or not to test is up to the provider, patient and to an extent the health department," Hudson said. About Me Mohd. Kamal bin Abdullah I am Mohd. Kamal bin Abdullah, who resides in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. I hold a post-graduate law degree from the United Kingdom. I blog to tell MALAYSIANS THE TRUTH. View my complete profile Blog Archive SHARE THIS BLOG SEARCH THIS BLOG BUY MY BOOK ... at Barnes & Noble or Amazon . A full set of End Notes, Advance Praise, and reviews can be found here . REGULAR READERS ... UNIVERSITY WEB PAGE You can access Professor Martinez' web page - where you will find course syllabus, op-ed articles, academic contributions, etc. - by clicking here BARACK OBAMA " ... The 40-hour work week, the minimum wage, family leave, health insurance, Social Security, Medicare, retirement plans. The cornerstones of middle-class security all bear the union label." HARRY S. TRUMAN "I never did give them hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell." WOODROW WILSON "I have long enjoyed the friendship and companionship of Republicans because I am by instinct a teacher, and I would like to teach them something." JOHN F. KENNEDY "The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived, and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic." THOMAS JEFFERSON "He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors." FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT "I ask you to judge me by the enemies I've made." * * * * * * * " ... while they prate of economic laws, men and women are starving. We must lay hold of the fact that economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings." JOHN M. KEYNES "I do not know which makes a man more conservative--to know nothing but the present, or nothing but the past." VISITOR LOCATIONS MORE ABOUT MARK MARK MARTINEZ'S WEBSITE My Liberal Identity: You are a Reality-Based Intellectualist, also known as the liberal elite. You are a proud member of whats known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme. Take the quiz at http://www.fightconservatives.com/Inside-the-Book/What-Breed-of-Liberal-Are-You.html BLOG ARCHIVE Get new posts by email: Subscribe Bahrain will shortly become a distribution point for Russian LNG after completion of its $600 million LNG distribution center. An agreement to this end has been reached with Gazprom during King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifas current working visit to Russia. The Bahraini facility will also be a distribution center for other Gulf States, with the exception of Qatar, if they request it, Energy Minister Abdulhussain Mirza said. During talks with President Vladimir Putin, King Hamad hailed the growing relations of friendship between the two countries and urged for stronger ties and cooperation mainly in defense, security, energy, economic, investment, trade and tourism fields. Bahrain has been increasing its investments in Russia and Mumtalakat, the kingdoms sovereign wealth fund, made a direct investment of $250 million into the Russian Direct Investment Fund according to Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. Other projects worth around $255 million are underway. Lavrov explained that the governmental circles and the business community in the two countries do not wait for the official decisions and take the initiative to bolster relations in all fields. Bahrain and Russia are also trying to develop their military cooperation, he said. President Putin said Bahrain is a key partner not only in the Gulf region but also in the Middle East and efforts to foster cooperation will continue amid global economic difficulties. After declaring Ramadi in the Anbar province liberated in December, the Iraqi government announced that the city is fully under the control of its forces after militants of the Islamic State (IS) group were forced out of its suburbs on Tuesday. Ramadi was taken over by the extremist group in May last year amid reports that government forces fled their posts during the attack. The latest victory will be a morale booster for the government and militia forces backed by the US-led airstrike campaign. After making the victorious announcement, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi added there would be an extensive cabinet reshuffle to bring in more professionals, technocrats and academic personalities. He said the decision is part of his responsibility and in the interest of Iraqs march towards safety. He recalled that the current cabinet members were chosen by political blocs. The authority of the government in Baghdad continues to be limited in Iraq despite the recent territorial gains. IS controlled more than a third of the country before the US-led airstrikes began in August 2014 and it is now reported to have lost 40% of it. The governor of Anbar province Suhaib al-Rawi said the departure of IS makes the issue of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) left behind an extremely challenging one while spokesman Colonel Steve Warren of the coalition forces acknowledged that there are untold thousands of IEDs in the area. Lise Grande, UN deputy special representative said the level of destruction in Ramadi is as bad as anything we have seen in Iraq. The government eyes Mosul as its next target. The liberation of Ramadi opens a highway to Baghdad that also runs through Fallujah, another stronghold of IS, laying 50km away from Ramadi. Talks between Hamas and Fatah that kicked off in Qatar on Sunday are progressing positively as the Prime Minister of the unity government, Rami Hamdallah, said he is ready to step down and pave the way for a new national unity government. Hamas and Fatah disagree over several issues in the management of the States affairs, means to attain statehood and independence but the reconciliation meeting could be narrowing their differences. UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, welcomed the talks and reiterated UN support for all efforts undertaken to advance genuine Palestinian reconciliation on the basis of non-violence, democracy and PLO principles. Hamas controls the Gaza Strip and has given limited access to Hamdallahs government but remains reluctant to hand it the territory over despite multiple requests. It took over power in Gaza in 2007. Hamas accuses Fatah of stopping the government from paying the salaries of 50,000 of its employees in Gaza. The group which also has a military wing said it is ready to form a new unity government without preconditions in order for the new government to solve the current problems. Prime Minister Hamdallah said he is ready to resign to support the formation of a national unity government and to take every effort to achieve genuine reconciliation. This is not the first time the government has made such proposals as it continues to be the remnants of a weakened cabinet that was formed in 2014 following an agreement between Hamas and Fatah. Mladenov said Palestinians have suffered enough especially those in Gaza and called for a single, democratic and legitimate Palestinian authority to help end the occupation and achieve a negotiated and lasting resolution of the conflict with Israel. President Sisi attracted unwanted criticism on social media when his motorcade drove on a 4km-long red carpet to inaugurate the opening of a social housing project in the suburbs of the capital. The carpet laid on public roads for the event was seen as a move contrary to the presidents call for Egyptians to cope with austerity measures but Brigadier General Ehab el-Ahwagy said it was meant to beautify the general area and give a good impression of the celebration broadcasted worldwide. The local Al-Maqal newspaper devoted much of its front page space to the issue. It asked how is the president asking us to tighten our belts while the 4km red carpet says otherwise? The presidential move was mocked on Twitter and Lawyer Gamal Eid estimated the carpet to cost around 1.6m Egyptian pounds given that it is 8metres wide and a square meter costs 50 Egyptian pounds. Brigadier General Ehab el-Ahwagy denied criticisms that it was a wasteful gesture as the countrys economy and finances continue to struggle while social problems persist. He claimed that the carpet was not bought by the Sisi administration and that it had been used for more than three years on similar occasions. El-Ahwagy added that it gives a kind of joy and assurance to the Egyptian citizen that our people and our land and our armed forces are always capable of organizing anything in a proper manner. During the opening ceremony of the housing project in the 6th of October City, southern Cairo, President Sisi warned that the State can no longer subsidize drinking water. The government spends $5.1 million on a daily basis to provide clean water and only part of the cost is covered by consumers, he said adding that the state is unable to continue this way. Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. Access unlimited news content and The Canberra Times app. Premium subscribers also enjoy interactive puzzles and access to the digital version of our print edition - Today's Paper. Russian tour operators explore Georgias tourism potential The Georgian National Tourism Administration is continuing to raise awareness of Georgia and its beautiful scenery to increase the flow of tourists to the country.More than 20 representatives from leading Russian tourism agencies visited Georgia to learn more about the diversity of the country and discover its hidden gems.For one week, the guests exploded Georgias capital Tbilisi and its historic districts.The Russian guests also visited Georgias wine-making Kakheti region, where they explored Sighnaghi, Kvareli and Tsinandali.Georgia's historic city of Mtskheta was another destination that hosted the Russian guests.The group also travelled to Georgias mountain areas of Gudauri, Kazbegi, Borjomi and Bakuriani.Yesterday, Russian and Georgian tourism industry representatives met each other and planned a range of touristic packages.Russia is one of the main countries of origin for tourists; Georgias consistent popularity amongst Russians can be proven by statistics. In 2015 alone, more than 925,000 Russians visited Georgia; a 14 percent increase on 2014. Prime Minister attends Presidents annual report By Messenger Staff The new Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvrikashvili, has stated that he would attend President Giorgi Margvelashvilis annual speech in the legislative body today.The PM - who took the post after the resignation of Irakli Garibashvili at the end of 2015 - stated that he will ensure the cooperation of different state institutions.Several days ago, the PM also attended the National Security Council meeting called by the President; his predecessor infamously attended few NSC meetings, a result of poor relations with the President.Garibashvili often stated that there was no need to attend events headed by the President; the PM stressed that based on the new Constitution, the Prime Minister and not the President is the main figure in the country.Such attitudes emerged when the former Prime Minister and the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) coalition Bidzina Ivanishvili stated after the 2013 Presidential elections that Margvelashvili did not turn out to be the man he had expected and that he was a disappointment.It should be stressed that the triumvirate - Garibashvili, Margvelashvili and Kvirikashvili were all brought to power by Ivanishvili in the 2012 parliamentary elections, when his coalition managed to defeat the United National Movement (UNM) leadership and their nine-year governance.When asked about the necessity of the PMs attendance in Parliament during the delivery of his annual address, the President said these questions should be asked to former and incumbent Prime Ministers."I do not know and am not going to talk about it in depth. These questions should be put to former and the current Prime Ministers. My position has not changed: state institutions have to cooperate and respect each other. I'm eager to cooperate with Mr. Kvirikashvili or any member of the government, the President said.The negative attitude towards Margvelashvili from Garibashvili and many other majority members was due to Ivanishvilis opinion; it is likely that such a factor still exists, as Ivanishvili has not changed his attitude and continues to criticise the President for what he perceives to be his foibles.Kvirikashvili has always been on good terms with Ivanishvili, having taken a high-level post in the billionaires Cartu Bank; the latter then sponsored his political career.The question remains as to whether Kvirikashvili will be more independent and free in his decisions and attitudes or if Ivanishvili has simply revised his approach to controlling the government. The News in Brief Gia Gachechiladze owns control package of Maestro TV There have been several changes in the ownership of Maestro TVs shares. One of the channel founders, Gia Gachechiladze, has become a majority shareholder. According to information posted on the website of the National Public Registry, Gachechiladze now owns 55% of the Maetsro shares. The other owners are Mamuka Glonti (15% of assets), Ekaterine Akobia (5%) and Maka Asatiani (25%). (IPN) Cooperation with European colleagues deepens in terms of local development A meeting with representatives of the European Council was held at the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure within the frames of international cooperation. The Deputy Minister, Tengiz Shergelashvili, Mayor of Tbilisi David Narmania, representatives of various municipalities and a number of foreign experts attended the meeting. A number of joint projects with Georgias European colleagues were proposed with the aim of strengthening the finances of the municipalities; the two sides expressed their willingness to work more closely together in the future. (Ministry of Infrastructure) No political debates will take place during Presidents speech The format of the Presidents annual address has been approved. According to the decision of the parliamentary majority, political debates will not take place. After Giorgi Margvelashvilis annual report, each faction will have 15 minutes to express their views, contrary to the oppositions demand for organised debates. (Rustavi2) US helps Georgia better protect its state borders The United States Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is providing $10 million USD to modernise the way Georgia protects its state borders. The DTRA and Georgias Border Policy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs signed a cooperation agreement. Within the agreement, border sections at Kasumlo and Kedi villages will be constructed and managed under Georgias Border Policy. Meanwhile, the state border between Georgia and Armenia will be better equipped with special equipment necessary for observing, watching and monitoring the area. The section will be fully fitted out by March 2017. (Agenda.ge) Baptist church opens in Tbilisi An international Baptist church has been opened in Tbilisi, IPN has been informed by the Religious Issues State Agency. The solemn opening ceremony was attended by the Agencys representatives. As reported, the church pastor thanked the Agency for their support. The Agencys head, Zaza Vashakmadze, congratulated the parish on the opening of the church, adding freedom of belief and expression are the main priorities of any democratic country. The Georgian state and the Agency will continue promoting different religious organizations to deepen cooperation, the statement released by the agency reads. (IPN) @ByKristenMClark Trying to get Florida lawmakers' support for one of his more lesser-profile priorities, Republican Gov. Rick Scott rallied in the Capitol rotunda this morning to raise awareness for his call to invest $20 million in a grant program that would help students at the state's 48 post-secondary technical centers. Flanked by students, center administrators and other supporters, Scott said: "This is part of making sure that you get the right things passed during session, that the right things are in the budget." "You have to be here to make sure your legislators know what's important to you," Scott told the crowd, noting his proposed Technical Center Rapid Response Grant Program is "important to people who want jobs around our state." Scott included the $20 million for the new program in his proposed budget to lawmakers. Education budget leaders in both the House and Senate have said they are open to discussing it but aren't committing to Scott's specific recommendation. The House included $10 million toward the program in its budget plan, said Miami Republican Rep. Erik Fresen, the House's education budget committee chairman. Senate education budget Chairman Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, mentioned the full $20 million in funding when he gave his initial budget presentation in late January, noting that "how that will be defined will be the subject of" future committee work in the Senate. Both the House and Senate will discuss their full budget proposals on the chamber floors today and Thursday. It's not common practice for Scott to lobby lawmakers directly or hold rallies to drum up support for his priorities. In the past couple months, though, he's appeared before House and Senate committees to argue for his tax-cut package, and last week, he held another Capitol rally to promote his call for $1 billion in tax cuts and $250 million in business incentives. The "rapid response" grants are one of at least a handful of priorities that lawmakers either have rejected, questioned or are offering counter proposals for during the 2016 session. Among those topics: the proposed tax cuts, the business incentives for Enterprise Florida, the Seminole gaming compact, and his funding plan to increase to K-12 education funding using mostly local property tax revenue. In line with his ongoing goal to get Florida students employed, Scott's budget proposal called for the Department of Education to set up the "rapid response" grants to help expand or develop post-secondary programs "in high-demand areas." The state's tech centers served more than 230,000 students in 2014-15. "I've never met anybody in the state who's interested in going on unemployment. They all want jobs," Scott said. "It's our job to create an environment where they can get the best jobs possible." @PatriciaMazzei MANCHESTER, N.H. -- They needed two tries, but Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders did Tuesday what traditionalists in their political parties had considered unthinkable just six months ago: They won the New Hampshire primary both in crushing fashion turning the once-fantastical candidacies of a celebrity businessman and a democratic socialist into undeniable realities. So vast was Sanders lead that Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, the 2008 New Hampshire victor, conceded shortly after polls closed. Eight days earlier she had barely edged Sanders in the Iowa caucuses. But the far more compelling story of the night was on the Republican side, over who trailed Trump, and by how much a saga that continued late into the night in a third-place battle between Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, where just a few hundred votes separated the two as the count continued. Ohio Gov. John Kasich pulled off a stunning second-place finish, catapulting his long-shot candidacy over six opponents who had bested him in Iowa. Bush rode a swell of late momentum to top his chief rival, former Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. It looks like you all have reset the race, Bush told supporters gathered at Manchester Community College. This campaign is not dead. Were going to South Carolina! More here. Photo credit: Steven Senne, Associated Press With legislation that would block all local governments from banning ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft apparently stalled in the Florida Senate, lawmakers are pushing forward with a plan to do so in Hillsborough County alone. HB 1439 by Rep. Dan Raulerson, R-Plant City, and Majority Leader Dana Young, R-Tampa, sets insurance and background check requirements and stops the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission from banning the companies. It cleared the House Economic Affairs Committee on Thursday by a 15-1 vote. Some lawmakers have urged tougher background check rules, including Rep. Ed Narain, D-Tampa. But its that last point thats most controversial. I do have an issue with this still preempting local control, said Rep. Bobby Powell, D-Riviera Beach, and I know its a controversial issue there. The PTC has been particularly tough against Uber, trying to regulate the company like it does taxicabs, filing a lawsuit to remove the company from the county and at one point ticketing drivers. Tampa is one of several regions where flashpoints between regulators and ridesharing companies led Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, to file legislation allowing the companies to exist in all parts of the state, free from local government control. The Raulerson/Young bill would put similar rules into effect statewide, addressing what Young said is an immediate concern in the county. If Rep. Gaetz statewide preemption bill would pass both houses and be signed into law by the governor, then this bill would have no impact, she said. Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said the bill does not have a Senate sponsor. Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-Tampa, will shepherd the bill in the Senate if it passes the House, Young said. @ByKristenMClark Senate Judiciary Chairman Miguel Diaz de la Portilla has received a lot of praise and a lot of fury, ever since the Miami Republican announced his decision last month that he wouldn't hear a bill allowing concealed weapons on the state's public college and university campuses. It was the second-straight year that Diaz de la Portilla made that decision, so it wasn't an unforeseen outcome for the legislation, which is now all-but-dead despite easily passing the House last week. Diaz de la Portilla has grown increasingly reluctant to take up a similar bill that would allow concealed-weapons permit-holders to openly carry -- which the senator said this week is "on life support." He told the Herald/Times today that it won't be on next week's judiciary agenda, and the committee might hold only one more meeting after that. He acknowledged he's been getting "hate mail" for not hearing either the open-carry or campus-carry bills, but he shrugs off the criticism. "I don't feel any pressure at all," he said. "I'm going to make what I think is a good decision based on sound policy reasons and it's no different than any other issue." That's not stopping gun-rights advocates -- who are livid -- from trying to turn up the heat and persuade him to change his mind, particularly on campus-carry. "Senator Diaz de la Portilla has taken it upon himself to unilaterally decide the future of a bipartisan bill that the vast majority of legislative members support," Florida Students for Concealed Carry state director Bekah Hargrove said in a statement this week. "He has made a mockery of the American legislative branch and turned Floridas legislative process into a one-man show, without respect for the safety of college students." She added: "He should be removed from his office for ignoring his duty to put bills up for a vote." Download Open Letter Both the student group and Florida Carry have accused Diaz de la Portilla of refusing to meet with Shayna Lopez-Rivas, a rape victim who has testified at every legislative hearing that was held. She has said that if she had had the ability as a student to carry a gun, she feels she wouldn't have been raped. "He has refused repeated requests to meet with supporters of Pro-Second Amendment bills," Florida Carry said in an email blast today urging its 37,000 members to call on Diaz de la Portilla to take up both campus-carry and open-carry. Meanwhile, groups that support gun-control regulations and keeping guns off college campuses are thanking Diaz de la Portilla for his "courage" in choosing not to take up the bills, which are priorities for the powerful National Rifle Association. "I write to commend you for your courage and steadfast commitment to student safety," Dana Bolger, executive director for Know Your IX (a national campus sexual assault prevention organization), wrote in a letter to Diaz de la Portilla that was given to the Herald/Times. Download Know Your IX Letter to Senator Diaz de la Portilla (The same letter was also sent to Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando.) "I can say with confidence that allowing students to carry concealed weapons on campuses would have dangerous and potentially fatal consequences for Florida students, particularly for women and other marginalized students," Bolger wrote. "Some proponents of HB 4001 and SB 68 have suggested that allowing students to carry guns will protect them from becoming victims of sexual assault. This could not be further from the truth." Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are battling for the "most progressive" label in the Democratic presidential primary, and for Sanders that includes his call for free tuition at public colleges and universities. During the Feb. 4 debate in New Hampshire, Sanders argued that there is a precedent for free tuition in the United States and overseas. "Now, all of the ideas that I'm talking about, they are not radical ideas," Sanders said . "Making public colleges and universities tuition-free, that exists in countries all over the world, used to exist in the United States." How common is free college tuition worldwide and did it used to exist in the United States? See what PolitiFact Florida found. Taelyn Lafley wasn't too interested in photography at first. Once her class at Two Eagle River School in Pablo got into the hands-on part, she got really into it. The junior dived in, shooting "whatever catches my eye," whether it's people or landscapes. "I do want to have it as a career," she said. And so a potential weeklong tour of the photography world in New York City is a dream for her. She and her class are raising money for the trip, planned by instructor David Spear. So far, they need another $12,000 to help pay for the journey. Spear wants to take 12 students, three teachers and a board member, plus a videographer from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to document the experience. The students range from freshmen to juniors. He wanted them to be able to have a big-city experience and bring what they learned back to Montana. Spear, who himself was schooled and worked at the International Center for Photography in New York, has pulled together a whirlwind itinerary for March 26 to April 2. "We're going to plunge them into a lot of different things," he said. He arranged a special tour of the Museum of Modern Art's photography collection and a swing by the Bronx Documentary Center, where there's a new program for high schoolers interested in photography and documentary work. They'll visit the Lower Eastside Girls Club, which is busy with community and photography programming. Some of the young people there are curating a show of the Two Eagle students' work, which will have a standard run of likely six weeks. Lafley is particularly excited about showing her work she's been shooting a lot of photos in the past several weeks and hopes to bring 15 to 20 of them. "I want them to see how it is in Montana, plus ourselves, too," she said. Plus she wants to shoot some pictures on Flatbush Avenue, the stomping grounds of one of her favorite rap groups, the Flatbush Zombies. They'll visit the New York Times and meet the NYT Magazine's director of photography, Kathy Ryan, and one of Aperture magazine's educators. Then they'll hook up with a class at New York University and shoot portraits of each other. There's another tour of the Magnum Photo, the storied photographer-owned agency, plus a stop at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. They're also going to try to meet with several photographers like Joseph Rodriguez, who's documented the lives of minorities and underprivileged communities around the country. *** Spear worked as a professional photographer and instructor at the ICP and NYU before moving to Montana, where he began teaching a class called "Our Community Record" and co-founded a nonprofit, "A VOICE: Art Vision and Outreach in Community Education." Both teach students the skills they need to tell their own stories about their community through photography. Bringing the Two Eagle students to New York has been something of a dream for Spear. He's been working with this particular group for between one and three years, teaching them the history of the medium and the techniques for making a photograph with analog SLR cameras, development and printing. Sophomore Alexia Parizeau of Ronan likes shooting mostly outdoors, using old-school equipment. "It's a long process, but it's worth it," she said. She's excited about the prospect over visiting New York. Like many of her fellow students, she's never been to the East Coast. "I'm very excited," she said. "It's a new place to be instead of the rez," she said. After the trip, the students will share their photos taken along the way, in addition to the documentary footage. They've set up two fundraising pages on DonorsChoose.org. The first one, to cover the airfare, has already been met, with donations coming from all over the country and a matching offer from the Gates Foundation. The second campaign, which expires March 16, is to cover hotel costs. The total goal is $26,570, with a little less than half still needed. The Gates Foundation matching offer qualifies for that campaign as well. The fundraising page is located at bit.ly/1VRUcUn. For more information on the program, call Spear at (406) 675-0858. After refusing a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, the former chief financial officer of Vanns Inc. has been charged with 221 felonies the same counts that were filed against former CEO George Leslie Manlove. Paul Lyn Nisbet pleaded not guilty to all the charges in U.S. District Court on Tuesday. Prosecutors allege he and Manlove conspired to defraud the company for their own gain. The charges include 124 counts of wire fraud, 86 counts of money laundering, four counts of bankruptcy fraud, four counts of making false statements, two counts of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy. Nisbet originally was indicted on a single conspiracy charge in December as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Although he signed the agreement, which would have recommended a reduced sentence in exchange for a guilty plea and assistance in the investigation against Manlove, Nisbet pleaded not guilty to the charge Jan. 12. On Jan. 21, federal prosecutors filed a new indictment that included Nisbet on the charges already filed against Manlove. Among the many allegations in the indictment is an accusation that Manlove and Nisbet created shell companies and, without the approval of the Vanns board, had Vanns lease property from them. It was part of the conspiracy that the conspirators used their official positions within the company to obtain loans using Vann's assets as collateral and spend corporate assets for their own personal benefit, according to the indictment. Manlove also allegedly used Vanns money for personal gain, including paying for college education, trips for his family and membership fees at private clubs, among other fraudulent charges, with Nisbets knowledge. Vanns, an appliance and electronic retailer, closed in May 2013 after declaring bankruptcy the previous year. Manlove, the former son-in-law of company founder Pete Vann, left shortly before the bankruptcy. Founded as a single Missoula store in 1961, Vanns Inc. grew to include include four retail locations across Montana, an online store and two sister companies, The ON Store in Southgate Mall and BigSkyCountry.com. In 2014, a civil lawsuit filed against Manlove and Nisbet by a group of former employees settled out of court for $7.3 million. The lawsuit alleged the executives led a moderately successful company into financial ruin" by spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on inflated rent, bonuses and trips. In July 2015, the FBI and U.S. Department of Labor announced a joint investigation of the bankruptcy. An attorney for Manlove was present in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, although the only substantive change to his case was the addition of Nisbet as a co-defendant. Manlove and Nisbet have been released on their own recognizance, and a trial has been scheduled for March 21. Missoula County Public Schools took a few first steps Tuesday night: snagging a general contractor for the Lowell Elementary School project, agreeing to outfit schools with hundreds of wireless Internet access points, and shifting the administrative team to better meet teachers' needs. The Board of Trustees unanimously approved Dick Anderson Construction to jump on as the general contractor and construction manager for the Lowell Elementary School expansion and renovation project. A district committee narrowed a list of firms to four, who then submitted responses to a request for proposals. Contract negotiations begin immediately. Lowell is estimated to use $11 million "hopefully less," said operations and maintenance supervisor Burley McWilliams from November's $158 million in voter-approved bonds. McWilliams said construction is still expected to start once school is out. *** The trustees also approved the purchase of 451 additional Wi-Fi access points. It's an add-on to a system that already exists, but isn't anywhere near fully functioning. The district originally signed on to an Aruba wireless access system in spring 2014, but they couldn't do much else at the time. "We have 30 percent of what we need right now," said director of technology and communications Hatton Littman. "We're limited in our ability to hang those because all of the buildings are on old wiring." But the district's technology team wants to get the system online now instead of waiting for the facilities renovations to be completed years down the line. "Traditionally ... you do this at the end," said senior information systems manager Russ Hendrickson. "But that doesn't really put the students in a good position, knowing some of them would have to wait three or four, maybe five years to see an increase. "Surprisingly, with working with our wiring company, they feel very confident they're going to be able to come in and do the wireless access points without having to come back in and redo anything." The approximately $264,000 bill will be footed by November's bonds, as wireless Internet is another component of bringing the facilities up to today's standards. The district went with Access Consulting as the vendor a local company whose quote for the project came in about 30 percent cheaper than others, Hendrickson said. "This (451 access points) will be, a rough guess, 95 percent of what we need," he said. "Every classroom will have an access point, every gymnasium will have a high-density access point. "It's going to make a huge difference to students in the classroom." There's one hiccup, though. The district has limited Internet bandwidth pipe that doesn't support the size of the schools. There's one year left on that contract. "We still have one small piece that won't make it perfect yet," he said. *** Superintendent Mark Thane's cabinet is going to change. He brought the idea to the trustees Tuesday night: Instead of three executive regional directors, reduce it to two, and the third position would become the Director of Teaching and Learning. That's in response to concerns he was hearing from teachers, he said. They need more guidance and support when it comes to curriculum and teaching. The change would be cost-neutral, Thane said. On Wednesday morning, he plans to present the two vacant positions to building principals. Region 2 executive regional director Roberta Stengel is moving back into retirement at the end of the school year, and Region 1 executive regional director Trevor Laboski is leaving to take a job in Kuala Lumpur. The shift also would mean posting job vacancies should any principals get the jobs. "This is the first one of the dominoes," Thane said. A Missoula man who received a 25-year suspended sentence after a 2013 sex-sting operation pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing child pornography. Christopher Michael Cooper, 31, entered guilty pleas to eight counts of felony sexual abuse of children before Missoula County District Judge Karen Townsend for charges related to his second arrest in April 2015. He also admitted to possessing child pornography, failing to complete sex offender treatment, and having both an Internet connection and a cellphone, all violations of his previous suspended sentence. Cooper was one of seven people arrested in December 2013 during an undercover sex-sting operation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. In the operation, undercover law enforcement officers posted advertisements on Craigslist and Backpage purporting to be a woman willing to make a 12-year-old relative available for sex. After arranging to have a sexual encounter with the girl, Cooper allegedly drove to an address provided by the officers and was arrested. He allegedly led officers on a foot pursuit after he arrived at the home. At the time of the sex-sting operation, Cooper was visiting from Fort Lewis, Washington, but he later moved to Missoula. Cooper pleaded guilty to a felony charge of sexual abuse of children. Townsend gave him the 25-year suspended prison sentence, less than the mandatory minimum, because there wasnt a real victim in the sex-sting operation. Last April a month after being sentenced in the first case he was arrested again when his probation officer found sexually explicit images of children on his phone during a search of his house. In court Tuesday, Cooper also admitted to posting child pornography on Twitter. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for April 19. It will include testimony from an expert who performed a psycho-sexual evaluation of Cooper. Each charge of sexual abuse of children carries a penalty of up to life in prison or 100 years in prison, as well as a $10,000 fine. At the April 19 hearing, Cooper will also be sentenced for violating the terms of his suspended sentence, which could include imposing the full 25-year prison term. Cooper is being held in the Missoula County jail on $150,000 bail for the most recent charges, consecutive to $50,000 bail for violating his suspended sentence. A Missoula man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he raped two patients at a teen recovery center where he was employed as a clinical care worker. Justin Griffith, 23, entered the pleas to two counts of sexual intercourse without consent before Missoula County District Judge Robert "Dusty" Deschamps. According to an affidavit, Griffith was a night-shift employee at Western Montana Addiction Services when he allegedly developed a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old patient in March 2015. The girl was at the clinics teen recovery center because she was suffering from chemical dependency and mental health issues. The relationship allegedly lasted through a weekend. After the relationship was reported to the girls mental health counselor, it was then reported to law enforcement. The teenager was examined by a forensic investigator at First Step and provided more details about the nature of the assault. When interviewed by law enforcement, Griffith allegedly admitted to having been in an intimate relationship with the girl. In April 2015, a second girl reported another incident that took place at the teen recovery center to First Step. At the time, she didn't want to discuss details of the incident, the affidavit stated, but she returned in late October and said Griffith raped her while she was a patient at the clinic in February. The age of the second girl was not disclosed in the affidavit. On Tuesday, Deschamps set an omnibus hearing in the case for March 8. Griffith has been released from jail on pretrial supervision. When the national media started paying attention to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, people again started asking if residents of other poor, minority communities were more likely to be exposed to environmental harms. The answer is yes, and a University of Montana associate professor in environmental studies has done research that is helping make the case to a national audience. UM's Robin Saha is a contributor to a paper called "Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards," and the work he and a team published last month in Environmental Research Letters has been cited by the Huffington Post, the Boston Globe and Truthout.org in recent stories about the lead in Flint's water. "It validates that your work is relevant and connected to things that matter to people and their lives," Saha said Tuesday. "That's why I do the work. I personally want to make a difference in how fair our society is in regards to our environmental practices. Awareness and understanding of the problem is certainly a big piece of it." The work builds on similar research Saha has conducted, as well as findings by other scientists, and it confirms similar results, too. For Saha and other educators in environmental studies at UM, he said, the academic work on campus also becomes leverage for social change in the community and beyond. "There's tremendous effort to use this type of study to say, 'Look, we need to make some changes,' " Saha said. " 'Here are some simple ones we can do.' " *** In Flint, people who are mostly black and disproportionately poor drank poisoned water, but officials ignored them when they got sick. Last month, President Barack Obama declared a national emergency. "People talk about how that would have never happened in a rich, white community, and it's hard to argue with that," Saha said. "Sometimes, the obvious just needs to get said." In the U.S., 12,500 facilities use or store "extremely dangerous chemicals" requiring risk management plans, according to the report to which Saha contributed. The study found the health of some 23 million people, or 7.5 percent of the total U.S. population, who live within one mile of these sites to be "severely and unequally impacted." "People of color and people living in poverty, especially poor children of color, are significantly more likely to live in these fence-line zones than whites and people with incomes above the poverty line," according to the report. The situation in Flint is making palpable the findings in the report, a project of the Center for Effective Government. "It's raised an alarm that we have a problem with environmental justice in this country, and the seriousness of it, the effects of it, when there is mismanagement and gross neglect," Saha said. *** As part of the project, the Center for Effective Government graded states "based on the dangers faced by people of color and residents with incomes below the poverty line living within one mile of dangerous facilities." Montana scored a C. The report counted 41 industrial facilities in Montana that handle large amounts of dangerous chemicals and have to file risk management plans with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It showed a high number of people in poverty live near all those industrial facilities, Saha said. An estimated 42,502 people, or 4.3 percent of the state population, live in the risk zone, he said. Of those, 25.8 percent live below poverty. In Missoula, Bob Oaks, director of the North Missoula Community Development Corp., has been a longtime advocate for the neighborhood on the north end of the city with industrial parcels, including the White Pine Sash Superfund site. He recalled a lawyer for Huttig Building Products, on the hook for the cleanup, arguing for lower remediation standards because "it was such an undesirable neighborhood that nobody would want to live there anyway." "I've always seen it as an environmental justice issue, and that's more in terms of the surrounding low-income neighborhood," Oaks said. *** People in Missoula also pay close attention to local government, and that's to their advantage, Saha said. "I think Missoula is fortunate to have a strong, active citizenry, and we've cleaned up our air to a large degree," he said. In general, he said, the environmental justice movement has had many successes in the last 30 years. At the local level, though, it continues to require an engaged public, not just policy wonks and scientific experts. For instance, Saha said, residents should be informed about the pollution at the old Frenchtown mill, the former Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. site. "I think we just need to still be vigilant about our contaminated sites that we have," Saha said. "There needs to be a lot of good public participation and public information." In a room packed with wolverine legal experts, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen may have had the best brief. He actually saw the rare carnivore on three separate occasions. I dont know what the odds are of seeing a wolverine three times, Christensen told the attorneys, but theres no reason for any of you to explain its a member of the weasel family with large feet that eats marmots. Ive seen that. Christensen added he also had read the scientific reports on the wolverines habitat and population, was aware of how elusive the animal is and how hard it is to study. What he wanted to know in the case of Center for Biological Diversity et. al. v. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell was whether an agency decision denying Endangered Species Act protection to wolverines was reasonable or arbitrary. The oral arguments Tuesday came from Tim Preso and Matthew Bishop representing CBD, Conservation Northwest, Friends of the Clearwater, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Idaho Conservation League, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center and Rocky Mountain Wild, and U.S. Department of Justice attorney Trent Crable representing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with a table of lawyers for the states of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, farm bureaus from all those states, two Colorado snowmobile clubs and the American and Montana Petroleum Institutes. Everybody in the Missoula courtroom agreed about 300 wolverines remain in the continental U.S., mostly in Montana. And they agreed that a 2011 study by Rocky Mountain Research Station scientist Kevin McKelvey was a solid block of evidence showing how climatic changes would affect where wolverines can live. What they disputed was whether McKelveys study was enough to warrant federal protection for wolverines. The Fish and Wildlife Service decided it wasnt, and ruled there was not sufficient evidence that wolverines might near extinction without agency action. Preso and Bishop argued there was, noting FWS used the same research in a draft decision granting wolverines protection in 2013, only to reverse course and deny it in the final decision a year later. Were not asking the court to choose our preferred science over the agencys preferred science, Preso said. Were asking if the agency made a rational decision. Preso said FWS must use the best available science in determining a species' fate. In addition to discounting the McKelvey climate study, he said the agency ignored other established biological principles showing species are at risk when their population gets below around 50 breeding-age females. Wolverines have an estimated 36 breeding-age females in the continental U.S., which could lead to inbreeding, loss of genetic diversity and inadequate reproduction. *** In the governments case, Crable countered that the McKelvey study wasnt enough to demand agency action. We must have sufficient information to form a reliable opinion, Crable said. Thats why the agency withdrew its ruling there wasnt sufficient evidence to make a reliable prediction of the foreseeable future. So the same people who drafted the listing proposal had to draft the exact opposite position? Christensen asked. That must have been difficult for them, if not demoralizing. Crable replied that other FWS scientists believed the climate models in the McKelvey study werent accurate enough to predict wolverine habitat out to 2085, as the study attempted to do. The most sophisticated study available is not necessarily enough for a listing to answer that last, most important question, Crable said. The service cant make a listing based on speculation. The burden of proof is on the agency to show why it is appropriate to list. And the modeling just isnt good enough. When attorney Wayne DAngelo got up to speak for the American Petroleum Institute and Montana Petroleum Institute, Christensen asked why his clients thought they had a dog in the fight. DAngelo replied they worried they might face exploration limits if the wolverine got new federal protection. And theres no reason to list it, DAnglo argued, because after being nearly exterminated in the 1930s, wolverines have shown steady population growth to their current 300 census. And thats happened at a time of higher threats from trapping and climate change, he said. The best available evidence is it will continue on. In his rebuttal, Preso said claims that wolverine numbers were increasing was just the kind of speculation FWS said it didnt want to use. The service cant point to undocumented conclusions as a panacea to well-documented problems and say, Population growth will take care of it, Preso said. Our knowledge of these animals is so lacking or based on sparse data that drastic changes (in population) could go unnoticed for years because of lack of monitoring. Crable retorted that the FWS decision wasnt a coin-flip between equally compelling evidence. We have one study backed up by past work saying this is what we think will happen in 75 years, Crable said. We say thats not good enough. Thats not flipping a coin. Thats making a decision. Your digital subscription includes access to all content on our agricultural websites across the nation. Access unlimited content and the digital versions of our print editions - This Week's Paper. On May 12, 2015, Jon Motl, the commissioner of political practices, filed a Summary of Facts and Finding of Sufficient Evidence to Show Violations of Montanas Campaign Practices Act against former Libby City Attorney James Reintsma, the mayor of Libby and several members of the Libby City Council. The basic allegation of Motl is that public funds were used to influence the 2013 Libby mayoral election. We deny in the strongest terms possible that we are responsible for any wrongdoing in this claim by Motl. Reintsma, acting in his capacity as City Attorney and without any request or advice from us, decided to pursue a legal ruling in the matter of Allen Olsens claim of residency within the city limits of Libby. We understood and were assured by our City Attorney that he had the legal right to pursue such a legal determination without our permission. We also agreed with Olsen that this matter needed to be resolved. The issue was legal residency, not opposition to a mayoral candidate. We were never informed of Motls inclusion of the mayor and city council members in his findings against Reintsma until the day before the finding was released to the public. Also, none of us were ever asked nor allowed to give a statement in our defense to the COPP prior to his decision. Yet his inequitable conclusion of our fault is clear in his comments to the Western News of May 15 when he compares our alleged misdeed of apparently not telling Reintsma that he couldnt file his lawsuit to Chicago-style corruption. Motl has demanded an outrageous settlement amount from each of us to avoid litigation in this matter. He also advises us that paying any negotiated settlement is an admission of our guilt. We have not previously spoken publicly on this issue because we were stunned by this decision of the COPP and angered by one mans power to use and abuse his government employment and our taxpayer money to judge and condemn people who have never had any opportunity to defend themselves. It is our opinion that the situation in which we find ourselves constitutes extortion by a public official against residents of his state. This power unfortunately can touch any resident of this state, and reading the newspaper on a daily basis, it is clear that Motl has had many similar complaints lodged against him for abuse of his office. Therefore, we have decided after serious deliberation that we cannot pay any fee, great or small, to the commissioner of political practices that requires us to admit any guilt in this case. We apologize to the public for our silence, but we had to explore our possibilities before making a decision. We appreciate the support that many of you have offered us and we hope for a just outcome. Re: Soft Landing. My assumption is that the folks involved in this program do so sincerely. However, let's look at facts. First, its easy to see that a portion of those coming here have no intention of assimilating with America or our values. Their intention is to gain power and change America into what they perceive as their coming kingdom. I have a friend who was for some time a law enforcement officer in Minneapolis. Yes, there are areas that are no go in Minneapolis and it is 100 percent because of the Muslim influence and takeover of the areas. Yes, there are other towns in other states that are sharing the same fate. Did the people who are responsible for bringing them here have good intentions? Probably. See what that got us. If you want to sponsor a family, you accept all of the responsibility for them, financially, medically, socially, not for a few months, but until that entire family is employed and completely responsible for their family. No government handouts. No lawbreaking of any kind. This may be for generations, but you sponsor, you support. We already have more families on government support than Missoula or Montana can handle. You quote scripture, more often you take a small text and take it completely our of context. How about First Timothy; it tells us that if we do not first support our own families we are no better than an infidel. Almost every day the Missoulian has a plea for help and the needs for any number of folks. Instead of taking on more problems and possibly real danger, let's work to help alleviate the needy we already have here. Pat Lamb, Missoula POWELL, Wyo. (AP) How do you identify a body without a head, an arm or hands? "I obviously can't get into many details, but, you know, with any crime, it always starts with the smallest tip," Park County Sheriff Scott Steward said, when asked a variation of that question on the Big Horn Radio Network last month. Steward was speaking about the January 2014 discovery of a mutilated corpse in Badger Basin, now known to be the body of 30-year-old Juan Antonio Guerra-Torres. Three people Guerra-Torres' longtime girlfriend, Sandra Garcia, her brother Pedro Garcia Jr. and family friend John L. Marquez Sr. are now facing charges in connection with his murder. They have all formally denied the allegations in court and have trials scheduled for later this year. But before authorities could come up with their list of suspects, they faced the difficult job of figuring out whose death they were investigating. "In this case, we were basically spinning our wheels; we couldn't even identify the individual," Steward said. "Then it came with just a few tips." While the sheriff didn't get into the specifics, court records made public last year offer many details about how law enforcement identified Guerra-Torres. The documents say authorities not only got a couple crucial tips, they also conducted surveillance and even acquired Guerra-Torres' children's DNA from school lunch trays to try confirming whose body they had found. An affidavit from sheriff's investigator Joe Torczon included in court records indicates that law enforcement caught its first big break in early March of 2014 two months after a duck hunter and his son found the corpse along a Bureau of Land Management road off Wyoming Highway 294. Two people came forward to tell a Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation agent they thought the victim might have been Guerra-Torres, who they knew as "Chucky." They said no one had heard from him since early January 2014. When DCI Special Agent Juliet Fish presented them with photos of the clothing found on the body, the pair said it looked like Guerra-Torres'. He didn't lace up his boots just like the half-laced ones found on the body and the embroidered piteado belt found at the scene looked like the kind he bought at Californian flea markets, Torczon wrote of the citizens' account. They also said Guerra-Torres had tattoos with the letter "J'' and the Virgin Mary on his left shoulder the shoulder that had been completely removed from the body, Torczon wrote. The concerned citizens also explained that Guerra-Torres a Mexican citizen who split time between California and Clark had several children with Sandra Garcia. *** In early April 2014, the Powell Police Department's school resource officer and investigator helped collect meal trays at Westside Elementary School while two of Guerra-Torres' and Sandra Garcia's children were having lunch, Torczon wrote. The officers ended up getting both children's spoons and one child's milk carton. DNA taken from one of the spoons and compared with DNA from the mutilated body indicated the murder victim could be the child's father, according to Torczon's summary of state crime lab testing. The same day the Powell officers collected the lunch trays, agent Fish and Torczon interviewed a member of Guerra-Torres' extended family. The woman said she "knew" the murder victim was Guerra-Torres "because of the physical description and the belt that was shown in photos that were released to the public," Torczon wrote. "(The woman) explained that she didn't think anything until no one could find Juan Antonio Torres," Torczon wrote. Phone records showed Guerra-Torres' cellphone was last used on Jan. 6, 2014, around the time he's believed to have been killed, Torczon said. Records also showed Sandra Garcia pulled her kids out of school the day after the Sheriff's Office announced the discovery of the mutilated body; the day after that, she started using a new phone number, Torczon's affidavit says. Bolstering their suspicions, law enforcement also found Sandra Garcia's DNA on a tongue ring recovered from the corpse's pocket. In mid-April 2014, authorities mounted a surveillance camera on a light pole outside the Powell home Sandra Garcia was sharing with Pedro Garcia and his family. In addition to monitoring the Avenue C residence, Fish and another DCI agent approached Sandra Garcia, pretending to be interested in buying her 2006 GMC Yukon. Torczon said she told the plainclothes agents that Guerra-Torres was in California and, like her, wanted to sell the vehicle. Law enforcement moved in and conducted a series of searches and formal interviews in late May 2014, but they didn't come up with any hard evidence, sheriff Steward said. "We had our suspicions and we interviewed our suspects early on or at least two of them and didn't get anywhere," Steward told KODI. *** Arrests would not come until March 2015. That's when authorities re-interrogated Pedro Garcia, who'd moved to Georgia. According to law enforcement, he changed his past stories and confessed to having played a role in Guerra-Torres' murder. Pedro Garcia reportedly told investigators that Sandra Garcia asked him to help kill Guerra-Torres, explaining he'd become deeply indebted to people in the Mexican drug world who were threatening to kill their entire family. Charging documents quote Pedro Garcia as saying he hired Marquez to commit the crime. Pedro Garcia told law enforcement that Sandra Garcia brought Guerra-Torres to a pullout off Wyoming Highway 294. Marquez then shot Guerra-Torres to death and dismembered his body with an axe, according to Pedro Garcia's account. Marquez, who declined to speak with authorities, has called his arrest on the allegations "ludicrous." When interviewed in May 2014, Sandra Garcia reportedly told investigators she'd taken Guerra-Torres to a spot outside Cody where he planned to meet with someone he owed a debt to in the drug world. That early January day was the last time she saw him, charging documents say. Charging documents also quote Sandra Garcia as describing Guerra-Torres as mentally, emotionally and physically abusive. The member of Guerra-Torres' extended family interviewed by authorities also reportedly described Guerra-Torres as being abusive to his longtime partner. "(The woman) stated that she asked (Sandra) Garcia one time why she did not leave Juan Antonio Torres," Torczon wrote. "(Sandra) Garcia told (the woman) that Juan Antonio Torres threatened ... that he would send his friend from California to hurt her." Torczon said the family member recalled being told that Guerra-Torres had stolen money from drug dealers. Pedro Garcia also said Guerra-Torres had been involved with drugs, telling authorities that Guerra-Torres supplied him with methamphetamine. The two citizens who initially tipped off law enforcement said Guerra-Torres "had a lot of people who did not like him," Torczon wrote. "They did not like him because he was illegal, but seemed to have a lot of money. This offended the Latino community who were in the country legally." No one claimed Guerra-Torres' remains after his murder or identification. His body lies in an unmarked grave at Cody's Riverside Cemetery. Donald Trumps rise from joke candidate to likely Republican nominee surprised all the supposed experts, including me. But 2,000 miles from Washington, in the southwestern American desert, we should have seen an early warning. In Arizona, there was a sign that Republican voters could be drawn to a candidate who combines anger and flexibility, who is a hard-liner on immigration and a moderate on government spending. Remember Jan Brewer, governor of Arizona from 2009 to 2015? If you dont live in Arizona, you probably know her for two things: signing Senate Bill 1070, the controversial immigration enforcement law that was partly struck down by the Supreme Court, and wagging her finger at President Obama on an airport tarmac. You might not know that while Ms. Brewer outraged the left, she also angered the conservative establishment by breaking with small-government orthodoxy. The same Governor Brewer who wanted immigrants to show their papers to any police officer with reasonable suspicion also sought a temporary sales tax increase to close a budget gap and for Arizona to accept the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. She won both fights over loud objections from the right. MANCHESTER, N.H. Gov. John R. Kasich of Ohio savored his come-from-behind, second-place finish in the New Hampshire Republican primary on Tuesday night as if it were an outright victory. But the road ahead for his presidential campaign remains arduous and uphill. Mr. Kasich, who finished near the bottom of the pack in Iowa with less than 2 percent of the vote, had staked his campaign on a strong showing in New Hampshire. And he got one, setting up what looks like an increasingly protracted Republican nominating contest, which now heads to South Carolina, where Mr. Kasich is not expected to fare as well. His team hinged its entire strategy on New Hampshire, quietly stringing together town-hall-style events in the state while other candidates devoted much of their time and resources to Iowa. He avoided directly attacking his rivals, even as they bashed one another in ads and debates, and he won the endorsement of most of New Hampshires newspapers as well as The Boston Globe fueling a surge in the polls that could not have been better timed. KABUL, Afghanistan An Afghan policeman shot by a NATO coalition soldier has died of his wounds after apparently conducting an insider attack, the government said on Wednesday. The policeman had been guarding the Commerce Ministry early Tuesday afternoon when he fired on coalition soldiers for unknown reasons, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The coalition troops returned fire, wounding the policeman, who was taken to a hospital but died of his injuries on Wednesday, the statement said. The frequency of insider violence by the Afghan forces against American or other NATO troops, sometimes called green on blue, has dropped sharply since the departure of most foreign combat troops in 2014. But a wave of the attacks in 2013 and 2014 led to intensified security measures and greatly increased tensions even as American trainers were working most closely with the Afghan forces. Although some attacks have been attributed to Taliban infiltration plots, most have seemed to come out of personal grudges or outrage. STEM Teacher Training in a Tropical Forest: US Science Teachers Invited to Apply for the 2016 ECO Classroom Trip to Costa Rica Northrop Grumman Foundation and Conservation International call for applications from science teachers for the fifth annual ECO Classroom professional development program FALLS CHURCH, Va., Feb. 10, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In their continuing effort to help teachers develop the next generation of scientists, the Northrop Grumman Foundation and Conservation International (CI) announced that applications for the 2016 ECO Classroom experience are now being accepted through April 8, 2016. Four teams of four teachers will be funded to join scientists in Costa Rica from July 17-30 to conduct fieldwork in a tropical forest. To apply to the ECO Classroom program and to learn more, please visit: http://www.northropgrumman.com/CorporateResponsibility/CorporateCitizenship/Education/ECOClassroom/Pages/HowToApply.aspx ECO Classroom, in its fifth year, is a unique and innovative nationwide professional development program designed for public school science teachers from grades 6 - 12. It was created by the Northrop Grumman Foundation in collaboration with CI. ECO Classroom offers teachers supplemental tools and real-world experiences to inspire students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) related careers. The ECO Classroom program brings groups of public school teachers from across the United States to CI's Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network Volcan Barva site in Braulio Carrillo National Park, in Costa Rica. Throughout the two week program, teachers live and work at the La Selva Biological Research Station where they learn field data collection techniques to measure plant and animal biodiversity as well as changes in climate and land use using TEAM scientific protocols. TEAM has been leading the field of tropical species monitoring with its network of camera traps, established in tropical sites around the world, including Volcan Barva. This research led to a TEAM study, recently published in PLOS Biology, revealing that wildlife biodiversity in tropical forest protected areas is faring better than previously thought. Teachers selected for the program will be able to draw upon this expertise as they work on their own inquiry-based group projects. "Going to La Selva was such a wonderful experience for me," said Robin Rumery, a former participant in the program. "I use the information and activities from Costa Rica in my lessons as often as I can and also received a grant for my very own camera traps. The students loved them. We have been doing diversity studies on the wet pine savanna behind our school for both species richness and species evenness." Kirby Welsh, a participant in the program this past year, had this to say about her experience, "This is an amazing opportunity and the best professional development program I've ever experienced." It is widely acknowledged among educators and policymakers that insufficient numbers of students are entering into STEM fields. A method to address this issue and emphasize environmental stewardship is to motivate educators to engage students in the sciences and to bring unique learning opportunities into their classrooms with real-world curricula and hands-on experiences, such as ECO Classroom. After the 2015 two week expedition, 16 ECO Classroom teachers from across the U.S. returned to their schools with an in-depth understanding of the interrelationship between biodiversity, climate change and human activities, and were better equipped with new techniques and resources to enhance their classroom teaching. Sixty-four teachers from 13 different states have already participated in the program and shared what they learned with nearly 24,000 students. Since 1987, Conservation International has been working to improve human well-being through the care of nature. With the guiding principle that nature doesn't need people, but people need nature for food, water, health and livelihoodsCI works with more than 1,000 partners around the world to ensure a healthy, more prosperous planet that supports the well-being of people. Learn more about CI and the "Nature Is Speaking" campaign, and follow CI's work on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman foundation are committed to expanding and enhancing the pipeline of diverse, talented STEM students globally. They provide funding to sustainable STEM programs that span from preschool to high school and through collegiate levels, with a major emphasis on middle school students and teachers. In 2015, Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman Foundation continued education outreach efforts by contributing more than $17 million to diverse STEM-related groups such as the Air Force Association (CyberPatriot), Conservation International (ECO Classroom), the REC Foundation (VEX Robotics), National Science Teachers Association and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. For more information, please visit www.northropgrumman.com/foundation. CONTACT: Mark Root Northrop Grumman Corporation 703-280-2739 (office) 571-425-2132 (mobile) mark.root@ngc.com Kevin Connor Conservation International 703-341-2405 (office) 410-868-1369 (mobile) kconnor@conservation.org MTN Nigeria selects Gemalto for first commercial rollout of GSMA Mobile Connect authentication service Universal SIM-based digital identity solution will improve security and convenience in the online economy AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, Feb. 10, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, has been selected to provide its LinqUs Mobile ID platform to MTN Nigeria. This new project, operated for MTN in SaaS mode by Gemalto Allynis Services, marks the first commercial rollout of SIM based services delivering convenient mobile authentication for all mobile users. Compliant with the latest GSMA standards, Mobile Connect, 'MTN Token' is available immediately to MTN Nigeria's 70 million subscribers and positions the operator as the country's foremost provider of secure digital identification and authentication. MTN Token offers their users a universal digital ID combined with a mobile-based second factor authentication, for easy and secure web service access, payments and financial transactions validation. When using MTN Token for eCommerce, banking, insurance, ePublic and corporate networks services, the user's mobile phone number is employed as the username. Depending on the level of protection required by the service provider, the process is completed by simply pressing OK on the handset, or entering a unique user-selected PIN code. Any service provider in Nigeria can now easily adopt MTN Token services to dramatically strengthen protection of online services against identity theft and cybercrime. It also enables the operator to offer a convenient digital journey to its customers, removing complex registration and log-in processes, while sparing them the hassle of remembering new username/password combinations. MTN Token leverages the secure SIM vault, creating a trusted environment for sensitive data and transactions, without the initial infrastructure investment required by in-house implementations. "With the launch of MTN Token, we are the first private provider of secure online identity and positioned as a warrant of digital ID and authentication in Nigeria," said A'isha Umar Mumuni, General Manager, Products & Innovation at MTN Nigeria. "As our network of service providers adopting MTN Token grows, the solution will deliver significant reductions in fraud whilst easing the frustration often experienced by consumers on their digital journeys." "The long-established partnership between MTN Nigeria and Gemalto is the perfect foundation for this ground-breaking project," said Eric Claudel, President for Middle East & Africa at Gemalto. "Bridging the gap between security and convenience, Mobile Connect represents the future of user authentication. It also fully supports operators in monetizing new value added services" MTN Token: www.gemalto.com/press/PublishingImages/PR-MTN.jpg About Gemalto Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security, with 2014 annual revenues of 2.5 billion and blue-chip customers in over 180 countries. Gemalto helps people trust one another in an increasingly connected digital world. Billions of people want better lifestyles, smarter living environments, and the freedom to communicate, shop, travel, bank, entertain and work anytime, everywhere in ways that are enjoyable and safe. In this fast moving mobile and digital environment, we enable companies and administrations to offer a wide range of trusted and convenient services by securing financial transactions, mobile services, public and private clouds, eHealthcare systems, access to eGovernment services, the Internet and internet-of-things and transport ticketing systems. Gemalto's unique technology portfolio - from advanced cryptographic software embedded in a variety of familiar objects, to highly robust and scalable back-office platforms for authentication, encryption and digital credential management - is delivered by our world-class service teams. Our 14,000 employees operate out of 99 offices, 34 personalization and data centers, and 24 research and software development centers located in 46 countries. For more information visit www.gemalto.com, www.justaskgemalto.com, blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto on Twitter. CONTACT: Gemalto media contacts: Philippe Benitez North America +1 512 257 3869 philippe.benitez@gemalto.com Peggy Edoire Europe & CIS +33 4 42 36 45 40 peggy.edoire@gemalto.com Vivian Liang (Greater China) +86 1059373046 vivian.liang@gemalto.com Ernesto Haikewitsch Latin America +55 11 5105 9220 ernesto.haikewitsch@gemalto.com Kristel Teyras Middle East & Africa +33 1 55 01 57 89 kristel.teyras@gemalto.com Shintaro Suzuki Asia Pacific +65 6317 8266 shintaro.suzuki@gemalto.com RAADR, Inc. Brings #NoBullyDistrict to Morris K. Udall Escuela De Bellas Artes Phoenix, AZ, Feb. 10, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RAADR, Inc. (OTCQB: RDAR), a technology and software development company that monitors cyber bullying and social media platforms through its artificially intelligent proprietary web-based application, is presenting today at Morris K. Udall Escuela De Bellas Artes as a part of its #NoBullyDistrict Initiative. This elementary school is a part of the Isaac School District in Phoenix, Arizona. RAADR will be passing out flyers and hanging promotional flyers throughout the school for parents, teachers, and administrators to see. The assembly itself will start at 3:00 pm and will feature optimistic, positive speaking against bullying, both physically and digitally. We are so excited to get to directly impact these kids and help make schools safer, said CEO Jacob DiMartino, We are opening up new conversations with parents about bullying and helping shine a light on cyberbullying. Due to increasing awareness around cyberbullying and the companys platform itself, RAADR is seeing increases in its web traffic and user base. The company intends to reach out to all schools in Arizona to create similar opportunities, and after that they intend to go on a national tour to educate people on the dangers of the unmonitored web. About RAADR, Inc. RAADR, Inc., makers of the artificial intelligent proprietary technology application RAADR, have developed a web based tool that provides families with peace of mind when it comes to knowing that children are safe from bullying and predatory behavior unfortunately so prevalent today. By customizing their own unique monitoring and alert settings, parents and guardians can be alerted when their children's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other pertinent social media platforms under scrutiny become posted with inappropriate language. By utilizing customized keywords chosen by the user that are added to an already existing database, parents and guardians can carry a sense of assuredness that the youth they love and are responsible for are safe and acting in a fun, yet appropriate manner. No parent or guardian has the time or resources to be in constant surveillance of all the Social Media platforms in which their children might be active. Nor do most children want intense scrutiny of their updates and postings, despite the best intentions. You want to trust your children, while at the same time knowing that you are protecting them. RAADR gives families the ability to protect their image, combat erroneous postings and for individuals safeguard their children from online bullying. The Company's core competency is focused on building and acquiring apps and other products, services and companies to build a nationwide network of related businesses that are positioned to serve the mobile app development needs of small businesses and individuals Company Links: http://raadr.com https://www.facebook.com/Raadr-1612578245661331/ https://instagram.com/raadr_/ https://twitter.com/raadr_ Safe Harbor: This release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements appear in a number of places in this release and include all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding the intent, belief, or current expectations of RAADR, Inc., its directors or its officers with respect to, among other things: (i) financing plans; (ii) trends affecting its financial condition or results of operations; (iii) growth strategy and operating strategy. The words "may," "would," "will," "expect," "estimate," "can," "believe," "potential" and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond RAADR, Inc.'s ability to control and their actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. More information about the potential factors that could affect the business and financial results is and will be included in RAADR, Inc.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. RAADR, Inc. Jacob DiMartino CEO/President 480-755-0591 Office of Investor Relations ir@raadr.com i-Business Management, LLC Direct: 813-500-7332 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Names New Senior Fellow Ray Beausoleil Recognized for Extraordinary Technology Leadership in the Field of Photonics Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) today announced that it has named Ray Beausoleil as Senior Fellow. Senior Fellows are world-class technologists recognized as thought leaders within the company and across the industry. "We're delighted to recognize an industry pioneer like Ray for his extraordinary technology leadership and vision," said Martin Fink, EVP and CTO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise. "Ray's impressive track record of research in nonlinear and quantum optics has the potential to transform the industry in the long term and advance the fundamental state of technology." Ray leads the Large-Scale Integrated Photonics research group at Hewlett Packard Labs, the central research organization of HPE. His team is responsible for research on the applications of optics at the nanoscale as they relate to high-performance classical and quantum information processing. Current projects include photonic interconnects for exascale computing and low-power complex nanophotonic circuits. Beausoleil is also an internationally-recognized expert who has published more than 300 papers and conference proceedings and five book chapters. He has more than 115 patents issued, and more than three dozen pending. Among his early accomplishments at the company, he invented the optical paper-navigation algorithms incorporated into both the HP/Agilent optical mouse and HP's large-format printers. Ray holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the California Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Physics from Stanford University. He is a Consulting Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and the recipient of the 2016 APS Distinguished Lectureship on the Applications of Physics. For more information about Beausoleil and other HPE Senior Fellows and Fellows, please visit http://www.labs.hpe.com/about/awards/. About Hewlett Packard Enterprise Hewlett Packard Enterprise is an industry leading technology company that enables customers to go further, faster. With one of the industry's most comprehensive portfolios, spanning the cloud to the data center to workplace applications, our technology and services help customers around the world make IT more efficient, more productive and more secure. Forward-looking statements This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of Hewlett Packard Enterprise could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of Hewlett Packard Enterprise for future operations; other statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility that expected benefits may not materialize as expected and other risks that are described in Hewlett Packard Enterprise's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risks described in Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Registration Statement on Form 10 dated July 1, 2015, as amended, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Form 10-K dated December 17, 2015. Hewlett Packard Enterprise assumes no obligation and does not intend to update any forward-looking statements. Editor's note: Sen. Jennifer Fielder submitted this guest opinion piece in January. When a couple of ranchers face the death penalty for accidentally burning 140 acres of public land, but federal bureaucrats burn thousands of acres of public and even private land without consequence, something is terribly wrong. A few weeks ago, several hundred citizens marched in protest to the ranchers' conviction in the rural town of Burns, Oregon. Afterwards, about 15 protesters went to a nearby wildlife refuge to occupy the remote federal outpost. This act of civil disobedience, led by cowboys and backed by well-armed military veterans, has attracted worldwide media attention. The protesters say they simply want the ranchers released from prison, and control of the federally managed public lands turned over to local authorities. According to court records, the two ranchers (Dwight and Steven Hammond) lit grass fires to create a fuel break, or backburn, on their own ranch to stop summer lightning fires headed in their direction. Years before, they had ignited a prescribed burn in autumn, also on their own land, to improve range health. Although the Hammond family ranch fires worked perfectly to improve and protect the range, the fires did encroach slightly onto adjacent federally controlled public land. The Hammonds openly acknowledged having lit the fires, a common range management practice. They also put the fire out when it wandered off of their property. But because a portion of land under federal control was burned, the father and son duo faced a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of death under the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, a law enacted by Congress in response to the horrendous Oklahoma City bombing. When the judge recognized the charges were not at all conducive to the stiff sentencing under the terrorism law, he issued a much lighter sentence. But federal bureaucrats in charge of public lands persisted until the ranchers were resentenced under the harsh federal terrorism law. And that is what caused the uprising in Oregon. Under local control, it is unlikely this controversy would have happened. The situation would have been resolved under state law by local juries, judges and officials accountable to their local communities. The conflict would have been resolved in harmony with the will of the people, which is the way American government was designed to operate. Its hard to disagree with Nicole Kuchenbuch, the Farm Bureau president who said its outrageous and hypocritical of our federal government to bring terrorism charges against the two Oregon ranchers when the federal government itself uses the same practices. Last summer Kuchenbuch fought a fire alongside firefighters at her family ranch and instructed them not to backburn 1,000 acres of her familys private land. But the federal agency did it anyway, destroying the private ranchs timber, family cabin, corrals and several miles of fencing. We were told afterward that there is no restitution for our losses, Kuchenbuch said. Over 20 ranches have been lost as a result of wildfire in Okanogan County, Washington, these past two summers. According to Okanogan County Commissioner Jim DeTro, one-third of the acres lost in the fires of 2015 were caused by federal agency backburning. Several ranches lost private timber, grazing grounds, hay, barns and equipment to agency backburning. In 2013 a U.S. Forest Service prescribed burn near Lemmon, South Dakota, accidentally consumed 11,000 acres of public and private land. When locals sued for damages, the federal government responded, Our review of the claim discloses no liability on the part of the United States. Therefore, your Federal Tort Claims Act claim is denied. Conflict with federal land policies is nothing new, but the Oregon protest brings new light to the widespread problem of having a distant federal bureaucracy in control of local land management decisions. As the chair of Montana's study of federal land management, I can attest the problems are severe and numerous throughout western America. I understand the frustrations, but pray the situation in Oregon is decided peacefully. There is little reason to expect that serious conflicts with federal land management will cease until a more reasonable, locally driven approach to public land governance is instituted. This is why I strongly support real, lawful solutions advocated by www.americanlandscouncil.org to #FreeTheLands. -- Sen. Jennifer Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, represents Senate District 7 in the Montana Legislature. A contentious proposal to extend elk hunting from August into February in 43 Montana hunting districts down from the 44 originally proposed comes before the Fish and Wildlife Commission for approval on Thursday in Helena. After meetings held statewide that generated about 700 comments, the regulations were slightly modified, according to John Vore, Fish, Wildlife and Parks game management bureau chief. The highlighted changes can be found online in the commissions agenda in the Elk Master List. In most cases there wont be an archery season overlapping with the rifle season, Vore said, one of the main concerns that came up at meetings. These changes will affect Regions 3, 4, 5 and 6. The overlap will be maintained in Regions 1 and 2. We need to maintain that early season from August into October because its a rich opportunity to harvest elk, Vore said. Archery seasons provide recreation, but it is not a management tool. The extended seasons are meant to reduce the states overpopulation of elk, which when added up are 29,000 above department population goals. So if we are going to be serious about reaching population objectives we need to be serious about harvesting elk, Vore said. With so much confusion about the shoulder seasons which was enacted on a trial basis this winter in the White Sulphur Springs area Vore said its important to stress that the shoulder seasons are performance based. The department still wants to see the majority of the elk harvested during the regular season, or it will drop the shoulder season. Another hot topic among FWPs hunting proposals was the reduction in the bull elk harvest in Hunting District 313 near Gardiner and north of Yellowstone National Park. With declining bull numbers showing up in department counts, FWP proposed cutting the district to only 75 branch-antlered bull permits. An active and vocal group of outfitters in the Gardiner area criticized the reduction as unnecessary and said it would kill a portion of the areas winter economy. Faced with such disapproval, FWP modified its recommendation to allow a brow-tine bull harvest with a general tag during the archery season and the first three weeks of the rifle season. The last two weeks of the rifle season would be open to mature bull hunting only for those who possess a permit. Only 50 of the permits will be issued through the annual drawings. The agency clarified how it would measure if the restrictions are working: If we observe 10 or more brow-tined bulls per 100 cows for two consecutive years within HD 313, then we will consider that this change has been successful. Alternately, the long-term average among the entire elk population is 23.2 brow-tined bulls per 100 cows. If we observe 18.5 brow-tined bulls per 100 cows for two consecutive years among the entire elk population including HD 313 and the northern range of Yellowstone National Park we will consider this proposal successful. Hunters in HD 313 were also warned, though, that if the restrictions dont work to raise the ratio of bulls to cows in the herd, a shorter season or extension of when only permits are allowed may be implemented. This strikes a balance, Vore said. We dont expect it to cure the problem as quickly as we would have liked, but it maintains opportunity. In addition, FWP is extending its emergency closure area to protect elk migrating from Yellowstone to Montana winter range. The closure would range from Deckard Flats next to the park boundary north to Trail Creek. In the past the closure was at Deckard Flats only, which simply pushed the firing line to Eagle Creek, Vore said. The commission will meet at 8:30 a.m. at Montana Wild in Helena. People may listen to the meeting online at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks website. Some of the other items on the agenda include: 2016 and 2017 hunting rules, season dates, quota ranges and structures for deer, antelope, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, bison, black bears, mountain lions, upland game birds and migratory game birds. Expansion of the number of elk hunting districts in northwestern Montana where certain permission holders may hunt from a vehicle. Quota ranges for a Helena urban deer hunt. Maximum numbers of deer, elk and antelope that can be harvested during damage hunts and management seasons. A five-year commercial carp fishing permit for Lake Helena and Canyon Ferry Reservoir. A proposed channel-migration easement on the Navratil property in Eastern Montana. BILLINGS When Kori Keller saw her dog up for adoption on a website over the weekend, she was shocked. The last time she'd seen Buster, a 7-year-old Labrador retriever, Keller thought he was on his death bed. Keller paid Shiloh Veterinary Hospital in Billings for Buster's euthanasia. But after a series of tests determined his illness was not terminal, a veterinarian from Shiloh took the dog home. Buster's health improved, and the dog was put up for adoption. After the miscommunication, the hospital will add a new pet relinquishment form to its protocol to avoid any future misunderstanding. Buster was returned to Keller on Monday, and Keller paid for all tests the dog had while under Shiloh's care. "We wouldn't just give up on him," Keller said. But Keller had believed her dog was helpless. "Him getting better, that wasn't an option," Keller said. "I had four kids at home thinking their dog was dead." Buster had been losing weight, and it wasn't immediately obvious what was wrong. The tests needed to diagnose him weren't guaranteed to yield an answer. After a discussion with the vet, Keller believed Buster was going die. She wasn't against treating him, but, as she understood it, there wasn't anything to treat. The hospital had hope for Buster, though hope that wasn't communicated as clearly as Keller would have liked. The clinic told Keller that Buster would be housed with a vet who had just recently lost her own yellow lab. That vet would try to help Buster, and if he were to die, she would be able to see him through his final days. Keller then saw Buster on the Rimrock Humane Society's adoption page, posted on Jan. 26. "I relinquished him to the vet," Keller said. "I didn't asked for him to be re-homed." Keller saw the post Sunday and in what she called a "heated moment" wrote a Facebook post explaining the situation and pledging to call Shiloh in the morning. Keller didn't need to alert Shiloh, though. The veterinary hospital's phones began ringing about Buster not long after the post went live. Ed Jorden, one of four owners of Moore Lane, Skyview and Shiloh veterinary hospitals, said people were calling the clinic to switch their service. Jorden said the vet did take Buster home. The hospital did charge a cremation fee. They did try to find Buster a new home. But none of this was meant to be behind the owner's back. "They were going to euthanize it; they didn't want it anymore," Jorden said. Jorden said Buster gained 10 pounds under the vet's care, but the large dog turned out to be more than she could care for. So, Shiloh called the Rimrock Humane Society and asked if they could help find a new home for the animal. Rimrock Humane Society President Sandy Church said when they got the call, there was nothing unusual about it. While Shiloh provides less than 1 percent of the Humane Society's dogs. Veterinary hospitals aren't known for adoptions, Church said. The humane society's social media pages get more viewers, so they will do courtesy posts for vets or small organizations who are having trouble getting their animals homes. The Humane Society and Shiloh have worked together on and off for 18 years, and Church said while some type of miscommunication took place in this scenario, the Humane Society has never had a problem with Shiloh. Jorden said the vet has a euthanasia form that acts as a relinquishment form. He said the hospital had a verbal agreement with Keller about relinquishing her animal. In Montana, dogs are considered property under state law. However, legal forms for relinquishing animals aren't standardized. They are different depending on whether the animal is being given to animal control, a shelter or a veterinary hospital. Church said the Rimrock Humane Society's form was written by lawyers. It details that as soon as the form is signed, the owner gives up the right to any and all information regarding the animal. It is stated several times on the form. The Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter has many forms regarding relinquishment, but owners can opt in for information if the shelter feels the animal is not adoptable through them. Then, the owner and Anderson have a conversation. This option was added to the form only a short time after Anderson began at YVAS. She said a woman had given a cat up for adoption and the shelter was forced to euthanize it. When the owner saw the cat was no longer on the YVAS website, she called the shelter and thanked them for finding it a new home. "My heart hit my stomach," Anderson said. After that, shelter staff took more time in explaining to owners what happens when they relinquish a pet and getting a good feel for why the pet was being given up for adoption. Anderson said it is good practice for owners to fully discuss their options and research what different veterinary hospitals and shelters do, so that both the owners and the organizations are clear about what the owner wants. "Owners have lived with their animals and cared for them," Anderson said. "Who am I to decide something for them?" St. Patricks Day parade, marshal forms ready St. Patricks Day parade entry forms and grand marshal nomination forms are available, according to Butte Community Celebrations, Inc. A form can be emailed by contacting Linda Redfern at lredfern1731@yahoo.com, pull it off the website at www.buttemt.org or a hard copy can be obtained at the Civic Center, Chamber of Commerce, B&S Cafe or Cavanaughs County Celtic. The entry deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 9. All entries must be in or postmarked on that day to avoid a late fee of $25. The pre-parade meeting will take place the the Knights of Columbus, Park and Idaho, at 6 p.m. Monday, March 14. A representative of each entry is required to attend. Judges, volunteers needed for parade Butte Community Celebrations needs volunteers to be judges of the St. Patricks Day parade entries and collectors carrying buckets during the parade. Contact Lisa Otto at 406-490-8916 if you are interested in being a judge. Contact Linda Redfern at 406-565-7689 if you are interested in volunteering to collect during the parade. Meetings changed for Gamblers Anonymous Gamblers Anonymous has changed its weekly meetings to Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. at Aldersgate United Methodist Church. Details: 406-490-3312. The meetings were previously held on Fridays. Fundraising breakfast Sunday at KC Butte Knights of Columbus Butte Council 668 will have its monthly fundraiser breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, Feb. 14, at 224 W. Park St. Proceeds from this months breakfast will go to the Casey Boyle and Kyle Burgman Scholarship Fund. Casey and Kyle died in a tragic car accident on Aug. 10, 2015. The menu includes French toast, bacon, sausage, hash browns, eggs, coffee and juice. The cost is $8 per person or $20 per family. Details: 406-782-2891. Library planning bargain book sale The Butte Public Library will have a bargain sale in its basement Feb. 16-27, at 226 W. Broadway St. Books are 25 cents each or $1 per bag. Sale will be during library hours: Monday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Details: Angela Jordan at 406-723-3361 ext. 6200 or email at ajordan@buttepubliclibrary.info. MISSOULA Approximately 11.7 million nonresident travelers visited Montana in 2015 and spent nearly $3.6 billion here, according to preliminary estimates by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana. While the number of visitors increased by 8 percent over 2014, the total amount spent by those travelers decreased nearly 8 percent, mainly due to lower fuel costs and the plummeting value of the Canadian dollar. Tourism directly supports more than 37,000 jobs and supports 52,750 jobs total in the Treasure State. Nonresidents contributed more than $208 million in state and local taxes last year. A recent survey found that 59 percent of tourism-related business owners saw an increase in customers last year. Brendan Bannigan, owner of the Grizzly Hackle in Missoula, was one of those. I would say there was an increase, said Bannigan, whose business offers fly-fishing gear and guided trips. Obviously the weather, in terms of smoke and low water, impacted us a little bit, but I dont think I would say we saw a decrease. Bannigan said business was decent, all things considered. Last years drought and wildfires were about the worst conditions a business that relies on good fishing can experience. Conditions were about as unfavorable as they can be, he said. Customers increasing During a recent Economic Outlook Seminar in Missoula, ITRR Director Norma Nickerson said research has shown that so-called millennials spend considerably less than baby boomers when they travel. Bannigan, for one, said he hasnt noticed a difference between the spending habits of young and older customers. Weve got people that come on guided trips that are younger and are spending money and also buying merchandise, he said. He did, however, acknowledge that people seem to be spending less money these days, even if the number of customers is increasing. We have a lot of return customers, he said. For the most part, a lot of the walk-ins are buying hats and shirts. They arent buying $700-$800 rods and reels. Theyre not spending as much money as they probably were 10 years ago. Looking forward, a survey by ITRR found that 61 percent of businesses expect to see visitation increase in 2016. The ITRR projects an increase in airport deboardings of 3.2 percent from 2014 to 2015 in Missoula and that because gasoline is so inexpensive, people can travel more often and likely are taking more weekend trips. However, Canadians represent typically 14 percent of all nonresident visitors to Montana, and the value of their dollar is decreasing. While the number of Canadians in Montana is remaining steady, their spending appears to have tapered off during the past year. Kara Grau, the assistant director of economic analysis at the ITRR, said the picture is pretty rosy for tourism-dependent businesses. A lot of businesses are just happy to see increased traffic, she said. Even if statewide spending overall looks like it may have decreased. Fuel is the biggest expenditure of nonresidents, so thats a big part of the picture. And the decrease in value of the Canadian dollar had a significant impact. Canadians used to shop for appliances, back-to-school supplies, and even groceries here; they are doing a lot less of that currently. Grau said preliminary estimates have tourist spending increasing by about 2 percent in 2016, but that could change due to outside factors such as falling foreign currency values. Bannigan said hes confident about a nice 2016. Were thinking its going to be an increase, he said. Were excited that we see as much snow as we have already, and were hoping it lasts and continues. Were feeling really good about the upcoming summer. Pete Sorini, the gifted neurosurgeon whose own battle with brain cancer brought out the best in himself, his family and his beloved Butte, Montana, died Monday evening at home after a 14-month fight. He was 56. Sorini, who was diagnosed in December 2014, died at 7:48 p.m. His wife, Stephanie, and daughters Giavanna, Marietta and Isabella, were there, as was Father Patrick Beretta of the Butte Catholic community. He was known as a neurosurgeon and he was a soldier he was a colonel in the Army but to us he was a father and a husband, Stephanie Sorini told The Montana Standard. That was his role with us. He truly was the best of the best. Beretta called him a teacher and a healer who continued to deeply touch others during his illness. The new depths of love he and his family found together and expressed was one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life, he said. I continued to see him shine in spite of that devastating illness, Beretta said. He found new ways to shine, he found new ways to radiate to people. Visitation and funeral mass were set for Monday at the Butte Civic Center, a place chosen Beretta said because there isnt a church big enough in Butte to accommodate the outpouring of community sadness and support sure to be on display. It was clear on Tuesday in the words spoken by others, including Chad Harrington, who was among friends who visited Sorini for a last time Monday. All spoke of his bond with family, his love of life and people and his humility. He was a tremendous package wrapped up into one body, Harrington said. Sorini, the son of Martha Sorini and Ernest Sorini of Butte, graduated from Butte High School in 1977. He received his doctorate from Marquette University Medical School and his neurosurgery residency took place at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, and the State University of New York at Buffalo. Most recently, he was neurosurgeon and chief medical officer at Community Hospital of Anaconda. He was a colonel in the Army Reserves, performing surgeries in Iraq, Germany and Haiti, and was recently distinguished with the prestigious Meritorious Service Award by the U.S. Army. For years he had helped his patients battle brain cancer and in December 2014 was himself diagnosed with glioblastoma, an extremely aggressive cancer that begins in the brain and spreads quickly. Even with aggressive treatment, most people die within 12 to 15 months. Few survive past five years. Sorini knew that, of course. Pete said that because the prognosis for such a cruel, merciless illness is so bleak, there was a part of him that would have been tempted to go with his wife on a long trip and just enjoy a wonderful time and die sooner, Beretta said. But because of the love he had for his daughters, he made a decision to do everything possible to stay alive as long as possible so he could cherish every moment with them as long as possible, he said. He achieved that. The situation a brain surgeon suffering from brain cancer was not lost on Sorini. Its sort of a lot of irony there, he told The Standard only days after he was diagnosed. Still, he thought of his patients. This brings a whole new insight into it that I wish I had before to appreciate my patients suffering and to empathize with them, he said. Sorini received very aggressive and sometimes very experimental treatment, Beretta said, all to spend more time with his family. When his condition became known before the holidays in 2014, his friends, neighbors and colleagues far and wide rallied to their side. They threaded Christmas lights through a pine tree in the familys front yard to spell out the word hope and hung ornaments on its branches. They stocked the familys refrigerator, adorned the wall of their home with family pictures, stopped by and days and months later kept stopping by. Community Hospital of Anaconda, where Sorini worked, offered him a leave of absence and brought in other doctors to keep his practice running. When the Sorinis urgently needed to get to San Francisco for a brain biopsy, Kalispell Regional Medical Center sent its plane to transport the whole family. Pete and Stephanie celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on June 30. A few days later, they served as grand marshals in Buttes Fourth of July parade. Buttes favorite holiday was also Sorinis favorite. Bill Melvin, who began a lifelong friendship with Sorini when they were in the third grade, said he was a brilliant neurosurgeon who had so many other interests as well none higher than his family and people. They were in each others weddings and each was godfather to at least one of the others children. There wasnt a benefit he wasnt right in the middle of and donating to, Melvin said. Longtime friend Marko Lucich also spent time with Sorini and his family Monday. You couldnt ask for a better friend, Lucich said. He was the most humble person I have ever known. He was the most unbelievable husband and father I have ever known. It was Sorini who noticed that Lucich was shuffling as he walked a telltale sign of a condition called hydrocephalus that causes water to accumulate on the brain and told him to seek treatment in late 2011. Sorini performed surgery on Lucich the day before Thanksgiving that year, inserting a shunt into his brain, down the side of his skull and into his chest and abdominal cavities to drain the excess fluid. Lucich, whose life was saved, called Sorini his guardian angel. I wish more people could have known him and taken lessons from him on how to treat people and be humble, he said. Stephanie said it is wonderful that services would be held at the Civic Center, and she is grateful for the outpouring of love and support. Longtime friend Mike Thatcher said Sorini showed his true self through tears and laughter, and no matter what was happening in his life, wanted to know how you and yours were doing. And he loved to have fun. He was the real deal, he said. He was the best ambassador Butte had. He was a gift to all of us, and we are lucky Stephanie and the girls shared him with us. He is not going to go out without rocking the Civic Center, I can tell you that. Beretta said it became clear on Sunday that Sorini had little time left. The end is always hard for those left behind, and was Monday night, Beretta said, because it is then that the radical difference that breath makes in a human being becomes so clear. Sorinis life and illness were known outside of Butte and outside of Montana. Beretta penned some of his thoughts about his friend and his last journey for The Huffington Post late last year, which The Standard shared here as well. It was powerful by anyones account, but Beretta said it was only so because of Pete Sorini. He ended the piece by recounting that after each visit with Sorini, he looked at his gentle face, one untouched by fear or pain. I find myself observing his life the way an impressionist painter studies the fading sunlight, Beretta wrote. It is soft but still bright. It is rich in color. It is the most magnificent light of the day. PREVIOUS POST Oscar Snub: Maybe it is time for African Americans to set up their own studio infrastructure By Marvin Peart A color-free Academy Awards is indeed a strange anomaly, in an America more enriched every day by its people of color. But the problem is one that those less experienced in the art of filmmaking - and the art of the film business - might not recognize.... COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa A request from the city of Columbus Junction to extend an existing tax-increment financing district by five years and create a new 15-year TIF went down to defeat Monday on a 2-3 vote by the Columbus School Board. The citys plan included adding five years to the TIF that was originally created to help develop the New Heritage Village - Phase I Subdivision; and creating a 15-year TIF for the proposed New Heritage Village - Phase II Subdivision. According to city officials and a preliminary plat, Phase II would include nearly 30 new building lots and extension of New Heritage Trail from its intersection with Village Square to Colton/Spring Street, just north of the Columbus City limits. Although cities with populations of less than 15,000 can establish 10-year TIFs on their own, the additional five years require approval from the affected county and school district. The city presented the plan to the school board on Jan. 11 as an informational item. Officials followed that up the next day with a presentation to the Louisa County Board of Supervisors, which approved the request. Columbus Junction Community Development Director Mallory Smith reminded the school board members Monday the estimated $1 million street extension was a major factor for seeking the longer TIFs. You have something fairly expensive and (the city) has accepted the lead, but well need a diversified approach, she said. Board member Eric Totemeier, however, was not convinced the school districts taxpayers should be a part of that approach. Phase II should be self-funded and if it cant, then it needs to go back on the developer, he said. Board chair Sandy Martin agreed, pointing out the district was already in a financial bind and could not afford to sacrifice more revenue. At a time when we are counting pennies, (we) cant (lose) any extra money, she said. Board members Dave Duncan and Wayne Finke, however, said the proposal made sense for the long term. Im a believer Columbus Junction needs to continue to grow, Duncan said. Finke recalled his own experience. I live in the TIF myself and if that house had not been available, I probably would not be in the Columbus School District, he said. Board member Joy Lekwa needed more information before she voted. Are we going to lose money? she asked board secretary Neil Mills. Mills said the district would lose some funding in its Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) and Management Levy. He also pointed out district taxes would be raised, which supporters had acknowledged, but pointed out would be small. Superintendent Gary Benda put the board members conflicting opinions in perspective. I understand the city needs to grow, but I think (opponents) are thinking of the effects on everyone, he said. Duncan then moved approve the citys request, which Finke seconded. They voted in favor, while Martin, Totemeier and Lekwa voted against it. After the meeting, Columbus Junction council member Mark Huston said the city would need to regroup and determine if it could put a new funding scheme together. In other action, the school board: Approved a $366,650 request to the State Budget Review Committee (SBRC) for additional spending authority. If the SBRC approves the request, along with other anticipated amounts, the school could end FY16 in the black; Approved a swimming pool agreement with the Washington Community Y. MUSCATINE, Iowa The Muscatine City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers to reach a final consensus on the city's Fiscal Year 2017 spending plan. Council members spent nearly three hours Tuesday reviewing tax-increment financing districts, local option sales tax proceeds and the capital improvement plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Among the decisions facing the council are whether to approve a $25,000 funding request from Muscatine Center for Social Action and provide funding for two additional firefighter positions. The proposed tax rate for FY 2017 remains unchanged at $15.672 per $1,000 taxable valuation. This is third-lowest tax rate for eight cities of comparable size in Iowa. Mason City has the lowest tax rate at $13.51 but also has the highest taxable valuation at $1.026 billion. Muscatine's taxable valuation is $784.44 million. Marshalltown is second with a tax rate of $14.76. Fort Dodge has the highest tax rate of the eight communities at $20.94. The proposed 2017 budget includes funding for two additional firefighter positions. The council must decide whether to grant the request of Fire Chief Jerry Ewers for a total of four additional firefighters. The two additional positions would cost the city just over $137,000. That could mean a tax increase. The city's tax rate has remained unchanged since the 2012-2013 fiscal year. Councilman Santos Saucedo said he had been approached by some citizens about raising the utility franchise fee to help fund the additional firefighters. The rate sits at 1 percent right now and could be raised to a maximum of 5 percent. MCSA asked for a $25,000 allocation. Last year was the first time the city helped fund the organization. MCSA was asking for the funds only for the homeless prevention program, according to Charla Schafer, MCSA director. At the end of Tuesday's session, Councilman Phil Fitzgerald asked Schafer what she would do if she did not receive the funding. She said the organization would have to re-evaluate its programming. AMES, Iowa Muscatine is among six transportation infrastructure-related development projects awarded a total of more than $2.6 million in grant funding, the Iowa Transportation Commission announced Tuesday, Feb. 9. In a press release from the Iowa Department of Transportation, it states that Muscatine was awarded $80,000 from a Linking Iowa's Freight Transportation System (LIFTS) program grant. The funding is for a Port of Muscatine. In January, the city of Muscatine issued a press release stating it was expecting to be awarded the grant from the program this month. Being awarded the grant means the city can conduct a feasibility study to support the establishment of a multi-modal container terminal port facility on the Mississippi River in Muscatine. The port would allow for the sending, receiving and trans-loading of inter-modal container freight and smaller bulk items utilizing the river, highway, warehousing or rail. In September 2015, the city announced intentions to explore the development of an inter-modal container port. This grant is a step toward reaching that goal. The LIFTS Grant is an 80/20 match, meaning the grant would provide $80,000 in funding which will be paired with $20,000 from private sources, totaling $100,000 that will be used for the feasibility study. The feasibility study is a necessary first step toward establishing a port authority in Muscatine because it has the potential to provide justification to move forward with applying for larger grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the January press release from the city stated The LIFTS program enhances economic development by providing funding to address freight transportation needs in Iowa and assist projects that contribute to an effective and efficient multimodal freight transportation system, the press release form the Iowa DOT this week stated. The multimodal freight transportation system leverages the advantages of more than one type of transportation for cost-effective shipping. The proposed developments will assist in planning for a port facility on the Mississippi River and provide more efficient transportation of products using rail, water, and truck at multiple locations in Iowa, according to the Iowa DOT press release. For the bored & bolshy! My YouTube Channel For people who like walls & statuses, My Facebook Group (Bless). For people who like pretty pictures, My Instagram (Weapons and Warfare) The Iran-Iraq War was one of the longest and deadliest in recent histories. Iran full of zeal after its revolution... 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 [] Great news from Shorts Brewing: Elk Rapids, MI. Shorts Brewing Company of Bellaire, MI starts distribution of their beer in Pennsylvania beginning this coming Friday, February 12th. Distributed by Bella Vista Beer Distributor, eastern Pennsylvania will be the first region outside of Shorts home state, Michigan, to receive shipments of Shorts brews. Shorts, known widely for their flagship beers & experimental brews, prides themselves on producing fearlessly creative beers handmade by people who care in northern Michigan. The company plans to begin distribution in eastern Pennsylvania with flagship brands Huma Lupa Licious (India Pale Ale), Soft Parade (Fruit Rye Ale), & Space Rock (Pale Ale crafted to remove gluten). On premise and off premise accounts are currently being identified and launch event plans are in the works throughout Bella Vistas distribution footprint. Founded in 1984 by husband and wife, Marinos & Olimpia Fetfatzes, Bella Vista Beer Distributors is an independent craft beer wholesaler and retailer situated in the heart of Philadelphia, PA. Today, Bella Vista represents a bouquet of cutting edge craft and import beers in the Philadelphia region. Located in a 65K sq ft facility, Bella Vista has grown to be the leader in providing quality beer options in eastern Pennsylvania with the help and perseverance of their thirty plus beer savvy staff. According to Jordan Fetfatzes, Vice President of Bella Vista Specialty Beer Distributors, Shorts Brewing beers will stand out in the competitive PA market. Jordan added, Weve known Scott Newman-Bale and the Shorts crew for over six years and are excited to finally be able to offer this fantastic portfolio of beers to our customers. This is a great day for craft beer lovers in eastern PA. For more information about Shorts Brewing Company please visit www.shortsbrewing.com. Outside distribution has officially begun! And were thrilled to be beginning by releasing Huma Lupa Licious, Soft Parade, Space Rock, and our current variety pack to tap houses, bars, restaurants, and retailers in eastern Pennsylvania FIRST. Stop into one of these fine establishments (listed below) for the sweet, sweet taste of Shorts brew on tap. Check your local craft beverage purveyor for bottles beginning, today. February 12th, 2016 Churchville Inn, Salute Your Shorts @ 6:00 pm Jerrys Bar @ 6:00 pm February 16th, 2015 Khyber Pass Pub @ all day Craft Ale House @ 6:00 pm February 17th, 2016 Federal Taphouse @ 4:00 pm February 18th, 2016 Side Bar and Restaurant @ 5:00 pm 7:00 pm February 19th, 2016 City Tap House University City @ 5:00 pm February 20th, 2016 Whole Foods Devon @ 5:00 pm 7:00 pm About MyBeer Buzz Founder, owner, author, graphic designer, CEO, CFO, webmaster, president, mechanic and janitor for mybeerbuzz.com. Producer and Co-host of the WILK Friday BeerBuzz live weekly craft beer radio show. Small craft-brewer of the craft beer news sites and one-man-band with way too many instruments to play........Copyright 2007-2022 mybeerbuzz.com All Rights Reserved: Use of this content on ANY site without written permission is not allowed. As owner of this blog, I bear no responsibility to what other contributors/bloggers may post. I encourage all to speak freely without indulging in libel or defamatory content. Anyone who feels offended by any posting can email me and I will remove the offending article if appropriate. Contact me at redbeansg@yahoo.com redbean With the next general elections fast approaching, the political ague is not only being experienced by the parliamentarians but is also bothering aspiring politicians in learning institutions. Speaking of which, Chuka University is now closed indefinitely following an ugly strike that broke out on Monday. The strike that saw their school bus get burnt during the unrest, was as a result of a disrupted student election. According to the students, hell broke loose when one of the contestants in the election claimed that his opponent had rigged votes. For several hours, transport along Meru-Nairobi highway was a mess after protesting comrades decided to barricade it. Close to fifteen students were arrested by policemen while looting in shops neighboring the institution. As we hope that the situation in the institution calms, below are photos of the mess the students left of their campus. A Tanzanian national was stoned to death and lynched in Nairobi after he killed two people over a ksh 30,000 gambling loss. John Barnabas Mchanga was stoned by an irate public after he stabbed three people, killing two of them at City View Bar in Eastleigh, Nairobi. The violence broke out shortly after midnight after John Barnabas went to confront the management of City View Bar, The Daily Nation reports. Police said Mr Mchanga went to the managers office and found Winfred Mbuvi aged 40, and demanded a free play, but she turned him down. That set off Mchanga who pulled out a Somali-style sword then stabbed and slashed Mbuvi to death. A security guard, Mr James Lutea, tried to rescue her but was also fatally stabbed. The gambler also stabbed another guard, Mr Kevin Ogada, who was being treated in a hospital and was listed in a serious condition. Source: Daily Nation Hitmaker AY has jumped to the defence of Yemi Alades move to do a song in Swahili. The Nigerian songstress released the Swahili version of her hit Na Gode, a move that was criticised by local industry players as intrusive. However, AY, who is riding high with the smashing remix of Zigo featuring Diamond Platnumz says there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Johnny hitmaker pulling a number in an authentic East African language. Music is an universal tool used to pass on a message, and has never been about the language one uses. I really appreciate what Yemi has done. She has shown us that there is nothing difficult in life as long as you have the will and commitment. She has really done a great job, he was quoted by Word Is. AY concluded by issuing a wake up call to East African artists. Its time for us (East African artistes) to wake up and smell the coffee. Lets pull up our socks. We should start supporting each other more, organising more media and performance tours and investing heavily in our products. We dont have to learn Ibo or Yoruba dialects for us to succeed or be accepted in the west African music industry. The most basic thing is just to do good music. The conversation on inflation with Marc Lavoie at the Fields Institute in Toronto. I think that there was an agreement, between us, and most... Advertise Here Be seen advertise here. Contact us. HAVANA Otto Macias was 19 when he left Cuba in the throes of a socialist revolution, enlisted in the U.S. Army and went to fight communists as a machine-gunner in Vietnam. He returned from battle in 1969 broken and suffering from post-traumatic stress and schizophrenia, his family says. After years of hospitalization in New York, Macias, then a U.S. citizen, was well enough in 1980 to fly to Cuba to visit relatives he hadn't seen in decades. He never returned. As he stayed with family in Havana, Macias' hallucinations became so bad he required hospitalization and constant care from doctors or loved ones, his relatives say. Less than a year later, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cut off his monthly pension of $60 a large sum for Cuba, where salaries today average about $25 a month. The U.S. agency never explained the cutoff, but the family's American lawyer says he's certain it was because of the Unite States' trade embargo on Cuba. Now, Macias' family is suing the U.S. government seeking to reinstate the pension. They say President Barack Obama's loosening of the embargo offers the ailing 75-year-old a final chance to regain his benefits and win the recognition of the military service that his adopted country has denied him for 35 years. "It's about justice," said Macias' niece, Anitica. "He was on the battlefield ... he dedicated his life to that. He mutilated his life. He didn't have a family because of it. They need to pay attention to him; they owe him an explanation. They need to recognize him." While Macias' situation is highly unusual, even unique, it could take on wider ramifications if the year-old detente between Washington and Havana leads to more Cuban-Americans returning to live on the island, some of them receiving U.S. government benefits. Macias lives with his brother in a modest apartment in a high-rise in east Havana. Psychologically stable after years of treatment but suffering from skin cancer, he spends his days running small errands like buying bread, then watching television or petting the family's graying dachshund. Macias declined to speak about his time in Vietnam. He said in Spanish that even though he feels more Cuban than American now, he remembers much of his time in the United States fondly and would enjoy visiting New York again if he were physically able. "I'd like to go back," he said. A spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs said he couldn't comment on pending litigation but noted the Treasury Department regulates payment of U.S. funds to other countries. The Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment on Macias' case. Macias' lawyer, New Mexico-based Jason Flores-Williams, said the veteran's pension was clearly cut off because the U.S. embargo prohibits paying government benefits to anyone living on the island. But the lawyer said he believes legal changes stemming from Obama's 2014 declaration of detente with Cuba mean Macias has a good chance at winning his case. The Obama administration has allowed U.S. companies to do limited business with the Cuban government and lets Americans send virtually unlimited sums of money to Cubans for purposes ranging from helping relatives to supporting a private business. "We would expect the Obama administration to support this litigation," Flores-Williams said. "It would be recognizing what (Macias) has done for the United States and bringing this man dignity in the last years of his life." A court win for Macias could create a precedent for other Cuban-Americans who move back to Cuba in the coming years and want to receive U.S. government benefits like Social Security payments. While the number of Cuban-Americans reclaiming Cuban citizenship remains small, it is likely to grow as travel and trade between the U.S. and Cuba become easier. Moving back to the island may appeal especially to some Cuban-American retirees because of Cuba's free health care and relatively low cost of living, meaning that any cases with legal issues such as Macias' could eventually become more common. "The second you cross that 90 miles your benefits are terminated because you couldn't receive a check due to Treasury Department regulations," Flores-Williams said. "This is an opportunity for the Obama administration to show the Cubans that it's serious about human rights and change." SACRAMENTO A California man is accused of pouring gasoline on his girlfriend and setting her on fire. The Sacramento Bee reports that El Dorado County sheriff's deputies responded Thursday to a report of a woman screaming in Cameron Park. A news release from the sheriff's office says deputies found the woman with serious burns on her lower body. Paramedics took her to an emergency room burn unit for treatment. Detectives arrested the woman's 28-year-old boyfriend, who they say poured gasoline on her and set her on fire. He was booked in El Dorado County jail on suspicion of assault with a caustic chemical. Getting anxious about filing your income tax returns? Dont know where to turn for help? Well, here is some sound advice: Dont ask Sherlock Holmes for deductions; go to the UpValley Family Centers (UVFC) in Calistoga and St. Helena, where trained volunteers prepare state and federal tax returns free for those with low-to-moderate incomes, which generally means anyone making under $54,000 per year. And these tax volunteers are good at it. Over the past 11 years, volunteers at UVFC have prepared thousands of tax returns and secured millions of dollars in refunds. Indeed, last year alone, UVFC filed 483 returns and obtained nearly $780,000 in refunds. For some, their refunds helped pay for everyday necessities like food, clothing, rent and transportation. For others, their refunds helped pay for education and health insurance and provided savings cushions for emergencies. Thus, by offering free tax services, UVFC acts on its mission: to provide guidance, support and resources in the community, in the home, and for the individual so that everyone can achieve a better life. UVFC offers tax services in both English and Spanish under an IRS program called the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), which is designed to make tax preparation easy for and available to those who are least able to pay for it. UVFC receives funding from United Way of the Bay Area, our local Wells Fargo Bank, and the Napa Valley Community Foundation. The IRS provides materials, and together with United Way and the California Franchise Tax Board, provides tax preparation training for volunteers. UVFC VITA volunteers are local citizens and students in the Business and Economic Department at Pacific Union College taking a taxation class. This January, volunteers from UVFC and other County Family Service Agencies attended an intensive three-day training at Napa Valley College on subjects ranging from the ins and outs of the Affordable Care Act to the technical rules governing reportable income, deductions, exemptions, educational benefits and tax credits. Volunteers also received hands-on computer practice on the TaxWise software used to fill out tax forms. Finally, to become certified under VITA and authorized to prepare tax returns, volunteers had to pass rigorous proficiency tests on the substantive and procedural aspects of tax preparation as well as standards of ethics and conduct and the rules of confidentiality. In short, the volunteers at UVFC are ready, willing and very able to prepare your tax returns. For many people, especially non-native English speakers, the disabled, the elderly, and those with limited incomes, tax time can be extremely stressful. However, UVFC and their volunteers try to make the filing of tax returns as simple, pleasant, relaxed and speedy as possible. The process begins with a private interview during which a volunteer collects the basic personal and financial information and documentation needed to properly complete a return. Once collected, the information is given to another volunteer who uses it to carefully fill out the state and federal tax forms. When the forms are completed, a different volunteer reviews them, checks for accuracy, and then discusses the results with the taxpayer. The returns are then filed electronically. The free VITA tax service is offered from now to April 18. In Calistoga at 500 Cedar St., service is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 9 p.m., and every other Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In St. Helena at 1440 Spring St., service is available on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 to 9 p.m., and every other Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you want to have UVFC prepare your returns, you can call and schedule an appointment or come by either location. You can speed the process by bringing in social security or ITIN cards for you, your spouse, and any dependents; a photo ID; all income documents (e.g., W-2s, 1099s); checking/savings account numbers; health insurance information; last years tax return; and for renters, landlord contact information. Remember: UVFC considers all information to be strictly confidential. If you have any questions, call UVFC in Calistoga at 942-6206, in St. Helena at 963-1919. Stymied by lawsuits and rising costs, the developer behind the Napa Creekside Apartments is walking away from the affordable housing project. Bridge Housing Corp. of San Francisco will no longer move ahead with the development, spokeswoman Lyn Hikida announced Monday night. The company, a specialist in developing subsidized housing, had been working with the city to create 57 dwellings on the site of a defunct seniors home at 3700 Valle Verde Drive. The developer decided to abandon its plans after consulting with Napa Valley Community Housing, the city and Napa County, according to Hikida. Napa Creekside had gained support from the citys Planning Commission and City Council, but a judge voided those approvals two years ago after a neighborhood group sued, arguing it was too dense for the area and its environmental studies were insufficient. I felt the neighborhood was taking on more than was reasonable in low-cost housing, because theres already another one across the street on Villa Lane, said Roger Lewis, a retired oil well drilling executive and a 15-year resident of the neighborhood. I didnt think it was right that one neighborhood should bail out the others, (and) I didnt feel the city should ignore the requirements that surround building in a sensitive area. Despite the courtroom setback, city officials declared as late as last November they would continue trying to see the apartment plan through. In the meantime, however, changes to a key state financing program for affordable housing began favoring larger complexes in major cities at the expense of Napa Creekside, which Hikida said drove up the cost estimate and made the project unworkable. We think had we gone down that path (of a study), the environmental finding would have supported the development, said Hikida. But the financial feasibility is something we cant achieve any longer. Builders of affordable housing in California compete for tax credits offered by the states Tax Credit Allocation Committee, but rule changes last year would put the Napa project at a disadvantage, according to Kathleen Dreessen, executive director of the nonprofit Napa Valley Community Housing. If there was one application for 200 units and one for 50, and only so much money in the pot, its more likely the 200-unit one will get the tax credit, she said. Because Bridge Housing continues to own the Valle Verde Drive property, the future of any housing plans on the site remains uncertain. We are still considering our options for next steps, Hikida said Tuesday. Were still committed to talking with the city and county to find other sites. More than five years in the planning, Napa Creekside was intended as an expansion of the old Sunrise Assisted Living center. Bridge Housing and Napa Valley Community Housing were to co-manage a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, offering them at rates affordable to lower-income families. But even as the project first gained city approval in 2012, a circle of residents formed the Neighborhood Coalition to Protect Salvador Creek. That June, the group sued in Napa County Superior Court, saying the project could threaten fish in the nearby creek, a branch of the Napa River, while worsening traffic and littering problems in the area. After a judge sided with the residents in 2013, the City Council approved a largely identical plan for Napa Creekside, adding more environmental studies asserting the apartments would not harm Silverado Creeks salmon or steelhead. But the court also struck down that plan in March 2014, demanding a full environmental impact report before construction could begin. Napa and Bridge Housing also were required to pay the neighbors group $72,000 in attorney fees. On March 1, the City Council is scheduled to formally retract its approval of the development to comply with the judges decision, according to Lark Ferrell, manager of the city Housing Authority. This is disappointing, she said. I think theres a lot of support in the community for affordable housing. Its just unfortunate there was a neighbor who, through CEQA (the California Environmental Quality Act), was able to derail this project. Tommie Smith, one of the two figures in the iconic photo of the black power salute during the 1968 Olympics, will speak at Pacific Union College at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The event, hosted by PUCs Black Student Union, is free and open to the public. It will be held in Dauphine Chapel of Winning Hall on the college's Angwin campus. During the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Smith broke the world and Olympic records with a time of 19.83 seconds and became the 200-meter Olympic champion. As the "Star Spangled Banner" was played, Smith and John Carlos stood wearing their Olympic medals, each with a raised a clinched fist in a stand for human rights, liberation and solidarity. The act was captured in a powerful iconic photo that is among the most famous Olympic moments. This act propelled Smith into the spotlight as a human rights spokesman, activist, and symbol of black pride at home and abroad. Smith has made a commitment to dedicate his life to champion the cause of oppressed people. North Koreas latest underground nuclear test punctuated over the weekend by the rocket launch of a satellite that most experts believe is tied to the development of a long-range ballistic missile has set off an avalanche of analysis regarding the severity of the threat and the ineffectiveness of U.S. policy. Some say our failure to remove Pyongyangs nuclear threat through two decades of diplomacy should now guide our policy with respect to Iran. They argue that just as North Korea agreed to eliminate its nuclear program in the 1994 Agreed Framework and then covertly developed a nuclear bomb, Iran will do the same as unfettered by agreements and the international community as was Pyongyang. But Iran and North Korea should not be mixed and matched, at the risk of getting both wrong at a very high price. Both countries have, over years, taken actions in violation of their obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions. Both states threaten U.S. interests and our friends and allies. Both have reportedly cooperated on their missile and perhaps nuclear programs. So there are similarities and dangerous interactions between these two regimes, but the differences are also real and more significant in terms of informing U.S. policy. First, the North Korean nuclear threat is here and now and unconstrained. Pyongyang is estimated to have a small number of nuclear warheads that threaten U.S. allies South Korea and Japan as well as U.S. forces in the region today, and its ongoing nuclear and missile programs will, if unchecked, expand this threat, both in terms of numbers and geographic reach. Moreover, there is no agreement in place today to roll back or even check North Koreas nuclear program. By comparison, Iran today has no nuclear weapons and has reached an agreement to keep it that way. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, now in force will preclude Tehran from building a nuclear bomb without violating the agreement in ways that we could detect and with time (at least 12 months) to take effective action before Iran acquires a bomb. Second, the U.S. has limited leverage over North Korea. The primary reason is not because the Obama administration or its three predecessors are or were inept. Rather, the North Korean regime and its people remain largely air-gapped from the U.S. and the rest of the world with China being the major exception limiting the effectiveness of political and economic tools to influence Pyongyang. To make matters more complex, North Korea increasingly sees its small nuclear arsenal as its only leverage with the outside world and even as essential for the survival of the regime. In contrast, there are elements of the Iranian regime and, more important, its people who seek to reintegrate with the world. While the North Korean people scarcely notice the impact of sanctions on their threadbare existence and have no way of voicing dissent within a brutal police state, Iranians have suffered a real drop in their living standards. And the Iranian people have expressed their dissent with their ballots, electing candidates (albeit chosen by the regime) who promised negotiations over Irans nuclear program and an end to sanctions. To what extent hard-liners in Iran will now permit reformist candidates to appear on the ballot in elections this month remains uncertain, as does the impact of reformists on a regime whose key leaders and institutions remain conservative at best. But no matter how Iranian politics develop, under the JCPOA and its provisions for snapback sanctions, the U.S. and the international community retain significant leverage. What do these distinctions mean for U.S. policy? Both North Korea and Iran will be at the top of the next administrations foreign policy to do list. The question is what to do and the answer in each case is different. Our policy with respect to North Korea should be threefold. First, we must strengthen the international coalition confronting Pyongyang (as was crucial in the case of Iran). The key is to get Beijing and Washington on the same page beginning with a new U.N. resolution with tough penalties for Pyongyangs latest transgressions. This will not be easy given our understandably different perspectives on the North and current tensions in our bilateral relationship. Second, we must devise a new framework for diplomacy, as the current six-party talks have run their course. Third, we must have an agreed goal in Washington and with our partners for diplomacy (that is, is the objective to freeze or roll back the Norths nuclear capabilities?), and then make clear to Pyongyang what can be gained through engagement, along with the penalties for staying on the current course. Iran presents a different policy challenge, with an international coalition and an agreement already in place. The focus must be on strictly implementing the JCPOA, making clear to Tehran that effective action will be taken by the international community if Iran were ever to sprint toward a bomb. This will require extraordinarily close consultation and cooperation with Congress, as well as all parties to the JCPOA, including Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and the European Union. Most important, we must avoid a situation in which the next U.S. administration equates the nuclear challenge presented by North Korea with Iran, projects our past failures to halt Pyongyangs nuclear program through the 1994 Agreed Framework on future prospects for successful implementation of the JCPOA, and thus acts to renegotiate and replace the JCPOA. In short: Mixing and matching wont do. Steve Andreasen, the director for defense policy and arms control on the White House National Security Council staff from 1993 to 2001, is a consultant to the Nuclear Threat Initiative in Washington, D.C., and teaches at the University of Minnesotas Humphrey School of Public Affairs. He wrote this for the Star Tribune. I am writing this letter in support of Chris Malan's campaign for Napa County Board of Supervisor District 4. I look for a candidate who has a commitment in building strong and healthy communities. Malan is aware that Napa County has the second highest rate of poverty in California, next to Los Angeles. She is willing to address this issue by raising the minimum wage to a livable wage and increasing low-income and affordable housing. Malan is a candidate who is willing to say 'no' to short-term gains by not seeking money from developers and big wineries. Instead, she has an eye toward the future by protecting environmental systems such as our watershed and land. I have worked with Malan on different grassroots efforts and was impressed by her dedication, knowledge, and experience in protecting the habitats that support us as well as her helping residents improve their lives. Malan's pledge to donate 25 percent of her supervisor salary to local nonprofit organizations that are working to address issues related to poverty and environmental education and protection speaks volumes about her integrity, dedication to the public, and reinforces her show of commitment at the matters at hand. Glynda Velasco Napa Every year, St. Helena and the surrounding communities come together during the winter season and donate wonderful coats, jackets and sweaters to the California Veterans Home in Yountville. The items are first dropped at Klass Cleaners, where they are dry-cleaned free of charge. Nancy Merha of Klass Cleaners then drops off the freshly cleaned items to the veterans home, Volunteer Services Department, where the jackets are then distributed to those veterans in need. On behalf of the Veterans Home of California Yountville, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the residents of St. Helena and Klass Cleaners for their generosity and years of continued support of our veterans. Our veterans deeply appreciate your donation, especially now that the cold weather is here. We are grateful for the time and effort made to show your recognition of our veterans and their service to our country. Joshua Kiser Coordinator of Volunteer Services Veterans Home of California -- Yountville MEXICO CITY Sikh man blocked by Mexican airline satisfied with apology An Indian-American actor and designer who says he was not allowed to board a Mexico City-to-New York flight because he refused to remove his turban says hes satisfied with an apology by the airline, Aeromexico. Waris Ahluwalia says he is now just waiting for the carrier to implement special training on how to treat Sikh passengers, for whom the headgear carries deep religious significance. Ahluwalia told the Associated Press on Tuesday that were just a few steps away from a lot of hugs. Aeromexico posted a statement on its website apologizing to Ahluwalia. The airline said the incident has motivated it to strengthen the customer service protocols of our safety personnel in respectful accordance with the cultural and religious values of our customers. VATICAN CITY Pope briefs priests: dont be smug, dont judge sinners A specially-recruited group of priests have last-minute instructions from Pope Francis before fanning out through the world to show a more merciful face of the Catholic Church to sinners. About 700 priests from around the globe, many of them using headphones for translations, heard Francis on Tuesday stress the welcoming image he wants faithful to have of the church and how priests should act when hearing confessions. The pope said many people abandon confession because priests scolded them or pried for embarrassing details. Francis says confessors shouldnt judge with a sense of superiority but welcome penitents with open arms. One priest heads to the far Canadian north; another will use a camper to reach faithful in remote Australian countryside. The confessor corps officially begins its mission on Ash Wednesday. MEXICO CITY 2nd outside report says Mexico students not burned at dump A group of Argentine forensic experts says it has determined there is no physical evidence to conclude that 43 students who disappeared in southern Mexico in 2014 were incinerated at a trash dump as government investigators initially claimed. The report released Tuesday by the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team found the dump in Cocula, Guerrero state, was the site of multiple fires at various times. But while bone fragments corresponding to at least 19 people were found there, the team says there is no evidence they belong to the missing students. The government has said the students were killed by a drug gang, their remains incinerated, and their charred bone fragments tossed in a nearby river. Some fragments have been linked by DNA testing to two of the missing students. LONDON Man found on fire outside Londons Kensington Palace dies British police say a man has died after being found on fire outside Kensington Palace, the London home of Prince William and his wife Kate. The Metropolitan Police force says officers were called early Tuesday to reports of a man behaving suspiciously in a locked park section near the palace. They arrived to find a man on fire. Fire and ambulance workers tried to save the man, believed to be in his 40s, but he was pronounced dead at 3:42 a.m. Police say they are not treating the incident as terrorist-related. They are linking the death to the search for a patient who was reported missing from a London hospital. William, Kate and their children George and Charlotte were not at the palace at the time. BAGHDAD Iraqs Mosul dam at higher risk of failure, U.S. Army study says The US Army Corps of Engineers say they have identified signs of distress at Mosul dam, indicating that it is at significantly higher risk of failure than previously understood. The internal assessment, made public by Iraqi parliament Monday, concludes that the risk of the dam failing has increased over the past year. Previous studies have warned that over half a million people could die if Mosul dam collapsed. The assessment is dated Jan. 30, just days before Iraqs prime minister awarded an Italian firm a contract to overhaul and maintain the dam. Mosul Dam has suffered from structural flaws for decades, but was further destabilized when the area was overrun by the Islamic State group in 2014. GENEVA 409 migrants have died in Mediterranean in 2016, aid group says The International Organization for Migration says 409 people have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, and migrant crossings in the first six weeks of 2016 are running at nearly ten times the rate of the same period last year. IOM says 76,000 people have reached Europe by sea, nearly 2,000 per day, since Jan. 1. More than three-fourths of the deaths have been on the short eastern Mediterranean route between Turkey and Greece which traditionally has seen far fewer deaths than the much longer central Mediterranean route between Libya and Italy. The IOM statement Tuesday comes a day after Turkeys coast guard said 27 migrants had died after their boat capsized in the Bay of Edremit while trying to reach the Greek island of Lesbos. ROME Police arrest more than 100 suspected Sicily Mafia clan members Prosecutors say police in Italy and abroad have arrested more than 100 suspected Laudani Cosa Nostra members, dealing a heavy blow to the Mafia clan which has terrified businesses in the Catania area on Sicily for years. Throughout Wednesday, police arrested 103 of 109 suspected members of the clan who were sought on warrants for extortion and other crimes. Among those arrested are three women accused of managing so-called protection money systematically extorted from shops and other businesses to support families of imprisoned mobsters. Catania Mayor Enzo Bianco called the clan an authentic cancer for the city, because whoever refused to submit to extortion suffered attacks or other aggression. Authorities lamented that most businesses either denied receiving extortion demands or refused to give any helpful details for prosecution. PARIS Paris music hall where 89 were killed Nov. 13 to reopen this year The owners of the Paris concert hall where 89 people were massacred by Islamic extremists say they are aiming to host music shows again before the end of the year. The Bataclan is an historic venue whose distinctive 19th-century Chinoiserie-style building has been shuttered since the Nov. 13 attacks across Paris that left 130 people dead and 350 others wounded. In a statement on Wednesday, the club owners said well do our best to host events before the end of 2016. The Bataclan, in Paris 11th district near the Place de la Republique, was one of the capitals top venues for live music before the attacks. In the months since, dignitaries and international music stars including U2 and Madonna have laid flowers there to honor the attack victims. PARIS French rescue 7 Spanish spelunkers trapped overnight in cave French authorities on Wednesday rescued seven Spanish spelunkers who had been trapped overnight in a cave in the Pyrenees region. The Haute-Garonne prefecture launched a successful rescue operation in the morning, and said that the six men and one woman were lifted out of a chasm and are tired but not injured. Officials say a doctor is at the scene to provide a medical checkup. Officials said that the Spaniards were part of a group of 15 explorers who began a descent on Tuesday afternoon and eventually got trapped. Eight managed to escape to the surface during the night, and contacted authorities at around 4 a.m. Spains foreign ministry said that the Spanish consul in Toulouse went to the scene. Extreme weather and recent heavy rain have caused flooding in some caves in the mountainous region well-known to cave explorers. Its about 140 kilometers (85 miles) southwest of Toulouse and around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Spanish border in the area of Arbas-Herran. MOSCOW Late-night building destruction in Moscow draws protests Russian activists and political commentators have criticized Moscow authorities over the late-night destruction of buildings and shops around the city. The Moscow mayors office said that 97 unauthorized constructions were demolished Monday. These included buildings and shops and also kiosks selling items from ranging from pastries and flowers to trinkets and kebabs. Muscovites vented their displeasure on social media sites on Tuesday. They used hashtags such as Moscow, apocalypse, demolition and ruin in the captions of pictures of the demolished kiosks. Mayor Sergey Sobyanin says the owners of the demolished structures will be offered rental properties elsewhere in the city. GENEVA Widow of celebrated chef cant explain apparent suicide The widow of celebrated Swiss-French chef Benoit Violier says in a published interview that she has no explanation for his apparent suicide, sharply denying allegations that financial troubles were to blame. Brigitte Violier explained her decision along with restaurant investors and executives to reopen the three-star Restaurant de lHotel de Ville in the town of Crissier, near Lausanne, less than two days after her husband died Jan. 31 of what police called a likely self-inflicted gunshot. In an interview published Wednesday in Swiss newspaper LIllustre, Violier said neither she nor friends had noticed any strange behavior from the chef before his death, adding, Theres no rational explanation. She called 100 percent false a report by magazine Bilan that the chef had become ensnared in a financial swindle involving rare wines. A sales tax hike, real estate transfer tax, and additional hotel development are among a menu of options recommended by a committee charged with finding ways to increase city revenues. The City Council-appointed Revenue Source Task Force released its final report on Monday, after three months of study. The task force recommends that the council consider the following six initiatives, listed in no particular order: A voter-approved half-cent sales tax (an additional $1.4 million a year) A voter-approved 1 percent real estate transfer tax ($1.6 million) An additional 150-200 hotel rooms, through the approval of one or two new hotels or additions to existing hotels ($2.5 million-$3.6 million) The sale of one or more city-owned properties, such as the Adams Street property, City Hall and Railroad Avenue Annexation of unincorporated county land, especially Meadowood ($2 million, based on estimates of the hotel and sales taxes generated by Meadowood) A community-based economic development committee The report lists but doesnt recommend three options that need further analysis: parking meters on Main Street, Napa Valley Wine Train disembarkation, and short-term rentals. It is not our intent that the City Council necessarily implement all of the revenue sources we recommend, but rather that they consider them all and enact those that are feasible and sufficient together to secure the citys financial future, Task Force Chair Donna Hinds told the council on Tuesday. Citing the citys precarious condition and the need for immediate action, the report urges the entire community to work together, and recommends that the city hire a public relations firm to educate the community about revenue options. The Task Force expressed strong support for the current City leadership and management, the report states. The Citys financial challenges developed over many years and were not created by the present administration. Righting our ship will require time, hard work and cooperation among all citizens of St. Helena. The task force consisted of Hinds, jeweler Wayne Armstrong, insurance agent Cameron Crebs, vintner Katie Leonardini, winemaker Jack Stuart, telecommunications consultant Chuck Vondra, Mayor Alan Galbraith, City Council member Peter White and Planning Commission Chair Sarah Parker. Galbraith, White and Parker didnt contribute to the report or share their opinions during the task forces deliberations, in order to remain unprejudiced in case any of the options come before the City Council or the Planning Commission. Councilmembers received the report on Tuesday and thanked the task force for its work, but agreed to defer discussion until their goal-setting workshop at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, at the firehouse. The report is available on the citys website, CityOfStHelena.org, under agenda item 8 for the councils Feb. 9 meeting. Sales tax The city receives only a small sliver of the sales taxes generated in St. Helena, but it would be able to keep 100 percent of the estimated $1.4 million in annual revenue that would result from a voter-approved half-cent sales tax increase. The city currently collects about $2.8 million from sales taxes. The report notes that sales taxes are an attractive revenue source because theyre paid partly by nonresidents. The report does not discuss when such an initiative should go before voters, but notes that several other tax measures could be coming before Napa County voters in the next year. As the current tax rate of 8 percent approaches the maximum of 10 percent, the margin available for an increase by St. Helena becomes slimmer, the report states. A previous council put a half-cent sales tax on the November 2010 ballot, but it won only 40 percent of the vote, well less than the simple majority it needed to pass. That measure had no organized support, was endorsed by only one council member, and came as the city was still struggling from the recession. The report emphasizes that the success of a sales tax initiative depends on organized public outreach and education. Transfer tax Imposing a 1 percent transfer tax on real estate transactions would require St. Helena to become a charter city. The council has already endorsed this option, which could come before voters as soon as November. Both initiatives the city charter and the transfer tax could appear on the same ballot. Unlike traditional charter cities, St. Helena plans to follow the model of Emeryville and adopt a city charter that would have no effect on city operations or regulations, other than allowing the city to impose a transfer tax. Transfer taxes are traditionally paid by the seller, but individual real estate transactions could be negotiated so that the buyer would ultimately foot the bill. The estimate of $1.6 million a year is based on real estate transactions in St. Helena in the 2014-2015 fiscal year. Hotels Transient occupancy taxes (TOT) are considered more attractive than sales taxes because the city gets to keep the entire 12 percent tax, instead of splitting it with the state and various other government agencies. The report notes that St. Helenas 224 hotel rooms generate $1.8 million a year in TOT, much less than Calistoga (720 rooms, $5 million) and Yountville (450 rooms, $9 million). The 70-room Las Alcobas project formerly known as Grandview is scheduled to open this summer and eventually generate an additional $1.2 million a year for St. Helena. The city approved a 60-room hotel on Rodney Friedrichs Vineland Station property in 2010, but it hasnt broken ground. It would generate an estimated $500,000 a year in TOT. Ted Hall, owner of Long Meadow Ranch and Farmstead, bought the Doumani property south of Farmstead and has approached the city about an 80-room hotel, but he hasnt filed an application. The report notes that hotels help local businesses, since visitors tend to shop and dine where they stay the night. That, in turn, generates more sales taxes for the city. City property After much discussion, the task force decided not to explicitly endorse selling the Adams Street property to a hotel developer. However, the report recommends selling the citys Adams Street, City Hall or Railroad Avenue properties to create significant one-time revenue together with potential for securing significant longer term annual revenue streams of transient occupancy taxes and other economic benefits. The report endorses the citys plan to issue Requests For Proposals (RFPs) to developers for the City Hall and Adams Street properties. The Task Force also understands that this issue is complex, potentially involving multiple properties, and will necessitate community input and visioning, the report adds. Annexation Annexing Meadowood or the commercial areas north and south of the city limits is a long and complicated process that could generate significant revenue for the city in the long term, the report concludes. Cities like St. Helena may apply to annex areas within their sphere of influence. St. Helenas current sphere of influence is actually smaller than its city limits, but that could change soon. The Napa County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) will conduct a periodic municipal services review later this year, studying police, fire, water and sewer services. That study could support an application by the city for an expanded sphere of influence, which could be a precursor to annexation. The county would almost certainly oppose losing Meadowood and its revenue. While the process is complicated and may be contentious, it is likely to benefit both owners of annexed properties and the city, and it should be begun now, the report states. The Task Force noted that this option has few negative impacts on the community when compared to the amount of revenue that could be gained. However, it was also recognized that this option will take the longest to implement, if it is possible at all. Economic development The report also urges the formation of an economic development committee to support local businesses, set long-range goals for St. Helenas economic sustainability, create a long-term economic master plan, and balance revenue initiatives with the needs of residents. The committee would consist of citizens and business leaders. The report recommends that the committee be community-based and independent of the city government, although city officials could still be asked to serve on it. Multiple GRAMMY nominated country star Hunter Hayes is celebrating his third consecutive No.1 hit single off his platinum-selling debut album with I Want Crazy racing to the top of the Country Aircheck Mediabase chart this week. This comes on the heels of the hit single and his Atlantic Records self-titled debut album (ENCORE) both being certified platinum by the RIAA in the same week. Hunter also entertained fans this weekend at the Montana Fair with critics noting From the moment Hayes slid across the stage in his white T-shirt, skinny jeans and sneakers, Rimrock Auto Arena was filled with young female voices screaming, (Jaci Webb, Billings Gazette) and a turnout of fans that topped the previous nights attendance. Prior to heading out this fall to headline the CMT on Tour: Hunter Hayes' Let's Be Crazy tour, Hunter will be making his first trip overseas to Japan and Thailand for a string of promotion and performances with Jason Mraz at the Sonic Bang Festival in Bangkok on Aug 24 and at Studio Coast Tokyo on Aug 26, as well as performances with his own band at Tower Records Shibuya Aug 28 and at Tower Records Osaka Aug 29. For a special glimpse into Hunters live shows, check out Episode 41 of his weekly #ForTheLoveOfMusic series. Multiple GRAMMY nominated artist, Hunter Hayes, is a multi-talented performer, musician, producer, and writer who was nominated for six Academy of Country Music Awards, including nods for his work as artist, songwriter, and producer. His critically acclaimed self-titled album has already garnered three No. 1 singles, selling more than six million singles to date while his current album Hunter Hayes (ENCORE) has been certified Platinum by the RIAA selling more than 1 million units in the US alone. His latest #1 single, I Want Crazy, has sold more than 1 million copies and has hit #1 on the iTunes country singles chart every week since its release. Hunter has been touring and performing live for decades. He has headlined sold out venues across the US and Canada and recently announced CMT On Tour: Lets Be Crazy tour this fall with 24 dates in 21 cities kicking off in Knoxville, Tenn. on October 10th. The Louisiana native has also shared the stage with Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley, Hank Williams, Jr. and most recently, Stevie Wonder. With over 6 million singles sold, Hunter Hayes holds the record for most digital singles sold from a debut country male artist. For more information on Hunter Hayes, please visit HunterHayes.com. By Ed Coghlan While medical marijuana advocates are trying to expand its use in the U.S., some advocates are taking the case to an international body. Today Executive Director of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), Steph Sherer, and Michael Krawitz, who is Executive Director, Veterans For Medical Cannabis Access have joined organizations at the United Nations headquarter in New York to continue preparations for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS 2016) on drug policy on April 19th-21st. The meeting on Wednesday provided input for a report that will urge that global policies on medical cannabis be included in the drug policy report. The UN has not addressed this issue in a special session in 17 years. The last time the focus was to eliminate illegal drugs and drug trafficking. Today, international leaders, drug policy reform groups, patients, and citizens are encouraging the UN to reform this approach. On the agenda for UNGASS 2016 is a review of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, and the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988. Cannabis is currently scheduled in Schedules I and IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as amended by the 1972 Protocol. Today, Canada, Israel, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Croatia, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, Romania, Germany, Jamaica, Australia, Italy, Columbia, Switzerland and over two-thirds of the population of the United States and its territories live in regions with medical cannabis laws. The current international policies on cannabis are outdated and are having a detrimental impact on patients in the United States and worldwide, said Sherer. New policies should take into account new clinical research, product safety protocols for cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution, and global patient needs. The UN Single Convention treaty has been used by governments across the globe, including the United States, to derail attempts to reform national medical cannabis laws and research. At the Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Policy, Research and Medical Practice conference in Prague March 4-7, 2015, representatives of organizations of medical cannabis patients from 13 countries met and established the International Medical Cannabis Patient Coalition (IMCPC), and put together a Declaration addressing UNGASS 2016. Sherer and Krawitz will relay the call for action outlined by the Declaration which calls for the UN to take a series of actions, including rescheduling cannabis. NATO Defence Ministers took steps to strengthen the Alliance defence and deterrence posture on Wednesday (10 February 2016). NATO Defence Ministers agreed on an enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of our Alliance, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. The enhanced forward presence will be multinational, to make clear that an attack against one Ally is an attack against all Allies, and that the Alliance as a whole will respond, he stressed. It will be rotational and supported by a programme of exercises; and it will be complemented by the necessary logistics and infrastructure to support pre-positioning and facilitate rapid reinforcement. Our military planners will provide the advice on the size and composition of our enhanced presence this spring, Mr. Stoltenberg added. The Secretary General welcomed the announcement made by many Allies on how they would contribute and pointed out that further decisions will be taken at the Warsaw Summit in July. Speaking about NATOs continued adaptation to a changed security environment, Mr. Stoltenberg referred to stronger cyber defences and a robust response to hybrid warfare, including resilience and civil preparedness. NATO Defence Ministers also reviewed progress in connecting NATOs Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance assets. This is a key capability for the NATO Response Force. And it enables quick and informed decisions by our commanders and our political leaders, Mr. Stoltenberg said. Ministers took stock of the implementation of NATOs Readiness Action Plan. We agreed that we have accomplished a lot, the Secretary General said. We have increased NATOs presence in the eastern part of the Alliance, - with enhanced air policing, maritime patrols and robust exercises. We have agreed assurance measures for Turkey with Patriot batteries, AWACS surveillance planes, and an enhanced maritime presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and in the Black Sea. We have tripled the size of the NATO Response Force to more than 40,000 troops, with the new Spearhead Force at its core. And we have activated six small headquarters in our eastern Allies, and are setting up two more, he highlighted. Defence and dialogue are complementary. NATO remains committed to transparency and risk reductions, Mr. Stoltenberg said. That is why we agreed to do all we can to support Germany as the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE this year and its efforts for a full modernization of the Vienna Document which governs military transparency. This has a direct impact on Allied forces and operations. So I will name a special liaison to the International Organisations in Vienna to improve our dialogue and our cooperation with the OSCE he stressed. NATO and the European Union face similar challenges in protecting their networks against the growing threat of cyber attacks. To help both organisations better meet this challenge, today a Technical Arrangement on Cyber Defence was concluded between the NATO Computer Incident Response Capability (NCIRC) and the Computer Emergency Response Team of the European Union (CERT-EU). The Technical Arrangement provides a framework for exchanging information and sharing best practices between emergency response teams. Together, NATO and the EU are stronger in defending against cyber-attacks. Intensified cooperation under this arrangement will allow us in a tangible way to better prevent cyber-attacks, but also our ability to predict, detect and respond to them, said Ambassador Sorin Ducaru, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges. "The signing of this arrangement is an important milestone in the strengthened cyber defence cooperation with NATO, which was also identified as one of the five priorities under the EU Cyber Defence Policy Framework, stated Pedro Serrano, Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service. This is a very important development in our operational cooperation in this area." The aim of the arrangement is to enhance the cyber defences of both organisations by exchanging cyber defence-related data. Information exchange is crucial to cyber defence, said Koen Gijsbers, General Manager of the NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency, responsible for operating and defending NATOs networks. The Technical Arrangement covers both the exchange of information on specific cyber threats, and the sharing of best practices on technical procedures, configuration of networks, and partnership with industry. The Technical Arrangement is a concrete example of NATO and the EU working together to enhance shared security. It is also the latest example of long-standing cooperation on cyber defence between the two organisations. In addition, cyber defence staff from the European Union have participated for several years in NATOs flagship annual cyber defence exercise Cyber Coalition. 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 11 "The knowledge that we have now is but a fraction of the knowledge we must get, whether for peaceful use or for national defense. We must depend on intensive research to acquire the further knowledge we need ... These are truths that every scientist knows. They are truths that the American people need to understand." (Harry S. Truman 1948). Admiral: U.S. should now prepare for Chinese 'invasion' of Taiwan Harutyunyan: I cannot imagine Artsakh's future without presence of Russia Harutyunyan: Without questioning path of our independence, we must meet with Baku Prime Minister of Finland does not think that Hungary and Turkey will block country's application for NATO membership Iranian FM: U.S. made hasty statements in connection with protests Former Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim involved in car accident in Karabakh Arayik Harutyunyan: Artsakh people's right to self-determination is non-negotiable Iranian MFA calls it important to form platform with Armenia and India on North-South corridor Details of EU monitoring mission in Armenia are known Foreign Ministry: It seems Ankara is more interested in opening corridor through Armenia than Azerbaijan Mirzoyan: Unexpected third countries support Azerbaijani interpretation of road to Nakhchivan Foreign Ministry: Armenia, Iran and Bulgaria initial agreement on creation of Persian Gulf-Black Sea corridor Israeli Defense Minister to visit Ankara Armenian Foreign Minister names main obstacle to solving problems with Azerbaijan Erdogan once again raises issue of so-called 'Zangezur corridor' Armenian and Iranian FMs to open Iranian Consulate General in Syunik province tomorrow Abdollahian: Aliyev assured that he does not want border changes, Iran will prevent implementation of such idea Iranian Foreign Minister in Yerevan supports '3+3' platform Iranian Foreign Minister recalls Tehran's 'red lines' in regional issues Mirzoyan: We highly appreciate Iran's principled position regarding territorial integrity of Armenia UK imposes sanctions against Iran for alleged delivery of drones to Russia Yerevan hosts meeting of Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in narrow composition Armenian and Iranian Foreign Ministers meet in Yerevan in extended format Charles Michel: EU energy deal possible, but difficult Erdogan says Baku should demand 'compensation' from Yerevan Pashinyan: EEU mechanisms are of great help, trade turnover between Armenia and Belarus has doubled Yair Lapid: Russia-Iran relations are serious problem for Ukraine, Europe, and whole world Amir-Abdollahian: Iran is against presence of foreigners in this region, both in Azerbaijan and Armenia Pashinyan at EAEU meeting: Fundamental principles of world economic system in question Iranian Foreign Minister's official visit to Yerevan begins Macron says Germany should not isolate itself in Europe EU begins deployment of mission on Armenia-Azerbaijan border Trump's son made fun of Zelenskyy's ability to ask West for money EU to provide emergency aid for Armenia residents affected by recent Azerbaijan military aggression Azerbaijan army units fire at Armenia positions Mikhail Mishustin arrives in Yerevan EU approves new sanctions against Iran over alleged drone deliveries to Russia Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting begins in Yerevan Baku calls OSCE mission to assess situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border 'private visit' On fourth day of IRGC military exercises on border with Azerbaijan, artillery destroys planned targets Liz Truss quits as UK Prime Minister Turkey parliament to consider extending Turkish militarys mandate in Azerbaijan Dollar falls, euro rises in Armenia Russias Putin ratifies agreement on simplification of payments for goods transit within EEU territory Stoltenberg: Almost all NATO countries have agreed to Sweden and Finland joining the alliance Ombudswoman of Armenia: Azerbaijan prevents removal of remains of fallen soldiers Zakharova: Matter of holding CSTO Collective Security Council meeting being worked out Ombudswoman of Armenia: I received video materials from EU special representative about Azerbaijanis Armenia Security Council chief, UK army general discuss cooperation in security Armenia and Kazakhstan discuss bilateral military cooperation Iran says U.S. and Israel won't be able to split the republic 201 bodies are identified of Armenia soldiers who died as result of September military aggression by Azerbaijan Iran FM to arrive in Armenia today Turkey, Azerbaijan presidents officially open international airport in occupied Artsakh territory Armenia President visits several leading Bulgaria IT companies Ruben Vardanyan: I will assume Artsakh State Minister position at beginning of November Armenia PM on making EU observation mission permanent: I'm not sure about that US State Dept.: Our ultimate goal is peaceful resolution between Armenia and Azerbaijan Armenia, Qatar to collaborate in tourism sector Turkey president travels to Azerbaijan Bandits in Russia cut off Armenian man's hands, shoot him in legs President of Armenia, mayor of Bulgarias Plovdiv discuss avenues for deepening of cooperation Armenia has new customs attache at Upper Lars checkpoint on Russia-Georgia border Karabakh official: Baku goes for gradual escalation, provocation of situation Armenia to get 33mn grant from EU for police, migration service, business development in Syunik Province Lacote: OSCE observation mission deployment will contribute to respect of Armenia territorial integrity World oil prices going up Russia extends flight restrictions at 11 airports Newspaper: Karabakh delegation to head for Moscow, meeting with Putin considered probable Newspaper: Azerbaijan aggression on September 13 paralyzes Armenia public administration for some time Azerbaijan army opens fire towards Armenia positions at midnight Retired US Air Force general is offered consulting job in Azerbaijan at rate of $5,000 a day White House is puzzling over how to avoid meeting between Putin and Biden at G-20 summit Eduard Aghajanyan: Once again I remind that Armenia was deprived of opportunity to protect rights of people of Artsakh U.S. says that limiting Russian oil prices is not aimed at OPEC OSCE sends mission to Armenia to assess situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border Jeff Bezos warns that U.S. economy may face recession Kiev says nearly 40% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been damaged Raisi: Iran will use all its capabilities and potential to end war in Ukraine Qatar gets first pandas in Middle East Armenian president delivers lecture at St. Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia More than half of Britons think Liz Truss should resign Bloomberg: Putin and Erdogan's cordial relationship arouses Western anger Dutch government invests up to 3.5 billion in military procurement Erdogan discusses latest developments in Ukraine with Zelenskyy School in Paris expels student from class for denying Armenian Genocide Germany would like to participate in EU observer mission to Armenia U.S. is considering plan to co-produce weapons with Taiwan Poland to buy K239 Chunmoo from South Korea Air defense system repels several missile attacks by Ukrainian troops at Kakhovskaya HPP Baku court does not definitively terminate criminal prosecution of Yunus spouses Liz Truss has no plans to resign CSTO countries agree on draft agreement on standardization of military equipment EU countries agree to sanction eight people and organizations over Iranian drones Congressman David Price meets with rector of Yerevan State University Chairman of Amsterdam City Court visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan ASPU supports process of unification of universities Deputy Chief of Police on new draft law: 'Citizen of Azerbaijan' is extremely relative notion Benny Gantz: Israel will not supply weapons to Ukraine Saudi Arabia lifts ban on Turkish soap operas Green Turtle / Brevard Times File Photo WASHINGTON. D.C. Federal authorities arrested eight people in the cities of Arroyo and Patillas, Puerto Rico, yesterday on felony and misdemeanor charges for the illegal take, possession and sale of endangered sea turtles and their parts for human consumption as well as aiding and abetting violations of the Endangered Species and Lacey Act. Guzman Herpin, 34, Madelyne Montes Santiago, 37, Edwin Alamo Silva, 50, Juan Soto Rodriguez, 45, Ricardo Dejesus Alamo, 33, Jose Javier Rodriguez Sanchez, 40, Iris Lebron Montanez, 53, and Miguel Rivera Delgado, 55, all residents of Patillas and Arroyo, were arrested Thursday and made their appearances in federal court. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Indictments contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty. In 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) initiated an undercover operation to investigate the illegal trade in sea turtles for human consumption. During this investigation, it was determined that these illegal sales of sea turtle meat, confirmed through DNA analysis conducted by the FWS Forensic Lab, have resulted in the illegal take of 15 individual endangered hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricate) and 7 endangered green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). Hawksbill and green sea turtles are protected by Puerto Rican law, nationally under the Endangered Species Act as well as internationally under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna), said U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Resident Agent in Charge David Pharo. The protection from the illegal take and sale of this and of other marine life organisms is a priority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is instrumental to the health of marine ecosystems for where they exist. The waters around Puerto Rico are designated as a critical habitat for the hawksbill and the green sea turtle. The most significant nesting for the hawksbill within the U.S. occurs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each year, about 500-1000 hawksbill nests are laid on Mona Island, Puerto Rico. The green sea turtle population has declined by 48-65 percent over the past century. Puerto Rico is also home to nesting sites for the endangered leatherback sea turtle, the largest species of turtle in the world. The leatherback sea turtle suffered a severe population crash due to human harvesting of its meat and eggs, and the destruction of its nesting habitat by beachfront development. The commonwealth of Puerto Rico contains six national wildlife refuges (Cabo Rojo, Culebra, Desecheo, Laguna Cartagena, Navassa Island, Vieques) and is home to 25 endangered and threatened animal species, 21 of which are found nowhere else on earth. For instance, there are only 200 Puerto Rican parrots remaining, with less than 50 left in the wild, making it one of the 10 rarest birds on Earth. The island is also home to 49 endangered and threatened plant species. There are 37 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Superfund cleanup sites on Puerto Rico. If emotions are universal, describing just what those intangible feelings are depends on who you ask. Take schadenfreude, the German word describing the joy that comes from others' suffering, especially if we feel wronged by that other person. There is no comparable term in English, even though we easily understand the twinge it illustrates. "German speakers explicitly recognized this very complex social emotion long before we English speakers had a ready vocabulary to do so," says Robert McCauley, the director of Emory's Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture. "Now apply that not just across cultures but across disciplines. We've got a lot to teach each other." Such teaching is the focus of the CMBC's upcoming conference, "Foundations of Emotions in Mind, Brain, and Culture," which runs 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11, and from 9:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, in the Cox Hall Ballroom. The headliner for the free event is famed neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux of New York University, who will discuss his research about the biological framework of fear and memory. Another dozen experts from Emory and beyond, who work in disciplines as diverse as English to biology, will present on related issues such as empathy and moral emotions. In addition, the conference will feature a poster session on Friday, to allow students and other faculty to present their own research during a buffet lunch. The conference and luncheon poster session are open to everyone in the Emory community and any interested members of the public. Attendees will also be able to drop in for sessions at will, because of the central location in Cox Hall. The event is expected to be the largest major conference for the CMBC since it was founded in 2008. The center previously held a two-day conference on evolution in 2009, timed for the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth. "Especially for people outside of the academic world, the hope is that the conference will provide them with an opportunity to engage with scholars and inquire on a topic that we all have an interest in," McCauley said. Some of those conversations may not just be about how feelings can influence complex behaviors. Laura Otis, professor of English, will discuss more negative, even taboo emotions. Her interest lies in looking at those emotions such as resentment, self-pity and grudge-bearing and the metaphors used to represent them, such as "holding on" versus "letting go," she says. "If there is a take-home message, it's that emotions are a political as well as a physiological issue," Otis adds. BANGALORE: In a bid to make critical information more accessible around natural disasters, Google today announced public emergency alerts for floods in India. Users in India can now find flood alerts along with river level information for more than 170 areas in which the Central Water Commission (CWC) has active observation stations. These alerts are now available on Google web search, Google Now cards in the Google app, Google Maps, and on the Google Public Alerts homepage, and can be accessed on desktop and mobile devices. The alerts will be created and shared using data provided by the CWC. Timely information is the first step in disaster preparedness and has the potential to save thousands of lives lost to natural disasters each year. By making critical information more widely available to people, Flood Alerts will enable citizens across the country to make quicker and more informed decisions, said Payal Patel, Product Manager. In 2015, Google introduced cyclone alerts to show information about cyclones in India. Clicking on the alert help users find information with details about the hazard, including a map and expected timeline, as well as tips on how to stay safe. Through Public Alerts, Google shares relevant weather updates, public safety and earthquake alerts to ensure that people have timely information required to make informed decisions in times of crisis. Users can browse all active alerts at google.org/public alerts, and relevant alerts will also appear on normal Google Maps searches depending on the query. Clicking through an alert on the map displays more info from the organization sending the alert. Among all the natural disasters that occur in India, floods are the most common. Chronic floods during the monsoon season on an average affect more than 30 million Indians annually. According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), on an average 7.21 million hectares (roughly 72,000 sq km) go under floodwater annually. This water typically ravages 3.78 million hectares of agricultural land, damaging crops worth 1,118 crore annually. Heavy rains and floods also account for nearly 1,700 lives lost annually. Apart from this, 1.25 lakh houses are annually damaged by torrential rains that also wipe out nearly 96,000 livestock. Ironically, 60percent of India's farmland, 66percent of its livestock and its entire forest area depend on rains for survival. Read Also: NASA Engineers use Super Bowl to Decode Aerodynamics Now Pay at Indian Oil Fuel Stations with your Paytm Wallet Stanford engineers' 'Law, Order & Algorithms' data project aims to identify bias in the criminal justice system A team of engineers uses computational analysis tools to scrape information from police-related incidents to reveal discrimination and reduce crime. Vignesh Ramachandran Stanford graduate students Sam Corbett-Davies, left, and Camelia Simoiu, Assistant Professor Sharad Goel and visiting scholar Ravi Shroff have examined millions of police incidents to identify bias in the criminal justice system. If future scholars of American history remember 2015 for one defining issue, it may well be the rising public uproar over ugly and often fatal encounters between police and black citizens. The police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., along with videos of police killings in New York City, Cleveland and Chicago, ignited the Black Lives Matter movement. Equally graphic videos from Texas of a police officer roughing up teenage girls at a pool party or of the officer who threatened to use a Taser on Sandra Bland after pulling her over for failing to signal a lane change intensified charges that police unfairly target African Americans and other minorities. As gripping as such incidents are, they still amount to individual anecdotes that can steer a narrative. To provide an unbiased, data-driven analysis of such issues, researchers at Stanford University's School of Engineering have launched what they call the Project on Law, Order & Algorithms. The project is led by computational social scientist Sharad Goel, an assistant professor of management science and engineering. He also teaches a course at Stanford Engineering that explores the intersection of data science and public policy issues revolving around policing. Among other activities, Goel's team is building a vast open database of 100 million traffic stops from cities and towns around the nation. The researchers have already gathered data on about 50 million stops from 11 states, recording basic facts about the stop time, date and location plus any available demographic data that do not reveal an individual's identity. These demographics might include race, sex and age of the person. Based on its work thus far, the Knight Foundation recently awarded the team a $310,000 grant to at least double the size of the database, compiling data from as many as 40 states, going back five to 10 years. The ongoing project has several purposes. The first and most topical goal is to produce a statistical method to assess whether police discriminate against people on the basis of race, ethnicity, age or gender, and, if so, how frequently and under what circumstances. A second but equally important purpose is to help law enforcement agencies design practices that are more equitable and effective at reducing crime. Ultimately, Goel and his colleagues plan to take the know-how that they will have gained through their analysis of traffic stops and create a software toolkit that others could use to acquire data from municipal or county governments and perform similar analyses. Their idea is to enable other academic researchers, journalists, community groups and police departments to do the same sort of data mining that today requires the expertise of experienced researchers like the members of Goel's team. Precinct or prejudice? The public appetite for accurate and comprehensive data has increased sharply. In the aftermath of Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, the U.S. Justice Department concluded that Ferguson's police had routinely targeted black residents and frequently violated their civil rights. African Americans accounted for two-thirds of Ferguson's population, but 85 percent of all traffic stops, 90 percent of all tickets and 93 percent of all arrests. Statewide, a separate report by Missouri's attorney general, as described in the New York Times, found that police were 75 percent more likely to stop black drivers than white ones. "Technically, much of this is already public data, but it's often not easily accessible, and even when the data are available, there hasn't been much analysis," Goel said. When researchers do take a deep dive into the data, the results can be as eye-opening for police departments as they are for community groups. In "Precinct or Prejudice," a new study of New York City's stop-and-frisk policies, Goel and two colleagues found that police were indeed stopping and searching blacks and Hispanics at disproportionate rates. Focusing on about 760,000 stops in which police officers stopped and frisked people on the suspicion of holding an illegal weapon, the researchers found that African Americans who had been stopped were significantly less likely to have a weapon than whites who had been stopped. When the researchers analyzed the data to discover why, they found that the biggest reason for the racial disparity was the fact that police focused their stop-and-frisk efforts in high-crime precincts heavily populated by minorities. Yet even after adjusting for the effects of location, they found that blacks and Hispanics were stopped a disproportionate amount of the time. Perhaps the most important finding in "Precinct or Prejudice," however, was that New York City police could have recovered the majority of the weapons by carrying out only a tiny fraction of stop-and-frisk operations. Analyzing a very long list of factors that police officers cited as reasons for stopping and frisking people, the researchers found that only a handful had any predictive value. Seizing on hints of "furtive movement," for example, was almost useless. In fact, the researchers concluded, if the police had conducted stop-and-frisk operations based on just three factors a suspicious bulge, a suspicious object, and the sight or sound of criminal activity they could have found more than half of all the weapons they did find with only 6 percent as many stops. Predicting crime Goel is keenly aware that technologies for "predictive modeling," such as using data to predict whether a person is likely to re-commit a violent crime, can have a chilling side. But he notes that a rigorous randomized control trial of a predictive tool used by Philadelphia parole authorities appeared to make life easier for parolees without increasing their risk of re-violation. "There are all kinds of ways this can go wrong," Goel cautioned. "On the other hand, this can be a win-win situation. Everybody wants to reduce crime in a way that is supportive of the community. We'd like to help law enforcement agencies make better decisions decisions that are more equitable, efficient and transparent." Beyond building the database of traffic stops, Goel and his colleagues are using statistical tools to improve other aspects of the judicial system. In one effort, the researchers are working with the district attorney of a large city to improve pre-trial detention practices. In many cases, people arrested on minor crimes cannot afford to make bail and remain stuck in jail for weeks while they await trial. "I've been amazed by all the interest on campus in this computational approach to criminal justice," Goel said. "In my Law, Order & Algorithms class, students from departments across the university are working together on projects that address some of the most pressing issues in the criminal justice system, from detecting discrimination to improving judicial decisions." Media Contact Tom Abate, Stanford School of Engineering: (650) 736-2245, tabate@stanford.edu Bjorn Carey, Stanford News Service: (650) 725-1944, bccarey@stanford.edu Thousands of Nepali Congress members, political leaders and admirers of the man known for his integrity and simple lifestyle thronged Kathmandu's prominent cremation ground on the bank of the Baghmati river beside the famed Pashupatinath temple. Koirala was cremated with full state honours and provided a ceremonial Guard of Honour by a Nepal Army troop. A national holiday was declared on Wednesday. His nephews Atul and Sudanshu performed the last rites of the septuagenarian Nepali Congress leader who died in a hospital here on Tuesday due to pneumonia. Koirala, 76, was a bachelor and lived with his nephews and close relatives. Earlier in the day, his body was taken in a procession from Dashrath Stadium where his body was kept for dignitaries and commoners to pay their last respects. Koirala had undergone radiotherapy for lung cancer in 2014 and surgery for tongue cancer 10 years ago in the US. Koirala, who became the 37th prime minister in 2014 after the second Constituent Assembly (CA) elections, stewarded the Himalayan nation's new constitution that formally declared the former Hindu kingdom as a federal republic. An all-party delegation from India, led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Congress leader and former union minister Anand Sharma, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Janata Dal-United chief Sharad Yadav, was in Kathmandu for Koirala's funeral. --Indo-Asian News Service giri/pr/dg ( 273 Words) 2016-02-10-18:55:35 (IANS) Under the 15-billion-dollar agreement, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited will supply 3.75 million tonnes of LNG to Pakistan State Oil Company from 2016 to 2031, with the first cargo expected to be delivered in March 2016. After the signing ceremony, Pakistan Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told reporters that the import of LNG from Qatar would help Pakistan to get out of its energy crisis by fulfilling 20 percent of the country's energy needs. Pakistan produces four billion cubic feet of natural gas per day (bcfd) against the demand for over six bcfd. --Indo-Asian News Service ahm/ ( 139 Words) 2016-02-11-02:51:33 (IANS) The state government had sought public opinion via e-mail helpline and online and that data will also be released. Government sources claim that they received more than 1, 82,808 missed calls in the Odd-even helpline number. More than 28,300 suggestions were received online, along with 9000 emails. The transport department sources claim that they made 10 lakh calls in Delhi to seek opinion on Odd-Even scheme. Kejriwal would review the opinion in the meet with all the concerned departments. The government would also make the data public. The list of exemptions during the scheme would also be discussed. However, government sources claim that two-wheelers would remain exempted even during the next round of Odd-Even scheme, as enough public transport infrastructure is not available in the national capital. (ANI) Mumbai terror attack convict David Headley's deposition which entered the third day today before the Mumbai court, was delayed due to technical glitch in video conferencing. In his revelation during the deposition yesterday, Headley said that Pakistan's spy agency ISI provides financial, moral as well as military support to terror outfits like the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. Headley said that he was asked by the ISI to recruit Indian army men to spy for them. On the first day of the deposition, he revealed the sequence of events and planning behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Headley, one of the main conspirators in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, deposed as a witness in the case and admitted that he had come to the city with a false identity at the behest of his colleague and handler Sajid Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. Headley further admitted that he was a true follower of the LeT and had changed his name from Dawood Gilani to David Coleman Headley for the purpose of acquiring a new passport to come to India. He said he had visited Mumbai seven times prior to the attacks on November 26, 2008. He even visited Delhi in March 2009 after the attacks. (ANI) Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT) key operative and 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused David Coleman Headley's deposition before a Special Court here was deferred till tomorrow following a technical snag in the video conference."The deposition before the court was delayed due to a technical glitch in video conferencing, and now that is adjourned till tomorrow", Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told mediapersons."Tomorrow the hearing will take place from 7 AM - 1:30 PM(IST), Mr Nikam said.The Pakistani-American terror operative who has turned approver in the 26/11 case, had deposed before the court through video conferencing from a US location on Monday and Tuesday.During his two-day testimony, he had so far shared with the court, in detail about his role in the terror attack case--how he aided the Lashkar-e-Taiba in planning and executing the attack and about the nexus between the ISI and LeT in respect of such activities.UNI SS SV SB 1059 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0089-582660.Xml American Express Co wants to grow small-business lending to make up for revenue it expects to lose after its credit card partnership with Costco Wholesale Corp ends this year. Last week, American Express said it will pay an undisclosed amount to feature its charge cards on Fundera, an online marketplace. AmEx hopes small-business owners will compare loan terms and rates and choose its cards over traditional loans. The company is bracing for the end of co-branded cards with Costco that accounted for 8 percent of worldwide annual spending on AmEx cards in 2014, and 20 percent of the company's outstanding loans. The planned end of the partnership in March has been delayed a few months because it has taken more time to move customers to a new card, the Seattle Times reported last week. To make up for that lost revenue, American Express has focused on small-business loans, where it already has a foothold. It views small-business cards as an area with room to grow in the near term, unlike consumer spending. In 2014, American Express cards for small businesses funded $190 billion in purchases, up from $122 billion in 2010. The company considers cards an untapped form of small-business funding, because small businesses tend to rely more heavily on cash and traditional loans. Only 10 percent of small-business spending takes place on cards. At AmEx's investor day last year, management highlighted its small-business loan operation as an area of focus. "One of the very most important things we're doing as a company is lending and funding," David Rabkin, AmEx's senior vice president of small-business customer acquisition, said in an interview. "Putting our cards on Fundera marketplace is part of that." The charge cards American Express offers on Fundera, called Open, are designed for companies that need to fund large spot purchases of inventory or raw materials, and can pay off the balance in full each month. The Open cards do not charge interest, but carry an annual fee. Spending limits adjust with usage and payment history. There may be pain ahead as American Express works to grow small-business lending. The credit-card business has gotten more competitive because banks and card issuers view the loans and transaction fees as a relatively stable source of revenue. Also, consumer spending has slowed despite cheaper gasoline. American Express shares have fallen 25 percent so far this year. The company plans to cut $1 billion in costs by the end of 2017.REUTERS JW PR0447 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-582530.Xml Curfew-like restrictions imposed in major areas of the downtown and Shehar-e-Khas (SeK) to foil any protest demonstration on the third death anniversary of Parliament convict Afzal Guru, were lifted today.The separatist organizations, including both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference (HC) had called for a general strike yesterday as on this day last year, Guru was hanged in Delhis Tihar jail and later buried.According to official sources, the decision to impose restrictions was taken at a meeting chaired by Director General of Police K Rajindra Kumar at Police Control Room (PCR) on February 8.Mr Rajendra had said that safety and security of the people was prime concern and every effort of the elements inimical to peace should be foiled firmly.To maintain peace, restrictions under Section 144 CrPC had been imposed in the areas falling under the jurisdiction of police stations Safa Kadal, Nowhatta, Khanyar, M R Gunj, Kralkhud and parts of Rainawari.Barbed wire blocking the roads were lifted and life returned to normal.Additional security forces and state police personnel deployed to maintain law and order and impose restrictions strictly were also withdrawn.Security forces deployed around the historic Jamia Masjid and adjoining areas were also withdrawn.Shops and business establishments reopened and traffic was also plying on all routes.However, restrictions continued in Maisuma area and were extended to entire Lal Chowk today in the civil lines to prevent Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) demonstration, demanding the mortal remains of Guru and JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat who was hanged and buried in Delhis Tihar jail on February 11,1984.UNI BAS SB 0944 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-582605.Xml In the past, search giant Google has always tried to help people at the time of crisis like the Chennai floods and the Nepal earthquake by quickly compiling a crisis response page. In yet another bid to make critical information more accessible during natural disasters, the technology giant will soon make public emergency alerts for floods available in India. "Users in India can now find 'flood alerts' along with 'river level' information for more than 170 areas in which the Central Water Commission (CWC) has active observation stations," Google said in a statement. The alerts will be created and shared using data provided by the CWC. It can be accessed on smartphones and on desktop, Google said. "Timely information is the first step in disaster preparedness and has the potential to save thousands of lives lost to natural disasters each year," Google Product Manager Payal Patel said. Last December, in order to help people at the time of flood in Chennai, the search giant quickly compiled a crisis response page, tagged as 'South India Flooding', that brought all the information needed both for those who needed help and those who wanted to help out on single page and was updated from time to time. (ANI) Mr. Zhoshybayev is the Commissioner of the international specialized exhibition. The signing ceremony will be held at ITPO office on February 12 at 2 p.m. and will be followed by a press conference. During his visit, Mr. Zhoshybayev will also hold bilateral meetings with the heads of state bodies responsible for India's participation in EXPO-2017 as also with representatives of companies specializing in the production of alternative and renewable energy. On November 22, 2012, Astana was chosen by the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) as the venue to host Expo 2017, which will focus on the theme "Future Energy". The theme is aimed to concentrate on both the future of energy, but also on innovative, but practical energy solutions, and their global impact. Expo 2017 will be the first time that a major international exhibition of this kind is coming to a country from the former Soviet Union. More than 100 countries, including India and 10 international organizations are expected to participate. Around 2-3 million people are expected to visit the international pavilions from June to September 2017. At least 25 hectares has been set aside for the pavilions of Expo 2017. The site has a convenient access to Astana's city center, the international airport and the railway station. The Expo Site is also linked with a network of Kazakhstan's inter-city roads to ensure a quick access from all the country. Construction of the pavilions began in April 2014.The lead design contract was awarded to Chicago-based Adrian Smith plus Gordon Gill Architecture. (ANI) A total of 13 banks, mostly Taiwanese, answered a call from Myanmar's central bank for expressions of interest in a second round of foreign bank licencing aimed at further liberalising a sector that was previously off-limits to international players.Some eight of the banks listed in an official central bank statement on Feb. 8 as taking part in the second round are from Taiwan. Other countries represented are Vietnam, South Korea, India and Mauritius.The second round was opened late last year with hopes of bolstering foreign investment into the country, though the central bank has not said how many licenses will be granted. Banking services for Myanmar's 51 million people are still severely limited in industry is dominated by financial institutions with ties to the former military regime.A first round in 2014 saw nine banks from Australia, Japan, Malaysia, China, Singapore, and Thailand, win licences to operate in Myanmar, in a limited capacity. Banks from countries that won licences in 2014 were barred from entering the second round.According to the central bank, Taiwan's Cathay United Bank Co, E. SUN Commercial Bank, Taiwan Business Bank and Taiwan Cooperative Bank all applied. The other Taiwanese contenders were Taiwan Shin Kong Commercial Bank Co, Mega International Commercial Bank Co , First Commercial Bank and CTBC Bank Co South Korea's Shinhan Bank and KB Kookmin Bank were also on the list, as were the State Bank of India and the State Bank of Mauritius and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam.Among the winners of licences in 2014 were ANZ Banking Group Ltd, Australia's fourth-largest lender by assets, Thailand's Bangkok Bank PCL and Japan's three biggest lenders - Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc and Mizuho Financial Group Inc.All have started operations, though services they can offer are limited.The winners of preliminary licence approval will be announced ay the end of the first quarter of 2016, according to the central bank. REUTERS DS NS1224 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-582787.Xml Ruling Samajwadi Party is the first to launch its poll campaign among other parties for the Mission 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls with planning to hold mega public rallies of party president Mulayam Singh Yadav and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav at all the 18 divisions of the state starting from next month. However, the party chief will address a 'Desh Bachao, Desh Banao' rally at Jogeshwari in Mumbai on February 16 to target the Uttar Pradesh natives residing in the Bollywood city. The 18 mega political rallies of Mr Yadav would start after the legislative council polls, to be held on March 3. Party sources here today said that the dates of the rallies would be announced within a day or two. The SP president had recently pulled up his party leaders for not reaching out to the masses and blamed them of being not spreading the good work of the state government. The Chief Minister, also the party state presidents, had campaigned exhaustively for the 2012 assembly polls on his 'Kranti Rath' and is likely to hold a series of public meetings across the state beginning March along with the party president, party leaders here said. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls too, Mulayam Singh Yadav had started his poll campaign with similar public meetings at the divisional level. But this time the SP chief plans to use a similar schedule as a warm-up exercise before the party goes into poll mode full-on . The party has already launched 'Gaon Gaon Akhilesh' campaign with LED screen vans reaching remote areas in Agra, Faizabad and Gorakhpur, screening short films on welfare schemes and projects underway in the state. UNI MB ADG RK1200 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-582664.Xml Union Minister of Urban Development and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Wednesday that considerable progress has been made towards enhancing the ease of doing of construction business in urban areas by streamlining existing procedures, adopting appropriate technology and by empowering urban local bodies to sanction a wide range of approvals. He was presiding over a high-level review meeting here. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju, Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javdekar and Minister of Tourism and Culture Dr. Mahesh Sharma also participated in the review meeting. Secretaries of respective ministries, besides senior officials from the Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet Secretariat also attended the hour long review. Participants were informed that Colour Coded Zonal Maps (CCZM) for 28 defence airports being used for civilian purposes will be developed for easy sanction of height clearances on the lines of what is being done for civilian airports. To begin with, CCZMs will be evolved for four such airports viz., Pune, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Bagdogra by April, 2016. It was decided that the Ministry of Civil Aviation will assist in this regard. Such CCZMs will be shared with municipal bodies for according height clearances. It was also decided that works of Defence Act, 1903 will be suitably amended to remove hurdles for construction activities near defence establishments. Distance from the actual storage point will be considered for restricting the construction instead of from the boundary wall of ammunition storage dumps at present, which will bring down the zone of restriction. Instructions have been issued to service headquarters and headquarters of all defence organisations for sharing information along with maps of restricted zones to municipal bodies. Area commanders will be required to decide in 30 days on clearing constructions in restricted zones failing which approvals would be taken as deemed. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has reported that applications received by the Airports Authority of India for height clearances in airport zones have come down by over 200 per month further to development of CCZMs for 12 airports that account for 58 percent of total such applications and making them available to respective urban local bodies. These airports are : Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Nagpur and Chennai. CCZM for Jaipur airport has been recently completed. CCZMs for nine more airports viz., Patna, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Aurangabad, Surat, Vijayawada, Thiruvananthapuram and Puducherry will be developed by June 2016 and for the remaining 14 major airports by December 2016. This will enable respective urban local bodies accord height clearences in respect of almost all cases, doing away with the need to approach AAI for the same. It was also informed that the Ministry of Civil Aviation also commissioned improved version of online NOCAS (No Objection Certificate Application System) eliminating human interface and enabling faster issue of NOC through automatic calculations of permissible heights in airport zones with applicants being able to track the status. Ministry of Culture has come out with a mobile based app that enables online approvals for construction in the vicinity of monuments in just 72 hours through integration of websites of National Monument Authority and those of respective urban local bodies. Time taken at present is about 90 days. Prime Minister's Office desired that integration of websites of National Monument Authority and those of Delhi and Mumbai be completed by March this year. In association with ISRO, Ministry of Culture is developing colour coded maps for 281 monuments that account for most of the construction related approvals using which municipal bodies can accord approvals in quick time. Ministry of Consumer Affairs has completed revision of the national building code enabling speedy building approvals and the same will be notified in the next two weeks. Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has come out with revised and simplified environmental norms and the same will be notified at the earliest after consultations with the Ministry of Urban Development. Urban local bodies and state governments will be empowered to accord approvals at their level based on their willingness and ability. Ministry of Urban Development will soon issue Model Building Bye laws incorporating all revised and simplified norms and processes enabling urban local bodies to approve building plans in quick time there by enhancing the ease of doing construction business in urban areas. (ANI) Closure of busy historic Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the city to foil Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) march, has resulted in major traffic jam on all roads, particularly Moulana Azad road disrupting normal life today. Security forces and state police have closed main busy Residency road, putting barbed wire and road blocks at several places. The Amira Kadal bridge, which remained busy throughout the day, has been closed for all motorists. Even two-wheelers were not being allowed at Hari Singh High Street (HSHS) side. Similarly from other side of the bridge, security forces had closed it with barbed wire. However, pedestrians were being allowed from one side of the footpath on the bridge, connecting the uptown with civil lines, including Lal Chowk. Even link roads connecting Moulana Azad road with Lal Chowk and Ghantaghar have been closed. Security forces deployed at these points were directing motorists to take Budshah chowk road. All shops and business establishments in the Lal Chowk, Court Road, Residency road, Koker Bazar and Amira Kadal remained closed. Closure of Maisuma and Haji Masjid roads, which were being used by passenger vehicles going to downtown and outskirts, had added to traffic woes in the city. Massive traffic jam was witnessed on Moulana Azad Road as all the vehicles were diverted on this road following the closure of part of Residency Road between Regal Chowk and Amira Kadal. Traffic police personnel were seen struggling to clear traffic, particularly at old KMDA bus stand. JKLF had called for a peaceful protest march at Lal Chowk today to demand the mortal remains of front founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat and Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Bhat and Guru were hanged and later buried in the Delhis Tihar jail on February 11,1984 and February 9,2013.UNI BAS SB NS1350 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-582813.Xml Amid the row over Kerala's Sabarimala temple denying entry to women, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday asserted the Indian Constitution does not permit gender discrimination and added that they should be allowed to enter whichever shrine they chose to visit. "We have seen many past customs and traditions that have had to evolve with time. If you look at the fact that up to the 1930s, Dalits could not be allowed into temples and we all know that was a wrong practice. Similarly, the idea of discriminating against gender will inevitably have to change," Tharoor told ANI. Welcoming the decision by the Bombay High Court to allow women to enter the Haji Ali mosque in Mumbai, he added that the same principle applies to all religions that whatever the tradition may be, the Constitution does not permit gender discrimination. He also said that women should be allowed to enter any shrine they wish to without any discrimination on the basis of caste or gender. "I think Ayyappa is a deity mainly worshipped by men. So, I think that there will be a few women who will want to make the arduous trek. But those who do, should not be prevented on unconstitutional grounds," Tharoor added. The Kerala Government had earlier this month told the Supreme Court that banning entry of women of menstrual age in Sabarimala temple in the state is a "matter of religion" and it is duty bound to "protect the right to practice the religion of these devotees". In an affidavit, the state government said the administration of the temple vests with the Travancore Devaswom Board and the decision of the priests stands final in the matter of worship. The affidavit was filed on a PIL by the association seeking entry for all women and girls in the Sabarimala temple which, as a practice, does not allow girls after attaining puberty to enter the premises. However, the women, who have crossed menopause, are allowed. (ANI) Police today arrested nine criminals and recovered five idols valued at crores of rupees in international market from separate police station areas in the district. Senior Police Superintendent of Bhagalpur Vivek Kumar said here that raids were conducted under Nathnagar and Ishakchak police station areas in the district, based on the confession of an outlaw Moon Khan who was arrested at Barahpura village under Ishakchak police station area in the district last week. He said five idols made of precious metals, currency notes of Bhutan and Nepal, a pistol and some live cartridges were recovered from criminals, including two women outlaws, nabbed during raids. Mr Kumar said idols recovered from criminals were 200 years old and were stolen from Jawahar temple under Nathnagar police station in the district in 2015. An intensive interrogation of arrested criminals was on to get vital clues from them.UNI XC DH AD RSA NS1447 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-583003.Xml A dreaded Maoist rebel, involved in various unlawful activities in various districts of Bihar, was arrested at Simdega in Jharkhand late last night. Police Superintendent (Special Task Force) Shivdeep Lande told UNI here that 'sub zonal commander' of outlawed CPI (Maoist) Jitendra alias Tiger was nabbed from Jharkhand by STF's Special Intelligence Group (SIG) after a mobile surveillance. He said Tiger was involved in various extremist activities in districts of Aurangabad, Bhojpur and Rohtas. The nabbed outlaw is being brought to Patna for interrogation, Mr. Lande added.UNI DH PL SB AS1413 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-582876.Xml The Bharatiya Janata Party demanded the expulsion of Kairana legislator Nahid Hasan over Shamli shooting incident. "The goons of the Samajwadi Party have destroyed the law and order situation in the state and police have become mere spectators," BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh said here. A 10-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet during celebratory firing at a rally held by supporters of a man who had won a local election with the backing of the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. "The governor should take cognizance of it and send a report to the union home ministry over the law and order situation in the state," he added. "The family members of the 10-year-old boy identified the main accused but he is roaming freely," he added. --Indo-Asian News Service bns/pr/vt ( 172 Words) 2016-02-10-15:53:34 (IANS) Promising to expand their base in Haryana, several leading companies of South India have offered investment proposals to the tune of Rs 3000 crore for the State. Haryana Chief Minister Mr Manohar Lal Khattar announced this at a press conference after having one-to-one meeting with entrepreneurs here today. Mr Khattar said the State government would soon unveil its new Labour and IT policies to give further boost to industrial sector as well as provide employability to the youth in the State. The new Labour Policy would be more industrial and labour friendly, he added. He said that a Skill Development University is also being set up in the State and it has also been decided to constitute an Economic Advisory Council, which would have CEOs and founders of the companies set up in Haryana as its members. The State Government has also set up Haryana Skill Development Mission for skill development of the youth. The Central Government has notified Gurgaon, Manesar, Bawal area and Panchkula as well as Barwala as Brown Field Cluster. Mr Khattar said the Chief Executive Officers and Business Captains of 12 leading companies of South India met him and expressed their keen interest in establishing their units in the State in the sectors of logistic, manufacturing, food processing, infrastructure, glass industry and education. The prominent among these included Gati Limited, Siemens Industry Software Limited, LUKAS TVS Limited, Saint Gobain India, SCHWING Stetter (India) Private Limited and Farm Fresh Banana.MORE UNI CS VV ADB1630 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-583311.Xml The Madhya Pradesh High Court has commuted the death penalty of a murder accused who killed his wife, mother-in-law and six-month-old child three years back to life imprisonment. In the judgment delivered yesterday, a division bench of Justices Rajendra Menon and SP Palo stated that the murder of three people comes under the rarest of rare category. However, the accused did not perpetrate the crime in a pre-planned manner. He lost his mental balance due to certain circumstances and committed the offence. According to prosecution, a court in Chhatarpur had awarded death penalty to Katara village-resident Halke Pal (25) on October 9, 2015. Halke Pal was accused of killing his wife Janki, mother-in-law Beni Bai and six-month-old child over an argument related to going to her maternal home on December 26, 2013. The accused had appealed against the verdict in the High Court. The court reserved its verdict on January 27. The judgment was delivered yesterday.UNI XC-PS RSA VN1618 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-583162.Xml The Manipur government today sanctioned Rs 10 crore as immediate relief for the January 4 earthquake which led to loss of ten lives. Chief Secretary Oinam Nabakishore said Rs 4 lakhs had been provided to the Deputy Commissioners concerned for each victim. Out of the 120 persons injured, many were given assistance, he said. All DCs were also instructed to immediately provide Rs one lakh in the hill districts to those whose houses were completely destroyed. In the valley district Rs 90,000 will be provided, he said. Nr Nabakishore appealed to all victime, to provide details of losses to the concerned DC so that a final report can be prepared. So far complete information for government buildings had been received. Altogether 416 government buildings were damaged, including 247 schools, he confirmed. The total number of houses damaged of private individuals were 3218. The Chief Secretary said the government had sought report of an entire village shifting. Villagers of Kabui Khullen Part I, Tamenglong district--the epicentre--had vacated their houses as cracks appeared in the middle of their houses and there is a strong possibility of the entire village being washed away due to rain. The CS said the government will provide help to the villagers in settling up in a new area. The 6.8 Richter scale quake which damaged the Imphal market complex and other market areas, had led to a serious crisis. All women vendors in the womens market complex had started sitting in the buildings which were declared unsafe as there is no alternative. The CS said Rs 2 crores had been sanctioned for construction of temporary market. The Planning and Development Authority (PDA) and Department of Urban and Housing(MAHUD) will take up the work to construct temporary market sheds, he added. Mr Nabakishore also appealed to all to strictly adhere to the building by laws which is enforced by the Imphal Municipal council. He further said damages were reported from the Nepali Basti, Senapati district where houses were not properly constructed.UNI NS PL PS RSA NS1530 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-582965.Xml When the UP Government could press sniffer dogs in service to search the stolen buffaloes of the minister, why it can not find the man who shot dead a boy in broad daylight in Shamli on Sunday, the BJP said here today, in a renewed attack on the Akhilesh Yadav government in the state over the incident.Yesterday, the BJP had demanded a CBI probe into a related incident where two journalists were attacked by a local MLA when they had gone to Shamli to cover the murder. An eight-year old boy, Mohammad Sami, was killed when a bullet hit him during celebratory gunfire by the ruling Samajwadi Party workers after the victory of their candidate in local election in this west U.P. town."They can deploy police and press dog squad into service to track the buffaloes belonging to their minister Azam Khan. But it is the fourth day today and the man who shot dead the boy is still roaming scot-free," said Siddharth Nath Singh, the BJP spokesman.Accusing UP Chief Ninister Akhilesh Yadav of dragging feet over the incident, Mr Singh said there has been no arrest so far and the persons who have been arrested are not even named in the FIR. "It is a total cover up. Despite the fact the accused has been identified and named by the parents of the victim."The BJP also hit out at Azam Khan for keeping mum on the issue. "The minister, who always created sensation whenever he opened his mouth, is now completely silent on the issue," Mr Singh said.Upset over the disappearance of his five pet buffaloes from his farm in Rampur in February 2014, Mr Khan had ordered the police to search his cattle. A posse of highly trained sniffer dogs, backed by undercover agents and gun-totting policemen combed cornfields and swooped on suspicious barns in a grueling three-day long operation. The buffaloes were finally tracked down, but three policemen also lost their job for "the dereliction of duty" in not minding the minister's cattle. The last of the six thieves was arrested a year later.Odd jobs are not new to UP police. In June last year, the police was ordered to find stolen hens of a man who demanded when the police could go after the minister's lost buffaloes, why not his hen.UNI PRA RSA 1649 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0384-583341.Xml Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Chief of Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh had yesterday visited Hanumanthappa, who was miraculously found alive after remaining buried under huge mass of snow for six days at Siachen Glacier. The entire nation is praying for the recovery of Hanuamanthappa, who remains extremely critical due to the complications caused by re-warming and establishment of blood flow to the cold parts of the body. Meanwhile, Congress president Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Hanumanthappa's mother and prayed for his well-being. Lance Naik Hanumanthappa is currently in a comatose state and continues to be in shock with low blood pressure, an army statement released on Tuesday said. The soldier has been put on ventilator in the ICU of Army's Research and Referral Hospital here and remains "extremely critical". Lance Naik Hanumanthappa, who hails from Karnataka, was flown to Delhi on Tuesday morning in a special air ambulance and admitted to the hospital. (ANI) Comment Policy Advance Indiana allows you to post comments via this blog subject to the guidelines set forth herein. You understand that any comments you post are your own and are not those of Advance Indiana. You further understand that Advance Indiana is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced in your comments. Unlawful, harassing, defamatory, abusive, threatening, harmful, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, racially offensive, or otherwise objectionable comments are not acceptable. If you think any content posted or otherwise included in Advance Indiana violates the guidelines set forth herein, then please alert Advance Indiana. Advance Indiana reserves the right to pre-screen, edit, and remove any post as it deems appropriate. You specifically acknowledge that Advance Indiana has no obligation to display any post submitted or otherwise provided via Advance Indiana. Konica Minolta, renowned for its world-leading technology, for integrating and expanding imaging needs from input to output and high compatibility with the latest cloud computing infrastructure, support, promises to empower education by launching educo ERP.Educo ERP is a user-friendly ERP solution platform, designed specifically to be used conveniently in schools, colleges, institutes, universities and training centres.It provides access to information anywhere anytime on any device to administrators, teachers, students and parents. It supports multiple languages for its user-friendly interface that can be used by anyone easily it is affordable to cater to the requirements of any institution of any size any structure be it Schools, Colleges, Universities, Online, Schools, Group of Institutions Preschools and government institutions.Konica Minolta is in the process of transforming itself from a manufacturing company to a Customer Process Centric company. We are constantly looking at opportunities to add value to the core processes of our customers, said Yuji Nakata, MD of Konica Minolta India in a statement.He adds, Educo ERP will help in the process of Digital India through its cutting edge technology. Educo ERP will enable institutions in the tier 2 and tier 3 cities at minimal cost and simple requirements of internet connection and a browser. It has been conceptualised and developed in India and will address all core processes of the education boards in India. The need of private and public sector engaged in delivering education has been covered. UNI RN ABI 1828 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0311-583673.Xml In a move that should further raise NHPCs overseas profile, the state-owned hydropower major is set to sign a pact for the development of a Bhutan project next week. We will sign a memorandum of understanding for the development of the 770 MW Bhutan project on Feb 18, NHPC Chairman KM Singh said today. The project will be developed through the joint venture route, he added.NHPC expects to bag two more projects. However, negotiations for these projects are currently at preliminary stages.In India, the company is seriously looking at the option of increasing its generation capacity through inorganic growth.Many private hydel projects are stalled and developers want relief. But private players will have to take a dent if they want to sell their projects to NHPC, Mr Singh said.These projects have been awarded to private players by state governments. State governments will have to take back these projects from private players and then hand over to NHPC.In this regards, NHPC is in talks with state governments of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, Mr Singh added.UNI NM ABI 1849 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0311-583775.Xml Pointing out that the statement by David Coleman Headley, one of the masterminds in the 26/11 attacks, has underlined the involvement of State as well as non-State actors in Pakistan in the terror attacks in India, the Congress today demanded that the Centre put pressure on Islamabad for banning all terror groups operating in that country and bringing to book all those responsible for these attacksTalking to reporters here, AICC spokesperson R P N Singh said, "The deposition by Headley reinforces what the UPA government had maintained since the beginning. His depositions underline that he is a terrorist working at behest of and in tandem with the Pakistani establishments, specifically the Army and ISI and that he was in constant touch with anti-India state as well as non-State actors in Pakistan, including terrorist's organisations like LeT, HuM, JuD, JeM and United Jehad Council and Hafiz Sayeed, Zakiur-Rehman Lakhvi, Syed Salahuddin and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar. Infact, his deposition establishes that there is no line of differentiation between State and non-State actors in Pakistan as far as export of terror to India is concerned."Mr Singh demanded that the NDA government should put pressure on Pakistan and all those responsible for attacks be brought to India to face justice. Any meaningful engagement with Pakistan has to take into account the following three conclusively: Immediate embargo on part of the Pakistani Army and the ISI (state actors) in supporting anti-India groups and activities; Total ban on anti-India terror outfits like LeT, HuM, JuD, JeM and United Jehad Council etc and; Extradition of known terrorists like and Hafiz Sayeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Syed Salahuddin, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Maulana Masood Azhar, Dawood Ibrahim and others.Making it clear that national interest alone must govern the Modi government's actions and policies on its engagement with Pakistan, Mr Singh said,"A very serious take away from this deposition is the fact that engagement with Pakistan needs to be based on certain principles and the Prime Minister will be well-advised to pursue matters with the neighbouring country beyond just optics, aimed at bringing the perpetrators of 26/11 as well as the recent Pathankot terror attacks to the book.UNI AR DJK RSA 1827 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0377-583675.Xml World's top climate change official, Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, the Chairman of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), today told the Delhi High Court that he was innocent and the allegations levelled by a 29-year-old woman of sexual harassment against him were false and fabricated. The 75-year-old Pachauri, today filed the reply in the Delhi High Court answering the open letter written by the 29-year-old woman researcher. She alleged that some of The Energy and Resources Institute officials were forced to dilute stand in the case. Pachauri in its reply to the Delhi HC, wrote that, the complainant (victim) herself has relocated outside India for academic reasons or other concerns and her plea itself is motivated."I am innocent in the case. The allegations are false," Pachauri said. Pachauri, who is accused of sexually harassing her, has been recently appointed as the executive vice-chairman of the TERI.The woman, who is a researcher at the TERI, claimed in her petition that Pachauri began harassing her soon after she joined the non-profit think-tank in September 2013.Pachauri has vehemently denied the charges of sexual harassment in the case. On February 13, last year, an FIR was registered against Pachauri under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 354, 354(A), 354(D) (Molestation) and 506 (Criminal intimidation).On March 21, Pachauri was granted anticipatory bail by a lower court but was directed not to leave the country without its prior permission and deposit his passport and co-operate in the investigation.After the sexual harassment complaint, Pachauri had to step down as the Chairperson of the UNIPCC in February last year. Citing hundreds of SMS texts, e-mails and WhatsApp messages as evidence, the woman (victim) accused Pachauri of sexually harassing her soon after she joined the prestigious institute, TERI, in September 2013.UNI XC CJ RP1855 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-583765.Xml The Haryana government today announced that it was expecting investments to the tune of more Rs two lakh crore, including a committed Rs 3,000 crore investments from Industrialists from Tamil Nadu, that would generate four lakh jobs, during the 'Happening Haryana-Global Investors Meet' to be held next month, while ruling out any controversy over beef ban in the state. Talking to reporters after launching a road show to attract investments from Tamil Nadu, Harayna Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the state government has targetted to achieve an investment of Rs one lakh crore. ''Going by the enthusiasm shown by the investors both from India and abroad, we are confident exceeding the target and rake in investments to the tune of more than Rs two lakh crore'', he said. Apart from this, this would generate jobs to more than four lakh people. He said an hour prior to addressing the media here he held discussions with CEOs of various companies and captains of industries to motivate them to invest in Haryana, who have promised an investment of around Rs 3,000 crores. Elaborating further, he said during the discussions the investors spread over several sectors have give some comitments. ''About 12 organisations have committed to invest around Rs 3,000 in Haryana'', Mr Khattar said, adding, this included companies like Siemens, Lucas TVS, Saint Gobain, Schwing Stetter and Farm Fresh Bananas. He also announced that the Rs two lakh estimated target to be achieved during the global investors meet to be held on March seven and eight, included 10 billion USD investment from Wanda Group of China to set up a theme park. 'We are confident that that we will exceed the Rs one lakh crore investment target and we are expecting investment commitments to the tune of Rs more than Rs two lakh crore'', he added. Explaining various facilities being offered to the investors and several investor-friendly measures put in byhis government in the state, including upgradation of road and other infrastructural facilities, Mr Khattar said the Government has started online services like registration of property, CM Web Portal, e-Stamp, e-Disha Sewa, CM Window, Citizen Portal namely HarSamay, CM e-Dashboard, BISWAS and e-Biz portal. Referring to reports quoting its Health Minister on the beef ban in the state and the possible impact it could have in attracting global investments, Mr Khattar said ''there is no controversy at all and such a question does not arise''. ''We already have an act...there is no beef in state'', he added.UNI GV VV ADB1814 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-583666.Xml Mr Singh faced charges of violating model code of conduct in Barhaiya assembly constituency on October 12, 2015 during the last Assembly election. First Class Judicial Magistrate of Lakhisarai Deepak Kumar granted bail to the union minister in two cases of violation of model code of conduct after Mr Singh furnished two personal bonds of Rs 6,000 each. Mr Singh faced accusation of taking out procession without taking prior permission from authorities concerned, violating secrecy of the voting process and giving interview to a private channel near polling booth number 31 in Barhaiya assembly constituency. Three separate cases of violation of model code of conduct were lodged with thepolice station concerned in this connection. Similarly, sub divisional judicial magistrate Umashankar granted him bail in another case of violation of model code of conduct.UNI XC-DH AKM SA RSA SB1824 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-583433.Xml Bollywood small-time actress Ruksar Khan died at 21 apparently of alleged drug overdose at her friends house in northern suburb of Jogeshwari. She was 21. Ruksar, who had done some minor roles in movies and hosted private events, was partying with her industry friends Payal Banjara, Tauhid Ahmed and Sameer at Payals house in Jogeshwari. According to the reports, they had mixed the party drug mephedrone (also called MD or meow meow) with energy drink Red Bull and they partied till late on intervening night of Friday and Saturday. According to police, on Saturday morning, Payal developed severe stomach ache and she went to a clinic in Jogeshwari, assuming Ruksar was sleeping. In the evening on that day, when Ruksar did not respond to the calls, Payal called Tauhid and asked him to go check on her. Tauhid found Ruksar lying motionless. He called the police control room and 108 for an ambulance. When the cops and doctors arrived at the house, they found Ruksar dead. Her body was taken to Shatabdi Hospital for post-mortem. Police also said prima facie, it seemed to be a case of drug overdose and they had taken the statements of her friends and filed a First Information Report in this regard. ''We recovered several things from the house including cans of Red Bull, as well as a few used and unused packets of MD, which we have sent to the lab for investigation,'' sources added. However, Ruksars family suspect foul play in her death. Further investigation is underway.UNI AAA SS SA RSA AS1811 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-583518.Xml Congress president Sonia Gandhi would be visiting her Parliamentary constituency for two days, from tomorrow. During the visit, Ms Gandhi will inspect the development works in the villages, besides meeting party leaders and workers. Ms Gandhi's representative KL Sharma said here today that the AICC president would reach Rai Bareli in the morning tomorrow and return back on the afternoon of February 12. On the morning of February 12, Ms Gandhi will also hold Janata Darshan to meet local people of her constituency, Mr Sharma added.UNI MB RJ RSA SB1850 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-583544.Xml India continued its winning streak in the swimming events of the ongoing 12th South Asian Games here, bagging five golds on the final day of competition. Sri Lanka had to settle for three golds, after its women's relay team was disqualified even after topping the event on technical grounds. Matthew Abeysinghe opened the gold's tally in swimming for Sri Lanka for the day, setting a new SAG record of 2.09.63 minutes to win the 200m medley for men. He went on to win the second gold for the country, by again setting a new Games record of 51.23 seconds in 100m freetsyle for men. Kimiko Raheem secured the third gold for Sri Lanka, setting a SAG record of 57.20 seconds to win the 100m freestyle for women. For India, Shraddha Sudhir clinched the first gold in swimming for the day, by winning the 200m medley for women. Veerdhawal Khade clinched the gold in 50m butterfly for men, setting SAG record of 24.54 seconds.The third gold for India came from Jyotsna Pansare, who notched the top spot in 50m butterfly for women. The Indian men won the gold in 4x100m medley, clocking 3.49.78 minutes to set a new meet record, while the Indian women team also secured the gold in the same event. In 200m medley for men, the silver was notched by Sanu Debnath of India and Md Juwel Ahmed of Bangladesh. In the women's event, the silver went to Gaurika Singh of Nepal and bronze to Uthama Silva of Sri Lanka. In 100m freestyle for men, Sri Lanka's Cherantha De Silva secured the silver, while the bronze went to Bangladesh's Mahfizur Rahman. The silver in 100m freestyle for women was won by Machiko Raheem of Sri Lanka and the bronze by Shivani Kataria of India. In 50m butterfly for men, India's Anshul Kothari won the silver while Sri Lanka's Cherantha De Silva won the bronze. In the women's event, Avantika Chavan clinched the silver and Sri Lanka's KA Hiruni Perera the bronze. In the team events, Sri Lanka won the silver in 4x100m medley for men, while the bronze was notched by Bangladesh. In the women's event, Pakistan secured the silver while the bronze went to Bangladesh.Though Sri Lankan women team were initially declared the winners, they were later disqualified as the last swimmer made an early start.UNI SG KU 1900 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0348-583833.Xml Mobile One, the flagship applicationlaunched by the Karnataka government has bagged the Gold Award bythe union government for being the best m-Government Service at aWorld event held in Dubai yesterday night. The Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdam bin Mohammed Al Maktoumand the Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates Mr Sheikh Mohammedbin Rashid Al Maktoum presented the award to the Secretary in theDepartment of e-Governance Srivatsa Krishna, at a ceremony in the Emirates. MobileOne, is the flagship application launched by the Karnatakaat World Government Summit in Dubai. The World Government Summit had the main address by the Presidentof United States of America Mr Barrack Obama and several other topWorld leaders graced the three-day summit. MobileOne has been transformational in the way citizens',business and governments interaction with each other. It isapproved by Apple on its i-Store and doing over one lakh hits anddownloads each day and works via a unique nationally available -across all telcos - all circles number 161. It works on smart phones and feature phones and for the firsttime in India and allows citizens to pay all their utility bills,and even their income tax. Mr Srivatsa Krishna said on the occasion that the government theapp provides governance to citizens on their fingertips. The programme was in tune with Indian governments programme of 'AAA' -- Anytime, Anywhere and Anyhow. ''We are confident that in thenear future, we would begin offering incentives to citizens such ascash back for using MobileOne users for paying their electricity,water and other bills,'' he said. The Indian Ambassador to United Arab Emirates Ms Neeta Bhushanwas also present on the occasion. The MobileOne was presented by Government of Karnataka to theUnited Nations leadership in New York during the visit of the PrimeMinister of India Mr Narendra Modi and was much appreciated, whichled to its being selected for the prestigious World GovernmentSummit Gold Award-2016. The app had already won Express IT Awards Gold 2015, ComputerSociety of India CSI-Nihilent Award 2015, m-Billlionth Award forbest app in South Asia and was runner up in NDTV Digital India Award2015, a government release said here today.UNI RS MSP VV ADB1940 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0285-583957.Xml Disclosing this Mr Joshi said the officers who have been suspended includs XEN Anil Kumar Tandon, SDO Gurpal Singh and JE Rajiv Kumar of Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board. He said taking cognizance of the news report the minister deputed Chief Vigilance Officer to assess the spot. He also said as per the report furnished by the CVO the upkeep and the maintenance of the lateral sewerage were not as per the set parameters and specifications. The minister said the action against the company would be taken once the test report of the samples is out. Adding further, he ordered that the samples of the raw materials ie bricks, cement, concrete and cement mortar to be used shall be sent to Technical Teachers Training Institute (TTTI), Chandigarh or any other government institution for approval. UNI NC JS SA RSA RAI1940 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-583741.Xml While releasing the journal, Mr Joshi said that Punjab Government would frame a policy to check the spread of cancer making serious inroads into the state. The Minister said ata was collected from various government hospitals, Pathology laboratories, Municipal Corporations and private hospitals under Chief Minister Punjab Cancer Relief Fund Scheme and from hospitals that diagnose/treat cancer patients in states other than Punjab. This includes data from PGIMER, Chandigarh, Rajiv Gandhi National Cancer Institute, New Delhi and Acharya Tulsi Regional Cancer Institute, Bikaner and Midanta Cancer Institute, Gurgaon.MORE UNI NC RSA VN1938 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-583801.Xml Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan held bilateral meeting with Minister for Energy of UAE Suhail Mohammed Al Mazrouei here today. Mazrouei is in India, a day ahead of the state visit of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. During the meeting, Pradhan called the India-UAE bilateral relations as a time tested engagement. He expressed happiness that India and the UAE have enjoyed warm, close and multifaceted relations for centuries. He said that there was a mutual aspiration between both countries to develop a closer partnership and that there are several bilateral institutional mechanisms, covering various facets of bilateral relations that are helping both countries fulfill this aspiration. He recalled the successful and landmark visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to UAE in August last year, saying that it had set an example of growing engagement between the two nations. Both Ministers discussed areas of mutual interest to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector. Pradhan highlighted that cooperation in the field of hydrocarbon was an important element of India-UAE bilateral relationship and noted that nearly eight percent of India's petroleum products were sourced from UAE. Pradhan conveyed that as Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, it is his earnest endeavour to boost trade and investment in the hydrocarbon sector between the two countries. He emphasized that there exists a lot of untapped potential and expressed confidence that India-UAE bilateral hydrocarbon linkages will grow in the coming years. While there were no upstream engagements by any Indian E&P Company in UAE, Pradhan informed that that Indian Public Sector Enterprises, such as ONGC Videsh, Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum and Oil India were interested in seeking participation in the producing assets or prospective exploration rounds in the UAE. He also conveyed that Indian companies are interested in acquiring a stake in ADCO for onshore oil operations. Highlighting the technical capabilities of Indian PSUs and their proven track record of executing several major projects abroad, Pradhan said that they were well qualified to undertake Engineering Procurement Contracts (EPC) Projects in the UAE. In this regard, he expressed interest of Engineers India Ltd (EIL) to undertake EPC projects. He also suggested that there was considerable potential for establishing JVs in petrochemicals, fertilizers and project export sectors. Pradhan expressed happiness that Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) was working with Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Limited (ISPRL) on the strategic reserve project in Mangalore. He conveyed that the project was on track and will be concluded soon. Pradhan briefed Mazrouei on the major projects in the hydrocarbon sector being taken up by Indian PSUs in various parts of India, such as OPaL project at Dahej Gujarat, BORL project at Bina, Madhya Pradesh, HPCL's integrated refinery cum petrochemical plant at Andhra Pradesh. In this context, he sought investments from UAE in these important projects which were at various levels of maturity and development and required investment for the next four months to four years along with equity participation. He called UAE as India's preferred partner and expressed confidence that the UAE will take advantage of these investment opportunities in India. Given India's growing requirement of petroleum, Pradhan also said that India was trying to import more crude oil from UAE, he, accordingly, sought favourable terms for Indian oil companies for import of crude oil and LPG from the UAE. Pradhan expressed confidence that the State visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to India along with the renewed political engagement in the last one year, the bilateral cooperation in trade and economy will reach new heights. In this regard, he expressed India's keenness to work with the UAE for benefiting mutually from the complementarities that exists between the economies, especially in the hydrocarbon sector. (ANI) Stressing that the actions by Governors should be within the framework of the Constitution, President Pranab Mukherjee today said that as holders of high offices, they must not only be fair, but also be seen to be fair. In the backdrop of controversy over the role of Arunachal Governor JP Rajkhowa, the President, in his concluding remarks at the 47th Conference of Governors, reiterated that all Governors have been charged with an onerous responsibility - to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.''It is, therefore, imperative that all their actions are within the framework of the Constitution and conform to the highest ideals enshrined in this living document,'' the President said.The President said that as holders of high offices, they (Governors) must not only be fair, but also be seen to be fair. The comments by the President come in the backdrop of Congress charging Mr Rajkhowa with violating the Constitutional norms to topple a democratically-elected government in the state.The President said the Governors of eastern states, specially the North Eastern states, should become active participants of the Government's 'Act East' policy. ''Connectivity of the North Eastern States must be improved by strengthening the road and rail network. There is need for a progressive policy for industrial investment and promotion in the hilly and mountainous states. The entire North-East and the Northern region of the country is highly vulnerable to seismic disturbances. ''The building codes and regulatory mechanisms for new construction have to be enforced strictly. It needs to be ensured that disaster management procedures are in place and regular drills are conducted,'' the President said at the concluding session, which was also addressed by Vice President Mohd Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.More UNI AR RJ RSA 2002 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0377-584013.Xml Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj today called on the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who arrived in Delhi today on a three-day state visit."Our honoured guest from across the Arabian Sea. EAM (External Affairs Minister) Sushma Swaraj calls on Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Al Nahyan," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesman Vikas Swarup announced on his Twitter account. Earlier in the day, brushing aside the protocol, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the airport to receive the Crown Prince Al Nahyan, who too had come to receive the PM at the airport on his arrival at Dubai in August last year. The two leaders warmly hugged each other, shook hands vigorously and exchanged pleasantries as the accompanying delegates looked on.Tomorrow, Al Nahyan will be accorded a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan and from there, he will proceed to lay wreath at Rajghat. Then, he will meet Prime Minister Modi at the latter's residence. The Crown Prince will then call on President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari. He will meet the Prime Minister again at Hyderabad House and the two sides will exchange agreements, and may address the media.On Friday, Al Nahyan will fly to Mumbai and from there, back to Abu Dhabi after a visit to the Bombay Stock Exchange.During his engagements, Al Nahyan will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Ministers, senior officials and captains of the industry. The UAE-India ties have already been elevated to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" during Prime Minister visit to Dubai in August.India and UAE have historically enjoyed close and friendly relations, anchored on mutually beneficial commercial exchanges and extensive people-to-people contacts. A well-balanced bilateral trade amounted to 59 billion dollars in 2014-15, making UAE the third largest trading partner of India. UAE is among the largest investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments. It contributes significantly to India's energy security and is the sixth largest supplier of crude oil to India in 2014-15.About 2.6 million strong and vibrant Indian community forms the largest expatriate group in UAE-recognised for its contribution in the development of the country. India has vital stakes in the security and stability of the Gulf region, which hosts over seven million Indians. This region is also the source of nearly two-third of India's crude oil requirements and is India's largest trading partner. UNI PRA RJ 2048 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0384-584138.Xml The Prime Minister welcomed the Crown Prince with a warm and prolonged hand shake. Mr Modi in a way reciprocated the gesture of the visitor, who himself digressing from protocol, had come to receive him on his recent visit to the UAE, the first by an Indian prime minister in over three decades. During Mr Modi's UAE visit in August, the two countries agreed to elevate the relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Crown Prince Nahyan, who is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, senior officials and captains of industry, will hold talks with the Prime Minister tomorrow. The UAE is among the largest investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments. It contributes significantly to India's energy security and is the sixth largest supplier of crude oil to India in 2014-15. About 2.6 million strong and vibrant Indian community forms the largest expatriate group in the UAE.UNI NAZ RSA 1915 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0098-584109.Xml The CID police in Karnataka have arrestedthree persons in a major bank scam after they encashed over Rs 79crore from encashing cancelled cheques in Vijayapura branch in theState and tried to flee the country. The main accused Vijayasarathi Jonalagadda was arrested by thePolice on India-Nepal border last week when he was trying to fleethe country with a fake Nepal Passport. The other two arrested were Vijayasarathi's paramour RenukaShetty and Sachin Annappa Patil. The CID has filed cases under various sections of the IPC againstthem and all the three have been remanded to judicial custody. According to a CID release here today, Vijayasarathi, ClusterManager, ICICI Bank in Vijayapura along with Sachin Patil, a CustomService Officer and with the assistance of other Bank staff havemanaged to withdraw Rs 1.5 crore unauthorisely and absconded. The case was transferred to CID for investigation by theKarnataka government. During the course of investigation it is found that the arrestedhad encashed cancelled cheques from varous local, private and PSUbanks to the tune of over Rs 79 crore and purchase huge properties. The embezzelment of cancelled cheques included Rs 30 crore fromBDCC Bank, Rs 1.65 crore from Siddeshwara Co-Op Bank both inVijayapura, Rs 13.45 crore from cheques issued to NHAI, Rs 2.25crore in the name of Kirana Merchants Association of Vijapura, Rs19.25 crore cheques meant for payment to Vijayapura CityCorporation, Rs Four crore cheques meant for payment to Water SupplyBoard, Vijayapura, Rs 7.60 crore of cheques to be sent to SBI branchin and other cheques amounting to Rs 1.60 crore. The accused Vijayasarathi had purchased in his name a house inVijayapura, 6 acres of agricultural land in Dakshina KannadaDistrict, a house in JP Nagar in Bemgaluru worth Rs two crore inhis girl friend Renuka Shetty's name, two acres of agricultural landin the name of Sudeep Shetty (Renuka Shetty's brother) and 3.5 acresof land in Sankeshwar, 1.25 acres land in Vijayapura Town in thename of accused Sachin Annappa Patil. The investigation officer has recovered Rs 1.5 crore in cash,six luxury cars and also freezed Rs 51 Lakhs in the bank account ofRenuka Shetty. The main accused Vijayasarathi was arrested from Indo-Nepalborder village Sonauli on the credible information that he wastrying to flee the country on the fake Nepal Passport, and theother two nabbed later, a CID release said here tonight.UNI RS MSP VV ADB2050 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0285-584127.Xml Stressing the need for implementing 'Cooperative federalism' in letter and spirit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the Centre and States must work together as "Team India." Addressing the concluding session of the 47th Governors Conference at Rashtrapati Bhawan, the Prime Minister called upon the Governors to work as catalytic agents in the states, speeding up and improving processes without themselves becoming a part of them. Stressing on the importance of cooperative federalism, which he said must be implemented in letter and spirit, the PM said, ''the Centre and States must work together as 'Team India'.'' He added that the spirit of cooperative federalism must also extend to cooperative, competitive federalism, with healthy competition for development among states. The Prime Minister said Governors occupy a unique high position, owing to their vast years of experience, and the prestigious nature of their post. ''They can hence work as catalytic agents in the States, speeding up and improving processes without themselves becoming a part of them,'' he added. The Prime Minister noted that India is the only major economy across the world, which is moving ahead strongly despite the global economic crisis. He said with the world taking note of India, India is not a mute spectator to global developments, and has played a key role in the recent global fora, such as CoP-21 and WTO.The Prime Minister urged all Governors to think about some form of legacy which they would leave behind at the end of their terms, as their contribution to the States. President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari also addressed the concluding session of the conference , attended by Twenty-three Governors and two Lt. Governors. Union Ministers for Home Affairs, External Affairs, Finance, Urban Development, Defence, Human Resource Development; Minister of State (I/C) of Ministry of Labour and Employment; Minister of State (I/C) Commerce and Industry; Minister of State (I/C) of Development of North Eastern Region; Minister of State (I/C) of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog and the National Security Advisor .The two day Conference, which was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday, had as its agenda- Security- Internal and External with special focus on terrorism and insurgency activities; Creating jobs for youths: special focus on skill development for school dropouts; Implementation of flagship programmes of the Government like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Housing for all by 2022 and Smart Cities; Improving quality of Higher Education; Giving impetus to Make in India programme and employability and Act East Policy and development of North Eastern Region.UNI AR RJ 2216 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0377-584106.Xml Bollywood actor Mallika Sherawat today posted a picture of her on micro blogging site Twitter with US President Barack Obama. The actor, who is presently in the US, says she has had the good fortune to meet President Barack Obama again. "Had the good fortune of meeting the one and only, the charismatic President Obama again," Mallika tweeted."A proud moment," she further tweeted.The actress, who had earlier met President Obama in 2011 in a tea party at Los Angeles, however, did not reveal where and when she met him this time.UNI AR SHS RJ 2144 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0377-584146.Xml Nagaland and Assam Governor P B Acharya has strongly condemned the cold blooded killing of a couple in Kiphire on February 6, by some unidentified gunmen. In a message here, Mr Acharya, who is in Delhi to attend the conference of Governors convened by the President of India, has expressed his deep shock and dismay at the heinous killing. Mr Acharya said violence had no place in a democracy and added that the government would take strong measures to prevent further escalation of violence and asked to form a peace committee to address the problem. He also made fervent appeal to the peace loving citizens of the area to maintain calm and not to indulge any type of violence and help the law enforcing agencies to ensure normalcy. Mr Acharya sent his condolences to the bereaved family members of the couple and prayed that their souls rest in peace, the message said. UNI AS AKM SHS RJ RAI2131 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-583999.Xml Chief Minister T R Zeliang today said placement of a student is equally important as imparting skills, for which he requested all the stakeholders present to consider the placement issue apart from imparting skills to them. Inaugurating the Upgradation of Diesel Mechanic Trade at government ITI Kohima, a joint initiative of the government of Nagaland and TATA Motors, in the presence of chairman, NSDA & NSDC S Ramadorai and parliamentary secretary, labour & employment, skill development & entrepreneurship and border affairs Mmhonlumo Kikon , Mr Zeliang also urged other sectors to come forward and establish joint initiatives in the state. He reiterated that Nagaland has become a peaceful state and that the conditions are favourable for companies to invest. He mentioned that to ensure a steady flow of skilled workers and improve the quality of industrial production, infrastructure of the ITIs in Nagaland needs to be upgraded. He requested the chairman of NSDA & NSDMC to come up with specially tailored program, like UDAAN in J&K, in Nagaland. The Chairman, NSDA & NSDC S. Ramadorai expressed hope that the diesel mechanic trade at ITI, Kohima will be buzzing throughout the year in imparting skills to the people. He urged the students to work hard and make full use of the facilities at ITI. On the request of the Chief Minister, S Ramadorai assured that he will take the issue of Dimapur to Delhi via Guwahati flight to the Aviation board. Consultant, Tata Motors S P Joshi and chairman north-east advisory council R Borthakur, commissioner & secretary LE&CT E M Patton and parliamentary secretary Mmhonlumo Kikon also spoke during the function. UNI AS AKM SHS RJ SB2156 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-584050.Xml The issue of terrorism and ISIS threat are also likely to figure during the meeting between visiting Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi General Sheikh Mohamed and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House. Prime Minister Modi described Sheikh Mohammed as a visionary leader, saying his visit will add new vigour and momentum to comprehensive strategic partnership between India and UAE. The Crown Prince is being accompanied by a high-level delegation. Earlier, Secretary East in the External Affairs Ministry, Anil Wadhwa told reporters that India and UAE have committed to raise their bilateral trade by 60 percent in the next five years. (ANI) Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said agriculture and industry are two sisters of the same family. After laying the foundation stone of a food park of ITC (named Integrated Consumer Goods Manufacturing Facility) project involving Rs 3000 crores alongwith Company chairman Y C Deveshwar here in Howrah district today, Ms Banerjee said, We are agriculture-friendly as well as industry-friendly as they are two sisters of the same family. Bengal is the destination of all industries. I appeal to all industries to come to Bengal. Land is always available; if there is a will, there is a way. There is 1,50,000 acres in our land bank, she said. The chief minister said, We welcome industries to invest here; Bengal is a gold mine of resources. Collective interests are bigger than any individual interests. ITC is the pride of Bengal. We thank ITC for contributing to the growth of Bengal. It started its journey in Bengal. ITC is a company of international repute and are adding growth to the agro-based industry. Nowadays ITC is known equally for its agro-based food products, she said. A big industrial project also gives rise to a lot of ancillary industries, and they too lead to employment of local youths, Ms Banerjee added. The chief minister also laid the foundation stone of a similar project by ITC in Uluberia, also in Howrah district, and of an IT hub of ITC Infotech, called Information Technology Park, in Rajarhat, by remote control. The Panchla facility would have a built-up area of 8 lakh square feet and the Uluberia facility, of 4 lakh square feet. The IT park would have a built-up area of 27 lakh square feet, and would be situated on 16 acres. It would employ 10,000 people. The foundation stone laying ceremony of the ITC Integrated Consumer Goods Manufacturing Facility in Panchla, Howrah on a built-up area of 8,00,000 sq ft would be commissioned in January 2017. The other Intergrated Consumer Goods Manufacturing Facility was pre-commissioned in Uluberia, Howrah, on a built-up area of 4,00,000 sq ft and would be commsioned by May 16 . The ITC Information Technology Park, ITC Green Centre, Rajarhat, would be built on 27,00,000 sq ft. will have two IT towers and OT knowledge centre, two office buildings , 140 room hotel and residential accommodation. Mr Deveshwar said 5000 people would get direct employment and the facility would be commissioned in phases from 2018. He said ITC frozen foods would need more land and praised Ms Banerjee for her continuous support and encouragement in setting up industries.UNI BM-PC RJ VN2318 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0138-584267.Xml The Bombay high court today asked the Maharashtra government to file a detailed reply on a public interest litigation alleging that marriage bureaus are not regulated properly and some of them openly facilitate dowry. Advocate Priscilla Samuel in her PIL said some marriage bureaus provide information in the profiles of their clients as to how much dowry is expected. One such bureau in fact acts as a negotiator in dowry matter, she told the court while quoting an email purportedly sent by the bureau. The information about prospective brides and grooms which such match-makers provide is not verified and many times women get cheated due to false information, she said, adding that marriage bureaus/websites must authenticate the profiles registered with them. The petitioner also stated that under Regulation of Marriage Bureaus Act as well as Dowry Prohibition Act, certain rules are to be framed but the state government has not complied with this provision. Also, the government did not appoint full-time dowry prohibition officers under DP Act, she pointed. Taking note of all these points, the division bench, headed by Justice V M Kanade, asked the government to file a detailed affidavit within two weeks.UNI AAA SS SHS RJ VN2312 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-584221.Xml The Bombay High Court today directed the Maharashtra government to produce a copy of an agreement, if any, with regards to allotment of land to BJP for construction of its office at Nariman Point here and to inform whether the party was paying any rent for the same. A division bench, headed by Justice Abhay Oka, gave this direction, while hearing a public interest litigation alleging that illegal alterations were being made at Maharashtra BJP office at Nariman Point here. The PIL, filed by the Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens' Welfare Trust, alleged that illegal alterations were made at the BJP office despite the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) permitting the construction of 2,682 sq ft office, the existing structure, with as many as 14 chambers, has been built over 9,000 sq ft area. The petitioner's lawyer also told the court that there was no sanctioned plan of the building, which was supposed to be a temporary structure but has been turned into a permanent one. BJP lawyer S U Kamdar contended that the construction was spread over 4,000 sq ft as against the allotted 2,652 sq ft, and it had applied for "area rectification" to the government. The application for the same was pending, he said. During the arguments, the state government submitted that anything not permissible under law must be demolished by civic body. Advocate General Shrihari Aney admitted that no building plan regarding the plot "to justify the structures" was available, and said that the government's stand was clear that if any construction or extension is not allowed under the law, the civic body must demolish it. The Advocate General further said allotment of the land to BJP was lawful, and the entire structure could not be said to be illegal. "Anything wrongly built will be demolished," he added. Then, the High Court directed the government to produce agreements regarding the land as well as inform if any rent was being paid by the party, and adjourned the hearing till tomorrow.UNI AAA SS RJ VN2344 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-584242.Xml Police said here it was still unclear how SSB jawan, Shahbaaz Hussain, a native of Jammu and Kashmir sustained bullet injuries. He was found lying in pool of blood by his colleagues who rushed to the barrack after hearing the gunshot. SSB jawans, stationed at Manguraha border outpost on the Indo-Nepal border in the district were preparing themselves for arms training when the incident took place. Additional Police Superintendent (Operation) Rajesh Kumar said sub divisional officer of Narkatiyaganj had been sent to the spot to investigate the matter. The body had been sent for the post-mortem.UNI XC DH BM SHS RJ SB2310 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-584192.Xml The National assembly voted by 162 to 148 late last night to incorporate a passport-stripping clause into the Constitution, despite doubts by some lawmakers that it is too extreme. However, a follow-up vote is scheduled for today in which the lower house will reaffirm the vote. Earlier yesterday, parliament voted to extend the current state of emergency by another three months, giving police and security forces increased powers. French President Francois Hollande launched the long process to change in the Constitution after the November 13 Paris attacks by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) terror group that killed 130 people. (ANI) The US Defence Department's fiscal year 2017 budget requests 145.8 million dollars in support for Israel, including Iron Dome and other cooperative defence programs, according to Pentagon documents released.The Iron Dome system is designed to defeat short-range missiles and rockets. The United States will also continue to help fund David's Sling, a medium-range missile interceptor, set to be deployed this year, as well as the Arrow ballistic missile interceptor.The systems are meant to form a multi-level shield that the Israelis are developing with Washington's help as a bulwark against Iran and its allies on the Israeli border.The US Missile Defence Agency's fiscal 2017 budget request included 103.8 million dollars for Israeli cooperative programs, down from 267.6 million dollars in fiscal 2016, plus 42 million dollars for Iron Dome, down from 55 million dollars in fiscal 2016.The budget forecast total spending on Israeli cooperative programs of 540 million dollars over the next five years, with no additional funding for Iron Dome envisioned after 42 million dollars in fiscal 2017.Vice Admiral James Syring, director of the US Missile Defence Agency, told reporters the agency was working with Israel under a co-production agreement signed for the Iron Dome system, with a "not insignificant" workshare going to US firms. He declined to give the specific percentage share.Syring said the United States and Israel were working on a second co-production agreement for the David's Sling program, although he declined to give a timeframe for reaching a deal.He said a test of the David's Sling system late last year exceeded expectations.Raytheon Co is working with Israel's state-owned Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd on the Iron Dome and David's Sling programs.Syring said Israel had not signalled any plans to request additional funds for missile defense programs, as it did last year, after the agency sent its budget request to Congress.He said any decision on funding would be up to Congress, which must approve the budget.Robert Scher, assistant defense secretary for strategy, plans and capabilities, told Congress last year that the US government had provided more than 3 billion dollars to Israel for work on David's Sling and other missile defense programs since 2001.REUTERS DS RK0835 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-582574.Xml A Milwaukee man who authorities say planned to kill dozens of people in a mass shooting at a local Masonic temple pleaded not guilty to weapons charges in federal court . Samy Mohamed Hamzeh, 23, appeared in US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, where he is charged with possession of two machineguns and a silencer, according to online court records. He was arrested last month. Hamzeh made his not guilty plea in front of US Judge David Jones. Hamzeh responded "yes sir" several times to the judge's instructions. After the brief hearing, Hamzeh was swiftly lead out of the courtroom, passing his father and crying mother who extended her hand to her son. No trial date was set as his attorney Craig Albee and US Attorney Paul Kanter told the court that they need time to review hundreds of hours of secretly recorded conversations Hamzeh allegedly had in Arabic with two people who turned out to be FBI confidential sources. Kanter would not comment on whether he is considering additional charges against Hamzeh, who is being held without bond. Albee declined to comment. According to the complaint, Hamzeh, a US citizen, told the FBI sources that he was planning to use the weapons in an attack on a Milwaukee temple that would be "known the world over" in order to "ignite broader clashes." Hamzeh was under investigation since September, when he was considering an attack on Israelis in the West Bank. He abandoned that plan and began plotting an attack in the United States, according to a criminal complaint against him. On January 19, Hamzeh and the FBI sources practiced firing a handgun at a range and then took a guided tour of the Masonic temple in order to plot the attack, the criminal complaint said. "I am telling you, if this hit is executed, it will be known all over the world," Hamzeh told the sources, according to the Justice Department. "Sure, all over the world, all the mujahedeen will be talking and they will be proud of us." He was arrested on Jan. 25 after he bought two machineguns and a silencer from undercover FBI agents to be used in the attack, authorities said. A Masonic temple is a meeting place for Masons, members of a fraternal organisation. REUTERS JW PR0421 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-582524.Xml Strain on Iraq's budget from falling oil prices is delaying the removal of Islamic State explosives in Ramadi and the restoration of basic services needed for displaced civilians to return to the western city. The army declared victory in December over Islamic State (IS) after elite counter-terrorism forces seized the Anbar provincial capital's main government building. Yesterday those forces reclaimed strategic territory linking the city to a major army base nearby. The recapture of Ramadi was the first major gain for the US-trained army since it collapsed in the face of an assault by the ultra-hardline Sunni militants in 2014. Its recovery boosted Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in his quest to oust IS from Mosul, northern Iraq's biggest city, later this year. But Ramadi's hundreds of thousands of residents will not be able to go home until bombs are removed and infrastructure damaged by six months of fighting is rehabilitated - operations that require tens of millions of dollars Baghdad cannot spare. "We know that the government has its back against the wall fiscally. In order to stabilize areas and to help displaced families go back, we've got to do more," said Lise Grande, the United Nations' humanitarian coordinator in Iraq. She appealed to international donors for at least 40 million dollars more for initial reconstruction efforts. Iraq, with income nearly exclusively from oil, is struggling to pay its bills amid the fall in global crude prices. Anbar Governor Sohaib al-Rawi said his provincial government had not received its share of the federal budget in about two months. "The local government has accumulated debts from last year which will be paid from this budget," al-Rawi told reporters in Baghdad, declining to define the size of the debt. Besides UN-funded activities, he said efforts to prepare Ramadi for the return of civilians were being financed "through local efforts" of provincial authorities, without providing details. Unless additional funds are provided, it could take nine months for those efforts just to clear Tamim, a large district in southern Ramadi where the first phase of UN efforts will be conducted, according to Grande. The United Nations also plans to rehabilitate health, water and energy infrastructure in the city, much of which was destroyed in fighting that included Islamic State bomb attacks and devastating US-led coalition air strikes. "The level of destruction in Ramadi is as bad as anything we have seen anywhere in Iraq," said Grande. "Thousands of homes have to be rebuilt, thousands of buildings have to be rebuilt. The total cost of reconstruction in Ramadi is huge." STRATEGIC ADVANCE Tuesday's advance by Iraqi forces in Ramadi's eastern farmlands boosted government efforts to close in on Falluja, the Islamic State stronghold located halfway to Baghdad and now besieged by the Iraqi army and allied, Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militias. The ultra-hardline Sunni militants of IS swept through a third of Iraq in 2014, declaring a caliphate in Iraq and Syria, carrying out mass killings and imposing a draconian form of Islam, but have since been pushed back on various fronts. A military statement broadcast on state television said the army, police and counter-terrorism forces had retaken several areas, including the town of Husaiba al-Sharqiya, about 10 km east of Ramadi. "(Our forces) also managed to open the road from Ramadi to Baghdad that passes through al-Khaldiya," the statement added, referring to a highway that links the city to the Habbaniya army base where US-led coalition forces are located. "All of Ramadi has now been liberated," said al-Rawi, the Anbar governor, adding that the handover of authority to local police from the military was going smoothly. No civilians are currently living in the city, he added. It has taken more than a month for the military to clear insurgents from the eastern rural outskirts. Militants are still holed up in some northern farmlands bordering the main east-west highway, according to security sources. REUTERS JW PR0412 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-582528.Xml President Barack Obama's proposed budget for fiscal year 2017 would let Puerto Rico restructure debts and boost healthcare on the island, garnering some support from island advocates on Monday. As part of a proposed 4.1 trillion dollars budget released on Monday, the Obama Administration called for "a broad legal framework" to allow Puerto Rico to restructure debt, as well as fiscal oversight for the island's finances. The budget would provide Puerto Rico with an earned income tax credit, and improve healthcare funding by expanding Medicaid eligibility and increasing federal support for it on the island. Puerto Rico, a US commonwealth, is mired in economic crisis, with 70 billion dollars in bond debt, a 45 per cent poverty rate and a dwindling tax base as its people increasingly flock to the mainland United States. In a statement on Monday, Pedro Pierluisi, the island's non-voting representative in Congress, lauded the healthcare elements of the proposed budget. "Puerto Rico's shameful treatment under Medicaid harms quality of life in the territory and has compelled the Puerto Rico government to over-borrowto compensate," Pierluisi said. The island's financial problems are a source of division in Washington, where Democrats have demanded letting it restructure its debts through passing laws akin to US bankruptcy protections, though possibly broader. Republicans are skeptical of debt restructuring, preferring to bring the island's finances under federal control. Puerto Rico has lobbied heavily for some sort of debt restructuring, saying it is necessary to secure much-needed concessions from bondholders who have resisted repayment cuts. The island has begun defaulting on minor debt payments over the last several months. The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, a Puerto Rican government agency that represents the island before the US government, said the proposed budget would "help level the fiscal playing field" for Puerto Rico. "The President is providing the hard working and innovative people of Puerto Rico with the ability to address the crisis of today while also moving forward to the prosperity of tomorrow," Juan Hernandez, PRFAA's director, said in a statement. The proposals are not shoo-ins, as the plan is primarily a political document unlikely to be embraced by the Republican-controlled Congress.REUTERS JW PR0456 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-582533.Xml Insurgent candidates in the 2016 US presidential race, billionaire Republican Donald Trump and Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders, sought to lift their campaigns at the New Hampshire primary elections by defeating mainstream rivals. Riding a wave of voter anger at traditional politicians, the two men held big leads over their respective opponents in New Hampshire, the second state in the process of picking party nominees for the November 8 election to replace President Barack Obama. The polls were to close at 7 pm EST (0530 IST) and New Hampshire officials predicted a historic high turnout of about 550,000 as long lines of voters formed at polling stations. Real estate magnate Trump is under pressure to deliver a victory after he was beaten in the first nominating contest - the Iowa caucuses last week - by Texas Senator Ted Cruz despite having had a big lead in opinion polls. Trump's rivals were dueling for second place in New Hampshire as the last undecided voters made up their minds. Ohio Governor John Kasich, who held more than 100 town hall events in the state, appeared to be getting some of the late deciders but Cruz, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, US Senator Marco Rubio from Florida and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also felt good about their chances. On the Democratic side, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton fought to keep it close against Sanders, a US senator from neighboring Vermont who was way ahead of her in opinion polls in New Hampshire. Despite being the front-runner to win the Democratic nomination, Clinton's razor-thin victory in Iowa made her look vulnerable and a double-digit loss to Sanders in New Hampshire would add pressure on her. Preliminary exit poll results yesterday showed independent voters accounted for about four in 10 voters in both Democratic and Republican contests, according to ABC News. Independent voters wield special clout in New Hampshire because they can vote in either party's primary. Nearly half of Republican voters in the exit polls said they wanted a non-establishment candidate, and had only made up their mind about their vote in the last few days, ABC said. About a quarter of Democratic voters said they sought a candidate from outside the establishment. A WMUR-CNN poll on Monday showed Trump leading in New Hampshire with the support of 31 percent of those planning to vote in the Republican primary. Rubio was second at 17 per cent, followed by Cruz at 14 per cent and Kasich at 10 percent. Rubio needs to follow up his strong third-place showing in Iowa with a top-tier finish in the northeastern state to bolster his argument that he is the mainstream candidate around whom the party's leadership and wealthy donors should rally. But a shaky debate performance by foreign policy hawk Rubio on Saturday night came at a bad time. Rubio aides insisted no harm was done and that his crowds were as big as ever. Trump, who has courted controversy by deriding Mexican immigrants and promising to ban Muslims from entering the United States, spent the final campaign hours in New Hampshire insulting his rivals. In an interview with MSNBC, he called Rubio "confused," Bush a "loser," Clinton "evil" and Cruz "nasty." At a campaign event on Monday, the former reality TV star gleefully repeated an audience member's description of Cruz as a "pussy" because Cruz said he was more hesitant than Trump about supporting torturing the country's captured enemies. "Nothing Donald says surprises anyone," Cruz said as he visited a polling station. "He didn't like that he lost in Iowa." At a polling station in the town of Derry yesterday morning, Clinton bumped into the husband of former Hewlett-Packard CEO Fiorina, who has repeatedly derided Clinton's marriage to former US President Bill Clinton as loveless. "Well, give my best to Carly," Clinton said to Frank Fiorina after they had swapped pleasantries about the marvels of democracy. "Want to get a picture?" They grinned for cameras.REUTERS JW PR0500 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-582537.Xml The UN Security Council will discuss the alarming humanitarian situation in Syria and the recent displacement of tens of thousands of people fleeing a Russian-backed assault around Aleppo, New Zealand's UN envoy said. The closed-door consultations are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET (2200 IST) today and were jointly requested by New Zealand and Spain, backed by other Western powers. "There are reports of at least 30,000 people displaced from Aleppo and it's the middle of winter," New Zealand Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen said in a statement to Reuters. "New Zealand and Spain considered this was a situation the Security Council could not ignore." Hundreds of thousands of civilians could be cut off from food if Syrian government forces encircle rebel-held parts of Aleppo, the United Nations said yesterday, warning of a new exodus of refugees fleeing a Russian-backed assault. It was not clear what, if anything, the 15-nation Security Council will agree today. The council usually finds it difficult to reach consensus on Syria because Russia, one of the five permanent veto powers, strongly backs the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The council session comes just ahead of a crucial meeting of major powers in Germany. International powers, including Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are due to meet on Thursday in Munich in a bid to resurrect the talks. But diplomats have little hope for negotiations as long as the offensive continues. Rebels say they will not attend without a halt to the bombing. Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes and Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, have launched a major offensive in the countryside around Aleppo, which has been divided between government and rebel control for years. It marks one of the most important shifts of momentum in the five-year civil war that has killed 250,000 people and already driven 11 million from their homes. US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Russia yesterday to join efforts to bring about a ceasefire. "Russia's activities from Aleppo and in the region are making it much more difficult to be able to come to the table and be able to have a serious conversation," Kerry told reporters. REUTERS MI PR0644 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0387-582551.Xml US Republican presidential candidate John Kasich, who has struggled to generate enthusiasm for his campaign, made a surprise showing on Google Trends in the run-up to New Hampshire's primary. After beating Republican rival Donald Trump by 3-2 in the tiny town of Dixville Notch, the first community to vote in the New Hampshire primary, Kasich appeared to pique voters' interest in the state, which holds the first-in-the nation presidential nominating primary. Google Trends data showed yesterday evening that the Ohio governor was the top-searched candidate associated with the search "Vote for..." (i.e., "Vote for John Kasich). Carly Fiorina and Ted Cruz were the second- and third-most commonly queried candidates under that search term. Kasich has long staked the viability of his campaign on the outcome in New Hampshire. He picked up less than 2 per cent of the votes in the Republican Iowa caucuses last week, the first in the state-by-state nominating contests for the November 8 presidential election. SANDERS STAYS STRONG Elsewhere on social media, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders held strong. Sanders won a bigger share of the social conversation among millennials in New Hampshire than rival Hillary Clinton before Tuesday's primary, according to Yik Yak, an app that has mostly younger users. CNN projected yesterday that Sanders, a US senator from Vermont, won the New Hampshire primary. On the Republican side, Trump, a billionaire businessman who CNN projected won the New Hampshire primary, received 61.3 percent of mentions on Yik Yak over Cruz, a US senator from Texas, who brought in 12.4 per cent. Sanders was the most-discussed candidate on the Democratic side, capturing 55.3 per cent of mentions in yaks, or anonymous posts made by users, in New Hampshire, compared with Clinton's 44.7 per cent, the location-based app said. The data was measured between the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses and Monday, the eve of the New Hampshire primary. Sanders also received a 21.8 per cent approval rating on Yik Yak, compared with Clinton's 7.4 per cent. While social media buzz does not necessarily translate into votes, it can be a good indication of the interest level surrounding a candidate. Sanders also had a strong performance on social media during the Iowa caucuses, where he lost narrowly to Clinton, the former secretary of state. REUTERS MI PR0714 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0387-582558.Xml President Barack Obama will deliver a tough message to China during a summit with Southeast Asian countries next week that disputes in the South China Sea must be resolved peacefully and not with a big nation "bullying" smaller neighbors, the White House said. Obama will also address North Korea's "provocations," a nuclear test last month and a rocket launch over the weekend, when he hosts the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in California on Monday and yesterday, aides said. Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said the president will reiterate that territorial disputes over the area, where China and several Southeast Asian states have conflicting and overlapping claims, must be handled through negotiations and consistent with international norms. Though China will not be represented, Obama's aides made clear that Beijing's actions in the South China Sea, where it has proceeded with island building that US officials suspect could be turned to military use, will be one of the focal points of the summit at the Sunnylands estate near Palm Springs, California. "The president will call on all claimants to halt land reclamation, construction of new facilities and to carry out no militarization of outposts in the South China Sea," Dan Kritenbrink, Obama's top Asia adviser, told reporters on a conference call previewing the ASEAN talks. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than 5 trillion dollars of world trade is shipped every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. Rhodes said part of Obama's message at the summit will be the need "to avoid efforts to resolve those disputes through one nation, bigger nation, bullying a smaller one," uphold freedom of navigation and avoid "inadvertent and unnecessary" military action in the South China Sea. A US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other states in the South China Sea in late January to counter what Washington deems unacceptable efforts to limit freedom of navigation, prompting an angry reaction from Beijing. It was the second such US military exercise carried out last year. Obama will specifically discuss with Southeast Asian leaders his concerns about China's recent test flights on a newly constructed runway on the Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands, Rhodes said. But even as Obama seeks to reassure Southeast Asian leaders of his resolve, he is expected to face divisions within the 10-nation bloc on how far they are willing to go in angering China. The Philippines and Vietnam have taken a harder line while Cambodia and Laos are more reluctant to confront Beijing. US officials insist the summit is not about targeting China but about bolstering economic and security ties with Southeast Asia, a region Obama has focused on as part of his signature "rebalance" toward Asia-Pacific. At the same time, Obama will update Southeast Asian leaders on efforts to increase international sanctions pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs, a process that the US officials said China had every reason to assist. "We approach China on the basis that we have a shared interest in the principle of denuclearization and avoiding an escalation on the Korean peninsula," Rhodes said. But China and the United States have not entirely seen eye to eye on how strong the response should be to North Korea, with Washington urging harsh punitive measures and Beijing stressing the need for dialogue. REUTERS MI PR0732 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0387-582561.Xml According to The Express Tribune, Rehman Malik accused India of trying to defame Pakistan by concocting confessions out of Headley. Rehman said that they have the details about who paid tickets, who funded him and how he recruited non-state actors from Pakistan for the attacks. In his revelation during the deposition yesterday, Headley said that Pakistan's spy agency ISI provides financial, moral as well as military support to terror outfits like the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. Headley said that he was asked by the ISI to recruit Indian army men to spy for them. On the first day of the deposition, he revealed the sequence of events and planning behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Headley, one of the main conspirators in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, deposed as a witness in the case and admitted that he had come to the city with a false identity at the behest of his colleague and handler Sajid Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. Meanwhile, post a technical snag in video-conferencing, David Coleman Headley's deposition has been adjourned till Thursday. (ANI) Every year the houbara bustard, a rare desert bird whose meat is prized by Arab sheikhs as an aphrodisiac, migrates from Central Asia to the far reaches of Iraq and Pakistan in search of a mild climate and a place to breed.Its arrival sets off another migration - as scores of wealthy Gulf Arabs descend on Iraq to hunt the bird with trained falcons through the winter months.But the kidnapping of 26 Qataris in December in the Iraqi desert while hunting, including members of the country's royal family, has highlighted the risks of pursuing the "sport of kings" at a time of heightened regional turmoil.No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, which happened in a region dominated by Shi'ite Muslim militia.But what is clear is the immense wealth of Qatar and the Doha government's past successes in freeing political prisoners in war zones has made its own citizens prey to those seeking to raise money or exploit the Gulf state's diplomatic clout."The kidnapping of the Qatari hunters dealt a painful blow to the reputation of all the southern areas of Iraq," said Abdul Rahman Hammoud, chief of the Iraqi Hunters Association in Samawa, where the Qataris were kidnapped."We are a tribal community and Gulf hunters are our guests. After the abduction, not a single hunter from the Gulf is coming to Iraq anymore, fearing from being kidnapped. It will take a long time to repair the damage and convince Gulf hunters to resume their Iraq trips," he told Reuters.It is perhaps the world's most elaborate blood sport - cargo planes fly tents, luxury jeeps, and falcons worth hundreds of thousands of dollars into custom-built desert airstrips.Mega-rich owners often keep their falcons in vast air-conditioned rooms and free-flying aviaries, and use helium-filled balloons and drones to train them at higher altitudes.Local communities can benefit from the hobby, which has for decades seen Arab elites channel cash - via hunting permit fees and jobs - into remote corners of the Middle East and beyond.To curry favour with local communities whose land they descend upon to pursue prey, the Arab hunters have also built roads, schools and mosques in places like Pakistan's Balochistan province and Afghanistan's Helmand, while residents also benefit from the international-standard airstrips that can spring up.New four-wheel drive vehicles brought in for the hunting season are left behind as gifts for local leaders.But critics say that hunting with falcons, a practice Arab nomads used to survive life in the desert, is today a reckless hobby that threatens the houbara, a dwindling species, and funnels money into areas controlled by militias.UNDER ATTACKThe tradition of falconry is thought to date back thousands of years in the Middle East, and for centuries nomad hunters relied on falcons.But rapid urbanisation and population growth, fuelled by the discovery of oil, swallowed the desert breeding grounds and habitats of falcons and their prey.In the 1960s, falconers began to extend their hunting grounds into Iran, Iraq and Pakistan, as well as countries like Azerbaijan, Mauritania and Morocco, to hunt in areas that cover thousands of square miles."It is dangerous," said Mohammed al-Khater, a student at Qatar University who trains and breeds falcons in his spare time. "The hunters fly into hotspots because it's where you find the most prey. It's a risk - but then, it's heir passion."But the hunts have proved divisive.The global houbara population is estimated at between 79,000 and 97,000, according to BirdLife International which lists the bird as "vulnerable". It says the population has declined by a third or more over the last 20 years due to hunting and habitat loss.A ruling by Pakistan's Supreme Court last year banning hunting of the houbara - after complaints from conservationists that the bird was at risk of extinction - was overturned last month when the government argued it damaged relations with Gulf states, key investors in the country.A senior Saudi prince and his entourage killed 2,100 houbara over 21 days during a hunt in 2014, according to an official report leaked to Pakistani news media.Hunters say they breed houbara to replace those they kill and complain that the royal visits are being unnecessarily politicised.Farooq Al-Elji, a falconer who works for the Al Gannas Society, a Qatari association of hunters, defended the practice."These people are falconers, you cannot take that away from them. Even if you take the trips away it is in their personality. Every human emotion is connected to being a falconer. It's very deep-rooted," he said."It's a traditional trip, they like to maintain it to recapture the mood of being a survivor in the desert. That's the beauty of it, its a wonderful vacation for them."But the vacation is over for now, at least in Iraq.In the wake of the kidnappings, Colonel Mahmoud Abbas at Iraq's interior ministry said Gulf citizens would no longer be able to secure visas "until further notice". REUTERS DS RK1149 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-582716.Xml According to Kathmandu Post, a condolence message issued on behalf the UN Secretary-General by his spokesman states that Ban was saddened by the passing of Koirala, a widely respected political leader who guided Nepal through its complex transition and constitutional process. The statement said that Koirala worked tirelessly to unify people and bring parties together in a spirit of compromise and he greatly contributed towards Nepal's democratizsation and peace process. The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the Koirala family and the people of Nepal. (ANI) Indonesia's President Joko Widodo said today he may consider including members of new political parties in his cabinet in a future reshuffle."It is in process," Widodo told Reuters in an interview at the presidential palace, adding that erstwhile opposition parties like Golkar, which is also the country's second-biggest, may be featured in a new line-up.Widodo's ruling coalition has four major parties, all of which control seats in the cabinet.Several former opposition parties like Golkar and the National Mandate Party (PAN) have pledged their support for the government in recent months.Only one party, failed presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra, remains in opposition.Widodo's last reshuffle in August was aimed boosting investor sentiment in Southeast Asia's biggest economy and was seen to be largely free of political interference from his backing coalition.Six cabinet ministers were replaced in that reshuffle including the chief economics and trade mininsters.REUTERS DS NS1335 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-582911.Xml Mr Malik, who held the charge of the Interior Ministry when the Mumbai terror attack took place in 2008, described the revelations made by Headley before a Mumbai court as a ''pack of lies''. Headley during his last two days of deposition before the special court through video-conferencing from a US jail disclosed close nexus between the ISI and Lashkar-eTaiba, which masterminded the Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 people and left a deep scar on the India-Pakistan relations. The Express Tribune reported Malik as saying that Headley was planted by Indian intelligence agencies for ''executing the Mumbai attacks and then getting concocted statements from him.'' The former minister claimed that they have details about who funded him and how he recruited non-state actors from Pakistan (for the attack). Pakistani-American Headley is serving a 35-year-jail term in the US for his role in 2008 Mumbai attacks. Headley has told the Mumbai court that LeT was provided moral, material and financial support by Pakistans intelligence agency. He also said that he was asked to recruit Indian defence officers, who could work as spy for Pakistan. He said LeT wanted to target defence scientists at a conference meeting in the Taj Palace Hotel in 2007, a year before the Mumbai attack. Headley said LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul-Mujahiddin terrorist organisations were working against India under one roof 'United Jihad Council'. He admitted that Zakir-ur-Rehman Lakhavi was the operational commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba. He also spoke of his association with LeT Founder Hafiz Saeed and his close associate Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, both of whom, since the very beginning of the investigation into the attack, have been suspected by the Indian agencies.UNI XC NAZ RSA 1457 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-583051.Xml Iran will unveil an upgrade of its Emad ballistic missiles this year, the defence minister was quoted as saying, advancing a programme that has drawn criticism from the United Nations and sanctions from the United States.The Islamic Republic would also start taking delivery of an advanced Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile defence system in the next two months, Hossein Dehghan added - a system that was blocked before a landmark nuclear deal with world powers.Tehran agreed the deal on curbing its nuclear work in July last year and international sanctions were lifted in January. But tensions with Washington have remained high as Tehran continues to develop its military capabilities.Iran first tested the Emad missile in October. With improved accuracy over its existing arsenal, Iran says the new missile will be an important part of its conventional deterrent.But the United States says the Emad is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and the test therefore violated a UN resolution. Washington imposed fresh sanctions last month against Iranian individuals and businesses linked to the missile program."We will unveil the next generation of Emad with improved precision in the next (Iranian) year (starting from March 20)," Dehghan was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency late yesterday."The Emad misisle is not a violation of the nuclear deal or any UN resolution since we will never use a nuclear warhead (on it). It's an allegation," he said, adding that mass production would begin in the near future.Iran is also due to start taking delivery of the S-300 missiles system from Russia in the next two months, Dehghan said, and the order would be completed by the end of the year.Russia cancelled a contract to deliver the advanced anti-missile rocket system to Iran in 2010 under pressure from the West following UN sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme.Tehran and Moscow have also started talks on the supply of the Russian-made Sukhoi-30 fighter jets to Iran, Dehghan said."We have even decided on the number of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets that we want to buy," Dehghan said.REUTERS DS AS1405 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-582943.Xml Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today urged the US led coalition to prevent Turkey from invading Syria."I dont think it might ever happen. Minor provocations I have told about (construction of tent camps, preparations of engineering facilities some 100-200 meters into the Syrian territory and several kilometers along the frontline) are not a full-scale intrusion after all," Lavrov said in an interview to popular Russian daily newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets."I dont think the coalition led by the Americans and having Turkey as its member will let realize such crazy plans," he noted, pointing out to desire of a number of regional countries to solve the crisis in Syria through military means."At the Vienna meeting of the International Syria Support Group, we and the United States were willing and actively offered to put in the documents, and then in the United Nations Security Council resolution one very simple phrase - the Syrian crisis has no military solution, Lavrov said. He stressed that Turkey and the Islamic State (IS) are negotiating in secret, discussing new ways of smuggling."We are very worried about the messages that are constantly coming publicly and through private channels that Turkey specifically plans, or perhaps, already has begun claiming parts of the Syrian territory under the pretext of creating tent camps - accumulating the Syrian refugees, not allowing them to cross the Turkish border, where, according to them, the camps are already overcrowded," Lavrov said."There are indications that the leadership of the Islamic State (terrorist organization banned in Russia) keeps secret contacts with Turkish officials," he said. "They are discussing alternative options in the current circumstances, when the strikes of our aerospace forces have seriously limited the possibilities of traditional smuggling routes," he added.He said according to the Russian information, Turkey has already discussed in the NATO their plans to create zones in Syria free from the Islamic State."This, of course, would violate all principles of the international law, as well as significantly and fundamentally build up escalation," Lavrov said.UNI XC CJ RSA 1701 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-583338.Xml The European Union urged Italy today to speed up preparations for what it expects will be a new wave of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Libya this summer. In reports endorsed at its weekly meeting, the European Commission, the EU executive, found both Italy and Greece, the member states in the front line of the migration crisis, wanting in their application of measures agreed by EU leaders and also called on Turkey to fulfil its recent commitments to cooperate. A Commission statement said the report on Italy, where more than 160,000 irregular migrants arrived last year, found that only two of six planned "hot spots" for processing those to be considered for asylum or be deported were fully operational. For another two of the six, plans had not even been finalised, it said, adding: "A decision concerning them is essential in view of the likely increase of migratory flows during the summer period." Of five hot spots planned for Greece, where more than 800,000 migrants arrived via Turkey last year, only one was fully operational, the report found, despite the measures having been agreed by EU leaders five months ago. REUTERS PS VN1731 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-583460.Xml An Afghan police officer who was shot during an exchange of gunfire with members of NATO's force in Afghanistan has died, the Ministry of Interior said today. The officer apparently opened fire on a NATO force delegation near the main entrance of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries in the capital, Kabul, yesterday, the ministry said in a statement. NATO force soldiers returned fire, wounding the gunman, said US military spokesman Colonel Michael Lawhorn. No NATO force members were wounded in the exchange, he said. The shooter died later in hospital and the Interior Ministry said it had ordered police to investigate the incident. So-called insider attacks by members of Afghan security forces on their international military allies were a major worry several years ago but have become more rare as the number of foreign troops has dwindled. REUTERS PS VN1732 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-583504.Xml Elderly Hamama Yousif was rushed to the main hospital in one of Yemen's largest cities after an artillery round lashed her chest with shrapnel, only to find that the doctors there had run out of the oxygen tanks needed to save her life.In a video captured by local news station Yemen Youth TV, worried relatives carry her, still talking, to almost every clinic and hospital in the war-torn city of Taiz - none had any oxygen - until motionless and dead, she was finally taken to the morgue.Once known as "Arabia Felix" or happy Arabia, Yemen has been disfigured by 10 months of war into one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, where over half the population faces hunger and not even hospitals are spared.The wounded and the dying find little comfort in al-Thawra hospital in the southwestern city of Taiz: Pressure from nearby shelling has blown out all the windows and several direct hits have reduced one ward nearly to dust."Our situation is disastrous in every possible way," said Sadeq Shujaa, head of the local doctor's union."Shelling hit the only cancer hospital and the children's hospital, shutting them down. The war has sent doctors fleeing for their lives to the countryside and siege tactics mean we have to smuggle in medicine through mountain passes."Taiz is contested between local militias and the armed Houthi group which many residents say blocks aid from entering and bombs civilian targets. It is one of the worst fronts of the war, in which forces loyal to a government ousted by the Houthis in March are seeking to fight back to the capital Sanaa.After the government fled into exile, a Saudi-led alliance of Arab states joined the war to restore it, recapturing the port city of Aden where President Abd Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi is now based.Riyadh and its allies have launched hundreds of air strikes, sent in ground troops and set up a naval blockade to restrict goods reaching the country. The Saudis say the Houthis, drawn mainly from a Shi'ite sect that ruled a thousand-year kingdom in north Yemen until 1962, are puppets of Shi'ite Iran.The Houthis have allied themselves with army units loyal to long-serving former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and say they are leading a revolution against a corrupt government in thrall to the foreign invaders. They deny receiving support from Iran.STAGGERING CRISISThe fighting has killed around 6,000 people, about half of them civilians. Many times more are now in danger as a result of the humanitarian catastrophe wrought by the conflict.The UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) warns of a "staggering" food crisis, saying famine looms as over half the population or some 14.4 million people are food insecure."The economy shrank by 35 per cent in 2015. People who used to have decent standards of living have become Yemen's 'new poor' because with no electricity to power their business and no fuel to get anywhere, they have no way to earn money," said Mohammed al-Assadi of UNICEF."2.4 million people are internally displaced. In these conditions there's no easy access to basic hygiene or healthcare, and now about 320,000 children under five years old are severely malnourished," he added.On the outskirts of Sanaa and in towns outside Taiz, clusters of shabby tent encampments housing thousands of families fleeing nearby violence have cropped up, where jobless parents idle and many children shrivel with hunger.In peacetime, impoverished Yemen imported 90 per cent of its staple foods. Much of the 4 percent of the arid country that is arable land now lies untilled because of the war."Besides the humanitarian catastrophes, a lack of jobs paves the way for a social and political crisis in which work skills erode and some people join the war effort to earn a living, feeding a cycle of violence," said Salah Elhajj Hassan of FAO.HIDING IN CAVESWorkers from the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), among the few foreign aid groups operating in Yemen's worst war zones, have suffered repeated attacks in the far northern province of Saada straddling the Saudi border.An ambulance from an MSF-affiliated hospital rushed to the scene of a suspected Saudi-led air strike on January 21, but just as crowds gathered to assist the victims another bomb fell and killed a medic.An MSF hospital was bombed on October 27 in what the Saudi-led coalition says was a strike intended to target militiamen nearby.Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said the foreign forces were working to reduce civilian deaths, but aid groups like MSF should prevent Houthi fighters from approaching their facilities.As Yemeni society becomes increasingly militarised, combatants are often mixed among civilians. Rights group Human Rights Watch blamed Houthis for basing forces in a centre for the blind in the capital that was bombed on January 5.The bomb did not explode, but rendered the facility unusable.Days after the blast, a young boy with grey sightless eyes felt his way through the rubble and picked up a dead pigeon, in a moment captured by a local cameraman that has embodied for many Yemenis the sadness of the war.Fear now reigns even where aid is available. MSF official Teresa Sancristoval said in a statement that most of the 40,000 residents in an area near an MSF hospital bombed on January 10 now live in caves to avoid Saudi-led air strikes."Since the attack, there have been no deliveries in the maternity room - pregnant women are giving birth in caves rather than risk coming to the hospital," she said. REUTERS PS RAI1850 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-583777.Xml New Delhi had sent an all-party delegation led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to convey the condolence of the Government and its people over the loss of a leader who had very close relations with India. Ms Swaraj had yesterday called on President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Other members of the delegation were Congress leader Anand Sharma, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury and JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav. Koirala, who had a pneumonia attack, died of cardiac arrest yesterday at the age of 76. He served as Nepals 37th Prime Minister from February 2014 to October 2015.UNI XC NAZ DJK RSA 1944 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-583947.Xml A Roman Catholic prelate has been arrested for allegedly defrauding hundreds of elderly people out of millions of euros through an elaborate money-laundering scheme, Italian police said today.Monsignor Patrizio Benvenuti, 64, originally from Argentina, has been placed under house arrest, and an international arrest warrant has been issued for French financier and property dealer Christian Ventisette, 54, whom authorities have not been able to find, finance police said in a statement.Police said the pair persuaded 300 would-be savers in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the United States and Italy to invest 30 million euros (34 million dollars), encouraged by the promise of helping a charitable foundation.Contacted by Reuters, Benvenuti said he "substantially rejected" the accusations aimed at him personally. He added that he did not know about finance, suggesting Ventisette had been responsible."The funds disappeared, but they are not in my pockets or in those of the foundation. They are in the pockets of the person who duped everyone," Benvenuti said.Benvenuti worked at the Vatican's legal tribunal and as a military chaplain before retiring from priestly duties.The victims thought they were entrusting their savings to finance and property sector experts. Police said they were spurred on by Benvenuti's promise that they would also be helping a charitable foundation he falsely boasted was supported by senior Vatican officials."He exaggerated the Vatican's support for his foundation," police captain Alessandra Faietti said, adding the organisation's statutes referred to a high-ranking archbishop who has denied being involved in its activities.The investigation started after a former nun went to the police saying she had received bank documents showing movements of hundreds of thousands of euros that she could not explain.She said she had signed contracts which gave her titular roles in companies tied to the alleged fraud while living with Benvenuti in Rome.As part of the investigation, police ordered the confiscation of an eight-million-euro villa in Tuscany, and an archaeological site in Sicily.Nine other people are also being investigated in the investigation, which includes charges of alleged tax evasion.REUTERS PS RAI1953 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-583985.Xml Syrian government forces backed by Russia are carrying out a deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing around the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said today. "One of the aims of the latest attacks is to conduct ethnic cleansing. Ethnic cleansing in Syria and Aleppo aimed at only leaving regime supporters behind is being conducted by the Syrian regime and Russia in a very deliberate way," he said. "Every refugee that we accept helps their ethnic cleansing policy but we will continue to accept (refugees)," Davutoglu told a joint news conference with his Dutch counterpart.REUTERS SHS SB2041 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-584132.Xml Long-battered shares of coal companies jumped today after the US Supreme Court put on hold federal regulations to curb carbon dioxide emissions mainly from coal-fired power plants.Peabody Energy shares surged 10.7 per cent, Cloud Peak Energy shares increased 18.7 per cent, while Consol Energy shares rose 3.9 per cent. The court's 5-4 ruling yesterday delivered a major blow to President Barack Obama, by blocking the centerpiece of his administration's strategy to combat climate change. The court's decision granted a request by 27 states and various companies and business groups to block the administration's Clean Power Plan, which also mandates a shift to renewable energy away from fossil fuels.Since President Obama announced his carbon emissions program on April 3, the Thomson Reuters US coal index has fallen about 74 per cent. Not every coal company's shares rose today, when the index was up 1.9 per cent in early trading. REUTERS SHS VN2043 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-584139.Xml Saudi Arabia would be willing to commit its special forces to Syria should the international coalition decide to deploy ground troops against Islamic State, the country's foreign minister said today. "We will discuss details with experts from the countries involved to decide on the nature of the participation," Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters during a visit to Morocco. Last week, an adviser to the Saudi defense minister said the kingdom was ready to participate in any ground operation in Syria, but did not specify the possibility of sending special forces on the ground.REUTERS PS SB2002 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-584045.Xml The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition said that if allies supplied them with anti-aircraft missiles then they could defend civilians against Russian air strikes and that the opposition would not allow the weapons to fall into the hands of militants."If we had these, this would solve the problem of Syria," opposition spokesman Salim al-Muslat said of the weapons. He said surface-to-air missiles would help defend against any aircraft, including Russian ones, which attacked civilians."We really guarantee that they do not go anywhere - that they will be in the hands of the moderates under the eye of our friends, whether European or American," he said.Riad Hijab, a former Syrian prime minister who heads an opposition council, said the United States and other Western powers should force Russia to stop bombing civilians."It is incumbent upon the United States and friends of the Syrian people on the United Nations Security Council to say to Putin that this must stop," Hijab said.REUTERS SHS RAI2300 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-584230.Xml At least 60 people were killed in twin suicide bomb attacks at a refugee camp in the Dikwa town, some 90 km from the city of Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, local officials said on Wednesday. Satomi Ahmad, chairman of the State Emergency Management Agency, said two female suicide bombers on Tuesday sneaked into an internally displaced persons camp and detonated themselves in the middle of it, adding that 78 people were injured, Xinhua reported. --Indo-Asian News Service ahm/ ( 89 Words) 2016-02-11-02:27:35 (IANS) From Popular Mechanics President Obama's 2017 budget request for NASA is out. While nothing is final (this is, after all, a presidential budget going up against a Congress that has not supported Obama's policies), NASA tends to have bipartisan support in Washington, D.C., so the $18 billion ask may not be far off the mark in the end. There are few major surprises in the budget. It continues a planetary science emphasis on Mars and the upcoming mission to Jupiter's moon Europa, while laying the groundwork for whatever becomes the next flagship mission. The James Webb Space Telescope gets $569 million, enough to keep it on track through its 2018 launch. And funding continues to look toward the agency's future, funding research into new exploration targets and propulsion. Here's a little breakdown of the proposal: Science ($5.6 billion) Earth science would theoretically get $2 billion, but this may be the most contentious part of the budget. It boils down to NASA's research into climate science, especially climate change, which is a perpetually hot-button issue. Some members of the GOP (which controls both chambers of Congress) do not believe that anthropogenic climate change is happening, and many would like to see NASA (and NOAA, the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration) step away from that work. Planetary science is slated for $1.9 billion, which will cover the cost of building the Mars 2020 rover, plus continuing operations of the Mars Curiosity and Mars Opportunity rovers as well as the Mars Odyssey orbiter. It also provides money for the upcoming Europa mission, which has widespread bipartisan support. The New Frontiers missions will continue to be funded, which comprises the Juno mission (set to arrive at Jupiter this year), the Pluto New Horizons probe, and OSIRIS-REx, an asteroid sample mission that will launch in September. Many space telescope projects will get a total of $782 million, covering continued operation of Hubble and various Explorers Program missions like WISE and NuSTAR. The James Webb Space Telescope gets $569 million to stay on track for a 2018 launch. NASA's heliophysics missions get $699 million. Various missions fall under that umbrella, including the Voyager missions, though they will be only a small fraction of that budget. Story continues Human Exploration Operations ($8.4 billion) This part of the budget covers the International Space Station, including the beginning of the commercial crew missions that will see SpaceX and Boeing ferry astronauts to the ISS-the first time astronauts will be launched from the United States since the space shuttle shuttered in 2011. This chunk also includes the development of the Orion capsule and Space Launch System, NASA's first deep-space crewed vehicles since the Apollo era. There's also money for ground operations in the budget, as well as for technological development through private-public partnerships, which have taken increasing prominence in the past few years as NASA teams up with commercial actors for cargo, crew, and launch vehicles. Of the $8.4 billion, about $5 billion goes toward the ISS. Space Technology ($827 million) This is some of NASA's niche work, including development of new technologies. For instance, the budget calls for funding solar-electric propulsion, much like the Planetary Society's LightSail project. The first SLS launch in 2018 includes lightsail-powered CubeSat. There's also money for autonomous satellite repair, development of high-bandwidth spacecraft communication, and a variety of ways the agency seeks to commercialize its numerous inventions for the private sector. Aeronautics Research ($790 million) NASA isn't just about space. After all, the first A is for Aeronautics, and NASA continues research into new aviation technology, from new planes to things as mundane as bug-proof jetliner paint. NASA is looking toward improving fuel efficiency and emissions standards of airplanes. The Lowdown In all, $18 billion sounds like a lot of money. But NASA is a drop in the bucket when you think about cabinet-level agency budgets. For instance, Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense cost around $1 trillion and $585 billion, respectively, meaning NASA's budget is around 3 percent of the DoD's. NASA has a some exciting things coming up in 2017, including the rise of commercial crew missions, launching a new planet-finding satellite, and preparing for the successor to the Hubble Telescope. But it's always tricky when Congress has to approve your funding. And with a change in presidents coming next year, NASA's big future goals could look very different very soon. Maiduguri (Nigeria) (AFP) - Two female suicide bombers killed at least 58 at a camp for people made homeless by Boko Haram's Islamist insurgency in northeast Nigeria, emergency services said on Wednesday, in the latest violence to hit the remote region. The attack happened in Dikwa, some 90 kilometres (55 miles) from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, on Tuesday morning and is believed to be a reprisal for a military strike on Boko Haram strongholds in the area last week. It will again raise security fears about the safety of internally displaced people (IDPs) and put pressure on the government, which maintains it has the upper hand against the insurgents and is pushing for the return of civilians caught up in the violence. Nigeria's Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, deputising for President Muhammadu Buhari who has been on holiday, described it as "regrettable that the heartless terrorists chose to unleash their wickedness on people who were taking refuge from previous acts of destruction in their homes". He promised those behind the attack would be hunted down and ordered that "formidable security in and around the IDP camps in the country be beefed up and renewed measures put in place to guard against future occurrences". The head of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, Satomi Ahmed, earlier told AFP 35 bodies were recovered from the camp, which houses some 53,600 people, with 78 injured. He later said the other dead had been buried locally, leading to the revised toll. "From what we gathered three female suicide bombers disguised as IDPs arrived at IDP camp at about 6:30 am (0530 GMT)," he said. "Two of them detonated their explosives. The third one refused to set off hers when she realised her parents and siblings were in the camp. She surrendered herself to the authorities." Ahmed said the woman told the military why she refused to detonate her explosives and warned them of further attacks to come in the remote region. Story continues The injured were taken to the Borno State Specialist Hospital and the Umaru Shehu Hospital, both in Maiduguri for treatment, he added. The camp in Dikwa is currently home to people from six local government areas in Borno: Dikwa itself, Gamboru Ngala, on the border with Cameroon, and the towns of Marte, Kalabalge, Bama and Mafa. - Revenge - Last week, the Nigerian military attacked three villages considered Boko Haram strongholds near Kalabalge, killing dozens of militant fighters and rescuing hundreds of women. The women were largely from the Shuwa Arab tribe, who had been kidnapped, prompting the authorities to suspect the latest attack to be revenge for the military operation. Boko Haram, which has increasingly used suicide and bomb attacks as the military pushes them out of territories it once controlled, has hit IDP camps before. On September 11 last year, seven people were killed when an improvised explosive device went off at the Malkohi camp, near Yola, in neighbouring Adamawa state. The camp had been used to house kidnapped women and children rescued by the military. IDPs fleeing Dikwa were also the target of a female suicide bomber as they tried to reach camps in Maiduguri on November 22 last year. A woman disguised as an IDP blew herself up, killing eight. On January 31, at least 85 people were killed in Dalori, some 12 kilometres from Maiduguri, when Boko Haram fighters attacked and burned down surrounding villagers. Suicide bombers tried to get into the IDP camp, which is the largest around Maiduguri, but were prevented. The Boko Haram insurgency has left at least 17,000 people dead and forced more than 2.6 million from their homes in nearly seven years of violence that has also spread to neighbouring countries. At least six civilians were killed and more than 30 injured on Wednesday in a double suicide attack in the village of Nguetchewe, in northern Cameroon. As winter marches on, its hard not to daydream of warmer weather and sunny locales. Those daydreams inevitably take you down a path of theoretical vacation planning, which will probably eventually lead to Airbnb. There are thousands and thousands of listings to scroll through once you begin exploring Airbnb, but rather than spend the rest of the day scrolling, why not check out this list of 8 incredible places and save yourself some time? SEE ALSO: Teslas Model 3 will cost as little as $25,000 Here are just a few of the incredible, gorgeous listings available on Airbnb: St Pancras Clock Tower London, UK St Pancras Clock Tower A mini apartment within the clock tower apartment at St Pancras Station, with its own en suite bathroom and kitchen and sitting area. It sits in Sir George Gilbert Scotts gothic revival railway hotel building from 1868. Ideal for 1 week holidays. Casa Civita Lazio, Italy Casa Civita Casa Civita is a 14th century palazzo that sits on underground caves, etruscan tombs and a Roman water cistern. The floor tiles, the stone fireplace, the ceiling beams are still the original ones. The beauty of this place is unique and special. The Seashell House Isla Mujeres, Mexico The Seashell House The famous Seashell house is on a gated property with the owner/architect living next door. You will have a private pool, two king beds and a simple kitchen. If crowded pools, lobbys and the tourist bubble are not your idea of an escape, then the SEASHELL HOUSE may be the perfect place for your stay in ISLA MUJERES. Aegean Island Villa Styra, Greece Aegean Island Villa Much more than a holiday home, staying in Delenia is like having your own private village. Strategically located on a secluded corner of the Aegean, yet surprisingly close to Athens and its International Airport. Kasbah du Toubkal Morocco Ansi, Morocco Morocco The Kasbah is a welcoming environment for those seeking comfortable mountain refuge, and for those who wish for superb rooms in a stunning setting. The Kasbah du Toubkal is not a hotel in the traditional sense, it is more an extension of the hospitality that stems from the home of the Berbers who run it. Story continues Ayton Castle Gatehouse Berwickshire, UK Ayton Castle The Gatehouse to the South Drive is available to rent as a holiday cottage. Built out of the same pink sandstone as Ayton Castle, in the archetypal Scots baronial style, the Gatehouse is a retreat like no other. The lodge commands a prime position at the entrance to the Estate with the village of Ayton, with its pub and shop, just a few moments walk away. Residents of the Gatehouse have access to the Castles extensive grounds and the river walk the Eye Water being just a few metres away, down a steep wooded bank. Geo Dome Woodridge, New York Geo Dome We are located on a farm in beautiful Sullivan County, close to Bethel Woods, the Catskill Park, Neversink Unique Area and Sams Point. There are many animals on the farm. Merino sheep, angora goats, angora rabbits, oberhasli dairy goats, chickens (running free so please leash dogs!), one cat and a dog named Lali. We have a greenhouse and vegetable garden, a pond for doggies to go swimming, and a lake across the street. Treehouse Kilauea, Hawaii Treehouse Hawaii The Treehouse is a wonderful space, surrounded by fruit trees, meandering steam and Moloaa valley magic. This is a great place for those that appreciate simple beauty and nature. It comes with bikes for a quick 3 minute ride to wonderful Moloaa bay or a 10 minute walk. For a few more magical vacation ideas, be sure to check out the list on Airows as well. Related stories This 'Netflix and Chill' themed apartment on Airbnb is as crazy as it sounds Airbnb nightmare: Couple finds hidden video camera in rented apartment Here are the 50 best places to work More from BGR: New Galaxy S7 images leak along with the best news weve seen so far This article was originally published on BGR.com An Afghan police officer was killed during a clash with NATO forces in the capital Kabul, the country's interior ministry said Wednesday. The incident erupted on Tuesday when the police officer opened fire on a NATO delegation at the entrance of Afghanistan's Ministry of Commerce and Industries, the ministry said in statement. The shooter was wounded when NATO soldiers returned fire, according to NATO spokesman Michael Lawhorn. No NATO forces were injured during the incident. The assailant later died after succumbing to injuries at a local hospital. "The interior ministry has ordered Kabul police to investigate the incident," the ministry's statement added. So-called "green-on-blue" attacks, when Afghan soldiers or police turn their guns on international troops or colleagues, have been a major problem during NATO's long years fighting alongside local forces. The attacks have bred fierce mistrust between Afghan and foreign troops even though the number of such incidents has declined in recent years. NATO formally ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in December 2014 and pulled out the bulk of its troops, however, a 13,000-strong residual force remains in the country to assist with training and counter-terrorism operations. The Afghan military, which was built from scratch after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, has also struggled with "insider attack" killings, high casualty rates and mass desertions. Last month, 10 Afghan police officers were killed after being drugged and shot by a rogue colleague at an outpost in southern Afghanistan's Uruzgan province. Johannesburg (AFP) - Political scandals, huge economic deals and even extravagant wedding party controversies -- an immigrant family that is one of South Africa's wealthiest is accused by critics of wielding immense power behind the scenes. The Guptas, an Indian family that moved to the country in the 1990s, are alleged to exert a magnetic pull over President Jacob Zuma, and their influence has increasingly become the target of government's fiercest critics. To outsiders they may seem an industrious immigrant family that has made it big in their adopted country, but now their reputation is a key battleground in opposition efforts to oust Zuma from power. The family has built a string of South African companies controlled by brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh with interests in computers, mining, media and engineering. Zuma ferociously defends his friendship with the Guptas, and many of his ministers have various ties to the family. The president's son Duduzane is a director of the Gupta's Sahara Computers and is a partner in some of their other businesses, while Zuma's third wife Bongi Ngema was also a Gupta employee. "The Guptas are smart and shrewd business people and this can't be a normal relationship," political analyst Prince Mashele told AFP. "There appears to be a Gupta hand in every business sector." Last week the radical leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) opposition party put the Guptas at the centre of its campaign against Zuma ahead of municipal elections later in the year. - Political target - "We cannot allow a situation where South Africa is colonised by a family," EFF leader Julius Malema raged, as he blamed the Guptas for many of South Africa's problems and demanded that they leave the country. "We will do to the Guptas what we did to the colonisers and apartheid," he said. "The more we talk, the more they become corrupt and they do not care about South Africa. Story continues "We can no longer tolerate it. It's a battle, it's a war against the Guptas." Public anger towards the family soared in 2013, when a large private jet carrying foreign guests to a Gupta wedding was granted permission to land at Waterkloof Air Force base, outside Pretoria. The airport is a military facility that is normally used to receive heads of state. The wedding party did not go through immigration checks, and were given a police escort to the marriage at a casino resort 160 kilometres (100 miles) away. The fact that several ministers attended the week-long lavish ceremonies fuelled further media and public antagonism towards the Guptas. In another ongoing controversy, the Gupta-owned Tegeta Exploration and Resources company is in the process of acquiring a Glencore coal mine. The minister of mines, Mosebenzi Zwane, joined the firm's delegation that visited Glencore's headquarters in Switzerland last year to negotiate the sale. Zwane's surprise appointment as mines minister in September was widely seen to have been due to the Guptas, with whom he has been close for several years. In another deal, VR Laser, partly run by a Gupta nephew, has entered into a joint venture with Denel, the state-owned arms manufacturer, to sell its products in Asia. "Such deals smack of the capture of public entities by private individuals," said Mashele. "This is an improper relationship that goes into the heart of our national integrity." - Web of influence - The Guptas, who hail from Saharanpur, in northern India, developed a friendship with Zuma well before he became president in 2009. And he repays the loyalty by refusing to distance himself from them. Atul, the middle brother, was the first to arrive in South Africa in 1993 to scout for business opportunities. In 1994 they founded Sahara Computer, named after their hometown. High-profile holdings in their portfolio include the New Age, a pro-government newspaper launched in 2010, and the 24-hour news channel ANN7, broadcasting since 2013. Now their business ambitions are hatched from a huge residential compound in the upmarket Johannesburg district of Saxonwold. In 2011, Zuma's office issued a official statement rejecting allegations of Gupta interference, following claims that it was the Guptas who first told a minister of his appointment. The presidential office and Gupta spokesman Gary Naidoo did not respond to AFP's request for comment. "There is a feeling that the Guptas are almost running the state," Adriaan Basson, author of the book "Zuma Exposed", told AFP. "Although there hasn't been any formal investigation into the relationship, all probabilities point to an improper alliance. "I can't see President Zuma turning his back on the Gupta family." CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - AngloGold Ashanti said on Wednesday its head of corporate affairs in Ghana was killed on Saturday during a riot among illegal miners at its Obuasi mine, which is currently idle as the company waits for a partner for the operation. "We can confirm that John Owusu was killed on Saturday," AngloGold Johannesburg-based spokesman Chris Nthite said. Owusu died when a dispute between artisanal miners working on part of the Obuasi site and pressing for access to a larger portion of the mine escalated into a riot, senior union leader Samuel Dwamenah said from Obuasi. "Local police are patrolling the mine. Personnel have been asked to work from home and the underground part of the mine is closed," he told Reuters. Africa's top gold producer said earlier it would not look for a new joint venture partner for Obuasi until it had an investment agreement with the government. Randgold Resources in December pulled out of a joint venture with AngloGold to redevelop Obuasi, a decision that could spell closure for one of Ghana's most important mines. (Reporting by Ed Stoddard and Matthew Mpoke Bigg in Accra; Editing by Jan Harvey) By Colleen Jenkins (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reversed a decision that halted executions in Mississippi, finding a lower court abused its discretion when it blocked the use of certain lethal injection drugs. The ruling upholds the three-drug protocol proposed by Mississippi as it and other states struggle to obtain the chemicals needed to enforce the death penalty. But executions in the state are unlikely to restart immediately, according to a lawyer for two death row inmates challenging the protocol. The inmates will seek further injunctions against the protocol on other legal grounds and could request a review of the case by the full 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, said their lawyer, Jim Craig. "We havent made that decision yet," said Craig, co-director of the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center in New Orleans. U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate issued a preliminary injunction last August barring Mississippi's corrections department from executing prisoners using compounded pentobarbital or midazolam. The drugs have been used in botched executions and are not in the class of drugs specified by Mississippi law for lethal injections, convicted murderers Richard Jordan and Ricky Chase argued. But the three-judge appeals panel on Wednesday found the prisoners failed to show the drugs would impose an "atypical and significant hardship" on them. The appellate judges also rejected an argument that Mississippi's plan to use drugs not listed in state law "shocks the conscience." "The Fifth Circuits ruling affirms my belief that the state is legally and properly administering the death penalty," Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, a Republican, said in a statement. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood did not immediately comment. Hood, a Democrat, last month said he would ask state lawmakers to authorize executions by firing squad, electrocution, hanging and nitrogen gas when drugs for lethal injections were not available. Story continues Craig said the state should instead model its capital punishment protocol after Texas, where inmates are put to death using a single, overwhelming dose of a barbiturate. That procedure lowers the risk of lethal injections amounting to chemical torture when things go wrong in the three-drug cocktail, he said. "They refuse to do that," he said of Mississippi officials. Mississippi last carried out a lethal injection in 2012. (Reporting by Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Editing by Tom Brown) Cairo (AFP) - Said Ramadan has lost count of how much he's borrowed just to stay afloat while other vendors at Giza's pyramids have already lost hope, as jihadist attacks bring Egypt's tourist industry to its knees. "I have no money to buy clothes for my children ... I hardly make any money as so few tourists are coming," Ramadan, 42, said at his dilapidated one-storey brick house near the world heritage site. Since Egypt's then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi in 2013, a deadly insurgency led by the Islamic State jihadist group has kept away millions of tourists. Tourism in Egypt was dealt a body blow when a Russian airliner blew up mid-air over the Sinai Peninsula on October 31, killing all 224 people on board, mostly Russian tourists. The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group claimed it downed the jet with a bomb on board. Tourist arrivals, already dwindling since the turmoil triggered by the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak, plummeted after the plane crash. The thousands of foreigners who used to jostle shoulder-to-shoulder while passing through the metal detectors of the famed pyramids and Great Sphinx complex each day have simply vanished. Now, visitors to the more than 4,600-year-old monuments are mostly Egyptian college students or families from outside Cairo. On a rocky path leading to the pyramids, vendors display miniature statues depicting Egypt's pharaonic era, but sales are rare. Dozens of camel handlers stand dejected for hours on end as visitors, snapping pictures standing next to them, turn down rides across the scenic desert plateau. "There was a time when I made a thousand (Egyptian) pounds ($125) a day. Now I'm lucky if I earn a hundred," said Ibrahim as an Egyptian couple photographed his camel. - Tight security - Dozens of men, speaking fluent English, Italian or Russian, canter up and down the plateau on horseback, offering cheap rides but with barely any takers. Story continues Buses, which previously ferried about 50 tourists at a time, now drive in with just five or six visitors. Many tourist hotels near the pyramids, which boasted 100-percent occupancy before the 2011 uprising, are all but empty. Gun-toting policemen now stand guard behind iron barricades at the entrances to the pyramids, forcing private tourist vehicles to park far from the complex to prevent attacks. Dozens of plainclothes policemen mingle with visitors in the complex, making random checks. Seven people, including five policemen, were killed in January in a bomb blast when a team of officers raided an apartment in a neighbourhood near the pyramids. An Egyptian affiliate of IS claimed responsibility for the blast in the capital's Al-Haram district which houses several tourist hotels. "When tourists see people killing each other, how do you expect them to visit our region?" asked Merdash Ghanem, owner of a wholesale souvenir shop near the pyramids. "Before Daesh became known, I had groups of tourists visiting my shop every day, but now I hardly receive three or four," he said, referring to IS with its Arabic acronym. The Russian plane crash dealt the heaviest blow, he said. The Saint Petersburg-bound plane crashed minutes after taking off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Moscow barred all Russian carriers from flying to and from Egypt afterwards, and Britain suspended air links with Sharm el-Sheikh. "What we need is Russian, British and American tourists, and they're not coming," said Ramadan as he rushed to try to interest a group of Chinese tourists in miniature statues of King Tutankhamun and Queen Nefertiti. - 'We just have to wait' - Tourist arrivals fell sharply in 2015 to about 9.3 million, from 15 million in 2010. Revenues from tourism slumped 15 percent year-on-year to $6.1 billion in 2015, with the last quarter hit by the Russian and British flight bans, the tourism ministry said. In November and December, the tourism sector lost 2.2 billion Egyptian pounds ($280 million) a month. "Regional turmoil in Iraq, Syria and Libya is also impacting tourism here, and if Russians and Britons don't return, tourism in Egypt will be wiped out," said Ibrahim El-Ghitany, a researcher at the Cairo-based Regional Center for Strategic Studies. In the shadow of the pyramids, Ibrahim the camel handler looked dejected even as he tried to put on a brave face. "For generations we've worked with tourists. This is all what we know. We just have to wait for things to improve," he said. By Colin Packham SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia is expected to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for medical or scientific purposes with a bill introduced to parliament on Wednesday -- the first step towards doctors eventually prescribing it to patients with chronic pain. The bill will see Australia create a national licensing and permit scheme to supply medical cannabis to patients with painful and chronic conditions on clinical trials. Several Australian states have committed to starting trials for the cultivation of cannabis for medical and research purposes but current laws forbid the growing of the plant. As a result Australian manufacturers, researchers and patients on clinical trials have been forced to access international supplies of legal medicinal marijuana. But costs, limited supply and export barriers make this challenging. "Allowing controlled cultivation locally will provide the critical missing piece for a sustainable legal supply of safe medicinal cannabis products for Australian patients in the future," said Australia's Health Minister Sussan Ley. Although the legislation would aid supply to researchers and patients on clinical trials, access to cannabis will not be allowed for other patients and the general public. Australia is set to decide by the end of March as to whether to lower the criteria on how it allows the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Should Australia decide to treat cannabis similar to opium, patients dealing with chronic pain could be prescribed the drug. MMJ PhytoTech Ltd became Australia's first listed medicinal marijuana company following an initial public offering last year that was three times oversubscribed. "The market for medicinal cannabis in Australia is substantial. The number of patients that could be targeted could be people with epilepsy, Multiple sclerosis, while there is the other spectrum of people with chronic pain," said Gaelan Bloomfield, manager at MMJ PhytoTech Ltd. (Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Michael Perry) Los Angeles (AFP) - Los Angeles police were on the hunt Wednesday for two men wanted in connection with the killing of a one-year-old girl who was shot while lying in her crib. Authorities said they suspect that the baby's father, a known member of a local street gang, may have been the target of the attack that took place late Tuesday in the city of Compton, south of downtown Los Angeles. Witnesses reported seeing a gunman fire into a converted garage where Autumn Johnson and her parents lived. Police rushed the baby, who was struck in the head, to a nearby hospital but she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. "It looks like somebody drove up and were shooting into the house at somebody else and the baby caught a stray round," Lieutenant John Corrina told the local KTLA station. Compton is considered one of the most violent cities in the Los Angeles area. According to the Los Angeles Times, the city had 475 violent crimes, including eight homicides, in the last six months. Daniel Radcliffe is ready to venture into the Jungle. The actor will star in the psychological thriller based on Yossi Ghinsberg's memoir about his trip into the Amazon. Ghinsberg, who was the subject of the one-hour Discovery Channel docudrama series I Shouldn't Be Alive, was a young adventurer who went into the Amazon with two friends and a guide in what turned out to be a dangerous and deadly expedition. Greg Mclean (Wolf Creek) will direct the psychological thriller based on a script by fellow Australian Justin Monjo. Read More: Daniel Radcliffe, Paul Dano Embrace Polarizing 'Swiss Army Man' Reaction: "It's Exciting" Mclean also is producing Jungle along with Dana Lustig, Gary Hamilton and Mike Gabrawy while Todd Fellman will executive produce. Arclight Films is packaging the film and handling worldwide sales at EFM. Screen Australia and Screen Queensland have supported development and invested in the project, which is eyeing a shoot later in 2016 in Australia, among other locations. Were extremely excited about Daniel Radcliffe joining the cast of Jungle, says Gary Hamilton, managing director of Arclight Films. He has an enthusiastic global fan-base, a wide range as an actor as evident by his diversity of roles and is known for picking out unique and interesting projects. Radcliffe's work since starring in the Harry Potter franchise has been an interesting mix of memorable indie roles and studio projects. He recently made a splash playing a flatulent corpse in the Swiss Army Man, which was picked up by A24 at Sundance. Hes also starred in The Woman in Black, Kill Your Darlings, Horns and Victor Frankenstein. His upcoming films include sequel Now You See Me 2, which hits theaters on June 10, and Imperium, opposite Toni Collette. Hes repped by UTA and Artist Rights Group. Berlin (AFP) - Three of the world's top conductors, Simon Rattle, Daniel Barenboim and Ivan Fischer are teaming up for a concert by Berlin's three main orchestras next month which will be free for refugees, they announced on Tuesday. The three maestri will each conduct their own orchestra -- Rattle the Berlin Philharmonic, Barenboim the Staatskapelle Berlin and Fischer the Konzerthaus Orchestra -- in a special concert on March 1 in the German capital's Philharmonic Hall, they said in a joint statement. The concert, which will include performances of a Mozart piano concerto and symphonies by Prokofiev and Beethoven, will be free to all refugees and aid volunteers, the statement said. "With this concert, the three orchestras and their chief conductors want to extend a welcome to people who have fled their home countries, as well thank the many helpers for their hard work and commitment," the orchestras said. "Music is an international language which can reach and touch people everywhere," Rattle, Barenboim and Fischer were quoted as saying. "As musicians, we feel welcome all over the world. We hope that this can also be true for people who have been forced to leave their homes by war, hunger and persecution. "With our joint concert, we want to show a sign of welcome to the families who have fled and a sign of thanks and recognition to the volunteers." The 73-year-old Israeli-Argentinian conductor and pianist, Barenboim, will both conduct the Staatskapelle and perform as soloist in Mozart's D-minor piano concerto KV 466. The 65-year-old Hungarian conductor Fischer and the Konzerthaus Orchestra will perform Prokofiev's First or "Classical" Symphony. And 61-year-old British-born Rattle will conduct the Berlin Philharmonic with the second and fourth movements of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. Around 1.1 million asylum-seekers arrived in Germany in 2015, seeking safety from war and oppression in countries such as Syria. While the overwhelming majority of Germans initially welcomed them, a growing number now appear to be increasingly concerned about the social and economic consequences of the massive influx, with far-right and xenophobic parties seeking to exploit those fears. Fresh off a massive victory in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared on The View, and it would seem the win emboldened him to speak freely even more freely than usual. When the show hosts asked him to say one nice thing about the other candidates, the Democrat varied in his degree of pointedness. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Sanders said, is an "old friend." And he called former secretary of state and primary rival Hillary Clinton "intelligent." Asked to describe Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Sanders couldn't even come up with a faux compliment, arriving at "loud!" But when it came to Donald Trump, who nabbed the Republican vote in New Hampshire, the self-declared democratic socialist was at an uncharacteristic loss for words. He eventually settled on irony, calling Trump "humble." (While Trump suggested in one of the Republican debates that his Secret Service code name should be "HUMBLE," the agency settled on the less-subjective "MOGUL.") It wasn't the only acute criticism Sanders served up. Asked by co-host Joy Behar about the potential presidential bid of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg who said he's considering running as an independent Sanders responded by saying the mayor might only succeed in stealing potential Democratic votes. "If the result was that we elected some right-wing Republican as president of the United States ... I would hope Mayor Bloomberg would give some thought to that," he said. h/t Raw Story Washington (AFP) - White House hopeful Bernie Sanders raised a staggering $5 million in the 18 hours since winning New Hampshire's primary, his campaign announced Wednesday, further evidence he can mount a protracted Democratic nomination battle against Hillary Clinton. Sanders' team described the $5.2 million haul as "shattering the campaign's previous record for money raised in less than a day." The fundraising bump came after he trounced Clinton 60 percent to 38 percent in New Hampshire, the second contest to determine the party standard bearer for the 2016 White House race. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who represents Vermont in the US Senate as an independent, prides himself on having raised small donations from more than three million Americans, and not a handful of billionaire donors whom he has accused of seeking to buy US presidential elections. By comparison, Sanders raised more than $20 million for the entire month of January in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses, mostly from online contributions averaging about $27 each. Clinton's campaign said in a recent fundraising email that she fell short of the Sanders tally "by more than $5 million in January." During his New Hampshire victory speech Sanders appealed to supporters to contribute what they could. "I'm going to hold a fundraiser right here, right now, across America," Sanders told the crowd, urging them to donate online and "help us raise the money we need to take the fight to Nevada, South Carolina" and beyond. Experts say outsider Sanders has an uphill battle for the nomination against the Clinton juggernaut. But his message of addressing income inequality, and demand for campaign finance reform that would prevent billionaires from spending unlimited funds in propelling their candidates to the White House, has resonated with voters, particularly young Americans. Zaitseve (Ukraine) (AFP) - Imagine picking your way through a minefield to go to work every day. Or even to go shopping for basic supplies. That is what faces 42-year-old Irina, ever since one of the main crossing routes in eastern Ukraine was shuttered by a recent upsurge in attacks in the war-scarred former Soviet state. Like thousands of other locals, the water plant employee can no longer make a living because she lives on land seized by pro-Russian insurgents but works in a government-run part of eastern Ukraine. "After they closed the checkpoint, they starting shelling this place not only at night, but also during the day," says Irina, lugging heavy bags of provisions. - Bypassing roadblocks - "I had to make my way around both the rebel roadblock and the Ukrainian one, too," she adds, as the sound of rocket and mortar fire rolls in from the barren fields. Monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said at least two civilians were recently hurt by mines laid here by separatist and government forces during the 21-month war. The contested village of Zaitseve -- and its 4,000 destitute inhabitants lies -- just 35 kilometres (20 miles) north of the rebels' de facto capital Donetsk. The deadlocked conflict has seen Kiev's troops dig themselves in just to the north and west. The guerrillas are spread within easy shooting distance to the south and east of Zaitseve, which happens to lie at the war's epicentre. "The situation here has gotten a lot worse in the past week," 33-year-old government soldier Andriy Miroshnichenko told AFP. The insurgents "have started staging around 100 mortar attacks a night," he said. "And a road that is being used by thousands of people has become a target." - Saving hundreds of lives - One of Europe's deadliest conflicts since the Balkans wars of the 1990s has killed more than 9,000 people and driven an estimated 1.5 million from their homes. Story continues But many in Ukraine feel abandoned by EU leaders who are more worried by a recent influx of Middle Eastern migrants, a crisis closer to home for the 28-nation-bloc. The war itself also appears to have lost much logic or reason. Russia continues to dismiss growing evidence of its tanks and heavy weapons being used by the insurgents to capture patches of the industrial heart of Ukraine. Periodic truces and spells of relative calm are often broken without warning. Ukraine decided to close a 14-kilometre stretch of a road running between Zaitseve and neighbouring settlements on February 3 as a precaution. Kiev had then accused the rebels of staging a new wave of unprovoked shellings that threatened the lives of civilians. "If we had kept this place open, we would have seen hundreds die," says Miroshnichenko. The insurgents counter that Ukrainian forces had decided to shut the crossing in advance of an offensive that could take them to the very edge of Donetsk and its seat of separatist power. "We used to let up to 6,000 cars through a day," said a 48-year-old pro-Moscow fighter who uses the nom de guerre "Yakut" -- a word applied to natives of Russia's eastern Arctic Sakha Republic. "I think they closed the crossing in order to intensify their attacks," he added. - 'Civilians trapped' - The United Nations' humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine has already taken the unusual step of condemning the pro-Western leadership in Kiev for closing the road. "Closure of checkpoints has an immediate impact on people's lives, directly increasing hardship and humanitarian need," Neal Walker said immediately after the road was blocked off. "If hostilities increase, civilians may be trapped in unsafe areas, at the mercy of violence, mines and unexploded munitions. We urge the government to keep checkpoints open." But neither Kiev nor the insurgents can predict when passage for people like Irina might once again become safe. Irina herself says she now feels like a hostage caught in the crossfire of two irreconcilable foes. "The people of the rebel and government regions live their own separate lives," she says with a sigh. "And we are caught in the middle and paying for it all." Berlin (AFP) - The number of sexual offence complaints almost quadrupled at this year's carnival celebrations in Cologne, German police said Wednesday, despite heightened security aimed at preventing a repeat of the mass assaults that marred the city's New Year celebrations. A total of 66 complaints for sexual insults or aggression were lodged between last Thursday, when the carnival got underway and Wednesday morning. The previous year there were 18 such reports, police said. However part of the rise could be down to "a change in the attitude of victims and witnesses," the police added. Local authorities in the western German city had in recent weeks urged any victims to come forward and report crimes to the police. Women's associations also said that any woman who felt herself being inappropriately touched should make a complaint. Police in Cologne have been struggling to restore public confidence after hundreds of women said they were groped and robbed in a mob of mostly North African and Arab men in chaotic New Year festivities. Security fears had been heightened by concern that jihadists might take advantage of the massive influx of refugees into Europe to slip in undetected, with Germany particularly vulnerable after taking in 1.1 million asylum seekers last year alone. Cologne's police chief has been suspended for failing to stop the mob violence at New Year's Eve celebrations. With the increased policing for the Carnival events, the incidence of other non-sexual crimes were down compared to last year. By Ginger Gibson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Chris Christie considered the future of his struggling U.S. presidential bid on Wednesday amid news reports he would suspend his campaign and narrow the field of rivals facing businessman Donald Trump. A disappointing sixth-place finish in Tuesday's New Hampshire nominating contest raised doubts about the combative New Jersey governor's viability as a candidate for the Nov. 8 presidential election. The Wall Street Journal quoted a senior adviser to the campaign as saying Christie was expected to make an announcement soon suspending his campaign. Other news organizations carried similar reports. A spokeswoman for Christie's campaign said no decision had been made about whether he would stay in the race. Christie's departure would leave eight Republicans from a field that once had 17 candidates vying to represent the party. Trump has dominated the Republican race and won the party primary in New Hampshire on a wave of voter anger at traditional U.S. politicians. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a democratic socialist, defeated former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the state's Democratic contest. The results testified to the sizable share of American voters upset over the slow economic recovery, immigration and America's place in the world and willing to send a shockwave to Washington. On Wednesday, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said he understood the frustration and expected Republican voters to coalesce behind a candidate. "I think it's pretty normal and I think it's pretty common and expect that sort of vein is going to play itself out for the next few months and you know we'll have a unified party when it's done," he told CNN in an interview. Christie had poured much of his campaign's resources into New Hampshire and had considered a good showing there critical. He canceled plans to go to South Carolina, a sign he could drop out soon. The southern state holds the next Republican primary on Feb. 20. "No decision has been made," Christie spokeswoman Sam Smith wrote in an email to Reuters. Trump's opponents, most of them mainstream Republicans, could benefit if Christie pulls out. Ohio's Republican governor, John Kasich, finished second in New Hampshire, followed by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. TRUMP STAYING POWER For Trump, New Hampshire showed he has staying power and can take a punch after losing last week to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in the first nominating contest, the Iowa caucuses. The former reality TV star's win showed pundits were wrong to think he would quickly self-destruct based on his penchant for insults and imprecise plans for the presidency. Trump's odds for winning the White House, once seen as an extremely long shot, improved significantly after his victory in New Hampshire, online betting site Ladbrokes PLC said. The real estate tycoon is now at 9/2, compared to 7/1 last week, meaning that his chances of victory in November are now 18 percent. Clinton still had the best odds of becoming president at 50/50, Ladbrokes said. On the Democratic side, Sanders courted the African-American vote on Wednesday, having breakfast with civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton at a restaurant in New York City's Harlem neighborhood. Clinton currently has strong support from African-American voters, who will be crucial in the Democratic primary in South Carolina on Feb. 27. Sharpton and Barack Obama met at the same restaurant during Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign - a piece of symbolism for Sanders as he tries to expand his appeal beyond liberals in the U.S. Northeast. November's election is followed by the inauguration of Obama's successor in early 2017. My concern is that in January of next year for the first time in American history a black family will be moving out of the White House," Sharpton, a Baptist minister and television talk-show host, told reporters afterward. "I do not want black concerns to be moved out with them. We must be front and center and not marginalized. And Senator Sanders coming here this morning further makes it clear that we will not be ignored." POLICE SHOOTINGS DISCUSSED Sharpton discussed a spate of police shootings of black males and other issues with the senator. Sharpton said he would not endorse a candidate until he met with Clinton. Clinton consistently polls better among African-American voters and has a long history of support for civil rights. She also has benefited from husband Bill Clintons popularity in the black community during his presidency, although that became strained during her fierce 2008 primary battle with Obama. Even before the exit polls on Tuesday showed Sanders had won New Hampshire, Clinton's campaign was trying to highlight her double-digit lead over Sanders among African-American and Latino voters. "It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African-American and Hispanic voters," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo to reporters. He predicted the Democratic race would be won in March, when the nominating contests quickly expand to 22 delegate-rich states with some of the largest minority and urban populations, and that Clinton would have the advantage. (Writing by Alistair Bell; Additional reporting by Brendan McDermid, Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Clarece Polke and John Whitesides; Editing by Howard Goller) By Ginger Gibson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former business executive Carly Fiorina ended their presidential campaigns on Wednesday, narrowing the field challenging front-runner Donald Trump in the race for the 2016 Republican nomination. Christie, 53, said in a Facebook post he was leaving the race "without an ounce of regret," a day after the combative Republican's sixth-place finish in the New Hampshire primary raised doubts about his viability as a candidate. Fiorina, 61, a former Hewlett-Packard chief executive, said in a Facebook post she would suspend her campaign. The only woman in the Republican field placed seventh in New Hampshire, one of a series of state-by-state nominating contests for the Nov. 8 election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama. Trump's remaining opponents, most of them mainstream Republicans, will likely benefit from their departures, which leave seven Republicans from a field that once had 17 candidates. Trump won the New Hampshire Republican primary by almost 20 points. The fifth-place finish of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who had hoped to emerge as Trump's main rival after a surprise third-place showing in Iowa last week, leaves Trump without a clear challenger among the so-called establishment candidates. On the Democratic side, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a democratic socialist, easily defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary. The victories in both parties by candidates considered outsiders, testified to the sizable share of American voters upset over the slow economic recovery, immigration and America's place in the world and who are willing to shake up Washington. Trump, 69, a billionaire businessman, has a double-digit lead over conservative Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in opinion polls for the next Republican contest, the South Carolina primary on Feb. 20, according to a Real Clear Politics average of opinion polls. Christie poured much of his campaign's resources into New Hampshire and had considered a good showing there critical. He won only about 7 percent of votes on Tuesday, despite a pugnacious performance at a Republican debate last weekend. "Christie needed to drop out. In short, he does not have the money or organisation to be viable in South Carolina and beyond," said Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray. "Christie was certainly hurt by Trump stealing his 'telling it like it is thunder,' but Christie was also out-organized in the ultimate retail politics state," Murray said. SANDERS COURTS AFRICAN-AMERICANS Trump's victory in New Hampshire showed pundits were wrong to think he would quickly self-destruct based on his penchant for insults and imprecise plans for the presidency. He had lost last week to Cruz in the first nominating contest, the Iowa caucuses. Ohio's Republican governor, John Kasich, finished second in New Hampshire, followed by Cruz, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Rubio. The odds of Trump winning the White House, once seen as an extremely long shot, improved significantly after his victory in New Hampshire, online betting site Ladbrokes PLC said. Trump is now at 9/2, compared with 7/1 last week, meaning his chances of victory in November are now 18 percent. Clinton still had the best odds of becoming president at 50/50, Ladbrokes said. On the Democratic side, Sanders, 74, courted the African-American vote on Wednesday, having breakfast with civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton at a restaurant in New York City's Harlem neighbourhood. Clinton, 68, currently has strong support from black voters, who will be crucial in the Democratic primary in South Carolina on Feb. 27. Sharpton and Obama met at the same restaurant during Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign - a piece of symbolism for Sanders as he tries to expand his appeal beyond liberals in the U.S. Northeast. My concern is that in January of next year for the first time in American history, a black family will be moving out of the White House," Sharpton, a Baptist minister and television talk-show host, told reporters afterward. "I do not want black concerns to be moved out with them. We must be front and centre and not marginalized. And Senator Sanders coming here this morning further makes it clear that we will not be ignored," he said. Sharpton discussed a spate of police shootings of black males and other issues with the senator. Sharpton said he would not endorse a candidate until he met with Clinton. Clinton has a long history of support for civil rights. She also has benefited from husband Bill Clintons popularity in the black community during his presidency, although that became strained during her fierce 2008 primary battle with Obama. Clinton's campaign, highlighting her popularity among black and Latino voters, said in a statement on Tuesday: "It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African-American and Hispanic voters." (Writing by Alistair Bell and Eric Beech; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu and Eric Walsh; Editing by Howard Goller and Peter Cooney) RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's Tiete-Parana waterway, a key transport corridor for soybeans, corn, cellulose, fertilizer and other agricultural products, has reopened after a 20-month closure due to drought and the use of water for electricity, the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper reported late Tuesday. On Monday a barge train passed downstream on the Tiete River through the locks at the Nova Avanhandava hydrodam for the first time since 2014, the paper said. The barges will later head to Sao Simao in Brazil's central western state of Goias where they are expected to load soybeans, which will taken for export from the Port of Santos on the Atlantic coast near Sao Paulo. Brazil's agricultural output is only rivaled by the United States, but its underdeveloped and expensive transport infrastructure is the country's main barrier to raising its share of world exports. Brazil is the No. 1 exporter of sugar, coffee, orange juice, ethanol, tobacco, eucalyptus pulp, poultry and beef, the No. 2 exporter of soybeans, the No. 3 exporter of corn and a major exporter of cotton. Water that could have helped maintain river and canal levels was used instead for electricity due to rising energy demand and the delay of giant new power projects. Sao Paulo, South America's largest city, came critically close to running out of drinking water. Rains at the end of 2015 intensified in January, helping water levels on rivers in Brazil's southeast and central-west to recover from one of the worst droughts in decades. The Tiete-Parana's closure forced more of Brazil's production from the key farming states of Sao Paulo, Parana, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul onto more expensive and precarious road and rail systems. On average, each of the Tiete-Parana system's barge trains can carry the equivalent of 200 highway trucks, according the Sao Paulo's waterway authority, the paper said Another barge train was expected to pass up the Tiete through the Nova Avanhandava locks destined for Santos on Tuesday, Estado reported. (Reporting by Jeb Blount) Brasilia (AFP) - The Catholic Church in Brazil on Wednesday rejected calls supported by the United Nations to allow abortion in cases of the birth defect microcephaly. Abortion is restricted in Latin America's biggest country to cases of rape, where the fetus has no brain, or where the mother's life is in danger. The UN human rights office has called on countries where the Zika virus is thought to be linked to a rash of microcephaly cases to relax laws and allow pregnant women with Zika to terminate. But Auxiliary Bishop Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, secretary general of the Brazilian Bishops' Conference, rejected the argument. "Microcephaly has been occurring in Brazil for years. They are taking advantage of this moment to reintroduce the abortion topic," he was quoted as saying in the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper. "Abortion leads to eugenics, the practice of selecting perfect people," he said. Brazil has registered 404 confirmed cases of microcephaly, where the baby is born with an abnormally small head and brain, since October last year. Another 3,670 cases are not yet confirmed. Scientists say that the Zika virus, carried by mosquitoes, appears to cause the condition in fetuses born to mothers who have been infected. In Brazil, a group of activists is petitioning the Supreme Court for a change in the country's restrictive abortion laws. However, Brasilia's archbishop, Sergio da Rocha, said society should "value life in whatever state it's in." "Less quality of life doesn't mean less right to live," he said in the capital. An estimated million illegal abortions are carried out each year in Brazil. London (AFP) - Britain will double its NATO naval deployments this year to show its enemies it is "ready to respond to any threat", Defence Secretary Michael Fallon was to announce Wednesday. Britain will play a bigger role in NATO maritime exercises and activities in 2016, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. Fallon was to make the announcement at a NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels, where the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance has its headquarters. "Increasing our NATO deployments sends a strong message to our enemies that we are ready to respond to any threat, and defend our allies," Fallon was to say, according to an MoD statement. "2016 will see a particular focus on the Baltic region with our ships sent there as part of the maritime group, the mine counter measure group and the Baltops exercise." The 28-member NATO alliance is trying to figure out how to adapt to a complicated array of potential threats, including feared Russian land seizures along the borders of countries in eastern Europe and the Baltic nations. The frigate HMS Iron Duke will operate in the Baltic Sea from January to July, while a destroyer will part of the maritime immediate reaction force from October to November. The deployments involve around 400 Royal Navy personnel. The Royal Navy is also sending three mine sweepers with around 130 personnel for NATO operations in the Baltic Sea, North Atlantic, North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Two frigates will be sent to the anti-submarine warfare exercise named Dynamic Mongoose, while flagship HMS Ocean, Britain's biggest warship, will contribute to the Baltops exercise in the Baltic Sea. London (AFP) - Julian Assange should leave the Ecuadoran embassy in London and bring to an end the "whole sorry saga", British Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament on Wednesday. WikiLeaks founder Assange faces a rape allegation in Sweden but has been inside Quito's mission for more than three and a half years in a bid to avoid extradition. The 44-year-old Australian fears deportation from Sweden to the United States over WikiLeaks' release of 500,000 secret military files. A United Nations panel last week found the anti-secrecy campaigner had been arbitrarily detained by Britain and Sweden. "I think this was a ridiculous decision," Cameron said in the lower House of Commons. "You've got a man here with an outstanding allegation of rape against him. "He barricaded himself into the Ecuadoran embassy and yet claims he was arbitrarily detained. The only person who detained himself -- was himself. "And so what he should do is come out of that embassy and face the arrest warrant that is against him." He stressed that the allegation against Assange was in Sweden, "a country with a fair reputation for justice". "He should bring to the end this whole sorry saga." A Swedish prosecutor said Tuesday she still aims to question former computer hacker Assange inside the embassy, despite the UN report. "It does not change my earlier assessments in the investigation," Marianne Ny said in a statement. She said she was "currently working on a renewed request to interview Julian Assange at Ecuador's embassy in London". A court on Wednesday jailed a Cambodian orphanage director who once crusaded against child abuse for three years for committing "indecent acts" against children in his care. Hang Vibol, 46, the director of Our Home orphanage in Phnom Penh, has been in custody since his arrest last year on charges of abusing 11 children. He was formerly a director of a prominent NGO called Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), which hunts down suspected paedophiles active in Cambodia -- an impoverished country with a reputation for attracting foreign child sex offenders. Vibol left the organisation in 2004 to run the Our Home orphanage, where the alleged abuses took place. His former colleagues at APLE helped the police probe into him. The Phnom Penh municipal court on Wednesday afternoon sentenced him to three years in prison for "indecent acts against 11 minors aged under 15 years old". He was also fined about $2,000 and ordered to pay compensation of a total of $7,500 to five of his victims. Seila Samleang, the current director of APLE, said the organisation was happy at the conviction but dismayed at the "lenient" sentence. "It is shocking that such case happened... because he worked actively to protect children's rights for many years," he added. Vibol denied the allegations and said he would appeal the conviction. "It is very unjust. I did not commit the allegations," he told reporters at the court before being returned to jail. During his trial last year, Vibol claimed the accusations against him had been made maliciously. The Our Home orphanage was shut down after Vibol's arrest last March and some 60 children were moved to other care centres. Cambodia launched a drive in 2003 to shed its reputation as a haven for foreign paedophiles. Dozens of foreigners have since been jailed for child sex crimes or deported to face trial in their home countries. But campaigners say sentences are still too short and many foreign paedophiles operate with relative impunity. TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian investment fund manager CI Investments Inc has agreed to a settlement calling for it to return C$156.1 million ($112 million) to investors after miscalculating the value of cash collateral in certain of its funds, Ontario's securities regulator said on Thursday. The settlement - which includes an C$8 million payment to the Ontario Securities Commission and C$50,000 to cover the cost of their investigation - is the largest compensation since the regulator introduced no-contest settlements in 2014. As per the terms of such settlements, CI Investments, a unit of CI Financial Corp , neither admitted nor denied the allegations of OSC staff that it had not adequately monitored the valuations of the funds. (Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Editing by Steve Orlofsky) By Nia Williams and Euan Rocha CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Faced with record low prices for heavy crude, Canadian energy companies are sacrificing other parts of their business to keep higher-cost oil sands production going and safeguard the billions already invested in these multi-decade projects. Companies including Husky Energy Inc , MEG Energy Corp and Pengrowth Energy Corp are selling assets or slowing light and conventional oil exploration and production, even as they forge ahead with oil sands projects that are in many cases bleeding money on every barrel. Although the move to support higher-cost production seems counterintuitive, oil sands companies take a longer-term view that shutting plants in Alberta would be very expensive and risk permanently damaging carefully-engineered reservoirs, underground deposits of millions of barrels of tarry bitumen. It is easier, and cheaper, to shut down and later restart conventional wells. Producers are also betting that oil prices will eventually recover. The latest Reuters poll of oil analysts forecasts the U.S. benchmark will average $41 a barrel in 2016, a level where most Canadian oil sands projects can break even. [OILPOLL] Bankers say the need to bolster balance sheets and cover oil sands losses will boost the number of Canadian energy deals this year, particularly sales of pipelines, and storage and processing facilities. "The market was down significantly last year in terms of energy M&A, and we think that's going to reverse," said Grant Kernaghan, Canadian Investment Banking head for Citigroup. CORE BUSINESS MEG is selling its 50 percent stake in the Access pipeline, which analysts value at around C$1.5 billion ($1.08 billion), while Husky is selling a package including 55,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of oil and natural gas production, royalties and midstream facilities, valued at between C$2.4 billion to C$3.2 billion. According to a recent TD Securities report, virtually no oil sands projects can cover overall costs, including production, transportation, royalties, and sustaining capital, with U.S. benchmark crude below $30 a barrel . The benchmark heavy Canadian blend, Western Canada Select (WCS), now trades around $16.30 a barrel, just a few dollars above record lows hit in January. But as nearly 80 percent of oil sands costs are fixed investments, such as equipment for injecting high-pressure steam underground to liquefy tarry bitumen, producers prefer to have some revenue coming in to help offset those costs than none, said FirstEnergy Capital analyst Mike Dunn. To be sure, if WCS prices dropped even further to below $12 a barrel, Dunn said producers may look at ways to trim production by 10-30 percent. Oil sands "remains our core business so we will look to various other handles we have to support that business," said Brad Bellows, a spokesman for MEG. Even as it makes major cuts, Husky is ramping up new thermal projects, including its Sunrise joint venture with BP . Sunrise in northern Alberta took three years and C$3.2 billion to build and Husky is in the midst of the two-year process of raising reservoir pressure to full production capacity. Once there, Sunrise is expected to produce for 40 years. As well as selling assets, some players, such as Canadian Natural Resources Ltd and Baytex Energy are shutting in uneconomic conventional heavy oil wells, but leaving their oil sands operations intact. JEWELS IN THE CROWN Bankers say that midstream assets - pipelines, storage and processing facilities - prove popular with buyers such as pension funds and private equity firms, which favor investments with stable cash flows that are relatively easy to value. "They're to a certain extent the jewels in the crown. These companies would not be looking to sell them if they could get away with not doing it," said Citi's Kernaghan. Last year, oil sands producer Cenovus Energy sold a portfolio of oil and gas royalty properties to Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan for C$3.3 billion. Industry veterans note oil sands operations also had to be "cross-subsidized" by healthier parts of the business during the last prolonged market slump in the 1980s and predicted producers would push to keep operating until prices recover. ($1 = 1.3930 Canadian dollars) (This version of the story corrects the Sunrise price tag in paragraph 14 to C$3.2 billion from C$2.5 billion.) (Reporting by Nia Williams and Euan Rocha; Editing by Tomasz Janowski) A strange and sudden buckling of the earth in Michigan five years ago is now being explained as a limestone bulge, researchers reported today (Feb. 9). The upheaved rock and soil was discovered after a deep boom thundered through the forest near Birch Creek on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, north of Menominee. The sound shook nearby homes with the strength of a magnitude-1 earthquake on Oct. 4, 2010, at about 8:30 a.m. Central time, residents said at the time. The next day, locals discovered a long crack atop a narrow ridge. The crack was 360 feet (110 meters) long and about 5 feet (1.7 m) deep; and the ridge was nearly 7 feet (2 m) high and about 30 feet (9 m) wide at its largest point. Tilted trees leaned away from the crack at about 14 degrees on either side proof the ridge was new. Torn roots stretched for their former companions, now stranded on the other side of the crack. [See Photos of the Weird Crack and Uprooted Trees] "It was interesting to see that the crack seemed to ignore the roots," said senior study author Wayne Pennington, dean of the College of Engineering at Michigan Technology University in Houghton. "The forces were stronger than the roots." Based on a seismic study, the most likely explanation for the ridge is a pop-up in the upper layers of limestone beneath the clay soil, Pennington and his co-authors, all MTU students, concluded in a study published in the journal Seismological Research Letters. If I had a hammer Even though the researchers can't say for sure what caused the pop-up, they now have a better picture of what happened underground. The teams surveyed the underground rock by creating sound waves with a sledgehammer. The researchers slammed a sledgehammer into a metal ball sitting on the ground, and tracked how the waves passed through the soil and rock layers below. The analysis revealed a sharp buckle in the limestone below the crack. That picture suggested the bedrock limestone violently heaved upward when the pop-up appeared, displacing the overlying clay layer. The clay soil is about 5 feet (1.5 m) deep along the ridge. The crack resulted from the stretching of the surface clay as it bent upward, much as a crack forms in the top of a loaf of bread as the dough rises. Story continues The survey confirms there is no earthquake fault underlying the ridge. Besides, it would take a tremendous earthquake to move the rock and soil several vertical feet, Pennington said. Pop goes the bedrock Pop-ups are common in quarries in eastern North America, where rock removal releases pent-up strain in the underlying rocks. Pop-ups also appear after glaciers retreat; however, the last glaciers retreated from Menominee 11,000 years ago, and there is no quarrying in the area. Rocks in the area are squeezed by plate tectonics, the researchers said. The Midwest is under pressure from squeezing coming from the West Coast and the East Coast. Yet the region is not experiencing increased stress that would result in future larger earthquakes, Pennington added. The pop-up appeared in the uppermost bedrock, whereas large earthquakes strike miles deep. There have been two moderate earthquakes in Michigan since 2010, which were in different areas and unrelated to the crack, the scientists said. One final clue was the loss, to lightning, of a giant white pine tree in the week before the crack appeared. "The timing is remarkable, and it leads us to be suspicious, but the tree weighed less than a fully loaded dump truck," Pennington told Live Science. "The earth is still full of surprises," Pennington said. "It's just a little surprise, but it's still interesting and we're always learning more." Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - February 09, 2016) - This news release contains forward-looking information that is subject to the risk factors and assumptions set out on page 7 and in our Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information on page 9. All figures are in United States dollars. Centerra Gold Inc. (CG.TO) today issued its 2015 year-end estimates for reserves and resources. The Company has used a gold price of $1,200 per ounce as the basis for its reserve estimates. Highlights: Centerra's proven and probable reserves increased 9% to 8.4 million ounces of contained gold (112.5 Mt at 2.3 g/t gold) from 7.7 million contained ounces a year ago. At Centerra's 100% owned Oksut Project in Turkey, the Company announced a positive feasibility study in 2015. As a result of this study, the measured and indicated resources on both the Keltepe and Guneytepe deposits were upgraded to an estimated probable reserve of 26.1 million tonnes at 1.4 g/t gold containing 1.2 million ounces of gold at a cut-off grade of 0.3 g/t gold. At the Gatsuurt Project in Mongolia, the Mongolian Parliament, after having designated Gatsuurt as a mineral deposit of strategic importance in 2015, approved a 34% state ownership interest in the project on February 4, 2016. Under the Minerals Law, the Government is able to substitute the state ownership with a special royalty. In this regard, the Government can now implement the previously agreed upon 3% special royalty in place of a 34% state ownership interest in Gatsuurt. See the Company's news releases of February 4, 2016, October 27, 2015 and January 23, 2015. The gold mineral reserves and resources at Gatsuurt remain unchanged from the 2014 year-end statement. Scott Perry, CEO of Centerra Gold said: "In 2015, our total reserves increased by 9% to 8.4 million ounces of gold. At the Oksut Project, we successfully converted resources to reserves with the positive feasibility study released in July, which contributed to the increase in our overall reserve base. Now that Mongolian Parliament passed the Gatsuurt ownership resolution, we expect to proceed with negotiating definitive agreements and carry out additional exploration drilling to expand the Gatsuurt resource base as well as geo-technical and hydrogeological drilling in support of eventual project development. The addition to reserves at Oksut and Gatsuurt advancing to the next step continues to diversify our operations portfolio and solidify our growth pipeline." Story continues As previously disclosed, Greenstone Gold Mines expects to complete a feasibility study for the Greenstone Gold Mine's Hardrock Deposit by the middle of 2016. Greenstone mineral resources have not been included in the Company's 2015 year-end reserve and resource summary since the feasibility study is expected mid-year, at which time the mineral reserve and resource inventory will be disclosed for Greenstone. When completed the Company expects to file a NI 43-101 technical report including a statement of reserves and resources, on SEDAR. Year-end Gold Reserves and Resources Reserves At the end of 2015, Centerra's estimated proven and probable gold reserves increased by 666,000 contained ounces, after accounting for processing of 658,000 contained ounces in 2015. Centerra's proven and probable reserves now total an estimated 8.4 million ounces of contained gold (112.5 Mt at 2.3 g/t gold), compared to 7.7 million contained ounces as of December 31, 2014. The reserve increase is primarily a result of the positive feasibility study on the Oksut Project where resources were upgraded to reserves in June 2015. The 2015 year-end reserves have been verified and estimated using a gold price of $1,200 per ounce. At the Kumtor mine, in the Kyrgyz Republic, proven and probable gold reserves decreased by 495,000 contained ounces, after accounting for processing of 658,000 contained ounces in 2015. In 2015, reconciliation of production against the KS2014YE resource model was very good for total ounces produced, but the model continued to over-estimate tonnage in the +3 g/t fraction and under-estimate tonnage in the 1.1 g/t to 3 g/t fraction. For this reason, a new resource model, KS2015YE was developed for 2015 year-end reserve estimation and to incorporate additional in-fill drilling that had been completed during the year. As a result, 164,000 contained ounces were added and Kumtor's proven and probable reserves now total an estimated 5.6 million ounces of contained gold (69.2 Mt at 2.5 g/t gold) including 4.1 million contained ounces of gold (44.3 Mt at 2.8 g/t gold) in the Central Pit at the end of December 2015. This compares to the previous total of proven and probable reserves at Kumtor of 6.1 million ounces as of December 31, 2014. In Mongolia, at the Boroo mine, the 16,226 ounces of gold produced in 2015 came from secondary leaching of the heap leach pad and from the Boroo mill clean out. The Boroo heap leach operation is transitioning into closure and the mill is on care and maintenance awaiting a positive decision on the Gatsuurt Project. At the Gatsuurt Project proven and probable reserves are unchanged from 2014 and total more than 1.6 million contained ounces of gold (17.1 Mt at 2.9 g/t gold). In Turkey, at the Oksut Project, the proven and probable reserves are unchanged from the June 30, 2015 reserve and resource summary and contain 1.2 million ounces of gold (26.1 Mt at 1.4 g/t gold). The Company is currently working on updating the resource model with additional drill results obtained in 2015. Resources As of December 31, 2015, Centerra's measured and indicated resources decreased by 1.5 million contained ounces to an estimated total of 4.2 million ounces of contained gold (66.6 Mt at 2.0 g/t gold) compared to the December 31, 2014 estimate. The change is primarily a result of, a decrease of 1.2 million contained ounces in the measured and indicated resources at the Oksut Project. At the 100% owned Oksut Project in Turkey, measured and indicated resources total an estimated 156,000 ounces of contained gold (6.8 Mt at 0.7 g/t gold), a decrease of 1.2 million ounces from December 31, 2014. This decrease resulted from converting 1.0 million contained ounces to proven and probable reserves at the Keltepe deposit and converting 125,000 contained ounces in the Guneytepe deposit to proven and probable reserves. At Kumtor measured and indicated open pit resources decreased by 240,000 contained ounces of gold, to an estimated total 2.6 million contained ounces of gold (29.6 Mt at 2.7 g/t gold) at December 31, 2015. Kumtor's open pit measured resources increased by 313,000 contained ounces to an estimated 1.8 million contained ounces (19.5 Mt at 2.9 g/t gold) while indicated resources decreased by 553,000 contained ounces of gold to an estimated 777,000 contained ounces of gold (10.2 Mt at 2.4 g/t gold). These changes are attributable to the development of the new KS2015YE resource model, as discussed above, resulting in the lower grade and fewer ounces. As of December 31, 2015, Centerra's inferred resource estimate totals 2.6 million contained ounces of gold (24.5 Mt at 3.3 g/t gold) an increase of 133,000 contained ounces of gold over the December 31, 2014 estimate. At Kumtor, 1.7 million estimated ounces of gold (4.7 Mt at 10.9 g/t gold) are contained within the high-grade underground inferred resources in the SB and Stockwork Zones. There was a minor positive change in the 2015 year-end inferred underground resource estimate at the Stockwork Zone due to the reclassification of 54,000 contained ounces to the inferred category from the indicated resource category a year earlier. The 2015 year-end resource estimates for Boroo, Gatsuurt, ATO and Ulaan Bulag properties in Mongolia are unchanged from 2014 year-end estimates. Table 1 Centerra Gold Inc. 2015 Year-End Gold Reserve and Resource Summary (as of December 31, 2015) Gold Mineral Reserves (1) (11) (12) (tonnes and ounces in thousands) Proven Probable Total Proven and Probable Property (3) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Kumtor (5) 8,832 1.4 402 60,406 2.7 5,240 69,239 2.5 5,641 Gatsuurt (7) - - - 17,129 2.9 1,603 17,129 2.9 1,603 Oksut(10) - - - 26,137 1.4 1,161 26,137 1.4 1,161 Total 8,832 1.4 402 103,672 2.4 8,004 112,505 2.3 8,405 Gold Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources (2) (11) (12) (tonnes and ounces in thousands) Measured Indicated Total Measured and Indicated Property (3) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Kumtor Open Pit (4) (5) 19,450 2.9 1,787 10,151 2.4 777 29,602 2.7 2,564 Boroo (6) 452 2.2 32 4,464 1.5 210 4,916 1.5 242 Gatsuurt (7) - - - 5,098 2.4 398 5,098 2.4 398 Ulaan Bulag (8) - - - 1,555 1.5 73 1,555 1.5 73 ATO (9) 9,663 1.5 465 8,920 1.1 306 18,583 1.3 771 Oksut(10) 2,100 0.7 45 4,698 0.7 111 6,798 0.7 156 Total 31,665 2.3 2,329 34,886 1.7 1,875 66,552 2.0 4,204 Gold Inferred Mineral Resources (2) (11) (12) (13) (tonnes and ounces in thousands) Property (3) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Kumtor Open Pit (4) (5) 3,894 1.2 148 Kumtor Stockwork Underground (5) 931 11.6 348 Kumtor SB Zone UG (6) 3,806 10.7 1,315 Boroo (6) 7,323 1.0 235 Gatsuurt (7) 5,475 2.5 440 Ulaan Bulag (8) 315 1.3 13 ATO (9) 386 0.6 8 Oksut (10) 2,380 0.8 65 Total 24,511 3.3 2,573 (1) The mineral reserves have been estimated based on a gold price of $1,200 per ounce. (2) Mineral resources are in addition to reserves. Mineral resources do not have demonstrated economic viability. (3) Centerra's equity interests as of this news release are: Kumtor 100%, Gatsuurt 100%, Boroo 100%, Ulaan Bulag 100%, ATO 100%, and Oksut 100%. (4) Open pit resources at Kumtor are constrained by a pit shell developed using a gold price of $1,450 per ounce. (5) The open pit reserves and resources at Kumtor are estimated based on a cut-off grade of 0.85 grams of gold per tonne for the Central Pit and 1.0 grams of gold per tonne for the Southwest and Sarytor deposits. Underground resources occur below the open pit resources shell and are estimated based on a cut-off grade of 6.0 grams of gold per tonne. Further information concerning the Kumtor deposit, including key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate mineral resources and reserves, as well as, political, environmental and other risks are described in Centerra's most recently filed Annual Information Form and the Technical Report on the Kumtor Project, dated March 20, 2015 each of which has been filed on SEDAR. (6) The open pit resources at Boroo are estimated as all material below the pit above a 0.5 grams of gold per tonne cut-off grade. (7) The open pit reserves and resources at Gatsuurt are estimated using a 1.4 grams of gold per tonne cut-off grade. Resources are estimated as all material below the reserve pit above the 1.4 grams per tonne cutoff grade. Further information concerning the Gatsuurt deposit, including key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate mineral resources and reserves, as well as, political, environmental and other risks are described in Centerra's most recently filed Annual Information Form and the Technical Report on the Gatsuurt Project, dated May 9, 2006 each of which has been filed on SEDAR. (8) The open pit resources at Ulaan Bulag are estimated on a cut-off grade of 0.8, 0.9 or 1.0 grams of gold per tonne depending on ore type and process method. (9) The ATO open pit resources are estimated based on a Net Smelter Return (NSR) cut-off grade of $6.50 NSR per tonne for oxide mineralization and $25.50 NSR per tonne for sulphide mineralization (10) The open pit reserves at Oksut are estimated based on a 0.3 grams of gold per tonne cut-off grade. Open pit resources are constrained by a pit shell developed using a gold price of $1,450 per ounce and are estimated based on a 0.2 grams of gold per tonne cut-off grade. Further information concerning the Oksut deposit, including key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate mineral resources and reserves, as well as, political, environmental and other risks are described in Centerra's most recently filed Annual Information Form and the Technical Report on the Oksut Project, dated September 3, 2015 each of which has been filed on SEDAR. (11) A conversion factor of 31.10348 grams per ounce of gold is used in the reserve and resource estimates. (12) Numbers may not add up due to rounding. (13) Inferred mineral resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined economically. It cannot be assumed that all or part of the inferred resources will ever be converted to a higher category. Table 1 (continued) 2015 Year-End Polymetallic Resource Summary (as of December 31, 2015) Category Tonnes (000's) Gold Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (19) (oz 000's) Silver Grade (g/t) Contained Silver (oz 000's) Lead Grade (%) Contained Lead (lb 000's) Zinc Grade (%) Contained Zinc (lb 000's) ATO Project (17) (18) (19) Oxide Mineral Resources (14) (15) (16) (18) (20) (21) (> $6.50 NSR cut-off Grade) Measured Resources 3,677 1.3 148 8.5 1,010 Indicated Resources 3,294 0.7 78 7.2 758 Measured and Indicated 6,971 1.0 226 7.9 1,768 Inferred Resources (17) 87 0.8 2 5.0 14 Category Tonnes (000's) Gold Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (19) (oz 000's) Silver Grade (g/t) Contained Silver (oz 000's) Lead Grade (%) Contained Lead (lb 000's) Zinc Grade (%) Contained Zinc (lb 000's) ATO Project (17) (18) (19) Sulphide Mineral Resources (14) (15) (16) (18) (20) (21) (> $25.50 NSR cut-off Grade) Measured Resources 5,986 1.7 318 8.02 1,543 0.979 129,197 1.704 224,874 Indicated Resources 5,626 1.3 228 8.52 1,541 0.803 99,598 1.447 179,474 Measured and Indicated 11,612 1.5 545 8.26 3,084 0.894 228,795 1.579 404,348 Inferred Resources (17) 299 0.6 6 5.78 56 1.025 6,757 2.306 15,201 (14) Mineral resources have been estimated on the following metal prices (gold $1,300 per ounce), (silver $20 per ounce), (lead $0.90 per lb), (zinc $0.90 per lb). (15) Mineral resources do not have demonstrated economic viability. (16) Inferred mineral resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined economically. It cannot be assumed that all or part of the inferred resources will ever be upgraded to a higher category. (17) Centerra's equity interest in the ATO project is 100%. (18) Numbers may not add up due to rounding. (19) The contained gold resources have also been included in Centerra's 2015 Year-end Gold Reserve and Resource Summary (20) The ATO resources are estimated based on a Net Smelter Return cut-off grade of $6.50 NSR per tonne for oxide mineralization and $25.50 NSR per tonne for sulphide mineralization. (21) Variables used to calculate NSR values include; Oxide total recovery of gold=69.8% Oxide total recovery of Silver=56.7% Sulphide Net Smelter Return total recovery of gold=59.9% Sulphide Net Smelter Return total recovery of silver=48.5% Sulphide Net Smelter Return total recovery of lead=42.6% Sulphide Net Smelter Return total recovery of zinc=27.7% Payable royalty on total recovered gold=10.0% Payable royalty on total recovered silver=6.75% Payable royalty on total recovered lead=6.75% Table 2 Centerra Gold Inc. Reconciliation of Gold Reserves and Resources (in thousands of ounces of contained gold) (9) (10) December 31 2014 (1) 2015 Throughput (2) 2015 Addition (Deletion) (3) December 31 2015 Gold Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves Kumtor (4) (5) 6,136 658 164 5,641 Gatsuurt (4) (7) 1,603 - - 1,603 Oksut(4) (8) - - 1,161 1,161 Total Proven and Probable Reserves 7,739 658 1,325 8,405 Gold Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources Kumtor (4) (6) 2,804 - (240) 2,564 Kumtor Stockwork Underground (4) 54 - (54) - Boroo(4) 242 - - 242 Gatsuurt(4) (7) 398 - - 398 Ulaan Bulag(4) 73 - - 73 ATO(4) 771 - - 771 Oksut(4) (8) 1,383 - (1,227) 156 Total Measured & Indicated Resources 5,725 - (1,521) 4,204 Gold Inferred Mineral Resources (11) Kumtor Open Pit(4) (6) 126 - 22 148 Kumtor Stockwork Underground(4) 294 - 54 348 Kumtor SB Underground(4) 1,315 - - 1,315 Boroo(4) 235 - - 235 Gatsuurt(4) (7) 440 - - 440 Ulaan Bulag(4) 13 - - 13 ATO(4) 8 - - 8 Oksut(4) (8) 9 - 56 65 Total Inferred Resources 2,440 - 133 2,573 (1) Reserves and resources as reported in Centerra's Annual Information Form filed in March 2015. (2) Corresponds to mill feed at Kumtor and mill feed or stacked on heap leach pad at Boroo. (3) Changes in reserves or resources, as applicable, are attributed to information provided by drilling and subsequent reclassification of reserves or resources, a feasibility study on the Oksut Project and a new resource model for the Kumtor Project (4) Centerra's equity interests as of this news release are as follows: Kumtor 100%, Gatsuurt 100%, Boroo 100%, Ulaan Bulag 100%, ATO 100%, and Oksut 100%. (5) Kumtor open pit reserves include the Central Pit and the Southwest and Sarytor Pits. (6) Kumtor open pit resources include the Central Deposit, Southwest Deposit and Sarytor Deposit. (7) Gatsuurt open pit reserves and resources include the Central Zone and Main Zone deposits. (8) Oksut open pit reserves and resources include the Keltepe and Guneytepe deposits. (9) Centerra reports reserves and resources separately. The amount of reported resources does not include those amounts identified as reserves. (10) Numbers may not add up due to rounding. (11) Inferred mineral resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined economically. It cannot be assumed that all or part of the inferred resources will ever be converted to a higher category. Material Assumptions and Risks: Material assumptions or factors used to estimate reserves in this news release include the following: a gold price of $1,200 per ounce, exchange rates: diesel fuel price assumption: The assumed diesel price of $0.55/litre at Kumtor assumes that no Russian export duty will be paid on the fuel exports from Russia to the Kyrgyz Republic. Diesel fuel is sourced from separate Russian suppliers and only loosely correlates with world oil prices. The diesel fuel price assumptions were made when the price of oil was approximately $50 per barrel. Other material assumptions were used in this news release. These material assumptions include the following: The resource models for each of the projects perform as expected including the Kumtor resource model which was updated in 2015 to address historical reconciliation concerns and updated geological data. Gold recovery rates at each of the projects are as expected. All necessary permits, licenses and approvals are received in a timely manner for each project including the Kumtor project where we have historically faced delays in receiving required mine plan approvals and permits. That any discussions between the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and Centerra regarding the resolution of all outstanding matters affecting the Kumtor mine are satisfactory to Centerra, fair to all of Centerra's shareholders, and that any such resolution will receive all necessary legal and regulatory approvals under Kyrgyz law and/or Canadian law. The buttress constructed at the bottom of the Davidov glacier continues to function as planned. The pit walls at Kumtor remain stable and the Company is able to manage the risks associated with the increased height of the pit walls. Any recurrence of political or civil unrest in the Kyrgyz Republic will not impact operations, including movement of people, supplies and gold shipments to and from the Kumtor mine and/or power to the mine site. Any actions taken by the Kyrgyz Republic Parliament and Government do not have a material impact on operations or financial results. This includes any action being taken by the Parliament or Government to cancel the Kumtor Project Agreements, or taking any actions which are not consistent with the rights of Centerra and Kumtor Gold Company (KGC) under the Kumtor Project Agreements. The previously disclosed environmental claims received from the Kyrgyz regulatory authorities in the aggregate amount of approximately $476 million (at the then current exchange rates) and the claims of the Kyrgyz Republic's General Prosecutor's Office purporting to invalidate land use rights and/or seize land at Kumtor and to unwind the $200 million inter-company dividend declared and paid by KGC to Centerra in December 2013, and any further claims, whether environmental allegations or otherwise, are resolved without material impact on Centerra's operations or financial results. The accession of the Kyrgyz Republic into the Eurasian Economic Union and/or any sanctions imposed on Russian entities do not have a negative effect on the costs or availability of inputs or equipment to the Kumtor Project. The movement in the Central Valley Waste Dump at Kumtor, referred to in the 2014 Annual Information Form, does not accelerate and will be managed to ensure continued safe operations, without impact to gold production. The dewatering program at Kumtor continues to produce the expected results and the water management system works as planned. The Kumtor mill continues to operate as expected. Prices of key consumables, costs of power and water usage fees are not significantly higher than prices assumed in planning. No unplanned delays in or interruption of scheduled production from our mines, including due to civil unrest, natural phenomena, regulatory or political disputes, equipment breakdown or other developmental and operational risks. The Company cannot give any assurances in this regard. Reserve and resource estimates are forward-looking information and are based on key assumptions and subject to material risk factors. If any event arising from these risks occurs, the Company's business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows and the market price of Centerra's shares could be adversely affected. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to the Company, or that are currently deemed immaterial, may also materially and adversely affect the Company's business operations, prospects, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows and the market price of Centerra's shares. See the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recently filed Annual Information Form (the "2014 Annual Information Form"), available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and see also the discussion below under the heading "Caution Regarding Forward-looking Information". Qualified Person & QA/QC All reserve and resource estimates, production information and other scientific and technical information in this news release were prepared in accordance with the standards of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum and National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and were prepared, reviewed, verified and compiled by Centerra's geological and mining staff under the supervision of Gordon Reid, Professional Engineer and Centerra's Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, who is the qualified person for the purpose of NI 43-101. Sample preparation, analytical techniques, laboratories used and quality assurance-quality control protocols used during the exploration drilling programs are done consistent with industry standards and independent certified assay labs are used with the exception of the Kumtor project as described in its technical report dated March 20, 2015. The Kumtor deposit is described in Centerra's 2014 Annual Information Form and a technical report dated March 20, 2015, which is filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The technical report is prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and describes the exploration history, geology and style of gold mineralization at the Kumtor deposit. Sample preparation, analytical techniques, laboratories used and quality assurance-quality control protocols used during the drilling programs at the Kumtor site are described in the technical report. The Boroo deposit is described in Centerra's 2014 Annual Information Form and a technical report dated December 17, 2009 prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The technical report describes the exploration history, geology and style of gold mineralization at the Boroo deposit. Sample preparation, analytical techniques, laboratories used and quality assurance-quality control protocols used during the drilling programs at the Boroo site are the same as, or similar to, those described in the technical report. The Gatsuurt deposit is described in Centerra's 2014 Annual Information Form and a technical report dated May 9, 2006 prepared in accordance with NI 43-101. The technical report has been filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The technical report describes the exploration history, geology and style of gold mineralization at the Gatsuurt deposit. Sample preparation, analytical techniques, laboratories used and quality assurance-quality control protocols used during the drilling programs at the Gatsuurt project are the same as, or similar to, those described in the technical report. The Oksut deposit is described in Centerra's 2014 Annual Information Form and a technical report dated September 3, 2015 prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The technical report describes the exploration history, geology and style of gold mineralization at the Boroo deposit. Sample preparation, analytical techniques, laboratories used and quality assurance-quality control protocols used during the drilling programs at the Oksut site are the same as, or similar to, those described in the technical report. Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information Information contained in this news release which are not statements of historical facts, and the documents incorporated by reference herein, may be "forward-looking information" for the purposes of Canadian securities laws. Such forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking information. The words "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "contemplate", "target", "plan", "intends", "continue", "budget", "estimate", "may", "will", "schedule" and similar expressions identify forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates; negotiation of agreements and drilling plans for the Gatsuurt Project and the completion of a feasibility study on the Greenstone Gold Mine's Hardrock Deposit. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Centerra, are inherently subject to significant political, business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward looking information. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: (A) strategic, legal, planning and other risks, including: political risks associated with the Company's operations in the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia and Turkey; resource nationalism including the management of external stakeholder expectations; the impact of changes in, or to the more aggressive enforcement of, laws, regulations and government practices in the jurisdictions in which the Company operates including any unjustified civil or criminal action against the Company, its affiliates or its current or former employees; the impact of any actions taken by the Kyrgyz Republic Government and Parliament relating to the Kumtor Project Agreements which are inconsistent with the rights of Centerra and KGC under the Kumtor Project Agreements; any impact on the purported cancellation of Kumtor's land use rights at the Kumtor Project pursuant to a court claim commenced by the Kyrgyz Republic GPO; the risks related to other outstanding litigation affecting the Company's operations in the Kyrgyz Republic and elsewhere; the impact of the delay by relevant government agencies to provide required approvals and permits, including the delay currently being experienced at the Kumtor Project over the Kumtor 2015 life-of-mine plan and ecological passport; the impact of changes to, the increased enforcement of, environmental laws and regulations relating to the Company's operations; the impact of any sanctions imposed by Canada, the United States or other jurisdictions against various Russian individuals and entities; potential defects of title in the Company's properties that are not known as of the date hereof; the inability of the Company and its subsidiaries to enforce their legal rights in certain circumstances; the presence of a significant shareholder that is a state-owned company of the Kyrgyz Republic; risks related to anti-corruption legislation; and risks related to the concentration of assets in Central Asia; potential risks related to kidnapping or acts of terrorism; (B) risks relating to financial matters, including: sensitivity of the Company's business to the volatility of gold prices, the imprecision of the Company's mineral reserves and resources estimates and the assumptions they rely on, the accuracy of the Company's production and cost estimates, the impact of restrictive covenants in the Company's revolving credit facility which may, among other things, restrict the Company from pursuing certain business activities, the Company's ability to obtain future financing, the impact of global financial conditions, the impact of currency fluctuations, the effect of market conditions on the Company's short-term investments, the Company's ability to make payments including any payments of principal and interest on the Company's debt facilities depends on the cash flow of its subsidiaries; and (C) risks related to operational matters and geotechnical issues, including: movement of the Davidov Glacier and the waste and ice movement at the Kumtor Project and the Company's continued ability to successfully manage such matters, including the continued performance of the buttress; the occurrence of further ground movements at the Kumtor Project and mechanical availability; the success of the Company's future exploration and development activities; inherent risks associated with the use of sodium cyanide in the mining operations; the adequacy of the Company's insurance to mitigate operational risks; mechanical breakdowns; the Company's ability to obtain the necessary permits and authorizations to (among other things) raise the tailings dam at the Kumtor Project to the required height; the Company's ability to replace its mineral reserves; the occurrence of any labour unrest or disturbance and the ability of the Company to successfully re-negotiate collective agreements when required; the risk that Centerra's workforce may be exposed to widespread epidemic; seismic activity in the vicinity of the Company's operations in the Kyrgyz Republic and Mongolia; long lead times required for equipment and supplies given the remote location of some of the Company's operating properties; reliance on a limited number of suppliers for certain consumables, equipment and components; illegal mining on the Company's Mongolian properties; the Company's ability to accurately predict decommissioning and reclamation costs; the Company's ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; and risks associated with the conduct of joint ventures/partnerships, including the Greenstone Gold Partnership; the Company's ability to manage its projects effectively and to mitigate the potential lack of availability of contractors, budget and timing overruns and project resources. See "Risk Factors" in the Company's 2014 Annual Information Form available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Furthermore, market price fluctuations in gold, as well as increased capital or production costs or reduced recovery rates may render ore reserves containing lower grades of mineralization uneconomic and may ultimately result in a restatement of reserves. The extent to which resources may ultimately be reclassified as proven or probable reserves is dependent upon the demonstration of their profitable recovery. Economic and technological factors which may change over time always influence the evaluation of reserves or resources. Centerra has not adjusted mineral resource figures in consideration of these risks and, therefore, Centerra can give no assurances that any mineral resource estimate will ultimately be reclassified as proven and probable reserves. Centerra's mineral reserve and mineral resource figures are estimates and Centerra can provide no assurances that the indicated levels of gold will be produced or that Centerra will receive the gold price assumed in determining its mineral reserves. Such estimates are expressions of judgment based on knowledge, mining experience, analysis of drilling results and industry practices. Valid estimates made at a given time may significantly change when new information becomes available. While Centerra believes that these mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates are well established and the best estimates of Centerra's management, by their nature mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates are imprecise and depend, to a certain extent, upon analysis of drilling results and statistical inferences which may ultimately prove unreliable. If Centerra's reserve or reserve estimates for its properties are inaccurate or are reduced in the future, this could have an adverse impact on Centerra's future cash flows, earnings, results or operations and financial condition. Centerra estimates the future mine life of its operations. Centerra can give no assurance that mine life estimates will be achieved. Failure to achieve these estimates could have an adverse impact on Centerra's future cash flows, earnings, results of operations and financial condition. There can be no assurances that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as many factors and future events, both known and unknown could cause actual results, performance or achievements to vary or differ materially, from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements contained herein or incorporated by reference. Accordingly, all such factors should be considered carefully when making decisions with respect to Centerra, and prospective investors should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. Forward-looking information is as of February 9, 2016. Centerra assumes no obligation to update or revise forward looking information to reflect changes in assumptions, changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law. About Centerra Centerra Gold Inc. is a Canadian based gold mining company focused on operating, developing, exploring and acquiring gold properties in Asia, North America and other markets worldwide. Centerra is the largest Western-based gold producer in Central Asia. Centerra's shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol CG. The Company is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Additional information on Centerra is available on the Company's web site at www.centerragold.com and at SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Attachment Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/2/9/11G082185/5-Year-End_Reserves_and_Resources-FINAL-4a117a68f65f9412906884401dec8c27.pdf By Megha Rajagopalan and Clare Jim BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) - China has confirmed its first case of the Zika virus in a man who had recently traveled to South America, the official Xinhua news agency said. The virus, which is causing international alarm after spreading through much of the Americas, was detected in a 34-year-old man from Ganxian county in the eastern province of Jiangxi, Xinhua said, citing China's National Health and Family Planning Commission. (http://bit.ly/1PMj27U) Chinese health authorities downplayed the risk of the mosquito-borne virus spreading because of the winter cold, Xinhua added. Hong Kong's Department of Health said in a statement that the man, who had traveled through the city on his return to China, worked in Dongguan, a bustling manufacturing city in the neighboring southern province of Guangdong. Hong Kong's Port Health Office has stepped up inspections at the airport in response and reinforced training for boundary control inspectors, the statement added. Health officials in Guangdong urged people to guard against the illness during dengue season, and vowed to step up efforts to ensure early detection, Xinhua said. The dengue season runs during the hot summer months of June to August, studies show. There is a risk Zika could be spread locally if it was introduced to Hong Kong, the statement said, because Aedes Albopictus mosquitoes, which transmit the virus, live there. But no cases of the virus in Hong Kong have been reported, it said. The infected man had been quarantined at a hospital in his hometown since Feb. 6, Xinhua said, adding that he was recovering, with normal body temperature and a fading rash. Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man told reporters the department was seeking details of the man's travel history from the mainland authorities because he had transited through the city. The risk of contracting the virus through human contact was low, so the bureau was not worried about the spread of the illness in Hong Kong, Ko said, but he added the authorities were monitoring the situation closely. Mainland health authorities could not be immediately reached for comment. Zika has spread quickly in South and Central America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the worst affected country. The World Health Organization declared an international health emergency on Feb. 1 over the virus, citing concern over a possible link with a rise in cases of microcephaly, a birth defect characterized by an abnormally small head that can result in developmental problems. "With the volume of travel between China and South America, imported cases of Zika virus in China are to be expected," Bernhard Schwartlander, the body's representative in China, said in a statement. "Chinese health authorities are well prepared to respond to this and any further imported cases." Most infected people have no symptoms or mild ones, including fever and skin rashes. The infected Chinese man had traveled to Venezuela and showed symptoms including a fever, headache and dizziness on Jan 28, Xinhua said. He returned home on Feb. 5 via Hong Kong and Shenzhen. (Reporting by Megha Rajagopalan in BEIJING, Clare Jim in HONG KONG and Ismail Shakil in BENGALURU; Editing by Alex Richardson and Clarence Fernandez) Since going public 10 years ago, Chipotle has built its reputation on providing the speed and convenience of fast food but with the freshness and quality of a local restaurant. Americans flocked to the chain and the company saw sales grow and grow, typically by double digits annually. But this past fall, the chain quickly fell from grace after an E. coli outbreak was traced to Chipotles restaurants, sickening 55 people across 11 states. Another E. coli outbreak traced back to Chipotle saw five people in three states fall ill. And then a norovirus outbreak at a Chipotle in Boston sickened 140 people. Related: Why Chipotle Wants to Give Its Workers More Than a McJob Suddenly, nobody wanted Chipotle. Sales at the chains restaurants open at least 13 months plunged 14.6 percent in the last three months of 2015. Profit plummeted 44 percent and overall revenue was down 6.8 percent. Steve Ells, the chains founder, chairman and co-CEO, called the quarter the most challenging period in Chipotles history. The E. coli outbreaks may have passed, but Chipotles challenges arent over yet. The company still has to figure out how to regain the trust of its customers and woo them back for more burrito bowls. Chipotles more than 2,000 restaurants were shuttered for four hours on Monday to allow for a virtual town hall meeting with all company employees. At the meeting, Ells sought to reassure Chipotles more than 50,000 employees and announce steps the company was taking to improve food safety. People will come back, Ells reportedly said during the meeting. To deliver on that promise, another goal of the company-wide meeting was to get all of the employees clear on what has to happen, says Allen Adamson, founder of marketing consultancy firm BrandSimple. In the service business, the most important customer touch point is the employee. Aaron Allen, a restaurant consultant, adds that the closure of all Chipotle locations shows consumers and was intended to show them how seriously the chain is taking the situation. Story continues The company also used the restaurant closures to give customers a powerful incentive to come back: free food. Signs in store windows invited customers who were inconvenienced by the restaurants closings to text the company to receive a coupon for a free burrito. The coupon codes quickly bounced around the Internet. Adamson says this promotion is a good way to get customers back in the habit of eating at Chipotle. He warns, though, that promotions alone wont do it. The company needs to make tangible changes that the customer can see. Related: 18 Companies Americans Hate Dealing With the Most To that end, how Chipotle survives this crisis may depend on the companys new food-safety initiatives. In January, Chipotle detailed new procedures, including more stringent inspections of ingredients, changes to food prep and handling, more employee training and paid sick leave so that workers dont feel pressure to come in when theyre ill. On Monday, the company announced a $10 million commitment to help small farmers keep up with those new food-safety standards so that it can keep sourcing food from local growers. The money will go toward helping pay for more rigorous testing protocols and education. In total, Chipotle plans to spend $50 million on food-safety initiatives and to inform customers of the steps its taking. Consumers can expect a blitz of Chipotle ad campaigns in the coming months, Allen says. Will that be enough? Adamson sees a long road ahead for the company, which he says has been slow to communicate to customers how it plans to prevent these outbreaks from happening again. Customers want to see tangible evidence and tangible action to give them assurance that the next time they go in they wont need a Pepto-Bismol after, he says. Still, he praises the forward-looking approach. Theyre not fixing what happened yesterday, but setting up a culture to anticipate what else could happen. Theyre creating a culture to prevent problems and not just repair problems, he says. Prevention is key. If they have another one of these problems in the next six months, that could spell disaster, Allen says. Related: The 11 Worst Fast Food Restaurants in America Avoiding more problems and slowly winning back customers is one thing. Recapturing the explosive growth the chain once had may be a much bigger challenge. They were a hot growing brand, Adamson says. Theyre not just getting back to where they were nine months ago. The real test will be if they can regain momentum. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Rotterdam (Netherlands) (AFP) - Marin Cilic fought through to the Rotterdam World Tennis quarter-finals with a 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (9/7) defeat of Luxembourg veteran Gilles Muller on Wednesday. Victory in the two-hour meeting sent the second-seeded Croatian into a last-eight battle with Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber, a winner over Ivan Dodig of Croatia 6-4, 6-2. Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, was out-aced by the 40th-ranked Muller, nine to eight in a match without a single break of serve. A pair of French seeds claimed wins, with number three Gilles Simon sending the last Dutchman home with his 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 defeat of Robin Haase, who lost a 4-1 lead in the opening set. "To be honest Robin deserved to win the first set," Simon said. "I survived with some luck. I was warned because the matches against Robin are always tough." Simon will play for a quarter-final place against German teenager Alexander Zverev, who beat Canadian Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 6-2. Gael Monfils, the number five, beat Croatian teen Borna Coric 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, with the Frenchman saving 10 of 13 break points. Cilic was runner-up at the Ahoy stadium two years ago and with the injury pullout of French top seed Richard Gasquet is now considered a top title favourite at the event which was to have also featured Roger Federer, now recovering from last week's minor knee surgery. The winner of 14 titles, Cilic said his level has been improving after playing and winning a pair of tough matches this week. "I played better today than the first day," the world number 13 said. "This was a very close match -- two tiebreakers and no breaks. "In the second I was returning better and got into his service game. But I had to stay mentally concentrated. I was also lucky in the tiebreakers." The Croatian faces Kohlschreiber for the ninth time, having lost five previous meetings to the 32nd-ranked German. "If you can have a couple of tough matches and get through them, you start to play better," Cilic said. "I've adjusted to the tight situations. I'm always glad to win matches like this." Story continues In the first round, Spanish sixth seed Roberto Bautista Agut carried momentum from his weekend title in Sofia into his opening match as he defeated Portugal's Joao Sousa 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 6-3. Bautista Agut, ranked 17th, already owns two 2016 titles and improved his record to 13-2 since the start of the year. He next plays Czech Jiri Vesely. Sousa saved a pair of match points before falling on a third. "It was not an easy match," Bautista Agut said. "I had a bad second set, but in the third I really lifted my level again. "There were a lot of rallies and long points. I'm off to my best start of a season and I hope to keep it up," said the Spaniard. "I've played well in my last matches and I want to continue like this and get as many wins as possible this week." Jeremy Chardy beat Evgeny Donskoy 6-7 (9/11), 6-4, 7-6 (10/8) after the Russian was inserted into the draw as a lucky loser following the pullout of Gasquet. Paris (AFP) - Winds bolstered by climate change will slow flights between North America and Europe, boosting fuel costs and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions -- which caused the problem in the first place, researchers said Wednesday. Climate change will speed up the jet stream, a high-altitude wind blowing from west to east across the Atlantic ocean, they wrote in the Institute of Physics journal Environmental Research Letters. "The bad news for passengers is that westbound flights will be battling against stronger headwinds," study leader Paul Williams, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Reading, said in a statement. "The good news is that eastbound flights will be boosted by stronger tailwinds, but not enough to compensate for the longer westbound journeys. The net result is that roundtrip journeys will significantly lengthen." Williams and a team used climate model simulations to predict wind changes and fed these into a flight routing programme. They based their modelling on a doubling in the pre-industrial CO2 concentration of 280 particles per million (ppm) in the atmosphere. The current level is about 400 ppm, and 560 ppm could already be reached this century if countries fail to dramatically cut back emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas. - 'Record-breaking times' - The team calculated that average jet-stream winds between Heathrow airport in London and New York's John F. Kennedy, would become 15 percent faster in winter. "As a result, London-bound flights will become twice as likely to take under five hours and 20 minutes, implying that record-breaking crossing times will occur with increasing frequency in future," the authors said. "On the other hand, New York-bound flights will become twice as likely to take over seven hours, suggesting that delayed arrivals will become increasingly common." Even assuming no growth in aviation, this would mean an additional 2,000 flight hours every year, the team said. Story continues This would burn an extra 7.2 million gallons of jet fuel at a cost of some $22 million (20 million euros), and emit an additional 70 million kilos (154 million pounds) of carbon dioxide -- equivalent to the annual emissions of 7,100 average British homes. "This effect will increase the fuel costs to airlines, potentially raising ticket prices, and it will worsen the environmental impacts of aviation," said Williams. Changes in the jet stream have already been observed -- last year British Airways Flight 114 was carried by strong winds from New York to London in a record five hours and 16 minutes. Jetliners flying the other way, however, faced powerful headwinds that caused many to make unscheduled refuelling stops. The scientific jury is still out on whether changes already observed can be blamed on climate change. Last year, a study also led by Williams said flights will become bumpier as global warming destabilises air currents. OSLO (Reuters) - Flights from Europe to North America will take slightly longer and nudge up airline fuel costs if climate change strengthens high altitude winds as widely expected, a study said on Wednesday. The headwind into a stronger jet stream should lengthen westbound flights by about five minutes, slightly more than the time saved in the other direction to Europe with a tailwind, it said. "We have good reason to think the jet stream is speeding up," author Paul Williams of Reading University told Reuters of the study in the journal Environmental Research Letters. If net return flight times get longer, the effect could add 2,000 hours to annual flight times every year and an extra 7.2 million gallons (33 million liters) of fuel, assuming flights over the North Atlantic stay at about 600 a day, it said. The study was based on a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which could happen in coming decades. On Monday, global aviation experts agreed in Montreal to the first standards for cutting carbon dioxide emissions by aircraft in a deal that will take effect with new models in four years. The International Air Transport Association has said there are many uncertainties about climate change and that past findings, for instance about extra turbulence linked to more greenhouse gases, have no impact on airline procedures. (Reporting by Alister Doyle; Editing by Tom Heneghan) Washington (AFP) - Fresh off of Donald Trump's New Hampshire primary rout, arch-conservative rival Ted Cruz launched a sharp offensive Wednesday against the billionaire frontrunner, heralding a brutal battle for the next Republican contest in South Carolina. The US senator from Texas, who won the Iowa caucuses last week and placed third Tuesday night in New Hampshire, wasted no time slinging mud against Trump as a fake conservative, as Cruz fights to be the evangelical and right-wing standardbearer for the 2016 Republican nomination. "The only candidate who can beat Donald Trump is me," Cruz told reporters in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where Republicans vote on February 20. Cruz highlighted the "significant glaring differences" between the two on health care, stressing that Trump was keen on "adopting Bernie Sanders-style socialized medicine," a reference to the independent senator challenging Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Trump and Cruz both say they want to dismantle President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, but Trump has been hammered by conservative rivals for expressing support years ago for universal health care. The pair occupy the far-right lane in the crowded Republican nomination race, with a handful of more mainstream candidates -- Senator Marco Rubio, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, and Ohio Governor John Kasich who finished second in New Hampshire -- seeking to push them aside. The real estate mogul has repeatedly taunted his rivals, saying those who wage war against him end up plunging in polls. But Cruz likely sees it as a necessity. Trump leads in South Carolina with 36 percent support in the RealClearPolitics poll average. Cruz runs second at 20 percent, with Rubio well back in third, below 13 percent. With Trump proving in New Hampshire that he can win over a broad coalition of Republicans and independent voters, and Cruz riding high among evangelicals and other social conservatives, the Trump-Cruz battle will be paramount, with mainstream candidates likely scrapping for bronze in South Carolina. Story continues The first southern state to vote in the primaries is a rough-and-tumble political swamp. Cruz told the Mike Gallagher radio show on Wednesday that "South Carolina is going to play a key role in choosing whether the Republican nominee is a proven conservative or simply a candidate who talks the talk on the trail but hasn't walked the walk." Trump, scheduled to hold a Wednesday night rally in the state, meanwhile unleashed a South Carolina campaign ad criticizing Cruz as "the worst king of Washington insider who just can't be trusted." VIENNA (Reuters) - Concentration camp survivors voiced indignation on Wednesday at an Austrian prosecutor's statement that it was justifiable for a far-right magazine to call people who were liberated from the Nazi camp at Mauthausen a criminal "plague". An article in the July/August edition of Die Aula said that description applied to a significant number of freed inmates, saying they committed a range of crimes nearby after Nazi guards fled at the end of World War Two. "The fact that a non-negligible portion of freed prisoners became a plague on people is deemed by the judiciary to have been proven and is only disputed today by concentration camp fetishists," Die Aula's article said. Prosecutors in the southern city of Graz initiated criminal proceedings against the author on accusations of Holocaust denial and inciting hatred, but later dropped the case. "It is plausible that the release of several thousand people from the Mauthausen concentration camp presented a burden for the affected areas of Austria," the prosecutors' office said in an explanation of its decision signed by one official and made public by a parliamentary procedure last month. "It cannot be ruled out that, in the context of the liberation, criminal activities ... were engaged in by those freed," it added. "Criminals were (indisputedly) among those imprisoned." Austria, where Hitler was born, submitted with little resistance to annexation by Nazi Germany and for decades after World War Two asserted that it was the first victim of Nazism. Almost 200,000 people were sent to Mauthausen, condemned to forced labor for being Jewish, gay, members of resistance groups or of other groups opposed by the Nazis. Half of Mauthausen's prisoners died there. The International Mauthausen Committee, an umbrella group of national organizations of camp survivors known by its French abbreviation CIM, condemned the Graz prosecutors' statement for what it called "a lumping-together plucked out of thin air." The tens of thousands of inmates at the camp outside the northern city of Linz were largely left to fend for themselves in the days between the flight of SS guards and the arrival of victorious Allied forces in May 1945, CIM said in a statement. "It is not disputed that food necessary for survival was procured in a few cases against the will of the affected local population," the CIM statement said. "But to describe the term 'plague' as appropriate as a result not only flies in the face of historical fact but also ridicules concentration camp victims who are still alive," it added. Another survivors' group issued a similar statement. The head of the Austrian Justice Ministry's criminal law section, Christian Pilnacek, said the decision to drop the case was correct legally but the wording of the explanation by the Graz prosecutors' office was "incomprehensible". The Graz prosecutors' office declined to comment. (Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Mark Heinrich) President of Singapore, Tony Tan. Photo: Associated Press/Bob Edme Nine individuals from the public and private sectors have been appointed to a Constitutional Commission that will review aspects of the Elected Presidency. They will look at the qualifying process for Presidential candidates and whether the eligibility criteria should be updated, whether the powers of the Council of Presidential Advisers should be beefed up and recommendations to ensure minority candidates can be periodically elected as President, said the Prime Ministers Office on Wednesday (10 Feb), according to media reports. The Commission will be chaired by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon. Other members of the Commission include former Speaker Abdullah Tarmugi, Public Service Commission chairman Eddie Teo, DBS Bank chairman Peter Seah and chairman of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Professor Chan Heng Chee. In due course, members of the public will also be invited to submit their feedback to the Commission, said the PMO. Last month, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told Parliament that it was timely to review specific aspects of the elected presidency (EP). He noted that the EP had been instituted in 1990 as a stabiliser in the political system and a major innovation. Seven men have served as Singapores President, three of them elected. Ong Teng Cheong, who served from 1993-99, was the first elected president. S R Nathan served two terms unopposed, from 1999 to 2011. President Tony Tan Keng Yam was elected in 2011 and will reach the end of his six-year term in 2017. Related: COMMENT: Why PM Lee seems to be in a hurry ZURICH (Reuters) - Credit Suisse Chief Executive Tidjane Thiam told the Financial Times the Swiss bank's capital position has never been better. "What I can say is that we have a strong balance sheet," Thiam said in an interview published on the FT's website on Wednesday following several days of sharp drops in its share price. Thiam added that the bank's current common equity tier 1 capital ratio of 11.4 percent was the strongest Credit Suisse has ever had. "We have no liquidity issues," Thiam was quoted as saying. Last week, Credit Suisse reported its first full-year loss since 2008 after booking a big impairment charge at its investment banking business, sending its share price tumbling and piling pressure on Thiam. "We need to continue to implement our strategy with discipline and clarify where there are misunderstandings," Thiam told the FT. (Reporting by Joshua Franklin; Editing by Michael Shields) By Lisa Maria Garza DALLAS (Reuters) - The city of Dallas voted on Wednesday to ban an erotica expo featuring porn stars, sex toy sales and a whipping dungeon from a city-owned convention center, with event opponents saying it could taint the city's image. Supporters countered by saying the "Exxxotica Expo" has been held without major incident for years in various locations, adding worries about reputation are weakened by the city allowing numerous strip clubs to operate for years within a few miles of the downtown venue where the event was planed. A divided Dallas city council voted 8-7 on a resolution by Mayor Mike Rawlings to prevent the Exxxotica Expo from returning to the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in 2016. It was held in Dallas in 2015. "I do not believe this event is good for our city's brand, Rawlings said. "This is a business that participates in the commerce of sex, pure and simple." The center's namesake, former U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, was sitting among expo opponents in the crowd and did not speak at the meeting. Expo organizer J. Handy said he would turn to the courts and seek a temporary injunction, according to reports from local media at the meeting. "Today Dallas officials acknowledged our First Amendment rights. And then voted against them. There will be an @EXXXOTICA in Dallas in 16, the expo posted on its Twitter page following the decision. The three-day event first appeared in Dallas in August. It is already scheduled to make stops this year in Illinois, Ohio and New Jersey. Dallas Police Chief David Brown told the council that undercover officers saw no crimes committed at last years event, and there was no reported spike in prostitution or violations of the state's obscenity laws. (Reporting by Lisa Maria Garza; Writing Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) By Laila Bassam and Tom Perry DAMASCUS (Reuters) - The Syrian government expects a tough battle for Aleppo, the city that has become the focal point of the country's long civil war, but is confident of victory and says it won't be a long fight. Damascus aims to seal the border with Turkey, a major sponsor of the insurgents fighting President Bashar al-Assad, and to retake rebel-held areas of what was Syria's biggest city and industrial hub before the conflict began in 2011. "These battles are not easy, but the day will come, God willing, when all Aleppo - its rural areas and the occupied part of the city - will return to state authority," Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said in an interview on Wednesday. He declined to predict how long the campaign would last, but added: "I do not expect the battle of Aleppo to go on long." The Syrian government has made significant gains against rebels north of the city in the last week, in a dramatic advance backed by Russian air strikes and allies on the ground including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iranian fighters. The government assault helped to derail already struggling Geneva peace talks this month. Russia's intervention has tipped the war Assad's way, reversing gains rebels made last year. PRIZE Aleppo would be the biggest strategic prize in years for Assad's government in a conflict that has killed at least 250,000 people and driven 11 million from their homes. The offensive has already cut vital rebel supply lines into opposition-held areas of the city from Turkey. Tens of thousands of people have fled toward the border. Zoubi said the insurgents were well-financed and armed, naming groups that have received U.S.-made TOW anti-armor missiles, as well as the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, and other jihadists such as the Turkistan Islamic Party. "They have TOW, they have tanks, they have armored cars, they have bombs, they have many weapons," Zoubi said. Since Russia began its air campaign on Sept. 30, the Syrian army and its allies have launched major ground offensives in the northwestern province of Latakia bordering Turkey and in Deraa province neighboring Jordan. While rebel forces are under pressure in both Latakia and Aleppo, government forces have yet to launch a major attack against them in Idlib province, which also borders Turkey and is a stronghold of groups including the Nusra Front. Zoubi indicated Idlib might not be attacked imminently. "Idlib is within the goals of ... the overall military operation, but when its time comes, it will have its own plan," he said. FOOD SUPPLIES The United Nations said on Tuesday supplies of food to hundreds of thousands of civilians could be cut off if government forces encircle rebel-held parts of Aleppo. Zoubi said one goal was to open the main highway south to Damascus and "break the siege" imposed by insurgents. Since the state lost control of the highway, supplies to government-held parts of Aleppo have been sent via a longer road that passes close to areas held by Islamic State to the east where it is being bombed by a U.S.-led alliance. Damascus describes all the groups fighting it as terrorists controlled by regional enemies including Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Saudi Arabia, one of the states that wants to see Assad gone from power, said last week it would be ready to send troops to Syria as part of any ground operation by the U.S.-led alliance. "Even thinking about this is a big adventure and gamble, the results of which I don't believe Saudi can bear, neither for its army or its internal situation," Zoubi said. He also said increasing military pressure on insurgents could lead to more attacks like the suicide car bombing in Damascus on Tuesday - the first of its type in the capital in two years. The attack, which killed at least three people, was claimed by Islamic State. (Editing by Andrew Roche) (Reuters) - The county prosecutor for Minneapolis said on Wednesday he hoped to decide by the end of March whether charges will be filed in last year's fatal police shooting of a black man, now that a state authority has completed its investigation. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has finished a nearly three-month probe into the shooting death of Jamar Clark, 24, by Minneapolis police officers. It turned over its case file to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office on Tuesday, according to a statement from County Attorney Mike Freeman on Wednesday. Prosecutors will now review the file and additional investigation may be necessary, the statement said. Clark's November shooting came at a time of national debate over the use of lethal force by police, especially against black men. Minneapolis was among a number of U.S. cities that have seen protests over police killings. Some witnesses have said Clark was handcuffed or restrained on the ground when he was shot, while authorities have said there was a scuffle and Clark was trying to get a police officer's gun. Civil rights groups sued Minnesota state agencies on Tuesday to force them to release video footage of the Clark shooting. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Minneapolis branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said they were demanding the video be released under the state's freedom of information law, after law enforcement declined to release the footage. The lawsuit did not say what possible video material may exist but stated the footage could shed light on conflicting accounts of what happened. (Reporting by Mary Wisniewski in Chicago; Editing by Peter Cooney) Sanaa (AFP) - The World Health Organisation said Wednesday it has managed to deliver desperately needed medical supplies to Yemen's Taez city which has been besieged for months by Shiite Huthi rebels. The WHO has "successfully delivered more than 20 tonnes of life-saving medicines and medical supplies," it said in a statement. "These medical supplies are critical to meet the most urgent needs in a city where more than 200,000 people continue to live under siege with limited access to humanitarian aid," it added. The Huthis and their allies have for months tightened the noose on forces backing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in the centre of Yemen's third-largest city. The health supplies had been blocked from entering the city for eight weeks, WHO said, adding that they were finally delivered to Al-Thawra, Al-Jumhoori, Al-Rawdha and Al-Ta'aon hospitals as of 31 January. "Hospital staff in Taez City are desperate for medicines and medical supplies so that they can continue to offer the most basic medical care," said WHO Representative in Yemen Ahmed Shadoul. "The delivery of these WHO supplies is a huge step that we are hoping will pave the way for the provision of more medical support to the city," he added. Doctors Without Borders said it delivered essential medical supplies to hospitals in the city in early January, in the first such "significant" shipment since August. That came several days after a Saudi charity said that aircraft of the Saudi-led coalition that is fighting the rebels had dropped 40 tonnes of medical equipment and food to Taez. The coalition has since March conducted air and ground operations in Yemen to support local forces against the rebels and their allies. More than 6,100 people have been killed in Yemen since March, about half of them civilians, according to the UN. Frankfurt (AFP) - Shares in Deutsche Bank rocketed up more than 16 percent on the Frankfurt stock exchange on Wednesday, swept up by speculation Germany's biggest lender may launch a bond buyback to assuage concerns about its financial strength. Deutsche Bank shares -- which fell heavily earlier this week in line with the wider sector -- shot up 16.6 percent to an intraday high of 15.43 euros on Wednesday, their steepest gain in more than four years. They ended the day with a gain of 10.2 percent at 14.58 euros. The rally was driven by media reports that it might be considering a bond buyback to persuade investors that its finances are in good health. Contacted by AFP, Deutsche Bank declined to comment on the information. According to the Financial Times and Bloomberg Business News, both quoting unnamed sources, the repurchase programme would focus on so-called senior bonds or debt that is secured by collateral and is repaid first if a company goes out of business. The FT said Deutsche Bank had about 50 billion euros ($56 billion) of such bonds in issue. But no firm decision had been taken as yet, both Bloomberg and FT reported. There are a number of reasons why investors view the prospect of such a bond buyback positively. It would provide a show of strength and make clear the bank has plenty of funds available. It would also signal that Deutsche Bank believes the true value of the bonds is higher than where they are currently trading. And the group would book a gain on the buyback, helping boost income and its capital position. Like others in the sector, Deutsche Bank's shares have taken a severe drubbing recently. The Stoxx index of European banks shares fell by 20 percent in the last month in view of general signs of weakness in the eurozone economy and the challenges facing banks from ultralow interest rates and regulatory pressures. - 'Rock-solid' finances - But Deutsche Bank has taken an even bigger battering because investors are worried about its to ability to repay its debt. Story continues In a bid to allay such concerns, Deutsche Bank's new chief executive John Cryan took the unusual step this week of issuing a public statement and writing to the group's employees. "Volatility in the fourth quarter impacted the earnings of most major banks, especially those in Europe," Cryan argued. But Deutsche Bank "remains absolutely rock-solid, given our strong capital and risk position," he insisted. One of the main headaches facing Deutsche Bank is a quagmire of as many as 6,000 different litigation cases, the provisions for which helped push it to a record loss of 6.8 billion euros last year. But Cryan insisted that the bank's legal provisions would be sufficient. Analysts believe that the fears concerning both Deutsche Bank and the wider banking sector are exaggerated. "Even if the current environment is anything but ideal for banks, we see no reason for a re-emergence of a new financial crisis," said NordLB analyst Michael Seufert. "Banks have significantly beefed up their capital buffers and diversified their balance sheet risks," he said. DZ Bank analyst Christian Koch agreed. Deutsche Bank's "liquidity reserves totalled 220 billion euros at the end of September. Its core capital ratio stood at 11.1 percent," he said. The completion of its stake in China's Hua Xia Bank would strengthen the core capital ratio still further. "The magnitude of the current uncertainty and drop in the share price is exaggerated," Koch said, saying that DZ Bank currently had a "buy" recommendation on the stock. Democratic and Republican parties establishment choked on a large grain of sand in their spiritual spinach tonight at 8 PM ET when TV news operations called the New Hampshire primaries for self-funding reality TV star Donald Trump and Super PAC-shunning Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders immediately after polls closed in the state. TV news talking heads, on the other hand, seemed giddy over the yeasty way the 2016 White House race was shaping up. Two years ago if I told you an independent Democratic Socialist and a developer from New York would win CNNs Jake Tapper began emoting a blink after the networks countdown clock showed polls had officially closed across the state. And so easily! I would have said you were crazy, interrupted Dana Bash, finishing his sentence. Similar exchanges erupted across the TV news landscape. This is a Republican elector, observed veteran newsman Bob Schieffer, who CBS News President David Rhodes brought back from retirement as an occasional contributor throughout the political election cycle. Theyre angry, theyre mad, and theyre frustrated, Schieffer told viewers of CBSNs livestream. The big question tonight is who wins second or third or fourth place, he said of the of the tight four-way race for runner-up among GOP hopefuls John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. This is the last stop on the campaign trail thats about the voters. Now these campaigns are going to move to television, Schieffer said, like a messenger bringing his industry good news from a distant land. Heck, MSNBCs Chris Hayes, talking about all the talk of the 74-year old Socialist missing the point that the senator has run by far the best campaign, got so giddy he accidentally called him Bernie Sandwiches: In my defense I was literally watching people being served dinner when I said #BernieSandwiches Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) February 10, 2016 Together we have sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California, Sanders told his followers as he kicked Story continues Bernie Sanders off his victory speech. And that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people, and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their Super PACs. Tonight with what appears to be a record breaking voter turnout, we won. Tonight we serve notice to the political and economic establishment of this country that the American people will not continue to accept a corrupt campaign finance system that is undermining American democracy. And we will not accept a rigged economy in which ordinary Americans work longer hours for lower wages while almost all incoming wealth goes to the top 1%. Moments later, Trump took his victory lap. Oh wow! So beautiful! he began. We are going to make America great again. He added: I heard end of Bernies speech. First of all, in fairness, we have to congratulate him. We may not like it he wants to give away our country folks! Were not going to let it happen. Were going to make America great again, but were going to do it the old-fashioned way. Were going to beat China and Mexico and Japan and all those countries that are taking away so much of our money. We have political hacks negotiating our deals, for billions and billions. Its not going to happen any more. Were going to do something so big and so fast and so strong the world is going to respect us again. Believe me. Related stories Fox News Channel Bags Second-Biggest Primary-Night Audience In Cable News History Bernie Sanders Eats Ice Cream, Shoots Hoops On 'The View' After Winning New Hampshire Donald Trump Gets Funny Or Die Biopic Treatment After New Hampshire Win Donald Trump bailed out TV news operations struggling to flood the zone with todays New Hampshire primary voting only so much you can do to make parkad lines at polling places look sexy and only so many different ways to say voter turnout is expected to be a record when he finally announced his estimated cost of that wall between the U.S. and Mexico. The wall is probably $8 billion, which is a tiny fraction of the money that we lose with Mexico, he told MSNBCs Tamron Hall in the middle of Donald Trump Granite State voting. Trump said he came to that number by multiplying the number of miles by a certain number. Im taking price per square foot and price per square, you know, per mile, and its a very simple calculation, Trump said, adding he would build about 1,000 miles of border wall along the 2,000-mile long border, because natural barriers would do the trick without a wall in portions of the border. RelatedJimmy Kimmel Creates Campaign Ad For Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Donald Trump This number is a drop in the bucket compared to the figure MSNBCs cable cousin CNBC came up with back in October. Citing various sources and studies, CNBC estimated the actual cost for Trumps border wall which it estimated would run roughly 1,300 miles could be as high as $16 million per mile, with a total price tag of $15 billion-$25 billion. Trump is expected to win New Hampshire primary voting, after finishing second in Iowa caucuses, so it seems appropriate to pick today to release his estimated price of his wall. Trump in the summer launched his presidential campaign off The Wall: I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and Ill build them very inexpensively, he said controversially, as he announced his candidacy in June, ending decades of flirtation. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words, he added. Story continues RelatedDonald Trump Says Boycotting Fox News Debate Might Have Cost Him Iowa Win Mexican President Felipe Calderon recently mocked Trumps pledge to make Mexico pay for the wall, CNN noted today in its coverage of Trumps $8B news. Mexican people, we are not going to pay any single cent for such a stupid wall, and they need to know that, Calderon has been quoted as saying. And its going to be completely useless. Responded Trump on MSNBC today: You tell them, Youre going to pay for it. Mexico makes a fortune. Mexico is going to pay. And I heard [Calderon] said that we will not pay. Guess what? The wall just got higher. Related stories Donald Trump & Bernie Sanders Win New Hampshire Primary, TV News Operations Perform Collective Happy Dance Bernie Sanders Books Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' For NH Primary Victory Lap Samantha Bee Trashes White House Race In 'Full Frontal' Debut By Alan Baldwin LONDON (Reuters) - Pascal Wehrlein, reserve driver for world champions Mercedes and last year's German Touring Car (DTM) series winner, will race for Manor this season, Formula One's smallest team said on Wednesday. "Were a small team up for a big challenge... so weve chosen a driver with the talent and hunger to match our own on-track ambitions," said owner Stephen Fitzpatrick in a statement. "Pascal has impressed in testing for Mercedes and Force India, together with commanding performances in DTM... Manor Racing is perfectly placed to help Pascal make a big impact in his first season." The 21-year-old German, whose mother is from Mauritius, became the youngest DTM champion in 2015 when he won the title with Mercedes. That domestic series pits Mercedes against rivals Audi and BMW in cars that superficially resemble production models but whose performance is closer to single-seater racers. While Mercedes dominated Formula One last season with triple champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg winning all but three races, Manor - as Marussia - failed to score a point and finished last in 10th place. Team principal and founder John Booth and sporting director Graeme Lowdon departed at the end of the year and the team's name has changed for 2016. They have made some high-profile appointments and the switch from a year-old Ferrari engine to Mercedes power units should see them become more competitive even if they still have the smallest budget. "Manor Racing is a great place for me to start my Formula One racing career," said Wehrlein, who thanked Mercedes for making the move possible. "Its a small and totally focused team and I soon hope to know everyone. "It will be a tough challenge but I think we should be able to challenge for points along the way." The team have only scored points once, with the late French driver Jules Bianchi in Monaco in 2014. They almost folded at the end of that season before being rescued from administration. Mercedes had initially played down speculation Wehrlein could be part of the Manor deal, arguing that the former Marussia team needed drivers who brought sponsorship with them. Manor had American Alexander Rossi, Britain's Will Stevens and Spaniard Roberto Merhi racing for them last year. Indonesian Rio Haryanto has also been linked to a 2016 race seat, but needs to raise money to secure it. (Additional reporting by Karolos Grohmann in Berlin,; Editing by Ken Ferris) Los Angeles (AFP) - Surviving members of classic rock group The Eagles will honor late bandmate Glenn Frey with a performance at next week's Grammys, organizers said Wednesday. The band members will team up with the folk rocker Jackson Browne -- the co-writer of Eagles hit "Take It Easy" -- during the award show on Monday. Announcing the appearance, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow said that Frey's death left "a huge loss for the entire creative community." "For more than 45 years, the Eagles have played a significant role in shaping our musical landscape," he said in a statement. The Eagles who will perform include drummer-vocalist Don Henley, who went on to a successful solo career and has won eight Grammys, with a nomination for a ninth award on Monday. The Eagles, who pioneered the laid-back, country-tinged West Coast rock of the 1970s, are one of the most successful bands of rock history, with hits including "Hotel California." The band's 1975 greatest hits collection is the second-best selling album in US history after Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and the band had been playing together until last year. Frey died on January 18 at age 67 from a mix of illnesses including pneumonia. He was one of a number of major artists who have died in recent weeks. The Grammys will also feature tributes to rock legend David Bowie and "King of the Blues" B.B. King. By David DeKok HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - Republican state senators in Pennsylvania failed to muster enough votes on Wednesday to oust Attorney General Kathleen Kane, who is facing criminal charges for allegedly leaking secret grand jury material. All but one of the Senate's 30 Republicans voted to remove Kane, a Democrat, from office because her law license has been suspended, falling four votes short of the two-thirds majority required. The chamber's 18 Democrats, as well as one Republican, opposed the move. "It is simply not appropriate to take this action," said Senator Judy Schwank, a Democrat who served on the committee that examined Kane's removal. "It is an outrage against voters' right to choose their elected officials." Kane has been in legal hot water ever since her indictment last summer for allegedly passing grand jury information to a reporter as part of a personal feud. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court suspended her law license last fall. Wednesday's debate in the Senate focused on whether Kane could continue to function as attorney general without a license to practice law. Unlike impeachment, which targets officeholders who have committed crimes and requires action by both legislative chambers, removal is aimed at incompetent but law-abiding officials and requires only Senate action. The process had not been used since 1891. "When you have a suspended law license, you cannot do anything!" said Senator John Gordner, the Republican who chaired the removal committee, during Wednesday's three-hour debate. But others, notably Democratic former Governor Edward Rendell, who served eight years as district attorney of Philadelphia, previously testified at hearings that a license was not essential. Rendell said that in a large district attorney office, the job is mainly about making managerial decisions, not practicing law. Kane has claimed her indictment was brought in response to her efforts to release thousands of explicit or offensive e-mails circulated by former prosecutors in her office, including those who prosecuted Penn State sexual predator Jerry Sandusky, and two members of the state Supreme Court, among others. "Today is a good day for all those who share my desire to restore confidence in our judges and prosecutors and integrity to our system of justice," Kane said in a statement after the vote. She could still face removal efforts. The state House of Representatives voted separately on Wednesday to begin an impeachment inquiry, while Senate Republicans used a procedural maneuver that allows them to call for another removal vote if circumstances change. (Editing by Joseph Ax and Leslie Adler) By Alastair Macdonald and Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A draft accord to help keep Britain in the European Union is "very fragile", a top EU official warned on Wednesday as France and eastern states pushed for changes before leaders meet to try and seal the deal next week. European Council President Donald Tusk, who agreed reform proposals last week with British Prime Minister David Cameron, said they were "balanced and solid" and he hoped to finalize them when he chairs a Brussels summit next Thursday and Friday. "However, let me be clear -- this is a very fragile political process," he added, announcing that he had cleared his diary and would travel to Paris, Berlin and eastern Europe early next week "to secure broad political support for my proposal". Tusk spoke on the eve of a second round of talks among the 28 EU leaders' top aides and envoys in Brussels. Officials said they will discuss a new draft with small, technical tweaks. The first meeting of "sherpas", on Friday following Tusk's circulation of his reform proposals, saw participants broadly welcome a first draft as a way to help Cameron win a referendum in the coming months to prolong Britain's 43-year membership. But on Wednesday, France, the traditional pro-European sparring partner of euroskeptic Britain, demanded significant changes, particularly to Cameron's effort to secure protections for the sterling-based City of London from possible EU measures favoring the majority of states which uses the euro. Finance Minister Michel Sapin told lawmakers in Paris that the current draft must be amended to avoid skewing EU rules in favor of London, the bloc's leading banking center: "There are ... several ambiguities in the texts," he said. "Treatment must be as identical as possible. That's why we're fighting." French concerns focus on British-based banks benefiting from different regulations to those in the euro zone -- less onerous capital requirements, say -- while retaining full access to the single European Union market in financial services. And while Cameron has insisted he has not sought a veto over the euro zone's affairs, Paris also argues that the current wording of a new British right to delay euro zone decisions which it fears could hurt its interests must be amended to place tighter limits on how long London could hold up the process. EASTERN CONCERNS Eastern European negotiators also plan to seek amendments to limit the extent that their citizens may be penalized by a new "emergency brake" mechanism on EU immigration. Under the Tusk proposal, governments who persuade their EU peers that immigration is jeopardizing their welfare system will be able to deny benefits to other Europeans for up to four years after they start work in that country. That stretches EU rules which ban discrimination among EU citizens on national grounds. A draft statement seen by Reuters that was prepared by Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic -- collectively the Visegrad Group -- broadly endorses the effort to appease London but says the welfare issue is a "primary concern". It highlighted a lack of agreement yet on how long a state could go on applying the "brake" for new arrivals and said the overall period during which fresh immigrants could be penalized should not exceed four years. That would imply Britain ending the measures in 2020 if it imposed them this year as planned. Diplomats said the aim was to settle as much of the reform plan as possible, leaving only certain elements to the summit. "Everyone is fed up with this," one said. "We need to get this out of the way to be able to deal with other problems. So the common approach is not to hinder this process, help Britain solve its own internal problems and safeguard this compromise." (Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Dominic Evans) By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Negotiations between London and other EU states to help keep Britain in the European Union are "very fragile", European Council President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday, though he said he still hoped for a deal at a EU summit next week. "I am in a process of intensive talks about my proposal for the UK settlement," said Tusk, who last week brokered a draft accord and will chair the summit in Brussels on Feb. 18-19. "I am confident that this is a balanced and solid proposal and I hope to finalise it next week in the European Council. "However, let me be clear: This is a very fragile political process," added Tusk, announcing he will visit the leaders of Germany, France and the Czech Republic among others early next week "to secure a broad political support for my proposal". This week he will meet the Belgian prime minister, whose government has been critical of British attempts to pull back from EU integration, and the president of the European Parliament, whose chamber must pass key legislation to enact reforms Prime Minister David Cameron has promised British voters before a referendum on EU membership expected later this year. As well as meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, leaders of the two other biggest states in the EU, Tusk will visit Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, who chairs the Visegrad Group of East European states that also includes Poland and Hungary. While all EU leaders say they are committed to helping Cameron win the referendum, eastern Europeans are concerned the draft deal to limit welfare to EU immigrants to Britain could hurt their citizens working there. France has doubts on the wording of a proposal to give London a voice in decisions on the euro, even though Britain does not use the EU common currency. (Editing by Gabriela Baczynska) By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Damascus aims to secure Syria's border with Turkey and recapture the city of Aleppo with its latest military offensive, a top adviser to President Bashar al-Assad said on Tuesday. In an interview in her Damascus office, Bouthaina Shaaban held out little hope for diplomatic efforts to end the five-year civil war, telling Reuters proposals for a ceasefire were coming from states that "do not want an end to terrorism" and wanted to shore up insurgents who are losing ground. The Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes and Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, has launched a major advance in recent weeks near Aleppo, once Syria's biggest city, now divided between rebel- and government-held sectors. The offensive, one of the biggest shifts in momentum of the five year civil war, has brought government forces closer than they have been in years to a border crossing with Turkey that has served as the main supply route into rebel-held territory. There would be no letup in an army advance, which aimed "to liberate cities and villages that were controlled by the terrorists for 3-1/2 years, and also an attempt to liberate the city of Aleppo from the crimes of terrorism", Shaaban said. Damascus intended "to control our borders with Turkey, because Turkey is the main source of terrorists, and the main crossing for them". The United Nations said on Tuesday it was worried about the fate of up to 300,000 people still living in rebel-held parts of Aleppo, who could be cut off from food supplies if the government advance succeeds in surrounding the city and blocking access from Turkey. [ID:nL8N15O286] Tens of thousands of people have fled the area, and Turkey, which has already taken in 2.5 million Syrian refugees, has so far mostly kept the border closed to them, despite U.N. calls to allow them to flee. Shabaan said Turkey was using the refugee crisis to blackmail European states, criticising Ankara and its "Ottoman ambitions" as the prime cause of the war that has driven 11 million people from their homes and killed 250,000 people. The Syrian army and its allies have gained ground in recent weeks in the provinces of Latakia and Aleppo, which border Turkey to the north, and Deraa, which borders Jordan to the south. They have also advanced against Islamic State to the east of Aleppo. The advance helped derail the first peace talks in two years, which collapsed last week before they had begun in earnest, with rebels demanding a halt to bombardment - something the Syrian government criticised as pre-conditions for talks. International powers are expected to meet later this week to revive diplomacy, with Washington seeking a truce. MOMENTUM The gains have helped to tip the momentum Assad's way after Damascus lost ground last year to an array of insurgents in western Syria including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, other Islamist groups, and "Free Syrian Army" rebels that have received U.S. backing. The Syrian government describes all the groups fighting it as terrorists. "We hope that the operation will continue in the north until we control the borders and stop the terrorists who Turkey has since the start of the crisis worked to send to Syria," Shabaan added. Asked if military operations would continue at the same pace, she said: "Certainly, God willing". U.N.-led efforts to launch peace talks in Geneva last week were suspended as the government offensive gained ground. U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura aims to reconvene the talks later this month. However, diplomats say they have little hope for a resumption of talks as long as the Russian-backed government offensive is under way full bore. Shaaban said she did not expect success for diplomacy, saying the problem remained one of foreign support for militants in Syria and if there had been "a real international desire" to end the problem the crisis would been resolved years ago. "The states that support terrorism in Syria, behind the financing and weapons, did not take a decision to halt this financing and arming, and therefore we do not see success for the diplomatic efforts", she said. Alongside Turkey, Saudi Arabia has been a major sponsor of the insurgency that grew out of an uprising against Assad's rule. Before the start of any negotiations, the opposition has demanded a halt to airstrikes and a release of detainees. The Syrian government has said it did not impose any preconditions and would not implement any preconditions before talks. U.S. officials have said Secretary of State John Kerry will push to secure an immediate ceasefire and aid for civilians ahead of a meeting of powers in Munich this week. Shaaban said: "I believe the talk of a ceasefire is to avoid the main thing that must be done, which is fighting terrorism." "As for talk of a ceasefire, it comes from states that do not want an end to terrorism in Syria, but which want to shore up the positions of those terrorists." She said Turkey was primarily responsible for the conflict and refugee crisis, because it "was the one that attacked Syria", and it was now seeking to gain from the issue by demanding membership of the European Union and financial incentives. "The solution to the refugee crisis is via the return of security to Syria, and I am confident that the majority of Syrians dream of returning to their country," she said. "What happened in Syria is a Turkish aggression, and therefore with all sincerity I say to the European and Western states that Turkey is the problem. The Erdogan government is the problem, and cannot be part of the solution." (Editing by Peter Graff and Giles Elgood) By Yasmeen Abutaleb SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Marc Andreessen, a prominent venture capitalist and Facebook Inc board director, apologized on Wednesday for tweets that condemned the Indian government for banning the social media company's free Internet service. India introduced rules on Monday preventing Internet service providers from having different pricing policies for accessing different parts of the Web, effectively dismantling Facebook's Free Basics program, which offers a pared-back version of Internet service. Andreessen, who often takes to Twitter to offer his opinions, said the new rules denied India's poor access to the Internet. Only 252 million out of India's 1.3 billion people have Internet access. "Denying world's poorest free partial Internet connectivity when today they have none, for ideological reasons, strikes me as morally wrong," Andreessen wrote. "Anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the Indian people for decades. Why stop now?" Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg condemned Andreessen's Twitter outburst in a Facebook post on Wednesday. "I found the comments deeply upsetting, and they do not represent the way Facebook or I think at all," Zuckerberg said, adding that India was "personally" important to him and the company. Dozens of Twitter users blasted Andreessen for his comments, which he deleted and apologized for on Wednesday in eight tweets. "I apologize for any offense my comment caused, and withdraw it in full and without reservation," Andreessen wrote. "I will leave all future commentary on all of these topics to people with more knowledge and experience than me." Earlier this week, Zuckerberg said he was disappointed with the Indian ruling and said that the company was still "working to break down barriers to connectivity in India and around the world." (Reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb; Editing by Paul Simao and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea announced on Wednesday it would completely shut down all operations at a jointly run industrial park in North Korea to punish Pyongyang for its latest rocket launch and nuclear test. The move marks the first time Seoul has shuttered the Kaesong estate since it opened in 2004. Here are some key facts about Kaesong: WHAT IS KAESONG? Kaesong is formally labelled as a special administrative industrial region of North Korea. It is operated as a collaborative economic development zone that hosts South Korean companies attracted by its source of cheap, educated, skilled labour. Kaesong was born out the "Sunshine Policy" of inter-Korean conciliation initiated in the late 1990s by South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung which led to a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il in 2000. Established in 2004, the Seoul-funded zone was the last surviving example of substantive inter-Korean cooperation, after contacts between Seoul and Pyongyang were frozen in 2010. WHERE IS IT? Kaesong lies 10 kilometres (six miles) inside North Korea, with direct road and rail access to the South. Hundreds of South Korean managers and other workers pass through the border crossing leading to Kaesong every day. Their names are transmitted in advance to the North Korean side, which then gives the go ahead for them to cross. WHO WORKS THERE AND WHAT DO THEY DO? There are currently 124 South Korean companies operating in Kaesong, nearly 60 percent of them textile units, along with machinery electronics and chemical manufacturers. They employ more than 54,000 North Korean workers, while about 800 South Korean managerial staff work in Kaesong on a regular basis. HOW SUCCESSFUL HAS IT BEEN? The South Korean government and companies have invested a total of $852 million in the zone. After a slow start, they reported an average operating profit for the first time in 2011. Turnover in 2014 was reported at $470 million, with accumulated turnover from 2004 to 2014 standing at $2.66 billion. Story continues WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO NORTH KOREA? Kaesong is a vital hard currency source for Pyongyang. North Korean workers there earn an average monthly salary of about $150. In 2012, the North sent tax notices to eight of the companies who had been based their the longest, demanding tax payments of amounting to $160,000. An unidentified motorist receives ashes at Munholland United Methodist Church in Metairie, La., on Wednesday, the first day of Lent. (WVUE-TV/Bernel Davis) Louisiana has drive-thru windows for daiquiris and beer so why not for repentance too? Thats right, a New Orleans-area Methodist church offered its faithful drive-thru ashes for Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Lent holy season. Munholland United Methodist Church invited its members and others to swing by Wednesday morning to receive ashes on their foreheads, participate in prayer or speak with a minister. Come to the parking lot on Metairie Road, stay in your car, and take part, the church advertised on its website. Ministers at Munholland United Methodist Church in Metairie, La., offered drive-thru ashes on Wednesday, the first day of Lent. (WVUE-TV/Bernel Davis) There was a line of cars when a photographer from local news station WVUE-TV stopped by early Wednesday. WVUE-TV photos showed a minister standing in a parking lot with a plate of ash, waiting for drivers in SUVs and sedans to wheel up to have crosses marked on their foreheads. The church said the morning motor ministry provides the opportunity to participate in that tradition for people who have no church home, do not have time to go to a traditional service or who are mobility challenged. The New Orleans church wasnt alone. Fly-by flocks seem to be the trend this year: A Methodist and a Lutheran church in Long Beach, Miss., teamed up to offer Ashes to Go, as did an Episcopalian pastor near Atlantic City. Ash Wednesday gets its name from the ritual of putting ashes upon the foreheads of Christians. It is also a day of fasting for Catholic and Anglican churches. Catholic Online, a Catholic news and information site, writes that the passerby movement isnt necessarily bad, but its not proper Catholicism either. This isnt considered taboo, but Catholics should know this practice is distinctly Protestant, Catholic Online writes. Catholics should still receive ashes within the context of Mass. A minister makes a cross on the forehead of an unidentified motorist at Munholland United Methodist Church in Metairie, La., on Wednesday. The church offered drive-thru ashes on the first day of Lent. (WVUE-TV/Bernel Davis) Tim Basselin, an assistant professor of media arts and worship at Dallas Theological Seminary, said the drive-thru Ash Wednesday events are just another sign of the democratization of religion, of our culture in general. Story continues We all our used to having the power to set up our lives the way we want to, Basselin told Yahoo News. While churches are trying to respond to a society that is increasingly on the go, Basselin said individuals shouldnt lose sight of the importance of religious rituals and the church. Its a result of our ridiculous individualisms and we dont know how to be communal, he said. Weve lost the meaning of doing it in community with other people and what that means for us as a group. Jason Sickles is a national reporter for Yahoo News. Follow him on Twitter (@jasonsickles). By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The Austin police officer who fatally shot a naked and unarmed Texas teenager had confronted the suspect for a few seconds before opening fire, police said on Tuesday. Officer Geoffrey Freeman told 17-year-old David Joseph to halt but the African-American teen charged toward the officer, who then opened fire in the Monday incident, Brian Manley, Austin police chief of staff, told a news conference. Manley did not say how many times Freeman fired or how far apart the two were at the time of the shooting. Police did not release the video of the shooting. "What is captured on the in-car camera when Officer Freeman gives his initial commands to Mr. Joseph and the time in which Mr. Joseph charges toward Officer Freeman was a matter of seconds. It was not a very long duration," he said. Freeman, who has worked as an Austin police officer for 10 years, has been placed on administrative leave, Manley said. Manley did not give Freeman's race but the Austin American-Statesman newspaper said Freeman is black. Austin police said they had received multiple phone calls of the suspect acting suspiciously and aggressively before they dispatched officers. Reuters was not able to locate Joseph's family. A criminal probe has been launched as well as an internal police probe, he said adding it may take about 30 to 45 days for tests to see if there were any drugs in Joseph's system. The Austin killing comes as protesters in San Antonio are questioning if race was at play in the fatal shooting by police in the city to the southwest of the Texas capital last week of an unarmed black man. "Two Texas officer-involved fatal shootings of unarmed black men within days is beyond tragic, because we have the answers to avoid these senseless deaths," said Terri Burke, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) (Reuters) - A medical advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday recommended approval of a cheaper biosimilar form of Johnson & Johnson's Remicade arthritis drug that could eventually batter sales of the branded product. The panel, by a vote of 21-3, supported use of the biosimilar from Celltrion Inc and Pfizer Inc, called Remsima. The FDA usually, but not always, follows the advice of its advisory panels. The independent panel determined that clinical trials of Remsima showed no clinically significant differences with Remicade in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and a related condition called ankylosing spondylitis. Moreover, the panel agreed Remsima is likely as safe and effective for other conditions Remicade treats, including psoriasis and inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, even though Remsima was not tested against those conditions. Before the vote, Jay Siegel, J&J's chief biotechnology officer, urged the panel to await results of an ongoing Celltrion study comparing Remsima and Remicade against irritable bowel disease before assuming that the medicines are similar in those conditions. "Only direct clinical comparisons of (Remsima) and Remicade in active irritable bowel disease can provide the requisite assurance," he said. But the FDA has previously determined it may be appropriate to license biosimilars for additional conditions for which a branded product is approved, even if the biosimilar has not been tested for them. Dr. Steven Solga, head of gastroenterology at St. Luke's University Hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, told the panel it makes no sense to require biosimilars to be tested for every condition because such trials would be too small to deliver reliable results. Some analysts expect Remsima to be introduced in the United States by 2018 and wrest sales from Remicade as well as from AbbVie's Humira and Amgen's Enbrel, which also block the inflammation-causing protein tumor necrosis factor. Celltrion and Pfizer have not disclosed what they might charge for Remsima, but a substantial discount from Remicade is expected. Shares of J&J, AbbVie and Amgen fell sharply on Friday after FDA scientists issued a briefing paper backing Remsima. Shares of the drugmakers were little changed after-hours on Tuesday. Remsima would become the second approved biosimilar in the United States, following Novartis AG's September introduction of Zarzio. It is a version of Amgen's Neupogen, which boosts white blood cells in patients who have undergone chemotherapy. Novartis priced Zarzio at a 15 percent discount to Neupogen. (Reporting by Ransdell Pierson in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr and Matthew Lewis) By Sue Britt FERGUSON, Mo. (Reuters) - The Ferguson, Missouri city council voted on Tuesday to approve an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to reform the city's police department after the 2014 shooting of a black teenager, but with changes that must still get federal approval. In a unanimous vote, the council for the St. Louis suburb agreed with the basic terms of the agreement, which includes requiring the police department to give officers bias-awareness training and implement an accountability system. The department would need to ensure that police stop, search and arrest practices do not discriminate on the basis of race or other factors protected under law. The settlement also requires the city to change its municipal code, including sections that impose prison time for failure to pay certain fines. But at a crowded public meeting, the council balked at certain requirements, including pay levels for police officers and staffing levels at the jail. The council also asked that the agreement not apply to outside agencies if the city outsourced any police work. The council also wanted additional time to comply with the agreement - an additional 180 days on top of the 90 already granted. "This is a reflection of trying to make this work for everybody's concerns," said Mayor James Knowles III. The fatal shooting of unarmed Michael Brown, 18, by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who is white, exposed tension between the city government and the largely black community. Ferguson erupted into violent protests in 2014 after a grand jury chose not to indict the officer. It was one of a series of killings of black men, mostly by white police officers, that set off a nationwide debate about the use of police force, especially against minorities. A sharply critical report by the Justice Department last year documented discriminatory actions by Ferguson police and the municipal court system, especially against blacks. Story continues A representative for the Justice Department was not immediately available for comment. Last week, residents attended two city council meetings to weigh in on the agreement, and had another chance to voice their opinion on Tuesday ahead of the vote. Also on Tuesday, a St. Louis County jury acquitted local pastor and activist Rev. Osagyefo Sekou of a charge of failing to comply with a police order during a September 2014 protest against the Brown shooting. (Reporting by Sue Britt in Ferguson, Ben Klayman in Detroit, and Mary Wisniewski in Chicago; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Nick Macfie) There was that little restaurant in Vietnam, 2008. The Paris bakery in 2012. The corner bistro in Toronto in 2013. Sadly, this isnt a travelogue. Its the chronicle of one womans bouts of food poisoning. A self-described adventurous eater who has stomached plenty of exotic food in her lifetime, Melissa Truong cant say for sure why shes fallen ill so many times from seemingly safe meals. But the 27-year-old lawyer from Toronto is not the only one whos been felled by rogue cilantro. From the listeriosis outbreak that killed three last summer to a food-related salmonella outbreak that landed Peanut Corporation of America owner Stewart Parnell in prison with a 28-year sentence, stories of mass recalls, food-related illnesses and deaths have been getting tons of attention. Its a problem modern science has long struggled with. Now our friends in Silicon Valley are taking a crack at it using things like big data, genomic food analytics and molecular detection. The scale of the problem is sizable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that food-borne diseases cause 48 million illnesses a year thats about 91 food poisonings a minute. There are also 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths in the United States each year. And each year about 48 million people, about one out of every six Americans, get gastroenteritis because of food, says Dr. John Besser, deputy chief, enteric diseases of the laboratory branch of the CDC. The numbers are down significantly from 1999, the last time the CDC collected data, but, Besser says the impact on society is actually quite large. Please hold the mayo. Factors such as temperature, humidity and whether the door of a fridge has been left open can be verified remotely. A couple of issues are in play: finding out about food contamination before its national news and the safe storage and handling of food. There are two ways that the CDC catches on to potential food contamination cases, says Besser. One, it can wait for an outbreak to be reported, interview those affected and try to pinpoint a common source. This lets-see approach sounds more like a friend to E. coli than to your stomach. A slightly more proactive way is to identify a sample of the germ and send it in for molecular testing at the local or state PulseNet lab. Theres a central database at the CDC where patterns can be compared across states, says Besser, which facilitates the linking of cases over broad distances. Both strategies focus on containment, not prevention. Story continues As for proper storage and handling, the traditional method has been comically low-tech. Think pen and paper. People who work in restaurants, food manufacturing plants and distributors keep an eye on a long checklist of items throughout their shifts, including storage facility cleanliness, food temperature and humidity. While these methods are industry standard, they shockingly often fail to catch and contain contaminations at their source. Next stop, recall. On that front, Silicon Valleys Clear Labs, which analyzes the makeup of food, has built the worlds largest molecular food database for comparison. The thousands of tests run by Clear Labs, which last year announced a $6.5 million Series A funding round, yielded grim results: rat DNA in hamburger patties, water buffalo in beef hot dogs, pork in pork-free products, meat in vegetarian products; the tests also revealed that 16% of sushi samples were from cheaper fish species than what was ordered. Sasan Amini, CEO of Clear Labs, says the goal is to shift the paradigm from food safety to food quality. What we want to enable is expanding the scope of testing beyond the traditional test, he says, so instead of just focusing on the high-risk foods like meat and poultry, the company will try to bring more transparency to other foods. While genomic tests can take up to two weeks before returning results, Amini expects to reduce that turnaround time. Philadelphia-based Invisible Sentinels product Veriflow can detect the presence of listeria, salmonella or E. coli in 18 to 24 hours. The pregnancy testlike product can be used in-house, without sending samples to a lab, and by employees who are not familiar with genomic testing. U.K.-based Elektron Technology uses connected devices to provide vital food storage information through its Checkit platform. Elements such as temperature, humidity and whether a fridge has been left open can be verified remotely on any device through a cloud-based application. Its tools and technologies are meant to automate the checking of some food safety materials and to simplify and modernize the manual checking of all the other elements, said Dr. Martin Nash, the product line manager of Checkit. All of this is stored on a 3-D visualization on a local hub, so the staff can see when local checks are due; when things go wrong, he says, alarms are triggered, which send e-mails to managers and supervising staff. To be sure, were a long way from worry-free street meat. These technologies all have their drawbacks; for instance, theres the potential for a false sense of security, says Dr. Michael Payne of the Western Center for Food Safety at UC Davis. He says that with any technology, there will be a small number of false positives and false negatives. But more definitive tests, he says, are typically more technologically challenging and more expensive. And the challenge of rolling all of this out on a national level, inclusive of food carts and corner delis, is daunting to say the least. I know Ill sound like a stodgy old doctor, says Payne, but the biggest bang for your buck is still going to be in the preparation of food. In the meantime, Truongs experiences with food poisoning and norovirus have altered her previously adventurous attitude toward eating. Im a lot more conscious of where my food comes from and how to store it and have become more of a careful eater, she said, adding that shes all for more technologically advanced food testing and storage practices as long as they dont significantly increase the price of food. Well keep our comments about cheap sushi to ourselves. Related Articles By Tova Cohen TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Check Point Software Technologies co-founder Shlomo Kramer, a pioneer of efforts to protect businesses from cyber attacks, is betting on security in the cloud as the sector's next big development. Moving network protection to the cloud could ultimately replace the very firewalls developed by Check Point and eliminate the need for costly appliances, consisting of hardware and software, that are a $50 billion market, Kramer said. After leaving Check Point in 1998, Kramer has used his fortune to establish and finance an array of start-ups and helped to set up California-based Imperva in 2002. Imperva taps into a shift away from perimeter defenses such as firewalls to secure data and web applications by detecting and preventing attacks before they reach inside an organization. Now in a further evolution, the former member of the Israeli army's elite 8200 technology unit is launching Cato Networks with former Imperva colleague Gur Shatz. Cato's software connects the elements of an enterprise's network -- branch locations, mobile users and data centers -- into an encrypted network in the cloud. "Business today is very fluid; it's not being done from a single location but from everywhere," the Tel Aviv-based Kramer, 49, told Reuters. "Traditional network perimeter security was implemented using appliances, which are very location-bound." WORK TO DO Today a retailer with thousands of branches has to place a stack of appliances in each store that are connected to headquarters, or relay store traffic to headquarters before connecting to the cloud. With Cato, the stores connect to the cloud directly for Internet access. Cato's technology is a departure from Check Point and Imperva, which are based on the appliances Cato seeks to replace. Kramer believes the simplicity and cost savings of cloud technology will win over businesses. David Cowan, a partner at venture capital firm Bessemer Venture Partners in California, said the technology was "ambitious, difficult but interesting". He has not put any money into the company. "You're not going to see big companies just moving their critical traffic over this hodgepodge network that they will knit together," Cowan said. "That's not to say they won't over time build something resilient." What differentiates Cato from other cloud companies is that customers are being asked to move all their traffic on to the cloud. California's Zscaler, Cowan noted, carries mobile device traffic on its cloud. Cato raised $20 million in financing led by U.S. Venture Partners and Aspect Ventures and expects to launch in the third quarter. Kramer, who invested $4 million, forecast sales "in the millions of dollars" in the first year. FALLING SHARES Kramer has an enviable track record. Check Point is now Israel's largest tech company with a market cap of $14 billion and sales of $1.6 billion. Kramer has sold his stake in Check Point, which last year bought two security companies in which he invested. A deep sea diving and photography enthusiast, Kramer returned to Israel from California over a year ago and is married for the second time with five children. The launch of Cato comes when many cybertech shares, including Imperva, have taken a hit on concerns over their valuations. Some expect industry consolidation in the next few years. Kramer doesn't believe there's a bubble, though he admits many of the start-ups may not survive. In 2015 alone 78 Israeli cyber firms raised a record $540 million and there are 430 companies operating in the sector, of which only 19 are public, according to the Israel Venture Capital Research Centre. Kramer says the threat from cyber attacks has become more sinister and challenging. "The security industry is facing a great challenge due to the changing threat landscape. Ten years ago networks faced generic broad attacks by kids," he said, noting the growing sophistication of attackers. "Today, it's nation state attacks on critical infrastructure and organized crime attacks on financial assets. This requires much more sophistication," he said. (Editing by Keith Weir) Dubai (AFP) - Dubai's no-frills carrier flydubai said Wednesday its 2015 net profit stood at 100.7 million dirhams ($27.4 million), down 59.7 percent from the previous year, due to the strong dollar and route suspensions. Total revenues increased 11 percent to 4.9 billion dirhams ($1.33 billion), with passenger numbers surging 25 percent to 9.04 million, it said in a statement. But profits have come "under pressure attributable to a strong dollar (and) the challenging trading environment across the network," the government-owned company said. Profit was also affected by "disruption resulting from the suspension of flights on some established routes and a large number of recently launched routes with a lead time required to reach maturity," flydubai said. Among routes suspended due to unrest were flydubai's flights to destinations in war-torn Iraq and Yemen. The carrier serves 90 destinations with a fleet of 50 Boeing 737 planes. DUBAI, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Iran's oil minister said foreign oil companies that owe his country billions of dollars are likely to settle their debts in euros. Greece's Hellenic Petroleum (LSE: 0K9U.L - news) , Italy's Saras and Royal Dutch Shell owe Iran about $4 billion which will be paid back in euros, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh was cited by the ministry's news agency Shana as saying on Tuesday. Shell (LSE: RDSB.L - news) has said it was ready to settle its debts to Iran, but Greece's Hellenic Petroleum is having trouble to pay Iran back and "alternative methods are being worked out", Zanganeh said, according to Shana. He did not elaborate. He also said Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), Japan and Netherlands have started settling their debts to Iran's central bank. Iran wants to recover tens of billions of dollars it is owed by buyers of its oil in euros and is billing new crude sales in euros, too, looking to reduce its dependence on the U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . dollar following last month's sanctions relief. A source at state-owned National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) told Reuters last week that Iran will charge in euros for its recently signed oil contracts with firms including French oil and gas major Total (Other OTC: TTFNF - news) , Spanish refiner Cepsa and Litasco, the trading arm of Russia's Lukoil (Other OTC: LUKOF - news) . (Reporting by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Sandra Maler) (Adds Shell comment, details) DUBAI, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Iran's oil minister said foreign oil companies that owe his country billions of dollars are likely to settle their debts in euros. Greece's Hellenic Petroleum (LSE: 0K9U.L - news) , Italy's Saras and Royal Dutch Shell owe Iran about $4 billion which will be paid back in euros, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh was cited by the ministry's news agency Shana as saying on Tuesday. Shell (LSE: RDSB.L - news) has said it was ready to settle its debts to Iran, but Greece's Hellenic Petroleum is having trouble to pay Iran back and "alternative methods are being worked out", Zanganeh said, according to Shana. He did not elaborate. A Shell spokesman said: "We will settle our outstanding debt to NIOC (National Iranian Oil Co) as soon as we are lawfully able to do so," declining to comment on whether the payment would be made in euros. Zanganeh also said Emirates National Oil Co, Japan and the Netherlands had started settling their debts to Iran's central bank. Iran wants to recover tens of billions of dollars it is owed by buyers of its oil in euros and is billing new crude sales in euros, too, looking to reduce its dependence on the U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . dollar following last month's sanctions relief. A source at state-owned NIOC told Reuters last week that Iran will charge in euros for its recently signed oil contracts with firms including French oil and gas major Total (Other OTC: TTFNF - news) , Spanish refiner Cepsa and Litasco, the trading arm of Russia's Lukoil (Other OTC: LUKOF - news) . Safar-Ali Karamati, deputy director of international affairs for marketing and crude oil operations at NIOC, has told Shana that Iran favours the euro as the payment currency for its oil export contracts. (Reporting by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Sandra Maler and Dale Hudson) Nearly 6 million U.S. citizens cant vote because of state laws that restrict the voting rights of people with felony convictions, but as of Tuesday morning, roughly 40,000 will now be able to join their neighbors at the ballot box. Marylands Senate voted 29 to 18 to override Gov. Larry Hogans veto of a bill to restore voting rights to people with felony convictions before they complete probation or parole, The Baltimore Sun reported. The House voted last month to override Hogans veto. Both Connecticut and Rhode Island have expanded the right to vote to people on probation or parolein 2001 and 2007, respectively. Felon voting restrictions vary widely by state. Twelve states prohibit them from voting even after their sentences have been served in full, while 14 allow it after release from prison, even if they are on probation or parole, according to The Sentencing Project, a nonprofit advocacy group. Proponents of Hogans veto have argued that allowing felons to vote is unfair to crime victims and that people who are still on probation and parole havent fully repaid their debt to society. That poor victim could be laid up in the hospital bed, and youre going off to vote, Republican Sen. Michael Hough told The Baltimore Sun. We need to have an orderly process. The legislatures move is especially significant given that it is an election year. Because millions of people arent able to vote owing to past criminal convictions, the restoration of those rights could affect the electoral outcome. Racial disparities that play out in sentencing and incarceration mean that people of color are more likely to be disenfranchised. Thirty-five percent of former felons restricted from voting are black men, said The Sentencing Project. Researchers have found that the demographic is likely to vote Democratic. We applaud the Maryland General Assembly for using the power of the vote to defend the voting rights of thousands, Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, said in a statement. Across the country, racial minorities are disproportionately impacted by felony disenfranchisement laws. We urge other state lawmakers to follow Marylands lead. Story continues Related stories on TakePart: More Than 170,000 Ex-Cons Can Now Vote in Kentucky How America Is Backtracking on Voting Rights In San Francisco, City Schools Are Focusing on Students With Incarcerated Parents Original article from TakePart Jerusalem (AFP) - A Jerusalem court on Wednesday awarded damages to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's former housekeeper, accepting his complaints of repeated workplace abuse by the premier and his wife. The former housekeeper, Meni Naftali, said the 170,000 shekel ($44,000, 39,000 euro) payment covering distress and court costs was a "small victory" but not the end of his campaign to improve working practices at the Netanyahu's official Jerusalem residence. "I advise any person who has been abused, no matter who he is or where he is employed, to stand up for his rights and claim what is due to him," he told Israeli public radio. "I'm writing a book (and) I don't intend to stop here," he added. Naftali, who said he is now working as a night security guard, filed the suit in the Jerusalem District Labour Court in March 2015. He accused the Netanyahus of failing to pay him overtime for long and arduous working hours as well as verbal abuse, including a 3:00 am dressing-down by the premier's wife Sara for buying the wrong brand of milk. The Netanyahus had dismissed the claims as an attempt to sully their image. Before Netanyahu's re-election campaign last spring, media reported that Sara had pocketed at least $1,000 worth of public cash by collecting the deposits on empty bottles returned from the residence. Naftali was quoted in media last year as talking of "uncontrolled tongue-lashings" from Sara Netanyahu. "The court had before it many testimonies indicating that the conditions of employment in the residence were harmful due to the behaviour of Mrs. Netanyahu and her attitude to the employees," judge Dita Pruginin said on Wednesday, quoted by Haaretz newspaper. "Those included exaggerated demands, insults, humiliation and outburst of anger." The damages are to be paid by the state, as Naftali was employed by the prime minister's office rather than by the Netanyahus personally. By Lisa Maria Garza DALLAS (Reuters) - A former Catholic priest has been charged in a 55-year-old murder case in which he is suspected of beating and raping a beauty queen in south Texas shortly after taking her last confession, authorities said on Wednesday. John Feit, 83, was arrested on Tuesday evening in Arizona in connection with the 1960 slaying of Irene Garza, 25, in McAllen, Texas, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Arizona. He is being held on $750,000 bond pending extradition to Texas. During an initial court appearance Wednesday, Feit told a Maricopa County judge he will fight the return to Texas. "This whole thing makes no sense to me because the crime in question took place in 1960," Feit said, in a court video posted on the county website. "I'm totally puzzled why something is coming up now, after the fact." Garza, a former Miss South Texas and second-grade school teacher, was last seen giving confession during Holy Week at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on April 16, 1960, according to the Texas Rangers cold case website. Her body was found five days later in a nearby canal. An autopsy showed that Garza had been raped while comatose and died of suffocation. Feit was long considered by authorities to be a suspect in the case but was not indicted. During a 2013 interview with CNN, he denied any involvement in Garzas death. Shortly after Garza's body was found, Feit was ordered by his church superiors to leave McAllen, the Dallas Morning News reported. He also had been implicated in the assault of another woman in the area a few weeks before Garza's disappearance. He pleaded no contest to aggravated assault and served no jail time. Feit later left the priesthood and moved to Arizona, where he started a family. Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. After Feit was arrested, the McAllen Monitor newspaper asked Rodriguez what new information led to the charge but he declined to comment. Garzas family, who set up a "Justice for Irene" Facebook page, posted on Tuesday: "Today Irene Garza gets to finally R.I.P. Justice has been served." (Reporting by Lisa Maria Garza; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Bill Trott) Marinka (Ukraine) (AFP) - Three people were killed on Wednesday when a passenger minibus hit a mine in separatist eastern Ukraine during a relative calm in fighting in the 21-month war. An AFP reporter at the scene saw pools of blood and personal belongings of the victims scattered near a checkpoint at Marinka -- a flashpoint village of about 10,000 people that witnessed heavy battles between pro-Russian rebels and government troops in June. "There are lots of anti-tank mines in this field and it seems that it hit one of them," a 55-year-old witness who identified himself only as Vladimir told AFP. "It was a huge blast." Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Zadubinniy told AFP that two civilians died at the scene and a third in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Local official had initially said that the body of a fourth victim was later found on the side of the road. But the pro-Kiev prosecutor's office in the region said in an email sent to AFP that "information about the fourth victim proved to be wrong." The incident occurred about 20 kilometres (12 miles) southwest of the de-facto rebel capital Donetsk as the bus and its five passengers were leaving a separatist-run part of the province towards a government-administered area. Officials said the driver had ignored mine warning signs posted along the road and drove onto a field a few hundred metres (yards) from the Ukrainian checkpoint. Ukraine's emergencies ministry said it had cleared the separatist Donetsk and Lugansk regions in the former Soviet republic's once-booming industrial heartland of more than 44,000 mines by the start of December. But the warring sides and foreign monitors are struggling to estimate how many unexploded devices remain. Continuing negotiations between the two foes on resuming the mine clearing work have failed to make progress in recent months. - Rebels blame Kiev - Rebel leaders quickly accused the Ukrainian forces of mining the field in violation of a largely-abandoned truce and political reconciliation agreement struck in February 2015. Story continues "We had insisted that Ukraine start de-mining roads and villages located along the front," the administration of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said on its official news site. "But all of our demands are being ignored." Ukrainian officials refused to assign any immediate blame for the blast. More than 9,000 people have been killed and 20,000 injured since the conflict broke out in April following Ukraine's pro-Western revolution. Kiev and its Western allies accuse Russia of plotting and supporting the insurgency in a bid to unsettle the new Ukrainian leadership and keep it dependent on Moscow's good will. Russia denies the charges and in turn accuses Washington of orchestrating bloody Kiev uprising that toppled Ukraine's Kremlin-backed president in February 2014. A series of truce agreements have helped to ease the fighting but have not prevented periodic clashes from breaking out along the front. Beirut (AFP) - Swine flu has killed four people in Lebanon since the beginning of the winter season in November, health officials said on Wednesday. Walid Ammar, the general director of Lebanon's health ministry, told AFP there were "four confirmed H1N1 deaths this winter season." "The cases that needed emergency care this winter season is up 20 percent compared to last winter," partly due to a more efficient referral system between the hospitals and the health ministry, he said. Health Minister Wael Abu Faour said the four fatal cases were a child aged three, a 31-year-old woman, a 36-year-old pregnant woman, and a 58-year-old man. He also said reported cases had increased by 20 percent but that the number of deaths was comparable with the previous winter season, in which five people died of H1N1. "The solution would be to decrease kissing, unless extremely necessary," Abu Faour said jokingly to journalists. His comments sparked a new hashtag on Twitter -- #KissForFaour -- that saw Lebanese users post pictures themselves kissing their partners, children, or even pets. A regional outbreak of swine flu in 2009 sparked warnings from governments and the World Health Organisation. By August 2010, when the WHO lifted its warning, the virus had killed 18,500 people in 214 countries. By Ingrid Melander and John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Wednesday he was leaving the government ahead of a reshuffle President Francois Hollande is set to announce in coming days to reshape his team ahead of the 2017 presidential elections. The reshuffle comes at a time when a beleaguered Hollande is suffering a fresh drop in popularity and deep discontent within his party over contested plans to strip French citizenship from people convicted of terrorism. "I will be leaving office," Fabius told reporters, adding that a wider reshuffle, which has been in the works for months, would be announced later this week. Fabius, 69, who played a prominent role in sealing an international deal with Iran limiting its nuclear program and helped broker a global climate change agreement, was picked by Hollande to head the country's top constitutional court. While it is unclear how widespread the reshuffle will be, speculation is rife over who could join a revamped government in coming days, with Hollande's former prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, or former partner, Environment Minister Segolene Royal, tipped as possible replacements for Fabius. A lot of attention will also focus on whether former investment banker Emmanuel Macron, who has been the face of reforms for France's European partners but has irritated many of his government colleagues, will get a bigger portfolio. Manuel Valls is set to stay on as prime minister. Hollande is expected to largely stick to his pro-business economic policy even if there could be some changes if rebel Socialists or Green lawmakers were to join his cabinet in a bid to build a wider left-wing alliance to gear up for the presidential election. Hollande was to be interviewed on French television on Thursday evening, and might give more details. TIGHT VOTE Analysts said a reshuffle was unlikely to do much to help his popularity, which has been eroded by a debate on stripping dual nationals of their French passports in case of terrorism convictions - one of the key measures he announced after 130 people were killed by Islamist militants in Paris on November 13. This is a sensitive time for Hollande who, just over a year ahead of the presidential elections, faces an uphill re-election battle, dogged not only by tense debates over security measures but also anger with rampant unemployment of 10.6 percent. The lower house of parliament on Wednesday endorsed a strongly disputed bill on stripping those convicted of terrorism of their French passport by 317 votes against 199. While that will be a relief for the government, the issue is far from over as the measure needs be approved by the senate and then by three-fifths of votes from both houses of parliament, a process likely to take several weeks. A third of the Socialist lawmakers who cast their votes on Wednesday voted against the measure and some others abstained, highlighting divisions over the issue. Former president Nicolas Sarkozy's conservatives are also divided. Fabius, who was France's youngest prime minister in the mid-1980s, had been widely expected to change jobs since the end of last year. He said he would enter his new role in early March. He is due to stay on as chair of U.N. climate talks until late 2016, monitoring implementation of the agreement to shift from fossil fuels to cleaner energies. (Additional reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Alister Doyle and Mark Heinrich) TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto-based Franco-Nevada has agreed to acquire a precious metal stream in southern Peru from Glencore for $500 million and arranged a $550 million financing to fund the deal, it said on Wednesday. Franco-Nevada's President and Chief Executive David Harquail said the acquisition would further strengthen the company's portfolio, following its recent Antamina and Candelaria investments. "This investment is expected to be immediately accretive and provide our shareholders with gold price optionality over multiple cycles and potential further exploration and expansion upside," he said. Franco-Nevada said it had agreed financing for the deal with a syndicate of underwriters led by BMO Capital Markets, CIBC Capital Markets, RBC Capital Markets and Scotiabank. The underwriters have agreed to purchase 11.5 million Franco-Nevada shares at $47.85 per share. They also have an option to purchase an additional 1.725 million shares and the gross proceeds for Franco-Nevada could rise to $663 million. Franco-Nevada said the Glencore stream is referenced to production from the Antapaccay mine in southern Peru, which is owned by Glencore, and has been expanding production since late 2012. (Reporting by Matt Scuffham; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli) PARIS (Reuters) - France's finance minister said on Wednesday British banks must not win special treatment under a proposed European Union reform package aimed at keeping Britain in the bloc after French banks warned the proposals were unfair. "There are several proposals, several ambiguities, in the texts that could allow one to think there may be a difference in treatment between London and the others. That's not possible," Michel Sapin told members of the finance commission in the lower house of parliament. "Treatment has to be as identical as possible and that's why we are fighting," Sapin said. The head of the French Banking Federation, Societe Generale Chief Executive Frederic Oudea, said in a letter to President Francois Hollande that the package raised major problems. The letter was also addressed to Sapin. European Council President Donald Tusk has proposed a reform package, which EU leaders will have to approve at a summit later this month, in the hope of persuading Britons to vote to stay in the European Union in an upcoming referendum. Sapin said Tusk's proposals needed to be clarified to root out any ambiguity. The measures could in particular let non-euro zone countries such as Britain have different banking rules to those inside the shared currency bloc, which Oudea said would spell the end of the single rule book for European banks. "If the plan is adopted in its current state, it would put an end to fair competition between financial actors while non-euro institutions would continue to benefit from a European passport," Oudea wrote in his letter, dated Feb. 5, referring to the possibility of operating freely across the EU. "It would create a risk of 'regulation at the lowest common denominator' and arbitrage between financial centres," Oudea said in the letter, echoing concerns voiced by the EU banking watchdog. Oudea also said euro zone countries should not be forced to help foot the bill for potential financial sector failures in Britain as London would get that right vis-a-vis the euro zone as the package stands now. In a similar vein, Oudea said the euro zone should have a say over decisions by non-euro zone countries affecting it if Britain were granted that right. (Reporting by Marc Joanny; Additional reporting by Yann Le Guernigou and Michel Rose; Writing by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Alister Doyle/Mark Heinrich) Paris (AFP) - The tax fraud trial of France's disgraced former budget minister Jerome Cahuzac was adjourned Wednesday to September 5 after his defence challenged the constitutionality of the case. The 63-year-old former rising star in the French Socialist Party, who stashed millions abroad while cracking down on tax cheats at home, had gone on trial Monday. His ex-wife Patricia Menard, with whom he ran a lucrative hair transplant clinic, is a co-defendant in the case. The defence on Monday argued that Cahuzac and Menard had already settled their tax debts and penalties and should not be tried twice over the same matter. The court was told Menard had paid more than two million euros, although no figure was given for the ex-minister. In the criminal trial, both face up to seven years in jail and two million euros ($2.2 million) in fines if found guilty of tax fraud and money laundering. Court president Peimane Ghaleh-Marzban on Wednesday pointed to a recent precedent in a trial involving the Wildenstein art-dealing dynasty, accused of hiding hundreds of millions of euros in inheritance money from the taxman. Lawyers in that case argued that carrying out a tax adjustment along with a criminal trial was unconstitutional and amounted to double jeopardy. On January 6, the judge in the case ruled that France's highest court of appeals should decide whether to refer the question to the constitutional court. Early last year, the constitutional court quashed another case against the managers of the Airbus group EADS over insider trading on the grounds that financial market regulators had already examined it. The Cahuzac scandal was the first of a series that have tarnished the presidency of Francois Hollande, who had promised a squeaky-clean government after succeeding Nicolas Sarkozy, the subject of several graft investigations, in 2012. To begin with, Cahuzac vehemently denied the allegations, notably before parliament and to Hollande, after the Mediapart news website broke the story in December 2012. Story continues Cahuzac, whose remit included fighting tax fraud, lodged a defamation suit against Mediapart. But the trained surgeon resigned his post after a formal investigation was launched in March 2013. Two weeks later, he confessed to having held an account with Swiss banking giant UBS and said he was "consumed by remorse". Paris (AFP) - Veteran French politician Laurent Fabius bowed out of government Wednesday after a career spanning more than three decades that saw an early string of scandals but ended with him shepherding a complex climate deal as foreign minister. And he didn't leave quietly, lashing out at Russia and Iran for "complicity" in the "brutality" of President Bashar al-Assad's regime and criticising the United States for a lack of commitment to resolving the Syrian war. Fabius holds the distinction of being France's youngest-ever prime minister, a post he took up at 37, and has remained a Socialist heavyweight, ending his career in the ornate hallways of the Quai d'Orsay as his country's top diplomat. He was given a standing ovation by lawmakers from his Socialist Party and even those on the right applauded him as he spoke in the National Assembly. His departure came after President Francois Hollande nominated him to head France's prestigious Constitutional Court, a post Fabius said he would take up in March "if things go as planned". A wider cabinet reshuffle is expected this week. Amiable and sometimes witty in person, the cerebral 69-year-old also has a reputation for being aloof. Nevertheless, his experience made him a popular foreign minister with the French people, who largely saw him as a fitting representative abroad. He and Hollande were longtime political enemies, but managed to put their rivalry behind them once Hollande became president in 2012 and appointed him foreign minister. Segolene Royal, the high-profile environment minister and Hollande's former partner, is among Fabius's rumoured successors, but former prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is also believed to be in the frame. - 'Gauche caviar' - Fabius helped to negotiate the Iran nuclear deal, as well as dealing with the thorny dossiers of the Ukraine and Syria conflict, and the growing threat of jihadism in western Africa, where French troops are deployed. Story continues However, it is his final big project that is likely to shape his legacy: sealing a historic deal to save mankind from global warning. As host of the global climate talks at the end of 2015, he presided over 13 days of gruelling talks to get 195 nations to agree on transforming the energy system underlying the world economy. While fending off rumours of ill health -- and a persistent suggestion that he suffered from Parkinson's -- Fabius threw himself into the world of climate science and politics for two years before the talks. He will stay on as president of the UN climate talks process for the next few months. Fabius, who comes from a long line of art merchants, is independently wealthy and is known for beautifully cut suits -- Hermes, according to one report. He has often been labelled a member of the so-called "gauche caviar". Though Fabius criticised the United States for failing to stop the war in Syria, State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner on Wednesday paid homage to him. "The United States has greatly appreciated Foreign Minister Fabius' leadership across a wide range of international priorities. France is our oldest ally and we value our strong ties," he told reporters in Washington. - Tainted blood scandal - Fabius followed the well-worn path to power in France, attending the elite National School of Public Administration (ENA). A political wunderkind, he became a lawmaker aged 32. Then-president Francois Mitterrand appointed him as budget minister three years later. In 1984, he became France's youngest-ever prime minister. However, Fabius would quickly face a major scandal, when French agents were caught after the sinking of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand as it was on its way to protest against a French nuclear test. After initial government denials, Fabius later told journalists the French secret service was indeed behind the bombing, adding: "The truth of this affair is cruel." The biggest stain on his career was a scandal in the 1980s in which blood infected with HIV was distributed in France, and later abroad, even after the government became aware of the problem. Hundreds were infected, and Fabius was charged with manslaughter, but acquitted in 1999. His health minister was convicted but never punished. In more recent times, it is his 34-year-old son Thomas who has caused Fabius the most embarrassment. Thomas Fabius has faced a raft of legal problems over his passion for gambling and is wanted in the United States for allegedly writing rubber cheques for millions of dollars at several Las Vegas casinos. Paris (AFP) - French lawmakers will vote on Wednesday on a controversial package of measures to change the constitution in the wake of the terror attacks on Paris in November. One of the measures proposed by President Francois Hollande would strip people convicted of terrorism of their French nationality, a contested move that has led to the resignation of the justice minister. Another would enshrine in the constitution the state of emergency which is currently in force, giving security forces greater powers. The lower house of parliament has voted through both measures separately this week, but the collective package of measures still requires the support of lawmakers on Wednesday before it can pass on to the upper house, the Senate. For it to be fully adopted, it will then also need the support of three-fifths of the Congress, the body formed when both houses meet at the Palace of Versailles to vote on revisions to the constitution. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said late Tuesday he was confident the reforms would pass, and warned lawmakers from his Socialist Party that voting against them would "put the government in difficulty and leave the president in a minority". He said France faces a terrorist threat "without doubt more serious than before November 13" when gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in Parisian bars, restaurants, a concert hall and the Stade de France stadium. The Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility for the carnage, saying it was in response to French air strikes against the group in Iraq and Syria. - Year of attacks - It was the second time in a year that jihadists had struck at the French capital. In January 2015, gunmen attacked the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket. The measure to strip convicted terrorists of nationality was passed by 162 votes to 148 with 22 abstentions on Tuesday, following weeks of debate. The nationality measure has strong public support but has deeply divided Hollande's party. Story continues Christiane Taubira resigned as justice minister last month over her opposition to the measure and Hollande's former prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has publicly condemned the proposal. Socialist lawmakers, those from former president Nicolas Sarkozy's right-wing Republicans party and the centrist party UDI party, voted in favour of the measure, but Socialist fringe parties and most of the ecologist lawmakers were opposed. On Monday, lawmakers voted in favour of the other key measure, the move to give the state of emergency a new status in the constitution. Rights groups say the police are abusing their powers under the state of emergency, but the government argues that it is an essential step to protect the nation at a time when France could face another jihadist attack. Paris (AFP) - French lawmakers voted Wednesday in favour of measures to change the constitution following the November 13 jihadist attacks on Paris, but doubts remain as to whether the package will be fully adopted. The amendment, including a hotly contested measure to strip convicted terrorists of their French nationality, was passed by the National Assembly with 317 votes for to 199 against, clearing a first hurdle towards adoption. The package must now gain the support of the Senate, or upper house of parliament, and then three-fifths of the Congress, the body formed when both houses of France's parliament come together to debate revisions to the constitution. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he was satisfied with the result. He said he was "sure" the amendments would receive a majority in the Congress. The stakes were high for President Francois Hollande, who announced in the emotional aftermath of the shootings and suicide bombings that killed 130 people in Paris in November that he wanted to revise the constitution to toughen the fight against terror. If the measures had fallen at the first stage, it could have dealt a fatal blow to Hollande's ambitions of re-election in 2017. Valls had on Tuesday warned lawmakers from his Socialist Party that voting against the measures would "put the government in difficulty and leave the president in a minority". The fact that the move to strip terror convicts of their nationality barely scraped through by 162 votes to 148 in a separate vote on Tuesday suggests the collective package faces many more obstacles. - 'Pointless' - Writing on his Twitter account ahead of Wednesday's vote, right-wing politician Alain Juppe, a former prime minister seen as the frontrunner in next year's presidential election, dismissed the reforms as "pointless" and said they "divide all the parliamentary groups -- to be avoided!" Cecile Duflot, a member of the green EELV party and a former minister in Hollande's government, urged her fellow MPs to "resist the blackmail" posed by the nationality measure. Story continues Another of the proposed measures would enshrine in the constitution the state of emergency currently in force, giving greater powers to security forces. Rights groups and left-wing lawmakers say they believe police are abusing the additional powers, rounding up suspects with little proof. But it is the nationality measure that has deeply divided Hollande's party, notably prompting the resignation of Christiane Taubira as justice minister last month. In addition, Hollande's former prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has publicly condemned the proposal. But the government insists the measures are necessary as France faces a continued high threat from jihadist attack. Valls said Tuesday the terrorist threat was "without doubt more serious than before November 13". The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the carnage in Paris, saying it was in response to French air strikes against the group in Iraq and Syria. It was the second time in a year that jihadists had struck at the French capital. In January 2015, gunmen attacked the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket. By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Google will start scrubbing search results across all its websites when accessed from a European country to soothe the objections of Europe's privacy regulators to its implementation of a landmark EU ruling, a person close to the company said. The U.S. company has been at loggerheads with several European Union data protection authorities since the European Court of Justice ruled in May 2014 that people could ask search engines such as Google and Microsoft's Bing to remove inadequate or irrelevant information that appears under searches for their name - dubbed the "right to be forgotten". The French data protection authority in September threatened to fine Google if it did not scrub search results globally across all versions of its website, such as Google.com. But the company has stuck to its position that it should clean up search results only on European domains such as Google.fr or Google.de because to do otherwise would have a chilling effect on the free flow of information. To address the concerns of European authorities, the Internet giant will soon start polishing search results across all its websites when someone conducts a search from the country where the removal request originated, a person close to the company said. That means that if a German resident asks Google to de-list a link popping up under searches for his or her name, the link will not be visible on any version of Google's website, including Google.com, when the search engine is accessed from Germany. The company will filter search results according to a user's IP address, meaning people accessing Google from outside Europe will not be affected, the person added. Since the ruling in 2014, Google has received 386,038 requests for removal, according to its transparency website. It has accepted about 42 percent of them. The company has notified all EU data protection authorities of the upcoming changes. A spokeswoman for Britains data protection watchdog said the change proposed by Google appeared to address concerns it had previously expressed on the scope of the requirement to de-list. A spokeswoman for the French CNIL - which chairs a working group of EU privacy regulators - said authorities had been informed of Google's plans, which showed that the "issue of territorial scope requires careful thought." "These elements are currently the object of an inquiry by the services of the CNIL," she said. (Reporting by Julia Fioretti; editing by Adrian Croft) Athens (AFP) - Greek farmers on Wednesday threatened to escalate a nationwide protest against pension reform by blocking ports and airports, as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras offered a compromise to end the dispute that has backed his government into a corner. "If they don't take back this reform, this cuts our lives short...these measures are death," Vangelis Boutas, a senior farm unionist from central Greece, told a news conference. The farmers are angry about government plans to increase their social security contributions as part of a wider reform of the country's ailing pension system. They also reject plans to double their income tax by 2017 and scrap benefits such as cheaper fuel. Since mid-January, farmers have used their tractors to block dozens of highways. Earlier this month they also began blockading border crossings to Bulgaria and Turkey. Over the weekend the farmers threatened to further escalate the protest by blocking ports and airports, and Boutas said a major demonstration in Athens on Friday was in the works. "(Farmers) will come from Crete, Epirus, Macedonia (because) they understand there is no tomorrow," Boutas said, referring to other Greek regions predominantly living off agriculture. Tsipras, whose options are limited after signing a new bailout with Greece's international creditors in August, offered the farmers a compromise on Wednesday. "We are open to a substantial, honest dialogue with the farmers," Tsipras said in televised comments to his cabinet. "There is significant room for improvement on their social security contributions, on the issue of when the measures take effect, and generally over the need to protect their income," he said. Speaking immediately after Tsipras' offer, Boutas told reporters the PM's proposals would be evaluated but stressed that the Athens protest would go ahead on Friday. The farmers' protest has causing long traffic tailbacks at the border, angering Greece's neighbours. On Tuesday, disgruntled truck drivers in Bulgaria formed human chains at the Kulata border checkpoint with Greece in protest. "The drivers can't cope anymore. For 10 years, Greek farmers have been blocking this European border with impunity every winter," Krassimir Lalov of the Bulgarian association of road transport unions told AFP. Athens (AFP) - Greek farmers on Tuesday stepped up their weeks-long protest against proposed pension reforms by setting up a blockade around the main north-south motorway, splitting the country in two. Since mid-January, farmers have used their tractors to block dozens of highways. Earlier this month they also began blockading border crossings to Bulgaria and Turkey. Their disruption of key commercial traffic is aimed at piling pressure on leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to review its pension reform plans. His government has announced plans to lower the maximum pension to 2,300 euros ($2,500) from 2,700 euros currently, and introduce a new minimum guaranteed basic pension of 384 euros. Farmers are also angry about plans to scrap benefits such as income tax breaks and cheaper fuel. The reforms are part of the country's efforts to cut 1.8 billion euros in costs as demanded by its creditors in return for Greece's latest international bailout. The tractor blockade, a tactic the farmers have used previously, comes ahead of a major demonstration scheduled in Athens on Friday by other unions and groups opposed to the pension plans. Calling for dialogue, government spokeswoman Olga Gerovassili criticised the "political exploitation" of the protests by opposition politicians on both the left and right. She said the pension reforms would go to parliament for a vote "in around four weeks" after the government and the creditors reach "an honourable compromise" on the plans. The farmers' protest has angered Greece's neighbours, causing long traffic tailbacks at the border. On Tuesday, disgruntled truck drivers in Bulgaria formed human chains at the Kulata border checkpoint with Greece in protest. "The drivers can't cope anymore. For 10 years, Greek farmers have been blocking this European border with impunity every winter," Krassimir Lalov of the Bulgarian association of road transport unions told AFP. Bulgarian Transport Minister Ivailo Moskovski called on the European Union to create a "permanent transport corridor through Greece for Bulgarian truck drivers". Shortly after revealing the contact information of nearly 10,000 Department of Homeland Security employees, a group of hackers on Monday also published the contact information of more than 22,000 FBI employees. The leaked information, in addition to disclosing names and job titles, also includes employee phone numbers, states of residence, and email addresses. Notably, identifiable information of FBI employees from all areas of the bureau was compromised, including special agents, intelligence analysts, technicians, language specialists and more. DONT MISS: 5 secret features hiding inside your iPhone The group behind the attack goes by the name DotGovs, with one member recently telling Motherboard that their most recent hack was carried out with rather elementary techniques. After obtaining the email credentials of a Department of Justice employee, the hacker tried and failed to access the DOJ web portal. Next, he/she implemented some old-fashioned social engineering techniques and called up the relevant department. So I called up, told them I was new and I didnt understand how to get past [the portal]. They asked if I had a token code, I said no, they said thats finejust use our one. The hacker says he then logged in, clicked on a link to a personal computer which took him to an online virtual machine, and entered in the credentials of the already hacked email account. After this, the hacker was presented with the option of three different computers to access, he claimed, and one was the work machine of the person behind the originally hacked email account. I clicked on it and I had full access to the computer, the hacker said. Here the hacker could access the users documents, as well as other documents on the local network. As for the groups motivations, they run a Twitter account with a @DotGovs handle and frequently use the hashtag FreePalestine on their tweets. A tweet over the weekend indicated that the group wont stop their hacking activities until the U.S. Government cuts relations with Israel. Story continues For what its worth, Government officials have been trying to downplay the hack, with one official reportedly likening it to stealing a years-old AT&T phone book . Commenting on the hack, DOJ spokesman Peter Carr explained that no private information such as social security numbers was compromised during the security breach. The department is looking into the unauthorized access of a system operated by one of its components containing employee contact information, Carr told CNN. This unauthorized access is still under investigation; however, there is no indication at this time that there is any breach of sensitive personally identifiable information. The department takes this very seriously and is continuing to deploy protection and defensive measures to safeguard information. Any activity that is determined to be criminal in nature will be referred to law enforcement for investigation. Related stories Security flaw can expose your real IP address when using a VPN Scary new Android exploit can take over any device in seconds Popular Belkin Wi-Fi router has numerous security holes More from BGR: Bloomberg: Teslas Model 3 will cost as little as $25,000 This article was originally published on BGR.com PORT-AU-PRINCE - Haitians put aside their political concerns and took to the streets to dance and celebrate Carnival in the impoverished Caribbean nation. The first day of Carnival was canceled after riot police clashed with protesters after President Michel Martelly stepped down on Sunday without anyone to succeed him. "It's true that the country is facing a great political problem but it's an obligation for us to come here and have fun because it is our culture," said Emmanuel Cedreu. After a first round of elections that critics said were fraudulent, parliament is due to choose a temporary president in the next few days. Elections are set for April 24. President Obamas final Defense Department budget request shows that no matter who succeeds him in the Oval Office next year, Democrat or Republican, the Pentagon will likely continue to consume more and more taxpayer money. The agencys $582.7 billion proposal for fiscal year 2017 holds few surprises, since the topline was defined as part of the two-year budget deal struck by the White House and congressional leaders last September. Related: $583 Billion Defense Budget Covers Russia, China, and ISIS with New Weapons The total gives the Pentagon a 2.2 percent increase over last year. It includes $523.9 billion in base discretionary spending, a $2.2 billion boost, and $58.8 billion for the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account, commonly referred to as the war fund, a $200 million increase. The agency also laid out a five-year fiscal roadmap that anticipates the Pentagons expected base budgets through 2021. The amount jumps to $556.7 billion in 2018, then goes to $564.8 billion, $570.4 billion and finally $585.2 billion. Since this blueprint will be the last one produced before a new administration takes over, those numbers will likely change. Presidential budget requests are just that: requests. They are the starting point for negotiation but typically a decent indicator of general trend lines, said Mackenzie Eaglen, a defense analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. But, she noted, the the five-year plan exceeds the spending caps enacted by both Obama and a Republican Congress by $113 billion, making it a less reliable future indicator. And unlike other federal agencies, the Pentagon has never accounted for what it spends--it's never had an audit. Related: As National Debt Hits $19 Trillion, a Spending Showdown Looms in Congress However, its not unlikely that the numbers will grow, considering the tough talk that has dominated the 2016 campaign trail and the willingness by Congress to raise spending ceilings. For example, all of the top-tier Republicans contenders have charged that the military has been gutted by Obama and needs a major cash infusion to combat threats such as ISIS and compete with technological rivals including Russia and China. Story continues The candidates have promised to grow the Army and Marine Corps by the thousands, build more ships for the Navy and deliver more jets for the Air Force all the while revamping the countrys nuclear deterrent and investing in new technologies. The promises add up to hundreds of millions if not billions in new spending that would likely sail through a Republican-controlled Congress that has long chided Obama for short-changing efforts to confront the threats facing the country. Its less clear how the numbers might grow under a Democratic presidency. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has avoided getting into specifics when it comes to the U.S. military, other than saying he wants to avoid sending troops into another quagmire in the Middle East. In a town hall event last week, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wouldnt rule out the use of military force around the globe, which could impose new costs on the Pentagon. Related: CBO Predicts First Deficit Spike Since 2009 In the meantime, there is already pressure to increase spending. Congressional defense hawks argue the war fund amount, the minimum set by the two-year budget accord, isnt enough. On Monday, 33 members of the influential House Armed Services Committee, led by chair Mac Thornberry (R-TX), sent a views and estimates letter to the head of the House Budget Committee asking for another $23 billion for the war fund in the GOPs budget blueprint, which will be unveiled later this month. "We believe that an adequate national defense requires significantly more funding," the letter said. While congressional budgets dont become law, they do serve as a guide for appropriators who hammer out the 12 annual spending bills that fund the federal government. The war funding number for 2017 is likely to rise anyway, regardless of congressional meddling. For instance, the proposed $200 million increase for OCO is for transregional threats in Africa, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said Tuesday at a Pentagon briefing. Thats an allusion to Libya, a nation where the Islamic State is on the rise and where Obama is considering opening a third front against the terror group. Should the president decide to send troops there, the OCO coffers would need more cash. Overall, anti-ISIS efforts receive a 50 percent bump in the proposed budget, rising from $5 billion to $7.5 billion. In addition, right now $41.7 billion in OCO funds are for the Afghanistan war. That amount fully funds the presidents plan to cut the U.S. military footprint from around 9,800 troops to 5,500 around the end of the calendar year, according to Work. However, the president is reportedly considering ditching his drawdown plans and leaving the current force level in place for his successor. Keeping 4,300 troops in Afghanistan would inevitably add to the price tag of a war that has already cost the U.S. nearly $65 billion. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: (Reuters) - Harry Potter is coming back - for everyone. Nine years after publication of the last novel in the best-selling series about the boy wizard, what has been billed as the "epic 8th Harry Potter story" will be published worldwide in July. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II," a script version of the upcoming, sold-out London play, will be published in physical book form in North America and Britain, and globally as a digital ebook. The book will read like a play rather than a narrative novel. The play, based on an idea by author J.K. Rowling, is set 19 years after "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." It features a grown-up Potter as an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic and father of three children who is grappling "with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs," U.S. publishers Scholastic, UK publishers Little, Brown, and global digital company Pottermore said on Wednesday. David Shelley, chief executive of Little, Brown Book Group, said the script was being published due to public demand. "J.K. Rowling and her team have received a huge number of appeals from fans who can't be in London to see the play and who would like to read the play in book format and so we are absolutely delighted to be able to make it available for them," Shelley said in a statement. Potter fans squealed with delight at the news. "On behalf of all potterheads, thank you thank you very much indeed. OMG I'm so happy," tweeted Lazi on Wednesday. The book script will be published on July 31, Potter's fictional birthday, and the day after the play opens in London. The play, which stars Jamie Parker as Potter and black actress Noma Dumezweni as an adult Hermione Granger, is already sold out through January 2017. The original Hermione was played in the movies by Emma Watson, who is white. The play opens ahead of the much-anticipated November 2016 movie version of Rowling's Potter spinoff book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," starring Eddie Redmayne, and the opening in April of a second Harry Potter attraction within a theme park, this time at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. More than 450 million copies of the seven original Harry Potter books have been sold worldwide in 79 languages. The movie franchise has grossed more than $7 billion worldwide. (Reporting by Scott Malone in Boston and Jill Serjeant in New York; Editing by Bill Trott and Matthew Lewis) To the well-informed this staggering statistic should come as no surprise: Fifty-eight percent of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Islam. And with that comes a laundry list of misinformation about the faith's holy text, the Quran. But a recent project by data analyst and research marketer Tom Anderson turns one common misconception on its head: that the Quran is more consumed by blood thirst than the Christian Bible. Using text-analysis tools developed by OdinText, Anderson determined what percentage of the Bible was devoted to discussion of violence and then compared those results to that of the Quran. The point of the project, Read More: This Is What Happens When You Show People a Bible With a Quaran's Cover on It Of the three books, the project found, the Old Testament is the most violent, with approximately 5.3% of the text referring to "destruction and killing" the Quran clocked in at just 2.1%, with the New Testament slightly higher at 2.8%. While the New Testament led in mentions of the concept of love, the Quran leads heavily in mentions of mercy thanks partially to Allah's title, "the merciful." Perhaps the most notable difference, though, was between the frequency of positive emotions that surfaced in the Quran when compared to both books of the Bible, as depicted in the chart below. Anderson is careful to point out the shortcomings of his findings more than once, noting the sensitivity of the issue his work tackled. By his own admission, his findings are "by no means intended to be conclusive." "Ours is a 30,000-foot, cursory view of three texts: the Quran and the Old and New testaments," Anderson wrote. Then there's the inherent issue in using automated tools to generate statistics that do not take context into account. Story continues According to Anderson, the findings challenge the popular notion among Westerners that Muslims subscribe to a particularly violent faith. Indeed, he concluded, "of the three texts, the content in the Old Testament appears to be the most violent." This sentiment was recently illustrated by Dutch filmmakers Sacha Harland and Alexander Spoor, who read passages to passersby from what they said was the Quran but actually pulled from the Bible. "To me, this sounds like they want to oppress you and force you to believe what they believe," one woman told the two. However, Atlantic contributor Caner K. Dagli wrote that understanding the connection between religion and violence necessitates a deeper kind of analysis. "Determining what texts 'plainly' say is not as easy as spotting some words on a page," Dagli wrote. "Islam's interpretative tradition exists because the differences between plain and hidden, elliptical and direct, absolute and qualified, are not always obvious." By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - A homeless 26-year-old woman and two of her daughters, a 4-month-old and a 1-year-old, were stabbed to death at a motel in the New York City borough of Staten Island on Monday, police said. A third daughter, 2, who was also stabbed was in stable condition after surgery. Police were searching for 23-year-old Michael Sykes, who is suspected of attacking the family at a Ramada Inn. Sykes was the father of the youngest child, city officials said. "As a parent, there is nothing more horrible than the loss of a child," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference. "This family has gone through an unspeakable tragedy." Chief of Detectives for the New York City Police Department Robert Boyce said security cameras at the motel showed Sykes entering the room where the family had been staying in lieu of a city shelter. Boyce said Sykes left the room a few minutes later and took a bus to a ferry that runs between Staten Island and Manhattan. Police believe he stabbed the mother, Rebecca Cutler, and her three children before leaving. An emergency call to police was made around 10 a.m. after a maid found them. Cutler and the two girls were pronounced dead at local hospitals. Police said Sykes and Cutler had an argument on Tuesday afternoon and were seen at a delicatessen with the children early on Wednesday morning. The family had been staying at the Ramada in lieu of a homeless shelter, part of a program that places the homeless in hotels to help alleviate crowding at shelters. De Blasio said the city would no longer use the Ramada Inn for homeless families and that 28 other families would be relocated. As of Wednesday, some 41 hotels housed more than 2,500 homeless people, including more than 600 children, de Blasio said. Families typically stay at a hotel about two weeks. Cutler and her family had been at the Ramada for two months. De Blasio said the city was already planning to eliminate the use of hotel rooms. Story continues Sykes was not staying at the hotel and lives at a Brooklyn housing project, officials said. Police said they had recovered the murder weapon. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Toni Reinhold and Lisa Shumaker) As newcomers rub shoulders with industry heavyweights and several major fashion houses await new designers, this edition of Paris Fashion Week -- running March 1-9 -- is sure to come with its own particular flavor. The current upheaval of designers affecting Paris, as well as Milan, is likely to steal some of the limelight in the French capital, as the industry waits for major Parisian houses Christian Dior and Lanvin to name new creative directors. New names, up-and-coming labels Buzz-worthy newcomers to the Paris catwalk include Dutch designer Esther Louise Dorhout Mees with her eponymous label Dorhout Mees. Started barely six years ago, the brand caught the industry's attention with its sophisticated and highly feminine collections crafting sculptural silhouettes. Other trademark traits of Dorhout Mees include geometric shapes, prints, luxury fabrics such as silk, and all kinds of structural effects created with clever folds and superimposed layers. The provisional schedule published by France's ready-to-wear ruling body -- the "Federation francaise du pret-a-porter" -- lists this hot-ticket show on Sunday, March 6. Appearing in the official line-up for the first time last season, Koche -- founded by Christelle Kocher -- caused a sensation with its debut Paris show. Heavily influenced by street culture, this designer also draws inspiration from artisanal skills and techniques, and is keen to use new technologies. This gives rise to some stylishly eclectic and very high-quality collections. The label will be returning to the Paris runway in March to present its autumn/winter 2016-2017 collection. Waiting game for Lanvin and Dior Lanvin, the oldest Parisian fashion house still operating today, saw creative director Alber Elbaz step down in October. In the interim, Chemena Kamali, formerly of Chole, has been drafted in to oversee the women's ready-to-wear collection. However, this temporary arrangement can't last forever, and rumors of a permanent replacement are intensifying. Stefano Pilati, who recently left Ermenegildo Zegna, is one of the designers thought to be in the running to replace Alber Elbaz. This remains unconfirmed by Lanvin, but fashion week could be the ideal time to reveal the Israeli-American designer's successor. With the autumn/winter 2016-2017 shows just weeks away, the situation is almost identical over at Dior. If no announcement is made in the coming weeks, then fashion week could be a key time for Dior to reveal Raf Simons' replacement. In the meantime, Dior's in-house design team has been handed control of the upcoming collection, as was already the case for Dior's Haute Couture show back in January. Christian Dior's collection is booked on the Paris catwalk on Friday, March 4. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday easily passed a bill requiring federal environmental regulators to act faster when lead contamination is found in drinking water. The bill passed 416-2. It was crafted by Michigan Representatives Dan Kildee, a Democrat, and Fred Upton, a Republican, in the wake of Flint's drinking water crisis. The measure requires the Environmental Protection Agency to notify the public when concentrations of lead in drinking water rise above mandated levels and to create a plan to improve communication between the agency, utilities, states, and consumers. In 2014, under a state-appointed emergency manager, Flint, a city of 100,000, switched water supplies to the Flint River, from Detroit's system as part of a plan to save money in the poverty-stricken city. The more corrosive river water leached lead from aging pipes. Thousands of children are believed to have ingested dangerous levels of lead, a toxin that can harm brains and cause other health problems. The bill "wouldn't have prevented Flint, but it would have caught it far sooner," Kildee, who is from Flint, said after the vote. The measure must be passed by the Senate and signed by President Barack Obama before becoming law. Other measures in Congress to provide Flint with millions of dollars in aid to deal with the crisis face an uncertain future. Kildee has also introduced a bill to provide about $700 million in federal aid, with a match in funding from Michigan. That and other measures languished as Democrats and Republicans struggled to agree on where the funds would come from. The Department of Agriculture said on Thursday it would temporarily allow Michigan to use funds from its Women, Infants and Children program for low income citizens to conduct lead testing. The department estimated some 3,800 people could get tested in this way. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Sandra Maler) By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said Tuesday that he would likely delay the release of a report detailing how well HSBC Holdings Plc has complied with anti-money laundering requirements until a federal appeals court could weigh in. U.S. District Judge John Gleeson in Brooklyn, New York, did not rule on whether he would put on hold his order requiring the unsealing of a report by a federal monitor appointed as part of a $1.9 billion pact with the U.S. Justice Department in 2012. But Gleeson said he was "strongly inclined" to grant HSBC a stay of his Jan. 28 order, and that a lawyer representing a HSBC mortgage customer seeking its unsealing would be unlikely to convince him otherwise. "He's going to have a tough road convincing me otherwise," Gleeson said in court. Gleeson said he still wanted HSBC and prosecutors to propose redactions to the report before the case is taken up on appeal. He extended the deadline to complete that process from Feb. 12 to Feb. 26. The hearing came after Gleeson ordered the release of a January 2015 report by Michael Cherkasky, a former New York prosecutor who was appointed federal monitor as part a five-year deferred prosecution agreement with HSBC. The deal resolved charges that HSBC had become a "preferred financial institution" for Mexican drug cartels and other money launderers and conducted transactions for customers in several countries subject to U.S. sanctions. The report by Cherkasky, now the executive chairman of the compliance company Exiger, was to be kept under wraps. But Hubert Dean Moore of Pennsylvania, who said he had been an HSBC mortgage customer before filing for bankruptcy, asked that it be unsealed so he could review whether HSBC "continues to engage in unsafe and unsound business practices." HSBC and the Justice Department have opposed unsealing the report. They had argued unsealing the report could provide a "road map" for criminals seeking to launder money and discourage people from cooperating with the monitor. Story continues Both HSBC and the Justice Department have filed notices of appeal. Samuel Seymour, HSBC's lawyer, said on Tuesday the ruling had hurt the bank by calling into question assurances given to foreign regulators who, in being convinced to provide information to the monitor, were told the report would be kept secret. "It affects regulatory relationships it has today," he said in court. "The harm is being felt now." The case is U.S. v. HSBC Bank USA NA et al, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 12-cr-00763. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) Washington (AFP) - The International Monetary Fund threatened to cut crucial financial aid to cash-strapped Ukraine Wednesday because of the country's "slow progress" in fighting corruption. "Without a substantial new effort to invigorate governance reforms and fight corruption, it is hard to see how the IMF-supported program can continue and be successful," Christine Lagarde, the IMF managing director, said in a strongly worded statement. Lagarde's comments followed the shock resignation one week ago of Ukraine's reformist economy minister, Aivaras Abromavicius, in protest against alleged influence-peddling and state graft. Lagarde last week said the reasons for his resignation were troubling, and she went much further Wednesday. "I am concerned about Ukraine's slow progress in improving governance and fighting corruption, and reducing the influence of vested interests in policymaking," she said. "It is vital that Ukraine's leadership acts now to put the country back on a promising path of reform." If the IMF makes good on its threat, it would freeze all future lending under the $17.5 billion four-year aid program agreed in March 2015 on the condition that cash-strapped Ukraine delivers drastic reforms. The Fund has disbursed $6.7 billion to date. The IMF program is the keystone of a roughly $40 billion international bailout of Ukraine that could collapse, with almost-certain disastrous consequences for a country reeling from a severe recession and a pro-Russian insurgency in the east. The IMF is the largest provider of aid for Ukraine. But the country is also hoping for billions of dollars in debt relief and loans from other countries and multilateral development banks. The World Bank, which is participating in the bailout, said it shared the IMF's concerns about Ukraine's slow progress in improving governance and fighting corruption. "Determined action is needed now," a Bank spokesman said in a brief emailed statement. Story continues - 'Political games' - The president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, spoke by phone with Lagarde Wednesday and emphasized that he is willing to carry out "decisive actions" to ensure the country's political and financial stability, including a cabinet shakeup without early parliamentary elections, his office said in a statement. "The parties agreed to elaborate a roadmap of the top-priority reforms that will give a boost to the Ukraine-IMF relations. They also agreed on the necessity of urgent adoption of all reformist laws by the Parliament," it said. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk renewed his pledge to reform the former Soviet republic. "The recent political games could cost our country dearly," Yatsenyuk told a meeting attended by foreign security and justice officials, as well foreign ambassadors, including those from the United States and Germany. "We will not permit a return of all the old Ukrainian rules," said Yatsenyuk, who threatened to quit Friday along with his entire government. "We will only get help when the whole world sees that we are helping ourselves and moving our country forward." The stakes are also high for the IMF, which has been criticized for offering aid to Ukraine in 2015 under pressure from the US, its largest stakeholder, and the European Union, despite concerns about the country's high debt, recession and the serious geopolitical conflict with neighboring Russia. The IMF recently modified one of its key lending rules which had threatened the continuation of its aid to Ukraine over sustainability issues, triggering an angry response from Russia which said the move "seriously undermines" its confidence in the IMF's decisions. The latest developments with Ukraine also bring back bad memories for the IMF. In 2008 and in 2010, the IMF abandoned two previous lines of credit for the country -- $16.4 billion and $15.1 billion, respectively -- over the lack of political will in Kiev for reforms. "Ukraine risks a return to the pattern of failed economic policies that has plagued its recent history," Lagarde said Wednesday. The US ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, was even firmer on Twitter. "Policies & practices that held this country back in the past can no longer be tolerated," he tweeted. Tehran (AFP) - Iran blames the failure of Syria peace talks on the participation of "terrorists", state media said Wednesday ahead of an international meeting to try to get the process back on track. "What created problems at the recent Syria meeting in Geneva was not having differentiated between the opposition and terrorists," Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura by telephone, according to state broadcaster IRIB. The presence of "certain terrorists" was "not constructive", he was quoted as saying. Iran openly gives financial and military support to the regime of its close ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which objects to the inclusion in peace talks of Islamist rebels whom it brands "terrorists". De Mistura last week suspended Syria peace talks as the regime pressed an offensive backed by Russian air strikes in the northern province of Aleppo that has sent tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing towards the Turkish border. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is due to attend a 17-nation meeting in Munich on Thursday that aims to pressure rival sides to return to the negotiating table, Iranian media reported. By Isla Binnie ROME (Reuters) - A Roman Catholic prelate has been arrested for allegedly defrauding hundreds of elderly people out of millions of euros through an elaborate money-laundering scheme, Italian police said on Wednesday. Monsignor Patrizio Benvenuti, 64, originally from Argentina, has been placed under house arrest, and an international arrest warrant has been issued for French financier and property dealer Christian Ventisette, 54, whom authorities have not been able to find, finance police said in a statement. Police said the pair persuaded 300 would-be savers in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the United States and Italy to invest 30 million euros ($34 million), encouraged by the promise of helping a charitable foundation. Contacted by Reuters, Benvenuti said he "substantially rejected" the accusations aimed at him personally. He added that he did not know about finance, suggesting Ventisette had been responsible. "The funds disappeared, but they are not in my pockets or in those of the foundation. They are in the pockets of the person who duped everyone," Benvenuti said. Benvenuti worked at the Vatican's legal tribunal and as a military chaplain before retiring from priestly duties. The victims thought they were entrusting their savings to finance and property sector experts. Police said they were spurred on by Benvenuti's promise that they would also be helping a charitable foundation he falsely boasted was supported by senior Vatican officials. "He exaggerated the Vatican's support for his foundation," police captain Alessandra Faietti said, adding the organization's statutes referred to a high-ranking archbishop who has denied being involved in its activities. The investigation started after a former nun went to the police saying she had received bank documents showing movements of hundreds of thousands of euros that she could not explain. She said she had signed contracts which gave her titular roles in companies tied to the alleged fraud while living with Benvenuti in Rome. As part of the investigation, police ordered the confiscation of an eight-million-euro villa in Tuscany, and an archaeological site in Sicily. Nine other people are also being investigated in the investigation, which includes charges of alleged tax evasion. (Reporting by Isla Binnie; editing by Ralph Boulton) Japan announced fresh sanctions against North Korea on Wednesday for its latest rocket launch, including a total ban on shipping from the country and barring Pyongyang's nationals from entering. Japan's announcement comes after the UN Security Council strongly condemned Sunday's rocket launch and agreed to move quickly to impose new sanctions of its own. "We have decided to take firm sanction steps," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters of the latest move, which adds to measures Japan already has in place over past North Korean nuclear and missile tests. The announcement came as South Korea also decided to suspend all operations at a jointly run Kaesong industrial park in North Korea to punish Pyongyang. It was the first time Seoul had suspended operations at the estate since it opened in 2004 as a symbol of cross-border reconciliation. The South Korean and Japanese moves came a day after Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye spoke on the phone. The two leaders also held separate telephone talks with US President Barack Obama to discuss strong action against North Korea in response to recent nuclear and missile tests, including a UN Security Council resolution that would bring new sanctions. The latest Japanese measures include prohibiting North Korean ships from entering Japanese ports and a total entry ban on North Korean nationals into Japan, a government statement said. "All North Korean ships, including those for humanitarian purposes, shall be banned from coming to Japanese ports," the statement said. "Third-country ships that visited North Korea shall be also banned from entering," it added. The measures also toughen financial reporting requirements for people transporting cash to North Korea, the statement added. The measures bring back and add to some sanctions that Japan eased in 2014, such as the travel ban, after Pyongyang agreed to re-investigate issues related to Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korean agents decades ago. Story continues "We strongly urge North Korea to take positive steps toward a comprehensive resolution of various concerns, such as abductions, nuclear and missiles, under a policy of dialogue-and-pressure and action-for-action," the Japanese government statement said. In 2002, North Korea admitted that it had kidnapped 13 Japanese citizens during the Cold War era to train its spies and allowed five of them to return to Japan, while saying eight had died. But Japan believes dozens of other people were also snatched mostly in the 1970s and 1980s to train the North's agents in Japanese language and customs. Japan has had various sanctions against North Korea in line with UN resolutions, such as freezing of assets by groups and individuals linked with the secretive regime. Tokyo (AFP) - Japan's Asahi Group Holdings has offered $3.5 billion for two top European lager brands from British giant SABMiller, in what would be the biggest-ever overseas acquisition by a Japanese beer company, a report said Wednesday. Board members finalised the 400 billion yen proposal Tuesday for Peroni of Italy and the Netherlands' Grolsch, the leading Nikkei business daily said, without citing sources. The company refused to confirm the report but said in a statement it was "studying a variety of possibilities for a capital and business tie-up, including this case". Nothing has been finalised, it added. Acquiring the brands, which have a long history in Asia-Pacific, would allow Asahi to broaden its overseas strategy, the report said. Overseas sales only account for about 10 percent of Asahi's total sales. Asahi Group shares fell 7.66 percent to 3,347.0 yen by the break on Wednesday. Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's top brewer, is taking over rival SABMiller, and Peroni and Grolsch have been put on the market as part of an asset sale arrangement, the Nikkei said. If successful, the deal would be the biggest since Kirin Holdings turned Australia's Lion Nathan into a wholly owned subsidiary for 330 billion yen in 2009, the Nikkei said. Anheuser-Busch InBev announced in November the purchase of SABMiller for $121 billion, which was the third largest acquisition in history. Money cant buy happiness, and in New Hampshire, it might not buy enough votes for some struggling presidential candidates, either. Chief among them: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. For months, Bush and his supportive super PAC, Right to Rise USA, have saturated Granite State airwaves sponsoring roughly one third of all TV ads in the Republican race. In the past week alone, the Bush campaign-super PAC duo aired more than 1,400 TV ads in New Hampshire, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of broadcast and national cable data from media tracking firm Kantar Media/CMAG. Thats more than any other Republican candidates operation. But Bush, whos very future as a presidential candidate may hinge on his New Hampshire performance, has barely seen his pre-primary poll numbers crack double digits. Showing a tinge of regret over outsourcing his messaging to a super PAC, Bush said on Monday that he would eliminate the U.S. Supreme Courts Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling, which allowed super PACs to proliferate in the first place. This story is part of Buying of the President 2016. Tracking the candidates, political committees and nonprofits that are making this presidential election the most expensive in history. Click here to read more stories in this investigation. Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. This is a ridiculous system we have now where you have campaigns that struggle to raise money directly, and they can't be held accountable for the spending of the super PAC that's their affiliate, Bush told CNN on Monday. Bush added that campaigns should be permitted to accept unlimited political contributions. Right to Rise USA, which as a super PAC can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, has indeed been Bushs main TV ad messenger, airing more than seven in 10 of all pro-Bush ads in New Hampshire. If your message isnt resonating and your candidate isnt a strong one, no amount of ads will take them over the finish line, said Erika Fowler Franklin, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project. Story continues Cutting through the noise Thats not to say advertising does not hold some significance so far in election cycle. In a crowded race with so many voices, its not always so simple to be heard. When you have that much advertising and that much noise in a small state, its hard to know what even gets through, said Scott Spradling, president of New Hampshire-based political consulting firm Spradling Group and former anchor and political director for WMUR-TV. Except for the TV stations there are diminishing returns when you have so many candidates doing that much advertising. Democratic candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have nevertheless pressed forward with an ad blitz: Each have aired more ads in New Hampshire than any Republican presidential ad sponsor. Head-to-head, Clinton has aired slightly more ads in New Hampshire than Sanders, although Sanders appears poised to defeat her by a significant margin. For Sanders, it may have been more about the quality of his ads than their quantity. Research firm Ace Metrix is measuring every political ad for effectiveness by surveying 500 people demographically aligned with the U.S. Census. [Sanderss ads] are not policy specific, and they are hard to argue with, said Mark Bryant, vice president of Ace Metrix Politics. Sanders most successful ads center on topics such as social security, health care and affordable public education. Related: Most TV ads aired in New Hampshire by Republican candidates Unlike Republican presidential candidates, Sanders and Clinton have kept their advertising positive for the time being in contrast with their recent debates with one another. TV ads sponsored by Sanders and Clinton typically tout their own platforms, personal histories and campaign promises. Clintons supportive super PACs also have yet to target Sanders, despite pro-Clinton Priorities USA Action raising $25.3 million during the second half of 2016, with $6 million coming from billionaire George Soros. The role of going negative A crowded Republican field has led to more attack ads as candidates struggle to remain viable. In New Hampshire last week, about two in five TV ads sponsored by a Republican candidate or supportive super PAC attacked an opponent, either in part or full, the Center for Public Integritys analysis of Kantar Media/CMAG data indicates. Bushs campaign and Right to Rise USA super PAC engaged in heavy negative advertising last week, as did a super PAC, Conservative Solutions PAC, supporting Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. (Rubios own campaign aired more than 700 ads with a decidedly positive tone.) Then theres Donald Trump, who didnt air a single TV ad in New Hampshire until 2016. But when Trump finally did, his opponents and affiliated outside groups immediately pounced with nasty, anti-Trump ads of their own. So Trump struck back, inundating the first-in-the-nation primary state with more than 3,500 ads between January and February, Kantar Media/CMAG data indicates. More than a third of Trumps ads aired during the past week, many promoting the billionaire businessman, but others lampooning Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who edged him out last week in Iowas caucus. Trump still remains a frequent target in ads sponsored by super PACs most prominently, by the pro-Bush Right to Rise USA. He wasnt only targeted by candidate-specific groups: one super PAC for now is entirely dedicated to discrediting Trump. Formed by Katie Packer, the former deputy director of Mitt Romneys 2012 presidential run, Our Principles PAC spent about $2.5 million in a last-ditch effort to knock Trump down in Iowa and New Hampshire polls. With voting almost here, Donald Trump has a secret, says a narrator in one Our Principles PAC ad, which casts Trump as a liberal. Trump doesn't want you to know he supports a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. Related: TV ads in the 2016 N.H. primary: Clinton vs. Sanders Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. Trump wasnt the only candidate on the receiving end of attacks. In an attack ad flurry, pro-Rubio Conservative Solutions PAC targeted Bush, Right to Rise USA jumped on Rubio for relentlessly repeating talking points at Saturdays Republican debate and America Leads aligned with Gov. Chris Christie criticized Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasichs banking history. Though viewers may bemoan negative ads, they are predisposed to pay attention to negativity, said Fowler at the Wesleyan Media Project. This translates to benefit democracy, Fowler said. Negativity helps to inform and engage. While spending more on ads may not earn presidential hopefuls a golden ticket to the White House, TV ads still play a role and arent likely to disappear anytime soon. TV ads are more likely to move the needle overall while digital ads can reach a niche audience, Fowler said. The campaign toolbox is just becoming more diverse." Whats next Republican candidates are already laying groundwork in South Carolina, airing ads and reserving TV spots ahead of the Feb. 20 GOP primary. In January and February, candidates and affiliated outside groups aired about 14,500 ads. Rubio with the help of his super PAC is running the most ads, and pro-Rubio Conservative Solutions PAC reported on Tuesday spending just over $1 million in ads there, according to FEC filings. But the field has been slow to peer beyond South Carolina and Nevadas late February caucus to March 1 Super Tuesday when a dozen presidential nominating contests will be waged. Of them, Texas is the biggest prize: On the Republican side, 155 delegates are up for grabs in this state where the winner does not take all. (Delegates there are awarded on a proportional basis.) Bush is so far the only candidate in Texas Republican or Democrat with a notable television advertising presence. From today through Feb. 29, his Right to Rise USA super PAC has already booked more than $2.2 million worth of TV ads on major network affiliate stations in Texas top three markets: Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of Federal Communications Commission records. The super PAC has also booked airtime in Texas state capital, Austin, where Cruz among Bushs presidential campaign foils built his political acumen as Texas solicitor general. Michael Beckel contributed to this report. This story is part of Buying of the President 2016. Tracking the candidates, political committees and nonprofits that are making this presidential election the most expensive in history. Click here to read more stories in this investigation. Related stories Copyright 2016 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C. By Steve Bittenbender LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) - The federal judge who threw Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis into jail last year for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples said she had not interfered with the process since her release and that licenses with her name removed should still be valid. U.S. District Court Judge David Bunning ruled late on Tuesday that Rowan County's Davis, who spent five days in jail last September for her stand on marriage licenses for gay couples, had not interfered with her deputies' issuing the licenses. When she returned to work, Davis removed her name, title and personal authorization from the licenses. "There was every reason to believe" the forms she altered would be deemed valid by state officials, Bunning said, adding that the court would continue to monitor Davis and her office. Citing her beliefs as an Apostolic Christian, Davis, 50, drew national attention for her refusal to issue any licenses after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June made gay marriage legal across the nation. Homosexual and heterosexual couples subsequently sued her, and her jailing drew international attention and demonstrations from both sides of the issue. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the couples suing Davis, had said she made material changes to the marriage forms, which put her out of compliance with Bunning's orders to issue the licenses as part of her job. ACLU lawyers had asked for Davis to be held in contempt and her office to be put in receivership. ACLU lawyer Ria Mar said Bunning's ruling could not be appealed, and it is for a state court to decide the validity of the altered licenses. "The bottom line is that all loving couples in Rowan County can now receive marriage licenses, and we'll continue to fight to ensure that remains the case," she said. Davis's lawyers had said she had taken reasonable steps to comply with the judge's orders and should not face further contempt citations. Story continues "From the beginning we have said the ACLU is not interested in marriage licenses," said Davis' lawyer Mat Staver. "They want Kim Davis' scalp. Kentucky's attorney general previously said the altered licenses were valid. In December, newly elected Republican Governor Matt Blevin ordered count clerks' names removed from marriage license forms to honor people's religious beliefs. (Reporting by Steve Bittenbender in Louisville; Writing by Ben Klayman; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn) New York (AFP) - Jury deliberations began Tuesday in the trial of a rookie New York police officer accused of fatally shooting an unarmed black man, an incident that fueled US protests against police tactics. Peter Liang, 28, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted in the 2014 death of Akai Gurley. He was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault, reckless endangerment and two counts of official misconduct. The trial is a rare case of a US police officer criminally charged for opening fire and comes at a time when departments are under scrutiny for the shootings of unarmed suspects, many of them black, and other alleged brutalities. Gurley, a 28-year-old father, was struck by a bullet that ricocheted off the wall in the stairwell of a Brooklyn public housing project. Liang testified Monday that his gun went off accidentally and that he didn't realize someone was below him in the stairwell. The prosecution argued Liang fired his weapon indiscriminately because he had heard a noise below. The Chinese American police officer and his partner had been on a routine patrol when the incident occurred. Liang left the roof and walked down the stairs to the eighth floor. Gurley was shot as he stepped into the stairwell, where the lights were not working. Poor maintenance is a routine problem in housing projects, run by local authorities for residents who cannot afford market-rate rents. Liang was also accused of not helping Gurley following the shooting. He justified his behavior by explaining that he had not been properly trained in first aid. During her opening statement, Liang's lawyer said the rookie officer was traumatized when he realized what had happened and was incapable of communicating. Liang was on the job for 11 months before the November 20, 2014 shooting. Two high-profile deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police in the summer of 2014 sparked mass protests against police tactics and accusations of racism. Eric Garner, 43, died after New York police put him in a chokehold, while Michael Brown, 18, was fatally shot by a white police officer in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri. MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican journalist kidnapped in the violent state of Veracruz on was found dead on Tuesday, the prosecutors' office in neighboring Puebla state said, the latest victim of a wave of attacks on reporters in the country. Anabel Flores had been violently dragged from her home in Veracruz early on Monday morning by a group of armed men. The attorney general's office said on Tuesday it had asked the Defence Ministry if military officials entered her home, and if so, that they say who issued the warrant. Her body was found on a highway in Puebla and later identified by her family, Veracruz prosecutors said. Flores covered the police force for regional media outlets based in the town of Orizaba in Veracruz, which is considered one of the most dangerous states to be a journalist in Mexico. Prominent photographer Ruben Espinosa, who documented social movements in the Gulf of Mexico state, was murdered in a middle class Mexico City neighborhood last year. "Veracruz has become one of the most dangerous regions for in the world for the press," Carlos Lauria, of the New-York based Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement on Monday. A report by London-based non-profit Article 19 on Tuesday said that 23 journalists had disappeared in Mexico in the last twelve years. (Reporting by Noe Torres; Writing by Christine Murray; Editing by Nick Macfie) Seoul (AFP) - South Korea on Wednesday announced the total shutdown of a jointly run industrial park in North Korea, saying Pyongyang had been using it to fund its nuclear weapons programmes. As well as depriving the cash-strapped North of a much-needed source of hard currency, the move was a powerful message of intent in response to the North's nuclear test last month and Sunday's long-range rocket launch. During more than a decade of operations at the Kaesong estate, Seoul has never before shut it down -- despite numerous provocations, ranging from nuclear tests to the shelling of a South Korean border island. In a statement, the government said it had been left with no option but to take "extraordinary measures" to compel the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions. The funds Seoul had poured into Kaesong over the years "have ultimately been wrongly harnessed in the service of upgrading North Korea's nuclear weapons and long-range missiles", the statement said. As a result, the government "has decided to completely shut down" the factory complex. Set up in 2004 as a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation, Kaesong lies just 10 kilometres (six miles) across the border in North Korea. Home to 124 South Korean companies, employing about 53,000 North Korean workers, its closure marks the demise of the sole remaining major cooperation project between the two Koreas. - Major cash source - The government statement said Kaesong had provided the North with 616 billion won ($560 million) in cash over the years -- including 132 billion won in 2015 alone. Seoul's unilateral move comes as the UN Security Council is still struggling to agree on how far to go in punishing the North for its latest nuclear test and rocket launch. The North's main diplomatic protector, China, has been resisting pressure from the US and its allies for severe economic penalties. Tokyo -- which feels particularly threatened by North Korea's bellicose moves -- unveiled its own fresh sanctions Wednesday. Story continues These included a ban on North Korean ships entering Japanese ports. "Third country" ships that have visited the country will also be barred. North Korea insists its rocket launches are part of a peaceful space programme, but most in the international community see them as disguised ballistic missile tests. In the immediate aftermath of Sunday's launch, the US and South Korea announced plans to start formal talks on deploying an advanced missile defence system in the South. That drew protests from Russia and China, who fear the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System could target their weapons. Moscow on Wednesday warned the move could "provoke an arms race in Northeast Asia and complicate the resolution of the nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula". Kaesong -- a vibrant complex that produces labour-intensive goods like clothing and kitchenware -- had remained largely immune to turbulent inter-Korean relations. Even in 2010, when the South accused the North of sinking one of its warships and imposed punitive sanctions, Kaesong stayed open. The only exception was in 2013 during a period of heightened cross-border tensions when Pyongyang effectively shut down the zone for five months by withdrawing its workers. - Hostage fears - Hong Yong-Pyo, Seoul's unification minister in charge of cross-border affairs, said the 184 South Korean managers currently working in Kaesong had been summoned home. He demanded that Pyongyang ensure "the safe return of our citizens" -- a nod to what analysts said were justifiable concerns of a possible hostage situation. The North Koreans "may detain one or two South Korean nationals and try to use them as a bargaining chip for future negotiations", said Lee In-Bae, director of the Seoul-based Korea Peninsula Future Forum. Hong Hyun-Ik of Seoul's Sejong Institute think-tank said Kaesong in the past "symbolised the clear line between political and military turbulence and civil and economic cooperation. "But that line has now been crossed. "I'm afraid of the impact the decision will have on our sovereign ratings, our economy and our financial systems," he said. The reaction from the owners of the South Korean firms in Kaesong was one of outrage. While Minister Hong said the shutdown had been "unavoidable" the association representing the owners called it "utterly incomprehensible." "The government gave us no time to help minimise our financial damage before announcing the decision," their statement complained. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian opposition leader Mikhail Kasyanov said a group of men burst into a Moscow restaurant where he was dining on Tuesday night and threatened him, days after a Kremlin ally issued a video showing him in the cross-hairs of a sniper's rifle. But a Kremlin spokesman said the incident, in which Kasyanov had a cake pushed into his face, was not connected to the Kremlin ally and was simply an act of hooliganism. Kasyanov, who filed a police complaint saying his life and safety had been threatened, is a fierce critic of Putin. Kasyanov's liberal opposition Parnas party is planning to contest parliamentary elections later this year. "In a restaurant in the center of Moscow about 10 unidentified men of a non-Slavic appearance threw a cake at me and shouted threats at me after which they got away in their cars," Kasyanov said in a statement. The incident occurred after Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed hardline leader of the southern region of Chechnya, stirred fear among Putin critics earlier this month by releasing a video showing Kasyanov in the cross-hairs of a sniper's rifle. Kasyanov told the RBC business daily newspaper that two people, who looked like they were from the Caucasus, an area which includes Chechnya, had thrown the cake at him. "I link this attack to my political activity," RBC quoted Kasyanov as saying. "I believe that today's attack is directly linked to Kadyrov's threats posted against me and because I filed a complaint against him with the Investigative Committee and the FSB (security service)," he said. FORMER PREMIER The 58-year-old former prime minister has repeatedly irritated the Kremlin with his outspoken remarks. He addressed the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe last month urging it to prepare a report into the murder last year of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. The Kremlin said later the incident with Kasyanov "should not be associated with the leadership of Chechnya or any other Russian region". "What we are talking about is an act of hooliganism which, of course, must be condemned," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a teleconference with journalists. A spokesman for Kadyrov, a former Chechen rebel fighter turned Kremlin loyalist, could not immediately be reached for comment. A Moscow police spokesman said Kasyanov's complaint had been received and was being looked into. Russia, in the grip of an economic crisis, faces parliamentary elections in September. Kasyanov's Parnas party has little chance of winning any seats in a system where the Kremlin keeps tight control of state media. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova and Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Andrew Osborn and Ralph Boulton) Moscow (AFP) - The Kremlin on Wednesday downplayed a cake-throwing attack on opposition leader Mikhail Kasyanov and denied it was linked to a threat last week by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Late Tuesday, two men approached Kasyanov in a central Moscow restaurant and "shouted threats" before throwing a cake at him, the Parnas party leader said in a statement. Kasyanov, who as a former prime minister is guarded by federal security services, said he filed a police report over "threats to my life and safety" and police said they were looking into a breach of public order. The attack came after Chechen leader Kadyrov last week posted a threatening Instagram image of Kasyanov and his deputy in the crosshairs of a sniper's rifle. President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted the cake-in-the-face incident was unrelated to Kadyrov's threat, calling it a "hooligan stunt, which of course should be condemned." "Here you should not equate anyone with the Chechen leadership," Peskov told journalists, directing further questions to the Federal Guard Service, the equivalent of the US Secret Service, which protects Kasyanov. Kasyanov described his attackers as of "non-Slavic appearance with a strong Caucasus accent", adding that some 20 men were waiting outside the restaurant. The sensationalist Life News website, known for its links to security forces, published a video of the incident, showing two dark-haired bearded men in dark suits approach Kasyanov and push an iced cake into his face. Men can be heard shouting "Disgrace to Russia!" and "American agent!" - Similar scenarios - Kadyrov later posted on Instagram a photo of himself laughing and clapping at a Russian pop star after a similar pie-in-the-face stunt. The singer is "going to all the international courts asking for a second helping," Kadyrov wrote jokingly, adding slice of cake emoticons. Story continues But Kasyanov said he took the incident seriously, seeing parallels to the murder of his opposition ally Boris Nemtsov a year ago this month. "These are similar scenarios, but thank God that this time it was just verbal threats and a kind of light physical force," he told Echo of Moscow radio. Nemtsov was shot dead in February last year as he crossed a bridge near the Kremlin. Kasyanov had earlier Tuesday given a radio interview on Kommersant FM radio station during which he called Kadyrov's sniper video "a public call to action, a public threat." He has asked security services and investigators to carry out a formal probe into Kadyrov's sniper post as a death threat. Moscow police briefly detained three Chechen police officers outside the restaurant, Moskovsky Komsomolets daily reported, citing its own sources. Kasyanov did not identify the Chechen officers as his attackers but the reason for their presence was unclear, it reported. A Russian hashtag meaning KasyanovCake was trending Wednesday afternoon on Twitter. "Jokes about Kasyanov and the cake are made by stupid people," wrote opposition politician Alexei Navalny on Twitter. "Today it's a cake, tomorrow it's a stone, the principle is the same." Beirut (AFP) - Kurdish forces backed by Arab rebel groups on Wednesday seized most of a key military airport and the adjacent town in northern Syria from rival anti-government factions, a monitoring group said. The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and its Arab allies expelled Islamist and other rebel fighters from the town of Minnigh and overran "more than half" of the nearby air base, north of Syria's second city Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The advance comes after days of fierce clashes that saw YPG forces advance east from the Kurdish stronghold of Afrin and take over a series of villages before reaching Minnigh. Clashes were ongoing inside the airport, where Islamist rebels were trying to maintain a grip on the last military air base they hold in Aleppo province, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. Government forces lost control of the Minnigh airport in August 2013. Rebel groups are facing a dual advance by both Kurdish forces coming from the west and regime troops -- backed by a barrage of Russian air strikes -- pressing an offensive north from Aleppo city. More than 500 people have been killed since the government began its assault on February 1, the Observatory said Wednesday. KIEV (Reuters) - Four Ukrainian civilians were killed when a minivan carrying them drove over a landmine as they waited to cross out of separatist-held territory in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, authorities said. Two passengers died instantly and two others later from their injuries from the explosion around 20 km (12 miles) southwest of the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk. "The minivan was queuing in the 'grey' area (between separatist- and government-held territory) ... Ignoring the signs warning about the danger of mines, the vehicle pulled out onto the roadside and there was an explosion," a Ukrainian military spokesman said. One passenger survived the blast, he said. There is still a substantial number of unexploded mines across the conflict zone, despite efforts to clear them. Fighting continues despite a year-old ceasefire agreement. Last week the head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which monitors the implementation of the ceasefire deal, voiced deep concern over escalating violence in eastern territories. More than 9,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed since the conflict broke out in April 2014, when the pro-Russian separatists rose up following Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimea region. (Reporting by Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Andrew Heavens) Yaounde (AFP) - At least six civilians were killed and over 30 injured Wednesday in a double suicide attack in Cameroon's northern border region with Nigeria, which is regularly attacked by Boko Haram fighters, security sources said. The attackers, who were also killed, were both female, said a source. "Six civilians were killed as well as two suicide bombers who blew themselves up" during a funeral wake in the village of Nguetchewe, a source told AFP, adding that between 30-50 people were injured. "The villagers were gathered for the wake when two suicide attackers joined them, pretending to be family members," said the source. The two female bombers "blew themselves up at 6:20 am, just when people who had spent the night there were preparing for a meal." A police source in the region said several children, including a boy aged six and a 15-year-old, were among the victims. At least one member of a local committee set up in response to the upsurge in Islamic attacks was also killed. The most seriously injured were evacuated to a regional hospital in Maroua. It is the fifth suicide attack in Cameroon's far north region since the start of the year. On January 18 four people were killed in an attack at Nguetchewe's mosque. Nearly 1,200 people have been killed since Nigerian Islamists began staging attacks in neighbouring Cameroon in 2013, according to government figures. Nguetchewe is a small village near the border with Nigeria where a French priest, Georges Vandenbeusch, was kidnapped in November 2013. He was held for 50 days before being released. The kidnapping were blamed on Boko Haram, which has since sworn allegiance to the Islamic State group based in Syria and Iraq. Oh, my. New Hampshire was a goodie, and Im not just talking about the chicken tenders we demolished at the Puritan Backroom in Manchester. A tip of the cap for the Donald, who I never thought would win by such a yuge margin. And did any of us think Rubio would go so wobbly in the debate? In any case, the hunt is on, and things are only getting more interesting. In that spirit, as we rush toward South Carolina and the third round, a few observations. 1. The Donald Is the Don Watch out, Donald. Your rivals and the media are going to go after you with a vengeance yet unseen. Theyll pore over your personal life and parade every foible before the court of the public. Who knows: They might dredge up something that could embarrass even you, even torpedo your campaign. And yet, from here, I have to say it looks like the Donald could win again not necessarily the nomination, but perhaps the next primary. No, I didnt think or write that a week ago, after he lost Iowa; in fact, I expected a strong Rubio finish in the Granite State, one that would set him up for a win in South Carolina. But no, its Trump whos coasting into Carolina. Add me to the list of former doubters who is taking a moment. 2. Canary in the Coal Mine Yes, Hillary Clintons team is saying that South Carolina and Black voters will be her firewall. I still think that could be true, and I still think shell be the nominee. But the New York Timess Charles Blow one of Americas leading liberal columnists, and a Black one to boot has lately been giving me some doubts. I was surprised to see him challenge and even chastise Clinton and her campaign recently. Blow isnt yet feeling the Bern. But if and when he does, it could be a watershed moment that makes other liberals reconsider Sanderss electability, much like David Geffens decision in 2007 to dump the Clintons for Candidate Obama. But keep in mind that Hillary may have a good presidential retort in her back pocket not from her hubbie, but from the man who once called her likable enough. Yep, were talking about No. 44, President Obama, whom she may persuade to bring a little hope and change her way. Story continues 3. First Jewish President With all these twists and turns, we have overlooked one of the most interesting potential so whats of this campaign: Somewhere between Bernie and Bloomberg, America could be in the running for its first Jewish president. Mazel tov! Sanders poked fun at his Jewishness on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, but few of the official media are pointing out that the once unthinkable, according to Bloomberg himself (ca. 2007) may actually become the most stunning 2016 result of all. Stay tuned! How could a 5-foot-7 divorced billionaire Jew possibly have a chance? 4. Ouch! Twitter Punch In case you missed it, this week David Axelrod, the genius behind President Obamas rise, tweeted out loud what a lot of smart people had been thinking: When the exact same problems crop up in separate campaigns with different staff, at what point do the principals say, Hey, maybe its us? Ouch. Especially the implicit call for a reset. Impossible, you say? Hillary is who she is? Well, remember that Al Gore got a primary makeover that helped him right his ship in 2000 and best a primary challenge from Bill Bradley. Ronald Reagan similarly not only overhauled his team in 1980 after early stumbles, but also changed his own approach in order to secure the nomination and ultimately the White House. But those are exceptions. When you start stumbling as a front-runner, it is usually hard to deeply change. (See: Bush, Jeb, 2016.) 5. Besides Bloomberg Loving the Bloomberg speculation? Well, stay close. My gut says he wont be the only wealthy third party to poke around and see if theres room for him at the inn. After all, if Trump versus Sanders seems likely, we may hear from former GOP nominee Mitt Romney. Remember his early feelers last year? Or, if you want to really have fun, what if former Senator and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel raised his hand and said: What about me? It might sound crazy, but so did a Trump candidacy. 6. The Runners-Up Im uncertain whether John Kasich has the juice to go the distance, but I still think Rubio is in it and did a smart thing by taking ownership of his mistakes tonight. Not only might it move the story on a bit in the press, but it also allows his team to see him take responsibility in a way that, say, Jeb did not earlier in the campaign. Indeed, both Karl Rove and Jim Messina told me recently that a key ingredient to presidential wins is a strong candidate who quickly and publicly takes personal responsibility when he stumbles. As for old Ted Cruz: What happens next? Hes coming for Trump, but its not clear itll work. Still, with Ben Carson receding, there may be more opportunity for him yet. Finally, is there a Bush Hail Mary anywhere in sight? I like the governor and know his family is coming to South Carolina. But that kind of comeback seems a long putt from here, as they say. But shoot, this thing is fun to watch. So lets just see. 7. What Do You Have to Say? Last week, a number of you sent me some smart thoughts, even provocative reactions to my Letter From Des Moines. I loved it. Debbie from Des Moines, Ana from Rio and Mack from Tennessee were just a few of the folks who weighed in. I would love to hear from more of you. Where do you think the election goes from here? Will Kasich make a real run? Does anyone get out at this point? Which state will matter most post-S.C.? Send your thoughts, critiques and predictions to carlos.watson@ozy.com! Related Articles (Reuters) - The state of Louisiana on Wednesday asked a federal appeals court to overturn a judge's decision to block a 2014 law that imposed tough restrictions on Louisiana abortion providers and threatened to close four of the state's five clinics. The law requires physicians who perform the procedure to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles (48 km) of the place where the abortion is performed. In an order filed Wednesday, U.S. Judge John deGravelles finalized his January ruling granting a preliminary injunction sought by abortion providers who argued the law violated women's rights to obtain an abortion. "Without an injunction, Louisiana women will suffer significantly reduced access to constitutionally protected abortion services, which will likely have serious health consequences," he wrote in the 112-page January opinion. The state responded to Wednesday's order by immediately appealing the decision to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, according to court documents. The appeal came as no surprise, as Louisiana is one of several conservative states across the country battling challenges to new laws restricting access to the procedure. Due to those legal battles, the restrictions had not gone into effect in Louisiana, one of 10 states that has adopted admitting privilege restrictions, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represented abortion providers in the case. Proponents see such regulations as protecting women, while critics call them medically unnecessary and intended to force clinics to close. In five other states, courts also have blocked similar abortion restrictions, the reproductive rights group said. The U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in on the issue this year in a challenge to a 2013 Texas law that imposed similar restrictions on abortion providers, prompting the closure of about half of the state's 40 licensed abortion facilities. (Reporting by Karen Brooks in Fort Worth, Texas; Editing by Tom Brown) A strike by a medium-size asteroid could change Earth's climate dramatically for a few years, making life difficult for people around the world, a new study suggests. Such an impact on land (as opposed to at sea) could cause average global temperatures to plunge to ice age levels and lead to steep drops in precipitation and plant productivity, among other effects, researchers said. "These would not be pleasant times," Charles Bardeen, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, said in December during a presentation at the annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco. [Potentially Dangerous Asteroids (Images)] Short-term climate change Bardeen and his colleagues modeled what would happen to Earth's climate if a 0.6-mile-wide (1 kilometer) space rock plowed into one of the planet's landmasses. Such an impact would probably gouge out a crater about 9 miles (15 km) wide, throw huge amounts of dust into the atmosphere and trigger large-scale fires that lofted lots of soot into the air, provided the strike didn't occur in a desert area with little vegetation, Bardeen said. The material lofted after this hypothetical asteroid strike would stay in the atmosphere for a long time about six years in the case of dust and 10 years for soot, according to the researchers' results for the "worst-case scenario" (which assumed widespread fires). These particles would warm in the sun, heating the stratosphere significantly and speeding up chemical reactions that destroy ozone, which protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Indeed, atmospheric ozone would be temporarily reduced by 55 percent, causing the surface UV index to top 20 in the tropics for several years. (According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a UV index of 11 or above denotes "extreme risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure.") The atmospheric soot and dust would also reduce the amount of sunlight hitting Earth's surface by up to 70 percent for the first year or two, Bardeen said. As a result, average global surface temperatures would cool by 14.5 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius), "which is about the equivalent of the ice ages," Bardeen said during his AGU presentation. Story continues The bulk of this temperature drop would occur on land, he added. But effects would be felt in the oceans as well; sea-ice cover would increase, and water has a high thermal inertia, so changes in ocean temperature would last for a relatively long time. For example, the team's models suggest that the top layers of the ocean would still be about 0.9 degrees F (0.5 degrees C) cooler than normal 15 years after the asteroid impact. The global cooling would also lead to a drop in precipitation of about 50 percent around the world, Bardeen said. "This is due to the lost heating and the lost temperature, so we lose convection; we don't have as many [weather] fronts," he said. The decrease in sunlight, rain and snow would lead to a roughly 50 percent drop in plant productivity not good news for farmers and the people who depend on them (which is to say, everyone in the world). Crops in North America, Europe and northern Asia would be especially hard-hit, while agricultural lands in India, South America and Africa would not be affected as much, Bardeen said. So, the overall picture is not pretty. A strike by a 0.6-mile-wide asteroid could cause "a very severe global impact" for several years, Bardeen said. But a space rock would likely have to be about 10 times bigger to cause a mass extinction, he added. (The asteroid that's thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs, along with many other species, 65 million years ago was probably about 6 miles, or 10 km, wide.) [Wipe Out: History's Most Mysterious Extinctions] Ocean impact? Bardeen and his team modeled the aftermath of an asteroid strike on land. But it's more likely that a space rock would come down in water, since oceans cover about 70 percent of Earth's surface. What would happen then? A 2010 modeling study by the late Elisabetta Pierazzo and her colleagues looked into this scenario, and determined that the effects on Earth's protective ozone layer would be dramatic. An ocean strike by a 0.6-mile-wide asteroid, the team found, would loft enough salty water vapor to destroy huge quantities of ozone, causing the surface UV index to spike temporarily to 56. Such high radiation levels, which have never been experienced in human history, would probably force people to stay inside during the day, Pierazzo said when the study came out. But an ocean strike would not have the same climatic consequences as a land impact, Bardeen said. "The temperature effects, the precipitation effects, the effects on plants those would all really only come with the land impact," Bardeen said. However, the chances of an asteroid strike with serious global consequences seem remote, at least in the near future. To date, astronomers have spotted 879 near-Earth asteroids that are at least 0.6 miles wide, and none of them pose an immediate threat. Models suggest that these 879 represent more than 90 percent of the total population of such mountain-size space rocks in Earth's neighborhood, NASA officials have said. If a dangerous asteroid does line Earth up in its cross hairs, humanity doesn't have to sit idly by, just waiting for the end to come. If the space rock is detected with enough lead time ideally, a decade or more before a potential impact it could conceivably be steered off course using one or more "kinetic impactor" spacecraft that would slam into the space rock, and perhaps a fly-along "gravity tractor" probe as well, which would further nudge the asteroid slowly over long periods of time. Destroying or disrupting the incoming object with a nuclear bomb is also an option, researchers say, especially if the threatening rock is extremely large and/or was first spotted shortly before its encounter with Earth. Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Beirut (AFP) - A Russian-backed regime onslaught in northern Syria was reported Wednesday to have killed more than 500 people this month, as Turkey faced new pressure to open its border to people fleeing the violence. World powers urged Russia to end its air strikes, which a senior US official said were "directly enabling" the Islamic State group, and the UN Security Council met to discuss the conflict. The meeting behind closed doors came ahead of crucial international talks Thursday in Munich to push for Syrian peace negotiations. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 506 people had died since the regime launched a major offensive against rebels in Aleppo province on February 1, including 23 children killed in Russian air strikes. Tens of thousands of Syrians were still stranded Wednesday at the Oncupinar border crossing to Turkey, which remained closed. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday said it was building a new camp for the refugees inside Syria, and said it was unfair to ask Turkey to open its borders without pressuring Russia over its bombing. "I find it hypocritical that some circles are telling Turkey to 'open your borders' while at the same time failing to tell Russia 'enough is enough'," Davutoglu told reporters. Turkey is already hosting 2.7 million Syrian refugees and has refused to let a new wave into the country, leaving many sleeping in tents or the open. Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Wednesday the healthcare system around the war-torn town of Azaz in Aleppo province was "close to collapse" due to the fighting. Since Saturday, an MSF hospital near Azaz has seen an increase of about 50 percent in its outpatient department. Many are suffering respiratory tract infections. - 'Dying under bombs' - Those who have fled the offensive tell of scenes of terror and suffering. "Children are dying under bombs and from hunger and cold. They are living on the roads. They don't have any place to stay," said Abdul Karim Bahloul. Story continues Human rights groups weighed in, urging Turkey to accept those stranded on its border. "Forcing people to remain in a war zone, where they risk death and injury, is no solution to the challenge of protecting Syrians fleeing their country," said Human Rights Watch. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimated around 50,000 people have been displaced by the violence, mainly in northern areas of Aleppo province. "The temperatures are extremely low and, without an adequate supply of food, water and shelter, displaced people are trying to survive in very precarious conditions," said from Aleppo Marianne Gasser, the ICRC head in Syria. Fighting on Wednesday raged around Tamura, north of Aleppo city, with intense Russian air raids on several nearby villages, the Observatory said. Pro-regime forces have made a series of gains this month in Aleppo province, severing rebel supply lines. The UN has warned 300,000 people in eastern Aleppo city could be cut off from humanitarian aid if government forces encircle the area, a tactic used by the regime to devastating effect against other rebel bastions. More than 260,000 people have been killed and half the population displaced since Syria's conflict began in 2011. - 'Pool of blood' - UN envoy Staffan de Mistura last week suspended Syria peace talks until February 25 amid opposition protests about the bombing, and the Munich meeting aims to pressure the sides to return to the table. A key opposition figure insisted the lifting of regime sieges and a halt to air strikes on civilian areas must stop before negotiations can start. "Before we go on February 25 those measures should be implemented in reality on the land," said Riad Hijab, chief coordinator of the High Negotiations Committee opposition umbrella group. US President Barack Obama's special envoy to the coalition fighting IS Brett McGurk said Russia's bombing was "directly enabling ISIL," using another term for IS. On the eve of the Munich talks, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit out at Washington for its support for Syrian Kurds fighting jihadists, accusing it of creating a "pool of blood". Ankara sees the Syrian Kurdish militia as a branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), but Washington argues the Kurds are key to fighting jihadist groups like IS. Fighters from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and its Arab allies expelled Islamist and rebel fighters from the Minnigh air base and adjacent town, north of Aleppo, the Observatory said. YPG forces regularly clash with Islamist and jihadist fighters in northern Syria, but its most active front is further east against the Islamic State extremist group. * Mercedes reserve Wehrlein to race for Manor * German won DTM series last year * F1 tail-enders yet to name second driver (Changes dateline, adds quotes after team confirmation) By Alan Baldwin LONDON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Pascal Wehrlein, reserve driver for world champions Mercedes and last year's German Touring Car (DTM) series winner, will race for Manor this season, Formula One's smallest team said on Wednesday. "We're a small team up for a big challenge... so we've chosen a driver with the talent and hunger to match our own on-track ambitions," said owner Stephen Fitzpatrick in a statement. "Pascal has impressed in testing for Mercedes and Force India, together with commanding performances in DTM... Manor Racing is perfectly placed to help Pascal make a big impact in his first season." The 21-year-old German, whose mother is from Mauritius, became the youngest DTM champion in 2015 when he won the title with Mercedes. That domestic series pits Mercedes against rivals Audi and BMW in cars that superficially resemble production models but whose performance is closer to single-seater racers. While Mercedes dominated Formula One last season with triple champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg winning all but three races, Manor - as Marussia - failed to score a point and finished last in 10th place. Team principal and founder John Booth and sporting director Graeme Lowdon departed at the end of the year and the team's name has changed for 2016. They have made some high-profile appointments and the switch from a year-old Ferrari engine to Mercedes power units should see them become more competitive even if they still have the smallest budget. "Manor Racing is a great place for me to start my Formula One racing career," said Wehrlein, who thanked Mercedes for making the move possible. "It's a small and totally focused team and I soon hope to know everyone. "It will be a tough challenge but I think we should be able to challenge for points along the way." The team have only scored points once, with the late French driver Jules Bianchi in Monaco in 2014. They almost folded at the end of that season before being rescued from administration. Mercedes had initially played down speculation Wehrlein could be part of the Manor deal, arguing that the former Marussia team needed drivers who brought sponsorship with them. Manor had American Alexander Rossi, Britain's Will Stevens and Spaniard Roberto Merhi racing for them last year. Indonesian Rio Haryanto has also been linked to a 2016 race seat, but needs to raise money to secure it. (Additional reporting by Karolos Grohmann in Berlin,; Editing by Ken Ferris) From Popular Mechanics The faraway star KIC 8462852 has been a fervent topic of debate over the last few months, ever since folks at SETI proposed that maybe-just maybe-a there was a giant alien megastructure around the star responsible for the weird readings scientists had been getting. Since then, most people have come to accept the more ordinary explanation that comets are responsible for the space oddity. But it turns out the NASA's next great observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, could be just the thing to answer this kind of question for sure. Megastructure Mega-Hopes The hubbub all started last October when NASA's Kepler planet-hunting telescope found a strange phenomenon around a sun-like star. Something was blocking out 20 percent of the light from KIC 8462852, since nicknamed "Tabby's Star" after discoverer Tabetha S. Boyajian. A planet even the size of Jupiter or larger should have blocked out only 1 percent of the light. That suggests something big is here, and no Earth-based telescopes detected heat coming from whatever was blocking the light, meaning it wasn't a planet or an asteroid. "There are so many unknown natural things that we haven't seen" The lead hypothesis has been, and remains, that comets are blocking out the light. A swarm of them may have collided and created a giant cloud of icy-cold debris. But even that doesn't quite tell the whole story. For one thing, astronomers still can't explain how there would be a cloud of comets big enough to block out that much light from a mid-sized star. It would require more mass than is found in our solar system's entire Kuiper Belt, the region of objects that includes Pluto, an unlikely scenario. That's where the megastructures came in-a longshot but intriguing idea. Scientists have long theorized that advanced alien civilizations might begin to harness all the power of their home star, requiring massive powerplants known as Dyson Spheres or Dyson Swarms, named for Freeman Dyson. Dyson first proposed these structures, and none have been found to date, of course. Otherwise we'd know for sure we weren't alone. Story continues If there was a Dyson Swarm somewhere out there, it would look a lot like what's happening around Tabby's Star. Observations from Berkeley SETI and the SETI Institute turned up nothing, but investigations continue. The lack of any radio signals or light flashes dimmed the hopes of this hypothesis, though it hasn't entirely squashed the small chance alien intelligence is at play. Here Comes James Webb The debate will go back and forth among space lovers, there may be a final answer in the next decade. The James Webb, set to launch in 2018, should be able to tell whether comets, an alien megastructure of Dyson Spheres, or something we've never seen before is responsible for this weird sighting. That's according to Mark Clampin, director of the Astrophysics Science Division at Goddard Space Flight Center. "Webb is able to make observations of transiting exoplanets, so it's extremely well equipped to make these kinds of observations," Clampin said in a phone call with Popular Mechanics. So why is Webb better than anything else out there? It's not just the size of the telescope. It's that the follow-on mission to the Hubble Space Telescope will have infrared capabilities far exceeding anything out there right now. Currently, there's only one space telescope capable of infrared observations of the kind needed to crack this mystery, and that's Spitzer Space Telescope. While Spitzer was once a titan of infrared observation, it's since lost the cooling fluid that made it capable of those observations without thermal problems. Spitzer, which remains in its Earth-trailing orbit, is still useful for making near-infrared observations. It's not as useful in the mid-infrared range, which is exactly where Webb can thrive-in a range of light wavelengths from 5 microns to 28 microns. With those sorts of sensitivities, Webb would be able to suss out even small signals from whatever is orbiting Tabby's Star if it crosses the surface of the star again. "If any material that's blocking the light or anything but the star itself, there should be an excess of infrared," said Daniel Angerhausen, a postdoc at NASA Goddard who recently cast doubt on a hypothesis that Tabby's Star had dimmed over the last century. When the object passes across the surface of the star, that spectral signature should give an idea on the shape of the object, including whether we're looking at a solid object of just a dust cloud of some form. If it appears "noisy and unstructured" it may be a cloud of debris. If it appears solid, it may be a fragment of cosmic collisions that just haven't shown through our infrared readings yet. And if it appears to be cube shaped or otherwise unnaturally angular? Then maybe it's aliens. But neither Angerhausen or Clampin are counting on it. "The last resort is the alien megastructures, and there are so many unknown natural things that we haven't seen," Angerhausen says. "It takes us a very long time to get to the point where we start thinking about the non-standard things that might be going on," Clampin added. We Have the Technology Disappointingly, an enormous structure built by extraterrestrials probably is the least likely explanation for the odd data from Tabby's Star. But for scientists and space-lovers and people who hope aliens exist, there's still reason to be excited. Even if Tabby's Star's great occulter is something totally natural, it may be a natural phenomena we've never seen before. And as Angerhausen points out, while there may not be aliens around the star, we're at a point in time when the technology to thoroughly ask and investigate that question is starting to exist. "We are getting closer to the technology we need to do that, actually," he says. There's still the matter of allotting telescope time on Webb, a process that will begin next year. Webb stakeholders will get a first pass at telescope time before it opens up to the wider community. Given the interest in Tabby's Star, it's likely that someone will ask for time. That means an answer will come in the next decade, more than likely. It may not be the answer people want. It may not be the answer people expect. It may be something so new and weird that aliens will seem like a mundane explanation. Brussels (AFP) - NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday said the alliance had approved plans for an increased presence in eastern member states alarmed by a more assertive Russia, sending a "clear signal" to any aggressors. Stung into action by the Russian intervention in Ukraine and shock 2014 annexation of Crimea, NATO has boosted its resources and readiness to meet any new threat but its nervous former Soviet allies in the east are pushing for more. Former Norwegian premier Stoltenberg said the 28-nation alliance's defence ministers had agreed at a meeting in Brussels on plans for an "enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of our alliance". "This will send a clear signal. NATO will respond as one to any aggression against any ally," Stoltenberg told reporters. "This will be a multinational (force) to show that an attack on one will be an attack on all." He spoke of a "more assertive Russia which has used force to change borders" and said that NATO, formed in the depths of the Cold War, now faced the "most challenging security environment in a generation." The force will likely involve between 3,000 and no more than 6,000 troops, NATO diplomatic source said, although Stoltenberg gave no further details as the project must now go to the military planners to be fleshed out. They will rotate continuously through the three Baltic states -- Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, plus Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, the sources said. Critics say the Ukraine crisis and the annexation of Crimea badly wrong-footed the alliance, which under-estimated Russia's ability to move so quickly and make such effective use of hybrid warfare. - 'Modern deterrence' - Stoltenberg recalled that in response, NATO has already taken steps to boost its readiness by creating a very fast reaction force, setting up forward command centres and pre-positioning equipment so that reinforcements can hit the ground running. Story continues Combined, the measures amount to what NATO dubs "modern deterrence," a doctrine meant to ensure that NATO can react quickly and flexibly to all emerging threats. NATO leaders are expected to formally endorse the plans at a July summit in Warsaw, the capital of Poland which has led calls for the alliance to station troops permanently along the border with Russia. Other NATO member states have been reluctant to revert to what they see as a Cold War stand-off with Russia, especially when seeking Moscow's help to solve other conflicts such as in Syria. Stoltenberg stressed that there was no going back "to the days of the Cold War when we had hundreds of thousands of troops on bases." Asked whether having just small forces on the ground acting as a tripwire would really be enough to deter Russia, the secretary general said he had no doubts. "We believe it is the best way to deter in a changed security environment," he said. The Ukraine crisis has largely driven the changes in NATO but turmoil across the Middle East and North Africa has stoked fears the alliance faces a whole new series of threats. Stoltenberg has said the changes made are also applicable to some of these threats, with the war in Syria directly impacting key alliance member Turkey. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter will host a meeting of the anti-Islamic State coalition at NATO HQ after the defence ministers meeting closes on Thursday to see what more can be done to defeat the extremists in Syria and Iraq. By Camillus Eboh ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's parliament has postponed voting on the 2016 budget from Feb. 25 because ministers cannot agree on revised public spending plans, lawmakers said on Tuesday. President Muhammadu Buhari presented a record $30 billion budget in December but asked for it to be withdrawn in January to make changes after a further fall in oil prices forced the deficit up to 3 trillion naira ($15 billion) from 2.2 trillion. Abdulmumin Jibrin, chairman of the budget committee in the lower house, or House of Representatives, said the government had yet to agree on how much ministries would be allocated. "The National Assembly sessions have witnessed disagreements between various ministers and top civil servants," he told a joint news conference with Danjuma Goje, the chairman of a committee tasked with the budget in the upper house, or Senate. Goje said the government wanted more "more time to do a thorough job" but did not give a new date. "We don't want to pass a budget that will be returned to us. We need to remove all ambiguities and paddings," he said. Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, has held talks with the World Bank and has looked at borrowing from the African Development Bank and China Exim Bank to plug the budget gap as oil trades around $30 a barrel, down from over $100 in 2014. On Monday, Buhari's health minister Isaac Adewole had sharply criticised planned allocations for his ministry. "In the revised budget as re-submitted, 15.7 billion naira for capital allocation (expenditure) has been moved to other areas. Some allocations made are not in line with our priorities," he said. "We have to look into the details of the budget and re-submit it to the committee. This was not what we submitted." (Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Louise Ireland) SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has executed its army chief of staff, Ri Yong Gil, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday, which, if true, would be the latest in a series of executions, purges and disappearances under its young leader. The news comes amid heightened tension surrounding isolated North Korea after its Sunday launch of a long-range rocket, which came about a month after it drew international condemnation for conducting its fourth nuclear test. A source familiar with North Korean affairs also told Reuters that Ri had been executed. The source declined to be identified, given the sensitivity of the matter. Ri, who was chief of the Korean People's Army (KPA) General Staff, was executed this month for corruption and factional conspiracy, Yonhap and other South Korean media reported. Yonhap did not identify its sources. The source who told Reuters the news declined to comment on how the information about the execution had been obtained. South Korea's National Intelligence Service declined to comment and it was not possible to independently verify the report. The North rarely issues public announcement related to purges or executions of high-level officials. A rare official confirmation of a high-profile execution came after Jang Song Thaek, leader Kim Jong Un's uncle and the man who was once considered the second most powerful figure in the country, was executed for corruption in 2013. In May last year, the North executed its defense chief by anti-aircraft gun at a firing range, the South's spy agency said in a report to members of parliament. The North's military leadership has been in a state of perpetual reshuffle since Kim Jong Un took power after the death of his father in 2011. He has changed his armed forces chief several times since then. Some other high-ranking officials in the North have been absent from public view for extended periods, fuelling speculation they may have been purged or removed, only to resurface. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Tony Munroe Robert Birsel) The Republican chairs of the House and Senate Budget Committees were sharply criticized last week when they announced that they would not even give President Obama the courtesy of a hearing on his budget request, which was released this morning. The break in tradition was unexpected, but given the content of the document rolled out by the White House today, perhaps not surprising. The Presidential budget request is, by its nature, a political document. It reflects the priorities, principles, and beliefs of the administration, but it carries little real legislative weight. Even when the White House and the Congress are controlled by the same party, legislators dont surrender their control of the purse strings to the occupant of the Oval Office. When opposite parties control the executive and legislative branches, budgets are ritually declared dead on arrival. Related: Obama Reveals Record $4.1 Trillion Budget as Congress Gears Up for a Fight The record $4.1 trillion request sent to Congress today, however, submitted by a lame duck president to a Congress that has no incentive to work with him, is less an effort to influence lawmakers in their 2017 budget deliberations than to express a vision of the future. Specifically, a future as envisioned by Democrats. [T]his Budget is not about looking back at the road we have traveled, President Obama writes in his opening message. It is about looking forward. It is about making sure our economy works for everybody, not just those at the top. It is about choosing investments that not only make us stronger today, but also reflect the kind of country we aspire to bethe kind of country we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren. It is about answering the big questions that will define America and the world in the 21st Century. In a media briefing Tuesday afternoon, Office of Management and Budget director Shaun Donovan tried to preemptively shut down the idea that the budget was anything other than a serious legislative proposal. Story continues Its tempting to adopt the conventional wisdom that a presidents final budget isnt relevant. But I think the conventional wisdom is wrong. With many final year budgets you either see an administration dramatically trim its sails and dial back on ambition, or you see a budget that is solely a vision document, with little that is relevant to the debate. Related: Sharp Divide Over Spending and the Debt Could Renew Budget Warfare This budget falls in neither of those camps. To support his case, he said that there are proposals in the budget that both Republicans and Democrats can agree on. However, in the 150-plus pages of the document, the selection was skimpy: cybersecurity efforts, the presidents moonshot proposal to cure cancer, measures to reduce opioid addiction, and some expanded tax credits. From the get-go, its clear that the document isnt meant to appeal to Republican lawmakers. The very first section is dedicated to taking steps to slow global warming a phenomenon that large segments of the GOP deny is a made-made phenomenon or even exists. From doubling investment in clean energy technology to increasing federal protections for the water supply, the proposals are the very type of thing that Republican leaders in Congress object to on principle. A centerpiece is a 21st Century Clean Transportation Plan that would be funded by a $10.25 surcharge on every barrel of oil sold in the country a plan with no more chance of gaining Republican support than a scheme to give President Obama a third term in office. Related: Congress Fumbles Again on Funding for Flint Water Crisis It moves on to suggest expanded aid for the needy, for students, and for workers, coupled with higher taxes on the wealthy and a fee that would extract more than $10 billion per year from the largest financial institutions in the country. The budget offers no alternative to steadily increasing federal debt, although it does suggest a flattening of the growth rate. As Council of Economic Advisers Chairman rather artfully put it, the plan places the federal debt on a stabilized non-declining path. House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price echoed many of his Republican colleagues with his blistering criticism of the presidents request on Tuesday afternoon. Like every one of his previous budgets, President Obamas newest plan never balances. Ever, he said in a release. Like all of his previous proposals, it increases spending by trillions of dollars above what we already cannot afford and takes more money out of the pockets of hardworking taxpayers with no plan to address the key drivers of our debt. Under the presidents vision, what we spend on interest on our national debt by 2022 will surpass that which we spend to protect and defend our nation. This is the same approach we have seen time and time again from this administration that continues to lead America down the same path we have been on for the past seven years: one with fewer jobs, lower wages, less opportunity and less security. Related: Heres How the Top 1 Percent Celebrate Valentines Day Price has said that his committee will produce a balanced budget as an alternative to the presidents request. However, OMB Director Donovan, in the press briefing, warned against a return to what he called the mindless fiscal austerity of previous years in which draconian spending cuts and government shutdowns were part of the budget equation and had a significant negative impact on economic growth. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican leaders in the House of Representatives on Wednesday dismissed U.S. President Barack Obama's proposed $10.25 per barrel tax on oil, saying the increase would translate into higher gasoline prices for consumers. "The president's tax proposal is dead on arrival at the House. It will not happen," House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, told reporters. House Speaker Paul Ryan also rejected the idea. The tax, to be phased in over five years, was part of Obama's proposed budget for fiscal year 2017 released on Tuesday. (Reporting by Susan Cornwell and Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina Chiacu) OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - An Oklahoma man has been arrested on first-degree murder charges on suspicion of shooting his grandmother and her husband, and then cutting off their heads at their home, which is also used as a daycare center, police said on Wednesday. Quinton Laster, 20, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of murdering Sharon Reed, 59, and her husband James Reed, 78, at their Oklahoma City home. There was no lawyer listed for Laster in an online arrest report. Three small children were found unharmed in an attached covered garage that was being used for daycare. The children were removed from the scene and returned to their families, police said. Police have not released a motive for the killings. (Reporting by Heide Brandes; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Sandra Maler) Kampala (AFP) - As night falls in Uganda's capital Kampala, some 240 members of a vast volunteer "crime preventer" force parade outside a police station. "Attention!" shouts an officer as the men stand stiff-backed, before marching off in single file to help guard the city until dawn. The volunteers are on patrol ahead of presidential polls on February 18, but rights groups have criticised the force, which they see as the enforcer of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) of incumbent President Yoweri Museveni. Museveni, who has led the east African country since 1986, is eyeing a fifth term in the elections. His government dismisses criticism of the crime preventers, arguing it is part of a community-policing programme in existence since the 1990s. Now, however, police say it boasts some 11 million members, more than a quarter of Uganda's 37-million-strong population. "Look, they got him!" shouts Adam Sankara, 35, the Kampala district crime preventer chief, as a suspected car thief is marched into the police station by volunteers. Sankara, who claims to be in charge of about two million recruits, insists they are "responsible Ugandans who want to see peace and stability". A married father of two and a businessman, Sankara has been taking part in night-time patrols since 2013. Recruits learn martial arts and attend "ideological classes". Some are teenagers, others aged over 80. "We teach them the concept of patriotism," said Sankara. "We are not partisan." He dismisses rights groups' claims that the volunteers beat people, saying the teams are armed only with a whistle and always deploy with regular police. "Sticks are just for foot drills," he said. - 'Muscle of the ruling party?' - Police chief Kale Kayihura has insisted the force is good for Uganda, with the Daily Monitor newspaper quoting him as telling critics to "go hang" after European Union election observers voiced concerns. Story continues "Nobody will stop us as long as we have the responsibility of keeping this country safe and secure," Kayihura said. Others say the force is adding to lawlessness and insecurity. Last month, five international and domestic rights bodies accused the reservists of brutally assaulting and extorting cash from scores of suspects and demanded it be suspended. "Crime preventers should not be undisciplined and unaccountable recruits who become the eyes and muscle of the ruling party in every village," warned Maria Burnett from Human Rights Watch (HRW). "These forces need to be regulated, impartial, effectively trained, and held accountable to the highest standards if they take on policing functions." Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo on Monday issued a fresh warning over security during the election, accusing opposition parties of raising militias to stage protests if they fear they are losing the vote -- claims the opposition has rejected. Museveni faces his stiffest challenge yet from Kizza Besigye, a three-time failed presidential candidate from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), and Amama Mbabazi, a former prime minister and ruling party stalwart now running as an independent. However, few expect Museveni to lose. Mbabazi's spokeswoman Josephine Mayanja-Nkangi said his supporters had had "numerous unfavourable encounters" with the crime preventers. Senior FDC official Shawn Mubiru accused the force of openly supporting Museveni, with some members wearing T-shirts bearing his image. "Many were sent to disrupt our campaigns," he accused. - Crime 'creators' or 'preventers'? - Gabrielle Lynch, from Britain's University of Warwick, has questioned whether the teams are "actually 'crime creators' rather than 'crime preventers'". Lynch warned they could be "used to intimidate opposition voters at the polling stations, and to quell any signs of unrest over opposition claims of electoral malpractice". Magnus Taylor of the International Crisis Group (ICG) argues the teams are a "front for a project that is more about keeping the older generation in power than building a society able to gainfully employ their own generation". "The concern is that they may be inserted in a disorganised fashion into closely-fought local races, causing mayhem, or take the opportunity their new-found status may afford to extort fellow citizens," Taylor added. The force's national coordinator Blaise Kamugisha denied it was on a mission to prop up the ruling clique. "Saying we are keeping the old generation is power is wrong," said Kamugisha, a former NRM ruling party chairman, who makes no secret of his support for Museveni. "Serving the president is a privilege and honour," he said. Meanwhile, the police say they welcome the force, with spokesman Fred Enanga claiming they are especially popular in rural areas. "We're a soft target for propaganda because were on the frontline, ensuring that these elections go peacefully," said Enanga, insisting the scheme was "working very well". Plant a tree, save the Earth, or so the thinking goes. But what if it's not the right kind of tree? The results could be undesirable in fact, they might be the polar opposite of what's good for the environment, according to a new study published in Science. After examining Europe's forest management since 1750, a team of researchers concluded that despite the region's best efforts forests take up 10% more land today than they did prior to the Industrial Revolution its tactics did exactly zilch to stem the effects of climate change. "The current assumption is that all forest management and all forests contribute to climate mitigation," Kim Naudts, a postdoctoral ecologist at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and the study's lead author, told the scientific journal Nature. "We cannot say that is true, at least for Europe." According to the study, which used a computer model to reconstruct 260 years of European forest management, the localized surface temperature rose 0.12 degrees Celsius, despite the addition of forests. Moreover, the net carbon quantity did not decrease even though it feasibly should have, given that trees are good at sucking up and storing carbon dioxide. Naudts and company point to two contributing factors for the failure. First: Back in the day, forests weren't managed by humans; rather, they grew naturally and wherever they pleased. Now, however, roughly 85% of trees in Europe grow at the whims of humans, who replant and reorganize them to make for better timber production and organization. But that wood harvesting and removal also involves releasing carbon stored in "litter, dead wood, and soil carbon pools" into the atmosphere. "If the point is to store carbon, then afforestation is presumably good, but losing carbon to wood extraction is bad," Richard Houghton, an ecologist at the Woods Hole Research Center in Falmouth, Massachusetts, told Nature. Story continues Second: The kinds of trees that replaced natural forests when humans began screwing around with the woods has also contributed to the increase in temperature. "The conversion of broadleaved forests to coniferous forests has changed the [natural abilities] of those forests, also leading to warming," the authors wrote. As Naudts explained to Science, "By changing the forest, we also make changes to the amount of radiation, water, and energy that the forest releases." Coniferous trees take in more light due to their darker colors, which means they store more climate-changing heat. The shift in tree type and forest composition has also wrought havoc on the abilities of these forests to store carbon. "Even well managed present-day forest store much less carbon than their natural counterparts in 1750," Naudts said in a press release. Yet, some of this information isn't a surprise. Previous studies reported similar results, including a 2006 study which found that planting trees really doesn't do much to help the change in global temperature. "The idea that you can go out and plant a tree and help reverse global warming is an appealing, feel-good thing," Ken Caldeira, a co-author of the study, told the Guardian at the time. "To plant forests to mitigate climate change outside of the tropics is a waste of time." In a 2014 New York Times op-ed Nadine Unger, an assistant professor of atmospheric chemistry at Yale University, argued that planting trees was a simple, ineffective solution to a deeply complex problem. "Planting trees and avoiding deforestation do offer unambiguous benefits to biodiversity and many forms of life," she wrote. "But relying on forestry to slow or reverse global warming is another matter entirely." A deforested area in the Amazon rainforest Planting trees is still looked upon favorably. As a result of the recent Paris climate talks, for example, deforestation and reforestation are hot topics. This isn't to say that deforestation isn't an issue; indeed, it accounts for roughly a quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. But as Naudts and others have shown, efforts at reforestation appear to need some rejiggering, lest they make things worse. "Our results show that not all forest management contributed to climate change mitigation," Naudts said. "The key question is now: Can we design a forest management strategy that cools the climate and at the same time sustains wood production and other ecosystem services?" By Wiktor Szary WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will join the fight against Islamic State, its defense minister said on Wednesday, though he signaled that the scale of its involvement would depend on NATO's response to Russia's renewed assertiveness on the alliance's eastern flank. The announcement, made by Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz after a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter in Brussels, confirmed an earlier Reuters report that Poland would boost its Middle East involvement in an attempt to convince its allies to shift NATO forces eastwards. "Poland has joined the actions, which are now so crucial, on NATO's southern flank," Macierewicz told reporters. "When it comes to details ... we will continue to discuss it, particularly as we consider it in the broad context of NATO's situation, hoping that both the U.S. and NATO as a whole will back Poland and other countries on the eastern flank with their ... permanent presence." Alarmed by Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014 and its support for armed separatists in eastern Ukraine, Poland hopes NATO will agree at a summit in Warsaw in July to send more troops to former communist eastern Europe. NATO agreed on Wednesday its boldest steps yet to deter Russia from any attack in the Baltics or elsewhere in eastern Europe, setting out ways to rapidly deploy air, naval and ground forces without resorting to Cold War-era military bases. The United States and its allies are bombing Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq, where the militant group occupies swathes of territory. Poland's contribution to the campaign against Islamic State could involve reconnaissance and training, Macierewicz said. NATO defense ministers are meeting in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for the Warsaw summit. (Reporting by Wiktor Szary; Editing by Gareth Jones) Lisbon (AFP) - Portugal's parliament on Wednesday upheld a bill giving adoption rights to gay couples by overriding a veto handed down in one of the last political moves by the country's outgoing conservative president. Lawmakers from the ruling leftist alliance that toppled the conservative government in November voted again for the measure by an absolute majority, as needed to overrule the president's action. It fulfilled a campaign promise by new socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa. "The era of discrimination for sexual orientation has passed," said Socialist deputy Pedro Delgado Alves, adding that "adoption by couples of the same sex is not against the best interests of the child." President Anibal Cavaco Silva had vetoed the measure in late January arguing that lawmakers should consider the child's interest rather than the issue of equality "between different and same-sex couples". Up to now, adoption has been open to all individuals in Portugal, but the law allowing gay marriage which was passed in February 2010 explicitly excluded the right of same-sex couples to adopt. The 76-year-old, who served two terms as president, will be replaced on March 9 by centre-right TV pundit Rebelo de Sousa, who was elected on January 25 in the first round of presidential polls. In another of parting move, Cavaco Silva had also vetoed a series of amendments to Portugal's abortion laws that eliminate fees introduced in July by the previous conservative government. The leftist-dominated parliament also voted to override that veto. Dakar (AFP) - The prosecution in the landmark trial of former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre on Wednesday demanded he be jailed for life and stripped of all his assets. "Given the evidence against him, there are grounds for finding Hissene Habre guilty of the crimes of torture, crimes against humanity and war crimes," said special prosecutor Mbacke Fall after a lengthy closing argument. Habre, 73, was president of the semi-desert central African country from 1982-1990. He went on trial last July in a special court, the Extraordinary African Chambers (CAE in its French acronym), established in Dakar by the African Union under an agreement with Senegal. It marked the first time a court in an African country has called to account a despot from another African nation. An investigating commission found that well in excess of 40,000 people were killed during his rule, which was marked by fierce repression of his opponents and the targeting of rival ethnic groups. Fall on Wednesday said the chain led to the top. "The apparatus of repression began to operate under the direction of Hissene Habre," Fall said. The country's political police, the DDS, was "directly subordinate to the presidency," he said. "Hissene Habre set up his own prisons, which are quite unconnected from the official system of incarceration. It was in these dying rooms that violations of human rights were the most overwhelming," said Fall, describing sites that were "concentration (camps), not detention centres." Habre, who was ousted by Chad's current President Idriss Deby Itno, refused to address the court and does not recognise its authority. As in the opening session in July, he wore a white robe, a turban and dark sunglasses, and he sat in silence throughout the hearing. Fall described Habre's silence as an act of "cowardice" towards the victims of his alleged crimes, urging the court to interpret it as an "aggravating circumstance" in the case against him. Story continues - 'Feeling of joy and victory' - Chadian Souleymane Guengueng, who founded the Association of Victims of the Crimes of the Hissene Habre Regime, hailed the prosecution's demand, as he expressed "a feeling of victory and joy. "At last, the man who passed himself off as a god will have to think and he will know that what he did was bad." Human Rights Watch also welcomed the prosecutor's request as "a strong signal that the world is increasingly intolerant of leaders who allegedly exploit their positions of power to commit serious crimes." "Hissene Habre is charged with the most serious and odious atrocities -- mass executions, systematic torture in secret prisons, the sexual enslavement of women and girls and campaigns of ethnic cleansing, as well as having personally committed rape," said HRW's Reed Brody, who has worked with Habre's victims since 1999. Habre's personal lawyer Francois Serres, who was barred from the proceedings, meanwhile dismissed the proceedings as political. "Today in Dakar, (Chad's) President Deby ... called for the political and judicial elimination of president Habre through the voice of the prosecutor of the CAE," Serres said. "This prosecutor and these judges are a firing squad, tasked with executing president Habre." Habre's CAE-appointed defence lawyers are expected to make a case for the ex-dictator to be acquitted on Thursday and Friday. Once backed by France and the US as a bulwark against Libya's Moamer Kadhafi, Habre could be sentenced to life imprisonment with forced labour. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last month welcomed the Habre trial as evidence of "the surge in accountability mechanisms" which he saw as "a sea change in ending impunity for atrocious crimes." Fall on Monday said Habre had the "power of life and death" over his people. "People sang about Hissene Habre here, Hissene Habre there, Hissene Habre everwhere. It was he who freed people and he who had them executed." DAKAR (Reuters) - Prosecutors in the landmark human rights trial of former Chad ruler Hissene Habre on Wednesday recommended life in prison if he is convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture, Senegal state radio said. Habre, who ruled from 1982-1990, went on trial in the Senegalese capital last July and a verdict is expected this year. It is the first time a domestic court system in one country has tried a former leader of another for rights charges. (Reporting by Diadie Ba; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg) Doha (AFP) - Qatar signed a long-term deal with Pakistan on Wednesday to export liquefied natural gas, according to state media in the Gulf. The deal will see Qatar export up to 3.75 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas a year, according to Pakistan's petroleum minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. This represents around 20 percent of the south Asian country's gas requirements. The Qatar News Agency (QNA) confirmed the deal had been signed in a statement posted on its website. Supplies of the gas could start as early as March, according to the QNA. Media reports in Pakistan estimated the deal was worth $16 billion (14 billion euros). Abbasi told Pakistan media that the deal was a "game-changer" for his country, and the deal would help save the country one billion dollars annually. Pakistan currently faces a severe shortage of natural gas, both for its electricity generation and industrial use. The deal was signed on the first day of two-day visit to Qatar by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Spreading rumors that one of your opponents is dropping out of the presidential race moments before the Iowa caucuses start? Calling your rival a vulgar name on the eve of the New Hampshire primary because he doesnt support torture as much as you do? Childs play when compared to what could happen between now and the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina on Feb. 20. Its no secret that U.S. presidential elections have a long history of questionable, or downright dirty, campaign tactics that in hindsight seem like something straight out of fiction, but the Palmetto State stands apart when it comes to mudslinging. Related: As Trump Comes Roaring Back, the GOP Reshuffles the Deck Shortly after winning the New Hampshire primary in a rout, billionaire Donald Trump said he was ready for underhanded attacks. Weve already had dirty tricks in this campaign, so Im ready for whatever they want to throw at me, he said during an interview with CNN. Trumps massive Granite State victory could put him on a collision course with Sen. Ted Cruz (TX), the winner of the Iowa caucuses who hopes to duplicate his formula for success by turning out South Carolinas evangelical voters. Of course, Trump doesnt think thats why Cruz won the Hawkeye State: after the caucuses he accused the Tea Party darling of stealing the election because his camp told Ben Carson supporters that the retired neurosurgeon was dropping out of the race. Cruz has countered that his staffers were merely circulating a CNN report, but the bad blood persists. The two hopefuls are reportedly hoping to meet face-to-face in South Carolina to clear the air. If the powwow doesnt work, the allegations against Cruz will no doubt continue, but such maneuvers would be par for the course in South Carolina. Related: Did He Really Say That? Trump Hits a New Low in New Hampshire In 2000, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) clobbered then-Texas Governor George W. Bush in the New Hampshire primary and was favored to win in South Carolina. Then a fake telephone poll suggested McCain had fathered a black child out of wedlock and Bush went on to win the primary and eventually the presidency. In 2007, voters across the state opened their mailboxes to find a Christmas card suggesting former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, a Mormon, was pro-polygamy. Story continues Lines of attack are already appearing among the 2016 field, where Tuesday nights results essentially clogged what might have been an exodus of White House hopefuls. Candidates like Ohio Governor John Kasich, who finished second to Trump, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who racked up a fourth place finish, feel invigorated, while Sen. Marco Rubio (FL), who hoped to turn his third-place finish in Iowa into a runner-up trophy in New Hampshire but came fifth, is desperate to eke out a win. Related: Why the Working Class Is Choosing Trump and Sanders In a Republican primary that has been dominated by national security, its not surprising that the new round of criticism revolves around the military, especially when you consider that South Carolina boasts 8 military bases and almost 60,000 veterans. Bushs campaign is already spreading materials that point out Kasichs support for Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), suggesting it would weaken the U.S. military. I think its a sad situation when youve got to rely on negative to move voters, which they havent been able to do, as opposed to articulating a positive vision, Kasich, a former member of the House Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday on ABCs Good Morning America. There is also chatter that Trumps Vietnam War draft deferments may boil up as an issue. Cruz could also be under fire for his recent comments that it would be nuts to make women sign up for Selective Service despite the suggestion coming from the chiefs of the Army and Marine Corps. Rubio has already come out in favor of the idea. GOP leaders can only hope that the next ten days of jockeying dont bloody their eventual nominee too much and provide ammunition for either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders in the general election. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration has no immediate need for funding to combat the Zika virus because money remains unspent from fighting the two-year-long Ebola outbreak, a member of the Republican Senate leadership said on Tuesday. Lawmakers are debating what resources are needed as Zika spreads in South and Central America and the Caribbean and raises fears of the possibility of birth defects. But while Democrats joined with the administration to call for more than $1.8 billion in emergency funding, Republicans say there is no need for immediate action and intend to have hearings on Capitol Hill, including a meeting with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell on Tuesday. "We all believe this needs to be dealt with," said Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, who will chair a hearing about Zika on Thursday. "Theres still money left that was appropriated for Ebola," Blunt told reporters. "So theres no immediate shortage of money for the administration to do what they think needs to be done. He said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the National Institutes of Health have received additional funding. Most of the money sought by Obama would be spent in the United States on testing, surveillance and response. A Republican aide said the government had $1.49 billion left in Ebola funding as of Dec. 31, 2015. The Ebola outbreak began in West Africa in December 2013. The CDC received a $272 million increase for 2016, the aide said. Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services were not immediately available to comment. Democrats rejected the Republican agenda of hearings and called for action on Obama's plan. "All the lip service in the world isn't going to protect America from the Zika virus," said Senator Charles Schumer of New York, the Senate's No. 3 Democrat. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international health emergency on Feb. 1, citing a "strongly suspected" relationship between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. Brazil is investigating more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly and has identified evidence of Zika infection in 17 of these cases. But much remains unknown about Zika. (Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Grant McCool) (Reuters) - Sirhan Sirhan, the assassin of Democratic presidential candidate Robert Kennedy in 1968, faces a California parole board for the 15th time on Wednesday, with a witness repeating arguments that he did not shoot Kennedy. Sirhan, 71, has a suitability hearing at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego, the California Board of Parole Hearings said on its website. Palestinian-born Sirhan is serving a life sentence for gunning down Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, shortly after he won the California Democratic presidential primary. Kennedy died the next day. Sirhan was sentenced to death in 1969. His sentence was commuted to life in prison after California banned the death penalty. Paul Schrade, a 91-year-old onetime Kennedy confidant and among the five people wounded in the shooting, told the board that Sirhan should be granted parole since evidence showed that a second gunman killed Kennedy. "The evidence clearly shows you were not the gunman who shot Robert Kennedy," Schrade said in remarks prepared for the hearing. Sirhan fired in front of Kennedy but he was struck in the back by three bullets, including a fatal shot to the back of the head, Schrade said. An analysis of an audio recording shows that 13 shots were fired, but Sirhan's gun held only eight rounds and he had no chance to reload, Schrade said. He alleged misconduct in the investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department and called for a new probe of Kennedy's killing. A federal judge last year rejected similar arguments by Sirhan's lawyers, who had sought to have him released, saying he was innocent. Sirhan has said that he had no recollection of the killing, though he also has said that he had fired at Kennedy because he was enraged by his support for Israel. Sirhan was last denied parole in 2011. He is imprisoned in San Diego. Kennedy was a U.S. senator from New York when he died at age 42. His older brother, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963. (Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Dan Grebler) United Nations (United States) (AFP) - France, Britain and their allies at the UN Security Council on Wednesday pushed Russia to end its bombing of Syria's Aleppo province and press the regime to allow humanitarian aid. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin shot back that Moscow would not be "apologetic" about its military campaign and suggested Western powers were using the pressing need for aid deliveries in Syria for propaganda ends. The Security Council met at the request of New Zealand and Spain to discuss the crisis in Aleppo where tens of thousands of people are fleeing a Syrian government offensive, backed by Russian air power. The appeals to Russia came on the eve of a crucial meeting in Munich of the 17-nation International Syria Support Group that is to chart a way forward for peace talks set to resume in Geneva on February 25. Up to 35,000 people have fled the Russian-backed assault in northern Syria in recent days, according to the United Nations, with tens of thousands massing on the border with Turkey. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is to present ceasefire proposals at the Munich talks, but no details of the plan were released at the council meeting. "Let me be clear about it: It's not a favor that we are asking to the Syrian regime and its allies, it's their obligation," French Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters. "The regime and its allies cannot pretend they are extending a hand to the opposition while, with their other hand, they are trying to destroy them," he said. - Humanitarian pause - New Zealand and Spain proposed a humanitarian pause to shore up prospects for the peace talks after the opposition said it would not attend without an end to starvation sieges and air strikes. "We do call on them to show decency and cooperate with the UN," said New Zealand Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen. Russia's envoy said Moscow was ready to look at proposals for a humanitarian pause but that discussion would be needed to avoid the same outcome as in Yemen, where ceasefires never materialized. Story continues "We are not about to be apologetic about what we are doing," Churkin told reporters after the meeting. "We are there legally, at the invitation of the Syrian government." "This propagandistic use of the Syrian humanitarian file is not going to deter Russia from doing the humanitarian work we are doing with the Syrian government," he added. President Bashar Al-Assad's forces backed by Russian warplanes have captured a string of villages around opposition-held Aleppo over the past week and managed to cut a major rebel supply route to the city. Churkin commented that the "changes in balance on the ground... should be taken as logical development in any armed conflict." Syria's nearly five-year-old war has killed 260,000 people and displaced half the population. Erdogan The Russian Ministry of Defense warned Turkey against launching a military incursion into Syria last week, announcing on Thursday that it had seen "growing signs" that Turkish forces were preparing to intervene to bolster rebel forces battling pro-regime troops in the north. Some experts say, however, that Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be trying to bait Turkey into entering the Syrian battlefield in order to retaliate for Ankara's decision to down a Russian warplane in November. Russia is trying to draw Turkey into a fight to avenge the downing of its jet. Putin is confident he can win," retired Brig. Gen. Naim Baburoglu, an adviser to the Ankara-based National Security and Foreign Policy Research Center, told al-Monitor last week. "He also needs this to counter domestic difficulties. Downing one or two Turkish F-16s will make him a hero at home, Baburoglu added. It will also be a serious embarrassment to Turkey and the Turkish air force." Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially denied reports that Turkish forces were preparing to cross the border. But on Sunday, Erdogan signaled that Turkey would be prepared to intervene in Syria if asked by its coalition partners. We dont want to fall into the same mistake in Syria as in Iraq, Erdogan told reporters on Sunday, according to the Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet. "If ... Turkey was present in Iraq, the country would have never have fallen into its current situation." He added: Its important to see the horizon. Whats going on in Syria can only go on for so long. At some point it has to change." Turkey syria Erdogan, a staunch opponent of the Russian-backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was at least partly referring to the Syrian Kurds' sustained expansion westward along the Turkish-Syrian border. That push has largely been facilitated by Russian airstrikes targeting Syrian rebel groups backed by Turkey, the US, and Saudi Arabia. Story continues Signs of growing coordination between Moscow and the Kurds came to a head last week when Syria's main Kurdish militia, the YPG, helped Russia and the Syrian army isolate Azaz a strategically important city long used by Turkey to funnel aid and supplies to rebels in the city of Aleppo. "I dont think there is any doubt that the YPG and Russia are coordinating in the Azaz corridor," Aaron Stein, an expert on Turkish affairs and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Business Insider on Monday. He added: "The YPG have taken advantage of the airstrikes to advance in areas south of Azaz, in what looks like a strategy to connect the Efrin canton with Kobane and Jazira. The PYD have consistently made clear, both in private and in public, that they can reach a common understanding with local groups in the area, and install a governing council inside the city." syria azaz As Turkish-Russian relations continue to deteriorate, Russia's military and political ties to the Kurds are getting stronger. Russia is reportedly looking to open a second air field in the Kurdish-held Syrian city of Qamishli, and the Kurds have said they will open their first "representation office" in Moscow later this week. "The PYDs office in Moscow has been months in the making," Stein said. "The PYD and by extension, the PKK are eager to escape from international isolation. Any country willing to de-facto recognize them as a legitimate political group, and not a foreign terrorist organization, is a net positive for the group." Fabrice Balanche, a leading expert on Syria and visiting fellow at the Washington Institute, broached the limits of the US' political support for the Kurds in an analysis last week. "Unlike the United States, Russia does not want to antagonize the Kurds by prohibiting their deeply held goal of territorial unification," he wrote. "Vladimir Putin wants to put pressure on Turkey's entire frontier with Syria," Balanche added. Indeed, "it is one of the main regional goals of the Russian intervention." russia bomb syria That the Kurds are now closer than ever to linking their territories east of the Euphrates with the Kurdish-controlled city of Efrin in the west a move that would cross Turkey's "red line" and allow the Kurds to consolidate their de-facto state of Rojava along Turkey's southern border may be enough to draw Turkey into the war. "The Turkish army is very conservative and risk averse," Jeff White, a defense analyst focusing on the security fairs of the Levant at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Business Insider in an email. "So while willing to protect its borders, I doubt we will see any large scale operations in Syria with one possible exception: unification of the Kurdish enclaves/Rojava." ypg If the Kurds were to unify their cantons, Turkey might be compelled to intervene to prevent them from forming a statelet along the Turkish border, White noted. And that would be a game-changer. "The Turkish army could defeat any opponents in its chosen areas of operation," White said. "Direct Turkish intervention, if on a substantial scale, could dramatically change the situation." Incidentally, rumors of a Turkish military intervention began circulating days after Saudi Arabia declared that it would be prepared to send ground troops to Syria to fight the Islamic State "if asked" by its allies. As such, "Turkey is no longer acting alone," Middle East analyst Elijah Magnier noted on Twitter last week. Though it remains "highly unlikely" that Turkey will invade Syria, Magnier said that if it did, "Russia would celebrate." NOW WATCH: Watch Tina Fey take on Sarah Palin's Trump endorsement speech on SNL More From Business Insider For all the talk of Trevor Noahs middling tenure thus far at The Daily Show, people probably need to stop worrying about Jon Stewarts legacy. That show itself might be floundering, but Stewarts legacy is still felt across late night, from Stephen Colbert to Larry Wilmore to John Oliver at HBO. And: Samantha Bee, whose barnstorming debut of her new weekly TBS show Full Frontal on Monday was an acidly funny half-hour that had none of the shakiness typically associated with a new late-night show. Related Story Samantha Bee Disrupts the Late-Night TV Boys Club Full Frontals format is less cozy than many a talk showBee stands for the entire rideand it makes her Daily Show-style segments feel all the more blistering. Shes dispensed with the padding that makes most late-night shows interminable, like musical guests, or sit-down interviews with someone shilling a book. Like John Olivers Last Week Tonight, the show is running weekly, to give her and her writers time to focus on well-researched bits and remote pieces. If Monday nights premiere was anything to go by, thats a great ideaBee ripped into three long, topical, planned-out pieces with the kind of furious, witty aplomb we havent seen enough of on television since Jon Stewart rode out into the sunset. In fact, Full Frontals first episode was such a welcome jolt of energy that you might wish the show was airing every day. The layered ridiculousness of this presidential race has been strangely difficult for late-night shows to cover, perhaps because its hard to find a way in to such nakedly crazy material, but Bees takedown of every candidate, part of her first segment, was pitch perfect. Every one-liner felt honed and briskly funny (describing Donald Trump as a human caps lock), and throughout, Bee exuded the quiet confidence that makes her a natural for this gig. Yes, its great to have a woman in the late-night fray; its also great to have someone who knows what shes doing. Story continues Recommended: 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Will Be Published as a Book If Full Frontal continues with the format it debuted this week, itll quickly become appointment TV for the political-comedy crowd. While Bee cant play around with the commercial-free half-hour John Oliver gets over at HBO, she harnesses her act breaks well. The first seven minutes was a topical round-up going into New Hampshire, efficiently taking down flubs like Marco Rubios robotic debate performance. The second act focused on a single news storya Kansas state senator proposing a bill regulating womens dressand was similarly excoriating, only in grander detail (Bees writers room is there to research and flesh out such stories, as well as come up with brutal zingers). The last segment, a Werner Herzog-style parody film about Jeb Bushs campaign, was the biggest standouta well-executed parody that also managed to elicit real sympathy for its floundering subject. A Jeb in Winter is worth watching in full for the footage the Full Frontal team managed to capture, featuring both the mournful candidate and of supporters, who cant help but damn him with faint praise when theyre cornered by the camera. The Daily Shows remote pieces, which Bee excelled at, always had a formula to themsome stock footage, some winking interviewsbut this was more artful, and far funnier as a result. Its hard to agree that the late-night landscape was calling out for yet another topical news/comedy show, but as crowded as the genre is, Samantha Bee is the first truly interesting thing to happen to it for quite a while. That it took this long for a network to hire a woman is nothing more than predictable, but it stings all the more when you watch Full Frontal and remember that shes been doing this for years, spending all of that time at the top of her game. Bee started the show with a joking segment about how she got the gig, which cut to an elaborate sequence of witchcraft and human sacrifice, putting the obvious jokes to bed within the first two minutes. Then she went about showing viewers just how she really got hiredby being one of the best late-night comedians in the business. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. Concord (United States) (AFP) - Written off by his opponents as a wacky socialist, Bernie Sanders was long seen as the foil who would drag Hillary Clinton farther to the left, rather than a real White House contender. But with his decisive win in New Hampshire's Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday, the 74-year-old Sanders -- the country's longest-serving independent member of Congress -- gave notice that his "political revolution" is for real. An outsider like Donald Trump, albeit at the opposite end of the ideological spectrum, the self-styled democratic socialist may be the eldest contender in the White House race but he has done the most to inspire passionate support among young liberals. "We harnessed the energy and the excitement that the Democratic party will need to succeed in November," Sanders told adoring fans at his campaign headquarters on Tuesday, looking ahead to the general election. Outwardly serious -- even friends call him grumpy -- the senator from Vermont has spent a lifetime in public office addressing income inequality and fumes that the top 0.1 percent of Americans owns as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. Bernie, as he is known to fans, calls inequality the great moral, economic and political issue of the times and demands campaign finance reform that would prevent billionaires from spending unlimited funds in propelling their candidates to the White House. He has drawn thousands to his rallies, winning endorsements from Oscar winner Susan Sarandon and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, which concocted a new flavor, "Bernie's Yearning," mint covered in a thick chocolate, in his honor. The catchy "Feel the Bern" has become the popular de facto campaign slogan. Sanders admits to being taken aback by the extent to which his message has resonated in a Democratic race where Clinton is still expected to win the overall Democratic nomination. He has run a progressive campaign calling for universal health care coverage, a $15 minimum wage, reining in Wall Street, free tuition at public universities, taxing the wealthy and pulling 27 million Americans out of poverty. Story continues The big question, as with Trump, is whether Sanders can continue to transform his popularity among people who generally do not vote into turnout. On Tuesday, he succeeded. - Struggled for money - Born in Brooklyn, New York on September 8, 1941 and brought up in a hard-working Jewish family that could never afford to move out of their small apartment, he has spoken of knowing firsthand the struggle for money. His father was a Polish immigrant whose family was wiped out in the Holocaust. He attended a local school and a college, before transferring to the University of Chicago. As a student, he became involved in the civil rights movement and took part in the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. After graduating, Sanders worked on an Israeli kibbutz and moved to Vermont, the state next to New Hampshire, where he worked as a carpenter and filmmaker. In 1981, he was elected as mayor of Burlington, the state's largest city, by a mere 10-vote margin and went on to win another three terms. Under his administration, the city made strides in affordable housing, progressive taxation, environmental protection, child care and women's rights. In 1990, he was elected to the House of Representatives as an independent for Vermont, taking his fight against inequality to Congress. After 16 years in the House, he was elected to the Senate and is serving his second term after winning re-election in 2012 with 71 percent of the vote. - Integrity - In 2014, he worked with Republican Senator John McCain to pass legislation to make it easier for veterans to get medical care, beating the partisan gridlock that has paralyzed much of Washington life in recent years. He registered as a Democrat last year and announced his presidential run. Sanders has mainly steered clear of waging personal attacks on Clinton, including over the email scandal that dogged her stint as secretary of state, or her husband's extra-marital liaisons. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails," he said during a televised debate in October, while acknowledging it was not good politics to let the former first lady off the hook. But in a debate last week, Clinton accused him of seeking unfairly to discredit her by suggesting she was beholden to powerful donors, calling on him and his campaign team to "end the artful smear." Nevertheless, Democrats disillusioned with the Clintons and Americans asking why they work so hard and yet lag so far behind other industrialized nations in having the right to paid leave and health care have flocked to Team Sanders. "In countries around the world, in Scandinavia and in Germany, the ideas that I am talking about are not radical ideas," Sanders explained in Iowa, where he lost to Clinton by the thinnest of margins. "We cannot continue to have a government dominated by the billionaire class and a Congress that continues to work for the interest of the people on top while ignoring working families." Sanders lives in Burlington with his second wife Jane. Together, the couple have four children and seven grandchildren. Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Nigerian prosecutors on Wednesday charged nearly 200 members of a pro-Iranian Shiite group with illegal possession of firearms following December clashes with troops that led to claims of hundreds of deaths, their lawyers said on Wednesday. Some 191 members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) were charged with illegal possession of firearms and causing a public disturbance, according to charge papers read out in court. All the suspects pleaded not guilty. "My clients were arraigned today (Wednesday) in court for the first time since they were arrested following the incidents in Zaria in December last year", defence lawyer Husseini Ibrahim said after the court session. No official death toll has yet been given for the two days of clashes starting on December 12, which were sparked when IMN followers blocked the convoy of Chief of Army Staff General Tukur Yusuf Buratai in the city of Zaria, in northern Kaduna state. Following the clashes, the headquarters of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) was raided and the group's leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky, was arrested and kept in custody. The group said some 730 of its members were unaccounted for, "either killed by the army or... in detention". Human Rights Watch has said "at least 300" were killed while Amnesty International put the figures at "hundreds". Wednesday's court hearing was held inside the central prison in the northern city of Kaduna where the suspects are being held for security reasons, according to prosecution lawyer Dari Bayero. "The suspects were arraigned for illegal possession of firearms and public disturbance and incitement," Bayero said. Four of the accused who are under the age of 18 were released on bail while the rest were remanded in prison custody until March 29 when the court resumes, both lawyers said. Government and local human rights commission has set up panels to probe the clashes. The Ateca is the car that Spanish carmaker Seat hopes will drive its sales to another level. Revealed at a special event in Barcelona, Spain on Wednesday evening, the Ateca promises to offer drivers best-in-class connectivity, put a premium on cabin space and boast host of active driver aids including traffic jam assist, road sign recognition and blind spot monitoring as standard or optional equipment. "We have put together an amazing package of technologies and innovations for the Ateca - delivering more safety and utility but, above all, the most dynamic driving experience possible," said Dr. Matthias Rabe, Vice President of SEAT, S.A. responsible for Research and Development. "It is incredibly fun to drive. And we have combined this driving experience with compelling utility, making the Ateca a hugely versatile companion for an active urban life." Though with larger proportions and greater ground clearance, the Ateca's style is clearly influenced by that of the Seat Leon, the company's most popular car. And it is that family resemblance that Seat hopes will communicate the car's potential performance, as well as practicality credentials. "Our first SUV marks the start of a new era for SEAT. The Ateca is a clear development of the Leon DNA and will drive forward the success of the range. SEAT is a brand on the move," said Luca de Meo, President of SEAT, S.A. By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - An investigator in the fatal ambush shooting of a Houston-area deputy has been fired for inappropriate behavior, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said on Wednesday, making him the second person in the probe to be terminated. The office said it had fired Deputy M. DeLeon on Tuesday for being untruthful in the course of the investigation into the death of Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Darren Goforth. Goforth, 47, was fatally shot in a hail of bullets on Aug. 28 as he fueled a patrol car at a Houston-area gas station. The suspected shooter, Shannon Miles, 31, was committed this week to a state mental hospital for 120 days after prosecutors found he was not competent to stand trial at this time. Miles has been charged with capital murder, which is punishable by death. In October, the Harris County Sheriff's office fired Sergeant Craig Clopton, a homicide investigator, after a receiving a report that he had sexual relations with a witness in the case. Clopton had "consensual sexual relations" with the same woman who has claimed she had been in a sexual relationship with Goforth, court papers said. Defense attorneys have argued that Goforth was filling up his patrol car while on his way to meet the woman cited in the case. The move is seen as an attempt to argue that the deputy was not on duty at the time he was killed and Miles should not face the death penalty. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Bernard Orr) By Gulshan Luthra and Vinay Kumar New Delhi, Feb. 10 (ANI): Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces, General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, arrived here to a very warm welcome by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ministers and top officials. Shaikh Mohammed, who is here on a three-day state visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business from the UAE. He has, in fact, been to India a couple of times since 1995, but this is the first time he is being accorded the highest status as a head of state in protocol. Briefing newsmen before Shaikh Mohammed's arrival, top Indian officials described the visit as "unique and very important," pointing out that the leadership in the two countries shared common vision for global and regional peace and stability. It may be noted that in May 1981, when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited the UAE at the invitation of Shaikh Zayed, Shaikh Mohammed's father, the joint statement noted that "the security and stability of the Indian subcontinent and the Gulf region are interlinked", and peace in one region is important for the peace and stability of the other. This position has been reiterated over the years by both the countries, including in 2003 when Shaikh Mohammed visited New Delhi at the invitation of the then Prime Minister, Mr. AB Vajpayee, and signed an agreement for strategic cooperation. "This visit marks excellent rapport between the leadership of the two countries and comes within months of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UAE in August 2015 which was first by an Indian Prime Minister in the last 34 years," Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, observed. During Mr. Modi's visit, the two sides had agreed to take the bilateral relations forward and elevate them to a comprehensive strategic partnership. They will have an opportunity again now to follow with their discussions and hold delegation level talks, sources told India Strategic. Describing the UAE as an important trading and business partner of India, particularly for fulfilling nearly 10 percent of India's energy needs, Wadhwa said that the UAE was the sixth largest source for supply of crude oil to India. Relations between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi had always been friendly and steady in all aspects. He said that India remained an attractive destination for investment from the UAE, and is also the third largest global trading partner of India after the US and China with bilateral trade touching $60 billion in 2014-15. "Also, nearly 2.6 million Indians live in the UAE of which 60 per cent are engaged in blue collar jobs and 20 per cent are professionals. There are 50 Indian schools also in UAE." Though Wadhwa declined to disclose the number of pacts to be signed between India and the UAE during the visit of the Crown Prince, it is likely that several agreements ranging from nuclear energy, oil, IT, cyber security, counter-terrorism and security, railways and aerospace are likely to be appended signed. "There are negotiations still going on to give a final shape to some of the agreements and MoUs," he said. The high-level UAE delegation will also visit Mumbai on February 12 and meet Indian business leaders there. A visit to Mumbai stock exchange is on the cards and many UAE businessmen are likely to stay back in India for talks with their Indian counterparts. Interestingly, India has offered to lend its expertise in aerospace to the UAE and ISRO is willing to cooperate in the UAE's ambitious plan of launching its Mars mission by 2021. ISRO has many firsts to its credit and its costs of launching satellites is less than half of what the western countries spend on similar missions. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is slated to call on the visiting dignitary soon after his arrival, and in the evening, he will be accorded a ceremonial reception at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace) following which he will call on President Pranab Mukherjee. On his second day, the President will host a lunch for the Crown Prince. Wadhwa said that the two leaders were likely to discuss ways to contain radicalism and stepping up counter-terrorism cooperation, particularly in the wake of the threat posed by terror outfits like ISIS. "Both sides have a robust mechanism already on intelligence sharing and capacity building as well as in defence sector for manufacture of equipment," he added. India and the UAE have historically enjoyed friendly relations anchored on mutually beneficial commercial exchanges and extensive people to people contacts. The UAE is among the largest investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments. The UAE-India Infrastructure Investment Fund aims to reach a target of $75 billion to support investment in India's plans for expansion of next generation infrastructure, especially in railways, ports, roads, airports and industrial corridors and parks. The aim is to expanding bilateral trade by 60 percent in the next five years. India has vital stakes in the security and stability of the Gulf region, which hosts over seven million Indians. This region is also the source of nearly two-third of India's crude oil requirements and is India's largest trading partner. Apart from the investment by Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), a number of private investors from the UAE are also looking at India as a destination for investment. The joint statement of August 2015 had noted that an extensive framework of agreements, including economic, defence, security, law enforcement, cultural, consular and people-to-people contacts formed solid bedrock for elevating the bilateral cooperation across the full spectrum of India-UAE relationship. During Prime Minister Modi's visit to Abu Dhabi in August last year, both he and Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan had agreed to chart a new course in their partnership for the 21st century. The two leaders had agreed to coordinate efforts to counter radicalisation and misuse of religion by groups and countries for inciting hatred, perpetrating and justifying terrorism or pursuing political aims. In their joint statement, they did not name any country but categorically expressed their opposition to terrorism in all forms and manifestations, wherever committed and by whom, calling on all states to reject and abandon the use of terrorism against other countries, dismantle terrorism infrastructures where they exist and bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice. Another notable feature of the joint statement was the decision to work together to control, regulate and share information on flow of funds that could have a bearing on radicalisation activities and cooperate in interdicting illegal flows and take action against concerned individuals and organisations. They had also agreed to strengthen defence relations, including through regular exercises and training of naval, air, land and Special Forces, and in coastal defence and cooperate in manufacture of defence equipment in India. In fact, the UAE has very good capacity in building small naval vessels and the Indian Navy has purchased three Immediate Support Vessels (ISVs) from UAE's Abu Dhabi Ship Builders (ADSB) and they were inducted at a formal ceremony in Visakhapatnam on March 24 last year. India's private sector Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) also has a tie-up with some UAE companies for defence production. Incidentally, the UAE has built one of the world's biggest strategic oil reserve facilities and its expertise and experienced could be shared by India. (ANI) (Reuters) - Two Maryland sheriff's deputies were fatally shot on Wednesday and a suspect killed in gunfire that started at a Baltimore-area restaurant filled with lunchtime diners, authorities said. A deputy who responded to a disturbance report at a Panera Bread restaurant in Abingdon, about 25 miles northeast of Baltimore, was shot inside the building, said Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler. A second deputy chased the suspected shooter outside the restaurant and was also wounded. The two veteran deputies - one with 30 years at the sheriff's office and the other with 16 years - died of their injuries, said Gahler in a message on the office's Facebook page. At least two other deputies fired rounds at the suspect, identified as David Brian Evans, a 67-year-old white man, Gahler said. Evans had at least two outstanding warrants - including a criminal warrant from Florida for assaulting a police officer and fleeing. The other was a civil writ issued by Harford County Circuit Court. A loaded handgun was recovered from Evans, Gahler said. "Today is a sad day for the Harford County Sheriff's Office, and the citizens of Harford County we are sworn to serve," Gahler said. The identity of the deputies was not immediately available. The other deputies who shot at Evans have been placed on administrative leave, per protocol, pending an investigation, Gahler said. There were no additional suspects in the incident, which lasted about 15 minutes, he said. (Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales and Mary Wisniewski in Chicago and Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese and Andrew Hay) By Andrew M. Seaman (Reuters Health) - Late-night confessions may not offer the proverbial slam dunk prosecutors hope for at trial, suggests a new U.S. study. People who are sleep deprived are 4.5 times more likely to sign a false confession than those who got a full night's rest before signing, researchers found. "I think it's important for the legal community and jurors to do what they can to accurately and reliably assess evidence including confession evidence," said study author Shari Berkowitz, of California State University, Dominguez Hills. She and her colleagues write in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that a recent investigation suggests about 4 percent of people sentenced to death in the U.S. are innocent. False confessions are implicated in about 15 to 25 percent of those cases, the authors note. Sleep deprivation can be used as an interrogation tactic, and Berkowitz said it can be used unintentionally when suspects are questioned during the hours people would normally be asleep. "While there has been a lot of great research into false confessions, no one has actually explored if sleep deprivation increases the risk for false confessions," Berkowitz told Reuters Health. For the new study, the researchers recruited 88 Michigan State University students to complete various computer tasks. While completing those tasks, the participants were repeatedly warned not to press the "escape" key on the keyboard, because it would cause the computer to lose valuable data. The participants then returned in the evening about seven days later to answer more questions. Half of the participants were then allowed to sleep for eight hours, and the others were kept awake through the night. In the morning, the participants were given a sheet of paper to sign that described their activities in the first session and falsely said they had pressed the escape key. Half of the sleep-deprived participants signed the false confession, compared with 18 percent of those who got a full-night of rest. After those who initially refused to sign the paper were asked to do so a second time, false confessions increased to about 68 percent of the sleep-deprived group and about 39 percent of the well-rested group. The study team tested the participants' comprehension to make sure that they knew what they were signing, and when they eliminated two participants - one rested, one sleep deprived - who failed to show they had read the text and understood it, the results for the larger groups did not change. The researchers also found that people who reported being more tired - in general - and those who had less control over impulses were more likely to sign the false confessions. Berkowitz cautioned that the study only looked at false confessions, and it can't say whether sleep-deprived people are more likely to sign true confessions. Also, the researchers acknowledge that the stakes involved are different when falsely confessing to pressing the "escape" key versus falsely admitting to a crime, but the study team was limited by ethical research standards in the scenarios they could test. Dr. Sanjeev Kothare, professor of neurology and the director of Pediatric Sleep Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said this is the first time he has seen sleep deprivation linked to false confessions. "I think this needs to be studied more systematically and possibly find a mechanism for why it happens," said Kothare, who wasn't involved in the new study. He said there is a possible rationale for the connection since sleep deprivation is already tied to poor judgment calls. "I think people should be aware of this and police departments should be aware of this," he said. Berkowitz said prosecutors should use more skepticism when they hear certain evidence before going forward with a case. Defense attorneys should pay attention to the findings, too. "I think that defense attorneys have the responsibility to stay on top of the science that relates to their clients' cases," she said. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1PArbZq PNAS, online February 8, 2016. Sri Lanka will review a controversial deal reached by the previous administration to buy new Airbus aircraft despite huge losses at the national carrier, the prime minister said Wednesday. Ranil Wickremesinghe said Sri Lankan Airlines could not economically operate long-range A350-900 aircraft ordered by the previous government, but needed short-haul planes for its profitable Asian routes. Responding to a question from the opposition, Wickremesinghe told parliament the airline was losing money on every flight to Europe and adding new planes would only worsen accumulated losses now standing at over $650 million. "They (the previous government) had agreed to buy four A350-900 planes and lease another four," he said. "We have not paid a deposit, but if we default we have to pay a penalty of $12 million." "We are stuck. We have to review the deal and take a decision if we are going ahead with the purchase or not." He said the police Financial Crimes Investigation Department was already probing the entire aircraft purchase agreed by the administration of then-President Mahinda Rajapakse, which was toppled in January 2015 elections. The initial transaction, including six A330 planes, was estimated at $2.3 billion. An airline official said all A330 planes had been delivered while the A350 aircraft were due to be delivered from this year. Los Angeles (AFP) - Veteran "Star Trek" screenwriter Bryan Fuller is to return to his roots as co-creator and executive producer of the new installment of the cult TV series, CBS Studios announced on Tuesday. The long-running franchise is due to come back to the small screen in 2017, sparking a frenzy among its millions of fans around the world. "Before seeing a frame of the television series, the Star Trek universe lit my imagination on fire," said Fuller, who launched his career in the 1990s writing for "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager," two of the series in the sci-fi saga. "It is without exaggeration a dream come true to be crafting a brand new iteration of Star Trek with fellow franchise alum Alex Kurtzman and boldly going where no Star Trek series has gone before," he said in a statement. Kurtzman, who co-wrote and produced the blockbuster 2009 and 2013 spin-off movies "Star Trek" and "Star Trek Into Darkness," will executive produce the new show along with Fuller. The original "Star Trek" told the story of the flight crew aboard the USS Enterprise spaceship, which ventured around the galaxy exploring new worlds. It snowballed into a cultural phenomenon in the 1970s and 80s, turning its stars into household names -- the late Leonard Nimoy, who played the half-human, half-Vulcan "Mr Spock" and William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk. "Bringing Star Trek back to television means returning it to its roots, and for years those roots flourished under Bryan's devoted care," said Kurtzman. The new series will air exclusively in the United States from January 2017 but will be available largely behind the paywall on CBS's subscription channel, CBS said. Fuller most recently worked as executive producer and writer on NBC's "Hannibal", based on the characters from the book Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. By Andrew M. Seaman (Reuters Health) - Laws permitting assisted suicide may justify the right of even psychiatric patients to end their lives in theory, but the reality of implementing such programs is messy, a study of the Netherlands finds. Complex medical histories and disagreements among doctors were common elements among the Dutch cases of psychiatric patients who chose legalized assisted suicide or euthanasia, say the researchers who analyzed them. "When you actually try to implement it even in a setting where there is excellent healthcare, there are a lot of red flags that need to be investigated further," said lead study author Dr. Scott Kim, a psychiatrist and bioethicist at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. In some form, assisted death is legalized in Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Canada and a few U.S. states, Kim and his colleagues write in JAMA Psychiatry. "In Belgium and The Netherlands they have a much more expansive law that doesnt regard diagnosis as important," Kim told Reuters Health. The ambiguity allows the law to also apply to patients with psychiatric illnesses. People with treatment-resistant depression tend to be the focus of debate over assisted suicide for psychiatric illnesses, the researchers note. But little is known about who actually uses the 2002 law that formalized euthanasia practices in the Netherlands. For the new study, the researchers examined case summaries from Dutch regional euthanasia review committees posted online by June 2015. The committees are charged with ensuring that "due care" was given by the doctors involved in each case. There were 66 summaries of psychiatric assisted suicide cases that took place between 2011 and 2014, representing the majority of assisted suicides involving psychiatric patients known to have occurred during that period. Overall, about a third of the people helped to end their lives were age 70 years or older, 44 percent were between ages 50 and 70 and about a quarter were 30 to 50 years old. Seventy percent were women. While fully 55 percent of patients were diagnosed with depression, the others had a number of different conditions, including psychosis, posttraumatic stress disorder or anxiety, neurocognitive issues, pain without any physical cause, eating disorders, prolonged grief and autism. About a quarter of patients' suicides were assisted by psychiatrists, and about one in five patients were treated by unfamiliar doctors - the majority from a mobile assisted suicide clinic funded by a Dutch right to die organization. The researchers also found that about one in 10 patients receive no outside input from psychiatrists, and about a quarter of cases involved disagreement between the doctors treating the patient. Dr. Paul Applebaum writes in an accompanying editorial that the findings "raise serious concerns about the implementation of physician-assisted dying for psychiatric patients." For example, over half of the cases also had personality disorders, which raises questions about "the stability of the expressed desires to die," writes Applebaum, of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University's Department of Psychiatry in New York City. When one considers the subjective criteria used to determine a person's eligibility for assisted suicide or euthanasia in The Netherlands, Dr. Aaron Kheriaty said, it's no surprise to see such a wide range of ages and psychiatric diagnoses among the patients who choose to end their lives this way. "To me thats very concerning," said Kheriaty, a psychiatrist and director of the Medical Ethics Program at the University of California, Irvine. Some of the conditions listed in the cases are potentially treatable, he said. "I think when we open the door to assisted suicide for psychiatric patients, we risk abandoning patients when there may be hope," said Kheriaty, who was not involved with the new study. Kim said there is currently no standardized system for reporting these cases, and the availability of data varies by country. "I think there needs to be a lot more transparency of what actually happens when assisted suicide or euthanasia is provided," he said. "Right now the Dutch system is the most transparent." SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1SgP7Xs and http://bit.ly/1SgPaTp JAMA Psychiatry, online February 10, 2016. Khartoum (AFP) - Sudan said Wednesday it summoned the top US diplomat in Khartoum to protest Washington's sponsorship of a draft UN resolution extending sanctions over Darfur that could target gold mining. UN Security Council Resolution 1591, which was passed in 2005, imposed travel bans and asset freezes on parties involved in the conflict in the western Darfur region. The panel of experts for the 1591 Sudan sanctions committee is expected to be renewed soon. A statement by foreign ministry, which summoned the US diplomat, said the draft resolution includes "paragraphs unfair to Sudan dealing with the matter of gold mining in Sudan". The US envoy was told that the "draft resolution was contrary to the spirit of bilateral relations between the two countries," the statement added, without giving details about the draft. Resolution 1591 does not currently target the gold industry in Darfur, which some activists have said is driving conflicts over land in the region. Washington slapped Sudan with a trade embargo in 1997 over alleged rights abuses and the Khartoum government's alleged backing for radical Islamist groups. In recent months, Sudan has been calling for the US to relax its sanctions. Ethnic insurgents mounted a campaign against Bashir's government in Darfur in 2003, claiming their region was being marginalised. Some 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict, and there are 2.5 million people who have been forced to flee their homes in the region, according to the UN. Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court in 2009 over war crimes related to the Darfur conflict, but he has denied the counts. Fighting has flared around the isolated Jebel Marra area in Darfur since January 15, with tens of thousands of civilians thought to have been displaced in the fighting. KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir replaced the head of his joint chiefs of staff on Tuesday with a loyal general who has played a leading role in negotiations with anti-government rebels. Lieutenant General Emadeddine Mostafa Adawi replaces Lieutenant General Mostafa Obeid, who held the position for less than three years, Sudan's military spokesman told Reuters. The move came as part of a reshuffle in which Bashir replaced several senior military leaders. The armed forces are a key player in Sudanese politics. Bashir himself was an army officer when he seized power in a 1989 coup. The military spokesman gave no reason for the change. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, Writing by Lin Noueihed; Editing by Gareth Jones) This story first appeared in the Feb. 19 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. When attorneys for Sumner Redstone revealed in a Feb. 9 court filing that the ailing billionaire's ex-companion Manuela Herzer stood to inherit $50 million plus his $20 million Beverly Park house, the message was clear: In challenging her dismissal as Redstone's health care proxy, Herzer is after the money. But it's also clear that more than a mere $70 million could be at stake from Herzer's point of view. The filing confirms that changes in Redstone's will, made after Herzer was booted from his home in October, ensure those assets will go to the Sumner Redstone Charitable Foundation upon his death. And as Vanity Fair reported in May, Herzer expected to control that foundation upon the 92-year-old's death. "He's said to me a million times, 'Manuela, what's mine is yours,' " she told the magazine. A source with ties to Herzer now says she believed she already was running the foundation, initially with Redstone's girlfriend Sydney Holland and then, following Holland's 2015 ouster, on her own, until she herself was ejected. The foundation's recent IRS filings list only Redstone as an officer or trustee, though sources say Herzer was a trustee. Her attorney, Pierce O'Donnell, declined comment on her role with the foundation but reiterates to THR that she is seeking reinstatement as Redstone's caretaker only out of concern for the frail mogul's well-being. Read More: Sumner Redstone's Ex-Companion Was Set to Inherit $50 Million and His House Some sources believe a great deal of Redstone's wealth, estimated by Forbes at $4.6 billion, will go to his foundation, which, according to its website, has contributed more than $216 million to charitable causes, including Cedars-Sinai and Massachusetts General Hospital. But the foundation appears to have provided Herzer, 51, as well as at least one other former Redstone girlfriend, Elizabeth Malia Andelin, with opportunities to associate themselves with philanthropic projects -- and in some instances to profit. In 2012, for example, Andelin received $75,000 to secure an $850,000 donation for the Global Poverty Project from Redstone's foundation. Story continues Tax filings for 2014 show that Redstone's foundation made contributions of more than $31.5 million with about $90 million more in undistributed funds. Among the recipients were such institutions as Harvard University. There also were pledges of $6 million to the Sydney D. Holland Foundation and The Herzer Foundation, the latter established that year with the stated purpose of fighting childhood diseases and abuse. Andelin was a flight attendant for Redstone before she became a philanthropist. Read More: Sumner Redstone Resigns as CBS Exec Chairman With Herzer as president, the foundation listed end-of-year assets of nearly $6 million a drastic increase from the $335 on hand at the beginning of 2014. The contributions listed were $50,000 to the Brent Shapiro Foundation for Alcohol and Drug Awareness (founded by lawyer Robert Shapiro) and $10,000 to Hong Kong-based International Care Ministries, whose website says it was founded in 1992 by interior designer Sharon Pastre to fight poverty in the Philippines. Herzer already is more than well-off thanks to her long friendship with Redstone: the mogul's daughter, Shari Redstone, said in a court filing that Herzer had received $70 million from Redstone since 2009. But even if Herzer is motivated now by concern for Redstone, she also might be loath to give up her role as head of a heavily endowed foundation. For instance, a source says Herzer gained a spot on the board of Al Gore's Climate Reality Project, which in 2014 received a $10 million pledge from Redstone's foundation. "You get invited to a lot of stuff," says a trustee of another foundation. "It would give her position in the world, to be sure." Moscow (AFP) - Syrian Kurdish separatists on Wednesday opened a representation in Moscow amid a push by the Kremlin to have them included in Syria peace talks despite Turkey's objections. "This is a historical moment for the Kurdish people," Merab Shamoyev, chairman of the International Union of Kurdish Public Associations, said at the ceremony in an industrial neighbourhood in southeast Moscow. "Russia is a great power and an important actor in the Middle East. It is in fact not only an actor, but it also writes the script." The opening of the representation -- which Shamoyev said was a "big political step" for Syrian Kurds -- came as global powers meet in Munich on Thursday in a bid to revive Syria peace talks. The opening of the office in Moscow is also bound to fuel tensions in Russia's relations with Turkey, which broke down in November after Ankara shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border. Those present at the ceremony have ties to the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), said Shamoyev. The PYD is a leader in the fight against the Islamic State group in northern Syria, but Turkey considers it to be an offshoot of its arch-foe the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PYD was not invited to the Syria peace talks which collapsed in Geneva last week amid accusations from the West and the Syrian opposition that Russia's bombing campaign was targeting civilians. The talks, aimed at ending a nearly five-year war that has killed more than 260,000 people, were suspended until February 25. Moscow, a long-time supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has said no negotiations could yield results without the Kurds but Ankara considers their presence unacceptable, given their desire for independence. Russia's foreign ministry has appeared to distance itself from the opening of the Syrian Kurdish office, saying Kurdish interests will be represented by diplomats from Syria and Iraq. Story continues Shamoyev expressed hope that the rights of the Kurdish people to have their own "culture, language and self-governance" would be guaranteed by Syria's constitution and that Russia would help them with that. In a November meeting in Vienna, world powers agreed on an ambitious roadmap that foresees six months of intra-Syrian talks, leading to a new constitution and free elections within 18 months. But it left unresolved the contentious issue of Assad's leadership. In late 2013, Kurdish groups in the northeast of the war-ravaged country announced the establishment of a transitional autonomous administration after making key territorial gains against jihadists. Syrian Kurdish separatists have also announced plans to open offices in Washington, Paris, Berlin and Arab countries. Last year, they opened their first representation office in the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. LONDON (Reuters) - The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition said that if allies supplied them with anti-aircraft missiles then they could defend civilians against Russian air strikes and that the opposition would not allow the weapons to fall into the hands of militants. "If we had these, this would solve the problem of Syria," opposition spokesman Salim al-Muslat said of the weapons. He said surface-to-air missiles would help defend against any aircraft, including Russian ones, which attacked civilians. "We really guarantee that they do not go anywhere - that they will be in the hands of the moderates under the eye of our friends, whether European or American," he said. Riad Hijab, a former Syrian prime minister who heads an opposition council, said the United States and other Western powers should force Russia to stop bombing civilians. "It is incumbent upon the United States and friends of the Syrian people on the United Nations Security Council to say to Putin that this must stop," Hijab said. (Reporting by William James, editing by Guy Faulconbridge) By Thomas Escritt THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Syrian government forces backed by Russia are carrying out a deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing around the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday. At a news briefing in The Hague with his Dutch counterpart, Davutoglu said 60,000 migrants had fled the violence to the Turkish border and that, while Turkey would not close its doors, the priority was providing aid to them inside Syria. "One of the aims of the latest attacks is to conduct ethnic cleansing. Ethnic cleansing in Syria and Aleppo aimed at only leaving regime supporters behind is being conducted by the Syrian regime and Russia in a very deliberate way," he said. "Every refugee that we accept helps their ethnic cleansing policy, but we will continue to accept (refugees)." Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes and Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, have launched a major offensive in the countryside around Aleppo. The United Nations warned on Tuesday hundreds of thousands of civilians could be cut off from food if rebel-held parts of the city are encircled. Both the U.N. and the European Union have urged Turkey to open its border. Davutoglu said it was hypocritical of those who had failed to stop Russian air strikes in Syria to now ask Turkey to keep its border open, pointing out that it had taken in more than 2.6 million refugees during the five-year war. The border at Oncupinar, where tens of thousands fleeing the Aleppo assault have massed, remains closed to all but the seriously wounded and aid trucks and ambulances, with Turkish relief organisations delivering supplies to the Syrian side. Davutoglu also accused the Syrian Kurdish PYD of attacking civilians in collaboration with Russian forces, and said it was guilty of war crimes. The United States sees the PYD as a useful ally in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, but Ankara views it as a terrorist group with deep ideological and logistical links to Kurdish militants fighting in its own southeast. (Additional reporting by Daren Butler and Ece Toksabay; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by David Dolan) About Me africanelections www.africanelections.org contact us at africanelectionsproject AT gmail.com View my complete profile Kilis (Turkey) (AFP) - Syrian farmer Mahmud Turki was sitting on his couch at sunset watching the news with his family after eating supper. Then an air strike hit his home and turned his life upside down. His story is typical of accounts of the "hell" that is life in the war-scarred region around the northern city of Aleppo, where up to 31,000 people have fled as government forces press an offensive against rebels, according to the UN. "The moment of the air strike... nobody can describe it," Turki -- stitches still in his head and his body covered in bruises -- said from his hospital bed in neighbouring Turkey, where he was among just a few allowed across for treatment. "I lost consciousness. The roof fell on me and on my children. I remember hearing the voice of my wife asking me if I was alive or dead," he told AFP. Turki, 45, was admitted to hospital in the border town of Kilis on Friday after being pulled alive by his friends from the rubble of his home in Minnigh. - 'How can we endure it?' - Fierce fighting in Aleppo province -- sparked by a week-long government assault backed by Russian air support -- have displaced tens of thousands of people. Alaa Najjar also arrived in Turkey on Friday to be treated for a shoulder injury incurred during an aerial bombardment in Marea, also just north of Aleppo. "It was like hell. We couldn't stand the bombings. Even the animals couldn't stand them," he told AFP, saying there were up to four air strikes a day. "I had a kitten. When the kitten heard the sound of the planes, she ran directly under the bed. If animals were intimidated that much, how can human beings endure it?" Russia launched a bombing campaign in Syria last year at the request of President Bashar al-Assad, saying it was targeting the Islamic State group and other jihadist organisations. The West has accused Russia of targeting more moderate factions that oppose Assad's regime, and Syrian activists say the strikes have killed civilians, allegations Moscow dismisses as "absurd". Story continues Russian backing has helped Assad's forces make significant advances in recent months - including its latest offensive seeking to encircle rebel-held areas of Aleppo and sever their supply lines to Turkey. - Surrounded on all sides - Rebel fighter Mohammad crossed the border on Tuesday, walking with crutches and bandages around his right leg and a finger. "The situation is very bad. People are fleeing. The town was completely destroyed by Russian air bombardment," the 30-year-old -- whose father was killed when six Russian air strikes hit his town -- told AFP. "We are besieged by the Russians on one side, the YPG (Syrian Kurds) from the west and Daesh (Islamic State) from the east, and the (Syrian) regime from the other side." Aleppo was once Syria's thriving economic powerhouse, home to several World Heritage sites including its famed ancient souk and citadel. But it has been ravaged by war and divided since mid-2012 between government control in the west and rebel control in the east. Regime air strikes in the east, where they also use barrel bombs, have caused massive destruction, rendering parts of whole neighbourhoods virtually unlivable. Rebels also fire mostly crude and unguided missiles into the west, often killing civilians. Fleeing Syrians have been massing for days around the Bab al-Salama border gate across from Turkey's Oncupinar border point, which remains closed. - 'The murderer Putin' - Turkish officials say the border is kept open for "emergency situations," including the evacuation of the injured like Turki and Najjar. Ambulances and aid trucks are seen coming back and forth throughout the day. Turki was taken to Turkey in an ambulance before his family who arrived three days later. Taking AFP to their room where his daughter Raghad was sleeping and four-year-old son Mussa was with his wife, Turki said his two children had skull fractures that required surgery. The father asked little Mussa, with a bandage on his head: "Who attacked us?" Mussa answered: "Bashar's air strikes." Turki lashed out at the international community for lack of action on Syria and denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's bombing campaign. "There is no international community, no United Nations, no Geneva. NGOs are just a lie. The Security Council is also a lie," he said. He poured scorn on Putin's claim only to be targeting Islamic State and other jihadist groups, pointing sarcastically to his children and saying: "They are Daesh members hit by Putin's air strikes." "They are Daesh. The murderer Putin, the killer of children." Its that time of year again tax time. While you may not look forward to the actual filing of your taxes, many consumers do look forward to getting that refund check. In fact, most start planning what they will do with that refund long before tax season. Whether you were planning on putting a down payment on a new vehicle, putting it in savings, catching up on those Christmas bills or paying off debt, finding out your federal or state tax refund has been seized can be a nasty surprise. [Understand student loan defaults and tax refunds.] Many federal student loan borrowers are caught off guard the first time their refund is taken. This will happen if the loan defaults no payment for 270 days and no payment arrangements are made. If you contact the loan holder and start rehabilitation or another type of payment plan and make those payments on time, chances are the process wont be initiated. You can also consolidate the loan out of default. The process for what is commonly called garnishment starts with initial certification for Treasury Department offset several months before tax time usually in the fall. You will receive a notice that the loan holder is submitting your debt for tax offset and have the opportunity to appeal this action. This notice is generally sent to the address you used the last time you filed your taxes or to the address on file at the loan holder. Some reasons for appeal include: The debt is paid in full. The loan should not be in default. You may be eligible for discharge because a school closed or falsely certified the loan. The borrower is deceased or permanently disabled. The loan should have been refunded by the school. The loan is not yours due to identity theft. The loan was discharged in bankruptcy. If you think you have a valid reason to avoid offset, you should submit your appeal within 65 days of the date of the notice. If you wish to review your loan file, you must make that request within 20 days of the notice and request an appeal within 15 days of that request. Story continues All requests must be in writing to the loan holder, whose address will be included in the notice of offset. If you request an appeal within those time frames, your offset will generally be put on hold while you wait for a hearing. Requests made after that will not halt the offset process, but if you succeed in your appeal the offset amount will be returned to you. If you file your taxes jointly, your spouse may also request to have his or her portion of the refund returned. This is called an injured spouse claim and is filed directly through the IRS. [Find out how getting married could affect your student loan repayment.] Once your account has been certified for Treasury offset, and there is no successful appeal, it will remain in this status until the default is resolved through rehabilitation, consolidation or by paying the loan in full. This certification does not limit the garnished amounts to tax refunds but can include other types of federal payments including: wages for federal employees, including military pay; Social Security benefits, other than Supplemental Security; some federal bond payments; and federal retirement benefits. In some cases, especially when Social Security benefits are offset, the borrower can file a financial hardship appeal to the loan holder to receive a portion or all of the garnishment back. If Social Security is your only income, and losing a portion of it will drop you below a minimal standard of living, you should submit this appeal to the loan holder. You will likely be asked to submit proof of all income and expenses as well as other forms of support you may receive. [Learn about common tax filing rules for student loan credits and deductions.] If you take the trouble to go through the appeal process, the Student Loan Ranger encourages you to take the opportunity to resolve the student loan default while you are at it. Remember there is no statute of limitations on federal student loans, so unless and until you resolve the default, it will continue to haunt you until well, forever. Student loans that are not in default are eligible for lower payment options including the income-driven repayment plans, which set the payments based on your income, and have a forgiveness component after a certain number of years. If your income is very low, such as someone whose only income is Social Security, those payments could be zero dollars per month. While appealing the offset and resolving the default may feel intimidating to some, the process is straightforward and fact-based. Doing so will also alleviate a lot of future headaches. Betsy Mayotte, director of regulatory compliance for American Student Assistance, regularly advises consumers on planning and paying for college. Mayotte, who received a B.S. in business communications from Bentley College, is a frequent contributor to ASAs SALT Blog; responds to public inquiries via the advice resource Just Ask; and is frequently quoted in traditional and social media on the topics of student loans and financial aid. A teacher expecting his first child died Tuesday after being struck by a day care bus in the parking lot of his school, authorities said. Brandon Kincaid, 25, depended on a wheelchair, but it was not clear if he was using one when he was hit by the Small World child care bus at Meadow Lane Elementary School in North Carolina, police said. Kincaid was rushed to a local hospital, where he later died, according to ABC 11. Read: President Obama Writes About His Fifth-Grade Teacher The second-grade teacher was also a youth pastor at Neuse Baptist Church in Kinston, where his father presides as a preacher. The Rev. Greg Kincaid said, "If anyone wants to see Brandon again, they need to turn their life over to Jesus so that one day they will be able to meet with him in heaven." Reached by INSIDE EDITION, the pastor declined comment. Kincaid and his wife, Sara, were expecting their first child, a boy they had already named Benjamin, according to his Facebook page. He was in his second year of teaching at the elementary school in Greensboro. Read: Student Chorus Brings Teacher to Tears After Breast Cancer Diagnosis "He was a good teacher. He was a good person, and we just hate to have this happen," Wayne County Superintendent Michael Dunsmore told the station. No students witnessed the accident, officials said. Counselors were brought in to talk with students. Watch: 'Hamilton' Star Honors Former Teacher with MLK Song Performance Related Articles: South Korea says it is suspending operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex in retaliation for North Koreas recent rocket launch and nuclear test. The Norths actions have worried its neighbors, among them Japan, which announced new sanctions on Pyongyang. The government has decided to fully halt the Kaeseong industrial park to block its proceeds from being channeled into North Koreas nuclear and missile development, and our businesses from being sacrificed, Hong Yong-pyo, the South Korean unification minister, said at a news conference. More than 120 South Korean companies operate in the Kaeseong complex, which operates in the North Korean city of the same name and was established more than a decade ago as a symbol of cooperation between the two countries. The facility employs more than 50,000 North Korean workers, has earned Pyongyang about $515 million since it opened in 2004, and provides the North one of its few sources of hard currency. The workers there earn about $100 million annually, of which 30 percent goes to the government. In turn, South Korean companies get access to cheap labor. Recommended: How One American Brought El Salvador's Nun-Killers to Justice The government has decided to fully halt the Gaeseong industrial park to block its proceeds from being channeled into North Koreas nuclear and missile development, and our businesses from being sacrificed, Hong said. But South Korean business groups called the decision hasty, noting that 184 South Korean citizens were still in the area. We request for a reconsideration of the decision, Chung Ki-sub, head of the business association, said, according to the Korea Herald. We want to make clear that the businesses losses should not be restored in any way. Meanwhile in Tokyo, Japan tightened its sanctions on North Korea in response to Sundays launch by Pyongyang of what it called a satellite, but Japan and others believe was a long-range ballistic missile. That launch came after the January 6 announcement by Pyongyang that it had tested a hydrogen bomba claim about which international experts have expressed skepticism. Still, both acts drew international condemnation and the threat of more sanctions. Story continues On Tuesday in Washington, James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, told a Senate panel North Korea has expanded its Yongbyon enrichment facility and has restarted the plutonium-production reactor. The Communist Party-run country could recover plutonium from spent fuel within a matter of weeks to months, Clapper said. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. Tom Tykwer's upcoming 1920s crime series Babylon Berlin will start shooting in April, producers said in Berlin on Wednesday. The show will premiere on Sky Deutschland, part of pan-European pay TV giant Sky, in 2017 and on German public broadcaster ARD in 2018. The first castmembers were also announced on Wednesday. Volker Bruch (The Reader) will play the lead character, while Liv Lisa Fries (The Wave) will play his lover. Sky is co-financing the series, which got a 16-episode order for two seasons and is budgeted at $45 million (40 million euros), with ARD. Just over half the budget comes from the partners, with the rest financed through international sales, which Beta Film is handling. Babylon Berlin will be the first-ever German production from Sky Deutschland as the German arm of Sky is taking a page from the playbook of Sky in the U.K. and Sky Italia by betting on high-end original local drama. Babylon Berlin is based on the best-selling novel Der Nasse Fisch (The Wet Fish) by German writer Volker Kutscher, the first of his Gereon Rath novels. Set in 1920s Berlin, they follow police detective Rath, who is transferred to Berlin and tries to solve crimes in a city torn by social and political upheaval in the years leading up to Adolf Hitler's rise to power. The series was co-written and will be co-directed by Tykwer, Hendrik Handloegten and Achim von Borries. Read More: German Pay Channel Sky Deutschland Boards Tom Tykwer's Period Crime Series 'Babylon Berlin' More to come ... benoit violier.JPG French master chef Benoit Violier, who was found dead of an apparent suicide on February 1, may have been victimized by a company that sold expensive wine but allegedly failed to deliver the bottles, reports Swiss business magazine Bilan. Violier, who was 44, apparently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He left no note. Violier was the owner and chef of the three-Michelin-star Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville, near Lausanne, Switzerland. It had been recently named the "best in the world" by France's La Liste, a respected roundup of the best restaurants across 48 countries. New York City's Per Se came in second. Bilan reports that Violier's restaurant was working with a Swiss company, Private Finance Partners, which helped restaurateurs source very expensive wines including bottles that cost upwards of $20,000, like a Henri Jayer burgundy, considered the most expensive in the world. However, the company is reported to have scammed its customers out of the bottles, collecting payment and failing to provide the goods, in a classic Ponzi scheme. Private Finance Partners would reportedly sell the same bottle three to four times over. Violier's restaurant may have suffered losses of as much as $2 million thanks to the scheme, according to Bilan. One of the company's brokers was arrested in October, and the company declared bankruptcy last November, reports Bilan. However, Andre Kudelski, a restaurant shareholder, denied the scam allegations, saying the restaurant had "no issues" with the company in question. Violier's last words to his maitre d'hotel Louis Villeneuve were: "See you Tuesday," reports the Telegraph. He is survived by his wife and a 12-year-old son. NOW WATCH: Heres the sad truth about working over 60 hours a week More From Business Insider * New Jersey governor to quit after loss, media report * Democrat Bernie Sanders meets black leader Al Sharpton (Adds quote from Republican Party chairman, paragraphs 8-9) By Ginger Gibson WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Republican Chris Christie considered the future of his struggling U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . presidential bid on Wednesday amid news reports he would suspend his campaign and narrow the field of rivals facing businessman Donald Trump. A disappointing sixth-place finish in Tuesday's New (KOSDAQ: 160550.KQ - news) Hampshire nominating contest raised doubts about the combative New Jersey governor's viability as a candidate for the Nov. 8 presidential election. The Wall Street Journal quoted a senior adviser to the campaign as saying Christie was expected to make an announcement soon suspending his campaign. Other news organizations carried similar reports. A spokeswoman for Christie's campaign said no decision had been made about whether he would stay in the race. Christie's departure would leave eight Republicans from a field that once had 17 candidates vying to represent the party. Trump has dominated the Republican race and won the party primary in New Hampshire on a wave of voter anger at traditional U.S. politicians. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a democratic socialist, defeated former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the state's Democratic contest. The results testified to the sizable share of American voters upset over the slow economic recovery, immigration and America's place in the world and willing to send a shockwave to Washington. On Wednesday, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said he understood the frustration and expected Republican voters to coalesce behind a candidate. "I think it's pretty normal and I think it's pretty common and expect that sort of vein is going to play itself out for the next few months and you know we'll have a unified party when it's done," he told CNN in an interview. Story continues Christie had poured much of his campaign's resources into New Hampshire and had considered a good showing there critical. He canceled plans to go to South Carolina, a sign he could drop out soon. The southern state holds the next Republican primary on Feb. 20. "No decision has been made," Christie spokeswoman Sam Smith wrote in an email to Reuters. Trump's opponents, most of them mainstream Republicans, could benefit if Christie pulls out. Ohio's Republican governor, John Kasich, finished second in New Hampshire, followed by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. TRUMP STAYING POWER For Trump, New Hampshire showed he has staying power and can take a punch after losing last week to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in the first nominating contest, the Iowa caucuses. The former reality TV star's win showed pundits were wrong to think he would quickly self-destruct based on his penchant for insults and imprecise plans for the presidency. Trump's odds for winning the White House, once seen as an extremely long shot, improved significantly after his victory in New Hampshire, online betting site Ladbrokes PLC said. The real estate tycoon is now at 9/2, compared to 7/1 last week, meaning that his chances of victory in November are now 18 percent. Clinton still had the best odds of becoming president at 50/50, Ladbrokes (Amsterdam: LB6.AS - news) said. On the Democratic side, Sanders courted the African-American vote on Wednesday, having breakfast with civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton at a restaurant in New York City's Harlem neighborhood. Clinton currently has strong support from African-American voters, who will be crucial in the Democratic primary in South Carolina on Feb. 27. Sharpton and Barack Obama met at the same restaurant during Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign - a piece of symbolism for Sanders as he tries to expand his appeal beyond liberals in the U.S. Northeast. November's election is followed by the inauguration of Obama's successor in early 2017. "My concern is that in January of next year for the first time in American history a black family will be moving out of the White House," Sharpton, a Baptist minister and television talk-show host, told reporters afterward. "I do not want black concerns to be moved out with them. We must be front and center and not marginalized. And Senator Sanders coming here this morning further makes it clear that we will not be ignored." POLICE SHOOTINGS DISCUSSED Sharpton discussed a spate of police shootings of black males and other issues with the senator. Sharpton said he would not endorse a candidate until he met with Clinton. Clinton consistently polls better among African-American voters and has a long history of support for civil rights. She (Munich: SOQ.MU - news) also has benefited from husband Bill Clinton's popularity in the black community during his presidency, although that became strained during her fierce 2008 primary battle with Obama. Even (Taiwan OTC: 6436.TWO - news) before the exit polls on Tuesday showed Sanders had won New Hampshire, Clinton's campaign was trying to highlight her double-digit lead over Sanders among African-American and Latino voters. "It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African-American and Hispanic voters," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo to reporters. He predicted the Democratic race would be won in March, when the nominating contests quickly expand to 22 delegate-rich states with some of the largest minority and urban populations, and that Clinton would have the advantage. (Writing by Alistair Bell; Additional reporting by Brendan McDermid, Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Clarece Polke and John Whitesides; Editing by Howard Goller) Manchester (United States) (AFP) - Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders resoundingly won Tuesday's presidential primaries in New Hampshire, riding a wave of anti-establishment anger in the second key test of the long, unpredictable race for the White House. The runaway victory by Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist advocating nothing less than "political revolution," spelled a deflating if expected defeat for Hillary Clinton, who put a brave face on the loss and admitted she had work to do as the campaign moves south. On the Republican side, Trump's visceral assault on American politics galvanized voters who brought him his debut victory in the fledgling race, keeping him in pole position despite his second-place showing in last week's Iowa caucuses. Ohio Governor John Kasich's uplifting and positive message of renewal catapulted him into second place, a potentially critical result for him as the Republican Party works out which mainstream candidate could successfully challenge the billionaire tycoon Trump. Disappointment befell Senator Marco Rubio, who hoped to match or better his third-place Iowa finish but stumbled to fifth in the Granite State, after he took a drubbing in Saturday's debate, where he robotically repeated his talking points. Trump did what he had to do: secure a solid win after his embarrassing showing in Iowa called into question his showmanship strategy and his brand as a winner. With 92 percent of precincts reporting, Trump swept 35 percent of the vote to Kasich's 16 percent, with Iowa winner Ted Cruz at 12 percent, narrowly ahead of former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Rubio. Sanders, a US senator from Vermont who essentially treats neighboring New Hampshire as his home turf, crushed Clinton by 60 percent to 38 percent, with 93 percent of precincts reporting. Officials predicted record voter turnout. Sanders addressed a raucous crowd of supporters at his victory party, saying his primary win signalled voters no longer wanted business as usual in US political life. Story continues "What the people here have said is that given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for the same old, same old establishment politics and establishment economics. The people want real change," he said. "Together, we have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California." Over at Trump headquarters, the crowd chanted "U-S-A! U-S-A!" "We are going now to South Carolina. We're going to win in South Carolina," Trump declared, looking down the campaign trail to the next stop. His win reinforced his position as the man to beat on the Republican side. "He seems to be speaking for the silent majority," said auto mechanic Chris Skora after voting for the real estate magnate. "A lot of us feel that way and it seems like in this day and age we can't say these things with the PC police all around." - 'Work to do' - Exit polls showed Sanders winning every demographic group -- a stunning result for an independent lawmaker and a potential warning sign for Clinton as she turns the campaign toward the next states that vote, Nevada and then South Carolina for the Democrats. "I know I have some work to do, particularly with young people," Clinton conceded, as she recognized the American electorate's fury with establishment politics. "People have every right to be angry," she said. "But they're also hungry, they're hungry for solutions." Once every four years, the nation's eyes focus on New Hampshire, the small northeastern state home to just 1.3 million people that holds the first state primaries after the Iowa caucuses kick off the US presidential nomination process. New Hampshire could help whittle down a crowded Republican field, with those fairing poorly likely to see their campaign funding dry up as the race turns to multiple states where deep pockets are crucial. Bush found himself fighting for his political life, but awkwardly insisted to supporters that "this campaign is not dead," and that he would roll on to South Carolina. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, for whom a strong New Hampshire showing was critical, signalled the end of the line might be near after he finished sixth. He said he was returning home to "take a deep breath" before making a decision about his political future. - Last-minute voters - For the past 60 years or so, most of the candidates who ended up taking the White House won their party's primary in New Hampshire. But tellingly, the last three presidents -- Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton -- were all elected despite losing in New Hampshire. Sanders and Trump led in polls in the run-up to the vote but everything had still been to play for in the state due to the high number of registered independents, who can choose to vote in either party, and the famous last-minute nature of voters here. Exit polls conducted by CNN showed that nearly half of Republican voters did not make their final decision about who to support until the last few days. Trump has energized broad swaths of blue-collar Americans, angry about economic difficulties and frustrated at what they see as their country losing its global stature. But the race could be upended yet again if former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg were to launch an independent bid. He told the Financial Times he was "looking at all options." Last summer, Donald Trump described Mexican immigrants as bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. In December, he called for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. Many commentators claim that this wild rhetoric helps Trump suck up media oxygen or appear like a straight-talking political outsider. But the most important benefit of the anti-immigrant language is that it inoculates Trump against the charge of being a closet liberal. Trump has a seemingly fatal vulnerability in the Republican primary: His past support for a host of moderate and liberal positions. In recent years, Trump said he would press for universal health care, claimed that he was pro-choice in every respect, remarked that I hate the concept of guns, stated that Hillary Clinton would do a good job in negotiating with Iran, asserted that the GOP was just too crazy right, and even said, In many cases, I probably identify more as a Democrat. Recommended: The 2016 Presidential Cheat Sheet: Fiorina and Christie Drop Out The problem for Trump is that hes running for the nomination of a party in no mood for compromise. The rise of the Tea Party pushed the GOP to the right. There is an entire lexicon devoted to condemning Republican moderates: squish, Republicans in name only (RINOs), milquetoast, or, of course, establishment Republicans. GOP candidates are routinely assailed for deviating from conservative orthodoxy, including Mitt Romneys backing Romneycare as governor of Massachusetts, Senator Marco Rubios past support for immigration reform, or Ohio Governor John Kasichs expansion of Medicaid. A 2013 poll found that most Republicans wanted a congressman who sticks to their principles no matter what, over someone who compromises to get things done. By contrast, large majorities of Democrats and Independents preferred someone who would bargain with the opposition. Similarly, last October, a poll found that 62 percent of Republicans wanted leaders who refuse to compromise on principle even if it risked a government shutdown, whereas more than three-quarters of Democrats favored cutting deals with the GOP to avoid gridlock. Story continues One of the great puzzles of the primary season is why a candidate who so recently espoused moderate or progressive views is succeeding in a party that favors purity over pragmatism. Of course, Trump can always claim that he had a road-to-Damascus-style conversion to conservatism. But this claim surely wont cut it for many movement conservatives. After all, if Trump can flip to the right so recently, perhaps hell flop back to the left in due course. Recommended: The Supreme Court's Devastating Decision on Climate For Trump, the solution has been to announce something so outrageously offensive to liberals, so contrary to every progressive shibboleth, that its utterance immediately disqualifies him from being a leftist. Opposing Obamacare isnt good enough. After all, some progressives arent big fans of the Affordable Care Act. Neither is it sufficient to back gun rights. Many on the left own guns and believe in the Second Amendment. In any case, these are issues on which reasonable people can disagree. What Trump needs is something that is literally unspeakable for a liberal. Trumps immigration policy is just the ticket. Virtually no progressive would dream of banning the worlds 1.6 billion Muslims from visiting the United States. The very idea represents a kind of exclusionary nativism that is anathema to liberals. Trumps anti-immigrant language is an efficient way of proving that he has abandoned the left. In a single glorious moment of illiberal demagoguery, he can achieve what would otherwise take months of debate and rebuttal. The proposal to ban Muslims is certainly popular among Republicans: Almost six in ten GOP voters support it. More importantly, the issue establishes an emotional connection with primary voters who feel that Trump is on their side. Emotion is the most powerful force in politics, and it is often far more compelling than arguments based on facts and reason. Once Republican voters identify with Trump, it unleashes what psychologists call cognitive consistency. People will rearrange their beliefs to produce an unswervingly positive view of the candidate. Even crystal-clear evidence of Trumps past liberalism will be ignored or rationalized away. Whereas a single deviation from conservative orthodoxy can sink many GOP candidates, Trump supporters just dont seem to care about his previous widespread embrace of moderate ideas. Recommended: The Populist Revolt The anti-immigrant language is therefore central to Trumps political rise and to his victory in New Hampshire. Strip it away and Trump would be widely criticized as a conservative in name only. The rest of the Trumparamathe outsider status, the billionaire businessman, the razzmatazzprobably wouldnt be enough for a party eager for a principled warrior. By contrast, for someone like Senator Ted Cruz, extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric is far less useful. Cruz doesnt need a shield against the charge of liberalism because few doubt his conservative credentials. What Trump has discovered is that, to win the GOP nomination, its not enough to attack the Democrats. He must speak the unspeakable. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. NASHUA, New HampshireDonald Trump won twice in New Hampshire last night: once because he transcended many of the Republican Partys historic divides, and a second time because the voters most resistant to him remained fragmented. With his commanding New Hampshire win, Trump demonstrated again that his maverick appeal has replaced many of the partys traditional fissures with a new dividing line based more on class and education. Equally important, the results virtually ensured that the voters most resistant to both Trump and Iowa winner Ted Cruzmostly white-collar, mainstream conservativeswill remain divided. Their split will persist at least through the critical South Carolina primary approaching on February 20, and possibly through the Super Tuesday cascade of contests on March 1. That lane has to be clarified quickly, before March 1, said the veteran Republican pollster Glen Bolger, who is not committed to any candidate in the race. There has to be some unanimity by then or Cruz and Trump have the potential to pull pretty far ahead in terms of delegates. Recommended: Sanders and Trump Are Vying for America's Soul The polarizing nature of Trumps candidacy means he could still face difficulty as the race narrows and the share of the vote needed to win correspondingly rises. But his favorable ratings among Republicans have steadily increased since he announced his candidacy last summer, leading many to reexamine their assumptions that he faced a hard ceiling of support. I used to say that anybody who voted for one of the other candidates will never be a Trump supporter, said Bolger. I dont think that is the case anymore. And none of Trumps rivals have yet shown the ability to assemble a coalition broad enough to derail the New Yorker, whose New Hampshire victory was distinguished not only by its magnitude but its breadth. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the candidate many insiders believed best positioned to unify an anti-Trump coalition centered on mainstream conservative voters, instead proved the nights big loser, tumbling to a fifth-place finish after a disastrous debate performance. Story continues In his sweeping victory, Trump won men and women; voters in all age groups; voters in all income groups; Republicans and independents; voters who described themselves as very conservative, somewhat conservative, and moderate; evangelical Christians and non-evangelical Christians; and those with and without four-year college degreesthough his appeal notably lagged among both evangelicals and better-educated Republicans. Recommended: Can Hillary Clinton Convince Voters They're Not Settling? Two other points underscore the sweep of Trumps New Hampshire rout. Compared to his showing in Iowa, he improved his vote share among virtually every one of the groups for which comparable figures are available. In New Hampshire, Trump ran at least 10 percentage points better than he did in Iowa among men; voters in every age group younger than 65; those without a college degree; Republicans and independents; and both very- and somewhat-conservative voters. The only major group in which he lost ground compared to Iowa was moderates, among whom his support declined by a statistically insignificant 2 percentage points (from 34 to 32 percent). The other compelling measure of Trumps reach was the consistency of the support he enjoyed. He won something close to one-third of almost every major group, with strikingly little variation across constituencies that usually align with competing candidates in GOP races. He won, for instance, exactly the same 35 percent among Republicans and independents. Measured by ideology, his vote varied only from 35 percent among very conservative voters to 36 percent among the somewhat conservative and 32 percent among moderates. The gender gap in his backing was modest: Trump carried 37 percent of men and 32 percent of women. Only three groups varied from this pattern. In Iowa, Trump ran best with those over 65; in New Hampshire they were his weakest age group. Recommended: United States v. Ferguson The other two variations that emerged in New Hampshire will likely prove more consequential because they reinforced patterns that appeared in Iowa (and have also marked polling both nationally and in other early states). Each points to the opportunity for a rival to mobilize a significant party faction against Trump, but also captures their failure to entirely do so to this point. In last weeks caucus, Trump ran seven percentage points better among voters who were not evangelical Christians than among those who were; in New Hampshire that gap widened to 10 percentage points. Trump carried both groups on Tuesday night, but reached just 27 percent among the evangelicals, who constitute only about one-fourth of the New Hampshire Republican electorate. That signals the opportunity available to Cruz, who won most evangelicals in Iowa and finished a close second behind Trump among them in New Hampshire. Evangelicals will cast a majority of the ballots in many of the Southern and border states voting in early March, and to stop Trump, Cruz will likely need to establish a substantial advantage among them. The second variation in Trumps New Hampshire showing points to the opportunity available to candidates at the opposite end of the GOPs ideological and cultural spectrum from Cruz. In the Granite State, Trump absolutely dominated Republicans without a four-year college degree, capturing fully 41 percent of them. That was up sharply from his 28 percent in Iowa, and more than triple the share of his nearest rival. Even in Iowa, Trump won a solid 37 percent of blue-collar voters who were not evangelicals; he benefited in New Hampshire because evangelicals likely represented a much smaller share of working-class Republicans than they did in Iowa. In Iowa, Cruz repelled Trumps early polling inroads among blue-collar Republicans who were evangelicals. Figures on how that group voted in New Hampshire arent yet available, but Cruz will need to continue that success to compete not only in Southern but also many Midwestern states where those working-class evangelicals are often the largest block in the electorate. As he has throughout his unconventional candidacy, though, Trump on Tuesday showed markedly less strength among Republicans with advanced education. He carried 29 percent of voters with at least a four-year college degree, 12 points below his showing among voters without a degree. That reinforced the pattern evident in Iowa, where Trumps showing among voters with a degree was seven points lower than his number among those without one. But in New Hampshire, Trump benefited because better-educated voters fragmented among an array of center-right choices that included John Kasich (19 percent) Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio (12 percent each), Chris Christie (8 percent) and even Carly Fiorina (5 percent). Together those alternatives attracted nearly twice as many college-educated Republicans as Trump did; but they splintered those voters so thoroughly that none could approach the front-runners total with them. Bolger noted that those candidates cumulatively outpolled Trump but added: Thats not how we score these things. Republicans need some clarity or else we are going to waltz down the road with Trump. Viewing the race from an outsiders perspective, the veteran Democratic pollster Stanley B. Greenberg notes that Trump, whose appeal is fundamentally secular, is benefiting because no other candidate is running as a social-issue moderate who could attract centrist voters. Whereas I used to think [Trump] had a 30 percent ceiling, I dont think that is true anymore, because the moderates in the party are voting for himat least he is getting a fair chunk of those, Greenberg said. Because the moderate candidates are so weak, Trump as the more secular candidate ends up getting votes he should not get. As long as Trump holds that many moderate voters, Greenberg argues, it may be impossible for a mainstream conservative to mobilize a big enough base to fully join the businessman and Ted Cruz in the races top tier. Indeed, the common story in New Hampshire for the rest of the field was the failure to mobilize a coalition broad enough to truly threaten Trump. That judgment applies equally to Cruz, the Iowa winner. Most analysts believe that in message, money, and organization, Cruz should be a much more competitive candidate than the evangelical favorites in the past two races: Rick Santorum in 2012, and Mike Huckabee in 2008. But so far, Cruz has not shown a broader appeal than either man. Cruz won Iowa last week the same way Santorum and Huckabee did: by mobilizing and establishing a big margin among evangelical Christians. But like both of his predecessors, even while winning Iowa, Cruz lost voters there who were not evangelical Christians. For Huckabee and Santorum that foreshadowed a crippling inability to ever expand much beyond the evangelical beachhead. In New Hampshire, at least, Cruz showed the same weakness. While Cruz carried 23 percent of New Hampshire evangelical Christians in the exit poll, he won just 8 percent of voters who were not evangelicals. That was virtually identical to the 2008 New Hampshire showing for Huckabee (28 percent of evangelicals and 6 percent of non-evangelicals) and the 2012 numbers for Santorum (23 percent of evangelicals and 6 percent of non-evangelicals.) In Iowa and New Hampshire, Cruz also displayed a narrow ideological reach: In both states, he won less than half as much support among voters who described themselves as somewhat conservative as he did among those who identify as very conservative. In stark contrast to Trumps ideological balance, Cruz carried just 9 percent of moderates in Iowa and only 4 percent in New Hampshire. Viewed by ideology, his numbers in New Hampshire again virtually matched Santorums four years ago. If Cruz cant run better among voters who are not evangelicals or very conservative, he will suffer the same fate as Huckabee and Santorum, each of whom failed to expand far enough beyond a string of socially conservative Southern and plains states to truly contest the nomination. Kasich, whose second-place finish in New Hampshire made him the nights other big winner besides Trump, faces the opposite problem. Kasichs support is lopsidedly concentrated among moderates, many of them well educated and upper-income. In fact, across many of the key groups, Kasichs support on Tuesday closely tracked the 2012 New Hampshire showing of Jon Huntsman, another moderate Republican whose campaign was also directed by Kasichs chief strategist, John Weaver. Last night Kasich won 19 percent of college graduates and 12 percent of those without degrees; for Huntsman the comparable numbers were 20 and 13. Kasich carried 28 percent of moderates (compared to 24 percent for Huntsman), 14 percent of somewhat conservative voters (Huntsman won 13 percent), and just 7 percent of very conservative voters (compared to Huntsmans four). Kasich won 18 percent of independents (Huntsman carried 22) and 14 percent of Republicans (Huntsman carried 10). That thin sliver of the Republican coalition wasnt enough to sustain Huntsman much beyond New Hampshire four years ago, and Kasich will quickly need to advance beyond it if he is to remain relevant this time. Jeb Bush didnt run especially well with any group in New Hampshire, but he performed just well enough with several to retain his viability as a competitor for the GOPs mainstream conservative, largely upscale wing. Bush showed signs of a pulse with the overlapping groups any centrist Republican would need: women (13 percent), college graduates (12 percent), moderates (14 percent) and somewhat conservative voters (10 percent). Yet even that meager showing gave Bush supporters plausible hope that he can consolidate more of those mainstream conservative voters in South Carolina and beyond. The reason was the collapse of the evenings big loser, Marco Rubio. After Rubio emerged with momentum from his unexpectedly strong third-place finish in Iowa, many Republican analysts believed New Hampshire offered him the opportunity to squeeze out his rivals and emerge as the clear choice of the mainstream conservative block to challenge Trump and Cruz. Instead, Rubio ran an unswervingly ideological campaign in New Hampshire, marked by caustic attacks on President Obama and punctuated by his meltdown at last Saturdays Republican debate, when he robotically repeated an anti-Obama talking point four times. Rubio tumbled to fifth place and saw his vote among somewhat conservative voters collapse from 29 percent in Iowa to 12 percent in New Hampshire, while his support among moderates tumbled from 28 to 8 percent. (His vote among very conservative voters, by contrast, was virtually unchanged from Iowa to New Hampshire.) Rubio shows no sign of shifting direction. On Tuesday, his campaign issued a fund-raising appeal signed by communications director Alex Conant with the inflammatory declaration: We are the only campaign who is exposing President Obama for his deliberate actions to destroy our country. As I wrote earlier this week, The defining gamble of Rubios bid is thatmainstream conservative voters will ultimately consolidate around him, even though he has planted himself conspicuously to their right. That gamble failed spectacularly in New Hampshire. And now Rubio, who most GOP leaders hoped would unify mainstream conservatives against Trump and Cruz, faces the risk that he will be pushed to the margins of the race in South Carolina by Bush, who is well-organized there. However improbable it seemed even in January, South Carolina offers Bush an opportunity to begin consolidating the mostly upscale mainstream conservative voters most resistant to Trump and Cruz. Yet even with Christie likely to exit the race soon, the continued inability of anyone to fully unify that wing of the party only benefits Cruz and especially Trumpwho has displayed a much wider reach across the party than any of his opponents. After Rubios epic fail in New Hampshire, the center-right, white-collar GOP faction that picked John McCain and Mitt Romney as the partys last two nominees remains without a clear choice. And that increases the odds the party will nominate Cruz or Trump, the two candidates most Republican strategists believe would face the toughest climb in the general election.Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan upbraided the United States for its support of Syrian Kurdish PYD rebels on Wednesday, saying Washington's inability to understand the group's true nature had turned the region into a "sea of blood". "Are you on our side or the side of the terrorist PYD and PKK organization?" Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara to provincial officials, referring to Washington's backing of the Syrian Kurdish fighters PYD against the Islamic State. Turkey considers the PYD to be a terrorist organization, citing its ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has carried out a three-decade violent insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. (Reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley and Asli Kandemir; Writing by David Dolan) NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to block federal regulations to curb carbon dioxide emissions failed to give a sustained boost to shares of the long-battered coal sector on Wednesday. Shares of Cloud Peak Energy Inc was up 2.7 percent after surging when the market opened. After initially trading higher, Consol Energy Inc stock slipped 2.3 percent, and Peabody Energy Corp fell 0.9 percent. The Thomson Reuters U.S. coal index was off 3 percent against a 0.7 percent rise for the broader S&P 500 index. The court's 5-4 ruling on Tuesday delivered a major blow to President Barack Obama by blocking the centerpiece of his administration's strategy to combat climate change. The decision granted a request by 27 states and various companies and business groups to halt the administration's Clean Power Plan, which also mandates a shift to renewable energy away from fossil fuels. The states, led by coal producer West Virginia, oil producer Texas and several major business groups in October began the legal effort to block the Obama administration's plan. The states said the emission curbs would devastate their economies. Since Obama announced the emission program on April 3, the Thomson Reuters U.S. coal index has fallen about 76 percent amid a prolonged industry downturn. The industry is suffering from a glut of cheap natural gas, coal's primary competitor for power generation, and oil. Miner Arch Coal Inc filed for bankruptcy last month. For example, Peabody shares were trading at $3.35, a tiny fraction of their 52-week high of $120.30 reached in February 2015. (Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf Editing by W Simon and Lisa Von Ahn) By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials laid out details of their battle plan against the Zika virus for lawmakers on Tuesday, saying that more than $1.8 billion in new emergency funds is needed to protect pregnant American women by the summer mosquito season. Emerging from a closed-door meeting with Senate leaders, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell pushed back against Republican assertions that the Obama administration had no immediate need for money and could divert existing funds from a longstanding campaign against Ebola in Africa. "The money is important and is urgent," Burwell told reporters, saying the government needs to ramp up preparedness and mosquito control in Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas and other Southern states while pursuing new research and an accelerated vaccine programme. Zika has spread quickly in South and Central America and the Caribbean, raising fears of the possibility of a birth defect known as microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. Most infected people have no symptoms or mild ones including fever and skin rashes. Brazil is investigating more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly and has identified evidence of Zika infection in 17 of these cases. But much remains unknown about the virus, including whether it actually causes microcephaly. Zika can be spread by mosquitoes, sexual transmission and blood transfusions. Its discovery in the saliva and urine of infected people has added to concerns. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international health emergency on Feb. 1, citing a "strongly suspected" relationship between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly. Zika is spreading inside Puerto Rico, and more than 50 people in the United States have been infected, mainly while travelling overseas, officials said. Part of the emergency funds would go towards developing new diagnostic tests for the virus. But while Democrats joined with the administration to call for emergency funding, Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri said the administration can find Zika funding in an unspent sum of $1.49 billion for Ebola, and additional money allocated to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health last year. "So theres no immediate shortage of money for the administration to do what they think needs to be done," Blunt, a member of the Senate leadership, said before the meeting. Burwell said the unspent funds are earmarked for a global health security initiative to establish disease surveillance in 17 countries over five years. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Grant McCool and Leslie Adler) UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council will discuss the alarming humanitarian situation in Syria and the recent displacement of tens of thousands of people fleeing a Russian-backed assault around Aleppo, New Zealand's U.N. envoy said on Tuesday. The closed-door consultations are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET (1630 GMT) on Wednesday and were jointly requested by New Zealand and Spain, backed by other Western powers. "There are reports of at least 30,000 people displaced from Aleppo and it's the middle of winter," New Zealand Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen said in a statement to Reuters. "New Zealand and Spain considered this was a situation the Security Council could not ignore." Hundreds of thousands of civilians could be cut off from food if Syrian government forces encircle rebel-held parts of Aleppo, the United Nations said on Tuesday, warning of a new exodus of refugees fleeing a Russian-backed assault. It was not clear what, if anything, the 15-nation Security Council will agree on Wednesday. The council usually finds it difficult to reach consensus on Syria because Russia, one of the five permanent veto powers, strongly backs the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The council session comes just ahead of a crucial meeting of major powers in Germany. International powers, including Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are due to meet on Thursday in Munich in a bid to resurrect the talks. But diplomats have little hope for negotiations as long as the offensive continues. Rebels say they will not attend without a halt to the bombing. Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes and Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, have launched a major offensive in the countryside around Aleppo, which has been divided between government and rebel control for years. It marks one of the most important shifts of momentum in the five-year civil war that has killed 250,000 people and already driven 11 million from their homes. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Russia on Tuesday to join efforts to bring about a ceasefire. "Russia's activities from Aleppo and in the region are making it much more difficult to be able to come to the table and be able to have a serious conversation," Kerry told reporters. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Bernard Orr) By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Several United Nations Security Council members pressed Russia on Wednesday to stop bombing around Syria's Aleppo in support of a Syrian military offensive and allow humanitarian access ahead of a crucial meeting of major powers in Germany on the conflict. The 15-member Security Council met behind closed doors to discuss the situation after the U.N. warned that hundreds of thousands of civilians could be cut off from food if Syrian government forces encircle rebel-held parts of Aleppo. "Russia's air strikes have been a direct cause of this crisis around Aleppo," New Zealand's U.N. Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen told reporters after a briefing by U.N. aid chief Stephen O'Brien. New Zealand and Spain requested the meeting. International powers, including Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are due to meet on Thursday in Munich in a bid to resurrect Syrian peace talks. But diplomats have little hope for negotiations as long as the Russian-backed offensive continues. Rebels say they will not attend unless the bombing stops. "The (Syrian) regime and its allies cannot pretend they are extending a hand to the opposition while with their other hand they are trying to destroy them," French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters. Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Russian air strikes were being undertaken in a "transparent manner." He said some Security Council members has "crossed the line" by politically exploiting humanitarian issues. "They rather crudely use humanitarian matters in order to play, we believe, a destructive role as far as the political process is concerned," said Churkin, adding that given the heightened interest in humanitarian issues, the council should also start regularly discussing Yemen and Libya. New Zealand's van Bohemen described the situation in Aleppo as the "most dramatic and devastating situation within the council right now" and said he was not impressed with Churkin's attempt "to divert attention from that." Britain's U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said he hoped Russia would present "concrete ideas" at the Munich meeting that would lead to a ceasefire in Syria and humanitarian aid access. Churkin said Russia had been discussing a possible Syria ceasefire and humanitarian issues with the United States. He declined to elaborate. "We hope that the meeting tomorrow in Munich will help pave the way for a speedy resumption of the (Syria peace) talks," he said. Syria's five-year civil war has taken more than 250,000 lives and driven about 11 million people from their homes. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Tom Brown) NEW YORK (Reuters) - The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) said on Wednesday it has filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. environment regulator's biofuels policy, the latest industry body to join a legal battle over the controversial program. The organization, which represents oil companies, said the petition to the U.S. Court of Appeals is targeting the Environmental Protection Agency's rulemaking around the Renewable Fuels Standards from 2014-2016. Last month, biofuel and agriculture groups did the same, kicking off a widely-expected legal review of the policy. (Reporting by Josephine Mason; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - Experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are heading to Puerto Rico this week to study whether the mosquito-borne Zika virus will cause an increase in cases of a rare neurological disorder known as Guillain-Barre syndrome as the outbreak intensifies in this U.S. territory. The World Health Organization last month predicted that Zika would spread to all countries in the Americas except for Canada and Chile. "Right now we're focusing on Puerto Rico, where we've just started seeing cases of Zika as well as cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome," Dr. James Sejvar, a neuroepidemiologist at the CDC, told Reuters in an interview. "In order to get ahead of the curve, we're going to try to rapidly establish active surveillance for Guillain-Barre in Puerto Rico in the hopes that we're catching the outbreak early." On Feb. 5, the government of Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency as confirmed Zika cases climbed to 22. In addition to thousands of cases of birth defects in Brazil thought to be linked to Zika, health officials have noted a significant increase in Guillain-Barre, a rare syndrome in which the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. It usually occurs a few days after exposure to a virus, bacteria or parasite. Guillain-Barre causes gradual weakness in the legs, arms and upper body, and in some cases, total paralysis. The World Health Organization declared the Zika outbreak an international health emergency on Feb. 1, largely based on evidence linking Zika to pregnancy and the birth defect known as microcephaly, marked by a small head size and underdeveloped brains. But the WHO is also studying increased cases of Guillain-Barre. Sejvar recently did a retrospective study of Guillain-Barre in Brazil, looking at cases that occurred six months earlier. In that study, researchers enrolled 41 patients who developed Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and 85 people of similar ages who did not develop the disorder. They found "an unexplained higher incidence in relatively younger individuals," Sejvar said, striking individuals in their 40s, although older individuals were the largest group to develop the disorder. Most studies of Guillain-Barre have suggested that by six months, over half of patients would have recovered. But in the Brazil study, nearly 85 percent of the patients with Guillain-Barre still had motor deficits or weakness. More studies will be needed to say whether these trends can be generalized to other regions, he said. The study in Puerto Rico will be prospective, a more rigorous investigation that gathers information at the beginning of an illness and compares outcomes to similar individuals who did not develop Guillain-Barre. The hope is to "quickly identify" cases of Guillain-Barre and enroll them in the study, Sejvar said. That helps in terms of collecting blood samples and spinal fluid while patients are acutely ill. It also gives researchers a better idea of the clinical characteristics in cases of Guillain-Barre that follow a Zika infection. Sejvar said it is possible that Puerto Rico will not have a large outbreak of Zika, but based on what has happened in Colombia and El Salvador, where the virus has begun spreading and cases of Guillain-Barre have emerged, he said there is a potential that Puerto Rico could have a large outbreak. If that does occur, he said, the study "would add more strength to this idea that Zika is somehow related to the development of Guillain-Barre." (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Bernard Orr) By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday delivered a major blow to President Barack Obama by blocking federal regulations to curb carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, the centerpiece of his administration's strategy to combat climate change. On a 5-4 vote, the court granted a request made by 27 states and various companies and business groups to block the administration's Clean Power Plan. The move means the regulations will not be in effect while litigation continues over whether their legality. The brief order from the justices said that the regulations would be on hold until the legal challenge is completed. The court's five conservatives all voted to block the rule. The order noted that the four liberals would have denied the application. A U.S. appeals court in Washington had turned away a similar request on Jan. 21. The states, led by coal producer West Virginia and oil producer Texas, and several major business groups in October launched the legal challenges seeking to block the Obama administration's plan. More than a dozen other states and the National League of Cities, which represents more than 19,000 U.S. cities, filed court papers backing the Environmental Protection Agency's rule. The appeals court still must hear oral arguments on June 2 and decide whether the regulations are lawful. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham) By Reuters Staff (Reuters) - Government tests show some types of laminate flooring sold by Lumber Liquidators Holdings LLC can cause irritation and breathing problems but the risk of cancer from exposure is low, a federal agency said on Wednesday. Lumber Liquidators' sales and shares were hammered after the CBS program "60 Minutes" reported in March last year that the laminates from China contained excessive levels of cancer-causing formaldehyde. The company's shares rose after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the findings of the tests. "We estimated the risk of cancer from exposure to this flooring and its low," the CDC said on its website. Lumber Liquidators said it supported the recommendations of the report on the safety of flooring made in China between 2012 and 2014. The CDC said customers who had installed the flooring and were concerned about formaldehyde should open windows for a few minutes every few days, use exhaust fans and avoid smoking tobacco in the home. "Formaldehyde levels in your home should return to typical levels within two years after the flooring was installed," the CDC said. Lumber Liquidators' shares, which have plunged 88.5 percent since the March report, rose 1.5 to $12.28 on Thursday. Following a separate investigation, Lumber Liquidators agreed this month to pay $13.2 million in fines and forfeitures to resolve a U.S. Department of Justice probe into the import of flooring products in 2013. SOURCE: http://1.usa.gov/1KbZEAR Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, online February 10, 2015. By David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China agrees any new U.N. resolution on North Korea will include additional sanctions and go beyond previous steps, but Washington is urging Beijing to put even more pressure on Pyongyang after its recent nuclear test and rocket launch, a senior U.S. official said on Monday. China is in "unique position" as North Korea's neighbor and ally to compel it to abandon its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, the official told Reuters, as U.N. diplomats sought to craft a new sanctions resolution. "It's clear to me that our Chinese friends have indicated that the U.N. Security Council's response will include sanctions and does need to go beyond previous resolutions," he said. "The key of course is what exactly are the specific actions that we are going to take together and that's the focus of our efforts right now." the official said. "We have made clear that China can do more and needs to do more." China and the United States have not entirely seen eye to eye on how strong the response should be to North Korea since its Jan. 6 nuclear test, with Washington urging harsh punitive measures and Beijing stressing the need for dialogue. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on Friday, a day before North Korea launched a long-range rocket it said was carrying a satellite but which Western officials believe was a test of ballistic missile technology. The official said Washington and Beijing remained in close touch on how to respond to North Korea. The U.N. Security Council on Sunday strongly condemned North Korea's rocket launch and promised to take action, while Washington vowed to ensure the 15-nation body imposed "serious consequences" on Pyongyang as soon as possible. The official said the response needed "to demonstrate very clearly again that there are consequences to these actions and the international community is prepared to take practical steps to restrict North Korea's ability to fund these programs." One diplomat told Reuters that Washington was hoping to tighten international restrictions on North Korea's banking system, while Beijing was reluctant to support that step for fear of worsening conditions in its impoverished neighbor. The United States and South Korea announced after the missile test they had begun formal discussions about the possibility of deploying an advanced missile defense system to which China has objected, arguing it could undermine its strategic deterrent. The U.S. official said the United States had told China that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, was "a defensive system, designed specifically to counter the threat from North Korea" and not aimed at China. Beijing, at odds with the United States over Washington's reaction to its building of artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, quickly expressed "deep concern" about a system whose radar could penetrate Chinese territory. "When pursuing its own security, one country should not impair others' security interests," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement. (This version of the story was refiled to correct spelling of Chinese president's name, paragraph 6) (Reproting by David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington and Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations; Editing by Peter Cooney) United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon travels to Canada this week to applaud Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's stance on welcoming Syrian refugees and to encourage a return to international peacekeeping. Ban will visit Ottawa and Montreal on Thursday and Friday, three months after Trudeau took office and declared "Canada is back," signaling a break with the former conservative government's policies. UN officials say Ban is hoping to enlist Canada as a solid ally in the months ahead as he pushes for concrete action on climate change, beefing up UN peacekeeping and creating more safe havens for refugees. The UN chief will be accompanied by two senior UN officials -- head of UN peacekeeping Herve Ladsous and aid chief Stephen O'Brien -- for talks that will touch on Canada's reengagement with the United Nations. "We want Canada back on the world stage, but in this multilateral context, working with the UN on the global agenda," a senior UN official told AFP on Tuesday. During former prime minister Stephen Harper's nine years in power, Canada suffered a loss of status at the United Nations as the government focussed on its domestic agenda, diplomats said. Ban will be keen to hear Trudeau outline his new commitments to fight climate change, an issue that is shaping up as a priority for the UN chief in his final 10 months in office, the official said. Canada's decision to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees "is exactly the kind of behavior that the secretary-general wants to encourage from other UN member states," he said. Ban will meet Syrian refugees who have recently resettled to Canada. His talks with Trudeau will also focus on renewing Canada's funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA that was frozen in 2013. UNRWA has been hit by one of the biggest funding shortfalls of all UN agencies. The UN chief will encourage Canada to become a bigger contributor to UN peacekeeping and "come back to the way it used to be" during the days of former prime minister Lester Pearson, considered the architect of modern peacekeeping. Story continues Canada will be asked to contribute troops, personnel, expertise, training and equipment to UN peacekeeping, particularly to shore up the struggling UN missions in Mali and Central African Republic. UN efforts to stabilize Haiti and UN reform initiatives are also on the agenda for the meetings intended to woo Trudeau's government to be a "bigger player" on the world stage, said the official. In a nod to 44-year-old Trudeau, who also serves as minister of youth, Ban is taking his youth envoy Ahmad Alhendawi of Jordan along for the visit. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United Nations wants to send independent forensics experts to Burundi to help authorities investigate allegations of mass graves in the strife-torn country, a senior official said Wednesday. After a government security crackdown in December, witnesses came forward with accounts of at least nine mass graves in and around Bujumbura including one in a military camp where more than 100 bodies were allegedly buried. Corpses were allegedly dumped in grave sites by police who had carried out raids in Bujumbura, arresting and shooting young men in response to a December 11 attack by gunmen on three military barracks. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic told reporters that a Burundian prosecutor had opened an investigation of the alleged mass graves and that the United Nations had offered to help. "Somebody has to dig those mass graves. We would like to be present when this is done and we are offering to provide forensics experts," Simonovic said. The government, which has dismissed the allegations, has not responded to the UN offer for experts to be on site for the excavations. UN human rights officials are examining satellite imagery of the alleged mass graves and pressing the government to act quickly to shed light on the allegations. Burundi has been in turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans in April to run for a third term, which he went on to win. More than 400 people have died in the violence and at least 230,000 have fled the country. UN Security Council ambassadors traveled to Burundi last month to urge Nkurunziza to open up serious negotiations with the opposition and agree to an international presence. The mission was aimed at preventing a slide toward ethnic killings in Burundi between Hutus and Tutsis, similar to the violence that led to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Washington (AFP) - The United States accused Rwanda Wednesday of involvement in "destabilizing activities" in strife-torn Burundi, including the recruitment of refugees for armed attacks against the government. The US concerns were raised in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by two top diplomats, who cited reports from colleagues in the field that point to Rwandan involvement in the Burundi crisis. "There are credible reports of recruitment of Burundian refugees out of camps in Rwanda to participate in armed attacks by Burundian armed opposition against the Burundian government," said Thomas Perriello, US envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, told the senators" "We have seen a number of reports from our colleagues in the field that suggest (that) the Rwandan government has been involved in destabilizing activities in Burundi." It is the first time the United States has publicly accused the government in Kigali of involvement in the crisis in neighboring Burundi. The United States historically has been an ally of Rwanda, but relations between the two have chilled in recent years. Burundi has been in turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans in April to run for a third term, which he went on to win. More than 400 people have died since then and at least 230,000 have fled the country. Relations between Rwanda and Burundi are at a low point, with Bujumbura accusing Kigali of supporting its opponents and serving as a rear base for a nascent insurgency. Rwanda rejects the accusations. A UN panel reported last week that Burundian refugees had been recruited at a refugee camp in eastern Rwanda in May and June 2015, and given two months of military training. The refugees said their "ultimate goal" was to remove Nkurunziza from power, according to the report. Rwandan President Paul Kagame has dismissed the accusations as "childish." Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court has put on hold a sweeping plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fueled power plants, dealing a significant blow to President Barack Obama's efforts to rein in climate change. A coalition of 27 US states -- most of them run by Obama's Republican adversaries -- is suing in a lower court to halt Obama's Clean Power Plan, and petitioned the Supreme Court to suspend its implementation until the case is resolved. The White House said it was disappointed in the ruling, but convinced the ambitious plan to slash US emissions was based on a strong legal foundation, and would prevail. "We disagree with the Supreme Court's decision to stay the Clean Power Plan while litigation proceeds," spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement issued after the five-to-four ruling. "We remain confident that we will prevail on the merits." Tuesday's ruling, backed by five of the nine Supreme Court justices, halts the rollout of rules that require the power sector's carbon dioxide emissions to be slashed by at least 32 percent compared to 2005 levels by the year 2030. The far-reaching regulations issued last year by the Environmental Protection Agency are central to Obama's drive to reduce overall US greenhouse gas emissions. "Even while the litigation proceeds, EPA has indicated it will work with states that choose to continue plan development," Earnest said. California's Democratic Governor Jerry Brown -- who is part of a coalition of states defending the emissions plan -- said as much, as he accused the justices of acting "tone-deaf" faced with the threat of "irreversible climate change." "This arbitrary roadblock does incalculable damage and undermines America's climate leadership," he said in a statement. "But make no mistake, this won't stop California from continuing to do its part under the Clean Power Plan." Story continues Democratic White House hopeful Bernie Sanders voiced bitter disappointment at the ruling, shortly before he was declared winner of the key New Hampshire presidential primary. "The Supreme Court's decision is deeply disappointing. There's no time to spare in the fight to combat climate change," he tweeted. The court's four liberal justices -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elana Kagan -- also voiced their firm dissent. But West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey hailed it as a major victory against efforts to regulate the coal industry. "Hope. Coal miners and their families should have more hope tonight after our unprecedented victory at the US Supreme Ct. We stayed the CPP!" tweeted Morrisey, whose state leads a group opposing the Obama plan. - Republicans cry victory - The federal program was a central part of the commitments put forward by Washington ahead of the Paris climate deal struck by 195 governments in December. But many US conservatives deny outright that climate change is caused by human industry and agriculture, and have opposed emissions controls designed to slow global warming. The EPA rules have incensed Republicans, particularly lawmakers from coal-producing states, who say the economic cost of the endeavor would cripple industry and hike energy costs for millions of Americans. Republicans in Congress late last year voted through two so-called disapproval resolutions on the regulations, dealing a largely symbolic yet blunt rebuke to Obama. The Republican leader in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, thanked the Supreme Court for stopping an "illegitimate abuse of power". "The administration's regulations would kill jobs, increase costs, and decrease the reliability of our energy supply," he charged. "That's not what America needs." Likewise, House Speaker Paul Ryan called it "a victory for the American people and our economy." "President Obama's attempt to remake the country's entire energy sector to further his own climate agenda is more than costly, it's unlawful," the Republican said. Obama has relied heavily on the EPA to drive through measures on climate change since failing to secure congressional adoption of a broad energy package early in his presidency. But the powerful agency is viewed with suspicion if not outright hostility by part of the Republican camp. In practice, the EPA will be barred from implementing the emissions rules while an appeals court weighs the case filed by the state plaintiffs -- a delay that risks limiting Obama's ability to cement the reform before he leaves the White House. John and Ann Betar were married on November 25, 1932. (Betar family) They fell in love a bit more each day he drove her to their high school in his Ford Roadster. Now, 83 years after they tied the knot, John and Ann Betar are ready to share the secrets of love everlasting on social media. For the first time, the United States longest-married couple will take to Twitter on Valentines Day to field questions on love and marriage from young romantics hoping to learn the secrets of their success. The Betars raised four daughters and one son in Fairfield, Conn., where they still live, and now have 14 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren and counting. Those interested in chatting with the Betars on Twitter can tweet questions to the couple from now through Valentines Day using the hashtag #LongestLove and the handle @Handy, the event organizer. Im so glad to be living through all this modern stuff, Ann said to Yahoo News, because its an education to me! Its something I knew nothing about but through your children, your grandchildren, you learn an awful lot! Her husband added, Im just happy to be living, without pain. So nice, so lucky. John Betar, 104, was born in Syria and arrived in the United States in 1921 at 10 years of age as a World War I refugee. He spoke only Turkish. He fell in love with the girl next door, Ann Shawah, now 100, while driving her to Bassick High School each morning in their hometown of Bridgeport, Conn. Much to their distress, Anns father announced that he was arranging for her to marry a man 20 years her senior. On Nov. 25, 1932, at 21 and 17, the couple fled to Harrison, N.Y., where they got hitched the same day. John and Ann Betar were married on Nov. 25, 1932, in Harrison, N.Y. (Betar family) John ran Betars Market on Broad Street in Bridgeport to provide for their growing family. He closed the grocery in 1963 to start a career in real estate. Yahoo News asked the Betars if they could shed a little light on the secret to a happy marriage before the Twitter event. Really, its just about devoting your time to understanding one another, Ann said. Story continues Live within your means: Be content with what you have in life, John said. Oh, and always agree with your wife! Answering questions through Twitter will be a brand-new experience for the couple. What better way to celebrate Valentines Day than [to] get insight from the oldest couple in America? asked Handy co-founder and CEO Oisin Hanrahan in a press release. With 204 years of collective experience between them, John and Ann have so much wisdom to share. Its inspiring to see that they have built and continue to maintain a happy home after all this time together. We at Handy are honored to help them share their tips and tricks with the world. Handy is an online service for booking home cleaning and handyman services. The organization plans to donate money to a charity of the Betars choosing. Aldo Civico, an anthropologist who teaches conflict resolution at Columbia University and Rutgers University, told Yahoo News that the key to a lasting relationship is unconditional love. When I had the opportunity to do conflict resolution work with couples I observed that a crisis is often created by unmet needs, Civico said via email. The secret is to constantly grow in ones capacity to give unconditional love. Lasting love is about fulfilling each others needs. The Worldwide Marriage Encounter, a Christian marriage enrichment program, first dubbed the Betars the countrys longest married couple in February 2014. Related video: With "The Choice," "Hail, Caesar!" and "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies" in cinemas, it would seem that all the more obvious, feelgood Valentine's movie options have already been released. So what's fresh out in US theaters for February 14th? A mostly R-rated selection, including comedies "Deadpool," "How to be Single" and "Zoolander No. 2." Deadpool At one point, Deadpool presented itself as a real deal Valentine's smoocher -- if only for a moment -- but even if it's not a Ryan Reynolds romcom in the traditional sense, this R-rated Marvel action film might be just the ticket for those seeking a bit of violent cultural deconstruction on February 14th (or whenever). Pre-release buzz predicts a strong opening weekend and good prospects for the rest of the month, thanks in part to canny, atypical marketing, in keeping with Reynolds' main character. Trailer: youtu.be/9vN6DHB6bJc How to be Single Robin (Rebel Wilson of "Pitch Perfect") makes it her responsibility to teach Alice (Dakota Johnson, "Black Mass") the art of singledom in the immediate aftermath of a painful break-up. Cue a calculated exploitation of traditional male-female gender roles as the pair, and their pals, look to make the most of New York City's elegible bachelors. Rated R for language and sexual content. Trailer: youtu.be/akwGjUeU6YA Zoolander No. 2 Fashion model spoof Derek Zoolander is back, this time tasked with uncovering a dark conspiracy that threatens the lives of the world's most beautiful. Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell are among the returning cast, now joined by Penelope Cruz, Kristen Wiig and Benedict Cumberbatch. The question is, has Zoolander still got what it takes or, 15 years on, is he just a little too stale? Whatever the case, Valentine's Day is, for Derek and pals, better known as "Valentino's" Day. Trailer: youtu.be/iceW6gEavu0 Touched With Fire "Deadpool" and "How to be Single" aren't the only R-rated releases this Valentine's week. Katie Holmes stars in a tale of psych ward romance, a pitch that has many anticipating a performance to equal one of her career bests from 2003's "Pieces of April." She plays opposite Luke Kirby ("Rectify"); newcomer Paul Dalio directs this limited release explorating connections between mania, genius and attraction. Trailer: youtu.be/Ex7nscQxS30 Where to Invade Next Documentarian Michael Moore is back with a release timed to coincide with the US presidential election primaries. It would seem that the director is a bit in love with Europe, as he compares selected aspects of life in Italy, France, Scandinavia, Slovenia, Germany and Iceland with the US experience. Also rated R due to language, violence and some nudity. Trailer: youtu.be/1KeAZho8TKo Homs (Syria) (AFP) - Devastated by 20 months of combat between regime forces and rebel fighters, the haunting ruins of the Old City of Homs now serve as inspiration for some Syrian artists. In summer 2014, director Joud Said decided to set his film "It's Raining in Homs" in the ruins, just three months after the last rebels left the area under a truce deal following a lengthy siege. "We were preparing a film about three people in the siege, and we planned to film it on a set," he told AFP. "But when the agreement (with the rebels) happened, we moved everything to Homs, with the real backdrop and real tragedy," said the 35-year-old director. Homs in central Syria was nicknamed the "capital of the revolution" by opponents of President Bashar al-Assad, and saw massive demonstrations against his rule after the uprising began in March 2011. When the uprising transformed into a war after a government crackdown, the army seized virtually all of Homs except its Old City, which remained a rebel bastion from December 2012 until May 2014. During that period, the government imposed a siege on the area, and fighting wrought massive destruction, grinding buildings into scarred concrete shells and wiping away signs of life. Said's film is set in the last three months of the siege. It tells the story of a woman and her sister who enter the Old City during an evacuation of civilians, and stay there with the help of a priest to search for their brother. "The ruins are one of the characters in the film because they show what human beings are capable of in terms of material destruction and massacres, not only against other human beings but also our culture, our heritage," said the filmmaker. - 'Presence of the disappeared' - Said -- who won the best Arab film award at the 2015 edition of the Cairo International Film Festival -- spent 100 days with his crew filming in the ruins, with only soldiers for company. Story continues "These ruins tell the story of people's memories. The presence of those who disappeared can still be felt on the balconies, through the windows and even through the curtains," he said. "We don't know what they have become, refugees, perhaps dead." Syria's army has been accused of most of the destruction of Homs, in a bid to root out the rebels who were entrenched inside. But Said is not interested in apportioning blame. "We, the Syrians, are all guilty, all responsible for our own misfortunes," he said. "It doesn't matter who did what, where and how. It's up to us to find the ways to heal both the wounds on our souls and our stones." More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which has also displaced more than half the country's population. - 'Life goes on' - Other artists too have turned to the ruins for their work, including painter Yara Issa, 26, a Homs native. Originally from Bab Sebaa, a district of the Old City, Issa was forced to move to Damascus after her house was destroyed. "All my paintings are inspired by the war," she told AFP. "People killed, explosions, shelling... I use cold colours that suggest sadness," she said of her abstract works. "Syrian artists paint so that people won't forget the consequences of the war, so they remember the past," she added. Photographer Jaafar Merhi chose destroyed buildings and rubble as a backdrop for wedding pictures, that show young couples standing in deserted, bombed-out streets. "The first time I suggested photographing a couple here they were take aback. When I explain to them that I want to show love exists despite the ruins, some accept, and others don't." he said. A fierce supporter of the Syrian government, the 22-year-old blames "terrorists" for the devastation and says the army did its duty in retaking the area by force. Merhi has photographed three weddings in the ruins, most recently that of 18-year-old bride Nada and her 27-year-old groom Hassan Youssef, a soldier. In one of the shots the couple -- Rana in a white dresss and Youssef in military fatigues -- are seen locked in an embrace on the upper floor of a pockmarked building shorn of its facade and windows. "I agreed to have my photos taken in this devastated area because one day I will show them to my children to explain that despite all this sadness, life goes on," said Rana. Paris (AFP) - Some visitors may be steering clear of the world's top tourist destination after terror attacks in the French capital, but for lovers, shoppers and gourmands who dare to go, Paris will always be Paris. Quaint Parisian streets have been a little quieter and lines outside the Louvre museum or under the Eiffel Towel a little shorter since a November jihadist attack which killed 130 people. Francois Navarro, head of the Paris region tourist board, said hotel reservations were down about 20 percent, with many cancellations from Japanese, Chinese and Russian tourists following the second devastating attack to hit the City of Light within a year. He said it had taken the Paris region three months to recover from the January 2015 attacks on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket. "There has been more of an impact" after gunmen and suicide bombers went on a killing spree at Paris nightspots in November, Navarro said. "But security has also never been as high in Paris. That reassures tourists," he said, adding that visitor figures were expected to pick up again in March. - 'The magic of Paris took over' - The full impact of the terror attacks on 2015 tourism figures is not yet known, but while some backed out of their dream trip, the allure of Paris was too strong for others. "At first, I didn't want to come at all, because of the attacks. But I decided not to give into fear... Visiting Paris had always been one of my wishes," said Annika, a 23-year-old German on her first solo trip abroad. "I came to realise that I could just as easily be hit by a car anywhere in the world anytime and I wouldn't be able to do much about it either," she said. Her attitude reflects that of many who keep coming to Paris, said Navarro, adding that travellers today have "adapted to the fact that these tragic events can happen anywhere." Annika said the presence of police and soldiers on the streets and bag checks at tourist sites "made me feel a little bit safe." Story continues "The magic of Paris totally took over," she said, adding she was glad to visit the Place de la Republique, a square which has become a shrine to the victims of the attacks. Immortalised in song, movies and the hearts of romantics the world over, "there is something so particular about Paris", said Navarro, who is cheerily optimistic that tourist figures will recover. The city is a magnet for museum lovers, with its rich history and architectural gems, foodies dreaming of buttery croissants and little bistros, and shoppers looking for Parisian glamour. The greater Paris region attracted 19 million foreign tourists in 2014, while France as a whole lured 83 million travellers from abroad, making it the world's top tourist destination. - Reassuring China, Japan - China, the fifth biggest contributor of tourists to France after Britain, the United States, Germany and Italy, is one of the biggest markets for growth and tourist authorities are keen to allay any nervousness among travellers there. Wang Yang, of the Liurenyou travel agency in Beijing, told AFP that 60 percent of their clients had cancelled trips to France after the November attack. "In the mind of many Chinese tourists, security in France is lacking," she said. In a bid to win over Chinese tourists, France has cut visa waiting times and Navarro said the city would welcome 55 Chinese tour operators at the end of February to "talk security and show them what the destination has to offer." The operators would spend two hours visiting police headquarters on their trip to Paris. Chinese and Japanese tourists are some of the biggest spenders in France and a delegation of tourism officials will also visit Tokyo in June in a bid to reassure tourist agencies there. "We are seeing a certain impact from the attacks, with the number of tourists to France down compared to the past years," said Hidekazu Kihara, a spokesman for the Nippon Travel Agency in Japan. One Japanese official in Paris spoke of a "drastic" drop in visitor numbers to France. - 'Part of our history' - To Navarro, the Paris attacks have "now become part of our history." "But Paris remains the capital of love, of gastronomy, of shopping." Joel Haywood, 34, and his girlfriend Yao, who live in Beijing, were walking through the unusually calm quaint streets of the Ile Saint Louis, a normally bustling island in the heart of Paris. "It is just like the Paris we always heard about," said Yao, adding they had been intrigued to come and see how Parisians were coping after the attacks, and found "everyone is happy." Like many others, they shrugged off security concerns with the phrase: "It can happen anywhere." A short walk away, across the Seine, Mark Woods and Samantha Arnold from England were waiting in line under the gargoyles and bell towers of the Notre Dame cathedral. The glowing couple can attest to the fact that Paris is still very much the city of magic and romance. "He proposed to me on Friday, that just proves it," said Samantha. "Under the Eiffel tower," added Mark. The New Hampshire presidential primary: Our politics team is tracking the polls, the color, and the results of the latest stop on the campaign trail here. Another hospital bombing in Syria: Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) said in a statement today that airstrikes hit a hospital supported by the charity in Daraa late last week, killing at least three people and wounding six others. Several MSF or MSF-supported medical facilities in Syria have been bombed in recent months. The Oregon standoff: Rumors are swirling that Cliven Bundy, father of Ammon and a thorn in the federal governments side in his own right, may be headed to the national wildlife refuge that armed protesters took over last month. Eight occupiers were recently arrested, and one was killed. Four remain. David has the story here. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. The one and perhaps only golden rule about real estate location, location, location is well deserved. Whether youre renting an apartment or buying a house, youre not just paying for basic square footage, youre paying what in essence amounts to a neighborhood tax. Its why renting a tiny studio in Manhattan can cost you upwards of $2,000 a month while buying a house in Detroit might only set you back $500. DONT MISS: Quick tips to speed up your home Wi-Fi and improve coverage Of course, once you venture outside of the United States and skip over notoriously expensive cities like Paris, there are a lot of interesting places to live on the cheap. An informative Quora thread on this very topic provides us with a few examples of where you might want to go if youre intent on living incredibly cheaply for a year. Naturally, your mileage as it pertains to living conditions will vary, but here are a few notable locations to keep in mind. More than any other region, it seems that Southeast Asia provides more alluring opportunities for cheap living than anywhere else in the world. Specifically, Thailand and Indonesia were commonly referenced as attractive options. For instance, Quora user Anton Susilo writes: In Yogyakarta, Indonesia, you can live happily only for $1 2 per day (excluding accomodation). Currently I stay in Jogja to run a startup company. We rented a 3 bed rooms house (with area around 200m2 ) for Rp 18millions ($1500 annually). Just outside the house, some food sellers go around the resident area to find people whos starving and looking for food. Heres what I frequently eat for my lunch. Chicken satay: 15 sticks of it and two rice cakes (lontong) for Rp 5000 (40 cents). Whaaaattt, right? Haha. True story. Another user chimes in that food can indeed be had for just 40 to 50 cents a day in Indonesia and Thailand, but that more substantive meals can be obtained for just 1-$2. As far as rent is concerned, it appears that one can find decent places to rent in both Indonesia and Thailand in the $125 $250/month range. Story continues Malaysia is another country with cheap living options, with one user relaying that they stayed in a 3-bedroom high-rise in Penang, Malaysia, compete with a pool and other frills, for just $500/month, or about $166 per person. Irrespective of standards of living (Damascus probably isnt terribly safe to visit these days, for example), The Economist last year released its list of the cheapest cities in the world to live, which reads as follows. Karachi, Pakistan Bangalore, India Caracas, Venezuela Mumbai, India Chennai, India New Delhi, India Tehran, Iran Damascus, Syria Kathmandu, Nepal Algiers, Algeria The full report also adds: While Asia is home to some of the worlds most expensive cities, the region is also home to many of the worlds cheapest cities. Within Asia, the best value for money is in the Indian subcontinent (defined as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka). Karachi and Bangalore are the joint cheapest locations in the survey, and five of the six cheapest cities surveyed hail from Pakistan and India. Income inequality means that low wages proliferate, driving down household spending and creating many tiers of pricing that keep spending per head low. This, combined with a cheap and plentiful supply of goods into cities from rural producers with short supply chains, as well as government subsidies on some products, has kept prices down, especially by Western standards. If youre looking to stay in the United States, make sure to check out this list for the cheapest places to live in the U.S. Related stories The 'Netflix for planes' offers unlimited air travel for a monthly fee Hotel personnel reveal the industry's dirtiest secrets Airline personnel reveal the industry's biggest secrets More from BGR: Bloomberg: Teslas Model 3 will cost as little as $25,000 This article was originally published on BGR.com By Matt Spetalnick and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will deliver a tough message to China during a summit with Southeast Asian countries next week that disputes in the South China Sea must be resolved peacefully and not with a big nation bullying smaller neighbours, the White House said on Tuesday. Obama will also address North Koreas provocations, a nuclear test last month and a rocket launch over the weekend, when he hosts the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in California on Monday and Tuesday, aides said. Ben Rhodes, Obamas deputy national security adviser, said the president will reiterate that territorial disputes over the area, where China and several Southeast Asian states have conflicting and overlapping claims, must be handled through negotiations and consistent with international norms. Though China will not be represented, Obamas aides made clear that Beijings actions in the South China Sea, where it has proceeded with island building that U.S. officials suspect could be turned to military use, will be one of the focal points of the summit at the Sunnylands estate near Palm Springs, California. The president will call on all claimants to halt land reclamation, construction of new facilities and to carry out no militarization of outposts in the South China Sea, Dan Kritenbrink, Obamas top Asia adviser, told reporters on a conference call previewing the ASEAN talks. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. Rhodes said part of Obamas message at the summit will be the need to avoid efforts to resolve those disputes through one nation, bigger nation, bullying a smaller one, uphold freedom of navigation and avoid inadvertent and unnecessary" military action in the South China Sea. A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other states in the South China Sea in late January to counter what Washington deems unacceptable efforts to limit freedom of navigation, prompting an angry reaction from Beijing. It was the second such U.S. military exercise carried out last year. Obama will specifically discuss with Southeast Asian leaders his concerns about Chinas recent test flights on a newly constructed runway on the Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands, Rhodes said. But even as Obama seeks to reassure Southeast Asian leaders of his resolve, he is expected to face divisions within the 10-nation bloc on how far they are willing to go in angering China. The Philippines and Vietnam have taken a harder line while Cambodia and Laos are more reluctant to confront Beijing. U.S. officials insist the summit is not about targeting China but about bolstering economic and security ties with Southeast Asia, a region Obama has focused on as part of his signature rebalance toward Asia-Pacific. At the same time, Obama will update Southeast Asian leaders on efforts to increase international sanctions pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs, a process that the U.S. officials said China had every reason to assist. We approach China on the basis that we have a shared interest in the principle of denuclearisation and avoiding an escalation on the Korean peninsula, Rhodes said. But China and the United States have not entirely seen eye to eye on how strong the response should be to North Korea, with Washington urging harsh punitive measures and Beijing stressing the need for dialogue. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Eric Beech and Leslie Adler) Ask a group of high school seniors what theyre sick of being asked about college, and theyll likely share some variation of the question What are you going to major in? Adults usually follow up the query one of two ways: They tell students to study a subject that leads to a high-paying jobafter all, student loans dont pay themselvesor they say money isnt everything and that students should major in fields that appeal to their passions. Hello, English and psychology. But according to a new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, black students are more likely to choose majors that dont lead to lucrative careersand it may not always be a matter of personal choice. RELATED: Employers Are Most Eager to Hire Students With This College Major The center studied data on 137 majors and found a significant underrepresentation of black students in fields of study that put people on the path to high-paying, in-demand jobs. The low-paying majors that African Americans are concentrated in are of high social value but low economic value, Anthony P. Carnevale, director of the Georgetown center and coauthor of the report, said in a statement. Students who major in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences and administration tend to have median earnings of $84,000, but only 6 percent of black students choose those fields. Although 1 million STEM jobs are needed over the next decade, the report revealed that black students are underrepresented in STEM majors overall, which hurts their economic prospects throughout their lifetimes. Not choosing a STEM major can have a significant economic impact on a persons life. African Americans who earned a Bachelors degree in a STEM related major, such as architecture or engineering, can earn as much as 50 percent more than African Americans who earned a Bachelors degree in art or psychology and social work, wrote the reports authors. Story continues Instead, black students are more likely to major in intellectual and caring fields. They gravitate toward early childhood education and social work, where low incomes do not reflect their years of higher education, said the report. The authors wrote that part of the problem is that black students are concentrated in open-access four-year institutions where students have limited choices of majors offered. In other words, its tough for a black student attending a less-selective schoolwhich happens even when they have the grades to get into Harvardto major in a field such as chemical engineering if its not an option on campus. It also doesnt help that racial discrimination may deter students from pursuing some majors, STEM in particular. Although 20 percent of black computer science majors attend historically black colleges and universities, Silicon Valleys recruitment efforts on those campuses are often lackluster. Black STEM graduates also face significant discrimination on the job, which may discourage some from pursuing those careers. RELATED: Even Going to Harvard Cant Guarantee Jobs for Some Grads Meanwhile, black students may also be inclined to give back to their communities by pursuing traditional fields. If youre an African American who majors in math, youre more likely to become a schoolteacher. If youre a white male who majors in math, youre more likely to go on to grad school in business or to seek out higher education opportunities, Carnevale explained to The Wall Street Journal. This doesn't mean black students should stop being teachers, said Carnevale. Instead, colleges need to expand their career counseling to boost awareness of other majors and what they earn. Related stories on TakePart: Home Ec Returns to College Campuses With a Modern Twist Why Community Colleges Cant Solve Americas Higher Ed Woes Aristocracy or Meritocracy? Just 3 Percent of Kids at Top Colleges Are Low-Income Original article from TakePart Geneva (AFP) - The widow of top chef Benoit Violier, whose January 31 suicide shocked the culinary world, said she would take charge of her husband's celebrated restaurant, in an interview published Wednesday. Brigitte Violier told Swiss magazine L'Illustre that her husband's former sous-chef, Franck Giovannini would run the kitchen at the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville Crissier, hailed as the best restaurant in the world just two months ago. "Franck Giovannini is taking responsibility for the team, while I will have responsibility for the establishment as the manager, like I was until Benoit's death," Violier was quoted as saying. She said she never considered quitting following the death of her husband, who was considered one of the world's finest chefs until he was found dead with his hunting rifle by his side at his home near Lausanne. "We built this project together. I do not intend to abandon it," she told the magazine. In the less than four years that the Violiers ran the restaurant, it received the maximum three Michelin stars and it was also named the "best restaurant in the world" by the French-based La Liste in December. In 2013, Benoit Violier won chef-of-the-year in the prestigious Gault & Millau guide. Brigitte Violier said she had no explanation for why her husband chose to end a life that appeared to be full and successful. "He had everything. We had everything. There is no rational explanation," she told the Swiss weekly. She categorically dismissed rumours circulating that her husband was the victim of a financial fraud involving rare wines. "It's 100 percent false. One hundred percent false in substance and 100 percent false in the details," she said, insisting that the restaurant's financial performance was solid. In an interview given four days before his death at age 44, Violier said the accolades given to his small restaurant in a village outside Lausanne did not matter, and that his priority was to ensure his clients kept coming back. (Reuters) - A wild elephant went on a rampage in a village in India's eastern West Bengal state on Wednesday, damaging around 100 structures, villagers said. Video taken in the village of Ektiasal showed the beast wandering around and knocking over flimsy huts. The elephant strayed into the village early in the morning and woke up villagers with its roaring. "The elephant entered from a nearby forest area. It has destroyed many houses and people are scared and helpless," villager Milan Saha said. No injuries were reported. Attacks by elephants have been on the rise in eastern India. Wildlife experts say the destruction of animal habitats in the country is one of the main reasons for the increase in encounters between wild animals and villagers in rural areas of India. (Reporting by Reuters television; Writing by Jeremy Gaunt; Editing by Andrew Heavens) Hebron (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Israeli fire killed a Palestinian youth during clashes near Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry said. The Israeli army confirmed opening fire after spotting "assailants hurling rocks at civilian vehicles" during the clashes in the area of the Al-Arroub refugee camp. The Palestinian killed, identified as Omar Jawabra, was said to be 15 or 16. A wave of violence that erupted in October has claimed the lives of 166 Palestinians, 26 Israelis, a US national, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. Most of the Palestinians were killed carrying out attacks, while others died during clashes and demonstrations. Some analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest. Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media as a main cause of the unrest. Israel has also faced questions over whether it has used excessive forces in some cases, which it firmly rejects. Also on Wednesday, Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog spoke of his proposal to begin unilaterally separating from the Palestinians "as much as possible" to restore security, saying he sees no peace deal possible for now. The head of the Labour-led Zionist Union coalition said he still wants a two-state solution, but does not believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas are capable of a breakthrough. As a result, he proposes separating Palestinian areas on the outskirts of Jerusalem from the city itself and completing construction of Israel's controversial separation barrier already walling off much of the occupied West Bank. Herzog said the Palestinians must also be given more civilian authority in the West Bank itself as part of "confidence-building measures", though he stressed the Israeli army would continue to operate anywhere it sees necessary in the territory. By Stephen Eisenhammer RECIFE (Reuters) - Six months pregnant with her first child, Eritania Maria has a rash and a mild fever, symptoms of the Zika virus linked to brain deformities in newborn children in Brazil. But the 17-year-old is too scared to take a test to confirm if she has Zika. Like other women in the slums of Recife, which squat on stilts over mosquito-ridden marshland in northeast Brazil, Maria has few options if her child develops microcephaly, the condition marked by an abnormally small head and underdeveloped brain that has been linked to Zika. Brazil has amongst the toughest abortion laws in the world and is culturally conservative. Even if she wanted an illegal abortion and could afford one, Maria is too heavily pregnant for a doctor to risk it. So she prefers not to know. "I'm too scared of finding out my baby will be sick," she told Reuters, her belly poking out from beneath a yellow top. The Zika outbreak has revived the debate about easing abortion laws but Maria's case highlights a gap between campaigners and U.N. officials calling for change and Brazil's poor, who are worst affected by the mosquito-borne virus yet tend to be anti-abortion. Add a conservative Congress packed with Evangelical Christians staunchly opposed to easing restrictions, plus the difficulty of identifying microcephaly early enough to safely abort, and hopes for change seem likely to be frustrated. As with many countries in mostly Roman Catholic Latin America, Brazil has outlawed abortion except in cases of rape, when the mother's life is at risk or the child is too sick to survive. An estimated 850,000 women in Brazil have illegal abortions every year, many under dangerous conditions. They can face up to 3 years in prison although in practice, jail terms are extremely rare. With two-thirds of the population Catholic and support for Evangelicals growing fast, polls show Brazilians oppose changing the law. A survey by pollster VoxPopuli in 2010 showed that 82 percent reject decriminalization, while a Datafolha poll the same year put the figure at 72 percent. Vandson Holanda, head of health for the Catholic Church in Brazil's northeast, said there was no chance the Church would shift its position on abortion because of Zika. Suspected cases of microcephaly have topped more than 4,000 - with more than 400 of those confirmed so far - since Zika was first detected in April. Around one-third of the suspected cases are in Pernambuco state around Recife. The figures, which compare with around 150 cases across Brazil in a normal year, show no signs of slowing. While there is no scientific proof of a connection between Zika and microcephaly, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global emergency this month, citing a "strongly suspected" link. The virus has spread to 26 countries in the Americas since arriving in Brazil. Women's rights groups in Brazil such as Anis plan to appeal to the Supreme Court to relax Brazil's abortion laws. They hope to build on a successful case in 2012 that legalized abortion for anencephaly, where the fetus develops without a major part of its brain and skull. Given the difficulty of identifying microcephaly before the final weeks of pregnancy, Sinara Gumieri, a legal advisor to Anis, said the group would petition the court to legalize abortion for women diagnosed with Zika whose child was at risk of the condition, even if it is not diagnosed in the fetus. She admitted it would be difficult. The doctors who led the anencephaly campaign in 2012 do not expect its success to be repeated. "It's completely different," said Eugenio Pita, a doctor in Recife who performed legal abortions through the public health system for 20 years. "With anencephaly, the baby does not live; an abortion is only speeding up the inevitable. Babies born with microcephaly usually survive." CONSERVATIVE CONGRESS TIGHTENING LAW Legislative reforms seem even more unlikely. A 2014 election returned a more conservative Congress, packed with Evangelicals, who account for roughly a fifth of Brazil's 200 million people. The speaker of the lower house, Eduardo Cunha, elected with the backing of Evangelical congressmen, has proposed legislation to make it harder to get an abortion in cases of alleged rape, sparking protests across Brazil last year. Hundreds of Brazilian women die or are seriously injured each year in botched illegal abortions involving improvised equipment -- mostly women not wealthy enough to travel abroad or pay for a proper doctor. "Illegal abortions bring with them serious risks, the complications of which we have to pay careful attention to," said Jailson Correia, Recife's health secretary, calling for a national debate on liberalizing the law. So far, there is inconclusive evidence that Zika has led to a rise in abortions. The website Women on Web, an Amsterdam-based charity that has offered to send free abortion pills to pregnant women infected with Zika, said email requests from Brazil asking about the service tripled last week. The pills can be used to terminate pregnancy in the first 12 weeks. But a for-profit online service, Aborto na Nuvem, said it reported no change beyond a usual 15-20 percent monthly increase the site has registered since it launched last year. Its co-founder, Heinrick Per, said the service was mainly used by wealthy Brazilians and he did not expect to see a rise because of Zika. DETECTED LATE With state-of-the-art equipment, experts say signs of microcephaly may be detected from about 24 weeks but it is impossible to determine how severe a case it might be. In Brazil, if identified before birth at all, it is usually registered at 30 to 32 weeks, by which time most doctors will not perform an illegal abortion. "After 12 weeks it is hard to find a doctor to do an illegal abortion in Brazil. After 24 weeks, it's impossible," said Dr Elias Melo, a leading obstetrician at Hospital das Clinicas in Recife. Though they are rarely prosecuted, doctors can face up to 10 years in prison. "It's not just a legal thing, it is cultural as well," Melo said, noting that by 30 to 32 weeks you have a 2 kilogram (4.4 lb) baby that could survive if removed from the womb. Complicating matters, as many as 80 percent of people with Zika do not show symptoms and there is no quick and reliable test for the virus widely available. As a result, some women may opt for preemptive abortions early in pregnancy to avoid the risk of microcephaly, experts say. French historian of science Ilana Lowy draws parallels with rubella in Britain and France in the 1950s, when abortion was illegal yet the number of terminated pregnancies rose dramatically. Yet unlike with rubella, where up to 85 percent of fetuses infected in early pregnancy develop defects, doctors so far have no proof that Zika causes microcephaly, let alone an idea of its likelihood. "Half of my 50 patients had Zika-like symptoms at some stage of their pregnancy," said Melo. "Not one of them had a child born with microcephaly." Still, a dramatic rise in microcephaly cases could put a huge burden on poor families and public health services already under strain. At a hospital in Recife, Gabriela Falcao cradles her 2 month old baby who was born with microcephaly and twisted legs as she waits to see a doctor. "If I could go back, I still wouldn't have an abortion," she said. "I hold out hope my baby will grow to be like other kids." (Additional reporting by Ueslei Marcelino; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Kieran Murray) Paris (AFP) - Top research institutions, funders and publishers said Wednesday they would make all scientific findings on the Zika virus assailing Latin America available speedily, and free. A statement signed by the journals Nature, Science and The Lancet, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, France's Institut Pasteur, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development said data was a crucial tool in fighting the public health emergency. "Journal signatories will make all content concerning the Zika virus free to access," the document said. For their part, research funders will require scientists to share interim as well as final data as rapidly and widely as possible. The route to publication can be a long, slow one, and research findings are usually not shared until after they have been published in a peer-reviewed journal. "The arguments for sharing data, and the consequences of not doing so, have been thrown into stark relief by the Ebola and Zika outbreaks," the document stated. "In the context of a public health emergency of international concern, there is an imperative on all parties to make any information available that might have value in combatting the crisis." The statement urged other organisations to follow suit. Other signatories included Doctors Without Borders (MSF in its French acronym), The New England Journal of Medicine, PLOS Science Journals, the South African Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. The move was welcomed by experts as a sea change in public health research. - Life-saving - Trudie Lang, director of the Global Health Network, said the response to Zika -- even more so than in the case of Ebola -- was being hamstrung by the many unknowns. "We are still to prove that Zika causes microcephaly, and we need to know at what point damage happens in pregnancy, should this be the case," she said in comments issued by the Science Media Centre in London. Story continues "In addition we need to develop better diagnostic tools and agree how to interpret anomaly scans to assess how these affected babies are developing." Data needs to be shared as quickly as possible, she said, "to address all these questions concurrently." Lang also stressed the need to ensure the data is reliable and accurate. This "requires research sites to be well trained and have the resources they need to collect and manage data in ways that avoid error," she said. Infectious diseases professor Mark Woolhouse from the University of Edinburgh described the commitment as one of the most welcome developments in decades. "If acted upon, this declaration will save lives," he said. An outbreak of the usually benign Zika virus in Latin America and the Caribbean has coincided with a surge in babies with microcephaly, a condition that causes them to have unusually small heads and brains, leading to death or disability. No scientific proof has been found that Zika causes microcephaly, though the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) has said a link is "strongly suspected" and has declared Zika a "public health emergency of international concern." There is no cure or vaccine for the virus which, in most people, causes mild symptoms. A woman holds her granddaughter, left, who was born with microcephaly, and her twin brother in Recife, Brazil, on Feb. 3. A new study shows that newborn eye damage may be another effect of Zika, which has been linked with microcephaly. (Photo: AP Images) Zika virus, the mosquito-borne illness linked to a rise in babies born with brain damage in Brazil, may be responsible for newborn eye damage as well. Thats the finding of a new study published this week in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology. The study, which was conducted in December in Brazil, evaluated 29 infants with microcephaly, an incurable condition linked to Zika virus in which babies are born with unusually small heads. Twenty-three of the mothers said they had experienced Zika virus signs and symptoms while they were pregnant, including rash, fever, joint pain, headache, and itching, and 18 of them said the symptoms occurred during their first trimester. Nearly 35 percent of the infants studied had eye abnormalities, but they werent necessarily in both eyes. The most common issues were black lesions in the back of the eye, retinal tissue damage, or damage to blood vessels and tissue below the retina. Related: Zika Virus Declared Global Health Emergency Researchers say its hard to know whether the babies can see or how much they can see at this point, but there is damage. Zika virus has regularly made headlines since January after nearly 4,000 babies were born in Brazil with microcephaly since October, believed to be caused by the virus. (Brazil reported fewer than 150 cases of microcephaly in 2014.) Zika is spreading throughout South America and Central America and the Caribbean, and the World Health Organization recently predicted that the virus will spread to all but two countries in South America, Central America, and North America (including the United States by late spring or early summer). Because of the viruss link with severe birth defects, officials in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Jamaica are urging women to delay having children. Story continues Related: Is This Mosquito Repellent Your Best Protection Against Zika Virus? While the eye damage link is new, William Schaffner, MD, an infectious-disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Health that he isnt shocked by it. It would appear that the Zika virus, once it gets through the placenta, can get to the child and then it seems to have an attraction to the brain and to related structures, he says. That includes the eye, which comes from the brain during embryologic development. From there, he explains, the virus gets into the brain, causing inflammation and tissue destruction. But why might one eye be affected and not the other? And why might some babies avoid eye damage altogether? Schaffner says it depends on where the Zika virus affected the developing child it often doesnt affect all areas equally. The Zika virus localizes, causing inflammation and tissue damage, he explains. That will result in how much damage occurs and exactly where the damage is. Related: Is the Zika Virus Contagious? However, board-certified infectious-disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, tells Yahoo Health that there is a lot we still dont know about Zika. Its unclear what trajectory Zika takes and why at this point, he says. It could have to do with the time of infection, for example. With all the news about potential harm to newborns, many are wondering whether Zika may cause more than just a fever, rash, and joint pain in adults. Should adults be worried about eye damage too from Zika infection? Schaffner says there is no indication of this, given what we know about the virus. The only more serious potential complication in adults that has been detected so far is Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves that can cause temporary paralysis. Thats pretty rare, though, Schaffner says. So far, theres no evidence that the Zika virus causes permanent damage in adults to the brain, eyes, or any other structure. Despite concerns for adults, Adalja stresses that Zika is a fairly benign disease for the vast majority of people. Schaffner says its important for Americans to be aware of Zika and up to date on news of the virus, but to avoid panicking. Previously, weve been able to contain dengue virus and chikungunya [which are also spread via mosquitoes], he says. We will be able to contain this. More on the Zika virus on Yahoo Health: Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Health on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Machel poised for 8th Road March For the morning period truck deejays had the song on repeat and barely any other songs were heard. Last year Montano won Road March for the second consecutive time with his mega hit Like ah Boss after ruling the road in 2014 with Ministry of Road. He first won in 1997 (Big Truck) and then in: 2006 (Band of the Year with Patrice Roberts); 2007 (Jumbie); 2011 (Advantage); and 2012 (Pump Yuh Flag). If Montano makes it eight wins he will be tied with the Mighty Sparrow (Dr Slinger Francisco), but still behind nine-time winner SuperBlue (Austin Lyons), and still undefeated 10- time winner the grandmaster Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts). Montano made an appearance at the Savannah on a truck with the band Fantasy and their portrayal I Wish. Aided by back up vocals from calypso queen Calypso Rose (McCartha Linda Sandy- Lewis) Montano whipped the already exuberant band members into an even greater frenzy with a live performance Waiting on the Stage. Fantasy had a huge number of masqueraders that ran on to the stage and sections quickly jumbled together as confetti and smoke was poured above them by the music trucks. One of the earliest bands to cross the stage at about 8.40am was Ronnie and Caro Tears Of... which featured sections like Pride with aquamarine and pink arch back pieces, and Happiness with an explosion of yellow and red. Up next was the band Belmont Jewels which featured Spanish dancers, bulls and a matador, and then the big band Legacy and their portrayal Life. Legacy began with a dance and flag routine by female masqueraders around a bronze elephant. Bandleader Michael Big Mike Antoine in silver body paint and Indian head dress then led a group of wild Indians and some monster mas across the stage to live steelpan music. The traditional display then gave way to the more modern mas of Legacy and highlights included their queen with large golden fan shapes and an incongruous Hulk character. Continuing the trend of opening dance routines was the band Flashback which featured African style dancers and costumes reminiscent of the Eddie Murphy comedy Coming to America. At this point the announcer reminded the masqueraders to face the judges and to do their presentations close to them. Large band Passion began their portrayal Amazon with their security carrying a few female masqueraders to the centre of the stage like royalty, circling them and then bowing as though in worship. This part of the presentation also featured a golden bird-type character. In contrast the band Mardis Gras and their portrayal Unite the Nation featured a compact mass of spectators with no clear demarcations of sections and the theme was only displayed by some patriotic colours and a couple of national flags. There were also a few traditional character bands in the morning period and patrons were treated to singing minstrels, whip cracking jab jabs, ornately dressed firemen (sailor mas) and wild Indians. Between portrayals the clean-up crews were on the stage sweeping up and some CEPEP workers were also cleaning periodically in the stands. One patron, Jeff from St Thomas, US Virgin Islands, informed Newsday that it was his second consecutive Carnival. He noted that he played mas this year but decided not to this year, a decision he regretted. It has been beautiful. I wished I had played. Next time definitely, he said. He continued: The energy is like nothing else. He explained that while St Thomas also has a Carnival festival it not like it is in Trinidad. Nice positive vibe from beginning to end, he added. A group of visiting tourists aboard the dock cruise ship MS Saga Sapphire paid a visit to the Savannah and got a brief taste of Carnival before returning to the ship for lunch. In the first few hours the stands were slowly filling up, with the Grand Stand having more attendees than the North Stand. Maureen, a female patron, pointed to the number of empty seats and said the ticket cost of $100 may have kept some people away. National Carnival Commission chairman Kenny de Silva, who was at the Grand Stand yesterday morning, said the number of patrons was building slowly and expressed hope that by mid afternoon they would have a good attendance at the mas. He noted that they had strong representation from the bands. The bands are coming up. The track is looking nice and healthy. We will have a number of bands on stage definitely by mid-afternoon, he said. Asked if there were any issues de Silva noted that the protective services report a relatively crime free Carnival and we hope people are very comfortable. Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams, a number of other senior officers and some soldiers made a walk through of the stands but did not stay long. There was a heavy police presence at the Savannah and some fire officers were also spotted. Retreats are useful On Sunday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley disclosed, The Cabinet meets in Tobago at the Madgalena Hotel on March 3. Immediately after, the Government goes into retreat, Friday (March 4) and Saturday (March 5). The Prime Minister said, Late last year when I met with the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), one thing that was agreed upon was closer contact and collaboration between Central Government and the THA. Rowley said, To this end, we agreed that to facilitate this decision, the Cabinet should sit in Tobago at least twice per year. This is the first of this arrangement. During the retreat, the Government is expected to look at the work programmes of all its ministries and make preparations for the mid-year review in April. Rowley is scheduled to leave the country on February 15 to attend the 27th Inter-Sessional Conference of Caricom Heads of Government in Belize. The conference takes place on February 16 and 17. Dr Rowley is expected to make a presentation to Caricom leaders on security. This country holds responsibility for security in the quasi- Caricom cabinet. Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dennis Moses, who was recently appointed a Minister in the National Security Ministry, is a member of a 12 person delegation that will accompany the Prime Minister to Belize. Significant progress made towards improving ease of doing construction business in urban areas New Delhi, Wed, 10 Feb 2016 NI Wire Applications to AAI for height clearences in airport zones reduced by 200 per month further to CCZM Colour Coded Zonal Maps to be developed for Defence airports used for civilian purposes also Online approvals for construction near monuments in 72 hours Revised National Building Code to be notified in two weeks States and urban local bodies to be empowered to approve building plans in quick time 5 Ministers and 7 concerned Secretaries review progress Considerable progress has been reported towards enhancing the' ease of doing of construction business' in urban areas by streamlining the procedures, adoption of appropriate technology and by empowering urban local bodies to accord a wide range of approvals. Progress in this regard was reviewed at a high level meeting convened by the Minister of Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu here. Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar, Civil Aviation Minister Shri Ashok Gajapati Raju, Minister of Environment, Forests & Climate Change Shri Prakash Javdekar and Minister of Tourism & Culture Dr.Mahesh Sharma also participated in the review meeting. Secretaries of respective Ministries besides those of Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Consumer Affairs besides senior officials from Prime Ministers Office and Cabinet Secretariat too attended the hour long review. It was informed in the meeting that Colour Coded Zonal Maps (CCZM) for 28 defence airports being used for civilian purposes will be developed for easy sanction of height clearences on the lines of what is being done for civilian airports. To begin with CCZMs will be evolved for four such airports viz., Pune, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Bagdogra by April, 2016. Ministry of Civil Aviation will assist in this regard. Such CCZMs will be shared with municipal bodies for according height clearences. Works of Defence Act, 1903 will be suitably amended to remove hurdles for construction activities near defence establishments. Distance from the actual storage point will be considered for restricting the construction instead of from the boundary wall of ammunition storage dumps at present, which will bring down the zone of restriction. Instructions have been issued to Service Headquarters and Headquarters of all defence organisations for sharing information along with maps of restricted zones to municipal bodies. Area Commanders will be required to decide in 30 days on clearing constructions in restricted zones failing which approvals would be taken as deemed. Ministry of Civil Aviation has reported that applications received by the Airports Authority of India for height clearnces in airport zones have come down by over 200 per month further to development of CCZMs for 12 airports that account for 58% of total such applications and making them available to respective urban local bodies. These airports are : Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Nagpur and Chennai. CCZM for Jaipur airport has been recently completed. CCZMs for 9 more airports viz., Patna, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Aurangabad, Surat, Vijayawada, Thiruvananthapuram and Puducherry will be developed by June,2016 and for the remaining 14 major airports by December,2016. This will enable respective urban local bodies accord height clearences in respect of almost all cases, doing away with the need to approach AAI for the same. Ministry of Civil Aviation also commissioned improved version of online NOCAS (No Objection Certificate Application System) eliminating human interface and enabling faster issue of NOC through automatic calculations of permissible heights in airport zones with applicants being able to track the status. Ministry of Culture has come out with a mobile based app that enables online approvals for construction in the vicinity of monuments in just 72 hours through integration of websites of National Monument Authority and those of respective urban local bodies. Time taken at present is about 90 days. Prime Ministers Office desired that integration of websites of National Monument Authority and those of Delhi and Mumbai be completed by March this year. In association with ISRO, Ministry of Culture is developing colour coded maps for 281 monuments that account for most of the construction related approvals using which municipal bodies can accord approvals in quick time. Ministry of Consumer Affairs has completed revision of National Building Code enabling speedy building approvals and the same will be notified in the next two weeks. Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change has come out with revised and simplified environmental norms and the same will be notified at the earliest after consultations with the Ministry of Urban Development. Urban local bodies and state governments will be empowered to accord approvals at their level based on their willingness and ability. Ministry of Urban Development will soon issue Model Building Byelaws incorporating all revised and simplified norms and processes enabling urban local bodies to approve building plans in quick time there by enhancing the ease of doing construction business in urban areas. Shri Venkaiah Naidu thanked all concerned ministers and senior officials for their enthusiastic response towards enhancing the ease of doing business. Source: PIB If someone were to be asked about self-driving cars 20 years ago, they probably wouldnt be able to say much. Now, these cars are the prime example of what kind of cars are seen today. While self-driving cars are convenient, they arent the safest to use. Big car companies, such as Tesla and Foreign Minister of the Tripoli-based Salvation government Ali Abu Zakouk Tuesday launched a tirade against Tunisia and threatened to close the border between the two countries if Tunis continues banning Libyan planes from landing at Tunis-Carthage airport. Speaking at a press conference, the minister blamed Tunisia for acting unfairly towards Libyans. We are very upset at the way Tunisia is treating the Libyan citizens, and we feel sorry for the burdens the Libyan patients are bearing as they move from Sfax airport to Tunis after the Tunisian authorities refused any landing for Libyan planes in Carthage airport. Abu Zakouk said. The Foreign Ministers critics came as Tunisian authorities have reportedly extended the ban on Libyan planes to land in Tunis part of security measures taken following the November suicide bomb attack in Tunis which killed 12 members of the presidential guard. The measure was intended for one month but has been further extended. Tunisia sees Libya as a breeding ground of would-be terrorists and claims that all perpetrators of the three attacks which hit the country last year were trained in Libya. Abu Zakouk also reportedly accused Tunisia of breaching the Arab Maghreb Union Convention and destabilizing Libya by allowing meetings to take place in the country referring to the Government of National Accord led by Libyan businessman Faiez Serraj. The Ministers long tirade on Tunisia was also echoed by Tripoli Administrations Health Minister Taher Al-Senussi who also pointed out that Libya would stop allowing Libyans to go to Tunisia for medical treatment unless the Tunisians changed their behavior. Tunisia is the only country in the region allowing thousands of Libyans fleeing violence, going for business or for medical treatment to cross into Tunisia. Last week, the Tunisian Red Crescent indicated that around 3,000 Libyans had crossed each day into the Tunisian territory over the past days as they flee an eminent international military intervention in Libya aiming at flashing out the Islamic State ever expanding its orbit. It seems that the terror war waged by Morocco, one of major allies of the West and the U.S. in the region, will never stop. It becomes increasingly clear that the war on terrorism is permanent as the Islamic fanatics and extremists look determined to wreak havoc. The tireless efforts made by Moroccan security agencies often pay off, helping to curtail and ward off the terror threats. On Wednesday, the authorities of this North African country announced the arrest of another terrorist group made of four ex-detainees who were planning to carry out attacks. According to the Interior ministry, the four nabbed men are from the cities of Meknes, Tetouan, Martil and Akouray (central and northern Morocco). They were planning to use the military experience acquired by one of them in Syrian-Iraqi battlefields and Isis jihadi training camps to launch series of targeted attacks in the Kingdom. But their criminal plots were foiled thanks to the vigilance of Moroccan security services. Morocco has been on high alert since 2014, when the terrorist Islamic State group took control of large territories in Iraq and Syria. Moroccan intelligence services play a key role in the global fight against terrorism. They helped the French and Belgian police identify the network behind the November attacks in Paris that killed 130 and helped to save innocent lives by pinpointing the location of the suspected ringleader. Moroccos counter-terrorism has proven its efficiency in thwarting many terror threats thanks to a strategy based on a global approach including prevention, anticipation, education, rehabilitation, eradication of terrorism roots and international cooperation. Moroccan authorities say they have dismantled 140 terrorist cells since 2002, foiled hundreds of terrorist plans and arrested over 2,200 suspects. Since its creation last March, the Moroccan Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (dubbed Moroccos FBI) dismantled 22 terror cells. In the run-up to New Years Eve, 17 radicalized individuals were arrested. Morocco is an active member of the Global Counter-terrorism Forum (GCTF) which seeks to reduce the vulnerability of people to terrorism by effectively preventing, combating and prosecuting terrorist acts as well as countering incitement to terrorism and recruitment of jihadists. . "If we remain silent, we kill freedom, justice and the possibility that a society armed with information may have power to change the situation that has brought us to this point." - Anabel Hernandez ------------------------------------------- The Secret to Happiness is the Joy of the Lord; and the joy of the Lord is His manifest presence in your life. It is our Privilege and Responsibility to Glorify God; and we glorify God by manifesting His character every moment and in every situation. Humility and Pride You can tell a humble man that he has a problem with pride and he will agree with you; but if you tell a proud man that he has a problem with pride, he becomes your enemy. This one thing I know for sure, that whenever there is a problem with my relationship with the Lord, it is not His fault. Some people are just plain lazy; some people are just overly sensitive to gravity; others are simply economical with their energy. It's not enough to preach the Gospel; you must be the Gospel. If you can describe your life in a nutshell, there's a good probability that you're a nut. As a good Canadian, I'd like to apologize in advance for anything I might say that offends you; sometimes my mouth hits high gear while my brain is still in low. Never allow the thought, "I am of no use where I am"; because you certainly can be of no use where you are not. Oswald Chambers We cannot even begin to approach the Truth until we are willing to go wherever the Truth leads us. The newest object of idol worship is 'my opinion'! Suffering is the only experience we have in common with every other human who ever lived. BRENDAN MCDERMID By John Whitesides MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) - Bernie Sanders had breakfast with one of America's most prominent civil rights activists, Al Sharpton, just hours after trouncing Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential nominating contest. The meeting marked a recognition by Sanders that his campaign must swiftly broaden its base of support if he has any chance of mounting a long-term challenge to Clinton, who consistently polls better among African American voters. They will play a crucial role in the Democratic race as it moves to South Carolina - where more than half of the Democratic primary voters in 2008 were African American - and other states more diverse than New Hampshire or Iowa, which held the first contest of the 2016 election. Sanders met Sharpton in the same Harlem restaurant where the activist met with Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign - an obvious bit of symbolism for the Vermont senator trying to connect with minority voters. My concern is that in January of next year for the first time in American history a black family will be moving out of the White House. I do not want black concerns to be moved out with them, Sharpton, a Baptist minister and television talk show host, told reporters afterwards. Sharpton discussed a recent spate of police shootings of black males and other issues with the senator. He said he would not endorse a candidate until he met with Clinton. Even before the exit polls showing that Sanders had won New Hampshire, Clinton's campaign was already trying to highlight her double-digit lead over Sanders among African American and Latino voters. "It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African American and Hispanic voters," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo sent to reporters. He predicted the Democratic race would be won in March, when it quickly expands to 22 delegate-rich states with some of the largest minority and urban populations -- and that Clinton would have the advantage. Clinton has a long history of support for civil rights, and she has benefited from her husband Bill Clintons popularity in the black community during his presidency, although that became strained during the fierce 2008 primary battle with Obama. Reuters/Ipsos polling nationally showed that in January, blacks backed Clinton by a margin of 3 to 1 over Sanders. Among Hispanics, 48 percent supported Clinton and 32 percent backed Sanders. But as black and Hispanic voters became more familiar with Sanders through televised presidential debates, they seemed to like him more, with his favorability ratings rising slightly among those groups over the last few months, the polling showed. GOING BEYOND YOUNG WHITE VOTERS So far Sanders' strong performance has been due to the mostly young white voters who have embraced his populist anti-Wall Street message and call for income equality. But in the upcoming nominating contests, Sanders needs to carry that message to a broader group of voters, particularly minority voters, who will help determine the Democratic nominee. African Americans and Hispanics comprise 35 percent of the Democratic party, according to a 2013 Gallup poll. Sanders already has intensified his efforts to reach black voters with more campaign stops before African-American audiences and ads on black-oriented radio stations. Rapper Killer Mike sometimes introduces Sanders at rallies, and academic Cornel West has also campaigned for him. The senator also frequently condemns the disproportionate rate at which blacks are targeted by police and has called for increased police transparency and accountability. Sanders' intensified effort to appeal to minority voters follows questions about whether he has broad enough support to take the White House. Clinton herself has raised the issue of Sanders' electability on the campaign trail and in debates. Even some Sanders supporters have expressed fears that a vote for him could allow Republicans to win the election. But Sanders' campaign shrugs off any worries about the road ahead. "We recognize we are moving to a bigger stage, but it's another opportunity for him to spread his message. People have responded to his message when they hear it," said Sanders campaign spokesman Michael Briggs. Sanders already has begun airing ads in Nevada and South Carolina, has hired staff in 15 states and is prepared for a national race, Briggs said. On Super Tuesday, Sanders will be looking to do well in several states, including his home state of Vermont, as well as Massachusetts, Colorado and Minnesota, where the grassroots enthusiasm of his supporters could be an advantage. Still Irene Matz, a retiree in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said she was worried about Sanders' electability and had yet to make a decision on who to vote for. "Hillary has been hit with everything for years, we know what we are getting with her. Now Bernie will get his turn, and they won't be kind to him," Matz said. "I'll vote for Hillary unless I feel Bernie has a good shot," she said. (Additional reporting by Chris Kahn and Alana Wise, editing by Paul Thomasch and Ross Colvin) SAP is the sponsor of this content. It was independently created by Reuters' editorial staff and funded in part by SAP, which otherwise has no role in this coverage. 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Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images; Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images If theres one narrative thats reinforced by the vote in the Iowa caucuses and most likely the vote tonight in the New Hampshire primary its that Bernie Sanders is the favorite by an astonishing margin among the millennials who participated in those states nominating contests. But a lot of the excited tomorrow belongs to Bernie or to Bernies brand of politics claims we are hearing could be premature. His big millennial margins have been in states with very few nonwhite voters. And as we all know, that is about to change the minute the New Hampshire celebrations end. What hasnt gotten much attention, though, is that the reasonably well-established nonwhite voter preference for Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders is also going to affect the millennial category as we get beyond the exceptionally pale electorates of Iowa and New Hampshire. The reason is simple enough: Millennials are the most diverse of the commonly identified generational cohorts, with 43 percent of them being nonwhite. Nonwhite millennials are also more prone to identification as Democrats, and they vote Democratic in significantly higher numbers (Mitt Romney actually carried white millennials in 2012). So its not a reach to guess that nonwhites could form a majority or near-majority of millennials voting in Democratic primaries nationally. Yes, there are signs that nonwhite millennials are much more open to the Sanders appeal than are older nonwhite voters. But even a Reuters analysis thats widely in circulation to show the strong nature of Sanders support has him carrying about 38 percent of black voters under 30. Thats good, but not the stuff of generational ownership. Will the Bern be felt more deeply by nonwhite millennials as they get to know the Vermont senator? Perhaps, but theres no particular reason to assume it; Sanderss support levels have not monolithically gone up in direct relationship with his name ID. So it might be a good idea to wait for a few more primaries to make generalizations about millennial voting patterns in 2016, much less years into the future. The best bet is that while Sanders may maintain a significant margin among young voters throughout the nominating process, its not going to look as monochromatic after states like South Carolina weigh in. So lets at least wait that long before awarding the future. Filter or flush, then boil. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images The man in charge of Michigans investigation into the water crisis in Flint said on Tuesday that, if he found that state and county officials had committed gross negligence or a breach of duty, they could be hit with charges as severe as manslaughter. Were here to investigate what possible crimes there are, anything [from] involuntary manslaughter or death that may have happened to some young person or old person because of this poisoning, to misconduct in office, said the relevantly named Todd Flood, the special counsel working with state attorney general Bill Schuette.* We take this very seriously. Criminal charges could be very real for lawmakers who have been accused left and right of indifference and negligence. An increase in Legionnaires disease after April 2014, when Flints water supplier was switched and the tap water became corrosive and lead-rich, caused ten deaths. However, the connection between the disease and the contaminated water supply remains unclear, according to MLive. Flint residents also had a particularly frustrating day with the water itself: On Tuesday, city officials instructed residents to boil even their filtered tap water before using it, after a water-main break lowered pressure and may have allowed bacteria to collect. The governor is expected to ask the state legislature for an extra $195 million for the Flint recovery effort in the proposed 201617 budget hell present on Wednesday. To present that budget, Snyder is forgoing an invitation to testify in Washington before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. The mayor of Flint, Karen Weaver, will go instead. Shes proposed a $55 million Fast Start plan on Tuesday to begin replacing pipes that contain lead. *This sentence has been changed to state correctly Flood and Schuettes roles in the investigation. Ferguson first city council meeting following Michael Browns shooting on September 9, 2014. Photo: Scott Olson/2014 Getty Images Good morning and welcome to Fresh Intelligence, our roundup of the stories, ideas, and memes youll be talking about today. In this edition, the Feds have little tolerance for Fergusons city council, Sanders and Trump take New Hampshire, and your phone could turn you into a fireball. Heres the rundown for Wednesday, February 10. WEATHER Meteorologists have started throwing around the term arctic blast again, but it looks like the coldest temperatures will have to wait until the weekend. In the meantime, New York will stay below freezing today, with flurries possible in the morning. [Weather.com] FRONT PAGE Department of Justice Threatens Suit in Ferguson The Department of Justice said its exploring legal actions against Ferguson, Missouri, yesterday after the city council called on the department to revise the terms of a controversial agreement put into place after the fatal police shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown and the subsequent riots and unrest. Among other revisions, the city council is balking at requirements that they raise police-officer benefits and hire more African-American police officers, and they asked that federal-oversight fees be capped at $1 million over five years. [USA Today] EARLY AND OFTEN Sanders, Trump Take New Hampshire The first primary results are in, and it turns out everything pundits told you after Iowa was wrong. Trump won easily, taking about 34 percent of the vote, and Sanders beat Clinton with 60 percent to her 39 percent. Kasich came in second among Republicans with 16 percent, Cruz and Bush are fighting for third place, and Rubio, the onetime Establishment savior, came in fifth. Spurned by New Hampshire, Christie Hopes New Jersey Will Take Him Back After failing to place in the top five coming out of the New Hampshire primary, presidential hopeful Chris Christie told reporters he was heading back to New Jersey to mull over the results. Reporters speculate that he is dropping out of the race, reasoning that you dont just go to New Jersey unless something is terribly wrong. [The Atlantic] Obama Releases Dream Journal The Obama administration released its final budget yesterday in what was seen as a chance to clarify the presidents priorities and put his legacy on paper as it were. If that legacy is getting everything he cares about thrown out by Congress, then he did a great job with it. Among the many items in the $4.1 trillion budget that are sure to anger his opponents are money for education, cybersecurity jobs, and the countrys infrastructure. Everyones going to love the $4.1 billion for the Department of Defense though, because boo terrorists. [Reuters] Trump Misses Massive U.S. Employment Opportunity After telling the world Americas top-secret actual unemployment rate 42 percent, apparently Donald Trump announced plans for a massive $8 billion public-works project. Thats the estimated cost of his glorious southern border wall. Too bad hes giving all of those jobs to Mexico. [CNN] THE STREET, THE VALLEY Kmart Continues to Follow in Walmarts Footsteps Sears, which owns the megastore chain Kmart, has announced it will close at least 50 stores across the country. The move follows an announcement that the companys revenues are down nearly $1 billion since last year. [CBS] Cheddar Bay BiscuitIlluminati Connection Revealed Beyonce is now working the same magic she worked for the wedding-ring and surfboard industries on Red Lobster. After name-checking the beloved post-coital cheese-biscuit purveyors in her viral hit Formation, the chains sales have jumped 33 percent. [CNN] America Hates Fitness Shares of Fitbit, the tiny robot that follows you around making you feel bad about yourself, were down again yesterday following a huge 8.5 percent dive on Monday. The stocks value is now at an all-time low and the company has lost half of its worth over the last year. Fitbit is releasing its earnings report on February 22, but things are not looking good. [CNN] Another Reason to Be Terrified on Planes The Federal Aviation Administration issued a safety alert saying that transporting lithium batteries could potentially cause an explosion or fire, leading to catastrophic hull loss. Though nearly every passenger carries lithium batteries in their phones and laptops, the FAA said it is not recommending that passengers stop carrying personal electronics onboard. Shoes, though, still bad. [CNET] MEDIA BUBBLE HuffPo Will Not Let This Trump Thing Go This is how the Huffington Post conveyed the news that Donald Trump won on Tuesday: A Racist, Sexist Xenophobe Just Won the New Hampshire Primary. Arianna should really moderate a debate, what could go wrong? [HuffPo] Nerds Beat Jocks Poorly performing ESPN is still dragging its parent company Disney down, despite this years incredible success of the also Disney-owned Star Wars films. If theres a better representation of nerds finally dominating the cultural discourse, we dont know what it is. Oh, maybe when ESPN announced video games count as sports. [LAT, Bloomberg] Robot Saves Journalism The Washington Post is reportedly experimenting with a new program, developed in-house, that shows editors which version of a story will perform best online. The new technology is called Bandito because of all the jobs it will steal. [WSJ] PHOTO OP This grim fellow is Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who briefed lawmakers on Tuesday about the threats facing the U.S. in the new year. Among other cheerful talking points: ISIS continues encouraging attacks on U.S. soil, terrorist groups are infiltrating migrant populations, Al Qaeda is back, North Korea is trying to shoot a missile at us, China is really good at hacking into our computer systems, and Russia is scarier than ever. Enjoy your morning! Photo: Gabriella Demczuk/2016 Getty Images MORNING MEME Lunch-skipping Chris Hayess Bernie Sandwiches slip was the highlight of primary night in New Hampshire (if youre just following politics for the gaffes). Were excited for all the novelty deli specials! OTHER LOCAL NEWS Wendys Calls Cops on Hungry Customer An archetypal Florida man, described by his mother as quite the prankster, made his state proud when he threw a live alligator through the drive-thru window of a Palm Beach Wendys. Nobody was injured and, yes, there is a picture of the gator. Getting Old Sounds Surprisingly Awesome Its rare to be jealous of how this country treats its veterans, but we would give anything to spend the day with Charlie, the one-year-old kangaroo who works as a therapy animal at the William E. Christoffersen Veterans home in Utah. Well, probably not enough to go to war. Anyway, Charlie will soon be honored by the Utah Red Cross. Congratulations, Charlie! [AP] HAPPENING TODAY Obama All Over the Place If you feel overworked come the middle of the week, just remember that today President Obama is addressing the Illinois General Assembly, but wont have time to visit his old haunts, as he has two fundraisers to attend in the Bay Area later in the afternoon. [Mercury News] Big Wave Season Kicks Off Thanks to El Nino, of course, this years big-wave surfing is gearing up to be some of the best. Huge swells are expected at the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational on Oahu today, and the call has gone out for the Titans of Mavericks big-wave surf event in Northern California on Friday. [KHON] You Got a Little Schmutz Day Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, when observant Catholics attend services and get a symbolic smudge of ash on their foreheads. Time to put those Mardi Gras good times behind you and think of something to give up. What are you going without this year? Donald Trump, winner of the New Hampshire primary. Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images/2016 Getty Images First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win, goes the old saying. In the case of Donald Trumps candidacy, step one, ignoring, never happened. And its looking like step three, fighting, has barely taken place. Trump may skip straight from the being-laughed-at stage to winning. The Republican Establishment took far too long to stop Trump, and its efforts now look like a catastrophe. The Republican Party has faced a collective-action problem: A consolidation of the Establishment candidates is in all of their interests, but it is in the interest of every individual candidate (and their supporters) to stay in the race. A famous essay called The Tragedy of the Commons once explored the nature of a collective-action problem, using the metaphor of a common meadow where farmers bring their cattle to graze, each one letting its cows eat more until all of the grass had disappeared. Republicans by their nature have difficulty grasping collective-action problems, which form the philosophical basis for much government action. If they fail, it will be because they placed too much faith in the invisible hand to sort it out. The partys first problem was that it had too many candidates who could plausibly carry the banner of the party agenda. Rick Perry, Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal these figures would all rank as first-tier prospects ordinarily. Even after they fell by the wayside, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, and Chris Christie have all remained. The party elites shuffled in the direction of Rubio, but Rubio has faced the deep and possibly crippling liability of having sponsored immigration reform. Before Tuesday, Rubio seemed poised to put the scandal of his past efforts to solve a real-world problem behind him. The party apparatus was coming around. Rubio had largely set aside his vacuous futurism and harkened back to his tea-party roots. As the candidate of retrograde apocalypticism, Rubio struck a connection with authentic conservatism. We are the only campaign who is exposing President Obama for his deliberate actions to destroy our country, boasted a Rubio campaign message. Rush Limbaugh, who has spent seven years insisting that President Obama had not blundered but was intentionally destroying the country they (but not he) loved out of deep anti-American animus, exulted that only Rubio and Ted Cruz were grasping his point. (He thinks this country has been unjust and immoral from its founding, and its his job to change it and turn it around. And thats what hes doing. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are the only two guys saying it.) Rubios promise on the stump that he alone could unite the conservative movement seemed plausible (and also evidence of the deep-rooted pathology in the conservative psyche). A measure of Rubios protected status lay in his ability to set low targets for himself and have them embraced as reasonable. Rubio plotted a 3-2-1 path third in Iowa, second in New Hampshire, first in South Carolina. By last week, second place seemed well in hand, and giddy Republicans whispered that he might even take first. Then came probably the most humiliating debate performance in the history of American presidential politics. And then Rubio finished fifth in New Hampshire. Rubios dilemma is that his incipient front-runner status depended on the Establishment surrounding him in its warm embrace. Opposing candidates and their donors were getting warnings to stop damaging the likely nominee. His spokespeople are still using this warning against his fellow Establishment candidates Rubio spokesperson Alex Conant warned that the longer Jeb Bush stays in the race, the more likely Trump is to win. But Bush could now just as easily say the same about Rubio. Bush finished ahead of Rubio in New Hampshire and has plenty of money and a large ground operation. Bush has no reason to leave the race. Before New Hampshire, National Reviews Tim Alberta reported that, if Bush finished ahead of Rubio, it might prove crippling to the younger Floridian. That proved prophetic. After Rubios debate choke, Bush can claim vindication that Rubio is not up to the challenge of a presidential campaign, let alone the presidency. Yet Bush is nowhere close to consolidating Establishment support. He carries the fatal burden of a last name that is a general-election branding disaster, while also being a massive liability within his own party (a shockingly high percentage of Republican voters disapprove of Bush perhaps as a reaction against his brother, and perhaps as an expression of contempt for his status as a regular victim of Trump bullying). John Kasich has neither the money, the organization, nor the message to plausibly unite his party. That leaves Bush and Rubio in a death struggle to be the sole alternative acceptable to a party Establishment that loathes both Trump and the candidate who has given Trump his strongest competition, Ted Cruz. The Texas senator may have finished third, but he enjoyed a strategic victory greater than his outright win in Iowa. Cruz saw the crippling of the strongest competition for a candidate of the conservative movement, Rubio. If he finds himself ultimately matched up against either Bush or Trump, Cruz will enjoy something close to unified conservative-movement support. Trump has performed better than any of his critics (myself included) imagined possible when he first seized control of the race last summer. If he has a ceiling, its no lower than that of any of his competitors. His internal opposition has declined. He has gotten better at politics. But he has also benefited from a hapless Republican Establishment that now faces the prospect of a takeover by an outsider it cannot control, and that richly deserves its predicament. John Kasich won second place in New Hamsphire by narrowly targeting moderates and then getting very lucky. Photo: Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images Its a bitter Ash Wednesday for Republican elites who had hoped New Hampshire would clear the field for a single champion to take on Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. But one candidate is probably celebrating like its still Mardi Gras: second-place finisher John Kasich, who had everything fall into place for him. Kasich pursued the same basic strategy as his chief political adviser, longtime McCain hand John Weaver, laid out for 2012 candidate Jon Huntsman: In a crowded field of candidates trying to out-conservative each other, go for that wallflower at the dance, the moderate or somewhat conservative voter, where they are most in abundance. Among the early states, that would be New Hampshire. And so Kasich poured all his resources (including an estimated $10 million or so in ads, mostly run by a super-pac) into the Granite State, and accentuated two features considered a handicap by most candidates: the longest history of elected service in the field (he was elected to the Ohio Senate when Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz were small children), and such moderate positions as support for the Obamacare-provided Medicaid expansion and a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants. The other candidates for the most part ignored Kasich and conceded him the RINO vote. Going down the stretch, his trajectory was similar to Huntsmans (the former Utah governor got 17 percent of the vote in New Hampshire, which was enough for a third-place finish well behind Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, but not enough to sustain a campaign going forward). But then Kasich got lucky. In a pre-primary debate, Chris Christie humiliated presumed Establishment champion Marco Rubio, and in the ensuing scrum, the Ohioan sneaked through untouched to narrowly finish second. With 16 percent, he actually did a bit worse than Huntsman, but context is everything. If you look at the exit polls from New Hampshire, Kasichs narrow but sufficient (in this state, anyway) path to second place was pretty clear: He won 20 percent or more among self-identified moderates, those earning over $200,000, people who perceive themselves as getting ahead financially, voters focused on the economy and jobs, and those who reject banning Muslim immigration and favor a path to legalization for the undocumented. Its very important to understand that voters like this are not in heavy supply in South Carolina or in the southern states that crowd the calendar on March 1. With both Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio struggling to survive in whats left of the Establishment Lane, Kasich can no longer expect a relatively benign treatment from other candidates. His willingness to defend a Medicaid expansion is the rankest heresy charge he will face, though there are already signs that his budget-cutting record will be savaged in the Palmetto State by Bush ally Lindsey Graham for threatening defense spending, a holy sacrament in that state sagging with military facilities. Its unclear how Kasich will respond other than by spending little time in South Carolina and hoping he can somehow remain viable until Michigan and his own Ohio vote on March 8 and March 15 (respectively). He has zero infrastructure in the intervening states, in any event, and its unclear whether his New Hampshire showing will loosen many purse strings on his behalf. Kasich could presumably zigzag strategically and stop trying to sound less conservative than his own record would indicate. But it seems like the issue that gets him personally excited is that perpetual snoozer, a balanced budget constitutional amendment. At a moment when conservatives appear to have again forgotten about fiscal probity in their zeal to cut taxes and deport immigrants and prosecute Middle Eastern wars, Kasich appears more than a bit out of touch. All in all, Kasichs moment in the sun doesnt look likely to last very long. He could perhaps be lifted over the many obstacles to this nomination or at least kept in contention until those April and May primary states where self-identifed moderates again walk the earth in sizable numbers if Republican elites concluded he was their best bet to keep Donald Trump and Ted Cruz away from the nomination. But to paraphrase the late journalist Hunter Thompson, counting on John Kasich to stop Donald Trump is a bit like sending out a three-toed sloth to seize turf from a wolverine. Who would want to place a multi-million-dollar bet on that? Damnit to L. Photo: DON EMMERT/Getty Images When the MTA first announced it would close the L trains Manhattan-to-Brooklyn tunnel, possibly for years, riders panicked, and understandably so. The L carries about 350,000 people on an average weekday its a crucial line for anyone who commutes from Brooklyn to Manhattan. But the agencys rip off the Band-Aid approach was plausible: Either one side of the line would be closed at a time, meaning repairs would take perhaps three years, or the whole thing would shut down for just a year or so. Both options offered relatively little pain for expansive gain: A glitchy and overcrowded line would function faster and better. Now, however, a city councilman has revealed that repairs might take up to seven years to complete, and the reaction, as youd expect, has been one collective local, artisanal OMG. At a Brooklyn community board meeting Tuesday night, Councilman Stephen Levin, whod recently attended the first of a series of meetings between the MTA and city officials, gave his constituents a bit of bad news. Its going to be significantly disruptive, he said. If youre talking about a full shutdown, which is kind of mind boggling to methat would be probably two years. If youre looking at just nights and weekends, thats more like five, six, seven years. Were talking significant work. In other words, the MTA now appears to be entertaining a third, more conventional option for repairs: continue daytime service as normal, but work on nights and weekends. The whole dreary process will probably begin in 2018, but Levin emphasized the need to make the decision soon. We have about $700 million federal funds for Sandy recovery that can be dedicated to this, he said. Thats not money you can always count on being there, especially given that whoever takes office this November may have different plans for it. In short, the L train might be out of commission for even longer than was originally planned. At least we might get that nifty streetcar in the meantime, so people will be able to tool around Brooklyn if they cant get to Manhattan. Lchaim! Photo: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images A Jewish socialist just won New Hampshire by 20 points. After the election of an African-American with the middle name Hussein, it may be difficult to get especially excited about Bernie Sanders becoming the first Jew to win a presidential primary. After all, we did already have a Jewish vice-presidential nominee albeit one most progressives are anxious to forget. But Sanderss victory is a remarkable triumph for a certain strain of American Jewish political thought. When asked about his spirituality at last weeks Democratic debate, the Vermont senator replied, My spirituality is that we are all in this together and that when children go hungry, when veterans sleep out on the street, it impacts me. Sanderss Judaism is the socialist, universalist sort that was conceived through centuries of Talmudic scholarship, incubated in sweatshop factories in New York and Chicago, and brought to life in the great labor struggles of the early 20th century. Ironically, it was precisely this tradition that once made the prospect of a Jewish president utterly unthinkable. A 1948 survey by the American Jewish Committee found nearly half of Americans associated Jews with Soviet spying, while 21 percent believed that most Jews are Communists. Of the 124 people questioned by Joseph McCarthys Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in 1952, 79 were Jews, according to a 2008 study by historian Aviva Weingarten. For most of the 20th century, Jewish socialists had to turn right to gain acceptance in American public life. In 2016, American politics is turning left to gain the acceptance of a Jewish socialist. In her concession speech, Hillary Clinton pledged that she would never allow Wall Street to threaten Main Street again. When I tell you that no bank can be too big to fail and no executive too powerful to jail, you can count on it, the former secretary of State exclaimed. She went on to decry the debts and stacked deck that keep working people from flourishing in America. Its possible that Clinton would have employed such forthright economic populism had there been no Jewish socialist in the race. But its doubtful. Together, we have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, Sanders shouted through his hoarse Brooklyn accent into the New Hampshire night. And that is: The government of our great country belongs to all of the people. Tonight, New Hampshire belongs to a Jewish pinko. Photo: Bloomberg/ 2016 Bloomberg Finance LP Welcome to Daily Intelligencers liveblog of the New Hampshire primary! There are a lot of questions heading into tonights event: How big a lead will Bernie Sanders have over Hillary Clinton in the Granite State? Do New Hampshirites love Donald Trump more than Iowans? And is America ready to embrace its first robot president? Stick with New Yorks political team throughout the night for the answers to these questions, and all the other developments in the first-in-the-nation primary. The Latest Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have won the New Hampshire primary. With 89 percent of precincts reporting, both have double-digit leads. leads. Kasich will finish second with about 16 percent of the GOP vote. Bush and Cruz follow close behind and are essentially tied for third. vote. Bush and Cruz follow close behind and are essentially tied for third. Marco Rubio had a terrible night. He finished fifth and blamed his poor debate performance. performance. No one dropped out of the race on Tuesday night, but Christie headed home to New Jersey to think about the future of his campaign. 4:02 a.m. ET: It looks like we wont know which Republican eked out a third-place finish until later this morning. Here are the results, with 89 percent of precincts reporting. REPUBLICANS Trump: 35.1 percent Kasich: 15.9 percent Cruz: 11.6 percent Bush: 11.1 percent Rubio: 10.6 percent Christie: 7.5 percent Fiorina: 4.2 percent Carson: 2.3 percent Gilmore: 0.1 percent DEMOCRATS Sanders: 60.0 percent Clinton: 38.4 percent 1:44 a.m. ET: Marco Rubio took responsibility for his fifth-place finish, telling supporters its his fault for having a bad debate performance on Saturday night. He said that will never happen again, which is a weird promise, considering that he repeated his mistake just last night. WATCH: @MarcoRubio says "I did not do well" in Saturday's debate: "That will never happen again." #NHPrimary https://t.co/GSDEA8Jz5J ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 10, 2016 1:36 a.m. ET: By the end of Iowa caucus night, we were down several candidates, but so far no one has dropped out due to their poor showing in New Hampshire. However, it looks like Christie may be close. On Tuesday night, he told supporters that hes heading back to New Jersey rather than moving on to the next primary race in South Carolina. Mary Pat and I spoke tonight and weve decided to go home to New Jersey tomorrow and were going to take a deep breath and see what the results are tonight, Christie said. By tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon we should know. 11:56 p.m. ET: With 81 percent in, there are still just over 2,000 votes separating third-place Republican Ted Cruz from fifth-place Marco Rubio. The order of finish could change and, with it, a lot of consequences. Ed Kilgore 11:02 p.m. ET: Its still unclear if Bush or Cruz will wind up in third place, but the Bush team is already attacking Kasich. According to BuzzFeed, Bush spokesperson Tim Miller called Kasich the leading Republican advocate for expanding Obamacare. He doesnt have a constituency past New Hampshire, Miller added. He does not have a viable path to the nomination, and he certainly does not have a viable path in South Carolina. 10:40 p.m. ET: Here are the results, with 67 percent of precincts reporting. REPUBLICANS Trump: 34.3 percent Kasich: 16.4 percent Cruz: 11.5 percent Bush: 11.2 percent Rubio: 10.5 percent Christie: 7.7 percent Fiorina: 4.3 percent Carson: 2.3 percent Gilmore: 0.1 percent DEMOCRATS Sanders: 59.7 percent Clinton: 38.6 percent 10:18 p.m. ET: With all of these candidate speeches, we almost missed an important campaign development: Chris Hayes dubbing Bernie Sanders Bernie Sandwiches. In my defense I was literally watching people being served dinner when I said #BernieSandwiches Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) February 10, 2016 10:13 p.m. ET: The networks are covering Kasichs speech rather than the sad state of affairs at Rubio HQ. Rubio watch party not full pic.twitter.com/gvNqwO1OQI Tim Mak (@timkmak) February 10, 2016 Rubio: "Our disappointment is not on you, it's on me. I did not do well on Saturday night. But listen to me: That will never happen again." McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) February 10, 2016 10:05 p.m. ET: Trump congratulates Sanders on his win, but notes, He wants to give away our country. Were not gonna let it happen! Otherwise, hes just riffing on the usual Trump themes: Hes self-funding his campaign, hes going to take care of the vets, Obamacare is gone, were going to knock the hell out of ISIS, we dont win anymore, its going to be so great! Hes playing all the hits! 9:56 p.m. ET: Donald Trump takes the stage and proclaims, We are going to make America great again! He kicks things off by thanking every one of his family members: his late parents, his siblings, his wife, his kids, etc. He also congratulates the other candidates without mentioning any by name. 9:37 p.m. ET: CNN projects that John Kasich will finish second in the New Hampshire primary. Here are the results, with 39 percent of precincts reporting. REPUBLICANS Trump: 33.9 percent Kasich: 15.7 percent Cruz: 11.8 percent Bush: 11.4 percent Rubio: 10.5 percent Christie: 8.1 percent Fiorina: 4.4 percent Carson: 2.3 percent Gilmore: 0.1 percent DEMOCRATS Sanders: 59.0 percent Clinton: 38.2 percent 9:36 p.m. ET: Unsurprisingly, the Daily News is not thrilled about tonights results. Tomorrow's front page: DAWN OF THE BRAIN DEAD - Trump comes back to life with N.H. win: https://t.co/rkj242rGEf pic.twitter.com/LRWPDIJJfL New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 10, 2016 9:27 p.m. ET: Sanders begins his address by thanking Clinton for a gracious congratulatory call, and commending her supporters for the vigorous campaign they ran in New Hampshire. Together we have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California, Sanders says. And that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super-pacs. He adds, We are taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America. Sanders attributes his success to huge voter turnout and I say yuge! The crowd responds by chanting Trumps catchphrase. 9:14 p.m. ET: Clinton begins address to supporters by congratulating Sanders and says, I still love New Hampshire, and I always will. Then she looks ahead to future primaries: Now we take this campaign to the entire country. Were going to fight for every vote in every state. Next she turns to Sanderss two key issues, getting money out of politics and making Wall Street accountable. She calls Citizens United one of the Supreme Courts worst decisions ever, and notes that the case was actually about her. So yes, youre not going to find anyone more committed to aggressive campaign-finance reform than me, she says. Clinton adds that when it comes to reining in Wall Street, I know how to do it. Clinton: "When people anywhere in America are held back by injustice, that demands action." #NHPrimary Daily Intelligencer (@intelligencer) February 10, 2016 Hillary: "I know I have some work to do, particularly with young people. Yup. pic.twitter.com/IXYp06gk0C Jim Roberts (@nycjim) February 10, 2016 Clinton drowned out by cheers when she says, "Human rights as women's rights, human rights as gay rights, human rights as workers rights.." Liz Kreutz (@ABCLiz) February 10, 2016 Strong @HillaryClinton speech evokes '08 underdog theme: "It's not whether you get knocked down that matters. It's whether you get back up." Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) February 10, 2016 9:12 p.m. ET: To @BernieSanders, congratulations. To New Hampshire, thank you. And to our volunteers: Im so grateful for what you built. Now, onward. -H Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 10, 2016 9:07 p.m. ET: Bad times at the Rubio watch party. Can report there is no chanting whatsoever at Rubio election night watch party Tim Mak (@timkmak) February 10, 2016 Michael got all jazzed up for Rubio watch party. Given results so far, he wonders if face paint isn't out of place pic.twitter.com/2PQhqBcD9I Tim Mak (@timkmak) February 10, 2016 9:02 p.m. ET: The results, with 26 percent of precincts reporting. REPUBLICANS Trump: 33.8 percent Kasich: 15.5 percent Bush: 11.6 percent Cruz: 11.5 percent Rubio: 10.5 percent Christie: 8.3 percent Fiorina: 4.4 percent Carson: 2.3 percent Gilmore: 0.1 percent DEMOCRATS Sanders: 57.7 percent Clinton: 40.2 percent 8:58 p.m. ET: Hillary did not do well with young women in New Hampshire. New Yorks Marin Cogan explains. 8:49 p.m ET: Clinton has reportedly called Sanders to congratulate him on his victory. Meanwhile, her campaign released a memo downplaying the importance of the first two races, noting that the electorates in Iowa and New Hampshire are largely rural/suburban and predominantly white, while the March states better reflect the true diversity of the Democratic Party and the nation. 8:39 p.m. ET: Somebodys definitely feeling the Bern. This @BernieSanders supporter shows off his dance moves in Concord, NH. #FITN pic.twitter.com/qHaB8KDMJ2 The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) February 10, 2016 8:32 p.m ET: Updated results, with 14 percent of precincts reporting. The Republican race: Trump: 33.9 percent Kasich: 16.3 percent Bush: 11.9 percent Cruz: 11.1 percent Rubio: 9.8 percent Christie: 7.8 percent Fiorina: 4.4 percent Carson: 2.3 percent Gilmore: 0.1 percent The Democratic race: Sanders: 57.4 percent Clinton: 40.7 percent 8:29 p.m ET: Newt Gingrich needs to focus. 8:25 p.m ET: Chris Christie, who threw most of his resources into New Hampshire, is currently in sixth place. And according to the criteria CBS News released tonight, he probably wont qualify for Saturday nights GOP debate. Come on, CBS. Dont hit a guy while hes down! 8:19 p.m. ET: If Kasich holds on to second place, it will be a huge boost for his campaign. So far hes taking the news in stride. Shortly before the polls closed, the Ohio governors campaign told Fox News he was eating dinner, adding, hes at total peace. 8:14 p.m. ET: Things are looking grim for Marco Rubio. With 10 percent of precincts reporting, hes currently in fifth place, with 10.1 percent of the vote. Bad sign for Rubio: Not currently in top FIVE in Manchester Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) February 10, 2016 As @BritHume just said, no Republican has ever won the GOP nomination without winning either Iowa or New Hampshire.#NHPrimary Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) February 10, 2016 Rubio Party HQ: Now it is filling up to salute 2nd or moan over 4th or 5th. We will know soon. @NH1News #nhpolitics pic.twitter.com/smkX6xHlW1 Kevin Landrigan (@KlandriganNH1) February 10, 2016 Voter at Rubio party tells me he's a Christie supporter. "I want to see how Rubio reacts...Christie took him apart." Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) February 10, 2016 8:12 p.m. ET: Theyre playing It Takes Two by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock at the Sanders rally. Discuss. 8:07 p.m. ET: Last week Hillary became the first woman to win the Iowa caucuses, and now Bernie has made history too. Bernie Sanders makes history as the first Jewish person to win a presidential primary or caucus #FITN https://t.co/ub7fPcWSC2 Stephen Wolf (@PoliticsWolf) February 10, 2016 8:01 p.m.: CNN has already called it: Trump wins the GOP race, Sanders wins the Democratic race. 7:52 p.m. ET: While only 3 percent of precincts are reporting, so far Donald Trump has a big okay, huge lead among Republicans: Trump: 34.3 percent Kasich: 14.8 percent Bush: 11.7 percent Cruz: 10.3 percent And on the Democratic side: Sanders: 53.6 percent Clinton: 44.2 percent 7:27 p.m. ET: Traffic problems in Merrimack have caused long delays for voters, and BuzzFeed reports some have abandoned their cars to get to the polls in time. The delays started earlier in the day, and likely have something to do with there only being one polling place, Merrimack High School, for the towns 27,000 residents. Merrimack traffic jam: Cars are lined up waiting to get into the high school parking lot to vote. #FITN @UnionLeader pic.twitter.com/KBs6ixToYz Kimberly Houghton (@Kimber_Houghton) February 9, 2016 Line of people waiting to vote in #NHPrimary estimated to be 2 miles long in Merrimack https://t.co/3ktMY2ZER2 #WCVB pic.twitter.com/jcHDKgf2ue Steven (@StevenWCVB) February 9, 2016 Theres no shortage of parking at the high school, and the lines inside are short. Hardly any lines inside Merrimack's one voting location - long wait is outside where one way rd is snarled #wcvb pic.twitter.com/BVFZpoq8Nk Karen Anderson (@karenreports) February 9, 2016 NEW: Merrimack moderator tells @ABC polls there are still open and will be extended as long as necessary. #NHPrimary ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 10, 2016 7:20 p.m. ET: On the other hand, exit polls show many GOP voters who turned out tonight agree with a certain candidates philosophy on how to make America great again. NBC Exit Polls finds 66% of N.H. Republicans agree with banning Muslim's from entering the U.S. #Decision2016 pic.twitter.com/qJszdOQz7B Marianna Sotomayor (@msotomayor12) February 9, 2016 2/3 of GOP #nhprimary voters favor temp Muslim ban. 4 in 10 want undocumented immigrants deported, per preliminary exit polls Rick Klein (@rickklein) February 9, 2016 7:10 p.m. ET: Small gleaning from exit polls: About one-third of Republican voters are undeclared (registered independents). That number was 47 percent in 2012. Not a great sign for Trump. Ed Kilgore 7:05 p.m. ET: And here are some more (likely inaccurate) exit-poll findings. DDHQ bellwether results: Clinton 36.52% Sanders 61.98% Trump 35.84% Cruz 15.12% Kasich 14.94% Rubio 10.72% Bush 9.62%#DDNHbellwether #NH Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) February 10, 2016 6:50 p.m. ET: The polls are still open in some districts, but you can mull over these exit-polls results. Lets dispel with this fiction that my debate performance wasnt awful. Until last night, the biggest loser of the 2016 election cycle was the political pundit. If the rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders said anything definitive about our politics, it was that the media did not understand its own audience. Over and over again, pundits would blow the whistle on Donald Trump, spend a 24-hour news cycle declaring his foul unforgivable only to find that the American people actually appreciate a politician who isnt afraid to stick it to Mexicans/prisoners of war/Muslims/menstruating women/disabled people. So, when Marco Rubio impersonated the John Birch Societys first cyborg member at Saturdays debate and the media declared his performance a five-alarm dumpster fire, some treated its verdict with skepticism. Robot Rubio got stuck on repeat during last night's debate. https://t.co/H5mbgmNj8x pic.twitter.com/JibwMyB1Cs Boing Boing (@BoingBoing) February 7, 2016 The candidate himself was no exception. The morning after the debate, Rubio told George Stephanopoulos of his bizarre repetitions, I would pay them to keep running that [debate] clip because thats what I believe passionately. Then, on Tuesday night in New Hampshire, Rubio edged out the media to become the primary races biggest loser. Just days after the GOP Establishment appeared to be coalescing around him, Rubio finished in fifth place, behind Trump, John Kasich, Ted Cruz, and Jeb Bush. In exit polls, 65 percent of voters said the debate influenced their vote. Last night, Rubio graciously conceded to the media consensus. Our disappointment tonight is not on you, he told supporters. Its on me. I did not do well on Saturday night. For now, Rubio is polling in third place in national polls and in the upcoming South Carolina primary. But in both cases, he has a fraction of Donald Trumps support. And most of those polls were taken before he came out as a cyborg built by Glenn Beck. Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik. A long-simmering dispute between government agencies and technology companies is taking on a new urgency. James Comey, the director of the FBI, testified during the Intelligence Committee session on Tuesday that his agents still havent been able to access one of the phones of Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, who killed 14 people in San Bernardino on December 2, because the device is locked and encrypted. Personal privacy became a big selling point for technology companies after the extent of the NSAs domestic-spying program was revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013. Companies perceiving a money-making opportunity in the national crisis of trust, as is their wont, began offering devices and software that would protect data and communications from prying eyes. These werent just products for Tor-browsing conspiracy nuts who carried their phones around in little reflective bags, but mainstream offerings like, say, iPhones, and WhatsApp, and SnapChat. For example, it is now relatively commonplace for service providers to hold no keys for unlocking or accessing a users data. At Apple, since the iPhone 6, the company has been unable to access, and thereby unable to hand over, users messages and personal information. Customers are for the most part happy with this, but the government argues that those same measures have made it easier for terrorists and criminals to commit crimes. Officials have been saying for years that they have only the noblest law-enforcing intentions for accessing peoples data, but seeing how we got here in the first place, many people are understandably dubious. And it isnt just the United States. Last year U.K. prime minister David Cameron straight up said there should be no means of communication, which we cannot read. According to people in the know, the debate over encryption is about much more than privacy versus security. Technology experts have been outspoken that the mere existence of a key to access confidential information would leave vital infrastructural and economic information vulnerable to prying eyes, government or other. Still, no one is arguing that encrypted technology isnt used to perpetrate crimes of all sorts, or that increasingly tech-savvy terrorists dont know about encryption or use it to plan attacks, recruit followers, and escape prosecution. The government is all too aware of the damage done to its credibility following the Snowden debacle, and the Obama administration has tried time and time again to reassure the public it is not spying on them just yesterday the White House announced a new federal inter-agency privacy council all the while fighting to preserve the tools that make domestic spying possible. What officials have needed was an example of the real human cost of widespread encryption. Now, in the San Bernardino case they have a concrete and highly emotional example to make their case on. And, if domestic terrorism at a Christmas party no less! isnt heart-string-tugging enough for you, Comey also mentioned another case in which a pregnant woman was murdered in Louisiana and her killer is still unknown. The only piece of evidence, Comey said, was her phone and agents have been unable to access it. The debate is most likely only going to heat up as fears surrounding domestic terrorism become more acute. If rhetoric from the campaign trail is any kind of barometer (ISIS! Terror! Mexico!), this country may be ready to swing back in favor of security even at the expense of privacy. Over the next month, Bernie Sanders will either drastically increase his level of support among nonwhite voters or lose all hope of winning the Democratic nomination. The Vermont senator battled Hillary Clinton to a virtual tie in Iowa but lost the Hawkeye States few nonwhite voters by more than 20 points. Sanders crushed Clinton in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, but ABCs exit poll found nonwhite voters (not that there were many) dividing evenly between the two candidates. A recent Washington Post/ABC poll of Democrats nationwide found Sanders trailing by just 2 points among white voters but down by 40 among nonwhite voters. When a Clinton operative has taken all of their Xanax and still cant sleep, these are the numbers they silently recite. Sanders is fully aware of the challenge before him. On Wednesday, the democratic socialist traveled to Harlem to dine with Al Sharpton. While the good reverend plans to withhold any endorsement until meeting with Clinton next week, two of Americas most influential black intellectuals declared Sanders the lesser evil Wednesday morning. In The Nation, Michelle Alexander has penned a 3,000-word indictment of the Clinton legacy in African-American communities, titled Why Hillary Clinton Doesnt Deserve the Black Vote. Alexanders condemnation carries weight; her best-selling history of mass incarceration, The New Jim Crow, is often called the bible of the Black Lives Matter movement. In her essay, Alexander argues that although President Clinton did not declare the War on Crime or the War on Drugs he escalated it beyond what many conservatives had imagined possible. Alexander recites the litany of draconian policies packed into Clintons infamous crime bill the enormous sentencing disparities for crack versus powder cocaine, the mandatory life sentences for many third-time federal offenders, the creation of new capital crimes and notes that by the time the first black president left power, the United States boasted the highest rate of incarceration on planet Earth. Alexander goes on to contest Clintons economic legacy, writing that in 2001, the true jobless rate for young, non-college-educated black men (including those behind bars) was 42 percent. The millions of African-American families burdened by a breadwinners underemployment or incarceration were then further impoverished, according to Alexander, by the Clinton-backed reform of the welfare system. In the 15 years after that legislation passed, the incidence of extreme poverty doubled in America, reaching 1.5 million households. Alexander attempts to deflect the objection that Hillary Clinton shouldnt be judged by the sins of her husband, writing, Hillary wasnt picking out china while she was first lady. She bravely broke the mold and redefined that job in ways no woman ever had before. Alexander argues that the former First Lady championed the Crime Bill, at times with language that cast black children as animals. She also notes that Clinton defended welfare reform during her 2008 presidential campaign. Alexanders assessment of Sanders who voted for the Crime Bill while in Congress is kinder, though still less than glowing. Sanders opposed the 1996 welfare-reform law. He also opposed bank deregulation and the Iraq War, both of which Hillary supported, and both of which have proved disastrous, she writes. In short, there is such a thing as a lesser evil, and Hillary is not it. That isnt the sort of endorsement you put in an ad, but its certainly better than nothing. The same can be said for Ta-Nehisi Coatess comments in an interview with Democracy Now! Wednesday morning. Coates, who has criticized Sanders for his dismissal of reparations, went on to clarify that he did not intend his statement as an endorsement but merely as a statement of fact. So yeah. This ain't "feeling the Bern." It's just trying to be a decent citizen and as transparent as I can be. Ta-Nehisi Coates (@tanehisicoates) February 10, 2016 In an interview with the New York Times Wednesday afternoon, Coates elaborated on his decision. The Atlantic columnist took a similarly dim view of the Clinton legacy, while expressing admiration for the way the socialist senator has expanded the range of acceptable political debate. The core strength of Sanderss campaign has been his unprecedented support among younger voters. In each of the first two primary contests, Sanders won voters 18 to 34 by roughly 70 points. Coates and Alexander are two of the most widely read African-American authors on this countrys college campuses. Their (exceedingly tentative) support should help Sanders improve his standing among nonwhite college voters in South Carolina and beyond. Sanders is already close to being competitive with Clinton among nonwhite millennials, even as he trails her by wide margins among every other age group within the demographic. woooo this is fun, is everyone having fun? I am pic.twitter.com/lGCtexmsfK Matt Bruenig (@MattBruenig) February 8, 2016 But, contrary to much media discourse, the Black Lives Matter movement isnt necessarily any more representative of African-American Democrats writ large than Occupy Wall Street was of white ones. A Gallup poll released last year found 52 percent of African-Americans saying that local police treat minorities fairly, an assessment unanimously rejected by BLM. And although black voters are overwhelmingly Democratic, within the coalition they are more likely to describe themselves as moderate than their white counterparts. That doesnt mean Sanders has no hope of connecting to a broad array of African-American voters. In fact, although many black activists and writers have criticized Sanders for focusing on the economy to the exclusion of racial-justice issues (a line of critique that has ebbed somewhat since the candidate released a racial-justice plan), African-American voters as a whole tend to express far greater concern with jobs and the economy than with issues of overpolicing and incarceration. Marc Andreessen. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Facebook has run into trouble trying to get its Free Basics internet service into India because it violates Net Neutrality by giving away some applications like Facebook for free, while others are subject to data charges. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been persistent in his attempts to finesse an argument for Free Basics in the face of protests, but on Tuesday night, one of Facebooks board members undid Zucks PR work by well, by seemingly defending colonialism? Oh boy. Marc Andreessen, a prominent venture capitalist and angry Twitter egg, wrote that anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the Indian people for decades. Why stop now? Silicon Valley, always looking to disrupt our entrenched preconceptions, is now trying to disrupt our preconception that Gandhi was right. After his name started trending in India due to all the Twitter backlash, Andreessen apparently decided his white mans burden had become too heavy and deleted the tweet. You know youve messed up when you have to make a public statement clarifying that youre actually against colonialism. Benedict Evans, an analyst with Andreessen Horowitz who recently became an internet punching bag after he complained that San Francisco lacks an amazing carpet shop,was quick to defend Andreessens colonialism tweet as utterly uncontroversial. (He references the Hindu rate of growth, an outdated term that attempts to lay Indias slow rate of economic growth from the 1950s through the 1980s at the feet of Hindu cultural factors.) And for the record, I am opposed to colonialism, in any country. https://t.co/3ommgZssMm Marc Andreessen (@pmarca) February 10, 2016 It was so uncontroversial that many Indians jumped on the thread to suggest that maybe the consequences of colonialism, and not Indias eventual independence from British rule, are to blame for Indias current economic system. Weird. Its almost as if people have their own opinions about whats good for their country and dont like to be condescended to by Silicon Valley money-men. Anyway, despite recent regulatory rulings against Free Basics, Facebook will probably continue to look for ways to assimilate the worlds second-largest country into its social-network Borg collective. I mean, nobly connect the global poor to the internet in a benevolent and non-colonial fashion. Update: At around 5pm Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg distanced himself from Andreessens comments, writing that they do not represent the way Facebook or I think about India. Photo: Jim West/Corbis Tasers arent known to be the gentlest things, to put it mildly. The devices deliver 50,000 volts of electroshock, and though deaths after use of electroshock weapons Taser is the brand name are relatively rare, in 2015, at least 48 people died during interactions with police who used Tasers. Now, a team of scientists at Drexel University and Arizona State University set out to investigate what are Tasers doing to the brain? Their results, published recently in the journal Criminology & Public Policy, suggest that the electroshock can impair a persons cognitive functioning for up to an hour after being Tased, which questions the ability of suspects to waive their Miranda rights knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily within 60 minutes of a Taser exposure, the authors write. For their study, the researchers separated 142 students into four groups. Two of the groups received five-second shocks, one with no preparation, the other after punching a bag, to simulate the high intensity of a police encounter. One of the other remaining groups did nothing, and the other also hit the punching bag. Regardless, the participants were also put through a rigorous set of physical tests to ensure their health and cognitive ability and were barred from drinking alcohol or taking drugs an important caveat, given that many who are Tasered are later found to have mental-health problems and alcohol or drugs in their system. Before and after being shocked (or not), the study volunteers took tests intended to measure their cognitive functioning. The groups that had undergone the shocks fared worst, with a quarter of them scoring below average on verbal and memory tests rates that were equivalent to 79-year-olds. Concentration issues were reported frequently; others mentioned feeling heightened senses of anxiety. They were tested again one hour after the shocks, and the results persisted. Being shocked had a traumatic effect on some participants, Robert Kane, a Drexel University professor of criminology and one of the co-authors of the study, said in a statement. Some were emotionally debilitated by the experience. This study is not the first to find Tasers potentially dangerous or damaging: A 2014 Circulation article found that in eight examined cases of people being Tased, seven died from cardiac complications resulting from the delivered shocks. Whats especially troubling to many experts about this new research, however, is the fact that standard police procedure suggests reading Miranda rights to detainees after theyve been stunned. And yet the level of cognitive and emotional shock post-Tasering seems to suggest that people whove been stunned are in no state to capably make any sort of statement to the police. If suspects are cognitively impaired after being Tased, when should police begin asking questions? Kane asked. There are plenty of people in prison who were Tased and then immediately questioned. Were they intellectually capable of giving knowing and valid waivers of their Miranda rights before being subjected to a police interrogation? Long-term effects of being Tased werent measured in the study, though individuals who took part in the study reported feeling emotionally fraught after the experience. And while Tasers offer a nonlethal alternative to guns, their danger shouldnt be underestimated by the roughly 17,000 police departments using them. (Some have even gone through training to understand firsthand how it feels a good first step.) As Kane noted: Tasers are a great alternative to deadly force; when used in lieu of firearms, Tasers can save lives. But using a Taser is not without risk. Although they are considered safe when used on healthy people, people have died from being Tased. They should be treated as a dangerous weapon. Shes double-cleansing. The Skin Were In: Because sometimes beauty really is skin deep. If I were a celebrity and forced to endure a barrage of nosy beauty editors asking for beauty tips, I would talk ad nauseam about the virtues of double-cleansing. Double-cleansing is my coconut oil, the beauty practice that I proselytize to all my friends about with evangelical devotion. As the name would suggest, double-cleansing is washing your face twice. It sounds labor-intensive, which is why for years I rejected the idea, especially since it first came from my mother. Washing your face once just doesnt get rid of all the dirt, she would insist. This seemed excessive, like when I travel and she tells me to print out a hard copy of my boarding pass though Ive already checked in online. Whenever Ive visited Taiwan or other Asian countries, the ladies at the department-store beauty counters would also insist that double-cleansing was key to an effective skin-care routine. I assumed that it was a ploy to sell me twice as much product. But a few years ago, I started noticing that my face was unclean. Despite washing my face at night and using cleansers that promised to remove all makeup, Id wake up to see my white pillowcase stained with mascara and streaks of foundation. If I used a toner after washing once, it would remove my makeup rather than treating my face. Aestheticians, many of whom do double-cleansing as part of their facial practice, would look at my face under their glaring Light of Truth and notice tiny bumps under my skin. Then I started double-cleansing and began breaking out less, going out more, and doing laundry less often. Double-cleansing felt like what I had to do to get my face clean. After all, if I put a bowl that contained microwaved cheese in the dishwasher and still find crusty cheese bits, I dont hesitate to run it through the dishwasher again. Yes, it took twice as long, but washing my face once takes about 30 seconds, so washing it twice still meant the grand total was about a minute. And I found that if I chose the right cleanser, it didnt dry out my skin. Most experts back up what Ive anecdotally found to be true about double-cleansing. Its a tenet of skin-care philosophy for the brand Dermalogica and many Korean skin-care routines. Annet King, the director of global education at Dermalogica, explains that the brand believes in double-cleansing because between dirt, pollution, subway grit, natural sweat and oil, our skin is dirtier than ever: Twenty seconds in the shower isnt going to cut it. She explains, Weve always said the first cleanse lifts off all the surface stuff, and is more of a makeup remover, melting what youve put on your face. The second is there to dissolve deeper dirt, and more oil and dead skin cells, giving you a deeper cleanse. Alicia Yoon, the CEO of Korean beauty site Peach and Lily, adds, Some of the top dermatologists in Korea will say that half of ones skin-care woes (e.g., acne, excess sebum production, etc.) could be eliminated with proper cleansing. Traditionally, double-cleansing starts with an oil-based cleanser, because theyre among the best at dissolving makeup regardless of skin type. Oil dissolves oil, explains King. The oil from the cleanser is attracted to the fat in your sebaceous glands [the glands in your skin that produce oil], giving it a nice, deep cleansing effect that still doesnt strip away the lipids and ceramides between the skin cells. If your skin feels dry and tight after washing your face, its usually because the lipids and ceramides are being stripped by your cleanser. As you probably remember from middle-school science, oil and water dont mix. But oil cleansers work because they are designed to be water-soluble. An oil cleanser can look clear in the bottle, but when you add water, a molecular change occurs that turns it into a milky, non-greasy, light emulsion that you then use to wash your face. (Youll know your oil cleanser isnt water soluble if it beads up on your skin.) To complete the double-cleanse, follow up with a gentle, non-foaming cleanser of your choice. Cleansers that contain beta-hydroxy acids or exfoliators are not considered gentle, says dermatologist Dr. Shereene Idriss. When it comes to double-cleansing, dermatologists agree with the experts to an extent, but worry, like many people, that it can dry out the skin. Im still trying to get some of my patients to wash their faces, says Dr. Idriss. But the Koreans are light years ahead of us and they look good! Im not going to argue with what they are doing. If a type-A patient came in and asked me about it, I would say, Sure, yes, go ahead and do it, so long as its gentle. And dermatologist Whitney Bowe says, It has more to do with the makeup youre using. For people who wear stage makeup (TV anchors, stage actors), its necessary to use two steps to remove that heavy, oily makeup. Dr. Patricia Wexler adds, I never thought it was important until recently. I think it makes a big difference. We put a lot of product on our face now, so much more than we used to. Double cleansing ensures we get the first layer of sebum, sunscreen, and makeup gets removed. You need to make sure it all comes off so you can get your therapeutic evening products on. Even King agrees that if you dont wear makeup, you can probably get by with just washing your face once. But if you do, consider doubling up. This article was originally published February 9, 2016. It has been updated throughout. Shop the Story If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission. You Should Be Washing Your Face More Than You Think One poll shows young women prefer Sanders by 19 points. Photo: Charles Ommanney/Getty Images When the Democratic nomination is finally decided, it will be remembered for the increasingly acrimonious fights between two sides that might otherwise agree: the Bernie bros versus the Hillarybots. The political revolutionary versus the pragmatic incrementalist. Now, thanks to comments from two of Hillarys most prominent feminist campaign surrogates, theres a new schism: old-guard feminists versus a new generation. Gloria Steinems and Madeleine Albrights comments revealed an inconvenient truth for Clinton backers, who thought they could count on a new generation of feminists to help propel her to the White House: Most young women prefer Bernie Sanders. They say his brand of populist progressivism better fits their idea of intersectional feminism. They dont trust a candidate who once backed the Defense of Marriage Act. They dont expect to identify with any of the candidates, necessarily, but they feel like Sanderss message about an energized electorate banding together to demand action on climate change, college affordability, and campaign-finance reform is more exciting and empowering than the message of a seasoned politician working the levers of Washington. The gender-based appeal doesnt impress them and the suggestion that they dont understand the stakes of the campaign insults them. In an interview with Bill Maher, Steinem suggested that some young women were supporting Bernie Sanders to be closer to men. After noting that women tend to get radical as they age and confront their waning power in society, she added: And when youre younger, you think, Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie. A day later, Albright took the stage at a rally and revisited a version of her famous line theres a special place in hell for women who dont help each other in an effort to marshal support for Clinton. The backlash on college campuses, where Sanders is overwhelmingly popular, was fierce. I was furious, surprised, and appalled because it just seems like exactly the opposite of a position that somebody who is a feminist should be taking, says Mariah Joyce, a junior at the College of Wooster who supports Sanders. She says shes uncomfortable about the extent to which money and family name tend to determine who becomes president, and she thinks Sanders has been more consistently progressive throughout his career. I expected Secretary Clinton to address these comments and say something that assured voters and non-voters that those comments are not okay to make, just like Senator Sanders has called out the quote-unquote Bernie bros, says Uche Iteogu, a recent Columbia University graduate who came around to Sanders after studying Clintons long political history. I was very disappointed. A week after a narrow .3 percent victory in Iowa, and on the eve of an expected loss in New Hampshire, its becoming clear that the possibility of making history is not enough to win young women voters, who now prefer Sanders to Clinton* by as much as 19 points, according to one poll. I spent the day before the New Hampshire primary talking to young women across the country who identify as feminists and are supporting Sanders. What I found was a sense of resentment at the suggestions made by Clintons campaign supporters, both implicitly and explicitly, that young women should support Hillary because shes a woman. They believe that a kind of feminism that demands allegiance to a female politician is not the type of feminism they ascribe to. And they convey a sense that Clintons campaign hasnt given young women enough of a reason to vote for her. The idea of voting for a woman purely for the fact that shes a woman thats really almost the opposite of what were talking about in our feminist movement, says Carly Gilmore, a Wesleyan University freshman who believes Sanders has done more to educate young people about the political system than Clinton has. Multiple women told me their version of feminism is all about intersectionality, so theyre bothered by the implication that voters should support Hillary because they are women. Trying to make it a feminist message, that I should vote for her just because shes a woman, takes it over-the-top to the point that I think its bullshit. Its not really thought-out, says Lupita Lopez, a 24-year-old Sanders supporter from California. Several of the young feminists supporting Bernie called Albrights comment a peak example of the problem with white feminism: demanding allegiance without making a case for why women should be loyal. Underlying this statement is the notion that gender trumps other social categories, completely ignoring the existence of complex, intersectional identities, such as race, class, etc., says Harvard student Lorena Aviles. Albright speaks of an inherent alliance between all women and Hillary, and in doing so, she suggests that women owe their vote to Hillary, that to support another candidate is to be a bad feminist and woman, and to moronically stand against yourself. Her white feminist perspective speaks to the various ways in which women of color are failed within our political system. Why should an undocumented, hardworking mother find in Hillary an ally for the trials she faces? How does the election of Hillary ease the horrors black families, and mothers specifically, experience given the context of police brutality against bodies of color? Or, as Barrett Smith, a 19-year-old freshman at University of Texas at Austin, puts it: A feminism that doesnt include all women and that just focuses on silly symbolism is not a movement I want to be a part of or that I want to be in power. Having a woman president would be cool, but having a president that supports women who arent wealthy and white is more important. This generation of feminists is more diverse and inclusive than previous generations, and it includes a lot of women who dont see themselves reflected in any of the candidates which makes it harder to convince them that they should see themselves as natural Clinton supporters. I dont think, Oh, Hillary is a woman, I have to support her, says Monet Davis, a College of Wooster freshman. Im an 18-year-old black woman. If you compared me to Bernie theres nothing in common at all. He doesnt know my exact struggle. But, she is quick to add, neither does Hillary. I still respect her a lot as a person, shes a very notable politician. But I dont think I could identify with her. The backlash may not end up mattering to Clinton: Most of these women arent angry enough that they would refuse to vote for her if she won the nomination. But young women are increasingly a power bloc in elections they were a key component of Obamas reelection in 2012 and even if she manages to win the primary without them, shell need their active support if she wants to repeat Obamas victories. And right now, she doesnt have it. There are many of us who still are thankful for her work and thankful for the feminist movement, says Jazmin Vargas, a senior at Barnard who says that Sanderss message about college affordability and universal health care speaks to her. At the same time were at the point where we dont want to select any woman, we want to select the right candidate for womens rights. Its not about symbolic representation anymore. Its about selecting substantive representation. In a way, the critiques from Sanderss feminist supporters match the complaints campaign insiders have long had about Clinton. They dont think shes made a strong enough case for why she should choose them. Is it any wonder that they resent being told theyre not being supportive enough? You do not vote for a woman because she is a woman. You vote for her because she is capable of representing you in a political sphere, because her values align with yours, and because you see in her something you cant see in someone else, Aviles says. And, sometimes, that means you vote for him. *This post has been updated to show women voters prefer Sanders to Clinton, not Clinton to Sanders. ASA rules against Iceland Fat Bastard wine ad The Advertising Standards Authority has ordered multiple retailer Iceland to withdraw an ad for the Fat Bastard wine brand. The judgement follows four complaints the ASA received following the distribution of a circular from Iceland, which was delivered to homes in the week beginning October 18 and also to a school on November 25. The circular carried an introductory offer on the Fat Bastard wine brand on its outside back page, with an accompanying strap line which read, Outrageous name, outrageously good wine. The ASA was asked to rule on whether the language used in the ad was likely to cause serious or widespread offence, and whether it was was appropriately targeted because it might be seen by young children. In its defence, Iceland maintained that while the name might be controversial and distasteful to some, it did not believe that it reached the level of causing serious or widespread offence. Iceland noted that, while 175,000 copies of the leaflet had been distributed, the ASA had received only four complaints. Further, Iceland had never received any previous complaints about the brand, despite it having been available in store for ten years. The wines name derived from the story that, when first tasting the wine, its winemaker exclaimed that it was a fat bastard due to its full-bodied nature, Iceland said. With regard to the circulars distribution, Iceland confirmed that its delivery to a primary school was a mistake which it had taken up with its distributor. The domestic distribution was intended for adults, not children, and there was no implication that the ad was designed to attract childrens attention in any way, the retailer said. The ASA dismissed the first challenge against Iceland, agreeing that the language of the ad was not likely to cause serious offence. However, it upheld the complaint regarding the ads propriety for children, ruling that by virtue of its position on the outside of the circular, it was likely to be seen by children and that its references to Fat Bastard were unsuitable and irresponsible in that context. The ad must not appear again in its current form, the ASA told Iceland, and language which was unsuitable for children should not in future appear on the outside cover of any future circular. Related articles: An OPEC production cut is unlikely until U.S. production declines by about another million barrels per day (mmbpd). OPEC wont cut because it would accomplish nothing beyond a short-term increase in price. Carefully placed comments by OPEC and Russian oil ministers about the possibility of production cuts achieve almost the same price increase as an actual cut. Bad News About The Oil Over-Supply from IEA and EIA The International Energy Agency (IEA) and U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) shook the markets yesterday with news that the worlds over-supply of oil has gotten worse rather than better in recent months. IEA data shows that the global liquids over-supply increased in the 4th quarter of 2015 to 2.24 million barrels per day (mmbpd) from 1.62 mmbpd in the 3rd quarter (Figure 1). Figure 1. IEA world liquids market balance (supply minus demand). Source: IEA and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (click image to enlarge) Supply increased 70,000 bpd and demand decreased 550,000 bpd for a net increase in over-supply of 620,000 bpd. The sharp decline in demand is perhaps the most troubling aspect of IEAs report. The agency forecasts tepid demand growth of only 1.17 mmbpd in 2016 compared with 1.61 mmbpd in 2015. The weak global economy is the culprit. EIAs monthly data showed the same trend. Over-supply in January increased to 2.01 mmbpd from 1.35 mmbpd in December, a 650,000 bpd net change (Figure 2). Supply fell by 370,000 bpd but consumption dropped by a stunning 1.02 mmbpd. Figure 2. EIA world liquids market balance (supply minus consumption). Source: EIA and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (Click image to enlarge) The January 2016 Oil Price Head-Fake Recent comments about a possible OPEC cut were largely responsible for the late January head-fake increase in oil prices (Figure 3). WTI futures increased 27 percent from $26.55 to $33.62 per barrel between January 20 and 29. As hopes for a production cut faded, prices fell 8 percent last week and have fallen below $28.00 as reality regains control of market expectations. Figure 3. NYMEX WTI futures prices, October 2015-February 2016. Source: EIA, Bloomberg and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (Click image to enlarge) There were, of course, other factors that boosted oil prices for that brief period. These included the usual questionably substantial suspects: a lower-than-expected build in U.S. crude oil inventories, sharp declines in U.S. land rig counts, and a weaker U.S. dollar on expectation that the Federal Reserve Board may slow planned interest-rate increases. What happens in the U.S. continues to drive oil markets. Oil markets reflect a psychological conflict among investors between reality and hope. The reality is that the world is over-supplied with oil. The hope is that oil prices will increase without resolving that fundamental problem. An OPEC production cut fulfills that hope. Deus ex machina. Blame It On OPEC Many believe that OPEC caused the global oil-price collapse by failing to rescue prices in its role as swing producer. This narrative also contends that OPEC and Saudi Arabia are producing at maximum capacity to destroy U.S. shale producers. The data do not support this narrative. Related: Could Gasoline Drop Below $1 Per Gallon? January 2016 Saudi crude oil production (9.95 mmbpd) increased slightly from December (9.90 mmbpd) but has declined since the August 2015 peak of 10.25 mmbpd (Figure 4). Figure 4. Saudi Arabia crude oil production and change in production since January 2008. Source: EIA and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (Click image to enlarge) Total OPEC crude oil production in January production was 31.61 mmbpd, almost half-a-million barrels per day less than in July (32.09 mmbpd) and only somewhat more than its 4-year average of 31.28 mmbpd. Figure 5. Total OPEC crude oil production. Source: EIA and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (click image to enlarge) OPEC crude oil production since the Financial Crisis in 2008 has been remarkably balanced (Figure 6). Overall, increases by Iraq (+2.35 mmbpd) and Saudi Arabia (+0.6 mmbpd) have largely offset decreases by Iran (-1.0 mmpbd due to sanctions) and Libya (-1.4 mmbpd due to civil war). Renewed export by Iran with the lifting of sanctions is part of what pulls the oil market back to reality after its flights of sentiment-based hope. Figure 6. OPEC crude oil production compared to January 2008 production levels (minus Indonesia). Source: EIA and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (Click image to enlarge) Although it appears unlikely that Libya will resolve its civil unrest any time soon, renewed Libyan production and export is a sobering factor to ponder. OPEC and Saudi Arabia increased production aggressively from March through August of 2015. Since then, however, production has declined to near average levels for 2012-2016. The United States and Non-OPEC Are The Problem OPEC did not cause the oil over-supply in early 2014. Over-production by the United States and other non-OPEC countries caused the problem. This is still the case. The U.S. is responsible for more than 70 percent of the increase in non-OPEC liquids production since January 2014 (Figure 7). Brazil and Canada along with China and Russia account for the rest. Figure 7. Non-OPEC liquids production compared to January 2014 production levels. Source: EIA and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (Click image to enlarge) Until the structure of non-OPEC production decreases, there is little that OPEC can do to remedy low prices. Cuts by OPEC might temporarily increase prices but this would lead to more over-production outside of OPEC that would further collapse world oil prices later on. Why U.S. Production Has Not Declined More U.S. crude oil production has only declined by approximately 570,000 bpd from its peak of 9.69 mmbpd in April 2014 to 9.13 mmbpd in January 2016about 60,000 bpd each month (Figure 8). Figure 8. U.S. crude oil production and forecast. Source: EIA and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (Click image to enlarge) EIA forecasts that production will fall another 820,000 bpd (about 100 kbpd each month) to 8.31 mmbpd by September 2016 before increasing again. The forecast provides hope that the oil market may balance later in 2016 or in 2017 but history to date suggests that it is probably optimistic. Tight oil production in the U.S. has not declined nearly as much as many anticipated based on falling rig counts. Most explanations invoke increases in drilling and completion efficiency but I believe the truth lies in the continued availability of external capital to fund drilling of an ever-increasing number of producing wells until quite recently. Related: Rising OPEC Oil Production Worsens Glut In the Bakken, Eagle Ford and Permian basin plays, the number of producing wells has declined or flattened in the last reporting months of October or November 2015. The plays are different and so are the patterns for production decline. Nevertheless, the decrease in new producing wells suggests that either capital is less available or that companies are choosing to drill and complete fewer wells. Reporting in the Bakken is better than in the other plays. Bakken production only declined 51,000 bpd between the December 2014 and November 2015, the last reported data from the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources (Figure 9). Figure 9. Bakken production and number of producing wells. Source: North Dakota Dept. of Mineral Resources and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (Click image to enlarge) Over the same period, the horizontal rig count fell by 111, from 173 to 62 rigs. Yet, the number of producing wells increased by 943, from 12,134 to 13,077 (the number of wells waiting on completion (WOC) increased by 219 from 750 to 969). As long as more wells were added each month, production continued to increase. The number of producing wells only began to decline in October 2015. Each completed well cost approximately $8 million so capital spending did not decrease until then despite fairy tales about ever-increasing efficiency. The resilience of tight oil production in the Bakken, therefore, reflected the continued availability of external capital to fund more drilling and completion. The impact of reduced capital is apparently a recent phenomenon in the Bakken. The Eagle Ford and Permian basin plays show similar patterns of flattening rates of well completions in recent months. Eagle Ford production has declined 183,000 bpd since March 2015 while Permian basin production may just be peaking. It is too early to draw concrete conclusions from the tight oil play data presented here but, in a way, that is the point. Production has only begun to decline because external capital was available until late 2015 despite low oil prices. If companies are forced to rely increasingly on cash flow for new drilling then, U.S. production should decline sharply. If, on the other hand, the recent $2 billion in equity raised by Permian basin operators becomes more the norm in 2016 then, production declines will be more modest. The U.S. Crude Oil Storage Problem There is little chance that oil prices will increase beyond the head-fakes and sentiment-driven price cycles of the past year until U.S. crude oil storage begins to decrease. Oil stocks are currently 154 million barrels more than the 5-year average and 131 million barrels more than the 5-year maximum (Figure 10). Figure 10. U.S. crude oil stocks. Source: EIA and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (click image to enlarge) The Cushing, Oklahoma pricing hub and nearby Gulf Coast storage facilities make up almost 70 percent of U.S. working storage capacity. These crucial storage areas are currently at 85 percent of capacity (Figure 11). Figure 11. Cushing and Gulf Coast crude oil storage. Source: EIA and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (Click image to enlarge) Although the correlation between Gulf Coast and Cushing storage utilization, and WTI oil price is not perfect, it is as good as any single price indicator (Figure 12). Figure 12. Cushing and Gulf Coast Storage Capacity and WTI oil price. Source: EIA and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (Click image to enlarge) Despite considerable hype about 3 billion barrels of oil in storage around the world, Matt Mushalik has shown that OECD storage is only about 300 million barrels above the 5-year average based on IEA data. More than half of those 300 million barrels are in U.S. storage so, again, the U.S. drives the world oil market. Related: IEA: No Oil Price Rally In The Short Term As long as storage volumes remain above 80 percent of capacity, oil prices will be depressed. Until U.S. oil production declines substantially, storage will remain near capacity. No OPEC production cut will be able to offset this powerful market factor for long. Saudi Arabia Is Not Going Broke Euan Mearns has presented a compelling case that OPEC made a gigantic blunder by letting oil prices fall below $40 per barrel for the sake of market share. I believe, however, that there is more at stake than market share. The capital providers who enable high-cost oil projects are the market-share target of Saudi Arabias gambit. Oil sands are the primary focus because these have gigantic reserves. Deep-water and tight oil are secondary objectives because their reserves are smaller and shorter lived. OPECs larger objective is to postpone the end of the Oil Age as far into the future as possible. This is accomplished by an extended period of low oil prices that puts renewable energy at a price disadvantage to oil and gas, and slows the climate change-based flight from fossil energy. It is further achieved by stimulating the global economy through low energy prices that may in turn increase oil demand. The commercial present and future for the Saudis and their Gulf State comrades depend on oil. They take the long view that near-term losses are justified by longer-term gains. I am not defending their stratagem but merely trying to understand it. The press has been focused on the imminent financial demise of Saudi Arabia as a result of their production and price strategy. Although the strain on the Kingdom is considerable, I do not believe that these criticisms are completely realistic. Saudi Arabias year-end 2015 foreign reserve accounts totaled $636 billion, an amount almost equal to its cash reserves in 2012 when Brent prices averaged $112 per barrel (Figure 13). Figure 13. Saudi Arabia international reserve assets. Source: Saudi Arabia Monetary Agency and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (Click image to enlarge) Its estimated cash reserves through 2017 of $443 billion are still above or nearly equal to levels from 2007 through 2010 and exceed the current accounts of all countries except Switzerland shown in Figure 14 (China ($3513 billion) and Japan ($1233 billion), not shown in the figure, are higher than Saudi Arabia). Figure 14. International reserves and foreign currency liquidity. Source: International Monetary Fund and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. (Click image to enlarge) The Way Forward Oil prices will not increase or stop falling until the current 2 mmbpd over-supply is consistently reduced for a period of many months. I do not expect a formal OPEC production cut until that happens. That means that U.S. production and storage inventories must fall. That may happen in 2016 if EIAs forecast shown in Figure 8 is close to correct. There are some considerable wild cards that might keep the world mired in over-supply and low oil prices beyond 2016. Renewed supply from Iran and Libya are the most obvious candidates. Continued supply of external capital to U.S. tight oil production is a second important wild card. The weak global economy and associated oil demand below the forecasted range of 1.2 mmbpd of annual growth represent other important uncertainties. Without a meaningful forward reduction of U.S. oil production of around 1 mmbpd, an OPEC cut would only have a limited, short-term effect on prices. The focus going forward must be on the source of the problem. That is the United States and not OPEC. By Art Berman for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: To begin with we take a quick look at the critical figures and data in the energy markets this week, as oil prices sink on waning hopes of an OPEC meeting. The main market movers will then be examined before an analysis of the top news events taking place in the global energy complex over the past few days is provided. (Click to enlarge) Chart of the Week Crude oil sitting in storage is about one-third higher than the five-year average, according to the EIA. Commercial stocks hit 503 million barrels at the end of January, an 80-year high, and about 10 million barrels above the peak in 2015. That is also 132 million barrels above the five-year average for this time of year. Oil inventories have jumped sharply since the beginning of 2016, a worrying sign about the state of the economy, but also further evidence that U.S. oil production remains resilient. Market Movers Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) saw its share price crash on February 8 after news reports suggested the company was looking to restructure more than $9 billion in debt, raising fears of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company said it has no plans to file for bankruptcy, but its share price fell by more than 50 percent in early trading on Monday, before regaining some ground. Total (NYSE: TOT) started a North Sea gas project this week, one of the last major North Sea oil and gas projects greenlighted before oil prices crashed. Total started production at a field near the Shetland Islands, which it says will produce 90,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, or 6 percent of the UKs total production. Transoceans (NYSE: RIG) share price fell by more than 9 percent on Monday after it announced that Murphy Oil (NYSE: MUR) terminated a contract for an ultra-deepwater drilling ship. The contract was supposed to run through November, but Murphy has elected to pay a termination fee. Related:Genel Producing Oil For $1 Barrel, Investors Still Cautious Tuesday February 9, 2016 Oil prices slumped on Monday as news emerged from Riyadh that the meeting between Venezuelas oil minister Eulogio del Pino did not succeed in bringing Saudi Arabia on board for an emergency OPEC meeting. Venezuela has been pleading with OPEC members to come together for a production cut, and has at least succeeded in generating some buzz. But thus far, the diplomacy of the countrys oil minister has not resulted in getting a meeting on the calendar. Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi said the meeting was successful, but in reality, the only thing the markets care about is whether or not OPEC will meet to cut production. In that sense, the meeting as not successful. Nothing really happened at the meeting, one OPEC official told the WSJ. WTI briefly below dipped below $30 per barrel on Monday following the news, before closing a few cents above $30. More spending cuts needed. Even if crude oil averages $40 per barrel this year, the oil and gas industry in North America will need to slash more spending in order to correct their balance sheets. According to IHS Inc., who surveyed a group of 44 prominent oil and gas firms in the U.S. and Canada, spending is still too high. IHS says that the 44 companies will need to cut another 30 percent from their planned expenditures, or an additional $24 billion, in order for them to get spending down to 130 percent of cash flow. These spending cuts will be particularly troublesome for the highly leveraged companies, said Paul ODonnell, principal analyst at IHS Energy, according to Bloomberg. These E&Ps are torn between slashing spending further to avoid additional weakening of their balance sheets, and the need to maintain sufficient production and cash flow to meet financial obligations. Libya unrest. Political strife in Libya continues. Despite the small bits of progress achieved between the two rival governments in the war-torn country, they are still clashing over the right to export oil. The Tripoli-based National Oil Company recently condemned the agreements that foreign companies reached with the port of Hariga, located in the territory of the Eastern government. The companies, which include Loyd Capital and Netoil, said that the government in Tripoli is not internationally-recognized and thus has no power over oil exports. Meanwhile, oil traders such as Glencore (LON: GLEN) and Vitol Group have worked with the government in the west. The battle over control of Libyas oil resources is showing no signs of easing, although there is some hope that the governments can begin reconciling after they have agreed to participate in negotiations over a unity government. Related: Tesla Falling Out Of Favor With Investors Iran. Oil trader Vitol Group says that it is very much business as normal with Iran following the removal of sanctions. The company confirmed it has purchased oil from Iran. Oil prices lower for longer. More news from Vitol Groupin one of the most bearish calls yet, the oil trader says that crude prices could stay low for another decade due to a slowing Chinese economy and the ability of U.S. shale producers to ramp up production whenever prices do rise. Its hard to see a dramatic price increase, Vitols CEO Ian Taylor told Bloomberg. He thinks that oil will trade within a range with $50 oil as the midpoint. We really do imagine a band. I can see that band lasting for five to ten years. I think its fundamentally different. He estimates a price band of roughly $40 to $60 per barrel. You have to believe that there is a possibility that you will not necessarily go back above $100, you know, ever, he warned. Shale production down. The EIA released its latest Drilling Productivity Report, which predicts a loss of another 92,000 barrels per day in oil production from shale in March. The Eagle Ford will lead the losses, with a decline of an expected 50,000 barrels per day of output. Natural gas production is also declining the EIA expects the U.S. to lose 451 million cubic feet of gas production per day in March. It should be noted, however, that the EIA has published some confusing figures in recent months. Forward-looking predictions have consistently predicted output declines, but estimates of production retrospectively show output has been relatively flat. So take these estimates with a grain of salt. Chesapeake bankruptcy rumors. Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) had to go to lengths to dismiss rumors on Monday that it was nearing bankruptcy when news reports surfaced over the weekend that it was working with Kirkland & Ellis on an effort to restructure some of its debt. Chesapeake said it had no plans for bankruptcy and that Kirkland & Ellis had been the companys counsel since 2010. But it is never a good thing when your company has to issue a press release saying that it is not going bankrupt. Chesapeakes share price plunged by one third on Monday. Related: Despite Huge Losses Oil Companies Reluctant To Shut In Production Reuters reported that a bankruptcy from the nations second largest natural gas producer would ripple across the midstream sector. Pipeline operators Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) and Williams Companies Inc. (NYSE: WMB) could be vulnerable to a Chesapeake bankruptcy because they have contracts with the gas producer for pipeline capacity. Even though some of their contracts include minimum volume provisions, which would require a company like Chesapeake to pay the pipeline operators for space regardless if they actually wanted to ship gas, the pipeline companies still might be forced to take a hit given Chesapeakes dire circumstances. Whether through bankruptcy or renegotiation, minimum volume contracts might not be quite as safe as the pipeline companies had thought. Williams, for example, might lose $300 to $400 million because of Chesapeakes woes. Obamas oil tax. President Obama proposed a $10-per-barrel oil tax in his latest budget proposal, a plan that would raise $30 billion per year for investments in clean energy, mass transit, and high-speed rail. The idea has very little chance of passing in the Republican-controlled Congress. Even the administration admits as much, saying that the proposal is intended to at least get the conversation started. Global recession not assured. Despite growing concerns about the health of the global economy, Goldman Sachs said that the probability of a recession in the industrialized world is only about 25 percent over the next year and 34 percent in the next two years. The investment bank said that the U.S. only faces an 18 percent chance of a recession within the next four quarters. Sub-$20 oil? But the bad news is that Goldman also says that oil could still fall below $20 given the extreme volatility and persistent oversupply, although such a scenario is not guaranteed. By Evan Kelly Of Oilprice.com: More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: For many oil gas workers both in the U.S. and around the world, the current oil price malaise may mean layoffs and struggling to find a new job. A new report from the Hayes Group highlights the challenges in the sector. The report found that 93 percent of employers had already made some headcount reductions, and 32 percent of responding workers indicated they had been laid off or made redundant. Of that group, fully 72 percent were considering work outside the oil sector. The report was actually compiled in November before the most recent downward leg in prices so its conclusions are probably even more applicable today. The Hayes Group report highlights how difficult conditions are starting to become in the oil and gas sector. The financial strains in the sector may ensure more layoffs are coming at oil and gas companies. Especially as production declines, the industry simply needs fewer workers. Despite that, salaries for the remaining workers are still relatively high at around $81,000 a year. Given that reality, layoffs are not inevitable. Instead, employees face a basic choice layoffs or pay cuts. Related: Who Would Be The Best Presidential Candidate For Energy Companies? Traditionally, American firms and many others have opted for layoffs as the default answer when facing recession or tough financial times. Yet there is something to be said for significant across the board pay cuts, which can help reduce employee anxiety and at the same time help firms retain talent in bad times while waiting for the good times to return. South Korea for instance, generally adopted the model of steep pay cuts in lieu of layoffs during the 2008 Recession. This approach helped the country weather the recession better than many other nations. American firms in the current oil crisis might adopt the same mindset and thus help stave off any significant brain drain. Related: IEA: Increasing OPEC Production Keeps Oil Prices Down The prospective of a pay cut for everyone rather than the ax of layoffs might seem like an appealing prospect and a good choice to some. Thats not always a choice that employees are willing to make though. Even in the current environment, only about half of employees are willing to take a pay cut in the oil and gas sector. This reality is perhaps short sighted on the part of employees since those who do end up being laid off may have to change careers altogether and start at a new entry level position. That reluctance by workers is not entirely surprising though. Related: Hopes Fall on Emergency OPEC Meeting Economists have long noted that wages and prices are sticky, meaning that while employees are happy to get a raise and businesses are happy to raise prices when times are good, they are loathe to accept pay cuts or lower prices when times are bad, even if it means lost business and jobs. That psychological barrier actually is economically inefficient. If prices are not flexible, then it makes it harder for markets to adjust and bring supply and demand back into balance. One byproduct of this is that unemployment rates will likely remain stubbornly high in the oil and gas sector for years to come as job seekers search in vain for a position that would pay as well as the one they lost. Certainly for some workers who make it through the current crisis, not accepting a pay cut could be a wise decision. But for many workers it could prove to be a catastrophic choice if it leads to broader layoffs and inefficient labor markets in the energy sector. Only time will tell how stubborn the industry will be, but basic economics suggests the most flexible firms and employees will be the ones that emerge in the best position at the other end of the downturn. By Michael McDonald of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Obama administrations proposed $10.25 per barrel oil tax adds up to approximately $32 billion a year, and critics are coming out of the woodwork in defense of both the oil industry and end users who would foot the bill for transportation system reformsbut it may be a moot point since the effort will simply be killed off by Congress. At the end of the day, this proposal is simply meant to start a discussion and possibly add to the Obama environmental legacy. The proposal has sparked immediate backlash, with critics blasting it as an impossible production tax, the death knell for the already struggling oil industry, and an unfair policy that would render gas at the pumps more expensive for consumers. Related: Who Would Be The Best Presidential Candidate For Energy Companies? Oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens has sensationally dubbed the Obama proposal the dumbest idea ever. The $32 billion tax per year would be consistent with a production tax, tweeted Ed Crooks, the energy editor of The Financial Times. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, likewise criticized the tax, stating, as reported by Reuters: The President is now apparently proposing yet another way of damage to our nations oil industry. According to Steven Kopits, Managing Director of Princeton Energy Advisors, at todays prices there would be no material impact on either U.S. mobility or the economy. However, if WTI were to hit $115 per barrel, an additional $10 per barrel tax could push the economy towards a recession. Federal gas taxes have not been raised since 1993, and with gas prices at an all-time low, such a proposal will be fairly easy to justify at the pump, and is unlikely to cause much of a fuss for end users. Consumers would pay an additional 22-25 cents per gallon of gaswith the final price still well under gas prices a year or two ago. Related: No Agreement on OPEC Meeting After Venezuela Meets With Saudi Arabia According to the American Coalition for clean coal electricity report of June 2015, the lower and middle-income families, which represent 48 percent of the nations households, spend an estimated average of 17 percent of their after-tax income on residential and transportation energy. If we consider the households earning less than $30,000 before taxes, the expense rises to 23 percent of their after-tax family incomes, without considering any energy assistance programs. If gas prices should climb higher, the proposed increase would further strain the budgets of the poor, whereas the rich are unlikely notice the price difference between $30 and $40 per barrelor if gas prices should climbbetween $75 and $85 a barrel. It should be noted, however, that the Obama proposal would redirect 15 percent of the reveneus to poorer households to offset higher energy costs. On the flip side of this emerging discussion, there are also economists who believe a tax on fossil fuels will benefit the U.S. economy. They talk about taxing negative externalities that may lead to market failure. Harvards Gregory Mankiw notes that there are a host of side effects associated with oil and gas production and consumption, and economists view these negative side effects as a kind of market failure that needs to be addressed. Related: Despite Huge Losses Oil Companies Reluctant To Shut In Production So will this proposal ever see the light of Congressional day? Not likely. History suggests it will be a major challenge. The first budget proposal of the Obama Administration sought to eliminate all remaining tax breaks for oil and gas producers, which would raise another $31 billion in revenue between 2010 and 2019, according to Reuters. That proposal has been shot down seven times already. For the latest budget proposal, Republicans are departing from decades of tradition by not even inviting the White Houses budget director to attend Congressional hearings to explain the budget. The government taxes on fuels have largely remained unchanged since 1993, as Congress has been unable to arrive at an agreement to raise them. The current proposal of a 22-25 cents per gallon rise on top of the existing taxes is unprecedented, so most are viewing this as a legacy-maker and a discussion starter and nothing morefor now, at least. The proposal has put the spotlight on the administrations futuristic policy and has attracted headlines, but there is little chance that it will make it through Congress. By Rakesh Upadhyay for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Retail gasoline prices have dipped below $2 per gallon across the United States. But gas might drop below $1 per gallon soon in some places of the country. Aside from the financial crisis, when gasoline prices dropped below $2 per gallon for just a few months, retail gasoline prices have not been below $2 since 2004. Gas prices are at their lowest levels in many years. But things could soon get even crazier. GasBuddy says that gasoline supplies are rising in the Midwest, which could result in localized gluts for product, pushing prices down to $1 per gallon or even lower. With access to heavily discounted Canadian crude, Midwest refiners are churning out cheaper and cheaper gasoline. That could trigger fire salesvery quick and low price sales, Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy told the WSJ. There is a strong possibility that refiners, trying to offload excess winter fuel blends, could discount prices down to 99 cents per gallon for a brief period of time. Related: Computerized Trading Creating Oil Price Volatility Oklahoma appears to be enjoying the cheapest gasoline in the country. According to GasBuddys website, the cheapest gas right now can be found in Oklahoma City, where one station was selling gas for $1.09 per gallon on February 9. A 7-Eleven in Norman, OK sold gas for $1.10 per gallon on the same day. (Click to enlarge) source: GasBuddy.com Nationwide, retail gasoline sold for $1.87 for the week ending on February 8. For now, sub-$1 gasoline is unlikely outside of some local areas, such as Oklahoma and the Midwest. But if oil prices drop to $20 per barrel, which is something that Goldman Sachs is not ruling out, $1 gasoline could become a lot more common. By Charles Kennedy of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The opinions expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the opinions of OnMilwaukee.com, its advertisers or editorial staff. Somehow I lucked into being on Ald. Bob Donovan's mailing list for his mayoral campaign. I do not understand this; surely he knows it's wasted postage. Whatever I get a nice little window into what Milwaukee's most outspoken mayor wannabe thinks while he takes on incumbent Tom Barrett. The big takeaway so far? Donovan likes bureaucracy. Also: graphs. Nice, full-color charts and bar graphs have graced every mailing I've gotten from him so far, graphs intended to make me fear for my safety. But I'll come back to those. First the bureaucracy, which is honestly surprising to me. You don't look at someone like Donovan and think, "What this guy wants is bigger government." Yet there it is. Donovan's big idea for improving everything, from jobs to crime, is creating a new cabinet-level post and, presumably, whole new departments under the new secretaries he would appoint. Donovan promises to hire no fewer than four new top-level administrators, starting with a "Jobs Ambassador" and including new secretaries of Education, Commerce & Labor, and Urban Affairs. Since two of these posts are jobs-related, you might think that Milwaukee is currently in some sort of unemployment death spiral, hemorrhaging jobs, residents and quality of life. That's just not true. The Milwaukee metro region, of which the city is the thriving heart, is doing quite well according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, whose job it is to measure these things. In December of last year, the last month with data available, the metro region had an unemployment rate of just 4.5 percent, below the national average, and at the median for the country's largest metro areas. It is just barely higher than the state unemployment rate of 4.3 percent. BLS only breaks down by metro area, though, and doesn't have good data on the city by itself, which continues to have employment challenges especially in its African American population. Donovan's mailers even cherry-pick some zip codes with high unemployment rates to highlight, including 53206, the city's most troubled zip code. Still, the premise that there is some kind of overall jobs crisis in Milwaukee right now is false. Donovan claims his new "Jobs Ambassador" will somehow attract 10,000 new "good-paying jobs" to Milwaukee in the next five years. Over the last five years admittedly, a little skewed because that goes back to the middle of the recovery from the Great Recession the metro area has seen an increase of more than 40,000 jobs, according to BLS. Even going back to the pre-recession high in October 2008, Milwaukee is still nearly 10,000 jobs ahead, and the unemployment rate is lower today than it was then. I think Donovan's 10,000 jobs pledge is pretty weak considering the current state of the city's economy and recent history. Moreover, Milwaukee is nationally recognized as one of the country's few major metro areas where jobs and population growth are happening in and around the Downtown center, as Bruce Murphy has pointed out. People want to live in Milwaukee already, and companies want to be here, too. As I have noted, that's not necessarily true for all of Milwaukee. But Donovan's proposed "Secretary of Commerce & Labor" who would, he says, work on cultivating a "more business-friendly environment" and duplicate efforts already undertaken by groups like Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board and the state's Department of Workforce Development isn't going to magically undo generations of redlining, massive incarceration rates and systematic discrimination against minority communities in this city all the forces that have left Milwaukee one of the worst cities in America for its black residents. His "Secretary of Urban Affairs" might, I suppose. Based on the mailers I've received it isn't online that I can see this new secretary will be focused on poverty. He or she will "make reducing poverty in Milwaukee a priority" and "reduce poverty by 10% in five years, 25% in 10 years," among other things. Oh, wait, the words "race," "racism" and "segregation" aren't in there at all. I appreciate that Donovan is concerned about economic inequality, but I cannot understand why he dances around what is by the far the biggest reason for Milwaukee's current economic disparities. I could be all cynical and suggest that Donovan really does want to want to help black Milwaukeeans but needs the votes of white residents first. Or I could go all Kanye West on him and suggest that Donovan doesn't care about Milwaukee's black people. Either way, disguising Milwaukee's long-standing racial divide as merely an economic problem is reductionist and offensive. As a teacher, I find Donovan's other new appointment, a "Secretary of Education," most intriguing, not least because the things he wants to do are really pretty far outside the purview of the Mayor's office. This is not a new thing for Donovan; I complained about his plan to appoint a city-wide education "czar" back in 2009. You'll note that back then, I too was much less willing to come right out and say many of Milwaukee's challenges have an explicitly racist underlying cause; the evidence is just too great for me to maintain that now. But back to Donovan's plan. Donovan wants his "Secretary of Education" to dictate curriculum to all the various school sectors in Milwaukee, including "anti-violence" and "anti-drug" curricula (he must not have gotten the memo that D.A.R.E. failed). His mailer says this person will "guarantee teachers have needed tools and resources," but if you read his website, this is clearly not about funding or technology or any of those kinds of resources that I wish I had in my classroom, but rather disciplinary resources. "Many teachers feel theyve lost control of their classrooms," his "Issues" page reads, "because they have no way to control disruptive students this must change, there must be a no excuses policy for bad behavior and consequences that follow." Later, his site indicates he wants to "find alternatives for disruptive students possibly in the form of an alternative to suspension program." Wisconsin's got a reputation nationally as a state with a super-sized school-to-prison pipeline. We spend more on prisons than on higher education, and we have incredibly disproportionate suspension rates for black and white students in our schools. What Donovan's talking about here is essentially prison for disruptive students, removing them from regular schools the way jails take people off the street. This is perhaps because Donovan has a real passion for crime not committing it (though he has a record), but playing it up as a problem and demanding lots of get-tough measures to try to fight it. At the top of this column, I mentioned all the graphs in these mailers about crime. Donovan includes graphs showing the rates of auto theft, robbery and violent crime between 2010 and 2014, and in the text claims that the city currently lacks a plan to reduce violent crime. The graphs look scary because again Donovan is cherry-picking. If Donovan started his graphs in different years than 2010, he'd have very different-looking graphs. Violent crime overall is lower now than in 2007, for example, but higher now than in 2010. Auto theft has also been up in the last couple of years, but it's well below its mid-2000s high, too. Donovan's tough-on-crime image is perhaps his strongest and best-known characteristic. He is a relentless critic of current Chief Edward Flynn and Mayor Barrett. There's also no question that, when it comes to homicide, Milwaukee outpaced the surprising national increase in the murder rate. But Flynn has generally earned good marks from outside observers for his data-driven policing tactics, and Barrett has been working hard to add more officers to the Milwaukee Police Department since the end of the recession. Over the last four budgets, Barrett has added 180 officers, and Donovan voted no on every one of those budgets. Milwaukee has the highest officer-to-population ratio of all comparably sized cities except Baltimore. Donovan wants more police and wants specifically to ramp up the "war on drugs." He can't really have it both ways, suggesting both a hard increase in incarceration associated with the war on drugs and also that he wants to help Milwaukee neighborhoods already devastated by Wisconsin's over-imprisonment of black residents. So if you, too, want more more bureaucracy, more police, more of the school-to-prison pipeline and, despite his online pledge to keep taxes down, almost certainly more taxes to pay for these things go ahead and vote Donovan. Don't expect me to join you, though. Theres a new owner of the old Thai Palace at 838 N. Old World 3rd St., which closed its doors in 2013. And this time, the spot will offer Italian fare. Gino Fazzari of Calderone Club has purchased the building and has plans to convert the space into an Italian rosticceria. The concept is yet unnamed, but Fazzari says the restaurant will serve a variety of pizza styles including Neapolitan along with freshly baked bread, rotisserie based items and a large selection of cured meats and cheeses. "Were really working on the concept now," says Fazzari, "and allowing it to develop organically. But what wed like to do is offer up regional, traditional dishes things with a bit of a rustic feel that are representative of things we eat in central and southern Italy." Fazzari, who recently trained in Italy at a variety of pizzerias, says hell bring back elements that he learned, offering up a new authentic Italian experience for Milwaukeeans. "Honestly, I wasnt really looking to expand or start a new place, but this opportunity presented itself, and we decided to take advantage of it," he said. "To me, this is something thats just a natural extension of my background growing up, as well as the culinary education Ive gained over the years. And Im excited to share that." Fazzari says he hopes to open the restaurant, which will serve both lunch and dinner, sometime this summer after an extensive renovation of the space. Locally harvested food products can be found just about everywhere these days. But, have you ever stopped to think about what it takes to get those items to market? "Its a fractured system across the board," says Chef Dave Swanson. "How things get from point A to point B youd be amazed." And Swanson would know. In 2007, with the help of a $35,000 grant from Buy Local Buy Wisconsin and $15,000 from the Brico Fund, Swanson helped to change the way Milwaukee restaurants procured local produce with the launch of his Restaurant Supported Agriculture (RSA) program. The RSA was a mechanism by which facilitated distribution between Wisconsin farmers and local chefs and restaurateurs through collective buying. Although it began with 12 farms and four founding restaurant members, the RSA now supports a full warehouse of produce from more than 80 farmers, supplying to twenty-five area restaurants per week. But, more is needed. Milwaukee has been long due for a fully functioning food hub a centralized organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of locally sourced products. The aim of such a hub would be to strengthen the markets ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand. And, maybe most importantly, it would serve to build efficiencies and reduce costs across the board, creating increased access to healthy delicious food for a much wider audience. "Everyone is fighting to make a dollar," says Swanson. "So the question is: How can we make efficiencies that help everyone to make more? To make food cost less?" The answer may lie in a project called The Local Loop that would connect farmers across the state to restaurants, grocers and individuals throughout Milwaukee. Thanks to a $31,000 grant secured by Swanson in 2015, plans for The Local Loop are already in progress, though the project still needs to establish the community support it needs to get off the ground. "This grant really picks up where the last one left off," notes Swanson. "However, the money is allocated primarily to salaries and labor, but not the infrastructure needed to make it happen." But, what does that mean? How the hub would work Food hubs exist across the nation, and each one looks different, based on where it is located and how it is used. A Milwaukee hub would function primarily to facilitate transportation for food from farms across the state, and provide a centralized location for food processing and distribution. "Well be creating small secure storage hubs in northern, southern and western Wisconsin," says Swanson, "Which would offer convenient drop off points for farmers to deliver their food." The hubs would decrease farmers need to deliver to multiple locations, decreasing both labor and transportation costs, and it would double as ways to distribute products from the hub (or another part of the state) to that specific region, effectively making use of shipping thats already happening. For example, rather than delivering through a third party to Milwaukee or Madison, Igl Farms in Antigo could make a large drop of potatoes at the northern hub. They could make use of their empty truck by picking up six cases of Yuppie Hill eggs also dropped off at the northern hub for delivery to Green Bay on their way back. "With the advent of local food, there are restaurants in spots like Green Bay that would like local foods," says Swanson. "This would help to supply a mechanism to create efficiencies and lower the cost of getting them produce." From there, a central warehouse located in Milwaukee would aggregate the products and provide processing services from cleaning fruits and vegetables to chopping and packaging items. Eventually, the hub would also be equipped to produce frozen food items including stocks, soups and stews as well as value-added shelf stable pickled, fermented or canned items. "Eventually the hub could process foods for individual farms to be sold under their label, or a cooperative label," says Swanson. "And it would accomplish a variety of goals, including the reduction of food waste. We could easily take blemished produce and process it into delicious items which could be widely used, rather than composted or wasted. It would also provide farmers with additional income." A warehouse space on the south side of Milwaukee has been identified for the project, says Swanson. And the space is large enough to establish the hub as well as allow for future growth. "Effectively," he notes, "The RSA weve established would be eliminated in its current form. We would still be able to provide pick-up and delivery services for restaurants in fact, wed have far greater capacity to do so; but it would be under the auspices of The Local Loop." The Local Loop would function as a cooperative. Shares would be sold to retail stores, commercial food businesses, restaurants, farmers or even individuals who were interested in reaping the benefits of the hub. Any number of businesses from grocers, restaurants and small food businesses could take advantage of the hub to source local food products. Individuals could buy shares to accommodate bulk food purchases for home processing. Meanwhile, area non-profits, such as REAP Food Group, might take advantage of the delivery systems established by the hub to distribute items like their Farm Fresh Atlas. "The hub could really service any business interested in the process of getting food or products in or out of the city," says Swanson. "And the desire for local food is growing in demand all over the state - not just in larger cities like Milwaukee and Madison but also rural areas. This hub could be used to assist in servicing those needs." Support The Local Loop A $75K Indiegogo campaign launched in late January aims to raise the necessary funds to get the project off the ground. Project needs include cash for a down payment on a warehouse space to accommodate the Milwaukee hub; funding for installation and procurement of coolers and other equipment including packing tables and shelving; funds to support transportation costs. For more information, or to support the campaign, visit indiegogo.com. The Muslim American community observed Wednesday (February 10) the first death anniversary of three North Carolina University Muslim students amid rising anti-Muslim bigotry and hate crimes. On February 10, 2015, Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha were brutally murdered simply because they were Muslim. A neighbor, who had expressed anti-Muslim animus in the past, fatally shot each of them in the home that newly weds Deah and Yusor shared. Sadly, in the year since their senseless deaths, too many other people have lost their lives in communities across our country, says Farhana Khera, adding: "And too many people in America have been living in fear after acts of vandalism and violence in their communities. In less than three months since the tragic attacks in Paris, we've seen more than 70 documented incidents of anti-Muslim hate violence." Amid mounting anti-Muslim rhetoric, President Barrack Obama visited a Baltimore mosque on February 3 where the President called on Americans to embrace their common humanity and reject the inexcusable political rhetoric emanating from the presidential campaign trail. The President said: "In this era of heightened rhetoric during the presidential election season, along with the rise of anti-Islamic propaganda, it is important for our elected officials to stand with the Muslim community to show solidarity with the more than 6 million Muslim Americans. Our nation was founded on religious tolerance and common ethos, which requires us to stand together as Americans." Is is easy to look at the dangerous pattern of anti-Muslim hate in our nation. The year 2015 was perhaps the deadliest year on record for the American Muslim community, with 63 recorded attacks on mosques till the first week of December. Tellingly, 17 of those attacks took place in November after the Paris terrorist attacks. At least six attacks and vandalism against the mosques were reported after the San Bernardino, CA, terrorist attack on December 2nd when Syed Rizwan Farook killed 14 people and wounded 21 at a meeting of public-health officials that doubled as a holiday party. Anti-Muslim fever goes viral after the Paris and San Bernardino attacks. To borrow from Andrew O'hehir of Salon, Muslim fever has spread through our national bloodstream and replaced all thought. Many U.S. leaders have unleashed discriminatory rhetoric in the name of counterterrorism. Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum argued that the U.S. Constitution does not protect Islam the way it does Christianity. Donald Trump said that he would "strongly consider" shutting down American mosques and that he wants "surveillance of certain mosques if that's okay." Thirty-one governors said that Syrian refugees were not welcome in their states. Jeb Bush suggested that refugees should be allowed into the United States if "you can prove you're a Christian." Carl Ernst, a Kenan professor in the UNC Department of Religious Studies and a scholar of Islam, told The News & Observer of NC, that because Muslims are such a small minority in the country, "most people are only encountering Muslims in the media, which almost inevitably means in stories about conflict. The only Muslims who make it in to the news are people who do something that is violent or questionable in some way. Hollywood movies are the other sources of information, and they just reinforce those stereotypes." With no independent knowledge of Islam, Ernst said, people readily accept stereotypes and what he calls anti-Islamic propaganda that is espoused on the Internet. There are about 100 anti-Muslim groups on the Internet, Ernst said, many of them using identical literature saying Muslims want to take over the United States. Ernst said most people don't know that Muslims have been in America at least since the 1700s, when they were brought from Africa as slaves. Even among those who are more recent immigrants -- some of them now doctors, engineers and attorneys -- many are so well integrated into American culture that most people don't realize they are Muslim. Anti-Muslim propaganda plays to Americans' tendency to want to unite against common enemies, Ernst said; throughout its history, the U.S. has scapegoated Native Americans, different immigrant groups, Jews, Communists, African-Americans, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. In the Chapel Hill, NC, case, police charged Craig Stephen Hicks with shooting Barakat and Yusor and Razan Abu-Salha and quickly announced that investigators believed the killings stemmed from Hicks' rage over the use of parking spaces at the condo complex where they all lived. Barakat and his wife, Yusor, both graduates of N.C. State, were enrolled at the UNC dental school. Razan was a design student at NCSU. Both sisters regularly wore the hijab, or Muslim women's head covering. The FBI launched its own investigation into the crime but has not announced its findings, according to the News & Observer. Hicks, who could face the death penalty if convicted, has not been assigned a trial date. This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. Canada Coat of Arms (Image by ActiveSteve) Details DMCA If the Canadian government were to live up to its campaign promises of "real change" and evidence-based policy-making, then it would start with the truth. It may not be politically correct, and it would certainly displease Canada's corporate and NATO masters, but it would go a long way in improving our country's credibility and leadership in this era of permanent, illegal warfare, and catastrophic global warming. In the realm of foreign policy, disclosure and acceptance of the truth would be a simple matter. If we were to simply reverse all the lies, the truth would emerge. The truth about the Ukraine is that an illegal, CIA-orchestrated junta, spearheaded by "parallel", neo-Nazi polities, including the "Azov Battalion" -- now given the green light for overt congressional funding --is creating death and chaos at the behest of its NATO masters and their Project for the New American Century (PNAC) ideology. A recently released documentary by Paul Moreira ably demonstrates the reality of the mess we have made. Real change would mean that we respect ourselves and our sovereignty by saying NO to supporting neo-Nazis and the illegal government in Kiev. Victoria Nuland, a U.S architect of the engineered, color-coded fake revolution that spawned the junta, might want to "F the EU" but we, unlike Victoria and her neo-con cabal, remember the carnage of WW2, and we will not stand by for a repetition of history. In Syria, an inversion of the official lies would also illuminate the truth, and represent "Real Change". We should recognize that the elected President of the now-destroyed, but still secular, and pluralist, Syria, has far more popular support amongst Syrians than any Canadian prime minister could ever hope to have. For example, Eva Bartlett explains in "The Myth of 'moderate terrorists': Deconstructing the NATO narrative on Syria" that: "On March 29, 2011 (less than two weeks into the fantasy "revolution") over 6 million people across Syria took to the streets in support of President al-Assad. In June, a reported hundreds of thousands marched in Damascus in support of the president, with a 2.3 km long Syrian flag. In November, 2011 (9 months into the chaos), masses again held demonstrations supporting President al-Assad, notably in Homs (the so-called "capital of the 'revolution'"), Dara'a (the so-called "birthplace of the 'revolution'"), Deir ez-Zour, Raqqa, Latakia, and Damascus." We should also acknowledge that Assad is fighting against Western-supported, foreign mercenaries, including CIA/Wahhabi Death Squads -- that recall military assassination/torture operations in Vietnam, as described by author Doug Valentine in The Phoenix Program -- and that he is unquestionably on the right side of history. We should be supporting the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), Hezbollah, Iran, and Russia in Syria, not ISIS, al Nursa Front, and all the other Western-backed mercenaries currently destroying Syria and its peoples. Refugees need to return to rebuild Syria to its former greatness. Western ambitions of partitioning the country into ethnic enclaves is a retrograde, illegal, and diabolical plan to weaken the country so it can be a safe haven for extremists and terrorists. Have we already forgotten Libya and Iraq? Both countries have been completely destroyed by this Western-created holocaust. Apart from telling the truth and acknowledging that we are the bad guys, we should take the immediate, small step of cancelling the sale of any military equipment to Wahhabi Saudi Arabia. We need new friends. We also need "real change" domestically. Corporate sovereignty deals such as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) rob us of jobs and sovereignty and impede our aspirations to make real change in addressing catastrophic global warming. Any promises made at the 21st Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) about carbon --reduction goals are completely empty when Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clauses such as the one in the TPP can be used to challenge domestic laws that are perceived to interfere with projected future earnings of a foreign company. Again, a small, immediate step towards sovereignty, self-determination, and a habitable planet would be to reject the TPP. Once freed from the shackles of impoverishing, job-destroying , corporate sovereignty deals, we would be in a better position to make "real (positive) change". On foreign issues, we should apologize for helping to destroy Iraq, Libya, Syria, and the Ukraine. Then we should make amends. Domestically, we should renounce transnational corporate sovereignty deals. The New World Order that empowers the totalitarian oligarch class should be relegated to the garbage bin of history. We need "Real Change". Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Smirking Chimp The New Hampshire primary is today, and differences between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton couldn't be clearer, especially when it comes to so-called free trade. While Secretary Clinton's views on corporate-managed trade have changed a lot over the years, Senator Sanders' haven't. He opposes and has opposed every single one of the so-called free trade deals we've entered into since the 1980s. He also now says that he would reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, if elected president. This is a big deal, and yet another sign that a Sanders presidency would do wonders for working Americans. Even so, the corporate media will probably still paint it as a dangerously radical move; an example of how Sanders is just too far out of the mainstream to be a viable candidate. But here's the thing: The idea that we can undo or reject bad so-called free trade agreements isn't that radical. It's actually pretty mainstream, or at least used to be. In fact, back in 2008 even Clinton said she would consider opting out of NAFTA if, as president, she couldn't renegotiate better terms for US workers and the environment. Clinton was right then, and if she came out and said that today she'd still be right. The fact is that so-called free trade has been a complete and utter disaster, both for US workers and the US economy. NAFTA alone has led to the loss of at least 1 million jobs, a 12.2 percent decline in wages for working Americans, and an almost $200-billion-and-growing trade deficit with Mexico and Canada. The onset of Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China, meanwhile, has led to another massive trade deficit and, according to the Economic Policy Institute, killed off 3.2 million jobs. Newer so-called free trade deals have been just as disastrous. According to another study by the Economic Policy Institute, the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement that President Obama signed us onto back in 2012 has led to a loss of at least 75,000 jobs and created a trade deficit that's hovered in the tens of billions of dollars. None of this is an accident. "Free trade" has always been a scam. Reprinted from Consortium News Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's stunning 22-point loss to Sen. Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire is even more devastating when looked at in the context of the modern history of this first-in-the-nation primary: No one has ever lost by such a margin and gone on to win the presidency. Among Democrats, no one who lost by even half that margin in New Hampshire has recovered. In 2008, Barack Obama lost to Hillary Clinton by 2.6 percentage points; in 1992, Bill Clinton lost to Paul Tsongas by 8.4 percentage points; in 1984, Walter Mondale lost to Gary Hart by 9.4 percentage points; in 1972, George McGovern lost to Edmund Muskie by 9.3 percentage points. In two of those cases, New Hampshire did favor neighboring politicians -- Sen. Tsongas from Massachusetts and Sen. Muskie from Maine -- but Tuesday's 22-point margin for Vermont Sen. Sanders cannot be explained simply by making the "nearby-favorite-son" argument. Sanders swept nearly every demographic group, including women, losing only to Clinton among New Hampshire's senior citizens and the state's small number of non-white voters. Sanders's margin among young voters was particularly impressive, 82 percent, roughly the same proportion as the Iowa caucuses last week. If Hillary Clinton hopes to overcome her New Hampshire drubbing, she would have to look for encouragement from the legacy of Republican George W. Bush who lost the 2000 New Hampshire primary to Sen. John McCain by a margin of 49 percent to 30.2 percent, but even Bush's landslide loss represented a smaller margin of defeat than Clinton suffered on Tuesday. A Worried Establishment Clinton's failure to generate momentum or much enthusiasm in her pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination presents the Democratic Party establishment with a dilemma, since many senior party leaders fret about the risk that Sanders, a self-described "democratic socialist," might lead the Democrats to the kind of electoral disaster that Sen. George McGovern did in 1972. Though the Democrats rebounded in 1976 with Jimmy Carter's victory amid Republican disarray over Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal, the Republicans soon reestablished their domination over presidential politics for a dozen years with Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. For the Democrats to reclaim the White House in 1992, it took a "New Democrat," Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, to repackage the Democratic message into one proposing "neo-liberal" (anti-regulatory, free-trade) economics, embracing Republican tough-on-crime tactics, and rejecting "Big Government." President Clinton also emphasized "micro-policies," best illustrated by his call for "school uniforms," rather than proposing "macro-policies" for addressing poverty and other structural problems facing Americans. Though the economy performed fairly well under Clinton -- his success lessening pressures from liberal groups -- he also opened the door to Wall Street and other corporate excesses (by supporting deregulation of the financial and media industries). At that point in the 1990s, the "neo-liberal" strategies had not been tested in the U.S. economy and thus many Americans were caught off-guard when this new anti-regulatory, free-trade fervor contributed to a hollowing out of the Great American Middle Class and a bloated Gilded Age for the top One Percent. The full consequences of neo-liberalism became painfully apparent with the Wall Street Crash of 2008 and the resulting Great Recession. The suffering and hopelessness now affecting many Americans, including the white working class, has led to an angry political rejection of the American Establishment as reflected in the insurgent candidacies of Donald Trump and Sanders. A Legacy Campaign Hillary Clinton (like Jeb Bush) faces the misfortune of running a legacy campaign at a time when the voters are angry about the legacies of both "ruling families," the Clintons and the Bushes. Though Sanders is a flawed candidate faulted for his muddled foreign-policy prescriptions, he (like Trump) has seized the mantle of fighting the Establishment at a time when millions of Americans are fed up with the Establishment and its self-serving policies. In some ways, the Iowa and New Hampshire results represented the worst outcome for establishment Democrats. Clinton's razor-thin victory in Iowa and her slashing defeat in New Hampshire have left Democratic strategists uncertain as to whether they should rally behind her -- despite her lukewarm to freezing-cold reception from voters -- or try to recruit another candidate who could cut off Sanders's path to the nomination and represent a "more electable" choice in November. If Clinton continues to stumble, there will be enormous pressure from Democratic leaders to push her aside and draw Vice President Joe Biden or perhaps Sen. Elizabeth Warren into the race. If that were to occur -- and, granted, the Clintons are notoriously unwilling to admit defeat -- the Democrats could experience a political dynamic comparable to 1968 when anti-Vietnam War Sen. Eugene McCarthy challenged the prohibitive favorite President Lyndon Johnson and came close enough in New Hampshire to prompt Sen. Robert Kennedy to jump into the race -- and to convince Johnson to announce that he would not seek another term. Last week (just in time for Lent) the Catholic diocese of Lexington Kentucky published a study guide for Laudato Si', Pope Francis' outspoken encyclical on the problems resulting from climate change. The guide called Discovering Laudato Si: A Small Group Study Guide. It entirely domesticated the pope's clarion call for a "bold cultural revolution" (Laudato Si' 114). In fact, Discovering Laudato Si' does exactly what Pope Francis refused to do in his authoritative letter to the entire church. The diocesan guide bends over backward attempting not to offend and to mute the certainty and urgency of the climate chaos emergency. The narrative of our local publication runs like this: The topic of climate change is controversial. Some see it as caused by humans and threatening to the very existence of the human race. Others say that climate variability is cyclical and natural, and can be remedied by human technology. Of course, such matters are too complex for non-experts and even for the Church to decide. So while the experts are resolving that "big picture," let's be practical. Let's all take a deep breath, slow down, and avoid environmental crusades. Let's determine the 'small tasks' that little people can do to mitigate the environmental damage our lifestyles may be causing. Let's reduce, reuse, and recycle. You see, environmental crusading might offend those with opposite opinions. And remember, Christians must be nice and inclusive. On these matters, the faithful should 'bend to the pastor's direction'. True: the diocesan guide lets the pope's encyclical speak for itself on the first page of each chapter. But it does so by selecting innocuous quotations from Laudato Si' -- including the only mention of abortion in the entire text. Even then, however, the discussion-prompts subtly retract what the pope's overall document says. For instance, the questions at the end of Chapter One create a false equivalency between the 97% of scientists who recognize that climate change is caused by humans, and the 3% who deny human causality. "This debate will not be resolved anytime soon," the study guide sagely observes! Laudato Si' itself takes an opposite tack. It is not concerned with possible offense to endorsers of the 3%. Instead, it calls for that "bold cultural revolution" I mentioned. It denounces capitalism-as-we-know-it (190). It calls for "radical change" (171). It identifies climate change deniers as "obstructionists" (14). It demands "reparations" (wealth redistribution) for global south countries wounded by the climate crimes committed by their rich colonizers (30, 51, 52). It suggests a form of world governance (53, 173-'75). All of these are "big picture" items that the diocesan guide recommends we leave to the experts. They are also the very stuff of elections, political campaigns -- and wars. For that reason, Francis' document has evoked the wrath of Rush Limbaugh and the entire Republican establishment. Limbaugh said, "Pope Francis attacked unfettered capitalism as 'a new tyranny' and beseeched global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality . . . Francis went further than previous comments criticizing the global economic system, attacking the 'idolatry of money' . . . This is just pure Marxism coming out of the mouth of the pope." Why did the pope avoid the milk toast approach of the Lexington diocese? It's because he knows that we're on a train that is speeding 200 mph down a track and headed for a precipice just a mile away. In the face of such impending calamity telling people of faith to "take our time, be deliberate, avoid rash actions, ecological crusades, and a headlong rush into the fray," is misleading in a real and tragic sense of the word. Evidently however, it is the way the right wing has chosen to emasculate Laudato Si's summons to abandon capitalism-as-we-know-it and (in this election year) its implication that Catholics should vote against climate change deniers. The tragedy in Lexington is that we actually have a progressive bishop. John Stowe is a Franciscan who is among the few American prelates genuinely attempting to channel Pope Francis' program. However the diocese's publication of this booklet shows how powerful conservative forces in the local chancery evidently are. Can you imagine what the pope is up against with the Roman Curia? The fact that he was able to publish Laudato Si' in the face of all the opposition makes me admire him even more. (Article changed on February 11, 2016 at 12:24) Panel from Diego Rivera's mural at Unity House, depicting class struggle and labor conflict in industry. Included are representations of the Homestead and Pullman strikes. Important figures include Daniel De Leon, Eugene Victor Debs, and William Haywood (Image by Kheel Center, Cornell University) Details DMCA In a highly connected global economy, driven more and more by automation and digital tools, keeping track of economic trends is becoming more important for managing everyday life. In my first installment of the series, Managing Everyday Life: Why the Working Class Should Read the Business Press (OPED NEWS, January 2, 2016), I argued that working people should read the business press regularly to gather real-time information as a guide to make everyday decisions. But after you have read the news, how do we connect the issues of the day to our everyday lives? Part of the answer is found in understanding your social class. The most common thinking about social class is that it is based on income. We all have heard these terms before: lower class, middle class, upper middle class and upper class. These labels are commonsensical but not very useful in understanding social class. The reality is that income does not determine one's social class. In a modern capitalist society like the United States, social class can be clearly understood by looking at one's relationship to capital. Capital takes on a number of different forms, for example, money waiting to be invested, commercial grade tools used in places of industry, or good old-fashioned, wealth-bearing assets such as stocks or bonds. A person or group that owns capital falls into the social class called the capitalist class. Capital is wealth-producing and can be used to make products, provide services and grow income that can benefit many people beyond the direct owner. The capitalist class is the smallest (in terms of population) that participates in economic and social life. In the U.S., the capitalist class makes up about 20% of the population (Wall Street's Think Tank: The Council on Foreign Relations and the Empire of Neoliberal Geopolitics, 1976-2014, by Laurence H. Shoup, 2015). An example of a member of the capitalist class is the Walton Family that owns Walmart. According to an article in Scientific American Magazine ("Economic Inequality: It's Far Worse Than You Think", March 31, 2015 ), the Waltons have more wealth than 42% of the wealth of all working families in the U.S. The next social class is the petty capitalist class. This social class is highly fluid and is broadly exposed to the ups and down of the economy. All the while, affected by the motion or rhythm within capitalism which is driven by the big capitalists who dominate ownership of assets and wealth (not unlike the Waltons). The petty capitalist class owns modest, wealth-producing capital and its members tend to be heavily concentrated in the service sector. This class includes the so-called "Mom-and-Pop Shop" owners but is not limited to them. Fully 52 percent of those that comprise this class are owners of home-based businesses and the remainder consists of small restauranteurs, beauty shop owners and car mechanic shop owners, as well as a broad range of other small-business people that provide services. Approximately 75 percent of petty capitalists do not have employees and over 50 percent of these small businesses fail within 5 years ("16 Surprising Statistics about Small Business", Forbes Magazine, September 9th, 2013). This high turnover among petty capitalists is the result of the pressure of competition that comes from dominant capitalist forces. The vast majority of people around the world do not own capital in any form whatsoever. The folks that do not own capital must sell their Labor-Power (i.e., time, energy and skills) in the market in exchange for money to pay for their basic needs (means of subsistence such as food, shelter, etc). This class is called the working class. In the United States alone, over 155 million individuals and 3.6 billion (or slightly more than 50%) of the world's population fit into this category (CIA World Fact Book). There are numerous ethnicities (based on historical factors such as culture, language, geography, religion and other factors), occupations, incomes, and other factors that are evident in the making of the working class. However, what connects them all is that they all must work for a wage. There has been much talk about a new class some are calling the Precariat. The economist Guy Standing brought attention to the Precariat in his 2014 book called the Precariat: The New Dangerous Class. This class makes up a growing segment of the population that has no relationship to capital and has no skills to sell in the labor market. Examples include the homeless population, prison population, people that receive government disability payments and huge majorities around the world that for different reasons are forced to subsist way below the basic minimum requirements of social life. According to some estimates, 40 percent of the unemployed in the U.S. have stopped looking for work, accounting for millions of people that have no stake in the capitalist system ("40 Percent of Unemployed Have Quit Looking for Jobs", CNBC, May 20th, 2015). Now that we have established the critical features of those social classes most relevant to our lives, we can look at a simple example of information that appears in the business press, the impact of which we can apply to our everyday lives. A headline in NPR read "With Oil Prices Languishing, Shell Reports 80 Percent Drop In Earnings", February 4th, 2015. How do we try to make a connection between this headline and our everyday lives? It is important to understand and begin with your social class as the real starting point and to understand what is in your real (objective) class interest, as opposed to the personal (subjective) feelings and views you might hold about where you think you fit in the class system in society. For the capitalist class, lower oil prices mean lower profits that affect their asset portfolio and/or investments in domestic and global industries that are affected by lower oil prices (e.g., profits borne from owning a trucking company that hauls gasoline in tanker trucks up the highway to service stations that line transport arteries nationwide). Although members of the capitalist class might suffer financially from falling oil prices, they have the capacity to sustain themselves because of their far-flung, diversified business activities and accumulated wealth. The larger and more diversified their assets and wealth pool, the easier it might be to decide to sell off investments in oil and reinvest in assets or industries that are more profitable. In this way, the capitalist class can avoid some of the negative effects that come with falling oil prices without having to lower their overall standard of living. For the working class and majority of the petty capitalist class, it is a different story. Lower oil prices will benefit these two classes by lowering prices for fuel and reducing the cost of travel in the short term. However, lower prices in the long term mean that the dominant capitalists will tend to reduce investment in operations that produce goods and services, with a fall in employment that will directly affect working class people. The point to consider here is that capitalism functions in a counterintuitive or contradictory manner. With lower prices comes falling profits which force businesses to cut back production and lay off workers. Workers will definitely find it difficult to meet their obligations: food, shelter (rent/mortgage), loan payments, tuition, medical and health care obligations. The point is that laid-off workers have less disposable income that could be spent in restaurants and shops, sinking the petty capitalists deeper into financial uncertainty. Our economy is very complex, intertwined and has a delicate ecosystem that needs it to have strong member components to function optimally. In the United States, approximately 70 percent of the economy is consumer-driven, and it is the broad mass of working class people that do most of the spending on regular consumer goods that the capitalists produce. Capitalists depend on the working class; the working class needs access to the goods and services that capitalists produce or finance. It matters to know and understand when the capitalists are hitting hard(er) times. Reading the business press is vital to understand the dynamic and topsy-turvy social environment we live in; the business press provides real data to guide us in making decisions that affect our lives and how we think about planning for the future, but knowing your social class is equally important. There is a tendency to argue that there are no social classes in American society because of the role that individualism plays in shaping how people think about themselves in the world around them. This very personal or subjective view does not change the fact that under capitalism our class position begins with our relationship to capital --- our connection to owners of the wealth that hire labor and produce the goods and services -- and how, as workers, we must sell labor-power in exchange for wages. Workers have only their labor-power to sell for a wage because this is what happens when wealth is owned and controlled by a handful who decide, when, where and how to invest. The reality is that changes in the industries and markets do not affect everyone equally. Knowing your social class while monitoring the daily changes in the industry will more effectively provide the tools to make everyday decisions in light of the daily challenges that confront the working class. FEBRUARY 7, 2016 - Martelly Leaves in Disgrace A GREAT DAY FOR PEOPLE POWER AGAINST OVERWHELMING FORCES Martelly is gone! Finally. Nasty stuff is gone. Bought-by-the-Internationals, indecent, pornographic and proudly misogynistic Martelly is no longer the puppet president of Haiti! The people celebrate today. Tomorrow they've vowed to address the illegitimately elected authorities the Internationals are forcing down Haiti's throat to make the disputed 2015 foreign-supported, corrupt elections count anyways. The alliance of eight top presidential candidates known as the G-8, disavowed the February 6, Trojan Horse Accord signed between the outgoing Martelly and the unconstitutionally formulated new Parliament. (See,Haiti illegal Parliament to carry forth US-EU International Crimes in Haiti.) 30 years ago on February 7, 1986, the people of Haiti had a victory almost as big as today. The people took down the US-sponsored Duvalier dynasty dictatorship and sent Jean Claude Duvalier into exile. Today, we honor the victims of empire and took down their Martelly neoDuvalierist. It's not a "grim" day as Reuters and the rest of the corporate media would have you believe. It's a great day for people power against overwhelming forces. " Blan Kolon te mete Marteli sou pouvwa. Se menm Djab saa yo ki fe maniget pou kite yon pelen pou Ti Pep la ak 'san elu yo' ki lan Palman a." The invading OAS/UN/US and Core Criminals brought Martelly to power and shepherd him out, leaving behind the fraudulent parliamentary votes of Aug 9th and October 25th the people protested to destroy Haiti some more. See, La domination etrangere en Haiti. " Bye bye Michel Martelly. Take all your legal bandits with you. And we're telling that thug Guy Philippe and the PHTK paramilitary buffoons wearing former military fatigues that "2016 is not 2004." The UN troops have been raping and abusing Haiti children and women for 12 years. Brought in cholera that killed over 10,000 innocent Haitians. But it's now these cretins decide they're men and ready to go to war against, not the foreign goons hurting our women and children, but against unarmed Haitians protesting dictatorship and foreign oppression. For shame. " -- Ezili Danto, HLLN/Free Haiti. Part of the next order of business is for an honest new electoral council (CEP) to de-certify the fraudulently seated Opont Parliament, evaluate all the votes for August 9th and October 25. See, Haiti illegal Parliament to carry forth US-EU International Crimes in Haiti. The Core Group criminals in Haiti did all they could to silence Haiti voices for clean elections. The Core Criminals said "no" to a provisional government and insisted on a January 24th run off that would look like August 9 and October 15 where all the International criminals declared were not fraudulent. The people protested, Jude Celestin boycotted the sham and the people scored the January 22 indefinite postponement of the fake elections. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). My former Hamilton College professor won the New Hampshire primary. As an undergrad a quarter-century ago, I would have certainly told you that such a future outcome was as unlikely as Alexander Hamilton, himself, being the subject of a smash-hit rap musical. Today, "Hamilton" is the toughest ticket on Broadway and the guy who stood in front of my Sociology 335 class is making a pretty good case that he should be the next President of the United States. I join the millions of Americans that Feel The Bern and support Bernie Sanders for President. A few recollections from my time as a student in Sanders' class underscore the reasons why I would love to see the man I once called "professor" be called "president" next January. Bernie's Right My course with Professor Sanders was titled "The Problems and Potential of Urban Life" and the classroom lectures were lively interactions between students, most of whom hailed from non-urban environments, and our former-mayor-practitioner professor. As one of the few in the class who actually grew up in a city, I was an active participant in in-class discussions and quite often challenged Sanders about his views by using examples relating to Philadelphia. When I spoke excitedly about the active construction of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, I was surprised to find that he was not a fan of such a YUGE (as he might say) government subsidy for the hospitality industry. The investment, he said, was essentially a sucker's bet that would come at a hefty cost, but never pay off for most city residents. Years later, conducting analyses for the Controller's Office, I was struck by the fact that, while the Convention Center's construction was supposed to spur the construction of many hotels to house conventioneers, hotel after hotel required additional public subsidies. Then, we were told that we would have to fund expansion of the Convention Center to generate more business for those hotels that we had to subsidize after the original Convention Center investment. Sanders was right. Rather than invest in efforts that would create the conditions that would encourage economic development, we played a hunch, then had to double-down and triple-down on a bet that has paid out for some at a tremendous cost for the rest of us. Bernie's Left Professor Sanders described himself as a socialist mayor and there was never any question about his politics. But, far from offering left-wing demagoguery about the ills of capitalist America, Sanders focused his classroom lectures on people -- the real people who endured those problems and potentials of urban life. Sanders required students to venture from our idyllic ivory tower atop Clinton's College Hill to the decidedly gritty, hardscrabble streets of Utica, NY. Coursework required us to meet with city officials and city residents as we considered the challenges of service delivery in a city enduring some of the worst effects of America's urban crisis. When I hear now-Senator/Presidential-candidate Sanders speak about ensuring that no full-time worker lives in poverty; that every man, woman and child in our country should be able to access the health care they need regardless of their income; and that we must reform our political campaign finance system which is increasingly controlled by billionaires and special interests, I don't hear propaganda. I hear policies that will have a direct and positive effect on people's lives. His was one of only a handful of courses in my undergraduate years that forced me to apply what I was learning in class to the real world. There can be no question that Sanders has a distinctly left-of-center political philosophy, but when it came to governing as a mayor and instructing as a professor, that meant that the focus was on people and the policies that could improve their lives. Bernie's Centered When he wasn't in front of his classes, Professor Sanders was focused on what would be his first successful campaign for Congress. He was not in the race to raise issues or to draw attention to policies. He was running to win. I had an on-campus job working in the college computer lab where I would lend out software discs to students, un-jam dot-matrix printers, and remind users to save their work on back-up discs. (Each of these tasks must seem as ridiculous as "churning butter" to anyone born in recent decades). One of the more esoteric and mundane chores I had was to jump to attention anytime the giant tractor-fed printer behind me roared to life so I could tear off the printed pages and file them for pick up. It seems that this printer was connected to what we now know as the Internet, but back then, messages from afar would come to my printer addressed for a recipient who would then pick up the hard copy from me. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Counterpunch Last week's game-changing triumph in northern Syria has moved the Russian-led coalition to within striking distance of a decisive victory in Aleppo. After breaking a 40 month-long siege on the cities of Nubl and Zahra, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has encircled the country's industrial hub and is gradually tightening the noose. Crucial supply-lines to the north have been cut, leaving the Sunni extremists and anti-government militias stranded inside a vast, urban cauldron. It's only a matter of time before these disparate renegades are either killed or forced to surrender. A victory in Aleppo will change the course of the war by restoring government control over the densely-populated western corridor. This is why the Obama administration is frantically searching for ways to either delay or derail the Russian-led juggernaut and avoid the impending collapse of US policy in Syria. Recent peace talks in Geneva were convened with one goal in mind, to prevent Syrian President Bashar al Assad and loyalist forces from retaking Aleppo. The negotiations failed, however, when Washington's mercurial allies, the so called "moderate" rebels, refused to participate. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Syrian opposition withdrew "under pressure from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, two of the main backers of the rebels." The WSJ's admission was later confirmed by Secretary of State John Kerry who, according to a report in the Middle East Eye, "blamed the Syrian opposition for leaving the talks and paving the way for a joint offensive by the Syrian government and Russia on Aleppo." "Don't blame me," Kerry said, "Blame the opposition. It was the opposition that didn't want to negotiate and didn't want a ceasefire, and they walked away." None of this will surprise readers who followed the talks closely. The meetings were surrounded by confusion from the very onset. The US delegation headed by Kerry was focused entirely on reaching an agreement that would involve a ceasefire and stop the government-led onslaught. The Saudis, Turks and opposition leaders, however, were on a different page altogether. They seemed oblivious to the dire situation on the ground where their jihadist foot soldiers were taking heavier losses by the day. Kerry, the realist, was looking for a way to stand-down and save US-backed militants from certain annihilation. But the Saudis and Turks felt they had a strong-enough hand to make demands. The clash in viewpoints was bound to produce disappointing results, which it did. The meetings were cancelled before they even began. Nothing was settled. Here's more from the WSJ: "About a half-dozen cities and towns targeted in the new regime offensives have one thing in common: All were held by a mix of Islamist and moderate rebel groups funded and armed by Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Complicating the picture is that some, but not all, of these groups collaborate with the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. That gives the regime and its allies fodder for their claim that they are fighting terrorism." ("Saudi Arabia, Turkey Pushed Syrian Opposition to Leave Talks," Wall Street Journal) This should dispel any illusion that that the fighters that are trying to topple the government are merely disgruntled nationalists determined to remove an "evil dictator." That is not the case at all. While there are a fair amount of indigenous insurgents, the bulk of fighters are Sunni extremists bent on removing Assad and creating an Islamic Caliphate. This is why Moscow refused to implement a ceasefire during the talks in Geneva. Russia adamantly opposes any remedy that allows internationally-recognized terrorists from escaping their eternal reward. Kerry has deliberately misled the public on this matter. Just last week, he said, "Russia has indicated to me very directly they are prepared to do a ceasefire... The Iranians confirmed in London just a day and a half ago they will support a ceasefire now." This is false and Kerry knows it. Moscow has tried to be flexible about other so called "moderate" opposition forces, but when it comes to ISIS, Jabhat Al-Nusra (Syrian Al-Qaeda group), Jaysh Al-Mujahiddeen, Harakat Nouriddeen Al-Zinki, and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, Russian leaders have repeatedly said that that they will not relent until the jihadists are either killed or captured. This is why Russia's airstrikes continued during Geneva, because most of the fighters in Aleppo are dyed-in-the-wool terrorists. It's worth noting that the Russian-led military offensive clearly hews to UN resolution 2254 which states: "... for Member States to prevent and suppress terrorist acts committed specifically by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Al-Nusra Front (ANF), and all other individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities associated with Al Qaeda or ISIL, and other terrorist groups, [...] and to eradicate the safe haven they have established over significant parts of Syria, and notes that the aforementioned ceasefire will not apply to offensive or defensive actions against these individuals, groups, undertakings and entities, as set forth in the 14 November 2015 ISSG Statement." (Thanks to Moon of Alabama) In other words, Moscow is not going to comply with any ceasefire that spares homicidal jihadists or undermines UN resolution 2254. Russian military operations are going to continue until ISIS, al Nusra and the other terrorist militias are defeated. Even so, Kerry has not abandoned the diplomatic track. In fact, Kerry plans to meet Russian Foreign Minsiter Sergei Lavrov in Munich on February 11 for a meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to discuss "all the aspects of the Syrian settlement in line with the UN Security Council resolution 2254." The emergency meeting underscores the Obama's administration's utter desperation in the face of the inexorable Russian-led military offensive. It's clear now that Obama and his lieutenants see the handwriting on the wall and realize that their sinister plan to use proxy armies to remove Assad and splinter the country into three powerless regions is doomed to fail. Here's how the ISW summed it up on the Sic Semper Tyrannis website: What is becoming a very significant issue in this presidential primary is the state, or condition, of this country's government and political system that is not aligned with the needs and interests of the American people. Donald Trump proclaims that if elected he would make America great "again." He is clearly indicating that he doesn't consider America to be great but that, by his leadership, he can restore that distinction. Bernie Sanders doesn't specifically talk about greatness one way or the other but concentrates on emphasizing that we have a failed government and that we Americans must rise up and take an active part in a political revolution if we are to reverse this condition. Trump seems to think that he possesses the personal power to turn this country in the right direction. Sanders, on the other hand, has a vision for taking America in a new direction but he strongly believes can only be accomplished through a peaceful political revolution which is driven by Americans who will stand together to demand change and refuse to take no for an answer. What then is the primary objective of this political revolution? It's simply this: a revolution in which the first and most critical task would be to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision in order to remove Corporate America's control over this government and the political process. And the only way to do that is to elect a president who will subsequently appoint new Supreme Court Justices who will vote to reverse that decision. If that is accomplished the money, power and suffocating influence of Corporate America will be removed from this Congress and our elections. Corporations must be completely banned from interfering in governmental affairs. Then, over time, when this Congress has been thoroughly cleansed of this political contaminant and new, more ethical, rational-minded individuals fill its chambers, that will open the door to address more badly needed government reforms. Talking about greatness is one thing but earning that distinction is clearly another. To achieve it a newly constituted government would have to shelve a host of its former policies and actions and start anew; this time listening to the people and to their needs and wants and the direction that they want to see this country take. Here are some thoughts on how America can achieve this greatness; about what a great country and government would do and what it would refrain from doing: The safety and security of the American people must be the #1 priority of this government. We should continue to maintain a very strong military together with appropriate alliances with other nations. What we don't need is a massive, extremely costly network of military bases all across the world and a Pentagon that has aggressively initiated actions to invade and occupy other sovereign nations which posed no direct, immediate threat to the U.S. That totally misguided foreign policy agenda must come to an end. Instead, America should once again play a constructive, leading role in world affairs, not by aggressively using its military power but by creating strong coalitions with other major countries to prevent rogue governments such as North Korea from threatening other nations. But while that would be a tremendous step forward for the future we won't see that happen unless this political revolution proves to be successful. Let's talk about the setting of priorities in U.S. foreign policy relative to potential enemies. It's astounding how reckless, misguided politicians continue to condemn Iran and even suggest that the U.S. consider launching a pre-emptive attack on that country which doesn't have a current nuclear capability, has just signed an agreement to prevent that possibility, and is not threating to attack the U.S. And then they watch as North Korea, which has a nuclear arsenal, is developing a missile delivery system, and has, on numerous occasions, threatened to attack America; and they do absolutely nothing. Now we turn to jobs. How can a country aspire to greatness when the creation of jobs for American workers is not even one of its top priorities? The leaders of this government and the Congress must somehow grasp the fact that a strong manufacturing sector with a skilled, well paid workforce is the key to increasing consumer purchasing power which, in turn, fuels and grows the economy. What we need is for this government and the business sector to work together to make America more competitive in the world, and to strengthen this country and its middle class. Major U.S. corporations justify their practice of outsourcing American jobs to cheap foreign labor because they say that they can't be competitive as long as they are weighed down by a corporate tax rate of 35%, the highest in the world. Well if we had excellence in government that problem could easily be addressed and alleviated. A competent Congress would take the necessary steps to reform the corporate tax code, lower corporate taxes, close existing loopholes, establish appropriate tariffs on imported goods and services, and place strict controls on corporate use of tax havens and the practice of tax inversions. This would make corporations more competitive in the world and make certain that they pay their fair share of taxes. Unfortunately this is not a competent Congress. Further, relative to the issue of job creation; if we had competent and visionary leaders and members of this government they would identify areas of significant potential to move this nation forward. We constantly hear that our national infrastructure is rapidly deteriorating. That may be a problematic condition but it actually represents a tremendous opportunity for creating millions of new, good paying jobs. This Congress knows that and does nothing. Speaking of new opportunities we could also greatly reduce our dependence on petroleum if this government would lead the efforts to develop new forms of energy, in particular, solar power which would also create millions of permanent jobs for our workers. Yes we could do these things that would contribute to making America a great nation if we had excellence in government. In a new, different America with a functional government Wall Street and its Banksters would no longer be allowed to bend and twist government regulations. Sanders and others have vowed to break up these too-big-to-fail banks. They would be restricted to lending money and banned from highly speculative practices such as dealing in toxic derivatives. This would help to prevent massive future bank bailouts using taxpayer dollars. One day, and soon, we must have this government prosecute and send devious, scheming CEOs to prison instead of just levying heavy fines on the banks. We will never be able to call America a truly great nation as long as we tolerate the massive inequality of wealth and income that is now present. It's as if there is a pipeline that transports all newly generated income directly to the top of the income spectrum. What kind of a country has over 10 million millionaires and 536 billionaires and, at the same time, has 47 million Americans on food stamps and an equal number living below the poverty line? That's anything but greatness; that's a national disgrace. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Greetings, OEN Readers! This article was published last August. I wonder how many other people believed this could happen then? S urely, not the MSM! I know it's early days and anything can happen, but I believe there is a real possibility that American voters will be choosing between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in 2016. (With Hillary out of the feminist picture, their respective running mates would likely be Carly Fiorina and Jill Stein.)[tag] donald trumpkin (Image by istolethetv) Details DMCA American voters are finally realizing that they have been stuck for decades in what is referred to as the ideal political 'center', but in reality is a steadily worsening situation for the majority, to the advantage of a tiny minority. The United States is the only developed country that has not made room for any kind of socialist party, no matter how democratic, that could counter-balance the weight of corporate capital and ensure a fair deal for the average citizen. But then, why Trump? Because he offers American voters something they have consciously been aching for: a leader who projects strength (just look at that jaw!) Donald Trump reminds me of 'Il Duce': Mussolini was a small man, but in his high boots and khaki jodhpurs he looked like he could lick the world. Many short men suffer from a Mussolini complex, but Trump is six foot three. Moving on, America's Middle East quagmire exemplifies nothing if not repeated bungling, and the electorate, notwithstanding a coopted media, finally sees that. If Trump can convince undecideds that he will treat existing illegals 'fairly' (as he wants to be treated by the RNC), and protect women's right to choose, he will appeal to two of the Democratic Party's major constituencies. notwithstanding that in social policy he is the antithesis of Bernie Sanders, claiming that trickle-down, if done right, can lift all Americans to a life of Reilly. But why Bernie Sanders? Notwithstanding black accusations of indifference, he will stand corrected. Black consciousness having moved from yearning for Africa in the sixties to forging ties to liberation movements around the world, Black Lives Matter is the right movement in the right place at the right time. Similarly, Hispanics take a page from Latin America's left-wing and the indigenous movement claims its place in the sun. (It's not for nothing that Obama made peace with Cuba: relations with the entire southern continent, home to large indigenous populations, were at stake, as its elected rulers made clear.) Finally, the rise of ISIS, abetted by Washington's political rednecks, is a threat that can only grow, not so much thanks to American support as to its murderous presence in Muslim lands. Violence at home and abroad is finally creating a true left-right divide in the United States, in place of the so-called Rep/Dem middle ground in which the country has been mired for decades, while the world evolved. If Trump's wealth frees him from lobbyists, as he claims, he will potentially be the closest thing to a king that America has ever had, the only possible president since FDR who could really 'get things done'. The problem is that he aspires to be like Ronald Reagan, and that is where Bernie Sanders comes in. Though international violence is sometimes dressed in misleading costumes (as in ISIS versus Hezbollah), the world continues to be divided between right and left, and with Sanders, a democratic socialist, the US will finally be participating in that struggle. Democratic socialism includes both private and public ownership in order to ensure that every human being receives food, shelter, education and medical care. It is practiced across Europe as well as in Russia and China, and is the reason why NATO seeks regime change in Moscow before taking on China's 'peaceful rise'. The world is no longer divided between Communism and Capitalism, but between social democracy and fascism, in which government is subordinated to private enterprise. This was already the case in Germany a century ago, after the Russian Revolution. Before Hitler took over, the social democrats were in power in what was known as the Weimar Republic, but the international business classes felt they were too close to the Communists. Recent historical research shows that the US only fought Germany because Hitler was out of control: even after he was defeated, former Nazis were recruited in the Cold War against the Soviet Union. The real enemy for the Right, then as now, is any regime that touts cooperation rather than conflict, and the responsibility of the community for the individual, as in all human families. Today that enemy includes Putin's Russia, Xi's China, the Mullah's Iran, and Bashar al-Assad's Syria. On the home front, Trump vs Sanders may sound like a fantasy, but it's probably the only alternative to a revolu-tion for which American police departments, oath keepers and the military are preparing. Reprinted from Reader Supported News As I write this, 92% of the precincts have reported in New Hampshire, and Bernie Sanders has received over 138,331 votes. Donald Trump has received 92,062 votes. Now I know that Donald Trump is part of the establishment, but many of his supporters think they are sticking it to the establishment. I wonder how many reporters and pundits will point out that Bernie has received more votes than the top two Republicans combined. Who else is highlighting that Bernie beat "The Donald" by close to 50,000 votes? By the way, Hillary Clinton also received over 88,000 votes, while John Kasich, who was 2nd on the Republican side, only had 41,615 votes. Many pundits talked about the record GOP turnout in Iowa but failed to point out that both Sanders and Clinton had 30,000 more votes than Ted Cruz. There is as much excitement on the Democratic side as there is on the GOP side. Granted, with more candidates herding voters to the polls, more GOP voters have turned out. It looks like Bernie Sanders will beat Hillary Clinton by over 20%. It will be the largest primary victory in a contested New Hampshire primary ever. And as Howard Fineman has pointed out, New Hampshirites do not like Vermonters. The only real regional advantage is Massachusetts, because the most populated part of New Hampshire is in the Boston media market. So when Bill Clinton spun his second place finish as a win over Paul Tsongas, he had a case. Hillary Clinton does not have the same excuse -- she led Sanders by 40 points in June. The exit polls provided us with the real reason Bernie Sanders won big in New Hampshire. First off, Sanders won the women's vote by 7 points, most of that margin coming from his massive support among young women. 90% of New Hampshire Democratic voters believe the U.S. economic system generally favors the wealthy, a Sanders battle cry. New Hampshire voters see Sanders as more honest and trustworthy than Clinton, and they felt he shares their values more than she does. Click Here to Read Whole Article This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. Talk about nightmares: the children of a city, thousands of them, may have been poisoned by lead in its drinking water in a process set off by adults intent on saving a little money, who learned of the dangers and then ignored the warnings of scientists, revealed nothing to the public about the risks to their health, insisted on the water's safety, and in some cases suppressed information about its actual state. As anyone who has picked up a paper or turned on the TV news in recent weeks knows, this is a basic description of the ongoing crisis in Flint, Michigan, in which "austerity" economics dictated that a city switch to extremely corrosive water that often came out of the tap discolored, and sometimes left those who bathed in it with severe rashes. You undoubtedly also know that an anti-corrosive agent which might have prevented most of the corrosion in the city's water pipes, and so the lead poisoning of untold numbers of its residents, was skipped at a savings of approximately $100 a day. And lest you think that any lessons have been learned, Republicans in Congress, eager (like Michigan Governor Rick Snyder) to save a few bucks at whatever cost to the health of people they could care less about, refuse to fund a fix to the problem. As Reuters reported recently, "Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, said aid to Flint must not add to U.S. budget deficits for 'what is a local and state problem.'" And while we're on the topic, the activist group Progress Michigan uncovered a revealing document from Michigan's Department of Technology, Management, and Budget. By January 2015, 10 months before the administration of Governor Snyder admitted that Flint's water was unsafe to drink, the state had already begun trucking water into that city and setting up water coolers next to drinking fountains in state buildings "so that state workers could choose to continue to drink Flint water or a safe alternative." In such a grim situation, is there a ray of hope to be found? Let me suggest one in a group of workers who may feel austerity-bound in their own lives but haven't let that affect their sense of generosity to their fellow human beings. For months, from across Michigan, union plumbers by the hundreds have been driving to Flint and volunteering their time and skills to install filters and faucets that will help get at least some of the lead out of the water flowing into people's homes. Unfortunately, they can't replace the corroded pipes in the city's water system on a volunteer basis. Today, TomDispatch has called on two of this country's top experts on the corrosive effects of lead on human health and on the ways in which corporations have profited from the use of lead while covering up its effects. David Rosner -- the first guest author ever to pen a TomDispatch piece back in December 2002 -- and Gerald Markowitz, authors of Lead Wars: The Politics of Science and the Fate of America's Children, survey the situation not just in Flint, but nationally when it comes to ways in which Americans, particularly our children, are being poisoned by lead. Without a doubt, it's the story from hell. Tom Two, Three... Many Flints America's Coast-to-Coast Toxic Crisis By David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz "I know if I was a parent up there, I would be beside myself if my kids' health could be at risk," said President Obama on a recent trip to Michigan. "Up there" was Flint, a rusting industrial city in the grip of a "water crisis" brought on by a government austerity scheme. To save a couple of million dollars, that city switched its source of water from Lake Huron to the Flint River, a long-time industrial dumping ground for the toxic industries that had once made their home along its banks. Now, the city is enveloped in a public health emergency, with elevated levels of lead in its water supply and in the blood of its children. The price tag for replacing the lead pipes that contaminated its drinking water, thanks to the corrosive toxins found in the Flint River, is now estimated at up to $1.5 billion. No one knows where that money will come from or when it will arrive. In the meantime, the cost to the children of Flint has been and will be incalculable. As little as a few specks of lead in the water children drink or in flakes of paint that come off the walls of old houses and are ingested can change the course of a life. The amount of lead dust that covers a thumbnail is enough to send a child into a coma or into convulsions leading to death. It takes less than a tenth of that amount to cause IQ loss, hearing loss, or behavioral problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the government agency responsible for tracking and protecting the nation's health, says simply, "No safe blood lead level in children has been identified." President Obama would have good reason to worry if his kids lived in Flint. But the city's children are hardly the only ones threatened by this public health crisis. There's a lead crisis for children in Baltimore, Maryland, Herculaneum, Missouri, Sebring, Ohio, and even the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., and that's just to begin a list. State reports suggest, for instance, that "18 cities in Pennsylvania and 11 in New Jersey may have an even higher share of children with dangerously elevated levels of lead than does Flint." Today, scientists agree that there is no safe level of lead for children and at least half of American children have some of this neurotoxin in their blood. The CDC is especially concerned about the more than 500,000 American children who have substantial amounts of lead in their bodies. Over the past century, an untold number have had their IQs reduced, their school performances limited, their behaviors altered, and their neurological development undermined. From coast to coast, from the Sun Belt to the Rust Belt, children have been and continue to be imperiled by a century of industrial production, commercial gluttony, and abandonment by the local, state, and federal governments that should have protected them. Unlike in Flint, the "crisis" seldom comes to public attention. Two, Three... Many Flints In Flint, the origins of the current crisis lay in the history of auto giant General Motors (GM) and its rise in the middle decades of the twentieth century to the status of the world's largest corporation. GM's Buick plant alone once occupied "an area almost a mile and a half long and half a mile wide," according to the Chicago Tribune, and several Chevrolet and other GM plants literally covered the waterfront of "this automotive city." Into the Flint River went the toxic wastes of factories large and small, which once supplied batteries, paints, solders, glass, fabrics, oils, lubricating fluids, and a multitude of other materials that made up the modern car. In these plants strung out along the banks of the Flint and Saginaw rivers and their detritus lay the origins of the present public health emergency. The crisis that attracted President Obama's attention is certainly horrifying, but the children of Flint have been poisoned in one way or another for at least 80 years. Three generations of those children living around Chevrolet Avenue in the old industrial heart of the city experienced an environment filled with heavy metal toxins that cause neurological conditions in them and cardiovascular problems in adults. As Michael Moore documented in his film Roger and Me, GM abandoned Flint in a vain attempt to stave off financial disaster. Having sucked its people dry, the company ditched the city, leaving it to deal with a polluted hell without the means to do so. Like other industrial cities that have suffered this kind of abandonment, Flint's population is majority African American and Latino, and has a disproportionate number of families living below the poverty line. Of its 100,000 residents, 65% are African American and Latino and 42% are mired in poverty. The president should be worried about Flint's children and local, state, and federal authorities need to fix the pipes, sewers, and water supply of the city. Technically, this is a feasible, if expensive, proposition. It's already clear, however, that the political will is just not there even for this one community. Gina McCarthy, the Environmental Protection Agency's administrator, has refused to provide Flint's residents with even a prospective timetable for replacing their pipes and making their water safe. There is, however, a far graver problem that is even less easy to fix: the mix of racism and corporate greed that have put lead and other pollutants into millions of homes in the United States. The scores of endangered kids in Flint are just the tip of a vast, toxic iceberg. Even Baltimore, which first identified its lead poisoning epidemic in the 1930s, still faces a crisis, especially in largely African American communities, when it comes to the lead paint in its older housing stock. Just this month, Maryland's secretary of housing, community, and development, Kenneth C. Holt, dismissed the never-ending lead crisis in Baltimore by callously suggesting that it might all be a shuck. A mother, he said, might fake such poisoning by putting "a lead fishing weight in her child's mouth [and] then take the child in for testing." Such a tactic, he indicated, without any kind of proof, was aimed at making landlords "liable for providing the child with [better] housing." Unfortunately, the attitudes of Holt and Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan have proven all too typical of the ways in which America's civic and state leaders have tended to ignore, dismiss, or simply deny the real suffering of children, especially those who are black and Latino, when it comes to lead and other toxic chemicals. There is, in fact, a grim broader history of lead poisoning in America. It was probably the most widely dispersed environmental toxin that affected children in this country. In part, this was because, for decades during the middle of the twentieth century, it was marketed as an essential ingredient in industrial society, something without which none of us could get along comfortably. Those toxic pipes in Flint are hardly the only, or even the primary, source of danger to children left over from that era. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Other Words GOP presidential candidates are endorsing torture, again. For anyone who cares deeply about being informed, watching Republican presidential debates can feel like a form of torture. But the program becomes more terrifying altogether when their ignorance is hitched to an endorsement of actual torture. At the latest GOP debate in New Hampshire, Donald Trump heartily endorsed waterboarding and other forms of torture, which he promised to reinstitute in national security interrogations if he wins the election. "I would bring back waterboarding, and I would bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding," Trump vowed. Trump's position was condemned immediately by Republican Senator John McCain, who knows a thing or two about torture. McCain, who was brutally beaten as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, accused his fellow Republicans of "sacrificing our respect for human dignity" with their "loose talk" about instituting human rights abuses. McCain reminded Trump -- and Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Carly Fiorina, who also seem to be enamored of torture -- that the torture techniques employed by the Bush administration after 9/11 were unreliable. They produced no actionable intelligence, disrupted no terrorist attacks, and saved no American lives. These conclusions were documented by investigators for the Senate Intelligence Committee, who examined raw CIA documents. In other words, they came directly from the horse's mouth. But torture isn't just bad policy. It's against the law. First, the federal Torture Act stipulates that if an American soldier, CIA officer, or anybody else acting on behalf of the government waterboards a prisoner, he risks up to 20 years imprisonment. The McCain-Feinstein Amendment Congress passed last year reiterated the ban on torture, including waterboarding. Second, our country is a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Waterboarding a prisoner is against international law and could subject the torturer -- or the person ordering or approving the torture -- to international sanctions, including prosecution in international courts. In the early part of the last decade, torture fans in the George W. Bush Justice Department -- most infamously in a legal opinion by attorneys John Yoo and Jay Bybee -- twisted the law itself into contortions to argue that certain forms of torture were permissible. Al-Qaeda, they said, was a "non-state actor," not a country. As such, its members should receive none of the protections of international law. That argument was specious on its face. Absolutely nothing in U.S. law says that there are two sets of rules -- one for countries and one for terrorist groups. The law is the law, whether we like it or not -- including international conventions adopted by the United States. What Trump and his cronies are advocating is illegal, immoral, and unconstitutional. In fact, it's an impeachable offense. No president can order anybody to commit torture. Anyone who does should be hauled before a judge. Personally, I have trouble taking any candidate who knows so little about the law and the Constitution seriously. But deep down, I almost want one of them to win, just so Congress, the Supreme Court, and the American people can make an example of him or her. Maybe that's what it will take to finally put this torture issue to rest. Reprinted from Middle East Eye The major developments on the Syrian battlefield in recent months have brought a corresponding shift in the Obama administration's Syrian policy. Since the Russian military intervention in Syria upended the military balance created by the victories of the al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front and its allies last year, the Obama administration has quietly retreated from its former position that "Assad must go." These political and military changes have obvious implications for the UN-sponsored Geneva peace negotiations. The Assad regime and its supporters are now well positioned to exploit the talks politically, while the armed opposition is likely to boycott them for the foreseeable future. Supporters of the armed opposition are already expressing anger over what they regard as an Obama administration "betrayal" of the fight against Assad. But the Obama policy shift on Syria must be understood, like most of the administration's Middle East policy decisions, as a response to external events that is mediated by domestic political considerations. The initial Obama administration's public stance on the Russian air campaign in Syria last October and early November suggested that the United States was merely waiting for Russia's intervention to fail. For weeks the political response to the Russian intervention revolved around the theme that the Russians were seeking to bolster their client regime in Syria and not to defeat ISIS, but that it would fail. The administration appeared bent on insisting that Russia give in to the demand of the US and its allies for the departure of President Bashar al-Assad from power. But the ISIS terror attacks in Paris focused the political attention of Europeans and Americans alike on the threat from ISIS terrorism and the need for cooperation with Russia to combat it. That strengthened the position of those within the Obama administration -- especially the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the CIA -- who had never been enamored of the US policy of regime change in the first place. In the aftermath of the Paris attacks, they pressed for a rethinking of the US insistence on Assad's departure, as suggested publicly at the time by former acting CIA director Michael Morell. The political impact of the Paris attacks has now been reinforced by the significant gains already made by the Syrian army and its allies with Russian air support in Latakia, Idlib and Hama provinces. The bombing and ground offensives were focused on cutting the main lines of supply between the areas held by ISIS and the Nusra-led coalition and the Turkish border, which if successful would be a very serious blow to the armed opposition groups. Dramatic successes came in late January, when Syrian government troops recaptured the town of Salma in Latakia province, held by al-Nusra Front since 2012, and the strategic al-Shaykh Maskin, lost to anti-Assad rebels in late 2014, thus regaining control of Daraa-Damascus highway. Even more significant, the Syrian army has cut off the lines of supply from Turkey to Aleppo, which is occupied by al-Nusra and allied forces. By the time Secretary of State John Kerry met with the head of the Syrian opposition delegation, Riyad Hijab, on 23 January, it was clear to the Obama administration that the military position of the Assad regime was now much stronger, and that of the armed opposition was significantly weaker. In fact, the possibility of a decisive defeat exists for the first time in light of the Russian-Syrian strategy of cutting off the supply lines of the al-Nusra front. What Kerry told Hijab, as conveyed to the website Middle East Briefing, reflected a new tack by the administration in light of that political-military reality. He made it clear that there would be no preconditions for the talks, and no formal commitment that they would achieve the departure of Assad at any point in the future. He was unclear whether the desired outcome of the talks was to be a "transitional government" or a "unity government" -- the latter term implying that Assad was still in control. The armed opposition and its supporters have been shocked by the shift in Obama's policy. But they shouldn't be. The administration's previous Syria policy had been based in large part on what appeared to be a favorable political opportunity in Syria. As described by Washington Post correspondent Liz Sly's official US source, the policy was to put "sufficient pressure on Assad's forces to persuade him to compromise but not so much that his government would precipitously collapse...." The Obama administration had seen such an opportunity because a covert operation launched in 2013 to equip "moderate" armed groups with anti-tank missiles from Saudi stocks had strengthened the Nusra Front and its military allies. American Syria specialist Joshua Landis estimated last October that 60 to 80 percent of the missiles had ended up in the hands of the Nusra Front in Syria. Those weapons were the decisive factor in the Nusra-led Army of Conquest takeover of Idlib province in April 2015 and the seizure of territory on the al-Ghab plain in Hama province, which is the main natural barrier between the Sunni-populated area inland and the Alawite stronghold of Latakia province on the sea. That breakthrough by al-Nusra and its allies, which threatened the stability of the Assad regime, was serious enough to provoke the Russian intervention in September. Articles Listed By Date List By Popularity Search Title Date Between Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 and Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Page 1 of 6 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 5 6 View All (3 comments) SHARE Hayti Revolution Reflections: The Resistance Speaks #FreeHaiti celebrates 231th Anniversary of Vodun War Council and Ceremony which began Hayti Revolution. Teach-in events will broadcast on Zoom and live on FB on August 14, 16 and 21, 2022 from 12 to 3pm EST. Join us. Friday, August 12, 2022#FreeHaiti celebrates 231th Anniversary of Vodun War Council and Ceremony which began Hayti Revolution. Teach-in events will broadcast on Zoom and live on FB on August 14, 16 and 21, 2022 from 12 to 3pm EST. Join us. (3 comments) SHARE The Haiti Resistance 1915 to 2022 Haiti Resistance, the Kako and Charlemagne Pe'ralte, 1915 to 2022 * "The Jane Crow mothers of Jim Crow men like Craige are replicated, in the Helen Lalime (UN), Michelle Sison (US veteran diplomatic corp) & Samantha Powers (USAID) colonists,to help rape Hayti today.But they blithely launch themselves in peoples faces, everyday,in doublespeak to assure you they are neutral ambassadors & humanitarians (who "love" the natives.) Wednesday, July 27, 2022Haiti Resistance, the Kako and Charlemagne Pe'ralte, 1915 to 2022 * "The Jane Crow mothers of Jim Crow men like Craige are replicated, in the Helen Lalime (UN), Michelle Sison (US veteran diplomatic corp) & Samantha Powers (USAID) colonists,to help rape Hayti today.But they blithely launch themselves in peoples faces, everyday,in doublespeak to assure you they are neutral ambassadors & humanitarians (who "love" the natives.) (8 comments) SHARE We've Seen Biden and Democrats Build Back Better Already! Been there, done that: Seen it already! We've Seen Joe Biden and the Democrat's Build Back Better Already! - Voting Rights Within a Profit-Over-People Slavetocracy is not Change Friday, December 4, 2020Been there, done that: Seen it already! We've Seen Joe Biden and the Democrat's Build Back Better Already! - Voting Rights Within a Profit-Over-People Slavetocracy is not Change (18 comments) SHARE I remember when Dr. Anthony Fauci gave disease a Black face "First, Fauci & Co. came for the Haitians and you did not speak out. 30-years later, drunk on their uncontested world rampages, where perpetual sickness means humongous profits, they've come for you! #Covid19 #Coronavirus #Faucifraud" ---Ezili Danto of HLLN/FreeHaiti, April 20,2020 Sunday, April 26, 2020"First, Fauci & Co. came for the Haitians and you did not speak out. 30-years later, drunk on their uncontested world rampages, where perpetual sickness means humongous profits, they've come for you! #Covid19 #Coronavirus #Faucifraud" ---Ezili Danto of HLLN/FreeHaiti, April 20,2020 (1 comments) SHARE The Truth About the Haiti Uprising the Media Won't Tell You The article details the central role of the Core Gang of Western Ambassadors and local white oligarchs in Haiti the media won't tell you about. The Haiti Protests are about ending the corrupt Neocolonial system and bringing the terrorists ambassadors and white oligarchs to justice. It's not simply a struggle between Jovenel Moise the establishment president and his political rivals or fuel shortage. There's a bigger picture. Monday, October 21, 2019The article details the central role of the Core Gang of Western Ambassadors and local white oligarchs in Haiti the media won't tell you about. The Haiti Protests are about ending the corrupt Neocolonial system and bringing the terrorists ambassadors and white oligarchs to justice. It's not simply a struggle between Jovenel Moise the establishment president and his political rivals or fuel shortage. There's a bigger picture. (4 comments) SHARE Inside Story of U.S. and Serb Mercenaries Arrested in Haiti Ezili Danto on the inside story about the 5 U.S. Mercenaries and 2 Serbs arrested in Haiti on weapons charges and conspiracy to commit crimes that you won't get in the mainstream or alternative media. Thursday, March 7, 2019Ezili Danto on the inside story about the 5 U.S. Mercenaries and 2 Serbs arrested in Haiti on weapons charges and conspiracy to commit crimes that you won't get in the mainstream or alternative media. (6 comments) SHARE Aretha Franklin's Homegoing Celebrations Captured What's Right and Wrong With Black America Aretha Franklin's homegoing service brought out all the great legends.It was a musical celebration fit for queen of soul.But Coonville who revere the Clintons were also there. Mercifully Obama wasn't in attendance. Still, the Coonery there didn't let Minister Farrakhan speak. Worst, on full display, was Coonville's sexism, misogyny & inappropriate patriarchy. Aretha's homegoing captured what is right & wrong with Black America Thursday, September 6, 2018Aretha Franklin's homegoing service brought out all the great legends.It was a musical celebration fit for queen of soul.But Coonville who revere the Clintons were also there. Mercifully Obama wasn't in attendance. Still, the Coonery there didn't let Minister Farrakhan speak. Worst, on full display, was Coonville's sexism, misogyny & inappropriate patriarchy. Aretha's homegoing captured what is right & wrong with Black America (21 comments) SHARE Black males get smeared and falsely prosecuted: Harvey Weinstein gets a 30-year cover-up Black males get smeared, falsely prosecuted.Harvey Weinstein gets 30-year cover up. A comprehensive look how Hollywood works with Deep State glorify profit over people,narratives for cultural imperialism that hide inner depravities like Harvey Weinstein's rapes of young actresses.Pedophilia in Hollywood is open secret.It's not just young white women who are getting exploited for sex.Food for sex (RAPE) in Haiti also w/impunity Saturday, October 14, 2017Black males get smeared, falsely prosecuted.Harvey Weinstein gets 30-year cover up. A comprehensive look how Hollywood works with Deep State glorify profit over people,narratives for cultural imperialism that hide inner depravities like Harvey Weinstein's rapes of young actresses.Pedophilia in Hollywood is open secret.It's not just young white women who are getting exploited for sex.Food for sex (RAPE) in Haiti also w/impunity (6 comments) SHARE Haiti Reacts to Extension of UN Force and Petitions the UN Security Council On UN and UN Sex Rings Haiti reacts to Reorganizing UN-MINUSTAH, the Coming of MINUJUSTH - (the new "Minus Justice" UN force)& Media Manipulations. Haiti corrects the untruth in the UN resolution 2350 that called the corrupt, destabilizing and murdering UN-MINUSTAH mission a success and stabilizing force in Haiti. Haiti Petition Address Victim Relief Necessary Because of UN Rape, Pedophilia, Forced Prostitution and Sex-Slavery Rings in Haiti Sunday, April 16, 2017Haiti reacts to Reorganizing UN-MINUSTAH, the Coming of MINUJUSTH - (the new "Minus Justice" UN force)& Media Manipulations. Haiti corrects the untruth in the UN resolution 2350 that called the corrupt, destabilizing and murdering UN-MINUSTAH mission a success and stabilizing force in Haiti. Haiti Petition Address Victim Relief Necessary Because of UN Rape, Pedophilia, Forced Prostitution and Sex-Slavery Rings in Haiti (12 comments) SHARE By Force: United Nations Pedophilia, Rape, Forced Pregnancy, Prostitution and Ethnic Cleansing of National Groups Ezili HLLNetwork Challenge for United Nations So-Called New "Zero Tolerance" Task Force. UN forces in Haiti commit heinous crimes & rape against helpless women & children with mostly total impunity. It must end. They're vectors of not just rape & violence, but diseases. This article addresses the censorship as a follow-up to the Al Jazeera interview on UN aid workers Sexual Abuse. Tuesday, April 4, 2017Ezili HLLNetwork Challenge for United Nations So-Called New "Zero Tolerance" Task Force. UN forces in Haiti commit heinous crimes & rape against helpless women & children with mostly total impunity. It must end. They're vectors of not just rape & violence, but diseases. This article addresses the censorship as a follow-up to the Al Jazeera interview on UN aid workers Sexual Abuse. (7 comments) SHARE Obama Legacy in Haiti: The Swamp For Trump To Drain Haiti wish for a new US-Haiti partnership with President Trump Stop the Jovenel Moise electoral coup d'etat. President Trump must keep his promise to champion the people of Haiti by telling Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama that their parting gift to Haiti shall remain un-open: No more accused criminals for president of Haiti Saturday, January 28, 2017Haiti wish for a new US-Haiti partnership with President Trump Stop the Jovenel Moise electoral coup d'etat. President Trump must keep his promise to champion the people of Haiti by telling Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama that their parting gift to Haiti shall remain un-open: No more accused criminals for president of Haiti (6 comments) SHARE Colonialism in Haiti - Guy Philippe and Jovenel Moise Ezili talks on the Donald Trump win; Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's terrible colonialism in Haiti; the Democratic party failures; the corrupt Jovenel Moise fake 2017 election; and Guy Philippe, a former US-backed warlord arrested on US drug charges. Saturday, January 14, 2017Ezili talks on the Donald Trump win; Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's terrible colonialism in Haiti; the Democratic party failures; the corrupt Jovenel Moise fake 2017 election; and Guy Philippe, a former US-backed warlord arrested on US drug charges. (5 comments) SHARE Hurricane Matthew, Weather Warfare, Haiti, HAARP, Katrina Perpetual Haiti crisis, psychological warfare about poor, pitiful Haiti distracts the public from the US occupation behind humanitarian imperialism; conveniently provides international thieves with more pretext to collect monies, ride out economic recession off Haiti Black bodies. Distract the world from just how rich in oil ($120 billion), priceless iridium, gold ($40bil),copper($8b)wealth of Haiti being carted out since 2004 Tuesday, October 11, 2016Perpetual Haiti crisis, psychological warfare about poor, pitiful Haiti distracts the public from the US occupation behind humanitarian imperialism; conveniently provides international thieves with more pretext to collect monies, ride out economic recession off Haiti Black bodies. Distract the world from just how rich in oil ($120 billion), priceless iridium, gold ($40bil),copper($8b)wealth of Haiti being carted out since 2004 (11 comments) SHARE Ezili's Haiti Message to Donald Trump Team Under Barack Obama with Hillary Clinton at the State Department and Bill Clinton as UN Special Envoy to Haiti, thirty percent of Haiti territory was taken by foreigners. Free Haiti's interest converges with that of Donald Trump. We both do not want a third Obama term with the Clintons back in the White House. Thursday, September 22, 2016Under Barack Obama with Hillary Clinton at the State Department and Bill Clinton as UN Special Envoy to Haiti, thirty percent of Haiti territory was taken by foreigners. Free Haiti's interest converges with that of Donald Trump. We both do not want a third Obama term with the Clintons back in the White House. (7 comments) SHARE While Haiti Suffered Clinton and Pals Cashed In Says Donald Trump "Hillary Clinton was using the State Department to dole out special favors and access to her friends and donors. It's called, "Pay-for-Play." --- Donald Trump, Greenville, North Carolina, Sept. 6, 2016 Hillary Clinton preyed on Haiti. The earthquake weakened the victims and she used her power to crush them some more dressed as "savior" at the Obama State Department. Thursday, September 8, 2016"Hillary Clinton was using the State Department to dole out special favors and access to her friends and donors. It's called, "Pay-for-Play." --- Donald Trump, Greenville, North Carolina, Sept. 6, 2016 Hillary Clinton preyed on Haiti. The earthquake weakened the victims and she used her power to crush them some more dressed as "savior" at the Obama State Department. (52 comments) SHARE On Beyonce's In_Formation Day, Haiti revelers celebrate Slaying Carnival King America's most powerful artist dressed her dancers in Afros and Black Panther leather outfits and got in (Malcom) X formation, Black fists raised up. She straight-up channeled Ezili Danto-"Petwo womb blood in trouble waters"-with centuries of warrior-mother battles behind her. Banm set kout kouto - bring it! She twirls off all haters. Used her huge megaphone to say, "what happened after Katrina" & "Stop shooting us" & more. Sunday, February 14, 2016America's most powerful artist dressed her dancers in Afros and Black Panther leather outfits and got in (Malcom) X formation, Black fists raised up. She straight-up channeled Ezili Danto-"Petwo womb blood in trouble waters"-with centuries of warrior-mother battles behind her. Banm set kout kouto - bring it! She twirls off all haters. Used her huge megaphone to say, "what happened after Katrina" & "Stop shooting us" & more. (1 comments) SHARE Martelly Leaves in Disgrace: A Great Day For People Power Against Overwhelming Forces 30 years ago on February 7, 1986, the people of Haiti had a victory almost as big as today. The people took down the US-sponsored Duvalier dynasty dictatorship and sent Jean Claude Duvalier into exile. Today,we honor victims of empire&took down the Martelly neoDuvalierist.It's not a grim day as Reuters &the rest of corporate media would have you believe.It's a great day for people power.What's next? Haiti will be DEMARTELIZED! Monday, February 8, 201630 years ago on February 7, 1986, the people of Haiti had a victory almost as big as today. The people took down the US-sponsored Duvalier dynasty dictatorship and sent Jean Claude Duvalier into exile. Today,we honor victims of empire&took down the Martelly neoDuvalierist.It's not a grim day as Reuters &the rest of corporate media would have you believe.It's a great day for people power.What's next? Haiti will be DEMARTELIZED! (10 comments) SHARE Obama's War Against the First Black Republic The imperial bloodbath is escalating again.Because Haitian people have,mostly with peaceful means, stopped the US-sponsored fake elections of Aug 9, Oct 25th and all its scheduled run-offs. They demand that Martelly leave office when his term is up on Feb. 7th, if not before. Local stakeholders set a transitional means for the people to hold free,fair&inclusive elections without foreign interference. But Empire won't back off. Thursday, January 28, 2016The imperial bloodbath is escalating again.Because Haitian people have,mostly with peaceful means, stopped the US-sponsored fake elections of Aug 9, Oct 25th and all its scheduled run-offs. They demand that Martelly leave office when his term is up on Feb. 7th, if not before. Local stakeholders set a transitional means for the people to hold free,fair&inclusive elections without foreign interference. But Empire won't back off. (8 comments) SHARE OAS like the UN in Haiti is Not Impartial But A Tool of Empire The OAS is US-controlled and part of the Core Group in Haiti. The OAS saddled Haiti with an illegitimate president in 2011 that is the root of today's crisis. The OAS is not neutral, professional or impartial position. It cannot appoint itself over the head of Haitian lawmakers and the G8. Tell Obama, that is not happening.Bye bye Michel Martelly. Take all your legal bandits with you. And we're telling that thug Guy Philippe Thursday, January 28, 2016The OAS is US-controlled and part of the Core Group in Haiti. The OAS saddled Haiti with an illegitimate president in 2011 that is the root of today's crisis. The OAS is not neutral, professional or impartial position. It cannot appoint itself over the head of Haitian lawmakers and the G8. Tell Obama, that is not happening.Bye bye Michel Martelly. Take all your legal bandits with you. And we're telling that thug Guy Philippe (13 comments) SHARE Obama, Stop Supporting Martelly and a DEA-Wanted Fugitive In Haiti Haiti rebellion against US imperialism ousted US puppet president, Michel Martelly. He refuses to leave & US death squad leaders left in Haiti just for such an occasion, like Guy Philippe, and other such US Isil-like assets are threatening to silence the mostly peaceful popular revolt with organized colonial violence.This is a red alert asking the DEA to pick up wanted fugitive Guy Philippe & for Obama to stop support Martelly Monday, January 25, 2016Haiti rebellion against US imperialism ousted US puppet president, Michel Martelly. He refuses to leave & US death squad leaders left in Haiti just for such an occasion, like Guy Philippe, and other such US Isil-like assets are threatening to silence the mostly peaceful popular revolt with organized colonial violence.This is a red alert asking the DEA to pick up wanted fugitive Guy Philippe & for Obama to stop support Martelly Page 1 of 6 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 5 6 View All Articles Listed By Date List By Popularity Search Title Date Between Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 and Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Page 1 of 2 First Last Back Next 2 View All (1 comments) SHARE Military Veterans to Putin: Russian Troops Near Ukraine Can Become a Force for Peace President Putin could take a portion of the 100,000 troops deployed on the border of Ukraine to create a powerful and profound global influence of peace that very few may have anticipated. We urge President Putin to use these troops to establish what is called in military circles a Prevention Wing of the Military by immediately training them in Invincible Defense Technology (IDT). Sunday, January 30, 2022President Putin could take a portion of the 100,000 troops deployed on the border of Ukraine to create a powerful and profound global influence of peace that very few may have anticipated. We urge President Putin to use these troops to establish what is called in military circles a Prevention Wing of the Military by immediately training them in Invincible Defense Technology (IDT). (22 comments) SHARE A Humane Approach Towards Peace The first nation to permanently deploy a Preventative Wing of the Military (consisting of 10,000 - 15,000 military personnel practicing IDT twice a day) could actually become the catalyst for creating lasting world peace. The leader of such a group would likely achieve great fame and the Nobel Peace Prize for applying this human resource-based, non-lethal, and non-destructive approach. Wednesday, September 15, 2021The first nation to permanently deploy a Preventative Wing of the Military (consisting of 10,000 - 15,000 military personnel practicing IDT twice a day) could actually become the catalyst for creating lasting world peace. The leader of such a group would likely achieve great fame and the Nobel Peace Prize for applying this human resource-based, non-lethal, and non-destructive approach. (1 comments) SHARE Cruise Ships for Peace in The Middle East Revolutionary idea for ending terrorism and creating world peace, based on advanced techniques of Transcendental Meditation. Advanced TM meditators practicing in groups twice a day create a field which uplifts the collective consciousness of all within proximity. Charter cruise ships, offer free luxury cruises to meditators volunteering their services, station these cruise ships in proximity to trouble spots around the world. Wednesday, November 6, 2019Revolutionary idea for ending terrorism and creating world peace, based on advanced techniques of Transcendental Meditation. Advanced TM meditators practicing in groups twice a day create a field which uplifts the collective consciousness of all within proximity. Charter cruise ships, offer free luxury cruises to meditators volunteering their services, station these cruise ships in proximity to trouble spots around the world. (1 comments) SHARE A Valuable Tool For Ending Middle East Violence Violence, war and terrorism are intractable problems worldwide. Current events have shown without a doubt that new responses are needed now. This article has been published at the following locations: ISRAEL: Israel Faxx, MEPeace, [Middle East Peace] MIDDLE EAST: Change Now! The Arab Network for the Study of Democracy, and GREECE: CBRNE Diary (CBRNE stands for "Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive). Tuesday, April 9, 2019Violence, war and terrorism are intractable problems worldwide. Current events have shown without a doubt that new responses are needed now. This article has been published at the following locations: ISRAEL: Israel Faxx, MEPeace, [Middle East Peace] MIDDLE EAST: Change Now! The Arab Network for the Study of Democracy, and GREECE: CBRNE Diary (CBRNE stands for "Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive). (14 comments) SHARE Attn: President Putin - No Enemies = No Nuclear War President Vladimir Putin asserts Russian scientists have developed an "invincible" cruise missile. While scientists have sought invincibility by applying ever-advancing technologies, history has shown us this approach does not work. Adversaries inevitably devise ways to counter any system of offense or defense. However, there is a scientifically-validated way of achieving unquestioned invincibility for any leader who seeks it. Thursday, April 5, 2018President Vladimir Putin asserts Russian scientists have developed an "invincible" cruise missile. While scientists have sought invincibility by applying ever-advancing technologies, history has shown us this approach does not work. Adversaries inevitably devise ways to counter any system of offense or defense. However, there is a scientifically-validated way of achieving unquestioned invincibility for any leader who seeks it. (2 comments) SHARE Thirty Years From Now ... What will war and terrorism look like in 30 years? Perhaps if we wake up to the Power of the Mind, via TM and Invincible Defense Technology (IDT), war and terrorism could become obsolete due to the absence of enemies. An excellent piece of speculative fiction (and a fun read), written and meticulously researched by Dr. David Leffler, Exec. Director of CAMS, an organization dedicated to implementing IDT in militaries worldwide. Tuesday, April 18, 2017What will war and terrorism look like in 30 years? Perhaps if we wake up to the Power of the Mind, via TM and Invincible Defense Technology (IDT), war and terrorism could become obsolete due to the absence of enemies. An excellent piece of speculative fiction (and a fun read), written and meticulously researched by Dr. David Leffler, Exec. Director of CAMS, an organization dedicated to implementing IDT in militaries worldwide. (3 comments) SHARE Peace Through Meditation? An Unconventional Solution for the South Sudan Mess "War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong; and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses." Thomas Jefferson. South Sudan is turmoil. UN peacekeeping soldiers want to help but the nation doesn't want to be "taken over." The anger of PTSD triggers violence. A non-threatening, cost-effective, evidence-based PTSD-reduction approach is needed. Find out about a new next-generation peace-creating strategy. Sunday, September 4, 2016"War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong; and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses." Thomas Jefferson. South Sudan is turmoil. UN peacekeeping soldiers want to help but the nation doesn't want to be "taken over." The anger of PTSD triggers violence. A non-threatening, cost-effective, evidence-based PTSD-reduction approach is needed. Find out about a new next-generation peace-creating strategy. (1 comments) SHARE A Scientific Means for Islamic Military Alliance to Collaborate and Deploy Islamic military alliance states that terrorism "should be fought by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it." Invincible Defense Technology is the best means. It's part of Brazil's Elite Police force training. Field tests by other militaries and 23 peer-reviewed studies carried out in developed and developing nations show it works. Independent scientists and scholars endorse it based on 25 years of research Wednesday, February 10, 2016Islamic military alliance states that terrorism "should be fought by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it." Invincible Defense Technology is the best means. It's part of Brazil's Elite Police force training. Field tests by other militaries and 23 peer-reviewed studies carried out in developed and developing nations show it works. Independent scientists and scholars endorse it based on 25 years of research (2 comments) SHARE Preventing Future Boko Haram Attacks Violence & conflict plagued mankind throughout history. Boko Haram's attacks are a current manifestation. How can Nigeria protect itself from future attacks? The best way to guard against terrorist threats is to have no enemies. No enemies = no terrorism! An effective approach called Invincible Defence Technology could help Nigeria's military create lasting peace by preventing enemies from arising. Saturday, May 31, 2014Violence & conflict plagued mankind throughout history. Boko Haram's attacks are a current manifestation. How can Nigeria protect itself from future attacks? The best way to guard against terrorist threats is to have no enemies. No enemies = no terrorism! An effective approach called Invincible Defence Technology could help Nigeria's military create lasting peace by preventing enemies from arising. (5 comments) SHARE A New Proven Way to Create Peace in Ukraine Tensions rise as Russia intervenes in Crimea. World leaders search for ways to prevent tensions from further escalating. What can be done to find a peaceful solution to this serious crisis? Countries around the world have shown growing interest in a novel, but scientifically verified, militarily field-tested approach to reducing turmoil. Among military circles worldwide this approach is known as Invincible Defense Technology. Monday, March 24, 2014Tensions rise as Russia intervenes in Crimea. World leaders search for ways to prevent tensions from further escalating. What can be done to find a peaceful solution to this serious crisis? Countries around the world have shown growing interest in a novel, but scientifically verified, militarily field-tested approach to reducing turmoil. Among military circles worldwide this approach is known as Invincible Defense Technology. (1 comments) SHARE Reducing Tension in the Middle East History shows that political resolutions cannot be achieved while tensions remain high. Deep-rooted ethnic and national stresses embedded in the collective consciousness are at the basis of the Israel and Hamas conflict, as in all other conflicts worldwide. Unless these stresses are rooted out, destruction and killing will continue, as they have for millennia. Now there is hope because a proven peace technology is available. Tuesday, December 4, 2012History shows that political resolutions cannot be achieved while tensions remain high. Deep-rooted ethnic and national stresses embedded in the collective consciousness are at the basis of the Israel and Hamas conflict, as in all other conflicts worldwide. Unless these stresses are rooted out, destruction and killing will continue, as they have for millennia. Now there is hope because a proven peace technology is available. (2 comments) SHARE Combating Stress in Police Work and Preventing Crime, Terrorism, and War ""in a very dangerous part of New York City. While walking in an alley, they were ambushed. A shot rang out, and his partner fell wounded to the ground. This officer drew his revolver and quickly shot five assassins, killing four and disabling the fifth"if it were not for his regular TM practice, he would have been killed. Despite the overwhelming odds"the policeman said he was able to maintain his composure under fire..." Saturday, October 1, 2011""in a very dangerous part of New York City. While walking in an alley, they were ambushed. A shot rang out, and his partner fell wounded to the ground. This officer drew his revolver and quickly shot five assassins, killing four and disabling the fifth"if it were not for his regular TM practice, he would have been killed. Despite the overwhelming odds"the policeman said he was able to maintain his composure under fire..." (9 comments) SHARE A 'New Idea': Application of Vedic Defence Technology in Peacekeeping Missions Since the Nepalese Army began United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions, troops have followed some Vedic traditions in operational areas. However, there has been no widespread application of Vedic Defence Technology (VDT) in peacekeeping missions to create social coherence. Since the goal of VDT matches the goal of UN missions to achieve sustainable peace in the world, the authors urge UN leaders to support its implementation Friday, September 9, 2011Since the Nepalese Army began United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions, troops have followed some Vedic traditions in operational areas. However, there has been no widespread application of Vedic Defence Technology (VDT) in peacekeeping missions to create social coherence. Since the goal of VDT matches the goal of UN missions to achieve sustainable peace in the world, the authors urge UN leaders to support its implementation (10 comments) SHARE The Best Way to Fight Terrorism Violence and conflict have plagued mankind throughout history, and the terrorist attacks in India's financial capital of Mumbai are their most recent manifestation. How can we protect from these dangers? Ideally, the best way to guard against terrorist threats would be to have no enemies. No enemies = no terrorism! An unusual approach called Invincible Defence Technology helps militaries by preventing enemies from arising Thursday, July 21, 2011Violence and conflict have plagued mankind throughout history, and the terrorist attacks in India's financial capital of Mumbai are their most recent manifestation. How can we protect from these dangers? Ideally, the best way to guard against terrorist threats would be to have no enemies. No enemies = no terrorism! An unusual approach called Invincible Defence Technology helps militaries by preventing enemies from arising (9 comments) SHARE Combating PTSD This article offers a scientifically verified time-tested solution to help our military personnel, veterans and their families. In a new pilot study (under review), Iraq and Afghanistan veterans experienced a 50% drop in PTSD symptoms by the fourth week of TM practice, and greater improvements by two months and three months. This study is summarized in the new book The Resilient Warrior: Healing the Hidden Wounds of War. Wednesday, March 23, 2011This article offers a scientifically verified time-tested solution to help our military personnel, veterans and their families. In a new pilot study (under review), Iraq and Afghanistan veterans experienced a 50% drop in PTSD symptoms by the fourth week of TM practice, and greater improvements by two months and three months. This study is summarized in the new book The Resilient Warrior: Healing the Hidden Wounds of War. (5 comments) SHARE Learn from Latin America: How to End Tensions with North Korea Due to the Cheonan sinking, tensions rise again between South and North Korea. Technically at war since the 1953 ceasefire, their long-term struggle is a "cold civil war" with periodic "hot flashes." Protracted "civil wars" in Latin American countries followed similar patterns. However, the latter situation is changing, and both Koreas could learn from Latin American countries who are implementing Invincible Defense Technology Tuesday, June 22, 2010Due to the Cheonan sinking, tensions rise again between South and North Korea. Technically at war since the 1953 ceasefire, their long-term struggle is a "cold civil war" with periodic "hot flashes." Protracted "civil wars" in Latin American countries followed similar patterns. However, the latter situation is changing, and both Koreas could learn from Latin American countries who are implementing Invincible Defense Technology (2 comments) SHARE Military Application of Transcendental Meditation Gaining Acceptance A leading scientific journal in Pakistan, The Journal of Management & Social Science, recently published a paper titled "A New Role for the Military: Preventing Enemies from Arising-Reviving an Ancient Approach to Peace," indicating that the military application of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique has merit. It discusses how militaries worldwide could use TM and its advanced practices to prevent war and terrorism. Tuesday, March 30, 2010A leading scientific journal in Pakistan, The Journal of Management & Social Science, recently published a paper titled "A New Role for the Military: Preventing Enemies from Arising-Reviving an Ancient Approach to Peace," indicating that the military application of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique has merit. It discusses how militaries worldwide could use TM and its advanced practices to prevent war and terrorism. SHARE Beyond Nuclear Deterrence: A Complementary Protective Approach for Israel "The time has come to adopt new ways of thinking. No more fiery declarations and empty threats, but rather a carefully weighed policy grounded in sound strategy. Ultimately, in an era of a multi-nuclear Middle East, all sides will have a clear interest to lower tension and not to increase it." - Reuven Pedatzur, Tel Aviv Univ. Scientifically-verified & military field-tested means to reduce collective social stress is described Saturday, January 2, 2010"The time has come to adopt new ways of thinking. No more fiery declarations and empty threats, but rather a carefully weighed policy grounded in sound strategy. Ultimately, in an era of a multi-nuclear Middle East, all sides will have a clear interest to lower tension and not to increase it." - Reuven Pedatzur, Tel Aviv Univ. Scientifically-verified & military field-tested means to reduce collective social stress is described (2 comments) SHARE Transcendental Meditation Could Help Veterans Administration The US military and Veterans Administration could greatly reduce our returning warriors' stress-related problems including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - and save money - by prescribing the scientifically-validated Transcendental Meditation (TM) program. Friday, December 18, 2009The US military and Veterans Administration could greatly reduce our returning warriors' stress-related problems including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - and save money - by prescribing the scientifically-validated Transcendental Meditation (TM) program. (2 comments) SHARE Taking The Men Who Stare at Goats Seriously I enjoyed the movie The Men Who Stare at Goats for what it was, a satirical look at the US military's attempt to develop their warriors' full potential. "Paranormal" & "supernatural" are loaded terms carrying negative connotations. Scientists hesitate to profess interest in this realm. Since I am associated with one of the real-life characters, I discuss the real-life military applications of Invincible Defense Technology Wednesday, December 16, 2009I enjoyed the movie The Men Who Stare at Goats for what it was, a satirical look at the US military's attempt to develop their warriors' full potential. "Paranormal" & "supernatural" are loaded terms carrying negative connotations. Scientists hesitate to profess interest in this realm. Since I am associated with one of the real-life characters, I discuss the real-life military applications of Invincible Defense Technology Page 1 of 2 First Last Back Next 2 View All The Curious Case of John Kitzhaber. Saturday, February 13, marks the one-year anniversary of former Gov. John Kitzhabers (D-OR) resignation in the face of a conflict of interest scandal involving the governor and his paramour, Cylvia Hayes. At the time of Mr. Kitzhabers resignation, the Justice Department was said to be conducting a grand jury investigation into the matter, and the Oregon Attorney General had suspended her investigation in order to defer to the federal government. That is the Justice Department that was being run by then Attorney General Eric Holder (D). A year has passed and the following is what has been done in furtherance of justice. Thats right nothing. In February of last year I wrote a column that stated: The [Democrat] machine is populated by Democrat politicians, public employee union officials, environmental activists and, strangely, a gaggle of business executives primarily from Portland. (I dont want to ignore the various other advocacy groups that populate Democrat politics abortion advocates, minorities, gays, poverty advocates and others who provide noise and publicity but little in terms of actual direction.) Compared to the size of its base, its leadership is a relatively small cadre. They all know each other, went to school with each other, married each other, had affairs with each other, hired each other and have risen to positions of prominence in business and government as a result. And they are corrupt. The corruption extends to those benefiting from government largesse that would include the public employee unions, those who contract with government for a whole variety of goods and services, the activists who rely on government for funds and grants to this or that good cause, and the environmental lobby who rely on government subsidies for their very commercial existence. It includes those who benefit from government action that either shelters them from governmental burdens (taxes and rules or regulations) or imposes disproportionate burdens on their competitors. And finally, it includes those who acquire power and position simply for the sake of acquiring power and position and who use that power and position primarily to retain power and position rather than pursue the commonweal of citizens. And in Oregon, the mainstream press is a part of that cadre and serves primarily to extol their virtues, bury their misdeeds and savage their opponents. (For the past decade the responsibility of government watchdog has fallen singularly to Willamette Week an alternative newspaper primarily noted for its personal classifieds but which is directed by Richard Meeker, a fearless muckracker, and staffed by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nigel Jaquiss. (Surely Mr. Jaquiss will win another Pulitzer for his unearthing of this scandal while the other media outlets sat on their hands.) While Mr. Kitzhaber is toast and no one in power actually gives a damn about Ms. Hayes (she was always more interloper than insider), the rest of the machine needs protection and protection they will get. Time is always on the side of the corrupt. As time passes and the media turns its head away, the populace forgets or shrugs it off as being one more instance in which the politicians have gotten away with something. Its too bad. At one time, at least three decades ago, before the Governor Neil Goldschimdt (D-OR) administration, Oregon was noted for its clean government. Not any more, not by a long shot. And it isnt going to recover any time soon given that the Democrats retain every state-wide elected office and super majorities or near super majorities in both houses of the legislature. Your job is to feed the machine. Oh, and shut up. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government says the core of its economic strategy is investment-led, and not consumption-led, growth. However, its ambitious plan to invest heavily in infrastructure is being hit by a resource crunch, at the heart of which is the country's extremely low tax base - the proportion of people out of the total population that pays taxes (see A Narrow Base). A lot of income and business activities in India go unreported. Due to this, the government loses a significant tax revenue, both direct and indirect. This is the reason for the country' low tax-to-GDP ratio of 9-10 per cent over the past five years. Brazil's tax-to-GDP ratio is 14 per cent. The figures are 15 per cent for Russia and 25 per cent for South Africa (as per World Bank data). India's peak was 12.5 per cent, touched in 2007/08. While the government has budgeted for capital expenditure (spending for creation of long-term assets) of Rs 2.4 lakh crore for 2015/16, 25 per cent more than the 2014/15 revised estimate of Rs 1.9 lakh crore, it has not reduced revenue expenses. Its total expenditure in 2015/16 is estimated to be Rs 17.77 lakh crore, 5.7 per cent more than the 2014/15 revised estimate. However, shortage of sources from where it can raise additional taxes means that it has been able to budget for only 1.35 per cent increase in revenue (tax and non-tax) to Rs 11.4 lakh crore, leaving a gap of Rs 6.24 lakh crore between revenues and expenses. It is this lack of options that is restricting its ability to spend as much on infrastructure as it would like to. Though experts say that the tax-to-GDP ratio varies a little because of economic growth, the government will have to take serious steps to increase the tax base if it has to meet its long-term development commitments. "It is a cyclical thing. When growth improves, tax revenues go up, and when growth falls, tax revenues go down," says Arvind Virmani, a former chief economic advisor and Planning Commission member. However, to tackle the issue in the long run, there is a need to simplify tax laws to increase compliance, he says. Most experts and analysts echo Virmani's view. Ganesh Raj, Partner, Tax & Regulatory Services, Ernst & Young, says many tax incentives to companies not only lead to loss of revenue but also litigation. For companies, the effective tax rate is 23 per cent compared to the headline rate of 30 per cent, due to exemptions and deductions. Corporate tax exemptions led to a revenue loss of Rs 63,000 crore in 2014/15. The government has announced a road map for removing exemptions and reducing the corporate tax rate from 30 per cent to 25 per cent by 2018/19. Raj believes the government will axe many exemptions but may not cut corporate tax in this year's Budget. Virmani, however, cautions against tweaking laws just to increase tax collections in the short term. "Tax reforms should ideally be revenue neutral. They should increase collections over the long term through increased voluntary compliance," he says. The goods and services tax (GST), a uniform indirect tax that will apply across the country, is one of the biggest tax reforms attempted by the government. However, the GST Bill is pending in Parliament due to lack of political consensus. K.R. Sekar, Partner, Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP, stresses the need for proper capturing of income and business data. He says the government must look at the Parthasarathi Shome Committee report on tax administration reforms. The committee has recommended a common business identification number for use by all departments - income tax, customs, central excise, service tax, etc. It has also suggested single registration for both central excise and service tax. Till such measures are taken, the government will continue to face the problem of resource mobilisation. That's why although its overall tax revenue is up 21 per cent in the first nine months of the financial year, a closer look at the data presents a different picture. The growth is largely driven by 35 per cent higher indirect tax collections, helped by an increase in excise duty on petroleum products (the government could do this because of falling oil prices) and in service tax rate from 12 per cent to 14 per cent. Higher indirect tax collections have partially offset the muted 11 per cent growth in direct tax collections. Economists warn against over-reliance on indirect taxes to make up for revenue shortfalls. "The public finance theory says the government should rely more on direct taxes than indirect taxes as the latter do not discriminate against taxpayers on the basis of income," says Sunil Kumar Sinha, Principal Economist and Director of Public Finance, India Ratings and Research. Though experts say that the tax-to-GDP ratio varies a little because of economic growth, the government will have to take serious steps to increase the tax base if it has to meet its long-term development commitments The government had plans to raise Rs 69,500 crore this year by selling its stake in public sector companies. But the finance ministry says this will at best get it `30,000 crore. The only way the government can fill the revenue-expense gap is through debt, but even here it does not have much choice given the stiff fiscal deficit targets it has set for the rest of its tenure - 3.9 per cent of the gross domestic product, or GDP, for 2015/16, and 3 per cent by 2017/18. The fiscal deficit was Rs 5.56 lakh crore in the first eight months of 2015/16, 87 per cent of the yearly target. The government has till date raised just 50 per cent tax revenue it has budgeted for (after deducting the share of the states). Challenges Ahead In 2015/16, the government could still afford higher spending on infrastructure projects, mainly due to savings from the sharp fall in crude oil prices. Brent crude fell from $55 a barrel in April 2015 to $34 a barrel in January 2016, which has made the task of keeping the fiscal deficit within target easier. Falling oil prices helped the government save 42 per cent on its oil import bill in the first nine months of the financial year. Most of these positives may be missing in 2016/17. There are few chances of further sharp fall in oil prices. It is to be seen if the government increases the excise duty from 12 per cent to 14 per cent, as it did with service tax last year, to move closer to the proposed GST rate of 18 per cent. While there is limited scope for raising revenue, the government will have to deal with many one-time expenses in 2016/17. For example, the Seventh Pay Commission implementation will mean an additional burden of Rs 72,000 crore. The government may also have to recapitalise public sector banks. According to an India Ratings report, it will have to inject `34,000 crore into public sector banks every year till 2018/19. But the biggest challenge is the enormity of funds required for building infrastructure. Even after a 25 per cent increase in the 2015/16 Budget, capital expenditure as a percentage of GDP continues to be only 1.7 per cent, which experts say should be above 2 per cent. Sinha of India Ratings and Research says, "In absolute terms, the government may have increased the allocation for infrastructure, but as a percentage of GDP, it has been around 1.7 per cent since 2011/12, and this is a cause for worry." Meanwhile, economists caution against any indiscretion in expenditure. D.K. Joshi, Chief Economist, Crisil, says, "The fiscal space is limited. Therefore, the government has to be more discreet in spending. It will have to select sectors or areas where it gets more bang for the buck, and which have a higher multiplier effect." Virmani says there is a need to get fiscal and monetary policies right. Though a section of analysts and industry is in favour of the government compromising on fiscal deficit targets for spending more on infrastructure, this course may put the country's ratings under pressure and narrow the room for monetary easing. Only the Budget can bring some clarity on whether the government takes this path or not. Every year, starting late January and continuing until the Budget is presented on the last day of February, a host of delegations representing all kinds of industry sectors, interests and ideologies make their way to the finance minister's imposing North Block office. They all have myriad suggestions that they hope the minister will include in his Budget proposals. This year's procession has begun as well. But this time it includes two delegations whose suggestions will be taken much more seriously than most others. On January 28, a five-member team of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), the economic wing of the RSS, met Minister of State of Finance, Jayant Sinha. A few days earlier, a delegation of senior leaders of the RSS itself had conferred with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Changed government view on genetically modified (GM) agricultural products, blocked GM clinical trials Persuaded government to withdraw the new Land Acquisition Bill Restrained government from allowing FDI in e-commerce retail Prevented government from making changes in patent rules Influenced government position on WTO-related issues Proposed the setting up of the Micro Units Development and Refi nancing Agency (MUDRA) Bank Narendra Modi's ambitious programme of Power for All by 2022, infl uenced by RSS' Antyodaya concept Alongside its commitment to Hindutva and cultural nationalism, the RSS also has very definite ideas on the direction the Indian economy should take, and has been forcefully conveying these to the government from the time the NDA came to power in May 2014. Often the government has listened. Sources maintain, for instance, that the decision last August to withdraw six controversial amendments to the land acquisition bill and leave it to individual states to make changes if any was taken at the behest of the RSS. "We explained to the government that the bill was not good for it politically," says an RSS leader, who does not want to be identified. "Even if the government managed to push it through with the earlier amendments by calling a joint session of Parliament, the states would have to ratify it and that would take another two years." Similarly, the RSS and the SJM were responsible for the government stopping field trials of genetically modified crops, restraining itself on labour reforms, which would have made hiring and firing easier, and taking the position it did on food security at the World Trade Organization (WTO). "For labour reforms too, we pushed the government to take the state legislature route and leave it to the states to decide how far they want to go," says the same RSS leader. "Anyway, it is the states that have to implement any laws passed relating to labour or land acquisition." The RSS and SJM had been tracking economic developments closely even during the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime, often providing BJP leaders - then in opposition - the inputs needed to question the government's moves. It was Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-convener of the SJM, for instance, who kept track of WTO developments and briefed leaders like Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj for their attacks in Parliament on the stance the then Commerce Minister Anand Sharma had taken at the WTO meeting in Bali, in December 2013. With developed nations at the WTO opposing the developing countries' right to sell food grains at prices lower than the limits prescribed in the WTO agreement on agriculture, Sharma had agreed to a 'temporary peace' clause on the issue, which essentially deferred a decision for four years. In contrast, at the next WTO meet in Nairobi in December 2014, NDA Commerce Minister Nirmala Seetharaman insisted on India's right to sell food grains at a price it chose and managed to get the US and other nations to withdraw their objections. Mahajan, along with seven other delegates, had accompanied her, continually giving her inputs. "I texted her at once after we succeeded: 'You have done a good job'," says Mahajan. Last March, at the RSS' Pratinidhi Sabha meeting in Delhi, two heavyweights, Bhaiyyaji Joshi and Krishna Gopal, were assigned the task of coordinating with the government on economic issues. The RSS has also backed a number of think tanks relating to different aspects of the economy to monitor and guide the government. These include the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) to look into macro-economic issues, headed by Chandigarh-based economist Subhash Sharma; the National Action Committee on Public Private Partnerships, headed by Amarjit Chopra and Anil Sharma, both Delhi-based chartered accountants; the Bharat Solar Development Forum (BSDF) headed by Bhagwati Prasad, Vice Chancellor of Pacific University, Udaipur, which keeps a close watch on the ambitious solar power thrust of the government and the Defence Innovators & Industry Association (DIIA), a forum for defence manufacturers, headed by Ashwani Mahajan. "These think tanks help us understand the issues involved in different sectors, and thereby assist the RSS top brass, keeping it clued in," says Sharma of CEPR. "We don't intervene on a daily basis, but if the government deviates from our core agenda, we lodge our protest and put forth our point of view," says a top RSS leader, preferring anonymity. "The current leadership is much more amenable to the RSS' viewpoint than the previous NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee." A veteran BJP leader, who also wants to remain unnamed, agrees. "Under Vajpayee, the RSS managed to get some of its people appointed as heads of government institutions, but failed to influence economic policy," he says. A top union minister, too, acknowledges RSS' shadow over the government. "It gives us inputs, but we take decisions in accordance with government policy." Budget Direction So, what does the RSS want in this year's Budget? It is keen that the government continues on its present investment-oriented growth, but is wary about the welcoming stance adopted towards foreign capital. "We are pushing for more investment in the social and rural sectors, more funds for village roads and schools, and rural healthcare," says the RSS leader quoted earlier. On disinvestment, it has underlined that it would prefer retail equity sales of PSU shares and not their strategic offloading to select corporate houses. Its chief reservation is with foreign direct investment (FDI). "The government needs to rethink its premise that only large quantities of FDI can drive growth," says Kashmiri Lal, SJM leader. "Why is the rupee depreciating despite the record FDI inflows of late?" Mahajan wants the government to impose penalties on companies that depend on foreign funds and technology transfer. "The 'Make in India' initiative is laudable, but the government must encourage Indian companies to do so, not foreign ones," he says. On this score, however, it is unlikely the BJP will listen. As Seshadri Chari, former editor of the RSS' mouthpiece, Organiser, but now a BJP member, says: "You need to have a national perspective and national interest in mind while setting an economic agenda. No emerging market can reject FDI outright. But it should come in on our terms and not those of the investors." An unprecedented downturn in the global commodity cycle and persistent rise in steel and aluminium imports from countries such as China have forced the government to examine ways to safeguard these industries. WHAT'S PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE ALUMINIUM INDUSTRY > Steep rise in cheap exports from China > Higher taxes on coal which accounts for big input costs > Inverted duty structure that allows China to import bauxite from India and sell back finished goods With the northern neighbour sitting on huge excess capacity in both these sectors, it is looking at ready markets, and India happens to be one such market. The government has already imposed safeguard duty twice to protect the steel industry, and the aluminium industry is hoping for a similar concession. The steel industry, before the safeguard duties were imposed had seen imports rise 69 per cent in the last financial year. Just like steel, the aluminium industry has seen a steep rise in cheap imported finished products cutting into its market. AND WHAT THE INDUSTRY WANTS > Raising import duty on aluminium finished products from 5 per cent to 15 per cent > Reducing import duty on raw materials from 7.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent > Increasing export duty on bauxite from 20 per cent to 50 per cent > Increasing Duty Drawback "Dumping by China is a big reason. They are selling for lower than their production cost. It may be their strategy but it is damaging us," says Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Steel and Mines. The government has increased the import duty on steel on more than one occasion. It also imposed anti-dumping and safeguard duties. The odds are that more action is in the offing to shelter the metal producers. The aluminium industry is currently reeling under not just cheap imports but also rising costs, largely due to higher taxes on coal, and a steep decline in aluminium prices. India consumes around 3.5 million tonnes aluminium every year, of which 1.5 million is imported, mostly from China and West Asia. Since 2011, the import surge has been a steep 159 per cent. In the first half of the financial year, the share of imports in total consumption was 56 per cent. Over the past few years, the domestic aluminium industry has witnessed significant capacity addition, and is currently operating atonly 50 per cent capacity, making debt servicing more difficult. Continuous fall in global aluminium prices -40 per cent from $2,474 a tonne in November 2014 to $1,479 a tonne in January 20165 - has impacted the profitability of companies. Hindalco reported a 33 per cent decline in operating margin in the July-September quarter while Vedanta reported a loss in its aluminium business - which contributes 18 per cent to overall revenues - in the October-December 2015 period. The government says it is actively considering the industry's wish for raising the import duty on aluminium from 5 per cent to 15 per cent. The aluminium industry also faces inverted duty structure where the duty is 5 per cent on imported finished products and 7.5 per cent on raw materials. It is trying to convince the government to reduce the import duty on raw materials to 2.5 per cent. THE INDUSTRY IS PITCHING FOR INCREASING THE EXPORT DUTY ON BAUXITE TO DISCOURAGE CHINA AND OTHERS FROM BUYING IT CHEAP FROM INDIA AND THEN SELLING BACK VALUEADDED MATERIAL Meanwhile, bauxite exports to China have surged 52 per cent in the past one year. There, value addition takes place and finished aluminium is exported back to India. The industry is pitching for increasing the export duty on bauxite from 20 per cent to 50 per cent to discourage China and others from buying it cheap from India and then selling back value-added material, which competes directly with what is produced by the Indian players. Other commodity players are also watching keenly if the government extends the same safeguards to the aluminium industry that it has provided to the steel industry. Solar panel manufacturers, the electronic hardware industry and tyre manufacturers are all clamouring for protection saying they are threatened by cheap imports. However, their case might be weaker than that of steel and aluminium industries because their domestic production is still below demand. But they are all waiting to see exactly what action the government will take on aluminium before ramping up their lobbying efforts. Communist Party India (Maoist)- shimmering torch of Revolution against all odds C.P.I. (Maoist) shimmering torch of Revolution against all odds By Harsh Thakor The Communist Party India (Maoist) formed in 2004 with... Earth Day NOT well attended in Wichita this year From Wichita Peace and Freedom Party Examiner; This years Earth Day events were kind of disappointingnot because the events werent ... Philippines-NPA launches offensives in Samar From http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/MAOIST_REVOLUTION NPA Eastern Visayas (Efren Martires Command) August 12, 2011 The Efren Martires C... Bourgeois press admits there are still communists in the world today A few articles in the US mainstream press have dared to venture into the questions "Why would anyone today want to be a commun... AL JUBEIR SAYS U.S. PROPOSED GROUND FORCE DEPLOYMENT: SPA SAUDI FORCE WOULD FIGHT AS PART OF U.S.-LED COALITION: SPA SAUDI MINISTER SAYS SENDING GROUND FORCE UNDER DISCUSSION: SPA SAUDI ARABIA READY TO SEND SPECIAL FORCE TO FIGHT IS IN SYRIA As was reported yesterday, in one of the most surprising developments involving the Syrian proxy war, Saudi Arabia and U.S. presence on the ground, the latest twist is that both Turkey and Saudi Arabia are now mulling a full-scale invasion while Russia and the Syrian government continue their progress in wiping out the US and Saudi-funded rebellion. To be sure, there was confusion when CNN Arabia reported first that the Saudis may send as much as 150,000 troops into Saudi Arabia, by way of Turkey, something which Anadolu news promptly denied.However, the denial itself was softly denied by the Saudi Press Agency, which further stirred the water earlier today when it reported that not only is Saudi Arabia ready to send a special force to fight in Syria, but that this deployment was proposed by the US, which would oversee the Saudi troops as part of the US-led coalition in Syria. To wit:And so, what was until recently purely an air campaign involving all the major global powers (except China, for for the time being), is about to become a full-blown land war, involving not only Suunis and Shi'ites (especially once Iran joins the fray), but also Russian troops on one side and US and Saudis on the other.Most notably, oil has refused to budge even an inch on what is rapidly shaping up as a precursor to World War III.Source: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-02-09/saudi-arabia-prepares-send-special-forces-syria-will-fight-part-us-led-coalition A selection of UN TV programmes, webcasts and video clips on issues in the news Victoria Smith, killed by black adoptive parents at age 3 (Isaiah 62:1) A 19th century Democrat political poster below: Leftist tolerance African immigrants in the Western world Bloomberg JFK knew Leftist dogmatism Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner once turned down a dinner invitation to the Kennedy White House because it was a hundred miles away. Thats a long distance to travel only to get some food. -- Geert Wilders The most beautiful woman in the world? I think she was. Yes: It's Agnetha Faltskog /> A beautiful baby is king -- with blue eyes, blond hair and white skin. How incorrect can you get? Kristina Pimenova, once said to be the most beautiful girl in the world. Note blue eyes and blonde hair Enough said A face of Leftist hate: Cory Booker, (D-NJ) There really is an actress named Donna Air. She seems a pleasant enough woman, though What feminism has wrought: There's actually some wisdom there. The dreamy lady says she is holding out for someone who meets her standards. The other lady reasonably replies "There's nobody there". Standards can be unrealistically high and feminists have laboured mightily to make them so Some bright spark occasionally decides that Leftism is feminine and conservatism is masculine. That totally misses the point. If true, how come the vote in American presidential elections usually shows something close to a 50/50 split between men and women? And in the 2016 Presidential election, Trump won 53 percent of white women, despite allegations focused on his past treatment of some women. Political correctness is Fascism pretending to be manners Political Correctness is as big a threat to free speech as Communism and Fascism. All 3 were/are socialist. A good thought from Thomas Sowell: "The phrase "glass ceiling" is an insult to our intelligence. What does glass mean, except that we cannot see it? In other words, in the absence of evidence, we are expected to go along with what is said because it is said in accusatory and self-righteous tones." The problem with minorities is not race but culture. For instance, many American black males fit in well with the majority culture. They go to college, work legally for their living, marry and support the mother of their children, go to church, abstain from crime and are considerate towards others. Who could reasonably object to such people? It is people who subscribe to minority cultures -- black, Latino or Muslim -- who can give rise to concern. If antisocial attitudes and/or behaviour become pervasive among a group, however, policies may reasonably devised to deal with that group as a whole The American Psychological Association is generally Left-leaning but it is the world's most prestigious body of academic psychologists. And even they (under the chairmanship of Ulric Neisser) have had to concede a large gap (one SD) in black vs. white average IQ. Black lives DON'T matter -- to other blacks. The leading cause of death among young black males is attack by other young black males Leftist logic: There are allegedly no distinctions between groups of humans, yet we're still supposed to celebrate diversity. Identity politics is a form of racism 'White Privilege'. .. Oh yes. .. That was abundant in the Irish potato famines. ... And in the Scottish Highland Clearances. ...And in transportations to Australia. ... And in Workhouses. ... 'White privilege' was absolutely RIFE! Psychological defence mechanisms such as projection play a large part in Leftist thinking and discourse. So their frantic search for evil in the words and deeds of others is easily understandable. The evil is in themselves. Leftist motivations are fundamentally Fascist. They want to "fundamentally transform" the lives of their fellow citizens, which is as authoritarian as you can get. We saw where it led in Russia and China. The "compassion" that Leftists parade is just a cloak for their ghastly real motivations Occasionally I put up on this blog complaints about the privileged position of homosexuals in today's world. I look forward to the day when the pendulum swings back and homosexuals are treated as equals before the law. To a simple Leftist mind, that makes me "homophobic", even though I have no fear of any kind of homosexuals. But I thought it might be useful for me to point out a few things. For a start, I am not unwise enough to say that some of my best friends are homosexual. None are, in fact. Though there are two homosexuals in my normal social circle whom I get on well with and whom I think well of. Of possible relevance: My late sister was a homosexual; I loved Liberace's sense of humour and I thought that Robert Helpmann was marvellous as Don Quixote in the Nureyev ballet of that name. Bible references on homosexuality: Romans 1:27; Jude 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; Mark 10:6-9; Matthew 19: 4-16; 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11; 1 Corinthians 7:2; Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; Genesis 19:4-8 One may say that the person who gets in trouble with drugs is just as dumb without them I record on this blog many examples of negligent, inefficient and reprehensible behaviour on the part of British police. After 13 years of Labour party rule they have become highly politicized, with values that reflect the demands made on them by the political Left rather than than what the community expects of them. They have become lazy and cowardly and avoid dealing with real crime wherever possible -- preferring instead to harass normal decent people for minor infractions -- particularly offences against political correctness. They are an excellent example of the destruction that can be brought about by Leftist meddling. I also record on this blog much social worker evil -- particularly British social worker evil. The evil is neither negligent nor random. It follows exactly the pattern you would expect from the Marxist-oriented indoctrination they get in social work school -- where the middle class is seen as the enemy and the underclass is seen as virtuous. So social workers are lightning fast to take children away from normal decent parents on the basis of of minor or imaginary infractions while turning a blind eye to gross child abuse by the underclass "In the end every feminism ends up being a machismo with a skirt" -- Pope Francis, February 23, 2019 Racial differences in temperament: Chinese are more passive even as little babies The genetics of crime: I have been pointing out for some time the evidence that there is a substantial genetic element in criminality. Some people are born bad. See here, here, here, here (DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12581) and here, for instance" Gender is a property of words, not of people. Using it otherwise is just another politically correct distortion -- though not as pernicious as calling racial discrimination "Affirmative action" Postmodernism is fundamentally frivolous. Postmodernists routinely condemn racism and intolerance as wrong but then say that there is no such thing as right and wrong. They are clearly not being serious. Either they do not really believe in moral nihilism or they believe that racism cannot be condemned! Postmodernism is in fact just a tantrum. Post-Soviet reality in particular suits Leftists so badly that their response is to deny that reality exists. That they can be so dishonest, however, simply shows how psychopathic they are. So why do Leftists say "There is no such thing as right and wrong" when backed into a rhetorical corner? They say it because that is the predominant conclusion of analytic philosophers. And, as Keynes said: "Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back Children are the best thing in life. See also here. Juergen Habermas, a veteran leftist German philosopher stunned his admirers not long ago by proclaiming, "Christianity, and nothing else, is the ultimate foundation of liberty, conscience, human rights, and democracy, the benchmarks of Western civilization. To this day, we have no other options [than Christianity]. We continue to nourish ourselves from this source. Everything else is postmodern chatter." Consider two "jokes" below: Q. "Why are Leftists always standing up for blacks and homosexuals? A. Because for all three groups their only God is their penis" Pretty offensive, right? So consider this one: Q. "Why are evangelical Christians like the Taliban? A. They are both religious fundamentalists" The latter "joke" is not a joke at all, of course. It is a comparison routinely touted by Leftists. Both "jokes" are greatly offensive and unfair to the parties targeted but one gets a pass without question while the other would bring great wrath on the head of anyone uttering it. Why? Because political correctness is in fact just Leftist bigotry. Bigotry is unfairly favouring one or more groups of people over others -- usually justified as "truth". One of my more amusing memories is from the time when the Soviet Union still existed and I was teaching sociology in a major Australian university. On one memorable occasion, we had a representative of the Soviet Womens' organization visit us -- a stout and heavily made-up lady of mature years. When she was ushered into our conference room, she was greeted with something like adulation by the local Marxists. In question time after her talk, however, someone asked her how homosexuals were treated in the USSR. She replied: "We don't have any. That was before the revolution". The consternation and confusion that produced among my Leftist colleagues was hilarious to behold and still lives vividly in my memory. The more things change, the more they remain the same, however. In Sept. 2007 President Ahmadinejad told Columbia university that there are no homosexuals in Iran. It is widely agreed (with mainly Lesbians dissenting) that boys need their fathers. What needs much wider recognition is that girls need their fathers too. The relationship between a "Daddy's girl" and her father is perhaps the most beautiful human relationship there is. It can help give the girl concerned inner strength for the rest of her life. A modern feminist complains: "We are so far from having it all that we barely even have a slice of the pie, which we probably baked ourselves while sobbing into the pastry at 4am." Patriotism does NOT in general go with hostilty towards others. See e.g. here and here and even here ("Ethnocentrism and Xenophobia: A Cross-Cultural Study" by anthropologist Elizabeth Cashdan. In Current Anthropology Vol. 42, No. 5, December 2001). The love of bureaucracy is very Leftist and hence "correct". Who said this? "Account must be taken of every single article, every pound of grain, because what socialism implies above all is keeping account of everything". It was V.I. Lenin "An objection I hear frequently is: Why should we tolerate intolerance? The assumption is that tolerating views that you dont agree with is like a gift, an act of kindness. It suggests were doing people a favour by tolerating their view. My argument is that tolerance is vital to us, to you and I, because its actually the presupposition of all our freedoms. You cannot be free in any meaningful sense unless there is a recognition that we are free to act on our beliefs, were free to think what we want and express ourselves freely. Unless we have that freedom, all those other freedoms that we have on paper mean nothing" -- SOURCE RELIGION: Antisemitism in the Koran Although it is a popular traditional chant, the "Kol Nidre" should be abandoned by modern Jewish congregations. It was totally understandable where it originated in the Middle Ages but is morally obnoxious in the modern world and vivid "proof" of all sorts of antisemitic stereotypes What the Bible says about the transexual craze: The male-female distinction is the only innate human distinction God cares about: God created mankind in his own image . . . male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27). He created them male and female and blessed them (Genesis 5:2). No ethnic or racial distinction matters in Genesis, only the male-female distinction. What the Bible says about homosexuality: "Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind; It is abomination" -- Lev. 18:22 In his great diatribe against the pagan Romans, the apostle Paul included homosexuality among their sins: "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.... Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them" -- Romans 1:26,27,32. So churches that condone homosexuality are clearly post-Christian Although I am an atheist, I have great respect for the wisdom of ancient times as collected in the Bible. And its condemnation of homosexuality makes considerable sense to me. In an era when family values are under constant assault, such a return to the basics could be helpful. Nonetheless, I approve of St. Paul's advice in the second chapter of his epistle to the Romans that it is for God to punish them, not us. In secular terms, homosexuality between consenting adults in private should not be penalized but nor should it be promoted or praised. In Christian terms, "Gay pride" is of the Devil The homosexuals of Gibeah (Judges 19 & 20) set in train a series of events which brought down great wrath and destruction on their tribe. The tribe of Benjamin was almost wiped out when it would not disown its homosexuals. Are we seeing a related process in the woes presently being experienced by the amoral Western world? Note that there was one Western country that was not affected by the global financial crisis and subsequently had no debt problems: Australia. In September 2012 the Australian federal parliament considered a bill to implement homosexual marriage. It was rejected by a large majority -- including members from both major political parties. The tide turned in 2017, however, with a public vote authorizing homosexual marriage in Australia Religion is deeply human. The recent discoveries at Gobekli Tepe suggest that it was religion not farming that gave birth to civilization. Early civilizations were at any rate all very religious. Atheism is mainly a very modern development and is even now very much a minority opinion "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" - Isaiah 5:20 (KJV) I think it's not unreasonable to see Islam as the religion of the Devil. Any religion that loves death or leads to parents rejoicing when their children blow themselves up is surely of the Devil -- however you conceive of the Devil. Whether he is a man in a red suit with horns and a tail, a fallen spirit being, or simply the evil side of human nature hardly matters. In all cases Islam is clearly anti-life and only the Devil or his disciples could rejoice in that. And there surely could be few lower forms of human behaviour than to give abuse and harm in return for help. The compassionate practices of countries with Christian traditions have led many such countries to give a new home to Muslim refugees and seekers after a better life. It's basic humanity that such kindness should attract gratitude and appreciation. But do Muslims appreciate it? They most commonly show contempt for the countries and societies concerned. That's another sign of Satanic influence. And how's this for demonic thinking?: "Asian father whose daughter drowned in Dubai sea 'stopped lifeguards from saving her because he didn't want her touched and dishonoured by strange men' Islamic terrorism isnt a perversion of Islam. Its the implementation of Islam. It is not a religion of the persecuted, but the persecutors. Its theology is violent supremacism. And where Muslims tell us that they love death, the great Christian celebration is of the birth of a baby -- the monogenes theos (only begotten god) as John 1:18 describes it in the original Greek -- Christmas! No wonder so many Muslims are hostile and angry. They have little companionship from women and not even any companionship from dogs -- which are emotionally important in most other cultures. Dogs are "unclean" Some advice from Martin Luther: Esto peccator et pecca fortiter, sed fortius fide et gaude in christo qui victor est peccati, mortis et mundi: peccandum est quam diu sic sumus. Vita haec non est habitatio justitiae Latina est immortalis On all my blogs, I express my view of what is important primarily by the readings that I select for posting. I do however on occasions add personal comments in italicized form at the beginning of an article. I am rather pleased to report that I am a lifelong conservative. Out of intellectual curiosity, I did in my youth join organizations from right across the political spectrum so I am certainly not closed-minded and am very familiar with the full spectrum of political thinking. Nonetheless, I did not have to undergo the lurch from Left to Right that so many people undergo. At age 13 I used my pocket-money to subscribe to the "Reader's Digest" -- the main conservative organ available in small town Australia of the 1950s. I have learnt much since but am pleased and amused to note that history has since confirmed most of what I thought at that early age. I imagine that the the RD is still sending mailouts to my 1950s address! Germaine Greer is a stupid old Harpy who is notable only for the depth and extent of her hatreds Even Mahatma Gandhi was profoundly unimpressed by Africans http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/42197/20121106-1520/jonjayray.comuv.com/ There are also two blogspot blogs which record what I think are my main recent articles here and here . Similar content can be more conveniently accessed via my subject-indexed list of short articles here or here (I rarely write long articles these days)If the link to one of my articles is not working, the article concerned can generally be viewed by prefixing to the filename the following: Selected pictures from blogs (Backup here Another picture page (Rarely updated)(My frequent reads are starred)Email me here (Hotmail address).The archives provided by blogspot below are rather inconvenient. They break each month up into small bits. If you want to scan whole months at a time, the backup archives will suit better. See here or here by Valerian Kkonde PEARL NEWS SERVICE Electoral Commission Chairman engineer Badru Kiggundu has an uphill task of organising credible elections more so after the public lost trust in him. In their Pastoral Letter on the 2016 General Elections, the Catholic Bishops of Uganda have urged government to shoulder its responsibility of promoting democratic governance in the country. The Bishops appeal comes on the heels of the fast approaching presidential and parliamentary elections slated for February 18, 2016. The Bishops take note of the growing suspicion regarding the conduct of the forthcoming elections, pointing out key concerns like the conduct of Police, the Electoral Commission, vote-rigging, intimidation and bribing of the electorate. All organs of government should perform their duties with utmost diligence and fairness, and ensure no public resources and powers are misused to the detriment of other players and our countrys development. Further more, we ask government to allay the fears of the population regarding Crime Preventers and other pseudo-security agencies. The public needs to know the criteria for recruiting them, their mandate under the various laws and the role they will play during and after the 2016 elections. Crime Preventers were recruited and hastily trained by Police but the general public maintains that these are the ruling partys cadres whose sole aim is to help rig elections, intimidate the electorate and cause violence. Earlier, there was another paramilitary group popularly referred to as the kibooko squad that has been operating with the Police. The kibooko squad has been oppressing the Opposition members and other government critics. It seems that the role of such groups is not clear to the public. Even more confusing is the fact that the groups operate under a registered Non- Government Organisation aligned to the Police Force, called National Crime Preventers Platform. We are afraid if this trend continues, it could give way to violence during and beyond the 2016 elections. Police is not only accused of using excessive power but also usurping powers that belong to other organisations. There is fear that all these could be calculated to undermine the conducting of the election process in a credible and transparent manner. The acrimonious passing of the Public Order Management Act in 2012, which effectively gave powers to the Inspector General of Police to regulate public assembly, has cast the Force in bad faith. For the reason that the law does not provide a clear distinction between authorizing (Article 3) and granting permission, interventions by Police in peaceful assemblies has been greeted with great suspicion and anger, and interpreted as outright interference with the right to assemble which is enshrined in chapter 4 of our national constitution. The Bishops further point out Polices conduct which has led many to conclude that the Force is only working to protect and promote the interests of the ruling party. This too undermines the credibility of the organisation as well as that of the election process. The indiscriminate use of force and preventive interventions in Opposition political activities has particularly created an impression of a Police Force determined to protect and promote the agenda of the ruling party. This kind of perception coming from the very people for whom the Police Force exists is unfortunate. It calls for demonstration of impartiality and maximum restraint on the part of Police in the face of current heightened political environment. One such incidence is the barring of presidential candidates, from the Opposition, from visiting hospitals. Police took to cordoning off the hospitals after presidential candidate Kizza Besigye visited Abim district Hospital and the nurses took him around, exposing the dire state of the facility right in front of the media. It is shameful for a government that has been in power for thirty years to fail to fix the health system but it is not the duty of a Police Force, maintaining law and order, to cover up the rot. Under a democratic dispensation, exposing such failures is one way of reminding the leaders to get the problem fixed. The Bishops also make strong criticism of those intolerant of other peoples views. They point out that although politics, by its nature, may breed conflict there is no justification whatsoever for individuals or groups preventing others from freely exercising their political rights. In our view, intolerance is driven by lack of confidence in oneself, greed and conformist mindset which has no place in civilized political system. We wish to reiterate the fact that opposition, whether within or outside a political party, is an essential aspect of political reality that has basis in our diverse and individualised existence as humans, itself a divine design. Intolerance and suppression of persons who are different only negate this very inevitable truth, hence is immoral. The Bishops Pastoral Letter: Free and Fair Elections; Our common Mission to Consolidating Democratic gains in Uganda, aims at ensuring that the forth coming elections are free and fair. Above all, the elections should not be the reason for disrupting peace in the country. All stakeholders, government in particular, should play their roles in order to protect and promote the common good. For close to a decade now, there have been calls from different actors for comprehensive reforms of the electoral system in a bid to make it more credible, free and fair. Unfortunately, each time attempts are made to effect such reforms, political and personal considerations tend to override the common good. On many occasions, views of minority groups and the wider public have been ignored. Yet, again, history comes with some important lessons for us. Bad elections anywhere can be a recipe for political crisis. This was the case in Uganda in 1980 which we must work hard to avoid. Urging the voters to turn up in big numbers, the Catholic Bishops also remind them to vote for people who have qualities of humility, love and respect. The Bishops further remind the voters to elect people who demonstrate commitment to the countrys common aspirations of restoring the country to the divine path and a life of respect and dignity. There can be no meaningful election without full participation of citizens. The citizenry in our case is empowered by Article 1 of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, which vests power in the people. We therefore, appeal to the citizens of our country to cultivate a strong interest in the forth coming elections and urge the State to provide an enabling environment for the citizens to exercise their right to freely assemble and choose their leaders. Commending all those who have offered themselves for leadership roles, the Bishops urge them to cultivate a sense of dependence on God and allow themselves to be guided by Him in their journeys to leadership. The candidates, at the different levels of leadership, have also been urged to exercise the highest moral standards, a high sense of responsibility in the way they use their words ensuring they do not arouse hatred and violence. If you have a good manifesto that addresses the real needs of the electorate they will cast their votes for you. Vote rigging and intimidation manifest a high sense of greed and disrespect for voters. It shows that you cannot be trusted in both small and big things. Stressing the importance of leadership and service to others, the Bishops make reference to the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church No. 407 and urge the candidates thus: A servant leader is defined on the basis of the passion he or she demonstrates in spearheading the crusade for the dignity of every human person commitment to the common good as the purpose and guiding criterion for political life. If there is no general consensus on these values, the deepest meaning of democracy is lost and its stability is compromised. The media has been urged to open up their doors to all candidates and to mobilise the electorate to participate actively in all activities leading to the elections. The media is also expected to play its critical role of shaping opinion and decision of the electorate, as well as feeding the public on accurate and researched information and not sensation. Foreign exchange students make rural USA their home Pedro Medeira, front, and Lucas Angarita visit the gum wall in Seattle and meet last years exchange student Mathias Loft who came from Denmark to live with Cutshall family for the 2014-2015 school year.(Courtesy photo|Patti Cutshall) NEWPORT Apparently, the dress code at Pablo Rufinos high school in Madrid is a little more lenient than Newport High School. Thursday, Feb. 4 was Pajama Day and the 11th grade student, who originally hails from Spain, wore a tank top with his flannel pants. My teacher said I need to cover up, he says, discreetly showing some of his peers the fashion indiscretion under the hoodie hes wearing. Whats wrong with this? Rommy Ribabeneira, a senior from Quito, Ecuador, holds up the first three fingers on her right hand and presses them to her left shoulder. Your straps have to be at least this wide, she explains to Rufino. Rufino is not entirely convinced. He points out several other male students walking past that are all in tank tops. So how is this less acceptable than that? he poses in a teenagers questioning of authority. I dont get it. He and Ribabeneira are joined in the cafeteria by sophomore Sara Til of Majorca, Spain, and senior Leo Fernandez of Curitiba, Brazil. There are five foreign exchange students living in Newport for the 2015-2016 school year. There are also four foreign exchange students attending Cusick High School. Each student is placed with a host family that lives in the area. They are part of the U.S. State Departments Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program, designed to allow high school students the opportunity to live and study in another country. The students apply, are tested and chosen for the program in their home country. While they can choose which country they want to live in, where they are placed in that country depends on the program and who is willing to host exchange students. The host families do not receive any money to care for the students, and must pass a background check. Its not like you just say that you want a kid and they go ahead and lump one in with you, says Patti Cutshall of Cusick. She and her husband, Mark, are in their third year of hosting foreign exchange students. This year, they have a guest from Bogota, Columbia, and another from Curitiba, Brazil. You are responsible for this person for the school year you have to make sure you can get along with one another and understand that there will most likely be some cultural differences that you have to work out. However, those differences are part of the reward of hosting too. Youre getting first-hand insight into how someone else lives. Its too easy to get caught up in your own small bubble and think that everyone thinks like you do. The group of students that sat down to talk with The Miner last Thursday was absent a student from Thailand, who did not attend, but the rest readily offered their observations about living in small town U.S.A. People know you here, says Til. In Spain, we are much more reserved and keep to ourselves. Here, everyone knows everyone, and they know your business. Which can be good and not so good, says Fernandez, smiling. The teens agreed that they appreciated the effort their North American teachers made to get to know all their students, and to be their friends as well as their mentors. You dont get that in Spain, Rubino says. In my school at home theres like, 2,000 students. Teachers dont have time to try and know whats going with you. Ribabeneira agrees, saying teachers in her school in Quito (Ecuadors capitol) are much more strict and severe. She and Fernandez both attend schools in their respective countries where uniforms are a required part of the wardrobe. It does make getting dressed a lot easier, Fernandez says. But then, I still have five different pairs of pants for my uniform so you could say Im wearing something different every day. The winter weather in Northeast Washington has also been a treat to a few of the students and a bit of nuisance for some. Since they all hail from warmer climates, opinions seemed to be split down the middle between enchanted and slightly irritated. Its so beautiful, Til says of this seasons snowfall. Majorca is the largest island in the Balearic Islands archipelago, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean Sea. Suffice to say, snow is not in the normal weather patterns, even in winter. Its cold, Ribabeneira remarks, flatly. Well, put on a thicker sweater, Til playfully teases back. School dances are not a thing, except in Ecuador, where the only formal dance is senior prom and only seniors are allowed to go, says Ribabeneira. Instead teenagers go to parties or clubs, where local police keep a watchful eye, but do not interfere unless they are needed. The legal driving age in Ecuador, Brazil and Spain is 18, and the majority of people utilize public transportation. Relations between male and female peers in the United States are also something that the group seems to find amusing. The students concurred that teenagers being a couple didnt have so much emphasis in their home countries as it appears to in the United States. People take that really seriously here, observes Rufino. Everyone has dated each other, but here its like date means you are actually together, like youre married or something, which is weird. Its not like youre alone, but theres not this pressure to call it something, Fernandez says of how the opposite genders interact in Brazil. You can hang out with girls who are your friends, and they can hang out with boys who are their friends, and its not like a big deal. Its like, come on, youre only 16 are you really in a hurry to figure out who youre going to spend the rest of your life with? While the group admitted they have had some less than stellar inquiries about their countries and culture (Do you eat dogs? and Are you sure youre not Mexican? are a few that have been posed to them), on the whole, they have developed a fondness for their new host country, and say they wont be ready to return home when the end of the school year comes in June. Id like to see my family, but I know that after a month Id be ready to come back (to the U.S.), says Ribabeneira. People here are so friendly and open, and theres so much to see. Ribabeneira has plans to host her Newport sister Sammy Siemsen, on a trip to Ecuador over the summer. Til is gearing up for a vacation to Arizona over Spring Break and Rufino longs to see one of the big American cities that have woven their way into popular culture and history. Id love to go to New York City and just be surrounded by it, Rufino says. Just hug all the buildings and see the people. If people can host a foreign exchange student, Cutshall urges them to do so. Since her own children graduated from high school about four years ago, she and Mark have opened their home to students from Italy and Denmark. In fact, their exchange student from Denmark is scheduled to come visit them soon. I guess we just werent ready to be empty nesters, chuckles Cutshall. Really though, its been a lot of fun, and well probably do it again. Love the article on Gaddaf i Samosa Iyoha Hello from Johannesburg I was amazed to find a website for Africans in Hungary . Looks like you have quite a community there. Here in SA we have some three million Zimbabweans living in exile and not much sign of going home ... but in Hungary??? Hope to meet you on one of my trips to Europe; was in Steirmark Austria near the Hungarian border earlier this month. Every good wish for 2011. Geoff in Jo'burg I'm impressed by ANH work but... Interesting interview... My comment to the interview with his excellency Mr. Adedotun Adenrele Adepoju CDA a.i-- B.Ayo Adams click to read editor's mail We must rise above tribalism & divide & rule of the colonialist who stole & looted our treasure & planted their puppets to lord it over us..they alone can decide on whosoever is performing & the one that is corrupt..but the most corrupt nations are the western countries that plunder the resources of other nations & make them poorer & aid the rulers to steal & keep such ill gotten wealth in their country..yemen,syria etc have killed more than gadhafi but its not A good investment for the west(this is laughable)because oil is not in these countries..when obasanjo annihilated the odi people in rivers state, they looked away because its in their favour & interest..one day!I think from what have been said, the Nigerian embassy here seem to be more concern about its nationals than we are for ourselves. Our complete disregard for the laws of Hungary isn't going to help Nigeria's image or going to promote what the Embassy is trying to showcase. So if the journalists could zoom-in more focus on Nigerians living, working and studying here in Hungary than scrutinizing the embassy and its every move, i think it would be of tremendous help to the embassy serving its nationals better and create more awareness about where we live . Taking the issues of illicit drugs and forged documents as typical examples.. there are so many cases of Nigerians been involved. But i am yet to read of it in e.news. So i think if only you and your journalists could write more about it and follow up on the stories i think it will make our nationals more aware of what to expect. I wouldn't say i am not impressed with your work but you need to be more of a two way street rather than a one way street . Keep up the good work... SylviaHe is an intelligent man. He spoke well on the issues! Thanks to Mr Hakeem Babalola for the interview it contains some expedient information.. Pisces Sportfishing Fleet is based out of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America. From: marrim abdel < mirramabdel1@hotmail.com > Sent: Thu, Feb 4, 2016 8:15 am Subject: I wait your reply impatiently Hello my dearest, Please with due respect and in the name of God. Firstly I thank you so much; inline with the message, which I have sent to you, I am more than happy in your reply to my mail. How is every thing over there in your country,i believe that you are in good health, and the atmosphere over there in your country is very nice today? Mine is a little bit warm over here in U. A. E United Arab Emirates. My name is (Mirram Abdel ) From Libya in North Africa, i am (24 years old) but age doesn't matter in a real relationship, I am from (Libya,) 5.2ft tall, fair in complexion single,(never married ) and presently i am residing here in U.A.E as a result of the war that happened in my country which i was escaped to this country United Arab Emirates were i am under refugee camp. My late father MAJOR GENERAL, (ABDEL FATTAH YOUNES). My late father He held the rank of Major General and the post of Minister of Interior, but resigned on 22nd February 2011 to defect the rebel in Libyan civil war. My father was killed by members of an anti-Gaddafi military on 28th July 2011. When rebels anti-Gaddafi military troupe attacked our house one early morning killing my parents. Equally my mother was six months pregnant and she was a senior lecturer at the university before her death, it's only me that is alive now because I am the only child to my parents, and I managed to make my way with the help of UN to United Arab Emirates, where I am leaving now as refugee. My hobbies are swimming ,dancing, singing,reading,watching movies and discussing politics. In my next mail I will tell you more about myself. I wait your reply impatiently Thanks Mirram . From: marrim abdel < mirramabdel1@hotmail.com > Sent: Tue, Feb 9, 2016 1:42 pm Subject: My dearest, i have a lot to tell you My dearest, How is your day? i hope you are fine? like i told you in my previous mail that I was born in Libya and went to English school in Costa Rica. Right now, as i am writing to you, i am the only person alive in my family, and I managed to make my way to this country (United Arab Emirates) with the help United Nation,where i am leaving now as a refugee under the care of a Rev. Father, Peter Vim who is the priest of the ( Saint-Louis Roman Catholic Church (United Arab Emirates) here in the charity home, he has been very nice to me since I came here but i am not living with him rather i live in the female's hostel because the charity home have two hostels one for men the other for women. Please do not be offended for this message that comes from me please, its just that i don't know what else to do, because my situation here as a refugee is giving me a great concern, therefore, i will like you to consider my situation as an orphan, and be kind with me, as i am putting the whole of my trust on you without fear, though i don't know who you are before, but i believe that with God all things are possible and you can not betray me at the end. I have pass this information to you because of my difficult situation here in this Charity home, Its just like one staying in the prison and i hope by God's grace i will come out here soon. I don't have any relatives now whom i can go to, all my relatives ran away in the middle of the war the only person i have now is the Rev Fr. Peter vim , who is our guardian. The Rev father Tel number is +971522109936 I will like you call, please tell him that you wants to speak with me Miss. Fatima Abdel from Libya he will send for me in the hostel to come and talk with you. Here in this camp I am sending you email through the church office computer at the Rev Farther office. Because As a refugee here we don't have any right or privilege to any thing be it money, phone, computer, or whatever because it is against the law of this country. I want to go back to my studies because I only attended my first year before the tragic incident that lead to me being in this bad situation. I was present when i saw my mother killed with six months pregnant. Please listen to this ( because it's a secret, even no one knows about it except you and i knows about this). I have my late father's death certificate here with me, which i will send to you later, because when he was alive he deposited some amount of money in one of the leading banks in Europe which he used my name as the next of kin, the total amount, is $ 3.7 million Us Dollars (Three Million Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars) So I will like you to help me to transfer this money to your account and from it you can send some money for me to get my traveling documents and air ticket to come over to meet you in your country. I kept this secret to people in the camp here the only person that knows about it is you and me. So i will like you to keep it to yourself as secret and don't tell it to anyone because i am afraid of loosing my life and the money if people gets to know about it. Meanwhile i want to return to my religion Islam, because here i am taken care by catholic church refugee. Remember i am giving you all this information due to the trust i deposed on you. I like honest and understanding people,truthful and people that have vision, hardworking and God fearing person. My favorite language is English and i speak English very fluently. can i trust you as a genuine friend ? Meanwhile i will like you to call me like i said, i have a lot to tell you. Have a nice day and think about my condition here Awaiting to hear from you soonest Thanks and remain blessed. yours Mirram. From: marrim abdel < mirramabdel1@hotmail.com > Sent: Thu, May 12, 2016 2:39 pm Subject: Hello, my dearest, I want to send my gold to you through courier service Hello, my dearest Something happened in the refugee camp today which i am shock of it till now, i can't stay here anymore or i will loose my life, i have think of possible means to be free from this camp, i think it's time for me to reveal this secret i have been keeping for long because i wanted to surprise you with it, I manage to escape with my late father's gold that he kept for saves, he told me about it and where he kept it in save, my father said he bought the gold at$50,000/kg and the total of it is 5 kg which is about 250,000 dollars, I want to send it to you through courier service with the help of the girl that work in rev. father's office named Eunice, i know that if the get me with this gold it will be a very big problem for me but i will be careful, i have explain to the girl and she promise to help me send it to you, i will need this details below to enable her send it to you, she has ask and this information below is what the courier service need, Receiver's full names? Country? State and city? home or office address? Mobil phone number? Send this address to me as fast as possible so that she will send the gold tomorrow, once you receive it let me know, i want you to sell it then send me some money from it so get my traveling documents ready and buy flight ticket then when i arrive to your country we will finish everything about the transfer found, i will wait to hear from you. Thanks Mirram From: marrim abdel < mirramabdel1@hotmail.com > Sent: Sun, May 15, 2016 1:04 pm Subject: I will send you the gold for you to sell it Hello dear, did you read my message? if really you need me you should have to something to get me out of here, i will wait for your address so thatI will send you the gold for you to sell it and send me some money to get my traveling documents, have a nice day. Yours mirram 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.... SOUTH GLENS FALLS Navjeet Chawla is back, and hes reopening his convenience store. On Monday, he and his former employees hauled out bags of rotting meat, moldy bread and expired drinks. Then on Tuesday they decontaminated the deli section, taking out every bin and even the paper labels. When they got down to the stainless steel, they started scrubbing, a task made more complicated by the fact that the village hasnt yet restored water service to the store. National Grid has turned the power back on. By Tuesday afternoon, the store smelled strongly of cleaning products but nothing else. Chawla is hoping to reopen soon. Im back. Ive gotten my crew back. I would like to get my customers back, he said. It seems people will quickly forgive his long absence. At lunchtime Tuesday, five people came in, hoping he was selling subs. The store at the corner of routes 9 and 32 in South Glens Falls closed suddenly last fall, before Halloween. Chawla was nowhere to be found, and for months, made no contact with local officials. Rumors flew about where he might be and why he might have left. The only thing for certain was that, around the time the store closed, law enforcement seized $48,000 from Chawla, who was on his way to India. He faces a civil case in New York City, where he is trying to get that money back. Court records indicate it was taken from him because the large amount of cash was considered suspicious, possibly the product of drug sales. Chawla was not charged with any crimes, but to get the money back he must prove it was earned legally. Chawla said that seizure, which he did not want to discuss in detail, spooked his store manager. She texted him about the cash seizure while he was in India, where he was handling a family emergency that he also declined to discuss. Its not clear how she knew about the seizure. Court records indicate nothing was seized from his store. She told him she was closing the store, and that he could pick up the keys from her when he returned. He sent another employee to collect the keys from her and reopen the store, he said. Employee Peggy Bennett said she stopped by the managers house twice, but the manager wasnt there, so she couldnt retrieve the keys. So the store stayed closed. I was stuck in India for personal reasons, Chawla said. An employee who had the keys decided not to open the store. She just closed the store, because of the civil case against me, texted me, I have the keys, get them back when you get back. He added that he could have returned to the United States at any time, because hes a permanent resident here. But he had to resolve a situation in New Delhi first. He flew back here just days after South Glens Falls officials said they might declare the Route 9 store a health hazard. But he said the two events were not linked. I took care of it. Thats why Im back, he said of the situation that brought him to India. He lost a lot not only the profits from the last few months, but also all the stock he had to throw out. All of the deli meat and bread, as well as all the chips and other bread-related products, had to be discarded. Ice cream melted when the power was turned off. He even had to throw out all the beer and soda, he said. They have an expiration too, he said. Everything is trashed out, dumped. He also must build bridges with vendors who left notices pleading for him to contact them after his disappearance. The front door had three messages on it, including one from his Lottery vendor, asking for help from anyone with access to the building, because workers needed to take back the Lottery equipment. So far, one of his vendors has agreed to restore his contract, Chawla said. I had a very big vendor who said, OK, lets start again, he said. Hes not sure what day hell be able to reopen. He expects to do so soon. EASTON Confederate flags will continue to be welcome at sale booths at this summers Washington County Fair, the fair board has decided. The board will finish writing a press release announcing its decision Wednesday night, at its monthly meeting. The fair is a private nonprofit company but opens its meetings to the public. Greenwich residents Ann Townsend and Cliff Oliver Mealy, who asked the board to ban the sale of the flags, plan to attend the meeting to lodge an official objection. Townsend said she wasnt surprised when she learned the vendor rules would not change. I didnt particularly expect them to rule in my favor, she said. Freedom of speech kind of trumps everything else for people. She argued that selling the image of the Confederate flag isnt a speech issue. If people were simply coming to the fair in flag-adorned clothing, she wouldnt object, she said. It would have been different because theyre individually expressing their opinions, she said. The official act of selling items is what bothers her. This way, I feel the county fair is sanctioning a point of view I find appalling, she said. In response to the sales, she wants to run an exhibition booth at this years fair, showcasing the countys history during the Civil War and the civil rights movement. Board President Harry Booth said the fair board had made its decision, but wouldnt discuss it until everyone agreed to the proper wording at Wednesdays meeting. As for the proposed history booth, fair spokeswoman Ida Williams said the board is still taking applications for booths. This spring, a committee will review the applications, giving preference to returning vendors. But that doesnt mean a new booth cant get in. We look for diversity in what we have to offer fairgoers, she said. If they put in an application, then itll be reviewed. She added that its not fair for the county board to be forced to pick sides in the controversy. This really should not be brought to the fair. This is a political decision, she said. She noted that California in 2014 decided to ban the state sale of the image, although any private business or individual can sell the flag. Last year, South Carolina stopped flying the Confederate flag on the grounds of its Capitol in response to sweeping criticism about the flags history. Other states decided to stop displaying the flag officially, and several major retailers stopped selling it on the grounds that it was offensive to customers. At the Washington County Fair, the image of the flag has been sold by vendors for years, on everything from shirts to belt buckles. The image was one of the top sellers last year, following the controversy. But Townsend was surprised to see the flag being prominently flown at a vendors booth. She quickly made a sign and tried to protest in front of the booth. Her sign said, Slavery: Lets vilify it, not glorify it. The booth owner argued with her, saying, If you think this is about slavery, you dont know anything about this, she said. Then fair officials told her to leave, she said. She protested for a couple of hours outside the fair, next to the fair sign. KINGSBURY The latest estimate for the completion of the new Town Hall, which will allow Hudson River Music Hall to buy the current building and begin rehabilitating the Strand Theater, is now sometime in March. Every time I come up with a date, something happens, and it gets pushed back, Town Board member Paul Bromley said at Mondays board meeting. Bromley is coordinating the renovation of a former pediatricians office at 6 Michigan St. into the new Town Hall. But everything is going apace. The insulation is done, and we have blown the cellular insulation up above the new courthouse. The drywall is done on the stairs to the basement in the courthouse. To save money, the town is coordinating the work itself, hiring workers and have Bromley, who has a great deal of building experience, serve as the site manager. In the middle of next week, the drywall will be done, we will paint and prime, do the windows and get the floor down, he said. We dont want to do the doors until the floor is done. After that is complete, Bromley said, workers will need to do the lighting and install the handicapped railing. He said the fiber-optic lines are already connected. It will all come together pretty quickly, he said. Bromley noted the town has spent $280,000 on the new Town Hall, including $225,000 on the courthouse portion. The town has received a $30,000 grant from the state for the courthouse addition. Original plans called for the project to be done late last year, but delays and the additional of the courthouse portion changed that timetable. The move will merge the town and village courthouse systems. Finishing the Town Hall and moving the offices are the key to the town being able to complete the sale of the current Town Hall, located at 210 Main St. in the village of Hudson Falls, to Hudson River Music Hall. The current Town Hall contains what is left of the Strand Theater, and the Music Hall is working to raise money and find grant funding to re-open the theater and use other parts of the building for commercial space. In order for the Music Hall to close on the building, the Town Hall move needs to be completed. The town has the ability to borrow up to $650,000, but Town Board officials said they have funding from other sources and will not borrow more than $500,000. The town sold the Town Hall building to the Hudson River Music Hall for $175,000, and bought the Michigan Street site for $185,000. The Strand Building Committee hopes to begin construction sometime in 2017 and will be looking for donations and grants for the project, which is estimated at a $4 million to $7 million project. CHESTER The North Warren Central school board on Monday formally hired Michele French to become its next superintendent. French was given a four-year contract at a salary of $120,000 and will start July 1. French is returning to the roughly 540-student district where she worked for 18 years. She left in September 2014 to become the K-12 principal of Bolton Central School. She was not at the meeting Monday, because she was giving a presentation in Bolton. North Warren school board President John Maday read a statement from her, saying she looks forward to working with the staff, students and community and with Interim Superintendent Bernard McCann to ensure a smooth transition. Maday said they compromised on the length of the contract. State law requires school districts to give superintendents a minimum of a three-year contract. French had asked for five years. We met in the middle, he said. The board had reached out to French to see if she would return. Board members said they liked Frenchs roots in the community, her knowledge of special education issues and her ability to get along with staff, faculty and students. French had been a finalist during the search that led to the appointment of Peg Brady, who resigned in June after about 18 months on the job. French said Tuesday that she is looking forward to returning to the district where she spent the first two-thirds of her career. I really would like to give back to my community and help lead the school in a continued positive direction, she said. French served as assistant superintendent for instruction from 2011-14. Before that, she spent five years as an assistant principal and chairwoman of the committee on special education. She started at the district as a reading and math remediation teacher before moving into administration. Before coming to North Warren, she also taught at Berlin and Valley Central school districts. GLENS FALLS The union that represents Glens Falls Police officers has asked Mayor Jack Diamond to meet with union leadership to discuss the effects of consolidation of the police department. Glens Falls Police Benevolent Association President Jarred Smith proposed that Diamond and members of the Common Council sit down with union leaders to discuss aspects of consolidation that the PBA does not believe are well understood. The union has gone on record as being opposed to consolidation. Union President Jarred Smith said the costs, effects on police service and lengthy legal processes have not been fully explored by city leaders proposing the Warren County Sheriffs Office take over policing duties in the city. In particular, the union believes response times to calls would be slowed, he said. Smith, a patrol officer with the police department, sent an email to the mayor and members of the council on Friday, a copy of which was obtained by The Post-Star. He said he had not gotten a response from any of them as of early Tuesday afternoon. All we are looking for is to open the lines of communication, he said. I want them to appreciate that its a process, not just a waving of the wand and its done. Consolidation of the police department has been discussed on and off for years, with Diamond resurrecting the discussion last fall by proposing a 15-year series of payments to the county of between $1.3 million and $1.4 million for the Sheriffs Office to take over police duties. County supervisors rejected the proposal last month because the payments cover only about a third of the police department budget, and the Common Council has not approved consolidation. Diamond said the PBA would be involved in discussions if they progress, but he would like to have financial numbers firmed up before meeting with the union. Ive been very open with the PBA throughout this process, he said. He said the big question is whether the city and county can agree on the finances of a transfer of policing powers, and there was no reason to begin discussions with the union without such an agreement. First Ward Councilman Jim Campinell said the council planned to authorize the mayor to make a new proposal to Warren County, and any additional discussions would take place after the county answers it. We want to see how Warren County responds to that before we go any further, he said. The Common Council was expected to discuss the consolidation issue at its meeting Tuesday night. The meeting agenda listed a resolution authorizing the Mayor to negotiate with the Warren County Board of Supervisors a plan for consolidation of the Glens Falls Police Department into the Warren County Sheriffs Department, with any resulting agreement subject to approval by both the Common Council and the Warren County Board of Supervisors. A report on the meeting will be filed Wednesday. It had been a while since I heard about the two airplanes that were seen, parked within the property belonging to Tiong Nam Logistics Solu... 2* Southern Illinois +4 (Winner): Southern Illinois won their first meeting against Indiana State at home by a decent margin. Maybe Indiana State is looking for revenge? Maybe, but Southern Illinois has lost it's last 4 straight game and they will be pumped up. They know they need a win here against a team they already beat. They'll come out strong tonight. SIU is the play. 2* Missouri State +12.5 (Loss): Missouri State beat Northern Iowa earlier this season at home. UNI know they can beat this team, but I have a feeling they are going to sleep on this game. Why's that? because they have white hot Wichita State next. I think UNI thinks they are going to just roll this MOSU team and have a few days to focus on Wichita. I'll take the points with Missouri State tonight. 2* Texas Tech +2.5 (Winner): Texas Tech is a good team. They lost at Iowa State by 7 and they get them again at home tonight. Texas Tech could be an upset team come conference tourney time. I usually try to stay away from the Big 12 conference because they all just beat each other. However, that is kind of the reason I'm playing this game. 2* Richmond -6 (Winner): Just a much better ball team than St. Louis. These teams haven't met this year. I have Richmond valued by double digits. Laying the 6 should be just fine. KEEP IN MIND: When I say "or better" it usually indicates that I have a strong feeling the public will be moving the line in the right direction. Keep an eye out for that. BOL guys! Twitter: @BetDesk Crime, Supernatural and Adventure fiction. Obscure, Forgotten and Well Worth Reading. 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 READ MORE No reason was given for the redrawal. "The onus for ensuring safety and security of individuals and property in any country, and therefore restoring safety and security to the site, lies with the authorities," AGA said in a press statement. Mines in Ghana are protected by the military following a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ghana Army and the Chamber of Mines, on behalf of its members. The company said it has withdrawn all "employees performing non-essential functions from its Obuasi Gold Mine, following the incursion of hundreds of illegal miners inside the fenced operational areas of the site since 5 February 2016." A conditional Investment Agreement between AGA and Randgold Resources Limited was terminated by the latter in December last year, saying it does not " Meet the company's criteria". The government submitted proposals to parliament to repel the law following public backlash after banks sent out text messages to customers informing them about the new law. Revenue loss The repel of the one percent withholding tax is likely to cost the country six million Ghana cedis. However, Chairman of Parliament's Finance Committee James Klutse Avedzi said the ministry will introduce measures in the supplementary budget to address the shortfall. Contempt charges The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) unilaterally announced the suspension of the 1% withholding tax in a press statement even before the finance minister went to parliament. However, the ranking Member of Parliament for Old Tafo Dr. Anthony Osei Akoto questioned the basis on which the GRA suspended the 1% withholding tax, accusing it of being in comtempt of Parliament. READ MORE The ranking member of parliament's Finance Committee told Accra based Class Fm in an interview that nobody can change a law passed by parliament, and that if anyone wants to make amendments to a law, they must come to parliament. A law is a law and nobody, except parliament, can amend it, he said. "In essence, the GRA is in contempt of Parliament." Backtrack Government backtracked on the one percent withholding tax three days after it came into effect. A statement by the finance ministry said that the government had taken note of the concerns of taxpayers and the general public on some provisions of the Act, particularly those relating to withholding tax on the provision of services and the payment of tax on interests paid to individuals. On the issue of the imposition of a 1% tax on interest earned by individuals, Government has already submitted proposals to Parliament to reverse the position, the statement said. The essence of the withholding tax regime on services is to improve tax compliance. It is not a final tax but a payment on account. Therefore, the increase in withholding tax on services to 15 per cent is to encourage taxpayers to file their returns, after which they will be entitled to a credit for the amount withheld, the statement explained further Presidential assent In order to achieve this, government adopted the fiscal consolidation drive which saw the removal of fuel subsidies, cut public- sector employment and an insistence on State Owned Institutions to borrow on their own books. Three years on, Ghanaians have been wondering if their sacrifices have yielded any results. Budget Deficit Reduction In a press briefing Tuesday, Seth Terkper declared the fiscal consolidation measures a success so far, pointing out the " drastically" reduced budget deficit as one of the visible signs of an economic turnaround. According to Mr. Terkper, " The fiscal consolidation measures have ensured the reduction of our budget deficit. We had a deficit of nearly 12% in 2013 and that was what we were looking resolve. Now the deficit stands at 7.3%, a clear indication that fiscal consolidation measures are being successfu. We are now looking at a target of 4.5% and 5%." Single Spine and Payroll Issues Another measure of success for government's fiscal consolidation measures, according Mr. Terkper, is the Single Spine Pay Structure and Payroll Issues. In 2012 when the Single Spine Pay Policy was implemented, Ghana's wage bill stood at 65% of total tax revenue, which was a concern to government. Furthermore, government's inability to migrate all workers onto the scheme at the same time sparked numerous labor strikes and agitations. Today, Mr. Terkper says the labour agitations have reduced drastically, as well as the burden of the wage bill on the budget. Debt Accumulation Rate Although, the country's debt currently stands at 48 million Ghana Cedis, Mr Terkper said the rate at which government is accumulating debt has decreased. " Ghana's debt to GDP before HIPC was over hundred percent. And after HIPC, when the debt reduced totally, we started accumulating debt at an alarming rate, up until 2014 when the rate got alarming. But the good news about our fiscal consolidation measures is that the rate of accumulation has decreased" Mr. Terkper said in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show Wednesday morning. When asked if interest payments do not defeat his assertion, Seth Terkper conceded that interest payment is a problem which is compounded by the country's foreign exchange situation. " One of the main threats to our debt today, is not the rate of accumulation as I said before, but the foreign exchange rate. The exchange rate is the main reason why we pay more in servicing our debt", he said. MET Insurance company has finally assumed the name Hollard Insurance after a takeover process that has been in the offing for some years now. In a soiree held Tuesday night to make the special announcement, management of MET Insurance expressed delight at the major step taken by the two companies. The two companies are no strangers to each other. Before the takeover, MET and Hollard collaborated in a Joint Venture that led to the development and distribution of Bancassurance products through Barclays Bank Ghana. The occasion was graced by the Board of Directors of Hollard Ghana, the Commissioner of the National Insurance Commission, Lydia Bawa, Senior Management of Hollard International, the South African High Commissioner to Ghana, as well as senior executives of corporate Ghana. Also present for the unveiling was ex-CEO of Hollard Ghana Kwame Gazo Agbenyadzie, in whose tenure talks of a partnership commenced. As a result of the Barclays venture, MET, IVM and Hollard have been in discussions for some time regarding the formalisation of a relationship beneficial to all concerned. MET Insurance, in their search for a worthy partner, wanted a shareholder that offers both the skills and expertise to allow the company flourish without diluting its existing corporate culture and reputation in the market. CEO of Hollard Ghana, Linda Oduro emphasized the company's delight in undertaking the takeover which she describes as a "favourable partnership" not only for the experience Hollard brings to the market. READ MORE: French business delegation in Ghana to explore business opportunities He said Ghana is interested in boosting its trade relations with France, adding there are 60 French companies doing business in the country in various sectors - banking, finance, petroleum, agriculture, transport and construction. On the economy, Vice President Amissah-Arthur said government is working hard to address the short term challenges the economy is facing. The French business delegation is led by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Municipal Council of Bordeaux. The visit is a spin-off from a series of successful meetings held between a group of Ghanaian corporate, municipal and academic delegates and their Paris counterparts during President John Dramani Mahamas trip to France in October, 2015. Most of the affected teachers are from the 2013 and 2014 batch of newly trained teachers from the Colleges of Education, as well as teachers on promotions who were paid only three months of their salary arrears. In a statement signed by the Public Relations Officers of the unpaid teachers, Wisdom Nyahe said "We are hereby informing or reminding you that we your members ( 2013 and 2014 batches of teachers not forgetting the pending 2015 batch ) have worked for government for 12 good months without pay and in anticipation of payment with arrears: the costs we incurred in those 12 months, the loans we took to survive, the goods we credited, the travelling expenses to our stations in and out, the rents we owe." Read more: Senior High Schools given green light to recruit teachers Read the statement below: VOICE OF UNPAID TEACHERS A PLEA FOR YOUR CONCERN TEACHER UNIONS (GNAT, NAGRAT, CCT , TEWU etc) We are not writing this letter with even an atom of happiness in our hearts. We would have taught that it never comes to the point of writing this letter but we probably got it all wrong thinking you are there 24/7 keeping watch over our welfare. We cannot ascertain the degree of importance you attached to our welfare and security issues or the actual benefits of being a member of a union with monthly contribution if youre cannot fight for us to get what is legally and genuinely ours. We know you are very smart and sharp when it comes to securing our signatures to be your members which you do even before we complete school or get our appointment letters. We taught that same smartness is what you will employ and apply when it comes to our welfare and security issues but NO !!!!! Ever since we joined the teaching fraternity and become automatic members of one of you ( either by our own consent or by force ), we have encountered numerous problems ranging from poor conditions of work, unfavorable government policies, unnecessary government interruption, too long duration for upgrading after posting and now more suicidal non-payment of arrears policy for which we your members have starved and worked for. These we counted on you to lead the front to fight for our better treatment but we have now begin to realise that you are only interested in our monthly dues for business purposes without placing first premium on the aims and objective of the union you communicated to us before we joined you. Perhaps you are siding with government to infringe on our occupational rights and suppress our progress the likely benefits which might have blinded your eye over your duties as welfare protection unions. Our primary reason for writing this letter is not to discredit any effort you might have done earlier in fight for these arrears or any general protection and welfare fight you might have fought for teachers as unions. This write-up only aims to register our displeasure about how you are not showing enough concern to help us get our salary arrears. We are hereby informing or reminding you that we your members ( 2013 and 2014 batches of teachers not forgetting the pending 2015 batch ) have worked for government for 12 good months without pay and in anticipation of payment with arrears: the costs we incurred in those 12 months, the loans we took to survive, the goods we credited, the travelling expenses to our stations in and out, the rents we owe, the inferior things we ate due to lack of money and heavy debt, the good people we disappointed, the phone calls we dodged, the good name we lost and the endless list of traumatic experiences we had to endure trusting that one day the much waited salary with arrears will come to wash down all the filth that accumulated on us as a result of the delayed payment to relieve us to pick calls our families and creditors and to restore our image only to be told that only 3 months of our salary arrears will be paid and the remaining 9 months be paid after we fill forms which did not make clear meaning to us. We expected you ( teacher unions ) to ask questions on our behalf and assure us of our money from the response you might have gotten from government but we are yet to see any sign of date. See related: Teacher motivation allowance abolished We even complied by filling the forms at the IPPD departments of the various Education Offices but over 2 years now for ( 2013 batch ) and over one year now for ( 2014 batch) nothing has since then been heard. Now the wait is over and our patience has completely ran out. Our hope seems to be dashing away and our trust in you is getting betrayed. Therefore we are starting the search for our genuine money not behind you but through you. Not without you but with you. See also: We hope that as we always promise to protect our welfare you use this test to deliver your promise. We also humbly ask for your advice, directions and steps we should take to claim our money with your full support if government fails also is reluctant to do what is just and fair by giving to Caesar what is Caesar. We kindly want to see or hear something from you in relation to this call in terms of actions you take concerning this letter before or on 30th May, 2016. If by the end of this time we have not heard anything positive or seen our monies in our accounts we will take it that you are no more there for us and we will use any means legally available to demand our money until the monies finally hit the accounts of the affected teachers to restore our lost image.Counting on our usual cooperation. Mr JB Danquah was stabbed by an unknown assailant (s) at his Shiashie residence in Accra, prompting the police to launch an investigation. Read more: NPP politicians in shock over death of colleague It is suspected that the assailant used a ladder to climb to a roof linking to a terrace and then entered the MP's bedroom through a window before stabbing him. "Im so worried. My condolences to the children and the wife," he said. "This is a tragedy and Im hoping that the police will do a good job to find who is responsible and allow the law to take its course. It will be good for all of us if those responsible for this crime are caught," Nana Addo noted. Meanwhile, five people have been arrested in connection with the death of the MP. See also: Five arrested in relation to death of MP According to Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Afia Tenge, two women and three men have been arrested, including a private security guard who was at the residence when the MP was killed for questioning. Also the party has described the "bloody murder" of its MP for Abuakwa North as "shocking." The acting national chairman Freddie Blay said the party "is in a state of shock". "There's a culture of silence among relatives often when a child is withdrawn from school or a child is married off into a forced marriage. And we need to establish systems that alert the authorities," he stated. "...That is the kind of action we must take. School authorities must watch out. If a girl stops coming to school, ring the alarm bells, try and find out where the child is and alert the authorities as early as possible so that we can prevent them from being married off, he said. Why should you be forced to marry somebody you have no affection for, and especially a child. If my daughter is below 18 and somebody attempted to marry her off, I probably will be in prison; I will commit murder," the president added. Ghana has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates in the world. The Ghana Demographic and Health Survey in 2008 indicated that about 25 per cent of women aged between 20 and 24 years were married or were in union before age 18. The Upper East Region has the highest rate of forced marriages in the country which is at 50 per cent followed by the Upper West Region with 39 per cent while the Greater Accra Region has the least which is 11 per cent. Her visit was also to sensitise the region on the Creative Arts Bill currently in parliament before it will be passed. In this regard, the Central region, she said, would have a secretariat which will educate members of the creative arts on the Bill. Members of the Creative Arts in the region were also urged to draft proposals which will enable them access the funds in their region. The Creative Arts industry has, over the years, been complaining of being relegated to the background by governments in terms of funding support for their activities. The late JB Danquah Adu incident was murdered around 1.00 am on February 9, 2016 at his Shiashie residence in Accra. Information gathered at the scene suggested that thekiller(s) used a ladder to get into the house, through a window which is not burglar proof. Meanwhile, five people have been arrested in connection with the death of Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu. The Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Afia Tenge, said two women and three men have been arrested, including a private security guard who was at the residence when the MP was killed. According to ASP Afia Tenge, the police had a distress call at 1.25 am on Tuesday, adding that "on arrival, the police found the victim in a pool of blood and rushed him to the Police hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival." She said preliminary investigations indicated that the victim suffered multiple stab wounds which caused his death. The Executive Director for the Africa Centre for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Rashid Dramani said the gruesome murder of the Abuakwa North Member of Parliament (MP), Joseph Boakye Dnaquah-Adu should be a wake-up call for the MPs. I know that there has been a lot of calls for protecting our Members of Parliament and I have heard a lot of media discussions about it today. I would like to put the blame at the doorstep of Parliament itself because every branch of government has to fight for the conditions of service for its members, he said in an interview with Radio Ghana. JB Danquah was stabbed to death at his residence at Shiashie in Accra in the early hours of Tuesday. So far, the Greater Accra Regional Police Command has arrested five persons in connection with the murder. However, the incident has once again give rise to calls for government to provide better security for MPs. Dr. Dramani argues that MPs have the authority to make laws in this country and there is nothing that is off limit for them. You and I cannot go in there and make laws for them so if they need to make any law, a law that I believe is reasonable and a law that a lot of Ghanaians would identify with, I think the ball is in their court. He remarked that it is unfortunate the MPs have waited until the time when such a terrible thing has happened but perhaps, this might be the wake-up call and this might be what will make us in ensuring that our legislators are properly protected. Whatever those in the Executive and other branches get, Parliament should also get that, he stressed. Dr. Dramani said it is unfortunate that Ghana as compared to other countries sometimes trivialize some of these issues and often politicize them. The clashes were said to have resulted in two deaths and many injured. Vehicular traffic in the area was brought to a standstill as a result of the riots. A number of vehicles and other properties were also reportedly destoyed. The clashes were said to have been ignited by an order from the Tafo chief for a fence wall which was being constructed around the Muslim section of the Tafo cemetery to be demolished. According to reports, the Tafo chief claimed he was not informed about the construction, and so asked that the construction be halted. On Wednesday, the chief was said to have sent men to demolish the fence but members of the Muslim community protested, resulting in the clashes. Police arrived in the town led by the regional police commander, DCOP Kofi Boakye with support from the military. The combined military and police personnel have been stationed at the area to maintain law and order. Meanwhile, a curfew has been imposed in the area following the clashes. Lecturer in communications at the University of Ghana, Dr Etse Sikanku, has been closely following the US elections, and says whoever wins will be responsible for foreign policy and Americas relationship with Ghana. Whether its Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, or any of the other leading candidates ruling the United States, as president they will have a dominant role on the global scene, which will have a trickle down effect on people here in Ghana, Sikanku says. Sikanku has worked as a political reporter in both Ghana and the USA, where he covered two presidential primaries. While now watching from afar, he says this years election will be very different because theres no Barack Obama, but we do have a Hillary Clinton who is very well known within the political and public sphere. Reluctant to offer predictions on who will win and what it could mean, Sikanku says looking at what each candidate has said on immigration and foreign policy issues so far can give an indication of their overall ideologies and stance on issues. As an example, Sikanku says if the new president does not want the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) to continue, this will affect businesses here, particularly if someone was exporting due to this agreement. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a United States Trade Act enacted in 2000, and has since been renewed until 2025. The legislation significantly enhances market access to the US for qualifying Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, of which Ghana is one. AGOA builds on existing US trade programmes by expanding the (duty-free) benefits previously available only under the countrys Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme. Through it, Ghana has exported millions of dollars of products to the USA, and been able to import products from the USA in return. The US has stated cocoa and cashew exports from Ghana to the US went up by 300 percent within a period of 13 years under the AGOA initiative, which would have had huge impacts through Ghana. And as far as immigration goes, US statistics show from 2004 until 2013, numbers of Ghanaians in the USA who have obtained lawful permanent residence has increased from 5,337 people in 2004, when George Bush was president, to 7,610 in 2008, his last year. Under Obama, from 2009 the number was 8, 401 in 2013, (the most recent number available) there were 10, 265 Ghanaians given permanent residency. The number of Ghanaians naturalized in the USA has also increased significantly under Obama. Under Bush in 2004 there were 3, 577, under Obama, in 2009 the number was 4, 819 and in 2013 5, 105. However, those Ghanaians caught to be illegally in the country have increased under Obama, in 2004 there were 135 people this jumped to 422 in 2009, however, in 2013 the number dropped to 272. What the future may hold for Ghanaian's immigrating to the USA illegally under a new president would also be speculation, but Sikanku says if you looked at Republican Donald Trumps stance on immigration he is somebody who believes in protecting America...he believes he is going to build a high wall along the border. He is going to make sure that America is more strict on illegal immigration. At a point he said illegal immigrants, including those from Africa, will be deported. Sikanku says asking if Trumps beliefs would affect his relationship with other countries, like those in Africa, is important. He is always looking out for American ideals and American values and things that would be to the advantage or benefit of America. Will that affect the relationship? for instance the trade policies America has with Africa. If Trump won, Sikanku would want to know what would become of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGAO). Trumps comments so far gave an indication on how open or not he will be based on the fact that he seems to have a more protectionist policy when it comes to Americas relationship with the rest of the world. This calls into questions whether the flow of aid to Ghana would be at the same level, Sikanku says. Trump is competing again Ted Cruz, who Sikanku finds has a conservative perspective to foreign policy. Cruz has said America should play a leadership role in the world but perhaps more limited. He believes America has a moral responsibility to lead the world but he doesn't necessarily mean that it is Americas business to be everywhere every time and be all things to all people. Sikanku says Cruz may have a relationship with Africa or the rest of the world, but it might not be as deep or as far-reaching as other candidates. Third leading Republican candidate Marco Rubio is very charismatic and compared to the other Republican candidates he believes in American exceptionalism, wanting to take a leadership role in the world. He is someone you would imagine would be more vested in international affairs than Ted Cruz. He is not totally against foreign aid, he believes if it is possible it is America's responsibility and they should help around the world with countries who need it because that is how Americans have always been. Rubio could have a more participatory approach when it comes to his relationship with Africa, Sikanku says.His Hispanic heritage means he might understand the Third World a bit more or seek to forge more relationships with Africa." However, the candidate with the best ties and understanding of Africa is democrat Hillary Clinton, who maybe the most Africa-friendly candidate, Sikanku says. As a former first lady and the current Secretary of State she knows global issues. Clinton is one of the most qualified people to run for presidency, she has a lot of experience and expertises. She understands the continent, she has a relationship with the continent. The other leading Democrat is Bernie Sanders, who is making huge waves across the United States running against Clinton. Sikanku says Sanders progressive ideals will help young people and minorities. But it is outgoing president Barack Obama who has had the closest ties with Africa. Sikanku did his PHD on Obamas afrocentric aspects, and found he believed in communalism, which was a base belief in Africa. Sikanku is currently working on a book that will explore Obamas afrocentrism. A lot of Africans were inspired by what Obama achieved. Sikanku says there was a lot of relevance for Africans in the last two elections, a lot of people had a lot of hope with Obama because of his race, his relationship with Africa, [and] his Dad [being from] Kenya. And Ghana was the first Sub-Saharan African country he visited as president. I think he has tried to keep a good relationship with the continent. It is a lot easier and different because of his background. He is the only person who is able to come to Accra and say boldly that Africa needs to fix its house, that Africa needs to fix its institutions. Sikanku found Obama tried to inspire good governance and better democracies through Africa. He had also been focused on entrepreneurship in Africa as well as focusing on young African leaders through the Young African Leaders Initiative, which some Ghanaians had been involved with. But, these are Obama administration policies, so their continuity depends on the desires of the next administration. Answering questions from the press throughout Africa via an online press conference, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield and USAID Assistant Administrator for Africa Linda Etim discussed U.S. diplomacy and development efforts throughout the continent. Thomas-Greenfield was asked what African countries could expect regarding foreign policy once current US president Barack Obama leaves office. "We do change governments every four years, sometime we have had the same government stay in power but our support for Africa is bipartisan," she said, adding there had been strong support for the continent through the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations. "We know that that support has always been there. It's always been bipartisan. Whether we see some changes in foreign policy priorities, I think that could happen because different administrations have different priorities. Will there be a change in focus on Africa? I don't think so. I think we will continue to see Africa play an important role in our foreign policy in the future." She was also asked for reaction on growing trade relationships between Africa and China. Thomas-Greenfield said there were many economic opportunities through Africa, and it was not only the US or China who had trade and development deals in the continent. She said it was important for African countries to "determine what is in the interest of their country and what is in the interests of their people and strike the best deals that they can strike for their people moving forward." She said it was not a competition to invest into Africa, that there is space for different countries to invest. They were asked what more could be done to combat Boko Haram. Thomas-Greenfield said the US government was working closely with the Nigerian government, and wanted to see the Nigeria police force better involved. She said "capacity-building" was a key area Nigeria needed to focus on, that security forces needed to be well trained. Meanwhile, this week it was revealed the president of U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) Shari Berenbach passed away after suffering from advanced breast cancer. USADF is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government, funding grassroots development projects to African-owned enterprises, cooperatives and community-based organizations to build capacity, resilience and economic activities. Berenbach had been leading the USADF since 2012, and was a pioneer in promoting economic growth and prosperity in Africa and an advocate of impact investing for vulnerable and under-served populations, promoting investments that generate beneficial social and environmental impact as well as ensures the resilience of USADF grantees and their communities. The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Jon Benjamin, disclosed this in Ho when he paid a courtesy call on the Volta Regional Minister, Ms Helen Adjoa Ntoso, in her office as part of a days visit to the region. He had earlier met with the Agbogbomefia of Ho Asogli, Togbe Afede XIV, head of the Ghana Police Service and leaders of political parties in the region. Mr Benjamin said the British government was interested in the delivery of a peaceful and credible election and that it was on the agenda of all diplomatic missions in the country to ensure that the election was free and fair. He said the British had a historic involvement in the affairs of Ghana and, therefore, had voted 100 million pounds annually to support various sectors in addition to interventions such as the ENGINE project under which assistance is extended to start-up companies in the agricultural and services sectors. According to him, he was unfairly treated during their national congress, hence, his decision to contest the November polls on the ticket of his own party. I want to plead with APC that you work in accordance with the legal framework. The law is very explicit when it comes to registration of political parties. Today we are here to issue this party with a provisional certificate of operation when you have a provisional certificate, there are certain things that you dont do, so, that is why I said earlier that I hope whatever we do will be consistent with what is required of us as the law stipulates." The conveners must have been aware of IMANIs near-decade fascination with this subject. But the prompting for the round table could have come from the recent agitation over the national electoral register, which all political parties and the Electoral Commission in Ghana agree contains ineligible entries that affects its quality, even if there is a dispute about the extent of the impact of these ineligible entries. There is a strong belief that a well-functioning national ID system can help address the quality issues, whatever their extent and impact, affecting the national voters roll. In doing so, participants from IMANI had to examine two issues that most stakeholders appeared most worried about. Firstly, there is the issue of the wastefulness of multiple agencies developing end-to-end ID systems, drawing funds from the public chest to finance them, and in the process replicating the work of their counterpart agencies in the public sector whilst breeding registration fatigue among citizens. The clarion call appears to favour harmonisation of the various ID card schemes into a centralized, national, ID Database. Secondly, many stakeholders are unconvinced about the quality of the identity data backing the existing identity documents in Ghana today. There is the belief that a brand new ID system will address the shortcomings of existing identity systems by taking a fresh approach. In the course of the deliberations, it became clear that the National ID Card project is very much alive. However, the Founding Director of the Authority set up in 2003 to see to its implementation believes that the country had wasted nearly a decade and half due to vested interests and probable corruption. Further inquiry is warranted to get to the bottom of the delays and false starts. IMANIs presentation was in three parts: Risks, Opportunities and New Thinking (or recommendations). A. Opportunities The opportunities presented by an integrated, secure, National ID Database and Card issuing system are easy to list: I. A relatively higher quality electoral register and the means to bring us closer to an electronic voting system. II. A superior credit rating system that can transform the financial industry by minimizing risk and the costs of lending, thus expanding the availability of well-priced capital to businesses. III. A harmonized national ID system will cut down severely on the costs of the current regime of multiple agencies spending millions of dollars on maintaining separate systems. By some estimates this could be as high as $400 million in avoided spending over the coming few years. IV. According to the Statistical Service, a well-functioning national ID system will greatly improve the quality of the statistics they collect for policy planning purposes. V. Proper identification management should make it easier to introduce modern addressing systems, which coupled with effective financial intelligence tools can all contribute to widening the tax net and reducing tax evasion, with massive, positive, macroeconomic benefits for the country. VI. In an era of heightened anxiety about terrorism and the activities of irregular migrants (some of whom have been implicated in vice cartels promoting illegal mining, human trafficking, and gambling rings), an effective national ID system is an urgent requirement for national and human security. VII. Most discussants concurred with experts in the room that many promising internet business models, such as e-commerce and subscription software, cannot fully take off in the present time due to serious problems with identity management. VIII. The ease with which people are able to maintain multiple, fake, identities facilitate all manner of crimes, including corruption, money laundering, and impersonation, all of which practices contribute to the undermining of our national institutions and the general quality of governance. There was universal consent among the gathering that reforming and revamping citizen identity management policy in Ghana was a top development policy priority that the State has so far failed to accord the necessary attention. B. Risks IMANIs presentation then moved on to assess how these same opportunities, if viewed naively and without careful analysis and study, could easily metamorphose into risks that can exacerbate the very problems a harmonized/integrated, centralized, national ID card system is meant to address. I. Firstly, there is the issue of the appalling lack of transparency surrounding the entire national ID card project. There has been very limited public, civil society, and research community education about this critical program. No official, definitive, periodic reports have been issued by the National Identification Authority (NIA) to update the public and observers on where the country is, and is going, as far as this program is concerned. The lack of public education and the murky speculation it has spawned give credence to fears, as the founding Director of the NIA himself pointed out, that national interest is being sacrificed for the parochial, economic, interests of a few actors involved in the program. II. For reasons we shall explain later, it is dangerous for the NIA to have been set up in the way that Act 707 has specified. The President can literally do what he wants with it. He appoints all members, and has only to observe the quota of one representative from certain named institutions. Through his Minister, he can issue any directive based on his understanding of public interest and more or less tele-operate the entire national ID system from his bedroom. There is virtually no autonomy from executive interference for the NIA. III. It can be argued that the regulator of the NIA, in its functions as an operational agency, is the Data Protection Commission (DPC). As a data controller, the NIA is expected to comply with certain statutes, the enforcement, or at least monitoring, of which is entrusted to the DPC. Unfortunately, the act that sets up the DPC (Act 843) is even more loosely drafted (particularly section 5) than the one that set up the NIA. All members of the DPC serve at the leisure of the President, who can fire at will. There is zero autonomy for the institution, though for reasons that we shall explain shortly, its role and mandate is as sensitive as any of the other, better protected, constitutional bodies, such as the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ). Whilst it is true that not all Article 70 office holders require the same level of autonomy to discharge their constitutional duties properly, we strongly hold that the NIA and DPC count among those that require the highest level of freedom from the Executive. IV. Why do we say that the NIA and DPC require adequate autonomy to do their work properly? It is because the National Identity Register (which apparently already contains biodata of 15 million Ghanaians, according to the Chief Executive Officer of the private partner of the NIA in the project, a Ghanaian-Danish company known as Identity Management Service - IMS) when active and in full operation would be one of the most powerful systems of citizen control ever seen in this country. The law under subsections 38(1)(B) and 4(2)(d) of the National Identity Register Act (NIRA Act 750) grant the Minister in charge the power to add information about individual citizens based on his view of public interest. Under 44(A), such information may include, among other categories, criminal, employment, educational and health data. Effectively, a full and evolving profile of persons who are of interest to the regime can be stored there and released to any agencies that the Minister or the NIA Head determines. Though subsequent disclosure of this data by these agencies requires the personal consent of the individual on whom the data is held, there are several loose exceptions in section 49 of the Act that enables that disclosure to be done in secret, without prior notification to the data subject. And the NIA can refuse citizens access to data held on them based on similar loose exceptions. Citizens may go to the DPC for recourse if they believe the NIA is acting unethically or illegally, but the law only grants them the right for their contestation to be added alongside their biodata and nothing more. The DPC is not empowered to investigate the basis of the NIAs refusal to show the data to the individual or correct wrongly entered data, nor to mediate between the parties. Though in the NIRA Act, there are provisions for appeal to CHRAJ in specific instances, no procedures are outlined, and CHRAJ is granted no powers to mediate either. In fact, only the courts (the Court of Appeal in the case of a refusal of the NIA to register an individual for an ID card) can provide any serious relief. But as most of us would agree, the cost of accessing Ghanaian courts, in the absence of a functioning legal aid scheme, is prohibitive for most citizens. V. There are no provisions in the law, nor have any guidelines been provided, for an effective logging system to track access and distribution of data held on individuals, especially in ways that can facilitate surveillance. Whenever a user presents their NIA Card (the proposed Ghana Card) and same is authenticated, a trail is left of the Users activities across the country. This is one of the key reasons why in many advanced countries, privacy activists oppose attempts to make National ID Cards mandatory. The lack of this tradition of activism in Ghana means that the cards are indeed mandatory. If certain services become tied to the card then it also means that one cannot evade the surveillance that can be enabled by the card. There are however precedents from other common law jurisdictions that such requirements for mandatory card registration by citizens can be overturned in the Courts. The Indian Supreme Court has already issued three orders compelling the Indian Identity Authority to treat that countrys National ID cards (the Aadhar) as voluntary. The reasoning is that if a citizen has another means of proving their citizenship (such as a passport or birth certificate) then they cannot be compelled to carry a particular card to access any privilege due them as a citizen. This logic may be reinforced by the fact that the law actually makes other identity documents the basis for one to show eligibility to receive the National ID Card. So on what basis can one be denied services for preferring the existing documents to the National ID Card? And if one cannot be denied services for not possessing the card, then what does mandatory mean? All the discussions in the preceding assume that the law will be obeyed by the NIA. We have argued that the law, as it stands now, leaves room for abuse. But the fact is that the NIA has already proven itself capable of twisting and even outright breaking the law if its ambitions are impeded by it. In a bid to raise revenue it announced a policy to register all permanently resident foreign nationals and those who will be in the country for at least 90 cumulative days in any given year. The problem is that the law that set up the NIA explicitly stated that the registration should cover Ghanaians and PERMANENT RESIDENTS. Somehow, by the time the NIRA Act was passed, the eligibility had been expanded to cover those with a Resident Permit for at least one year (despite the same Act defining a Resident Permit as authorization to remain in Ghana for a substantial length of time not exceeding 4 years). But be that as it may, how did the NIA unilaterally manage to create policy to grant provision of the card to even those in the country for just 91 days? VI. In addition to the legal and regulatory challenges above, it is important to consider the experience of other countries that have existing electronic citizen identity registers or have been working on introducing harmonized national ID Cards. Last year, Israel published the results of its pilot of a national ID card. Nearly 20% of cards were found to be inoperable at critical points in time, and more than 400,000 failed biometric readings were recorded. Considering that only 91000 people took part in the scheme, this is worrying. We also have the experience of the last elections in Ghana and Kenya where a much simpler process of biometric verification failed in several polling stations. While it is true that the technical partners of the project have committed to submit the process to ISO certification and other reviews, the truth is that there is no evidence that this has been done to date. ISO certification shall obviously not be sufficient for such a mission-critical system. To recognize the sensitivity of the system, EAL7 certification should be implemented to fortify against technical risks. Policy and human-behavioral risks are of course harder to safeguard against. In the relatively advanced setting of the US, police databases are routinely abused. In one crazy situation in Delaware, the Town Manager of Newport was arrested for providing gamblers with access to highly confidential data on citizens to assist the crooks target vulnerable victims. There are also reports from Michigan of US federal agents and others using data from police databases to stalk women, among other such abuses. If we fail to implement the appropriate controls, a harmonized national database that stores a wide range of information on subjects shall become available to anyone with the resources to corrupt security agencies and others with access to the citizen records. Ruling parties will deploy the systems to stalk and blackmail dissenters and activists. And powerful individuals will implant false and pernicious data on others whose lives they seek to destroy. VII. How the mechanism for pre-emptive discovery of abuse and error is set up will determine the success or failure of this whole process. A proper independentInformation Ombudsman role is required at the very top of the DPC to ensure that the system is subjected to rigorous routine, and unannounced, checks. Such tests in the US revealed in 1999 that the FBI Database was randomly assigning criminal records to 5.5% of civil servants checked. In the UK, researchers have established that in 20% to 30% of instances the Police National Computer issues a false positive or negative or other inverted result. Partnering with the Research Community in Ghana and abroad should ensure that these regular exercises contribute to the effectiveness of the register and its sound use. VIII. Just as Ghana has had an integrated Payroll Management System (IPPD) for more than two decades now (we are currently on the third version since 1995) and yet the problem of ghost names continues to bedevil the country, with Auditor General report after report showing the wanton dissipation of billions (yes, billions) of dollars over the same period due to fraudulent entries, simply harmonising ID Card systems wont guarantee sound performance. The mechanised and integrated IPPD-3 notwithstanding, we still, for instance, continue to suffer the spectacle of nurses, teachers, and other such important social workers sometimes going unpaid for more than a year. Clearly, insofar as a harmonised ID card system will simply be harmonizing the existing bureaucratic structures, many of which continue to show dysfunctional characteristics (the Birth & Deaths Register today records only 40% of deaths and 60% of births), we cannot just assume that harmonisation without careful, and widely scrutinized and implemented, policies shall lead to automatic benefits for this country. It is important to note that the maximum number of people the IPPD needs to manage is about 3% of what the Harmonised National Identity Database would be expected to manage, a mere fraction per se. C. New Thinking or Way Forward I. Transparency Since the decision was taken to utilize a PPP approach to implementing the National ID Database, and IMS was selected to play the role of technical and strategic partner, the NIA has failed to present to the country any clear updates regarding the status of the project, the financial planning arrangements, and the consolidated technical specifications of the system. Considering that the foreigner registration program could only achieve a penetration of 10%, and the inability of the PPP to conclude the mass registration program to achieve the 80% coverage rate anticipated, it is important that a detailed policy document be released to show clearly what the current state of the initiative is, and whether the arrangement can still be referred to as a PPP when government is reported to be raising funds for deployment. II. Legal, Administrative & Regulatory Reform The three main statutes governing the operations of the national identity management system Acts 707, 750 and 843 need overhauling to reduce the systems total dependence on the executive branch of Government, and to change the current situation where the system appears designed as a personal plaything of the President and his favourite appointees. III. Value for Money As is our habit in this country, we have focused primarily on the setup and capital costs of the system, with scant regard for the maintenance and operations. It is important that the system not become dependent on executive charity for its functioning, as so many underperforming institutions, such as CHRAJ and the NCCE have become. For this to happen, the benchmark for running costs should be rigorously set. India is currently operating the worlds largest national identity register at the cost of about 25 US cents per person per annum. A reasonable amount in Ghana should be 50 cents per annum. That will mean a roughly $10 million annual budget at 80% population penetration. Licensing of the authentication engine to the private sector and offering big data applications to researchers on anonymized data should be sufficient for the NIA then to cover this cost without expecting much by way of government subvention. For the authentication engine to be robust in both satisfying the data analysis needs of the private sector, whilst preserving the privacy and security of individuals, chip and PIN mechanisms and distributed architectures are a must. Reports suggest that the 2.7 million cards printed to date do not have embedded chip. IMS has presented dummy cards that purport to show that the cards to be used in the upcoming pilots will have encrypted chips. How will citizens set up their PINs then? What kind of authentication engine design is being put in place to prevent malicious writing to and outright forgery of cards? What will be the validation system for the cards at various agencies and checkpoints? The original idea of simply setting up dumb terminals at various agencies and entrusting point/focal persons with passwords is completely unsuitable for the kind of intelligent distribution architecture required to achieve both centralized authentication and devolved storage of information, which in turn are needed in order not to enable agencies with no need to know certain things about private citizens getting their hands on citizens confidential information. IV. Whilst any mechanism that can halt unnecessary duplication is to be strongly welcome, it is important not to mistake this to mean a central database with a potpourri of information about every Ghanaian accessible at the click of a button by any Police Superintendent. We strongly propose that the most basic data of citizens and their biometric data should be centralized, but not other data related to sensitive aspects of citizens life, such as health, educational, employment, revenue & tax, geolocation, travel history, marital, etc. What is needed is an authentication engine to enable other agencies to access and verify topline biodata and biometric information, which is the most security-intensive and costly part of managing modern ID systems. This should massively reduce the cost of managing personal data on citizens by multiple agencies without creating a deep surveillance or big brother situation. IMANI hopes that by this report, it has done its part to help launch a critical national debate on the all-important issue of national identification, and that those in charge of the decision-making shall now be compelled to engage with the public, civil society, and the research community in addressing the gaps and risks identified. According to the acting national chairman Freddie Blay, the party suspects foul play in the stabbing and killing of the party's Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region, JB Danquah-Adu, at his residence in Accra on Tuesday. Acting National Chairman of the NPP, Freddie Blay, yesterday said at press conference the circumstances surrounding the gruesome murder the MP point to a well planned and executed assassination. The murder of the MP occurred just a day after the death of the partys Acting Western Regional Chairman, Ben Kwaw. The leadership of the party directed that all party flags at the regional and constituency offices should be flown at half-mast. See more: NPP politicians in shock over death of colleague He said "it is our hope that a professional and swift investigation will be carried out, so that the perpetrators of this horrible crime will be made to face the full rigours of the law. We call on all to avoid any form of unnecessary and possibly harmful speculation at this time." See also: Five arrested in relation to death of MP In a statement signed by the party's Regional Secretary, Kevor Mark-Oliver, it said "our thoughts and prayers are with the NPP as well as the wife, children and family of the Honourable member." "We have indeed lost a very moderate politician who symbolised political tolerance in the Region and an astute chartered accountant as a nation." Mr JB Danquah was stabbed by an unknown assailant (s) at his Shiashie residence in Accra, prompting the police to launch an investigation. Read more: NPP politicians in shock over death of colleague Five people were apparently arrested in connection with the death of the MP. See also: Five arrested in relation to death of MP According to the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Effia Tenge, two women and three men have been arrested, including a private security guard who was at the residence when the MP was killed for questioning. Below is the full statement: EASTERN REGION NDC MOURNS WITH NPP We woke up this morning to a very sad and heartbreaking news of the demise of the NPP Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Hon. Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu. On behalf of the Eastern Regional chapter of the National Democratic Congress, we express our heartfelt condolence to the New Patriotic Party and the family of the late MP for this huge but irreplaceable loss. Hon. J.B Danquah-Adu was a very respectable man both in politics and the academia. We have indeed lost a very moderate politician who symbolised political tolerance in the Region and an astute chartered accountant as a nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the NPP as well as the wife, children and family of the Honourable member. It is our hope and prayer that God Almighty will protect and strengthen the family even as they go through this trauma. To the NPP, we say take heart and trust in God. The party will officially send a delegation to mourn with the family at the appropriate time in accordance with custom. Damirifa Due JB!! According to him, he can transform into a snake, enter any room, bite his target and disappear after the mission. Bishop Obinim also said he once transformed into a snake with Jesus by his side who also transformed into a lion and visited someone. His comments were met with criticisms from a section of the populace who seemed not to believe what he said. Bishop Obinim has issued a warning saying, anyone who speaks evil against him will face destruction. Some people have incurred the wrath of Jesus because they stood against me. Some have started drinking alcohol, smoking while others are facing challenges without knowing the cause. When you come against me, God will also come against you and your life will be messy. Your finances will be in a mess, a voice played on Adom News said. You dont touch the anointed. Even Angels in Heaven do not have the same powers. Some are more powerful than others. When you sleep, you sleep deep; but I dont sleep. I lay down and work for the children of Jesus in the spiritual realm, Bishop Obinim added. The pastor has asked members of his church and those who believe in Jesus and the miracles he does to fight for him lest, the children of God will be detracted. The event was held in partnership with Facebook, the National Communications Authority (NCA) and others to create the platform for safety and security issues for children and young people in the virtual world. An IT expert, Mr Maximus Ametorgor, who addressed the gathering on "making the internet better" asked pupils to be cautious about what they post on the internet since whatever they post online can not be deleted. He added that kids must be careful the websites they visit, who they become friends with online and the people they chat with online. Mr Ametorgor also advised parents to monitor the activities of their wards online. According to him, the internet has dark sides children are not aware of, adding that parents must introduce their children to the internet at the right time. He also said parents must not overlook the red-flags of anti-social behaviour and device-addiction of children. Mr Ametorgor said parents must audit the online behaviour of children, including having an online policies for the family and the children. In addition, he said parents must educate their kids on the dos and don'ts of the internet. Mr Ametorgor also advised kids to report cyber bullies to the appropriate authorities. Mr Eric Akomea, a member of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), on his part said government is developing a map to deal with cyber security. He added that there is a national steering committee in place for child online production. He also took the gathering through a web page developed by the Ghana Computer Emergency Response team to deal with cyber crime/bullies. Three guides on child online safety protection was launched and distributed to participants. They include; "What you can do to make the internet better," "Empower educators," "Think before you share," and "reporting guide." A bank customer, who said she is a proprietor of a small school, told Punch in Abuja on Tuesday that she was alarmed when she received an alert that N30,000 had been deducted from her account for stamp duties. She said, I am aware of the controversial stamp duty but I never imagined that this was what it was leading to. How can N30,000 be deducted from our account in one fell swoop? There was no notice; no explanation of what was coming. I do not understand the basis for this deduction at all. How can they charge me stamp duty when no stamp, electronic or physical, was affixed to our receipts. In fact, there was no receipt whatsoever. It is even outrageous for the bank to charge me N30,000. They sent me an alert of the deduction of N30,000. For N50 to amount to N30,000, there must have been 600 lodgements. If the government kills the small businesses that it calls the engine of growth of the economy; then, it would have killed the economy. Stamp duty is an addition to the other levies and taxes we pay. If the stamp duty is on current accounts alone; then, I am closing mine immediately. Randgold Resources in December pulled out of a joint venture with AngloGold to redevelop Obuasi, a decision that could spell closure for one of Ghana's most important mines. "With regards to Obuasi, we are now firmly of the view that we must now progress our discussion with the Ghanian government to obtain all regulatory approvals which are necessary to conclude a satisfactory investment agreement," AngloGold chief executive Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan, who goes by the name Venkat, told the Investing in African Mining conference. Speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the SMEDAN in Lagos, the agencys Director-General, Alhaji Bature Masari, mentioned that job creation was the main focus of the 2016 budget. Youth employment agency to be established to train about 370,000 non-graduates in vocational skills. School feeding programme to be introduced in all primary schools in Nigeria. Microcredit scheme to be established to cater for about one million market women and artisans. Conditional cash transfers to the tune of N5, 000 to the poorest families monthly, he said. If due attention is given to the development of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, the country could be counted among the 20 most economically advanced nations in the world by the year 2020, the agency director explained. The 2016 budget proposals have made major provisions for driving the development of MSMEs. SMEDAN will continue to support the development of MSMEs for economic growth and development in Nigeria through innovative and sustainable policies, he added. The Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige also said, The programmes of the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari are focused on employment generation. To this end, there is a change in our 2016 budget from what it used to be in the past because this year, we want to tackle unemployment and we will tackle it from all facets using programmes such as graduate conversion scheme and vocational skills acquisition programme among others, to ensure that our young ones are empowered for self-sustenance. The fine stems from a lawsuit filed against Ibinabo Fiberesima by former beauty queen Miss Earth Nigeria 2011/2012, The former Miss Earth Nigeria took Ibinabo Fiberesima and AMC Productions Ltd for a breach of contract signed on October 28, 2011 and cheating. The case hearing was on Friday, February 5, in the city of Port Harcourt. During the court proceeding it was discovered that Ibinabo Fiberesima and AMC Productions LTD breached a contract in 2011. Read: Ibinabo Fiberesima visits IDP camp in Gombe After the ruling Miss Munachi Uzoma expressed her joy saying at last justice has been done. The case against the actress and AGN President was filed on August 29, 2012, by the L.O Ndatigh chambers. Last week, the Lagos State Court of Appeal reserved judgment in the appeal filed by Ibinabo Fiberesima regarding her five years sentencing in the death of Dr. Giwa Suraj. The 35-year-old rapper announced the renewal of his Orijin deal today on his Instagram account. He shared a photo of him with the top executives of the brand after he signed the renewal. Read: Reminisce denies bleaching skin Reminisce captioned the picture "#ALAGAORIJIN #Renewal." This means that Reminisce remains the brand ambassador for Orijin in 2016. Last year January 2015, Reminisce signed up to the ambassador of Orijin. "They say i be local rapper....but you know,I am the Orijinal of Orijinals.I appreciate my culture,understand my roots and create my own Orijinal beat. Proud to be ALAGA of ORIJIN,a brand that celebrates #ORIJINALITY.#BABAHAFUSA #AGA #TESOJUE." said Reminisce after the signing of the deal. Reminisce is also the brand ambassador of Samsung. This month Reminisce recorded a new song with US based rapper of Nigerian origin Wale. 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! The case only came to light after the woman managed to escape the couples' Katy home in the Arroyo Hill Court in Houston, and called the National Human Trafficking Hotline for help. Special agents with the Homeland Security Investigations Houston Human Trafficking Group have begun interviewing the couple, family members, and the victim. Chudy, 56, and Nsobundu, 50, are charged with forced labor, withholding documents, conspiracy to harbor an illegal alien and visa fraud. Court documents also reveal both husband and wife were naturalized United States citizens originally from Nigeria. Court documents reveal that the woman 'arrived to the United States from Lagos, Nigeria, in September of 2013, and was granted a visa for two years.' The couple had promised to deposit $100 a month into her Nigerian bank account for the care of their children, and after five years, they would pay for her to return to Nigeria but according to prosecutors, the woman recently realized the couple never deposited any funds into her account, after they had seized her passport. The allegations in a court filing said the nanny claims she was forced to work 'every day from 5:30 am. until 1 am, cleaning the house, cooking and taking care of several children. The nanny was also not permitted to eat fresh food but only left over food.' Komolafe had approached the court seeking dissolution of his 24 years marriage to Tawakalitu over allegation of threat to life, frequent fighting, involvement in fetish practices and lack of love. The marriage is blessed with four children whose ages range between 18 years to 24 years. Komolare said: "She invited robbers to attack my junior wife; she has questionable character; on several occasions her family has come to plead with me on her behalf. "She even hired assassins to kill me, but they failed. When she was confronted she said she only wanted them to beat me in order to teach me a lesson. "There is no herbalist my wife does not know, I fear for my life, I see all sorts of charms with her, what she does with them I don't know. Tawakalitu however, denied the allegations. She said that the actions of her mate must have attracted the armed robbers to their house. "My mate is fond of talking loud on the phone about large sums of money outside; this must have attracted the robbers, I don't know anything about the robbery. "They (robbers) entered my room first, I tried to call my husband to inform him, but he did not pick my calls, because for 10 years now we are not on talking terms. "I don't know anything about the alleged assassination plot; my husband is a contractor involved in all sorts of deals; there was never a time that I confessed to anything. Tawakalitu said that she she and her husband had a peaceful home before he married another wife. Sunday's launch of what North Korea said was an earth observation satellite angered the country's neighbors and the United States, which called it a missile test. It followed Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test in January. "It's in a stable orbit now. They got the tumbling under control," a U.S. official said on Tuesday. That is unlike the North's previous satellite, launched in 2012, which never stabilized, the official said. However, the new satellite was not thought to be transmitting, another source added. U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with the leaders of South Korea and Japan by phone on Monday night and reassured them of Washington's support, while also calling for a strong international response to the launch, the White House said. Obama will also address North Korea's "provocations" when he hosts the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in California early next week, aides said. The United States and China, Pyongyang's only major ally, are negotiating the outline of a new U.N. sanctions resolution that diplomats hope will be adopted this month. The U.N. Security Council has imposed sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear tests and long-range rocket launches dating back to 2006, banning arms trade and money flow that can fund the country's arms programme. The report by the U.N. Security Council's Panel of Experts on North Korea, which monitors implementation of sanctions, said there were "serious questions about the efficacy of the current United Nations sanctions regime." This was the sentiment expressed by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje, and his House of Representatives counterpart, Jibrin Abdulmumin at a briefing on Tuesday, February 9, 2016, Vanguard reports. We are here in connection with the ongoing processing of the 2016 Budget because these two committees are the ones saddled with the production of the final copies of the budget that would be passed by the National Assembly for onward submission to Mr President for his assent and subsequent implementation, Goje said. We want to remove all ambiguities, we want to remove all paddings. We want to produce a budget that is in line with the constitutional provision. During the budget defence, a lot of issues based on the padding of the budget, arising from over-bloated overheads and in some instances cases of over-bloated personnel cost. But generally, there has been a lot of issues. The appropriation committee would look at these issues after the whole budget defence and do a very thorough work aimed at doing a proper clean-up of the budget. So in summary, the time-table for passage of the budget is no longer realistic because as appropriation committees of both chambers of the National Assembly, we need additional time to do a thorough job for the 2016 budget. So we can pass a budget that is implementable and also acceptable to Nigerians. It is no longer realistic because we need sufficient time to pass a comprehensive budget, Jibrin said mirroring Gojes sentiment. The President is an individual, the budget runs in thousands of pages, the President will not be able to go through it page by page, he added. The budget has been the centre of controversy since it was reported missing from the Assembly premises in January. Senate President, Bukola Saraki later said that two different versions of the document had been submitted to the legislative house. The controversy has been further compounded by strange and ridiculous figures which were attached to mundane items in the budget. Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole has said that the figures in the proposal are different from those he submitted to the budget office. ------------------------------------- Mrs Buhari was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Aisha said that FGM was a harmful practice that had negative, social and economic consequences in the lives of the effected women and girls. "It is disheartening to note that Nigeria has the highest prevalence of FGM in the continent." It is a cultural practice which does not have help or social benefit to women, girls and to the society at large. She said it had not been promoted by any religion as no instrument of the two religions had supported FGM. She called on Nigerians to work toward an action that would end FGM and any tradition harmful to women and children. "Some actions of the Federal Government and development partners have led to abandonment of the FGM practice. ''These efforts are being guarded by concert evidence and data from research effort by the government and partners." According to The Nation, which cited a source at the EFCC, it became important to search the former service chief's residence for some vital documents following information gathered from his interrogation. The source said: "We acted on intelligence report at our disposal. After the search, we made necessary documentation of the items retrieved from the place. Such a search is routine when conducting a sensitive investigation like this. ''Badeh underwent another round of grilling yesterday bordering on the procurement of used aircraft. the ex-CDS may spend longer days in EFCC custody because of the wider scope of the procurement deals in the Armed Forces. "He is expected to account for purchase of uniforms for the Armed Forces when some officers and men complained of not getting the required pairs. On November 26, 2014, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh sought for approval of the award of one pair of uniform(in the interim) for the Armed Forces at N165, 375 to El-Jahab Mubarak Nigeria and N330,750,000 for two pairs. Other military chiefs being interrogated are former Chief of Air Staff, A.N. Amosu; ex- Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal M.D. Umar; ex-National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki ; Col. N. Ashinze , who was the Special Military Assistant to the ex-NSA; and the most senior Air Force officer, and AVM A. M. Mamu(the Chief of Administration). The rest are AVM O.T. Oguntoyinbo (former Director of Production, Defence Headquarters); AVM R.A. Ojuawo (Air Officer Tactical Air Command, Makurdi; AVM J.B. Adigun(former Chief of Accounts and Budgeting in NAF); and AVM JA Kayode-Beckley(Director, Armament Research in Air Force Research and Development Centre); AVM T Omenyi (MD, NAF Holdings)four top officers at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Air Cdre AO Ogunjobi; Air Cdre GMD Gwani; Air Cdre SO Makinde; and Air Cdre AY Lassa. The Nation reports that some of the areas of investigation are as follows: - How 10 contracts totalling $930,500,690.00 were awarded - Payment of N4,402,687,569.41 for unexecuted contracts - Procurement of two used Mi-24V Helicopters instead of the recommended Mi-35M series at $136,944,000.00. - 4 used Alpha-Jets for the NAF at US$7,180,000.00 funded by ONSA - Cannibalization of engines from NAF fleet to justify procurement of jets - Excessive pricing of 36D6 Low Level Air Defence Radar at $33m instead of $6m per one - Delivery of radars without vital component of Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) that distinguishes between own and adversary aircraft - Strange transfer of $2m to Mono Marine Corporation Nigeria Limited owned by some Air Force officers - N15bn lavished on the maintenance of its Alpha-Jets, C-130H aircraft and Mi-24V/35P helicopters. - N2.5billion contracts awarded to Syrius Technologies( Ukrainian company) not registered in Nigeria The Minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja while defending the 2016 budget of the ministry before the Senate Committee on Aviation. "I do not want to say much on the national carrier because the ministry is still discussing with President Muhammadu Buhari. "The national carrier we are working on will not be like Nigeria Airways. "A lot of investors are interested, so the government will not be fully involved but will provide policies, he said. He said that the ministry was poised to ensure that the aviation industry was better positioned to meet international standards. The minister also said that the ministry was working on expanding the runways of the airports to ensure safety of passengers. He assured the committee that the 2016 budget would bring about the desired change in the aviation sector, when passed. The Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, said that the deplorable state of the nations airports called for concern. He urged the minister to ensure that adequate steps were taken to reposition the nations airports. This was disclosed by the Press and Public Affairs Officer of the British High Commission in Nigeria, Joseph Abuku via a statement released after a visit by British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Baroness Anelay. It reads: The Minister will discuss additional humanitarian support that the UK is providing in helping those affected by the fight against Boko Haram. This includes 6.7 million to enable the government of Nigeria, as well as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), UN agencies and the Red Cross to deliver food assistance, education, sanitation and safe water, shelter material (as well as) other basic necessities. The Minister will meet with the Bring Back Our Girls campaign and reiterate the importance of preventing gender based violence in conflict. She will also visit UK sponsored projects that work to reduce intra-community conflict and violence against women and girls, promote community-government security dialogue and improve access to schooling. He departed Nigeria for the United Kingdom on Friday, February 5, and attended the Syria Donor Conference after which he proceeded on vacation Although speculations of ill health had trailed his vacation, with multiple reports suggesting that all is not well with the President's health and that he was in London for medical consultations. The Presidency had however dismissed the reports, insisting that Buhari is not sick and that he took the break just to rest. ------------------- According to SaharaReporters, the Presidential jet left London for Abuja at exactly 13.45hrs GMT. It was reported that the Syria Donor Conference Buhari attended in London on Friday, after which he proceeded on vacation, was a cover a medical visit to his doctors. While in London, he stayed at an apartment in the Knightsbridge area of the city, but sent his aides back to Nigeria, SaharaReporters claim. The news platform also reported that the President rested in his apartment following meetings with his doctors for over two days. However, the President's spokesman, Femi Adesina, has since dismissed the reports that Buhari is sick, noting that he took the break just to rest, having worked for eight months non-stop. A statement signed by the EFCC Zonal Head/Public Affairs Department, Mr Jide Ilupeju, and made available to newsmen in Enugu said that the suspect was arrested following a tip-off. "It was alleged that the suspect and his accomplish had on Dec. 4, 2015, presented themselves to the complainant as employees of NNPC and offered him a contract proposal. "The suspects allegedly told him that he must register as a special contractor with the corporation before he can be awarded the contract. "They allegedly collected N534, 000 from Chidi under the pretext of effecting the registration of his company and to secure the release of the contract sum of N45million, he said. Ilupeju said that the commission had during the raid recovered some items from the suspect, including a wooden box with an inscription of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). "A search was conducted in the suspects house and the following items were recovered: "A wooden box with the inscription of the CBN; a suite case with diplomatic coverage and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) stamp. "Others are a Samsung laptop and two packs of W.H.W. Ball Racers which is commonly used by fraudsters to perpetrate NNPC pipeline maintenance scam, he said. Punch reports that the minister said this while addressing members of the He said "The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has been prioritised as a major traffic artery. The bulk of our imported cargo comes from Apapa, Tin Can ports through this road to other parts of the country. Food items and livestock from the North also reach the South-West and other areas through the road. Its in our national economic interest to fix this road. Adding that There is a government policy on tolling, which is still being fine-tuned at the Federal Executive Council level. It will soon get to you (the National Assembly). For long, we have not been paying for services. We have to tell ourselves the truth now that this is the way forward. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Yohanna, a resident of Kubwa, Abuja, is standing trial on a three-count charge of criminal breach of trust, cheating and forgery. The prosecutor, John Ijagbemi, told the court that one Haruna Bukar of Jedo Estate, Abuja, reported the matter on Nov. 15, 2015 via a petition to the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command. Ijagbemi said that the defendant had sometime in Sept. 2015 deceived the complainant and made him purchase a plot of land situated along Airport road, Abuja. The complainant entrusted the sum of N10 million to the defendant for the purchase of the said land, but when he started developing the land, another man emerged laying claim to the same land. This other man said the land had been allocated to him since June 2000. Police investigation however revealed that the defendant converted the said money to his personal use and forged the land documents he gave to the complainant, he said. Ijagbemi said that the offences contravened sections 312, 322 and 365 of the Penal Code. NAN reports that the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him. Thereafter, he was granted bail in the sum of N2 million with a surety by the trial judge, Usman Shuaibu. Though its introduction and implementation meet some serious opposition as a result of some inadequacies in the new transport policy, government was able to push the implementation to a reasonable degree. However, the continual implementation of the policy is suffering a serious setback as those charged with the responsibility of enforcing some of the restrictions imposed by the policy seems to be violating them with criminals also taking advantage. Some officers and men of the Nigerian police force and other Para military agencies are using their vehicles to operate taxi in the city, making criminals taking advantage to rob members of the public their belongings. Some brand of criminality, such as One chance, bag snatching is currently taking toll in Abuja, Baba Musa said. It was in a determined effort to curb these raising waves of criminality in the territory, particularly the one chance menace among many others that the FCT administration in their wisdom decides to ban some means of transportation from operating in certain districts within the territory. Such mean of transportation which is considered more efficient and cheap to the common men includes mini buses, motorcycle, and tricycles popularly known in the area as Araba, okada and Keke Napep. Though, some of the reasons adduced by government for imposing the restriction were to decongest the city of the notorious and unwanted traffic gridlock which made the city rowdy, uncivilized and difficult. Over five transport unions were licensed by the FCT administration to regulate and control the activities of the said unpainted taxi in the territory. Each of the union has a distinct colour that identifies them from the other in addition to ensuring that criminals do not hide under the guise of taxi business to carry out criminal activities using unpainted taxis. Nonetheless, there is an ugly twist to the aforesaid restriction and measures put in place to curtail the excesses of these men of underworld. Security operatives particularly officers and men of the Nigerian Police Force that were supposed to enforce the order have now taken to violation of the good policy. Some of them are exploiting the opportunity created by the restriction order to make brisk businesses. Recent finding reveals that security operatives also operate with unpainted taxi within the city as taxis. The situation, it was gathered have made a lot of residents to fall into the hands of criminals operating on unpainted cars as Taxis. Some of the security agents are using motorcycle in areas where they were banned. A case in point is Asokoro where the use ofOkada by police officers is now common. Deputy Chairman National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) FCT Chapter, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaji has decried the growing practice of using unpainted taxi to commute passengers within the territory by officers and men of the Nigerian Police Force, (NPF). Gaji who commend the relentless effort of FCT Police Commissioner, Mr. Wilson Inelagu in combating crime in the capital city also called his attention to the use of motorcycle, popularly known as Okada to commute passengers in areas where their activities were prohibited. The union leader expressed confident in the ability of the police commissioner to end the one chance menace in the territory, saying that those before him paid deaf ear to the problem. Three commissioners of police had been on that seat since we assume office as union leaders but all our complaints about the use of unpainted taxi by some criminal element to perpetrate one chance in FCT particularly along Berger junction and Mabushi area of the city, where they move innocent people to Zuma Rock area and kill them for ritual purpose meet a deaf ear. Meanwhile during our meeting with the current commissioner recently, we raised the issue and he immediately called the Divisional Police Officers (DPO) in control of the aforesaid areas and ordered them to raid the area. We pray that the operation will be successful so that FCT residents will enjoy some peace from these men of underworld. We have cordial relationship with FCT police command, but the only area we have issue with them is in the area of unpainted taxi. It is public knowledge that some police officers are using their private vehicles for commercial purposes, when they are not on duty, and you know that we cannot stop them. They usually go to work with extra cloths, which they often use to cover their uniform, whenever they are out for taxi business. They drag passengers with our members with their unpainted taxi in the city. Some of them even use motorcycle to commute passengers in districts where such means of transportation is prohibited by law. The Commands Public Relations Officer, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, disclosed this in a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Enugu. The statement said that the suspects were apprehended with 14 ATM cards of different banks with different names. It said that other things recovered from the suspects included: a Peugeot 406 car with registration number NSH 32 CW; some amount of money; some foreign currencies and a laptop. "Operatives of the police mobile squadron 3 in Enugu on duty in one of the Old Generation Banks located in Oji River through intelligence gathered, arrested two suspected fraudsters while trying to make withdrawals suspected to be illegal. "The suspects gave their names as Anthony Nwokeocha of Afuguri village in Umuahia of Abia, and Anayo Nweke of Ara-Nise village in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra. It said that the suspects were helping the Police in their investigation. NAN reports that there has been an increase in reports of activities of BVN and ATM scammers in Enugu within the past two weeks. The denial was made by the airlines Communication Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa on Tuesday, February 9, 2016, Vanguard reports. Nothing spectacular happened. They were about four of them, one of them was on a wheel chair and we learnt they had a road accident and they were trying to fly to Abuja for treatment," he said. One of them had some bullets on him. Our security men saw it and send them to FAAN and NCAA to do a proper documentation before they could board. They were supposed to fly from Lagos to Abuja by 1:30pm but because of the situation on ground and in a bid to do a proper documentation of the bullets, we delayed them till 3:30pm when they finally left Lagos for Abuja. We even had to write a report to that effect to FAAN and NCAA. We learnt that the other security men that had guns with them had already travelled but not with our aircraft. There was no bomb scare at all. When we told them that they should go and do a proper documentation of the bullets, they did not argue with us, they just went straight away to do it. There was no tension at all, he added. According to a statement released by DSS official, Tony Okpuiyo, the man, identified as Abdussalam Enesi Yunusa was arrested on January 17, 2016. The statement read in part: "Prior to his arrest, YUNUSA had completed arrangements to embark on a journey to join an ISIS terrorist training camp in Libya, with other Nigerians whom he recruited for the Islamic State. "These recruits include the trio of one Muhammed RABIU, Yahaya Momoh JIMOH and Zainab SUNDAY (f). YUNUSA is a 400 level undergraduate student of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, where he was studying for a degree in Information and Media Technology. "He was subsequently radicalized and became a member of an extremist cell, comprising of one IBRAHIM (fnu) and Abubakar LIGALI, whom he revealed are currently undergoing terrorist training in Libya. He listed one AMINU (fnu) and Ibrahim JIHADI (Nigeriene), as other ISIS agents operating in Nigeria and the West African sub-region. The cell was being funded by one Abu-saad Al Sudani, a media expert with the extremist group using Western Union money transfers to fund the terrorist cell agenda." It said another budding extremist cell affiliated to ISIS was intercepted in Daura township of Daura LGA, Katsina State on the same day. "One Ibrahim Mohammed DAURA, Zaharadeen SALISU and five other elements of the proscribed extremist group, Ansaru, were arrested by the Service. This group was discovered in an active stage, as its members were already co-ordinating themselves for attacks in Katsina and Kano States. "In the same vein, on 22nd January, 2016, one Obansa SALAMI, Ejide TIJANI aka Abu Uwaise II, Mohammed RABIU aka Ubida II, Zainab MOHAMMED and Abdulqadir Salisu AHMAD were arrested in Kano by this Service, while migrating to Libya, with their immediate families including infants, in a bid to join ISIS. This group was apprehended after painstaking monitoring of its network and plans.", the statement added The Director of Prosecution in the office of the Attorney General, who also stands as the counsel for the government, Mohammed Diri, at the opening of session asked the court allow a secret trial to protect witnesses. Responding to the secret trying application, Kanu's counsel, Chuks Muoma, rejected it, arguing that the military personnel were already providing adequate security during the trial. Muoma urged the court to order the return of Kanu's Nigerian and British passports, and cash of $2,200; N87,000 collected from him when he was arrested. He accused the prosecution of deliberately avoiding to state anything regarding the collected cash and items in its affidavit. The lawyer stressed that the allegations against the Biafra leader have not been proven in court, so the return of the cash and passports should be ordered. However, the trial judge, Justice John Tsoho, ruled that the submission of the prosecution counsel that the application for release of his clients items should be made to the office of the AGF was wrong. The judge noted that since the defendants had been brought before the court of law, the manner of making the application for retrieval of items was duly made. He however ruled that since evidences were yet to be tendered before the court on the matter, it would be improper to assume that the items were not important to the prosecution. I hold a humble view that just as the prosecution is not to be confined to the number of witnesses it can bring before a court, its number of evidences cannot also be limited, Tsoho said. He adjourned the case to February 19 for ruling on the application for secret trial. Find out what is making headlines all over the country from the covers of The Punch, Vanguard, The Guardian and more. For today, Wednesday, February 10, 2016: VANGUARD NEWSPAPER Budget 2016 full of errors, cant be passed NASS ABUJA The two arms of the National Assembly, NASS, declared, yesterday, that the 2016 budget was full of errors, saying the document could no longer be passed on February 25 as earlier promised. This came on a day the Senate Committee on Gas Resources rejected the N200 million allocation demanded by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources in the budget for the treatment of Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, and another N200 million for a review of Nigeria Gas Master Plan. READ MORE: Saraki wont resign unless convicted, says Senate Leader ABUJASenate Leader, Ali Ndume, yesterday told Nigerians that it was wrong to condemn the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, before he was even found guilty by the court. Saraki is standing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, over alleged false assets declaration. Speaking with journalists after a closed-door meeting with the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Ndume said Saraki would not resign his position unless convicted by the court. READ MORE: FG must create enabling environment to grow economy Obasanjo LAGOS Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, charged the Federal Government to create enabling environment to attract private investment which is needed to grow the economy. Also, the Senate Committee chairman on Trade and Investment, Senator Sam Egwu, charged industries within the county to operate within the laws of the land as the National Assembly was ready to make laws that would attract investment in Nigeria. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER Arakangudu dies, for burial Wednesday Top Yoruba actor, Sikiru Adesina, popularly called Arakangudu, who died in the early hours of Tuesday, in Kaduna, will be buried on Wednesday (today) in his hometown, Osogbo, Osun State, The PUNCH has learnt. The news of his death has provoked emotions online, with some of his fans paying glowing tributes to him. Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone from his base in Ekiti State, veteran thespian, Chief Jimoh Aliu, said those with the late actor broke the news of his death to him on Tuesday morning. He said, I was called by those who were with him. They told me that he died after making a noise from his sleep. They told me he died early this morning. READ MORE: DSS arrests Nigerian student recruiting terrorists for ISIS The Department of State Services said in Abuja on Tuesday that it had arrested a student of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Abdussalam Yunusa, who was recruiting for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. A statement issued by the spokesperson for the security agency, Mr. Tony Opuiyo, said that the suspect was arrested in Kano. He said that the arrest of the suspect was sequel to available intelligence, which he said indicated the suspects terrorist antecedents and covert drive to indoctrinate and recruit susceptible youths in the country. READ MORE: Budget: FG admits errors, threatens sanctions against perpetrators The Ministry of Budget and National Planning on Tuesday admitted that there were errors in the 2016 Budget, blaming the development on the adoption of the Zero-Based Budgeting System.The ministry stated this in a statement by the Director of Information in the ministry, Mr. Charles Dafe. It explained that while the budget, which was presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari was well structured and targeted at reviving the economy, those responsible for budgeting at the various ministries, departments and agencies of government were still grappling with some of the technicalities used in the fiscal document. READ MORE: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE GUARDIAN FG moves to secure list of properties owned by Nigerians in UAE The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, on Tuesday, said efforts were in top gear to secure list of Nigerians who owned choice properties in the United Arab Emirate (UAE) from proceeds of fraud. Onyeama said this while briefing the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs during the budget defence of the ministry in Abuja. SIGNPOSTING the persistence of the confusion that began when the 2016 budget document was declared missing at the National Assembly four weeks ago, doubts still remain over the figures allocated to subheads in various ministries, departments and agencies. Now, members of the National Assembly have begun questioning the integrity of the document before them and suddenly announced yesterday the indefinite suspension of the deadline they had earlier fixed for passing the budget. READ MORE: Military to close markets aiding Boko Haram operations in Borno, Yobe The Nigerian Army has announced plans to close designated markets in Yobe and Borno where traders have been found to be aiding Boko Haram terrorists with logistic supplies. The acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, who disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday, did not name the markets. READ MORE: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE NATION NEWSPAPER DSS arrests three over bid to rob TSA of N4.5b cash A plot by a syndicate to steal N4.5 billion from the Federal Governments Treasury Single Account (TSA) has been foiled by the Directorate of State Services (DSS). The four-man syndicate was about to hack into the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) domiciled in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) to steal the money when the plan was aborted by the under cover security outfit. READ MORE: Presidency tightens security against terror attack on Villa All vehicles with tinted glasses are to be searched before being allowed into the Presidential Villa, the Presidency said yesterday. It is all part of the measures to forestall terror attacks at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, according to the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to President Muhammadu Buhari, B Abubakar. In a January 26 circular, he directed all tinted cars and other vehicles to be thoroughly searched. 10 pro-Biafra protesters die in Aba Ten persons were killed and another 20 injured in yesterdays protest by the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) in Aba, Abia State, when the protesters clashed with security agencies. Unconfirmed reports said over 30 members are receiving treatment in various hospitals in the city while another 20 are in detention. A source said the protesters gathered at Ibo National High School for prayers before their plan was aborted. In the morning, we gathered at Ibo National High School for prayers and address by the Aba coordinator. READ MORE: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Business Day Nigeria aviation hub effort stymied by poor infrastructure Nigerias potential to become an aviation hub for Africa, using its natural advantages such as its central location on the continent, huge population and a growing middle class, is being stymied by poor aviation infrastructure and lethargy from a government which urgently needs to diversify its economy away from oil. Rivers launches school farms, agri-business project Rivers State has launched a school farm and agribusiness project aimed at kick-starting students interests in commercial farming across the state. Launching the pilot scheme of the project at the Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Rumuokwuta in Obio/Akpor local government area of the state, Governor Nyesom Wike said the project will help in enhancing food No settlement till MTN pays chunk of fine minister The charge against him reads: That you, Ope Saraki, being the Special Adviser on Millennium Development Goals to Governor of Kwara State sometime in 2012 at Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did by undue interest conducted procurement fraud in the procurement of 13 units of ambulance for 13 General Specialists Hospitals in Kwara State at the sum of N171,990, 000, a contract awarded to Chemiroy Nigeria Limited and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 58 (4) (b) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 and punishable under Section 58 (5) 0f the same Act. EFCC alleged that the former SA defrauded the state by inflating and awarding to contracts to companies owned by his close associates. Meanwhile, Bukola Saraki is preparing for his trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), after his appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court. The Senate has also condemned calls by some Nigerians for the resignation of the Senate President. He said this while launching the gun boats purchased for the Bayelsa command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Dickson said So, I want to use this opportunity to call on all misguided youths in this state that have decided to create instability, be they kidnappers, pipeline vandals, sea pirates or crude oil thieves, to desist from those nefarious acts. With the support of our government, security forces and the cooperation of our citizenry, we are determined to crush all those that are involved in one criminal act or the other in our state. He also said I hope to call on surveillance contractors, who, instead of being an asset to the security forces and the government, have become liabilities. I trust that CG will take appropriate actions against such people. I want to also call for collaboration between community leaders and the police, the military, the paramilitary, by reporting misguided elements that live in their communities to the security forces. The party accused Peterside of insulting the Governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, and warned him to stop calling the Governor names. An excerpt of the statement signed by Jerry Needam, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the PDP Chairman in the state, Bro Felix Obuah reads: Dakuku Peterside, perhaps, yet to recover from the nightmare of occupying an office he has no capacity to direct, an illusion placed on him by no other than his godfather, an equally deluded Chibuike Amaechi, without recourse to commonsense has continued to castigate the executive governor of the State, Chief Barr Nyesom Wike, calling him all manner of names as though we live in a lawless society." Adding that Its on record that Mr. Dakuku Peterside had before now described Governor Wike as infantile, insulting the Governor at the slightest opportunity unrestrained and uncautioned. Same Dakuku Peterside on Tuesday, February 09, 2016 at a press conference in APC State Secretariat made rude denigrating allegations against the person of the Governor and most regrettably, putting words into the mouth of His Excellency by recalling and quoting utterances which according to him were those of Gov Wike. The statement also said We therefore want to warn this political neophyte, Dakuku Peterside to caution himself, tread softly on the path of respect for the rule of law, civility and rectitude or be treated like a tout and political jobber he is. Even if, without conceding, Governor Wike had described election riggers as common criminals that deserve no better treatment than other criminals, what is wrong with that honest statement except if Dakuku Peterside is one and rather than be handled as a criminal wishes to be applauded and pampered like a king but God forbid. He is therefore warned for the last time to show some decorum and stop insulting the office of the Governor as the PDP and the authorities will not and cannot continue to watch him despise the sacrosanctity of that office. A word, they say is enough for the wise. "If we put our house together, if we stay together, if we put the past behind us, we will take back our inheritance, it is our inheritance taken by deception, taken by propaganda, taken by hidden agenda, Fayose said. I want to felicitate, I want to rejoice, I want to stand up and say congratulations to my brother the young dynamic, energetic governor of Akwa Ibom state, Mr Udom Emmanuel. Congratulations! You dont need anyone to tell you or tell us that you are loved, and this is the home of PDP. We are in the both together, we will stand by you, we will win together with you, all of us in this generation of PDP will make a difference, it is a time to reflect and after the reflection we are going to take our inheritance back. When I got into this premises and I saw this crowd, I dont know how they could have explained, I dont know what the situation would have been in this state if it had gone otherwise, but in every situation we have to bless the living God that it did not go the other way, because the power of the people is greater than those of us in power. For whatever we do, the people come first, he said. His sentiment was mirrored by the acting Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus who said that Nigerians need the opposition party to return to power. Nigeria is in dire need of PDP, you can see the difference. Eight months ago, the exchange rate was N160, today it is N313. Eight months ago, vessels of goods and services were competing to enter into our harbor. Today, none. The economy is sliding; it is getting to a point of collapse. The political situation of the country is in coma and we challenge the APC-led government that it is time to realize that they need the people more than they need the guns because we are not military. We dedicate today to God to the strength that he has given PDP. PDP will come back with strength and we warn the APC led government that Nigeria should not be a police state where people are harassed and stake holders are being intimidated, he added. The late foremost Nationalist Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe is noted to have warned that if you do not answer false allegations made against you by your opponents, those allegations soon gain currency and belief, Wike said via a statement. It is with this admonition in mind that we are constrained to reply to the childish and infantile gibberish ranted today in the guise of a press conference by the defeated APC gubernatorial candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside. Dakuku Peterside and his partys true reaction to the Supreme Court victory was given during the formers visit of incitement against Rivers people and the peoples of the Niger Delta to Chief John Odigie Oyegun, the APC chairman. At that meeting in which Dakuku Peterside was inciting the president and the people of Nigeria against the peoples of the Niger Delta and the government and people of Rivers state, Chief John Odigie Oyegun. Chief Oyegun then proceeded to announce that the Supreme Court would be probed for doing their work simply because verdict was not given in favour of Dr. Dakuku Peterside. Dr. Dakuku Peterside and his APC have not accepted the Supreme Court verdict and would do anything to destroy the Supreme Court and the integrity of its Justices for daring to uphold existing jurisprudence. The pathological liar Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside claimed that: as early as 9 am on Wednesday January 27, 2016 Wike Supporters were already in jubilation; there were comments in social media three weeks before the verdict on Wikes victory; the respected Odilis were used to procure the verdict of the Supreme Court. These allegations are scornful, demented and laughable, Wike said. It would also create more opportunities for affordable university education to the average Nigerian, he said. He lamented the cost of running a private university saying it was high due to quality of education and maintenance of infrastructure. Ndubuisi said that the non-inclusion of private universities as beneficiaries of TETFund had led them to be charging high fees which the average Nigerian could not afford. According to him, if the proceeds of TETFund used in developing public universities are also extended to private universities, they will charge lesser tuition fees. Also, qualified but indigent Nigerians intending to gain admissions to private universities would be able to afford the fees being charged by them, he said. "TETFund is revenue sourced from private investors but its distribution is not reaching private universities, and this should not be so. "Who are those in the private universities, are they not Nigerian children? he said. He also added that neglecting these universities has caused a lot of investors to establish their private universities in foreign countries. "We do not need to encourage capital flight by spending our money outside the country on what is available in the country. "The establishment of private universities is the best thing that has happened to the country. The CIC will support Ghanas National Climate Change Policy (NCCP), led by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation. The center will help more than 100 local clean technology companies develop and scale innovative solutions to climate change. Furthermore, the center is expected to mitigate 660,000 tons of CO2 and contribute to the production of over 260 million kWh of clean energy, via its support of local clean technology ventures. The center will be located at the Ashesi University College in Berekuso, and it will support green businesses across all of Ghanas regions. The grant agreement was signed by Henry Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, and Patrick Awuah, Founder and President of Ashesi University College, where the Institute will be located. The Ghana CIC solidifies the role of the private sector in helping Ghana mitigate and adapt to climate change, said Henry Kerali. By enabling entrepreneurs and green innovators to test and scale their business models, homegrown clean technology solutions can help the country build climate resilience, while also creating jobs and fostering economic growth. The center is supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, and will be launched in the second quarter of 2016 - managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College with Ernst & Young, SNV Netherlands Development Organization, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa. According to multiple reports, the staff Ola Sanusi, suffocated to death on Monday, February 8, while working in the company's warehouse which, according to some employees, is as hot as a oven. Sanusi was said to be preparing to marry his pregnant fiancee before death came calling. In an email correspondence with our reporters at Pulse, Jumia confirmed the unfortunate incident; "We regret to announce the passing of our dear colleague, Ola Sanusi Ola Sanusi tragically died on Monday as he was seated in one of our inventory rooms, proceeding to perform a cycle count. We could gather from the video footage that he experienced pains in his chest and collapsed just after. His colleagues reacted very quickly and he was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival, a rep for the company tells Pulse. The rep says that Sanusi's family has been invited to the company to watch the footage that shows the moments leading up to the man's death. "We have been in close contact with Olas family, who have had the opportunity to examine the location of the incident, including the video recordings", the company's rep. said. Recalling Sanusi's time with the company and the tragedy, the statement read in part; Ola joined the company when it launched in March 2013 and has been a great colleague and team member ever since. He was part of the Inbound Team at AIG-Express and worked as an operator. He was a diligent, committed and highly valued member of the team in his 3 years with the company. The company also implores the public to give Sanusi's family privacy to mourn him; "We wish to respect Olas family and invite everyone in this difficult time to respect their grief and need for privacy and mourning. We have extended our deepest condolences to his family and his friends during this difficult time and will continue to support them as much as need be", it reads. While mourning Ola, e-commerce logistics initiative, AIG-Express tell Pulse that the physical conditions and mental demands fit 'best operating practices' that have been approved by the Lagos State Government. "AIG-Express confirms that the work conditions in its warehouse are in line with all local and international laws and best operating practices. The Warehouse is regularly inspected by the relevant authorities of the Lagos State Government. All members of staff of AIG-Express, are subject to its comprehensive health insurance policy, which entitles staff to out-patient and in-patient care, prescription drugs, evacuation to hospitals and other care. Olas passing has been a great loss for the entire AIG-Express family and he will be greatly missed by all of us". Islamist fighters from Somalia's al Shabaab group had taken some uniforms from camps run by the African Union AMISOM force, officers said. "AMISOM has information that due to panic Al-Shabaab have plans to masquerade as AMISOM and dress in AMISOM troop's uniforms," the force said on its Twitter account. Kenyan soldiers serving with AMISOM suffered heavy losses when al Shabaab launched a dawn raid on their camp in the southern Somali town of El Adde on Jan. 15. The militants said they killed more than 100 soldiers at the base near Somalia's border with Kenya, though Nairobi has not released an official death count. Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg BEATTY State officials came to town Monday to brief residents on the fire last October at the closed low-level radioactive waste site 11 miles south of the community. As was previously reported by the Nevada Department of Public Safety, no release of radiation was ever detected as a result of the Oct. 18 incident, which compounded the U.S. Highway 95 closure already in place after heavy flooding wiped out the road around Lathrop Wells. The Beatty site, which is owned by the state, was licensed in 1961 and received its first shipment of low-level nuclear waste in 1962. It continued to operate until being closed in 1992. It was the first such facility in the United States. This means that some of the material in the site was buried over 50 years ago, and State Fire Marshall Pete Mulvihill noted that the state of the art back then is nothing like it is now. Back then, some of the waste was in barrels, but some was buried in cardboard boxes, or wooden crates, and some, like cement rubble from demolished laboratories, was in no container at all. Over the years, some of these containers deteriorated, creating voids that caused cracks or sink holes in covering soil, which give access to rainwater (which is normally scarce in the desert climate). The heavy rains in October exposed these problems by causing the fire. Rainwater came into contact with metallic sodium stored in barrels which had deteriorated. Mulvihill said that responders did not attempt to fight the fire, which was the appropriate thing to do, as putting water on the fire would only have made it worse. Jon Bakkedahl, Radiation Control Supervisor for the state, said that the metallic sodium involved had a half-life of only 15 hours and was probably not even radioactive by the time it was buried. Beatty resident Albert Verrilli wanted to know if any materials with higher radiation levels were buried next to the barrels of metallic sodium. There was a slew of other material in that trench, said Bakkedahl, but those that were higher in radioactivity were not buried next to those barrels. All the material at the site was low-level, much of it being medical waste. Bakkedahl described what has been done to repair the site and what yet will need to be done. Right after the incident, a temporary cover was installed to protect it from further rain that was expected. After getting clearance from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, they reburied the material, filled voids, installed a cover and more covering soil, and contoured it to make water run off. They have been consulting with companies experienced in repairing similar sites and are beginning to get estimates of cost. Eventually they will have to go to the governor with figures he and the Legislature can use in determining how they will come up with the money for a permanent repair. Bakkedahl said this will cost millions of dollars. Meanwhile the state is monitoring and inspecting the site, something US Ecology, which operates the neighboring hazardous waste site, is helping with. US Ecology heavy equipment has also been used to do the interim repair work. Verrilli also wanted to know what chance there was of groundwater causing a problem similar to that caused by the heavy rains. Mike Leigh, a supervisor from the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Waste Management, said that the water table at the site is 300 feet deep and that water is regularly monitored. Resident Jerry Hammes raised a concern about a lack of communication with residents early on in the incident. Caleb Cage, Chief of the Nevada Department of Emergency Management, said that it was more a lack of information than a lack of communication. He said that at first, we didnt know anything. Sheriff Sharon Wehrly said she pretty much concurred with that assessment. We didnt know anything either. Beatty Town Advisory Board Treasurer Erika Gerling expressed frustration that people had been calling, asking for information that board members or the town office did not have. Any information is better than speculation, she said. If we dont get information, well make up our own, said resident Roger Nawrocki. I had someone tell me that 55-gallon drums were rolling across the highway! Cage, Wehrly, and Gerling all said that they felt that things had been worked out, and communication was better now. Nearly one in 11 people shopping for guns online in Nevada is prohibited from possessing a firearm, according to a study by Everytown for Gun Safety released Jan. 29. Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun control advocacy group, researched listings for firearms on four websites: Armslist, Gunlistings, Backpage and Facebook, where private-party sellers in Nevada used dozens of dedicated pages to arrange gun sales. The study, called The Wild Wild Web, evokes Nevadas frontier history: Frontier days seem distant in Nevada, where the rugged landscape has recently acquired a 21st-century sheen. Cities have sprouted in its deserts. Technology companies like Tesla Motors and Faraday Future vie for the states workforce, the report said. But invisible to most Nevadans, an unregulated commerce in firearms continues. And its facilitated by the same digital platforms driving the economic boom. The websites were monitored for different amounts of time and using different methods. For Armslist and Gunlistings, all ads posted offering firearms for sale or trade were collected with a computer program on a daily basis for a year, from Nov. 1, 2014, to Oct. 31. Listings on Backpage were collected for 80 days in the fall, and an investigative agency was hired to manually track posts on 27 Facebook groups for about a month starting Dec. 25, according to the study. Everytown for Gun Safety Research Director Ted Alcorn said the reason for the differences in monitoring periods is because of the differences in how the websites work. A computer program wouldnt be able to track Facebook like the other sites, so staffers spent eight-hour shifts manually going through posts on the social media site. Its very labor-intensive, Alcorn said, adding that despite the differences, the data were consistent among the sites. We wanted to ensure that were using the gun sale ads as a proxy for gun commerce, he said. You can infer a lot by looking at those ads. The Everytown researchers, about 10 people, identified 13,570 unique ads for firearms for sale during their study. The group used that rate to estimate that private-party sellers in Nevada would post 35,862 firearm ads to the four websites each year. Most sellers appeared to post just one or two ads during the observation period, but a small number of sellers offered guns in higher volumes, which Everytown said might mean they were unlicensed dealers. On Armslist, six sellers posted 25 or more ads in a year including one seller who posted 157 ads. One seller posted 13 unique ads on Facebook over four weeks, and nine other users each offered six or more guns. These sellers accounted for 9 percent of gun ads posted by Nevadan sellers (81 of 962 ads), according to the report. The study included an undercover operation researchers placed ads for guns and followed up with respondents to see if they were barred from having a firearm because of convictions for a felony or domestic abuse. Investigators posted 19 ads selling firearms for sale on the websites Armslist and Facebook from Aug. 24 to Sept. 17. Investigators received 394 responses to the ads and used information the would-be buyers voluntarily provided to identify 229 unique Nevada residents. Ninety-eight percent of the respondents were men, ranging in age from 19 to 74 with a median age of 33. Records examined They then analyzed court records any felony convictions, domestic violence misdemeanor convictions, bench warrants, protection orders, or other records that could be linked to the individual to determine if they were prohibited the possession of firearms under state or federal law. The group found that 8.7 percent, 20 of the 229 respondents, had been convicted of crimes that prohibited them from possessing firearms. At that rate, online gun sales from these four websites would put an estimated 3,132 guns into the hands of felons and domestic abusers in Nevada every year, according to the report. And that estimate may be low Everytown couldnt examine records that would indicate noncriminal prohibitions such as severe mental illness, dishonorable discharge from the armed forces and immigration status. Alcorn said the numbers show that criminals who would be blocked by background checks by licensed dealers and at brick-and-mortar stores are flocking to the Internet. Background checks blocked more than 5,000 gun sales to prohibited people in Nevada from 2012 to 2014, according to an Everytown analysis of FBI data. Those denials made up 1.3 percent of gun sales, but the buyers who are prohibited made up 8.7 percent of the studys respondents. At that rate, in a single year, just four websites in Nevada could put more than 3,100 guns into the hands of felons and domestic abusers, the study said. The study includes some examples of prohibited possessors, such as a 23-year-old man who inquired about a handgun ad posted by Everytown. Six years ago, the man shot three people in Reno. In another example, a 21-year-old man with convictions for possessing a stolen handgun and removing a serial number from a gun aggressively tried to buy a firearm listed in one of Everytowns posts. A month later he was arrested with a handgun. The prior criminal histories that these (people) had is shocking, Alcorn said. These are the kinds of individuals were talking about. In every example the names of the prohibited possessors was redacted, but Alcorn said the information was passed on to law enforcement. Everytown for Gun Safety is advocating for the passage of a November ballot question that would extend background check requirements to private-party sales, including those done via the Internet. Rather than transactions done in parking lots, the law will require private sales be conducted with licensed dealers, Alcorn said. Gun rights groups have said the language in the voter initiative is vague and would criminalize some normal behaviors of law-abiding gun owners, such as loaning a gun to a friend. Change in policy Coincidentally, Facebook said late Friday that it was changing its gun ad policies. The social media site updated its policies for managing regulated goods to prohibit people from using Facebook to offer and coordinate private sales of firearms. The sites policies already prohibit people from selling marijuana, pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs. The new policy focuses on private or peer-to-peer sales of weapons, not weapons that are being sold in stores or off Facebook through online, licensed retailers. Licensed firearm retailers will still be able to post about their goods and services on Facebook while completing sales transactions off Facebook. Monika Bickert, Facebooks head of product policy, said the change is just the latest innovation aimed at improving the sites commerce functions. Over the last two years, more and more people have been using Facebook to discover products and to buy and sell things to one another. We are continuing to develop, test, and launch new products to make this experience even better for people and are updating our regulated goods policies to reflect this evolution, she said in a statement. Alcorn said the move by Facebook sends an important message about corporate responsibility, but there should be legislation in place to regulate online sales of firearms. Theres plenty of other websites in Nevada, he said. To read the study online, visit: http://everytownresearch.org/reports/the-wild-wild-web Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com. Find him on Twitter: @WesJuhl. This article first appeared on www.reviewjournal.com on Feb. 1 AMARGOSA VALLEY A full-scale remediation of the US Ecology industrial site could cost millions of dollars, state officials said during a meeting on Monday. A group of state officials who presented the findings from the report into the October industrial fire at the US Ecology site said the state is working with several private engineering companies that are expected to provide costs of permanent repairs for the site. The bidding process for the site repairs hasnt started yet as officials expect the final estimate in the next 30 days, Jon Bakkedahl, radiation control supervisor for the State of Nevada, said at the Amargosa Valley meeting. US Ecology site located on U.S. Highway 95 approximately 19 miles north of Amargosa Valley Weve got one preliminary estimate back and its a multi-million dollar project and its going to be a multi-year project, he said. This isnt something thats going to happen overnight and thats why we continue to arrive at the facility locally here, do surveys of the site, do visual inspections of the site. The State of Nevada would have to pay for the money for the project, however officials said it will take at least a few months to determine where the funds will come from. Separately, Bakkedahl said the U.S. Geological Survey had offered to invest about $175,000 in doing different types of ground-penetrating radar imaging of the facility. So they are going to do multisteps, multilayers of analysis of the ground both above and below, image it and see whats changing out there, looking for void spaces down below that may need some sort of compaction. The site was acquired by the state of Nevada in 1961 through a legislative act and started receiving low-level radioactive waste materials in 1962. It operated until it was closed in 1992. The ownership was transferred to the state of Nevada in 1997. Low-level radioactive laboratory junk had been buried at the site in a variety of containers and packaging, including cardboard boxes, steel drums and wooden crates that deteriorated and collapsed over time, officials said. From 62 until 76, there was very little radiation oversight of any disposal facilities, let alone radioactive waste, low-level radioactive waste, however you want to classify it, Bakkedahl said. In a press release on Dec. 30, officials said that the industrial fire at the state-owned radioactive waste disposal site was caused by a chemical reaction between rainwater and sodium metal in the trench area where low-level radioactive waste had been buried. The investigation had found corrosion of the steel drums containing the metallic sodium allowed packaging fluid to seep out, leaving the metallic sodium exposed to the underground elements. Heavy rainfall seeped into the ground and reached the metallic sodium through a compromised cover, causing the fire. Bakkedahl said multiple samples of the groundwater and air following the explosion didnt show any radiation. Your groundwater, everything around you is safe, he told the audience in Amargosa Valley. Bakkedahl the cost of oversight is well beyond what was recommended for the site, and added he said he felt comfortable being on the site. Since the incident, Bakkedahl said two more areas that had showed some cracking and subsidence had been repaired. Additionally, the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection and several other agencies now conduct on-site weather monitoring. No consideration was given to pulling the buried materials out and repackaging them according to current regulations per advice from other states that have similar facilities as well as several federal agencies. Officials said that the main concern with the other trenches is the weather pattern with the large amount of moisture that Amargosa Valley and the rest of the state has received because of the El Nino pattern. So, we are constantly being present more to observe any physical changes to the site and during all those visits, there are radiation equipment used for surveys as well, Bakkedahl said. But the biggest risk at this point is water possibly penetrating the site in the interim of it being permanently repaired. After the meeting in Amargosa, the Payne, Bakkedahl and others held a similar meeting in Beatty later that day. (See story from that meeting on A2) Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77 After looking for an opportunity to go into business himself, one local man and his wife are taking a shot on a business chain that she enjoyed. Douglas Dubin, a sales consultant at the Pahrump Valley Auto Plaza, is slated to open a number of Dickeys Barbecue Pit locations, including up to two here in town, and various others in Las Vegas and Southern California. Dubin will be involved with eight locations initially but there are possibilities that more are on the horizon. We have exclusive rights to development for Clark County, Nye County and parts of Southern California, Dubin said. Well have perhaps one or two in Pahrump, about a half dozen in Las Vegas and additional locations in Southern California. Dubin decided to go into business with Dickeys Barbeque after his wife enjoyed the restaurants offerings while up north. We have been actively looking for an opportunity for a number of years and we had made contact with Dickeys around Thanksgiving and theres been a lot of back-and-forth since then, Dubin said. My wife actually had tried Dickeys in eastern Montana five years ago, so she really liked it and when we saw the opportunity we felt that it was something that we wanted to move forward with. Wanting his family to get involved, Dubin will have a number of family members working at the locations. His wife, brother and three daughters will help manage the locations with him, with plans for his young nephews to join them in the business in the future. Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. Chief Operating Officer Roland Dickey is pleased to offer families opportunities to get involved with the company. Dickeys is still family-owned and operated after nearly 75 years, Dickey said. We are proud to give other families the opportunity to own a business by investing with us. Dubin is still deciding whether to open the Summerlin location in Vegas or the initial Pahrump location first, which is tentatively slated to be located in the Albertsons Shopping Center off Highway 160, but if all works out, there will be a pair of Dickeys in town. You know it really depends. We like what we see on the south end (of Pahrump) as far as future development, so our anticipation is if that development moves forward wed like to see a second location, Dubin said. We believe the community would support it. Confident that he can make the jump from salesman to business owner, Dubin explained the two arent really all that different. Its a lot of the same thing, he said. Our objective, our mission is to really provide the best product and the best customer service and really create a product that people want to support and an opportunity to help people get a job. A place that they want to work at, not that they have to work at. Dubin expects each location to employ 10 people minimum on staff and he will work with various organizations in town to fill the spots for the Pahrump Dickeys. Im looking forward to working with the chamber of commerce and NyE Communities Coalition on the hiring of employees here, he said. In addition to the hiring, Dubin said that he will develop what he calls the most unique culinary training program in Nye County in order to teach the employees all that goes into Dickeys Texas-style barbecue fare. With a few other BBQ options available in town already, Dubin said that Dickeys has something to offer that the other establishments dont. Theres no question when it comes to product and value were altogether different, Dubin said. This is Texas-style barbecue, meaning we actually sit and smoke the meats for as long as 12 hours with a dry rub. Sauce is only meant to be a side item, its not supposed to be slathered all over the meat. Out of all the menu options Dickeys has to offer, Dubin said that there are a pair that the restaurant is known for more than others. He hopes that those and the other offerings have customers returning with their loved ones. Smoked brisket and the pork sliders, he said. Theres nobody that does anything like them. The quality of the meat and the fact that its smoked with wood for 12 hours. You just dont get a more amazing flavor and product out of that. We want everybody to come in and not only come back, but we want their friends and family to come back too. Contact reporter Mick Akers at makers@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @mickakers The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, was engineered by a governor, Rick Snyder, whose campaign commercials in 2010 said in part, Treat citizens like customers. Manage Michigan like a business. It became his mantra. I wrote this column 19 years ago and thought it might be of interest today. The day after Arizona Gov. Fife Symington resigned from office as a result of his felony conviction, a Nevada state agency chief told me, Thats two Arizona governors who believe government should operate like a business who have been forced to resign in ten years. The linkage was interesting, and deliberate this Nevada official believes those who preach running government like business do not understand how the dynamics of government differ from those of business. And he thinks that sooner or later those who try to implement such a philosophy will fail and governments mission will suffer. The issue can be neatly illustrated by the experiences of three Nevada governors Robert List, Richard Bryan, and Robert Miller. In 1981 List successfully proposed the famed tax shift moving Nevada from principal reliance on property taxes to sales taxes. The problem was that the shift was scarcely enacted by the Nevada Legislature when the 1981 recession was underway. Nevada, whose leaders had always regarded the states gambling economy as recession proof, quickly learned it was no such thing. Sales taxes are far more uncertain in hard times, so List had effectively sent the state into the teeth of a major recession in a far more vulnerable position. Within months of the enactment of the tax shift, the governor found himself forced to cut public services once, twice, then a third time to keep the budget in balance as revenues plunged ever lower. By the time the third phase of cuts had come around, List had refined a sales pitch to make the cuts in services more acceptable to the public. When businesses must tighten their belts, he said, government should do the same. It was an easily explained argument, and it fit Lists overall Republican philosophy of government. But his opponent in the next election, Democrat Richard Bryan, considered it nonsense. And after Bryan used the state budget crisis to portray List as incompetent and defeat him, the new governor spelled out exactly why he disagreed with the argument. In his first message to the legislature after being sworn in, Bryan outlined his philosophy: Another observation goes to the fundamentals of government. We have heard that in hard times, business tightens its belt. Government, we are told, should do the same. It is an appealing argument, and indeed when times are tough, government should cut expenses. Government cannot, however, avoid its responsibilities. When times are tough, business loses customers. When times are hard, government gains customers, and they are customers who cannot take their business elsewhere! Hard times, Bryan said, drove up mental health problems, child abuse, alcohol treatment, prison populations, medical aid to the indigent. When times are tough, government is more in the grip of uncontrollable expenses than is the private sector. Flash forward a decade. During the 1992 recession, Gov. Miller, a Democrat, found himself in a role very similar to that of List, of having to slash services to keep the state budget in balance. In two televised statewide addresses that year, he described how state agency budgets were being cut. And as Miller looked for ways to sell the pain of service cuts to the public, there was an interesting twist: Miller the Democrat seized on the rationale of List the Republican, rather than espousing the view of Bryan the fellow Democrat. When families and businesses must cut their budgets, Miller said, so should government. Miller did not suffer politically from the effects of the recession as did List. Part of the reason may be that Miller had more time left in his term of office after the recession ended to recover politically from the hard choices hed had to impose. Another reason may be that the public may be more receptive to budget slashing arguments when they come from a Democrat, in the same way that a tax increase from a Republican can be more palatable. As Mr. Spock put it, only Nixon could go to China. Dennis Myers is an award-winning journalist who has reported on Nevadas capital, government and politics for several decades. He has also served as Nevadas chief deputy secretary of state. DES MOINES A bill aimed at eliminating so-called sanctuary communities in Iowa won approval from the House Public Safety Committee Tuesday despite arguments that it is mean-spirited, unnecessary and could cost taxpayers millions of dollars. On a party-line vote, the Republican-controlled committee approved House Study Bill 558 that prohibits local government from establishing any restrictions on the enforcement of any federal immigration law to less than the full extent permitted by federal law. Floor manager Rep. Steve Holt, R-Denison, said sanctuary community status makes communities less safe because they attract people who are in violation of immigration law. Opponents said he is incorrectly applying the term to 23 Iowa counties where sheriffs do not agree to hold people on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, detainers without a judges order. A federal court has ruled holding people suspected of being in the country illegally on those detainers is not mandatory. Thats not settled law, Holt said. Nothing in his bill asks law enforcement to violate the law or anyones constitutional rights but only to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, Holt said. Under the bill, law enforcement who have reason to believe a person is in the country illegally would send their fingerprints and other identification information to ICE, which could ask the local authorities to hold that individual. He rejected the idea the bill is anti-immigrant. Were all immigrants, Holt said. We have always treasured and embraced immigrants. We have always treasured and embraced legal immigration. Sandra Sanchez, director of Iowa Immigrants Voice Program and Board of Immigration Appeals accredited representative, said the law is unnecessary and redundant and could cost taxpayers millions of dollars. The issues addressed by the bill are already enforced by either immigration law or the 1996 welfare reform, she said in an email to committee members. Changes since then have closed the few loopholes that remained. Why spend scarce human and financial state resources when the federal government already takes care of such issues? Sanchez asked. She cited the experience of Colorado where the cost of complying is costing taxpayers $13 million a year. Approving a redundant law would be a misuse of lawmakers time given that federal agencies have the funds and staffing to address the issues in HSB 558, Sanchez said. Involving local law enforcement and others distracts from investigating and solving serious crimes, said Connie Ryan of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa Action Fund. It also would discourage crime victims and witnesses to come forward out of fear of being deported. In many cases, she said, the victims have been abused by a spouse of partner. If deported, their children could be left in the custody of the abuser. The bill also would incentivize law enforcement to prioritize immigration status over victim safety, Ryan said. Holt said he doesnt know the future of the bill because it hasnt been discussed by the full House GOP caucus. SPRINGFIELD President Barack Obama returned to Springfield on Wednesday to call on members of the Illinois General Assembly to work together toward a less divisive, more civil politics. The speech, delivered nine years to the day after Obama launched his White House bid on the steps of the Old State Capitol, came amid an unprecedented state budget impasse between first-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-controlled Legislature, led by House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, both of Chicago. While alluding to the standoff, Obama focused his remarks on the larger issue of the increasing political polarization in Springfield, Washington and across the United States. "The situation we find ourselves in today is not somehow unique or hopeless," he said, speaking in the current Capitol, where he began his political career in 1997 as a state senator from Chicago's South Side. "We've always gone through periods when our democracy seems stuck, and when that happens, we have to find a new way of doing business. "We're in one of those moments. We've got to build a better politics, one that's less of a spectacle and more of a battle of ideas, one that's less of a business and more of a mission, one that understands the success of the American experiment rests on our willingness to engage all our citizens in this work." To build that "better politics," Obama highlighted four areas where work needs to be done: Limiting influence of big money in politics. Changing the way congressional districts are drawn. Making it easier for voters to register and cast ballots. Engaging in more respectful political discourse. "We can't move forward if all we do is tear each other down," he said. The president said his belief in the importance of bipartisanship and civility has its roots, in part, in his days in the Illinois Senate. As a newcomer in the then-minority party, Obama had to find ways to work with Republicans if we wanted to accomplish anything. He formed a bond with Kirk Dillard, then a GOP senator from Hinsdale and now chairman of the Chicago-area Regional Transit Authority, with whom he worked on issues such as ethics reform and combating racial profiling. He also took the time to get to know downstate Republicans away from the Statehouse, playing cards with people such as Sens. Dave Luechtefeld of Okawville and Bill Brady of Bloomington. "Away from the glare of TV or the tweets of the GIFs of today's media, what we discovered was that, despite our surface differences Democrats and Republicans, downstate hog farmers, inner-city African-Americans, suburban businesspeople, Latinos from Pilsen or Little Village despite those differences, we actually had a lot in common," he said. "We cared about our communities. We cared about our families. We cared about America. "We fought hard for our positions. I don't want to be nostalgic here. We voted against each other all the time, and party lines held most of the time. But those relationships, that trust that we built, meant that we came at each debate assuming the best in one another and not the worst." He added, "And we didn't call each other idiots or fascists who were trying to destroy America. Because then we'd have to explain why we were playing poker or having a drink with an idiot or a fascist who was trying to destroy America." Despite Obama's message, there were times when partisan divisions were on full display in the House chamber. For example, Democrats stood and cheered when he mentioned the importance of collective bargaining rights, as did Republicans when he mentioned redistricting reform. Obama acknowledged his disappointment that partisan discord has gotten worse during his presidency and, hinting at his post-presidential plans, said this work "will be a focus of mine over the course of this year and beyond." Obama arrived Wednesday morning aboard Air Force One at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, where he was greeted by Rauner, among others. The two spoke briefly before the president got into his limo and made his way to the Capitol after a brief stop for barley soup at The Feed Store, a restaurant just steps from the Old State Capitol. Following the speech, the president shook hands with many on the Republican side of the aisle before departing the House chamber. Upon leaving the Capitol, Obama greeted a group of about 500 supporters a few blocks away inside the Hoogland Center for the Arts. After that, he was back aboard Air Force One, en route to San Jose, Calif. For years, official records of Scott County board meetings have existed only in their minutes. That may change. Supervisor Diane Holst is proposing that the county begin taping the supervisors' meetings, saying it would provide a record of the proceedings and help people who can't make it to the bi-weekly sessions. At the least, Holst wants to have audio recordings posted to the county's website. But, she says, if the price is right, videotaping the meetings might be a good thing, too. Holst, however, is encountering resistance from other supervisors who say such recordings would be a waste of money and the proceedings already are available to people either by attending or reading the minutes. The issue has come up before. Last year, Holst proposed the idea, but it went nowhere. Now, with the county beginning to put together its fiscal year 2017 budget, Holst said it's time that supervisors join other local governments in turning on the microphones. "Everybody records their meetings," Holst said. "This is the day and age we're in." County officials say it would cost about $10,000 to $12,000 to upgrade the audio system in the board room. But the two existing cameras are designed for security purposes and are placed on the ceiling. A demonstration of those cameras Tuesday showed supervisors at a distance, and it was far different from what viewers see when they tune into cable access television to watch the city councils in Davenport and Bettendorf. County officials couldn't say Tuesday how much it would cost to upgrade to a similar system. Supervisors Tom Sunderbruch and Jim Hancock, the board chairman, said Tuesday they are against the idea. Both cited cost considerations. Hancock also said that in the time he's been on the board, if people are truly interested in an issue, they show up. "I just think it's a waste of resources, and we shouldn't do it," Hancock said. Supervisor Brinson Kinzer said he is on board with the idea. Meanwhile, Supervisor Carol Earnhardt didn't definitively say one way or another but said she wasn't impressed with what some other counties were doing and wanted to ensure that if Scott County records its meetings, on video or otherwise, it be a quality presentation. After the discussion Tuesday, Hancock, who presides over meetings, said it was his belief that a majority of the board wasn't on board and it was time to move on. This may not be the end of the issue, however. Holst said afterward, "We'll have more discussions." An Iowa State Association of Counties survey Tuesday found that of 51 county responses, 31 did not record their meetings. A Quad-City Times check of the state's 10 largest counties found that six are videotaping their board meetings, and four are not, including Scott County. Of the four that weren't videotaping, two did post audio recordings to their websites. The videotaped meetings usually are posted to county websites or to YouTube. Holst said that, at the least, she wants to see an audio recording of Scott County meetings. Currently, she uses a handheld recorder to tape meetings. "My goal is to have something available for the public on our website that they can be aware of whats going on," she said. It's not clear where the debate goes from here. Hancock said he did not oppose further study of the idea, but he said he didn't think any changes would be made for the 2017 budget or for the rest of his tenure on the board. Hancock has said that he will not seek re-election this year. Sunderbruch also has indicated he won't seek re-election. Rock Island County residents will have the opportunity tonight to comment on a proposal to cut the size of the county board and reduce board members' benefits. Public comment on the resolution will be heard when the board's Governance Task Force meets at 6 p.m. at the County Office Building, 1504 3rd Ave. By a vote of 4-3, task force members had approved putting the resolution before the 25-member full board at its meeting on Tuesday. However, it has been taken off of Tuesdays agenda so that States Attorney John McGehee can review its legal standing, board member Drue Mielke, of Coal Valley, said. I think its a stall tactic, Mielke said. Its just a resolution. It doesnt have any binding effect. All were doing is sending a message to the board that we wish to have the board downsized in 2020-2022. In addition to reducing the size of the board to 15 members, the resolution also suggests that board members not participate in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund and that they no longer have health coverage through the county. There are Democrats on the board that are clearly opposed to this resolution, Mielke, a Republican, said. There are no Republicans on the board who are opposed to the resolution. Board member Kai Swanson, of Rock Island, said that while pulling the resolution off of the agenda was not expected, I have a high degree of faith in the process. I think the proposal is crafted in such a way that it will pass the legal review, Swanson, a Democrat, said. I have 14 board members who already have told me they intend to support this package. The people of Rock Island County have been waiting for years to see some real reform, he said. Swanson said that when people asked for reform in the past, the boards status quo would rise up and demand an alternative. Now, we have an alternative and the onus is on the broken status quo to show how it is preferable to this alternative. In the past, reform in budgeting and planning has been blocked by a Byzantine labyrinth of committee meetings, delay and obfuscation, he said. We now have a majority of board members to pass reform and the public should remind those 14 people Ive spoken to that its as good of an idea in March as it is in February. Well get it done. Board member Don Johnston, of Moline, said he believes patience is the key. Id like to see it get done when its legally able to do so, Johnston, a Democrat, said. You cant change the compensation of an elected official in the middle of a term. They ought to wait until May, for example, and take away benefits from part of the board, and then in the next cycle do the rest. And to throw out a number for downsizing, such as 15, is not useful, when we dont even know what the census will be. We dont know if we should have 15 board members or seven or five, or 17, he said. Johnston added that the board should have committee-of-the-whole type meetings as city governments do and eliminate standing committees. The problem with the seven or eight standing committees is that you have 18, 19, or 20 people who have no idea what theyre voting on because they werent in those meetings. A committee-of-the-whole meeting would allow the board to meet and discuss the issues intelligently without voting on them at that time. The St. Patrick Society is on its annual search for the best Irish mother in the Quad-Cities. The Irish Mother of the Year will be honored during the annual St. Patrick's Day weekend celebration, which will be March 11 and 12. "A nominee should be involved in family, church, and community, have a good sense of humor and demonstrate pride in her Irish ancestry," the society said in a news release. The nominee must be able to attend the St. Patrick Society Gathering of The Clan Luncheon on Friday, March 11, and the Grand Parade XXXI and Post Parade Bash on Saturday, March 12. Nominations must be original letters of about 150 words and must be received by Feb. 26. Nominations can be mailed to St. Patrick Society Attn. Irish Mother Nomination, P.O. Box 4487, Davenport, Iowa 52808. The Grand Parade XXXI will begin at 11:30 a.m. March 12 at the corner of 4th Avenue and 23rd Street in Rock Island. It will travel through downtown Rock Island, across the Mississippi River via the Centennial Bridge to West 3rd Street. It then proceeds east through downtown Davenport to the Post Parade Bash at the RiverCenter. A special Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church in downtown Rock Island. -- Times staff As poll after poll has demonstrated, consumers want to buy Made in the USA. In fact, its a fairly obvious proposition. Americans overwhelmingly recognize that unless the United States maintains a strong and diverse manufacturing base, the nations overall economic standing will suffer. While Americans have become more concerned in recent years with restoring the nations manufacturing sector, one aspect of industrial self-sufficiency remains problematic. And, of late, it has become a worrisome problem. Americas manufacturers are growing more and more dependent on imported metals and minerals needed to make many of the products used in everyday life. Specifically, the United States is now completely import-dependent for 19 key minerals, and more than 50 percent dependent for another 24 important minerals. It wasnt always this way, however. As recently as 1990, the United States led the world in metals and mineral production. Now, America ranks seventh, and relies on roughly $27 billion worth of imported minerals each year. Mineral production may seem an obscure topic to some. But consider this: The average smartphone alone contains dozens of different metals and minerals, including copper, gold, platinum, and silver. While consumers may be unaware of Americas growing metals shortfall, the nations manufacturers are becoming ever more worried. In a 2014 survey, more than 90 percent of U.S. manufacturing executives said theyre concerned about obtaining the minerals they need, when they need them. The real irony of this growing import dependence, though, is that, as a nation, America possesses great mineral wealth. Indeed, the United States holds some of the greatest mineral reserves on the planetworth an estimated $6.2 trillion. Despite this natural abundance, less than half of the minerals consumed by Americas manufacturers are actually sourced domestically. And the problem, when it comes to extracting new minerals, is mostly a bureaucratic one. It now takes as much as seven to 10 years for a U.S. mining operation to successfully navigate the permitting process needed to launch new operations. A decade of permitting delays can actually eliminate half of a mining project's value before production even begins. In contrast, mine permitting in countries like Australia and Canada, which maintain environmental standards comparable to those of the United States, takes only two to three years. And so, its uncertainty and delays that keep Americas mine operators from extracting some of the most crucial mineral supplies used globally. If Americas manufacturers are to remain competitive, theyll need more timely access to reliable mineral sources. This is particularly apparent when one considers that many of the nations existing mines are reaching the end of their useful lifespan. And its why Washington urgently needs to overhaul the outdated permitting process that continues to hamper domestic mining operations. Thankfully, Congress is catching on. The House of Representatives has repeatedly passed legislation to make the permitting process smarter and more efficient. But the Senate needs to act as well. An engaged Washington, and one that truly values domestic manufacturing, needs to give Americas mineral miners a fair shake. Otherwise, the cost of inaction will lead to a greater dependence on imported metals. And thats simply bad business for American manufacturing. Davenport Community Schools Superintendent Art Tate might soon be a law breaker. Members of the district's School Board might be accomplices to his lawlessness. But it's the General Assembly's continued unwillingness to right the state's classist, state-centralized school funding model that's the real crime. Iowa's school funding just isn't fair and hasn't been for decades. Inequity between tax-rich and tax-poor districts were never normalized when the state instituted its annual cap on school budget increases. And the systemic inequity has since plagued public education throughout the state. Tate is sick of his district receiving up to $175-per-student less than nearby districts. He's tired of his students getting shafted because of some arcane state formula. He's frustrated by the annual budgetary devastation, to the tune of a lost $143 million in potential revenue over the past 40 years. On Monday, School Board members signed a letter formalizing their support for Tate's plan, which would illegally withdraw $2.7 million in reserve funds to bring the district's spending in line with more affluent neighbors. Spending the $29 million reserve fund, a breach of state law, would, for a time, permit the district to maintain per-pupil spending at the more equal level to wealthier districts. Davenport's school officials are daring the state to come after them and, in so doing, inviting a protracted, public political standoff that could stretch throughout the summer. The plight of Iowa's under-funded public schools would dominate news cycles. But Tate could lose his certification in the process, if the state decides to come after him. He's putting his career on the line. The man has guts. If only the same could be said for the Legislature. It's not secret that Iowa's school funding model -- primarily reliant on state cash -- is broken. Lawmakers, with control of the purse strings, have "studied" the issue for years. But, for too long, they've lacked the political courage to overhaul a system of haves and have-nots. Neither Tate nor any member of Davenport's school board want to be in contempt of the Legislature. They have no desire to face punitive action or see state aid withheld out of codified spite. They're picking a fight and hoping the bully backs down. Or, even better, maybe the bully acknowledges his failings and cedes some power back to local officials. Right now, the House Education Committee is eyeing three bills that would finally provide some local control over how funding is spent. Committee Chairman Ron Jorgeson, R-Sioux City, is carrying the legislation that, among other things, would permit local districts to use sales tax revenue to fill the equity gap, a practice now banned by state law. Several other bills that strive to address the issue, including legislation authored by Rep. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, are making the rounds at the Capitol. Yet, in each case, the bills are mired in committee in the divided General Assembly, as Gov. Terry Branstad instead focuses on diverting educational funds to water quality programs. Lawmakers are keenly aware of the damage Iowa's unfair, state-centric funding model has done to far too many school poor district's throughout the state. It's not as if Tate is acting in a vacuum. His gripe, and that of Davenport's school board, are a regular refrain throughout Iowa. The Legislature has lacked the will to march into the minefield. The state could come after Davenport's gutsy superintendent. Or, more constructively, lawmakers could take a page from his book and take a stand for what's right. DES MOINES A more robust medical cannabis program in Iowa is about to get another look. Rep. Peter Cownie, from the Iowa House Republican caucus that has been a barrier to a more expansive medical cannabis program, said Tuesday he plans to introduce legislation that would permit the production and dispensation of cannabidiol for the prescribed treatment of certain ailments, such as epileptic seizures. Cownie said he will run the bill through the House Commerce Committee that he chairs, starting as early as later this week. I believe we were all elected to help Iowans, and I believe the bill before us will do just that, Cownie said Tuesday at a news conference at the Capitol. Cownie, of West Des Moines, said he expects his proposal will have bipartisan support, and he hopes legislators, including leadership in his party, keep an open mind. Its very sensitive, very emotional, Cownie said. Iowa in 2014 legalized possession of cannabidiol but provided no legal route for patients to obtain the product, making the law ineffective in the eyes of those who would use the product. Ever since, advocates have pushed for expansion of the law to allow cannabidiol to be manufactured and sold in Iowa. Statehouse Democrats have embraced the idea, while Republicans largely have resisted. The Democratic-controlled Senate last year passed a bill that would expand the states medical cannabis program. The bill did not receive a hearing in the Republican-controlled House, and this year, House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said she thinks Iowa should not expand the program until federal regulators approve cannabidiol for treatment. Republican Gov. Terry Branstad has been hesitant to embrace an expanded medical cannabis program, although he has not ruled it out. I believe it is time for the Iowa House to act, Cownie said Tuesday. Steve Gaer, the mayor of West Des Moines, said at Tuesdays news conference that cannabidiol treatments have yielded remarkable results for his daughter with a rare and debilitating form of epilepsy. He said his daughters seizures have decreased by half, and for the first time in her 25-year life, she is sleeping through the night and speaking in full sentences. Gaer said his family, after spending years on a waiting list, was able to acquire cannabidiol from Oregon, which sells to non-residents. Gaer also pushed back at Upmeyers suggestion that state lawmakers should not act out of step with the federal Food and Drug Administration. In addition to the 23 states with medical cannabis programs, Gaer said his daughter takes another prescribed medication that, like cannabidiol, does not have FDA approval. We dont think thats an argument people should hide behind, Gaer said. Steve Gaers wife, Sally, sobbed as she spoke about Lori Tassin, the Des Moines cancer patient and medical cannabis advocate who died last fall at 44 years old. Sally Gaer recalled her final conversation with Tassin, when she told Tassin there was plenty of time for her to get stronger to return to the Capitol in 2016 and continue her advocacy. Medical cannabis has to become accessible to Iowans in 2016, Sally Gaer said. Our hearts are broken, but our spirits are strong. More than three out of four Iowans support an expanded medical cannabis program, according to a recent online survey conducted for the volunteer advocacy group Iowans 4 Medical Cannabis. Quester, a Des Moines-based market research company, found the support from online conversations with 1,012 Iowa registered voters from Dec. 31 to Jan. 12. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa One word could summarize Tuesdays Medicaid forum hosted by former Gov. Chet Culver: confusion. The more than 50 Medicaid recipients and caregivers who attended the afternoon meeting at the Cedar Rapids Public Library had many questions: How do you choose a managed-care organization? How do you figure out if your doctor is covered? And when is the deadline to choose? Several individuals told the former governor, I have no clue what is going on. Gov. Terry Branstad announced plans to transition the states $5 billion Medicaid program over to out-of-state managed-care companies in early 2015. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which still must approve the plan, delayed the transition from Jan. 1 to March 1, which is 21 days away. CMS delayed the move because of readiness concerns, including an inadequate provider network and communication problems between the state and the providers and beneficiaries. CMS officials did not respond to The Gazettes request regarding the time frame in which it will deny or approve the states waiver request. But in its December letter to the state, in which it paused the transition, the CMS told Iowa it would like to review the actions taken to improve the readiness problems by Feb. 15. Even with the delay, Medicaid enrollees Tuesday continued to recount stories about difficult-to-use websites, Iowa Medicaid and managed-care call center employees who are unable to answer questions and concerns over whether their enrollment with a managed-care company was accepted. Another area of confusion: 130,000 Iowans were assigned to WellCare of Iowa, whose contract was tossed out by a state arbiter in December. Iowas Department of Human Services said last week that it was in the process of sending out reassignments, and while recipients are beginning to receive those new assignments, they must choose a managed-care organization by Feb. 17 for coverage to begin on March 1. Its one thing to make this change, Culver said. Its another to make sure these questions are resolved. Culver told attendees at the library forum that he will take the comments and share them with legislators during a Feb. 24 Medicaid advocacy day at the state Capitol. Rhonda Shouse, a Medicaid recipient and an event organizer, said after the forum that the advocacy day is meant to give individuals a voice. Registration for the trip is open until noon Feb. 16, she said, and free transportation and a meal will be provided. Shouse said organizers will help those who register find out who their legislators are so they can meet with them in Des Moines to discuss the Medicaid transition. Education also will be provided before the event on advocacy strategies and how state government works, including how a bill becomes a law. Shouse helped organize a trip to Des Moines in December, which took 75 Medicaid beneficiaries and caregivers from Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Sioux City to the Capitol to attend a Legislative Oversight Committee hearing. There, state legislators spoke with representatives from the state Department of Human Services and the managed-care organizations. We want people to learn they can be very active in their state government, she said. People who may not have done that in the past. ''Eternity'', 2021. ''Don't close your eyes'', 2022. All eleven novels are with explicit action but their message is mystical and spiritual. They are published abroad, namely in Bulgaria, the country that I come from. The reason why I live in the UK and why my books are published abroad is because I am not that fluent in English so as to write straight into it. I can focus your attention on the opinion of the general executive of Ciela Soft and Publishing ltd, Mr. Svetlozar Zhelev that is printed on the back cover of "Endless Night": "I really envy the reader who hasnt read it yet. When I received the manuscript and read it I was stunned by the idea, the profundity and the talent of Martin. This is one of the best manuscripts I've read over the years - original, accomplished and deeply touching! Definitely, Bulgarian literary scene has already had a strong and deep voice." Attention! This texts are already published! All rights reserved! Fragment Of ' 'Endless Night'' By Martin Ralchevski PROLOGUE An ancient Christian legend tells of an Egyptian monk, the finest in his perfection and wisdom, who had dedicated his entire life to a single goal to understand the meaning of human life. When he reached the age of eighty, while walking in the woods, he suddenly met his Creator, who appeared to him as a modestly dressed white-bearded elderly man. The monk immediately realized that it was nobody else but the very Creator standing in front of him. Without any hesitation, he asked immediately: ''If you are appearing to me, my Lord, it means that it is either the end of my life or you have heard my prayers and decided to fulfill my request''. ''You are right for both of them Lord answered. You are here because you have been working incredibly hard during all the days I have assigned to you on earth, having only one purpose to understand the meaning of my creation. Thanks to your never-dying desire and unceasing perseverance, you have come extremely close to your goal and you almost know the answer. Thats why I decided to reward you with fulfilling a wish of yours''. The monk bowed his head because it was very difficult for him to look his Creator in the eyes, and humbly uttered: ''Ive lived my life my way. Ive received wisdom and knowledge that hardly anyone on earth possesses. Ive achieved true freedom and peace, which many people dream about, and I have them in abundance. But one thing I could not understand: what is love?'' ''Is that your wish?'' Lord asked. ''Well, yes and no the monk replied. Yes, because this is really my wish, but no, because I would like to live my life again in order to accomplish it. If it is possible, I want to become a twenty-year-old again, but to preserve my current sanity''. ''All the laws and forces that you people know are completely dependent on me Lord answered but there is something that you obviously cannot understand and it is that I created them not to be broken, but to be obeyed''. ''So you are not going to fulfill my wish?'' The elderly monk asked unhappily. ''Ill give you everything people dream of, and yet, second life... I cannot do that''. The monk did not answer anything. He bowed his head quietly and humbly began waiting. Lord saw his humility and appreciated it as well as and his true and strong longing. ''I can really see that you are a wise, devout and dignified man, thats why Ill make an exception! He said. I will bring you back to the age of twenty, but as I said before I will not break all the laws. I will bring you sixty years back but without the experience and the wisdom youve acquired during your life''. The monk became very sad because he realized that man has only one life to fulfill his dreams, and only one chance to know love and happiness... and he wanted to die. Begining: A few hours had passed since Mark arrived at Anzio. He was not in a hurry. There was enough time to enjoy the day. After having spent some time window-shopping at a slow pace, he headed down the slope. The excitement in his soul was growing with every step he took. There had passed more than three years since his first and last visit to this place, so precious and important to him, and the town seemed not to have changed at all, at least at first sight. Just like the first time, he was very surprised again by the hospitality of the local people. The residents of the whole region were extremely kind and really friendly. Perhaps it was one of the reasons why he wanted to spend those cherished and unforgettable moments right here. Mark was walking slowly, contemplating and he finally arrived where he had headed for. ''One always returns to the place where he was happy once'', he thought. The house was just the same. Only the greenery outside seemed to him more scattered, but it was probably just because of the dry and hot summer that had just passed. As he was looking around and speechlessly contemplating on his living memories, the hostess appeared on the porch. She awaited him, that's why she had assiduously prepared and arranged the room the same way she did three years ago - something he had specially asked her for. Mark, come in! I'm very glad to see you she started speaking right from the porch. How are you, how's Monica...? Get in finally. Mark nodded kindly, but purposely didn't answer. And how are you? he asked in return. Did you receive the money I sent to you? Yes... yes, I got it. Come in, make yourself comfortable. His soul was seized with strong excitement the moment he crossed the threshold of the house and started walking inside. ''The effort of these people is touching'', he thought while opening the door of the room. I am pleasantly surprised. It is obvious that you've done your best he quietly uttered a few seconds later, but nobody was there to hear him. To his surprise, the woman had already gone out of the room. He gently touched the nicely spread snow-white sheets that covered the bed, walked around the room and his heart filled with excitement that quickly turned into grief. He knew every nook and cranny in this room in a way he could never forget. Here, in this place he had felt so much joy and happiness. The walls seemed to have been soaked with that mysterious energy that gives life to everything beautiful and eternal and to what makes world better love. That kind of love, however, could not be recreated or described. It could only be experienced. Mark pulled one of the two chairs in front of the table, took out the only bag he carried and an empty envelope in which he had carefully folded a couple of blank sheets of paper beforehand, sighed heavily, thought for a moment and began writing. "Dear Mony, from the bottom of my soul I would like to tell you that I am truly sorry mostly about I missed telling you how much I loved you that day when you went out. I know time flows in only one direction and I have no chance to turn it back and yet if we assume that'' For a moment he seemed to have been startled. Then he stopped for a while, glanced around and started wondering. Why was he writing this letter? What was he hoping for? What was he expecting? Monica would never read his outpouring. It was obvious that despite his strong desire and craving for a dialogue, his efforts were in vain. There was no point prolonging any more. "The moment has come", he quietly uttered to himself, threw his writings angrily on the floor and suddenly stood up. Shivers ran down his back and small drops of cold sweat covered his forehead. "Well, if there is still something beyond it crossed his mind like a flash of lightning is it really possible that if, instead of setting myself free from the pain and the burden, it happens that I take them with me forever?'' However, he was perfectly aware that he should not think about such things at the moment if he really wanted to bring it to end. That's why he decisively ignored these unknown thoughts that made him hesitate, opened his bag again, took out two packages of pills and carefully started to open them. He knew well, because he had informed himself in advance that he should have taken some food beforehand, just to make sure he won't vomit when the pills start dissolving in his stomach. However, against his will, he was not able to put anything in his mouth since morning, and now the day was almost over. Mark looked again at his bag to find out now that the bottle of mineral water he had bought in Rome was empty. ''What an irony'', he silently exclaimed. Indeed, did it really matter what kind of water he was about to take the sleeping pills with? For the first time in a few weeks now he smiled, then rose and slowly went to the bathroom, poured a glass of water and started taking the pills. He was having five at a time, taking a big sip of water, swallowing, waiting for a while, and then again taking next dose. Suddenly, as if provoked by something, he jumped and went to the window. Why not spend his last minutes or an hour maybe walking on the beach he would more thoroughly enjoy his favorite place and keep it deeper in his heart instead of spending his remaining time doing nothing in the room. Thus he would escape the inevitable headaches and troubles his hostess, totally unaware of what he intended to do, would definitely have as a result of his action. Mark quickly swallowed the last pill and headed towards the street. ''Strange he was thinking while walking towards the beach I'll be probably dead in an hour but I still have a purpose''. Not noticing, he walked all the distance from the house to the beach for less than five minutes. When he stepped into the sand he saw just a few people there lying on the still-warm sand trying to enjoy the last rays of autumn sun. It was such a cherished and unique moment. Every minute was incomparable, final and holy, that's why it was quite logical for him to choose to experience it alone. After a quick look he chose a quiet, comparatively remote spot, quite far from the few people on the beach, where he could end his life in peace. Even before he used to love his privacy, the quietness and the silence. Now more than ever he needed them. He sat down and rested his tired body on the fine sand. This would be the last stop of his existence the place he will remain forever at. The people on the beach were not aware of what was going on. They probably hadn't even noticed him and it was definitely the best option. The thought what others would think when they figure out that he has committed suicide bothered him the previous days. Now, even to his surprise, all the fears and remorse had completely left him. In these last minutes he preferred to sink into those nice and beautiful memories which he had experienced right here, on that appealing azure coast, instead of torturing himself with things he could not control anymore. He wanted to memorize this wonderful picture in which he was now a real part of, and weave those eternal and beautiful emotions of his precious past into it. The sea was more beautiful than ever. The sun with its autumn rays was soothing him gentler than ever before and the water was shining crystal clear, warm and full of life. There were several yachts sailing in the distance that seemed like not touching the water, but hanging in the air because of the sun reflections. ''What did people in the Middle Ages think Mark was contemplating while looking at the distant boats, when seeing ships gradually disappearing from sight? First their hulls, then their sails and finally their masts and flags. In those days they used to believe that the Earth was flat, so that gradual disappearing of these vessels beyond the horizon was really surprising and mystifying to them. This ''phenomenon'' was surely raising lots of questions in their minds which they were not able to answer at all. As to the Sun it used to be easier they used to see what we see now: that it goes round the Earth, not in the reverse order, which they used to believe without unnecessary reasoning''. The effect of the sleeping pills had not apparently started yet because at this stage Mark was thinking quite logically or at least he thought so. He was surprised at his desire to go for a swim for the last time something he loved and was good at. But he quickly rejected this idea on the grounds that it would be too ridiculous for him to drown, having in mind that he had a name for an excellent swimmer. ''It is a weird feeling that since I've taken the pills, I am constantly being obsessed by different desires. First I wanted to go out, then I came to the beach, and now I want to swim. Could it be the reason that I'm still not ready to die?'' He started looking at the sea as his attention was for the second time attracted by the distant small boats which seemed to be purposely sailing on the very border with the horizon. ''It is really beautiful. There is probably no place on earth which is so beautiful...'' At this moment, a couple in love was passing by about thirty meters ahead of him. They were holding hands and obviously burning with desire and yearning for each other. Mark looked completely stunned for a moment he felt he envied them. He had not experienced such a feeling all his life. He had always strived to be good, careful and modest. He was raised in this manner and that's how he would die. Different mixed feelings and desires were surprisingly raging in his soul now when he most wanted to be in harmony with himself, relative though it was. An hour had already passed since taking the sleeping pills; at last they slowly but surely had begun to have effect. In a way you could say that Mark was well aware of the fundamental problems of psychotronics as well as various stories about paranormal experiences on the threshold of death described in many books by different authors. He was impatient to see, as most books described, the most important and significant events of his relatively short life that had to appear as a film before closing his eyes. Then he had to go through something like a tunnel and to be finally welcomed by a creature radiating white light. However, all stories would end up at this place and the dying would wake up again in their well-known, mostly sick or injured bodies. Whatever the truth was he would be finally able to check it himself and it was about to happen very soon, fortunately or unfortunately. This thought made him feel slight satisfaction and even arouse for a while the constant human curiosity that relates to everything unfamiliar and unknown. Ten minutes later he had no power left. The effect of the medicines was getting more significant: only a few minutes before his mind was clear and relatively calm. Gradually, however, mental fatigue and drowsiness prevailed. His thoughts were getting unreasonable and illogical, and the focus of his eyes imperceptibly shifted from the beautiful sea to the sky. Mark was still lying on his back, making his last attempts to concentrate and muster up his remaining strength in order to move his left arm. For some reason or other, his arm was in a very unnatural way, placed quite far from his body. He concentrated all his energy and last efforts and willed himself to place it in a more comfortable position. His eyelids grew so heavy. Time was tightening its grip; he could not resist any longer. He could still feel the sand and hardly hear the surf. He slowly lost all his senses. Mark closed his eyes and relaxed fully. The last feeling he had was like he was sinking. Fragment of Martin Ralchevski's novel ''Forest Spirit'' What is the fabric of this world? Adam asked rhetorically, while deep in thought, one afternoon. Why do misfortunes find us so easily? They seem to descend upon us out of the blue, and before you know it, you are already counting the days to your own execution. Hanif was preoccupied with his own fears and worries. He had been keeping to himself recently and the two of them talked much less than they had used to. When Adam again brought up the well-known theme, Hanif felt reluctant to discuss it, and decided to tell him a story instead: The source of our misfortunes may lie but in many different places, he started parabolically. More often than not, though, things are much simpler than they look. I know this from experience. It is hard to understand why people are always willing to look for meaning where there is none, and on the other hand, refuse to accept the logical explanation. I am speaking of the simple mechanics of cause and effect. But let me try and illustrate what I mean. Nine or ten years ago, something took place that, I feel, shook up the whole of Syria, even if only for a short time. It all started with a seemingly unimportant event. A certain Abdul Rahim, or was it Abdul Rahman I dont remember exactly, bought a dog and brought it to a spot in the desolate Eastern province where his old fathers house was, with the idea that the dog would bark and drive away all ill-meaning strangers - burglars, for example. Quite some time passed, and the man, although aware of the existence of the leashed dog, could not find the opportunity to take some food and water to it. The old house was far away from the place where he worked and lived, and he used this fact to soothe his own conscience. So he could never find the time to go to the deserted house; the weather was rather hot and the poor animal had neither water, nor food. At last Abdul made the journey to the house, more than four weeks later, and you can imagine what he found - the poor creature had died. You may be tempted to think that there is nothing peculiar about the story so far. It is a sad and cruel story, but as we both know, such things often happen in this world of ours. The story, however, does not end there; a few months earlier, Abduls son had undertaken a risky journey, with the intention to illegally immigrate to Germany. He had stowed himself in the cargo hold of a ship, which, based on the initial calculations, was supposed to berth in Hamburg on the third day following its departure. Therefore, the young man had prudently packed food and water to last him for about a week. However, fortune has its own ways. Whether by accident or by design, the ship, in which the boy was hiding, under the influence of certain objective factors and circumstances pertinent to customs requirements, was kept for almost four weeks at open sea, and its unloading in the Hamburg harbour was postponed correspondingly. The authorities had received a hint from a reliable source that a fraud attempt was in progress, and had initiated a thorough inspection of the cargo, and to this end, they had put the ship under quarantine, and had begun to carefully examine all pertinent documentation. While the inspection was under way, the cargo remained sealed until further instruction. And the whole process, as I have pointed out, bizarre as it may appear, continued for almost two months. As per the shipping documents, the cargo consisted mainly of ready-made clothes, so no one was really worried that any harm would be brought while the inspection was in progress. This happened a long time ago, I dont remember if I have already mentioned it, but I think that it happened more than 10 years ago. I remember that this case quickly became notorious in Germany and Syria, and in my opinion in many other countries, because of the fact that the young Syrian had been found dead from hunger and thirst in one of the sealed cargo holds on board the ship... Fragment of Martin ralchevski's novel ''Half-Goddess'' Dear Mom, countless times passed since fate took you away from me. As I think of those damn days I become so sick that a real storm of anger, grief and intolerance is rising in my soul. Truth is often painful, but did I know, at some level it is indeed what made me feel alive. Deep in my soul I always felt that the day will come when I can share it with you. Well, that moment has come. I will try to tell you everything worth remembering. I will leave judgment to you. Three days ago Manuel died. I buried him yesterday. I feel so lonesome, unhappy and disillusioned that honestly speaking I wish I could follow him. Till this moment I never thought that God is able to cause me such misery... and he did once again... in my already plundered life. I've always believed that every evil is cruel enough in itself not to be repeated, leave alone happen third time in life of the same person, but alas, apparently I was disillusioned... With the loss of Manuel I became desolate irrevocably. Oh, Mom, I am writing to you about Manuel, but forgot to tell you who he really was. Excuse me, I started a little backwards. This is because everything is so absurd. Manuel was my husband, with whom I lived for nearly fifty-eight years. The most devoted, attentive, gallant and caring man on earth. I say these words in clear conscience about him. In this line of thinking it seems right to share my age with you. I know it will probably sound strange to you, but these are the facts - I am seventy-eight now. I love in Lisbon in a big, nice and cozy house situated between the Gunco Jera and India boulevards, but if I need to be more accurate it is closer to India. The windows on the second floor are overlooking the sea, with its gentle and pleasant breeze that can be felt all year round. But what is the point of having a beautiful and orderly home, when youre on your own and the person you loved for so long is no longer alive? Long time ago, when the children were small, I shared with Manuel, that despite the years I keep missing you inconsolably and he advised me to write you a letter. Honestly, it seemed crazy then, but here I am, look at me now, he is gone for three days only and I am sitting on the porch with a big stack of white sheets of paper on the table, pressed down with an empty glass vase to prevent blowing them by the wind, determined to tell you everything. I dont know if you will ever have the chance to read these lines but hope is all Im left with. It is very likely that they will never reach you yet, medicine changes at such a rapid pace that it makes me want to believe, as my loving husband would assure me more than once, that one day you will be alive again! Thats why I am going to write! I feel some inexplicable urge to do it. I am certain that you deserve it. Late it might turn out to be, you have the right and you should know about what has passed. My cherished, my dearest and only mummy, I intend to turn you into a witness to the whole odyssey of mistakes and progress, which has befallen me during the past yearsbut since I have never done it before, I dont know what the result will be... What I have in mind is that my writer skills are not at all that great. You, however, will show understanding and will forgive me all my blunders, emotional and sentimental outbreaks, the repetitions and so on and so forth. Right? I suppose that to a certain extent the truth will probably upset you but if I hold something back, I will never forgive myself, thats why I will write without concealing anything for which I beg you to forgive me. Well, I begin. In order for you to understand the following events more easily, I will go back to the beginning itself. I will start from the moment that you arrived in the US and soon after you closed your eyes pinning your hopes to the time, to that vast future, when a cure for your illness will be discovered and you will awake again to be cured once and for all. About a month after you got ill from that terminal and accursed disease (as you know) you, dad, my brother and I assembled in the dining room to take the crucial decision to sell the house. In this way we could send you to the States, where you could be frozen. Everything was like a dream then. I remember that when dad, drawned in tears, white as a sheet and shaking from grief, announced that we have to sell the house together with the whole furnishings so that we could save you, it was Wednesday because if you remember, every Wednesday night we would go to an Akathist to the Mother of God in the chapel. On Saturday night the house had already got its new owner and you, dad and the accompanying doctor left for America. When dad came back, he shocked us with the news that despite the prior arrangements with the clinic, the money received from the house was not enough. At the last moment he was hard-pressed and forced to draw a substantial amount from the bank so that he can pay the remainder for your treatment. He said that if everything went to plan, the credit would be paid off in ten years or so. However, four days have passed since he returned and he passed away. Doctors comforted us that it happened so suddenly that it wasnt painful at all. My dear dad suffered a massive stroke and died on the spot, just like that, just when he was going back from the local market, driving and speaking on the mobile phone with my aunt. When he learned about it, my brother, it has been long since I blamed him for something, started drinking on a daily basis and stopped caring about anything at all. All of a sudden we were left all alone. We have lost not only you and dad, but our home, our safety and all our hopes for good. The situation was desperate. Since in no time we have become orphans, without a roof over our heads and with unenviable material circumstances, auntie took pity on us and gave us shelter. There is no need to tell you how much we suffered then. In less than a month we both lost more than ten kilos of our weight. We had nothing but the clothes on our backs, we had no money. We completely depended on the mercy and the good will of my aunt and her husband. And it so happened that my brother couldnt find enough will to give up drinking, what is more he even turned to drugs and driven by good intentions only they have sent him to a special hospital for treatment. It was only the first day of his stay and he tried to run away. He climbed up the roof andby an absurd accident he slipped. He couldnt hold and fell from about fifteen meters on the asphalt. He died on the spot. Auntie paid for the two funerals dads and his. I stayed with her, all in all, for four months. Most of this period is rather blurred to me. I remember that I would take sleeping pills for quite a long time and for that reason I would sleep without memories during the nights. My days, on the other hand, have turned into long, tortuous nightmares. I started to feel how insanity, slowly but impetuously crept on me more and more. It first started to show in my thoughts, then in my words and finally in my actions. Im very thankful to my aunt. She was truly indulgent and good to me. I, however, didnt return her due. I behaved badly, often even terribly. I refused to eat, to take a bath, to brush my teeth, for a while I have even looked like a hippy, neglectful, dirty, not carrying about anyone or anything. In this critical moment, if it wasnt for one neighborhood girl who took pity on me and gave me this overtly simple, but actually quite right and timely advice, the way things were, I would have probably followed my brother. Judging from aside she didnt do much but it proved crucial for me. She advised me to find a boyfriend. Just anybody these were her words. So, with my back against the wall, with no family, no home or income, but apparently with a small bit of hope, that I had before the string of misery, I resorted to the thing that have turned over my whole life. I'm looking for a publisher in the UK or US. If you are an agent please do not hesitate to write me! Martin Ralchevski For contact: ralchevski@abv.bg It can be tough to find that perfect Valentines Day gift for your special someone. But local business owners who specialize in holiday treats say you can never go wrong with something sweet. Chocolate-dipped strawberries, truffles and caramel apples are our best-sellers for Valentines Day, said Gena Karen, owner of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factorys store in Rapid City. Its a tradition to give your sweetie something sweet for the holiday. Karen said that at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, a person can customize a gift basket, giving his or her Valentine a variety of treats to try. Mary "Chip" Tautkus, owner of Chubby Chipmunk Hand-Dipped Chocolates, which has locations in Deadwood and at Hotel Alex Johnson, said that her best-selling truffle flavors for Valentines Day are red velvet and strawberry parfait. She also sells a popular heart-shaped lollipop. Tautkus said that while dark chocolate truffles are more popular in general, she notices more milk chocolate sold around Valentines Day, because its a traditional flavor when it comes to candy. "Chocolate has properties that make you feel good, so its always a way to show that you love somebody, Tautkus said. At Chubby Chipmunk, all of our chocolates are made with butter and with love. Chubby Chipmunk is also the only chocolatier licensed in South Dakota to sell Peruvian chocolate. Tautkus said that Peruvian chocolate which she currently has in stock is a strong seller year-round. Kim Probst, owner of Star Spangled Batter in Rapid City, recommends showering your sweetheart with cupcakes on Valentines Day. Star Spangled Batters top three sellers around Valentines Day are Whats Up Buttercup (a chocolate-peanut butter concoction), Vanilla Bean Raspberry and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Probst said there are also simple and easy treats that people can make at home for their loved ones this Valentines Day. I make a super yummy dip for my kids, and they go crazy every time I make it, Probst said. You take one block of softened cream cheese, and one small container of marshmallow fluff, and beat those two together until smooth and creamy. That's it! My kids love to dip fresh fruit, especially strawberries, in this dip. If people want to get extra fancy, Probst said they can hollow out a large strawberry and fill it with the cream cheese dip. Or they can add chopped-up strawberries directly to the dip, then spread it over a heart-shaped waffle for a fun Valentines Day treat. Probst shared a few more of her favorite recipes to make savory Valentines Day desserts at home. Basic Vanilla Buttercream 6 cups confectioners/icing sugar (sifted) 2 cups butter (room temperature) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or flavoring of your choice) 2-4 tablespoons whipping cream Prepare a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk butter until creamy. Reduce speed to low and add in icing sugar one cup at a time until well blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and 2 tablespoons cream, and continue to beat on medium for 1 minute. Add more cream as needed until desired consistency is reached. Whip for a few minutes longer to get rid of excess graininess. Frost on a cool cake and chill. Can be used on anything from cupcakes, to cakes, to brownies or sugar cookies. Mouth-Watering Brownies 12 ounces chocolate chips or chocolate candy 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 3/4 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and chocolate in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir; return to microwave and heat for 30 seconds more until chocolate is melted. Add sugar, eggs, flour, and salt and mix until smooth. Add vanilla extract, and fold in walnuts if using. Pour into greased 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool for 10 minutes then cut into 2-by-2-inch squares with plastic knife. Preparation time: 2-3 minutes. Cooking time: 25-30 minutes. Newly introduced legislation seeks to reduce the influence of nomadic recreational-vehicle owners on South Dakota elections. State Sen. Craig Tieszen, R-Rapid City, last week introduced a bill that would essentially forbid the use of a mail-forwarding service as an address for voter registration. Its intended to make sure that people that vote in our elections here have at least some connection to South Dakota, Tieszen said in a recent Journal interview, and to make sure those people who do not have a connection to South Dakota do not participate in our elections. The bill targets nomadic recreational-vehicle owners, known as RVers, and others who use mail-forwarding services such as Americas Mailbox near Rapid City, whose address is listed by nearly 3,500 registered voters. Those voters do not actually live at the address but pay the business to help them establish a postal address, forward their mail and sometimes assist with other things including driver licensing, vehicle registration and concealed-weapon permitting. Americas Mailbox and other businesses like it, including firms in Emery and Sioux Falls on the eastern side of the state, ostensibly serve people who travel year-round in their recreational vehicles and others who live nomadic lifestyles without a fixed home. Tieszen alleged that many of the customers are merely using South Dakota for its lack of a state income tax and low fees for vehicle registration and other services. The potential for such people to exert outside influence on South Dakota elections became an issue in the Jan. 5 Pennington County wheel tax referendum, when some observers assumed that Americas Mailbox customers would be highly motivated to vote against the imposition of up to $60 in new annual taxes on vehicles. As it turned out, only 11 percent of the Americas Mailbox customers who are registered to vote cast a ballot, which was less than the countywide turnout of 15 percent. The proposed tax was rejected by such a wide margin that the Americas Mailbox votes made no difference in the outcome. Still, in the Americas Way precinct, named for the street on which Americas Mailbox is and which has its boundaries drawn around the business, there were 380 "no" votes against just seven "yes" votes, which amounted to 98 percent opposition. Pennington County's elections supervisor told the Journal in the days following the election that such precinct-level results were not obtainable, but the Journal has since learned that the results for the Americas Way precinct were specially counted by county staff. Confronted with that information this week, the elections supervisor said she misunderstood the Journal's original request for the information. Tieszen said the wheel-tax election illustrated the potential for nomadic RVers or any group with a political agenda to mass-register in South Dakota and swing an election. Before the wheel-tax election, Don Humes, co-owner of Americas Mailbox, defended the right of his customers to register to vote in Pennington County. He said they bring thousands of dollars in extra revenue to the county and the state through vehicle licensing and registration fees, and they deserve a say in ballot issues that affect them financially. Im surprised any politician would tell any citizen of the United States that they shouldnt be allowed to vote, Humes said at the time. Tieszen's Senate Bill 164 says no person may register to vote using a business location, campground or post-office box as a registration address. If people wishing to register to vote have no other residential address or valid physical description of the location of their address, the bill says, they may appeal to the county auditor. The county auditor could approve the appeal if the following four criteria listed in the bill are met: The sole basis for the person's presence at the location is not based on a business or a commercial use, such as a mail-forwarding service; The residence of the person is a place in which the person's habitation is fixed and to which the person has a definite plan to return following an absence; The person is not claiming residency of the state solely for taxation or insurance purposes with no intention of physically remaining or returning; and The person maintains a physical domicile with long-term sleeping accommodations at the residence. If the county auditor denies an appeal, a person could then appeal to the state Office of Hearing Examiners. If an administrative law judge in the office determines that the four criteria have not been met, the voter registration could still be approved if the judge determines that "circumstances indicate legitimate residence of the state." Prior long-term residence in the state shall be considered proof of intention to return to the state, the bill language says in its last line. The bill has been assigned to the Senate State Affairs Committee, of which Tieszen is a member. Downtown Rapid City was a mess on Dec. 16, and Mayor Steve Allender says he has a plan to keep that from happening again. A well-short-of-massive winter storm brought nearly 6 inches of snow in the previous days, usually a manageable amount for crews to clear from streets. But by mid-morning on that Wednesday, downtown commuters were still struggling on treacherous roadways, some untouched by plows. The road crews responsible for plowing the streets downtown reported to Allender that two dozen cars were parked on the emergency snowplow route, blocking them from doing a complete job. So Allender is proposing to amend the city's snowplowing policy to simplify operations and enforce towing downtown during snowstorms. Allender worked with the Streets Superintendent Don Brumbaugh, Public Works interim Director Dale Tech and City Attorney Joel Landeen to craft a plan that he says will save the city money and make downtown more navigable after a snowfall. The City Council has to approve the changes. The council's Legal and Finance Committee will vote on the ordinance changes at its meeting at 12:30 p.m. today at the City/School Administration Center, 300 Sixth Street. If the committee passes the ordinance, the full council will vote on it at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the administration building. The amendments to the snow-removal policy include a provision that grants the city authority to tow cars out of the downtown core between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. There will also be a $25 fine on top of towing charges. Allender said on Tuesday, "To do a good job, all the cars need to get out of there." There already are signs on the snow routes that alert residents of towing during storms, but that has not been enforced for at least 15 years, according to Allender. The plan creates a new downtown snow-removal area. Cars parked within that area may be subject to towing. The ordinance also eliminates the amount of snow that must fall for the Public Works Director to announce a snow alert. That will give the public works director or his or her designee more flexibility on when to start snow removal downtown. The enforcement of towing could end up saving the city money as well. According to Allender, each downtown snow removal costs the city $30,000. When cars are parked in the snow area, crews have to clear the streets twice, before and after the cars are removed. Without cars, the crews should be able to get the job done on the first run, Allender said. If the ordinance passes, it won't go into effect until April 1, meaning towing probably will not begin until next winter. To make sure downtown residents and visitors are aware of the changes, the city is working on several communications strategies, which may include increased social media alerts, contact with downtown businesses, and potentially an app-alert system to contact smartphones. In a letter to the City Council, Allender recommended towing cars to a lot within the city for the first storm or two, so that the roads can get cleared and residents will avoid a steep towing fee. He wrote that he hopes that after a few storms people will get into the habit of moving their cars from the downtown core. In terms of pushback from the public after increased towing, Brumbaugh was hopeful, saying, "I think once the folks realize why we are doing it, they will be more receptive to the idea." Nebraska Northwest Development Corporation (NNDC), the City of Chadron, Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) and the Panhandle Area Development District (PADD) are teaming up to host a two-hour workshop to discuss services available to existing and potential businesses in Chadron and the surrounding area. You can learn about the financial help that is available, such as TIF, LB840, and other revolving loan funds. We will also provide contact information for business plan, start-up assistance. Find out if your business idea qualifies for financial assistance from one of many options. Saturday February 27 from 9 to 11am at City Hall in Chadron, located at234 Main St. City funds are only available for projects in the city limits. NNDC and PADD funds can be used in a project in the region. The purpose of the workshop is to explain the process, educate the public on what is available and take the mystery out of who qualifies, how much money is available and who decides on the application. While there are specific criteria that must be met when lending or granting tax dollars, the rules are clear, consistent and should not be the reason someone does not access the help. Deb Cottier of NNDC, Lois Chizek from the Citys Finance office and Jeff Kelly of PADD will explain the programs, answer questions anyone may have and share tips in preparing an application if needed. NBDC will be on hand to share their programs and services. There are basically 2 main types of lending programs offered to businesses seeking assistance. LB840 funds are city sales tax dollars that are in an economic development fund as a result of a vote of the citizens of Chadron. They are designed to be lent, (and in some cases the loan forgiven) to businesses or individuals looking to purchase, expand or start up a businesses in Chadron. There are criteria that must be met such as the type of business, be for profit, and located in the city limits of Chadron. The process also requires disclosure of the entire financial plan and financial status of the applicant (kept confidential by the review committee) as well as partnering with an existing financial institution. The final decision on these project applications rests with the city council. A Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) operated by all three entities, is another form of financial assistance, and has additional criteria. The funds can only be used for loans to for-profit businesses. The loan cannot exceed 50% of the total project cost, are usually done in conjunction with a bank and the applicant must have at least 10% cash equity for purchase of existing business or 20% cash equity in the case of a new business start-up. The funds for these loans are available through the City of Chadron, PADD and NNDC and are paid back on a monthly schedule for ten years (maximum) for real property and 7 years (maximum) for working capital. While all financial information is kept confidential, the entire financial plan and status of the applicant must be included in the application, along with any financial data requested such as tax returns, profit & loss analysis, credit scores, etc. At NNDC the decision is final from the loan review committee. At the city level, again, council approval is needed. PADD also has a loan review committee and final board approval. If a business is going to use Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) revolving loan funds (city and NNDC have these funds), additional environmental and income guidelines may apply. Other items such as basic tax increment financing qualifications will also be discussed. The workshop is free of charge. For more information or to sign up contact Deb Cottier at 308-432-4023 or dcottier@gpcom.net. NNDC is an equal opportunity lender. Four individuals have been arrested or cited in connection with drugs in Chadron in the last 10 days. A routine traffic stop started the investigation. Wyatt Eickbush was pulled over Jan. 31 for a traffic violation on West Sixth Street. Officer Derek Bauer smelled the odor of burnt marijuana and discovered drug paraphernalia and 11 blue capsules later identified as Dextroamphetamine, a controlled substance used in the treatment of ADHD and narcolepsy. Eickbush was issued a citation for unlawful acts under Nebraska Statute 28-417, which governs prescription drug use, and the WING Drug and Violent Crime Task Force became involved. Late last week, the Chadron Police Department and the WING Drug and Violent Crime Task Force conducted three controlled purchases of suspected marijuana, resulting in the arrest of three individuals: Brandon Mills, 19, Jarrod Briggs, 18 and a 17-year-old male. Mills was arrested on suspicion of one count of distributing marijuana, while the 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of two counts of distribution, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, being an accessory to a felony and the possession of methamphetamine. Briggs was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting the distribution of marijuana. Mills and Briggs were taken to the Dawes County Jail, while the juvenile was transported to the Juvenile Detention Center in Gering. Briggs and Mills both posted bond and are scheduled to appear in Dawes County Court Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. Police served two search warrants in connection with the cases, one at a dorm room on the Chadron State College campus and one in the 200 block of Pine Street. Suspected marijuana and methamphetamine were seized, along with several items of drug paraphernalia. Even though the arrests last night involve students from two different campuses here in Chadron, we stand committed to helping our educational partners ensure the safety of all students. We also enjoy the full cooperation from both institutions related to the use or distribution of illegal drugs, said Chief Tim Lordino in a press release the day after the arrests. High winds, some blasting at more than hurricane velocity, whipsawed western South Dakota and the Black Hills on Sunday, sending at least four people in Rapid City to the hospital with minor injuries, canceling flights at Rapid City Regional Airport and blowing at least three fires out of control near Black Hawk and Hermosa. National Weather Service meteorologist Dan McKemy said the region was caught between a strong low-pressure system centered over Minnesota and a stout high-pressure area in Wyoming, which pushed wind speeds to a constant 30 to 50 mph, with gusts routinely topping 60 mph. We were kind of squeezed between the two systems, McKemy said. The magnitude was pretty strong. Strong, indeed. Highest recorded winds Sunday were a pair of 78 mph gusts, one 3 miles north-northwest of Scenic at 12:10 p.m., and another 3 miles east of Wicksville at 9:53 a.m. The Weather Service office near downtown Rapid City recorded a 72 mph gust at 10:55 a.m. Hurricane force starts at 74 mph. Other peak winds included a 70 mph gust near Hermosa and 64 mph blasts northwest of Belle Fourche and east of Sturgis. The strongest winds occurred from mid-morning through early afternoon, subsiding only slightly later in the day. Rapid City Fire Department information officer Oliver White said two people suffered blunt-force injuries, including fractures, from being hit by windblown automobile or building doors. Two other people suffered similar injuries when they were swept off their feet by sustained winds clocked at 30 to 40 mph, with gusts exceeding 70 through the middle part of the day. White said the injured ranged from ages 50 to 90, but none of the injuries was life-threatening. Responders had to deal with the winds while tending to the injured, he said. Its tough. If you think a car door is heavy, ambulance doors are two- to three-times as heavy, White said. Trying to communicate with a patient when the wind is whipping around is also very difficult, he said. Pennington County fire coordinator Denny Gorton said in a report to county commissioners that buildings were threatened when weekend slash-pile fires were flared by Sunday's savage winds. About 75 firefighters from departments from Rapid City, Rapid Valley, Rockerville, Hill City, Custer, Hayward, Keystone and Hill City along with state and U.S. Forest Service crews responded to the fires. The Ghost Canyon Fire, between Highways 36 and 40 west of Hermosa, had burned about 28 acres and was listed at 75 percent contained as of late Monday, said Cindy Hansen of the Great Plains Fire Information Center in Rapid City. Rough terrain at the Ghost Canyon Fire required the use of hand crews, Hansen said. Thats the reason they brought in the hand crews, because engines couldnt get in there, she said. The Smokey Ridge fire, about a half-mile mile west of the Ghost Canyon Fire, burned about a quarter acre. The Crooked Canyon Fire near Black Hawk, scorched about 1 1/2 acres. Both fires were listed as 100 percent contained on Monday. Hill City firefighters were also called to another blaze on Reno Gulch Road on Sunday, Gorton said. No buildings were lost, but one volunteer firefighter slipped and twisted a knee while fighting the fires, he said. Hansen said official cause of the fires is still under investigation. Pete Girtz, deputy director of operations at Rapid City Regional Airport, said the winds forced cancellation of seven flights, both incoming and outgoing flights from Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Denver. Flight schedules resumed Monday morning, he said. Everythings back to normal. Were just doing a lot of rebooking to get back up to speed, Girtz said. Fire danger on Monday remained listed as high in the Black Hills, and moderate in the plains areas of Butte, Lawrence and Fall River Counties and high in the prairies of Meade County. McKemy said blustery conditions continuing into early Monday, with sustained winds of 20 to 25 mph and gusts to 40 mph, were easing Monday afternoon. Breezy conditions will persist through midweek. Tuesday's wind will be in the 10 to 15 mph range, with gusts to 30, while on Wednesday's forecast calls for 15 to 20 mph winds with gusts to 35. The good news: A warming trend should return temperatures to the 40s on Tuesday and into the 50s on Wednesday. Daytime highs are forecast to retreat into the 30s and 40s Thursday and Friday, with a chance of precipitation in the Plains. Here in Rapid City," McKemy said, "we wont see much of that. The South Routt School District had fallen on hard times when Darci Mohr took over as superintendent in July 2014. Now Mohr is one of four finalist candidates being interviewed to replace superintendent Tim Mitchell as leader of Rapid City Area Schools, a district with many challenges of its own. "I've been in a district where we were doing school closures, and there's probably not anything more painful than school closures, which I know was discussed last night," Mohr told a panel of community interviewers Tuesday afternoon in Rapid City. (At a Rapid City School Board meeting Monday, board members discussed the potential closing of some schools and building of others.) Mohr also told her interviewer: "I've also been in districts that are growing so fast, they can't keep up." That isn't the case where she now works, in the South Routt district, headquartered in the small rural town of Oak Creek about 21 miles south of Steamboat Springs, Colo. According to the 2015 revision of Oak Creek's comprehensive plan, Oak Creek's population dropped 10 percent between 2005 and 2014, and the only operating mine in the area lost 36 percent of its employees between 2009 and 2015. The mining jobs paid well, sources say. People are leaving and moving away because of loss of jobs, South Routt Elementary School Principal Randy Foster said in a phone interview, and were seeing an influx of people who have family in the areas but are having trouble finding jobs. The districts demographics have changed, Foster said. Not only did the district have fewer students than before, it also had to adjust to a higher percentage of students from lower-income families. We had a low (participation in) free-and-reduced lunch program before, Foster said. This year it hit 54 percent. For a district of this size, thats huge. With only three schools in the district and a total of 340 students, Foster said district officials began to worry when enrollment and student achievement took a sharp decline. We were a district that needed some guidance, said School Board President Jules Talyo, Darci's done an excellent job of addressing those problems. Talyo credits Mohr with introducing a pre-school and early child care program to keep families from going outside the district for those services. "How do we get people to stay?" Mohr said during her Tuesday interview. "We build something that they need that they cant get anywhere else. Nowhere nearby had a preschool, so we built a preschool." Talyo said the program has helped stabilize enrollment. I would say a huge strength that Darci has is too listen to the community in general whether its parents, business leaders, board members, and staff in the district and really try to get to the root of what an issue is and address the needs of everybody involved, Talyo said. The Rapid City School District is constrained by a limited budget, something that Mohr can relate to in her current job. While there, she said she has learned how to work with what she has and find ways to streamline operations. "Every penny counts, every single inefficiency matters," Mohr told the local interviewers. "The office of the superintendent would be under the same scrutiny. I dont believe in having areas that are protected, other than one, and thats the classroom." Apart from identifying inefficiencies, Mohr also has come up with new sources of revenue to address the funding shortfalls presented by dropping enrollment. "I've been very creative in finding a lot of grant funding that the district didnt go after in the past," Mohr said, adding that she is in the process of hiring a full-time grant writer in South Routt. Staff morale is another issue that the Rapid City district has had to contend with, spurred on by the low pay among teachers and support-staff employees. For Mohr, raising morale and confidence among personnel is a matter of including them in the the overall mission of the district. "You make them part of where you're going and what you do on a regular basis," she said. "Sometimes when youre a leader, one of the mistakes I made is if you try to shield people from the problems at hand. ... It can make morale worse. Not having enough people involved and having input in the decision making, its a morale killer." A graduate of the South Routt district, Brett Mason is a parent of four children in Oak Creek. Darci has done a good job of recognizing the things that are beyond her control, and looking at opportunities to mitigate them, he said. She has also proven capable and willing to make the difficult decisions that are sometimes necessary to improve the district. Mason was involved in Mohrs interview process when she was being considered for the superintendent job in South Routt. He said she has done a good job of adjusting, in a relatively short amount of time, to the challenges the district presents. "She has demonstrated the ability to analyze a situation, and think or discuss it through with all stakeholders and come up with a reasonable and prudent solution," Mason said. "She is an effective communicator. Her previous legal and human resources experience have been very valuable to our district. Foster said he worries sometimes that Mohr is out of touch with day to day school operations. But I would tell you shes turned that into a plus with me, Foster said, adding that she has been supportive and receptive to his input as an administrator. I think no matter the size of the district, one of the things she has is loyalty to her people and at the same time I think she has a very sharp mind, Foster said. She acquires information and uses it pretty readily. And I think she understands education law about as well as anybody I ever met. Reflecting on her potential weaknesses, Talyo said Mohr has a tendency to overwork. Darci works very hard and long hours, and where the weakness would come in is, Ive been concerned about possible burnout. Talyo said. That hasnt happened, and every time Ive been concerned about it, shes scaled back and taken some time off. Overall, Talyo, Foster, and Mason think Mohr has been a positive influence in the South Routt school district. Shes a very valued person in the community and in the district, Talyo said. It would be a real shame to lose her. Dave Doty, the fourth and final candidate for the Rapid City superintendent job, will interview with stakeholders today. PIERRE | The Legislature is one step away from approving major changes in how workers' compensation benefits are calculated for workers in South Dakota. State senators are scheduled to vote on final approval as early as today on changing the income determination. Under the new approach, known as aggregation, all of the current jobs the worker couldnt perform because of the injury would become the basis for compensation. The South Dakota Supreme Court decided last spring that aggregation would be the correct approach. State laws werent clear to the justices in the case. A Sioux Falls woman whose injury working a part-time job at a bakery kept her from working at two other part-time jobs. Past practice was to compensate based on the one job where the injury occurred. The Daugaard administration decided to follow the May 6, 2015, court decision until the Legislature could meet. During the past months, Rep. Dave Anderson, R-Hudson, brought together organizations and interest groups to negotiate how aggregation should be placed into state legal code. The state House of Representatives voted 65-0 in favor on Feb. 2. Anderson explained the legislation Tuesday to the Senate Commerce and Energy Committee. The panel endorsed it 7-0. Fifteen other witnesses signed up to testify in support of House Bill 1084; no one testified as an opponent. Anderson repeatedly was praised for his work. The work-comp community can be a bit like a herd of cats, said James Marsh, a division director at the state Department of Labor and Regulation. South Dakota groups supporting the changes included the Associated School Boards, Retailers, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, National Federation of Independent Businesses, agricultural cooperatives, hotel and lodging association, general contractors and the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce. Mike Shaw, a lawyer representing the Property and Casualty Insurers of America, said the courts decision and the legislation reflect a common sense approach. The legislation would make actively working as a condition for the jobs that would qualify for aggregation. It also calls for the type of injury and the physical requirements for the other jobs to be considered. The legislation sets the protocol for employers to share wage information when a workers' compensation claim arises and prohibits insurance companies from raising rates solely because an employee has more than one job. A report would be provided to the Legislature in 2019. Watching last Thursday's debate between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders one might have thought a Republican had been in the White House for nearly eight years. Hearing their complaints about the economy (bad), discrimination (rampant), health care (too many without it), unemployment (too many not working, or working at low-paying jobs), it appeared hope had died and change is all we have left in our pockets. To hear these two ultra-liberals tell it, we are a horrible, miserable, evil nation. We are bigots, we are greedy because we won't surrender more of our income to the government gods, we hate anyone who isn't white, male and heterosexual, and we want to deport everyone who isn't a Christian. I wouldn't want to live in a country like that, would you? But that is not who we are. It is only who Democrats think we are. Hillary Clinton hasn't yet released transcripts of speeches she gave to Wall Street bankers and hedge fund managers. When asked why not, she reverted to familiar Clinton obfuscation, promising to "look into it." In fact, Laura Myers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that, according to Clinton's standard speaking contract, she "...won't allow any press coverage or video- or audio-taping..." of her speeches, for which she charges six figures. McClatchyDC adds that the former secretary of state "routinely demanded that a stenographer be present at her events so she could maintain a record of what she said." So we know the transcripts exist. Want to bet they're never released? Look how long and how many lawsuits it took to pry her emails from the State Department. And we still haven't seen them all. She didn't ask for those big speaking fees, she said. They just gave the money to her. Why would anyone expect those generous Wall Street brokers and hedge fund managers to ever ask for anything in return? How dare you! During this and in previous Democratic debates, we heard nothing about what you can do to make your life better. It is all about government. Clinton and Sanders would never qualify for membership in the Optimist club. Theirs is a steady stream of gloom, doom and pessimism. America's best days are behind us and they weren't so good after all. Slavery, racism and denial of women's rights ... the list goes on. In Bernie Sanders' America no one will ever have to work again. College will be "free," as will health care. The "rich" will pay for it all. Never mind that taking away their incentive to work and make a profit will reduce the amount of money they make and the government can take. Bernie will just borrow it from others and America will become like Greece. Socialism seems nothing more than mutually shared poverty. Adopt it, and we will all be equally poor. At last Thursday's National Prayer Breakfast, Mark Burnett, president of MGM Television and Digital Group, and his actress-wife and co-producer Roma Downey, told stories about immigrating to America he from England and she from Northern Ireland. Burnett, fresh from service in the British Army, took a job as a chauffeur and part-time nanny in Los Angeles. Downey's first job was checking coats at a fancy New York restaurant where she said she could not afford to eat. Burnett can now see the house where he once worked from his office window in Beverly Hills. He and Downey are producing biblical and family-friendly television programs. They own a home in Malibu. These are the kinds of success stories we used to tell and examples we used to urge Americans to follow. No matter one's present circumstances, you could make it in America. Success stories aren't in the Democratic playbook. For Democrats, the only way to improve your life is for you to rely on government led by Democrats. Those who make it on their own it seems are punished by higher taxes and more regulations. "The sun will come out tomorrow," sings an optimistic Annie in the Broadway musical. For Hillary and Bernie, it's a "hard knock life" and it's always Midnight in America. Most of us know that February is American Heart Month. As Valentines Day approaches, we all pay more attention to the amazing muscle inside our chest that beats over 90,000 times a day, every day of our lives. However, most people do not realize that heart disease still kills more women every year in the United States than the top six causes of death combined. The following are 10 facts about heart disease that every woman needs to know. 1. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States. Womens age-adjusted mortality rates from heart disease are four to six times higher than their mortality rates from breast cancer. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, heart disease is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. Every 80 seconds a woman dies from heart disease or stroke. Surprisingly, heart disease kills more women than men annually. 2. Women dont usually display classic heart attack symptoms. The warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack for women are not the same as men. Because the symptoms are unusual, women tend not to seek medical attention and are less likely to call 911 when experiencing symptoms of a heart attack. These are some of the symptoms that women should be concerned may be their heart telling her that it is in trouble. Neck, jaw, throat, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort Shortness of breath Pain in one or both arms Nausea and vomiting Sweating or diaphoresis Lightheadedness or dizziness Unusual fatigue The symptoms can be more subtle than the obvious crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks. Women may describe chest pain as pressure or a tightness. This may be because women tend to have blockages not only in their main arteries but also in the smaller arteries that supply blood to the heart. This condition is called small vessel disease or microvascular heart disease. 3. Mental stress can trigger heart disease. Women today are under more stress than ever. Stress has increased 18 percent for women and 24 percent for men from 1983 to 2009, according to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. Modern women have so many more responsibilities, people to look after, lives to run and schedules to keep. Some doctors feel that well over half of their patient visits are due to stress. It is not uncommon for mental stress to trigger heart attack symptoms in women. When we are stressed out, our body releases adrenaline, which causes increased heart rate and blood pressure. The hormone cortisol is also released causing higher levels of sugar in the bloodstream. Stress also leads to increased inflammation which is an important factor in developing heart disease. 4. Heart disease affects women of all ages. Of the 435,000 American women who suffer heart attacks annually, 83,000 are under the age of 65 and 35,000 are under the age of 55. For younger women, the combination of birth control pills and smoking increase heart disease risk by 20 percent. And while the risks do increase with age, things like overeating and a sedentary lifestyle can cause plaque to accumulate and lead to clogged arteries earlier in life. 5. Women develop advanced heart disease about 10 years later than men. On average, women experience symptoms of heart disease almost 10 years later than their male counterparts. Men commonly experience heart attacks and strokes between 50 and 60 years of age. The average age for womens heart attack is usually late 60s and early 70s. The most common explanation for this is the decline in estrogen levels after menopause. In addition, as we age, we are more prone to other risk factors including hypertension and high cholesterol. Unfortunately, the rapid rise in obesity and the conditions that accompany it, hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, are leading to earlier presentation of serious heart disease in both men and women. 6. Women delay medical care. One study found that women, particularly those over 65 years of age, are more likely to delay getting medical help and management. A tendency to delay medical care is a factor leading to more serious heart attack outcomes for women. Another study found that most women delay seeking medical care for time periods that ranged from 15 minutes to almost two weeks after symptoms started. Reasons for delaying medical care include lack of awareness. Most women are in denial that they could have heart disease, and dont realize that one in four women will die of heart disease. If you suspect that you are having a heart attack, the best thing to do is get to the hospital quickly, preferably by ambulance. 7. African American and Hispanic women have a high risk of heart disease. African American and Hispanic women have two times the risk of stroke compared to white women. The same group of women are more likely to die at a younger age. Nearly half of African American women over the age of 20 have cardiovascular disease. Lastly, Hispanic women develop heart disease 10 years younger than non-Hispanic women. 8. Hormone therapy does not reduce the risk of heart attack in women. As mentioned above, the risk of heart disease increases after menopause suggesting that there are protective effects of estrogen. After a great deal of controversy and multiple studies, we now know that hormonal replacement therapy, or HRT, does not reduce the risk of heart disease in women. In, fact, the Womens Health Initiative study revealed the HRT may increase the risk of stroke. 9. Cardiac risk factors impact the likelihood of heart disease in women. Hypertension doubles the womans risk for cardiovascular disease and heart failure. Diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart failure up to eightfold, depending on how well the diabetes is managed. Heart disease risk increases significantly with high LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and low HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). It is no longer good enough to know your total cholesterol number. Women need to know the breakdown of their cholesterol numbers. The goal is to keep the HDL high and the LDL low. Smoking more than doubles a womans risk for heart attack and stroke. Smoking increases blood pressure, causes plaque buildup in blood vessels, lowers the good cholesterol and may cause blood clots. 10. Prevention works. Older women, especially those already diagnosed with heart disease, can take measures to reduce the risks for heart attacks and other heart problems. As much as 80 percent of heart disease is preventable by early diagnosis as well as the recognition and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors. Every woman should: Schedule regular physical exams and visits with her health care provider Maintain a healthy weight Optimally control diabetes and recognize relationship between heart disease and diabetes Control blood pressure with regular monitoring Maintain a healthy and active lifestyle Quit smoking, if you havent already done so Keep your bad cholesterol low and your good cholesterol high Make your health and well-being your priority. Dont become a victim of the number one killer of women. Know the facts and take control of your cardiovascular risk factors. Lastly, do not delay seeking care if you feel you are having a heart problem. February is American Heart Month, lets celebrate together. Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital and the International Heart Institute of Montana have teamed up to provide you with the next class in the Healthcare Education Series about Heart Health. Join us from 5:30-6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 11 in the Blodgett and Canyon View conference rooms as Anthony Navone, MD, from Marcus Daly Cardiology Services, talks about the nations leading cause of death, heart disease. He will explain how you can improve your heart health through prevention and treatment. Learn about the differences in men and women in the symptoms of heart attacks and other areas, and new strategies for combating heart disease. You will leave this session with advice on how to keep your heart well! Come a few minutes early to get your blood pressure checked and register to win a fabulous prize. Questions and or comments regarding this weeks health column please contact, Anthony Navone, MD at Marcus Daly Cardiology Center, a service of Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital, 1200 Westwood Drive, Hamilton, MT 59840. Working together to build a healthier community. The Clarks Tiny Tour is going to be big. Its going to be a great opportunity for businesses to show each other off, said Toni Lewis Clark. Clark, and her husband, Tim, are opening up their brand-new 245-square-foot tiny house to the public on Saturday, Feb. 13. When the couple first started thinking about hosting an open house, they quickly decided that it shouldnt be about just them. So they opened up the door and invited local restaurants, musicians and other small businesses to create an event that will provide the perfect remedy for any case of cabin fever. The restaurants will be providing samples from their menus and Bitterroot Brewery will offer something to drink. There were will be free drawings for prizes from businesses like Flower Happy, Pizza Hut, Bitterroot Brewery and Chapter One bookstore. Local musician, Travis Yost, will provide the music. I wanted this to include other local businesses, Clark said. Its about all of us coming together as a community to support each other as best we can. The Clarks have found a good deal of interest about their tiny house. The tiny house movement has been getting a lot of publicity with shows like Tiny House Nation, Clark said. People are aware of tiny houses and some are fascinated. Its one of the reasons that weve decided to rent ours out so people can actually experience living in that small space for themselves. In preparation for the Tiny Tour, Clark said she had five adults inside the couples tiny house for a meeting. It wasnt scrunchy in there at all, she said. It was comfortable. We hope people will come out Saturday and take a look for themselves. The house is located at 562 Skalkaho Road. The event will run from 3 to 6 p.m. Anyone needing more information can call 360-0598. Were telling people to wear flannel and fur, Clark said. It might be cold. A Corvallis man will face aggravated kidnapping charges after he allegedly abducted his estranged wife early Tuesday morning. Kevin R. Frost, 49, turned himself in at the Ravalli County Sheriffs Office at about 1:15 p.m., according to Ravalli County Sheriff Chris Hoffman. He walked into the office and turned himself in, Hoffman said. The Montana Department of Justice issued a Missing and Endangered Persons Advisory Thursday after Sherri Cook Frost was abducted from a friends home in the Hamilton area. The alleged kidnapping occurred at about 6:50. The Ravalli County Sheriffs Office, with the assistance of Two Bear Air from Kalispell, searched locations on the east side of the Bitterroot Valley. They were unable to locate either one of the Frosts. Sherri Frost was treated at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital, but appeared to have no life threatening injuries, said a sheriffs office press release. Kevin Frost has been booked into the Ravalli County Detention Center on the felony kidnapping charge and a misdemeanor count of partner or family member assault. He is expected to appear in Ravalli County Justice Court on Thursday. Accession Law LLC THIS SITE DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. THIS SITE IS A PUBLIC FORUM AND INFORMATION POSTED IS NOT CONFIDENTIAL. 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The enduring memory became critical over the... 02/08/2016 12:13 pm ET Fmr. MI-6 agent; Author, 'Resistance: The Essence of Islamic Revolution' BEIRUT -- Late in the night on Feb. 2, the news hit: "all communication and supply line[s]" between Turkey and Aleppo had been severed, according to a Elijah Magnier, a renowned Arab war correspondent with Alrai Media Group. It seems to be so: the Syrian army and allied militias, backed by Hezbollah and Russian air power, took control of a tendril of territory that cuts off Aleppo-based rebels from the Turkish border. See the map below. Eastern supply lines for the so-called Islamic State appear to have also been cut. Of particular strategic importance is the village of Murassat Khan and adjacent towns north of Aleppo: by taking control of the area, Damascus ended the main Turkey-Aleppo insurgent supply line. The tourniquet around Aleppo can be pulled off the city -- and at the same time, one of the main ISIS oil corridors to Turkey is cut. If things proceed as they have been, with the regime advancing further into rebel-held territory, the red swathe of Syrian government forces will shortly expand to encircle all opposition forces ( predominantly Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS), who themselves have been encircling Aleppo in the east. Map courtesy of Syria Direct Edward Dark, a pseudonym for a respected commentator on Syrian affairs living in Aleppo, tweeted on Feb. 3, "This is the beginning of the end of jihadi presence in Aleppo. After 4 years of war & terror, people can finally see the end in sight." But if we were to step back and take a look at more of Syria, as shown in the (slightly older) map below, a bigger picture emerges. Take a close look at the map below. The yellow area purports to represent territory controlled by Syrian Kurds. In reality, "control" is not an appropriate word. But the territory in yellow nevertheless can be said to be friendly to the Syrian army. The People's Protection Units (a group of mostly Kurdish militias known by the acronym YPG) are being given Russian air support (and sometimes American air support as well). The Afrin canton (the yellow area in Syria's northwest corner) is the area through which the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency supply line to rebel coalitions, along the Mount Turkmen heights, reportedly used to run. The Latakia region is now in the process of being sealed If government forces, moving north, can make friendly contact with the Kurds in the northeast, almost all Nusra and allied rebel forces would be nearly surrounded. The insurgents would be caught in a cauldron with their backs to a lightly populated and forested territory. The grey, ISIS-controlled corridor, especially the Jarablus border crossing with Turkey, remains effectively open . Turkey has proclaimed this represents its "red line." Were this corridor to be closed by the Syrian Kurds, the Turks have indicated they could respond by invading Syria. The YPG say nonetheless, that they are contemplating just such a move. In the last few days, the spokesman for the Russian defense ministry warned that Russia has seen clear evidence of Turkish preparations for a military invasion of Syria. It seems likely that this statement is intended by Russia as a warning to Turkey to do no such thing. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made it absolutely clear (to Turkey and to everyone else) that Russia intends to close the border area between ISIS-held territory and Turkey: "The key point for the ceasefire to work is a task of blocking illegal trafficking across the Turkish-Syrian border, which supports the militants," he said. "Without closing the border it is difficult to expect the ceasefire to take place." Russia is politely telling Turkey that any incursion risks direct confrontation and war. Recently, for whatever reason, ISIS forces have appeared to start pulling out of that area. Lavrov in Oman on Feb. 3. (Alexander Shcherbak\TASS via Getty Images) With Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan being the irascible character that he is, it is possible that we may yet see surprises, like a Turkish incursion into northern Syria aimed -- ostensibly -- at preventing the Syrian Kurds from linking up along the southern side of the Turkish border. But, if Turkey were to take such independent action, it would likely forfeit any NATO support beyond rhetoric, and any Turkish expeditionary force would have to be launched in the face of Russia's complete air superiority in Syria, which extends right up to the Turkish border. To discourage Turkey from taking such a rash undertaking, however, Russia reportedly deployed several of its latest advanced fighter jets to Syria (which easily outclass Turkish F-16s) and also repaired and upgraded the Syrian air force's line up. To put it baldly then, as things stand, Syria seems to be heading not towards a "quagmire" as many western politicians have suggested, but rather to a clear military outcome. As one knowledgable commentator noted , the negotiating table is not in Geneva. The true negotiations are taking place on the battlefields of Idlib and Aleppo -- and what has just been negotiated is the near encirclement of rebel forces into a cauldron. Nor, it seems, is Syria heading toward a low-intensity guerrilla war in the aftermath of any military victory on the ground. The scenes below, showing people's jubilation when the Syrian Army and Hezbollah forces entered villages that had been retaken from rebel forces this week, tell a different story: Follow Edward Dark @edwardedark Pics: jubilation in Shia towns Nibol & Zahra N. Aleppo as # Syria army & Hezbollah arrive to lift 3 year jihadi siege Put simply, should Nusra members (who are mainly Syrian) and other rebels try to disperse and hide amongst local communities, there will be no water in which these fish can swim, to paraphrase the Maoist adage. They will find little or no public support. Syria has a very effective intelligence service. We may expect that within a year, most of the disbanded jihadists will have been found out and reported to the intelligence services by locals, who suffered grievously under their occupation. Most will be arrested or killed. Peoples who undergo the kind of trauma to which Syrians have been subjected either emerge as a psychologically defeated nation or they are strengthened by the crisis through which they have passed. I am quite sure from my visits to Syria through this crisis that its people will emerge stronger. Steel has entered into the Syrian soul. I also expect Syria to soon again constitute a strong regional state. The meaning of this will be evidenced in a powerful, cohesive northern arc through the region -- and perhaps closer relations with Iraq. Correspondingly, certain Gulf states will find themselves eclipsed. A civil defense team member stands on the debris of a building after a suspected Russian airstrike in Aleppo, Syria on Feb. 5, 2016. (Firas Taki/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) American and many European elites will find this outcome hard to swallow. Western diplomats and military officers have become more used to quagmires that lead to no political outcomes, or to fudges that lead to stasis, rather than interventions that have a real conclusion. That this should have been achieved with direct help from Russia, Iran and Hezbollah will be a bitter pill to swallow. It will have consequences too. One is already apparent. The Obama administration announced this week it would ask Congress to quadruple its security assistance to Europe. Polarization seems to be on the cards. The 4+1 coalition (Syria, Iraq, Iran, Russia and Hezbollah) is likely to become the core to a real security architecture for parts of the Middle East -- and probably Central Asia too. China will increasingly be drawn into this new architecture as well, since it fears that its "One Belt, One Road" project, on which its economic future largely is staked, is as vulnerable to Wahhabism as was Syria and Iraq. Chinese officials, I've been told, are aware that America could again use the Wahhabist tool to frustrate their new project. The question is, will the bitterness at Syria, Russia and Iran's achievement poison America and Europe's attitude towards the new security architecture being forged in Syria? Will it be seen as anti-Western (which it is not), or will Europe manage to curb the Pavlovian NATO impulses sufficiently to establish some modus vivendi? The auguries are not promising. Also on WorldPost: Sagarmatha Network Pvt. Ltd. is the organization dedicated in the field of printing, publishing service since 2001. As part of media, we've been publishing Review Nepal, an English medium weekly registered at District Administration Office (DAO) Kathmandu with registration number 130-162-163 and reviewnepal.com as an online digital newspaper, with registration number 849-075-076 at Department of Informational and Broadcasting (DIB) from Kathmandu, Nepal since 2003. WARNING for European visitors European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent. 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IF YOU GO WHAT: Young Frankenstein WHEN: Runs through Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. WHERE: Circle Arts Theatre COST: Tickets are $22, or $20 for seniors, students and military INFO: Call 830-837-6172 or visit www.circleartstheatre.org Post-Hurst hydra heads emerging in Alabama | Main | Senator Tom Cotton forcefully (and somewhat thoughtfully) makes his case against the current version of SRCA 2015 February 10, 2016 "'In the Wasteland of Your Mind': Criminology, Scientific Discoveries and the Criminal Process" The title of this post is the title of this interesting new article available via SSRN authored by Michael Perlin and Alison Lynch. Here is the abstract: This paper addresses a remarkably-underconsidered topic: the potential impact of scientific discoveries and an increased understanding of the biology of human behavior on sentencing decisions in the criminal justice system, specifically, the way that sentencing has the capacity to rely on scientific evidence (such as brain imaging) as a mitigating factor (or perhaps, in the mind of some, as an aggravating factor) in determining punishment. Such a new method of evaluating criminality, we argue, can be beneficial not only for the defendant, but also for the attorneys and judge involved in the case. If used properly, it may help to provide a more truly objective set of factors that contribute to an individuals particular offending patterns, rather than continuing reliance on sentencing schemes that are swayed by societal bias and prejudice. However, it can become problematic if a legal system relies too heavily on untested theories, and even more problematic in cases in which science does not support legal conclusions. Scientific discovery moves faster than the law, and it is critical to make sure that the legal system is given an opportunity to catch up, rather than risk allowing junk science to influence how a defendant is treated. In this paper, we first examine criminal sentencing procedures, and discuss how a criminological view of a defendants offending behavior can work to mitigate harshly inappropriate sentences; in this context, we consider how Federal Sentencing Guidelines cases consider the significance of mental disability in sentencing decisions, especially in the aftermath of the Supreme Courts decision in United States v. Booker. Then we review recent work on the biological bases of certain criminal behaviors and how it can be captured through brain imaging. Next, we consider how the use of such evidence continues to expand in the criminal trial process. Following this, we look at how the school of therapeutic jurisprudence can better inform how the legal system incorporates such evidence. Finally, we offer our recommendations for ensuring that scientific evidence is introduced appropriately in the legal system. February 10, 2016 at 09:27 AM | Permalink Comments This is pseudoscience. And like all the ones before--phrenology, handwriting analysis, polygraphs, etc.--it will be used to give a scientific veneer to base ignorance and prejudice. Posted by: Boffin | Feb 10, 2016 1:32:00 PM Well, Boffin is partially correct. He's correct that it will be used to give a scientific veneer to ignorance and prejudice. But it probably isn't psuedoscience (it's hard to know because that phrase has lots of different meanings and I don't know how he means it). Yet as a general principle the further that psychology stays away from the law, the better of psychology is. I agree 100%. Posted by: Daniel | Feb 10, 2016 8:54:52 PM Well, Boffin is partially correct. He's correct that it will be used to give a scientific veneer to ignorance and prejudice. But it probably isn't psuedoscience (it's hard to know because that phrase has lots of different meanings and I don't know how he means it). Yet as a general principle the further that psychology stays away from the law, the better of psychology is. I agree 100%. Posted by: Daniel | Feb 10, 2016 8:54:53 PM New science comes along and people get mesmerized. Like DNA. The collection of evidence prior to DNA technology was perhaps cross contaminated. The cop collecting the fingernails off the dead victim had touched other things of the now alleged culprit or shook hands with him right before clipping the nails. Voila. DNA on the fingernails is false. Doc Nash case in MO is a prime example. Posted by: Liberty1st | Feb 10, 2016 10:12:30 PM Post a comment A few notable sentencing stories from the campaign trail | Main | "'In the Wasteland of Your Mind': Criminology, Scientific Discoveries and the Criminal Process" February 9, 2016 Post-Hurst hydra heads emerging in Alabama As regularly readers may recall, in this post not long after the Supreme Court in Hurst declared Florida's death penalty procedures violative of the Sixth Amendment, I coined the term "post-Hurst hydra" to describe what I expected to become multi-headed, snake-like capital litigation as judges tried to make sense of what Hurst must mean for past, present and future cases. Now, as reported in this local article, headlined "Capital murder suspects across Alabama seek to bar death penalty," some post-Hurst hydra heads are emerging in the Yellowhammer State. Here are the basic details: Attorneys for 25-year-old Antonio McCary Jones, a Birmingham man charged with killing a fellow drug dealer by shooting him 14 times, last week told a judge that if Jones is found guilty the death penalty should not be an option. Alabama's sentencing scheme in death penalty cases is the same as Florida's, which was ruled unconstitutional last month by the U.S. Supreme Court, Jones' lawyers argued Friday. In both Alabama and Florida, judges are allowed to override jury recommendations for either life without parole or death. "The dilemma we're trying to resolve is do we want 12 people deciding death or life, or one person," Joe Basgier, one of Jones' lawyers, said after the hearing. Basgier and Jones' other attorney, Hube Dodd, are not alone in making the argument. The ink was hardly dry on the U.S. Supreme Court's Jan. 12 ruling in Hurst v. Florida before lawyers around Alabama began filing motions seeking to bar the death penalty for their clients facing capital murder charges because of the similarities between the two states' capital punishment sentencing laws. That has had local district attorneys scrambling to defend Alabama's capital sentencing law and putting circuit judges in the position of having to hold hearings and rule on the issue. Several judges have already denied the motions, at least one has taken it under advisement, and a few are awaiting further guidance. District attorneys and Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange say Alabama's law is not the same as Florida's and has already been declared constitutional. "The U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding the Florida death penalty does not affect Alabama's law. The U.S. Supreme Court specifically upheld Alabama's current system as constitutional in the case of Harris v. Alabama in 1995," according to a statement from the Attorney General's Office. "In the Florida case (Hurst), the holding is that a jury must find the aggravating factor in order to make someone eligible for the death penalty. Alabama's system already requires the jury to do just that," according to the Attorney General's statement. "The jury must unanimously find an aggravating factor at either the guilt or sentencing phase such as when the murder was committed during a robbery, a rape, or a kidnapping."... Defense attorneys argue that that ultimate decision to sentence a defendant to death is made by a judge and not a Jury, just as in Florida. "The jury does make its own sentencing recommendation after a comparable weighing process, but that recommendation 'is not binding upon the court,'" according to Basgier and Dodd's motion. Rarely, if at all, has a judge in Alabama overridden a jury recommendation for death and sentenced a suspect to life without parole. But there are a number of cases in which a judge has overridden a life without parole recommendation and imposed a death sentence. According to several motions filed by defense attorneys around Alabama, the U.S. Supreme Court in its ruling in the Hurst case also overruled two previous case Hildwin v. Florida in 1989 and Spaziano v. Florida in 1984. Both those cases had been used by the court in upholding Alabama's death sentencing scheme in 1995, according to the motions. "As a result, the cases that upheld Alabama's death penalty scheme are no longer valid," according to Basgier and Dodd's motion, which mirrors other defense lawyer's "Hurst" motions. The Alabama Attorney General's Office had filed a brief in the Hurst case asking that the U.S. Supreme Court not overrule Spaziano because that case "had provided the legal foundation for Alabama's death penalty scheme," according to Basgier and Dodd's motion. February 9, 2016 at 11:52 PM | Permalink Comments Not relevant to this post, but this headline explains why the death penalty is falling into disfavor: "Former Texas Prosecutor Disbarred For Sending Innocent Man To Death Row Charles Sebesta lied and presented false testimony against Robert Carter for the murders of six people. 02/09/2016 04:52 am ET Reuters JON HERSKOVITZ A Texas legal panel voted on Monday to disbar a former prosecutor for sending an innocent man to death row by presenting tainted testimony and making false statements that undermined the defendant's alibi. The Board of Disciplinary Appeals appointed by the Texas Supreme Court upheld a state licensing board's decision to disbar Charles Sebesta for his conduct in convicting Anthony Graves, who spent 18 years in prison on charges of setting a fire that killed six people before being freed. Posted by: Dave from Texas | Feb 10, 2016 9:46:04 AM Dave from Texas, I agree. As a life-long DP supporter, I'm starting to wobble. Consider also the case of Michael Morton in Texas where the prosecutor was disbarred and went to jail (at least for a short time) for withholding exculpatory evidence. Posted by: anon12 | Feb 10, 2016 10:18:58 AM At first blush, it looks like the defense lawyers are up the wrong tree, IF, it is required that a jury unanimously, or functionally unanimously, determines that one aggravating factor exists which increases the crime from first degree murder to capital or aggravated first degree murder. It is clear that once a jury convicts a def of a crime which exposes the def to a death sentence, the Sixth Amendment role of the jury is done, and a state can provide for sentencing by a jury or by a judge, or both in tandem. Sounds like the def lawyers are arguing Justice Breyer's position that the Eighth Amendment, not the Sixth, requires jury sentencing. Bruce Posted by: bruce cunningham | Feb 10, 2016 11:14:33 AM Bruce I have been reading the briefs on Lambrix at the FSC. His attorney is asking for retroactive application back to the hand down dates of Apprendi or Ring. The state of course wants just the direct review cases that are not final to be sent back for harmless error. Posted by: DaveP | Feb 10, 2016 8:52:39 PM I think there should be retroactivity to Ring. But what about Recuenco v Washington, which applies harmless error analysis to Appredi violations? Posted by: bruce cunningham | Feb 10, 2016 11:22:35 PM Post a comment Is California conducting an "unprecedented experiment in mass forgiveness"? | Main | A few notable sentencing stories from the campaign trail February 9, 2016 Prez Obama signs into law the "International Megan's Law," and group immediately files suit against passport scarlet letter requirement As reported in this AP piece, headlined "Sex offenders challenge new federal passports law," over the last 24 hours President Obama signed a somewhat controversial federal sex offender law and a group has filed suit to block part of its mandates. Here are the basics: A civil rights group has filed a lawsuit challenging a law that will require sex offenders to be identified on their passports. President Obama signed the International Megan's Law bill into law on Monday following Congress passing the bill last week. The California Reform Sex Offender Laws filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, challenging the laws, which requires the Secretary of State to add "unique identifiers" to the passports of all registered sex offenders. Passports today are used as a primary form of identification as well for entry into a foreign country. A passport symbol that identifies an individual as a registered sex offender could place at significant risk that person as well as others traveling with them, including family members and business colleagues, the lawsuit says. This page on the site of the California Reform Sex Offender Laws organization provides these additional details about the suit: The lawsuit will be filed in U.S. District Court, San Francisco, on behalf of four registered citizens. The lawsuit alleges that International Megans Law violates several provisions in the U.S. Constitution including the First, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment, as well as the equal protection and ex facto clauses. Subsequent to filing of the lawsuit, an application for a Preliminary Injunction will be filed which, if granted, would stop the law from being implemented. A helpful reader emailed me a copy of the 27-page complaint in this case, and I have provided it for downloading here: Download Complaint filed against IML Feb 2016 February 9, 2016 at 02:40 PM | Permalink Comments I really dislike this country more and more often. Posted by: Fat Bastard | Feb 9, 2016 3:50:28 PM And I loathe its federal politicians. Every one of them. Posted by: Fat Bastard | Feb 9, 2016 3:51:04 PM Just vote with your feet. Wait. That was outlawed too. "Every step you take, I'll be watching you." Posted by: Anon | Feb 9, 2016 4:05:05 PM more 'German SS' style impingements from the federal pond scum we call Congress Posted by: general observation | Feb 9, 2016 5:43:18 PM Another thing that is completely frigging absurd about this legislation is that there is apparently no foreign counterpart. What are foreign countries going to do with this information? Do they care? IDIOTIC. Posted by: Fat Bastard | Feb 9, 2016 9:25:31 PM The IML needs to be understood with this in mind: the U.S. government is ALREADY notifying foreign governments when an American Registered Sex Offender is on his/her way. This has been the case for about three years now and based on powers which have left many of us scratching our heads. Already, scores of Registrants have been refused entry into myriad countries, advance notice of their ill-fated travels having already been received by the various gendarmes waiting to greet them with decidedly closed-arms. Many a trip has resulted in a very abrupt refusal of entry and subsequent, bleary-eyed return back to the States, much sooner than had been anticipated. IML, though, goes even further: it criminalizes the very act of travel by Registrants who have not first gotten permission from their government overseers (remember, we're talking about citizens whose obligations to the regime of punishment and supervision have already been faithfully discharged and are, ostensibly, free individuals). In fact, the penalty for failing to notify the government that you're headed for a summer holiday in France, for example, will be that you are put in a federal prison for ten years. That's going to happen now. To me, that, and the foreign notification, are even more egregious than the branding of passports, although that element is getting by far most of the attention. What's happened in this country is that it has taken the very dangerous precedent of establishing degrees of citizenship and codifying a stratified conception of rights with the inevitable consequence that the rights of some will be degraded relative to the rights of others. It is, of course, to sex offenders that such a concept must first be applied. Could we have doubted it? Posted by: David Kennerly | Feb 10, 2016 3:36:37 AM The 'reasoning' behind the IML (indeed, behind the registration itself) seems to be the totally false and disproven assumption that sex offenders must offend again. But if that were true then this law would only serve to keep such people locked in to a country with over 72 million kids (according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation). This means there are approximately 100 kids per registrant (assuming uniform distributions) and if the assumption of near 100% recidivism is true then the number of victims should skyrocket. For shame on Congress and the President for putting so many kids at risk. Posted by: Joe P | Feb 10, 2016 7:51:04 AM Won't anyone think of the children? JFC. Posted by: Fat Bastard | Feb 10, 2016 8:43:10 AM Another reason to vigorously oppose this International Megan's Law is, besides its resemblance to the practice in Stalinist Russian and Nazi Germany of requiring Jews to carry special passports that disqualified them of the right to travel, is that it could ENDANGER our airports' security. Imagine, if you will, a disgruntled former sex offender at an airport ticket counter angry over being denied the right to fly by simple virtue of his or her scarlet letter passport! That individual might decide to act out at the airport counter by either deliberately running into a highly restricted area of the airport with the intention of putting the entire airport into lockdown with resulting cancellation of everybody's flights for at least several hours of that day, OR of pulling an object out of his or her pocket that resembles a firearm. After all, ticket counters are outside the security check area in most airports. I can just imagine angry passengers upset about their cancelled flights on account of the actions by an individual former sex offender who, in turn, is angry over denial of the right to fly. Who will these angry passengers blame first: the former sex offender who decided to disrupt their flight plans by acting out in frustration over the new International Megan's Law; or against the asinine politicians who authored this law in the first place? It would be as if this former sex offender is saying, "If I can't fly at your airport, then I'll see to it that nobody else can!" That's something for Obama and Company to think about now that they have signed this stupid bill into law. Posted by: william r. delzell | Feb 10, 2016 9:28:27 AM The U.S. federal government, along with most other governments in the U.S., is an illegitimate criminal regime. They are enemies of all good Americans. They deserve all the contempt and disrespect that they get and more. From what I have heard, only Nazi Germany and Russia have put scarlet letters on their passports. The vast majority of people in the U.S. are scumbags who support the U.S. joining that group. Those people deserve what they are getting. Posted by: FRegistryTerrorists | Feb 10, 2016 12:59:10 PM william r. delzell | Feb 10, 2016 9:28:27 AM: I don't think this law will do much at airports but it will get people murdered. It will create more domestic terrorists. Perhaps it will get a federal building blown up. It will grow big government even bigger. I know it will do all of that. And of course it won't protect anyone. Only morons believe it will. Posted by: FRegistryTerrorists | Feb 10, 2016 1:01:25 PM While I certainly hope it will not endanger our airports, it is my guess that of the millions of former sex offenders out there to whom this International Megan's Law will affect, at least some of them might be hot-headed enough to completely lose it if some airport official tells them that they may not board a flight because of a scarlet letter in their identification card. Not all Americans are all that civil. The same rule probably applies at least to some ex-sex offenders who might feel that they no longer have anything to lose by cutting loose at the airport and putting everybody else at risk as a way of venting their frustrations at this law. By your mentioning that some former offenders might decide to become domestic terrorists, God forbid, proves my point: acting out at an airport in a manner to endanger that airport's security is an example of domestic terrorism. After all, what place would be easier than an airport for them to take their frustrations on since this law specifically applies to flight travel? Posted by: william r. delzell | Feb 10, 2016 3:56:29 PM @Fat Bastard While I agree with much of the comments here Fat Bastard raises what I think is the most interesting point. Namely, at what point in time will potential sex offenders simply move abroad before hand. In reality the entire sex offender regime is simply pushing the problem oversees. It's difficult for me to imagine a sensible pedophile staying in America after this nonsense. Posted by: Daniel | Feb 10, 2016 9:12:22 PM I wonder if this Scarlet Letter thing will be applied to pedophile priests. Posted by: Liberty1st | Feb 10, 2016 10:14:35 PM How about pedophile nuns? We have now had revelations by former victims of nuns having molested these current adults of both genders when the victims were still children. Case in point: in 1994, ABC News exposed a horrible scandal in Quebec prior to 1959 when Duplessis was still that Canadian province's Prime Minister. He covered up for several nuns who ran orphanages where the nuns both sexually and physically abused their child charges. It took decades for the victims, once they achieved adulthood, to finally speak out. A nun who molests children is no different than a priest who commits such a despicable act. Both need to answer for their crimes under a due process court of law. Posted by: william r. delzell | Feb 11, 2016 9:38:03 AM In Europe on my last visit there was a pedophile priest who gave up his ugly past. He became a pedophile muslim and wears a turban. Posted by: JackMehoff | Feb 11, 2016 9:39:17 AM A supplemental motion was filed to stop implementation until case can be heard and judged. Motion Filed to Stop Implementation of International Megans Law http://californiarsol.org/2016/02/motion-filed-to-stop-implementation-of-international-megans-law/ Posted by: Eric Knight | Feb 21, 2016 2:36:42 PM This law offers nothing more than a false sense of security. In all actually its nothing more than a Gateway Law. Once this law is implemented, whats to stop the government from passing a law which requires all U.S. citizens to state additional life threatening information on their passports. If you support this law then you are asking for a future where YOU will have YOUR PASSPORT stating such information as/but not limited to: YOUR RELIGION (imagine how dangerous this would be for you and your family to travel if the passport stated that you are Muslims, Christians, Jewish, Catholics, or any other religion which would target you and your family for harassment, discrimination, retaliation and/or threats) , YOUR SEXUAL ORIENTATION (imagine how dangerous this would be for you and your family to travel if the passport stated that you or one of your family members are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or some other sexual classification which would target you and your family for harassment, discrimination, retaliation and/or threats) YOUR OCCUPATION (imagine how dangerous this would be for you and your family to travel if the passport stated that your occupation or one of your family members occupation was in law enforcement, the military or any other filed which would target you and your family for harassment, discrimination, retaliation and/or threats). These are just a few examples. Whats to stop the Government from also passing a law that gives them the authority to stop you or any U.S. citizen from traveling outside the country? (imagine never being able to travel outside the country because you were delinquent on government college loans, imagine never being able to travel outside the country because you had a prior arrest for something as minor as disturbing the peace, imagine never being able to travel outside the country because you had a prior arrest even though it was dropped or acquitted, imagine never being able to travel outside the country because youve had too many driving tickets or DUIs, or imagine never being able to travel outside the country because of some other B.S. the Government deems credible) The government is simply using the publics hatred of sex offenders as a gateway to gain power and authority to overstep their United States Constitutional and Civil boundaries. This sex offender passport law violates numerous United States Constitutional and Civil Laws. Dont be deceived! Once we let the Government cross the line, there is no going back!!! -Who is going to have a unique identifier added to their passport next? Is it going to be Muslims? Is it going to be gays? asks Janice Bellucci, a civil rights attorney. The United States Constitutional and Civil Laws were made to protect us United States citizens from Government corruption. What is the point of this country having Constitutional and Civil Laws if we allow the Government to violate them? **Branding a human being and FOREVER denying them the right to leave a country is exactly what the Nazis did to the Jewish people and its also a form of slavery. This is far more than just a Constitutional Rights issue, this is clearly a Human Rights issue and the United Nations should take notice** Posted by: Wakeup American | Mar 29, 2016 8:44:09 PM Post a comment "'In the Wasteland of Your Mind': Criminology, Scientific Discoveries and the Criminal Process" | Main | "The State of Sentencing 2015: Developments in Policy and Practice" February 10, 2016 Senator Tom Cotton forcefully (and somewhat thoughtfully) makes his case against the current version of SRCA 2015 As reported previously in this post and now again via this new piece from The Hill, a number of Senators are in the midst of a robust conversation about the merits of and concerns about the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act (which I have called SRCA 2015 since its introduction last fall). Of particular note and importance (and as noted in this prior post), Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton seems to be taking a leading role raising concerns about the current version of the SRCA, and I am now pleased and impressed that Senator Cotton has provide a thorough articulation of his concerns through this new Medium commentary titled "The Current Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act is Dangerous for America," and also through this extended speech delivered yesterday on the Senate Floor. The Medium commentary, which is relatively short, does not do much more than emphasizethe anti-federal-sentencing-reform points already forcefully and repeatedly expressed by the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys and Bill Otis and others who have been consistent opponents of any changes to the current federal sentencing status quo. But the Senate floor speech is much, much longer and, in my view, in spots much, much more thoughtful in discussing the SRCA and his own perspectives about federal sentencing reform. I highly recommend all persons following federal sentencing reform to read Senator Cotton's lengthy floor speech in full, and here are some of the (many) passages that has led me to describe it as forceful (and somewhat thoughtful): Today, I want to discuss the Sentencing Reform & Corrections Act that has been voted out of the Judiciary Committee. There is much debate about the wisdom of this bill. That is, like most bills we discuss in this chamber, a judgment call. But there cannot be debate over the facts of this bill. We have to be very clear on what this bill, by its own text, is designed to do.... By its text, the bill will not just apply to so-called "non-violent offenders," but to thousands of violent felons and armed career criminals who have used firearms in the course of their drug felonies or crimes of violence. By its text, the bill will reduce sentences not for those convicted of simple possession, but for major drug traffickers, ones who deal in hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of heroin or thousands of pounds of marijuana. And let's be clear: drug trafficking is not "non-violent," as the bill's proponents often claim. It's an industry that's built on an entire edifice of violence, stretching from the narcoterrorists of South America to the drug-deal enforcers on our city streets. If you think dealing drugs on a street corner while armed with a gun is a "non-violent" offense, you probably live in a rich suburb or a gated community.... It's been reported that the bill's sponsors are preparing to release a revised bill, one that would address some of these many shortcomings. Regarding this news, I first want to thank the sponsors for acknowledging that the bill as passed by committee does in fact apply to serious drug traffickers and other violent felons. I look forward to evaluating the new legislative text, and I hope it addresses these problems.... The [US Sentencing] Commission first reduced sentencing guidelines in 2007. It did so again in 2010. And again in 2014. That is three major systemic sentencing reductions in the span of seven years. The result? 46,000 federal convicts will walk from jail early. Wendell Callahan was one among that 46,000. There will be many more like him. And while we pray against all odds that none of them go on to commit a triple-murder like Wendell Callahan did, or any other heinous crime, I'm afraid our prayers will go unanswered, at least in part. The Sentencing Commission is an independent judicial agency that provides uniform sentencing guidance to judges. Congress didn't have a hand in those sentencing reductions. But with the Sentencing Reform & Corrections Act, the Senate would impose a fourth major sentencing reduction within eight years one that is deeper and broader than the reductions imposed by the Sentencing Commission. This is badly misguided. The Senate would be launching a massive social experiment in criminal leniency without knowing the full consequences of the first three reductions imposed by the Sentencing Commissions. This experiment threatens to undo the historic drops in crime we have seen over the past 25 years.... The Senate, and the American people, need to consider any change to our sentencing laws with full information. We need to know if this sentencing-leniency bill will return us closer to the days of the `70s and `80s when our cities were besieged by the drug trade, and whole communities were being rotted out as a result. We need to debate sentencing changes with all the data available to us. We need to do this with eyes wide open. That is why today together with Senators Hatch, Sessions, and Perdue I am introducing the Criminal Consequences of Early Release Act. This is a simple, but very needed bill. It will require the federal government to report on the recidivism rates of the 46,000 federal inmates to be released early under the Sentencing Commission's reductions. And it will require the same reporting for any prisoners released early under any future reductions passed by Congress. The report required by this bill will make clear how many crimes are being committed by released felons. It will make clear what types of crimes from drug trafficking to assault to robbery to murder are being committed by these felons. And it will make clear in which states these crimes are occurring. Currently, this type of data is extremely hard to compile. It is not reported by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and any information we do have comes through anecdotes and sporadic media reports. Full information on the criminal consequences of early release must be published in detail. Before voting on any bill to reduce sentences, the members of this chamber need to understand fully the criminal consequences of prior sentence reductions.... I want to be clear. To those who support the Sentencing Reform & Corrections Act, we are not in full disagreement. Like you, I oppose jail for first-time drug users with no prior record. It's vanishingly rare for such offenders to be prosecuted and jailed in the federal system. But it remains true that the better option for them particularly if they are addicts would be drug treatment. Like you, I believe that our prisons should not be an anarchic jungle that is a danger to both prisoners and corrections officers. Like you, I believe that those prisoners who will someday complete their sentences and re-enter society should be given the chance to rehabilitate and redeem themselves while in prison so that they do not recommit crimes once they are released. Like you, I do believe that there exists the possibility of an unjust sentence, one that is so out of proportion that it shocks the conscience. So I suggest, let's work on that bill. Let's work on a bill that identifies and addresses all first-time drug possession inmates in the federal system, but keeps drug traffickers and other violent offenders in prison to finish their sentences. Let's improve prison conditions and give prisoners a shot at redemption and a better life. And, if you wish, let's work on a bill to speed the consideration of commutation applications. If we want to undo unjust sentences, we can help the president use his constitutional power of pardon and commutation as a precise scalpel to identify and remedy those rare cases of manifestly unjust sentences. But what we should not do is use the blunt instrument of releasing thousands of violent felons and major drug traffickers. The president has the constitutional power to remedy unjust sentences. But you know what power he doesn't have? The power to bring back to life the victims murdered by prisoners who are released early or sentenced inadequately. There are a number of statements in the parts of this speech quoted above with which I could take serious issue. In particular, Congress always has authority to block any and every formal decision by the US Sentencing Commission, and the crack-guideline reductions of 2010 were essentially mandated by Congress in the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. Consequenlty, it is not accurate for Senator Cotton to assert that "Congress didn't have a hand in those sentencing reductions" to drug sentences promulgated by the USSC in recent years. More generally, to assert in blanket terms that "drug trafficking is not 'non-violent'," is no better than asserting in blanket terms that "drug trafficking is non-violent." Some federal drug-traffickers in some settings are extremely violent in doing business. But I have not heard of much violence taking place in all the stores now selling a whole lot of marijuana in Colorado and other states, and I surmise that the ability to purchase this drug in a safe environment is one reason marijuana sales seem to keep going up and up in a number of states. But, critically, even though Senator Cotton sometimes favors rhetoric over reality in this speech, the basic themes and many particulars he stresses are an important and valuable contribution to the broader debate over federal sentencing reforms. In particular, Senator Cotton is 100% right that our national data on the recidivism rates and realities of federal offenders not only with respect to those who get sentence reductions, but also for the entire released offender population leave a lot to be desired and raise more questions than answers. (Indeed, as some readers likely know well, the very term "recidivism" is subject to various definitions in various settings.) I could not agree more with Senator Cotton's statement that the "Senate, and the American people, need to consider any change to our sentencing laws with full information." Indeed, I have long thought that many of our worst federal sentencing laws enacted in prior decades e.g., the 100-1 crack/powder disparity, some of our most severe gun possession mandatory minimums were passed largely based on misinformation about their reach and likely impact. In addition, I think Senator Cotton merits praise for urging his colleagues to "improve prison conditions and give prisoners a shot at redemption and a better life," and especially for suggesting "work on a bill to speed the consideration of commutation applications" in order to "help the president use his constitutional power of pardon and commutation as a precise scalpel to identify and remedy those rare cases of manifestly unjust sentences." As long-time readers know, many sentencing reform advocates (myself included) have been advocating for Presidents of both parties to make much broader and more constitent use of the "constitutional power of pardon and commutation." I think it is both quite heartening and significant that now the Senate's most vocal opponent of proposed sentencing reforms is sincerely calling for President Obama (and future presidents) to use the clemency power to remedy any and all federal sentences that appear to the President to be "manifestly unjust." February 10, 2016 at 11:52 AM | Permalink Comments "we can help the president use his constitutional power of pardon and commutation as a precise scalpel to identify and remedy those rare cases of manifestly unjust sentences" any details to that? Posted by: Joe | Feb 10, 2016 12:06:13 PM I would like to further discuss the changes to the armed career criminal act and the overall disgust I share in how it works as a revolving door to make money versus rehabilitate prisoners. There are many prisoners that are a product the Federal Government that are not a danger but a dollar sign. Their lives get thrown away and it is a tragedy in the judicial system. Posted by: Ann | Feb 10, 2016 12:34:37 PM bull shit, and the fact that they want to make changes considering firearm as violent I believe firearm goes with protection that should be on a case by case Posted by: Student | Feb 10, 2016 1:19:38 PM He is not adding anything to the debate. This is the problem today: everyone applauds adding to the debate, but if you keep debating, it is just words. Actions speak louder than words. Much of his criticism is off the mark. There is already a significant amount of data, decades of it. I doubt Sen. Cotton has ever even visited the Bureau of Justice Statistics website. And the appeal to emotions, to the victims, that is just petty. Yes, victims deserve justice, but two wrongs don't make a right. There comes a point when over punishment can and does over punish and thus victimize the offender. I appreciate that this does not have the emotional and moral appeal of the 1st victim, but, again, two wrongs dont make a right. Only in America is it so one sided. As for the high recidivism rates, I do agree with Sen. Cotton, however, that as long as there is a lack of education and potential anti-discrimination legislation or federal expungement provisions that the risk of re-offending by many ex-offenders is high but most of the re-offending, based on BJS statistics, is due to technical probation violations (like breaking curfew) and small things. The expungement provision, which was in the Sentencing Reform legislation in Section 211 has been taken out. There is an expungement provision in the REDEEM Act but it is dead in committee. Oh well. Nice try I guess. Shame on Sen. Cotton! Posted by: Booker and Gall but Guidelines Still Rule | Feb 10, 2016 6:27:30 PM Cotton is a pompas Ass, we donot want people like him in a position if power. Posted by: MidWestGuy | Feb 10, 2016 10:28:03 PM Cotton speaks of offenders completing their full sentence so they can be rehabilitated. Prison doesnt rehabiltate, the feds retain them so long they no longer have teeth or the strength or brain power to do much at all. They warehouse people. He assumes that everyone in federal orison is violent and stands on a corner with a gun. Good enough, then they fet racked with a gun bump. This guy has a paper @sshole and should be shunned along with 86 yr chuck Grassley who has been listening to Bill Otis as he doesnt know squat about the guidelines. The drug warriors say they need the Mandatories to fight terriorist and large king pins. Good enough, then make ut so the mandatories only apply to these offenders, not the entire United States. People in rural communities get wacked with the same obscene sentences that hardened dealers get in the projects. Feds have gone too far. The states should be handling most drug cases unless they need help crossing state lines nd that is rare. Posted by: MidWestGuy | Feb 10, 2016 10:41:50 PM Cotton's great great grandpa got the name cause he was a cotton picker. Cotton ought to go back to pickin. Posted by: JackMehoff | Feb 14, 2016 10:34:11 AM Is Grasseley only 86? He sounds older. Posted by: JackMehoff | Feb 14, 2016 10:35:17 AM Post a comment Read the ramblings of a middle-aged American teacher, writer and soccer coach teaching English in Seoul, South Korea since August, 2008. Expect entries on education, lesson planning, politics, soccer, food, culture ... and travel Outspoken human rights activist Cleve Jones has been on the front lines of LGBT liberation and equality fights since the early 1970s, when he arrived in San Francisco as a young man and quickly became an acolyte of burgeoning local politician Harvey Milk. Later, he would experience first-hand the horrors of the HIV/AIDS epidemic here, become infected himself, lose virtually all of his friends to the disease, and become a co-founder of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and the creator of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Jones turned 61 in October, and never having imagined he would live this long he believes he was infected with HIV around the winter of 1978/79, and remarkably lived with the virus for a full 10 years before any treatment options were even available he's facing another potential battle that's becoming a tragically common one in San Francisco, the fight to stay in a rental apartment near the community to which he played a pivotal role in giving a voice, and which he and friends helped create. The forces of gentrification weigh heavily on many San Franciscans as a real estate frenzy and a tech-fueled economic boom are causing properties to change hands all over the city, and causing new owners to find ways to oust rent-controlled tenants. But Jones worries specifically about the people who are in his cohort aging gay men and LGBT seniors for whom decamping to the suburbs could mean a far more tragic fate than for their heterosexual counterparts. And he's equally worried about the young and often disenfranchised gay and trans people who come to the Castro District knowing it to be a legendary safe haven where they might be able to start their lives. "There's this weird notion among young gay people that all of our problems are solved and the war was won," Jones says. "But HIV infections are still increasing among young people ages 18 to 24, and they're still killing themselves either with drinking or drugs or with bullets." He gave an interview, parts of which were published in the British-owned Guardian last week, in which he gave a quote about being horrified one night to find a bunch of straight "tech bros" taking over the pool table and patio at one of his longtime neighborhood gay bars, The Mix, on the 18th Street. The internet reacted loudly, both on the side of Jones and those who might be worried that the Castro is becoming less gay, and from conservative outlets like Breitbart who mocked Jones's distaste for straight people on his turf. Here at SFist I called him out on the quote because not only did it seem like an isolated incident (The Mix is in no danger of becoming straight), but it also seemed like an arguable, anecdotal point were these "bros" definitely straight? Were they not there with any gay friends? But Jones responded by saying I was right to call bullshit, and his quote had been taken out of context within a much larger and more important conversation. "Fucking Breitbart..." he said in a telephone interview with SFist last week. "That's enough to ruin anyone's day, getting quoted on Breitbart." "This isn't about straight people in gay bars, or the Castro being ruined," he clarified. "This has to do with the extraordinary, profound change in what cities are today compared to what they were before. Cities were once refuges for immigrants, bohemians, and gay people where affordable, sometimes sub-standard housing was plentiful. Gayborhoods like the Castro tend to spring up in marginalized areas and gay people didn't force out the early inhabitants of the Castro as a lot people have it. The population in the neighborhood had been steadily declining throughout the 1960s, and when I got to the Castro there was an abundance of affordable housing because the Scandinavians and Irish and Italians who had all built the neighborhood were all moving out to the suburbs and just scrambling to find tenants to fill these buildings. That was happening all over the country, White flight as it's called." Jones says that he arrived just as Polk Street which was then the center of the gay universe and home to many bars, businesses, and hustlers, catering to the gay community was beginning to wane, and there was momentum among gays to move to the Castro where a few bars had sprung up, where the microclimate's weather tended to be a bit nicer, and where by the mid-70s there was underground mass transit (Muni) connecting it to downtown. "The same thing happened in New York around the same time and into the 80's. You heard people who'd been living the Village talking about moving to Chelsea, and then later it was Hell's Kitchen." The problem now is that these gay neighborhoods that were once the only safe places to be openly gay are becoming more like tourist attractions than they are lifelines. And while wealthier gay property owners may still hold a stake in each of these places whether it's Boys' Town in Chicago, West Hollywood, Chelsea, or Lavender Heights in Sacramento changes in the broader culture are causing apathy among both LGBT and liberal straight allies alike as parts of the community become, increasingly, dispersed and these neighborhoods increasingly mixed. Gayborhoods, though, still play a vital role in the lives of people like himself, especially, and the lives of anyone who can't afford to own property and therefore protect their place nearby the institutions that make contemporary life for LGBT people so much better, and easier, than it was two or three decades ago. "It's really not about bars," Jones insists. "It's about people living in close proximity to each other. When you look at the things we in the LGBT community have created for ourselves the singing groups, film festivals, health care clinics, social organizations the gayborhoods of this country, especially the Castro, were incubators for this stuff. We don't have a situation where we're asking where is the scene moving to, we have a situation where people are being dispersed at a really rapid rate. And I'm talking about this issue because it's an issue that hurts people." Jones gets teary as he says he's lost multiple friends "too many" in the last year to suicide, and he's alarmed at the number of people he's heard talking about suicide, and he says this has been directly a result of their losing housing or their longtime homes being potentially threatened. "I'm a renter, and I'm not a wealthy man," Jones says. "When the inevitable eviction comes, I'll have to leave, and I don't know where I'll go. I'm getting old, and I hear horror stories about seniors ending up in senior facilities where they aren't treated with any dignity and may even suffer special abuse for being LGBT. I know someone who was one of the first people to transition from female to male, and he's being abused in one of these homes. It's awful." Supervisor Scott Wiener, who represents the Castro and has lived there almost 20 years, says he's been extremely aware of the issue of struggling LGBT seniors for a number of years. "This isnt a recent phenomenon," he says. "As long as I can recall, and going back to the 90s, gay men have struggled with housing in the Castro, and theres been too much displacement." He says that while young gay and trans people continue to move into the area, older LGBT people, especially older gay male renters and a significant number of long-term HIV survivors on private disability insurance are dealing with widespread housing instability, especially as they hit age 65. "At that age, they will transition to social security, and many will see a drop in income." Wiener says he has helped author legislation to streamline the development of affordable housing, and allow for people to give neighborhood preference in applying for it, and aided in the construction of 55 Laguna a purportedly LGBT-focused senior housing complex where it remains to be seen whether LGBT seniors will be able to get any preference but, "We need more affordable housing in the Castro and surrounding neighborhoods, and we need it yesterday." He adds, "Theres no silver bullet to ending the displacement of our older LGBT renters, but there are steps we are taking and need to take to slow and reduce this trend." But Jones points to a broader-reaching issue than just what's affecting his cohort, who are aging, HIV-positive gay men. "I'm happy that gay people feel like they can live nearly anywhere, and among communities where they didn't used to be welcomed. But what happens when these geographic concentrations of LGBT people get dispersed? The first thing we lose is political power. You lose votes and you lose gay politicians. But perhaps less obvious is the loss of cultural vitality. There's no replacement for what happens when a bunch of artists and photographers and performers and like-minded people all congregate in one place." "I got a lot of comments and backlash after that Guardian piece went up," he says. "One of the dumbest responses I heard was 'Cities change, things change.' What a deep response! But let's talk about what those changes mean. What does it mean to the transgender individual, or a single mother, or anyone who relies on the support system they might have in their immediate neighborhood? What about the men in their 60s who have HIV and are being forced not only to leave our friends and support systems, but also the sensitive and knowledgable medical care that they've known. Do you know how hard it is to find HIV specialists out in the suburbs? What about trans people how are they going to get the medical and emotional support they need if they're living in Benecia? No offense to Benecia." Jones says that, though perhaps to a lesser extent, the situation facing the Castro and other gay ghettos around the country is not unlike what happened to the African-American community in San Francisco. Due to the forces of "urban renewal" and the actions of San Francisco's redevelopment agency in the 60's and 70's, what was a vibrant and large African-American community in the Fillmore district was systematically destroyed, "dispersing them to the winds, and they never came back." "This is not part of some natural cycle it's an upending of the role that cities play in the lives of many, many people," Jones says, acknowledging that more and more wealthier people want to live and work in urban centers, driving up the price of real estate, and acknowledging that social media has completely transformed the way LGBT people find each other and interact. But, naturally, this is personal for Jones, and the personal is political. There are plenty of wealthy gay men and lesbians who will lay claim to their corners of the gayborhood because they could afford to buy them. "Older gay men like me were the ones who came here and created the places and social organizations that the next generations of LGBT people now have to enjoy. Most of us spent the years when we should have been amassing wealth and building our 401Ks on the front lines of a war for our freedoms, and then for our lives during the AIDS crisis. So there went a good decade and a half." "And we're not talking about 'safe space'," he says. "That conversation is weird to me and comes from politically correct college campuses. But I do think we need places where we can go and be ourselves, and there are still plenty of places in San Francisco where you could get beat up for touching your significant other, or for being trans." (By way of example, you could just note yesterday's story about a gay bashing that did not occur in the Castro.) In conclusion, too, Jones wanted to apologize for singling out The Mix. Jones says that as long as he can remember, going back decades, that bar has always been a place where an eclectic mixture of young and old, racially diverse gay people have hung out together. "But I will also say that that night it felt like the Marina took over. And on nights when I walk by Twin Peaks which in my impertinent youth I too called the Glass Coffin and I see a bunch of young heterosexuals sitting at the tables, I feel a pang. There are so few places in the world where old gay men are welcome, and those people, they can hang out anywhere they want." Much like members of the Latino community who have long laid claim to the streets of the Mission District and now are loudly protesting development happening there, perhaps the LGBT community would do well to raise some alarm bells as Jones is trying to do, before the essential elements of the Castro that everyone take for granted are lost whether to Airbnb, as Jones claims he's seen happen to several buildings on 18th Street that are now full-time tourist rentals, or just to apathy and trite conversations among people privileged enough not to have to worry about the problem themselves. At least not yet. "I'm worried about maintaining and building these institutions we've created, and our political power," he says, noting that he doesn't want to see the Castro go the way of New York's Little Italy, or even North Beach in SF, where there are barely any Italian-Americans left and it's just like a living museum to something that once existed. "As dispersal begins," he says, "I wonder what happens next." Previously: Cleve Jones Found A Bunch Of Straight 'Tech Bros' In A Castro Bar And Now Everyone Is Flipping Out .@Scott_Wiener has to stop mtg regarding sex offender rehab facility to keep it cordial. @SF4SafeDuboce #abc7now pic.twitter.com/2Jb3dW06ub Katie Utehs (@KatieUtehs) February 9, 2016 First he temporarily halted sex offender outpatient clinic Sharper Future, originally scheduled to open in the former Duboce Triangle Out of the Closet and AIDS Health Foundation space on the first of the month. Then, last night, Supervisor Scott Wiener had to put a stop to an angry meeting of the always vocal Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association. There, discussion concerning the clinic, as ABC 7 and NBC Bay Area report, became so pitched that the Supervisor brought the meeting to its early end. Correction: The meeting continued after a brief interruption. Sharper Future is a for-profit facility serving sex offenders on parole and probation with whom it contracts through the State Department of Corrections. Currently located on Market Street in a building to be torn down in May, the business doesn't need to move immediately but does need to find a new home. "I understand that knee jerk reaction, believe me," said Sharper Future spokesperson Mary-Perry Miller. "Everybody has kind of a gut reaction to the word sex offender." But Miller emphasizes that the center would be open just three days a week, serving 15-20 patients who already live in the City of San Francisco on each of those days, and that the treatment these registered sex offenders receive from Sharper Future is medical in nature. "Part of the property is zoned for medical treatment. It was used for medical treatment, had a pharmacy in the past and still is zoned that way," Miller said. "They are engaging in a therapeutic relationship, which makes them safer." However, for neighbors to see the center as intended for people's medical treatment and the good of the city as a whole would require conceiving of Sharper Future's patients as human and San Francisco as a series of co-dependent neighborhoods. That's not very likely to happen. "Don't expect us to drink your Kool-Aid when it's poison," KTVU quotes neighborhood grandmother Jeannette Dupais-Walker from the meeting The appeal window on the proposal has closed, but the vociferous fight has just begun. "There are two preschools within 250 feet of that location," said nearby resident David Lytle, citing a distance that will be measure by the Department of Corrections to make sure it meets requirements. After that measurement is taken, an appeal will be considered next week. Previously: Supervisor Wiener Asks For Hold On Duboce Sex Offender Clinic The "call alert" on the Titans of Mavericks official site has been upgraded to green for "Event On", and CBS 5 that organizers made a final decision this afternoon to issue the call to the invited surfers that the competition is on for Friday. Much like there was last Thursday, there are inbound swells predicted of 16 feet or higher based on some readings of buoys near Hawaii, due here by the end of the week. Only this time, the Super Bowl won't trump it. Per the Chron: Drew Peterson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said that area is forecast to see waves between 13 and 14 feet on Friday, but the unique topography of the oceanfloor at Mavericks could push waves up to 25 to 30 feet, with the occasional breaker topping the 35-foot mark. As discussed earlier, the 1999-founded big-wave surfing competition will hold its 10th contest this year, assuming the waves come together, after skipping 2015 due to a lack of big waves. When the competition is called, professional surfers from around the world drop everything and fly to the Bay Area to participate. (See pictures from the 2014 competition here.) Spectators tend to have view the event through binoculars from the shore, however in the past it's been televised from AT&T Park as well. There will be a live, Redbull-sponsored webcast here starting at 8 a.m. on Friday. Back in early January, waves at Mavericks a break that's about a mile off shore near Half Moon Bay hit 50 feet, but at the time weather made the conditions too gnarly for the competition. Currently, the whole Pacific is alive with action, which is leading to another non-annual surf competition in Hawaii's Waimea Bay, the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau, being called for Wednesday. This is the first time that competition, which requires waves of greater than 20 feet, has been held since 2009. Previously: The Super Bowl Is Ruining Mavericks Now Too Mavericks Waves Hit 50 Feet, Surf Competition Could Be Called Any Day The man police suspect in the stabbing death of a popular local DJ has walked out of jail, after the San Francisco District Attorney's Office said that they didn't have enough evidence to charge him. As previously reported, 29-year-old Joseph Razo was stabbed during an altercation with at least seven other people in front of The Cellar nightclub at Sutter and Taylor Streets on January 25. After a week in the hospital, he was removed from life support and died on February 2. After investigators with the San Francisco Police Department said that they "developed information" identifying 22-year-old San Francisco resident Nester Conchola as the suspect in the stabbing, he was pulled over on the evening of February 4. During a search of a residence related to the suspect, "evidence was seized," SFPD spokesperson Officer Gordon Shyy says. Conchola was then arrested and booked into San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm. But by the end of the week, he was back out. As the Ex reports, "Prosecutors decided there was not yet enough evidence to charge Canchola with the three charges he was first booked on suspicion of," including Razo's murder. Police then re-booked, him, this time for "suspicion of felony possession of a sawed-off shotgun and misdemeanor counts of possessing a concealed firearm and a gun with the identification removed." Even with that, Conchola was able to free himself: He posted $48,000 bail Friday, and remains out on bail at publication time. Previously: SFPD Books Suspect In Popular DJ's Stabbing, DA's Office Holds Off On Charges Pending Investigation The story of 28-year-old Jeffery Lafayette's beating by a group of guys on the Saturday before the Super Bowl went viral after he posted a video on Facebook in which he was trying to counter their hate with words of love. SFist first reported on the story Monday, but we now have confirmation of the location and circumstances of the attack, via a tearful interview Lafayette gave to CBS 5's Mike Sugarman the only interview Lafayette has agreed to so far. The larger story here, of course, as Sugarman introduces it, is "Even in San Francisco, in the year 2016, there is gay bashing." And Lafayette can't be sure if his attackers were from out of town and here for Super Bowl festivities, or if they lived nearby. All he knows is that they were white guys, and he says there were about 20 of them. The incident took place Saturday night, February 6, outside the Hi Fi Lounge on Lombard in the Marina, and Lafayette says he was outside the bar on the phone with his mom when the attack began. He says he attracted the men's attention because of his tight white pants. "When I looked around there was this huge group of guys and they started calling me 'girly' and they proceeded to call me 'faggot,' and they started approaching me... and they started spitting on me, and punching me, and I couldn't take it. I couldn't take as many hits as they were giving me, so I fell, and I cradled my face in the fetal position." A coworker of Lafayette's, who appears to be the friend SFist quoted earlier, Ryan Eick, came out of the bar and managed to beat the gang of guys off. "He started running, and swinging, and he broke all of them up," Lafayette tells CBS 5. "Hes six three and pretty nimble." Lafayette explains that he didn't call police because he was too shaken up and just wanted to go home, however LGBT rights advocates say it's important that there be a police record of the incident especially since people believe such hate crimes don't happen anymore in San Francisco. Witnesses confirm that the attack took place, and anyone with information about the identities of any these attackers should call the SFPD's anonymous tip line at 415- 575-4444 or text them a tip at TIP411, and remember to begin your message with "SFPD." Much like he did in the original video, Lafayette doesn't have words of anger for his attackers. He says if he could speak to them, he would only say, "Im sorry for whatever drives you for your hatred. And if you can forgive yourself, for that hatred, you can move on, to be a better person." The video has been shared on Facebook over 27,500 times, and has apparently been viewed over a million times. There has been a subsequent outpouring of support on Lafayette's Facebook page from people across the globe after the story was picked up on Towleroad, The Advocate, and elsewhere. Previously: Gay Man Bashed In SF On Super Bowl Weekend For Wearing White Pants Citing possible suspect identification issues, San Francisco's Public Defender Jeff Adachi assisted the man accused of stabbing a California Highway Patrol officer register a plea of not guilty Tuesday, as a crowd of the injured man's colleagues looked on. As previously reported, 45-year-old transient Noel Corpuz was arrested last Tuesday after allegedly stabbing CHP Officer Andre Sirenko in the neck during an altercation at a SoMa on-ramp to I-80. In the days following Corpuz's arrest, Adachi first noted that the officer's stabbing, which took place near a homeless encampment, "came at a time of high 'tension' between homeless people and the community," focusing especially on SF's mile-long tent city and Mayor Lee's controversial remarks saying homeless people would "have to leave" for San Francisco's Super Bowl events. The stabbing, Adachi said, also came at "a time when the city is particularly challenged in how to respond to homelessness." Though the San Francisco District Attorney's counters that by saying that numerous homeless people have cooperated with police as they investigated Sirenko's stabbing, Adachi told the Ex Tuesday that Theres a list of questions about who did what when, and that he, too, will be reviewing those interviews with the homeless people witnesses as he prepares Corpuz's defense. According to Bay City News, "Corpuz, a slightly built Tagalog speaker" a translator will attend future hearings, the Ex notes "who he said was originally from Hawaii, had 'no history of violence,' Adachi says." "Questions remain," BCN reports, "about the identification of the suspect in the attack and about exactly what happened on the on-ramp." After all, Adachi says, "A person doesnt just wake up in the morning and decide to assault an officer." In court Tuesday, Corpuz pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, assault on a police officer with force likely to cause great bodily injury and several felony counts for resisting arrest. He was joined in the courtroom by a large crowd of CHP officers, the Ex reports, as well as CHP regional commander Capt. Christopher Sherry. They call this the Hall of Justice and were here to see justice served," Sherry told the Ex. According to Sherry, Sirenko was released from San Francisco General Hospital on Monday night, and is recovering well at home. The officer wants to come back to work and hes just overwhelmed with all the thanks and social media support Sherry said outside the courtroom, but "we dont know the long term effects of the injuries. Were just grateful that the injuries were not more severe." Corpuz remains in San Francisco County Jail on $5 million bail. He's expected to return to court on February 24 for a bail hearing, at which time Adachi says he will argue to have Corpuz's bond amount be lowered. Previously: CHP Officer In Stable Condition Following Stabbing Near SoMa Homeless Camp Public Defender Links Super Bowl Tensions With Homeless To CHP Stabbing Mission District residents might have been alarmed by a massive San Francisco Police Department response to an area public housing development Tuesday evening, and wondered what exactly went down. The answer, after hours of police activity? Not much. According to SFPD spokesperson Sergeant Michael Andraychak, at 5:58 officers in the Mission "saw a subject who was wanted in connection with an aggravated assault." The suspect, whom police declined to describe, "fled into a building on the 1400 block of Treat Street," Andraychak says. That block of Treat Street is located between 26th and Cesar Chavez Streets. According to the San Francisco Housing Authority, buildings on that block are part of Bernal Dwellings, a privately-managed, "160-unit, mixed income community." Andraychak says that tactical units and crisis negotiators "were called to the scene," as police continued what they believed was a standoff with the suspect, one that went on for hours. In fact, it wasn't until 8:29, Andraychak says, that police realized that the suspect wasn't actually in that building at all, and the standoff was for naught. According to Andraychak, officers then resumed the search for the suspect. As of publication time, however, it appears that no arrests were ever made. As you surely remember, the 17 SFPD officers investigated for sending scores of racist and homophobic text messages amongst themselves were allowed to remain on the force after a judge ruled the statute of limitations on the offenses had passed. The ruling was made especially upsetting in light of the fact that SFPD higher-ups may have known about the disturbing conduct since 2012 and yet delayed investigating. Well, in a further upsetting development, it turns out that San Francisco taxpayers may now be forced to foot the bill for the legal defense of ten of those officers. The Examiner reports that Alison Berry Wilkinson, the lawyer representing ten of the officers involved in the scandal, intends to file a motion demanding San Francisco pay for her legal fees as the judge ruled in her clients' favor. The paper notes that while a price tag has yet to be put on her work, it could reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. At least one elected official, Supervisor David Campos, is upset about the news. I so hope this is not true: SF may have to pay legal fees of cops who sent racist text messages - The San Francisco https://t.co/DeUv9KMjjv David Campos (@DavidCamposSF) February 10, 2016 City officials, for their part, have appealed the judge's ruling, and if successful in their appeal the entire issue may be moot. However, until that time, there is a real possibility that the citizens of San Francisco may be stuck forking out hundreds of thousands of dollars in defense of SFPD officers who compared minorities to animals along with other racist comments. City Attorney spokesman Matt Dorsey told the Examiner that he can't comment on Wilkinson's motion to have her legal fees covered by SF until she files it. However, it would not be a surprise to hear something from his office as soon as the motion is filed if it ever is. The text messages in question were uncovered in 2012 as part of a corruption investigation into several SFPD officers. In December of 2014 Sergeant Ian Furminger and Officer Edmond Robles were both convicted on corruption charges, and one other officer, Arshad Razzak, was found guilty in a separate trial of illegally searching the rooms of drug suspects and falsifying a police report. All previous coverage on SFist of the SFPD texting scandal. This blog is about the political struggle I am engaging in Singapore. The title "Singapore Alternatives" is chosen because my only political dream is to build a true alternative in Singapore. Alternative to PAP government, of course. As the Alternative, the political party must be able to have the visions and policy insights to lead Singapore. I will write on various policy views and personal beliefs that I think is crucial in building up the Alternative. All constructive comments are welcome. LE MARS, Iowa | The Le Mars-based maker of Blue Bunny ice cream has reached back to the past for inspiration for a new logo and mascot. Wells Enterprises on Wednesday introduced Blu, which the Le Mars-based company described as its longstanding, but never-featured before brand ambassador. Blu is depicted as a real bunny with blue fur, akin to the bunny in a Sioux City store window in 1930 that inspired a child to suggest the brands Blue Bunny moniker. During a public event at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars Wednesday morning, Wells also unveiled its new logo. A large upper case B, with bunny-shaped ears protruding out of the top of the letter, is used to spell both Blue and Bunny. The words Ice Cream appear underneath. The new image replaces a logo that had appeared on packaging since 2004. It featured a contemporary rabbit in a running pose with bands of gold and a red seal bearing the words "Wells - quality since 1913," which had been used since 2004. Blu will be featured in a new national media campaign that will help relaunch the brand. When people think of ice cream they think of fun. Thats where we come in, said Adam Baumgartner, vice president of marketing for Blue Bunny. Next month we are relaunching Blue Bunny ice cream to make sure ice cream lovers find fun waiting for them in grocers freezers nationwide this spring. As part of the relaunch, Blue Bunny also will introduce 46-ounce and new quart-sized line in see-through packaging. The transparent containers are recyclable and BPA free. Wells has been a fixture in Le Mars since 1913, when Fred H. Wells purchased a horse, a delivery wagon, a few cans and jars from a local dairy farmer Ray Bowers to start a milk route. Twelve years later, Fred H. and his brother, Harry C. Wells, formed a partnership to make ice cream in Sioux City. In 1928, the brothers sold the ice cream distribution system to another company. As a result, when they decided to sell ice cream again in Sioux City seven years later, they no longer held the rights to the Wells name. So, they launched a contest to adopt a new brand name. George Vanden Brink collected the $25 prize after submitting the winning entry, Blue Bunny, the words his 2-year-old son shouted over and over after viewing a stuffed blue Easter bunny in a local department store window. Vanden Brink, a Sioux City Journal advertising artist, also designed the first Blue Bunny logo, a floppy-eared rabbit holding a cone in one hand and a box of ice cream under the other arm. , . , 12 2000 . , - . , . , . , . PHILADELPHIA | A Philadelphia judge is giving Robert Williams at least three months to earn back his status as rapper Meek Mill. Common Pleas Judge Genece Brinkley on Friday ordered Mill to serve 90 days on house arrest, effective March 1, for violating the terms of his parole in a 2009 drug and gun case. While the judge's sentence keeps him out of jail, his career will remain on hold, as he won't be able to return to rapping until June at the earliest. Mill, 28, was found in violation of his parole in December. He blamed his erratic concert schedule, but Philadelphia prosecutors linked the problem to his romance with Nicki Minaj, who sat in the front row for Friday's hearing. Mill's defense team again presented a parade of witnesses during a four-hour hearing prior to the sentencing who spoke of the more than two dozen community service events he has done around the city in recent weeks while awaiting his fate. Also in that time, Mill has hired a life coach, who told the judge on Friday that she is already seeing a change in the person she first met as an immature 18-year-old. "I'm observing a completely different man ... I firmly believe Mr. Williams wants to be right and do right," said Dyana Williams, who has also worked with R&B singer Mary J. Blige and rapper T.I. Others talked about their interactions with Mill, discussing his future plans, his desire to attend college, be a good father to his 3-year-old son and become a full-fledged music entrepreneur. At times, the judge was conflicted about whether she was convinced of Mill's progress, asking more than a couple of witnesses: "How many chances do you expect for me to give him?" "I'm not sure that he's turned the corner," Brinkley said before sentencing Mill. SIOUX CITY | Two councilmen said Tuesday Sioux City's proposed rezoning of historic Rose Hill could discourage some owners from renovating their buildings. About 20 people attended a public input meeting Tuesday at City Hall to discuss the proposal that outlines design standards for exterior building alterations in Rose Hill, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. Councilmen Pete Groetken and Dan Moore, who attended the meeting, said they had concerns about "non-negotiable" guidelines in the rezoning. "The design standards would be non-negotiable in certain areas," Groetken said. "It might be cost prohibitive for a number of people who live in Rose Hill." Moore said he agreed with Groetken and added the rezoning does not have a balance between historic conservation and improvements. "It sounds like there's not a compromise," Moore said. "It's all or nothing." During the meeting, neighborhood proponents argued the change will increase historical value in Rose Hill, while opponents said the changes could make it difficult for some residents to afford certain renovations. City planner Charlie Cowell said said historic Pearl and Fourth streets are zoned with similar guidelines. Those areas, however, are commercial districts. The guidelines, as written in a 45-page document, specify requirements for maintenance, windows, fences, architecture and other infrastructures. Currently, Rose Hill has no renovation rules in place. Earlier this month, the City Council tabled a second reading of the proposal to its Feb. 22 meeting after residents spoke in support of the changes while others expressed disappointment. During that meeting, local historic preservationists supported the city's plan, calling it a way to prevent worsened conditions in the neighborhood. However, some residents said it could burden some homeowners. Jim Jung, who is the longtime chairman of the Sioux City Historic Preservation Commission, said during Tuesdays meeting the rezoning will need to be a community effort to be successful. Steve Stout, a Rose Hill resident who attended the meeting, said he was concerned with the authority the commission will have on changes in the neighborhood. Cowell said if the rezoning is approved, the City Council will make decisions in Rose Hill based on the commissions recommendation. This is a really important thing the City Council needs to know about. You cant change these things, Stout said. Once you guys pass this at the City Council, its out of the citys hands. SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man accused of shooting a police officer was booked into jail Wednesday, immediately after being released from the hospital. Isaiah Mothershed, 18, was booked into the Woodbury County Jail late Wednesday morning on two counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree robbery. He is scheduled to appear before a judge Thursday morning to have his bond set. He is accused of pulling a gun from a couch while his hands were handcuffed behind his back and shooting Sioux City police Officer Ryan Moritz in the leg while awaiting transport to the jail early Sunday morning. As officers struggled with Mothershed, the gun fired again and Mothershed was shot in the leg. He had been hospitalized since then. Mothershed is suspected in a series of robberies in the past two weeks, as well as a December robbery. Six others have been arrested in connection with the robberies. Police arrived at apartment 13C at 2947 Park Ave. late Saturday investigating a string of armed robberies and encountered Mothershed and seven other suspects. The suspects were brought outside to be transported to jail. Moritz and another officer took Mothershed back inside because there was not enough room for him in the police vehicles and sat him on a couch. Mothershed then reached into the cushions and pulled out a .40-caliber pistol and shot Moritz in the left leg. The bullet passed through his thigh. Police Chief Doug Young said Monday that Moritz, a 13-year-veteran, hoped to return to work next week if he receives medical clearance. Police said Mothershed is suspected in a Jan. 29 home invasion and gunpoint robbery at 3321 Pierce St., a Feb. 2 gunpoint robbery at C College Court, a Friday robbery at 4538 Polk St. and a Saturday robbery at 2940 Park Ave. Also arrested were Sioux City residents Austin Bulizak, 16; Jamaal Ferguson, 16; Justin Ferguson, 19; Robert Seaberry, 20; Macayla Knight, 17; and Jordyn Delfs, 18. All but Delfs face at least one count of first-degree robbery and have Feb. 18 court hearings scheduled. Delfs faces misdemeanor charges of harboring a runaway and keeping a disorderly house and is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 17. SIOUX CITY | Another step was taken Tuesday in the process of shutting down the police department in Correctionville, Iowa. The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors approved a sharing agreement for the county Sheriff's Office to provide law enforcement in Correctionville, a town of 821 people. That will leave the city of Sioux City and smaller towns of Sergeant Bluff and Moville as the only municipalities in the county still running their own police departments. Correctionville has shared officers with Anthon, which is nine miles away, so the change means Anthon also is losing coverage. However, Anthon city officials have already signed a sharing agreement with the county too. County Sheriff Dave Drew has had deputies patrol smaller towns without police departments. That law enforcement has been increasingly formalized since 2013, when the county supervisors began approving sharing agreements for coverage in such towns. City council officials have signed those agreements as well, which is a step that Correctionville Mayor Nathan Heilman and City Clerk Susan Fitch have taken. Fitch said a community meeting was recently held to get input from Correctionville residents on the proposed change. "The majority of them are for this (change)," Fitch said, due to cost savings to the city. In the current year, the Correctionville department, staffed by three part-time officers, cost $100,000 to operate. Anthon paid $45,000 of those costs, while Correctionville paid $55,000, based an a percentage arrangement set on a per capita basis. The agreement signed Tuesday says the county will provide services beginning March 1. Drew said officers will be responsive to needs in Correctionville. His office will provide periodic reports summarizing criminal activity reported, as is done with all the towns having sharing agreements. Drew said all the cities with sharing agreements have enjoyed the sound coverage provided. "They've been pleased with it," Drew said. The Correctionville City Council in March will decide what to do with police equipment and the patrol vehicle. Fitch said the switch will be noticed by Correctionville people. "They are used to seeing the local cop," Fitch said. ESTHERVILLE, Iowa | Voters in 13 counties Tuesday approved a $16 million bond referendum to fund a series of capital projects for Iowa Lakes Community College. The issue received 62.4 percent approval. It needed 60 percent to pass. Unofficial totals show there were 1,984 votes in favor of the issue, and 1,192 against. Most ballots will be canvassed on Tuesday, although one county's votes will be canvassed on March 16. The issue means property taxes on a home assessed at $100,000 would increase by $11.70 per year over the 15 years in order to pay off the bonds "We can't thank our supporters enough for valuing the impact the college has on students, workers and the economy of this region," said Valerie Newhouse, president of Iowa Lakes Community College. "We appreciate this endorsement to improve all of our campuses which leads to brighter futures for our students and our communities." Newhouse also thanked the faculty and staff of the college. The bonds will fund improvements on each of the college's five campuses, located in Algona, Emmetsburg, Estherville, Spencer and Spirit Lake. The projects include: -- $6.85 million for a fine arts addition at the Estherville campus. -- $6.22 milllion for the Emmetsburg campus for an addition to house student services and renovations to the dining area and the business, admissions and financial aid offices. -- Nearly $2.6 million for a new roof and updated exterior for the Spencer campus. The upgrades will include assessment to the other owners of Gateway North, a former shopping mall in which Iowa Lakes owns a 69 percent share. -- $772,005 to renovate space for technical and industrial education classroom space at the Spirit Lake campus. --- $1.84 million to renovate the student center and student advising/success center on the Algona campus. Each campus would receive improved safety and security through computerized, keyless entry systems, Newhouse said. The campuses are located in five counties -- Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Palo Alto and Kossuth, but the college's service territory also extends into eight other counties, including Buena Vista, Cherokee, Hancock, Humboldt, OBrien, Osceola, Pocahontas and Winnebago. The college's territory takes in more than a dozen K-12 school districts, including Journal circulation area districts Clay Central-Everly, Emmetsburg, Estherville-Lincoln Central, Graettinger-Terril, Harris-Lake Park, Okoboji, Ruthven-Ayrshire, Sioux Central, Spencer, Spirit Lake and West Bend-Mallard. SIOUX CITY | Take a book, return a book, share the gift of reading. Thats the inspiration behind the Sioux City Mayors Youth Commission effort to bring Little Free Libraries to the community. The libraries, built from refurbished Sioux City Journal newspaper racks, contain donated books that anyone can borrow, and are encouraged to share a book of their own. The Mayor's Youth Commission is scheduled to formally announce the project at a news conference Friday. Hannah Rens, mayor of the Youth Commission when the project began last March, said the idea presented a new resource to both adults and children in the community that encouraged reading and provided free books. We wanted something kind of new and fun that kids could get involved with as well as adults, said Rens, now a senior at East High. This gets the community more involved with reading and promotes literacy. Commission members agreed on the library project out of a list of about 20 possible activities or programs, Rens said. The brightly colored, literary themed libraries will be placed at 10 locations throughout Sioux City. An "Alice in Wonderland"-themed box will greet customers at Jitters, while a box designed in the spirit of "Little House on the Prairie" will be placed at the Sioux City Community School Districts Educational Service Center. Other locations include the Sioux City Journal, Book People, Bishop Heelan Catholic High School, the Sioux City Police Department, Mercy Medical Center, the new Childrens Museum and the Sioux City Art Center. Linda Phillips, director of Siouxland CARES, which teamed with the Mayors Youth Commission on the project, said the effort brought others into the mix as well. The Sioux City Journal donated the news racks, while the Sioux City Art Center provided a space to paint them. Debra Marqusee, education coordinator for the Sioux City Art Center, said the project goes hand in hand with the Art Center's effort to encourage creativity in the youth. "Books give us a place to go; something that people of all ages can relate to and are absolutely magical for children," she said, in a release. The city of Sioux City, Sioux City Young Ambassadors and the Sioux City Police Department also played roles in creating the Little Free Libraries. Rens said the 30 or more Mayors Youth Commission students, those who donated time and resources and the businesses and organizations that offered to host racks have helped the program get off to quick start. Seeing the excitement from business owners and places wanting to place these outside their businesses and take pride in them has been a rewarding feeling, Rens said. I feel like this is going to make an impact in the community. SIOUX CITY | There is a strong likelihood the county property tax rate in the upcoming 2016-17 fiscal year will fall below the current level, Woodbury County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeremy Taylor said Tuesday. "I think we will be able to get there. My whole goal is to ultimately lower the tax rate," Taylor said after the supervisors wrapped up a first look at each of the proposed departmental budgets. Taylor's comments follow previous supervisors' statements that they don't want to increase the tax burden on city and rural property owners. Beginning in late December, the supervisors worked on each department's proposed budget, cutting a few hundred dollars here or several thousands there, in the process of setting an estimated $52.5 million spending plan that begins July 1. The work Tuesday included a review of the County Attorney Office's proposed budget of $2.4 million. After all the combined cuts, the supervisors are nearing the existing property tax levy rates. A summary of fiscal year 2016-17 shows the county's property tax levy for town residents now stands at $7.59 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, compared to the $7.52 per $1,000 levy in the existing 2015-16 fiscal year budget. For rural residents, the estimated levy rate is at $10.69 per $1,000 for FY 2016-17, compared to $10.64 per $1,000 in the current year. Taylor said the major big decisions toward setting the budget will be made at the next weekly meeting on Feb. 16. He will ask County Finance Director Dennis Butler to bring a list of a dozen ways to cut the budget or move funds to prevent a tax increase. "We aren't far off ... We're trying to get there," Butler said. Iowa counties must set their yearly budgets by March 15. The five supervisors achieved their goal last March, as the $51.6 million budget for 2015-16 marked the first time in 15 years the tax bill for county services dropped. SIOUX CITY | A series of armed robberies that ultimately ended in the shooting of a police officer all contained the same factors. Police believe the offenders knew the victims, they were not randomly chosen. Drugs were likely involved. And all of them involved firearms. "Their MO was pretty close in all these situations. We don't really get too many reported like this," Sioux City police spokesman Lt. Pat McCann said Tuesday. Six suspects ranging in age from 16-20 face robbery and other charges. A seventh, Isaiah Mothershed remained in police custody at Mercy Medical Center Tuesday with a gunshot wound to his leg, a wound sustained Sunday after he pulled a gun from a couch while handcuffed and fired a shot that wounded Officer Ryan Moritz in the leg. Mothershed, 18, was shot when the gun went off during an ensuing struggle with police. He is suspected in those same robberies and a separate one in December, as well as a violent kidnapping incident this summer in which a man and 17-year-old boy were bound, blindfolded, burned and transported in the trunk of a car before they escaped. Woodbury County Attorney Patrick Jennings later dismissed the case, saying more investigation was needed. The case remains open, Jennings said Tuesday. "If we were able to gather enough evidence and facts, we would certainly look at recharging," Jennings said. Jennings would not say what kind of evidence is still needed, but his office is working with police to get the evidence necessary to build a strong case against Mothershed. Jennings said he understands that his decision to dismiss charges wasn't well-received with police, especially after one of their own was shot. "Anytime you have an individual you believe committed certain acts and crimes, you want to see them brought to justice," Jennings said. McCann said Mothershed will be booked into the Woodbury County Jail once released from the hospital. He was arrested on two counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree robbery. Court documents detailing his involvement in the robberies will not be filed until he's been booked, but complaints filed against six alleged accomplices show a pattern of forced entries and use of force in four separate incidents. Those arrested, all of Sioux City, were Austin Bulizak, 16, four counts first-degree robbery; Jamaal Ferguson, 16, Justin Ferguson, 19, and Robert Seaberry, 20, all three counts first-degree robbery; Macayla Knight, 17, one count first-degree robbery; and Jordyn Delfs, 18, harboring a runaway, keeping a disorderly house -- both misdemeanors. Court documents recount the following incidents: -- Jan. 29, at about 9:30 p.m., Jamaal Ferguson, Bulizak and another accomplice broke into a home at 3321 Pierce St. looking to steal guns. When the owner returned home, they made him get on his knees at gunpoint, open a gun safe and threatened to kill him. One of them pistol-whipped the victim, who was robbed of his wallet and a shotgun. -- Feb. 2, at about 11 p.m., Bulizak, Justin Ferguson and Seaberry broke into a home at C College Court, ordered residents to the basement and held them at gunpoint while they ransacked the residence, stealing marijuana and personal belongings. -- Friday, at about 9:45 p.m., Jamaal Ferguson, Justin Ferguson, Bulizak and Seaberry went to 4538 Polk St. One stayed in the car as a lookout while the others broke into the home. When the residents came home, one of robbers shot out a window in the back door to escape and fired a round at the homeowner while getting away. -- On Saturday, at about 11 p.m., Knight contacted a victim and asked him to come to an apartment at 2940 Park Ave. When he arrived, Jamaal Ferguson, Bulizak, Seaberry, who were armed with a shotgun and two handguns, robbed the victim of his wallet, phone and car keys. Knight later told police the victim owed her $150 for marijuana she had given him. Delfs is charged with allowing Knight and the others to stay at her apartment, 13C at 2947 Park Ave., and told police that Knight wasn't there when they came to look for her. Other suspects in the robberies were at the apartment smoking marijuana. In the hours that followed, police arrested them all except for a 15-year-old juvenile. Moritz was shot in that same apartment, where Justin Ferguson also lived. The amount of freelance and independent workers has increased drastically in recent years. And with that growing trend of non-traditional workers, co-working spaces have also experienced drastic growth. If you havent checked out any co-working spaces recently, then you might think theyre just open spaces with desks and WiFi. But todays co-working spaces offer a number of other features that freelancers could find helpful. Here are some of the features you might find in todays co-working spaces. Freelancer Co-Working Spaces Now Include. . . Connected Workspaces You can consider a connected office a baseline for any co-working space. Most, if not all, of the spaces youll find should offer features like WiFi, printing, outlets and working spaces. Private Conference Areas While many co-working spaces offer simple desks or cubicles in a fairly open atmosphere, you may also find some that offer private offices or at least designated spaces that you can use for meetings or calls, such as conference rooms or phone booths. So if you need a space for meetings or more private work, you can look for a space that offers conference rooms or even office space that you can reserve or rent. Accessible Parking Parking should also be among the features that you look for in a co-working space. No matter what you need when youre actually there, you need to have a convenient way to actually get there. Some co-working spaces have dedicated parking lots, or at least lots that you can pay to gain access to. Others might be conveniently located near public transportation. Proximity to Restaurants and Other Businesses Another convenience factor to consider is the spaces proximity to restaurants, shops and other business that you may need to visit on a regular basis. If you can run some errands, work related or otherwise, on your way to and from, or even on breaks from your workday, it can free up some precious time for you. Some co-working spaces have even built restaurants or shopping into their locations, such as Bespoke in San Francisco. Collaboration Opportunities Co-working isnt just about having a place to work. One of the biggest benefits of co-working can sometimes be the access to other entrepreneurs who you could potentially bounce ideas off of or collaborate with. So if thats something thats important to you, look for a space with an open atmosphere, collaboration spaces and other professionals who you may be interested in working with. Odeen Domingo, founding member of CO+HOOTS in Phoenix, said in an email to Small Business Trends, People should find a space that has deliberately designed their location and their culture to create collaboration. People looking for a coworking space should find out what the culture and interaction is like among member companies and see if its a good fit for what theyre looking for. Are they looking for a space with companies of the same skill set or a slew of different industries (or both) to collaborate and learn from? Industry Focus Some co-working spaces even focus on specific industries or types of entrepreneurs. For example, Geekdom in Houston is a co-working space that focuses specifically on technologists, developers and creative entrepreneurs. This could be helpful if youre looking to collaborate with people in a particular industry or type of business. Noise Policies You may also want to look into the atmosphere of each co-working space, particularly when it comes to things like noise and distractions. You can ask if they have any quiet hours or noise policies. Or you could see if the space allows visitors so that you can get a feel for the environment. Maria Alejandra Marquez, co-founder of TamboWorks in Miami, told Small Business Trends in an email, If you are not experienced with working in a co-working space, you need to evaluate if you can adapt to work in open spaces, with noise and buzz, but also to follow some etiquette regarding how you take your calls or hold meetings. To be part of a community requires some balance between your own behavior and your tolerance. Virtual Offices If youre not necessarily looking for the entire co-working experience, but still want some of the features, you can look for a space that offers virtual office features. For instance, many of them offer mailboxes or phone lines that you can use to organize or make your business appear more professional, without paying for or committing to a full co-working experience. Business Incubators Many co-working spaces like Think Big Coworking in Kansas City, Missouri are connected to business incubators or startup accelerators so that you can get even more growth benefit. Education Programs If you dont want to get into a full accelerator program, but still want some growth or learning opportunities, you might look for a co-working space that offers courses, workshops or other educational opportunities. Geekdom, for example, offers members access to courses and educational resources related to things like coding. Charitable Programs Community involvement and philanthropy can also help some co-working spaces stand out. CO+HOOTS, for example, has a foundation that focuses on educational initiatives. Co-living If you want an experience thats truly all-inclusive, you can even look into spaces that include co-living along with co-working. Even WeWork, one of the biggest names in co-working, is working on a co-living space for those who want to live where they work. A skeptical leftist's, or post-capitalist's, or eco-socialist's blog, including skepticism about leftism (and related things under other labels), but even more about other issues of politics. Free of duopoly and minor party ties. Also, a skeptical look at Gnu Atheism, religion, social sciences, more. Note: Labels can help describe people but should never be used to pin them to an anthill. As seen at Washington Babylon and other fine establishments 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. LEONARDTOWN, Md. Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: http://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at http://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at http://so.md/expungeme. (Feb. 9, 2016)In response to concerns about disorderly crowds, members of the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Lexington Park COPs Unit coordinated an enforcement effort the night of February 5. Assisting in the effort were members of patrol, the K-9 division, alcohol enforcement coordinator, Leonardtown COPs officer, and Maryland State Police.Deputies responded to calls in several locations throughout the evening regarding large disorderly crowds loitering, fighting, CDS, and alcohol citations. These areas included a private party at the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department (HVFD), The Lexington Lounge, Pegg Road Shell Station, and IHOP.As a result of the joint effort, several violations and arrests were issued: Two marijuana civil citations were issued by Deputy First Class A. Beishline on February 5. One was at the HVFD and the other at the Lexington Lounge. Four alcohol citations were issued by Corporal W. Ray, Deputy First Class V. Pontorno, and Deputy First Class A. Beishline. Three were at the HVFD, and one was outside the Lexington Lounge. Dontevious Trevon Dorsey, age 22, of Lexington Park, who was charged with assault on officer, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest at the IHOP, by Deputy First Class A. Beishline Kentwuan Lionel Wills, age 18, of Great Mills, who was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, at the IHOP by Sergeant C. Safford. Michael Andrew Dorsey, Jr., age 25, of Lexington Park, who was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct at the IHOP, by Deputy First Class V. Pontorno. Michelle Angela Dorsey, age 26, of Lexington Park, who was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct at the IHOP, by Corporal J. Stone. Steven Michael Ryan, age 26, of Lexington Park, who was charged with disorderly conduct and littering, on Great Mills Road, by Corporal J. Stone James Nathaniel Watkins, age 32, of, Lexington Park, who was arrested for multiple outstanding warrants, at the HVFD by Deputy J. Bittner. As of Feb. 3, 35 people had contracted the Zika virus in another country and brought it to the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (The Texas Department of State Health Services also reported the first transmitted case of Zika virus in the United States on Feb. 2). Since Feb. 3, media outlets have reported two additional "travel-associated" cases in Texas and one case in both Indiana and Ohio. The White House said Monday that, according to the CDC, a total of 50 Zika cases had been reported in the U.S. CDC officials could not be reached for comment to confirm the updated numbers, which also are not reflected on the CDC website. WASHINGTON (Feb. 9, 2016)While there are no reported cases of the Zika virus in Maryland currently, officials say it won't be long before that changes. The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said in a statement late last week that it expects to begin seeing cases of the virus in Maryland residents returning from infected areas. While most state health departments in the United States are not testing for the Zika virus, Maryland plans to start testing within two weeks residents who might have been exposed to the virus. "We are aware of Marylanders' concerns about risks related to the virus, and we are working closely with healthcare providers to expedite testing, particularly for pregnant women," Maryland Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary Van Mitchell said in a statement. Three residents of Washington and one resident of Virginia so far have tested positive for the virus after traveling to infected areas outside the United States. Maryland health officials said they are in close communication with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as Maryland hospitals and healthcare providers to watch for any possible cases of the virus. Mitchell's department has sent samples from Maryland residents who have traveled to infected areas to the CDC for testing, according to Public Health Deputy Secretary Dr. Howard Haft. The state said it will update the public every week with news involving the virus. Soon, however, the agency hopes to send samples directly to its Health and Mental Hygiene public health laboratory. State health officials also are working with the Maryland Department of Agriculture as the weather gets warmer and the prevalence of mosquitoes, which carry the virus, increases. Officials warn against having standing water around homes that may attract mosquitoes. The Zika virus is spreading much more quickly in some countries than others. In Brazil, there have been about 1.5 million documented cases of transmission within the country, according to Reuters. In the U.S., there has been one, announced on Feb. 2 in Texas, according to the Texas health department. Members of Congress from Maryland are expressing concern about the virus. Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski, both Democrats, joined in a Feb. 5 letter by the Senate Democratic Caucus to President Barack Obama urging him to develop a response plan for the virus, encourage communication between federal and state health departments, and support research on the virus. In the letter, the senators encouraged the president "to take the Zika virus into consideration as you coordinate and allocate resources in the (current budget) and move forward with your upcoming FY17 budget request or subsequent amendments." The Obama administration announced late last week that it is requesting $1.8 billion from Congress to fund efforts to help prepare for the virus and handle an outbreak both in the states and abroad. While no reports of mosquitoes transmitting the disease have been reported within the United States, there have been cases of the virus found in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, as well as in travelers returning to this country. The CDC has confirmed 50 cases of the virus in U.S. travelers between December and Feb. 5, according to the White House. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Kensington, sent a letter to the CDC and National Institutes of Health on Jan. 28, asking for the continuation of medical research and for information regarding the virus to be shared the public. The director of the University of Maryland's University Health Center, David McBride, sent out a notice to students Feb. 4 warning them about the virus and urging them to reconsider spring break travel plans to infected areas highlighted by the CDC. The CDC issued a travel warning in response to the Zika outbreak in Brazil. It warned people against traveling to places with reported cases of the virus such as South America, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands. The Baltimore City Health Department hosts information about the virus from the CDC on its homepage. Convicted felon and Communities United member Marcus Toles, left, clutches a voter registration form after the Maryland Senate passed an override of a veto that would provide voting rights to felons on probation or parole, on February 9, 2016. (Photo: Leo Traub) ANNAPOLIS ex-felons (Feb. 9, 2016)Moments after the Maryland Senate voted Tuesday to override Gov. Larry Hogans veto of a felon voting rights bill, which enables those on probation and parole to vote, Marcus Toles was holding his future: A voter registration form."It feels fantastic to have our rights restored after we've done our time and have a voice," said Marcus Toles, an ex-felon and member of Communities United, an advocacy group for low-income individuals. "I'm gonna fill this out right now.After a 29-18 vote in the Senate, the bill passed and expanded the voting rights of nearly 40,000felons in the state, according to supporters of the bill.But there was a little drama before it passed, as one DemocratSen. J.J. Peters, D-Prince Georgesmissed the first vote on the Houses version of the bill, leaving the final tally 28-18, one vote short of the number necessary to override.Once all 47 Senators were present, the Senate voted 29-18 to approve a revote on the House bill, which was ultimately passed by the same margin.Hogan has been an outspoken critic of the bill, asserting that those on probation or parole have not completed their full sentence, and should not be able to cast ballots in an election until they have done so.Today, 29 people in the Maryland Senate decided to ignore reason and common sense and support an action that the vast majority of Marylanders vehemently oppose, said Doug Mayer, a spokesman for the governor. For too long, voters have been completely ignored by their elected representatives in Annapolisit happened again today and our citizens deserve better.(Bryan Sears of the Daily Record has a video of Gov. Hogan's comments over lunch . "I think there are several people who won't survive this vote" in the next election.)The vote is the sixth such override of Hogans vetoes from 2015, his first legislative year. Other overrides included the decriminalization of marijuana and an Internet hotel tax.Before the vote, Senate Minority Leader J.B. Jennings, Baltimore County, reminded members of the Senate that, during U.S. government class, he learned there was only one way to lose your right to vote: committing a crime and going to jail.I think its wrong, and I think probation is still part of the penalty, Jennings said.Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. tied the issue into the larger arc of voting rights in America. ( Another video from Bryan Sears .)Catholics got the right to vote in 1776, Jews got the right to vote in 1815, African Americans got the right to vote with the 13th Amendment in the 1860s, Indians got the right to vote shortly thereafter (and) women got the right to vote in 1919, Miller said. Its not Republican or Democrat or trying to increase anyones political base, its just a question of living out the golden rule of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.The controversy spanned beyond the actual issue, however, as some questioned whether a Maryland legislator can vote twice on the same bill. A delegate until last week, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy, Sen. Craig Zucker, D-Montgomerythe overrides 29th and arguably deciding votehad already voted in favor of it as a member of the House.Sens. Jennings and Stephen Hershey Jr., R-Upper Shore, citing that controversy, asked for an indefinite postponement for the override vote. It failed, 19-27.After a heated but respectful debate, Sen. Catherine Pugh, D-Baltimore, struck a conciliatory tone as the Senate adjourned for the day.Im glad to see we are moving this issue forward, Pugh said, but again I think it is worth it to say thank you for the healthy debate. WASHINGTON (Feb. 10, 2016)The Department of Homeland Security aims to increase the use of social media significantly in the vetting process of refugees and visa applicants. However, such expanded surveillance is hampered by a shortage of qualified translators and a need for better technology, government officials told the House Homeland Security Committee last week. In last week's hearing, the committee discussed how to strengthen the screening process for individuals seeking to enter the United States as a refugee or visa applicant. The committee's concern is that terrorists are attempting to utilize these legal routes to enter the country and recent cases show that the screening has flaws, according to Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas. "The president believes terrorist groups like ISIS are on the run. But the truth is that they are on the march and gaining ground across the world.," McCaul said. "Make no mistake: they want to send their foot soldiers to our shores." One of the terrorists responsible for the Dec. 2 attack in San Bernardino, Calif., entered the U.S. on a fiance visa. Tashfeen Malik was already radicalized before she arrived. FBI officials said that the couple had exchanged private messages about jihad and martyrdom on social media before the attack. McCaul expressed his concern over how Malik's social media activity had not been reviewed prior to her entry into the country. "We seem to have an antiquated system that we want to bring now to the 21st Century when it comes to something so vitally important as the nation's security," McCaul said. Since the attacks in San Bernardino and subsequent arrests of two refugees in Houston and Sacramento, Calif., with ties to terrorist organizations, homeland security officials have instituted three pilot programs that look at the use of social media in screening processes. Leon Rodriguez, director of the Citizenship and Immigration Services in the homeland security agency, testified at the hearing about his department's efforts to screen the 10,000 Syrian refugees that the Obama administration aims to bring to the United States. "At this point, with respect to the Syrian refugees stream, we are reviewing social media in those cases where there are existing flags of concern," Rodriguez said. "We are building as quickly as we can to build to a point where we would be in fact be screening the entire body of Syrian refugee applicants." Committee members voiced their uneasiness that homeland security officials might not be fully equipped to deal with the potential large influx of refugees and asked the witnesses about their plans to improve the quality of the vetting process. Ranking Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, of Mississippi, asked Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis Francis X. Taylor if his department had identified the amount of personnel needed to carry out the increase in social media checks. Taylor stated that as the social media program expands, initially the department might not have the appropriate amount of staff and that outside contracting might be needed, especially for linguists. "All social media is not in English, so we need language skills and those sorts of things that are more readily available initially in the private sector," said Taylor. "But long-term I think we will build a capability that mirrors our department's responsibility to review this type of data and to do so with government employees that are trained and able to do." Rodriguez said that currently the focus is to cover the social media activity of the 10,000 potential Syrian refugees that the Obama administration aims to admit into the country. "Right now we are conducting manual vetting," Rodriguez said. "In other words, (comma added) we are literally just going into Facebook and Google and other sources to identify the social media information. That is very slow going." He said that the department is looking for technological solutions that will permit it to look at the information more broadly and faster. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., questioned the need to allow any Syrian refugees in the United States at all. He stated that once the displaced individuals leave Syria they are no longer in any danger and that a move to the United States is purely for economic reasons. "Tell me why we are focused on this instead of removing President Bashar al-Assad from power so at least people can go back home?" Rogers asked Rodriguez. "Why are we not working on helping the refugees stay in their neighborhood, in encampments, or in cities than bringing them to our country where we know ISIL intends to use them to kill us?" Rodriguez responded that allowing refugees to seek safety and opportunity in the United States is not just a "purely a moral and humanitarian undertaking." "It has a critical strategic national security and foreign policy role," said Rodriguez. "If we are not seen as offering opportunity to the very victims of ISIL and al-Nusra, then we will have given away a vital part of the battlefield." Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, criticized the anti-immigration stance of some of her colleagues, reminding the panel about the values that this nation was founded on. "We are the front lines of security of this nation and it is our job to counter the negative, the angry, the wrong-headedness of public officials who want to condemn the very entity of which this country has been based: a land of immigrationand a land of laws," said Lee. "You are the holder of this responsibility along with the duty of protecting this nation." Bill would alter requirements for lead risk exemptions The time period between lead-paint inspections of rental properties in Maryland would lengthenfrom every two years to every five yearsand would require an annual affidavit confirming exterior paint is not chipping or peeling, under a bill proposed by Maryland Sen. Adelaide Eckardt, R-Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot and Wicomico. Eckardt said the bill was in response to a number of foreclosed properties in her district that require lead remediation, and some small remodelers asking for relief. "It's really important that we reduce lead risk, and it's also important that we maintain an adequate supply of available, affordable housing in our rural districts," Eckardt said "The impact of some of the lead regulations and laws and historic property regulations and laws, has made it a cost issue." Ruth Ann Norton, president of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, said that a federal government guideline states there is no safe level of lead, and argued that the health risks of lead paint poisoning outweigh the government convenience provided by this bill. The impact of lead poisoning is irreversible, and makes children more likely to drop out of school or become involved with juvenile crime, Norton said. Lead also has long term impacts including hypertension, cardiac arrest, and early mortality, she added. "This bill.goes backwards," Norton said. "Moving this to a five-year standard is incredibly dangerous." By Lexie Schapitl Raskin proposes allowing punitive damages for repeat drunken drivers The Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee heard testimony Thursday on a bill that would make repeat drunken drivers who injure or kill others liable for punitive damages in some cases. S.B. 302 states if a driver with a blood alcohol level of more than .08 percent kills or injures another person, and has been convicted, pleaded no contest or received probation before judgment for drunken driving charges in the past five years, he would be liable for punitive as well as compensatory damages. "This bill makes it clear that what we're telling people is 'stop driving drunk,'" said Robert Zarbin of the Maryland Association for Justice. "We now have Uber, we have cabs, we have friends, we have ways to get home." The bill's sponsor, Sen. Jamie Raskin, D-Montgomery, noted that drunken drivers are "notoriously being let off with very light sentences" and said the state should "raise the costs of drunk driving across the board" in both criminal and civil law. "Do we want to treat the act of drunk driving and killing as something sufficiently warranting moral condemnation and social deterrence that we are willing to make punitive damages available?" Raskin said. "We really should have a zero tolerance policy with respect to drunk driving." Representatives for Allstate, State Farm, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, and the Maryland Motor Truck Association opposed the bill on the grounds that drunken driving should be handled in a criminal court, the bill would pass the costs on to insurance companies and employers, and punitive damages would not deter drunken driving. "Going to jail, losing your license, paying restitution, having probation(being) subject to an Interlock, those are the things that send the message to the people of Maryland that you should not and you cannot tolerate drinking and driving," said Noel Patterson, regional counsel with Allstate. By Lexie Schapitl Lawmakers Introduce New Standards for Greenhouse Gas Reduction A bill that sets new and ambitious goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Maryland received strong bipartisan support when it was introduced to the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday. The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act, sponsored by Sen. Paul Pinsky, D-Prince George's, sets a new goal of cutting those emissions by 40 percent from 2006 levels by 2030. It also upholds the current requirement that Maryland reduce those emissions by 25 percent from 2006 levels by 2020. Accumulation of these gaseswhich include carbon dioxide and methanein the atmosphere has created a "greenhouse effect" that captures radiation and contributes to global warming, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicate that all of the warmest 16 years ever recorded have occurred in the 21st century. That dual focus on environment and business has enabled the bill to garner bipartisan support, including from Maryland Secretary of the Environment Ben Grumbles, who attended the hearing. "This bill reflects a remarkable compromise, common ground, collaborative work," said Grumbles, appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican. Pinsky noted that, if left unchecked, rising sea lives caused by global warming could damage the state's farming and tourism industries. Destinations close to sea level like Baltimore's Inner Harbor, he said, also could be in danger of being submerged. In his briefing to the committee, Pinsky said Maryland's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act of 2009, which set the state's original goal for reducing emissions, was a foundation for President Obama to negotiate the Paris Climate Agreement last year. "We propelled other states and governors with having high standards and high education rates," Pinsky said, "and I believe it gave the president confidence to go to these international meetings because there was momentum building because of states like our own." The international climate agreement was forged among nearly 200 countries, requiring that nations work to ensure global temperatures stay no more than 2.0 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times and that the level of greenhouse gas emissions can be naturally offset by trees and the ocean sometime between 2050 and 2100. No one at the hearing voiced opposition to the bill. Josh Magness Proposed committee would scrutinize policy issues for health outcomes A cross-agency task force would screen all new policy issues for short- and long-term health consequences under a bill sponsored by Delegate Dan Morhaim, D-Baltimore County, a medical doctor. "We all appreciate that health is a foundation for everything," Morhaim, House deputy majority leader, testified in a Health and Government Operations Committee hearing Tuesday. "The ultimate goal of the bill is to have policy decisionsthat aren't necessarily about healthfactor-in health." He gave the example of transportation policy as it would be assessed by the commission. "If you're building a road, do you have a sidewalk so that people can walk? Do you have a bike lane?" Morhaim asked. Supporters of the bill said they believe it will ensure more integration among government agencies. Maryland Women's Coalition for Health Care Reform Chair Leni Preston said policymakers should consider possible health implications, like how building projects could create too much dust, or how new transportation lines could provide access to clinics or doctors' offices. "Too often in the policy world decisions are made in a silo," Preston said. The state's health department opposes the bill because it doesn't want to staff another task force when it already staffs between 100 and 120 groups, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Government Affairs Director Allison Taylor told the committee. By Eliana Block Hogan Announces Commission to Improve Procurement System Gov. Larry Hogan on Wednesday morning signed an executive order creating a Commission to Modernize State Procurement to reconfigure a system he described as "in dire need of reform." "It's no secret that the way Maryland does procurement is unpredictable and discourages participation among Maryland citizens," Hogan said at the Maryland Board of Public Works meeting. "It leads to undesirable outcomes." Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford will chair the 19-member committee, including members from the comptroller's and treasurer's offices, as well as five members experienced in procurement law and other areas. "We have, in my opinion, a broken system," Comptroller Peter Franchot said. "And I may not show up to all of the meetings, but I'll be there in spirit." Franchot also said Wednesday morning that the processing of electronic tax returns was halted earlier this month after a failure, likely due to hardware, was detected. Franchot notified Marylanders on Feb. 4 that a failure caused the electronic system to shut down, and it came back online in about a day, a spokesman said. Protecting Marylanders from tax fraud continues to be a top priority, the comptroller said. In a 3-0 vote, the board voted to support funding up to about $8.17 million for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission's Combined Heat and Power project. Benefits of the system include the production of electrical energy and reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by 130,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. "This is a big boost, and it's keeping us on track to meet our environmental goals," said Hogan, who expressed his "enthusiastic support" for the project. The board also voted to approve an emergency contract of almost $425,000 to Waste Management of Maryland Inc., as the state transitions to a five-year contract with another company. All items on the board's agenda were passed unanimously, and the meeting lasted less than 40 minutes. "I wish we could do this every time," Hogan said. Jessica Campisi When San Francisco filmmakers Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman were nominated for an Oscar for their film Last Day of Freedom, friends started asking one question: "What are you wearing?" to the Academy Awards gala. "That was the last thing on our minds," said Hibbert-Jones, 53, an associate professor of art at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "I thought matching socks might be appropriate," said Talisman, 49, a freelance editor and animator. The women, who are married, have been collaborating on art for over a decade, although this is the first film for each. The 32-minute animated documentary, produced over a five-year period on a $120,000 budget, is the story of Manny Babbitt, a homeless Vietnam War vet suffering but untreated for PTSD, who commits a murder. Manny's brother Bill, the film's narrator, reports the crime, eventually leading to his brother's execution. The film has already won prestigious awards, including best documentary short at the International Documentary Association and Full Frame film festival. New York Times film critic Stephen Holden, in a January 28 article on the Oscar nominees, wrote that Last Day of Freedom was the "most moving documentary" of the nominees, and predicted that the film "will break your heart." The film is available on Netflix. In a recent interview in their Mission District flat in San Francisco, the filmmakers discussed their hectic lives. The most recent chapter began at 5 a.m. on Jan. 14, when they sat in bed with their six-year-old son Max watching the live telecast of the nominations. Just as the announcements for documentary shorts were about to begin, the local station cut to a traffic announcement. Before they had a chance to go online, their mobile phone lit up with texts and calls from friends around the world. "It's been absolutely crazy" since then, said Hibbert-Jones. "When we're not sleeping or building Legos with our son, we are working" on the film. In addition to scheduling the interviews and screening requests that have flooded in, the filmmakers are also dealing with the nitty-gritty of fundraising and distribution. Fundraising has been a part of their life for the past five years, when they first began the film. "We basically financed it from grant to grant," said Talisman. It was produced for $120,000, she said. Fundraising efforts continue, with details about needs as well as a link to make a contribution, on the film's website, LastDayOfFreedom.net. The idea for the film came up while Talisman was working as a media specialist for the Community Resource Initiative, a local nonprofit that collects narratives to build cases against capital punishment. "I came home every night and told Dee that I was hearing stories that we need to tell," she said. They explored telling the stories of a number of other families, but when they met Bill Babbitt, "we knew this was our story," Talisman said. Both are experienced at drawing, and decided to use animation because it allowed them the "intimacy" of telling a story that was "difficult to hear" because it was so sad and painful. During the film's five years of production, "we would often come home crying after hearing some of the details about what this family went through," Hibbert-Jones said. The Babbitt family saga took place in Sacramento, when Manny returned from two tours of duty in Vietnam suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as earlier mental health problems, also untreated, after several falls. Narrator Bill Babbitt describes his painful struggle after learning that his brother has probably committed a murder. After law enforcement assured him that they would not seek the death penalty, Bill turned his brother in. But the case was grossly mishandled by the defense team, and Manny was executed at San Quentin Prison in 1999, soon after being awarded a Purple Heart behind bars. The film, said Talisman, "is a portrait of a man at the nexus of the most pressing social issues of our day: veterans' care, homelessness, race, class, mental health access and criminal justice." By using Bill as the film's narrator, they wanted to "give voice to a perspective that is rarely broadcast," she added. Although this is their first film, the women have had earlier collaborations. They were part of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts' artists-in-residence program, where they created Living Conditions, an interactive project that focused on the lives of families with relatives on death row. Last Day of Freedom is a stand-alone film that is part of that project. Hibbert-Jones, originally from the United Kingdom, and Talisman, from Israel, both attended Mills College, where each received a master's degree in fine arts. They started dating shortly after graduation, and married in 2014. They are already planning future projects, but in the meantime are trying to cope with the attention from the Oscar nomination. "We are so honored!" said Hibbert-Jones. "I remember we were dancing around the kitchen when we heard we were accepted" into our first major festival. "To have come so far with our first film, it's all beyond our wildest dreams." Amidst the excitement, they haven't forgotten the question their friends all want answered: their wardrobe on the evening of Feb. 28. "Someone in Los Angeles is dressing me," said Hibbert-Jones, "and Nomi is working with several suit companies locally" to find just the right outfit. Stellar interactions University of Vienna Stars are born inside a rotating cloud of interstellar gas and dust, which contracts to stellar densities thanks to its own gravity. Before finding itself on the star, however, most of the cloud lands onto a circumstellar disk forming around the star owing to conservation of angular momentum. The manner in which the material is transported through the disk onto the star, causing the star to grow in mass, has recently become a major research topic in astrophysics. It turned out that stars may not accumulate their final mass steadily, as was previously thought, but in a series of violent events manifesting themselves as sharp stellar brightening. The young FU Orionis star in the constellation of Orion is the prototype example, which showed an increase in brightness by a factor of 250 over a time period of just one year, staying in this high-luminosity state now for almost a century. One possible mechanism that can explain these brightening events was put forward 10 years ago by Eduard Vorobyov, now working at the Astrophysical Department of the Vienna University, in collaboration with Shantanu Basu from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. According to their theory, stellar brightening can be caused by fragmentation due to gravitational instabilities in massive gaseous disks surrounding young stars, followed by migration of dense gaseous clumps onto the star. Like the process of throwing logs into a fireplace, these episodes of clump consumption release excess energy which causes the young star to brighten by a factor of hundreds to thousands. During each episode, the star is consuming the equivalent of one Earth mass every ten days. After this, it may take another several thousand years before another event occurs. Eduard Vorobyov describes the process of clump formation in circumstellar disks followed by their migration onto the star as cannibalism on astronomical scales. These clumps could have matured into giant planets such as Jupiter, but instead they were swallowed by the parental star. This invokes an interesting analogy with the Greek mythology, wherein Cronus, the leader of the first generation of Titans, ate up his newborn children (though failing to gobble up Zeus, who finally brought death upon his father). With the advent of advanced observational instruments, such as SUBARU 8.2 meter optical-infrared telescope installed in Mauna Kea (Hawaii), it has become possible for the first time to test the model predictions. Using high-resolution, adaptive optics observations in the polarized light, an international group of astronomers led by Hauyu Liu from European Space Observatory (Garching, Germany) has verified the presence of the key features associated with the disk fragmentation model large-scale arms and arcs surrounding four young stars undergoing luminous outbursts, including the prototype FU Orionis star itself. The results of this study were accepted for publication in Science Advances a peer-review, open-access journal belonging to the Science publishing group. This is a major step towards our understanding of how stars and planets form and evolve, says Vorobyov, If we can prove that most stars undergo such episodes of brightening caused by disk gravitational instability, this would mean that our own Sun might have experienced several such episodes, implying that the giant planets of the Solar system may in fact be lucky survivors of the Suns tempestuous past. Publication in Science Advances Hauyu Baobab Liu, Michihiro Takami, Tomoyuki Kudo, Jun Hashimoto, Ruobing Dong, Eduard I. Vorobyov, Tae-Soo Pyo, Misato Fukagawa, Motohide Tamura, Thomas Henning, Michael M. Dunham, Jennifer Karr, Nobuhiko Kusakabe, Toru Tsuribe: Circumstellar Disks of the Most Vigorously Accreting Young Stars, published online February 5, 2016. I remember being sent a review copy of The Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips . I was actually sent a small box of books to review, but The Ic... THOUGH more than 500 nurses left hospitals in late January, it was not enough to persuade the government to accept their conditions. Font size: A - | A + The nurses finally took the offer of Prime Minister Robert Fico to return to hospitals and start negotiations with hospital directors. It is a loss, said Tomas Szalay, analyst with Health Policy Institute, as quoted by the Sme daily. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The main reason why nurses did not succeed was that of nearly 19,000 nurses only slightly more than 600 did not withdraw their resignations, said chair of the Medical Trade Unions Associations Peter Visolajsky. Read also: Read also: UPDATED: Nurses ready to strike compromise, Fico refuses Read more Though the nurses can return to the hospitals, they have no guarantees the hospitals will actually take them back. The teaching hospital in Trnava, for example, already said it will not accept all 57 nurses who left in late January. It will take only nurses it will need, said hospitals spokesperson Matus Straciak, as reported by Sme. The hospital, meanwhile, hired 16 new nurses. In Zilina, altogether 40 nurses have already returned, which Health Minister Viliam Cislak considers good news for patients and also medical workers. He also expressed his thanks to all nurses who did not abandon their patients and continued to work at the hospital in Zilina, thereby confirming their high professional qualities as well as moral qualities. This is a clear message concerning their relationship to work, relationship with patients, the provision of health care and commitments stemming from the mission of the health-care profession, Cislak said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. The managers of the hospitals in Zilina and Presov have shown a great deal of professionalism, managerial foresight and abilities, too, by doing their utmost to provide necessary health care to patients also in tense moments. Nurses meet Kiska The representatives of nurses met with President Andrej Kiska and asked him to contribute to the resolution of their current situation by his authority. Nurses believe that Kiska will be successful as a mediator between themselves and the cabinet. The president did not make any comments on the protests developments and the current situation in hospitals, but stated that every nurse that goes abroad is a loss for Slovakia. Nurses and Midwives Trade Union head Monika Kavecka does not appreciate the fact that hospitals do not want to rehire all of those nurses that had earlier filed their resignations. Nurses found out that hospitals in Presov and Zilina do not need all of them back as they already hired some replacements, and the same situation concerns Trnava hospital. I dont wish to comment either on the development of this protest or on its form, Kiska said, as quoted by TASR. He does not think it would do any good. To quit a job and risk losing it for good and thus losing the income to provide for a family is quite an extreme form of protest, according to the president. Prime Minister Robert Fico strongly rejected that his earlier statements are in contradiction with what the hospitals' directors are currently doing. He clearly stated that nurses can individually negotiate their new contracts with hospitals, said his spokesperson Beatrice Szaboova, as quoted by TASR. He insists that there shouldnt be any differences in nurses salaries. But, of course, hospitals can only hire as many nurses as there are vacant jobs. Kiska said that the health-care system should be a top priority for the next government and parliament. THE LAWSUIT filed by Slovakia regarding refugee relocation quotas among EU-member states will be decided on by the end of the year, said European Court of Justice President Koen Lenaerts during his visit to the Slovak Supreme Court. Font size: A - | A + Certainly, its not a matter of years, but of months, Lenaerts said when questioned about the time scale, as quoted by the TASR newswire. It could be up to 12 months. Read also: Read also: Slovakia files refugee quota lawsuit against EU Read more The suit was registered at a court in Luxembourg on December 3. It is currently in the writing process during which member states are able to comment on the case. Lenaerts added. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Each member state has a right to comment in its own language, which means that these statements have to be translated, which also takes some time, but I hope that the decision will be made by the end of 2016 or at the beginning of 2017 at the latest, he continued, as quoted by TASR. Slovakia asserts that the European Court of Justice should declare invalid the decision of the Council of the European Union to relocate refugees from Italy and Greece to other EU countries based on quotas. Slovakia also demands that the council should pay the court costs. The interior ministers of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania voted against the quotas, while Finland abstained. Hungary also filed a lawsuit regarding the matter later. Lenaerts was hosted by Slovak Supreme Court Chair Daniela Svecova, TASR wrote. WHILE some mayors struggle to improve life in segregated Roma settlements, the non-profit organization ETP Slovakia has helped hundreds of marginalized people construct their own houses. The Slovak Spectator spoke to its director Slavka Macakova about ETPs success and how the state often ignores proven methods that succeed. Font size: A - | A + The Slovak Spectator (TSS): Many Slovaks see the problem with marginalized Roma communities as having simple solutions like tougher policing or cuts to welfare. What do you see as solutions for those communities? Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Slavka Macakova (SM):There are no simple solutions for complicated problems. Procrastination or unprofessional solutions of the most visible problems will make the current bad situation even more complicated. For example, in 2008 and then repeatedly in 2010 and 2012 we offered to Kosice city cooperation in dealing with living conditions in Lunik IX [infamous Roma ghetto]. We proposed the gradual reconstruction of flats by using our saving project and project of microloans. If the magistrate would accept our offer Lunik IX resident could save up to reconstruct the flats where they were living. The city did not respond to our offers. The result is that settlement Maslickovo developed [after several block of flats in Lunik IX were torn down] with all its consequences. Hundreds of citizens of other towns and villages have used the possibilities of our projects in central and eastern Slovakia and they reconstructed their homes. The construction of one house with land in Rankovce village costs around 10,000. Kosice city constructed flats for twelve families for 550,000 in 2015. Instead of a dozen families, 55 families could have a new place to live for the same amount of money. TSS: Could the project in Rankovce be an example for other places? SM: We presented proposals of various ways how to solve the scandalous living situations of some people in Slovakia to the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development . Self-made and self-financed houses which belong to people who construct them is one of such way. The model which we used in Rankovce should be the example. The state should support this type of program for various reasons. It saves public money and improves quality of life including hygienic conditions for young families with children. It also helps to develop work skills and habits for the long-term unemployed; creates proper conditions for studying for elementary school pupils and so on. TSS: Why don't municipalities use this model more often? SM: Municipalities, which would also want to help poor people even non-Roma in similar way, either dont posses land or the land is set aside for a different use, according to their zoning plan. Even if a city or village council schedules a discussion about changes in use of land close to a settlement, the council meetings are usually attended by dozens of residents, neighbors of the settlement. The mayor then withdraws the issue from the discussion under perceived or real pressure. TSS: What would help? SM: There should be a common public policy that will ensure that all residents of a city or town should have equal rights, including the right to buy the land to build a house for private ownership. The State Housing Development Fund should add a new product to its portfolio - loans for purchase of a house for the long-term unemployed. They would be able to obtain an advantageous loan, for example up to 10,000 with a term of return, for example, of 15 to 20 years. The condition would be that the loan will be used for self-help legal construction of a house for private ownership. TSS: What is your experience with people in Rankovce? SM: Thanks to the involvement of households in self-help and self-financing the construction of houses, the motivation of these households to find and retain permanent jobs significantly increased in Rankovce. According to our calculations, the disposable income of households in the area increased by 64 percent, as the number of employed builders increased from two in 2013 to nine in 2015. The state in 2015 saved 10,500 on sixteen households engaged in self-construction in Rankovce. The State Housing Development Fund should therefore add people who live in segregated settlements to the categories of people entitled to receive subsidies for the purchase of a flat in the form of self-construction. TSS: Why is there is no demand in society for these solutions? SM: It is necessary to shape public opinion so people will understand that helping the poor helps the whole community, all its inhabitants. It is often very difficult to explain the benefits of the project or social experiments to non-Roma citizens. Some mayors see the world in a four-year [election] perspective and neighbors of settlements would like see the change right now. At least 10 or 15 years are needed to regenerate such communities. They are in state which has been worsening for decades. This can happen if we will all pull on the same end of the rope. The question is not if we can integrate minorities such as Roma, refugees and migrants but if we are interested in doing it; if Slovakia wants it. Statements made by some politicians not only suggest the contrary but preserve current poor situation for decades or forever. TSS: Are there areas in Slovakia where positive changes are visible? SM: In Slovakia, about 40 percent of all Roma, which is 200,000 people, live in settlements or segregated communities. More than half of them are children and youth. However, there are municipalities where positive changes have been happening for several years and settlements have practically vanished there. Spissky Hrhov, which has been given Village Of The Year 2015 award of Environment Ministry for development, is one of them. Integration takes time and a systematic, long-term, continuous application of tried and proven methods of social work, ideally, with the same professionals who have earned people's trust. It takes patient assistance that we call from cradle to career, and listening to their needs. It means that if people live in the village in shacks, without access to drinking water and sanitation that housing and infrastructure should be solved immediately. At the same time educational programs for children from the earliest age to adults should be implemented there. TSS: Do not you think that you often substitute the role of the state on these issues? SM: One could say that ETP Slovakia is also a social laboratory. We verify innovative approaches of social work to find out which one works the best for improving the quality of life of socially excluded people. When some prove themselves we pass them to the responsible representatives of the state ministries. During 16 years of work in Roma settlements, we noticed that the issue of poverty and segregated Roma communities is interesting for politicians, but usually just before the parliamentary elections. TSS: How do you cooperate with the state? SM: Some employees of ministries, the Government Office and some members of parliament know our approaches very well. Many of them have already got into public policy and into the laws on social services -- for example, local social work, community centers, financial education and the micro-loans program. But, on our question: What must we do to make our solutions, which proved themselves in settlements part of the public policies? I even received an answer: Slavka, ensure that there is a political demand for it. TSS: How do you assess Government Proxy for the Roma Communities Peter Pollak work? SM: The Government Proxy for the Roma Communities Office is an advisory body to the government. It has no executive power. His job is to prepare strategic documents and action plans, whose implementation falls under the ministries. Once a year, the proxy should check how ministries have carried them out. We have not noticed presentation of the new strategy [for Roma integration] or a revised action plan, despite the fact that meetings focused on revision of the action plans took place. The most fundamental fact is that the laws and their funding from public sources are accepted without prior testing. Such testing would show whether the proposed changes would actually save public finances. TSS: Can you give an example? SM: Last year, Financial Policy Institute at the Ministry of Finance conducted cost-benefit analysis of the non-profit organization Ulysses program that distributes syringes to drug addicts. The analysis showed that every 1 spent on the program brought benefits worth 3. This is why role of NGOs is so important. They are social laboratories which verify whether innovative approaches are effective or not. In my view, these social experiments should be made in advance of changes in the legislation related to the respective service financed from the state budget. In Slovakia, this does not happen. For example, community centers and services they provide are indeed listed in the law on social services, but the obligation for municipalities or regional governments to provide financial resources for their activities are optional. CHARGE dAffaires of the US Embassy in Slovakia Liam Wasley paid a visit to the 5th regiment of special designation in Zilina on February 9. Font size: A - | A + He thanked them for sacrifices they made during their work in Afghanistan. I would welcome any further involvement of Slovakia and the 5th regiment in providing training to Afghan security forces, said Wasley, who got to know the regiments history, designation and main tasks, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement He also met with members of American special forces that are based in Slovakia and are engaged in joint military training with the 5th regiment. I consider this regiment to be one of the best units of the Slovak Armed Forces with respect to collective defence, Wasley said, as quoted by TASR. Id like to thank Slovakia for its political and material support of the 5th regiment. Id also like to emphasise that the 5th regiments warrant officer Martin Bohacik will become a commanding non-commissioned officer of the NATO High Readiness Forces. These joint activities with American special forces have been facilitated since 2011, added 5th regiment of special designation commander Lubomir Sebo. Today weve seen an exercise of responding to green-on-blue attacks [that is when an Afghan policeman or soldier fires on coalition forces in Afghanistan ed. note], Sebo said, as quoted by TASR. There are seven members of American special forces and 24 members of the 5th regiment. Its a sort of education in areas that both sides need. The Americans will train here for three weeks. This week takes place in Zilina, the next week theyll participate in practical occupations in the Training Centre in Lest (Banska Bystrica Region), while the last week will be focused on exercises in mountainous terrain, Sebo concluded. TEN of 12 political parties publicly pledged to strengthen the right of the public to information by adopting the proposals of three non-governmental organisations. Font size: A - | A + Only the ruling Smer party and opposition Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKU) failed to do so, the SITA newswire reported. Three non-governmental organisations submitted 10 practical proposals to improve the access of the public to information of political parties, Transparency International Slovensko (TIS), the Fair-Play Alliance (AFP) and the INEKO think tank informed. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The companies which are fully owned by the state or municipalities should be subject to the law on free access to information (infolaw), while the salaries and CVs of state nominees should be made public. Moreover, the agreements signed by the state and municipalities should be published at one place and the state should start to systematically connect the databases about public procurement, founding and ownership of companies, EU funds and owners of property, the NGOs say. The parties which promised to adopt the proposals include Siet, the Christian Democratic Movement, the Slovak National party, Most-Hid, the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities, NOVA, Freedom and Solidarity, Sanca, the Party of Hungarian Community, and Tip. While SDKU sent no answer, Smer refused the pledge, saying that AFP and INEKO are deliberately harming the party in the pre-election term. Yet it considers many proposals beneficial and will try to adopt them in the next election term. The party, however, failed to specify them, the NGOs claimed, as reported by SITA. Moreover, Siet and Sanca did not support all proposals. While the former would not accept the introduction of mandatory publishing of criminal motions dismissed by the police, the latter would publish the salaries of state nominees only selectively and would allow the ombudswoman to supervise the observation of the infolaw. The Justice Ministry led by Tomas Borec worked on changes to the infolaw during his tenure, but the government did not accept its proposal, on which also NGOs and the Association of Towns and Villages of Slovakia agreed, SITA wrote. DECIDING who to vote for in the March 5 will be tougher than usual for the right-leaning electorate in Bratislava, according to a survey by the Political Science Department of Comenius University made for the Sme daily. Font size: A - | A + Too many parties but also the lack of an emotional connection with any of them as a counterbalance to the ruling Smer party make the election decisions harder, according to political analysts. Bratislava voters admitted that they currently see no distinctive, noticeable right leaning leader. So far, they do not consider chairman of the strongest, in polling numbers , centre-righ party Siet, Radoslav Prochazka, as a potential successor of former Slovak Christian-Democratic Union-SDKU leader, Mikulas Dzurinda. Prochazka is rejected for his poor marketing and failed communication with voters. Unlike rural voters, though, Bratislavans did not cite his scandal concerning the recording of wiretapped talk with Igor Matovic on financing his election campaign. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Uniting all the right-leaning parties which is also the vision of Prochazka is opposed by voters from capital. They deem the variedness of opinions and stances of right-oriented Bratislavans too differing to be covered by a single party. They would prefer a smaller number of parties to select from, though. They would welcome one stronger party which would make a counterbalance to Smer and several other groupings which would address for example more liberal or more conservative voters. The problem is that the offering parties is too rich, and it is understandable that voters do not know whom to give their vote, political analyst Grigorij Meseznikov opined for Sme. Bratislavans would rather give their vote to a bigger party so that it does not get lost, he added. Meseznikov thinks that mostly big opposition parties like Siet, Most-Hid or Christian-Democratic Movement (KDH) can profit from this. Poll respondents agreed that the decision process will be hard but they look likely to vote. They think that the four years of Smers rule must be replaced. All of them agreed that any result would be better than a Smer-SNS (Slovak National Party) coalition. Voters in the capital characterise themselves as more educated, experienced, and knowledgable; they differentiate themselves not just against Smer but also against its voters. A rightist voter in a city cares more for problems and systemic solutions also in spheres that may not impact him directly but are strategic for state, said Pavol Baboc, a political analyst of the Political Science Department of Comenius University. These include health care, education, judiciary or corruption, according to him. On the other hand, people from regions outside capital are more focused on problems directly concerning them, for example low wages or the unemployment rate. [Right leaning voters] are usually university graduates, experience from abroad, who have a relatively well-paid job, he said. Voters see the beginning of the decline of the right wing not in the leak of the alleged Gorilla file, or the fall of the government of Iveta Radicova. Rather, they have repeatedly mentioned the 2006 election, before which the KDH left the government led by Dzurinda in a dispute over a treaty with Vatican. Babos pointed out that not only Smer voters tend to oversee corruption and failings of politicians. However, for their preferred party they are not satisfied just with minor changes but require deeper, systemic changes. When everyone is corrupt anyway, the question is who can at least do something useful for the country, Babos says by way of summing up their considerations. Right-leaning voters do not push on specific solutions to problems; it is enough if politicians can put their fingers on troublesome issues and pledge to deal with them as a priority, he added. The hard times for Bratislava's right-leaning voters may stem also from the split of SDKU, to which they used to be connected emotionally. They have not created yet such a strong emotional connection to current opposition parties, Sme concludes. Privacy statement: This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do we store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings. We are not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on January 1, 2017. If you have any questions feel free to contact Springfield Vermont News directly here: ed44vt@gmail.com The city of Portland, Oregon is home to the Sellwood neighborhood, an historic district on the south edge of the city near the campus for Reed College. Thats where youll find Either / Or, one of Portlands best coffee bars in a city jammed full of them, serving exemplary local roasters like Heart Coffee and Roseline Coffee. Either / Or owner Ro Tam is also the brains and brawn behind Tanglewood Chai, a splendid elixir made from ancient spices that has become the Chai of Choice at discerning Portland-area cafes. But with her cafe cemented as a local institution and visitor destination, and her chai empire growing, what may have gone unnoticed is that the diligent Tam has been quietly working on yet another side projectthis time a food concept, just steps away from Either/OR. TAM Wonton Noodle Shopa traditional Chinese wonton soup restaurantcelebrated its Grand Opening at the start of the Lunar New Year, February 8. Ro Tam already had kitchen space in the unit across-the-courtyard from Either/OR, where she produces and bottles Tanglewood Chai, and a quirk in municipal planning led her down the path to soup. Our lease required us to offer food items, said Tam. Initially we planned to expand our cafe menu to offer sandwiches, but I realized Im much better at making Chinese food, so it was more natural to do that. The idea for TAM was formed in November 2015, and took just 3 months to build. The kitchen is still used for Tanglewood production, and the front-of-house seats just 8its cozy. It feels like a secret. I love tiny spaces, Tam laughed. It has the same number of seats as the cafe, which is nice because everyone interacts with each other to create a fun community. And the community she has already built through Either/OR showed up at her grand opening: TAM served almost 200 bowls of soup in 4 hours. The menu at TAM is simple, with just four soup options, including a traditional Hong Kong style shrimp & pork belly, and a vegetarian / vegan option that breaks with convention. That recipe is our own, Tam tells me. Most vegetarian wontons Ive had are pretty bland. I wanted mine to be tasty, so my dad and I had a Wonton-Off going back and forth trading recipes. We experimented for a month before landing on a recipe that includes black bean sauce, garlic, sweet dried radish, and carrots. Baristas a few steps away at Either/OR staff had a front row seat the TAM concept developed. The baristas were our guinea pigs for the entire menu. I trust their palate and judgment so much. It had to pass the test with them. The spaces interior design is similarly intentional, modeled off the Wong Kar-wai film In The Mood For Love. TAM is trimmed with vintage gold-toned 60s Mid-Century wall-hangings and fiberglass lampshades, against an orchid colored optical wall pattern modeled after wallpaper shown in the film. Family photos have a pride of place, covering much of the shops north wall. We grew up in my parents restaurant, Tam tells me, and my whole family worked in the service industry as bartenders, chefs, and so on. And now with TAMalongside Either / Or and Tanglewood Chaia family tradition grows new leaves here in Portland. Elizabeth Chai (@chaiamericano) is a graphic designer and freelance writer based in Portland. Read more Elizabeth Chai on Sprudge. A new report on the funding mechanisms of IS, outlawed in many countries including Russia, is expected to be published in the first half of 2016, Je-Yoom added. "The report will renew current knowledge on the financing the ISIL and develop [an] up-to-date strategy to tackle small monetary transfers for small terrorist cells," he outlined. The president of the Financial Action Task Force watchdog also expressed concern over the lack of measures undertaken by Tehran to counter the funding of terrorism: "Iran still has deep deficiencies in anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism measures. It does not have any legal system for anti-money laundering There were no improvements and there are no actions taken by Iran to change this situation. The FATF remains exceptionally concerned about Irans failure to address the risk of terrorist financing." On December 17, 2015, the FATF president addressed the UN Security Council meeting of financial ministers to highlight the urgent need for them to partner with the United Nations and for countries globally to take effective measures to cut off terrorist funding. Russia's permanent representative to the UN also said that the Security Council should find a balance "so that a disapproval signal from the UNSC is sent, but common people in North Korea are not affected by this signal." According to Tokyo, after the launch, the first part of the North Korean rocket fell into an area of the Yellow Sea west of the Korean Peninsula, another two pieces in the East China Sea, the forth and fifth went over Japan's Okinawa prefecture, later falling in the Pacific Ocean. US President Barack Obama announced that Washington was consulting with Seoul on the possibility to expand missile defenses in the Pacific region to counter any potential strike from North Korea. In early January, an earthquake was felt all across the Korean Peninsula, prompting Seoul's suspicions that Pyongyang had performed another nuclear test. Just hours later, North Korea said that it had tested a hydrogen bomb, and that it was successful. In 2005, North Korea declared itself a nuclear power. So far, it has conducted four underground nuclear weapon tests in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2016, raising concerns of both the neighboring states and the international community, and prompting the UN Security Council to consider sanctions against Pyongyang. According to media reports, Japan's tougher sanctions against North Korea envisage a ban on money transfers in the country, with the exception of humanitarian aid in amount of less than $1,000. In addition, foreign experts in the field of nuclear and missile technologies, who have visited North Korea, will be banned from traveling to Japan. On Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tokyo would tighten unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang, after North Korea launched the long-range rocket on Sunday, in violation of a UN Security Council resolution which bans Pyongyang from launching rockets that may be used as ballistic missiles to carry nuclear warheads. MOSCOW (Sputnik)Over the weekend, North Korea fired a long-range rocket to allegedly place a satellite into orbit, with the rocket being nearly identical to those used by North Korea to launch nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, there is a UN Security Council resolution that bans Pyongyang from firing rockets that could be used as ballistic missiles to carry nuclear warheads. The United States, Japan and South Korea strongly condemned the launch. "We call for a deescalation and a political and diplomatic settlement of this problem, as well as other problems on the Korean peninsula. Such steps threaten the security of Russia and Japan, and this is unacceptable," Afanasyev told RIA Novosti. Earlier in the day, the Japanese government announced the introduction of tougher sanctions against North Korea, including a ban on the admission of foreign vessels to Japanese ports if they have visited North Korea, in response to Pyongyang's nuclear activity. The Okinawa Prefectural Enterprise Bureau announced last month that from February 2014 through November 2015, high levels of toxic Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) an ingredient found in many fire extinguishing agents was found in waterways that supply drinking water to seven municipalities. They reported finding levels of 80 nanograms per liter (ng/L) at its Chatan Purification Plant and 1,320 ng/L in the Dakujaku River. PFOS have a half-life of up to nine years and is easily absorbed orally and accumulates in the blood, kidneys, and liver. LONDON (Sputnik)Britain's business leaders favor an end to the EU anti-Russian sanctions , Russia's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Alexander Yakovenko, said Wednesday. "I feel that [British] business fully supports the lifting of the sanctions, it is totally not interested in them. Furthermore, they say this directly to the British government. Business is interested in developing relations with Russia and considers the current state of affairs, when the trade volume between our countries has fallen dramatically, as a temporary condition," Yakovenko said in an interview with RIA Novosti. The Russian Embassy in London maintains close relations with both large and medium-sized British businesses, he added, stressing the role of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce, which marks its 100th anniversary this year, in developing the bilateral relationship. MOSCOW (Sputnik)French President Francois Hollande has announced his plans to appoint current Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius to head the countrys Constitutional Council, Elysee said in a statement Wednesday. "The president of the Republic [of France] plans to appoint Laurent Fabius the head of the Constitutional Council," a communique reads. Fabius earlier confirmed he would soon step down from his post as the minister of foreign affairs. He reportedly attended a Cabinet meeting for the last time earlier on Wednesday. He gave no reason for his resignation. "It is our duty to aim for a European regulation," Sapin said, adding that a "minimum degree of harmonization" is necessary on a European level. France has a limit of 1,000 on cash transactions, which was lowered from 3,000 after the terrorist attacks on Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket in January 2015. The country also lowered its cash transaction limit for tourists from 15,000 to 10,000. In March last year Sapin announced the cash cap and other measures including greater monitoring of cash payments, withdrawals and small bank accounts in order to "fight against the use of cash and anonymity in the French economy, which enables "terrorism that is low cost to carry out but has major impact." "This low-cost terrorism feeds on fraud, money laundering and petty trafficking," Sapin said. "It is absolutely not a question of limiting how much cash someone may possess," said Schauble at the press conference on Tuesday in response to criticism in Germany about his ministry's proposed limit on cash transactions of more than 5,000. Hans-Jurgen Papier, former president of Germany's federal constitutional court, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Tuesday that such a ban would be unconstitutional. "That would be unjustified interference with the right to freedom, namely the freedom of contract and private autonomy," Papier said. "Cash payments are an important part of economic life," warned Bundesbank governor Jens Weidmann. According to Bundesbank figures 80 percent of all transactions in Germany in 2014 were conducted using cash. 'Controversy about cash limits: hands off our cash,' Das Bild reported on Monday. While Germany, along with Austria, is one of a minority of EU member states that currently do not have a limit on cash transactions, France now has one of the strictest caps. In 2011 Italy banned cash payments over 1,000, and in 2012 Spain capped cash payments to 2,500 for residents and 15,000 for non-residents. In addition to discussing the ban on cash, on Tuesday the two countries and their central bankers also discussed the latters' proposals for structural reform of the Eurozone, including the establishment of a European finance ministry. The report has taken aim at current EU procedures, noting that while more than 230,000 new arrivals into the EU had been denied asylum, only 683 had been returned to their country of origin on flights coordinated by the EU's border protection agency Frontex. Thanks to the #hotspots, the proportion of migrants fingerprinted in #Greece has risen. 100% of the migrants will have to be fingerprinted. DimitrisAvramopoulos (@Avramopoulos) February 10, 2016 While many people applying for asylum are from war-torn countries, the report noted that only 28 percent of applicants were from Syria, while many others were nationals of other nations not engaged in conflict. We need to urgently switch gears on #relocation. So far, only 497 migrants were relocated. MS have to show #solidarity & #responsibility. DimitrisAvramopoulos (@Avramopoulos) February 10, 2016 Migration Watch officials say that an EU Directive that allows those denied refugee status to appeal against their decision should be scrapped to ensure a more efficient deportation strategy for so-called economic migrants. "Appeals are required by an EU Directive but not by the Refugee Convention. Another option would be for Ministers in the relevant countries to certify that removal would not breach human rights commitments, after which an appeal could be lodged only from the home country. Those from countries where there is serious internal or international armed conflict would of course be exempt from any such proposals," the report stated. Chair of Migration Watch UK, Lord Green of Deddington, said that without reforms the number of people arriving in the EU will continue to rise. "This report lays bare the failure of the administrative and legal systems of the EU to cope with the present crisis. For so long as every failed asylum seeker has the right of appeal before being sent home, there will in practice be no hope of deterring a continuing, and probably growing, inflow of economic migrants." More Pressure to Reform Policies The report comes amid ongoing criticism of the EU's handling of the migration crisis, with member states failing to come to an agreement over a common course of action on how to handle the matter. This has been experienced through the bloc's asylum relocation program, which has so far only managed to transfer 481 asylum seekers to other EU countries, despite some member states pledging to relocate 160,000. Six member states have reintroduced border controls while it has been suggested that such controls could remain in place for up to two years, leading many to question the future of the EU's much celebrated passport free travel area, also known as the Schengen zone. This has been followed by suggestions that the European Commission is looking into plans to amend the bloc's Dublin regulations. The calls to ban or reduce asylum appeals has received the backing of British MPs Frank Field and Sir Nicholas Soames, who have said action needs to be taken soon. "Everyone understands the need to provide protection for genuine refugees, but the number involved is already a huge problem for the EU. If there are no effective means of distinguishing those who are, in reality, economic migrants and then returning them to their home countries, the numbers will snowball. A review of the whole asylum procedure is now urgently necessary." "We believe that these auxiliaries were used in particular during the so-called Hungarian action in support of Birkenau," prosecutor Andreas Brendel said. Around 40 Auschwitz survivors or their relatives have agreed to speak at the trial as co-plaintiffs, though not all of them are expected to testify. The trial will be limited to two hours per day in deference to Hanning's age, and Salmen says his client's health will be checked by an expert as the trial opens. News Ex-Auschwitz guard on trial in late push to punish Nazi war crimes https://t.co/rCNIHrA1Yr news4trends.com (@news4trends) February 10, 2016 Leon Schwarzbaum, a 94-year-old Auschwitz survivor who is the first witness scheduled to testify, said he can't forget what he witnessed in the camp. "The chimneys were spewing fire and the smell of burning human flesh was so unbelievable that one could hardly bear it," he told reporters on Wednesday. "It's perhaps the last time for [Hanning] to tell the truth. He has to speak the truth." 90 year-old Auschwitz survivor Justin Sonder, who is scheduled to testify Friday, said it's never too late to punish those responsible for running the camps. "I'm often asked if there were SS men in Auschwitz who showed compassion," he said. "No, absolutely not!" MOSCOW (Sputnik) Tensions escalated between Saudi Arabia and Iran after the Sunni kingdom executed a prominent Shiite cleric in January. Riyadh closed its embassy in Tehran following attacks on its diplomatic missions in the country by Iranians protesting against the execution. "We support any form of dialogue and cooperation with OPEC member states, including Saudi Arabia," the Iranian Press TV channel quoted Zanganeh as saying. According to the minister, some Gulf countries have expressed a desire for economic gain by maintaining oil price declines, however "what they want to achieve is not for the sake of economic benefits." TEL AVIV (Sputnik)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Wednesday to construct a fence around the entire perimeter of the country's land borders to protect it from external threats. To close the ring, Israel needs to fence the border with Jordan, where the construction has been in place since last year. "After all, Israel, as I see it, is surrounded by a safety fence from all sides. In the environment in which we live, we have to protect ourselves from predators," Netanyahu said. MOSCOW (Sputnik)UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed resumed on Wednesday the consultations with parties to the Yemeni conflict in the Omani capital of Muscat, a high-ranking source at the Yemeni General People's Congress Party told Sputnik. "Ould Cheikh Ahmed met today in the Sultanate of Oman with assistant secretary-general of General People's Congress Party Yasser Awadi and Ansar Allah [also known as the Houthi movement] spokesman Mohammed Abdessalam. He discussed with them the possibility of the resumption of negotiations in Geneva," the source said. The source added that the representatives of the parties had urged the special envoy "to stop the Saudi aggression" against Yemen, as well as to lift the blockade established nearly a year ago. "There are even concerns, talking to people in Brussels this morning they have been concerned in NATO that [Ankara] may even be trying to drag NATO into confrontation with Russia, which of course NATO will resist, as it has no desire to go to war with Russia over Syria." Complaining that most of the points outlined in the so-called 10-point action plan released following the meeting between Merkel and Davutoglu were very vague, Jenkins noted that one of the clear ones the use of NATO ships in the Aegean, is likely to open a whole new can of worms that the alliance is not particularly eager to deal with at the moment. "The most concrete [point in the plan] was a call for NATO to become more involved in the Aegean with stopping the refugees, but that's highly problematic, because the maritime border, the waters in the Aegean are disputed between Turkey and Greece. So if NATO becomes involved in that then it's going to get dragged into that dispute between Turkey and Greece," the analyst explained. If it comes down to the use of NATO ships, he noted, there is a very strong likelihood that Greece will attempt to block Turkey's request. "What [Greece] doesn't want is NATO ships in that area, where there's a possibility that Turkey will use the NATO presence to try to reinforce its claim to some of those territorial waters. So I think once it comes to the meeting in Brussels then it will get blocked." "After all, Kiev today is being managed by the Americans, who promise them membership in the EU and especially in NATO. Such a thing is unacceptable to Russia, to the Europeans, and for Frenchmen such as myself," Villiers emphasized. Categorically opposed to Europe's sanctions against Russia, the politician reiterated that in the present situation, "at a time when we in the West need Russia, sanctions are madness they are a disgrace." "France's authorities were mistaken when they thought that sanctions would not affect France's economy. In everyone's interests, and in particular for the sake of our farmers, it's time to put an end to these endless sanctions." Asked whether, in time, Paris and Berlin will be able to put more pressure on Kiev to fulfill its obligations, Villiers suggested that "unfortunately, the answer to that question cannot be found in Paris or Berlin, but in Washington. The Ukrainian question is an American issue. As for myself, I would like to see Paris and Berlin stop being Washington's puppets." At the same time, the politician emphasized that on the societal level, "more and more French people are beginning to believe that our friendship with Russia is infinitely more valuable to the future of the European continent than our relationship with America, which pushes us into unfortunate diplomatic adventurism, in Syria, for example, where we find ourselves on the wrong side. There, we should fight on the side of Assad, like the Russians. But as things are, we are on the side of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, together with Al-Qaeda; it is truly immoral." MOSCOW (Sputnik) UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond held a meeting on Wednesday with Riad Hijab, who heads the Saudi-formed Syrian opposition's High Negotiations Committee (HNC) and expressed support for the opposition's commitment to end the Syrian conflict. "In my meeting with Dr Hijab, I reaffirmed my support for the Syrian Oppositions Higher Negotiations Committee. We agreed on the need to bring an urgent end to the suffering in Syria, for the regime and Russia to end attacks on civilians immediately, and for full humanitarian access to be granted to besieged areas," Hammond said in a statement, published by the government's press office. According to Hammond, Russia and legal authorities in Syria are deliberately targeting the opposition instead of fighting against the Islamic State (ISIL) terrorist group. SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) Yakov headed an Israeli delegation that arrived on Russias Black Sea peninsula of Crimea on Wednesday, holding a meeting with head of the Republic of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov. "I feel comfortable after the visit. From watching citizens go shopping here, watching their movement, it is obvious that people here are tranquil and feel comfortable here," Margi told journalists. On Thursday, the Israeli delegation will visit the city of Simferopol. Both the winners and losers in the countrys first primary elections in New Hampshire vowed to take the fight to South Carolina and Nevada, where primaries will be held within two weeks. March 1 is dubbed "Super Tuesday" as 13 states will run primaries and caucuses. Unlike after the Iowa caucuses, the latest results have not led to a winnowing down of the Republican field from nine candidates. New Jersey Governor Christ Christie, with a disappointing sixth-place 7.5 percent showing, said he was going back to his home state to reevaluate his presidential bid. Turnout Settles Everything Before voters elect the next US president on November 8, the delegates from both parties choose their nominees at respective national conventions in July after the primaries and caucuses. The New Hampshire primary does not determine the presidential campaigns winners and losers, but sets the tone going forward and gauges voter support for each candidate. This year, the Democrats will hold their national convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to July 28, and the Republicans in Cleveland, Ohio, from July 18 to July 21. Sanders attributed his success in the "Granite State" on Tuesday to a turnout of over 60 percent, labeling his victory "the start of a political revolution." The left-wing lawmaker, campaigning on an anti-establishment and anti-Wall Street platform, has thus far positioned himself as a serious adversary to presumed Republican frontrunner and ideological opponent Trump. Clinton Awaits Revenge Former State Secretary Clinton is campaigning on a platform of being an experienced politician aiming to build on the achievements of President Barack Obama. In Iowa on February 1, she beat Sanders by a razor-thin margin of 0.25 percent. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The US Department of Justice is filing a lawsuit against the city of Ferguson after it rejected a previously negotiated agreement to reform its police, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a press conference. "Today the Department of Justice is filing a lawsuit in federal district court against the city of Ferguson, Missouri, alleging a pattern and practice of law enforcement conduct that violates the first, the Fourth and the Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution and federal civil rights laws," Lynch stated on Wednesday. In January, Ferguson reached an agreement with the Justice Department after 26 weeks of negotiations on undertaking reforms in the citys police depart. He also lashed out at US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State John Kerry repeatedly calling for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad. "My question is: who are you to make such calls? It means Obama who bombed out half the world's territory must not step down, while Assad must step down, right? It is the wrong approach," he said. According to him, Washington currently wages so-called network-centric warfare against Moscow, a military doctrine pioneered by the US Department of Defense in the 1990s. The goal is to translate an information advantage, enabled in part by information technology, into a competitive advantage through the robust computer networking of a well-informed, geographically decentralized force. "The United States has started a propaganda [war] against Russia, which is why it is creating an anti-Russian coalition with the participation of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the US private military companies," he pointed out. Zhilin expressed regret about foreign media outlets, including CNN and the BBC, being involved in this war and misinforming their readers about Russia's air campaign in Syria. He recalled that Russia's "participation in Syria suggests the support of the legitimately elected president," and that "it was Washington which started the invasion without getting the UN's go-ahead." MOSCOW (Sputnik)The problem of illegal migrants crossing the Finnish border from the Russian side is often overly dramatized, Russian ambassador to Finland, Alexander Rumyantsev, said Wednesday. "It should be noted that the issue of migration from Russia to Finland is often overly dramatized. Over the past few months, just over 1,000 asylum seekers arrived in Finland from our country. For comparison, more than 30,000 refugees came to Finland through Sweden, according to Finnish data," Rumyantsev told RIA Novosti. According to the Russian diplomat, illegal migration issues are under constant control of the Russian and Finnish law enforcement officers who have established good working relationship on this range of issues. MOSCOW (Sputnik)Russia is seriously concerned about the detention of its citizens in Finland at the request of the United States, Alexander Rumyantsev, the Russian ambassador to Finland, said Wednesday. "The detention of Russian citizens in Finland at the request of the US authorities raises serious concerns of the Russian side. In 2015, there were four such cases," the ambassador told RIA Novosti in an interview. According to the diplomat, Moscow has called on Helsinki to take into account that Russians may face politicized and biased "US-style justice," as well as the use of illegal measures of physical and psychological pressure to obtain the necessary evidence. MOSCOW (Sputnik)Last week, the Syria Donors Conference 2016 brought together world leaders, international organizations and charities in London to attempt to find ways of alleviating the plight of millions of Syrians caught in the civil war that has ravaged the country since 2011. "We do believe that one must help both refugees and internally displaced persons. but the problem of this conference is that it touched upon the issue of the refugees in countries such as Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, and left behind the internally displaced persons, some 6.5 million people," Yakovenko, the head of the Russian mission to London, told RIA Novosti. The ambassador recalled that Russia had hugely contributed to the effort to provide assistance to the devastated Syrian population, as it has adequately donated to UN-based international organizations and other relevant organizations. KIRKENES (Norway) (Sputnik)Norway prioritizes cultivating ties with Russia in the fields of fishing, nuclear safety, joint rescue services, border ties and so-called peoples diplomacy despite geopolitical tensions, Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende said Wednesday. "It is important to maintain contact in difficult times. Norway and Russia always enjoyed neighborly relations in the north, and we continue to cooperate in various areas despite disagreements on a number of issues," Brende said opening the Kirkenes conference in the northeastern Norwegian town on the Russian border. The minister named "human to human" contacts and so-called peoples diplomacy as cornerstones of Russian-Norwegian ties. US National Intelligence Director James Clapper told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Cuba is apparently the greatest threat to the US in Latin America, according to Argentine newspaper Infobae "The threat from foreign intelligence entities, both state and non-state, is persistent, complex and evolving, targeting a collection of US political, military, economic and technical information by foreign intelligence services continues unabated. Russia and China pose the greatest threat, followed by Iran and Cuba on a lesser scale," Clapper said. Despite the fact that the diplomatic ties between the two countries have recently been officially restored, the Cuban intelligence service still considers the US a primary threat to Havana, he added. On Tuesday, February 9, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf unveiled a budget proposal that looks to invest in the States agriculture industry. A release from the governors office states that the proposal helps consumer and animal health, protects against foreign animal diseases such as highly pathogenic avian influenza, expands research and outreach opportunities, and modernizes the state Department of Agricultures operations. The contents of the release appear below. Governor Wolfs Budget Proposal Outlines Path to Brighter Future for PA Agriculture Proposal continues support for HPAI response, research and diagnostic work, and other important partners Governor Tom Wolf yesterday outlined two paths for Pennsylvanias future: one that invests in critically important areas for the long-term health of the commonwealth or one that ignores reality and continues to underfund education and public health and safety, while also leading to property tax increases and devastating cuts in needed services. The governor laid out a plan for the 2016-17 fiscal year that makes a number of key investments in the states agriculture industry. The proposal helps consumer and animal health, protects against foreign animal diseases such as highly pathogenic avian influenza, expands research and outreach opportunities, and modernizes the state Department of Agricultures operations. At the same time, the governors budget invests in other state agencies that have a role in assisting Pennsylvanias agricultural and rural communities. The governor said it during his budget address: we have reached a crisis point, said state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. This is a challenging time for the state. Pennsylvanians cannot afford the failed status quo, which means property taxes will continue to increase, critical services will continue to be cut, and the state will continue to go without the resources. We need to ensure the publics health and safety and work to strengthen our economy. The consequences of whichever path we choose to take are no clearer than with the agriculture industry, continued Secretary Redding. If we stick with the status quo, the state will be unable to support animal health research and diagnostic work in our world-class laboratories. It will be unable to provide additional support to institutions like Penn States College of Agricultural Sciences and the University of Pennsylvanias School of Veterinary Medicine. The governors budget proposal for fiscal year 2016-17 builds on the administrations work over the past year to protect against looming threats like highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI. In July 2015, Governor Wolf identified $3.5 million that he subsequently dedicated for HPAI planning and response. This restricted funding has been critical, allowing the Department of Agricultures planning and preparedness work to continue uninterrupted and providing the resources the department needs to mount a swift response should the disease be identified within the state. The 2016-17 budget proposal builds on those resources by providing an additional $3.5 million specifically for avian influenza response. The budget proposal also includes level funding for the states Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System, or PADLS, which is a three-lab system supported by the commonwealth. The labs, operated by the department of Agriculture, the University of Pennsylvanias School of Veterinary Medicine, and Penn State University, are on the front line of animal health protection in Pennsylvania, conducting cutting edge research and diagnostic testing. Additionally, Governor Wolfs proposal also provides an increase for Penn States College of Agricultural Sciences, which supports the universitys cooperative extension service. With funding for this work unfinished in the current fiscal year, the governors proposal of nearly $51 million represents a more than 10 per cent increase, or $4.7 million, above what was available in fiscal year 2014-15. To help the state Department of Agriculture operate more efficiently, the budget unveiled today proposes an additional $2 million to deploy mobile technology, providing inspectors with computer hardware equipped with cellular capabilities to be able to communicate more effectively in the field rather than having to drive to the nearest regional office to connect with the system. The rollout of this technology is an important part of the departments GO-TIME initiative and is expected to save taxpayers $11.4 million once fully implemented Looking beyond the departments budget, Secretary Redding said the governors proposal again requests strategic investments in other agencies that will benefit agricultural producers, agribusinesses, and those looking for sustainable careers in the industry. In particular, he pointed to the following: An $11 million increase to the PA First program under the Department of Community and Economic Development. The program is a comprehensive funding tool used to spur private capital investment, create jobs, and develop critical infrastructure and workforce training programs. The $45 million proposed for PA First would create at least 11,000 jobs, retain 40,000 jobs, and leverage $1.9 billion in private sector investment. A $5.8 million increase for the first-of-its-kind Industry Partnerships Program in the Department of Labor and Industry. The program enables companies in the same industry group or cluster to identify their common skill needs and develop training programs to meet those needs. With the governors proposed $11.6 million appropriation, the program will enable workers to earn industry-recognized credentials and move up into better jobs. In 2015, Industry Partnerships held more than 2,800 trainings. The budget proposal also acknowledges the commonwealths work in accordance with the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), signed into law in July 2014, which seeks to align workforce development programs strategically and match employers with qualified skilled workers. Two of the goals of the states WIOA plan is to make job training more responsive to employers needs by engaging with industry-driven workforce partnerships and to have 60 per cent of Pennsylvanias workforce equipped with a college degree or industry-recognized certification by 2025, making them, and industry, more competitive. I looked at her and couldnt see a pimple on her. Then I sat down in a chair and just watched her demeanor for about 20 minutes. She stood perfectly. She didnt even flick her ear. She was just so attentive. She was showing me that she was a smart horse. She had a head on her shoulders." When Jim Clarke Sr. invited longtime friend Andy Altobelli to join him in buying a yearling a little more than four years ago, he set their budget at $35,000. After Clarke exceeded that number by two grand to purchase female pacer Coffee Addict at the 2011 Standardbred Horse Sale, he joked the toughest part of the day was calling Altobelli with the news. I was quite happy, but the hardest thing for me was telling Andy that I had to go a little bit above what we intended to spend, Clarke said, adding with a laugh. He said dont worry about it, thats all right. I said, good. Weve been crazy about her ever since. Shes a really nice mare. Now a six-year-old, Coffee Addict has won 23 races and earned $463,779 during her career. Clarke has owned horses off and on since the late 1970s, but Coffee Addict was Altobellis first racehorse. Maybe it was just beginners luck, said Altobelli, a 63-year-old pharmacist and pharmacy owner from York County, Pennsylvania. She was just a good horse right from the get-go. Coffee Addict, a daughter of stallion Dragon Again out of the mare Kahlua Queen, wasnt on Clarkes list of horses when he went to the auction. Clarke attended the sale with Zan Pete Kaiser and Kaisers son, Zach, and Pete suggested Clarke take a look at the filly after Clarke was unsuccessful in buying several other horses. Kaiser was unfamiliar with Coffee Addict, but had seen her full brother Mudslide race recently and thought he was a nice colt. When I got back to see her, she was being prepped to go up to the ring, Clarke said. I thought I had to buy her. I was so glad Pete suggested I go back and look. I probably wouldnt have looked at her going through the ring. Kaiser trained Coffee Addict through the middle of her three-year-old season, when she moved to trainer Bruce Saunders and captured a Keystone Classic division at The Meadows in 2013 and later became a top performer in the Fillies & Mares Open Handicap ranks at Yonkers Raceway. Last September, Coffee Addict joined the stable of trainer Norm Parker at The Meadows. She has raced almost exclusively at the western Pennsylvania oval since then, winning seven of 17 starts and hitting the board a total of 14 times. She has won back-to-back races in the top-level handicap division for filly and mare pacers at The Meadows and is entered again for Monday (Feb. 15). Pete is great at starting up horses, bringing along the young ones, and Bruce did a great job with her too, Clarke said. At this point in her career I decided I wanted her to race where she lives, and I had done business with Norm a few years ago with Fionavar Hanover. Hes been doing a terrific job. Added Altobelli, Weve had people right on through who have done a very good job with her. Weve been very fortunate, very lucky. Its been a thrill, for sure. The calm demeanor Coffee Addict displayed while Clarke watched her prior to the yearling sale is not always evident these days on the racetrack. Shes relatively calm, but when she gets on the track she turns into a whole different person, Clarke said. She had two personalities, I feel. But one thing about her, shes always trying. The 76-year-old Clarke is the retired former owner of a chain of building supply/home improvement centers in southcentral Pennsylvania. He also worked for 84 Lumber for a number of years prior to starting his own business. He was hired at 84 Lumber in 1966 by company founder Joe Hardy and went on to manage several stores. Clarkes interest in harness racing goes back to his days growing up in western New York. He worked as a groom at Buffalo Raceway when he was a teenager and also had a cousin involved in horse ownership. Ive always loved the sport, Clarke said. I was transferred to Atlanta many years ago for work and we would travel to Hawkinsville to watch the horses at the winter training center and I would talk with all the horsemen. I couldnt wait to get back north and get back involved in harness racing because I could afford to own horses. I came back in 1975 and in 1978, I believe, I bought my first horse. Ive been on and off owning horses since then. Altobelli grew up in New Jersey, but spent time as a teenager helping out at his grandfathers dairy farm in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. In 1985, Altobelli bought his own farm in Pennsylvania and raises beef cattle in addition to working as a pharmacist. His interest in harness racing was fueled in part by living near renowned breeding facility Hanover Shoe Farms, as well as his own interest in breeding and genetics. There were many times we would stop over at Hanover Shoe Farms and see the foals and just look around, Altobelli said. I really study the stallions and the classic families. Im trying to get a better background. Even though Ive been in it for five years I feel like Im an amateur. Jim has been kind of a mentor to me and Im always wanting to learn more. Clarke and Altobelli own three more horses together now: five-year-old female pacer Adelita Hanover, four-year-old female pacer Picksync Hanover, and two-year-old male pacer Gossip Boy (who is a half-brother to millionaire McCedes). Its a great partnership, Clarke said. I dont know where it will go, but Ill be doing it for as long as I can. For us to have a horse like Coffee Addict, its meant a lot. Ive gotten a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction out of her. Its just satisfying for us to have what we consider a pretty nice one for just two guys from the York County area. This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com. The first of two information sessions hosted by the new Ontario Racing Association (ORA) was held on Tuesday afternoon at Western Fair in London. The session was designed to discuss the new responsibilities of ORA, Ontario Lottery and Gaming and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario beyond April 1, 2016. According to ORA's Executive Director John Snobelen, ORA will take over administration of the HIP program from OHRIA, which will effectively dissolve come April 1. "It's evolution," ORA's Executive Director John Snobelen told Trot Insider after Tuesday's session. "OHRIA was set up almost 20 years ago and it had particular kinds of tasks, and the government now really needs an articulate, authoritative voice on racing. And the industry of racing needed to help frame the racing program going forward, needed to be a real partner. So that has to be more robust, has to be of a more significant management capacity, and as we transition out of the ORC model government has asked us to stand up an industry association, make sure it can take on those responsibilities and then build a governance model for it that more accurately reflects the industry as we now know it." While the actual individuals that will comprise ORA and its Board of Directors have yet to be finalized, Snobelen shed some light on how that not-for-profit entity will be comprised. "We need to have a Board of Directors, and an Executive Committee...so a Board that creates an Executive Committee," said Snobelen. "The model that we've put out and that we'll try to work with people on populating is a Committee-based Board of Directors...so the chairs of committees sit on the Board of Directors..by the way, with some external focus too so some external seats that haven't been there before." Another aspect of the information session gave participants an opportunity to offer feedback on the province's racing program. As the industry heads into its third year of a five-year plan with Ontario's government, Snobelen noted that the original idea was to start looking past that five-year plan after year three. However, in order to give participants the most time to plan to have a clearer idea of what the province's industry would look like after 2018, Premier Kathleen Wynne gave instruction to expedite that process. Two of the issues facing Ontario's horse racing industry today, according to Snobelen, are horse population and the value of the Canadian dollar. These are crucial elements and a new reality that he feels a plan for racing going forward must face. "First, in the immediate future, we've got to make sure that the circumstances we find ourselves in -- horse supply, currency -- all of real those things that make a difference on the ground, that our racing program reflects those inputs. Secondly, in the long run, the government is committed to maintaining a robust horse racing industry in the province way past 2018. And the question now is how. What's that funding modality, where are the responsibilities, who does the racing program...they want to lean on an industry association to provide guidance on that, and that's what they've asked us to do. I think that's good news from an industry point of view. Clearly there's nobody politically in the province that wants to see the termination of horse racing." While acknowledging that industry participants most certainly require stability to plan for the future, Snobelen sees a new plan for racing needing is some built-in flexibility to quickly change, if needed. "Our racing plan has got to be dynamic: long enough that people can plan for it but dynamic enough to meet the needs as they change year-to-year. Heck, they change month-to-month...so we need to have that ability to recommend adjustments to the program on a regular basis, including in-year. "One of the things we haven't had before -- because our industry association's never been well-funded; it just hasn't been, it's not by design -- we haven't had any ability to do jurisdictional scans, we haven't been able to look outside Ontario and say what's going on in the jurisdictions we compete with, and we need to build that capacity...we need to have enough funding to do some forward-thinking planning." A hot topic of discussion at this information session revolved around a proposal to revamp the racing circuit in southern Ontario, most notably eliminating racing at Dresden Raceway, Hiawatha Horse Park and Leamington Raceway and adding more racing to Western Fair. Mark Beaven, co-author of the report told the 100+ people in attendance that his plan might not be perfect but it's most certainly a discussion point. He welcomed discussion and constructive criticism to the ideas presented and welcomed anyone else to come forward with a better model if they felt his needed some revisions. Some of the discussion from the floor also centered around transfer payment plans that the government currently holds with the racing industry. Snobelen confirmed during the session and again after that those won't be changing. "The government has no interest in unilaterally changing transfer payment plans. They would do it if they would look at changes in those transfer payment agreements -- there are conditions that can be changed -- but certainly by agreement," said Snobelen. "So if there's a trading of race days amongst tracks, if there's a purse change that the industry can recommend, they'd surely look at that and agree to it if it made sense, but they don't want to unilaterally go and do that." The premise of a single horsemen's group was also discussed, insomuch as how the process started and was then unceremoniously abandoned. While Snobelen and OLG's Michael Keegan both acknowledged it wasn't a pressing issue for government as this time, Snobelen did guarantee OHHA's Ken Hardy and Brian Tropea that he'd revisit the idea if for nothing else than ensuring horsemen's benefits are funded. "I think Brian's comments are that there needs to be some certainty for the people in the horse racing industry that the benefits they depend on from the horsemen's groups are going to be there, and are going to be funded and how they get funded needs to be structured," Snobelen told Trot Insider. "I think we have a role to play in making sure that happens. And then, if there's a way of helping to facilitate the political side, if you will, of those groups getting together we'd be happy to do that." Snobelen wouldn't go so far as to say that the concept will be resurrected, although it was in the original plan for Ontario's horse racing industry that he, Elmer Buchanan and John Wilkinson penned for the government in 2012. "I'm always stuck at the place of you don't want to dictate to -- and government shouldn't dictate to -- horsepeople on how they get represented. So the government there was in the awkward spot of dictating to industry groups on how they should work together. We've got some models for how that doesn't work. On the other hand, there's no wall between one track and another track and common representation just makes good sense." Given that the new ORA will possibly have some representation from a Standardbred horseperson's group, Snobelen recognizes that some form of unity would be ideal for this organization going forward. "I think it's obvious that the more wired together they are the better it is for everybody. The overall message here is that we've got to have one voice, and we're better together -- and that's the whole industry, not just standardbred horsepersons but everybody and we need to be able to solve that problem to solve a bigger one." Snobelen was very pleased with the turnout and the decorum displayed at this first information session and appreciated the time people took to attend. He took notes throughout the session and felt the comments from the audience were great, considering them "real progress" in terms of his own thinking. Next, he and Keegan have to fulfill some commitments to the racing industry that the duo made. One of those was to be more transparent and do a better job of getting information out to the industry. Among that information will be key performance indicators that government will be tracking to ensure their partnership plan with racing is where it needs to be. "People need to have a better, clearer understanding of the conditions of the industry in order to be able to evaluate ideas. I think that we need to have a set of metrics that we compare various options -- higher purse levels, changes in venue, all those sorts of things -- we'll have to have metrics that we'll have to build in order for those to be evaluated. We can do that. We will do that and we'll make it publicly available. "We also, though, need a different way of collectively doing decision making, so I'm going to go out and look at what are those decision making trees that are available to us now that might not have been five years ago and how do we incorporate them. Look, we could force a decision pretty quickly, I don't think that's useful...and we've got to do this every year now until forever so let's get it right this time." Tim Tetrick went into Tuesdays card of racing at Dover Downs just three wins shy of a major milestone, and he did one better by manufacturing a grand slam performance. Sitting at 8,997 wins going into the program, he didnt find his way to victory lane until a wire-to-wire triumph in Race 8 with Sage N. The mare halted the teletimer in 1:52.2 to give Tetrick his first of four wins on the program. He later clicked with even-money favourite Lady Beth (1:55.3) in Race 12 before achieving the milestone with Duneside Chella (1:53.3) in Race 14. Tetrick had the publics top choice parked and pressing at the quarter pole, and after working their way to the lead before the half they kept on trucking en route to the neck decision. A victory in the last dash with Bubbaslittlesister (1:58) was a great way for the Bionic Man to cap off the memorable night. With the milestone victory last night, Tetrick, 35, has reached the 9,000 win plateau faster than any driver in harness racing history. Before Tetrick, the youngest driver to hit 9,000 wins was Walter Case, Jr., who didn't hit that threshold until he was 39. The New Jersey resident, who is one of the most sought after reinsman in the sport, has stashed away more than $12 million in purse earnings in each of the last nine seasons coming into 2016. Hes racked up more than $166 million to date. San Diego Tells Staff Not to Mention Founding Fathers Contact: Brad Dacus, Pacific Justice Institute, 949-422-0395 SAN DIEGO, Feb. 10, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- Just in time for President's Day, the City of San Diego is warning its employees that even mentioning the Founding Fathers could get them in trouble. That's one of many startling conclusions reached by a new manual the city has issued for written and oral communication by its employees. In a section on "Bias-Free Language," the City instructs workers to eliminate from their vocabulary a number of words and phrases considered gender biased, including "the common man," "manmade," "man up" and many others. As one example, the guidelines note that "founding fathers" is also problematic and should be replaced with "founders." The city further urges employees preparing official reports to disregard or paraphrase research that contains such biased language. In response, the Pacific Justice Institute sent a letter to Mayor Kevin Faulconer late Monday calling for the guidelines to be rescinded. In the letter, PJI attorney Matthew McReynolds notes that more than 1,500 Supreme Court and lower court decisions have directly invoked the Founding Fathers. The letter quotes several examples from landmark cases. Under the guidelines, legal staff are discouraged from quoting these decisions. Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, noted, "At a time set aside to honor American icons to whom we owe our constitutional freedoms, it is offensive and indefensible that the City of San Diego is directing employees not to even mention the Founding Fathers. We are calling on the mayor to immediately retract these guidelines and reassure city employees that they will not be punished for being patriotic. We cannot allow this type of censorship and PC insanity to destroy our free speech." PJI is offering to represent, without charge, any city employees who are punished for their patriotic expression. Er is iets heel griezeligs aan de gang in Nederland. Dat wij geleidelijk aan in een totalitaire 'democratie' wegzinken wordt steeds ... Welcome to our blog; a collection of communiques about our travels, adventures and other tidbits of life that we happen upon. If you're interested in our sailing journey from Victoria to Mexico and up into the Sea of Cortez - you can read it in chronological order, starting in December 2010. We hope you will enjoy the read and choose to follow along as we ramble through life. The goal? To 'live' every day and adventure as long as we can. CJ and Kathy The Mustangs go into their 'warrior zone' to defeat fifth-seeded Lakewood in the first game of pool play in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs. A small room in the basement of Longview Community Church is lined with black-and-white photographs, including one long horizontal image that presents a bit of a mystery to Harlan and Shirley Gilliland. Shot in the late 1920s, it shows dozens of men posed in front of the original Kessler Elementary School, where Sunday school was held. They look prosperous enough, but nobody is smiling. Why? Many of them may have worked for the Long-Bell Lumber Co., which founded Longview, and we heard that they were required to come to church, Shirley says. True or not, the story captures the close ties between Longviews history and that of Longview Community Church, the Gothic sanctuary at Kessler Boulevard and Washington Way. Harlan Gilliland was senior pastor there for 16 years, and Shirley was the chief driving force behind the formation of the churchs museum. R.A. Long, who contributed $25,000 towards its construction, saw Community Church as a way to unite all Christian congregations. When the sanctuary opened in April 1927 it was, briefly, the only church in Longview. Its first pastor, Ed Gebert, served 35 years and became one of the communitys prominent leaders. However, when the Gillilands arrived here in 1987, the church was in turmoil. Most of the staff and many of the members had created a new congregation. Tensions were high, emotional wounds were deep. It took repeated visits from the search committee to convince Gilliland to leave a Presbyterian church in Spokane, where hed been 16 years, and take over at Longview Community. He finally recognized that he had a calling to serve churches in distress, as he had done so on three previous pastorships. I have never been called to leave. I have only been called to a church that needed help and healing. My ministry is very simple. ... I have the gift of helping to heal, and not in a miraculous way. I have patience and tolerance and a willingness to get the parties together, Gilliland said. Eventually, most of the defecting members returned, Gilliland said. It took a lot of skill and a lot of loving to heal the church. Through his leadership of Community Church, he and Shirley learned to appreciate how tied the church was to the communitys history. His early life in a poor migrant farming family like the one depicted in Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath, he said made it impossible to put down roots until his family settled in Seattle. In Longview Community Church, he served many pioneering families and their descendants, some who even had links to northeast Kansas, where he was born. Through church contacts, Gilliland ended up serving on many community boards and service groups, including Longview Noon Rotary and the Pathways 2020 board. I feel honored to have been pastor to some of Longviews oldest families and do special things because I was pastor of Longview Community Church, he said. The Gillilands, Shirley especially, were instrumental in establishing the churchs museum, which is open to anyone. Nestled in a small basement room, it contains photos of previous pastors and board members, a picture of the first wedding to take place there (Joe and Mabel White married on June 11, 1927), files of sermons delivered over decades, weird office gadgets and many more memorabilia. All the stuff you see was hidden somewhere, said Shirley, who was honored by the Cowlitz Historical Museum for creating the museum. There was so much history scattered in difference places. The Gillilands said they retired in Longview because the church and town have been good to them, remembering especially that the congregation was supportive in raising their two granddaughters after their eldest daughter died in 1992. But the town has changed, not always for the better, in their view: They miss smaller shops and availability of more upscale dining. The town is losing its connection to its a unique history, they say, and theyve been unsuccessful recruiting younger people to take over the church museum. And the church itself is changing: Its becoming more evangelical in its approach, they note. But, overall, Harlan Gilliland notes, we cannot think of a better place to live. Forgery Longview police Monday arrested Joseph Clifford Clark, 33, of Kelso on suspicion of forgery. Assault Longview police Monday arrested Mark Steven Garrett, 61, on suspicion of third-degree assault, fourth-degree assault and harassment. Thefts 100 block of Ponderosa Drive, Kelso. Monday. Pomeranian/Poodle. 100 block of First Street, Kalama. Monday. 600 block of Third Avenue, Kelso. Monday. Three childrens bikes. 1000 block of 21st Avenue, Longview. Monday. $50 worth of quarters and two silver spoons. 1000 block of 15th Avenue, Longview. Monday. Wallet containing $100 cash, a Washington ID, Safeway Monopoly game pieces, a debit card, food stamps and a Social Security card. 1000 block of Commerce Avenue, Longview. Monday. 1000 block of Atlantic Avenue, Woodland. Monday. $700 worth of chips. 200 block of Hillshire Drive, Woodland. Monday. Gas. 300 block of Three Rivers Drive, Kelso. Saturday. Two Kershaw folding knives. $48 value. Vehicle Prowls 200 block of Allen Street, Kelso. Monday. 400 block of 17th Avenue, Longview. Monday. 700 block of Ocean Beach Highway, Longview. Monday. 200 block of 24th Avenue, Longview. Monday. 600 block of Egret Lane, Longview. Monday. Stolen Vehicle 400 block of Three Rivers Drive, Kelso. Monday. Black 1994 Honda Accord. WA 491XCP. Worth about $700. Burglaries 2000 block of Louisiana Street, Longview. Monday. Storage bags containing personal items and a large, green plastic storage bin. 400 block of 16th Avenue, Longview. Monday. Door knobs. Vandalism 1000 block of Vandercook Way, Longview. Monday. Five vehicles damaged. 2000 block of Douglas Street, Longview. Monday. 1000 block of Delaware Street, Longview. Monday. Broken car door. Not a drop to drink Water bottled and fresh is the commodity for the future. Invest everything you can and here is my opinion and explanation. Why is water so important to the stock market right now? The Rockefellers and Rothschild families are no longer in oil but clean energy and water. While Michael Burry (the man who predicted the financial collapse) has put his money in one commodity, water. The oil companies are the only ones who know the total devastation awaiting our water supply. So they quietly divest their oil stocks and invest in clean energy and water. The devastation is so widespread and toxic that the federal government is going to have to buy bottled water for the citizens in the contaminated areas, and replace entire city water mains. Right now we are pumping these chemicals into the ground at extreme high capacity to flood the world market with oil. Unfortunately, this is an election year and we cant have an environmental crisis at the same time big money is trying to get the Republicans to tell us why it is so important to not regulate the fracking oil companies. Mike Bouchard Castle Rock Life Works benefits The board of directors and the staff of Life Works are extremely pleased to be recipients of a generous bequest from the estate of Pete and Joyce St. Denis. Pete served for many years on the boards of Residential Resources, Adult Developmental Center and Life Works. His contributions to the well-being of our local children and adults with developmental disabilities were highly valued. He is especially remembered for his attention to our financial integrity and in ensuring that the people we serve were covered adequately by our insurance program. Joyce also contributed over many years to raise funds and support our local programs. Their daughter, Yvonne, is a long-term resident at Cedar View Group Home. The St. Denis bequest will provide enduring stability to the lives of our residents and clients. Margaret Lapic Longview Golden years As a die-hard Democrat, I will vote for Hillary, as I believe Ill get two for one. Bill was the best president Ive had in my lifetime, and Im 79. The economy was great! He left us with plenty of surplus, and Bush spent it all on the Iraq war and left us with a tremendous deficit. Jean Branson Longview Woeful wind The lies just keep coming. The PUD commissioners want people to forget they sold us on wind power without a vote. They said they were going to sell this wind power to California and had a contract to do this. Fact of the matter is they did not. They failed to vet the contract, and California backed out and bought surplus power from BPA. We are stuck with using the wind power, this happens with lies and more lies. M.L. Colburn Sr. Longview Land grab Again, the push is on to turn more of Oregon into a poorly managed national park. Currently, Oregon ranks No. 4 in the nation with 53 percent (52,240 square miles) owned by the feds. If lobbyists have their way, senators will put beyond the purview of Congress the management of funds meant for the maintenance of federal land. Rather than removing limbs and dead brush known as fuel from existing forests among other high priority needs, the money will be used more and more for land acquisition. Since the Land and Water Conservation Fund was started in 1965, 62 percent has been used for land acquisitions offering little expansion of existing opportunities for providing recreational opportunities for all Americans, as its charter mandates. States like Oregon need a far greater share of this fund to be used for immediate fire and fuel abatement not to mention park maintenance and upgrades. Contact your senator and tell them not to allow permanent authorization of this fund. It must be reviewed annually. Wayne Mayo Scappoose It will be a while before the Longview School Board decides what parts of a new $213 million plan facilities plan the district should undertake. Board members Monday night voiced preference for a go slow approach and said they would get plenty of comment from the public and school staff before choosing options for district buildings for the next 30 years. Afterward, the board will look at the feedback from staff to create a range of options ... and gather more community input before moving forward with a draft facilities plan, district spokeswoman Sandy Catt said. The district Facilities Advisory Committee Monday presented the board with a study that says the district needs to replace four elementary schools and undertake a host of other upgrades to its buildings. Although school enrollment is expected to be stable over the next five years, the upgrades are necessary to meet class-reduction targets of voter-approved Initiative 1351 and make sure buildings are up to current standards, according to the study. School Board president C.J. Nickerson said the high price tag did not surprise him. He served on the facilities committee several years ago, and I know what kind of shape the schools are in. Nickerson noted that the district deferred maintenance to save teaching and staff positions during the recession. Now those costs are staring us in the face, he said. He sad the board will seek public and staff comment before making any decision, but the plan is a good first step, he said. Eventually, the school board will have to ask voters to approve bonds to finance any part of the plan. For now, the board and school officials are being careful to avoid any suggestion that it is endorse any aspect of the plan. That became a problem when an earlier study in 2011 came out in early support of a plan to merge the districts two high schools, triggering an outcry and opposition that turned the debate into a frenzy. Previous studies done before I-1351 passed showed the districts buildings are underused. The new assessment shows elementaries will be overcrowded and that the two high schools will be occupied at near capacity. Middle schools will be underused, at least through 2021. The four elementaries that the new report says need to be replaced are Mint Valley, Northlake, Olympic and Columbia Heights, with an estimated total cost of $96 million. These projects, taken together or even by half, would easily be the most costly facilities projects ever undertaken by the Longview School District. In fact, undertaking the whole list of projects would exceed the districts legal debt limit, which Catt said is $200 million. And the district still is paying off bonds for replacement of Robert Gray and St. Helens elementaries, the construction of Mount Solo Middle School, and the remodeling of Monticello and Cascade middle schools. Parts of this story appeared online on TDN.com Monday night but came in too late to make Tuesdays print edition. hidden The French data protection authority gave Facebook three months to stop tracking non-users' web activity without their consent and ordered the social network to stop some transfers of personal data to the United States. The French order is the first significant action to be taken against a company transferring Europeans' data to the United States following an EU court ruling last year that struck down an agreement that had been relied on by thousands of companies, including Facebook, to avoid cumbersome EU data transfer rules. The transatlantic Safe Harbour pact was ruled illegal last year amid concerns over mass U.S. government snooping and EU data protection authorities said firms had three months to set up alternative legal arrangements for transferring data. That deadline expired last week meaning regulators can now start taking legal action against companies still relying on Safe Harbour for approval to transfer data. "Facebook transfers personal data to the United States on the basis of Safe Harbour, although the Court of Justice of the European Union declared invalid such transfers in its ruling of October 6, 2015," the French CNIL said in a statement. Facebook has previously said that it does not use Safe Harbour as a means of moving data to the United States and has set up alternative legal structures to continue its transfers in line with EU law. While the United States and the EU agreed a new pact last week to replace Safe Harbour, it is not yet operational and European data protection authorities have said they need more time to decide if transatlantic data transfers should be restricted. Facebook said it was confident that it complied with EU data protection law. "Protecting the privacy of the people who use Facebook is at the heart of everything we do. We ... look forward to engaging with the CNIL to respond to their concerns, a spokeswoman said. The CNIL said Facebook's tracking of non-users by placing a cookie on their browser without informing them when they visit a Facebook page did not comply with French privacy law. It also said Facebook uses cookies that collect information then used for advertising without Internet users' consent, and said Facebook users should have the option of preventing the social network from profiling them in order to serve them personalized ads. The U.S. company was already forced to stop tracking non-users in Belgium last year after the Belgian regulator took it to court. Facebook's changes to its privacy policy prompted the French, Dutch, Belgian, Spanish and German authorities to begin investigations to find out more about the social media giant's practices. If Facebook does not comply within three months it could be fined, the regulator said. Reuters tech2 News Staff Apple is likely to get clearance to open its first retail store in India, reports Bloomberg, citing people related to the matter. Last month, a report highlighted how Apple was seeking approval for opening its own stores in India. Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) secretary Amitabh Kant had confirmed about receiving Apples application. The new report says that the Indian government is planning to push through Apples application to set up outlets. According to the report, Apple is resubmitting the request as it wasnt in the right format. "Apple should qualify as a provider of cutting-edge technology, the person said. That would exempt the maker of iPhones and iPads from a rule forcing foreign businesses that retail a single brand in India to procure 30 percent of a products inputs locally," the report adds. Needless to say, Apple makes most of its products in China. This doesnt come as a surprise as Apple is looking to expand markets in a bid to prove the most recent predictions wrong. Unlike others, Apple hasnt tapped the potential of emerging markets like India and is heavily reliant on third-party resellers in India. Soon after Katy Huberty's predicted six percent drop in profits, a first of sorts, Apple's forecast revealed its first ever projected revenue drop in 13 years. This was driven, in part, by the slowest-ever increase in iPhone shipments as the Chinese market, critical to Apple's growth, showed signs of weakening. hidden India's decision to effectively ban Facebook's pared-back free Internet service is a major blow to the social network's plans, and may prompt other regulators to demand equal online access for their users. Facebook will have to reconsider its approach in the light of India's new rules preventing Internet service providers from having different pricing policies for accessing different parts of the Web, analysts said. "This is a major setback for Facebook," said Naveen Menon, lead analyst at A.T. Kearney in Singapore. "Not only because India was expected to be such a critical piece of the overall Internet.org success story, but more so because it has potential dangerous knock-on effects for the universal access initiative in other markets." Internet.org is Facebook's umbrella initiative to bring Internet access to the unconnected. Part of that is the Free Basics program, which Facebook has launched in around three dozen emerging countries. The service has been criticized outside India, too, with Facebook accused of infringing the principle of net neutrality - the concept that all websites and data on the Internet be treated equally. Critics and Internet activists argue that allowing free access to a select few apps and Web services disadvantages small content providers and start-ups that don't participate. Ram Sevak Sharma, chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), told Reuters he hoped its ruling would clarify ambiguity about net neutrality and "that India has set the record straight that will be followed [the] world over." In Facebook posts after Monday's ruling, founder Mark Zuckerberg said Free Basics was just one part of a larger initiative that includes solar-powered planes, satellites and lasers, and pairing with local entrepreneurs to provide wireless hotspots. Expanding these approaches with or without the operators was one option for Facebook now, as well as legal workarounds where the service is repackaged, said Martin Geddes, a UK-based telecoms consultant. Facebook could also challenge the ruling in the courts, but a more likely move, said Marc Einstein, Asia-Pacific director at Frost and Sullivan, would be to sit down with the TRAI "to try to come up with a solution that's deemed a little more neutral." Facebook executives were not immediately available for comment, but India-born Karthik Naralasetty, whose blood donor matching service Socialblood is available in more than 20 countries via Free Basics, said Facebook was already re-thinking its approach. "Facebook is re-thinking what it's doing, coming up with better plans," he said by telephone. "Communications will have to improve. They have to get the buy-in of different governments before they go into those countries." FIGHT GOES ON It won't be easy. For one thing, said Neil Shah, a director of Counterpoint Research in Mumbai, Free Basics made little headway in India before it was suspended in December, gaining 1 million users. Only 252 million of India's 1.3 billion people have Internet access. Part of the problem, one expert said, is that Facebook implemented Free Basics in India following a playbook it has used in other developing countries without considering India's active civil society. Indian activists and local businesses strongly opposed Facebook acting as the "gatekeeper" of the Internet, said Rebecca MacKinnon, director of the Ranking Digital Rights project at New America. "India is not a place where Free Basics is going to be welcomed or work and (Facebook) might be better off thinking about another strategy to win over users in India," she said, such as focusing on telecommunications infrastructure or helping people access affordable devices with Internet connections. Opponents of the service said they would continue to fight. "Facebook is not going to take it lying down and they will try and figure out a way for it to happen one way or the other," said Sachin Bhatia, co-founder of Indian dating app TrulyMadly. "Our job is to keep at it non-stop to ensure Internet freedom is not threatened." Regional telecoms operators which partner with Facebook, such as Indonesia's PT Indosat, controlled by Qatar's Ooredoo, and Globe Telecom in the Philippines, said the ruling would not lead them to reconsider the partnerships. "The Indian experience is very isolated," said Vicente Froilan Castelo, general counsel of Globe Telecom. Reuters tech2 News Staff Google has decided to mark the Safer Internet Day celebrated today by giving away free Drive storage. Google wants users to review their account's security settings, and after a few steps, they will be rewarded 2GB Drive storage free. However, this additional storage giveaway is valid only for today. Head to the Security checkup page wherein you can edit the registered phone number. A phone number makes recovering account details such as forgotten password easy. Then, you can check all the devices that you've logged in using the account details. It will then ask you to check account permissions showing several programs with account permissions. It lets you review the apps, websites, and devices connected to your Google Account. Make sure you recognize, use and trust them all, or remove the ones you dont. So, the process involves reviewing your account recovery options that are connected to devices, services that need permissions along with a two-step verification settings. On completing the process, users can view a final page that thanks them. The page will read, "To help celebrate Safer Internet Day 2016, we added 2GB of free Drive storage to your Google account because you completed the Security Checkup." The page above shows Google promising 2GB of free Drive storage. However, it may not reflect immediately. hidden By Asheeta Regidi TRAIs announcements yesterday around banning differential tariffs for data services came as a huge victory for net neutrality supporters. From the time of the issue of the consultation paper, TRAI made it clear that it was only addressing the issue of differential tariffs. While this doesnt include all concerns around net neutrality, it is at its core. How adequate are the new regulations by TRAI in dealing with the issue of net neutrality? Heres how websites, apps and services that were accused of violating net neutrality principles will be impacted by the Differential Tariff Regulations. Key Regulations Differential tariffs refers to the charging of different data rates by data service providers such as Airtel, Vodafone and Reliance Jio. The differentiation needs to be made based on the content accessed by the user. For example, a higher charge for accessing one website, and a lower charge for accessing another. The key regulations are: No differential tariffs Data service providers cannot charge differential tariffs on the basis of content. Differential tariffs with any other criteria isnt governed by these regulations. No indirect differential tariffs The data service providers cannot enter into any arrangement which has the effect of differential tariffs an indirect charging of different data rates. Differential tariffs permitted on closed networks Differential tariffs are permitted in a closed electronic communications network, such as intranet, or private networks. These networks do not use the global internet to function, and communication only happens between the members who have access to the network. Lowered tariffs during emergencies Lowered tariffs are permitted during emergency situations like natural or manmade disasters. Facebooks Free Basics While Facebooks Free Basics had already been suspended by TRAI, it is now completely prohibited by the Differential Tariff Regulations. Free Basics involves the partnering with certain data service providers, and offering a select group of websites and apps to that data service providers customers free of charge. This has the direct effect of accessing those select websites and apps without paying any data rates, while having to pay for accessing other websites and apps. This is a clear example of different data rates on the basis of the content accessed. Airtel Zero Airtel Zero is an open marketing platform, where customers can access certain mobile apps which are signed up with it. For these specific apps, the app providers will pay the data charges to Airtel for the use of their apps, and not the customers. The customers will therefore have free access to these apps. This is an example of an indirect charging of different rates. The arrangement between Airtel Zero and the app providers results in a differential tariff being charged to the customer for using those apps, which makes Airtel Zero illegal. Aircels Free Facebook and Whatsapp Aircels free Facebook and Whatsapp offer, which allowed subsidised date rates for accessing Facebook and Whatsapp, directly violates these regulations. Another offer made at the same time was giving customers an additional 10 MB per day for their use of Facebook and Whatsapp. The Explanatory Memorandum attached with the Differential Tariff Regulations explains that such practices, for example, the offer of a refund, are also illegal. They, in effect, make the access of certain content cheaper. Such practices will also amount to an indirect charging of differential tariffs. Aircels Free Basic Internet Aircel came out with another offer in 2015, of Free Basic Internet, which involves the provision of free internet, at a lower speed, for everyone. There is no restriction on which websites or apps are used by the people. Here, there is absolutely no difference in the data rates based on the content accessed, or on any other basis. The only difference arising is that some online activities such as video streaming and online gaming will not be possible because of the lower internet speeds. This offer will be legal. The Explanatory Memorandum specifically mentions that it will not govern activities such as the provision of limited free data to access the entire internet. These are other forms of tariff differentiation, not based on content, and are outside the purview of the Differential Tariff Regulations. Airtel Wynk Airtel Wynk is Airtels in-house music app. While non Airtel users can also download this app, the subscription charge was waived for Airtel users. This waiver of the subscription charge by itself will not violate the Differential Pricing Regulations. This is because here, the difference in the price is based on the cellular network used by the user, and not the content, i.e., the app being used by him. However, Airtel Wynk also allows Airtel users to access the music on the app at subsidized data rates. This subsidisation of data rates is in direct violation of the Differential Pricing Regulations, since an Airtel user will have to pay a lower charge for accessing Wynk, as opposed to other music apps. If Airtel were to create a closed network, which allows only Airtel users to access the music through the Airtel network, and not using the internet, then such a system would be valid. However, if such a system is created specifically for the purpose of circumventing the Differential Tariff Regulations, it will not be legal. Reliance Jio Reliance Jio proposes to bundle bandwidth and talk-time, instead of separate data packs, as is the practice today. Under the scheme, users will pay a one-time monthly fee for all uses, including access to online content. Since there is no restriction on what content can be accessed by the Reliance Jio users, this is not violative of the Differential Tariff Regulations. The Differential Tariff Regulations are quite comprehensive in their coverage of differential tariffs, and effectively wipe out all schemes that have been under the net neutrality scanner so far. As per the Regulations, no new schemes violative of the Regulations can be launched, and all existing schemes have to be phased out within 6 months. The author is a lawyer with a specialisation in cyber laws and has co-authored books on the subject. Editor's note: Reliance Jio is owned by Reliance Industries, which also owns Network18, publishers of Firstpost.com (Tech2). Motorola, or should we say 'Moto by Lenovo' has been trying to find its spot ever since brands such as Xiaomi, Asus and Lenovo entered the Indian market. The Moto G was their thing, it was a smartphone and a product category that Motorola came up with, the budget smartphone that offered the perfect balance of specs and value in a package that seemed pretty much perfect. Today, there are more than a handful of brands who are vying for that space, the same category that helped Motorola through tough times. In fact, the Motorola Moto G is touted as the most successful Motorola smartphone of all time. Motorola recently launched Motorola Moto G Turbo Edition with an improved chipset, better resistance to dust and quicker charging at Rs 12,499. So is the smartphone that comes with minor upgrades worth paying for, instead of the standard Moto G? Build and Design: 7.5/10 There's nothing new in here that would make the Turbo Edition stand out from the standard Moto G (3rd Gen). In short, it is pretty much the same stuff with a few upgrades when it comes to water-resistance. The body is entirely of plastic with metal buttons on the right side that jut out of the body. The front of the device, similar to the older Moto G packs in a speaker at the bottom with top area packing in the receiver and front-facing camera (with the proximity and ambient light sensor squeezed between them). Things remain unchanged on the back as well with a centered elongated patch that contains the camera, dual-tone LED flash and the typical Motorola logo placed on a dimple. Open the back cover and things have changed to an extent. No the battery is not removable, but the Turbo Edition comes with an IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating while the older Moto G came with just IPX7. What this means is that the smartphone is not just waterproof upto 1 metre, but dust proof as well. For those who are unaware, the '6' in the rating stands for 'Totally protected against dust' while the '7' stands for 'Protected against the effect of immersion between 15cm and 1m' and yes, an IP68 rating also exists! Overall, the quality is top notch and the grippy rubberised texture of the back cover, along with the heft and colour selections of the smartphone, felt a lot better in the hand as compared to the Moto G that felt a bit cheap and plasticky. Features: 8/10 Since the Motorola Moto G Turbo Edition looks very similar to the Moto G (3rd Gen) it indeed all boils down to the hardware and software tweaks, something that Motorola seems to have focussed on. We get a 5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touch display, which is the same as the older Motorola Moto G , sporting a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and pixel density of 294ppi. Behind it sits the only differentiator that separates the Moto G Turbo Edition from the Moto G 3rd gen, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chipset. The octa-core chipset is clocked at 1.5GHz and is a step up from the earlier Snapdragon 400 and recent 410; this is paired with 2GB of RAM. Also another upgrade that came along with the new processor was the Adreno 405 GPU. Onboard storage is limited to 16GB and yes the Turbo Edition does support microSD cards of up to 32GB in capacity. Motorola also seems to have packed in the same 13MP camera with a dual-tone LED flash as on the Moto G3, which is once again paired with a 5MP f/2.2 camera. On the connectivity front you get 4G and 3G bands, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, A2DP, LE and Micro USB v2.0 port for charging and data transfers. Also added on board is an FM Radio. Display: 7/10 Considering its launch price of Rs 14,499, we did expect something better from Motorola. But the company seems to have packed in the same old stuff from the Moto G (3rd Gen), which results in a not so great first impression when you power it up. The display is an IPS LCD module with a 1280 x 720 pixel array with protection coming from a layer of Corning's Gorilla Glass 3. It is pretty average and while it gains plenty of points for brightness it looses them all with its low pixel density and lack of sharpness. While text looks crisp, it is the icons that loose sharpness with edges that appear to be slightly blurry (shown in the image above). The casual user may not notice this, but Motorola could have done justice to this G upgrade by simply adding a Full HD Display. Viewing angles are fine and things do not get worse coming from the Moto G (3rd Gen) so we will not be deducting any points either. Software: 7.5/10 Motorola always went with the stock Android philosophy and with the Moto G Turbo Edition, that tradition continues. The software is based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and is what we would call, an almost stock version of Android that comes with limited Motorola tweaks and a few app additions like Help, Migrate and Moto. The customisations are far and few and according to us is what keeps the UI running smooth without any hiccups. What you also get with any other Motorola smartphone are additional software features like Assist, Actions and Display. In short, these are those features that work in the background and respond when needed (just like OEM customisations should). Assist works by helping users out in situations where they are unable to access their phones, by reading text messages aloud or mentioning the name of the caller while driving. Actions are basically gestures that you can perform with the device like waving your hand over the display turn it on, or wave your hand to silence an alarm. Also present among the customisations is Motorola's Quick Capture functionality that goes from a powered-down display to the camera viewfinder in a mere two seconds, at the flick of your wrist. While we did find this feature useful, there were plenty of instances where camera turned on by mistake and this eventually forced us to turn the feature off. Performance: 7.5/10 As expected the Motorola Moto G Turbo Edition does show a slight bump in the numbers when compared to the standard Moto G (third gen). Overall performance of the device is smooth, and as with other Snapdragon 615 chipsets, the smartphone did heat up upon extended gameplay. However, the smartphone handed the heat well, with the only area getting hot while holding it horizontally was the front of the device, with little or no signs of the textured back warming up, that would otherwise make it uncomfortable to hold. Talking about games, the Turbo Edition ran casual games smoothly and surprised us with great performance on intensive 3D games like Dead Trigger 2 on Medium settings. Real Racing 3 was not up to the mark (thanks to the lack of optimisation on the developer's part) but Asphalt 8 Airborne ran smoothly without any hiccups thanks to the Snapdragon 615 and the Adreno 405 GPU. Call quality was good and the caller on the other end could hear us clearly. The same can be said about the front-facing speaker, which was loud enough to stand alone by itself as a music player. Audio quality in terms of music was again pretty much on par with the rest of Motorola devices out there, with the only problem being the useless bundled headphones. Camera: 7/10 The camera performance of the Motorola Moto G Turbo Edition was better than we had expected. The smartphone packs in the same hardware as compared to what you get on the standard Moto G. However, Motorola seems to have made some software tweaks that results in some great-looking images. PS: Image samples have been resized here. To check the full resolution, please click on the images The 13MP camera delivers a sufficient amount of detail for a smartphone at this price tag. Daylight photos look impressive and pack in plenty of detail. The HDR mode also does a commendable job in bright situations. Close ups is where the Turbo Edition excelled and we managed to get a couple of images with plenty of detail and very little noise. Video recording quality was at par with the competition and maxed out at 1080p at 30fps. The video recording mode did a good job with low light shooting as well. All of the images however showcased a blue tinge and this was visible in both images and video no matter how different the shooting scenarios were. Making things worse for what would be some great optics, is the lack of manual controls on the camera's interface. The only manual feature available was the touch to focus and ability to change the exposure, which was of no use thanks to the better HDR mode. The 5MP selfie camera however did a great job at producing great looking selfies. As with every other smartphone in this range it all boils down to low-light performance. The Motorola Moto G Turbo Edition produced some share worthy images, but it would only make sense to share these on Instagram as the level of noise in these image ruined every low light shot. What did however survive the wrath of Motorola's weird image processing algorithms were images clicked in dimly lit conditions, but again, the Moto struggled to lock focus resulting in blurry images. Battery Life: 7.5/10 The Motorola Moto G Turbo Edition packs in a non-removable Li-ion 2470 mAh battery, which is the same as is on the older Moto G. We did expected better when it came to battery life thanks to the octa-core setup, which technically should help with battery life, but the results were similar to what we got with the standard Moto G. Still then, it got us through a whole day of WhatsApp, some casual gaming, two emails accounts on sync and some calls but we had to plug it in by the end of the day. On a work day, users would not need to plug it in. However, those who love to click photos and play 3D games will be looking for a power outlet by the end of the day. Eitherways, Motorola has packed in a TurboPower Charger which charges the phone quickly and it gets the job done. The downside to that charger is that it comes with a fixed cable and the same cannot be unplugged for use as a data cable. Verdict and Price in India The Motorola Moto G Turbo Edition stands a bit taller than the Moto G (third edition) launched earlier last year. One can think of the Moto G Turbo edition as a more refined or polished version of the trusty Moto G, that is now priced to compete at Rs 12,499. At this range, Motorola has managed to distance the Moto G Turbo Edition from its very own Moto X Play. While this is a good thing, the Turbo Edition certainly fell short of our expectations and we strongly felt that the Turbo is what the Moto G3 should have been to begin with. The problem with the Turbo Edition lies in the fact that there is a very tiny bump in terms of performance and features that would fail to entice a buyer who is looking for a Moto G3 (since the G3 is priced at Rs 9,999). At the same time neither will a Moto G3 user upgrade to the Moto G Turbo Edition, because it is not a big deal. What would be a better upgrade for those looking to buy a phone under Rs 20k, would be the Moto X Play, that is now priced at a slightly higher Rs 16,499 on Flipkart for the 16GB version, making it a much better deal with a Full HD Display, a 21 MP camera, 3GB of RAM and let's not forget that 3630 mAh battery! Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison. Dedicated to the Restoration of Progressive Democracy Perendale Publishers Limited produces a range of services for the aquaculture industry as well as the global grain, feed and flour milling field. To find out more please visit: www.perendale.com DWASA launches SCADA system to control tubewells Engr Taqsem A Khan, presiding over a programme on \"Monitor and improve ground water resource and production, District Metering Area (DMA) network, production of tube well, capacity of existing operation & maintenance system and saving energy\" in Dhaka o Economic Reporter : Dhaka WASA launches Tuesday a Pilot Project to monitor and improve ground water resource and production, District Metering Area (DMA) network, production of tubewell, capacity of existing operation & maintenance system and saving energy, With the technical assistance of Denmark two tubewells have been selected--- one is in the office compound of Field Maintenance (FM-2) Division (adjacent to Mirpur Bangla College) and the other one is Dakkhin Bishil also in Mirpur for the project. From now on under this pilot project, production monitoring and management of these two tubewells will be controlled with the computerised System Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for next one year. Danish Ambassador in Dhaka Hanne Fugl Eskjaer attended the inaugural ceremony of the pilot project as Chief Guest while Managing Director of Dhaka WASA Engr Taqsem A Khan presided over the ceremony held at FM-2 office. Deputy Managing Director M Serajuddin delivered the welcome speech on this occasion while local stakeholder Messer's Shohel & Brothers' Managing Director Ali Rezve delivered vote of thanks. A power point presentation on 'Utilisation of Grundfos system to improve efficiency, reduce energy consumption & down time in Borehole operation and maintenance' was demonstrated at the ceremony. Other officials concerned of Dhaka WASA were present in the ceremony. SCB Chairman meets with Lankan envoy Economic Reporter : Chairman, Shippers' Council of Bangladesh Md Rezaul Karim had a courtesy call with Sri-Lankan High Commissioner Yasoja Gunasekera, at her Gulshan Office on Tuesday. He handed over SCB crest and different magazine. They discussed about bilateral trade between the two countries. She said that now her country's port and transportation system are highly developed and it creates opportunities for more trade and investment. She urged to Bangladeshi traders to take this opportunities and enhance friendly bilateral relation between the two countries. Chairman, SCB stated statistics of import & export between both the countries and said, now trade deficit between two countries are near about double. In 2014-15 the trade deficit between two countries is US$ 39.84 million. He proposed to arrange remove the tariff barriers for export trade. Message from the Ambassador On the behalf of the Iranian government and the people of Iran, we would like to extend our heartfelt greetings to the government and the people of Bangladesh on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Every year on the 11th February, the Iranian people gather around to commemorate the greatest achievement in the history of Iran; the success of the Islamic Revolution which took place in 1979 led by Imam Khomeini (R). The revolution brought a huge impact on the social, cultural, and political atmosphere within Iran. It brought the sense of self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and sovereignty to the spirit of the Iranian people. After the Revolution, Iran is completely independent to make its own decisions regarding its national policies and governance without paying heed to foreign influence. In the last three decades, Iran has made huge technological advances and progresses in sciences including nanotechnology, space research, and nuclear technology. Iran's nuclear program was deemed controversial by the Western world. According to them, Iran was planning to build a stockpile of nuclear weapons. Although many assurances were given that the nuclear program was entirely peaceful and that WMDs such as nuclear weapons did not comply with Iran's defense doctrine, the West remained unconvinced. At the end, an international agreement was struck between Iran and the P5+1. The deal was implemented on 16th January 2016 where the sanctions imposed by the Western world were pulled off, and in return, Iran decreased its peaceful nuclear activity. This deal was known as the diplomatic achievement for Iran. The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, being an independent policy, is based on principles of justice, mutual respect to norms of international relations, non- interference into the internal affairs of other countries. In this connection, we have always been seeking effective & constructive diplomatic approach, focusing on mutual confidence building with our neighbors and other regional and international players. Iran, also, in the light of its location and outstanding capabilities , as well as being a member of O.I.C., D8, E.C.O., NAM, G77, an observer to SAARC has so far pursued an active role in regional & international arenas. Bilateral relations with the People's Republic of Bangladesh: Taking into the consideration the fact that the full fledge expansion of cooperation with Islamic countries as a priority in our foreign policy, let me briefly explain the bilateral relations between the two Muslim countries, being located in Asia with vast area of commonalities existing between the two nations and people. While the relationship between Iran & Bangladesh dates back centuries ago, Iran established formal diplomatic relations with Bangladesh since the very year of independence of Bangladesh. During these years, bilateral relations have always been warm and friendly. I am quite confident that we will be able to further enhance this relationship in all its dimensions in near future. In order to strengthen bilateral economic ties and lay down the appropriate foundation for further mutual cooperation, the 5th joint Economic Commission between the two countries was held in Dhaka in May 2013. During the meeting, both sides, inspired by brotherly relations and in a friendly atmosphere, conducted constructive negotiations in the field of bilateral trade and investment, energy, transportation, ICT, agriculture, economic cooperation, customs, banking, culture, and education as well as agreed to advance relations in the mentioned fields. Moreover, during the year 2014, two distinct Iranian Parliamentary delegations visited Bangladesh and based on mutual agreement between two sides, they are moving towards expansion of parliamentary relations and people-to- people relations. To conclude my remarks, I would like to take this opportunity to thank once again the people and the government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh for their significant contribution to develop the ties and bonds of friendship between the two nations and governments. Long - live Relations between Iran & Bangladesh Dr. Abbas Vaezi Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran Development is geopolitical too Rhys Williams : Europe and Africa have a long history of cooperation on economic, social and environmental development dating back to the Lome Conventions of 1975. Since 2000, the partnership between the 28 EU member states and the 79 countries that make up the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) is underpinned by the Cotonou Partnership Agreement. It manages a budget of 30.5 billion through the European Development Fund. This is Europe's biggest budget for development cooperation that delivers long-term and predictable funding to the ACP, in particular countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The agreement is often hailed as a comprehensive model of cooperation between the 'global north' and the 'global south' as it is based on a legally binding agreement with three key pillars: development cooperation, trade and political dialogue. However, it will expire in 2020 and a well-informed debate needs to urgently take place in Africa on the shape and format of EU-ACP cooperation on many urgent global challenges. Questions are increasingly being asked as to whether the ACP - as a post-colonial construct that includes only Sub-Saharan countries and omits North Africa - is still relevant in a context of rapid and dramatic changes in Africa, in Europe and the rest of the world. In Africa, the gap is widening between wealthier middle-income countries and several fragile countries that are confronted with endemic problems of poverty, weak governance and conflict. Over the past 15 years, the influence of the African Union (AU) and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in economic and political terms has increased - not least in dealing with new global challenges like climate change, the fight against terrorism and migration. So, there are many questions as to whether there is a duplication of efforts between the mandates of the African Union and the ACP Group. In addition, over the years the three regions of the ACP have become much more heterogeneous - that is the A, the C and the P have gone in very different directions in terms of economic development, integration into the global market and how they deal with future challenges like climate change. The African Union, in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), recently organised a special conference to kick start this debate in Africa. A report by the African Union of the day's debate sets out some of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead and was circulated to delegates at the AU summit in Addis Ababa last week. From the passionate debate on display, it was clear that there is a contrast between those who want to pursue the ACP-EU cooperation after 2020 in largely the same fashion as before and those who openly cast doubt as to whether the Cotonou framework is still fit for purpose. One message that came strongly from many participants was that changing geopolitics has progressively eroded the foundations of the ACP-EU partnership and the bargaining power of both the EU and the ACP Group. This chimes with a recent report from the European Centre for Development Policy Management which found that the Cotonou Partnership agreement has a limited track record in delivering on several of its core objectives and the framework is ill-suited to deliver the aims of the recently agreed Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Political coalitions in multilateral fora between the ACP Group and the EU have seldom materialised. This is largely due to the lack of political traction caused by the divergent interests of the member states states, and that the ACP Group does not include the whole of Africa. In practice, the Cotonou Partnership Agreement has been reduced to an aid delivery mechanism with limited political value. The recent negotiations of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) saw the trade 'pillar' move away from the ACP to the African RECs as Africa has set its own objective to build a continental Free Trade Area on the basis of the regional Free Trade Agreements. The 2015 Valletta Summit between Europe and Africa on migration demonstrates how the African Union benefits from more political traction and legitimacy than the ACP Group, providing a better structure as a continental body to negotiate with the EU. It is essential that the African Union take on a pro-active role and to stimulate an honest debate in all corners of Africa on the future of its partnerships. The challenge for all sides will be to design alternative ways of international cooperation for future challenges, which can deliver better outcomes for all states and citizens of Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific and Europe. But these new frameworks can only deliver on ambitious goals with serious political power behind them. (Rhys Williams is Communications Officer at the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) a think and do tank working on global development based in Maastricht (Netherlands) and Brussels (Belgium). Rajuk inspectors sent to jail Court Correspondent : Two factory inspectors on Wednesday secured bail after they surrendered to the court in the murder case filed in connection with the collapse of Rana Plaza building. Senior Judicial Magistrate Shahzadi Fahmid of Dhaka granted bail to two inspectors- Engineer Yusuf Ali and Engineer Shahidul Islam in the case filed in connection with the country's worst industrial disaster. Earlier, they remained fugitive for long to avoid their arrests in the case over the collapse that had killed more than 1100 workers in 2013. Sheikh Baharul Islam, lawyers of the two accused, sought bail to the court. Earlier, on February 8, a court of Dhaka sent Rajuk building inspector Awlad Hossain to the jail rejecting his bail pleas in the case. On December 21, 2015 the court took cognizance of the charge sheet in the murder case and passed issued warrants against 24 accused people. The two cases were filed on April 24, 2013. The collapse of Rana Plaza led to the death of at least 1,136 people, mostly garment workers on April 24, 2013. The building, which housed five garment factories, was built on a swamp and some of its upper floors were added illegally. On June 1, 2015, over two years after the Rana Plaza incident, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police submitted two charge sheets of the cases to the court against 42 people, including Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana. Of the accused people, 17 were common in the two charge sheets of the CID. Rana's father Abdul Khalek and mother Marjina Begum and 12 government officials were among the accused. Five hundred ninety-four people have been witnesses in the killing case while 135 in the other case. A day after the collapse Rajuk official Helaluddin filed a case with Savar Model Police Station against Rana for violating the Bangladesh National Building Code, while police filed a murder case accusing six people, including Rana on April 25, 2013. Later, police arrested Rana on April 28, 2013. A total of 1,117 bodies were recovered from the spot of Savar after the incident. Later, 19 injured garment workers died during their medical treatment in different hospitals. Seriously injured 78 victims ultimately have become disabled. The bodies of 844 workers were handed over to the kith and kin of the victims. Besides, the dead, 1170 were injured in the deadly incident. CJ asks judges to follow court rules Staff Reporter : Chief Justice SK Sinha has asked existing judges and the retired judges of Bangladesh Supreme Court, who are still taking government privileges, to follow the rules and regulations of the court. The Chief Justice said these during the hearing of the appeal of war crimes convict and Jamaat leader Meer Quashem Ali. The hearing was held at the bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice, on Tuesday morning. Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, who retired from the High Court recently, stood for Meer Quashem Ali in the court. He is now on PRL (Prepparatory) Retirement Leave) and still taking government privileges, living in government residence. Attorney General Mahbube Alam drew the attention of the Chief Justice in this regard during the hearing. The Attorney General told the court that it does not look well that a recently retired judge of the High Court will stand for a war crime convict as a lawyer. In response to the Attorney General's statement, Justice Nazrul Islam told the court that he stood for his client as per the country's Constitution. Mentioning the Article 99 (2) (1) of the Constitution, he said that the Constitution allows the retired judges of the High Court to practice in the Appellate Division just after retirement. ACC told of hiding info Staff Reporter : An application has been submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against retired judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik, accusing him of concealing the information of his dual citizenship. A lawyer of the Supreme Court submitted the application to the ACC on Wednesday, a day after another lawyer of the SC submitted application to the President praying for cancellation of judgeship of the controversial retired Justice for his controversial behaviours and activities. Advocate Zulfikar Ali submitted the application to the ACC with request to investigate the matter of the dual citizenship. In his application, the lawyer said that Justice Manik was not eligible to be judge of the Supreme Court, as a dual citizenship holder. He has been exercising all the facilities from the British government as a dual citizen, while he also served as judge in the High Court and the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court as Bangladeshi citizen. "Justice Manik, however, became the SC judge concealing the information, as he did not mention it in the documents provided during his oath as a judge of the High Court. It is a punitive offense according to the existing law," said the lawyer. Meanwhile, Advocate Md Mozammel Haque, the lawyer who submitted the application to the President on Tuesday, said that he would file a writ petition with the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of judgeship of Justice Manik if any initiative is not taken against him. Dead baby kept on life support for money Hospital fined Tk 11.50 lakh for other anomalies Staff Reporter : A 16-month old dead baby was kept on life support in Japan-Bangladesh Friendship Hospital at Jigatola in the city on Wednesday. This was detected by a mobile court while conducting a drive in the hospital. Accompanied by RAB-2 personnel, the mobile court was led by Executive Magistrate Md Helal Uddin. In fact, the court conducted the drive as a routine work to check the hygienic condition of the hospital and whether any sub-standard materials were being used in treating patients ignoring compliance guidelines by health ministry. The court found massive flaws in sensitive areas and fined the hospital Tk11.50 lakh for not fulfilling three major health criteria, including keeping unauthorized drugs and issuing diagnostic reports without any expert's authorization. But when the team went on the fifth floor of the hospital, a mother approached its members and complained that doctors are holding her baby girl in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital for past few days without really informing her the sate of the health of the baby. She said she was confused as to what is really happening and whether the doctors are hiding any truth. Dr Mohammad Shahjahan, one of the members of the mobile court said, "She came to us and alleged that the hospital authorities are not giving any clear information. Based on her allegation, we forcibly entered the ICU and found the baby was already dead." "For further confirmation, I took the stethoscope and checked the heartbeats of the baby. But she was found to have no heartbeat. Later, I asked the on duty doctor to check it again. The doctor confirmed that she was already dead," he added. However, the hospital authorities claimed that they did not notice when the baby died while the mother complained they were holding her in the ICU for long in life support and always telling her she was alive. She was admitted to the hospital on Monday last. The fact is that many fear the hospital management was trying to keep her in the ICU for longer hours only to realize a hefty medical bill although the baby was already dead. It also confirm that private hospitals and clinics in the city are running business holding dead bodies over longer time and claiming hefty medical bills. Mother of the girl, Sourabh Binte Islam, told The New Nation "I knocked the doctors several times to know about the latest physical condition of my daughter, suspecting something was wrong. "But, they were not letting me anything clear. Rather, they took my signature on four papers which did not contain any details of my baby's health condition." When contacted, the CEO of the hospital Dr RM Samiul Hasan refused to make any comment over the issue. Abdullah Nehal of Panchabati area of Narayangonj admitted her daughter to the hospital on Monday night after she was experiencing breathing problem. Bangabandhu fellowship trust planned : PM BSS, Dhaka :Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government has taken decision to turn state-financed Bangabandhu Fellowship Project into a trust so that no future government can discontinue the fellowship programme dedicated for scientific studies and research.She said this while distributing cheques of donation among the recipients of post-graduate studies and research under Bangabandhu Fellowship and National Science and Technology (NST) Project at Osmani Memorial Hall here yesterday. The prime minister said a country cannot progress ignoring scientific research. Long wait for justice! SM Mizanur Rahman :Law enforcers failed to make any breakthrough in the sensational murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Mehrun Runi even after four years into the gruesome murder.After the brutal murder, three investigators have already been changed, but they have not yet come up with any accurate final report. They came up with some empty rhetoric like substantial progress, significant progress, investigating with sincerity, and "will bring the killers into book soon.Expressing her utter frustration, Sagar's mother Saleha Monir said that they would not get justice as the influential quarter continues to put pressure to suppress the case.Apart from my family members, people also want to know who are the influential? RAB are not coming out with the disclosure of the names of the influential fading our hope into the dark, she said. She further said RAB in almost all cases proved their efficiency, but the elite force does not have anything to do, as they are under tremendous pressure by a powerful vested quarter According to court sources, RAB has not submitted chargesheet yet although four years have already elapsed. Earlier the court fixed the date for submitting chargesheet by January 18. Mehrun Runi, senior reporter of private TV channel ATN Bangla, and her husband Sagar Sarowar, news editor of another TV station Maasranga, were murdered in the bedroom of their West Rajabazar apartment on February 11, 2012.The law enforcers are always saying as they have attached highest importance in the sensational murder case, they are taking more time for accurate investigation. And thus such delay is also frustrating victims' family members as well as the journalist community. A total of 145 people were interrogated in connection with the murder case and eight persons were arrested.The eight accused are Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Miah, Masum Mintu, Kamrul Hasan alias Arun, Abu Sayeed, two security guards of the couple's house Palash Rudra Paul and Enamul Hoque and the couple's family friend Tanveer Rahman. Tanveer is on bail while others are behind bars now.Though the Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and law enforcers on Wednesday claimed that they would be able to unearth the mysteries about the motives behind the killing of the journalist couple, the killers are yet to be identified, and the investigation is far from being completed. According to family sources, the killers are not being nabbed as the law enforcers are under tremendous pressure of a vested quarter. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Wednesday said they would be able to discover the mysteries of the killing the journalist couple soon.Home Minister also said that the trial of the killers of journalist couple must be held. The motive behind the gruesome murders will be unveiled, he said after a meeting with deputy commissioner in Joypurhat district. When contacted, RAB's legal and media wing Director, Mufti Mahmud Khan told The New Nation that the investigators of the elite force would continue to submit report to the court. Chief Justice needs help to appoint judges transparently: Secrecy must go It is a sign of hope that the lawyers, including Attorney General Mr Mahbubey Alam, disapproved strongly the unjudge like conduct of the retired judge for issuing public statements of defiance, holding press conferences against the Chief Justice of Bangladesh Mr Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha without showing any concern for the harm being inflicted on the justice system. To many, all this appeared unbelievable. Both the Attorney General and the President of Supreme Court Bar Association Khandaker Mahbub Hossain felt the urgency of responding together. The shameful situation revealed itself over the conduct of a judge of the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Mr Shamsuddin deserves serious consideration. The secret process of appointment of the Supreme Court justices had to be ended for ensuring competent and dignified judges for the Supreme Court. They were being appointed secretly in consultation with the President. Under the Constitution, the President acts in such matter on the advice of the Prime Minister. So, the Prime Minister has the power to politically influence the appointment of the judges of the Supreme Court. As the consultation between the President and the Chief Justice is privileged and unknown to outsiders there is a running debate for making the process of appointing Supreme Court judges transparent and openly fair. In such a clandestine arrangement, it became easy for political leaders to get their active party men or followers appointed as judges of the Supreme Court. It did not occur to political leaders that by politicising the judiciary they were forgetting the importance of the need of politically unbiased justices. For the judges who were so appointed on party considerations it was an embarrassment to be seen as BNP or Awami League judges. This is bad for the judges' reputation and moral standing about their undiluted impartiality. No nation building kind of political leader will fill posts of judges with party men for taking partisan advantages in the matter of dispensing justice. That is the crudest way of making the judiciary vulnerable to political pressure. We have been unlucky for not getting nation building leaders in free Bangladesh. The conduct of retired justice Shamsuddin Manik is an extreme example of a politicised judge. He has been relying on his party loyalty and his strength as party follower. This is no doubt very unbecoming of a judge to behave politically and openly seen to do so. We blame the secret process of appointing judges of the Supreme Court for the failure of justice Shamsuddin to uphold the dignity of a judge of the highest court he was. Because of political background of his appointment as judge of the Supreme Court, he showed the arrogance of a politician whose party is in power. Justice Shamsuddin was always sure of his strength in his political party. He condemned the then sitting Speaker, now President, Abdul Hamid for committing treason. The MPs of Awami League demanded angrily in the parliament his punishment. But he proved that MPs were no threat for him. Former Chief Justice Mahmudul Amin Chowdhury was hurt at the conduct and activities of the retired justice Mr Shamsuddin tarnishing the image of the apex court. At a discussion meeting of the lawyers he described his (Justice Shamsuddin) conduct as madness. He further called upon all to come to the help of the present Chief Justice for saving the judiciary. Now it should be clear to all that the flaws in appointing judges of the highest court secretly on considerations of party politics shunning the people to know anything about the kind of judges being appointed to do justice to them. We must stop party politics in the appointment of the judges. The army backed caretaker government set up a Commission for independently advising the Chief Justice about who should be considered competent for appointment as judges of the Supreme Court. The educational qualifications are not enough. Most important qualification of a judge is his judicial temperament. To be a judge is an awful responsibility to do justice without fear or favour. But the Commission was not acceptable to the Awami League government that followed. The ordinance for appointing the Commission was buried quietly. The judiciary has to be saved by the lawyers and the judges acting together forgetting division among the lawyers along party lime and our considered suggestion is that for saving the judiciary from party politics the best way for the Chief Justice is to form an appropriate committee to help him in the appointment of independent minded judges for the Supreme Court. The committee will transparently and solely on the considerations of judicial competence and temperament recommend the names for appointment of judges for the Supreme Court. The consultation with the President will be more meaningful and the veil unwelcome of secrecy will be gone. The people must not be let down in respect of their last hope in the judiciary to enjoy the protection of the rule of law and humane justice in the face of many odds. The justice system symbolises our civilised way of life and no weakness should allow us to make compromise on this. This post is a bit of a cheat because it is the same one posted a few days ago. The reason why I am doing this is because after re-read... . 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 The Gay Courier has been established to provide news, information and info on, from and about the gay community, and other social events and happenings from around the world, from all sorts of sources, to all who are interested in this news, information and info! The postings are as is, and all copyrights and or ownerships are and remain with the original copyright-holder and or owner! 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! Pre-purchase property inspection is a relatively new thing in the United Kingdom. Its not something that most people have heard about, but it has become increasingly popular over the last few years with the rise in property prices and increased demand for high quality homes. What are the benefits of pre-purchase building inspection? What can you expect to find out when you pay someone else to inspect your home before you buy it? And what should you look for during an inspection? Many people want to know if theyre buying a house thats been well maintained or if its had any serious problems. If youve found a place on the market that seems attractive, but then discover some issues after moving in, you may not be as excited about buying it as you thought you were. Its important to do your due diligence when looking at properties. A lot goes into making a property appealing to potential buyers, from the landscaping to the flooring to the kitchen appliances. The same applies when inspecting a property there are many things that need checking over to make sure everything is running smoothly. Here are some of the benefits of performing a pre-purchase inspection: You get to see exactly what will happen to your money When you go shopping for a new car, youll probably be shown several different models. You might even be shown one that looks like a great value, but doesnt fit around all of the extra features that you want. When it comes time to actually buy the vehicle, however, you wont have seen how your money will be spent on it once you drive it off the showroom floor. Likewise, when you shop for a new home, you dont really know what youre getting yourself into until you move in. In order to get a feel for whether the home youre considering is what you want, you normally have to spend quite a bit of time inside it. This allows you to learn more about everything that youre going to be spending your hard-earned cash on. A pre-purchase building inspection gives you much the same kind of experience without having to spend thousands of dollars. Since youre paying for the service, you can expect to see exactly what youre paying for, instead of just seeing a vague idea of what you might end up with. You find out about potential major repairs Some buildings are very expensive to maintain, which means that owners often neglect them for the sake of saving money. While youre paying for a building inspection, youre also paying for a professional who knows how to spot signs of trouble and repair work that needs doing. If you notice that a particular area of your new home needs fixing right away, you can call in an expert to take care of it quickly. If you find that theres something wrong with your boiler, you wont have to wait weeks for a plumber to come over and fix it. Instead, youll have access to a solution immediately. You can save hundreds of pounds by finding out about potential problems early on One of the biggest expenses when you first buy a home is the cost of moving in. Many people dont realize this until its too late. Buying a home involves not only paying for the actual house, but also for moving costs, furniture, and other items that have to be moved along with the home. Having a good idea ahead of time of what youre likely to encounter can help you avoid these kinds of costs. If you know youll need to replace the plumbing system, for example, youll be able to put together a budget for the expense and plan accordingly. You can protect your investment by finding out if the homes been well cared for While there are plenty of people who think that houses always look better when theyre newly built, youd be surprised at how well maintained older residences can still look nice. Sometimes, though, those homes need some additional maintenance to keep them looking their best. This could involve repairs that arent so noticeable or small improvements that you wouldnt consider otherwise. Even worse, some houses have fallen into disrepair without anyone noticing. This is why having a professional perform a building inspection prior to purchasing a home is such a big benefit. Not only will it give you insight into the state of the property, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing youre not getting taken advantage of. As long as youre aware of the potential pitfalls, youll have less reason to worry about the state of your new home. You can use information gathered during a building inspection to negotiate a lower price If youre worried about buying a home because you suspect that it may need extensive renovation work, you may already have a rough idea of how much work youll need to do to bring it up to scratch. That knowledge can come in handy if you decide to buy the home. You can use all of the details that you gather during a building inspection to present a realistic picture of what the home is worth to prospective buyers. If a potential buyer thinks that the home is worth more than what you paid for it, you can try negotiating a lower price. You can sell your home faster and for more money If you decide to list your home on the market soon after buying it, youll need to price it accurately in order to attract buyers. But if youve already done a thorough building inspection, youll know exactly what work is needed and what the current market conditions are. In other words, youll be able to make a more accurate estimate of the amount of money youve invested in the home and how much its worth. If you find that youre selling your house for close to its full market value, you can use this information to convince the potential buyer that your home is worth the asking price. Even if youre planning to stay in the home for a while before you decide to sell, the fact that you did a thorough building inspection will give you more confidence when listing it. Prospective buyers will know exactly what theyre paying for. Your home will hold its value longer As mentioned earlier, the value of a home depends heavily upon the condition of the building itself. If your home is in bad shape, potential buyers wont be interested in buying it. On the other hand, if youve performed a thorough building inspection and know what sort of repairs are necessary, you can offer your prospective buyer a compelling reason to invest in your property. When you buy a home, youre essentially agreeing to have it inspected periodically to ensure that it stays in top shape. Not only does this allow you to avoid expensive repairs down the road, but it can also increase the value of your home. You can make smart decisions about property investments Buying real estate isnt as simple as just driving a couple of minutes to pick up a house. There are lots of considerations involved, ranging from location to cost. The same is true when youre investing in property. If you find a house that meets all of your requirements, youll want to make sure that you have a solid understanding of where it stands with regards to the rest of the market. If you havent spent enough time researching the area, you could inadvertently end up with a bad deal. There are lots of resources available online that can help you determine the overall level of competition in your area. They can also help you figure out if there are any properties that meet your requirements that you didnt know about. If you own rental property, you can use the information to identify tenants who might cause damage If you own rental property and youve noticed that certain tenants consistently cause damage, you can use the results of a building inspection to identify them. You can then contact them directly to let them know that youre watching them closely and that you dont appreciate the problem theyre causing. They might start taking better care of their homes, which would be good news for everyone. It could also be the case that youll find out that theyre responsible for previous damages that werent caught during a previous visit. You can make smarter decisions about hiring contractors If youve hired contractors to build or repair your home, you might want to ask them for references. However, unless you perform a thorough building inspection, you might not know exactly what to look for. For instance, maybe you only checked the roof for leaks or the walls for cracks. You might not have looked underneath the foundation for anything that could cause a future issue. By performing a building inspection, you can ensure that you hire reputable contractors who will be trustworthy with your money. You can avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition Of course, the main benefit of structural inspections perth is that it helps you avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition. Before you make the decision to buy a home, you should do whatever you can to find out about the state of the building. You can also ask your realtor about what sorts of inspections are typically recommended. Some agents say that its standard practice to check the heating system, the roof, the electrical wiring, and the floors. Others will tell you that they recommend that you check the entire structure. Either way, if you choose to hire an inspector, youll find out exactly what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost to do so. As a result, it can be concluded that a pre-purchase building inspection is highly important for the buyers because it provides transparency regarding the current conditions of the structure. Additionally, the building owner is made aware of any upgrades or repairs that are required, which could lead to a fair deal throughout the purchasing and selling process. President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States generally imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA. Should the US ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war? You voted: By AM Wednesday, February 10, 2016 Share Tweet Share Share Email Caravaggio's Salome with a twist. Salome took no joy in it. Parliament is a means of diffusing democracy, of channelling real struggles into a safe dead-end. Time and time again it has become a graveyard for the workers movement. Kevin Doyle Parliament or Democracy From Buncrana Together last November a highly charged piece byandin which they examine the changing rightward politics of Right2Water and Sinn Fein's influence in the movement.This article discusses the anti water charge movement in Ireland, in particular Right2Change. It focuses on our experience in Donegal involving some dreadful treatment and shady manoeuvrings by fellow campaigners. It uses this experience to draw conclusions about the national campaign and finds out that we are a mere microcosm of the controversy nationally.It would be safe to say that this article could be written about the campaign in any county in Ireland and like Donegal are part and parcel of the political quagmire that it has descended into, a cauldron overflowing with political and personal intrigue, cloak and dagger politics, mistrust, competition, egos and downright nastiness.From the lofty ideals of communities successfully standing together against water charges, resolute in the aim of abolishing Irish Water and preventing the privatisation and commodification of our water resources, we have reached the stage where this hard fought campaign has been subsumed by politicos with their clarion call of 'unity' and 'revolution' and thrown into a myriad of other issues, confusing the anti water protesters and relegating the water charges campaign to the back of the cue.Right2Water's target has shifted. It is has now changed it's name to Right2Change and it's focus is not on beating water charges but on the next general election, building some type of left or left of centre political organisation. The optimism built up by the anti water charges success is now giving way to pessimism and confusion. We are at the mercy of political parties and the unions. They have now split this fine movement and we are at the beck and call of these political leaders. The successful community campaign of non payment and non recognition of water charges and Irish Water has been handed to, or was taken over by politicos. The initiative and power has been wrested from local groups and the emphasis is now on institutions that have led to the impasse the county is in.Look up the definition of a 'politico', a person who will promise anything to win an election.Right2Change has done all this. On that fateful Sat in August, 2015, led by the affiliated unions, particularly Unite and Mandate, Brendan Ogle, the educational officer for Unite and main honcho in Right2Change, shouted from the stage in front of the GPO in Dublin, to the 100,000 anti water charge protesters , we haven't gone away, you know, this campaign is much more than water. Say after me, this campaign is much more than water" and holding up the little coloured booklet of Right2Change's policy principles, he launched the Right2Change organisation. Synopsis: Jack Horwood doesnt do families. Or Christmas. From the time his mother sold him to her pimp to the moment he walked out on the man he loved, Christmas has always been about change and painful choices. This year seems no different. Helping Daniel and Nico recover from their imprisonment and hunting down those responsible puts Jack in a frame of mind he doesnt want to inflict on anyone. Least of all Gareth and the tentative relationship theyve started to rebuild. But Gareth, for whom Christmas is all about new beginnings, wont let Jack take the easy way out. He makes him face his ghosts instead. Even when said ghosts invade their bedroom. When Daniels parents are found, Jack is determined to settle the matter without involving Daniel at all. But fate decrees otherwise, and its Gareth who helps him finally understand that the strongest bonds are those forged together. Once he gets that, Jack can step up and make a decision designed to lay his ghosts to restfor good. OTHER BOOKS IN THE POWER OF ZERO SERIES... JOB HUNT by Jackie Keswick The Power of Zero #1 Publication Date: May 13, 2015 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, M/M, Romance, Suspense Synopsis: You dont greet your new boss dressed like an underage rent boy. But when Jack Horwoodace hacker and ex-MI6 operativeopens the door to Gareth Flynn, he's too busy to worry over details like that. And anyway, his potential new boss is his former Commanding Officer the same guy Jack has had a crush on since he was seventeen. So he should understand, right? When he applied for the job in Nancarrow Mining's corporate security division, Jack had hoped for peaceful days repelling cyber attacks. Maybe a bit of corporate espionage on the side. His plans didn't include rescuing abused children, hunting pimps, or dealing with his overly protective and hot-as-hell boss, Gareth Flynn. Walking away is not an option. Jack never takes the easy way out. More than that, meeting Gareth raises old ghosts that Jack needs to put to rest. Rescuing kids. Taking risks. Saving the day. Jack can do all that but deciding what to do about his attraction to Gareth isnt the sort of cloak-and-dagger game Jack plays well. Yet Gareth, strong and smart and always on hand when needed, might be Jacks salvation. ABOUT JACKIE KESWICK 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. Walk through the door of Kathy Wards home on Dogwood Lane on a Friday afternoon, and the aroma of fresh baked goods will draw you in. Ward, a certified Vegan Fusion teacher, offers classes, catering and kitchen makeovers, but Friday is baking day for the Indoor Farmers Market. Ward and her partner Jeri Kinser sell their vegan, gluten-free baked goods at the market, which is from 9 a.m. to noon each Saturday in Carbondale Community High School. Currently, they have help from an apprentice baker, Beth Velkovitz, who studied culinary arts at Rend Lake College. A number of our customers have Celiac Disease and they are doing fine, Ward said. To make sure, the kitchen at the home is completely gluten-free. Besides being vegan and gluten-free, their baked goods are nutrient dense and low glycemic. Ive got two go-to books, 'Gluten-Free and Vegan Bread: Artisanal Recipes to Make at Home' by Jennifer Katzinger and Kathryn Barnard, and 'Naturally Sweet and Gluten-Free' by Ricki Heller, Ward said. Ive developed most of my recipes from them. And they do have recipes! They make waffles, coffee cake, multigrain baguettes, focaccia, quinoa bread, mandelbrot, challah, red velvet cupcakes, sugar cookies and so much more! They turn out a remarkable amount of baked goods in a relatively short period of time. One of the things about gluten-free breads is they rise in the oven, Ward said. They use a variety of gluten-free flour, including teff (the highest in protein), millet, tapioca, potato, garbanzo bean and quinoa. Much of the flour is ground in the kitchen using a Vitamix food processor, as is the flax seed. Chia seeds often replace eggs in the recipe. You can really tell a difference when you put it in, Ward said. Weve replaced the cane sugar with coconut sugar. Its low glycemic. Ward said one of the reasons Velkovitz wanted to apprentice was the learning curve in gluten-free baking. She says you have to figure out how to mix, shape and bake the bread to get the product you want. What we are doing is artisan bread baking, Ward said. Ward uses organic sugar and flours as much as possible, or bean flours from Bobs Red Mill. All of their soy is organic. They do not use genetically modified ingredients. Ward uses coconut nectar as a replacement for honey and agave. She says the coconut nectar does not cause her blood sugar to spike. She also use stevia drops in moderation. I have MS and I noticed I feel better since Ive gone gluten-free and given up white flours, Ward said. We try to address as many issues as we can. All of the Plant a Seed baked goods are free of preservatives. Ward cautions that the baked goods have to be eaten or frozen, and says everything freezes well. The baguettes are baked in a hot oven with a water bath. It helps give the bread a crustier finish, Kinser explained. They make a couple breads that take about two hours to cook, Russian and Swedish breads and an olive bread. They also had some new recipes to try for Valentines Day, including Red Velvet Cupcakes, tarts and some new cookie varieties. Basically, its an all-day thing. We are very grateful for Beth and her apprenticeship, Ward said. Ward would like to see more people try some gluten-free items and more restaurants offer gluten-free vegan dishes. I understand things have to taste good. We think our stuff tastes good, Ward said. I think it is surprisingly good, Velkovitz added. CARBONDALE If the budget stalemate in Springfield goes on any longer, Southern Illinois leaders warned, the consequences will be dire. Southern Illinois students, administrators and community leaders gathered Tuesday morning to urge Illinois lawmakers to fund public higher education as soon as possible. February marks community colleges and universities eighth month without state funding. The group of speakers represented The Coalition to Invest in Higher Education, a recently formed advocacy group whose organizers plan to host similar events across the state in the coming weeks. We know whats ahead for all of us if this doesnt get figured out, said Randy Dunn, president of the Southern Illinois University system. This is the dark side of this, and we see school after school coming to the precipice of that cliff. The event came on the heels of grim news from some of the other state institutions. On Monday, officials at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston announced 198 layoffs of civil service employees. Macomb-based Western Illinois University is firing 30 faculty members in an effort to save $2 million. Legislature approves funding for MAP grants, community colleges The Illinois House and Senate passed a bill Thursday that would fund grants for low-income c And at Chicago State University, lack of funding may force the university to shut its doors as early as March. Dunn said he doesnt anticipate any additional cuts at SIU this year (the university announced $13.5 million in reductions at the start of fall semester), but if a state budget doesnt come through soon, that may change. Were about ready, as this great state system, to start walking off the edge of the cliff, Dunn told about 80 community members, reporters and staffers who had gathered at the Stone Center. Gov. Bruce Rauners upcoming budget address on Wednesday, Feb. 17, will prove telling, Dunn said. If the governor again proposes a 31.5 percent cut to higher education, more cuts may be on the horizon at SIU. Rauner has said he hopes to root out overspending in the public-university system and arrive at a balanced budget in advance of an appropriation for universities and community colleges. No MAP grant funding this semester for most of region's colleges Attending one of Southern Illinoiss community colleges may be that much more difficult for At John A. Logan College in Carterville, leaders have announced a series of layoffs that staffers fear could leave 1/4 to 1/3 of faculty without a job. Larry Peterson, the community colleges interim vice president for administration, has said cuts and layoffs must total $7 million if the college has any hope of keeping money in the coffers past January 2017. To much applause from the audience gathered Tuesday, Ron House, JALCs interim president, urged Springfield lawmakers to do their duty. Destruction, he said, quoting another administrator, is not an acceptable method of reform. The first thing that we do to be accountable is follow the law, he said. We adopt a budget. Its required by law. The governor would do well to follow the law. Still, House and Dunn said funding MAP grants, state-sponsored aid for low-income students, should be top priority for lawmakers. While both SIU and JALC have pledged to front students grant money this semester, other institutions cant afford to. About 130,000 students statewide were set to receive MAP, or Monetary Award Program, funding this year, with the average award hovering at about $2,700. Abigail Tochalauski, an SIU sophomore from Peoria, was one of several students to speak Tuesday morning in support of MAP grant funding. Growing up, Tochalauski said, The only certainty was uncertainty. Her parents split when she was in first grade. Her mother passed away several years later. Even with MAP grant funding, Tochalauski works 19 hours a week to help pay her way through SIU. Still, its worth it. Higher education, she hopes, will lead to a life of financial stability. I am proof that the tax payers dollars are not going to waste, that through funding the MAP grant, the state government is making it possible for students like me to achieve a future where dependency is unnecessary and uncertainty is left to the lottery, Tochalauski said. Dunn echoed her sentiment. An incremental dismantling of the states university system, through year upon year of cuts, does a disservice to Illinoiss future. Were an investment, not a cost, Dunn said. In support of Hillary Clintons Get Out the Vote effort (GOTV), award-winning actress Angela Bassett visited both South Carolina State University and Claflin University on Tuesday. The GOTV program consists of Hillary for America supporters visiting historically black colleges and universities to urge students to become involved before the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary on Feb. 27. During her Claflin appearance, Bassett said she has two 10-year-old children and is very concerned about their future, opportunities, potential and protection in this world. When I got the opportunity to come here to meet, greet and speak with all of you, it was of utmost importance for me to do so, she said. Bassett says it was instilled in her as child that education is the key. In a single-parent household in St. Petersburg, Florida, Bassetts mother stressed to her: Get yourself together. I would bring home a C. Shed say, Thats average. I dont have average kids. She knew the journey. She knew education was the way that we were going to make it, Bassett said. The actress says she was in South Carolina in 2008 as a surrogate for President Barack Obama and is now a supporter of Clinton for president. With several things being done to restrict the vote of African-Americans and of young people, its imperative that you know that each of you has a vote and voice, and it counts. It tips the scale. It makes all the difference in the world, she said. Bassett believes Clinton recognizes the importance of young people and what matters to them. (Clintons) been here in South Carolina since last April when others werent here making relationships, doing the grassroots and organizing that has to be done, she said. She has so much rich and deep perspective of what it takes to be in the position of president, Bassett said. It takes a team. Shes a team player, she said. Things that are important to you are important to her. Bassett touched on Clintons College Compact plan to make college affordable. Were in a real crucial time right now. The Republicans will rip away all the progress that has been made in the last eight years whether its the Affordable Care Act, she said. Thats one of the places where theres such a disparity in health care and prescription drugs. (Clintons) not afraid to stand up to insurance companies about making prescription drugs affordable, Bassett said. Bassett shared her mother had a host of illnesses that required several expensive medications, but due to the Affordable Care Act, Bassetts mother was able to get the medicines. And shell also stand up to gun lobbyists. Republicans wont, Bassett said Bassett said she was pleased to hear that Clintons first job after law school was working for the Childrens Defense Fund in South Carolina with Marian Wright Edelman. (Clinton) cares about our communities and our children, she said. They often say that if you want an indication of what someone would do in the future, look at their past, she said. Look what they have done, where they have been, what they put up, what they fought for, Bassett said. Clintons proven time and time again that shes a person of service in service to those who are struggling, in service to those who are striving and service to those who are succeed, Bassett said. Its not a time to relax. Its not a time to give up and say it doesnt matter, because it does matter. The vote of young people matters more and more. We need you, she said. Before closing, Bassett told students that theyre never too young to be concerned about their future. Dennis Simpson, a mass communications major at Claflin, said Bassetts speech was pretty good but is leaning more toward Clintons Democratic opponent Bernie Sanders because he has a policy to make public institutions tuition-free. I know that can help a lot of people out, because it can help me out, Simpson said. (Bassetts) moving in a good direction as far as promoting what side she wants to go in the election, he said. Simpson said he encourages all young voters to do their best to vote. Its important. We have a lot of things we need to get in order if we want to keep moving forward in the future, as far as a nation. Voting is the only way that we can get it done, he said. Destini Crum, a senior mass communications major from Lexington, said she hasnt made up her mind on a presidential candidate, but she plans to vote Democratic. I havent fully decided which candidate. Whether its Hillary or Bernie, they both have very good views. Bernie has some new views that Ive never seen in an election before, so Im really excited to see how this is going to turn out, Crum said. She says she thought Bassetts speech was wonderful. Shes radiant. She gave a great, nice short speech, and got straight to the point. She was great, Crum said. Crum urged all young voters to go to the polls. I really hope young voters come out. We are the future. We need the turnout, and to have our voice heard, she said. Shanquel Young, a senior from Winnsboro, is also undecided about which candidate will get her vote. Young said the election is a huge jump for the candidates who are running now. It makes you kind of nervous, because you want to get the right the person in there. Its basically like your life is at stake, she said. Young said she was very moved by Bassetts speech. She didnt just base it off of the present time. She brought herself into it. She also included us and helped us understand that it is important to vote, she said. A lot of us just blow it off like it means nothing, but it does, she said. COLUMBIA The South Carolina Department of Agriculture is teaming up with the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition to get Wild in the Kitchen during the nations largest wildlife art and nature event February 12-14 in Charleston. Food enthusiasts can visit the SCDA tent on Marion Square in downtown Charleston to watch a variety of cooking demonstrations from local chefs. They will be preparing unique dishes with fresh, Certified SC ingredients. Guests will also be able to shop a variety of SC Specialty Food Association members showcasing and selling their product. Pick up a Wild in the Kitchen cookbook to take home all the great recipes and product information. New this year, South Carolina farmers will be on hand to answer questions about how your food goes from pasture to plate in the Ask a Farmer booth. Farmers will be available Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase online at sewe.com. For more information, visit agriculture.sc.gov. The religious history of blacks in Orangeburg started when they arrived in this section of South Carolina in 1704, along with whites. As Europeans got settled in Orangeburgh District, they brought along with them the following religions: Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopal and Lutheran. After the Civil War, the African Methodist Episcopal Church entered Orangeburg and gave blacks another option in worshiping God. As a part of slavery, the religious beliefs of slave masters were passed on to the slaves that they owned. On the larger plantations, slaves were forbidden to join the church, as it would involve the slaves leaving the plantation. And then, there were other slave owners who owned just a few. Therefore, many of the slaves who were believers were denied the customary rites of the Christian faith. In the 1790 census of the Orangeburgh District, plantation owner George Robinson owned 56 slaves. With this large number, he most likely did not allow all of them to worship God in the church that he attended. And then there were many cases like Nathanael Sanders who owned just two slaves. Under that circumstance, his slaves reaped an enormous amount of opportunities on all sides of life, and certainty that of worshiping and praising God. In 1858, it was recorded that throughout the South, there were as many as 465,000 slaves in the fold of the church. During the 1860s, there were five religious denominations in Orangeburgh District: Episcopal, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist and Lutheran. The following excerpt is taken from Tricentennial: Orangeburg Countys Black Heritage by the Rev. Harold Roland, pastor of New Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Orangeburg from 1961 until 1971. In Rolands book, he states the following: Black people in Orangeburg, as elsewhere, were denied the fundamental privilege of having a place of worship they could call their very own. This was the prevailing pattern during the dark, difficult and burdensome days of their enslavement in this county. This denial was understandable. The master feared any kind of organization including the Christian church. You must remember there were 34 slave rebellions in South Carolina from 1526 to 1855. Thus all organizations among blacks were a source of great, continuing fear. You must remember that two of the biggest slave rebellions were led by Black preachers Nat Turner and Denmark Vesey. Slaves were permitted to worship in the balconies and other places set apart for them by the slave master. One historical record of the county shows that one slave by the name of Harry wanted to exercise himself spiritually. The master, one Mr. Gramling concluded, He could do so only when a white person was present. The records of the Four Hole Baptist Church show blacks were baptized and held membership in that church. The Santee Baptist Church early records show this listing of the membership in that church about 1827: 22 whites and 44 blacks. On Nov. 18, 1909, The T&D printed the following article. Master and Slave An Intelligent Colored Man Talks about Them He Relates Many Touching Incidents of His Family and Their Owners in Slavery Days. Editor Times and Democrat: Christian education among the slaves in the days of slavery was encouraged and taught by many slave owners in the South. This however, was only done by those who themselves believed in Christianity, morality and education, and as a rule, they were among the royal families of the South, and here I may name a few whom I knew and under whose wholesome influence I was reared. The late Mr. Jas. M. Moss and his children, to whom my father and mother belonged. The late Col. Paul S. Felder, who was my Sunday school teacher at old Rocky Grove Methodist Church, during the war between the North and South. The late Dr. A.S. Salley, of this city, who in the days of slavery, so kindly and tenderly administered to the colored people. Our owner was a high-toned, Christian gentleman, cultured and refined. His dear wife and children taught my father and mother how to read the Bible, and they in turn taught me how to read. My father after the close of the war, remained a member of old Rocky Swamp Methodist Church for several years, and on the 16th day of March 1879, died triumphantly happy, leaving to his widow and children a blessed legacy coming to him from his owners, whom he loved and respected most dearly. Slavery, no doubt, in many respects, had its faults, but however true this may be, I am proud of having belonged to such a family as these, whose names will shine upon the pages of history. With love and sympathy for all mankind. I am, H.B. Thomas. Thomas served as a clerk in the Orangeburg Post Office in the early 1900s. Sometime during this same period, Thomas served as president of the Orangeburg Colored Investment Co. He was a loyal member of the Republican Party in Orangeburg. In July 1860, the First Baptist Church in Orangeburgh was formed. This formation took place just before the Civil War in 1861. In 1863, a church building was erected on Russell Street. At the end of the Civil War, First Baptist had a membership of 38 whites and 14 blacks. According to the history of First Baptist Church, There were many Negroes in the Baptist churches at the close of the War between the States. Conferences were held in the various churches relative to conferring with the Negroes as to what the white churches and Sunday Schools could do to help them. Some of the Negro members wanted to keep their membership with the white churches and they were accorded this privilege. And then there were those who preferred to establish their own church with a separate service and Sunday school. In this they were helped but the main difficulty was having an intelligent and educated ministry and teaching personnel. The white friends and ministers offered their services until an adequate force of help could be educated. Some white ministers preached regularly at the Negro churches every Sunday and were glad to give their services. The Historical Sketch of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church states, Shortly after the Emancipation of slaves in 1865, a small number of black members belonging to the First Baptist Church in Orangeburgh withdrew to organize their own church. The new church was called Sunny Side Baptist Church. Sunny Sides first pastor was Reverend Jacob Govan, a resident of Branchville. Pastor Govan served as pastor of two other churches, Emancipation and Canaan Baptist Churches in 1867. While pastoring Sunny Side, it was under pastor Govan pastorate that all three churches joined the Gethsemane Association. During the second annual Associational meeting, Tabernacle Baptist Church of Beaufort, S.C., was the site of the Gethsemane Second annual meeting. Deacons P. Stuart, J. Lewis and Pastor Govan were the delegates from Sunny Side Baptist. Sunny Side Baptist Church changed its name to Mt. Pisgah in 1870. However, the community around the church is still called Sunny Side. It was during 1870 that Mt. Pisgah received 10 new members by letter helping to enlarge the fellowship. P. Robinson served as Mt. Pisgahs Superintendent of schools during the year of 1870. The original structure was destroyed by fire in 1902. The following year, in 1903, the congregation rebuilt the church. Mr. A.W. Thorne, a black builder, constructed the new larger and more functional facility. The building was constructed as an early twentieth century Romanesque Revival style. The pyramid with cross-gable design of the church, as well as its fenestration detail and interior features makes Mt. Pisgah an important example of the turn of the century construction. Thus, Mt. Pisgah is considered the mother of the black Baptist churches in Orangeburg and has the high distinction of being the first black church ever in Orangeburg. Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church became the second black organized church in the city. The historical records of Trinity state that it was organized on the first Sunday in January 1866, by Rev. T. Willard Lewis, presiding Elder, (white) and Rev. Thomas Phillips. (Black). The Reverend Timothy Willard Lewis was born in Royaltow, Massachusetts, in 1825. Lewis was appointed to reorganize the South Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1862. Rev. Lewis is credited with spearheading the organizing and birth of Claflin University in 1869. The first meeting of Trinity was held in the school house built by the Freemans Bureau and for three years following that was the meeting place for the congregation. The church was first located near the site of the present day Orangeburg County Courthouse. In 1928, Trinity moved to its present location on Boulevard. In the history of the Civil Rights Movement in Orangeburg, Trinity became the headquarters where strategic plans were developed for the movement. The role that they played was indeed an honorable act that should always be recognized in the history of black Orangeburg. In 1873, Williams Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in Orangeburg. The Rev. Dave Christie became the first pastor. The church became the next black church that was opened for the blacks who did not align themselves with the Methodist or Baptist denominations. At that time, the African Methodist Episcopal Church was re-entering South Carolina after being kicked out of Charleston in 1822 during the Denmark Vesey rebellion. In March 1877, Emily A. Williams and trustees Richard Howard and Irvin Mintz bought a small piece of land measuring 66 feet and 5 inches. The land was located at the end of what was then known as Market Street that ran into a wooded area, which is now known as Middleton Street. At that time, Glover Street was a wooded area. In 1909, the church purchased additional land to build on to the present building. The Gothic Revival style was designed by Miller F. Whittaker, who served as professor at then-South Carolina State A&M and who became the third president of the school. Over the years at Williams Chapel AME, the pastoral leadership has served the church and the Orangeburg community in many Christian ways. After the AME Church landed in Orangeburg, then came the Presbyterian Church. Unlike the Baptist and Methodist, the Presbyterian Church did not welcome many blacks. In the year of 1865, the Orangeburg Presbyterian Church had only 66 black members. In July 1866, these individuals withdrew to themselves, receiving aid from white members and erecting their own Presbyterian church on Dickson Street. For some reason, the church did not survive after 1886. St. Luke Presbyterian Church was founded in 1887 by Thomas E. Miller, the first president of South Carolina A&M College, now South Carolina State University. The church had its beginning as the Railroad Avenue Presbyterian Church U.S.A. located on Treadwell Street. Two years later, the Railroad Avenue Presbyterian Church purchased the dissolved Baptist church on Lowman Street. There are no records of when the name was changed to St/ Luke. The record does reveal that from 1906-1909, the Rev. C.M. Uggams, grandfather of the famous movie and television star Leslie Uggams, served as pastor. On Jan. 15, 1967, ground-breaking ceremonies were held at the church site on Mingo Street. Dedication services were held on April 21, 1968. For several years, St. Luke served as the location for a model Headstart Program that was operated by the Orangeburg Area Committee for Economic Progress which benefited hundreds of pre-school children. Then came St. Pauls Episcopal Church in 1911. St. Pauls was founded by Robert Shaw Wilkinson and his wife Birnie. At the same time, he became the second president of the Colored Normal, Industrial, Agricultural and Mechanical College (SCSU). The church became the first and only African-American Episcopal Church in Orangeburg. According to the book Parlor Ladies and Ebony Drudges: African American Women Class, and Work in a South Carolina Community by Kibibi Voloria C. Mack: The services held at St. Pauls Episcopal Church were respectable and high-cultured, appealing specifically to the higher social-economic classes in the African American community. From the onset, St. Pauls congregation consisted of those from preferred backgrounds whose complexions tended to range from extremely light to brown. In summary, the African American elite generally attended Trinity Methodist Episcopal, St. Lukes Presbyterian and St. Pauls Episcopal Churches. Over the years of St. Pauls existence in Orangeburg, the church has made great contributions in civic and community involvement. The late Geraldyne P. Zimmerman is a testament to the significant role that St. Pauls Episcopal Church has played in our community. (Note: Sad to say, there has always been the social-economic divide in all levels of life that exist in our society and that includes blacks, whites, Indians and all others.) For some reason, the blacks who attended the Lutheran churches during the slavery years did not continue to follow that religion. They most likely decided to join the other denominations and not continue their affiliation. For that reason, there are no black Lutheran churches in Orangeburg. In general, blacks aligned themselves with the following churches. The Baptist came out of the First Baptist Church, the Methodist from St. Pauls United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian from the First Presbyterian Church. Today, blacks, whites, Hispanics and all of the other races of people who reside in Orangeburg can participate in more than 35 different forms of religious denominations in our county. The Orangeburg Area Boys & Girls Club staff won five of the six awards presented at the recent state Boys & Girls Club Annual Conference Training. The Professional Association for Boys & Girls Clubs of America recognizes staff members for their outstanding work with the youth in their communities each year. The Orangeburg Area Boys & Girls Club staff won the awards for teen program specialist of the year; sports, fitness and recreation program specialist of the year; health and life skills program specialist of the year; character and leadership development program and arts program specialist of the year and education and career program specialist of the year. Cold, windy winter weather descended on South Carolina Tuesday, bringing a few snowflakes to The T&D Region. A mixture of snowflakes and sleet was spotted near Walmart on North Road on Tuesday afternoon. But the National Weather Service wasnt anticipating more than flurries. The National Weather Service said cold Canadian air was moving into the region Tuesday and Wednesday with freezing temperatures reaching all the way to the South Carolina beaches by Wednesday night. Wednesday in The T&D Region is forecast to be sunny and breezy with a high near 43. Wednesday night is forecast to be mostly clear with a low around 24. It should be slightly warmer Thursday and Friday, with a high near 48. But the weekend will bring another blast of arctic air with whats expected to be the coldest temperatures of the winter. Saturday is forecast to be sunny with a high near 48 before dipping down to 21 degrees at night. For 20 years prior to his 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama attended Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Since his election as president, Obama has attended Christian worship services numerous times, has spoken annually at the distinctly Christian National Prayer Breakfast, and has periodically issued messages of holiday solidarity (Easter, Christmas, etc.) to my fellow Christians. But some people dont believe hes a Christian. He drinks beer, eats pork, and marks Islams holy month of Ramadan with good wishes to Muslims (in one, refers to my own Christian faith) rather than with that religions required fasting, but some people believe hes secretly a Muslim. And some Republican politicians actively encourage that belief. The can of hummus got opened up again on Feb. 3, when Obama visited a mosque in Baltimore to tell American Muslims youre part of America too. Youre not Muslim or American. Youre Muslim and American. As expected, the smirkingest, most Im saying what you think Im saying but am not actually saying critique of Obamas visit came from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who opined that maybe he feels comfortable there. In other words, maybe hes a secret Muslim. Comes now U.S. Sen. (and also presidential candidate) Marco Rubio, characterizing the mosque visit as pitting people against each other. Because, you see, telling Muslim Americans that theyre Americans is soooooo divisive (unlike, for example, asserting that America is a Christian nation). I wonder if Rubio isnt maybe just jealous that he forgot to cover all his religious bases. He started off as a Catholic. Then he was a Mormon. Now hes a Catholic again and a Southern Baptist too (yes, really). I sometimes suspect that Donald Trumps, Marco Rubios and Barack Obamas real religions revolve around, respectively, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Barack Obama. But I digress. Let me settle three questions for you as best I can. Question #1: Is Barack Obama a Muslim? Answer: No one can know anothers innermost thoughts, but going by Obamas long record of public pronouncements and actions, no, hes not a Muslim. Hes a professing Christian. Question #2: Doesnt that visit to a mosque make you wonder, though? Answer: It shouldnt. George W. Bush visited a mosque in Washington the week after 9/11, for exactly the same purpose as Obama did: To reassure Muslims that they are welcome in, and part of, America. Do you think George W. Bush is a Muslim too? Question #3: Is America a Christian, or an anti-Muslim, nation? Answer: Ill let the first two presidents of the United States and the US Senate stand in for me on this answer. According to the Treaty of Tripoli, which was negotiated under George Washington and proffered to the Senate for ratification (it passed) by John Adams, the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion ... it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen [Muslims] ... Any more questions? Thomas L. Knapp is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida. Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office Deputies and social workers placed three children in emergency protective custody after determining that neither of the childrens parents could tend to them, according to a sheriffs office incident report. On Saturday morning, deputies responded to the Regional Medical Center where a nurse reported that a woman dropped her toddler while holding him. Hospital staff became concerned about the babys well-being and asked the mother if she was under the influence of any drugs or alcohol. The mother said shed consumed two wine coolers on Friday afternoon, but that was all. A nurse at the hospital informed deputies that the mother tested positive for marijuana, cocaine, opiates and benzodiazepines, the report said. Again, deputies spoke with the mother. They said she admitted to taking Xanax and smoking a joint with her brother at a party. She said the marijuana joint must have been laced with cocaine because she did not knowingly use cocaine. Deputies felt as though she wasnt able to care for her children due to drug use and dropping her baby on the floor, the report said. Deputies then made contact with the Department of Social Services. A caseworker advised that the mother was already under a DSS program due to her drug activity. The caseworker arrived at RMC and made contact with the childrens father so that he could establish as safety plan for the children. However, the plan wasnt possible because the father had an outstanding warrant with the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office, the report said. DSS took custody of the children and placed them in foster care until further investigation could be completed. In other reports: Someone stole a set of 20-inch chrome rims and tires from a Binnicker Bridge Road property. Surveillance video shows individuals coming into the yard and rolling the tires around the shed and out of the yard. The tires and rims are valued at $1,000. A Bowman man reported that someone took his 2009 Nissan Rogue without his consent. The man said the last time he saw his vehicle was on Friday when he left his Homestead Road business for the weekend. The vehicle is valued at $15,000. Strange Thoughts on Films. Turn Off Your Mind, Relax & Float Downstream. Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Fellow Blog Readers, I am proud to be a friend and fan of our resident photographer: Tambako the Jaguar. Unless you have seen the full body of his work, you cannot know the excellence of his talent. Therefore, I encourage you to click on the following links, "like" his Facebook page, and get to know him better. He's not only one of the most talented animal photographers out there, but he is also one heck of a nice person. Enjoy! Tambako's bio: http://www.flickr.com/people/tambako/ More info and images: http://greenbuzzz.net/environment/40-exceptional-and-breathtaking-big-cat-photographs-by-emmanuel-keller/ And... tambako.ch Friend him here: https://www.facebook.com/tambakophotography >^..^< /By Azernews/ By Aynur Karimova The government of Azerbaijan has increased its quota in the International Monetary Fund from 160.9 million SDR ($224.34 million) to 391.7 million SDR ($546.14 million). The IMF announced that Azerbaijan's quota was increased as part of the 14th General Review of Quotas. The SDR - Special Drawing Rights - is an international reserve asset, created by the IMF in 1969 to supplement its member countries' official reserves. As of February 8, the official exchange rate was 1.39427 SDR/USD. Some 44 percent (173.1 million SDR or 377.7 million manats) of Azerbaijans quota may be placed in the national currency. The IMF said that Azerbaijan has already agreed on the increase of its quota, but it has not yet set the date of its share payment. As a result of increasing the quota of each of 188 IMF member-states, total contributions increased from 238.5 billion SDR ($329 billion) to 477 billion SDR ($659 billion). The IMF's largest member-state is the U.S. with a quota of 82.9 billion SDR. The IMF's smallest member-state is Tuvalu with a quota of 2.5 million SDR. Quotas are denominated in SDR, the IMF's unit of account. Quota subscriptions are a central component of the IMFs financial resources. Each member country of the IMF is assigned a quota, based broadly on its relative position in the world economy. This quota determines a maximum amount of the countrys financial commitments to the IMF and its number of votes. It also affects the country's access to the IMF financing. When a country joins the IMF, it is assigned an initial quota in the same range as the quotas of existing members of broadly comparable economic size and characteristics. The IMF uses a quota formula to help assess a members relative position. The amount of funding that the member-state can obtain from the IMF (its access limit) is determined on the basis of its quota. For example, a member-state can borrow up to 200 percent of its quota annually and up to 600 percent on an accrual basis a part of the agreements on the stand by loans and expanded lending. In exceptional cases, the access amount can be increased. Azerbaijan joined the IMF in 1992. The cooperation was particularly intense in 1995-2005. During these years, Azerbaijan often used IMFs advisory and financial assistance to support the government's economic programs. The World Bank (WB) will continue to be a reliable partner of Azerbaijan in assisting the country in economic diversification in conditions of global instability, head of the WB Baku office Larisa Leshchenko said. She made the remarks Feb. 10 on the fifth Tax Forum themed Azerbaijani tax system: Realities and Prospects. Leshchenko said that the development of non-oil sector is especially important, given the fact that its not worth waiting for increase in oil prices in the near future. She noted that in previous years Azerbaijan took serious steps to ensure stability of the economy. Even with oil prices at $60 per barrel in the first half of 2015, Azerbaijan achieved significant economic growth of 5.7 percent, and in the second half of 2015, despite an even further fall in oil prices, the country was able to ensure GDP growth, though at a slower pace, Leshchenko said. The head of the WB Baku office said that the difficulties caused by low oil prices are at the same time good opportunity to hold serious reforms and strengthen economic resilience. Leshchenko welcomed the steps taken by Azerbaijan to improve the tax system, noting the application of simplified tax for companies with a turnover of capital of up to 200,000 manats. She said that this will seriously affect the development of non-oil sector of the countrys economy. /By Trend/ /By Azernews/ By Aynur Karimova China, the largest cotton producing country in the world, is keen to expand relations with Azerbaijan in the cotton breeding field. Chinese Xinjiang Yinlong International Agricultural Cooperation reviews opportunities for construction of a joint plant in Azerbaijan for production of seedless raw cotton and cotton seed, based on new technologies, local media reported. Currently, negotiations are underway between Azerbaijan's Agriculture Ministry and the Xinjiang Yinlong, which is the third largest Chinese company, specialized in the field of cotton growing. Experts believe that cooperation with China is of significant importance in terms of development of seed farming, cotton processing and seed cleaning in Azerbaijan. They say China, some 300 million people of which are involved in cotton production in the country's 24 provinces, attaches great importance to Azerbaijan's climate and soil capabilities for seed farming and cotton breeding. They also note that Azerbaijan, which is keen to give a new life to cotton production industry, will benefit from cooperation with China. Currently, cotton production is traditionally wide-spread in the country's Saatli, Sabirabad, Beylagan, Barda and Zardab regions. Azerbaijan was famous for high production of cootn in the 20th century and was even a leading cotton producer in the Soviet Union. However, over the past 18 years, production has dipped six fold in Azerbaijan due to diminishing interest to this field of agriculture. As a result, areas grown under cotton reduced by nine times. Azerbaijan collected 35,000 tons of cotton in 2015, which is 14.6 percent less than in 2014, according to the State Statistics Committee. This was the lowest indicator of cotton production in Azerbaijan since 2010. Local experts say that cotton production is not the easiest operation, and despite the heavy demand, the decrease in interest in cotton resulted from the low profitability margins of cotton production. Moreover, an increasing use of artificial materials worldwide has negatively affected the cotton-growing sector. They believe that to boost this sphere, new technologies, minerals, and varieties are needed to lower the cost of cotton production. In this case, Azerbaijani cotton would be competitive in world markets. Meanwhile, the government of Azerbaijan has opted for incentive measures to enhance local production, to increase farmers' interest in this traditional sector and to create new jobs. Azerbaijan's Economy and Industry Ministry reported on February 6 that the government has discussed the prospects for the development of the cotton production with representatives of companies involved in the production and processing of cotton. Cotton production and processing enterprises increased the procurement price of cotton significantly in 2016 compared to the previous year. They will pay some 500 manats ($315.55), 470 manats ($296.6), 440 manats ($277.68) and 400 manats ($252.44) for a ton of the first, second, third and fourth types of cotton, respectively. Moreover, cotton production and processing facilities will meet the costs of transportation and 90 percent of production costs will be provided in advance by processors. Farmers engaged in cotton breeding will be able to reach wider range of preferential loans and leasing services. The incentive measures and the increase in sown areas will provide an opportunity to create more than 15,000 new jobs, thereby almost doubling the number of employees in this area. In total, it is planned to plant cotton in 30,000 hectares of land (80 percent more than the previous year), and to supply 70,000 tons of raw cotton in 2016. /By Azernews/ By Amina Nazarli Azerbaijan Railways close joint stock company will henceforth regulate the tariffs for cargo and passenger traffic through the railway as the state decided to authorize it with more authorities. The Cabinet of Ministers amended the List of goods (work, services), the prices (tariffs) for which are regulated by state, where the Cabinet excluded tariffs for freight and passenger traffic through railway from this list. Spokesman for the company Nadir Azmammadov told Trend on February 7 that Azerbaijan Railways has been authorized to regulate tariffs for railway transportation. Earlier, the Tariff Council fulfilled these functions as the Azerbaijan Railways was subordinated to the Transport Ministry, Azmammadov said. Azerbaijani Railways became an independent body at the presidential decree in 2015 and was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Cabinet of Ministers. Now Azerbaijani Railways has entered a stage of dynamic development and is implementing several large-scale reforms. Azmammadov emphasized the company has established bilateral and multilateral relations with international financial institutions and involved in many international projects. Work on the implementation of one of the main projects of the 21st century -- the railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is underway, which will connect not only three countries, but also play the role of bridge between dozens of states and peoples, he said. Last year the company upgraded its wagon and locomotive fleet, signing a contract with Russian Uralvagonzavod on purchasing 3,100 freight cars for various purposes, some 3,030 of which have already been delivered to the country. The company also bought some 50 freight and passenger locomotives from French ALSTOM company. Last year Azerbaijan Railways and Switzerlands Stadler Rail Group signed a contract for the purchase of five KISS double-decker trains. Three of these trains have already in Baku. Azerbaijan enjoys both advantageous geographical position at a crossroads between East and West and developed transport infrastructure, which pave the way for the country to become a regional transport hub. The history of Azerbaijani railway goes back to the 19th century when it was mainly used for oil transportation. Today, the total length of the countrys railway surpasses 2,932 kilometers. Today, Azerbaijan has invested billions of dollars in the development of railway infrastructure, applying the principle of "single window" for transport of transit cargoes through its territory via the railways and attracting foreign cargo companies. Azerbaijan has reduced transit costs by around 40 percent for foreign carriers heading to the Kazakh port of Aktau and Turkmenbashi port of Turkmenistan. The government applies a 30-percent discount on the services of transit of oil and oil products by railway. The North-South railway project connecting northern Europe to the south-east Asia, serve as a bridge connecting the railways of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia. After the removal of sanctions imposed against Iran the trade turnover with the EU will increase significantly, and Azerbaijan can use railway transport for cargo transportation. The establishment of railway communication between Azerbaijan and Iran and the development of the North-South transport corridor can open significant prospects for the development of cargo and passenger traffic between Europe and Asia, thus greatly contributing to the diversification of Azerbaijan's economy. The Trans-Caspian international transport route, which runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey and onward to Europe, has the opportunity to become a profitable route for the country. Azerbaijan expects to earn hundreds of millions of manat from the route which will transport approximately 300,000-400,000 containers by 2020. Azerbaijan Railways can also earn $600-700 million from transit traffic by 2020. Jordan's House of Representatives will adopt a resolution on the Khojaly Genocide, Speaker Atef Tarawneh has told Azerbaijani Ambassador Sabir Aghabayov. He said the Jordanian parliament has always backed justice, adding it will voice its position on the Khojaly Genocide in a resolution. Ambassador Aghabayov highlighted the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He hailed the Jordanian Senate`s resolution condemning the Khojaly Genocide. The Ambassador expressed confidence that Jordan`s House of Representatives will also express its stance on the issue through passing a resolution. They discussed cooperation between the two countries, and also praised the role of the Azerbaijani President and the King of Jordan in developing the bilateral ties. /By Azertac/ European Jewish Press agency has issued an article highlighting multicultural environment in Azerbaijan. Written by Yossi Lempkowicz, who visited Azerbaijan on January 28-31, the articles hail the development of Azerbaijan-Israel relations, and conditions created for the Jewish community in the country. The article says: "The Azerbaijani-Israeli strategic partnership relation encompasses many different areas, like energy, security, defense, agriculture, trade but it is also mostly characterized by the human factor, with a vibrant Jewish community in Azerbaijan, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan told EJP in Baku, the country's capital, located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, a city which mixes modernity and tradition. The Jewish community of Azerbaijan, with around 30,000 people, is viewed today as an example in the world how in a secular country with a majority Muslim Shia population, which borders Iran in its southern part, all faith communities, including Judaism, live in perfect harmony and mutual respect. 10,000 Jews live in the capital where there are 2 synagogues, 2 Jewish schools, one college and 3 kindergartens. There are 7 synagogues in the country, including two in Baku and three in Quba, an old city in the north east of the country, also dubbed the ''Jerusalem of the Caucasus'', where an entire Jewish population, known as Mountains Jews, lives, the sole example in the world of a Jewish city outside Israel. Moreover, a new Jewish Museum is being built with government financial support in Quba. ''With our friends in Israel we had a very open discussion. This is not an issue for us. Our view is not different from the mainstream view of Israel's society and Israel's government. We have no problem with importing such products in Azerbaijan, replies Hikmat Hajyev, when asked about his country's position on the labeling question, as he argues that people in the settlements are working to get salaries. If you stop importing their products, they will lose their jobs,' he says. According to him, the two-state solution ''is the only guarantee for sustainable peace in this part of the world and for the security and safety of the Israeli people.'' "We are witnessing regular unfair criticism and attacks in the European Parliament against Azerbaijan, deplores Bahar Muradova, Vice President of the Milli Majlis, the country's 125-member parliament, and chairperson of the Human Rights committee. Herself a refugee from one of the 7 occupied districts, she deplores the difference of attitude of the EU. 'This is very disappointing because we attach a lot of importance to our relationship with the EU,' she said. As a result of an ''offensive'' resolution of the EU parliament last September on the so-called ''violation of human rights'' in Azerbaijan, Baku suspended its participation in the Euronest parliamentary assembly, a forum in the framework of EU's Eastern Partnership grouping members of national parliaments from Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The article says: In her conversation with EJP, Muradova was proud to say that "Azerbaijan is the only country where there is no anti-Semitism'', contrary to what is happening in several countries of Europe. Moreover, despite the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh, there are 30,000 Armenians living peacefully in Azerbaijan, she explained. "Isn't this tolerance and respect of human rights?,'' the MP asked. Turning to the successful integration of one million refugees from Nagorno Karabakh region, she believes the EU, which is increasingly coping with the migrant crisis, has to learn from Azerbaijan's experience. Azay Guliev, a member of the Azerbaijani parliament who also chairs the Council of State Support to NGOs explained that his country has proposed and initiated a strategic partnership with the EU based on close cooperation. ''Our multiculturalism should be developed as an example for the rest of the world at a time when anti-Semitism and Islamophobia are the main threats to our common home, says Azay Guliyev. ''Wasn't Azerbaijan the first country to give voting rights to women in 1918, even before the US did so?'' he asks to counter his country's critics. President of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Mubariz Gurbanli has met with members of the International Winter School of Multiculturalism titled Multiculturalism as a way of life in Azerbaijan: read, study and share 2016, co-organized by the Baku International Center of Multiculturalism, Knowledge Foundation under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Baku Slavic University. Addressing the meeting, Gurbanli said that there is no alternative to multiculturalism in present world. Stressing that Azerbaijan has developed an exemplary model of multiculturalism, Gurbanli noted that representatives of different religions live in peace and harmony in Azerbaijan. Gurbanli pointed out that President Ilham Aliyev declared 2016 as the Year of Multiculturalism in Azerbaijan. He emphasized that the government regularly provides financial aid to non-Islamic religious communities. Gurbanli briefed the participants on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said that 20 percent of the territory of Azerbaijan was occupied by neighboring Armenia, leaving more than 1 million Azerbaijanis expelled from their native lands. The Chairman of the Committee said that the solution to all global problems depends on the inter-religious and inter-civilization dialogue, and equal respect for the representatives of different religions, languages, cultures and races. The International Winter School of Multiculturalism has brought together 43 students from universities in Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine, Turkey, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic, Georgia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Indonesia, Japan and Germany as well as 12 students of local universities along with local and foreign experts. /By Azertac/ GUAM Secretary General Altay Afandiyev has today visited Azerbaijan`s Parliament (Milli Majlis) to meet head of the Permanent Delegation of the Parliament of Azerbaijan to the GUAM PA Azar Karimli. The sides discussed Azerbaijan`s commitments during chairmanship of GUAM in 2016. They noted Azerbaijan`s role in GUAM in current geopolitical situation. They underlined that the economic projects, productive use of investment, trade, tourism, transport and transit potential would be key priorities for the organization in 2016. /By Azertac/ CIS Executive Committee in Minsk hosted a regular meeting of the Council of Permanent Plenipotentiary Representatives of CIS states members with the statutory and other bodies of the Commonwealth. They drew up a draft agenda of a meeting of CIS Council of Foreign Ministers scheduled for April 8 in Moscow. The draft agenda included issues of cooperation of CIS countries in the field of politics, the exchange of geospatial information, a number of documents on cooperation in the field of public health, prevention and treatment of diabetes and cancer. It also features issues of cultural cooperation, the creation of basic institutions of CIS states for the training of specialists in various fields. Proposals in the draft agenda of the meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of Government slated for June in Bishkek have been submitted for consideration of the members of the Permanent Representatives Council. Permanent representatives also discussed preparation and implementation of the events marking the 25th anniversary of the CIS. /By Azertac/ US ambassador in Ankara John Bass has been summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry Tuesday midday over "support" remarks by a State Department spokesman concerning the terrorist organization PKK's Syrian affiliate, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), Anadolu reported. According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Foreign Ministry deputy undersecretary Umit Yalcin expressed Ankara's uneasiness regarding Monday's press briefing in which spokesman John Kirby said: "We don't, as you know, recognize the PYD as a terrorist organization." Turkey, a NATO ally of the U.S., designates the group a terrorist entity as it does the PKK. The Turkish government had also recently announced its opposition to see the PYD participate in the Geneva peace talks. Kirbys comments follow remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who voiced concerns about U.S. support for the People's Protection Units (YPG), the military wing of the PYD. "Kurdish fighters have been some of the most successful in going after Daesh inside Syria. We have provided a measure of support, mostly through the air and that support will continue," added Kirby. "The PYD, controlled by the Qandil Mountain [where the PKK has established its headquarters since it retreated from Turkey] is supported and defended [by western powers that] ignore the YPG's ethnic cleansing activities in the region, terrorist actions, [and] cooperation with the current [Bashar al Assads] regime," Erdogan said Saturday at the World Tourism Forum in Istanbul. Blasting Washingtons characterization of the PYD as a reliable partner in the fight against Daesh, Erdogan urged the U.S. to show preference to its NATO ally Turkey rather than the PYD. Earlier on Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said allied and friendly nations should distinguish terrorist organizations from states in their fight against Daesh in Syria. "The U.S. needs to make a decision: Does it choose us as a partner or terrorist organizations?" he said in a joint news conference with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto in Budapest. /By Trend/ The head of the Vanadzor office of Helsinki Civil Assembly Artur Sakunts appealed to the Chief Prosecutor's Office demanding to interrogate the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan over the terror attack on the Armenian parliament on Oct. 27, 1999, 1in.am website reported. The head of "Republic" party Aram Z.Sargsyan said that Serzh Sargsyan confessed that one day he will tell who organized attack. "According to the statement, the President has hidden information about a crime, which is a criminal offense", - Artur Sakunts added. Turkish and Israeli diplomats are set to meet in Switzerland on Feb 10 as part of ongoing negotiations for the reconciliation, Hurriyet Daily News reported. Turkish diplomatic sources did neither confirm nor deny the reports but the Turkish private broadcaster NTV said Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu was on his way to Geneva to attend the meeting. Diplomats of two countries have long been negotiating over a plan to normalize ruined relationship because of Israeli commandos' raid on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara flotilla. Israel officialy apologized to Turkey in 2013 over the killings of 10 Turkish citizens but discussions on how much compensation will be paid to the families of the victims and how Turkish access to Gaza will be provided in an unrestricted way have still been not clear. /By Trend/ Iran is manufacturing its own tank - Karrar, instead of purchasing Russian T90 tanks, said the country's Defense Minister Hossein Dehgan. Dehgan said that Karrar has all the capabilites of the T90, Defense Ministry's official website reported on Feb.10. "We are producing Karrar domestically," he said. "It is more advanced than T90." Iran previously held talks with Russia regarding the purchase of the T90 tanks, however later abandoned the idea. Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, commander of the Iranian army's ground forces has previously said that buying the T90 tanks is not on the country's agenda. The Russian T-90 tank is one of our favorites, he said, adding however purchasing this tank was later abandoned considering Irans domestic capacities for producing tanks. Iran currently plans to use its domestic capacities to meet its demand for tanks, the commander said. Sputnik news agency earlier reported that the purchase of T-90 main battle tanks would considerably rehabilitate Irans tank fleet. The T-90 is considered to be among the 10 best main battle tanks in the world. Currently it is the most commercially successful main battle tank on the global market, said the agency's report. Under international restrictions, Iran has turned to domestic talents to improve its military power, frequently unveiling new products. Since 1992, Iran has been manufacturing its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radar, boats, submarines and fighter aircraft. Meanwhile, Deputy Director General of Russaian Uralvagonzavod company Alexey Zharich said on Feb. 4 that his company proposed to license production of T90 in Iran if the UN sanctions on the country are lifted. /By Trend/ Investcorp, a global provider and manager of alternative investment products, posted an increase of 12 per cent in net income to $50.9 million for the fist six months of its fiscal year (H1 FY16) ending December 31. The company had reported a net profit of $45.3 million during the same period previous year. Despite heightened levels of volatility and uncertainty in global markets, the results were driven by continued strong transactional activity and placement momentum and solid asset-based returns on the firms portfolio of co-investments, a statement said. Fully diluted earnings per share for the period was in line with the previous year at $0.71 per share. Return on equity for the period was 12 per cent on an annualised basis. Fee income for the period was $134.7 million compared with $156.7 million in H1 FY15. The decline in fee income was primarily due to the exceptionally high performance fees from the successful sale of Berlin Packaging in the comparative period last year, it said. Overall, gross operating income for H1 FY16 was up 16 per cent to $178.4 million (H1 FY15: $154.0 million). The period was marked by strong transactional fee income and a record deployment of investment capital of $658 million (an increase of 41 per cent year-on-year) for corporate investment and real estate as the firm continued its transactional momentum in those two businesses. Investcorp maintained its prudent approach with a focus on delivering sustainable returns through the cycle, and continued to see strong appetite from its growing base of investors for attractive, global and diversified investment opportunities. The strong growth in asset based income to $43.7 million versus a H1 FY15 loss of $2.6 million was driven by a robust performance in the corporate investment portfolio. In aggregate, the firms portfolio companies delivered robust EBITDA growth of close to 10 per cent during 2015, contributing to this growth in asset based income. Asset based income for the real estate business was $4.6 million compared with $5.6 million in H1 FY15, it said. Aggregate placement of corporate investments and real estate was $482 million, a similar level to the $490 million placed in H1 FY15. This result highlights the firms inherent strength in being able to tap into a diverse source of investment products across three continents and across different product classes, based on where the risk-reward opportunities are more attractive, it said. The firm was able to offer more real estate investments and grew its real estate placement activity by 47 per cent to $249 million from $169 million placed in H1 FY15 which offset the slow period for corporate investment activity during Q3 2015. Demand for both asset classes remained strong with particularly high levels of placement activity in November and December. Operating expenses increased 14 per cent to $89.0 million (H1 FY15: $78.2 million) reflecting Investcorps commitment to investing in the right infrastructure and talent to support the firms future growth plans. In particular, the firm made several prominent hires across its business teams in the US as well as adding to its senior hedge fund personnel through the acquisition of SSARIS Advisors. Total Firm headcount grew to 319 from 296 twelve months ago. The balance sheet remains well capitalised with total assets as at December 31, 2015, at $2.3 billion, up from $2.2 billion as at June 30, 2015. Total liquidity remains strong at $0.7 billion. The Banks capital adequacy ratio, at 28%, is more than double the requirements of the Central Bank of Bahrain (12.5 per cent). The bank remains well within the required leverage ratio and there are no outstanding debt facilities maturing in the next 12 months, the statement added. Mohammed Al Ardhi, executive chairman, said: This has been a half of continued momentum for Investcorp as weve continued to grow our profitability and maintain a strong balance sheet in what have been tough markets in almost all asset classes, in all markets. We have maintained our prudent approach to investing, and we believe this approach enables us to deliver sustainable returns to our loyal and growing community of investors throughout the cycle. The performance of our corporate investments, the outperformance of our hedge funds, and the continued strength of our US real estate business underlines this ability. At the same time, we recognise the importance of investing in the long term growth of the firm. We have seen our investor base expand on the back of our investment in growing our presence in the Gulf to four countries, and throughout this period of solid performance we continued to attract and retain the highest calibre of investment talent and executional excellence available in the market today. Looking ahead as we embark on the delivery of our growth strategy, we intend to retain our vigilance in these markets and to continue to meet our commitment to our investors to provide attractive alternative investment opportunities in the Gulf, in Europe and in the US, he said. -TradeArabia News Service Bahrain-based Investcorp will seek further opportunities to acquire businesses, its co-chief executive said on Wednesday, after the alternative investment fund posted a 12 per cent rise in first-half net profit. Investcorp bought the Hedge Fund of Funds business unit of US firm SSARIS Advisors for an undisclosed sum in November, the first move in a strategic plan announced earlier that month aimed at moving into the top tier of investment companies. "One of the things we're clearly signalling to the market at large is our openness and willingness to consider inorganic growth options for our business, where there is a fit that makes logical sense," Rishi Kapoor told reporters on a conference call. He added the company would continue to evaluate similar opportunities as SSARIS. Founded in 1982, making it one of the oldest Middle Eastern private equity houses, Investcorp is best known in the global space for listing luxury goods brands, such as Gucci and Tiffany & Co, but has increasingly branched out into other sectors too. Its net profit grew to $50.9 million in the six months to Dec. 31, up from $45.3 million in the prior-year period, according to a statement. This came despite fee income dropping 14 per cent year on year to $134.7 million, which Investcorp attributed to the "exceptionally high" fees generated in the prior-year period by the sale of Berlin Packaging. Kapoor said while the first three months had been slow from a transactions perspective, activity ramped up in the second half of the reporting period -- something that was continuing at the start of 2016 . During the reporting period, it deployed $314 million in three corporate investments, including Saudi supermarket chain Bindawood Holding and cybersecurity firm SecureLink, as well as $344 million into two real estate portfolios in the US. Investcorp was continuing to target investments in U.S. real estate, and was also looking to Europe as well, while it was looking selectively at private equity buys in both regions, Kapoor added. Reuters A new study has listed `factories automation as one of the top three emerging trends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the UAE in 2023. The other two upcoming trends for 2023 in the two GCC countries, according to the study by Poly, are smart liv Bahrains Ameeri Industries is showcasing at the Gulf Industry Fair two of its most successful products light poles and crash barriers. The company, which has had its crash barriers installed in several of the kingdoms highways over the years, is now ready to explore the GCC markets, says chairman Adel Mohammed Ameeri. Last year, the firm consumed 2,000 tonnes of steel for making the barriers and this year production is expected to soar with at least one state in the process of placing orders. Negotiations are in progress with a Kuwait contractor to have these structures installed there, says Adel. Light poles manufacturing had a good run in 2015. The company produced half its capacity of 8,000 tonnes of poles and 50 per cent of the production went to contractors in Qatar. The remainder of the output was consumed in the home market. The company wants to diversify its client base and is aiming at destinations in the other Gulf states. Adel says the company has begun supply talks with contractors in the region. The crash barriers and light poles are manufactured under the companys Amgard brand at the South Alba Industrial Area. Another product which holds potential, according to Ameeri, is its fireproof doors within the Amgard segment. Adel says the company has been manufacturing the product on a small scale but there could be a boom for the line, considering that construction activity is still brisk in the region. We have the capability to produce 200 doors of standard size per month and the potential for growth is very good, he says. Over the past two years, Ameeri Industries has been preparing to introduce solar systems as part of its Ametech divisions portfolio. Now, Adel says, a launch is likely to take place in mid-2016. We propose to offer complete solutions for buildings including roof panels, electrical panels and converters. Ametech manufactures electrical panel boards, electrical distribution boards, fuse boards, feeder pillars, control panel boards, and motor control centres. Its production facilities are located at the Bahrain International Investment Park. Ameeri Industry used some 6,000 tonnes of steel in 2015, less than half its capacity. Adel is optimistic that 2016 will bring production significantly closer to capacity than at any time in the past. TradeArabia News Service Germanys Knuth Machine Tools has returned to the Gulf Industry Fair for the third time to build on the business ties it has established over several years. Gregor Zastrow of Knuths international sales department says the company considers the Gulf, with its growing industrial base and powerful oil and gas sector, an important geographical region. Knuth has had business ties with the Gulf for a number of years. We have been engaged in machine sales, training and maintenance services in the region, says Zastrow. That is why we have come here. Saudi Arabia has been the biggest market so far for Knuth, followed by the UAE. The official says one of the machines Knuth is highlighting at the fair is the Stahlwerk brand CNC (computerised numerical control) machine, which has flexible features. It is possible to equip the machine with a lot of different options for each customer requirement. For example, for tool changing units and air-conditioning, he says. Also being showcased is the Plasma-Jet DSL cutting machine. This has a lot of measurement possibilities and technical options as in different hypertherm sources, pipe cutting and five-axis cutting. We are also presenting machines for metal sheet working such as press brakes, band saws and profile bending equipment. In addition, we have conventional milling and turning machines ranging from small sizes to 8 m, Zastrow adds. Zastrow emphasises that Knuth Machine Tools is a respected manufacturer globally and is also well-regarded in the Middle East for its highest quality standards, technological innovations, decades of experience and unsurpassed price/performance ratios. Knuth makes cutting machines for plasma, laser and hydro cutting; CNC machines for turning, drilling, milling, grinding, sanding, engraving and sawing; machines for sheet metal work including presses and equipment for bending, plate shears and band saws. The company also offers an extensive portfolio of accessories for lathes and milling, grinding, sanding and sawing machines as well as consumables such as saw blades, sanding belts and cooling lubricants. TradeArabia News Service Bahrain's products are among the best in the market, His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa said. He said that the quality of Bahraini products make them the best choice in the market because they precisely take the requirements and needs of consumers into account. The Premiers comments came as he opened the 2016 Gulf Industry Fair at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC) yesterday. As many as 80 exhibitors from 16 countries are participating at the three-day exhibition, organised by Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE) of Bahrain. The Premier pointed out that the industrial sector is one of the pillars of the kingdoms efforts to diversify its revenue sources, given its huge potential and outstanding ability to revitalise the national economy. The Prime Minister underscored the governments unwavering keenness on encouraging Bahraini companies to expand their operations through providing a series of facilities and incentives, alongside its support to GCC and foreign investments within the framework of the free and open market policy. He stressed that the kingdom has become a leading country in hosting regional exhibitions and conferences, thanks to its advanced and modern infrastructure that attracts investors to it. Specialised events such as the Gulf Industry Fair provide a platform to share expertise and reach deals among businessmen and investors, and open up wider horizons for developing trade and agreeing on joint ventures, which benefits the national economy and enhances its development and growth, the Premier said. Touring the fair, the Premier expressed admiration for the exhibited items and products in the field of advanced industrial technology, which, he said, reflects Bahrains distinguished status as a favourable destination for conferences and exhibitions. The Premier called on investors in the industrial field to focus on modern technology-based industries that could boost the kingdoms gross domestic product (GDP). He also lauded the increasing number of companies participating at the fair, which proved the confidence of the participants in the event, in terms of its organisation and ability to attract investors. Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid Alzayani expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Premier for patronising the opening of the 2016 fair. HCE chairman Anwar Abdulrahman extended his thanks and appreciation to the Prime Minister for patronising the fair, adding that the Premiers gesture embodies his keenness on supporting the industrial sector, given its importance as an important tributary to the national economy. He asserted that the Prime Ministers constant desire to inaugurate the fair personally is a badge of honour for HCE and is a catalyst for it to continue hosting various specialised regional and international exhibitions. HCE managing director Jubran Abdulrahman expressed his sincere thanks, appreciation and gratitude to the Premier for his constant support to the fair, which was an ideal platform for companies aiming to do business in the emerging industrial markets of the GCC region. He underlined the importance of the timing of the fair amidst the fall in oil prices, which, he said, highlights the importance of achieving economic and industrial diversity. The Gulf Industry Fair is open to trade and business visitors from 9 am to 7 pm and continues till Thursday. TradeArabia News Service Bahrains Telecommunications Regulatory Authoritys (TRA) held its first Board of Directors meeting this year, during which members highlighted the importance of accelerating the issuance of the 4th National Telecommunications Plan. The Board also highlighted the matter of reviewing the reduction of the TRAs expenses through reviewing and optimizing its organizational structure to be in line with the markets current requirements. The Board discussed the status of telecommunication masts in the kingdom, praising the significant efforts made by TRA to address the issue of masts through its constant cooperation with the government entities and the operators to implement the Cabinet Decision on enforcing the provisions of the Regulation concerning Public Radiocommunications Stations. The Board commended TRA on its leading role at the GCC level whereas TRA was keen to review and reduce the GCC roaming prices for the benefit of the users protecting the rights of consumers in the Kingdom. The Board also commended TRA on promoting its performance to the highest levels of excellence and innovation and stressed on continuing to work in a transparent manner in dealing with all the sector-related issues, as well as on its position as an exemplar regulator in all its initiatives and strategies at a regional and international level through constructive cooperation with the GCC counties and international organizations. Finally, the Board expressed the importance of developing the Bahraini competencies to develop work and continuing to develop the sector fulfilling the government policy in this area. TradeArabia News Service OSN, a leading pay-TV network in the region, and Gulf Film, a distributor of major studio productions and independent movies, have signed a six-year exclusive partnership through 2021 for premium film content. Marking a regional first, the partnership is underlined by OSNs acquisition of the entire transaction window building exclusivity for the first-time across all platforms including over-the-top (OTT) content access available on the award-winning digital platform, OSN Play, that is free to subscribers and GO, the fast-growing non-subscriber based online TV service. The deal will give OSN access to nearly 1,000 brand-new films distributed by Gulf Film in Arabic and English over a period of 6 years - exclusive to OSN. All the films will be available in glorious high-definition (HD) for an unbeatable home-viewing experience, and most of these films will be available for OSN viewers shortly after their theatrical release. David Butorac, chief executive officer of OSN, said: The exclusive multi-year output deal with Gulf Film is industry-defining for the MENA region. It marks the first time that an exclusive content sharing agreement has been signed with the regions leading distributor of films. While OSN has built an incredible library of content through our only-on-OSN partnerships with leading Hollywood studios, our association with Gulf Film significantly enhances our brand-new film content to define OSN as the home of blockbuster and the latest movies. OSN will also provide movie fans the added opportunity to watch some 56 trailers of the newest movies playing at Novo Cinemas, owned by Gulf Film, daily on its various channels. Further, Gulf Film will cross-promote OSN content at all Novo Cinema screens across the Middle East. Selim El Azar, chief executive officer, Gulf Film, said: As the pioneering film distribution house in the region, Gulf Film brings new theatrical releases every week. Through our partnership with OSN, we can further strengthen the visibility of our new releases via movie trailers and other behind-the-scenes looks. OSN subscribers will also have the opportunity to watch their favourite movies first on television on their network, and in truly spectacular HD quality. OSN will be the only platform to offer these movies to viewers in the region. As part of the agreement, OSN also holds the rights to broadcasting the films on its digital platforms including OSN Play and Go, assuring an anytime, anywhere film experience for its subscribers. TradeArabia News Service Demand for Honeywells gas detection equipment in the Gulf is driven mainly by the oil and gas industry in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the company acknowledges. The oil and gas industry is certainly one of the biggest for gas detection equipment in the region. However, due to continued expansion in the infrastructure in the region, we are seeing increasing demand from utilities, water treatment, marine, construction and other heavy industries, remarked Andrew Thompson, vice president and general manager for high-growth regions, Honeywell Industrial Safety, while speaking to Gulf Industry magazine. The Gulf imports its gas detection products from any of Honeywell manufacturing facilities including those in the UK, Korea, China, Italy and Mexico. Honeywell is a global leader in providing a wide range of advanced gas detection systems and devices. From low-end, compliance equipment to high-end, high-functionality devices and from smaller boiler rooms to large petrochemical plants and oil refineries, Honeywell products cater to a broad range of industries including oil and gas, construction, manufacturing and power and utilities. The best-selling products in the region in 2015 were BW Clip and Searchpoint Optima Plus. These two and GasAlertMicrooChip were the companys top three products globally that year. BW Clip is a maintenance-free, single-gas detector known to be the most reliable, user-friendly, cost-effective way of keeping workers safe and operations compliant. Searchpoint Optima Plus is an infrared point hydrocarbon gas detector certified for use in potentially explosive atmospheres such as offshore oil and gas platforms, refineries, LNG/LPG bottling plants, etc. GasAlertMicroClip is the worlds most popular multi-gas portable detector, delivering long runtime and reliability with plus features such as small size, low cost and the easiest user experience. Touching on the marketing and distribution of Honeywell products in the region, Thompson said the company utilises a number of channels to achieve that end. A strong regional sales team works directly with customers and distribution partners to understand and meet their needs. Building strong relationships forms the basis of some of Honeywells success stories from end users, customers and distribution partners to media, authorities and industry experts, he commented. Honeywell also works closely with other Honeywell business units to provide a comprehensive portfolio of solutions,. According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research, the global gas detection equipment market is forecast to reach $3.37 billion by 2022. Discussing the key drivers for growth, Thompson said: In addition to increased emphasis on operational safety, other factors driving the growing gas detection market include technological advancements, growing emerging markets and an increasing need for safety products across different industries. For example, Turkey is witnessing a rise in construction projects which demand efficient gas detection systems. Its automotive industry is also expanding, fuelling demands for better gas detection systems to protect workers who sometimes work in hazardous environments. Economic and industrial diversification is also shaping the gas detection market. For instance, power and utility companies are exploring opportunities in the solar and nuclear energy sectors. Manufacturing is also serving as a major thrust for economic diversification for industries in the Gulf. Furthermore, changes in safety regulations and increased general safety awareness are driving the need for gas detection products across the region. Thompson also touched on wireless gas detection equipment, saying it is among the leading sectors of the global gas detection equipment market. Wireless gas detection, where signals from portable gas detectors are relayed to a host computer, provides real-time safety intelligence, enabling customers to make fast, informed decisions and bringing a new level of safety and productivity, he said. Honeywell has worked closely with partners to ensure customers see wireless technology not just as a safety solution, but also an enabler of a mobile and more productive workforce. Honeywell also sees this as an opportunity for business to be more agile with the ability to make critical decisions faster. As part of its ongoing commitment to help advance oil and gas safety and compliance, Honeywell introduced the first real-time wireless plant-wide gas detection safety system, ConneXt Safety Solutions. The ConneXt Safety Solutions bring a new level of safety and productivity to industrial plants by providing remote notification of worker health and location. The solution delivers superior value through remote atmospheric monitoring, man-down and panic alarm notifications, and location information provided by wireless infrastructure or GPS. This data is easily viewable on the real-time monitoring software applications. Acting on this data could mean savings in terms of lost product and damaged assets; and could also prevent escalation into a major incident. TradeArabia News Service Kuwait plans to raise its crude oil production by 150,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the third quarter and aims to sign new export deals with European customers soon, a senior Kuwaiti official was quoted as saying. New contracts are to be signed soon with a number of European companies "with good prices and in large volumes", Nabil Bouresli, managing director of international marketing at Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC), told state news agency KUNA. Kuwait currently produces 3 million bpd and plans to boost its output to 3.15 million bpd in the third quarter of 2016, he said. He said KPC is currently focusing on the European market which is facing "fierce competition" among producers. His comments indicate that Gulf Opec producers are not wavering in their strategy of defending market share despite low oil prices. Reuters Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based sustainable energy company, plans to invest in renewable energy projects in Morocco, a report said. Dr Ahmad Belhoul, Masdar CEO explained that the company is exploring investment opportunities in Morocco, Egypt, and Jordan, reported Morocco World News. Demand for energy is expected to double in the region by 2030. The majority of it will come from renewable energy. It makes sense for us to double our portfolio in the next ten years. We will be a big player in the market, Belhoul was quoted as saying. The Middle East is blessed with lot of sunshine, and as such, there has been lot of focus on solar power. However, there are also countries that have considerable wind power resources, he said in an interview with Gulf News, according to the report. The price of wind technology has gone down by 30 per cent in the last five years. Thus, governments are becoming more serious about wind energy, he added. Emirates Airline has announced three appointments to its senior management team for key operational functions in Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, divisional senior vice president commercial operations, centre for Emirates Airline said: The commercial team promotions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are a further testament to the airlines commitment to the market and its dedicated focus to the strategic direction and broader develop of its business in the country. Khalid Abdulla Al Haddad has been appointed as Emirates vice president Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen. Al Haddad joined Emirates Airline in 2003 and has worked in several different positions, including Commercial Manager Jordan, Sales Manager Al Ain- UAE, Manager Riyadh-KSA, Area Manager Libya, Area Manager Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal, Manager Sharjah and Northern Emirates- UAE and Regional Manager Levant (Lebanon, Syria and Jordan). In his new role, he will be responsible for the development of commercial operations in the three countries. Rashid Al Ardha has been appointed Emirates regional manager- West Saudi Arabia. He began his aviation career with Emirates and has been with the company for over nine years. He was appointed in the role of area manager Sudan in 2009. In his current role, Al Ardha is responsible for the Commercial Management of the Western region of Saudi Arabia which includes Jeddah and Madinah. On a daily basis he oversees all aspects of Emirates growth and development in these markets, driving revenue for the airline and capturing business from new markets. Rashed Al Fajeer has also been appointed as district manager, Dammam, taking on the role of managing the gateways commercial operations. Al Fajeer joined Emirates in January 2013 as a management trainee in the National Commercial Outstation Programme. Trained at the Emirates hub and in Sri Lanka prior to his appointment, he then went on to be based in Dammam. TradeArabia News Service The UAE is set to be the largest destination exhibitor at the Outbound Travel Market 2016 (OTM 2016), India's biggest travel trade show, being held later this month. To be held in Mumbai, Indias largest source market of travel, OTM 2016 will run from February 18 to 20 the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre. UAE tourism companies will take part at the show under the umbrella of National Council of Tourism and Antiquities (NCTA). It will have a 300-sq-m pavilion with all the emirates and the three national carriers participating. The NCTA delegation will be led by the director general of NCTA and include about 70 participants. Tourism within and out of India provides huge opportunities for the thousands of trade professionals from around the world attending OTM 2016 to buy, sell and be updated. As per data released by India's Tourism Ministry, it is estimated that in 2015, over 20 million Indians travelled abroad, close to 10 million foreigners came to India and over a billion trips were taken by Indians within the country. The governments at the federal and state levels have prioritised tourism as a key area for the economy. With generous support from Wonderful Indonesia, over 500 trade professionals from Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Jaipur and Pune have been pre-qualified for participation in Indias largest hosted buyer programme, to visit the OTM 2016. Additionally, over 3,000 trade visitors have registered their participation online, underscoring the real business value of OTM. The number of such committed buyers is increasing daily in the lead-up to OTM. Several global destinations will be participating at OTM 2016 with the keenness to carve a piece of Indias projected 50 million outbound pie including Oman, Indonesia, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Thailand, New Zealand, and China, among many others. Major Indian destinations are perfectly complementing their international counterparts with Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and many other states, present with large number of sellers from each, to showcase India at its best. TradeArabia News Service Radisson Blu, a leading hotel brand of The Rezidor Hotel Group, has announced the opening of Radisson Blu Hotel, Sohar in Oman. This is Rezidors fifth hotel in operation in the sultanate. Radisson Blu Hotel, Sohar is the only beachfront address in the Northern Province of Oman. At 12 km from the industrial port and 5 km from the business district, the hotel offers 179 rooms and suites. The hotel features meeting facilities for up to 80 delegates as well as a sizeable ballroom that comfortably accommodates 700 guests. This hall can be readily converted into an exhibition hall with a dedicated wide entrance providing direct access from the hotel car park. "Radisson Blu Hotel, Sohar is the perfect addition to our portfolio of great destinations for international guests, especially business travellers. With a stunning location surrounded by pristine beaches, gorgeous views over the city and sea, proximity to the port, extraordinary bars and restaurants, wellness centre, and so much more we have something to delight every guest in Sohar. We are looking forward to welcoming our loyal corporate clients, meetings and events customers, and Radisson Blu global fans to this exciting city on the Gulf of Oman," said Francois Galoisy, general manager Radisson Blu Hotel, Sohar. The hotel's three restaurants and bars provide a choice of food and beverages. They include the Al Zafaran Restaurant, an all-day dining which creatively combine international fare with local flavour; and the hotels signature restaurant Amaranthai which serves refined Thai and Chinese cuisine. For a casual drink, guests can unwind at Al Khaimah roof top bar with a shisha terrace to enjoy the sounds of classic Arabic music around the trendy Aqua Bar. Sohar enjoys a unique strategic business location, halfway between the Omani and the UAE capital and we are proud to showcase our Radisson Blu hospitality here. Sohar is also an ideal stopover for leisure travellers, en-route between Muscat, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, said Mark Willis, area vice president of the Middle East and Turkey for The Rezidor Hotel Group. - TradeArabia News Service Dubai is prepared to help countries in the region with their air traffic navigation and redesign the airspace as part of its policy, a senior official has said. Speaking at the 2016 World Government Summit, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Emirates Group, said redesigning of airspace is good for "cost and efficiency", according to a Wam report. "If we manage our airspace, it is in the best interest I think. We can save another 12 per cent from our cost," he said. "Many aircraft are going round and round and circling for almost half an hour or so. That shouldnt be the case." But for the Middle East to open up more airspace, "it is always [up to] government," he explained. "We are working to redesign the airspace of the UAE. I must say, on a military side, theyve been very helpful. Also, this problem doesnt exist only within the UAE. You always have to look at your neighbour. Do they have the capacity to manage aircraft pushed on them? "Its a business case at the end of the day. We, of course, will help neighbours with their air traffic system problems if need arises," he was quoted as saying by Wam. Stakeholders in the Middle Easts aviation industry have long complained about the restrictive structure of the regions airspace. However, little steps have been taken in resolving the issue. Copthorne Hotel Dubai, a luxurious hotel in the UAE emirate, has appointed Hertz Langdet Martin as its new human resources manager. Prior to her new position, Hertz worked as an HR Consultant for a hotel company in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Making the announcement, Glenn Nobbs, general manager of Copthorne Hotel Dubai, said: "We are glad to welcome Hertz, who is a certified trainer, to Copthorne Hotel Dubai. She has been brought on board to help bolster the hotel team with a new direction in HR processes, succession planning and development of workforce. With a deep knowledge of the hospitality industry as well as proven track record in HR, she will be instrumental in contributing to our success." With 10 years HR experience, Martin has served various four- and five-star hotels in the UAE in senior positions including HR manager/director HR roles. During the course of her career, she has been overseeing a variety of tasks from running skills training, to setting up new departments in pre-opening phases of hotels as well as supporting day-to-day HR operations and strategic planning. Hertz has a sincere passion for the industry and especially the HR field. Upon joining Copthorne Hotel Dubai, she said: "I believe the success of a company is through the ability and personalities of the people behind it. I look forward to further contributing to the development of the exceptional team at Copthorne Hotel Dubai." TradeArabia News Service Saudi Arabia remains a popular destination for GCC tourists, with around 7.4 million visitors entering the kingdom in the first six months of 2015, an increase of 25 per cent compared to the same period in 2014, according to official data. A total of 2.1 million visitors were day visitors with the remaining 5.2 million spending nearly SR11.8 billion ($3.14 billion) in the kingdom, said the data from the Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage (SCTNH). GCC tourists accounted for 30.5 million room nights during the period. Bahraini and Kuwaiti visitors accounted for a large percentage of the total inbound GCC visitors to Saudi Arabia, accounting for 33 per cent each, followed by Qatar and the UAE. Saudi Arabia's potential as a destination will be highlighted as the kingdom at this years Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, UAE from April 25 to 28, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). Saudi exhibitors at ATM 2016 will highlight the future of tourism in the country, which has some $11.6 billion worth of tourism projects currently underway. A recent report by the Saudi Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry stated that tourism contributed 2.7 per cent of the countrys GDP, with 2014 tourism receipts totalling around $45.3 billion. While the bulk of this comes from Haj and Umrah travel, which accounted for almost $27 billion, this clearly demonstrates the strong domestic travel market within the kingdom, as well as the growing business travel segment, said Nadege Noblet-Segers, exhibition manager, Arabian Travel Market. Haj and Umrah travel is also an opportunity for additional revenue generation, with the authorities reportedly keen to encourage visitors to extend their stay and discover all that Saudi Arabia has to offer from a leisure perspective. And with forecasted visitor numbers to the holy sites of Makkah and Madinah set to rise from 12 million to 17 million per annum by 2025, there is plenty of opportunity for the countrys tourism sector to benefit, she added. Major tourism-related projects include a number of transportation initiatives including the new 450-km-long high-speed rail link between Makkah and Madinah. Leisure pursuits are also on the development list, with plans for the kingdoms first large-scale mixed-use coastal tourist development just south of Dammam, and plans to develop Taifs historic Souk Okaz. Saudi Arabia is also a destination of outstanding natural beauty. Madain Saleh, for example, with its Petra-like Nabatean ruins is a designated UN World Heritage site, and the coral-based Farasan Islands are a protected marine sanctuary, said Noblet-Segers. Participating companies at ATM 2016 from Saudi Arabia include Mamlakat Al-Asfar Travel & Tourism, Al Khozama Management Company, E Travel Gate, Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities, Saudia Airline, Yrbooking.com, Makarem Hotels and Itrip. ATM 2016 will build on the success of the previous edition with an additional hall for exhibitors. The event will showcase more than 2,800 products and destinations from around the world to over 26,000 buyers and travel trade visitors. - TradeArabia News Service The TransGriot is available for speaking engagements, college lectures, panel discussions, media interviews, conferences or Trans 101 education efforts for your school, business or professional organizations. For local Houston area, Texas or national events, you can e-mail me at transgriot@yahoo.com For events outside the Houston metro area, I ask that my travel and lodging expenses be covered. This is separate from my speaking fee. If you are interested in having me appear as a speaker or panelist, you can e-mail me with the date and details of your proposed event. Please book as early as possible because my speaking and event calendar slots during the year rapidly fill up. DRAPER, Utah Officials say a mule deer attacked a Utah man in his backyard, injuring the man and his dog. KSL-TV reports that Draper city officials say a resident in the Salt Lake City suburb called police Monday to say a deer hurt the family dog and "was engaged" with her father. According to a news release, Animal Services supervisor Dennis Wilson arrived to find the man on the ground with the deer pushing its antlers into him. Wilson says he struggled with the deer and was able to take the animal to the ground. City spokeswoman Maridene Alexander says officers eventually shot and killed the deer. Draper Police Deputy Chief John Eining says the man had multiple puncture wounds considered significant but not life-threatening. The dog was also punctured but is expected to survive. ___ Whether allowing girls to practice their sales pitch, teaching them financial literacy or being a part of the perfect cookie and beer pairing, local businesses are finding new ways to support the Girl Scout cookie sale. On a recent Thursday afternoon, Girl Scouts streamed from the elevator onto the 12th floor of the One South Church Building downtown. The word had spread that Trusting Connections nanny agency was buying cookies that day up to 25 boxes, if you were lucky. All girls had to do was make their pitch, draw a number from a jar (up to 25!) and they would get a check. The company would then donate most of the treats to the Cookies for Military program. It was a win for everybody, said Rosalind Prather, co-owner of Trusting Connections and a former Girl Scout, back when boxes went for $2. It was so cool for the girls to come and see and talk to us, she said. Theyre little entrepreneurs, building a business of their own and a community that will buy from them. Prather and her business partner Caroline Malkin, both University of Arizona graduates, said that when they started their company they faced a scarcity of female mentors. They found success through trial and error, Malkin said, but they want others to benefit from their experience. The Girl Scouts cookie program is the largest girl-led business program in the world, so what better organization to support? Prather said. Valuable skills The business community is a vital partner for the Girl Scout cookie sale, said Debbie Rich, chief executive officer of the Girls Scouts of Southern Arizona. While some girls still sell door-to-door, things have changed over the years. Sometimes people dont even answer when someone knocks at their door anymore, she said. The No. 1 way business helps is by allowing girls to set up their sales booths, Rich said. For a business to commit to having girls in front of their business for up to six weekends is something that is critical for the sale. But while national chains like Walmart and Walgreens continue to allow the Girl Scouts to sell during the full period, traditional sales locations at grocery stores such as Safeway and Frys have cut back on their participation. Theyre great partners but theres just so many things they get asked to do, Rich said. Its been a challenge, so when local businesses step up to support the girls, I think it has an even greater impact. Local companies that let Girl Scouts set up a sales booth include Bookmans, Buddys Grill, Funtasticks, Tucson Federal Credit Union and Vantage West. And it goes beyond setting up booths. When the owners of Tap and Bottle were approached last year with the idea of helping the Girl Scouts by promoting a beer and cookie pairing, it made sense, said co-owner Scott Safford. The girls didnt sell cookies at the beer and wine tasting room. Instead, they used the more age-appropriate Exo Roast Co. coffee shop next door which led to some coffee and cookie pairings, as well. The idea was such a success that this year other breweries held their own events, Safford said. All the participating breweries are giving a donation to the Cookies for Military program, Rich said. Every box donated goes to deployed soldiers all over the world. Thats a way that that community is giving back, by doing these very clever promotions but also embracing the purpose of cookies, Rich said. That purpose is twofold: maintaining girl scouting with more than half the money raised going to volunteer training, upkeep and providing meetings to girls where there are no volunteer troop leaders and teaching the girls important skills. We really want these girls to come up with not only the skills, but the confidence to make those skills a regular part of their lives, Rich said. Whether its teamwork, money management or business ethics. Along with national sponsors, Tucson-based Hughes Federal Credit Union is part of the Cookie College, which is held at the University of Arizona before cookie sales season begins. Open to Girl Scouts who are in eighth grade and up, the one-day event features businesswomen and executives giving business, marketing and communications tips. Our mission is to make a positive difference in the financial lives of our members, and we also support youth and youth financial education, said Kellie Terhune Neely, vice president of marketing at Hughes. So for us, its been a natural partnership with the Girl Scouts. Partnering up Asked how businesses can help the Girl Scouts, Rich said allowing the girls to set up booths in front of their stores and teach them what their business is about would be at the top of her list. More generally, the Girl Scouts also needs volunteers willing to commit their time. Were looking for adults in this community who want to embrace 10 to 12 girls for a year and mentor them through the Girls Scout program, which is so easy to follow, Rich said. For Prather at Trusting Connections, getting to spend time with the girls, go over their pitch and help them with sales tips was a great experience. Her company spent $400 on cookies during the Girl Scouts visit to the office and she said they will not only do it again next year, theyre also having a similar event at their location in Texas. This is something that all business owners should do, Prather said. Not just the act of buying the cookies. Its about making yourself available to them and being a mentor. Glen "Bill" Stockton, 91, of Tucson peacefully passed away February 2, 2016 surrounded by his loving family in his home. He was born in St. Joseph, MO to Elmer and Lavonia Stockton. Bill was a WWII pilot and instructor in the USAF when he met his lovely Irish bride, Florence "Pat" Quaite in Europe. Married in the USA, then serving his country, they raised four children on many military bases around the USA and Canada. Bill received many military honors including the MacKay trophy in 1954. He loved every moment of the 11,000 plus hours he accumulated. After retiring and returning to Tucson, he was a realtor and active in the Full Gospel Business Men's Organization. His true joy was helping to raise nine grandchildren and supporting missionaries around the world. He was a caregiver for his wife with Alzheimer's the last decades of her life. He insured that all of his children and grandchildren had higher education. He is and always will be a hero and example of what we, left on earth, should emulate. Bill and Pat celebrated their 67th Anniversary shortly before Pat's passing in 2015. They were preceded in death by their beloved son, Dr. Glen Stockton Jr. and survived by daughters, Sharman Stockton, Karen Fritz and Dr. Diana Herman, all in Arizona. In addition nine grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren remain. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to TMC Hospice. A Visitation will be held Friday, February 12, 2016 from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at BRING'S BROADWAY CHAPEL, 6910 E. Broadway Blvd. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. at Fellowship Bible Church, 6700 E. Broadway Blvd. age 98, of Tucson, Arizona passed away peacefully on February 2, 2016. Born in Rocky Ford, CO on September 7, 1917 to Isaac and Ada Wilson, he was the second of four children. At the age of two, John's family moved to Pekin, IL where he attended Pekin High School and excelled in track and softball. His education continued at Knox College in Galesburg, IL, followed by medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, where he graduated in December 1943. Within days of graduation John married Helen Schahrer, his beloved wife of 72 years. Following their marriage, John served in the Army Medical Corps during WWII. After the War, John completed his residency in radiology at Northwestern University in Chicago. He practiced briefly in Yuma, AZ, before settling permanently in Tucson in 1952. He was a founding member of Radiology, LTD, where he practiced for 31 years. At age 65, John joined Group Health HMO, working until his ultimate retirement at age 78. His medical career included serving as President of the Pima County Medical Society and Chief of Staff at Tucson Medical Center. John's greatest passion was spending time with his family, especially during their extended summer vacations. His love for travel eventually took him to all seven continents. John was a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Tucson. Other interests included photography, reading, and ballroom dancing. John is survived by his wife, Helen; daughter, Margaret and her husband, Jim Sims; son, John Wilson; son, Jim Wilson and his wife, Lauren; grandchildren, Michelle and husband, Ben May, Bryan, Ashley and Kyle Wilson; sister, Grace Noreuil; brother, George and wife, Leona and numerous nieces and nephews. The best thing a man can give to the world is to be a good husband and father and John was the best! He will be greatly missed by his family and all who knew him. Memorial Services will be held at 3:00 p.m., Friday, February 12, 2016 at the Marshall Conference Center located in Tucson Medical Center (east side entrance), 5301 E. Grant Rd. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made in John's honor to the TMC Foundation. These gifts can be made online at www.tmcfoundation.org or mailed to: The TMC Foundation, 5301 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85712. Arrangements by EAST LAWN PALMS MORTUARY. Arizona students ages 13 18 are invited to submit nature photos to the annual Adventures in Nature photo contest. Deadline for submitting photos is midnight April 15, 2016. The prizes for this years winners are substantial. They include $10,000 in scholarships, gift certificates and free passes to Nature Conservancy preserves in Arizona. Contest winners will have their photos published by the contest sponsors: The Nature Conservancy in Arizona, Arizona Highways magazine and Cox Communications. Winners will also receive a photography workshop from Arizona Highways Photo Workshops. Last year the contest attracted more than 200 submissions from students around the state. The contest is intended to connect young people to the outdoors through photography. This year, photographers may submit as many photos as they like. To submit a photo to the contest, go to: arizonahighways.com. A 40-year-old woman intentionally set fire Tuesday night to the midtown Tucson house she was living in, destroying it, police say. Sabrina Phillips was arrested and is facing charges of arson of an occupied structure, criminal damage and aggravated assault, said Sgt. Kimberly Bay, a Tucson Police Department spokeswoman. Phillips, who failed to follow officers' orders at the scene, was stunned with a Taser and taken to a hospital, Bay said Wednesday. Her injuries were described as not life-threatening. After Phillips is released from the hospital, she will be booked into the Pima County jail, Bay said. On Tuesday shortly before 7 p.m., multiple 911 calls were made reporting a house fire in the 3400 block of East 28th Street, which is south of Reid Park and west of South Alvernon Way. When firefighters arrived on scene, the house was fully engulfed in flames, said Capt. Barrett Baker, a Tucson Fire Department spokesman. Firefighters requested assistance from Tucson police because there were reports that the fire may have been intentionally set, said Bay. When officers arrived within minutes, they noticed that two people were attempting to detain a woman north of the burning house on the property. Officers were told that the woman "possibly set the fire," said Bay. The woman was holding small lighters in each hand, police said. Officers gave multiple orders to the woman, but she refused to listen and follow their commands, said Bay. An officer stunned the woman with a Taser and she was detained. She was evaluated by paramedics and then taken to a hospital. Meanwhile, firefighters were battling the blaze. "There was so much fire that the initial crew could not get inside the house," Baker said. He said multiple hose lines were set up to battle the flames and keep the "suspicious" fire from spreading to a house west of the scene. It took firefighters about 45 minutes to bring the fire under control. A search was made inside the house, and no one was hurt in the blaze, Baker said. He said a man and two teen boys who lived in the home were not injured. The family animals a dog, four cats and two birds were missing. The house is considered a total loss, but a damage estimate was not released. Tucson police arson detectives and Tucson fire investigators remained at the scene throughout Tuesday night. Investigators said it appears the fire was intentionally set and began inside the residence, said Bay. The woman had been inside the house and when she went outdoors, she attempted to burn other items in the yard before two people intervened and tried to detain her before officers arrived, Bay said. A prison caseworker accused of lying to federal investigators about being raped by an inmate has been acquitted by a Tucson jury. Wynona Mixon told her supervisors she was sexually assaulted by an inmate on Aug. 12, 2011, but they didnt believe her. Instead, she was accused of abusing her authority by getting sexual involved with the inmate and then lying about it. Mixon had worked in the federal system about 24 years, but after that day did not return to the penitentiary at 9300 S. Wilmot Road. A panel of 11 jurors found her not guilty of four counts of sexual abuse, three counts of providing false statements to the government and one count of attempting to impede a federal investigation. Two jurors were excused late last week and only one alternate joined the panel when deliberations resumed Tuesday. Thank God for the jury system, said A. Bates Butler III, Mixons defense attorney. They asked insightful questions, they asked intuitive questions and, had they not paid such attention and used their common sense, God knows what would have happened. Mixon could have faced up to two years in prison on each of the sexual abuse charges, and up to five years for each false statement charge. The maximum she could have received on the last count was 20 years. Butler told jurors during the week-long trial that inmate Christopher Goins confronted Mixon with a letter opener before raping her in a staff bathroom. The high-security facility houses some of the nations most dangerous criminals, including many sex offenders. Goins, whose extensive criminal history includes illegal weapons possession, slashing the throat of a female defense attorney and raping his female cousin at knife point, claims Mixon had consensual sex with him on more than one occasion before she accused him of raping her. Goins, in 2014, filed a $13 million lawsuit that remains pending against Mixon and her supervisors, saying they failed to protect him. He alleges that her supervisors knew she was a sexual predator and that they allowed her to have access to inmates, Butler said. Theres just absolutely no evidence of that whatsoever. Mixon, 51, said she was confident the jury would find her not guilty of sexual abuse, but still was nervous about all those other charges they piled up against me. They were just trying to get me on something, she said. But I believe in God and I believe in Jesus Christ and so I knew the right thing would happen. Mixon used all of her retirement savings to pay for her defense. My daughter is 23 years old and, hopefully, I can get my retirement money back in a lawsuit so I can send her back to college, she said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Wheat told jurors during the proceedings that Mixon lied about being raped because she feared shed been seen leaving an employee bathroom shortly before Goins also exited the otherwise unoccupied room. Prosecutors, who could not be reached for comment after Tuesday's verdict, asked the jury to consider that Mixon did not report the alleged rape until more than two hours afterward, and that she sent routine work emails that morning. She also met with inmates in her office as if nothing were amiss, Wheat said during his opening statements. As a case manager, Mixon helped the inmates line up programming, such as counseling and education classes. She had over 200 inmates under her supervision in August 2011. Wheat said during the proceedings that, in addition to lying about the rape, Mixon also filed a false claim against the Federal Bureau of Prisons, alleging they neglected to provide employees with adequate security. She was also accused of lying to FBI employees who interviewed her afterward. Butler said the case never should have been brought against his client in the first place. Its frightening that they could indict someone on the basis of this kind of evidence, he said. She can resume her life now. It means that maybe she can heal from the post-traumatic stress, which started with the inmate and then was exacerbated by the governments charges against her. The proceedings were held in Judge Jennifer Zipps courtroom at the U.S. District Court in Tucson. Restoring government-funded health insurance to the children of working poor families in Arizona received unanimous support from a state House committee Tuesday. HB 2309 would lift the freeze imposed on enrollment in KidsCare, which is Arizonas version of the federal Childrens Health Insurance Program known as CHIP. Arizona is the only state in the country without an active CHIP program. Dr. Elizabeth McKenna, a pediatrician, pointed out to members of the House Health Committee that Congress has agreed to pick up the full cost of the program through 2017. She said theres no reason for the state to reject the money and leave children without coverage. But the measure, which now goes to the House Appropriations Committee, faces an uncertain future amid concerns that the state will end up obligated whether legally or politically to pick up the cost once the federal government stops picking up the entire tab. Before it was frozen, KidsCare provided health care to low-income children in families with incomes from 138 percent to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or $27,000 to $40,000 for a family of three. Arizona has had a freeze on KidsCare since 2010. Advocates of the program say those families are finding health insurance thats available on the federal marketplace is out of their budget, even with federal subsidies. You are almost disincentivized from working, said committee Chairwoman Heather Carter, a Republican from Phoenix. As an emergency physician in Arizona, its a tragedy we are not providing (KidsCare) in our state, said committee member and Minority Leader Dr. Eric Meyer, a Democrat from Paradise Valley. While taxpayers still technically pay for the program through federal dollars, Meyer said Arizona should use its share and prevent it from being redistributed to other states. The bill still has more hurdles. The governors office is reviewing KidsCare, along with specific legislative proposals, said Daniel Scarpinato, a spokesman for Gov. Doug Ducey. We are mindful of any impact on ongoing state revenues and the flexibility of the state to make decisions in regard to our budget moving forward, he said. Supporters say KidsCare provides much needed health coverage for children of families who make too much to qualify for Medicaid. Arizonas Medicaid program is called the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, or AHCCCS. Arizonas rate of uninsured children is 10 percent, the third highest rate in the country only Texas and Alaska are worse, according to Georgetown Universitys Center for Children and Families. The national rate of uninsured children is 6 percent. Advocates for children say Arizonas lack of a CHIP program is fueling its rate of uninsured children. The bill is sponsored by Republican Rep. Regina Cobb, a dentist from Kingman who is also a member of the House Health Committee. A similar bill has been introduced in the state Senate. An amendment approved Tuesday gives the director of the states Medicaid program the option of stopping the program if the federal government stops covering the entire cost. This is probably the least of the hurdles we are going to see in the next month, Cobb said after the committees vote. Among those who testified in support of restoring KidsCare were representatives of the March of Dimes and the American Academy of Pediatrics Arizona chapter. At one time, KidsCare enrolled nearly 50,000 children . In a series of budget-cutting decisions, the Legislature in 2010 froze enrollment in KidsCare. By July 2011, the KidsCare waiting list had grown to more than 100,000 children. A temporary KidsCare program, KidsCare II, was created in 2013 but expired when most provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act took effect in January 2014. Enrollment in KidsCare remained frozen and is expected to dwindle to zero. KidsCare now enrolls 730 children, according to the most recent AHCCCS data. At the time the Legislature froze the program, Arizona had to provide federal matching funds for KidsCare. But currently, the federal government would provide all of the costs, supporters said this week. Arizona Rep. Randall Friese, a Democrat from Tucson, wanted to know whether Arizona would face any kind of spending cap. Kelly Whitener, a researcher from Georgetowns Center for Children and Families, responded that a generous federal fund exists to cover the cost of states who exceed projected spending. She added that given current trends, its likely the federal government would extend funding through 2019. KidsCare provides more comprehensive and affordable coverage than plans available to families on the federal health insurance exchanges, according to research by Georgetown University and the Phoenix-based Childrens Action Alliance. The image of Arizona is harmed by being the only state to turn our backs on children, who are our future, testified Dr. Leonard Kirschner, former director of AHCCCS and past president of the AARP in Arizona. PHOENIX Seven Republican lawmakers are trying to erect new roadblocks to the federal government resettling Middle Eastern refugees in Arizona. Rep. Bob Thorpe, R-Flagstaff, the prime sponsor of HB 2370, said his aim is to block plans by the Obama administration to locate in Arizona any of the 10,000 Syrians that will be brought into the country this year. Thorpe said he has no confidence that the federal government is properly screening refugees, a point he said was proven by the San Bernardino terrorist who, with her husband, killed 14 people in December. Right now, people are being placed here without even the states knowledge, he said. Thorpe said Arizona needs information from federal officials about not just who is here but how they were screened. They need to show us they have fully vetted these people, Thorpe said. The issue, he said, goes to the question of state sovereignty. I assume the federal government has the jurisdiction to have a refugee program, he said. I dont necessarily agree they have the right to force a state to take those refugees. Whether the state can do that, however, is another matter. I dont believe thats ever been challenged in court, Thorpe said. Its my hope that if my bill gets passed that might open up the opportunity for our attorney general to then challenge the federal government and really determine where states rights begin and end. So far, though, no state has been able to actually keep refugees from being placed in their state. In November, Gov. Doug Ducey added his voice to a chorus of governors asking the federal government to immediately halt placement of new refugees in Arizona. Ducey cited a provision of federal law that entitles him to immediate consultation by federal authorities of plans to resettle any refugees in the state. Ducey also demanded the federal government take into account the concerns and recommendations of the state of Arizona as they are required to under federal law, in our efforts to keep our homeland safe. But what Ducey got was a conference call between federal officials and various governors detailing their screening efforts. The State Department reports that in 2014 and 2015 it resettled 183 Syrians in Arizona, including 72 in Glendale, 63 in Tucson and the balance in Phoenix. And from the time Ducey registered his objections until mid-January, 16 Syrians were resettled in Arizona. Overall, 2,960 refugee were resettled in Arizona last year. The largest group was from Somalia, with 522, followed by 442 from Iraq. Thorpe said if his legislation cant stop refugees, it would at least preclude state and local officials and agencies from cooperating with the federal government to place refugees here unless that person has undergone a thorough criminal history, terrorism and health background check and has been approved for placement by this state. HB 2370 also says there wont be any state cooperation unless the federal government fully reimburses state and local governments for any costs of placing refugees. Separately, House Speaker David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista, has introduced legislation requiring a special audit of the number of refugees resettled in Arizona in the last 36 months. HB 2691 also would seek a total of how much the state has spent on resettling refugees and how much it has gotten back from the federal government. Thorpe also has another bill on refugees that requires state licensure of any refugee facilities in the state. PHOENIX State lawmakers are moving to protect Arizona citizens from being detained without trial under laws of war by the Department of Homeland Security. Sen. Judy Burges, R-Sun City West, said SB 1437 is aimed at the heart of the National Defense Authorization Act. She said that law is so overly broad that it infringes on constitutional protections of citizens. And Burges said it is the responsibility of the state and the Legislature in particular to stand up and protect its residents against federal overreach The measure approved Tuesday by the Senate Committee on Federalism, Mandates and Fiscal Responsibility makes it illegal to arrest or capture any citizen with the intent of detention under the law of war. It also would bar executing anyone detained under federal authority who has not first been convicted in a federal court. But Burges was less clear exactly how such a measure, even if it was signed into law, actually would afford any protection to an Arizonan who is arrested and detailed by federal authorities. If nothing else, she said, it would give that person some legal grounds to challenge the act. The federal law, signed in 2011 by President Obama, gives him authority to use all necessary and appropriate force to detain, without trial, certain people. That includes not only those or planned or aided in the Sept. 11, 2011, attacks but anyone who substantially supported al-Qaida, the Taliban or associated forces. That includes U.S. citizens. And it provides for military trials. Joel Alcott, state director of the Tenth Amendment Center, said his organization is concerned about federal overreach. He said this goes beyond the wording of the authorization act to how it is being interpreted by the Department of Homeland Security. Based on their loose definitions, in my opinion, I am actually, possibly, a domestic terrorist because I am an outspoken person, I belong to the Tenth Amendment Center, I fight for states rights and state sovereignty, Alcott told lawmakers. Burges said all this is in violation of the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the ability of the military to participate in domestic law enforcement activities. She said its important for states to fight back on behalf of its citizens. She conceded the measure has no actual method for the state to enforce the law to protect its citizens. And, from a practical purpose, Burges acknowledged that nothing the Legislature enacts would keep federal law enforcement agencies from arresting Arizonans and detaining them in federal military facilities without trial But Burges said adopting the law is still worthwhile. Were trying to push back against federal overreach, she said. "Tai-wiki-widbee" is an eclectic mix of trivialities, ephemera, curiosities, and exotica with a smattering of current events, social commentary, science, history, English language and literature, videos, and humor. We try to be the cyberequivalent of a Victorian cabinet of curiosities. The latest awards ceremony in a hectic period of red carpet affairs focussed on rewarding British Isles Film talent, as the annual London Evening Standard British Film Awards took their bow recently. Prominent among the winners on the night were established stars Idris Elba and Dame Maggie Smith, whilst Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams scooped the Rising Star prize. More prizes for Elba Elba has been making something of a habit of picking up his fair share of accolades over the last few weeks. After bagging a brace of prizes at the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony, the Luther star continued his rich vein of success by winning the best actor category at the weekend. His challenging portrayal of a fierce warlord - against the backdrop of a civil war in Africa - in Beasts of No Nation has been somewhat controversially overlooked for the Oscars. Yet the 43-year-old at least had the consolation of edging out Michael Fassbender at the Evening Standard shindig. Fassbender was doubly disappointed after being nominated twice for the award, both for his leading roles in Steve Jobs and for Macbeth. Courtenay among nominees Tom Courtenays continued renaissance saw the veteran star of stage and screen also among the nominees that Elba had to overcome for his award. Courtenay appears as part of the ensemble British cast in the remake of Dads Army that went on general release recently but it was his acclaimed performance in 45 Years that went unrewarded this time. Best film award There was no joy for 45 Years in the best film category neither, as the John Crowley-directed Brooklyn surprised the tipsters and took the top prize instead. Also among those films nominated were The Lobster and High-Rise. Dame Maggie delighted A delighted Maggie Smith received her fourth best actress prize at the annual event thanks to her role as the eccentric bag lady in The Lady in the Van. The sprightly 81-year-old Downton Abbey star had previously taken the honour in the late 70s in Neil Simons comedy vehicle The California Suite, repeating the feat in 1981 and 1988. Special award for Bennett Alan Bennett was presented with the Special Award in recognition of his contribution to British film over the years. Keeping The Lady in the Van theme going Bennett wrote the screenplay it was only fitting that the man who portrayed Bennett in the film, Alex Jennings presented the award. Rising Star award Proving that the future of the British film industry is in safe hands, 18-year-old Maisie Williams received the Rising Star prize for her role in the mystery drama The Falling. Having drawn critical acclaim and accolades already in her fledgling acting career as Arya Stark in the popular Game of Thrones series, besides guest starring in several Doctor Who episodes, her star continues to glow brightly. Founded in 1973, The Standard Awards are unique among the ceremonies on the calendar in that they are the only ones dedicated to British and Irish talent. This years ceremony was held at the BBCs former Television Centre in White City with the judging panel formed from some of the UKs top film critics. Matt Damon may have become one of the most marketable stars in the Film industry in recent years but the affable action hero also cares about his fellow man and (especially) woman. Known to millions of fans as the leading character on screen in the Bourne franchise, the level-headed 45-year-old has a new mission to ensure that the developing world has improved access to drinking water. Clean running water for the population Being aware that his status affords him the opportunity to make people sit up and listen, Damon is attempting to give something back to the planet. Through the auspices of his charity water.org now into its second year of existence he is aiming big, targeting the lofty ambition of clean running water for the entire planets population within a generation. Acting successes His current popularity seems to be at its height. On the acting front he has accepted the plaudits for his role in the sci-fi movie The Martian, receiving an Oscar nomination in the process. Damon also resumes his part as Jason Bourne this year in the fifth film in the successful series, after Jeremy Renner took over last time around. Only James Bond exceeds Bourne when it comes to marketable global spy film franchises. Much of that success is down to the returning star, who last took on the leading role almost a decade ago in The Bourne Ultimatum and will once again hook up with director Paul Greengrass. As self-deprecating as ever, Damon is all too aware of the sensitivity within the industry created by the all-white list of actors put forward for this years Academy Awards top honours. Recognising the honour of making the shortlist, he also acknowledges that the lack of diversity is embarrassing. Moved by meeting in Zambia The background to his charity interest makes an intriguing narrative in itself. Whilst on a project for another charity in Zambia a few years back, he had the opportunity to chat with a small girl who was typically (for girls of her age) fetching and carrying water. She shared her career aspirations with the actor, hopes and dreams that seemed a distant possibility given her current predicament. That meeting struck a chord with Damon and he resolved to make a positive step towards making more dreams come true in the developing world countries. His campaign #buyaladyadrink is seeking to raise funds to ultimately put an end to women and young children being prevented from improving their education, by having to find water for their very survival. Female-dominated home life His determination is no doubt fuelled by the female-dominated but happy home life he has personally. Married to his Argentinian wife, Luciana Barroso for the past ten years, he has four daughters to think of. Damons intention to eventually take his children to see for themselves what life is really like in the developing world is his way of keeping them grounded, despite the trappings associated with their privileged existence. Other stars utilising their status Damon is not the only Hollywood star to branch out into other areas that interest them and which they feel they can make a difference. His good friend Leonardo DiCaprio also in the running for Oscar success with The Revenant is a firm advocate of making people more aware of the global perils from climate change. British star Emma Watson, who rose to prominence through the Harry Potter films, has also sought to utilise her status through her work as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. As such she has been able to help to launch the UN Women campaign HeForShe, which urges men to support gender equality. The internet and David Cameron David Cameron is facing extraordinary new claims that he had sex with a dead child to join an ultra secret club and be selected for the position of British Prime Minister.Defying the risk of being arrested for libel and slander, the author of The Coleman Experience Wordpress site has published damaging claims that David Cameron is a necrophiliac, mentioned on at least three different blogs. With the Internet awash with rumour, it's suggested that Lord Ashcrofts revelation that Cameron stuck his penis into a dead pigs head was only a smoke screen to hide a much more hideous revelation from coming out. Lord Ashcroft famously missed the launch party of his controversial book Call me Dave, having been rushed to hospital by air ambulance following a septic shock which lead to life threatening liver and kidney failure. It was only after 18 days in intensive care that he was deemed out of danger. Lord Ashcroft and Molock Accused of being a follower of Molock, an ancient Jewish God whom followers sacrificed their first born child to elicit favours, Cameron is facing the disturbing claims that he did the same by sacrificing his son Ivan.While many insist it's only coincidence that his first born son died in 2009 and he became Prime Minister in 2010, the suggestion that Cameron is a follower of Molock is being met with silence from 10 Downing Street, deemed so preposterous it doesn't justify an answer. Making no aspersions, it's worthy of note that no official reason of death has ever been made public regarding Camerons son. The only statement ever given by a Conservative party spokesman was, They had no particular warning that this tragedy was going to happen. Ivan had a bad night, but hes had bad nights before. They got him to hospital but he did not pull through. David Cameron isnt the only Prime Minister to have been accused of committing hideous crimes. Edward Heath was rumoured to have laughed off any suggestions he raped, killed, and dumped young mens bodies off his yacht, the Morning Cloud, following claims made by David Icke in his book The Biggest Secret. Like Edward Heath, David Cameron nor the Metropolitan Police have taken any action to shut down The Coleman Experience website or to initiate court proceedings to make the author retract or take-down these damaging claims. With such conflicting accounts of the character of David Cameron circulating online, it's hard to see how the average voter can get a clear picture of the man currently in power and running the country. While he promised to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of identifying parliamentary paedophiles live on This Morning Show in 2012, Camerons track record and these latest destructive allegations only add weight to the assertion that David Cameron isnt the man we are being lead to believe. Either David Cameron needs to be arrested and these claims investigated fully by the police, or the author behind The Coleman Experience Wordpress needs to be arrested for libel and slander. I've never known a musician who regretted being one. Whatever deceptions life may have in store for you, music itself is not going to let you down. --Virgil Thomson Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul. Music isn't just learning notes and playing them, You learn notes to play to the music of your soul. Katie Greenwood Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. Berthold Auerbach A handful of historical authors brave the wilds of unusual settings, times, and characters to create distinctive, exciting novels just outside of the mainstream. Join us as we chronicle the trials and rewards of our quest - from research and writing to publication and establishing lasting careers. WPTV.com (channel 5 NBC affiliate) reported a story about a Jupiter, Florida man in trouble for throwing an alligator into a restaurant. According to the mother of Joshua James, 24, her son is a prankster because hes that kind of swell guy. James, is in hot water for tossing a 3.5 foot long alligator through a Wendys drivethru. Hehad ordered a drink before throwing the large reptile into the restaurant. Apparently, the alligator was just taking a Sunday stroll through town before James tossed it into his pickup truck.Channel 5 News asked James if he had anything to say to the Wendys employees. He offered the following, "Yeah, I mean I'm sorry for what I did. I mean, you know, just being stupid, not thinking and obviously I found out what the consequences were and I've got to pay for them." James said his pranking days are over. He referred to himself as an outdoor person who throws lizards, snakes or anything else he can catch. The court released him today on bond. The judge ordered James to stay away from animals other than his mothers dog. He must also pass drug screens, stay away from Wendys, not access any weapons, and seek a psychological evaluation. Authorities tracked him down through his Wendys receipt. His next court hearing is in March. Protester throws pink dildo at New Zealand politician Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce may be a popular politician in New Zealand, but not everyone is a supporter. A female protester threw adildoat Joycean shouted that's for raping our sovereignty. Joyce didnt seem to know what hit him until moments later. He grinned and shrugged off the incident. He said it was part of the privilege of being a public servant. Joyce graduated from Massey College with a B.S. in zoology. He is a self-made millionaire, who left a radio career for political aspirations. In 2008, he was appointed to the office of the Minister of Transportand the office of the Communications and Information Technology. Before getting hit with the dildo, Joyce was discussing the latest news involving The Trans Pacific Partnership. The partnership is a multinational trade agreement involving New Zealand, America, Canada, and nine other countries. PLA Navy ship serves civilians, builds friendly ties Updated: 2016-02-10 15:32 By Zhou Bo(China Daily) Medical staff in Gyirong county, Tibet autonomous region check the body temperature of soldiers who just flew back from relief work in Nepal, on May 6, 2015.[Photo/Xinhua] The PLA Navy's hospital ship Peace Ark is a 178-meter-long, 25-meter-wide and 14,000-ton mammoth with red crosses beaming on both its sides. Since 2010, it has sailed around the world and served tens of thousands of people, mostly in East Africa and the Caribbean where free treatment and medicine are more than welcome. Few navies in the world have such hospital ships. So why does the People's Liberation Army Navy use such a rare asset to serve so many people abroad? The answer is: It helps build an awesome but pacifist image of the PLA that is closest to that built by General Zheng He 600 years ago. Zheng's seven voyages started in 1405 during the heydays of Chinese military history. His fleet, composed of "treasure boats", was next to none. It is thus only natural for an ever-growing PLA Navy to follow in his footsteps. The PLA Navy's offer of free treatment and medicine to the needy is similar to Zheng's donation of porcelain and silk to the people around the rim of the Indian Ocean. It is also an extension of the PLA's prescribed role. If indeed the PLA must "do its best to serve people" according to China's Constitution, why cannot it serve the Chinese people as well as their counterparts across the world? Zheng's imprint upon the PLA is indelible: be strong but not assertive, formidable but not coercive. This is expressed in minimal use of force wherever possible. Some people see China's recent land reclamation in the South China Sea as an indicator of a stronger Beijing becoming overtly assertive. But it is only reclamation on Chinese-controlled islands and reefs. This is the least destabilizing effort China could possibly make to safeguard its sovereignty without resorting to force. It is also an effort to offset the land reclamations made much earlier by other claimant countries, to which most Western countries have remained silent. China's military strength is already being felt overseas. PLA Navy vessels have been patrolling the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin for seven years, and China has announced that it will build a logistic supply station in Djibouti. Also, apart from its 2,883 peacekeepers deployed overseas, China is building a standby peacekeeping force of 8,000 troops. More impressively, China is building a second aircraft carrier. But the last thing China wants is fear of China. This in part tells why all the operations by its military overseas have been humanitarian in nature. Besides, the PLA will cut the number of military personnel by 300,000 as part of its most revolutionary top-down restructuring in history. The aim is to become "leaner but stronger" and modernized by mid-century. No matter how the PLA may look like at its strongest, it is impossible to imagine China establishing hundreds of military bases overseas, increasing its nuclear warheads or conducting regular close-in surveillance off the waters of a far away country. In all likelihood, the PLA will act in the same way as Zheng did, that is, pacifist rather than assertive, giving rather than taking, keeping rather than breaking. Any involvement in wars such as the ones in Iraq and Libya on untenable evidence can never be the PLA's choice. Those wars have produced nothing other than casualties of both civilians and soldiers, exodus of endless refugees and rise of such monsters as the Islamic State. The author is an honorary fellow with the Center of China-American Defense Relations, Academy of Military Science. (China Daily USA 02/10/2016 page12) GE moving headquarters to Boston to tap tech talent Updated: 2016-02-10 15:37 By Associated Press(China Daily) General Electric Co announced on Wednesday it will move its headquarters to Boston, leaving the sprawling suburban Connecticut campus it has called home over the past four decades for a technology-rich city it says better fits its ambitions as an innovation leader. Jeff Immelt, chairman of General Electric Co.Reuters Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt said GE, one of the best-known companies in corporate America, wanted to be "at the center of an ecosystem that shares our aspirations". The announcement comes three years after the $130 billion high-tech global industrial company said it began considering a new composition and location for its head-quarters, and more than seven months after the firm threatened to leave Connecticut, complaining about the state's tax environment. GE plans to initially move headquarters employees to a temporary location in Boston, starting in the summer of 2016. The full move is expected to be completed in several steps by 2018. The announcement was mourned in Connecticut, but Massachusetts officials rejoiced. "We won Powerball today here in Boston by having GE come here," Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said. "For two decades, we've had companies move out of our city. Now we have companies moving into our city." Various states competed for the company's headquarters in Fairfield. GE, which ultimately reviewed a list of 40 potential locations, said in June it was considering a move after Connecticut law-makers passed some business tax increases. The General Assembly later scaled back some of the increases after other companies voiced concerns, including Aetna Inc and the Travelers Companies Inc. Connecticut Governor Dannel P.Malloy, a Democrat, also met with GE executives and offered an incentive package in hopes of keeping the iconic headquarters in the state. Malloy acknowledged being disappointed in GE's decision and said he knows many in Connecticut share that disappointment and frustration. While Malloy said he was assured by Immelt in a phone call on Wednesday morning that GE will keep many workers in Connecticut and continue working with various suppliers in the state, the headquarters relocation is a signal Connecticut must continue trying to adapt to a changing business climate and attract and retain more employers. "You win some and you lose some, and luckily we've won more than we lost. But this hurts," Malloy said. The company employs about 5,000 people in Connecticut, including 800 at the Fairfield location. It currently employs nearly 5,000 people in Massachusetts. It was unclear how many of GE's Connecticut workers would remain in the state. Seth Martin, a GE spokesman, said the Boston location will become home to 200 corporate employees and 600 digital industrial product managers, designers and developers. He said an unspecified number of corporate employees will stay in Connecticut and be moved to GE's offices in Norwalk. A cheer went up in the Massachusetts House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon when Speaker Robert DeLeo announced GE's decision. DeLeo earlier told reporters he was unaware of any legislation that would be required to facilitate the move. Massachusetts offered GE incentives up to $120 million through grants and other programs, while the city of Boston offered up to $25 million in property tax relief, according to the mayor's office. Additional incentives include $1 million in workforce training grants; up to $5 million for an "innovation center" to help forge relationships between GE and Massachusetts research institutions and schools; and assistance to eligible employees looking to purchase homes in Boston. Republican Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said discussions with the company began in earnest last summer and, at one point, about 200 state and city officials were involved in the negotiations. "Keep in mind this is not the kind of decision that a company the size and scale of GE makes without spending a lot of time thinking about it," Baker said. Connecticut Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said GE is shifting its business model away from heavy industry and financial services to technology. He said the relocation has "nothing to do with taxes or even business costs and shouldn't be seen as a referendum on Connecticut's economy". Others in Connecticut disagreed, worried the announced move will further hurt the state's reputation despite efforts to attract out-of-state companies and change the tax structure. "We've got to make the environment here more attractive. I know that that doesn't sound real sexy, but that's the reality," said Joe Brennan, CEO of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. GE said its new headquarters will be in Boston's Seaport District, which has been undergoing a commercial construction boom in recent years. To offset the cost of the move, the company said it will sell its offices in Fairfield and at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. (China Daily USA 02/10/2016 page14) China moves up the exports value chain Updated: 2016-02-10 15:37 By Gao Yuan, Zhongnan And Lyu Chang(China Daily) An ADB report shows that the country has overtaken Japan, South Korea,Malaysia Huawei Technologies Co's latest smartphone model Y6 debuted in Seoul, South Korea, in December 2015. Provided To China Daily About 20 kilometers south of Kuala Lumpur, on the platforms of Sri Petaling light rail station, passengers eagerly wait for China-made rakes that can carry them to the heart of the Malaysian capital. A bunch of state-of-the-art six-car rakes made by China's CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co have been operating on the line since October 2015. Hydraulic brakes provide a quicker and safer stop mechanism to the rakes, which are China's first high-tech railway exports to a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The light rail system symbolizes China's evolution on the exports value chain, a December 2015 report of the Asian Development Bank shows. Exports of high-tech products are now a key driver of the Chinese economy, the ADB said in the report. By 2014, China had become the largest exporter of high-tech products in Asia with a 43.7 percent share, overtaking Japan, which had a 30 percent share nearly a decade ago. They are followed by South Korea and Malaysia. About one-third of exports from China were of high-tech products, according to the ADB report. Chinese technologies related to railways, nuclear power, shipbuilding and telecommunications are now popular in overseas markets Here's a rundown on the China's brightening manufacturing prowess: Information technology Telecom equipment exports to Asia drive Chinese manufacturers' profits these days. Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the world's biggest telecom equipment maker, is helping phone companies in Asia to build networks. It also sells smartphones and smartwatches in developed markets, aiming to challenge Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd in the consumer telecom market. Li Jin'ge, president of Huawei Asia Pacific, said telecom technologies, particularly broadband, cloud computing, and big data, are already driving the digitization of all industries, which is making Asian economies vibrant. "These technologies are also promoting improvements in planning and construction, management and operations, livable environments, giving a human touch to cities around the world." In Central Asia, Huawei is providing products and services to a number of oil and gas companies, including Beineu Bozoi Shymkent Gas Pipeline in Kazakhstan, Asia Trans Gas in Uzbekistan and Amu Darya in Turkmenistan. The area is the world's third-largest oilfield and plays an important role in the global oil and gas industry. The Chinese company said its "digital pipeline" technology, which improves efficiency, reduces energy consumption, and enhances operational safety of oil pipes by researching operational data, has been applied to a total of 4,623 kilometers of gas pipelines in Central Asia. Huawei's key projects include the Kazakhstan-China natural gas pipeline, called the AB line, which is the world's first and longest digital natural gas pipeline. Mike Han, president of Huawei's Central Asia and Caucasia Enterprise Business, said: "Since we established our business in Central Asia in 1997, Huawei has been providing competitive communication products and services to telecom carriers, enterprises, and consumers by bringing cutting-edge communications technologies and products." In the consumer telecom market, Huawei sells smartphones in emerging Asian markets, but it has been outpaced by some of the smaller vendors. For instance, Xiaomi Corp, a Beijing-based smartphone maker, sells its own smartphones in India, Indonesia and other Asian countries via local shopping websites. In May 2015, Xiaomi partnered with Taiwan-based contract manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group to open its first overseas smartphone manufacturing plant near the southern Sri City in Andhra Pradesh state. It is the five-year-old company's first overseas manufacturing site. Lenovo Group Ltd, the biggest personal computer maker, quickly followed suit. It has started to assemble devices in the eastern port city of Chennai. Meantime, Lenovo is aiming to let the newly acquired Motorola Mobility unit to tap into the high-end smartphone markets such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea. Fiberhome Technology Group, a network equipment maker that develops metropolitan broadband Internet Protocol communications technologies, said the expanding demand for optical fiber cables in overseas market, provides a good opportunity for the Wuhan-based company. Lyu Weiping, vice-president of Fiberhome, said its technology advantage is helping the company edge out global competition. "We tailor-make products for different overseas markets depending on the demand and factors like population density," Lyu said. Fiberhome said its 2014 export revenue exceeded 2.4 billion yuan ($305 million), a 90 percent increase year-on-year. "China's Belt and Road Initiative has been fueling the sales," said Lyu. The company said it will focus on growth in neighboring markets and attract research talents in the region. The Belt and Road strategy, the brainchild of the central government, encourages exports of high-tech products. Machinery With growth in the Chinese market stabilizing, some heavy equipment manufacturers struck out on their own, seeking to enter Asian markets yet to open up. The Liuzhou-based LiuGong Machinery Co, a major player in the heavy machinery market, said its products such as cranes and excavators have been exported to Southeast Asia a decade ago and are largely used in government projects in the fields of transportation, hydraulic engineering and infrastructure. "Countries in Southeast Asia such as Thailand and Cambodia are our target market and we have been in Thailand for more than a decade, because those markets have huge potential for growth with increasing demand for infrastructure construction," said Zeng Guang'an, president of LiuGong. The Chinese heavy machinery market, which used to be dominated by foreign players, had started to pick up steam around 2000 and saw its golden era after 2008 when China rolled out a 4-trillion-yuan stimulus package. But the whole industry has been shrinking as a result of oversupply and a slowing economy. Zeng said the only way out is to make inroads into overseas markets, especially those along the Belt and Road Initiative, which are likely to give a boost to the sluggish industry. He was referring to the blueprint unveiled by President Xi Jinping in 2013. The Belt and Road Initiative is a trade-and-infrastructure network that includes the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The network connects Asia, Europe and Africa, and passes through more than 60 countries and regions with a population of about 4.4 billion. LiuGong set up its regional headquarters in Singapore to manage a distribution network, support for local distributors and after-sales services for major projects. Last year, 178 excavators and cranes from LiuGong worth $14 million were exported to Uzbekistan and Cambodia, the company said. While LiuGong is planning ahead to grab a share in the heavy equipment market of Southeast Asia, some others are switching their focus to the farming industry by rolling out tractors instead of cement mixers to bag foreign orders. For instance, Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology Development Co said it is expanding its overseas presence in the farming machinery industry, targeting Southeast Asian and Central Asian countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Pakistan and Kazakhstan. The current overseas operations, however, account for a small share of the company's overall business, Zhang Jianjun, a senior executive at the company, said. But the figure will grow to about 40 percent by 2020, he said. Zhang said Asian countries' demand for farming machines is surging due to rapid modernization in recent years. Chinese companies are competitive in terms of advanced technology, reliability and lower prices, he said. "We believe the agricultural equipment market will be a major force in driving our company's growth." Shipbuilding As the global shipbuilding industry was hit by declining demand in recent years, Shandong-based CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd shifted its sights to export of offshore oil rigs and engineering vessels. The subsidiary of China International Marine Containers (Group) Ltd, the country's transportation equipment producer, registered $1.8 billion in sales of offshore engineering products from international markets in 2014. Energy companies from Malaysia, Norway and Russia were its main clients. Yu Ya, president of CIMC Raffles, said Chinese shipyards should look at high-tech areas to keep growth as low-end markets yield no profits for them. "Developing maritime engineering vessels and equipment and racing against South Korean and Japanese competitors will be key to Chinese shipyards," Yu said. Statistics from the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry show Chinese shipyards received orders for new vessels with a collective capacity of 11.19 million dead weight tons in the first half of 2015, accounting for 27.6 percent global market share. Light rail systems CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive, maker of light rail rakes operating in Malaysia, built a manufacturing and maintenance plant in the state of Perak in that country. It began operations in July 2015. The plant makes trains for the entire ASEAN region. It has annual production capacity of 100 rakes, including locomotives and light rail cars. Zhou Qinghe, president of CRRC ZELC, said as the Chinese railway network expands, it is time for exporting technology, expertise and services. "Because most countries in Southeast Asia have just kicked off construction of new railway lines, the demand for technological support from China is very high," said Zhou. "We can also share our experience in daily operations, maintenance and staff training." CRRC ZELC, a subsidiary of China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, the largest train manufacturer in the country, has bagged 8 billion yuan worth of deals in five rail equipment and service projects in Malaysia, including a 200-kilometer high-speed rail line between Kuala Lumpur and the northern city of Ipoh. The Chinese company now owns three subsidiaries in Malaysia. Around 90 percent of its employees are locals. Collectively, the subsidiaries make up the biggest rail transportation equipment provider in Malaysia, accounting for 85 percent market share. Luo Chongfu, CRRC ZELC's vice-general manager, said even though export of trains is a profitable business, the company is trying to reach out to its arms for maintenance services, to ensure long-term gains. Lan Lan in Beijing contributed to this story. Contact the writers at gaoyuan@chinadaily.com.cn, zhongnan@chinadaily.com and lvchang@chinadaily.com.cn. (China Daily USA 02/10/2016 page16) Poll: Chinese felt more stress in 2015 Updated: 2016-02-10 04:39 By CHEN WEIHUA in Washington(China Daily USA) More Chinese felt worried and stressed in 2015 than in any year in the past decade, according to a new Gallup poll. Twenty-seven percent of the Chinese surveyed said they worried a lot the previous day, while 40 percent said they experienced a lot of stress, a jump from the 18 percent and 28 percent, respectively, from the previous year, according to a Gallup report released on Monday. In the past decade, the percentage of those saying they had a lot of stress had hovered between a low of 28 percent in 2011 and 2014 and a high of 38 percent in 2013, while the percentage of those experiencing worry saw a low of 18 percent in 2014 and a high of 25 percent in 2006 and 2009. The Gallup report says such feelings have increased sharply as Chinese residents satisfaction with their household income and personal savings dropped precipitously last year amid Chinas economic slowdown. It says personal financial setbacks often lead to increased worry and stress. A Gallup report released on Jan 18 showed that the satisfaction that Chinese have with their household income dropped from a high of 66 percent in 2014 to 58 percent in 2015. The number experiencing negative emotions has increased more among rural Chinese than among city dwellers, according to the poll, which was taken of 4,265 Chinese in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in July 2015. The fact that only big cities were chosen could be misleading, because Chinese living in big metropolitan areas are known for experiencing more stress and worry due to the hectic work and lifestyle pace. A total of 28 percent of those living in rural farming areas or small villages said they worried a lot the previous day, compared with only 16 percent in 2014. Meanwhile, that figure of 22 percent for urban dwellers is down four percentage points from 2014. The same is true for the stress felt. Some 41 percent of rural residents felt a lot of stress the previous day in 2015, up 15 points from 2014. Although the percentage of urban Chinese feeling stress was 40 percent, it was three points higher than in 2014. The Gallup report did not say whether the rapid urbanization in China, which has narrowed the urban and rural lifestyle gap, contributed to the faster increase in rural stress and worry. The report says basic food and shelter are greater concerns in rural China. Eight percent of rural Chinese said there have been times in the past 12 months when they did not have enough money to buy food for their families, compared with 2 percent of urbanites saying the same. Twelve percent in rural areas said they have not had enough money to provide their families with adequate housing in the past year, nearly twice the percentage reported by city dwellers, or 7 percent, who have struggled to provide housing. Anxieties among rural Chinese may be an inevitable byproduct of the slowing economy and structural changes in China's economic policies, according to the Gallup report. It says that for decades, rural Chinese have migrated to work in low-end manufacturing plants, but those jobs are shifting to other Asian countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh amid Chinas transition toward a service and high-tech economy. Rural Chinese likely worry that their future economic prospects are dimming as modern manufacturing requires more highly skilled employees. Despite the Gallup report, Pew Center surveys have shown Chinese are among the most optimistic about their future. A Pew survey in July showed that Chinese, at 88 percent, trail only Vietnamese in saying that their next generation will be better off, compared with 32 percent in the United States. Chinese leaders have pledged to narrow the rural and urban divide and to improve job training. Each year, more than 10 million new jobs are created in China. While the Chinese economy grew 6.9 percent in 2015, its slowest growth rate in 25 years, it was still among the best in the world. Contact the write chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com New York public school students perform traditional Chinese folk dances, including dragon dance and lion dance, to celebrate the Lunar New Year at the Lincoln Center in New York on Tuesday. Dozens of children watched the free outdoor show, organized by the National Dance Institute, with their parents. Star Sawyer, New York resident and mother of two 4-year-old twin girls, said she wanted her children to learn more about Chinese culture and develop their awareness of cultural. LONG YIFAN/FOR CHINA DAILY Film to pitch US parks to China tourists Updated: 2016-02-10 14:16 By Amy He in New York(China Daily USA) The US tourism bureau will be releasing a new documentary in China on America's national parks with the hope that Chinese travelers will visit the natural attractions beyond trips to gateway cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Yosemite National Park in California. A new documentary called National Parks Adventure will be released in the US, China and elsewhere to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Provided to China Daily The film, National Parks Adventure, will premiere in New York on Feb 12 before it is shown around the globe. There is no specifi c release date, but Brand USA said it will come out sometime this spring at theaters in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Theaters will show the movie in IMAX 3D and 2D format, and it will stay in theaters from three months to a year. National Parks Adventure will be shown at the American Museum of Natural History until Sept 1. It was produced by Brand USA and sponsored by online travel company Expedia and auto manufacturer Subaru of America. The film was directed by Greg MacGillivray. "China is our most important emerging market for all the reasons that we all know, and so it was absolutely part of our plan" to release the movie in China, said Tom Garzilli, senior vice-president of global partnerships at Brand USA, the US tourism bureau established in 2011 by the Travel Promotion Act to market and promote the US as a destination. "For people who have never been to the US, they know the US maybe from the few icons - from New York or Las Vegas or Orlando because of Disney - and this is another way to tell that story and to introduce the country to people who don't really know the US," he told China Daily after the film was screened for the media. The documentary showcases more than 30 national parks and follows an American mountaineer as he explores some of the country's most famous parks. Actor Robert Redford narrates the film. Brand USA wants to take advantage of the extension of tourist visas between the US and China from one year to 10 years, which gives the visitors more time to explore different parts of the country. "We want to get the Chinese to realize there's so much more to the country. It's not as much to say, 'Oh I have to climb Devil's Tower' - and I'm not sure how many people really get that urge - but, 'I'd love to see it, and boy if there are places like that, there must be so much beauty, it must be so lush,' " he said. "We know no matter where they come, theyre going to come through a gateway, whether its San Francisco or New York or Chicago, and that near there is going to be a natural experience. Whether it's a national park or a state park or a local one, it's mostly to tell the story that the country is more diverse than they may know," Garzilli said. In 2014, about 2.2 million Chinese visited the US, an increase of 21 percent over the previous year. China became the sixth-largest origin market of tourists visiting the US when just five years prior it wasn't in the top 10, according to fi gures released by the International Trade Administration. amyhe@chinadailyusa.com Tenn. to open China office Updated: 2016-02-10 14:16 By Paul Welitzkin in New York(China Daily USA) The state of Tennessee will open an economic development offi ce in China this year to build on its success inluring companies from the mainland. "We had an office in China previously but it was focused on exports from Tennessee to China," Randy Boyd, commissioner of economic and community development in Tennessee, said in an interview. "This office will focus on attracting foreign direct investment to our state." Tennessee has been successful in attracting Chinese investment. In 2015, China-based Wonderful Group - a ceramic tile maker - said it would invest $150 million to build a facility in Lebanon, its first investment in the US. The plant will create 220 jobs. Lebanon is near Nashville. Last March, Yanfeng USA, the largest Chinese manufacturer of automotive interior components and unit of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp, China's largest state-owned automaker, said it would open a plant in Chattanooga that will eventually employ more than 300. It will provide interiors for a new vehicle that will be assembled at the new Volkswagen AG plant in Chattanooga. Boyd said Tennessee's office will be located in Shenzhen, not in Beijing or Shanghai. "We think there will be less competition there and that's an area in China where we have already had some success so we want to build on it." Tennessee has small but thriving Chinese communities in Nashville and Chattanooga. Boyd hopes the residents in those areas can help sell the state back home. "Having a strong community from China will make it a lot easier to sell Tennessee," he said. Boyd believes that Tennessee's probusiness attitude will also help in his recruiting eff orts. "Our governor is a businessman which means we are a business centric stat," he said. In addition to the office in Shenzhen Boyd said his agency is looking at opening another offi ce in China. The state is also planning to open development offices in South Korea, Germany and Italy this year. paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com Solar-trade dispute leads to Washington State plant closure Updated: 2016-02-10 14:16 By Paul Welitzkin in New York(China Daily USA) An ongoing solar-trade dispute between China and the US has led to the closing of a plant in Washington state that produces silicon for the solar panel industry. REC Silicon said on Monday that it would shut down two units at its Moses Lake plant in Grant County until June. "Production is currently expected to be shut down from February until June of this year, dependent on the ongoing negotiations towards a resolution in the solar trade war and the general market development outside China," REC Silicon, a Norwegian polysilicon manufacturer, said in a statement. The plant's closing will not involve job losses immediately. REC Silicon said that its 400 workers will perform maintenance and repair work. REC Silicon has basically maintained that it is an innocent victim of anti-dumping cases brought in 2011 by Solar- World USA, the Oregon-based subsidiary of a German company. Charges by SolarWorld led to the US imposing duties in 2012 on solar panel imports from China after it determined that Chinese makers received illegal subsidies and sold their products in the US at below cost. China denied that it subsidized solar panel exports. A year later China announced its own tarrifs on US polysilicon used in solar panel production. REC said the confl ict has prevented it from selling to the Chinese market, which has resulted in lower polysilicon sales. In 2014, Dow Corning, majority owner of Hemlock Semiconductor, decided not to open a polysilicon facility in Clarksville, Tennessee, citing Chinese tariff s and pricing pressures. "REC Silicon is an innovative, low-cost polysilicon manufacturer that has been at the leading edge of clean-energy manufacturing, but is now unfairly caught in an international trade dispute," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said in a statement. "We can avert a permanent shutdown but only if the Chinese and US governments, and the polysilicon and solar panel industries in both countries, agree to resolve this long-running dispute." Inslee previously wrote to Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng, President Barack Obama and US Trade Representative Michael Froman, urging them to resolve the dispute. paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com US to promote its national parks in China Updated: 2016-02-10 16:34 By AMY HE in New York(China Daily USA) The US tourism bureau will be releasing a new documentary in China on America's national parks with the hope that Chinese travelers will visit the natural attractions beyond trips to gateway cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The film, National Parks Adventure, will premiere in New York on Feb 12 before it is show around the globe. There is no specific release date, but Brand USA said it will come out sometime this spring at theaters in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Theaters will show the movie in IMAX 3D and 2D format, and it will stay in theaters from three months to a year. National Parks Adventure will be shown at the American Museum of Natural History until Sept 1. It was produced by Brand USA and sponsored by online travel company Expedia and auto manufacturer Subaru of America. The film was directed by Greg MacGillivray. "China is our most important emerging market for all the reasons that we all know, and so it was absolutely part of our plan" to release the movie in China, said Tom Garzilli, senior vice-president of global partnerships at Brand USA, the US tourism bureau established in 2011 by the Travel Promotion Act to market and promote the US as a destination. "For people who have never been to the US, they know the US maybe from the few icons from New York or Las Vegas or Orlando because of Disney and this is another way to tell that story and to introduce the country to people who don't really know the US," he told China Daily after the film was screened for the media. The documentary showcases more than 30 national parks and follows an American mountaineer as he explores some of the country's most famous parks. Actor Robert Redford narrates the film. Brand USA wants to take advantage of the extension of tourist visas between the US and China from one year to 10 years, which gives the visitors more time to explore different parts of the country. "We want to get the Chinese to realize there's so much more to the country. It's not as much to say, Oh I have to climb Devil's Tower' and I'm not sure how many people really get that urge but, I'd love to see it, and boy if there are places like that, there must be so much beauty, it must be so lush,' " he said. "We know no matter where they come, they're going to come through a gateway, whether it's San Francisco or New York or Chicago, and that near there is going to be a natural experience. Whether it's a national park or a state park or a local one, it's mostly to tell the story that the country is more diverse than they may know," Garzilli said. In 2014, about 2.2 million Chinese visited the United States, an increase of 21 percent over the previous year. China became the sixth-largest origin market of tourists visiting the US when just five years prior it wasn't in the top 10, according to figures released by the International Trade Administration. In the same year, Chinese tourists were the second-biggest spenders in the US, injecting $24 billion into the American economy and spending nearly $66 million a day. Lawyer gets prison for 'birthing center' witness-tampering Updated: 2016-02-10 16:38 By LIA ZHU in San Francisco(China Daily USA) A Chinese-American lawyer has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for obstructing justice related to a scheme in which he agreed to help a witness in the "birthing centers" investigation flee the United States. Ken Zhiyi Liang, 39, an Irvine, California-based immigration attorney, was sentenced on Monday afternoon by US District Court Judge Andrew J. Guildford. He was convicted in September of conspiring to obstruct justice, obstructing justice, and tampering with a witness. Liang was arrested on May 15 last year after accepting $6,000 from a Chinese woman who had been designated a material witness in a criminal investigation into "maternity hotels" operating in Southern California, in exchange for helping her abscond to China. The hotels are businesses that charge a fee for Chinese women to travel to the US to give birth so that their children become American citizens. In March, the federal agents raided more than 30 such centers to collect evidence of alleged visa and tax fraud. Twenty-nine Chinese persons were designated as material witnesses to testify against the business operators. Federal arrest warrants were issued for 10 of them in May after they had jumped bail and returned to China in April. As a material witness, the woman implicated in Liang's case was subject to a court order preventing her from leaving the US. Liang had represented the witness until the court removed him as attorney of record on April 17, 2015. Unbeknownst to Liang at the time, the woman was cooperating with federal agents with from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), who were monitoring conversations between Liang and the witness. During the conversations, Liang outlined a plan in which he would assist the witness by having her board a commercial airliner in the United States without travel documentation, so she could travel to China undetected by federal authorities. Liang was caught on hours of video and audio recordings selling and marketing his abilities to the woman to help smuggle her out of the US, in violation of court orders, in exchange for a $6,000 fee for himself and a $1,500 to $3,000 fee for three co-conspirators who would assist him, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing brief filed with the court. He returned the $6,000 he had accepted after he was arrested while walking with the witness to meet the three co-conspirators in a coffee shop in Corona, California. "As an attorney and officer of the court, Mr Liang owed a heightened duty to respect and follow court orders," said US Attorney Eileen M. Decker. "Instead Mr Liang chose to violate those court orders, and induced others to violate court orders, for his own personal profit. Today's sentence is a reminder of the importance of court orders and protecting the integrity of federal investigations." According to court documents, Liang provided assistance to two other material witnesses who fled to China and to another material witness who was intercepted at Los Angeles International Airport on April 15. The investigation into the birthing centers is being conducted by HSI and IRS Criminal Investigation. New York public school students perform traditional Chinese folk dances, including the dragon dance and lion dance, to celebrate the Lunar New Year at New York City's Lincoln Center on Feb 9. Dozens of children watched the free outdoor show, organized by the National Dance Institute, with their parents. Star Sawyer, New York resident and mother of two 4-year-old twin girls, said she wanted her children to learn more about Chinese culture and develop their awareness of cultural diversity. Long Yifan/ For China Daily NY Philharmonic celebrates New Year Updated: 2016-02-10 14:16 By Niu Yue in New York(China Daily USA) Chinese composer Tan Dun takes a bow after the New York premiere of his work Nvshu: The Secret Songs of Women, a symphony for 13 micro films, harp and orchestra at the concert Chinese New Year Celebration The Year of the Monkey presented by the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center in New York on Tuesday night. Niu Yue / for China Daily For the fifth year in a row, the New York Philharmonic celebrated the Chinese Lunar New Year with pieces by Chinese composers and a work inspired by China at Lincoln Center in New York on Tuesday night. This year's program primarily featured the New York premiere of award-winning Chinese composer Tan Dun's Nvshu: The Secret Songs of Women, a symphony for harp, 13 micro films, and orchestra (2013), performed by principal harpist Nancy Allen. The production reflects the composer's interest in the moving image, sound and history and crafts a multimedia anthropological study of a disappearing language and phonetic script exclusive to women from Tan's native Hunan province. The composer collected more than 200 hours of field recordings, which include the vanishing stories and sounds of nvshu and its women. Each of the 13 movements focuses on a different microfi lm created from these recordings. Tan's choice of the harp reflects not only what he considers the instrument's feminine sound and its style of playing (which evokes the women of nvshu), but also its distinct physical shape, which is similar to one of nvshu's calligraphic characters. "The slow disappearance of the nvshu tradition and culture has troubled me for many years," Tan said. "I wanted to do the field research, anthro-musicological studies, collect the songs of nvshu and eventually compose a new symphonic concerto piece for the world and for my home village, to continue the tradition and to create a future from the past." "It's absolutely fantastic. We are so lucky to hear Tan Dun's nvshu tonight in New York," said audience member Wendy Fawcus "This one (nvshu) is so melodic and so beautiful with the sounds of water coming through the music," She added. "It's wonderful. The last work by Tan Dun is very powerful and beautiful," said Marco Granados, a flutist from New York. The concert also featured Maxim Vengerov performing the classical Chinese piece The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and Kreisler's Tambourin Chinois. The Spring Festival Overture, Chinese composer Li Huanzhi's traditional work celebrating the Chinese New Year, was once again used to open the concert. Yu Long, musical director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, returned to the Philharmonic to do the honors. To salute the Year of the Monkey, the philharmonic also held a free outdoor event in the afternoon before the concert at Lincoln Center's Josie Robertson Plaza featuring the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company performing the traditional dragon dance, as well as public school students from the National Dance Institute performing folkinspired dances. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Liu Jieyi and Chinese Consul General in New York Zhang Qiyue attended the gala. The Starr International Foundation sponsored the event. A portion of the proceeds will help fund the philharmonic's programs at PS 120 in Flushing, Queens, an elementary school attended by a large population of Chinese-Americans and recent immigrants from China. Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Loading... Checking your browser before accessing the website. This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Please wait a few seconds. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License VMware just announced a new release of VSAN, version 6.2 and this post will provide you with an overview of what is new in this release. Before we jump into that lets like at a brief history of VSAN so you can see how it has evolved over its fairly short life cycle. With this 6.2 release VSAN turns 2 years old and it has come a long way in those two years. Note while VMware has announced VSAN 6.2 it is not yet available, if VMware operates in their traditional manner I suspect you will see it GA sometime in March as part of vSphere 6.0 Update 2. Lets now dive into whats new in VSAN version 6.2. After reading this post you should also check out VMwares Whats New with VMware Virtual SAN 6.2 white paper for more detailed information. VMware continues to expand the Ecosystem and tweak licensing VMware is continually trying to expand the market for VSAN and has put a lot of effort into working with hardware partners to expand the ecosystem. Youll notice a couple key things here that has changed some things that have held them back in the past. The first is a more flexible licensing and support model. In addition VMware is now trying to get VSAN pre-installed on server hardware to make it even easier for customers to deploy it. Youll see support from Fujitsu, Hitachi and SuperMicro right away on this, I suspect youll also see Dell and Cisco at some point, dont hold your breath for HP Enterprise to do this though. In VSAN 6.1 licensing will split into Standard and Advanced with the Advanced license getting you the ability to use the All-Flash deployment model. In VSAN 6.2 a new licensing tier is added, Enterprise which provides the ability to use Stretched Clustering and QoS (IOPS Limits). Note the new de-dupe and compression features in VSAN 6.2 are included in Advanced, also current Advanced customers are entitled to get VSAN Enterprise. There are more VSAN customers then ever You would sure hope so, VMware is now claiming 3,000 VSAN customers. Back in August with the release of VSAN 6.1 they claimed 2,000 customers, so if you do the math they have added 1,000 new VSAN customers in the past 6 months. Not too bad growth but Im sure VMware would like to see that number a lot higher after 2 years of VSAN GA. VMware is also claiming More Customers Enable HCI with VMware HCS than Competition, Im not sure if I believe that claim, I wonder where they got the numbers that prove it. Whats new the quick overview Well dive into these areas deeper but this gives you the quick overview of whats new in VSAN 6.2 if you want to do the TL:DR thing. The big things are deduplication and compression, QoS and new RAID levels. Deduplication and Compression If youre going to play in the storage big leagues you have to have these key features and VSAN now has them, but only on the All-Flash VSAN deployment model. This is pretty much in line with what you see in the industry as de-dupe and compression and SSDs are a perfect match so you can make more efficient use of the limited capacity of SSD drives. VMware hasnt provided a lot of detail on how their implementation works under the covers beyond this slide but I suspect you will see a technical white paper on it at some point. Note this deduplication is enabled at the cluster level so you cant pick and choose what VSAN hosts it will be enabled on. While it is inline, the de-dupe operation occurs after data is written to the write cache and before it is moved to the capacity tier, compression happens right after de-dupe. VMware refers to this method as nearline and it allows them to be able to not waste resources trying to de-dupe hot data that is frequently changing. The de-dupe block size is fixed at 4KB, the storage industry block size tends to range from 4KB to 32KB with many vendors choosing greater than 4KB block sizes, 4KB is definitely a lot more granular which can result in higher de-dupe ratios. Deduplication and compression are tied together with VSAN meaning they work together and you cant just enable one or the other. Of course enabling deduplication and compression will add resource overhead to your hosts, as they are both CPU intensive operations. VMware claims it is minimal (around 5%) as they are using LZ4 compression which is designed to be extremely fast with minimal CPU overhead, but Id like to see comparisons with this enabled and disabled to see how much impact it will be. New RAID levels VSAN has never required the use of any hardware RAID configured on the server side, you essentially use RAID-0 (no RAID) when configuring your disks and then VSAN handles redundancy by doing its own RAID at the VM-level. Prior to 6.2 there was only one option for this which was essentially RAID-1 (mirroring) where whole copies of a VM are written to additional hosts for redundancy in case of a host failure. While that worked OK it consumed a lot of extra disk capacity on hosts as well as more host overhead. With 6.2 VMware has introduced two new RAID levels, RAID-5 and RAID-6 which improves efficiency and reduces the required capacity requirements. These new RAID levels are only available on the All-Flash deployment model and can be enabled on a per VM-level. They refer to these methods as Erasure Coding which is different from traditional RAID in the way that data is broken up and written. Erasure coding is supposed to be more efficient than RAID when re-constructing data and has a downside that it can be more CPU intensive than RAID. These new RAID levels work much like their equivalent traditional disk RAID levels where parity data is striped across multiple hosts. In 6.2 these new RAID levels do not support stretch clustering but VMware expects to support that later on. RAID-5 requires a minimum of 4 hosts to enable and is configured as 3+1 where parity data is written across 3 other hosts. Using RAID-5 the parity data only requires 1.33 times the additional space where as RAID-1 always consumed double additional space (2x). As a result a VM that is 20GB in size will only consume an additional 7GB on other hosts with RAID-5, with RAID-1 it would consume 20GB as you are writing an entire copy of the entire VM to other hosts. With RAID-6 you are providing additional protection by writing an additional parity block and as a result there is a 6 host minimum (4+2) and the parity data consumes only 1.5 times the additional space. This provides better protection to allow you to survive up to 2 host failures. Using RAID-6 a 20GB VM would only consume an additional 10GB of disk on other hosts, if you did this with RAID-1 it would consume an additional 40GB as you are writing two copies of the entire VM to other hosts. These RAID levels are tied to the Failures To Tolerate (FTT) setting in the VSAN configuration which specifies how many failures VSAN can tolerate before data loss occurs. When FTT is set to 1 RAID-5 is utilized and you can tolerate one host failure and not lose any data. When FTT is set to 2 RAID-6 is utilized, and you can tolerate two host failures and not lose any data. While there is a minimum number of hosts required to use these RAID levels once you meet that number any number of hosts is supported with them. If you have less than 4 hosts in a VSAN cluster than the old RAID-1 is used. New Software Checksum A new software checksum has been introduced for increased resiliency that is designed to provide even better data integrity and complement hardware checksums. This will help in case data corruption occurs because of disk errors. A checksum is a calculation using a hash function that essentially takes a block of data and assigns a value to it. A background process will use checksums to validate the integrity of data at rest by looking at disk blocks and comparing the current checksum of that block to its last know value which is stored in a table. If an error or mismatch occurs it will replace that block with another copy that is stored in parity on other hosts. While enabled by default at the cluster level and it can disabled on a per VM basis if needed. New Quality of Service (QoS) controls VSAN has some new QoS controls designed to regulate storage performance within a host to protect against noisy neighbors or for anyone looking to set and manage performance SLAs on a per VM basis. The new QoS controls work via vSphere Storage Policies and allow you to set IOPS limits on VMs and virtual disks. These limits will be initially based on a 32KB block size but that will be adjustable as needed. VMware didnt go into a lot of detail on how this all works but it seems fairly straightforward as you are just capping the amount of IOPS that a VM can consume. IPv6 Support This one is pretty straightforward, vSphere has had IPv6 support for years, VMware has had requests for IPv6 support with VSAN and now they have it. There is support for a mixed IPv4 and IPv6 environment for migration purposes. Improved Application Support VSAN already has pretty good application support with key apps such as Oracle and Exchange, they have extended that in 6.2 with new support for SAP and tighter integration with Horizon View. VMware is working hard to make VSAN capable of running just about any application workload. Enhanced Management and Monitoring Its even easier to manage and monitor VSAN in 6.2 from directly within vCenter, prior to 6.2 you had to leverage external tools such as vSAN Observer or vRealize Operations Manager to get detailed health, capacity and performance metrics. This new performance management capability is built directly into vCenter but its separate from the traditional performance metrics that vCenter collects and stores in its database. The new VSAN performance service will have its own separate database contained with the VSAN object store. The size of this database will be around 255GB and you can choose to protect it with either traditional mirroring (RAID 1) or using the new erasure coding methods (RAID-5 or RAID-6). By default this is not enabled to conserve host space but can be enabled if needed in the settings for VSAN. Native Health Check You no longer need to use a special Health Check Plug-in to monitor the health of VSAN. This allows you to have end to end monitoring of VSAN to quickly recognize problems and issues and resolve them. They have also improved the ability to detect and identify faults to enable better health reporting with VSAN. Additional Improvements Finally there are a few minor additional improvements with VSAN in 6.2, the first one is rather interesting. VMware is introducing a new client (host) cache in VSAN 6.2 that utilizes host memory (RAM) as a dynamic read cache to help improve performance. The size of this cache will be .4% of total host memory up to a maximum size of 1GB. This is similar to what 3rd party vendors such as Pernix and Infinio do by leveraging host memory as a cache to speed up storage operations. While this new client cache is currently limited to VSAN you have to wonder if VMware will open this up in a future release to work with local VMFS datastores or SAN/NAS storage. Another new feature is the ability to have your VM memory swap files (.vswp) use the new Sparse disk format that VMware introduced in VSAN 6.0 as a more efficient disk format. As memory over-commitment is not always used by customers this enables you to reclaim a lot of that wasted space used by vswp files that are created automatically when VMs are powered on. The Uttar Pradesh food safety department has found samples of some other instant noodle brands sub-standard with ash content in the tastemaker exceeding the prescribed limits. The noodle samples of Knorr Soupy, Horlicks Foodles and Ching's Hot Garlic Instant were collected from a city mall in May for testing and its report was received about a fortnight ago," food safety officer of Barabanki district, Sanjay Singh, said. The samples were sent to government Food Analysis Lab in Lucknow where it was found that "total ash of the tastemaker exceeds the maximum prescribed limits ... hence the samples are sub-standard," Singh said. Against the prescribed limit of 1 per cent, ash content was found to be 1.83 per cent in Ching's noodles, while in Foodles it was 2.37 per cent and in Soupy noodles it was 1.89 per cent, he claimed. Notices were sent to all the three companies a week ago giving them a month's time to make an appeal, he said. When asked for comment on the issue, a GSK Consumer Healthcare spokesperson said: "We manufacture Foodles as per product approvals received by us from FSSAI and manufacturing licences received by our third party manufacturer from the Authorities. Foodles available in the market have been manufactured in accordance with this product approvals." A query sent to Hindustan Unilever, which sells Knorr range of noodles, remained unanswered. Capital Food, which markets Ching's Hot Garlic noodles, could not be reached for comment. Responding to a question, Singh said the report did not mention the health hazards caused by ash content higher than prescribed limits. Interestingly, the UP Food Safety Department in May last year had found high lead content and presence of taste enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) in samples of Maggi noodles. Later in June, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) banned Maggi noodles, alleging that the instant noodles were "unsafe and hazardous" due to higher than permissible lead content and presence of MSG. Nestle had then pulled the product off shelves. The instant noodle brand made a comeback in November after passing tests at three government labs, after which the Bombay High Court removed the ban. (REOPENS DCM117) When contacted, an HUL company spokesperson said: "With reference to the analysis reports of the UP Food Safety Authority, we wish to clarify that the conclusion that the product is 'sub-standard' is incorrect. We will be making appropriate representation with the regulator. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 580 crore for laying of the five km railway track up to Bangladesh border here, as it expected to complete the work on the 15-km-long rail line to connect Agartala with Akhaura in that country by 2017. Of the 15 km railway track, 10 km falls in the Bangladesh side and the rest in India. "An amount of Rs 580 crore was sanctioned in the wake of a meeting between the officials of the Prime Minister's office, Ministry of External Affairs and Railways ministry recently," state Transport Secretary, Samarjit Bhowick told reporters here. He said the entire project cost would be borne by the Centre and over Rs 1,000 crore was sanctioned for completion of the track in Bangladesh side. A team comprising technical experts of IRCON, representatives of state government, the Indian High Commission officials in Dhaka as well as Bangladesh Foreign Ministry officials had earlier visited the sites. The team had decided that a 3.7-km-long flyover (viaduct) would be constructed along the five km stretch on the Indian side to save cultivable lands and the present detailed project report (DPR) would be changed, he said. New Delhi is keen to establish the rail link as it would connect West Bengal and Tripura through Bangladesh. The 1,700 km distance between Agartala and Kolkata through Chicken Neck near Siliguri would be reduced to 350 km if passengers from here could move through the neighbouring country. During Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi in January 2010, the two countires had agreed to lay the track between Akhaura and Agartala. The 15-km-long Agartala-Akhaura railway route would connect the Indian Railways with the Bangladesh Railways through the North-East which would improve connectivity and boost trade between the two countries. The UN human rights chief said on a visit to Sri Lanka today that Britain and Sweden should accept the findings of one of his panels that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had been arbitrarily detained. Last week, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued its conclusion -- a non-binding legal opinion -- that Assange had been subjected to arbitrary detention by the Swedish and British governments. Britain and Sweden angrily rejected the panel's recommendations that Assange be allowed to walk free from Ecuador's London embassy, where he sought refuge in 2012 and be offered compensation. Speaking in Colombo, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said the Working Group, although not a court, based its decision on binding law and that Britain and Sweden should therefore abide by its findings. "Human rights law, the treaty body law is binding law, it is not discretionary law, it is not some passing fancy that a state can apply sometimes and not in the others," Zeid, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters at the end of a four-day visit. A spokesman for Zeid said the panel based its decision on the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. "If there are further court cases on Assange, you are likely to see the Working Group's opinion cited in the court, and quite possibly in the judgement," spokesman Rupert Colville said. Britain and Sweden sharply condemned the panel's findings and said they would change nothing. Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond called the panel's opinion "ridiculous" describing Assange as "a fugitive from justice". Zeid told reporters that he had been tied up with his visit to Sri Lanka and so had not had time to examine the British and Swedish reactions to the panel's bombshell report. "I have not had the required time to actually read the reactions of the states (Britain and Sweden) and at some stage soon I will comment," he said. Assange walked into the Ecuador embassy in June 2012 to avoid the threat of arrest and extradition to Sweden, where he still faces a rape allegation. He has lived there ever since in a small office room with a bed, computer, sun lamp, treadmill and access to a small balcony. French auto major Renault will begin exporting its entry-level hatchback Kwid to Brazil from the next month and is looking to ramp up production to 10,000 units by March at its Oragadam plant to meet domestic demand. Kwid, which received overwhelming response in the domestic market with more than one lakh bookings in four months since launch, would be the second Renault product to be exported after Duster, a top company official said. Renault, which has set a target of garnering 5% market share by end of 2017, has already touched 4.5% in February, the official added. "We will be making exports of Kwid to Brazil in parts starting next month," Renault India Country CEO and MD Sumit Sawhney told reporters here last night. He said the company was exporting "small" numbers of its popular SUV Duster to Brazil and Kwid will be shipped as SKDs (semi-knocked down units). Declining to share the number of units of Kwid to be exported, he said one lakh bookings had been received for the car in the domestic market itself. To address the local demand, he said the company would be ramping up the production at its alliance factory with Nissan in Oragadam near Chennai. At present, Kwid has a waiting period of five to six months and with the ramping up of production, the company hopes to bring it down to three months. "Right now we are making about 6,000 units (per month). We want to increase it to 8,000 units (per month) and by March we will be crossing 10,000 units," he said. On the market share, Sawhney said the firm was confident of registering 5% share by end of 2016 itself in the backdrop of successful launches of Kwid and Duster. "In December (2015) we had 4.5% market share, then in January it was 3.8%. This month we have 4.5% market share. We are working very hard to achieve 5% market share by the second half of 2016," he said. On sales of Renault in 2016, he said the company would cross over one lakh sales in 2016 as against the total sales of 54,000 units in 2015. The company during the Delhi Auto Expo had showcased its automatic variant of Duster (4x4 variant), besides the one-litre engine capacity Kwid cars. "(With these launches this year) we will be selling more than one lakh cars this year," he said the new variants of Kwid and Duster would be introduced in 2016. As part of network expansion, the company would also increase the dealerships to 240, from the existing 205, by end of 2016, covering 96% of the market. While stating that the success of Kwid was in the backdrop of its high localisation content at 98%, he said the company was also working on taking up the local content levels in Duster from the present 70% to 80% by next year. The Renault-Nissan plant at Oragadam near Chennai has been set up at investments of over Rs 4,500 crore and has the capacity to produce about 4.80 lakh units operating in three shifts. Footy stars final movements in nightclub revealed before he fell to his death More details have been revealed as to why the body of a rising rugby league star was not found for about 30 hours after he plunged to his death in a Spanish nightclub during a post-season holiday, as a heartbroken NRL mate creates a fundraiser to help the 24-year-old's devastated family. Rebel Wilson breaks silence on Aussie journo who tried to out her Australian actress Rebel Wilson has opened up for the first time since being forced to "come out", revealing she was yet to tell some family and friends about her same-sex relationship with fashion designer Ramona Agruma. Jim Chalmers reveals initial estimate of flood impact on economy 03:21 Treasurer Jim Chalmers says its too early to put a very precise price tag on the flooding across Australia but revealed an initial... Queensland government to fast-track emergency housing 02:00 Local councils in Queensland no longer need planning approvals to construct crisis accommodation homes. WATERLOO A Waterloo man who was convicted in the 1997 stabbing death of a railroad retiree has been indicted on weapons charges. A federal grand jury handed up an indictment on Feb. 3 charging Steven Joseph Peterson, 35, with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Peterson appeared in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids on Monday and entered a not guilty plea. Court records show that Peterson has felony convictions for charges of burglary and theft in 1998 and 1999, and in 2004 he pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in the death of 83-year-old Howard Smith, a crime for which he served prison time. On Oct. 28, 2015, Waterloo police were notified of a burglary at 1136 Scott Ave. where several pieces of jewelry were taken. A witness told investigators that Peterson had been at the house at the time of the break-in, and in November police found some of the jewelry at Caseys Coin on University Avenue where Peterson had sold it. When police searched Petersons home at 215 Hammond Avenue on Nov. 10, they found a 9mm Hi Point pistol inside a backpack. Also in the backpack was Petersons clothing, court records state. He was detained on state weapons and burglary charges at the time. Trial for the federal firearms charge has been scheduled for April. Peterson had originally been convicted of first-degree murder in Smiths death during a July 2000 trial. Prosecutors said Peterson had stabbed Smith with a fillet knife after on Nov. 12, 1997, after Smith accused him of stealing his wallet. The murder conviction was overturned when the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that police shouldnt have continued to question Peterson after he asked for an attorney. The decision ordered a new trial without statements Peterson had made about being angry with Smith and then blacking out only to find himself holding a knife and seeing Smith on the floor. Instead of a new trial, Peterson opted to plead guilty in 2004 to lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter and burglary, and he was sentenced to up to 35 years in prison. Given credit for time he served starting in 1998, Peterson was paroled in July 2014 and placed on work release until July 2015, according to the Iowa Department of Corrections. WATERLOO A Waterloo man who took the stand to tell jurors he shot and killed a man because the man attacked him with a knife is seeking a new trial. Attorneys for Rodolfo Gonzalez Pena, who was convicted of first-degree murder in a May trial after jurors discounted his self-defense claim, said in court records their client didnt receive a fair trial because he wasnt granted an interpreter. The defendants native language is Spanish and does have some ability to communicate English, defense attorney Melissa Anderson-Seeber wrote in a request for a new trial. However, the defendant was on trial for a Class A felony. The necessary language skill to understand critical legal proceedings in a court of law is vastly different from language skills in everyday life. She said Gonzalezs trial attorney was ineffective because he didnt request an interpreter. The defense also has requested audio recordings kept by the official court shorthand reporter. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for later this month. Gonzalez hasnt been sentenced in the case. Prosecutors said Gonzalez met 35-year-old Celio Posada of Minneapolis, Minn., at the El Senior Tequila nightclub Aug. 23, 2014. Later that night, the two left the establishment for the parking lot, and Posada was found dead in the lot with a gunshot wound to his chest and a gunshot wound to his head. Authorities stopped Gonzalez about a block away and found a pistol in his vehicle. Gonzalez first told officers he had a twin brother who was involved in the shooting. On the stand, Gonzalez admitted the twin brother story wasnt true. He said Posada had held a knife to his neck and made a comment that he belonged to the MS-13 street gang. He knocked the knife from Posadas hand and started to walk away but then shot him when Posada began following him, said he was going to kill him and then rushed him. The state disputed Gonzalezs account of the incident at trial. WATERLOO Gov. Terry Branstad praised Waterloo Community Schools move into career and technical education Tuesday during a stop at West High School. And he said officials should keep working to implement such programs, despite the failure of a bond issue referendum that would have built a career center to help expand the districts offerings. Even with existing facilities, theres a lot you can do, he said, including development of partnerships with community colleges. Schools should utilize the resources that you have. Thats what Waterloo Schools has been doing up to this point, and Superintendent Jane Lindaman doesnt plan to slow down. Were hoping if you come back in one or two or three years youll see even more, she said, noting the district is very committed to expanding the programs. Branstad visited Tracey Hulmes culinary arts class, where he saw students preparing white chocolate blueberry mousse. He also heard a presentation from several teachers and students about their experience with career and technical education programs. One thing you do need is the correct facilities, said Bob Plagge, an industrial technology instructor at West. For his Project Lead the Way courses, that includes more space than a typical classroom. Todd Kern, graphic design instructor at Expo High School, said students who might otherwise drop out choose to stay in school because of programs like his. Thats the case with Expo senior Toreon White. Honestly, if I wasnt in Todds classes, I wouldnt be here, he told Branstad. The CTE classes, its just a lot more hands-on, added Peyton Sanchez, an Expo junior. It helps me more than other classrooms. Branstad said the power of these programs to engage students who are at risk of dropping out has gotten his attention. Thats one of the things that were intrigued by, he said. He also called dual enrollment one of the best programs we have. High school students can take a variety of college classes through the program including CTE courses and earn credit at both levels. We need to do a better job of aligning what were doing in schools with work force development, said Branstad. In talking to people from business and industry across the state, he has heard that we have all these jobs available. We just cant find the people with the skills. He highlighted the Future Ready Iowa Summit he and the lieutenant governor will host April 19 in Des Moines. It will bring together educators, businesses and work force development officials to strategize ways to better prepare students for life after high school. Were going to continue looking at ways to build more public-private partnerships, he said. Branstad also appeared earlier in the day at the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum to sign copies of the book Iowas Record-Setting Governor: The Terry Branstad Story along with Waterloo-born author Mike Chapman. On Dec. 14 Branstad became the longest serving governor in U.S. passing Gov. George Clinton of New York, who served in the late 1790s and early 1800s. He is currently is in his sixth four-year term, some of which were nonconsecutive. The book signing was sponsored by Waterloo radio station KXEL NewsTalk 1540 AM, with support from the museum. WATERLOO Prayer has returned to meetings of the Waterloo City Council. Mayor Quentin Hart said members of the local religious community will be invited to deliver an invocation during the first regular council meeting of every month, replacing what had been a moment of silence to open meetings. We have a great faith-based community in the city of Waterloo, Hart said. We want to incorporate them into our meetings and decision-making as well. Rev. Judy Marshall, of Harvest Vineyard Church, gave the invocation this week. Hart told audience members he was not forcing city staff, council members or anyone from the public to participate in the prayer. He said only one councilman expressed any misgivings about the change when he broached the subject privately. Former Mayor Tim Hurley in 2004 ended what had been a long-standing tradition to open weekly council meetings with prayer. Theres other ways I can express my religious beliefs other than at the council meeting, Hurley, a practicing Catholic, said at the time. Most of us are Christians, but we are not a Christian body. We are a public body. Previously, city department heads were tasked on a rotating basis to either give the prayer or line up someone else. A Jewish rabbi and Muslim imam were among those giving invocations in the past. In 2014, a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling upheld sectarian prayers before government meetings as constitutional, provided they arent coercive, dont denigrate other religions and do not require participation by people who do not share the same beliefs. While the U.S. Congress and Iowa Legislature open sessions with prayers, it remains a relatively uncommon practice during municipal council meetings in Iowa. Among the states 10 largest cities, only Cedar Rapids had a prayer at council meetings. Neighboring Cedar Falls does not open its meetings with a prayer. The Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors and Waterloo Board of Education open their meetings with a moment of silence. WATERLOO The Black Hawk County Veteran Affairs Commission believes female veterans are underrepresented among its clients. Kevin Dill, the commissions executive director, is reaching out to women who served in the military with an emphasis on connecting with those who may be suffering trauma from sexual abuse. In 2014 there were only 84 claims processed out of Black Hawk County and not necessarily from this office, Dill said. Surely there are more women than that who need services. I am trying to get the word out to all women veterans to visit our office to inquire about their benefits, he added. Im just trying to reach out as much as possible, and military sexual trauma is a big issue that affected many women. Dill said he recently helped several women who were able to receive free assistance through the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Iowa City, which has a military sexual trauma coordinator. Military sexual trauma is the term the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs uses to refer to sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that occurred while a veteran was in the military. VA data from 2000 indicates more than half of female veterans experience sexual harassment during their military service while nearly one in four suffered sexual assault. MST is often associated with mental health problems including post traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, relationship problems and more. Without treatment, these symptoms can persist for years or decades. The Black Hawk County Veteran Affairs Office can be reached at 291-2512 or by visiting the office on the first floor of the Pinecrest Building, 1407 Independence Ave., Waterloo. C.F.s Downtown Delights date set CEDAR FALLS The Downtown Delights Wine and Chocolate Walk will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday. People can enjoy sample pairings of fine wines and chocolates at participating local businesses. Participating stores include Basket of Daisies, Chocolaterie Stam, Cobblestone Creek, Fig & Frolic, Gallery 106, Heres Whats Poppin, the Ivy Trellis, Jennifers On Main, Jiva Salonspa, Kate & Co., Kitchen Essentials and Gifts, L B L, Little Prairie Girl, LUNA Art + Wine, Main Street Sweets, Miss Wonderful, Peekaboo Baby & Gifts, Pink Peony Studio, Pump Haus, Purse~N~ality, Sassy Chic, the Sheep Baatique, Spotlight Style Boutique & Salon, Twirl Boutique, Uptown Tots, Worlds Window, & Vintage Iron Co. For more information, go to www.communitymainstreet.org. Legion to hold several fish fries GILBERTVILLE The Gilbertville American Legion will be offering four fish fries on Fridays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., beginning Friday. Cost is $8 for adults, $3.50 for children ages 6 to 9 and free for children ages 5 and younger. There also will be a fish fry on Feb. 26, March 4 and 18. Climate summit talk planned CEDAR FALLS The Cedar Valley United Nations Association meeting, set for 7 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 15 in the large conference room at the Cedar Falls Public Library, will feature Andrea Cohen and Nick Fetty, who both recently attended the UN 2015 Paris Climate Conference COP2. At the conference, Cohen, University of Iowa, monitored climate change as a human rights issue, and Fetty, University of Iowa graduate journalism student, was one of two journalists who blogged during the conference and reported on the activities of the Iowans attending. The program is sponsored by the Cedar Falls AAUW, the Cedar Falls Human Rights Commission and the Cedar Prairie Sierra Group. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call 266-9901. Free senior seminar set CEDAR FALLS Caring Transitions of Northeast Iowa will conduct a free seminar on senior relocation at 10 a.m. Feb. 15 in the upper-level conference room at the Cedar Falls Public Library. It was rescheduled from an earlier date because of bad weather. Topics will include services for downsizing, clean-outs, organization, moving and estate liquidations. No reservation is necessary. North Star to hold meeting CEDAR FALLS North Star Community Services will have its SIBS kickoff meeting for adult brothers and sisters of those with disabilities on Feb. 16 at the OP at 4214 University Ave., beginning at 5:30 p.m. Appetizers will be provided. I-SIBS, Iowa Support and Information Network for Brothers and Sisters, is a new group forming in the Cedar Valley that will offer a safe and encouraging environment for people to connect with other SIBS who can relate to your unique experiences. The group will meet regularly to exchange information and learn about new resources/ The event is open to siblings, sibs-in-law, and any other interested family member or sibling supporter. For more information and reservations, call Jodie Muller at 236-0901, ext. 304 or go to www.northstarcs.org and click on events. I-SIBS is forming to become a chapter of the Sibling Leadership Network, www.siblingleadership.org. Stop smoking class dates sets GRUNDY CENTER Grundy County Memorial Hospital is offering an smoking cessation class from Feb. 16 through March 29. The eight-session class will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesdays in the GCMH Education Room. Use Entrance 3 on the west side of the hospital. Freedom from Smoking is an American Lung Association-approved curriculum and is taught by two GCMH nurses who are certified instructors. The $25 fee covers materials. To register for the class or for more information, call 824-4189 or go to www.grundycountyhospital.org. Grout to host astronomy day WATERLOO The Grout Museum of History & Science, 503 South St., will host Cub Scout Astronomy Day at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 20. Participants will learn about the night sky and complete The Sky is the Limit adventure, as well as observe the night sky through a planetarium show, look at distant objects with various types of telescopes. Cost is $10 for scouts and adults. For more information, call 234-6357 or go to www.groutmuseumdistrict.org/calendar to register. C.F. Schools disciplines studen t CEDAR FALLS The Board of Education met in closed session Thursday for a student discipline hearing. After the hearing, Superintendent Andy Pattee said, the board came into open session to approve a motion assigning the student to Cedar Falls Community Schools alternative program, the Behavior Intervention Center. The program is located at the Educational Support Center, 3809 Cedar Heights Drive. Pattee declined to release any information about what led to the disciplinary hearing. Retired school staff to meet WATERLOO The Black Hawk Retired School Personnel Association will meet at 11 a.m. Feb. 16 in the Friendship Village Dining Room, 600 Park Lane, with Merriam Lake of Covenant Wellness presenting Stretching and Stress Reduction. A short business meeting and lunch will follow. Lunch reservations, $7.50 at the door, are necessary. Call 988-3245 before Friday. All retired school personnel (administrators, teachers, associates, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers, etc.) are welcome to join the local and state association to help support retired school personnel across Iowa. Black History vets event Saturday WATERLOO A special recognition for veterans will be held 1 p.m. Saturday at Mount Carmel Baptist Church, 805 Adams St. The event is meant to thank families in the African-American community for support of loved ones during and after time in the U.S. armed services. Among the families recognized will be the Clark Gold Star family, the Nash Caregiver family and the Burkett extended family from Buxton, who can trace family members back to the Civil War and the Buffalo Soldiers of the 1800s as well as others. Service members are especially invited to accompany family members and give personal thanks. Keynote speaker will be U.S. Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Jonathan J. McColumn, commanding general of the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) at Fort Des Moines. He has 30 years in the military with service during Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lunch will be served at 11:30 p.m. UNI alliance to host luncheon CEDAR FALLS The University of Northern Iowa Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Student Association will host the 12th annual Cedar Valley Nonprofit Awards Luncheon from noon to 1:30 p.m. April 6 in the UNI Commons Ballroom. The event will recognize the contributions of local nonprofits and nonprofit leaders. Award categories include Business Partner of the Year, Nonprofit Staff Leader of the Year, Nonprofit Board Member of the Year, Koob Award for Collaboration, Gordon Mack Award for Student Leadership, Legacy Award, New Nonprofit Employee of the Year and Exceptional Nonprofit of the Year. The New Nonprofit Employee of the Year will receive a one-year membership to the Cedar Valley Nonprofit Association, and the organization recognized as the Exceptional Nonprofit of the Year will receive a cash gift of $1,000 sponsored by the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa in recognition for their outstanding efforts. Any person may submit a nomination, and there is no limit to the number of nominations that can be submitted. Nominations are due by March 1. Nomination forms are available at http://uni-nonprofit.org/community-resources/community-resources/. Q: I hear they have some new quarters. Is there a list of these? A: The U.S. Mint has an ongoing America the Beautiful program with quarters featuring natural landscapes. Last year, the quarters featured the Homestead National Monument of America in Nebraska, Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana, Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware and Saratoga National Historical Park in New York. The first one scheduled for 2016 will honor the Shawnee National Forest. You can go to www.usmint.gov for lists and schedules. nnn Q: What is the difference between ISIS and ISIL? A: ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) refer to the same group of Islamic jihadists. ISIL is the acronym preferred by the international community and The Associated Press, which argues it more specifically describes the terrorist groups regional ambitions. The Levant is the eastern Mediterranean region that includes Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus and part of southern Turkey. nnn Q: Have the historical Waterloo photo collections of Flint Studios, Leonard Katoski and Walden Photo been preserved and possibly available for researchers? A: There are photographs done by Flint Studios and Walden Photo in the Grout Museum collection, and there are also photos taken by or associated with Leonard Katoski in the collection. It appears the Walden family still holds the Walden photo collection, and Leisure Services/Parks Department were associated with Leonard Katoski. Were not sure who would have information on the Flint Collection. nnn Q: How often has Kim Davis, the clerk in Kentucky, been divorced? A: Shes been divorced three times. nnn Q: Whats the location of Golden Corral in Rochester, Minn.? A: The company website doesnt list a restaurant in Rochester. You can go to www.goldencorral.com to find other locations. nnn Q: Can you give the public a phone number to call to report sidewalks that arent scooped five days after a snowfall? A: In Waterloo, call code enforcement at 291-3820 to report city ordinance violations, including a public sidewalk that has not been cleared. nnn Q: Who is Christine M. Flowers who had a column in the paper Jan.13? A: She is a lawyer and columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News. That information was inadvertently left off the column. nnn Q: Why all of a sudden does The Courier have so many spots where the type is so small? Like obituaries and words at the bottom of a column. A: We have gone through a redesign. There is no difference in type size, font or weight in the old style vs. the new style of our type. The only things that have been adjusted are the paragraph indents, the standard kerning (space between letters and words) and the hyphenation and justification settings to improve readability of individual lines of text. Superman is perhaps the world's most iconic superhero, and since being created back in 1938, the Man of Steel has gone through some very unique and very strange adventures. Like almost all DC Comics characters, there have been a lot of different versions of Superman over the years. He made his debut with a borderline villain personality, but that didn't last long and soon gave way to the classic "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" persona which lasted for decades. He's since been modernised, and now has a little more of that aggressive and edgy personality from the days of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. A lot of different takes on Superman have been seen on the big and small screen as well, with British actor Henry Cavill the latest to play the character. After Zack Snyder rebooted him in Man Of Steel, Superman will return to cinemas when he battles it out with Ben Affleck's Caped Crusader in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. However, would Cavill have signed up to play this icon had he known just a handful of these weird facts? Probably, but that makes these no less surprising! Whether it's the origin of Kryptonite, Superman's links to the KKK and Nazis, or the real reason Lex Luthor hates the protector of Metropolis, you'll learn a lot more about the DC Comics superhero right here. Don't forget to also take a look at twenty equally shocking facts about Batman by clicking right here. The life of a famous actor or director must be difficult: you try to get on with your work, bringing joy to the world through creativity and vision, only to be accused of arrogance and detachment from real people because you live in a solid gold house on a diamond hill in California. People just don't see how much of a sacrifice it all is when someone wants to take your picture, and how justified your top billing and hugely inflated pay-check really are. All joking aside, there are some mega-star talents who have waived their astronomical fees to appear in films for directors who didn't even have the grace and goodwill to offer them a major part, and sometimes without even a name billing in the final credits. These are the true heroes of Hollywood, walking, talking Easter Eggs hidden in films that were already entertaining in their own right, and made infinitely more engaging by that flickering moment of recognition... Was that really...? Nah, it couldn't have been. Here are the 10 biggest and best hidden cameos from mega-star talents... 15. Professor Solomon (Hart Bochner) - Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000) Iconic screen bogeymen - Myers, Krueger et al - force us to watch through fingers clamped over our eyes, while we breathlessly await their next act of onscreen savagery. If exposed to their antics at an impressionable age, youll be afraid of the dark for the rest of your life. At the other end of the scale, however, there are horror movie villains that force us to ask such important questions as Why am I watching this? and How the hell did this get made and did they think theyd get away with it? Horror is one of the hardest genres to get right and one of the easiest to screw up, and nothing spells disaster like an antagonist who either puts the audience to sleep or has them laughing in the aisles. When we should be getting worked up, with our palms moistening and our knuckles tightening, were yawning because weve been here before. Anyone who sat through the Prom Night remake knows what Im talking about. Every so often, a filmmaker will go out of their way to create an antagonist so fearsome, and fail so spectacularly, that their efforts beg that age old question, What on earth were you thinking? There are many epic fails listed here, plus a few snorers. Youll have no difficulty deciding which is which.Once upon a time, Professor Solomon was a Film student whose future looked set he was going to become a world-renowned filmmaker who made simple yet thoughtful art films. That didnt work out, so he took a teaching job and began fantasising about the day hed murder one of his students and pass their film off as his own. The trouble is, the student in question has an identical twin brother who turns up and starts digging, prompting Solomon to murder everyone with a tenuous connection to the movie. Concealing his identity behind a fencing mask, he starts killing his own students, on his own campus, one after the other, little realizing the finger of blame will point directly at him when theres no one left. When Final Girl Amy (Jennifer Morrison) figures out his diabolical plan, Solomon turns into a Scooby villain, tearing off his mask and giving a speech outlining his motives. 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Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1) Wow it is zero degrees C. this morning and so nice out. Boza and I walked for almost two hours and now we are back inside where it is comfy and warm. Therefore, I decided to write a post and do some thinking, not that that will do any good The coffee is fantastic and since I had stocked heavy, because coffee is one of those items that went sky high in price, I still have a bunch of coffee left and can enjoy. I use to stock up in America, because coffee price seems to be one of those items that can all of a sudden explode in pricing. I have noticed that Russian packers have taken up the slack and several Russian packed brands I have tried are damn good and I will buy more of them when I can I had no less than a dozen e-mails this morning and they were all good and helpful. I am amazed at how it took me so long to get a system that worked with communication to my readers. it has been a nightmare in the past and I know people could not see it as I see it, because I am the one getting all the crap, they did not understand the full extent of the issue. Knock on wood, the issue is solved, may it stay that way But back to the e-mails. It seems that we have some LADA Niva lovers and people who can help with getting Bronco rims (yesterday,) if they were for me, then I could answer better, but for Vova it will be a different story. The big issue is getting rims from the western world shipped to here. The weight alone would be worth 10 times what the wheels are worth and that is not cost productive. If they could come from China, then I could ship them dirt cheap. Shipping from almost anywhere in the world is not bad pricing, to Russia, except from so called western world countries. I know, I have shipped items and even a two pound item will cost near a hundred dollars to ship and that is cheapest way to ship. You might think things are cheaper, but in the end, one way or another the cost is astronomical to ship to this side of the world. I have even shipped cars to America and the cost is four to five times the cost of the car. I shipped everything trying to help people in America get things and it is not a pretty picture when you get the bill. Fact is, I hardly ever spend any shipping costs when I get items from China and such One e-mail in particular gave me some real information about exactly what rims to use and how. I was even sent a picture of his Niva and I have to say, it looks as good in America as they do here. The Niva is one tough little 44 and really gets around. Well it gets around until someone tries to drive through a 5 foot drift, but we wont talk about that today I really appreciate the information and people trying to help solve the issue with snow and such. Cost is a big factor and I was given some very good info; yes it fits an older bronco but it also fits ford cars from a model A up to a half ton ford pickup from the thirties into the 80s it also fits a Willys jeep which most of them are 16 x 5 to 16 x 6 and I am assuming there are some of them left over from the war mine has aftermarket white spoked wheels in a 15 x 6 size So see the first e-mail from Iceland, that gave me solid information, has led to a dozen e-mails and now I have options that are available in Russia to solve the issue. I always want to learn and learning is the key to survival in this world I noticed on the image I was given of a Niva, the tires definitely are wider and it looks to sit the same as having 16 inch rims on it. If the guy will okay it, I would post his Niva on the site. I love to see Russian made cars in other parts of the world. I shipped a Volga 3102 to America and it was a sweet heart of a car. I like doing stuff like that and we know everyone to do the job, if you have the money? And that is big dollars to ship a car to America or anywhere for that matter * * * * * * * * * * I have to mention New Hampshire Primary and the Iowa Frocus Crocus; Remember we get who we vote for and when nothing worth voting for is available, then we must demand new and better. I am tired of the same old same old and not a one of the candidates are anything better. Too many skeletons in the closet, too many ties with outside sources, too many issues and too many puppet strings attached to all of them. When are we going to learn to study the situation for what it truly is and not allow the media to play our minds with propaganda and sweet chaos? Serious issue is that; What sane person would really want the job of president? Something to think about Heaven forbid, we could have had what I see now and had voted Ralph Nader in many years ago ~Sarc~ and a LOL WtR by John Stanton Synthetic biology also appears likely to open up opportunities in the human performance modification field through the potential to make regulatory molecules in laboratories or, more directly, inside the body. For example, bacteria that live in the human digestive system already convert food into neurotransmitter s and other molecules that influence performance; by engineering these organisms to sense the levels of compounds in the body and to supplement or counteract them when needed, it may be possible to enhance physical, cognitive, and socioemotional (or interpersonal) performance. DOD Office of Technical Intelligence The mainstream media, the public and financiers are agog over the Zika virus (Zika) which is wreaking havoc on thousands of families and newborns in the vicinity of Piracicaba, Northeast Brazil. Zika cases have already been reported in Texas, Florida and Virginia. According to the US Center for Disease Control, In May 2015, the public health authorities of Brazil confirmed the transmission of Zika virus in the northeast of the country. Since October 2015, other countries and territories of the Americas have reported the presence of the virus. Opportunistic Zika is being presented by the mainstream media and some government agencies in the same manner as the beheading of an ISIL/Daesh prisoner, and with all the drama, color commentary and propaganda of the War on Terror, the War in Afghanistan, the War in Iraq, the War on Drugs, the War on Crime, the Cyber War, and the reemerging War against the twin Redthough capitalistMenac es Russia and China. Is it possible for the United States of America to do anything other than wage war? At any rate, Piracicaba, Brazil, according to an Intrexon briefing at a JP Morgan sponsored conference, was the site of the worlds first municipality to release Oxitec organisms [genetically modified organisms (GMOs)] into the wild. The organisms were genetically tricked-out male mosquitoes and the release of the flying critters took place in April of 2015. Oxitec is a subsidiary of Intrexon. The is no established link between Intrexons release of genetically modified mosquitoes and Zika or the birth defects attributed to Zika that are ravaging the families and children of northeast Brazil. But there is a link, however, between Intrexons timely purchase of Oxitec in August 2015 for $160 million, and the windfall that Intrexon expects to gain from its genetically modified killer mosquitoes. Already, Wall Street investors, business publications and media outlets are praising the use of GMOs like those of Intrexons to wipe out malaria, dengue and other diseases even though there remains much scientific uncertainty over the long term effects of inserting GMOs into the ecosystems into which human animals are embedded. GMOs Taste Great! Science writer Phillip Ball writes that If the idea of introducing a turbo-boosted method of genetic modification into the wild sounds alarming, it should. In 2014, before it was even clear whether gene drives would work in insects, a group of US researchers recommended some safety guidelines and called for regulation and extreme caution before unleashing such a powerful technique in a natural ecosystem. The subsequent publication of a gene-drive system in flies led the same researchers (including those who did that work) to recommend lab containment procedures. In similar fashion, another of Intrexons business units, AquaBountys AquaAdvantage Salmon, received approval in 2015 from the US Food and Drug Administration to produce and harvest genetically engineered salmon and sell it in the US without warning labels. The GM salmon will be produced in Panama and Canada. However, the US Congress stepped in and indicated that it would not allow the sale of GM salmon in the US without a labeling regime. According to the National Law Review, Reversing course from the end of 2015, FDA recently announced an import ban on genetically engineered (GE) salmon until such a time as comprehensive labeling guidelines are introduced. Despite FDAs approval of GE salmon in November 2015, the agency appears to have bowed to congressional pressure and placed a hold on the importation of the AquAdvantage Salmon pending resolution of the labeling guideline controversy. Further, documents received by foodandwaterwatc h.org through a Freedom of Information Act request reveal that some staff at the US Fish and Wildlife Service expressed reservations about Intrexons GE salmon and the impact on native salmon: I think the idea of genetically engineered animals that will be consumed is a bad idea anyway but it is done all the time. I think the uncertainty of what will eventually happen to a species if genetically altered animals mix with native stocks is reason enough to oppose this at least until such times as that controlled experimentation takes placeno matter what precautions you take fish escape and once they do, there is no closing that door. So that being said, I think it is a bad precedent to set. Lobbyists, Genes, Investments and Defense Sitting on Intrexons board of directors is Cesar Alvarez of Greenberg Traurig (GT). His biography indicates that Mr. Alvarez has served since February 2010 as the Executive Chairman of the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig, LLP, and previously served as its Chief Executive Officer from 1997 until his election as Executive Chairman. If the name Greenberg Traurig sounds familiar, that because it was home to Jack Abramoff who brought in millions of dollars to GT while Alvarez was, ostensibly, in charge as GTs CEO. According to GTs website, During his tenure as CEO, which began in 1997, he directed the firms growth from 325 lawyers in eight offices to approximately 1850 attorneys and government professionals GT has been involved in a number of unsavory activities over the years, many of them under Alvarezs watch. The Pentagon and US Intelligence agencies are looking into synthetic biology in some sense the way they used to look into hallucinogenic LSD and atomic weapons: Theorize, test on humans, and then see what happens all before regulators get nosy. In January 2015 the Department of Defenses Office of Technical Intelligence produced a report titled Synthetic Biology. The field is described as this: Synthetic biology is an emerging field in which scientists modify or engineer DNA to improve their ability to understand, predict, design, and build biological systemsThus, it is not a new field, but it is new in its approach holistic engineering of biology and its promiseDue to DoDs unique missions, there are many special needs for advanced materials, and this area has low regulatory hurdles. Intrexon gets a few mentions in the Synthetic Biology study, always a good thing for a company looking to relieve the Pentagons research and engineering units of some cash. Heres one: Intrexon, a synthetic biology company that designs and produces organisms for agricultural, medical, and industrial applications, conducted an initial public offering (IPO) this year that valued the company at more than $2 billion. Heres another: The R&D Services group is similarly young and has received lower levels of investment, with the exception of one big winner: Intrexon, which has attracted $500 million dollars in investment, was omitted from the analysis above because of the degree to which it skews this group. According to opensecrets.org, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has $100,000 to $250,000 assets with Intrexon and US Senator Mark Warner has $500,000 to $1,000,000. Intrexon looks like a buy! John Stanton can be reached at captainkong22@gm ail.com Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, joined a national coalition of labor leaders in Washington D.C. today to educate Congress on the harmful impact that the Trans-Pacific Partnership will have on workers and communities across the globe. The TPP is a job-killer, said Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. By increasing the U.S. trade deficit and exasperating the offshoring and outsourcing of good, family-supporting American jobs the TPP will negatively impact the lives of American workers. By shuttering factories, undermining American manufacturing and lowering wages, the TPP will further shrink the American middle class and extend growing disparities in wealth and income levels. The labor movement stands united to oppose bad trade agreements, continued Bloomingdale. The TPP is an outsourcing dealnot a trade deal. Our trade agreements should advance an economy that creates good jobs in America and that enables regular working people to succeed by working hard to get ahead. The TPP fails this goal and today I am proud to stand united with labor leaders from around the U.S. to call for a halt to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. If youre looking to try out an online casino, there are several things that will help you make a decision. Heres what you should look for when choosing an online casino Are they regulated? A lot of the larger ones have licenses issued by the authorities in their respective regions, so its worth checking this first. Do they offer games from different software providers? Some casinos just use one software provider and limit your selection. This is fine if you like playing those types of games but you may want to check other casinos as well. What does their payout percentage look like? The payout rate refers to how much money you can expect to win after every bet. A high payout rate means youll be able to play more often without having to worry about losing all your money. Its also important to know the minimum and maximum bets allowed on each game. If youre going to play roulette, for example, then you probably dont want a casino with a minimum bet of less than $2.50 or even lower than that. The players used to play the game slot online in the land based casinos in the past time. But now with time after the invention of the online casinos players play the game slot online. Online platform provide the players with the convenience in playing and even better winning. Even after keeping a good percentage of the profits, they distribute good funds to players. How many games do they offer? There are lots of different types of games to choose from. Roulette, blackjack and poker are some of the most popular options, but you might find slots, video pokers, video bingo and others as well. You can usually filter these games down to only show the ones that interest you best, so make sure that your list isnt too long! Is there a bonus offer? Many online casinos offer free bonuses as part of their welcome package which includes new players being awarded 100% up to $10 instantly, for example. These offers are great but not everyone has access to them all the time (and some require you to deposit real money). If youd prefer to avoid paying a fee, some casinos offer no-deposit bonuses where you can get a certain amount of funds before you need to put any actual money into the account. These are usually offered alongside welcome bonuses, so make sure you read both parts of the terms and conditions carefully before signing up. Does it offer live dealer games? Live dealers are much preferred by many over regular virtual versions, so it pays to check this option out too. Most online casinos now offer live dealer games in addition to their regular offerings, allowing you to experience the thrill of the real thing without needing to leave home. Now that youve got an idea of what to look for when choosing an online casino, heres some tips for making the right choice It really comes down to personal preference. No two people are exactly alike, so everyone has an opinion on what they like and dislike about each casino. That said, here are some things to consider in order to narrow down your choices Popularity. Check out reviews, forums and Facebook pages to see what other people think of the casino. Also, ask around at work or friends houses who they would recommend to you. You could always take a look at the casinos website too, to see what kind of information they provide about themselves. Reputation. Find out what the general public thinks about the casino. Check out any customer reviews on sites like Trustpilot, Amazon and Google Play to find out more. As far as gaming goes, you can also check out the Better Business Bureau to see whether there have been any complaints against the casino. Security. Make sure the casino uses SSL encryption to secure its transactions, meaning that your private data stays safe during transactions. Other than that, look for security seals on the site itself and verify that theyre legitimate. You can also check out the casinos privacy policy to see how they handle confidential information. Payment methods. Its good to have multiple payment options available, especially if you plan to play frequently. Its also nice to find a casino that accepts cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. If youre worried about safety, you can always opt for a credit card or PayPal instead. With all those criteria in mind, heres our top picks Betway: Betway is a relatively new UK casino offering online gambling to residents of the United Kingdom and European Union. They offer hundreds of games across both land based and digital platforms, with plenty of top software providers like Net Entertainment, Microgaming and Yggdrasil Gaming Network. With a generous welcome offer that gives players 100% up to 100, you really cant go wrong with Betway. Coral Casino: Coral Casino is operated by the same company that runs the famous Caribbean casino, Grand Reef. 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You can test drive various casinos completely risk-free, so you can feel confident about your choice before you make a single penny deposit. Patricia J. Conoway, equestrian and former advertising agency manager, will be at Page One Books at 3pm on Sunday, March 6, to talk about and sign her non-fiction book, Listening With My Eyes: An Abused Horse. A Mother With Alzheimer's. The Journey To Help Them Both. The book is described as such: "Understanding non-verbal communication taught by a horse, Patricia Conoway has created a breakthrough guide to help caregivers connect with their loved ones suffering from Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. She takes us on her journey with her mother Kay who's in the late stages of Alzheimer's, dependent on others for her most basic needs, and no longer able to communicate verbally, when her horse, Dream enters Patricia's life. Dream had been severely abused by a previous owner, and where others would have given up, Patricia was determined to heal her. In this book, Patricia describes her dual struggles with her mother's steady decline and persistent issues with care facilities while she's going through the slow process of learning her horse's body language. Eventually Dream teaches Patricia communication by 'watching and listening' with her senses, which she translates to non-verbal 'conversations' with her mother. Patricia's straightforward account of her own frailties, doubts and eventual success should be recommended reading for anyone who struggles to relate to a person who has lost verbal communication." Conoway was born in Pittsburgh, PA, and spent 15 years in corporate America in the advertising business (including five years in Australia). She bought her first horse in 1999, and six months later had to place both parents in assisted care. She has a BA in Psychology from Indiana University of PA, and a MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management. She is a volunteer with The Horse Shelter, Therapeutic Riding and COLTPAC (citizens advisory board for Board of County Commissioners). She has lived in Santa Fe since 1993. Feb 10, 2016 | By Alec Despite all its making potential, desktop 3D printers have a reputation of being nothing more than toys. Only suitable for creating desktop clutter. To be fair, that reputation isnt completely undeserved, as many users create little more than pot planters and smartphone cases. Thats exactly why Ding Zhou, a Chinese industrial design lecturer at the Nanjing University of the Arts, recently hosted a workshop that seeks to inspire users and find handy solutions for everyday problems through 3D printing. And the results are very impressive; from plug removal aids to wire clips that prevent entanglement, this workshop is an excellent reminder of how much simpler our lives can become with a few clever 3D prints. As Ding Zhou explains to 3ders.org, he was reminded of how powerful 3D printing can be while working as a visiting researcher at the renowned School of Design at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. [Thats a] distinguished institution focusing on the application of design/research in 3D printing. My experience of working there promoted my current research focus on design for additive manufacturing (DFAM). Upon completing his one-year program in Wellington in August 2015, he returned to Nanjing University with a new appreciation of 3D printing, and saw the need to impress that same passion and conviction onto his students and explore the technologys potential. As quoted from a Swedish additive manufacturing report, today only the tip of the iceberg of possibilities with additive manufacturing has been explored it has near endless potential, only limited by our imagination, he tells us. Through his efforts, the University set up an educational 3D printer in November 2015 at their School of Industrial Design. To get the most out of this machine a MakerBotReplicator-Z18 3D printer he organized the special design workshop 3D Printing as a tangible solution. This event aimed to encourage the involved creators to explore the world of 3D printing, through applying handy desktop 3D printers to solve every day lifes problems, the lecturer explains. And the results of that class are impressive, as you can see. The focus on solutions for everyday problems, and even problems that you didnt know were problematic, produced a wide range of inspiring objects that really show that something as simple as an original plastic shape can make everything so much easier. Just look at the fork that can be clipped onto the side of a noodle cup I never realized that messing around with cutlery when eating noodles was something fixable, but once you use this tool youll never go back. The same can be said for the cutting plate that holds the fruit and vegetables in place, or a little clip that makes plug removal easier perfect for the elderly. The umbrella extension to keep your bag dry also shows exactly how 3D printing can make lives just a bit easier. As Ding Zhou explains, he is effectively trying to prove that 3D printing definitely has a future in households, even though some industry reports have questioned its usefulness and found it difficult to predict where 3D printing at home will lead. And with a series of artistic and engineering projects (like a wind-propelled car), he and his students further emphasize that theres more to desktop 3D printers than little life hacks. All projects were 3D printed in PLA on the schools MakerBotReplicator-Z18 3D printer, and designed with a wide range of CAD software Ding Zhou himself uses everything from Pro/ENGINEER, ZBrush, Meshmixer, to Rhino and its plug-ins: T-Splines, EvoluteTools, Grasshopper, PanelingTools, and so on. Because I understand each one has its features and advantages in building 3D model, he argues. Before the students started printing, they were first trained in 3D printer use by him or the facility technician. Whats more, the 3D printing experience has already added new vigor the students design workflow. Thanks to the handy 3D printers, the students have developed a habit that to test and evaluate design result in the real world rather than their imagination, Ding Zhou says. From my perspective, 3D printing process challenges the whole existed industrial design and innovation theory. He went on to argue that this also affects manufacturing as a whole, and 3D printing could therefore greatly change a manufacturing hub like China. Beyond rapid prototyping, 3D printing currently works as an access where world-class innovation is introduced to conventional Chinas manufacturing industry. This promises benefits to product development in China, he explained. Ding Zhou, meanwhile, is already playing his part by continuing his research into Design for Additive Manufacturing. With the backing of 3D printing specialists Profeta Intelligent Technology, he is currently working on a project on functional 3D printed textures, and also on setting up a 3D printing service. He is also looking to set up a full 3D printing course at Nanjing University and elsewhere, so we will doubtlessly see more of him in the near future. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Feb 10, 2016 | By Benedict Transitions Hair Solutions, a New Jersey-based hair prosthesis provider, is providing 3D printed hairpieces for hair loss sufferers. The hairpieces, which can cost between $2,000 and $15,000, have already been made for several cancer survivors. People can lose their hair for a multitude of different reasons. Many men begin to experience baldness or thinning hair from their twenties onwards, and there are a host of medical circumstances which can cause both men and women to suffer follicular losses of varying severity. One of the most common causes of hair loss amongst both genders is canceror, more specifically, the grueling chemotherapy and radiation process that patients undergo to battle the terrifying disease. Some people are comfortable losing their hair, but for others the process can be psychologically trialling and lead to self-esteem issues. To ease the burden of baldness, many of that latter group choose to purchase wigs, which can help to rebuild confidence and return hair loss sufferers their former personal appearanceor an entirely new one of their choosing. Wigs, however, tend to come off-the-shelf and are not tailored for an individual. Danielle Grillo of Transitions Hair Solutions wanted to provide a more complete and personal hair replacement service to cancer survivors and to anyone else who has suffered from hair loss. The particular service she helped to develop was a 3D printed hair prosthesis package, which gives customers a semi-permanent hairpiece just like real hair. "It's considered a scalp and hair prosthetic because it can be used for any kind of hair lossrelated to chemotherapy, a scalp disorder, burn, autoimmune disorder, and because it can be made into whatever size is needed," Grillo explained to TODAY. "Maybe you need a full head of hair or only a small area covered on the top of your head. The Transitions Hair Solutions process takes a customers unique anatomy into account and, if desired, their exact hair specifications, such as color, texture, length, and density. Grillo and co. even take note of the direction in which the hair grows, to reproduce the physical appearance of the hair as closely as possible. The information is sent to Cesare Ragazzi Laboratories in Italy, who 3D prints the hairpieces before returning them to the New Jersey company. Real human hair is then implanted into the 3D printed scalp, which is adhered to the clients head with a dermatologically safe adhesive. "It's a very, very precise, in-depth operation," Grillo said of the $2,000-15,000 procedure which takes about 12 weeks to complete. "It's not for everyone; not everyone can afford it. There are other options that are still good. This is just a step above, and something different. Sheri Valle, a resident of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2011 and underwent chemotherapy and radiation as part of her treatment. The process caused severe hair loss for the patient. "I wore regular wigs when I had cancer and was totally bald," Valle said. "They're hot, they feel binding. They look fake. The failure of the wigs caused Valle great distress: As a woman, I finally survive cancer, and now I have to go without hair? I started to lose self-esteem. For a while, I wasn't even going out at all. And I said to myself, listen, I went through all of this, so I'm going to do this for myself so I can feel like a woman again." Valle was determined to find an alternative solution, and her search led her to Transitions Hair Solutions, whose tailor-made alternative seemed to offer an answer to the survivors troubleseven if the price of the procedure caused Valle some head-scratching: I finally just said to myself, Listen, you survived cancer. Just invest in it. Its going to make you happy. I feel more like a woman. I feel like myself again. According to Grillo, its cases like Valles which keep her plugging away at the job. To watch clients come in and be a little bit hunched over, and then watch them leave and see them bloom like a flower, thats what I love about it, Grillo told BuzzFeed. I love seeing what it does for people. Once clients have received their prosthesis, they revisit the salon every four to six weeks for a cleaning treatment. But in all other respects, these customers can treat their new hair as if it were their own. "Once it's attached, they can literally do anything someone with a full head of hair can do," Grillo said. "Seriously, go ride a jet ski! But a lot of people just tell me it's so amazing they can shower in it. It's just one less thing to worry about. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Mrs Kamilla Kaldalons wrote at 7/8/2016 12:34:36 PM:PLEASE! Is there Transitions Hair Solutions in the UK? My email is kamillak@simnet.is Thank you. Feb 10, 2016 | By Alec If you happen to live in the Sacramento, California region, youll have noticed that a huge building project is currently underway at the Folsom Lake. A gigantic $900-million auxiliary spillway for the Folsom Dam is being constructed by a collaboration of the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation. It is scheduled to be completed in 2017, but it exactly already exists as a 3D model. The engineers revealed that 3D printing prototyping was an integral part of the design process for the auxiliary spillway. This ongoing project is one of the most significant dam building endeavors in the US. It is actually an addition to the existing Folsom Dam, and will create an auxiliary spillway that is intended to complement the function of the main dam and will be will used to release water earlier and more safely from the Folsom Lake when water levels become too high. It will be a 158 feet tall structure. The Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway will also give the whole Sacramento region a so-called 200-year level of protection, which means that there will just be a one-in-200 chance for flooding (in any given year). Though the final colossus will be made from concrete and steel, most important components were actually prototyped using 3D printing technology. The short clip below reveals how one part, the dogging assembly, was actually 3D printed. This is actually a manually operated steel tube that locks the main control structures bulkhead gates (a massive 105-ton giant) into place, or opens them. The model is completely 3D printed in ABS. Using a solution tank, they went on to quickly and efficiently remove all support material. The designers were also very pleased with the technique. 3D printing has really helped the way we design projects and made it a lot easier to conceptualize unique dam components like the dogging assembly, said Cheuk Wan, Sacramento District civil engineer. We were able to physically see if everything worked and moved correctly before we started full-scale construction. Various other parts were also initially prototyped through 3D printing before construction began. As Corps modeling manager Kevin Russ explained, it also allowed them to interact with the design in a much more comprehensive way than a simple CAD model would allow. Weve done the full Folsom auxiliary spillway and actually cut different sections in the model and be able to physically take the model apart and actually see the interior structure of the model as well. Its an awesome way to see these designs before they get built, he explained. While work on the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway is still underway, the Army Corps of Engineers has already said that this experience was so positive that 3D printing will be used for more construction projects in the near future. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Feb 10, 2016 | By Kira Two years ago, 10 entirely 3D printed houses appeared practically overnight in Shanghai. It was later revealed that a company named WinSun was behind the ambitious project, and that they planned to continue pushing 3D printed construction to its limits: 3D printing entire buildings, villas, and multi-story apartments. While impressive (and later, controversial), that plan seemed to be more about showing-off what construction 3D printing could do than actually building livable houses for citizens. Staying true to its moderate yet progressive national identity, Singapore has now announced plans to take a more levelheaded, if tentative, approach to 3D printed public housing as way to address its growing, and ageing, populations needs. A typical HDB public housing block in Singapore The Singapore Centre for 3D Printing, part of the countrys National Additive Manufacturing Cluster (NAMIC), will be testing whether public housing, or at least some components of public housing buildings, could be 3D printed. The idea is not to launch into the full-scale development of concrete 3D printed houses, but rather to test, one unit (or building story) at a time, the viability of 3D printing as a construction method. The units will be 3D printed in a factory and then transported to the construction site for assembly. According to Professor Chua Chee Kai, Executive Director of the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP), researchers at the centre are currently working with a 3D printing company to produce a testing strategy, and will formally propose the project to government agencies in Singapore this year. The first 3D printed house prototype could be expected within three years. Professor Chua Chee Kai, Executive Director at Singapore Centre for 3D Printing Though the construction industry is not usually one to dive headfirst into new technologies and methods, having been building houses in more or less the same way for decades, Singapore believes that due to its increasingly ageing population, it will need to find new construction methods that require less labor while increasing productivity. Construction 3D printing could be the answer. Part of the Singaporean researchers pragmatic approach to 3D printed public housing is to map out which parts of the buildings could viably be 3D printed, and which would still require traditional construction methods. Indeed, while it may not be cost effective to 3D print 100% of the building units, the core structural components, which could be made from 3D printable concrete for example, are most likely to be explored, whereas plumbing and electrical facilities might not. The SC3DP is also looking into developing its own 3D printable concrete, as well as dedicated large-format construction 3D printers. 3D printed concrete deposited by WinSun's construction 3D printer Singapore has long been a scientific and technology hub within Asia, and has invested heavily in R&D and upcoming technologies. In 2013, Singapore invested $500 million in 3D printing specifically, and since then, has set up the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (with US$107.7 million of funding), and a National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) to support the country's 3D printing infrastructure. Singapore is also home to the largest 3D printing facility in South East Asia. In addition to 3D printed public housing, the SC3DP is also testing the viability of 3D printed weapons parts, as well as 3D bioprinted bones and other medical applications. Despite being the third most densely populated country in the world, Singapore ranks number four on the list of countries by home ownership rate: a full 90% of citizens own their own homes thanks to a strong public housing initiative. Clearly, when it comes to public housing, the Lion City knows that its doing. So, when it announces plans to shake things up by incorporating 3D printing construction technology into the mix, the rest of the world might want to take note. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Eleftherios P. Diamandis considers when to retire in Nature: About 30 years ago, I emigrated to Canada to pursue my scientific training. For the past 25 years, my laboratory at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto has sought biomarkers for use in the early detection of cancer. I love my job as both clinician and scientist. I am now 63 and people throw all kinds of questions at me owing to my diverse experience and my white hair. But the one I hate the most is: When are you going to retire? I hate it because it reminds me that I am in transition. The first time I was asked it, I was 58. The question was unexpected yet it stirred something in my head. And so, I resolved to record whenever people asked me it. At the age of 59, I was asked twice; at 60, four times; at 61, eight times; at 62, sixteen times; and at 63, thirty-two times. By extrapolation, I expect that next year the question will pop up 64 times and by 67, I will be facing it twice a day. So what might be the optimal choice? Staying in the lab. Throughout my career, I was blessed to forge relationships with diagnostic companies and to obtain patents for some of my lab's discoveries. Because research grants are becoming more difficult to obtain, I created an account that accumulates the resulting royalties and commercial donations. The fund should be large enough to support a couple of graduate students or postdocs, as well as my research manager, for up to ten years without further funding. This represents about 10% of my current lab staff, which I could handle easily as a mentor and adviser. I would be free to pop into my office at any time, to read Nature and Science, and to write manuscripts or articles like this. I could visit my grandchildren and then return them to their parents. Nowadays, I consider retirement to be a continuous process that occurs in small increments, over a long period. This slow transition is allowing me to answer my most hated question, as follows: I am retiring at the pace of one minute per day. General election voter registration deadline is Monday Voters have until 5 p.m. Monday to register to voter for items on the general election ballot. Distribution of company announcements to the professional platforms, finance portals and syndication of important corporate news to a wide variety of news aggregators and financial news systems. Amazon I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. ACAs library of educational tools help members improve their business practices. ACA also holds the most popular industry conferences and offers credentialing for collectors, attorneys, and more. ACAs Training Zone subscription gives agencies access to almost all of our education for one low cost. From: "MRS.SANDRA PAM" Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2016 19:13:21 +0900 (KST) Subject: Attn: Account Holder To: mrssandrapam1@naver.com MRS.SANDRA PAM (mrssandrapam1@naver.com) is not on your Guest List Attn: Account Holder, This is to notify you that a new development has been made by today in which the Benin Republic Bank which is called First City Monument Bank (FCMB) which has been holding your funds all this while has been ordered to release it to you. The bank has created an online bank account on your behalf and the online bank account has been funded with the total sum of $ 8,500,000.00 USD in which you would be able to withdraw any amount of money daily from the online account. Below is the online bank account details Welcome! To - FCMBank Online Plc Secure Account Page Account Name Account Type Activate Online Banking Account Created Opened Account Balance 2016-2-10 $ 8,500,000,00 USD Account Number FCMB Sort Code 00169381103-43371 1022-03-8733 Country Name Of bank International Money Transfer Input PNBPUS33 Code for SWIFT Account Number 00169381103-43371 Bank has stated that you could ALSO The be able to START Accessing Online, The Bank the Account Transfer a once The Code has been issued to you and this Code will be issued to you The AT SUM of $ 1 0 5 Usd. The bank has also directed that the payment should be sent through Western Union Money Transfer or Money Gram Transfer with the below details. Receivers Name The: LUIS OBADI Location: Cotonou Benin Republic Text Question: How Text Answer: Fine Amount: $ 105 Usd. MTCN Number ... Senders Name ... Send the following details to me as soon as you make the payment which are senders name and address, Mtcn Number, Text Question and Answer Used and the amount sent. The $ of Payment - Once 10 5 Usd has been in Received by the Today, the then The Issue The Bank would TRANSFER CODE / TRANSFER The which you would the Use PIN to you to the make The Final Transfer to the Any Your the Choice of the Account Bank. I would be waiting for the details as directed as soon as possible. THANKS FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION. Respectively MRS.SANDRA PAM Assistant Director 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.... Indias #1 Digital Marketing and Advertising conference, ad:tech New Delhi, the event for modern marketing and media is hosting their 6thEdition on 03-04 March 2016 at the Leela Ambience Hotel and Residences, Gurgaon. A recent advertising expenditure report forecasts Indias digital advertising to grow at 47.5% in 2016, which is indeed a remarkably good news for the digital advertising fraternity. The burgeoning demand of the new age consumer has paved way for faster evolution of the digital ecosystem from 9.9 percent of the total combined advertising revenue share in 2015 to a forecasted12.6 percent. ad:tech is where Indias modern marketing and media community meet each year to source suppliers, network with industry players, benchmark their digital strategies and get-to-grips with emerging trends and technologies. The intention of making advertising technology more seamless, information consumption more relevant, faster & accurate has led to execution of various new platforms, technologies & innovative products & startups.With traditional buying & selling showing way to programmatic model along with developing studies & debates on subjects such as In-the-Moment marketing, cognitive technologies, cross-channel integration, measurement metrics, vernacular creativity, M-commerce , mobile app monetization, Internet of Things, Virtual Reality, teach wearables, video-on-demand, has all led to innovation & discoveries about the potential & demand of the digital marketing, advertising & technology ecosystem. This is a big reason to attend ad:tech New Delhi, with an agenda that reflects evolution, challenges & how this industry will grow. This event provides the best opportunity to find the right business partners and potential clients, learn the latest in digital and experience products and technologies that are shaping the growing digital marketing world. The 6th Edition promises to be bigger, better and grander hosting 80+ exhibitors across 18 categories; 150 + speakers including 7 global keynotes, 50+ interactive sessionsincluding think:tech sessions, aims to move the digital advertising market forward with actionable insights.The exhibition floor has booths from our major sponsors like Fork Media, Yeahmobi, And Beyond, WatConsult, Vserv, AdzMedia, Criteo, Tune, Leadhug, Taboola to name a few. With an excellent line up of industry stalwarts who will be keynoting, ad:tech announced their 4thKeynote as Alexander Schlaubitz, VP, Global Marketing of Lufthansa., who among many thing started thewide-spread innovation initiative yielding award winning creative work (Fanhansa, Klaus-Heidi, #inspiredby). Other keynotes include Michael Chrisment, Global Head of Integrated Marketing NESCAFE, Nestle, Christophe Eymery, Head of Digital & Media, L'Oreal, Kunal Shah, Founder & CEO, Freecharge and Manlio Sanna, Global Marketing Director, Carlsberg Group. The conference has 2 action packed days with major tracks of Data Analytics & Insights, Engagement & Experience, Evolving Marketing Technologies and eCommerce & Mobile. Ad:tech has witnessed immense growth over the years and this year it has seen a much bigger International participation that includes attendees from 28 countries and exhibitor from across the world. ad:tech in its 6th edition is aims at ensuring to provide the most exciting platform media advertising fraternity in India, said Jaswant Singh, General Manager India, ad:tech 2016 MASH Advertising- a Percept Hakuhodo Group Company, has just rolled out its first nationwide brand campaign for PNB Housing across multiple platforms including Print, Outdoor, Television, Radio, B-T-L and Social Media taking a 360creative and media approach. The multi media campaign was backed up by some substantial investment. The objective of the campaign is to improve brand perception about the quality of services and establish PNB Housing as a new age, customer centric housing loan provider. The key message of the campaign is The door to your dream home opens easier with PNB Housing. PNB Housing is today the 5th largest housing finance company in India. The campaign aspires to present the fresh face of brand to its customers after undergoing an extensive transformation journey since the last few years. The concept behind this unique creative theme is inspired by Mother Nature, who never made provisions for a rented home whatever the species. Bringing into use an extensive visual extravaganza of exotic birds and animals in their unique dwelling, this campaign draws parallel between animals and human beings. It attempts to establish the fact that Mother Nature has never made provisions for a rented accommodation and thus animals have to make their own homes, but human beings tend to live in rented homes. The emotions and expressions portrayed make for a gripping story, and the uniqueness lies in the fact that no other financial institution has taken such an innovative and creative route before. The brand campaign with its imagery and tone of voice also repositions the company as a modern, youthful and approachable, customer centric entity. With it, PNB Housing stands ready to create a whole new identity for itself and a testimony that Public Private Partnerships can create unique success stories. Amitabha Lahiri, CEO, MASH Advertising seemed visibly overjoyed with this extremely differentiated campaign stated, A good consumer insight is often like a hidden treasure lying in some unopened closet. The communicator has to unearth this insight to create a true clutter breaker. And more often than not, a good insight when revealed looks strikingly simple. Our task was therefore clearly defined. We simply opened that closet & brought out that hitherto undiscovered insight, that Mother Nature has made NO provisions for rented accommodation. Again it looks simple but its hugely impactful. Over the course of 2 months we painstakingly built the entire natural world model in CGI brick by brick inclusive of birds, animals, trees, snowy landscapes and underwater sets. Innovation and smart impact has been leveraged to create differentiated brand imagery and communicate the ease with which one can get a home loan from PNB Housing. Speaking on the development, Mr.Shaji Varghese, Chief Marketing Officer, PNB Housing Finance Limited said, For the consumer, a home loan is a well thought out decision considering the value involved. Customers enter into a long term partnership with the financial institution for their housing loan requirements; it is of utmost importance that the financial partner is not just trustworthy and transparent in its dealing but should also bring in ease and convenience to the customer throughout the loan journey. Link for Advertisement: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=-Oq8fJEvrBE MindShift Interactive, an Insightful Digital Outreach agency, wins the digital mandate for Meru Cabs - one of the first companies to launch metered "Radio cabs" in India under its brand "Meru." Headquartered in Mumbai, Meru Cabs provides a radio taxi service in major cities of India, like - Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Chennai Vadodara, Surat, Pune & Kolkata. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch. The mandate for MindShift Interactive is to manage the brands social media, influencer relations and media across platforms. MindShift Interactive will work towards reinforcing Merus positioning as a pioneer in the industry through building stronger relationships with existing and new consumer sets. The varied services offered by Meru shall be highlighted through engaging content and campaigns. Speaking on the occasion Siddharth Pahwa, CEO, Meru Cabs said, MindShift Interactive is a team of energetic and creative minds. We are sure, the quality of creatives, content and various social media activities carried out by MindShift will add a lot of value to Merus social media presence. We look forward for a long and healthy association with MindShift. Commenting on the win Zafar Rais, CEO, MindShift Interactive added here, We are happy to deliver services to a leader such as Meru Cabs and be part of the growing radio taxi space. Carpool by Meru, an initiative to reach out to more consumer needs, is how our journey with Meru began and were busy creating a shift in the way the brand is looked at. Snapdeal, Indias largest online marketplace announced the re-launch of the Chicken-variant of MAGGI Noodles through an exclusive preview sale in partnership with Nestle. Maggi lovers can buy a special MAGGI Chicken Lovers Kit during the exclusive sale. The kit has 8 packs (2 * 4 pack) of MAGGI Chicken Noodles, and a number of goodies like MAGGI Fridge Magnet and MAGGI photo frame and will be available for an attractive price of Rs 120. Pre-registration for these limited edition packs starts today on Snapdeal and will be open till 11 PM on 10th Feb. Pre-registered users will receive a special link to buy their favourite MAGGI Chicken Noodles on 11th February 12 noon onwards. After the preview sale, MAGGI Chicken Noodles will be available on Snapdeal on 11th Feb, 5 PM onwards, if stocks last. Speaking about the launch, Tony Navin, Senior Vice President Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, Snapdeal said, Given the success of our partnership with Nestle for the re-launch of MAGGI Noodles late last year, we are thrilled to bring back another popular variant of the product. We are confident that this unbeatable offer by MAGGI coupled with Snapdeals seamless user experience and quick delivery, will be a huge hit among our customers across the country To book your MAGGI Chicken Noodles pack, visit here: https://www.snapdeal.com/ offers/maggi-chicken (This feature is part of the " Through Airmen's Eyes " series. These stories focus on individual Airmen, highlighting their Air Force story.)Winter is the busiest time of year at a black history museum here named after its founder -- a city native and retired Airman, who remains the driving force behind the collection of more than 5,000 items, most of them acquired locally.We have so many visitors in February for Black History Month that we cant handle them all, retired Chief Master Sgt. James Roosevelt Jack Hadley said. We have to ask some to come in March.The 79 year olds personal touch is all over the Jack Hadley Black History Museum, which is housed in a former elementary school. As part of its monthlong tribute to African-Americans, it will host a free Buffalo Soldier Heritage Festival 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 27. Dr. Tom Phillips, co-author of The Black Regulars: 1866-1898, will talk about the original Buffalo Soldiers, blacks who served in the Army on the western frontier in the ensuing decades after the Civil War. Buffalo Soldier re-enactors will participate at the fest, as will members of a national motorcycle club named after the historic black GIs.Hadley tends constantly to the collection, said retired Air Force Reserve Senior Master Sgt. Walter Leslie, a member of the museums board of directors.He is the go-to guy for local black history. Its his passion, Leslie said.Hadley grew up at Pebble Hill, a former Thomasville cotton plantation. Three decades after slavery was abolished, the property was purchased by an Ohio family who ran it for decades as a shooting estate where wealthy northerners hunted quail as an escape from frigid winters. It was still being used largely for hunting at the time of Hadleys birth in 1936. The property now hosts tours, arts events, weddings and other celebrations.Hadley joined the Air Force upon graduating Thomasvilles Frederick Douglass High School in 1956, eight years after President Harry Truman integrated the military services via an executive order.I was a supply guy, logistics, a box kicker, he said. I knew I had to bust my (butt), being black, to get recognized.He married a classmate, Christine Jackson, who had grown up on a different Thomasville plantation, Greenwood. They raised three children and moved 14 times during Hadleys 28-year career. He started to develop a deeper interest in the American experience and achievements of those from his race in the late 1970s when he helped his son, Jim, put together a black history project for a school assignment when the family lived in Wiesbaden, West Germany. Hadley later presented it at his squadron before storing it for future use.After retiring, the Hadleys returned to Thomasville, and the chief went to work for the U.S. Postal Service. He displayed the research project at a church, where it caught the eye of the director of the Thomasville Cultural Center for the Arts and Heritage Foundation, who invited him to participate in the citys Black History Month events. He started to collect local items of black history and eventually had so much that he began to think of how best to share it with others.Hadley signed a deed for the school property in 2003, paying $10 for the 7-acre site and $10 for surplus furniture. He raised $82,000 in the next few years, enough for the museum to open its doors in December 2006. He estimated that two-thirds of the collection is material from the surrounding area, giving visitors a feel for the lives of local African-Americans from slavery, through the post-Civil War Reconstruction period and into the Jim Crow era. Hadley experienced the latter firsthand as a child and teen. The museum features extensive information about early black educators in Thomas County and has a tribute to Dr. Carter G. Woodson, an author and historian who, in 1926, started a weeklong celebration of black history that expanded to Black History Month 50 years later.Hadley co-authored the 2000 book African-American Life On the Southern Hunting Plantation with Dr. Titus Brown, associate professor of African-American history at Florida A&M University, after conducting many interviews with his elders from Pebble Hill and surrounding plantations.Leslie, the museum board member and retired Airman, is a native of La Grange, Georgia. He moved to Thomasville, his wifes hometown, in 2012 after 26 years in California where he worked in information management before becoming a unit historian at March Air Reserve Base.I hated history in high school, Leslie said. The Air Force made me like it.An acquaintance introduced him to Hadley, who persuaded him to help at the museum.His enthusiasm was contagious. It was overwhelming. I couldnt say no to him, said Leslie, 56, who works at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, Florida.He occasionally shadows Hadley as he leads tours, trying to absorb all of his knowledge.Im not there yet, Leslie said. Sometimes the responses you get from kids are breathtaking. Some of the things you see (on display) in here are not encouraging.Hadleys goals for the museum include increasing visitors to make it sustainable and to recruit an executive director to succeed him upon his eventual retirement.Im into it for the kids, Hadley said. They say Wow. I do it so (they) dont forget their heritage, I really do. Its hard work, not easy. It costs $2,300 a month to keep the doors open. Attaches use C-12 to support humanitarian efforts in Maldives Members of the Bangkok Defense Attache Office recently completed a humanitarian mission to the Maldives. Working with DAO Colombo, the Colombo U.S. Embassy political office and the Special Operations Command-Pacific, the Bangkok DAO delivered medical supplies and books to some of the more remote atolls in the Maldives. The Bangkok and Colombo attaches also met with local leaders and the Maldivian National Defense Force leadership. This was a great chance to use the C-12 (Huron) to access one of the more remote islands and deliver aid directly to those in need, said Capt. Mike Reed, the Colombo U.S. Embassy Civil Military Support Element chief. Despite what many westerners might consider primitive conditions, the locals are extremely welcoming and hospitable. The Maldivian locals opened their lives to us without question; we found it professionally and personally rewarding to engage both the local villagers and the MNDF, said Jacob English, a Colombo DAO defense liaison officer. The C-12 crew from Bangkok agreed missions like this one exemplify the power of joint and interagency effort on the ground during phase zero operations. Phase zero refers to the concept of taking coordinated action in peacetime to affect the strategic environment. Long-term partnerships are built with continual effort and presence. Often, remote locations like the Maldivian atolls are difficult places to advance U.S. interests, but it is in these remote locations where advancement of those interests is most critical. The power of the Defense Attache Service C-12 to enable synergy between the DAS, SOCPAC, and Department of State is unparalleled in austere situations like the Maldives or parts of Africa, and the Air Force and Navy team at DAO Bangkok is proud to be a part of that force multiplier, said Col. Dave Diehl, a C-12 pilot and Bangkok air attache. Beyond the critical phase zero operations, the flying was not exactly boring either. The Huron is specifically used by the attache service to access locations where commercial service is limited or not available. The C-12 in Bangkok is always in high demand to provide support to other DAOs in the region, and has been used in Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia. During this visit, the Huron provided the means to transport humanitarian supplies which not only helped local Maldivians in immediate need, but opened many doors to local leaders and defense officials. By the end of the mission the C-12 crew was able to land at six different Maldivian airports, including two never before visited by U.S. military aircraft. It was both fun and rewarding for the crew making it all happen, Diehl said. The pilots leaned heavily on their C-130 (Hercules) experience on the short fields and Master Sgt. Brian Roberts used all his skills acquired as a former crew chief to help with minor maintenance and cargo loading, all critical to mission accomplishment. The mission overall was deemed a great success by SOCPAC and the embassy in Colombo. The attaches were thanked and invited back with the C-12 as soon as possible. The DAO Bangkok crew is already planning the next mission and should use lessons learned on this flight to increase efficiency on the next go-around both in the Maldives and as they support other regional partners. Executing these missions both regionally and within Thailand showcases the United States as a partner who cares, and it is defense attaches and the DAS C-12s at the forefront of that effort, Diehl said. Hurlburt combats Zika with knowledge Following the World Health Organization declaring an international emergency and Florida Gov. Rick Scott calling a state health emergency, Hurlburt Field is taking action to protect Airmen and their families from the Zika virus. The 1st Special Operations Medical Group began implementing precautions to fight the spread of the Zika virus at Hurlburt Field. Protection begins with identifying the enemy. The first thing we do is capture mosquitos, said 1st Lt. Claude Betene, chief of public health operations in the medical group. We then send them to a lab at Wright-Patterson (Air Force Base, Ohio), where they identify the species of mosquito. This identification helps give epidemiologists an idea of the potential for the spread of the virus. In addition to identifying the mosquitos, Hurlburt Field Public Health is making education of the Zika virus a priority. These steps include a pre-deployment briefing on how to protect against infection and a post-deployment screening of members returning from infected countries. We prepared a presentation for our deploying Airmen coming through public health, to inform them what Zika virus is and what they can do to protect themselves, Betene said. The Zika virus itself has received little attention since its identification in monkeys in Uganda in 1947, according to the WHOs website. The lack of attention is due in part to the mild symptoms experienced by those exposed to the virus and its isolated influence; however, a potential link to the birth defect microcephaly has been identified, causing the WHO and other national health organizations to take notice. The virus suspected link to child birth defects is the main concern, Betene said. The virus itself is a very mild illness and doesnt necessarily affect patients. Betene advised that women who are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, should practice strict mosquito protection and avoid travel to countries affected by the virus. Personal mosquito protection includes wearing long-sleeve shirts, applying mosquito repellent and getting rid of stagnant water around the house. Following a reported case of Zika being transmitted sexually in Texas, it is advised to wear a condom during sexual activity for at least two weeks after visiting a Zika-affected area. MacDill Airmen watch over DOD aircraft in foreign nations A single error on an airport approach procedure can put the lives of pilots, crew members and their passengers in danger. To protect Defense Department aircraft, specialized teams of air traffic controllers personally ensure they land safely when flying abroad. The Terminal Instrument Procedures (TERPS) team at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, works with nations in Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Although they report directly to headquarters Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB, Illinois, the team is housed at MacDill AFB to be near the countries in their areas of responsibility (AOR). "Each of us has our own countries that we deal with on a daily basis. That way we always maintain continuity of what is happening in the country," said Tech. Sgt. Bruce Dally, a TERPS specialist assigned to the AMC Air Operations Squadron. "We get the host nation's information off the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) website, and then rebuild it into our software and apply Air Force criteria to it." This special duty was created following a tragic accident in April 1996 when U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and 34 other passengers and crew members were killed when their aircraft crashed into a mountain at Dubrovnik Airport, Croatia. An accident investigation board concluded that the cause of the crash was pilot error and a poorly designed approach procedure. In response, the defense secretary put a policy in place requiring all DOD aircraft Foreign Terminal Instrument Procedures (FTIP) be evaluated and reviewed by a TERPS office before pilots take off on a mission. Currently, there are four specified areas of responsibility for FTIP that fall under major commands, which includes Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Air Combat Command and AMC. Everything the specialists do is for safety, which means even the smallest changes are recorded. "We review and publish procedures supporting all DOD aircraft, including for the president, that fly into the AOR," said Dwayne Emsweller, the TERPS chief assigned to the AMC AOS. "We review more than 1,200 procedures a year, and more than 600 procedures are published." However, the TERPS specialists cannot rely on the NGA website alone. They also work closely with their host nation counterparts for updated information, and each specialist visits their assigned countries, big or small, to build strong, trusting partnerships. One of these established partnerships was called on in 2010 when a massive earthquake devastated Haiti, and a way to provide humanitarian aid was quickly needed. It just so happened that six months before the crisis, Emsweller received a call from a U.S. Southern Command member in the Dominican Republic asking for assistance to get newly installed navigational equipment inspected at a host nation military airfield. Although it wasn't his job to request this type of inspection, Emsweller was the AOR expert. "We assisted with everything they needed to get the inspections completed, which was for one of their military airfields; San Isidro," Emsweller explained. "When the Haiti crisis happened, the first place we wanted to stage out of was San Isidro." With the Dominican Republic located adjacent to Haiti, access to San Isidro gave the U.S. forces a way to quickly respond with humanitarian support. "Something may not be our job, but as the AOR experts, we try to help out any way we can," he said. "The troops are air traffic controllers, but when they are assigned to the unit, they are Air Force ambassadors." It is through enhancing partnerships with host nations that TERPS specialists are able to help ensure the Air Force can safely execute rapid global mobility. SecAF, CSAF testify on FY 2017 AF posture Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the fiscal year 2017 Air Force posture on Capitol Hill Feb. 10. Both James and Welsh stressed that the need for airpower continues to rise and the gap between the U.S. Air Force and its closest pursuers is closing. Bottom line here is that we are fully engaged in every region of the world, in every mission area, across the full spectrum of military operations, James said. Put simply: we have never been busier on such a sustained and such a global basis. The Fiscal Year 2017 Air Force Posture Statement states the presidents fiscal 2017 budget aims to build, train and equip an Air Force capable of responding to todays and tomorrows threats. The United States cant fight, much less win, todays wars without airpower, Welsh said. Thats just the way modern warfare has moved. The demand signal for that airpower continues to rise. While we work hard to continually become more efficient, which we must, and to minimize the cost of effectively operating our Air Force, if less capability or less capacity or less readiness eventually means we lose even one more young American on the battlefield, well all wish wed made better investments. In her opening statement, James outlined her three priorities: taking care of people, balancing readiness and modernization, and making every dollar count, which are the foundation of the presidents fiscal 2017 budget. Airmen and their families are the Air Forces most important resource and our budget reflects this truth, James said. The Air Force stopped downsizing and started right-sizing total force end strength to address a number of key areas to include cyber, nuclear, maintenance, intelligence, battlefield Airmen, and the remotely piloted aircraft community. James stated her second priority is getting the balance right between readiness and modernization. As we have explained in the past, less than half of our combat air forces are ready today for a high-end fight, James said. Our aircraft inventory is the oldest its ever been, and our adversaries are closing the technological gap on us quickly so we simply must modernize. In 2013, sequestration put a strain on the Air Force, forcing the service to park jets, delay upgrades and halt training, which created a gap in readiness. For the last two years we have been trying to rebuild that readiness but of course our Airmen have needed to respond to real-world events across the globe, James said. If we return to sequestration in (fiscal 2018), this will exacerbate the readiness problem and set us ever further back. If this happens, our Airmen could be forced to enter a future conflict with insufficient preparation. In order to equip the force, the Air Force has invested in the F-35 Lightning II, KC-46 Pegasus and the long-range strike bomber, but modernization doesnt stop there. The platforms and systems that made us great over the last 50 years will not make us great over the next 50, Welsh said. There are many other systems we need to either upgrade or recapitalize to ensure viability against current and emerging threats. Without additional funding, the only way to do that is to divest old capability to build the new. That requires very difficult, emotional decisions -- decisions that simply must be made if we are truly to provide for the common defense. According to the Fiscal Year 2017 Air Force Posture Statement, as the challengers of the Air Force employ increasingly sophisticated, capable and lethal systems, the Air Force must modernize to deter, deny and decisively defeat any actor that threatens the homeland and its national interests. Twenty-five years of combat operations have dramatically impacted our total force readiness, significantly aged our equipment and has shown the brilliance of our Airmen and the loyalty of their families, Welsh said. The world is changing, the threat is changing and our Air Force must change with it if were to remain relevant. Today, American airpower is a given and I believe its our job, collectively, to ensure this nations ability to deliver that airpower, when and where it matters most, does not diminish over time. The posture reflects the third priority, which is the Air Forces commitment to preserving taxpayer dollars with a number of initiatives that include streamlined energy usage and cost saving ideas directly from our Airmen. Flying humanitarian aid is nothing new for the 315th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, but today, one Reservist was able to see his civilian career come full circle. Master Sgt. Ken Hundemer, a 317th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, was with the C-17 Globemaster III delivering more than 21,000 pounds of aid supplies bound for schools, clinics and orphanages in Haiti. In his civilian career, Hundemer is the operations manager for the Denton Program office, responsible for coordinating humanitarian aid deliveries around the world. I coordinate these deliveries for weeks and sometimes months before they are able to make it to their destination, said Hundemer. So, to be here in my military status and talk to the people on the ground actually receiving it is very fulfilling. They are really appreciative for everything that we do, he said. The Denton program is a Department of Defense transportation program that works in conjunction with the State Department/U.S. Aid allowing humanitarian aid to be flown aboard U.S. military aircraft on a space available basis. These missions are great for our reservists, said the Aircraft Commander, Lt. Col. Mark LaVerne about the multi-leg mission. Not only are we delivering humanitarian aid, we picked up equipment for the U.S Coast Guard and got some much needed training and evaluations completed, he said. LaVerne also stressed the importance of the Denton missions. Of course they are important because of the what we are delivering, but from an aircrFlying humanitarian aid is nothing new for the 315th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, but today, one Reservist was able to see his civilian career come full circle. Master Sgt. Ken Hundemer, a 317th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, was with the C-17 Globemaster III delivering more than 21,000 pounds of aid supplies bound for schools, clinics and orphanages in Haiti. In his civilian career, Hundemer is the operations manager for the Denton Program office, responsible for coordinating humanitarian aid deliveries around the world. I coordinate these deliveries for weeks and sometimes months before they are able to make it to their destination, said Hundemer. So, to be here in my military status and talk to the people on the ground actually receiving it is very fulfilling. They are really appreciative for everything that we do, he said. The Denton program is a Department of Defense transportation program that works in conjunction with the State Department/U.S. Aid allowing humanitarian aid to be flown aboard U.S. military aircraft on a space available basis. These missions are great for our reservists, said the Aircraft Commander, Lt. Col. Mark LaVerne about the multi-leg mission. Not only are we delivering humanitarian aid, we picked up equipment for the U.S Coast Guard and got some much needed training and evaluations completed, he said. LaVerne also stressed the importance of the Denton missions. Of course they are important because of the what we are delivering, but from an aircrew standpoint, we get very proficient in landing in austere locations, unloading different cargo and dealing with language barriers, he said. These missions are a win-win for everybody. The aid supplies were donated by the non-profit group, Gospel for Haiti based in Southern California. The aid consisted of everything from clothing to food to educational materials and will be distributed across the tiny island nation by an organization called Hope for Haiti. The multi-day mission touched down in four different countries, but the highlight for most of the crew was being able to deliver the humanitarian aid to the people who need it. The American people do not realize just how much humanitarian aid the Department of Defense delivers, or the 315th Airlift Wing for that matter, said Hundemer. The military just dont get enough credit for the good work that they do, he said. ew standpoint, we get very proficient in landing in austere locations, unloading different cargo and dealing with language barriers, he said. These missions are a win-win for everybody. The aid supplies were donated by the non-profit group, Gospel for Haiti based in Southern California. The aid consisted of everything from clothing to food to educational materials and will be distributed across the tiny island nation by an organization called Hope for Haiti. The multi-day mission touched down in four different countries, but the highlight for most of the crew was being able to deliver the humanitarian aid to the people who need it. The American people do not realize just how much humanitarian aid the Department of Defense delivers, or the 315th Airlift Wing for that matter, said Hundemer. The military just dont get enough credit for the good work that they do, he said. Vice chief visits Academy, discusses commitment, success Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein visited the U.S. Air Force Academy Jan. 27 to meet Airmen and cadets, discuss the value of commitment to a higher cause, and how the Air Force will continue to excel. In two large group sessions, Goldfein, a 1983 Academy graduate, told his audiences of total force Airmen that their special skillsets will always be in high demand. "We have ways of thinking about our future enterprise as a force that have yet to be conceptualized," he said. "Our Air Force is too small, too old and slightly out of balance for what the nation needs, but there is also a trifecta of opportunity to lead combined operations and joint warfare for the next decade. We have far more opportunities than challenges." This trifecta includes the defense secretary defining China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and violent extremism as the nations operational challenges. It also includes the Air Force Strategic Master Plan and Air Force Future Operating Concept. "Our future operating concept is perfectly aligned with the Department of Defense Third Offset Strategy and central to what the Air Force provides our nation," Goldfein said. The general also emphasized the role Airmen and cadets have in keeping the Air Force great. He said the most significant lesson he learned as a young man was the importance of commitment to a greater purpose. During his early cadet days, an air officer commander gave Goldfein a chance to alter his path, a test program that allowed some cadets to leave the Academy with the option of returning the following year. After leaving the Academy, the general spent a year without direction, biking his way across the U.S. He said the kindness he was shown by strangers during his trek made him understand how special his country is and what an honor it is to protect it. Renewed, he returned to the Academy. "I learned what it means to commit to something and I rediscovered the Academy," he said. "A place I once viewed as a challenge became an environment full of opportunities." Cadet 1st Class Kristov George, the Cadet Wing commander, said the 4,000-member wing was encouraged by Goldfein's story. "His words are inspiring to any cadet who finds themselves in the 'middle of the pack,"' he said. "It's pretty motivational to receive a firsthand account from someone who took the Academy for granted initially, then eventually turned it around for the better. Gen. Goldfein has proved that as long as you have the will and work ethic, there's always a way to achieve your goals." This Account has been suspended. Contact your hosting provider for more information. A committee will investigate cases of Ajit Pawar pertaining to Kikvi small scale industry project and Kanchanpur large scale industry project. After NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal its now Ajit Pawars turn to face probe in the irrigation scam. A committee formed by the BJP government will investigate cases of Pawar pertaining to Kikvi small scale industry project and Kanchanpur large scale industry project. The probe is being conducted in order to ascertain whether there were any irregularities in the project. The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High court has ordered for a preliminary probe and submit report within three months. Pradeep Purandhare has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court in this regard. The court had ordered for a probe while hearing this petition. The state government has issued a government resolution (GR) in this regard. A three member committee has been formed under the leadership of Chief Engineer (Hydroelectricity) Panse. The state government had order a probe into nod given for the 189 water projects from 2007 to 2013. Even though the integrated water project was not completed permission was given for the project without receiving clearance from Maharashtra Water resources regulation authority. Why was the nod given for the project by flouting rules? Out of the 189 projects 48 projects are yet to start functioning. The contractors have received kickbacks to the tune of crores of rupees. The probe is being ordered in this regard too. The permission for construction of the project was sanctioned in the year 2007 and at that time Ajit Pawar was the Water Resources minister. Earlier Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had given the go-ahead to the ACB for the probe against Pawar and state NCP president Sunil Tatkare in connection with alleged corruption and irregularities in execution of various irrigation projects during their tenure as Water Resource Ministers. It was alleged that Ajit Pawar, who was Water Resources Minister between 1999 and 2009, had approved 38 projects worth Rs 20,000 crore in 2009 by tweaking rules and without clearance of Governing Council of Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC). Moreover, despite huge expenditure, it appeared that there was no significant rise in irrigated land in the state. The percentage of irrigation potential had increased by just 0.1 percent in past ten years, despite an expenditure of Rs 70,000 crores on such projects. Julian Assange should leave the Ecuadoran embassy in London and bring to an end the whole sorry saga, British Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament on Wednesday. WikiLeaks founder Assange faces a rape allegation in Sweden but has been inside Quitos mission for more than three and a half years in a bid to avoid extradition. The 44-year-old Australian fears deportation from Sweden to the United States over WikiLeaks release of 500,000 secret military files. A United Nations panel last week found the anti-secrecy campaigner had been arbitrarily detained by Britain and Sweden. I think this was a ridiculous decision, Cameron said in the lower House of Commons. Youve got a man here with an outstanding allegation of rape against him. He barricaded himself into the Ecuadoran embassy and yet claims he was arbitrarily detained. The only person who detained himself was himself. And so what he should do is come out of that embassy and face the arrest warrant that is against him. He stressed that the allegation against Assange was in Sweden, a country with a fair reputation for justice. He should bring to the end this whole sorry saga. A Swedish prosecutor said Tuesday she still aims to question former computer hacker Assange inside the embassy, despite the UN report. It does not change my earlier assessments in the investigation, Marianne Ny said in a statement. She said she was currently working on a renewed request to interview Julian Assange at Ecuadors embassy in London. Two persons were arrested from Delhi after Thane Police claimed to have busted a kidney transplant racket, where the accused allegedly duped several ailing patients of lakhs of rupees. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Parag Manere said the accused duo identified as Kaif Khan, 27 and Neha Mehra, 33 both residents of Delhi were arrested last week while another accused Karishma is absconding. According to police, the accused were apprehended after Badlapur police station received a complaint from an orthopaedic surgeon in December last year that he had been cheated by some persons from Delhi offering help to get a kidney for his 65-year-old father, who was suffering from renal failure. Earlier, the doctor had struck a deal of Rs. 20 lakhs for the transplant and paid Rs. 5 lakh as advance as the cheats pretended that they were in search of a suitable donor, which later drew a blank. The father-son duo were then called to Delhi, where at a hospital the cheats produced a dummy donor in front of them and pretended again that the match for the transplant was being done. However, when they informed that the right match has not been found, the duo returned to Mumbai. This process went on for a while last year, before the doctor finally approached police in December. When investigations began, the police team probing the case first caught hold of the dummy donorPiyush Nimawat of Gujarat. Close interrogation of Piyush revealed the entire racket which was going on with the help of a web portal, I Need Kidney. According to the Assistant Commissioner of Police Crime Nagesh Lohar, the arrested duo along with one absconding accused Karishma informed the victim that they were employed with Max Hospital in Delhi and offered to help him in the transplantation. Police further said that one of the cheats even issued a cheque of Rs. 5 lakh towards refund after the process failed but it got bounced. Police is presently probing two other cases of cheating, where in a similar manner, patients from Ajmer and Ambernath were cheated. The Obama administration proposed $860 million in aid for Pakistan, including $265 million for military hardware, which it said would help the country fight terrorists, secure nuclear weapons and improve ties with India. While there was no mention of Pakistan in President Barack Obamas budgetary proposals, Secretary of State John Kerry in his proposals said the budget includes $859.8 million towards sustaining ties with Pakistan and making progress to disrupt, dismantle and defeat violent extremist groups. The requested funding will support the countrys counter-insurgency missions, and bolster stability, energy access, economic growth, and social reform, Kerry said in a letter accompanying his proposals. Pakistan lies at the heart of the US counter-terrorism strategy, the peace process in Afghanistan, nuclear non-proliferation efforts, and economic integration in South and Central Asia, State Department said making its case for the aid to Pakistan under the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund. OCO resources will support critical US activities such as ensuring the safety of Pakistani nuclear installations, working with Pakistan to facilitate the peace process in Afghanistan, and promoting improved relations with India, it said. For Pakistan, the OCO request supports a robust diplomatic presence and critical assistance programmes to advance cooperation and reforms in energy, economic growth, and agriculture, education, health, and stabilisation of areas vulnerable to violent extremism, it said. This includes supporting the government and its people, while maintaining diplomacy and outreach in the face of challenging political and security conditions, it said. The State Department plans to sustain the presence necessary to achieve our essential strategic priorities of combating terrorism and enhancing stability in Pakistan and the region following the transition in Afghanistan. Under the Economic Support Fund (ESF) of the OCO, the State Department has proposed $400 million to Pakistan. The State Department said this will support the US strategic objectives in the region, including combating terrorism and violent extremism and increasing security, growth and stability within Pakistan and the broader region. The request will also demonstrate the US commitment to fostering longterm cooperation with the Government of Pakistan in order to address areas of mutual interest, it said. Here is the ultimate in the unthinkable. Dad lost job at 55. Killed wife, 18 y/o w autism, and then self. God bless them and keep us all safe from the depths of utter and total despair. Autism is hard hard hard hard for all. Don't buy the media and book NONsense. Mom was a crisis worker. Any of us can be strong, until the day we just can't. The media is waterboarding America with "autism has always been here and is just a difference" while families choke to death and drown. It's unseemly in the extreme. From NBC 5 Chicago A suburban Chicago father killed his wife and teenage son with autism before taking his own life inside their family home over the weekend, according to police. Oak Forest police were told Margaret OLeary Joost called in sick Friday to Advocate Christ Hospital, where she was a crisis worker, and didnt show up again Monday. A concerned co-worker went to the family's home on the 6600 block of Courtney Avenue and saw what appeared to be blood seeping out from the garage door, police said. Authorities responded to the home around 8 p.m., forced their way inside and discovered what Oak Forest Police Chief Greg Anderson described to be a "gruesome scene." "We tried to take a scientific approach to anything we were reporting on," Zucker said. "We're journalists. So the vaccine issue, to a certain extent with all its complexity was somewhat clear, because the research has been done and we now know vaccines don't cause autism. As journalists, that's really the only way for us to tell the story." ...In telling these stories of the past, though, they also had to write about arguably the most publicized aspect of autism the vaccination controversy. ..."What we found was these repeated stories of families, particularly parents, driving so many of the things that got better, making them better because of their refusal to give up on their kids, their willingness to do anything for their kids, to try to change the world and make a place in their world for their kids," said Donvan, a correspondent for ABC News. "The people who emerge as main players in our story we had never heard of, and we're pretty sure that nobody else remembers them." Again and again I say, show us severe autism in adults, not geeky, nerdy people who could be labeled with Asperger's. And I dont want to see adults in their 20s. Adults include 40, 60 and 80 year olds. If they have real autism, we need to provide for their needs. Its only ethical to extend all the better diagnosing to more than just kids. And it'll be done, I'm sure. And Im sure theyll "find" autistic adultsjust like t he LA Times did five years ago . Scroll down to the Atlantic video interview. Notice how they're calling for a survey of adults. We just haven't looked for autism in adults. Theyre out there. We're going to be surprised to find out that theres just as much as autism as in our kids! Donvan said that Hillary Clinton wants to find the adult population (and she's calling for a Cambridge-style survey to be done here). In story after story, this book is used as proof of no link to vaccines. Wakefield was just as wrong as Leo Kanner who said autism was rare. The vaccine controversy did publicize the existence of autism, which previously wasn't recognized. Yes, there is a crisis. It's a crisis of awareness and services. People have universally ignored autism in the past. Autistic children were a source of shame; they were hidden away in institutions, thats why people didnt know about autism. Below are stories about Donvan and Zucker since the beginning of January. We can see how autism is being redefined right before our eyes. Washington Post The book is essentially the history of advocacy surrounding autism, an effort that moved the mysterious disorder from the period when a label was first put on it in the mid 20th century to a well-known cause that now attracts celebrities to its major fundraising events. This advocacy has been carried out mostly by the parents of children who are autistic, fathers and mothers desperate to both understand what has happened to their sons and daughters, and to get them effective medical and psychiatric care. ...Claims made for the cause of autism also fell in and out of favor. Probably the most infamous is Andrew Wakefields 1998 now-discredited paper contending that vaccines were to blame. Even the prevalence of autism has been the subject of dispute. Starting in the 1990s, autism began to be described as an epidemic, but a look at the numbers finds that claim sunk in statistical quicksand. UK Independent An unrecognised condition for decades, autism has now become a story richly documented. Two recent prize-winning books preceded this new study: Andrew Solomon's Far From the Tree, one chapter of which was specifically on autism, and Steve Silberman's Neurotribes. A condition that features stark difficulties in communication now has eloquent chroniclers who are being heard. UK Telegraph ...Yet at the very same time in the US, children with the same condition were being separated from their families and locked up in state-run institutions. Others were injected with LSD ("to crack the silence of the silent") or given electric shocks from a cattle prod designed for use on animals weighing 2,000 pounds, ostensibly to stop the children from biting, scratching and banging their heads against walls. ... This in part explains why parents with autistic children were for decades persuaded that the best thing for everyone concerned was to shut the children away and forget about them. It may also lie at the root of the shocking attempt by some members of the medical establishment to lay the blame on parents, especially mothers. Time magazine, for instance, ran an article in April 1948 which suggested that these "frosted children" became so because their "refrigerator mothers" failed to bond with them. ...In recent years the idea of autism has been broadened into a "spectrum", which includes those with Asperger's syndrome. The exploding number of cases, labelled an "autism epidemic", may be less to do with a real increase in autism, more with the difficulty in diagnosing this condition that refuses to be contained in a simple set of symptoms or outcomes. New York Times In a Different Key posits that the condition is not a new phenomenon. In 15th- century Russia, some autistic people were believed to be holy fools, touched by God, and this divine connection conferred protected status. In early 1900s America, society largely aimed to purge rather than protect mentally defective people. The eugenics movement was embraced by prominent doctors and biologists as well as social advocates like Margaret Sanger and political leaders like Theodore Roosevelt. Defective people were to be relegated to institutions and prevented from procreating by sterilization; mercy killing was even proposed in The American Journal of Psychiatry. NPR ...I mean, parents were told to put their children into institutions, and that was what the norm was 50 years ago. And they opened up the schools for them. [Before parents insisted on a change in policy] the schools were allowed to not have children with autism in them. So without parents, we wouldn't be anywhere near where we are today. ...The truth is that we don't really know whether there has been an epidemic. And I know that sounds strange to people, because they hear so much more about autism now than they ever have before, but what we think is that there has been an explosion in autism diagnoses, which is different from there being more autism. We started looking for autism, so found it. Also, at the same time, what we call autism became a much, much broader spectrum, and the definition kept changing over time. The UK Times A question was asked about medical conspiracy theories, such as the one that governments had covered up the link between vaccination and autism. The New Yorker ...Aspergers syndrome and (the current official term) autism-spectrum disorder. Autism was discovered, and given its identity as a discrete pathological condition, by two physicians working independently of each other during the Second World War. ...The discovery of autism carried with it the insistence that it had always been there. Retrospective diagnosis is now something of a subspecialty for both psychologists and historians, and the catalogue of famous figures who have been placed on the spectrum now includes Newton, Mozart, Beethoven, Jane Austen, Kant, Jefferson, Darwin, Lewis Carroll, Emily Dickinson, and Wittgenstein. But the past was presumably populated with countless uncelebrated people who might have received a diagnosis. Some of these uncommunicative social isolates were likely misdiagnosed at various times as suffering from other psychiatric disordersimbecility, mental retardation, schizophrenia. The Atlantic (video interview) Caren Zucker on why we didn't hear about autism prior to World War II: "I think it was because most of those people were in institutions. ...There were different names for developmental disabilities. ...People were in institutions if they were different." John Donvan: "The traits that are described as autistic traits, which today add up to a diagnosis of autism, have been present in humans since forever. Nobody was recording them as autism." Zucker attributed mothers with bringing autism into the public forum. Donvan explained how children with autism 70 years ago were sent to institutions and parents "literally forgot about them." Due to the confusion over what traits really constitute autism, "until we come up with a clear definition of autism, measuring prevalence is probably a fruitless exercise. And we really haven't come up with a clear definition," according to Donvan. The previously cited rate of one in 4.5 per 10,000 had no real basis in fact. Donvan stated that we're finding more autism because "we're looking much harder than we used to look. ...Pediatricians were not trained to look for it. There was no publicity about it. ...Children with autism were routinely excluded from public school services. ...When you look for something, you find it." Donvan: "Hillary Clinton just came out with a program to focus on adults. ...She said, let's go find how many adults have autism, because we don't really know. That's going to mean that we're going to have an increase in the number of adutls who are counted...." Donvan predicted that if we really looked at autism in girls, we'd have those numbers go up too. None of this means that there's an epidemic going on. ... "The bottom line is, we don't know if there's more autism than there used to be, and we can't say that there is and we can't say that there isn't. The numbers are such a mess." Donvan pointed to the genetics of autism with a UK study of twins that found that when the twins were identical, BOTH of them had autism. He called this, "such powerful proof of a genetic component to autism." They talked about how they started their research for ABC Nightline in 2000, at a time when executives at ABC said, "Nobody's ever heard of autism..." Zucher: "The awareness of children with autism now is so huge that people know what a child with autism is now, and they're not afraid of them... but we are so far from having gone the next step, which is the adult community. And some of that is because we haven't known about adults. And some of that is because adults are scarier, and they're not cute. And we don't know how to handle them. ..." The Boston Globe More than 3 million Americans, including one in 45 children, have autism, a spectrum of disorders characterized by impaired social interaction and repetitive or ritualistic behaviors. Increasing rates of diagnosis, the vigorous efforts of advocacy organizations like Autism Speaks, whose jigsaw puzzle logo adorns countless bumper stickers, and a discredited though widely publicized claim about a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism have all thrust the condition into the national consciousness. PBS (VIDEO INTERVIEW) Zucker talked about what we've learned about autism. "It sort of stops at adults." Donvan and Zucker talked about how "we've learned to love the autistic child," we just haven't learned to love the adults yet. ... We don't have to ask where they're coming from. Caren Zucker brought up how we used to put autistic people into institution and how children with autism weren't allowed to go to school. Donvan explained that we've now started to come out of the dark ages of autism neglect as far as children are concerned, we just haven't done the same for adults. Zucker: "Parents were told to put their children in institutions. ...Keeping them at home, nobody did that. And if they did, they hid them. And if they put them in institutions, they didn't tell anyone. It was what doctors told you to do." Donvan: "And to forget about your kids. They would say, 'Put your kids there, go home, take care of your kids who are 'normal,' and try to forget those kids. Some parents, many parents did that, through about the 1950s or 60s." Smithsonian In November 2015, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a new estimate of the prevalence of autism in children ages 3 to 17. The figure, 1 in 45, is the highest ever announced by the CDC, up from 1 in 150 in 2007. Though many news reports described the figure as an alarming jump in the number of people with the condition, in fact no study carried out to date can be said to tell us exactly how much autism exists in the population at any given moment. Instead, there are estimates with wide margins of uncertainty. The reasons are many: inconsistency in how the diagnosis is applied from one locale to another; disparities among different ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups in the availability of diagnostic services; and greater autism awareness, which tends to drive rates higher in places where the condition is better recognized. Notably, the CDCs 1-in-45 estimate is based not on direct observation of children, but on interviews with parents, who were asked whether a child in the family had been diagnosed with autism or any other developmental disability. Among the acknowledged limitations of the approach is that it cannot correct for errors or differences in how the diagnosis was made in the first place. In addition, researchers have continually revised the operative definition of autism, generally in a direction that makes it easier to qualify for the label now than in the past. This has added to the impression that the true, underlying rate is increasing. It may well be that autism is on the rise. But it may also be that we are getting better at finding those people who merit the diagnosis and were once overlooked. Still, the dominant narrative has been that real rates are going up, and the United States is in the midst of an autism epidemic, even though most experts see that as a highly debatable proposition. Moreover, the epidemic story has helped crystallize the notion that something must have happened in the near past to cause autism in the first place. Most famously, some activists blamed modern vaccinesa now discredited theory. Air and water pollution have also been posited. Such 20th-century factors accord with the history of autism as a diagnosis: The condition was not even named in the medical literature until the late 1930s. ... A century and a half later, were in much the same position in regard to autism. Still not sure how good we are at gauging autism in the populationor even at defining its boundarieswe wait for science to illuminate the mystery of its origins. Howes careful humanitarian work strongly suggests that answers may yet be found in the undiscovered past. Slate.com It was Kanner who, in the 1940s, identified autism as a condition distinct from both mental retardation and schizophrenia, with which it had long been confused. ...Triplett enjoyed this rich life instead of spending decades locked up in his own head behind the walls of a place like the Preventorium because his parents refused to docilely follow the recommendations of most experts.... The latest redefinition, though, comes from autistic people themselves, most often individuals who were once diagnosed as having Asperger Syndrome. (Asperger Syndrome was eliminated from the fifth and most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It is now considered by the American Psychiatric Association to be a disorder on the autism spectrum.) Celebrating what Donvan and Zucker call a new philosophyneurodiversitythey claim that autism is not a disease to be cured but a genetically rooted identity with its own distinctive qualities to be respected and celebrated. Against this backdrop of sham expertise, rebellion, overthrow, ongoing dispute, and new dispensations, it becomes easier to see why autism parents might be so receptive to the notion that vaccines were responsible for a spike in autism rates in the 1990s and 2000sa spike which, the authors maintain, is itself nearly impossible to verify. Advanced by British surgeon Andrew Wakefield on the basis of research later proved fraudulent (Wakefield was stripped of his doctors license by the U.K. General Medical Council), the hypothesis must have at first appeared as plausible as any other idea being kicked around the autism sphere, and more credible than many. It was also a false claim that fell on ground rendered fertile by regular applications of bullshit from the medical establishment that later strove to refute it. Autism has created a community of civilians accustomed to being bluffed, blamed, lied to, and maligned by experts, only to be vindicated later. The persisting anti-vaxxers are dangerous, misguided and infuriating, but theirs is the same tenacity that forced the scientific community to revise its once-bogus conceptions of autism in the first place. Its that tenacity that prevented thousands of people like Donald Triplett from leading miserable, wasted lives. My questions: Will the American public believe their spin? Will they accept the claim that autism has always been here, we just refused to do anything about it? And as the rate continues to soar, will they swallow once again the better diagnosis myth? Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism. WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2016 The markets for live and feeder cattle and lean hogs are in for some changes after industry representatives expressed concerns to CME Group officials about increasing market volatility. The CME Group announced the changes, including shorter trading hours and the formation of a working group to consider other modifications, in a release Wednesday morning. Nothing is more important to us than the integrity of our markets, which help farmers and ranchers to discover prices and transfer risk, Tim Andriesen, CME Group managing director of agricultural products, said in the release. We believe these actions will further enhance our cattle markets for all participants. The changes in trading hours were said to be brought about by consumer requests. Trading on open outcry options will now last from 8:30 a.m.-1:02 p.m. Central Time and CME Globex futures and options will start at the same time and stay open until 1:05 p.m. According to the CME Group, the new hours reflect the period of greatest liquidity within the markets in question; during 2015, about 87 percent of trading happened in these hours. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission must approve the new trading hours, which the CME Group wants to have in place by the end of the month. The CME Group also announced intentions to form a working group with members of the National Cattlemens Beef Association to discuss other possible enhancements to its cattle markets, including, but not limited to, circuit breakers and other measures to further heighten market quality. Representatives from the CME Group, including Executive Director Terry Duffy, traveled to the Cattle Industry Convention in San Diego at the end of January after NCBA leaders sent a letter to Duffy expressing concerns the futures markets, particularly about the use of high frequency trading and the unprecedented volatility in markets. This is a major risk-management tool for cattle producers across the country, and as long as it works, its great, Colin Woodall, NCBAs vice president of government affairs, told Agri-Pulse in San Diego. But with the volatility we have seen ... they cant use it as an actual risk management tool, so weve got to fix that. Keep up with ag and rural policy and energy news as it happens. Sign up for a four-week free trial of Agri-Pulse. Duffy told reporters in San Diego that he thought market volatility could be mitigated to some extent with shorter trading hours on livestock contracts. He also announced a new messaging policy for livestock futures that will prevent livestock trading from exceeding certain volume ratios in an attempt to tame some of that market volatility. CME Group also said it will conduct a public review with cattle customers on whether a discount is warranted at its delivery point for live cattle futures in Worthing, South Dakota. The review will take place this month and potential changes will be announced by the end of March. #30 WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2016 The crop insurance and commodity programs authorized by the 2014 farm bill came under withering criticism here Wednesday by a panel of agricultural economists assembled by the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute (AEI). The current programs are designed less to help farmers manage risk than to let farmers maximize payments, said Bruce Babcock, an Iowa State University economist who has published several analyses critical of the current crop insurance system. Babcock traces the history of farm bills designed to reform agricultural subsidy programs to conclude that Congress each time sought to maximize payments to farmers. The purpose of the 2014 bill enacted two years ago this month was to put more money in farmers pockets than they would have got in direct payments, Babcock said. Its not risk management, its really Congress looking for ways to spend money. Changing policy is very difficult, said Barry Goodwin of North Carolina State University. It doesnt seem to me that there are real changes that take place in farm legislation, he said. The beneficiaries are food aid recipients, landowners who may be distant from production agriculture and politically powerful ag state representatives. The cotton and dairy programs of the 2014 bill have a common characteristic, said Dan Sumner of the University of California-Davis. In both programs, we eliminated what had been long-standing programs dating to the 1930s. The bill repealed dairy product price supports because they had become irrelevant, he said, replacing it with a net revenue insurance known as the Market Protection Program. While farmer adoption has been slow to build, he said, that doesnt mean its irrelevant in general. Farmers can wait to sign up until they are likely to see a payoff. When it pays off, big farms can offset big losses and the program can keep marginal operations in business. Signup for the new cotton program also was low, Sumner argued, for the same reason that dairy farmers didnt sign up, the likelihood of a payoff was small. However, he said that large cotton program costs are almost guaranteed if cotton producers succeed in persuading USDA or Congress to classify cottonseed as an oilseed for subsidy purposes. Sumner and Joseph Glauber, a former USDA chief economist now at the International Food Policy Research Institute, suggested that escalating farm program expenditures and other factors could make the United States vulnerable to a World Trade Organization (WTO) challenge. Keeping your eye on farm bill news? Were covering it and lots of other ag and rural policy news. You wont miss a beat if you sign up today for a four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription. If there were to be much greater farm program outlays, Glauber sees some probability of exceeding the annual limit of $19.1 billion. But he said theres a greater likelihood that another country could challenge individual commodity programs under WTO agreements. Frankly, the bigger concern is that individual commodity payments could be quite high, he said, alluding to reports that Brazil is considering a case against the U.S. soybean program. Peanuts is also seen as having some potential vulnerability to challenge, he added, but neither is a slam dunk. Sumner called it unsettled legal territory whether crop insurance subsidies can stimulate production enough to violate Washingtons WTO obligations. We might find out if theres another case. #30 For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2016 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Wednesday marked the first anniversary of the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba by urging the groups members including some of the countrys leading ag groups and companies to keep the pressure on Congress to ease trade restrictions with the island nation. Vilsack said the Cuban market with 11 million people just 90 miles off the Florida coast offers tremendous opportunities for U.S. farmers and ranchers as well as producers of farm machinery and other goods but those opportunities are being hampered by a half-century old trade embargo that has long outlived its purpose. We need Congress to act to lift the embargo and to do it now, Vilsack said during an event at the National Press Club in Washington. Right now we are at a disadvantage. Devry Boughner Vorwerk, the Cargill executive who chairs USACC, kicked the event off by reviewing the progress the group had made in the last year. She noted that when USACC was founded there were about 25 member organizations. Now there are more than 100, she said, including ADM, Bunge, Cargill and Smithfield Foods as well as the American Farm Bureau Federation and a host of state bureaus and commodity groups. She also pointed to the reestablishment of a U.S. Embassy in Havana in July. Now, only a year on, we have seen a series of moves of significant action by the administration to achieve that objective (ending the embargo), she said. But there is more to be done, and all roads lead to Congress. A number of lawmakers attended the event to pledge their support. They included Democratic Senators Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; Republican Congressmen Rick Crawford of Arkansas, Ted Poe of Texas, Ralph Abraham of Louisiana, and Tom Emmer of Minnesota; and Democrats Cheri Bustos of Illinois and Jim McGovern of Massachusetts. Most of the lawmakers seemed to agree that ending the embargo would probably not happen during 2016, with a short legislative calendar and a presidential election coming in November. But they said coalition members and the public should be pushing for incremental changes, including changes to financial regulations that require Cubans to pay cash for U.S. products. McGovern, however, called for a more aggressive approach to the lobbying effort in Congress, arguing that there is now a consensus of Americans including a majority of Cuban Americans who want the embargo to end, but are being frustrated by lawmakers embracing an old, misguided Cold War philosophy. He said the USACC members needs to be a little tough and let these lawmakers know that if they arent backing the coalition, then we need to rethink how much we need to be with you. Following trade? We cover it on Agri-Pulse. Sign up today for a four-week free trial subscription. Youre on the side of the angels on this issue, he told the audience. Youre on the right side of history. In his address, Vilsack also called on Congress to support President Obamas budget request to fund a USDA presence in Havana. We need people down there to promote American products, Vilsack said. We dont have that presence as we do in other countries and its important to have people there. In the interim, he said he was looking at ways to possibly use checkoff dollars from different commodity groups to further that promotional effort. (This story was updated on Feb. 11) #30 WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2016 USDA will temporarily allow Michigan to use its WIC funds to test about 3,800 WIC participants who may have been exposed to lead during the ongoing drinking water crisis in Flint. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides funding to states for food and healthcare assistance, specifically for low-income women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or recently gave birth, and to infants and children under six years old. Kathryn Wilson, USDAs Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, made the announcement while visiting a WIC clinic and an elementary school in Michigan. Our goal is simple: to encourage folks to maximize the healthy foods they have available in order to mitigate the effects of lead, Wilson said in a release. Were working in partnership with other federal agencies to make every possible resource available to help. We encourage people affected by this crisis to visit the local health department to find out what nutrition programs they may be eligible for that could help. The department will also extend community eligibility status to at least 28 Flint schools, which means the 144,000 students in those schools who are receiving means-tested public assistance can easily be enrolled in the federal free and reduced-priced school meal program. Through community eligibility status, those students could also receive nutritional benefits during the summer months via the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) for Children program, which gives families with children that are eligible for free or reduced-priced school meals an EBT debit card they can use to purchase food. According to USDA, Michigan must submit an initial application by Friday for Flint to participate in the summer feeding program. The ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, thanked President Barack Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for helping the people of Flint, as she requested. Like what you see on the Agri-Pulse website? See even more ag and rural policy news when you sign up for a four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription. USDA is stepping up to help ensure children and families in Flint have access to critical health resources and nutritious foods during this crisis, Stabenow said in a release. I will continue to do everything in my power to help Flint during this emergency. USDAs Food and Nutrition Service has been working with state agencies in Michigan to address the lead crisis since September 2015, USDA says. For example: At the end of January, FNS approved Michigans request for $62,700 in additional funding to expand the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to more eligible schools, providing additional fresh fruits and vegetables at no cost to students. The aid will help schools identify and incorporate more foods high in vitamin C, calcium, and iron that can reduce lead levels in the body. FNS gave mothers of formula-fed infants participating in WIC the option to receive ready-to-feed formula instead of the standard powdered formula. In addition, the 7,585 Flint residents participating in the WIC program (including 1,527 women, 1,792 infants, and 4,266 children) are being offered water filters and supportive services. FNS is currently working with the state to provide targeted USDA food items that could help mitigate the effects of lead absorption. Through its Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), SNAP nutrition education, and its support for food banks, FNS is leveraging partnerships with community-based organizations and farmers markets to increase nutrition education efforts on how healthy food may help mitigate lead absorption. #30 For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com Assyrians in Australia Present Their Plight At Forum on Human Rights Canberra -- As part of its intensive campaign to promote the Assyrian cause on the national and international level, a delegation of the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) and the Assyrian Australian National Federation (AANF) attended the 2016 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) NGO forum on Human Rights that was held on Monday 8 February 2016, at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. The Assyrian Universal Alliance, made up of Mr Hermiz Shahen, Deputy Secretary General of the AUA and Mr David David, President of the AANF. Also in attendance was Ms Elizabeth Kendal representing Christian Faith & Freedom and a representative from the Coptic community. During the meeting, the Assyrian delegates presented the critical conditions of the Assyrian people in the Middle East, with particular focus on Iraq and Syria, accusing these two countries of violating the Declaration of Rights of Persons Belonging to National, Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. They urged to pressure Iraq into complying with its international obligations relating to minorities. Mr Shahen stated that the entire Assyrian people in Iraq and Syria are being forcibly deported by Al-Qaida and the new product Da'ash (ISIS) from their homeland in the ancient cities like Mosul, Nineveh plains, other major cities in Iraq and from their 35 Assyrian villages in the Hassaka province on the Khabour River - Northeast Syria. In his statement Mr Shahen talked about the serious situation at present in which the Iraqi government and the Kurdish Regional government plans to undermine and destroy the Assyrian identity, culture and religion by not providing them with protection, illegal subjugation of their lands and denying their rights to defend themselves. Assyrians are also denied any official representation in any governmental positions. Mr Shahen also talked about the discriminatory law which states that minors must follow the religion of a parent who adopts Islam calling it "unjust" to non-Muslims. Mr Shahen asked the Chairman about the steps Australia is taking to raise these human rights violations being part of the International Coalition and asked the DFAT to support the Assyrian and Yazidis demands for International protection and a safe haven. Mr David David highlighted the needs for more aid to be distributed to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Assyrians and other minorities. He doubted that aid is getting to the right hands. David insisted that the international intervention is the only solution for safety of the non-Muslim minorities as the Iraqi Government and KRG are unable to provide that. The AUA would like to take this opportunity to thank the DFAT-NGO Forum on Human Rights for inviting the Assyrian delegation to take part in such an important forum and for their hospitality. We also would like to thank Christian Faith and Freedom for their continued support to the plight of Assyrians and all other Christians in the Middle East. February 9, 2016 The mood was somber as dozens of Egyptian activists, academics and foreign journalists gathered outside the Italian Embassy in Cairo on the afternoon of Feb. 6 to pay respects to slain Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni. There was a heavy security presence in the small area that had been cordoned off by the police for the silent vigil. Security officers, many in plainclothes, watched nervously as the mourners laid wreaths and lit candles as a tribute to the 28-year-old researcher whose brutal killing sent shock waves across Egypt and the world. The Egyptian regime clearly does not want any witnesses to the atrocities committed by the security forces against government critics on a near-daily basis, said Angela, an Italian writer and researcher who wanted to be identified only by her first name for reasons of personal safety. She added that foreign journalists and researchers, in particular, were no longer welcome in Egypt as they are the ones who document the abuses. Angela, who has lived in Egypt for the last four years, told Al-Monitor that it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to do her work. I am particularly worried about the safety of my Egyptian colleagues. They are the ones most at risk, she lamented. An Egyptian activist standing behind Angela raised a sign reading, Why kill foreigners? Arent we enough for you? Another held a placard with the message, Those who killed Giulio are the same murderers who kill Egyptians. The messages in English, Arabic and Italian suggested that the security forces were behind Regenis death. The Egyptian authorities had stepped up a crackdown on dissent in the weeks leading up to Jan. 25, the day marking the fifth anniversary of the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. Hundreds of apartments in downtown Cairo were raided by the police, and several suspects were arrested and later charged with inciting protests. Rights groups and opposition activists accuse the security forces of detaining hundreds of activists without reporting their arrests, citing at least 340 cases of forced disappearances within a span of four months (August to November 2015). El Nadeem Centre for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, an Egyptian rights group, recently published a report saying there were 66 cases of forced disappearances just last month. Meanwhile, the International Federation for Human Rights, a coalition of 178 nongovernmental organizations, said in a report published to coincide with the anniversary of the 2011 uprising, Five years on, Egypt is witnessing an unprecedented deterioration in the status of human rights in its modern history. According to the movement, at least 41,000 people have been detained, charged or sentenced since July 2013, when Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was overthrown by the military following mass protests. Regeni mysteriously disappeared Jan. 25, prompting an online campaign to bring attention to his case by worried colleagues and activists who used the hashtag #WhereIsGiulio? He was last seen at a metro station near his home in Cairos Dokki neighborhood and had reportedly been heading to meet a friend in a downtown cafe. His badly mutilated body was found on the side of a highway on the outskirts of Cairo on Feb. 3, nine days after his disappearance. Naked from the waist down, the body showed clear signs of torture, including cigarette burns, bruises and multiple stab wounds, leading the senior prosecutor for the Giza district to conclude that he had died a slow and painful death. Angelino Alfano, the Italian interior minister, confirmed the claim after a second autopsy was conducted in Italy. Alfano told Italian media that Regeni appeared to have suffered. Alfano told Italian media that Regeni appeared to have suffered an inhuman, animal-like violence before his death. Some Italian media suggested that the fact that Regeni had had his nails pulled out indicates he may have been suspected by Egyptian security forces of being a spy, and hence, worthy of such inhumane treatment. Egypt has witnessed a surge in xenophobia since the 2011 uprising with Egyptian media often warning against foreigners seeking to foment unrest. The media has also been rife with conspiracy theories of foreign powers seeking to destroy the nation. The oft-repeated statements by some state officials and government loyalists in the media have prompted mob attacks on several foreign journalists. In recent weeks, an American who had been studying Arabic in Cairo was taken into police custody after informants reported him to the police for allegedly inciting protests. He had been having a discussion with some Egyptian young people in a downtown Cairo cafe. He was later deported. The authorities have also been particularly wary of researchers: Ismail Eskandarani, a researcher who specialized in Sinai affairs, was arrested at the airport on his arrival in Hurghada on Dec. 1, and has since been charged with belonging to an outlawed group and spreading misinformation to tarnish Egypts image. Atef Boutros, an Egyptian-German researcher, was last month barred entry into the country by airport security on grounds that he was a threat to national security. Regenis research had focused on labor movements, a sensitive topic to the authorities: The 2008 labor strikes in Mehalla were believed to have been the first spark of the mass uprising that erupted three years later. He had reportedly been in touch with trade unionists and opposition activists. While Egyptian activists, Islamists and the Italian media support the argument that police may have had a role in Regenis death, Egyptian government officials and regime supporters offer an alternative narrative. At a press conference Feb. 8, Egypts Interior Minister Magdi Abdel Ghaffar rejected the accusations against the police, saying that such rumors are unacceptable. This is not our policy, he said. Egyptian security agencies are known for their integrity and transparency. He suggested that a criminal act may have caused Regenis death. Earlier, some Egyptian media quoted another police source the head of investigations at the Giza police department as saying that Regeni had most likely died in a car accident and that no foul play was suspected. While it may be best for all parties to refrain from speculating who the likely killers may be at least until the results of the investigation are announced Regenis friends in Cairo worry that they may never know for certain who was responsible for his death. A friend of Regeni's told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, "We have seen on several occasions security officials reluctant to reveal truths that they believe may be damaging to the country's reputation. Nothing can tarnish Egypts image more than lack of transparency. Any attempts to withhold facts or hide truths may cause Egypt to lose a valuable ally [Italy]," she warned. Another friend agreed, saying, "What we need right now is to strengthen confidence between the people and the authorities. February 10, 2016 Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip are careful not to talk publicly about the damage done to their tunnels by the Egyptians for fear that it would upset Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi even more. Yet they occasionally give voice to their criticism, albeit wary not to cross the line, and wonder aloud, what is it that drives the Egyptian army and its leaders to act the way they do? Why are they waging an ongoing, relentless war against Hamas? In 2015-16, several smuggling tunnels collapsed along the Rafah border, some after being flooded by the Egyptians. Hamas admitted that a number of the organization's militants had been killed in the collapse of the tunnels and said Israel and its "collaborators" were responsible. But who are those collaborators? They have never explicitly spelled it out, leaving the mystery, supposedly known only to confidants, for anyone else to figure out. In August 2013, a month after Sisi deposed then-President Mohammed Morsi and seized power in Egypt, Egyptian media reported that Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and another unidentified senior Israeli official rumored to be Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen were observed at the airport in Cairo. According to the reports, the two met with top-ranking Egyptian security officials for what was described as a series of coordination talks on issues related to the security situation in the Sinai Peninsula, security understandings regarding Israel's freedom of action along the Egyptian border and Israeli intelligence assistance to the Egyptian army in its struggle against Islamic terrorist organizations operating in Sinai. The intelligence and security contacts between Israel and Egypt are considered an open secret; however, neither side has ever publicly acknowledged these relationships, certainly not in the context of the Egyptian army's operations against the Gaza smuggling tunnels, allegedly driven and encouraged by Israel. That is, not until Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz (formerly minister of intelligence) arrived in Beersheba a few days ago. Addressing a cultural event in Beersheba on Feb. 6, Steinitz told his audience that Sisi flooded some of the Hamas tunnels in part at the request of Israel. Steinitz then went on to say that the security coordination between Israel and Egypt was now better than ever before. His statements have been widely quoted in the Israeli media. "Why did he go on like this? What was the point of his futile chattering?" senior officials in the Israeli defense establishment wondered, trying to extinguish the flames kindled by the energy minister. Steinitz was apparently reprimanded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which led him to retract his words that very same day. In a statement of clarification issued by his bureau in an attempt to quell the storm he had stirred up, it was argued that the impression created by Steinitz's comments as if the Egyptian struggle against the tunnels was encouraged or actually induced by Israel "is false and does not reflect the reality on the ground." The damage has already been done. Hamas seniors in Gaza, who as noted above, take care not to infuriate Sisi, rubbed their hands with delight. After all, they can now readily tell the residents of Gaza that the pressure exerted on them on all fronts in the air, on land and at sea may be traced back directly to Israel, and that even Egypt is dancing to the tunes of the Jews. Whether Egypt has indeed flooded the smuggling tunnels at Israel's request or done so on its own, in line with the Egyptian national security strategy, the war waged by the Egyptian army against Hamas is no trivial matter, as far as the army is concerned. The demolition of the tunnels in the Gaza Strip, where more than 1.8 million Palestinians live, most of them Muslims, is a highly sensitive matter that requires an adequate clarification, good enough in the eyes of the Egyptian public. While Hamas is still out of favor in Egypt, following the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood in July 2013, the Egyptian public, for the most part, clearly distinguishes between the detested Hamas regime and the civilian residents of Gaza groaning under the yoke of the Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza in June 2007. As long as the destruction of the Hamas tunnels by the Egyptian army is seen as a move designed to prevent terrorist attacks on Egyptian targets, then as far as the Egyptian public is concerned, it is a "no-choice move," where any and all means are acceptable. This, even at the cost of strangling the lifeline of Gaza, and regardless of the heavy price that Gazans are forced to pay. However, when an Israeli minister brags that flooding the tunnels in Gaza in which Palestinians have been killed was done by the Egyptian army at the request of Israel, the damage (to Egyptian public opinion) is immense. There is no other way to describe it except that the Egyptian army is collaborating with Israel and is, in fact, no more than a pawn in its hands. Anyone who knows how sensitive and delicate the contacts between Egypt and Israel are realizes the extent of the damage done. Yet, this does not mean that the cooperation between the two countries will necessarily come to an end. Egypt and Israel have common enemies and they share broad interests, which bring them close together. The effective coordinative mechanism created by Egypt and Israel is not likely to be dispensed with any time soon. However, their scope of action has been seriously limited. Egypt will have no choice but to have a lower profile, and its armed forces will find it difficult to act with the same determination they have displayed or as successfully as they have done so far. Just imagine, for instance, what would happen now if in the course of an operation by the Egyptian army, Hamas activists or Izz ad-Din al-Qassam militants digging out a tunnel are injured as a result of its flooding by water or the injection of cooking gas into the tunnel (what the Egyptian army used to do as a matter of routine). As long as such operations were seen as a legitimate part of the war waged by the Egyptian army against Islamic terror, they could be deemed acceptable. But they cannot be considered acceptable if carried out at the request of Israel, as declared by Steinitz. It seems that the Egyptian soldiers will now find it most difficult to carry on their operations vis-a-vis the Gaza Strip, realizing that any time they deal with a tunnel, they are liable to be accused of collaboration with the Israelis. February 10, 2016 When the website for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei published photos of a meeting with the families of Iranian soldiers who died fighting in Syria and Iraq, the pictures were shared widely online. The most striking pictures were of a young boy in a red shirt hugging Khamenei and another of the same boy holding up over his head a picture of his father who had been martyred in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq. While the pictures were published Feb. 6, according to Khameneis website, the meeting took place nearly one year ago. It is not clear why the meeting was advertised and made public nearly one year after the fact. But in the face of a rising death toll, there appears to be a push by Iranian leaders to justify its presence in Syria and Iraq. The latest issue of The Line of Hezbollah, a publication dedicated to analyzing the speeches and comments of Khamenei, quoted previously unpublished comments by Khamenei to the families of martyrs in Syria and Iraq. Khamenei reportedly said at the meeting, They went to fight the enemy and if they did not fight, this enemy would be inside the country. If they were not stopped, we would have to fight them in Kermanshah and Hamedan [provinces in western Iran]. While Iranians who fight in Syria and Iraq are referred to as defenders of the shrine, Khamenei said that they are also defending Iran. Other officials have also previously offered the argument that Iran must fight terrorists in Syria so that it does not have to fight them in Iran. When Russia entered the Syrian civil war in October 2015 to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iranian and Syrian fighters on the ground supported the Russian air campaign. While the joint Russian, Iranian and Syrian campaign has successfully pushed back the Syrian opposition, Iranian casualties have also increased dramatically in comparison to previous years. This may explain why Iranian officials have been praising and highlighting the efforts of the fighters in Syria. While there was a time when only hard-line publications would report Iranian deaths in Syria, today there is more widespread coverage, especially on social media accounts. Iranian journalists in Syria share pictures and names of those killed in Syria on their Instagram pages, and bloggers share their personal stories. The funerals of those killed are now public affairs attended by the highest-ranking Iranian officials. The head of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Ali Jafari, attended the Feb. 6 funerals of five soldiers killed in Syria. A picture of Jafari kissing one of the coffins was highlighted in a number of news sites that covered the event. At the funeral, Jafari said, Our policy is not to send many people to Syria to directly fight, but we are witnessing a great deal of eagerness and desire from the IRGC soldiers to be in Syria. Yalasarat, the publication of Ansar-e Hezbollah, republished an article by Javan newspaper, which is linked to the IRGC, on Feb. 8 likening the fight in Syria and Iraq to another Sacred Defense, a term used for the Iran-Iraq War. The article argued that IS and other Sunni fundamentalist groups referred to as takfiris in Iranian media have openly claimed that after destroying the shrines in Iraq, they will come to Iran and destroy the shrine of the eighth Shiite imam, Imam Reza, in Mashhad. The article also quoted the imam of the grand mosque in Mecca, Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, as saying that there is a war on the Shiites and Iran. The article said that these threats must be taken seriously, and it is completely clear why Iranian forces must help Iraqis and Syrians. February 10, 2016 HALABJA, Iraq The Kakais are one of the religious minorities scattered throughout northern Iraq in the provinces of Sulaimaniyah and Halabja, in the Ninevah Plains of Ninevah province and in villages to the southeast of Kirkuk. Historians and researchers disagree on their classification, as mystery and secrecy shroud this sect. Kakais have kept their beliefs hidden, and this secrecy has prevented them from forming their own independent political parties and gaining representation in the parliaments of the central Iraqi government and Kurdistan Region. Kakais ethnically associate themselves with Kurds, but a group of them proclaims that the Kakais are a distinct community and demands political representation. The population has won a quota-mandated seat in the Halabja provincial council, occupied today by Ako Shawais. Shawais is a supervisor working at the Education Directorate in the province of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan and a human rights activist advocating the cause of the Kakais. He was chosen to be the Kakai representative in Halabja, the first such position in contemporary Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) history. In his interview with Al-Monitor, Shawais explained the circumstances under which he was chosen as the first representative of the Kakais in Halabja and discussed the limits of official recognition of Kakais and the dispute among the sect itself. One group believes that Kakaism is an independent religious identity, while another believes that it is part of Islam. Shawais laid out the differences between Kakais and Muslims in terms of rituals and beliefs with rare candor. The full text of the interview follows: Al-Monitor: What is the status of the Kakais official and legal recognition as a religious minority in the federal government and in the KRG? Shawais: The official recognition of Kakais is still very limited. The 2005 Iraqi Constitution and the KRG Constitution make no reference to Kakais as a religious community. So far, the Kakai sect is not represented within the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in the Kurdistan Region, despite ongoing negotiations on the name of the representative. This is mainly due to the internal conflict within the Kakai community. One team is proclaiming Kakaism as a religious minority independent from Islam, and the other holds that Kakais are indeed Muslims. In terms of formal representation in state institutions, Kakais have no representative in Iraqs federal or the Kurdistan Regions parliaments, governments or provincial councils, as there is no quota for Kakais. However, Law No. 5 of 2015 protecting the rights of groups in Kurdistan mentioned Kakais, for the first time in modern history, as one of the religious and sectarian groups in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. Al-Monitor: There are two groups within the Kakai minority: The first believes that they represent an independent religious identity, and the second claims to be a subgroup of Islam. What is the main cause of this division, and how does it affect the recognition of Kakaism as an independent minority? Shawais: I believe this division was caused by the Kakais fear of being attacked by the Islamic State militants or by Islamic puritanical militants. It is true that each team has its own arguments and grounds, but it is clear that those who claim Kakais are Muslims inhabit areas surrounded by Muslim militants in Kirkuk, Mosul or even in Kalar in Sulaimaniyah. When arguing with Kakais who claim to be Muslims, you will find that the most important argument they invoke to justify their claim is that they are living in dangerous areas, afraid of being labeled as infidels, especially since IS accuses Muslims who disagree with [its ideology] of being infidels, let alone non-Muslims. This is true. IS and hard-line Islamist groups have killed around 200 Kakais. This internal divide has surely affected the political representation of Kakais and delayed their demand for a quota-mandated seat. The controversy between the advocates and the opponents of categorizing Kakaism as [a separate religion] was the reason for the delay in choosing a Kakai representative at the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in the Kurdistan Region. Al-Monitor: Do you think Kakais are not Muslims? How do they differ from Muslims? Shawais: Kakaism is a monotheistic religion, but it is not related to Islam. You can notice some small differences in Halabja. Our funeral rituals are different from those of Muslims. Kakais do not ask a Muslim mullah to recite the Quran beside the deceased and do not set up tents to receive condolences and recite al-Fatiha [the opening verse of the Quran] in funeral prayers. However, Kakais do all of those things in the areas where they are trying to fit in with their Muslim neighbors. Kakais have their own house of worship, similar to a church or mosque. It is called a jamkhaneh. Although they're supposed to be holy places, Kakai places of worship may be an ordinary house, so as not to attract attention. We prefer to keep our houses of worship hidden. This is a part of our religions philosophy based on secrecy. But the most important difference from other religious doctrines, especially Islam, is that we believe in the transmigration of the soul. We believe a good spirit keeps reincarnating across time, and this is why we believe some Islamic and other religious holy figures are an embodiment of the same good spirit. Al-Monitor: Why did the Kakais obtain a quota in the provincial council of Halabja in particular, among all other Iraqi Kurdistan provinces, though they are present in other provinces such as Kirkuk, Sulaimaniyah and Nineveh? Shawais: The main reason is that the majority of Kakais in Halabja claim they are independent from Islam. They are a group of educated elites and holders of university degrees who have a vision about the importance of the independent representation of their religious community. Their social environment is less radical, and they do not have as neighbors a Muslim majority that they fear. This is why they coexist in harmony with their neighbors and do not have the dual religious identity problem. Another very important reason is that the place of origin of the Kakaism religion is located near the city of Halabja. Prominent Kakai holy places are located in or around this city, such as the tomb of Sultan Isaac al-Barzanji, located behind the Iranian border, but adjacent to areas inhabited by Kakais inside the Iraqi border. Halabja constitutes one geographic and religious area, but the modern political boundaries divided this area between Iraq and Iran. Kakais in these areas, including Hawraman village on the Iranian border, preserved their religious rituals in the relative freedom that they enjoy. Al-Monitor: Are Kakais subject to religious discrimination by other religious groups or by some Muslim clerics who believe Kakais are a non-Muslim religious minority? Shawais: Discrimination against Kakais is based on religious reasons, especially in the areas where they live with Muslims. Many Muslims have stereotyped ideas about Kakais, and therefore do not accept them even if Kakais claim to be Muslims and like other Muslims fulfill all of their religious duties and practice all Islamic rituals. Kakais are mainly accused of neglecting Sharia rules and disregarding religious duties of prayer, fasting, pilgrimage and almsgiving. There are other examples of social and economic discrimination, such as the undeclared boycotting of Kakai shops and stores, which often affects the Kakais livelihood. Even in Halabja, some Muslim clerics have harsh positions toward Kakais, most notably the statement issued and signed by a group of Muslim clerics in Halabja objecting to the appointment of Kakai lawyer Goran Adham to the position of governor of Halabja in early 2010. Sheikh Muhammad al-Mufti had declared in one of his Friday sermons in Halabja at the time that a custodian of Muslims cannot be a non-Muslim, in reference to Adham. Al-Monitor: How were you chosen to represent the Kakai quota and become the first member of the provincial council of Kakai origin? Shawais: On Feb. 5, 2015, the KRG parliament unanimously approved a project to turn Halabja into a province in a special session in the presence of a number of Kurdistan ministers and government and party officials. Halabja thus became a new province in the Kurdistan Region, and various Kakai representatives from Erbil, Kirkuk and Sulaimaniyah submitted a request to members of parliament to grant Kakais a seat in the provincial council comprising 25 seats. Our request was approved for the first time in Iraq's history, and this was good news for Kakais in Iraq and Iran. We then participated in the provincial elections, since our community in Halabja includes more than 430 families. Eleven candidates joined the democratic elections held on Feb. 20, 2015, and I ended up winning. Al-Monitor: What are the Kakais religious and political demands? Shawais: We want our religion to be recognized. Article 6 of the constitution of the Kurdistan Region refers to numerous religions in the region but does not mention Kakaism. This is why we held a series of meetings, and on April 2, 2015, we visited the KRG parliament and held meetings with its members and speaker. We demanded the inclusion of our religion in Articles 6, 19 and 30 of the KRG Constitution. We also requested to be represented in the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs and for Kakais to be included under Law No. 5 of 2015 protecting the rights of minorities in Iraqi Kurdistan. Indeed, Kakais were mentioned in this law as one of the recognized religious components, but so far they have yet to get a quota whether in the federal Iraqi parliament or in the KRG parliament, which is what we are trying to obtain. On the religious level, we do not have strong financial resources to promote the role of our places of worship. We need more financial allocations by the official authorities in the federal government and the KRG. However, these places must first be recognized as places of worship. The official recognition of Kakaism would allow us to cater to the needs of our religious regions, especially in light of the lack of financial allocations to restore these places, and give them the same attention accorded to the places of worship and monuments of other religions. Our political demands must be met before our religious demands. Al-Monitor: You were chosen to assume the first official political office assigned to Kakais. Do you think the political participation of Kakais is the best means for raising your demands? Shawais: On June 1, 2015, the Halabja governor and his two deputies took office. On Sept. 23, 2015, a political agreement was reached on the formation of the Halabja provincial council among the political currents, but so far no order has been issued on the appointment of the provincial council members by the KRG Ministry of Interior and Council of Ministers. I have yet to officially take office, but I am coordinating with the authorities of the province on the demands of the Kakais in the province. This means that we have a long and difficult way ahead to improve our participation in the political process. February 9, 2016 Given the series of corruption scandals that have recently captured the headlines in Israel, exemplified in a Supreme Court decision that will send former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to prison for 18 months for bribery, the general feeling is that corruption is seeping ever deeper into state institutions. This is reflected in a survey conducted Jan. 8 for Israeli TV Channel 2 revealing that 72% of respondents believe their elected public officials are corrupt. International rankings on corruption published in recent years have been far from flattering to Israel in comparison to other Western countries. According to the 2015 corruption perceptions index just released by Transparency International, Israel ranks in the bottom third of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development members that is 24th out of 34 for corruption. Yet regardless of the general feeling that corruption continues to spread at the national and municipal levels, the Israeli public and the political system seem to be indifferent to the situation, if not actually tolerant of public officials suspected or even convicted of corruption. The most blatant example of this tolerant attitude is the return of Shas leader Aryeh Deri to head the Interior Ministry. He had been forced to resign this same position in 1993 over bribery charges and his subsequent conviction, for which he served two years in prison. Other public officials have enjoyed the same indulgent attitude by the public despite being implicated in corruption scandals. Shlomo Lahiani, the former Bat Yam mayor currently serving eight months behind bars, remains one of the most popular mayors the city has ever had. Experts interviewed by Al-Monitor emphasized that the indifference the Israeli public displays toward the detrimental economic, social and moral consequences of corruption is nothing less than an existential threat to the state. Eitan Erez, a veteran attorney and anti-corruption activist, said, The damage to Israel caused by corruption is by far more dangerous than any damage done to us by Hezbollah in the past decade. Eli Sulam, CEO of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQG), also warned against the destructive repercussions of public corruption, saying, With regard to corruption, Israel is headed for the dire state of a Third World country. Our movement believes that the real existential threat to the state is posed by corruption, which is liable to unravel the social fabric. The ever-widening gaps in income and the loss of morality we witness in Israeli society these days are more dangerous than any security threat. The experts note that in Israel, corruption, in particular at the municipal level, is perceived at times by residents as a constructive process that speeds up matters and bypasses bureaucracy. Yuval Feldman, member of the Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University and a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, told Al-Monitor, Some of the corruption affairs at the municipal level can be traced back to the blurred lines between the interpersonal arena and the professional field. In fact, Israelis seek direct contact with their mayors. The latter, for their part, are interested in promoting the city and attracting investors and contractors, and to that end, they take a series of measures apparently in good faith. As it turns out, however, in doing so, they bypass the rules and from there, it's a short distance to indictment. Sulam, who believes the Israeli public is unaware of the danger inherent in corruption, added, Corruption is perceived as legitimate. And the moral damage caused is most serious. He drew attention to the difference between Israel and other countries in their view of corruption, asserting, In law-abiding countries, a senior official [implicated in some unsavory affair] would take responsibility and resign, even when no criminal offense is involved. In Israel, the norm is quite the opposite. If corruption charges are brought against a senior official, and he emerges from the criminal proceedings with a not guilty verdict, or is even only partially acquitted, then the public and he himself deems it a certificate of legitimacy. What's more, although Israelis may be unaware of it, corruption affects the pockets of each and every resident. Sulam offered an example, explaining, Our movement has found that some fishy partnerships were forged in the vegetable and honey industries. These bodies get together to fix exorbitant prices at the expense of the public. Honey prices in Israel are 35% higher than in the United States because the local market is controlled by a cartel dubbed the Honey Council. Contrary to what its name might suggest, it is not a government agency, but a private association that has extensive powers and, in fact, enjoys a market monopoly, having successfully eliminated virtually all other competition, with two exceptions. In this case, what gives rise to suspicions of corruption and conflicts of interest, according to the MQG, is that the government representative on the council is also a shareholder in one of the companies that dominates the honey market. Having pointed out the problems with corruption, the experts proposed measures for dealing with the issue in Israel, including public denunciation of corruption and harsher punishments. Why do we, as a society, give those convicted of corruption the privilege of becoming celebrities starring in reality shows and gossip columns? The public should steer clear of any event attended by any person convicted of corruption, Erez said. Feldman suggests a different approach. He said, We Israelis have developed a penchant for criminal proceedings and are constantly looking for the rotten apples in the cart. We don't even try to understand what it is in the situation that drives honest people to end up as corrupt felons. What's needed is a broad-minded approach that goes beyond the strict boundaries of the criminal code. Every effort should be made to get to the bottom of the situation. As noted, the general feeling among Israelis is that corruption is worsening in state institutions, but Israelis appear to be indifferent to the situation and the inherent dangers. Israeli politicians have led them to believe that the real danger they face is posed by security threats, so any public debate on the serious consequences of corruption should therefore be left aside. The geopolitical developments in the region are thus likely to continue to set the public agenda, thereby enabling the ongoing spread of corruption. February 10, 2016 RAMALLAH, West Bank Jan. 25 marked the 10th anniversary of the Palestinian Legislative Council's last election. The PLC consists of 132 elected members of parliament (84 parliamentarians in the West Bank and 48 in Gaza) who were convened in 27 legal sessions from the date they were elected in 2006 until June 14, 2007, when parliament sessions were disrupted following clashes between Fatah and Hamas, and the latters control over the Gaza Strip. Between 2006 and the present, they have failed to pass any legislation, except for laws pertaining to the PLC's costs and expenses. This has prompted citizens to raise questions on parliamentary expenditures such as the salaries of parliamentarians and parliament's staff members and the ongoing privileges despite the parliament's inactivity. The 2015 parliamentary budget amounted to 58.5 million shekels ($15 million); the 2016 parliamentary budget has not been announced yet. Under Law No. 10 (2004) and Law No. 11 (2004), each member of parliament is paid a monthly salary of $3,000 and is eligible for customs' exemption for one vehicle, which is provided, licensed and maintained by the PLC. Members of parliament and their spouses are given permanent diplomatic passports and a sum of $15,000 that is paid upon their election to improve living conditions. The parliamentarians are also paid 8,000 shekels ($2,100) on a monthly basis to cover office expenses such as rent, water and electricity bills as well as employees salaries; they are also provided a pension that equals 12.5% of their salary for each year of PLC membership. In addition, the parliamentary budget includes travel expenses, which are not defined by clear financial standards, and the salaries of the PLC administrative staff, which currently number 170 in the West Bank. There are no official financial statements on the PLCs expenditures, and the PLC General Secretariat refused to talk to Al-Monitor on the issue. According to Law No. 10, nearly $31.5 million has been paid in salaries to 84 parliamentarians in the West Bank since the PLC was elected. Hamas has continued to pay since the split with the West Bank the salaries of the 48 parliamentarians who reside in the Gaza Strip. The office expenses of West Bank members of parliament reached 85 million shekels ($21.4 million). Administrative sources at the PLC who spoke on condition of anonymity told Al-Monitor that there is no clear and transparent system explaining why some funds were disbursed to members of parliament, especially when it comes to office expenses, as these particular expenses should be disbursed and vetted through a transparent system by the government or the PLC chairmanship in case it was convened or in the event of it holding ordinary sessions. Hamas member of parliament Ahmed Attoun told Al-Monitor, Each parliamentarian receives a salary of $3,000, which he is entitled to. This is because all members of parliament quit their [previous] jobs before they ran in the elections, in accordance with the Elections Law No. 9 [2005]; they have no other source of income except for their [parliamentary] salary. In regard to the other funds disbursed to members of parliament, Attoun said, During their detention by Israel on May 24, 2007, following the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in Gaza, the Finance Ministry stopped the allowances of the Change and Reform bloc [Hamas] members, which cover the costs of running their own offices [$2,100 per parliamentarian per month]. This has led to the accumulation of public debts on the offices, in particular since the offices are rented and there is a staff in charge of dealing with the public every day. Attoun noted that there are also allowances to cover the parliamentarians travel expenses and meetings, which the Hamas members of parliament rejected, considering them illegal as they are disbursed without the PLC being convened and without its approval. He added, All the details of the allowances of the members of parliament, the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian Liberation Organization factions and institutions should be revealed. Najat Abu Bakr, a Fatah member of parliament, told Al-Monitor, The PLCs budget needs to be accessible to everyone so that the disbursement mechanism can be verified, particularly petty cash and travel expenses whose disbursement is not made public. On the role of parliamentarians revealing these details, Abu Bakr said, We requested that the heads of parliamentary blocs, the PLC secretary-general and President Mahmoud Abbas provide us with the expense details. Yet some influential parties in the PLC are controlling the expenses and refuse to disclose the details, which indicates the extent of the administrative chaos. She added, As parliamentarians, we are affected by the disbursement procedures and mechanisms, and the public should not regard us as the culprits. At the same time, we cannot tell them how the PLC budget is being spent as we do not have the budget's documents and information. This indicates that there is a specific group that is taking advantage of the systematic disruption within the PLC. Azmi al-Shuaibi, the general coordinator of the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity, accused in December 2014 the PLC of receiving remunerations and petty cash from the Finance Ministry in exchange for passing the 2014 parliamentary budget. Second Deputy Speaker of the PLC Hassan Khreisheh told Al-Monitor, The expenses covering the cost of running the parliamentarians offices and their travel expenses should be immediately stopped. Because of the legislative disruption and considering that they are not carrying out their duties as members of parliament, they are not eligible for these allowances. On the role of the PLC speaker in monitoring these expenses, Khreisheh said, The Fatah parliamentary bloc is holding meetings in the West Bank and the Hamas bloc is holding meetings in Gaza. But I as [PLC] deputy speaker am not attending any of these meetings, because my role is to preserve [the PLC's] unity and not to contribute to its division in light of its disrupted legislative role. The PLC chairmanship is not responsible for supervision or accountability. The general secretary of the Palestinian People's Party, member of parliament Bassam al-Salhi, told Al-Monitor, The PLC is operating with minimal expenses, because it is inactive. Salhi said, We cannot remove any item from the PLCs budget. In regard to the expenses of the parliamentarians' offices, [their disbursement] is needed and justified by the fact that they deal with the citizens' issues, and receive and follow up on their complaints with the official authorities. If removed from the budget, members of parliament will turn into retired parliamentarians who are not able to serve the people or handle their complaints and help them. He added, The major defect haunting the citizens more than the spending of public funds is the political system that is entirely paralyzed, including the PLC. The PLC, which was supposed to reflect the citizens voice and accountability, has turned into a passive council on which millions of dollars are being spent without it carrying out its duty. The council's inactivity has not only led to undermining the democratic process in Palestine, giving free rein to the executive power, but also to draining the public money by millions of dollars. LENOXparkAPTS(21.5x36).jpg A rendering of Lenox Park Apartments in Huntsville. A new apartment complex for senior citizens is in the works in Huntsville. Photo: L-R Michelle Jordan, Director of Planning; Ken Benion, City Clerk-Treasurer; Mayor Tommy Battle; Lisa Greer Ceci; Harrison Diamond, Business Relations Officer. (Courtesy) Stratus Development broke ground this week on Lenox Park Apartments on 2201 Old Blue Spring Road. The 60-unit facility with one- and two-bedroom layouts will represent an $8.3 million investment in the north Huntsville community. Each unit will have energy-efficient appliances and its own emergency call system. Tenants will have access to other amenities, including Wi-Fi, a computer center, picnic area with grills, gazebo, playground, community room, and fitness area with equipment. "Our master planning research for the BIG Picture shows that Huntsville will need greater options for senior living, and that includes more affordable choices near public transportation," said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. "The Lenox Park development fits this need and will be an asset to our growing community." Lenox Park will serve low- and moderate-income seniors in Huntsville. The property is on schedule for a late 2016 opening. Stratus Development owner Lisa Greer Ceci said units will range from $400 to $550 per month. Leasing will begin at the site by the end of summer. The project was made possible through an allocation of Low Income Housing Tax Credits from the Alabama Housing Finance Authority and financing by Bank Independent. A financing partnership with the City of Huntsville will allow rents to remain affordable. Stratus Development is headquartered in Rogersville and has developed, built and managed more than 20 affordable apartment complexes in Alabama and Tennessee. A Birmingham attorney is in the Jefferson County Jail charged with attempted murder, kidnapping and robbery. James William "Jim" Woolley James William "Jim" Woolley, a 50-year-old family practice and criminal defense attorney, was booked into the jail just after 3 p.m. Tuesday, according to jail records. Authorities said the warrants were issued against Woolley on Monday in connection with an incident that happened sometime over the past week inside a Birmingham home. Jefferson County District Attorney Brandon Falls on Tuesday referred questions to Birmingham police. Police spokesman Lt. Sean Edwards late this morning said Woolley and a woman, 31-year-old Kimberly Murphy, were arrested in connection with an incident that happened Jan. 25 in the 800 block of 79th Street South. Kimberly Murphy Edwards said the victim is a 28-year-old white male. Police did not release any additional information, but court records in the charges against Murphy said they stem from the theft of a wallet, money clip, a tactical knife, a track phone, a necklace, and a piercing kit from the 28-year-old victim who lives near Murphy. The address of the incident given by police matches court records for Murphy's address. She has a previous conviction for unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance. According to records, the suspects were armed with a pistol, as well as a machete and bolt cutters. The case was investigated by Birmingham robbery detectives. Woolley is being held on $150,000. Murphy is charged with robbery and kidnapping, with bond set at $100,000. A former IRS employee, who helped taxpayers experiencing problems resulting from identity theft, has pleaded guilty to stealing identities and orchestrating a tax-fraud scheme involving up to $1.5 million in bogus income tax returns, federal authorities announced. Nakeisha Hall, 39, on Monday entered her guilty pleas during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Karon O. Bowdre to theft of government funds, aggravated identity theft, unauthorized access to a protected computer and conspiracy to commit bank fraud and mail fraud affecting a financial institution. The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, IRS Criminal Investigation, St. Louis Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Karl A. Stiften, and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Mid-States Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Ruben Florez, whose agencies investigated the case. In her plea, Hall acknowledged that the tax fraud scheme had an intended loss to the IRS of between $550,000 and $1.5 million. She agreed to restitution and forfeiture of $438,187, representing funds actually paid out by IRS as a result of the scheme. Hall is to be sentenced June 29. According to the statement from federal authorities: Hall worked in the Taxpayer Advocate Service office in Birmingham from July 2007 to November 2011. Since November 2011, she had worked in TAS offices in Omaha, Neb., New Orleans, La., and Salt Lake City, Utah. TAS is responsible for assisting taxpayers who are having difficulties with the IRS and works with victims of identity theft to help them remove fraudulent tax information from their accounts and file corrected tax returns, if necessary. "Ms. Hall used her IRS access to compromise taxpayers' identities and try to steal more than $1 million dollars from the U.S. Treasury," Vance stated. "Taxpayers must be able to trust that IRS employees will protect their sensitive information, not steal it and corrupt it for personal gain." Stiften said Hall abused her position with the IRS, stealing the identities of taxpayers through unauthorized access to IRS computers. Hall filed false tax returns seeking more than a million dollars in tax refunds, Stiften said. A federal grand jury in December indicted Hall, along with Jimmie Goodman, 37, and Abdulla Coleman, 37, both of Birmingham, on charges they took part in the scheme operated out of Birmingham between 2008 and 2011, according to the federal authorities' statement. The scheme involved stealing personal identity information from the IRS to create fraudulent tax returns, and collecting the stolen refunds that were generated, according to the statement. Another co-conspirator, Lashon Roberson, 36, of Pelham, was also indicted separately for conspiracy and four counts of mail fraud affecting a financial institution, according to the statement. Roberson is scheduled to plead guilty Wednesday. Goodman is scheduled for trial Feb. 29, and Coleman is to be arraigned on the charges against him on Thursday, after being arrested in Madison, Wis., and transferred to the Northern District of Alabama, according to the statement. According to the indictments and Hall's plea, Hall, Goodman, Coleman, Roberson and at least one other individual, conspired to defraud both the IRS and financial institutions, including Bancorp Bank, between January 2008 and November 2011, and used the U.S. mail to execute the fraud. Hall, Goodman, Coleman and Roberson also conspired to obtain money from Bancorp Bank and other financial institutions. Bancorp Bank and other financial institutions issue stand-alone debit cards for the purpose of accepting tax refunds. The scheme was conducted, according to the statement, as follows: Hall obtained individuals' names, birth dates and Social Security numbers through unauthorized access to IRS computers. She then used the personal identity information to prepare fraudulent income tax returns and submitted them electronically to the IRS. Hall asked the IRS pay the refunds onto debit cards and directed that the cards be mailed to drop addresses that she controlled. Hall solicited and received drop addresses from Goodman, Coleman, Roberson and at least one other person. The co-conspirators also collected the refund cards from the mail. Hall activated the cards by using stolen identity information. She, Goodman, Coleman, Roberson and the unnamed co-conspirator took the money off the debit cards at ATMs or used the cards for purchases. If the fraudulent returns generated U.S. Treasury checks rather than the requested debit cards, Hall and her co-conspirators used fraudulent endorsements in order to cash the checks. Hall compensated Goodman, Coleman, Roberson and the fifth co-conspirator by giving them a portion of the refund money, or by giving them refund cards for their own use. The theft, aggravated identity, and unauthorized access counts relate to two specific taxpayers' information that Hall accessed and used in 2010. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The maximum prison penalty for theft of government funds is 10 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year prison term, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed in the case, and unauthorized access to a protected computer carries a maximum five-year prison term. All three charges carry a maximum $250,000 penalty. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Williamson Barnes is prosecuting the cases. Three months after Tuscaloosa officers were seen using a Taser stun gun and baton on students during a noise complaint, the department's chief today announced the disciplinary taken against those officers. Officer James Kent remains on administrative leave with pay, and disciplinary action is still pending, according to a press release issued by Chief Steve Anderson. Officer Justin Sams received a written reprimand and remedial training to improve his communication skills, and officers Phillip Champion and Gregory Pimm have returned to work. Champion and Pimm received no discipline, Anderson said, but were required to receive remedial training in the use of force, decision making and de-escalation techniques. The officers were initially put on leave within days of the incident, which happened Nov. 8 at the 12th Avenue Place Apartments on Frank Thomas Avenue. Authorities have never specifically identified which officers are taking which actions in the video, but have said the first officer who arrived on the scene and was seen at the doorway in the multiple videos made public is an eight-year veteran. The officer who used the Taser has 12 years on the force, and the officer who repeatedly struck the student with the baton has two years on the TPD. Police were called to the apartment complex about 3 a.m. that Sunday on a noise complaint. Multiple videos taken from both inside and outside of the apartment made their way across social media. The video shows an officer talking to those inside the apartment at the front door, and those inside refusing to exit the apartment. The students questioned whether they were being arrested or detained, and whether the officers were within their rights to search the apartment. Officers ended up going into the apartment. In one of the videos, one of the officers tells those inside the apartment to "Shut the (expletive) up." When told the incident was being videotaped, he replied, "I don't give a (expletive)." At least a dozen officers quickly responded to the scene after the responding officer issued a plea for all possible assistance over his police radio. One of the young men was taken outside the apartment and then hit with a Taser stun gun, and struck repeatedly with an officer's nightstick. Matthew Gimlin Macia, 22, of Johns Creek, Ga. was arrested on charges of obstructing governmental operations and resisting arrest; Brandon James Williford, 21, of Tennessee was arrested on charges of obstructing governmental operations, harassment and resisting arrest. Caroline Elizabeth Giddis, 22, of Tennessee was arrested on charges of obstructing governmental operations and harassment. All three are students, and Anderson today said those criminal cases are still pending. Two sheriff's deputies in northeastern Maryland are wounded and another person is dead after authorities say shots were exchanged in and around a shopping center. Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said the first shooting took place inside a Panera restaurant in Abingdon after a deputy responded to a call at 11:46 a.m. Wednesday about someone causing a problem inside. The responding deputy was wounded, and the individual left. The sheriff says witnesses gave officers a good description of the person and the direction that person was headed. After at least one deputy caught up with the person, shots were exchanged. That left the second deputy wounded and the suspect dead. No one else was hurt. Gahler says investigators believe the person acted alone and there is no further threat to the community. He declined to discuss the deputies' conditions; they both were taken to hospitals. Fiber optic cable A fiber cable similar to what companies would between high-speed Internet hubs and public schools in rural Alabama if the state follows through on current plans. The cable carries data at light speed over ultra-thin glass fibers. The data are simple flashes to represent the 1s and 0s of computer code, and they are reassembled into images, words or other data at the receiving end. (File photo) Nearly three dozen Alabama public school systems will take the first step this month to build their own high-speed Internet networks. It is the first phase of a plan to extend high-speed Internet into rural Alabama announced by Gov. Robert Bentley in his Feb. 2 State of the State speech. More school districts will follow in 2017 and 2018 until publicly owned networks bring high-speed Internet to thousands of state students who don't have it now, officials say. The schools will be seeking bids from companies who want to build, operate and maintain - but not own - high-speed Internet connections to schools and libraries, state officials say. Experts from across the state, led by Office of Broadband Development Director Kathy Johnson, have been studying how to do it since July 2015. What the governor said "Technology is growing at lightning speed, changing the way we educate, deliver healthcare and even start a business," Bentley said in his speech. "Yet our communities and rural areas cannot tap into the potential that Broadband access would bring." Other cities and counties across America are rapidly extending high-speed Internet. A recent Washington conference showed how doctors are monitoring patients over high-speed lines, students are watching live demonstrations from distant colleges, and cities are putting free high-speed Internet into community centers in low-income neighborhoods. Nearly 1 million Alabamians have no access to high-speed Internet, according to a recent federal study, and 41 percent of them are in the state's rural areas. This map, which is several years old and was generated for the Connect Alabama effort, shows Broadband or high-speed Internet providers in rural Alabama. The lightest colored areas have 1 or 2 providers and the darkest have 5 or more providers. Part of the reason is business economics. Running fiber cable or using towers to beam Wi-Fi Internet access costs money. Private companies want a return on that investment. "If you've only got 50 or 60 customers (in a town)," explains Tim Erwin, owner and CEO of Huntsville's Traveller Multimedia Network, "how do you stay in business?" State Education Trust Fund money In the first phase of Bentley's plan, State Education Trust Fund money would match federal grants to build the fiber networks, Johnson said this week. The federal grant program is called E-rate, and it can pay up to 90 percent of the cost of running the fiber cable to rural areas. The federal share of the spending comes from fees paid by all Americans on their telephone bills now. Bentley says rural connectivity won't just improve schools, law enforcement communications and healthcare. He told the Legislature it will lead to "enhanced economic development opportunities." The governor offered few specifics on how the state will take to make that happen, but he did mention "cutting the bureaucracy" around Internet service now and providing infrastructure. Cutting the bureaucracy could mean making it easier for companies to access public rights of way and power poles to extend their services. It isn't immediately clear what "providing infrastructure" might mean. Opelika and Auburn One example of the complications is found in Opelika and neighboring Auburn. Opelika has a municipally owned and operated high-speed system that provides television, telephone and Internet service to customers - so-called "Triple Play" service. The city originally ran and connected its fiber cable to create a "smart" utility grid, then realized it could provide additional services. But Opelika is banned by state law from offering Internet service to next-door Auburn because Auburn isn't in the Opelika city limits. Fencing Opelika protects other commercial Internet providers. Those Internet providers, including large telecommunications companies such as AT&T, Comcast and Charter, are leery of publicly owned Internet, to say the least. But providing high-speed Internet to schools and libraries isn't as controversial. "We have provided school buildings with power, water and roads," Johnson said. "It's the government's role to also provide high-speed Internet." 'Not a horrible idea' "That's not a horrible idea at all," David Williams of the Washington-based Taxpayers Protection Alliance said Tuesday of the school initiative. "This is money that's already there," Williams said of the E-rate program. "I wouldn't want to see the tax rate increased to put into the program." Williams' organization opposes most publicly owned Internet as a bad investment. He does not agree that providing high-speed Internet is "a core government service." Devil in the details? Back at Huntsville's Traveller Multimedia Network, Erwin is already serving rural areas with wireless connectivity across 2,700 square miles of North Alabama, including service for major new developments like the Polaris plant in areas without fiber access. "The issue comes down to how you make it happen," Erwin said of expanding service. He believes Bentley is sincere, but he's worried that big players could have undue influence in what happens next. "The usual suspects," he calls them. The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered a stay of the EPA's Clean Power Plan while litigation challenging the rule works its way through the courts, stopping in place what is seen as one of the hallmarks of President Barack Obama's efforts to combat global climate change and shift the country toward cleaner energy. States had been facing a September deadline to submit an implementation plan to reduce power plant emissions and reach state targets laid out in the rule. Alabama had not begun working on an implementation plan, believing that a stay was likely. Now states can wait for an Appeals Court, and likely the Supreme Court, to hear the case before creating implementation plans. Alabama was one of 25 states which had petitioned the court to stay the rule, and Attorney General Luther Strange applauded the decision in a news release. "This is a tremendous victory not only for the rule of law, but also for the people of Alabama who stand to pay higher electric bills should the unprecedented and illegal EPA rule be enacted," Strange said. "The Obama administration's EPA rule would shutter coal-fired power plants around the country, including in Alabama, while killing jobs and raising power bills for hard-working families." Meanwhile 18 states, the District of Columbia, and several large municipalities, including New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia and Miami, urged the Court to deny the request for a stay, saying they were already feeling the effects of climate change. "Any stay that results in further delay in emission reductions would compound the harms that climate change is already causing," the petition said. The Southern Environmental Law Center said the stay was a setback to clean energy initiatives but would not halt progress toward cleaner energy. "Today's unfortunate decision by the Supreme Court hits pause on the country's strongest action to lower harmful carbon pollution, but it won't stop the massive shift to cleaner, cheaper energy already underway in the Southeast and across the nation," SELC senior attorney Frank Rambo said in a news release. "The progress our states have made is significant and our region's job-generating shift to clean power is inevitable. That progress should and will continue even while the Clean Power Plan is under review." Legal experts have long predicted the challenges to the rule would end up before the Supreme Court, but noted the Court has never before halted implementation of a regulation before it is enacted. The Court did not elaborate on its reasons for granting the stay in the one-page order issued Tuesday night, but noted that the decision was split 5-4, with Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan opposing the order. Those challenging the rule have argued that compliance with the plan will force them to make long-term decisions on issues such as closing or modifying coal-fired power plants, and that those decisions could not easily be undone if the plan is later invalidated. Southern Company, the parent group that includes Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Mississippi Power and Gulf Power, issued the following statement in support of the stay: "The U.S. Supreme Court's order to stay the Clean Power Plan is the right decision for customers and the states unduly tasked with achieving EPA's overreaching mandates. This important action provides an orderly and efficient path forward by protecting utility customers against significant near-term costs and preserving states' authority while the courts weigh ongoing legal challenges." The final rule was announced last year, and sought to decrease nationwide emissions from power plants by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. States were given individual targets to meet and left to develop their own implementation plans to meet their goals. Most states, including Alabama, have already lowered power plant emissions significantly from 2005 levels, as utilities phase out older coal-fired units and increase the use of natural gas and renewable energy sources. The U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia had previously denied a request for a stay, but has expedited the case and will hear oral arguments over the rule in June. A state Senate committee today postponed a vote on whether to repeal the controversial Common Core education standards. But before the Senate Education Policy Committee adjourned the leader of the Senate, Del Marsh, who has been a strong supporter of Common Core, convinced the committee to adopt an amendment to the repeal bill that would ultimately leave it up to individual school systems whether to adopt the standards or not. Committee chairman, Sen. Dick Brewbaker, R-Montgomery, adjourned the meeting after Marsh's amendment was approved and after the sponsor of the repeal bill, Sen. Rusty Glover, R-Mobile, was unable to attend the meeting. Marsh, a member of the committee, said he continues to hope that the committee will not move Glover's bill to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation the Senate approve it. But Marsh said if in fact the bill does come out of committee he wants to try to prevent a sweeping Senate action overturning the education standards for all systems. The state Board of Education approved the Common Core standards in 2010. Since that time conservative groups and the Tea Party have worked to reverse the decision. Marsh to date has successfully stymied those efforts. "I have not had a single school superintendent or school board member on the local level tell me to opt out or get out of Common Core," said Marsh, who added that the decision should rest with the state school board, which has already voted to adopt the standards. Marsh agreed that his amendment to leave the final say up to school superintendents and school boards would likely preserve the standards, at least for some students, should the Legislature repeal the standards. Asked if he was frustrated by the continued effort to repeal the standards, Marsh said he was. "There is a very vocal group who are anti-common core that feel like it's intrusion of the federal government. I don't see it," said Marsh. "But those are the people who are down here year after year and I think it's the reason we are being faced with this in committee today." Marsh said the Legislature is facing what he called serious issues - projected budget deficits, prison reforms and others - and that common core is not one of those issues. "This is one (common core) that I don't think this body really wants to deal with yet it keeps coming up and taking up time. Hopefully we addressed it for the last time today but if it keeps coming up I will vote against it," said Marsh. Brewbaker, the committee's chairman, said he supports repeal of the standards. "Alabama (education) achievement is going in the wrong direction," said Brewbaker. "Of course if you asked education they say that's just a J curve. But when does a J curve become a downturn? I don't think these standards move us in the right direction. I think when you have more and more states getting out every year and the reason they give is because their student achievement is going the wrong way. That's exactly what is happening here but the program is still very popular and I don't claim to understand it." Let's face it - Alabama's skylines aren't as impressive as somewhere like New York, at least in terms of sheer height. New York is home to the country's tallest building - One World Trade Center in lower Manhattan - which reaches 1,776 feet. It's the sixth tallest building in the world. New York doesn't own the market on impressive buildings, however. 24/7 Wall Street recently looked at buildings around the country, ranking the tallest one in each state. Many of the buildings on the list fit a pattern: they are usually in the state's largest city; they are typically either office buildings or hotels or a mix of the two; and the size of the building usually reflects the robustness of the area's economy, with four of the five tallest buildings on the list located in the largest cities in the country by GDP. Alabama's tallest building doesn't fit that mold exactly. It's not in the largest city in the state or in the metro area with the highest GDP. Instead, Alabama's tallest building is located in the port city of Mobile. Like other mega-buildings, though, it does serve as both an office building and hotel. The title of Alabama's tallest building goes to the Retirement Systems of Alabama's Battle House in Mobile. Built in 2007, the building is 745 feet tall. Once complete, it replaced the Wells Fargo Tower in Birmingham as the state's tallest building. RSA's building has 25 floors of office space, three lobby floors, four hotel floors and one service floor. How does Alabama's tallest building stack up nationally? If you compare Alabama's tallest building only with the tallest building from each state, the RSA's Battle House would come in 15th in the country. Welcome to Wednesday's Wake Up Call. What's up? Experts are still not able to access the contents of cellphones belonging to one of the terrorists involved in the Dec. 2 shootings in San Bernardino, California, FBI Director James Comey said. Encryption technology is keeping investigators out of the phone, Comey said, though he didn't identify whether the device was owned by Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, or his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29. The couple were inspired by Islamic militants in a shooting at a social service agency in California that left 14 dead. North Korean satellite passed over Super Bowl North Korea's newest satellite passed over the Super Bowl within hours of its end, military officials said. The satellite, one of two "Kwangmyongsong, or "Shining Star" space vehicles, went over Levi Stadium in California at about 8:26 p.m. on Sunday. North Korea claims to have launched four satellites but U.S. officials doubt that all are operational. It's believed the country has two satellites, each about 220 pounds, in orbit. Two others, "Song of General Kim Il Sung" and "Song of General Kim Jong Il," are believed to have failed at launch or were unable to transmit data back to Earth. Texas paper threatens to publish police names, addresses A San Antonio, Texas publication is threatening to publish the names and addresses of law enforcement in the wake of a deadly officer-involved shooting. Stephanie Zarriello, editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Observer, said her publication is considering publishing the names and home addresses of the city's police in an effort to "protect our community." "Just as the names and addresses of sex offenders are publicized in order to protect the public from their wicked behavior, we feel that our community has the right to the exact same level of protection," Zarriello told KENS5. Zarriello's comments come after the shooting of Antronie Scott, 36, by an undercover police officer. The officer said he saw something he believed to be a weapon in Scott's hands and fired a shot into the man's chest, killing him. An investigation found no gun at the scene and only a cell phone in Scott's hand. The shooting is under investigation. GOP wants to ban in-flight calls The current aviation funding bill in front of the House would ban cell phone calls during flights. Republicans in the House are pushing for the ban to stem any Federal Communication Commission efforts to allow in-flight cell phone calls. The FCC maintains the calls would not interfere with navigation equipment. The Air Innovation Reform and Reauthorization Act would make the ban a federal law, preventing the use of cell phones and mobile devices for voice communication during commercial flights. Until tomorrow. Biloxi Police Department arrested three Mobile men for human trafficking after investigating a missing child report, according to MS News Now. Demetri Evans, 24, Kendrick McCullum, 28, and Sherrica Lewis, 22, were all arrested when Biloxi Police found them in custody of a missing juvenile. Further investigation led police to believe the juvenile had been subjected to "commercial sexual activity." All three are from Mobile. They are being held at Harrison County Adult Detention Center and placed on $100,000 bonds. If you or anyone you know may have any information about this ongoing investigation, contact the Biloxi Police Department Special Crimes Unit at (228) 392-0641 or Crime Stoppers at 1-877-787-5898. AL.com will update this story as information involving the investigation develops. New Jersey governor was seen as a strong candidate in 2012, but has failed to capture the excitement in 2016 race. Four years ago, the Republican Party liked Mitt Romney. He was smart, successful, a former governor and the son of a former presidential candidate. Yes, the Republican Party liked Mitt Romney, but they didnt love him. They thought the White House was there for the taking. They believed, with a little effort and the right candidate, they could make Barack Obama a one-term president. They didnt quite commit to Mitt. They hoped that somehow a new candidate would emerge from the sidelines, theyd fall in love and all their dreams would come true. READ MORE: Republicans still playing on US publics fears Jeb Bush was considered. But he knew it was too soon for another Bush in the White House. They really liked the governor of New Jersey. Yes, Chris Christie was large and combative, but he generated excitement. I stood in a hall in Iowa just a few days before the 2012 caucuses. Governor Christie was given the job of introducing Romney, the man he was backing for the nomination. He lit up the hall. His performance was so high wattage, when Mitt took the stage, he looked positively dim. And I heard people say as we left the hall, Why doesnt he run?. He thought about it. He talked with supporters and moneymen. A few big name backers urged him to get into the race. But whether he thought Obama couldnt be beaten, or hed be punished for backing a candidate, then running against him, he stayed out of the race. Towards the end of the 2012 presidential campaign, Superstorm Sandy hit. It lashed the US East Coast, and worst hit was New Jersey. Governor Christie performed well. He helped his people. He looked strong and capable and organised. And Republicans loved him all over again. The Obama hug Then the president came to town. Obama flew in to the disaster scene to see the damage for himself. He looked concerned and presidential. Days before an election, the timing was important. The two men got along well. The president brought federal money and support to the state. And after a long, fraught, emotional few days, the governor thanked the president with the cameras rolling. The men were pictured walking with their arms around each others back, supporting one another. The myth grew that Christie hugged Obama. And the myth became that the hug sealed the election. Obama looked like a president that could work with opponents, do what was right for the country and care for its people. But the Republicans did not like that it helped their opponent. When Christie got into the race, this time around, Republicans remembered a hug. And they remembered a presidential election defeat in 2012. But Christie worked hard. He decided he would concentrate on New Hampshire, thinking the voters there would like his spirit, his record and his determination. And he did well there. Not brilliantly, nor well enough to shoot to the top of the polls, but he showed he would be a factor in the race. He talked about safety and security. He told the voters how he was appointed a US attorney the day before the 9/11 attacks in New York. He wasnt. He wasnt actually appointed until December. But Christie liked the image it gave him. He held town hall meetings all over the state. And people warmed to his bluntness and his straight talking, even if sometimes he was rude and abrupt. Heading home He did OK in the debates. He attacked Barack Obama. The friendship of four years ago forgotten. Here was a man who when he won the presidency was going to kick Obamas backside out of the Oval Office. And he savaged Marco Rubio. In the aftermath of the debate, he called out the Florida senator for repeating the same tested lines at every event and every debate. It mattered little he did the same. Senator Rubio made it easy by answering with the same rehearsed line, not once, but twice. But then the people of New Hampshire voted. Marco Rubio was wounded, but the votes he lost didnt go to Christie. The New Jersey governor struggled into sixth place. And then he went home to reassess his options, knowing that once he was loved by his party. And knowing he has probably missed his moment and any chance of winning the White House. As Sanders and Trump claim victories on the road to the 2016 presidential election, what can we expect next? Manchester, New Hampshire The presidential primary in New Hampshire may not have settled anything but it taught us a lot. The wins for Donald Trump on the Republican side and Bernie Sanders for the Democrats were widely predicted in the polls. And for once they got it right. But this was also a clear message that the voting public in the US is fed up with politics as usual. They are tired and angry that, despite all the speeches and all the promises, things rarely get better for them. And it also shows how deeply split the Republican and Democratic parties really are. The fractures are now there for everyone to see. A lot more to Sanders victory For the Democrats, a self-described socialist and rapidly established liberal icon has lost narrowly in Iowa and won handsomely in New Hampshire. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was predicted to do well in New Hampshire because he comes from the state next door, and that gives him name recognition. But there was a lot more to his victory. After all, there arent many politicians in the US who are as well-known as Hillary Clinton. Sanders message of free college at some universities, or taxing Wall Street and pushing for a redistribution of wealth and opportunity, has struck a chord, particularly with young people. It may be that, as one Sanders supporter told me at a rally in Derry on Monday: Hillarys going to win the nomination. This is a protest vote. This might keep her honest. But if he can convert the good will from the first two contests in overwhelmingly white states to financial backing and enthusiasm elsewhere, Sanders might be able to challenge Clinton in the south and make this race last longer than anyone expected. For her part, watch for a reshuffle in the Clinton campaign. For someone who initially enjoyed big leads in both states, the results are not toxic but if things dont change, the stench of trouble could become overwhelming. The Donald On the Republican side, Donald Trump managed to tap into a similar vein as Sanders, claiming the US was struggling, its safety was threatened, and life simply wasnt getting better. His speeches lack the detail of how he would fix things, but he has clearly identified the concerns. And many people believe the billionaire businessman is not only articulating their fears, but might actually be able to do something to address them. His win here in New Hampshire was comfortable and substantial. After his second place in Iowa, it needed to be just that. But for those who thought the Trump campaign would end with its inevitable implosion, he is now clearly established as the Republican frontrunner. And at this stage, early though it is, he is the man most likely to succeed. And it may stay that way for some time. No clear challenger is emerging. Florida Senator Marco Rubio seemed set to take the establishment lane and challenge after a third-place finish in Iowa, gathering momentum through endorsements and backing. But he had an awful time in New Hampshire. He tanked in the big debate at the weekend, and finished behind Jeb Bush, someone hes spent a long time attacking. John Kasich emerged through the field, his gamble to begin his campaign in New Hampshire paid off. The Ohio Governor came in a respectable second. The challenge for him is to convince voters hes conservative enough to win the primary, and moderate enough to win the general election. Itll be quite a battle in the next few weeks. If New Jersey Governor Chris Christie quits the race as expected, it will still leave Bush, Rubio and Kasich as the anti-Trump candidates. And the longer it takes for one of them to emerge, the longer the splitting of the vote makes it better for The Donald. Ted Cruz knew that perhaps New Hampshire wasnt the most fertile ground for him. But after his win in Iowa, his uncompromising conservative message got him to third place here. Cruz, perhaps more than anyone, benefitted from Rubios sudden loss of momentum. He is well organised and well funded in the south, where the nominating contest turns next, and he will be confident of performing well there. Primaries and caucuses now start to come thick and fast on both sides. And this race will remain hugely unpredictable. Three decades after the Colombian mine started production, residents of the area reflect on how it changed their lives. La Guajira, Colombia Heavy dust clouds fill the dry, warm air as Said Lara uses a crowbar to tear down his wifes house in the small community of Las Casitas, in the northernmost Colombian province of La Guajira. Only two days earlier an official representing the Cerrejon mining company told them that the time had come to demolish the house. We have spent our entire lives here, and now they are forcing us to [do this], says Laras wife, Novelis Lara, who can only stand passively by and watch as her beloved home crumbles to the ground. Once a thriving community of 49 families, only a dozen or so remain in Las Casitas. Back in 2009, Cerrejon told the families that they had to be relocated due to dangerously high levels of dust particles in the air. The company had estimated that by 2012 the harmful concentrations of dust particles would reach a level that would seriously affect the quality of life in Las Casitas. Since then, the community has struggled to ensure that the company compensates them for their losses, and provides them with satisfactory alternative ways of living. They are telling us that our lives will improve if we agree to be moved, but how can they promise that? asks Virgilia Puche, 71, one of the few remaining residents of Las Casitas. Right here I have my paddock, my animals and a large piece of land where I can grow my own food. This land is connected to me and my family in so many ways, which makes it impossible to picture myself living elsewhere. Puche was a young woman when the coal mine first opened in the early 1980s. Over nearly 40 years she has witnessed the contamination and rapid drying up of the River Rancheria once a reliable and clean source of water for many communities in the area. She has also seen an increase in breathing problems and other illnesses among villagers, as well as the forced relocation of various communities and the continual expansion of what is today Latin Americas largest open-pit coal mine. Life was a thousand times better before the mine was constructed. We have lost so much because of Cerrejon, says Puche. The story of Cerrejon Bordering the Caribbean Sea in the north and neighbouring Venezuela in the south, La Guajira is one of Colombias poorest provinces , with 53 percent of its inhabitants living in poverty in 2014, according to the National Administrative Department of Statistics in Colombia. Almost half the population in La Guajira are indigenous, the majority belonging to the Wayuu tribe. In addition 14.8 percent are descendants of African slaves brought to Colombia by European colonisers between the 15th and 19th centuries. Today, these ethnic minorities are the ones most affected by the Cerrejon mine. Living off the land in traditional communities for several centuries, Afro-Colombian and indigenous people have developed a completely different understanding of ownership and connection to territory than that of multinational companies such as Cerrejon. For these people the land is an expression of historical relations and extensive family ties, and not pieces of property that are marketable. Thus the relocation of these communities brings a lot of harm to people, such as loss of culture, disintegration of social relations and eventually loss of identity, says Dora Lucy, a Colombian human rights lawyer representing the non-governmental organisation, Colectivo de Abogados Jose Alvear Restrepo (CCAJAR). It was in 1976 that a contract was signed between the state-owned firm Carbocol SA and Intercor an Exxon affiliate allowing the exploitation of a huge coal deposit in the municipalities of Albania, Barrancas and Hatonuevo. Since then, 15 out of approximately 21 indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities living in the mining zone have been displaced, mainly due to expansions of the mine, with Las Casitas being the most recent one. Today, three multinational corporations own the mine: Glencore Xstrata (Switzerland), BHP Billiton (UK/Australia) and Anglo American (UK/South Africa). The mines slogan is responsible mining, which is sometimes perceived as a provocation. This company is anything but responsible; theyre irresponsible. And all the Western countries that import coal from Cerrejon or invest in the company have a joint responsibility for the wellbeing of the displaced communities, says Lucy. The relocation process One former Las Casitas resident who was forced to relocate by Cerrejon is 61-year-old Alonso Rafael Molina. He now lives in the relocation site allotted to former Las Casitas residents, named Las Nuevas Casitas, in a small town home right next to a busy highway on the periphery of Barrancas. On the other side of the highway, three additional relocation sites have been built for other affected communities. Fact Box La Guajira La Guajira is a province in Colombia, located in the northeastern part of the country. The province is one of Colombias poorest. Over the last four years La Guajira has been hit by serious drought, resulting in high levels of malnutrition and dehydration, especially among Wayuu children Latin Americas largest open-pit coal mine, Cerrejon, is located in the southeast part of the province. The construction, operation and expansion of the mine have led to the relocation and displacement of thousands of people. Like many of his relatives and former community members, Molina and his family was promised one hectare of arable land, access to clean drinking water and, according to community members, verbal promises of employment opportunities were made to villagers by Cerrejon representatives, although the company denies this. After 10 months spent in the relocation site, Molina is still waiting. The water is not drinkable because it contains too much salt. As for the land, I am still waiting to be allotted the promised hectare, but I doubt it will be arable. Life here is no good, its very expensive. We dont have the means to pay for the services needed here, Molina says. Though many families have already received a piece of land close to the new relocation sites, the majority of the lots stand uncultivated as residents complain about poor soil and a general lack of water. To provide for his family, Alonso walks for two hours each day back to Las Casitas where he still cultivates yucca, potato and maize on a piece of land. But Molina says it is just a matter of time before the land is expropriated, forcing him to look for a different source of income. When asked about work opportunities in the new settlement, Molina sighs loudly. There are no jobs here, nothing, nothing, nothing. And let me tell you something, the air is just as contaminated here as it was in Las Casitas, he says. While the company has provided the residents with housing, a school and a health centre, as well as a small economic compensation for lost property, the people of Las Nuevas Casitas feel foreign in their newly adopted environment. At the age of 81, Nely Beatrice Duarte saw her life take a sudden turn for the worse when she was relocated to Las Nuevas Casitas last year. They told us we would become the new wealthy, but what is wealth? I dont feel very wealthy. And I dont want this house, I want to go back to my old land and tend to my animals. Theres no future for me here, she says. Duarte and Molina fall into a group of thousands of Afro-Colombians, as well as indigenous people and farmers, who have been relocated or displaced due to the construction and expansion of Cerrejon. But on the other side of the accusations is a multinational company confident that they are providing the affected communities with the best possible new start. Rejects accusations We only relocate people when there is no other alternative, says Carlos Franco, Cerrejons head of social standards and international relations. Over the years, Cerrejon has been fiercely criticised by national and international human rights organisations for their relocation practice and damage caused to the environment. The company first fell under the scrutiny of the international human rights community in 2001 when the Afro-Colombian village of Tabaco was bulldozed, leading to violent clashes between the police and villagers. Following the incident a Supreme Court order was issued calling for the resettlement of the community. Until this day, that still has not been carried out. Theres no doubt that lessons from earlier cases of relocation have made us more equipped to ensure better opportunities for the communities. As of now, the heads of most relocated families are happy that their children are closer to educational institutions and that they have better access to health facilities. We also believe that the houses we have given them comply more with international standards of living compared with the housing arrangements in the old communities, says Franco, adding that Cerrejon is obligated to follow regulations made by the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank group, when it comes to Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement (Performance Standard 5). In addition, Cerrejon is committed to protecting and promoting human rights in accordance with Colombian legislation, he adds. This includes paying special attention to the welfare of vulnerable groups, such as ethnic minorities, and respecting the customs and culture of indigenous communities. Contrary to what many families report, Franco rejects reports of incidences of favouritism when making decisions on compensation and other benefits. Through a clause in the relocation contracts with affected families we have made it very clear that the principle of equality is very important to us. Having said that, we have given priority to the relocation of people who actually work together, collectively, on a daily basis. Still, it would not make sense for us to use division as a strategy in carrying out communal relocations, Franco says. In spite of these claims, several members of the affected communities have accused Cerrejon negotiators of manipulating community leaders by offering them benefits in an effort to create distrust among people. A separation between those who have been recognised as relocatable and those who have not has added to the problem. In addition, human rights organisations like Colectivo de Abogados Jose Alvear Restrepo have emphasised the asymmetry that characterises the negotiations, with a huge multinational company backed by the Colombian state on one side, and small rural communities whose understanding of the written language is limited, on the other. Lack of water Today, Cerrejon employs 13,000 workers and stretches over an area of 690 square kilometres. Last year, Cerrejon exported 33.4 million tonnes of coal, mostly to Europe and North America. In order to extract the large amount of coal, the company reported in 2011 to have used 17 million litres of water daily, while the average person in the drought-stricken province of La Guajira has access to 0.7 litres a day, according to UNDP Colombia. Danilo Urrea is a coordinator at Friends of the Earth Colombia, and has worked extensively to determine the environmental and social consequences of mining in Colombia. In the region where Cerrejon operates, there have been huge environmental changes over the past couple of decades. Many water sources have dried out after the mine entered the area and the air is heavily contaminated. It is also important to point out that many water sources formerly available to the communities, are now located within the boundaries of the mine, says Urrea. The contamination from the mine not only damages the rivers, creeks and other sources of water; it also takes a toll on peoples health. Last November, the Municipal Court of Barrancas ordered environmental authorities to oblige the company to reduce levels of air contamination after a two-year-old Wayuu child showed symptoms of serious respiratory difficulties. While such decisions show that there are possibilities to exert pressure on Cerrejon and state authorities, Danilo Urrea demands a Colombian government more inclined to protect its people, and not multinationals. As a state founded on the principle of social rights, Colombian authorities are obligated to ensure a healthy environment. Unfortunately, the Colombian state has allowed big corporations to be ever more flexible, resulting in fewer environmental standards as far as the extraction of minerals are concerned, says Urrea. According to Peace Brigades International Colombia, a staggering 40 percent of Colombias landmass has been licensed to, or is being solicited by, multinational companies to develop mineral and crude oil mining projects. Today, Colombia is the sixth-largest coal exporter in the world. Cerrejons Franco sees no end to his companys coal production in the near future. We will continue to produce coal as long as the business is viable, and socially and economically sustainable, he says. Looking back Back in Las Casitas, on the shielded patio outside her wooden house, Virgilia Puche glares over at her two small granddaughters as they are just about to catch a chicken. For a brief moment she allows her memory to travel back to the time before the mine. She tells a story of a closely linked community, where neighbours shared with neighbours, and the land was a limitless source of life. Everyone contributed to the wellbeing of the community, no matter what you produced. Water was flowing in the river, we harvested what we seeded and the air was clean. It was a time of joy, she says before falling back into silence. Follow Fredrik Brogeland on Instagram: @flaache Egypt cannot be allowed to act with complete impunity, under the thinly veiled guise of the fight against terrorism. Toby Cadman is an international criminal law specialist. He is a barrister member at Nine Bedford Row International Chambers in London and a member of the International Criminal Bureau in The Hague. A states commitment to the rule of law and principles of democracy are measured by its commitment to end impunity and to hold accountable those persons accused of atrocity crimes. The Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) is now being asked to do just that and investigate Egypts role in committing atrocities in Palestine. It is much the same as can be said for an individual, yet admittedly on a much larger scale. When a state behaves in an inappropriate manner and is not challenged, impunity raises its ugly head. By not challenging this behaviour, a message is sent to the perpetrator that a metaphorical blind eye will be turned. This can then be interpreted as tacit permission, and thus those that do not challenge can be seen as facilitators. The position is no different when dealing with an individual or at the state level, and unfortunately this is exactly what we see when we consider Egypt and the steps it has taken since the removal of Mohamed Morsi. Callous policy towards Gaza Strip The issues that ought to have been challenged and addressed by the international community are widespread when we consider Egypt. Actions such as the Rabaa al-Adawiya Square and al-Nahda Square massacres, the mass trials, the death sentences imposed on political opponents, all ought to have been met with outright condemnation and appropriate action. Unfortunately, this has not been forthcoming. READ MORE: Arresting Netanyahu An issue that has not necessarily received the same level of media coverage but is equally disturbing in terms of its consequences is Egypts callous policy towards its border with the Gaza Strip. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands of Gazan civilians are affected by these policies and the net result is far-reaching. by On January 25, the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK filed two submissions with the ICC Office of the Prosecutor, requesting that a formal investigation be opened in respect of two separate matters. The first concerns the all-but-permanent closure of the Rafah Border Crossing during and after Operation Protective Edge which has resulted in significant suffering of the civilian population and has exacerbated an already desperate humanitarian crisis. The second submission concerns the flooding of the border area, known as the Philadelphia Corridor, with sea water. Egypt justifies this by suggesting it is creating a buffer zone and therefore is required on a security basis. The reality, however, is that it is permanently damaged arable land, and that flooding is polluting the fresh water aquifer upon which much of Gaza relies for its fresh water needs, thereby causing catastrophic consequences to the civilian population conduct which is undoubtedly a crime under the jurisdiction of the ICC when one considers the intent. The two actions complained of are yet further examples of the impunity with which Egypt believes it can operate. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands of Gazan civilians are affected by these policies and the net result is far-reaching. Irreparable harm It is beyond doubt that such actions will cause irreparable harm, and arguably render Gaza uninhabitable before the 2020 date suggested by the United Nations. The international community cannot justify the turning of a blind eye, or feigning indifference towards Egypt and the crimes it is committing. It is anticipated that the ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, as the ultimate custodian of international justice, will accede to the request and open a formal investigation into these events. In holding this hope, it is acknowledged that Egypt is not a State Party to the Rome Statute. READ MORE: The obligations of responsibility However, the effects are felt within Palestinian territory, which, by virtue of its 2014 declaration, is a state party, and thus it is convincingly argued that the ICC does have jurisdiction on the basis of territorial jurisdiction. Egypt cannot be allowed to continue to act with complete impunity, under the thinly veiled guise of what it suggests is the fight against terrorism... by Egypt cannot be allowed to continue to act with complete impunity, under the thinly veiled guise of what it suggests is the fight against terrorism, but in reality is an attempt to eradicate those that may seek to oppose the ruling party. It is not suggested that there have not been instances of terrorism in Egypt, as clearly there have. However, this does not justify action that results in and compounds the already dire straits in which the population of Gaza finds itself. The closure of the Rafah Crossing resulted in thousands being unable to escape the military action during Operation Protective Edge, and subsequently has led to thousands more being prevented from accessing medical care. Thousands of tonnes of humanitarian aid have been prevented from entering Gaza where there is a clear and desperate need, and further, families remain fractured, with members on either side of the border being prevented from reuniting. Such actions, as noted above, can no longer be tolerated. The international community is strong on rhetoric, but weak when it comes to action. There is a distinct feeling that states that find themselves the target of the international communitys ire are an easy target, whereas states with demonstrable and disgraceful human rights records are allowed to prosper. The ICC, admittedly, cannot necessarily seek to police the globe as its jurisdiction is restricted to those that have ratified the Rome Statute. However, where there is the opportunity for the ICC to examine an issue, it must ensure that it does so, and thus play its envisaged part in international justice, to investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute the most heinous of crimes. Crimes of which Egypt arguably bares responsibility. Toby Cadman is an international criminal law specialist. He is a barrister member at Nine Bedford Row International Chambers in London and a member of the International Criminal Bureau in The Hague. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. If Iran keeps its end of the bargain, the West may further open its markets to Iranian goods. Shantayanan Devarajan is the Chief Economist of the World Bank's Middle East and North Africa Region. Elena Ianchovichina is lead economist in the Chief Economist Office of the World Bank's Middle East and North Africa region. The collapse of oil prices to levels unseen since the early 2000s has shaken markets and confidence in the health of major economies. Experts include the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran as a key factor in the dramatic fall. Yet, there is no consensus on this point. In a recent paper, we quantify the global effects of this change in Irans trading opportunities, focusing on the countries that are likely to be most affected by the lifting of the oil embargo. The 2012 restrictions imposed by the European Union on Iran were the most far-reaching sanction as they curtailed the sales of Irans most important export commodity. We also capture other components of the nuclear deal: the expected reduction in Irans trading costs and the liberalisation of cross-border trade in financial and transport services. The global effects of these two components are small as Iran accounts for a negligible share of the worlds non-oil trade. Losses for oil-exporting nations Assuming that Iran is able to increase oil production and exports to the EU to pre-embargo levels, we estimate that the oil price will decline by 13 percent (or about $3 a barrel at current prices). This decline implies losses for the net oil-exporting nations that are steepest for OPEC members, especially the Gulf Cooperation Council states, which as a group loses nearly 4 percent in per capita welfare. The losses are due to the deterioration in their terms of trade. ALSO READ: Oil market: The Iranians are coming As many of them subsidise oil, the lower oil price will have a compensating efficiency gain, but not enough to reverse the welfare loss. Oil-importing economies are expected to benefit - mostly because of improvements in their terms of trade, but also because cheaper oil enables expansion of industries ... by By contrast, oil-importing economies are expected to benefit mostly because of improvements in their terms of trade, but also because cheaper oil enables expansion of industries that use crude oil and because in most of these countries oil use is taxed. In percentage terms, the gains to the oil-importing countries are modest, mostly in the range of between a quarter and half a percent, but the world as a whole is better off as the gains to oil importers outweigh the losses to oil exporters. As expected, the lifting of the economic sanctions is most beneficial to Iran, where per capita welfare is expected to rise by almost 4 percent. The gains are due to the expansion of oil production and exports and the liberalisation of cross-border trade in financial and transport services. Other factors Importantly, the magnitude of the estimated oil price change suggests that the dramatic oil price drop observed since 2015 has little to do with the anticipated lifting of Irans oil embargo. Other factors have been driving down the price of oil. Irans gains may be much more modest if Iranians are unable to increase oil production or oil exports to their pre-embargo levels. We estimate that a bounce back to just half of Irans pre-embargo oil exports to the EU is associated with per capita welfare gains of only 3 percent (oil prices will correspondingly decline by less). If major OPEC members cut back oil production and exports to avoid oil price declines, they will limit their losses and reduce the gains to oil importers. In this case, the world as a whole is worse off as the reduction in oil exporters losses would be insufficient to compensate for the reduction in oil importers gains. Importantly, such a response by oil exporters will enhance Irans per capita gain, which almost doubles to 6.5 percent in the case of full oil export recovery. Iran can get the most benefit from the lifting of sanctions by implementing reforms that improve the competitiveness of its economy. For example, unilateral reductions of Iranian tariffs on imports of capital goods could add half a percentage point to the gains expected in the baseline scenario, as this reform enhances companies ability to upgrade their factories and import new technology. Reforms in support of the recovery of the domestic car sector could increase per capita welfare in Iran by an additional 1.5 percentage points. Finally, if Iran keeps its part of the deal, the West may further open its markets to Iranian goods. The effect of reducing non-tariff measures imposed by the United States, the EU, and other OECD countries on Iranian exports to the average levels imposed on other countries could add 1.1 percentage points on top of the gains expected in the baseline. Elena Ianchovichina is Lead Economist in the Chief Economist Office of the World Banks Middle East and North Africa region. Shantayanan Devarajan is the Chief Economist of the World Banks Middle East and North Africa Region. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Trumps potential danger lies not in his political or ideological extremism per se. There are at least three reasons why Donald Trump is leading in the United States Republican primaries, three more why I would vote for him, and another three reasons why sensible Americans shouldnt. As he trumps the other Republican candidates, Trumps popularity figures contradict most predictions of an early demise. If this outsider who defies all scepticism maintains his lead into March, the Republican establishment will have no choice but to embrace the obnoxious New York contractor as one of its own. This in effect should guarantee Trump the Republican nomination and set the US, and indeed the rest of the world, on an unpredictable path come November. Causes for success The first reason for Trumps popularity on the right stems primarily from the angry and frustrated white Americans, especially male voters, who have been screwed by the financial crisis, rising inequality, and a shrinking middle class. This malaise on the right, or what former President Bill Clinton aptly called, white Americas broken heart, is being channelled in two very opposite directions. ALSO READ: Trump is a symptom not the disease Many of those whites on the left support Bernie Sanders apparently more than Hillary Clinton but unfortunately, those on the right who have been led to believe that changing demographics, illegal immigrants and Muslims cause their misfortunes, support Trump. Those on the right who have been led to believe that changing demographics, illegal immigrants and Muslims cause their misfortunes, support Trump. by Second, Americans are increasingly bitter and disappointed by the Republican and Democratic party establishments, both of which are at the mercy of special interests, powerful lobbies, and big money. On the left, millions of Democrats and independents have donated an average of $20-plus to support Sanders against Wall Street. But on the right, the culturally and economically disenfranchised white Americans seek refuge in Trump the billionaire, the party outsider, who boasts of his independence of Big Business thanks to his own personal big business. Quite the paradox. And last, by supporting Trump the political outsider, more and more Americans are expressing their bitterness, hostility and downright disgust with the Washington establishment, and its so-called beltway politics and its political paralysis over the past decade. For lack of horses, Republicans are saddling dogs, better yet, a bulldog. The perils of a Trump Trump is dangerous. But contrary to conventional wisdom, his potential danger lies not in his political or ideological extremism but rather his vulgar populism. What seems like off-the-cuff spouts of racism against Latinos, Asians or Muslims is in fact a carefully considered appeasement of white angry Americans? If America is somewhat in the middle of a nervous breakdown, expect this racist demagogue to make more false promises to gain traction or get validation. Second, Trumps paranoiac reflections and solutions bring out the worst in Americans. His explicit support for torture, banning Muslims, breaking international agreements and reversing healthcare, among other things, doesnt bode well for the future of the US or its role in the world. And third, as Trump gains momentum and moves centre-stage, his neo-fascist demagogy and racism become the new norm on the Right and eventually an acceptable discourse in the US. What thus far had been the political rhetoric of the fringe, has been amplified by the electoral process, and is growing into a regressive force in US politics and culture. Indeed, by way of food for thought, this McDonald offers more of the same mass, fast and cheap recipes for disaster. Bearing in mind So why, in light of the above, would I vote for Trump? ALSO READ: Why I will vote for Bernie Sanders Well, first because I usually tend to bet on the losing horse. Be that a movie director in the Oscars, a company stock, a team, or any racehorse, metaphorically speaking. My preference is like a spell, a curse on the ill-fated. Second, at the risk of sounding disingenuous, I assume that if I publicise my support for Trump, it might just might create certain doubt in the minds of the insecure, the short-sighted and the ignorant bigots who are not 100 percent sure about Trump. And last, what does it matter who Id vote for when I cant or dont vote. Marwan Bishara is the senior political analyst at Al Jazeera. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. African Union says armed group is hoping to stage attacks disguised as AMISOM troops, using uniforms it took from them. The African Union (AU) says the al Qaeda-linked armed group, al Shabab, is planning attacks in Somalia using AU troop uniforms as disguises. The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said the uniforms were stolen by al Shabab fighters from military camps belonging to the 22,000-strong UN-mandated mission. AMISOM has information that due to panic [al Shabab] have plans to masquerade as AMISOM and dress in AMISOM troops uniforms, AMISOM said in a statement on its Twitter account. These uniforms were accessed from AMISOM camps in the past and disguised as such, AS [al-Shabab] are organising to carry out atrocities. Planned atrocities are in areas generally controlled by FGS & AMISOM in order to turn the people against AMISOM by depicting it as the enemy, AMISOM said. Al Shabab, which wants to impose strict Islamic law in the Muslim country of about ten million and is seeking to overthrow the countrys internationally recognised government, have recently raided several army camps belonging to AMISOM. A spokesman for the group, in a phone call, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that it is true they have AU uniforms in their possession. It is not a secret that we took plenty of weapons, including armoured vehicles, ammunition and uniforms from them when we raided their camps and killed their soldiers, the spokesman said. We will continue attacking them and the apostate government because they are legitimate targets. We have never made that a secret. They [AMISOM] are planning to attack Muslim civilians and are looking for scapegoats for their future atrocities like they did in Marka before. AU troops in July 2015 were accused of gunning down more than 20 civilians in the coastal town of Marka, claims that AMISOM strongly refuted. READ MORE: Rights group seeks AU probe into Somalia wedding deaths The Somali government said they were aware of the latest development. Terrorists will try everything in their power to harm innocent civilians. Our security services are on alert to stop those who want to harm our people, Abdisalam Aato, Somali government spokesman, told Al Jazeera by phone from the countrys capital, Mogadishu. Terrorism has no place in Somalia. We request the public to work with our security agencies and report anything suspicious they may come across. Last month, al Shabab raided and overran an army base belonging to Kenyan troops who are part of the AU mission in the small town of El Adde in southwestern Somalia, not far from the Kenyan border. The group then displayed boxes of ammunition and military vehicles they took from the camp. In a similar dawn raid last June, on Burundian troops base in the town of Leego, about 100km northwest of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, al-Shabab overran the AU camp before making away with weapons and ammunition. Then, in September, the group raided a Ugandan base in the farming town of Janaale in the Lower Shabelle region and made away with boxes of ammunition and an unknown number of uniforms belonging to the AU mission. Follow Hamza Mohamed on Twitter: @Hamza_Africa An Australian government report that analyses progress on tackling indigenous disadvantage shows the country is failing to meet key targets to improve the life expectancy, health, educational, social and economic outcomes of its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander citizens. The 2016 Closing the Gap report, released by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in parliament on Wednesday, showed positive outcomes for Aboriginal Australians still lagged well behind those of the rest of the community. A persons right to shape their own identity and for that identity to be respected is central to the wellbeing of all people. And yet, for decades, Aboriginality and skin colour has been used to control the lives of indigenous people and diminish their value in society. This must be no longer, Turnbull told parliament. Australias 670,000 indigenous citizens, comprising about three percent of its population, still track near the bottom of its 23 million citizens in almost every economic and social indicator. The Closing the Gap targets were announced in 2008 and aimed to end indigenous disadvantage within a generation. Only two of seven targets cutting the rate of infant mortality and getting more students to finish high school were likely to be met, but key statistics in areas including life expectancy, employment prospects and literacy still fell way below expectations. The report found a target to close a 10-year gap in life expectancy between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians by 2031 was nowhere close to being met. Aboriginal unemployment will not be halved by 2018 as previously pledged, and the imprisonment rate for indigenous adults in Australia rose by 77 percent between 2000 and 2015. Aborigines comprise only 3 percent of the population but make up 27 percent of those in prison. READ MORE: Does Australia have a racism problem? The indigenous suicide rate remained almost twice that of non-indigenous Australians between 2008 and 2012, the report found. Drug and alcohol problems also remained key problems in Aboriginal communities. Aborigines were also still waiting to achieve recognition in their countrys constitution for their status as the first Australians. Professor Shane Houston, deputy vice-chancellor of Indigenous Strategy and Services at the University of Sydney, told Al Jazeeras Andrew Thomas the Closing the Gap ambitions could be too narrow. The good side is it draws peoples attention to what is an injustice. But it also is a risk we think only about a handful rather than the complex set of challenges that we face as a nation, Houston said. The prime minister stressed that working with indigenous communities across the country to develop local policies and solutions was key to bridging the gap, an approach emphasised by both supporters and critics of the yearly report. We have heard these words before, Mick Gooda, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and the Closing the Gap campaign co-chair, told the AFP news agency. We take them with good heart but theres got to be a carrying-out of that new relationship, so I think were entitled to be a little bit cynical about it until it starts happening. As war rages in Iraq to drive back the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL) from the large swaths of territories it has seized, the Shia-led government appears to be building a new order in Baghdad. Last week, Iraqi military chiefs announced that the Baghdad Fence, now being erected on the fringe of the capital, is to protect it from criminal acts of the terrorists groups. More immediately, the first phase of the Baghdad Fence, which the army began building on February 1, is a 100km security barricade that includes a wall and a trench around the sprawling city. As detailed by the Major General Abdel Amir al-Shimari, the commander of Baghdad Operations, a 3m-high blast wall and a 3x2m trench will be built along the full length of the barrier. However, on Saturday Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister, dismissed the plan to encircle Baghdad with a concrete wall. Baghdad is the capital of all Iraqis, he said in a statement. At first glance, a security plan to protect the city, which also includes guard towers and electronic surveillance equipment, looks realistic. Yet the idea of a fence separating the capital from the rest of the country seems nothing short of an admission of failure. READ MORE: Civilian suffering undermines anti-ISIL campaigns From a security perspective, the barrier could protect the capital from assailants infiltrating mainly from Sunni-dominated areas, but it could hardly thwart suicide bombers operating in ISILs sleeper cells inside the city. A careful analysis of the Iraqi landscape, following the ISILs blitzkrieg in summer 2014, shows that Iraqs three main communities are using whatever skills and potential in their possession to draw the lines of their prospective states in northern, central and southern Iraq. The main problem with the fence, therefore, is that it put the focus more on politics than on security. In that sense, the new line will be a physical divide that will set back the prospect of communal peace in a post-ISIL era and confirm what many Iraqis have been saying and fearing about the partitioning of their country. Iraqi Sunni leaders have voiced concern that phase one of the barrier, which extends north and northwest of the capital, is taking a strange route. It eats up territories belonging to the Sunni-dominated Anbar and Salahaddin provinces and would inevitably harden into the future political border, allowing the Shia-controlled Baghdad much more land. The bottom line is that the land grab around the capital reinforces worries about a creeping partitioning of Iraq, a scenario on the agenda of many local and international stakeholders, that divides Iraq into three a Sunni state, a Shia state and a Kurdish state. A careful analysis of the Iraqi landscape following the ISILs blitzkrieg in the summer 2014, shows that Iraqs three main communities are using whatever skills in their possession to draw the lines of their prospective states in northern, central and southern Iraq. Since the standoff with ISIL began, Kurds have captured vast swaths of territory in the so-called disputed areas, including the oil-rich Kirkuk province, and declared that these are now part of the autonomous Kurdistan Region Government (KRG). Last month, Masoud Barzani, the KRG president, told Kurdish political parties that a referendum on Kurdish independence should take place before the United States presidential election in November. Earlier, Barzani told the British newspaper The Guardian that the international community had started to accept that Iraq would never again be unified and that compulsory co-existence had been proved wrong. As Barzanis independence drive takes momentum, Iraqi Shia are holding on to land outside the traditionally known Shia-dominated provinces. Since they started their counteroffensive against ISILs fighters, the Shia militias have swept over much of the villages and towns east and north of the capital, overrunning Sunni-majority areas in what it is now called the Baghdad belt. READ MORE: The Kurdish referendum and Barzanis political survival In many towns in the ethnically and sectarian mixed province of Diyala, Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Shia militias are reportedly forcing Arab Sunnis to leave their homes under charges that they are ISILs sleeper cells or sympathisers. For months, Shia soldiers and militias have been busy building a network of trenches and earth barricades around hotspots such as Jurf al-Sakhar, west of Baghdad, Samara in the north, and areas in Diyala to the west. These barricades seem to be intended to protect the capital and Shia-populated cities from incursions. But it also indicates that Iraqi Shia are readying themselves for Iraqs break-up and that they are drawing a border to separate these areas from the Sunni heartland. On the other hand, the war against ISIL has also changed Iraqi Sunnis mindset. As ISILs fighters are being pushed back from cities they occupied in the 2014 advances, the future of the Sunni-populated territories is increasingly under discussion. Facing high-handed, unilateral actions by Iraqi Shia and Kurds, a growing number of Iraqi Sunnis are now seeking an autonomous region in Iraq that will address their fears of marginalisation and give them a bigger say in running their own provinces. If we take reports of plans under way to create a Sunni region within an Iraqi confederation after ISILs defeat at face value, the re-mapping of the Iraqi provinces on ethnic and sectarian lines then becomes self-explanatory. But there the Iraq break-up scenario ends. Scepticism will linger about whether partitioning Iraq is inevitable. Something is shifting and it is not too late. There are increasing signs that many Iraqi Kurds, Shia and Sunnis are opposed to the partitioning and believe that a functioning state could still keep them together. There are also signs of international and regional concerns that Iraqs disintegration will be catastrophic for the entire Middle East. While the world seems to keep looking on Iraq, it remains to be seen how this concern is interpreted in concerted efforts to stop the downslide. Iraq is in chaos, but it is not yet beyond redemption. Russia reportedly has proposed a March 1 truce as the Syrian government ramps up its military offensive on Aleppo. Russia is ready to discuss a possible ceasefire in Syria, an official said on Thursday, before a crucial meeting of major powers in Germany on how to end the five-year-old Syrian civil war. We are ready to discuss the modalities of a ceasefire in Syria, Gennady Gatilov, the deputy foreign minister, was cited by the TASS news agency as saying. This is what will be talked about in Munich. Citing an unnamed Western official, the Reuters news agency reported late on Wednesday that Russia proposed a ceasefire to begin on March 1. International powers, including Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iran, were to meet on Thursday in Germany in an effort to resurrect Syrian peace talks in Geneva that were postponed earlier this month. A Syrian government offensive around the city of Aleppo backed by Russian air strikes has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border, putting the Geneva talks in jeopardy. Al Jazeeras Rory Challands, reporting from Moscow, said that the US and its allies would probably view Russias truce offer with scepticism. The US concerns are that this gives the offensive thats currently ongoing in the Aleppo region more time to push the rebels back, possibly going so far as a full military victory, said Challands. Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry lashed out at the US-led coalition in Syria for refusing to provide intelligence on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets there. Major-General Igor Konashenkov, the defence ministry spokesman, said in a statement on Thursday that Russia has shared its own intelligence with the US which has gratefully taken it but has not reciprocated. Konashenkov said Moscow has repeatedly asked Washington and its allies for intelligence in response to the accusations that Russians are targeting the wrong objects. At least 50,000 Syrians have fled the fighting in Aleppo, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Wednesday, adding that water supplies have been disrupted in some parts of the province. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday that at least 500 people had been killed since the Syrian government, backed by Russian air strikes, launched a major offensive from the north of Aleppo on February 1. The Observatory said that among those killed were 89 civilians, including 23 children, 143 pro-government fighters, 274 rebels and foreign fighters. Russian air strikes that began in September have tilted the war in favour of President Bashar al Assads forces. The Syrian government holds the west of Aleppo, Syrias largest city, while the rebels hold the east, but the situation is largely reversed in the countryside. WATCH: Will Syrias war be won or lost in Aleppo? The latest diplomatic efforts to end the Syrian conflict through peace talks were suspended in Geneva earlier this month until February 25, after UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said that more work was needed to make progress. The Syrian opposition has said that it will not attend the scheduled talks unless the government ends its air strikes and lifts the sieges on cities and towns. The peace talks are meant to develop a road map to end the conflict of almost five years which has resulted in more than 250,000 Syrians being killed. The conflict has also displaced millions more and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing as refugees to Europe. With sanctions lifted, Tehran is entering an already-glutted market as it plans to produce 500,000 barrels a day. Irans Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh says his country is ready to negotiate with Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members over the dire conditions in international oil markets. Tehran recently resumed oil exports after Western sanctions over its nuclear programme were lifted, and announced it plans to produce 500,000 barrels a day. The move will add significant pressure on an already oversupplied market, as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries continues to refuse to cut its production. Inside Story The cost of Iranian oil We support any form of dialogue and cooperation with OPEC member states, including Saudi Arabia, Zangeneh told reporters. The Iranian oil minister said in early January that certain countries insistence on overproduction was politically motivated. If there were a strong political will, the price of oil would have been balanced within one single week, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted him as saying. None of the oil producers is happy with the existing prices, which will harm suppliers in the long term. Zangeneh added that Iran needs as much as $200bn in investments to revamp its oil industry. The global oil sector has taken a beating since the summer of 2014, losing about 70 percent of its value. OPEC countries have refused to budge on the flooded market, keeping in place a 30 million barrel a day production ceiling. Another senior Iranian official said on Wednesday the country cannot cut crude oil production because it needs to regain market share and return to pre-sanctions output levels. Asked if Tehran was ready to coordinate a production cut to support the oil market, Masoud Hashemian Esfahani, the acting deputy oil minister, told Reuters news agency: We do not like to cut. We need to [get] back our share. The [oil] price completely depends on [the] market situation and we have a surplus of supply now. Maybe some countries must cut their share and many countries [must] get back their share, Esfahani said in Moscow. OPEC increased its total oil production by 131,000 barrels per day (bpd) in January even though oversupply has been a major reason for falling oil prices, according to data issued by the cartel. The Vienna-based group of mostly Arab, African and Latin American countries said on Wednesday they pumped 32.3 million bpd last month. Saudi Arabia and other Arab members of OPEC have so far stopped the group from propping up prices by lowering output, in an apparent effort to use the current slump to win market shares from the US, where oil production is costlier than in the Gulf. READ MORE: Instability threatens Iraqs oil production Meanwhile, oil prices rebounded on bargain-buying in Asia on Wednesday after the previous days plunge, but analysts warned that any gains would be limited as the global glut that has hammered markets showed no sign of letting up. Crude prices have crashed from above $100 a barrel in July 2014 to under $30 after being hit by a perfect storm of overproduction, oversupply, weak demand, and a slowdown in the global economy, particularly the key consumer China. A report by the Kuwait Financial Centre released on Tuesday said that the oil-rich states of the Gulf Cooperation Council are expected to see their public debts double and their assets decline by one-third by 2020 as they seek to finance budget deficits. The report noted that GCC countries face a combined $159bn deficit in 2016. In contrast, the GCC posted a combined surplus of $220bn in 2012. In series of attacks, ISIL fighters kill at least 27 Iraqi soldiers and wound 16 more west of strategic city, army says. At least 27 Iraqi soldiers have been killed in suicide car bomb attacks committed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters near Ramadi, military sources said. Wednesdays attacks on Iraqi army positions in Al-Awasil village, 35km west of Ramadi, also wounded 16 military personnel, army sources told Al Jazeera. It was not immediately clear how many car bombers struck the Iraqi forces. The attacks came a day after Iraqi security forces entered the last remaining ISIL stronghold east of Ramadi. Security forces are now in the centre of Hussaibah village and moving to other parts of the strategic settlement, which links a major army base to other villages recently captured from the armed group, security sources told Al Jazeera on Tuesday. The Iraqi flag was raised in the centre of the village on Tuesday, the sources added. Al Jazeeras Imran Khan, reporting from Baghdad, said that ISIL fighters were still in control of the nearby countryside. From there they are able to mount attacks on the army [in and around Ramadi] and they still control Fallujah. That town has been under siege for months now with no supplies going in, he said. READ MORE: Iraq: 80 percent of Ramadi in ruins after fighting Iraqs government announced in late December that its troops had recaptured Ramadi, but daily fighting with ISIL has continued for more than a month on the citys outskirts. ISIL captured the city in May 2015 in an assault spearheaded by a wave of car and truck bombs. The armed group still holds Fallujah, east of Ramadi, and Mosul, the countrys second city, which fell to ISIL in 2014. Japan bans North Korean ships from its ports, as South Korea announces closure of joint industrial park on border. Japan is to impose new sanctions on North Korea to protest against a rocket launch seen as a test of missile technology. The sanctions will include expanded restrictions on travel between the two countries and a complete ban on visits by North Korean ships to Japanese ports, Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced at a news conference on Wednesday. Despite our repeated requests to stop nuclear tests and missile development, [North Korea] pushed ahead with the launch. It has a direct impact on Japan and we need to show our strong determination, Suga said. He said, however, that Japan will keep a door open for dialogue to resolve the still-outstanding issue of Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korea decades ago. North Korea launched a long-range rocket into space on Sunday carrying what it said was an Earth observation satellite. The launch, which came about a month after the countrys fourth nuclear test, was quickly condemned by world leaders as a potential threat to regional and global security. Suga said thatthe sanctions would be approved by the cabinet later, and would also require legislative changes in parliament. Japan in 2014 eased some earlier sanctions on North Korea in exchange for its pledge to re-investigate the fate of the Japanese abductees. Wednesdays measures go slightly beyond the restoration of the previous measures. The ban on port entry extends to any foreign ships intending to arrive in Japan after visiting North Korea. The travel ban will also be broadened to include any foreigners with nuclear and missile expertise who visit North Korea. All money transfers, except for those below 100,000 yen ($880) for humanitarian purposes, will be banned. S Korea closes down border industrial park Meanwhile, South Korea said on Wednesday that it would shut down a joint industrial park with North Korea in response to the Norths recent rocket launch, accusing the North of using hard currency from the park to develop its nuclear and missile programmes. The decision will end operations at the industrial complex in the North Korean border city of Kaesong, the last major co-operation project between the rival countries. The move to close the park is the second major measure taken by South Korea in reaction to the launch. Seoul also has begun talks with Washington on toughening South Koreas missile defence system. The US Congress is also considering more stringent sanctions on North Korea. Israeli PM, while visiting construction site of new wall, says country plans to encircle itself with fences. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised work being done to build a wall on the border with Jordan to keep out refugees, referring to Arabs living in neighbouring countries as predators. In the state of Israel as I see it, therell be a fence around all of it. Were surrounded by predators and we need to protect ourselves, the Israeli leader said during a visit on Tuesday to the site of the new wall. Construction of the 30km wall was announced in September 2015 following calls from some Israeli politicians to take in Syrian refugees. It will be built along Israels southern border with Jordan, continuing a 240km barrier that already runs along Israels border with Egypts Sinai peninsula. Another wall was built in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, officially considered to be territory belonging to Syria which Israel took over in 1967. Perhaps the most notorious of Israels walls built for security purposes runs within the occupied West Bank. It has been criticised for severely limiting the freedom of movement that Palestinians living in the occupied territories should be entitled to under international law. Its construction was also used to seize more territory for settlements. We are preparing a multi-year plan to encircle Israel with fences to defend ourselves in the Middle East as it is now and as it is expected to be, Netanyahu said, according to a translation posted on his spokespersons Twitter page. Intelligence chief accuses Pyongyang of restarting a plutonium reactor and developing more ballistic missiles. North Korea has allegedly expanded its nuclear programme and restarted a plutonium reactor at its main nuclear facility, the United States intelligence chief said. Pyongyang continues to produce fissile material and develop a submarine-launched ballistic missile, James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, told a US Senate committee late on Tuesday. North Koreas recent missile and nuclear activity has alarmed its regional neighbours, in particular South Korea and Japan, and provoked warnings from the US, China, and the United Nations. Clapper told the senators during his report on the annual Worldwide Threat Assessment that Pyongyang is supposedly trying to develop a mobile, long-range, nuclear missile system though it had not been flight-tested. READ MORE: Q&A: Does launch take N Korea closer to nuclear weapon? The restarting of the plutonium reactor at the Yongbyon facility meant that Pyongyang could begin to recover plutonium from the reactors spent fuel within a matter of weeks to months, the threat assessment said. It would take a year to recover enough plutonium to make a bomb, South Koreas Yonhap News Agency reported. On Sunday, North Korea, led by leader Kim Jong Un, launched a long-range ballistic missile and sent a satellite into orbit. On January 6 it detonated a nuclear device in its fourth nuclear test since 2006. On Monday, the South Korean military fired warning shots at a military vessel from the North that crossed their maritime border. More than 70 killed in attacks at a camp in Borno state for people displaced by Boko Haram-related violence. More than 70 people have been killed in a double suicide attack at a camp for internally displaced people in northeast Nigeria, local officials told Al Jazeera. The twin suicide bombings in Borno state on Tuesday morning reportedly committed by women also left 78 people injured, officials added. Information about the attacks was first reported by officials on Wednesday night. The bombings occurred at a camp in the town of Dikwa, some 80km northeast of Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram. Ahmed Satomi, of the State Management Agency, told Al Jazeera officials had arrested one woman who had refused to detonate a bomb after travelling to the camp from a nearby town with two other bombers. The one they arrested alive, she confessed. She feel that her parents would come and thats why she refused to detonate her own bomb, Satomi said. Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris, reporting from Katsina in northern Nigeria, said attacks on civilian targets by suspected Boko Haram fighters have been on the increase recently in Nigeria. Officials are telling us that the injured have been evacuated for medical attention. The army, which is fighting Boko Haram, has yet to comment on this recent attack. But the finger of blame is already pointing at Boko Haram, Idris said. The camp is home to 50,000 people driven from their homes by the armed group, whose six-year-old rebellion has killed 20,000 people and made 2.5 million homeless. IDP camp attacks Boko Haram, which has increasingly used suicide and bomb attacks as Nigerias military pushes them out of territories they once controlled, has hit camps for internally displaced people before. On September 11 last year, seven people were killed when an improvised explosive device went off at the Malkohi camp, near Yola, in neighbouring Adamawa state. The camp has been used to house kidnapped women and children rescued by the military. On January 31, at least 86 people were killed in Dalori, some 12km from Maiduguri, when Boko Haram fighters attacked and burned down surrounding villages. Analysis: Russian intervention is about the worst options for Syrias future either ISIL or the Syrian regime. If there were any naive hopes that the latest incarnation of the United Nations-sponsored Syrian peace talks would move the conflict closer to a resolution, they were quickly put to rest with the announcement that Saudi Arabia was seriously considering deploying ground troops into Syria. There should be no doubt that all major parties to the Syrian conflict remain committed to a military solution and that the political process is a cruel facade that offers Syrians no reprieve from this catastrophe. Saudi Arabias potential intervention should be understood in this context as a desperate measure to reverse the dramatic military gains brought about by Russias intervention into the Syrian conflict. READ MORE: How to solve a problem like Syria In recent months, the military stalemate that defined the Syrian conflict after 2013 was broken by the unrelenting onslaught by the Russian military. Russian aerial bombardment allowed regime-aligned groups to force rebel retreats and to capture key transport and supply corridors throughout the country, thus altering the battlefield dynamics. Saudi Arabias threatened intervention is not about targeting ISIL but rather about regaining the political positioning and battlefield strength that was lost during the Russian intervention. Having bombed the rebel groups into near submission and with regime-aligned forces on the verge of recapturing Aleppo and the last remaining rebel strongholds in Northern Syria, the Russian intervention has ensured that the rebel groups will have limited capacity to shape the coming months of the conflict, whether on the battlefield or on the negotiation table. Today, the Syrian conflict is congealing in the Northern parts of the country with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Kurdish forces, and regime-aligned groups all converging around the remaining rebel-held areas. And this is precisely what the Russian intervention was always about -to eliminate the geographic and political space between ISIL and the Syrian regime, and to present the international community with this most abominable of options for the future of Syria: Either ISIL or the Syrian regime. Degraded rebel capacity on the battlefield and a scattered, incoherent, and ineffectual political opposition in the negotiating room is precisely the recipe for resolution that the Russian intervention sought to engender. Thus far, they have been mightily successful in these aims. Battlefield advances have corresponded to political victories as well. The slow gravitation of the United States and Europe to the Russian perspective of the conflict and the declaration by Carla Del Ponte, the UN Commission of Inquiry member, that the Russian intervention was a good thing , underscores the impacts of the Russian intervention and how far it has tilted the political tide in favour of the Syrian regime and its allied forces. INFOGRAPHIC: Communities under siege in Syria Saudi Arabias threatened intervention is not about targeting ISIL which has become a convenient target for everyone in the world but rather about regaining the political positioning and battlefield strength that was lost during the Russian intervention. It is an acknowledgment of the disastrous impacts that territorial contraction has had on the armed groups Saudi Arabia supports, and on the ability of these groups to withstand further bombardment. For Saudi Arabia, the dominant question today is how to reverse these losses and to reassert the rebel groups, and by extension the Kingdom, as major players in the Syrian conflict. As we have clearly seen in the past few months, changes in the battlefield easily sway Western leaders political positions. A Saudi intervention would, presumably, attempt to alter Western perceptions of the conflict and renew support for Saudi interests in Syria. Any Saudi intervention would no doubt require Western consent and indeed even military coordination. Yet, this is extremely unlikely to ever develop as Western states seem unwilling to make further military commitments, let alone commitments that complicate efforts at reaching a political solution. Recent Western diplomatic and political posturing suggests that they have given up on Syria and have accepted that the future will be shaped by Russian and Iranian designs for the country. The threat of military entanglement with Russia is a very real and serious one for Western states. As such, they have clearly ceded the battlefield to Russia. Why, then, would they be interested in supporting a Saudi ground intervention? Notwithstanding the moral bankruptcy of the West on the Syrian conflict, there is simply no appetite in Western capitals for further military commitments. This is a blessing for Russian designs in Syria. Militarily and politically, then, Saudi Arabia has emerged as an isolated player. It is nevertheless possible that in a situation in which Western states refuse to provide military support and in which regime-aligned forces remain very strong on the battlefield, Saudi Arabia would, in an act of extreme desperation, order a troop invasion. This has become Saudi Arabias last major military option in Syria. Russia, Iran, and regime-aligned forces inside of Syria are well aware of this, as are Saudi Arabias regional allies. It is no small claim to say that what happens next will shape the Syrian conflict in irreversible ways. Samer Abboud is an associate professor of international studies at the University of Arcadia and author of Syria . Syrian governments offensive in Aleppo province has killed 500, monitor says, as Russia denies targeting civilians. At least 500 people, including 89 civilians, have been killed since the Russian-backed offensive on Aleppo province began earlier this month, a monitoring group has said. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday that at least 500 people had been killed since the Syrian government, backed by Russian air strikes, launched a major offensive from the north of Aleppo on February 1. The Observatory said that among those killed were 89 civilians, including 23 children, 143 pro-government fighters, 274 rebels and foreign fighters. Tens of thousands of Syrians have fled their homes in Aleppos suburbs and are waiting on the Turkish border. The Syrian government holds the west of Aleppo city while the rebels hold the east, but the situation is largely reversed in the countryside. The UN warned on Tuesday that up to 300,000 people living in the city of Aleppo could be cut off from humanitarian aid unless access could be negotiated. If government advances around the city continue, it said, local councils in the city estimate that some 100,000 to 150,000 civilians may flee, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Wednesday that at least 23,000 Syrians had arrived in camps around the town of Azaz, east of Aleppo. At one border crossing with Turkey known as Bab al-Salameh, MSF said there were around 79,000 Syrians staying in camps. Russian air strikes Russia launched its military operation in Syria in September 2015, and it says the campaign is against armed groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Nusra Front. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused Russia on Wednesday of carrying out a deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing around the city of Aleppo. On Wednesday, Russia denied such accusations and said its air strikes have not targeted civilians in Syria. Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministrys spokeswoman, said that Moscow has still not received convincing evidence of civilian deaths as a result of Russian air strikes in Syria. IN DEPTH: Syrias future reshaped by Russian designs Zakharova also said that Russias operation in Syria is directed exclusively at fighting terrorist threats. Syrian peace talks were suspended in Geneva this month until February 25, after UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said more work was needed to make progress. The UN Security Council is expected to discuss the humanitarian situation in Syria in a closed-door meeting later on Wednesday. The Syrian opposition has said that it will not attend the scheduled talks unless the government ends its air strikes and lifts the sieges on cities and towns. The peace talks are meant to develop a road map to end the conflict of almost five years that has resulted in more than 250,000 Syrians being killed. The conflict has also displaced millions more and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing as refugees to Europe. They should not cut funding that goes to children. That is not where you cut funding because peoples' education determines who these people are, determines the success of people. This has hurt us. by Marian Tapia, professor In June, Puerto Rican Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla announced that the island had accumulated $72bn in debts and would not be able to pay them back anytime soon. The announcement touched off a new struggle over who should pay for the debt crisis. The island has not yet recovered from the effects of the global financial collapse, and poverty, unemployment and inequality rates far eclipse those in any US state. Simultaneously, Wall Street investors have taken a new interest in the island, buying up debt and taking advantage of favourable tax conditions. In the past two years the government has shut down 135 schools, Mercedes Martinez, the president of the Teachers Federation, says. Its definitely a response from the government and an attack towards the working class all the schools that have been shot down have been in areas of impoverished communities. As Puerto Rico enters a new age of austerity, who is looking out for the interests of the poor? As protests erupt over the islands crippling debt crisis, Fault Lines travels to San Juan to investigate the fate of the islands public education system which the government targeted for massive cuts and to examine whether an influx of investment dollars really has the potential to address an island mired in debt. Five years since the start of Yemens revolution, fighting continues. It has been five years since Yemenis stood together to demand change and the resignation of long time president Ali Abdullah Saleh. They had hoped it would be a fast beginning to a new era, but many Yemenis now say their revolution was hijacked by foreign powers and brought more poverty and conflict. Almost a year ago, a Saudi led-coalition began bombing Houthi targets in the country. The Saudis fear the rebels, who had taken over much of Yemen, are part of an expanding Iranian threat in the region. The UN has called on all sides to find a diplomatic solution and has warned of a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. So, can the dream of Yemens revolution be salvaged? And what will it take for Yemenis and their many foreign backers to make peace? Presenter: Kamahl Santamaria Guests: Baraa Shiban Human rights activist, who was a member of Yemens National Dialogue process Adam Baron Visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations Mohammad Al Shami Yemeni civil society activist UFs College of Education is seeking funding to help elementary students learn to read. The college is requesting $1.5 billion from the state to pilot an intensive reading program, called the Winning Reading Boost. The College of Educations Lastinger Center for Learning helped start the program at one school in St. Petersburg, Florida, last Fall. The Lastinger Center was contacted by some prominent community leaders in St. Petersburg, and they asked us to see if we can help or assist in some of the lowest-performing schools in the state of Florida, said Shaunte Duggins, an early literacy and teaching development consultant for the Lastinger Center. The initiative began with a few instructors teaching a group of 20 children from Campbell Park Elementary at a church center in St. Petersburg, she said. The program at the church was great, but it just wasnt ideal to optimize the students learning, Duggins said. Because of that, they want to bring the program to the classroom, she said. The pilot uses songs and games to reinforce repetition and make learning fun. The curriculum utilizes both technology and books. Dianne Fix, one of four instructors of the pilot program, said both the students and their parents are excited about students learning through the pilot. We had a dad that said his student said that Youre not going to read to me anymore; I get to read to you, she said. Students can learn about engineering next week. UFs College of Engineering will host its annual Engineers Week, which actually takes place over 11 days, starting Monday. The celebration discusses how important engineering is in society through 20 events. The theme this year is Spark Imagination. We are looking to broaden our events this year to also appeal to non-engineers, said Samantha Soto, the executive director of Engineers Week. Engineering is everywhere, and you cant escape it. Its something we should all celebrate. The events will also display the relationship between engineering and other fields of study. The USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. combines engineering and fine arts. There are so many different types of people involved in Engineers Week, and we all have to work together to make the week come together, said Eric Sinco, the assistant director of Engineers Week. Ryan Clements, a UF computer science freshman, said he is looking forward to Engineers Week because it will change misconceptions about engineering. The whole point of the week is to submerge people in engineering, the 19-year-old said. We also get to break peoples views that engineering is all about solving math problems. Clements said he is looking forward to the Engineering and Science Fair, which students from across the state attend to learn about engineering. Im looking forward to seeing the smiles on kids faces when they see something so cool that they cant comprehend it, Clements said. I think we all remember one piece of technology we liked so much that our parents had to rip us away from it. I hope our activities plant that seed of excitement. Soto said UFs Benton Engineering Council and various student organizations have been planning this years Engineers Week since September. We want students to have a chance to take a break, talk to some new people and have some fun, Soto said. With this years theme, we want ideas to come out of this week. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Construction forced Italian Gator Pizza by the Slice to close its window for the foreseeable future. The good news: It will have double the space and more toppings when it reopens in late April or early May, owner Joel Mills said. Mills said he worked in pizzerias starting at age 17, and he always dreamed of owning a business. At the age of 28, he spent all his savings on the 122-square-foot space off University Avenue and moved to Gainesville with his pregnant wife. Hes served food out of a 3-foot-wide window with his staff ever since. On Jan. 16, the business closed as major structural changes started taking place next door. Its out of my control, but Im going to utilize the situation to make Italian Gator the best I can, he said. Italian Gator will have new electrical and plumbing systems, Mills said, along with larger ovens that will hold 12 pizzas, twice the amount he could previously make at one time. He said the last few years have been his busiest, and the addition of a larger window, combined with a second cashier during peak hours, will slice wait times. In the meantime, cashiers such as Christina Montana are working at one of three Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza locations, which Mills co-owns with three other people. Montana said she visited the restaurant twice a week as a UF undergraduate, and her passion for pizza turned into a job two years ago. From where the cashier stands, its like serving pizza to a horde of zombies, she said. Some people are trying to climb in, theyre shouting, some are fighting each other. Danielle Rosen, a 21-year-old UF marketing senior, said most of her family hails from New York, and she enjoys Italian Gators authenticity. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Nothing is comparable, she said. Im really, really upset. LONDON, UK, 09 FEB 2016 Analysys Mason welcomes Devine Kofiloto to its TMT research analyst team as Senior Analyst for the Middle East and Africa research programme. Devines primary area of focus will be the Sub-Saharan Africa region. He specialises in operator strategies, market developments and technology trends within the sub-region. With more than 15 years experience, Devine has extensive knowledge and understanding of the region and has advised many industry players on strategy and competition aspects, and on demand trends for content and applications in emerging markets. His appointment is part of Analysys Mason's ongoing commitment to helping clients across the region with their unique challenges. Before joining Analysys Mason, Devine was Principal Analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media (now Ovum). Prior to that, Devine was a consultant in Norway with Teleplan Consulting AS and DeccoCon Research & Consulting Ltd. He also previously held a post as product manager for Mercury Mobile International, managing product development and a go-to-market strategy for the rollout of a mobile platform. Devine has spent considerable time on the ground in the region speaking to TMT clients and has a deep knowledge of the Sub-Saharan African telecoms landscape. The telecoms markets in Africa have grown immensely over the last decade, supported by rapid GDP growth, and there is still room for further development over the next few years, driven by demand for voice and increasingly for data services, says Devine Kofiloto, Principal Analyst at Analysys Mason. However, these markets are undergoing many changes in terms of structure, regulation and competition, requiring operators to seek efficiencies in their costs of service delivery while pursuing revenue growth through service diversification. Analysys Mason's Middle East and Africa (MEA) programme offers quantitative and qualitative insights into the telecoms markets in the region, including in-depth coverage of 23 key countries. For more information visit www.analysysmason.com/Regional-markets/MEA/ With humanitarian needs rising in South Sudan, the Humanitarian Coordinator has called for urgent funding to enable aid organizations to rapidly scale-up humanitarian action during the dry season. Aid workers are in a race against time to respond in areas previously cut off by fighting and rains, and to pre-position vital supplies ahead of the []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... AR's Editor Joe Shea Talks About Elections On Iranian TV Bear Stearns Saved By Fed As Lehman Bros. Falters; Major Bank Failure Looms Over Wall Street, Sends Markets Into 200-Pt. Dive Lie Upon Lie Five Years Into the Iraq War The Administration Still Churns Out Lies by Randolph Holhut A Small Tragedy Even at 90, As Friends Turn Cool She Knows the Show Must Go On by Joyce Marcel I'll Take Me Imagine John Wayne or Arnold In Heels, Silk and a Girdle by Elizabeth Andrews Sen. Nelson Calls For New Fla. Primary; Gov Crist Backs 'Do-Over' Who'll Win? Ask Spock Spock.com Engine Predicts Winners By Site Searches; It Can be Wrong by Jay Bhatti Chatting Up The Cat God Gave Me Dominion Over Him But I Think He's a Non-Believer by Constance Daley Death of a Thug The Life and Horrors of Suharto by Andreas Harsono ___________________________ This Just In Sierra Club: McCain Ducked All 15 Key Votes On Green Laws (AR) A Work By AR's T.S. Kerrigan Is Chosen As 'Best Poem' By Wordpress Site Murder At Mile 63 The Deadly Assault and Bush Administration Cover-Up by S. Eben Kirkesby and Andreas Harsono 5427 14th St. West, Bradenton, FL 34207 $6.99 Fish Fridays! Manatee Co.'s Only 24-Hr. FREE Wi-Fi Paid Advertisement On Native Ground AFTER 5 YEARS, WE'RE STILL LIED TO ABOUT IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Next week is the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And it is likely that sometime in the next couple of weeks, the 4,000th American soldier will die in Iraq. [MORE] Momentum OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - It's 1931, and a 14-year-old girl is standing alone on a stage. She's small and lively with dark curly hair, widespread hazel eyes, slender wrists and an open, eager face filled with the wonder of performing. Her name is Rose, and one day she will be my mother. But now she is performing an Eugene O'Neill monologue called "Before Breakfast" for a ladies' club in a wealthy suburb of Long Island. [MORE] One Woman's World COMFORTABLE WITH MYSELF by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I'm not sure but I think I may be socially incorrect. [MORE] On Native Ground ENOUGH FOR A WAR, NOT FOR A PEOPLE by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Last week, the National Governors Assn. met in Washington, D.C. One of the tasks the NGA had on its agenda was to ask President Bush to increase federal spending on roads, bridges and other public works projects as a way to stimulate the economy. He rejected their pleas out of hand, claiming that infrastructure projects wouldn't offer any short-term economic boost. [MORE] Brasch Words BEWARE THE SELF-REVERENTIAL PRESS by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Shortly before the primary votes this past week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter called Sen. Barack Obama's surge to the Democratic nomination "inevitable." It also called for Hillary Clinton to "start her campaign for Senate majority leader." [MORE] Constance A CONVERSATION WITH MY CAT Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Normally, when the cat starts his evening rant of meowing continuously until he makes his point, I just take it as long as I can, pick him up, and put him in the garage for the night. He doesn't want to go, but the meowing stops and I don't care if he likes it or not. [MORE] Momentum OUT OF STRUGGLE, ART by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Here we are again at the crossroads of art and social change, having the opportunity to watch good and great films about the lives of women in support of the Women's Crisis Center. [MORE] Campaign 2008 HOW TO PREDICT SUPER TUESDAY II WINNERS? ONLINE SEARCH by Jay Bhatti NEW YORK, March 4, 2008, 7:00PM ET -- With the outcomes of the Texas, Vermont, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries to be decided tonight, how possible is it that online searching can predict who will win tonight's primaries? [MORE] One Woman's World DON'T VOTE; IT ENCOURAGES THEM by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Call me angry and disgusted but don't call me un-American because I won't be voting come November. [MORE] On Native Ground BUSH AND THE KEYBOARD COMMANDOS by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- As the days tick down toward the eventual departure of President George W. Bush from the White House, it's a hopeful sign that most Americans are no longer moved by his Administration's constant exploitation of terrorism for political gain. [MORE] Momentum WHICH AMERICA DO YOU LIVE IN? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- It's a little confusing. [MORE] Make My Dat THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] On Native Ground FIDEL RETIRES: NOW THE COLD WAR IS REALLY OVER by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Maybe now, we can finally say the Cold War is over. [MORE] Make My Dat THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] One Woman's World POLITICS IS NO PARTY by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Are you having a hard time focusing your eyes? Do you have faint red spots all over your body? Is there a ringing in your ears and do you see wavy lines when you look at your television set? Do your hands shake when you try to hold a cup of coffee? And have you recently been forgetting what day of the week it is - or what year? [MORE] Make My Day FOR BETTER OR WORSE ... A LOT WORSE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- "Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse." [MORE] Constance YOU CALL THESE RIGHTS? by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- When you express an opinion you hope to persuade others to your point of view. It doesn't always happen but still, opinion writers try. [MORE] Momentum THE BRIDGE WOMAN by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - Out there in America - yes, still - is a generation of women who were born in the 1940s, raised in the 1950s, and who came to radical consciousness in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I am one of them. Hillary Clinton is one of them. [MORE] On Native Ground OBAMA AND MY GENERATION by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- I originally planned on voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Vermont Primary on March 4. [MORE] The Willies: WARNING: THIS MEDICATION MAY MURDER YOUR FRIENDS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla. -- You've heard the warnings, haven't you? Stop Prozac and you may take a shotgun, an Uzi or an AK-47 and mow down your family and friends, or even a whole classroom full of your fellow students. You didn't? Well, that warning is not on the bottle, but like countless mass-murder incidents before it, Friday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as well as the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 last year, was probably precipitated by the effect of stopping medications that suppress anger and other powerful emotions but do not relieve the underlying cause. Isn't it time we started warning people - or stopped prescribing these medicines? [MORE] One Woman's World DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama PANAMA'S VIOLENT LABOR UNREST INTENSIFIES Mark Scheinbaum PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb, 15, 2008 -- After just one day of relative calm, wildcat construction strikes by some members of Panama's largest union flared up again Friday morning, four days after a police sniper shot one worker. More than 140 demonstrators have been injured and at least 500 arrested, authorities say. [MORE] Brasch Words TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008 AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008 CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE] We regularly hear calls from prominent observers who wish to turn back the clock on the banking industry. They propose a return to a prelapsarian state that they believe existed before the enactment of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999 and the perceived excesses of the new millennium. The proposed 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act of 2015 is the latest example in this vein, promising a return to "boring banking." Nostalgia may be soothing to the psyche, but it cannot be allowed to substitute for analysis. The problem with encouraging banks to be boring is that banks are risk-takers by design. Boring banking can be risky too. But more to the point, the push by some lawmakers and regulators for banks to become less risky backfires when banks respond by curtailing services that are vital in a functioning financial system. Indeed, the message from some policymakers and regulators fosters the very de-risking that other policymakers and regulators are trying to combat. Several traditional banking functions, which would be allowed under a modern Glass-Steagall framework, still present much higher legal, compliance and reputational risk today than in the past. Besides any legislative reforms, those risks cannot easily be mitigated by regulator-mandated requirements. In fact, increasing regulatory expectations, if not outright mandates, now facing banks are actually exposing them to much higher risk in their traditional banking activities. Take correspondent banking, for example. Correspondent banking was once the epitome of boring banking, but not anymore. Correspondent banking is perhaps the most prominent example of a traditional banking function that now presents much higher legal and compliance risks. Treasury officials acknowledge the critical role that U.S. correspondent banks play in the global finance system based on the indispensability of the U.S. dollar to the global system. That acknowledgment, however, must be accompanied by the recognition that financial crime has become a growth business on a global scale. Much of that crime is conducted or the proceeds ultimately transferred in U.S. dollars. Banks are expected to monitor for, detect and report signs of money laundering, terrorist finance activity, tax evasion, official corruption, sanction violations, and, indeed, any other criminal or suspicious activity passing through them. Severe consequences, including criminal charges and billion dollar fines, can result from the failure to meet the rising regulatory expectations for such monitoring, detection and reporting. How are banks responding to the heightened regulatory requirements and expectations for their traditional banking functions? The initial answer is by implementing enhanced controls, such as more robust financial crimes compliance programs than those historically required. Judging by the increased level of recent enforcement activity and supervisory criticism, however, the regulatory authorities continue to find the programs of many institutions inadequate, often based on new supervisory expectations or the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. Examiners regularly criticize and regulators regularly sanction firms, publicly or privately, for programmatic failures. Regulatory action is often taken based on program weakness alone, irrespective of whether the weakness resulted in an actual pattern of criminal activity conducted through the bank. This may be the case even when the same program was found to be satisfactory by the examiners in the last examination. Faced with these regulatory criticisms and sanctions, banks have two choices. The more complex and resource-intensive response of the two options is to further enhance controls particularly as they pertain to high risk businesses. This requires collecting, maintaining and regularly updating customer due diligence, not only to ensure that inherent risks are understood, but also to ensure that all transactional activity is normal for that customer. It may entail enhancing transaction monitoring to include not only the detection of red flags, but also predictive analytics and other more sophisticated monitoring techniques. But the implementation of such processes requires significant time and resources with no assurance that the resulting processes will pass muster with the regulators. Which brings us to the second option. Increasingly, banks have been inclined to "just say no" that is, they have engaged in de-risking by exiting certain product lines, customer types or geographies. Firms can mitigate the prospect of regulatory sanctions if they limit their services to those customers or areas more easily controlled. This approach is likely to be adopted where the cost of controlling the risk exceeds what an institution can reasonably charge for its services or where reputational concerns for the business are simply perceived as too high. The government is sending conflicting signals to the banking sector. Some regulatory officials and transnational bodies have roundly criticized banks for de-risking. Senior officials from the U.S. Treasury Department and the Financial Action Task Force have expressed concerns that higher-risk clients, if not banked by larger, more sophisticated banks, will seek out banking relationships with smaller, less-well-governed financial services firms or go underground altogether. Such nested or hidden activity will be less transparent to law enforcement, increasing risk to the financial system. Public-sector officials have also expressed concerns that de-risking will result in denying developing countries or categories of customers' access to needed financial services. However, even as some regulatory authorities have criticized banks for de-risking, other regulatory authorities have made it clear that they will seek to hold not only banks, but also individuals civilly, and perhaps criminally, liable for program failures, adding to the impetus to de-risk. The U.S. authorities have taken the global lead in enforcement and standard setting for financial crime prevention. They must now take the lead in crafting a balanced and coordinated approach to the issues that prompt de-risking. A recent World Bank report observed that de-risking is a "complex and manifold" phenomenon and that addressing the issues underlying de-risking is a "joint public-private responsibility that needs to be dealt with in partnership." Neither the authorities nor the banks can turn back the clock on the increased legal and compliance risks in traditional banking activities. Instead they have to work together to manage the risks more effectively and equitably. Paul L. Lee is of counsel and a member of the Financial Institutions Group at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Teresa A. Pesce is a principal in KPMG's Forensic Advisory Services practice and global head of anti-money-laundering services. Lighthouse Bank in Santa Cruz, Calif., has brought back one of its co-founders to become its president. The $176 million-asset bank said in a press release that Jon Sisk had become its president on Monday. Sisk, who helped form the bank in 2007, previously served as director of real estate and construction lending at the $524 million-asset Santa Cruz County Bank. Lighthouse also promoted Lane Lawson to CEO in a move it had announced last year. Lawson has been the bank's chief credit officer since 2007. Sisk and Lawson succeeded Richard Hofstetter, who plans to retire this year. Hofstetter had been Lighthouse's president and CEO since its founding. The senator from Vermont and avowed "Democratic socialist" is unlikely to prevail in his campaign against Hillary Clinton, but he has unexpectedly generated excitement among young voters and may be forcing Clinton to the left on certain issues. In contrast to Clinton's campaign and those of her GOP rivals, Sanders has made financial issues one of his top priorities. Here's how he stands on the issues: 'Too Big to Fail' Sen. Bernie Sanders has been very vocal in his desire to break up the biggest banks in the country. On his website he targets the six largest banks, noting that their assets equal 60% of the country's gross domestic product, they issue more than two-thirds of all credit cards and they control more than 35% of the country's mortgages. In a speech on Jan. 5, Sanders provided more details of what he plans to do. Sanders' Wall Street reform plan calls for: Having the Treasury secretary draw up a list of "too big to fail" institutions and using the Dodd-Frank Act's Section 121 to break them up within a year. Restoring the Depression-era Glass-Steagall Act, which separated banking from other activities, including securities and insurance. Sanders sees the repeal of that law in 1999 as a key cause of the financial crisis. Taxing high-speed trading and other forms of Wall Street "speculation." The money raised would be used to help provide college tuition to students. Banning banks and other firms from providing big bonuses to executives who take senior-level government jobs. Capping credit card and other consumer loan interest rates at 15% and ATM fees at $2 Turning the credit rating agencies into nonprofits in order to ensure their independence Allowing U.S. post offices to offer banking products. Regulatory Relief Sanders has not substantively addressed regulatory relief for community banks. 'Crony Capitalism' Sanders attacked Clinton at the second Democratic debate in November over her significant funding from banking industry employees. Candidates who receive "huge amounts of money" from big industries often say, " 'These campaign contributions will not influence me. I'm going to be independent,' " Sanders said, calling Clinton's defense "not good enough." Sanders continued his attacks during the Jan. 17 debate with Clinton, criticizing the speaking fees she has received from Goldman Sachs, among others. The Vermont lawmaker held up Goldman as what's wrong with American politics, noting that two recent Treasury secretaries Robert Rubin and Henry Paulson came from the firm. "If elected president, Goldman Sachs is not going to bring forth a secretary of treasury for a Sanders administration," Sanders said. CFPB Sanders has not talked in depth about the CFPB. Fed Policy Sanders has heavily criticized the Federal Reserve, arguing it has been effectively captured by the banks. In his January speech, Sanders called for board members of the 12 regional Fed banks to be nominated by the U.S. president and confirmed by the Senate. He has said that no big-bank executive should serve on the board of the main Federal Reserve or its regional banks. Sanders has also sharply criticized the transparency of the Fed, supporting calls by conservatives to allow the Government Accountability Office to audit the central bank annually. He has also said that full, public transcripts from Federal Open Market Committee meetings should be released after six months, rather than after five years. "If we had made this reform in 2004, the American people would have learned about the housing bubble well in advance of the financial crisis," Sanders said in a New York Times op-ed. Sanders has also criticized the interest the Fed pays on bank reserves, suggesting it is a big bank giveaway. It "keeps money out of the economy and parked at the Fed," he said. Instead, he said the Fed should charge banks a fee "that could be used to provide affordable loans to small businesses to create hundreds of thousands of jobs." Tax Policy Sanders' various proposals have given would-be Republican candidates a target to aim at, in part because he has offered a number of specifics on plans that would attempt to decrease income inequality. He is also currently backing legislation that would use a new payroll tax to fund 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for all U.S. employees. Individual income tax: Sanders has said he would "expand Social Security" by lifting the cap on taxable income above $250,000. Capital gains: Sanders would increase the net investment income tax to 10%. He has stated that he would raise taxes on dividends and capital gains. Corporate tax: No official position taken, though his website says he would stop corporations from shifting profits overseas to avoid U.S. income taxes. Estate tax: Sanders would increase the top estate tax rate to 65% and lower the estate tax exclusion to $3.5 million. Health Care and Employee Benefits Supports Medicaid expansion. Supports a single-payer health system. Supports lifting the taxable income retirement cap. Opposes raising the retirement age. Supports a national minimum wage of $15 an hour. Introduced the "Workplace Democracy Act" to strengthen the role of unions and the voices of working people on the job. Top 10 Financial Donors Bank of America $4,950 Wells Fargo $4,912 Citigroup $3,221 Scopia Capital $2,798 Commerce Co. $2,700 Falconwood Corp. $2,700 Commodity Trading $2,550 JPMorgan Chase $2,160 Bank of America $2,119 UBS $1,579 Back to all candidates and issues. The upcoming elections in Iran bear no good news for the Iranian people, who have always sought political and social freedoms, or for claims of a "new relationship" between Iran and the West falsely ascribed to the recent nuclear deal intended to curb Irans nuclear program. Before any votes are cast in the ballot boxes, diehard Death-to-America chanting supporters of supreme leader Ali Khamenei who has the final word on all important state matters are showing there is no sign of change coming from within Iran. Even the so-called "moderates" backing President Hassan Rouhani have seen 99% of their candidates disqualified in the two important elections. Placed together, this clearly signals no shifts or reforms from inside Iran can be expected from these polls, even after the landmark nuclear accord with the West and the expectations of ordinary Iranians rightfully raised. Due to the deceptive measures and fraud that characterizes the regime ruling Iran, the February 26 elections will most likely result in the hardliners winning a more powerful position. A manipulated elimination process in Iran grants enormous power to a small group of people who can decide nearly everything about who can run. Despite a factional political delusion and while the elections in Iran can hardly be described as anything similar to a Western-style democratic poll, a 290-member body called the Majlis (parliament) and 88-member Assembly of Experts are up for grabs. The latter is responsible for selecting a new velayat-e faqih, or supreme religious leader, a post currently held by Ali Khamenei. He is now 76 years of age and reports indicate he is suffering from major illnesses, but will remain in his post as a virtual king until his death. Around 12,000 people from across Iran signed up to take part in the parliamentary election only to see more than 7,000 disqualified by the 12-member Guardian Council. This is a body with six candidates appointed directly by the supreme leader, with the six remaining chosen by the judiciary, known for its loyalty to Khamenei and leaving no doubt in the end results. Recently, nine political parties leaning towards the faction of Rouhani and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president and heavyweight inside the Iranian regime political spectrum, complained about the disqualification of 2,700 so-called moderate candidates for the parliament, with only 166 candidates being approved for the Assembly of Experts. Last week, reports indicated that even the grandson of Islamic Republic of Iran founder, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, could not prove his loyalty to the mullahs ideology, as the hardliners continue to show they will not back down from their current position of control and intend to fight head on any possible move for change. Reports indicate Hassan Khomeinis credentials were rejected due to his close relationship with the Rafsanjani-Rouhani group. A large number of candidates were actually sent home due to their political viewpoints, Human Rights Watch reported, citing reviewed documents. Iran is far from being anything rightly defined as a democracy. Rouhani is a byproduct of this regime, without any ideas for real change. The Iranian people are truly yearning for an end to their countrys long-running isolation. Out of no other choice and in a voice of protest against the hardline establishment a very small number supported Rouhani back in 2013. However, with sanctions being lifted, the Iranian nation now has high expectations on which Rouhani has failed to deliver, even involving his campaign promises to finally grant them their God-given rights, such as freedom of speech and the release of thousands of political prisoners and journalists who remain suffering in Irans dungeons, according to various human rights bodies. Iran has the highest number of executions per capita in the world, not to forget the number of juveniles, according to a damning new Amnesty International report. The tight process of selecting candidates has launched a very vivid and dangerous dispute inside Iran. Khamenei himself has issued warnings against any relaxation of the anti-Western rhetoric this regime is notorious for. He strongly supported the vetting process and has already projected that his rivals will not enjoy any actual influence in the near future. Again, indications of any true change in Iran are hard to find. Despite the fact that candidates are allowed to demand an appeal for their disqualifications, any meaningful alteration in the results is hardly to be expected. Consider the controversial 2009 election, when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was literally selected by Khamenei as the president and millions of people poured into the streets demanding their votes be respected, leaving the establishment no choice but to order a major and deadly crackdown. With no change in sight for the Iranian people, the result of the upcoming so-called elections in Iran will have unprecedented consequences for the ruling regime and the entire Middle East region. Amir Basiri is an Iranian human rights activist and supporter of democratic regime change in Iran. Twitter: @Amir_bas Last week Buzzfeed broke a story leaking several private emails sent among members of a University of Chicago fraternity, calling the culture toxic. The easy response is to put on our swimsuits and dive headfirst into the self-righteous fray. But I think its time we went a step further, and consider how the easy response is in fact contributing to the longevity of racism and discrimination in society. If these students had posted the same content to blog posts instead of emails, it would be fair to assume that their words would be universally available and criticized. But they were not; they were private communications among friends that, despite all the furor, are not even particularly racist, they merely play with the same vocabulary. The deeper problem is that somehow it has become acceptable to mine private communication for possible unsavory speech. We have all had conversations with friends or families in which someone has injected a caveat, thank God no one can hear us or I shudder at what they would think. Does simply saying something politically incorrect mean that we meant every word literally or that we are discriminating? Our current strategy is to publicly flagellate anyone who says anything uncomfortable. All that does is stifle progress and keep us firmly rooted in the ideas and discourse of the past. We have to confront the things that make us uncomfortable in order to move past them. Language is a powerful tool for change and how we use certain words can signal monumental shifts in social mores. So much social progress starts in private, among friends and peer groups. When we expose private communication, we send the message that no one should feel safe to let anything potentially offensive escape, even if it's a joke, even if it's meant as a send-up of racist speech, even in private. And it is understood that if we say anything politically incorrect, it will be exposed on a massive public scale, with all the collateral consequences that go with that kind of exposure. Anything more than a cursory read of the emails posted by Buzzfeed reveals that there is a level of self-awareness, irony, and humor in these messages. Perhaps something is missed by taking those conversations totally out of context. Most of these emails are probably riffing on in-person conversations and jokes; any nuance that is understood by friends of the same age, intellect, and friendship circle is lost by posting them cold. There is also a certain amount of self-policing among the fraternity members. One writes in response to an email about using the acronym NIG - "who's going to tell [redacted] that NIG is less of an acronym than a minor racial slur." Another warned his fraternity brothers that they should not use his outwardly very racist nickname publicly or on university online services because it would not be well received. Most importantly, there is an email attempting to make the (albeit cliched) argument that we should not be afraid to use the n-word because arbitrarily avoiding it gives it power. Sure, we can all roll our eyes, but this argument is a move toward trivialization of a word that has historically been discriminatory. When we trivialize something, we reduce its power to harm. This retooling of language is a good thing, a movement beyond bigotry in a genuine way. It allows us to criticize ourselves for past injustices by mocking the ways in which we as a society have discriminated. When a student called another a klansman, he surely did not mean that his friend is a member of the Klu Klux Klan; he was ribbing his friend, gently criticizing him. Not too long ago, no politician dared support same-sex marriage in public; before the tide truly turned, millions of people were whispering among themselves, whats the big deal, its okay to be gay. If we had exposed those phone calls, email chains, or conversations and allowed those people to be publicly vilified for their private beliefs, how much longer would it have taken to get where we are? Ultimately, it does not matter if the content of speech is right or wrong; we all have a right to express our ideas. Silencing those whose opinions differ from ours by public shaming is a sure way of stifling intellectual progress by making it impossible for us to confront our demons. If you want to witness the result of our current environment of speech, look no further than Donald Trump. It's telling that people love and vote for Trump because it's a relief for them to finally hear someone saying what they have felt unable to say publicly for so long. Maybe if we let them feel heard and part of the process, we could have more balanced conversations and ultimately progress faster. That does not mean we can't criticize what they're saying; but there's got to be a middle ground available in public discourse between unconditionally validating all ideas and making it a virtual crime to offend anyone even a little bit. Patricia Padurean is a criminal defense attorney in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and a graduate of the University of Chicago. Do you remember back to the time when the constant refrain in the mainstream media was that Hillary Clinton was a great secretary of state? Back before the Benghazi slaughter, before the Russia reset became a bad joke? For some reason, it was constantly bandied about that her globe-trotting in an executive version of the Boeing 757 (just like Trumps, but presumably minus the gold faucets in the bathroom) made her an effective SecState. Thanks to J.K. Trotter of Gawkers Freedom of Information Act requests filed in 2012, we get to peek behind the curtain and see how such fawning coverage is manufactured. It aint pretty. [Its a] case study in how her prodigious and sophisticated press operation manipulates reporters into amplifying her desired messagein this case, down to the very word that The Atlantics Marc Ambinder used to describe an important policy speech. The emails in question, which were exchanged by Ambinder, then serving as The Atlantics politics editor, and Philippe Reines, Clintons notoriously combative spokesman and consigliere (snip) On the morning of July 15, 2009, Ambinder sent Reines a blank email with the subject line, Do you have a copy of HRCs speech to share? His question concerned a speech Clinton planned to give later that day at the Washington, D.C. office of the Council on Foreign Relations, an influential think tank. Three minutes after Ambinders initial email, Reines replied with three words: on two conditions. After Ambinder responded with ok, Reines sent him a list of those conditions: From: [Philippe Reines] Sent: Wednesday, July 15 2009 10:06 AM To: Ambinder, Marc Subject: Re: Do you have a copy of HRCs speech to share? 3 [conditions] actually 1) You in your own voice describe them as muscular 2) You note that a look at the CFR seating plan shows that all the envoys from Holbrooke to Mitchell to Ross will be arrayed in front of her, which in your own clever way you can say certainly not a coincidence and meant to convey something 3) You dont say you were blackmailed! One minute later, Ambinder responded: From: Ambinder, Marc Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 10:07 AM To: Philippe Reines Subject: RE: Do you have a copy of HRCs speech to share? got it Ambinder made good on his word. The opening paragraph of the article he wrote later that day, under the headline Hillary Clintons Smart Power Breaks Through, precisely followed Reines instructions: When you think of President Obamas foreign policy, think of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Thats the message behind a muscular speech that Clinton is set to deliver today to the Council on Foreign Relations. The staging gives a clue to its purpose: seated in front of Clinton, subordinate to Clinton, in the first row, will be three potentially rival power centers: envoys Richard Holbrooke and George Mitchell, and National Security Council senior director Dennis Ross. Ambinders toadying got him a scoop and helped shape the terms of discussion in other media. Reines strategy worked out nicely. For an article aggregating Allens piece, New York magazine quoted his use of muscular in the headline, and even commissioned an illustration of Clinton wearing the arms of a body builder. Eric Wemple of the Washington Post calls the deal corrupt and notes: In a series of remarks to Gawker, Ambinder lamented making the deal. It made me uncomfortable then, and it makes me uncomfortable today, said Ambinder. And when I look at that email record, it is a reminder to me of why I moved away from all that. The Atlantic, to their credit, never pushed me to do that, to turn into a scoop factory. In the fullness of time, any journalist or writer who is confronted by the prospect, or gets in the situation where their journalism begins to feel transactional, should listen to their gut feeling and push away from that. Even if you are cynical about the relationship of the Clintons with the media, you probably are not cynical enough. Hat tip: Ed Lasky The French are raiding mosques and not liking what they are finding: hundreds of war-grade weapons and large quantities of Kalashnikov ammunition. French interior minister Cazeneuve reported, "In 15 days we have seized one third of the quantity of war-grade weapons that are normally seized in a year." The liaison between French imams and the French government has told Al Jazeera that according to official figures and our discussions with the interior ministry, between 100 and 160 mosques will be closed. France has 2,600 mosques. In addition, 2,235 Muslim businesses and homes have been searched. There have been 232 arrests. Meanwhile, in America, we are being mercilessly lectured by the Democratic Party that questioning the importation of citizens from a jihadi culture is racist. How do the Republican candidates approach this threat? Trump is calling for a moratorium on all Muslim immigrants. Senator Cruz has introduced legislation designating the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization (which would enable us to deal with many jihadi front groups in America); the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act of 2015, to bar refugees from countries with substantial territory controlled by a foreign terrorist organization; legislation to allow state governors the power to bar refugees from their states; and, twice, the Expatriate Terrorist Act, which bars Americans who join ISIS or other terrorist groups from re-entering the country. Rubio voted against the Musim immigration moratorium bill and has no proposals to limit jihadi refugees. His Gang of Eight bill would have allowed unlimited Islamic immigrants. Meanwhile, Obama is lying about Islam and harangued us from the pulpit of a jihadi mosque in Baltimore last week. The question arises: either the Democrats really dont care about exposing and eradicating jihad in America, or Obamas handlers could not find a big mosque free from jihad. The problem of jihad in American mosques has been known for decades. Jihad in America has been spreading and now corrupts many public institutions, especially targeting our children. Enormous quantities of money are flowing into American universities, textbook companies, and elementary schools, as well as most mosques, to provide teachers and imams texts that support the jihadi version of history and teach hate of the infidel. Much of the money is from our ally, Saudi Arabia, so nothing is done. There are many good sources of information. I like Americans for Peace and Tolerance, an activist group that fights the jihadi threat and has a number of victories on the local level, and Steve Emersons investigativeproject.org for in-depth coverage. From investigativeproject.org: Islamists have taken what's come to be known as the "soft jihad" into America's classrooms and children in K-12 are the first casualties. Whether it is textbooks, curriculum, classroom exercises, film screenings, speakers or teacher training, public education in America is under assault. Capitalizing on the post-9/11 demand for Arabic instruction, some public, charter and voucher-funded private schools are inappropriately using taxpayer dollars to implement a religious curriculum. They are also bringing in outside speakers with Islamist ties or sympathies. As a result, not only are children receiving a biased education, but possible violations of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause abound. Question for our Republican nominees: Are you serious about stopping jihad in our country? Will you call for shutting off foreign funding to American churches, mosques, synagogues, and public schools and universities from any country that has a jihadi presence? Hat tip on French mosque raids: Churchmilitant.com Now that 2-year contracts are beginning to go away, at least here in the US with Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T all having gotten rid of contracts. Consumers are beginning to see the real price behind their smartphone. When subsidies were popular, most smartphones were $200 or less on a new contract, however that kept many people from upgrading more than once every 18-24 months. Many consumers did not know that the smartphone they were buying for $199 on a two-year contract was in fact closer to $600-700. However, with subsidies going away now, and financing being the big new thing for buying smartphones, consumers are much more aware of the cost of their smartphone. Smartphones have steadily gotten higher in price since they started becoming the standard for everyone. My first smartphone the Motorola Droid, which I bought in February 2010 (6 years ago now), I paid full price for (as a Verizon customer, I was stuck in a contract and it was the only way to upgrade). With taxes, it was just under $600. Now, if you look at many of the smartphones available, were looking at around $600-750 before taxes. Now were talking about flagships like the Galaxy S6 Edge+, the LG G4, HTC One A9 versus the Motorola Droid. Which when it was announced in 2009, was a flagship device and got a ton of marketing support from Verizon. A prime example is the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, which runs for about $700 at full retail. AT&T is offering their variant of the device for $739 full retail. Thats a pretty big increase over the Original Galaxy Note, which was around $550, five years before that. Even at $550, the Galaxy Note wasnt exactly affordable, but thats a much better price than the $739 that the Galaxy Note 5 is currently going for. Of course, we see the Galaxy Note 5 going on sale all the time on eBay and Amazon, but thats the normal price of the device, at full retail. Even at $739, when youre financing the device on AT&T Next, youre looking at $24.67 per month on top of your bill. That is 30 months of payments too, before you actually own your device (you can pay it off sooner, if you wish, however) Advertisement Recently, weve seen more and more manufacturers coming out with flagship devices at lower prices. Lets take the Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (or Moto X Style if youre outside the US), its priced at $399 full retail. Or even the Huawei Nexus 6P which is even closer in terms of specs to the Galaxy Note 5 and its priced at $499 (usually, right now its going for about $449 at most retailers). This raises the question, should manufacturers be looking to compete more on price? Yes, thats one of the few places where manufacturers can differentiate themselves from competitors. Especially with specs being largely the same now, as weve hit a plateau in terms of hardware, in many areas. Competing on price is something that Motorola has been doing lately, and its something that OnePlus has been doing for the 2 years that its been around. Both Motorola and OnePlus have high-end specs (and some would argue that the OnePlus 2 is a bit higher end due to the Snapdragon 810 and USB Type-C port), both of which are under $400 full retail. Their prices have begun to open the eyes of many consumers as to what they can really buy for their money. One of the downsides for OnePlus is that their device only works on AT&T and T-Mobile. However the Moto X Pure Edition and the Huawei Nexus 6P work on all four carriers in the US. Making them a pretty big deal, especially at their price points. Advertisement Mobile World Congress is nearly upon us. And as usual with Mobile World Congress, there are a few big smartphone launches planned for the end of this month. Which include LG debuting their G5 and Samsung debuting their Galaxy S7/Galaxy S7 Edge. Both of which are likely to have some pretty big prices attached to them. As noted on the Galaxy Note 5 that was released in August, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are likely to be priced pretty similar, especially the Galaxy S7 Edge. Because lets face it, curved displays take longer to make, cost more to manufacture, and those are costs that are all accounted for in the cost of a smartphone. Now when it comes to LG, its a bit of a strange thing, seeing as the LG G4 wasnt high priced, like Samsungs devices. The LG G4 was around $499 when it released, and we quickly saw prices of it drop to under $400, and now you can even get one unlocked for as low as $339 if you play your cards right. However, with a complete redesign of the LG G5 this year, and going with an aluminum unibody, we could indeed see a higher price coming with the G5. Not to mention the HTC One M10 coming after Mobile World Congress. Now HTC could throw us a curve-ball with the One M10 and price it a bit more aggressively. The HTC One A9 which they launched last October, was $399 at launch, but then quickly jumped to $499 about a month later. With relatively mid-range specs, that seems like quite a bit of cash. With the One M10 coming after Mobile World Congress, I wouldnt be shocked to see a few surprises from HTC. After all, they desperately need a winner. And throwing out the One M10 (with its rumored 5.2-inch QHD AMOLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and the 12-megapixel UltraPixel camera which also features laser auto-focus) at a fairly low price would definitely help win over some customers. Advertisement Could manufacturers try harder to price check their offerings? Of course. Will they? Probably not. Profit margin is pretty important to manufacturers. If you look at Apple, their profit margin is huge. The iPhone costs under $200 to manufacture (the last cost we have is for the iPhone 5S which is two and a half years old now and cost $167 to manufacture), while Apple sells that same iPhone for $649. Thats more than two-thirds profit for Apple on every iPhone sold. Now you know why their earnings are so high each quarter. Its similar for Samsung, LG, HTC, and other Android manufacturers, although the profit margin isnt as sky high for them. While these Android manufacturers have pretty large profit margins, they still arent making a ton of money on mobile. A large part of that is the amount of smartphones they make but arent able to sell, another big part is R&D. Then you have Amazon, who sells their hardware at cost, and sometimes losing money to sell you a Fire Tablet. They are definitely a big reason as to why the more affordable tablets and smartphones are beginning to get popular. How many other tablets are there that you can buy for $49 and not be signed to a contract or an equipment installment plan? Amazons Fire Tablet is likely the only one. For Samsung, LG, HTC, Motorola and Sony to lower the prices on their smartphones and tablets, theyd likely sell a bit more. Without affecting their profits too much. With the smartphone industry being stagnant in recent years, they are going to have to do something. Sony and HTC are two of the Android manufacturers that havent turned a profit in mobile in quite some time. Which has got to change. Advertisement The rise in affordable handsets from Alcatel OneTouch, OnePlus, Motorola, Xiaomi, Meizu, Huawei, and the many others out there making smartphones that arent over $500, are really bringing the competition to these bigger manufacturers. Its also the reason why Samsung is struggling in other markets like China, India and Japan. In China and India, consumers want something thats cheap. In India, most want something thats close to Rs. 10,000 (equivalent to around $150 USD), China is much the same way. Thats why Xiaomi and Meizu have seen record growth in the last couple of years, as the majority of their business takes place in China and India. Smartphone prices are going to have to come down, especially for flagship smartphones, otherwise many of these manufacturers are going to continue to struggle, until they can find a way to differentiate themselves. Think about it, why would you spend $600 on a new smartphone from LG, when you can get one from Alcatel OneTouch that can do everything your brand new LG smartphone can, but its less than a third the price. Its kind of a no-brainer there. Google has recently announced a rather aggressive plan to expand Google Fiber in 2016. Google Fiber, being Googles own cable and internet service, is superior in some cases to similar local offerings in price, performance or both. Many were excited to hear that Fiber was planning a wider roll out, but not cable companies. Traditional cable providers are already feeling plenty of heat from Silicon Valley and the mobile industry with the upcoming spectrum auction, as well as the FCC threatening to upend the standard practices revolving around cable boxes, one of the most profitable sectors for providers. One provider in particular, Comcast, sees the writing on the wall and is making moves to keep customers around. The card pictured above, received in the mail by Reddit user TheBen91, is one such move. In Atlanta, Georgia, some apartments and condos are already seeing Google Fiber become available, with a wider residential and business roll out destined for the near future, if all goes well. The nations largest cable provider, Comcast, is one of the dominant forces in the cable scene in Atlanta and theyd like to keep it that way. Reddit user TheBen91 said of Comcasts pleas, in particular the card above, So I got this in the mail today. I think someone is scared of Fiber coming to Atlanta,. Notably absent from the mailer is any mention of rates and caps, with speed data pulled from a study that Allion Test Labs, Inc. did back in 2014. While Google Fiber offers a basic plan with 100 megabit speeds for $50 and a gigabit plan for $70, Comcast offers a 2 gigabit plan for $300 a month, as well as more basic packages. All of their packages, however, include a cap; after 300 gigabytes, users must pay $35 to have unlimited access. Google Fiber has no such restriction. Advertisement Comcasts customer service issues may be additional incentive for some users to switch. The issues are fairly well documented, including a comment in the via link at Ars Technica; Ive been getting the same thing in Nashville ahead of Google Fiber The first one showed up right before my Comcast cable and internet went out all night. Googles Fiber installers are said to arrive on time for at least 96 percent of all appointments, while Comcast has a two hour approximate window. Many users commenting on TheBen91s Reddit post took the chance to make fun of Comcasts apparent fear of Google Fiber, with one user pointing out that Fibers arrival may be the reason that Comcast is rushing to get gigabit service to Atlanta. Some readers may be familiar with the man pictured above, Jeff Huber. Once the Senior Vice President of Google X, the division responsible for moonshots like Project Loon, he reported directly to Astro Teller, the head honcho. He left that position a while ago and has been finding other avenues for his considerable skills. It would seem that he has decided to devote the majority of his time and talent to one such avenue, health firm Grail. Grail is developing a blood test that can detect cancer extremely early, even in patients showing no symptoms at all. Naturally, this would be a revolution in health care as it pertains to cancer treatment and save millions, if not billions, of lives. Huber plans to usher in that revolution himself as the CEO of Grail. Grail, formed by gene sequencing specialist firm Illumina, Inc., has received tons of funding from many different sources. The San Francisco medical research outfit has been funded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Sutter Hill ventures, to name a few. Huber plans to head Grail as it executes a three year plan centered on cancer detection and treatment. Once the new blood test is approved for wide use, the plan is to begin with individuals who are genetically predisposed to cancer because of their family history or other traits, and eventually make it a normal part of annual physical exams for everybody. Advertisement Huber plans to bring his expertise with data sets to the genetic sequencing that Grail is developing to look for cancer. This move comes after Hubers wife, Laura, lost an 18 month battle with cancer. I had already been ramping up on the biology and science behind this and then there was this very poignant reminder of the implications that there has to be a better way to do this, Huber said of his work. Illumina CEO Jay Flatley was pleased to have Huber on board, saying, Jeff helped Google map the world, and hell help us map the molecular biology of the microscopic cancer DNA that might be circulating in our blood,. Googles self-driving cars have been causing a bit of a stir in the world of relevant United States transportation laws. Just about everybody even remotely involved, from U.S. Department of Transportation chief Anthony Foxx to President Barack Obama has weighed in on the issue and, in some cases, literally laid down the law. After being gravely disappointed by lawmakers stance on the issue of fully autonomous cars in California, Google seems to have decided theyll tread lightly. They wrote a letter to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration back in November asking about relevant laws and saying that the guidance of applicable lawmakers and representatives is extremely important to the continued and future development, as well as testing and deployment, of self-driving cars. In a letter back to Google on February 4th, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did say they will consider a self-driving cars AI to qualify as a driver, but refused to give any more ground than that. Google had asked for a number of clearances that, according to authorities, may not fully comply with the extensive safety regulations that need to be in place for something like self-driving cars to become a reality, let alone to meet Googles vision. Anthony Foxx later added in his two cents, saying that, the burden remains on self-driving car manufacturers to prove that their vehicles meet rigorous federal safety standards. In the letter back in November, self-driving car director Chris Urmson had said that the cars meet or exceed standards and react faster than human-driven cars and will not be subject to driver distraction or impairment. Advertisement In their letter, the department outlined the predicament surrounding the rolling out of self-driving cars in a fairly comprehensive fashion. A great number of existing safety standards, such as those requiring steering wheels and foot-activated braking systems, would have to be rewritten before Google could offer a car without them thats fully autonomous. Center for Auto Safety head Clarence Ditlow recommended an alternative approach, saying that it would be better to write a stand-alone rule for driverless vehicles. He noted that this approach would take extra work, but would accommodate self-driving cars without compromising existing safety standards. Google has seen a lot of churn amongst its senior management over the past couple of years, and now, the companys Vice President of Sales, Mr. Jon Kaplan, has become the latest to leave the tech major in search of greener pastures elsewhere. According to reports emerging out of Silicon Valley this Tuesday, Mr. Kaplan has joined Pinterest as its head of global sales a position that fell vacant last year after Ms. Joanne Bradford, the former head of the companys media and sales operations, left the company in June, after being assigned a lesser role within the organization. The latest report, meanwhile, has already been confirmed by both the companies in question. At Pinterest, Mr. Kaplans immediate boss will be Mr. Tim Kendall, who happens to be the companys head of monetization. Mr. Kendall was also Ms. Bradfords boss when she was the head of media and sales at the San Francisco, CA-based internet company. Mr. Kaplan had been at Google for over a decade, having joined the tech giant back in 2003. He, however, is not the first executive hired by Pinterest who left Google to join the photo-sharing website. Former Pinterest operations head, Mr. Don Faul, was also somebody who left his position at Google to join the company back in 2012, but left last year citing personal reasons. Prior to joining Pinterest, Mr. Faul had also worked at Facebook as the companys Vice President of sales. Advertisement The man wholl be Mr. Kaplans immediate boss at Pinterest, Mr. Tim Kendall, released a statement welcoming Mr. Kaplan into the Pinterest fold. According to Mr. Kendalls statement, Were excited to have Jon Kaplan join Pinterest. He has tremendous digital advertising experience and were looking forward to even stronger growth of our global ads platform under his leadership. As for Google, the exit of Mr. Kaplan marks yet another instance of a senior executive leaving the company to seek newer opportunities. The steady exodus of high-level executives from the company include the likes of Mr. Paul Eremenko, who left for Boeing, Mr. Neal Mohan, who joined Dropbox, Mr. Omid Kordestani who assumed office at Twitter, Ms. Mary Lou Jepsen, whos now with Oculus, Ms. Megan Smith, who took up a job in the public sector and Mr. Daniel Sturman, whos working at Cloudera. Chinese firms like Xiaomi, Huawei, LeEco, ZTE and more have had a great couple of years, especially in the case of Huawei. Xiaomi, a relatively unknown firm here in the West has been posing a threat to big Western brands like LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sony and HTC for a long time now. Theres a saying in business that good people result in good products, and it appears some of these Chinese companies have been hiring staff from South Korean giants LG and Samsung, to name a couple, and bringing them to China to work on new products, at least according to rumor. It would appear that South Koreas loss is Chinas gain, as both LG and Samsung undergo tough restructuring, leaving some employees little choice but to move to Chinese firms. LG, a company that is in the midst of a big restructuring, has apparently had staff leave the company and work for companies such as Xiaomi. Meanwhile, Samsungs more complicated reshuffle has seen staff move between the groups many companies and some have gotten fed up and simply jumped ship. Both of these South Korean firms have seen declining profits and less than stellar performances in declining areas such as TVs, Laptops and other consumer electronics which has resulted in many heading elsewhere, with China seen as a favorable prospect that is actually going somewhere. Advertisement One major concern for the South Korean economy and government is that Chinese firms have reportedly secured key talent from the likes of Samsung and SK Hynix. The semiconductor business is a huge deal for the South Korean economy, with the Asian country being the worlds leading supplier of memory and storage chips. Chinese companies such as MediaTek have upset giants like Qualcomm in the processor market and it looks like theyre getting close to doing the same where RAM and storage is concerned. Regardless, this is the sort of thing that ends up happening when big firms downsize and have surplus staff leaving the company, the real worry however would be whether or not these Chinese firms have managed to secure industry-critical talent, but there are no specifics on exactly who has left and ended up where. Motorola announced the third generation Moto G in July last year and it became available in several regions shortly after. It was a significant upgrade compared to its predecessor because, for the first time, every version of the phone supports LTE connectivity and the hardware is rated IP67, making it water and dust resistant. Also, users could customize the hardware with the Moto Maker where it is available. The camera was improved as well, as it now includes the same 13-megapixel sensor that the company used in the Nexus 6. Besides those details, it included the mid-range specs that everyone had come to expect and the ones that made this series so popular. A little later on, the company introduced the Moto G Turbo Edition, it was first available in Latin America and Europe but then it was headed to India. This version shared almost all of the specs of the regular version, but the processor powering up the device was now the octa-core Snapdragon 615, which also features fast charging capabilities. If youre interested in either of these devices and you live in India, you might visit Motorolas regional site to find out more about them, but when you hit the Buy Now or Shop Now button, youll be redirected to the e-commerce site Flipkart to complete your purchase. These phones have been exclusive to this retailer since they launched, but not anymore, as Amazon India is now selling them as well. Advertisement Amazon India slowly added more mobile devices to their product offerings and now the OnePlus X can be purchased from them as well as some Motorola products such as the Moto E and the Moto 360. The Moto G can be purchased from Amazon at the same price users would find in Flipkart, INR 10,999 (around $162) for the version that includes 16 GB of internal storage and 2 GB of RAM. Amazon is selling the Moto G Turbo Edition for INR 12,499 (around $184). Lets remember that Amazon has just changed their return policy regarding smartphones, so you might want to check that out before making a purchase from this company. Still, its always better to have additional options to purchase this kind of devices. After delays, it appears that Sony is preparing the update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow for its portfolio of devices. Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has updated its support web pages with information about a software update available for the Sony Xperia range of devices, which discusses the improvements Google have made to Android between the version 5.x of Lollipop and 6.0.x Marshmallow. The document goes into some detail about Marshmallows key features, including Google Now On Tap, Doze, App Permissions and App Standby, but keen eyed readers will see from the gallery below that the interface used on the devices does not follow Sonys concept Marshmallow scheme. Instead, the devices look very similar to those running Android 5.x Lollipop. This might mean that the update takes less time as Sony should hopefully not need to spend so long fine-tuning the user interface, as they will be able to reuse the existing code. However, for those customers looking forward to Sonys new user interface, this could be disappointing news. The gallery of screenshot images below were taken on the Xperia Z5. All is not lost, of course. It is entirely possible that Sony will either make the new user interface available later as an option, or will update the device to the new arrangements anyway. It is also possible that NTT DoCoMos support website has the wrong screen shot images, although this would see less likely. We also do not have an expected date when the software updates will arrive, but seeing as the support pages have been updated, it would seem likely that a slew of Sony Xperia devices are only a few weeks at most from receiving the software update. Advertisement The accompanying notes explain that activating Google Now On Tap is as simple as holding down the home button whilst something interesting is on the screen, such as an email from a friend discussing a restaurant or cafe bar. NTT DoCoMo also explains that whilst the software update should preserve all customer data on the device, it is possible that something could go wrong and this data might be lost. The carrier recommends customers backup their important data elsewhere before running the software update the notes also explain that during the update process on the device, this data is not separately backed up and customers will not be able to return to the previous version after upgrading to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The notes also provide the standard warning and caveats including how the device may not be used at all during the software upgrade and how the upgrade may take some time. Rogers is shifting up the wireless mobile landscape once again by announcing that on February 11, its Quebec Share Everything, Share Everything + and Non-Share plans will get the same $5 a month increase that Rogers already spread across the rest of the country. Rogers, Canadas largest carrier raised their rates for everybody except in Quebec and many thought there would be a reprieve for the province but no deal. While Rogers was one of the first to raise their rates, Bell, Telus and SaskTel quickly followed. Quebec-based Videotron took a different route and did not directly raise prices, but dropped the amount of data for each plan. For instance, the $74.95 plan only offers 3GB of data, which is down from 4GB and the $84.95 plan went from 6GB to 5GB. If you do not use all of your data each month, then it may not affect you too much. It was only less than a week ago that Rogers closed out Q4 2015 in what Chief Executive Officer of Rogers Communications, Guy Laurence called the new competition the new normal playing field and that new aggressiveness between Rogers, Telus and Bell reached new levels in December and [will] continue that way. He said, Overall, we delivered steady results in a fiercely competitive quarter, including strong results in Wireless and Internet, where we maintained momentum in subscriber and financial metrics All of the telecoms have blamed the weakening Canadian Dollar and exchange rates as the main reason for the price increases as the Big Three battle it out for subscribers, sales revenue and profits. With Rogers new price hikes, subscribers that want to sign up with the Share Everything + Plan with data bucket options of 4GB, 6GB, 10GB or 14GB will see a $5 a month increase. This means a $65 starting price on the No Tab option and rising to $110 with the 14GB Share Everything + Plan. In Quebec, the Non-Share Plan with 500MB of data will bump up to $52 a month and the 1GB Smart Tab Plan will cost $60 per month. The largest increase is to the Quebec Non-Share No Tab Plan where the cost will go up $10.50 to $60 a month. Much of the mobile world is laser focused on the upcoming event in Barcelona known as Mobile World Congress, and with good reason as this is when many brands will be presenting some of their biggest devices for the year, namely Samsung and LG who will be showing off their flagship devices officially for the first time to the public this year. Another top-name brand, HTC, was thought to be unveiling their upcoming flagship device at MWC as well. The HTC One M10 as its currently being referred to has already seen a few leaks in regards to specs and various other details, but there has still been no official confirmation from HTC on anything. Today a rumor has surfaced which suggests that HTC will in fact not be showing off their 2016 flagship smartphone at Mobile World Congress, but instead will be opting to show off at an event on April 11th. Whats more, is that the phone will apparently not be termed the HTC One M10, and will instead go under a different name, albeit while keeping the one part of the label. Whether or not this is true, or the fact that the name not being the One M10 refers to HTCs choice for the internal code name for the phone or the name that it will have when presented on store shelves to customers is unknown, but it wouldnt be too surprising if HTC decided to shake things up and give their next flagship a fresh start in breaking away from the last three HTC One devices. Advertisement Aside from the date of the event that HTC will supposedly present this new flagship smartphone, the unveiling is said to be taking place in London, but unfortunately, thats all the detail that the rumor divulges. Keep in mind that this is just a rumor at this point, and there hasnt been much if anything to suggest that HTC has reason to call their next flagship anything other than what the last few have gone by. Having said that, that doesnt mean HTC cant still give this years flagship a totally new name. Whatever the case, the name of the product will likely be the least important thing to consumers who may still be looking to HTC for a great phone. Whats more likely to hold weight is the specifications, hardware, and design of the device as well as cost. The Xiaomi Mi 5 rumors and leaks have been incredibly persistent over the last couple of months. The closer we are to the release date of Xiaomis new flagship, the more information comes to the surface. The Xiaomi Mi 5 is going to be announced on February 24th, the company has already confirmed that fact. Speaking of confirmations, the Xiaomi exec has also confirmed that the phone will ship with the Snapdragon 820 SoC, and Xiaomis co-founder has released a Mi 5 screenshot which confirmed that the phone will ship with dual-SIM and NFC support. That being said, the companys president, Lin Bin, shared something really interesting on his official Weibo (Chinese social network) page. If you take a look at the gallery down below, youll get to see a couple of camera samples which seem to be taken with the Xiaomi Mi 5. The companys president did say that these samples were taken using the Mi 5, though there are only two images available for you to take a look at. The images look really good, though we dont get to see them in their full glory (resolution) here. If you take a look at these two images, youll notice the flying bird in both of them. As you can see, Mi 5 did a great job capturing that bird, which probably means its shutter speed is really quick as well, and that is probably the reason Lin Bin chose to post these two images in particular. Now, we still dont know what sensor will Xiaomi use in this device, but the rumors say it will be a 16-megapixel OIS snapper with Laser Autofocus. Advertisement The Xiaomi Mi 5 will, allegedly, sport a 5.1-inch 1080p (1920 x 1080) display, along with 3 / 4GB of RAM and more than one internal storage option will be available. This handset will be fueled by the Snapdragon 820 SoC, and a 3,600mAh battery has been mentioned in several rumors thus far. Android 6.0 Marshmallow will come pre-installed on this device, and the companys MIUI 7 OS will be available on top of Googles operating system. The Mi 5 will probably ship with a physical home button below the display, at least according to various leaks weve seen thus far. The physical home button will be built into the home button, and wireless charging has also been mentioned. (ANSA) - Rome, February 10 - Egypt on Wednesday reiterated a denial that it had anything to do with the brutal murder in Cairo of Italian student Giulio Regeni. Also Wednesday, as it emerged Regeni was killed in a central flat before being dumped outside the city, British daily The Times denounced the case as alleged evidence of "police terror" in Egypt. Egyptian Ambassador to Italy Amr Helmy in an interview Wednesday on state broadcaster RAI Radio said Regeni was never under Egyptian police custody, and that current accusations "without proof" against Egyptian security forces could damage relations between the two countries. "We're not so naive as to kill a young Italian and throw away his body the day of Minister Guidi's visit to Cairo," Helmy said. Industry Minister Federica Guidi was visiting Cairo on February 3 when Regeni's body was found in a ditch in the city's outskirts. "I hope the truth comes out as soon as possible. We don't have anything to hide," Helmy said. Regeni was a visiting scholar at the American University in Cairo, conducting research for his thesis and reporting on Egyptian trade unions for leftwing Rome-based paper il manifesto. He went missing on January 25, the anniversary of the uprising that led to Hosni Mubarak's ouster in 2011. His body was found with signs of torture including two clipped ears, a torn-out fingernail and toenail and cuts all over including on the soles of the feet. Regeni was killed in an apartment in the centre of Cairo before his body was dumped on the desert road from Cairo to Alexandria, independent Egyptian daily Al Masry Al Youm said on its website Wednesday. It did not cite sources but only "investigations" by the Giza police. The investigative team "went over the last movements of the victim before his disappearance on the evening of January 25" and also "saw his last calls before he turned off his telephone," the website report said. Nothing points to a robbery linked to Regeni's murder, Egyptian investigators told Rome prosecutors Wednesday. The investigators are now poring through footage from surveillance cameras in the El Dokki neighbourhood where the Cambridge doctoral student lived. In an op-ed piece, The Times on Wednesday blasted the "shameful murder" of Regeni. "Yesterday 4,600 academics wrote to (Egyptian) President (Abdel Fattah) al-Sisi demanding answers. "Cairo denies all responsibility, but Mr al-Sisi should be under no illusions. "On his watch Egypt has fulfilled the gloomiest predictions of a return to rule by police terror....Thousands of civilians are detained without charge on the mere suspicion of dissent and the pursuit of an extremist minority is used to rationalise old-fashioned military dictatorship," the British paper wrote. Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Wednesday reaffirmed the government's commitment to establishing the truth about Regeni's murder. Speaking to the Lower House, he called it a "horrible affair". Gentiloni said "we immediately reacted with firmness with the friendly Egyptian government, to get the body back and take part in the investigation. "I want to assure you that this commitment will be firm and continuous in the next few days and months, hopefully getting to the truth of this tragic affair." (ANSA) - Rome, February 10 - Nothing points to a robbery linked to the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Cairo, Egyptian investigators told Rome prosecutors Wednesday. The investigators are now poring through footage from surveillance cameras in the El Dokki neighbourhood where the 28-year-old Cambridge doctoral student lived. Egyptian Ambassador to Italy Amr Helmy in an interview Wednesday on state broadcaster RAI Radio said murdered Italian student Giulio Regeni was never under Egyptian police custody, and that current accusations "without proof" against Egyptian security forces could damage relations between the two countries. "We're not so naive as to kill a young Italian and throw away his body the day of Minister Guidi's visit to Cairo," Helmy said. Industry Minister Federica Guidi was visiting Cairo on February 3 when Regeni's body was found in a ditch in the city's outskirts. "I hope the truth comes out as soon as possible. We don't have anything to hide," Helmy said. Regeni was a visiting scholar at the American University in Cairo, conducting research for his thesis and reporting on Egyptian trade unions for leftwing Rome-based paper il manifesto. He went missing on January 25, the anniversary of the uprising that led to Hosni Mubarak's ouster in 2011. His body was found was found dumped in a ditch on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital with signs of torture including burns, two clipped ears, a torn-out fingernail and toenail and cuts all over including on the soles of the feet. Regeni was killed in an apartment in the centre of Cairo before his body was dumped, independent Egyptian daily Al Masry Al Youm said on its website Wednesday. It did not cite sources but only "investigations" by the Giza police. The investigative team "went over the last movements of the victim before his disappearance on the evening of January 25" and also "saw his last calls before he turned off his telephone," the website report said. Also on Wednesday, British daily The Times in an op-ed blasted the "shameful murder" of Regeni in Cairo. "Yesterday 4,600 academics wrote to (Egyptian) President (Abdel Fattah) al-Sisi demanding answers. Cairo denies all responsibility, but Mr al-Sisi should be under no illusions. On his watch Egypt has fulfilled the gloomiest predictions of a return to rule by police terror....Thousands of civilians are detained without charge on the mere suspicion of dissent and the pursuit of an extremist minority is used to rationalise old-fashioned military dictatorship," the British paper wrote. There have been 29 expressions of interest in purchasing troubled ILVA steelmaker assets and affiliates, informed sources told ANSA Wednesday. They include offers from Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal, Cremona-based steel manufacturer Arvedi Group, Milan-based steelmaker EUSIDER, and family-owned Marcegaglia Group steel processor. Extraordinary commissioners managing ILVA as the firm undergoes a massive environmental cleanup and financial turnaround project have begun assessing the offers. The deadline for filing under terms of a government decree signed last month is today, February 10. State-controlled investment bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) filed an expression of interest Tuesday. A court this year declared ILVA insolvent, with debt totalling nearly three billion euros. (ANSA) - Rome, February 10 - The number of trips Italian residents took in 2015 for work and leisure remained stable, with almost 58 million journeys including an overnight stay, Italian statistics bureau Istat said on Wednesday. Istat said the six-month Universal Exposition in Milan, which kicked off last May 1, had a significant impact during the summer with over one million residents in Italy visiting, five times more than in 2014. In 81.1% of cases, Italian residents chose Italy while trips abroad - 18.9% - mostly concerned European Union countries - 11.2% of cases. The long summer holidays in Italy were mostly spent in the central Emilia-Romagna region - 17.4% - and Puglia in the south - 11.3%. The northern Trentino-Alto Adige region was the top destination during the winter - 22.5% - and fall - 16.4%. Spain was the most attractive choice for long holidays abroad - in 115% of cases - while France was the top choice for short trips - 22.6%. Germany was the top business destination - 13.4%. (supersedes previous)(ANSA) - Bolzano, February 10 - Finance police have arrested a senior Catholic prelate on suspicion of defrauding some 300 people out of a combined total of 30 million euros, ANSA sources said Wednesday. The suspect named as Monsignor Patrizio Benvenuti, 64, was nabbed as he was leaving for the Canaries. An international warrant is out on a close collaborator of the monsignor, whom police described as French wheeler-dealer Christian Ventisette, 54. Most of the victims were elderly people living abroad, the sources said. They transferred money to Benvenuti's Kepha Foundation, but instead of going to the non-profit's stated humanitarian aims, the funds were allegedly laundered via a complex mechanism involving individuals and foreign and Italian companies. Prosecutors say the prelate and the businessman "organized and promoted a racketeering organization operating domestically and abroad aimed at committing various and repeated crimes of fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion, involving individuals and companies located in Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the United States". The bust was sparked by a nun who used to work with Benvenuti, who turned to police when she discovered her name had been linked to financial operations involving hundreds of thousands of euros, which she knew nothing about. In the course of the operation, police also seized an eight-million-euro Renaissance villa belonging to the Kepha Foundation that Benvenuti used as his private residence, an 850,000-euro archeological site in Sicily belonging to Ventisette, and other real estate and land worth 670,000 euros. Benvenuti has served at various levels of the Holy See ecclesiastic tribunal in the Vatican, and was a military chaplain at a Navy academy in the small town of Chiavari in Genoa province. (ANSA) - London, February 10 - British daily The Times in an op-ed on Wednesday blasted the "shameful murder" of Italian graduate student Giulio Regeni in Cairo. The Cambridge PhD researcher was severely tortured and killed sometime between January 25, when he went missing in Cairo, and February 3, when his "horribly burned and mutilated" body was found dumped in a ditch on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital. "Yesterday 4,600 academics wrote to (Egyptian) President (Abdel Fattah) al-Sisi demanding answers. Cairo denies all responsibility, but Mr al-Sisi should be under no illusions. On his watch Egypt has fulfilled the gloomiest predictions of a return to rule by police terror....Thousands of civilians are detained without charge on the mere suspicion of dissent and the pursuit of an extremist minority is used to rationalise old-fashioned military dictatorship," the British paper wrote. (ANSA) - Rimini, February 10 - A 30-year-old man who returned from the Dominican Republic to his home in Rimini is the first case of the Zika virus to be discovered in Emilia Romagna, sources said Wednesday. The man came back at the end of January and soon felt symptoms including a fever, conjunctivitis and joint pains. He went to his GP who sent him for a check-up to the department of microbiology of Bologna's Sant'Orsola Hospital, where blood tests confirmed the presence of the virus, transmitted by a mosquito bite. The latest case brought the total in Italy to at leat 10, four in the Veneto alone. (by Francesco Gallo). (ANSA) - Rome, February 10 - Emigration and the search for happiness are the two connecting threads of the 66th Berlin Film Festival that began Wednesday. The jury will be led by Meryl Streep but will also include Italy's Alba Rohrwacher. A single Italian film will be competing for the top prize - the documentary 'Fuocoammare' by Gianfranco Rosi, who won a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival with 'Sacro Gra'. The following 17 films will be competing with the Italian documentary. - 24 WEEKS (Germany) by Anne Zohra Berrached. An actress finds out she is pregnant with a Down's Syndrome child. The film focuses on maternity and ethics, as well as on women under the eye of the mass media. - ALONE IN BERLIN (Germany/France/UK) by Vincent Perez with Brendan Gleeson and Emma Thompson. Set in 1940s Berlin, the films focuses on a working-class couple whose only son has died in the war, and who decide to fight Nazism through a resistance campaign based on postcards against Hitler. - THINGS TO COME (France/Germany) by Mia Hansen-Love, starring Isabelle Huppert. Nathalie and Heinz, both philosophy teachers, live an ordinary life until Heinz falls in love with another woman. - BORIS SANS BEATRICE (Canada) by Denis Cote. Set in Quebec, the film's protagonist Boris Malinovsky is a confident, proud and strong man, but his Canadian government minister wife suffers from depression. Apparently to distract himself, Boris has an affair with his colleague Helga and makes passes at his maid, Klara. - LETTERS FROM WAR (Portugal) by Ivo M. Ferreira, 1971. Antonio Lobo Antunes is upset when he is called up by the army to serve as a doctor in Angola. His sole consolation are the letters to his wife, but in the end something breaks inside. - CROSSCURRENT (China) by Yang Chao. Gao Chun and his friend Jin Ye buy an old barge to make some money with transportation along the Yangtze River, but the vessel gets lost in a mysterious fog. Gao Chun nonetheless stops in every port to visit prostitutes, who are always the same woman. - A DRAGON ARRIVES! (Iran) by Mani Haghighi. On an island, a car crosses a cemetery towards an abandoned ship on which a political prisoner has hanged himself. The walls of the ship are covered with his cryptic writings, which the detective Hafizi uses to prove the legend that earthquakes happen when anyone is buried in the cemetery. - GENIUS (United Kingdom/USA) by Michael Grandage with Colin Firth and Jude Law. The film explores the long-lasting friendship between the literary great Thomas Wolfe and publisher Max Perkins. - A LULLABY TO THE SORROWFUL MYSTERY (Philippines/Singapore) by Lav Diaz, about the father of the Philippine revolution against Spain, who was sentenced to death and whose body was never found. - HEDI (Tunisia/Belgium/France) by Mohamed Ben Attia. Hedi is a young man who always prefers to wait, until he meets a young hotel worker named Rim. - THE COMMUNE (Denmark/Sweden/Netherlands) by Thomas Vinterberg. Set in the 1970s, the film depicts the lives of individuals divided between personal desires, solidarity and tolerance. - MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (USA) by Jeff Nichols, with Michael Shannon, Kirsten Dunst, Sam Shepard and Michael Shannon. A father and son flee religious extremists, the government and the police. - NEWS FROM PLANET MARS (France/Belgium) by Dominil Moll. Philippe Mars is trying to be a good father, husband and brother, but this does not prevent his son being a vegan, his daughter a loser and his sister a seller of large paintings of his nude parents. - BEING 17 (France) by Andre Techine, starring Sandrine Kiberlain. Damien lives with his mother in an army barracks while his soldier father is on a mission. He takes fighting lessons to defend himself from bullies who see him as too effeminate at school. - DEATH IN SARAJEVO (France/Bosnia) by Danis Tanovic. Hotel Sarajevo is preparing an EU evening marking the centenary of the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand. The staff threatens to strike and so the director, Omer, asks a strip club manager for help. - SOY NERO (Germany/France/Mexico) by Rafi Pitts. A 19-yar-old Mexican escapes into the desert from a border patrol but is captured. He eventually manages to get to the US and meet up with his brother, Jesus, but quickly understands how difficult it is to live as an illegal alien. Thus he decides to join to army to get citizenship. - ZERO DAYS (USA) by Alex Gibney. A documentary about Facebook developers fighting hackers, criminal activities and intrusions. - UNITED STATES OF LOVE (Poland/Sweden) by Tomasz Wasilewski. Poland, 1990. Communism has fallen and there is a sense of freedom as well as fear of the future. Four women decide to fight for their happiness. (ANSA) - Brussels, February 10 - The European Commission criticised several aspects of Italy's handling of the waves of asylum seekers to arrive on its shores in a report on Wednesday. It said Rome's efforts to repatriate asylum seekers whose requests had been rejected were not good enough and complained that the programme to resettle asylum seekers from Italy was well behind schedule. The report comes after months of high tension between Rome and Brussels over several issues, including the refugee crisis, budget flexibility and bank rescues. Premier Matteo Renzi has repeatedly complained that the European Union left Italy alone for too long to cope with the Mediterranean migrant crisis and then added insult to injury last year by opening an infringement procedure against Rome for failing to comply with regulations on taking asylum seekers' fingerprints. "Italy has carried out over 14,000 forced returns of persons with no right to asylum in 2015, and participated in 11 Frontex joint return flights of rejected asylum seekers from other Member States. This remains insufficient in the context of over 160,000 arrivals in 2015," the report said. "Despite the fact that relocation from Italy started a few weeks earlier than from Greece, it is still far behind the rate necessary to achieve the overall target to relocate 39,600 people in need of international protection in two years. In total, 279 applicants have been relocated to date, with 200 outstanding relocation requests having been sent to other Member States," the report said. "Until today, only 15 Member States have made relocation places available with pledges to receive 966 people, while 20 Member States have appointed Liaison Officers to support the process on the ground. "The low implementation rate is largely due to the limited arrivals of eligible migrants on the Italian territory". But the EC also some encouraging words for Italy though. It said it had written to the 38 Member States to remind them of their obligations on migrant relocations. And Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European migration and home affairs commissioner, said Rome had nothing to worry about regarding the fingerprint infringement procedure. "When the next assessment takes place, there won't be any clouds over this issue, which upset the premier," Avramopoulos said. "Like all the member States, Italy is working to respect its commitments and so there is no reason to worry". Wednesday report said that Italy's two fully operational asylum-seeker hotspots in Lampedusa and Pozzallo have reached a 100% fingerprinting rate for the most recent disembarkations. It also said that the proportion of migrants fingerprinted has risen markedly from 36% in September 2015 to 87% in January 2016. Once fully operational and equipped, the hotspots in Italy are expected to have a fingerprinting capacity of 2,160 migrants per day, which is well above the average arrival numbers for January, the EC said. Regeni:Egypt. Amb, we're not so 'naif' as to kill an Italian 'And throw his body during minister Guidi's visit to Cairo' (ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 10 - "Regeni was never held in custody by our police forces. And we are not so 'naif' as to kill a young Italian and throw away his body on the day of Minister Guidi's visit to Cairo'' said Egyptian Ambassador to Italy, Amr Helmy, interviewed about the Giulio Regeni case on Radio anch'io. "You must understand - added Amr Helmy - that waging serious accusations against the Egyptian security forces with no proof can damage our relations. I hope the truth will emerge as soon as possible. We have nothing to hide". (ANSAmed). (ANSAmed) - RABAT, FEBRUARY 10 - Morocco scored 19th in a ranking assessing the number of detained prisoners per country, figuring as one of the states with the highest density of inmates - 76 thousand - on the planet, according to a report by the International Centre for Prison Studies of the University of London. The report highlighted that taking into account its 34 million citizen base, Morocco's index jumps to 0.22% with regard to Moroccans behind bars. The study analyzed data from 223 countries in total. . In the region of Maghreb, for example, Algeria with is 60,220 prisoners ranked 30th, while Tunisia was 57th with 23,686; Egypt, on the other hand, has 62 thousand prisoners but due to its vaster population recorded a lower index(0.07). The US dominated the ranking with a staggering number of detainees: 2 million and 217 thousand. China with (1,657,812) and Russia with (646,085) followed. Italy recorded 52,434 inmates with a 0.08% index. According to the report, published every five years, on the basis of official data provided on a country by country basis as well as on UN records, Moroccan jails host 2.3 % of women and 2% of minors., while 42.3 % of prisoners are held in pre-trial detention. What is more concerning is that the 77 prisions of the kingdom have a total capacity to hold 40 thousand detainees which brings the inmate level to 90%. The problem is felt in Rabat where Parliament is examining a new proposal to reform the Penal Code and enshrine alternative measures to detention,for offenses punished with less than two years in custody. CAIRO - Italian student Giulio Regeni was killed in an apartment in the centre of Cairo before his body was dumped on a desert road from Cairo to Alexandria, independent Egyptian daily Al Masry Al Youm said on its website Wednesday. It did not cite sources but only "investigations" by the Giza police. The investigative team "went over the last movements of the victim before his disappearance on the evening of January 25" and also "saw his last calls before he turned off his telephone," the website report said. BEIRUT - Syrian-Kurdish YPG militias seized a military base in the north of Syria in the last few hours, taking advantage of an offensive against Arab insurgents in the Aleppo region, waged by the Russians together with loyalist Syrian forces, several sources on the ground reported. According to the sources, the airport of Manakh, previously held by Arab insurgents was seized by Kurdish forces from Afrin overnight. The latter have de facto supported the Damascus regime 's onslaught against anti-government forces. UNESCO to train young Jordanians and Syrians EU funds courses for over 2,000 including refugees (ANSAmed) - AMMAN, FEBRUARY 10 - UNESCO on Tuesday started a series of EU-funded projects in Jordan for the education and professional training of young Jordanians and Syrians refugees, both in large cities and in refugee camps. Over 1,300 will take part in an educational program at the Al-Quds University. A second program calls for the participation of 400 youths in the Zaatari refugee camp for professional training and job searches. A third project, funded by the Walton Family Foundation, will be for 500 young Jordanians in areas affected by the Syrian crisis in Mafraq, Zarqa and Amman. (ANSAmed). ANSAmed - Today's events in the Mediterranean (ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 10 - The following are the main events scheduled for today in the Euro-Mediterranean area : BRUSSELS - European Commission meeting. BRUSSELS - EU, publication of reports and annexes by the Commission on Italy, Greece, the Balkans and Turkey on the migrant situation. ROME - conference on healthcare assistance for migrants and refugees organised by AMSI, the foreign doctors in Italy association. DUBAI - Forum titled 'Shaping Future Governments' at the government level on the future of public administration. GENEVA - Meeting between Israeli and Turkish negotiators seeking an accord to end tensions between the two countries, ongoing since the incident of the Mavi Marmara Turkish ship in 2010. (ANSAmed). ME: meeting between Israelis and Palestinians on security In Jerusalem, this week (ANSAmed) - RAMALLAH, FEBRUARY 10 - Palestinians and Israelis will meet in Jerusalem, this week, to discuss security after months of violence in the West Bank and Israel, reported several sources in Ramallah, even though, in view of the sensitivity of the matter, no official confirmation has been provided yet. PLO Secretary General, Saeb Erekat, was the first personality who mentioned the meeting on 'Voice of Palestine'. Reached by ANSA, Erekat said that "there is a will to put and end to violence" on the Palestinian side. The spokesperson for the Palestinian security forces, Adnan Dmeiri also confirmed the need for a meeting "to return calm to the region'', without however going into details about the possible meeting. According to local sources who prefer to remain anonymous, the meeting will take place and the Palestinian delegation "will bring with it a written message regarding the future of the accords signed with Israel in the past''. The same sources added that in March last year the 'Palestinian Central Council' decided to interrupt security coordination between the PNA (Palestinian National Authority) and Israel as a consequence of the stalled peace-process. Migrants: 'EU must defend Schengen', Italian FM Dublin Regulation too strict with current influx' (ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 10 - Europe needs ''shared management of migratory dynamics'' to prevent unilateral decisions to restore border controls from producing a domino effect, Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni said Wednesday. In speaking at the EU Foreign Affairs Commission on developments in EU integration, he noted that otherwise freedom of circulation and the Schengen zone itself would be at risk. Gentiloni said that questioning the Schengen zone would end up being ''irreversible'' and that it would have ''an enormous economic impact''. The meeting of the six founding nations in Rome on Tuesday sent a ''politically and culturally relevant'' message on the need to ''deal with migratory challenges with a shared goal, without the choices of individual states''. There is also the need to set in motion a ''revision of the Dublin Regulation'', which requires asylum seekers to request asylum in the first EU nation they arrive in, since ''it is difficult to apply it with the current influx''. (ANSAmed). NATO to answer Turkish and German requests on migrants 11/2 Says chief Stoltenberg; 'We have AWACS, planes and ships' (ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, FEBRUARY 10 - Requests from Turkey and Germany for NATO assistance in managing the migrant crisis in the Aegean Sea will be debated on Thursday, said Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the first day of a defence ministers meeting. He reiterated that the organization would be carefully assessing how and whether NATO can contribute and make a difference. The former Norwegian prime minister - noting that all ''speculation'' on possible intervention should be postponed until the next day - noted that German chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu had spoken in the media about different types of NATO aid and support. However, he added that in December NATO had agreed an air defense package including support from AWACS surveillance planes and ships in the Eastern Mediterranean, and that Germany currently had command of the naval group. He added that NATO was assessing the situation and possible assistance. (ANSAmed). ROME - "Regeni was never held in custody by our police forces. And we are not so 'naif' as to kill a young Italian and throw away his body on the day of Minister Guidi's visit to Cairo'' said Egyptian Ambassador to Italy, Amr Helmy, interviewed about the Giulio Regeni case on Radio anch'io. "You must understand - added Amr Helmy - that waging serious accusations against the Egyptian security forces with no proof can damage our relations. I hope the truth will emerge as soon as possible. We have nothing to hide". Meanwhile a press conference with Egyptian Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou scheduled for tomorrow on the occasion of the ITB, the International Tourism Bourse, running until February 13 and hosted in the pavillions of the Milan Fair in Rho-Pero, was cancelled for ''the emergence of new institutional commitments''. The meeting that was supposed to take place at the Principe di Savoia hotel and was to be followed by a cocktail welcoming the Egyptian guests was ''postponed until further notice''. According to official sources, the minister did not only cancel the press-conference during which he was expected to talk about security measures in his country, but also other previously arranged meetings in Italy. PARIS - After several hours of heated debate, the French National Assembly finally approved, albeit with a weak majority (162 votes for the measure against 148 against) the most controversial item of the constitutional reform, the one revoking French nationality and its relating rights from people condemned for terrorism-related offences. The text does not explicitly refer to 'binationals' - citizens holding two passports - as this wording was deemed discriminatory towards a section of the population. One of the most popular faces in the French government, Minister of Economy Emmanuel Macron, expressed skepticism towards the measure. Addressing the France-Israel Foundation, he said he felt "philosophical discomfort towards the direction taken by the debate, because I believe you cannot confront evil by banishing it from the national community''. The lifting of nationality - he added - "is a solution in some cases, but at the end of the day, the responsability of those in government is to mercilessly prevent and punish terrorists". Tourism: press conf of Egyptian minister for ITB cancelled Security measures in his country were expected to be discussed (ANSAmed) - MILAN, FEBRUARY 10 - A press conference with Egyptian Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou scheduled for tomorrow on the occasion of the ITB, the International Tourism Bourse, running until February 13 and hosted in the pavillions of the Milan Fair in Rho-Pero, was cancelled for ''the emergence of new institutional commitments''. The meeting that was supposed to take place at the Principe di Savoia hotel and was to be followed by a cocktail welcoming the Egyptian guests was ''postponed until further notice''. According to official sources, the minister did not only cancel the press-conference during which he was expected to talk about security measures in his country, but also other previously arranged meetings in Italy. (ANSAmed). Mihai Gadea spoke Sunday on the "Daily Summary," about his visit to Washington, where he attended the National Prayer Breakfast.This is the most important annual event held by the American Congress, to which are invited thousands of worldwide personalities.It is an opportunity for socialization among the world elite, where they meet some of the most influential people from various fields.This was the 64th edition of the event, initiated in 1953. Since then, all American presidents have participated at least once in the event. At this year's edition President Barack Obama attended and spoke about how to master fear through faith."I tried to represent my country with dignity, honor and truth. The things they have tried to feed you, like poison, are awful lies," said Mihai Gadea, referring to the attacks against him in the Romanian press over the last days.See what Mihai Gadea did and who he met in Washington in the footage above. Salina Slanic from the resort with the same name in Prahova, has some special superlatives: the largest in Europe in size, the amount of salt being excavated 2.9 million cubic meters, and it has the purest air on the planet, deprived almost totally of radiation and pollution.Located approximately 100 kilometers from Bucharest and 44 km from Ploiesti, Slanic is a recognized destination for baths touring activity since 1853, when the resort was declared of national interest. Among the superlatives describing Salina Slanic (Mina Unirea), the most important tourist and health resort, there are also the following: the huge amount of salt excavated 2.9 million cubic meters, which led to the creation of cavities with huge volumes, respectively 14 trapezoidal rooms with 80,000 square meters.Read more on adevarul.ro The Assembly This year, the theme was Gender Equality. Given her work and numerous awards recognizing her contribution to the development of gender equality and civil aviation in the UAE, Aysha Alhameli is the perfect candidate to deliver our keynote address, said Marta Canneri, Secretary General McMun 2016. Captain Aysha Alhameli opened the 3 day McMun Model United Nations Assembly with a motivational speech addressing an auditorium of 2000 person from all over Canada and United States. The Permanent Representative of the UAE to ICAO addressed the assembled students about the key factors to achieve their dream jobs: hard word, determination, passion and education. Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an extra-curricular activity in which students typically role-play delegates to the United Nations and simulate UN committees. This activity takes place at MUN conferences, which is usually organized by a high school or college MUN club. The McGill Model United Nations Assembly is one of the top Model UN conferences of the world and one of the most important events at McGill University. McMun hosts more than 1500 students from top Canadian and international universities. The delegates join hundreds of McGill University student staffers to conceive, discuss and debate solutions to globally pertinent issues while staying true to the realities of decision-making processes of the bodies they simulate. McMun is known as an intellectually challenging and fast-paced experience, through realistic and creative debates, strengthening students awareness and engagement with global issues as well as inspiring innovation in the leaders of tomorrow. Captain Alhameli is an active speaker in national and international venues advocating the role of women in aviation. Some of her recent speeches were held at Harvard Business School, McGill, ICAO and Aviation Global Summit among others. The formalisation of this contract reflects Emirates' long-standing relationship with Lufthansa Technik, which dates back to 2005. The work will be performed by Lufthansa Technik Landing Gear services UK (LTLGS) located in Hayes, London, in the United Kingdom. "In order to maintain the world's largest Boeing 777 fleet, Emirates expects the highest levels of reliability and quality from our suppliers. Lufthansa Technik continues to fulfil such expectations and bring a robust supply chain. In signing this agreement, we look forward to a continued partnership for years to come," said Adel AlRedha, Emirates' executive vice president and chief operations officer. Robert Gaag, Lufthansa Technik's senior vice president corporate sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: "Since we started working with Emirates in 2005 on the 777 landing gears, we have overhauled over 30 shipsets for Emirates. We are extremely proud of having met the standards set by Emirates and being able to fulfil their requirements and needs." According to sources in the country, The Council of Ministers, chaired by King Mohammed VI, dismissed Benhima, who had been in post for almost ten years, for what was described as a flagrant violation of safety regulations. Allegedly an amateur video showed a dog sitting among passengers on a flight from Casablanca to New York, which violated the safety regulations. Moroccan newspapers and online websites claim that the dog belonged to the wife of a leading bank director. This follows a controversy last month when the airline made headlines after an amateur video posted on social media showed live cockroaches inside the RAM flight from Casablanca to Montreal. Benhima, is succeeded by Hmido Adou, who served as president of the Moroccan National Office of Tourism until 2013 Le CBD, cette molecule active du cannabis a aujourdhui le vent en poupe. Et cela est en grande partie du au fait quil permet... Curing todays IT blues and building tomorrows cyber force You have been at your desk for hours, typing away. Suddenly, your computer screen turns blue. Your palms start to sweat, knees grow weak, arms get heavy and heart starts beating faster than the speed of sound. You were so focused on the task at hand, you dont remember if you saved your work. You think you did, but self-doubt fills every ounce of your being. Some, if not most, of us have been through this nightmarish scenario. And most of us turned to the reliable and hard-working professionals of the Air Force Reserve Commands A6 Communications Directorate for help. AFRC A6 is there to provide assistance and solutions for every computer issue, from system migration and software updates to slow-running computers and log-in issues. Perhaps the most well-known office in A6 is the Comm Focal Point, a help desk that assists customers in solving every computer problem imaginable. If you need help with SharePoint, A6 is there to help. Headquarters personnel might think that A6 exists, for the most part, to help them. Yet, there is more to A6 than meets the eye. The organizations mission extends well beyond the headquarters at Robins Air Base, Georgia. The A6 Directorate helps the warfighter fly, fight and win domestically and in international operations through providing those highly equipped and highly trained cyber professionals to all the missions that the Air Force does globally, said Col. David Schilling, director of A6 and chief information officer for AFRC. In addition to the myriad of information assurance tasks and responsibilities A6 performs for 35 wings and approximately 70,000 personnel located throughout the United States, the Directorate also works closely with the 24th Air Force, developing the team to man, train and equip the cyber Citizen Airmen of the Air Force Reserve. These cyber Citizen Airmen enable counter cyber operations against our nations adversaries, offensive cyber operations support to combatant commanders, and defensive cyber operations for Department of Defense and Air Force networks. We do our share of protecting the DoD information networks. So, as we begin to connect our network throughout the Department of Defense, there is an effort to inspect those networks to ensure that all the services are doing the best that they can to protect those networks, said Schilling. Currently there are 127 Airmen integrated in three cyber protection teams. Those cyber professionals, Reservists, are sitting right next to their active-duty counterparts, sitting on the cyber operations floor doing active missions within the cyber domain on a day-to-day basis, 24/7, said Schilling. The mission of A6 is to ensure cyber Citizen Airmen remain an integrated, flexible and combat-ready force. In todays fight, data is power! And the data resides within the cyber domain. So we need to work vigilantly every day to ensure that we are doing everything we can to protect the data within the cyber domain, said Schilling. Whether troubleshooting and fixing information technology matters for the AFRC community or providing competent cyber Citizen Airmen to the active Air Force and the Total Joint Force, A6 is hard at work every day playing its part in building our future force to ensure the information security of our nation. Stay tuned for more on how the information technology and communications professionals of this directorate ensure information assurance as well as offer cures for the case of the computer blues. If you havent invested in business signage yet, you need to make sure you purchase quality signage that will last for years. The last thing you want is for your signage to be damaged or to lose its beauty, which can be just as damaging to your business as having no signage at all. A good business sign should be eye-catching year-round, and it should be made of a material that can withstand the elements. There are several different materials you can choose from when selecting a business sign. One of the most popular types of business signs today is an LED banner. This type of sign uses LED lights to display a message on either a short or widescreen. An LED banner is customizable in real-time, and its most common form is the marquee sign. Movie theaters and other businesses use marquee signs to announce events. If you want to make a big impact with your business signage, consider purchasing a LED banner. Its a great way to attract attention and increase sales for your business. A good sign should reflect your business branding and highlight your products. Technology-based businesses might benefit from a dynamic electronic message center. For a more classy and classic approach, a simple, classic sign can be very effective. If you dont want to spend too much money on a sign, check out Canva, Vistaprint, or Fiverr for a quick sign. There are many great websites online that will design and create your sign for you. Regardless of the industry, a well-designed signage will give your business an edge over competitors. According to a recent study, up to 68 percent of Americans have purchased a product because of a visually appealing sign. A business owners signage speaks volumes about their brand, and should be made with attention-getting colors and bright lighting. It can be updated as frequently as necessary, and the potential for different products and services to be advertised is huge. The cost of a sign depends on the materials used and the design. A black-and-white sign will cost much less than a colorful one. Complex designs will cost more than simple ones. Another factor affecting the price of a sign is how long you plan to have it. If you plan to change the design of your sign often, consider using a design that can be easily updated. This will save you money and time in the long run. If youre planning to get business signs, consider hiring a professional sign company to handle the process. A full-service sign company can take care of the permitting process, submit the required plans, and start creating your signage. Despite the benefits, you should still be careful when selecting business signs. A wrong choice of location can violate ADA requirements and make your business signage unusable. You dont want to end up with a sign that is hard to read or doesnt tell anyone anything about your products or services. A properly designed sign will draw attention and generate positive emotions. Customers are attracted to beauty and a beautifully designed business sign fulfills that desire. It will also help you earn the loyalty of your customers. A nicely-furnished sign can also show the commitments of your business. Whether youre in a retail store, office, or a restaurant, signage should convey what you stand for. This means that you should take your time choosing a design that fits your business image. LED lights are a great option for lighting your signs. They can be 80% more efficient than neon lights and have an incredibly long lifespan. LED lights can be easily installed in any space, and you can install as many as you need. However, you should be aware that the color of your signage will depend on the type of LED lights you choose. This is why you need to research LED lights before you purchase them. This can help you choose the right type of lighting for your business signs. Businesses should invest in digital signage in order to attract potential customers. This is a highly effective advertising option that can reach your target audience in a cost-effective way. It is also a great way to connect with your employees and customers. A digital storefront business sign can communicate with customers, build brand recognition, and make your outlet a landmark. So, it is important to invest in quality signage to make the most of your business. It is important to keep in mind that a poorly designed sign may even cause confusion. The Communist Partys Organisation Department, which controls the 88 million party personnel, issued new rules banning retired party members from engaging in religious activities. Politburo member Yu Zhengsheng called for more effort in building a religious ideology with Chinese characteristics. Beijing (AsiaNews) Retired Communist Party members cannot believe in a religion or engage in religious activities, this according to new regulations issued by the Organisation Department, the powerful internal body that controls staffing in the 88-million member Communist Party. There are clear rules that retired cadres and party members cannot believe in religion, cannot take part in religious activities, and must resolutely fight against cults," Chinese media quoted an official as saying. Retired officials should "maintain a high degree of consistency, in thought, in political views and in action, with the central party committee which is headed by Xi Jinping", the official added. The Chinese government is atheist because its bodies and offices are occupied by Communist Party officials. The partys founding documents have no place for religion. However, Chinas constitution guarantees freedom of religion and recognises five official religions (Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Taoism and Buddhism). Although serving Communist Party members are not expected to be religious, retired members had so far been left in a legal limbo. This has been changing since President Xi Jinping came to power, as he seeks to boost state control of religion. Under Xis predecessors Jiang Zemin (1993-2003) and Hu Jintao (2003-2013), the Communist Party was formally against religion, but members could exercise some freedom in private. Some polls suggested that up to 80 per cent of party members held some religious views. However, haunted by the collapse of the Soviet Union, Xi has reiterated that religion is incompatible with communism. Indeed, Communist Party members cannot follow any religion this is the important ideological and organisational principle which has been upheld since the founding of the party. There is no doubt about it, wrote Zhu, chairman of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, in an article published on 14 November 2014 in the Global Times. Now with the new rules, even retirement does not release party members from their duty towards the Party. Failure to uphold them could lead to suspension and eventually loss of pension benefits. "(The circular) clearly stated that retired cadres cannot believe in religion, cannot participate in religious activities and must resolutely fight against cults," Xinhua reported. For some analysts, this latest version of Maos policy of caring for people from the cradle to the grave, which means that the Party oppresses people for the same length of time. For his part, Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), recently met with the countrys religious leaders. As it reported the meeting, Xinhua noted that Yu "called on religious groups in China to continue adding Chinese characteristics, dig into positive elements in their religions and make more effort in building a religious ideology with Chinese characteristics." UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein made a four-day visit to assess the progress of the war crimes investigation. During his stay, he met with politicians and civil society leaders. The main issues were political prisoners, internally displaced people, refugee camps, and civilian areas still under military control. Colombo (AsiaNews) Sri Lanka must confront and defeat the demons of its past, said yesterday Zeid Raad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, at the end of a four-day visit to assess the islands progress in investigating war crimes. The UN Human Rights chief said Sri Lanka had come a long way since this time last year, when voters ousted former president Mahinda Rajapaksa after a decade in power. Noting that violence continues in the northern and eastern provinces at the expense of the civilian population, he urged Sri Lankas armed forces to face up to the stain on their reputation. Mr Al Husseins visit began on Saturday and ended yesterday. During his stay, he met with various political leaders and representatives of civil society organisations. During his meeting with civil war survivors, he addressed the issue of missing people and political prisoners still held in Sri Lankan jails. With respect to the latter, Al Hussein also spoke with local government officials. He explained however that it would not be possible to advocate for a general amnesty for political prisoners currently being held by authorities. The UN Rights chief visited former war zones in Jaffna and Trincomalee, where most of the fighting took place between the Sri Lankan military and Tamil Tiger rebels. At a press conference, he noted that in these locations the military still occupies civilian areas. At the same time, he noted recent highly symbolic steps that have had a positive impact on inter-communal relations, including the decision taken to sing the national anthem in both Sinhala and Tamil on Independence Day, for the first time since the early 1950s. Likewise, he acknowledged that President Sirisena pardoned a Tamil rebel who had plotted to assassinate him. Still, large parts of the country have been physically, politically, socially and economically separated from each other to a greater or lesser degree for much of the past three decades, and the effort to rebuild trust in the State, and between communities, will take years of political courage, determination and skilled coordination and planning. The situation is such that When you visit Colombo, you see a bustling city, a mass of construction sites, clean streets, and flourishing businesses. You see a thriving tourist industry. When you visit the North and the East, you see, in patches at least, damaged and depressed areas, poverty and continued displacement. A UN report in September described horrific wartime atrocities. Both the Sri Lankan government, when President Mahinda Rajapaksa was in office, and the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels are accused of serious human rights violations. According to UN estimates, up to 100,000 people were killed in the 26-year war, but many more are feared to have died, including up to 40,000 civilians in the final months of the fighting. Al Hussein thanked the current president for allowing the investigation of the Sri Lankan military, unlike Rajapaksa who always denied that violations were committed during his tenure in office. The world wants Sri Lanka to be a success story, Al Hussein concluded. For a country to be stable, to be a success, it needs to have a strong, impartial and credible justice system. For this to happen, the island nation must create institutions that work, and ensure accountability. It must also seize the great opportunity it currently has to provide all its people with truth, justice, security and prosperity. (Melani Manel Perera contributed to this article) The constitutional body readmits 1,400 people at first excluded. The final list of candidates published on February 16, vote scheduled for February 26. The number allowed run rises to 6185 (including 586 women) out of 12 thousand requests. President Rouhani hopes for a moderate reformist victory and to continue the policy of openness and renewal. Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Several leading reformers are among more than 1,400 candidates that have been readmitted to stand in the upcoming February 26 Parliamentary elections in Iran after being rejected at first. Yesterday Hossein Ali Amiri, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, confirmed that "those readmitted include reformists, moderates and conservatives." He did not specify the names, but clarified that the final list of candidates will be released on 16 February. 12 thousand people applied to run in the national vote to win one of the 290 seats in the House and 88 in the Assembly, called to choose the next supreme leader of the country. The Council of Guardians of the Constitution (the national constitutional body, called upon to assess the suitability of candidates) has therefore reinstated some personalities excluded in the first round and who had appealed against the decision. The Council is dominated by conservatives and has the right of veto on all nominations for each election. The number of candidates admitted to the election now stands at 6185, about 51% of those who had applied; these include 586 women, just under 10%. "The fact that the Council of Guardians [of the Constitution] has added another 1400 candidate - says Hossein Ali Amiri - shows the effectiveness of monitoring and consultation by the government". After a first mass exclusion, the reformists appealed to President (moderate) Hassan Rohani seeking his intervention to verify the lists. The reformist group has been relegated to the margins of political and social life of the country soon after the massive campaign of repression against the Green Movement following the disputed presidential elections of 2009 (won by the ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) and the parliamentarians of 2012. However, the following Rouhanis election and the recent historic nuclear deal the hopes of reformers have been raised. The Iranian head of state needs the parliamentary elections of February 26 to be won by moderates and reformers, who can thus guarantee him a majority in parliament and allow him continue to pursue his policy of openings and renewal. Rouhani hopes to capitalize electorally on the lifting of international sanctions in January, following the July 2015 agreement on Tehran's atomic program. by Xin Yage Four days after the earthquake 219 people extracted alive from the rubble; 46 confirmed dead; 94 are still missing. Engineer and two employees arrested for having built collapsed complex without the necessary safety standards. Population and security teams dig amid despair and hope. Tainan (AsiaNews) - "This New Year was to have been a great family celebration but now it is just a great tragedy, cries a lady of the Sacred Heart parish in Tainan who lost her sister and two nephews in the collapse. The pastor and other community volunteers have been busily comforting relatives of the victims. Father Joseph Pei ( ), of Vietnamese origin, has only been in Tainan for seven months and is experiencing his first Chinese New Year in this city. Very shaken he says: "Fate has reserved pain for many families and our entire community. We want to be close to family members and friends of the victims, who now feel a sense of hopelessness and despair." Material aid has been pouring in from all over the island: clothing, food and drink. And there are people who are still sending money and clothing in an expression of solidarity with survivors. Yesterday there were moments of tension during the mayor, Mr. Lais press conference. Family members and relatives of those who are believed still trapped, angrily expressed themselves, understandable at a time when hope is diminishing of finding other survivors. Through tears, everyone is calling for rescuers to focus on the destroyed apartments of loved ones. Yesterday a child of three years was pulled alive from the rubble, and this has rekindled hope in many rescuers. But the use of excavators, to speed up the rescue, is a not an easy decision. If there is too much haste in using excavation machines, without considering possible movement caused by them, there is the danger of damaging the collapsed buildings even more and threatening to crush possible survivors. Meanwhile, the judges of the Tainan Central District Court have issued a warrant for the arrest for the real estate manager, Mr. Lin and two of his colleagues, responsible for building a complex that collapsed during the February 7 quake. They also interviewed Mr. Chang, Taiwans chief expert in geological engineering and "hero" of the relief in what had been the most tragic Taiwan earthquake, which took place September 21, 1999: "The majority of new buildings are safe, but evidently fragile buildings remain due to neglect in the controls or responsibility to be ascertained. The building in question was built in 1994, and should have followed the next legislative updates to confirm its safety, especially the rules issued after the earthquake of 1999. The fact the quake was a strong one is not a valid excuse". At the moment the tragedy continues. As this report is published, after 108 hours of work by rescuers, 219 have been pulled alive from under the rubble, 46 are confirmed dead and 94 people are still missing. by Sergei Chapnin The attentive Russian analyst points to some contradictions enveloping the Patriarchate, unable to understand the situation of the poor and of Russian society. Another problem: the traditional "collegiality" has given way to a top-down management. Moscow (AsiaNews) Below, we publish the third part of an analysis by Sergei Chapnin, former editor of the Moscow Patriarchate magazine, on the situation of the Russian Orthodox Church, on the eve of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirills meeting in Cuba next February 12th. For the first part, click here; for the second part, click here. Patriarch Kirill. Problem of Understanding and Credibility In a Christmas interview to one of the leading Russian TV channels, Patriarch Kirill stated that he saw no problems in curtailing of consumption. Without any doubt, most of the viewers could not understand those words, as they already live below the poverty line and are constrained in virtually every way possible. In general, there is no tragedy today in the country. It is the faint of heart, the inwardly weak, empty people who are disillusioned. If you associate your wellbeing with money alone, if your wellbeing is measured by the quality of your vacations or material living conditions, then a slightest decrease in consumption may seem a hideous tragedy. (http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/4327642.html) It is hard to imagine to whom the Patriarch was actually addressing these words of admonition, as, according to the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, in January- September 2015 14.1% of Russian population had means below the poverty line, while in the same period of 2014 this number stood at 12.6% (http://www.vedomosti.ru/economics/articles/2016/01/13/623856-kudrin-krug). The problem is not in the reducing of consumption, which can be a trouble for the middle class in big cities, but in the fact that recent months saw 2.3 million people move below the poverty line. Is this the situation the Patriarch refuses to call a tragedy? Of course, later the Patriarch goes on to say: The only thing that we should fight against, prevent at any cost and eradicate is extreme poverty. (http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/4327642.html). The trouble is these words sound too detached, they are merely a theory. How can one eradicate poverty in the times of crisis? One could speak of social insecurity, fulfilling social obligations, caring for those suffering, without a job or means of subsistence. Yet, the Patriarch chose otherwise. He preferred to deliver platitudes that neither show any sympathy to those below the poverty line nor call for the state to take a better care of these people. All of this fits in the tendency of the last years: The Patriarchs credibility is generally coming down. He utters nice, but unrelated words. He understands a lot, but he tries to show his familiarity with the authorities and with the people at the same time. As a result, both the former and the latter hold him at less and less value with every day. It is hard to admit this. Since the Church Council of 1917/18, the patriarchy has been seen as the only acceptable model of Church governance. There are no serious discussions on returning to so-called synodal model or even its partial use. However, some of the clergy and laity have become interested in the debates of early 20th century and want to take a closer look at the arguments of those against the patriarchy model. Some 6-7 years ago, many put their hopes for the further development of Church life in Patriarch Kirill. And it is in no way easy to admit that those hopes have failed. While direct criticism aimed at the Patriarch comes only from those were pushed out of the official structures Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev (fired from the Moscow Spiritual Academy in December 2013) and Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin (head of the Synodal Department of Church and Society Relations until December 2015), general confusion is in fact much wider. What are the tools the administration of the Russian Orthodox Church should use to see the mentioned problems from a perspective other than political, diplomatic or administrative? Institutes of practical conciliarity in the Church such as the Inter- Council Presence, the Bishops Council etc. have found themselves rigidly subordinate to the hierarchy vertical and fully controlled by the administration of Patriarch Kirill. Which means that in one way or another they all pursue the policy set personally by the Patriarch. Over the seven years of his pontificate, Patriarch Kirill managed to take the Russian Church into the manual steering mode. This does not come as a surprise, since all he had to do is to copy the model used by the current Russian state. In effect, this is the practical realization of the symphony between the spiritual and secular authorities that Orthodox fundamentalists are so fond of. The trouble is, I am afraid, neither the symphony nor will help the Russian Church to see it through the end of the crisis. Students and teachers throughout the province can earn the chance to study and learn in Asia, thanks to a new exchange program that builds on British Columbas education relationships with our Pacific Rim partners. About 200 students and six teachers from B.C. public and independent schools will benefit from the exchange program between schools in China, Japan and British Columbia. Government is investing $200,000 in scholarships that will help send student groups and teachers on exchanges with Japan and China. Student groups need a minimum of five students and, if approved, will receive $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the groups size. Teachers with successful applications will receive $5,000 to assist with their exchange costs. The award program encourages students and teachers to build on our multi-cultural partnerships and build increased student mobility between China, Japan and B.C. The application deadline for the scholarships is Feb.12, 2016, and the exchange must be complete before the middle of August 2016. As a result of B.C.'s strong economic growth and fiscal discipline, government is able to support and fund projects that make a real difference in the lives of British Columbians, said Mike Bernier, Minister of Education These scholarships open up exciting new opportunities for students and teachers to study in schools abroad. International education has the power to enhance our economy while at the same time providing our young people the important opportunity to study different languages and cultures, Quick Facts: The B.C. Council for International Education is a Crown corporation supporting B.C.s dynamic and growing international education sector. The BCCIE is administering the awards on behalf of the Ministry of Education. Government launched British Columbia's International Education Strategy in 2012 to promote the global two-way flow of students, educators and ideas between countries. International education is a key sector under the BC Jobs Plan, and B.C. is making progress toward the goal of a 50% increase in the number of international students by September 2016. Hongkongers holding SAR or British National (Overseas) passports and travellers from many Asian countries will need to obtain extra documentation before flying to Canada, as Ottawa tightens its visa-free arrangements worldwide. The new policy will require passengers to apply online for an electronic travel authorisation. It will take effect from March 15, according to the Canadian government. Prospective travellers have until March 15 to submit passport and other personal information through Citizenship and Immigration Canadas website for pre-screening. Without the documentation, travellers face being denied entry when the border enforcement kicks in. The authorisation covers all foreign nationals except US citizens. Hong Kong though branded as a partner of productive cooperation on the countrys consulate website and home to one of the largest Canadian communities abroad is not exempted from the scheme. Half a million people of Hong Kong descent live in Canada, according to the consulate here. Canadians do not require a visa to travel to Hong Kong. The new scheme, which applies to those who fly to or through Canada but not those reaching Canada by land or sea, is likely to add logistical headaches for those with families and friends living or studying there. Its of course better without, but since its not expensive and its not the first country imposing such measures, its OK for me, said Louisa Wong, who holds a Hong Kong passport and whose family lives in Toronto, according to the Standard. Canadian officials said an application asks for the applicants name, date and place of birth, gender, address, nationality and passport information. They advise travellers to register at least three days in advance of their departure. The authorisation will cost C$7 (HK$39) and will be valid for up to five years. It is part of a beefed-up border policy that pre-screens travellers for security threats. The federal government has called it a strengthened methodology in order to better identify high-risk travellers. Providing the information required by these amendments will allow Canada to determine the admissibility of foreign nationals before they arrive at the border and whether their travel poses migration or security risks, the immigration department was quoted by Canadian newspaper The Star as saying. The number of visa-exempt foreign nationals travelling to Canada on a temporary basis per year is significantly larger than the number of visa-required travellers. For example, visa-exempt foreign nationals, excluding U.S. citizens, represent approximately 74 per cent of foreign nationals who arrive by air in Canada. In 20122013, the total number of visa-exempt foreign nationals who arrived in Canada and were deemed inadmissible for entry at air ports of entry was 7,055. This resulted in significant expense, delay and inconvenience for these foreign nationals, other travellers, the airlines and the Canadian government. Reasons for refusal can include membership in terrorist organizations, espionage, participation in war crimes or crimes against humanity, international human rights violations, membership in organized crime groups, criminality, or issues endangering public health, such as tuberculosis. What is the eTA? The eTA is an online registration system that travellers access online. eTAs are valid for five years, or until the expiration date of a passport, whichever comes first. Who Needs an eTA? The eTA requirement applies to travelers who do not need a visa to enter Canada and who are planning to arrive by air. Visa exempt countries include the UK, Japan, Australia, Korea, countries in the European Union and more. The eTA requirement does not apply to citizens of the US and it is not required if a person is entering at a land or sea port of entry. Nationals of certain visa-required countries (Brazil, Bulgaria, Mexico or Romania) who hold a current US non-immigrant visa, or who have held a Canadian visa in the past ten years, will be allowed to enter Canada with an eTA instead of a visa. This special visa exemption may not, however, be in place by 15 March 2016. What is the eTA Application Process? The eTA process involves entering a traveler's personal details and passport information into an online portal and paying a fee of $7CAD. Every traveler must obtain an eTA including children. In most cases, CIC will approve the eTA within minutes of applying. In situations where an immediate decision is not given, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will follow up with applicants with requests to obtain more information. Guest Commentary By Derek Ross & John Sikkema The Supreme Court of Canadas decision in Carter raises a number of difficult questions: In what circumstances might it be morally acceptable to deliberately and prematurely end anothers life? How should it be done? And by whom? As we debate such questions, it is important to understand what Carter actually decided. The Court ruled that the criminal prohibition against assisted suicide infringed the Charter right to life, liberty, and security of the person in the factual circumstances of the case and that protecting vulnerable people from error and abuse did not necessitate a complete ban. But the fact that the Court found the complete ban to be overkill, so to speak, does not transform assisted suicide from a crime in 2015 to a public health care service in 2016. The Provincial/Territorial Expert Advisory Groups Report on the issue is wrong to assert that, as a result of Carter, all provinces and territories must ensure access to physician-assisted dying. Assisted death is not a constitutionally mandated service, as some have characterized it. To permit is not to mandate. The Court did not say a physician should, or even could, be required to participate in assisted suicide. The Court nowhere states that the medical profession or the government has an obligation to ensure that physicians are available to provide such assistance. There is no Charter right to compel a person physician or otherwise to end ones life or arrange for someone else to do so. In fact, the Court said that nothing in its decision would compel physicians to provide assistance in dying. Carter determined only that the law could not prohibit Gloria Taylor (the main plaintiff, a patient with ALS) and persons in her position from receiving assistance in dying from a willing physician. Ms. Taylor found such a physician, who was also named as one of the parties in the case. That is one reason were all now talking about physician-assisted suicide, but the key legal reason is this: the complete prohibition was found to be unnecessary for protecting the vulnerable where physicians are involved because physicians are uniquely capable of detecting a persons vulnerability in these situations. Had the Court lacked confidence that there are persons who can reliably assess the vulnerability and competence of severely ill people, it would have had to uphold the prohibition. The Court did not say that the medical profession must now embrace assisted suicide as a medical solution to suffering. Nor did Carter say that assisted suicide or euthanasia is in any patients best interest. Many if not most physicians believe it is not. A recent poll of Canadian physicians conducted by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) revealed that 63% would not even consider providing it. Many physicians do not regard assisted suicide or euthanasia as health care at all. The World Medical Association strongly encourages all National Medical Associations and physicians to refrain from participating in euthanasia, even if national law allows it. The CMA stated in 2007 that a fundamental reconsideration of traditional medical ethics would be required in order for the medical profession to participate. A CMA consultation in 2014 concluded that the majority of its members did not endorse reversing the CMAs opposition to physician assisted-dying, though the CMA has since stated that it may be appropriate in rare circumstances. Most palliative care specialists, who dedicate themselves to maximizing the quality of life of patients facing life-threatening illness, wish to keep assisted suicide and euthanasia out of their discipline. The CMAs General Council recently passed a motion recognizing that the practice of assisted death as defined by the Supreme Court of Canada is distinct from the practice of palliative care. Canadian anesthesiologists recently warned about potential complications, saying patients could experience convulsions and awakenings while the fatal drugs take effect. A recent editorial in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia questioned the legitimacy of Carters nomination of physicians as the exclusive purveyors of a non-medical practice, particularly when the ethos of medicine has historically forbidden participation in this very act. Whatever ones views on assisted suicide and euthanasia, Canadians should not force a revolution in medical ethics onto unwilling physicians. Carter did not medicalize assisted suicide or demand that physicians participate. We shouldnt either. John Sikkema and Derek Ross are respectively Executive Director and Associate Legal Counsel of Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF) With an extremely limited and declining supply of industrial land in and around Vancouver, its not often theres an opportunity to buy industrial property in the city. But PC Urban is now launching a new business park near Cambie and Marine. IntraUrban will allow investors and business owners the very rare chance to own commercial property within the city of Vancouver. Intraurban is transforming a 4.5 acre property into 170,000 sf of new, quality, multi-level commercial space at 8811 Laurel Street, just south of SW Marine Drive. It will be the first new industrial strata development in the area in 5 years. With the average price of industrial strata increasing by 90% over the past ten years (see the chart), this is a smart investment move for businesses wanting a location in the city. For investors, this is an opportunity to buy commercial property at one-third the cost of residential. New residential condos in Vancouver cost, on average, $1,000 per square foot. Intraurban offers commercial property for one-third of that price. The area at Cambie and Marine is in the midst of a massive transformation, with 8,500 new homes planned or under construction, serviced by 380,000 sf of new retail. For businesses and their employees, the location is a 15 min drive to downtown and offers easy access to Highway 99, the airport, the port, Richmond, Burnaby and the US border. It is a three block walk to the Canada Line. Intraurban will be a collection of three buildings, offering a limited number of affordable, small-bay, commercial strata properties. CBREs Chris MacCauley says businesses and investors have already shown strong interest in this project because its the only offering of its kind right now in Vancouver or Richmond. He says it is appealing to businesses like architecture, construction and wholesale businesses that serve the Vancouver market. This is the first and only new ownership opportunity currently in Vancouver and the market has responded with enthusiasm, says MacCauley. For more info, please check out the website: www.intraurban.ca Photo caption: Every culture thinks it is their tradition to spank their children, Dr. Joan Durrant notes. She feels it isnt a tradition, but an entrenched habit that people have a hard time giving up because they havent seen viable alternative solutions./ Photo Credit: German Federal Archives via Wikimedia Creative Commons By Florence Hwang Experts say revoking the law that allows parents to spank their children can help clarify for newcomers the "mixed messages" they receive about corporal punishment in Canada. Parents want to understand the law in Canada and how it fits in with their parenting style, notes Jean Tinling, the family program director at Mosaic Newcomer Family Resource Network. Their worries are reduced when they realize that they have a choice about keeping the best from their culture, adding in the best from Canadian culture and creating their own new third culture here in Canada, she says. They relax when they gain a better understanding of the law and when they realize that CFS [Child and Family Services] does not want to take their children or destroy their culture. Tinling feels this confusion for all parents can be done away by changing section 43 of the Criminal Code. The Liberal government has agreed to remove a section of law that allows parents to spank their kids following the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was set up to inform Canadians about the experiences of indigenous children in residential schools. Childrens rights Researchers and parenting experts agree that overhauling section 43 is long overdue, as it infringes on the human rights of children. Its overwhelming talking about the harm of physical punishment, says Ailsa Watkinson, Faculty of Social Work graduate studies coordinator at the University of Reginas Saskatoon campus. Watkinson says she thinks children should be treated like any other human being. Its important to maintain warmth and connection between parent and child and to build on mutual trust while understanding the childs stage of development, including physical, mental and emotional, she adds. Dr. Joan Durrant, Social Studies professor at the University of Manitoba, says that mild physical punishment has consequences for some children, and cites research that shows it is linked to aggression and mental health problems that can continue into adult life. Durrant has been studying the physical punishment of children for about 25 years. She points out that spanking raises the risk of injuring the child, makes the child fearful of the parent, and affects the childs brain. In Saskatchewan, the Victims of Domestic Violence Act protects those who are abused by their partners. If there is a child who observes their mother is being beaten, that child is considered in need of protection; but if that child is being beaten, he or she is not protected under the Act, says Watkinson. Making changes Already, 48 countries have banned all forms of corporal punishment of children. Canada and the U.S. are not on that list. Most parents newcomers and Canadian born parent the way they were parented, unless they learn and believe there is a more positive alternative, says Tinling. Physical and humiliating punishment is a very common method used to control childrens behaviour around the world, she adds. However, worldwide, it has been my experience that all parents love their children and want what is best for them, says Tinling. They want their children to learn to be respectful, to have positive social skills, and they also value having a positive relationship with their children. Using aggression against a person does [the] exact opposite, says Durrant. She says she finds section 43 illogical, as there are laws that protect all other segments of society from physical harm, but not children. When it comes to your child, the law gives you a green light. Theres a message to parents that its not only OK, but actually the law says its justified, she says. Its placing children at risk. And I find that absolutely unjust. Every culture thinks it is their tradition to spank their children, she notes. Durrant feels it isnt a tradition, but an entrenched habit that people have a hard time giving up because they havent seen viable alternative solutions. Theres an assumption there that they are incapable of change, notes Durrant, who doesnt believe this assumption is correct. Judy Arnall is an author and parenting expert. She takes issue with section 43s wording of reasonable force, which she feels is very subjective. Thats why we need a very black-and-white law saying dont do it. Ever. At all, she says. Its an age-old issue. I remember talking to reporters 20 years ago and not much has changed. I think it is time [for this law to be abolished]. I tell my kids, In your lifetime, Im sure were going to change the law on this, because 48 countries have, she says. This piece was originally published in New Canadian Media. See http://newcanadianmedia.ca/item/32815-spanking-lots-of-studies-little-change The Vancouver Just Film Festival allows for reflection, provides a forum for discussion, and prompts participants to action. Films featured in the festival come from all over the world. The festival runs from February 11 13. With this festival, organizers want people to become more aware of their world around them and see other peoples perspectives presented through films. They also hope people to talk about the films they have seen. Finally, the organizers hope the films will lead viewers to take action through volunteer, leadership and positive action through locally based organizations. Valentinos Ghost Country: USA/Middle East Director/ Producer: Michael Singh The 95-minute film features fresh, riveting perspectives from the legendary late American writer Gore Vidal; John Mearsheimer, author of The Israel Lobby, celebrated British war correspondent Robert Fisk, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Anthony Shadid, Harvard and Oxford historian Niall Ferguson, historian Melani McAlister, TV star Tony Shalhoub, media expert Jack Shaheen, and Hollywood writer Alan Sharp. Knitting Nannas Country: Australia Director/ Producer: Rani Brown Knitting Nannas Against Gas is a group of sweet ladies who protest by unfolding some lawn chairs, popping the kettle on and knitting. The KNAGs, who formed in Australia in 2012, campaign against the growing coal-seam gas (CSG) industry, which they argue threatens to destroy prime farmland and unspoiled ecosystems. They are also absolutely delightful and effective. Cooking Across Cultures Country: Canada Immigrants to Canada arrive healthier than the average Canadian, but this reverses in 5 to 10 years after arrival. This video looks at four groups three immigrants and one Aboriginal and discusses how food and culture affect them. Milk Men Country: USA Director/ Producer: Jan Haaken Psychologist and filmmaker Jan Haaken revisits the region where she spent childhood summers on her aunt and uncles dairy farm. MILK MEN explores as well the symbolic place of dairy cows in the public imagination, and societal discomfort with industrializing a business long associated with rural America. Facing Fear Country: USA Director/ Producer: Jason Cohen Worlds collide when a former neo-Nazi skinhead and the gay victim of his hate-crime attack meet by chance 25 years after the incident that dramatically shaped both their lives. Together they embark on a journey of forgiveness that challenges both to grapple with their beliefs and fears, eventually leading to an improbable collaboration and friendship. Daesh Hunter Takes Out More ISIS Terror Chiefs Trending News: Mystery Sniper Takes Out 3 More High Profile ISIS Leaders Why Is This Important? Because we could use some big wins against ISIS right about now. Long Story Short An unknown sniper, dubbed Daesh Hunter, is credited with killing three high-level Islamic State leaders in 10 days, and the death of a fourth jihadi may also have been the work of the sharpshooter. Long Story ISIS leaders are being systematically picked off, one at a time and without warning, by an expert marksman. The terrorists are now the terrorized. The unknown sniper is killing Islamic State leaders in the Libyan coastal city of Sirte. First to go was Sudanese national Hamad Abdel Hady. Next to be knocked off was Abu Mohammed Dernawi on January 19th. Then, as he left a mosque on January 23rd, Abdullah Hamad al Ansari was eliminated. A report earlier this month suggests Australian-born terrorist Neil Prakash, known as Abu Khaled al-Cambodi, is also dead. Prakash was a leading recruiter for the Islamic State and while the details of how he died are not available to security officials, there are suggestions his death may also be the work of the unknown sharpshooter, dubbed Daesh Hunter. A protected Twitter account under the name Daesh Hunter displays the Guy Fawkes mask along with the description line, Hunting ISIS DAESH. Daesh is another word for ISIS and is an acronym for the Arabic phrase al-dowla al-islaamiyya fii-il-iraaq wa-ash-shaam, which apparently means Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. ISIS militants detest the word and one American terrorism consultant, Evan Kohlmann, claims, Its a derogatory term and not something people should use even if you dislike them. Tell that to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and French President Francois Hollande, who both routinely identify the terrorists using the word Daesh. The sniping deaths have fueled a state of terror within the ranks of the Islamic State, according to one source to the organization. The terror group is actively searching for the mysterious sniper, who, understandably, has become a hero to people living under the Islamic States reign of terror. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question: Is this someone taking the war into their own hands or could this be a secret military combat operation? Disrupt Your Feed: If its deemed an effective way to dismantle the Islamic State, perhaps more resources should be funneled into sniper deployment in ISIS strongholds. Drop This Fact: Although she never used her Israeli Defence Force training in combat, American sex therapist and media personality Dr. Ruth Westheimer was trained as a sniper. The Queensland Bar Association is investigating conflict of interest allegations against former solicitor-general Walter Sofronoff over his role before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Sofronoff was hired by a former Brisbane Grammar School student in a bid to sue the school for the abuse he suffered from paedophile counsellor Kevin Lynch, the royal commission later hearing how Lynch sexually assaulted dozens of children at the school before committing suicide. But last November, Sofronoff represented Brisbane Grammar at the royal commission hearing in Brisbane, examining Lynchs activities. The Queensland Legal Services Commission has ordered the Bar Association to investigate whether Sofronoff had a conflict in representing Brisbane Grammar before the commission. At the hearing, a member of the gallery voiced concern over the conflict, according to reports by the ABC. Mr Sofronoff, weren't you the lawyer that my brother and I went to for litigation advice 15 years ago, when we first wanted to take on Grammar?, the brother of an abused student said. The family of the student said they welcomed an investigation. A person that I paid $5,000 to for an opinion almost 10 years ago is buyable by the school, he later told the Brisbane hearing. He said earlier that technically there was no issue - again, they've missed the point. This is not about technical and legalities, it's about the fact that children were abused, and that's an indication, Mr Sofronoff, of the fact that he thinks that this is all a legal process. I've got my shoes to be shined, and I'm happy to pay you Sofronoff to come over and do that, will you accept the money? You should be appalled. If you're that desperate for money, I can lend you some. Brisbane Grammar told the ABC it would await the outcome of any process and would not ask Sorfronoff to stand down in the interim. The ABC reported that Sofronoff declined to comment. 3M has launched a bi-lateral domestic violence prevention system that continuously tracks the location of both the aggressor and survivor, raising an alert if they come within proximity to one another. The company is now lobbying to have legislation enacted to allow courts and police to mandate the use of the system. Not currently used for defendants of domestic violence charges but by defence lawyers looking to increase chances of getting bail while awaiting trial, the Bi-Lateral Domestic Violence prevention solution successfully launched in Europe and the US back in 2009. 3M is now hoping the government will enact legislative changes to require aggressors to use the new technology. 3M are committed to raising awareness with both Governments and stakeholders and informing them a DV prevention solution is available, 3M business development manager and former NSW police officer Richard Lord told Australasian Lawyer. There is currently no Legislation in place for Courts to mandate the use of this technology to either police or Corrective Services. The system sets off alerts, received by the survivor and a monitoring centre, in stages ranging from a soft alert at several kilometres away to a high alert at 100 metres. It features a panic button in case of an immediate threat. The system empowers women to go about their normal lives freely, without the need to change address, phone numbers and without threat or constraint, Lord said. On Monday, federal member for Bennelong John Alexander mentioned the new technology and spoke of the measures the Turnbull Government is implementing to combat violence against women. As is often the case, technology can also have its golden edge and offer positive opportunities for the protection of women and the deterrence of violence, he said in parliament. I am planning to host the Minister for Social Services and the Minister for Women for a tour of the 3M innovation centre in Bennelong to see firsthand the opportunity presented by this technological breakthrough. The South Australian Law Society said it supports the mandated use of electronic monitoring for domestic violence aggressors. The Law Society encourages use of technology to improve and assist our criminal justice system, as long as the rights of citizens including those on bail are protected, said president David Caruso. GPS tracking devices could be useful tools for monitoring compliance with bail conditions, particularly non-contact conditions. By Anastasia Powell, Senior Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, Justice and Legal Studies, RMIT University Shutterstock Federal MP Tim Watts spoke in parliament on Monday about the ways in which new technologies are being used to stalk, intimidate, threaten and harass women. This abuse, he suggests, often happens in domestic violence situations. It is also happening in new ways, such as via revenge pornography, to which our current laws are unable to respond effectively. This comes in light of a growing recognition of the ways communications technologies are used to perpetrate violence against women. But is it the case that the harms of new technologies might outweigh any good? Growing problem My colleagues and I have written previously on the harms of revenge pornography, when intimate images are shared without consent. Beyond the regrettable actions of a jilted lover seeking what they perceive as revenge, we identify the ways these images are used to humiliate, harass and threaten victims. In some instances, private sexual images are used as a tool to control women in already violent relationships, or as a kind of blackmail to coerce them in sexually abusive situations. In a separate study, we surveyed 3,000 Australian adults aged 18 to 54, and found that threats, sexual harassment and the non-consensual sharing of nude or semi-nude images were extremely common. Our analysis of Australian state and territory legislation further suggests that the criminal law has yet to catch up with these emerging forms of abuse. Research is also uncovering the role of social media in domestic violence and cyberstalking. Social media, mobile phone applications and digital communications are all being used to monitor, track and harass victims of partner violence. This is an issue affecting one in six Australian women and one in 19 men through their lifetime. In a national survey of domestic and family violence workers, 98% of the 546 participants reported that their clients had experienced technology-facilitated stalking and abuse. Equally disturbing are rapidly emerging forms of misogynistic cyberhate. Women, it seems, are subjected to threatening, aggressive and violent speech for no other reason that being women on the internet. More than a tech problem There is a role for technology companies and developers in combating technology-facilitated abuse of women. Google and other tech companies announced last year, for instance, that they would allow users to report revenge porn victimisation, so that the images could be blocked from internet searches. Less helpful is advice to women to stay offline, adopt male online personas and not take sexy pics in the first place. Like anti-rape underwear, nail polish and panic rooms, such advice only reinforces victim-blaming and fails to tackle the social causes of the problem. Thats not to say individuals arent able to, or shouldnt be able to, choose to take actions that might make them safer. Rather, we need to recognise the unjust impact on women as a social group, if they are expected to bear the responsibility for other peoples abusive behaviour. Because ultimately, it is not technology that is harming to women, it is people using technology to harm women. And like the sexual violence, street harassment and partner abuse that is directed at women face-to-face, it appears as though much (though not all) of the sexual violence, threats, harassment, stalking and abuse women experience via technology is at the hands of male perpetrators. In other words, technology is not doing more harm than good; those people who choose to harass, threaten, stalk and abuse are doing the harm. Communications technology may just be providing us with a clearer window into the attitudes and behaviours that underlie violence against women and gender inequality in our society more broadly. The good news The good news is that if technology is a tool, then it can be used by people for good. And there are some great examples of people driving innovation in technology as well as advocating for social change to stop the abuse of women both online and face-to-face. Free smartphone applications and websites such as iDecide, Daisy and SARA, provide information, support and anonymous reporting options for Australian victims of abuse. Survivors of violence are also sharing their experiences online in emerging, safe and supportive spaces, such as Not the only one. Many male advocates for change have spoken out and taken action to challenge gender inequality and abuse of women. Anti-violence activism has taken on new forms, connecting women from across the globe to take back the tech and bringing feminism into the digital age. The variety of communications media and tools available now are helping spread the message far and wide that violence is never acceptable. Our challenge, then, is to take all these amazing tools and opportunities and convert them into real policy action to move ever closer to a future free of violence and abuse. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000. Anastasia will be on hand for an Author Q&A between noon and 1pm AEDT on Thursday, February 11, 2016. Post your questions in the comments section below. Anastasia Powell receives funding from the Australian Research Council and Criminology Research Council. She is speaking tonight at a public panel discussion hosted by the Melbourne research Alliance to End Violence against women and their children (MAEVe) at The University of Melbourne, on the theme: 'Does Technology do more good than harm?' Originally published in The Conversation. Australia's Sunshine Coast is set to increase its ability to attract more visitors and investment from overseas with new facilities to handle more international air activity.The region's airport will start to see the benefits of a significant investment boost later this year with the installation of new equipment and technology to facilitate a growth in international flights.The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton visited the airport and said that the refurbishments would include an extensive close circuit television network, electronic examination facilities and trace detection technologies to support the Government's focus on stronger border security."A total of $23.8 million over four years was allocated in the 2015/2016 Budget to support the clearance of seasonal flights at Sunshine Coast Airport and regular international flights at Townsville Airport," Dutton said.He explained that currently, the range of technologies needed to support international flights is brought to the airport temporarily from Brisbane as required by international arrivals and departures.But with the upgrade, the Sunshine Coast's Airport will no longer have to rely on the presence of mobile facilities to process flights.People in the region believe that it is seen as an area of Australia that is not as easily accessible despite being a location that many overseas visitors want to experience.Further improvements to the Coast's international gate lounge will continue to be rolled out over the next three years. "In the next financial year departure eGates will be installed bringing the Sunshine Coast terminal in line with other major airports across Australia," Dutton confirmed."What this investment really highlights is the Government's belief in the growth potential of the Sunshine Coast. The funding shows that we are working with local industry to provide an international airport facility that meets international aviation and security standards," he added. More than 100,000 Chinese nationals decided to celebrate Chinese New Year in Australia this year with a record number of visas being processed to allow them to visit.The Department of Immigration and Border Protection said it approved a record figure of visas for Chinese citizens in the month of January, up 17% compared with the same month in 2015. Chinese New Year is the peak travel period in China and is well known as the largest annual human migration in the world."My Department is enabling record numbers of Chinese tourists by significantly improving the processing time of visitor visa applications from China with the majority of applications processed within five days," said Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton. "This is an excellent result for the Australian tourism industry and the many thousands of Chinese nationals who choose Australia as a holiday destination. The Year of the Sheep saw more than half a million visitor visa applications from Chinese nationals and we hope this trend will continue into the Year of the Monkey."The Department of Immigration and Border Protection is on track to receive well over 800,000 visitor visa applications from Chinese nationals for the 2015/2016 year.The Sichuan province is one of the largest sources of tourist visa applications to Australia and the Australian Government has opened a visa application centre in Chengdu specifically to support these people to more easily gain access to Australian immigration services."This Government recognises the importance of Chinese tourists to the Australian tourism industry and economy as a whole, and as well as increasing efficiency in visa processing we are also introducing a number of tailored visa initiatives throughout 2016 to further encourage and support visitors from China," Dutton explained. "These include expansion of the visitor visa online lodgement system and trials of 10 year validity visitor visas, online Mandarin language visa applications and an optional 48 hour fast-track processing service."He added that the DIBP is working hard to support growth in the tourism industry while maintaining the integrity of Australia's visa programmes. Hello All I have tried looking for answer to my question but could not find any hoping that someone can help me please. I'm a Kiwi and married to an Egyptian. Met my wife in Egypt where i was working there and we got married - lived there for 5 years. While we were we wanted to move to Australia to live and hence applied for the 461 visa in Egypt - to cut the story short, wife was granted the visa which was great news. As we were planning for the move, i had received an offer from company in UAE which quite tempting and decided to take it for a couple of years and see how we go. Now after 3 years living in the UAE, we have taken the decicsion to go to Australia based on the 461 visa that was granted back in 2012. Questions are: - Can we still use this visa since it expires in 2017 or apply for a new one? - What is the renewal process since it will be expiring in a year's time? Do we have to go through the whole process again proving docs etc..hopefully not - Since we live in UAE now and not in Egypt, will this affect us if we travel to Australia for the move and they notice the change of location where application was lodged from? - Is there a possibility to go for a visit to Australia on the 461 before our final move or does she have to apply for a tourist visa for that? Thanks alot for your kind support and help, Regards Hi, all My partner is an Aussie and I visited him in 2014. We lived together for 4 months (from Oct 2014 to Feb 2015). I was granted a Tourist Visa with the 8503 condition attached to it. Unfortunately, his father passed away in Jan 2015. We thought they would waive the condition. But, they did not. It was a dreadful period for us. Because we knew, I would have to come back to Mauritius. When I applied for the visa, I mentionned that he was my 'friend'. I am planning to come back this year. So, I am wondering what to put down this time. Can I tell them he is my partner ? Thank you for the time taken in reading my story. Much appreciated. Kind regards, Shane Underscoring the issue, the Democratic National Committee recently announced that the next debate between Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders would take place in Flint on March 6. Sanders has repeatedly called for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to resign over the water debacle, and local reports indicate that his campaign has set up a presidential campaign office in the beleaguered city. Not only should Gov. Snyder resign immediately, the Justice Department must hold everyone accountable who knew about this crisis and did nothing, he said in a Jan. 16 statement. The federal government needs to take every possible measure to ensure that the people of Flint get clean drinking water as soon as possible. Flint, with about 100,000 residents, has seen its water contaminated with elevated levels of lead, after a state-appointed emergency manager of the city switched its source of water to save money in 2014. Snyder on Wednesday proposed spending some $195 million on Flint and another $165 million on Michigans overall infrastructure needs. The governor has directed approximately $37 million for Flint, a number that falls well below what many Democrats have called for. He has rebuffed congressional calls to testify on his role in the crisis. A bill supported by Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., would call for some $765 million to help those affected by the tainted water and help the Flint deal with the public health threat. In her speech on Sunday, Clinton urged Congress to act. Congress needs to pass that bill immediately, she said. This is no time for politics as usual. She also spoke about the Flint crisis at the Democratic debate in South Carolina on Jan. 17, arguing that if the kids in a rich suburb of Detroit had been drinking contaminated water, there would have been action. Sanders echoed that point in a debate in New Hampshire last week. One wonders, if this were a white suburban community, what kind of response there would have been, he said. "Flint, Michigan, is a poor community. It is disproportionately African-American and minority, and what has happened there is absolutely unacceptable." The Aprilia SR 150 will share engines with the Vespa 150cc models. Piaggio Vehicles (PVPL) is aiming to consolidate its position in the premium scooter market in India. While this sub-segment (models priced above Rs 70,000) currently sees only the Vespa brand, the company is now known to have a plan of adding yet another global brand Aprilia (via its SR 150 scooter model) in this space by August 2016. Piaggio officially unveiled the Aprilia SR 150 at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida on February 3, 2016, and announced that while the model will not only mark the brand's entry but it will be manufactured at its local facility in Baramati, Maharashtra. Talking to our sister publication Autocar Professional at the expo a few days ago, Stefano Pelle, managing director, PVPL, confirmed that the Aprilia SR 150 will share its engine with the Vespa 150cc models the SXL 150 and VXL 150 launched last year with price tags close to Rs 90,000 and Rs 85,000 respectively. According to the company website, Piaggio currently sells a total of six scooter models under the Vespa brand including four variants in the 125cc segment and two models in the 150cc scooter category. Yes, the engine (single-cylinder, 150cc, 11.5bhp) is the same that goes into the Vespa 150s but it is tuned differently. The transmission is also tuned differently. It shares a lot with the Vespa models, Pelle said. The Aprilia SR 150 will also come equipped with a 220mm front disc brake (along with a 140mm rear drum brake), which also hints at the possibility of adding a single-channel ABS system if required in the near future. Pelle added, We are in the process of setting up an all-new assembly line for the Aprilia SR 150s. The first batch of production scooters will roll out in a couple of weeks from now. Aprilia SR 150 vs Vespa SXL 150 While Aprilia will be another brand positioned in the premium segment, how will it fare against the Vespa siblings? I dont see any brand cannibalisation between Aprilias SR 150 and Vespas existing 150 models. The segments are completely different. Though they both belong to the premium segment, Vespa is more of a style statement and the Aprilia SR 150 is a sporty, stylish scooter which would certainly appeal to the youth. We will target the 18-28 years age group with the Aprilia SR 150. Now although the core target customers remain the same for the Vespa brand, it is also bought by customers into their late 20s or even 30s. That said, the Vespa models are universal and the Aprilia SR 150 is more male. This would also appeal to buyers who today use a bike and might want to use a scooter tomorrow. Its a slim, stylish scooter with utility space for storage, answered Pelle, clarifying that the two brands wont overlap each other in terms of potential buyers. In the context of pricing, he mentioned that though Aprilia could be perceived as a more premium brand than Vespa by many, the pricing of the SR 150 could be competitive. New Motoplex outlets planned in India The company is planning to soon open at least three new Motoplex outlets across South India in Hyderabad, Kochi and Chennai. India is a key growth market for us and to grow here, step one has to be ready with a reasonable distribution network across the country. By the time the Aprilia SR 150 will hit the roads, the network would have considerably grown. At the same time the Motoplex stores will grow. We have three more Motoplex outlets lined up in the next 2-3 months. We will set up new stores across Hyderabad, Kochi and Chennai. The western and southern markets are the best scooter markets and hence as a potential strategy we will cover these two regions first. We will expand to the rest of India as well. Vespa, on the other hand, continues to be a priority for us as that is our main brand, said Pelle. Besides the Motoplex stores, the company currently has around 80 retail outlets. It plans to increase this to 100-105 outlets by August 2016, just in time for the Aprilia's commercial rollout. The new incoming model is said to have received an overwhelming response from visitors at Auto Expo 2016. Amit Panday (Autocar Professional) The KUV100 is available in both petrol and diesel engine options. Mahindras latest launch, the KUV100 recently claimed a waiting period of over two months. The carmaker has announced today that the hatchback has garnered over 21,000 bookings. This comes barely a month after the cars launch. The KUV100 debuts Mahindras latest range of mFalcon 1.2-litre petrol and diesel engines. It is available in seven variants K2, K2+, K4, K4+, K6, K6+ and the top-spec K8. Prices for the petrol variants start at Rs 4.42 lakh and go up to Rs 5.91 lakh for the top-spec model. The base diesel is priced at Rs 5.22 lakh, going up to Rs 6.76 lakh (all prices ex-showroom, Pune). All variants get ABS and EBD as part of standard kit, while dual-front airbags are available as optional on all variants. Mahindra has left no stone unturned in retailing the KUV100. Apart from its dealer network, M&M has employed various e-commerce platforms to sell the car and has started accepting bookings on Flipkart, as well as its own e-retail platform, M2ALL. M&M had earlier confirmed that production capacity at its Chakan facility would be increased, with numbers going from 9,000 units a month to 12,000 units in less than six months. Speaking on KUV100 booking milestone, Pravin Shah, president and chief executive (Automotive), Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd said, We are delighted with the number of KUV100 bookings received within just a month of its launch and would like to thank our customers. The large number of enquiries and 21,000+ bookings, reaffirm the immense popularity KUV100 has garnered in such short time. With the launch of the KUV100, we have pushed the boundaries to create a new segment of SUVs as a superior alternative to compact cars and that has resonated well with our customers. What is also very encouraging is that almost half of our bookings are for the KUV100 petrol variant. Further, we are putting our efforts to serve the customers faster by increasing the capacity, as was shared during the launch. This is the manufacturers smallest offering yet, and its first foray into the hatchback segment, which includes cars like the Maruti Swift and the Grand i10. India's largest carmaker, Maruti sees flat growth, while Renault India bucks trend with 151 percent growth. For the automotive industry in India, the year 2016 started on a subdued note as the passenger vehicle segment largely witnessed a slowdown in sales. While Honda, Tata Motors and Toyota witnessed a de-growth in passenger vehicle sales, countrys largest player, Maruti Suzuki, which holds the largest share of over 47 percent reported marginal growth. Hyundai and Mahindra, however, bucked the trend as they witnessed increase in sales. Maruti Suzuki sold a total of 106,383 units in January 2016, up 0.78 percent as against 105,559 units a year ago. The carmaker said overall production and dispatches were hit due to lesser number of working days during the month. Sales of the companys compact car models such as the Swift hatch, Dzire sedan and Celerio declined 2.8 percent, sales in the mini segment comprising Alto and Wagon R declined 4.3 percent and the mid-size segment (Ciaz) slipped by 9.6 percent on year. However, sales of its utility vehicles including the Gypsy, Ertiga and S-Cross together sold 8,114 units, up 26.2 percent and the Omni and Eeco vans cumulatively sold 10,512 units, up 3.9 percent. Countrys second largest carmaker, Hyundai Motor India registered domestic sales of 38,016 units in January, a growth of 9.30 percent on-year. The growth momentum of last year has continued, built by the strong performance of products like the Grand i10, Creta and i20 Elite/Active, Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, Hyundai Motor India, said commenting on the sales performance. The passenger vehicles segment of homegrown carmaker, Mahindra & Mahindra, witnessed a strong revival in volumes at it registered sales of 22,088 units in January 2016, up 12.85 percent from 19,573 units sold last year. The carmaker last month launched a downsized 1.99-litre version of its mHawk diesel engine, which will be first available on the XUV500 and Scorpio to counter the ban. M&M was severely hit by the Supreme Courts ban on registration of large diesel cars and SUVs in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) since the ruling affected the XUV500, Bolero, Scorpio and Thar among other vehicles. The auto industry is hopeful that the upcoming Union Budget has significant incentives for the automotive industry, enabling it to post sustainable growth in times to come, according to Pravin Shah, president & chief executive, Automotive, M&M. Honda Cars India reported monthly domestic sales of 17,135 units as against 18,331 units last year, down 6.5 percent year-on-year. The popular City was the best-seller with 8,037 units, followed by the Jazz (4,709), Amaze (3,471), Mobilio (441), Brio (396) and the CR-V (81). Passenger vehicles sales at Tata Motors stood at 10,728 units, down 17.77 percent, compared to 13,047 units last year. The carmaker recently announced that its soon-to-be-launched hatchback, the Zica, will be given a new name. The name Zica in Tata parlance stands for ZIppy CAr, but the company elected to change the cars name in light of the devastating Zika virus outbreak spreading across many countries in Latin America. Toyota sold a total of 8,511 units in the domestic market in January 2016, down 32.72 percent down from the 12,650 units sold during the same month last year. Commenting on the monthly sales, N Raja, director and senior vice-president, Sales & Marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, Our monthly sales have been affected and part of it is a repercussion of the recent ban on registration of diesel vehicles with engine capacity of more than 2,000cc in Delhi & NCR. Volkswagen India recorded sales of 4,018 units last month, up 7.61 percent from 3,734 units on year, mostly due to an upbeat response to the Polo, Vento as well as the Jetta. The highest growth among all carmakers was witnessed by Renault India, which saw volumes surge 151 percent to 8,031 units in January 2016 as against 3,203 units last year due to a high demand for the Kwid hatchback. The carmaker is reportedly planning to ramp up production at its Chennai plant in the near term to nearly 10,000 units a month in order to meet the growing demand for the hatchback. At the 2003 Academy Awards, the Lincoln Town Car played second fiddle to the Toyota Prius. High-profile actors such as Harrison Ford and Cameron Diaz arrived at the Kodak Theatre in Priuses provided by Toyota for the perfect photo-op. But times have definitely changed since the Prius caught on the environmentally conscious world of Hollywood.With the arrival of the Tesla Model S , hybrids went out of fashion as fast as they were adopted by the elite of the movie industry.The Model S time in the limelight was short-lived, for the Model X became the must-have green machine. From the Instagram print screen above, we learn that one of the first stars to adopt the Model X as the go-to means of transport is Jaden Smith. Better still, the Tesla Model X in P90D form is Jadens first car.The Tesla Model X is in stark contrast to the first car of average people like you and me, something like a hand-me-down Civic with 200,000 miles on the odometer. Because this Model X is a range-topping P90D, youre looking at a starting price of $134,200 for a similar example to the one Jaden has. One can only imagine how many beat-up Civics they could buy for that mountain of green dollar bills.From what we know, Jaden Smith is the youngest Tesla Model X owner at the present moment. Good on you, Jaden, and dont forget that the loud pedal should be treated responsibly. If you step on it like you mean it, the P90D in Ludicrous Mode will propel you to 60 mph (96 km/h) in a mind-bending 3.2 seconds. AMG While we're not really sure about the truth behind that urban myth, we can tell you one thing - Russian roads are flooded with Mercedes' military-sourced offroader.Given the density of the G-Class population in Russia, seeing an-massaged example battling it out with a standard model in the country's infamous snow almost seems natural.However, this doesn't take anything away from the savage nature of the fight. Sure, this fight might seem uneven, but we assure you its organizers made sure the older, non-AMG G-Class stood a fair chance against the Biturbo behemoth.For one thing, both machines pack three locking differentials that allow them to laugh in the face of the weather.Oh, and there's another major aspect that sets these two G-Class units apart. We're talking about the fact that one of them comes with a bullbar delete option - this might just be another Russian Gelandewagen urban myth, one that has to do with the protection accessory having migrated from the list of optional extras to a mandatory feature when configuring the car.On a more serious note, we have to explain the owner of the non-AMG G-Class turned to a little trick in order to fight the Affalterbach machine, as he fitted snow chains to his vehicle. As for the guy in the G63, he was confident enough to stick to bare rubber when tackling the snow.Considering how much snow Russians have to deal with, battles such as this one may just be a good way to clear out entire areas without having to break a sweat. At first, it might seem odd for somebody to organize a drag race between such different manifestations of the Volkswagen Group's go-fast desires, but these two are much closer than they seem from a financial point of view.With the GT3 and the RS7 being about ten grand apart, things suddenly don't seem so odd anymore.For one thing, the world has seen more than one 911-owning father who decided to give up his rear-engined car in favor of a performance Ingolstadt machine once the family headcount demanded this. Will the fight seen here be some sort of revenge for the 911 or will the Audi prove it's worth playing the replacement car role? We don't want to ruin the fun provided by the footage below, so we won't throw any spoilers at you.As for the technical comparo between the two, the Audi might be considerably heavier, but its superior output does aim to make up for that. It's enough to consider the torque figures to understand that: while the Porsche has 324.5 lb-ft (440 Nm), the Audi delivers 516 lb-ft (700 Nm).The two pieces of German engineering battle it out on an airfield runway, so all the drivers have to worry about is keeping those pedals welded to the floor.We're warning any keyboard warriors that may point out Audi's RS portfolio also includes something called RS7 Performance that the endless ways of the Neunelfer line-up could have summoned a Turbo S on the runway on the day the two cars decided to duke it out. Proponents of these laws argue they are necessary to combat what they say is potentially widespread voter fraud. As an eligible citizen, you must be guaranteed that your vote is not stolen or diluted by thieves and fraudsters, the Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy organization, ominously warns on its web site.Heading its list of recommendations to combat this fraud is a voter ID requirement. Yet, among the 292 voter fraud convictions between 1998-2015 that the Heritage Foundation lists in its self-described voter fraud database, only four actually involved in-person voter impersonation, with far more involving false registrations committed by public officials or political operatives. The Heritage Foundation declined to respond to multiple requests for an interview. The kind of fraud that voter ID laws would resolve is vanishingly rare, said Myrna Perez, deputy director of the Voting Rights and Elections Project at the Brennan Center for Justice. In 2007 the Brennan Center released a comprehensive study on voter fraud, which concluded: It is more likely that an individual will be struck by lightning than that he will impersonate another voter at the polls. The studys author Justin Levitt is a Loyola Law professor currently serving as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. In a follow-up examination of voter fraud allegations between 2000-2014 Levitt found just 31 credible allegations nationwide of in-person voter impersonation out of more than 1 billion ballots cast. Levitt isnt the only one whos failed to find any widespread fraud that a voter ID would prevent. In an ongoing federal lawsuit (Veasey v. Abbott) brought against Texas voter ID law, court documents show that by a state Attorney General officials own admission, in the 10 years before the Texas voting ID law was passed, only two cases of in-person voter impersonation fraud were prosecuted to a conviction. A total of 20 million votes were cast during this period. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has been a highly visible proponent of voter ID laws, and in July 2015 convinced the Republican-dominated state legislature to grant him the power to prosecute voter fraud, making him the only secretary of state in the nation with such authority. So far Kobach has found only six cases to prosecute for voter fraud occurring in elections dating back to 2010. In March 2015, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, after launching an investigation into voting fraud going all the way back to 2000, announced that of the states 7.7 million registered voters his office found 145 individuals who werent citizens and that 44 of them had voted in an election. With an electorate of 153 million voters no one doubts that instances of improper voting are somewhere above zero. Yet the gulf between evidence of voter fraud and the Republican-led push for stricter voting laws is staggering. Critics of voter ID laws argue that they offer no meaningful protection against fraud. When voter fraud occurs it should be taken very seriously and we should have the mechanisms to make sure that it doesnt happen, said Perez. But cases where people are in a position to exploit the system are much more common than some random person pretending to be someone else. An analysis of election fraud by the journalism studies program News21 found that more than half of all fraud convictions between 2000 and 2012 involved either election officials, campaign workers or voting registration organizations. Just 1 in 207 fraud accusations involved voter impersonation, the only type of fraud that voter ID laws prevent. If [voter ID advocates] were really concerned about fraud theres a bunch of other things they could do, Perez added Our voting machines are vulnerable. Were asking people to vote on machines that are the equivalent of old-school flip phones. Our registration rolls are a mess. Voting rights advocates say that what voter ID laws are really good at is making it more difficult for a particular subset of Americans to vote; primarily low-income black and Latino citizens groups who tend to vote for Democratic candidates. The relative lack of academic data on voter suppression can make it a difficult argument to prove or dismiss. Voter ID proponents, for example, often point to studies showing an increase in black voter turnout in some states after voter ID laws took effect, while opponents highlight studies in other states that show the opposite result. Perez finds turnout to be an inherently flawed metric. Turnout is a conglomeration of a bunch of different individuals she said, noting that you could have 600 people blocked from voting but if you also had 601 new voters in the election the turnout would show an increase. Its very imprecise and will lead to bad data and conclusions for somebody to look at statewide turnout numbers as the dispositive measure of disenfranchisement. Instead one should look at whether there are concrete impacts on specific people and specific groups of people. In 2014 the U.S. Government Accountability Office surveyed 10 independent studies measuring how many citizens possess the types of IDs most commonly required by state voter ID laws. While the studies show an overwhelming majority of registered and/or eligible voters do have such IDs, in five states that enforce voter ID laws an average of 8 percent fewer black and Latino registered voters have valid IDs compared to their white counterparts. For many of these eligible voters, getting a valid ID is not a simple process. For one, those without a drivers license dont have a car, said Kathleen Unger, president of VoteRiders, a non-profit group that helps voters obtain valid IDs. So theyre not able to just drive down to the DMV to get a license. And while states do offer the option of a free voter ID card Unger says, In many cases there can be a cost associated with getting a free ID. Obtaining a copy of a birth certificate or a change of name document not only costs money but requires a trip to another agency. With these laws there are so many people who just wont vote. Photo courtesy of Zipcar. Zipcar has announced new partnerships in central Florida with the cities of Orlando and Winter Park to bring its carsharing service to the area. The Florida Department of Transportations reThink program, a service that seeks to reduce congestion, improve air quality, conserve natural resources and save commuters money, was an initial catalyst for this launch, reaching out to Zipcar in March 2015 about the opportunity to partner with the cities of Orlando and Winter Park. A total of 12 Zipcars six located in on-street parking spots and garages in downtown Orlando, four at hotels in walking distance to Disney Springs and two in a surface lot at the Winter Park SunRail Station are available for reservation by the hour or by the day, according to Zipcar. As mayor, keeping Orlando moving continues to be one of my top priorities, ensuring that we provide safe, multimodal forms of transportation and offer everyone who lives, works and plays in our city options for getting around, said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. Zipcar helps us to further this initiative, enhancing our transportation options and further connecting our community to opportunity and meeting their daily transportation needs. The Orlando and Winter Park fleets feature a variety of makes and models, including a Dodge Caravan named Minnie, a BMW X1 named The Mayor and a Ford Focus Hatchback named Beauty, according to Zipcar. Each reservation includes gas, insurance and 180 miles of driving per day. Zipcar couldnt be more excited to expand our wheels when you want them service to central Florida, said Smokshane West, Zipcars Florida market manager. In addition to walking, biking, SunRail, LYMMO and LYNX, visitors and residents now have access to a car when they need one. Members can hop off the LYNX and into a Zipcar or surprise their kids with Zipcar Minnie to visit an area theme park. Local businesses can benefit from Zipcars presence through the Zipcar for Business (Z4B) program that offers discounted driving rates Monday through Friday. For more information, visit www.zipcar.com/orlando. Mass burials were held in Nigeria on Wednesday after two female suicide bombers detonated explosives in a northeastern refugee camp the day before, killing at least 56 people, local officials said. An emergency management official said 51 bodies were buried in the town of Dikwa, the scene of the carnage some 50 miles northeast of Maiduguri, capital of Borno State. The bodies of five others remain in hospital. Health and rescue workers said the attack on Tuesday also injured 78 people. News of the bombings was not reported earlier due to poor telephone service. Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, officials suspect that the armed group Boko Haram, which originated in Borno State, is responsible. The group has been attacking soft targets, increasingly with suicide bombers, since Nigerias military last year drove them out of towns and villages in the northeast. The targeted camp houses an estimated 50,000 Nigerians displaced because of Boko Harams 6-year insurgency against the state. The conflict has so far killed an estimated 20,000 people and driven 2.5 million from their homes. The armed group became internationally known after it kidnapped at least 200 female students in April of 2014 from a school in the northeastern town of Chibok. Most of the kidnapped students were never rescued, and Boko Haram has continued sporadic raids on the area including the torching of a village near Chibok this month. Officials on Wednesday said a third would-be bomber was arrested before she could detonate her explosives at the camp on Tuesday. She has reportedly provided officials with information about other planned attacks in the area, sparking an increase in security. Al Jazeera and Reuters The controversial FAA reauthorization bill that includes privatizing the air traffic control system will begin its journey through what is expected to be a tough legislative process Wednesday with a hearing. Four witnesses, including representatives of Airlines 4 America, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the Reason Foundation and NBAA President Ed Bolen will testify. In a way, the makeup of the hearing mirrors the primary concern of GA groups who have generally opposed the bill. The overriding worry is that the makeup of the board of directors is heavily weighted toward the airline industry and that other aviation sectors will not get the same access and benefits from the system. The National Air Transport Association added its concern about that Tuesday in a news release. After Wednesdays hearing, the bill heads to committee markup where it will be amended in preparation for presentation in the House. While all the alphabet groups have seen something to support in the 270-page bill, especially the liberal take on third class medical reform (the bill, as presented, would create the so-called drivers license medical for most private pilots), there are plenty of concerns, too. Many in Congress have concerns, also so the final version of the bill is expected to be much different from the one presented last week. Jim Coon, AOPAs senior vice president of government affairs, said the bill has a long way to go before it is passed, if it is ever passed. This is the first step in a long and arduous process and we will work to ensure that any legislation protects the interests of general aviation, Coon said in a statement to AVweb. He said AOPA will never accept user fees for GA operators but he also said the system needs change. I believe most folks would agree that the status quo is difficult to defend, he said.Having said that, we do have concerns about how ATC reforms in other countries have negatively impacted GA and we want to make sure that those mistakes are not made here in the United States. 10 February 2016 13:21 (UTC+04:00) The consistent ceasefire violations and shelling of the Azerbaijani positions by Armenian troops continue to claim the lives of servicemen. Azerbaijani soldier Rahib Guliyev was killed as a result of the Armenian provocation on February 10, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported. Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire with Azerbaijan 112 times by using mortars in various parts of the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies in the last 24 hours, the defense ministry reported earlier. Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by U.S, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far. As a result of the military aggression of Armenia, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, more than 4,000 are reported missing and almost 100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were disabled. The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day. 10 February 2016 16:58 (UTC+04:00) By Nazrin Gadimova Armenia's blaming Baku in a desire to hold a status quo in long lasting Nagorno-Karabakh conflict indeed showed political illiteracy of Yerevan, which keeps under occupation 20 percent of internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan. "It seems the Armenian Foreign Ministry does not understand the concept of the 'status quo' term," Spokesman Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev said. The most interested party in changing status quo and in political settlement of the conflict is Azerbaijan, Hajiyev mentioned. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian accused Azerbaijan in preserving status quo on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in a statement made at a joint press conference with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom on February 9, 2016. Hajiyev said Armenia continues its occupation policy keeping its troops at Azerbaijan's occupied territories. If Yerevan is not interested in maintaining status quo, as Nalbanyan urges, then Armenia should immediately, unconditionally and completely withdraw its forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as required by UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884, he noted. Hajiyev stressed that Armenia's statements about peace and its claims against Azerbaijan are nothing but a nonsense and irresponsibility. He said all efforts should be aimed at eliminating the basic causes of the conflict to achieve a comprehensive settlement and establishment of long-term peace. The Armenian armed forces should withdraw and occupation of the Azerbaijani lands must be ceased within a certain period of time, but not in a free time mode that is traditional for OSCE Minsk Group, Hajiyev noticed. Armenia should understand that the situation created through illegal use of force and occupation cannot be considered a legitimate and Yerevan will not be able to achieve its political purposes in this way. Azerbaijan will use all opportunities to ensure inviolability of the internationally recognized state borders, compliance for territorial integrity and sovereignty, Hajiyev said, adding that Armenia is responsible for everything that happened. Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war. Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994, but Armenia has continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal. Peace talks mediated by Russia, France, and the U.S. have produced no results so far. -- Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 16:25 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Turkish companies and businessmen desire to strengthen their positions on the promising Turkmen market. This was obviously shown during a joint Turkmen-Turkish business forum and exhibition which kicked off in Ashgabat on February 9 and will last till February 11. The Turkish delegation includes representatives of more than 100 Turkish companies specializing in mechanical engineering, chemical industry, production of industrial, agricultural and water-economic equipment, trade, education, construction and other fields. In his addressing speech to participants of a joint Turkmen-Turkish business forum and exhibition Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said these events will be of great importance for the expansion of bilateral trade and economic partnership, increase in export of goods, development of business relations with Turkish companies and investors, wide attraction of foreign capital into the national economy. Turkey and Turkmenistan, bound by a common history, language, religion and culture, enjoy special relations. Today the cooperation between the two countries encompasses very diverse fields - foreign policy, trade, economy, in particular energy and construction sectors, as well as culture and education. Since the early days of independence of Turkmenistan, Turkish businessmen have contributed to the countrys development with about 600 Turkish companies registered in Turkmenistan. In the past few years, Turkmenistan has become the country in Central Asia where Turkish contracting companies undertook the most projects. Turkish companies are making significant contributions to the infrastructural development of Turkmenistan. Recently, amid worsening relations between Turkey and Russia, boosting ties with Turkmenistan has becomes vital for Ankara. Being Turkmenistan's top import partner, Turkey exports mostly electronic equipment, machinery, processed metals and furniture to the Central Asian nations, making up 26 percent of Turkmenistan's imports. Meanwhile, experts believe that the energy sector is the most important field where the two countries desire to develop cooperation. They say Ashgabat and Ankara have a great potential in energy relations. Alternative gas supplier Currently, when relations between Moscow and Ankara are hopelessly ruined, Turkey seeks an alternative for Russian energy supplies in order to get rid of energy dependence on Moscow. Ankara has already made a strategic decision to turn down Gazprom and reject Russian gas supplies and its transit. In this context, Turkmenistan is seen as an alternative variant. Turkey is also important for Turkmenistan as a huge and fast-growing natural gas market as well. According to estimations, Turkish natural gas market will grow by 45 percent and reach an annual volume of 65 billion cubic meters by 2023. Most of the natural gas import agreements will expire until then, which opens new doors for Turkmenistan in Turkish gas market. Being one of the key players in the energy market of the resource-rich Caspian region, Turkmenistan has the world's fourth largest natural gas reserves after Russia, Iran, and Qatar, and produces about 70-80 billion cubic meters of gas a year. Turkmenistan's natural gas reserves, which is equal to 10-12 percent of proven natural gas reserves in the world, is sufficient to meet Turkeys current natural gas demand for 500 years by itself. Today, Turkmenistan is keen to expand its natural gas market gradually to the European direction. In this regard, Turkey with its strategic position between energy-rich Central Asian country and energy-hunger European consumers plays a crucial role in Ashgabats getting into the European market. As a bridge between Europe and Asia, Turkey is also a potentially key actor in natural gas trade. On the backdrop of increase of Europe's demand in blue fuel and its aim to decrease dependence on Russian gas, Turkmen gas becomes important for the economic and strategic security of Europe. It, in turn, leads to strengthening energy relations between Turkmenistan and Turkey. It is believed that transportation of Turkmen gas to European markets through Turkey will enhance European energy security. More focus on Southern Gas Corridor Currently, Turkmenistan exports 58 percent of produced gas to China. However, Turkmenistan enjoys a potential to produce even more natural gas, and export it to new - European customers. The infrastructure, which would be used for supply of Turkmen gas to Europe, is the Southern Gas Corridor. The Southern Gas Corridor project envisages the transportation of the gas extracted at the giant Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. Shah Deniz Stage 2 gas will make a 3,500 kilometer journey from the Caspian Sea into Europe. The existing South Caucasus Pipeline will be expanded with a new parallel pipeline across Azerbaijan and Georgia, while the Trans-Anatolian pipeline will transport Shah Deniz gas across Turkey to meet the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, which will take gas through Greece and Albania into Italy. Joining of another supplier, such Turkmenistan, to the Southern Gas Corridor would be beneficial for all parts. Turkey, Europe and Azerbaijan have long courted Turkmenistan to become this "another supplier" by constructing the proposed Trans-Caspian pipeline, which would be connected to the Southern Gas Corridor. However, Turkmenistan has been wary of partaking in a project that counters Russia, which holds a great deal of influence in Turkmenistan and elsewhere in Central Asia. Also, Turkmenistan in recent years has been more focused in fulfilling its natural gas contracts with China. However, the Trans-Caspian pipeline, according to the energy experts, is the last option for diversifying Turkmenistan's customer base, as the implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline, the implementation of which is a high priority for Ashgabat, is fraught with security and financial concerns. Also, negotiations with Iran on using its pipeline infrastructure for gas transportation are hopeless as Iran is a strong natural gas producer itself and is not likely to help Ashgabat. Thus, it is a chance both for Turkmenistan and Turkey to agree on the implementation of the Trans-Caspian pipeline. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 10:47 (UTC+04:00) Jordan's House of Representatives will adopt a resolution on the Khojaly Genocide, the heart-rending tragedy in 1992 when hundreds of Azerbaijanis were massacred after Armenians stormed the city of Khojaly. Parliamentary Speaker Atef Tarawneh has announced about this at a meeting with Azerbaijani Ambassador Sabir Aghabayov. He said the Jordanian parliament has always backed justice, adding it will voice its position on the Khojaly Genocide in a resolution. The town of Khojaly, the second largest town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, came under intense fire by the Armenian armed forces in February 1992. 613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 people remains unknown. Civilians were shot at close range, scalped, and burned alive. Ambassador Aghabayov, in turn, hailed the Jordanian Senate`s resolution condemning the Khojaly Genocide. The ambassador expressed confidence that Jordan`s House of Representatives will also express its stance on the issue through passing a resolution. The sides further discussed cooperation between the two countries, and also praised the role of the Azerbaijani President and the King of Jordan in developing the bilateral ties, Azertac state news agency reported. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 11:29 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli While Pope Francis will engage in a whirlwind of activity during the first half of 2016, well-informed circles of the papal administration informed about Pope's intention to visit the South Caucasus. Reportedly, the visit covering Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia is scheduled for September. Pope Francis will set out on his 12th foreign journey on February 12, this time heading for Mexico, the second most populous Catholic country in the world after Brazil where some 90 percent of its 125 million populations are Catholic. Azerbaijan and Vatican enjoy wide relations and realize joint humanitarian and cultural projects. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation plays a big role in the development of cultural relations between the two sides, supporting restoration work at the mausoleum of St. Helena and the Roman catacombs. In June 2015, the sides signed two agreements on restoration of a monument to Zeus, and reconstruction of Sistine Chapel at Vatican Museum. The contribution of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation acting in a Muslim country in art and spiritual values of the Christian world is the first event in the history of Rome, and it is connected with the historical role of Azerbaijan in the dialogue between religions and cultures. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 12:23 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has not signed the amendments to the law On currency regulation and sent them back to the Parliament of Azerbaijan, the office of the countrys presidential aide on economic reforms said, Azertac news agency reported. The President refused to sign the document taking into account numerous appeals of entrepreneurs and investors, the report reads. In January, the Parliament adopted amendments the law on currency regulation, envisaging introducing a 20 percent mandatory fee for the money transfer abroad as direct investment for the purchase of securities, real estate and land plots, as well as for maintenance of foreign offices of Azerbaijani companies in an amount exceeding $50,000 during a year. The amendments did not cover the legal entities, the state share in the equity capital of which exceeds 50 percent. This measure also would not affect the transfers abroad for medical treatment, education, execution of decisions of courts and law enforcement agencies outside of Azerbaijan. Foreign citizens were not required to pay 20-percent mandatory fee on remittances from money transactions from Azerbaijan to abroad. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 19:16 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Azerbaijan's State Border Service detained as many as 20 citizens of Bangladesh, five citizens of Pakistan and three citizens of Uzbekistan as part of the fight against the illegal migration during this January. The detainees were using the Azerbaijan-Iran-Turkey-Europe route for illegal migration. The State Border Service identified 1,569 foreigners who violated residence legislation and rules of temporary or permanent stay in the country in January. Four of these foreigners were issued with new documents instead of lost ones for the temporary and permanent residence in the country. Some 101 foreigners were fined and their residence was legalized. As many as 1,145 foreigners were given 48 hours to leave the country, while 319 citizens of other countries were expelled under an administrative order. In general, during last month, the State Migration Service received 7,403 appeals for extension of stay of foreigners and stateless persons, applications for permits for temporary and permanent residence, as well as acceptance, rejection and restoration of citizenship, granting refugee status and citizenship, as well as granting permits for self-employment in the country or its extension. Moreover, the Service reported 41,576 appeals in connection with the registration of the place of residence in January. In accordance with national legislation dated 2013, foreigners and stateless persons arriving in Azerbaijan for a period exceeding three days should register with the Migration Service. A copy of the person's ID should be submitted to the Migration Service personally, via mail, or email within 3 days. This service is free and application forms are available at the Migration Service, post offices, and at www.migration.gov.az. The Migration Service will immediately register foreigners at place of their stay and present written notification to the receiving party within 1 working day. Foreigners can be registered for the period allotted by their visas, or for 90 days under the visa-free regime. After changing the place of residence, registration must be renewed. These easy steps can exempt visitors from penalties and deportation. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 18:43 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Sweden has offered to convene an enlarged meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group for settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said at a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in Baku on February 10 that Stockholm can contribute to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Mammadyarov discussed with visiting Wallstrom the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the ways to de-escalate tension in the conflict region. She said Sweden adheres to the political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and mediation of negotiations by the OSCE Minsk Group. "The settlement of the Karabakh conflict is an important issue for Azerbaijan," she said. "I asked my Azerbaijani counterpart what role Sweden can play in the settlement of the conflict. We are ready to take part in this issue. It is necessary to adhere to the principles of non-use of force, inviolability of borders and self-determination of peoples. If there is a need for a meeting in a broader format for the settlement of the conflict, we, as members of the OSCE Minsk Group, are ready to take part at this meeting," she noted. Wallstrom also offered to organize a meeting of women - representatives of the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh within the framework of confidence-building measures between the sides to the conflict. She went on to add that her current visit should be seen as support for cooperation with Azerbaijan, both in the bilateral format and within the framework of cooperation with the EU. Mammadyarov, in turn, said Azerbaijan's position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is clear: updated Madrid principles are the base document. Changing internationally recognized borders of states By use of force is unacceptable, he emphasized. For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. The sides to the conflict are currently in talks based on the renewed Madrid principles, which envisage return of occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control, ensure the right of all internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their former places of residence, future determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh and etc. However, the peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group have been largely fruitless so far. Touching upon the Azerbaijani-Swedish relations, Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan expects expansion of activity of the Swedish Embassy in Baku. Political relations between Azerbaijan and Sweden are at a good level, he said. Azerbaijan expects expansion of activity of the Swedish Embassy in Baku, which is now represented by a diplomatic office. Currently, the residence of the Swedish Embassy in Azerbaijan is located in Stockholm. Commenting on Azerbaijan's participation at the Munich Security Conference, Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan will be represented at the highest level at this conference. "Azerbaijan will take part in a panel on energy issues," he added. A three-day Munich Security Conference will begin on February 12 in Germany. It is expected that the conference will be attended by heads of states and governments from over 30 countries, about 60 ministers, as well as politicians, scientists and heads of international organizations. As part of a visit to Baku, Wallstrom concluded a convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income with Mammadyarov The convention involves the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion. Refugees Sweden has expressed interest in studying Azerbaijan's experience in the field of resolving the problems of the refugees. "Sweden has the highest per capita number of refugees in Europe," Wallstrom said on February 9 at a meeting with Ali Hasanov, Azerbaijans deputy premier and chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDP affairs. "The majority of these refugees are children who do not have parents. Resolving their problems in education, healthcare and other areas creates certain difficulties for us. Therefore, Azerbaijan's experience in this field is very important for us." Hasanov, for his part, noted that in the past 200 years as a result of complicated political processes taking place in the South Caucasus, Azerbaijanis forcefully displaced from their homes, suffered from ethnic cleansing and deportation policy. "A ceasefire agreement reached between Azerbaijan and Armenia in 1994, paved the way for the development of our country. At the same time, Azerbaijan started to resolve the problems of refugees and internally displaced persons step by step. Today, we were able to provide proper home conditions for almost 250,000 refugees. We have a literacy rate of 100 percent, including refugees. Ten years ago, about 70 percent of the refugees were living in poverty. Currently, the poverty rate among the refugees is only 12 percent," Hasanov noted. Today, Azerbaijan with a population of about 10 million is home to more than 1.2 million refugees and IDPs. Every 8th citizen in Azerbaijan is a refugee, which is one of the highest per capita number of refugees. The Azerbaijanis who were displaced from their homes as result of the brutal war were forced to live in refugee camps, tents, in very difficult conditions. They also lost all of their properties. They became homeless, jobless and without any means for living. That was a real humanitarian catastrophe. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 18:06 (UTC+04:00) Chairman of Caucasian Muslims Office (CMO), Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade has met Tajik Ambassador to Azerbaijan Zohir Saidov to discuss religious relations between the two countries. The sides highlighted the traditional friendly and fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. The parties noted that cultural relations between the two nations have a positive impact on the development of ties between the two fraternal countries in all areas. Pashazade stressed the importance of the friendly relations and reciprocal visits of the heads of state. He also recalled his visits to Tajikistan, participation in international events, and his meeting with President Emomali Rahmon, and asked the Ambassador to convey his sincere greetings and best wishes to both the Tajik President and Mufti. The Tajik Ambassador said religious and spiritual relations were of great importance for the two fraternal countries, Azertac state news agency reported. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Word that he snagged first place in New Hampshire prompted supporters at Trump headquarters in Manchester to wave foam fingers declaring "You're hired." Trump, appealing to voters seeking a political outsider, gained from the persistent lack of clarity among the more mainstream Republicans struggling to challenge him. "We are going to do something so good and so fast and so strong, and the world is going to respect us again, believe me," he said at a victory rally. With his victory, attention shifted to the runners-up in the race. Several candidates needed a strong finish to ensure the survival of their campaigns. New Hampshire's verdict sets up a tough fight for Republicans in South Carolina on Feb. 20 and for Democrats there on Feb. 27. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who spent much of his time in New Hampshire in recent weeks, finished second on the GOP side. Throughout the heated primary campaign season, he has prided himself on not attacking his rivals. A moderate Republican from a politically important state, he told supporters Tuesday night that his second-place finish could be an indication that "we're turning the page on a dark part of American politics." "We have a lot of people who have been promising money if we perform," said Tom Rath, a senior national adviser to Kasich. "Tonight, we performed." Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, 44, had hoped to build on a solid third-place finish in Iowa and brush off a rocky performance in last weekend's Republican debate. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie spent most of their time in New Hampshire in recent weeks and needed to show voters as well as crucial financial donors that they're viable candidates. The day was a blow for Rubio, who had appeared to be breaking away from the second-tier Republican pack. But he stumbled in Saturday's debate under intense pressure from Christie, who has relentlessly cast the young senator as too inexperienced and too reliant on memorized talking points to become president. Rubio conceded that the debate may have hurt him in Tuesday's contest and pledged to supporters that his poor performance "will never happen again." Christie, however, didn't benefit from roughing up Rubio. He was near the back of the pack as votes were being tallied and said he planned to return home to New Jersey to "make a decision on our next step forward." He canceled plans to go to South Carolina a sign he could drop out soon. Bush was pressing on, declaring that New Hampshire voters had "reset the race." Wire services 10 February 2016 22:51 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Recent debates on a letter of the two members of the Russian Duma to President Vladimir Putin on termination of 1921 Moscow Treaty have raised some questions about the future of relations between Baku and Moscow. Maria Zakharova, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Russia develops relations with Azerbaijan and it will only focus on what would improve the Azerbaijani-Russian relations. Responding to a question on the request of the State Duma members about the termination of the agreement between Turkey and Russia, she said Russia will not do anything that could deteriorate relations between Moscow and Baku. "A request about the termination of the agreement between Turkey and Russia from 1921 was received by the Foreign Ministry, and we are studying this issue," Zakharova added. Members of Russias State Duma Valery Rashkin and Sergey Obukhov (Communist Party faction) sent a letter to President Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposing to denounce the Moscow Treaty of Friendship and Brotherhood signed on March 16, 1921, by the government of Soviet Russia (RSFSR) and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Izvestia newspaper reported. This agreement confirms Nakhchivan as part of Azerbaijan and Turkey acts as a guarantor of it. Termination of the Moscow contract means the cancellation of the Treaty of Kars as well. Experts believe that the issue of denunciation of Lenin's agreements with Kemal's Turkey raised by the Communists is a kind of one of the last warning to Erdogan. The approval of these proposals by Moscow may really push the two countries to war, as it will cast doubt on the territorial integrity of Turkey at a state level. Hasan Ogtay, an expert, the Head of the Caucasus Strategic Studies Center, told local media that termination of the Moscow and Kars treaties would lead to war between Russia and Turkey. Serious worsening is observed in Turkish-Russian relations, and the presidents of the two countries should take steps without delay to ease the tension. "The Russian Communist Party's such a proposal is a groundless move," he said. "Possibly, neither Moscow nor Kars treaties will terminated." Azerbaijan, Russia strategic partners Azerbaijani-Russian cooperation is completely based on the principles of mutual respect and good neighborly relations. Being long-time partners, Russia and Azerbaijan are keen to continue developing multilateral cooperation in the future. Currently, Azerbaijani-Russian relations have reached the level of strategic partnership. The all-around strengthening of cooperation with Russia has been and remains one of the main priorities of Azerbaijan's foreign policy. Baku-Moscow ties are a model for mutually beneficial cooperation, partnership, and understanding. Russia has a format of regional cooperation with other countries, but the Azerbaijani-Russian Interregional forum is unique. Russia correctly identifies interregional cooperation as a strategic part of foreign policy, and this depends largely on the intensity of relations between Russia and Azerbaijan as a whole. Trade turnover between Russia and Azerbaijan at the end of 2014 exceeded $4 billion and reached its historical maximum. This figure amounted to $ 1.1 billion in January-July 2015, which is 1.85 percent more than in the same period of 2014, according to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee. To date, Russia has invested over $1.8 billion in Azerbaijan's economy, while Azerbaijan has invested over $1 billion in the Russian economy. Today, more than 600 companies with Russian capital operate in Azerbaijan. Russian investments in the countrys economy have recently amounted to more than $1.8 billion. The leading Azerbaijani companies successfully operate in the regions of the Russian Federation. Direct Azerbaijani investments in the Russian economy have amounted to more than $1 billion for the last 10 years. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 15:22 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Azerbaijan Railways close joint stock company will henceforth regulate the tariffs for cargo and passenger traffic through the railway as the state decided to authorize it with more authorities. The Cabinet of Ministers amended the List of goods (work, services), the prices (tariffs) for which are regulated by state, where the Cabinet excluded tariffs for freight and passenger traffic through railway from this list. Spokesman for the company Nadir Azmammadov told Trend on February 7 that Azerbaijan Railways has been authorized to regulate tariffs for railway transportation. Earlier, the Tariff Council fulfilled these functions as the Azerbaijan Railways was subordinated to the Transport Ministry, Azmammadov said. Azerbaijani Railways became an independent body at the presidential decree in 2015 and was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Cabinet of Ministers. Now Azerbaijani Railways has entered a stage of dynamic development and is implementing several large-scale reforms. Azmammadov emphasized the company has established bilateral and multilateral relations with international financial institutions and involved in many international projects. Work on the implementation of one of the main projects of the 21st century -- the railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is underway, which will connect not only three countries, but also play the role of bridge between dozens of states and peoples, he said. Last year the company upgraded its wagon and locomotive fleet, signing a contract with Russian Uralvagonzavod on purchasing 3,100 freight cars for various purposes, some 3,030 of which have already been delivered to the country. The company also bought some 50 freight and passenger locomotives from French ALSTOM company. Last year Azerbaijan Railways and Switzerlands Stadler Rail Group signed a contract for the purchase of five KISS double-decker trains. Three of these trains have already in Baku. Azerbaijan enjoys both advantageous geographical position at a crossroads between East and West and developed transport infrastructure, which pave the way for the country to become a regional transport hub. The history of Azerbaijani railway goes back to the 19th century when it was mainly used for oil transportation. Today, the total length of the countrys railway surpasses 2,932 kilometers. Today, Azerbaijan has invested billions of dollars in the development of railway infrastructure, applying the principle of "single window" for transport of transit cargoes through its territory via the railways and attracting foreign cargo companies. Azerbaijan has reduced transit costs by around 40 percent for foreign carriers heading to the Kazakh port of Aktau and Turkmenbashi port of Turkmenistan. The government applies a 30-percent discount on the services of transit of oil and oil products by railway. The North-South railway project connecting northern Europe to the south-east Asia, serve as a bridge connecting the railways of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia. After the removal of sanctions imposed against Iran the trade turnover with the EU will increase significantly, and Azerbaijan can use railway transport for cargo transportation. The establishment of railway communication between Azerbaijan and Iran and the development of the North-South transport corridor can open significant prospects for the development of cargo and passenger traffic between Europe and Asia, thus greatly contributing to the diversification of Azerbaijan's economy. The Trans-Caspian international transport route, which runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey and onward to Europe, has the opportunity to become a profitable route for the country. Azerbaijan expects to earn hundreds of millions of manat from the route which will transport approximately 300,000-400,000 containers by 2020. Azerbaijan Railways can also earn $600-700 million from transit traffic by 2020. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 14:58 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova China, the largest cotton producing country in the world, is keen to expand relations with Azerbaijan in the cotton breeding field. Chinese Xinjiang Yinlong International Agricultural Cooperation reviews opportunities for construction of a joint plant in Azerbaijan for production of seedless raw cotton and cotton seed, based on new technologies, local media reported. Currently, negotiations are underway between Azerbaijan's Agriculture Ministry and the Xinjiang Yinlong, which is the third largest Chinese company, specialized in the field of cotton growing. Experts believe that cooperation with China is of significant importance in terms of development of seed farming, cotton processing and seed cleaning in Azerbaijan. They say China, some 300 million people of which are involved in cotton production in the country's 24 provinces, attaches great importance to Azerbaijan's climate and soil capabilities for seed farming and cotton breeding. They also note that Azerbaijan, which is keen to give a new life to cotton production industry, will benefit from cooperation with China. Currently, cotton production is traditionally wide-spread in the country's Saatli, Sabirabad, Beylagan, Barda and Zardab regions. Azerbaijan was famous for high production of cootn in the 20th century and was even a leading cotton producer in the Soviet Union. However, over the past 18 years, production has dipped six fold in Azerbaijan due to diminishing interest to this field of agriculture. As a result, areas grown under cotton reduced by nine times. Azerbaijan collected 35,000 tons of cotton in 2015, which is 14.6 percent less than in 2014, according to the State Statistics Committee. This was the lowest indicator of cotton production in Azerbaijan since 2010. Local experts say that cotton production is not the easiest operation, and despite the heavy demand, the decrease in interest in cotton resulted from the low profitability margins of cotton production. Moreover, an increasing use of artificial materials worldwide has negatively affected the cotton-growing sector. They believe that to boost this sphere, new technologies, minerals, and varieties are needed to lower the cost of cotton production. In this case, Azerbaijani cotton would be competitive in world markets. Meanwhile, the government of Azerbaijan has opted for incentive measures to enhance local production, to increase farmers' interest in this traditional sector and to create new jobs. Azerbaijan's Economy and Industry Ministry reported on February 6 that the government has discussed the prospects for the development of the cotton production with representatives of companies involved in the production and processing of cotton. Cotton production and processing enterprises increased the procurement price of cotton significantly in 2016 compared to the previous year. They will pay some 500 manats ($315.55), 470 manats ($296.6), 440 manats ($277.68) and 400 manats ($252.44) for a ton of the first, second, third and fourth types of cotton, respectively. Moreover, cotton production and processing facilities will meet the costs of transportation and 90 percent of production costs will be provided in advance by processors. Farmers engaged in cotton breeding will be able to reach wider range of preferential loans and leasing services. The incentive measures and the increase in sown areas will provide an opportunity to create more than 15,000 new jobs, thereby almost doubling the number of employees in this area. In total, it is planned to plant cotton in 30,000 hectares of land (80 percent more than the previous year), and to supply 70,000 tons of raw cotton in 2016. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 12:31 (UTC+04:00) By Nazrin Gadimova Azerbaijan will begin deliveries of tinned goods to St. Petersburg, Russia, in mid-March 2016. Being one of the largest sectors of Azerbaijans economy agriculture has great potential, which attracts both local and foreign entrepreneurs. Elgiz Kachayev, the chairman of economy committee in Petersburg said that the Russian delegation, which includes representatives of X5 Retail Group, St. Petersburgs transport companies and Quality Control Center, is in Baku to discuss product range, which will be delivered to St. Petersburg. The matter is a tinned production made in Azerbaijan - eggplant caviar, compotes, garnet juice, and tea, Kachayev said. At the same time we discuss prospects of deliveries of a quince and other agricultural products. The delegation has already visited Azersun Holding, leading enterprise of Azerbaijan, and tomorrow we are going to examine activity of Gilan Holding. Kachayev said the experts believe that Azerbaijani goods will enjoy wide popularity because it is qualitative and time-proved. Now representatives of X5 Retail Group conduct negotiations on year-round deliveries. The Azerbaijani entrepreneurs are also interested to acquire production in rubles to minimize currency risks. Being a leading Russian food retailer, X5 Retail Group N.V. operates several retail formats, including economy class stores under the Pyaterochka brand, the supermarket chain under the Perekrestok brand, the hypermarket chain under the Karusel brand and other convenient stores under different brands. Russia showed a special interest for the Azerbaijani agricultural products after introduction of western sanction over Ukraine crisis in late 2014. Earlier, Azerbaijan also voiced plans to create national agricultural centers in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other regions of Russia. Azerbaijan has a good chance to gain a foothold in the Russian consumer market by increasing the supply of fruit and vegetable products and expanding the construction of modern greenhouses there. Though high quality Azerbaijani products have been in demand in neighboring countries, the country did not previously have the capacity to export these products in large quantities. The agricultural production in Azerbaijan at effective prices amounted to 3.23 billion dollars in January-October 2015, increasing to 6.7 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the State Statistic Committee. In this period, livestock production increased by 2.4 percent and crops by 10.7 percent. In this period the country produced 385,100 tons of meat in live weight, 1.63 million tons of milk, 1.29 billion eggs and 16,800 tons of wool. With further development of the production of the high quality agricultural goods, Azerbaijan will be able not only increase the supply to Russia, but also enter markets in Eastern Europe. -- Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 17:16 (UTC+04:00) By Nazrin Gadimova Azerbaijan will launch check-ups to identify cases of using GMO seeds at grain-growing farms in March 2016. Azerbaijani legislation bans the import and distribution of genetically modified plants and their inclusion in the state register. The country also enforced criminal liability for the use of GMO in 2015. Despite these provisions, experts believe that GMO products are widely used in Azerbaijan and stress the necessity to examine the field. Check-ups will be held in Ganja-Gazakh and Sheki-Zagatala regions where the main large-scale grain-growing farms are concentrated, deputy director for scientific issues of Genetic Resources Institute, Mehraj Abbasov said. Abbasov added that similar inspections were carried out in Guba-Khachmaz, Lankaran-Astara, Sheki-Zagatala regions in 2014. "Our inspection did not reveal the use of GMO seeds during the cultivation of corn, soy plants and potatoes, he added. Earlier, the Azerbaijani government banned import of the grape, tobacco and cotton goods containing GMO. The orders also forbid production of similar goods in Azerbaijan. GMOs, which are a result of a genetic engineering process, were created as a solution for countries facing famine and poor land conditions. However, nature-rich Azerbaijan is does not need GMO products and new measures to fight GMO spread in the country are expected to stop the penetration. Azerbaijan joined the Cartagena Protocol on biological safety in 2005 and has a commitment to prevent the spread of GMOs and their use for commercial purposes. In 2011, the country approved a law on the protection and effective use of genetic resources to protect its population's health and the country's biodiversity. Together with introduction of No GMO label, Azerbaijan is fighting with fake labeling of food products with trustworthy eco markings, prohibiting labeling food products with eco-friendly markings. The standardization based on the international experience is expected to increase enlightenment of the population and decrease misleading. -- Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 17:34 (UTC+04:00) By Nazrin Gadimova Azerbaijans Economy Ministry has simplified business activity licensing procedures. The license will be automatically issued if the governmental body leaves unanswered request for licensing within a certain period. The bill envisaging these changes will be submitted to the parliament for the consideration, Sahib Mammadov, Deputy Economy Minister said. The ministry also proposes to oblige public bodies to provide entrepreneurs with methodological assistance within five days to ensure that entrepreneurs do not spend extra funds and that they are ready to get a license. Mammadov also noted that the bill envisions issuing electronic licenses. "But we offer to preserve paper license on a par with e-licenses as we do not have enough technical equipment for a complete transition to electronic document management," he added. The issued license will automatically enter in a single register, using which anyone can check the availability of the license. The draft law will also provide for shortening the licensing period from 15 to 10 days, and granting permission up to 7 days. Moreover, the ministry plans to introduce so-called single window system, which means that provision of any services for getting a license will be concentrated in one place. The Economy Ministry has also prepared a new optimized list of to be licensed business activities, which will likely come into force together with the law, Mammadov believes. Mammadov also reminded about the measures that have been taken to simplify licensing procedures in Azerbaijan in the past year. The government started to introduce privileges for entrepreneurs under a presidential decree simplifying licensing procedures for entrepreneurship and encouraging business transparency in October 2015. The above-mentioned decree also reduced the number of inspections over entrepreneurs for two-year period. Moreover, following the decree rendering services for issuing business licenses was transferred to ASAN service. At the same time, some 22 types of licenses have been canceled following the decree last year. Now, entrepreneurs in Azerbaijan are not required to obtain licenses for such types of business as sale, import and production of alcohol and alcoholic beverages, as well as tobacco goods; international, intercity and long-distance passenger and cargo transportation by motor transport; production, processing and trafficking precious metals and stones. Other businesses allowed to work without necessary licensing include are activity of hotels and hotel-type facilities, sale petroleum and gas products, travel and auditing activities, cartographic activities, drawing up strict reporting forms, delivery, processing and sale of non-ferrous metals, industrial and manufacturing waste containing precious metals and stones. Local entrepreneurs are not required to obtain license for customs broker and the carrier activities, merchant shipping (passenger and cargo transportation by sea), as well as passenger and cargo air transportation and activities of commodity exchanges. Such businesses as intermediary activity of individuals in employment of Azerbaijans citizens in foreign countries, installation, repair and adjustment of power facilities, activities of non-state pension funds, establishment of customs warehouses and temporary storage warehouses, construction, reconstruction and repair of buildings, structures, premises of fire-fighting system, as well as non-governmental phytosanitary service, including sales and storage of plant protection products and agrochemicals are not required license. With simplification of the issuance of licenses and permits for business, entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan is expected to get another positive impulse. -- Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 17:51 (UTC+04:00) The World Bank will make a decision on allocation of additional funding worth $140 million for Azerbaijan to expand the Baku-Shamakhi highway until late June 2016. The Baku office of the Bank told Trend that the Azerbaijani government has made a formal request for getting the additional funding to expand the highway up to four lanes,. The formal negotiations on the loan are expected to be held in March. The decision will be taken by the end of the current fiscal year [WBs fiscal year will end June 30]. The Baku-Shamakhi highway is being reconstructed as part of the third main road reconstruction project. The third road project worth $356.15 million was approved in 2010. This project includes two areas. The first area concerns the reconstruction of the main road network of Azerbaijan and transit corridors, the second area - local roads being reconstructed as part of a regional development strategy. The Baku-Shamakhi-Muganli highway reconstruction project envisages its expansion from two to four lanes. The project will be implemented in September 2016. As of February 1, 2016, the World Bank allocated $241.6 million for the project. Meanwhile, WB Baku office head Larisa Leshchenko said the level of disbursement of the WB funds in Azerbaijan is 17 percent. Talking to reporters on February 10, she said it is one of the highest figures in the European and Central Asian regions. She estimated the level of disbursement of WBs funds in Azerbaijan as good, though, according to Leshchenko, there are some minor delays. Azerbaijan has been a WB member since 1992. As of February 1, 2016, the Bank issued loans amounting to $3.785 billion to Azerbaijan. The funds were used to finance over 60 projects. By early 2016, Azerbaijan has used $2.764 billion or 73 percent of all loans drawn via WB. Besides the loans, WB delivered 45 grants totaling $41.586 million to Azerbaijan in 1995-2014. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 16:43 (UTC+04:00) Today, the main priorities of Azerbaijan's tax system development is to improve the investment business environment, broaden the tax base and develop tax accounting, head of the Tax Department No.1 of Azerbaijan Natig Shirinov said. He made the remarks at the fifth Tax Forum themed Azerbaijani tax system: Realities and Prospects on February 10. Speaking about the need to broaden the tax base, Shirinov at the same time stressed the importance of continuous monitoring of the process of preferential exemption from taxes. He said that if the existing benefits dont help to stimulate economy, its necessary to cancel them and introduce the new ones. It is also very important to introduce taxation of e-commerce and stimulate non-cash payments, and this will help to increase tax revenues to the state budget in the future, said the head of the department. Shirinov also touched upon the improvement of tax accounting. He said that entrepreneurs should be responsible and fully pay taxes, but its necessary to improve tax accounting for that. Work in this direction has been underway for several years, and this work is likely to be completed in the near future, he said. Introduction of e-accounting should be noted among the measures to improve tax accounting. Unfortunately, taxpayers often keep tax accounting incorrectly, so its necessary to ensure transparency in this sphere. In addition, by expanding e-audit in the future, we will help taxpayers to save time. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 11:52 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli The Azerbaijani Youth Association of Russia (AYOR) has participated in the Foreigners Life 2016 -1st Exhibition and Forum, Moscow held on February 5-7. More than 130 companies providing a variety of goods and services joined the event to talk about their capabilities and help foreigners to get all the answers on how to live and work in Russia comfortably. The aim was to acquaint the foreigners living in Russia with the way of life and business environment of this country, and the Russians - with opportunities of foreign countries in the sphere of tourism, education and business. Azerbaijans booth, presented by AMOR, demonstrated booklets with information on the tourist capacity of Azerbaijan, the opportunities created in the country for foreign investors, the cultural and literary environment, various issues of the magazines Baku and AYOR. The great interest of foreigners was aroused by musical instruments, ancient household items, the handmade carpets presented at the exhibition stand by the Azerbaijani young men and girls in national clothes. AYOR activists informed visitors on great tourist opportunities in Azerbaijan, the first European Games "Baku-2015", and also competitions of the Grand Prix of Europe "Formula-1". Furthermore, master classes on the Azerbaijani dances were organized. Thierry Mariani, the French member of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Parliamentary Assembly of OSCE, who was taking part in the action got acquainted with the AYOR stand. He emphasized the high level of cooperation between Azerbaijan and France, noted the quick development of economic and cultural ties between the two countries. The event was a great opportunity for all family members to spend time in an interesting and useful way, as guests participated in interactive workshops, master classes, tastings and a special animation program for children. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 16:00 (UTC+04:00) The second annual Argentina Shale Gas & Oil Summit (A-SGOS) will be held in Buenos Aires on May 9th & 10th 2016. The summit will provide a two-day conference, exhibition and networking event to address the current challenges and future possibilities for the shale industry in Argentina. The summit will bring together the unconventional resource supply chain from across Argentina, with attendance from key government officials, active shale gas operators, investors, contractors, consultancies and energy institutions. Confirmed sponsors include Packers Plus, Atlas Copco, BDO and Radius Energy Solutions. As the only shale summit scheduled to take place in Argentina during 2016, A-SGOS provides a crucial opportunity to optimize strategy for the worlds second largest shale play and to engage with key stakeholders in the wake of Argentinas presidential election. The conference will address next steps for the shale industry in Argentina. Discussion will consider repositioning Argentina as a major global player, economic & investment trends, technology for optimising the shale process, stakeholder engagement, addressing the skills gap, and the impact of the declining oil price upon the industry, amongst other themes. The conference will incorporate numerous case studies focussing upon existing experience within the Argentine shale sector, with particular attention paid to operational results thus far from both the exploration and production phases. Technical workshops covering topics such as drilling & completions, hydrology and geology & geomechanics will also take place during conference break-out sessions. A-SGOS will also host a two-day exhibition attended by market-leaders within the shale sector. Exhibitors will offer information, solutions and updates on the latest industry products for the upstream shale industry within Argentina. The exhibition will also host networking throughout the course of the two days. Early booking discount for delegate tickets ends 31st March 2016. For more information on attending, sponsoring or exhibiting at A-SGOS 2016 please visit the summit website http://www.a-sgos.com/ --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A divided Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to halt enforcement of President Barack Obama's sweeping plan to address climate change until after legal challenges are resolved. The surprise move is a blow to the administration and a victory for the coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led states and industry opponents that call the regulations "an unprecedented power grab." By temporarily freezing the rule the high court's order signals that opponents have made a strong argument against the plan, which aims to stave off the worst predicted impacts of climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by about one-third by 2030. A federal appeals court last month refused to put it on hold. The appeals court is not likely to issue a ruling on the plan until months after it hears oral arguments set to begin on June 2. But any decision likely would be appealed to the Supreme Court, meaning resolution of the legal fight is not likely to happen until Obama leaves office. The high court's four liberal justices said Tuesday they would have denied the request for delay. The White House issued a statement on Tuesday evening which said "We remain confident that we will prevail on the merits. Even while the litigation proceeds, EPA has indicated it will work with states that choose to continue plan development and will prepare the tools those states will need. At the same time, the Administration will continue to take aggressive steps to make forward progress to reduce carbon emissions." Compliance with the new rules isn't required until 2022, but states must submit their plans to the Environmental Protection Administration by September or seek an extension. Many states opposing the plan depend on economic activity tied to such fossil fuels as coal, oil and gas. They argued that power plants will have to spend billions of dollars to begin complying with a rule that may end up being overturned. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia, whose coal-dependent state is helping to lead the legal fight, hailed the court's decision. "We are thrilled that the Supreme Court realized the rule's immediate impact and froze its implementation, protecting workers and saving countless dollars as our fight against its legality continues," Morrisey said. Implementation of the rules is considered essential to the United States meeting emissions-reduction targets in a global climate agreement signed in Paris last month. The Obama administration and environmental groups also say the plan will spur new clean-energy jobs. To convince the high court to temporarily halt the plan, opponents had to convince the justices that there was a "fair prospect" the court would strike down the rule. The court also had to consider whether denying a stay would cause irreparable harm to the states and utility companies affected. Al Jazeera with The Associated Press 10 February 2016 11:12 (UTC+04:00) Irans Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh said on Tuesday that Iran is ready to negotiate with Saudi Arabia over the current conditions in international oil markets, Press TV reported. We support any form of dialogue and cooperation with OPEC member states including Saudi Arabia, Zangeneh told reporters. He said some Persian Gulf countries have announced that they are looking for trying to make economic benefits for themselves by helping to push down oil prices. But what they want to achieve is not at all for economic gains, said Zangeneh. If there were a strong political will, the price of oil would have been balanced within one single week, IRNA quoted him as saying. The Iranian oil minister had in early January emphasized that the current oil prices harm all producers and certain countries insistence on overproduction is politically motivated. None of the oil producers is happy with the existing prices which will harm suppliers in the long term, he has emphasized. According to the Iranian minister, there is a political will behind OPEC indecision over production ceiling in the organization. OPEC has been producing nearly a million more barrels of oil each day than its 30 million bpd ceiling for the past 16 months. The organization approved a Saudi plan to scrap allocating fixed production quotas to member countries in its December 2011 meeting and introduced output ceiling of 30 million barrels per day (bpd) which does not specify quotas. Zangeneh has described the decision a historic mistake, saying making up for this big mistake and reviving the quota system in OPEC is a very hard task. Because of overproduction chiefly by Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC producers, there is currently up to 2.5 million bpd of excess oil in the market which has caused crude prices to lose around 60% of their value since mid-2014. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 12:52 (UTC+04:00) Samarkand NPK Uzbek-Chinese joint venture has commissioned a plant for the production of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) fertilizers on the basis of Samarkandkimyo JSC (Samarkand Chemical Plant) worth $20 million in Uzbekistan, Uzhimprom JSC, which unites the chemical industry enterprises of the country, told Trend. The design capacity of the enterprise is 240,000 tons of NPK fertilizers per year. Samarkand-NPK joint venture was established in mid-2015 by Samarkandkimyo JSC and the Chinese Jiangsu Right Machinery Group Co., Ltd with the parity equity participation. The project was financed through a loan of Uzpromstroybank in the amount of $15 million and equity of the co-founders of the joint venture. This is the first enterprise in Uzbekistan for the production of ternary compound fertilizers. Earlier it was planned to implement the project with the Chinese Citic Construction Co. Ltd. (CITIC), but the companies failed to reach an agreement. Samarkand Chemical Plant was commissioned in 1954 and was specialized in the processing of phosphate ore of the Karatau deposit (Kazakhstan). Currently, delivery of phosphate concentrate is carried out from the Kyzylkum phosphorite complex a structural unit of the Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combine, which operates on the basis of Jeroy Sardar phosphate deposit in Central Kyzylkum. Samarkand Chemical Plant produces nearly 25,000 tons of ammophos and nearly 100,000 tons of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers annually. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 13:48 (UTC+04:00) Russian air defense missile system, S-300 is ready to be delivered to Iran, Defense Minister Hossein Dehgan said. Dehgan said that a part of S-300 systems will be delivered to Iran in first quarter of 2016 and the remaining parts until the end of 2016. Dehgan also said Iran can purchase the S-400 defense system in the future, if necessary. He said that Iran itself is manufacturing a long-range defense missile system, Barvar 373, which would be tested by March 2017. Russia signed the contract in 2007 to sell Iran five S-300 ground-to-air missile systems. The $800-million contract to deliver S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran was cancelled in 2010 by then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, falling in line with the UN sanctions imposed on Iran due to its disputed nuclear program. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 15:11 (UTC+04:00) The European Union may cancel visa regime for Georgia by summer of 2016, EU Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos said at a joint briefing with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Sputnik Georgia reported. In June 2014, the EU and Georgia signed an Association Agreement, which includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA). The Agreement significantly deepens political and economic ties with the EU in the framework of the Eastern Partnership. Last December, the European Commission said Georgia has fulfilled all the benchmarks of its Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP) and it will propose in early 2016 to the EU-member states to allow visa-free travel to the Schengen area for Georgian citizens. The Commission is now preparing the legislative proposal to the EU member states and the European Parliament, Avramopoulos said. The timing for actual visa free travel for the Georgia citizens will depend on when the final decision will be taken by the Council and the European Parliament. Asked about specific timeframe and if the finalization of the process would be possible by summer, Avramopoulos responded: Maybe earlier, maybe around summer. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 February 2016 17:15 (UTC+04:00) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called on the officials to prepare the country for a second joint comprehensive plan of action JCPOA-2. He described the JCPOA-2 as a national plan to change and develop the country, IRNA reported. Alluding to a nuclear deal also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action clinched between Tehran and the world major powers last July which put an end to most of the international sanctions against the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program, Rouhani said that the country should get ready for development. President Rouhani made the remarks at a ceremony to inaugurate several development projects across the country on the occasion of the Ten Days of Dawn, marking the 37th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the late revolution leader Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran after almost 15 years of exile. Saying that the JCPOA paved the way for the countrys development and removed the obstacles, Rouhani added that the Iran is capable of advancing forward. After a number of nuclear talks between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries, the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced Jan. 16 about the implementation of the JCPOA and the removal of economic sanctions on Iran. According to the statement, the EU confirmed that the legal framework, providing for lifting of its nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions, is effective. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 3.0 ( - - ): editor [at] bahrainmirror.com Its very hard to write about Angela Merkel, Germanys all-powerful chancellor and one of the most important politicians in the world today. The problem: Which Merkel are we talking about? The austere East German who turned Europes sick man into an economic and political powerhouse? The manipulative Godmother who exterminated any potential rivals inside her Christian Democratic Party? The hardline austerity hawk who unleashed Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble on Greece last year, risking Germanys hard-earned post-World War II reputation? Or perhaps the compassionate leader who threw her arms open to refugees arriving from conflict zones, against the tide of xenophobic sentiment taking over Europe? But there is something that all of these Merkels share in common; a streak of carelessness, political ruthlessness, short-termism and lack of grand vision. According to a recent poll, 40 percent of German respondents want Merkel to resign over her handling of the refugee crisis. The public in Germany is fed up. While Merkels party still polls well, her own career is under scrutiny for the first time and not necessarily for the right reasons. Merkel has been accused time and again of seeking only power, and of being ruthless in the way she goes about obtaining it. There are no fundamental debates any more because everything in Merkels party is presented as being without alternative. It is like being in a school cafeteria that offers only one dish a day said Josef Schlarmann, her partys business expert, in 2012. His words carry an echo of her hard line on austerity, now the dominant dogma in Europe that is increasingly turning the continent into a breeding ground of precarity, resentment, xenophobia and extremism. No one can challenge Germany on this line without facing grave consequences, as Greece found out the hard way. The supposedly centrist Merkel has ended up indulging both the best and the worst in her electorate. It is obvious that the way in which Merkel has tried to be everything to everyone in Germany has forced her to pander to voters anxieties, regardless of validity or practicality. To Merkel, it doesnt matter if the austerity program imposed on Greece is unworkable, as long as it polls well with her constituents. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Someone has taken a lot of time to describe the physical, mental and perceptual abilities of a normal person. I am disappointed that such normative language made it into these job ads. The academic job market is so trying and exhausting, and for someone with a disability, this sort of language stokes my worst fears, that I would be disqualified from a job because of my disability. It isnt enough that I prove myself intellectually and professionally. Now I must also do so physically. These points really matter in deterring and discouraging disabled applicants. Over the weekend, I spoke to numerous disabled jobseekers in diverse fields who have long lamented these clauses. A blind woman mentioned how many desk jobs require drivers licenses, when whats really required is that employees show up for work (by whatever means). An academic in the humanities who uses a wheelchair wrote to me: Linda Baker, the executive director of college relations at Lehigh Community College, on the other hand, thanked me for making a good point about ensuring that job descriptions mirror our openness to hiring people who have disabilities. She added, We are considering removing statements about specific physical demands and replacing those with a statement that indicates our willingness to accommodate employees with disabilities. Jacenda Davidson, the vice president for human resources at Fisk University, wrote to tell me that staffers in her department routinely include the essential functions as required qualifications and that she would be happy to review and identify only the specific essential functions of the vacant accounting faculty position assuming doing so would not fundamentally change the position. She did not answer whether her department would do this for all positions or why it excluded people who couldnt stand, walk, sit, use their hands, reach with their hands, talk, hear, lift up to 25 pounds or have close, color and peripheral vision. She declined a request for a follow-up. Why does it happen? And what can we do about it? Since publishing my original report, Ive spoken to legal experts, federal officials, disability rights officials and, most important, disabled job seekers. They have clarified both the depths of the discrimination and the path forward. Go to your favorite job site and search for 25 pounds. In almost every industry, youll find anti-disability clauses with companies stipulating, for example, that employees be able to lift that weight littering listings for jobs that require operating a computer, teaching a class, managing a division or running a major organization. As I reported for Al Jazeera America last week , human resources departments routinely stick these clauses into their job postings in ways that are shocking and generally violate the Americans With Disabilities Act. Given that unemployment is one of the most important issues for the disability community, this is a problem. There are many jobs, of course, for which various abilities are required. A roofer should be able to climb a ladder. An electrical engineer may need color vision and manual dexterity. Nurses and nursing professors may well be required to lift heavy things. Moreover, in all kinds of work situations we are asked to do things not technically in our job description, especially in smaller offices. I am a university professor and a journalist. Per my job description, I teach, write, give talks, serve on committees and otherwise do nonphysical labor. I end up carrying stuff around all the time, and Im happy to do it, but if I became disabled, I would in no way be less effective at the essential components of my work. Requirement creep, as Ive been calling this phenomenon, is discriminatory and often illegal. Chris Kuczynski from the legal counsel office at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) expressed surprise at all these physical requirements in nonphysical jobs. He agreed with my conjecture that in most cases this language reflects a boilerplate clause that gets picked up and dropped into every job ad for an organization or company. Thats an explanation but not an excuse. Its certainly going to deter people from applying for these positions, he said. It may be not just boilerplate repetition, though. Karen Nakamura, the Robert and Colleen Haas distinguished chair in disability studies and a professor of anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley, suggested that at least some of these clauses are intended to forestall workplace disability lawsuits. If the job description says an employee must lift 25 pounds and then someone throws out his or her back, the clause protects the company from a suit. How do we move forward from here? Kuczynski told me that the EEOC has a new strategic enforcement plan and that these clauses might fall under two of the six priorities: new and emerging issues and barriers to recruitment and hiring. An EEOC commissioner could simply choose to investigate any kinds of standards that may be screening people out unintentionally or intentionally on a prohibited basis, including disability, he said. However, the EEOC most often pursues employment discrimination when an employee or applicant contacts the agency. Theoretically, anyone who is disabled and would like to apply for any of these jobs but finds that one of those clauses excludes them by falsely listing a specific physical attribute as essential could go to the EEOC website and file a charge. In the meantime, the disability rights community is ready to start pushing back against these clauses. Lawrence Carter-Long, a public affairs specialist for the National Council on Disability, told me via email that these thoughtless cut-n-paste clauses discriminate, without a doubt. Thankfully, he added, Job providers neednt wait until they get sued before correcting or, better yet, preventing such mistakes. Clearly, this is now on the radar of the disability community. One thing is certain: In the Internet age, there is nowhere to hide. If employers dont take the lead in addressing the issue, the disability community certainly will. Applicants who do not identify as disabled may just skim past these clauses. I had not noticed them before. Disabled applicants, though, skip right down to these clauses when hunting for jobs. For years, perhaps their whole lives, they have dealt with the way society stigmatizes disability, and so they dont even apply. In fact, various individuals familiar with disability and employment compared the situation to the well-known statistic that women wont apply for jobs unless they are 100 percent qualified (whereas men apply if they are 60 percent qualified). In fact, it seems that many marginalized groups are generally less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet all the qualifications, including disabled job applicants. Its likely that many of these companies and universities would be happy to accommodate disabled employees but their hiring processes close that door. These job ads provide the perfect opportunity to follow the maxim Think globally; act locally. Weve got a national problem here in how we hire. Please look in your own communities, schools, organizations and industries. If you can, call them out and ask them to change. If you cant because its not safe for you, let me know, and Ill get to work. South Wales-based Welsh Hills Bakery has secured a contract with supermarket giant Morrisons to supply its gluten- and dairy-free products. The Lovemore Free From Foods division of Welsh Hills Bakery will start selling the dedicated gluten-, wheat- and dairy-free range in 486 stores across the UK this month. The range includes apple pies, gingerbread men, mince pies and rich fruit cake with port and brandy, all of which are gluten-free. Welsh Hills Bakery, a third-generation family business, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. It started making gluten-free cakes and shortcrust pastry pies in 2001, and was the first to supply two of the UK major supermarket chains with its own brand of gluten-free products. Lovemore was founded as a division of Welsh Hills Bakery in 2008. All Lovemore products are approved by the Coeliac Society. GAP: Passenger Traffic Increase in 12 Mexican Airports Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico - Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. (GAP) recently announced preliminary terminal passenger traffic figures in the 13 airports of the Company for the month of January 2016, compared to traffic figures for January 2015. During January 2016, total terminal passengers increased 16.4 percent in the 13 airports, (12 Mexico-based airports and 1 in Montego Bay) compared to the same period of the previous year. Domestic passenger traffic presented a 20.5% increase, while international passenger traffic increased 11.9 percent. The following items are highlights from traffic results for the month of January: This airport registered an increase of 126 thousand seats offered, 12.6% higher compared to the prior year. The main growth drivers in the domestic market were Volaris and VivaAerobus, with 51 thousand and 36 thousand additional seats offered, respectively. As a result of the 43 thousand additional seats offered in January, the international market continues to show double digit growth rates. Puerto Vallarta: This airport has posted traffic growth for 37 consecutive months. Notably, Aeromexico added 9 thousand seats on routes departing from Mexico City, allowing for better connecting options to Puerto Vallarta. In the international market, Southwest Airlines was the main driver of passenger traffic; during January its daily routes to Houston, Denver, and Orange County added 28 thousand seats. Los Cabos: Although the number of seats increased 15.7%, passenger traffic rose 21.2%. Occupancy grew 3.6% during January, mainly driven by a recovery in the number of hotel rooms. Delta and Southwest were the airlines with the highest increases in seats offered during January, with 12 thousand and 11 thousand seats, respectively. Tijuana: The number of seats offered rose 32.0%, compared to January 2015. Volaris has become the main operator at this airport as a result of its 30 direct destinations, followed by Aeromexico, with 8 destinations, and Interjet, with 5 destinations. In addition, the Cross Border Xpress registered 78,002 users flowing in both directions, which represents a 15.5% share of total passengers. Montego Bay: Passenger traffic increased 5.5% during January. This airport has benefitted from an improvement in occupancy, driven by Southwest, Spirit and Jetblue continuing to grow their market share. Similarly, European charter flights have significantly benefitted the airport, given the 10.0% increase in passengers during January. Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. (GAP) operates 12 airports throughout Mexico's Pacific region, including the major cities of Guadalajara and Tijuana, the four tourist destinations of Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, La Paz and Manzanillo, and six other mid-sized cities: Hermosillo, Guanajuato, Morelia, Aguascalientes, Mexicali and Los Mochis. In February 2006, GAP's shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "PAC" and on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "GAP". In April 2015 GAP acquired 100% of Desarrollo de Concesiones Aeroportuarias, S.L., which owns a majority stake of MJ Airports Limited, a company operating the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica. 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. Valentine's Day at the Marriott for Corazon de Nina Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than to enjoy an intimate evening overlooking the Banderas Bay at the Marriott CasaMagna Resort? This year while wining, dining, and romancing that special someone you can also help out abused and abandoned girls and boys in Puerto Vallarta. Join us on Sunday, February 14th at 6:30 pm for the 3rd Annual "Open Your Heart" Gala Sunset Dinner and Dance Fundraiser, with all of the proceeds going to support Corazon de Nina, a local non-profit children's shelter dedicated to providing housing, education, food, medical care, and love to young girls and boys who have been removed from shockingly abusive situations. The Corazon de Nina orphanage does not receive government support, so please attend this wonderful evening of fun and friendship. There will be live music for dancing, a delicious three-course dinner prepared by the CasaMagna Marriott, lots of awesome silent auction and raffle items, plus a fabulous door prize donated by International Galleries. Tickets, which are available for a donation of $1000 pesos until February 11 or for $1250 pesos from February 12-14, are on sale now at Carol's Boutique, #250 Basilio Badillo on the South side of Vallarta, and at Salsa Salon & Boutique, Las Palmas II, Local 10 in Marina Vallarta - but they are going fast - so get yours today! For more information, please contact Wendy at 322-169-8836. How much car can I afford? Before shopping, do your research to make sure you get the best car for your budget. Family and friends of the victims of last week's shooting at Club Rayne came together with community members Tuesday night in Tampa. A vigil was held outside the El Camino, located at 765 E. Bird Street. Christopher Houston, 20, died late Monday from gunshot wounds he received in a shooting at the Club Rayne strip club last weekend. Marvin Lancaster III, 22, died at the scene of the shooting. On Tuesday, family and friends of the men called for community support to help curb violence and catch the gunman who opened fire inside the club. "Most definitely we're calling attention to anyone that knows something," said one person in the crowd at the vigil. "The 'no snitching' policy must end right now. There are too many families being affected." According to the New Black Panther Party, which organized the vigil, supporters are hoping to get their message across to "get these perpetrators out of our community and to seek justice for the victims who have been plagued by gun violence." They are also asking the community put an end to the policy of "no snitching." A Pasco County man is behind bars after deputies say he stabbed and beat a dog. Pasco Sheriff's deputies arrested Houston Edward Neil Spencer, 25, after the dog was brought to Animal Emergency Clinic in Port Richey. A deputy took Spencer into custody after it was discovered that the dog had been severely beaten, stabbed and left with internal injuries. Houston's girlfriend told deputies that she saw Houston standing over the dog in their garage while holding a knife. Houston was charged with cruelty to animals. He remains in custody at the Pasco County Jail on a $5,000 bond. The dog, Loki, is back at home and expected to recover. A simple solution to combating the threat of the Zika virus is to drain water from any containers in your yard since it's the preferred habitat for breeding the mosquitoes that carry the infection, according to the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County. "It only takes about a quarter inch of water for these guys to reproduce," said Rob Krueger, Pinellas County Mosquito Control. "If we can get them at the larvae stage... thats our optimum control method." Statewide there have been 16 cases reported, three of those in Hillsborough County. "Currently in Pinellas County we do not have any cases," said JoAnne Lamb, epidemiology manager. "In Florida, there have been travel associated cases." Health leaders said the Zika virus can cause birth defects in pregnant women but the symptoms are mild for most anyone else who's infected. "Theres actually no treatment for Zika virus. So, an individual normally will recover," Lamb said. "It is up to 80 percent of individuals who get infected actually dont develop symptoms." Pinellas County mosquito control said if you live next to a vacant home with a pool or other standing water give them a call and a specialist will check it out. "A lot of our service calls are for things like empty lots," Krueger said. Concerned residents can call Pinellas County mosquito control at (727)464-7503. After a sixth-place finish in the New Hampshire Republican primary, we are learning New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is suspending his presidential campaign. Christie will drop out of the race after meeting with his advisers in New Jersey today, according to sources within the campaign. Election 2016: Latest Headlines, Candidate Profiles, Voting Resources Florida presidential primary coverage March 15 starting at 5 p.m. All presidential results plus your local races Tampa Bay local election results on Bay News 9 Central Florida local election results on News 13 How to vote in Florida: FAQs Christie's campaign strategy focused on winning New Hampshire. He got 7 percent of the vote. On Tuesday night, Christie said he was returning to New Jersey to take stock of his campaign. Carly Fiorina suspends campaign Carly Fiorina is suspending her presidential campaign after finishing seventh in New Hampshire Tuesday. The former technology executive and U.S. Senate candidate positioned herself as a conservative female alternative to Hillary Clinton. Fiorina drew positive reviews for several strong debate performances. But she struggled to build support in a crowded primary field and her poll numbers lagged. Fiorina announced her candidacy in April. She previously ran unsuccessfully for Senate in California. Fiorina struggled with criticism of her time at Hewlett-Packard, where she was ousted from the top job in 2005, after leading a major merger and laying off 30,000 people. Fiorina released the following post on her Facebook page: "This campaign was always about citizenshiptaking back our country from a political class that only serves the big, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well connected. Election after election, the same empty promises are made and the same poll-tested stump speeches are given, but nothing changes. I've said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet. I'm not going to start now. While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them. "Our Republican Party must fight alongside these Americans as well. We must end crony capitalism by fighting the policies that allow it to flourish. We must fix our festering problems by holding our bloated, inept government bureaucracy accountable. Republicans must stand for conservative principles that lift people up and recognize all Americans have the right to fulfill their God-given potential. "To young girls and women across the country, I say: do not let others define you. Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you're a woman. That is not feminism. Feminism doesn't shut down conversations or threaten women. It is not about ideology. It is not a weapon to wield against your political opponent. A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses and uses all her God-given gifts. And always remember that a leader is not born, but made. Choose leadership. "As I have said to the many wonderful Americans I have met throughout this campaign, a leader is a servant whose highest calling is to unlock potential in others. I will continue to serve in order to restore citizen government to this great nation so that together we may fulfill our potential." Six new businesses, including a multi-story hotel and "high-quality" restaurant, are planned for property fronting the Jack Brooks Regional Airport after Commissioners Court on Monday approved a $2 million utilities investment plan submitted by Nederland officials. Glow Investment Group of Houston is expected to sign a lease with Jefferson County for about five acres of the airport property along U.S. 69. The Nederland Economic Development Corp. will front some of the initial costs, spending $2 million to extend necessary water and sewer, electrical and natural gas lines to the site. The NEDC will issue bonds to raise the money to build the utilities to the site. The county was unable to invest in the extension of utilities to the undeveloped acreage because it lacks the money, County Judge Jeff Branick said.However, the Federal Aviation Administration requires the county to put forth effort to develop revenue-producing business at the airport property if it accepts FAA grants, which it does. Kay DeCuir, executive of the NEDC, said the NEDC could not underwrite utility development while the previous lease option holder, Accelerated Development, had the lease. Accelerated could not move forward without utilities to sign tenants. The county terminated its lease with Accelerated Development on Monday, marking another failed effort in recent years to develop the property. According to DeCuir, Glow Investment Group intends to develop: - A multi-story hotel with a minimum of 125 rooms, patio and walkway. - An event center, single-story with a minimum of 25,000 square feet of space to include a full-banquet service kitchen. - A restaurant, described as "high-quality" and single-story. - A retail pad, single-story and up to 35,000 square feet of leasable space. - An office building, multi-story not to exceed four stories. The lease with Glow includes plans for a large fountain-water feature and plaza. According to the proposed lease, "the tenant shall seek funding from the county and other municipalities for its construction." If the landlords (the county) are unable to obtain the funding needed, the tenant can terminate the lease "without further obligation" and can be reimbursed for its expenses, not to exceed $250,000. If the tenant, Glow, can reach terms with the county and the investment group can sign businesses to a lease, rents would begin to be paid on the second anniversary of the date that Glow receives financing approval and permits. DeCuir has said if the NEDC gets all of its approvals, it could begin utility construction within two months and finish by perhaps mid-2017. DWallach@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/dwallach An unexpected shutdown of a sulfur unit at ExxonMobil in Beaumont led to the Jefferson County Courthouse taking a shelter-in-place precaution Wednesday for roughly 45 minutes, Emergency Management Coordinator Greg Fountain said. ExxonMobil officials detected concerning levels of sulfur dioxide coming from the unit, which led to the precaution, according to Fountain. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Beaumont Fire Department and ExxonMobil are still air monitoring, Fountain said. Most of the sulfur dioxide went to Orange County, so officials there are also air monitoring in that area, according to Fountain. There has not been a determination of what led to the unit's unexpected shutdown.Orange County Emergency Management Coordinator Ryan Peabody said plume models showed some of the Vidor region would be affected. ExxonMobil is reducing its flaring and Peabody said no further impact is anticipated. Some areas in Vidor may experience a chemical odor, but Peabody said it is residual from the burning and emergency management does not anticipate adverse health risks. "A shutdown of this magnitude has not taken place in many years," Peabody said. "But we have been assured by industry and some of our partners in Jefferson County that all of the safety mechanisms did in fact activate during that time, which allowed the flaring to safely take place." Just three weeks ago, a storm caused the ExxonMobil refinery just south of downtown to belch dark plumes of smoke layered with pollutants. The refinery and its neighboring chemical plant lost power when an Entergy transmission line feeding the complex was either struck by lightning or damaged by wind, a spokesperson said at the time. BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/BrandonKScott Marco Rubio appeared to pull ahead of the establishment pack after last weeks Iowa caucus. But with the New Hampshire primary under way, his rivals sense an opening. All thanks to Robot Rubio malfunctioning. Rubios GOP counterparts repeatedly have hit the Florida senator for his inability to go off-script and the robotic sameness of his speeches. So has MSNBC commentator Joe Scarborough who recently called him "programmed" and "risk-averse." Nobody has done a better job of needling Rubio on his preset talking points better than New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. If the relentless attacks on Planned Parenthood by Texas Republicans were simply an ideological dispute, voters could let it play out in the court of public opinion. But the ongoing effort to "defund" Planned Parenthood and close its clinics is having a real-world effect that isn't helping anyone in the state. Births among poor women have increased significantly since the Legislature started actively undermining Planned Parenthood in 2011. The number of births covered by Medicaid rose by 27 percent from 2011 to 2014, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. The increase follows - not so coincidentally - a 36-percent drop in claims for long-acting contraceptives, such as implants and intrauterine devices. The Workers Compensation Research Institute recently released a study of workers' compensation fee schedule rates in Illinois in comparison to Medicare fee schedule rates in other states, according to a WorkersCompensation.com report. Here are three key points from the study. 1. Last year, the Illinois fee schedule rates for HOPD services associated with knee and shoulder surgeries were on average 157 percent and 110 percent higher, respectively, than Medicare rates, according to the report. 2. The study also showed wide variation in workers' compensation fee schedule rates for common procedures performed in ASCs when compared to Medicare rates. 3. On average, Illinois fee schedule rates for hospital inpatient stays were 54 percent to 119 percent higher than Medicare rates. On Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, the California Legislature unveiled a bill imposing a new tax on health insurance plans that would prevent a $1.1 billion hole in the state budget, according to a Mercury News report. Here are six insights: 1. The tax is designed to allow California to continue receiving matching funds from the federal government to pay for health insurance for the poor. 2. The proposal would replace a tax that applied only to Medi-Cal managed care organizations, which the federal government said it would not renew. 3. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown (D-Calif.) called a special session to deal with healthcare financing but failed to find a solution. His administration has worked for months to broker a compromise with insurance companies, which warned that higher costs could get passed on to consumers. 4. Insurers would get a reduction in other taxes to offset the cost of the new assessment. 5. The measure requires bipartisan support in the Assembly and Senate to achieve the supermajority required of tax increases. 6. The bill could begin moving through legislative committees as soon as this week. The Obama administration proposed a $4.1 trillion budget in a final effort to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, according to The Hill. Here are eight things to know: 1. The proposal encourages states to expand Medicaid and forces drug companies to disclose the costs of their research and development. 2. To address concerns over the "Cadillac tax," the administration proposed scaling back by raising the tax's threshold in areas where healthcare is pricier. Thus, less people would have to pay a 40 percent excise tax. 3. In his plan, President Obama detailed an "aggressive reform agenda," which would change the way the United States compensates physicians and hospitals. President Obama says the agenda will save the nation more than $180 billion over 10 years. 4. The plan seeks to allot $1.5 billion to combat the opioid epidemic and $500 million in new programs for people with mental illnesses. These two proposals are likely to receive bipartisan support. 5. Despite 19 states refusing to lower the eligibility for Medicaid, the proposal would cover the full cost of Medicaid expansion for three years even if a state misses the initial deadline under the ACA. 6. The Obama administration proposed reducing the number of years that companies have a monopoly over biological drugs from 12 years to seven years. The proposal also impedes companies from reaching "anti-competitive" deals to limit access to generics. 7. Through the budget proposal, Medicaid providers could negotiate for higher-cost drugs. 8. In the proposal, Medicaid would implement a medical loss ratio of 85 percent, which means 85 percent of premiums dollars would be spent on medical care. More articles on coding & billing: Zika has a code in ICD-10: 3 notes SwervePay earns $10M in funding 4 observations Moda Health to operate in Alaska, Oregon; Must raise $179M: 6 insights Independent physician associations are growing across the country as new regulations and pressure to consolidate make it more difficult for solo practitioners to keep their doors open. An independent physician association is a legal entity directed by private practice physicians primarily to contract with insurance companies on the members' behalf. Physician members often pay for membership and the IPA typically can assume greater financial risk than individual physicians. The IPAs including both primary care physicians and specialists can form ACOs that track data and prove quality, cost-effective outcomes. According to Leavitt Partners Center for Accountable Care Intelligence, IPA-led ACOs grew from 30 in 2011 to 202 in the first quarter of 2013, overtaking the number of hospital-led ACOs at 189. The 2015 Independent Physician Outlook Survey from ProCare Systems, "Physician Migratory Patterns: Threats to Independents and Implications for the Future," reports 88 percent of the physician respondents envision a future where reimbursement is driven by value, which could be a good thing for independent practices going forward. Although consolidation is the current trend, and 44 percent of the survey respondents anticipate selling their practice in the future, 73 percent would prefer to remain independent. And as the healthcare system shifts away from fee-for-service and toward value-based payment, the independent physician groups "with their agility and natural inclination toward innovation and efficiency" will be more flexible to make the shift quickly. Thirty-six percent of the survey respondents envisioned a future where a significant number employed surgeons will migrate back into the independent practice settings with more progressive business models. ' About half of the physician respondents said becoming part of an independent practice association was an attractive way to increase scale and negotiate with payers as well as organized care systems. Physician groups are also collecting data and automating their patient information collection with electronic medical records, which are expensive. But larger groups can pool resources to ease the financial burden for the individual group. Forty-one percent of the survey respondents said escalating costs and downward reimbursement pressure is the most challenging issue for independent practices today; recruitment, retirement and legacy issues was number two with 31 percent saying it was the most challenging issue. In fact, 20 percent said "retirement" was the most important factor influencing their decision to sell. There are still young, entrepreneurial-minded physicians exiting medical school that want to join independent physician groups and specialists who fiercely desire independence. The ProCare Systems survey reports 49 percent of respondents feel aligning with like-minded specialists in an IPA is the most attractive avenue to maintaining independence; by comparison, 23 percent reported mergers and acquisitions while 28 percent said practice management and shared equity was the most desirable. The IPA model outlined in the survey aligns physicians in a loose strategic alliance relationship without equity participation. The organization focuses on scale for negotiating with payers and large care systems. Typically the physicians are banded together by geographic proximity and dealing with the same major health systems and payers as others in the state. The alignment between independent physicians will likely become even more valuable as accountable care organizations and other risk-sharing models emerge. The federal government is pushing ACOs, and hospital-run organizations could cut out non-network providers; but physician groups are able to manage ACOs and those with a strong foundation will be able to take on the challenge. A 2011 American Medical Association report outlines the opportunity for IPAs in ACOs. At the time, there was around 500 IPAs in the United States including 120,329 primary care physicians and 144,080 specialists. That year four specialty groups in Maine formed an IPA while 10 IPAs in Tennessee consolidated and the Marin-Sonoma IPA in San Francisco grew from 300 to more than 500 members. Independent physicians, especially specialists, cling to autonomy and won't let burdensome regulations drive them to employment. The larger IPAs make them strong players in the market and force hospitals and health systems to partner with them on community healthcare initiatives. Since a majority of surgeons 94 percent of the survey respondents think the marketplace should offer new practice models to ensure independence and sustainability for the healthcare economy, it's likely IPAs will continue to evolve and support physician independence in the future. Here are four recent news updates on gastroenterology and endoscopy companies. Boston Scientific sold its distribution center in Quincy, Mass., for $31 million, according to a Banker & Tradesman report. The company leased back 600,000 square feet of the 1 million-square-foot facility. Cantel Medical entered into a definitive agreement with North American Science Associates to acquire its Sterility Assurance Monitoring Products division for $13.5 million in cash consideration. Exact Sciences stock dropped 5.17 percent to $5.69 on Feb. 9, according to an Equities report. Takeda Pharmaceutical reported strong financials for three quarters of fiscal year 2015, from April to December. The company's underlying revenue increased by 3.8 percent year-to-year. If you have a question, issue or note to suggest on a GI/endoscopy company please contact Carrie Pallardy at cpallardy@beckershealthcare.com. There are 673 rural hospitals across the nation that are vulnerable to closure, and these facilities have many similarities beyond their financial troubles, according to a report from iVantage Health Analytics. Here are six things to know about the rural hospitals at risk of closure, according to iVantage, a firm that compiles a hospital strength index that is based on data about financial stability, patients and quality indicators. 1. The strength index is based on a composite measure of nine pillars of hospital strength: inpatient share ranking, outpatient share ranking, population risk, cost, charge, quality, outcomes, patient perspectives and financial stability. The hospitals at risk of closure underperform in a majority of the areas evaluated, with the median vulnerable hospital earning an overall score of 16.22 out of a possible 100. 2. Of hospitals at risk of closure, the median score in the patient perspectives area a rating of hospital performance based on the percentile ranking of a number of HCAHPS measures was 26/100. 3. Hospitals vulnerable to closure struggle in the area of population risk, as they serve especially sick, expensive and challenged populations, according to the analysis. With regard to population risk, the median score was 30/100. 4. As expected, vulnerable rural hospitals face challenges with inpatient market share, with a median score of 29/100 in that area. The median score was nearly the same in the area of outpatient care. 5. The hospitals face significant challenges with outcomes and quality, with median scores of 28/100 and 30/100 in those areas, respectively. 6. The median vulnerable hospital scored 27/100 in the area of financial stability. More articles on healthcare finance: CFO spots increasingly being filled by women, minorities SC hospital temporarily closes its doors due to flood damage Why CMS gets to decide whether this Texas hospital expands As the American healthcare industry is charged with redefining financial responsibility in episodes of care, progressive thought leaders and administrators in the revenue cycle space are increasingly vital in helping hospitals maintain fiscal footing. Becker's Hospital Review's RCM Leaders to Know series aims to highlight those revenue cycle leaders working to bridge the gaps between volume, value and efficiency in healthcare reimbursement. Micheal Orseno, vice president of revenue cycle at Regent Surgical Health in Westchester, Ill., spoke with Becker's about how Regent has been tackling RCM across their surgical centers. Prior to joining Regent, Mr. Orseno served as revenue cycle administrator for the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch. He received a bachelor's degree in public administration from Augustana College and a master's degree in health systems management from Rush University Medical Center. Question: What is the most critical area in your health system's revenue cycle that you plan to address this year? Michael Orseno: There are two areas where we are going to be focusing our efforts across all of our centers this year: days outstanding and percentage of accounts receivable over 90 days. Q: In which area of your health system's revenue cycle are you most confident, or you feel you have made the most progress in? MO: Over the past year, Regent has made great progress in net collections and process redesign. In terms of redesign, we have worked with billers to ensure that their revenue cycle processes are performing most efficiently both for the facility and for the outsourced RCM vendor. For one of our centers, which relied heavily on faxes and emails to get us patient billing information, we developed a cloud-based, HIPAA complaint drive that enabled us to make the patient information exchange process between us and the center totally seamless. Q: What do you believe is the most important trait in a revenue cycle leader? MO: One of the most critical assets is effective leadership skills. Being an effective revenue cycle leader is about meeting regularly with your management team, communicating effectively with your staff and then empowering your management team and employees to not only do the work they are given, but then to actively come up with effective change agents to improve revenue functions at every level. If you would like to submit a candidate for Becker's "RCM leaders to know" series, please forward revenue cycle nominations to Brooke Murphy at bmurphy@beckershealthcare.com for consideration. Workplace wellness programs have become increasingly common across companies spanning a variety of industries. With access to health screenings, nap rooms and fitness tracking programs, employees and companies benefit from healthier workers and improved productivity. Ironically, employee wellness programs are less popular in healthcare, despite the industry's implicit dedication to improving people's health. The fast-paced, high-stress environment of a hospital may make wellness programs more difficult to implement, yet these characteristics also reinforce the need to focus on employees' health. For instance, studies have shown nurses who work through the night are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and lung cancer, according to The Huffington Post. Healthcare workers also show high rates of obesity. Although implementing employee wellness programs in hospitals may be uniquely challenging, some institutions have already begun to see success in such efforts. For instance, the Cleveland Clinic's employee wellness initiative includes access to "Code Lavender," a program designed to help nurses and physicians facing severe stress and burnout. The hospital system provides struggling workers with access to a team of holistic care nurses that provide Reiki healing a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation as well as massage, healthy snacks and water, according to The Huffington Post. As part of a push to incorporate more physical activity into employees' days, in 2015, Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital System partnered with StepJockey, a British stair climbing tracking app, to encourage employees to take the stairs inside the hospital instead of the elevator, according to the report. The hospital hung signs near the elevators and stairwells with information on how many calories they could burn from climbing or descending. To track their progress, employees can scan their phones at the signs. When the Huntsville Hospital System first kicked off the program, it challenged employees to climb enough steps to burn the same number of calories as they would to climb to the summit of Mount Everest. The hospital employees met the goal in three weeks. Another benefit of more employees taking the stairs than the elevators is a reduction in the hospitals' overall environmental impact. A recent analysis by StepJockey found hospitals in England are poised to save more than $145 million per year in energy costs by taking the stairs instead of elevators, according to the report. If just 15 percent of nurses at hospitals under the National Health Service opted for the stairs, those English hospitals would save more than 55,000 pounds of carbon dioxide over five years. Boise, Idaho-based St. Luke's Health System has reached an agreement with the Idaho Attorney General to transfer ownership of two hospitals back to the districts that gave the facilities to St. Luke's several years ago. St. Luke's acquired hospitals from special taxing districts in McCall and Elmore County in 2010 and 2013. St. Luke's said it would maintain and improve McCall (Idaho) Medical Center and Elmore Medical Center in Mountain Home, Idaho, if the districts helped fund operations with annual property tax revenues. If the districts did not uphold their end of the agreements, they would lose the right to repurchase the hospitals back from St. Luke's. Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden learned of the agreements between the districts and St. Luke's several years ago and conducted an investigation into the deals. The main focus of the investigation was the funding provision of the agreements between St. Luke's and the districts. "The Idaho Constitution prohibits a government entity like a hospital district from donating assets or transmitting tax revenues to help support the operation of a private entity," said Mr. Wasden. "That's exactly what St. Luke's agreements with these hospital districts did." Although Mr. Wasden concluded the agreements were a violation of Idaho law, he said his goal was to find a way that St. Luke's and the public hospital districts could work together to ensure the future stability of the two rural hospitals. Under an agreement with the attorney general, St. Luke's will transfer ownership of the hospitals' real and personal property back to the districts and then lease the facilities and pay operational costs. The districts will retain control and ownership, giving them authority to decide which services are provided at the hospitals. There will still be financial ties between the parties, as the districts are able to fulfill St. Luke's funding requests. However, the districts will retain ownership of items purchased for the hospitals. The agreement gives St. Luke's the option to purchase the hospitals in the future. More articles on healthcare industry transactions: 8 recent hospital transactions and partnerships Centura Health expands footprint in Kansas Prime Healthcare's purchase of bankrupt NJ hospital gets go-ahead Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health is seeking to expand its footprint in the African nation of Ghana, according to a Sioux Falls Business Journal report. Here are six things to know about the initiative. 1. Jim Slack, vice president of Sanford International Clinics, who is helping lead clinic development in the African nation and worldwide, told the Sioux Falls Business Journal the goal is for Sanford to be the No. 1 primary healthcare provider in Ghana. 2. In the last 60 days, Sanford has opened 12 clinics in Ghana, for a total of 17, according to the report. The health system plans to develop at least 300 clinics in the country. 3. Sanford has worked on this venture with Global Health Corps., a New York-based nonprofit led and founded by Barbara Pierce Bush, daughter of former President George W. Bush. Moving forward, GHC plans to work with Sanford to develop healthcare professionals and identify and implement best practices in areas such as EMRs, medication standardization and clinical education, according to the report. 4. In Ghana, Sanford's hub clinics provide a range of primary and reproductive care to all ages, and are staffed by medical professionals supplied by the Ghana government, according to the report. Some about 50 percent are newly built, while others are renovated existing clinics. Once Sanford runs fiber, builds wireless towers and sets up an intranet structure, rural clinics can be connected to the hub network, and healthcare expertise can be delivered remotely through telehealth, according to the report. 5. A lot of Sanford's growth in Ghana is supported by grants. 6. While Sanford continues to expand in Ghana, the system also is expanding its pediatric services in China. In 2014, a clinic opened in Kunming as a partnership with YMCI Calmette Medical Investment & Management Co., a state-owned company of the Yunnan provincial government, according to the report. And in Europe, the report notes, a new portal clinic is operational in Germany, supporting Sanford's stem cell research efforts. The model used in Ghana could also potentially work in other African countries, as well as rural China, according to Mr. Slack. More articles on population health: Ad campaign targets hospitals for ties to Chick-fil-A, other fast-food chains: 5 things to know 7 things to know about the state of population health and the gaps in progress Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins is the first hospital in the United States to receive approval from the United Network for Organ Sharing to perform HIV-positive to HIV-positive organ transplants. With this approval, Johns Hopkins surgeons will be the first in the United States to perform an HIV-positive kidney transplant and first in the world to do an HIV-positive liver transplant. Physicians in South Africa have performed HIV-positive kidney transplants. The approval is tied to a bill signed by President Barack Obama in 2013 allowing HIV-positive people to donate their organs. Dorry Segev, MD, PhD, associate professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, helped draft the 2013 HOPE Act. "This is an unbelievably exciting day for our hospital and our team, but more importantly for patients living with HIV and end-stage organ disease," he said. "For these individuals, this means a new chance at life." Dr. Segev estimates that roughly 500 HIV-positive potential organ donors each year had organs that could have saved 1,000 people, but legal regulations prevented physicians from giving organs from HIV-positive donors to HIV-positive patients. "We are very thankful to Congress, Obama, and the entire transplant community for letting us use organs from HIV-positive patients to save lives, instead of throwing them away, as we had to do for so many years," Dr. Segev said. Sir Paul McCartney has expanded his repertoire by composing music for a range of moving emoticons known as mojis. The former Beatle has written music for a range of "Love Mojis" in partnership with technology giant Skype for Valentine's Day. Mojis differ from emoticons or emojis as they are clips that "move" or have animation effects whereas the latter are static animated icons. Talking about creating the set of ten mojis, Sir Paul said it " turned out to be a great laugh at the same time as challenging". He explained: "Y ou suddenly realise you've got to compress a musical interpretation of an expression into less than five seconds. "It was like doing a huge crossword puzzle and coming up with all these solutions. And at the same time it was musical so it was great practice for me in the studio." The set contains a banana, an octopus, a cupid shooting his arrow, a turtle hugging himself and other cute characters. Skype's corporate vice-president Gurdeep Pall said: " As one of the most iconic artists of all time, Paul McCartney is known for expressing his passion through music. "When it comes to composing love songs there is no other artist in the world who has a better track record. Paul's music has touched the hearts of millions of people all over the world." Poultry farmers are among those who may be affected after the RHI scheme was scrapped Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell and his departmental officials have been accused of "incompetence on a huge scale" after a 30m overspend on a green energy scheme. Mr Bell came under fire from companies, farmers and MLAs for suddenly pulling the plug on the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, which supported the installation of biomass energy systems in homes, farms, public buildings and businesses. Engineering firms that manufacture and install the equipment claim they will lose millions of pounds, and that up to 2,000 jobs could go, while the Ulster Farmers' Union said that up to 50 poultry farmers could be left out of pocket with unfinished heating schemes that are now too late to qualify for funding. In a potentially explosive revelation, the senior civil servant at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) told MLAs that the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister had received "whistleblower allegations" which are now the subject of a full investigation. Permanent secretary Dr Andrew McCormick told yesterday's meeting of the enterprise committee: "We have to be wary in case there's any risk of abuse, so we are seeking to make sure that there's adequate, appropriate and proportionate investigations to make sure that people are doing what they say they are doing and that there's not a breach of the obligations of the scheme." Dr McCormick added that the UK-wide energy regulator Ofgem had been informed of the allegations along with DETI and an "independent body" would be carrying out around 200 audits. Sinn Fein's Mairtin O Muilleoir challenged the DETI officials on the allegations. "There's a suggestion that some of these applications are not valid and that there's underhand activity," the South Belfast MLA said. "I consider that a smear. I'm talking about hard-working family firms who are making these applications." Dr McCormick replied: "The vast majority are honourable. There's no evidence at this point to back those allegations up." The RHI scheme had received a total of 3,600 applications, split evenly between domestic and non-domestic installations, mainly for biomass pellet burners. The DETI officials revealed that the Enterprise Minister had been briefed as far back as last July that funding for the programme was under pressure and changes were made to the tariffs in November. Committee chairman Patsy McGlone of the SDLP said many companies had embarked on biomass installations, taking bank loans for which they were now liable. "Who will offset that debt?" he asked. "They acted in good faith that tariffs would be available until March 31. Now they've been walloped. Who picks up the tab for that? It's not their fault." Dr McCormick confirmed there were currently no plans in place for a compensation scheme for affected companies. He also revealed that last autumn, the scheme had received approximately 900 applications in a six-week period. "There was a spectacular surge in demand where it proved necessary to move in the way the minister has," he said. "There's a very significant financial risk which has come to pass and we now face a spending problem affecting the budget for 2017. It's an over-riding issue of finance." Ulster Unionist Adrian Cochrane-Watson said: "It's incompetence on a huge scale. Is DETI going to brush this under the carpet, 30m? It will cause job losses. (This is) a department that is charged with creating jobs and stimulating investment." Several companies involved in renewable heat projects attended the committee. Jamie Byrne of AJP Renewables in Newry said his company was facing collapse. "We knew the funding wouldn't be for ever, but by stopping it abruptly like this they have pulled down the shutters and cut our hands off," he said. "Potentially, this could put us to the wall, along with other companies. "We have 40 biomass boilers on order. The cost could amount to 200,000. We have jobs started that won't now go ahead and customers who won't want to pay. There's so much uncertainty." Questioned in the Assembly yesterday, the Enterprise Minister Mr Bell said: "I'll examine ways in which I can help those who have been affected by my decision last week." Actor Michael Sheen says starting an online petition is a very new experience for him Actor Michael Sheen has delivered a petition to the Welsh Government urging it to stop homeless teenagers being placed in bed and breakfast accommodation. The Welshman's petition has now gathered more than 115,000 signatures online, calling for tighter regulations around where local authorities send homeless young people in Wales. He met Lesley Griffiths, the minister with responsibility for housing in Wales, in Cardiff on Wednesday afternoon for a debate around the issue. In his petition he said the plea is a simple one. He wrote: "All we are asking for is that homeless teenagers have a place of safety, a shower, a hot meal and someone to talk to." Delivering the petition he said: " We're going to debate these issues with the minister and see if we can get the Welsh Government to create much tighter guidelines for local authorities to make sure young people aren't put in that situation." The actor has cited research from charity End Youth Homelessness Cymru, which says local authorities place around 100 16 and 17-year-olds into unsuitable B&Bs every year, with the number rising. Sheen, who has been outspoken on a number of issues including protecting the NHS and criticising potential changes to FOI legislation, said starting the petition online was a "very new" experience for him. He said: " It's a powerful way for people to have their voices heard in our politics." Martin Clunes said: "No one feels safe while this sick individual is on the loose" Doc Martin star Martin Clunes has written to Scotland Yard calling for officers to catch the so-called Cat Ripper of Croydon. At least 35 cats are thought to have been "massacred" around the south London borough, according to the actor, who sent the email to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe on behalf of animal rights group Peta. Clunes, who went to school in Croydon, wrote: "I read with horror that some of the cats had been decapitated and dismembered - this is the stuff of nightmares. "The local community is understandably distraught and frightened. No one feels safe while this sick individual is on the loose." He goes on to note that mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider animal abuse to be a red flag indicating a deep mental disturbance. "Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals don't stop there - many of them move on to their fellow humans. That is a scary thought indeed," Clunes wrote. He concludes the letter by saying: "Because repeat crimes are the rule rather than the exception among animal abusers and given the malicious nature of these crimes, I implore you to take every measure necessary, including re-examining all available CCTV footage, to apprehend this dangerous criminal. "The safety of the entire community depends on it." Peta has offered a 5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. The Cursed Child will be the first tale in the Harry Potter canon not to be penned by JK Rowling A new Harry Potter book will be released nine years after JK Rowling's final story, The Deathly Hallows. Rowling's website Pottermore confirmed that the script of the new stage play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child will be released as a book on July 31 2016, the day after the play's world premiere and, fans will note, Harry's birthday. The Cursed Child is officially the eighth book in the Harry Potter canon and will be released in two versions: a Special Rehearsal Edition using the script performed in the play's previews, before being replaced later by a Definitive Collector's Edition. The news will be a relief for fans worldwide who are desperate to join in the new chapter of Harry, Ron and Hermione's wizarding adventure, but unable to get tickets to the play, which at the moment has only been confirmed to show in London. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ended 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts, as Harry waved his two eldest children off to the wizarding school. The Cursed Child will pick up from that moment, focusing on Harry as a frazzled Ministry of Magic civil servant and his middle child Albus Severus, who is struggling under the weight of the family's legacy. This will be the first tale in the Harry Potter canon not to be penned by Rowling. The two-part play has been written by Jack Thorne, although it has been based on an original idea by Rowling, Thorne and the stage play's director John Tiffany. The History Boys' Jamie Parker will play Harry Potter in the new play, alongside Olivier Award-winning actress Noma Dumezweni as Hermione and Les Miserables actor Paul Thornley as Ron. The stage play will run into 2017, which marks the 20th anniversary of the UK publication of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone. To celebrate the momentous year, fans will be able to collect a new edition of Hogwarts library book Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, featuring new content by Rowling, as well as new editions of Quidditch Through The Ages and The Tales Of Beedle The Bard. Before then, fans will be able to indulge themselves once more in Rowling's magical world in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, starring Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, a magizoologist who accidentally unleashes a menagerie of magical animals on New York. The film is set for release in November 2016. TV viewers have complained about the "shocking" sound quality on BBC drama Happy Valley. The first episode of the long-awaited second series was trending on Twitter on Tuesday night with people referring to "mumbling" and inaudible dialogue. It is not the first time a BBC show has faced criticism of this nature, as hundreds of people complained about the sound in Jamaica Inn and crime drama Quirke in 2014. The first series of Happy Valley captured the imagination of viewers, drawing an impressive consolidated audience of 7.8 million for its series one finale. And while the latest episode of the show has been met with similar praise, it appears to have been marred by viewers' problems with the sound - and even the suggestion that subtitles were needed. Twitter user Ibrahim Banks wrote: "Shocking sound BBC. Hard to follow the mumbling. Please sort this out. Great start though." He added: "Just watched Happy Valley should be called 'happy mumblers', needed subtitles on." Mario Fretti wrote: "Again a good show is spoilt by the sound, too much whispering and mumbling." Another Twitter user called Kez wrote: "Stayed up to watch Happy Valley after a night out. So glad it's back but had to turn volume right up to decipher mumbling." The downbeat drama, written by Last Tango In Halifax's Sally Wainwright, sees James Norton reprise his role as psychotic Tommy Lee Royce. Set in the Yorkshire Valleys, it stars Sarah Lancashire as Royce's nemesis, police sergeant Catherine Cawood. In 2013, BBC director-general Tony Hall said the corporation could look at how to stop actors ''muttering'' in its TV dramas. "I don't want to sound like a grumpy old man, but I also think muttering is something we could have a look at," he said. "Actors muttering can be testing - you find you have missed a line - you have to remember that you have an audience.'' Sara Moore works as a journalist with UTV and her mother Inez is a former primary school teacher. Name: Sara Moore Age: 33 Occupation: Reporter at UTV Relationship to Inez: Daughter I have always been close to my family. In fact, I still live in Whitehead close to my parents Brian and Inez. They are both retired teachers and my brother Christopher works as a set designer on Game of Thrones. We spend as much time together as a family as possible. There is nothing better than my mum's Sunday dinners. My mum and I have always been close, like friends. I am a very private person and tend to keep my thoughts and feelings to myself, so my mum is usually my confidante. I am single at the moment and I know mum would love nothing more than to see me settled down and married with a family. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened yet, but I still have hope. For years I put my career first but now I'm at the stage where I would love to be married and have children - and I don't mind admitting that. Although there is a big age gap between us, we talk all the time about what is going on in our lives. My mum grew up in Saint Helena, which is one of the most remote islands in the South Atlantic, so her childhood was very different to mine. She was part of a small, tight-knit community, so it was huge step for her to leave that behind and come to live in Northern Ireland permanently, after she met my dad. But she wanted to be with the man she loved. Fortunately, mum is a friendly and outgoing person and she made her own friends here, too. One of the first things she did was to set up a Scout group which she was involved with for many years. She was a teacher then took a career break when we came along, before eventually returning. My mum is compassionate, kind and selfless with a massive heart. We enjoy nothing better than jumping on the train - she has her free travel pass now - and heading away for the day up to Londonderry to shop and have lunch." Name: Inez Moore Age: 70 Occupation: Retired teacher Relationship to Sara: Mother Growing up in Saint Helena was wonderful as it is beautiful, but when it was time for me to go to university I was keen to travel. The first offer of a university place came from Northern Ireland so, not only did I get my degree in primary school teaching, I also got my husband Brian into the bargain. We met when we were studying and started dating. After graduation, I had to go back home but I really missed him. Back then it took days to communicate as there was no Skype of Facebook. We would write each other long letters or send telegrams. We soon realised we wanted to be together, so I left everything behind in 1969, which was extremely difficult and emotional, to come here. Brian and I got married in 1970, and I taught at a primary school until I had my children. I'm very proud of both Sarah and Christopher as they both have great careers. Friends tell me when they see Sara on television and it makes me proud. I'm both her biggest supporter and strongest critic - if I think she has done something wrong I will soon tell her. As Sara lives close by, we do spend a lot of time together. The two of us enjoy walking together and it's also a good opportunity for a catch up - as is shopping. She loves her job at UTV and I think that comes across in her bubbly and outgoing personality. I would love to see Sara meet someone, fall in love and settle down, but it would have to be someone very special." Sara's journey to journalism Caring woman: Helen Madden is hopeful her local MLA Emma Pengelly will be able to help her A 53-year-old woman who struggled for decades to overcome the trauma of years of violent and mentally abusive childhood bullying has now found herself the victim of cyber bullies. Helen Madden from east Belfast should have been euphoric on Saturday night after months of hard work culminated in a special vigil she planned in her local community for abused animals, but instead she spent the evening in tears after a barrage of vicious attacks and personal slurs online. Astonished and hurt to find herself still being singled out as a target for cruelty from others in her 50s, Helen has vowed not to let her tormentors win this time. And now, feeling empowered by her own horrific experience which she says has taken years to come to terms with, she plans to set up a support group to reach out to others who are struggling because they have been or are being bullied. Helen has enlisted the support of her local MLA, the DUP's Emma Pengelly, to try and set up a register of missing pets in the south and east Belfast areas where 38 cats and two dogs have disappeared from the start of January. And now she is also hoping to meet with Emma to take advice on her experience of cyber bullying. She also says that she will be reporting the incident to the PSNI. As a frightened child, Helen never spoke out against a group of school bullies who attacked her so viciously that she had to be hospitalised several times. Fear that things would get worse if she told anyone, led Helen to convince her parents and teachers that her injuries were the result of accidents. Now after her recent experience of being victimised online she wants to use the voice she lost as a child through fear to speak out against bullies in the hope that children who are suffering will get help. Her own ordeal in childhood was extreme and left her feeling worthless as an adult for many years, withdrawing from life and shutting herself at home. It was only when she turned 40 and started to follow her own dreams of going back to college to study and then later setting up a local community group on behalf of abused animals that she finally found the confidence to face her past. When a cruel group took to her community Facebook page last Saturday to criticise her vigil organised to highlight animal cruelty, the vicious and personal nature of their comments took her right back to the painful days of her childhood. She says: "If they can do it to me as an adult, how much worse is if for children? I had a six and half hour character assassination - it really affected me and I found it hard. "I was in tears at the start but as I read some of their comments I realised they were so childlike. I realised that here were grown women bitching about me because I had received an award for my work with animals and they did not like it. "My first reaction was to close down all of my community pages which I have set up over the years to help find lost pets in Belfast. "Then I thought 'No, I'm not letting them destroy me again' as I now know keeping quiet about it is not the answer. "I would like to think that these days there is more help for children and schools are more able to support a child if they are being bullied. "Bullying must stop and we need to take a stand because no other child or parent should have to go through bullying. I would urge anyone who is suffering to please tell someone - anyone - do not suffer in silence." Helen enjoyed a carefree primary school life and it wasn't until the age of 11 when she went to high school that her life became a living hell. She had dyslexia and a problem with her vision which hadn't been picked up and which made learning more difficult for her. She believes this is why she was singled out. She recalls: "I remember getting my 'Big School' uniform and feeling so grown up. Sadly this very quickly changed and my life revolved around a constant stream of bullying. I would get kicked on the legs until they bled. "They would leave me crying and the teacher would ask what was wrong with me. "When I went to tell her I would get another kick on the same leg and so I said there was nothing wrong that I had a headache. I would say anything to stop the agony and to make it all go away. "I went from loving school to making up any story I could think of not to attend." The bullying got worse and Helen remembers a very serious incident when she was pushed down stairs in school and was knocked unconscious and broke her jaw. Teachers were told by the bullies that she had slipped. The abuse continued outside school when she remembers being taken by a gang to a park adjacent to her school where she was held down by the arms on a cycle track and then pushed down a hill. She says: "As I tried to get up one of the bullies rode down the hill on a bike and rode right over my chest. I fractured my sternum. "The park ranger called the police and I was taken home in the back of their wagon. I told no one what had happened. "I was very quiet at school and wanted to learn and these bullies didn't want to learn and that was another reason I believe they picked on me." Helen couldn't wait to leave school at 16 but when she did she spent many years struggling with her confidence, withdrawing from society and spending most of her days in her room at home. Her confidence was still very low at the age of 40 when she decided it was finally time to do something for herself. She says: "I went back to college to conquer my fears. I began with Basic English and Maths and achieved a B Plus in English and after that there was no stopping me. I went on to do my favourite subject, Journalism, and achieved NVQ Level 3 and got a Grade 1 with Distinction. I did it while having to spend a month in hospital suffering from an acute asthma attack. "The same year I received a special achievement award from the Education and Learning Board and life at last was starting to look good." Helen, who has a passion for animals, has also completed an animal care course and is currently studying for a diploma in animal law and ethics. Five years ago when her beloved pet cat Bambi went missing from her home she was told by police that they suspected that it and many other missing cats in the area were being stolen as bait for dog fights. Animal lover Helen, who also has a rescue dog Tiny and two cats Lucky and TC, set up a Facebook page for missing pets which very quickly had dozens of members. She helped organise a rally at Belfast City Hall last year which was attended by around 150 people to draw attention to puppy farming and has set up a support group online called Unity for Animals. She was honoured last year for her work on behalf of neglected animals when she was presented with the Compassionate Animal Activist Award from the Animal Rights Action Network. She says: "The idea of the group and the vigils is to highlight cruelty to animals because they can't speak for themselves. I've always been passionate about animals and I enjoy doing what I can as my health is not great now." Helen has a heart condition and severe asthma and is unable to work but hopes her latest qualification will give her the knowledge she needs to work in a voluntary capacity in animal welfare. She also now hopes to set up a support group for victims of bullying. She adds: "I was constantly told by the bullies that I was stupid and I was thick and this led to me withdrawing from life for years. I should have asked for help and it frightens me now to think that kids are suffering from cyber bullying. I am 53 and in the safety of my own home but on Saturday night, again I became the victim of bullies because of the internet. "To be in your own home and still be attacked is awful. It is not right and it needs to stop. It horrifies me to think that adults can do it and if they are doing it what are children doing to each other? "I hope to set up a support group to help others and I think it will also help me to be able to do something positive." A woman whose sister was murdered by the IRA has told of her admiration for Arlene Foster in overcoming her difficulties in working with republicans. The First Minister revealed in an interview for the Spotlight programme that working with Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness was challenging because he praised as a "saint" the Provo who tried to kill her father. Ann Travers' sister Mary was shot dead by the IRA in south Belfast on April 8, 1984, as she walked home from Mass with her father Thomas, a judge and the intended victim. Ms Travers, a strong advocate for Troubles victims, said she thought highly of Mrs Foster. "I have massive respect for her, and as a daughter and sister of IRA victims, I trust her to do the right thing," she added. "I know her gut won't let her do anything else." Mrs Foster spoke openly for the first time about the deep personal challenge it has been for her to work with Mr McGuinness, because of his graveside oration at the funeral of Seamus McElwaine. IRA gunman McElwaine was shot dead by the SAS in April 1986. He was preparing to ambush an Army patrol near Roslea, Co Fermanagh. At his funeral two days later Mr McGuinness described him as a "highly intelligent volunteer". Mrs Foster revealed that she believed it was McElwaine who attempted to murder her father, John Kelly, a part-time RUC officer, in 1979, based on information provided to her family by police. She was just eight years old on the night when her father was shot in the head by the IRA in his own farmyard in Roslea. Mrs Foster told Spotlight last night: "It is quite difficult. If you talk to Martin McGuinness now, he will say that unionists aren't the enemy, the enemy is poverty, the enemy is unemployment. "That's fine, but it doesn't take away from the fact that he thought it appropriate to speak at Seamus McElwaine's funeral - a man who had been responsible for murdering many people in Co Fermanagh." She added, despite her personal difficulties, she would work with the Deputy First Minister because "the past is the past". "What I want to do is to build a future that everybody in Northern Ireland can ascribe to," she said. Last night Mr McGuinness responded to Mrs Foster's comments by saying: "There will always be more than one narrative to any conflict. "There is hurt on all sides and all of us, including the media, have a responsibility to recognise that if we are to consolidate peace and build genuine reconciliation. "That is what I am committed to and I intend to stay positive in that work. People like myself, Arlene Foster and all politicians have a huge role to play by giving positive leadership in the work of reconciliation and coming to terms with the past." Many took to social media to praise the First Minister. Lynne Gordon wrote: "Arlene Foster came across better than the expected DUP mantras and cliches of the past. 'Madonna from the bus' was my favourite." Author Mary O'Donnell added: "Good docu on NI First Minister Arlene Foster revealing layers of destructive experiences in girlhood. Insightful." However, the TUV accused Mrs Foster of having "brushed the past into oblivion" on its Fermanagh Facebook page. A spokesman wrote: "How dare Foster trivialise the troubles as 'the past is the past'. Many victims are still suffering horrendously 'the past in present day'. "Some people will not brush murder under the carpet as DUP did with the McGuigan murder." In December the same Facebook page attracted criticism for a personal attack on Mrs Foster. It appeared to suggest that if she set aside her differences with Sinn Fein for the good of Northern Ireland, it would be a betrayal of the memory of her late father. Writing on the TUV's page, Mark Phillips defended Mrs Foster, asking: "Is she not a victim too? Think she has a right to her opinion. She suffered more than most." BCAW represents more than a dozen residents and community associations under the flight path of George Best Belfast City Airport The creation of a powerful independent airport noise regulator in Northern Ireland would help strike a better balance between commercial interests and nearby residents' well-being, campaigners have claimed. Robust fines for breaches of current noises limits would provide a strong deterrent against infractions, Belfast City Airport Watch (BCAW) told a Stormont committee. The umbrella group that represents more than a dozen residents and community associations under the flight path of George Best Belfast City Airport (GBBCA) was giving evidence to members of the Assembly's Regional Development Committee. The hearing was held as Stormont Environment minister Mark H Durkan continues to deliberate on a planning application lodged by the airport to lift the two million annual cap on the number of seats it can sell. While Mr Durkan's department has responsibility for planning issues related to the airport, the Department of Regional Development (DRD) has a role in the regulation of aircraft noise. BCAW is opposed to the removal of the sales cap, claiming it will turn the airport into one of the noisiest in the UK. It has also recommended a range of other steps that the Stormont Executive could take with regards to regulating the air travel sector in the region, some of which would fall to the DRD to oversee. Dr Liz Fawcett from BCAW told committee members the establishment of a regulator would ensure conformity with existing noise control measures. She said the body could also deal effectively with public complaints and produce "meaningful" five-year action plans aimed at minimising noise pollution from aircraft. The campaigners have also advocated the development of a wider airports strategy for Northern Ireland. They claim unchecked competition between Belfast City and Belfast International, often with duplication of routes, will only force customers across the border to Dublin airport. "We believe that the Northern Ireland Executive faces a choice," said Dr Fawcett. "It can continue to permit the piecemeal expansion of airports, allowing them to duplicate provision and permitting GBBCA to become one of the noisiest airports anywhere in the UK and the island of Ireland in terms of population impact. "The only winners will be Dublin Airport and the airlines, while the losers will be our local economy, and the health and quality of life of tens of thousands in residents in Belfast and north Down. "Alternatively, the Executive can put in place a robust economic and regulatory framework which allows our aviation industry to compete effectively with and complement Dublin Airport's growing portfolio of routes, while ensuring that the negative impacts of aircraft noise are kept to an absolute minimum." Earlier this month, Northern Ireland's Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) said lifting the seat sale cap should be accompanied by tougher noise controls. The PAC's findings came after a public inquiry into the controversial issue last year. In response to the Belfast City Airport Watch evidence to the committee, a spokesman for Belfast City Airport said: "There are already well established noise regulations in relation to all UK airports, of which Belfast City Airport is fully compliant. "These were taken into account at the recent public inquiry into the removal of the airport's redundant 'seats for sale' restriction which heard evidence from all parties, including the Department for Regional Development and Belfast City Airport Watch. "Last week's Planning Appeal Commission report recommended that the removal of the seats for sale restriction should be accompanied by additional noise controls, and the airport will be making representation to the Department of the Environment in the timeframe requested." A Belfast man was remanded in custody today accused of breaking into a neighbour's house with a knife in a bid to attack him. William Cuthbert was arrested by police investigating the incident at Trillick Street in the east of the city. The 27-year-old defendant, of Trillick Court, is charged with aggravated burglary with intent to commit grievous bodily harm to a man at the property on January 19. He is alleged to have had a weapon of offence, namely a knife, at the time. Cuthbert faces further charges of possessing Class B cannabis and Class C Tramadol drugs when he was detained on Tuesday. Standing in the dock at Belfast Magistrates' Court today, he spoke only to confirm he understood the allegations against him. A detective constable said he could connect Cuthbert to the charges. Defence solicitor Dennis Boyd told the court he was not yet in a position to seek bail for his client. "There's an address issue to be resolved," Mr Boyd added. District Judge Fiona Bagnall remanded the accused in custody to appear again by video-link in a week's time. He is expected to apply for bail at that stage. Julie Hambleton, sister of Birmingham pub bombings victim Maxine Hambleton, at the inquest review into the bombings West Midlands Police's chief constable has been ordered to produce any information surrounding a claim the force may have been tipped off in advance of the Birmingham pub bombings by an IRA "mole". A coroner made the order on Wednesday after hearing legal submissions on whether there was enough evidence to resume an inquest into the 21 deaths in 1974. Louise Hunt, the senior coroner for Birmingham and Solihull, said she was adjourning proceedings because of an "evidential vacuum" around claims made by the victims' families' lawyers. Earlier, Ashley Underwood QC representing three of families, had said: "There is reason to believe the gang of murderers had an informant in their ranks and that the police knew in advance. "And there is reason to believe the police had sufficient time, between the telephone warnings and the first bomb going off, to evacuate - and that the emergency services could have arrived earlier - but that records about those things were falsified." He added: "But if it is (true), then the police had a mole in the gang which raises the question, did they know it was going to happen and did they lie to the (criminal) court to cover their knowledge of that, and cover their mole." The force's barrister Jeremy Johnson QC told Ms Hunt that chief constable Dave Thompson had "no principled objection to the resumption" but questioned whether the coroner had any legal jurisdiction to do so. However, he added West Midlands Police would comply with the coroner's direction to supply any documents, statements and supporting evidence on a number of key factors raised by the families. He also said the criminal investigation was still open. On the night of November 21 1974, devastating blasts ripped through the city centre Tavern in the Town and the Mulberry Bush pubs, packed with pre-Christmas revellers. The fatal bombings, which also left 182 people injured, are widely acknowledged to have been carried out by the IRA. A subsequent police investigation led to the wrongful convictions of the Birmingham Six, who were released in 1991 after their convictions for murder were overturned by the Court of Appeal. One of their number, Paddy Hill, was at the coroners court on Wednesday to hear proceedings. Concluding the first of what was scheduled to be three days of submissions, Ms Hunt said she needed more information before making any decision on a resumption of the original inquests. Making her order, the coroner asked for any information held by the police "in relation to the timing of the bombings and any evidence that the State had advance notice of the bombings". She also asked the force for any evidence held surrounding "whether or not there was an informant", and whether the response to telephoned bomb warnings was delayed. The police must also now disclose anything relating to "falsification of documents by West Midlands Police for the purposes of protecting any informants or anyone else". A summary of the previous police investigations carried out since 1991 was also requested, along with a list of "lost" and destroyed evidence from the original criminal investigation. An internal police review ending in 2014 found that of 168 original exhibits listed for the Birmingham Six trial, 35 items could not be located. All the information must be provided to the coroner by March 4, added Ms Hunt, along with a statement from a senior officer which can be made public. Addressing the families at the hearing in Solihull, West Midlands, she said: "I know you've waited a long time and it's never helpful to wait a little longer but I want to get everything right." Earlier, she described the events of that night as "a terrible atrocity resulting in the deaths of innocent people and serious injury to many more". Outlining the current state of the police's criminal investigation into the bombings, Mr Johnson said there had been three developments in the case including new potential forensic evidence, a book by former IRA spymaster Kieran Conway, and a first-hand account from now dead West Midlands fireman Alan Hill. Inquests were opened and adjourned at the time, but never resumed as a result of the Birmingham Six's convictions in August 1975. Speaking outside court after the hearing, Julie Hambleton - whose then 18-year-old sister Maxine was killed by the Tavern bomb - said the families had been "left in limbo by West Midlands Police". A provisional decision date has been set by the coroner for April 6. Rescuing obese people cost the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service almost 430,000 in the last three years, new figures reveal Rescuing obese people cost the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service almost 430,000 in the last three years, new figures reveal. A man was so overweight that firefighters had to use specialist lifting equipment to move him back into bed. It was one of 140 incidents where fire crews were needed to rescue an obese person in the last three years. Some of the people weighed up to 60 stone. On average the Fire and Rescue Service here responds to one bariatric call-out a week. In one of the most shocking examples, the PSNI, Ambulance Service and firefighters were all called to an obese man who had fallen out of bed. Salvage sheets were used to lift him during the incident in Ballyclare. Other fire service rescues include: A 30-year-old woman had to be rescued in Newtownards after becoming stuck on a toilet seat. A 60-stone Belfast man who was moved from a trolley to a hospital bed using specialist lifting techniques. A second 60-stone man who had to be moved using slings. An obese 20-year-old who was helped back into bed in Magherafelt. An incident where the Fire Service had to take out a window to remove an overweight person who was suffering from chest pains. A 48-stone man who refused hospital treatment and had to be lifted back into bed. An overweight 56-year-old woman who fell off a mobility scooter in Belfast. The Fire and Rescue Service said it spent 427,977 responding to 140 bariatric incidents between 2013 and 2015. In 2015 it dealt with 41 incidents at a cost of 124,891. This was a slight fall on the 2014 figure, when 164,990 was spent responding to a total of 54 incidents. And in 2013 fire crews dealt with 45 incidents, costing 138,096 in total. Dia Chakravarty from the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "That is an astonishing amount to spend on obesity-related incidents. "Obesity may well be a problem but people will be troubled that such a lot of precious resources are being spent on tackling this, particularly when fire services, along with other departments in the public sector, are having to find necessary savings." Last April two cranes, seven police cars, two fire engines and 11 medics were deployed to rescue Britain's fattest woman from her flat. Georgia Davis, who weighed 55 stone, was lifted from her home in a seven-hour operation. The rescue in Cwmaman, South Wales, was estimated to cost 10,000. Georgia had been living on a 13,000-calorie-a-day binge of takeaways and junk food which rendered her immobile. At one point her weight ballooned to 63 stone. A Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said the number of bariatric call-outs represented under 0.2% of all incidents. "NIAS remains responsible for the care and transport of all patients requiring treatment at hospital following an emergency or sudden illness. "However bariatric patients may require the use of specialist items of equipment, additional resources and planning in order to care for and transport them to hospital. "As a result NIAS may call on assistance from NIFRS to ensure that the patient's condition is not compromised and their dignity and respect are maintained at all times." Forcing vulnerable women to travel outside Northern Ireland to access abortion services is "shameful", the devolved Assembly has heard. The comments were made during a lengthy debate on amending the law governing t ermination of pregnancies. Alliance Party MLA Stewart Dickson said: "If we are to continue to fail women in Northern Ireland then we are abdicating our duties as representatives. "The traumatic journey to England for many young women is one that is becoming a shame on Northern Ireland and to force women with fatal foetal abnormality pregnancy to look elsewhere for support and help makes this worse." MLAs were considering controversial proposals to permit abortions in cases where the foetus has no chance of survival outside the womb (fatal foetal abnormality) or where a sexual crime has been committed. However any legislative change appeared unlikely well before the late night vote after the DUP and SDLP signalled their opposition. The DUP wants Health Minister Simon Hamilton to establish a working group to examine the issue and report back in six months' time. A spokesman said: " We believe that this issue should best be dealt with in a measured way rather than in haste and without the benefit of appropriate scrutiny. Rushed law can often turn out to be bad law. Indeed we understand that the Attorney General has concerns about these amendments. This justice bill was not intended for this purpose." Unlike other parts of the UK, the 1967 Abortion Act does not extend to Northern Ireland where abortions are banned except where the life or mental health of the mother is in danger. Anyone who performs an illegal termination could be jailed for life. Every year hundreds of women travel to other parts of the UK for abortions. Mr Dickson added: "We have a system that forces the poorest and most vulnerable of women to continue a fatal foetal pregnancy despite the associated distress and physical complications this may cause." Sinn Fein said its MLAs would support the amendments. "There is no place at births for politicians," said Catriona Ruane. "We are supposed to make the law. It's the clinician, the woman and her family who should decide and that is key here today. "The DUP has said it will support a commission which will report in six months. What about the plight of women in the here and now? What about the women who are pregnant as a result of rape or who are pregnant with a fatal foetal abnormality? "Long fingering this does a disservice to women. It is all very well talking about compassion - compassion is not long fingering decisions." The vexed issue of abortion has long divided opinion in Northern Ireland but was thrust back on to the political agenda when Sarah Ewart went public about having to travel for an abortion after being told her baby had no skull and could not survive after birth. And following a landmark legal action, brought by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission last year, a High Court judge found the failure to provide legal exceptions breached human rights obligations. In cases of fatal foetal abnormality, Mr Justice Mark Horner concluded the mother's inability to access an abortion was a "gross interference with her personal autonomy" while a disproportionate burden was placed on victims when a sexual crime occurred. The judge's declaration of incompatibility did not immediately lift the ban but placed an onus on the Stormont Assembly to legislate. SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly raised concerns that relaxing legislation could pave the way for "abortion on demand". "This proposed amendment, what legislators may believe is a discreet and minor development of existing law, has also introduced a critical difference to the underlying philosophy of abortion legislation which will undoubtedly be focused upon by those who seek greater change," she said. The Ulster Unionist Party gave MLAs a free vote on the issue. Party leader Mike Nesbitt said: "I am not comfortable standing here as a man discussing what a woman should do with her body. "I am not going to look a woman in the eye and say 'you must go full term even though you have been told there is a fatal foetal abnormality in your womb'. I am not going to say that to a woman any more than I am going to say 'you must abort because there is a fatal foetal abnormality'. "We all should agree that this is an horrendous choice for these women, their partners and their families." Ahead of the debate, Stormont's chief legal adviser attorney general John Larkin QC raised concerns that changing the law on fatal foetal abnormality could breach obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). In a letter to the Traditional Unionist Voice MLA Jim Allister, the attorney general said: "Providing for a criminal law exception for 'fatal foetal abnormality', as proposed by this amendment, provides unborn children diagnosed with such a disability with much less protection under the law of Northern Ireland than those without such a disability." Pro-life groups have held vigils to show their opposition to the proposals. One of the largest, Precious Life, has said it would "expose" any MLA who votes in favour of the new legislation. Meanwhile, Amnesty International said failing to reform the law would be a "betrayal of women" while the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission urged political action. Chief commissioner Les Allamby said: "We would welcome the outstanding issues being resolved politically. However, if the Northern Ireland Assembly fails to act today in accordance with the court judgment, then our elected representatives will have missed an opportunity to address ongoing human rights violations. "They will have neglected the fundamental rights of vulnerable women and girls facing the most difficult circumstances, when they could have resolved the situation." An Independent Reporting Commission on paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland is included in draft legislation introduced in Parliament on Wednesday. The Northern Ireland (Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan) Bill delivers some of the key aspects of recent Fresh Start and Stormont House agreements between the main parties and the British and Irish governments. Last year Northern Ireland's senior police officer said the Provisional IRA still existed after a murder was linked to its members. It plunged the political institutions into months of instability which threatened the survival of the devolved institutions. Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said: "A new Independent Reporting Commission charged with holding the UK government, Executive and Irish government to account is important. "Alongside the declaration that paramilitary activity will never be tolerated and a Joint Agency Task Force established last year, it provides a basis of a unified effort to rid Northern Ireland of the malign influence of these groups for good." The proposed legislation modifies the pledge of office by Northern Ireland ministers to include fresh obligations to work together on ridding society of all forms of paramilitary activity and groups and includes a similar undertaking for Assembly members. Since the Fresh Start Agreement, new welfare reform legislation has been put in place, a Joint Agency Task Force on organised crime established and a panel appointed to make recommendations on disbanding paramilitary groups. Work also continues with victims' representatives and others on finding a way forward to address the legacy of Northern Ireland's violent past, Ms Villiers said. The Irish Government's UK ambassador has said he is confident a deal will be done between Britain and the EU over Europe. Proposals recently put forward in an effort to avoid a Brexit are "significant", Dan Mulhall added. He said Ireland supports British efforts to improve competitiveness: promoting the single market; boosting the digital economy and tackling climate change. He said: "I am confident, I am optimistic that a solution will be found that will enable the government to go to a referendum with a new set of proposals for the British public." A summit of EU leaders on Brexit is due next week. Prime Minister David Cameron has been meeting key European Union figures over a draft deal put forward by European Council president Donald Tusk aimed at keeping Britain in. Mr Cameron has called for greater British sovereignty and restrictions on in-work benefits for EU migrants known as an "emergency brake". The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of MPs has been holding an inquiry in to the effect of Brexit on Northern Ireland. Mr Mulhall told the committee the Irish Government supported Britain on welfare fraud reform but said the provisions were still being worked on. He said Ireland had a similar proportion of its population born outside the state as Britain but there was not the same focus on resistance to migration or free movement. The ambassador added that the renegotiation process reminded him of Ireland's experience after voters rejected the first referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, which reformed the EU, and the Republic had to seek further concessions. He added: "If a country has a problem generally there is a willingness to find a solution to that problem. "It seems to me that the EU again has shown that when it is confronted with a potential crisis it finds ways of arriving at solutions that at the beginning of the process will have looked to be impossible to achieve." He said the key issue affected by Brexit would be trade, adding the trade in goods and services was worth 65 billion euros (50 billion) last year and 400,000 jobs relied on it. "It would be a key concern for us to preserve the advantages of our existing economic partnership with the UK, which has thrived and prospered within the EU and which outside the union would be the subject of question marks, I would say. "I am not an alarmist, I don't go around talking about catastrophes but I look at things and try to weigh up consequences and I see risks on the trading front and that would be the primary concern." High-profile flag protestor Jamie Bryson faced an unjustifiable burden to prove he was unaware a series of demonstrations broke the law, the Court of Appeal heard today. Counsel for the 25-year-old claimed the onus was wrongly shifted onto him to show he was oblivious to the illegal status of the marches in Belfast. Bryson is seeking to overturn his convictions for taking part in unlawful public processions for which he received a six-month suspended prison sentence. Senior judges reserved their verdict on his appeal without asking to hear from prosecution lawyers. Bryson, of Rosepark in Donaghadee, Co Down, had fought charges linked to widespread demonstrations over the decision to restrict the flying of the Union flag at Belfast City Hall. The allegations included four counts of participating in un-notified public processions during January and February 2013, and obstructing traffic on the city's Newtownards Road. At his trial last year he insisted he did not know the protests could have been unlawful, and claimed he was the victim of a political prosecution. He accepted featuring on CCTV footage of the events, but repeatedly stressed that each time he walked to and from the centre of Belfast as an individual. During the contested hearing prosecution counsel had accused him of treating police who interviewed him with contempt The court heard Bryson told officers quizzing him about the marches that he was an Irish Republican and the First Minister. He even suggested a fictional gay relationship with fellow campaigner Willie Frazer, it was claimed. In an unusual move defence lawyers called one of Northern Ireland's most senior police officers to give evidence as part of their case. Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr told how he agreed to meet Bryson and loyalist community representatives as part of efforts to ensure their weekly demonstrations did not break the law. Mr Kerr also insisted that he warned those at the meeting on January 29, 2013 of the "criminal justice consequences" of taking part in un-notified public processions. Bryson was at the Court of Appeal for today's bid to overturn his convictions, where arguments centred on the legislation used to prosecute him. The Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 had left him facing a reverse burden to prove he did not know, or have reason to suspect the demonstrations were unlawful. Bryson's lawyers had previously contended that was a breach of his human rights. Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan pointed out that the issue was the state of his knowledge. At one stage he told defence counsel: "Surely police officers are not required to walk around the city with signs that this legislation applies to any spontaneous procession that may occur? "Are they supposed to talk over people who are shouting so they can be heard? That's a ludicrous suggestion." He continued: "If they shouldn't do that then surely that reinforces the point that the factual matter requiring to be proved by the accused is a matter which is within his own knowledge in terms of the statute." But Richard McConkey, for Bryson, contended: "One must look at whether the burden shifting to the appellant is justifiable and reasonable. I submit it isn't." Sir Declan, sitting with Lord Justice Gillen and Mrs Justice Keegan, told prosecution barrister David Russell he was not required to make any submissions. Reserving judgment, he pledged to deliver a written verdict dealing with the issues in due course. Stormont video footage of DUP MLA Jim Wells saying he "can't cope with women aged eight to 80" has sparked a formal complaint to the Assembly's standards watchdog. Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson lodged the complaint with the Assembly Commissioner after a video featuring Mr Wells and UUP MLA Ross Hussey sparked an online backlash yesterday, despite having been on the parliament's website since early February. Apparently unaware that he was being recorded, 37 seconds into the recording of the Public Accounts Committee, Mr Wells apparently tells Mr Hussey that he was "scared out of his wits" when a female civil servant resembling his party leader Arlene Foster enters the room. Mr Wells apparently catches sight of the woman dressed in a beige jacket and carrying documents, before remarking to Mr Hussey: "She reminds me of Arlene Foster. She scared the wits out of me... the resemblance there." He then suggests that "she wouldn't take prisoners". Seconds later, Mr Wells is heard telling Mr Hussey: "I'm brilliant with women under the age of eight and great with those over the age of 80 - it's the ones in between I can't cope with - between eight to 80." Mr Dickson has written to the Assembly Commissioner for Standards, Douglas Bain, to see whether the comments represent a breach of Stormont's code of conduct. East Antrim MLA Mr Dickson said: "I have asked the commissioner to investigate urgently whether the Assembly has been brought into disrepute. "I look forward to his response and Mr Wells' explanation of his alleged comments." But last night, Mr Wells hit back at his critics with the response that the comment "was a self-deprecating joke" about how he has never had much success with women, and that it was never intended to be sexist in any way. "The video is totally inaccurate. Nobody can hear it properly," he told the Belfast Telegraph. Some people on social media suggested that Mr Wells, a committed Christian, uttered a swear word on the video - a claim he strongly denied. And the denial was backed by Mr Hussey, a political opponent. Mr Wells said: "The story is totally untrue. The story is of a joke between Ross and myself. "Ross is a bachelor, and we were making the comment that I am popular with women under eight and over 80 but can't cope with the ones in between - that is a self-deprecating joke about me. "There's nothing there at all about women in Northern Ireland." Mr Hussey backed Mr Wells' version of events, saying: "Somebody somewhere is making a mountain out of a molehill. "I really do not see what the story is here. There were absolutely no sexist remarks. It was not intended to be sexist - the line about 'eight to 80' was a throwaway comment." Former DUP minister Edwin Poots also spoke out to back his party colleague. "Jim has never used bad language in the 35 years I have known him," he said. "Ross Hussey will confirm Jim used the word 'between' while Ross simultaneously said 'disaster'. Jim is still in a bad way after all he has came through and doesn't need this." The MLA recently announced plans to stand as a DUP candidate in the forthcoming Assembly elections. There had been speculation over whether Mr Wells would stand again after he became embroiled in controversy last year and his wife had a number of strokes. Mr Wells was wrongly accused of making homophobic remarks about gay marriage, but this was based on a video tape that was edited to distort what he actually said. Later, the Public Prosecution Service said he would not be prosecuted. The DUP declined to comment. Francie Molloy's tweet following Parliaments decision to back the bombing of ISIS in Syria A Sinn Fein MP is being investigated by police over a remark labelling the British Government "murderers". After MPs voted in support of bombing ISIS targets in Syria in December, Francie Molloy tweeted: "Brits back to what they do best, Murder". It was an eerie echo of his comment years earlier that, had the peace process failed, the Provisional IRA could go back to what they do best. Now the Public Prosecution Service has confirmed police are investigating the remarks following a complaint. DUP MP Sammy Wilson said Mr Molloy's comments has caused widespread outrage and had the potential to incite violence. In a letter sent to PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton and Director of Public Prosecutions Barra McGrory, he said he had been contacted by a large number of constituents angry over the decision of the PPS to prosecute Pastor James McConnell over comments in a sermon. They were asking why no action had been taken against Mr Molloy in relation to his remark on December 1, the East Antrim MP said. "First, I would point out the comment was transmitted by electronic means. Second, it labels an entire race, that is, the British. Thirdly, it labels them as murderers. "Apart from the fact that the comment could be deemed as grossly offensive, there is no doubt in the context in which it was made and the audience who was likely to read it, it had the potential to incite violence. "In light of the decision of both the PPS and the PSNI to take action against Pastor McConnell for the remark he made that he would not trust Muslims, I would ask what action is being taken against Mr Molloy." Mr McGrory replied that he had been informed by the PSNI that an officer had been appointed to investigate following a complaint and a file would be considered by the PPS when it was submitted. But Mr Molloy, who replaced Martin McGuinness as Mid-Ulster MP, said: "I have not heard a word about this. You would think if they were investigating they might have been in touch. But this is the first I have heard about it. "I suppose it was a bit of a flippant remark, but I do not regret it. As far as I remember it was part of a discussion on Twitter." Mr Molloy, who at one stage was tipped to replace the DUP's William Hay as Stormont Speaker, admitted the tweet echoed his earlier quote that the IRA could go back "to what they do best", by which he insisted he meant "negotiate". He posted his 'Brits' comment in response to Martin McGuinness, who voiced strong opposition to air strikes against ISIS in Syria, after David Cameron came under attack for urging his MPs not to vote against the action and line up alongside "a bunch of terrorist sympathisers". Mr McGuinness tweeted: "The already huge gulf between East and West will tomorrow become even wider. Air strikes a gift to ISIL, Iraq and Libya lessons not being learned." Mr Molloy responded with the comment: "Brits back to what they do best, Murder." He added last night: "It all comes back also to this issue over disclosure. It is all very well for (Secretary of State) Theresa Villiers to talk about national security but people have a right to know if things happened as a result of political direction or something a soldier on the ground decided, for example. "Then there is the issue of a man or family being bombed or shot here and people you don't know being bombed in Syria. "It was later accepted that what I meant by my comment years ago of the IRA going back to what they do best, that was to 'negotiate'." Jonathan Ganesh releases a dove at the memorial service at South Quay station attended by survivors and emergency services The brother of a man killed in the IRA's attack on Canary Wharf in London has told how he struggles to forgive the bombers. Ihsan Bashir (50) was speaking during a multi-faith service at South Quay station to remember his sibling Inam and John Jeffries, who died when the huge bomb was detonated in the capital's Docklands on February 9, 1996. The Docklands Victims Association organised the service for the victims of the attack and of all other acts of terrorism across the globe. Representatives of the emergency services and politicians - including East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson - attended and observed a minute's silence before 20 white doves were released as a symbol of the desire for peace. Some of the hundreds who were injured in the blast, along with survivors of the 7/7 attacks and the 1983 Harrods bomb, also attended the 20th anniversary event. Mr Bashir's mother Hamida thanked the community for remembering Inam. "I'm so touched that after 20 years the community has never forgotten my poor son and his friend John. It breaks my heart that terrorists still kill innocent children," she said. Ihsan told those gathered it was vital that Londoners stood together against terrorists of all hues. "This is so important now considering all of the turmoil we are in at the moment," he said. "It is a very good opportunity for all religions to take a unified stand. "It's a defiance of terrorists - you can't stop us. "A bomb doesn't discriminate if you are Muslim, Christian or Jew. It is very important as Londoners, as British subjects, that we don't divide ourselves and don't let terrorists divide us. We need to stand against terrorists." Mr Bashir spoke to his brother on the phone minutes before the explosion and went to the scene to look for him when news of the bomb spread. He did not find out that his brother and Mr Jeffries, known as JJ, had perished until the following afternoon. Mr Bashir said: "The bomb was right next to our shop - it had been parked there since 4.30pm. Inam would have been putting the alarm on and JJ would have been outside by the shutters. "I am still bitter. You can never come to terms with it. It is hard to forgive what they did." President of the Docklands Victims Association and bomb survivor Jonathan Ganesh said it was hard to believe it had been 20 years since the outrage. "It is a credit to the lasting memory of Inam and John that we are all gathered here today," Mr Ganesh added. "As I look around me, I see people of all colours, all religious faiths, all political creeds, who have united together and are making a universal statement that we condemn all acts of global terrorism at home and around the world." Mr Robinson said the service had been "poignant". "The contrast between those releasing 20 white doves today as a symbol of peace and those who committed this act of terrorism could not be more stark," the MP said. "I wanted to stand in solidarity today with these victims from another part of our United Kingdom who suffered in the same way as so many people did in Northern Ireland. "The campaign for compensation will continue, and the refusal of Tony Blair to come before the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee to give evidence once again stands as a disgrace." A former MP and Stormont Minister could be set for a political comeback after Sinn Fein said it would hold a third candidate selection meeting in Fermanagh. It means that Michelle Gildernew - was selected to run for the Assembly at the first, then de-selected at the second - has a chance to re-enter politics. Earlier this month, her political career appeared to be over after she failed to be picked by Sinn Fein to contest May's Assembly election. Outspoken MLA Phil Flanagan was instead chosen as a candidate after the party ordered a re-run of its December selection process. Current MLA Sean Lynch and local councillor John Feely were chosen as Mr Flanagan's two running mates. The party's Ard Chomhairle had ordered the second vote after reports of concerns over procedures. At the time, Ms Gildernew tweeted: "Well done to the successful candidates Phil Flanagan, John Feely and Sean Lynch in tonight's Fermanagh/South Tyrone convention." But a Sinn Fein spokesman said afterwards the selections had not been decided as they had to be ratified by the party's ruling council. Now in a further twist Sinn Fein is set to meet next week to select a fourth candidate. Ms Gildernew won the 2010 General Election by the tightest margin in the UK, just four votes. She lost out to Ulster Unionist Tom Elliott in last year's Westminster poll. The firm helps farmers cope with the demands of the digital age An agricultural software firm is creating 23 new jobs. The posts a re part of a 1.4 million expansion by Sixty-5 Technologies and are expected to boost the local economy by 792,000 in annual salaries. The Belfast-based company, a spin out of Progressive Agriculture Solutions, helps farmers cope with the demands of the digital age and has developed cloud based platform which uses GPS to help boost productivity and optimise efficiency. Finance Minister Mervyn Storey described the jobs announcement as "excellent news" during a visit to their offices. He said: "Sixty-5's approach to innovation to address a gap in the market will ensure the company is continuing Northern Ireland's rich heritage of agricultural innovation. "It also represents an investment in satellite enabled technology which is an area that can create significant business opportunities." Invest Northern Ireland has contributed 180,000 towards the creation of the new jobs. John Arrell, Sixty-5 Technologies chief executive said: "Over the next three years, we are aiming to substantially increase both turnover and export sales through developing new products and services and growing our technological capability. "Our long term goal is to accelerate sustainable agriculture through the provision of GPS, to ensure the farming industry optimises the best use of its land. Essentially, farmers need technology to be easy to use and we believe that the data should be there to support them for greater farm profitability. "Our new technology has already been very well received in the industry and with Invest NI's support we aim to strengthen our team and bring our ideas to the global marketplace to generate substantial export sales." The plane is removed from the crash scene at Cork Airport A survivor of the 2011 Belfast-Cork air crash has admitted that he is still trying to come to terms with how he got out of the plane alive when six others weren't so lucky. Brendan Mallon has said that even now he feels a sense of guilt when he thinks of the families of the people - four passengers and two pilots - who died instantly five years ago today when a 19-seater Manx2 turboprop aircraft crashed on its third attempt at landing in heavy fog at Cork Airport. He didn't know the victims - Michael Evans, Brendan McAleese, Pat Cullinan, Richard Noble, Jordi Gola Lopez and Andy Cantle - but those men's names will always be inextricably linked with him when the events of February 10, 2011 are recalled. Six victims, six survivors -and, in an exclusive interview with the Beflast Telegraph, the 41-year-old father-of-two said he'll never fully grasp how he ended up in the latter category, or why he twice opted against taking seats that were ultimately occupied by passengers who didn't make it that dreadful morning. He knows his final thoughts before the ill-fated aircraft slammed into the ground near runway 17 and flipped over were of his wife Heather (40) and children Jonathan (12) and nine-year-old Matthew, although he can't actually remember having those thoughts. He told one of his work colleagues about them that day shortly after being hospitalised with severe head and neck injuries, and this conversation was later relayed to him. And that's important because Mr Mallon - a passenger on what would become the last-ever Belfast-to-Cork flight - sometimes gets frustrated by how little he recalls about the crash and subsequent fire, which threatened to kill those fortunate enough to survive the impact. At other times, however, he's glad he isn't tormented by the screams. "For whatever reason my mind has decided to throw Tippex at the crash," he said. "I only recall looking out the window while we were coming into land and seeing grass... one millisecond of seeing grass, that's the last thing I remember." Mr Mallon, a sales development executive for World Travel Centre, was cut free from the wreckage by the emergency services and hospitalised for three weeks. But had it not been for a quirk of fate that led to his choice of seat on the doomed plane, Mr Mallon might not have survived at all. "It was a small plane with two rows of seats and an ailse down the middle," the Bangor man said. "I was the second person to board. The man ahead of me had taken the first seat on the right hand side. I considered the seat opposite him but it was too close to the cockpit. "I was about to sit on another seat in the third row but one on the left had more legroom, so I chose that one. "Over time I realised that the men in those other seats didn't make it. That's always on my mind." Another stroke of fortune came when one of the Cork Airport rescue team "went with his gut" ahead of normal procedure and got to the plane quicker; a decision Mr Mallon believes also contributed to his survival. That fact only emerged two-and-a-half years ago when he visited Cork Airport and spoke to members of the rescue team. "They heard the crash but they couldn't see the plane because of the fog," Mr Mallon said. "The guy who drove on to the tarmac turned left instead of right, so he reached the plane sooner, the fire engine got to us sooner and the fire was put out sooner. If that hadn't happened, who knows... in another two or three minutes the fire could have caught. He probably saved our lives." Mr Mallon, an only child, said he believes his late mother Agnes, who died suddenly when she was in her early 70s - and whom he found lying dead at home when he was an 18-year-old schoolboy - was somehow watching out for him, along with his father John, who died of cancer in his 50s when Brendan was just three- and-a-half. "My parents died when I was young so I've always felt extra gratitude for my family," he said. "I've thanked God many times for the fact that I survived. I like to think my mother and father were looking down and keeping an eye on me." Although he has flown 50 times since the crash, Mr Mallon revealed that turbulence was "now a real problem". He also said he feared that history was going to repeat itself when a Gatwick-bound flight he was on had to abort its landing due to heavy fog. "When the pilot pulled up at one point it took me back to the crash," he said. He spoke of the sense of dread his wife, a personal assistant, feels every time he heads off on a business trip now. "Heather still worries. Whenever I arrive where I'm meant to be the first thing I have to do is phone her or send a text," he said. Two years ago the Air Accident Investigation Unit published a 240-page report which found that poor regulatory oversight by the Spanish owners of the aircraft contributed to two tired, inexperienced pilots - Mr Lopez and Mr Cantle - running the aviation equivalent of three red lights in bad weather. Their report identified a series of poor operational decisions by the pilots in the moments before the crash, and said the probable cause was "loss of control during an attempted go-around initiated below decision height (200ft) in instrument meteorological conditions". Mr Mallon, who received counselling to deal with the trauma of what happened, said that he'll be meeting up with other survivors today to remember the victims of the crash. He added that, for him personally, each anniversary stirs up a "mixed bag of emotions". "I'm grateful I see my family every day, but I always think about the families of those who weren't so lucky," he said. Health officials must reassure the public over what is being done to tackle the swine flu virus following the death of a man in hospital, it has been claimed. It is thought that the man, from the Lurgan area, died last Wednesday. He was being treated for swine flu, but had other underlying conditions. News of his death came a day after this newspaper revealed that almost 150 swine flu cases had been reported in Northern Ireland during the last four weeks alone. In 2009 an outbreak of the potentially deadly virus killed almost 30 people here. The majority of those who died had underlying health issues. Last week seven people with confirmed influenza were treated in intensive care units in hospitals across Northern Ireland. The man's death follows that of a child in the Republic. SDLP MLA Karen McKevitt said that two other people are in critical condition in Craigavon Area Hospital. She urged senior management across the health and social care trusts to take a more proactive approach in how they publicly deal with the virus. She said she discussed the issue of swine flu during a meeting with Southern Health Trust officials on Friday, days after the man's death. "I got quite a vague answer back saying there is flu in every hospital and they were more or less saying it happens every year and they don't have much concerns. "But then on Monday I got a call to say that a man had died from swine flu in Craigavon Hospital. "When I spoke to the trust's chief executive Paula Clarke on Monday she said it hadn't been brought to her attention. "It would concern me that the chief executive didn't know about this, that a man had died in the Southern Trust from swine flu. It concerns me that it wasn't put in front of her." It has also emerged that there were 41 cases of people with flu symptoms in intensive care units across Northern Ireland last month, with 36 of those diagnosed with swine flu. Ms McKevitt believes that more needs to be done to prevent another death. She added: "In 2009 we spent hundreds of thousands of pounds getting the message out there and it worked, people listened and went for the flu jab. "But why aren't they telling people now to do the same, particularly when someone has died, why are they hiding behind the word flu? Swine flu is not a dirty word. "They need to be more proactive in how they deal with this swine flu. We need to prevent another person from losing their life." The Public Health Agency (PHA) stated that the H1N1 virus is covered by the flu vaccine that is offered free to over-65s, pre-school children aged between two and four years old, all primary school-aged children and individuals in "at risk" groups, such as pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions like asthma or heart conditions. A PHA spokesperson said: "Every year, during the winter period, several strains of seasonal influenza virus circulate in the community. In 2009 a new flu virus emerged called influenza H1N1, which at the time was also known as 'swine flu'. "Since 2009, influenza H1N1 virus has become one of the common seasonal influenza viruses in circulation in Northern Ireland, the UK and around the world." Pictured during the presentation are l-r Paul Doyle, Translink Metro bus driver and PR Smith, National Campaign for Courtesy Non Executive Director. Pic by Simon Graham/Harrisons Pictured during the presentation are l-r Paul Doyle, Translink Metro bus driver and PR Smith, National Campaign for Courtesy Non Executive Director. Paul, a Metro driver based in Falls Road bus depot in West Belfast, hit media headlines worldwide at the end of 2015 for a simple act of generosity in which he presented a winter coat to someone in need. Pic: Simon Graham/Harrisons The kind-hearted Translink Metro bus driver who gave a winter coat to a homeless man in Belfast has received a special award for his kindness. In December Paul Doyle had spotted a young man sitting on the street on a previous run and wanted to give him something to help him in the winter months. His story was shared across Northern Ireland as he stopped his Metro 10H service to give the homeless man a winter coat with some food and cash. Thinking nothing more of it, he went on with the rest of his route - but one of his passengers shared the inspiring tale on Facebook and it was subsequently shared thousands of times. Paul, who was based in the Falls Road bus depot in west Belfast, then joined forces with him employer Translink, radio station U105 and Hastings Hotel to encourage people to donate clothing to help those vulnerable people stay warm during the coldest time of the year. The companies teamed up with the the Council for the Homeless NI, the umbrella organisation for homeless groups and the SOS Bus, which provides help to those in need on the streets, for the Christmas Campaign. Now the bus driver has received a special award from the National Campaign for Courtesy in recognition of his "exceptional example of kindness". An unmarried Co Antrim mother whose partner died was discriminated against on the grounds of her marital status when she was refused a widowed parent's allowance, a High Court has ruled An unmarried Co Antrim mother whose partner died was discriminated against on the grounds of her marital status when she was refused a widowed parent's allowance, a High Court has ruled. The landmark ruling sets a precedent that could see bereaved cohabiting parents across the UK receiving extra benefits. The woman took the Department for Social Development to court following the death of her partner of 23 years. Siobhan McLaughlin was devastated when her partner John died from cancer in January 2014, leaving behind her and their four children. Ms McLaughlin said she was shocked when her children were denied bereavement benefits because the pair were not married. Under current legislation people who are married or in a civil partnership may be entitled to claim a lump sum of 2,000 when their spouse passes away, plus a weekly payment of widowed parent's allowance if there are children. But those who cohabit receive nothing. Ms McLaughlin went to Citizens Advice, which went to the High Court in Belfast to seek a judicial review on her behalf. It claimed that the mother-of-four was unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of her marital status. In Mr Justice Treacy's judgment yesterday, he stated that the refusal of the benefit was "not justified". He added the Government's legislation that denied her this benefit because of her marital status "cannot be justified". "The purpose of the benefit was to diminish the financial hardship on families consequent upon the death of one of the parents," he added. Ms McLaughlin, whose children are aged 19, 17, 13 and 11, said she was delighted by the ruling. "When my partner of 23 years and father of our four children, John, passed away from cancer I was devastated," she said. "I was totally shocked to discover that our children would lose out on bereavement benefits because we weren't married, even though we have lived together as a family unit for such a long time. "I am so delighted, not just for my own children but for many others throughout the UK that will benefit from today's judgment." Yesterday's ruling will impact on thousands of people across the UK. In his 33-page judgment, Mr Justice Treacy said: "Even allowing for the State's margin of appreciation, I do not consider that the exclusion of the applicant from Widowed Parent's Allowance on the grounds of her marital status can be justified. "Indeed, it may seem somewhat strange to rely, as a justification for the restriction, on the contention that it promotes the institution of marriage and civil partnership when parents, whatever the status of the relationship, owe the same financial or legal duties towards their children. "The restriction appears to be inimical to the interests of children." Laura Banks, a solicitor for Citizens Advice, told the Belfast Telegraph that it was a victory for bereaved children. "We think this is a good thing. We have strongly lobbied for this, that families shouldn't be put into poverty and children shouldn't be put into poverty over their parents' martial status," she said. "It's a really significant decision. "This is the first time that this case has been taken and it will affect people UK-wide and will affect families. "Seven thousand people every year lose a partner they are not married to so those with children will benefit from this judgment." Ms Banks has urged anyone affected by yesterday's ruling to contact their local Citizens Advice. Gerry Adams has insisted his party is not soft on crime, saying he understands the issues as one of the "few people" in the Irish parliament who has been shot and had his house bombed. In the past week two murders - one at a boxing weigh-in at a Dublin hotel - have been linked to criminal feuding. Mr Adams hit out at the Irish government claiming it is to blame for the rise in gang crime. Gerry Adams said: Were talking about organised crime which can be tackled and its not us that have been soft on crime. It is the government which has allowed the conditions to prevail where these gangs think that they are above the rule of law. "They think they can go in and act with impunity and they should not be allowed to do that, he added. Speaking on Ocean FM in Sligo on Wednesday morning, the Sinn Fein president said concerns about his partys planned abolition of the Special Criminal Court has been hyped out of all proportion, saying it was simply his opponents trying to score points off his party. Im probably one of the very few people in the Oireachtas [the Irish Parliament] who has actually been shot," he said. "Im one of the very, very few people whose home has actually been bombed, Im one of the very few people who even as we speak is under death threat, a viable death threat Im told by the PSNI by some of the gangs who are involved in this behaviour so we wont take lectures from people who cut garda numbers, he added. He also said Sinn Fein had "honoured all its pledges and commitments" in Northern Ireland. Adams rejected the notion that the party had any "baggage" that was impacting on votes in the Republic. He admitted he had received some very unsavory abuse about his past but insisted he was privileged to know people who had given their very lives during the Troubles. "Im like everybody else, like you and everybody listening. Ive made mistakes in my life but I have devoted my life and my adult life. Ive been in prison without trial incidentally because of my position. "Yes I have been subjected to some abuse, very very unsavory and my family are very offended by some of the things said about me but that goes with the turf. "Ive been privileged to know people who have given their very lives, when there was a war and I dont glamourise any of that. "We are in a new dispensation. "I played some part in bringing that about, he added. Mr Adams also hit back at Fianna Fail for saying he was soft on crime. He told the Irish Independent: "I think that's an insult. "We have stood up to armed gangsters and crime of all types. I've stood with communities against them. Fianna Fail is the government which closed Templemore [garda training college] which cut Garda figures. "We appreciate very, very much the difficulties that people are suffering not least because of the actions of anti-social [behaviour] but particularly organised crime." Caroline Crawford and Cormac McQuinn, Irish Independent The Kinahan cartel's number one target, Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, is back in Dublin - but keeping an extremely low profile. The fact that Hutch has left his base in Lanzarote to return to the capital has increased tensions in the murderous feud between associates of his nephew Gary and the Christy Kinahan cartel. It is believed that 'The Monk' (52) was in Dublin when his older brother Eddie (59) was shot dead at his home in Poplar Row, in the north inner city, on Monday evening. He is understood to be completely shocked by the slaying. The development comes as heavily-armed members of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) patrolled streets in the north and south inner city all day yesterday. Armed officers, who privately admitted they have been shocked by events since Friday, are monitoring key players aligned to both the Hutch and Kinahan gangs. Gardai investigating the murder of Eddie Hutch senior are awaiting DNA and forensic test results of the getaway car. Gardai have made significant progress in their investigations in the Regency Hotel murder and the killing of Edward Hutch Snr in Dublin. According to reports, they have identified some of the killers who are Irish and not contract killers from abroad as originally thought. Gardai are also optimistic that they will get vital clues from the getaway car which was used in the murder of Edward Hutch Snr. A number of balaclavas and a drinks bottle of petrol were found in the BMW Series 3which failed to burn out on Monday. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The Hutch family Edward Hutch Ross Hutch Gary Hutch Eddie Hutch / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Hutch family Gardai are now appealing to anyone in a petrol station who sold fuel in a container to contact them. It is understood that up to 40 key criminals are under surveillance by gardai. In recent months many have been warned their lives are under threat. Checkpoints continued last night at various locations amid fears that the bloody feud come claim a third life within a week. Eddie, considered a "soft target", was shot dead on the orders of the cartel in revenge for Friday's murder of David Byrne in a Drumcondra hotel - an attack he had no involvement in. "Eddie was killed to get at his brother. It is simple as that. That man had no involvement in organised crime and his killers knew that," a source told the Herald last night. A massive investigation into the murder is being carried out by gardai at Mountjoy Garda Station and specialist garda units who are attempting to identify the four-man hit team that carried out the ruthless shooting. Sources said gardai are investigating a number of possible suspects for the murder of the taxi man, including Cabra-based criminals suspected of the gun murder of Darren Kearns in December. Also being investigated is a notorious hitman who twice tried to murder exiled crime lord John Gilligan. All these criminals have close links to the Kinahan cartel. It is understood that a very close Crumlin- based associate of Byrne put up 25,000 to avenge his murder in the Regency Hotel. Daniel Kinahan - the son of drugs boss Christy - was also an intended target of the hotel shooting. Eddie Hutch was hit multiple times by two gunmen who shot through the door of his house at around 7.40pm on Monday, before they finally murdered him in his sitting room. The killers escaped in a silver BMW, but failed to burn out the car at St Patrick's Parade before leaving in a dark-coloured 4x4, possibly an Isuzu or Land Cruiser. As gardai probe the murder of Eddie Hutch, a massive investigation is ongoing into the hotel murder of Byrne (34). None of the guns used in the hotel shooting have been recovered and gardai are "especially concerned" that the two AK-47 assault rifles are still in "circulation". Investigations have also established that the three men shot in Friday's attack were hit by bullets from the AK-47s, rather than the handguns brandished by at least two of the hit team. The deadly feud between the Christy Kinahan cartel and associates of Gary Hutch started when Gary was shot dead in Spain last September. After months of simmering underworld tension, the feud exploded when a north inner city gang connected to Gary Hutch opened fire in the Regency Hotel. The cartel held a war council in a south inner city pub over the weekend and struck back quickly. Despite a massive garda presence in the city they murdered Eddie Hutch in Monday's revenge attack. Yesterday, it emerged that just hours after Hutch was murdered, gardai arrested 'Fat' Freddie Thompson and his cousin Liam Roe after a short car chase that started in Crumlin and ended in Cork Street. Thompson had his clothes seized by gardai after they spotted blood on his tracksuit and runners. It is understood that 'Fat' Freddie was "keeping his head down" last night. Assistant Commissioner Jack Nolan would not say if any members of the Hutch family were told if their lives were in danger prior to the shooting of Eddie Hutch. "That's not an avenue I'd like to go down at this point in time," he said, adding that gardai "had no specific intelligence" that Eddie Hutch was at risk. Ken Foy, Independent.ie An application by businessman Denis O'Brien for orders aimed at compelling a Dail Committee hand over to him minutes of two of its meetings last summer, plus other documents, has been struck out at the High Court. The meetings concern decisions by the Committee on Procedures and Privileges (CPP) that Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy and Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty had not breached standing orders governing debates in the Oireachtas in their remarks concerning Mr O'Brien's banking affairs with State-owned Irish Bank Resolution Corporation. The application for discovery of documents was brought in preparation for Mr O'Brien's action against the CPP and State over those speeches. A hearing date for that action has yet to be fixed. In his proceedings initiated last June, Mr O'Brien claims there is a "clear public interest" in the courts determining whether Dail utterances by eputies Murphy and Doherty in May and June 2015 effectively determined his legal action against RTE aimed at restraining publication of details of those banking affairs. He claims the defendants permitted the utterances be made in breach of his right to fair procedures and rights of privacy and access to the courts and in breach of standing orders regulating debate in the Oireachtas. This amounted to "unwarranted interference" by the Oireachtas with the operation of the courts "in a purely judicial domain", it is alleged. The claims are denied. When Mr O'Brien's discovery application came before Mr Justice Seamus Noonan Tuesday (Feb 9), he was told by Michael Cush SC, for Mr O'Brien, it could be struck out, with costs "in the cause", meaning the costs of the application depend on the eventual outcome of the case. Sara Moorhead SC, for the defendants, previously indicated they would not voluntarily hand over the documents and would oppose any application aimed at compelling them discover the documents as there were "significant issues" involved. In his discovery application, Mr O'Brien sought minutes of two meetings of the CPP held on June 10 and July 1, 2015, any documents put before those meetings or circulated to CPP members in advance of those meetings; and any draft minutes or other records by the Clerk of the CPP of those meetings. Also on Tuesday, after Mr Cush and Ms Moorhead indicated they hoped to reach agreement on a time line for exchange of pleadings, the judge adjourned a motion for further directions in the case for two weeks. In his action, Mr O'Brien complains utterances by Deputy Murphy on May 6, May 27 and May 28, and by Deputy Doherty on June 9, forced him to concede in the High Court on June 10 that the entire script which he earlier sought to prevent RTE publishing, and which he had successfully injuncted, was by then in the public domain. His lawyers formally complained to the Ceann Comhairle and Deputy Ceann Comhairle about both Deputies' actions and were informed,on June 15, the CPP had found Deputy Murphy had not breached standing orders as her utterances were made "on the floor of the House in a responsible manner, in good faith and as part of the legislative process". In addressing Mr O'Brien's claims the utterances breached the terms of a High Court injunction, the CPP said any such finding was exclusively a matter for the courts. On July 3, the lawyers were told the CPP had concluded Deputy Doherty's "exercise of his constitutional freedom of speech" in the Dail fell outside the scope of, and did not contravene, the standing order regulating debate in the House. Mr O'Brien alleges, as far as he is aware, the CPP received no submissions from either TD about his complaints before making its findings and, if it had, he was given no opportunity to respond to such submissions in breach of his right to fair procedures. Irish Independent Negotiations on the Luas pay claim have previously broken down after hearings at the Labour Court and the Workplace Relations Commission Luas workers have said they have no option but to strike in a two-day stoppage that will disrupt 180,000 tram users in Dublin from Thursday morning. Amid calls for last-ditch talks to avert the industrial action, trade union Siptu attacked Transdev, operators of the light rail, accusing management of refusing to offer anything other than inflation rate pay rises. Workers' representatives, who have been championing salary hikes of 8% to 53%, claim pay scales mean drivers can work for nine years and hit a salary of 42,247 euro or 47,941 euro for traffic supervisors. Siptu organiser John Murphy said the workers were conscious of the inconvenience the strike would have on commuters, school children and other passengers. "Our members are very disappointed at the approach of management in this dispute. The company has failed to show any initiative in the effort to find an agreed resolution in talks in various forums over the last 18 months," he said. "Management representatives have instead merely continued to reiterate the position that our members cannot expect to receive pay rises over the next five years and that any rise that might be granted would be limited to an increase in the Consumer Price Index." Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe urged talks but said he has no power to offer Transdev more money to meet the demands for pay rises. A repeat two-day strike is already planned for next week, on February 18-19. "If this action goes ahead as planned, significant disruption will be caused to those who have come to depend on Luas to get to work and about their daily business," Mr Donohoe said. Negotiations have previously broken down following hearings at the Labour Court and the Workplace Relations Commission. Mr Donohoe hit out at the planned industrial action, which has the support of 99% of drivers, traffic supervisors, revenue protection officers and supervisors in the Siptu trade union. "Strike action does not serve the company, the staff or service users well," the minister said. "I am asking unions and management to re-engage in discussions on the basis of reasonable negotiations so that strike action can be avoided and Luas can continue to serve commuters across our city in the weeks to come." Luas union representatives claim the company pay scales mean drivers can work for nine years and hit a salary of 42,247 euro compared with 47,941 euro for traffic supervisors. They claim the operators are returning profits each year and have asked for 10,000 euro pay rises for traffic supervisors, increases of 10% to 14% for the revenue protection officers and supervisors who check tickets, and hikes for the 172 drivers which would take their top level of pay to 64,993 euro. Transdev said the claims would cost the company more than 20 million euro over five years. It is planning for normal service to resume at 6.30am on Saturday morning and apologised to customers for the inconvenience. The brother of US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has spoken of his pride at his sibling's romping primary victory over Democrat nomination rival Hillary Clinton. Oxford-based Larry Sanders, 80, is six years older than his brother, who scored a win at the first primary in New Hampshire. The 74-year-old left-wing candidate won more than 60% of the vote over the former secretary of state on Tuesday. With Ms Clinton winning the first caucus in Iowa, Larry Sanders, a former social worker who moved to the UK from Brooklyn, New York, in the 1960s, said his sibling had done better than he expected. He told the Press Association: "T he great thing about winning is that he will be on the front pages and blasting out of televisions and the radios. More people will then have to think about him, so it might well do the trick." Larry Sanders said the race to win the Democrat nomination is going to be "very competitive" and the "Clintons are going to get very dirty" in their tactics. "But I think his chances are very good - which is hard to absorb," he added. The Democrat candidate's policies include breaking up the big banks, creating more jobs for youngsters, a single-payer national health care programme and free university tuition. Larry Sanders said it was "amazing and magical" to see support growing for his brother and his policies. The politician told crowds in his victory speech on Tuesday: "It is a political revolution that will bring tens of millions of people together. "It will bring together working people who have given up on the political process. It will bring together young people who have never participated in the political process. "It will bring together blacks and whites, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, straight and gay, male and female - people who were born in America and people who immigrated here. "We will all come together to say loudly and clearly that the government of our great nation belongs to all of us - not just a few wealthy campaign contributors." As the battle moves to other states, he added: "Now it is on to Nevada, South Carolina and beyond." Donald Trump took victory in the Republican contest with more than 35% of the vote, after coming second to Ted Cruz in Iowa. About 550,000 voters turned out for the New Hampshire primary, a reported record for the state which has a population of 1.3 million. The next big date in the presidential election calendar is Super Tuesday on March 1, when more than 15 states will hold caucuses and primaries at the same time. Akhtar Javeed was killed on Wednesday last week after two offenders tied up staff as they attempted to rob his warehouse in Rea Street South, Digbeth (West Midlands Police/PA) The daughter of a businessman who was shot by armed raiders has described his murder as "horrific" - and urged anyone shielding his killers to give her father justice. Lilas Javeed described Akhtar Javeed - who was blasted in the neck at his Birmingham soft drinks firm - as a "humble and simple" father and grandfather who worked tirelessly to provide for his family. Supported by her husband at a news conference, Ms Javeed said she and her three brothers had been left "shattered" by the killing. As police revealed that Mr Javeed, 56, was shot after resisting two masked men, his daughter, from London, told reporters: "Everything has changed since the day he was taken from us. "A devoted husband and caring father who selflessly did everything he could to look after the ones he loved is now gone, after having to suffer such a horrific attack. "It breaks our hearts knowing that his last moments were not spent with us as they should have been." Ms Javeed, 30, added: "Nothing will fill the hole left in our hearts. That warm, happy, and comfortable feeling we would get whenever our dad was with us will never return." Company director Mr Javeed was killed on Wednesday last week after two offenders tied up staff as they attempted to rob his warehouse in Rea Street South, Digbeth, at about 6.30pm. The victim, who lived in east London, was found injured in the street near his firm's car park but died in hospital. Inquiries into the offence have established that Mr Javeed was shot as he tried to fight off the robbers, having refused demands for cash. Five members of staff are understood to have had their wrists bound with cable ties, including Mr Javeed before he was shot. Bullets found at the scene showed a weapon used during the raid was not linked to any previous offences. Re-appealing for witnesses alongside the victim's daughter, Detective Superintendent Mark Payne described the offence as a "robbery that went wrong" and confirmed that the offenders arrived and left in a silver Renault Megane. Mr Payne added: "We know two masked men entered the unit at around 6.30pm and were inside for several minutes. We believe the business was deliberately targeted but we don't yet understand why." Officers are attempting to trace a taxi seen driving behind the Megane and a potential witness seen walking with a bike along nearby Leopold Street at around 6.20pm. Asked what her message would be for anyone who has information about the offenders, Ms Javeed answered: "Please, please come forward. It would mean so much to us. "You can't bring our dad back but you can give him justice and protect other people from having their lives destroyed." David Cameron is urged to do more to tackle the migrant crisis or risk giving an advantage to Brexit campaigners David Cameron is being urged to do more to help tackle the migrant crisis - or risk playing into the hands of pro-Brexit campaigners seeking to exploit fears over immigration. The Prime Minister is under mounting pressure to offer shelter to 3,000 unaccompanied migrant children in Europe, with Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron claiming he is "betraying Britain's values". And Y vette Cooper, the former cabinet minister leading a Labour review of the issue, will accuse him of pushing the UK towards leaving the EU by failing to engage with the urgent reforms needed to prevent the situation spiralling. The pressure comes as Nato defence ministers prepare to consider whether the military alliance could play a role in policing the flow of migrants to Turkey - and on into Europe. Ms Cooper will use a speech to warn that a fresh surge of new arrivals in the spring will entirely overwhelm Europe unless major steps are taken, such as reimposing national border controls, greater burden sharing and more funds. "David Cameron has to change tack or he will end up letting the Eurosceptics win," she will say. "His strategy on the refugee crisis is to refuse to engage with Europe at all. That won't work. It just makes it harder to get the EU reforms we here in Britain will need, harder to keep stability in Europe." "We should be in Europe arguing for reform. For all countries to offer sanctuary to refugees and for stronger borders to manage the flow of people and stop criminal gangs. "For an end to Schengen. For more security checks and rapid asylum assessments. And for every country to do their bit to help rather than the failed relocation scheme that just leaves Germany and Sweden taking all the strain." Dismissing Eurosceptic arguments, she will say: "Brexit won't magic away the refugee crisis or keep it further from our shores. Quite the opposite. "Faced with a crisis that crosses borders, unilateralism just won't work. Mr Farron has invited MPs and campaigners to talks on the practicalities of giving shelter to the young victims of war, accusing ministers of breaching a promise to examine the case. The Prime Minister insists that Britain should concentrate on resettling orphans from the camps in the region rather than those who had made the crossing to Europe. But the Lib Dem leader said: "During every crisis I can think of, Britain has opened its doors and hearts to those in need. "We are a beacon of hope and that is something millions of people like myself are proud of. It is what makes me proud to be British. "This time the Prime Minister has ignored the pleas of charities and frankly he is betraying Britain's values by doing so. "He clearly isn't willing to lift a finger to help these desperate children, but I refuse to give up. Tomorrow we start the creation of a plan to show the Prime Minister how Britain can take care of 3,000 unaccompanied children." Mr Fallon spoke as it was revealed that deportations to "war-torn" countries of adults who arrived in Britain as unaccompanied children have been "seriously" underestimated by ministers - with more than double the number removed than previously thought. Newly corrected Home Office figures show that between 2007 and 2015 a total of 3,750 former unaccompanied asylum seeking children were deported to Afghanistan, Albania, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria. It represents a large increase on the 1,616 children initially stated to have been deported in figures released by Immigration Minister James Brokenshire in response to a written parliamentary question from Labour's Louise Haigh. Ms Haigh said the "astonishing" and "completely unacceptable" mistake which appears to span Tory, coalition, and Labour governments means minsters cannot claim to protect vulnerable people in the immigration system. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon will be among Nato ministers at a summit in Brussels on Wednesday, where the crisis will be high on the agenda. Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance members "see the need to manage and to tackle the human tragedy" and the problems associated with it. The Prime Minister's official spokeswoman said that no request had yet been received for UK resources and personnel for any Nato mission to assist with the Turkish refugee crisis. She told reporters: "We are supportive of looking at ways to help Turkey deal with the huge burden that it has from refugees. "We need to look at what would be the most effective way of dealing with that, working with Turkey's neighbours and other partners." Migration Watch UK suggested the EU could suspend the right of appeal against asylum refusals in a bid to speed the removal of economic migrants from Europe. It said the move would not be in breach of the Refugee Convention. Its chairman, Lord Green of Deddington, said: "For so long as every failed asylum seeker has the right of appeal before being sent home, there will in practice be no hope of deterring a continuing, and probably growing, inflow of economic migrants." Britain is doubling its naval deployments to Nato in a move aimed a showing enemies that "we are ready to respond to any threat", the Defence Secretary has announced. Around 400 navy personnel will be involved as warships are sent to sea, Michael Fallon will tell international counterparts at a meeting in Brussels. The increase in deployments will show that the UK is ready to defend its allies, according to the Cabinet minister. HMS Iron Duke, a Type 23 Frigate, will operate in the Baltic Sea until July and a Type 45 Destroyer will be deployed in October and November. Mr Fallon will say: "Increasing our Nato deployments sends a strong message to our enemies that we are ready to respond to any threat, and defend our allies. "2016 will see a particular focus on the Baltic region with our ships sent there as part of the Maritime Group, the Mine Counter Measure Group and the Baltops exercise." The navy is also deploying three mine sweepers with around 130 personnel for Nato operations in the Baltic Sea, North Atlantic, North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It will also send two frigates to anti-submarine warfare exercise Dynamic Mongoose and the UK's largest warship, HMS Ocean, to exercise Baltops in the Baltic region later this year, the Ministry of Defence said. Pregnant Girl a painting by Lucian Freud which sold for more than 16 million pounds at auction (Sotheby and Otilde's) One of Lucian Freud's most famous paintings has sold for more than 16 million at auction. Pregnant Girl depicts the artist's 17-old lover Bernardine Coverley asleep while she was expecting their daughter Bella in the early 1960s. Six bidders battled to secure the painting, which was expected to fetch between 7 million and 10 million, as the artwork went on sale at Sotheby's in London. Coverley was just 16 when she first met Freud, who was 37, in London's Soho in 1959. They went on to have two children, Bella, now a renowned fashion designer, and Esther, an acclaimed novelist. Bella, 54, said: "It must have been a very happy time in her life, being pregnant with the man she loved and him wanting her to be there and paint her. I think he was undoubtedly the love of her life." Oliver Barker, Sotheby's senior international specialist in contemporary art, said: "This astonishingly beautiful painting embodies the profound bond between Lucian and the mother of his two daughters. "There is arguably no other portrait by Freud that is more gripping, more tender, and more laden with such emotional depth." Freud, who died in 2011 aged 88, was the grandson of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and the brother of the late television personality Sir Clement Freud. He was born in Berlin in 1922, but his Jewish family fled the city in 1933 and he become a British citizen in 1939. The realist painter was educated at the Central School of Art, London, the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing in Dedham and Goldsmiths College in London. His record sale came in May last year when a life-sized nude was sold at auction in New York for 35.7 million. The piece, Benefits Supervisor Resting, was one of four portraits Freud made of the ample-figured Sue Tilley. A tribunal has ruled that Dr Adam Osborne's fitness to practise was impaired by reason of misconduct Chancellor George Osborne's psychiatrist brother faces being struck off from the medical profession after he had a two-year affair with his "vulnerable" patient. A disciplinary tribunal has found that the behaviour of married Dr Adam Osborne was "profoundly unacceptable" and ruled that his fitness to practise was impaired by reason of misconduct. Dr Osborne, who is five years younger than his Chancellor brother, could now be struck off by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS). The hearing, which began on Monday, heard that when the doctor ended the relationship in February last year, the woman - who was referred to as Patient A, tried to take her own life just two days later. She had been under Dr Osborne's care at a private practice in central London between February 2011 and late 2014. When Patient A made a complaint to the General Medical Council (GMC) Dr Osborne begged her to retract it, telling her in threatening emails over a 10 day period that it would "destroy" his family in public. In one email, read to the tribunal he wrote: "Please don't do this to me it will destroy me and my family in public." Another read: "You still have the power to tell the GMC that you made this up because you were angry at me for discontinuing therapy or that you were confused, paranoid, deluded - whatever excuse you can think of." He also admitted making threats towards Patient A and the consequences for her family if she did not withdraw her complaint to the GMC stating: "If I get into trouble for this then I will never forgive you for this and I will make sure you pay." It is believed that Dr Osborne's wife also had knowledge of Patient A. Dr Osborne, who voluntarily absented himself from the Manchester hearing, admitted embarking on the two-year "inappropriate" emotional and sexual relationship whilst the woman who had mental ill health, was a patient. The tribunal will now decide on what sanction, if any, to impose. The sanction could see the doctor have conditions put on his registration, suspended or even struck off. The tribunal heard that hours after Patient A disclosed the relationship to treating psychiatrist Dr Neil Boast she was to take an overdose of alcohol and prescription drugs. Emails between the former lovers two days prior to her making an attempt on her own life were read to the tribunal. In one, which signalled Dr Osborne was ending the relationship, he said: "We don't seem to be able to live with one another and it's destroying both of us and destroying any relationship that we once had." Patient A was to respond saying that she was "confused", adding "it seems to me like you are breaking it off". She added: "Just please tell me the truth the way it is. I'm very much balancing on the edge and it's so easy for me to tip over just now." Dr Osborne, who admitted that he knew, or ought reasonably to have known, that the woman was a vulnerable patient because of her history of mental ill-health, replied: "Yes I need to break from this relationship". He further admitted making threats towards a "fragile" and "high risk" Patient A, as well as admitting to his accusation that she had seduced him. Chairman of the tribunal Dr Nigel Callaghan said that it had not been a "one-off occurrence" and that he had been aware from the outset that the relationship was inappropriate by his insistence that Patient A agree not to report him. He said: "The tribunal does not consider that Dr Osborne's actions are easily remediable. This was not a fleeting relationship but sustained over a period of two years. "Dr Osborne attempted to persuade Patient A to withdraw the complaint by sending inappropriate emails to her over a ten day period when he knew she had taken an overdose, and was therefore in a particularly vulnerable and fragile state." He added: "The tribunal regards Dr Osborne's behaviour as profoundly unacceptable and undermines the public's confidence in the medical profession." A study found a fall in the number of nurses caring for poorly babies is leading to higher death rates Patients are less likely to die in hospitals where there are more nurses, researchers have suggested as they warned managers not to replace them with less qualified staff. Two new studies found that the number of nurses at NHS bedsides in England appears to have an impact on whether patients survive. One of the studies also warned against shoring up nurse numbers with unqualified or less qualified healthcare support workers. Published in BMJ Open, experts found lower death rates when there were more nurses working. Meanwhile, hospitals with healthcare support workers in higher numbers had higher patient death rates. The team looked at 137 acute hospital trusts in England and found 7% higher death rates in trusts where there were higher levels of support workers. In a subset of 31 trusts (41 acute hospitals), where the team knew the exact staffing ratio per patient, they found that trusts with an average of six patients or fewer per registered nurse had 20% lower death rates compared with trusts with more than 10 patients per nurse. There was also a slight increase in patient deaths for trusts with the most healthcare support workers. Jane Ball, principal research fellow at the University of Southampton, said: "At best, healthcare support workers make no difference, but at worst a higher level of support workers is linked to an increased risk of death during a hospital stay. "There's no evidence of it ever being a good thing (in terms of patient mortality)." She added that in her view there needed to be "clear guidance on levels of staffing that you shouldn't go below". In the research, the authors added: "Current plans for workforce development in England and other countries point toward a significant increase in the numbers and proportion of registered support workers and assistant practitioners relative to the number of registered nurses, and registered nurse recruitment remains problematic. "However, such a shift seems to be at odds with evidence that points toward a more highly trained nursing workforce being associated with fewer adverse events." Janet Davies, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said: "The evidence is a clear warning about the impact on patient care and outcomes if we are to have too few registered nurses or are substituting them for healthcare support workers. "Healthcare support workers are highly valuable staff but they need to complement the registered nursing workforce - not replace it. "Health services need to work towards achieving the best overall mix of skills - it could make the ultimate difference for patients." A further study found that a drop in the number of nurses caring for poorly babies is leading to higher death rates. Published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood journal, experts found that one-to-one nursing for very sick babies in neonatal intensive care dropped by a third - from an average of 9% intensive care days to an average of around 6% - between 2008 and 2012. Calculations showed that a 10% drop in the proportion of intensive care days on which one-to-one nursing care was provided was linked with a monthly increase in baby death rates of of 0.6 per 100 infants (0.6%) in intensive care. The British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) recommends one-to-one nursing care for newborns in neonatal intensive care. The authors stressed the study was observational and did not prove that low nursing ratios were to blame. But they said it suggested decreases in intensive care nursing " increase the in-hospital mortality rate." Caroline Davey, the chief executive of premature and sick baby charity Bliss, said : " The Government and NHS decision makers have so far failed to take the necessary action to address these staffing shortfalls, which we have known about for many years." The Department of Health forced the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) to stop its work into safe staffing levels last summer - although some of their recommendations on staff-patient ratios have been leaked. The work has now shifted to NHS Improvement. A Department of Health spokesman said: "We expect all parts of the NHS to make sure they have the right staff, in the right place, at the right time to provide safe care and there are already more than 10,600 additional nurses on our wards since May 2010, as well as over 50,000 nurses currently in training. "Our changes to student nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals funding will also create up to 10,000 more training places by the end of this parliament." Primary schoolchildren should have annual body checks to help combat rising levels of obesity, former rower James Cracknell has said. The double-Olympic gold medallist said the UK was facing a "national crisis" as he called for a series of new measures, including a tax on sugary drinks. A report written by the ex-athlete has warned that while the proposed tax is not a "magic bullet", it could have a "positive effect" on reducing obesity levels, especially for children. Among his recommendations, Cracknell said children aged four to 11 should be measured annually to get a "true picture" of how they were developing physically. Currently, children aged four to five and 10 to 11 have their height and weight measured to work out their body mass index (BMI). Cracknell described obesity as a "national crisis" and said it had "severe ramifications on peoples' lives and on society as a whole". "The human misery and drain on the public finances is so great that the Government has no option but to intervene to give people who are severely obese the help they desperately need," he said. "There will be inevitable opposition to what will be labelled as nannying, but the same was true of the reaction to legislation on seat belts and drink-driving." In his report, published by the think-tank Policy Exchange, Cracknell argues that revenues raised by a sugary drinks tax should be spent on preventing obesity rather than treatment. He also recommends using teaspoons as a unit of measurement on food and drinks packaging to ensure people know how much sugar is contained in them. Letters sent to parents of obese children were effectively "fat shaming" and could contribute to other physical and mental health illnesses such as anorexia, he said. Instead, schools should provide parents with advice encouraging more sleep, physical exercise and eating nutritious meals, Cracknell added. The Government will publish its strategy for tackling childhood obesity in the next few weeks. It has so far resisted calls for a tax on sugary drinks, called for by campaigners including celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Current estimates for school-age children are that 14.7% of all their calorie intake is made up of sugar. A third of 10 to 11 year olds and more than a fifth of four to five year olds in England are overweight or obese. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has called in a former High Court judge to examine investigations involving non-recent abuse claims against public figures Britain's top police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has spoken of a "moral crisis" as he announced a judge will probe the controversial handling of claims of a VIP paedophile ring in Westminster. The embattled Scotland Yard boss has called in former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques to independently review how abuse claims against public figures were conducted by Met officers. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner on Wednesday again refused to bow to calls to apologise to Lord Bramall amid fierce criticism over the conduct of Operation Midland, which saw police raid the home of the former D-Day veteran. The case against him was later dropped. Sir Bernard said Operation Midland would come to an end "at some point" but for the time being inquiries continue as the independent review gets under way. He said: "Let's bear in mind, investigating historical child sex abuse is very difficult. "We've had quite a moral crisis over the last 18 months where initially it was said that very senior members of government had lost dossiers, that they themselves were subject of allegations and now, here we are the very obverse of that criticism, that in fact we weren't ignoring things we have gone too far. "Well surely it's right that someone should look at that and try and produce some balance and perhaps give some guidance about how police officers and others approach difficult, historical allegations where the evidence sometimes is lost, where people's memories have sometimes faded, and it's so easy to make allegations but then how do we prove them?" Operation Midland, which had cost 1.8 million as of November last year, has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after the Met announced Lord Bramall would face no further action over historical child abuse allegations. But amid a clamour calling for the Met boss to apologise, Sir Bernard said his men were only doing their jobs. He said: "I can't apologise for carrying out an investigation into a serious allegation. "Well , that's our job that's what we are here to do. "I have already expressed, as we have, regret about any distress that we have caused to him and his family. "I think a good next step is for Sir Richard to look into the concerns that Lord Bramall has expressed, and others have expressed, and let's get to the bottom of whether they are things that when we know all the facts, are valid and if they are, let's acknowledge it and if they're not, then let's say it." "I have said at the right time I'm quite happy to see him. I think it has to be at the end of Operation Midland and perhaps at the conclusion of what Sir Richard may consider." And Sir Bernard also denied any link between the review being announced and the shelving of the whole Operation Midland inquiry. He added: "The inquiry will come to an end at some point but I thought this was an important time to actually have this review to be started now. "I think what it is a sign of is there's been a lot of public concern, the newspapers have been full of criticism over the last few days and last few weeks. "I've got things I need to be re-assured about, as do the public, but equally if the officers have done the right thing, for the right reasons, surely we all need to understand that's what's happened too. "And one of the great dangers, difficulties we have, is that in our investigations we get lots of information, which we cannot put in the public domain. The officers have that information, so surely someone independent needs to look at that and that's the reason I have asked for this review." Key findings of the review will be published later in the year, although the full report will remain confidential. Operation Midland centred on claims that sex parties were held at the exclusive Dolphin Square apartment block near the Houses of Parliament. Allegations by a man known as "Nick", were also made involving claims of the murder of three young boys. At the time a detective described Nick's account as "credible and true". Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who furiously denied any involvement and claimed he was the victim of a homosexual witch hunt, has been interviewed under caution twice but has not been charged. Former prime minister Edward Heath and ex-home secretary Lord Brittan, who are both now dead, have also been named in connection with the probe. But when the Met announced 93-year-old Lord Bramall would face no further action, calls for an apology grew and questions were raised over the veracity of Nick's claims. Scotland Yard has already come under fire over its handling of a separate allegation that Lord Brittan raped a 19-year-old woman known as "Jane" in 1967. He died in January last year without being told he would not face action over the claim, made to police in November 2012. In October police apologised to Lord Brittan's widow, saying she should have been informed there would not have been a prosecution had her husband been alive in April this year. Lord Bramall's solicitor Drew Pettifer said: "Lord Bramall welcomes any review that can assist the police in making improvements in the way they investigate such allegations, thus making the process fairer and less painful for all those concerned." Jeremy Hunt has insisted doctors are getting a "fair deal" as he described the latest strike as "very damaging". The Health Secretary said the last remaining issue to be resolved with the British Medical Association (BMA) related to pay on Saturdays. And he insisted there had been "no rejection of any proposals and plans" that would deal with the "weekend effect" of more patients dying then. His comments come as thousands of junior doctors are staging a 24-hour strike across England - covering more than 160 picket lines - in a row over a new contract. "The job of health secretary is to do the right thing for patients and we have now had eight studies in the last five years that have shown that mortality rates at weekends are higher than they should be. And my job is to do something about that," Mr Hunt told the BBC. He added: "I think it's a good deal, it's a fair deal." Asked if the Government had rejected a cost-neutral BMA offer that would have seen doctors' basic pay rise by about half the 11% offered by ministers in return for Saturday not being treated as a normal working day, Mr Hunt said: "There has been no rejection of any proposals and plans that would deal with this weekend effect that is of such concern to patients and the public." The BMA has confirmed it made such an offer and said it was blocked by the Government. Mr Hunt went on to describe the industrial action as "very damaging" and said it was "important" to say that 43% of junior doctors had turned up to work. "So the turnout for the strike has been slightly lower than before," he said. During the last strike in January, Mr Hunt said "nearly 40%" of junior doctors had turned up to work, although it later emerged the figure included those working in urgent and emergency care, who had been asked not to strike by the BMA. Junior doctors covering urgent and emergency care have again been asked not to strike. NHS England confirmed that the 43% figure included doctors who had never intended to strike, such as those working in emergency care. It said 43% of junior doctors - out of a possible 26,000 working on a typical day - have reported for duty on the day shift. Dr Johann Malawana, chairman of the BMA's junior doctor committee, said: "With thousands of junior doctors attending more than 160 pickets and 'meet the doctor' events across England, today's action is a resounding rejection of the Government's threat to impose an unfair contract, in which junior doctors have no confidence. "Junior doctors already work around the clock, seven days a week and they do so under their existing contract. If the Government want more seven-day services then, quite simply, they need more doctors, nurses and diagnostic staff, and the extra investment needed to deliver it." The first strike in January led to thousands of operations, procedures and appointments being cancelled across the NHS. Wednesday's action is causing similar disruption, with analysis by NHS England showing 1,150 planned inpatient procedures have been cancelled alongside 1,734 day procedures. Thousands more appointments have likely been affected. The major sticking point in the dispute is over weekend pay and whether Saturday should be largely classed as a normal working day. Currently, 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and the whole of Saturday and Sunday attract a premium rate of pay for junior doctors. An offer from the Government in November said doctors would receive time-and-a-half for any hours worked Monday to Sunday between 10pm and 7am, and time-and-a-third for any hours worked between 7pm and 10pm on Saturdays and 7am and 10pm on Sundays. In a further offer, ministers said that as part of an overall agreement, a premium rate of pay could kick in from 5pm on Saturdays rather than 7pm, and at 9pm Monday to Friday. Asked whether the Government was ready to impose a contract on junior doctors, a senior Downing Street source said: "As we've said all the way along, we are not going to remove that from the table, because that would effectively be a veto to the BMA on the whole process. "We have certainly gone the extra mile on trying to get a deal on this and it's very disappointing that there's a further strike today and several thousand patients have been affected by that." According to the Independent, an online poll of 1,045 medics found 922 were "prepared to consider resignation" should Mr Hunt follow through on his vow to impose the contract. Shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander, said: "Today's industrial action is deeply disappointing, particularly for the patients who have had hospital treatment delayed because of it. "The sad truth is that it didn't have to come to this. Jeremy Hunt's handling of these negotiations has been a complete and utter shambles." Kate Winslet broke her toe in an on-set accident while shooting Triple 9 - but was determined to wear her character's high heels anyway. The British actress, 40, stars as a Russian mafia gangster in the US heist drama. In one scene, she dons red high-heeled boots to play the part - a look she labelled "trashy slut". Speaking at a press conference in London, she said she had been filming a scene with co-star Chiwetel Ejiofor when the accident happened. She explained: "As we wrapped there was an extra who stood up. There were very heavy chairs, and his chair fell backwards, and for some reason the highest point of the back of the chair landed right on the knuckle of my big toe. "And it actually did break my toe. It's still broken, it still clicks out. "But my first thought was 'Oh shit, it's the red boot scene tomorrow! I'm never going to get the boots on!'" However, her dedication to costume designer Margot Wilson drove her to do the scene anyway. Winslet said: " I was so determined to get those boots on, because it was so important to poor Margot. They make it into the movie with the broken toe." On playing the brutal Irina Vlaslov, she said: " It was one of those very rare situations for me as an actor where I couldn't identify with anything about this woman at all. I couldn't empathise, I couldn't make peace with anything that she did or said. "I certainly couldn't make peace with anything she wore - even the hair was questionable ... She had to look as though she believed she was put-together and well-dressed and wearing her wealth, and actually she looked a little bit like a trashy slut." The ensemble cast of Triple 9 includes Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, Avengers' Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson and fellow Briton Ejiofor, star of 12 Years A Slave. Ejiofor plays a former US Navy Seal-turned-corrupt police officer who masterminds a plan to pull off a robbery by killing another cop, a so-called "triple nine", to cause a distraction. The group are blackmailed into the robbery by Winslet's Russian-Israeli mafioso, who is running the show while her husband is in prison. The film led to another job offer for Ejiofor - when he was asked if he wanted to become a Navy Seal himself. Turning to the actor, director John Hillcoat asked: "Do you remember the Navy Seals trainer who basically said: 'If he does want to change profession, come to us'?" Oxfordshire County Council, which includes the Witney constituency of David Cameron, pictured, will receive an extra 9m over the next two years David Cameron has been accused of a "shameless attempt to buy votes" after claims that nearly all the extra cash set aside to help councils cope with funding changes is going to Conservative areas. A 300 million package of transitional support is being created to soften the impact of reforms that will do away with revenue support grants in favour of a greater reliance on local business rates. Labour analysis shows that 83% of the money will go to Tory-run councils, with Surrey, Hampshire and Hertfordshire the biggest winners. Oxfordshire County Council, which covers the Prime Minister's Witney constituency, will receive an extra 9m over the next two years. Labour said that while stretched areas like Middlesbrough, Knowsley, Hull, Liverpool and Manchester would not receive any of the cash, the country's least deprived areas, Hart, Wokingham, Chiltern, Waverley, Elmbridge, would receive a total of 5.3m. Shadow local government minister Steve Reed told the Guardian Mr Cameron had engaged in a "blatant misuse of public money in a shameless attempt to buy votes and buy off Tory MPs". "The Government is covering up where this money has come from and won't explain why almost all of it is being handed to Tory councils just weeks before council elections across the country," he said. Transitional funding was announced after concerns were raised that rural areas would lose out under a system more geared towards business rates. A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: "This long-term funding settlement for councils is fair and ensures that councils facing the highest demand for services continue to receive more funding and have higher spending power than less deprived authorities. "The transitional funding has gone to those councils facing the biggest fall in central government grant. "The settlement for the first time allows councils to plan with certainty, with almost 200bn to spend on local services and a 3.5 billion social care funding package over the lifetime of this Parliament." The family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler have spoken out over their "torment and pain" after her killer Levi Bellfield finally gave harrowing details of his crimes. In a statement they said they hoped the 13-year-old's "soul, at long last, can finally rest in peace" now that the serial killer has given his account. Bellfield would only speak to female officers from Surrey Police when he decided to confess and gave them disturbing details of how he repeatedly raped, tortured and murdered Milly. He was given a whole-life prison sentence in June 2011 for the brutal slaughter of the teenager, but had never admitted killing her until an investigation was launched in to whether he had an accomplice after he bragged to a fellow prison inmate about his crime. Last month Surrey Police said they had arrested a man in his 40s, but the suspect was released without charge after just 10 hours because there was no evidence. In their statement today the Dowler family said: "We feel we need to say something in addition to the information that has already been made public, as we do not think what has been revealed reflects the true heinousness of this man. "In May 2015 - nearly nine months ago - we were informed that Bellfield had requested to speak to Surrey Police about Milly. Bellfield made it clear to police that he would only speak to female police officers. Bellfield provided the officers with a harrowing account of Milly's final 14 hours. Giving details of her abduction, repeated rape, torture and then finally how he murdered her. "The reason we were told this information last May was because previously Bellfield had shared the information with other prison inmates and one of them was due to be released. This meant there was a risk that this information could be made public without us knowing about it." He told the officers that he had snatched the schoolgirl, assaulted her at his flat near Walton station, and then driven her to his mother's house where he raped her. The horrifying attack continued at another location for a number of hours before he strangled her. The statement continued: "A few days after hearing this harrowing information from Surrey Police, they revealed to us that they were also investigating an alleged accomplice involved in the abduction and rape of Milly. "Hearing Bellfield's account of how Milly spent her final hours before being murdered was shocking enough, but the news that there could have been another individual involved was devastating.There are no words to describe the additional torment and pain we have been going through since we were told this information. "We had to remain silent for eight months whilst the police conducted their investigation. Finally, when they made the arrest of the suspected accomplice, the person was questioned and released without charge in less than 10 hours as there was no evidence found. "The pressure this has put us under as a family has been unimaginable and has taken its toll on all of us. We have had to fight every step of the way to get this far. In desperation last November we wrote to the Home Secretary to tell her of our concerns, and she met with us immediately. "Now we know the final hours of Milly's life, perhaps her soul, at long last, can finally rest in peace. The general public have always played a huge part in supporting us, for which we are eternally grateful and thankful. We believe that they should know what Bellfield did to our beautiful daughter and sister Milly." Milly was snatched from the street while on her way from school to her home in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002. Bellfield was found guilty of abducting and killing her following a trial at the Old Bailey. He was already in jail for the murders of Amelie Delagrange and Marsha McDonnell, and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, when he went on trial accused of killing Milly. In 2008 he had been given a whole-life term for murdering Ms McDonnell, 19, in 2003, and murdering Ms Delagrange, 22, and attempting to murder Ms Sheedy, 18, in 2004. Milly's body was found in a wood in Yateley Heath, Hampshire - 25 miles from Walton-on-Thames. Experts could not say how she died. Bellfield, who now calls himself Yusuf Rahim, lived 50 yards from where Milly vanished but did not become a suspect until he was arrested by police in London for the other offences in 2004. Police are now looking into a number of other crimes in the wake of his shock confession. Bellfield is already suspected of several other attacks. At the time of his conviction in June 2011, detectives said they believed Bellfield may have been responsible for around 20 attacks on women which were never solved. These included the killing of Judith Gold, who was hit over the head in Hampstead, north London, in 1990, and Bellfield's schoolfriend Patsy Morris, 14, who was strangled on Hounslow Heath, west London, in 1980. Anna Maria Rennie identified Bellfield as the man who tried to force her in to a car in Whitton, west of London, when she was just 17 in October 2001. But the jury at Bellfield's 2008 trial for the murders of two other women could not agree and the charge was left on file. Attempts for a retrial for attempted kidnap failed when Miss Rennie refused to attend court. A spokeswoman for Surrey Police said: "The force has been in regular contact with the Dowler family during this investigation into the circumstances surrounding Milly's murder. We recognise this continues to be extremely distressing and our thoughts remain with them." Steel manufacturers and unions have accused ministers of failing to protect the industry from cheap Chinese imports by blocking EU plans for tougher anti-dumping action. Executives from Tata Steel - which has blamed competition from cheap Chinese imports for the loss of 1,000 jobs in South Wales - said that the EU's use of the so-called "lesser duty" penalty in dumping cases puts Britain at a disadvantage compared to countries like the US, which impose harsher tariffs. They were backed at a House of Commons hearing by Community union general secretary Roy Rickhuss, who said the scrapping of the lesser duty tariff "has to happen", and Labour MP Stephen Kinnock, who said a move to US-style higher tariffs would be "absolutely a huge step in the right direction for the British steel industry". Mr Kinnock quoted from a briefing note by trade body UK Steel which said: "The EU must follow the example of the US by lifting the lesser duty rule, which would increase anti-dumping duty levels and make them effective. It is galling that the UK Government hasn't taken action and has continued to block these changes in the EU, leaving the British steel industry on its knees." Bosses and unions are due to march alongside one another in Brussels on Monday to demand more EU support for the industry, including the lifting of the tariff rule. But Downing Street said that the move might amount to protectionism, and Business Secretary Sajid Javid warned that a move to higher tariffs could harm British companies which consume steel. He told the House of Commons Business Committee: "There are companies in Britain that would tell you that if duties got out of control, were much, much higher, that it would cost them jobs and growth and would certainly cut their exports to the people who are using their products across Europe and elsewhere." While lifting the lesser duty rule might "in the short term sound like a way to go to try and protect a certain industry", Mr Javid said: "We also have to remember that in the UK that as well as manufacturers of steel there are also companies that consume steel as part of their production process and the impact that might happen to them." He insisted that the UK was "one of the most vocal and proactive" in making sure that the EU takes action on dumping and wanted existing rules to be applied more swiftly, telling the committee: "We believe the tools are already there but they just seem to be slow when they are being used." Tim Morris, head of public affairs at Tata Steel Europe, told the Commons Welsh Affairs Committee: "Tata Steel, in line very much with the rest of the European steel industry, has significant issues with the lesser duty rule framework. We believe it is over-theoretical, and nine times out of 10 it produces a lower penalty rate than the alternative method. "That's a problem for us because it does less to discourage imports into Europe in the first place. It is straightforward to load steel on a boat and ship it around the world. If you are in a region where you have consistently less robust trade defence, guess where the boatload of steel is going to go? "Whatever the theoretical purity of a particular approach is, we have some substantial questions about its application in practice and we worry about what its effect could be on the global playing field between countries like the US and us." Mr Rickhuss told the committee: "We are confused about the announcements coming out today about not wanting to support the scrapping of this lesser duty tariff, because clearly that has to happen." David Cameron was challenged at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons by Scunthorpe MP Nic Dakin, who told him Mr Javid had "confirmed that the Government will not support the European Commission in raising tariffs on dumped steel from countries such as China" and demanded to know: "Why will the UK Government not stand up for UK steel?" The PM answered: "We have repeatedly stood up for UK steel, including by supporting anti-dumping measures in the EU, but that is not enough. "We need to get behind public procurement for steel, and that is what we are doing. We need to get behind reducing energy bills for steel, and that is what we are doing. We need to support communities ... that have seen job losses, and that is exactly what we are doing. We recognise what a vital part of Britain's industrial base the steel industry is, and that is why we are backing it." A Downing Street spokesman said the EU was faced with a choice between whether "we make a proportionate response or lurch towards protectionism". He added: "Our concern is that they may be moving towards protectionism rather than having a proportionate response." The lesser duty rule was dismissed as "a red herring" by business minister Anna Soubry, who told the Welsh Affairs Committee that tariffs should be considered on a case-by-case basis. She cited a recent case in which Britain abstained in a vote in order to save jobs at a steel-consuming UK company which faced increased costs if the higher rates of tariff were applied. A coroner has criticised the number of steps needed to arrange a CT scan at weekends at Tunbridge Wells Hospital A coroner has blasted a hospital over its failure to send a grandmother for a potentially life-saving CT scan amid its "highly unsatisfactory" weekend arrangements. North west Kent senior coroner Roger Hatch said Sandra Wood, 69, died of natural causes "as a consequence of the failure by Tunbridge Wells Hospital to correctly diagnose and treat her". He said Ms Wood should have had a CT scan "as a matter of urgency" after her GP referred her to the hospital with possible bowel obstruction late on the afternoon of Friday April 17. But Ms Wood and her partner were told that "hospital policy" meant she was unlikely to receive the scan at the weekend, and that it could only be arranged for an emergency. Instead, doctors discharged the mother-of-three late that Friday night with a prescription after diagnosing her with a urinary tract infection and constipation. Retired shop assistant Ms Wood, from Burham, near Rochester, was told she could return to hospital after the weekend, on Monday April 20, for a CT scan. But Mr Hatch said delaying the scan until Monday proved "critical". She collapsed at home and died at Maidstone Hospital on Saturday April 18. In his conclusion, Mr Hatch criticised the number of steps needed to arrange a CT scan at weekends at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, run by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. Sitting at Gravesend Old Town Hall following a day-long inquest last month, the coroner said he now plans to issue a Regulation 28 report in a bid to prevent another patient dying in similar circumstances. Mr Hatch said: "Arrangements should have been put in hand for the CT scan to have been carried out on April 17/18 2015 due to the emergency situation that had occurred. "It is highly unsatisfactory that facilities for a CT scan to be carried out at the weekend at Tunbridge Wells Hospital are not routinely available without having to go through a number of steps for this to be arranged. "In this case, the delay until Monday was critical as the outcome has sadly demonstrated." Ms Wood should not have been discharged with a constipation and urinary tract infection diagnosis, he added. The coroner's damning conclusion came on the day thousands of junior doctors across England went on strike in a dispute with the Government over a new contract. The major sticking point in the disagreement is over weekend pay and whether Saturdays should be classed as normal "plain" time or should attract a premium. Ms Wood's family has now launched civil proceedings against the hospital. Relatives said the NHS trust should "do everything in its power" to prevent a repeat. Ms Wood's daughter, midwife Amanda Sparkes, said: "The coroner has now confirmed what we always suspected - the hospital's policy not to carry out a scan caused this tragedy. "It is devastating to think that had my mum been given the treatment she deserved she would have survived. It adds to our grief that had we not fought for answers and an inquest, we suspect this would have been put down as just another unfortunate death and there has been no pressure to find out what went wrong." Tim Deeming, a clinical negligence lawyer for Slater and Gordon, which represents the family, said the coroner's findings were critical over its policy for scanning. He said: "This tragedy must be a catalyst for improvements so that processes are put in place, both at the trust and across the NHS, to prevent a similar incident happening to another family." Jose Manuel Barroso says restrictions on in-work benefits will not stop workers moving to the UK Negotiations over Britain's EU membership reforms remain "fragile", European Council president Donald Tusk said as he announced he was cancelling other engagements to try to ensure agreement at a summit next week. Prime Minister David Cameron hopes to secure a final reform package when leaders from the 28-strong bloc meet in Brussels to allow the promised in/out referendum to be held before the summer. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told MPs his own talks with counterparts at the weekend convinced him there was "the basis of a workable deal" on the most controversial issue of curbing migrant workers' benefits. But there were fresh signs that the proposals - including an "emergency brake" on welfare payments - had failed to win public support, with a poll showing the numbers backing Brexit drawing level with those preferring to stay in. Tory MP Steve Baker, chairman of Conservatives for Britain, claimed a member of the Government told him the pro-EU camp had "expected at this stage to be 20 to 30 points ahead". "We have so slammed it that we, the leave side, are nine points ahead," he said of the most extreme of recent polls. "Let's celebrate that we are winning." In a statement Mr Tusk, who will chair the February 18/19 summit, said:"I am confident that this is a balanced and solid proposal and I hope to finalise it next week in the European Council. "However, let me be clear, this is a very fragile political process. Therefore I have decided to cancel all my obligations and will hold a number of meetings with EU leaders and with the European Parliament in order to help reach an agreement." French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Czech PM Bohuslav Sobotka are among those in his diary. A survey by ICM found that the two sides of the argument were locked at 50% to 50% among voters who had made up their minds - a two-point rise for "leave" and a similar dip for "remain" since the proposals emerged last week. Mr Hammond told the Commons European Scrutiny Committee that remaining obstacles could be overcome. "I won't say everybody is delighted but, broadly, the mood was that those countries who could be expected to have been critical of this approach were impressed with the way the Council had managed to find a solution which addressed the UK's needs without trampling roughshod over their cherished principles," he said about the welfare provisions. He also claimed that the EU as a whole was moving in a more Brussels-sceptical direction, saying he could think of nine member states that would "instinctively align with us" on key issues. As campaigners on both sides stepped up efforts to win over voters, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said that while the EU was not perfect, "picking up your ball in a sulk and heading home, is not the way to win". He added: "We should be a leading voice to make changes. Remaining in a reformed Europe." He accused Mr Cameron of engaging in "a nasty race to the bottom on immigration, migration and refugees" by refusing demands to take in more refugees from Europe - including 3,000 unaccompanied children. And he called on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to "step up" with a strongly pro-EU Labour campaign. MP Graham Brady, who chairs the influential Tory backbench 1922 Committee, said he expected around 100 colleagues to openly back Brexit - significantly higher than the 50-70 recently mooted by Mr Baker. But he told the New Statesman magazine he was not among those who believed Mr Cameron should quit as Prime Minister if the country voted to leave the EU against his recommendation. "When we vote to leave the European Union I think it is very important that we have a period of stability. I think it would be hugely valuable to have an experienced team in place to deal with the renegotiation. "I think it's actually very important that the Prime Minister should stay." He said he expected at least one of the candidates to replace Mr Cameron as party leader when he does step down would be someone who had campaigned for Brexit. Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland said the risk of Zika to the public was 'negligible'. Four cases of the Zika virus have been confirmed in the UK since the beginning of the year. Health officials in England have said they tracking a number of women who have travelled to countries affected by the Zika-virus. Public Health England said it was monitoring various surveillance systems and tracking women who call in with concerns about the virus. Speaking to the Science and Technology Committee, Dr Dilys Morgan, head of the gastrointestinal, emerging and zoonotic infections department at Public Health England, said women who want testing for the virus are being documented and other registries are being closely monitored. When asked what advice GPs are giving to patients who have travelled to affected countries, she told MPs: "We are dealing with these cases all the time, it very much depends on where the woman has been, what the woman has done, has she gone to an area of high transmission where there have been lots of cases reported? I think there is a gradation of the risk which we can give. "I don't feel we should be worrying these women too much when not every foetus will be affected, we don't know what the proportion is but we know it is probably low looking at the numbers so I think there are various reassurances we can give, but what we shouldn't do is give reassurances about the evidence." When asked if there was anything going on to track the number of people that are presenting to their GPs with worries about Zika, she added: "There are various surveillance schemes that are ongoing; we are documenting the women who want testing, we are looking at people who are reporting this to their obstetric services, we are currently working with the various registry systems or surveillance systems looking at abnormalities in pregnancy or adverse outcomes, we are working with the congenital abnormalities register. "So we are looking for cases in the UK. We are tracking the women who ring in to Public Health England, because that is all centrally logged, with their worries." She added: "What we are doing is explaining what we do know and how best people can be protected, reassuring them that there is no risk to the UK population, it is a risk to travellers, of those travellers your risk of acquiring Zika depends on where you are travelling - you are likely to get a very mild illness if you notice anything at all but if you are pregnant then you may be at risk of an abnormal foetus which is obviously devastating. "We have been trying to communicate those risks and we have been working with the medical profession so that when women do go and want to discuss it with their healthcare providers then they are in a better position of how to advise them." Ms Morgan told the committee that there had been seven travel-associated cases documented in UK. Six of the cases are linked to the current outbreak in South America, including four since the start of the year. She also said that officials "expected to see more cases" of travel-associated infections. MPs were told that there had been a "pre-Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies" meeting where experts concluded that the risk to the UK population was very low. The hearing on the virus comes as the UK medicines watchdog has pledged its support to counter the outbreak. Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland has said the risk of Zika to the local population was 'negligible'. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as a member of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities - which brings together 21 medicine regulators from across the world, has said it will work to fight against the virus. An MHRA spokesman said that priorities are to support the rapid development of diagnostic tests as well as vaccines and treatments against Zika. An 88-year-old British woman has embraced her wartime sweetheart in a reunion after more than 70 years apart. Joyce Morris and 93-year-old former US serviceman Norwood Thomas laughed as they hugged each other after Mr Thomas flew from the States to the Australian city of Adelaide to reconnect with his long-lost love. "This is about the most wonderful thing that could have happened to me," Mr Thomas said, in a reunion broadcast in Australia on Channel 10's The Project. "Good," Ms Morris replied with a laugh. "We're going to have a wonderful fortnight." She was a 17-year-old British girl and Mr Thomas was a 21-year-old paratrooper when they met in London shortly before D-Day. After the war, he returned to the US. The pair wrote letters to each other, and Mr Thomas asked Ms Morris to come to the US to marry him, but she misunderstood and thought he had found someone else, so she stopped writing. The two eventually married other people. Mr Thomas's wife died in 2001, and Ms Morris divorced her husband after 30 years. Last year, she asked one of her sons to look for Mr Thomas online, and they found his name in an article about D-Day in The Virginian-Pilot newspaper. The couple reconnected by Skype, and after their story went public, hundreds of people made donations to help fund Mr Thomas's trip to Australia from his home town in Virginia Beach. The two are planning to spend Valentine's Day together. Indian bystanders watch as a wild elephant with a tranquliser dart in its back side walks along a street in Siliguri on February 10, 2016. The adult male elephant was tranquilised and captured by wildlife officials and transported to a nearby forest. AFP PHOTO / Diptendu DUTTADIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images A wild elephant with a tranquliser dart in its back side walks through Siliguri on February 10, 2016. The adult male elephant was tranquilised and captured by wildlife officials and transported to a nearby forest. AFP PHOTO / Diptendu DUTTADIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images A wild elephant stands on a busy street after being tranquilised in Siliguri on February 10, 2016. The adult male elephant was tranquilised and captured by wildlife officials and transported to a nearby forest. AFP PHOTO / Diptendu DUTTADIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images Indian bystanders watch as a wild elephant walks along a busy street in Siliguri on February 10, 2016. The adult male elephant was tranquilised and captured by wildlife officials and transported to a nearby forest. AFP PHOTO / Diptendu DUTTADIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images Indian bystanders watch as a wild elephant walks along a busy street in Siliguri on February 10, 2016. The adult male elephant was tranquilised and captured by wildlife officials and transported to a nearby forest. AFP PHOTO / Diptendu DUTTADIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images A wild elephant stands on a busy street after being tranquilised in Siliguri on February 10, 2016. The adult male elephant was tranquilised and captured by wildlife officials and transported to a nearby forest. AFP PHOTO / Diptendu DUTTADIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images A wild elephant walks through Siliguri on February 10, 2016. The adult male elephant was tranquilised and captured by wildlife officials and transported to a nearby forest. AFP PHOTO / Diptendu DUTTADIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images A wild elephant walks through Siliguri on February 10, 2016. The adult male elephant was tranquilised and captured by wildlife officials and transported to a nearby forest. AFP PHOTO / Diptendu DUTTADIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images Indian wildlife officials use a crane to lift a wild elephant that had been walking through a busy street in Siliguri on February 10, 2016. The adult male elephant was tranquilised and captured by wildlife officials and transported to a nearby forest. AFP PHOTO / Diptendu DUTTADIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images Indian wildlife officials use a crane to lift a wild elephant that had been walking through a busy street in Siliguri on February 10, 2016. The adult male elephant was tranquilised and captured by wildlife officials and transported to a nearby forest. AFP PHOTO / Diptendu DUTTADIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images People run as they follow a wild elephant that strayed into the town of Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) Authorities use a crane to remove a wild elephant that strayed into the town after tranquilizing it at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) A wild elephant that strayed into the town moves through the streets as people follow at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) A wild elephant that strayed into the town stands after authorities shot it with a tranquilizer gun as people gather to watch at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) A wild elephant that strayed into the town stands after authorities shot it with a tranquilizer gun at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) A wild elephant that strayed into the town moves through the streets as people run at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) People watch a wild elephant that strayed into the town of Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) A wild elephant that strayed into the town moves through the streets as people follow at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) A wild elephant that strayed into the town stands after authorities shot it with a tranquilizer gun at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) A wild elephant that strayed into the town moves through the streets as people follow at Siliguri, India (AP) A wild elephant has rampaged through an east Indian town, smashing cars and homes and sending panicked people running before the animal was tranquillised to be returned to the forest. As the frightened elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes, crowds of people gathered to watch from balconies and roof tops. Some followed from a distance as the elephant moved through the streets. "The elephant was scared and was trying to go back to the jungle," said Papaiya Sarkar, a 40-year-old witness who watched the elephant amble down a street near her home. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town of Siliguri in West Bengal state. Divisional forest officer Basab Rai said the female elephant appeared to be a loner without a herd, and was likely searching for food when it strayed into the town. He said it did not attack any people, and appeared to be afraid of them. After several hours, it became clear the elephant was unable to find its way back to the forest. Authorities eventually shot the elephant three times with a tranquilliser gun and used a crane to lift it into a truck once it had calmed down. It was then taken to a park for domesticated pachyderms that is maintained by the forest department. Once the effect of the tranquilliser wore off, authorities planned to return the elephant to the forest, Mr Rai said. Elephants are increasingly coming into contact with people in India, as the human population of 1.25 billion soars and cities and towns grow at the expense of jungles and other elephant habitats. In India and Sri Lanka, more than 400 elephants and 250 humans are killed each year. On Wednesday, another wild elephant trampled a farmer to death in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The farmer had been sleeping in his field when the elephant appeared, police told Press Trust of India. India's elephants are also threatened by speeding trains and illegal poachers looking for ivory to sell on the black market. Today, there are about 30,000 elephants across the country, restricted to about 15% of their historic habitat, according to the environment ministry. Worldwide, elephants have disappeared from some 95% of their historical range, which once stretched from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Yellow River in northern China. Two female suicide bombers have blown themselves up in a Nigerian refugee camp, killing at least 56 people, officials said. A further 78 people were being treated for wounds in the twin explosions on Tuesday in a camp of some 50,000 people driven from their homes by the Boko Haram Islamic uprising. Officials blamed the extremists for the bombings at Dikwa, 55 miles north-east of Maiduguri, the biggest city in the region and birthplace of Boko Haram. The six-year-old insurgency has killed 20,000 people, made 2.5 million homeless and spread across Nigeria's borders. The governor of neighbouring Cameroon's Far North province said another two suicide bombers believed to have come from Nigeria on Wednesday killed 10 people and injured 40 in a border village. Israel is offering free holidays to 26 Oscar stars including Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon Palestinians are urging Oscar nominees to decline a government-sponsored trip to Israel. Tourism ministry spokeswoman Lydia Weitzman said Israel is offering free 10-day luxury holidays to 26 stars including Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. Tourism minister Yariv Levin said on Sunday "their visit will have enormous resonance among millions of fans". Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti said Israel is fighting "its increasing international isolation through bribes", rather than by changing its policies. "There are no Hunger Games in Gaza but there is real hunger," he said. In recent years, pro-Palestinian activists have called for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel to protest its policies toward the Palestinians. Floral tributes outside the Bataclan Theatre in memory of the victims of the Paris attacks The owners of the Paris concert hall where 89 people were massacred by Islamic extremists said they are aiming to host music shows again before the end of the year. The Bataclan is an historic venue whose distinctive 19th century Chinoiserie-style building has been closed since the November 13 attacks across Paris that left 130 people dead and 350 others wounded. In a statement on Wednesday, the club owners said "we'll do our best to host events before the end of 2016". The Bataclan, in Paris's 11th district near the Place de la Republique, was one of the capital's top venues for live music before the attacks. In the months since, dignitaries and international music stars including U2 and Madonna have laid flowers there to honour the attack victims. A specially-recruited group of priests received last-minute instructions from Pope Francis on Tuesday before fanning out through the world to show a more merciful face of the Catholic Church to sinners. About 700 priests from around the globe, many of them using headphones for translation, gathered in an ornate hall of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican to hear Francis stress the welcoming image he wants faithful to have of their church and how priests should act when hearing confessions. The pope lamented that many people abandon confession because priests scold them or pry for embarrassing details. Confessors "aren't called to judge, with a sense of superiority" but instead welcome penitents with "open arms", Francis said. "It's not with the cudgel of judgment that we will succeed in bringing the lost sheep back to the fold," he said. This special corps of around 1,000 confessors is known as the Missionaries of Mercy. Reflecting the far reach of the Catholic church in ministering to its 1.2 billion flock, they will be travelling this year to countries including United Arab Emirates, Egypt, China, Burundi and Israel. One priest will head to the far Canadian north; another will use a camper to reach Catholics living in remote parts of the Australian countryside. "If you're going to the Arctic, bundle up!" the pope quipped. Francis gave his pep talk a day before the priests officially start their mission on Ash Wednesday, the start of the annual church period stressing penitence before Easter. They play important roles in the Holy Year of Mercy, an initiative of Francis to encourage a more forgiving mentality in the Catholic church, often seen as harsh and judgmental toward those who stray from its teachings. Candidates had to be "inspiring preachers of mercy" and "especially attentive to the difficult situations of each person". The Missionaries of Mercy will be able to absolve extremely grave and relatively uncommon sins that normally must be dealt with by bishops or officials at the Vatican. Among those sins are profaning a consecrated host, ordaining a bishop without papal permission and violating confessional secrecy. Abortion is also one of those grave sins that normally must be handled by a local bishop or a Vatican official, but during the Holy Year Francis is allowing all rank-and-file priests to grant such absolution. The pope said he realised some women felt they had no choice but to make the "agonising and painful decision" to have an abortion. In Catholic teaching, abortion triggers automatic excommunication when the person is aware of the penalty and commits the sin nevertheless. The Holy Year began on December 8 2015 and ends on November 20 2016. South Korea has said it will suspend operations at a joint industrial park with North Korea in response to the North's recent rocket launch, the first time in the park's decade of operation that Seoul has halted work. The move comes after North Korea on Sunday launched a long-range rocket considered by others as a banned missile technology test. South Korean unification minister Hong Yong-pyo said the suspension of operations at Kaesong would stop the North from using hard currency from the industrial complex to develop nuclear and missile technology. He said at a news conference that the park had provided 616 billion won (355 million) of cash to North Korea since it broke ground in 2003. The park is the last major co-operation project between the rivals. Seoul will provide financial compensation to companies that operate at Kaesong, Mr Hong said, and will begin pulling South Koreans from the park on Thursday. Combining South Korean initiative, capital and technology with the North's cheap labour, the park has been seen as a test case for reunification. Last year, 124 South Korean companies hired 54,000 North Korean workers to produce socks, wristwatches and other goods. South Korea's government and companies invested more than a trillion won (577 million) to pave roads and erect buildings in the zone, which lies in a guarded, gated complex on the outskirts of Kaesong, North Korea's third-largest city. South Korean companies in Kaesong survived during past periods of tension that led to the suspension of other inter-Korean projects. A major interruption to the park's operation happened in 2013 when North Korea pulled out its workers in protest at South Korea's joint military drills with the US. Meanwhile, Japan has announced it will impose new sanctions on North Korea to protest at the rocket launch. The sanctions will include expanded restrictions on travel between the two countries and a complete ban on visits by North Korean ships to Japanese ports, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference. He said the sanctions would be approved by the cabinet, and would require legislative changes in parliament. The US is also considering more stringent sanctions on North Korea. An investigation is under way after reports suggested luggage containing suicide vests and explosives was seized at the Turkey-Syria border Turkey's leaders have lashed out at the United Nations and others who are pressing the country to open its border to thousands more Syrian refugees, accusing them of failing to shoulder the refugee burden or stop the Russian bombings that have triggered the exodus. The civil war in Syria has killed more than 250,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes since it began in 2011. In recent days, a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive around the city of Aleppo has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border. Turkey has taken in some three million refugees - including more than 2.6 million Syrians - making it the country with the world's largest refugee population. Turkey has not, however, allowed the latest wave of refugees in, providing them instead with assistance at displaced persons camps on the Syrian side of the border. That prompted the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, on Tuesday to call on Turkey to admit "all civilians who are fleeing danger and seeking international protection". At a news conference on Wednesday with his Dutch counterpart in The Hague, Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the UN Security Council and the international community "two-faced" for demanding that Turkey open its borders while not moving "a finger to solve the Syrian crisis" or to stop the Russian bombings. Mr Davutoglu also said the Syrian and Russian military operations were an attempt to drive out people who do not support the government of Syrian president Bashar Assad. By taking in the refugees that have fled Aleppo, he said Turkey would be indirectly contributing to what he called Syria's "ethnic cleansing." "With every refugee that we accept, in a way, we would be contributing to this ethnic cleansing aim," Mr Davutoglu said. "If this is a strategy to change the demography in Syria, then we all have to be vigilant against it." In Ankara, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the UN had sent 455 million US dollars (314 million) to Turkey to help with refugees compared to the 10 billion US dollars (7 billion) that Turkey had spent on the refugees since 2011. "What does the UN say? 'Open your border to the refugees'. What are you for then? What is your use?" Mr Erdogan asked. "We have taken three million Syrians and Iraqis into our home until now. How many did you take?" Turkey's Oncupinar border crossing, opposite the Bab al-Salameh gate in Syria, has been closed since Friday, with only ambulances and aid trucks being allowed to cross. The governor of the border province of Kilis, Suleyman Tapsiz, said Turkey had allowed in 12 Syrians who were seriously injured in the Russian and Syrian bombings near the town of Tel Rifaat in northern Syria. One of them died while the others were in stable condition, he told NTV television. The governor denied accusations that Turkey had closed its border to the refugees, insisting instead that it had chosen to assist the new arrivals at the displaced people's camps just across the border, but would admit them if the need arises later. "Our doors are not shut," Mr Tapsiz said. "There is no need to take them in because all of their needs are being taken care of." Mr Tapsiz acknowledged that conditions on the other side of the border were "difficult," but said the camps were constantly being improved and new ones were under construction. Mr Davutoglu on Wednesday also warned of a looming humanitarian disaster after Russian and Syrian military operations closed a vital humanitarian aid corridor between Turkey and Aleppo. "The corridor has been closed because of the attacks of these barbaric forces," Davutoglu said. "If this corridor is not opened, hundreds of thousands of Syrians who don't have the opportunity to reach Turkey face hunger." Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said his country appreciated the "very careful way of working Turkey chooses to prevent an uncontrolled entry" of refugees from Syria. He said the Netherlands and Germany had offered to help the refugees on the Turkish side of the border. "Finger-pointing serves no purpose," he said. "I believe that Turkey has a sensible policy here." Doctors Without Borders said on Tuesday that about 23,000 new arrivals fleeing the fighting in Aleppo were in urgent need of emergency shelter and support near the border with Turkey. It said it had increased the number of hospital beds in the Azaz district from 28 to 36 and was preparing to expand if needed. The group says it has distributed hundreds of blankets, tents, mattresses and other supplies. Meanwhile, Turkey's state-run agency Anadolu Agency said military officials detained a group of 34 people at the border with Syria and seized luggage containing four suicide vests and explosives. Citing unnamed security sources, Anadolu said four men, 10 women and 20 children were stopped near the town of Oguzeli in Gaziantep province. Anadolu said security forces had acted on a tip about plans to smuggle explosives across the border. The luggage contained up to 15kg of explosives. The report did not say whether authorities believe the group may be linked to Islamic State extremists. North Koreans gather at Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square to celebrate a rocket launch on February 7 that was condemned around the world. (AP) United Nations experts say North Korea is continuing to evade the world body's sanctions, using airlines, ships and the international financial system to trade in banned items for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Experts monitoring sanctions against the North say Pyongyang also continues to export ballistic missile-related items to the Middle East and trade in arms and related material to Africa. A summary of the expert panel's report, obtained by The Associated Press, says one reason North Korea is able to keep evading sanctions is "the low level of implementation" by the 193 UN member states of the four UN sanctions resolutions adopted since the reclusive communist country's first nuclear test in 2006. The panel said the reasons for non-implementation were diverse, including "lack of political will" inadequate national legislation, lack of understanding of the UN Security Council resolutions and "low prioritisation". The report and its conclusions "raise important questions about the overall efficacy of the sanctions regime", it said. The report was sent to the security council, where the United States and China have been working on the text of a new sanctions resolution since North Korea's latest nuclear test on January 6. The council pledged to adopt "significant new measures" at an emergency meeting on Sunday after the North launched a long-range rocket that world leaders denounced as another "intolerable provocation" and called a banned test of dangerous ballistic missile technology. The United States, backed by its Western allies, Japan and South Korea, want tough new sanctions that would hamper North Korea's ability to do business. But diplomats say China, the North's ally and key protector in the security council, is reluctant to impose economic measures that could cause North Korea's economy to collapse. The experts' summary said Pyongyang conceals illicit activities by embedding agents in foreign companies and using diplomatic personnel, long-standing trade partners, and relationships with a small number of trusted foreign nationals. The experts said North Korea's Ocean Maritime Management Company "continues to operate through foreign-flagged vessels, name and company re-registrations, and the rental of crews to foreign ships" despite being on the UN sanctions blacklist since July 2014. Meanwhile the US Senate is considering hitting North Korea with more stringent sanctions in the wake of Pyongyang's satellite launch. Senators are expected to vote on a Bill targeting North Korea's ability to access the money it needs for developing miniaturised nuclear warheads and the long-range missiles to deliver them. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a similar measure last month and there is strong bi-partisan support in the Senate for the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act. "The kind of belligerence we've seen from Pyongyang must not be ignored," Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said. Washington, Seoul and others consider the satellite launch a banned test of missile technology. That assessment is based on Pyongyang's open efforts to manufacture nuclear-tipped missiles capable of striking the US mainland and that the technology used to launch a rocket carrying a satellite into space can be applied to fire a long-range missile. In the annual assessment of global threats delivered to Congress on Tuesday, director of national intelligence James Clapper said North Korea had expanded a uranium enrichment facility and restarted a plutonium reactor that could start recovering material for nuclear weapons in weeks or months. Both findings will deepen concern that North Korea is not only making technical advances in its nuclear weapons programme, but is working to expand what is thought to be a small nuclear arsenal. US-based experts have estimated that North Korea may have about 10 bombs, but that could grow to between 20 and 100 by 2020. Mr Clapper said Pyongyang had not flight-tested a long range, nuclear armed missile, but was committed to its development. "We have long assessed that Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities are intended for deterrence, international prestige, and coercive diplomacy," he said. Anyone who's ever had a sneaky fag behind the bike shed at school will be forgiven a wry smile at the news that a smoking shelter outside a hospital in Belfast has been demolished to make way for ... a bike shed. Okay, to be more precise, a bike dock - a parking area for those sturdy pay-as-you-go cycles you now see all over the city. On hand to oversee this week's demolition of the smoking shelter (outside Belfast's regional cancer centre) was Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride. He didn't do all the sledge-hammering stuff himself - presumably health and safety issues. But you could hardly miss the message. About as subtle as a wrecking ball was the symbolism of a haven for an unhealthy habit being transformed into a launch pad for wholesome exercise. The health service version of a swords-into-ploughshares makeover. And who could argue with that? Especially outside a cancer centre of all places. Who could argue with plans to turn all grounds in all hospitals in Northern Ireland into no-smoking zones which is what will happen from next month? Patients, visitors and staff will not be allowed to smoke anywhere in hospital grounds. Anywhere. Including in car parks. Even in private cars. Even if you're lying flat on the back seat and no-one can see you. If nothing else this will at least get rid of those sad picket lines of patient (in every sense) smokers you currently have to wade through to get into just about any hospital in the land. There's something just not right about the sight of those shivering souls in their dressing gowns huddling for warmth as close to the main entrance as current No Smoking policy allows while a cumulus of their own smog engulfs them. The ones with oxygen tanks attached look particularly poignant (not to mention a wee bit alarming). That couldn't be allowed to go on. I've never been a smoker myself. Like Bill Clinton I didn't inhale - or more honestly, didn't get to grips with the inhalation process back in school when smoking was more or less compulsory. Otherwise I would probably be puffing away with the best of them now. So a total ban holds no fears for me. Here's the thing, though. You don't have to be a 60 a day consumer to know that there are people out there who are seriously addicted to ciggies and who will find it extremely difficult to stop. Just like that. Especially at a time when they are ill, maybe facing a major operation and under severe stress. The plan by the local health trusts is to "provide tailored support for people who want to quit". Very commendable. And absolutely you can see the dilemma for health chiefs preaching the evils of smoking on one hand and then having to tolerate it (up until now anyway) in hospital grounds. But still. Smoking is a fierce addiction for many of those already hooked. And whether they can be persuaded, helped or even have the ability to give it up for a duration of a hospital stay is open to question. For some it will be utter hell. Will we just see the front door smokers hitch up their dressing gowns and steer their wheelie oxygen tanks that bit further down the road, out of hospital grounds? And is this actually a solution? Or like so much we do here, is the "no shelter for smokers" strategy just a way of moving the problem out of sight - and inhalation? And on to someone else's patch. Pizzas taking slice of delivery market I've mentioned before in relation to Uber taxis that if the number of their light-up signs you see on car roofs are anything to go by, they're still not making massive inroads into the local market. Pizza delivery however, is a different matter. In the last week I've spotted endless vehicles with wee light-up domino signs on the roof. It's like an invasion. In one street a slow-moving convoy of pizza carriers was cruising along like a Kim Jung Un drive-past in Pyongyang. Just how much pizza are we actually consuming in this place? War bunker could be cold house for Spads Great story about the Cold War bunker going up for sale in Ballymena. One popular suggestion is that it should now be bought to house our elected elite and other "VIPs". Shut them in there and throw away the key, people say. Harsh perhaps, but going with that one, maybe we could make some money in the process? The bunker would be an ideal film set. And in our MLAs we've a cast of dozens of what you could call "extras". Plus there's a movie just crying out to be made here. Spads' Army. News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-10-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. U.S. National Intelligence chief James R. Clapper arrives to testify before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington D.C. on global terrorism threats, Feb. 9, 2016. A Bangladeshi minister Wednesday reacted sharply to congressional testimony from the American intelligence chief, who told senators that transnational terrorist groups could expand their presence in Bangladesh through exploiting attempts by the ruling Awami League to undermine the political opposition. U.S. National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper also challenged statements consistently issued by Bangladeshi officials about terrorism. They have maintained that the Islamic State (IS) has no foothold in Bangladesh and have blamed the opposition for being behind attacks on foreigners, members of religious minorities, as well as secular bloggers, writers and editors. The ruling party undermining opposition parties is out of the question, Information minister and government spokesman Hasanul Haque Inu told BenarNews in rejecting the on-the-record comments made a day earlier by Clapper. Legal and registered parties are enjoying all rights of democracy. The government never blocks them from enjoying that, Inu said. On Tuesday, Clapper and heads of American intelligence agencies appeared before hearings of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, briefing senators on their assessments of worldwide threats. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas continuing efforts to undermine the political opposition in Bangladesh will probably provide openings for transnational terrorist groups to expand their presence in the country, Clapper said in his part of the testimony that touched on South Asia, according to a transcript. Hasina and other government officials have insisted publically that the killings of foreigners are the work of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami political parties and are intended to discredit the government, he added, referring to the BNPs ally in the opposition. Clapper went on to note that IS had claimed responsibility for 11 high-profile attacks on foreigners and religious minorities. Other extremists in the country, including Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), had also claimed responsibility for a series of murders targeting progressive bloggers and writers, Clapper said. Amid growing insecurity and a rising wave of extremist sentiment, five bloggers and one editor have been murdered in separate machete-attacks dating to February 2013. Last year, two foreigners, and three members of the minority Shiite and Christian communities were also killed by suspected militants. Regional IS branches emerging? Marine Lt. Gen. Vincent R. Stewart, who heads the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, also testified before Congress about Bangladesh. As the Paris attacks demonstrated, ISIL has now become the most significant terrorist threat to the U.S. and our allies, Stewart told senators on Tuesday, using another acronym for IS. Last year, the group expanded globally from its strongholds in Iraq and Syria, setting up new branches in Libya, the Sinai desert, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the Caucuses, he said. [B]ut we assess that other branches will likely grow increasingly dangerous as we move into 2016, Stewart testified, according to a transcript. Emerging branches include those in Mali, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Tunisia, Somalia, and possibly other countries. Spectacular external attacks demonstrate ISILs relevance and reach and is a key part of their narrative. Responding to Clappers comments about ABT and al-Qaeda, Monirul Islam, the joint commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told BenarNews that his department had no information about an AQIS presence in Bangladesh. But Ansarullah Bangla Team is a follower of al-Qaeda, Islam said. For a long time, they have tried to become involved with them. But we have no information that Ansarullah finally has any connection with al-Qaeda. Zero tolerance Meanwhile, the issue of terrorism came up during a meeting on Tuesday between a U.S. congressman and Bangladeshi Ambassador to the United States Mohammad Ziauddin, the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reported Wednesday. Prime Minister Hasina has vowed zero tolerance against all forms of extremism and terrorism and is personally committed to uproot[ing] extremism and terrorism from the soil of Bangladesh, BSS quoted the ambassador as telling Congressman Sander M. Levin (D-Michigan). According to Ziauddin, Hasinas government also was working with the U.S. and other countries to combat the threat both within and outside Bangladeshs borders. African Students Association members hold signs during a protest in Hyderabad in support of a Tanzanian national assaulted by a local mob in Bengaluru, Feb. 6, 2016. When Kenyan national Jonnathan Makau came to India in 2014 in search of higher education, the last thing he expected was to be subjected to racism. But nearly two years since his arrival in Delhi, he says he is used to the discriminatory attitude of Indians toward his community. Just days after arriving in India, my African friends and I decided to go out for dinner. We tried entering three restaurants, each of them turned us away. They gave excuses such as the restaurant is booked for a private function, or that it is full, the 23-year-old post graduate student at Delhi University told BenarNews. Thats when I learned that discrimination against colored folks, especially those from Africa, is quite the norm here, he said. People pass racist remarks as they pass us by. Most up-market restaurants refuse us entry. More often than not, public transportation, such as taxis and auto-rickshaws dont bother stopping for us, the Nairobi native said. Although being subjected to such behavior hurts, Makau said he considered himself lucky that he had not been violently assaulted unlike a Tanzanian student in south Indias Karnataka state. Slapped, stripped and paraded naked On Jan. 31, a 21-year-old woman from Tanzania was allegedly slapped, stripped and paraded naked on the streets of Bengaluru by a mob in an apparent racial attack. The attack occurred minutes after a Sudanese national driver struck an Indian woman on the same road and fled the scene, according to police. The hit-and-run enraged onlookers who vented their anger on the Tanzanian woman, police said. John Kijazi, Tanzanias high commissioner to India, said the incident was a combination of mob justice and racism. She was attacked because she was black, just like the person who was driving the vehicle and caused the accident. There is an element of mob justice to this, but there is also an element of racism, Kijazi told The Indian Express. Kijazi, who is dean of the African diplomatic corps in Delhi, said the Tanzanian woman was some distance away from the accident site when the mob targeted her. She was not involved at all, Kijazi said. As protests by African expatriates erupted in the cities of Bengaluru and Hyderabad in the wake of the incident, police arrested five people in connection with it. The suspects included a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A matter of shame Even as the Karnataka government denied that the attack was racially motivated, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said the incident was a matter of shame for the entire nation. We will not allow racial discrimination to take place in the country. For 200 years, India was enslaved by foreigners. We have been fighting racial discrimination. But in India itself, if there is racial discrimination, the government will take it very seriously, Rijiju told reporters. While Africans in India expressed relief that the incident would shed light on racial discrimination, they expressed doubt that it could change attitudes among Indians. It seems they, Indians, see us as animals, Ebolo Omogit, 32, a cotton merchant from Nigeria living in Delhi for the last three years, told BenarNews. We are laughed at, called names when we go out on the streets. Restaurants and clubs turn us away. About two months back, a friend and I parked our car in a designated parking spot. When we returned to the car, all four tires had been deflated, Omogit said. These might seem like minor occurrences, but they leave you somewhat scarred, he said. Most restaurant and club owners denied having turned away people because of their skin color. But a manager of a restaurant in south Delhis posh Vasant Vihar area, a locality frequented by Africans, said he often refused entry to blacks because his Indian guests felt uncomfortable in their presence. There is a belief, right or wrong, that black people start brawls. On some occasions we have let them in and realized our Indian customers have walked out, the manager told BenarNews on condition of anonymity. Police said they treated all complaints, regardless of which country the complainant is from, with the same seriousness. The police are fully sensitized (and there are) elaborate security measures, Delhis Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajan Bhagat told BenarNews. The irony Ghana national Shadrach A. Owusu, who is pursuing a masters degree in computer applications in Chandigarh city, said he was shocked by the racial discrimination he faced in India. It is very hard for us to find rental accommodation. And when we do, they expect us to shell out more money as deposit because they think we might run away with their fans and tube lights, or that we may run away without paying our bills, Owusu told BenarNews. Owusu added that he had no intention of staying back in India once he completed his studies later this year, because the attitude of Indians toward black people was too regressive. It is shocking, to say the least, he said, adding, ironic, because this is happening in the land of Gandhi, who led the fight against racial discrimination in South Africa before he returned to India to fight for Indias independence. A Jakarta court Tuesday convicted, fined and sentenced to prison seven Indonesians accused of supporting the Islamic State (IS) extremist group. The seven defendants received different sentences for charges related to terrorism, but these fell short of jail terms that prosecutors were seeking. The sentences marked the first Indonesian convictions of suspected local supporters of the Middle Eastern-based group since an IS-claimed terrorist attack in Jakarta killed eight people on Jan. 14, including four of the alleged assailants. Among the defendants, Tuah Febriwansyah (alias Muhammad Fachry), was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of Rp 5 million (U.S. $367). The six others were sentenced to between three and four years in prison, following trials that were heavily guarded by police. Fachrys sentence was much lighter than the penalty that the prosectution had sought. The prosecutor wanted the alleged owner of the radical site Al-Mustaqbal.net to be sentenced to eight years in prison and fined of Rp 50 million (U.S. $3,680). Thank God, I accept the decision of the judge, Fachry said. A panel of judges comprised of Muhammad Arifin, Syahlan and Ahmad Fauzi said their ruling was fair and based on the law. Fachry was found guilty of joining a Quran study group that pledged allegiance to the IS. The study group was led by Bahrumsyah, an alleged Indonesian IS leader who is believed to be in Syria. The judges ruled that Tuah uploaded and distributed IS propaganda from the Internet on the Al-Mustaqbal website, Chief Justice Syahlan ruled. People became aware about IS and this brings impacts, whether it makes people afraid or moved to follow IS. Lower sentence Two of the other defendants, Aprimul Hendri (alias Mulbin Arifin), and Koswara (alias Abu Ahmad), were given lighter sentences. Aprimul was sentenced to three years in prison and fined of Rp 50 million. The prosecutor had sought a five-year term for him. Koswara was sentenced to four years in prison and also fined Rp 50 million. In his case, the prosecutor had sought six years in prison. The judges ruled that Aprimul and Koswara were involved in a conspiracy to facilitate the departure of Indonesians to Syria. The defendant (Koswara) had received money through the BCA (Bank Central Asia) account and then used it to dispatch people to Syria, the judges ruled. Koswara and Aprimul said they would not appeal the verdict. Bound by UN Charter The four other defendants, Ahmad Junaedi (alias Abu Salman), Sungkar Ridwan (alias Abu Bilal and Iwan aka Ewok, Abdul Hakim Munabari (alias Abu Imad), and Helmi Muhammad Alamudi, received similar sentences. Junaidi was sentenced to three years in prison, less than the five-year term sought by the prosecution. Ridwan was sentenced to four years in prison, less than the six years sought by the prosecutors, and Abdul Hakim was sentenced to three years, less than the five sought by the prosecution. Helmi was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and fined Rp 100 million (U.S. $7,360). The prosecution had wanted five years and the same fine. All four accepted their sentences. But their attorney, Asludin Hatjani, challenged the validity of the verdicts for the four defendants. Our opinion is that the act actually occurred outside Indonesia, which was in Syria, said Asludin. Moreover, one of the defendants, Junaedi was actually deceived when leaving for Syria. He was promised a job as a teacher. The judges ignored Asludins defense. They instead cited expert witness Romli Atmasasmita, a criminal law expert from the University of Padjadjaran. Although there is no treaty on extradition between Indonesia and Syria, citizens who commit a crime in Syria can still be prosecuted according to Indonesia law, the judges ruled, relying on the experts testimony. Both countries adopted the resolution of the United Nations Security Council of Sept. 24, 2014. The resolution, among other things, stressed that efforts to counter the IS must be in accordance with the U.N. Charter. A bomb bearing the markings of the Nampra Army and the flag of the PULO rebel group was discovered in Nong Chik district, Pattani province, Jan. 30, 2016. The recent discovery of crudely made rocket-propelled weapons in Thailands restive Deep South signals that a smaller rebel group there is changing its combat tactics and may be trying to influence prospective peace talks, experts say. They may want to show off that they have propelled bombs in order to leverage negotiation power, a Thai counter-terrorism official who requested anonymity told BenarNews. He was referring to the Patani United Liberation Organization (PULO), one of the rebel groups that has been fighting a separatist insurgency in Thailands predominantly Muslim and Malay-speaking southern border region for more than a decade. Last year, PULO joined MARA Patani, an umbrella body representing various Deep South rebel groups in closed-door meetings in Malaysia with Thai negotiators, which have been aimed at resuming formal peace talks with Thailand for the first time since December 2013. It is significant that PULO has been taking credit via social media for the deployment of home-made rockets in the conflict zone, noted Zachary Abuza, an expert on the Thai Deep South who is a professor at the National War College in Washington, D.C. Theyre clearly trying to stake out a greater role for themselves within MARA Patani and at the peace process, Abuza told BenarNews. The only way that they can do that is by staging attacks, but they have far fewer militants than the BRN. So they have to be creative to cause a stir, he said. The BRN, or Barisan Revolusi Nasional, is the largest and most heavily armed of the Deep South rebel groups. Rocket-type weapons crop up On Feb. 5, police in Narathiwat province found and disarmed a small rocket that was similar to rockets (pictured above and below) discovered last month in neighboring Pattani province. Police Col. Patta Madawa said the most recent device, which resembled a pipe bomb with fins, fell into the living room of a house and was defused by demolition experts, according to the Associated Press. PULO tried to develop a kind of rocket-powered grenade or rocket for remote attacks, but we do not have any evidence yet whether it worked, the anonymous counter-terrorist official said. We are interested in where they were built. The projectiles have slant noses made by way of a tube serrated, cut and welded to make a solid nose, he added. While ballistics experts have not identified the propellant used, the bomb is described as an improvised explosive device that contains ammonium nitrate and fuel oils. The detonators were rigged using gun primer and a firing pin. They had some flaws and did not ignite, the official said. On Jan. 30, officials in Pattanis Nong Chik district found two unexploded rocket-like bombs and were told that three others had been fired. The bombs in both incidents were emblazoned with the PULO flag. An ex-PULO member, Ma-ae Sa-a, linked the bombs to his former group. I told the authorities that the name Nampra Army with the PULO flag is real, he said, adding that PULO was more likely to have planted the bomb than launched it as a projectile. The Nampra Army, a faction of PULO, issued a statement warning those living near military camps in Pattani and Narathiwat to move away because it planned to attack the camps with rockets this year, hamptani.com reported. According to Lt. Gen. Nanthadej Meksawat, a retired intelligence officer who was assigned to the Deep South, the introduction of the rockets shows that PULO is changing tactics because of its growing weakness. The capability of the operational militants became weaker, Nanthadej told BenarNews. In recent months they tried to avoid direct confrontations with security forces. Last year, we saw bomb attacks followed by gun attacks. We saw direct gun attacks and shootouts. This year, we dont see this, he added. Frightened The discovery of the new weapons, nonetheless, has alarmed locals in the Deep South, which has seen more than 6,000 people die from violence related to the insurgency since 2004. Nimu Magaje, former chairman of the Islamic Committee in Yala province, said authorities should prevent rebels from using these rocket-type weapons in attacks. People are frightened and have spoken out in the community. It is a mission of authorities to prevent the violence, Magaje told reporters on Monday. I think that the authorities have to inspect the explosives and examine the history of any lost weapons, if any, he added. Authorities should consider where this type of explosive had been used before. ein Google-Unternehmen Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. 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For Immediate Release, February 10, 2016 Contacts: Andrew Harmon, WildAid, (415) 834-3174, harmon@wildaid.org Sarah Uhlemann, Center for Biological Diversity, (206) 327-2344, suhlemann@biologicaldiversity.org Conservation Groups Urge Obama Administration to Ban 'Synthetic' Rhinoceros Horn U.S. Companies Developing Lab-made Rhino Horn for Sale in China, Vietnam SAN FRANCISCO Wildlife conservation groups today petitioned the Obama administration to ban the sale and export of so-called synthetic rhinoceros horn. Trade in the biologically engineered faux horn could accelerate consumer demand in Asia for illegal, genuine wildlife products. The demand has caused rhino poaching rates to skyrocket across southern Africa. Rhino horn is coveted by some in Vietnam and China as a status symbol and a panacea for ailments and diseases ranging from hangovers to cancer. There is no scientific evidence that rhino horn has medicinal value, but rhinos in Africa and Asia are gravely imperiled due to demand for their horns. Several populations have already been poached into extinction, while others, such as the northern white rhino, have dwindled to just a few individuals. Experts believe the best way to save rhinos is to reduce consumer demand for horn. In todays petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Center for Biological Diversity and WildAid argued that exporting synthetic rhino horn for sale in Vietnam and China will perpetuate myths of rhino horns medicinal potency and make the product more socially desirable at a time when consumer education campaigns in both countries are starting to successfully counter these dangerous trends. When something looks too good to be true, it usually is. Despite near-universal condemnation by conservation experts, the serial entrepreneurs peddling this product are playing a dangerous game for their own profit, while conveniently overlooking the genuine threat it poses for rhinos, said Peter Knights, CEO of WildAid. The petition urges the administration to use its authority under a wildlife trade treaty and two laws enacted by Congress the Endangered Species Act and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act to regulate and prohibit biofabricated or cultured products that are derived from imperiled wildlife species such as rhinos. Full text of the petition is available here. Rhinos are being poached to extinction for their horns. That has to stop, before we lose them forever, said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. U.S. law protects rhinos by prohibiting trade in their parts, and these synthetic but biologically identical horns are no exception. We need to save rhinos by eliminating demand, not accelerating it. Seeking to exploit consumer demand, U.S.-based entrepreneurs are developing synthetic rhino horn that cant be visually, chemically or genetically differentiated from actual horn. Founders of one venture capital-backed company, Pembient, have told media about its intention to sell both powdered rhino horn and carvable horn for the production of durable goods like jewelry, libation cups and chopsticks. The product is created in part by inserting the rhino genetic code into yeast, which then produces keratin, the protein that primarily constitutes rhino horn (and is also found in human hair and nails). Pembient then seeks to create an authentic DNA signature by combining the keratin with rhino DNA. Pembients plans for consumer goods containing rhino horn have included a beer brewed in China and a skin cream for distribution in Vietnam labeled Essence of Rhino Horn. More recently Pembient has stated it will focus on producing solid, carvable horn a product that would also likely be ground into powder form by many consumers. Synthetic rhino horn raises several additional concerns: The product severely complicates law enforcement, as the real and synthetic products are meant to be visually indistinguishable, which will allow real, illegally poached rhino horn to be laundered as lab made. It also introduces a new, broader consumer base for rhino horn products, stimulating future demand for real rhino horn. Todays petition urges that cultured horn be classified as a product derived from a rhino, as trade in such products is clearly prohibited by the Endangered Species Act and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act, and is strictly regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). WildAid and the Center for Biological Diversity are asking the Service to issue new rules affirmatively banning trade in the product. Rhino poaching is now at crisis levels. Over the past decade, largely due to demand for horn in Vietnam, poaching surged from 262 rhinos poached in 2008 in South Africa, where most of the killing has taken place, to 1,215 in 2014. New figures released last month indicate poaching had dipped slightly in 2015 but remains shockingly high, with 1,175 rhinos killed in South Africa. Countries such as Namibia and Zimbabwe, where poaching has been largely suppressed in recent years, saw dramatic increases in the rate of rhino poaching last year, often in areas once considered too remote to be vulnerable to poaching. WildAid, African Wildlife Foundation and the Vietnamese organization CHANGE are working to reduce rhino horn consumption in Vietnam and China, utilizing similar methods deployed in a successful campaign to reduce consumption of shark fin in China by 50 percent to 70 percent. Chinese consumer awareness of the rhino horn trades devastating impact on Africas rhinos has grown rapidly over the past several years, and independent surveys showed the percentage of people who believe that rhino horn has medicinal value dropped by nearly 25 percent, from 58 percent in 2012 to 45 percent in late 2014. Consumer surveys of the Vietnamese market will be released this spring. ### WildAid is a nonprofit organization with a mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes. While most wildlife conservation groups focus on protecting animals from poaching, WildAid works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products by persuading consumers and providing comprehensive marine enforcement. WildAid leverages nearly $200 million in annual pro-bono media support annually with a simple message: When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too. For more information, visit www.wildaid.org. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 990,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. For more information, visit www.biologicaldiversity.org. Researchers sequence the genome of the Lyme-disease-causing tick and find lots of duplicative elements. Researchers have sequenced the genetic blueprint of one of the most prolific pathogen-transmitting agents on the planet - the Lyme-disease-spreading tick (Ixodes scapularis) that bites humans. The findings could lead to advances in not only disrupting the tick's capacity to spread diseases but also in eradicating the pest. The large tick genome - smaller than but similar in complexity to the human genome - supports redundancy, said R. Michael Roe, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Entomology at North Carolina State University and a co-author of a paper published in Nature Communications that describes the tick genome. Roe said that the size and complexity of the genome - combined with its duplicative elements - were problematic for tick researchers. "Repetition makes assembly more challenging," Roe said. Roe focused his work on the processes that help ticks find each other and mate; how ticks produce eggs and the hormones that regulate egg production; what makes ticks bite; and how ticks feed and process their blood meals. "We identified the hormones used for development, the process of how ticks utilize the blood that they eat, and how they convert that blood into eggs," Roe said. Besides repetitive elements, Roe noted important differences between the tick genome and insect genomes. "We know from previous work that, at the genome level, ticks do not control their development like insects," Roe said. "For example, ticks don't have a juvenile hormone that insects have. That hormone is responsible for color, molt patterns, migration activity and many other functions in insects. That's important because some of the safer insecticides are based on upsetting the juvenile hormone balance." Tick females have a hormone that regulates egg development. Learning how to block that hormone could lead to the development of a "birth-control pill" that would go a long way toward eradicating the pest, Roe said. Roe said knowledge gleaned from the genome could be used to develop new ways to attract and trap ticks in order to disrupt their "love at first touch" mating practices. Studying the ways ticks are attracted to humans could be used to produce new tick repellents, including natural repellents; Roe and colleagues at NC State are currently developing such products. Source: North Carolina State University Vitamin B6, which exists in different natural forms called vitamers, is essential for all living organisms, as it participates in numerous aspects of cells everyday life. Researchers from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and collaborators have discovered an unexpected role for this micronutrient, in relation to nitrogen metabolism. Described in the journal The Plant Cell, the results indicate that one of the vitamers informs the plant of its content in ammonium, a basic nitrogen compound needed e.g. for the biosynthesis of proteins. In the future, vitamin B6 could be used to ascertain the nitrogen status of plants and eventually prevent the overuse of nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Essential for all living organisms, Vitamin B6, which exists in six different forms called vitamers, is produced by plants, bacteria, and fungi, but not by animals. However, it is not known why organisms have several vitamers and if their balance (homeostasis) is of importance. In plants, the various vitamers can be produced via different specific pathways. We study these pathways to determine their contribution to cellular vitamin B6 homeostasis and to growth and development, explains Teresa Fitzpatrick, professor at the Department of Botany and Plant Biology of the Faculty of Sciences of UNIGE, who led the study. In collaboration with the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology and the University of Dusseldorf (Germany), the researchers examined a version of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress), which is defective in the PDX3 enzyme. Surprisingly, these plants displayed strongly impaired growth and development. PDX3-defective plants cannot transform a vitamer called PMP, therefore the latter accumulates within the cell. While we hypothesized that the observed anomalies may be due to the high levels of PMP, we had no idea of the underlying mechanism and questioned its precise contribution, says Maite Colinas, member of the Geneva team and first author of the study. The answer came from an unexpected discovery: the observed growth anomalies of the mutants were completely abrogated when the plants were supplemented with ammonium. In most natural soils the predominant nitrogen source for plants is nitrate, as they usually contain little ammonium. Plants must therefore import the former and convert it to ammonium, which can then be used for the biosynthesis of nitrogenous compounds including proteins to promote plant growth, notes Teresa Fitzpatrick. It turns out from the scientists investigation that the high levels of PMP in the PDX3-defective plants interfere with the conversion of nitrate into ammonium, resulting in an ammonium deficiency that is responsible for the impaired growth and development. As the connection between nitrogen and vitamin B6 metabolism had never been made, the biologists further examined the potential interactions between these two processes in natural wild-type plants. They indeed observed a considerable accumulation of the PMP vitamer in plants supplemented with ammonium. When the plant contains enough ammonium for its needs, further production from nitrate is prevented, thus limiting energy waste and potential toxicity that can happen if too much is made. The level of PMP probably informs the plant about its ammonium state, reports Maite Colinas. While scientists knew that plants acquired nitrogen from nitrate or ammonium to meet their needs, they were uncertain of how the plant monitored the level or proportion of these compounds. Here, the researchers have found an unanticipated player in this process: the vitamer PMP. The group is currently investigating whether PMP regulates nitrogen metabolism directly or indirectly, via the action of other compounds. In the future, vitamin B6 could be used to ascertain the nitrogen status of plants and eventually prevent the overuse of nitrogen-containing fertilizers that are currently having detrimental effects on the environment. Wearable tech is a huge trend and everyone is talking about it, but have you thought of what it means for the workplace - the positives include flexible working hours, fitness incentives, lower health insurance premiums and free health screening/annual health check, but wat about the negatives? Such as sharing your data with your employer? An online survey by PwC provides a snapshot of what South Africans think about wearables in the workplace. South Africans are not as adverse to sharing data with their employers as their UK counterparts, who were less happy to share their data with their workplace. The type of information we are willing to share includes marital status, number of children, the frequency of physical exercise, and average blood pressure and heart rate. We are even more willing to part with this data if an incentive is offered. Pixabay Given the right reward, respondents are willing to share their travel time to and from work, the time they get to work and leave work, their blood pressure and average heart rate and movement. Nanie Rothman, an associate director in PwCs Actuarial, Risk and Quants Division, who presented the information at a presentation at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, says that there are many benefits for both the employee and employer that can be gained from wearable tech. On the employers side it can increase employee productivity and absenteeism rates, while for the employee it can have significant health and work related benefits, says Rothman. For example, Tescos warehouse employees were issued with smart bands and it assisted in preventing work related accidents. Another example is a company in the US, where employees had a high rate of flu during winter. Through wearable tech it was uncovered that many employees did not have the right clothing for the winter temperatures and therefore were getting ill. The company could assist them. The result is a win for both sides, she adds. What needs to be kept in mind is that wearables are for employee engagement and as such are a tool and not a solution. They will only be as effective as the value you create from the data your employees share with you, she says. However, while some of the data respondents are willing to share is in the public domain (such as the number of children you have), some of it is not. Wearables in the workplace is currently very new, but it is happening quickly so we need to start having a conversation around data, the sharing of data and trust between employees and employers, says Barry Vorster, PwC Leader of People & Organisation. Currently there is no legislation that deals with this. We might be able to deduce things out of POPI if we had to, but really this is new territory for legislators and regulators, says Vorster. And we have to think about it, he emphasises. This is happening faster than you think and as more employers use wearables we will have to develop legislation. He adds that wearables should be seen as something to improve an employees life in the workplace. This can make not only the workplace a better and a happy place, but also the world. He pointed out that this study was just a beginning. A similar study is done in the UK and we wanted to find out what South Africans think. I am not sure why we are more trusting than our UK counterparts, but we will be looking into this as the study continues. This study sample comprised over 2000 people. On the next Biz Takeouts Marketing & Media radio show on Thursday, 11 February 2016, from 9-10am, show host Warren Harding starts the show by chatting to founder and managing director of Interactive Africa and Design Indaba, Ravi Naidoo. Ravi joins us to talk about the Design Indaba 2016, now in its 21st year, taking place from 17 19 February at the Artscape Theater in Cape Town. We look at how the event has grown and changed over the last 21 years and also how Ravi uses the talent and profile of his companies to spearhead projects that also tackle social problems. This is a not-to-be-missed chat. We then take a closer look at another event taking place on 17 and 18 February at the CTICC in Cape Town, the annual eCommerce Africa Confex. We speak to event organisers, Kinetic Events joint managing directors, Terry Southam and Shannon Mackrill about the event, what attendees can expect and how the e-commerce landscape is changing. How to listen Comments or questions Podcast A podcast of the show will be available in the Biz Takeouts special section on Biz later during the week. NEW YORK - The New York Times on Monday launched a Spanish-language digital edition, aiming to expand the global reach of the prestigious US daily. The Times is offering "a selection of the best of New York Times translated into Spanish" as well as original articles, said a welcome statement from deputy international editor Lydia Polgreen. On the first day, the newspaper was running a story on the perilous journey of Central American migrants trying to reach the United States, as well as articles on the Zika virus from Brazil and on politics in Peru and Venezuela. "We have a fantastic team with journalists from various parts of Latin America and in Spain, and our mission is to offer high-quality journalism every day," Polgreen said. The Times said last week it is eyeing further changes to its newsroom to meet the growing challenges of digital. On the heels of its quarterly report, the daily -- seeking to navigate a shift to digital readership -- said executive editor Dean Baquet and longtime journalist David Leonhardt would lead a review of operations. During a conference call to discuss earnings, New York Times Co. chief executive Mark Thompson indicated some shifts were coming. He said that in the coming months "we will take a close look at our existing cost base, even as we make targeted investments in our digital future." Location: NEW YORK Source: AFP Prague hospital defends a racist sign 10. 2. 2016 cas cteni < 1 minuta The outpatients' department "for foreigners" in the Motol hospital in Prague has started to use a sign which has been criticised by many commentators on the social networks as racist. The sign which directs people to the outpatients' department "for foreigners" uses stereotyped images of a Chinese person, a Red Indian and an African person. (Somewhat weirdly, although intended for "foreigners", the sign is written only in Czech.) The hospital management rejects all criticism, pointing out that the sign is intended for children and is allegedly designed to cheer them up because for them a visit to a hospital is often a traumatising experience. The hospital management also complains that some members of the Czech public are complaining of the sign which they see as racist, but ignore "a real problem" - many foreigners who have been treated by the hospital have never paid for their treatment and the hospital is out of pocket. Source in Czech HERE 0 It looks like you have reached this page in error ... The content you are looking for has either moved, or if you typed in the address there might have been a mistake. If you believe there has been a technical error please let us know. Most Popular Destinations Republican presidential candidate and disgraced CEO Carly Fiorina has formally dropped out of the race in a statement posted to her Facebook page. The statement reads as follows: This campaign was always about citizenshiptaking back our country from a political class that only serves the big, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well connected. Election after election, the same empty promises are made and the same poll-tested stump speeches are given, but nothing changes. I've said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet. I'm not going to start now. While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them. Her statement went on to decry crony capitalism and feminism but, as is the case with her call to take the country back from a political class that "only serves the big, the powerful, the wealthy," she was a terrible messenger for all of it. Carly Fiorina is all of these things and worse. I'm sure everyone reading this loathes each Republican candidate to varying degrees, but for me none of these characters were as loathsome as Carly Fiorina. Fiorina lies with a conviction only a lizard could muster and she crossed a line no one should ever cross when she hijacked a pre-school field trip and used the children as props for a speech about abortion and Planned Parenthood's non-existent black market fetus trade. Good riddance. After Maine Governor Paul LePage (R) unleashed in a tirade against drug dealers named "Smoothy" and "D-Money" who travel to the state where they sell drugs and impregnate white girls, LePage denied that he was referring to black drug dealers. LePage appeared on a local radio station yesterday, however, where he made it crystal clear that he was referring to black men. "I had to go scream at the top of my lungs about black dealers coming in and doing the things that theyre doing to our state," he said on his weekly radio appearance on WVOM. "I had to scream about guillotines and those types of things before they were embarrassed into giving us a handful of DEA agents. That is what it takes with this 127th [legislature]. It takes outrageous comments and outrageous actions to get them off the dime." As I've said before, it's far more likely that your average white girl-impregnating drug dealer in Maine more closely resembles the cast of Fargo rather than The Wire. More substantively, Governor LePage is essentially saying that he screeched about scary black men to compel the state legislature to act. He's saying he deliberately used a racial stereotype. It is not necessarily true that his comments have compelled the state legislature to act. State lawmakers have longed supported increased spending on drug-treatment programs to reduce recidivism, but Governor LePage insisted that the legislature spend more money on law enforcement at the exclusion of drug-treatment. Governor LePage wants a harsh criminal crackdown on "D-Money" while lawmakers want to treat the problem with healthcare. (Cartoonist - Adam Zyglis) In other news, the Maryland state legislature has overridden Governor Lary Hogan's veto and restored voting rights for felons. Meanwhile, the Planned Parenthood clinic that was attacked in Colorado will reopen next week. And finally, hackers followed up their release of data on 10,000 DHS employees by releasing data on 20,000 FBI employees. The information was obtained by compromising an email account in the Department of Justice. And they say the Clinton server was insecure. No, I'm never going to shut up about that. Why Is It Called 'Ash' Wednesday? Faith Mysticism oi-Anwesha Lent fasting starts today as it is Ash Wednesday so it the perfect time ask a slightly silly question. What is meaning of ash' in Ash Wednesday? It is a Catholic ritual and you may have been following it since you were only a toddler but with the onslaught of modernity, the meanings of our rituals are being diluted. It is not at all abnormal for a person to have practiced a ritual all his life and yet not know what it stands for. However, it is never too late; you can still catch up. What 'Ash' Wednesday Means? Leave out the 'ash', why is it always Wednesday? As you obviously know that the period of lent fasting is the time that Jesus spent in the forest before his prophecies. Christ actually went on a fast for these 40 days and we follow suit. Now at the end of lent is Easter and that comes on a Good Friday exactly 6 and a half weeks away. This calculation is done in such a way that six and a half weeks before a Friday will naturally be a Wednesday. Now coming back to the 'Ash' Wednesday, it is a standard catholic ritual to draw crosses with ash on the forehead of the faithful to show that they repent their misdeeds in the past year. That is where the name comes from. Significance Of 'Ash' On Ash Wednesday: What is ash; the remnant of our bodies or any physical thing that is burned. Ashes to ashes is way of saying whatever you may do on this earth will turn to ashes. So basically you can say it is what we leave behind when we die and that is not a very pleasant thing. For Catholics it is a way of showing their repentance and also a signifier that they know what awaits them when they turn to ashes. What Is Done On Ash Wednesday? Typically, this day would include a service where all the faithful go to Church and dwell on the significance of this Catholic ritual. Then the priest would burn palm crosses from Palm Sunday (that celebrates the victorious return of Christ to Jerusalem). These palms are burned and the ash from it is blessed. It is turned into a paste like consistency and a cross is drawn on the foreheads of all the devotees to mark the beginning of the period of mourning for Christ and practicing abstinence to repent. As Lent fasting begins from today you will ideally be having no meat on this day. Some people also try and give up their favourite foods like baked confectioneries or chocolates etc. for the next 40 days. The palm crosses from Palm Sunday are burned on this solemn occasion not to make it more grave than it already is. Palm Sunday is a happy occasion so burning it's memories on Ash Wednesday is a reminder that the Ash of sorrow comes from the memories of happiness. It is a never ending cycle that will continue forever. GET THE BEST BOLDSKY STORIES! Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 22, 2012, 13:09 [IST] The headquarters building of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stands in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, May 10, 2010. The chief executive officers of the biggest U.S. stock markets were called to a meeting at the SEC today to discuss last weeks selloff in equities, according to four people familiar with the situation. Photographer: Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg News WASHINGTON The Securities and Exchange Commission would increase its examination and enforcement staff if Congress passed President Obama's proposal to double its budget by fiscal year 2021, starting with a $200 million increase to $1.78 billion in 2017. The proposed $1.78 billion figure would be an 11% increase from the roughly $1.58 billion Congress gave the SEC as part of the year-end omnibus bill for fiscal 2016. The SEC budget is deficit-neutral because its expenditures are offset with fees collected from the securities industry rather than with money appropriated by Congress. But Congress must still approve the budget. The commission said the proposed budget increase would allow for an additional 250 staff members as well as further development to crucial technology systems. Of the 250 new employees, 127 would go toward bolstering SEC examinations. The majority of the 127 would be added to examine investment advisors, following the commission's admission that in fiscal year 2015 it was only able to examine about 10% of registered IAs. Roughly 40% of registered IAs have still not been examined, according to the budget request. The commission's ultimate goal is to eventually examine each IA at least every two or three years. The remaining amount of new examination staff would be delegated to other areas, including municipal advisors. The commission announced a two-year examination program for MAs in August 2014, under which the SEC's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations would examine non-dealer MAs and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority would look at dealer-affiliated MAs. The SEC also would like to add 52 enforcement personnel under the proposed increase funding level, including forensic accountants, trial attorneys, and industry experts to better detect, prioritize, and investigate areas of enforcement. Twelve of the positions would be for attorneys who could help with nationwide litigation for the commission, which has been on the rise because an increasing number of its enforcement actions are being contested. Additional staff would be helpful in analyzing large data sets the commission has that include things like muni bond trading data and SEC filings, according to the budget request. The SEC would also like to add 10 people to further develop its data analysis capabilities so that it can improve the chances of catching misconduct earlier and limiting the harm done to investors. The budget did not give a specific requested amount for the SEC's Office of Municipal Securities, but said the office's main focus in fiscal 2017 will be on municipal advisor rules. The office wants an additional attorney to support its "considerable responsibilities to implement the new regulatory regime for municipal advisors" forged by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board. The MA rules, the implementation of which is overseen by OMS, include MSRB Rule G-20 on gifts and gratuities, which has an implementation date of May 6, and MSRB Rule G-42 on core standards for MAs, which will take effect in June. The MSRB has also filed proposed changes with the SEC that would extend to MAs its current Rule G-37, which is designed to prevent dealers from engaging in pay-to-play practices. OMS also would continue to advise the SEC's OCIE as it examines non-dealer MAs, coordinate guidance and rulemaking with the MSRB and the FINRA, and provide interpretive guidance to market participants who may be required to register as MAs. The Most Extensive and Reliable Source of Information Related to the Mexican Drugs Cartels. You will not find this level of coverage anywhere else, join us! WARNING: Posts may contain strong violent material, discretion is advised. COMMENTS: We do not publish all comments, and we do not publish comments immediately. It is not news that the liturgy has been a contested field in Catholic life over the past few decades. Opposition to liturgical ... SADCs agreement to the proposal of Lesothos Prime Minister, Dr Phakalitha Mosisili to extend the deadline of the release of the report of the SADC commission appears to be a bubble waiting to burst. At present Lesotho awaits with bated breath the release of the report on which it has pinned all its hopes to justify demands by some quarters for fresh general elections. Currently Lesotho Parliament has 120 seats. The unity government led by Mosisili and comprising of eight political parties has 65 seats, while the remaining 55 seats belong to the three opposition parties. Mosisili himself is a leader under siege. He is reported to be a very worried man as he even suspects that members of his coalition government want to topple him. It is said that when he addressed his party elective congress over the weekend, Mosisili allegedly castigated his colleagues telling them that he has received information that some of the party members want to crossover and join forces with the opposition in order to dethrone him to form an opposition coalition government. Further, even when he convenes parliament on Monday, Mosisili will still have to deal with the fact that three leaders of the opposition parties will be absent as they are in exile. Mosisilis government asked for extension so that they could convene parliament which they feel is the best at which the report of the SADC Commission could be made public. The Double Troika received and endorsed the SADC commission report that was chaired by former high court judge, Mpaphi Phumaphi over a fortnight ago and ordered the government of Lesotho to implement its recommendations, but not to publish the postmortem pictures of the late former Lesotho Defence Force Commander, General Maaparankoe Mahao who was assassinated by military agents as a way of showing respect for his family. The deadline for Mosilili was this Monday, but he has up to next Monday to fulfil his promise. The opposition position Former cabinet minister and deputy leader of Basotho National Party (BNP) and MP, Chief Joang Molapo who led a 12 men delegation of the Lesotho opposition parties to Gaborone to observe the SADC Double Troika told Botswana Guardian this week that they remain a worried lot because Mosisisli has publicly declared that he has the right to correct the report. However, they have decided to adopt the wait and see attitude until the report is formally tabled. At this moment we are kept in the dark and we do not know whether the government will table it in parliament directly, or if the report will be given to a statutory body - the Prime Minister Committee, he said. The committee is made up of 15 members from different political parties with government having the majority of eight members. Molapo said the primary role of the committee is to review the report(s) and report to the house their findings and recommendations before parliament can decide by way of voting. We are not sure whether the report is going to be tabled simply for information or whether parliament has to take a decision on it, he continued. However our position as the opposition is that if the report is tabled in order for parliament to comment on it then, we will not be interested as the three opposition parties because we know government will use its majority to pass the doctored document. Molapo also mentioned they were currently weighing their options whether to attend or boycott parliament. Speaking to the Botswana Guardian the spokesperson for BNP, Machesetsa Mofombe said they believe that SADC agreed for an extension in good faith thinking that the government is genuine, whilst this is not the case. SADC is not aware of the trick that the government may have pulled against them. We believed that government was just buying time because the case in which Lt. Col. Tefo Hashatsi wants the high court to nullify the Commission report continued this week Tuesday, and they were hoping that the court would deliver its judgement so that they can use their judgement to their favour. On a different note Mofombe said that Mosisili has also gone on record that he has agreed with SADC Chairman, President Ian Khama that he (Mosisili) has the right to remove any parts of the report which he feels are not suitable for public consumption. I doubt if Khama may have entered into that kind of agreement he was not handling this issue alone, but rather, he was part of the Double Troika which made the decision. He said that they are worried that as things stand, Mosisili could expunge the sensitive issues and, or parts that cover his close allies. But our understanding is that SADC has only ordered that only the sensitive parts that will not be made public are Pictures of Lt General Maaparankoe Mahao as a way of showing respect to the family. Elective congress Mofombe further confirmed that the results of the congress did not favour Mosisili as he is was the only one from his campaign camp that won the party presidency while the rest were won by the camp of his deputy president, the minister of Police and MP for Machache constituency Monyane Moleleki. Japan has been assisting Botswana in its development. This week the embassy of Japan took members of the media on a tour to update them on its development cooperation with Botswana. Botswana Guardian takes a look at Japans major ongoing and past economic cooperation projects and schemes in the country. Botswana-Japan Jatropha Research project In order to combat climate change, government of Botswana has been searching for alternative sources of energy to minimise their current reliance on fossil fuels. In this regard, Japan has been assisting in a project towards the future commercial production of biodiesel in Botswana, which will not only increase Botswanas energy security, but will do so in an environmentally sustainable manner. If successful, the production of biodiesel from Jatropha will reduce the import bill of petroleum products while contributing to the economy by creating more job opportunities. At the Botswana College of Agriculture farms, work is ongoing. The tree has started flowering, with a few bearing fruits. Japanese expert Dr. Yudai Ishimoto explained that they have adopted the drip irrigation system. He said that last year the leaves had dropped because of low temperatures. Botswanas temperatures range from zero to 40 degrees celcius while Jatropha tree requires a temperature range of 20 to 30 degrees celcius. At one point in August, most ground parts were lost. Before the cold season, they undertook wrapping, pruning, watering, removal of leaves and foliar application of succharide. The problem continued after the cold season as there was a hailstorm, which affected the plants. On a positive note, this year fruits are increasing, with 10 percent of trees with fruits from one of the two fields. Our target is 100kg of seeds from 1 hectare per season, he said. The US$3 million project that started in 2012 is being implemented co-jointly by Japan International Cooperation Agency, Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Departments of Agricultural Research, University of Botswana, Universities of Tottori and Ryukyus University from Japan and RIKEN (Japans largest and most comprehensive research organisation.) Project for enhancing National Forest Monitoring System The national forest monitoring system is designed to provide reliable forest resource information for sustainable forest resource management. The purpose of the project is to regularly update the state of the countrys forests through the use of national forest monitoring system. The expected outputs include development of a nationwide forest distribution map by using remote sensing technology, establishment of a methodology to create a national forestry inventory system, construction of a forest GIS database system and development of a national forest monitoring plan. The Department of Forestry and Range Resources is currently implementing the project with assistance from JICA. Experts from a consortium of Oriental Consultants and the Japan Forest Technology Association have been dispatched to Botswana through JICA. The project started in July 2013 and is expected to take four years. Implementation of the digital migration project As of 2013, Botswana announced the adoption of Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial for its digital broadcasting standard. ISDB-T is one of the broadcasting standards originally developed in Japan and modified in Brazil. One of the features of that standard is that it is capable of transmitting broadcasting signals to fixed and mobile receivers from one transmitter. In order to assist Botswanas smooth migration from analogue to digital for terrestrial broadcasting, JICA expects were dispatched to the Mass Media Complex in September 2014 to assist the Department of Broadcasting Services and Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority in terms of technology, legislation, and public relations. Government had committed successive budget provision of P130 million to enable implementation of digital television. Grant assistance for grassroots human security projects Japans Grant for Grassroots Human Security Projects supports projects addressing social problems aiming at community development at grassroots level. This is done through grants of a maximum of 10 million Japanese Yen (P900, 000), given directly from non-profit organisations. So far, Japan has extended the grants to more than 40 organisations in Botswana, especially in areas of education and skills development and empowerment of vulnerable groups such as women, children and the disabled. The past projects involved for example, provision of facilities and equipment to brigades as well as the electrification of primary schools and construction of pre-schools. JICA training Japan, through JICA promotes transfer of knowledge and technology to developing countries through provision of training courses for government employees. Every year, government employees of Botswana are invited to around 35 of these training courses, the areas of which cover private sector development, regional development and environmental management. A pioneering politician in Ngamiland, Gaerolwe Kwerepe has accused the government and Batswana of conveniently forgetting political veterans. Kwerepe was among the leaders that made it into Botswanas first national assembly after elections in 1965. The first Member of Parliament for Ngami, joined politics in 1964 under the Botswana Democratic Party banner and was among the 31 elected and four specially elected (total 35) MPs of the first parliament. Only four of those founding fathers are still alive being the countrys second president Sir Ketumile Masire, Kenneth Nkhwa of North East, Obert Chilume of Nkange and Kwerepe himself. When speaking in an interview with this publication, Kwerepe said when moving around in Ngamiland constituency where his footprints are found, he cannot find anything to reflect his legacy. There is no school or clinic not even a road named after him, something he finds very strange. Kwerepe lost sight some years back but is able to hear clearly. The multilingual veteran is fluent in Setswana, Herero and English among others. He was able to explain to this publication that he is a faithful member of BDP in Herero saying, Mbe koka a mbiri mo Domkrag. He cried that although they built this country from scratch using their own resources - riding on donkey-backs to move from one place to the other because there were no vehicle roads by then - the government is not giving them the respect they deserve. Kwerepe said he was supposed to be a farmer, but is unable to do anything for himself now because age has caught up with him. He has lost sight and is unable to walk-a condition that frustrates him and makes life pretty difficult for him. In neighboring countries like Namibia and South Africa all veterans are given that respect by having statues (busts) erected to honour them or naming schools and hospitals after them to show that they recognise what they have done for their respective countries, he said. Kwerepe said that all the millionaires and educated people in Botswana should give veterans the respect they deserve because they have paved the way for them to be where they are. According to him while a Member of Parliament he once got retired teachers to go back to schools where there was shortage of teachers and paid them from his own salary, as a way of showing patriotism. He said he hired former teacher Nicholas Joseph to teach in Kareng and Kubuetsile to teach in Semboyo and they were given P300 monthly and a sack of maize. Our president recognises former soldiers because he used to be a soldier while he has forgotten about us. They are given money although its not enough they are not like us, said Kwerepe. The former MP appealed to government to recognise their efforts of building this united and peaceful nation by giving political veterans tokens like food hampers so they too can survive. Kwerepe condemned politicians who fight and insult others during campaigns saying during their time there were no such things. They belonged to different parties but they knew that their goal was to build Botswana. He said that although they were not united and belonged to different territories at the time, yet they politicians did not use rallies to discuss other peoples lifestyles, which is a common phenomenon these days. Kwerepe however hailed the nation of Botswana saying they are united and enjoy peace. He said Batswana tribes receive the roving torch in all places without any hint of tribalism. He also hailed government for treating all Batswana equally. Finance and Development Planning minister Kenneth Matambo has pleaded with ministries to limit making requests for additional funding through supplementary budgets during the course of the year. He observed that such conduct could gradually worsen the financial situation. The fiscal outlook is a cause for concern, given the modest growth prospects for the domestic economy, I therefore call upon ministries to exercise restraint in requesting for additional funding, said Matambo when delivering the 2016/17 Budget Speech on Monday. As an alternative, the minister encouraged Batswana to broaden their minds in becoming more accountable to the development of the country. He said the growth of the country is a matter of social responsibility and not of government alone. It is the responsibility of both the public service and the private sector to deliver on programmes and policies aimed at inclusive growth, advised the minister. The latest estimates from Statistics Botswana indicate that, the domestic economy declined by 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2015 compared to a growth rate of 3.2 percent recorded in 2014. Matambo indicated that the mining sector which weakened by 14.0 percent in 2015 as a result of reduced production of diamonds was a sole contributor to the deficit of the local economy. He also said that the water and electricity sector registered a fall of 104 percent that could be pinned to the power crisis the country has been facing. Non mining sectors are also expected to have taken a fall during the year following the power and water predicament. Growth in other non mining sectors is also estimated to slow down during the year, he said alluding that this would be a reflection of the effect of water and electricity shortages on domestic economic activities. However the recovery of the domestic economy is expected in 2016 and 2017 with growth rates projected to be 4.2 percent and 4.3 percent underpinned by the recovery of both the mining and non-mining sectors. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The getaway driver for two shopliftings from city stores has received probation. She wasnt the one who entered the stores to try to swipe items, but she was responsible nonetheless. Even if youre just driving the getaway vehicle, that makes you a party to the theft, Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta informed the offender. Trina Marie Archie, 35, received 15 months of probation and 40 hours of community service on Monday after pleading guilty to two counts of theft. The so-called booster the woman who made the actual thefts, Jennifer Mini recently pleaded guilty to these and two other thefts. She received six months house arrest and one year of probation. On Jan. 20, 2015, Mini tried, but failed, to steal $416 worth of groceries from the west end Sobeys when she was caught by security. Mini backed away from the goods and told security that she didnt want to be charged. Archie whisked Mini away in a van, but store security managed to get its licence plate number and gave it to police. Within minutes, police got a call from security at Walmart. They reported that a thief, later identified as Mini, had escaped with $250 in goods. Again, Archie was the getaway driver. During Minis sentencing, court was told that she had a prescription drug addiction. She would swap stolen items for drugs, or sell them to buy medications. Judging by the court docket, shoplifting is rampant in Brandon lately, with Real Canadian Superstore and Walmart being the primary targets. ihitchen@brandonsun.com Twitter: @IanHitchen Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO Ottawa needs to boost incentives and do a better job of touting the benefits of doing business in Canada if it expects to attract more global investment to the auto sector, a special adviser to the federal and Ontario governments said Wednesday. If we cant market ourselves properly, nobody is going to come, Ray Tanguay told reporters in Toronto just ahead of the Canadian International AutoShow. The federal automotive innovation fund, a pool of money used to attract more investment, should be changed so that it provides grants instead of loans, Tanguay said. The automotive adviser also said he is hopeful that the upcoming federal budget will include funding for an investment office for auto companies looking to spend money in Canada. The investment office proposed by Tanguay would serve as a one-stop concierge service to take care of investor needs. I know from my own experience, when I did site selections, that was very important, said Tanguay, former head of Toyotas Canadian operations. When you look at where to invest, you want to make sure that somebodys going to take care of you. You want to make sure they dont pass you from one group to another group. A spokeswoman for Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada said it was too early to comment on potential changes to the automotive innovation fund, but noted the ministry has been meeting with industry stakeholders over the past few months. Weve heard both about Canadas competitive strengths and areas where Canada can enhance its competitiveness, Stefanie Power said in an email. The AIG has been an important part of that dialogue. Ultimately, our objective is to ensure we establish a set of policy tools that positions Canada to best compete for strategic investments and we will look carefully at all suggestions that help us achieve that. Tanguay was tapped last June by the Ontario and federal governments to serve as a special adviser tasked with figuring out how to attract more investment to Ontarios beleaguered automotive industry. The auto sector has been steadily losing production to Mexico and the southern United States, where labour is cheaper. However, Tanguay noted that Canada has a number of advantages over its southern competitors. The value proposition that we have is more than just lower labour costs, Tanguay said. We have other things to offer. For example, the corporate tax rate for federally incorporated companies is lower in Canada than it is in the U.S., Tanguay said. Canada also has a highly educated workforce, and the recent slide in the value of the loonie has made labour costs fairly competitive. In addition, the public health-care system means that health benefits for workers are cheaper in Canada than they are south of the border, Tanguay said. Tanguay also highlighted technological innovation, noting that the Ontario government has agreed to road tests of self-driving cars. The Canadian auto sector must continue to invest in technology in order to boost its competitiveness, for example by upgrading manufacturing facilities to automate certain processes. If we have a high labour cost, then we need to look at other ways that we can be competitive, he said. People say that in Mexico you can have labour for between $5 and $8 an hour. I say, a robot is only $2 an hour. Follow @alexposadzki on Twitter. Already have an account? Log in here TORONTO - The Ontario Securities Commission has approved a no-contest settlement agreement with CI Investments Inc. that will see $156.1 million returned to investors. We need your support! Local journalism needs your support! As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. MONTREAL Canadian Pacific Railway CEO Hunter Harrison says hes prepared to walk away from a takeover bid for Norfolk Southern if the U.S. railways shareholders dont vote to urge its board to enter into negotiations. Were making preparations that, if were not successful in entering a dialogue, that were going to go back and focus on running a hell of a CP railroad and making it even more successful and having a good year and rewarding shareholders, Harrison said Wednesday during an investor conference webcast from Florida. Its not the first time Harrison has suggested ending the three-month merger pursuit. A couple of weeks ago he mused about abandoning the bid and instead focusing on repurchasing CP shares, which have fallen 35 per cent in the last year. The veteran railway executive said hes not sure if the odds are high that shareholders would agree to its request to vote yes at the next annual meeting, but he said CP Rails (TSX:CP) options are narrowing. The list is becoming shorter and shorter to try to see this thing through and make it successful. Harrison said some people misinterpreted prior comments about taking the proposal directly to shareholders as a proxy battle. He said such moves are costly and dont create the right environment. He described CPs current call for a non-binding vote as reasonable because it merely urges the board to enter into talks rather than weigh in on the existing proposal. Norfolk Southern has steadfastly refused to enter into negotiations on CPs US$30-billion offer. It responded Tuesday evening to the shareholder vote idea by saying it had already met with CP and that further discussions were not in the best interests of its shareholders unless its suitor offers compelling value and addresses the regulatory issues inherent in its proposal. Harrison said he was disappointed by the response, saying there had been only one two-hour meeting between himself and Norfolks chairman. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Amid hopes that Canadian manufacturing will drive economic growth in a country reeling from low oil prices, internal federal documents warn the sectors rebirth is staring at significant structural obstacles. In a recent memo addressed to Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains, advisers point to industry hurdles that include low productivity, poor innovation, a failure to scale up and weak participation in global value chains. The fate of Canadian manufacturing will have consequences that reach beyond the industry, the briefing note says. Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains fields questions in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. Amid hopes that Canadian manufacturing will drive economic growth in a country reeling from low oil prices, internal federal documents warn the sector's rebirth is staring at "significant" structural obstacles. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan The manufacturing sector is a cornerstone of the economy and a catalyst for broader economic activity, it notes, identifying several hot issues for the new minister. It is expected to help spur export-led growth in the second half of 2015 and into 2016; however, it also faces significant structural challenges. Manufacturing accounts for nearly 11 per cent of Canadas growth as measured by gross domestic product and employs 1.7 million people, the memo says. The document, labelled secret, was prepared for Bains as he took over the cabinet post in November. It was obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act. The memo could help guide Bainss decisions and also influence the federal budget, expected late next month. The Liberal government has been exploring ways to respond to the economic shock of sliding commodity prices, which have hit the economy hard particularly in the oil sector. The slump forced the economy to contract over the first half of 2015 in large part because non-energy sectors were very slow in picking up the slack. Many experts had been expecting the exchange rate, which has dropped along with oil prices, to help revive exports and the manufacturing industry. The authors of the briefing note place some of the blame for the lack of a bounce-back on inadequate reinvestment. Canada, like other developed economies, lost a large number of jobs, companies and investment during the global recession, they note. Moving forward, the document says, the sector must deal with a global manufacturing environment thats rapidly changing due to technological advances poised to disrupt many of the sectors that anchor Canadas economy. This represents both a threat to incumbent business models and an opportunity for those that are able to be on the leading edge of new technology. Small- and medium-sized manufacturers have struggled to reach the scale of their international competitors, preventing them from competing on the global stage, it adds. The news isnt all bad, however. The advisers say Canada packs the potential necessary to keep up with the changing industry, thanks to a solid science base and highly educated workforce. Canadas rich manufacturing heritage and established presence across the country is a strong foundation for future success. Getting there will require new streams of sustained investment will be necessary for innovation, productivity-boosting technology and research and development, the memo notes adding that Canadian firms have been chronically under-investing in those areas. Canadian firms have had to adjust to the big shift toward value-added manufacturing and their shrinking share of the ever-important United States market, said Craig Alexander of the C.D. Howe Institute think tank. Alexander said that while the lower loonie helps increase the competitive edge for Canadian companies, the falling exchange rate also discourages investment because it hikes the cost of imported equipment. The shadow of uncertainty over the economic outlook acts as another deterrent to investment, added Alexander, C.D. Howes vice-president of economic analysis. This is actually one of the things Im deeply worried about, because Canadas competitiveness is extremely weak, particularly when you look at Canadas productivity performance. Asked about the challenges faced by the manufacturing sector, Alexander exclaimed, Oh heavens, where to start? Follow @AndyBlatchford on Twitter Already have an account? Log in here Some of the most active companies traded Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: We need your support! Local journalism needs your support! As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/02/2016 (2445 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. WINNIPEG The principal of a new, private Jesuit school set to open in September in Winnipegs north end says he disagrees with a pair of indigenous activists who say it is too reminiscent of a residential school. Tom Lussier of Gonzaga Middle School says the Catholic school is setting out to be intentionally respectful of other spiritual traditions. He also says school officials have consulted with Justice Murray Sinclair to ensure the school addresses the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and respects the sorrowful legacy of residential schools. Activists Larry Morrissette and James Favel have asked the Winnipeg School Division for support in their fight against the school, and have written a letter to Pope Francis asking him to intervene. They say having a private Catholic school in a largely indigenous neighbourhood is a bad idea and goes against recommendations from the TRC. Gonzaga Middle School aims to support academically gifted students with longer hours and smaller class sizes, and plans to remove barriers for low-income and academically gifted students between Grades 6 and 8 by offering free education. We understand the reticence of some members of the community with respect to the fact that Gonzaga is going to be an inclusive Catholic school, but were not aiming to convert students, says Lussier. We want to help our students learn to respect their own faith and the faiths of others. Morrissette and Favel say that they have been unable to secure a meeting with the founders or board members of Gonzaga, but Lussier says he has never been contacted. Apparently they tried reaching us through some back channels. I dont know that theres anything that can be said that will convince them otherwise. They seem to be pretty firm in their views and not necessarily willing to listen in a way that would allow them to hear that were going to be quite different from what they might be thinking. Other indigenous leaders have come out in support of the school. Manitoba Treaty Commissioner James Wilson says Gonzaga will give indigenous students opportunities to succeed academically. Niigaan Sinclair, an indigenous studies professor at the University of Manitoba, is on the schools board of directors while Point Douglas MLA Kevin Chief was on its advisory committee. (CTV Winnipeg) Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/02/2016 (2445 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Brandon University professor is thrilled to be giving a talk this month at the world-renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller, Alta. It is a real honour to be a part of the Royal Tyrrell Museums 2016 Speaker Series, along with so many impressive paleontologists from across the continent and around the world, said BU biology Prof. David Greenwood. This is an opportunity to share some of the exciting and important research being done at Brandon University with a worldwide audience who are interested in current research and hot topics in paleontology. Submitted David Greenwood poses at the Princeton Chert fossil locality near Princeton, B.C., last summer. Greenwood will be part of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontologys 2016 Speaker Series. Greenwood is well known for his ongoing research on the fossil plants of the Eocene Epoch, a time about 50 million years ago when the world was so warm, great forests and diverse animals, including alligators, lived in the Canadian Arctic. His research has wide applications for scientists and Canadians who are working to understand how modern-day climate change will affect plant and animal life. Every summer during his time at BU, Greenwood and his students have been visiting fossil sites in British Columbia looking for plant, insect and mammal fossils yielding several impressive discoveries. This past summer, the expedition yielded boxes of plant fossils along with some superb insect fossils, including a large saw fly. Previous expeditions have been funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, as well as the BU Research Committee. Greenwood currently holds an expedition grant for field work in B.C. from the U.S.-based National Geographic Society Committee for Research and Exploration. An overview of his ongoing research, including the most recent expedition, will be discussed during Greenwoods talk in Drumheller on Feb. 18. The Royal Tyrrell Museum will post a video of the talk to YouTube. Westman residents will have an opportunity to hear Greenwood a little closer to home this month. Hell be discussing his research on Feb. 26 in an afternoon talk that is part of the BU Science Seminar Series. The public is welcome to attend the talk, scheduled for 3-4 p.m. in Room 4-47 of the Brodie Building on the BU campus. Submitted Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. VICTORIA A day after British Columbia suggested Alberta hasnt done a good job of managing its oil revenue, a B.C. cabinet minister blamed it for adding to his provinces homeless population. Housing Minister Rich Coleman said Wednesday he agrees with statements in his governments throne speech that Alberta failed to diversify its economy and lost control of spending. I dont think its a shot at anybody, said Coleman, who is also B.C.s deputy premier and natural gas development minister. Its a reality. Tuesdays throne speech called B.C.s top-performing economy an island of prosperity, but asked British Columbians to consider Alberta where they expected their resource boom never to end, failed to diversify their economy and lost control of government spending. Coleman said hes discovering first hand the results of Albertas economic malaise in the form of increased numbers of homeless people coming to B.C. Certainly, Ive had this winter more of a pressure on the upside on the homeless file, particularly shelters, than in the last seven years, he said. We track it and a lot of it is in-migration of people coming from other jurisdictions, particularly Alberta where their economy is down, unemployment is way up. Albertas economic development minister said he interprets the throne-speech comments as an attack on that provinces previous Conservative governments, not the current New Democrats. They failed to diversify the economy, that is a fact, said Deron Bilous. And because of it Alberta is paying the price for it. We have rolled out a number of initiatives and we will continue to roll out initiatives in order to diversify the economy. B.C. Energy Minister Bill Bennett said there wasnt any intention to snub the neighbouring province and that hes been negotiating with his counterparts to connect the provinces hydro power to Alberta. I dont think thats disrespectful, said Bennett, whose Kootenay East riding is on the provincial boundary. There is this healthy competition and for a long, long time there was some of that (Alberta) stuff coming across the Rockies our way, and, you know, I guess theres a little bit going back the other way, and I think its harmless. Bennett said he recalled when former Alberta premier Ralph Klein bought one-way bus tickets to Vancouver for homeless and unemployed people to take advantage of B.C.s welfare payments. Its healthy competition between two different jurisdictions and healthy competition probably between two different political ideologies, said Bennett. Political squabbles between the two provinces arent new. Premier Christy Clark and former Alberta premier Alison Redford feuded over B.C.s conditions on the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline. . . Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA A $31.5-million funding announcement Wednesday is a taste of what municipalities could do with billions in promised green infrastructure money from the federal government, municipal leaders say. The money from the Green Municipal Fund will be used to pay for capital projects and also to support planning, field tests and studies related to future green projects. Cities believe the $20 billion in new green infrastructure money that the federal Liberals have promised is coming over the next 10 years will be more effective than the Green Municipal Fund in the current economic climate. The fund annually doles out about $50 million in loans and grants, drawing on a pool of funds set up with a $500 million federal investment 15 years ago. The low-interest rates on loans through the program were designed to encourage cities to think green for projects that included wastewater treatment plants, turning solid waste facilities into energy producers and helping clean up and develop polluted lands. But rock-bottom interest rates have made the funds work more difficult. Municipalities can turn to banks for competitive interest rates without having the money tied to requirements for innovative, green component. Ben Henderson, chairman of the green fund, said cities are the canaries in the mine shaft on climate change, facing issues like forest fires and flooding that have forced them to spend money to mitigate the effects of global warming. Federal funding would help cover those costs and future costs to adapt to climate change. Having that kind of federal government commitment to help us make it happen is the really pivotal piece of this, said Henderson, an Edmonton city councillor. Our hope and our belief is that it doesnt stop here. Theres a lot more capacity that we have. On Wednesday, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna highlighted $31.5 million in grants and loans to 20 cities and towns across the country that would pay for projects to improve local standards for air, water and soil quality. Among the projects McKenna cited for funding were a net-zero-emissions library being built in Varennes, Que., and a Halifax project to install solar hot-water systems in local homes. In a speech to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, McKenna said cities have direct control over 40 per cent of the countrys greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce those emissions, she said local governments need specific, achievable and measurable strategies. Speaking to reporters after her speech, McKenna said reducing emissions will be part of the governments green infrastructure program. Some projects are going to help make cities more sustainable, so they may not have as great an impact on emissions reductions, she said. There are a whole variety of ways that we can reduce emissions through our green infrastructure fund. The upcoming federal budget will outline just how much cities can expect from the governments promised green infrastructure program, which the Liberal election platform promised would be $1.7 billion in the next fiscal year. blog of the State Geologist of Arizona Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO As the sexual assault trial of Jian Ghomeshi neared its final stages Wednesday, one thing became clear the former broadcaster would not take the stand. The 48-year-old former CBC Radio host, who has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault and choking charges, has maintained his silence ever since being arrested in November 2014. The case will now move to closing submissions on Thursday, where the Crown and the defence will highlight key evidence heard in court and summarize their core arguments for Justice William Horkins, who will decide Ghomeshis fate. Former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi leaves a Toronto courthouse following day six of his trial on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Ghomeshi, as an accused, has no obligation to testify in his own trial. There are many reasons why an accused elects not to call evidence, said John Rosen, a veteran criminal defence lawyer whos been following the trial. One of them is that the complainants have been destroyed in cross-examination. Another factor, Rosen noted, is that if Ghomeshi had chosen to testify, he would have also given the Crown an opportunity to cross-examine him. The judge would then have to weigh his testimony to see if it was credible, reliable and carried any new evidence, Rosen explained. The risk to the defence in not calling its own witnesses, however, is that the judge has no counter-story to what has been heard in court, he said. Ghomeshi acknowledged in October 2014 that he engaged in rough sex acts, but said it was consensual. His trial heard from three women who were behind the allegations at the centre of the case. The first complainant, whose name is protected by a publication ban, testified that Ghomeshi suddenly yanked on her hair when they were kissing in his car in December 2002 and then, a few days later, abruptly pulled her hair while they were kissing in his home and then punched her in the head. The second complainant, Trailer Park Boys actress Lucy DeCoutere, told court that she was with Ghomeshi in his bedroom in 2003 when he suddenly pushed her against a wall, started choking her and slapping her face while they were kissing. The third woman, who also cannot be named, testified that while kissing Ghomeshi in a park in 2003, he suddenly bit her shoulder and started squeezing her neck with her hands. Ghomeshis defence lawyer Marie Henein, known for her take-no-prisoners style, dissected the womens testimony, casting doubts about their credibility and questioning their actions after the alleged sexual assaults, at times accusing them of lying. In the case of the first complainant, Henein confronted the woman with friendly emails and a bikini photo she sent to Ghomeshi after the alleged assaults. The woman said she sent the emails as bait, hoping Ghomeshi would contact her so she could demand an explanation for the alleged assaults. The woman said she didnt remember the emails when she spoke with police. During the dramatic cross-examination of Decoutere, Henein suggested the incident never happened, showing court an email the woman sent Ghomeshi hours after the alleged assault in which she expressed a desire to have sex with him. She also produced a hand-written letter the actress sent him days later that ended with the words: I love your hands. Under a barrage of questions from Henein, the third complainant acknowledged she deliberately misled investigators by not initially telling them she had a sexual encounter with Ghomeshi a few days after the alleged assault. Henein also revealed that the woman and DeCoutere exchanged thousands of messages in which they discussed their allegations and their shared contempt for him. While the three complainants testimony made up the bulk of evidence at the trial, the Crown introduced evidence from a fourth and final witness to the trial on Wednesday a police statement made by DeCouteres friend and Trailer Park Boys co-star Sarah Dunsworth in November 2014. The Crown said Dunsworths statement would corroborate DeCouteres allegations against Ghomeshi and put to rest claims by the defence that DeCouteres actions were motivated by a desire for fame and notoriety. Dunsworth told a Halifax police officer she had known DeCoutere since 2000 and had formed a really close friendship that went beyond working together. She described an incident in which she had gone to his house and that he had ended up putting his hands on her neck and choking her, Dunsworth told police, according to the statement. We talked about the fact that they handt discussed it before-hand or that it wasnt part of any kind of like sex play. Court also heard on Wednesday that DeCoutere had told Dunsworth over Facebook that police wanted to speak with her in an effort to corroborate her story. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. WINNIPEG A former adviser to Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger is being investigated by her employer and the Opposition Tories are demanding details. Heather Grant-Jury, a longtime labour activist who worked for five months as a top adviser in the premiers office, has been dropped from the board of a Crown agency, a provincial NDP election committee and her decade-long job at a training centre run by the United Food and Commercial Workers union. No one has released details of what sparked the actions. A government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Canadian Press on Wednesday that concerns came to light late last year that money may have been misused at the training centre, where Grant-Jury was the director. Heather Grant-Jury is no longer employed by the UFCW Local 832 training centre. We are conducting an internal investigation and have no other details to provide at this time, union spokesman Blake Crothers wrote in an email. The Winnipeg Police Service said it has received a report from the union, but would not comment further. The premiers office indicated the matter only came to light recently and has nothing to do with Grant-Jurys time as Selingers principal secretary from November 2014 to April 2015. The chief of staff was contacted by phone by the president of UFCW about a potential internal human resources matter on December 30, 2015, Selingers communications director, Naline Rampersad, wrote in an email. When it was confirmed the following day that the UFCW believed there to be a serious matter that would require further steps to be taken, the chief of staff informed the premier and, at his direction, requested Ms. Grant-Jurys immediate resignation from the (Manitoba Public Insurance) board. Attempts to reach Grant-Jury via telephone and social media were unsuccessful. She has not been charged with any offence and faces no civil legal action. The Opposition Progressive Conservatives are calling on Selinger to provide information on how long he has known of the concerns. Tory house leader Kelvin Goertzen also said Selinger must ensure that taxpayer money was not put at risk. Budget documents show the training centre has received more than $500,000 in recent years for worker education and career coaching. We need to know what steps Mr. Selinger has taken to ensure that taxpayers dollars were not misused, Goertzen said. The union said all government funding has been accounted for, and the training centre was recently audited by the federal government for money it had received from Ottawa. All the funds that were given to us by government agencies were properly used and accounted for, Crothers said. Selinger said Wednesday government officials had already checked. The (union) has assured us there were no government resources involved in their investigation, and our officials in government have confirmed that. Manitoba faces a provincial election April 19 at a time when Selinger is still recovering from a leadership crisis. Five of his most senior cabinet ministers publicly questioned his ability in November 2014 and he won a March leadership ballot by 33 votes. Selinger parted ways with most of his advisers during that time and Grant-Jury was among the replacements brought in temporarily. She returned to her union job last April, but was appointed by Selingers cabinet to the Manitoba Public Insurance board of directors in November a part-time job that was to pay $7,500 a year. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA The federal and Ontario environment ministers say a highly anticipated meeting next month between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the premiers isnt likely to conclude in a new climate plan for the country. Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said Wednesday that a pan-Canadian climate strategy is going to take time and next months meeting is designed to lay the foundation for that plan. Glen Murray, Ontarios minister for environment and climate change, told The Canadian Press in a recent interview that the work is going to take many months; thats not going to happen in a week or two. Glen Murray talks to media at Queens Park in Toronto on Thursday, December 12 2013. Murray says no one expects that a highly anticipated meeting next month between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the premiers will conclude a new climate plan for the country.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Trudeaus promise to convene a first ministers meeting to work out a climate plan within 90 days of Decembers Paris climate conference set high expectations. Central to this would be the creation of national emissions-reduction targets, said the Liberal election platform. But Murray said a meeting two weeks ago of the provincial and territorial environment ministers and McKenna directed officials to spend the next six months establishing a common framework of key elements that all parties agree upon, as well as a list of issues that still need to be resolved. Those unresolved issues, he said, include matters such as trade and capital outflows resulting from climate-change policies and how common carbon pricing can be approached, given the various models already established by provinces including British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba. I dont think the pan-Canadian framework will be ready by March. I dont think anyone imagined that, said Murray. The previous government in 10 years couldnt produce a paragraph, never mind a framework, so theres a lot of work going on. The Prime Ministers Offices has confirmed Trudeau will attend a clean-tech business conference in Vancouver March 2-4, setting the stage for the first ministers to meet in the city that week. McKenna told the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in a speech Wednesday that next months meeting will build the foundation of a pan-Canadian plan. Speaking to reporters afterwards, she said the government wasnt going to throw out an emissions target without a plan to meet it. That will take a bit of time, but we certainly are committed to looking at our target. Its just going to take time because we have to figure out what are the measures we need to get there. The Liberal government attracted a lot of criticism for going to the Paris climate summit with national carbon-reduction targets set by the previous Conservative government. Depending on who you ask, the 2030 target of cutting emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels is either wildly ambitious or woefully inadequate. McKenna has said the Conservative target is a floor. But she has also conceded the country is currently not anywhere close to being on track to meet the existing national emissions target. We currently do have a target, but the plan is to sit down with the provinces and territories and actually discuss how are we going to reduce emissions across a variety of sectors, McKenna said Wednesday. Thats what were going to do and after weve done the hard work then we will be able to say what a new target will look like. Murray says the recent environment ministers meeting in Ottawa agreed that setting a new national target is not currently the priority. The sense among all the ministers is lets actually get everything else sorted out before we start setting targets, he said. Getting this together is going to take a while. Nonetheless, Murray said theres a great deal of optimism among the countrys environment ministers, who have been working together on a national energy and climate strategy in the absence of an active federal government partner for several years. Most of the authority for climate change, actually rests with the provinces anyway, he said, citing things such as building standards and transportation. Now were able to look at other options as a result of the change in the federal government. Murray, a former Winnipeg mayor, says hes been attending municipal and provincial conferences for many years and hes never seen the level of casual, informal and collaborative planning thats going on among the various jurisdictions. I think the next few years are going to see major progress, he said. Were not putting up fights. Were finding solutions to things like pipelines that work for everybody, including Alberta. Follow @BCheadle on Twitter Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/02/2016 (2445 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. REGINA Premier Brad Wall is suggesting that its not likely a northern Saskatchewan high school where two people were shot to death will be torn down. Wall says there are no immediate plans to demolish the school in La Loche and it will be utilized. Although, the premier adds it will be a school division decision. The Northern Lights School Division has said Feb. 22 is the earliest the La Loche high school could reopen. A teacher and an aide were killed and seven others hurt in a shooting at the school last month and two brothers were also killed at a nearby home. La Loche interim mayor Kevin Janvier and others have suggested that it needs to be torn down and rebuilt before the community can move forward. The premier also says he updated Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday on issues in La Loche, such as school safety and counselling, the possibility of teaching trades and community development. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Moving Manitobas indigenous peoples from the liability to asset column was a topic that consumed some of Manitobas most innovative First Nations and mainstream business minds during a two-day design-thinking boot camp recently. It was facilitated by Karl Wixon and Trevor Moeke, two Maori business leaders from New Zealand who, as part of a broad indigenous-led partnership, have helped create and stoke a movement in their homeland that has transformed the role their people play in the islands economy. As directors of a treaty settlement trust, they have been part of a wealth creation plan that saw their initial settlement of $176 million in 1996 grow to an asset value of $1.3 billion today. More broadly speaking, the Maori are now responsible for 40 per cent of the fishing industry; 36 per cent of forestry; 30 per cent of lamb production; 12 per cent of sheep and beef, and 10 per cent in each of the dairy and kiwi fruit sectors. By any measure, its an astounding story of growth and success from an indigenous group that represents just 10 per cent of the New Zealand population. Fundamental to the shift toward wealth creation to support culture, language and environment was a shift from grievance to growth thinking. From dispute and protest that pitted Maori versus government to a mindset that allowed Maori to work with government. In this move from grievance to growth, tradition and a strong connection to the land were not lost, they were enhanced. In fact, Maori leaders are now creating 75- and 100-year business plans for sustainable fishing and forestry sectors. Managing valuable commodities like rock lobster (called crayfish in New Zealand), which are harvested by open water deep divers, then shipped straight to Shanghai that night for consumption, requires a deft hand to protect the resource for future generations. As Wixon says, We still have our dust-ups with government, but thats no longer what we are solely about. Initially, we sent our youth out to become lawyers. A generation of hundreds of lawyers and they got in dust-ups. Some still do that, he said. Now we send our youth out to get commerce degrees and environmental management degrees. We have moved beyond the dust-ups by having our communities invest in their own futures. Some of this shift was predated by settlements attached to Waitangi Tribunal. Once assets change hands, the biff biff approach changes to become about how we transmit wealth inter-generationally, Moeke said. In the midst of this transition, the Maori have discovered that they have a value-added effect on New Zealand business. They could help the country create a differentiating factor that would allow them to increase the value of products. Honey is a perfect example. The Miere honey coalition takes a genuine path to market that is supported by provenance and storytelling, that is traceable and safe, and is able to command a premium. Premium meaning $40 per kilogram (and expected to grow upwards to $100 per kg) as opposed to regular honey selling for $4 per kg. Again, the power of allowing indigenous-led development increased value. We have a lot to learn from the Maori in how to sell our indigeneity as something that can attract investment (both monetary and social) from the rest of the world. Luckily, we can add to this learning as we already have a model that helped shape Manitobas business future internationally, many, many decades ago. It was the Hudsons Bay Co. that first made formal business partnerships with First Nations in Manitoba. They used chiefs to act as their agents, taking advantage of millennial old indigenous trade routes to bring goods to York Factory. First Nations were not pawns of the fur trade, but active agents who largely controlled its markets for a 200-year period. The trade protocols they used (both HBC and First Nations) were based on treaty protocols, which, in many senses, were our earliest economic agreements. Whether we look to our past or our present, one thing seems certain. While conflict may still be necessary, now may be the perfect time for Manitobans to stop investing in dust-ups and, instead, invest in relationships that bear the fruit originally intended in our earliest treaties together. James Wilson is an adviser with EvidenceNetwork.ca and commissioner of the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, a neutral body mandated to encourage discussion, facilitate public understanding and enhance mutual respect between all peoples in Manitoba. Twitter: @jamesbwilson_ Troy Media Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/02/2016 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Lots of school programs and positions to cut In regards to an article in the Feb. 8 paper, Trustees Weigh Several Budget Requests. When the trustees are seeing if there are positions or programs that can be cut, they should look at the approximately 95 people who work in the school division offices. If you include maintenance and transportation, which are essential, it would appear it is approximately 155 people. If they are looking to cut programs or specialists, they could start with PE/health education specialists or staff development specialists or drug and alcohol education coalitions co-ordinator, or the numeracy specialist, or the research assessment and evaluation specialist or the help program or the LIT support or empowered reading. Teachers do most of this work anyway and it is just a way of creating extra positions just like the health-care system and the government. How about volunteer school bus monitors? Regarding the article in the Feb. 8 paper, Trustees Weigh Several Budget Requests. According to Sharilyn Bambridge, we need monitors on school buses. We suggest she form a volunteer base to monitor buses. As taxpayers, we have had enough of funding these requests. As seniors, we are taxed to the max and cannot afford more. We received 57 cents more on our OAS boy, that is a big, big deal! Offset BSD requests by making cuts elsewhere The Brandon School Division budget information should be carefully noted by the local property taxpayers. A 3.6 to 6.8 per cent property tax increase is totally unreasonable. If any new budget requests are to be approved, they should be done with offsetting cost increases in existing budget areas. Further, the trustees need to realize that not many workers got a three per cent increase in salary and benefits for four years, as did school division employees and provincial government employees. And further, the seniors got a 57 cents per month increase in their Old Age Security and at the same time any pension investments they may have, have reduced significantly in value. It is time for the public to become aware of this. If we are to have an increase, it should be in the range of what the City of Brandon dealt with in its budget increase as the school division also had a two per cent property assessment increase as did the city. Anti-bullying conference only in Dublin? Why is the Brandon School Division sending two people to Dublin, Ireland, to study bullying? How much is this costing the taxpayer? I think that money should be spent student programs, not travelling to Ireland. There must be programs closer to home that school officials could go to. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. The enemy violated the ceasefire regime in the contact line of Karabakh-Azerbaijani antagonistic troops during February 9 and the night of February 10. The Press Service of the NKR Defense Ministry informed "Armenpress" that during the mentioned period Azerbaijani armed forces fired around 700 shots towards Armenian positions from weapons of different calibers. The frontier troops of the Defense Army are in control of the operational - tactical situation and confidently carry out their combat duty. A former Anglo worker has said there was no commercial benefit to a number of so-called back-to-back transactions with Irish Life & Permanent in 2008. He was giving evidence in the trial of four former bankers accused of conspiring to defraud investors, depositors and lenders. Failure to reform Northern Irelands strict abortion laws would be a betrayal of women, according to Amnesty International. Proposals to allow terminations in certain limited circumstances are among a number of amendments to the Justice Bill being debated at the devolved Stormont Assembly. Patrick Corrigan, Amnestys regional programme director, said: Northern Irelands abortion law dates from Victorian times, is among the most restrictive in the world and is in urgent need of reform. "A vote to stymie change today is a further betrayal of women and girls who will continue to be forced to travel outside Northern Ireland to seek the healthcare they are denied at home. Unlike other parts of the UK, the 1967 Abortion Act does not extend to Northern Ireland where abortions are banned except where the life or mental health of the mother is in danger. Anyone who performs an illegal termination could be jailed for life. Proposals to allow abortions in cases where the foetus has no chance of survival outside the womb or where a sexual crime has been committed have been tabled by the Alliance Party MLAs Stewart Dickson and Trevor Lunn. However they look set to fail after the DUP and SDLP signalled their opposition. Instead, the DUP wants Health Minister Simon Hamilton to establish a working group to examine the issue and report back in six months time. A party spokesman said: We believe that this issue should best be dealt with in a measured way rather than in haste and without the benefit of appropriate scrutiny. Rushed law can often turn out to be bad law. The SDLP said its members would be voting against the flawed amendments. Last year the contentious issue of abortion ended up in the courts when the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission won its judicial review of termination of pregnancy laws. In a landmark ruling, Mr Justice Mark Horner found the failure to provide legal exceptions breached a womans right to privacy. In cases of fatal foetal abnormality, he concluded the mothers inability to access an abortion was a gross interference with her personal autonomy while a disproportionate burden was placed on victims when a sexual crime occurred. The judges declaration of incompatibility did not immediately lift the ban but placed an onus on the Stormont Assembly to legislate. Les Allamby, chief commissioner with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, urged political action. He said: We would welcome the outstanding issues being resolved politically. However, if the Northern Ireland Assembly fails to act today in accordance with the court judgment, then our elected representatives will have missed an opportunity to address ongoing human rights violations. They will have neglected the fundamental rights of vulnerable women and girls facing the most difficult circumstances, when they could have resolved the situation. Human rights are often relied on in political debates. Today will be measure of how committed our politicians are to protecting human rights in practice. Meanwhile, Stormonts chief legal adviser Attorney General John Larkin QC has raised concerns that changes to the law could breach obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). In a letter to the Traditional Unionist Voice MLA Jim Allister, the attorney general said: Providing for a criminal law exception for fatal foetal abnormality, as proposed by this amendment, provides unborn children diagnosed with such a disability with much less protection under the law of Northern Ireland than those without such a disability. He also highlighted cases in Spain and Austria where the UNCRPD committee has recommended that states should not abolish any distinctions related to abortion in foetuses with disabilities. He added: In my view those unborn children who are doomed to die or are otherwise regarded by the proposers of this amendment as unworthy of life because of the nature of their disability are equally protected by the UNCRPD provisions as those who are not so clinically assessed. Conscience provisions for medics who have religious or ethical objections to participating in abortions were also inadequate, according to Mr Larkin. Pro-life groups have also held vigils at Stormont to highlight their opposition to any potential law change. One of the largest, Precious Life, has said it will expose any MLA who votes in favour of the amendments. Director Bernadette Smyth said: The people of Northern Ireland have made their voices heard that abortion will never be in their name, and we are very hopeful that the political parties who had won the votes of the people in the last Northern Ireland Assembly election and were elected because of their strongly pro-life party policies will vote against these evil amendments. The special plenary session convened to discuss the large number of Justice Bill amendments was expected to sit late into the night. By Juno McEnroe Political Correspondent Update: 3.20pm: Speaking on the campaign trail in Sligo, Enda Kenny blamed Fianna Fail for taking resources from Gardai. The Taoiseach said: "The Fianna Fail Party in particular should admit that it was a grossly irresponsible mistake to close down Templemore as a unit that trains the Gardai. "I'd remind them that their pre-submission budget in October said we should have 500 Gardai coming out of Templemore. The Government are putting a 600 maximum capacity, and we'll continue that." Earlier: A new organised crime unit to tackle gangs and drug dealing and criminal profiteering has been proposed by Fianna Fail as they accused the Government of acting "softly" on fighting crime. The party launched its proposals to fight crime in Dublin today as the fall out continues over recent gang attacks and shootings in the capital in recent days. Justice spokesman Niall Collins accused the Fine Gael-led government of acting softly in fighting crime and said yesterdays announcement of a new armed unit for Dublin was just a "repackaging" of previous announcements. Fianna Fail also said that it would provide resources to boost the numbers of gardai in the force to 15,000 and double the numbers in the garda reserve to 2,500. Mr Collins said a new organised crime unit would take on not just drug dealers, but criminal profiteering and would have specialist gardai to tackle gangs and crime in general. The partys proposal comes after Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald this week announced a new armed unit for the capital, funded with 5m, in the wake of fatal shootings in recent days. Mr Collins also accused the Government of dragging their feet in recruiting new members to the force. While conceding that the Templemore garda training college had been closed under the last Fianna Fail government, he questioned why the outgoing coalition had only starting recruiting new gardai after four and half years in government. A persuasive Galway teenager has managed to get his parents' permission to quit school by using a powerpoint presentation to plead his case. Conor O'Flaherty from Kinvara had to go through six drafts before his folks gave him the go ahead to leave school. The Fianna Fail Leader has said the Government is panicking in dealing with the problem of organised crime in Dublin. Micheal Martin was responding to the apparent u-turn by the Garda Commissioner on the issue of resources within the force. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS: Iran marks the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution these days. 37 years ago the shah regime was toppled by the Islamic revolutionary swing led by Imam Khomeini. Thus, 11th of February has become the national day of that country. On this occasion Armenpress has interviewed the Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Seyyed Kazem Sajjadi. Ambassador has spoken on wide range of issues in Armenian-Iranian relations. - Iran celebrates its National day, the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revouktion, on February 11. Mr. Ambassador, what is the real meaning of this day for the Iranian people? - This is one of the most important and symbolic feasts in Iran. This week is called 10 days of Dawn marking the first days when Imam Khomeini entered the country, which eventually led to the victory of the Islamic Revolution. After Imam Khomeinis return to the county many rallies were organized to topple shahs regime and since the day it happened Imam Khomeinis took his place in the hearts of the Iranian people as the great leader of the Iranian Revolution. 10 days of Dawn is widely celebrated; festivities are organized at schools, state organizations. In February 11 the people visit Imam Khomeinis tomb, pay their respects, lay flowers. Later they organize a rally to show the unity of Iranians and their loyalty to the Islamic Revolution. - What events are planned in Armenia on this occasion? - February 11 is the National day of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Events are organized not only in Armenia, but in all countries where the Islamic Republic has an Embassy. State, government officials of the host country and other guests of are invited to an official diplomatic reception. The representatives of various organizations that have ties to our country and local Iranians are also invited. - Lets talk about Armenian-Iranian relations. Mr. Ambassador, the high level neighborly relations is constantly stressed. Your country appreciates the cultural legacy of the Armenian community in Iran. What is the perspective for using the full potential of those relations? - We have respect towards all the religions in Iran. Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians are respected by the people of Iran and even have their MPs in the parliament. They are our compatriots. We create good conditions for them and respect their religion and traditions. We respect their historical and cultural values, their holy shrines, churches. The government of Iran takes steps to preserve them. The peaceful coexistence of different nations and the Muslim community is ensured. On the issue of using the potential, I should say that in last 4 months that Im in Armenia, a new window of opportunity has been opened between our two countries. You have read about and seen it. I think that our countries want to further develop their relations. - What are the main directions for developing bilateral relations? - Political relations are on a high level and we have no obstacle to further developing them. On economic relations: the improvement is notable, including the exchange of gas and electricity. The issue of building Iran-Armenia railway and a North-South highway through Armenia are on the agenda. - There has been much talk on the railway issue, but it seems that there is no progress. What is the probability of bringing that project to life? - Armenian minister of transport and communication has visited Iran. During the visit an agreement was reached to send a group of experts to Armenia for the research and preparation of the technical and economic basis of the project. This will take place in near future. - Many experts think that Armenia may become a link between Iran and the West from one side and Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union on the other side. How does Iran see these chances? - There is much talk about this issue. On the topic of entering the EEC market through Armenia: Iran studies the compatibility of entering the market through this way with its own interests. Two large economic delegations visited Armenia a few days ago. They were here to get acquainted with the situation on the ground and to review the opportunities for Iran to enter the EEC market through Armenia. I think that Armenia should take the first steps on this issue by engaging Iranian businessmen in order to create such opportunities. I should stress that the Iranian side is willing to work with Armenia in launching factories and market malls. It is willing, but Armenia should be presented to the Iranian side in the best way possible in order to encourage investments. On the other side Armenian businessmen should pay attention to the fact that the sanctions on Iran have been lifted and positive opportunities have been created. Businessmen from different countries visit Iran to establish economic ties and negotiate. We should work to improve Iranian-Armenian economic relations in this manner. Iran is willing to cooperate with Armenia in order to improve the supply line as well. I forgot to mention that during Irans first vice president Eshaq Jahangiris visit to Armenia, a business forum was organized here. Iranian and Armenian businessmen participated in the forum and a similar event was later organized in Iran. Seyyed Kazem Sajjadi was interviewed by Ani Nazaryan Photo: Gevorg Perkuperkyan A new campaign group has been set up to encourage the next Government to focus on issues affecting men. Men's Voices is asking candidates to prioritise issues like violence against men and male homelessness. The British Prime Minister has said Julian Assange should leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London and face the arrest warrant against him. Last week a United Nations report concluded the Wikileaks founder is being "arbitrarily detained" there. Julian Assange has accused the British Prime Minister of libel after David Cameron said the WikiLeaks founder was wanted for trial. Mr Cameron told the British House of Commons that Mr Assange should leave the Ecuadorean Embassy in London and face the arrest warrant against him. Mr Assange issued a statement pointing out he had never been charged. He has been living inside the embassy for over three years to avoid extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over a sex allegation, which he denies. He believes that if he goes to Sweden he will be taken to the United States for questioning about the activities of WikiLeaks. Mr Cameron said at Prime Ministers Question Time that Mr Assange was being asked to stand trial in Sweden, adding that he should leave the embassy and bring the sorry saga to an end. Mr Assange said in a statement: I see that the Prime Minister, barricading himself in the legal impunity of Parliament has decided to libel me. Let him step outside and try. Not only am I not wanted for trial, I havent been charged. I have already previously been found to be completely innocent by the Swedish legal system and the woman herself says, in the police file no less, that the police made it up and railroaded her. Even the Swedish prosecution and courts state that the proceedings are a preliminary investigation. Of course it is absurd that someone could be extradited under such circumstances, which is why the UK Parliament banned the practice in 2014. United Nations experts say North Korea is continuing to evade the world bodys sanctions, using airlines, ships and the international financial system to trade in banned items for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Experts monitoring sanctions against the North say Pyongyang also continues to export ballistic missile-related items to the Middle East and trade in arms and related material to Africa. A summary of the expert panels report, obtained by The Associated Press, says one reason North Korea is able to keep evading sanctions is the low level of implementation by the 193 UN member states of the four UN sanctions resolutions adopted since the reclusive communist countrys first nuclear test in 2006. The panel said the reasons for non-implementation were diverse, including lack of political will inadequate national legislation, lack of understanding of the UN Security Council resolutions and low prioritisation. The report and its conclusions raise important questions about the overall efficacy of the sanctions regime, it said. The report was sent to the security council, where the United States and China have been working on the text of a new sanctions resolution since North Koreas latest nuclear test on January 6. The council pledged to adopt significant new measures at an emergency meeting on Sunday after the North launched a long-range rocket that world leaders denounced as another intolerable provocation and called a banned test of dangerous ballistic missile technology. The United States, backed by its Western allies, Japan and South Korea, want tough new sanctions that would hamper North Koreas ability to do business. But diplomats say China, the Norths ally and key protector in the security council, is reluctant to impose economic measures that could cause North Koreas economy to collapse. The experts summary said Pyongyang conceals illicit activities by embedding agents in foreign companies and using diplomatic personnel, long-standing trade partners, and relationships with a small number of trusted foreign nationals. The experts said North Koreas Ocean Maritime Management Company continues to operate through foreign-flagged vessels, name and company re-registrations, and the rental of crews to foreign ships despite being on the UN sanctions blacklist since July 2014. Meanwhile the US Senate is considering hitting North Korea with more stringent sanctions in the wake of Pyongyang's satellite launch. Senators are expected to vote on a Bill targeting North Koreas ability to access the money it needs for developing miniaturised nuclear warheads and the long-range missiles to deliver them. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a similar measure last month and there is strong bi-partisan support in the Senate for the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act. The kind of belligerence weve seen from Pyongyang must not be ignored, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said. Washington, Seoul and others consider the satellite launch a banned test of missile technology. That assessment is based on Pyongyangs open efforts to manufacture nuclear-tipped missiles capable of striking the US mainland and that the technology used to launch a rocket carrying a satellite into space can be applied to fire a long-range missile. In the annual assessment of global threats delivered to Congress on Tuesday, director of national intelligence James Clapper said North Korea had expanded a uranium enrichment facility and restarted a plutonium reactor that could start recovering material for nuclear weapons in weeks or months. Both findings will deepen concern that North Korea is not only making technical advances in its nuclear weapons programme, but is working to expand what is thought to be a small nuclear arsenal. US-based experts have estimated that North Korea may have about 10 bombs, but that could grow to between 20 and 100 by 2020. Mr Clapper said Pyongyang had not flight-tested a long range, nuclear armed missile, but was committed to its development. We have long assessed that Pyongyangs nuclear capabilities are intended for deterrence, international prestige, and coercive diplomacy, he said. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. 3 persons were arrested after the attack on Demirci Turkish-Armenian family in Istanbuls Sisli district, Armenpress reports citing Turkish Hurriyet newspaper. After the crime Turkish police made investigation to identify the attackers. Law Enforcement Officials were able to identify the criminals faces by the records of the areas cameras. It also turned out that the three persons, who carried out the attack, hired a car and travelled from Istanbul to Trabzon. It is here that the police arrested them. The criminals aimed at fleeing from Trabzon to Georgia with the theft. 5 persons who assisted them in several cases were also arrested. Seta Ayda Demirci and Hagop Yakup Demirci were attacked on February 6 in their house on Cumhuriye Street in Sisli. Given the fact that the valuables in the house were stolen, it was thought that this is a robbery. However, Seta Ayda Demirci and Hagop Yakup Demirci were tied with hogtie and this fact suggests that this might be a hate crime. Attacked by 3 people, Hagop Yakup Demirci was suffocated. According to the initial investigation, the entrance door of the building was locked. Police investigators started to examine the footages recorded by the security cameras in the neighborhood. Seta Ayda Demirci was slightly injured in the attack and discharged from the hospital on February 7. PARIS: Euronext wheat futures extended losses on Tuesday to a four-week low as the market saw scope for a wartime ... YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Private Nisantas University dismissed 6 academics who signed a petition calling Government to end up conflicts in the south-east region of the country, Armenpress reports. The University canceled the employment agreement with the academics after Turkish President Erdogan urged all private and state universities to punish those who signed the peace petition. Hey, you so-called intellectuals! You piece of academic garbage! You are not enlightened persons, you are dark. You are nothing like intellectuals. You are ignorant and dark, not even knowing about the east or the southeast. We know these places just like we know our home addresses, Turkish President Erdogan had said last month. It is claimed that Turkish universities have been pressure from the Presidential palace and the YOK, Higher Education Council. The University sent a letter claiming that the academics spoiled the Universitys image by signing the peace petition. A total of 1,128 academics from 89 universities, both home and abroad, issued a declaration last Monday in which they called for the restoration of peace in the country. They urged a halt in the ongoing military operations in the southeastern region of Turkey and a return to the negotiating table to restart shelved talks with the Kurds to find peaceful solutions to the Kurdish issue. MUMBAI: India will tour Bangladesh in December for the first time since 2015 to play two tests and three one-day... YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Turkey and Islamic state (ISIS, a terrorist group banned in Russia) are leading secret negotiations, discuss new options for smuggling. This was stated by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov in the interview to the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, Armenpress reports. We are greatly alarmed by the messages that constantly come publicly and through private channels that the Turks specifically plan or even, perhaps, have already started to explore parts of Syrian territory under the pretext of the establishment of tent cities to accumulate Syrian refugees, not allowing them to cross the Turkish border, where, according to them, camps are already overcrowded, said the Russian Minister. Turkey continue discussions to create a security zone in Syrian territory, free from ISIS, continued the head of the Russian foreign Ministry. Everybody understands that we are talking about the border between the two Kurdish enclaves, the connection forces which Turkey considers to be totally unacceptable though, because it will block Turkeys ability to provide fighters in Syria and to get from them for smuggling. There is information that the leadership of the ISIS is continuing secret contacts with Turkish leaders, noticed Lavrov. They discuss the options in the present circumstances, when the blows of our videoconferencing capabilities of traditional smuggling routes are severely limited. According to the Russian Federation, Turks in NATO already discussed plans on creating free zones from ISIS in Syria. This, of course, will be a violation of all principles of international law, and also substantially and efficiently increase the escalation, said Lavrov. Lavrov believes that the U.S.-led coalition will not allow Turkey to implement plans for full-scale invasion of Syria. I dont think it will happen because of minor provocations, which I have already said (the construction of campsites, preparation of any engineering structures on the distance of 100-200 meters deep into Syrian territory several kilometers on the front) its still not a full-scale invasion, said the head of the Russian foreign Ministry, responding to a question. I dont think that the coalition, headed by the Americans and which includes Turkey, will allow such reckless plans to materialize, he said, TASS reported. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. On February 10, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Galust Sahakyan received Johannes Douma, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Armenia. Welcoming the guest, the Speaker of the National Assembly highlighted the activation of the bilateral political contacts and the rapprochement of the inter-parliamentary cooperation, documenting that current level of the relations is still insufficient. Galust Sahakyan noted that in the relations of the states as open institutes, the parliaments of the countries are of great importance, and they promote the development and the strengthening of the bilateral ties. The Head of the Parliament expressed hope that due to the Ambassadors activities it will be possible to develop the bilateral relations, reaching them to a new level. In this context he highlighted the cooperation at the international platforms, as well as in political, trade-economic and cultural spheres. Thanking Galust Sahakyan for the reception, Ambassador Johannes Douma noted that Armenia is a reliable partner for the European Union and he added he will promote the further development of the Armenia-EU cooperation with his actions. During the talk Galust Sahakyan and Johannes Douma touched upon the Armenia-EU future legal document, and the joint projects to be implemented. Three heritage homes in Brisbane's inner south may yet be saved, after the state government issued an eleventh-hour reprieve to enable their historic value to be assessed. Brisbane City Council's planning committee chairman Cr Amanda Cooper on Thursday welcomed the Queensland Government move to protect the homes and have the Queensland Heritage Council research the homes. Protesters outside the proposed development at Highgate Hill on Monday. Credit:Amy Mitchell-Whittington "We are absolutely delighted that the state government has decided to use their state government powers to protect these sorts of things," Cr Cooper said. Crime scenes have been set up at two properties south of Brisbane as police ramp up the search for a missing duo not seen for more than two weeks. Police divers, the dog squad and the police helicopter were combing a vacant block on Wednesday to find clues to corroborate statements from people they had interviewed. Lelan Harrington, 23, who was reported missing on February 1 along with his friends Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru, spent the night with detectives but police said he was not a suspect in his friends' disappearances. Detective Superintendent Dave Hutchinson said Mr Harrington had been with police "of his own volition for the whole time". ACT Planning Minister Mick Gentleman will lead a delegation of planners, architects, business leaders to the United States and Canada next week to gather ideas for Canberra's urban renewal. Mr Gentleman is visiting Tucson, Seattle and Vancouver, cities which he says all have similarities with Canberra, "be that through their planning hierarchy, the shift away from a car-dependent society, or the increase in the importance of creating a sustainable place for people to live". Planning Minister Mick Gentleman hopes to gather ideas to bring back to Canberra. Credit:Elesa Kurtz With him will be representatives from the Master Builders Association, the Australian Institute of Architects, Cox architecture, the University of Canberra, the Canberra Business Chamber and Community Housing Canberra. Four government officials, including Mr Gentleman, will make the trip, along with about six others. Virgin Australia's decision to limit the number of flights in the domestic market at a time of weak demand and its ability to pick up more business traffic has paid off. The carrier charged an average of 9.1 per cent more for its mainline domestic fares and 12 per cent more for fares at low-cost arm Tigerair Australia in the first half, helping to drive an eight-fold rise in first-half underlying profit to $81.5 million. Virgin chief executive John Borghetti said the airline had nearly met its target of 30 per cent of domestic revenue from the corporate market. Credit:Daniel Munoz Both Virgin and rival Qantas have kept seating capacity at relatively flat levels since May 2014, when the pair ended a financially damaging capacity war that left both airlines in the red. Virgin chief executive John Borghetti said an increased mix of business and government travellers had boosted average fares for Virgin in the first half, while Tigerair had benefited from product improvements at Melbourne Airport and its better on-time performance than rival Jetstar. Australia's salmonella outbreak could expand onto the international stage, with revelations that potentially contaminated leafy greens may have been exported to Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong. At a Senate Estimates hearing, officials from the Department of Agriculture revealed Tripod Farmers, at the centre of the outbreak, had exported 23 consignments of the "same sort of product" to three important trading partners. In response to questions by Senator Rachel Siewert, they said Thai authorities had heightened inspections at the border, but no bans had been put in place. "We have written to those three countries involved, with 23 identified consignments that may contain lettuce from that particular establishment," said Chris Parker, assistant secretary of the department's plant export operations branch. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Political scientist Ara Papian predicts tension in Russian-Turkish relations. He is inclined to think that the conflict has more possibility to escalate than vice versa. According to Ara Papian, the tension is most likely to be manifested in Syrian airspace, by the air force crash. I do not think the sides will reach an agreement particularly on the issue of Syria and Assad as both sides are interested in the war, Head of Modus Vivendi Center, Ara Papian said in the meeting with journalists, Armenpress reports. He did not rule out that Russia will use Russian military base in Armenia. Such a development is not desirable for us, because we will have to get involved in this conflict, Ara Papian mentioned adding that raising the issue on works over exploitation of Iran-Nakhichevan-Armenia- Georgia railway will be considered the only way. Referring to the question whether the fact that Turkey is a member of NATO could keep Russia back from the possible escalation of the conflict; Ara Papian noticed that war against Turkey does not mean a war in the Turkish territory. According to NATO agreement, the direct attack on one of its members is considered an attack on NATO. The political scientist added that NATO is not particularly keen to support Turkey as it has become a country causing problems for NATO. As to the question whether Azerbaijan is interested in aggravation of Russian-Turkish relations, Ara Papian stated that Azerbaijan will have to make a choice between its fraternal Turkey and Russian which means that it is not interested in the tension of relations. Mary Clare Woodforde, Melba Don Aitkin attempts to denigrate the ACT government's actions on renewable generation, and to perpetuate some incorrect myths about wind and solar generation. In 2013, Elliston, MacGill and Diesendorf, of the University of NSW, published a peer-reviewed paper demonstrating that a mixture of wind and solar generation, geographically spread across the eastern states and South Australia, could provide 88per cent of those states' electricity needs. The remaining 12per cent could be met from biofuel and existing hydro generation. A credible amount of storage (200 GWh, or nine hours at average demand levels) was required to ensure demand matched supply on an hour-by-hour basis. The storage, hydro and biofuel components represent the back-up generation Aitkin refers to. In contrast to what Aitkin writes, the paper demonstrates that this back-up need not be fossil-fuelled, and it only needs to provide a small proportion of the generation. The ACT government has and continues to enable the construction of several wind and solar farms, geographically spread across a few Australian states, as well as within the territory. These will generate the equivalent of 90per cent of the ACT's electricity needs by 2020. The government is also funding storage technologies. Don Aitkin may consider the government's actions to be smoke and mirrors, but I would suggest it is effectively doing what the experts say is required to decarbonise our electricity supply. David Osmond, wind engineer, Dickson What's the cost? Mark Diesendorf's claim that fossil fuels are not needed (Letters, February 9) contains vague and contradictory statements. The examples cited as "practical experience" do use electricity from fossil fuel, as he admits in the same letter. A better example would be Hawaii, which cannot import baseload electricity from neighbouring regions, and which aims to use only clean energy by 2045. Sixty per cent of South Australia's electricity comes from non-renewable sources, and this amount is said to be "relatively small". Renewable energy is said to be "affordable", and the amount of storage required "quite small". Why not provide figures? For example, how much would the price of electricity in Australia increase if it was all provided from renewable sources? Mike Dallwitz, Giralang Redirect the subsidy With more and more people unable to afford private health insurance, and out-of-pocket expenses for procedures ever increasing, why doesn't the Commonwealth government transfer its subsidy for private health insurance to hospitals? Apparently, the subsidy will be $7.3billion in 2018-19. Of course, this would lead to increased usage of public hospitals, but increasing funding to hospitals would be a far better use of taxpayers' money than funding private health insurance. I wouldn't be sorry to see the demise of the bloated private health insurance industry. Felicity Chivas, Scullin In the same boat Public Service Minister Michaelia Cash says the government doesn't interfere in decisions of the Remuneration Tribunal because it is an "independent statutory authority" (Bonanza for top public servants", February 8, p1). Not surprising really, because MPs' pay rises are also determined by the Remuneration Tribunal, so we wouldn't want to rock the boat, would we? Thus, while a rise in excess of the total wage of millions of Australians can go unquestioned, the government will fight tooth and nail in the Fair Work Commission (which is just as independent) against even a few dollars for ordinary workers. Eric Hunter, Cook Cut out the politics Now's the time for Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten to stop wedging each other on asylum-seeker policy and stop the consequential deterioration of Australia's human rights record. Why can't both parties agree to work together, like adults, to develop a humane refugee policy that Australian can be proud of. Australian state and territory leaders and churches have begun the grown-up conversation by offering sanctuary to the 267 asylum seekers from Nauru. But this is just a beginning.Profound change is required in both parties to eliminate their willingness to use human degradation and suffering to jockey for political advantage. Dr Anne Cawsey, Hackett Mobile road safety cameras part of larger action plan to save lives In response to Mr Emery (Letters, 5 February), I want to emphasise that the clear goal of the ACT's road safety camera program is to make the strongest possible road safety contribution. In May last year, I released the ACT Road Safety Camera Strategy. The strategy introduced several key policy changes, such as allowing mobile camera use on any ACT road which meets operational and safety criteria, and increasing the number of hours of mobile camera operations, to support an "anywhere, any time" mobile camera capability. Already, the government has evaluated, assessed and implemented more than 50 new mobile camera sites and will assess a further 100 annually. The initial expansion sites have been based on black spot rankings, and police information. Mobile cameras have also expanded into nine school zones with new sites located at schools with a history of complaints and speeding drivers. The location of cameras is not, as suggested by Mr Emery's letter, determined by the NRMA. As part of the 2015-16 budget, the government announced an increase in funding to mobile cameras of $1.328million during the next four years. I agree that there is more that can be done to improve the safety and culture of our roads. I will soon be releasing a road safety action plan which will provide a range of measures aimed at saving lives, reducing injuries, and strongly prioritising a "Vision Zero" approach to transport policy making. Shane Rattenbury MLA, Minister for Road Safety Lack of coverage Poor John Passant (Letters, February 8) complaining about The Canberra Times' lack of coverage of his two of his pet beliefs. Perhaps the numbers he mentioned (200 and 500 people) attending protests featuring refugees, invasion, genocide and racism says it all. The vast majority of people may well be weary of these tiresome protests and opinions as reflected in the numbers attending such events. Rather than continual whingeing, presentation of acceptable solutions of such issues may well be better attended by more people, which may warrant larger coverage in the media. G. W. Potts, Holder Snap protest no-show Keep up the great work, David Pope, with your cartoons. Keep up the great work, Canberra Times, with the non-reporting of some events. Can see why only 200 people (probably less as these types seem to exaggerate numbers) attended a snap protest re refugees when your speakers were Sarah Hanson-Young and Jon Stanhope. By the way, history has shown January 26 as Australia Day but sadly this has recently been stolen to suit a few wanting to call the 26th Invasion Day. Mark Urquhart, Palmerston GST is not a fair tax Despite the reservations of the PM, Scott Morison and others in the Tory party (notably many from the dinosaur faction) continue to insist that tax reform essentially must involve increasing and/or broadening the GST. These dodos just don't get it. They don't understand that the GST, like any broadly based and non-progressive indirect tax is not a fair tax. Sure compensation packages can make it fairer for some but no practical compensation arrangement can make it fair for everyone except the very wealthy. There are avenues to fund real tax reform by rationalising some obvious rorts, such as returning to indexation rather than discounting capital gains tax and reducing the ability of the very wealthy to exploit the favourable treatment of superannuation. There are also avenues which do not require international co-operation in order to reduce the obscene level of tax dodging practiced by many multinational and some resident entities. T. J. Marks, Holt Tax bracket creep Crispin Hull's article on taxation bracket creep (Forum, February 6) set me investigating what would happen if the bracket boundaries were indexed to match wage increases. What I discovered was that if wage increases match the indexing, then all that one would pay extra in tax matches the increase in wages; something that I think most people would accept as reasonable. The only anomaly that occurs is at the very bottom of the scales when the Medicare levy kicks in about $20,800 and cuts out at $26,100. If wage increases are higher than the indexing then slightly more tax is paid; vice versa for increase less than the indexing. Of course politicians know this and it will never happen for the simple reason that they are addicted to tax bracket creep; it is the simplest way to get more tax because most people don't realise it is happening. So, don't hold your breath. Norm Johnston, Monash Queen's power of veto John Rodriguez (letters Feb 8) criticises the style of David Smith's article "The Governor-General is Australia's head of state" (Times2, Feb 14). While I do not wish to comment on Smith's style, I would question his comment. Does not paragraph 59 of the constitution state: "The Queen may disallow any law within one year from the Governor-General's assent"? Given what appears to be a veto power, how can we claim the Governor-General is truly Australia's head of state? C. J. Johnston, Duffy Battle against pests It is a great relief to finally see some land managers in the ACT taking an ecological approach to the interactions of native and naturalised species ("Learning to live with a fox problem in the wetlands," February 8). It is well known to ecologists that killing fast-breeding animals like foxes, cats, rabbits, rats and mice, as is routinely done throughout Australia for alleged ecological reasons, only results in a much larger population of youngsters of those same species replacing them. It seems that land managers are also beginning to understand that introduced animals are only a very marginal threat to native animals, compared with all the other impacts modern humans bring to natural systems. Frankie Seymour, Queanbeyan Rattenbury content to sell off parkland At times the Greens, due to their environmental and social concerns, have provided a welcome political alternative for voters. However, Shane Rattenbury as the most prominent ACT Green, shows little concern for public parks and their social and environmental benefits. Under the guise of getting rid of parking and promoting 'no urban sprawl' Mr Rattenbury seems content for the West Basin parkland, adjacent to Commonwealth Avenue, to be sold to developers for a monstrous, urban sprawl of an unwanted building estate. Upholding environmental protection for urban parklands does not appear in the ACT Greens policies nor does protection of Canberra's iconic lake and its lake shore features. Mr Rattenbury has become a comfortable companion to ACT politicians hell-bent on selling our lake shore and its environmental and social benefits. One has to ask if the proposed West Basin estate is purely to cash up the funding for a light rail and city stadium as the costly lowering of Parks Way for access to the lake, part of the City to the Lake, seems to have faded. The millions set aside for the West Basin waterfront can be saved if the development is stopped now. Once West Basin land is sold, Mr Rattenbury and other politicians can gloat about their victories and sing about 'vibrancy and liveliness' while giving the strata title developers a lake shore bonanza. We, who love Canberra's beautiful lake heart and foreshore parklands, will have to gaze forever at the apartments blighting Commonwealth Avenue, destroying our lake vistas and restricting public use of West Basin's landscape. Juliet Ramsay, Burra TO THE POINT KEEP IT IMPERSONAL I make no comment on David Smith's view "the Governor-General is Australia's head of state", but neither did John Rodriguez. His letter (February 8) was nothing but a string of insults directed at Smith's personality. I am disappointed you saw fit to publish it. Richard Johnson, Ainslie WRONG TARGET Amazing that such a such a frenzied lather of knickers-twisting should be provoked by "golliwogs" dedicated to bringing loving joy and comfort to a sick child, lovingly crafted and freely donated by volunteer auxiliaries, while, contemporaneously, for-profit corporations advertising death-dealing weapons receive official imprimatur. Albert M. White, Queanbeyan CARDIAC CONFUSION I am trying to come to terms with the news George Pell might suffer heart failure were he forced to return to Australia to give evidence at the Royal Commission into Child Abuse and the thought that Philip Ruddock, after all, might have a heart, because he has been appointed as Australia's Special Envoy for Human Rights. Annie Lang, Kambah RENEWABLE ENERGY The report that regions with 100per cent renewable electricity need back-up from fossil fuels is not refuted by the "practical experience" of two German states that operate on net renewable energy, as claimed by Mark Diesendorf (Letters, February 9). The word "net" means they trade electricity with and get their baseload supplies for peak periods from regions that use fossil or nuclear fuels. Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor A BETTER QUESTION Re the refugee issue, which appears to be the cause celebre du jour, perhaps the question we should be asking ourselves is not how did we get here, but is this where we want to be? Anthony John, Ainslie IN THROUGH BACK DOOR So state leaders are urging the federal government to allow the asylum seekers awaiting return to Nauru to remain in Australia. Once this precedent is established, everyone coming for medical help will claim this back-door method to stay here. Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla Outgoing Trade Minister Andrew Robb has indicated he wants to see a woman replace him in his Melbourne seat, all but endorsing Georgina Downer - the daughter of former foreign minister Alexander Downer - for the role. Fairfax Media understands Ms Downer also has the strong backing of a powerful group of senior Liberal frontbenchers, even though the Victorian lives just outside the Goldstein electorate. The support is believed to have put her ahead of her main rival for the role, outspoken Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson. It's understood Mr Wilson also has parliamentary support from some conservatives. The threat of a collapsing dam in Iraq that could send water flooding over millions of people has forced Australia's military to make emergency plans to protect soldiers and diplomats. The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, told a Senate hearing on Wednesday that military planners were deeply worried about the state of the dam and had put "contingency plans" in place if it collapses. Mosul Dam in Iraq's north has been slowly deteriorating since the Islamic State terror group seized the area in 2014, killing or driving away the engineers who had long maintained the structure. "If the dam goes, there'll be a humanitarian disaster [It is] a conflict zone where you've got ISIL [the Islamic State] with no care of any of the civilians operating. Then you'll have the water come through and it will flush Mosul out and then it'll move down and through various towns as it comes down the valley and inundate a lot of Baghdad," Air Chief Marshal Binskin said. The NSW Government has been forced to increase funding for after school care services to address Sydney's chronic shortage of out of hours care. On Wednesday, NSW Premier Mike Baird announced that a second phase of funding would be opened up to after school care providers across the state, increasing the total expenditure to $20 million. Kate Walsh with her children, Quinn, 5, Aidan, 4, and one-year-old Niamh at Leichhardt Town Hall after school care. Credit:Christopher Pearce "We have heard from a lot of schools who already offer an after school care service with extensive waiting lists," he said. "As a result we have now expanded the grant program and all schools with an after school care that would like to expand are eligible to apply for a grant." The move comes after Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore wrote to Mr Baird last week about the urgent need of out of school hours care policy reform. The scandal-plagued Auburn Council is set to follow in the footsteps of its controversial deputy mayor Salim Mehajer and be suspended around lunchtime, following concerns about the conduct of its councillors. It is understood Local Government Minister, Paul Toole, will appoint an administrator on Wednesday - two weeks after asking councillors to justify why the council should not be suspended. Salim Mehajer leaves Auburn Council chambers in January. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer The move follows a briefing note circulated to councillors before their final meeting in January that showed Fairfax Media reports into the sale of a council car park to Cr Mehajer appears to have prompted the minister to act. The 29-year-old deputy mayor and property developer secured the property in December for an apparent $5 million discount. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. 27 years have passed since the Spitak earthquake but there are still 2700 homeless families. Armenia is one of the countries that implements the program of elimination of disaster consequences slowly. Photographer Hayk Barseghyan portrays the homeless families of Gyumri, and those photos have been used by National Geographic. On the 27th anniversary of the earthquake Hayk decided to organize charity fundraising through British crowdfunder website aimed to mobilize public efforts. We thought that we have to launch a complex program to solve the problem. The logic of the initiative is the following: If 120.000 Armenian donates 1 pond to the charity fund, 13 Gyumri homeless families living in extremely severe conditions will be granted with new houses, Aren Mkrtchyan, coordinator and co-author of the program told Armenpress. This is a multidimensional program that attracts international media representatives. BBC, CNN and Euronews have established contact with us and want to speak about that, recently Al Jazeera live broadcasted the homeless families, and later even expressed desire to prepare a photo series, Hayk Barseghyan mentioned. The initiators of the program try to raise the issue mainly outside Armenia through mass media or prominent Armenians. Nearly 8500 pound sterling has been raised in 18-20 days. One of the conditions of the fundraising is that if 120.000 pounds are not collected, the money will be returned to the donators. The deadline of the fundraising is March 15, but they are negotiating with crowdfunder website to prolong the date. There has been no response from state officials, with the exception of Gyumri Mayor, with whom Barseghyan had a conversation. Irrespective of our initiative, Gyumri Municipality has planned its own fundraising program, which I liked very much. We have a general goal, to help homeless families. Hence, we try to cooperate to achieve that goal. Many forget that during years the families have grown and now more people live in huts than 27 years ago, the organizer mentioned. A baby girl was most probably born alive before she was later found in a shallow sand grave at a southern Sydney beach, an inquest has found. The finding came as the coroner recommended the state government consider the installation of baby boxes or hatches at hospitals where distressed mothers could leave their babies. Bill Green and Filomena D'Alessandro, the unofficial parents of Lily Grace, at the inquest into the death of the baby, who was found in the sand at Maroubra Beach. Credit:Brook Mitchell On a Sunday morning in November 2014, a baby since named Lily Grace was found at the southern end of Maroubra Beach by nippers digging holes in the sand after a flag race. The inquest at the State Coroner's Court on Wednesday heard the three boys were playing in the dunes when they started shouting, "Dead baby! Dead baby!" Say hello to Alby, the "extremely rare" albino turtle stealing the hearts of reptile lovers all over the world. Since the green turtle's Sunday afternoon discovery on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, the small coast care group that found it has been inundated with calls from the US, Britain and even Sweden. The discovery was "worth gold" for Queensland and Australia, according to the state's tourism boss, after the adorable reptile's pictures were beamed around the world. Interest snowballed quickly after Sherida Holford found the little hatchling on a regular turtle monitoring trip on Sunday. An elite Brisbane boys' school ignored a relentless three-year bullying campaign inflicted on a young student by classmates, according to the alleged victim, who is seeking $600,000 in damages. The former student, who turned 21 on Wednesday, is suing Brisbane Boys' College in Toowong claiming he suffered years of psychological distress after being subjected to physical and mental torture at the hands of the same group of boys between 2004 and 2007. In documents filed in the District Court on Tuesday, the man claimed that in one schoolyard incident in 2005, the main bullying protagonist punched him in the face with such force, his nose was broken and required surgery. The boy was just 10 years old at the time. A man found on Tuesday at Logan after going missing with two friends for a fortnight remains with police after being questioned overnight. Lelan Harrington, 23, was reported missing on February 1 along with Cory Breton, 28, and Luliana Triscaru, 31, who hadn't been seen since January 24. Police had been preparing for the worst since last week when they first called for information into the trio's disappearance. But Mr Harrington was found Tuesday afternoon, shortly after Mr Breton's partner, Miranda, made a public plea for help finding the father of her daughter, admitting her "gut feeling is not very good". Police searching a dam for the bodies of Logan pair Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru have discovered a box, as six people, including a mother-of-seven, faced court charged with their murders. The box was pulled from the dam on a vacant lot in Logan on Thursday morning, where police dogs and divers had been searching for the pair since Wednesday. Police would not confirm reports it contained two bodies. Queensland's war on outlaw motorcycle gangs has seen nine gang members charged over the last 24 hours. On Tuesday, a 42-year-old Pacific Pines man was given a random drug test in Oxenford. Some of the drugs seized in Hervey Bay raids. Credit:Queensland Police The test returned an allegedly positive result and a subsequent search of the man's vehicle found a quantity of drugs and drug utensils in a false compartment of the vehicle's engine bay. The man, who police allege is a member of the Lone Wolf OMCG, will face Southport Magistrates Court on February 23. Many Indigenous people, including those in urban areas, live with terrible health conditions Ms Gallagher says: "The health status of people living in Fitzroy is the same as people living in Fitzroy Crossing." In 15 years as the head of state's peak Aboriginal health body, she has seen firsthand the dire health problems faced by many Aboriginal people living in Victoria. Jill Gallagher doesn't need anyone to tell her about closing the gap. So yes, she's disappointed that this year's Close the Gap report shows little movement on many measures of Indigenous progress and wellbeing. But not really surprised. And Gallagher, the head of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, admits to a sense of deja vu. Dr Catherine Eltringham examines Adam Lampton-Nicholls at the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative in Geelong. Credit:Simon O'Dwyer "We've made some gains, but what the government don't realise they are very slow. I read recently that if we keep going at our current pace it will take 495 years to close the gap. We need more," she says. The annual Closing the Gap report, released Wednesday, revealed mixed progress towards meeting targets set in 2008, with the goals of halving the gap in child mortality and year 12 attainment by 2018 on track to be met, but uneven results in other areas. Indigenous people are often loath to use mainstream services because of ignorant attitudes they encounter and a general distrust of institutions, Gallagher says. So culturally-sensitive services make Aboriginal people much more likely to seek help. More than 40 parents pulled their children out of mass at a Melbourne Catholic school on Wednesday in protest over an allegedly abusive priest. Parents at St John Vianney's Primary School in Parkdale are calling for the resignation of parish priest Father John Walshe. Father John Walshe addressing parents at St Patrick's school in Mentone in 2010. Credit: St Patrick's, Mentone via cam.org.au Father Walshe, who defended Cardinal George Pell at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, has been accused of sexually abusing an 18-year-old seminarian in 1982. The parents collected their children before mass at 11:30am, and dropped them back at school after 1pm. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. A Russian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin will meet with Iraqs leadership later this week during a visit to the country, Armenpress reports, citing Sputnik, unidentified Iraqi official informed. According to the Kommersant, the delegation will arrive in Iraq with a two-day visit on Wednesday. Rogozin will hold a meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation. During his visit, the Russian official will meet with the chairman of the commission, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, and President Fuad Masum, the paper reported. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as well as a number of other deputy ministers are expected to accompany Rogozin as part of the Russian delegation, according to the paper. Bilateral cooperation in the field of energy and in the military-technical sphere is expected to be the main topic of the talks. Apart from government officials, the delegation will include some 90 Russian businessmen. Australians have stopped eating salad in the aftermath of the salmonella outbreak as growers across the country report a drop in orders from wholesalers. Grower representative body AUSVEG said the recent salmonella outbreak linked to leafy greens from a Victorian business, Tripod Farmers, had had a "substantial impact", even on growers in states unaffected by the recall. A supplier delivers a positive message about salads at the Prahran Market in Melbourne. Credit:Dani Valent New figures from health authorities show the number of cases associated with the salmonella anatum outbreak have climbed to 128, and 100 of those are in Victoria. The Victorian figures include nine confirmed cases and 91 probable cases. A statement from the Victorian Health Department on Wednesday said laboratory testing was continuing and the national recall for several salad leaf products was still in place: "Consumers are advised to be aware of the signs and symptoms of gastroenteritis which may be caused by the salmonella bacterium." He was dressed in prison greens with his left arm in a cast. Four people, Christopher James Birdsall, 29, Dylan Terrance Wayne Anthony, 19, Clinton Frederick Mead, 19, and an 11-year-old boy, have been accused of murdering Paddy Slater during a post-Australia Day brawl. A suppression order protecting the identities of three men charged with the stabbing murder of a 26-year-old man at the Esplanade Train Station in the early hours of January 27 was withdrawn on Wednesday, allowing the men to be named. When asked by the magistrate if he had applied for legal aid, Mr Birdsall said he had not had the time. "I was going to try go for bail but I've been so busy with moving around the prisons for my own safety, I haven't really had time to get a lawyer," he said. He was remanded in custody to appear again before the Perth Magistrates Court on February 24 once he had sought legal advice. On Tuesday, the 11-year-old boy fronted Perth Children's Court via video link from Banksia Hill Detention Centre with his father by his side. He remained quiet for most of the hearing, only softly speaking to say "yes" to the judge when asked if he understood the proceedings. He will remain in custody to appear in court again on February 17 to submit an application for supervised bail. The other two accused men, Mr Anthony and Mr Mead, appeared in court on Friday and have also been remanded in custody until their next court appearance on February 24. Manchester, New Hampshire: Anyone who still thought the Donald Trump campaign was a joke stopped laughing at 8pm on Tuesday night in New Hampshire, when he delivered a thumping victory in the second presidential primary. A little over a week earlier he had fought his way to second place in the Iowa caucuses, falling just 3 percentage points short of the winner, Ted Cruz, who had run his race as a sort of travelling prayer meeting in the heavily evangelical rural state. A chilling lesson of history for the Republican establishment or for anyone watching Trump's rise with trepidation is that no Republican candidate has ever won the party's nomination without winning one or other of those two states. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Joint exercises of the CIS States to combat cyber-terrorism "Cyber-Antiterror-2016" will take place in May-June 2016 in Belarus, CIS Anti-Terrorist Center (ATC) head Police Colonel-General Andrey Novikov said, Armenpress reports citing RIA Novosti. The exercise will be attended by special units of Armenian, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. "Under the current program of cooperation of the CIS member states in the fight against terrorism and other violent manifestations of extremism in May-June 2016, the CIS ATC will hold joint anti-terror exercise "Cyber-Antiterror-2016," the final stage of which will be held in the Republic of Belarus," he said. Latest News Australia's record property market run comes to an end PEXA NSW sees the largest declines in both property sales volume and aggregate value MFAA offers cybersecurity resources to members Optus data breach a 'wake-up call' for businesses ASIC has banned a mortgage broker from engaging in credit activities and has cancelled his Australian credit licence following an investigation and subsequent administrative hearing.Angie Skouras has been banned from the industry by the regulator for four years and has had the Australian credit licence of his company, Global Edge Finance Group, cancelled.As the sole director, responsible manager and key person on the licence of Global Edge, ASIC found that Skouras failed to ensure that Global Edge complied with its obligations under the credit legislation.The investigation found that Global Edge failed to lodge Annual Compliance Certificates for the 2014 and 2015 years, hold current membership with an ASIC approved external dispute resolution scheme and comply with two adverse determinations made by the Credit and Investments Ombudsman requiring the payment of $197,231 and $129,021 respectively.As a result of the above, ASIC concluded Skouras was not a fit and proper person to engage in credit activities.While ASIC expects directors of companies to manage the affairs in strict abeyance with the law, there is a heightened expectation if they provide financial and credit services to consumers. As this case shows, directors who fail to meet those standards will be held to account and face significant consequences, ASIC commissioner Greg Tanzer said. Latest News Australia's record property market run comes to an end PEXA NSW sees the largest declines in both property sales volume and aggregate value MFAA offers cybersecurity resources to members Optus data breach a 'wake-up call' for businesses A fundamental shift in the alternative finance sector in Australia is set to reshape the Australian lending market, according to a global peer-to-peer (P2P) lender, and it is vital brokers adapt.Daniel Foggo, the chief executive of the Australian arm of global P2P lender RateSetter, will be speaking at the AltFi Australasia Summit 2016 in Sydney later this month. He said the disruption from alternative finance will be as revolutionary as Uber and Airbnb.Just as Uber and Airbnb have disrupted the transportation and accommodation industries, we think that peer-to-peer lending will fundamentally reshape the Australian lending market. By giving consumers a better deal and a faster, easier customer experience, peer-to-peer lending and other alternative finance provide a compelling alternative to traditional providers, Foggo said.The revolution driving the sharing economy which encompasses the likes of Uber, Airbnb and alternative finance is a fundamental shift in consumer attitudes, says Foggo.Australian consumer attitudes are undergoing a fundamental shift. Confronted with traditional institutions who have, time and again, put their own interests before that of their customers, people are looking for an alternative.So, its perhaps not surprising that once consumers become aware of alternative finance options like peer-to-peer lending, theyre quick to embrace it who doesnt want a better deal and a faster, easier customer experience?This is why it is vital that brokers adapt.We want to see lenders and borrowers provided with greater choice and to take more control of their personal finances. Peer-to-peer lenders are changing the personal finance landscape and the greater the awareness of the benefits of peer-to-peer, the greater the outcomes will be for Australian consumers, Foggo said.Daniel Foggo, the CEO of RateSetter Australia will be joining other industry leaders to speak at the AltFi Australasia Summit 2016 in Sydney on Monday 29 February. The summit is the largest P2P and marketplace lending conference ever held in Australia. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams 84th Precinct Brooklyn HeightsDumboBoerum HillDowntown Knife and knockout A group of scoundrels knocked out a straphanger and stole his phone as he was riding a Downtown-bound A train on Feb. 1. The victim told police he was sitting on the train wearing his headphones and a hood at 10:47 am, when five guys got on board at the Jay Street stop. The man stood up because his stop was approaching, but one of the brutes stood next to him and took his wallet out of his pocket, according to police. The victim asked What are you doing? but another lout held a knife to the right side his neck, then punched him in the head, knocking him unconscious. The victim said he woke up once the train was in Manhattan, where he told a Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee, A guy took my wallet downstairs. But the worker just nodded with his arms crossed, so he got back on a Brooklyn-bound A train, the victim told cops. Kicking and punching A punk kicked a guy in the head and stole his phone while he was riding a Manhattan-bound Q train on Feb. 3. The victim said he boarded the train at Atlantic Avenue at 8 pm and took a seat, holding his iPhone 6 in his hand. On the way to DeKalb Avenue, a jerk booted him in the head, causing his phone to fall to the ground, police said. The jerk then hissed, Get the f off the train. The victim said he tried to pick up his phone, but the nogoodnik punched him on the right side of the head. The worm picked up his cell and placed it in his pocket, police reported. The victim got off the train at DeKalb Avenue but the rogue stayed on board, according to officials. Shop lifted Some sneak stole a womans bag out of her cart while she was food shopping in a Montague Street store on Feb. 6. The woman told police she was strolling around the store near Clinton Street at 12:40 pm, picking out food, when she noticed her pocketbook with her wallet and credit cards were missing. Sneaky business A weasel lifted a womans wallet out of her backpack while she was waiting at MetroTech station on Feb. 6. The baffled woman told police she was boarding a Manhattan-bound R train at the stop near Jay Street at 5:30 pm when she realized her backpack was open and her wallet was gone. She said she remembered closing her bag before walking to the subway and belives someone must have stolen her purse while she was waiting for the train on the stairs, according to the police report. Lauren Gill Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams If the boats not a-rockin, theyll come a-knockin! The new marina currently taking shape off Pier 5 in Brooklyn Bridge Park will sport a high-tech system to tame the treacherous waters of the East River, whose choppy seas often discourage boaters from dropping anchor in the city, according to the berths honcho. A lot of boats that come through New York dont like docking here because a lot of the waves are very difficult, said general manager Tim OBrien, who grew up boating in Cape Cod and now lives in Park Slope. The boat parking lot New Yorks first in 25 years will sport floating docks tethered to heavy concrete anchors via bungee-style elastic cords, rather than the standard approach of driving rods into the seabed, according to OBrien. The set-up, popular in Florida and Asia, creates an artificial seawall that blocks wakes from passing boats and ferries, bouncing their waves back to the saltwater tidal strait instead of disturbing the docked vessels, according to the skipper. The idea is that when the waves come through and impact the dock, itll reflect a lot of the wave energy back out, said OBrien. Smaller crafts will still have to evacuate the marina during really bad storms, OBrien says, but the structure itself will be able to stand up to huge waves, because marina operators can loosen and tighten the tethers to withstand more impact. Its an interesting feat of engineering, it really is quite impressive, he said. The marina is set to open in May, and sailors will have to shell out between $10,692 and $145,800 to rent one of the berths 102 slips for the summer, depending on the size of their boat. The facility will also host a sailing club which launched last May and kayaking classes. The marina is one of several private businesses including a mall, condominiums, and a hotel being built in Brooklyn Bridge Park to fund its construction and ongoing maintenance. The park itself is renowned for its storm-resistant design, meant to protect the sprawling green space and the neighborhoods behind it from rising waters. It features rocks known as rip-rap, similar to those seen on the New England coast and saltwater marshes, which absorb unwelcome water from the river, as well as plants with high salt tolerance and salt-absorbing soil to suck up future floodwaters. Reach reporter Lauren Gill at lgill @cngl ocal.com or by calling (718) 2602511. Follow her on Twitter @laurenk_gill Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams This case really depends on your point of view! A condominium building rising in Brooklyn Bridge Park is blocking protected vistas of the historic bridge and its developer secured the citys okay to do so by using sketchy measurements in its plans, alleges a new lawsuit from local preservationists backed by Councilman Steve Levin (DBoerum Hill). Were accusing them of improperly drawing the lines and mistaking the law and regulations, said Jeffrey Baker, attorney for local civic group the Brooklyn Heights Association and activists Save the View Now, which already lost a suit arguing a different part of development is too tall last year. The rabble-rousers now allege Toll Brothers Real Estate filed plans for its controversial Pierhouse complex on Furman Street that put the so-called Brooklyn Heights Scenic View District a vantage of the Brooklyn Bridge from the Heights Promenade that has to be kept clear in the wrong place, allowing it to build a penthouse that actually protrudes 20 feet into the sacred spectacle. The critics claim they didnt notice the issue until recently because the developers original plans from 2012 start measuring the view from the correct spot the Promenades railing at Orange Street, according to a surveyor they hired to examine the allegedly offending building. They claim the most recent blueprints which only came to light in March after park honchos asked the Department of Buildings to check on the height of the buildings however, begin measuring 20 feet closer to the waterfront, placing the starting point mid-air over the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. They changed it and they forgot to tell anybody else they were changing it, said Save the View Now president Steve Guterman. But Pierhouse architect Jonathan Marvel provided a sworn statement to the court insisting his interpretation of the view is the correct one, and the groups surveyor has it wrong and a rep for the project agrees. Original mission: This 2012 survey shows the view plane along the railing of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Marvel Architects Any allegation that the architect working on behalf of Toll Brothers and Starwood Capital Group moved [the view] in 2015 to accommodate its Pierhouse buildings is false, said spokesman Bud Perrone. At least one of the parks board members agrees the measurements are wonky, though Levin wrote an affidavit for the suit accusing city and park officials of misinterpreting clear language on where the view begins, and saying he was dismayed they didnt object when the developer chose to locate that point hanging in mid-air. The parks operators, who are using funds from the development to finance the green space, called any allegations the plans were altered or that they were aware of the changes absurd. It wouldve been hard for us to know about something that, to our knowledge, never occurred, said spokeswoman Belinda Cape. A Department of Buildings rep said it stands by its assesment that the plans comply with the view restrictions. State Supreme Court Justice Lawrence Knipel who dismissed the activists last lawsuit against Pierhouse heard the case on Thursday, and will now take around three weeks to look over it. If he rules in favor of Guterman and his allies, Toll Brothers will have to halt construction on the building where Jay Z and Beyonce are rumored to have claimed a unit and rebuild so it fits within their interpretation of the regulations. Reach reporter Lauren Gill at lgill @cngl ocal.com or by calling (718) 2602511. Follow her on Twitter @laurenk_gill YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. To increase public awareness of the 1915 Armenian genocide, the Occidental Armenian Students Association (ASA) held a silent protest Ton February 10 in the Johnson Student Center quad, Armenpress was informed from the official website of the college. Student participants wore duct tape over their mouths with words such as denial, justice or the names of their murdered ancestors. They also held signs that either called for a divestment from Turkey or demanded that certain world governments no longer ignore the genocide. Students across the country held similar demonstrations Thursday to increase awareness of the genocide committed by the Republic of Turkey in what was formerly Armenian land during World War I, which also pushed people off their lands. In particular, the grassroots movement hopes to pressure the Turkish government to admit to the genocide, which it has repeatedly denied. Its important for us to try and unify and get the same message out there, Lisa Najarian (senior), co-president of ASA, said. A lot of ethnic minorities, you dont hear about them with genocides. So right now, the more people know, the more we can do. The U.S. government also does not formally recognize the Armenian genocide. Its a sort of humanity over politics thing because the United States is allies with Turkey, Ripsime Biyazyan (senior), co-president of ASA, said. ASA aims to inform the public that denying the Armenian genocide is a major human rights concern. I believe that this next generation is going to have a completely different mindset about human rights, Najarian said. Socially, a lot of things are different with our generation. Najarian went on to express a sense of hope about what the future holds for the Armenian community as a whole. We feel more empowered to make change and we dont feel like were a part of the establishment, Najarian said. We feel more powerful and more united than we have before so that is going to be what will push us to achieve what we want to achieve. The nationwide protest also sought to highlight that genocide is a legal term with legal consequences, according to Armenian Youth Federation member Razmig Sarkissian, who helped organize the Occidental protest. If Turkeys actions are formally recognized as genocide, family and descendants of the victims could be eligible for reparations. According to Sarkissian, reparations would make up for the Turkish governments original confiscation of property. Many families of Armenian descent still have the deeds or the keys to their original homes on land within current Turkish borders, Sarkissian said. Turkey has lobbied and campaigned for anti-awareness in order to deny the genocide for fear of the legal consequences that would follow if it were officially acknowledged. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams 78th Precinct Park Slope Smoking break Cops busted a 44-year-old man who they say slugged another fellow in a bizarre confrontation over a pack of cigarettes outside a Fifth Avenue nightclub on Jan. 24. The victim told police that he was having a smoke outside the watering hole between Carroll Street and Garfield Place at 10:35 pm when he threw a spent cigarette pack into a nearby garbage can. For whatever reason, seeing this enraged the suspect, who proceeded to slug the victim once in the face, cops said. Bad vibes An irate customer at a Flatbush Avenue smoke shop stole two vaporizers on Jan. 30. Employees told police they were behind the counter of the store between Dean and Bergen streets at 10:10 pm, where they were busy arguing with a rowdy customer about an exchange. Eventually, things came to a head when the shopper decided to take his refund into his own hands, and grabbed two glass vaporizers worth $50 each, cops said. Into thin air A thief stole cologne and an inhaler out of mans car on Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park on Jan. 22. The victim told police that he left his car parked near the Prospect Park Zoo at noon, and returned later to find his window broken and his stuff gone. Cash grab A cocky crook snatched some cash from a Fifth Avenue liquor store on Jan. 26. An employee told police that the brazen bandit waltzed into the booze vendor between Park and Sterling places at 7 pm, snatched $50 that had been left on the register, and left. Colin Mixson Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams 94th Precinct GreenpointNorthside Park pouncing A bandit duo robbed a guy as he strolled through McGolrick Park on the morning of Feb. 3. The victim told cops he was near Driggs Avenue and Moniter Street at 10:30 am when the pair of pirates approached. One of the cretins said Put your phone and wallet inside my pocket and You dont want to get shot over this, and the victim forked over his wallet, though the miscreants never displayed a gun, authorities said. The thieves then fled into the park, according to a police report. Grand theft A lozenge-loving looter robbed a McGuinness Boulevard convenience store and made off with a grand in cash on Feb 3. The rustler purchased a pack of cough drops at the shop near Huron Street at 7:25 pm, then pulled a gun and ordered the clerk to open the register, police said. The clerk forked over $1,000, then the crook ran on foot down McGuinness Boulevard towards India Street, according to a police report. Jean meanie A couple of crooks stole a pile of jeans from a N. Third Street shop on Feb. 7. A store employee told cops the pair entered the store near Wythe Avenue at around 4:40 pm, and one of the two immediately went to the back and started picking up pants. The clerk asked the thief if she needed any help, when suddenly the ladys friend grabbed 14 pairs of jeans and hoofed it out of the store, fleeing to Berry Street, then in the direction of N. Fourth Street, cops said. Allegra Hobbs By Doug Moore Colin Stetson A few weeks ago, we mentioned that John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Dave Lombardo will be playing some dates together this spring. As unusual as that collaboration is, here's another that might be even weirder: saxophonist Colin Stetson, who's worked with Arcade Fire, Tom Waits, Bon Iver and others, will play a set with bassist Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3, Tomahawk) and drummer Greg Fox (Guardian Alien, ex-Liturgy) at Brooklyn's Grand Victory on February 9. IV, Daniel King, & Jeremiah Cymerman will provide support; tickets are available. Stetson has evidently worked with Dunn before, but it's still anyone's guess as to what this'll actually sound like. It's also an unusual opportunity to catch Stetson in close quarters; the bands he tours with most often rarely play in such cozy venues. Speaking of touring, Stetson has some other live appearances in the offing. He's in Australia as we speak and will be back in North America for shows, including the aforementioned Ecstatic Music Festival on March 22 and the Big Ears Fest in Knoxville, TN. Check out all of Stetson's upcoming dates (and a few tunes) listed below. Stetson's Constellation Records labelmate and sometimes collaborator, Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire, Belle Orchestre) will be in NYC for a show at The Kitchen on February 14. Tickets for this Valentine's Day show are on sale now. Neufeld, whose Hello Brother, came out last summer, has an Austin show coming up at Lambert's too. Datesare listed with everything else below. Guardian Alien's most recent show was the final night at 285 Kent. --- --- COLIN STETSON - 2014 Tour Dates 20.01.14 Perth, AU Mojos Bar 21.01.14 Perth, AU Hellenic Club 23.01.14 Melbourne, AU Toff In Town 24.01.14 Melbourne, AU Kelvin Club 25.01.14 Sydney, AU Sydney Festival 26.10.13 Sydney, AU Sydney Festival 31.01.14 Winnipeg, MB Millenium Centre - Pop Nuit / New Music Festival 15.02.14 Toronto, ON Polish Combatants Hall - Wavelength Festival 22.03.14 New York, NY Merkin Hall - Ecstatic Music Festival 28.03.14 Knoxville, TN Big Ears Festival 16.07.14 London, UK Dingwall's Slum Village Detroit rap group Slum Village, whose late member J Dilla is about to be celebrated in NYC on Saturday (2/13), have announced an international tour for this year. The U.S. dates are with Black Milk and Guilty Simpson, who played together in Random Axe with the late Sean Price. They also include Phat Kat, who worked with Dilla and Black Milk a lot (and has worked with Guilty Simpson too), and a set by Slum Village's Young RJ under his Blaq RoyalT moniker. One of those U.S. shows happens in NYC on April 19 at Highline Ballroom. Tickets for that show go on sale Wednesday (2/10) at noon. Last year, Slum Village released Yes! and Guilty Simpson released Detroit's Son. Black Milk's last album is 2014's If There's A Hell Below. Stream stuff off all three of those albums, with the list of tour dates, below... --- Slum Village - "Expressive" Guilty Simpson - "Fractured" Black Milk - "What It's Worth" Slum Village -- 2016 Tour Dates Feb 09 The Lantern Bristol, United Kingdom Feb 11 Hoochie Coochie Newcastle, Australia Feb 12 Brooklyn Bowl London London, United Kingdom Feb 13 Patterns Brighton, United Kingdom Feb 14 Science & Art Moskva, Russia Feb 17 Le Ferrailleur Nantes, France Feb 18 Live club Liege, Belgium Feb 19 Porgy & Bess Wien, Austria Feb 20 The Sugar Club Dublin, Ireland Feb 27 La Coupole Biel/Bienne, Switzerland Feb 28 Divan du Monde Paris, France Mar 29 HiFi Music Hall Eugene, OR Apr 05 Thunderstruck Valley Grand Junction, CO Apr 09 Gabe's Iowa City, IA* Apr 19 Highline Ballroom New York, NY* Apr 24 Howard Theatre Washington, DC* Aug 31 Fort Punta Christo Pula, Croatia Between The Lines' Executive Producer Scott Harris hosts a live, weekly talk show, Counterpoint , from which some of Between The Lines' interviews are excerpted. Listen every Monday evening from 8 to 10 p.m. EDT at www.WPKN.org (Follows the 5-7 minute White Rose Calendar.) Counterpoint in its entirety is archived after midnight ET Monday nights, and is available for at least a year following broadcast in WPKN Radio's Archives . You can also listen to full unedited interview segments from Counterpoint, which are generally available some time the day following broadcast. Listen to the full interview (30:33) with Jeremy Scahill, an award-winning investigative journalist with the Nation Magazine, correspondent for Democracy Now! and author of the bestselling book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army," about America's outsourcing of its military. In an exclusive interview with Counterpoint's Scott Harris on Sept. 16, 2013, Scahill talks about his latest book, "Dirty Wars, The World is a Battlefield," also made into a documentary film under the same title, and was nominated Dec. 5, 2013 for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Feature category. "How Do We Build A Mass Movement to Reverse Runaway Inequality?" with Les Leopold, author of "Runaway Inequality: An Activist's Guide to Economic Justice,"May 22, 2016, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York, 860 11th Ave. (Between 58th and 59th), New York City. Between The Lines' Scott Harris and Richard Hill moderated this workshop. Listen to the audio/slideshows and more from this workshop. For those who missed the event, or were there and really wanted to fully absorb its import, here it is in video If you've made a donation and wish to receive thank you gifts for your donation, be sure to send us your mailing address via our Contact form . His penetrating analysis of U.S. foreign policy and international conflicts will be sorely missed, and not easily replaced. His son Nat Parry writes a tribute to his father: Robert Parrys Legacy and the Future of Consortiumnews. Robert had been a regular guest on our Between The Lines and Counterpoint radio shows -- and many other progressive outlets across the U.S. over four decades. Award-winning investigative journalist and founder/editor of ConsortiumNews.com , Robert Parry has passed away. His ground-breaking work uncovering Reagan-era dirty wars in Central America and many other illegal and immoral policies conducted by successive administrations and U.S. intelligence agencies, stands as an inspiration to all in journalists working in the public interest. Broad Coalition Campaigns to Prevent U.S. Approval of Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement Posted Feb. 10, 2016 Interview with Jessa Boehner, international program associate with Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, conducted by Scott Harris Trade representatives of the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim nations gathered in New Zealand on Feb. 4, to formally sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement that's designed to integrate 40 percent of the world's economy. Over the next two years, the controversial trade pact, known as the TPP, must still be ratified by at least six original signatories representing 85 percent of the total GDP of the 12 nations that signed the agreement. While supporters like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and President Obama say the TPP will boost American exports and create jobs, some economic studies warn that the trade agreement will lead to employment losses and increased inequality. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, an opponent said recently that the TPP "is about letting multinational corporations rig the rules on everything from patent protection to food safety standards ... to benefit themselves." The contentious Investor-State Dispute Settlement provision of the TPP allows multinational corporations to challenge local, state and federal public health, environmental, consumer and labor laws, as well as court rulings if a claim is made that they impinge on business profits. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Jessa Boehner, international program associate with Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, who explains why a broad coalition of labor, environmental and consumer groups are now engaged in a campaign to defeat the TPP when the trade agreement comes up for a vote in the U.S. Congress. JESSA BOEHNER: The Transpacific Partnership, which we refer to as the TPP, is a so-called "free trade" agreement and we put "free trade" in quotes between 12 countries, and it's been in negotiation for about seven years. And the reason that we put the "free trade" in quotes is because, really, the TPP has to do with a lot more than what we think of as typical trade issues. So, of the TPP's 30 chapters, actually only 6 of them have to do with these traditional trade issues in terms of lowering or getting rid of tariffs, etc. But instead, what we've seen in the TPP is that are many provisions that actually benefit multinational corporations over workers, the environment, consumers, etc. So, this is not actually that surprising, given how the deal was negotiated. So, as I mentioned, it was negotiation for about seven years, it took a really long time in part because there was a lot of opposition global opposition to the deal. But it was basically negotiated in secret and so the public and the press and civil society were locked out of negotiations. For the majority of the time the TPP was in negotitions, U.S. members of Congress were locked out, too. And at the end, they received, after a lot of complaining, they received some kind of nominal access, where they could request or view certain parts of it. They couldn't talk about it, they couldn't take any notes, etc. But at the same time, as all of these actors were locked out, there were about 500 so-called advisors so the majority of them, representing industry interest, representing corporate interest, that actually had access to the text of the negotiations. So, it's not surprising that the TPP would benefit these corporations over workers and consumers and when they finally released the text, we actually saw that it was worse than we thought it would be. There's a lot of concerns. For example, it includes the same kind of language that was in NAFTA that actually makes it easier for big corporations to offshore more American jobs. The TPP would also push down our wages for the jobs that are left, because it basically pits American workers more directly in competition with, for example, workers in Vietnam who make less than 65 cents an hour it includes monopoly rights for big pharmaceutical companies that raise medicine prices, would flood us with more imports of unsafe food, it also includes a very controversial investor-state dispute settlement which allows corporations to challenge public interest policies that they can say affects their ability to make a future profit. And there's concerns about Internet freedom, rolls back environment standards, really as you mentioned, there's kind of something for everyone to hate. And that's why there's an unprecedented number of organizations that are working against the TPP to try and make sure that Congress will reject it. BETWEEN THE LINES: Tell us about the candidates running for president, both on the Democratic and Republican side, and their support or opposition to the TPP, the Transpacific Trade Agreement. JESSA BOEHNER: In no small part due to the large amount opposition to the deal, this has really become a politically toxic issue. And really, at this point, the TPP might not even be sent to the Congress for approval during this Congress, given that we're in an election year, and there's been enough pushback. There really isn't a clear majority of support, particularly in the House of Republicans. People that are in the presidential race that are running have really kind of felt the pushback from the American citizens that this is really not a popular issue that Americans are really opposing this. And because of that, the major people that are vying for the presidency have really had to come out in opposition to the TPP. So we have Hillary, (she) came out opposing the TPP as well as Bernie Sanders, so both of the candidates that are running on the Democrat side as well as many of the major candidates that are in the Republican race. So, we're really seeing that this issue is one that is really, really politically toxic and for that reason, the movement to cede the TPP is alive and well, and it's not a sure thing that Congress would approve the TPP, or that it will even be brought up for a vote. BETWEEN THE LINES: Jessa, lastly, are there any public opinion polls that have been done recently on public attitudes towards this proposed TransPacific Partnership? JESSA BOEHNER: One of the things that tends to come out of polls or that people tend to kind of support the idea of free trade but once you get started talking about the provisions that are in the trade deal, NAFTA, previous trade agreements and what the TPP will actually do, there's a lot of opposition to these NAFTA-style deals. For more information on the battle to defeat the Trans-Pacific free trade agreement, visit Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch at citizen.org/trade. Related Links: YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius confirmed his plans on February 10 to leave office. "This was the last cabinet meeting I attended," Fabius told reporters after a government meeting at the Elysees Palace, Armenpress reports. French President Francois Hollande is expected to nominate Fabius to head the country's top constitutional court. Award-winning Investigative Journalist Robert Parry (1949-2018) Award-winning investigative journalist and founder/editor of ConsortiumNews.com, Robert Parry has passed away. His ground-breaking work uncovering Reagan-era dirty wars in Central America and many other illegal and immoral policies conducted by successive administrations and U.S. intelligence agencies, stands as an inspiration to all in journalists working in the public interest. Robert had been a regular guest on our Between The Lines and Counterpoint radio shows -- and many other progressive outlets across the U.S. over four decades. His penetrating analysis of U.S. foreign policy and international conflicts will be sorely missed, and not easily replaced. His son Nat Parry writes a tribute to his father: Robert Parrys Legacy and the Future of Consortiumnews. Thank you for donating If you've made a donation and wish to receive thank you gifts for your donation, be sure to send us your mailing address via our Contact form. See our thank you gifts for your donation. Between The Lines' coverage and resource compilation of the Resistance Movement Selected speeches from the Women's March in Hartford, Connecticut 2018, recorded and produced by Scott Harris SPECIAL REPORT: "No Fracking Waste in CT!" Jan. 14, 2018 Jen Siskind Jennifer Siskind, local coordinator for Food and Water Watch, describes the campaign to stop fracking waste in Connecticut, which so far has led to fracking waste bans in 34 towns around the state. Interviewed by Richard Hill on Mic Check, WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, CT SPECIAL REPORT: "Resistance Round Table: The Unraveling Continues..." Jan. 13, 2018 Lindsay Kanaly The panel discusses Trump's long history of racism and the Republican voter suppression juggernaut confronting Democrats leading up to the 2018 elections. Special guest: Lindsay Kanaly, a lead organizer of the Women's Marches planned for Jan. 20, 2018. Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill on Resistance Roundtable, WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, CT. SPECIAL REPORT: "Capitalism to the ash heap?" Richard Wolff, Jan. 2, 2018 Richard Wolff, Economics professor Richard Wolff declares U.S. capitalism to be beyond repair and suggests the need for a radical alternative. Interviewed by Richard Hill SPECIAL REPORT: Maryn McKenna, author of "Big Chicken", Dec. 7, 2017 Maryn McKenna, investigative journalist and author of Big Chicken, talks about the widespread use and dangers of antibiotics in commercial poultry, beef and fruit production. Interview by Bill Duesing, Richard Hill and Guy Beardsly on WPKN's Organic Farm Stand. SPECIAL REPORT: Nina Turner's address, Working Families Party Awards Banquet, Dec. 14, 2017 Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution, talks about the fight ahead for progressives as she receives the Working Families Organization Award for Exceptional Leadership Towards Advancing Progress. The event was held in Meriden, CT. Produced by Richard Hill. SPECIAL REPORT: Mic Check, Dec. 12, 2017 Working Families Party of CT talks strategy and issues for 2018. Lindsay Farrell, executive director of the Working Families Party of Connecticut, discusses the state's electoral landscape and lays out the issues and strategies that could lead to progressive victories in 2018. Interviewed by Richard Hill. SPECIAL REPORT: Resistance Roundtable, Dec. 9, 2017 Disturbing developments in the Trump/Republican Agenda Focus on the tax bill, destruction of our public lands, North Korea and Trump's private CIA. Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill. Special guest: Jo Macallero of Rise and Resist. SPECIAL REPORT: On Tyranny - one year later, Nov. 28, 2017 Professor Timothy Snyder, author of the highly acclaimed resistance manual On Tyranny, discusses his book and offers a fresh assessment of the state of our beleaguered republic. Timothy Snyder, history professor at Yale, is introduced by Stanley Heller, administrator of Promoting Enduring Peace, a Connecticut-based organization that sponsored this event at the United Church Parish House in New Haven on Nov. 28. A brief interview with Snyder conducted by WPKN radio producer, Richard Hill, follows his talk. SPECIAL REPORT: Mic Check, Nov. 12, 2017 Lynne Ide, director of program and policy with the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, talks about the current state of health care coverage in Connecticut. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer SPECIAL REPORT: Resistance Roundtable, Nov. 11, 2017 Focus on the Republican tax plan, the just-released autopsy on the Democratic Party, and Internet censorship by Google, Facebook and Youtube. Including an interview with Hilary Grant, a lead organizer with Action Together Connecticut, who discusses the local results of the recent election, with hosts Richard Hill, Scott Harris and Ruth Baumgartner WPKN producers SPECIAL REPORT: Rainy Day Radio, Nov. 7, 2017 SPECIAL REPORT: Rainy Day Radio, Nov. 7, 2017 Bruce Gagnon, coordinator for the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, describes the extent of -- and motives underlying -- the vast US network of military bases around the globe. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer SPECIAL REPORT: Resisting U.S. JeJu Island military base in South Korea, Oct. 24, 2017 Joyakol, South Korean peace activist and singer, discusses the crisis on the Korean peninsula and focuses on the resistance to the U.S. huge military base being constructed on Jeju Island. The event was sponsored by the Greater New Haven Peace Council and this audio was recorded by Richard Hill, WPKN producer. Joyakol discusses Americans' biggest misconceptions about the conflict between North and South Korea and the U.S., Interview by Richard Hill, WPKN producer. SPECIAL REPORT: John Allen, Out in New Haven John Allen, founding director of the New Haven Pride Center, Connecticut, talks about his new LGBTQ television show, Out in New Haven, which presents a range of political and cultural issues to the community. Interviewed by Richard Hill on WPKN's Rainy Day Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018. Promoting Enduring Peace presented its Gandhi Peace Award jointly to renowned consumer advocate Ralph Nader and BDS founder Omar Barghouti on April 23, 2017. Subscribe to our Weekly Summary & receive our FREE Resist Trump window cling (Car window cling) Email us with your mailing address at contact@btlonline.org to receive our "Resist Trump/Resist Hate" car window cling! who helped make our 25th anniversary with Jeremy Scahill a success! For those who missed the event, or were there and really wanted to fully absorb its import, here it is in video Jeremy Scahill keynote speech, part 1 from PROUDEYEMEDIA on Vimeo. Jeremy Scahill keynote speech, part 2 from PROUDEYEMEDIA on Vimeo. Between The Lines on Stitcher Between The Lines Presentation at the Left Forum 2016 "How Do We Build A Mass Movement to Reverse Runaway Inequality?" with Les Leopold, author of "Runaway Inequality: An Activist's Guide to Economic Justice,"May 22, 2016, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York, 860 11th Ave. (Between 58th and 59th), New York City. Between The Lines' Scott Harris and Richard Hill moderated this workshop. Listen to the audio/slideshows and more from this workshop. Listen to audio of the plenary sessions from the weekend. JEREMY SCAHILL: Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker "Dirty Wars" Listen to the full interview (30:33) with Jeremy Scahill, an award-winning investigative journalist with the Nation Magazine, correspondent for Democracy Now! and author of the bestselling book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army," about America's outsourcing of its military. In an exclusive interview with Counterpoint's Scott Harris on Sept. 16, 2013, Scahill talks about his latest book, "Dirty Wars, The World is a Battlefield," also made into a documentary film under the same title, and was nominated Dec. 5, 2013 for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Feature category. Listen to Scott Harris Live on WPKN Radio Between The Lines' Executive Producer Scott Harris hosts a live, weekly talk show, Counterpoint, from which some of Between The Lines' interviews are excerpted. Listen every Monday evening from 8 to 10 p.m. EDT at www.WPKN.org (Follows the 5-7 minute White Rose Calendar.) Counterpoint in its entirety is archived after midnight ET Monday nights, and is available for at least a year following broadcast in WPKN Radio's Archives. You can also listen to full unedited interview segments from Counterpoint, which are generally available some time the day following broadcast. Subscribe to Counterpoint bulletins via our subscriptions page. BTL Blog Special Programming [an error occurred while processing this directive][an error occurred while processing this directive] A compilation of activist and news sites with a progressive point of view The eventual white Bronco episode was always going to be a challenge for American Crime Story. The high-speed chase is the most widely documented and most famous aspect of the O.J. Simpson murder trial story. More than the trial or crime itself, when people think of O.J. Simpson, they think of that iconic white Bronco speeding down the highway. American Crime Story had the Herculean task of taking an event that nearly everyone has seen live or in archival news footage and making it feel fresh and exciting. Surprisingly (and pleasingly), they manage to pull it off in episode two, The Run of His Life. American Crime Story Premiere Recap: O.J. Simpson is Accused of Murdering His Ex-Wife >>> The Juice is Loose In the wake of O.J.s disappearance, prosecutors Gil Garcetti and Marcia Clark hold a press conference. Not to be outdone, Robert Shapiro holds his own press conference and makes it all about him. Shapiro denies any wrongdoing in O.J. going missing. He also continually references himself and his perceived and inflated sense of self. Sadly, he doesnt mention his mighty eyebrows at all. This is a huge disappointment because they are easily his most impressive quality. Meanwhile, O.J. is spotted on the highway by a pair of idiots. The idiots call the cops and O.J. is quickly tracked down. The police stop the white Bronco and ask A.C. to let O.J. out of the car. In the backseat, O.J. has a gun to his head and yells at A.C. to keep driving, which he does, of course. Unaware of all this, Robert Kardashian goes to visit O.J.s family at his palatial home. Kardashian tells the family that he believes O.J. has killed himself. Everyone begins to lose their minds, only to see the white Bronco on TV. The Simpson family becomes just as riveted as anyone else watching O.J. in his famous high-speed chase. Rarely has a TV series showing people watching TV been this riveting. Hell on Wheels American Crime Story gives the audience a look inside the white Bronco. The matter of how much of this story is true is definitely up for debate. No matter how accurate the story is, it is still fascinating. Cuba Gooding, Jr. plays a man on the edge of suicide in an incredible fashion. Whether you believe the real O.J. did it or not, American Crime Story paints a captivating version of their O.J. American Crime Story does a wonderful job of making their character of O.J. Simpson a flawed and tortured human being. Splicing together real news footage and American Crime Storys own creation, O.J. repeats over and over that he just wants to get home to see his mother. O.J. calls Robert and basically goes through the same suicidal rhetoric of their last conversation at Roberts home. Kardashian does very little to help, but looks bewildered and on the verge of tears. This is Kardashians one and constant facial expression since American Crime Story started, though, so we cant be surprised. The 15 Best Dramas of 2015 >>> Cochran vs. Darden This episode also picks up with Johnnie Cochran, O.J.s future lawyer, and Christopher Darden, O.J.s future prosecutor, during the chase. Cochran appears on TV and compares O.J. to plenty of other innocent black men who have been chased by the police. This doesnt just seem like talk for the cameras, either. Cochran genuinely begins to believe that O.J. is being treated unfairly. Darden takes a very different view. He believes that ever since O.J. became rich and popular, he turned his back on his past. O.J., in Dardens opinion, has never given back to the community which raised him. Unlike Cochran, Darden sees O.J. as guilty, and the real victims of the event are the prosecutors and O.J.s family. O.J. Arrested at Last Eventually, A.C. drives O.J. up to his home, which is surrounded by police. O.J. teeters on the edge of suicide several more times. He gets especially close when his son, Jason, desperately rushes out to the car. O.J. waits in the car until nightfall. It is then that Robert Kardashian finally manages to do something useful. He calls O.J. on the car phone and convinces O.J. to come out and be arrested inside his house. O.J. exits the car in an ashamed and almost bashful fashion. As O.J. makes it past the threshold of his mansion, he more or less collapses into Robert Kardashians arms. Kardashian lays O.J. down on the couch and the man finally gets to talk to his mother by telephone. Across town, Marcia takes a long drag in victorious exhalation. Watching the TV, she makes a grand statement. She is going to take O.J. to court and make him pay for what he has done. Oh, semi-fictionalized Marcia, you have no idea what is coming next. American Crime Story airs Tuesdays at 10pm on FX. (Image courtesy of FX) latest news October 3, 2022 Dee Gambit Hundreds if not thousands of new and returning TV shows and movies are released every month your options of what to watch are endless. Variety, they say is ... YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) continued calls for grassroots action to increase aid to Nagorno Karabakh and foster stronger U.S.-Armenia trade relations, as President Obama rolled out his Fiscal Year 2017 (FY2017) budget request earlier on February 9, Armenpress reports, citing ANCAs official website. President Obama proposed a $22.412 million allocation in economic aid to Armenia a 22% increase over last years request, but far less than the $40 million previously advanced by the ANCA and Congressional Armenian Caucus. The FY2017 request for Azerbaijan is $10,936,000. The White Houses proposal did maintain parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan in terms of appropriated military aid, with International Military Education and Training (IMET) assistance set at $600,000 and Foreign Military Finance (FMF) at $1,000,000. President Obama also requested $1,700,000 for International Narcotics Control and Law enforcement for Armenia. While we remain troubled that President Obama in the face of increasing Azerbaijani cross-border aggression would propose any military aid at all to Ilham Aliyevs armed forces, we do appreciate that, in this context, the principle of military aid parity has been maintained to both Armenia and Azerbaijan, stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. He added that the ANCA would place a high priority on securing an appropriation of at least $5 million in aid to Nagorno Karabakh, including for the Lady Cox Rehabilitation Center, a regional clinic based in Stepanakert that treats children and adults with disabilities. The Administrations budget does not include any figures for aid to Nagorno Karabakh, although, over the past several years USAID has allocated at least $1,500,000 annually for this purpose. UB Libraries among handful of locations to premier national Native Voices exhibition A test exhibit at the Trickster Art Gallery in suburban Chicago. The U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) developed and produced "Native Voices: Native Peoples Concepts of Health and Illness." The American Library Association Public Programs Office, in partnership with NLM, tours the exhibition to Americas libraries. Image: Courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine The inclusion of storytelling, intergenerationality, and Native traditions and activities that promote healing are obligatory to the narrative but often overlooked. BUFFALO, N.Y. The culture and healing traditions of Native Americans are on display at the University at Buffalo in Native Voices: Native Peoples Concepts of Health and Illness, a traveling national exhibition that includes UB as one of its first stops. The Native Voices exhibition, co-sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the American Library Association, is a collection of images and video interviews that allow people of American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian descent to share, in their own words, their views on health, medicine and illness. The UB Libraries is among four locations chosen to premier the materials. From 2016 to 2020, the exhibition will travel to more than 100 libraries across the nation. The exhibition, which opened Feb. 3 and is on display through March 16, is located in the Health Sciences Library in the lobby of Abbott Hall on the UB South Campus. The UB Libraries will hold an opening ceremony on Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. in Abbott Hall. The ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will include remarks by Margaret Moss, PhD, JD, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion in the UB School of Nursing, and a traditional ceremony led by Tyendinaga Mohawk scholar Jodi Maracle, a doctoral student in the Department of Transnational Studies in the UB College of Arts and Sciences. The interactive exhibition features six viewing stations Apple iPads loaded with nearly 100 interviews and videos related to Native medicine and health. Along with the stations are display banners that share information surrounding five themes: individual, community, tradition, nature and healing. I am pleased that our Health Sciences Library is serving as a host site for this important exhibition, says H. Austin Booth, vice provost for UB Libraries. The exhibition raises awareness of important issues related to the health needs of contemporary Native peoples, and offers an excellent opportunity to learn more about the ways in which traditional healing methods can enhance wellness. The UB Libraries will also host a panel discussion on practices and issues related to Native American health on March 3 from 6-9 p.m. in room B15 of Abbott Hall. The free event, a Friends of the Health Sciences Library program held in collaboration with the Department of American Studies and School of Nursing, will include Moss as moderator and a selection of traditional Native dishes for guests. Panelists will soon be announced. The Native Voices exhibit has, at its core, Native views and definitions of health and illness, says Moss, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation and author of American Indian Health and Nursing. This is key in understanding the health of the Native population instead of using the dominant culture as the gold standard and trying to fit in the apparent outliers. The inclusion of storytelling, intergenerationality, and Native traditions and activities that promote healing are obligatory to the narrative but often overlooked. The exhibition aims to help Native Americans preserve their concepts of health and medicine within their communities, particularly among Native youth, and to assist non-Natives in understanding Native ideas and experiences. For more information or to view videos within the exhibition, visit https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/. UB Humanities Institute opens lecture series with innovative research-based poetry lecture Judith Goldman will present ________Mt. [blank mount], which blends techniques of literary criticism and experimental poetics to explore scientific inquiry, Feb. 12 at Hallwalls. Of course all scholarship requires creative imagination to think about problems in new ways and to find new avenues of research. BUFFALO, N.Y. There is a thread of environmental anxiety present in Percy Bysshe Shelleys poem Mont Blanc and though the art of his 19th-century ode doesnt accurately predict the reality of 21st-century environmental conditions, the poem remains a prescient mirror image of humanitys ecological course 200 years after it was written, according to Judith Goldman, an assistant professor in the University at Buffalos Department of English. That poem is the inspiration for Goldmans forthcoming book, ________Mt. [blank mount] and her presentation by the same name, which opens the UB Humanities Institutes 2016 Scholars@Hallwalls series on Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, 341 Delaware Ave. in Buffalo. All Scholars@Hallwalls events are free and open to the public. Scholars@Hallwalls is a great opportunity for UB faculty and graduate students, along with other curious Western New Yorkers, to hear about the latest humanities research, says Erik Seeman, director of the Humanities Institute. The talks are designed with non-specialists in mind, so even those with little background in the field will find the presentations intellectually stimulating. Goldmans calls ________Mt. [blank mount] a form of creative scholarship that blends techniques of literary criticism and experimental poetics to explore scientific inquiry. The talk is both explanatory and poetic. Of course all scholarship requires creative imagination to think about problems in new ways and to find new avenues of research, she says. The sense in which Im calling this creative scholarship points to how its not only a work of poetry, but scholarly and research-based poetry. Shelley wrote Mont Blanc in the summer of 1816 during a visit to the Mont Blanc massif, a mountain range in the French Alps. At the same time he was writing letters back home that expressed his fear that the world would freeze over. A possible global freeze was a popular theory of the day that appeared particularly relevant in 1816, which became known as the Year without a Summer because of a massive volcanic eruption the year prior. Dust and volcanic ash from Mont Tambora, one of the most powerful eruptions in human history, lingered in the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and contributing to crop failures and erratic weather. Although todays scientific consensus points to a warming Earth rather than a cooling Earth, Goldman says Shelleys sense of potential natural catastrophe nonetheless rhymes with humanitys contemporary environmental concerns. ________Mt. [blank mount] addresses those concerns of climate change and questions of glaciers and their disappearance. Some of those concerns have encouraged drastic measures, like whitewashing mountains. In Peru, where a cycle of glacial growth and retreat is responsible for much needed hydropower, some mountains have lost 1,600 years of ice in the last 25 years. The whitewash is an attempt to replace the reflective properties of the vanishing ice and snow with an eco-friendly paint that will reflect the suns warmth as the Andean glaciers once did. Goldman replays scenes from Alice in Wonderland where playing cards paint roses, along with Tom Sawyers clever fence ploy, as she discusses the index of desperation raised by the whitewash project. All told, ________Mt. [blank mount] is a work of philosophy, ecology, aesthetics and poetic technique, using Shelleys insights and modern scientific research, with Mont Blanc, and its history as an enduring focus of imagination and exploration, as the creative intersection of those disciplines. Judith Goldman was selected as one of this years two OVPRED/HI faculty fellows, because her project especially well represents the interdisciplinary mission of both the Humanities Institute and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, says Seeman. She uses history, literary scholarship and climate science to unpack and reimagine Shelleys iconic poem. Part of Goldmans creative work has involved a generative art collaboration with a computer science and visual artist that is driven by ice core data. She has also reviewed a great deal of the scientific literature on climate change, not only studying conclusions, but also searching for language within them that could be turned into poetry. Im interested in finding unintended rhythmic patterns or rhymes and reorganizing these phases into sound poems, she says. Its a form of innovative research that lends new levels of awareness of issues. Art historian Tim Clark has said the humanities have to change in the sense that they take stock of current events and situations by working with the disciplines that are more directly interfacing with these phenomena says Goldman. At the same time science needs to be open to the kind of critical, patient and considered sense of arguing through different angles and perspectives. The Builders Merchant Federation (BMF) is set to recruit at least 20 Ambassadors from the ranks of its members to support a national youth recruitment campaign, Builders Merchants Careers. They will help to promote the opportunities offered by the industry to students and young job seekers throughout the country. BMF Builders Merchants Careers is an ongoing campaign to encourage young people to recognise merchanting as an exciting career choice. BMF Ambassadors will play a key role in the campaign. Teachers and careers advisors consulted by the BMF specifically requested school visits and presentations by local industry ambassadors as one of the best ways to influence young people in their choice of career. During March, the BMF is working in partnership with the Department of Work and Pensions on a similar month-long campaign to raise awareness of our industry with Jobcentre Plus staff. BMF Ambassadors, and other interested members, can help by visiting their local Jobcentre or by hosting on-site visits to help Jobcentre staff gain an insight into the sector and to understand the vast array of job roles and opportunities for progression merchanting offers. The BMF Ambassadors selected will be enthusiastic advocates of the industry. They will support the campaign with visits to local schools, colleges and Jobcentres, presentations at local careers fairs, giving interviews to local media and by promoting the campaign on social media. John Newcomb, BMF managing director said: This is a national campaign and we are looking for Ambassadors throughout the UK. Ideally we would like to begin the campaign with at least 20 Ambassadors, with two coming from each of the ten BMF regions. Ambassadors will receive a full briefing pack, presentation support and leaflets to hand out to students. Mr Newcomb has already trialled the material, giving a presentation to 130 teenagers at a university technical college in Aylesbury, and will share his experience with potential Ambassadors. Mr Newcomb said: The Builders Merchants Careers campaign is the industrys driving force to attract more young people into the sector and help builders merchants and suppliers to continue to invest in the next generation. The new Ambassadors have a key role to play to promote the range of opportunities the industry offers, from first job roles all the way to the board room, to meet young peoples aspirations at every level. For more information about supporting the campaign as a BMF Ambassador, please contact June Upton at june.upton@bmf.org.uk More than 1,000 has been raised for a Burnham-On-Sea charity by customers at a supermarket in the town. Over the past week, Tesco in Ben Travers Way has held a raffle in aid of BARB Search & Rescue, which operates Burnhams life-saving rescue hovercrafts and inshore rescue boats. The stores Mandi Bloska said: To support our Brand Guarantee awareness week, money has been raised for BARB with a raffle for a super hamper and other prizes. There has been a great deal of support for this wonderful local charity and we thank everyone who has helped us raise a superb total of 1,002.63. A BARB spokesman said: We are very grateful to all the customers and staff at Tesco who have supported BARB over the past week the funds are greatly appreciated. All money raised for BARB is put to use locally, helping us maintain our equipment and train our volunteer crewmembers. Pictured: Tesco staff with raffle winner Sue Harrison, runner-up Danielle Harvey and BARB crewmembers at this weeks presentation YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. On February 10, Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia Karen Chshmaritian met with the Executive Secretary of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Dr. Shamshad Akhtar and the delegation led by her at the Ministry of Economy. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Ministry of Economy, greeting Shamshad Akhtar and the members of the delegation, Karen Chshmaritian stated that Armenia keeps close eye on all the UN initiatives and new approaches, mentioning that our country takes measures to comply with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the global community in 2015. As a response Dr. Shamshad Akhtar mentioned that her decision to visit Armenia is conditioned by the desire to assist landlocked countries. During the meeting the main goals of the visit of the UN delegation to Armenia were discussed, particularly, issues referring to the upcoming regional intergovernmental meetings, Armenias participation in the next session of the Commission scheduled on May 15-19, 2016 in Bangkok, as well as implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and priorities defined by Armenia. Dr. Akhtar mentioned that the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific creates a platform for the heads of the regional states to discuss regional issues. In this context, it was mutually highlighted the role of intergovernmental commissions set for the discussion of development issues. The Minister also detailed on the Sustainable economic development strategy of Armenia. The path of innovative progress, document, developed by the Ministry of Economy. At the end of the meeting Dr. Shamshad Akhtar thanked the Minister of Economy for substantial conversation and useful comments. Russia's top oil producer Rosneft is still carrying out due-diligence to buy a stake in Essar Oil Ltd, the Indian group which runs India's second biggest private sector refinery said on Tuesday. Rosneft signed a preliminary deal in July last year to acquire up to 49 per cent in Essar Oil, controlled by the Indian billionaire Ruia brothers. "Rosneft is in advanced stage to conclude the due diligence process and it will still take some time before the deal is finally closed," Managing Director L K Gupta said on a media conference call after announcing quarterly results. Gupta ... GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, the maker of brands such as Horlicks and Boost, will step up its focus on new products. Voltaren pain reliever and Otrivin nasal drops, which come from the joint venture with Novartis, will be integrated into the GSK system. In a conversation with Business Standard, GSK Consumer's MD Manoj Kumar said that the integration process would be completed in the next few months, paving the way for the company to begin sales and marketing of the two brands. "Globally, Otrivin and Voltaren are big brands. Their inclusion into the OTC portfolio will be key additions," he says. The integration comes after the sale last year of Novartis's OTC business to GSK Consumer for nearly Rs 110 crore. This followed the divestment of Novartis AGs global OTC business, including all of Novartis AGs major OTC patents, trade-marks and R&D assets to GSK in a three-part transaction. Other parts of the deal included the creation of a global joint venture in consumer healthcare and the sale of GSK's cancer drugs portfolio to Novartis as well as the movement of Novartis's vaccines business to GSK. GSK Consumer, for the record, derives a fee for its sales and marketing activities on OTC and oral healthcare, which is reported as other operating income or auxilliary income by the company in its books. For the quarter ended December 2015, auxilliary income grew 9.11% to Rs 40.7 crore for the company. In the September and June 2015 quarters, auxillary income was higher at Rs 51 crore and Rs 54.7 crore, a growth of 31% and 23.1% respectively over the corresponding periods a year ago. In the last few years, GSK Consumer has increased its presence in OTC and oral care, launching brands such as Sensodyne and Parodontax (in oral care), while brands such as Iodex (in OTC) was relaunched to make it relevant to the consumer. In the past, GSK Consumer had indicated that it was keen to beef up all its portfolios. While Kumar did not indicate which other new products would be added to segments such oral healthcare, he did say that existing brands offered enough room for growth in these categories. Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) has shut down its bottling plant at Kala Dera in Jaipur due to depletion of underground water level and poor conditions of plant machinery. The closure comes after three shutdowns or postponement of expansion activity by HCCB since 2014. HCCB is the Indian subsidiary of Bottling Investment Group of Coca-Cola, which bottles, distributes and sells its products in the country. When contacted, HCCB termed the stalling of operation 'temporary'. However, a petition filed by the company in a civil court at Jaipur clearly states HCCB's inability to run operations owing to lower ground water level and erosion of machinery in the plant. Since the plant is no longer commercially viable and given the various difficulties it is facing in running operations, "there is no possibility of resuming the production", HCCB told the court. "Ground water level at the plant has gone down. Machines at the plant are very old and we are facing continuous difficulty in production," the petition read. The difficulties also led to significant economic loss for HCCB, it added. "Production cost has gone up leading to loss in business." In a statement on Wednesday, the company said: "While we have suspended manufacturing, we are continuing with all other operations at Kala Dera. We also retain the licence to produce at this plant, which is testimony to the fact that should there be a change in demand and volume, we may utilise this latent capacity at the Kala Dera plant." Coca-Cola started operation in the plants in December 1999. HCCB has been under pressure from various groups including India Resource Centre - a body which leads movements against corporate globalisation - and local Kala Dera Sangharsh Samiti for years. Ground-water depletion as a result of using water as raw materials for the plant has been the bone of contention between the company and various bodies. "Our area was already water-scarce. And, Coca-Cola's indiscriminate use of ground water worsened the situation in recent years," Mahesh Yogi of Kala Dera Sangharsh Samiti told Business Standard. "Coca-Cola must also be held accountable for the damages it has caused to the farmers, to the watershed and to the community." On a request from Coca-Cola, The Energy and Resources Institute had conducted a study on the Kala Dera plant in 2009. It recommended Coca-Cola shut down the plant because "the plant's operations in this area would continue to be one of the contributors to a worsening water situation and a source of stress to the communities around". Labour unrest and agitation that followed the shutdown on January 25, 2016 led HCCB to approach the lower civil court at Jaipur for obtaining security for the plant and easy passage of inventories there in. The Kala Dera plant employs 115 permanent employees and 170 contractual workers. "We are going through a process of consolidation where new state-of-the art facilities are being built and existing production capacities are being optimised. These decisions are taken in keeping with the plant capacity utilisation considerations, based on market demands and projections. A plant's capacity also becomes viable or unviable on the basis of the availability of raw materials," the statement by HCCB noted. At a time when the government is pushing the Digital India campaign, and the focus of both content creators and consumers is shifting squarely to the online medium, users in India are not ready to compromise security. In view of this, Google India on Wednesday announced its support to a Safer Internet Day. In its commitment to providing its consumers a safer internet experience, the company rolled out some new features and resources designed to protect users online. From initiatives like simplifying security settings to making trustworthy messages easier to spot in Gmail, Google will be taking several initiatives to drive awareness about online safety among Indian internet users. With an increase in the number of users coming online and a rise in the number of smartphone users in India, we at Google are committed to offering users a safe internet experience. We are adding five million new users a month, and expecting a base of 500 million connected Indians by 2018-2019. Its more important now than ever to ensure the data and profiles of these users are safe online, said Sunita Mohanty, director (trust and safety), Google India. Google Trends shows people in India have become increasingly conscious about their online safety, especially around the security of their online accounts, reports the company. In the past year, there have been 20 per cent more searches for change password and 97 per cent more searches for two-step verification. Also, in the past year, there have been 591 per cent more searches for how to track a lost phone. In its initiative to spread awareness and encourage users to utilise the existing tools to ensure a safer internet experience, Google is offering 2GB of extra Google Drive storage, on completion of the security check-up by February 11. Last year, Google launched some initiatives to spread awareness about safe surfing practices (Web Rangers) and counter cyber threats, in partnership with Consumer Voice. Even as there has been a rush for private equity (PE)-backed initial public offerings (IPOs), these investors do not seem to be in a hurry to fully encash their investments. Be it the ongoing IPO for Sequoia-backed Quick Heal or the recently-concluded offering for ICICI Venture & Gaja Capital-backed Team Lease, the PE investors have chosen to sell a part of their stake. According to VCC Edge, there have been 17 PE-backed IPOs since January last year, of which 14 saw the PE investors offloading a part of their stake and three saw no exits at all. There is no sign of full exit by any PE investor, despite the revival of the IPO market after five years. In 2014 and 2013 there were only two PE-backed IPOs each year in which investors had part exits. But in a market with such a low investor appetite, full exits are hardly an option. It is only when IPO market is robust a PE investors can choose to make full exit. "At times, IPOs just establish a valuation benchmark for PEs. They might part exit with a view to securing a part or whole of their capital, and continue to be part of the future journey of the company," says Sanjeev Krishan, partner and leader, private equity & transaction services at PricewaterhouseCoopers India. Sequoia Capital invested Rs 36 crore in Quick Heal in 2010 and separately bought shares worth Rs 24 crore from promoters of the firm. It currently holds a 10.25 per cent stake in the company with an investment of Rs 60 crore. It is now selling less than half of its holding in the offering for about Rs 87.8 crore, indicating a return of three time in over five years. The fund has used the IPO as an opportunity to secure its capital, make a small profit out of it and at the same time ensure that it continues with the company's growth journey. Same is the case with the IPO of Team Lease where ICICI Venture and Gaja Capital have sold a part of their stake. The revival of IPOs has also given the an opportunity to raise capital from the public market at a better valuation than what the private market would offer. VCC Edge said the IPOs of Syngene International, Coffee Day Enterprises as well as Adlabs Imagica were not really to give PE investors an exit opportunity. Mid-market buyout specialist India Value Fund Advisors (IVFA) picked up a 10 per cent stake in Syngene from its parent Biocon in September 2014. IVFA bought the stake soon after Biocon provided exit to GE Capital by buying out its 7.7 per cent stake for Rs 215 crore, giving it a return of 100 per cent on its 2012 investment. Within a year, Biocon chose the IPO route to raise further capital through diluting its holding in its subsidiary. IPO EXITS IN 2015 Investee names Sellers Stake Exit value Retained sold (%) ($ mn) stake (%) Narayana Hrudayalaya JPMorgan Partners 6 46.21 4.67 PineBridge Capital Partners 4 30.81 6.98 Dr Lal PathLabs Westbridge Crossover Fund 1.79 13.51 12.88 TA Associates Advisory 7.12 48.52 9.21 Sadbhav Infrastructure Project Norwest Venture Partners 1.37 7.85 6.88 Xander Advisors India 2.3 13.1 5.97 Prabhat Dairy India Agri Business 6.73 12.02 7.63 Pennar Engineered Building Systems Zephyr Peacock India Fund III 6.73 16.09 15.62 S H Kelkar and Company Blackstone Advisors India 9.15 38.16 23.92 UFO Moviez India Providence Equity Partners LLC 11.2 28.37 10.29 3i Group Plc 15.45 39.13 20.28 VRL Logistics New Silk Route PE Asia Fund LP 15.95 46.66 5.16 Power Mech Projects India Business Excellence Fund-I 14.47 20.84 1.28 Shree Pushkar Chemical & Fertilizer India Enterprise Development Fund 1.32 6.71 2.13 Source: VCCedge"PE-backed IPOs have not necessarily been the case for investors' exits," says Vishal Nevatia, managing partner, India Value Fund. " prefer raising funds from PEs when they are evolving. But, they like to tap the public market once they mature, as it offers equity at a cheaper valuation," he says. Adlabs Imagica went public to raise cheap equity than to provide exit to its PE investor ICICI Venture, which had invested less than two years ago. But, there are also PE investors such as New Silk Route, which chose not to exit despite being invested for over five years in Coffee Day Enterprise. The company tapped the public market to raise additional capital to fund its growth. "There have been a combination of facts at play. In the last nine months, barring the sharp volatility experienced since Jan 2016, the sentiment in the primary capital markets improved significantly and became a very attractive option for companies," says Vikram Hosangady, head of deal advisory and national leader private equity at KPMG India. "Having said that, should the current volatility continue for a few more weeks, the sentiment in the primary markets may deteriorate and secondary sales between PE funds maybe a more preferred option," he says. It seems to have become a trend amongst Indian IT to set lofty goals. First Vishal Sikka of Infosys set the target for his company at $20 billion revenue by 2020 with margins of 30 per cent. Then, Abidali Neemuchwala, who took over as the CEO of Wipro, Infosys's cross-town rival, on February 1, announced that he wants to double revenue in four years to $15 billion with margins of 23 per cent. This means Wipro will have to grow its topline an average of 23 per cent every year from $7.08 billion in 2014-15. This year, the firm is expected to earn $7.5 billion in a technology services market that is witnessing turmoil as clients in the United States and Europe cut spends due to business uncertainty. "Amidst macro-economic headwinds and the secular shift of organisations moving toward the as-a-service economy, Wipro's targets are certainly ambitious," says Tom Reuner, managing director for IT outsourcing research at HfS. "The market is growing significantly less than the guidance by Nasscom." The industry lobby group expects the $108 billion industry to grow 10-12 per cent in 2016-17, slower than the current financial year. A lot of ground to cover For Wipro, the task of doubling revenue becomes harder if you look at its track record over the last five years. The Bengaluru-based company has lagged behind peers such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and Cognizant, the US-based IT services firm that follows the business model of India-based firms. The banking, financial services and insurance vertical, a high growth segment for Indian outsourcers, contributes 26.2 per cent to Wipro's total revenue, compared to 33.5 per cent for Infosys and 40.5 per cent for both TCS and Cognizant. However, as Cognizant announced recently, there are headwinds in this sector too. Neemuchwala has his task cut out and he is aware of it. "The biggest challenge is to rally people. Everybody has to have the same sense of purpose of what we're trying to do. The biggest struggles are in the human mind," he said in a recent interview. "I don't want to underestimate that, it's 160,000 people in 90 different countries. Second is we have a huge legacy, we're a 45-year-old company, so we have habits that are 45 years old." Bringing fresh energy It was in 2014 that both Infosys and Wipro looked outside the company to hunt for a CEO. Infosys picked Sikka, a former board member of German business software firm SAP AG, to run the company. Wipro got Neemuchwala, who was heading the back office arm of larger rival TCS as its chief operating officer, even as it explored hiring other candidates from the industry. The clincher was his track record of execution. "Neemuchwala brought a very different DNA (to Wipro). He is unassuming and has a track record of strong execution. What we need in the future is not strategy. I think the phase for strategy is done. What we need is execution," TK Kurien, who has been elevated as the vice-chairman of Wipro, said in a recent interview. His mandate is to mentor Neemuchwala while handling the key customers globally over the coming year. Neemuchwala is credited with building the back office arm at TCS, where the emphasis is on long term relations and customer service, while improving efficiency in delivery of services. He made this point to Wiproites on February 1, outlining his ambitious growth plans, saying it was grounded in reality. "I have no doubt that we must begin to think like a start-up - where there is nothing from the past that is so sacred that it can't be questioned - and create a workforce that is a melting pot of diverse ideas. Plurality of ideas amid commonality of purpose is important," he said in an internal mail. This, analysts say, is Neemuchwala's signal to the world that he is ready to go the extra mile to achieve his goal. Like Sikka, Neemuchwala is betting on areas such as artificial intelligence to drive growth faster without adding any headcount. In addition, he is also pushing the product engineering services unit that help organisations build products, to push Wipro earn higher margins than traditional services. "If Wipro is able to both be an industry consolidator and master the new business models then it has a fighting chance to meet at least the growth goals. Having said that, a business as usual strategy in which Wipro attempts to grow faster through its existing strategies seems unlikely to get it anywhere close to these targets," says Peter Bendor Samuel, founder and chief executive of Everest Group, the global outsourcing services industry researcher. "It will be interesting to see if Neemuchwala is given the tools to go after these aggressive goals." Reuner of HfS seconds this. "One facet is that the guidance can be a conduit for change management. Investments in its Holmes platform and the recent acquisition of Viteos are indicators that the company is cognizant of the challenges ahead," he says. "But these and all other capabilities have to be sold. Given the challenging market environment, the necessity to transform the sales engine becomes even more critical." If Neemuchwala can meet the ambitious target, he will have achieved a turnaround like none other. Hyderabad-based infrastructure company IVRCL has reported net loss of Rs 303.85 crore for the quarter ended December, 2015, a 76.98 per cent rise compared with a net loss of Rs 171.68 crore in the corresponding quarter previous year. The expenditure continued to outstrip the revenues on top of finance costs contributing to these losses. For the quarter under review the company's total income stood at Rs 448.12 crore, a 30.5 per cent decline over Rs 644.87 crore revenue in the corresponding previous quarter. It may be recalled that the strategic debt restructuring (SDR) was invoked by the joint lenders forum during this quarter. On a sequential basis,the net loss in this quarter was marginally down compared with a net loss of Rs 305.46 crore in the quarter ended September, 2015. This was despite a 30 per cent decline in the top-line compared with Rs 641 crore revenues in the September quarter. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan received the Executive Secretary of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Dr. Shamshad Akhtar on February 10. As Armenpress was informed from the Department of Public Relations and Mass Media of Republic of Armenia Presidents Office, the interlocutors discussed issues referring to cooperation between Armenia and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. The President of the Republic hailed the activities of the Commission and expressed readiness to develop partnership with that establishment. Mentioning that at present Asia and the Pacific region faces serious challenges, which significantly hampers economic development, Serzh Sargsyan highlighted active efforts of the international community for setting an all-inclusive agenda, elaborating relevant program which will be capable of responding and withstanding those challenges. The Armenian President assured that Armenia is ready to have its modest contribution in that task greatly highlighted partnership with the Commission as a goof platform for discussions. Shamshad Akhtar, sharing the assessment of the President of Armenia over the regional realities, stated that she is optimistic towards the future and is grateful for Armenias readiness to cooperate. She introduced the plans of the Commission for ensuring sustainable growth in the region. Regional integration processes and cooperation development were mutually highlighted by the parties at the meeting. A reference was also made to the issues of landlocked countries and the projects being implemented by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in that context. Coastal Projects is a Hyderabad-based infrastructure company that rose to the status of a national player within a short span of time, but failed to deliver returns to its investors, including marquee private equity (PE) firms. Between 2007-08 and 2011-12, the company grew from Rs 422 crore to Rs 2,408 crore, backed by investments by the Indian government in the infrastructure sector. Coastal Projects carved a niche for itself using its expertise in underground excavation required for irrigation, power, hydroelectric and Metro rail projects. It was this strength that encouraged many PE firms to invest in the company. Since the promoters, led by its chairman and managing director S Surender, were good at networking with governments, contracts kept coming in its way. The companys current order book is to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore. Spotting the opportunity early on, private equity firms led by Fidelity, Sequoia Capital and Deutsche Bank came in with a first round of funding in 2008. The second round happened in 2012 from other investors including Baring Private Equity Asia investment. All this happened when the company was doing quite well. This can be seen from the list of investors as well, including IDFC, L&T Infrastructure Finance, Multiconsult Trust, among others. The promoters hold 43 per cent stake in the company. The problems for the firm started in 2010 when a large tunnel boring machine (TBM) got stuck in an irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh. The promoters and their funding partners looked at it as a freak accident and continued to pursue more projects by leveraging debt. In 2014-15, the company stated: There has been a significant decline of 39.2 per cent in the revenue from operations of the company from Rs 2,220 crore for FY15 as in CDR (corporate debt restructuring) projections to Rs 1,3,49 crore in FY15 being the actual turnover. This reduction was mainly due to the delay in execution of some of the projects for want of various government/ environmental clearances, geological conditions, technical problems in TBMs, delays in getting approvals from clients for change of scope of works and other related issues. Further, award of new orders got affected due to sluggish growth in infrastructure sector. On March 29, 2014 the companys fund and non-fund based facilities amounting to Rs 4,435 crore were restructured under CDR. The deterioration in the firms financial health continued as revenues started falling from Rs 2,365 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 1,349 crore in 2014-15, while the firms total indebtedness rose to Rs 4,224 crore. As revenues fell, the net loss widened to Rs 446 crore in 2014-15 from a net loss of Rs 273 crore in the previous year. As the companys downhill journey hastened, the lenders decided to invoke strategic debt restructuring (SDR) and fixed July 27, 2015 as reference date. Total debt exposure further rose to Rs 5,809 crore by the time the lenders approved SDR. Banks with major loan exposure to the company include SBI (Rs 708 crore), State Bank of Hyderabad (Rs 417 crore), Axis Bank (Rs 520 crore), Punjab National Bank (Rs 605 crore), and ICICI Bank (Rs 680 crore). The banks are in the process of converting a portion of their loans into equity using the RBIs SDR scheme as they still got one years time to look for a new buyer taking the present management on board. Will the new buyer, if any, help turn the company around? One of the primary stated objectives of the SDR scheme is to try and revive the asset by removing operational/managerial inefficiencies. This was not the case in the CDR scheme and, hence, the SDR scheme specifically envisages bringing in a new promoter. Due to the prevailing macro-economic factors, it can be argued a new management would also not be able to bring a desirable turn around. However, if there is even a marginal increase in the market capitalisation of the company, the lenders would have some possibility of recovering some portion of their debt, which would not be the case otherwise, said Nishant Beniwal, counsel, Khaitan & Co. A couple of banks, when contacted, did not comment on the prospects of a turnaround for the company. E-mails sent to the promoters did not elicit any response. The delay in implementing the SDR itself might not work negatively. To bring a turnaround, additional funds are required, which the lenders would not be willing to put in. In that case, the likelihood of a turnaround would diminish further. Therefore, lenders might tend to look for a new promoter at the earliest, says Nishant. According to the analysts, given the prevailing macroeconomic factors, the recovery potential of infrastructure with huge debts is low. Infrastructure as a sector requires huge capital in the initial years that can only come from debt or equity. In the case of heavily debt-laden companies, there is no possibility of more debt and promoters would not want to infuse more equity till they are certain of cash flows. Thus, recovery would be on a slow path. The silver lining is that infrastructure demand will continue to rise and if projects are built on sound principles, there will always be offtakers/users, adds Nishant. Despite the slowdown in the export market and subdued domestic demand, diversified group Raymond is ramping up its cotton fabric manufacturing capacity. A senior company official said that in the next three years, the company will increase its manufacturing capacity to 46 million metres annually from the current 21 million, through a new plant at Amravati and its existing plant at Kolhapur. The company is investing Rs 450 crore in a new textile unit at Nandgaon Peth in Amravati district in Vidarbha. The plant will have an annual capacity of 20 million metres of cotton fabric. "With the new plant at Amravati, we will ramp up our production capacity up to 46 million metres in the next three years. Our Kolhapur facility is looking to scale up its overall production to 26 million metres by 2018. We are upgrading our technology and machines at the Kolhapur plant," said S K Gupta, president (shirting business) and group CEO (UCO Denim), at Raymond. For the Amravati plant, the company has been allocated 500 acres by the Maharashtra government. The Maharashtra state government has decided to set up textile parks in the cotton belt of Vidarbha, as well as in Marathwada and north Maharashtra through state Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). Similarly, the state government has allocated 102 hectares of land collectively to Shyam Indofab Ltd, VHM Industries, Suryalaxmi Cotton Mills and Siyaram Silk Mill where a total investment to the tune of Rs 1500 crore is expected. These units will employ about 5,200 people. Raymonds 55-acre Kolhapur plant currently manufactures cotton and linen shirting fabric with a production capacity of about 21 million metres, which will be increased to 26 million by 2018. Raymond exports 15% of its total production to markets like Australia, North America, Brazil, Europe and the Middle East. It has a market share of 60% in cotton fabric manufacturing. "Given the industry benchmark of producing 93-94 per cent fresh fabric in the country, this is the only plant to produce 97 per cent fresh fabric without any rejection that sets it apart from the competition and also results in huge cost saving for the company," Gupta said. The Kolhapur facility currently employs more than 800 people and secures 20% of its overall orders from exports. Last month, Raymond reported a 28.46% decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 40.11 crore for the third quarter ending December 2015, down from Rs 56.07 crore during the same period in the previous financial year. However, Raymond's total consolidated income from operations during the quarter increased 7.36% to Rs 1,484.40 crore as against Rs 1,382.58 crore in October-December 2015. Raymond is raising up to Rs 100 crore through issuance of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on private placement basis. However, the company did not indicate end use of fund it plans to raise. Rocket Internet was founded in Berlin by brothers Oliver, Alexander and Marc Samwer. Chief Executive Oliver and his brothers are serial internet entrepreneurs who became Germany's newest billionaires with the flotations of Rocket Internet and the European online fashion site Zalando it helped launch in 2008. When it listed in 2014, it was touted to be Europe's Amazon, but since then, the stock has lost half its value as investors became anxious if the range of e-commerce, online market place and financial services start-ups it has invested in will ever make money. Plans to float its big investments - HelloFresh, Delivery Hero and Westwing - hit a wall. Samwer assured investors last September that operating losses at his ''proven winners'' (it shares data only for them) would peak in 2015, three would break even within two years, and one would go public in two years. Last month, it raised $450 mn for an investment fund to support its businesses. Investors see this as an attempt by Rocket to shore up its value, but Rocket's market capitalisation is around 3 billion, less than half the amount it says its companies are worth - it claimed a last portfolio value of 7.2 billion as on November 30, 2015. That's an irony Rocket investors have to live with. Switzerland-based specialty pharmaceuticals group Ferring Pharma is planning to set up a manufacturing plant in the upcoming Pharma City located near Hyderabad. "We plan to develop fully integrated facilities here including R&D, commercial and manufacturing units. We already have 11 such facilities around the world including Europe, US, China, West America and Middle East," Michel Pettigrew, president and COO of Ferring Pharmaceuticals said. While the company refused to give a number to the investments at this stage, the government sources indicated that it could be anywhere from $100- $250 million. The company already has two manufacturing facilities in Maharashtra. "The facility at Karakapatla (Pharma City), we just inaugurated the site yesterday, will be of a capacity of several hundred people... The facility in Hyderabad will include pharmaceutical activities and development of molecules and drugs differently, Pettigrew said while adding that the company will be investing about $ 25 million for the first phase and hoping to start the second phase with the labs in 2017. On Tuesday, the company chairman and managing director Frederik Paulsen and India head, Ashok Alate met with chief minister K Chandrasekhara Rao. No toxic chemicals would be used in their units and the products they work on would be the safest drugs and are useful as lifesaving medicines in super speciality hospitals, they informed the chief minister. The company has made a formal announcement on Wednesday at BioAsia, the biotechnology and life-sciences forum event here. Addressing a press conference along with Ferring Pharma COO, the state industries minister Jupally Krishna Rao said close to Rs 1,000 crore worth of MoUs were signed with various biotech during the three day event. Westlife Development Limited (WDL), the parent company of fast food multinational McDonald's west and south India franchisees, Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited (HRPL), has embarked on a Rs 750-crore expansion plan aimed at doubling the number of McDonald's restaurants from the present 230, in the next five to six years. "The expansion, which includes reimaging of outlets and opening in-store McCafes, will be funded through internal resources. WDL currently has Rs 160 crore in cash and cash equivalents on its books, besides healthier cash inflows from its business. We don't anticipate any external capital at least in the foreseeable future," WDL vice-chairman, Amit Jatia, told mediapersons on Wednesday. HRPL, which merged with its parent in July 2013, serves around 180 million customers every year. It has invested close to Rs 1,000 crore in building the McDonald's outlet network across 29 cities in the western and southern states over the last 20 years. WDL has reported revenues of Rs 760 crore in the 2014-15 financial year, and expects Rs 850 crore in revenues in the current financial year. According to Jatia, the western fast food market in India is currently pegged at $1 billion and McDonald's expects this to grow four-fold in the next one decade. Stating that HRPL has recently partnered online food-ordering platform Foodpanda for delivery services in west and south India, Jatia said that food orders through their online portal and mobile app comprised a little over 40 per cent of HRPL's total deliver business. Westlife Development's scrip ended the trade at Rs 223.60 on the BSE on Wednesday, down 4.69 per cent, over the previous close of Rs 234.60 per share. Every time the media runs a story questioning Foodpanda India's future, Saurabh Kochar, the chief executive of the global food-ordering and delivery platform, would say "all is well" with the company. Last year, when its operations came under a cloud, he said the company had strengthened processes and the team; however, the firm ended the year by laying off 300 people. Last week, Kochar was quick to scotch reports that Rocket Internet was planning to sell Foodpanda India. It's not just Foodpanda, which is in the news. Rocket Internet, the German internet firm backed by Samwer Brothers, has struggled with all its India investments - Jabong, Fab Furnish and Print Venue - and it has put almost all of them on the block, confirmed a source close to Rocket. The German firm, though, did not respond an mail seeking confirmation of the same. Why has Rocket struggled in India with its ventures? "Rocket has an investment horizon of four-six years, but India played out differently in terms of competition or investment coming in. It was outplayed by other players," said a person who has worked closely with Rocket Internet in India. Unlike other markets, Rocket has realised it would take 10 years for these companies to be profitable. While Rocket is able to raise enough funds for its ventures in most markets, in India, the competition has managed to raise more money, say observers. Besides, Rocket was not able to retain top leadership in these companies: Jabong, Foodpanda or Fab Furnish. In nearly 85 per cent of the cases, the founders left on their own, while in some cases they were replaced by the investor, say insiders. "There was so much uncertainty. There was no consistency in their philosophy, and they kept changing their strategy. Besides, there was little incentive for the leadership team as they could not encash their stock options," said a former CEO with one of the Rocket Internet companies in India. In August 2015, FabFurnish founders Vikram Chopra and Mehul Agrawal stepped down from executive roles before being replaced. The third co-founder, Vaibhav Aggarwal, had quit in March 2014. In August 2015, Foodpanda founder Rohit Chadda stepped down after its operations came under a cloud over governance issues and Rocket brought in Kochar from group firm Printvenue. Unlike other start-ups where founders own a significant stake, the founders and the top team in Rocket firms have 10 per cent, with Rocket possessing the rest. "It is very hard (and rare) to replicate founder passion and conviction, which plays a crucial role in the success of building a start-up," says Tarun Davda, managing director at venture capital (VC) firm Matrix Partners. "Rocket did not hire talent who had built businesses of scale before. The professional versus founder-entrepreneur divide showed up - and was even more marked in a tough operating environment. Employees with low stake in businesses can behave very differently from 'owners', said a VC. Rocket Internet is an internet platform that identifies and builds proven internet business models and transfers them to new, under-served or untapped markets where it seeks to scale them into market-leading online firms. "Rocket's model is of aggressively buying market share by discounting. This model worked in some markets because the competition there does not do discounting. Here in India, all competitors were also discounting, and heavily," says Anand Lunia, founder & partner at VC firm India Quotient. For example, TinyOwl and Swiggy outbid Foodpanda in terms of discounts in India. So did Jabong. Therefore, grabbing market share was not easy for Rocket in India. "They are a clone-factory that believes that pure execution wins over differentiation. They have a mercenary approach to building clones, and they make no bones about it. They've had some success in cloning US internet businesses in European and Latin markets, but India is quickly becoming a graveyard for them," Haresh Chawla, partner, India Value Fund. Investors say Rocket applied a standard template without paying attention to depth/ economics of the Indian market. "In some businesses, it seems like it got the aggressive managers it wanted, but that was topped with lack of controls, governance which allowed employees to take them for a ride. The hurry to build valuation and sell out to strategic investors quickly drove the decision-making and we'll see that will be the bane of many VCs and businesses," says an observer. Another reason for their failure in India is of wrong managers. But, most multi-national firms in India face this issue - smooth-talking executives always swindle them, say VCs. Trouble mounted for R K Pachauri, in a legal battle over sexual harassment allegations, when another woman, a former employee of Teri, on Wednesday made similar allegations while demands were made for putting on hold his fresh appointment as Teri's executive vice-chairman. The woman, to whom he had allegedly made sexual advances more than 10 years ago, slammed Teri for appointing him to a higher position two days ago. Her lawyer Vrinda Grover said they had complained in February last year to police, which, according to her, has not done anything till date, forcing her to come out in public with the charges. "Pachauri would use the excuse of work assignments to repeatedly call me to his office room, even though there was no real work that he needed to discuss. "This made me feel very uncomfortable and I used to try to dodge some meetings or ask my colleagues to go for the meetings", the woman said during a telephonic interview with NDTV. When contacted, Pachauri's lawyer Ashish Dixit said he has not seen the second complaint and he cannot comment. Pachauri is already facing a case in Delhi High Court filed by another former TERI employee of sexual harassment. Slamming Pachauri's appointment, the second complainant said, "India's pathetic record on crime against women has touched an abyss. R K Pachauri, a serial sexual harasser, who should have been punished by now, has actually been rewarded with a new and higher position!" Grover also asserted that the woman wanted to appear as "material evidence" in the on-going case against Pachauri to show his "character and conduct" with female employees. The complaint, which originally made in February last year was circulated again today, alleged that "Soon after I joined TERI and began interacting with Pachauri, he had renamed me with a sexually suggestive nickname 'xxxx'. A Kashmiri artist on Tuesday accused Facebook of bringing down a cartoon which marked the third death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's hanging. Guru, hailing from Kashmir's Baramullah district, was hanged in Delhi's Tihar jail in 2013 for his role in the infamous attack on Parliament in 2001. The cartoon in question was first published in the Rising Kashmir. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Mir Suhail Qadiri, the artist involved, said the cartoon was "deleted from Facebook on Tuesday morning. Responding to allegations a Facebook spokeperson told HT, "We remove any comments - posted by anyone - that praise or support terrorist groups or their actions." The artist who posts his cartoons on a FB page titled 'Mir Suhail' said that he found a message from Facebook reading, "We removed something you posted" along with an image of his post containing the cartoon. He also informed that Facebook has blocked him from posting cartoons on his page. However, support poured in from all directions for Qadiri on Tuesday after his fan page, which has as many 32,000 followers, was temporarily blocked, A lamenting Qadiri told Hindustan Times, "The incident shows how fragile freedom of expression is in India. I know that in a community many people dont like my cartoons, but things getting deleted is just not acceptable." The recent allegations came at a time when seperatist groups called for a shutdown in the Kashmir Valley to mark the death anniversary of Guru. Ever since Guru's execution, his family and other seperatist organisations have been asking for his mortal remains, which are still kept in Delhi's Tihar jail. The cartoon basically showcases how emotionally Kashmiris are connected with the hanging of Afzal Guru. The roots of the trees represent veins. And its not my opinion. See how Kashmir was todaya complete shutdown on the occasion of anniversary of Gurus hanging, Qadiri remarked. Guru's hanging has always been an emotional issue in the valley, where he is still hailed as a hero, a martyr. This is not the first time that Facebook has been accused of muzzling artistic freedom. Earlier too, Facebook had faced a lot of flak for removing graphic artist and designer Orijit Sen's work titled 'Punjaban', claiming that it contained nudity. Distya Akula is the first Indian Suezmax tanker to load 130,000 mt of Iranian crude for Litasco, the trading arm of Russia's Lukoil three weeks after the removal of sanctions against Iran. Distya Akula, Sanskrit for Fortune Transcendental, has a deadweight tonnage of 150,000 tonnes. In partnership with Arya Industries (fronted by Shri Pawan Arya and Shri Puneet Arya) Gauri Ships - which is part of the Elektrans Group - co-owns and operates Distya Akula, Suezmax crude oil tanker. With a crew complement of 24, she is flying the Indian flag. Built by Mitsui Ichihara Engineering and Shipbuilding, Ichihara, Japan, Distya Akula, previously known as Front Glory, is 269 meters long drawing a draft of 17 meters. She has the capacity of carrying a full load of about 149,000 metric tons of oil cargoes equivalent to about 6,000 oil carrying road trucks of standard size. Distya Akula replaces the Eurospirit which was first to be booked by Litasco on January 26, 2016. The loading of the crude is scheduled to take place from 5 to 11 February, 2016. Previously Distya Akula was in the Persian Gulf heading towards Al Basrah on January 31st, 2016. Post loading, the vessel will travel from Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf to Constanta on the Black Sea. The next Suezmax loading out of Kharg Island will supposedly be a vessel chartered by a Spanish refiner, Cepsa, according to media reports. Cepsa is said to be set to use the Suezmax tanker the Monte Toledo to lift 130,000 mt of crude from Kharg Island to Spain. Distya Akula is a recent iconic addition to the fleet of vessels apart from Distya Pushti: DWT, 32,000 MT Handysize Tanker and Nushi Nalini: DWT, 17,000 MT SS Chemical Tanker. Daniel Chopra, Chairman and Managing Director, Elektrans Group, said: We have always been at the forefront of innovation. Distya Akulas assignment as the first Suezmax tanker to lift Iranian oil in the wake of the removal of sanctions against Iran, is indicative of our ambition to embark as a global leader. Our goal is consistently strive to gain global recognition for our company and cater to every requirement of our clients. Puneet Arya, Joint Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Arya industries said, "The accomplishment is symbolic of our robust foothold and connects that range across the globe. In an endeavor to explore unforeseen avenues, we consistently innovate to enhance the services rendered to our clients. We are ambitious of anticipating and furnishing the requirements of our clients that are impacted by the highly dynamic industry." The US government has deleted the name of late Indian businessman Iqbal Memon (aka Iqbal Mirchi) from the sanctions list, said a release. Memon's sons, Asif and Junaid, now based in Dubai, said their late father had petitioned to the US authorities when they designated him as a "kingpin" in drug-related offences. "At last the truth has come out," they said in the press release. The US Department of Treasury had on Wednesday said their Office of Foreign Assets Control lifted sanctions against the late businessman, the statement said. Mr Erich C Ferrari of Washington, DC law firm Ferrari & Associates, said: "I am very pleased with Mr Memon's removal from the OFAC SDN List. As the lawyer who investigated this matter for nearly six years, I can say confidently that there was no legitimate, credible evidence that Mr Memon was ever involved in any wrong-doing. If it were not for the false reports and accusations spread by members of the media, he would not have had to live with the stigma of the designation in the first place. I am happy that at the end of the day, the truth prevailed, and the US government made the right choice to rescind the designation." Asif and Junaid, Indian-born businessmen, had alleged last year they were the subject of false and politically motivated stories due to some family disputes. They have now welcomed the dramatic reduction in "media noise" in the Indian press. The brothers said they were outraged that law enforcement agencies, apparently encouraged by certain sections of their family, were feeding irresponsible stories to the media alleging that they were part of a massive property and money-laundering operation for gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Asif and Junaid said government departments were being misled to harass the brothers. These allegations claimed that Asif and Junaid were continuing the work of their late father, who had allegedly laundered money for Dawood. Some articles also said the late Memon was involved in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, a case in which he was exonerated, said the release. The brothers had denied having met Dawood or holding property on his behalf. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. National Assembly Vice President, RPA spokesperson Eduard Sharmazanov did not comment on the rumors of the dismissal of the Minister of Education and Science of Armenia Armen Ashotyan. After the RPA Executive Body session Sharmazanov mentioned that Armen Ashotyan has already been interviewed and told everything, and he has nothing to add. I can only say that our party colleagues will continue their activities: some of them will work in some spheres, others will engage in party activities, Armenpress reports, Sharmazanov stated. To the question if he rules out the possibility of Ashotyans dismissal, Sharmazanov answered, If Ashotyan has not ruled out, why should I do that? In answer to the remark of the journalists that Armen Ashotyan had told the journalists before the session that Eduard Sharmazanov will answer their questions, RPA spokesperson answered, I highly appreciate Armen Ahotyan for giving me assignments, but the president of the party is the only one who gives me assignments. I can tell you that we have preliminary agreement. I have already told you that a preliminary agreement is not a final agreement. In a bid to address domestic shortages, Indian companies should consider investing in Africa for production of pulses and oilseeds, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said today. India is dependent on import of pulses and edible oils due to a huge supply-demand gap. It imports 4-5 million tonnes (MT) of pulses and 13-14 MT of edible oils annually. "Can we think of a dispensation where Indian companies can consider investing in Africa for growing pulses and oilseeds, which are in short supply in India. Similarly, African businesses can think of engaging mutually beneficial collaborators in India," Singh said at India-Africa Agribusiness Forum organised by industry body Ficci. India attaches great importance to private sector participation in agriculture and agri-business. There is an impressive presence of private sector, including large business groups in food processing, logistics, supply chains including cold chains, he said. "I am happy to note that recently our government has taken a decision to set up a food processing cluster in Africa. I am also aware that some of the Indian companies have invested in agriculture in Africa and many are looking forward to doing so," he added. His African counterparts, especially from Zambia, Botswana and Seychelles, evinced interest to collaborate with Indian companies in various areas of agriculture sector. "We are willing to offer 10,000-15,000 hectare on lease for 99 years. We have 75 million hectare of land, of which 58 per cent is areable. Of total areable land, only 11 per cent is used, and the rest is available for investment," Zambia Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda said. There are challenges in Zambia but they provide opportunity for solution to global food security, he added. Echoing similar views, Botswana Agriculture Minister Patrick Ralotsia said: "Currently, entire South Africa is engulfed in drought. Africa need not reinvent the wheel. We can learn from India and address the issues of food security." "We need to collaborate to achieve the common objective of food security. If we collaborate with India, we will benefit," he said. Seeking partnership with Indian companies, Seychelles Agriculture Minister Wallace Cosgrow said, "We count on India on all private sector investment. Come to Seychelles to see invest opportunities in agriculture sector." India imports pulses from African countries, like Malawi and Mozambique. There is a huge potential to invest in Malawi, where almost 50 per cent of pulses area remains unused due to lack of irrigation, lack of seeds and technology and poverty. Malawi is growing pulses in 3.5 lakh hectare, while it has 6 lakh hectare that can be used for pulses cultivation. Investing in Africa can help India address shortage of pulses and edible oils, a Malawi trader said. India's pulses shortage had widened last year due to shortfall in domestic output because of drought. The supply is expected to remain tight this year as well due to back-to-back drought and the government is taking measures to boost supplies through imports and creating buffer stock. Already, the government has procured 20,000 tonnes of pulses directly from farmers for buffer stock purpose. It has also floated two import tenders for 10,000 tonnes of tur dal. Amid the Centres strong pitch for the implementation of Make In India, Digital India and Smart City projects, the United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews called upon the government to improve companies access to private capital, including through further development of India's capital markets and improvements to the framework for public-private partnerships. He also suggested that the Kelkar committee report be implemented as US companies and investors from around the world need markets with clear public-private partnership structures, predictable regulatory environments, and strong intellectual property protections. Speaking at the interactive session on Smart Cities with various stake holders, Andrews said the two-way trade has tripled in the past decade. American exports to India reached $37.2 billion in 2014, while imports totalled $65.7 billion. His message to the government was to do everything it can to make the market the most attractive investment destination. Put simply: in the fight for capital, you need to make it easier to do business if youre going to compete with other markets markets without local content requirements or with easier financing structures, for example, he added. According to Andrews, there are great companies offering technology or services to make cities smarter but they cost money. He noted billions of dollars were waiting to be invested in climate-friendly solutions. Attracting this money is a competition. The question is whether India can beat the rest of the world. Similarly, US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) director Lee Zak said US investors are here for the long term. There has been discussion at a government-to-government level... The real focus in on business and the platform is provided to address the concerns raised from both the sides. There is also a CEO Forum to talk about issues. According to Zak, the US supports the development Vizag, Allahabad and Ajmer as smart cities. She added USTDA had sponsored around 130 priority projects in India, which led to sustainable development infrastructure. That was possible through the export of US goods, services, technologies amounting to $3 billion, she noted. Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan landed in New Delhi on Wednesday for a three-day state visit. India hopes to seek more investments from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), particularly from the $800-billion sovereign wealth fund of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, during his visit. In a rare shift from protocol, the crown prince and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a "private meeting" on Thursday before bilateral delegation-level talks that are likely to see inking of several agreements. President Pranab Mukherjee will host a private lunch for Al Nahyan on Thursday. Ministry of External Affairs Secretary Anil Wadhwa said he could not recall such a gesture by the President in recent times. The crown prince will also have a working dinner with the prime minister. Al Nahyan is also the country's Deputy Supreme Commander of the armed forces. New Delhi hopes UAE would significantly increase its investments in India. A sharp fall in the price of crude oil has had an impact on the UAE, one of the largest producers of oil. India would like the UAE to invest in its infrastructure sector, including railways, ports and roads. Joint production of defence equipment is another key area where both the countries are working hard. Under the initiative, UAE may invest in manufacturing such equipment in India. The crown prince is accompanied by a 100-member business delegation, including chief executive officers of top companies. Al Nahyan will travel to Mumbai on Friday where he will visit the BSE and interact with select industry leaders before departing. India is keen to extend Line of Credit (LoC) to least developed African countries for joint venture business initiatives in agriculture sector, Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said on Wednesday. While speaking at the India-Africa AgriBusiness Forum organised by the industry body Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (Ficci), she said huge opportunities exist for co-operation in agriculture sector in both India and Africa. "We hope to extend lines of credit to joint venture Agri-business initiatives in Africa to deepen our engagement in the agriculture sector particularly in LDCs (least developed countries) and thereby help to support food security in both our regions," Teaotia said. India currently supports LDCs in trade initiatives through 'Duty Free Tariff Preference' scheme, which came into effect in August 2008. These give them duty-free access to Indias markets. Saying that India provides 98.2% of our tariff lines (products) to LDCs, Teaotia pointed out that of the 34 LDCs in Africa, 21 countries have already begun to avail themselves of the benefits of the scheme and 13 are yet to become beneficiaries. Under the scheme, importing of most products from least developed nations to India attract lower duties. Further, Teaotia said the Department of Commerce runs a Cotton Technical Assistance Programme for cotton growing African nations. "Cotton is certainly an important crop in Africa as it is in India, but in many countries it continues to be exported as raw material without too much of value addition. The programme is an initiative to strengthen the cotton and textile sector in selected countries (of Africa)," she said. She added the programme has helped in capacity building in R&D, improving post-harvest practices and has also led to far greater movement in the value chain and development in the textile and apparel sector. Initially started in four countries -- Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali, it had been extended thereafter to Malawi, Nigeria and Uganada. As agreed in the recent Africa Forum meet in New Delhi, it would be further expanded to Ghana, Togo, Tanzania and Zambia over the next five-year period," she said. The Secretary also identified several areas for collaboration in agri business between Indian and African countries. These include food processing, organic farming, plant tissue culture, entrepreneurship development, capacity building for which the Government of India is expected extend lines of credit to African nations. Telecom expert Sam Pitroda, who has been appointed as the technology advisor for Odisha, will work pro bono for the three years that he has been appointed for. As per the terms of engagement released by the state government. Pitroda will initially be engaged for three years. He has been given the rank and status of a Cabinet minister and will not be paid any remuneration and insurance during that period. He will advise the state government for formulation of strategies and policies to be adopted to achieve the goal of making the state a frontrunner in e-governance and electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM). He will also guide the government for the development of IT/ITes and ESDM sectors in the state. Resources on advocacy to attract national and foreign investment will also be considered by the government. "We have come out with the notification for appointment of Pitroda as the technology advisor He will be instrumental in bringing and domestic and foreign investments in IT and electronics sectors. The state government would arrange all resources and extend cooperation to him," electronics & IT minister Pranab Prakash Das said. Pitroda, who was born in Titlagarh in western Odisha, is credited with having laid the foundation for India's telecommunications and technology revolution in the 1980s. Earlier this year, he was also named to the US' National Academy of Engineers, considered to be one of the highest honours in the profession. He will review the progress achieved in development of IT/ITes and ESDM sectors from time to time, and is expected to play a crucial role in launching a roadmap for telecom, IT and ITes at a time when the Odisha government is preparing a Vision Document 2036 to mark 100 years of formation of the state on linguistic grounds. Pitroda who has earlier served as a Cabinet rank-level advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation, is also past chairman of India's National Knowledge Commission (2005-2009). Appointment of Pitroda may give impetus to the ESDM sector to the state. To promote investments in the emerging ESDM space, the state government has finalized a slew of incentives to be offered to the investors in the sector. Investors putting in more than Rs 200 crore and offering employment potential for more than 500 persons will be entitled to 25% investment subsidy on capital investment subject to a ceiling of Rs 50 crore. Further, if the project is financed by public sector banks, the state government will offer an interest subvention of 5%, among other benefits. The state is now looking to pull more investors in IT and electronics space. A mega hub for IT & electronics spread over more than 700 acres has been planned at Naraj near Cuttack. The state is also planning an electronics manufacturing cluster (EMC) on 207 acres of land on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. Companies from South India, especially from Tamil Nadu including TVS Group, have offered investment proposals to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore to the Haryana Government, said Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. He was in Chennai for a road show for the state's upcoming Global Investors Summit, which is scheduled to be held on March 7 and 8 at Gurgaon. Talking to reporters on the sidelines he said that officials from 12 leading companies of South India met him and expressed interest in establishing their units in Haryana in the sectors of logistic, manufacturing, food processing, infrastructure, glass industry and education. These companies include Lucas TVS, Gati Limited, Siemens Industry Software Limited, Saint Gobain India, SCHWING Stetter (India) Private Limited and Farm Fresh Banana. "Soon we will unveil anew labour and IT policies to give further boost to industrial sector as well as provide employability to the youth in the State. The new Labour Policy would be more industrial and labour friendly," he added. Emphasis is being laid on strengthening of infrastructure development and connectivity, said the Chief Minister adding that "neither the previous Central Government nor the previous Haryana Government were serious about its completion". "Now the present State Government has again got the work on the project started. The 135 kms long Eastern Peripheral Expressway would cost Rs 7,558 crore," he added. The stretch of 70 kms National Highway No-1 of Mukarba Chowk from Delhi to Panipat would be turned into an eight-lane at a cost of Rs 2,129 crore. The foundation stone of these projects was laid by the Prime Minister in November. The work on Sonepat-Jind railway line is almost complete. "We also have a plan to link Gurgaon with Faridabad," said the Chief Minister, adding that an SPV for mass rapid transport has been formed to make the mass rapid project functional. The Haryana government had set a target to attract around Rs 1 lakh crore during the upcoming Global Investors Summit, to be held on March 7 and 8 in Gurgaon. But, the state has already crossed the number as two big Chinese firms have committed $20 billion in the state. Manohar Lal Khattar, chief minister of Haryana, spoke to T E Narasimhan on the sidelines of the state's roadshow in Chennai on his government's initiatives to improve ease of doing business and other measures. Edited excerpts: How bullish are you on achieving the investment commitment target, considering the subdued global economy situation? We had set a target of Rs 1 lakh crore commitment and 400,000 jobs initially, but with the overwhelming interest both domestically and from outside India, we will surpass it. China's Wanda Group alone has committed around $10 billion (Rs 65,000 crore). Besides, China Fortune Land Development, in which Chinese billionaire Wang Wenxue is a major shareholder, has shown interest to invest a similar amount in the state. Can you name a few? The Suzuki chairman has assured us the company will be investing in expansion of its four-wheeler plant. He is keen on investing in Haryana and has also asked other Japanese companies to invest in the state. Chinese logistics firm TBEA; Shanghai-based textile manufacturer Mitsubishi and a lot of MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) from Japan have also shown interest. What is the status of Wanda Group's project? We are in the final stage of signing a final MoU with them. Around 3,000 acres of land at Kharkhoda district in Haryana, 45 km from Delhi border, has been identified. They will complete the project in two years and develop industrial zones and a theme park. Traditionally, Haryana's focus has been on automobile, information technology, textiles, footwear and agro-based industries. Which are the new sectors you want to showcase? Today, Haryana produces 50 per cent of the passenger vehicles and 60 per cent of the motorcycles sold in the country. We are the third-largest software exporter, fourth-largest cotton producer, and second-largest leather producer. While the state is the second-largest contributor of foodgrains to India's central pool, we want to see more agro-based industries, especially in rural areas, to create employment. More emphasis will be given to aerospace and defence. We are also keen on having more solar projects; we'll soon come up with a solar policy. The other focus areas will be education, skills development, MSME etc. Ease of doing business is one of the key areas to attract investment. What measures is your government taking on this? Last year, the state was ranked 14 in ease of doing business. Our target is to make it to the top five. We have taken up several measures, including clearing proposals in a month, so that the investors don't have to run from pillar to post. Already, 10,000 acres of land bank has been created. With Budget around the corner, what do you expect from the finance minister? Broadly, issues are common among the states. In a recent meeting, almost all states raised concerns about the reduction in central funds for education and health sectors. We also want the national capital region (NCR) planning board to be strengthened. Fifty-seven per cent of our state is in NCR. We have suggested that NCR Planning Board be made more capable for raising finances to develop infrastructure in the region, which can be equivalent to that in the national capital. Our demand is that state development authorities should be given tax exemption. Public sector (PSBs) might be headed for rating downgrades with many of them reporting net loss in the December 2015 quarter owing to a sharp rise in provisions for bad loans, according to rating agency CRISIL. Issuing credit alert on PSBs, CRISIL said these banks asset quality problems could impair their credit risk profiles. The PSBs earning profile would also deteriorate owing to higher provisioning and these lenders would need more capital than budgeted in the Indradhanush programme. Indradhanush is a capital revamp plan for PSBs, under which Rs 70,000 crore capital would be infused into these over a four-year period. PSBs require significantly higher capitalisation either through government infusion or relaxation of regulatory capital norms, CRISIL said in statement on Wednesday. Credit alert is an opinion on a sharp and specific development. It means that the agency will revert shortly on the impact of the development on the ratings of those affected. Over the past 18 months, CRISIL has either downgraded or revised its outlook to negative on nine out of the 25 PSBs that it rates on the back of expectations of worsening asset quality. Vibha Batra, senior vice-president & co-head of financial sector rating at ICRA, said the quantum of loss reported by some state-owned was large. The capital adequacy is low and profits are thin. The agency would review portfolio of rating (of banks). As much as 85 per cent of the banking systems weak assets are in the books of PSBs. Increasing stress is also visible in the quantum of strategic debt restructuring and 5/25 structuring being carried out by banks, CRISIL said. In May 2015, the rating agency had estimated weak assets in banks to rise to a high of around Rs 5.3 lakh crore or 6.3 per cent of total advances by March 2016. However, the deterioration in asset quality in the first nine months of FY16 has been faster than expected. Among the key factors driving deterioration are tumbling global commodity prices, the inability of the leveraged players to sell assets, and identification of stressed assets under the Reserve Bank of Indias asset quality review. As a result, the provisioning requirement of PSBs will increase further and render their pre-provisioning profits inadequate. The government will have to step in and provide more capital than what was committed under the Indradhanush programme. We will be looking out for government announcements for such measures, including in the upcoming Union Budget. If that doesnt happen, CRISILs threshold of high safety category for PSBs could get lowered, said Pawan Agrawal, chief analytical officer at CRISIL Ratings. According to Ananda Bhaumik, managing director and chief analytical officer at India Ratings, the adverse performance of PSBs builds pressure on the government for timely and enhanced support. India Australia Energy Security Dialogue Held at Canberra . . Energy Cooperation to be the Defining Feature of India-Australia Relationship . . To implement the Prime Ministers vision of affordable energy for all, Shri Piyush Goyal Union Minister of State (IC) for Coal, Power and New and Renewable had an Energy Security Dialogue with Australian Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia, Mr Josh Frydenberg today at Canberra. . . Shri Piyush Goyal thanked Mr Josh Frydenberg and appraised about the extensive Business to Business roundtables and meetings held so far at Brisbane and Sydney. Shri Goyal emphasised the need to make the Energy Dialogue a regular feature with alternate year meetings in each of the two countries . He also proposed that in order to have an outcome orientation during the dialogue, five new working groups be set up in the energy field viz 1) Renewables and grid integration; 2) Clean Coal technologies for efficient power generation; 3) Energy Skill development; 4) LNG and Coal Gasification including Coal Bed Methane (CBM) and 5) Energy efficiency and Smart grids. Mr Frydenberg welcome the idea and asked the officials to prepare a blue print on the same. . . Highlighting the opportunities in the Indian energy sector, Shri Goyal pointed out that if the price of LNG could be brought down to an affordable rate then India could provide an assured off-take for Australian Gas and this would also help safeguard Australian investments. In his response, Mr Frydenberg said that while the Australian Government could not determine prices of gas, a regulatory framework could be worked out which can facilitate lower prices through vertical integration. . . Throwing light on the power situation in India, Shri Goyal said that more than 20% of the population did not have access to electricity and providing energy security for all through affordable energy was a priority. Therefore if other alternative sources of energy were not available at an affordable rate then India would have to continue relying on Coal. The poor of India cannot pay for more than 150 years of emissions by the developing world. Even now the per capita consumption of coal in India was at the levels of USA 150 years back in 1870. However, building a sustainable planet for future generations is a priority for Honble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and India would lead the world in clean energy too, Shri Goyal added. . . Shri Piyush Goyal also declared that as per the directions of the Honble Prime Minister all the villages of India must be electrified within 1000 days from 15th August, 2015. Of the 18, 542 un-electrified villages as on 1st April, 2015, more than 5,000 have been already electrified. He highlighted Indias usage of transparent data dissemination through apps so that public can be aware of electrification and energy efficiency (LED bulb) programmes and can hold government accountable. . . Welcoming Indian investments in Australia, Mr Frydenberg highlighted that the Australian Government was looking at ways to address procedural issues faced by certain investors. Shri Piyush Goyal thanked the Australian side for their support and said this was appreciated and also pointed out that Indian investments to tap the natural resources of Australia would also create thousands of jobs. . . Shri Goyal also thanked Australias active participation in International Solar Alliance, an alliance of 121 solar resource rich countries fully or partially between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn and invited Australian government and companies to participate in building the corpus for the alliance. . . The dialogue concluded with both co-leaders resolving to cooperate closely to utilize the complementary strengths of each other, namely Indias manpower and Australias technology and resources. . . PM addresses concluding session of 47th Governors' Conference in Rashtrapati Bhawan . The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, addressed the concluding session of the 47th Governors Conference at Rashtrapati Bhawan today. . . The Prime Minister said Governors occupy a unique high position, owing to their vast years of experience, and the prestigious nature of their post. He said they can hence work as catalytic agents in the States, speeding up and improving processes without themselves becoming a part of them. . . The Prime Minister noted that India is the only major economy across the world, which is moving ahead strongly despite the global economic crisis. He said that with the world taking note of India, India is not a mute spectator to global developments, and has played a key role in recent global fora such as CoP-21, and WTO. . . The Prime Minister stressed on the importance of cooperative federalism, which he said must be implemented in letter and spirit. He said the Centre and States must work together as "Team India." He added that the spirit of cooperative federalism must also extend to cooperative, competitive federalism, with healthy competition for development among states. . . The Prime Minister urged all Governors to think about some form of legacy which they would leave behind at the end of their terms, as their contribution to the States. . . YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Head of Aras Free Zone Organization has expressed readiness to host joint investments of Iranian and Armenian private sectors. Armenpress reports, citing Iranian MEHR news agency, Mohsen Khadem Arab-Baghi, CEO of Aras Free Zone Organization, announced about this in a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Iran Artashes Tumanyan. Located in the vicinity of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Aras free trade and industrial zone marks the second most developed free zone of the country after Kish Island. Closeness to the borders with two countries as well as having multiple capacities for investment and industrial, economic and commercial activities has led the Armenian ambassador to Tehran Artashes Tumanyan to meet with Mohsen Khadem Arab-Baghi, CEO of Aras Free Zone Organization, in order to discuss common issues. Addressing the joint meeting on Wednesday, Mohsen Khadem Arab-Baghi emphasized the need to conduct joint investments between the private sectors of Iran and Armenia saying Aras Free Zone possesses the necessary capacities for hosting joint investments between the two countries. He appreciated the crucial role of ambassadors in boosting economic ties adding joint investments and production on the basis of raw material available in the two sides will reinvigorate bilateral economic relations. The official invited Armenian investors to visit Aras Free Zone asserting the organization will deploy expert teams to introduce the advantages of the zone to Armenian businessmen. The Armenian Ambassador to Tehran Artashes Tumanyan, for his part, pointed out the especial capacities of Aras zone for investments; the peace and security of the region has encouraged Armenian investors to take part in Iran particularly in Aras Free Zone. Important issues in attracting investors include familiarizing Armenian investors with the priorities and merits of Aras zone as well as construction offices for pursuing legal affairs of investment, he continued. In response to a question about Aras river pollution due to Armenias industrial waste, Tumanyan maintained Aras remains as important to Armenia as it is important to Iran and we are undertaking all preventive measures to alleviate the problem. The Armenian ambassador also visited the active industries as well as the greenhouse at Aras Free Zone. President of Indias message on the eve of the 37th anniversary of the Islamic revolution of Iran . . The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has extended his greetings and felicitations to the Government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the eve of the 37th Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution of Iran (February 11, 2016). . . In a message to His Excellency Dr. Hassan Rouhani, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the President has said, On behalf of the Government and the people of India and on my own behalf, it is with great pleasure that I convey warm greetings and best wishes to Your Excellency and to the Government and people of Iran on the occasion of the 37th Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. . . Relations between India and Iran are built on our civilisational and cultural ties that span centuries. We consider Iran a close friend and look forward to enhancing our relationship into a more collaborative partnership across diverse areas of our shared interest. . . I am happy to note that our bilateral ties have strengthened considerably during your leadership of your great country. India believes that a fruitful engagement between our two nations will be beneficial for the stability and prosperity of the entire region. . . Please accept, Excellency, our sincere wishes for your personal good health and well being as well as for the progress and prosperity of the friendly people of Iran". . . Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister announced establishment of National Organic Farming Research Institute (NOFRI) at Gangtok, Sikkim . . Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh today here announced the establishment of National Organic Farming Research Institute (NOFRI) at Gangtok, Sikkim. Shri Singh during 87th Annual General Meeting of Indian Council of Agricultural Research announced establishment of National Organic Farming Research Institute (NOFRI) at Gangtok, Sikkim. Sikkim has recently been declared as the first organic state in the country. . Shri Singh informed that the Institute will provide research and technological backstopping to Organic Production System in the country in general and North East Hills Region in particular. The institute will undertake basic, strategic and adaptive research on efficient, economically viable and environmentally sustainable organic farming systems for improving productivity, resource use efficiencies and quality of produce. Besides, it will impart vocational and advanced training to stakeholders for promotion of organic farming in the country. Required financial resources, manpower and infrastructure facilities will be made available accordingly. . . SS/CP(NOFRI) Opera Software ASA agreed to sell itself to a group of Chinese technology companies for about 10.5 billion kroner ($1.2 billion) in a deal that will give the Norwegian maker of web browsers additional financing and access to new customers in China. The group will begin a 71-kroner-a-share cash tender offer for Opera, the Oslo-based company said in a statement Wednesday. That's 46 per cent above the last closing price, on February 5. Investors owning about a third of Opera and members of the executive team and the board holding shares have agreed to the offer, and the board is ... Donald J Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont harnessed working-class fury on Tuesday to surge to commanding victories in a New Hampshire primary that drew a huge turnout across the state. The success by two outsider candidates dealt a remarkable rebuke to the political establishment, and all but guaranteed protracted, bruising races for each party's presidential nomination. Trump, the wealthy businessman whose blunt language and outsider image have electrified many Republicans and horrified others, benefited from an unusually large field of candidates that split the vote among traditional politicians like Govornor John Kasich of Ohio, who finished second, and former Govornor Jeb Bush of Florida. But Trump also tapped into a deep well of anxiety among Republicans and independents in New Hampshire, according to exit polling data, and he ran strongest among voters who were worried about illegal immigrants, incipient economic turmoil and the threat of a terrorist attack in the United States. With more than 80 per cent of precincts reporting, Trump had received 35 per cent of the vote, and Sanders approached 60 per cent. The win for Sanders amounted to a powerful and painful rejection of Hillary Clinton, who has a deep history with New Hampshire voters and offered policy ideas that seemed to reflect the flinty, moderate of the state. But Sanders, who has proposed an emphatically liberal agenda to raise taxes and impose regulations on Wall Street, drew support from a wide cross-section of voters, even edging her out among women, boosted by his appeal among the young. At his victory party, Sanders, flashing a wide, toothy grin, pointed to the large voter turnout as evidence that only he could energize the Democratic electorate to defeat the Republicans in November. "Together we have sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California," Sanders said. "And that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people, and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their 'super PACs.' " While Sanders led New Hampshire polls for the last month, and Trump was ahead here since July, the wave of support for both men was nonetheless stunning to leaders of both parties who believed that in the end, voters would embrace more experienced candidates like Clinton or one of the Republican governors in the race. Yet the two men won significant support from voters who felt betrayed by their parties and were dissatisfied or angry with the federal government. Beyond Trump, four Republicans were clustered together, each receiving less than 20 per cent of the vote. Kasich's surprise second-place finish was driven by voters who described themselves as moderates and independents and were charmed by his pragmatism and his upbeat campaign. Effectively skipping Iowa, Kasich spent 62 days in New Hampshire, holding 106 town hall-style events. "We never went negative because we have more good to sell than to spend our time being critical of somebody else," an ebullient Kasich told supporters, vowing "to reshine America, to restore the spirit of America and to leave no one behind." But as striking as Kasich's surge may have been, the fall of Senator Marco Rubio of Florida may have been more significant. Rubio initially appeared to be capitalizing on his strong finish in Iowa, rising in the polls here, but a disastrous debate performance on Saturday halted his momentum. Rubio; Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who won the leadoff Iowa caucuses; and Bush, whose campaign was all but left for dead after a series of poor debate performances and staff cutbacks, were bunched together. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey finished a disappointing sixth after staking his campaign here. With little money left and a slim chance of being eligible for a Republican debate on Saturday, the governor said he was going back to New Jersey on Wednesday "to take a deep breath." Supporters of Bush, who formed an alliance with Christie here as both sought to diminish Rubio, are lobbying him to endorse the former Florida governor. Trump's win is the biggest victory in a New Hampshire Republican primary since at least 2000. He won pluralities of both Republican and independent voters, and showed strength across demographic groups. At an exuberant victory party at a banquet hall in Manchester, people waved foam fingers reading "You're hired!" or "Make America great again!" Trump's remarks ranged from emotional expressions of thanks to his late parents to more belligerent assertions that echoed his stump speech. "I am going to be the greatest jobs president that God ever created," vowed Trump, adding that he would "knock the hell out of ISIS," or the Islamic State. Trump's performance here, which followed Cruz's victory in Iowa, has left the party establishment with two leading candidates who Republican leaders believe cannot win a November general election. And with Rubio unable to establish himself as the clear alternative, the Republican race moves to South Carolina with little more clarity than before New Hampshire voted. For the Democrats, Sanders's popularity with liberals, young people, and some women and working-class white men has underscored potential vulnerabilities for Clinton in the nominating contests ahead. She is now under enormous pressure to prove that her message can inspire and rally voters. In a punchy concession speech, Clinton tried to look beyond New Hampshire and pledged to fight for the needs of black, Hispanic, gay and female voters - members of the coalition that she believes will ultimately win her the nomination. "Now we take this campaign to the entire country," Clinton said. "We're going to fight for every vote in every state," she added, continuing, "I know I have some work to do, particularly with young people." Clinton advisers gritted their teeth Tuesday night as they dissected exit polls and other data to try to fathom the depth of Clinton's political vulnerabilities. One troubling sign Sanders was the choice, nearly unanimously, among voters who said it was most important to have a candidate who is "honest and trustworthy."Several advisers to Clinton said they were especially concerned about her shakier-than-expected support among women - the group that provided her margin for victory in the 2008 New Hampshire primary. The Clinton strategy depends on her beating Sanders among women and attracting large numbers of minority voters, like Hispanics in Nevada and African-Americans in South Carolina. Those states hold the next Democratic contests, later this month. Both the Sanders and Clinton campaigns have built robust political operations in those next states, but Sanders advisers say momentum is on their side after the New Hampshire victory and a near-tie in the Iowa caucuses. Sanders is also hoping that his proposals for a $15 minimum wage and a breakup of big banks will find support in vote-rich Las Vegas and Reno, where many people earn low wages and lost homes to banks after the 2008 financial crisis. A win for Sanders in the Feb. 20 Nevada caucuses would raise additional doubts about Clinton. Perhaps wary about her chances there, her campaign manager sent a memo to supporters Tuesday night urging them to focus on the contests in March, when some 56 per cent of delegates will be awarded. But first Clinton and her husband must shake off the New Hampshire loss, one of the most stinging of their long political careers. The couple have been unusually attached to this state for decades Bill Clinton stabilized his scandal-plagued presidential bid in 1992 with a second-place finish in the primary, and Clinton made her own comeback in 2008 by winning here with 39 per cent of the vote after losing the Iowa caucuses to Barack Obama. This time around, the Clintons tried to diminish the state's importance by arguing that Sanders had an advantage because he was from a neighboring state. But they campaigned vigorously all the same, and Clinton himself unleashed a lengthy, pointed attack on Sanders at an appearance on Sunday evening. The defeat also powerfully captured the way the Democratic electorate has changed since the Clintons held power in the 1980s in Arkansas; in the 1990s in the White House; and through early 2009, when Clinton gave up her Senate seat in New York to become secretary of state. The party's restive left wing is exerting much more influence, partly because of anger at the financial industry and establishment after the Great Recession. Clinton, in turn, has always come across as a pragmatist more than a dreamer, and she rarely intones a vision of America that is broadly inspiring. "That lack of idealism is what allowed Obama to beat her, and it's giving Bernie room to grow," said Dan Payne, a Democratic strategist in Boston who supports Clinton. The unaffiliated New Hampshire voters who participated in both party primaries, and who supported Trump and Sanders in sizable numbers, appear to have found those candidates' anti-establishment messages to be an asset. Trump disregarded the time-honored New Hampshire traditions of lavishing personal attention on voters. Instead, he flew in and out of the state on his private jet when the weather cooperated, held raucous rallies, and won support by faulting immigrants who entered the country illegally for crime and job losses, proposing a temporary ban on Muslims to prevent terrorism. He may have held fewer events here than any other Republican except Ben Carson, but his voters cared little. His approach here, and his success, have left New Hampshire's Republican leaders, who jealously guard their first-in-the-nation status, both perplexed and appalled. "By name, I only know five people supporting Donald Trump," John H. Sununu, a former governor, said Tuesday. "So I say I cannot understand this electorate." 2016 The New York Times News Service Here are some derivative strategies from Geojit BNP Paribas for the day: SELL AXIS BANK FUTURES at Rs 402 TARGET: Rs 386 STOPLOSS: Rs 408 [BELOW MOVING AVERAGES + VOLUME BUILD UP + BELOW PREVIOUS CLOSE] SELL L&T FUTURES at Rs 1,119 TARGET: Rs 1,085 STOPLOSS: Rs 1,128 [STOCHASTICS SELL + RISE IN VOLUME + BELOW MOVING AVERAGES] Disclaimer: This report has been prepared by Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services Limited (GBNPP), here in after referred to as GBNPP. GBNPP, a publicly listed company, is engaged in services of retail broking, credit, portfolio management and marketing investment products including mutual funds, life and general insurance and properties. Each recipient of this report should make such investigation as it deems necessary to arrive at an independent evaluation of an investment in the securities of companies referred to in this report (including the merits and risks involved). This document is not for public distribution and has been furnished to you solely for your information and must not be reproduced or redistributed to any other person. Persons into whose possession this document may come are required to observe these restrictions. Opinion expressed herein is our current opinion as of the date appearing on this report only. While we endeavor to update on a reasonable basis the information discussed in this material, there may be regulatory, compliance, or other reasons that prevent us from doing so. Prospective investors and others are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not predictions and may be subject to change without notice. Manickam Mahal, a banquet hall located in the port city of Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu, turned into a battlefield on January 29. It was the venue for the annual general meeting of the 96-year-old Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank, where shareholders were to vote on the hotly debated issue of whether the bank should go for an initial public offering and let 'outsiders' into the bank or not. For TMB, the IPO is a deeply divisive issue that has crystallised shareholders into two opposing camps, one calling for an IPO to infuse fresh capital into the bank and the other strongly opposing it. What followed at the meeting, therefore, was a shouting match with supporters of each side raising their voices to make an impact. In the end, however, the debate boiled down to a choice between meeting the bank's financial exigencies and retaining its identity. A clutch of shareholders led by mining baron V Vaikundarajan of VV Minerals is staunchly opposed to the IPO, which they say will lead to 'outsiders' (non-Nadars) having a say in the bank. Their argument is that the bank was created for the Nadars and it should be owned by them. "It is a fight for prestige," says a shareholder. It is easy to see why the IPO is such an emotive issue for the shareholders. The bank was started in 1921 with the purpose of fostering development of the Nadar community, which historically has been known to have suffered social oppression and economic deprivation at the hands of the upper castes in Tamil Nadu. "This community was not allowed to enter temples, any public place, schools and was not even allowed to enter banks, forget about access to banking services," says Vaikundarajan whose business interests span beach minerals, sugar and the media. Over the years, the bank has helped many community members like him to set up their own businesses. Even so, foreign investors and non-resident Indians hold 42 per cent in TMB. In 2007, businessman C Sivasankaran sold his share in the bank to a clutch of foreign investors led by Rajat Gupta, Ravi Trehan and Cuna Group Mauritius, among others, leading to a few non-Nadars being included on the board of the bank for the first time in its history, even though the Nadars still hold a controlling stake. These foreign investors, who shelled out nearly four times more than the original buyers, have infused around Rs 150 crore in the bank, and their investment is believed to have grown three fold. According to bank sources, the FIs and NRIs bought the share for Rs 24,000 apiece in May 2007, while currently the bank's share is trading at around Rs 93,000 in private . For investors, TMB is one of the most sought-after banks for its steady profitable streak since inception. Despite a string of problems, including the Reserve Bank of India restrictions on opening branches in the metros and Tier I cities because of an ongoing ownership battle in the bank, its profit has shot up from Rs 6,984 in 1921 to Rs 379.40 crore in 2014-15, up 26.14 per cent from the 2013-14 level. However, factional feuds have dogged its history, resulting in legal battles. In 1994, a dispute between two Nadar groups led to a group of shareholders selling their 25 per cent stake to the Ruias of Essar group. Subsequently, the Ruias raised their stake to 67 per cent with an eye on management control. However, in view of RBI's objection to an industrial group holding stake in a community-led bank, the Ruias had to temper their ambition. As the Nadars didn't have the money to buy back the shares, Sivasankaran stepped in on behalf of the community and bought Essar's stake for Rs 65 crore. His plan was to sell the shares back to the Nadars for Rs 155 crore. As the Nadars struggled to pay him off for nearly 10 years, Sivasankaran sold the shares to a group of FIIs in 2007, sparking protests and legal battles at the bank. The community members are determined to avoid such a predicament this time around. "Once we committed a mistake by letting outside investors, we don't want to repeat the same mistake again," says Chandrasekaran, another shareholder. To retain control, those opposed to the IPO are willing to infuse fresh capital in the bank to meet its capital adequacy ratio and even buyback the share of foreign investors to consolidate their holding over the bank. Whether the bank's shareholders have voted for or against the IPO will be known later this month. For now, the Nadars are hoping the outcome is in their favour. Indian stocks slid more than one per cent for a third straight session on Wednesday, dragging the benchmark indices down to 21-month low, their lowest levels since May 15, 2014. The key benchmark indices opened in the negative zone over concerns over the health of the global economy. The BSE Sensex ended down 262 points, or 1.1 per cent, at 23,759, below the psychologically important mark of 24,000. The 50-share Nifty slid 82.5 points, or 1.13 per cent, at 7,216. The benchmark indices have slipped about four per cent in the past three sessions and have come off nearly 21 per cent from the peak hit early last year. "The mood in the market clearly seemed in the risk-off mode, while investor sentiment remained weak as participants opted to exit existing long positions. Weakness in the Asian region and overnight losses in the US added to investor woes," said Shreyash Devalkar, fund manager, stocks, BNP Paribas Mutual Fund. Japan's benchmark index Nikkei 225 extended losses on Wednesday, after posting its biggest daily drop in nearly three years a day before, amid a sharp rise in the country's currency yen. On Monday, India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded at a slower clip of 7.3 per cent in the third quarter of the current financial year compared with a growth of 7.7 per cent in the previous quarter. However, the estimated GDP growth for FY16 was revised to 7.6 per cent from 7.1-7.5 per cent earlier. European stocks were trading in the positive territory on Wednesday, snapping a seven-day fall. The FTSE, DAX, and CAC, were trading up between one and 2.3 per cent. Most of the Asian stocks ended in the red on Wednesday. Besides Japan's Nikkei, Shanghai Composite, Jakarta Composite, Taiwan SE, and Straits Times Index, ended lower between 0.6 and 1.5 per cent. Hang Seng, however, bucked the trend, gaining 0.5 per cent. Back home, market breadth was weak with 2,036 or 74 per cent of stocks declining and 608 stocks gaining. Two-thirds of Sensex components declined. All the sectoral indices on the NSE (National Stock Exchange) traded in the red, with the banking, media, metals, automobile, and pharmaceutical indices losing more than one per cent each. Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) banks were severely hit, with the NSE PSU Banking index falling over four per cent on disappointing earnings, especially from state-run banks. have recovered from their day's lows, amid firm European cues, even as bank shares continue to lead the decline after a host of state owned banks reported huge losses because of higher provisioning on account of rising non-performing assets. At 2:30pm, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 193 points at 23,828 and the Nifty50 was down 62 points at 7,236 after hitting an intra-day low of 7,177.75. In the broader market, the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices were down 0.8%-1.5% each. Market breadth remained weak with 2031 losers and 494 gainers on the BSE The rupee was trading flat at 67.91 against the US dollar compared to its previous close of 67.90. GLOBAL MARKETS Asian stocks fell sharply on Wednesday amid concerns over the banking sector in the euro zone region. Japanese shares extended losses to hit 16-month low on the back of an appreciating yen. The benchmark Nikkei ended down 2.4% to end below 16,000 at 15,713.39 while Singapore's Straits Times was down 1.9%. However, European shares rebounded on Wednesday after encouraging earnigns from select corporates while M&A activity also boosted sentiment. The CAC and DAX were up over 1% each while FTSE was up 0.4%. SECTORS & STOCKS BSE Bankex was down 1.7% while on the NSE the Bank Nifty eased 1.7% and PSU Bank Nifty slumped 4%. As many as 147 stocks from the S&P BSE500 index are currently trading below their May 15, 2014 level. Most of the public sector banks (PSBs), metals, infrastructure, realty and oil & gas stocks are currently quoting below their May 2014 level. In the banking pack, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Bank of India, UCO Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Dena Bank, Allahabad Bank, Syndicate Bank and Punjab National Bank from the PSBs are currently available at more than 50% below their May 2014 price. Indian drug major Dr Reddy's Laboratories has reported a marginal 1% increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 579.2 crore for the quarter ended December, 2014 on the back of lower growth in revenues. Shares of Dr Reddys Labs has slumped over 3%. Among other shares, InterGlobe Aviation, which operates IndiGo airline, has dipped nearly 5% to Rs 752 falling below its issue price of Rs 765 per share on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The company raised Rs 3,009 crore through initial public offer (IPO) in October last year. ended at their lowest level since May 2014 amid a sell-off in state owned banks after they reported huge losses because of higher provisioning on account of rising non-performing assets. The S&P BSE Sensex ended down 262 points at 23,759 and the Nifty50 closed 83 points lower at 7,216 In the broader market, the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices were down 1%-1.4% each. Market breadth remained weak with 1994 losers and 654 gainers on the BSE. "We continue to remain cautious on the and view the current downside in the driven by global factors (China instability, US corporate earnings, fears of global banks) rather than domestic factors (weak earnings, sustained asset quality worries). The recent correction in the market only underscores the extended recovery for the Indian economy in current circumstances and especially PSU banks having asset quality woes. Foreign portfolio flows are unlikely to bottom fish in such an unstable environment. However, Indian macro fundamentals continue on a gradually improving tracjectory and markets should then outperform in any turnaround," says Tirthankar Patnaik, Chief Strategist, Mizuho Bank. The rupee was trading flat at 67.91 against the US dollar compared to its previous close of 67.90 GLOBAL MARKETS Asian stocks fell sharply on Wednesday amid concerns over the banking sector in the euro zone region. Japanese shares extended losses to hit 16-month low on the back of an appreciating yen. The benchmark Nikkei ended down 2.4% to end below 16,000 at 15,713.39 while Singapore's Straits Times ended down 1.6%. However, European shares rebounded on Wednesday after encouraging earnigns from select corporates and M&A activity boosted sentiment. The CAC and DAX were up nearly 2% each while FTSE was up nearly 1%. SECTORS & STOCKS BSE Bankex was down 2% while on the NSE the Bank Nifty eased 1.9% and PSU Bank Nifty slumped 5.4%. As many as 147 stocks from the S&P BSE500 index fell below their May 15, 2014 level in intra-day trade today. Shares of public sector banks (PSBs), metals, infrastructure, realty and oil & gas sectors witnessed heavy selling pressure. State-owned banks such as Oriental Bank of Commerce, Bank of India, UCO Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Dena Bank, Allahabad Bank, Syndicate Bank and Punjab National Bank dropped more than 50% below their May 2014 price in intra-day trade. Punjab National Bank extended losses and ended down 9% after posted a sharp 93% decline in net profit in the third quarter of the fiscal on account of fresh slippages arising from the steel sector besides higher provisioning requirement as part of RBI norms. Central Bank of India slumped 12.4% after net loss widened to Rs 837 crore on the back of higher provisions amounting to Rs 1,499 crore. Gross NPAs were up at 8.95% compared with 6.86% quarter-on-quarter. Net NPA were higher at 5.3% versus 3.8% quarter-on-quarter. Dena Bank reported a loss of Rs 662.85 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, due to significant jump in bad loans.Total provisions, excluding for income tax, rose fourfold to Rs 966.97 crore as against Rs 241.33 crore in the year-ago period. The stock ended over 7% down. State Bank of India ended down 4.6% ahead of its third quarter earnings tomorrow. Among other PSU banks, Bank of Baroda eased over 5% while Canara Bank slipped nearly 4%. Pharma shares also lost ground with Dr Reddy's Labs closing 2% lower after it reported a marginal 1% increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 579.2 crore for the quarter ended December, 2014 on the back of lower growth in revenues. Other losers in the sector include, Lupin and Cipla dropped over 2%-3.7% each. Mortgage lender HDFC and Tata Motors which ended down 3.2%-7% each were the top contributors to the Sensex decline. Among other shares, InterGlobe Aviation, which operates IndiGo airline, ended down after falling below its issue price of Rs 765 per share intra-day on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). Just Dial rebounded after hitting its lifetime low of Rs 483 on the BSE falling below its issue price of Rs 530 for qualified institutional buyers. The stock ended up nearly 3%. Apollo Tyres ended up 10.7% on the BSE in an otherwise weak market after the company reported a better-than-expected 51% year on year (y-o-y) increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 279 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2015 (Q3FY16) on back of lower raw material and finance cost. Amid the ongoing deposition of 26/11 terror attack convict David Coleman Headley in a Mumbai court, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress have said that the ball is now in Pakistan's court to act against the culprits. Array "There is no iota of doubt left after this deposition with regard to the involvement of the ISI in providing all sorts of support to these terrorist groups that work against the interest of India. The question is what Pakistan is going to do in terms of the concerns we have had, whether it's on 26/11, Pathankot or cross border terrorism and that needs to be seen," BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli told ANI. Array Resonating similar sentiments, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said, "During the Congress Government, we had clearly said and given information, but it was not accepted at that time by Pakistan. But now, everything has got revealed. The present government should tell Pakistan on the international level that even after all the evidences Hafiz Saeed does not surrender then it won't be trusted." Array Tiwari further stated that India should now be cautious after getting to know the role of the ISI and the Pakistani Army in the terror attack. Array Headley's deposition, which entered the third day today before the Mumbai court, was delayed due to technical glitch. Array In his revelation during the deposition yesterday, Headley said that Pakistan's spy agency ISI provides financial, moral as well as military support to terror outfits like the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. Array On the first day of the deposition, he revealed the sequence of events and planning behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Array Headley, one of the main conspirators in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, admitted that he had come to the city with a false identity at the behest of his colleague and handler Sajid Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. American electronic commerce and cloud computing company Amazon.com Inc, in a bid to control escalating expenditure, is aggressively expanding its logistics operations in China. Some analysts say the move could help position Amazon to offer shipping services to other companies, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Amazon declined to comment on the development. "These are major gateway ports. They appear to be laying the foundation for a large forwarding operation," said John Manners-Bell, who heads Transport Intelligence, a logistics analysis firm. "They're moving into something that could be potentially very treacherous," said Andreas Krueger, head of ocean freight for DHL Global Forwarding in US. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Amazon is the largest Internet-based retailer in the United States. The company produces consumer electronics-notably, Amazon Kindle e-book readers, Fire tablets, Fire TV and Fire Phone-and is the world's largest provider of cloud infrastructure services (IaaS). Amazon also sells certain low-end products like USB cables under its in-house brand AmazonBasics. From today, Apple Music subscribers will finally be able to listen to the streaming music service on Sonos, the American consumer electronics company, recode.net, reported. The development comes only few days after Amazon announced that its Echo speaker would work with Spotify, Swedish commercial music streaming, podcast and video service. Sonos was founded in 2002 by John MacFarlane, Craig Shelburne, Tom Cullen, and Trung Mai. The company makes a variety of wireless audio products. As of December 2013, the company is estimated to have raised USD 118 million in venture funding, including a USD 25 million round in December 2013. Its investors include Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Redpoint Ventures and Elevation Partners. The Congress Party on Wednesday said that there could not be more tangible proof than the revelations made by 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused David Coleman Headley about the involvement of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Islamabad's backdoor support in perpetrating terrorism in India, adding that New Delhi's next move matters the most now. Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said, "There is no dearth of people shouting Modi-Modi abroad, but how much impact Prime Minister Narendra Modi creates on international-level to garner the support of the international community matters now." When asked whether he was satisfied with the government's handling of the Headley's issue, he said, "It's not a question about my satisfaction. Country's security is foremost responsibility of the Central Government, but we don't give baseless statements as was given by Narendra Modi when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. It's a matter of country's security and there should be no politics over it. The Central Government should have full support to take strict action." "However, we would like to say there could not be more tangible proof than this because Hadley has himself spoken that his handlers got the ISI's support and backdoor support by the Pakistan Government. How many proofs (does) one need?" he added. When asked about the controversy surrounding Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and her daughter Anar over alleged transfer of a Gir land at a throwaway price, he said, "I came here so that I could buy AIL and APL shares because I could not find such a company whose share prices have gone up 800 percent." The Congress has demanded the resignation of Anandiben and a Supreme Court-monitored investigation by the SIT. The opposition party has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of allowing "nepotism, conflict of interest and brazen plundering of public land" when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister. Mumbai terror attack convict David Headley's deposition which entered the third day today before the Mumbai court, was delayed due to technical glitch in video conferencing. In his revelation during the deposition yesterday, Headley said that Pakistan's spy agency ISI provides financial, moral as well as military support to terror outfits like the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. Headley said that he was asked by the ISI to recruit Indian army men to spy for them. On the first day of the deposition, he revealed the sequence of events and planning behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Headley, one of the main conspirators in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, deposed as a witness in the case and admitted that he had come to the city with a false identity at the behest of his colleague and handler Sajid Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. Headley further admitted that he was a true follower of the LeT and had changed his name from Dawood Gilani to David Coleman Headley for the purpose of acquiring a new passport to come to India. He said he had visited Mumbai seven times prior to the attacks on November 26, 2008. He even visited Delhi in March 2009 after the attacks. Indian defence experts on Wednesday taunted Pakistan's 'expected fabricated' response on David Coleman Headley's deposition, calling it funny. Array The response came after Pakistan's former interior minister Rehman Malik rubbished the testimony of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks convict about his alleged part in conducting the deadly massacre in November 2008. Array As reported by The Express Tribune, Malik while brushing aside all 'allegations levelled by India against Pakistan for ulterior motives' said that Headley was planted by India's external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for executing the Mumbai attacks and then getting concocted statements from him. Array Rubbishing Malik's statements, former diplomat Rajiv Dogra said the former's words had no relation to rationality or wisdom. Array "Malik is known for his outlandish statements. His words have no relation to rationality or wisdom. He is not taken seriously by his own country. So, we must not give any importance to what he says," he told ANI in an exclusive telecon. Array Another defence expert Qamar Agha called Malik's statement funny and asked as to who would buy this argument. Array "Such statements have been coming in from Pakistan for a long time. When the Peshawar attack (December 2014) happened, they said India did it. When a few days ago, people were killed in Pakistan by the Taliban, they said India did it. So, these statements have no worth," he told ANI. Array Experts have time and again expressed their confidence in Pakistan's 'denial' of their role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Array The statement by the former interior minister yet again proved Pakistan's refutation over the involvement of their premier military operated intelligence service, the ISI. Array Headley in his deposition has named Major Ali and Major Iqbal of the ISI and Lashkar commander Sajid Mir as his contacts in Pakistan. He also revealed that the intelligence agency provided financial, moral as well as military support to the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba. Array Experts like Agha, Dogra and Commodore Uday Bhaskar have remained sceptical about whether Headley's deposition would make any difference to the stance adopted by Pakistan in the ongoing trial of the alleged perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack. Array "It is expected of Pakistan. They have not been serious. That is why there has been no progress on the 26/11 case in the last seven years. What Malik said is representative of the mindset of the establishment in Pakistan," said Dogra. Array "Incidentally, Malik is someone who was not even loyal to his leader Benazir Bhutto. He ran away for his life when his leader, who made him what he is today, died in front of his own eyes. He will always shy away from the truth," he added. Array Voicing similar opinion, Agha said the testimony of Headley was an important one as he has exposed all those people who he had direct links with in the ISI. "Headley's testimony is very important. The Indian court is respected by many courts worldwide. Headley's lawyers were also present during the deposition. But it is in Pakistan's history to deny their involvement. They also said that Kasab did not belong to Pakistan, but later they found that he did," he added. Array With such statements of denunciation expected from Pakistan, the Indian experts said there was no value to these statements and they did not feel that India needed to respond. Array Agha has time and again said that India should expose Pakistan's true face, which has always been in denial mode, before the world community, and reiterated, "There is no need for India to respond. I think the Government of India would send a dossier." Array He further said, "The matter should now be brought to the United Nations Security Council's unit which deals with terrorism and pressure should be built on Pakistan because the people who dies in the 26/11 attack were not just Indians. When Iran was punished for just making uranium, Pakistan should be completely boycotted after the havoc they've created in Afghanistan and South Asia." Array Dogra said, "India must treat his (Malik's) lies with the contempt they deserve and see to it that 26/11type incidents are not unleashed by Pakistan again." Array In his revelation during the deposition yesterday, Headley said that Pakistan's spy agency ISI provides financial, moral as well as military support to terror outfits like the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. Array Headley said that he was asked by the ISI to recruit Indian army men to spy for them. Array On the first day of the deposition, he revealed the sequence of events and planning behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Array Headley, one of the main conspirators in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, deposed as a witness in the case and admitted that he had come to the city with a false identity at the behest of his colleague and handler Sajid Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. Array Meanwhile, post a technical snag in video-conferencing, David Coleman Headley's deposition has been adjourned till Thursday. Funeral procession of Nepal's former Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has begun in the capital, Kathmandu. Thousands of people including Nepal Congress sympathisers, civil society leaders, industrialists and relatives are participating in the procession. The procession that commenced at around 2:30 pm from the Dashrath Stadium is passing through Tripureshwor, Putalisadak, Kamalpokhari, Maitidevi and Gaushala to Pashupati Aryaghat where the grand cremation will talk place this afternoon. A Cabinet meeting on Tuesday had decided that he would be cremated with a state funeral and public holiday. Koirala was suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Born on August 12, 1939 in Banaras, Koirala was the cousin of former prime ministers Matrika Prasad Koirala, Girija Prasad Koirala and Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala. Koirala also spent three years in Indian prisons for his involvement in a plane hijacking in 1973. He entered politics in 1954 and was in political exile in India for 16 years following the royal takeover of 1960. He joined the Nepali Congress in 1952 and served in various capacities prior to becoming its president in 2010. Australian fast bowler John Hastings has lashed out at New Zealand for their delayed appeal that led to Mitchell Marsh's controversial dismissal during the final ODI of the three-match Chappell-Hadlee series. A heated argument took place between both sides when Marsh was dismissed bizarrely after big screen replays showed him jamming a Matt Henry delivery onto his foot then back to the bowler. Henry first made a half-hearted appeal before walking back to prepare himself for the next delivery, but the crowd's demand for a replay on the big screen prompted New Zealand to go in for a late appeal. Describing the incident as 'weird ', Hastings said he was disappointed with the way decision was made. The 30-year-old further felt that the original appeal before the replay was 'very stifled', News.com.au reported. Marsh's dismissal led to a batting collapse with Australia losing their last five wickets for 27 runs. Australia suffered a 55-run defeat in the third and the final ODI to lose the series 1-2 to New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton. The two sides will now play the two-match test series, starting from Friday at Basin Reserve in Wellington. Former IPS officer Y.P. Singh on Wednesday questioned 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks convict David Coleman Headley's silence on his Indian collaborators and dubbed his deposition before a Mumbai court as 'legally flawed'. Singh lashed out at the prosecution for not pressurising Headley to reveal his Indian connections, who would have guided him during his reconnaissance visits to the Siddhivinayak temple and BARC. "If he has said that he has visited Siddhivinayak temple, BARC, hotels and other sensitive installations. Such plans cannot be made alone. Who are his Indian collaborators? He has not spoken on that. Unless there was a team of locals, who guided him through all these places, who showed him around these sensitive places. It is surprising that the prosecution did not question David Headley to reveal who were his Indian connections," he told ANI here. The former IPS officer said Headley's deposition is 'legally flawed' because a person can be tried for a specific offence only once, adding that the latter has already been convicted in US courts in this case. "He has already been convicted in the court in America for this offence and for that we are now trying to hold him as an accused and then pardon him, and take his deposition," he said. "Such things will not yield any results; it has in fact not yielded results. David Headley is narrating a tale, he is not deposing or coming out with evidence. Deposition in the court requires to produce evidence, not to start telling stories," he added. Meanwhile, Headley's deposition has been adjourned till Thursday post a technical snag in video-conferencing. "Today Headley was supposed to give evidence through video link. But unfortunately, on account of technical problems from the American side, they could not contact us and now it has been informed to us that the matter will be adjourned till tomorrow," Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told ANI. Nikam added that the hearing would take place from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. In his revelation during the deposition yesterday, Headley said that Pakistan's spy agency ISI provides financial, moral as well as military support to terror outfits like the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. Headley said that he was asked by the ISI to recruit Indian army men to spy for them. On the first day of the deposition, he revealed the sequence of events and planning behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Headley, one of the main conspirators in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, deposed as a witness in the case and admitted that he had come to the city with a false identity at the behest of his colleague and handler Sajid Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. Kazakhstan's First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rapil Zhoshybayev, will arrive in New Delhi this week to sign the agreement for India's participation in next year's EXPO-2017 with India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) Chairman Mr. Zhoshybayev is the Commissioner of the international specialized exhibition. The signing ceremony will be held at ITPO office on February 12 at 2 p.m. and will be followed by a press conference. During his visit, Mr. Zhoshybayev will also hold bilateral meetings with the heads of state bodies responsible for India's participation in EXPO-2017 as also with representatives of companies specializing in the production of alternative and renewable energy. Array On November 22, 2012, Astana was chosen by the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) as the venue to host Expo 2017, which will focus on the theme "Future Energy". The theme is aimed to concentrate on both the future of energy, but also on innovative, but practical energy solutions, and their global impact. Expo 2017 will be the first time that a major international exhibition of this kind is coming to a country from the former Soviet Union. More than 100 countries, including India and 10 international organizations are expected to participate. Around 2-3 million people are expected to visit the international pavilions from June to September 2017. At least 25 hectares has been set aside for the pavilions of Expo 2017. The site has a convenient access to Astana's city center, the international airport and the railway station. The Expo Site is also linked with a network of Kazakhstan's inter-city roads to ensure a quick access from all the country. Construction of the pavilions began in April 2014.The lead design contract was awarded to Chicago-based Adrian Smith plus Gordon Gill Architecture. Union minister for road transport, highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari at an event said that the government is mulling to withdraw duties imposed on import of used cooking oil to be used as an alternate, cheap fuel for transportation. Addressing an ASSOCHAM event in New Delhi, Gadkari said that the Govt intents to build smart cities at 10 major ports; needs to construct houses worth less than Rs. five lakh to promote low-cost housing for poor "I have requested Commerce and Industry Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman to withdraw duties on import of fried oil which is often discarded as waste after being used once and is available in abundance across the world," said Gadkari while addressing a global summit on 'Smart Cities-Smart India,' organised by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). "If that oil comes in our country it will help in making bio-diesel and its cost is about Rs. 3-4 per litre cheaper than petroleum diesel and when we will withdraw duties imposed on the same its price will come down by another Rs 6-7/litre," said Gadkari. "The average is almost the same and it will help reduce pollution, so we are encouraging use of bio-diesel," he added. Highlighting the importance of promoting low-cost housing across India, Gadkari "The biggest stumbling block is that only about one per cent of people in India can purchase house costing above Rs. 10 lakh, so if we are able to make houses worth less than Rs. five lakh about 30 percent of people would be able to buy those houses which will help us build smart cities and provide housing to poor," said the union minister. Talking about use of waste material in constructing low-cost houses, Gadkari said, "Conversion of waste into wealth will be promoted and it will prove to beneficial." The union minister also said that central government will build one smart city each at 10 out of country's 12 major ports, union minister for road transport, highways and shipping. "Apart from our ports at Mumbai and Kolkata, we have planned to develop smart cities at 10 out of 12 major ports in India," said Gadkari. He also said that in the times ahead, use of electric cars and buses would be promoted for transportation in smart cities to reduce air pollution, besides it is very cost effective. He also informed that government is constructing waterways on a 1,620 kilometer stretch on Ganga between Varanasi and Haldia. "Varanasi, Haldia and Sahibganj will be developed as multi-modal hubs with roadways, waterways and railways. For this, we have acquired land, our designs are ready, we have given work order for all three places, so before March we will begin work," said Gadkari. He also informed that government had initiated river traffic control system from Haldia to Farakka and it will initiate in next six months from Farakka to Patna and thereafter from Patna to Varanasi. The union minister further informed that government will start RO-RO (Roll-on Roll-off) service at five places - Haldia, Patna, Varanasi, Sahibganj and one more place needs to be selected. Pakistan's former interior minister Rehman Malik has rubbished the testimony of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks convict David Coleman Headley about his alleged part in conducting the deadly massacre in November 2008. According to The Express Tribune, Rehman Malik accused India of trying to defame Pakistan by concocting confessions out of Headley. Rehman said that they have the details about who paid tickets, who funded him and how he recruited non-state actors from Pakistan for the attacks. In his revelation during the deposition yesterday, Headley said that Pakistan's spy agency ISI provides financial, moral as well as military support to terror outfits like the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. Headley said that he was asked by the ISI to recruit Indian army men to spy for them. On the first day of the deposition, he revealed the sequence of events and planning behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Headley, one of the main conspirators in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, deposed as a witness in the case and admitted that he had come to the city with a false identity at the behest of his colleague and handler Sajid Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. Meanwhile, post a technical snag in video-conferencing, David Coleman Headley's deposition has been adjourned till Thursday. The security cooperation between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been exemplary, and there is a complete meeting of minds on this issue, said Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Anil Wadhwa here on Wednesday. In terms of counter-terrorism steps, officials of both sides meet regularly, while a media briefing on State Visit of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan visit to India. When asked when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Dubai, the issues pertaining to Dawood's property came up and India had handed over a list to them; has there been any progress made in this matter or will there be a discussion on it, Wadhwa said these are ongoing cases, what stage they are at the moment, I myself am not in a position to answer. Taking about UAE's interest in investing in the defence sector, he said that's an ongoing negotiation at the moment and the sectors have not been finalised yet. "In case there is a requirement of collaboration in the nuclear field, once again our concerned agencies are in touch and they would be able to collaborate with each other," he said while answering a question about cooperation in civil nuclear energy. Talking about India's interest in collaborating with the UAE in its Mars mission in 2020, Secretary (East) said, "India has capabilities and expertise in launch, and also in production capability. We can assist in that process. So, we would like to collaborate in this effort as far as the UAE is concerned and our ISRO is very much willing to step forward in that direction." Hinting at the possibility of India manufacturing defence equipment with other countries in our country which can be exported to the UAE, he said joint production, in order to meet the requirement of the investing state as well as India and even third countries, if that is possible. Replying to a question that when the PM went to the UAE, there was this talk of UAE wanting to invest around $75 billion in our projects, how much of it is likely to materialise during the Crown Prince's visit, Wadhwa said "In terms of investments, the figure mentioned in our joint statement was investments up to $75 billion. That needs to be realised over time. The first such step in this direction would be taken when we discuss about UAE investments in our Investment Fund, which has just been set up, and also in the field of electronics which we have been discussing in the past. Of course there are other areas that UAE investors have been talking about. The 100-strong business delegation, which is there in Mumbai, will be discussing these issues further over the next few days. Some of them will stay back for the 'Make in India' as well. And I think there would be a substantial amount that would be negotiated over the next few months. The Congress Party on Wednesday said David Coleman Headley's revelation in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks has confirmed the complete nexus of Pakistan and asked the concerned authorities in Islamabad to immediately imprison the main actors and players of this sad and sorry tale. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said there is nothing left to be said post Headley's revelation in this case, adding that the latter has only confirmed what everybody knew and believed in for decades. "The complete nexus of Pakistan, the direct involvement of Pakistan. This is a terrible terrible situation of a country exporting terrorism," Singhvi told ANI here. "At least now, the relevant authorities there should be shamed into immediate action, urgent action and the minimum that action requires is immediate imprisonment of the main actors and players of this sad and sorry tale," he added. Meanwhile, Headley's deposition has been adjourned till Thursday post a technical snag in video-conferencing. "Today Headley was supposed to give evidence through video link. But unfortunately, on account of technical problems from the American side, they could not contact us and now it has been informed to us that the matter will be adjourned till tomorrow," Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told ANI. Nikam added that the hearing would take place from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. In his revelation during the deposition yesterday, Headley said that Pakistan's spy agency ISI provides financial, moral as well as military support to terror outfits like the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. Headley said that he was asked by the ISI to recruit Indian army men to spy for them. On the first day of the deposition, he revealed the sequence of events and planning behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Headley, one of the main conspirators in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, deposed as a witness in the case and admitted that he had come to the city with a false identity at the behest of his colleague and handler Sajid Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India and United States Technical Development Agency (USTDA) signed the Grant Agreement for India Aviation Safety Technical Assistance Phase II. Shri P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Hon'ble Minister of Civil Aviation and Ms Leocadia I. Zak, Director, U. S. Trade and Development Agency were present on the occasion. USTDA will be partially funding the assistance to the tune of US $ 808,327 and contractor The Wicks Group'(TWG) will share the cost of assistance at US $ 75,000. Government of India's contribution is for an amount of US $ 446,866 with (i) In-kind Cost Share, valued at US$ 196,866 for international roundtrip air travel on Indian air carriers between the US and India and in-country ground transportation for the Contractor during the duration of the assistance; and (ii) Cash Cost Share - US $ 250000 The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had raised certain safety concerns about Indian aviation in its 2012 audit. Following this the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) of USA carried out an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) audit in September 2013 and a review in December 2013, and India was assigned Category 2 rating in January 2014. In March 2014, United States Technical Development Agency (USTDA) in coordination with FAA approached DGCA and offered assistance under a USTDA Grant Agreement project to address the FAA IASA findings and help restore Category 1 status to India. Under the Grant Agreement, US based Contractor 'The Wicks Group'(TWG) assisted DGCA in addressing the findings and prepared for a reassessment by FAA in December 2014. Based on this reassessment and a follow-up visit in March 2015, India's Category 1 status was restored in April 2015. Phase II of the current project is aimed at sustaining efforts undertaken during 2014 for restoration of IASA Category 1 status and bringing in more systemic improvements in the area of operation, airworthiness and licensing. It will include components on General Aviation and Business Aviation . Powered by Capital Market - Live News For "Formation of Joint Venture Companies for Development of Railway Infrastructure in Chhattisgarh State In the august presence of Minister of Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu and Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Shri Raman Singh, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ministry of Railways and State Government of Chhattisgarh for Formation of Joint Venture Companies for Development of Railway Infrastructure in the State of Chhattisgarh was signed. The MoU was signed in the background of Railway Minister's Budget announcement regarding setting up of Joint Ventures with States for focused project development, resource mobilization, land acquisition, project implementation and monitoring of critical rail projects. Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu thanked the Govt. of Chhattisgarh for having agreed to set up JV Company in State of Chhattisgarh. He further said that the Indian Railways has been working vigorously to reach every corner of the Country through railway lines but people's expectations are lot more with Railway Ministry. He said that to meet the demands of the country's people, all State Governments will have to join hands with Railway Ministry and with their becoming partner with the Railway Ministry this will become possible. Shri Suresh Prabhu further stated that the Chhattisgarh is a State which is full of natural resources such as coal etc. Chhattisgarh has lot of potential and the exploration and evacuation of its natural resources to other parts will help the whole country at national level. For this purpose, railway infrastructure needs to be developed in the State which will not only help the people of the State in availing better transport but will also bring huge freight to the Railways. He stated that working through JV Companies will bring Railways to Ground Zero for effective implementation. He hoped early completion of formation of JV Companies in the interest of the country. In his address, Shri Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh at the outset thanked Ministry of Railways for supporting the State of Chhattisgarh for development of New Railway Infrastructure. He said that Railway Ministry already did commendable work in Bastar and Saguja District of Chhattisgarh by developing new railway lines which helped Chhattisgarh State a lot. He stated that under the energetic leadership of Shri Suresh Prabhu Railways has been progressing day in and day out. He stated that 760 kilometers additional railway lines have been spread in the State of Chhattisgarh in a very short span of time which in itself is a record. He stated that this new initiative will not only improve transport system of Chhattisgarh State but also help the State in exploring its full potential in better perspective. Salient Features of the MoU:- In view of the growing demands for railway lines in various states and huge requirement of funds to execute them, Minister for Railways announced in his budget speech regarding setting up of Joint Ventures with states for focused project development, resource mobilization, land acquisition, project implementation and monitoring of critical rail projects. 17 State Governments consented for formation of Joint Venture Companies in collaboration with the Ministry of Railways for development of rail infrastructure in their respective States. Draft MoUs were sent to these State Governments and discussions were also held with them to clarify various provisions of the MoU. MoUs have already been signed by the Ministry of Railways with the State Governments of Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. MoU has been signed with the State Governments of Chhattisgarh. This signing of MOU is going to be a stepping stone for formation of JV companies. The MoU envisages formation of a Joint Venture companies having 51% stakes of the respective State Government and 49% stakes of Ministry of Railways. Thus, the JV companies shall be fully owned by the Government. The companies will primarily identify projects and possible financing avenues in addition to Govt of India and the State Government. After finances for a project are tied up, project specific SPVs or special purpose vehicles shall be formed. These SPVs can have other stake holders from Industries, Central PSUs, State PSUs etc. However, the JV companies shall be mandatory stake holders with minimum 26% shares in the SPVs. The ministry of Railways will sign a concession agreement of 30 years with the project SPV for safe and sound operation, revenue sharing and providing technical & marketing logistics to the SPV. The revenue sharing shall be based on already established formula being used for inter zonal apportionment of revenue. The most important aspect of this MoU is that the ownership of the land shall vest with the SPVs which is a departure from previous practice. This will give financial leverage to the company to exploit commercial potential of the land. This is likely to result in making project viable which are otherwise not viable. At the end of concession period, the railways will have option to take over the assets at a nominal price. This is largely in line with average codal life of the assets as most of the assets will need large scale replacement after 30 years. Indian Railways has been playing a major role in national integration by connecting the remotest places and bringing people closer to each other. Railways receive a large number of demands for network expansion as a railway line acts as an engine of growth for the area it serves. However, Railways have a large shelf of ongoing New Line, Gauge Conversion and Doubling projects needing about Rs 3.5 lakh crores to complete. We have been trying to meet the aspirations of public within limited availability of funds. To expedite the projects, Railways have been trying to mobilize resources through other than Gross Budgetary Support. However, on the initiative of Minister for Railways Sh. Suresh Prabhu, Indian Railways have tied up funds for critical capacity enhancement project of doubling, third line , electrification etc. An MoU was signed with LIC of India and we have already taken first tranche of Rs 2000 Cr for these projects. This tied up loan will ensure dedicated and assured funding for such critical projects. Indian Railways have targeted to commission 2000 Km New Lines, 4000 Km Gauge Conversion and 11000 Km Doubling/Tripling/ Quadrupling projects over 5 years i.e. from 2015-16 to 2019-20. In 2015-16, we had kept quite ambitious target of commissioning 2500 Km Broad Gauge track. It is a matter of great satisfaction that we are poised to not only achieve these targets but to surpass them. We have already commissioned about 1300 Km Broad Gauge track till December, 2015 against 800 Km track commissioned in the corresponding period of the previous year (Due to monsoons, major commissioning takes place in the last quarter of the financial year). Formation of Joint Venture Companies with the State Governments will go a long way in faster commissioning of critical rail infrastructure projects as it will not only help in mobilization of funds but also in facilitating various clearances and land acquisition. Powered by Capital Market - Live News A second wave of industrial action by thousands of junior doctors started on Wednesday after negotiations over pay and new contracts failed. The second 24-hour strike has led to the cancellation of almost 3,000 operations on Wednesday, though emergency care was still being provided, Xinhua reported. About 38,000 junior doctors in England went on strike last month over the same issues. It was the first industrial action by British junior doctors in nearly 40 years. The British government wanted to put the National Health Service (NHS) on a seven-day working basis and tried to introduce a new contract for junior doctors, who were concerned about whether they could premium payments for work on Saturdays. The British Medical Association (BMA), the trade union for 170, 000 doctors in Britain, proposed accepting half of the 11 percent basic pay raise offered by the government in return for retaining extra payments for working Saturdays. However, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt reportedly rejected the proposed deal. Junior doctors joined the walkouts on Wednesday in many cities around the country, including London, Sheffield, Manchester. "Last weekend, thousands of us took to the streets of London and Bristol to show that our fight for a properly negotiated contract continues. (Today) we raise our voices again, on hundreds of picket lines across England," said Johann Malawana, BMA junior doctors committee chair, in a message to junior doctors ahead of the industrial action. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, told local media: "Our members are saying to us 'this really does need to reach a conclusion.' The ideal conclusion would be for employers to make a fair and final reasonable offer and for the BMA to accept it. "If the BMA doesn't accept it, our members are saying to us that the secretary of state has to find a way to bring this to a conclusion. Three thousand operations are being cancelled today, we can't carry on like this." Well-known British author J.K. Rowling, who is married to a doctor, said she supported the junior doctors' strike on her Twitter account on Wednesday. --Indo-Aisan News Service ahm/ As many as 500 people have been killed since the Syrian army launched a wide-scale offensive in the province of Aleppo, a monitor group reported on Wednesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 89 civilians were among those killed since the beginning of the month, adding that the rest were militant fighters, Xinhua reported. The Syrian army has made sweeping progress in Aleppo, capturing key towns from the Turkey-backed rebels, aiming to close the borders with Turkey, from which many foreign jihadists are infiltrating Syria. A day earlier, Syria's Presidential Political and Media Advisor Bouthaina Shaaban said the aim of the army's advances in Aleppo is liberating cities and village seized by terrorists for nearly three years and controlling the borders with Turkey. Bharti Airtel on Wednesday announced the migration of 40,000 of its network sites across India to green technology. Airtel said, in a statement, that its network transformation programme "Project Leap" is now focusing heavily on a series of fresh initiatives towards a greener environment and building sustainable network for the future, and under the project, it will establish a world-class and future-ready network, while bringing down its carbon footprint emission by 70 percent by 2018. "We are committed to bringing down the carbon emission by 70 percent and are taking all measures including bringing in state-of-art technology and partnering with the best globally," said the firm's MD and CEO (India & South Asia) Gopal Vittal. "We plan to adopt solar and new battery technologies in a big way and double our Green network sites by 2020. With a strategic focus on creating a green network, we remain committed to learning from the telecom industry's best practices from across the globe," he added. Bangladesh strongly follows a 'zero tolerance' policy against the drug menace, human trafficking and other border crimes, the country's home secretary Mohammad Mozammel Haque Khan said here on Wednesday. "Our government policy is 'zero tolerance' towards drug menaces, human trafficking and other border crimes. There is some unauthorised trespassing along the India-Bangladesh border, but this is being jointly dealt with by the border guarding forces of the two countries," Khan told reporters. "When any kind of security and border-related issues arise, a home secretary level meeting tries to resolve these with mutual cooperation. We (India and Bangladesh) are regularly sharing inputs and information of any happenings, possible threats and act on those taking help from each other." Khan, who was accompanied by diplomats from the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, arrived here on Wednesday morning and left for Dhaka in the afternoon. He held meetings with officials of the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Agartala, and said he reviewed the process of machine-readable passports and visas there. He said that before reaching Dhaka, he would visit some border outposts of the Border Guard Bangladesh and other infrastructure along the borders. To a question, he said border-related incidents have come down sharply last year compared to previous year. Five Indian states -- West Bengal (2,216 km), Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam (263 km) -- share a 4,096-km border with Bangladesh. "My government has already announced that Bangladeshi soil will not be allowed to be used by any inimical forces against India. India is also following same strategy. We are helping each other to serve mutual interest," the visiting official said. He said the India-Bangladesh relations were currently the "best ever" compared to the past. The home secretary said there was no existence of the Islamic State terror group in Bangladesh. "There are some fundamentalist and misguided forces in our country. However, our security forces are efficiently dealing with them." Khan, who earlier served in the Bangladesh president and prime minister's offices, said that as officials in diplomatic missions were overburdened in issuing passports and visas, the Bangladesh government was outsourcing such work. "I was told that every day on an average, over 100 visas are being issued from the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Agartala to Bangladesh-bound Indians. We want to give more visas to Indians keen to go to Bangladesh. If more and more people from both sides visit India and Bangladesh, the relations would become closer." Bangladesh's High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali recently visited the state and met various people, besides Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. Ali said the Assistant High Commission in Agartala would be elevated to a deputy high commission in the near future. The city authorities on Wednesday imposed curfew-like restrictions here, causing inconvenience to people. Policemen standing beside coils of concertina wire put across the road in Residency Road and Lal Chowk commercial hubs of Srinagar city refused passage to everyone, including media persons who had to reach their offices in Press Enclave on the Residency Road. "Not allowed," a police constable told media persons who showed their identity cards to him in the Residency Road area. The restrictions were imposed in five police station areas of Srinagar city on Tuesday to prevent separatist protests on the death anniversary of Afzal Guru, who was convicted for terrorist attack on Parliament House in New Delhi. "We have reports about separatists planning protests in Lal Chowk area on Wednesday," a senior police officer said. Meanwhile, pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front's chairman Yasin Malik continues to remain in police detention after he was arrested on Monday. Separatists have called for a protest shutdown on Thursday on the death anniversary of JKLF founder, Muhammad Maqbool Bhat. Bhat was hanged in Delhi's Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984. His mortal remains were not handed over to the family. The Dalai Lama and US Secretary of State John Kerry have extended greetings on Losar, the Tibetan New Year, a statement from the Tibetan government-in-exile said here on Wednesday. "On behalf of President (Barack) Obama and the people of the United States, I offer our warmest wishes to all the peoples of the Himalayan region celebrating Losar for a joyful new year," a Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) statement quoted Kerry as saying. "The United States joins you in celebrating the history and vibrant culture of the peoples of the Himalayan region, including those in Bhutan, Nepal, India and Tibetan areas of the People's Republic of China," it added. The fortnight-long Losar, beginning from February 8, is marked by prayers, ceremonies, rituals and folk dances and merrymaking. The Dalai Lama, undergoing treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for a prostate problem, also greeted the people on Losar. Assuring that he's in good health, the Buddhist monk said in a message: "I want to tell you that I am doing very well. The treatment only takes a few minutes every day, but it will take time to complete the treatment. It's nothing complicated, it's not serious, there's nothing to worry about." A slew of agreements, including on defence equipment manufacturing and civil nuclear cooperation, are likely to be signed between India and the UAE after Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrives here later on Wednesday on a three-day visit. After the India-UAE relationship was elevated to comprehensive strategic partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UAE in August last year, the first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years, there is focus on new areas of cooperation like defence production in India, security, counter-terrorism, in nuclear and space sector, in energy sector, according to Anil Wadhwa, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry. "A number of new agreements and MoUs (memorandums of understanding) are proposed to be signed during the visit of the crown prince to expand the areas of our cooperation," Wadhwa said during a media briefing here on Wednesday. "This list is still being updated. I cannot give the number right now but as we speak the negotiations are still going on." The welfare of the expatriate Indians in the United Arab Emirates, numbering around 2.6 million, is also likely to come up for discussion, he said. After Saudi Arabia, the UAE hosts the highest number of Indians in the Gulf, 60 percent of whom are blue collar workers. This is the second highest level visit to India from the Gulf region after the visit of the emir of Qatar in March 2015. The UAE is the third largest trading partner of India after the US and China. It is also the sixth largest source of India's crude oil imports. This is the third visit to India by Sheikh Mohamed and the first in his capacity as crown prince. He is also the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces. After his arrival here on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will call on him. On Thursday, he will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan following which he will lay a wreath at Rajghat. He will have a tete-a-tete with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after which President Pranab Mukherjee will host him for a private lunch. Bilateral discussions will be held here on Thursday evening and then the agreements will be signed. On Friday, Sheikh Mohamed will leave for Mumbai where he will visit the Bombay Stock Exchange and meet Indian business leaders. The Delhi High Court was on Wednesday told that the forest areas in the national capital were "disappearing very fast" due to rampant encroachment. A division bench of Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva was further informed by amicus curiae Kailash Vasudev, who was assisting the court in a suo moto case on air pollution in city, that Delhi is left with green cover of 20.8 percent while the master plan 2021 requires it to be 30 percent. "Forest areas in capital was disappearing very fast due to rampant encroachment. One of the reasons was there is no demarcation on land and secondly there is lack of political and bureaucratic will," said Vasudev. The bench asked for a survey of actual area forest area in the capital and posted the matter for further hearing after three weeks. During the hearing, the court also directed the Delhi Traffic Police to challan people driving in wrong carriage way for dangerous driving under Section 279 of Indian Penal Code. It directed the special commissioner of police (traffic) to personally look into the compliance of the court's directions on regulating vehicular movement on roads and carriage way. "You can't imagine how frustrating it is for a high court judge to pass an order regarding traffic congestion in Delhi and later see it not being complied with," the bench said. It also said there has to be some thinking in the traffic department about the management and regulation of traffic congestion in Delhi as it has "gone out of hand". Delhi was burning fuel worth billions of rupees due to traffic congestion and idling of vehicles which also contributes to air pollution, the bench observed. During the hearing, the chief forest conservator (CFC), Delhi told the court that old trees emit more carbon dioxide than oxygen and thus they have to be replaced with new ones in a planned manner. Hearing the submission, the court asked whether CFC's statement was based on "scientific info" as it was contrary to popular notion. "If government has to cut a tree, it has to plan at least 40 years ahead so that a replacement of trees is there," the conservator told the bench. Disappointing earning results, coupled with negative global cues and a slump in crude oil prices dragged the Indian equity markets to their lowest levels in 2016 on Wednesday. This led a barometer index of the Indian equity markets to provisionally close the day's trade down 262 points. Selling frenzy led to both the bellwether indices of the Indian equity markets to trade at levels which were last seen during May 2014. The bellwether indices even touched their new 52-week lows during the intra-day trade. Initially, both the indices opened on a weak note in sync with their Asian peers, especially the Japanese index. The selling pressure was accelerated by absence of any fresh positive trigger and below expected third quarter (Q3) results. Investors were disappointed with poor earnings results from the banking sector and lower guidance from an information technology (IT) major. The decline of crude oil prices below $30 a barrel (one barrel is equal to 159 litres), as well as German IIP's (index of industrial production) fall dented sentiments. Investors' doubts over the government's ability to perk up investments dragged markets' lower. In addition, frantic selling by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) dampened the equity markets. On Tuesday, they divested Rs.681 crore. Long-liquidation positions and disappointing macro-data for the third quarter growth figures also eroded investors confidence. Besides, investors were unnerved ahead of the semi-annual monetary policy testimony by US Fed chairman Janet Yellen to the US House financial services committee later Wednesday. The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) plunged by 262 points or 1.09 percent. Similarly, the wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) ended the day's trade deep in the red. It was down by 83 points or 1.13 percent at 7,215.70 points. The NSE Nifty touched a new 52-week low at 7,177.75 points. The S&P BSE Sensex, which opened at 23,938.32 points, provisionally closed at 23,758.90 points (3.30 p.m.) -- down 262.08 points or 1.09 percent from the previous day's close at 24,020.98 points. During the intra-day trade, the Sensex touched a high of 23,938.32 points and a low of 23,636.72 points -- its new low in 52 weeks. The S&P BSE market breadth favoured the bears -- with 1,981 declines and only 665 advances. "Profit bookings from the last few day's has finally matured into full-fledged panic selling today. The lower closing of Japanese markets, crude oil slump and disappointing results have all contributed to this panic selling," Anand James, co-head, technical research desk with Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services, told IANS. Nitasha Shankar, vice president for research with YES Securities, elaborated that Indian benchmark indices on a new 52-week lows suggested a prolonged bearish period for the markets. The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the constitutional legitimacy of Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa's direction that there should not be any tinkering with the party position in the state assembly, asking how could he clip the constitutional powers of the speaker to disqualify lawmakers on grounds of defection. "Is it not an order of restraint on the speaker not to act under schedule ten of the constitution (which provides for disqualification of lawmakers on grounds of defection). Could the governor issue a direction to the speaker clipping his powers to act under schedule ten," asked the constitution bench of Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh and Justice N.V. Ramana. The "governor may have some role in the functioning of the assembly, but he has no role to play in the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection provision)", it added as senior counsel T.R.Andhyarijnua, appearing for Rajkhowa, defended the governor's action saying that his apprehensions that the speaker Nabam Rebia may disqualify the rebel legislators was born out by the subsequent events. "It is a constitutional imperative, obligation and duty of the governor to see that the constitutional powers under Schedule Ten is exercised in a right manner," Andhyarijuna told the court. Described his client as a "conscientious and impartial" person whose acts could not be described a "capricious and malafide", he said: "What were the options before the governor? There were apprehensions in the mind of the governor that the total complexion of the assembly would be changed." Pointing out that Rajkhowa's "apprehensions" were proved to be correct, Andhyarijuna said: "Governor is not a great constitutional lawyer. He has good instinct. (With) Politicians (belonging to ruling Congress) fighting like anything in the sensitive border state, he asked the president to step in." But expressing its doubts on Rajkhowa's conduct, the court asked "whether whatever the governor has done was in furtherance of democracy or to create a dent in it". Andhyarijuna held Rajkowa's advancing the assembly session from January 14, 2016, to December 16, directing that the resolution expressing no confidence in the speaker be taken as a first item, and the composition of the house not be changed was to thwart Rebia from exercising his powers under anti-defection law to create majority for the Congress. "(Exercise of) Discretion was founded strong basis and the necessity to act that way," he said, arguing the governor could not have allowed the speaker, who was acting in close proximity with Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, to have 42 days to exercise his powers under anti-defection law to disqualify 14 rebel Congress lawmakers. But the court was not convinced. "You are blaming the speaker. Speaker could turn around and blame you," the bench observed noting that Rebia acted only after the governor did. As Andhyarijuna took the court through the sequence of political events leading to the imposition of president's rule, the bench, holding said that a "constitutional discretion has to be based on constitutional principle", asking him: "What was the constitutional principle that was invoked by the governor in preponing the assembly session and sending the message. What constitutional objective the governor was seeking to achieve?" Posing a hypothetical situation, the court asked Andhyarijuna that if an assembly is in session and a resolution seeking the removal of speaker is moved, could the governor on the expiry of 14 days ask the house to consider the resolution on the 15th day. As Andhyarijuna said that the governor may not, the court said: "When he (governor) can't do when the house is in session, how can he do when the house is off." Clause (C) of the constitution's article 179 says that no resolution for the removal of speaker or deputy speaker of an assembly "shall be moved unless at least fourteen days' notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution". Hearing will continue on Thursday. Haryana minister Anil Vij said on Wednesday that "those who cannot live without beef should not come to Haryana". His comment came on a day when Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said in China that there was no controversy over the beef ban in the state. "Those who can't live without beef should not come to Haryana," Vij tweeted. Khattar is in Chennai, leading an official delegation to attract investments in Haryana. Asked about the beef ban in Haryana and how foreign investors were reacting to it, Khattar said: "No one has approached the government in this regard." He said 12 organisations had promised to invest around Rs.3,000 crore in his state. Haryana introduced a law last year under which sale of beef was banned in the state. With the state seeking investment from other countries, the beef ban has became a sticky issue for the Khattar government. Vij is a senior minister in the first BJP government in the state which came to power in October 2014. Former army chief General V.K. Singh has called for improving functional relationship between the military command and civilian leadership. He asserted that the government needed to seriously consider the recommendations made by the Kargil Committee report in this regard. "We have been talking about improving our civilian-military relationship for three-four decades now. But we are only talking about it as nothing concrete has been done," he said talking to reporters on the sidelines of a book launch in New Delhi late on Tuesday. "Government needs to take a serious look at Kargil Committee report and bring in serious changes," Singh added. Singh, who is currently the minister of state for external affairs, blamed the foreign policy of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the debacle in 1962 war with China. He also said the distrust between the then civilian and military establishment was a major reason for India's suffering. "Foreign policy of the time and approach we had adopted towards our neighbour prior to 1962 was the primary reason for India's suffering," Singh said. "1962 war is looked at as failure on two fronts. How our political leadership, bureaucracy and intelligence worked. And how military looked at it if it was allowed to shed the baggage of colonial era. Clearly there was a huge gap in communication," Singh said substantiating his views regarding the historical event. Singh launched a book '1962: The war that wasn't' authored by Shiv Kunal Verma. "Sometimes a person grows in his stature to such an extent that he goes beyond scrutiny and any kind of questioning despite the blunders he makes," Singh said, referring to Nehru, who he alleged went scot-free despite the humiliation that country had to face during the war. India on Wednesday said investors from Gulf countries could participate in its Rs.40,000-crore National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) set up last year to fund projects. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley mentioned this in his meeting here with the United Arab Emirates' Economy Minister Sultan Al Mansoori, ahead of the India visit of Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said a statement from the Indian finance ministry. Both the countries also stressed on need for increasing cooperation in the fields of innovation and small and medium enterprises, the statement said. "Both countries agreed to deepen their engagement in the area of innovation so as to harness respective capabilities in a mutually beneficial manner," it added. The small and medium (SME) industries sector is critical for the growth of the economy and employment, Jaitley said. "It was also decided that the respective institutions and industry associations engaged with SMEs would cooperate to harness the growth of SME sector in both the countries," the statement said. Following a separate meeting here on Wednesday between Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan with United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Indian petroleum ministry said the construction of India's strategic petroleum storage in Karnataka's Mangaluru with the assistance of the UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is proceeding on schedule and will be completed soon. At a time when the global technology giants are set to leverage the benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for your daily lives -- from taking care of businesses to fulfilling your personal needs -- India seems to be reluctant to get on to this bus. When Amit Singhal -- an India-born techie who joined Google nearly 15 years ago practically reigning at Google Search since then -- decided to quit this month and hand the baton over to the head of the technology giant's artificial intelligence (AI) chief, the message was clear: AI was the future that had arrived. Amid all the brouhaha over machines acquiring near-human intelligence, is India ready to embrace the change? "For the Indian market, we might see some serious AI in action around 2020, and by 2025 there should be considerable advancements," Faisal Kawoosa, lead analyst, Telecoms Practice, at market research and consulting firm CyberMedia Research (CMR), told IANS. According to Thomas George, SBU Head of CMR, there were several studies projecting AI becoming mainstream within five years. "However, this appears possible only in the high-end segments in the advanced and developed markets and not in India," he added. According to a latest forecast by the research firm MarketsandMarkets, the AI market is estimated to reach $5 billion by 2020 globally. "The increasing use of machine learning technology in the advertising and media and finance sectors, and the growing demand for AI across diversified application areas are driving the growth of the AI market," the findings showed. In India, the top-notch technology companies are yet to make a substantial progress into the business of AI. While Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has Ignio -- a neural science-based automation platform that optimises IT operations, Infosys has recently launched AiKiDo project that will focus on AI, knowledge-based IT and design thinking to help enterprise clients. Wipro, on the other hand, has an AI platform "Holmes" -- a rich set of cognitive computing services for the development of digital virtual agents, cognitive process automation, visual computing applications, robotics and drones. To fulfill its AI dreams, Wipro recently acquired a strategic stake in Vicarious -- an AI company based in San Francisco, California. But this does not seem enough when it comes to the practical application of AI in the country on a large scale. "Although industry circles have been talking about AI for more than a decade, it is yet to make its mark in India," George said. Globally, Microsoft, Google and Facebook are leading the way when it comes to incorporating AI into the workplace -- transforming the experience of "machine learning" via "deep neural networks" of hardware and software that nearly approximate neurons in the human brain. "Machine intelligence is crucial to our search vision of building a truly intelligent assistant that connects our users to information and actions in the real world," Google said in a statement recently. John Giannandrea, who led Google's machine learning efforts and is going to replace Singhal, is applying the technology to products such as image recognition for Google Photos search and the smart reply for Google Inbox. In a cheer for the AI community, Google's AlphaGo, a programme of its artificial intelligence arm DeepMind, recently defeated the reigning human champion of Go - a complex Chinese board game that is considered the "quintessential unsolved problem" for machine intelligence. At Facebook, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to focus on AI and is even thinking of a simple AI to run his home and workplace like the famous Jarvis character in the Hollywood movie "Iron Man". According to Chris Bishop, managing director at Microsoft Research, 2016 will be the year of AI. "During 2016, we will see the emergence of new silicon architectures that are tuned to the intensive workloads of machine learning, offering a major performance boost over GPUs (Graphics Processing Units)," he posted. In his first "Ask Me Anything" session on the social networking website Reddit last year, famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking said that we evolved to be smarter than our ape-like ancestors and scientist Albert Einstein was smarter than his parents. "If they become that clever, then we may face an 'intelligence explosion', as machines develop the ability to engineer themselves to be far more intelligent," he said in reply to a question on the discussion board. That might eventually result in "machines whose intelligence exceeds ours by more than ours exceeds that of snails", Hawking answered. That may be a daunting task for people to absorb. But perhaps human intelligence will evolve to do just that. (Nishant Arora Can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in) Abu Dhabi, Feb 10 (IANS/WAM) The cooperation between India and the UAE in the energy sector is expected to grow following the visit to India of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, beginning Wednesday. The visit comes six months after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to strengthen bilateral ties and increase investments between the two countries. A number of new agreements are likely to be signed, including on oil and gas and renewable energy, as part of the Abu Dhabi crown prince's visit, Gulf News, a UAE-based daily, said. "India is a growing energy market particularly with the Chinese demand slowing. So far we haven't seen very much action by the Indian energy companies in the UAE so might be interesting to see if Indian energy companies are going to play more of a role here," the paper quoted Robin Mills, chief executive officer of Dubai-based Qamar Energy, as saying. Mills said there is a lot of room for investment in the Indian energy sector, particularly in power generation. "A memorandum of understanding already exists between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, (Adnoc), and the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve. India is seen as an important customer for UAE oil and the cooperation could stretch to UAE investment in developing energy reserves of gas and oil in India," Gary Dugan, chief investment officer at Emirates NBD, said. India imports about 270,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with the UAE being the sixth-largest supplier of the commodity to India. --IANS/WAM py/dg Dubai, Feb 10 (IANS/WAM) A major component in the development of the United Arab Emirates has been the contribution of the Indian community, a former UAE diplomat has said. "There are three pillars to the UAE's success and the Indian community is one of them," said Mirza Hussain Al Sayegh, who served as first deputy ambassador in New Delhi in 1973 and was also head of the UAE Consular Mission in Mumbai during 1974-1976. Al Sayegh's views, expressed in an interview to the English daily Gulf News, reiterated the enduring strength of ties the UAE and India have shared for over a century. Al Sayegh said the three-day visit to India, beginning Wednesday, of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, was another milestone in the mutual journey of goodwill and cooperation between the two countries. Sheikh Mohamed's visit comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to the UAE last August. During bilateral talks with the Indian political leadership, he will address economic and strategic issues of mutual interest, including their stand on combating terrorism. At least 16 trade agreements are also likely to be signed. Al Sayegh said that since the time of Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher in 1894, the ruling families have built a credible, stable, reliable relationship with India. "The people relied on India because it was the source of supplies, and also the main trade route for merchants, whether it be for foodstuffs or medicine. And vice versa. Emiratis would also use the trade route to sell their dates and pearls," he said. It was after Indira Gandhi's visit to the country in 1981 that the relationship between the UAE and India was bolstered and reached new heights, Al Sayegh said. Gandhi was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the UAE, and Al Sayegh said her visit had a significant impact on the country, particularly during the 1980s when relations with India's culture, industry, trade and diplomatic missions started to grow. "I cherish the relationship the two countries enjoy with each other, and since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit last year, the relationship has gone from strength to strength," he said. "The ruling families, the citizens and the people of India are the three pillars that have made the UAE what it is today. We look at India as our big brother," he said. --IANS/WAM py/dg The Indian shooting contingent got off to a winning start at the South Asian Games (SAG) by grabbing three of the four gold medals on offer at the shooting event here on Wednesday. Rio 2016 Olympics bound top Indian woman Air Rifle specialist Apurvi Chandela won the gold easily in her 10-metre event. Apurvi bagged a double when she teamed up with Pooja Ghatkar and Elizabeth Susan Koshy to win the team gold in the event. The other gold medal came in the men's 50m Pistol team event which was won by the trio of Omkar Singh, Prakash Nanjappa and Om Prakash. In the women's 10m Air Rifle event, India bagged the top three places in qualifying with Apurvi shooting 419.8, Pooja 417.7 and Elizabeth 411 respectively to reach the final. Their combined score of 1248.5 for the team gold was way out of reach of the second placed Sri Lanka who shot a total of 1218.4. The bronze went to Bangladesh who put up a combined total of 1215.7. Apurvi then ensured that she won. Elizabeth and Pooja, however, swapped positions to win the silver and bronze, respectively, thereby ensuring a clean sweep for India in the event. Apurvi shot 209 in the finals while Elizabeth ended with 207.1 and Pooja 185.9. In the men's 50m Pistol, the Indian trio of Omkar, Prakash and Om Prakash ensured the team won gold with a combined total of 1622. The silver medal-winning Pakistan outfit logged a total of 1583 while Bangladesh won bronze with a total of 1575. In the individual event, Sakil Ahmed of Bangladesh, who scored 187.6 won gold, outgunning Om Prakash, who scored of 187.3, to win the silver. The bronze went to Pakistan's Kalimullah Khan who scored 165.9. A court here on Wednesday sent an Islamic State (IS) suspect to 10 days' police custody after the city police said they had to recover data from his Facebook account. The man, Mohsin Abraham Sayeed, was arrested in connection with planning terror attacks in the country. Seeking the remand, police reportedly told Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh during in-camera proceedings that they had to recover data from the Facebook and other accounts of Sayeed. According to sources, police informed the court that the accused had to be taken to Muzaffarnagar, Agra and Lucknow for the purpose of investigation. The court allowed the police to quiz Sayeed for another 10 days. He was presented before the court after the expiry of his earlier police remand. Mohsin Abraham Sayeed, 26, a resident of Malad in Mumbai, was arrested from old Delhi's Kashmere Gate Inter-State Bus Terminal on February 4 by a Special Cell of Delhi Police. Sayeed was in touch with four IS suspects arrested on January 19 in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district. Rome, Feb 1o (IANS/AKI) The Islamic State jihadist group will lose against the international military coalition of countries fighting it and will be defeated culturally, economically and diplomatically, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Wednesday. "The unscrupulous terrorists of Daesh (IS) must know they will lose their battle," Renzi told journalists here after a meeting his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi. "Iraq and with Iraq the whole international community will overcome this challenge, not only through the international coalition but also culturally, economic and diplomatically," he said. The international coalition is driving back IS and retaking territory from the group and Italy is one of the countries leading the battle against it with over 700 security personnel deployed, Renzi noted. More than Italian 100 paramilitary Carabinieri police officers are training police in Iraq, he said, adding "a united and stable Iraq can help stabilise and bring peace to the Middle East region". Abadi said Iraq aimed to defeat IS in Iraq "by the end of the year" calling for a "political solution" in his country and in neighbouring war-wracked Syria. "Iraqis are united in the fight against terrorism and we have had many victories on the ground," Abadi said. He cited the "harsh blow" delivered to IS in the central city of Ramadi, which Iraq says was completely recaptured from the group this week. Abadi also recalled that troop reinforcements were also sent to Mosul "in recent days" to liberate it from IS, which overran the northern city in June 2014. The coalition should not play a combat role in Iraq but should help with training and air cover, Abadi said. "We don't want other forces fighting that are not Iraqi," he stated. "We now need international aid to restore essential services such as schools, hospitals and clinics and enable people uprooted by the conflict to return to their homes." Help from international experts is needed to diversify the troubled Iraqi economy, Abadi said, inviting Italian companies to invest in Iraq. "We can no longer depend solely on oil," Abadi warned. --IANS/AKI vd The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday in a press statement that the Israeli walls and fences will not make peace with Palestinians. "It is bridges of peace that bring security to all," said the statement, which also warned of the consequences and implications of the annexation and "colonialist walls mentality" adopted by Israeli government as a policy to anchor the occupation, Xinhua reported. The ministry's statement came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported a plan to surround "the entire State of Israel with a fence" to keep out refugees, drawing the analogy that the people of neighbouring countries are like "predators". Speaking during a tour to a construction site of the border fence with Jordan, Netanyahu reportedly said that he wishes to surround "the country" with fences and barriers "to defend ourselves against wild beasts" that surround Israel. The ministry described Netanyahu's statements as "discriminatory and seeking to deepen the notion of the external enemy in the Israeli consciousness," adding that it aims to draw more Israelis towards Netanyahu's right wing ideology which are based on extremism and justifying his anti-peace positions. The ministry accused Israel of taking advantage of the deteriorating regional circumstances to isolate the Palestinian cause and impose security solutions unilaterally. The statement also called on the international community to undertake its responsibility and slam Israel's "intransigence and apartheid walls". The Israeli public radio reported Tuesday that the Israeli prime minister is preparing a multi-year plan to surround Israel with security fences to "protect Israel in the Middle East as it is today". The plan includes close breaches made in the security barrier in the West Bank. Netanyahu made the remarks as he toured the 30-km-long eastern fence, still under construction, along the borders with Jordan. The eastern fence is designed to safeguard an airport built near Eilat, south of Israel, at a cost of 288 million shekels (about $74 million). Israel began constructing the wall with concrete walls, fences and barbed-wire inside the occupied West Bank in 2002, claiming that the wall was crucial for its security purposes. In 2004, the International Criminal Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion ruling that the wall constitutes a "de facto annexation" of Palestinians land and that it is not justified on security grounds. Around 35,000 jewellery shops in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will down their shutters on Thursday in protest against the central government's stipulation to provide PAN card on purchases over Rs.200,000, said a senior official of All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF). "The PAN card rule came into effect from January 1, 2016 onwards and since than nearly 35 percent of the business has gone down," N. Anantha Padmanabhan, zonal chairman (southern region) told IANS on Wednesday. While jewellers across the country downed their shutters on Wednesday, the protest in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry has been fixed for Thursday. "We do not understand the rationale for bringing down the PAN card submission limit to Rs.200,000 from Rs.500,000 for jewellery whereas increasing the limit for real estate transactions from Rs.500,000 to Rs.10,00,000," he said, noting it is "common knowledge that unaccounted money is housed in real estate than in jewellery". Padmanabhan said the trade is not against PAN card submission but against the Rs.200,000 limit. "We have no issue if PAN card submission is made compulsory for purchase of gold coins or bars. But in the case of jewellery, nearly 70 percent of the purchases are made by the villagers," he said. In India, only around 20 crore people have been issued with PAN cards whereas jewellery is bought by almost all the Indians, he said. Many in villagers do not have a PAN card but gold jewellery is a must in the case of weddings or festivals in Indian families, Padmanabhan argued. According to him, the government can implement the PAN card stipulation in stages. The first fruit and vegetable processing plant in the eastern part of India that will benefit around 50,000 farmers will come up in Jharkhand, an official said on Wednesday. The foundation stone of the plant will be laid on Thursday by Chief Minister Raghubar Das, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) chairperson T. Nandkumar told reporters. The plant will be set by Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable Pvt. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of the NDDB. "Around 50,000 farmers will be benefited by the processing plant. This is the first venture outside big cities in India. This will change the life of the farmers and their economy," Nandkumar said. Mother Dairy will set up two plants -- one for a frozen facility for fruits and vegetables, and the second for pulp and concentrates. Safal, a Mother Dairy brand, will set up a 5,000-tonne capacity freezing plant in Ranchi -- the second of its kind by the company in India. The plant for pulp and concentrates will have capacity of 20,000 tonnes per annum. Both will come up at a cost of Rs.76.65 crore and the state government will provide Rs.14-Rs.15 crore. At present, Safal has an 8,000-tonne plant in New Delhi. Jharkhand produces one of the best qualities of peas in India -- around 9 percent of the total production in the country. In India, the frozen peas production is around 80,000 tonnes per annum. Actress Mallika Sherawat, currently in the US, says she has had the "good fortune" to meet President Barack Obama again. The 39-year-old actress tweeted a selfie of herself with Obama, and they are all smiles for the camera. "Had the good fortune of meeting the one and only, the charismatic President Obama again," Mallika tweeted on Wednesday, calling it a "proud moment". Mallika, however, did not reveal where and when she met Obama this time. She had earlier met him in 2011 a tea party in Los Angeles. The actress is known for her bold performances in films such as "Khwahish" and "Murder", and was last seen on screen in the 2015 film "Dirty Politics". Scientists at the US space agency NASA have discounted reports that an Indian bus driver in Tamil Nadu was killed by a meteorite, saying he was likely hit by a land based explosion. Online photographs of the site of the suspected meteorite hit in a college campus on Saturday were more consistent with "a land based explosion" than with something from space, the New York Times reported Tuesday citing NASA scientists. Early reports included images of a crater, five feet deep and two feet wide. Witnesses described hearing an explosion, and police recovered a black, pockmarked stone from the site in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu. Lindley Johnson, NASA's planetary defence officer, told the US daily in an email that a death by meteorite impact was so rare that one has never been scientifically confirmed in recorded history. "There have been reports of injuries, but even those were extremely rare before the Chelyabinsk event three years ago," she said, referring to a 2013 episode in Russia. In addition, meteorites are often cool to the touch when they land, and the object recovered from the site in India weighed only a few grams and appeared to be a fragment of a common earth rock. The US daily also cited a scientist at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics which is analysing samples of the rock provided by the police as doubting if it was a meteorite. "Considering that there was no prediction of a meteorite shower and there was no meteorite shower observed, this certainly is a rare phenomena if it is a meteorite," professor G.C. Anupama, the dean of the institute, told the daily over telephone. Deaths and injuries by meteorites are tracked by the International Comet Quarterly, which notes the locations and sizes of meteorites. Some smash through houses, kill animals and spatter buildings. But deaths have been hard to confirm, the Times said. In 1908 in Tunguska, Siberia, an apparent "airblast" of an object entering the Earth's atmosphere leveled hundreds of square miles of forest and killed two men and hundreds of reindeer. But no meteorites were recovered, the New York Times said citing the quarterly. In one of the largest recent events, meteorites or pieces of space rock, fell in Chelyabinsk from a meteor that hit the Earth's atmosphere in February 2013. About 1,200 people - 200 of them children - were injured, mostly by glass that exploded into schools and workplaces, the Times said, citing Russia's interior ministry. What I found was truly appalling. Papua New Guinean literature seemed to have died shortly after independence. When he asked me to write something I cast around for a suitable subject. I thought the state of Papua New Guinean literature from those early days to the present might be a good topic, so I started doing a bit of research. DURING 2010 Big Pat Levo, editor of the Post-Couriers Independence Day supplement, asked several regular PNG Attitude contributors to provide articles for that years edition. The fact that very few Papua New Guinean writers had been published since 1975 seemed strangely at odds with the contributions and comments coming in to PNG Attitude; which were generally articulate and well-written. From my frequent forays into the country, I also knew that people in Papua New Guinea, especially in rural areas where there was no television, were avid readers. I recounted this anomaly in an article in early August 2010: Aspiring writers in Australia have a battle to get their works published; there just isnt a big enough market. Imagine the case in PNG. There are many frustrated would-be authors in PNG. A few, like Steven Winduo, Regis Stella and Russell Soaba, have paid for their own publishing. One book recently cost the author nearly K20,000 to publish and hes losing money hand over fist. But hes a writer and hell keep writing. Papua New Guinean novels, to quote one observer, are as rare as hens teeth. As with many things on PNG Attitude, what followed was the serendipitous evolution of an idea. Here is part of the comment trail: What about a PNG Attitude annual prize for an unpublished PNG novel? I'm happy to kick in $100. Anyone else? Posted by: Phil Fitzpatrick Put me down for a $100, Phil Posted by: Robin Lillicrapp What a great idea by Philip Fitzpatrick for PNG Attitude. I fully support it and will encourage many PNGeans to contribute to the continuing discussion we have about promoting PNG/Aussie relations now and into perpetuity. Posted by: Reginald Renagi Just an update in case the topic has slipped from people's minds. I've put together a longer article for the Post Courier Independence Day supplement and I've put the hard word on the editor, Big Pat Levo, to support a short story competition by (a) publishing the winner and (b) kicking in a few kina. Quite a few other people have said they will add their support, our esteemed editor doubled my initial bid, Robin Lillicrapp was very quick off the mark to kick in another $100, as will Firewall Logistics and others. I'm thinking that if we get enough good entries it would be worth publishing an anthology. We would be looking to have that coincide with Independence Day in 2011 and hopefully every year thereafter. Posted by: Phil Fitzpatrick I followed up these ideas and the comments with the announcement of a competition in fairly vague terms but ideas were coming in all the time. What was effectively happening was that the readers and contributors to PNG Attitude were designing the competition themselves: If it all comes off, we will make it an annual event culminating around Independence Day each year. Im getting encouraging noises from some possible corporate sponsors and hope to get more than noises. As Alex Harris knows, involvement in such community enterprises enhances corporate reputation and is good for the bottom line. Were still open to ideas and, of course, promises of financial support. More ideas came in following this article. Keith was very supportive: It is the intention to publish exceptional entries from time to time in the year leading up to I-Day 2011 and the announcement of the first Crocodile Prize winners. During this time we will also be working to increase the pool of prize money for PNG writers KJ And so was Alex Harris: Is that a thinly veiled hint that you would like me to drag some companies into this? Posted by: Alex Harris The bigger the better Alex. Posted by: Phil Fitzpatrick I like this great idea and will share this news with more PNGean readers through the local media outlets to introduce the PNG Attitude forum to a wider PNG readership base. I still aim to offer the invitation to UPNG academic writers like Steven Winduo and Russell Soaba, who both write weekly columns in the PNG National newspaper. It will consolidate and greatly enhance future relations between PNG and Australia. Posted by: Reginald Renagi A grand idea. You can include us (UPNG Writers) on your panel of judges if you like. You have our addresses. And anyway, I for one would support your program any day. Posted by: Russell Soaba I think awareness of this competition needs a bit more work. Here in Divine Word University we have a lot naturally talented writers and very good poets, but they are not really aware of this competition. This competition is a good initiative and it will pave the pathway for many new PNG writers and hopefully we get more Papua New Guinea books published and restore our glory days. Posted by: Eva Kuson Nice, a literary competition. We need to keep the Crocodile Prize going for the good of all upcoming writers. This competition is actually a need for those of us who write but have no way to get ourselves established as authors. Big name PNG literary artists are not a source of help for us who are struggling to enjoy what literature has in store for us. I'll be contributing a little bit of Bougainvillean taste of honey. Posted by: Leonard Fong Roka The first few entries were slow to come in and we started to get a bit worried. What we hadnt counted on was the propensity of Papua New Guineans to leave things until the last minute. Female writers came to play a big part in the competition and we later realised that it gave them a sense of empowerment in an otherwise male dominated world. However, we were truly amazed at the quality of both male and female writing that was being submitted. It seemed that we had opened a veritable Pandoras Box with little hope of getting the lid back on. The competition changed the nature of PNG Attitude in a significant way. While PNG Attitude had been running for some time, the discourse had largely been dominated by political and historical material. The new dialogue was much broader and the blog had increased its influence and, importantly, its role as a resource. Articles published on the blog were being cited elsewhere and journalists had begun using it much more regularly as a point of reference. The blog was also becoming a focus of contrast between the rarefied politics of both Papua New Guinea and Australia and what was actually happening on the ground. For many Australian readers, the entries were something of a revelation; it must have been the same for many Papua New Guinean readers too. Among other things what was occurring was a large hike in the intellectual exchange between Australians and Papua New Guineans. This opportunity had simply not existed before the blog came along. Until then the dialogue had been confined to a few academics and politicians, both groups that existed on a different and often irrelevant plane. What struck me at the time was the sense of equity in the exchange. This must have been apparent to many Papua New Guinean readers who had generally and hitherto been talked down to by Australia and its representatives. For Papua New Guinean writers, the blog and the Crocodile Prize competition became a sophisticated outlet for ideas and opinions. Many of the of the entries submitted, especially the poetry and short stories, were using allegory and metaphor to comment on a wide range of social and other issues. These two forms were effectively an extension of a much older oral tradition and the writers took to them like ducks to water. A point made in a poem or a short story seemed to have a better and more lasting impact than other forms of expression. For those people, myself included, the entries opened up whole new avenues of understanding; the other that was Papua New Guinea was suddenly opened to a scrutiny that had not been possible before. In the toing and froing of the discourse on the blog, it was possible to see real friendships developing between individuals despite their physical remove and their cultural differences. One had the feeling that a real family feeling was developing on PNG Attitude. Phil Fitzpatrick is writing a book on the emergence, development and influence of PNG Attitude and the Crocodile Prize. The Manipur Tribals Forum Delhi on Wednesday said it will file police complaints against the Manipur government for the killing of nine tribals by the police during a protest in September last year. The bodies of the nine people, who were killed in violence in Churachandpur district after the assembly passed three bills for the protection of indigenous people, have been lying in a morgue since then. The Manipur Tribals Forum Delhi said it was "not happy" that the state government has not booked anyone regarding the killings. Representatives of the group have already met President Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju and other officials and that they understood the grievances of the tribals as "genuine". The group claimed that many parliamentarians also supported the tribal cause. It also demanded a high-level inquiry into the killings, and that the Centre ought to intervene in the matter of passing of the three bills by the Manipur assembly. However, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has maintained that there was not a single word against the tribals in the three bills, and if it was pointed out on the contrary, the government was ready to delete the same. The group also demanded a separate administration for tribals in Manipur. Violence erupted on September 1, 2015, following the state government's adoption on August 31 of three landmark bills -- Protection of Manipur Peoples Bill 2015, Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (seventh amendment) Bill 2015, and Manipur Shops and Establishment (second amendment) Bill 2015. The bills are pending with the president. Churachandpur witnessed widespread violence, when several schools and government offices were torched. Police opened fire at protestors, and eight people were killed. One youth died in a road accident during the protests. Protesting groups in Manipur refused to claim the bodies and these are still in a hospital morgue in the district. On Tuesday, representatives of all important organisations and women's groups resolved that the bodies will be buried on February 13. A group of Argentine forensics experts rejected the Mexican government's conclusion that the 43 students who vanished in late 2014 were incinerated at a garbage dump in violence-torn Guerrero state. At a press conference to present its findings, the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF) on Tuesday said: "So far, the EAAF has not found scientific evidence to link the elements recovered at the Cocula garbage dump with the missing students." The team said it did detect burnt skeletal remains of at least 19 people, but almost all of them belong to an older age group, Xinhua reported. The students at a teachers college in the town of Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, went missing on the night of September 26, 2014, following a clash with local police in the nearby town of Iguala. Their buses were intercepted by police who had reportedly been ordered by the mayor to stop the students from participating in a protest against his wife. The mayor and his wife are currently in jail. In November 2015, Mexico's then Attorney General Jesus Murrillo Karam said the students were handed over to a local criminal ring, and gang members later confessed to killing the students and incinerating their bodies in Cocula. Only two of the students match the DNA studies of samples taken at the site. Following the EAAF's press conference, Mexico's Attorney General's Office said it has not closed its file on the case, and will examine the latest findings by the Argentinian team. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday broke protocol as he received Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as he arrived here on a three-day visit to India. Modi welcomed Sheikh Mohamed with a warm embrace as the latter alighted from the aircraft at the Palam Technical Area here. "A special welcome for a special friend. PM @narendramodi personally receives HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted. The crown prince is being accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising cabinet ministers. Senior officials and business leaders. A slew of agreements, including on defence equipment manufacturing and civil nuclear cooperation, are likely to be signed between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the crown prince's visit. After the India-UAE relationship was elevated to comprehensive strategic partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UAE in August last year, the first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years, there is focus on new areas of cooperation like defence production in India, security, counter-terrorism, in nuclear and space sector, in energy sector, according to Anil Wadhwa, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry. "A number of new agreements and MoUs (memorandums of understanding) are proposed to be signed during the visit of the crown prince to expand the areas of our cooperation," Wadhwa said during a media briefing here on Wednesday ahead of the crown prince's arrival. "This list is still being updated. I cannot give the number right now but as we speak the negotiations are still going on." The welfare of the expatriate Indians in the United Arab Emirates, numbering around 2.6 million, is also likely to come up for discussion, he said. After Saudi Arabia, the UAE hosts the highest number of Indians in the Gulf, 60 percent of whom are blue collar workers. This is the second highest level visit to India from the Gulf region after the visit of the emir of Qatar in March 2015. The region, which hosts seven million expatriate Indians and is an important source of remittances, has a strong bearing on India's security and stability in its neighbourhood. The UAE is the third largest trading partner of India after the US and China. It is also the sixth largest source of India's crude oil imports. This is the third visit to India by Sheikh Mohamed and the first in his capacity as crown prince. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to call on him later on Wednesday. On Thursday, Sheikh Mohamed will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan following which he will lay a wreath at Rajghat. He will have a tete-a-tete with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after which President Pranab Mukherjee will host him for a private lunch. Delegation-level discussions will be held here between Modi and Sheikh Mohamed on Thursday evening and then the agreements will be signed. On Friday, Sheikh Mohamed will leave for Mumbai where he will visit the Bombay Stock Exchange and meet Indian business leaders. Mumbai police on Wednesday said they were quizzing the Gurgaon police crime branch team members who gunned down Haryana gangster Sandeep Garouli in an alleged shootout at a hotel in Andheri East. "We are questioning all members of the Gurgaon crime branch, who claimed that Garouli was killed in an encounter. Some other people, including Garouli's aides and girlfriend are also being questioned," Deputy Commissioner of Police Dhananjay Kulkarni, who is also the public relations officer of Mumbai police, told IANS over phone. Kulkarni said Mumbai police were "kept in the dark" by their Gurgaon counterparts. He said they did not inform Mumbai police properly about the raid at the hotel in which the gangster was killed. "We are investigating and an FIR will be registered against the Gurgaon policemen if they are found guilty," he said. Garouli, a criminal wanted in over three dozen cases, was shot dead on February 7 by the Gurgaon team, comprising eight members and which was led by an inspector-rank officer. Two of his associates -- Deepak and Manish Khurana -- were arrested. Garouli, around 35 years old and a native of Garouli village near Gurgaon, was the son of Haryana Police sub inspector Bhup Singh. He had a reward of over Rs.1 lakh on his head, and was on the run for some time. Meanwhile, Garouli's relatives refused to accept his body alleging that he was murdered by Gurgaon police in association with Binder Gujjar, a gangster-turned Gurgaon councillor and a rival who is now in Gurgaon jail. Scientists at the US space agency NASA have discounted reports that an Indian bus driver in Tamil Nadu was killed by a meteorite, but Indian experts said this can only be ruled out after "detailed analysis". Only a detailed analysis of the object that has been received from the Vellore police can tell whether it is a meteorite or not, said a senior official of Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA). "The IIA team has received a sample from the local police. The nature of the object can be ascertained only after a detailed analyses by experts," IIA dean G.C.Anupama told IANS on Wednesday. Kamaraj, employed as a driver with Bharathidasan Engineering College in Natrampalli in Vellore district, around 170 km from Chennai, was killed and three others were injured in an explosion after a burning object fell from the sky on February 6. Police said Kamaraj and others were hit by splinters due to the impact of the unknown object which also created a three-feet wide crater. They said the fragments of material embedded in Kamaraj's body had been sent for forensic analysis and the post-mortem report would be finalised only after the receipt of the analysis report. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa had announced a solatium of Rs.100,000 to Kamaraj's family saying he lost his life due to meteorite hit. Anupama said: "Most meteoroids (as the object is known before it impacts the Earth) disintegrate as they traverse through the Earth's atmosphere, but a few can disrupt giving rise to several meteorites - as the object is known once it impacts the Earth. But NASA scientists held that online photographs of the site of the suspected meteorite hit in a college campus on Saturday were more consistent with "a land based explosion" than with something from space, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Early reports included images of a crater, five feet deep and two feet wide. Witnesses described hearing an explosion, and police recovered a black, pockmarked stone from the site in Vellore. Lindley Johnson, NASA's planetary defence officer, told the US daily in an email that a death by meteorite impact was so rare that one has never been scientifically confirmed in recorded history. "There have been reports of injuries, but even those were extremely rare before the Chelyabinsk event three years ago," she said, referring to a 2013 episode in Russia. In addition, meteorites are often cool to the touch when they land, and the object recovered from the site in India weighed only a few grams and appeared to be a fragment of a common earth rock. The US daily also cited a scientist at the IIA which is analysing samples of the rock provided by the police as doubting if it was a meteorite. Deaths and injuries by meteorites are tracked by the International Comet Quarterly, which notes the locations and sizes of meteorites. Some smash through houses, kill animals and spatter buildings. But deaths have been hard to confirm, the Times said. In 1908 in Tunguska, Siberia, an apparent "airblast" of an object entering the Earth's atmosphere leveled hundreds of square miles of forest and killed two men and hundreds of reindeer. But no meteorites were recovered, the New York Times said citing the quarterly. In one of the largest recent events, meteorites or pieces of space rock, fell in Chelyabinsk from a meteor that hit the Earth's atmosphere in February 2013. About 1,200 people - 200 of them children - were injured, mostly by glass that exploded into schools and workplaces, the Times said, citing Russia's interior ministry. A total of nine people were arrested and a gang of international idol smugglers was busted in Bihar, police said. At least three precious Ashtadhatu statues, coins of Nepal and Bhutan as well as arms and ammunitions were seized from their possession in Bhagalpur district, the police said. "We have arrested nine idol smugglers and recovered three Ashtadhatu statues. They were planning to send these idols outside the state," Bhagalpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Vivek Kumar said. "We are interrogating them to collect more information to catch the main people behind this racket," the officer said. Last year, Bihar Police decided to conduct speedy trial of antique smugglers and thieves. The state police have also directed SPs to prepare dossier of such cases, identify accused involved and arrest them immediately. The SPs have been asked to send information about the theft of antique idols in the last five years in their districts to the police headquarters, the police said. According to the police data, 30 idols of Hindu deities were stolen in 2011, 62 idols in 2012, and 65 in 2013. In 2014, about two dozen thefts were reported and in 2015 over 20 idols were stolen. Many cases of stolen idols were never reported to the police because of a lack of knowledge of their value in international market. Most of the stolen idols were of Ashtadhatu -- an alloy of gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead and other metals -- and were valued at crores of rupees in the international market, the police officials said. Fears of another leopard prowling in and around a private school on Tuesday night were unfounded and its so-called sighting was a speculation, a top official said on Wednesday. "No leopard was seen or traced in and around the school by our forest staff after a night-long search operation though the school remains shut as a precaution," Karnataka chief wildlife warden Ravi Ralph told IANS here. As rumours of another leopard sighting spread causing panic, the Vibgyor International School declared a holiday for its over 1,000 students and faculty members to ensure their safety. "We decided to shut the school for the day (Wednesday). Those who turned up with their wards were advised to return home," a school official told reporters. A surprise entry of an eight-year-old leopard into the school early on Sunday and its rescue after a 12-hour operation in which five people were injured has shocked people in Bengaluru. "We are launching an online platform to spread awareness on leopards and other animals who may enter villages, towns or cities stealthily but do not harm them as they are not man-eaters like tigers," Ralph said. "With forest fringes, lakes and other water bodies disappearing for various reasons, wild animals are finding it difficult to hunt for prey and get water to sustain," Ralph said. The leopard which was tranquilised and captured had strayed into the city's eastern suburb on Sunday through bushes, boulders, hills and thick plantations across the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border in search of prey and water. As it was a holiday, students and teachers were lucky to have escaped from being attacked by the wild animal. The leopard was put in an iron cage and shifted to the Bannarghatta national zoo park. Pakistan is notorious for increasing incidents of killings of journalists and is considered one of the most dangerous places for persons in the world, said a Pakistani daily on Wednesday. An editorial " under siege" in the Daily Times said that an attack on City 42 television channel's office in Lahore by unidentified armed men has "further panicked journalists, who are already living under the shadow of fear due to constant threats from the terrorists". So far the police are clueless about the perpetrators of the attack. "In the wake of similar attacks on offices and personnel in Lahore, Faisalabad and Karachi, this emerging onslaught on the media is becoming more common, with the obvious aim of further stifling its freedom. "It seems part of a broader agenda to put the mainstream media under siege. The journalist community and political parties' leaders have condemned the attack and demanded the arrest of the culprits as soon as possible," the daily said. The editorial observed that the "attack prompted the lawmakers of the Punjab Assembly to move a joint resolution while the journalist community staged a protest demonstration to press for their demands to be provided security". Noting that the profession of journalism has always been a challenging job in Pakistan, the daily said: "Nowadays, media houses are vulnerable to terrorist attacks. It is the state's responsibility to provide protection to journalists inside and outside their workplaces." It went on to say that Pakistan has "already become notorious for increasing incidents of killings of journalists and is considered one of the most dangerous places for media persons in the world". "Not only the government but media managements should also take stringent measures as the scale of the threat is very large and the personnel of the law enforcement agencies by themselves cannot ensure the security of all media outlets." It said that coordinated efforts by the authorities and managements may be the best way forward for the security of media offices and journalists. "Stronger preventive measures and protection must be undertaken while reviewing existing security protocols for possible loopholes. In an environment of fear, the media cannot play its due role, which is critical in countering the terrorists' narrative," the daily added. London, Feb 10 (IANS/RAY) Pakistan is concerned about India's military capabilities, according to Brigadier Ben Barry (retd), an expert on land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Speaking at the release of the IISS's annual flagship publication "The Military Balance", to which he was one of the main contributors, Barry said: "Pakistan is concerned about India's modernisation and its nuclear deal with the United States." He, however, clarified that the concern was not as a result of anything the Narendra Modi government had done, but because of acquisitions over a period of time, especially from the US. "Pakistan's conventional forces will give a good account of themselves (in the event of a war with India), but feel numerically inferior," Barry said. He explained that the Pakistan Army was battle-hardened after extended operations against armed opponents within its country. According to the IISS's estimate, the Pakistan Army has a strength of 550,000 soldiers, compared to the Indian Army with 1,150,900 personnel. In a special essay on China's ballistic missiles, "The Military Balance" noted: "Beijing is continuing to make significant strides in ballistic-missile research and development." In this respect, the DF-5B, a liquid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), served as a reminder. China possesses 62 ICBMs compared to India having none. It also boasts of 80 Medium Range Ballistic Missiles (MRBMs), while Pakistan has 30, and India has developed a mere 12. India's Short Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM) arsenal, though, is 42, relative to China not having any and Pakistan having 30. "The Military Balance" makes an interesting observation about the present Indian government's policy regarding the Indian Air Force. "Cancellation of the Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft requirement after the decision to purchase off-the-shelf French Rafale combat aircraft has increased uncertainty over the future of the fighter-aircraft fleet." The journal feels, though, India enjoys a slight long term edge over China in the realm of aircraft carrier capability. --IANS/RAY ray/pm/dg A senior Pakistani diplomat on Wednesday emphasised a "step-by-step approach" and opposition to any precondition for the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The comments came days after the four-nation meeting in Islamabad decided to set date for the Afghan peace talks by the end of February. The Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the US will meet in Kabul on February 23 to review progress in contacts with the Taliban groups to encourage them to join the peace talks. Officials say all member countries will use their "channels" to approach the Taliban Qatar office and other groups to invite them to the talks. "We must, sequence the process and take a step-by-step approach rather than coming up with preconditions by either side in an extremely complex and difficult process," said Pakistan Foreign Secretary, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, who represents the country in the QCG. Speaking at a meeting of the Afghan members of the civil society, currently visiting Pakistan as part of the Beyond Boundaries - Pakistan-Afghan Track II/1.5 initiative in Islamabad, he hoped that concerted efforts by the QCG would result in direct intra-Afghan talks sooner than later. The dialogue has been undertaken by an Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Chaudhry underscored that the positive message by all stakeholders was essential to help improve perceptions, adding the speed with which the QCG has moved reflects the commitment of all stakeholders to the Afghan peace and reconciliation, a CRSS statement said. "This will also help the respective governments to move in tandem in the reconciliation process and neutralise the impact of spoilers," he said, expressing the hope that the Afghan civil society and the media would play their role in making the peace efforts successful. Pointing to the aggravated security situation, factional divisions and emergence of Islamic State, Chaudhry said these factors posed a big challenge to the QCG process but hoped that given the resolve of all four countries, they were not insurmountable. PAUL REINBARA | PNG Blogs PRIME minister Peter ONeill and health minister Michael Malabag are allowing Papua New Guineans to die because of their refusal to fund the national fight against tuberculosis. A secret letter from ONeill to Malabag shows that the prime minister would rather spend money on wasteful events than preventing TB and saving lives. Cabinet approved urgent tuberculosis spending of K20 million more than six months ago, but the prime minister is refusing to release the funds. Instead, he has directed Malabag to commit just K8million of existing funds. And this is only for Daru in Western Province and TB experts say it is nowhere near enough to tackle the crisis there. There is also a TB crisis in the National Capital District and Gulf and Central Provinces. A 15-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead on Wednesday during clashes with Israeli soldiers north of Hebron in the West Bank, medics said. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said Omer Madi, 15, from al-Aroub refugee camp was shot dead by Israeli troops' gunfire in the camp, Xinhua reported. Eyewitnesses said Madi was critically injured in Israeli gunfire but died shortly after he was brought to a hospital in West Bank. The witnesses said clashes broke out on Wednesday between dozens of Palestinian stone throwers and Israeli soldiers outside the refugee camp, after an Israeli army force tried to storm the camp for arrests. The health ministry statement said several Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets and tear gas, during the clashes. There has been no immediate Israeli army comment to the incident. Tension of violence between Israel and the Palestinians has been going on since early October in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza, which had so far left 171 Palestinians and 30 Israelis killed. President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday greeted the Iranian government and its people on the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in their country. "On behalf of the government and the people of India and on my own behalf, it is with great pleasure that I convey warm greetings and best wishes to Your Excellency and to the government and people of Iran on the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran," the president said. The president extended his greetings in a message to his Iranian counterpart Dr Hassan Rouhani. "Please accept our sincere wishes for your personal good health and well-being as well as for the progress and prosperity of the friendly people of Iran," Mukherjee said. The Indian president also thanked Dr Rouhani to strengthen bilateral ties. "I am happy to note that our bilateral ties have strengthened considerably during your leadership of your great country. India believes that a fruitful engagement between our two nations will be beneficial for the stability and prosperity of the entire region," the president said. Mukherjee said the relations between India and Iran were built on civilisational and cultural ties that span centuries. "We consider Iran a close friend and look forward to enhancing our relationship into a more collaborative partnership across diverse areas of our shared interests," the president said. BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday denounced the regular poaching of rhinos in Assam and said the animal will become extinct in the state if the killings don't end. "The one-horned rhinos, which draws foreign tourists to Assam, are not safe here," Shah told a rally where he announced a tie-up between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Bodoland Peoples Front for assembly polls. He said that in the last three years, over 100 rhinos were killed in Assam. "If the situation continues, there will not be any rhino in Assam in the next 10 years." Shah made the remarks while hitting out at the Congress government in Assam. Around 3,500 rhinoceros are said to be alive in India, mostly in Assam, according to experts. --Indo-Asian News service ah/mr/pm South Korea's parliament on Wednesday adopted a resolution condemning North Korea's rocket launch, calling for effective sanctions against Pyongyang. The National Assembly called an emergency plenary session on the final day of the five-day Lunar New Year holiday, passing the resolution with 241 votes in favour and seven abstentions, Xinhua reported. The resolution said Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test and long-range missile test clearly violated UN Security Council resolutions, denouncing the reckless provocative acts threatening peace and security of the Korean peninsula and the international community. Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket on Sunday to deliver an observation satellite into orbit. On January 6, North Korea detonated what it claimed was its first H-bomb, the fourth of its nuclear blasts. The long-range missile launch isolated Pyongyang further from the international community, the resolution said, noting that the consequent harsh price which North Korea should pay for its provocation will be totally blamed on its authorities. The resolution urged Pyongyang to return to being a responsible member of the international community by giving up its nuclear and missile programmes and stopping provocations. Lawmakers also called for the South Korean government to make all-out efforts, including seeking the adoption of strong and effective sanctions at the UN Security Council and the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue, in close cooperation with the international community. In a fallout of Pyongyang's recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch, South Korea on Wednesday announced it was halting all operations at a factory park jointly-run with North Korea Unification Minister Hong Yong-Pyo said Pyongyang conducted extremist provocations, including the fourth nuclear test and long-range missile launch, in defiance of repeated warnings from the international community, Xinhua reported. North Korea launched a rocket on Sunday to deliver an observation satellite into orbit after testing what it claimed was its first H-bomb on January 6. Pyongyang has been banned under UN Security Council resolutions from testing any ballistic missile technology and conducting a nuclear test. Calling the recent moves as an intolerable act and a challenge to peace and stability to the Korean peninsula and the world, Hong said Pyongyang has never shown any intention to give up its nuclear and missile programmes as seen in North Korea's recent declaration of plans to continue nuclear and missile tests. Operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex were stopped earlier also, in 2013. when Pyongyang withdrew its workers leading to a suspension of operations for over five months between April 8 and September 15. The inter-Korean factory park, where the first product was manufactured in December 2004, was a symbol of cooperation between Seoul and Pyongyang. It employed over 53,000 North Korean workers in units run by about 120 South Korean companies there. The park is located 10 km north of the Korean Demilitarised Zone, an hour's drive from Seoul, with direct road and rail access to South Korea. The park allows South Korean companies to employ cheap labour that is educated, skilled, and fluent in Korean, whilst providing North Korea with an important source of foreign currency. Congress president Sonia Gandhi has written to Basavva, the mother of Siachen avalanche survivor Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, wishing her son speedy recovery and a long life. In her letter written on Tuesday, which was released to the media on Wednesday, Gandhi said her heart was filled with pain and grief on hearing about the 10 soldiers coming under an avalanche in Siachen but there was a ray of hope after learning that Hanumanthappa survived. She said praise was not enough for the manner in which the country's soldiers defended the borders in tough areas such as Siachen. "I pray to god for early recovery of the brave, patriotic soldier so that he starts his routine again and is able to contribute to the service of country and tasks of his near dear ones," the letter said. "I again pray for early recovery and long life of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa," Gandhi said. In a message on Wednesday, Gandhi said she joins the nation in praying for speedy recovery of Koppad. "We salute his endurance and will power to serve the nation. True to the glorious tradition of our armed forces, Lance Naik Hanumanthappa has fought against the most challenging circumstances that man can ever face. The nation remains indebted to his service," she said. Koppad was found from under 35 feet of ice at an avalanche-hit army post in the Siachen glacier in Jammu and Kashmir -- six days after he and nine other soldiers were buried. The bodies of the other nine have also been found. Lifting of the almost six-month-old blockade of the Nepal-India border by Madhesi protestors and high-level bilateral visits have paved the way for a much-awaited visit to India by Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli later this month, officials here say. Oli had raised a question-mark over his visit to New Delhi -- his first foreign trip after assuming office on October 11 last year -- when he told senior editors here on January 26 that it will not be appropriate for him to visit India as long as a blockade of the border continued. Events transpiring earlier this month, however, indicated that the fences were being mended and the freeze in bilateral relations finally thawing. A visit to New Delhi by Nepal Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel on February 7-8 and the customary conferment of the rank of honorary General of the Indian Army upon Nepal Army's chief General Rajendra Chhetri earlier in the month were signs of bilateral relations coming back on track. The Madhesi protestors, too, on February 8 called off their almost six-month-old anti-Constitution agitation that had resulted in blockading of cross-border transit points and subsequent scarcity of essentials in the land-locked Himalayan nation. And with Oli's major objection to an India visit taken care of, decks were finally cleared for Nepal and India to get down to resumption of bilateral meetings that had been put on the back-burner for the past almost six months. Earlier, under pressure following more than five months of unrelenting agitation in the country's southern region by Madhesi protestors, the government allies and the main opposition Nepali Congress on January 23 approved two amendments to the barely four-month-old Constitution relating to proportionate representation and allocation of seats in parliament on the basis of population. The constitutional amendments aimed at addressing the grievances of the agitating Madhesis -- who also share sentimental, cultural, geographical and linguistic attachment and proximity with India -- were the first step in the thawing of Nepal-India relations. And the opening of the key Nepal-India border point at Raxaul-Birgunj -- which sees over 70 percent of total bilateral trade -- further paved the way for Oli's India visit. The visit by Finance Minister Poudel, a close aide of Oli, signifies that the Nepal PM's upcoming visit to India will be focused on economic cooperation and mending of ruffled ties. Nepal's finance minister Poudel, who concluded his India visit on Tuesday told reporters in Kathmandu that Nepal-India relations have reached in a new height and misunderstanding between the two countries has subsequently diminished. A daylong visit to Kathmandu by India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on February 9 to offer homage to former prime minister and president of Nepali Congress Sushil Koirala and her meeting with PM Oli contributed greatly to the thaw, officials here said. According to Gopal Khanal, foreign relations advisor to PM Oli, the two sides discussed the upcoming India visit of PM Oli later this month. "We are eager to welcome you in India and preparation of your India visit is underway," Sushma reportedly told Oli during the meeting. Though the two sides are yet to announce the dates of Oli's visit, officials here said that mending of fences at the political level, clearing the misunderstandings between the leaderships of Nepal and India and modality of future bilateral cooperation were among key points on Oli's agenda for the upcoming visit. Also figuring prominently during bilateral discussions would be defining projects under the $1 billion line of credit announced by India, finalising the modality and projects under another $1 billion credit line announced by India for Nepal's reconstruction following last year's devastating earthquake and implementation of past accords and understanding, the officials said. (Anil Giri can be contacted at girianil@gmail.com) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday called on Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, soon after he arrived here on a three-day visit. "Our honoured guest from across the Arabian Sea. EAM @SushamSwaraj calls on Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed Al Nahyan," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted with pictures of the two leaders. Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke protocol as he received the crown prince on his arrival here. Modi welcomed Sheikh Mohamed with a warm embrace as the latter alighted from his aircraft at the Palam Technical Area here. The crown prince is being accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising cabinet ministers. Senior officials and business leaders. A slew of agreements, including on defence equipment manufacturing and civil nuclear cooperation, are likely to be signed between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the crown prince's visit. After the India-UAE relationship was elevated to comprehensive strategic partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UAE in August last year, the first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years, there is focus on new areas of cooperation like defence production in India, security, counter-terrorism, in nuclear and space sector, in energy sector, according to Anil Wadhwa, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry. "A number of new agreements and MoUs (memorandums of understanding) are proposed to be signed during the visit of the crown prince to expand the areas of our cooperation," Wadhwa said during a media briefing here on Wednesday ahead of the crown prince's arrival. "This list is still being updated. I cannot give the number right now but as we speak the negotiations are still going on." The welfare of the expatriate Indians in the United Arab Emirates, numbering around 2.6 million, is also likely to come up for discussion, he said. After Saudi Arabia, the UAE hosts the highest number of Indians in the Gulf, 60 percent of whom are blue collar workers. This is the second highest level visit to India from the Gulf region after the visit of the emir of Qatar in March 2015. The region, which hosts seven million expatriate Indians and is an important source of remittances, has a strong bearing on India's security and stability in its neighbourhood. The UAE is the third largest trading partner of India after the US and China. It is also the sixth largest source of India's crude oil imports. This is the third visit to India by Sheikh Mohamed and the first in his capacity as crown prince. On Thursday, Sheikh Mohamed will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan following which he will lay a wreath at Rajghat. He will have a tete-a-tete with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after which President Pranab Mukherjee will host him for a private lunch. Delegation-level discussions will be held here between Modi and Sheikh Mohamed on Thursday evening and then the agreements will be signed. On Friday, Sheikh Mohamed will leave for Mumbai where he will visit the Bombay Stock Exchange and meet Indian business leaders. The toll from the earthquake that struck Taiwan's Kaohsiung city has climbed to 46. The collapse of the Wei Guan building, the most seriously damaged, accounted for 44 deaths, Xinhau quoted an official as saying on Wednesday. The State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the Red Cross Society of China as well as the China Earthquake Administration are in contact with the island. The mainland has offered medical assistance, the Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement. Mainland enterprises, NGOs and individuals have donated 13 million new Taiwan dollars ($392,000) to the island following Tuesday's disaster. The quake, which the China Earthquake Administration said had a magnitude of 6.7, hit Kaohsiung city at 3.57 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Saturday, just two days ahead of the Lunar New Year. Local monitoring authorities put the scale of the quake at 6.4. Eyeware retail chain Titan Eyeplus is mulling entry into neighbouring Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as part of its plans to carry its imprint beyond India, a top company official said here on Wednesday. The Tata Group company, which opened its 100th store in eastern india at Dum Dum in suburban Kolkata during the day, said it would come up with a detailed digital strategy in the near future. "We are considering overseas expansion. Initially in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as their markets are somewhat similar to that in India," Titan eyewear division CEO Ronnie Talati told media persons here. He said the company now has 400 retail stories in India and was emphasising on entering the tier II, III and smaller markets and towns. Besides, it was also hoping to foray into the digital platform and would unveil a detailed digital strategy in the near future. The company had come up with a not-so-impressive third quarter results this year, but hoped to do better as the market condition has seemingly improve, he said. In the first nine months of 2015-16, the company has done Rs.400 crore business, which was 17 percent more than that in the corresponding year-ago period. Search This Blog A button for your sidebar "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"? THE ANSWER IS THE ONLY THING YOU REALLY HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT ISLAM - AND ITS APOLOGISTS. Blog Archive The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) received a severe setback in Telangana on Wednesday as its two legislators including party leader in the Telangana assembly E. Dayakar Rao joined the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Dayakar Rao, one of the senior leaders of TDP who hails from Warangal district, and Prakash Goud, a legislator from Rajendernagar constituency in Greater Hyderabad, joined the TRS in the presence of party president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Dayakar Rao said he was leaving the TDP with a heavy heart as he was associated with the party for a long time. He told reporters that he was joining TRS as people are with the party. This was the second jolt to the TDP in as many days. K.P. Vivekanand, who represents Quthbullapur assembly constituency in Greater Hyderabad, had joined the TRS on Tuesday. The developments came in the wake of the TDP's crushing defeat in the elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The TDP bagged only one seat and its alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) four seats in the 150-member GHMC. The ruling party scored a landslide victory in last week's elections to the GHMC, winning 99 seats. As many as nine legislators of the TDP have joined the TRS since 2014. The TDP had bagged 15 seats in the 119-member assembly. The construction of India's strategic petroleum storage in Karnataka's Mangaluru with the assistance of the UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is proceeding on schedule and will be completed soon, the government said on Wednesday. According to an Indian petroleum ministry release here, this was mentioned by Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in his meeting here with United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail Mohammed Al Mazrouei, ahead of the India visit of Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. "Pradhan expressed happiness that Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) was working with Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd. (ISPRL) on the strategic reserve project in Mangalore (Mangaluru). He conveyed that the project was on track and will be concluded soon," an official statement here said following the meeting. India, which imports nearly 80 percent of its crude oil needs, is building underground storages at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Mangaluru and Padur in Karnataka to store about 5.33 million tonnes of crude oil to guard against global price surges and supply disruptions. Some months after taking charge of the petroleum ministry in 2014, Pradhan had informed parliament that ADNOC and Kuwait Petroleum Corp had shown interest in hiring a part of India's strategic oil storage. The storages at Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Padur will be enough to meet the country's oil requirement of about 10 days. At Wednesday's meeting, Pradhan said state-run Indian explorers are interested in acquiring producing assets participatiing in the prospective exploration rounds in UAE, the statement said. "He (Pradhan) also conveyed that Indian companies are interested in acquiring a stake in Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations (ADCO) for onshore oil operations," it said. Briefing the UAE minister on various state-run projects in India's hydrocarbon sector, Pradhan "sought investments from UAE in these important projects which were at various levels of maturity and development, and required investment for the next 4 months to 4 years along with equity participation", the statement added. Declaring that India was trying to import more crude from UAE, Pradhan sought favourable terms ffor crude oil and natural gas imports from the Gulf country, it added. United Arab Emirates Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum announced on Wednesday the new Cabinet appointments, with two new portfolios on happiness and tolerance. Sheikh Mohammed made the announcement on his Twitter account, two days after he revealed plans to restructure the UAE Cabinet and to outsource most government services to the private sector. Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al-Qasimi, so far minister of international cooperation and development, was appointed minister of state for tolerance, a newly created government function. Najla Mohammed Al Awar was appointed minister of community development and Thani Al Zeyoudi, 32, as minister of climate change and environment. Mohammad Al-Bawadi was appointed secretary of state for defence affairs. Jamila Salem Al Muhairi will be minister of state for public education. Ahmed Belhoul, a university professor, was named as minister of state for higher education and Ohoud Al-Roumi as minister of state for happiness, a newly created function to improve people's satisfaction in the UAE. Shamma Al-Mazrouei, 22, will be the youngest member of the UAE cabinet. She will be UAE state minister of youth affairs. Noura Al Kaabi was appointed minister of state for the affairs of the Federal National Council (FNC), the UAE parliament that has a monitoring and consultative function for government affairs. The new UAE Cabinet will consist of 29 ministers and ministers of state. US President Barak Obama has proposed $19 billion for the US space agency in the fiscal 2017 budget - a little less that $19.3 billion NASA received for the fiscal 2016. According to the initial numbers released by NASA, while $5.6 billion are earmarked for science, $3.3 billion are for deep-space exploration programmes like Mars. The proposed budget also lists $5.1 billion for space operations, including $1.4 billion for upkeep of the International Space Station (ISS) and $1.2 billion for the Commercial Crew programme to replace the space shuttle, the US space agency said in a statement. "The $19 billion budget, as proposed, would shift some funds from NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion programmes to aeronautics and space technology, in addition to the overall cuts, while also move funds within the agency's science account," spacenews.com reported. The decrease in NASA budget is partly due to Obama's proposal to cut $840 million from deep-space exploration programmes and $100 million from planetary science. "This imbalanced proposal continues to tie our astronauts' feet to the ground and makes a Mars mission all but impossible," Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, said in a statement. "This is not the proposal of an administration that is serious about maintaining America's leadership in space," Smith added. In a "State of NASA" speech at the agency's Langley Research Centre, NASA administrator Charles Bolden made no specific mention of those cuts. "We'll continue to make great progress on the SLS," he said. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned of the danger of the Islamic State spreading its tentacles to South Asia through organisations like the Tehreek-e-Khilafat in Pakistan and called for international action against the grave threat. In a grim report on the Islamic State's threat to international peace and security presented to the Security Council Tuesday, Ban said groups like the Tehreek-e-Khilafat in Pakistan "are sufficiently attracted by its underlying ideology to pledge allegiance to its so-called caliphate and self-proclaimed caliph." Ban called the terrorist organisation Islamic State, which is also known by the acronyms ISIS, ISIL and Da'esh, "an unprecedented threat to international peace and security." He said, "This is a matter of considerable concern, since these groups appear to be emulating ISIL's tactics and carrying out attacks on its behalf." "In 2016 and beyond, member states should prepare for a further increase in the number of foreign terrorist fighters travelling to other States on the instructions of ISIL," he added. The Islamic State now controls swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria, but Ban said, "The recent expansion of the ISIL sphere of influence across West and North Africa, the Middle East and South and South-East Asia demonstrates the speed and scale at which the gravity of the threat has evolved in just 18 months." "In Afghanistan and Pakistan, ISIL continues to develop a network of contacts and sympathisers who carry out attacks in its name," Ban said. "On 13 January 2016, the ISIL group 'Khorasan Province,' which operates in Pakistan and Afghanistan, issued a statement claiming credit for an attack on the Pakistani Consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan." "The complexity of the recent attacks and the level of planning, coordination and sophistication involved raise concerns about its future evolution," he warned. An incident not included in Ban's report was the Islamic State taking responsibility for killing more than 40 Ismailis in a bus attack in Karachi. Pakistan appears conflicted in dealing with the Islamic State challenge. Last October, General Raheel Sharif, the Pakistani Chief of the Army Staff, was quoted in the Pakistani media as saying, "There are people in Islamabad who want to show their allegiance to Daesh. So it's a very dangerous phenomenon." Speaking to the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London, Raheel Sharif added, "I feel the future challenge is Da'esh. It's a bigger name. Al-Qaeda was a name but Da'esh is now a bigger name." However the next month, Pakistani foreign ministry issued a denial "There is no footprint of Da'esh in Pakistan. We will also not tolerate anyone affiliated with it," Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah was quoted as saying. But he said it was aware of the Islamic State threat and the security forces were on alert. Ban said in his report that till the middle of December 2015, 34 groups had reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIL. "In view of its territorial claims of more 'provinces,' it is expected that ISIL affiliates will increase in number and that its membership will grow in 2016," Ban said. "It is able to adapt quickly to the changing environment and to persuade or inspire like-minded terrorist groups in various regions of the world to facilitate and commit acts of terrorism," he added. Therefore, he said the the international community must also be "adaptive" in its responses and "take comprehensive approaches that incorporate security-led counter- initiatives and preventive measures." (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in) As the International Fleet Review concluded, the massive warships lined off the Visakhapatnam coast bid adieu to the coastal city in an impressive and first ever Passage Exercise (PASSEX). The 54 foreign and Indian ships that were anchored for review by President Pranab Mukherjee sailed out of Visakhapatnam on Tuesday evening. As per the maritime tradition, visiting foreign ships are generally escorted to the open seas on their way home. "The PASSEX was aimed at fostering greater cooperation and camaraderie with friendly foreign navies, increasing interoperability, providing the requisite operational element to IFR," a Navy official said on Wednesday. The Passage Exercise was conducted in two groups, centred on Indian Naval aircraft carriers - INS Vikramaditya and INS Viraat. The ships sailed out in two groups of 27 ships each, with the first group under the command of Rear Admiral Ravneet Singh, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, on board aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The second group was under the command of Rear Admiral S.V. Bhokare, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet embarked on board the aircraft carrier INS Viraat and included manoeuvres and flying operations. A ceremonial steam-past, wherein Indian and foreign warships sailed past each other in formation, provided an opportunity for participants to bid adieu to fellow seafarers and marked the finale of the exercise. The flying operations included landing of a helicopter from Royal British Navy ship HMS Defender on board INS Viraat to commemorate the historic association of the aircraft carrier with the Royal Navy. "The unprecedented scale and scope of the PASSEX are indicative of India's growing stature in the maritime domain and the bridges that have been painstakingly built by the Indian Navy towards achieving the motto of the International Fleet Review in letter and spirit - 'United through Oceans'," the official added. A woman teacher, along with her husband and two children, has been arrested in connection with the murder of a class VII student here, Ranchi Police said on Wednesday. Police said accused teacher Nazia Hussain, hailing from Madhya Pradesh, was angry over victim Vinay Kumar's friendship with her daughter. "Nazia was angry over Vinay's friendship with her 11-year-old daughter. Her son, a class 11 student, lured Vinay to his house on Thursday night saying that his mother was cooking something special for them. "Once Vinay reached their house, the teacher's son raised the issue of Vinay's friendship with his sister. After a heated argument, Nazia's son brutally beat up Vinay," a police official told IANS. Police said that taking Vinay for dead, the woman teacher helped her son throw him down from the first floor of the building. She also informed her husband living outside Ranchi about the incident, police added. Vinay's body was found near the teachers' hostel at the Sapphire International School here. Police said the boy suffered head injuries inflicted by blunt objects and his liver too was damaged due to severe beating. Ranchi Police questioned seven school teachers, security guards and others in the case. Meanwhile, the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday issued notice to police, school and state government and sought details in the case along with the post-mortem report, Ranchi Abhibhavak Sangh general secretary Ajay Rai, who moved the high court on behalf of the association, told IANS here. The association on Wednesday also called for a shutdown in Ranchi and Khuti district, which evoked a mixed response. Majority of schools in Ranchi remained closed. The association on Tuesday filed a public interest litigation in the high court to demand a CBI probe into the student's murder. "We have filed a PIL in the high court for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe since we are not satisfied with the police investigation. Even the boy's parents are not satisfied. We want justice for the murdered student and his parents," Rai told IANS on Tuesday. A woman teacher along with her husband and two children have been arrested in connection with the murder of a class VII student here, Ranchi Police said on Wednesday. Police said accused teacher Nezma Khatoon, hailing from Madhya Pradesh, was angry over victim Vinay Kumar's alleged friendship with her daughter. Vinay was found murdered brutally on Thursday near the teachers' hostel at the Saffaire International school here. Police sources said the boy suffered head injuries inflicted by blunt objects and his liver too was damaged due to severe beating. Ranchi Police had questioned seven schoolteachers, security guards and others in the case. Meanwhile, the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday issued notice to police, school and state government and sought details in the case along with the post-mortem report, Ranchi Abhibhavak Sangh general secretary Ajay Rai, who moved the high court on behalf of the association, told IANS here. The association on Wednesday also called for a shutdown in Ranchi and Khuti district, which evoked a mixed response. Majority of schools in Ranchi were closed. The association on Tuesday filed a public interest litigation in the high court to demand a CBI probe into the student's murder. "We have filed a PIL in the high court for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe since we are not satisfied with police investigation. Even the boy's parents are not satisfied. We want justice for the murdered student and his parents," Rai told IANS on Tuesday. Vision-threatening eye abnormalities in infants in Brazil with microcephaly - a birth defect characterised by an abnormally small head -- may be associated with infection with Zika virus, says a new study. Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites and according to US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention the most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). "This study can help guide clinical management and practice, as we observed that a high proportion of the infants with microcephaly had ophthalmologic lesions. Infants with microcephaly should undergo routine ophthalmologic evaluations to identify such lesions," the researchers said. The researchers and colleagues from the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, evaluated the ocular findings of 29 infants with microcephaly with a presumed diagnosis of congenital Zika virus. The study was conducted during December 2015 and all the children and their mothers were evaluated at the Roberto Santos General Hospital, Salvador, Brazil. Of the 29 mothers, 23 (79.3 percent) reported suspected Zika virus signs and symptoms during pregnancy, including rash, fever, arthralgia (joint pain), headache and itch. Among the 23 mothers who reported symptoms during pregnancy, 18 or 78.3 percent reported Zika virus symptoms during the first trimester of pregnancy, according to the report. Vision-threatening abnormalities of the eye were observed in 10 of the 29 infants (34.5 percent) with microcephaly. However, experts have cautioned that this association is still presumptive because definitive serologic testing for Zika virus was not available in Brazil at the time of the outbreak and confusion may occur with other causes of microcephaly. The study was published online in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology. Income inequality and gender inequality are facts of life in India. Ironically, as far as the job market goes, nowhere is income inequality more evident than within the gender paradigm. Economic liberalisation and the dawn of the information age have, on balance, been good for India's middle class women in terms of access to job and income opportunities. Data suggests that it has been less kind to women who seek jobs in the blue-collar world. Last Friday we reported on the Landmark Legislative Legal Battle gripping a condo high-rise in downtown Atlanta. Condo owners are riled up about the Condo Association Board's decision to limit short-term rentals, effectively shutting down Airbnb operations in the building. What complicates matters is a twisted relationship between the building and many members of the Georgia General Assembly, including a booze-stocked lobbyist-funded legislative lounge. As expected, the drama has escalated with the argument devolving into possible litigation. According to an anonymous source, the HOA board was served papers on Monday, requiring the board to address the concerns of building residents or face a lawsuit. In response, the board is holding an emergency meeting next week to address the matter. With a large portion of legislators possibly more than 10 percent of the entire General Assembly taking up residence in the building, the board decision could have a major impact on State lawmakers and their ability to rent out their spaces when the legislature is not in session. Could tonight's meeting stave off a lawsuit from the disgruntled unit owners? Could this battle have ripple effects in the short-term rental market in Atlanta? Stay tuned as the epic saga unfolds. Update: The emergency board meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday, Feb. 17, not tonight, as originally posted. Georgia Legislators Entangled in Downtown Airbnb Dispute [Curbed] Moscow's most influential oil official has given a strong sign that the Kremlin may be serious about cutting a grand bargain with Opec (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries). Igor Sechin, chief executive of Rosneft, suggested on February 10 that cuts of as little as one million barrels per day of crude by major oil producers would be enough to boost oil prices. For struggling members of Opec like Venezuela and Nigeria, a deal among the world's great oil powers might just come in the nick of time. Brent crude has fallen by almost 20 per cent this year. Goldman Sachs warned on February 9 that oil could slump below $20 per barrel amid a glut of supply. That should have the world's biggest oil producers putting aside their political differences in the Middle East and agreeing to limit supplies. Instead they have opened their spigots wider. Russian output has hit new post-Soviet era records this year and Saudi is pumping comfortably above 10 million barrels per day, its highest rate in at least 15 years, according to Datastream. Coming from Sechin, normally a critic of Opec, such remarks could signal a deal is possible. But most importantly, politics suggests one ought to be. If coordinated, a plan between Opec and Russia to trim what would be the equivalent of just 2.3 per cent of their combined output could create higher prices, but without a significant shift in market share if all take part. Sechin didn't make a firm commitment, but has floated an achievable figure that can get talks going. Saudi Arabia might rather wait for market forces to run their course and shut down higher-cost producers. But that isn't happening quickly. Opec's latest monthly report forecasts production outside the cartel falling by just 700,000 barrels per day this year. Meanwhile, lower prices have left Venezuela with a near 99 per cent probability of default, based on the price of its 10-year credit default swaps, while Nigeria's swaps imply a 56 per cent chance of default. If the olive branch is proffered, all sides have a strong reason to grasp it. On Tuesday, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah posted a couple of laudatory tweets about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The PM had earlier in the day visited the Army Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi to enquire about the well-being of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, who was rescued earlier this week from under 35 feet of snow in minus 40 C temperature, six days after an avalanche hit an Indian Army post in Siachen. Modi travelled to the hospital in a Range Rover and was seated in the front seat. "PM has switched vehicles. From a BMW to the front seat of a Range Rover. Tata Companies effect," tweeted Abdullah. The National Conference leader followed it up with another tweet: "I never did understand why our PMs didn't use Jaguar/Range Rover vehicles instead of BMW, considering Indian owners." With the alliance between the Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in J&K on the rocks, many expect the National Conference and the BJP to forge a coalition government in the state, if not now, then after a mid-term Assembly poll. The recent release of advance estimates of national income for the current financial year by the Central Statistics Organisation or CSO has highlighted a certain contradiction at the heart of the government's policy focus. In the run-up to the Union Budget, to be presented just a few weeks from now, this contradiction will have to be resolved one way or the other. The essential question is this: Is there a manufacturing revival? Or does the depressed state of the productive economy warrant a stimulus and a pause on fiscal consolidation? On the one hand, the government's own figures suggest a rosy picture. Overall, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the economy is supposed to grow at 7.6 per cent, but that is with agriculture growing at only 1.1 per cent in terms of gross value added (GVA). This means that growth in the rest of the economy is supposedly over nine per cent, in a year with a deficient monsoon. Manufacturing is supposed to grow at 9.5 per cent in 2015-16, compared to 5.5 per cent in the previous year. The figures are even higher for the third quarter of 2015-16, the three-month period from October to December of 2015. In that period, manufacturing grew at 12.6 per cent according to the CSO. This is in spite of the fact that during this very period at least one manufacturing hub, the area around Chennai, suffered devastating floods. The government has backed these figures with supporting data. Senior representatives of the government have defended the professionalism of the CSO and said they are using globally benchmarked methods. The growth in tax collections, particularly in indirect taxes, is being cited as further evidence of a recovery in economic activity. Certainly, the government can make a persuasive case if it wishes to, using generally available data, that the real economy is on the mend - and manufacturing in particular.. Eleven trucks carrying bauxite were today dumped into a ditch allegedly by ultras in Pakhar Daharbati of Lohardaga district in Jharkhand, police said. A group of armed men arrived at the spot and roughed up the drivers of the mineral-laden vehicles before they pushed them down in a ditch, Superintendent of Police, Karthik S confirmed. "We were told that it was the handiwork of an ultra outfit 'Trutiya Prastuti Committee' (TPC). But, we do not want to jump to any conclusion until investigation from all aspects is over," he said. TPC is an ultra left outfit active in the region. "We are also investigating whether a long-standing feud between two groups of transporters have anything to do with it," he said. A police team was rushed to the spot to retrieve the vehicles, which were also being guarded by the local villagers and the transporters, he added. Around 13 million pupils in OECD countries have failed to attain a sufficient level of proficiency in either reading, maths or science by the time they reach 15, according to a new study released by the think-tank today. The figure equates to more than one in four of 15-year-olds in the 64 countries and economies that took part in the 2012 PISA study, the Paris-based organisation's comparative study of education worldwide. In some countries, 50 per cent of students were falling behind in at least one of the key subjects. The OECD says fighting poor performance at school will bring more to the countries than it will cost them to introduce the special measures needed to combat the problem. And the wealth of a country need not be the main factor. "It is education policy and practice that can help students clear this bar, not just per capita income," the report says. The danger to countries' future economic health cannot be underestimated -- students who perform poorly aged 15 face a high risk of dropping out of school and when a high proportion of the population does not have basic skills, "long-term economic growth is severely compromised". Between 2003 and 2012, the OECD analysed nine countries that did not manage to reduce the number of pupils failing to achieve the basic level in maths -- Brazil, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Tunisia and Turkey. It found that all of the countries could improve pupils' performance, providing they take the necessary steps. The OECD's first recommendation is that countries must prioritise reducing the number of low-performing students, using a "multi-pronged" approach. For example, remedial support must be provided as early as possible in a struggling child's school career. There is also an onus on governments to identify low-performing schools and attribute greater funding as quickly as possible. And in a recommendation aimed at countries taking in high numbers of migrants, the OECD says special programmes must be offered for immigrant and minority-language students. Germany, which last year took in more than a million people fleeing war and poverty, recently brought in a specially-tailored programme of language learning for immigrant pupils. But the report also says that without the support of parents, pupils will fail to consolidate their progress. Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up in a northeast Nigerian refugee camp, killing at least 56 people, health and rescue officials said today. A third woman bomber was arrested and has given officials information about other planned bombings that helped them increase security at the camp, said an official of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency. Some 78 people are being treated for wounds from the twin explosions that occurred Tuesday morning in a camp of some 50,000 people driven from their homes by the Boko Haram Islamic uprising, according to health workers in Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeastern Nigeria and birthplace of Boko Haram. They spoke on condition of anonymity as did rescue officials who said they were not authorized to speak to reporters. The emergency management official said 51 bodies were buried Wednesday in Dikwa, the scene of the carnage 85 kilometres northeast of Maiduguri. Health workers said five bodies were brought to the main hospital in Maiduguri. The officials said poor cell phone service delayed of the attack. Boko Haram's 6-year-old Islamic insurgency has killed 20,000 people, made 2.5 million homeless and spread across Nigeria's borders. Gov Midjiyawa Bakari of neighboring Cameroon's Far North province said two suicide bombers believed to have come from Nigeria today killed 10 people and injured 40 attending a wake in a border village, including children. Attacks in Chad and Niger also are blamed on Boko Haram. Since troops from Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon last year drove the Islamic extremists from towns and villages where they had announced an Islamic caliphate and ruled with their strict interpretation of Islamic law, the insurgents have taken to attacking soft targets such as mosques and market places where many people gather. The deposition of Pakistani American terrorist David Coleman Headley before a court here for the third consecutive day, was today adjourned till tomorrow due to a technical problem in the video-link at the US end. "There was a technical snag in the video conference link from their side (US) due to which we could not connect despite several attempts since morning," Special Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told PTI. The testimony will continue tomorrow, he said. While initially the court adjourned the deposition for an hour, Judge G A Sanap was later informed by Nikam and other officials that the glitch could not be rectified immediately. Following this, the court allowed the adjournment sought by the prosecution till tomorrow. The deposition, initially planned till February 12, may extend for some more time. Headley, for the past two days, is deposing from an undisclosed location in the US in connection with the 26/11 terror attacks case. In his bare all deposition, Headley revealed about how ISI was helping different terror outfits in Pakistan by providing financial, military and moral support. He also told the court about how the plans to target Mumbai had started over a year before November 26, 2008 and that LeT initially wanted to attack a conference of Indian defence scientists at Taj Mahal Hotel for which even a dummy of the hotel was prepared. But the plan to target scientists was dropped because of logistical reasons, like difficulty in smuggling in weapons and personnel and lack of details about the schedule of the meet, he said. About plan to target Siddhivinayak Temple, Headley said that Sajid Mir (Headley's handler in LeT) specifically asked him to make video of it. Headley also said that he also used to work for ISI and met many Pakistan army officials. He also said that he had suggested to LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and its operational commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi about dragging US government to court for banning LeT as a global terror outfit. A juvenile was among three persons apprehended after they allegedly tried to make away with cars in northwest Delhi's Raj Park and also set a few vehicles on fire to divert the attention of policemen patrolling the area. "The incident was reported in the wee hours yesterday. The accused were identified with the help of CCTV footage," DCP (northwest) Vijay Singh said. A duo identified as Bhola and Michal were detained in connection with the crime and they told police about the juvenile. They admitted to having set the vehicles on fire to divert the attention of police as they were allegedly planning to commit a burglary in the area, police added. At least 35 people were killed in a twin suicide bomb attack at a camp for people displaced by Boko Haram's Islamist insurgency in northeast Nigeria, the head of the Borno state emergency management agency said. "We recovered 35 dead bodies and 78 injured following the attack on Dikwa IDP (internally displaced persons camp) on Tuesday morning," Satomi Ahmed told AFP today. The 3rd edition of the Taj Literature Festival scheduled to begin in Agra soon will be more tightly curated, according to organisers. Unlike the previous two editions, this year, the 3-day long festival beginning on February 26, will not have any particular theme to accommodate varied interests. "This year we do not have any theme because there is a very varied interest. So, we have accommodated 16 different categories ranging from music, theatre, politics, women cooking and comedy among others, so that nobody can complain that there is nothing for them," Harvijay Singh Bahia, founder of the festival said. The festival which is an attempt to relive the city's rich past of poetry, music, prose and theatre invites experts from different walks of life to Agra and endeavors to preserve the indigenous culture of the city. "The festival is going to be very dynamic. We have been dwelling on the lighter subjects to be honest, but the fun ones. We are trying to celebrate words in the finest way," Anshu Khanna, who has curated the third edition of the festival said. Among the major crowd pullers at the festival will be "Kaifi Aur Main" a play starring popular actress Shabana Azmi and her husband and lyricist Javed Akhtar. The play which is a celebration of renowned Urdu poet and film lyricist Kaifi Azmi's life and works seen through the eyes of his wife, noted theatre and film actress, Shaukat Kaifi, will be performed in front of an audience of 4,000 people, Khanna said. "'Kaifi aur Main' which is the story of Shabana Azmi's father and the relationship her parents had, is based in Kanpur so it is very relevant to Uttar Pradesh," she said. The festival which debuted in 2014 has evolved "beautifully" over the three years, making the organisers "spoilt for choice" regarding the selection of speakers. "It has evolved beautifully. It is growing slowly, although not so much in size, but definitely in quality. We are very happy that the authors want to come back. We don't know whom to say yes and whom to say no to. But, we want all of them," Bahia said. The central attraction of the festival remains the "signature session" that is conducted in front of the spectacularly lit Taj Mahal. For the third edition, the session will have the spotlight on budding poet Punam Sabbas-Joseph who has penned a collection of poetry titled, "The Soulful Seeker" that encourages children to appreciate and save the environment. The inaugural session will see eminent Hindi poet and author Gopaldas Neeraj in conversation with Annu Kapoor of "Antakshari" fame. Another session to look forward to at the festival includes spiritual leader Swami Ishwarananda and American Hindu teacher and author, David Frawley discussing the best seller "Autobiography of a Yogi," that talks about the life of Paramahansa Yogananda and his encounters with spiritual figures from across the world. "It is one of largest selling bestsellers. It has changed the lives of thousands of people all over the world and in India," Bahia said. A dedicated session to Urdu literature will see popular literary historian and writer Rakhshanda Jalil throwing light on the life and works of legendary Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib. Critically acclaimed filmmakers Sudhir Mishra and Ketan Mehta will deliberate on the growing trend of women protagonists in films. Besides literature, the festival will also indulge in a host of other entertaining activities to keep the audience engaged. Celebrity chefs like Kunal Kapoor and Maria Goretti will host a cookery session besides conducting a curated walk of the city's popular 'Chaat Gali' - a lane full of chaat and snacks stalls to offer their audience a taste of Agra's rich culinary culture. Anoop Jalota, better known as "Bhajan Samraat" will also be performing at the event. Other celebrities marking their presence at the festival include actors like Kabir Bedi and Vidya Balan. Citing the potential impact on businesses and consumers in upstate New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is urging federal officials to block Key Bank's $4.1 billion acquisition of First Niagara. In a letter provided to media outlets Tuesday, Cuomo said the proposed merger, which was first announced in October, would reduce competition and limit consumer access in upstate New York. "The consolidation is expected to result in thousands of lost jobs at the corporate and branch levels, with little hope these individuals will find alternative work in the retail banking field due to the oversaturated market conditions," Cuomo wrote. Cuomo added in a statement, "Blocking this deal is the right thing to do plain and simple and my administration will not hesitate to stand up for New Yorkers by opposing this acquisition." Both banks operate several branches throughout upstate New York, including locations in the central New York region. Key Bank operates two branches in Cayuga County Auburn and Weedsport and an office in Skaneateles. First Niagara also has branches in Auburn and Weedsport. Key Bank's acquisition is subject to federal approval. The companies are hoping to finalize the merger by the end of third quarter. Cuomo isn't the only top New York official to voice concerns about the transaction. Shortly after Key Bank's announcement in October, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said he was "seriously considering" opposing the merger. "The proposed acquisition of First Niagara by Key Bank, on initial examination, seems extremely troubling because the banks overlap so much and merging may entail significant job losses and reduce competition across upstate New York," he said. Two female suicide bombers today killed at least 58 at a camp for people made homeless by Boko Haram's Islamist insurgency in northeast Nigeria, emergency services, in the latest violence to hit the remote region. The attack happened in Dikwa, some 90 kilometres from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, yesterday morning and is believed to be a reprisal for a military strike on Boko Haram strongholds in the area last week. It will again raise security fears about the safety of internally displaced people (IDPs) and put pressure on the government, which maintains it has the upper hand against the insurgents and is pushing for the return of civilians caught up in the violence. Nigeria's Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, deputising for President Muhammadu Buhari who has been on holiday, described it as "regrettable that the heartless terrorists chose to unleash their wickedness on people who were taking refuge from previous acts of destruction in their homes". He promised those behind the attack would be hunted down and ordered that "formidable security in and around the IDP camps in the country be beefed up and renewed measures put in place to guard against future occurrences". The head of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, Satomi Ahmed, earlier told AFP 35 bodies were recovered from the camp, which houses some 53,600 people, with 78 injured. He later said the other dead had been buried locally, leading to the revised toll. "From what we gathered three female suicide bombers disguised as IDPs arrived at IDP camp at about 6.30 local time ," he said. "Two of them detonated their explosives. The third one refused to set off hers when she realised her parents and siblings were in the camp. She surrendered herself to the authorities." Ahmed said the woman told the military why she refused to detonate her explosives and warned them of further attacks to come in the remote region. The injured were taken to the Borno State Specialist Hospital and the Umaru Shehu Hospital, both in Maiduguri for treatment, he added. The camp in Dikwa is currently home to people from six local government areas in Borno: Dikwa itself, Gamboru Ngala, on the border with Cameroon, and the towns of Marte, Kalabalge, Bama and Mafa. Last week, the Nigerian military attacked three villages considered Boko Haram strongholds near Kalabalge, killing dozens of militant fighters and rescuing hundreds of women. At least 13 people, including six children, were charred to death today in an explosion caused by collision between a gas tanker and a speeding car near Nankana Sahib in Pakistan's largest province of Punjab. The incident occurred in Manawala area of Sheikhupura when the car of an assistant sub-inspector and a constable collided with a liquefied petroleum gas tanker and caught fire. A rickshaw carrying 10 school children was also set ablaze while passing on the same road, rescue workers said, resulting in the death of six students. Shops in the surrounding area caught fire and pedestrians were sprayed with petroleum. "13 people including six children were killed and 20 suffered injuries," rescue official Jam Sajjad said. Twelve people have been seriously injured and they were transferred to a nearby hospital. All the bodies have been burnt and some of them were burnt beyond recognition, rescue official Muhammad Azam said. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has ordered probe into the incident and announced compensation for the victim families. Alleging "open loot" of Uttarkhand's natural resources and land by successive governments, AAP today asked the state administration to issue a white paper on land and lease allocations made over the past 15 years. In a letter to Chief Minister Harish Rawat, AAP leader Anoop Nautiyal said,"The open loot of Uttarakhand's natural resources and land has emerged as the biggest issue in the state. We demand that the state government issue a white paper on land and lease allocations of over one acre from January 2001 to December 2015." Accusing previous state governments of also having contributed to this "loot", Nautiyal, who unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha polls on an AAP ticket from Tehri, said the administration should issue a white paper on the matter by March 31. The state government is talking about promoting agriculture and small industries to generate job opportunities on the one hand and on the other domestic, foreign companies are trying to grab land in the name of setting up schools, colleges and different institutions, he alleged. BSP today claimed the presence of Aam Admi Party (AAP) in 2017 Punjab assembly polls may prove to be the beneficial for it due to "multi-cornered" contest. AAP's presence in the poll might to be "most beneficial" for the party, BSP state unit chief Narendra Kashyap here. Kashyap claimed his party will gain in a multi-cornered fight in the state and said earlier during straight contests between Congress and SAD-BJP, the party could not win any seat and lost about 20 seats by "very narrow" margins. He also said AAP won't be able to repeat its performance of Delhi Assembly election in Punjab as the party had "failed" to fulfil the promises made to the people of Delhi. "Neither there has been any Jan Lokpal Bill so far, nor has there been corruption-free governance in Delhi," said Kashyap. On alliance with Congress, he said party supremo Mayawati would take a decision after a state-level rally to be held in Nawanshahr on March 15, the birthday of party's founder Kanshi Ram. Mayawati will address the rally, said Kashyap. As of now, the party was focusing on contesting all the seats in the coming poll in Punjab, he added. Kashyap said "anti-Dalit" instances of Punjab's ruling alliance had helped BSP bring its cadres on its platform and the party was in the process of selecting candidates on the basis of consensus only. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived here today to a warm welcome by Prime Minister Narendra who went to the airport to receive the "special friend". During Al Nahyan's three-day visit, his first to India, the two countries will discuss ways to enhance ties in a range of areas including energy, economy and security and are expected to sign a number of agreements in sectors like oil nuclear energy, IT, aerospace, railways and electronics. "A special welcome for a special friend. PM @narendramodi personally receives HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," tweeted the PMO with a photo of the two leaders shaking hands at the Palam Technical Airpor. Modi had visited UAE in August last year, the first by an Indian Prime Minister after a gap of 34 years, and Al Nahyan had received him at the Abu Dhabi airport. "This is Sheikh Mohammed's 1st state visit to India & am glad he is visiting with his family," Modi said in a tweet. "Sheikh Mohammed is a visionary leader. His visit will add new vigour and momentum to comprehensive strategic partnership between India & UAE," the Prime Minister added. Al Nahyan, also the Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE armed forces, is accompanied by a power-packed delegation for his three-day trip till February 12 which includes several top ministers and over 100 business tycoons and CEOs of top companies. Official sources said Modi went to the airport to receive the Crown Prince without any disturbance to the normal traffic in a compact carcade without having any ambulance. The two leaders will hold detailed deliberations tomorrow following which both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements to expand cooperation in sectors like oil nuclear energy, IT, aerospace, railways and electronics. Ways to contain radicalism, stepping up counter-terrorism cooperation and dealing with the ISIS are likely to figure prominently in talks Al Nahyan will have with Modi tomorrow. Economy of UAE, one of the leading producers of oil, has been hit hard by falling crude prices and it is expected that the Gulf nation would like to invest significantly in India's energy and infrastructure sectors from its sovereign wealth fund of around USD 800 billion. India has been eying the fund, being managed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, for its infrastructure sector including for railways, ports and roads. After serving notices to Aditya Birla Group's Madura Fashion & Lifestyle asking it to stop using trade name 'Khadi' without its permission, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is planning to serve similar notices to two-three more such companies. The KVIC, which had served a legal notice to Madura Fashion earlier this week to stop the use of trade mark 'Khadi', has also sought its response within 15 days of receipt of the notice. The Birla Group company has already registered Khadi as trade mark under the Intellectual Property Act. The notice was triggered by an advertisement by the company in a national daily last month to promote its apparel under the brand name 'Peter England'. "We have already sent the notice to Madura Fashion & Lifestyle asking it to stop using trade name 'Khadi' without its (KVIC) permission and stop the unauthorised use and we are also working on serving notices to two-three more companies for using the trade name 'Khadi' without our permission," KVIC chairman VK Saxena said here today. He, however, refused to name the companies as work is still in progress. He was speaking to reporters after inaugurating a sales outlet and an exclusive exhibition of KVIC products in the consumer stores of the income tax headquarters here. Speaking about the revenue of KVIC, Saxena who assumed the charge nearly three months ago, said "the current annual turnover of KVIC is around Rs 37,000 crore and we have plans to take it to Rs 40,000 crore in next year." There are currently 12.5 lakh Khadi workers in the country, but we are planning to increase it to 1 crore in next two years, he added. He said 'make-in-India' is possible only through making in villages. With zero carbon foot print, Khadi is the most eco-friendly cloth, he added. Saxena also emphasised that KVIC is the only hand holding organisation which provides support right from beginning to the end in the form of from training, loan facility. At least one person was killed when supporters of rival factions of Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party clashed and exchanged fire today in a remote area of the district, leading to the death of one person. After the clash, nearly a score vehicles were torched and vandalised, traffic on the highway blocked and a police contingent was pelted with stones. The incident took place in Sarai Inayat Police station area of the district, around 40 kms from the city. It was a skirmish between two groups, comprising members of the same political party but which supported different candidates in the ongoing block president elections, Senior Superintendent of Police, Allahabad, K S Immanuel said. "The situation worsened when people from both sides started shooting in the air to scare away the other side. One of the gunshots killed Bablu who is said to be the son of the Pradhan of a village falling in the Bahadurpur block. It took the police nearly an hour to bring the situation under control though by then several vehicles were vandalized and some others, including a fire brigade, set on fire, the SSP said. "We have arrested five persons from the spot. It is yet to be ascertained as to who pulled the trigger resulting in the death of a person. SP MLA from Handia Prashant Singh was caught in the melee. However, our personnel managed to ensure that he remained unhurt," the SSP claimed. Sources in the district unit of Samajwadi Party said, "The party had fielded Raj Kumar, a relative of Prashant Singh as its official nominee for the post of the block president. This had irked Munindra Yadav, an SP member and a history- sheeter who jumped into the fray as a rebel candidate". "After the results, Raj Kumar was declared elected and Prashant Singh went to the booth to congratulate him. This infuriated the rival group which attacked Raj Kumar's victory procession in which the MLA (Prashant Singh) was also present," sources added. Another person was arrested today in connection with the death of an eight-year-old boy in Shamli district during celebratory firing by SP workers even as 200 unidentified persons were booked in the case. The accused, identified as Aslem, was nabbed in Kairana area on the basis of a video clip of the firing incident that took place last week, Circle Officer Nishank Sharma said. This is the fifth arrest made in the case so far. As many as 200 unidentified persons have been booked under section 147 (rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 and 143 (unlawful assembly), and 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of IPC in this connection yesterday, SP Vijay Bhushan said. Police have also announced a reward of Rs 5,000 for any information on other five absconding accused - Gayyur (the husband of the newly-elected block pramukh), Saleem, Mumtaz, Mehtab and Nafis. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the boy killed in firing, an official spokesman said here. The CM said that the guilty will not be spared and strict action will be taken against them. Four other accused had been arrested yesterday in this connection on the basis of the clip. The SP workers were celebrating the victory of party candidate Nafisa in the local body polls from the town when eight-year-old Sami, who was passing by Kairana area in a rickshaw, was killed in the firing. SP leader and Kairana MLA Nahid Hasan had been earlier booked along with 30 of his supporters for allegedly threatening the two journalists from a leading English channel who had gone to cover the incident. Hasan had refuted allegations that he or his aides had attacked the two journalists and said it was an attempt by the opposition to tarnish the image of the ruling party. Hasan has been served a show-cause notice by his party, while the victorious block pramukh was expelled. The incident has invited sharp criticism with the BJP terming the Akhilesh Yadav government as a 'Mughal sultanate' that has issued license to its "goons" to do what they want. An Army truck carrying six jawans from Meerut Cantonment to Delhi fell into the Ganga canal in Muradnagar area here today, with local divers managing to rescue all of them. The truck fell into the canal at around 7.30 AM after the driver lost control over the vehicle and rammed into the barrier of a bridge, police said. Immediately after the accident, local divers jumped into the canal and saved the six jawans, they said. Election Commission today said around 20,000 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, which enable voters ascertain if their votes had gone to the candidate of their choice, would be deployed in the states facing Assembly polls. Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said, "around 20,000 VVPAT machines will be deployed in a rather proportionate manner in the states going to the (Assembly) polls. This time, Electronic Voting Machines of post 2006 generation alone will be used. We have very well functioning EVMS", Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said. Addressing reporters here before wrapping up EC's two-day visit here to review the Assembly poll-related preparations, he said the EC is 'broadly satisfied' with the preparations. Zaidi said the EC had held detailed review meetings with the Chief Secretary, officials of Elections Department, police, enforcement wings and representatives of political parties. He said an important feature here would be webcast coverage of all polling booths to keep an eye on those indulging in malpractices. He said polling booths in three Assembly constituencies-- Uzhavarkarai, Orleanpet and Karaikal South-- in Puducherry (out of total 30 segments) would be equipped with VVVPAT machines. On law and order in the UT, he said Puducherry has a record of having peaceful polls and steps would be taken to continue the same. He said Puducherry had established a distinct feature of having close to 100 per cent record in providing basic facilities in polling stations. Probably for the first time in the country Puducherry would have specially carved out polling stations for the physically-challenged and also in places where there were visually-challenged persons and leprosy centres, he said. Since Puducherry had porous boundaries, special road checks and setting up of border check-posts and other arrangements would be introduced. Marine policing would also be introduced in the coastal pockets. A voter centric atmosphere would be created and voters would also feel friendliness of the election Machinery. He praised the UT for having new special Information Technology initiatives which would address public grievances and ensure effective use of mobile applications. Special effort would be made "to reassess, review, strengthen and evolve a robust expenditure monitoring system in Puducherry". He said EC would devote a lot of time to check abuse of money, the most important problem here. More flying squads with GPS and surveillance teams would be deployed, he said. Puducherry has a total strength of 9,27,128 voters as on the date of final publication of rolls (January 11). Election Commissioners A K Joti and O P Rawat and Chief Electoral officer of Puducherry V Candavelou were also present in today's address. (REOPENS MDS7) Later PCC president A Namassivayam, MLA, said in its petition to the CEC, the Congress has said only directly recruited IAS officers should be posted as Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) or District Election Officer (DEO) or Returning officer (RO) as is envisaged in the rules instead of posting officials who have been elevated to the rank of IAS cadre. Congress also requested the Election commission to ensure that officers drafted for the election related work are not assigned any other executive work. The election authorities should collect details of the locations where clashes had occurred in the vicinity of the polling booths in the past and precautionary steps should be taken to prevent recurrence of such clashes in the coming elections. Similarly, police officers, who have been promoted to the rank of IPS, should not be assigned election related law and order maintenance works, the representation, copy of which was distributed to the media by Namassivayam, said. A delegation of CPI led by RViswanathan presented a petition to the CEC bringing to his notice the distribution of rice, sugar, induction stoves and other essential commodities allegedly by some political parties to the electorate free of cost in some constituencies. The Commission should take steps to find out through Income Tax department the source of moneyfor those distributing the freebies. CPI also wanted a proper check of voter's lists as there were incidents of inclusion of persons on the ground that they were road side residents or inmates in old age homes. The petition alleged that officers, who were trained by Election commission, had been transferred suddenly from their posts without getting the nod of the Election commission. This should be looked into, the petition said. Tens of thousands of central New York employees stand to benefit if the state raises the minimum wage to $15 an hour. According to a report released by the state Department of Labor, 98,689 workers in central New York will receive a raise if the state implements a $15 minimum wage. The boost in pay will lead to the reinvestment of $623.5 million in the regions economy, the report found. Statewide, the report says more than 2.3 million workers will benefit from a minimum wage hike and $15.7 billion will be reinvested in the economy. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who included the $15 minimum wage in his 2016 agenda, said the report shows how the increase will help millions of workers across the state. Our proposal will lift families out of poverty and create a stronger economy for all, and I urge lawmakers to help us fight for fair pay for working families this year, he said. Cuomos plan is supported by state Assembly Democrats, but faces an uncertain fate in the Republican-led state Senate. Under the proposal, the minimum wage for New York City workers would increase to $15 an hour over the next three years. For the rest of the state, it would be phased in over the next six years. Business groups oppose the minimum wage hike. They say it would be costly and could lead to job losses. Unshackle Upstate Executive Director Greg Biryla said the Department of Labors report falls far short of the thorough, objective analysis that state lawmakers and the public deserves. Biryla added that the report doesnt examine the impact the increase will have on businesses, particularly smaller firms and family farms. Rather than rush into the largest minimum wage increase in our nations history, we call on the administration to hire an objective, third-party to undertake a peer-reviewed economic impact analysis of what the governor has proposed, Biryla said. A report issued by the Empire Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank, said the state could lose more than 200,000 jobs, including 22,800 in central New York, if the minimum wage is raised to $15 an hour. E.J. McMahon, president of the Empire Center for Public Policy, testified at a Senate Labor Committee hearing in January. He said the minimum wage increase could hurt low-income workers the same group advocates say will benefit from the hike. On a geographic basis, the negative impacts are likely to be disproportionately concentrated in upstate New York and will be worst of all in those upstate regions already struggling to retain and create jobs, McMahon said. A Siena Research Institute poll released last week found nearly two-third of voters 65 percent support increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The world's top brewer Anheuser- Busch InBev said today it had received an offer from Japan's Asahi for the Peroni and Grolsch beer brands it has pledged to sell as part of its tie-up with SABMiller. Asahi Group Holdings has offered 2.55 billion euros (USD 2.85 million) for the Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime brands held by SABMiller, AB InBev said in a statement. AB InBev said in December it wanted to sell the Italian, Dutch and British brands in order to ease competition concerns and win approval from regulators. AB Inbev announced in November it had agreed to take over British rival SABMiller for USD 121 billion, the third largest acquisition in history, that would make it a juggernaut brewing three times as much beer as its nearest rival. Japan's leading Nikkei business daily had reported earlier Asahi had offered USD 3.5 billion for the brands which have a long history in Asia-Pacific. The acquisitions would allow Asahi to broaden its overseas strategy, the report said, as overseas sales only account for about 10 percent of Asahi's total sales. If the deal goes through it would be be biggest ever by a Japanese brewer, the daily said. AB Inbev said the sale would go through only if its merger with SABMiller is completed. At least six civilians were killed and over 30 injured today in a double suicide attack in Cameroon's northern border region with Nigeria, which is regularly attacked by Boko Haram fighters, security sources said. The attackers, who were also killed, were both female, said a source. "Six civilians were killed as well as two suicide bombers who blew themselves up" during a funeral wake in the village of Nguetchewe, a source told AFP, adding that between 30-50 people were injured. "The villagers were gathered for the wake when two suicide attackers joined them, pretending to be family members," said the source. The two female bombers "blew themselves up at 6:20 am, just when people who had spent the night there were preparing for a meal." A police source in the region said several children, including a boy aged six and a 15-year-old, were among the victims. At least one member of a local committee set up in response to the upsurge in Islamic attacks was also killed. The most seriously injured were evacuated to a regional hospital in Maroua. It is the fifth suicide attack in Cameroon's far north region since the start of the year. On January 18 four people were killed in an attack at Nguetchewe's mosque. Nearly 1,200 people have been killed since Nigerian Islamists began staging attacks in neighbouring Cameroon in 2013, according to government figures. Nguetchewe is a small village near the border with Nigeria where a French priest, Georges Vandenbeusch, was kidnapped in November 2013. He was held for 50 days before being released. The kidnapping were blamed on Boko Haram, which has since sworn allegiance to the Islamic State group based in Syria and Iraq. Australian lawmakers committed today to legalise the growing of marijuana for medical use within a part of the world renowned for zero-tolerance and harsh penalties for illegal drugs. The government introduced a bill to Parliament that would amend the Narcotics Drugs Act 1967 and create a licensing scheme for growing medicinal cannabis. Marijuana is currently illegal throughout Australia, but two states are considering making the drug available for therapeutic uses. "This government understands that there are some Australians suffering from severe conditions for which cannabis may have applications and we want to enable access to the most effective medical treatments available," Health Minister Sussan Ley told Parliament. The bill is guaranteed to become law, with the main opposition party immediately pledging support. Southeast Asia has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Indonesia, Australia's nearest neighbor after Papua New Guinea, created a diplomatic rift last year by rejecting Australian pleas to spare the lives of two Australian heroin traffickers. The Australians were among eight drug convicts executed by firing squad in April. Indonesia argued that the tough response was needed because narcotics abuse among Indonesians had reached a crisis level. Edward Aspinall, an Australian National University expert on Indonesian politics, did not expect marijuana crops growing legally in Australia would damage relations with Indonesia. "If it even rates notice among the Indonesian authorities or politicians, it will just be seen as an example of the inappropriately liberal and permissive nature of Western societies," Aspinall said. The government said the proposed amendment would meet Australia's international obligations to ensure that production, manufacture and distribution of marijuana was for medical and scientific purposes only. A government survey of 24,000 Australians nationwide found in 2013 that 69 percent of respondents supported a change of law to permit cannabis use for medicinal purposes. Australia will support Adani Group's $16.5-billion Carmichael coal mine and rail project in Queensland that will provide power to 100 million Indians, Australia Resources and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said on Wednesday. Frydenberg said even the state government and the federal opposition are in support of the project, which is expected to attract billions of dollars in investment. "All the commonwealth approvals have been granted. There are some state approvals awaiting conclusion. The state government and the federal government as well as the federal opposition, all support the Carmichael project," he told reporters after a meeting with Power Minister Piyush Goyal. The Carmichael coal, railway and port project includes building Australia's largest thermal coal mine in the north Galilee Basin, approximately 160 km northwest of Clermont in Central Queensland, linked by a new 388-km standard gauge rail line to a new terminal at Abbot Point Port near Bowen. Goyal is leading a delegation to Australia for the India-Australia Energy Dialogue. He is in the capital, meeting Frydenberg and Investment and Trade Minister Andrew Robb. This project will create thousands of jobs, worth billions of dollars in investment, and more importantly, it will provide energy and electricity to 100 million Indians, Frydenberg added. "Though it's a very important project, it's important for the relationship we are looking forward to," he noted. The Group led by Gautam Adani plans to build one of the world's largest coal mines in Australia, along with a railway line and a port to shop coal to India. Earlier this month, Queensland state's department of environment and heritage protection (EHP) said it has issued a final environmental authority The Carmichael Mine project in the Galilee Basin. When asked about the discussion on Adani's project, Goyal said: "Both sides had dialogue on their commercial projects that are facing issues." Both governments have decided to work in trying and finding solutions to these issues, he added. District authorities have imposed prohibitory orders restricting the movement of people to avoid any untoward situation in view of board exams, MLC polls and Holi. Additional District Magistrate Satish Pal has promulgated prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC with immediate effect upto March 31, according to the order. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) bans the assembly of five or more people. A baby today died after the driver of a free-ambulance service allegedly refused to take her from the district hospital here to another medical facility in Kolkata without being paid. Eight-month-old Sohani Sultana, from Jatrapota area of Amdanga in North 24 Parganas district, was admitted to the Barasat state general hospital with respiratory distress a couple of days ago, hospital officials said. Today, she was referred to the hospital in Kolkata for further treatment and when her parents tried to avail the free ambulance facility, the driver allegedly refused to ply his vehicle without being paid. Amid arguments over demanding money for a free service, the condition of the baby deteriorated and she soon died, the officials said. "The ambulance service is a private one and operates under the state government's Jana Jibon Suraksha Yojana. They are supposed to ferry needy patients free of cost. We have received complaints from the baby's parents and a three-member fact finding committee has been set up to probe the incident," said Chief Medical Officer, Health, Dr Prahlad Acharya. Angry residents protested outside the hospital after of the baby's death spread and also blocked the road for a brief period. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned of the danger of the Islamic State terror group spreading its tentacles to South Asia through organisations like the Tehreek-e-Khilafat in Pakistan. "The recent expansion of the ISIL sphere of influence across West and North Africa, the Middle East and South and South-East Asia demonstrates the speed and scale at which the gravity of the threat has evolved in just 18 months," Ban said in a report to the UN Security Council. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, ISIL continues to develop a network of contacts and sympathisers who carry out attacks in its name, Ban said in his report which was submitted to the Security Council by Jeffrey Feltman, the Under-Secretary- General for Political Affairs during a debate on the threat posed by ISIL - also known as Daesh - to peace and security. On 13 January 2016, the ISIL group 'Khorasan province', which operates in Pakistan and Afghanistan, issued a statement claiming credit for an attack on the Pakistani Consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, he said. The complexity of recent attacks and the level of planning, coordination and sophistication involved raise concerns about its future evolution, said the Secretary General. "Moreover, other terrorist groups, including the Islamic Youth Shura Council and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Libya Province (Derna) in Libya, the Mujahideen of Kairouan and Jund al-Khilafah in Tunisia, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Tehreek-e-Khilafat in Pakistan and Ansar al-Khilafah in the Philippines, are sufficiently attracted by its underlying ideology to pledge allegiance to its so-called caliphate and self-proclaimed caliph," Ban said. In his report, Ban said ISIL has also benefited from the arrival of a steady stream of foreign terrorist fighters, who continue to leave their communities to replenish its ranks. The return of these fighters from the battlefields of Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic and other conflict zones is a further major concern, as returnees can extend the presence of ISIL to their States of origin and use their skills and combat experience to recruit additional sympathisers, establish terrorist networks and commit terrorist acts, the Secretary General said. The report further analyses ISIL's finances, highlighting the group's capacity to mobilise vast resources rapidly and effectively. Its main sources of financing included the exploitation of oil and other natural resources, "taxing", confiscation and the looting of archaeological sites, as well as external donations and use of the Internet and social media to raise funds. The report recommends member states to criminalise travel by foreign terrorist fighters, in accordance with relevant resolutions and take measures to strengthen border-management regimes. The United Nations, for its part, should step up capacity-building assistance in that context, he said, asking Member States to strengthen their tools for disrupting ISIL's capacity to plan and facilitate attacks. A special court today granted additional 90 days to National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file a charge sheet against seven persons accused of murdering two Gujarat BJP leaders in Bharuch in November last year. Principal Judge P B Desai, presiding over a Special NIA Court, allowed a plea by the anti-terror agency which had sought additional time to file charges on the ground it was in process of gathering more evidence in the case which had links with other countries. Citing a provision in the Act that governs it, NIA argued that the period of filing the charge sheet after the arrest of accused can be extended up to 180 days in cases handled by it. Since the accused in Bharuch murders were arrested in November, NIA moved the Court today as the 90-day period for submitting the document gets over in the next few days. Explaining the reasons for seeking deadline extension, NIA said the agency is still searching for some more witnesses to strengthen the case. Further, NIA claimed it was still analysing the call detail records of the accused, which is a time-consuming process. The central agency said the accused were part of an international terror module, thus, it is establishing contacts with other countries to seek more information about their contacts and source of funds they received. The BJP leaders - Shirish Bangali and Pragnesh Mistry - were shot dead by two unidentified gunmen in Bharuch on November 2, 2015. Bangali was a former President of Bharuch district unit of BJP, while Mistry had served as General Secretary of Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha in the same district. Bharuch Police, along with Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), had initially conducted the probe and termed the murders as an 'act of terror' for which seven persons were arrested. Their probe showed the contract for killing the duo was given by absconding gangster Javed Chikna, apparently to avenge communal riots in Mumbai and Gujarat in 1993 and 2002, respectively. Based on a request of Gujarat government, the Union Home Ministry handed over the probe to NIA in December last year. "Javed Patel alias Javed Chikna, who as per information received is at present settled in Karachi, Pakistan, had sent the names of three persons, that is Shirish Bangali, Advocate Modi and Viral Desai to his younger brother, Abid Patel (an arrested accused) by using whatsApp in October 2015. It was decided that Bangali would be the first target," says the charge sheet. Chikna, a member of Dawood Ibrahim gang, has been shown as an absconding accused. He is also wanted in the 2003 Mumbai blasts case. The charge sheet has been filed against Saiyed Imran, Zuheb Ansari, Inayat Patel, Mohmad Yunus, Haider Ali, Nissarbhai Sheikh, Mohsin Khan Pathan, Mohmed Altaf Shaikh, Abid Patel and Abdul Salim Ghanchi. They have been charged under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, IPC sections such as 302 (murder) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), Arms Act and Gujarat Police Act. Himachal Pradesh BJP today demanded a judicial inquiry into the outbreak of jaundice in Shimla and surrounding areas and said the apathy of the state government in this matter was appalling. An inquiry by a sitting High Court judge should be ordered to fix the responsibility and the families of those who died due to jaundice should be given compensation while patients should be given free treatment, party MLA from Shimla, Suresh Bharadwaj told mediapersons here. Alleging that negligence by Irrigation and Public Health Department, Pollution Control Board and Shimla Municipal Corporation was responsible for outbreak of the epidemic, the former state BJP president said six persons have died while 15,000 are ailing but the government is not concerned and not responding adequately to the situation. He said it was unfortunate that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh recently visited Junga but did not bother to go to the sewerage treatment plant which was enroute. He said while the government has said that jaundice cases would continue to pour in till mid of February, it was apprehended that it would continue till end of the month as the families, which have gone out of station for the winter, would be returning and may fall ill by consumingcontaminated water stored in tanks. The government should close the schools till February 20, he said. He also raised serious objections over the setting up of a STP at Malyana in 2005, which was 6 km away from main water source of Ashwani Khud water supply scheme, and posed grave threat of contamination of water. There is no approach road for lifting the solid waste generated from the STP, which treats only 30 per cent of the sewerage waste, he said, adding that the SMC which ignored the directions of the High Court given in 2009 was issuing notices to residents for getting sewerage connections. Congress today accused the BJP of "stifling" students' voice, as it reacted sharply to IIT- Madras reportedly issuing a circular to bar all kinds of political activity. "BJP stifling student's voice-FTII, JNU, ban on Ambedkar Study Circle, Rohith Vemula's death & now ban on political activities by IIT Madras," AICC Communication Department Chief Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter. A newspaper report had it that IIT-Madras has issued a circular with an aim to bar all kinds of "political activity" because that is "against the apolitical nature of the institute". IIT Madras had courted a controversy in past over banning Dalit students' group, a decision which it revoked later following nationwide protests. The report mentioned that one clause in the circular - an undertaking to be signed by students, scholars, project associates and others said that they shall not indulge in any activity that will adversely affect the image of the university. Congress earlier took up the issue of Vemula's suicide aggressively with Rahul Gandhi visiting the Hyderabad University Campus twice. HRD Minister Smriti Irani had accused the rivals of BJP of attempting to "instigate" students across the country over the issue. Eric Kingson, one of three Democrats vying for the party's nomination in the 24th Congressional District race, is urging U.S. Rep. John Katko to support a bill that would give Social Security recipients a one-time pay boost in 2016. The legislation, the SAVE Benefits Act, is sponsored by U.S. Elizabeth Warren and would provide an average annual payment of $581 to Social Security beneficiaries. Proponents say the action is needed because Social Security beneficiaries won't receive a cost-of-living adjustment this year. To fund the payments, Warren, D-Massachusetts, would close a tax loophole corporations use to write off executive performance bonuses. "Mr. Katko, do the right thing!" Kingson, D-Manlius, said. "Support 152,000 of your constituents who receive Social Security benefits and thousands more who receive veterans and SSI benefits." Kingson, who launched a petition urging Katko to support the bill, delivered more than 100,000 signatures to the congressman's office Wednesday. Doug Matousek, co-chair of the New York State Alliance for Retired Americans' central New York chapter, said Katko should "embrace" the SAVE Benefits Act. "Social Security beneficiaries did not get cost-of-living adjustments in 2009 or 2010, and as it stands they won't be getting one this year either," Matousek said. "That's mainly due to the sharp decline in gasoline prices something that does not make up a substantial cost item for seniors. That's why seniors, people with disabilities, veterans and others need a $581 benefit raise." Social Security is a top priority for Kingson's campaign. He's an expert on aging issues and a Syracuse University professor. He has written books on the need to preserve the program. Kingson is running for the Democratic nomination against Colleen Deacon, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's former central New York regional director, and Steve Williams, a Syracuse-area attorney. A Democratic primary is likely. The three candidates have said they plan to stay in the race. If a primary is necessary, it will be held June 28. The budget session of West Bengal Assembly will begin on February 25 and continue for a brief period till February 29 to pass the Vote-on-Account ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. "It will be a brief session ahead of the coming Assembly elections in the state. The next session will be held after the new government is formed," Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Biman Banerjee told PTI. "Governor's speech, Vote-on-Account and Appropriation Bill will be the key issues in this brief budget session," he added. Britannia Industries is gearing up for a full-fledged play in the estimated Rs 85,000-crore Indian dairy market as part of its overall strategy to be a total food company. The company will seek board approval within a couple of months for its expansion in the dairy segment, which could entail a minimum investment of Rs 300 crore in the initial phase. "We want to be a total food company and to do so, we can't ignore the large dairy segment. The dairy segment in India is almost Rs 85,000 crore," Britannia Industries Managing Director Varun Berry said. Elaborating on why it made sense to be a full-fledged player in the dairy segment, he said: "We sell dairy products worth Rs 400 crore and for our bakery business we buy dairy products worth Rs 300 crore. Overall, the consumption and sales is almost Rs 700 crore, which is a fairly large number." When asked how the company is preparing to enter the segment, Berry said: "We have reached a very interesting stage where we have got a fairly good grip on what we need to do to make the plunge in dairy. We just want to make sure that we get all the details together before take this proposal to the board, which will be in the next couple of months." The company has also roped in dairy expert, Sarad Garodia, who has joined the company as Business Head Dairy Operations. He had earlier worked for 16 years with Schreiber Dynamix, one of the leading dairy products manufacturers in India. "He is helping us validate all the assumptions... In the next couple of months we should definitely be ready with the plan. I am pretty bullish on it but it has to pass a few tests because it is going to be a fairly large investment," Berry said. When asked about investments, he said: "The first phase will be about Rs 300 crore. In the next two or three months we will be able to take a decision on it." The company today said that its board has approved a plan for the demerger of the manufacturing and retails sales divisions of its subsidiary Daily Bread Gourmet Foods (India) to be merged into itself. The step will help it in optimum utilisation of resources, achieve cost saving and economies of scale, among others. Commenting on the company's dairy strategy, Berry said: "Our first step will be establishing the back end, making sure that we have a fully integrated dairy business, right from collection of milk to processing. First step will be to bring part of what we sell in-house and then once we have done that we will look at how to innovate and enter into new categories." In the first phase Britannia Industries will focus on value added dairy products that it already sells. "Cheese will be a big category," Berry said. Besides cheese, the company already sells fresh packed milk, dahi, flavoured yoghurt and accompaniments such as ghee. When asked about plans for flavoured milk, where Coca Cola has also entered with its Vio brand, Berry said it will "certainly be a part that we would like to get into but not in the phase one". Britannia Industries is aiming to be a Rs 20,000 crore company in the next 5-6 years as a total food company. The company had posted consolidated net sales of Rs 7,775.09 crore in the last fiscal. UK Prime Minister David Cameron today called on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to end the "sorry saga" by leaving the Ecuadorian embassy here, where he has been holed up for more than three and a half years to avoid extradition to Sweden to face rape charges. Addressing the lower House of Commons during his weekly Prime Minister's Questions, Cameron also described a recent UN ruling that Assange had been arbitrarily detained as a "ridiculous decision". "You've got a man here with an outstanding allegation of rape against him. He barricaded himself into the Ecuadorian embassy and yet claims he was arbitrarily detained. The only person who detained himself - was himself. "And so what he should do is come out of that embassy and face the arrest warrant that is against him... He should bring to the end this whole sorry saga," Cameron said. Assange has been in asylum in the Ecuador embassy since 2012. The 44-year-old Australian national fears if he enters Sweden to face rape charges, he will be deported from there to the US over WikiLeaks' release of 500,000 secret military files. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had ruled last week that Assange is a victim of arbitrary detention and should be allowed to walk free. Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny said yesterday that she aims to question former computer hacker Assange inside the embassy despite the ruling. The UK Foreign Office had also issued a statement saying that the ruling "changes nothing." Assange was originally arrested in London in 2010 under a European Arrest Warrant issued by Sweden over rape and sexual assault claims. In 2012, while on bail, he claimed asylum inside the Ecuadorian embassy in central London after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the extradition against him could go ahead. He is wanted for questioning in Sweden over sex assault allegations against two women, which he denies. Bulgaria's foreign ministry has formally announced its nomination of UNESCO chief Irina Bokova for UN secretary-general. "The ministry of foreign affairs sent a letter, nominating Irina Georgieva Bokova for the post of secretary-general of the United Nations," the ministry said in a statement yesterday. "Given her background and experience, Mrs Bokova may be one of the top candidates in the upcoming campaign for UN secretary-general," it added. The UN's next chief will take up their post on January 1, 2017, replacing Ban Ki-moon who has held the job for two five-year terms. Bulgaria's Bokova, 63, was the first woman to head the UN's culture body UNESCO, and the first leader from the ex-Soviet bloc when she was elected in 2009. UNESCO's admission of Palestine as a member in October 2011 spelled problems for Bokova, with the United States immediately suspending its funding of the UN body. But the former foreign minister won re-election nonetheless, and her second term is due to expire at the end of 2017. "I know that I will win the UN vote," Bokova has confidently told private television channel Nova. There has been much speculation over whether the UN will finally get its first female leader, after the eight men who have led the world body since 1946. A former Bulgarian ambassador to France and Monaco, Bokova has recently been criticised over her privileged upbringing in a prominent communist family. Her father Georgi Bokov was editor-in-chief of the Communist Party newspaper Rabotnichesko Delo. Bokova received an elite education abroad, first at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and later at the University of Maryland and Harvard in the United States. After stints at the Bulgarian foreign ministry and its UN mission in New York, Bokova was elected a lawmaker for the Socialist Party after the fall of communism in 1989. Bokova was appointed deputy foreign minister to coordinate Bulgaria's relations with the European Union between 1995 and 1997. She briefly stepped up as foreign minister from November 1996 to February 1997 when she led the country's bid to join the EU. She speaks fluent English, French, Russian and Spanish, and is married with two children. Chhattisgarh's Home Minister Ramsewak Paikra and three others were injured today when their SUV vehicle collided with a pick-up van in the state's Balrampur district, police said. The incident took place late this evening between Ghat Pendari and Moran village in Wadrafnagar area when the minister was heading towards his native place Chendra in Surajpur district from Wadrafnagar, a senior police official told PTI. Paikra, his aide Rakesh Tiwari, guard Sanjay Singh and the driver sustained injuries, he added. When the SUV reached between Ghat Pendrai and Moran, it collided with the pick-up van coming from the opposite direction, the official said. A police team rushed to the spot and the minister and other injured were admitted to the hospital of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) in Bhatgaon, the official said. Paikra, who had sustained injuries on his head, legs and chest, is being shifted to Ambikapur hospital for further treatment, he added. Congress today deprecated a plan by some JNU students to hold a protest over the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, saying no one should eulogise him as he was declared a terrorist by court and was hanged after a long-drawn judicial process. "UPA govt carried out Afzal Guru's sentence after due process for 13th Dec, 2001 Parliament attack. No one should eulogise him," party communication department chief Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter. Congress spokesperson RPN Singh said that a court had declared Guru a terrorist and the judgement was pronounced after giving him all the legal options available. "He was hanged as a terrorist. We cannot have anarchy in our universities... The hanging was after a long-drawn judicial process," the Congress spokesperson said. JNU administration today ordered a "disciplinary" inquiry into the holding of an event on campus against the hanging of Guru despite cancellation of permission for the same as the university was rocked by demonstrations by ABVP members demanding expulsion of the organisers of the protest. Maintaining that the act by students amounted to "indiscipline" and any talk about the disintegration of the nation cannot be "national", the university authorities said that the matter will be investigated by a committee headed by the Chief Proctor of JNU. The student organisers of the event had yesterday put up posters across the campus for a march to protest against the "judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt" and in solidarity with "struggle" of Kashmiri migrants. ABVP objected to the event and wrote to the JNU vice- chancellor that such marches should not be held on a university campus, prompting the university administration to order cancellation of the march as they "feared" that it might "disrupt" peace on campus. But the organisers went ahead with the programme despite the cancellation of the permission and held what was described as a cultural programme, art and photo exhibition on the issue rather than a protest. Maharashtra Water Resources minister Girish Mahajan today said a high-level meeting will be held soon to discuss and resolve issues plaguing the Nar-Par-Tapi-Narmada river-linking project. Mahajan, who attended the eighth meeting of the Special Committee for interlinking of rivers in Delhi on Monday also said that in the meeting, he stressed that excess water from the Nar-Par-Tapi-Narmada basin must not be allowed to go to Gujarat. Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Uma Bharti had chaired the meeting. "In the meeting, we discussed the hurdles in the water inter-linking project, which will pass through various states," he said. "We have a dispute with Gujarat over the share of water from the Nar-Par-Tapi-Narmada basin. We do not want to let water of our share go to the neighbouring state," he said. He added that though Maharashtra is possessive over its share of water, it is not possible to lift water from the basin at a height of 600 to 800 meter and divert it in some other parts of the state. "The scheme is not viable and impossible to implement. Hence, instead, we are demanding an equal share of water from Tapi river to Maharashtra from Gujarat. But, Gujarat is opposing the solution. This was raised in the meeting and Uma Bharti intervened in the issue," he said. He further said that according to her instructions, a high level meeting will be held in Mumbai. "It was decided to meet on February 16, but it may be changed by a day or two as Uma Bharti has called a meeting in Bhopal on the same day. Union Secretaries along with officials from state water resource department will attend the meeting," he said. The proposed Par-Tapi-Narmada river interlinking project, aimed at diverting "surplus" water from parts of west flowing rivers like Par, Nar, Ambika and Auranga basins in Maharashtra, is all set to become a major cause of conflict between Gujarat and Maharashtra. Maharashtra has made it clear to Gujarat that it does not have "any water to spare". Meanwhile, Maharashtra's Tapi Irrigation Development Corporation (TIDC) has come up with a detailed plan consisting of 22 dams to transfer all the surplus water from the four west-flowing basins into eastern Maharashtra, leaving no water for diversion onto Gujarat. According to an official from water resource department, the region to be covered by transferring waters from the two river-link projects, will be 95,760 hectares, of which 53,626 hectares would be in Nashik, 38,304 hectares in Jalgaon and 3,830 hectares in Aurangabad district of Godavari Basin. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today announced setting up of a National Organic Farming Research Institute (NOFRI) in Gangtok, Sikkim. A decision in this regard was taken at 87th Annual General Meeting of Indian Council of Agricultural Research. "Sikkim has recently been declared as the first organic state in the country. In view of above, Union Agriculture Minister has given approval to execute NOFRI at Gangtok," an official statement said. Required financial resources, manpower and infrastructure facilities will be made available accordingly, it said. The Institute will provide research and technological backstopping to organic production system in the country in general and north eastern region in particular. The Centre is promoting organic farming in a big way under the new scheme 'Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana'. The scheme aims to develop 10,000 organic clusters covering 5 lakh acres of area in the next three years. China has reported its first case of the Zika virus in a man who recently traveled to Venezuela. The National Health and Family Planning Commission says the 34-year-old man from the southern city of Ganzhou had been treated in Venezuela on January 28 before returning home on February 5 via Hong Kong and the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. The commission said the man was confirmed as having the Zika virus on Tuesday, but his temperature was now normal and a skin rash was receding. It said the virus is highly unlikely to spread in China due to low winter temperatures and a lack of mosquito activity, the primary avenue by which Zika spreads. Zika infections in pregnant women has been suspected for causing a rare birth defect. Colombia's FARC rebel force promised today to end recruitment of all child soldiers to its ranks, in a further bid to seal a peace deal ending a half-century conflict. At peace talks in Cuba, the leftist guerilla group had already pledged to stop recruiting fighters under 17, but the Colombian government said that did not go far enough. International authorities and rights groups define any member of a force aged under 18 as a child soldier. "Today we communicate to the country our decision to end the recruitment of those aged under 18 to the FARC," a negotiator for the Marxist rebel force, Victoria Andino, said, reading out a statement. The two sides have vowed to sign a peace deal by March 23 to end five decades of conflict that have left 220,000 people dead. Today's announcement appeared to be a gesture to ease negotiations by the FARC, whose leaders have warned in recent weeks of lingering obstacles to a peace deal. The two sides have signed deals on four of the six agenda items at the talks: justice for victims, land reform, a political role for ex-rebels and fighting the drug trafficking that fuels the conflict. The unsettled issues are disarmament and the mechanism by which the final accord will be ratified. Disagreement remains over whether the peace deal should be put to a popular vote or passed by a constituent assembly as the FARC demands. Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos said Monday a referendum would be held on a possible peace deal whether the rebels want a vote or not. Eric Kingson is staffed up and ready to go for the Democratic primary in the 24th Congressional District race. The Syracuse University professor and Social Security expert said he has campaign employees on the ground in central New York and Washington consultants providing guidance. Some big names in Democratic politics, Celinda Lake and Joe Trippi, have helped out. (Kingson said Trippi, who was Howard Dean's presidential campaign manager, has offered "free advice.") "It's an experience," Kingson said in an interview. "I'm going to be the scrappy guy who wins based on hard work and activating a lot of people, especially older people who are very concerned about their economic security." In a 10-minute interview with The Citizen in January, Kingson discussed a range of topics, including terrorism, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. and central New York's infrastructure. Here is the Q&A with Kingson: Question: We had the Paris attacks in November and the San Bernardino attacks in December. What should be done at the congressional level to address these issues and combat the terror threat? KINGSON: I'll preface it by saying that we should maintain our standards of decency as the American people so that the horrible things that are being proposed by Mr. Trump, by the Republican candidates for president, should not even be spoken of... We've lost a lot of credibility as a result of our invasion of Iraq. We've lost many American soldiers. Many Iraqis have lost their life and we weren't aware of the unintended consequences which would destabilize the whole Middle East. The urge to do something is important, but sometimes the wiser thing to do is to think carefully about what you're going to do. I don't think we ought to be putting boots on the ground. There's an emotional reaction that we're going to do something. I think the deep sadness that all of us experience to people's losses is very appropriate. I think there's certain things we should be doing like not letting people who are on the (no-fly list) get arms something that Congressman Katko had opposed. I think we should be careful to remain a beacon of decency and civilization and take in refugees and immigrants. This region has an extraordinary history, with Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad, with Syracuse, Utica, stretching out beyond the district. We have a history to be proud of. I don't want to see that destroyed by foolish discussion like Mr. Trump's and some of the others. I also don't want to see our national politics undermined by fear, which is what I think has been the attempt to do. So, I think we should be careful, vigilant, but not give up our civil liberties, not give up the traditions that make this country great. Q: What do you think of Donald Trump's proposal to specifically ban Muslims from entering the U.S.? KINGSON: I think it's revolting, to be blunt. And I speak to that as both an American Jew, who can feel this very strongly, that this is not radically different than the kind of quiet drumbeats of the 1930s. This is absolutely un-American. Every decent human being should separate themselves from that, including our Republican congressman. They should be saying, not what (House Speaker Paul Ryan) just said that he will support Mr. Trump or (U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz) if they're nominated. These people should not be supported by decent Americans as far as I'm concerned. There are decent Americans who will make a mistake and support them, but this is a dangerous and really just plain disrespectful way to treat human beings. It's the dark side of our country as opposed to the better angels of our country speaking with that. Q: What role should Congress play in making infrastructure a bigger priority? KINGSON: It should be playing a huge role. We have to invest in the future and part of that is investing in infrastructure other sources of energy, sustainable energy, roads. We're still living off the roads that were constructed during the New Deal. And the bridges the bridges that were constructed during the New Deal and some of the other systems. It's critical. It's also an example of how the imbalances in our tax system that have hemorrhaged tax revenues to the very rich have undermined the abilities of communities to make that kind of investment. I think the state is doing a good job with some of the recent grants to central New York. That's great, but these are the kinds of things we should be spending money on. We should not have had to spend money on this wasteful war in Iraq or going into a major war in Afghanistan. Frankly, I think we should've responded, in terms of Afghanistan, I think we had every reason to do some kind of strategic strike after 9/11. But I think we made a terrible mistake doing what the Russians did and going in and trying to rework that society. We should be spending money and time and focus on building infrastructure. And infrastructure also includes building the best schools in the world. There's no reason for the U.S. to be second in that and there's no reason for any kid not to have the best possible education. There are other pieces to infrastructure, providing jobs. Talking about physical infrastructure, we absolutely have to invest in that. But there's other infrastructure, too, that structures the way our lives and communities are: Education, health care, basic kinds of services and community. That's what we should be doing. Congress today accused AAP of circulating posters and exhorting people in Punjab to mark the birth anniversary of Khalistani separatist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and asked whether it wanted "anarchy" in the state. The party also asked whether the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit, which is in power in Delhi, would urge people in the national capital to celebrate Bhindranwale's birth anniversary. "Would they like anarchy to prevail in Punjab? Will they be celebrating (the birth anniversary) in Delhi also on a large scale and urge the people to come forward and take part in it? "I think that is something that definitely needs to be clarified by them," Congress spokesperson RPN Singh told reporters here. Senior AAP leader and in-charge Punjab Affairs Sanjay Singh, however, rejected the claims made by Congress. He had yesterday dismissed the issue as being "dirty politics" by its opponents. BJP's Punjab unit, meanwhile, has accused AAP of trying to "destabilise" the state by exhorting people to mark the birth anniversary of Bhindranwale and termed it an "anti-national activity". Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh had yesterday asked AAP to come clean about the "posters", which allegedly bear pictures of Bhindrawale, Arvind Kejriwal, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Sanjay Singh and Bhagwant Mann and exhort people to celebrate the slain Khalistani leader's birth anniversary by paying obeisance at the nearest gurdwara. To a question about a controversy in JNU over a protest against the hanging of Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru, Singh said the court had declared Guru a terrorist and the judgement was pronounced after giving him all the legal options available. "He was hanged as a terrorist. We cannot have anarchy in our universities... The hanging was after a long-drawn out judicial process," the Congress spokesperson said. Asked about the statement by Haryana minister Anil Vij that anybody desirous of eating beef should not visit the state, Singh said there is a large section in BJP which makes "illogical and immature" statements just to be in as they suffer from "the disease of publicity". He also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over claims by some farmers that they have been asked to cut their standing crops prematurely to make way for people to reach the venue where Modi is expected to be felicitated for his new crop insurance scheme on February 18. "We have come to know that the Prime Minister will hold four rallies to wipe the tears of farmers. Even before the first rally, farmers' crops have been cut. The country has seen the attitude of the government towards farmers," said Singh. Describing India's economy as stable, Global real-time payment processing firm MasterCard today said that consumers in the country were "extremely optimistic" in their outlook for the next six months. The latest index on consumer confidence covering Asian markets released today said that India stayed stable, with consumers maintaining their extremely optimistic outlook. It rated India as stable. Though the Index slipped by 2.9 points to 90.2 points, it was still above 90 points calculated for the extremely optimistic rating for India. Consumer confidence in Myanmar and Vietnam was also extremely optimistic at 95.7 points and 94.2 points, respectively. The outlook for the two markets were boosted by big improvements in stock market sentiment which rose by 21.6 points and 17.3 points. However, consumers in Asia Pacific are not optimistic about the immediate future. Asia Pacific has fallen below the 60-point optimistic mark to neutral, with 12 of the 17 markets seeing a deterioration in confidence levels, it said. The index on the region was down by 6.4 points to 59.7, a first since 2012. Stock market sentiment was the key driver of the decline followed by prospects for employment. Between November and December 2015, 8,779 respondents, aged 18 to 64 in 17 Asia Pacific markets, were asked to give a six-month outlook on five economic factors including the economy, employment prospects, regular income prospects, the stock market and their quality of life. The Index is calculated with zero as the most pessimistic, 100 as most optimistic and 50 as neutral. "The decline of consumer confidence in Asia Pacific reflects the continued uncertainty in the global economic environment. In particular, recent stock market turbulence has significantly impacted consumer outlook," Eric Schneider, Region Head, Asia Pacific, MasterCard Advisors said. "However, a number of emerging markets are bucking this trend, namely, Myanmar, Vietnam and India, which are all continuing to see strong economic growth", he added. Asia Pacific's overall confidence has dampened and growth has slowed, its markets will still play a key role in driving global growth in 2016. In an attempt to woo business leaders, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today stressed the need to cooperate with the industry. "Let us not disturb the industry. Let us fully cooperate with them," Banerjee said unveiling three projects of ITC here. "When the world is moving ahead, Bengal cannot afford to sit back. Collective interest is bigger than individual interest," she said. "We will have to do this for the good of the state...Once a big industry comes, many ancillary units also come up creating jobs for the youth," the Chief Minister said. Thanking ITC for not shifting headquarters from Kolkata, she promised land to the company for setting up a cold chain from the land bank. Industry and agriculture would have to grow in tandem, she said. In a bid to address domestic shortages, Indian companies should consider investing in Africa for production of pulses and oilseeds, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said today. India is dependent on import of pulses and edible oils due to a huge supply-demand gap. It imports 4-5 million tonnes (MT) of pulses and 13-14 MT of edible oils annually. "Can we think of a dispensation where Indian companies can consider investing in Africa for growing pulses and oilseeds, which are in short supply in India. Similarly, African businesses can think of engaging mutually beneficial collaborators in India," Singh said at India-Africa Agribusiness Forum organised by industry body Ficci. India attaches great importance to private sector participation in agriculture and agri-business. There is an impressive presence of private sector, including large business groups in food processing, logistics, supply chains including cold chains, he said. "I am happy to note that recently our government has taken a decision to set up a food processing cluster in Africa. I am also aware that some of the Indian companies have invested in agriculture in Africa and many are looking forward to doing so," he added. His African counterparts, especially from Zambia, Botswana and Seychelles, evinced interest to collaborate with Indian companies in various areas of agriculture sector. "We are willing to offer 10,000-15,000 hectare on lease for 99 years. We have 75 million hectare of land, of which 58 per cent is areable. Of total areable land, only 11 per cent is used, and the rest is available for investment," Zambia Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda said. There are challenges in Zambia but they provide opportunity for solution to global food security, he added. Echoing similar views, Botswana Agriculture Minister Patrick Ralotsia said: "Currently, entire South Africa is engulfed in drought. Africa need not reinvent the wheel. We can learn from India and address the issues of food security." "We need to collaborate to achieve the common objective of food security. If we collaborate with India, we will benefit," he said. Seeking partnership with Indian companies, Seychelles Agriculture Minister Wallace Cosgrow said, "We count on India on all private sector investment. Come to Seychelles to see invest opportunities in agriculture sector." India imports pulses from African countries, like Malawi and Mozambique. There is a huge potential to invest in Malawi, where almost 50 per cent of pulses area remains unused due to lack of irrigation, lack of seeds and technology and poverty. Malawi is growing pulses in 3.5 lakh hectare, while it has 6 lakh hectare that can be used for pulses cultivation. Investing in Africa can help India address shortage of pulses and edible oils, a Malawi trader said. India's pulses shortage had widened last year due to shortfall in domestic output because of drought. The supply is expected to remain tight this year as well due to back-to-back drought and the government is taking measures to boost supplies through imports and creating buffer stock. Already, the government has procured 20,000 tonnes of pulses directly from farmers for buffer stock purpose. It has also floated two import tenders for 10,000 tonnes of tur dal. Family members of a 21-year-old youth, who died in a road accident caused by a speeding school bus two years ago, have been awarded a compensation of Rs 18 lakh by a motor accident claims tribunal (MACT) here. MACT Presiding Officer Raj Paul Singh Teji directed the New India Assurance Company Limited, insurer of the offending school bus, to pay a compensation of Rs 18,15,588 to victim Vinay's parents. The tribunal, while deciding the claim raised by the victim's parents, relied upon the chargesheet and FIR of the case, the post-mortem report and statement of the eyewitness. "After going through all the documents..., it is clear that respondent number 1 (driver) was driving the offending vehicle i.E. Bus in rash and negligent manner and caused fatal injuries to the deceased (Vinay)," the judge said. According to the petition, victim Vinay was riding a motorbike and one Suraj was the pillion rider. When they reached near Janak Puri in West Delhi, they were hit by the rashly-driven and speeding school bus on July 7, 2014. Both were taken to a hospital where Vinay succumbed to injuries and injured Suraj was given first aid. While the driver did not respond to court notice, the transporter denied the rash and negligent aspect in the petition. The tribunal also observed that the insurance company was not suggestive of anything that may discard the claim of the petitioners regarding rash and negligent driving of the bus driver. A dance drama on 'Radha Kanhaiya ka Kissa' written by last Nawab of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah, would be staged on February 14. "Radha Kanhaiya ka Kissa was written by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah during exile in Kolkata," noted filmmaker Muzaffar Ali told reporters here today. The 'Umrao Jaan' director said the dance drama was being prepared with the help of local artists. Ali said Wajid Ali Shah Mahotsava was being celebrated for the last three years. Earlier it was a two-day event, but this time it would be observed only on one day. Uttar Pradesh government would be observing Tourism Day on the same day. "Our purpose is to make people aware of the culture and Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of Awadh. We want that these tourists understand the state and particularly its civilization, culture, historical buildings and heritage places," he said. The mahotsava is organised by 'Roomi Foundation', which had also organised Jahane Khusro programme in Lucknow. "Deadpool" is yet to hit theatres but a sequel is already in the works with Fox giving a green light to the project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick who wrote "Deadpool" are writing the script for the follow-up. Although "Deadpool" helmer Tim Miller is not yet attached to direct, Fox is expected to keep all the creative team together for the second movie. Both producer Simon Kinberg and Miller had talked about a sequel earlier. "We certainly are talking about the sequel - we were talking about the sequel while we were making the movie just because when you make a film like this that's from a serialised source material, you hope that it's the first of many. "But yeah (Fox is) feeling good about it, we're all feeling really proud of it, so hopefully before it comes out we will be well into the process of figuring out a sequel," Kinberg had said in September last year. "Deadpool", set to open on February 12. An R-rated action comedy based upon Marvel Comics' most unconventional anti-hero, "Deadpool" tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humour, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life. Delhi Ambulance Service Association and All India Ambulance Welfare Association have extended their support to a strike called by private ambulance operators in Haryana who are protesting against the state's decision to hike registration fee for new ambulances and impose passengers and goods tax on them. Around 2500 private ambulances in Haryana have gone on indefinite strike since February 8 posing inconvenience to patients. Rasheed Ahmed, spokesperson for Delhi Ambulace Service Association, said, "We have extended support to the private ambulance operators in Haryana who are protesting against imposition of passengers and goods tax on them by the state government." "Registration fee for new ambulances in Haryana was hiked from one per cent to six per cent which is unjustified. So, they have gone on strike," Rasheed said. He further said that if their demands are not met, private ambulance service providers of the national capital may also join the strike. Ethan Hawke can't get enough of working with Denzel Washington, citing their scene together in "The Magnificent Seven" as one of the favourites of his career. The two actors first joined forces in 2001's "Training Day", so were thrilled to reunite for the upcoming western crime movie, a remake of the 1960 western about seven men who save a village from thieves. Although the whole cast is impressive, with Chris Pratt and Peter Sarsgaard also starring, Hawke said his brief encounter with Washington topped everything else. "It was awesome. Are you kidding? It was so fantastic to be on set with Denzel and (director) Antoine (Fuqua, who also directed Training Day) again, and also to not be doing Training Day 2, but to do something completely unique and different. "Denzel and I have one scene in The Magnificent Seven that's one of my favourites that I filmed. And it was great to be on set with Antoine. I did Brooklyn's Finest with him as well. I love working with him. He's got a huge anti-authority streak. He makes really heartfelt, powerful movies that really come from his gut. Popular fashion designers like Sabyasachi, Rohit Bal, Rohit Gandhi among others will present their collection at the 'Make In India' week to be held here from February 13. The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, in collaboration with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) will host 'Weaves of Banaras' show as part of the event. FDCI has roped in 12 designers, including Sabyasachi, Rahul Khanna, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Namrata Joshipura, JJ Valaya, Ashish Soni, Arjun Saluja, Anju Modi, Anita Dongre, Abraham & Thakore and Abhishek Gupta. "We are glad to announce the impressive list of 12 designers for 'Weaves of Banaras' who will narrate a story through the use of ingenious silhouettes which bring alive echoes of the past while giving it a modern twist," FDCI president Sunil Sethi said in a statement. The designers will incorporate Banaras in their style repertoire, braided with the woven wonders that the holy city is known for. "In Banaras, the master craftsmen weave magic and create the most exquisite pieces using Indian colours and design. Weaves of Banaras is a once in a lifetime show bringing together India's finest contemporary designers highlighting its traditional strengths," DIPP Secretary Amitabh Kant said. The show will be held in Mumbai on February 14. When Democrats from Cayuga, Oswego and Wayne counties split their endorsement, Steve Williams said it was a "very significant" moment for his campaign. The three Democratic committees voted to support Colleen Deacon and Williams. Both candidates, the committees believe, would be great challengers to face U.S. Rep. John Katko, a freshman Republican who is up for re-election this year. Williams, D-Baldwinsville, said in an interview Friday that his campaign worked hard to secure the support of Democrats in the three more rural counties in the 24th Congressional District. "We're very happy that they ultimately chose to endorse us," he said. The endorsement is important, he said, because Cayuga, Oswego and Wayne counties need more attention. He doesn't believe past congressional representatives have spent enough time focusing on the issues in these counties. Politically, he views the counties as important players in future elections, especially in midterm election years. Since 2008, Democrats have won the seat in presidential election years and Republicans have won in the midterms. "I think if we're going to get this seat, we're going to win this seat, we're going to defeat John Katko and keep it in 2018, we're going to need the help of folks in Wayne, Cayuga and Oswego counties," he said. Williams addressed other topics during a 10-minute interview with The Citizen. The issues included free trade agreements, the heroin epidemic in central New York and raising the minimum wage. Here is the full Q&A with Williams: The Citizen: At the candidates forum, you discussed the negative impact of free trade agreements on the region's economy. Just a couple of days ago, President Obama announced that the member nations have signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership. As a member of Congress, where would you stand on TPP? WILLIAMS: I'm against it. I think the TPP is another one of the types of policies that's been driving jobs out of central New York. I would definitely be opposed to it. In fact, I attended a rally against the TPP, previously, with labor. I think it's just a bad policy and it's going to continue to drain jobs from the district. Q: Why have these free trade agreements been so negative for central New York? WILLIAMS: They've been negative because corporations move jobs overseas where they can get cheap labor and that does not help the American worker, nor does it help the middle class. Now, it does help big corporations to make record profits, and that's what's happening. They're making record profits. I'm not against a corporation making money, but I am when it's at the expense of the American worker and when it's at the expense of the middle class. The middle class in America is dwindling. In 1972, two-thirds of this nation was considered middle class. Now, less than half of the population is considered middle class. I think it's because of these types of policies that drive jobs out of our country, out of our area and punish the American worker. Q: You attended a minimum wage rally in Syracuse. In Auburn, you mentioned your support for raising the minimum wage. What should the minimum wage be at the federal level? What hike would you support and why? WILLIAMS: I think the minimum wage should be $15 an hour across the board. What I mean by across the board is both federal and state. It goes back to what we were just talking about a moment ago and that's the good manufacturing jobs in this country and particularly this area have been leaving and going overseas. When I was a young guy, minimum wage was for the high school kid working on the weekends or over the summers. Folks who were out of high school worked in good manufacturing jobs that had good pay and good benefits. That's not the way it is anymore. The good manufacturing jobs have gone overseas or south of the border and our folks, who are trying to support families and provide for their families, are living on minimum wage. That doesn't work. We have people now who work over 40 hours a week and they're still considered impoverished. When that happens, many employers many of these big corporations know that the employee who's working at minimum wage and working full-time is still eligible for public assistance and they encourage their employees to apply for and receive public assistance. What does that mean? That results in a situation where federal government tax dollars are subsidizing corporations to pay low wages and that simply doesn't make sense. What makes sense is you raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. That allows people to get off public assistance and be self-sufficient, self-reliant and to have more dignity and it reduces taxes because it gets people off the rolls of public assistance and that will allow us to reduce taxes on small businesses, which is important. Q: You have mentioned that you're the only military veteran in this race. Neither of your Democratic primary opponents have such experience. Congressman Katko also doesn't have military experience. Why do you think that's important to highlight in this race and this district? WILLIAMS: It's really important because national security is a huge issue right now and the world is in turmoil. We have seen, over the past 15 years, too many times where elected officials who have no idea what it means to serve in the military or what military folks go through when they're sent overseas. They have sent people overseas to places like Iraq and Afghanistan when they shouldn't have. We need more people who have experience with the military serving in Congress so that there's a more informed decision made when deciding whether to send troops overseas. We see it right now with the Republican candidates for president. None of them have served a day in their life in the military, but they're all so anxious to put our troops in harm's way when they have no idea what they're putting these folks into or the quagmire that they'll face. We hear about Syria and how they want to send troops to Syria. I think that's a terrible idea. Syria is a worse quagmire than Vietnam was. We also hear about these Republican candidates who've never served fighting ISIS by "carpet bombing." Listen, nobody wants to defeat ISIS more than me. But saying we're going to carpet bomb is just ridiculous, unrealistic and irresponsible because anybody who has any sense of what's going on over there knows that ISIS is co-mingled with civilian populations. If you simply carpet bomb, we will kill millions and millions of innocent people, and that will not solve the problem. In fact, it will just perpetuate the problem. So, for those reasons, I think it's very, very important that somebody represents this district who has experience with the military, not only for national defense, but for national security. Q: The heroin epidemic has been a question for candidates at all levels. You were asked about heroin at the candidates forum. On that same night, Hillary Clinton discussed the topic in New Hampshire. There have been actions taken at the federal, state and local levels to address this problem, but what does central New York need to do to combat the rise in heroin abuse? WILLIAMS: There's not one thing. There are many things. No. 1, we need to make the antidote for this poison, this drug, more available. We need to make Narcan more available so that lives can be saved. We also need to make drugs that wean people off heroin more available. That's something that's not being done. We need to make it easier for people who are hooked on heroin to get treatment. Right now, many health insurers will not pay for drug treatment programs, and that's a mistake. We need to change that. We need to make it easier for folks to get drug treatment so they can get off this very nasty drug. In addition, we need to take a close look at how we're regulating these painkillers that are being prescribed. I'm talking about oxycontin, hydrocodone. These are very, very addictive drugs. And what we see time and time again is somebody has an injury or they undergo a surgical procedure and they're prescribed these highly addictive painkillers. When they run out of the pills, they resort to buying heroin. And then they become heroin addicts. We need to take a strong, hard look at the regulations regarding these painkillers because when they came out, the pharmaceutical industry, back in the 1980s, told us that those painkillers are not addictive at all and that's why they're so great. That turned out not to be true. They're highly, highly addictive and they lead to folks getting hooked on heroin. Q: Are you hearing a lot about the heroin epidemic on the campaign trail? WILLIAMS: I'm hearing about it everywhere. There was an article in the Post-Standard about it the other day where it shows the huge spike in heroin use in Onondaga County. And then when I was in Oswego County, they told me that 13 percent of people under the age of 20 are using some kind of illegal drug. And then I go to Cayuga County and I hear the same kind of thing that there's this rampant use of heroin that they've never seen before. It's the same in Wayne County. It's throughout this congressional district and we really need to confront it. President Pranab Mukherjee yet again asked Governors to act within the framework of the Constitution and "they must not only be fair but also be seen to be fair". In his concluding remarks in the two-day conference of Governors today, he said that they have been charged with an onerous responsibility--to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. "It is, therefore, imperative that all their actions are within the framework of the Constitution and conform to the highest ideals enshrined in this living document," Mukherjee said. He said as holders of high offices they must not only be fair but also be seen to be fair. The President's mention assumes significance amidst a raging controversy over the role of Governor J P Rajkhowa in Arunachal Pradesh that led to the imposition of central rule. Inaugurating the conference, he had yesterday said all those who hold Constitutional positions should maintain sanctity of the Constitution. "Governors, as the live-link between the centre and the states, can catalyse initiatives. Governors may take up smart solutions in their Raj Bhavans which can serve as technology demonstrators. They may also ask the universities to make use of the 'Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan' for developing smart villages. "Governors can also sensitise states and union territories about adopting a well-knit strategy to achieve the objectives of the Make-in-India programme," Mukherjee asked. He said strong monitoring, rigorous follow-up, and validation of progress are essential for the success of the Swachh Bharat Mission. The President said the Governors of eastern states, specially the North Eastern states, should become active participants of the Government's 'Act East' policy. Connectivity of the North Eastern states must be improved by strengthening the road and rail network. There is need for a progressive policy for industrial investment and promotion in the hilly and mountainous states, he said. The entire North-East and the Northern region of the country is highly vulnerable to seismic disturbances. The building codes and regulatory mechanisms for new construction have to be enforced strictly, Mukherjee said. "It needs to be ensured that disaster management procedures are in place and regular drills are conducted," he said. The President said laudable initiatives taken by some Governors should be replicated in other states. As Chancellors or Visitors of universities at the state level, Governors can play a proactive role in driving quality higher education. "Governors could also examine the possibility of conducting in-residence programmes in Raj Bhavans on the lines of what is organised at Rashtrapati Bhavan," he said. The in-residence programme is envisaged to encourage the creative and innovative potential of people by helping them stay in specifically-built houses inside the President's Estate. Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also addressed the concluding session of the conference which was attended by 23 Governors and two Lt Governors. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, national Security Adviser Ajit Doval, among others also addressed the gathering. Smartphones should not be taken away from students during examinations as it amount to "torture", an Indian-origin professor has said. Dr Sugata Mitra, a professor at UK's Newcastle University, asked curriculum designers and teachers to embrace the Internet not just as a tool of learning, but to include it as a subject in the curriculum just as any other such as Physics, Chemistry, Math or English. "Education systems are in denial. They want to ignore the internet. They take away smart devices from students and then ask them to calculate the square root of a number. It's torture," said Mitra at the ongoing fourth World Education Summit. "The future of pedagogy has got to allow spontaneous order as a new method in children's education in the presence of the Internet. Internet must permeate the education system. The Internet must be a subject to be taught. Networks, Chaos Theory and Emergent Phenomena should also be taught," Mitra, 63-year-old Mitra is known for his now well-known 'Hole in the Wall Experiment' in poorer neighbourhoods of India, which demonstrated that poor children who were never exposed to the Internet and did not have English skills either were able to answer big questions working in groups, without a teacher around. The children were given a computer and asked questions. In a short time they were able to seamlessly use computers and the Internet and answer the questions posed to them. As technology evolves rapidly, reading, writing and arithmetic become low in terms of priority, according to Mitra. "Comprehension, communications and computation are the new basics," said the USD 1 million TED Prize winner, which he won in 2013 for further research on non-formal, minimally invasive education. An Egyptian court today sentenced a policeman to eight years in prison for beating to death a veterinary surgeon in custody, a judicial official said. Mohammed Ibrahim was tried on charges of killing the vet in November in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya, and forging official documents to falsely accuse him of being a drug dealer. Today, the court in Ismailiya found him guilty and sentenced him to eight years in jail, the official said. Rights groups regularly accuse both the regular police and secret police of abusing and torturing detainees. In December, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned that police officers found guilty of "committing mistakes" would be punished. Egyptian courts have since sentenced some policemen to jail terms in similar cases. A court in the Nile Delta city of Tanta sentenced two policemen in absentia to life in jail for killing Ismail Abdelhamid in October 2014. And two secret policemen were jailed for five years for beating to death a lawyer held in custody at a Cairo police station in February 2015. That verdict came two days after an officer got five years for beating to death a suspect in a drug case in the Nile Delta town of Rashid. Police abuses under former president Hosni Mubarak were a key factor in the 2011 uprising that led to his ouster. One trigger for the revolt was the case of Khaled Saeed, a young man tortured to death by police after his arrest in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. Mubarak was succeeded in 2012 by the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi, who lasted just a year before his ouster by the army following massive rallies demanding his resignation. Morsi's overthrow unleashed a deadly crackdown on his supporters in which hundreds have been killed and thousands detained, and accusations of ill treatment in prisons are common. The interior ministry has said it does not condone torture, but admits that there have been "individual" cases of abuse. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today accused the United States of creating a "pool of blood" in the region by failing to recognise the main Syrian Kurdish organisations as terror groups. "Hey America... As you have never recognised them (as terror groups) the region has turned into a pool of blood," Erdogan said in a lacerating attack on US policy, referring to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia. His remarks escalated a growing row between Washington and key NATO member Turkey over the role of Kurdish fighters in the struggle against jihadists in Syria. Turkey yesterday summoned the US envoy to Ankara in protest after the US State Department spokesman said that Washington did not recognise the PYD as a terror group and would continue to support its operations in Syria. "Hey America! How many times have we had to tell you?" Erdogan said in his fiery address. "Are you together with us or are you with the PYD and YPG terror groups?" Erdogan launched the attack in one of his regular speeches at the presidential palace to loyal local municipal leaders known as muhtars that have become known as the forum for his most vehemently anti-Western comments. Turkey says that the Syrian Kurdish groups are simply a branch of the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is recognised as a terror group by the United States, and has carried out a string of deadly attacks in Turkey in the last months. "Is there a difference between the PKK and the PYD? Is there a difference with the YPG?" asked Erdogan. "We have written proof! We tell the Americans 'it's a terror group'. But the Americans stand up and say 'no we don't see them as terror groups'. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a bitter attack on NATO ally the United States over its support of Syrian Kurdish groups, saying it was creating a "pool of blood" in the region. In an impassioned and sometimes angry address, Erdogan asked whether the United States was an ally or was working with groups Ankara lists as terror organisations. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to be terror groups allied to the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) inside Turkey, a position not shared by Washington. "Hey America... As you have never recognised them (as terror groups) the region has turned into a pool of blood," Erdogan said yesterday. "Hey America! How many times have we had to tell you?" he said. "Are you together with us or are you with the PYD and YPG terror groups?" Erdogan launched the attack in one of his regular speeches at the presidential palace to loyal municipal leaders known as muhtars that have become a forum for his most vehemently anti-Western comments. "Is there a difference between the PKK and the PYD? Is there a difference with the YPG?" growled Erdogan. "We have written proof!" "Allies don't tell each other my enemy's enemy is my friend. You must have principles. But there are no principles here." His remarks escalated a row between Washington and Ankara over the role of Kurdish fighters in the struggle against Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists in Syria. Turkey says the Syrian Kurdish groups are simply a branch of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and has carried out a string of deadly attacks in Turkey in the last few months. The dispute risks further complicating the search for a solution to Syria's five-year conflict, drawing a wedge between two key members of the anti-ISIS coalition and driving another nail into the coffin of a process of peace talks. In a further twist, a Syrian Kurdish group yesterday opened a representation in Moscow, which is currently in the throes of a diplomatic crisis with Ankara and is working to tighten ties with the Kurds. Turkey on Tuesday summoned the US envoy to Ankara in protest after the US State Department said Washington did not recognise the PYD as a terror group and would continue to support its operations in Syria. "Even the best of friends aren't going to agree on everything," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday. "Kurdish fighters have been some of the most successful in going after Daesh inside Syria," he said, using another name for the Islamic State group. The State Department's deputy spokesman Mark Toner yesterday also sought to allay Turkey's concerns. A fire burnt down part of private power utility CESC's substation in central Kolkata this morning, fire brigade officials said. There were no reports of any injury or casualty in the incident. After a blaze was noticed from the basement of the substation where cables were kept, 11 fire tenders were rushed to the spot near Hind Cinema. Officials said the flames were extinguished in a few hours. At least 12 girls were injured today in a stampede caused by a shootout near a women's college in Pakistan's Punjab province, officials said. The incident occurred in Government Waqar-un-Nisa Girls College located at Sir Sayyiad Chowk area of Rawalpindi. Shots were heard as police exchanged fire with car thieves, which created panic as students thought it could be a terrorist attack, Regional Police Officer Fakhar Sultan said. "The incident has nothing to do with terrorism and no need to worry," he said. Another official said that the fire prompted the girls to run for safety and some of them jumped from the second floor of the building, while other jumped over the periphery wall of the college. "About a dozen of them received injuries and were being treated," he said. Local TV channels reported that the college was closed after the incident. Security is on high alert after a prestigious university in northwestern Pakistan was attacked on January 20 by the Taliban in which 21 people, mostly students, were killed. Five persons, including four of a family, were killed and 15 injured when 25 vehicles collided with each other today on Delhi-Ambala Highway-1 in Karnal district. A car collided with a stationary truck in Nilokheri in Karnal this morning owing to reduced visibility due to dense fog, following which other vehicles which were close behind rammed each other, Karnal SP, Pankaj Nain said. "Five persons were killed in the mishap," he said, adding, among the dead, four were members of a family from Uttar Pradesh, who were going to Punjab to attend a wedding. The seriously injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital, police said. The highway has been cleared and normal movement of traffic has been restored, they added. Five suspected operatives of Al Qaida in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), arrested for allegedly radicalising youths and propagating the terror agenda of the outfit, were today remanded to judicial custody till March 8 by a Delhi court. The five accused -- Maulana Mohd Abdul Rehman Kasmi, Abdul Sami, Mohd Asif, Zafar Masood and Syed Anzar Shah -- were produced before the court and the Special Cell of Delhi Police said they be remanded to judicial custody as the probe in the case was going on. Police had earlier claimed that Rehman ran a madrassa in Uttar Pradesh where several students were enrolled and he was allegedly trying to radicalise them for terror activities. It had also claimed that Masood was propagating terror agenda of AQIS among the youths and trying to attract them towards the outfit. While Asif was held from Seelampur in north-east Delhi, Rehman was arrested from Jagatpur area of Cuttack in Odisha, police had said. All the accused have been booked under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The police had claimed that Rehman is suspected to have international links in countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Dubai. It had alleged that the other co-accused were also trying to radicalise youths and propagating the terror agenda of AQIS in India. The police had quizzed the five accused in its custody regarding the conspiracy and fundings of AQIS and also to ascertain the identity of their associates. Thousands of mourners thronged the funeral venue as Sushil Koirala was cremated here today with full state honours, a day after the death of the former Nepal prime minister who was instrumental in ushering in the country's new Constitution last year. Koirala's nephews Atul Koirala and Sudhanshu Koirala lit the funeral pyre at the Pashupati Aryaghat. A Nepal Police contingent formed a guard of honour as the pyre was lit. Nepal Army soldiers also performed a 13-cannon salute in his honour. The body was kept at the Dasharath Stadium for final tributes before it was taken to Aryaghat for the last rites. Thousands of supporters of Koirala's Nepali Congress and general public gathered at the funeral venue to pay homage to the former premier. Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, acting NC president Ram Chandra Paudel, senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar, former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal, Prachanda and leaders of other parties were also present during the last rites. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj led an all-party delegation here yesterday to pay homage to Koirala saying India had lost a "true friend". The high-level delegation comprising Congress leader Anand Sharma, JD(U) President Sharad Yadav, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, paid their last respects to Koirala. 79-year-old Koirala had died of cardiac arrest in the wee hours of yesterday after suffering from pneumonia. He served as Nepal's 37th prime minister from February, 2014 to October, 2015. He was elected as Nepali Congress president in September, 2010. After assuming office, Koirala was tasked with formulating the long-delayed Constitution to bring stability to the nation after years of ethnic conflict and abolition of the 239-year-old monarchy. He was credited with promulgating the country's new Constitution that completed a stalled peace process. Plans to cremate Koirala at a newly-launched electric crematorium were cancelled after his family expressed a wish to cremate him on a traditional Hindu funeral pyre. The Nepal government has declared a public holiday today to mourn the death of Koirala. AUBURN | In a 3-2 vote, county legislators on the Judicial and Public Safety Committee agreed to accept and implement grant funds for the 2016 Crimes Against Revenue Program, a state program assisting district attorneys in the prosecution of welfare, Medicaid, tax and other kinds of fraud. Legislators Paul Pinckney, Michael Didio and Timothy Lattimore approved the motion. Legislators Mark Farrell and Ben Vitale opposed it, with Patrick Mahunik and Frank Reginelli absent. The program includes grants of $107,000 per year for the next three years. District Attorney Jon Budelmann said in a letter to legislators that last year's grants more than covered the costs of the program and brought in more than $140,000 in restitution. But the CARP program has been in question since Budelmann reported to legislators that the state granted the county less money than in previous years. There has also been question as to how much the program costs or benefits the county. It was not clear how much the county keeps in restitution from these cases, or how much it gives back to the state. Budelmann has reported increased revenue as a result of the program for 2015, however County Administrator Suzanne Sinclair said some of that revenue included one-time payments that would not be repeated for 2016. "There's the chance you take when you turn away grant money with the state, but this is a program they're trimming down anyway," Sinclair said. "It's really not a viable program going forward. Given that we're trying to get money back out of the budget and we're trying to balance the budget, I wouldn't recommend it." If the county Legislature decided not to accept the grant, Budelmann said that the county would be responsible for $35,000 for three employees working on implementing the CARP program. If the county accepted the grant, he expects it will carry the program through the second week of July. He suggested revisiting the program around that time, and potentially ending it should there not be new grant monies to cover it. "If we're not policing the system, not only is it not going to get better, it's going to get worse," Budelmann said. "I would again urge that we accept the money, and in a timely manner we'll know if we can continue or stop it. To turn it away is going to cost the county a lot of money." A Jerusalem court today awarded damages to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's former housekeeper, accepting his complaints of repeated workplace abuse by the premier and his wife. The former housekeeper, Meni Naftali, said the USD 44,000 payment covering distress and court costs was a "small victory" but not the end of his campaign to improve working practices at the Netanyahu's official Jerusalem residence. "I advise any person who has been abused, no matter who he is or where he is employed, to stand up for his rights and claim what is due to him," he told Israeli public radio. "I'm writing a book (and) I don't intend to stop here," he added. Naftali, who said he is now working as a night security guard, filed the suit in the Jerusalem District Labour Court in March 2015. He accused the Netanyahus of failing to pay him overtime for long and arduous working hours as well as verbal abuse, including a 3 am dressing-down by the premier's wife Sara for buying the wrong brand of milk. The Netanyahus had dismissed the claims as an attempt to sully their image. Before Netanyahu's re-election campaign last spring, media reported that Sara had pocketed at least USD 1,000 worth of public cash by collecting the deposits on empty bottles returned from the residence. Naftali was quoted in media last year as talking of "uncontrolled tongue-lashings" from Sara Netanyahu. "The court had before it many testimonies indicating that the conditions of employment in the residence were harmful due to the behaviour of Mrs. Netanyahu and her attitude to the employees," judge Dita Pruginin said today, quoted by Haaretz newspaper. "Those included exaggerated demands, insults, humiliation and outburst of anger." The damages are to be paid by the state, as Naftali was employed by the prime minister's office rather than by the Netanyahus personally. At least four Myanmar military personnel were feared dead after a small air force propeller plane crashed shortly after take off in the capital Naypyidaw Wednesday, official sources said. The Beechcraft passenger plane, which was carrying five crew members and believed to be on a routine patrol, went down in agricultural land near the airport. Hundreds of people gathered in the area as officials raced to extinguish the fire and sift through the smouldering wreckage of the plane, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. "Four people were killed and we think one is alive," a senior police official in the capital told AFP, asking not to be named because the incident involved a military aircraft. The plane burst into flames soon after leaving the runway, according to an airport official, who also asked to remain anonymous. No one from Myanmar's powerful and secretive military was immediately able to comment. Myanmar has a busy aviation sector, partly to compensate for the country's poor road and rail infrastructure. While of military air crashes is relatively rare, there have been several incidents involving commercial planes in recent years. In July, an Air Bagan ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop carrying 49 passengers skidded off the runway after landing during heavy rain at Yangon International Airport. French lawmakers voted today in favour of measures to change the constitution following the November 13 jihadist attacks on Paris, but doubts remain as to whether the package will be fully adopted. The amendment, including a hotly contested measure to strip convicted terrorists of their French nationality, was passed by the National Assembly with 317 votes for to 199 against, clearing a first hurdle towards adoption. The package must now gain the support of the Senate, or upper house of parliament, and then three-fifths of the Congress, the body formed when both houses of France's parliament come together to debate revisions to the constitution. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he was satisfied with the result. He said he was "sure" the amendments would receive a majority in the Congress. The stakes were high for President Francois Hollande, who announced in the emotional aftermath of the shootings and suicide bombings that killed 130 people in Paris in November that he wanted to revise the constitution to toughen the fight against terror. If the measures had fallen at the first stage, it could have dealt a fatal blow to Hollande's ambitions of re-election in 2017. Valls had yesterday warned lawmakers from his Socialist Party that voting against the measures would "put the government in difficulty and leave the president in a minority". The fact that the move to strip terror convicts of their nationality barely scraped through by 162 votes to 148 in a separate vote yesterday suggests the collective package faces many more obstacles. Writing on his Twitter account ahead of today's vote, right-wing politician Alain Juppe, a former prime minister seen as the frontrunner in next year's presidential election, dismissed the reforms as "pointless" and said they "divide all the parliamentary groups -- to be avoided!" Cecile Duflot, a member of the green EELV party and a former minister in Hollande's government, urged her fellow MPs to "resist the blackmail" posed by the nationality measure. Another of the proposed measures would enshrine in the constitution the state of emergency currently in force, giving greater powers to security forces. Rights groups and left-wing lawmakers say they believe police are abusing the additional powers, rounding up suspects with little proof. But it is the nationality measure that has deeply divided Hollande's party, notably prompting the resignation of Christiane Taubira as justice minister last month. Australia today said the long-drawn negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with India to boost two-way commerce are expected to conclude by the first half of this year. The talks for a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA) also known as FTA between India and Australia were started in 2011 to provide fillip to both trade and investments between the two countries. Australia Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb said that he and Indian Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took stock of the progress of talks in Nairobi in December last year. "We sat down in Nairobi, we had a long session with their officials and the minister and we took stock at where we were and how much longer we could expect and we both agreed that and the officials concurred that in the first half of the year (2016) we can finish this," Robb told PTI. "So that's the objective and I don't think anything has happened since. In fact we got our work done in January and now in February they (officials) are meeting again on some very important issues," he added. Both the sides were expecting to conclude the negotiations last year only but there were differences on areas like duty cut in dairy and wines. Several rounds of negotiations have been completed for liberalising trade and services regime besides removing non-tariff barriers and encouraging investments. Australia is pushing for tariff reduction in dairy, fresh fruit, pharma, meats and wines. On the other hand, India wants zero duty on auto parts, textiles, and fresh fruits, including mangoes and greater access in services sector. The bilateral trade stood at USD 13 billion in 2014-15 as against USD 12.12 billion in the previous fiscal. When asked whether India is waiting for finalisation of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and then go for this FTA, the Australian Minister said: "Things are being done in parallel and the one is not contingent on the other so that's been the position." Both India and Australia are part of the mega trade deal RCEP, which is also under negotiations. "Of course RCEP negotiations inform some of the things that we are doing. We both are in RCEP. But a lot of the bilateral issues we do stand in line and we feel that bilateral can be useful in some areas. Certainly in the positions we both adopt in RCEP," he added. "RCEP is something that is programmed to finish sometime later this year, whereas the CECA sometime early this year," Robb added. The 16-member bloc RCEP comprises 10 ASEAN members and their six free trade agreement partners. RCEP negotiations were launched in Phnom Penh in November 2012. The 16 countries account for over a quarter of the world's economy. The National Green Tribunal has set up a committee to look into the grossly polluting industries located along the banks of Ganga and inform it about the quantum of sewage discharged by them in the river. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar constituted the panel comprising member secretary of Central Pollution Control Board, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board, CEO of UP Jal Nigam, Director of Environment Ministry and a professor from IIT-Roorkee. "The committee shall submit report on actual effluent discharge from each drain that joins Ganga and measure load on points where Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) are sought to be constructed under Phase-I B of the judgement (Haridwar to Kanpur)," the bench said while warning that if the directions are not complied with, it would impose heavy costs. The green panel also asked the UP pollution control board to inform it about the industrial units of tannery, paper and pulp, textile, located along the banks of Ganga, to submit their stand before it. It asked the committee to look into the issue of dead bodies of humans and animals being dumped into the river and submit its report within three weeks. The green panel has divided the work of cleaning the river into different segments -- Gomukh to Haridwar, Haridwar to Kanpur, Kanpur to border of Uttar Pradesh, border of Uttar Pradesh to border of Jharkhand and border of Jharkhand to Bay of Bengal. On December 11, last year, the tribunal had imposed a complete ban on use of plastic of any kind from Gomukh to Haridwar along the river from February 1 and decided to slap a penalty of Rs 5,000 per day on erring hotels, dharamshalas and ashrams spewing waste into the river. German investigators today raced to determine whether human error or technical fault was to blame for a train crash that killed 10 people, as police said all bodies had been recovered from the wreckage. There are "no more missing people", police said in a statement, adding that 17 people were severely injured and 63 others slightly hurt in yesterday's collision near the southern spa town of Bad Aibling. Two trains travelling at high speeds crashed head-on on a single track, with one slicing the other apart, ripping a large gash in its side. Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the line was fitted with an automatic braking system that should have prevented such accidents and investigators were probing whether the mechanism malfunctioned or whether there had been human error. Newspaper group RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschand (RND), citing sources close to the investigation, said a signalling station worker had manually deactivated the automatic signalling system to let the first train -- which was running late -- go past. That action would have also shut off the automatic braking system. The second train then forged ahead on the same track in the opposite direction, before the first was able to split off where the line divides into two, according to RND. Police did not confirm the report. Dobrindt himself had cautioned against any speculation on the causes of the disaster. "At the moment we will have to wait (for the result of the investigation). Everything else is speculation, and would be unhelpful and inappropriate," he had said on yesterday. Stefano, 24, a passenger on one of the trains, told Bild newspaper that the horrific accident began with a sudden "screech, like with an emergency brake". "Then there was a real crash, it was damn loud. The back of the train was thrust up. The lights went out and I was thrown across half the train. "I was so scared that I was going to die. Next to me, a man was flung head-on against a window pane, he was around 45 to 50 years old. I saw how he died," recounted Stefano, who was later helped out of the train by fellow passengers. Salvage workers expect to take at least two days to remove the mangled wreckage from the site, national agency DPA reported. The accident is Germany's first fatal train crash since 2012, when three people were killed and 13 injured in a collision between two regional trains in the western city of Offenbach. A teenage girl on her way to appear in board examination was allegedly attacked by a group of women and men, who threatened to strip and rape her, for rejecting a boy's proposal here. On her way to an examination centre at Dhupguri yesterday, the girl was initially intercepted by some women who used foul language at her for spurning the advances of a boy following which she was beaten up, the police said today. Her mother and brother who arrived at the spot were also not spared, the victim said in her complaint lodged with the police. Meanwhile, a group of youths arrived and threatened to strip and rape her, she said in her complaint. Locals, including CPI(M) member of the panchayat Niren Roy, took her to the hospital from where she answered her examination. One of her school teacher said the girl's spirit must be admired for her determination to answer her board examination from the hospital bed after such an ordeal. The police arrested the prime accused, Anukul Mandal, last evening. Jalpaiguri superintendent of police Akash Megharia said there was no delay in taking action. Charging the Congress-led government of "destroying" Assam, BJP president Amit Shah today accused the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of doing nothing else but indulge in family promotion for years. "For the last 15 years there is Congress government in Assam. But I regret that the state is lagging behind due to corruption and family promotion that (Chief Minister) Tarun Gogoi has been indulging in. He has done nothing else," Shah said at function here on the occasion of Bodo Accord Day. Highlighting the fact that Assam is one of poorest states in the country despite its natural beauty and hard working youth, Shah said, "Congress ne Assam ko barbad kardiya (Congress has destroyed Assam)". He exhorted public to vote for BJP-Bodoland Peoples Front combine in the upcoming Assembly polls for peace and progress in Assam and Bodoland under the Prime Ministership of Narendra Modi. Further listing the ills in Assam under the Gogoi government, he said over 19,000 cases of atrocities against women had been filed in a year in Assam, where maternal and child mortality rate is also high. "Can there be progress when mothers and women are not safe?" he asked. Pointing out the increase in the state's unemployment figure from nine lakh to 23 lakh, Shah said, "Can there be progress in Assam without the progress of the youth here?". Accusing the state government of not submitting the work completion certificates, he said, "Centre cannot give grants to Assam for accounts not given to the money provided to it by the Centre ... We want a corruption-free state government that brings Centre's development schemes and plans to the state and not fight with the Union government." Referring to Bodoland, Shah said Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District chief Hagrama Mohilary has sought Rs 1,000 crore for development of Bodoland and has also worked out the details about how the money would be used. "I assure that the Government of India will give more than that amount for the welfare of the BTAD people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that for unity of the country, development should be equal in all parts of India," he added. (REOPEN CAL 1) "Modi (PM) wants the Bodoland youth to progress with the youth in the rest of the country and world. The NDA government believes in sabka vikas ek saman", the BJP president said. Further criticising Congress, Shah referred to the 1962 Chinese aggression saying "Jawaharlal Nehru bade farewell to Assam stating he cannot save it ... But it was because of the brave soldiers of our army that Assam is still a part of India." He accused the party of "encouraging illegal migration" from Bangladesh into Assam and infringing on the rights of the youth here. "If BJP-BPF comes to power here then we will not allow further infiltration and those who have already come in will be searched out," he added. On the recent alliance, Shah said "It is historic that BJP and BPF decided to fight the upcoming Assam Assembly elections together. This is not a political understanding but for the development of Bodoland." He said the alliance will undertake welfare schemes to provide jobs to the youth with their skill development, open health-care centres in villages, connect villages through roads, protect rhinos. Highlighting the importance of the Accord day, Shah said, " it is not only important for Bodoland but for the country because on this day on February 10, 2003 the Bodoland Accord was signed bringing a successful end to a long time movement for the rights of the people here." The Accord is hundred per cent successful and progress can be seen today in Bodoland, he added. Those who had taken up arms have during the last 13 years in the Assembly and Parliament raised their issues and carried back what is the peoples' just right and established peace here, Shah said. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today questioned the Centre for suggesting the state to go to court for recovering oil royalty at market price when Gujarat was being paid at an updated rate. "You (Centre) have accepted that our right for royalty at market prices are justified and the Gujarat government is getting it after the Supreme Court verdict. Then why are you not giving it to us? "What kind of logic is it that you (Centre) are suggesting us to go to court for our legitimate demand? How can there be two different rates? ... For our justified demand, why should we spend public money and go to the Court? This attitude of the Centre is not acceptable. It is not in conformity with the Team India spirit and the federal structure," Gogoi said at a press conference here. No earlier government at the Centre had suggested any states to go to court for recovering dues from public sector undertakings, he said reacting to Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's suggestion yesterday that Assam should approach judiciary for recovering around Rs 10,000 crore of pending oil royalty from PSUs. Pradhan had in April last year supported the Assam government's claim of royalty on crude from PSU firms, including ONGC and OIL, at a pre-discounted rate in line with a Supreme Court order. Gogoi said in December 2014 Assam government had already approached the Gauhati High Court for the direction but did not know the exact case status. The Chief Minister had mentioned the issue in a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his two-day visit to Assam in November 2014. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has been allowing ONGC and OIL to supply crude to oil marketing companies at highly discounted rates and has asked the producers to pay royalty to the states on the basis of such subsidised prices. Assam government claims that the discount is at times as high as 90 per cent or more and this had led to cumulative loss of revenue of more than Rs 10,000 crore since 2008-09. (REOP CAL5) The Supreme Court, in its interim order, had directed ONGC to pay oil royalty to Gujarat at pre-discounted crude price beginning from February 1, 2014. Earlier, Gujarat High Court hearing a petition filed by Gujarat government held that royalty should be payable to the state at market price of crude oil and not post-discount price. Assam government has been demanding that the state gets its share of royalty on crude and VAT as well as other taxes at actual market price and not on the basis of heavily discounted sale price as is the case of Gujarat. Upstream companies like ONGC and OIL are liable to pay royalty to the states on production of crude oil at 20 per cent on well head price, subject to certain deductions. Besides, such firms are also liable to pay VAT at 5 per cent on sale of oil. Two persons have been held in separate incidents of smuggling of gold worth about Rs 64 lakh, at the Delhi airport here. Officials said in the first incident, a man, identified as Tanishq G, was intercepted in a joint operation by the Central Industrial Security Force and Customs authorities at the Indira Gandhi international airport in the wee hours today. "Tanishq had hidden 1.52 kg gold slab in his bag. Also, his uncle present outside the airport was apprehended for similar charges and handed over to Customs officials," a senior CISF officer said. In the second incident, a person was held late yesterday at the airport for smuggling in half-a-dozen gold biscuits from Saudi Arabia. Officials identified the accused as Naseem A (31) hailing from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. He arrived here on an Air India flight from Riyadh via Mumbai and was intercepted by CISF personnel based on an intelligence input yesterday, the official added. "The estimated value of the gold seized in both the cases is about Rs 64 lakh," the official added. State officials are reviewing plans to construct a rifle range at the Auburn Correctional Training Facility in Sennett. The estimated $4.7 million project would build a roughly 3-acre open gun range for the use of corrections officers at the state-owned facility, 3579 Franklin Street Road. The concept, proposed by the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, has been criticized by town officials and residents. DOCCS officials initially planned to begin project construction in the spring. However, the rifle range's immediate future is presently unclear. "The timeline and exact location of the project are being reviewed at this time," said Patrick Bailey, a DOCCS spokesman. Meanwhile, a coalition of more than 50 neighbors met Feb. 3 to further discuss ways to stop the project from impacting the town. Residents are concerned with the project site's location relative to a nearby neighborhood, area businesses and a parcel of land designated for a town park. The group gathered for the first time last December to organize into teams and outline an action plan. The coalition met again last week at the Sennett Fire Department to review the committee's structure and detail ongoing outreach strategies, according to Tom Wingfield, committee leader. Attendance included a representative from state Sen. John DeFrancisco's office. With the understanding that DOCCS is exploring potential alternative sites, Wingfield said the coalition is ultimately looking for a solution with zero impact on the town and its residents. The group has received support from a number of area businesses and agencies beyond town government officials, including the Cayuga County Farm Bureau. "We're here to stay, and we're looking to keep the pressure up until we have this whole range rethought in such a way that it's going to be better for the whole community," Wingfield said. "We're not against the range in itself, and we're not against DOCCS. We're just against the lack of sufficient thought with the siting of this range in light of the community surrounding it." Group members have sent letters and social media messages to state officials including Anthony Annucci, acting commissioner for DOCCS to spread awareness of their concerns. Wingfield said additional outreach is in the planning stages. Additionally, the coalition plans to launch a website ahead of its next meeting in March, while lawn signs are being developed for the spring, Wingfield said. "We're in it for the long term," he said. "It's not a big financial burden right now, but we're prepared to go the distance." Government is considering to put in place a universal social security platform through which all government transfers would be made and premium for social securities schemes collected, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said. "If our companies flourish, if innovation, competition flourish and you people flourish...We are going to generate resources and opportunities to be a pro-poor government," he said at the India Digital Summit here. "So we are a pro-poor government and we are a pro-market government and with that philosophy and that mindset we are working on very very transformational undertaking for India and Indian citizen and that is the social security platform that we are building," he said. The minister said that the social security platform requires one true database of Indian citizens. The government needs to have unique ID for citizens through Aadhaar and have certain demographic information to decide whether an individual is eligible for certain government programmes or not. Once the data base is assembled with associated bank account seeded with Aadhaar, he said the government will be able to pay beneficiaries of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) programme directly into bank accounts in 100 per cent cases as compared to 90 per cent cases at the moment. "Once the money is in bank account, we have the opportunity to make you participate in various programme like Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY) and other schemes," he said. The government will establish a technology platform to boost research and development, and technology collaboration for the National Electric Mobility Mission. "To strengthen and institutionalise the collaboration between Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) in R&D and technology development in Electric Mobility, it has been decided to set up a Technology Platform for Electric Mobility," Department of Heavy Industry said in a memorandum. The government approved the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 in 2013, thereafter the Department of Heavy Industry formulated the FAME-India scheme (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India) for an initial period of two years starting from April 2015. Under the FAME-India scheme, a nodal body, the DHI-DST Inter-Ministerial Technology Advisory Group (IM-TAG) on Electric Mobility will be set up for consideration and recommendation of proposals received under the Technology Platform for support. The Department of Science and Technology will administer the TPEM and coordinate organisation of IM-TAG deliberations, whereas the Department of Heavy Industry would indicate annual budgetary allocation for funding of the proposals under TPEM. Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said today he had lost an appeal against his exclusion from elections for the powerful Assembly of Experts. "Based on we have received, Sayyad Hassan Khomeini's qualification for candidacy for the Assembly of Experts has once again not been approved by the Guardian Council," he wrote on instant messaging service Telegram. The Guardian Council, a conservative-dominated committee that decides who can run for public office, has barred hundreds of candidates from standing for the assembly on February 26, the same day as parliamentary polls. The Assembly of Experts monitors the work of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and its 88 members may also be responsible for picking the 76-year-old's eventual successor. Following Iran's recent nuclear deal with world powers led by the United States, both elections are seen as crucial to shaping the country's future direction. Khomeini, a cleric who has ties to reformist politicians, said last month he would appeal a Guardian Council decision to ban him from running. "It's a surprise to me and to many others that some of the honourable gentlemen in the Guardian Council couldn't establish I am qualified," Khomeini had said. The 43-year-old, the grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who led the 1979 Islamic revolution that ended the reign of US-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, holds no official political position. A government official said this week that prominent reformists were among more than 1,400 initially rejected candidates now eligible to contest parliamentary elections later this month. The individuals were not named but a final candidate list is expected on February 16. The number of people allowed to contest the parliamentary election now stands at 6,185 -- 51 percent of original applicants -- including 586 women. Eighteen children reportedly complained of illness after taking deworming tablets today in Sonipat on the occasion of National Deworming Day today. "Eighteen children were brought to the government hospital in Sonipat as they complained of illness after taking the tablets. Out of them, only three had pain in the abdomen. The rest were fine," Sonipat Civil Surgeon, Dr Jaswant Punia said. "It is normal for a few to have such reaction when a large number of children are being administered the tablets. Sometimes, a child may have a large number of worms and this happens. But there is nothing to worry," he said. Over 80 lakh children between the age of six and 19 years in Haryana were to be administered deworming tablets on the occasion of National Deworming Day. Haryana Health Minister, Anil Vij had earlier directed the officials to ensure that deworming medicine is administered to all targeted children in schools across the state. The medicine is being provided free of cost in all schools, Anganwadi centres and colleges across Haryana. The Odisha Police today registered an FIR based on a written complaint filed by a woman assistant professor of Hindi department of Ravenshaw University alleging she was physically hurt and showed obscene gestures by some fellow colleagues during a staff council meeting held in the year 2014. Similarly, the Malgodown police have also made a station diary on the day after receiving a written complaint from another woman faculty of the Botany department about a "fictitious" letter she had received recently. The teacher, who had earlier brought harassment allegations against the University authorities, has alleged the writer of the letter has asked her to desist from demeaning the name of the University by unnecessarily creating litigations, said police inspector Debi Prasad Patra. The police have registered a case under section 323, 294 and 34 of IPC on the basis of the complaint filed by the Hindi teacher. She has stated in her complaint that during a students' strike in 2014, the agitating students had misbehaved with her at the behest of another teacher. "When I brought this for discussion in the staff council meeting, many fellow teachers booed at me and I was pushed aside by some male teachers making obscene gestures and using slang languages," the teacher has said in her complaint. In a setback to AAP government, Delhi High Court today overturned the trial court decision directing CBI to return original documents seized during raids at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's principal secretary Rajendra Kumar's office, saying the lower court had "exceeded its jurisdiction". Justice P S Teji said the observations of the special judge in his January 20 order, directing CBI to hand over the original documents to Delhi government, were "neither justifiable nor desirable" and tantamounted to "unnecessary interference in the investigation". The high court said "It is against the principle of privacy, as the investigation which is the sole domain of the Investigating Officer (IO) and his mindset need not be disclosed during the pendency of the investigation and required to be disclosed only at the time of filing the charge sheet before the court." "Admittedly, the documents asked to return are voluminous and are the subject matter of investigation which is on initial stage. Direction given in the impugned order (of trial court) to disclose the relevancy of the documents is neither justifiable nor desirable nor sustainable in the eyes of law at this stage. "It would be pertinent to mention that such inquiry in the open court or in the reply would hamper the entire investigation and amount to unnecessary interference in the investigation. ... Needless to say that the court has ample power to consider the relevancy of the documents filed along with the charge sheet by the IO on the completion of investigation. The court is always empowered to release the unrelied documents by the investigating agency," it said. The court's order came on the plea of CBI challenging the January 20 order, claiming that the trial court's decision would interefere with the probe which was at the initial stage. The Delhi government had countered CBI's contention, saying the agency had picked up documents "which have nothing to do with the investigation and it is hampering the government's functioning". CBI had raided office of Kumar on December 15, last year and registered a corruption case against him and others alleging that he had abused his official position by "favouring a particular firm in the last few years in getting tenders from a Delhi government department". The Madras High Court today gave the state government one week time for filing its reply on a contempt petition filed against Shivadas Meena, Secretary, Food and Consumer Affairs, for not appointing the president for the Tamil Nadu State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission despite a court direction. A division bench, comprising Justice S Manikumar and C T Selvam, which was hearing a petition filed by one M Piravi Perumal, wondered why the presidentship of the commission was vacant since May last year,when the government pleader sought time to get instructions and reply. The petitioner submitted as per regulations, Food and Consumer Affairs Secretary should request the Chief Justice of Madras High Court to recommend the name of a retired High Court Judge for presiding over the commission as soon as the post fell vacant. Once the Chief Justice recommended a name,he should be appointed as the president.The TSCDRC president post fell vacant on May 31 last year.As the state government did not take any step,he made a representation to the secretary, the petitioner submitted. The court directed the government to consider the representation on September 8 last.But the secretary did not consider the court order, the petitioner said. When the petitioner sought to know about the status after the High Court's order by applying under Right to Information Act, the principal information commissioner said the post was vacant and filling it was under consideration. Though several months had elapsed, the secretary did not consider the court's order and did not deliberately comply with the order, the petitioner alleged. The petitioner submitted he also issued a contempt notice to the secretary,even then it was not considered and prayed that action should be taken against him by issuing statutory notice to him. BJP today demanded Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation, saying he stands "thoroughly exposed" after Delhi High Court quashed a trial court order asking the CBI to return documents seized during raids at his principal secretary's office. Party leader and Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said Kejriwal was clearly protecting corruption as he also referred to AAP's defence of a Delhi minister who has been accused of being involved in corruption following a purported sting operation showing a man demanding Rs 30 lakh bribe allegedly on his behalf. "He (Kejriwal) stands thoroughly exposed. The kind of drama he does to protect corruption has been revealed. He does not want CBI to hold an inquiry into the corruption case against his principal secretary and bring out the truth. "He must apologise to the nation and should quit. We demand his resignation," he said at a briefing at the party office. Noting that Kejriwal had demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi quit after the trial court ordered return of documents to the Delhi government, Javadekar said high court had rejected the AAP leader's claim about the seized documents. "He came to power on the promise of providing corruption- free government in Delhi and has instead given the city its worst government," he charged. Referring to the criminal cases against and some AAP legislators and their arrest, he said never before had so many Delhi MLAs been in "police net" and alleged they were involved in "all kinds of lawlessness". Javadekar said that when CBI raided Kejriwal's Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar's office on December 15, he became "very unsettled" and accused Modi of being behind it due to political vendetta. The chief minister had lost all sense of proportion, he said. Kejriwal had called Modi a "psychopath and coward" following the raids. "It is very clear that he is not protecting the dignity of his office and government but corruption," the Union Minister said. To protect the corrupt, he said, Kejriwal dragged DDCA and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley into controversy. Javadekar, who is also party's election in-charge for the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, meanwhile, parried a query about BJP's prospective allies in the state, saying such talks will gather pace after election dates are announced. The Delhi High Court today directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary enquiry into rampant unauthorised construction in some posh areas of the South Delhi district. "We direct the CBI to conduct the preliminary enquiry against unauthorised constructions, officials of SDMC, police officials, builders and also against the petitioner on whom the allegations of blackmailing have been made," a bench comprising justices B D Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva said. It asked the DCP South Zone, Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) and Deputy Commissioner (MCD), concerned sub register, officials of Delhi Jal Board, electricity department to supply all relevant documents to the probe agency. The bench asked the CBI to file the status report by April 6 in sealed cover. On December 2, the court had warned that it may order CBI probe into unauthorised construction in Neb Sarai, Freedom Fighters Colony, Paryavaran Complex and Mehrauli areas of South Delhi. It had sought a status report as to why police was not provided to the squads carrying out the demolition drive. The court had also noted the allegation levelled by petitioner NGO Paardarshita Public Welfare Foundation that police protection are provided to the demolition drive on a pick and choose methods. The NGO in its plea has alleged that widespread unauthorised constructions was going in the area falling under the jurisdiction of SDMC and even several police personal have constructed their houses. It had alleged that since several police personal themselves had constructed properties in the area, no demolition drive was being carried out despite directions of court. The Delhi High Court today sought the responses of the Lt Governor and three municipal bodies on a PIL seeking unification of the corporations. "The matter requires consideration. File your counter affidavits," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath told the counsels for the LG and the East, South and North Delhi municipal corporations. The court's order came on the plea of Sharad Tiwari who has sought unification of the three corporations on the ground that trifurcation has created the ongoing problem of lack of funds to pay salaries of the MCD employees. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on March 23. A leading British daily will revert back to using Bombay instead of Mumbai when referring to the financial hub of India, to take stand against a "nastier strain of Hindu nationalism," its Indian-origin editor said today. "The whole point of Bombay is of an open, cosmopolitan port city, the gateway of India that's open to the world. If you call it what Hindu nationalists want you to call it, you essentially do their work for them," Amol Rajan, the editor of 'The Independent', told BBC today. The 32-year-old editor said the move was the newspaper's stand against a "nastier strain of Hindu nationalism". The city's name was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995 to distance itself from the colonial term - Bombay - under pressure from the right-wing Shiv Sena, which ruled the state from 1995 to 1999 in alliance with the BJP. "As journalists, as someone who edits 'The Independent', it's incredibly important to be specific about our terminology. "I'd rather side with the tradition of India that's been open to the world, rather than the one that's been closed, which is in ascendance right now," he said. The Kolkata-born journalist took the helm at 'The Independent' in 2013. The newspaper prides itself on its apolitical history. "In post-partition India, there has been a sort of uneasy marriage between two very different traditions. One of the founding father, amazing people like B R Ambedkar, Patel, Nehru, Gandhi who are open, secular pluralists and tolerant. "The other was a slightly nastier strain of Hindu nationalism, which has its expression in the BJP and a movement called Shiv Sena," he said. He explained the genesis of the term Mumbai after Goddess Mumbadevi, the protector of fisherman who were the city's original inhabitants. The name Bombay became commonly used during the British Raj and had its roots in the Portuguese colonial name "Bom Bahia", or "good bay". "Shiv Sena pushed through the renaming against the will of the government," Rajan pointed out. Hinduja Global Solutions, the BPO arm of diversified Hinduja Group, today reported 67.57% decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 17.11 crore for the December quarter. The firm had posted a net profit of Rs 52.76 crore in the year-ago period. The consolidated net sales, however, grew by 20.53% to Rs 882.91 crore in the quarter under review from Rs 732.52 crore in the same period a year ago, the company said in a BSE filing. "Profitability was lower in the quarter due to increased investments in ramp ups and exit costs related to unprofitable clients... We won seven new logos and added new lines of business from existing clients in the third quarter," said Partha DeSarkar Chief Executive Officer Hinduja Global Solutions Ltd. The company said sales "growth was primarily driven by an improvement in volume across all key geographies coupled with contribution from recently acquired BPM business in India." In a separate filing, Hinduja Global Solutions said its Board of Directors have declared third interim dividend of Rs 3.75 per share for the financial year 2015-16. As of December 31, the company had 188 active clients (excluding payroll processing clients) and its total headcount was 38,747, of which 66.5% were based in India, 16.4% in Philippines, 7.5% in the US, 6.1% in Canada and the remaining 3.5% in Europe. Hinduja Global Solutions shares were trading 11.71% lower at Rs 402.70 on BSE during morning session. President Barack Obama proposed new taxes on wealthy Americans in his final USD 4.15-trillion budget, as he informed the Congress about the path-breaking defence ties with India as part of its Asia-Pacific rebalance. In his budgetary proposals running into 170 pages, Obama said the Department of Defence continues to develop its India ties through Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, Joint Working Group on Aircraft Carrier Technology Cooperation, and Jet Engine Technology Joint Working Group. Obama said the budget supports his commitment to a comprehensive regional strategy in Asia and the Pacific that reinforces a rules-based order and advances security. Recognising that security in the Asia-Pacific region underpins regional and global prosperity, the budget aligns resources and activities to strengthen US alliances and partnerships with emerging powers, promote regional economic cooperation, and build a constructive relationship with China that simultaneously supports expanding practical cooperation on global issues while candidly addressing differences. In his message to the Congress, Obama said his budget is about looking forward. "It is about making sure our economy works for everybody, not just those at the top." The White House said by cutting tax loopholes and special breaks for the wealthy, reforming business and capital gains taxes, and adding a USD 10 a barrel tax on crude oil, the deficit can be held below 3 per cent of GDP. In his final budgetary proposal, Obama said: "It is about answering the big questions that will define America and the world in the 21st Century." Unlike India's parliamentary system, where the annual budget is proposed by the Union Finance Minister before the Lok Sabha, in the American presidential system the President submits his budgetary proposals as a written document. The budget proposed is for the fiscal year 2016-2017 beginning October 1. The US Congress - both the House of Representatives and the Senate - would debate threadbare over the next several months before it passes the budget. Among other things, the budget includes goals like cutting carbon pollution, universal preschool and criminal justice reform as well as billions in new investments in cybersecurity and clean energy. Obama proposes to step up the policing of Wall Street, with USD 1.8 billion to double the budgets of market watchdogs in the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Budget provides USD 1.3 billion to advance the goals of the Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI) through important multilateral and bilateral engagement. While providing over USD 11 billion to defeat the Islamic State group, the budget includes resources to reinforce Afghanistan's security and development by supporting military assistance, as well as health, education, economic growth and other assistance programmes needed to promote stability. The Republican leadership were quick to dismiss Obama's budget. "President Obama will leave office having never proposed a budget that balances-ever. This isn't even a budget so much as it is a progressive manual for growing the federal government at the expense of hardworking Americans," said Paul Ryan, Speaker of the US House of Representatives. "The president's oil tax alone would raise the average cost of gasoline by 24 cents per gallon, while hurting jobs and a major sector of our economy. Americans deserve better. We need to tackle our fiscal problems before they tackle us. House Republicans are working on a balanced budget that grows our economy in order to secure a Confident America," Ryan said. India and EFTA, a bloc of four European countries, will discuss resumption of talks for the proposed free trade agreement during a meeting here on Friday. The trade talks between India and the bloc are stalled due to a host of issues, including intellectual property rights. A parliamentary delegation of the European Free Trade Association, consisting of Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, will meet the commerce ministry officials on Friday to give a push to the trade negotiations. The EFTA Parliamentary Committee, which was in Mumbai today, will also discuss closer bilateral economic relations with members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. "The key topic of discussion will be the resumption of negotiations on a comprehensive trade and economic partnership agreement between the EFTA states and India," the Swiss Parliament said in a statement. The India-EFTA trade talks were launched in 2008. The proposed pact covers both trade in goods (industrial and agricultural products) and in services, market access for investments, protection of intellectual property and public procurement. Negotiations were stuck on some issues related with intellectual property rights. EFTA wants India to commit more in IPR. They were also demanding for data exclusivity, which India is completely opposed to. Data exclusivity provides protection to the technical data generated by innovator companies to prove the usefulness of their products. In pharmaceutical sector, drug companies generate the data through expensive global clinical trials to prove the efficacy and safety of their new medicine. Switzerland has huge interest in this sector. By gaining exclusive rights over this data, innovator companies can prevent their competitors from obtaining marketing licence for low-cost versions during the tenure of this exclusivity. Both the sides have completed over a dozen rounds of talks so far. Two-way trade between India and EFTA stood at USD 24.5 billion in 2014-15 as against USD 22.1 billion in 2013-14. Switzerland is India's 11th biggest investor. Swiss companies run over 220 production plants, distribution centres and research laboratories in India and directly employ more than 100,000 people, the Swiss statement said. President Pranab Mukherjee today greeted Iran on the eve of the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, saying India looks forward to enhancing bilateral relationship with the "friendly" people in diverse areas of shared interest. "Relations between India and Iran are built on our civilisational and cultural ties that span centuries. We consider Iran a close friend and look forward to enhancing our relationship into a more collaborative partnership across diverse areas of our shared interest," he said in a message to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. "I am happy to note that our bilateral ties have strengthened considerably during your leadership of your great country. India believes that a fruitful engagement between our two nations will be beneficial for the stability and prosperity of the entire region," Mukherjee said He extended greetings to "friendly people" and government of that country on the eve of the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Iran is fifth major supplier of crude oil to India. India is expected to extend lines of credit (LoC) to least developed African countries for joint venture business initiatives in agriculture sector to enhance engagement in the segment, a top official said today. Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said huge opportunities exists in agriculture sector in India and Africa. "We hope to extend lines of credit to joint venture agri business initiatives in Africa to deepen our engagement in the agri sector particularly in LDCs (least developed countries) and thereby help to support food security in both our regions," she said at the India Africa AgriBusiness Forum organised by Ficci. India also support the LDCs in trade initiatives through 'Duty Free Tariff Preference' scheme, which came into effect in August 2008, Teaotia said. "We now provide 98.2 per cent of our tariff lines (products)... To LDCs. Out of the 34 LDCs in Africa, 21 countries have already begun to avail the benefits of the scheme and 13 are yet to become beneficiaries. "We sincerely hope these countries too will come on board soon and use the access to India's market," she added. Under the scheme, import of most products from least developed nations to India attract lower duties. Further, Teaotia said the Department of Commerce runs a Cotton Technical Assistance Programme for cotton growing African nations. "Cotton is certainly an important crop in Africa as it is in India, but in many countries it continues to be exported as raw material without too much of value addition. The programme is an initiative to strengthen the cotton and textile sector in selected countries (of Africa)," she said. She added the programme has helped in capacity building in R&D, improving post-harvest practices and has also led to far greater movement in the value chain and development in the textile and apparel sector. "I believe that such programmes can be used as triggers to the policy objectives of the government's in Africa in order to ensure that there is proper transfer of technology and there is a mechanism by which it can be done," she added. The programme was initially started in four countries -- Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali. "But it was extended thereafter to Malawi, Nigeria and Uganada and as agreed in the recent Africa Forum meet, it would further be expanded to Ghana, Togo, Tanzania and Zambia over the five-year period," she said. Both the regions can increase collaboration in areas like food processing and plant tissue culture to enhance food grain productivity, she added. India is placed at a poor second last position in the US Chamber of Commerce's latest IP index for not following international best practices in patent protection as the body said it is yet to see the government's "rhetoric" translate into "concrete action". "Patent protection in India remains outside of international best practices, and Indian law does not provide adequate enforcement mechanisms to effectively combat online piracy," the USCC said. In the 4th annual International IP Index 'Infinite Possibilities', Venezuela finished last out of the 38 economies studied, while the United States ranked first in the annual index, a media release said. "While we have been encouraged by the Modi Administration's rhetoric to improve India's IP environment, we have yet to see it translate into concrete action," said David Hirschmann, president and CEO of USCC's Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC). "Nations like Thailand, who surpassed India in the rankings this year, provide an example of the way that incremental changes to a country's IP framework can strengthen the overall IP ecosystem," he said. All countries should look at the Index and incorporate the infinite possibilities that exist to improve their IP environment to encourage the next greatest innovation take place on their soil, he added. In a fact sheet, the USCC said at the time of research for its report, a new National IP Rights Strategy document had yet to be released. In terms of the Index, India's overall score has decreased to 7.05 from the third edition total of 7.23. This decrease was driven primarily by the introduction of the Global Measure of Physical Counterfeiting where India ranked seven out of 38 economies mapped. At the same time, the report noted 2015 saw a number of positive steps taken that would have potentially increased India's score. The USCC noted that more broadly, a number of concerns remain with India's national IP environment: the country's patentability requirements remain outside established international best practices with 2015 rulings confirming long-standing interpretations; there is a lack of specific IP rights for the life sciences sector; and the enforcement environment remains challenging with continued high levels of physical and online piracy. (Reopens FGN13) Specifically, the publication of new guidelines for patentability of CIIs (computer-implemented inventions) would have provided a greater level of clarity on what until now was a grey area of patentability. Unfortunately, in late 2015 these guidelines were suspended until further review by the Indian authorities, it said. Finally, India is not a contracting party to any of the international treaties included in the IP Index, nor has India concluded an FTA with substantial IP provisions since acceding to the TRIPS Agreement. Rio Olympics bound Apurvi Chandela led the charge as Indians grabbed six medals, including three gold, on the opening day of shooting competitions in the 12th South Asian Games here today. Chandela easily shot down the gold in her pet event of women's 10m air rifle with a total score of 209.00 points, while compatriots Elizabeth Susan Koshy and Pooja Ghatkar won the silver and bronze as Indian markswomen swept the medals at the Kahilipara Shooting Range here. In men's 50m pistol event, however, Indians failed to win the gold with Om Prakash -- who shot 187.3 points -- bagging a silver and Olympic-bound Prakash Nanjappa finishing outside podium at fourth. The gold was won by Bangladesh's Sakil Ahmed, who shot 187.6 points. Prakash later told PTI that he took part in the event despite having problems in his left eye, which did not allow to give his best today. "I took part despite not being well. I have been feeling a burning sensation on my left eye for the last two days and I am having antibiotics. So, I could not focus my eyes for long," he said. India also pocketed a gold each in men's 50m pistol team event and women's 10m air rifle team event. (REOPENS SPD 15) India's Men's 50m Pistol team comprised Omkar Singh, Prakash Nanjappa and Om Prakash who shot a combined total of 1622. Indo-Pak relations "remain tense" after the Pathankot terror attack and India's engagement with Pakistan this year may depend on Islamabad's willingness to take action against those linked to the incident, US intelligence chief has said. "Relations between Pakistan and India remain tense despite the resumption of a bilateral dialogue in December," James Clapper, Director of Intelligence, told the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday. "Following a terrorist attack in early January on Pathankot Air Force base in India, which New Delhi blames on a Pakistani- based group, India's engagement with Pakistan will probably hinge in 2016 on Islamabad's willingness to take action against those in Pakistan linked to the attack," Clapper said during his testimony. State Department Spokesman John Kirby said he agreed with the assessment of Clapper. "The Pakistanis have said themselves publicly that they're not going to discriminate amongst terror groups, and we know that this is a threat they face as well," he said. "We want both sides of this to continue the dialogue that has started, understanding that it's still a tense situation, but we want them to continue the dialogue that they've started to try to get at what is a very common challenge to both countries," he said. Seven security personnel were killed and several others were injured when six militants stormed the Pathankot base on January 2. Kirby said it's important for everybody facing these threats to take the actions that they need to not only to protect their own people and their borders, but also to eliminate the very transnational threat that terrorism is. "The Pakistanis have taken additional steps in the recent past. Can they do more?Every nation fighting terrorism can obviously do more because it's still a very real threat out there in many parts of the world. But again, what we want is for India and Pakistan to continue to work together," Kirby said. Responding to a question, he said that tension between India and Pakistan has an impact on Afghanistan. "The tension between India and Pakistan affect - well, obviously, both countries have interest in regional stability and security. And the degree to which Afghanistan is not stable - and we all recognise that Afghanistan is still a dangerous place - obviously, it affects the calculations of India and Pakistan with respect to their own security concerns. And we recognise that," Kirby said. "India has played a helpful role in Afghanistan in the past in terms of mostly a training capacity or a willingness to participate in that, and Pakistan in ways has played a useful role in terms of getting at the cross-border threat there in the border regions," he said. "What we want with Afghanistan is the kind of normal bilateral relationship that we have with nations all over the world, that so far it's been very heavily dependent on the security component. And nobody is arguing that that doesn't still matter today," he said. An Indonesian air force plane crashed into a house on the main island of Java today, killing both people on board and two people in the house, a senior official said. The plane was on a routine maintenance flight when it crashed near Abdul Rahman Saleh air force base in Malang, a hilly town in East Java province, said air force chief Air Marshal Agus Supriatna. Supriatna said the pilot ejected from the Brazilian-made Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano plane before it crashed, but a technician failed to do so. The pilot was found dead near a rice field about 2 kilometers from his parachute, while the technician's body was recovered from the plane's cockpit, which was buried in the rubble of the destroyed house. He said a man and a woman living in the house died while being treated at a hospital. Air force officials had previously believed that the technician ejected before the plane crashed. A neighbor who witnessed the crash, Slamet, told MetroTV that the plane appeared to be nose-diving out of control with smoke billowing from its tail when it crashed. Like many Indonesians, Slamet goes by a single name. The light attack aircraft is one of 16 bought by the air force in 2013. Malang is 850 kilometers east of Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. An Indonesian military plane crashed into a house in a densely populated area during a test flight Wednesday, killing the pilot and two people in the building, an air force official said. The Super Tucano turboprop came down shortly after taking off from Abdul Rachman Saleh air force base at Malang in East Java, said base commander Djoko Senoputro. The pilot as well as two civilians, a woman and a man, were killed in the accident, he said. The plane's engineer has still not been located. "After doing a test flight for about 45 minutes, we lost contact with the plane soon after they were requesting descent," Senoputro told AFP. "We received reports from people that the plane was seen crashing into a house and is buried in the debris," he said. An eyewitness said the light attack and trainer aircraft was climbing before it plunged into the residential area. It crashed very hard, emitting thick smoke and a strong gasoline smell, he said. "I evacuated a man and a woman whose bodies were buried in the rubble of their own house," Agus, a rescuer on site, told AFP. The air force said it would conduct an investigation into the crash, the latest of several military aviation accidents. In December last year two pilots were killed when a military plane crashed in central Java while performing manoeuvres. In June a Hercules C-130 crashed into a residential neighbourhood in Medan, the largest city on Sumatra island, killing 142 people and causing widespread destruction. To prevent unhealthy market practices, insurance regulator IRDAI today said general insurers cannot impose any restrictions with regards purchase of motor insurance polices. The regulator also said general insurance companies cannot force individuals to purchase personal accident policies along with motor insurance. Of late, it has come to notice of the IRDAI that some general insurance companies "having tie-ups with a particular motor dealer are not accepting motor business, if it is sourced by any other agent or intermediary". Similar issue has also been observed where some insurers offer personal accident policies along with such motor policies, the IRDAI said. "With a view to protect the interests of policyholders and prevent unhealthy market practices...It is hereby clarified that there shall be no restriction whatsoever on sourcing/servicing of motor insurance business (including personal accident policies, wherever applicable) by any agent/intermediary or insurer/insurance office on the ground that they have tie-up with any motor dealers/manufacturers," it said. Also, companies should ensure that no clause/agreement/ tie-up in variation with the the directions should be entered into by any insurer with any motor dealers/ manufacturers. "It should also be ensured that all existing agreements confirm with the above direction," the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India said in the circular. Policyholders have a prerogative to choose any agent, intermediary or any insurer to avail of insurance services, it said. Leaders of the Islamic State are determined to strike targets in the United States this year, senior US intelligence officials have said, telling lawmakers that a small group of violent extremists will attempt to overcome the logistical challenges of mounting such an attack. In testimony before congressional committees, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and other officials described the Islamic State as the "pre-eminent terrorist threat." The militant group can "direct and inspire attacks against a wide range of targets around the world," Clapper said yesterday. Marine Lt Gen Vincent Stewart, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said the Islamic State will probably conduct additional attacks in Europe and then attempt the same in the US. He said US intelligence agencies believe IS leaders will be "increasingly involved in directing attacks rather than just encouraging lone attackers." Clapper also said al-Qaida, from which the Islamic State spun off, remains an enemy and the US will continue to see cyber threats from China, Russia and North Korea, which also is ramping up its nuclear program. North Korea has expanded a uranium enrichment facility and restarted a plutonium reactor that could begin recovering material for nuclear weapons in weeks or months, Clapper said in delivering the annual assessment by intelligence agencies of the top dangers facing the country. Clapper said that Pyongyang announced in 2013 its intention to refurbish and restart nuclear facilities, to include the uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon and its plutonium production reactor, which was shut down in 2007. He said US intelligence had assessed that North Korea has expanded Yongbyon and restarted the plutonium production reactor there. Clapper also told the Senate Armed Services and intelligence committees that North Korea has been operating the reactor long enough that it could begin to recover plutonium "within a matter of weeks to months." Both findings will deepen concern that North Korea is not only making technical advances in its nuclear weapons program, following its recent underground test explosion and rocket launch, but is working to expand what is thought to be a small nuclear arsenal. US-based experts have estimated that North Korea may have about 10 bombs, but that could grow to between 20 and 100 by 2020. North Korea on Sunday launched a rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite into space. The launch followed a Jan. 6 underground nuclear explosion that North Korea claimed was the successful test of a "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb. Many outside experts were skeptical and Clapper said the low yield of the test "is not consistent with a successful test of a thermonuclear device." Clapper said that Pyongyang is also committed to developing a long-range, nuclear-armed missile that is capable of posing a direct threat to the United States, "although the system has not been flight-tested. An IPS officer in Rajasthan has been sentenced to two years in prison for torturing three men at a police station in Rajsamand district 15 years ago, according to the victims' counsel. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Bhanu Kumar handed down the sentence to S N Khinchi, who was posted as Additional SP Rajsamand in 2000 when the incident occurred. He is presently posted as the Deputy Inspector General of Police CID (Civil Rights). However, on request of Khinchi's advocate, the court suspended the sentence for a month so that the officer can file an appeal. It was alleged that the victims Ramesh Chandra Tank, Ramesh Chaplot and Bhagwati Lal were brought to the police station on October 2, 2000 on a complaint by a local man that they hurt his religious sentiments. The complaint was made to the Additional SP. "The officer tortured and beat them. The victims were sent to judicial custody and were released after two days on October 4. "On our request, a medical board was constituted and the board confirmed that they were beaten following which we filed a complaint in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate," S L Laddha, the advocate of the complainant Ramesh Chandra Tank, said today. "The court took cognisance and recorded the statement of the three victims and the members of the medical board," he said. "The court on Monday sentenced the officer S N Khinchi to a two-year imprisonment with a fine of Rs 1,000," Ladda said. Iran will sign a contract with Russia for the purchase of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets, Iran's defense minister said today. In comments published on the ministry of defense website, General Hossein Dehghan did not specify how many fighter planes Iran will buy, or give a timeline for the signing of the deal. However, he said that under the agreement Iran would also be involved in the production of the aircraft. Iran needs to "seriously focus on the air force and fighters," he said. "We are moving toward a contract. We told them that we need to be involved in the production (of the plane) as well." Iran's acquisition is significant given its role as a regional power in the volatile Middle East, where it is backing opposite sides in conflicts in Yemen and Syria to its longtime rival Saudi Arabia. The fighter jet is believed to be comparable to the American F-15E fighter bomber. Iran's air force still heavily depends on domestically modified versions of long-outdated warplanes, including former Soviet MiGs and American F14A Tomcats from the 1970s. Dehghan also rejected reports that Iran has negotiated the purchase of J10 fighter jets from China. Russia has already started delivering S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran. The advanced defensive weapons system deal was frozen in 2010 due to U.N sanctions. Russian President Vladimir Putin approved delivery of the air defense missile system in April 2015, a move that will significantly bolster the Islamic Republic's military capability. Dehghan said the first Iranian crews, who have been trained in Russia, will return home within the next two or three days and another group will be dispatched for training subsequently. Iranian efforts to build up its air power is mostly a homegrown project, tweaking older technology or using domestic know-how to build its first generations of spy and attack drones. Iran has also made progress in developing its missile program. An Iranian drone that flew over a US aircraft carrier last month was the first to conduct an overflight of an American carrier since 2014, according to a US Navy report. The January 12 reconnaissance flight by the Iranian Shahed drone was the latest in a series of tense naval encounters between forces of the Islamic Republic and the US Navy, including the brief detention of 10 American sailors who strayed into Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. All the incidents have come after Iran signed a nuclear deal with world powers including the US, and point to lingering tensions between the two playing out in key waterways used to transport oil. An internal US Navy report on the incident, obtained by the AP through a Freedom of Information Act request, said it happened as the USS Harry S Truman and the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle were 89 nautical miles southwest of the Iranian port of Bushehr. The US Navy dispatched a Seahawk helicopter to observe the Shahed-121 drone as it flew over the Truman, a nuclear-powered carrier based out of Norfolk, Virginia. "Shahed" means "witness" in both Farsi and Arabic. The US Navy taskforce in the area publicly described the drone's overflight as "safe, routine and professional." But the internal report says the Navy's higher command described it as "safe, abnormal and unprofessional," as Iranian drones seldom fly over American carriers. US and French sailors repeatedly confirmed that the Iranian drone had its "wings clean," the report said. That means it did not carry weapons and didn't pose a risk to the ship, said Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet based in Bahrain. "They're operating in international airspace. You can't shoot (it) down; that would be illegal," Stephens said. Iran's Revolutionary Guard is using similar Shahed-129 drones as ground support to forces fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad in Syria, the semi-official Fars agency reported last week. The difference between the two models was not immediately clear. Iran also said it deployed Shahed drones during war games near the Iranian holy city of Qom that simulated a capture of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque in November. The risk of Iraq's largest dam collapsing and unleashing a huge wave onto Mosul is affecting plans to retake the city from jihadists, an adviser to the prime minister's office said. The Iraqi army is deploying thousands of soldiers to a northern base in preparation for operations to recapture the northern city, the largest urban centre in the Islamic State group's self-proclaimed caliphate. Concern has grown that a failure of the unstable dam, which stands about 40 kilometres northwest of the city, could wipe out most of Mosul and flood large parts of Baghdad. The Americans "frequently refer to Katrina" and say a collapse of the Mosul Dam would be "a thousand times worse", an adviser to the office of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told reporters. Hurricane Katrina ravaged the US city of New Orleans in 2005, killing nearly 2,000 people and leading to a wave of violence and looting that completely overwhelmed the authorities. "If the dam busts, the centre of Mosul goes under water by about 12 to 15 metres," the adviser said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It just disappears, so 500,000 people (are) killed within a few hours," he said. He said another dam in Samarra, hundreds of miles downstream, would also burst. It is estimated the wave would still be several metres high when it reaches Baghdad. A US assessment published on the Iraqi parliament's website yesterday said Mosul dam was "at a signficantly higher risk of failure than originally understood." Since the dam's completion in 1984, the Iraqi government has sought to shore up the foundation by injecting mortar-like grout into cavities that develop under the structure. Regular minor seismic activity in the dam area is now seen as a potential threat. As Iraqi forces backed by the US-led coalition ramp up preparations for an offensive against IS in Mosul, fears are also growing that the jihadists could weaponise the dam. "If the attack on Mosul goes well, there is a nightmare scenario that Daesh (an Arabic acronym for IS) could itself strike the dam as they withdraw from Mosul," the adviser said. He said the US-led coalition, whose primary role in retaking Mosul would be to carry out air strikes, is concerned that a major bombing campaign could have an impact on the nearby dam. "They are worried about it, they are thinking carefully about what kind of munitions they use in the Mosul operation," the adviser said. Italian police swooped today on a Mafia clan in Sicily, arresting dozens in an international operation to dismember a powerful crime group run by women. Over 500 officers took part in the raid on the Laudani clan in Catania, nicknamed "Mussi di ficurinia" ("Prickly pear lips"), in a sting that involved forces in Germany and the Netherlands as well, Italian police told AFP. Three women, known as the "three queens of Caltagirone", a town near the Sicilian port of Catania, had ruled the clan with an iron grip as well as governing all "financial matters", but were brought down the heir to the clan who began helping police. The suspects were all wanted for Mafia association, extortion, drug trafficking and possessing illegal arms. Of 109 arrest warrants issued today, 86 people were detained, 23 were already serving time in prison and six are still eluding capture, police said. Giuseppe Laudani was selected to run the clan when he was 17 after his Mafia boss father was killed, and but he turned to the police and told how the three women, Maria Scuderi, 51, Concetta Scalisi, 60 and Paola Torrisi, 52, had raised him. Known as "the prince", he described a world of violence and vendettas, with the women building power after his aunt Concetta's life was saved by his father during an attempted assassination at the end of the 1980s, Italian media reports said. Torrisi, daughter of a mobster boss who used to manage the clan's international drug trading, was still young when she began to organise couriers in the area around Mount Etna, the active volcano which dominates Catania. Laudani also snitched on his brother Pippo and half-brother Alberto Caruso, as well as his grandfather Sebastiano Laudini, 90, who had served time between 1986 and 2012 and is now back under house arrest. According to prosecutor Michelangelo Patane, the clan, which had sought ties with the cocaine-running 'Nrangheta mafia in Calabria, had a huge arsenal of weapons, including two bazookas. The rocket launchers were intended for use in hits on several Sicilian magistrates but the plan was foiled when another informer told police the weapons were hidden in a garage on the slopes of Mount Etna. The Laudani are believed to be behind a string of violent attacks in the 1990s, including the murder of a prison warden and a lawyer who had refused to be bought. Police said they had been hampered in their investigations by local business owners, who either lied about being the victims of attempts to extort money from them or admitted the extortion but refused to help identify those responsible. Thousands of junior doctors across England, protesting new contract and weekend pay rates, staged a walkout today as part of their second 24-hour strike in as many months, resulting in cancellation of over 3,000 operations. Today's strike follows the first such strike in England in 40 years on January 12. The walkout follows a breakdown of last-ditch talks between the British Medical Association (BMA), NHS Employers and the UK government's Department of Health over the shape of the new contract that all juniors in England will operate under from August this year. The main sticking point remains payments for working on weekends and the government has argued the current arrangements are outdated and changes are needed to improve standards of medical care at the weekend. The strike resulted in nearly 3,000 non-urgent surgeries being cancelled. "No doctor wants to take industrial action, and our door has always been open to talks. But the government is putting politics before reason, and their continued threat to impose a contract that junior doctors have roundly rejected leaves us with no option," the BMA said in a statement. There are more than 50,000 junior doctors in England and the term covers those who are fresh out of medical school through to others who have a decade of experience behind them. Talks between them and the government, hosted by UK's conciliation service ACAS, broke down at the end of January. UK health secretary Jeremy Hunt, leading the contract negotiations for the government, told the House of Commons yesterday: "The only reason we do not have a solution on the junior doctors is the BMA saying in December that it would negotiate on the one outstanding issue - pay on Saturdays - but last month refusing to negotiate. "If the BMA is prepared to negotiate and be flexible on that, so are we." Ministers have repeatedly said that they reserve the right to impose the new contract should a deal fail to be reached. But junior doctors have indicated they may be forced to resign if a new contract is imposed on them without an agreement on weekend pay. The BMA is understood to have discussed a proposal that would reduce the size of the basic pay rise on offer for doctors, if premium pay rates on Saturdays are retained. Kerala-based jewellery brand Kalyan Jewellers on Wednesday announced its foray in the e-commerce segment and will offer gold and diamond jewellery on retail major Flipkart's e-commerce platform. The products will be available from February 12, the company said in a statement. Kalyan will make available its popular jewellery designs in gold and diamond encompassing rings, pendants, earrings and necklaces ranging from Rs 3,500 to Rs 2 lakh, it added. Kalyan Jewellers Chairman and Managing Director T S Kalyanaraman said online jewellery sales is growing at more than 70 per cent per annum, valued at more than Rs 1,200 crore. The foray into e-commerce provides Kalyan with the opportunity to target discretionary expenditure of customers especially in the gifting segment, he said in a company statement. Over a thousand designs from Kalyan Jewellers from across the country and beyond will be made available on Flipkart. Hallmarked gold and certified diamond jewellery ranging from Rs 3,500 to Rs 2 lakh will be a part of this collection, it added. Rishi Vasudev, vice-president (fashion), Flipkart, said jewellery is one of their fastest growing segments. "With this partnership, we will be expanding our precious jewellery portfolio offerings. We expect this category to double in the next one year," he said. Australian beetroot juice in hot demand by Dubai royalty An Australian farmer has struck purple gold selling beetroot juice to a Dubai prince looking for a secret weapon to feed his racing horses. Speaking to The Weekly Times about his lucky turn of events, Victorian farmer Sean Croft said he was sceptical when he first received an email from a representative of the Crown Prince of Dubai. He however told the paper that he took a second email more seriously after it included in-depth details. Since then Crofts Arahura Farms has been exporting 20 tonnes of beetroots to Dubai every ten days. The beetroot is turned into juice that is believed to help blood carry more oxygen. Croft told The Weekly Times that the climate of his Nyah West located farm allowed him to grow beetroots all year round, something which appealed to the Prince when he was looking for a supplier. AAP National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to visit Punjab from February 20 for about 5 days during which he will meet the families of farmers who committed suicide due to debt. "Kejriwal is expected to visit Punjab on February 20 and will be in the state for 4-5 days," Aam Aadmi Party's national organisation-building head, Durgesh Pathak said. "He will visit villages and districts of the state and meet families of debt-ridden farmers who have ended their lives. Kejriwal will also meet the families which are victims of drug menace," senior AAP leader and in-charge of Punjab Affairs, Sanjay Singh said. The full programme of Kejriwal's Punjab visit, will be finalised in a day or two, he said. The Delhi Chief Minister was the state last time on January 14 when he held a massive rally in Muktsar on the occasion of Maghi Mela, kicking off AAP's campaign for the 2017 Assembly polls. Yesterday, AAP had announced it would launch 'Punjab Dialogue' next month to seek people's opinion on various issues in the state and incorporate them in their election manifesto. (REOPENS NRG16) Addressing a rally at Nawanshahr for party nominee for Balachaur assembly segment Brig Raj Kumar(retd.), Kejriwal said the blueprint for Punjab's development was ready and AAP will immediately start giving it shape after the party forms government in the state after the polls. "The planning on all issues -- be it related to ending the menace of drugs or corruption, waiving of farmers' loans or reviving and bringing back the state's industry -- have been worked out to the minutest details by AAP," he claimed. Accusing Amarinder Singh of indulging in corruption during his tenure as the Chief Minister, the AAP national convener once again read out the alleged Swiss bank account numbers of Punjab Congress chief and his family members. Hitting out at SAD, he claimed the "pitcher of SAD's sins" for atrocities against all sections of society is already full and the party should be "ready to pay for it". Kejriwal also visited the residence of Asha Rani (48) in Ludhiana, who died of cardiac arrest on Thursday outside a bank branch, where she had gone to withdraw money. A school teacher, kidnapped from his home at a remote village in West Khasi Hills district last night, was rescued and three of his captors arrested today. Sengsram Marak, who teaches in a school at his native village Dobakdrop, was kidnapped by heavily-armed miscreants, IG (Operations) G H P Raju said. A search operations was launched immediately and two persons were picked up from neighbouring Malangkona village, he said. On their inputs, another person was arrested and the teacher was rescued from Nonghawei area. Two persons were arrested from Delhi after Thane Police claimed to have busted a kidney transplant racket here, where the accused allegedly duped several ailing patients of lakhs of rupees. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Parag Manere said the accused duo --identified as Kaif Khan, 27 and Neha Mehra, 33-- both residents of Delhi were arrested last week while another accused Karishma is absconding. According to police, the accused were apprehended after Badlapur police station received a complaint from an orthopaedic surgeon in December last year that he had been cheated by some persons from Delhi offering help to get a kidney for his 65-year-old father, who was suffering from renal failure. Earlier, the doctor had struck a deal of Rs 20 lakhs for the transplant and paid Rs 5 lakh as advance as the cheats pretended that they were in search of a suitable donor, which later drew a blank. The father-son duo were then called to Delhi, where at a hospital the cheats produced a dummy donor in front of them and pretended again that the match for the transplant was being done. However, when they informed that the right match has not been found, the duo returned to Mumbai. This process went on for a while last year, before the doctor finally approached police in December. When investigations began, the police team probing the case first caught hold of the dummy donor--Piyush Nimawat of Gujarat. Close interrogation of Piyush revealed the entire racket which was going on with the help of a web portal, "I Need Kidney". According to the Assistant Commissioner of Police Crime Nagesh Lohar who also addressed a conference here yesterday, the arrested duo along with one absconding accused Karishma informed the victim that they were employed with Max Hospital in Delhi and offered to help him in the transplantation. Police further said that one of the cheats even issued a cheque of Rs 5 lakh towards refund after the process failed but it got bounced. Police is presently probing two other cases of cheating, where in a similar manner, patients from Ajmer and Ambernath were cheated. The KIMS Medical Centre in Doha and KIMS Oman Hospital in Muscat have achieved the prestigious ACHSI accreditation. The joint efforts of the medical and administrative teams of KIMS have helped achieve this milestone, KIMS Group Chairman Dr Mohammed Sahadulla said in a statement. ****** ELECREMA to be held in Bengaluru from Feb 13 * Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers Association (IEMMA) will hold the12th edition of ELECREMA - world electricity forum here from February 13 to 17. ELECRAMA-2016 will provide the stakeholders in the power industry, global views on technology, its best practices, and new systems, organisers told reporters here. ****** Rossell India Q3 net profit rises marginally to Rs 7.76 crore * Rossell India today reported a marginal increase in net profit at Rs 7.76 crore in the third quarter of this fiscal. The Kolkata-based company, with diverse interests in tea, aviation and hospitality sectors, had posted a net profit of Rs 7.68 crore in the October-December quarter of the 2014-15 fiscal. ****** Airtel commits to curb carbon footprint with 'Project Leap' * Telecom major Bharti Airtel today announced the migration of 40,000 of its network sites across the country to green technology and going forward it will enhance usage of renewable energy to power its mobile towers. Under its about Rs 60,000-crore "Project Leap", Airtel committed to bring down its carbon footprint emission by 70 per cent by 2018. Kalpataru Power posts Rs 38 cr profit for Dec quarter * Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd today reported a standalone net profit of Rs 38.11 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 against that of Rs 40.99 crore in the year-ago period. Total income from operations declined to Rs 868.04 crore in the quarter, over Rs 1,147.13 crore in the year-ago period, the company said in a statement. * * * * * * * Aster MIMS unveils interactive surgery guide * Kozhikode-based Aster MIMS today unveiled "Aster MIMS Surgery Guide" a first-of-its-kind guidecovering more than 150 major and minor surgeries, to provide patients with information pertaining to surgical procedures. The app available on iOS and Android platforms in English and Malayalam onthe website and other offline medium,offers a wide range of information including definition, procedure, risk involved, methodand pre and post-surgery care for all listed procedures. * * * * * * My Eco Energy plans to provide bio fuel INDIZEL * My Eco Energy plans to provide its bio fuel INDIZEL at about 750 outlets in Rajasthan in next 3 years. Santosh Verma, Co founder the company, said that the diesel will be a superior qualitybio-fuel priced Rs. 2- 2.5 lower than petroleum diesel. * * * * * * Asus announces Valentine Day gift offers * IT hardware company Asus today announced Valentine's Day offer under which people buying its product between February 8 to 14 will win gift from the company. The first 200 customers will be given ASUS earphones ZenEars and the next 100 will win ASUS ZenPowers power bank. Besides this, 100 lucky winners will be given a wired mouse and 50 will get Flipkart vouchers worth Rs 1,000. The winners will be selected basis a lucky draw. Konica Minolta bets big on education; launches ERP sol * Japanese printer firm Konica Minolta today said it expects to double the contribution from the education sector to its revenues to about 10 per cent with the launch of its 'educo ERP' solution. Educo ERP is an enterprise resource planning solution platform, designed for schools, colleges, institutes, universities and training centres. It supports multiple languages. The solution will be available for an annual fee of Rs one lakh onwards. ****** Weddingz.In raises pre-Series A fund * Weddingz.In, an online wedding marketplace, has raised pre-Series A fund from Sixth Sense Ventures, a consumer-centric fund. Sixth Sense Ventures has previously invested in several successful businesses including Grab, Purplle, Vini Cosmetics and Gowardhan among others. ****** AP Minister briefed about Oracle's project management software * Software giant Oracle's representatives today met Andhra Pradesh Roads and Buildings Minister Sidda Raghava Rao and explained him about a software developed by the company for infrastructure and project portfolio management. The 'Primavera - Oracle' software was used in the construction of iconic World Trade Centre, New York and Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper in Dubai among others. ****** Karnataka's 'Mobileone" wins gold award at world govt summit *'Karnataka MobileOne', the flagship application of the state Government, has been awarded the best m-Government Service in the World at the first 'World Government Summit' in Dubai. The Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdam bin Mohammed Al Maktoum and UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented the award to the Secretary in the Department of e-Governance Srivatsa Krishna, at a ceremony last night, the state government said. 2 REC subsidiaries struck off from official records * Two wholly-owned subsidiaries of REC Transmission Projects Company Ltd have been struck off from the records of Registrar of Companies (RoC). The two firms are Nellore Transmission Ltd and Baira Siul Sarna Transmission Ltd. "This has reference to our earlier information regarding approval of the dissolution of two wholly-owned subsidiaries of RECTPCL...By the board of directors," Rural Electrification Corporation Limited said in a filing to BSE. The office of Registrar of Companies (RoC), NCT of Delhi and Haryana has approved the applications for striking off the names of the two project specific special purpose vehicles, the filing said. * * * * * * Millionlights launches TV channel focused on skill development * Millionlights has launched a TV channel focused on higher education and skill development in partnership with DEN Manoranjan Satellite. The channel, which has been launched as a pilot in Pune and nearby towns, will reach about 2.5 lakh households initially, Millionlights, an education content provider said. "We aim to create a landscape of content, delivery platforms and certifications leading to higher employability. Our partners include universities, teachers and technology companies, certification companies. The launch of TV channel is a step ahead towards open access of content," Millionlights Chairman Pradeep Varma said. "We already have powerful platforms like Microsoft Virtual Academy content on our online channel that focuses on skill development, education career guidance and education related . We currently generate upwards of 100 hours of new content every month," Varma said. * * * * * * ICSI welcomes passage of GST Amendment Bill * The Institute of Company Secretaries of India today hailed the passage of the GST Amendment Bill in Parliament, saying it would help the economy and the professionals. ICSI President Mamta Binani said, "We welcome the passage of the GST Amendment Bill. It will help the economy as well as practicing company secretary professionals." After the GST was implemented, all indirect taxes would get subsumed into one, thereby weeding away both corruption and paperwork, she told reporters in Kolkata. * * * * * * ITC appoints ace shuttler Saina Nehwal as brand ambassador * Leading FMCG company ITC today said it has appointed ace shuttler Saina Nehwal as brand ambassador for an antiseptic liquid. Sameer Satpathy, Chief Executive (personal care products) at ITC said Nehwal would endorse the Savlon brand antiseptic liquid. "We are happy to engage ace shuttler Saina Nehwal as the brand ambassador of Savlon," he said in a statement. NTPC's 50MW solar plant at Anantapuram starts production * State-run NTPC today said that its 50 MW electricity generation capacity at NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project at Anantapuram has started commercial production from today. "... Upon testing and commissioning 50 MW capacity of NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project at Anantapuram is declared on commercial operation with effect from August 10, 2016," NTPC said in a BSE filing today. * * * * * * * Textile Min sets up flex boards with canvas on I'Day * To celebrate the 70th Independence Day, Textiles Ministry has put up flex boards with canvas in 70 locations across the country, on which the public can express their unique interpretation of National Independence and hopes and aspirations for the future. The initiative called Colours of Independence (Azadi Ke Rang) is being conducted across India from August 9 to 15 "to infuse the passion of freedom and patriotism among the people, especially youth". Under the initiative, a flex has been created with a Khadi Canvas in the centre. The flex board along with the canvas has been put up in a prominent place in each identified location for general public to express their views on the occasion of the 70th Independence Day. India's first ever integrated climate cell at Kolkata Municipal Corporation is in the process of activating a mobile app for citizens that will give them alerts during natural disasters. This first-of-its-kind app in the country is intended to give information to citizens on various eco-friendly measures and alerts during disasters as part of preparedness planning, a release said. The initiative is expected to help people take steps at individual and collective levels to make a difference to the city, the release said. The setup of the climate change cell has been supported by the UK under a two-year UK-Kolkata Municipal Corporation Programme of 1 million pound technical assistance on low carbon and climate-resilient Kolkata. Speaking at the soft launch of the cell, West Bengal Pollution Control Board Chairman Kalyan Rudra said CNG was necessary for clean air and so far their had been lukewarm response from state and Centre on this. He expects there can only be shakeup if court issues any directive as there had been response to several communications from the board to state and Centre on CNG. The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) today demanded imposition of President's Rule in Bihar alleging a continuous slide in law and order situation in the state under the Nitish Kumar-led government. LJP Parliamentary Board chief Chirag Paswan told reporters his party had decided to "keep mum" for at least six months since the coming to power of the Mahagathbandhan government but he was "forced" to speak. "...The way law and order is deteriorating within two-and-a-half months of the new government my party is forced to hit the streets," he said. "There is nothing called law and order in the state so there is no other option but to impose President rule in Bihar," he maintained. Chirag, son of Union Minister and party chief Ram Vilas Paswan, was accompanied by state LJP chief Pashupati Kumar Paras. The LJP MP from Jamui said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had reined in criminals during his earlier tenure but after entering into "alliance with RJD he cannot check crime even if he wants to". Junior Paswan announced his party would organise dharna in all the districts tomorrow to protest against "rapid deterioration" in law and order situation in the state. Two days back, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan had also made a scathing attack at the Nitish Kumar-led government in the wake of killing of party leader Brijnathi Singh in Patna. The law and order situation in Bihar has become even worse than "jungle raj" of 90s, he had said. The nephew of NCP MP and former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Vijaysinh Mohite Patil was arrested today for allegedly assaulting a police officer. Satyasheel, 32, was arrested after he assaulted assistant police inspector Parshuram Korke at Akluj in Solapur district late last night, a police official from Akluj police station told PTI. Nine others have also been arrested, police said, adding that all of them have been booked under IPC sections 143, 147, 148, 149, 294, 323, 324, 332, 353, 504, 506 and 135. They will be produced in a court later today, the official said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon launch a smart card scheme for over 40 crore unorganised workers in the country to provide them various social security benefits like insurance and pension. "Within one month Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch smart card called UWIN (Unorganised Workers' Identification Number) card. We had sought time from the Prime Minister for launching it for over 40 crore workers in the country," Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya told reporters at launch of Global Network Operations Centre (g-NOC) of EPFO here. The minister said that through the UWIN card, government wants to provide social security to all those people who are not covered either by Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) or Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). He said that the UWIN card will be a chip-based instrument to provide benefit to these workers and their family under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), Atal Pension Yojana, Aam Admi Bima Yojana (AABY), Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. The minister said that the entire task of issuing smart cards to all informal sector workers would take at least two years time and government will issue 10 crore such cards in the first phase. Asked about Centre's plan to invest funds lying in dormant EPF accounts, the minister said, "We are custodian of the workers' money. The worker can come and claim his or her funds. Elaborating further, Labour Secretary Shankar Aggarwal said, "Finance Ministry is working on how to use around Rs 30,000 crore in inoperative accounts without compromising on workers right. Labour Ministry has no right over that money." Inoperative accounts are those accounts where contribution is not made for more than 36 months. EPFO does not credit interest in these accounts once these became inoperative. However holders of these accounts can claim withdrawal. On the possibility of providing 9 per cent rate of interest to over five crore subscribers of the EPFO for 2015-16, the Minister said that Centre Board of Trustees' will take a call on it on February 16 at its meeting in Chennai. There is possibility that EPFO may pay 9 per cent rate of interest for the current fiscal as providing 8.95 per cent will leave a surplus of over Rs 100 crore as per September calculations of the EPFO worked out in September. An EPFO trustee had earlier told More than 500 people, including dozens of civilians, have been killed since a major Russian-backed regime offensive in Syria's Aleppo province began this month, a monitor said today. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of sources for its figures, said the toll of 506 included 23 children killed in Russian air strikes on Aleppo city and its surroundings since the operation was launched on February 1. "At least 143 pro-regime fighters, 274 rebels and foreign jihadists, and 89 civilians were killed from February 1 until Tuesday night," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said that 14 Iranian troops and at least three fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah movement had died fighting alongside the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Abdel Rahman added that more than 100 foreign jihadists, including members of Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate, had died since the offensive began. Fighting today raged around Tamura, north of Aleppo city, with intense Russian air raids on several nearby villages, the Observatory said. Pro-regime forces have made a series of gains this month in Aleppo province, severing rebel supply lines and prompting tens of thousands to flee towards the Turkish border. The UN has warned 300,000 people in eastern Aleppo city could be cut off from humanitarian aid if government forces encircle the area, a tactic used by the regime to devastating effect against other former rebel bastions. Moscow today warned that Washington's deployment of a US missile defence system to South Korea could spark an arms race in the region. South Korean and US defence officials said last week they would begin formal talks on the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System (THAAD) system in response to North Korea's recent nuclear and missile tests. "The appearance of elements of the US global missile defence system in the region -- which is characterised by a very difficult security situation -- can provoke an arms race in Northeast Asia and complicate the resolution of the nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula," said the Russian foreign ministry. "On a more global scale, this step can increase the destructive influence of the US global missile defence system on international security and stability." The foreign ministry reiterated that Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests "could not but inspire strong condemnation" but accused Washington of using them to expand its missile defence system. The US insists that the defence system is a deterrent necessitated by the North's advancing ballistic missile programme. China has also argued it would undermine stability in the delicately balanced region. Pyongyang has said that the deployment of a missile defence system would be a Cold War tactic to "contain" China and Russia. The THAAD system, in service since 2008, includes truck-mounted launchers, radars, interceptor missiles and global communications links. Five THAAD batteries are currently operational, according to the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, and two more were ordered in 2014. North Korea's rocket launch last week, widely seen as a disguised long-range missile test, sparked international fury and prompted an agreement at the UN Security Council to slap new sanctions against the increasingly defiant state. The launch, which violated multiple UN resolutions, came just weeks after Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test. Australian dairy industry growth in winning formula Infant formula sales have grown by 30 per cent in the past year according to Dairy Australias new Situation and Outlook report released today. The growth in formula sales is the highlight of the report which otherwise reflects an industry continuing to battle low prices due to the international oversupply of milk which plagued dairy farmers in 2015. Milk prices remain steady According to Dairy Australia, Australias milk sales remained steady increasing just 0.4 per cent over the 12 months to December 2015. The majority of extra product sold was UHT. Sales volumes for UHT product rose 2.1 per cent to a total of AUD$192 million litres. Category value declined 1.1 per cent due to declining per litre pricing which fell 3.1 per cent to an average AUD$1.31. The report revealed Australian consumers are ditching low-fat milk in favour of full-cream with sales of full cream fresh white milk increasing by 5.1 per cent but modified milk down 8.8 per cent. Private label milk options continued to gain market share in the fresh white milk category representing 63.4 per cent of sales. Australians lose interest in smooth and creamed cheese Cheese sales also remained steady for the 12 months ending October 2015. Smooth and creamed cheese sales dropped 6.4 per cent and sliced cheese sales fell 1.8 per cent. Block and snacking cheese performed better with a slight 0.7 per cent and 3.7 per cent, respectively, sales growth. Dairy spreads was one of the better dairy performers in the 12 months prior to the end of December 2015 with the product category growing 4.7 per cent in volume and 6.1 per cent in value. Costs of production taking toll The report states that input costs such as water and hay for cattle are continuing to add challenges to Australian dairy farmers. Dairy Australia said international weather is also taking its toll. A tough international market and challenging weather are driving a southern hemisphere supply response, but northern hemisphere milk production growth continues, the report states. The US remains focused on domestic markets, but Europe continues to aggressively in grow export market share, the report said. Chinese demand quietens Dairy Australia said Chinese demand is currently subdued. Global demand growth continues to largely come from price sensitive countries. While demand from Greater China and Russia remains subdued, Japan continues to see strong growth, as does Southeast Asia, the report said. Farmers in Sherpur village here have alleged that they have been asked to cut their standing crops prematurely to make way for people to reach the venue where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be felicitated for his new crop insurance scheme on February 18. However, the BJP has denied the allegation. "An official yesterday asked me to chop down my green blade and this will inflict lakhs of rupees loss to me," farmer Suresh Parmar (45) of Sherpur village alleged while talking to PTI today. "I am going to be left in penury," he rued. Parmar's brothers Dashrath Parmar and Rajesh Parmar said that the family owns more than five acres of agriculture land on which they had sown wheat. "We have laboured hard and were waiting to reap the crop, but the authorities have asked us to chop it off when it is not yet ripe," they alleged. Denying the allegations of the farmers, BJP vice president Vinay Sahastrabuddhe today said, "Nobody's crop has been damaged". He was asked to comment on the government officials' alleged diktat to some farmers to slaughter their green blade. Madhya Pradesh Farmers Welfare Minister Gourishanker Bisen had told reporters yesterday that no farmer has been asked to chop off his crop. Modi's felicitation is scheduled in Sehore, the home district of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on February 18. North Korea's army chief of staff has been executed, South Korean media reported today, in what would amount to the latest in a series of purges and executions of top officials by leader Kim Jong-Un. Ri Yong-Gil, Chief of the Korean People's Army (KPA) General Staff was executed earlier this month for forming a political faction and corruption, Yonhap news agency said, citing a source familiar with North Korean affairs. The report came at a time of highly elevated tensions on the divided Korean peninsula following the North's recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. Ri was often seen accompanying Kim Jong-Un on inspection tours, but his name was conspicuously missing from state media reports of a recent major party meeting and celebrations over Sunday's rocket launch. "The execution... Suggests that Kim Jong-Un still feels insecure about his grip on the country's powerful military," Yonhap quoted the source as saying. "It shows that Kim's reign of terror still persists," the source was quoted as saying. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) in Seoul declined to comment on the report. In May last year the NIS said Kim had his defence chief, Hyon Yong-Chol, executed -- reportedly with the use of an anti-aircraft gun. Hyon's fate was never confirmed by Pyongyang but he has never been seen or heard of since. Some analysts have suggested he was purged and imprisoned. Reports -- some confirmed, some not -- of purges, executions and disappearances have been common since Kim took power following the death of his father Kim Jong-Il in December 2011. A large number of senior officials, especially military cadres, were removed or demoted as the young leader sought to solidify his control over the powerful army. In the most high-profile case, Kim had his influential uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, executed in December 2013 for charges including treason and corruption. The Nagaland government has formed an enquiry commission to probe the killing of a couple on February 6 and the series of subsequent violent incidents in Tuensang district, while the Chief Minister TR Zeliang appealed for peace. The enquiry commission would be headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police, an official statement said today. As both the husband and wife were government employees, the government has decided to pay an ex-gratia of Rs one lakh and offered a job to the next of kin of the couple, it said. Nagaland Chif Minister TR Zeliang has appealed to the people of all communities to maintain peace and harmony and said that the law enforcing agencies must be permitted to look into the crime so that culprits could be booked immediately, it said. Meanwhile, a delegation of Eastern Nagaland Legislators' Union, led by senior Cabinet minister P Longon, has left for Shamator today to assess the situation. Alemba and Naro were shot dead in their vehicle at Shamator in Tuensang district following which a mob went on rampage and set several vehicles on fire and damaged houses on the evening of February 6. Nagaland joined the nation in observing 'National Deworming Day' today. Speaking at a programme, Principal Director of Health and Family Welfare Nagaland, Dr Sukhato A Sema said the government will initiate work among the children in the age group of 1 to 19 years to ensure that their health improved. Sema, who was addressing the programme launch at TM Government Higher Secondary School here, said that allied departments like School Education, PHED and the Village Councils will work together for the wellbeing of the children. Health and Family Welfare Director (Health), Dr N Mhabemo Kithan in his keynote address said main objective of National Deworming Day (NDD) is to de-worm all pre-school and school going children, either enrolled or non-enrolled, to improve their overall health, nutritional status access to education and quality of life. He said Albendazole tablet will be administered to all children with the help of teachers in the schools of ASHA workers at Anganwadi centers. Technical Officer from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Diksha Chaudhury said that Centre is putting emphasis in maintaining the life of the children as they are the future of the country. Launching of the deworming day is to provide quality of life to the children all over the country, she said. Natalie Portman has joined Jessica Chastain in "Mommy" writer-director's "The Death and Life of John F Donovan". Nicholas Hoult and Thandie Newton have also joined the cast of Dolan's first English-language film, which stars Chastain as a villainous gossip columnist, said The Hollywood Reporter. "Game of Throne" actor Kit Harington stars as an American TV star in his late 20s and his correspondence with a young actor-to-be living with his mother in England. Their lives take a dramatic turn when the existence of their pen-pal relationship is publicly exposed by a gossip columnist. A decade later, the younger actor revisits the events over the course of an interview. Other actors set to star in the indie film include Kathy Bates and Susan Sarandon. Taking a serious view of felling of over 50 trees in the Mangar forest area in Faridabad, the National Green Tribunal has directed Haryana government to investigate the issue and submit a detailed damage report. The green panel directed the state government to look into the complaint by an environmentalist who alleged that some private firms were trying to change the land-use from 'gair mumkin pahar' (non-cultivable land) to agricultural land by changing the land record in Mangar area which is hilly and forested. "The grievance of the applicant was that land records were changed from 'gair mumkin pahar' to agricultural land... Counsel appearing for Haryana submits that this mischief was committed by a particular patwari and after detecting it, directions were issued to rectify the same and corrective steps are being taken. "It was submitted that there was no change in the jamabandi (land records). Hence what survives is only the prayer regarding restoration of trees that were destroyed when the road was attempted to be constructed... State of Haryana is directed to furnish the detailed damage report showing exact number of trees cut," a bench headed by Justice M S Nambiar said. The green panel was hearing a plea filed by Col Sarvadaman Singh Oberoi who had said that "more than 50 trees axed as the road cuts through heart of Mangar". He also annexed newspaper reports in this regard. During the proceedings, Haryana government told the bench that proceedings in the tree cutting incident have already been initiated and outcome was awaited. It also informed NGT that the private firms which had applied for change of land use have already withdrawn the application which was pending before the court of the Assistant Collector. The Tribunal had earlier stayed the attempts of three companies to change the land use pattern in parts of Mangar Bani, a grove off the Gurgaon-Faridabad highway. The petition, filed through advocates Ritwick Dutta and Rahul Choudhary, had sought stay on attempts by the companies -- Kenwood Mercantile, Goodfaith Builders Pvt Ltd and Nandak Infocom -- to change the land use pattern. According to the petitioner, the firms had filed 90 applications with the Haryana Revenue Department to change the land use of several patches. State-run NHPC today reported more than doubling of its net profit to Rs 388.02 crore for the third quarter ended December due to better operational efficiency and tariff finalisation by CERC for few power stations. The company's net profit in the corresponding quarter of the last fiscal was Rs 179.83 crore, it said in a BSE filing. "You would be glad to know that NHPC's net profit during third quarter jumped 116 per cent," NHPC Chairman and Managing Director K M Singh told reporters here. The net profit was mainly boosted by better operational efficiency and tariff finalization (2014-19) by CERC for some of the power stations. Net sales of the company, which is mainly into power generation business, during the quarter stood at Rs 1,440.90 crore against Rs 1,177.04 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. The gross generation of the company was up by 28 per cent to 4,070 million units for October-December quarter in comparison to the same period of the previous fiscal. The plant availability factor has been reported at 78 per cent as against previous year corresponding figure of 69 per cent. Singh further said that it has been approached by companies like Jindal Power, Lanco for taking over their hydro power projects in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. NHPC has been approached for Teesta VI, Panan and Ragit IV hydro power projects in Sikkim. It has also been approached for projects in Arunachal Pradesh like 3097 MW Etalin project and 680 MW Attunli project. "All the projects in Arunachal Pradesh (for which we have been approached) are with Jindal (Power)," he said. "In Sikkim Teesta VI project is being done by Lanco," he said. Talking about its solar power plants, he said the company was planning 50 MW project in Uttar Pradesh, among others. "Today, we are signing MoU with Maharashtra for 50 MW solar plant," Singh said. Replying to a question, he said the company is expecting improvement in Subansiri Lower project after Assam elections. The scheduled date of commissioning of the project was 2011, the company said. The company has a cash reserves of around Rs 6,000 crore. The cumulative power generation of all NHPC power stations stood at 21,460 MU against the excellent target of 19746 MU up to January 2016. NHPC, the country's largest hydro power producer, has a present installed capacity of 4,987 MW at standalone and 6,507 MW on consolidated basis with a total of 20 operating power stations. While 18 power stations are operated by NHPC, two are operated by NHDC, a subsidiary company with the government of Madhya Pradesh. Apart from this, the company has a total of five projects under construction. Singh further said that 50 MW wind power project in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan was under execution "and we expect next month it would be commissioned. The US and India have taken no decision on conducting joint naval patrols, the Pentagon today said but stressed the two countries were exploring ways to expand defence their ties, amid reports that the naval patrols may include the disputed South China Sea. The response from Defence Department spokesman Commander Bill Urban came as media reports suggested that India and the US recently held talks about conducting joint naval patrols in areas that may include the disputed South China Sea. "On the matter of joint patrols, no decisions have been made and we do not have any additional details to provide at this time," Urban told PTI. "The United States and India continue to explore ways to deepen our defense cooperation, including in the area of maritime security," Urban said, without giving the details of the areas likely to be covered under the proposition. The Department of Defence and India's Ministry of Defence prioritised cooperation over maritime security in the "Framework for the US-India Defence Relationship" signed by Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter and his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar in June 2015. "We continue to work with our Indian counterparts on how and where to expand engagement in this area," Urban said. In recent years, India and the US have ramped up their military ties. They held naval exercises in the Indian Ocean last year, that also involved the Japanese navy. The response also came in the backdrop of an assertive China, whose recent actions in the disputed South China Sea have left many nations, including Vietnam and the Philippines who have rival claims in the region, worried about security. Yesterday James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence said that regional tension will continue as "China pursues construction at its expanded outposts in the South China Sea and because competing claimants might pursue actions that others perceive as infringing on their sovereignty." The US accused that recent Chinese actions of building artificial islands in the disputed area has threatened freedom of navigation in the region through which more than USD 5 trillion in world trade passes every year. China this month accused the US of seeking maritime hegemony after a US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of a disputed island in the Paracel chain of the South China Sea. Constitutional expert Subhas Kashyap today dismissed Opposition's allegations that the Jharkhand government was violating constitutional norms by not having a full strength cabinet even after a year in office, saying it was not illegal. "Yes, there is provision for 12 ministers for Jharkhand... in my opinion (keeping a) berth vacant is not illegal," he said, replying to a query by senior Congress MLA Manoj Yadav during a day's training camp of 'Legislature Proceedings' for MLAs here. Commenting on what if a member resigned even after having a full strength cabinet, he said one could not say it as unconstitutional. During his speech earlier in the day, the Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Hemant Soren sought to know whether the "incomplete" ministry was constitutional. The Opposition has been accusing the BJP-led NDA government of being unconstitutional for not filling up the twelfth minister even after completion of a year in office. (Reopens CES 37) Kashyap also stressed on the need for maximum legislative participation in a bill from its draft stage to its passage. "Legislative participation is necessary in a democracy in the passage of bills... Legislators should take interest in the process so that legislature participation is there," he said. The former Secretary-General of Lok Sabha was also of the view that hasty passage of bills would affect their quality. Citing several examples as to how bills were rushed through within short duration, he said sufficient time should be given for introduction, consideration, discussions and passage of bills. Kashyap pitched for a systematic planning to prepare bills and letting it through legislative committee for study to give legislature its participation in bill making and its subsequent passage. He suggested consultations could also be held with NGOs and other institutions at programming and draft stage of the bill. (Reopens CES 39) Another constitutional expert G C Mehrotra advised legislators that pointed and straight questions will fetch the desired answers during Assembly proceedings. "And supplementary questions should be from the starred (or main) question," he said addressing the training camp. Mehrotra said misleading replies would attract breach of privilege. The former Secretary-General of the 12th Lok Sabha said members have wide scope to raise issues during debate on Motion of Thanks to Governor's address, during which they even get a chance to make the government accountable. There was also a wide scope to raise issues during debates on passage of budget and appropriation bill. He stated that after the media has been highlighting members' performance on the basis of RTI (Right to Information), participation in questions has risen in the Houses. Pointing out that questions were a powerful device in the matter of public interest, Mehrotra, however, cautioned the members to be careful against questions of 'lobbyists' and cited how two members had been expelled in the past. Asking the members to "catch the attention of the Chair" to get a chance to ask supplementary questions, he advised all members to refer to the rule book and the Constitution before quoting from them. The Obama administration rejected a Republican suggestion to use the money provided by Congress to fight the Ebola virus to combat the Zika virus and mosquitoes that spread it. President Barack Obama is asking Congress for more than $1.8 billion in emergency funding to respond to the Zika virus. There has been no transmission of the virus by mosquitoes within the US, but at least 50 travelers have returned home with the infection. At least 16 cases have been confirmed in Florida. Republican Senator Roy Blunt, who heads an appropriations subcommittee on health, yesterday said the administration has money left over that was allocated to fight Ebola and other infectious diseases. "So there's no immediate shortage of money for the administration to do what they think needs to be done," Blunt told reporters yesterday. But Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said she and other administration officials "believe we need to finish the job in terms of Ebola" and focus separately on Zika. "We want to do both of them and we are going to do both," Burwell said after she and other top officials briefed congressional leaders yesterday on efforts to combat Zika. Burwell, who was set to testify before Congress this week on the administration's funding request, called the briefing "a great opportunity to talk about the (Zika) disease and ... the facts about what we do know and don't know about the disease." While experts don't expect large outbreaks in the continental US, the emergency funding would help officials prepare for any local transmission as spring and summer approach. The administration is seeking the Zika money separately from the regular budget for the next fiscal year that Obama submitted to Congress yesterday. "The urgency is learning what we can to do to fight it," Burwell said, adding that the disease had already shown up in Puerto Rico. "We need to put those things in place now." Most of the money would go to improving laboratory testing capacity, education and establishing rapid response teams. Coca-Cola South Pacific launches new ice tea line Coca-Cola South Pacific is now selling a new line of ice tea in Australia called Fuze Tea. Described as an aspirational iced tea offering it will be positioned as a premium product within the ice tea category. The range consists of five flavours including Wild Raspberry and Hibiscus, Summer Mango and Chamomile, Juicy Peach, Crisp Apple and Lemongrass and Zesty Lemon. A mixture of black, green and rooibos teas are used to create the teas. Three of the five variants are low kilojoule and are sweetened with stevia. Fuze Tea will primarily target the adult social occasion with a focus on capturing the attention of women in the 18-49 age bracket. The launch of the drink is backed by a multi-million dollar marketing strategy. In the coming months, the Coca-Cola South Pacific will launch a series of marketing initiatives including a television commercial, out-of-home advertising, PR and digital activity. Brand Manager for Fuze Tea, Emma Harper, said Coca-Cola South Pacific genuinely believed the beverage was a new offering within the ice tea category. Fuze Tea is available for purchase now in 350ml and 1.25L bottles at grocery and petrol stations across Australia. The low kilojoule verities are available from McDonalds and Hungry Jacks. The Obama administration has proposed $860 million in aid for Pakistan, including $265 million for military hardware, which it said would help the country fight terrorists, secure nuclear weapons and improve ties with India. While there was no mention of Pakistan in President Barack Obama's budgetary proposals, Secretary of State John Kerry in his proposals said the budget includes $859.8 million towards sustaining ties with Pakistan and making progress to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat violent extremist groups". "The requested funding will support the country's counter-insurgency missions, and bolster stability, energy access, economic growth, and social reform," Kerry said in a letter accompanying his proposals. "Pakistan lies at the heart of the US counter-terrorism strategy, the peace process in Afghanistan, nuclear non-proliferation efforts, and economic integration in South and Central Asia," State Department said making its case for the aid to Pakistan under the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund. "OCO resources will support critical US activities such as ensuring the safety of Pakistani nuclear installations, working with Pakistan to facilitate the peace process in Afghanistan, and promoting improved relations with India," it said. For Pakistan, the OCO request supports a robust diplomatic presence and critical assistance programmes to advance cooperation and reforms in energy, economic growth, and agriculture, education, health, and stabilisation of areas vulnerable to violent extremism, it said. This includes supporting the government and its people, while maintaining diplomacy and outreach in the face of challenging political and security conditions, it said. The State Department plans to sustain the presence necessary to "achieve our essential strategic priorities of combating terrorism and enhancing stability in Pakistan and the region following the transition in Afghanistan. Under the Economic Support Fund (ESF) of the OCO, the State Department has proposed $400 million to Pakistan. The State Department said this will support the US' strategic objectives in the region, including combating terrorism and violent extremism and increasing security, growth and stability within Pakistan and the broader region. "The request will also demonstrate the US' commitment to fostering longterm cooperation with the Government of Pakistan in order to address areas of mutual interest," it said. Under OCO's Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement section, the State Department has proposed $40 million for Pakistan-funded programmes that will promote stability during the transition in Afghanistan. Proposing $265 million under Foreign Military Funding (FMF)-- which mainly means providing military hardware, the State Department said given the transition in Afghanistan and continued terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, it is essential to Pakistan's efforts to increase stability on its western border and within the country. US President Barack Obama has rolled out a USD 19 billion "national action plan" on cyber security as his intelligence chief warned of new security threats due to growing technologies that can open up doors to hackers. "We're going to reform the way the government manages and responds to cyber threats. We'll invest in cybersecurity education," Obama said as he proposed a USD 19 billion for cyber security. Obama said his Administration is determined to recruit the best talent in America in IT and in cybersecurity. He also announced creation of the first-ever Federal Chief Information Security Officer who will oversee these activities across agencies and across the federal government, as well as make sure that the federal government is interacting more effectively with the private sector, which obviously contains a huge amount of vital and critical infrastructure, and has to be protected. US intelligence chief James Clapper said that wider adoption of connected devices and "new systems that rely on artificial intelligence can open up doors to hackers. Clapper said "smart" Internet of Things (IoT) devices for autonomous vehicles, household appliances and systems such as electric power grids create new vulnerabilities. The Administration will work throughout this process to make sure that security also means privacy. "So with the help of companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Visa, we're going to empower Americans to be able to help themselves and make sure that they are safe online with an extra layer of security, like a fingerprint or a code sent to your cellphone," Obama said. Obama also announced to establish a new high-level commission on cybersecurity to gather the best ideas from outside of government to focus on long-term solutions. "Some of these issues are ones that we can solve relatively quickly. But in area where technology is constantly evolving, we've got to make sure that we're setting up a long-term plan anticipating where IT is going and anticipating where the cybersecurity threats are going to be," he said. Earlier in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, Obama said the federal government has been repeatedly targeted by cyber criminals, including the intrusion last year into the Office of Personnel Management in which millions of federal employees' personal information was stolen. "Hackers in China and Russia are going after US defence contractors. North Korea's cyberattack on Sony in 2014 destroyed data and disabled thousands of computers," he said. "With more than 100 million Americans' personal data compromised in recent years-including credit-card information and medical records-it isn't surprising that nine out of 10 Americans say they feel like they've lost control of their personal information," Obama said. "These cyberthreats are among the most urgent dangers to America's economic and national security. That's why, over the past seven years, we have boosted cybersecurity in government- including integrating and quickly sharing intelligence about cyberthreats-so we can act on threats even faster," Obama wrote. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today lashed out at the Opposition for carrying out a "campaign of lies" against AIADMK and the government, alleging that their aim was to criticise as they were unable to "digest" the state's progress. Seeking to enthuse party cadres ahead of elections, she said they should not be cowed down by such a campaign but further strengthen their resolve to ensure the party's grand victory in the coming elections. "Opposition parties which have no concern for the welfare of Tamil Nadu or its people have been carrying out a campaign of lies. Their only aim is to criticise AIADMK which has the people's support," she said. In her address at a mass marriage of party functionaries including that of Ministers' children, AIADMK General Secretary said that such a campaign of lies "is a yardstick of our growth." "They are criticising us because they are unable to digest our growth. This is the yardstick of our growth," she added. Jayalalithaa asked her supporters not to be bogged down by such criticism as AIADMK functioned in lines with Dravidian veteran C N Annadurai's policy that criticism boosts the zeal to make the pursuit towards achievements. The party supporters should strive hard and "I kindly request you to do the adequate field work to ensure our grand victory in the polls," she added. "If you cannot do it, who else can? I am confident that you will certainly do it (ensuring victory)," she said. Elections to the state are due in about two months even as the ruling AIADMK is facing criticism from opposition parties over a series of issues, including free availability of liquor in state-run TASMAC outlets. DMK and others have been demanding total prohibition while they have also been making allegations of corruption against the ruling party. Over 7,000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) arrived here today from Bihar, for the coming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, a senior official said. A total of 7,522 EVMs and 4,000 Control Units have been kept in safe custody in the office of Deputy Director of Health here, District Collector, Archana Patnaik said in a release. Four engineers from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and 20 officials from Election Department would carry out a preliminary inspection of the devices till February 19, she said. The machines were brought from West and East Champaran, Khagaria and Nawada districts of Bihar in 12 vans with full security, Archana said. In a rare admission, Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau Chief today said the country was facing growing threat from the Islamic State as hundreds of Pakistanis have travelled to Syria to join the terror outfit. "There are reports of fighters being recruited by sectarian and other outfits, and being sent to Syria. The number of people leaving from Pakistan to Syria to join IS are in hundreds," Director General Intelligence Bureau (IB) Aftab Sultan said. Addressing a Senate Standing Committee on interior affairs and narcotics control, Aftab said IB was locating militants in the country and carrying out arrests. He also confirmed trend among militants to leave for Syria for fighting despite "successes" in dismantling militant networks. He said local banned militants groups including Tekreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashker-e-Jhangvi (LJ) and Sipaha-e-Sihaba have a soft corner for the Islamic State terror group also known Dai'sh. "Pakistan Taliban support Dai'sh while Afghan Taliban are against it," he said. Aftab said militancy was going down but the threat remains. "Terrorists are on the run. Civilian security and intelligence set-ups are augmenting and implementing operation Zarb-e-Azb in cities," he added. The admission by IB chief about presence of ISIS came after a string of denials by officials about its footprints in Pakistan. "We have seen media reports that certain elements trying to associate themselves with Da'ish have been arrested and that investigations are going on," Foreign Office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah had said during a briefing last month as he dismissed the reports. Military and official of interior ministry have also made similar denials. Further, DG Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutanant General Asim Bajwa last year said Pakistan has "zero tolerance" for the emerging militant group. "Not even a shadow of Daish will be allowed in Pakistan," and Pakistani society had rejected the IS, and there was no acceptance of the terror group in the country, he had said. Pakistan may ban all activities linked to the celebration of the Valentine's Day in the capital Islamabad. The day's celebration on February 14 had often been criticised by Islamists as 'insult' to Islam. An official of the interior ministry said that the decision to ban the Valentine's Day celebrations was taken at the orders of Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan. The ban has, however, not been announced officially. It will be enforced through capital administration and formal notification will be issued by Islamabad deputy commissioner, the official said. The Valentine's Day activities have often been disrupted in the past by the supporters of hardline Jamaat-e-Islami but it is for the first time that the state has intervened to ban the festivities of the day. Members of a parliamentary panel today pushed for establishment of a "permanent mechanism" on the lines of Pay Commission to ensure that salaries and allowances of MPs are raised on a regular basis. At a meeting of Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament here, its members are learnt to have told the government that there is an urgent need to constitute a "permanent mechanism at the earliest" for review of the salary and allowances of parliamentarians. The government was represented by officials of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. Some members are also learnt to have sought a clarification on reports that a Parliamentary Affairs Ministry proposal to hike the basic salary of MPs from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh is pending with the Finance Ministry. The proposal, currently with the Finance Ministry, also suggests that basic pension should be raised from Rs 20,000 per month to Rs 35,000. The Committee also reminded the ministry of its recommendation to hike the monetary ceiling for furniture at MPs' residence from the present Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.50 lakh -- Rs 1.20 lakh for durable and another Rs 30,000 for non-durable furniture. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister had earlier rejected most of the proposals made by the committee. An MP gets a salary of Rs 50,000 per month. In addition, Rs 2,000 per day is paid as daily allowance when the MP signs the register while attending Parliament sessions or House committee meetings. The MP is entitled to Rs 45,000 constituency allowance every month -- Rs 15,000 for stationery and Rs 30,000 to employ secretarial assistance staff. MPs are also entitled for a government accommodation, air travel and train travel facilities, besides three landline telephone connections and two mobile phones. They also get a loan of Rs 4 lakh to buy a vehicle. Amid demands that MPs should not be allowed to decide their salaries, the government had in September proposed to set up a three-member panel to recommend pay and perks of lawmakers. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs had proposed a three-member independent Emoluments Commission to recommend salaries and other allowances for the Members of Parliament. The Delhi Assembly had recently passed Members of Legislative Assembly of Government of NCT of Delhi (Salaries, Allowances, Pension) Amendment Bill 2015. The bill provides for hike in basic salaries of legislators from current Rs 12,000 to Rs 50,000 and rise in their overall monthly package from existing Rs 88,000 to around Rs 2.1 lakh. A passenger today died on board a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight heading to Singapore from New Delhi, according to a media report. Flight SQ403, which landed in Singapore this morning, was not diverted, a SIA spokesperson said, without identifying the deceased or nationality. "We can confirm with regret that a passenger had passed away on flight SQ403 from New Delhi to Singapore today," the spokesperson said. "For privacy purposes, we are unable to share any further details. Our condolences go out to the family of the passenger at this time," the Channel Asia reported, citing an email reply by the airline spokesperson. According to a source who was on board the flight, the deceased was "a man in his 30s, and was travelling with his wife and child". SIA declined to confirm these details. Sharpening his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi today accused him of being "superficial" and also of undertaking a "poisonous" campaign along with RSS with the main aim of "dividing" Hindus and Muslims during polls. The Congress Vice-President also alleged that Modi "lacks understanding of things" and that he makes "big media celebrations" around "his ideas". Addressing the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee Executive meeting here, he said Modi does not want to go into details and likes to do his politics based on events. Citing an example, he said Modi had called up Congress President Sonia Gandhi and informed her about the signing of the Naga accord, when none of the Chief Ministers of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam knew about it. "None of the Chief Ministers--Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam--knew about it. His Home Minister does not know and soon we find out that there was no such accord and that the Prime Minister was actually not aware of what is going on." "Somebody told the Prime Minister that the accord has been signed and PM told the Congress president that an accord has been signed," he said. "So there is a superficiality in the way he uses the government," Gandhi said. Gandhi alleged that the main aim of Modi and RSS was to divide Hindus and Muslims during elections. "This was clear with their approach, whether it was Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and to some extent in Kerala and West Bengal," he said. Gandhi also said BJP undertakes two type of campaigns, one on development and the other an "underground poisonous campaign". He said Congress was standing up to the challenge, organising itself and defeating BJP. The best example is the victory of the Grand Alliance in Bihar, he added. "He(Modi) comes up with ideas and makes big media celebrations around that idea and then after that moves on to to the next idea," he said. Hitting out at the Centre, Gandhi said the NDA government had failed to move the economy and "businessmen are of the feeling that nothing is happening". He referred to Modi's description of NREGS launched by Congress as a 'useless' programme, while others, including the Finance Minister describing it as a good scheme, saying "This shows that there is a certain amount of hollowness and lack of understanding on what is going on." Gandhi also mentioned about the visit of Modi to Nepal and alleged that "within months after the PM visit, the relationship with that country was destroyed. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has taken a review of the Department of Posts (DoP) with special focus on the implementation of proposals submitted by a task force on leveraging the DoP's post office network. The PMO held a meeting with senior officials last week and discussed the action taken by DoP so far regarding setting up of the payments bank, e-commerce initiatives and modernisation of its information technology (IT) infrastructure. According to sources, the PMO is monitoring the progress made by DoP to improve its functioning and utilising the vast network of post offices across the country for financial inclusion. Regarding the payments bank, the DoP in its action-taken report to PMO said the public investment board (PIB) in its meeting, held on January 19, discussed the Rs 800-crore proposal and is awaiting PIB's response. "The recommendations of PIB shall thereafter be placed before the Cabinet for final approval. Meanwhile, the department is in the process of engaging a consultant for assisting it in setting up the India Post Payments Bank. Three bids were received till January 8, 2016, and are currently being evaluated," DoP said in the report. For strengthening the e-commerce infrastructure, DoP has set up 57 new state-of-the-art parcel centres across the country through which more than 400 e-commerce companies are being serviced. DoP said global positioning systems (GPSs) is being fitted in the outsourced and departmental vehicles to enable real-time tracking of parcel consignments. GPS devices have been installed in 926 departmental mail vans. The department said it is already implementing schemes for upgrading the infrastructure for handling logistics and parcels across the country and the current Five Year Plan has an approved outlay of Rs 568.20 crore for Mail Operations to cover such requirements. DoP said its tariff and costing division has reviewed the tariff of various services, in the light of directions received from the PMO and tariff for foreign mail services has been revised with effect from December 1, 2015. The department said it had written to all the government departments, state governments and public sector undertakings (PSUs) offering them its services for social mobilisation of their schemes. "This has resulted in tie-ups with Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) for use of postal services for pan-India distribution of its calendars up to panchayat level. Agreement has been signed with Bharat Electronics for delivery of their sensitive equipment across 80 locations within the country through Speed Post,' it said. The department has also undertaken sale of sovereign gold bonds as part of PM's Swaran Bharat Yojana on behalf of the finance ministry while a scheme for sale of India Gold Coins through post offices, in collaboration with MMTC, is also in final stages. Nicht Ihr Computer? Dann konnen Sie fur die Anmeldung ein Fenster zum privaten Surfen offnen. Weitere Informationen Delhi Police today issued a notice to Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, asking him to join the probe in connection with farmer Gajendra Singh's death during a rally organised by the party in Jantar Mantar area here last year. In the notice issued by Delhi Police's Crime Branch, which is probing the matter, Singh has been asked to join investigation of the case at the RK Puram Sector 8 office of Crime Branch at 12.30 PM tomorrow, the notice said. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav confirmed that the notice has been sent under Section 160 of CrPC. Apart from Singh, an AAP volunteer too was issued a similar notice today, a police officer said adding that so far the Crime Branch have issued similar notices to five persons. Reacting to the notice, Singh alleged that Delhi Police has resorted to a "shameful machination". "Modi ji's police has sent a notice in connection with farmer Gajendra Singh's death around one year after the incident took place, it is a shameful machination," Singh tweeted. On April 22, Gajendra Singh, a farmer from Rajasthan allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in full public view in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at an Aam Aadmi Party rally in New Delhi's Jantar Mantar area. The police registered a case under Sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 306 (abetment of suicide) against several unnamed persons at the Parliament Street police station. Later, the case was transferred to Delhi Police's Crime Branch. Dubbed 'super confessors', for one year only they can absolve sins usually only pardoned by the pope himself. And on Wednesday over 1,000 of these "missionaries of mercy", handpicked by Pope Francis, were sent forth to win back the hearts of those who have left the Catholic Church and open the door to repentant sinners across the world. There are certain evils the Vatican ranks above other sins, from attempting to assassinate the pope to defiling the Eucharist -- the rite of consuming consecrated bread and wine in Church -- by spitting it out or using it in a Satanic ritual. Since the 12th century, those guilty of these so-called "reserved sins" had their cases evaluated by a secret tribunal in the tiny Vatican city state before they were sent before the pope, who would determine an appropriate penance. Now, 1,142 priests and monks from around the world have be given the power, for the Vatican's Jubilee Year, to forgive sinners in their flocks -- and possibly fellow priests as one of the special sins is breaking the seal of confession. Maltese Franciscan Marcello Ghirlando, 53, told AFP he thought giving the 'super confessors' authority usually reserved for the man in white was "a symbolic gesture" to show people the Church is ready to wipe slates clean. "I think the pope wants to insist that 'listen, God is always going to forgive us if we turn to him with a clean heart, with a repentant heart'," he said with a grin, adding that he was relishing the challenge of bringing people back to church. Pope Francis has repeatedly warned priests not to turn off potential believers by being boring, inaccessible or overly intrusive, and on Tuesday he told the missionaries they should take a "maternal" approach to sinners. "Remember, you are not dealing with sin but a repentant sinner, a sinner who wants to change but can't," he said, telling them to "cover the sinner with a blanket of mercy, so that he is no longer ashamed and can rediscover joy. A pregnant woman has been diagnosed with the Zika virus in Australia, officials said today, adding that the disease was acquired overseas. The Australian government has urged pregnant women to avoid areas where the mosquito-borne Zika virus, suspected of causing a surge in brain-damaged babies in Brazil, is circulating. "A woman was diagnosed with the disease in South East Queensland on yesterday after recently returning from overseas," Queensland Health said in a statement. "The woman is pregnant. This is not a locally acquired case of the virus." It is the third confirmed case of the virus so far in Queensland this year, although one of these cases -- a woman who had recently returned from El Salvador, was later found to have contracted the virus in 2015. None of the cases in Australia of Zika, which normally causes relatively mild flu-like symptoms and a rash, were locally acquired. Scientists suspect that when Zika strikes a pregnant woman it can cause her fetus to develop microcephaly -- a condition which causes the baby to be born with an abnormally small head. There have been a number of reported cases of Zika in Australia as a result of travellers infected overseas returning home but the risk of an outbreak in the country is considered low. The prosecution in the landmark trial of former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre today demanded he be jailed for life and stripped of all his assets. "Given the evidence against him, there are grounds for finding Hissene Habre guilty of the crimes of torture, crimes against humanity and war crimes," said special prosecutor Mbacke Fall after a lengthy closing argument. Habre, 73, was president of the semi-desert central African country from 1982-1990. He went on trial last July in a special court, the Extraordinary African Chambers, established in Dakar by the African Union under an agreement with Senegal It marked the first time a court in an African country has called to account a despot from another African nation. An investigating commission found that well in excess of 40,000 people were killed during his rule, which was marked by fierce repression of his opponents and the targeting of rival ethnic groups. Fall today said the chain led to the top. "The apparatus of repression began to operate under the direction of Hissene Habre," Fall said. The country's political police, the DDS, was "directly subordinate to the presidency," he said. "Hissene Habre set up his own prisons, which are quite unconnected from the official system of incarceration. It was in these dying rooms that violations of human rights were the most overwhelming," said Fall, describing sites that were "concentration (camps), not detention centres." Habre, who was ousted by Chad's current President Idriss Deby Itno, has refused to address the court and does not recognise its authority. A group advocating the release of "political prisoners" today condemned the execution of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and hailed his "martyrdom" amid controversy over an event at JNU to protest against his "judicial killing". Committee for Release of Political Prisoners, a group comprising scholars and academics, expressed "serious concern" over the Centre's "non-seriousness" to resolve the Kashmir dispute and also paid "tributes" to executed Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder Mohammad Maqbool Butt. They raised "pro-azaadi" slogans at a press conference at the Press Club of India here while speaking to former Delhi University teacher SAR Geelani, who was acquitted in the Parliament attack case. "Afzal's martyrdom can't be treated in isolation because he didn't get a fair trial, or he is a hero because there is no evidence against him. We don't call them separatists who seek freedom from the Indian state because Kashmir is not a part of India if we look at historic literature," Uzma Falak, a filmmaker, said. While Guru was hanged on February 9, 2013 inside Tihar Jail in Delhi, Butt was executed on February 11, 1984. Ali Javed of University of Delhi, a member of 'Committee for Inquiry on December 13', said that Guru was hanged to cater to the "collective consciousness" of the society. "We understand that the Kashmir issue should be resolved through talks but the political parties have kept the issue alive to gain political mileage and to polarise vote bank along communal lines," he said. Uzma added, "No matter if there is a single Indian soldier or no Indian soldier in Kashmir at all, Kashmiris will fight for freedom and will not settle for anything less than that. Punjab Welfare Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike today said the state government has spent nearly Rs 1,000 crore on construction of memorials for martyrs and warriors to preserve its history. Addressing a gathering to mark the 170th martyrdom day of General Sham Singh Attariwala here today, Ranike asked the youth to tread the path shown by the great martyrs to realise their dream of healthy society. Ranike along with former Army chief Gen (retd) J J Singh paid tributes to the legendary Sikh General. Ranike said strenuous efforts have been made by the state government to preserve the glorious cultural legacy of the state by building world class monuments. Recalling the sacrifice made by Attariwal in the first Anglo-Sikh war at Sabraon on this day in 1846, Ranike said Sardar Sham Singh Attari was one of the greatest warriors of India, who, preferred death to servitude. Noting Attariwala's contribution, Singh, also former Arunachal Pradesh Governor, said his sacrifice for honour of country was also admired by the Britishers after the Sabraon war. Latching on to recent revelations made by Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley on the Mumbai terror strike, Congress today attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to pursue matters with Pakistan "beyond just optics". Reminding the BJP that it used to allege that UPA government was "soft on terror", party spokesperson RPN Singh said that any meaningful engagement with Pakistan has to take into account that there should be an immediate embargo on part of the Pakistani Army and the ISI in supporting anti-India groups and activities. "There should be a total ban on anti-India terror outfits like LeT, HuM, JuD, JeM and United Jehad Council and extradition of known terrorists like Hafiz Sayeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Syed Salahuddin, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Maulana Masood Azhar, Dawood Ibrahim and others. "We want to make it absolutely clear that national interest alone must govern Modi government's actions and policies on these issues," he said. Noting that the ongoing depositions being made by Headley reinforces what UPA government had maintained about the attack, Singh said, "His depositions underline unequivocally Headley is a terrorist working at behest of and in tandem with the Pakistani establishments, specifically the Army and ISI." "Headley's deposition again punctures all claims made by Pakistan to the contrary apart from exposing the oft-peddled propaganda by the BJP in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections that the UPA was not pursuing 26/11 with Pakistan seriously," he said. He said that while the government of India has already given all the evidences, the "final nail in the coffin has been the deposition of Headley". "These are the evidences that government of India has to act upon. They called us soft on terror but during our time Jaish-e-Mohammad was banned, Lakhvi was arrested. There was a bounty declared on Hafiz Sayeed. If we were soft on terror, what are they doing," Singh asked. The Congress spokesperson said it is now clear that Headley was in constant touch with anti-India state as well as non-state actors in Pakistan, including terrorist organisations like LeT, HuM, JuD, JeM and United Jehad Council and Sayeed, Lakhvi, Salahuddin and Zargar. "In fact, his deposition establishes that there is no line of differentiation between state and non-state actors in Pakistan as far as export of terror to India is concerned. It once again establishes Pakistan's complicity in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. "Apart from all these, a very serious take away from the deposition is the fact that engagement with Pakistan needs to be based on certain principles and the Prime Minister will be well advised to pursue matters with Pakistan beyond just optics and should be aimed at bringing the perpetrators of 26/11 as well as the recent Pathankot terror attacks to the book," he said. The initial public offer (IPO) of software provider Quick Heal Technologies has been oversubscribed 1.81 times till afternoon on the last day of the offer today. The Rs 451-crore IPO received bids for 1.83 crore shares against the total issue size of over 1 crore shares, data available with the NSE till 1300 hrs showed. Quick Heal has already raised Rs 133.9 crore through issue of shares to 10 anchor investors. The company has fixed the price band at Rs 311-321 for its IPO. The IPO, which would close today, consists of fresh issue of Rs 250 crore and an offer for sale of about 62.70 lakh equity shares by promoters Kailash Sahebrao Katkar and Sanjay Sahebrao Katkar, as well as Sequoia Capital India Investment Holdings III. ICICI Securities, Jefferies India and JPMorgan India are the book running lead managers while Link Intime India is the registrar to the public issue. While the proceeds from the offer of sale would not go to Quick Heal Technologies, the Rs 250-crore funds raised from fresh issue of equity shares would be used by the company for advertising and sales promotion and capital expenditure for research and development. The proceeds would also be invested to purchase, develop and renovate its office premises in Kolkata, Pune and New Delhi, as well as general corporate needs. The company is a provider of security software products and solutions in India. Quick Heal's equity shares are proposed to be listed on BSE and NSE. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today interacted with budding entrepreneurs during his visit to the Startup village near Kalamassery. Gandhi, who spent nearly an hour inside the Startup Village, was taken around various facilties there, P H Kurian, Principal Secretary, Information Technology Department said. When pointed out by an entrepreneur that politicians usually make promises, Gandhi immediately quipped he was not there to make any promises. "I am not making any promises and I will not," he said. Gandhi said, "you are the people with challenging ideas around", adding he was aware that entrepreneurs do face problems. The Kalamassery-based Startup Village, India's first incubator, is funded jointly by the public and private sector. Started in April 2012, Kerala Startup Mission took over physical space of the Startup Village in January this year. Aiming to launch 1,000 technology startups over the next 10 years and start the search for the next billion-dollar Indian company, the Startup Village focusses primarily on student startups and telecom innovation. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today targeted the Narendra Modi government on the bullet train issue saying spending thousands of crores of rupees for setting up the network won't benefit millions of people who depend on existing railway networks for their daily travel. Addressing the National Students' Union of India's (NSUI) National Executive meeting here, he urged the students to combat "anti-poor" policies of the Modi government. Finding faults with policies and programmes of the BJP government, he said while the annual railway budget stands at Rs 140,000 crore, the government has decided to spend Rs 98,000 crore for setting up bullet train network. He lamented that it was useful for only a small section in the country. "So for one train they are spending two per cent of total railway budget. How many people will benefit from such trains? Three thousand, four thousand, five thousand..." "So... One side they are spending Rs 98000 crore for 5000 people and on the other side, millions and millions and millions of people who use railways- they get the same amount of money. This is what you have to combat. You have to go to students," he told NSUI workers at the closed door meeting. His statement comes two months after the Rs 98,000-crore project to lay India's first bullet train network between commercial nerve centre of Mumbai and Ahmedabad was finalised at the annual summit talks between Prime Minister Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in New Delhi. Beginning his interaction with the NSUI leaders after paying floral tributes to Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide in Hyderabad Central University recently, Gandhi said the Dalit scholar was a victim of "institutional murder". He alleged that the Left and RSS are both similar in the sense that they "both impose one idea upon everyone. Those that disagree are not given any space. The left is violent and politically intolerant," he said. Describing BJP and Modi "as nothing but a puppet of the RSS," Gandhi said, "A spirit of dissent is emerging among the youth of the country and the BJP, run by RSS, realises this and hence is trying hard to crush it." He urged NSUI to become a part of the dissenting voices and "continue creating chaos, as the BJP hates chaos and challenge." About coming assembly polls he acknowledged that wherever the youth have been given an opportunity, they have performed tremendously and proved themselves. He emphasised the need for giving more youth representation in the party as well as the electoral system. A federal judge has sentenced a Tuba City man to more than five years in prison for a beating on the Navajo Nation. According to a press release from the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Arizona, District Judge G. Murray Snow sentenced Ray Manygoats, 26, of Tuba City to 70 months behind bars Monday after Manygoats pleaded guilty to two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The judge had previously sentenced Manygoats codefendant, Lee Bighorse Reed, 23, also of Tuba City to 84 months in prison on the same charges. The defendants admitted they searched for and then beat two unarmed victims with a wooden dowel and a metal bar on the Navajo Nation. The assault resulted in permanent injury to the victims. Both defendants and both victims were members of the Navajo Nation. The Supreme Court today stayed the execution of a 55-year-old convict who was earlier sent to gallows by it for raping a four-year old girl and stoning her to death in Maharashtra in 2008. A three-judge bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra, R F Nariman and U U Lalit also agreed to hear in open court the review plea of convict Vasanta Sampat Dupare. Dupare said the exhibits and additional evidences were not examined properly by the courts below. "You (lawyer) satisfy us as to how our judgement was wrong. Till that time the execution of sentence will remain stayed," the court said. The apex court, on November 26, 2014, had rejected the appeal of Dupare against the Bombay High Court verdict upholding his death penalty in the rape-cum-murder case, saying "the injuries caused on the minor girl are likely to send a chill in the spine of the society and shiver in the marrows of human conscience." The lower court had also awarded the extreme penalty to him. Using strong words in its verdict, the apex court had said "the rape of a minor girl child is nothing but a monstrous burial of her dignity in darkness. It is a crime against the holy body of a girl child and the soul of the society and such a crime is aggravated by the manner in which it has been committed." It had also concurred with the findings of the courts below that the case fell under "the rarest of rare category" and the convict would be a menace to the society if allowed to remain alive. The court had referred to the sequence of events in the case and said the convict, a neighbour, lured the girl, raped her and then battered her to death using two heavy stones. Insurance regulator IRDAI today said final regulations for commission of insurance brokers are expected to be released by next month. "A sub-committee has been formed which will decide on the quantum of cap on commission... Though the cap on commission and other remunerations for insurance brokers cannot be removed," Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) Chairman T S Vijayan said here. Asked if IRDAI is ready to discuss quantum of cap with the brokers, he said, "...Discussion is a continuous process... sub-committee is discussing all this. I hope to bring the final regulation by March." Vijayan was here to release the report 'Vision 2025: Broker-Driving customer centric growth' at the Insurance Brokers' Association of India's (IBAI) 12th annual summit. The report was published in association with Ernst & Young. IBAI president Sanjay Kedia said, "We have requested that let the market forces decide what should be the remuneration depending on the value each market participant is adding." The report estimated that the broking channel had the potential to contribute 40 per cent of the gross direct premium in the non-life insurance business and 1.6 per cent of the new business premium in the life insurance business in the coming years. Kedia said, "The brokers share of the total non-life insurance market is 27 per cent at around Rs 20,000 crore and is expected go to Rs 1,60,000 crore." According to the report, in FY15, the total premium was Rs 83,048 crore in the non-life segment and this is likely to rise to Rs 4,00,000 crore in FY25, if progressive actions are taken. Similarly, for the life insurance segment, new business premium -- at Rs 1,13,327 crore in FY15 -- is tipped to rise to Rs 4,60,000 crore by 2025. The non-life insurance segment will grow at 13-17 per cent CAGR in the next 10 years, while the life insurance market will increase 11-15 per cent in the same period. Earlier, addressing the summit, Vijayan said financial intermediation could itself become a challenge and hence, it has to be relevant going forward. The challenge before industry and brokers association is to remain relevant for the times and change with the times, Vijayan said, adding "the need of the hour is to keep pace with the changing times, environment, economy and tune the responses to the best of the people, society and everyone else. Accusing India of trying to defame Pakistan by concocting confessions out of David Headley, former interior minister Rehman Malik has termed Pakistani-American terrorist's testimony in the 2008 Mumbai attack case as "a pack of lies". On Tuesday, the second day of his video-linked testimony from an undisclosed location in the US, the Pakistani-American claimed that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants planned to attack on a meeting of Indian defence scientists at the Taj Mahal hotel about a year before they struck on 26/11. The Express Tribune reported that Malik, who was interior minister when the Mumbai attack occurred, accused India of trying to defame Pakistan by concocting confessions out of Headley. "His confessions are all a pack of lies and fabricated statements," Malik, who heads the Senate's Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control, said. Brushing aside all "allegations levelled by India against Pakistan for ulterior motives", the former PPP lawmaker claimed Headley was 'planted' by Indian intelligence agency for "executing the Mumbai attacks and then getting concocted statements from him". "We have the details about who paid tickets, who funded him and how he recruited non-state actors from Pakistan [for the attack]," Malik claimed. Headley, 55, was jailed for 35 years in 2013 by a Chicago court for his role in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. French auto major Renault will begin exporting its entry-level hatchback Kwid to Brazil from the next month and is looking to ramp up production to 10,000 units by March at its Oragadam plant to meet domestic demand. Kwid, which received overwhelming response in the domestic market with more than one lakh bookings in four months since launch, would be the second Renault product to be exported after Duster, a top company official said. Renault, which has set a target of garnering 5 per cent market share by end of 2017, has already touched 4.5 per cent in February, the official added. "We will be making exports of Kwid to Brazil in parts starting next month," Renault India Country CEO and MD Sumit Sawhney told reporters here last night. He said the company was exporting "small" numbers of its popular SUV Duster to Brazil and Kwid will be shipped as SKDs (semi-knocked down units). Declining to share the number of units of Kwid to be exported, he said one lakh bookings had been received for the car in the domestic market itself. To address the local demand, he said the company would be ramping up the production at its alliance factory with Nissan in Oragadam near Chennai. At present, Kwid has a waiting period of five to six months and with the ramping up of production, the company hopes to bring it down to three months. "Right now we are making about 6,000 units (per month). We want to increase it to 8,000 units (per month) and by March we will be crossing 10,000 units," he said. On the market share, Sawhney said the firm was confident of registering 5 per cent share by end of 2016 itself in the backdrop of successful launches of Kwid and Duster. "In December (2015) we had 4.5 per cent market share, then in January it was 3.8 per cent. This month we have 4.5 per cent market. We are working very hard to achieve 5 per cent market share by the second half of 2016," he said. On sales of Renault in 2016, he said the company would cross over one lakh sales in 2016 as against the total sales of 54,000 units in 2015. The company during the Delhi Auto Expo had showcased its automatic variant of Duster (4x4 variant), besides the one-litre engine capacity Kwid cars. "(With these launches this year) we will be selling more than one lakh cars this year," he said the new variants of Kwid and Duster would be introduced in 2016. As part of network expansion, the company would also increase the dealerships to 240, from the existing 205, by end of 2016, covering 96 per cent of the market. While stating that the success of Kwid was in the backdrop of its high localisation content at 98 per cent, he said the company was also working on taking up the local content levels in Duster from the present 70 per cent to 80 per cent by next year. The Renault-Nissan plant at Oragadam near Chennai has been set up at investments of over Rs 4,500 crore and has the capacity to produce about 4.80 lakh units operating in three shifts. French auto major Renault will begin exporting its entry-level hatchback Kwid to Brazil this year and is looking to ramp up production to 10,000 units by March at its Oragadam plant to meet domestic demand. Kwid, which received overwhelming response in the domestic market with more than one lakh bookings in four months since launch, would be the second Renault product to be exported after Duster, a top company official said. Renault, which has set a target of garnering 5 per cent market share by end of 2017, has already touched 4.5 per cent in February, the official added. "We will be making exports of Kwid to Brazil in parts starting this year (RPT) this year," Renault India Country CEO and MD Sumit Sawhney told reporters here last night. He said the company was exporting "small" numbers of its popular SUV Duster to Brazil and Kwid will be shipped as SKDs (semi-knocked down units). Declining to share the number of units of Kwid to be exported, he said one lakh bookings had been received for the car in the domestic market itself. To address the local demand, he said the company would be ramping up the production at its alliance factory with Nissan in Oragadam near Chennai. At present, Kwid has a waiting period of five-six months and with the ramping up of production, the company hopes to bring it down to three months. "Right now we are making about 6,000 units (per month). We want to increase it to 8,000 units (per month) and by March we will be crossing 10,000 units," he said. On the market share, Sawhney said the firm was confident of registering 5 per cent share by end of 2016 itself in the backdrop of successful launches of Kwid and Duster. "In December (2015) we had 4.5 per cent market share, then in January it was 3.8 per cent. This month we have 4.5 per cent market. We are working very hard to achieve 5 per cent market share by the second half of 2016," he said. On sales of Renault in 2016, he said the company would cross over one lakh sales in 2016 as against the total sales of 54,000 units in 2015. The company during the Delhi Auto Expo had showcased its automatic variant of Duster (4x4 variant), besides the one-litre engine capacity Kwid cars. "(With these launches this year) we will be selling more than one lakh cars this year," he said the new variants of Kwid and Duster would be introduced in 2016. As part of network expansion, the company would also increase the dealerships to 240, from the existing 205, by end of 2016, covering 96 per cent of the market. While stating that the success of Kwid was in the backdrop of its high localisation content at 98 per cent, he said the company was also working on taking up the local content levels in Duster from the present 70 per cent to 80 per cent by next year. The Renault-Nissan plant at Oragadam near Chennai has been set up at investments of over Rs 4,500 crore and has the capacity to produce about 4.80 lakh units operating in three shifts. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived here today to a warm welcome by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who went to the airport to receive the "special friend". During Al Nahyan's three-day trip, his first State visit (rpt) first State visit to India, the two countries will discuss ways to enhance ties in a range of areas including energy, economy and security and are expected to sign a number of agreements in sectors like oil nuclear energy, IT, aerospace, railways and electronics. "A special welcome for a special friend. PM @narendramodi personally receives HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," tweeted the PMO with a photo of the two leaders shaking hands at the Palam Technical Airpor. Modi had visited UAE in August last year, the first by an Indian Prime Minister after a gap of 34 years, and Al Nahyan had received him at the Abu Dhabi airport. "This is Sheikh Mohammed's 1st state visit to India & am glad he is visiting with his family," Modi said in a tweet. "Sheikh Mohammed is a visionary leader. His visit will add new vigour and momentum to comprehensive strategic partnership between India & UAE," the Prime Minister added. Al Nahyan, also the Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE armed forces, is accompanied by a power-packed delegation for his three-day trip till February 12 which includes several top ministers and over 100 business tycoons and CEOs of top companies. Official sources said Modi went to the airport to receive the Crown Prince without any disturbance to the normal traffic in a compact carcade without having any ambulance. The two leaders will hold detailed deliberations tomorrow following which both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements to expand cooperation in sectors like oil nuclear energy, IT, aerospace, railways and electronics. Ways to contain radicalism, stepping up counter-terrorism cooperation and dealing with the ISIS are likely to figure prominently in talks Al Nahyan will have with Modi tomorrow. Economy of UAE, one of the leading producers of oil, has been hit hard by falling crude prices and it is expected that the Gulf nation would like to invest significantly in India's energy and infrastructure sectors from its sovereign wealth fund of around USD 800 billion. India has been eying the fund, being managed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, for its infrastructure sector including for railways, ports and roads. China's initiative to revitalise the Silk Road would open many opportunities and the rise of the Global Southern Belt would provide a ray of hope to Indian entrepreneurs, according to long-time China observers John Naisbitt and his wife Doris. "In regards to the Global Southern Belt, we believe that especially China's initiative to revitalise the Silk Road would open many opportunities. India has very good and historical connection to African countries. It shouldn't miss the opportunity to be connected via the new Silk Road with the prime position it has. "In the India-Africa Forum Summit your Prime Minister pointed out India's interest in Africa. And many entrepreneurs are already engaged in various Indian African businesses," they said. The couple have recently published a book titled "Global Game Change: How the Global Southern Belt will Reshape Our World," which argues that the global authority of the West is no longer unchallenged; the Western worldview is no longer accepted as universal. And it is increasingly being questioned by emerging economies around the globe that are developing their own standards which form a belt around the southern part of the globe: "The Global Southern Belt."The book, published by Sage India, is seen as an indispensable roadmap of the transforming global landscape. In an email interview, the Naisbitts said India is playing a major role in the global community and has the advantage that it's very much liked in the global community. "The world wants India to be successful, to beat China, to say it clearly. We also have to differentiate between India's political and economic agenda. Ideally India could become a bridge between the Middle East, Pakistan and Iran and China. It could hold high the banner of democracy among a continent where many citizens are still fighting for basic human rights," they told PTI. However, they feel that India has to address several issues like corruption, illiteracy and caste system. "While we understand that any discrimination on the basis of caste is illegal, it is still a great hurdle in India's social mobility. Someone in India jokingly said, yes, corruption is fought, but it just means that instead of Rs 700,000 you now pay Rs 70,000." On violence against lower castes and women, they said, "The problem is the general mindset that still prevails upon uneducated people. You cannot just order such mindset to be changed. The only way to change it is education. "And education, better the lack of education, is a core problem of India. Growing up in the caste mindset will act the way they learned it and witnessed it. It does not help when your Prime Minister takes five days to condemn such violence. It needs clear words and the implementation of the rule of law." "The challenge is that on the ground, in everyday life change to the better needs to come much faster. Healthcare, education, social security, the fields of necessary reforms are almost endless," they said. According to the Naisbitts, manufacturing is a good option for India to create jobs and attract FDI. "Wages in China are increasingly unattractive for manufacturing. But as production will move more and more towards digitalisation, where fewer and fewer people produce more goods, it will only for a limited time. In addition other Asian countries, Vietnam and Cambodia for example are very competitive and have positioned themselves well. "India has made a big jump in the Global Competitive Index, moving up 16 positions to the 55th rank. But its improvement in infrastructure, which plays a big role in investing in the country, still only shows slight movement," they said. They also feel that China's constantly rising wages are a plus for India to host labour-intensive manufacturing. The Naisbitts are the authors of the international bestsellers "Megatrends. Armed miscreants today looted Rs 11 lakh after killing a guard who was going to deposit money in two bank ATMs in Bihar's Gaya district, police said. Deputy Superintendent of Police Alok Kumar Singh said that criminals waylaid the guard who was going to deposit Rs 5 lakh and Rs 6 lakh respectively in two ATMs near Shivmandir area under Buniyadganj police station and shot at him. After killing the guard the three motorcycle-borne men decamped with Rs 11 lakh cash kept in a bag, the DSP said. The gang was on the trail of the guard who was with another employee on the cash van while depositing cash in different ATMs. They had deposited money in two ATMs earlier, he said. "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds has been named People's Sexiest Dad Alive of 2016. The 39-year-old Canadian actor has earned the top spot on the magazine's annual list which also included last year's champion Justin Timberlake. The star appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and it was the host who announced the new title as he revealed Reynold's magazine cover in the middle of the show. "What?! I mean come on! I mean scientifically speaking, what's sexier than a man that produces children and then looks surprised about it," Reynolds joked about his cover photo. Reynolds didn't talk much about his life at home, but he noted that his family was "doing great" and that his daughter James was "walking and talking." The actor and wife Blake Lively welcomed their first daughter together back in December 2014, two years after they got married. An influential Indian-origin family of business tycoons is at the centre of a political storm in South Africa over its ties with President Jacob Zuma, two years after a lavish wedding in the family had led to a similar uproar. The Gupta brothers - Ajay, Atul and Rajesh - have been criticised for allegedly using their close business relations with Zuma and wielding undue influence to swing large corporate deals in sectors such as IT, mines, engineering and media. The family which hails from Saharanpur in UP and controls a slew of South African companies has denied the allegations and challenged anyone to prove them. But last week the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party led by its firebrand leader Julius Malema, Zuma's former ally, targeted the Guptas threatening that the family would be "driven back to India" from where they came over 20 years ago and built a business empire in South Africa. "We declare war against the Guptas and their businesses and when we declare war we fight to the bitter end," SABC quoted Malema as saying. Malema's actions are seen as political tactics with local body elections looming but they have caused consternation about the possible xenophobic impact on the local Indian community, especially in KwaZulu-Natal province, home to over a third of South Africans of Indian origin. The statements by Malema and the EFF have been unanimously condemned across the board by politicians, commentators and the media here but that has not deterred the party and its leader from reiterating the threats. "We cannot allow a situation where South Africa is colonised by a family," he said, according to media reports. "We will do to the Guptas what we did to the colonisers and apartheid," he said adding, "It has reached levels where we will no longer tolerate it anymore". Yesterday, the Gupta family initiated legal action against the party saying that Malema's statements amounted to incitement to violence. This came after the EFF leadership said that it could not guarantee the safety of journalists employed by a newspaper and TV channel - both owned by the Guptas - if they tried to cover events of the party. Previously in 2013, a lavish wedding in the family billed as "the wedding of the century" had been ridiculed after a private jet with guests on board was allowed to land at a restricted air force base near Pretoria, normally used to receive heads of state. The wedding party were not subjected to immigration checks and were provided with police escorts to the marriage at a resort over 150 kilometres away that was also attended by Bollywood stars and politicians. The week-long event further fuelled public anger and media criticism of the Guptas. A Flagstaff man convicted of raping his girlfriend's teenage daughter will spend the next seven years in prison. Coconino County Superior Court Judge Mark Moran handed down the sentence Tuesday morning to Chad Daniel Garcia, 39. A jury convicted Garcia in December on one count of sexual assault. He was found not guilty on two additional counts of sexual abuse. The victim was 15 years old at the time. The charges stemmed from an alcohol-fueled incident inside a Flagstaff motel room on the evening of March 9, 2012. The victim, who is now 19, testified that Garcia gave her large amounts of alcohol and then raped her while her mother slept in the next bed just a few feet away. After the assault, the victim contacted a family friend, who convinced the teen to go to the hospital. In the courtroom Tuesday, defense attorney Bruce Griffen asked the judge for a mitigated sentence of 5.25 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, citing factors like Garcias past military service, family support and his level of impairment at the time of the sexual assault. Everything that your family tells me is that this is totally out of your character and I have to say that alcohol probably played a major role in you losing your good judgment, Moran told Garcia at the sentencing hearing. The judge acknowledged all the mitigating factors presented by the defense but ultimately went with prosecutor Ammon Barkers recommendation for the presumptive sentence of seven years, adding that Garcias impairment was not an excuse for violating the position of trust he had with the victim. A young victim being placed in this situation, its unacceptable and outrageous that you would take advantage of her, Moran said. The sentence drew gasps from Garcias family members in the gallery. The victim was not present in the courtroom. The case hinged on DNA evidence collected during the victims sexual assault examination. That evidence was submitted to the Arizona Department of Public Safety Crime Lab for analysis. After about a month, FPD received the results of the test, which detected a small amount of prostate specific antigen a protein produced by prostate cells. The detective in the case asked the lab to compare the DNA from that protein to the DNA sample police had taken from Garcia. However, the test was not completed until December 2013. It concluded that the two DNA samples were a match. Officers arrested Garcia in March 2014. Garcia will get credit for 61 days of presentence incarceration. He will also have to register as a sex offender once finishes his prison sentence. South Korea would suspend all operations at a jointly-run industrial park in North Korea to punish Pyongyang for its latest rocket launch and nuclear test. It was the first time Seoul had suspended operations at the Kaesong estate since it opened in 2004 as a symbol of cross-border reconciliation. "We have decided to stop all operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex so that... Our investment in the complex would not be used by the North to fund its nuclear and missile development," Hong Yong-Pyo, Seoul's unification minister in charge of cross-border affairs, told a press conference today. The Seoul-funded estate, just 10 km (six miles) across the border in North Korea, has been a source of precious hard currency for the isolated and impoverished North since its opening. It currently hosts 124 South Korean companies that operate factories there and employ some 53,000 North Korean workers. South Korea's government and companies over the years have invested more than one trillion won (USD 837 million) in the project, Hong said, adding some of the money appears to have been used to fund Pyongyang's widely-condemned nuclear weapon and missile programmes. "All our support and efforts... Were taken advantage of by the North to develop its nuclear weapons and missile programmes," he said. All South Korean managers currently working at the site, totalling 184 as of today, would be summoned home, Hong said, adding Seoul had notified the North of the decision. "We ask for people's understanding about our decision, which was inevitable given the grave situation on the Korean peninsula," he said. Seoul imposed partial restrictions on entry to the complex last month following the North's shock nuclear test on January 6, its fourth since 2006. Pyongyang followed up on Sunday with a long-range rocket launch seen by Washington and its allies as a disguised ballistic missile test, banned under UN resolutions. This week the UN Security Council strongly condemned the rocket launch and agreed to move quickly to impose new sanctions on North Korea. Bernie Sanders has defeated Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary, and Donald Trump also scored his first victory in a triumph of two candidates who have seized on Americans' anger at the Washington political establishment. Both outcomes would have been nearly unthinkable not long ago. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, beat a former secretary of state and first lady once seen as the all-but-certain Democratic nominee. While Clinton remains the favorite in the national race for the Democratic nomination, the win by the Vermont senator could be a springboard into a competitive primary campaign. For Trump, the brash real estate magnate and television personality who has never run for public office, the win was an important rebound after his loss to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in last week's Iowa caucuses, the first nominating contest. Trump has led national polls for months and the New Hampshire victory reinforces his position as front-runner, proving he can win votes and adding credibility to his upstart populist candidacy. For some Republican leaders, back-to-back victories by Trump and Cruz, an uncompromising conservative, add urgency to the need to coalesce around a more mainstream candidate to challenge them through the primaries. However, it was unlikely that New Hampshire's contest would clarify that slice of the field, with Ohio Governor John Kasich, Florida Sen Marco Rubio and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush all locked in a tight race, along with Cruz, behind Trump. Rubio appeared to be breaking away after a stronger-than-expected showing in Iowa, but he stumbled in Saturday's debate under intense pressure from Christie. The New Jersey governor has relentlessly cast the young senator as too inexperienced and too reliant on memorized talking points to become president. At stake yesterday were less than 1% of the delegates who, at party national conventions in July, will choose nominees to succeed President Barack Obama. But a strong showing in New Hampshire can result in a wave of media coverage, donations and give a candidate momentum ahead of state contests in coming weeks, including the March 1 "Super Tuesday, when 11 states vote. Nearly half of voters in the Republican primary made up their mind in the past week, according to early exit polls conducted by Edison Research for the Associated Press and the television networks. Republican voters were more negative about their politicians than Democrats, with about half of Republican voters saying they felt betrayed by party officials. Nearly 60,0000 sanitation workers of two municipal corporations today called off their 16-day strike which had crippled the garbage disposal system in nearly 70 per cent of the city, posing a major health hazard. The announcement to end the stir, which began on January 27 to press for payment of their dues, was made by the Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha, an umbrella body of 38 unions of sanitation workers and class IV employees of East and North Delhi Municipal corporations. The leaders of the Morcha said they have decided to resume work as municipal officials, during a hearing on the strike in the Delhi High Court, assured that there will be no delay in payment of salaries to them in the next 5-6 months. The doctors, nurses, engineers and teachers employed with the two BJP-ruled municipal bodies had also joined the agitation but withdrew after Delhi Government and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung separately announced financial assistance totalling around Rs 1,000 crore five days ago. "We have decided to call off the strike and bring Delhi back on the tracks. The sanitation workers will resume work on war footing to clean the city from tomorrow," said president of the Sanyukt Morcha Sanjay Gehlot. Following the financial assistance, the corporations have paid salaries of the employees for the months of November, December and January. Rajendra Mewati, general secretary of United Front of MCD Employees, which has membership of various sections of employees of the civic bodies, said his union has decided to only suspended the strike. "The strike was suspended feeling that the court will help us in finding a permanent solution of our grievances which is yet to be achieved," he said. As heaps of garbage caused health hazards in various areas of North and West Delhi, the AAP Government had on January 30 deployed hundreds of PWD and Delhi Jal Board workers to remove the trash. The strike, started by sanitation workers, was later joined by doctors, nurses, engineers and teachers. Around 90,000 of the 1.30 lakh municipal employees participated in it when the agitation was at its peak. The BJP had blamed the AAP government for the strike accusing it of not releasing adequate funds to the three municipal corporations. The AAP government, strongly rebutting the charges, had said the municipal corporations were given more money than was allocated to them in the last four years, alleging that financial mismanagement led to the crisis. Employees of South Delhi Municipal Corporation, also ruled by BJP, had extended support to the strike but refrained from joining it. The mayors of three civic bodies had met President Pranab Mukherjee and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking their intervention for release of funds to the municipal bodies as per recommendation of the Fourth Delhi Finance Commission. The condition of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad of 19 Madras regiment, who was rescued alive six days after being buried under tonnes of ice in Siachen Glacier, remains very critical, the army said today. "He continues to battle the odds and his medical condition remains very critical," a medical bulletin issued by Army Research and Referral Hospital here said. Hanamanthappa remains ventilator-dependent since arrival in the hospital yesterday, it said. The medical team at R&R Hospital is monitoring his situation continuously and is treating him with best expertise and resources available in the world, the bulletin said. The hospital has said he is expected to have a stormy course in the "next 24 hours" due to the complications caused by re-warming and establishment of blood flow to the cold parts of the body. Hanamanthappa was flown out by a helicopter yesterday from the site of the avalanche that hit his post at Siachen Glacier along with a medical specialist to the base camp at the glacier, from where he was brought to the Thois air base. He was then transferred to Delhi by a fixed-wing aircraft of IAF along with a critical care specialist of the force and a medical specialist from the base camp. Hanamanthappa is being treated by a team of intensivists, neurologist, nephrologist, endocrinologist and surgeons. He has been administered fluids, drugs to bring up his blood pressure, besides antibiotics. (Reopens DEL19) Hailing Hanamanthappa's "endurance and will power" to serve the nation, Congress President Sonia Gandhi wished for his speedy recovery. "I join the nation in praying for the speedy recovery of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa. We salute his endurance and will power to serve the nation," she said. "True to the glorious tradition of our armed forces, Lance Naik Hanamanthappa has fought against the most challenging circumstances that man can ever face. The nation remains indebted to his service," Gandhi said. Mexico's flag carrier Aeromexico has apologised to Waris Ahluwalia, a Sikh-American actor who was barred from boarding a New York-bound flight by its officials after he refused to remove his turban during a security check. Ahluwalia, 41, was not allowed to board the Aeromexico flight from Mexico City to New York on Monday. Ahluwalia accepted an apology from the airline after Aeromexico pledged to improve its training for how to screen passengers with religious headwear, the Sikh Coalition, a civil-rights group representing him, said. Aeromexico offered apology, saying it "recognises and is proud of the diversity of its passengers". "We apologise to Mr Waris Ahluwalia for the bad experience he went through with one of our security personnel," Aeromexico said in a statement. The airline said it works to maintain strong security measures while respecting its passengers' cultures and beliefs. Ahluwalia felt "great" about the long-awaited apology, but said there's more work to be done. Ahluwalia, who is also a designer, said those who wear turbans shouldn't face discrimination. Travellers should be taken into a private area if they're asked to remove their turban, he said, as required by the policy of the US Transportation Security Administration. Aeromexico's apology "is a brilliant first step" but "there is a lack of understanding," Ahluwalia told CNN. He thanked the airline for its apology, but called the gesture "past-looking" and that he wants to talk about "steps in the future." The actor had said he would remain in Mexico until there was dialogue with Aeromexico bosses about training their staff. "Really, this is about education, about education of the Sikh religion, but also of other religions, and this is not just about me or Sikhs," he said. (Reopens FGN 10) According to Kent Police, a sketch artist was able to work with the victim and create a detailed sketch of the suspect. Investigators are hoping the public can help identify the assailant. "This is a very unusual circumstance for our community" noted Kent Police Commander Jarod Kasner, "We have not had a similar situation or reports of any similar incidents." The FBI is offering a reward of up to USD 5,000 for information leading to the successful resolution of the case, with racially-motivated actions. Callers to Crime Stoppers may remain anonymous and are eligible to receive an additional cash reward of USD 1,000 if the information given leads to an arrest and charge of the person(s) involved. The FBI's reward applies to information leading to an arrest related to this tragic incident. In his brief remarks to the media, community leader Hira Singh Bhullar said this kind of incident has "really torn us apart". A Sikh-American teenager has penned a book about bullying of children from the community in the US based on his experiences and that of others to raise awareness on the issue. Karanveer Singh Pannu, an 18-year-old high school student from New Jersey, has written the book 'Bullying of Sikh American Children: Through the Eyes of a Sikh American High School Student'. "Sikh-American youth are largely unrepresented and do not seem to have a voice on the national stage or in the media, especially when it comes to bullying," Pannu told NBC . "I wanted to help in any way I could to alleviate this pain and suffering which children from my faith go through on a daily basis," he said. In the book, Pannu introduces the Sikh faith and discusses the significance of the turban and the history of Sikhs in the United States. He also details the results of a bullying survey he conducted of Sikh-American children in order to draw from their experiences as well as his own. Pannu also suggests practical solutions drawn from interviews with several child psychiatrists and psychologists. He said he hopes the book can help other Sikh-American children who have experienced bullying, as well as parents and school administrators trying to understand the students' experiences. According to a study by The Sikh Coalition, 67 per cent of turbaned Sikh youth in Fresno, California, have experienced emotional and physical bullying in schools and also cyberbullying. "A very emotional mother called me and thanked me profusely for writing this book," Pannu said. "She wanted to help me in any way in order to get the book into the hands of the school authorities. Another non-Sikh reader after reading the book is gifting a book to the local school library," he said. In December, a 12-year-old Sikh boy in the US had to spend three days in a juvenile detention centre after he jokingly told a classmate that he had a bomb in his school bag. Singapore's Changi airport, considered to be one of the world's busiest airports, has logged a 2.6 per cent growth in 2015 with 55.4 million passengers using the airport last year and Indian fliers accounting for a little over six per cent in the overall growth. The airport had managed 54.1 million passenger movements in 2014. According to a release issued today, the passenger movement from India to the Changi airport increased to around 3.44 million in 2015 as compared to 3.41 million in 2014. "Registering around 3.44 million Indian passenger movements, India remains Changi airport's seventh largest country market," the release said. The release stated Mumbai was Changi's fourth fastest growing route with an 8.2 per cent year-on-year growth, among other destinations with at least half a million passengers handled from the city in 2015. In December alone, India's financial capital saw close to 11 per cent increase in traffic, it said. Bangkok, Colombo and Guangzhou in China took the top three spots, the release added. "2015 was a year of two halves for Changi airport. Following 2014, which saw a number of airline incidents in the region and depressed yields for many regional carriers, we had a relatively weak first six months with flat growth for the period," Changi Airport Group Chief Executive Officer Lee Seow Hiang said. "We have seen both full-service and low-cost carriers add capacity in recent months and this has resulted in stronger passenger growth of about 5 per cent for the second half of the year," he added. Changi airport's links to India rose to 13 with the latest addition of a service to Lucknow, thus strengthening the airport's position as the most connected airport in Southeast Asia to India, the release said. In terms of traffic, the top five Indian cities for the airport are Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Tiruchirappalli. Significantly, Changi airport has also been mandated to manage the terminal operations and parking at Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports. This is the first time that an international operator would be managing domestic airports. "Closer to our hub, Asia continues to present exciting growth opportunities with untapped tourism potential in many parts of the continent and growing affluence in the emerging economies driving air travel. Here, Changi airport is well placed to capture future growth with our expanding network, including many secondary cities and to key markets like China, India and Indonesia," Seow added. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Wednesday accused Samajwadi Party (SP) of winning the recent block pramukh and zila panchayat chairman polls in Uttar Pradesh with the help of official machinery and goonda elements and said it has further "sullied" the image of the ruling party. "Though BSP had emerged as the front runner in the zila panchayat elections earlier, in the indirect polls to the block pramukh and zila panchayat chairman's posts, the ruling party made use of official machinery and goonda elements in a big way," she told senior office bearers and workers of all the units of her party here. "By doing so, SP might have drawn some satisfaction but it has further damaged the image of the party and the government... The graph of the SP leadership has further plummeted," Mayawati said. The background of the 36 SP candidates for elections to the Legislative Council next month gives strength to the image of the ruling party being "casteist, criminal and one promoting dynastic politics", the BSP chief alleged. "Under such a state of affairs, it can be said the remaining days of the SP government will prove to be more problematic for the people of the state," she said. Mayawati asked her party workers to continue help people under these "adverse" circumstances so that they know BSP lives up to their expectations despite being in the Opposition. She also reviewed the preparations of the party organisations, reorgansiation of left over committees and political situation in the state. DMK treasurer MK Stalin today hosted spiritual guru and founder of The Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravishankar at his residence here. "Happy to have hosted Sri Sri Ravishankar today. Had a delightful conversation!" Stalin said in his official Facebook page. The leader also uploaded a series of pictures where he and Ravishankar were seen exchanging pleasantries. Stalin's meeting with the spiritual guru assumes significance as the DMK scion has been struggling hard to remove the 'anti-Hindu' tag associated with his Dravidian party. Stalin's father and DMK President, M Karunanidhi had often courted controversies with his remarks aimed against Hindus and Hindu deities, besides ridiculing Hindu customs. Karunanidhi, a self-declared atheist and a staunch member of the Dravidian movement led by rational party leader EVR Periyar, had particularly created a flutter a few years back when he had asked if Lord Rama was an "engineer" and from which engineering college he had "graduated" during the Ramasethu controversy. Those opposed to the dredging of the bridge as part of the Sethusamudram shipping canal project had claimed that it was built by Lord Ram to cross over to Sri Lanka to which Karunanidhi had made the retort. Stalin, whose party is facing a make or break Assembly polls after facing repeated routs since 2011 at the hands of arch rival AIADMK, has been of late insisting that his party was not against Hindus and that about 90 per cent of its members themselves were from the majority community who frequent temples. The leader had even paid a surprise visit to Sri Sowmya Narayanaswamy temple, a vaishnavite place of worship at Thirukoshtiyur in Sivaganga last year, raising eyebrows in the state political circles. Syrian Kurdish separatists on today opened a representation in Moscow amid a push by the Kremlin to have them included in Syria peace talks despite Turkey's objections. "This is a historical moment for the Kurdish people," Merab Shamoyev, chairman of the International Union of Kurdish Public Associations, said at the ceremony in an industrial neighbourhood in southeast Moscow. "Russia is a great power and an important actor in the Middle East. It is in fact not only an actor, but it also writes the script." The opening of the representation -- which Shamoyev said was a "big political step" for Syrian Kurds -- came as global powers meet in Munich tomorrow in a bid to revive Syria peace talks. The opening of the office in Moscow is also bound to fuel tensions in Russia's relations with Turkey, which broke down in November after Ankara shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border. Those present at the ceremony have ties to the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), said Shamoyev. The PYD is a leader in the fight against the Islamic State group in northern Syria, but Turkey considers it to be an offshoot of its arch-foe the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PYD was not invited to the Syria peace talks which collapsed in Geneva last week amid accusations from the West and the Syrian opposition that Russia's bombing campaign was targeting civilians. The talks, aimed at ending a nearly five-year war that has killed more than 260,000 people, were suspended until February 25. Moscow, a long-time supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has said no negotiations could yield results without the Kurds but Ankara considers their presence unacceptable, given their desire for independence. Russia's foreign ministry has appeared to distance itself from the opening of the Syrian Kurdish office, saying Kurdish interests will be represented by diplomats from Syria and Iraq. Shamoyev expressed hope that the rights of the Kurdish people to have their own "culture, language and self-governance" would be guaranteed by Syria's constitution and that Russia would help them with that. In a November meeting in Vienna, world powers agreed on an ambitious roadmap that foresees six months of intra-Syrian talks, leading to a new constitution and free elections within 18 months. PHOENIX -- Pulling apart what was a carefully crafted deal, a House panel voted Tuesday night to open up a much larger area of the state to electronic billboards. Current law limits these signs -- and the light pollution they cause -- to a corridor that stretches from Phoenix west along I-10 and I-8 to the California border. The deal hammered out in 2012 made the rest of the state off limits in an effort to protect Arizona's astronomy industry. HB 2507 would allow the signs through most of Mohave and La Paz counties, up to the Utah border. The push is coming from Lamar Advertising. Lobbyist Tim LaSota said his client, which was not involved in the 2012 deal, wants to erect these signs in northwest Arizona. Rep. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu, agreed to sponsor the measure for Lamar. He said the area he wants to open to the billboards is not close to any of the state's existing observatories. Anyway, he said, the billboards are at ground level; the observatories are on mountaintops. But Angela Cotera, a physicist, told members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure that it's not that simple. She said light from these billboards travels out horizontally. More to the point, Cotera said, the effect of these billboards is cumulative. "They are incredible light polluters,'' Cotera said. Borrelli was unconvinced. "I drive that route every weekend,'' he said. "It's pitch black out there,'' Borrelli continued. "I don't see a problem.'' Anyway, he said, it's not fair that businesses in some areas of the state get to have these billboards while those located in his home county do not. Cotera said the fight is about more than some businesses in Mohave County. She told lawmakers if they allow this change it opens the door to others seeking to shrink even further the "dark skies'' area of the state. Even if the measure were to become law, that does not guarantee that Lamar -- or any other company -- will get to erect the electronic billboards in the expanded area. The measure leaves in place existing statutes that allow individual cities, towns and counties to enact even more stringent restrictions on signs -- or ban them outright. The 2012 law came about because there was a legal question of whether they were legal in Arizona. Billboard lobbyists got lawmakers to agree to allow them along state roads. But that plan was rejected by Gov. Jan Brewer. In her veto message, she said the astronomy industry has invested $1.2 billion in Arizona, employs more than 3,300 workers and has an estimated economic impact of $250 million each year. "I simply refuse to place all of this in jeopardy,'' Brewer said. The compromise carved out the slice of Arizona where such billboards would be allowed, leaving the balance of the state free of the changeable signs. It also requires that billboards be turned off at 11 p.m., with some limits on illumination, though less than the astronomy community had sought. Cotera said if Borrelli was interested in expanding the area he should have sat down with the astronomy community and crafted a deal, just as was done in 2012. She suggested a compromise might have been possible in exchange for things like lowering the illumination levels even further. The measure passed on a 5-3 vote, with Rep. Chris Ackerley, R-Sahuarita abstaining. Ackerley said he is sensitive to the needs of the astronomy community and wants more information before the measure goes to the full House. on Saturday reported 45% decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 129.94 crore for the quarter ended December 31, on lower sales and higher finance cost. It had posted net profit of Rs 238.12 crore in the October-December quarter of last fiscal, 2014-15, according to a regulatory filing. Income from operations fell by nearly 4% to Rs 4,637.35 crore in the third quarter of the current financial year, 2015-16, from Rs 4,816.86 crore in the year-ago period. Finance cost increased to Rs 159.64 crore during the quarter under review, from Rs 119.41 crore a year ago. Tata Chemicals, a part of the over $100 billion Tata Group, is into manufacturing of fertilisers, salt and soda ash among other products. It also sells branded pulses and spices. The company, through its subsidiary Rallis, has a strong position in the crop protection business. currently is the world's second largest producer of soda ash with manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. "Adverse climatic conditions, weaker yields and lower prices of key crops impact Rallis India performance," the company said. "US volumes impacted due to production outages and extreme weather conditions. European operations stabilised, post commissioning of the steam turbine. The financial performance was adversely impacted by the marking to market of hedging contracts for future gas purchases, supporting soda ash production," the company said. also informed that sales of banded pulses were up 54% over the previous year, while branded spices have been successfully launched in seven states; Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan. An examiner has been booked on charges of sexually harassing three girl students during a practical exam in Nainwa town here, with the victims' parents alleging that the school attempted to cover up the matter. According to police, the alleged incident occurred on February 4, when the accused Kunjbihari Anjana, external examiner from a government school in Jhalawar district, was supervising a geography viva at a government senior secondary school at Nainwa. The girls informed parents about the incident but it was was brought to notice of school principal on February 6 only as he was on leave on February 5, they said. On the basis of a complaint by school principal last evening, Anjana was booked under section 354 (A) of IPC and various sections of POCSO Act in Nainwa police station of the district, said Bhuvan Bhushan Yadav, Superintendent of Police (SP) Bundi. Further action would be taken only after the statements of the victims are recorded under section 164, SP Yadav said. "Kunjbihari Anjana allegedly behaved in a vulgar and immoral way with the three girl students of class 12 during viva of geography examination on February 4," said Kelash Chand Gupta, principal of the school, adding that the parents of the girls reported the matter to him on February 6. "I had been busy with my official work", said Gupta, when asked about delay in reporting the matter to police. The parents of girls alleged that the school administration first tried to cover up the incident and only after they mounted pressure that the matter was reported to police. District Education Officer (Secondary set up), Paras Chand Jain said he was informed about the incident only yesterday and added that departmental inquiry would soon be initiated against the accused external examiner. "Action against the school principal would also be taken for alleged delay in reporting the matter to his senior officials and to the police", DEO Jain said. The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil) today welcomed the changes announced by the Centre in duty drawback scheme, which will help boost exports. The Centre has notified certain changes in the all industry rates of duty drawback effective from tomorrow. New entries in the drawback schedule have been created for cotton yarns mixed with Man Made Fibre (MMF) - both grey and dyed. It has also increased the drawback caps in the case of certain MMF fabrics. "I am glad the government has accepted our proposal for a separate entry for Cotton Yarn mixed with MMF," Texprocil Chairman R K Dalmia said in a statement here. However, he pointed out that in the product coverage some clarifications are needed with regard to the classification of some high-valued items like "Boiler Suits" and "Protective wear made of blend containing cotton and man-made fibres". Duty drawback is refund of duties on imported inputs for export items. Drawback caps are imposed on several export products with an aim to obviate the possibility of misuse by over invoicing of the export value. On the 3 per cent interest equalisation scheme, Dalmia lauded the Centre for initiating necessary steps to implement the scheme smoothly by saying the problems faced initially by some of the exporters in getting the benefit from their banks have been largely resolved. With regard to exports of cotton textiles, Dalmia said even though Indian cotton textiles products were competitive in the world markets, preferential access being given to some of the competing nations like, Bangladesh, Cambodia, by major importing countries like the EU, are affecting exports. Besides, discriminatory import duties on Indian textiles in markets like China, Turkey and Canada have also hit the exports. He further asked the Union government to initiate dialogue with China and Turkey for reduction in the import duties imposed by these countries on textiles in the country. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain today suggested that there should be a government programme for annual health check up of all the children in the city. "I would like that a plan should be there for health check of all the children at least once in a year by the government. It should be implemented soon for all the children upto 19 years," he today said at the launch of the National Deworming Day Programme. Jain launched the programme at Girls Senior Secondary School in Delhi's northwest region of Rani Bagh and said that 40 lakh children, whether going to school or not, will be covered under the deworming exercise in Delhi on the day. "Last year 32 lakh children below 19 years were given deworming medicine under the programme, while 40 lakh children will be covered this year," he said. The minister also said that Directorate of Health Services has included private schools in the exercise and would like "100 per cent participation" of all such schools in the programme from the next year. The Health minister spoke on the significance of personal hygiene and suggested for a programme to create awareness on the practice of "washing hands". "I will like that a programme should be started by the Health and Education department to create awareness about the practice of washing hands as this little information could save people from several diseases," he added. The central government has set a target of deworming approximately 27 crore children across the country as part of this year's 'National Deworming Day' programme. As part of the programme, 400 mg of albendazole tablets will be administered to children aged 1-19 years. Bernie Sanders swept to a huge victory today by defeating Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic primary for US presidential nominee while Donald Trump solidified the frontrunner status in the Republican party by scoring a big win in the race to the White House. Vermont Senator Sanders, 74, won the New Hampshire contest after Clinton conceded. With one third of the Democratic votes being counted, Sanders had received 59 per cent of the votes as against 38 per cent received by 68-year-old Clinton. Trump, 69, was leading runner up John Kasich, the Ohio Governor, by an inaccessible more than 18,000 votes and a margin of 18 per cent. Republicans, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Florida Senator Marco Rubio are now battling for a third-place finish. With more than one-third of the votes counted, Cruz, who won the Iowa Caucus, had received 12 per cent of the votes, while Bush was following him closely with 11 per cent. Trump, a brash billionaire reality TV star who has never run for office, and Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist, were seen as long-shot outsiders when they launched their campaigns. Their victories reflect deep bipartisan discontent at professional politicians and suggest that both the Democratic and Republican races will now be long struggles that could stretch well into the spring, CNN said. The New Hampshire primary came as a shocking defeat for Clinton, who had won in the State eight years ago against US President Barack Obama. Till a few weeks, Clinton was leading against Sanders in all polls. Sanders described his win as "political revolution" while Clinton in an assertive speech after conceding defeat said that she is not giving up. Trump appeared on stage with a beaming smile on his face and gave a thumbs-up to his crowd of supporters. "We are going to make America great again," Trump said in his victory speech which he began by thanking his late parents, late elder brother and other family members. Trump who is leading in all the national polls with impressive margin had received a stunning defeat at the hands of Cruz, the Senator from Texas, at the Iowa Caucus last week. The race to White House now moves to South Carolina. "He (Sanders) wants to give away the country folks, we are not going to let this happen," Trump told a cheering audience as he criticised the top Democratic winner in New Hampshire. (Reopens FGN 1) Continuing with his anti-China rhetoric, Trump said he elected as the US president in the November elections, he would bring back the jobs from China, Japan and Mexico - the countries which are taking away the jobs of the Americans. "We have to make the deal for the American people," he said. Trump vowed to make the American military "so powerful" that no can "mess with us", and asserted that the US under him would have strong borders. People would be welcomed legally and not legally, he said vowing to build the wall along the Mexico border to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country. Describing Obama care as total disaster, Trump said that he would repeal and replace this signature health care of the US President. "I am going to be the greatest jobs president that God ever created," he said and urged his countrymen not to believe in the "phony numbers" of unemployment rate of less than five per cent. "We are going to knock down ISIS," Trump said. "We are going to start winning again. We are going to make America Great Again, greater than ever," he said. In her remarks after conceding her defeat, Clinton acknowledged that when she started her campaign last spring she knew that it is not going to be easy. "Here's what we are going to do. Now we take this campaign to the entire country. We are going to fight for every vote in every State. We are going to fight for real solutions that make a real difference in people's lives," Clinton said, with the former president and her husband Bill Clinton standing by her side. Addressing his enthusiastic supporters at a school gymnasium in Concord in New Hampshire, Sanders said the people have sent a message that the government in the country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors. The New Hampshire primary results came eight days after caucuses in Iowa, where Sanders fought Clinton to a virtual tie. "Nine months ago, we began our campaign here in the Granite State," Sanders said. "We had no campaign organisation and we had no money. And we were taking on the most powerful political organisation in the United States of America, a team that defeated Barack Obama here in the Democratic primary in 2008," he added. "And tonight, through a record-breaking voter turnout, we won because we harnessed the energy and the excitement that the Democratic Party will need to succeed in November," Sanders said. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu today slammed as "hypocritical" calls by some countries urging Ankara to open its borders to Syrian refugees while failing to demand Russia halts punishing air strikes. Turkey is under mounting pressure to open its border to people fleeing a Russian-backed assault by the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad in the north of the war-torn country. Tens of thousands of Syrians were still stranded today at the frontier north of the second city of Aleppo, where more than 500 people are said to have been killed in the offensive since February 1. On a visit to the Netherlands, Davutoglu insisted the borders of his country had always been open to those fleeing Syria's civil war. "I find it hypocritical that some circles are telling Turkey to 'open your borders' while at the same time failing to tell Russia 'enough is enough'," Davutoglu said. But he added: "We will take in Syrians who want to come (to Turkey), but as a priority we are building a new camp to accommodate Syrians inside Syria's borders." Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who had been hoping to find a way to tackle Europe's migrant crisis, also slammed the Russian air strikes, launched by Moscow late last year. "The Netherlands calls on all parties including Russia to strictly comply with UN resolution 2254," he said. Fighting must stop to allow "in humanitarian aid," Rutte said, adding the "Russian air strikes would seem to be in conflict with" the resolution. Russia is a signatory to UN Security Council resolution 2254, passed in December, which orders all warring parties in Syria to respect an immediate ceasefire and allow humanitarian agencies to take food and relief supplies to besieged civilians. But, with UN-led peace talks in Geneva stalled, Russian jets have continued to bomb Assad's enemies, most recently in the onslaught that has seen regime forces advance to all but encircle the city of Aleppo. The UK has welcomed the launch of a scheme that will see 1,000 British graduates boost their digital skills through paid internships with Tata Consultancy Services, calling the programme a perfect fit for wider collaboration with India. UK minister for employment and British Prime Minister David Cameron's Indian Diaspora Champion Priti Patel hailed the internships as a "highly ambitious programme" as part of a wider Generation UK-India initiative at an event in London yesterday. "This is an incredibly exciting opportunity. Over the next four years, the TCS internship will play a key role in developing the digital skills of 1,000 UK graduates," Patel said. The programme was first announced last November in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK and will see the 1,000 graduates carry out internships for a period of 12 months at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) offices across 17 locations in India. The first intake of students will go to India later this year, with the programme expected to continue until 2020. "The new TCS internship programme is a perfect fit within our wider collaboration with India. Over the last 10 years, the UK-India relationship in education research and innovation has blossomed, showcased in the UK-India Education and Research Initiative and the Newton-Bhabha Fund," Patel said. "That is why, during his visit to the UK last November, Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Cameron agreed that 2016 should be the UK-India Year of Education, Research and Innovation," Patel said. The wider Generation-UK India initiative was unveiled by British Council in November, 2014. It is aimed at sending as many as 25,000 British students to India by 2020 to carry out study and work placements, teaching assistantships or cultural immersion placements. The programme has received over 7,000 registrations and more than 2,600 completed applications for the first 500 places on the scheme that were on offer for 2015. Drought-stricken Haiti is grappling with its most serious food crisis in 15 years, the head of the UN World Food Program's country office has said. Roughly 1.5 million Haitians are considered severely insecure when it comes to food, more than double the figure of those facing malnutrition from a government assessment in September. Hard-hit areas are in Haiti's northwest, southeast and some areas on the border with the Dominican Republic. The World Food Program's country director, Wendy Bigham, called the situation alarming. A growing number of families will need to sell off possessions to feed themselves or have to significantly reduce the daily amounts they eat, she said. In a phone interview yesterday, Bigham described it as "the most serious food crisis facing Haiti since 2001," when methodical data collection began to assess food security in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country. The number of Haitians in need of urgent food aid spiked over the last six months amid a long drought that has been worsened by the arrival of a strong El Nino weather pattern. In 2008, violent food riots by Haitians toppled a prime minister. But the World Bank noted last year that extreme poverty fell in Haiti over the last decade, especially in urban areas. The World Food Program, which relies on contributions and tries to mobilize assistance for countries around the globe, intends to ramp up its food assistance for 1 million Haitians by distributing cash and, to a lesser extent, rations. Haiti is in its third year of drought. The situation has deteriorated because of a lack of rain blamed on a particularly strong El Nino, a warming of the tropical Pacific that affects global weather. The current pattern began last year. While Haiti imports half of its food needs, local harvests are critical for numerous families. If Haiti continues to be parched by drought in the next few months, Haitian farmers will lose their fourth consecutive harvest, Bigham said. Forecasts indicate a 100 per cent chance that El Nino will remain until at least April, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, a US-government financed program that tracks weather patterns, agricultural production and food prices in an effort to offset famine. Haitian government officials could not be reached for comment on the World Food Program's statement yesterday, which was a holiday in Haiti. Lawyers of the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench here went on the rampage today, torching a state transport bus and vandalising some vehicles after the body of their colleague bearing injury marks was found in the state capital yesterday. They were agitated over the alleged murder of 40-year-old advocate Sharavan Kumar Verma. His body was found in a drain close to the place where he stayed in Ganeshganj locality, police said. The protesting lawyers also pulled down posters and banners from poles and set them on fire, police said, adding fire tenders were requisitioned to put out flames that engulfed the bus. The lawyers boycotted the court to register their protest and demanded Rs 10 lakh compensation for the family of the deceased advocate. An emergency meeting of the Oudh Bar Association's executive committee was held to condemn the murder, general secretary of the association R D Shahi said. The meeting also resolved to abstain from work today in protest against the incident, he added. (REOPENS DES26) The situation is under control now, IG (law and order) Bhagwan Swaroop said, adding no arrest has been made so far but legal action will be taken against those involved in the incident. (REOPENS NRG 20) Shahi alleged police used force and lathi charged the agitating lawyers near Swastha Bhawan adjacent to the High Court later in which some lawyers were injured and their vehicles damaged. "We condemn police action and in protest against the same, will abstain from work tomorrow," Shahi said. US Trade Commission (USITC) will hold a hearing in May in connection with the final phase of anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations on certain steel products from India, China, and three other countries. The USITC said it has scheduled the final phase of anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations on certain 'corrosion - resistant steel' products from India, China, Italy, Korea, and Taiwan. "The Commission hereby gives notice of the scheduling of the final phase of anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigation...To determine whether an industry in the US is materially injured or threatened with material injury, or the establishment of an industry in the US is materially retarded, by reason of imports of the products from the five countries," it said. The Commission, it said will hold "a hearing in connection with the final phase of these investigations" on May 26, at the US Trade Commission Building. The final phase of these investigations is being scheduled as a result of "affirmative preliminary" determinations by the Department of Commerce that certain benefits which constitute subsidies "are being provided" to manufacturers, producers, or exporters in China, India, Italy, and Korea of certain corrosion-resistant steel products, it said. The department has also determined that such products were being sold in the US at less than fair value. It has preliminarily determined that countervailable subsidies are not being provided to producers and exporters of the products from Taiwan and that the imports from there are not being and are not likely to be sold in the US at less than fair value. The investigations were requested in petitions filed on June 3, 2015, by United States Steel Corporation (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Nucor Corporation (Charlotte, North Carolina), Steel Dynamics (Fort Wayne, Indiana), California Steel Industries (Fontana, California), ArcelorMittal USA (Chicago, Illinois), and AK Steel Corporation (West Chester, Oregon). PHOENIX -- Seven Republican lawmakers are trying to erect new roadblocks to the federal government resettling Middle East refugees in Arizona. Rep. Bob Thorpe, R-Flagstaff, the prime sponsor of HB 2370, said his aim is to block plans by the Obama administration to locate in Arizona any of the 10,000 Syrians that will be brought into the country this year. Thorpe said he has no confidence that the federal government is properly screening refugees, a point he said was proven by the San Bernadino terrorist who, with her husband, killed 14 people in December. "Right now, people are being placed here without even the state's knowledge,'' he said. Thorpe said Arizona needs information from the feds about not just who is here but how they were screened. "They need to show us they have fully vetted this people,'' Thorpe said. The issue, he said, goes to the question of state sovereignty. "I assume the federal government has the jurisdiction to have a refugee program,'' he said. "I don't necessarily agree they have the right to force a state to take those refugees.'' Whether the state can do that, however, is another matter. "I don't believe that's ever been challenged in court,'' Thorpe said. "It's my hope that if my bill gets passed that might open up the opportunity for our attorney general to then challenge the federal government and really determine where states' rights begin and end.'' So far, though, no state has been able to actually keep refugees from being placed in their state. In November, Gov. Doug Ducey added his voice to a chorus of governors asking the federal government to immediately halt placement of new refugees in Arizona. Ducey cited a provision of federal law that entitles him to "immediate consultation by federal authorities'' of plans to resettle any refugees in the state. Ducey also demanded the federal government "take into account the concerns and recommendations of the state of Arizona as they are required to under federal law, in our efforts to keep our homeland safe.'' But what Ducey got was a conference call between federal officials and various governors detailing their screening efforts. The Department of State reports that in 2014 and 2015 it resettled 183 Syrians in Arizona, including 72 in Glendale, 63 in Tucson and the balance in Phoenix. And from the time Ducey registered his objections until mid January, 16 Syrians were resettled in Arizona. Overall, 2,960 refugees from all places were resettled in Arizona last year. The largest group was from Somalia, with 522, followed by 442 from Iraq. Thorpe said if his legislation can't stop refugees, it would at least preclude and state local officials and agencies from cooperating with the federal government to place refugees here unless that person has undergone a "thorough criminal history, terrorism and health background check and has been approved for placement by this state.'' HB 2370 also says there won't be any state cooperation unless the federal government fully reimburses state and local governments for any costs of placing refugees. Separately, House Speaker David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista, has introduced legislation requiring a special audit of the number of refugees resettled in Arizona in the last 36 months. HB 2691 also would seek a total of how much the state has spent on resettling refugees and how much it has gotten back from the federal government. Thorpe also has another bill on refugees that requires state licensure of any refugees facilities in the state. He said, though, HB 2682 is aimed more at facilities like Southwest Key which are under contract to the federal government to deal with unaccompanied minors who have been showing up at the nation's southern border for the past few years. The recommendations of a central panel for 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in private sector jobs today evoked favourable reactions from parties with the ruling BJP noting it can be done after creating a conducive atmosphere. Welcoming the recommendations of National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), BJP spokesperson Bizay Sonkar Shastri said there is "valid ground" for reservation in private sector but it can be provided only after creating a conducive atmosphere and it "should not be imposed." There is valid ground for working towards making a conducive atmosphere as private sector gets many government concessions, including tax rebates and infrastructure like land and water at a concessional rate, Shastri said. The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), a statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, has recommended that a legislation be passed under which private entities, including businesses, hospitals, schools, trusts, etc. Will have to reserve 27 per cent of jobs for OBCs. The commission has written to the ministry and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) in this regard. Claiming that the BJP government is working towards creating a suitable atmosphere in this regard, Shastri said the UPA government did nothing in this direction. The response of the main opposition party Congress was a bit guarded but it also appeared backing the move. "Congress party has always taken steps to encourage equality in society. For this we brought the law to provide reservation to SC/ST as well as OBCs. We had also talked about reservation for SC/ST in private sector in our election manifesto. "Then we had proposed that there is a need to do more for affirmative action, involving all stake holders. Everybody together should take decision, which is beneficial for all," party spokesperson RPN Singh said. JD(U) and CPI strongly backed the recommendations. "Our party stands for reservation in private sector also. We welcome the recommendation. About the percentage (extent of quota to be offered), it should be in line with Supreme Court judgement. Whatever possible, that should be given," CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said. Party national secretary D Raja seconded Reddy and made a strong pitch for quotas for schedule castes and schedule tribes in private sector. JD(U) general secretary K C Tyagi said, "we will support the government inside and outside Parliament if it brings a legislation on OBC reservation in private sector. Vehicles carrying construction material or demolition waste in the city will be penalised up to Rs 5,000 if they are found violating pollution norms. An Environment Department official today said traffic authorities who were "unsure" whether they had the requisite powers to impose the fine in this regard have been told by the city government that they could do so under an NGT order. "Until now traffic authorities could penalise errant vehicles up to Rs 2,000 under the Motor Vehicles Act. Now the fine will go up to Rs 5,000 and they can very well do acting on relevant orders of the National Green Tribunal," a senior government official said. The official said Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had last week written to traffic authorities, who met government officials on Monday, and agreed to enforce the order. In another letter, the city's Environment Secretary has told traffic authorities that they can deposit the collected fine with the DPCC till they have their own arrangements. "The money has to be spent for improving the environment in any case. It cannot be spent under any other head. For example the MCDs keep the money they collect from fining those who burn waste in the open. They have their own mechanism," the official said. As per NGT orders, all construction material and debris shall be carried in trucks or vehicles that are fully covered and the vehicles used for such transportation shall be properly cleaned before being permitted to ply on roads. An IIT-Kanpur study has identified trucks and road dust as the major polluters behind Delhi's hazardous air quality with the former contributing up to 38 per cent of PM 2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns). During winters, vehicles contribute up to 25 per cent of PM 2.5 emissions, while 26 per cent comes from biomass burning. During summers, coal and flyash contribute to 26 per cent of PM 2.5, soil and road dust 27 per cent, biomass burning 12 per cent, while vehicles contribute 9 per cent as per the report. Veteran French politician Laurent Fabius bowed out of government today after a career spanning more than three decades that saw an early string of scandals but ended with his shepherding a complex climate deal as foreign minister. Fabius holds the distinction of being France's youngest ever prime minister, a post he took up at 37, and has remained a Socialist heavyweight, ending his career in the ornate hallways of the Quai d'Orsay as his country's top diplomat. Amiable and sometimes witty in person, the cerebral 69-year-old also has a reputation for being aloof. Nevertheless, his experience made him a popular foreign minister with the French people, who largely saw him as a fitting representative abroad. Today, President Francois Hollande nominated Fabius to head France's prestigious Constitutional Court, a post the outgoing foreign minister told reporters he would take up in March "if things go as planned". Segolene Royal, the high-profile environment minister and ex-partner of President Francois Hollande, is among the rumoured successors, but former prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is also believed to be in the frame. As foreign minister since 2012, Fabius helped to negotiate the Iran nuclear deal, as well as dealing with the thorny dossiers of the Syria conflict, and the growing threat of jihadism in western Africa, where French troops are deployed. Journalists became accustomed to his pithy expressions. Whether discussing the Islamic State group or Nigeria's Boko Haram, he would often repeat: "They are fake believers, but true criminals." However, it is Fabius's final big project that is likely to shape his legacy: sealing a historic deal to save mankind from global warning. As host of the global climate talks at the end of 2015, he presided over 13 days of gruelling talks to get 195 nations to agree on transforming the energy system underlying the world economy. While fending off rumours of ill health -- and a persistent suggestion that he suffered from Parkinson's -- Fabius threw himself into the complex world of climate science and politics for two years preceding the talks. He made 12 trips to China, four each to India and Saudi Arabia, and also went to Brazil and South Africa to get them on board and listen to their concerns. Fabius, who comes from a long line of art merchants, is independently wealthy, and his status as the richest of the Socialist ministers has been seen as off-putting to the rank and file. Haughty, highly pedigreed and clad in classic suits -- Hermes, according to one local report -- he has often been labelled a member of the "gauche caviar", the French term for a champagne Socialist. HRD Ministry has again sent the file recommending dismissal of Visva Bharati Vice-Chancellor (VC) to President Pranab Mukherjee after the law ministry and Attorney General backed its view in the matter. The President's office had in November last year sent back the file pertaining to Dattagupta asking whether denying the VC a "hearing in person" on allegations levelled against him was legally tenable, it is learnt. The file pertaining to Visva Bharati VC has been forwarded to the President again, according to HRD Ministry official. The law ministry has opined that the procedures followed were "legally tenable". It's view has paved the way for the HRD Ministry to again recommend to the President, visitor of central universities, the sacking of the VC who is facing allegations of financial and administrative irregularities. HRD Minister Smriti Irani had also met the President last week in the backdrop of reports that the President and Irani have differed on certain matters, including on the choice of candidate for JNU VC and in the course of action to be adopted in the case of Dattagupta. Earlier, it was after the President office raised certain queries that the ministry had sought the opinion of the law ministry. "The view of the law ministry has conveyed to the HRD ministry that the proposal is legally tenable. It has suggested the HRD ministry can, for a fresh look, seek the opinion of the attorney general," a senior official said. Sources said the HRD ministry had sent a copy of a draft notification to the law ministry which was examined. Charges against Duttagupta include drawing salary from Visva Bharati and pension from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) simultaneously in an alleged violation of the laws. Under the law, he was required to have got his pension amount deducted from the pay he received from Visva Bharati. Besides this, Duttagupta was charged with making irregular appointments, including that of the Controller of Examinations despite having no powers, and sanctioning key posts in violation of the Visva Bharati Act. Dattagupta, who was appointed in 2011, has more than one year of his tenure left. He had also challenged the legality of the ministry's fact-finding committee but his petition was dismissed by the Calcutta High Court. If his dismissal is ordered, it will be for the first time that a Vice Chancellor is sacked by the President. A wanted Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) cadre today surrendered to the police in Meghalaya's North Garo Hills district, a top police official said. Based on his disclosure, police recovered three remotely controlled improvised explosive devices (IEDs) today from a jungle in Assam's Goalpara district, IG (Operations) G H P Raju said. Pintu Ch Marak, who had joined GNLA, gave himself up before the district superintendent of police (SP) without arms, the IG said. On his lead, three remotely controlled IEDs were recovered from a forested area in at 7:30 PM, Raju said. A bomb disposal squad is on the way to defuse the IEDs planted near Dorenkitip village in Assam, he said. Marak also disclosed that the GNLA along with ULFA had targeted both Assam and Meghalaya police personnel on January 26 in an attempt to terrorise the people, he said. Nestle India today said its Maggi brand of noodles is getting good traction in the market ever since it was reintroduced last November, and asserted that it is "not intimidated" by yoga guru Ramdev's noodles which got introduced during the same time. "Every competitor energises the market, they do not intimidate the existing players," Nestle India chairman and managing director Suresh Narayanan told reporters, when asked about the entry of the Patanjali brand of noodles. "We have reintroduced Maggi across the country and the response has been overwhelming; we're truly humbled by the consumer response," he told reporters on the sidelines of the annual Nasscom summit here. Last month, the yoga guru had claimed that his Patanjali brand of noodles would soon oust Maggi as the top brand in the country. According to domestic brokerage IIFL, Patanjali is expected to clock sales of Rs 20,000 crore by 2019-20, from a turnover of Rs 2,000 crore in 2014-15. When asked if the emergence of competition, especially something like Patanjali that claims to be a healthier alternative, would result in a change in the way Maggi is being manufactured now, Narayanan replied in the negative. Narayanan said the company has also introduced the chicken variant of the popular noodles and is selling it over e-commerce major Snapdeal. In the immediate future, the company is looking at introducing other variants of the noodles and also introduce newer products in other categories like dairy, coffee and chocolates, he added. The newer products that Nestle is planning to launch will be both high-end and mass consumption ones, he said. Narayanan said Maggi used to contribute a fourth of revenues for Nestle India and with time, he hopes to increase the share. "With the coming back of Maggi, there'll be a revival of fortunes for us. I'm not unrealistic, it will be a process and it will evolve gradually," he said. The company will look "aggressively" at opportunities of selling its products through the e-commerce portals, which are used increasingly by the youth, he said. When asked about the marketing spends on Maggi's re-launch, Narayanan said it is "significant" enough to "make a dent". Following the nationwide ban in June last year, the company had reported net losses for the first time in over three decades in the September quarter. With the clamour for forging an alliance between CPI(M) and Congress for the coming Bengal assembly polls growing louder in the parties' rank and file, senior leaders today said the two should forget the past and work together for better future of West Bengal. "We should not live in the past. It is time to respect the aspirations of the masses who want to get rid of the misrule of Trinamool Congress," CPI(M) Politburo member Mohammed Salim told a seminar here. "It is true that we (CPI(M)) had opposed Congress during Emergency. But presently the situation in the state is nothing but unannounced emergency. This is not the time to think about past differences, but to work together towards the common goal of progress of Bengal," he said. Asked about the present situation on the alliance, Salim said "I am not the high command. I can only say there is a process in our party and it is going through it. But I would like to say that it is CPI(M) which is the champion of coalition politics in post independent India." State Congress general secretary Om Prakash Mishra echoing Salim said "Yes we had differences during the Left rule. May be we will have differences in future too. But this is not the time to recollect the past. It is time to move forward unitedly as the youth and people of Bengal are looking at us with hope. "It is time to fight unitedly against this corrupt TMC region," he said at the seminar 'West Bengal Assembly Elections - The Way Forward' organised by Center for Peace and Progress. TMC leader Sabyasachi Bagchi claimed the proposed CPI(M)-Congress alliance will not be able to fetch any results as people will vote in favour of developmental politics pursued by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. "It is the developmental politics pursued by Mamata Banerjee that will fetch results. Alliance or no alliance, opposition won't be able to win the polls as they do not want to pursue developmental politics," he added. CPI(M) will hold a two-day state committee meet from February 12 to take a call on electoral tactics, including the alliance with Congress. The final decision on the issue of alliance will be taken by the party's central committee. Congress leaders from Bengal had unanimously rejected any alliance with TMC but remained divided on a tie-up with the Left in meetings with party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi. Working with the government is much more challenging now compared to his time, according to former chief mentor of CII Tarun Das. During an interaction with industry captains on his book "Crossing Frontiers - the journey of building CII" today, he said, "Working with the government is much more challenging now compared to my time. The environment in the country was so depressing among everybody. Building trust was the toughest thing... Breaking was easier. We worked hard and did it finally." Das, who was also the director general of CII from 1974 to 2004, said that West Bengal state has a "great future" if the services sectors are properly developed. In the book, which captures the culture and ethos of CII, Das penned very little about himself apart from highlighting that he has been associated with the organisation and its predecessor, for a total of 46 years. His tenure as the director general saw the rise of CII from a small engineering association to the apex industry organisation in India, he has written in the book. The session, which was organised by CII and Ananta Aspen Centre was also attended by CII president Sumit Mazumder and CII director general Chandrajit Banerjee. Das, in the book has also pointed out that the post-Independence situation was one of mistrust between the government and industry. Israeli fire killed a Palestinian youth during clashes near Hebron in the occupied West Bank today, the Palestinian health ministry said. The Israeli army confirmed opening fire after spotting "assailants hurling rocks at civilian vehicles" during the clashes in the area of the Al-Arroub refugee camp. The Palestinian killed, identified as Omar Jawabra, was said to be 15 or 16. A wave of violence that erupted in October has claimed the lives of 166 Palestinians, 26 Israelis, a US national, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. Most of the Palestinians were killed carrying out attacks, while others died during clashes and demonstrations. Some analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest. Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media as a main cause of the unrest. Israel has also faced questions over whether it has used excessive forces in some cases, which it firmly rejects. Also today, Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog spoke of his proposal to begin unilaterally separating from the Palestinians "as much as possible" to restore security, saying he sees no peace deal possible for now. The head of the Labour-led Zionist Union coalition said he still wants a two-state solution, but does not believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas are capable of a breakthrough. As a result, he proposes separating Palestinian areas on the outskirts of Jerusalem from the city itself and completing construction of Israel's controversial separation barrier already walling off much of the occupied West Bank. Herzog said the Palestinians must also be given more civilian authority in the West Bank itself as part of "confidence-building measures", though he stressed the Israeli army would continue to operate anywhere it sees necessary in the territory. By Alex Lawler and Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil clawed back some ground on Wednesday, a day after posting its third-biggest daily fall since the financial crisis, on talk major producers might tackle a glut that has sent prices to 12-year lows. Iran's oil minister said Tehran was ready to negotiate with Saudi Arabia and Kremlin oil tsar Igor Sechin proposed producing countries cut output by 1 million barrels per day - without saying whether non-OPEC member Russia would do so. While traders and delegates from OPEC doubt any deal between the group and rival producers - which would be the first in over a decade - will happen, talk of it boosted the market. "If prices drop further, the chance for joint action increases and this in turn should prevent a further sharp drop in prices," said Carsten Fritsch of Commerzbank. "Today's gain is just a bounce back after yesterday's sharp sell-off." Brent crude was up 42 cents at $30.84 a barrel by 1502 GMT. The price fell for a fourth straight session on Tuesday to end down 7.8 percent, marking its third-largest one-day decline since the depths of the U.S. subprime lending crisis in 2008. U.S. crude fell 17 cents to $27.77. Oil collapsed from above $100 in June 2014 to a 12-year low of $27.10 last month, pressured by oversupply and OPEC's decision to focus on market share, not support prices. Turmoil in financial markets, in which shares of the world's biggest banks fell steeply this week, is partially caused by the low oil price, the head of BP said on Wednesday. "Of course the turmoil is a big concern," BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley told . "I've been travelling recently to major consuming countries like Japan and even they say they would like higher oil prices." Oil also gained support from a report showing a smaller buildup in U.S. crude inventories than forecast. OPEC pointed to a larger oil supply surplus on the world market this year than previously thought as Saudi Arabia and other members pump more oil, making up for losses in non-member producers hurt by the collapse in prices. (Additional reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Adrian Croft and Alexander Smith) Five Flagstaff Unified School District schools were forced to lock down Tuesday morning after another string of threatening phone calls were placed to the schools. All five schools were searched and nothing was found, district spokeswoman Karin Eberhard said. Eberhard said parents with children at the schools were notified of the lockdowns. It is unfortunate that these individuals continue to harass and threaten our schools, Eberhard said. Three schools also received threating phone calls Monday, forcing lockdowns. The district was the target of similar threats in the previous school year. A New York man was arrested in connection with the threats in July. The man told police when he was arrested that he was a "gamer" and the threatening calls were made after losing an online game. Eberhard said the district was complying with the Flagstaff Police Department and did not want to give the callers notoriety, which may lead to earning points in an online game, therefore encouraging the behavior. By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - Oil rose on Wednesday, after having posted its third-biggest daily fall since the 2008 financial crisis the day before, supported by the possibility of major producers cooperating to tackle a supply glut that has sent prices to 12-year lows. Iran's oil minister said Tehran was ready to negotiate with Saudi Arabia and the Kremlin's oil tsar Igor Sechin proposed producing countries reduce output by 1 million barrels per day - without saying whether non-OPEC member Russia would cut. While traders and delegates from OPEC doubt any deal between the group and rival producers - which would be the first in over a decade - will happen, talk of it has boosted the market. "If prices drop further, the chance for joint action increases and this in turn should prevent a further sharp drop in prices," said Carsten Fritsch of Commerzbank. "Today's gain is just a bounceback after yesterday's sharp sell-off." Brent crude was up 52 cents at $30.84 a barrel by 1155 GMT. The price fell for a fourth straight session on Tuesday to end down 7.8 percent, marking its third-largest one-day decline since the depths of the U.S. subprime lending crisis in 2008. U.S. crude rose 45 cents to $28.39. Oil collapsed from above $100 in June 2014 to a 12-year low of $27.10 last month, pressured by oversupply and a 2014 change of policy by OPEC to focus on market share, not support prices. The drop has squeezed producers' oil income and is having a wider impact. Turmoil in financial markets, in which shares of the world's biggest banks fell steeply this week, is partially caused by the low oil price, the head of BP said on Wednesday. "Of course the turmoil is a big concern," BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley told . "I've been travelling recently to major consuming countries like Japan and even they say they would like higher oil prices." Oil also gained support from a report showing a smaller buildup in U.S. crude inventories than forecast. The American Petroleum Institute (API), an industry group, said crude stocks rose by 2.4 million barrels in the week to Feb. 5, less than the 3.6-million-barrel rise expected by analysts. Investors will turn to the weekly supply report from the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration, due at 1530 on Wednesday. OPEC pointed to a larger oil supply surplus on the world market this year than previously thought as Saudi Arabia and other members pump more oil, making up for losses in non-member producers hurt by the collapse in prices. (Additional reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Susanna Twidale and Adrian Croft) In India, cause of 80% deaths goes unrecorded A new report says only a fifth of total deaths are medically certified, mostly in urban areas, created a data vacuum for preventive measures Facing a severe financial crunch, the railways ministry is said to be mulling an increase of up to 10 per cent in passenger fares. If approved, the increased rates will fetch Indian Railways (IR) an additional Rs 5,000 crore, partially offsetting the impact of the Pay Commission recommendations and the cut in the Centres financial assistance or Gross Budgetary Support (GBS). The ministry is likely to announce the decision soon, seeking to maximise gains from the increased volumes in the peak season beginning March.. Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016 . . The recently announced recommendations of the Pay Commission will hit IR by Rs 32,000 crore annually. And, the finance ministry has cut the rail ministrys Rs 40,000 crore initially budgeted GBS for the current financial years by Rs 12,000 crore. Also, IR has grossly failed to meet its freight and passenger earnings target. At such a time, a fare rise will help IR improve its operating ratio (OR), the money money spent to earn every extra Rs 100. The impact would, however, be visible only in the next financial year and Prabhu might have to struggle to show a healthy OR when he presents the next rail in Parliament on February 25. IR had budgeted for a 15 per cent jump in total earnings to Rs 188,000 crore in the current financial year, as compared to Rs 163,000 crore in 2014-15. Around 63 per cent of these (Rs 120,000 crore) were to come from freight; the passenger segment was expected to contribute Rs 50,000 crore. Total expenses were budgeted to rise 12 per cent to Rs 162,000 crore. Put together, the ministry had hoped to bring down (or improve) OR to 88.5 in 2015-16 from the 91.8 in 2014-15. While a fare rise might shore up revenue, it will not help IRs prospects for wriggling out of the severe downslide in passenger volumes. It has already missed its target in this regard of 5,700 million for the April-December 2015 period by a little over five per cent, with people attracted by the low fares offered by airlines. Crude oil accounts for around 40 per cent of the cost of airlines in India. In 2015, the price of the benchmark Brent crude fell by 35 per cent. This followed a $48 slide in 2014, providing a massive opportunity for airlines to cut fares. As a result, airline passenger volumes jumped 20 per cent in 2015, according to recent government data. The unconfirmed reports of a passenger fare rise gain strength from a just-released report from Axis Capital on the railways financial health, shared by the ministry with the media. The report recommends a 10 per cent rise in passenger fares and one of five per cent in freight rates for IR to remain financially healthy. The previous revision of passenger fares was in June 2014, of 14 per cent, immediately after the present government came to power and a month before the full rail . Prior to that, former railways minister Dinesh Trivedi, of the Trinamool Congress, had announced a fare rise in the rail for 2012-13 but was removed by his party for that decision. His successor, Mukul Roy from the same party, had rolled back the hike. The latest Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor has been released today. The monitor measures the pulse of the Irish professional jobs market by tracking the number of new job vacancies and new candidates within the Republic of Ireland each month. It recorded a 37% month-on-month increase in professional job vacancies in January 2016. The proportion of job opportunities reached the same level as in January 2015. There was a 50% month-on-month increase in the number of professionals active in the job market between January 2016 and December 2015. There monitor also shows a shift from temporary towards permanent hiring as confidence in the market returns. The contract market in sectors such as IT and Supply Chain is slowing down in favour of permanent roles. There was an uptake on administrative roles within construction due to increased activities in the property and building sectors. Legal secretaries and PAs with property experience are also in high demand. Operations Director at Morgan McKinley Ireland, Bryan Hyland says, "Both indigenous and multilingual organisations are seeing an uplift in business driven by general economic growth both internationally and domestically. Companies are noticeably improving their recruitment processes as they seek to hire top talent. "With many professionals in high demand, in many cases having multiple job offers, more employers are aware of the need to expedite the interview process and engage with the prospective hire. "On the flip side, it is more apparent that employers are counter-offering employees who are considering leaving, creating additional options for professionals on the move. This is particularly apparent in niche, high skills demand areas, such as IT, Funds and Finance." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us It was announced today that over 1,500 jobs will be created over the next three years by 105 High Potential Start-Up (HPSUs) companies supported by Enterprise Ireland in 2015. HPSUs are start-up businesses with the potential to develop an innovative product or service for sale on international markets and the potential to create 10 jobs and 1m in sales within three to four years of starting up. Last year was a record year for Enterprise Ireland supported new start-up companies with the highest number of funding approvals with a total direct Enterprise Ireland investment commitment of 31m in start-ups. New research, presented at the annual Enterprise Ireland Start-Up Investor Day, indicated that nine out of ten start-ups surveyed by Amarach Research on behalf of Enterprise Ireland plan to increase staff in 2016. Six in ten expect substantial growth this year with the main export markets being the UK, Europe and USA. While one in five respondents to the research were female, almost half (47%) felt that it was getting easier for women to start and grow a business with the balance seeing no change. Up to 2011, female-led enterprises accounted for just 7% of new start-ups. Participation by female entrepreneurs in the Enterprise Ireland High Potential Start-Up programme increased to 22% in 2015. Speaking at the Investor Day, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton said, "I am delighted that there is a strong regional representation with 47% of the high potential start-ups being from outside Dublin. ""Furthermore, I am encouraged to see more young entrepreneurs over 10% of the founders of the Class of 2015 are under 30. All of the start-ups involved today are the new ambitious promoters that will go on to become part of the growing number of internationally trading Irish companies that each year are increasing Irish exports and creating new Irish jobs some I am confident will ultimately develop into the large employer Irish multinationals of the future." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland have today released their Commercial Property Review and Outlook 2016 report. Close to 500 Chartered Surveyors were surveyed for the SCSI annual report which was developed and published in conjunction with Future Analytics Consulting. The report predicts that prime office and retail rents in Dublin are expected to rise by about 12% in 2016, while residential development land values in the capital are expected to rise by a similar amount. According to the report, the value of residential development land in Dublin was up almost 20% in 2015. The value of office development land in Dublin grew by almost 27% in 2015. There is a 16% rise forecast for 2016. Surveyors expect prime office rents in the rest of the country to increase by between 5% to 6% while retail rents are expected to increase by 7% to 8% in Munster and Leinster (excluding Dublin) but by 4.5% in Connacht. The survey found that investment in the commercial property market reached approximately 3.7 billion in 2015. While this figure is below the record investment level of 4.5 billion achieved in 2014, it nevertheless represents an exceptionally buoyant year for Irish property investment, as all sectors of the market recorded marked increases in activity. The Review found that prime office rents in the capital were priced at 561 per sq. m at the end of 2015 but are set to increase by a further 11.7% this year. In the retail sector, retail rents in Dublins Grafton Street grew by approximately 17.9% in 2015. Rents increased by 16.8% for prime rental in Dublin as Zone A prices reached 5,247 per sq. m. Respondents to the survey expect prime retail rents in Dublin to increase by 11.5% in 2016. In Connacht/Ulster, they are expected to increase by around 4.5% and in Munster and Leinster by approximately 8.0% and 7.2% respectively. SCSI Commercial Agency Professional Group Chair, Brian Meldon says, "While some respondents are anticipating an increase in supply in 2017, no new office space has been delivered to the Dublin market for the last five years and as a result demand continues to surpass supply. "As a result, there are ongoing concerns about Dublins ability to continue to attract service sector Foreign Direct Investment in the absence of appropriate office space." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us The second Annual Conference of the 30% Club Ireland took place today at the Science Gallery in Dublin with over 150 business leaders attending. The 30% Club is a global movement of international Chairs and CEOs who are committed to better gender balance at all levels of their organisations through voluntary actions. The movement seeks to gain support for gender balance in business from leaders of public, private, state and multinational companies and other interested groups. The 30% Club in Ireland is led by Marie OConnor, partner at PwC. Since its launch in 2014, CEOs and Chairs from over 120 top Irish companies have become official supporters of the 30% Club. Speakers at the conference today included former Secretary General of the European Commission, Catherine Day; Secretary General, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Robert Watt; and Global Chair of the 30% Club, Brenda Trenowden. To mark the second Annual Conference, a research study report, with a foreword from former President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, was commissioned by 30% Club Ireland in association with Dublin City University and BNY Mellon. The study presents the results of the most up-to-date insight into womens role in management in Ireland. Women occupy a disproportionately low number of managerial roles across organisation types, sectors and size according to the report. Even at the most junior level of management women only occupy 34% of positions and their representation continues to fall significantly at each subsequent stage of the management hierarchy. Internal to organisations, senior women managers are most commonly found in HR and marketing roles, and few senior leadership positions are found in Finance, Sales, Operations and IT. Also noted was the fact that there are more women in leadership positions in companies headed by a female CEO than a male CEO. This research will provide a baseline for a longitudinal study over the next 5 years. It is hoped that it will trigger a debate on why women are not progressing in management in Irish business, and how the pipeline of female business talent can be strengthened. Global Chair of the 30% Club, Brenda Trenowden today commented, "We have seen the research, proven time and again, at national and international level that business booms with a stronger gender balance in place and makes for a better work environment. "30% Club Irelands progress has been remarkable in almost two years it has been established. It will play a key role in highlighting the need for best practice and learning among business leaders, and creating new pipeline initiatives from the schoolroom to the boardroom. I am delighted to be part of this event today." Source: www.businessworld.ie The Chairman of the Small Firms Association (SFA), AJ Noonan, has today condemned the proposed strike action by Luas drivers which is scheduled to take place over the coming days. Transdev, which is the private company that runs Luas, has begun notifying passengers that Luas services will not be running this Thursday and Friday, the 11th-12th February, and again the following week, the 18th-19th. Noonan estimates that over 90,000 commuters will be affected and that there will be a negative impact on shops and businesses around the city as employees try to get to work and customers are disrupted. Speaking today, Mr. Noonan commented, "The economic impact will be significant at a time when many small businesses are struggling to remain competitive. This is another example of unions holding the country to ransom. "Their claims for pay increases of up to 54% are totally out of line with what is happening in the economy. On behalf of the thousands of small businesses that will suffer as a result of this dispute, I call on SIPTU workers to call off the strike." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us A six storey office building in Burlington Road, Dublin 4, is set to be completed by the second quarter of 2017. The project, 'Vertium' is the result of a collaboration between three major European property companies Union Investment, U+I and Ronan Group with joint letting agents Savills and Knight Frank. The new 172,000 square foot office building will accommodate up to 2,000 workers and will span almost 100 metres on Burlington Road. The detached nature of the new structure will allow for natural light on all sides. Letting agents will be quoting rent in excess of 55 per square foot. Chairman of Savills, Roland OConnell and Director of Knight Frank, Declan OReilly, the letting agents for Vertium made a joint statement, "It has been well documented that there is simply not enough office space to meet the demand of occupiers in Dublins central business district. "Major new office schemes such as the Vertium building are crucial in ensuring Dublin remains a competitive city when it comes to attracting foreign direct investment. The level of interest, best expressed by occupiers already, is very encouraging, prompted by the fact that there is very little new stock that can be delivered within the next 15/18 months in Dublin." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us Does an armed police presence make Europe feel safer? Published on February 10, 2016 Story by Cafebabel en it pl es fr de Over the last few months, there's a new trend in European policing. Following the terror attacks in Paris on the 13th of November, several countries have seen an increase in armed police officers in areas considered targets: in airports, at large-scale events, and on the streets of major cities. How are young people in Europe reacting to this change? Do they feel more or less safe? This January, the London Metropolitan Police Service announced that they would be authorising 600 new armed police officers as a direct response to the terrorist attacks across Paris on the 13th of November 2015. In the French capital itself, during the current "State of Emergency", police are permitted to carry sidearms even outside of service, and there has been an increased presence on the streets, which has resulted in increased hours and a higher stress potential for the police force. Increased police security is part of a growing trend across the continent (admittedly with some exceptions). While the justification for an armed police presence is to increase levels of security, is it true that young people feel more secure? We asked Babelian's from across the continent to share their thoughts. "We've noticed the difference..." In the British Capital, armed police officers have historically been quite a rare sight. "Seeing police with weapons on the street my knee-jerk reaction is to feel less safe, not more," says David (30), who lives in the city, "I suppose part of this is because gun culture (out in the open) is so alien to most British people. Whether it makes me safer or not is debatable, but my gut instinct? No. Guns could be kept on hand for quick response needs, surely, without regular patrol use?" Some have not noticed a marked change. Despite being subjected to increased passport checks when returning to London whilst connecting flights in Amsterdam, Chris hasn't felt much of a difference. "It was pretty laissez-faire," he explains. Others are more affected by the unfamiliar situation. Speaking from East London an area with a large immigrant population Anjum says: "Absolutely yes... many police officers with big rifles. I feel a lot less safe when I see them." Elsewhere in Europe, we also receive a mixed response. Giulia (27) from Italy, replies: "There have been military forces around Florence since the 13th of November. Not so many... but we have definitely gone from seeing no guns to some, we've noticed the difference. When it comes to the safety factor, at least in my humble opinion, they have not affected anything. I feel exactly the same level of security as I did before the 13th of November." "Look natural, you've done nothing wrong!" In Brussels, having experienced their own terror threat and subsequent lockdown last November, our contact was undecided. "Are they supposed to bring more security?" says Julie (25), "Without a doubt, but it feels like being at war... It causes a certain paranoia. On the other hand, if there really are terrorists hidden in Brussels, the military presence could also discourage them... "I've mixed feelings on the question. When you're walking down the street at there's this soldier standing with a machine gun staring at you and you say 'Look natural, you've done nothing wrong!' It's stupid. Like when you leave a shop and you think 'Will the buzzer sound or not?' when you haven't stolen anything." To some people, however, the increased armed police presence after the attacks of the 13th of November is not so notable as it was following other incidents. "I remember after 9/11 and 7/7 armed police being on the streets in the UK..." Chris continues, "but recently I haven't noticed a massive difference." Similarly, in Toulouse, France, Camille (28) told us that the trend of armed police officers had begun even before the 2015 attacks, following the death of the young activist Remi Fraisse from a police grenade at a protest at the Sivens dam in 2014: "Seeing the military making their patrols around commercial centres gives me even less of a desire to go there than before!" Story by Cafebabel Roy Miller (left), the mayor of Corpus Christi and former editor of the Caller, was strongly opposed to the prohibition campaign of 1916. W.W. Jones (right), a wealthy rancher and part owner of the Nueces Hotel, was a staunch backer of the Ham-Ramsay revival and prohibition. As the revival led by the Rev. Mordecai F. Ham and his associate the Rev. William J. Ramsay raged on, it became a big part of the wet-dry campaign of 1916. The city was already split into rival camps. It became even more bitterly divided over religion, over politics, and over prohibition. It was a community riven, said the Caller, by dark passions. That two-month period from the beginning of the revival on Jan. 9 to the prohibition election March 12 became the most contentious time in a generation. The Denison Herald wrote that the Rev. Ham so churned up the waters of Corpus Christi Bay that fishermen had to go 40 miles out into the Gulf to get a nibble. The Nueces County Prohibition Club, organized in December 1915, was conducting a campaign to close 43 saloons in the county three in Port Aransas, three outside the city limits of Corpus Christi, and the other 37 inside the city. The rest of Nueces County was dry, by local option. The Prohibition Club began circulating a petition to hold an election to decide whether the sale of liquor should be prohibited countywide. The people behind the campaign were called "Pros" for prohibitionists and those opposed were called "Antis" for anti-prohibition. The Pros were led by former Mayor Clark Pease, H.G. Sherman, who had lost a race for mayor, and prominent rancher W.W. Jones, who was part owner of the Nueces Hotel. The Antis were led by Mayor Roy Miller, Nueces County Judge Walter Timon, and Walter Elmer Pope, soon to be elected to the Texas Legislature. The Pros used the Rev. Ham's revival as a fulcrum of their campaign. The Rev. D.B. South, pastor of First Baptist Church, said later that prohibition became identified with the revival but "the pastors had not planned it to be so. It was never clear as to how this came about." The Ham tabernacle was usually filled with worshippers with three services daily except for Monday as the Rev. Ham fulminated against demon rum and the sinful conditions in Corpus Christi which, he said, was sunk in the depths of sin and depravity. When the Rev. Ham wasn't preaching or investigating into the background of prominent sinners, he was leading auto caravans to outlying cities to bring back people to attend his revival. Meanwhile, the Prohibition Club was holding mass meetings and parades and conducting their own caravans out into the county, traveling to Agua Dulce, Banquete and Robstown. The Pros hoped, the Caller reported, to overcome the strong Anti-vote in the city with a heavy Pro-vote in county precincts. The petition for an election was presented to the County Commissioners. The names of 1,200 qualified voters (all men) were certified and the election set for Friday, March 10. The Caller said both sides were ready for the fray. Tempers were running hot at a meeting of the prohibitionists outside the Nueces Hotel. As the Rev. Ham spoke from a wagon bed, there was a fistfight between R.P. "Dick" Blucher and Tom Cahill. A city policeman was arresting the two when Matthew Dunn stepped in and warned the policeman to let Blucher go. Dunn raised his cane as if to strike the officer and Sheriff Mike Wright slapped Dunn. Blucher, Cahill and Dunn were arrested. Blucher and Dunn were leaders of the prohibition movement; Cahill was on the other side. The Caller reported that the revival's collection plates at one service on the previous Sunday contained $3,000 (over the course of the revival the Rev. Ham conducted 156 services). These were splendid returns, said the paper, and wondered how much good that money would have done for local pastors. In another edition, the Caller noted that two Pro leaders Clark Pease and H.G. Sherman were "lined up with Ham and Ramsay and shouting prohibition from the housetops." On the last Saturday night before the Friday election the Pros led a parade through the downtown. There were floats decked with bunting and flowers, caravans of autos, and more than 3,000 people (a tremendous turnout in a city of 5,000.) On the Thursday night before the election, the Antis held a rally at Artesian Park. On the day of the election, the Rev. Ham left early that morning. The revival was over and the Rev. Ramsay had left some days earlier. There were many in the city who were not, we suspect, overly sad at their departure, and probably more unkind things than that were said of "Ham and." At the polling places in the city, large crowds of women and children gathered and sang "Goodbye Booze" and "Nueces County Going Dry." They harangued male voters and some used small cameras to take photos of the men arriving to vote, just to make sure, they said, there were no irregularities. This spooked some men, and they departed without voting. History records that a total of 3,377 men voted 92 percent of those registered, which was probably the largest turnout, percentage-wise, in county history. The Pros won by 218 votes, a clear victory for the dry forces. The Caller was tactful. "That which is best prevails. Prohibition will become a fact in a few weeks. If it is salutary, it will outlive all agitations against it; if it is hurtful, it will be retired by the people." The saloons were closed on April 21. Afterward, Corpus Christi adjusted to life without beer and skittles, or beer anyway. The nearest place to buy a beer was in Rockport, 30 miles away. That put the lid on the saloon business in Corpus Christi for 16 years, until national Prohibition was repealed in 1933. As for the Rev. Ham and his sidekick Ramsay, they never returned to Corpus Christi. It took a long time for the ill feelings engendered by the revival and the prohibition campaign to die down. In the summer of 1916, a law school student at the University Texas came home for vacation and found that half the town was still not speaking to the other half. But on the whole the town was quieter and the news less sensational. Later that year, in August, Corpus Christi was struck by a major hurricane. It was really the second bad storm of the year. The first one was Mordecai F. Ham. This is the second of two columns on the Ham-Ramsay revival and the Nueces County prohibition campaign of 1916. Anyone who writes for public consumption, as I do, ought to approach the issue of other people's mistakes in print, such as the embarrassment at the Corpus Christi Independent School District, with a great deal of humility. I have made some doozies in my career. In my first job, in writing a news story about a rear end traffic collision, I mistakenly switched the drivers. In my nightmares I can still hear the woman whose driving record I had besmirched loudly complaining to the editor. That happened when I was writing for a newspaper in Edinburg in the Rio Grande Valley. Edinburg, as it happens, is where CCISD's new deputy superintendent, Maria Luisa Guerra, worked before coming to Corpus Christi. Guerra is at the center of the $90,000 "oops" that has given the local school district a black eye. The episode began last spring when Guerra ordered that copies of an in-house curriculum on vocabulary be duplicated in mass and distributed to primary and secondary teachers. Guerra brought the curriculum material with her from Edinburg when she got hired by CCISD. The cards were meant to help students in writing, math and grammar. Whatever help the students might have gotten is very suspect because the cards were rife with errors, misspellings, grammatical errors and typographical mistakes. Some of the cards still had the stamp of the Edinburg school district on them. The district spent $90,000 in making the copies, laminating them and getting them out. After copies had already made their way into teachers' hands and some began using them in their classes, at least as examples of what not to do, officials learned about the flaws. While the facts of the slip-up were apparently known within the CCISD executive halls, the public didn't get wind of this until the local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers informed the newspaper. Guerra and CCISD superintendent Roland Hernandez have been attempting to treat all this as old news. The cards had been recalled earlier in the school year, they noted. No harm, no foul. But the episode was embarrassing to the Edinburg district which didn't want its name sullied by a charge that it can't spell or write. They said the copy obtained by Guerra was an early version. They wrote a "cease and desist" letter to CCISD officials, asking that their name be expunged from all material. Ooh, that must have hurt. If the misspellings and grammar mistakes are just a one-off event, albeit, an attention-getting event, well, mistakes happen. But if the episode is a sign of deeper troubles, it is not so easy to shrug off. Acknowledging the mistakes, Hernandez told Caller-Times reporter Beatriz Alvarado "those materials should have been revised and thoroughly vetted before going to the printer." Why weren't they? After Guerra ordered the copying and distribution, those packages undoubtedly went through an uncounted number of hands and who knows under how many eyes. Yet no one saw the mistakes until they went to teachers. Really? No one went to Guerra and said, "Chief, these cards are full of mistakes, we need to pull them now before they get out of the building"? Education, like publishing a newspaper, is a team effort. You need other people to do their job so you can do yours. I want the toughest copy editor reading my stuff, telling me what's wrong before I make a spectacle of myself in print. This requires trust and respect both from me and from the editor. And it requires a great deal of constant communication. You need people around who aren't afraid to speak up. Maybe Guerra has this kind of organization working for her. I hope so. Without that kind of teamwork and open communication, the district will have a tough time tackling problems like dropouts and weaknesses in student writing and reading. It would also help immensely if CCISD officials held themselves accountable. Why wait for the teachers' union to hang out your dirty laundry? Put the brightest lantern over your own mistakes and take the heat. Isn't that what students are advised about their own ethical performance? Let's concede that Hernandez and Guerra are concerned about kids and their education. On Monday, in a public hearing on the district's annual Texas Academic Performance Report, they had the satisfaction of showing that the district's students, have made significant strides in mathematics comprehension, a long awaited improvement. Maybe the curriculum imbroglio is just a small misstep on the way to a better district. But if it's a symptom of an organization that can't recognize its own mistakes, that's bigger than a few misspelled words. 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. Contributed For three nights Steven Trevino will be bringing his homegrown and relatable performance to Chuckles Comedy Club. Trevinos return to South Texas represents a return home, and a return to family and friends who have supported him from the beginning. SHARE Contributed For three nights Steven Trevino will be bringing his homegrown and relatable performance to Chuckles Comedy Club. Trevinos return to South Texas represents a return home, and a return to family and friends who have supported him from the beginning. Contributed Comedian Steven Trevino will perform this weekend at Chuckles Comedy Club. Contributed Steve Trevino: Relatable was filmed at the American Bank Center in 2014 and released on Netflix in January. By Jimmy Willden Corpus Christi's Chuckles Comedy Club is becoming a hot spot for high-profile national comedians, but for Valentine's Day weekend, the club will be hosting a proud son of South Texas: Steve Trevino. For three nights Trevino will be bringing his homegrown and relatable performance to Chuckles Comedy Club. Trevino's return to South Texas represents a return to home, and a return to family and friends who have supported him from the beginning. In fact, the beginning for Trevino was standing atop a picnic table at backyard barbecues as a child with those family and friends as the audience. "I had a VHS copy of Eddie Murphy's "Raw". I memorized it and at the barbecues my dad would put me on the picnic table to tell these jokes," Trevino said. "Can you imagine? An eight or nine year old on a picnic table doing Eddie Murphy jokes. I loved the attention though. I was hooked." As Trevino grew older, he continued performing his comedy at backyard barbecues, and then, at talent shows. During the years, his journey toward finding comedic success sent Trevino trudging through empty shows in blizzards, hecklers and on stage fights. Through it all, Trevino focused on honing his craft. Eventually, Trevino dug out of the trenches and headed to Hollywood, writing for Mind of Mencia, appearing on The Late Late Show, Comics Unleashed, BET Comic View and being part of the world famous Comedystore on the Sunset Strip, performing with such notable comics as Dave Chappelle, Louis CK, Marc Maron and Bill Burr. In 2012, Trevino released his first Showtime special, 'Grandpa Joe's Son', which landed in the Neilsen Top 20, further opening doors for the comic. But, Trevino remained determined to hold tight to his roots. That's why, when it came time to film another special, he jumped at the chance to bring his show home. "If you ask me what one of my greatest shows was, it was when I was able to film a Netflix special in Corpus Christi in front of my friends and family," Trevino said. "Having them on stage with me after the show was something I will never forget. Performing in South Texas makes me the most happy." "Steve Trevino: Relatable" was filmed at the American Bank Center in 2014 and released on Netflix in January. The comic has a sitcom based on his stand-up in development, and has hopes of appearing in film. Still, Trevino remains humble, focused on his growing family, having recently welcomed a baby boy. "When I started I couldn't even take care of myself," Trevino said. "I was sleeping in my car or on somebody's couch, hoping that it would pay off. The biggest difference now is I've been able to provide for my family doing what I love. Not everybody gets to say that." Now that journey comes full circle again with Trevino excited to come back to South Texas on a weekend dedicated to love, to show his love for his hometown. To show his gratitude for the support he's received from his South Texas community, Trevino plans to always return home, always support local, and raise awareness for the only comedy club in Corpus Christi just in case "another little Steve" decides to pick up the microphone. "I'll always be a son of South Texas and I'm proud of it," Trevino said. "Thank you for your continued support. You have made my dream of being a comedian come true and I hope our love for each other continues. It means the world to me and my family." IF YOU GO What: Comedian Steven Trevino When: 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 8 p.m. Sunday Where: Chuckles Comedy Club, 617 N. Mesquite St. Cost: $20 advance, $25 at door Friday and Saturday; $30 advance, $35 at door Sunday Information: http://www.chucklescorpuschristi.com/ By Beatriz Alvarado of the Caller-Times The seed was planted in 2009 during a planning meeting and the vision is now becoming a reality. The Del Mar Board of Regents got a first glimpse on Tuesday at conceptual renderings of a new 96-acre campus that will sit at the corner of Yorktown Boulevard and Rodd Field Road. The regents saw potential in the flourishing Southside's educational needs at the 2009 planning meeting, which prompted the land acquisition in 2013. The campus would be built to serve 20,000 students and have about 5,000 parking spaces. The parking ratio 1 to 4 is smaller than east and west campus ratios of 1 to 2.2 and 1 to 3.6, respectively. But "it's going to be plenty of parking," said executive director of strategic communication Claudia Jackson. "On average, a student stays on campus 2 to 3 hours in any given day," Jackson said. "(The) ratio over morning, afternoon and evening classes is equivalent to many university and colleges today, and more abundant than many institutions." The overall master plan is due by mid-June and San Francisco-based architecture firm Gensler will present a modified vision for regents at the next board meeting, which is scheduled for March 8. Jackson said there is no projected cost for the campus. The $1.8 million planning phase is being funded with a $157 million bond package approved by voters in 2014. A funding source to build the campus will likely be in the hands of the community, said board chairman Trey McCampbell. "Eventually, we are going to want for this to go back to the voters," he said. During the workshop, Gensler Principal Alan Colyer detailed an aggressive public engagement plan that McCampbell said will help gauge a bond package's potential success. "If (the public is) excited about this, then maybe the timing is right to ask for funding," he said. "Or maybe we will wait a couple years, but you have to make the plan before you can work the plan." A website meant to gather public feedback will launch in the coming weeks. The college's new campus will focus on interfacing with Texas A&M universities in Corpus Christi and Kingsville by providing a comprehensive curriculum to support university transfer programs with the 42-hour basis for a bachelor's degree, Jackson said. The campus will expand the college's signature programs, including architecture, culinary arts, engineering, biotechnology and other emerging technologies. It also will offer developmental education, adult basic education, English as a second language and general education. About 30 students were surveyed and the campus was built on their needs, President Mark Escamilla said. "It's about building an ecosystem," he said. Contributed photo Raymond Downs, left, is pictured with his family recovering in a hospital after surviving a U-boat attack on the merchant marine ship Heredia. His family was returning from South America so his father could join the war effort in 1942. The Heredia was attacked off the coast of Louisiana after making a stop in Corpus Christi. SHARE Contributed photo So Close to Home cover Caller-Times file A graphic in the Oct. 7, 1991, edition of the Caller-Times mapped where a German U-boat was seen in 1942 off the coast of Port Aransas. By Esther Hackleman Just after 2 a.m. 8-year-old Raymond "Sonny" Downs was jolted awake. In a sleepy haze, Downs was excited, thinking the ship his family was aboard had docked safely in New Orleans. But the yelling on deck signified reality: Water was rushing into the ship. On May 19, 1942, less than a day after the merchant ship Heredia stopped in the Port of Corpus Christi, U-boat torpedoes splintered its hull. The boy reached in the dark for his life jacket on his bunk next to him. He tightened it around his torso, a habit he developed from the drills he and his family practiced with the crew. For the next 18 hours, Downs and his father braved the Gulf of Mexico waters. His survival story is the focus of Michael Tougias' newest book "So Close to Home." Tougias, the author of best seller-turned-movie "The Finest Hours," was drawn to the Downs family's resilience and the little known history of German submarines raiding the Gulf of Mexico. In the early 1940s, the Downs family moved from San Antonio to South America, where his father accepted a job after struggling through the Great Depression. When the United States entered World War II, Downs' father, a skilled engineer, planned to return to Texas with his family and join the war effort. But the war found them first. During 1942-43, U-boats lurked in the Gulf waters, wiping out ships that posed a threat, whether carrying men or supplies. "The German command found a happy hunting ground for their U-boats, and they were going to take advantage of it," an archived story from the Corpus Christi Caller reported on Aug. 23, 1945. The German navy developed a specific class of submarine, the IXC, designed to make the trip across the Atlantic, down the Eastern Coast and into the Gulf of Mexico through the straits of Florida, Tougias said. The underwater onslaught was so successful many U-boats made more than one tour. "More than a dozen U-boats made trips across the Atlantic to hunt ships in U.S. waters in 1942," co-author Alison O'Leary wrote in an email. "In 1942, U.S. losses in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico accounted for hundreds of lost merchant ships and 5,000 dead, a higher toll than Pearl Harbor." On May 12, 1942, Downs, his parents and his sister boarded the merchant ship that was hauling beans, bananas and sugar to New Orleans. The beginning of the weeklong voyage was an 8-year-old's dream. "I had run all over that ship," Downs, now 81, said. "It was a thrill." On the sixth day of the trip, merchant mariners spotted suspicious activity on the horizon, prompting the captain to sail into the Port of Corpus Christi and request that the family disembark for their safety. But, the port's docks were full, the city was cautious of German spies and the harbor was bracing for a storm brewing in the bay. Port officials denied the captain's request, forcing the family to continue to New Orleans. "In that one twist of fate, they never would have experienced that tragedy," Tougias said. "But the Heredia had to sail on." Under nightfall, U-boats found the ship about 40 miles off the Louisiana coast and tragedy began to unfold. "Two U-boats attacked the Heredia, causing her to sink in 3 minutes after two torpedoes had hit her on the port side and one on the starboard," an archived story from the Corpus Christi Caller reported. The spotlights glaring from the deck of the U-boats blinded Downs, who was separated from his family, but his father found him and the two shared a balsa-wood raft with the captain. The book follows the three survival stories of the Downs family who were all saved by shrimp boats despite separation, dehydration, starvation and the predators of the sea. Shrimpers and deep sea fishermen played a large role in rescuing survivors of U-boat attacks stranded in the Gulf of Mexico. "Records in the Eighth Naval District reveal that 31 survivors were rescued by these craft," according to the Aug. 23, 1945, Caller story. "They also played an outstanding part in keeping the submarines submerged and reporting their positions when they surfaced." Those reports filed through Downtown Corpus Christi. The old federal building on Starr Street served as the headquarters of the Eighth Naval District, an anti U-boat hub. The Corpus Christi hub was one of two in the Gulf of Mexico. But the attacks on the Heredia weren't printed until three and a half months after Germany surrendered to the Allied Forces and three years after Downs was stranded in the Gulf. Media remained largely quiet about U-boats in the Gulf, partly because of wartime censorship, said historian and Caller-Times columnist Murphy Givens. Of the 86 people aboard the Heredia, Downs was among 23 survivors, and his story will live on in the pages of "So Close to Home," which will be available in spring. "It really documents and chronicles what most people weren't aware of," Downs said. "I hope (readers) walk away with the realization of history." Tougias said his book will help combat that silence. "We get to tell the story of a little known aspect of history and show the story of the United States and Germans in a new light," Tougias said. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Cheryl Johnson takes a photo of herself Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, as the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority celebrated Black History Month by placing images of black leaders on the side of its buses. SHARE GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES A photo of historic leaders to commemorate Black History Month on a Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority bus. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES NAACP chapter president Terry Mills (center) talks Tuesday as the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority celebrated Black History Month by placing images of historic black leaders on the side of its buses. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES The Texas and U.S. flag is reflected Tuesday on a photo honoring Black History Month on a Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority bus. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Police Chief Mike Markle talks Tuesday as the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority celebrated Black History Month by placing images of historic black leaders on the side of its buses. By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times NAACP chapter president Terry Mills remembered Rosa Parks and her refusal to give up her seat on a bus in 1955. "In a way she stood up so I could sit down," Mills said Tuesday during a news conference to unveil two buses with images of famous black Americans. The Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority along with the NAACP, Colvich Law Firm and the Iconic Sign Group worked to wrap the buses with images of Secretary of State Colin Powell, astronaut Mae Jemison, former-U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm, former-Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and a scene of Martin Luther King Jr. meeting with President Lyndon B. Johnson. About 75 people and elected officials attended the event at the RTA headquarters. Mills said the purpose is to educate younger generations and to kick off a community celebration of Black History Month. An image of Barack Obama, the country's first black president, was absent on the buses and Mills said the organization wants to focus on the men and women who may have been forgotten. "I heard someone say they did not know who Thurgood Marshall was. That's why it's up to the older generations to keep these names alive because we no longer talk about them," Mills said. This is the first time RTA buses commemorate Black History Month and the images will remain on the buses for about six months. Tanya Simpson, late Corpus Christi Police Chief Floyd Simpson's wife, said the images have encouraged her family to talk about history and those who they are not familiar with. "I have encouraged my kids to look them up," Simpson said. "Educating our kids is very important. If we can educate them then we can keep our culture alive." RTA CEO Jorge Cruz-Aedo said the RTA is looking forward to work with other organizations to embrace the city's diversity. "This recognition of RTA and Black History has never been done before," Cruz-Aedo said. "When these buses run up and down the streets of Corpus Christi it will remind the community of the endeavors of the people represented." Twitter: @CallerNatalia By Matt Woolbright of the Caller-Times The Corpus Christi City Council unanimously agreed to extend city manager Ron Olson's contract by three years. His salary remains the same. The decision was made after the council emerged from hours of closed-door discussions. The item had been on executive session agendas previously, but no action was taken at the time. "We're very fortunate to have your leadership," Mayor Nelda Martinez told Olson after the vote. "We have gotten so much done in that short window of time (since Olson joined city)." Olson's contract was set to expire in May, which is his work anniversary, City Councilwoman Colleen McIntyre said. Any salary adjustment for Olson will be considered in May, she added. Olson's extension comes hours after he told the council Assistant City Manager Gus Gonzalez was stepping down to move to San Antonio. Gonzalez was taking a private sector job. Gonzalez is the third assistant city manager to leave the city in the past four months, but the departures have not led city leaders to doubt Olson's abilities to achieve set goals, Martinez said. Olson said Tuesday he was tapping utilities chief Mark Van Vleck to take Gonzalez's spot, and Jay Ellington has been asked to serve as an interim-assistant city manager. The third position will remain vacant, Olson said. "We have talked about the tremendous amount of goals and ambitions the city council and myself have for the city, and laying out a strategy to get those things done is really important to me," Olson said. "I'm excited to be able to engage that, and having an employment agreement that provides the time to get that done is a tremendous blessing." Twitter: @reportermatt When is hurricane season? Here's what you need to know in South Texas SHARE Elida T. Longoria Time to act like civilized people we are On Oct. 23, 2011, I wrote a letter to the Caller-Times, "Knowing respect and tolerance," and here we are 5 years later and we have not made a dent in our respect and tolerance of others. Respect and tolerance perhaps that is what is needed during these critical times in our country; we need respect for one another and tolerance to work together for a common goal. The extreme right, the Republicans and the Tea Partiers are still so focused on destroying President Barack Obama's legacy that they will not allow compromise and discussion to happen. The Republican candidates have used his name as the target of all their anger. It is OK to be angry at the Washington legislative bodies that have been at the forefront of all this chaos, but to blame the president is really too much. It is absolutely absurd for each one of the Republican possible presidential candidates to continue to quote Ronald Reagan. Former President Reagan is their go-to guy for ethics and solutions. Reagan negotiated with Iran for hostages, gave them missiles and weapons secretly and did not get hostages back (see Iran Contra). He raised taxes several times and it affected the middle class, not the rich (and the politicians were OK with that). Short memory by these Republican candidates and their followers. A Donald Trump spokesperson sent out racist tweets concerning President Obama, using the language of white supremacists which has not been used by civilized people for decades. It is mind boggling that in a critical election of utmost significance we are still being subjected to this kind of talk from presidential candidates and their spokespeople. We need for all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, to concentrate on real credible solutions for our country, and stop degrading our president and each other. Imagine, whomever becomes president will have to carry all the baggage and garbage that was spoken about him or her into the White House. What do you think the rest of the world is going to think about our president? Let's practice respect and tolerance. That should be our No. 1 priority and we do not need any political candidate talking about taking our country back or making our country better or growing a better America. We are already there, we just need to start acting like civilized, respectful citizens and see if the rest of the world does not take notice. The occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Ore., is mostly over. Four militants remain inside the refuge; 11 have been arrested and charged, including the Bundy brothers Ammon and Ryan. Only Robert LaVoy Finicum made good on his promise to die rather than submit to the federal government. But if the tree of liberty is watered by the blood of patriots the militia movements favorite Jefferson quote then Finicums death is exactly the sort of martyrdom that law enforcement hoped to avoid and didnt. Now is a good time to ask: What exactly did he die for? To patriots like Finicum and the Bundys, the movement to reclaim public lands from the federal government is a variation on Americas cowboys and Indians story, but in their version theyre the cowboys and the Indians. On the one hand, they position themselves as the descendants of men and women who first won the West, the settlers who originally built this country. On the other, they see themselves as the victims of a huge land grab, locals who have been forcefully dispossessed. That makes them both an oppressed minority and the conquering heroes of manifest destiny. To understand this precarious and contradictory position which sits at the radical edge of a larger, well-funded land-transfer, anti-environmental movement that seeks to privatize public property we have to go back to this nations original sin. When the United States took the West from its first inhabitants by treaty, deception and force of arms the government put forward a consistent legal, moral and political principle to justify the seizure. It is much the same doctrine that Finicum preached around the West to ranchers groups; he called it productive beneficial use. Put simply: the land belongs to those who use it productively, those whose ranching, farming and stewardship benefit the land. I have created a right when Im the first one in line, Finicum told an audience of cattlemen at a property rights workshop in Piute County, Utah, in November. As long as I use this for continuous beneficial use, I have it. (According to the Salt Lake Tribune, eight ranchers who were at the November workshop signed letters withdrawing their consent to be governed by the BLM and the Forest Service in late January.) Finicums claims are a crude version of something the English philosopher John Locke argued in his second political treatise (one of the formative components of Jeffersons own philosophy). For Locke, property was a function of human labor. God gave the world in common to all mankind, as Locke put it, but He also commanded individual people to labour, and to subdue the earth. If a portion of the world in common were improved by an individual for the benefit of life, Locke reasoned, that individual had made it his personal property, which another had no title to, nor could without injury take from him. From this perspective, God-given land was only common until someone did something productive and beneficial with it; from then on, it was his or hers alone. Put more crudely: Use it or lose it. When the United States pushed American Indians off the land, the justification was that Indians didnt use the land productively or beneficially. This required a very narrow and self-interested definition of productive and beneficial, of course: White farmers and ranchers believed they improved the land with their labor, regarding Indians as animals, having no more right to the land than a bear or a bird. In 1812, the General Land Office began overseeing the disposal of the lands the United States government was busily acquiring in the West. The Preemption Act of 1841 and the Homestead Act of 1862 supplied guidelines for the disposal; the former gave land to those who were already farming it and the latter to those who applied to settle it. But the underlying principle was the same: having taken the lands from the native peoples, the federal government was to be only a temporary steward of the land until it was given to a productive beneficial user. Over the course of the 20th century, the federal government changed its position in response to environmental degradation, overcrowding, the need for multiple-users to co-exist and a general demand that the public have access to public land. The General Land Office became the Bureau of Land Management, and after a piecemeal succession of laws and amendments, Congress convened a commission to reformulate the nations public land law, from the top down. The commissions 1970 report One Third of the Nations Land argued that most public lands would not serve the maximum public interest in private ownership and urged the reversal of the policy that the United States should dispose of public domain lands. In 1976, Congress passed the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, repealing most of the old disposal laws and dictating that public lands would be retained in Federal ownership in perpetuity, except for special cases. Though the Bureau of Land Management leases the land for development and a variety of commercial uses, their official mandate is to keep the land open and accessible to all users, preserving it for the future. The agrarian past is gone. The United States economy has not depended on farmers and ranchers for a very long time. Even LaVoy Finicum couldnt make ends meet as a rancher in the 21st century; his primary source of income, according to Oregon Public Radio, was the payment his family received for fostering children. In the end, Finicum didnt die for the sake of liberty or the Constitution, but for an outdated, narrow and self-interested notion of how the West was won. | BY Ricki Green | Campaigns Independent Agency of the Year Atomic 212 has inked a merger with CRM specialist BrandMail. BrandMail has been absorbed by 212 Ignite, the content marketing and CRM unit of Atomic 212. BrandMail managing director Kevan Baker (pictured) has also joined the agency to head up 212 Ignite. Baker founded BrandMail in 2010. He brings an impressive list of new clients into the Atomic 212 business, including Melbourne Storm and Yellow Brick Road. BrandMail also works with Atomic 212 client AMP. The days of identifying a linear path to purchase are over. The BrandMail acquisition rounds off Atomic 212s ability to reach consumers at all points of that journey. The CRM business returns on average $42 worth of earned spend for every client dollar spent. Atomic 212 chief executive Jason Dooris said the deal will provide significant benefits to the agencys existing stable of clients, which includes TAB, AMP, Progressive Insurance and Origin Energy. Says Dooris: It brings a true direct marketing approach to escalating engagement. It syncs itself perfectly to the targeted media and lead generation campaigns which are already running with Atomic 212. We already provide our clients with direct marketing services, but bringing the specialist service in-house will equip them with a best in market offering. Says Baker: Were excited to be teaming up with Atomic. This deal will allow BrandMail to significantly improve its CRM systems, which will provide advanced capabilities for Atomic 212s client roster, as well as BrandMails existing clients. The deal follows a period of significant successes for Atomic 212. Aside from winning tens of millions of dollars in new business in recent months, the agency was named Campaigns Independent Agency of the Year across Australia and New Zealand, while also winning gongs for Digital Agency of the Year, emerging Agency of the Year and Media Agency of the Year. Dooris was also recently named runner up CEO of the Year across all business sectors, while also winning the Campaign Agency Head of the Year award for 2015. | BY Ricki Green | Cannes Lions has launched a new campaign, developed in-house, called Thank You Creativity. The campaign is intended as a love letter to imagination and craft, and a reminder of their purpose and power. Says Phillip Thomas, CEO, Lions Festivals: We make the case for creativity because we know that its a force for business, for change and for good. But we can do more. Its our mission not just to champion creativity, but to remind people of its magic and join us in being grateful for the difference it makes. The integrated campaign features multiple print executions and a series of short films. The print work, to be rolled out across industry media from today, features a cross-section of communications professionals who were asked to sum up why theyre thankful to creativity. Their words are coupled with pared-back black and white portraiture, designed to let the heartfelt (and sometimes humorous) responses shine through. The first in a three-part film series, also out today, explores the creative journey; tracing the influences and sources of inspiration that put people on a creative path, and reminding us to keep following it. Cannes Lions intends to support the campaign with its own thank you to creativity: a new, dedicated site where inspirational seminars and award-winning case studies are freely available to the public for the first time. The site will also host a podcast series revisiting classic campaigns, with commentary provided by the people behind them and those theyve influenced, as well as a series of creative exercises thought-starting activities contributed by the industry, for the industry. thankyoucreativity.com is to be a permanent resource for them, built to help encourage and enable creativity outside of the annual Festival week. Says Thomas: Not everyone can attend, and only a select few will win a Lion, but the inspiration and learnings from Cannes Lions are so often shared by those who experience them first-hand that the benefits trickle down. We want to amplify that process and galvanise creatives the world over. Further Thank You Creativity initiatives will be unveiled in the coming months and reach a peak during this years Festival, where activities will be dedicated to bringing delegates together with the global creative community for a shared experience. | BY Ricki Green | Independent Sydney creative agency Core has appointed its first managing director, promoting experienced advertising executive Jane Callister to the newly created role. It comes as the agency continues to attract new business with Australias largest union, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, selecting the agency to manage its campaign creative work. Callister has amassed a wealth of experience working for some of the countrys most iconic agencies during her 20-year career. She joined Core as business director in late 2014 and will now lead the day to day operations, business development and client management as managing director as it continues to experience growth. Before joining Core Callister held senior leadership positions at M&C Saatchi, Whybin\TBWA, DDB, The Campaign Palace, Grey, JWT and George Patterson Bates in both Sydney and Melbourne, working with clients including IAG, Kelloggs, ANZ, George Weston Foods, Simplot and TAC. Says Christian Finucane, creative partner at Core: Since joining Core, Jane has used her considerable industry experience to help guide the agency as weve grown. The past 12 months have been exceptional for us in terms of new business and creative work that is delivering impressive returns for our clients. So the the time is right for us to put in place a managing director to help us navigate Cores next chapter as we continue to scale. Fortunately for us we didnt have to look far to find the right talent to help make that happen. Says Callister: Having worked for big network agencies for most of my career its great to be be working with an independent on the up and up. The Core team are an outstanding group and Im looking forward to guiding the agency alongside the creative partners, Christian Finucane and Jon Skinner. In addition to naming its first managing director, Core has won the creative work for the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation following a pitch involving three agencies. The union, which represents registered nurses, enrolled nurses, midwives, and assistants in nursing, is the largest in the country with over 249,000 members. Core will initially develop a new campaign highlighting aged care issues to drive action in the community and increase membership. Says Lee Thomas, political director at ANMF: We are excited to be entering into this partnership with Core. They have demonstrated a passion to promote the great work and values of our members. Speaking of the win, Skinner added: The ANMF represent a group of amazing people that are critical to ensuring the health and wellbeing of all Australians at some point in their lives. Were looking forward to help them raise awareness of the issues confronting their members, as well as attracting new people working in the industry to join them. Other Core clients include QBE Australia, Sydney Airport, RSVP, Victa and The Fred Hollows Foundation. | BY Ricki Green | MediaCom Melbourne has today announced the appointment of Fiona Meldrum as director of strategy and labs. Meldrum joins The Content + Connections Agency from former employee OMD Australia. Familiar with the ways of working of the Melbourne based agency, Meldrum re-joins MediaCom where she previously held the position of strategy director for over three years, 2010 2013. An extremely respected strategist, Meldrum has gained experience in the start-up community, which as a result, has enhanced her way of approaching client communication challenges. Assigned a newly created role, the creation of Labs in the agencys strategy team highlights the focus of evolving the role of strategy within MediaCom. Meldrum will be responsible for evolving new ways-of-working as an agency and working with innovative businesses that can enhance the communications strategy for clients. Says Anny Havercroft: In order to keep up with the unrelenting pace of change in the media landscape, we have evolved the way we solve our clients and our agencys challenges. Im pleased to have Fiona back at MediaCom to lead the latest evolution in our strategic thinking in Melbourne. Her systems-thinking approach and her connections with the start-up community allows us to take a fresh look at harnessing innovation for our clients. Says Meldrum: MediaComs Content & Connections framework sets them up perfectly for the natural evolution of a media agency, as well as opening up a raft of opportunities for their existing clients and beyond. Im excited to bring my own learnings from outside the media industry to help drive change internally and deliver results. | BY Ricki Green | Paslode Australia and New Zealand, will launch its first integrated campaign this February via fast growing specialist agency Redhanded, promoting the brands newest and most innovative product, the Paslode Framemaster-Li nail gun. The campaign concept Power to the Tradie, pays homage to the everyday smoko ritual. Using a light hearted, humorous tone, the campaign reinforces the belief that these hardworking blokes not only take pride in their work, but can now have the power to keep going while getting a little creative with the most powerful nailer on the market. Brand manager at ITW Residential, Kirsten Rappolt believes the creative will resonate with the target audience, showing tradies in a typical, day-to-day scenario then demonstrating their quick skills and imagination when paired with a Paslode. Says Rappolt: Feedback pre-launch from our channel has been one of excitement and anticipation from our customers the message is definitely on-song. The campaign will run across Australia and New Zealand via pre-roll video, online ads, trade P.R, P.O.S as well as a new website and social platforms. The launch will also include a promotional giveaway where consumers purchasing the new Paslode Frammaster-Li are able to enter to win one of two, brand new Toyota 44 Twin Cab Hilux Utes. Redhanded CD, Stuart Shepherd, believes that it is essential that Paslode continue to invest and support their position as No.1 in the market. Says Shepherd: With competitor brands more aggressively pushing for market share, we need to increase the brands visibility. We have some exciting ideas planned leveraging online and social which will be fun. Agency: Redhanded Communications (Melbourne) www.redhanded.com.au Account Director: Matt Peek Executive Creative Director: Paul Hand Creative Director: Stuart Shepherd Creative Team: Stuart Shepherd, Anna McLeod Art Director: Holly Tunstall | BY Ricki Green | Leading e-mental health organisation ReachOut Australia will strengthen its services from early 2016 by supporting parents and carers to build family resilience and maintain and improve the mental health and wellbeing of children within their family environment. APD has been selected to work with Australias leading e-mental health organisation ReachOut Australia to build a new digital platform that supports parents and carers to build family resilience and maintain and improve the mental health and wellbeing of children within their family environment. The service extension will provide parents and carers with the knowledge and skills to better support children through difficulties, increase family resilience and make sure more young people get the right help at the right time. The innovative portal will draw on ReachOuts 17 years of working with young people and offer moderated forums, free information and tools, and practical how-to guides to help parents and carers manage problems in a supported self-care environment, consistent with ReachOuts focus on early intervention. Says Stephen Smorgon, CEO of APD Australia: This is a major new service for ReachOut Australia that will extend their current services for youth and professionals. We will be ready to launch the service extension in the first half of 2016. Says Jonathan Nicholas, CEO of ReachOut Australia: ReachOut already supports young people directly and indirectly via the resources and information we provide to people in their networks: teachers, friends, school counsellors and health professionals. Extending this approach to include families is a natural development of our trusted online service, which is already accessed by more than two million people every year. We have partnered with APD to ensure this vital channel for youth mental health is connecting with parents in the most effective way online. | BY Ricki Green | Comedy performance director, Florence Noble has joined 8. Noble is the creator of the online sketch comedy Blind Pilot, and has also collaborated with Nick Boshier (Bondi Hipsters, Beached Az) on numerous projects, including the 2014 Emmy award winning Australian Comedy, 7DaysLater for ABC2 and a new project called Meanwhile, On Earth. Known for her ferocious wit and dry delivery, Noble collaborates with advertising teams to write, direct and occasionally act in comic content and commercials. Says Katie Millington, MD/EP: Flo is one of those annoying creative talents who can do pretty much anything she puts her mind to, and yet shes not a wanker so you hardly ever want to kick her in the balls. Noble began her career writing amusing copy and directing radio ads for TBWA in London, Johannesburg and Auckland. Leaving full time copywriting behind, and having been fired from several cafes, she moved into television and film. Her first short film reached the finals of the Auckland 48 Hour film Fest in 2006 and her most recent, Things Are Going Really Well, was selected for the LA Comedy Festival, Norrkoping Film Festival, Sweden, and Melbourne International film Festival, where she attended The 2015 Accelerator Programme. Noble splits her time pretty much straight down the middle between Australia and New Zealand. Maple Bank, a niche securitization player in Canadas mortgage market, looks like its going down. Banking regulator OSFI has taken control of the banks Canadian operations according to the Financial Post, which quotes OSFI Superintendent Jeremy Rudin as saying, We are guided by our mandate, which is to protect the depositors and creditors of the Canadian branch and have taken this step to safeguard their interests. On top of that, CMHC has terminated Maple as an approved issuer of mortgage-backed securities (MBS). CMHC made this statement: Effective immediately, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has suspended Maple Bank GmbH Toronto Branch as an Approved Issuer of National Housing Act Mortgage-Backed Securities (NHA MBS). The suspension is the result of restrictions placed on the operations of Maple Bank GmbH by Germanys Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) that affect its ability to fulfill its obligations as an Approved Issuer. CMHC provides a timely payment guarantee of interest and principal to NHA MBS investors. CMHCs guarantee of NHA MBS issued by Maple Bank GmbH Toronto Branch are not impacted by the suspension. Here is a good summary from Handelsblatt about what triggered Maples woes Link. Maple Bank is probably not coming back. National Bank has already written off its 25% stake. Thats disappointing for the mortgage market because, while Maple was a small player in the MBS market, it was still a player. And in a market where MBS spreads have widened significantly in the last year, the market needs all the liquidity it can get. (MBS spreads refer to the extra yield that mortgage investors demand on top of safe government bonds.) According to sources, Maple bought mortgages from a handful of non-bank lenders. It also provided warehouse facilities (i.e., short-term capital to fund mortgages until theyre sold to investors). Lenders would take funded mortgages, package them up, sell them to Maple and then Maple (as a former CMHC-approved issuer) would issue MBS and/or sell those mortgage pools into the Canada Mortgage Bond (CMB) program. This provided cheaper funding for lenders than simply selling their mortgage commitments to big institutional buyers. Based on CMHC data, Maple was ranked 21st out of 82 MBS issuers in terms of market share, with $3.49 billion of MBS outstanding out of $441 billion industry-wide. Losing any funder is never good, said one lender executive who preferred not to be quoted. All of their mortgages were originated in the broker space. That leaves big securities firms like TD Securities, RBC Dominion Securities, National Bank Financial and Merrill Lynch as the main buyers of broker-originated mortgages. If its just big players left, its not positive for consumers, he added, noting that less competition raises funding costs for bank challengers. Side story: On an unrelated positive note, we hear that Laurentian Bank is now going to be a player in the securitization space. That is very welcome news for broker lenders. More from Bloomberg. None of this should cause investors in Canadas MBS market to lose confidence. What sunk Maple Bank was unrelated to Canadas housing or securitization markets. CMHC is now managing its MBS to ensure investors get paid as expected. The housing agency sent CMT this statement today: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporations (CMHC) guarantee of NHA MBS issued by Maple Bank GmbH Toronto Branch is not impacted by the suspension, therefore there is no impact on MBS investors. Furthermore, this suspension will have no impact on homeowners or mortgage holders. CMHC has taken control of the NHA MBS and related mortgage cash flows and provides a timely payment guarantee of interest and principal to NHA MBS investors. CMHC has previously had four issuer defaults in the early 1990s. No MBS payments to investors were ever missed and CMHC did not incur any losses on these previous issuer defaults. Were told by other sources that CMHC has never lost money by guaranteeing NHA MBS, even when issuers default. Thats thanks in part to the excess spread thats earned between the mortgage interest (paid by borrowers) and the MBS interest (paid to investors). The [MBS] trades themselves are fine; but with Maple now essentially closed for businesswhoever was using them will have to find alternative funding said one capital markets pro we spoke with. Fortunately, all lenders who relied on Maple have backup funders, were told. As for small Canadian depositors, the fallout is limited. Maples latest annual report notes: The Toronto branch specializes in lending businesses, in particular the acquisition of mortgage loans for securitization, and deposit taking. According to OSFI, however, Maple Bank is a foreign bank authorized under the Bank Act to establish branches in Canada to carry on banking business in Canada. Foreign banks cannot generally accept deposits of less than $150,000 in Canada. Maples last report noted that its securitization business grew significantly through 2014. And now its gone; just like that. Eastman spent 19 years behind bars before the 2014 Martin inquiry found deep flaws in the forensic evidence used to link propellant found in his boot with that at the murder scene. Those flaws led to the quashing of his conviction, allowing him to walk free. Chad Daniel Garcia, 39, of Flagstaff is on trial for one count of sexual assault and two counts of sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl in March 2012. Coconino County Superior Court Judge Mark Moran opened the proceedings Wednesday. According to Flagstaff police reports, the victim and her mother were visiting Flagstaff to see friends, including Garcia, who was in a relationship with the victims mother. Police officers responded to Flagstaff Medical Center on the night of March 9, 2012, after the victim told medical staff she had just been raped. The victim, who is now 19, testified that Garcia bought beer for himself and Smirnoff Ice for the victim, before they went with her mother to the Motel 6 in the 2700 block of South Woodlands Village Boulevard. The victim said her mother fell asleep on one of the two beds in the room soon after they arrived. Meanwhile, she and Garcia stayed up drinking alcohol and listening to music. She estimated she drank about a six-pack of Smirnoff Ice, though FPD officers found eight empty bottles in the room. She fell asleep, and when she woke up again, the victim testified, the suspect was rubbing her leg. She said she protested and pushed him off of her, so he lay back down on the bed where her mother was sleeping. I figured he was just drunk and being stupid, the victim said, adding that she was afraid but wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Eventually, she fell asleep again. The next thing I remember happening is waking up with my hands (pinned) down, the victim said. She said she was sexually assaulted but told police she did not cry out because she wanted to protect her mothers feelings. The victim told the jury she left the motel room after the assault and called a family friend, who insisted on taking her to the emergency room. In his opening statements, defense attorney Bruce Griffen described the victim as an unreliable witness who suffered from emotional issues. He claimed the assault never really happened. Instead, he suggested the victim may have imagined it due to a combination of alcohol and the clonazepam she had been prescribed to treat an anxiety disorder, though the victim testified that she had not taken her medication in about a week. Griffen questioned why the victim never called out to her mother for help. He said the mother would have awakened if there was a sexual assault going on in the next bed. According to the Flagstaff Police Department report, officers later contacted the victims mother, who appeared to be intoxicated. She denied that a sexual assault had occurred. Garcia also denied it. They were both arrested and charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Garcia later pleaded guilty to the first charge. Flagstaff police executed a search warrant at the motel room and collected evidence. Medical personnel also completed a sexual assault examination kit on the victim on the night of the reported sexual assault. Griffen said the forensic nurse found no bruising, injuries or other physical signs the victim had been sexually assaulted during the examination. He said matching DNA found in the victim during the exam was transferred to the victim through contact with another item or object, not through sexual activity between Garcia and the victim. Testimony is expected to resume in Coconino County Superior Court this morning. As part of the plans, foster-carer transition arrangements are being developed for changes to come into force from July. The ACT Together services started last month, as part of $16 million in additional funding for the strategy, which will let non-profit agencies take over some government co-ordination of children living in care. The point is often lost. Howard introduced the GST not because he was in a strong enough position to do so or because he was guaranteed re-election even if it cost him some votes and some seats. The reverse was true. Howard was in a weak position. He introduced the GST because he was facing defeat unless he did something noteworthy. He needed a big idea to capture the imagination of the people, an idea which would show Australians that he was fearless and brave. "I think it would be fair to say that some people would remain unhappy and that would not surprise anyone," he said. "Equally I think we have put on the table the best possible offer we can." Coconino County Superior Court Judge Mark Moran handed down the sentence Tuesday morning to Chad Daniel Garcia, 39. A jury convicted Garcia in December on one count of sexual assault. He was found not guilty on two additional counts of sexual abuse. The victim was 15 years old at the time. The charges stemmed from an alcohol-fueled incident inside a Flagstaff motel room on the evening of March 9, 2012. The victim, who is now 19, testified that Garcia gave her large amounts of alcohol and then raped her while her mother slept in the next bed just a few feet away. After the assault, the victim contacted a family friend, who convinced the teen to go to the hospital. Please Donate In order to maintain this blog I have to pay for its upkeep including a hosting company, support services, virus and other malicious hackers. If you appreciate what I write please make a donation. Racist PayPal Tries to Close Down My Blog As you can see from this article PayPal have removed my blog. I would therefore ask people to make any future donations to the following: Name of Account: Brighton and Hove Unemployed Workers Centre Account No: 04094107 Sort Code: 09-01-50 Reference: Web donations [Your Business Name] Contact Info Phone: Fax: Email: Web: CAPITOLHILLCUBANS.COM Business Overview Geographic Area Line of Business Brands We Carry Products and Services Discounts Offered Additional Information Business Hours Timezone We Accept Three college students who first met while attending a Catholic high school in Florida have launched a scholarship fund to help others experience faithful Catholic education at a Newman Guide college. As we went off to different colleges, we kept in touch and found time to catch up whenever we returned [] This is the blog of Eco-Vista | Brent Stephenson, a wildlife photographer, guide, and birder based near Napier, New Zealand. His wildlife, landscape, and people images can be discovered at his portfolio website. 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. Bernie Sanders' continuing obtuseness Sandy Levinson First, just to clear something up. I have been accused of "hating" the U.S Constitution. I do not. There are some attractive things in it, beginning, most importantly, with the Preamble, which is inspiring in setting out the point of our constitutional order. I'd also include some of the features "below the fold." Obviously, I think there is also a lot to criticize in the Constitution, which is why I continue to advocate a new constitutional convention. And, of course, I'm more than happy to wrap myself in the mantle of the Founders, especially the Publius of Federalists 1 and 14, who emphasized our ability to engage in "reflection and choice," based on the "lessons of experience," as to how we should be governed. What has turned me into something of a crank is not my dislike of the Constitution, per se but, rather, the inexplicable wilful refusal to assess it, in any serious way, that is typical of even the elite punditry and almost all of those running for political office. A refreshing counter-example is Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has notably called for a new constitutional convention to consider nine separate amendments that he christens the "Texas Plan." His suggestions are generally (no not completely) terrible, but that is almost beside the point. He deserves great credit for putting the adequacy of the Constitution on the table as something seriously to discuss. As one can tell from the subject heading, though, my ire is directed at Bernie Sanders, the ostensibly "revolutionary" candidate who is making all sorts of promises that cannot possibly be carried through in our present political system, operating under the 1787 Constitution, unless one truly believes in magic. So why does Sen. Sanders, whom I admire and have contributed to (in his campaigns for the Senate) display the obtuseness I identify with inside-the-Beltway pundits who are more than willing to denounce given individuals, but pull back from engaging in genuinely systematic analysis? It has occurred to me that one possibility is that the Senator from Vermont would have to address the embarrassing fact that one of the most indefensible features of our Constitution is the decision, made under threat of walking out by Delaware and other small states, to award equal voting power to all states in the Senate. I happen to like the Vermont senatorial delegation of Sanders and Leahy more than any other dynamic duo, and I probably like the Texas duo of Cornyn and Cruz (who would bring down any rating on his own) least of all. But there is really no justification for Vermont having the same number of votes as Texas. Vermont in 2014 had a population of of roughly 650,000 people; Texas is approaching 27 million people. This, of course, is not the most extreme disparity; that's reserved for Wyoming and California. If one wants to talk about how the "game is rigged," one could do worse than begin with the U.S. Senate, whose equal-vote rule helps to explain why we have a terrible agricultural policy (including subsidies for the dairy industry that I am certain that Sen. Sanders has voted for) and why, in addition, we are unlikely ever to get a cogent energy policy, given the excessive voting power of senators from coal-producing states. As I've said many times before, but never tire of repeating, James Madison was absolutely right when he described the allocation of voting power in the Senate as an "evil," even if, as with the compromise over slavery, it was arguably in 1787 a "lesser evil" to having no constitution at all. We did get rid of slavery, at least as a formal institution (at the cost of 750,000 lives). Alas, we're still stuck with the Senate. Perhaps Sen. Sanders recognizes that he could scarcely embark on a serious discussion of the Senate without challenging the legitimacy of his own excessive power in that institution. But, honestly, who knows. The only thing we can know with certainty is that he is deluding his impressionable supporters to believe that the very act of electing him would the revolutionary transformation that would make all things possible. It won't be, and the Constitution guarantees that, unless one can believe that Sanders will see, when he gets to the White House, a Senate with at least 60 Democrats, all pledged to support a democratic socialist program, and a House that has flipped to a strong Democratic majority equally committed to becoming as much like Scandanavia as possible. One might offer the same cautionary warnings to Tea Party devotees, already livid over the inconsequentiality of the 2014 elections, should, for example, Ted Cruz become president while the Democrats take back the Senate (and thus don't have to worry about a Republican Senate simply eliminating the filibuster). A Cruz presidency would be terrible beyond belief, but not because under "divided government" the Republicans would in fact be able to enact into law their perfidious agenda. I am truly afraid that Sanders is wasting an opportunity to educate the public about important constitutional issues. To say that every American should be recognized as having a "right' to health care is lovely (even if somewhat meaningless, as a practical matter). What he should be addressing is why it has proved impossible, over the past century, to engage in genuinely radical reform of the health-care-delivery industry, which is a mixture of American ideology and the institutions foisted on us by those who mistrusted democracy in 1787. I'd like to "feel the Bern," but I feel that we are being confronted with yet another politician who believes that he (or she) by virtue of good intentions and an inchoate "movement" can turn the dinosaur that is the American constitutional order around. Runners & walkers dash around Delphi The Do It In Delphi Dash was Saturday morning with the 5K walk/run beginning downtown on the Courthouse Square. The... Special prosecutor issues report on Liggett campaign The Comet sponsored a sheriffs candidate debate on Sept. 29. After the debate, Sheriff candidate and deputy Tony Liggett provided... Delphi Council member Conner resigns post It has been an upward struggle for Delphi City Council member Gayle Conner to represent her constituents as witnessed at... Rolls Royce has begun testing Phantom mules on extreme weather conditions with our spies bringing you the first shots. The new 2018 Rolls Royce Phantom is going to be built upon the firms brand new aluminum architecture which is also destined for the upcoming Cullinan super-SUV. This new platform will be exclusive to Rolls Royce models and will allow the new Phantom to offer greater refinement and comfort in a lighter and more rigid structure. But the most important gain of this new architecture is going to be the ability to integrate hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. Semi-autonomous features are also going to play a major part in the new era of Rolls Royce, as well as cutting-edge gadgets in the cabin which -as always- is going to offer one of the most luxurious environments in the market. Dont expect to be surprised though with the design of the new car; the new Rolls Royce Phantom will be an evolution of the current models shape, with an even more prominent front grille, a longer bonnet and new lights all-around. The new Phantom will continue using a powerful V12 engine when it will hit the market in 2017, with the plug-in hybrid version to follow on a later date. Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops PHOTO GALLERY German lobby group DUH claims that the Fiat 500X crossover is also one of the models that release excessive levels of emissions. DUH has already claimed that Opel, Renault and Mercedes are violating emissions levels with some of their diesel models and in a press conference in Berlin, they added Fiat to the above list. The extreme overruns of NOx emissions that have meanwhile been detected with an Opel Zafira, a Renault Espace, a Mercedes C-Class and now a Fiat SUV are technically not plausible and point towards defeat devices, campaigner Axel Friedrich said. FCA declined to comment on the above in Reuters, with the rest of the companies denying any illegal action. They do however acknowledge that some of their models produce higher levels of emissions when tested in closer-to-real-world conditions, instead of the specific test of the official regulators. A 2015 Fiat 500X model equipped with the Euro-6 diesel engine was subjected to tests by the University of Applied Sciences in Bern, Switzerland and was found releasing 11 to 22 times more nitrogen oxide emissions than the legal European limits with a warm engine, according to DUH Managing Director Juergen Resch. The compact Italian crossover released excessive emissions in all eight tests carried out with a warm engine on the dyno. The model also exceeded the statutory 80 milligram limit only during two tests with a cold engine. European authorities are actively pushing for a more strict testing method in order to better replicate the real-life driving conditions in order to cut overall emissions. PHOTO GALLERY Heres our first glimpse at Hondas next-gen hatchback thats scheduled to hit the market next year. The teaser of the Geneva-bound concept shows just the rear of the new Civic. Most of it will, in all likelihood, make it into production, but elements such as the huge air outlets and the twin exhaust at the center presumably wont, at least in the regular models. Could we be looking at the next Type R? Too far-fetched at this early stage Honda will manufacture the upcoming model in its UK plant and will export it to all global markets, including the United States. While the Civic Hatch Prototype is in for a global premiere, the Clarity Fuel Cell will make its European debut in Switzerland, following its presentation from the Tokyo Show in October. This is the first production fuel cell saloon to house its entire powertrain under the hood and promises a range of up to 435 miles (700km). The Jazz Keenlight Concept is part of the companys Geneva Show will also be on display. It is a new design study based on the popular Jazz, which seeks to highlight its potential for customization, using sleek design elements, special decals and a new unique color, called Keenlight. Honda celebrates the beginning of the first European customer deliveries of the new NSX in 2016 by bringing the supercar to the event, right after U.S. sales began at the Detroit Show, last month. Prospective buyers will get to enjoy the new mid-mounted DOHC with twin turbochargers, connected to a 9-speec DCT. The CRF1000L Africa Twin motorcycle carries the go anywhere spirit of its predecessors and has an agile chassis ready for on-road and off-road adventures, and a powerful parallel twin-cylinder engine. PHOTO GALLERY Our government supports this projects realization, which will promote the advancement in Quebec of a leading-edge expertise in the production of animated films, a rapidly growing field at the moment, stated Philippe Couillard, the Premier of Quebec, at yesterdays studio opening. In doing this, my government is actively working to increase the competitiveness of Montreal. This investment acknowledges the talent, creativity and quality of Quebecs labor force and the importance of Montreal as a world player in this industry. Canadas Quebec government, through its Investissement Quebec arm, is advancing a loan of C$2.4 million (US$1.7M) to Cinesite to assist the studio in setting up its production infrastructure. The government is also advancing an additional loan guarantee of C$19.6M (US$14.1M) to Cinesite to bolster the companys own investment of at least C$90M (US$64.9M) for the production of its first three films. When the studio is operating at full capacity in 2020, Cinesite intends to employ 500 full-time staffers. To put that into perspective, the deal allows Cinesite to increase its animation/vfx capacity by 100%, or essentially double its global workforce. Cinesite has been angling to supplement their vfx business, including work on films like The Revenant, Iron Man 3, and the Harry Potter series, with entry into the more lucrative feature animation market, where they have a better shot of developing and owning intellectual property. In 2014, they announced production on a feature called Charming, which is being directed by Ross Venokur, with animation direction by veteran Disney Feature animator Jason Ryan. That film, however, will not count toward the nine upcoming features, as it is part of an existing four-film deal with 3QU Media, a company co-founded by Shrek producer John H. Williams. Drawing on the sophisticated techniques developed over the last 20 years in the visual effects industry, we wanted to build a new creative home for the worlds best storytellers, writers, directors and animators, said Eamonn Butler, Cinesites head of animation. Whether you are an established filmmaker or an emerging writer, we want you to think of our studio as a new destination where your work can be nurtured and flourish. New content will be developed through Cinesites own content creation and intellectual property arm, Comic Animations. For the announced Klaus project, Comic Animations will work with Pablos SPA Studios and Atresmedia Cine to co-produce the film in Montreal. Pablos, who is not only a revered classical animator but also came up with the original idea for Despicable Me, is attached to write and direct Klaus, and Jinko Gotoh, who has produced in various capacities on The Little Prince, The Illusionist, and Finding Nemo, will produce. The project will be a treaty co-production with Spain. Working with like-minded people who have a can-do attitude and respect the creative talent and process, coupled with Cinesites amazing new facility, the decision to come to Montreal was made very easy, said Sergio Pablos in a statement. Comic Animations is also working with Dublin-based River Productions to develop an animated feature that takes its inspiration from the 1990s Irish dance craze Riverdance. Few details are available, but Bill Whelans Riverdance music will be used in the film. Photo: Contributed A handsome officer with large feet is joining the ranks of the Vancouver Police Department, after successfully completing his assessment. This young male, however, is without a name and the VPD need the publics help in selecting the perfect moniker for the four-year-old Clydesdale. Over the last 60 days, the VPD Mounted Unit has been assessing the horse who has performed better than imagined. According to Const. Brian Montague, officers at the VPD stables said their new horse learns quickly, gets along well with all of the other horses and has a very mellow demeanour and huge feet. The new addition to the police department needs a good name, he said. Police officers and civilian staff at the VPD stables have narrowed the name selection to four possibilities and would like the public to make the final decision for the horse that will represent Vancouver while patrolling Stanley Park and areas of the West End. The submitted names are: Juno Vimy Justice Mason The public can pick their favourite name at www.vpd.ca. On Feb. 22, those who voted for the most popular name, will be entered into a draw to win a tour of the VPD stables and meet the new recruit. The winning name will be announced on Feb. 23. Photo: The Canadian Press Alligators have been used as shoes, briefcases, university mascots, lunch and now, authorities say, a deadly weapon. Joshua James, 24, was arrested Monday and charged with assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill after Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officials say he threw a 3.5-foot alligator through a Palm Beach County Wendy's drive-thru window in October. He's also charged with illegally possessing an alligator and petty theft. Jail records show he was released on $6,000 bail Tuesday. He was ordered to have no contact with animals. Wildlife officer Nicholas Guerin said in his report that James drove his pickup truck to the window at about 1:20 a.m. Oct. 11. After an employee handed James his drink, he threw the alligator through the window and drove off. No one was hurt. Guerin captured the alligator and released it into the wild. Guerin said James was tracked down through video surveillance and a purchase at a neighbouring convenience store. Guerin wrote that James admitted throwing the alligator in a December interview. He said James told him he had found the alligator on the side of the road and put it in his truck. James' mother, Linda James, told WPTV that her son's actions were a "stupid prank." "He does stuff like this because he thinks it's funny," she said. She said he meant no harm and had "no problem turning himself in." No one answered the door at homes listed to the James family. Phones listed to the family were disconnected. James P. Ross, a retired scientist at the University of Florida's Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, said a 3.5-foot alligator would likely weigh about 20 to 30 pounds, and its hard body could deliver quite a jolt if it struck someone. He said the gator's bite would be comparable to a dog's and would be unlikely to cause serious injury or snap off a finger, although it could tear tendons. Perhaps the biggest concern would be infection if a bite went untreated, he said. "The alligator would be unlikely to 'attack' people and more likely to be in a highly traumatized and frightened defensive mode," he said. "It could, and quite likely would, snap and lunge at anyone approaching it closely and could project its head and jaws 12 to 18 inches in most any direction." Photo: The Canadian Press Bernie Sanders won a commanding victory over Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, and Donald Trump also scored a big win in a triumph of two candidates who have seized on Americans' anger at the Washington political establishment. Both outcomes would have been nearly unthinkable not long ago. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, beat a former secretary of state and first lady once seen as the all-but-certain Democratic nominee. While Clinton remains the favourite in the national race for the Democratic nomination, the win by the Vermont senator could be a springboard into a competitive, drawn-out primary campaign. For Trump, the brash real estate magnate and television personality who has never run for public office, the win was an important rebound after his loss to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in last week's Iowa caucuses, the first nominating contest. Trump has led national polls for months and the New Hampshire victory reinforces his position as front-runner, proving he can win votes, and giving credibility to his upstart populist candidacy. For some Republican leaders, back-to-back victories by Trump and Cruz, an uncompromising conservative, add urgency to the need to coalesce around a more mainstream candidate to challenge them through the primaries. However, it was unlikely that New Hampshire's contest would clarify that slice of the field. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, an afterthought in Iowa, was vying for second place against Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. All were hoping a credible showing would lead to an influx of new donor money and attention as the election moves on to the Feb. 20 South Carolina primary. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who had dedicated a significant amount of time to New Hampshire, lagged behind early in the vote count. Rubio appeared to be breaking away after a stronger-than-expected third-place showing in Iowa, but he stumbled in Saturday's Republican debate under intense pressure from Christie. The New Jersey governor has relentlessly cast the young senator as too inexperienced and too reliant on memorized talking points to become president. At stake Tuesday were less than 1 per cent of the delegates who, at party national conventions in July, will choose nominees to succeed President Barack Obama. But a strong showing in New Hampshire can give a candidate momentum ahead of state contests in coming weeks, including the March 1 "Super Tuesday, when 11 states vote. Nearly half of voters in the Republican primary made up their mind in the past week, according to early exit polls conducted by Edison Research for the Associated Press and the television networks. Republican voters were more negative about their politicians than Democrats, with about half of Republican voters saying they felt betrayed by party officials. In a sign of Trump's impact on the race, two-thirds of Republican voters said they support a ban on Muslims entering the U.S., a position the billionaire outlined last year amid rising fears of terrorism emanating from the Middle East. Early exit polls showed Trump drew support from voters looking for an outsider and from those who made up their minds a while ago. Among Democrats, Sanders, who narrowly lost in Iowa, had maintained a sizeable advantage over Clinton in New Hampshire for weeks. He has appealed to liberal Democrats who believe Obama hasn't done enough to address the nation's disparity in wealth. Clinton has cast herself as more pragmatic and able to achieve her agenda by working with Republicans, who are likely to continue to control at least one chamber of Congress after the election. She has been on the defensive, though, about her ties to Wall Street and her use of a personal email account for official business while secretary of state, which has raised questions about whether she mishandled government secrets and about her overall trustworthiness. Clinton's campaign argues she will perform better as the race heads to more racially diverse states, including Nevada and South Carolina. Both New Hampshire and Iowa are overwhelmingly white states that are far less diverse than the nation and particularly the Democratic electorate as a whole. "A Democrat who is unable to inspire strong levels of support in minority communities will have no credible path to winning the presidency in the general election," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo released as the polls closed. While Sanders' victory means he's assured of a majority of the state's pledged delegates, Clinton remains ahead in the overall delegate count due to support from superdelegates the party officials who can support the candidate of their choice at the convention. Overall, Clinton has amassed at least 392 delegates and Sanders at least 42; the magic number to clinch the nomination is 2,382. By winning New Hampshire, Trump will take the lead in the race for delegates for the Republican National Convention. But it won't be much of a lead. There are only 23 delegates at stake in New Hampshire's Republican primary, and they are awarded proportionally, based on the statewide vote. Trump will win at least nine. A candidate needs 1,237 delegates to win the nomination. Photo: The Canadian Press A wind-driven winter storm that brought blizzard conditions to Cape Cod fell short of forecast snowfall totals and spared the Northeast the widespread power outages that had been predicted. Snowflakes were still flying Tuesday as New England residents continued to mop up from Monday's storm. And the misery may not be over. The National Weather Service forecast scattered and localized heavy snow showers in Southern New England on Wednesday that could drop another 4 inches of snow, but are more likely to leave behind an inch or so. Following predictions of up to 18 inches in some parts of New England, the totals by the time the snow ended Tuesday morning among the hardest hit areas were 11 inches in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and 10 inches in nearby Yarmouth. Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard fell just short of 10 inches. Boston got 6.4 inches. In Rhode Island, Coventry and Scituate each got 8.5 inches, while Pomfret, Connecticut, had 8.2 inches, according to the weather service. A day after a charter bus crash that injured three dozen during the snowstorm on Interstate 95 in Connecticut, seven people remained in critical condition; a total of 11 are hospitalized. New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania got much less snow than was originally forecast, but some accumulation was predicted as the storm was expected to last into Wednesday. Predicted snowfall totals for southeastern Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey were downgraded to 1 to 3 inches, although a winter storm warning remained in place for parts of Philadelphia's western suburbs, where up to 5 inches was possible. Parts of western Pennsylvania and West Virginia could get more than 6 inches of snow. New York City could get up to 1 to 3 inches of snow, and the weather service issued a coastal flood warning for Long Island's south shore. Most New England schools that had closed on Monday reopened Tuesday, although some openings were delayed. The storm lasted into early Tuesday in New Hampshire, where the first-in-the-nation presidential primary is being held. The weather service said snow will be light and fluffy and accumulation will be modest. The weather service also confirmed that blizzard conditions were reached in six locations on Cape Cod and the islands. Blizzard conditions are described as falling snow that reduces visibility below a quarter mile, with winds gusting frequently to 35 mph or more, for three hours. The mid-Atlantic region awoke Tuesday to a mix of rain and snow. The weather service issued a winter weather advisory in the region and expected the mix to change over to snow and fall occasionally during midday hours, with rain mixing in during the afternoon south of Baltimore. Less than an inch of snowfall was forecast in the Washington area, but 3 to 6 inches in the Baltimore area and northern Maryland. Cold, windy weather descended on the Carolinas. The weather service forecast freezing temperatures all the way to the South Carolina beaches by Wednesday night. Brisk winds of upward to 30 mph will mean wind chills in the teens and below for most areas by Wednesday night. Up to 6 inches of snow is expected in the North Carolina mountains by late Tuesday. Photo: Twitter French authorities on Wednesday rescued seven Spanish spelunkers who had been trapped overnight in a cave in the Pyrenees region. The Haute-Garonne prefecture launched a successful rescue operation in the morning, and said that the six men and one woman were "lifted out of a chasm" and are "tired but not injured." Officials say a doctor is at the scene to provide a medical checkup. Officials said that the Spaniards were part of a group of 15 explorers who began a descent on Tuesday afternoon and eventually got trapped. Eight managed to escape to the surface during the night, and contacted authorities at around 4 a.m. Spain's foreign ministry said that the Spanish consul in Toulouse was at the scene. Extreme weather and recent heavy rain have caused flooding in some caves in the mountainous region well-known to cave explorers. It's about 140 kilometres southwest of Toulouse and 30 kilometres from the Spanish border in the area of Arbas-Herran. Photo: The Canadian Press For nearly 50 years, Sirhan Sirhan has been consistent: He says he doesn't remember fatally shooting Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in a crowded kitchen pantry of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The Jerusalem native, now 71, has given no inkling that he will change his version of events at his 15th parole hearing on Wednesday in San Diego. He is serving a life sentence that was commuted from death when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972. During his previous parole hearing in 2011, Sirhan told officials about his regret but again said he could not remember the events of June 5, 1968. The parole board ruled that Sirhan hadn't shown sufficient remorse and didn't understand the enormity of the crime less than five years after the killing of President John F. Kennedy the senator's older brother and two months after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. His memory will be tested this time in front of Paul Schrade, 91, a Kennedy confidante who was one of five people injured in the shooting. Schrade will appear for the first time at a Sirhan parole hearing. Schrade, who declined in a brief interview to preview his planned remarks to the parole board, has steadfastly advanced the view that there was more than one gunman. Sirhan initially refused to appear at the parole hearing at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, where he has been held since 2013, said Laurie Dusek one of his attorneys. Memories of the 2011 hearing made him physically ill, but Sirhan relented after Dusek begged him to come and said Schrade would be there. Sirhan, who skipped earlier parole hearings, sent word through his brother, Munir, that he would appear, but Dusek said she didn't know what he will say, if anything. "If you don't show, you've got nothing to gain," Dusek said she wrote to Sirhan. Schrade, who was western regional director of the United Auto Workers Union when he was shot in the head, was labour chair of Kennedy's presidential campaign and was at the senator's side the night he was gunned down moments after delivering a victory speech in California's pivotal Democratic primary. Schrade has devoted the second half of his life to preserving Kennedy's legacy and trying to unravel questions surrounding the assassination. He proposed the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools at the site of the former Ambassador Hotel and has a library named for him there. Schrade, who has kept a low profile in recent years, "is a family friend of the Kennedy's, he's very much in touch with the senator's children," Dusek said. "He feels that justice has not been served." Author Dan Moldea said Schrade was instrumental in arranging 14 hours of interviews with Sirhan for Moldea's 1995 book, "The Killing of Robert F. Kennedy," which concluded Sirhan acted alone. Moldea began his research believing there was more than one gunman. "Paul is a great man of honourable intentions at all times, but Paul has grabbed at every thread of conspiracy in this case," Moldea said. "When I concluded that Sirhan did it and did it alone, basically Paul cut me out of his life." Sirhan's lack of memory of the attack makes expressions of remorse and accepting responsibility difficult. In one of many emotional outbursts during his 1969 trial, he blurted out that he had committed the crime "with 20 years of malice aforethought." That and his declaration when arrested, "I did it for my country," were his only relevant comments before he said he didn't remember shooting Kennedy. Last year, a federal judge in Los Angeles rejected arguments by Sirhan's lawyers that their client was not in position to fire the fatal shot and that a second shooter may have been responsible. Some claim 13 shots were fired while Sirhan's gun held only eight bullets, and that the fatal shot appeared to come from behind Kennedy while Sirhan faced him. Kelowna is definitely a horrible place to find a job unless you are from Kelowna and you find one through your contacts. Kelowna industries do not look for the best talent. They simply hire their friends. It is a very much a small town mentality. This has nothing to do with education, qualifications, experience, skill, or effort. My husband and I both tried to find work here for months. He is a CPA with several years of experience as an analyst in government and with the AUC (Alberta Utilities Commission). He was unable to find work other than for a small business where he discovered illegal practices and, as a professional, had to resign. He returned to Calgary to work part-time and commutes. I am a Business Systems Analyst working in IT and have years of solid experience (particularly in Business Intelligence and Reporting), glowing references, and a great work ethic. I found one job in Kelowna way beneath my level in Customer Support and, even though I worked exceptionally hard and learned new skills to progress, the company refused to recognize my ability. I went back to Calgary to work and commuted until that market dried up. Several people who own homes in our neighbourhood work in Alberta and are only here part-time. I can count all the driveways not shovelled and dark houses. It would be a much better community if people like our mayor understood that there is no real tech industry and that 5,000 workers not living at home is an issue and has been for years. Colleen Hogan After deciding to end Beatrices relationship with Nebraska Public Power District last year, Board of Public Works officials are debating if an energy efficiency program should continue, on the citys dime. NPPDs EnergyWise program offers rebates and other incentives for energy conservation efforts. The BPW previously discussed that since giving notice to terminate the citys agreement with NPPD, the power provider was limiting the allotment for the program. BPW Manager Tobias Tempelmeyer said one industrial applied for the program two weeks into the year, and the limit was met. Obviously, with us giving them notice, some things have changed as far as the EnergyWise program goes, he said. One being NPPD has capped the amount of EnergyWise funds that we can get back this year. As we indicated before, we did have one large commercial user who came in and basically maxed out all of our funds within a very short period of time. City Council members voted in December to notify the power provider the city would be terminating its contract in favor of AEP Energy Partners Inc., based out of Columbus, Ohio. The city has six years left on its current contract with Nebraska Public Power District, which will expire December 2021. The city is required to give a five-year notice to cancel its current contract with NPPD and is allowed to begin purchasing some power from a different provider three years after giving notice. Beginning in 2019, Beatrice will gradually reduce the amount of energy purchased from NPPD as it purchases more from AEP, completing the transition in 2021. The BPW discussed, but took no action on, budgeting an amount to continue funding a similar program, estimated at $35,000-$40,000 annually. In addition to reimbursing the city for funds, NPPD was also involved in making sure participants followed through on their energy saving plans. The hardest one we might have would be commercial lighting, just because we dont have anybody on staff to go through and do an audit, Tempelmeyer explained. We dont have anybody on staff who necessarily has time to go do those things. Chad Podolak with NPPD attended Wednesdays meeting to discuss the cap on EnergyWise funds, which have been distributed for around nine years. He said the program was aimed to reduce the need for an area power plant, while Beatrice had a long-term agreement with NPPD. The intent, the justification behind investing in how consumers use energy is it allowed us, from a planning perspective, to delay or avoid a power plant and the commitment and investment in a power plant, he said. The program previously had no cap for EnergyWise funds. On a recent trip to Offutt Air Force Base, I visited with military leaders and the airmen of the 55th Wing. Offutt is home to many critical resources and plays a vital role in defending our nation. I was there to continue my work with military leaders and receive updates on improvements to the bases runway. These conversations revealed the positive progress taking place. We are blessed to have this military installation here in Nebraska. While at Offutt, I also toured the 557th Weather Wing, which monitors weather patterns for the military around the world. The men and women of the 557th help ensure the Department of Defense has the most accurate and relevant weather information at all times for any location around the world. From monitoring solar flares and volcanic eruptions to typhoons and blizzards, the 557th uses the latest technology to alert commanders of the threat Mother Nature poses to their missions. Following my visit, I returned to the U.S. Capitol for a busy week in the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC). The first duty of the federal government is to defend the nation. As Nebraskas voice on this influential committee, I am humbled to work with the men and women of our military. My colleagues and I strive to ensure that our service members are prepared to do their jobs and safely return home. As part of its work, SASC meets regularly to receive updates on new and emerging threats to our national security. The committee often deals with highly classified, time-sensitive information on a wide scope of defense-related issues. In this weeks column, I would like to provide you with an update on some of the committees recent activities and highlight the work my colleagues and I are doing to help make America safe. The committee continues to monitor the situation in Afghanistan. I recently met with General John Campbell, commander of U.S. forces there, to discuss Americas role and the challenges facing our mission. The day after our meeting, General Campbell provided an update on Afghanistan before the full committee. With an emboldened Taliban gaining ground in the region, I believe our military must have the proper authority to prosecute its mission. I was disappointed that it took the administration over a year for the White House to approve General Campbells request for permission to attack ISIL-affiliated forces that have begun appearing in Afghanistan. This year, I am continuing my work as chairman of the Armed Services Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. The jurisdiction of this subcommittee includes cybersecurity, special operations, and counterterrorism policy. Recently, I convened the subcommittee for a classified briefing on ISIL with members of the intelligence community. The goal of this session was to develop a better understanding of this terrorist group and how it operates. I also serve on the Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, which is responsible for overseeing the militarys nuclear and ballistic missile defense. This month, I attended a hearing of this subcommittee focused on the future of our nuclear forces. Needless to say, the dangers of our world demand American strength. We have a moral obligation to ensure our military has the resources it needs to defend our nation. Im proud to serve on SASC, and I will continue to make the tough choices to keep America safe and secure. It has been far too many years since the Woke theology interlaced its canons within the fabric of the Indoctrination Realm, so it is nigh time to ask: Does this Representative Republic continue, as a functioning society of a self-governed people, by contending with the unusual, self absorbed dictates of the Woke, and their vast array of Victimhood scenarios? Yes, the Religion of Woke must continue; there are so many groups of underprivileged, underserved, a direct result of unrelenting Inequity; they deserve everything. No; the Woke fools must be toppled from their pedestal; a functioning society of a good Constitutional people cannot withstand this level of "existential" favoritism as it exists now, unending. Press Release: As Talk Of Legal Action Brews, NCGOP Demands Explanation From NC's Top Law Enforcement Officer and Lawyer Background: Attorney General Roy Cooper Is Raising Campaign Cash With Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts "Cooper was also scheduled to attend an evening fundraiser for Charlotte Mayor-elect Jennifer Roberts at the Museum of History." (Jim Morrill, "Roy Cooper: Republicans not for working class," Charlotte Observer, 11/11/2015) Charlotte's City Council Rejected A Transgender Bathroom Ordinance in March 2015 "In March, the Charlotte City Council rejected a nondiscrimination proposal that ... drew protests over a provision that gave transgender people access to the restroom of their gender identity at any place of public accommodation, including city property." (Mark Price, "Charlotte City Manager Carlee clarifies city's transgender restroom policy," Charlotte Observer, 5/3/2015) (Mark Price, "Charlotte City Manager Carlee clarifies city's transgender restroom policy," Charlotte Observer, 5/3/2015) "The measure failed 6-5, after a marathon meeting that featured hours of emotional debate and comments from supporters and opponents." (Ely Portillo and Mark Preston, "Charlotte LGBT ordinance fails 6-5 in contentious meeting," Charlotte Observer, 5/2/2015) Although Rejected By The City Council, The City Move Forward And Implemented The Transgender Bathroom Ordinance In City-Owned Properties "It turns out the city is already following that approach at its own facilities." (Mark Price, "Charlotte City Manager Carlee clarifies city's transgender restroom policy," Charlotte Observer, 5/3/2015) Despite the City Council's Rejection, Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts Is Bringing Ordinance Up For Another Vote "Mayor Jennifer Roberts, a Democrat, vowed this week to push for a second look at an LGBT non-discrimination ordinance within the first three months of 2016." (Erik Spanberg, "Charlotte LGBT action could spark fight with state," Charlotte Business Journal, 12/24/2015) (Erik Spanberg, "Charlotte LGBT action could spark fight with state," Charlotte Business Journal, 12/24/2015) "At the urging of Mayor Jennifer Roberts, City Council will give the nondiscrimination ordinance another look." (Ty Chandler & Sarah Hagen, "City Council to tackle non-discrimination ordinance again," WCNC, 2/1/2016) (Ty Chandler & Sarah Hagen, "City Council to tackle non-discrimination ordinance again," WCNC, 2/1/2016) The City Council Will Vote On The New Ordinance On Feb 22 (WSOC) Transgender Bathroom Ordinance Will Likely Be Subject To An Expensive Legal Challenge, And General Assembly May Act To Block Rules If Passed "Republican state Rep. Dan Bishop Tuesday slammed Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts and the Charlotte City Council for considering what he called a 'radical transgender proposal,' and warned of consequences in court or in the General Assembly." (Jim Morrill, "Rep. Dan Bishop rips Charlotte's 'radical transgender proposal'," Charlotte Observer, 1/19/2016) (Jim Morrill, "Rep. Dan Bishop rips Charlotte's 'radical transgender proposal'," Charlotte Observer, 1/19/2016) "In an interview, Bishop said the ordinance would face a challenge in court. He said it also could prompt a response in the legislature. Among other things, he said, lawmakers could decide to give Charlotte voters the right to reject ordinances through a public referendum process." (Jim Morrill, "Rep. Dan Bishop rips Charlotte's 'radical transgender proposal'," Charlotte Observer, 1/19/2016) (Jim Morrill, "Rep. Dan Bishop rips Charlotte's 'radical transgender proposal'," Charlotte Observer, 1/19/2016) "The Republican strategist told me Wednesday that the possibility of Roberts and council passing an ordinance is being closely watched by state lawmakers, who would likely move to undo it." (Erik Spanberg, "Charlotte LGBT action could spark fight with state," Charlotte Business Journal, 12/24/2015) Governor McCrory Urged The Attorney General To Do His Job And Defend North Carolina Against A Washington, D.C. Takeover Of Local School Districts And Force Schools To Adopt A Radical Transgender Bathroom Ordinance ("McCrory asks Cooper to oppose transgender bathroom lawsuit," The Associated Press, 11/24/2015) "Governor Pat McCrory has asked Attorney General Roy Cooper to protect local school districts by joining South Carolina and signing on to an amicus brief in the case of G. G. v. Gloucester County School Board. In this case, the Obama Administration has joined with the ACLU in an attempt to force local school districts to open sex-specific student locker rooms and bathrooms to individuals that are not of that biological sex." (Press Release: "Governor McCrory asks Attorney General to Protect North Carolina from Federal Overreach in Schools," Office of the Governor, 11/21/2015) (Press Release: "Governor McCrory asks Attorney General to Protect North Carolina from Federal Overreach in Schools," Office of the Governor, 11/21/2015) The Obama administration has also threatened schools that resist with legal action and the loss of federal funding. (Press Release: "Governor McCrory Will Join South Carolina to Protect States from Federal Overreach in Schools," Office of the Governor, 11/24/2015) Governor McCrory: "This extreme position directly contradicts the express language of federal law and threatens local control of our schools... It also disregards the safety and privacy concerns of parents and students." (Tyler Dukes, "Despite McCrory's request, Cooper won't join Virginia transgender bathroom suit," WRAL, 11/23/2015) Cooper Decided To Stand With President Obama, The ACLU And Radical Special Interest Groups Over North Carolina Families And Refused To Support The Lawsuit, But Wouldn't Explain Why "Attorney General Roy Cooper has rejected a call by Gov. Pat McCrory to side with a Virginia school district against a discrimination lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union that would allow a transgender high school student to use the men's bathroom." (Tyler Dukes, "Despite McCrory's request, Cooper won't join Virginia transgender bathroom suit," WRAL, 11/23/2015) (Tyler Dukes, "Despite McCrory's request, Cooper won't join Virginia transgender bathroom suit," WRAL, 11/23/2015) "North Carolina Department of Justice spokeswoman Noelle Talley said Monday afternoon that senior staff in the agency told McCrory's legal counsel that the state would not be joining South Carolina in the brief." (Tyler Dukes, "Despite McCrory's request, Cooper won't join Virginia transgender bathroom suit," WRAL, 11/23/2015) (Tyler Dukes, "Despite McCrory's request, Cooper won't join Virginia transgender bathroom suit," WRAL, 11/23/2015) "Talley did not provide the department's rationale." (Tyler Dukes, "Despite McCrory's request, Cooper won't join Virginia transgender bathroom suit," WRAL, 11/23/2015) When Roy Cooper Failed To Do His Job, Governor McCrory Filed A Brief In Support Of Local School Districts "When Cooper declined, McCrory said last week he would join it on his own." (Tyler Dukes, "McCrory signs on to brief in transgender bathroom suit," WRAL, 12/1/2015) Contact: Kara Carter NCGOP Press Secretary kara.carter@ncgop.org Raleigh, N.C. As Attorney General Roy Cooper sets his sights on the governor's mansion, he should explain why he supports Charlotte's controversial transgender bathroom ordinance, even though it is likely to be the subject of a lengthy and expensive legal challenge if passed. Roy Cooper has been raising campaign funds with Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts, the most vocal supporter calling for a second vote on the ordinance even after it was voted down by the Charlotte city council in March of 2015.This radical ordinance would force children and adults to share bathrooms with the opposite sex, creating concerns over safety risks and violations of privacy. Further, the ordinance violates a business owner's property rights, as it creates a major new regulatory burden for them to comply. It would also pose a potential legal liability for a business owner in the event something happened to a child or member of the opposite sex in a dual sex bathroom.said Hasan Harnett, chairman of the NCGOP.Media reports have also raised concerns that the city's decision to bring up the controversial and overreaching transgender ordinance for another vote after it was first rejected by the city council in March of 2015 may lead to litigation or action by the General Assembly. Cities in North Carolina only have the powers granted to them by the State. As Attorney General, Roy Cooper has the legal authority to intervene in legal cases on behalf of the state, especially when cities impose laws or regulations that are superseded by state law.Last year, Cooper also refused to challenge the Obama administration's attempts to force local school districts to open sex-specific student locker rooms and bathrooms to individuals that are not of that biological sex. Although he says it is his duty to represent the state in court, Cooper refused to sign on to a friend of the court brief, despite urging from state officials. Cooper has refused to tell North Carolinians why his office made the decision not to represent the state. Your RSS feed from RSSFWD.com. Update your RSS... Parade steps off Audio Article For the first time since 2019, marching bands, classic cars, dance troupes, scouts and politicians made their way along Midlothian Turnpike for the annual Midlothian Day Parade on Saturday, Oct.... The Art Institute has re-created Vincent Van Gogh's rented room in Arles, France, seen in painting at left, for an Airbnb listing, image at right. Overnight stays are $10. (Art Institute of Chicago) Now you can sleep in Vincent Van Gogh's bedroom. Well, sort of. As part of the Art Institute of Chicago's new exhibit, "Van Gogh's Bedrooms," a replica has been created of the famous artist's bedroom featured in his paintings. For $10, members of the public can reserve a night's stay on the popular home-sharing website Airbnb. Advertisement The bedroom of a one-bedroom apartment in River North has been transformed (down to the brushstroke) to look just like the bedroom in the Yellow House in Arles, France, that Van Gogh so adored in the late 19th century. Following a recommendation by its advertising team at Leo Burnett, the Art Institute leased the unit and hired a team that spent four weeks to transform the bedroom to look exactly as Van Gogh captured on canvas. For example, the blue paint on the wall and door were applied in different ways, just as they were in the paintings, according to Amanda Hicks, a museum spokeswoman. The room is as simple and sparse as the paintings, featuring a bed, two chairs and a side table. A simple towel with red trim hangs on a hook on the wall. Advertisement There is one exception, however. Van Gogh painted a twin-size bed. The real-life replica contains a full-size bed that can comfortably fit two people. Art Institute officials wanted to provide an opportunity for the public to step into Van Gogh's paintings, said Hicks. "It's sort of our way to extend the experience of the exhibition," she said. "This bedroom is a creative way to take this storytelling about Van Gogh's human side and then extend that story into a real-life setting." Amanda Hicks, of the Art Institute of Chicago, describes the museum's newest exhibition, "Van Gogh's Bedrooms." (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune) The other rooms in the apartment, at an undisclosed location near State Street and Grand Avenue, are decidedly ... regular. "When you open the door to the bedroom, that's the transition point that takes you into the painting," said Hicks. Guests have access to the entire apartment, including use of a modern-day kitchen and living-room area, and also receive two tickets to the museum exhibit. The exhibit is bringing together three distinct paintings of Van Gogh's beloved bedroom in an exhibit that will also display 36 works by the artist. The exhibition runs from Sunday through May 10. Snagging a night in the bedroom isn't easy. All February dates sold out in a matter of hours, Hicks said. Interested parties should pay close attention to the Art Institute of Chicago's social media accounts to catch when the museum will begin accepting reservations for March. Reservations will cascade each month until the exhibit closes, according to Hicks. She did not disclose the price tag on leasing and transforming the River North apartment. If you can't get a reservation, you can always visit a second re-creation of the bedroom that is on display with the exhibit at the Art Institute, Hicks said. crshropshire@tribpub.com Twitter @corilyns Chef Tim Graham is leaving the Langham Hotel to pursue his own restaurant. (Huge Galdones / Galdones Photography) Tim Graham, opening chef at Travelle Kitchen + Bar in the Langham Hotel (330 N. Wabash Ave.), is leaving. The chef, who also cooked at Tru for 10 years and at Brasserie Jo (and helped convert that restaurant into Paris Club) will bid farewell to Travelle after Valentine's Day. Advertisement Next up? His own restaurant, in partnership with his wife, Rebekah Graham, and business partner Branko Palikuca. "I've been thinking about it for a couple of years," the chef said. "We formed a relationship with a business partner we feel good about, and it's time to make a go of it." Advertisement Palikuca already is part owner of The Dawson in Chicago, and his suburban restaurants include Amber in Westmont, Topaz in Burr Ridge and the upcoming Citrine in Oak Park (if it's named for a yellowish semi-precious stone, chances are Palikuca has a piece of it). Graham's new restaurant has neither a name or address; he said the search is on for something in the range of 3,500 to 4,000 square feet. Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > "For the last 15 years, I've cooked between the river and St. Clair Street," he said, "so something farther out would be nice." Rebekah, until recently the wine and beer coordinator at The Publican, will run the new restaurant's beverage program, while Tim will stay in the kitchen. Graham said he hopes to have the new restaurant open by mid-2017. As for Travelle, director of operations Gaylord Lamy said the search is on for Graham's replacement. "We're still in the interviewing process," he said. "But beverage director Priscilla Young is still with us, and executive pastry chef Scott Green. We know the sous chefs can keep (the restaurant) to the same standard. Tim has been key to the success of Travelle; working with him has been an adventure and a pleasure." Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic. Advertisement pvettel@tribpub.com Twitter @philvettel "All I know is that, from the very beginning, I noticed a fundamental difference between myself and my brother. I noticed that when he would reach for a light switch, he would throw it on and be terribly content. With me, I had to take off the plate, find out what was going on, get jolted and knocked down on my rear end. But I just had to know." The final round of New Hampshire polls all project that Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders will win their respective primaries on Tuesday. After that, it's anybody's guess. Advertisement On the GOP side, Trump has slumped a bit and Ohio Gov. John Kasich has been moving up. Several late surveys show Kasich in second place, still well behind the leader but inching ahead of his rivals. TRAIL GUIDE: All the latest news on the 2016 presidential campaign >> Advertisement If Kasich does take second, that would represent a big setback for other candidates with appeal to the GOP's establishment wing, particularly Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who came into the state with momentum from a strong third-place finish in Iowa last week. On the Democratic side, the big question appears to be the size of Sanders' win. Recent polls have shown anything from a seven- to a 26-point victory for the Vermont senator. Given how high expectations for Sanders have risen, Hillary Clinton's campaign would probably claim a single-digit loss as a success. New Hampshire is notorious for confounding pollsters. A lot of voters make up their minds at the last minute; non-party voters, known as "undeclared" in New Hampshire, can vote in either party's primary; and the multitude of candidates gives voters lots of choices. But, setting aside those caveats for a moment, some polls have shown Clinton gaining ground in the final days. A tracking poll -- a small nightly sample designed to track changes in the race -- by the American Research Group showed Sanders' support remaining steady but the remaining undecided voters breaking Clinton's way. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Even those polls still indicate that Sanders will win. Keep in mind, though, in 2008, polls taken late in the race still showed then-Sen. Barack Obama leading Clinton by about 10 points. He lost. One factor that might hold down Sanders' vote: He does better among independents than registered Democrats. New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner says he expects most non-party voters to choose the more suspenseful Republican primary this year. Kasich has also shown strength among independent voters. Trump consistently had been getting about one-third or more of the vote in New Hampshire. The final polls show him doing a little worse -- between 28% and 34%. Advertisement Even if significant numbers of Trump's backers fail to show up, as happened in the Iowa caucuses last week, that level should still be enough for a win in a field with eight serious candidates. Although Trump has the odds with him, his current lead is not so big that it guarantees a win. A loss by him would qualify as an upset, but not an enormous shock. Moreover, even if Trump does win, an important question will be what his level of support signifies about his strength down the road. Patrick Buchanan, the former Nixon administration speechwriter and conservative commentator, got 27% of the vote in New Hampshire in 1996, beating Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas in a six-person field. Dole had little trouble dispatching Buchanan after the roster of candidates slimmed down. Trump has strengths Buchanan lacked -- lots of money, for starters -- but his populist campaign resembled Buchanan's in several ways, and if Trump fails to do much better than he did, it would not be a sign of lasting strength. Rubio also has a lot riding on the order of finish. Last week, his backers talked up their 3-2-1 strategy -- that the Florida senator would follow his third place in Iowa with second in Florida and then a victory in the next round of states. Another third-place showing, or worse, would clearly set him back. Averages of the publicly released, nonpartisan polls showed Rubio's support rising sharply after Iowa, hitting a peak late last week, then gradually declining. His shaky performance in Saturday's candidate debate may have worsened that decline. Advertisement Given how tightly bunched the candidates are below Trump, however, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Iowa winner Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas both have realistic prospects of a second- or third-place finish. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie seems a longer shot. For more on politics and policy, follow @DavidLauter MORE ON NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY New Hampshire secretary of state predicts record turnout for primary Our podcast gets you up to speed on today's primary. Who must do well to survive? In New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton sounds both tone deaf and human: 'This is hard for me' Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont waves to media and supporters after a breakfast meeting with the Rev. Al Sharpton at Sylvia's Restaurant in New York's Harlem. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press) Reporting from Manchester, N.H. Hillary Clinton's allies in the black community moved aggressively Wednesday to shore up her support with minority voters following her crushing defeat in New Hampshire, as Sen. Bernie Sanders worked to win over the black and Latino voters who will now be crucial to the outcome of the Democratic nominating contest. Sanders lost little time moving from his victory rally in New Hampshire to a new, more diverse arena. The Vermont senator headed for Harlem for breakfast with Rev. Al Sharpton, the well-known black leader and commentator. Soon social media was ablaze with photos of the two eating at Sylvia's, a well known New York soul food restaurant. Advertisement From there, Sanders headed for ABC's "The View," where he shared his thoughts about police brutality with the program's 2 million viewers. By mid-afternoon, Clinton surrogates in the African American community were firing back, charging Sanders with inflating his civil rights credentials. Advertisement "Hillary Clinton has been a true friend to the African American community for the last 40 years," Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), said on a media conference call arranged by Clinton's campaign. "During that period of time, Bernie Sanders has been largely missing in action." TRAIL GUIDE: All the latest news on the 2016 presidential campaign >> As her supporters threw barbs, Clinton herself lay low, taking stock of the damage caused by her 22-point loss in New Hampshire and looking ahead toward a debate with Sanders on Thursday night. The next few weeks will pose a critical test for both campaigns as the competition shifts from the all-white electorates of Iowa and New Hampshire to racially diverse states whose electorates more nearly reflect the broader population. Nevada's Democratic caucuses are on Feb. 20; South Carolina's Democratic primary is Feb. 27. In both states, Sanders is up against a rival who has deep ties in black and Latino communities and who has also been steadily lining up key endorsements from well-liked minority lawmakers and civil rights leaders for months. The Clinton campaign had long viewed Nevada and South Carolina as bulwarks that would protect it against any unexpected surge by Sanders. In Nevada, the former secretary of State has several advantages, including long-standing ties to Latino leaders and the fact that the state's caucuses are closed to independents, cutting Sanders off from a bloc of voters who helped him greatly in Iowa and New Hampshire. Despite those facts, Sanders suddenly finds himself positioned to pose a significant threat. Advertisement On Wednesday afternoon, Sanders' campaign announced that he had raised a record $5.2 million since the New Hampshire polls closed the night before. His campaign has been spending significantly more money on advertising in Nevada than Clinton is, and the infusion of new cash may allow him to continue to out-gun her on the air. David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said Clinton has effectively used her relationships and history with Nevadans to reach out to minority voters. "Her campaign has laid the groundwork," he said. Yet Nevada, with its transient population, can be fickle and is already very different than it was when Clinton campaigned there in 2008, Damore noted. "We have so much migration in and out of the state," he said. "The electorate is always changing here." South Carolina has a more stable electorate, but there, too, Clinton faces a significant fight. Over the last 10 days, Sanders has enlisted 1,000 new volunteers in the state, bringing the total number to 5,000, according to Chris Covert, the campaign's South Carolina director. They've knocked on 300,000 doors. Advertisement The state's most influential black lawmaker, Rep. James E. Clyburn, told MSNBC Wednesday that Sanders, a candidate who was virtually unknown in the state only a couple of months ago, has built an impressive campaign organization in that state. "It's very effective," said Clyburn, who has not yet made an endorsement. "They have a pretty potent ground operation going on in South Carolina. And I'm pleased to see that." Clinton's campaign is counting on help from many of the state's Democratic elected officials. Wednesday, they released an endorsement from J. Todd Rutherford, the Democratic minority leader in the South Carolina House who was an early supporter of then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2008. Even as they fight in those two states, the campaigns are both looking ahead to additional arenas. Clinton's headquarters announced, for example, that Chelsea Clinton was headed to Flint, Mich., where her mother had appeared on Sunday. Clinton has taken a prominent role in speaking out for the residents of that largely African American city, whose residents have been poisoned by lead contaminating their drinking water. The state holds its primary on March 8, but her advocacy for its residents may also help Clinton with black voters elsewhere. Allies of Clinton also announced that they were launching a $25-million get-out-the-vote effort aimed at blacks and Latinos. The new organization, Every Citizen Counts, will be able to raise unlimited amounts of cash, and the head of Clinton's biggest super PAC will be its advisor. Advertisement The organizers said their effort was aimed at turning out voters to the polls and defending voting rights. The group will not be engaged in the primary campaign, yet the effort is a reminder to black and Latino voters that Clinton is in their corner. Yet Sanders can now boast his own support from prominent minority figures. He recently earned the endorsement of Benjamin Jealous, the former chief executive of the NAACP, who has been campaigning in South Carolina. "Now that [Sanders] is seen as a top-tier contender, we'll find that candidate Clinton has hit her high watermark," Jealous predicted in a radio interview. "She will begin to lose support. How fast and how much remains to be seen." Ta-Nehisi Coates, the prominent black writer and activist also said Wednesday that Sanders will be getting his vote, though not any kind of endorsement. And Sharpton told reporters that he is weighing giving Sanders his backing. "My concern is, as the first black family in the White House moves out at the end of the year, our concerns don't move out with them," Sharpton told MSNBC. He added that he would not make a decision until after a meeting of civil rights leaders next week that both candidates plan to attend. Advertisement For more on Campaign 2016, follow @EvanHalper and @ChrisMegerian MORE POLITICS NEWS New Hampshire primary results >> Editorial: Trump wins N.H. while the GOP establishment churns With New Hampshire result, Trump is a serious contender, and Kasich is back in the race Red roses are associated with passion and love. But many recipients of Valentine's Day roses would prefer any color but red. (Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post) Ahead of her Super Bowl appearance, Beyonce received 10,000 roses from her husband Jay Z. This raises a number of questions: Did Jay Z arrange to have them delivered to Queen Bey at the office? This, according to florists I've talked to recently, is the way to boost the potency of a bouquet. Love must not only be done, it must be seen. The office delivery instills in others either unalloyed sister love, or an unspoken but seething envy. Either way, it increases the emotional octane. Advertisement Then there's that other burning inquiry: Did she open all those plastic packets of flower preservative - they're a devil to rip apart -- with her fingers alone? I find I have to use my teeth to get them started. The most important question of all isn't the cost, but rather: What was the color? (The tabloids aren't clear on this vital fact.) If the roses were red, as one might expect in the lead-up to Valentine's Day, they may not have had the oomph that Jay Z was looking for. Advertisement Red roses are associated with passion and love. But many recipients of Valentine's Day roses would prefer any color but red, according to floral experts I've talked to recently. Yes, Robert Burns wrote that "O my Luve is like a red, red rose." But maybe that had to do with how you craft a poem. It just wouldn't work as well as, "O my Luve is like a magenta, magenta rose." Also, in his day, most roses were red (or pinkish, or white). The rainbow of rose colors we know today is the result of breeding programs since the poet's death in 1796. Take it from me, lads, venture outside the red end of the spectrum this Valentine's. Today you will find roses in about every hue but blue and a clear green (who would want those?) and a lot in a mix of colors in a single bloom. Some roses darken agreeably as they age, others get lighter. In an informal poll of my female colleagues, the resounding response was that red roses are a bit cheesy, or at least associated with an alarming display of predictability. As one person said: "The red rose is the lazy man's flower." Ouch. If you want to compound the felony, add baby's breath and leatherleaf fern to the dozen long-stemmed scentless roses. "Studies show that women don't necessarily prefer red roses," said Bruce Wright, editor of the Los Angeles based floral trade publication, Flowers& magazine. "Most women would be happy to receive something other than the stereotypical red roses in a box." Hitomi Gillian, a leading floral designer and teacher based in Vancouver, said: "I hope consumers as well as designers move on from everything needing to be red at Valentine's. There's such a beautiful range of colors, and I wish we could train the gift giver to know what the color preference of the receiver is." "I was 28 years in retail, and the guys would come in and just want the red roses, and so often the color preference of the recipient is different," she said. "With a lot of women, the pastels are becoming very strong, the blush and the peaches." Advertisement So how does a spouse, fiance, boyfriend or lovesick wooer discern that one hue that will set the recipient's heart aflutter? "There are ways to ask and find out what roses your girlfriend or wife likes," said Jennifer Sparks, of the Society of American Florists. She said one tactic is to find a magazine with pictures of flowers and casually pronounce: "Oh, I like those, what are your favorites?" It occurred to me that this might be a little transparent if the conversation took place on, say, Feb. 13. Fortunately, the majority of men plan in advance. Sparks told me that 18 percent of women who buy a Valentine's bouquet do so for themselves, so this might be another fruitful avenue of inquiry. Try this gambit: "Before you met the man of your dreams, did you ever buy flowers for yourself?" Actually, I have another, better way of making a discreet inquiry. Many websites pertaining to interior design allow you to change paint colors on a given image. Paint companies such as Benjamin Moore do the same. Pick a room, click on a paint chip, and voila, the wall becomes one of a thousand or more colors: Rouge, Claret, Butterscotch, Summer Meadow, Alpine Stream, Lederhosen, London Fog, whatever. Advertisement Look furtively sideways to detect her reaction and make a mental note. If you're a guy who thinks Martha Stewart was a Scottish queen, then a sudden interest in the world of decor might be a little suspicious. Here's the genius bit: Pretend you're in the market for a new car, and the manufacturers' websites have a rubric called "Build Your Own" or the like. Once you have the model of your choice, you can change the exterior color with the click of a mouse. You can further shroud the intent by picking a vehicle that exudes testosterone, a full-size pickup truck or a muscle car. Make sure your mate is around when you start choosing colors, and get her opinion. Once Valentine's Day has come and gone, she may ask if you bought that new car. At that point, simply say that it was so expensive that for the same money you could have bought 10,000 roses. Dr. Rahul Khare of Innovative Care Express in Chicago consults with patient Lydia Shoup, 18, about her applying for a medical marijuana referral as a result of her pre-existing medical conditions, one of which includes pancreatic cancer. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune) (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune) The patients seeking medical marijuana inquire almost daily with Dr. Rahul Khare at his storefront health care clinic in Lincoln Park. They come with cancer, spinal cord diseases, rheumatoid arthritis. Some have been turned down for a cannabis referral by the doctors they see regularly, not because they might not qualify, Khare contends, but because many physicians are hesitant to refer anyone for marijuana. Advertisement Khare, who said he has been writing marijuana referrals for only a few weeks, sympathizes with doctors who don't want to put patients on pot but believes some are unfairly withholding a drug that could bring relief to many. "Three months ago, marijuana was an illicit drug (in Illinois). If a patient said they were using it, it was my responsibility to put my hand on their shoulder and say, 'I must tell you, it's illegal.' Now boom! It's a very different mindset for physicians," said Khare, a former Northwestern University physician who now runs the Innovative Express Care clinic in Chicago. "... Patients (I've recommended for marijuana) are so appreciative." Advertisement Medical marijuana industry advocates and observers say a dearth of doctors willing to recommend patients is among the hurdles the state's fledgling industry needs to overcome. Some detractors believe Illinois' efforts to make its program stricter than those of other states has created a situation where too much is required of doctors and patients before they can be certified. That also may be one reason why a single doctor was responsible for writing the referrals for almost one-third of the 3,300 patients who completed the certification application as of last June, according to the state's last annual report on the medical marijuana pilot program. Another doctor was responsible for referring an additional 101 patients, the report said. State authorities have not identified those doctors or revealed whether they are being investigated. But the state agency that regulates physicians has so far filed medical marijuana-related complaints against four doctors. Under state law, doctors must have a "bona fide relationship" with a patient to provide him or her a medical pot referral. The physician must assess the patient's medical history, review relevant records from the past year, conduct a physical exam, confirm that a patient has one of about 40 qualifying ailments and then provide ongoing care for that condition. Khare said that, after a basic screening process to eliminate those who don't appear to have a qualifying condition or proper medical records, he seeks to "build a relationship" with patients, talking about their medical history, how the certification works and what the admittedly limited body of scientific study says about the effectiveness of marijuana to treat pain, nausea and other symptoms. Khare said he sees patients at least twice before agreeing to do a cannabis referral and has turned many people away. One patient seeking his help Tuesday was 18-year-old Lydia Shoup, who in recent years has struggled with two autoimmune disorders both of which are on the qualifying conditions list and surgery to remove a tumor from her pancreas. Like many would-be patients, Shoup, of Chicago, said she was looking for alternatives to the prescription opiates she currently uses for pain she experiences because of her chronic conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. "That's just not something I want to be on for a long-term solution," she said of the prescription painkillers. Shoup said her pain management doctor is supportive of her trying medical marijuana but didn't know enough about the program to write her a recommendation himself. Her rheumatologist is "skeptical" about marijuana because of the lack of medical research, she said. Advertisement As more patients like Shoup seek out doctors specifically for medical marijuana and as more physicians like Khare advertise certification among their services state regulators say they're committed to investigating any complaints of illegal or unprofessional behavior by medical cannabis physicians. State officials have not confirmed whether the agency is looking into the doctor who, as of last June, had handled referrals for nearly one-third of all of the medical marijuana applicants. A spokesman for the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said the agency recognizes that no medical specialty treats all of the conditions listed in the medical marijuana law. "In other words, one physician could not properly treat all patients eligible to use medical cannabis," spokesman Terry Horstman wrote in an email. Of the four medical marijuana-related complaints brought against the four doctors, three are still pending. The first brought by the state was against Dr. Brian Murray, a Lake Forest physician who regulators said charged applicants a fee for pre-certification without conducting physical exams or establishing a legitimate doctor-patient relationship. He helped open the Good Intentions Clinic in Chicago in 2013, before the state program took effect. Advertisement Murray did not admit the allegations were true but agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and to work under the supervision of another doctor during a minimum of two years of probation, according to state records. Neither Murray nor anyone at the clinic could be reached for comment. In the still-pending case of Dr. Joseph Starkman, of Highland Park, regulators said that in 2013 he relied on another doctor's diagnosis of glaucoma, without performing his own eye exam, and that he sent the elderly patient a certification that improperly bore a state seal. He charged marijuana patients $250 for a one-time visit, the complaint states. Starkman's attorney, Mike Goldberg, said it's common for general practitioners to rely on specialists to diagnose particular conditions. "They say he has to separately diagnose, which is not what a (general practitioner) does," he said. Goldberg also asserts that the case against his client has a "chilling" effect that is making other doctors leery of certifying patients for medical marijuana. In a separate complaint, the state asserts that Dr. Jesus Rene Dadivas charged patients $150 each to pre-certify them for medical cannabis in 2013, before the rules for the program had been set. The doctor's office, Green Bliss Clinic in Niles, had a sign in the front window with the words "MEDICAL EVALUATION" and a picture of a marijuana leaf. Advertisement Reached by phone, Dadivas declined to comment on the pending complaint. His attorney could not be reached. The most high-profile case against an Illinois physician involves Dr. Bodo Schneider, who operates clinics in Orland Park and Marion in southern Illinois. Regulators said he served about 250 patients as the owner of Gateway Enterprises. Applicants who called were directed to an out-of-state call center and told to pay $305 for three office visits. In effect, regulators said, Schneider was charging a pre-certification fee without conducting physical exams or establishing a legitimate doctor-patient relationship. Schneider's attorney, Luke Baumstark, said Schneider was properly screening out patients and turned down about 20 percent of his applicants. "He's doing what the law requires him to do," Baumstark said. Such complaints, the lawyer said, scare off doctors. "It seems like they don't want doctors using this (medical marijuana) law," he said. Advertisement Schneider's case is also pending. One patient of his told The Associated Press that he had to drive 500 miles to sit in packed waiting rooms to see Schneider in hopes of getting marijuana to help control his epilepsy, because so few doctors handle medical marijuana in southern Illinois. Southern Illinois Healthcare in Carbondale, for instance, does not allow its doctors to certify medical marijuana because it remains illegal under federal law, spokeswoman Rosslind Rice said. In general, marijuana advocates complain that not enough doctors are certifying patients in Illinois. As of last June, according to the state's annual report, 1,175 physicians had submitted patient certifications. Ninety-nine percent of the doctors certified fewer than 25 patients. The latest state report, out last week, found that the number of qualifying patients has reached about 4,400, a recent expansion but still far below projections. Most patients are older, with three-quarters over 40. The most commonly certified conditions were cancer, severe fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis. Advertisement The state is in the middle of a four-year pilot program, due to expire in 2018, but after some delays, marijuana only became available in November. Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration has repeatedly rejected requests to add new qualifying medical conditions, such as chronic pain, saying it is premature to evaluate the program. Tribune reporter Duaa Eldeib contributed. rmccoppin@tribpub.com Twitter @RobertMcCoppin An Egyptian man rides a camel in front of one of the Giza pyramids, where a tourist was caught climbing the Great Pyramid and subsequently was banned from Egypt for life. (Mohamed El-Shahed / Getty Images) Egypt: A tourist was recently banned from entering the country again after he was caught climbing to the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Climbing the ancient pyramids is strictly forbidden and anyone caught breaking this law could face up to three years in prison. Climbing any pyramid or other historic site is not only dangerous, it is disrespectful and can damage the heritage sites. Fiji: Travelers should be aware that a significant increase in credit card fraud has been reported in the pasts few months; only two cases were on record for the prior two years, but in recent months reports increased by dozens. The U.S. Embassy says that card information is most often obtained through dumpster diving or skimming, in which a device is placed in ATM slots to collect card data. Tourists should use caution when discarding receipts and withdraw cash inside banks when possible. Advertisement Guatemala: Tourists visiting the Volcan de Agua National Park area are urged to use caution because several armed robberies have been reported in recent weeks. The high security risk has prompted the U.S. Embassy to restrict employees from personal travel to the popular tourist area. Those choosing to visit should have personal security plans in place, leaving valuables behind in a safe, secure location. Thailand: Health officials expect to see a 16-percent increase in nationwide dengue cases this year, a sharp increase from the 140,000 cases of infection in 2015. While chemical spraying continues to be used to combat the mosquitoes, it is growing less effective as the dengue-carrying Aedes mosquito populations increase in urban areas. The infection, which currently has no vaccine available outside of Mexico, the Philippines and Brazil, can cause severe head, joint and body aches, fever, rash and in extreme cases, organ failure. Advertisement Turkey: The U.S. State Department released an updated travel warning, advising tourists to avoid travel to the southeastern region of the country, particularly along the Syrian border where terror threats are a major concern. Terrorists have targeted popular tourist sites and U.S. government buildings. Kidnapping is also a concern. Travelers are urged to avoid large crowds, use vigilance near popular tourist destinations and follow the instructions of local authorities in case of emergencies. Compiled from news services and travel sources. For updates, check with the State Department at 888-407-4747, www.travel.state.gov. Larry Habegger and Dani Burlison are freelance reporters. There is a feminist generation gap. It doesn't fall neatly along the Clinton-Sanders divide and it isn't absolute. But just as there are always generation gaps in technology, fashion and music, there's a gap between what 22-year-olds (some? most?) understand about the history of women and what (some? most?) 62-year-olds do. HELENA Montana Gov. Steve Bullock on Tuesday suspended the work of a panel appointed to address new federal carbon dioxide emissions rules after the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the key component of President Barack Obama's climate change plan. Montana is one of 27 states suing to halt implementation of Obama's Clean Power Plan. The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to block enforcement of the plan while the litigation is pending. Under the federal plan, Montana faced the steepest cuts to its emissions rates of any state 47 percent compared to 2012 to meet the target set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Nationwide, the Clean Power Plan aims to cut emissions by 32 percent by 2030. The Democratic governor has previously said the Montana cuts were unfair, but the state had to move ahead with planning for them. In November, he appointed an advisory council to begin shaping a plan and to justify extending to 2018 the deadline for submitting that plan. On Tuesday, Bullock said he was putting the advisory council's work on hold. "What we cannot put on hold, however, is the need to address climate change and embrace Montana's energy future, and I am committed to ensuring we do so on our own terms," he said in a statement. Attorney General Tim Fox, who made the decision to join the multi-state lawsuit, called the Supreme Court's decision a victory and the first step toward getting the new regulations nullified. "Today's ruling will prevent Montana families, energy workers, businesses and public agencies from bearing the burden of regulations that we believe will be overturned ultimately," he said. The Supreme Court's freeze on the Clean Power Plan will very likely last through the November elections, in which Bullock and Fox are both seeking second terms. That may ease the pressure of what has already become a politicized issue. Bullock's Republican opponent, Greg Gianforte, had made his opposition to the federal regulations part of his campaign. Other opponents seized on a University of Montana study funded by NorthWestern Energy to blast the federal plan. The study by the university's Bureau of Business and Economic Research analyzed the economic effects of shutting down all four units of the Colstrip power plant the second-largest coal-fired plant in the West to comply with the Clean Power Plan. The study found a shutdown would have serious repercussions for the town of Colstrip and for the state's economy. Researchers acknowledged a complete shutdown was only one possible scenario. Regardless of the federal rules, the future of Colstrip's two oldest units is already threatened. Pending legislation in Washington state written by the Colstrip co-owner Puget Sound Energy could lead to their shutdown. Chicago Public Schools says many of the district's schools will lose money under budget cuts detailed Tuesday. But CPS says it will apply unused state money and redirect tens of millions of dollars in federal funding to offset cuts that will land this school year. Budget information distributed by CPS still showed some of the city's top high schools would lose hundreds of thousands of dollars, though about 50 schools stood to gain money. CPS' privately operated charter schools also would take a hit, though the district did not provide details on those budget cuts Tuesday. Search for your school School Enrollment Total funding Increase or reduction Percent change Addams Elementary 810 $5,040,524 -$45,800 -0.91% Agassiz Elementary 493 $2,456,018 -$79,205 -3.22% Air Force High 322 $2,157,128 -$33,495 -1.55% Albany Park Elementary 286 $1,700,134 -$18,271 -1.07% Alcott Elementary 830 $4,454,253 -$140,479 -3.15% Aldridge Elementary 178 $1,107,147 -$3,356 -0.30% Amundsen High 1,137 $8,063,622 -$133,866 -1.66% Ariel Elementary 511 $2,925,282 -$65,058 -2.22% Armour Elementary 270 $1,632,548 -$21,966 -1.35% George B. Armstrong International Studies Elementary 1,337 $8,243,853 -$99,960 -1.21% Ashburn Elementary 441 $2,570,195 -$47,883 -1.86% Ashe Elementary 324 $2,080,959 -$24,515 -1.18% Audubon Elementary 509 $2,535,705 -$84,546 -3.33% Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy 100 $702,086 -$2,737 -0.39% Austin Poly High 123 $851,381 -$8,372 -0.98% Avalon Park Elementary 292 $1,912,523 -$3,100 -0.16% Azuela Elementary 915 $5,485,392 -$62,089 -1.13% Back of The Yards High 792 $5,445,329 -$96,856 -1.78% Barnard Elementary 269 $1,607,835 -$29,516 -1.84% Barry Elementary 648 $4,088,968 -$58,476 -1.43% Barton Elementary 419 $2,466,839 -$41,857 -1.70% Bass Elementary 441 $2,752,141 -$24,474 -0.89% Bateman Elementary 917 $5,699,181 -$97,317 -1.71% Beard Elementary 82 $64,698 $5,479 8.47% Beasley Elementary 1,274 $7,320,101 -$145,624 -1.99% Beaubien Elementary 1,085 $5,674,186 -$150,350 -2.65% Beethoven Elementary 384 $2,484,852 -$24,186 -0.97% Beidler Elementary 450 $2,710,797 -$33,953 -1.25% Belding Elementary 531 $2,926,846 -$81,677 -2.79% Bell Elementary 1,000 $4,925,199 -$150,717 -3.06% Belmont-Cragin Elementary 297 $1,952,364 -$29,289 -1.50% Bennett Elementary 316 $2,075,502 -$24,114 -1.16% Black Elementary 461 $2,953,477 -$4,870 -0.16% Blaine Elementary 776 $3,848,852 -$127,367 -3.31% Blair Early Childhood Center 76 $121,369 $7,609 6.27% Bogan High 852 $5,844,857 -$88,517 -1.51% Bond Elementary 287 $1,841,740 -$13,989 -0.76% Boone Elementary 760 $4,800,943 -$69,521 -1.45% Bouchet Elementary 570 $3,636,650 -$27,389 -0.75% Bowen High 354 $2,451,873 -$7,365 -0.30% Bradwell Elementary 666 $4,248,023 $56,616 1.33% Brennemann Elementary 442 $2,651,382 -$11,895 -0.45% Brentano Elementary 363 $2,137,714 -$28,836 -1.35% Bridge Elementary 991 $5,659,463 -$142,552 -2.52% Bright Elementary 263 $1,625,573 $5,724 0.35% Brighton Park Elementary 480 $3,138,407 -$22,693 -0.72% Bronzeville High 448 $3,043,509 -$37,805 -1.24% Brooks High 837 $5,207,945 -$128,278 -2.46% Ronald Brown Academy Elementary 280 $1,815,496 -$20,039 -1.10% William H. Brown Elementary 242 $1,380,778 -$13,222 -0.96% Brownell Elementary 187 $1,322,469 -$7,987 -0.60% Brunson Elementary 522 $3,464,375 -$27,176 -0.78% Budlong Elementary 687 $4,235,316 -$31,941 -0.75% Burbank Elementary 897 $5,652,854 -$58,632 -1.04% Burke Elementary 383 $2,432,824 -$26,107 -1.07% Burley Elementary 502 $2,496,518 -$78,232 -3.13% Burnham Elementary 514 $3,025,502 -$41,697 -1.38% Burnside Elementary 494 $3,038,888 -$42,798 -1.41% Burr Elementary 343 $1,775,623 -$57,415 -3.23% Burroughs Elementary 430 $2,602,322 $22,454 0.86% Byrne Elementary 649 $3,427,868 -$93,529 -2.73% Caldwell Elementary 246 $1,469,982 -$22,140 -1.51% Calmeca Elementary 743 $4,593,188 -$8,108 -0.18% Cameron Elementary 747 $4,742,639 -$44,796 -0.94% Camras Elementary 908 $5,404,390 -$44,388 -0.82% Canty Elementary 780 $3,960,631 -$124,880 -3.15% Cardenas Elementary 599 $3,864,121 -$46,596 -1.21% Carnegie Elementary 581 $3,349,043 -$64,177 -1.92% Carroll Elementary 443 $2,852,188 -$1,019 -0.04% Carson Elementary 989 $6,488,920 $24,356 0.38% Carter Elementary 377 $2,389,583 -$16,650 -0.70% Carver Primary School 402 $2,703,484 $4,727 0.17% Carver Military High 494 $3,459,132 -$53,565 -1.55% Casals Elementary 416 $2,584,816 -$33,589 -1.30% Cassell Elementary 402 $1,997,344 -$63,262 -3.17% Castellanos Elementary 592 $3,472,366 -$44,220 -1.27% Cather Elementary 312 $2,234,563 -$10,725 -0.48% Chalmers Elementary 352 $2,366,525 -$20,673 -0.87% Chappell Elementary 472 $2,676,734 -$51,426 -1.92% Chase Elementary 392 $2,431,455 -$21,803 -0.90% Chavez Elementary 908 $5,688,385 -$79,036 -1.39% Chicago Academy Elementary 532 $3,070,277 -$41,382 -1.35% Chicago Academy High 543 $3,658,782 -$81,445 -2.23% Chicago Agriculture High 717 $4,167,660 -$56,481 -1.36% Chicago Military High 326 $2,296,236 -$8,067 -0.35% Chicago Vocational High 967 $6,267,094 -$92,747 -1.48% Chopin Elementary 477 $2,716,249 -$37,569 -1.38% Christopher Elementary 377 $2,061,520 $13,870 0.67% Claremont Elementary 421 $2,688,707 -$12,868 -0.48% Clark Elementary 237 $1,484,623 -$15,281 -1.03% Clark High 518 $3,655,353 -$53,426 -1.46% Clay Elementary 528 $3,455,881 -$47,480 -1.37% Clemente High 758 $5,242,519 -$81,350 -1.55% Cleveland Elementary 605 $3,446,377 -$47,069 -1.37% Clinton Elementary 1,052 $6,223,313 -$88,680 -1.42% Clissold Elementary 530 $2,783,695 -$68,983 -2.48% Colemon Elementary 227 $1,398,226 -$26,893 -1.92% Coles Elementary 448 $2,723,186 -$25,845 -0.95% Collins High 370 $2,644,667 -$46,755 -1.77% Columbia Explorers Elementary 1,096 $6,619,800 -$82,329 -1.24% Columbus Elementary 254 $1,475,754 -$19,566 -1.33% Cook Elementary 377 $2,431,620 -$28,069 -1.15% Coonley Elementary 912 $4,401,555 -$144,064 -3.27% Cooper Elementary 492 $3,130,687 -$31,309 -1.00% Corkery Elementary 507 $3,216,948 -$46,237 -1.44% Corliss High 408 $2,876,356 -$42,550 -1.48% Courtenay Elementary 453 $2,739,346 -$37,690 -1.38% Crane Medical High 499 $3,513,929 -$63,997 -1.82% Crown Elementary 289 $1,811,560 -$20,224 -1.12% Cuffe Elementary 362 $2,462,627 -$25,656 -1.04% Cullen Elementary 207 $1,271,333 -$3,268 -0.26% Curie High 3,062 $21,018,688 -$302,303 -1.44% Curtis Elementary 596 $3,703,270 -$1,042 -0.03% Daley Elementary 574 $3,641,875 -$42,259 -1.16% Darwin Elementary 455 $2,711,895 -$17,958 -0.66% Miles Davis Elementary 276 $2,010,222 $10,930 0.54% Nathan Davis Elementary 697 $4,389,593 -$41,205 -0.94% Dawes Elementary 953 $5,942,424 -$77,852 -1.31% De Diego Elementary 570 $3,583,905 $18,194 0.51% Decatur Elementary 281 $1,437,418 -$46,321 -3.22% Deneen Elementary 518 $3,233,626 -$37,292 -1.15% DePriest Elementary 615 $3,785,778 -$40,262 -1.06% Dett Elementary 316 $1,837,349 -$18,678 -1.02% Dever Elementary 780 $4,228,188 -$117,198 -2.77% Devry High 197 $1,821,837 $30,099 1.65% Dewey Elementary 326 $2,117,528 -$10,127 -0.48% Dirksen Elementary 794 $4,696,074 -$66,412 -1.41% Disney Elementary 1,536 $8,128,310 -$237,916 -2.93% Disney II Elementary 996 $5,767,732 -$186,254 -3.23% Dixon Elementary 556 $3,538,008 -$55,285 -1.56% Dodge Elementary 102 $648,019 $9,405 1.45% Doolittle Elementary 271 $1,729,344 -$17,031 -0.98% Dore Elementary 677 $3,493,919 -$90,614 -2.59% Douglass High 236 $1,561,220 -$16,180 -1.04% Drake Elementary 369 $2,596,170 -$8,515 -0.33% Drummond Elementary 282 $1,418,945 -$46,863 -3.30% Dubois Elementary 179 $1,231,929 $1,873 0.15% Dulles Elementary 661 $4,322,513 $21,031 0.49% Dunbar High 771 $5,773,022 -$44,876 -0.78% Dunne Elementary 227 $1,470,709 -$15,064 -1.02% Durkin Park Elementary 605 $3,626,447 -$68,622 -1.89% Dvorak Elementary 384 $2,531,841 -$21,562 -0.85% Earhart Elementary 261 $1,450,688 -$31,254 -2.15% Earle Elementary 413 $2,891,769 -$17,579 -0.61% Eberhart Elementary 1,479 $9,495,763 -$107,385 -1.13% Ebinger Elementary 776 $3,895,318 -$121,437 -3.12% Edgebrook Elementary 511 $2,546,883 -$84,428 -3.31% Edison Elementary 278 $1,396,406 -$36,393 -2.61% Edison Park Elementary 532 $2,536,258 -$78,737 -3.10% Edwards Elementary 1,308 $8,137,017 -$74,772 -0.92% Ellington Elementary 597 $4,242,364 -$30,486 -0.72% Ericson Elementary 412 $2,637,784 -$27,678 -1.05% Esmond Elementary 265 $1,662,291 -$14,866 -0.89% Everett Elementary 184 $1,196,968 -$18,494 -1.55% Evergreen Elementary 318 $1,915,868 -$22,033 -1.15% Evers Elementary 327 $2,065,979 -$25,086 -1.21% Fairfield Elementary 563 $3,455,089 -$40,820 -1.18% Falconer Elementary 1,198 $7,397,149 -$49,043 -0.66% Faraday Elementary 290 $1,864,611 -$8,933 -0.48% Farnsworth Elementary 541 $3,076,313 -$83,851 -2.73% Farragut High 875 $6,156,259 -$24,365 -0.40% Fenger High 266 $2,044,209 $5,642 0.28% Fernwood Elementary 318 $1,952,183 -$24,289 -1.24% Field Elementary 300 $1,888,077 -$28,336 -1.50% Finkl Elementary 391 $2,472,821 -$28,563 -1.16% Fiske Elementary 411 $2,818,926 -$24,359 -0.86% Foreman High 1,046 $7,639,031 -$84,351 -1.10% Fort Dearborn Elementary 348 $2,285,314 -$28,375 -1.24% Foster Park Elementary 334 $1,979,343 -$14,804 -0.75% Franklin Elementary 360 $1,878,848 -$58,187 -3.10% Frazier Prospective Elementary 278 $1,624,828 -$25,983 -1.60% Fuller Elementary 361 $2,202,718 -$14,082 -0.64% Fulton Elementary 366 $2,432,602 $16,407 0.67% Funston Elementary 438 $2,670,008 -$41,905 -1.57% Gage Park High 419 $3,149,064 -$28,633 -0.91% Gale Elementary 343 $2,114,357 -$24,234 -1.15% Galileo Elementary 542 $3,061,515 -$76,273 -2.49% Gallistel Elementary 1,108 $6,834,703 -$75,845 -1.11% Garvey Elementary 231 $1,530,557 -$15,059 -0.98% Garvy Elementary 809 $4,117,568 -$130,215 -3.16% Gary Elementary 1,084 $6,467,080 -$42,801 -0.66% Gillespie Elementary 513 $3,148,622 -$44,646 -1.42% Goethe Elementary 680 $3,952,738 -$92,288 -2.33% Goode High 840 $5,729,523 -$79,375 -1.39% Goudy Elementary 678 $4,163,012 -$71,618 -1.72% Graham Elementary 427 $2,689,963 -$41,433 -1.54% Graham Specialty 132 $185,943 $17,205 9.25% Gray Elementary 1,190 $7,157,410 -$133,544 -1.87% Greeley Elementary 601 $3,585,175 -$64,774 -1.81% Green Elementary 330 $2,059,779 -$12,855 -0.62% Greene Elementary 562 $3,560,099 -$37,988 -1.07% Gregory Elementary 366 $2,350,509 $26,971 1.15% Gresham Elementary 307 $1,961,059 -$15,515 -0.79% Grimes Elementary 430 $2,584,043 -$39,563 -1.53% Grissom Elementary 313 $1,770,008 -$50,716 -2.87% Gunsaulus Elementary 714 $4,457,370 -$77,954 -1.75% Haines Elementary 620 $3,651,863 -$67,072 -1.84% Hale Elementary 893 $5,244,831 -$116,119 -2.21% Haley Elementary 536 $3,394,949 -$16,501 -0.49% Hamilton Elementary 437 $2,141,454 -$72,627 -3.39% Hamline Elementary 584 $3,676,174 -$50,416 -1.37% Hammond Elementary 407 $2,611,065 -$19,529 -0.75% Hampton Elementary 572 $3,370,278 -$52,977 -1.57% Hancock High 904 $6,337,858 -$77,322 -1.22% Hanson Park Elementary 1,343 $8,053,779 -$53,030 -0.66% Harlan High 625 $4,278,479 -$36,176 -0.85% Harper High 249 $1,943,308 -$27,376 -1.41% Harte Elementary 342 $2,077,675 -$37,673 -1.81% Harvard Elementary 389 $2,360,195 -$16,834 -0.71% Haugan Elementary 929 $5,761,072 -$65,726 -1.14% Hawthorne Elementary 572 $2,870,340 -$94,486 -3.29% Hay Elementary 400 $2,507,914 -$28,613 -1.14% Hayt Elementary 888 $5,259,853 -$97,298 -1.85% Healy Elementary 1,377 $8,524,701 -$139,874 -1.64% Hearst Elementary 274 $1,602,778 -$1,408 -0.09% Hedges Elementary 632 $4,062,604 -$45,493 -1.12% Hefferan Elementary 370 $2,369,719 -$28,328 -1.20% Henderson Elementary 317 $2,019,175 -$17,479 -0.87% Hendricks Elementary 213 $1,399,227 $17,899 1.28% Henry Elementary 573 $3,564,485 -$58,249 -1.63% Hernandez Elementary 965 $5,715,246 -$54,915 -0.96% Herzl Elementary 474 $3,083,650 -$16,191 -0.53% Hibbard Elementary 984 $6,114,571 -$99,751 -1.63% Higgins Elementary 293 $1,879,774 -$24,848 -1.32% Hirsch High 146 $1,142,112 -$1,257 -0.11% Hitch Elementary 548 $2,986,686 -$72,744 -2.44% Holden Elementary 463 $2,830,001 -$37,088 -1.31% Holmes Elementary 198 $1,373,336 -$1,301 -0.09% Hope High 195 $1,583,663 -$6,778 -0.43% Howe Elementary 491 $2,994,337 -$16,255 -0.54% Hoyne Elementary 262 $1,637,032 -$27,052 -1.65% Hubbard High 1,706 $11,654,534 -$98,838 -0.85% Charles Hughes Elementary 269 $1,670,269 -$16,010 -0.96% Langston Hughes Elementary 391 $2,670,997 -$17,546 -0.66% Hurley Elementary 789 $4,836,988 -$39,881 -0.82% Hyde Park High 818 $5,805,459 -$75,144 -1.29% Infinity High 421 $3,223,931 -$58,400 -1.81% Inter-American Elementary 570 $3,056,450 -$94,454 -3.09% Irving Elementary 488 $2,879,201 -$52,580 -1.83% Andrew Jackson Elementary 563 $2,885,042 -$78,844 -2.73% Mahalia Jackson Elementary 317 $1,880,583 -$13,265 -0.71% Jahn Elementary 264 $1,511,592 -$36,643 -2.42% Jamieson Elementary 850 $4,971,885 -$120,100 -2.42% Jefferson Alternative School 289 $260,256 $38,314 14.72% Jenner Elementary 227 $1,674,911 -$6,915 -0.41% Jensen Elementary 396 $2,659,135 -$26,930 -1.01% Johnson Elementary 453 $2,867,778 -$33,689 -1.17% Jones High 1,672 $9,669,473 -$321,209 -3.32% Joplin Elementary 378 $2,523,711 -$24,122 -0.96% Jordan Elementary 521 $3,222,425 -$36,933 -1.15% Juarez High 1,689 $11,582,052 $134,561 1.16% Julian High 719 $5,115,301 -$24,107 -0.47% Jungman Elementary 268 $1,665,682 -$20,480 -1.23% Kanoon Elementary 694 $4,202,520 -$38,342 -0.91% Keller Elementary 244 $1,213,198 -$39,043 -3.22% Kellman Elementary 332 $2,116,662 -$31,360 -1.48% Kellogg Elementary 255 $1,319,559 -$40,181 -3.05% Kelly High 2,255 $16,464,729 -$48,493 -0.29% Kelvyn Park High 705 $4,686,138 $40,002 0.85% Kennedy High 1,628 $10,930,991 -$201,824 -1.85% Kenwood High 1,723 $10,964,459 -$296,463 -2.70% Kershaw Elementary 244 $1,443,004 -$20,594 -1.43% Kilmer Elementary 650 $3,932,051 -$55,125 -1.40% King Elementary 199 $1,424,808 -$6,078 -0.43% King High 694 $4,593,093 -$90,287 -1.97% Kinzie Elementary 620 $3,490,677 -$64,840 -1.86% Kipling Elementary 369 $2,200,603 -$30,713 -1.40% Kozminski Elementary 303 $1,798,020 -$25,514 -1.42% Lake View High 1,283 $8,316,639 -$170,349 -2.05% Lane Tech 4,062 $23,951,481 -$542,951 -2.27% Langford Elementary 323 $2,204,798 $19,411 0.88% Lara Elementary 434 $2,615,013 -$38,983 -1.49% LaSalle Elementary 557 $2,873,356 -$88,095 -3.07% LaSalle II Elementary 527 $2,803,645 -$16,984 -0.61% Lavizzo Elementary 383 $2,551,883 $139 0.01% Lawndale Elementary 333 $2,334,627 -$10,306 -0.44% Lee Elementary 836 $5,201,725 -$28,388 -0.55% Leland Elementary 511 $3,411,196 $28,365 0.83% Lenart Elementary 256 $1,383,350 -$42,220 -3.05% Lewis Elementary 454 $2,809,465 $63,549 2.26% Libby Elementary 364 $2,356,298 -$13,252 -0.56% Lincoln Elementary 839 $4,064,077 -$134,214 -3.30% Lincoln Park High 2,116 $12,387,517 -$377,961 -3.05% Lindblom High 1,258 $7,655,495 -$208,300 -2.72% Little Village Elementary 795 $4,807,374 -$57,713 -1.20% Lloyd Elementary 1,072 $6,815,848 -$86,494 -1.27% Locke Elementary 1,213 $7,678,658 -$34,602 -0.45% Logandale Elementary 752 $4,665,348 -$65,568 -1.41% Lorca Elementary 812 $4,826,602 -$64,045 -1.33% Lovett Elementary 369 $2,431,375 -$22,278 -0.92% Lowell Elementary 434 $2,737,495 $12,183 0.45% Lozano Elementary 225 $1,336,448 -$19,008 -1.42% Lyon Elementary 1,480 $8,653,543 -$131,503 -1.52% Madero Elementary 328 $1,982,578 -$19,593 -0.99% Madison Elementary 205 $1,305,604 -$4,093 -0.31% Manierre Elementary 267 $1,720,590 -$14,146 -0.82% Manley High 250 $1,698,039 -$22,524 -1.33% Mann Elementary 341 $2,159,256 -$20,309 -0.94% Marine Leadership at Ames High 800 $5,522,130 -$86,501 -1.57% Marine Military High 0 $100,319 $1,366 1.36% Marquette Elementary 1,119 $6,998,515 -$97,385 -1.39% Marsh Elementary 797 $4,786,999 -$50,555 -1.06% Marshall High 418 $2,779,991 -$42,893 -1.54% Marshall Middle 58 $687,460 -$5,372 -0.78% Mason Elementary 338 $2,406,732 -$12,827 -0.53% Mather High 1,569 $10,942,131 -$174,126 -1.59% Mayer Elementary 544 $2,706,366 -$87,078 -3.22% Mays Elementary 441 $2,727,662 -$1,212 -0.04% McAuliffe Elementary 701 $4,191,787 -$55,079 -1.31% McClellan Elementary 260 $1,503,689 -$22,961 -1.53% McCormick Elementary 688 $4,557,834 -$18,745 -0.41% McCutcheon Elementary 384 $2,619,922 -$20,048 -0.77% McDade Elementary 192 $956,743 -$30,159 -3.15% Mcdowell Elementary 164 $1,035,603 -$9,537 -0.92% McKay Elementary 727 $4,862,303 -$25,620 -0.53% McNair Elementary 393 $2,348,276 -$8,370 -0.36% McPherson Elementary 719 $4,083,732 -$79,288 -1.94% Melody Elementary 471 $2,973,142 -$17,919 -0.60% Metcalfe Elementary 417 $2,776,847 $18,274 0.66% Mireles Elementary 621 $4,083,753 -$34,408 -0.84% Mitchell Elementary 339 $1,882,172 -$37,712 -2.00% Mollison Elementary 385 $2,520,146 -$31,003 -1.23% Monroe Elementary 882 $5,449,801 -$55,533 -1.02% Montefiore Specialty 0 $4,796 $1,892 39.45% Moos Elementary 508 $3,097,597 -$50,801 -1.64% Morgan Park High 1,432 $9,897,060 -$176,437 -1.78% Morrill Elementary 769 $4,560,915 -$58,099 -1.27% Morton Elementary 311 $1,914,741 -$5,002 -0.26% Mount Greenwood Elementary 1,061 $5,194,215 -$160,356 -3.09% Mount Vernon Elementary 219 $1,446,202 -$12,849 -0.89% Mozart Elementary 711 $4,293,612 -$31,042 -0.72% Multicultural High 269 $1,908,024 -$33,870 -1.78% Murphy Elementary 508 $2,981,341 -$61,124 -2.05% Murray Elementary 529 $2,750,898 -$87,408 -3.18% Nash Elementary 305 $1,894,911 -$24,863 -1.31% National Teachers Elementary 618 $3,598,964 -$59,516 -1.65% Neil Elementary 291 $1,593,130 $4,822 0.30% Nettelhorst Elementary 751 $3,697,177 -$103,133 -2.79% New Field Elementary 435 $2,831,715 -$46,534 -1.64% New Sullivan Elementary 452 $2,843,114 -$2,332 -0.08% Newberry Elementary 555 $3,087,170 -$91,911 -2.98% Nicholson Elementary 534 $3,438,347 -$3,510 -0.10% Nightingale Elementary 1,169 $7,258,449 -$90,909 -1.25% Ninos Heroes Elementary 366 $2,375,887 -$26,570 -1.12% Nixon Elementary 901 $5,432,764 -$58,217 -1.07% Nobel Elementary 780 $4,869,097 -$45,132 -0.93% North River Elementary 271 $1,651,475 -$19,009 -1.15% North-Grand High 974 $6,715,497 -$88,374 -1.32% Northside Learning Center 243 $381,612 $43,943 11.52% Northside College Prep. 1,056 $6,280,837 -$218,407 -3.48% Northwest Elementary 571 $3,426,306 -$41,736 -1.22% Norwood Park Elementary 364 $1,765,437 -$59,030 -3.34% Ogden Elementary 1,565 $8,459,743 -$263,562 -3.12% Oglesby Elementary 437 $2,805,562 -$3,593 -0.13% Okeeffe Elementary 662 $4,031,745 -$46,424 -1.15% Onahan Elementary 601 $3,074,198 -$98,353 -3.20% Oriole Park Elementary 628 $3,080,395 -$103,353 -3.36% Orozco Elementary 540 $3,565,243 $13,196 0.37% Orr High 392 $2,622,783 -$54,816 -2.09% Ortiz De Dominguez Elementary 540 $3,344,972 -$15,151 -0.45% Otis Elementary 506 $3,106,292 -$23,885 -0.77% O'toole Elementary 367 $2,537,144 -$27,499 -1.08% Owen Elementary 258 $1,375,882 -$30,584 -2.22% Owens Elementary 431 $2,795,142 -$26,892 -0.96% Palmer Elementary 812 $4,778,439 -$86,017 -1.80% Park Manor Elementary 364 $2,293,978 -$23,632 -1.03% Parker Elementary 575 $3,944,452 -$17,298 -0.44% Parkside Elementary 236 $1,605,949 -$5,361 -0.33% Pasteur Elementary 1,184 $7,341,723 -$55,124 -0.75% Payton College Prep. 888 $5,358,659 -$174,715 -3.26% Peace and Education Alternative School 130 $206,269 $17,771 8.62% Peck Elementary 1,414 $8,951,969 -$4,376 -0.05% Peirce Elementary 932 $5,232,332 -$137,977 -2.64% Penn Elementary 325 $2,141,614 -$6,321 -0.30% Perez Elementary 288 $1,917,303 -$19,150 -1.00% Pershing Elementary 515 $2,894,691 -$70,271 -2.43% Peterson Elementary 881 $5,116,567 -$111,415 -2.18% Phillips High 672 $4,528,205 -$49,352 -1.09% Phoenix Military High 522 $3,649,985 -$64,535 -1.77% Piccolo Elementary 526 $3,372,612 -$17,666 -0.52% Pickard Elementary 474 $2,965,210 -$12,690 -0.43% Pilsen Elementary 322 $2,064,953 -$14,568 -0.71% Pirie Elementary 289 $1,753,942 -$11,045 -0.63% Plamondon Elementary 154 $963,213 -$4,954 -0.51% Poe Elementary 206 $1,031,071 -$28,995 -2.81% Portage Park Elementary 926 $5,483,301 -$109,125 -1.99% Powell Elementary 562 $3,670,391 -$28,158 -0.77% Prescott Elementary 329 $1,671,907 -$55,457 -3.32% Prieto Elementary 1,008 $5,942,103 -$87,602 -1.47% Pritzker Elementary 709 $3,523,928 -$116,811 -3.31% Prosser High 1,462 $10,050,235 -$110,557 -1.10% Prussing Elementary 670 $3,884,658 -$81,307 -2.09% Pulaski Elementary 825 $4,702,630 -$97,805 -2.08% Pullman Elementary 299 $1,840,671 -$17,051 -0.93% Raby High 478 $3,118,609 -$33,755 -1.08% Randolph Elementary 462 $2,884,427 -$32,584 -1.13% Ravenswood Elementary 500 $2,548,636 -$82,914 -3.25% Ray Elementary 621 $3,284,567 -$83,039 -2.53% Reavis Elementary 233 $1,467,285 -$14,776 -1.01% Reilly Elementary 922 $5,874,943 $802 0.01% Reinberg Elementary 753 $4,558,617 -$76,320 -1.67% Revere Elementary 231 $1,489,974 -$15,368 -1.03% Richards High 273 $2,142,642 -$13,583 -0.63% Rickover Military High 580 $3,835,880 -$75,321 -1.96% Robeson High 197 $1,781,450 -$1,834 -0.10% Robinson Elementary 98 $667,672 -$5,260 -0.79% Rogers Elementary 695 $4,097,987 -$85,897 -2.10% Roosevelt High 1,171 $8,251,389 -$112,886 -1.37% Rudolph Specialty 69 $133,927 $12,272 9.16% Ruggles Elementary 370 $2,327,617 -$22,496 -0.97% Ruiz Elementary 730 $4,698,517 -$36,955 -0.79% Ryder Elementary 351 $1,998,415 -$24,265 -1.21% Sabin Elementary 603 $3,629,831 -$67,168 -1.85% Salazar Elementary 339 $2,010,263 -$42,166 -2.10% Sandoval Elementary 1,028 $6,601,153 -$66,943 -1.01% Saucedo Elementary 1,096 $6,652,606 -$99,978 -1.50% Sauganash Elementary 589 $2,951,900 -$93,768 -3.18% Sawyer Elementary 1,751 $10,571,065 -$45,890 -0.43% Sayre Elementary 443 $2,501,842 -$60,640 -2.42% Scammon Elementary 888 $5,237,165 -$61,630 -1.18% Schmid Elementary 189 $1,213,500 -$11,110 -0.92% Schubert Elementary 784 $4,873,781 -$79,741 -1.64% Schurz High 2,010 $13,518,407 -$228,927 -1.69% Senn High 1,369 $9,106,183 -$180,999 -1.99% Seward Elementary 733 $4,850,496 -$50,566 -1.04% Sheridan Elementary 560 $2,996,673 -$54,294 -1.81% Sherman Elementary 303 $1,869,214 -$144 -0.01% Sherwood Elementary 296 $1,893,050 -$21,277 -1.12% Shields Elementary 866 $5,994,298 -$65,452 -1.09% Shields Middle 690 $4,078,446 -$56,521 -1.39% Shoesmith Elementary 344 $1,997,936 -$38,726 -1.94% Shoop Elementary 442 $2,970,093 -$18,098 -0.61% Simeon High 1,357 $8,953,828 -$133,827 -1.49% Simpson Alternative School 74 $107,551 $14,598 13.57% Skinner Elementary 978 $4,876,445 -$153,241 -3.14% Skinner North Elementary 477 $2,302,452 -$79,190 -3.44% Smith Elementary 314 $2,062,530 $7,040 0.34% Smyser Elementary 963 $5,633,705 -$125,170 -2.22% Smyth Elementary 398 $2,444,473 -$19,188 -0.78% Social Justice High 308 $2,098,453 -$29,413 -1.40% Solomon Elementary 304 $1,775,776 -$40,372 -2.27% Solorio High 1,108 $7,491,793 -$111,828 -1.49% South Loop Elementary 829 $4,146,570 -$128,146 -3.09% South Shore Elementary 441 $2,532,933 -$47,154 -1.86% South Shore International High 583 $3,863,887 -$72,607 -1.88% Southside Specialty 222 $307,823 $29,531 9.59% Spencer Elementary 695 $4,220,727 -$48,623 -1.15% Spry Elementary 568 $3,497,843 -$46,765 -1.34% Spry High 174 $1,229,945 -$2,439 -0.20% Stagg Elementary 460 $2,853,823 -$14,826 -0.52% Steinmetz High 1,538 $10,403,463 -$139,871 -1.34% Stem Elementary 450 $2,226,567 -$64,755 -2.91% Stevenson Elementary 1,209 $7,422,312 -$109,099 -1.47% Stock Specialty 0 $31,099 $84 0.27% Stone Elementary 626 $3,197,527 -$101,763 -3.18% Stowe Elementary 671 $4,170,773 -$45,584 -1.09% Suder Elementary 337 $1,911,835 -$21,903 -1.15% Sullivan High 566 $3,983,791 -$51,846 -1.30% Sumner Elementary 254 $1,769,143 -$21,679 -1.23% Sutherland Elementary 695 $3,525,492 -$99,670 -2.83% Swift Elementary 637 $3,810,518 -$68,557 -1.80% Taft High 3,216 $19,191,136 -$458,734 -2.39% Talcott Elementary 484 $2,796,853 -$59,232 -2.12% Talman Elementary 373 $2,219,325 -$36,936 -1.66% Tanner Elementary 357 $2,159,731 -$32,812 -1.52% Tarkington Elementary 977 $5,854,882 -$38,403 -0.66% Taylor Elementary 454 $2,929,379 -$35,543 -1.21% Team High 279 $1,979,341 -$44,989 -2.27% Telpochcalli Elementary 267 $1,724,134 -$27,174 -1.58% Thomas Specialty 0 $142,519 $12,148 8.52% James Thorp Elementary 310 $1,979,018 $3,873 0.20% Ole Thorp Elementary 842 $4,228,473 -$57,670 -1.36% Tilden High 295 $2,048,860 -$11,251 -0.55% Till Elementary 324 $2,200,699 -$16,621 -0.76% Tilton Elementary 310 $2,019,979 -$18,498 -0.92% Tonti Elementary 980 $6,082,859 -$85,861 -1.41% Turner-Drew Elementary 277 $1,696,360 -$33,705 -1.99% Twain Elementary 1,134 $7,291,661 -$120,348 -1.65% Uplift High 306 $1,953,165 -$43,897 -2.25% Vanderpoel Elementary 291 $1,591,542 -$41,238 -2.59% Vaughn Specialty 193 $221,700 $16,939 7.64% Vick Specialty 0 $96,845 $4,879 5.04% Voise High 193 $1,303,426 -$11,413 -0.88% Volta Elementary 869 $5,385,699 -$50,393 -0.94% Von Linne Elementary 593 $3,775,461 -$41,855 -1.11% Von Steuben High 1,659 $11,024,593 -$246,044 -2.23% Wacker Elementary 230 $1,472,846 -$17,251 -1.17% Wadsworth Elementary 478 $3,212,792 -$24,066 -0.75% Walsh Elementary 396 $2,424,611 -$43,553 -1.80% James Ward Elementary 514 $2,961,921 -$65,046 -2.20% Laura Ward Elementary 509 $3,273,456 -$31,312 -0.96% Warren Elementary 252 $1,519,356 -$1,369 -0.09% Geoege Washington Elementary 812 $4,684,626 -$110,804 -2.37% Harold Washington Elementary 372 $2,367,360 -$26,635 -1.13% Washington High 1,428 $9,607,999 -$128,160 -1.33% Waters Elementary 645 $3,248,603 -$106,996 -3.29% Webster Elementary 248 $1,636,476 -$15,054 -0.92% Wells Elementary 370 $2,466,499 $66,625 2.70% Wells High 467 $3,184,692 -$45,865 -1.44% Wentworth Elementary 503 $3,151,589 $18,322 0.58% West Park Elementary 584 $3,722,207 -$9,333 -0.25% West Ridge Elementary 736 $4,509,138 -$35,755 -0.79% Westcott Elementary 346 $2,325,343 -$17,163 -0.74% Westinghouse High 1,175 $7,505,544 -$201,956 -2.69% Whistler Elementary 247 $1,507,349 -$14,510 -0.96% White Elementary 174 $1,115,706 -$13,338 -1.20% Whitney Elementary 1,017 $6,349,451 -$61,522 -0.97% Whittier Elementary 276 $1,783,957 -$20,118 -1.13% Wildwood Elementary 476 $2,324,434 -$77,873 -3.35% Williams High 274 $1,925,915 -$32,435 -1.68% Woodlawn Elementary 184 $1,212,437 -$11,928 -0.98% Woodson Elementary 354 $2,270,930 $3,910 0.17% World Language High 328 $2,389,850 -$40,494 -1.69% Yates Elementary 469 $2,734,570 -$13,514 -0.49% York Alternative School 290 $539,692 $24,572 4.55% Young Elementary 908 $5,905,078 -$43,510 -0.74% Whitney Young 2,160 $13,104,411 -$355,284 -2.71% Zapata Elementary 804 $5,078,349 -$55,102 -1.09% Notes: Attendance is for 2016 K-12 enrollment (10th day for district-run student-based budgeting schools, 20th day for all other schools) Source: Chicago Public Schools @ChiTribGraphics Rich versus poor is shaping up as the storyline of this election year. Democratic politicians are calling for a hike in the minimum wage, and Illinois voters will weigh in on an advisory referendum for a "millionaire tax." Meanwhile, a national poll shows "steadfast conservatives" backing the idea that the poor have it easy. Here in Chicago, we've experienced nearly two centuries of class warfare -- featuring the Lager Beer Riot, the Haymarket tragedy and the South Side "welfare queen." A timeline: Advertisement 1833: Native Americans dispossessed The Treaty of Chicago cedes the last Native American lands in Illinois to the United States. The United Tribes of Potawatomi, Ottawa and Chippewa give up 5 million acres in Illinois and Wisconsin for the same amount of land in Missouri. Advertisement Rich history: The real winners of the 1833 treaty are the negotiators. The Native Americans, including Billy Caldwell, receive large grants of land and cash. The Kinzie and Forsyth families -- early traders who claimed the tribes owed them large debts -- haul in more than $50,000. 1836: Digging their own graves Construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal begins. Hundreds of the mostly Irish workers constructing the waterway will die of disease before it opens 12 years later. 1848: Board of Trade Completion of the I&M Canal inspires creation of the Chicago Board of Trade to regulate grain sales in bulk. The CBOT maintains a prominent role in commodities trading to this day, helping make Chicago an economic powerhouse. 1850: "The Pinkertons" Allan Pinkerton opens his detective agency in Chicago. The firm will later spy for the Union in the Civil War and prevent looting in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire. But after Pinkerton's death in 1884, his sons will take on jobs as enforcers for companies during strikes, providing espionage and muscle, and making "the Pinkertons" a hated group among labor activists. 1855: Lager Beer Riot Advertisement Blaming the city's ills on German and Irish immigrants, Chicago Mayor Levi Boone cracks down on taverns, even going so far as enforcing a law to close taverns on Sundays -- typically the hardworking immigrants' only day off. An angry mob riots, leading to one death and multiple injuries. Boone would not be re-elected. 1857: Charity gets picky The Chicago Relief and Aid Society is formed to fight poverty. But this doesn't mean the society's well-to-do-gooders like the poor. They follow a philosophy of "scientific charity" and want to assist only the "worthy poor" -- those who are in bad shape through no fault of their own. 1865: Union Stock Yard By 1870, the South Side meat processing center is handling 2 million animals a year. By 1890, it is 9 million. Fortunes are made, and tens of thousands of workers are employed, though not without plenty of rich-versus-poor tension. 1871: Great Chicago Fire Advertisement After the Oct. 8 fire destroys thousands of businesses and homes, residents band together to rebuild. Well, yes and no. The Marshall Fields and Cyrus McCormicks in the city certainly lose millions of dollars, but their savings and access to credit help them recover quickly. Many small businesspeople, though, find their insurance will pay nothing and are unable to rebuild. Poorly understood: One of those businesspeople left destitute by the fire was Mary Jones, a dressmaker. She would take up the banner of the worker and become famous as "Mother" Jones. 1885: Palmer's castle Leading businessman Potter Palmer builds a home that looks like a castle on the Near North Side, leading to further development of the Gold Coast neighborhood. The house has no exterior doorknobs or locks -- so visitors can enter only if a servant lets them in. 1886: Haymarket Square A previously peaceful rally of union activists, socialists and reformers turns violent May 4 when police move in to disperse the crowd. The debate continues today whether the incident at Haymarket Square was a riot, a bombing or a massacre. Rich history: Did the Chicago Tribune publish a call for poisoning the homeless? During the Haymarket trial, the condemned Albert Parsons quoted the paper as writing: "When a tramp asks you for bread, put strychnine or arsenic on it and he will not trouble you any more, and others will keep out of the neighborhood." Such a quote is not found on the Tribune's extensive -- but incomplete -- online archive, so its authenticity and authorship cannot be confirmed. Advertisement 1889: Hull House opens Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr start Chicago's first settlement house, providing food, housing, education for children and adults, training, child care for working parents -- and a powerful voice for poor and working-class families. 1894: The Pullman strike Tension grows in Pullman, a company town built by George Pullman to house his factory and workers. When he cuts worker wages, he doesn't lower their rent. In 1894, they strike. The government sides with Pullman, sending troops to put down the strike. The episode is a setback to labor but inspires Congress and President Grover Cleveland to make Labor Day official as a gesture of support for working people. Striking statements: Judge William Howard Taft, the future president, writes shocking opinions to his wife about the strike, such as: "It will be necessary for the military to kill some of the mob before the trouble can be stayed," and "They have only killed six of the mob as yet. This is hardly enough to make an impression." 1905: IWW formed Advertisement The Industrial Workers of the World labor organization is established in Chicago, featuring some leading socialists, including Mary "Mother" Jones, "Big Bill" Haywood and Eugene Debs. Promoting the idea of "one big union," the IWW would make inroads but fell into decline because of a government crackdown on "reds" and internal dissension. A version of the IWW survives, based in Chicago. 1909: Lakefront for all The Illinois Supreme Court grants a victory to mail-order catalog merchant A. Montgomery Ward in his campaign to preserve Grant Park as "open, clear and free" lakefront for all residents. 1916: Poison in the soup An anarchist chef known as Jean Crones poisons the soup at a welcoming banquet for Archbishop George Mundelein. No one is killed, but some of the city's most prominent citizens become violently ill in public. Crones would never be captured. 1917: Wealthy, worthy Advertisement Sears executive Julius Rosenwald establishes the Rosenwald Fund, which would be used to build schools for African-Americans in the South, among other things. 1919: Race riots Though sparked by the drowning death of an African-American boy who crossed an unseen line onto the whites-only 29th Street Beach, the July race riots are fueled by tensions building for years. As blacks eager to find good jobs and flee Jim Crow flocked to the city, they ran headlong into the reality of white-controlled unions and segregated ghetto housing. 1920: Labor racketeering The rise of union power in Chicago brings a rival to the robber barons -- the corrupt labor boss. An example is "Umbrella Mike" Boyle, so nicknamed because he would hang his open umbrella on the bar so payoffs could be dropped into it. 1937: Republic Steel Advertisement A Memorial Day clash between striking steelworkers and police leaves 10 demonstrators dead and about 100 police officers and workers injured. 1939: Getting organized Saul Alinsky creates a community-organizing model in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. More than six decades later, even more fame would come to another Chicago community-organizing veteran: Barack Obama. 1962: Taylor Homes open The large Robert Taylor Homes public housing development opens on the South Side. Taylor and other high-rise complexes would be criticized as "warehouses for the poor" and would be torn down decades later. 1966: King in Chicago Advertisement The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family move temporarily into a West Side apartment as he promotes fair housing. During another visit, King is hit by a rock thrown by a protester as he marches in Marquette Park. Two years later, rioting over King's assassination would devastate parts of the West Side. Poorly understood: After King's assassination, Mayor Richard J. Daley didn't publicly order police to shoot to kill arsonists -- at least not during the rioting. It wasn't until after the event that a furious mayor said he thought he had given the orders to "shoot to kill any arsonists" and "shoot to maim or cripple" looters, and rebuked the police chief for ignoring them. 1971: Operation PUSH The Rev. Jesse Jackson forms Operation PUSH to improve African-American's economic conditions. PUSH stands for People United to Save Humanity, but the "Save" is changed to "Serve." Later it's combined with the National Rainbow Coalition to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. 1974: "Welfare queen" Linda Taylor, a South Side con woman whose long list of crimes includes public aid fraud, is dubbed a "welfare queen" by the Tribune. Two years later, presidential candidate Ronald Reagan would seize on her story to attack social welfare programs. Advertisement 1981: Mayor in Cabrini Mayor Jane Byrne moves into a Cabrini-Green apartment for 25 days. 1995: Deadly heat wave High temperatures over 100 and low temperatures in the 80s cause more than 500 heat-related deaths in Chicago. The victims are not random, with the burden falling on the elderly, people too poor to afford air conditioners and those in crime-ridden areas where they are afraid to ask their neighbors for help. 2006: Immigration rally Demanding immigration reform, 400,000 protesters rally in Chicago. Many immigrants take the day off work, inspiring a Naperville Sun headline embracing stereotypes for both immigrants and suburbanites. It reads: "The day the lawn wasn't mowed." Advertisement 2012: Anarchists return The NATO summit brings extraordinary security measures to handle angry street protests. Three young men are arrested and later convicted of making crude Molotov cocktails for use at protests. Some call them the "NATO 3," but others call them the "NATO 3 Stooges" because their efforts seem so inept. 2013: Lewis v. Emanuel The Chicago Teachers Union's criticism of Mayor Rahm Emanuel increasingly includes class issues. CTU President Karen Lewis blasts Emanuel for releasing a school closing list while he was "away on a ski trip," and she says he should ask his "rich friends" at the Merc and Board of Trade to pay more for schools. Emanuel will battle critics calling him "Mayor 1%" with a push to eliminate food deserts and appointment of a task force that recommends a minimum wage hike. 2014: A wealth of issues Bruce Rauner, who is believed to be the richest candidate in Illinois history, runs for governor as a Republican. His Democratic rival, Gov. Pat Quinn, is also in the spotlight over money -- state grants intended to fight violence that some believe were misspent to aid Quinn's 2010 election. To further make the November election class-conscious, there are advisory referendums on the minimum wage and a "millionaire tax." Architects Tod Williams, left, and Billie Tsien, designers of the University of Chicago Logan Center for the Arts. (Jason Smith ) In the site-selection derby for the Barack Obama Presidential Center on Chicago's South Side, Washington Park, surrounded by a gritty neighborhood, may have the edge over the more glamorous lakefront location of Jackson Park. That, at least, is the view of New York architecture critic Paul Goldberger, who is advising the Barack Obama Foundation as President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama begin interviewing the seven architectural firms vying for the coveted commission. Advertisement "Just about everybody close to the project is more interested in the Washington Park site than the Jackson Park site," Goldberger said in an interview with Common Edge, a new architecture website. Citing Washington Park's "nitty-gritty" surroundings, including a nearby "L" stop, Goldberger said: "The Washington Park site is the more exciting possibility because it is the less conventionally 'presidential' site. Most of the people close to (Obama) feel the same way. But not all, so we'll see." Advertisement His comments offered the first indication of how the selection process is proceeding since the finalists, which include Chicago's John Ronan Architects, were named in late December. Initially, the foundation was going to name five finalists because that was thought to be the maximum number the president would have time to interview. But Obama looked at the proposed list of five, pronounced it "great," then added two firms that hadn't made the final cut, Goldberger said. The architecture critic declined to name the late additions but said Obama was "happy" to meet with all seven firms. Compared to the nettlesome issues the president typically confronts, the Obama Center is "recreational conversation," the critic said. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Asked by interviewer Martin Pedersen about the Obamas' architectural tastes, Goldberger said they favor "tailored modernism" without spelling out what that means. "They like modern things quite genuinely," he said. "They do not want a traditional building." The president and first lady plan to meet with each finalst twice first, at the start of the design process; then, when the architects return with conceptual plans for the two sites. Some of the first meetings already have occurred, Goldberger said. The firm that gets the job will help select the site, he said. The Obama Library, expected to cost $500 million, will incorporate presidential archives and a museum, as well as offices and program space for the Obama Foundation. The center is targeted for completion in 2020 or 2021. The other finalists are London-based Adjaye Associates; the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, with offices in Genoa, Italy, Paris and New York; and four firms based in New York: Diller Scofidio + Renfro; SHoP Architects; Snohetta, which has another office in Oslo, Norway; and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects. Advertisement It's anticipated that the Obamas will select a winner in the first half of this year. bkamin@tribpub.com Twitter @BlairKamin Investigators examine vials of poison on Feb. 12, 1916, in the Chicago boarding house room of Jean Crones, who had attempted to kill dozens of luminaries with tainted soup. (Chicago History Museum) It was almost the crime of the century. But now that a century has passed, the banquet soup poisoning of 1916 has virtually disappeared from Chicago's memory. Advertisement On Feb. 10 100 years ago today a few hundred of the city's most prominent people gathered at the stately University Club at the corner of Michigan and Monroe for a dinner welcoming the new Roman Catholic archbishop, George Mundelein. Illinois Gov. Edward Dunne was there, along with former Gov. Charles Deneen, former Chicago Mayor Carter Harrison Jr., utility czar Samuel Insull, bishops, bank presidents, judges and the superintendent of schools. Advertisement All were marked for assassination by an anarchist cook named Jean Crones, who spiked the soup stock with arsenic. When dinner was served, some of the highest fliers of Chicago were laid low, falling to the floor, groaning in agony and vomiting. But none of them died, and there are various theories why. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > According to one story, an expanded guest list forced the kitchen to water down the soup, thereby diluting the poison. By another account, a kitchen worker thought Crones' soup stock had spoiled and threw out most of it, replacing it with fresh stock. Still others believe that the soup contained too much arsenic, not too little, and that the overdose caused the guests to quickly vomit and thus survive. Yet another theory is that the diners were saved by a quick-thinking doctor who mixed mustard and water and served it as an emetic, inducing the soup eaters to expel the perilous broth. Mundelein, who showed no ill effects, may have been too busy meeting and greeting to do much eating. "You know it takes something stronger than soup to get me," said the archbishop, who would later become a cardinal and have a Chicago suburb named after him. The anarchist cook fled the city, leaving his chemical supplies in his South Side boarding house room, which the Tribune described as a "laboratory of death." For years afterward, the hunt for the religion-hating radical generated headlines. Letters purportedly from Crones were sent to The New York Times, expressing regret that 100 diners weren't killed. The signature of Jean Crones on a bathroom wall in Waukesha, Wis., was "found to be identical with the poisoner's handwriting," according to the Tribune. A man playing pool in Nebraska was arrested because he resembled Crones. And Chicago police officers rushed to Pittsburgh to check out a tip that Crones was hiding there disguised as a nun. Turns out, the name Jean Crones was a pseudonym. The nefarious cook was really Nestor Dondoglio, a follower of Italian anarchist firebrand Luigi Galleani. Like the failed soup poisoner, Galleani suffered frustrations as a terrorist. He once published a bomb-making guide that contained an error, causing his comrades to blow up when they followed his instructions. Never captured despite the nationwide dragnet, Dondoglio died quietly in 1932 in Connecticut, where he had found haven with friends. Advertisement mjacob@tribpub.com Maryam Bighash, a sophomore at Wheaton College and managing editor of the student newspaper, speaks about racism and discrimination at at the college and the need to change it. She and 20 others will fast and drink only liquids during Lent in order to spark change at the conservative Christian college. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Roughly 30 supporters of Larycia Hawkins demonstrated on the steps of Edman Memorial Chapel at Wheaton College on Ash Wednesday, pledging to fast for the 40 days of Lent in a call to the Wheaton community and evangelical Christian institutions nationwide to "confess and repent of the sins of racism, sexism and Islamophobia." "We believe that there's a possibility of a better Wheaton," said the Rev. Peter Heltzel, a Wheaton College alumnus and associate professor of theology at New York Theological Seminary. "For we love our school. We know that what happened to professor Hawkins just ain't right. But we believe that a better Wheaton is possible." Advertisement At the same time, Hawkins and Wheaton College President Philip Ryken were holding a joint news conference in Chicago, attempting to lower the curtain on the controversy that has unfolded since the former political science professor in December posted a photo of herself on Facebook wearing a hijab to show support for Muslims who had been under scrutiny since mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. She called her gesture an act of "embodied solidarity." "I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book," she had explained in a Facebook post. "And as Pope Francis stated we worship the same God." Advertisement Within days, the college placed Hawkins on paid administrative leave through the spring semester, pending a review. According to the administration, not clarifying what makes Christianity distinct from Islam put Hawkins in conflict with Wheaton's statement of faith, 12 theological points that all Wheaton faculty must affirm. By January, Provost Stanton Jones sought to fire her. Last weekend, he apologized for acting in haste and the college announced a separation agreement. Ryken told reporters Wednesday that Hawkins' decision to leave the campus was mutual. "This does not mean that reconciliation is easy or that it is always perfect," Ryken said. "In saying Wheaton College is reconciled to Larycia Hawkins we are not saying that everyone on every side of this conflict is totally satisfied. Nor are we saying that we simply move without addressing the issues that brought us to this place." In thanking Hawkins for helping to establish a certificate program in peace and conflict studies at Wheaton, Ryken announced that an endowed scholarship would be established in her honor to sponsor an intern every year who wants to pursue a summer project in peace and conflict studies. Hawkins said she bears no ill will against Wheaton. "We will continue to walk together because I will always stand with Wheaton College, what it stands for, for my colleagues, for its shalom, its peace because that's what embodied solidarity means to stand with, not apart." Hawkins emphasized that leaving the school permanently does not mean she is leaving her students. Advertisement Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "They're not just students, they're scholars. They're friends," said Hawkins, who announced over the weekend that she had agreed to leave Wheaton under confidential terms. "Their souls and spirits revive my spirit, and just because I walk away from Wheaton College does not mean that I walk away from them." Meanwhile, back at Wheaton, campus security kept a close watch on the demonstrators gathered on the chapel steps, telling those who were not students that they had to move to the public sidewalk. The demonstrators complied and moved but soon trickled back to the base of the chapel steps, and campus security didn't stop them. Maryam Bighash, a Wheaton College student, said the conflict has hurt the mental health of students, as well as their grades. "For the school to tell us there is no racism, there is no Islamophobia, there is no sexism, it's just the biggest lie of the century," she said. Many of the demonstrators were draped in sackcloth, which they said symbolized mourning. eleventis@tribpub.com Advertisement mbrachear@tribpub.com A decade after defrocked Roman Catholic priest Daniel McCormack was arrested for molesting children at his West Side church, a Cook County judge has ruled that victims abused by McCormack after September 2000 can seek punitive damages against the Chicago Archdiocese if their lawsuits go to trial. In a six-page ruling issued Tuesday, Cook County Circuit Judge Clare McWilliams wrote that it was reasonably likely that victims' lawyers could prove to a jury that by ordaining McCormack and assigning him to parishes, the archdiocese acted with "utter disregard" and therefore deserves to be punished. Advertisement While this ruling is based on a motion filed in only one victim's case, scheduled for trial July 22, it's likely to guide future civil cases involving McCormack. Furthermore, if cases make it to the trial stage and juries impose punitive damages, it could cost the church millions on top of what it has already paid out to compensate victims of the convicted sex offender. McCormack pleaded guilty in 2007 to molesting five boys and was sentenced to five years in prison. His case led to an overhaul of Chicago church policy and has cost the archdiocese millions of dollars in settlements, which insurance no longer covers. Every case has been settled before making it to trial. Advertisement "We have a long history of trying to deal responsibly with these cases to resolve them in a fair and compassionate manner," said John O'Malley, an attorney for the archdiocese. "But sometimes you can't do that for one reason or another and the case winds up in court, as this one did. We will continue to act responsibly and compassionately because that's what we're about." Allegations against McCormack became public in 2006, four years after Cardinal Francis George urged America's bishops to remove any priest from ministry for a single act of sexual abuse. But the cardinal himself, when notified that McCormack had been taken into custody by Chicago police in August 2005 for allegedly abusing a boy, did not remove him from ministry until a second arrest in January 2006. Later, outside auditors commissioned by the cardinal uncovered more than 30 missteps by the archdiocese in its handling of the McCormack case. So far, all of the civil suits have been settled before making it to trial. Eugene Hollander, the attorney for a man who says he was sexually assaulted twice at St. Agatha in the North Lawndale neighborhood in September 2000, said the discovery process for the most recent lawsuits has uncovered more damning evidence that church officials failed to follow their own policies created in the early 1990s and ignored manifold signs that McCormack presented a threat long before that first arrest. "Even Cardinal George testified in this case, 'We acted like we were in silos, we didn't share information, we should have done more,'" Hollander said, referring to the video testimony of George recorded in 2014. During a hearing on the motion last week, Hollander said witnesses have testified that as an undergraduate at Niles College, McCormack molested a seminarian who had passed out drunk misconduct that was reported to a counselor at Niles but never documented. Depositions also revealed that years later when McCormack went to Mexico to learn Spanish with other students from Mundelein Seminary, they observed him hitting on a young man who appeared to be a minor, Hollander said. In reporting that to seminary officials, one of the seminarians added that he recalled McCormack engaging in oral sex with other seminarians at Niles, Hollander said. When the then-rector of Mundelein Seminary, Gerald Kicanas, now the bishop of Tucson, Ariz., and then-vice rector Msgr. John Canary confronted McCormack, he admitted it, Hollander said, and the leaders notified Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. Yet, even though standard protocol called for expelling a seminarian who acted out in this way, Hollander said, Bernardin ordained McCormack in 1994. Advertisement "A jury could find that the defendants were aware that there was a problem of priests and pastors abusing individuals in their official capacity, and yet were reckless in investigating an individual who was training to become a priest when questionable circumstances, some involving borderline-consensual sexual activity, kept occurring," McWilliams wrote in her ruling. The judge pointed out that policies established by Bernardin's own Commission on Clerical Sexual Misconduct called for "documenting seminarians as they progressed in their studies" and unifying the file system to maintain consistent records after they become priests. McCormack's first assignment happened to be at St. Ailbe Catholic Church on the South Side, which "was recovering from its own sex abuse scandal at the time he was appointed." Two other clerics, John Calicott and the late Victor Stewart, have been accused of abusing minors there. "As such, it is clear the defendants knew and recognized that there was a serious issue of clerical misconduct and recognized that they needed to take active measures to prevent dangerous individuals from being placed in a position where they would be a threat to the well-being of others," McWilliams said. During the hearing, archdiocese attorney Jim Geoly argued that the court should prevent inflammatory claims that stir the emotions of a jury and lead to an unfair trial. "This is an inflammatory allegation, it is child sexual abuse," Geoly said. "And the court needs to be very careful about inviting the jury to vent anger unless the evidence is really there to support that kind of punitive damage claim." Advertisement That McCormack might have had consensual sexual relations during seminary shouldn't lead the archdiocese automatically to presume he's a threat, he said. Geoly also argued that the archdiocese is at a disadvantage because the records from McCormack's psychological evaluations after concerns arose in seminary have been sealed by the court. "We actually requested to use the records because we believe they help us," Geoly said. Marci Hamilton, a law professor at Yeshiva University and an advocate for victims of clergy sex crimes, said punitive damages are uncommon in abuse cases, namely because the Supreme Court has discouraged them in personal injury cases over the last decade. "These are the kinds of cases that might trigger a jury to give a large punitive damage even if there's not proven compensatory damage," she said, adding that a majority of abuse cases end up being settled and rarely go to trial. She said such rulings can threaten dioceses financially since insurance often doesn't cover punitive damages. But that would not be a jury's problem, she said. Jurors' main consideration is how much does it take for the defendant to start listening and do the right thing for the public interest. Betsy Bohlen, chief operating officer for the archdiocese, said insurance no longer covers any claims involving McCormack, and those cases alone have strained the archdiocese both spiritually and financially. Advertisement Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "There is no doubt there are a lot of things that have suffered," Bohlen said. "Our own people have suffered in terms of the victims. And that's a great sin that has happened to people who are faithful people. It's created significant credibility problems in a world that's secularizing." Though the archdiocese has maintained Bernardin's pledge years ago that no money from the collection plate would be used to cover sex abuse settlements, the scandal has had an impact on the long-term financial stability of the church. So far, the sale of unused real estate has covered the costs, Bohlen said. "We've had a plan in place for selling real estate based on market conditions and what makes sense for that real estate in a way that doesn't create any fire sales," she said. "We're limited in the kind of investments we can make because those funds have gone elsewhere." According to the archdiocese, it has paid out a total of $139 million in clerical sexual abuse claims, but it would not release the total for McCormack settlements. However, last fall, it had received at least 30 substantiated claims against McCormack. "We have always held that the amounts of settlements are not ours to disclose," a spokeswoman said, adding that the archdiocese is "disappointed in the ruling and will respond in court at the appropriate time." mbrachear@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter @TribSeeker After a speech at the Illinois State Capitol, President Barack Obama stops at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield on Feb. 10, 2016. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) SPRINGFIELD President Barack Obama on Wednesday returned to the place that launched his public career, delivering a memory-laden, valedictory-type address to Illinois lawmakers saying they and the nation deserve a "better politics" based on civility and compromise to cure a "poisonous political climate" that pushes citizens away. Speaking for an hour at the state Capitol, where he served before becoming a U.S. senator en route to the White House, Obama criticized a political atmosphere in which adherence to hard-line ideology interferes with progress. Advertisement "The point I'm trying to make is I care about fixing our politics," said Obama, who is in his final year as president. "The reason this is important to me is, next year I'll still hold the most important title of all, and that's the title of citizen." The president, sometimes sounding wistful in a speech filled with reminisces of his legislative days, made his remarks on the ninth anniversary of his announcement that he was seeking the presidency an address that occurred just blocks away at the Old State Capitol. Advertisement While directing his remarks about political dysfunction largely at Washington, Obama did make references to Illinois' historic stalemate that has kept the state without a budget for eight months. The president noted his support for unions and collective bargaining to improve the middle class, earning the cheers of Democrats who are battling Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's efforts to push a pro-business, union-weakening agenda in exchange for a budget agreement. More pointedly, Obama singled out Democratic state Rep. Ken Dunkin of Chicago, who has sided with Rauner on several issues to deny House Speaker Michael Madigan a 71-vote, veto-proof majority. Dunkin is facing a primary challenge and is being backed for re-election by Rauner allies. Obama said reaching political compromise across the aisle "doesn't make me a sellout to my own party." Dunkin jumped out of his chair and shouted "Yes!" before Obama verbally slammed him. "We'll talk later Dunkin. Sit down," Obama said as Democrats and even some Republicans erupted into wild cheers. In reciting what he called the ills of modern politics, Obama said the problems were not that politicians were worse or that issues have become more complicated. "We've always gone through periods when our democracy seems stuck, and when that happens we have to find a new way of doing business. We're in one of those moments. We have to build a better politics," he said. "What's different today is the nature and extent of the polarization," said Obama, who cited political parties that have become more homogeneous in their ideology, a fractured media, advocacy groups and "unlimited dark money." Advertisement "So often these debates, particularly in Washington but increasingly in state legislatures, become abstractions," said the president, who added that voters have become turned off to a politics that "encourages the kind of ideological fealty that rejects any form of compromise as weakness." At various points in his speech, Obama observed that while Democrats were standing and applauding, Republican largely were staying in their seats a symbol of the political divisions rooted in Washington that were in evidence when he delivered his State of the Union address. "One of my few regrets is my inability to reduce the polarization and meanness in our (nation's) politics," he said. "I was able to be part of (reducing) that here and yet couldn't translate it the way I wanted to into our politics in Washington." Obama called for efforts to reduce what he called "the corrosive influence of money in our politics," an end to gerrymandered congressional districts and making it easier to vote. He said Illinois lawmakers should approve pending legislation to make voter registration automatic when people get their drivers' licenses. But as he spoke in a Capitol that has become a prime example of political dysfunction, it was questionable whether Obama's visit and rhetoric would have any effect on the tone in Springfield. Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno of Lemont, who Obama said he could "always trust" in their time together in the Senate, said she didn't feel like the president's remarks were intended to scold state lawmakers. Advertisement "I think he's felt the frustration," Radogno said. "He's been frustrated by the partisanship, though he's been part of it. I've been frustrated, and I've been part of it. I think he's asking everyone collectively to rise above that." House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs said he appreciated Obama's call for reforming the redistricting process to try to stop politicians from drawing partisan-leaning districts. Republicans have chafed at their legislative minorities, contending Democratic maps have reduced GOP numbers. and Rauner has made a proposed state constitutional amendment to curb political influence in drawing House and Senate districts part of his agenda. "That was something where I saw not only Republicans jump up but Democrats jumping up as well," Durkin said of Obama's call for map-making reforms. "I hope the Speaker and (Democratic Senate) President (John Cullerton) had eyes in the back of their heads and watched that it wasn't just Republicans and Rauner who is supporting it." Obama launched his speech with memories of his time in Springfield where he said he arrived as a lawmaker "passionate, idealistic (and) ready to make a difference," but one who "needed a little dose of reality." He noted then-Republican Senate President James "Pate" Philip of Wood Dale "was so politically incorrect, you don't even know how to describe it." The future president remembered getting verbally hazed by his colleagues when he sought passage of his first bill, including one lawmaker asking if Obama was an Irish name. "It will be when I run countywide," Obama recalled his bravado response. Advertisement After his address in the House, across the rotunda from where he served as a state senator, Obama traveled a few blocks away to the Hoogland Center for the Arts, where he addressed a couple hundred supporters, including lawmakers he served with, at a viewing party for his speech. Obama said he would shake hands with folks after his remarks were finished, but warned the crowd there would be no selfies. "If we had smart phones when I ran for president, I'm not sure i would have run," Obama said. "People just have their phones. They don't shake my hand anymore. I'm here, right in front of you." Obama was greeted upon his arrival at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Air Force One by Rauner, and the two politicians spoke briefly on the tarmac. A Rauner spokesman declined comment on the president's speech. Traveling with Obama from Washington were U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Democratic U.S. Reps. Tammy Duckworth, Robin Kelly and Mike Quigley. En route to the Statehouse, Obama stopped to pick up lunch at a downtown haunt, The Feed Store, across from the Old State Capitol where he made his announcement for the presidency in 2007. Leaving with some barley soup, former White House strategist David Axelrod noted that Wednesday's 19-degree temperature was "balmy" compared to the single-digit temps and below-zero wind chill that marked Obama's presidential launch. rap30@aol.com Advertisement mcgarcia@tribpub.com cbott@tribpub.com A Chicago City Council that was within striking distance of allowing full outside oversight of its work instead backed off Wednesday, giving the City Hall watchdog scaled-back authority to probe only aldermen and their staff members. Right before passage and without a chance for the public to see the revised ordinance aldermen voted 25-23 to water down the ethics measure. Stripped out of the ordinance were provisions to allow city Inspector General Joseph Ferguson the right to look at programs on which the city spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Advertisement Aldermen went on to approve the revamped version 29-19, with two council members absent when the vote was taken. The votes came after days of jockeying among aldermen and impassioned-if-brief debate on the council floor. Mayor Rahm Emanuel didn't take part in the public debate. After the meeting, the mayor said he just wanted the council to enact some form of oversight and declined to say which way he would have voted if there had been a tie on whether to consider the watered-down version. Advertisement "We don't do hypotheticals," Emanuel said. "The vote that matters is the vote that they adopted." The version approved eliminates the legislative inspector general and instead gives Ferguson that office's authority and then some, including the ability to launch investigations on his own. But without the provision for program audits, Ferguson will not be able to look for ways to cut costs, improve efficiency or prevent abuses such as theft of city funds in council operations, things he can do with when it comes to the 32,000 or so city employees under the mayor's control. Among turf that would be off-limits is workers' compensation, which pays out about $100 million a year. That's controlled by 14th Ward Ald. Edward Burke's Finance Committee. And Ferguson's prying eyes also would be kept from the $66 million aldermanic menu program, which allots $1.32 million to each of the city's 50 council members to spend on construction projects such as paving streets, putting up lights and replacing sidewalks. "Unfortunately, the council still failed to fully meet the moment," Ferguson said in a statement. "Aldermen squandered what could and should have been a singularly successful moment in the city's civil history." City Council members who favored the scaled-back measure tried to cast it in a different light. "We have a win here," said Ald. Daniel Solis, 25th, who voted to make the last-minute change. "Whether it's a touchdown by 7 points or a field goal by 3 points, we have a win." But Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, who opposed the change and voted against the final version, saw it differently. Advertisement "In my experience, the teams that kick the field goals tend to lose," Reilly said. The watered-down measure, he added, does not go "nearly far enough to rebuild the trust and show folks we truly are a transparent body who won't be treated differently than everybody else." Trust was a major theme during the debate. Ald. Michele Smith, 43rd, one of the stronger ordinance's lead backers, said much had to be done to ensure confidence in the City Council, given the city's financial woes and police accountability issues in the wake of the release of the police dash-cam video of the shooting of Laquan McDonald. "Right now our city is struggling with a crisis long in the making, and we are part of this crisis, and it can only be solved if we lead," Smith said. "We must erase what someone has called our trust deficit. Trust is not easily earned. The only way to win trust is to be trustworthy. And I believe as public officials we must overcome our misgivings and act on behalf of the public without diluting it." But Ald. Joe Moore, 49th, called for "a reality check," contending the original version would have been voted down. "Then where are we at now?" Moore asked. "We are back at square one, with no oversight by anybody. So please don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Ald. Will Burns, 4th, who is leaving the council for the private sector, defended the changes, stressing the importance of the powers that Ferguson would still be given. Advertisement The issue dates to 1989, when new Mayor Richard M. Daley created the inspector general's office, and aldermen chose to exempt themselves from oversight. In 2010, amid continuing pressure to submit to oversight, aldermen created the legislative inspector general's office, which was hamstrung by limitations on its authority. It was widely viewed as a toothless tiger. The lone legislative inspector general, Faisal Khan, returned home to New York in November after aldermen decided not to renew his four-year contract. The new measure eliminates his old post. hdardick@tribpub.com jebyrne@tribpub.com Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, center, announces Todd Flood, right, a former assistant prosecutor for Wayne County, and retired Detroit FBI chief Andrew Arena, left, will spearhead an investigation and serve as special counsel in the investigation into Flint's lead-tainted water on Jan. 25, 2106 in Lansing, Mich. (Dave Wasinger / AP) DETROIT Flint's water crisis, after a switch in the source allowed dangerous levels of lead and potentially caused deadly cases of Legionnaires' disease, could result in criminal charges as serious as involuntary manslaughter, a top investigator said Tuesday. The emergency will prompt Gov. Rick Snyder to propose another $195 million in aid in his annual budget proposal on Wednesday, including $25 million to potentially replace old lead and copper pipes. Snyder also plans to call for $165 million in funding for infrastructure needs across Michigan in the 2016-17 budget. Advertisement If approved by lawmakers, state spending on the Flint water disaster will top $232 million over this fiscal year and next. Todd Flood, who was appointed as special counsel by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month because Schuette's office is defending the state in civil lawsuits, said manslaughter charges could be on the table if government officials were grossly negligent in their handling of the city's water change and the aftermath. The maximum prison sentence is 15 years. Advertisement "It's not far-fetched," Flood told reporters, pointing to similar charges against people for deaths on construction sites. He also reiterated the possibility of charges for misconduct in office. Flood said it is possible no crimes were committed instead just "honest mistakes" unless authorities breached their duty in a "grossly negligent way." Another factor is what officials did or failed to do after their mistakes. "If I knew something bad was going on ... and I just want to turn my blind eye, that could be a problem," said Flood, a former Wayne County assistant prosecutor who spoke at a news conference with the Republican attorney general and investigators. Flint is under a state of emergency because of lead-tainted water. Outside experts also have suggested a link between the Flint River and a Legionnaires' disease outbreak. There were at least 87 cases across Genesee County during a 17-month period, including nine deaths. The city's water supply was switched from the Detroit system to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure in 2014, when Flint was under state emergency financial management. It was an interim measure while a new pipeline to Lake Huron is being built. But the improperly treated river water caused lead to leach from old pipes. If consumed, lead can cause developmental delays and learning disabilities. Flint has since moved back to the Detroit system; officials hope anti-corrosion chemicals will recoat the pipes so it is safe to drink without filters within months. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, under fire for his administration's role in the emergency, has accepted responsibility while also blaming local officials and federal environmental regulators. U.S. regulators say Michigan officials ignored federal advice to treat Flint water for corrosion-causing elements last year and delayed for months before telling the public about the health risks. State officials counter that while the state should have required Flint to treat its water, the EPA did not display appropriate urgency and allowed the problem to fester for months. "If you think about it, this is the biggest case in the history of the state of Michigan, right? And that's what draws us to this is to get these people their answers," said Andy Arena, the lead investigator who once led Detroit's FBI office. He said at least 10 outside investigators are working on the probe. Advertisement Schuette said Tuesday that Michigan's public-records law should be expanded to include the governor's office because of the Flint disaster. Snyder has voluntarily released his personal emails related to Flint from 2014 and 2015, but not his staff's correspondence. Flint's mayor said Tuesday that a plan to remove and replace all lead water pipes in city homes will cost $55 million. Mayor Karen Weaver said households where residents are deemed to be high-risk will be given priority. "We're going to restore safe drinking water one house at a time, one child at a time," she said. "All lead pipes need to be replaced. We deserve new pipes because we did not deserve what happened." No funding has been dedicated to pay for the work, with Weaver calling for the state and federal governments for financial help. Weaver also said the "Fast Start" plan requires coordination between city, state and federal officials. Snyder will deliver his annual budget proposal to lawmakers on Wednesday. "I invite Gov. Snyder and his team to pledge their full cooperation to help us get this done," Weaver said. "And I call on the Legislature and Congress to appropriate the necessary funds so we can get started as soon as possible. The people of Flint have already paid with their lives, health and quality of life." Advertisement The work would be similar to ongoing lead pipe removal in Lansing. The Lansing Board of Water & Light has removed 13,500 lead pipes over a dozen years at a cost of $42 million. Technical experts with the utility met Monday with Flint officials. Up to 15,000 lead pipes could be removed within one year in Flint under the best of conditions by dozens of work crews. Officials have not determined a date for the work to start. Associated Press Iranian drone "Shaheed" flies over the USS Harry S. Truman on Jan. 12, 2016. It was the first drone to conduct an overflight of a U.S. carrier since 2014, according to a U.S. Navy report obtained by The Associated Press. Feb. 10, 2016. (AP) (Associated Press) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates An Iranian drone that flew over a U.S. aircraft carrier last month was the first to conduct an overflight of an American carrier since 2014, according to a U.S. Navy report obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. The Jan. 12 reconnaissance flight by the Iranian Shahed drone was the latest in a series of tense naval encounters between forces of the Islamic Republic and the U.S. Navy, including the brief detention of 10 American sailors who strayed into Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. Advertisement All the incidents have come after Iran signed a nuclear deal with world powers including the U.S., and point to lingering tensions between the two playing out in key waterways used to transport oil. They're operating in international airspace. You can't shoot (it) down; that would be illegal. Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet An internal U.S. Navy report on the incident, obtained by the AP through a Freedom of Information Act request, said it happened as the USS Harry S. Truman and the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle were 89 nautical miles southwest of the Iranian port of Bushehr. The U.S. Navy also released video it shot of the incident for the first time in response to the AP request. Advertisement A French helicopter watched the Shahed-121 drone on the cloudy day and the U.S. Navy dispatched a Seahawk helicopter to film it as it flew over the Truman, a nuclear-powered carrier based out of Norfolk, Virginia. The U.S. Navy taskforce in the area publicly described the drone's overflight as "safe, routine and professional." But the internal report says the Navy's higher command described it as "safe, abnormal and unprofessional," as Iranian drones seldom fly over American carriers. U.S. and French sailors repeatedly confirmed that the Iranian drone had its "wings clean," the report said. That means it did not carry weapons and didn't pose a risk to the ship, said Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet based in Bahrain. "They're operating in international airspace. You can't shoot (it) down; that would be illegal," Stephens said. Iran's Revolutionary Guard is using similar Shahed-129 drones as ground support to forces fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad in Syria, the semi-official Fars news agency reported last week. The difference between the two models was not immediately clear. Iran also said it deployed Shahed drones during war games near the Iranian holy city of Qom that simulated a capture of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque in November. "Shahed" means "witness" in both Farsi and Arabic. The last Iranian drone overflight of an American aircraft carrier happened in September 2014 and involved the USS George H.W. Bush, according to the report. That happened as the U.S. and other world powers were in the midst of negotiating a final agreement over the fate of Iran's disputed nuclear program. An interim agreement had been reached to limit the program the previous year, but neither side had been able to finalize the deal by a June 2014 deadline, leading talks to be extended. In January, Iranian state television aired footage it said came from a drone overflight of an American carrier. The footage, which the AP could not independently verify, purported to show the drone being launched and then hovering over an unidentified aircraft carrier, a targeting bracket briefly passing over a jet parked on the deck below. Advertisement Iran has more than 1,240 miles of shoreline facing the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Control of that territory, including the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly a third of all oil traded by sea passes, has remained a priority for Iran's military, and it conducts regular drills in the region. American and Iranian forces clashed in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. On April 18, 1988, U.S. forces attacked two Iranian oil rigs and sank or damaged six Iranian vessels in response to the near-sinking of the missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts by an Iranian mine. A few months later, in July 1988, the USS Vincennes in the strait mistook an Iran Air flight heading to Dubai for an attacking fighter jet, shooting down the plane and killing all 290 passengers and crew onboard. The U.S. has criticized some of Iran's recent maneuvers in the Gulf, including what it called a "highly provocative" Iranian rocket test in December near the USS Harry S. Truman, the USS Bulkeley destroyer, the French FS Provence frigate and commercial traffic in the strait. A second report obtained Wednesday by the AP on that incident named the commercial ships nearby as the M/V Glovis Pacific, a car carrier, and the M/V SPF Prudencia, an oil tanker. The report suggested that the rocket fire was meant to "intimidate" the U.S. warships, a test Stephens called extremely dangerous given the close military and commercial traffic nearby. "You're one broken rocket fin away from creating a serious international incident that could have had unfortunate consequences," the commander said. Associated Press Gerry Jasper speaks in favor of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice during a city council meeting on Feb. 2, 2016, in Ferguson, Mo. (Jeff Roberson / AP) FERGUSON, Mo The federal government sued Ferguson on Wednesday, one day after the City Council voted to revise an agreement aimed at improving the way police and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Ferguson's decision to reject the deal left the Justice Department no choice except to file a civil-rights lawsuit. Advertisement "The residents of Ferguson have waited nearly a year for the city to adopt an agreement that would protect their rights and keep them safe. ... They have waited decades for justice. They should not be forced to wait any longer," Lynch told a Washington news conference. The Justice Department complaint accuses Ferguson of routinely violating residents' rights and misusing law enforcement to generate revenue a practice the government alleged was "ongoing and pervasive." Advertisement Ferguson leaders "had a real opportunity here to step forward, and they've chosen to step backward," Lynch said. Ferguson spokesman Jeff Small declined to comment. Messages left with Mayor James Knowles III were not returned. Ferguson has been under Justice Department scrutiny since 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed, was fatally shot by white officer Darren Wilson 18 months ago. A grand jury and the Justice Department declined to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November 2014. But a scathing Justice Department report was critical of police and a profit-driven municipal court system. Following months of negotiations, an agreement between the federal agency and Ferguson was announced in January. A recent financial analysis determined the agreement would cost the struggling city nearly $4 million in the first year alone. The council voted 6-0 Tuesday to adopt the deal, but with seven amendments. Hours before the lawsuit was announced, Ferguson leaders said they were willing to sit down with Justice Department negotiators to draw up a new agreement. That seemed unlikely from the outset. Within hours of the Tuesday vote, Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said in a statement that the department would take "the necessary legal actions" to ensure Ferguson's police and court practices comply with the Constitution and federal laws. Knowles said the seven amendments were formulated after the analysis showed the deal was so expensive it could lead to dissolution of Ferguson. The analysis suggested that the first-year cost of the agreement would be $2.2 million to $3.7 million, with second- and third-year costs between $1.8 million and $3 million in each year. Advertisement Ferguson has an operating budget of $14.5 million and already faces a $2.8 million deficit. Voters will be asked to approve two tax hikes in April, but approval of both would still leave the city short. A big part of the cost was the requirement that Ferguson raise police salaries to attract better candidates, including more minority officers. Removal of the pay-raise clause was among the seven amendments. Another provision the City Council added states that the agreement would not apply to any other governmental entity that might take over duties currently provided by Ferguson. That means, for example, that St. Louis County would not be beholden to the agreement if it takes over policing in Ferguson. St. Louis County police spokesman Brian Schellman said if the county were ever asked to take over policing in Ferguson, "we would consider the implications of the consent decree before entering into such an agreement." Knowles doesn't believe neighboring municipal departments would agree to cover Ferguson under the Justice Department's requirements. Defiance has often defined Ferguson since Brown's death. Advertisement Days after the shooting, then-Police Chief Tom Jackson released surveillance video showing Brown's involvement in a theft at a small grocery store shortly before his death, with the burly teenager pushing the store owner. The video's release only heightened anger among protesters. Jerryl Christmas, a St. Louis attorney who has represented a number of Ferguson protesters, said the Justice Department now understands the frustration the black community has felt with the city for years. "If you cannot operate a legal and just city, you don't deserve to exist," he said. "If you can't put measures into place so you operate under the Constitution of the United States and guarantee rights to the citizens of the area, the city needs to dissolve." Ferguson resident Bob Hudgins, 52, an activist who plans to run for City Council, applauded the lawsuit. "I'm proud of my federal government today," Hudgins said. Knowles has vigorously defended Ferguson. Even as protesters and civil rights leaders called for reforms, the mayor noted that Ferguson was already making changes to municipal courts aimed at easing the burden on people accused of minor violations. In fact, city revenue from court fees and fines has declined by hundreds of thousands of dollars since the shooting. Advertisement It's not uncommon for local governments to seek changes to agreements even after negotiations, but the overwhelming majority of investigations still end up in a settlement. The Justice Department has initiated more than 20 civil rights investigations into law enforcement agencies in the last six years, including in Baltimore and Chicago. In the last 18 months, the department has reached settlements with police departments that included Cleveland and Albuquerque. There have been occasional disagreements. In 2012, the Justice Department sued Maricopa County, Arizona, after failing to reach agreement on allegations that the sheriff's office targeted Latinos with discriminatory stops and arrests. County officials voted in July to settle parts of that lawsuit. The federal government also sued North Carolina's Alamance County following an investigation that alleged biased policing practices against Latinos. A federal judge last August ruled in the county's favor, saying the Justice Department failed to prove the sheriff ordered deputies to target Hispanics. That case is on appeal. Associated Press Donald Trump basked in his first election victory Tuesday night in the New Hampshire primary, striding onstage to the Beatles rock anthem Revolution and exclaiming to cheering supporters: Oh, wow! Wow. Wow. Wow. So beautiful. So beautiful. I am going to be the greatest jobs president that God ever created, the New York billionaire told a banquet hall crammed with hundreds of supporters. Remember that. USA! USA! USA! his supporters chanted over and over, along with Trump! Trump! Trump! He thanked his opponents in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, saying a number of them had called after it was clear hed won New Hampshire. I wanted to congratulate the other candidates, OK? Trump said. Now that I got that over with, the insult-prone candidate said to laughter. You know, its always tough, and then tomorrow boom, boom. In a 15-minute speech, Trump, surrounded by his wife, adult children and others, touched on his campaigns main themes, including his pledge to crack down on illegal immigration and build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Build that wall! the audience yelled. Build that wall! Build that wall! Trump also mentioned his vow to build up the U.S. military. Were going to knock the hell out of ISIS, he said. Once he is president, Trump said, the United States will beat Mexico, China and Japan in trade. The world is going to respect us again, believe me, he said. In thanking his family, Trump struck an uncharacteristically personal note as he paid tribute to his late brother, Fred Trump Jr., whose alcoholism he has discussed on occasion during the campaign. What a fantastic guy, Trump said. I learned so much from Fred. At the end of his speech, Trump returned to his campaign slogan. You are going to be so happy, he said. We are going to make America so great again maybe greater than ever before. Looking ahead to the next big primary, Trump shouted to the cheering crowd: We are going now to South Carolina! Were going to win in South Carolina! I love you all. Thank you very much. The driving electric guitar of Revolution then began playing once again as Trump walked off stage. French President Francois Hollande, left, and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls talk to each other after the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Feb. 10, 2016. (Michel Euler / AP) France launched a parliamentary debate last Friday on reform of its constitution, the thrust of President Francois Hollande's response to the November terrorist attacks. With homegrown jihadism, the rise of the xenophobic National Front party and emerging questions over Europe's open borders all on top of a moribund economy Hollande needed to present a coherent and forceful response to fight Islamic State in France. Yet his response has been anything but. Advertisement This is a debate that France cannot have alone. Fighting homegrown French jihadism cannot be accomplished in a vacuum. France cannot solve its domestic security issues without Europe's cooperation and, most important, without a stronger presence by America in the zones of instability in the Middle East. France has been at the forefront of the military fight against Islamic State elements in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Mali, and it has borne the brunt of Islamic State attacks in the West. The terrorists struck at the very heart of the idea of France and its culture of assimilation. Within hours of the attack, France had declared itself "at war" with Islamic State and imposed a state of emergency, one that remains in effect today. Shortly after the attacks, Hollande, in a televised address to the nation, promised swift and severe retaliation. Weeks later, the far-right National Front captured a majority of regional seats in the first round of elections, reflecting the restless mood of the electorate. Although the party failed to make serious inroads in the second round, the specter of National Front leader Marine Le Pen lingers over next year's presidential elections. Advertisement Hollande's initiatives center on amending the French Constitution, an unwieldy procedure. The forceful, all-hands-on-deck push for the constitutional changes of Hollande's socialist government last week belies weeks of policy zigzag and intellectual disarray that have consumed his party. Old school socialist backbenchers argue that French citizenship is a universal right, while realists are weary of the rise of the National Front and the French people's escalating anxieties over domestic security. Prime Minister Manuel Valls made an embarrassing U-turn, first condemning the constitutional changes, then sponsoring them. Justice Minister Christine Taubira resigned two weeks ago in opposition to the amendments which she had authored and named. Hollande proposes amendments that would formalize a permanent state of emergency in the constitution and strip citizenship from any binational French citizen who is convicted of participating in terrorist activities. The Assembly passed both amendments by a narrow margin Tuesday. They now head to the Senate. These changes are at best symbolic, at worst irrelevant, in the fight against French terrorism. Many of the measures Hollande seeks already exist. French law provides that a French national who has been condemned for crimes against the "fundamental interest of the nation" may be stripped of his or her citizenship. The law also allows the proclamation by the Council of Ministers of a "state of emergency" for 12 days, which may be extended by the Assembly. This law has been applied several times and affirmed by the Constitutional Council. There is no need to tinker with it. It's hard to see how these measures will deter homegrown French jihadists. As Edouard Philippe, an opposition parliamentarian and mayor of Le Havre, put it: "You cannot resolve the issue of French terrorists by making them non-French, but rather, by implementing measures to make sure that they are no longer dangerous." France needs to have a debate on far weightier topics. Given the colossal failure of the French intelligence services, the disparate patchwork of emergency response networks in place and the lack of communications among domestic police agencies, what can be done to speed up response to terrorist attacks? What is needed to prevent the radicalization of imprisoned French Muslims? Is France's budget for police, security and the court system appropriate? Advertisement France needs to be a leader in Europe to ask the right questions and push reform. Given the free flow of immigrants and people within Europe, what can be done to stop suspected terrorists at the border? How can European governments better share data about airline and rail passenger cross-border traffic? Most significantly, France needs America. A passive America, one that leaves European countries to resolve domestic terrorism challenges on their own and provides mere rhetorical and logistical support against Islamic State in the Middle East, will not be enough. Only America has the intelligence, military and logistical wherewithal to contain radical jihadists in the Middle East. U.S. candidates for president are fundamentally at odds over whether the U.S. must intensely re-engage or can safely tiptoe out of the Middle East. The upheaval in France illustrates why getting out is bound to create more chaos. The events in France should remind us all why the world needs a strong America in the Middle East. Anne Dias is the founder of Aragon Global Management, a hedge fund investing in global equities. She was born and raised in France. BUTTE Six-year-old Annalyn Halvorsen loves mermaids because they have super powers. The "wise-beyond-her-years" Butte girl is super in her own right as she faces a medical diagnosis that may one day cause her heart to fail but will not crush her precocious spirit. "She is sick and dying and full of life," said Annalyn's father, Wayne Halvorsen, in an emotional interview with The Montana Standard. Annalyn was born six weeks early at St. James Healthcare and within a day was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare heart defect that causes the heart to be severely under-developed. The then-tiny newborn and her mother, Lisa Rooney, were immediately flown to Seattle Children's Hospital where the family was told multiple surgeries would be needed to increase the blood flow to Annalyn's body and bypass the left side of her heart to restore heart function. Annalyn had her first procedure at less than a month old at the Seattle facility and a second one when she was 6 months. By age 4, her parents learned her left lung was not working. A double lung-heart transplant, they were told, had a "maybe five-year survival rate." Butte's elevation of more than 5,500 feet caused Annalyn to be "very hypoxic," said Rooney. "She couldn't run, play like other kids" and had little appetite, she said. A third procedure at a San Francisco hospital by the surgeon who performed the first two surgeries in Seattle failed during Annalyn and Rooney's several-month stay in the Golden Gate city. In November 2014, Rooney took her daughter to the Oregon coast to live with family and benefit from the lower elevation. But Annalyn suffered from severe medical post-traumatic stress and was miserable, said Rooney, her voice breaking. She added that Annalyn could not eat, vomited blood several times a day, and ended up with aspiration pneumonia, an inflammation of the lungs and bronchial tubes. In early 2015, Halvorsen said he and Rooney made the decision to seek a heart-lung transplant at a Palo Alto, Calif., children's hospital, where they were told their daughter was in advanced heart failure. Rooney said Annalyn's kidneys were also failing, her liver was enlarged, and her one good lung had started to fail. "We thought she was going to die," Rooney said. A transplant would require Annalyn to take "massive diuretics" and lose 15 pounds of fluid that she had retained due to her failing heart. Five weeks went by, and she had shed only four and a half pounds of fluids. "By the fifth week, she was devastated" said Rooney, adding that Annalyn kept saying, "'I just want to go home and sleep in my bed.'" Annalyn longed to return to Butte; she even missed the taste of her hometown water. If she only had five days in Butte, it would be better than multiple procedures and hospital stays, the family decided before bringing her home in June 2015. "When we stepped foot in Butte, she was like 'I'm home.' It's what's kept her living," Rooney said. Halvorsen and Rooney had divorced the previous year. Halvorsen kept the home fires burning with son Chance, now 20, while Rooney sought treatment for their daughter on the West Coast. Rooney and Annalyn's homecoming signaled a new chapter for the family and a conscious effort to make every moment count, because "it's about her." A supportive community of family and friends sustains them, Rooney said. A gift of a king-size bed has become a sanctuary, creating a safe and cozy place for Annalyn to bask in her parents' love each night as she slumbers next to her oxygen machine, her beloved Chihuahua Bentley, and pet cat. The 37-pound girl, who adores Harry Potter, caramel vanilla ice cream and knock-knock jokes, has touched the lives of many, including the men and women of the Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement Department. When Undersheriff George Skuletich invited her to participate in the city's Fourth of July parade, she asked to join with the police. She was sworn in at an official ceremony July 3 and received a badge, certificate and uniform. "She calls me her partner," said Skuletich with a smile. The undersheriff revealed that a 9-year-old niece died from a heart condition. That experience helped to fuel his close bond with Annalyn, whose parents Skuletich said are lifelong family friends. At the Butte Police Protective Association annual holiday celebration Jan. 16, Annalyn was awarded Officer of the Year for "arresting" a criminal named Kevin, a Butte detective who had agreed to dress up like a "bad guy" so that Annalyn could get her wish of feeling like a real cop. "It was great; she got a standing ovation," Skuletich said, adding that Annalyn met her arrestee, who told her he turned his life around and was now working with the police department. "It's been a special thing for the department. Every officer has adopted her as one" of their own, Skuletich said. "I just look at Annalyn the toughness is an inspiration." Rooney said the recognition by law enforcement is heartwarming and has had a profound impact on her little girl. Each day is a gift to Annalyn and her family. Her buoyant spirit and humor make surprise visits. On Friday, her parents asked her how bats navigate. "Echolocation," she said excitedly. "They sleep in the day just like my brother." "He's famous too. He told me to say that. He asks my dad for money. I don't do that 'cause I already have money," said Annalyn proudly. Rooney said her daughter is physically unable to have a much-needed transplant. Annalyn runs hot, and her rosy cheeks indicate fluid retention. She takes three different "powerful" diuretics every six hours in addition to other medications. Being angry at God has been a fierce reality bite, but Rooney is thankful for the time they have with Annalyn. Rooney has learned patience and humility. For Halvorsen, his daughter's battle has taught him to live each moment. Along the journey, Rooney has seen Halvorsen's compassion and a father who has been present. "I think of how much he's truly given of himself for the goodness of our family," she said. In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrians gather in a street that was hit by shelling, in the predominantly Christian and Armenian neighborhood of Suleimaniyeh, Aleppo, Syria, April 11, 2015. Russia has proposed a March 1, 2016, ceasefire in Syria, U.S. officials said Feb. 10, but Washington believes Moscow is giving itself and the Syrian government three weeks to try to crush moderate rebel groups. The U.S. has countered with demands for the fighting to stop immediately, the officials said. Peace talks are supposed to resume by Feb. 25. (SANA / AP) Syrian President Bashar Assad could now be on the verge of doing what was unthinkable just months ago crushing rebel forces and claiming victory. The Syrian rebel stronghold in Aleppo is teetering under intense assault by Russian warplanes, Iranian militias and Syrian government troops. The government and its allies could launch a "starve or surrender" siege against hundreds of thousands of residents stranded in Syria's largest city. Some rebels have already surrendered. "Bye-bye revolution," one rebel spokesman near Aleppo said in a text message Friday, The New York Times reports. Advertisement And peace talks? The last round fizzled. The prospects for the next round, scheduled to begin later this month, are just as bleak. If Assad's forces take Aleppo, if the rebels scatter ... then what? Advertisement A picture taken on Feb. 9, 2016 shows, through a broken window, a portrait of Syrian President Bashar Assad hanging on a wall in a building next to the site of a suicide attack at a police officer's club in the Masaken Barzeh district of the capital Damascus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said about 20 people had also been wounded, adding that policemen were among the dead and injured. (Louai Beshara, AFP/Getty Images) "The full encirclement of Aleppo would fuel a humanitarian catastrophe, shatter opposition morale, fundamentally challenge Turkish strategic ambitions and deny the (Syrian) opposition its most valuable bargaining chip before the international community," the Institute for the Study of War warned in a policy memo last week. Or it could be ... even worse. An Assad victory likely will launch thousands more refugees toward an already overwhelmed Europe. European powers are calling on a reluctant Turkey to open its borders to more refugees, adding to the 2.5 million already in that country. Meanwhile, overwhelmed European countries are desperately clamping down on their borders, and mulling plans to deport thousands of asylum-seekers who can't prove they face grave risks at home. Every week brings news of more refugees dying when boats capsize on the way to Greece or Turkey. Even in winter, the trek of the desperate continues. That desperation only grows if Assad consolidates his control over Syria. Look out, Europe. Big question: Will a triumphant Assad turn his attention to Islamic State forces that have carved up part of his country for their self-declared caliphate and have now surged into lawless Libya? Will he try to reassemble Syria, or be content to rule over what's left of his former state? Assad will do whatever Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei support with their warplanes and militias. Without them, his government forces would not be closing in on Aleppo. Or pushing north to within 20 miles of the Turkish border, where the U.S. and Turkey had hoped to create a rebel-held enclave to battle Islamic State forces approaching from the east. The U.S. strategy in Syria remains hopelessly muddled and ineffective. Aside from helping organize a recent, stillborn Geneva peace conference, the U.S. has failed to help train and equip Syrian rebels or counter Putin's move to shore up his ally. Advertisement An Assad victory scrambles an already complex and confusing set of alliances on the ground. For instance: Turkey, a vital U.S. ally, has demanded that the U.S. choose sides between Ankara and the independence-minded Kurds, another vital U.S. ally in the battle against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. President Barack Obama predicted Russia would be entangled in a quagmire in Syria. Instead Putin's bold war plan appears to be paying off handsomely. But don't hand Putin the Nobel Peace Prize just yet. Assad won't likely be satisfied to rule over half a country. Nor is he blind to the threat posed by Islamic State forces. They've claimed a big chunk of his country. They want more. An Assad triumph over the rebels would leave only one major opponent standing Islamic State. That would force the U.S. and its allies to choose between Islamic State or the Assad regime or stay on the sidelines. The choice is obvious, if painful. Game, set, match Assad. Advertisement Follow the Editorial Board on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. House Speaker Mike Madigan answers questions from the media following a press conference in reaction to Gov. Bruce Rauner's second State of the State speech Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 at the Illinois State Capitol House Chambers in Springfield, Ill. (Anthony Souffle, Chicago Tribune) Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Board, visited the Tribune Editorial Board this week to warn that for lack of payments from the state, she'll soon have to lay off workers and curtail programs that enforce child support payments, reduce criminals' recidivism and promote public health initiatives. She made a strong case for the value of these programs. She also said she fears that the Springfield standoff may continue until voters in the November general election side one way or the other, give a little more power to Illinois Republicans or Democrats. That's a long way off. Advertisement Budget gridlock in Springfield is genuinely damaging many Illinois citizens, and the costs are mounting. Students at Chicago State and other public universities wonder if their schools, lacking their expected infusions of state aid, eventually will close. Advertisement Border to border, social services agencies reduce or cancel programs on which many citizens rely. Chicago Public Schools borrows money at exorbitant rates to keep the doors open for a few more months, on a prayer that Springfield will come to the rescue. When Democratic voices rise in protest over this, they typically target this state's governor. He's a Republican, relatively new to Springfield. We see no evidence that the clamor from his political rivals fazes him. And why should it? Bruce Rauner has all but proclaimed from atop the Capitol dome that he'll agree to raise taxes. We've reported his concessions, the narrowing of his reform agenda, and we've heard no one complain that he won't negotiate personally with legislators. What he won't do is raise taxes without changing the sorry ways in which this state does business. That is, without changing a system that has trashed the public finances of Illinois and many of its 7,000 local government bodies. Long before Rauner ran for office, we were writing about state government's reckless borrowing, spendaholic (and unbalanced) budgets, and ruinous sweetheart pension deals with leaders of public employee unions. So, yes, during his year as governor, we've often editorialized in favor of his proposed reforms to how Illinois long has malfunctioned. Feel free to agree or disagree with us. What matters most is that, for all the Democratic criticism of Rauner, Illinois isn't closer to solutions for the impasse in Springfield. Nothing's getting fixed. What perplexes us is how strenuously those who blame Rauner avoid challenging the most formidable power player in Springfield, House Speaker Michael Madigan. Advertisement That's the Michael Madigan who knowingly signed off for the second year in a row on a proposed budget that didn't come close to providing the money needed for the services it promised. Who has made no concessions to match Rauner's. And who is content to let Illinois twist in the wind as he tries to outlast the governor. Rauner, though, is easy to attack. He's this rare breed, an Illinois Republican who doesn't kowtow to majority Democrats. He hasn't yet put process the cause to which institutional Springfield and its apologists are most devoted above principle. He stands almost alone. What also perplexes us: If Democrats and their constituencies want to pressure both sides to settle, then why don't they pressure both sides to settle? Why do they only target the Republican with whom they have no clout? Why don't they similarly target the master who in truth survives only because of their money, their endorsements and, come Election Day, their votes? Instead we hear Democrats parrot Madigan's talking points. They're gobsmacked by the suggestion that they squeeze not just Rauner but Madigan too. Evidently that isn't to be said in polite company. We understand that many of Rauner's critics want to energize their loyalists; others demonize him to raise donations. No problem, free country, all fair. What we don't understand is the Rauner critics' willingness to see services shrink and institutions close. Their reluctance to get in Michael Madigan's face, just as they get in Bruce Rauner's. Advertisement If Rauner is at all logical, he's thinking to himself: So the people who opposed my reform agenda from the start and who've profited from how this state treats taxpayers are mad at me. OK. Now imagine the reaction if all the people blaming Rauner drove to Madigan's district office for a frank discussion. Yes, it would be difficult for his frightened supplicants to tell him that he doesn't have a lock on their money, their endorsements and their votes. To demand that he deliver solutions before the damage gets worse. If only they knew that without them, he's powerless. Follow the Editorial Board on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. POWELL, Wyo. How do you identify a body without a head, an arm or hands? "I obviously can't get into many details, but, you know, with any crime, it always starts with the smallest tip," Park County Sheriff Scott Steward said, when asked a variation of that question on the Big Horn Radio Network last month. Steward was speaking about the January 2014 discovery of a mutilated corpse in Badger Basin, now known to be the body of 30-year-old Juan Antonio Guerra-Torres. Three people Guerra-Torres' longtime girlfriend, Sandra Garcia, her brother Pedro Garcia Jr. and family friend John L. Marquez Sr. are now facing charges in connection with his murder. They have all formally denied the allegations in court and have trials scheduled for later this year. But before authorities could come up with their list of suspects, they faced the difficult job of figuring out whose death they were investigating. "In this case, we were basically spinning our wheels; we couldn't even identify the individual," Steward said. "Then it came with just a few tips." While the sheriff didn't get into the specifics, court records made public last year offer many details about how law enforcement identified Guerra-Torres. The documents say authorities not only got a couple crucial tips, they also conducted surveillance and even acquired Guerra-Torres' children's DNA from school lunch trays to try confirming whose body they had found. An affidavit from sheriff's investigator Joe Torczon included in court records indicates that law enforcement caught its first big break in early March of 2014 two months after a duck hunter and his son found the corpse along a Bureau of Land Management road off Wyoming Highway 294. Two people came forward to tell a Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation agent they thought the victim might have been Guerra-Torres, who they knew as "Chucky." They said no one had heard from him since early January 2014. When DCI Special Agent Juliet Fish presented them with photos of the clothing found on the body, the pair said it looked like Guerra-Torres'. He didn't lace up his boots just like the half-laced ones found on the body and the embroidered piteado belt found at the scene looked like the kind he bought at California flea markets, Torczon wrote of the citizens' account. They also said Guerra-Torres had tattoos with the letter "J'' and the Virgin Mary on his left shoulder the shoulder that had been completely removed from the body, Torczon wrote. The concerned citizens also explained that Guerra-Torres a Mexican citizen who split time between California and Clark had several children with Sandra Garcia. In early April 2014, the Powell Police Department's school resource officer and investigator helped collect meal trays at Westside Elementary School while two of Guerra-Torres' and Sandra Garcia's children were having lunch, Torczon wrote. The officers ended up getting both children's spoons and one child's milk carton. DNA taken from one of the spoons and compared with DNA from the mutilated body indicated the murder victim could be the child's father, according to Torczon's summary of state crime lab testing. The same day the Powell officers collected the lunch trays, agent Fish and Torczon interviewed a member of Guerra-Torres' extended family. The woman said she "knew" the murder victim was Guerra-Torres "because of the physical description and the belt that was shown in photos that were released to the public," Torczon wrote. "(The woman) explained that she didn't think anything until no one could find Juan Antonio Torres," Torczon wrote. Phone records showed Guerra-Torres' cellphone was last used on Jan. 6, 2014, around the time he's believed to have been killed, Torczon said. Records also showed Sandra Garcia pulled her kids out of school the day after the sheriff's office announced the discovery of the mutilated body; the day after that, she started using a new phone number, Torczon's affidavit says. Bolstering their suspicions, law enforcement also found Sandra Garcia's DNA on a tongue ring recovered from the corpse's pocket. In mid-April 2014, authorities mounted a surveillance camera on a light pole outside the Powell home Sandra Garcia was sharing with Pedro Garcia and his family. In addition to monitoring the Avenue C residence, Fish and another DCI agent approached Sandra Garcia, pretending to be interested in buying her 2006 GMC Yukon. Torczon said she told the plainclothes agents that Guerra-Torres was in California and, like her, wanted to sell the vehicle. Law enforcement moved in and conducted a series of searches and formal interviews in late May 2014, but they didn't come up with any hard evidence, sheriff Steward said. "We had our suspicions, and we interviewed our suspects early on or at least two of them and didn't get anywhere," Steward told KODI. Arrests would not come until March 2015. That's when authorities re-interrogated Pedro Garcia, who'd moved to Georgia. According to law enforcement, he changed his past stories and confessed to having played a role in Guerra-Torres' murder. Pedro Garcia reportedly told investigators that Sandra Garcia asked him to help kill Guerra-Torres, explaining he'd become deeply indebted to people in the Mexican drug world who were threatening to kill their entire family. Charging documents quote Pedro Garcia as saying he hired Marquez to commit the crime. Pedro Garcia told law enforcement that Sandra Garcia brought Guerra-Torres to a pullout off Wyoming Highway 294. Marquez then shot Guerra-Torres to death and dismembered his body with an axe, according to Pedro Garcia's account. Marquez, who declined to speak with authorities, has called his arrest on the allegations "ludicrous." When interviewed in May 2014, Sandra Garcia reportedly told investigators she'd taken Guerra-Torres to a spot outside Cody where he planned to meet with someone he owed a debt to in the drug world. That early January day was the last time she saw him, charging documents say. Charging documents also quote Sandra Garcia as describing Guerra-Torres as mentally, emotionally and physically abusive. The member of Guerra-Torres' extended family interviewed by authorities also reportedly described Guerra-Torres as being abusive to his longtime partner. "(The woman) stated that she asked (Sandra) Garcia one time why she did not leave Juan Antonio Torres," Torczon wrote. "(Sandra) Garcia told (the woman) that Juan Antonio Torres threatened ... that he would send his friend from California to hurt her." Torczon said the family member recalled being told that Guerra-Torres had stolen money from drug dealers. Pedro Garcia also said Guerra-Torres had been involved with drugs, telling authorities that Guerra-Torres supplied him with methamphetamine. The two citizens who initially tipped off law enforcement said Guerra-Torres "had a lot of people who did not like him," Torczon wrote. "They did not like him because he was illegal, but seemed to have a lot of money. This offended the Latino community who were in the country legally." No one claimed Guerra-Torres' remains after his murder or identification. His body lies in an unmarked grave at Cody's Riverside Cemetery. Despite calls from some aldermen for her to resign, Alderman Lynne Johnson said Tuesday she would likely stay on as 10th Ward aldermen at least until the end of her term. "I wouldn't be compelled to resign," Johnson said after Tuesday night's City Council meeting. "I don't see the effectiveness of my job as alderman at all being changed by this." Advertisement Johnson was charged Jan. 31 with retail theft for the second time in three years. The first time, in 2013, she pleaded guilty and received court supervision. She is due to be in court March 7 on the second charge. She also received a censure from the City Council for the first incident. Advertisement Both times, the incidents occurred at the Meijer store on Route 59, near her house in her ward. After Tuesday night's meeting, Johnson made her first public comments since the second incident. She did not attend the Committee of the Whole and special City Council meetings that took place last week, two days after the incident. Monday, she did attend the Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting. Johnson said this week that she can continue to be effective as an alderman, and that the retail theft incidents relate to situations in her private life, which she said should be separated from her public work. She praised city employees for being cooperative and helpful when she has asked for something, even in the past week. She said they helped her with a sidewalk situation and a sign issue recently. "I think city employees can separate working for residents from what they might think of me," she said. "At this time, I'm still doing my job as alderman." She added that she has a year left in her term, and that the voters can decide then who they want. When asked if she might run again, she said "that for sure I don't know at this point." Some of her fellow aldermen were not as convinced Johnson can continue to be effective. They had a message for her during Tuesday's meeting: get help and resign. "For many of us, one event was enough," said Alderman Rick Mervine, 8th Ward. "We have ethics and morals responsibility, when we represent the city." Advertisement Mervine said he talked to Johnson on the phone last week, and said this was "enough reason to get some help, and enough to resign." Alderman Carl Franco, 5th Ward, said he agreed with Mervine. He said when he talked to Johnson, she indicated she had not gotten requests to resign from her constituents. But Franco said she needs to realize that although she is elected from one ward, she represents the entire city. "I don't think your argument that your residents don't want you to step down is a valid argument," he said. Alderman Richard Irvin, at large, said the situation "shines a negative light on the city." He was the one alderman who declined to vote to censure Johnson last year. "What does this do to the city as a whole?" Irvin said. "You have to think deeply, Lynne, if you can be effective as an alderman in the future." Alderman Robert O'Connor, at large, said Johnson violated the "bedrock requirement" that trust exist between aldermen. Advertisement Aldermen and city officials continue to research what they can do in the situation, although it appears they cannot force Johnson to step down. slord@tribpub.com Area residents and officials with Franciscan St. James attend a hearing Tuesday regarding plans to close the Chicago Heights hospital. (Jim Karczewski / Daily Southtown) Faced with ongoing massive operating losses, Franciscan St. James Health aired its plan to end inpatient services at its Chicago Heights hospital to a hearing Tuesday held by the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board. That board is tentatively scheduled to vote March 29 on the proposal, which calls for boosting outpatient services at that hospital while expanding St. James' Olympia Fields hospital as well as its Franciscan ExpressCare urgent care center in Chicago Heights. Advertisement First responders expressed concern that merging all emergency care at the Olympia Fields location could result in longer ambulance transport times, and the possibility of the Olympia Fields hospital's emergency room having to go on bypass due to high patient loads. Portions of the 312-bed hospital in Chicago Heights are functionally obsolete, and it would cost tens of millions of dollars over the next few years to simply keep its doors open, according to Franciscan St. James, which reported an operating loss for the two hospitals of more than $66 million for the four-year period that ended in March 2014. Advertisement The hearing was held at Bloom Township High School, just a few blocks north of the Chicago Heights hospital. Arnie Kimmel, Franciscan St. James Health chief executive, said the hospitals have a combined occupancy rate averaging 40 percent, and that's cost prohibitive to keep both Chicago Heights, 1423 Chicago Road, and Olympia Fields, 20201 S. Crawford Ave., open for inpatient care. The Catholic health care provider is proposing to invest $137 million, with much of that being spent to expand Olympia Fields, including an enlarged emergency department and intensive care unit. Olympia Fields now has 133 medical-surgical beds, and that would be increased to 157, according to Franciscan St. James' application with the state. The number of intensive care beds would rise to 31 from the current 25, and a 10-bed obstetrics unit would be added. Also, the ExpressCare location, 211 Dixie Highway, would offer around-the-clock urgent care. Some outpatient care, such as for bariatrics and diabetes care, would remain at Chicago Heights. If the plan is approved, Kimmel said it would be 21/2 years before inpatient services would end in Chicago Heights while work to expand the Olympia Fields location is completed. Franciscan anticipates finishing the expansion by October 2018. Fire officials, such as Matteson Fire Chief Chris Schwalbe, said they were concerned about higher travel times for ambulances now going to the ER in Olympia Fields as opposed to Chicago Heights, where emergency services would be halted. Schwalbe said his department responds to more than 2,200 medical calls a year, and that calls have been rising between 2 percent and 4 percent annually. If one ambulance is delayed going to or coming back from Olympia Fields, that could impact the department's response time. Advertisement "We always have to worry about the next call," he said. The chief said he was also concerned that, although Olympia Field's ER would be expanded, it might not be enough. "In two years they (Franciscan) cut the ribbon and we'll already be at capacity," Schwalbe said. Kimmel said that "we will work diligently" to address concerns about ambulance travel times, and that Franciscan is also in talks with suburban bus operator Pace to improve public transportation to the Olympia Fields hospital. A consultant for Franciscan said it would require as much as $70 million over the next five to 10 years to merely bring the Chicago Heights hospital up to code money that some residents who spoke during the hearing said could be better spent in improving health care. One resident, Mary Teyal, warned that should Franciscan's proposal not be supported by the state board and the nonprofit decide it can't continue to operate in the region, "we may not have any care at all." Advertisement "Do we really want to be in that position?" she asked. "I don't." Bob Kolosh, mayor of Thornton and chairman of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association's public safety committee, said the group understands that "difficult decisions need to be made," by Franciscan, but that the mayors group can't support the proposal because of the closing of the ER at the Chicago Heights location. Kolosh said that instead of shuttering much of the Chicago Heights location, an effort should be made to develop the site as a Level 1 trauma center, similar to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Doris Williams, a Chicago Heights resident, said potential job losses because of the move would harm families, and "be the death of our community." Another Chicago Heights resident, Janice Coffey, said that area residents should instead be welcoming the proposal because of the large investment and jobs it will create or maintain. "I can't remember anyone wanting to do that in our community," she said. Advertisement Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > In its application, Franciscan St. James maintains that health care in Chicago Heights will be improved because the current urgent care center will be beefed up and offer 24-hour care. One St. James doctor testified that too many ER visits at the Chicago Heights hospital are for non-emergency care. Chicago Heights has 40,000 ER visits annually while Olympia Fields sees 35,000 ER patients a year, and Franciscan expects that 70 percent of those seeking emergency care in Chicago Heights will go to the Olympia Fields campus. Chicago Heights Mayor David Gonzalez called the 70 percent figure a "fictitious" number, and that if the percentage is higher, the expanded ER at Olympia Fields won't be able to handle the patient load. He said that a free standing ER in his city is needed. He said that "we have to work to come up with a win-win situation that does not diminish the quality of health care in our region," he said. Gonzalez said he also doubted Kimmel's promise about improving public transportation to the Olympia Fields hospital, saying a similar promise was made several years back by Franciscan to offer shuttle bus service between the two hospitals, which didn't materialize. Franciscan Alliance, which oversees St. James Health, also operates hospitals just across the state line in Indiana, including St. Margaret Hospital locations in Hammond and Dyer as well as a health care center and emergency unit in Munster. Advertisement mnolan@tribpub.com Longmeadow Parkway now falls under Kane County's jurisdiction, but the village of Algonquin will continue to maintain and plow the road for now. Algonquin police are also continuing to patrol the roadway. (Gloria Casas / The Courier-News) A few more pieces came together for Kane County's Longmeadow Parkway bridge corridor project Tuesday with the county board signing off on an intergovernmental agreement with Algonquin to take over jurisdiction of Longmeadow Parkway and authorizing the purchase of two properties for $736,000 for right of way access. The intergovernmental agreement, approved by the Algonquin Village Board last week, turns over jurisdiction of Longmeadow Parkway east from Randall Road to about 200 feet east of White Chapel Lane, according to county documents. Advertisement Algonquin will continue to maintain the roadway and provide snow plowing until the corridor is complete, Kane County Department of Transportation Deputy Director Tom Rickert said. Longmeadow Parkway bridge corridor is a proposed four-lane, 5.6 mile road and bridge crossing over the Fox River to address traffic congestion and transportation needs in northern Kane County, county officials said. The route would include a toll bridge that would begin at Longmeadow Parkway and extend east to Route 25 then the corridor would connect to Algonquin Road. A roundabout would be built at Route 25 and Bolz Road that would take traffic onto the Longmeadow Parkway corridor, Rickert said. Advertisement Kane County has been negotiating with property owners to purchase all the right of way access it needs for the project, which has been planned for more than 20 years. Tuesday, the board agreed to purchase two parcels one is 1.961 acres and another is 2.864 acres from Randall Longmeadow NEC, L.L.C. at the northeast corner of Randall Road and Longmeadow Parkway for $736,000, county documents show. The funds have already been put aside, officials said. Kane County has received state and federal funding for the project. Kane County is close to breaking ground on the first phase of the project, a roadway from the intersection of Huntley and Boyer Roads west to Randall Road, however, it still needs permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. A public comment portion closed last month and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received about 200 responses, said Kimberly Kubiak, biologist/project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Chicago District. The comments will be compiled and forwarded to the county to respond, Kubiak said in an email. Those comments have brought up some new concerns that need to be addressed, she said. She did not disclose those new concerns. It may take a couple of months for the process to conclude, she said. Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter. Kevin Hamm was all ears when news broke that U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont, was arguing against raising the bar on what Internet companies can pass off as high-speed service. Just two years ago, Hamm and some friends were so frustrated by the speed of local Internet service in Helena that they formed their own company, Treasure State Internet. Daines was being skewered in publications like The Hill for penning a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, dated Jan. 21, about setting arbitrarily high minimum speeds for high-speed Internet. At issue is the minimum high-speed Internet speed of 25 megabits per second, or Mbps, set by the FCC. Any download speed slower than the standard wouldnt be considered high speed. In Montana, only 13 percent of the public gets as fast as the FCC minimum, which was set in early 2015. The rest of the state is merging onto the information superhighway at wagon-trail speeds. The nugget from the Daines letter that netizens seized upon suggested the new FCC minimum was really faster than whats necessary. Looking at the market for broadband applications, we are aware of a few applications that require download speeds of 25 Mbps, the senators wrote. Netflix, for example, recommends a download speed of 5 Mbps to receive high-definition streaming video, and Amazon recommends a speed of 3.5 Mbps. In addition, according to FCCs own data, the majority of Americans who can purchase 25 Mbps service choose not to. Daines wasnt wrong about the download speed recommendations from Netflix and others, Hamm said, but theres rarely just one person using the Internet in a household these days. A family may be downloading movies, playing online video games, and streaming live television all at the same time. In Montana, where more than 80 percent of homes have access to speeds of 10 Mbps, heavy household use leads to sputtering service. The problem is, we are either going to join the Internet age, or youre going to have just one device, Hamm said. Daines isnt trying to slow down the Internet, said Alee Lockman, the senator's communications director. The FCC has several different definitions for what constitutes high-speed service, including one that triggers subsidies for companies offering rural customers less than half the speed of the 25 Mbps standard. By requiring that Americans in urban areas receive more capacity, the FCC is avoiding their Universal Service commitment to rural Americans and failing to focus efforts on providing needed service to the millions of Americans who remain unconnected, ultimately widening the digital divide, Lockman said. There is no easy fix for Montana Internet speeds. The fastest Internet service is delivered on fiber optic cable, of which Montana has little. In cities, coaxial cable is a common Internet source. Cable companies contract with cities to be an exclusive cable Internet provider. Cable seemed like a quick way to improve Internet speeds for consumers when it was introduced in Montana during the early part of the last decade, Hamm said. Most companies delivering television programming had more broadband than they needed for just TV. Most households already had cable in the wall, meaning that the improvements required to begin delivering high speed Internet were minimal. However cable offers more channels, as well as high-definition programming and other features that limit the space available for Internet service. At peak Internet use times, cable Internet can be less than ideal, Hamm said. Hamms business started delivering Internet service wirelessly in Helena a couple years ago, but soon discovered the challenges of the service. Wireless required that customers be able to actually see the transmitter from where they were receiving service. Line of sight service was a tough go in Helena. Treasure State Internet began laying fiber optic cable, in part because the FCC granted fiber optic Internet service providers utility status. That utility distinction allowed fiber optic companies to cut through asphalt and lay optic cable in streets without special approval. But distance is still a sizable problem for companies offering fiber optic Internet service. On average, there are seven customers per mile in Montana, compared to 84 customers nationally. That means there are fewer people to shoulder the cost of infrastructure. Weve got 22,000 miles of fiber optics, probably up to 25,000 miles, and we're still building, said Geoff Feiss of the Montana Telecommunications Association. While we're spending money as quickly as we can, it just takes a huge effort to provide high-speed broadband across a state like Montana. The 10 Mbps should be enough for most consumers, Feiss said. Maybe it was the fourth-grade classroom, and the little girl with brown eyes in the second row. When your eyes met hers in warm admiration and hers widened in consideration of you, both of you realized that something was going to be different. Will and DuPage county officials listen as Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow, second from right, discusses the problems with keeping the heroin supply out the area. (Hank Beckman / Naperville Sun) Big increases in DuPage and Will County heroin deaths were tallied in 2015, just one year after fairly significant drops led some to believe the problem was lessening. DuPage had 43 heroin deaths in 2015, up from the 33 in 2014 and just three shy of the 2013 high of 46. Will had 53 in 2012, recorded drops to 33 and 35 in the next two years, only to zoom back up to 53 in 2015. Advertisement The numbers would have been far worse had it not been for Narcan, the drug that law enforcement officials can now use to counter the effects of a heroin or opioid overdose. DuPage police officers have been using it for three years, and have prevented more than 100 deaths. Will has had three success stories in months since its agencies have had access to it. Despite the success, the fact that law enforcement is reducing the number of people who might have died is a clear sign that the problem is hardly contained, and may be getting worse, DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen said. Advertisement "I certainly don't think that we've turned the corner," he said. Jorgensen was one of several DuPage and Will representatives called together Monday by U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, to attend a summit to discuss what can be done to curb the problem. Foster told the group that heroin abuse has traditionally been thought of as a moral failing for those caught in the throes of addiction. "Thankfully that narrative has begun to change," he said. "(Heroin addicts) do not need moral lectures. They need Narcan." Also attending the public discussion were Will County Executive Larry Walsh Sr.; Armando Reyes of the Will County Health Department; Mark Piccolo director of the DuPage Metropolitan Enforcement Group; Brian Hazard of the Southwest Coalition for Substance Abuse; and Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow. Foster has introduced the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, legislation that would create a program to analyze prescription trends and institute drug take-back programs to reduce the availability of opioid painkillers that many addicts begin with before progressing to heroin. The bill, still a work in progress, could also provide grants for Narcan programs. Foster pointed out that President Barack Obama recently proposed $1.1 billion dollars to fight opioid abuse throughout the nation, $920 million of which would go toward state grants to expand access to in-patient treatment programs. Advertisement U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, addresses a group of people gathered Monday to hear officials from DuPage and Will counties discuss the ongoing heroin problem in the area, which is making a resurgence. (Hank Beckman / Naperville Sun) Foster said he would be "very disappointed" if Congress could not come to an agreement on the president's proposals, and stressed that while education was the first priority in combating drug abuse, in-patient treatment for "at least 60 days" is what those who are already addicted need. Jorgensen echoed Foster's sentiments about tightening up the prescription process in the medical community. It has been a common practice to over-prescribe pain medication, and that has to stop, he said. "No one needs 30 pills for a pulled tooth," Jorgensen said. Reyes stressed the importance of people coming to grips with the reality of heroin in their communities and to know that experimentation cannot be an excuse. "I know people that have been addicted after one time," he said. The two law enforcement professionals painted a picture of aggressive enforcement by authorities to prosecute dealers, but relentless efforts by heroin dealers keep the drug readily available. Advertisement After several years of high prosecution rates for dealers, the county had made a dent there were only 16 dealer prosecutions in 2013, Glasgow said. It didn't last long. By 2014, they were back up to 53, he said. "No dealer can last very long in this county," he said, but new dealers take their place and convicted dealers get released from prison. One of the biggest hurdles is the "heroin highway," the name given to the connection between the suburbs and Chicago-based drug dealers, officials said. Piccolo said anywhere from 25 percent to 30 percent of the drugs coming into the area were the result of suburban residents going into the city to purchase cheap drugs to sell in the suburbs at a profit. "It's all about the money," he said. Advertisement Piccolo said the Mexican drug cartels were resourceful organizations that almost always find a way to move their product into the country, no matter what obstacles they faced. And a significant percentage wound up in the Chicago area, which he described as a "drug hub." Asked about the best solution to the problem, Piccolo said, "I don't know ... unless someone can figure out a way to reduce demand." Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. One of two judicial candidates removed from the ballot by the DuPage Election Commission has won her appeal and will have her name on the March 15 ballot. Jennifer Shilakis Wiesner's victory means she will run unopposed for the Democratic nomination for the 18th District circuit judgeship left vacant with the retirement of Judge John Elsner. Advertisement Her nominating petitions were challenged by Joan Brennan, of Addison, whose objection centered on the fact that the notary hired to witness her petition circulators affirm the documents they'd collected on her behalf did not have them raise their right hands while signing. Shilakis Wiesner said she had never heard of such an action being required. The judge who overturned the objection said raising one's hand was not "something required for an appropriate certification," Shilakis Wiesner said. Advertisement "Like it or not, this girl is not going away," Shilakis Wiesner, a West Chicago attorney, said Tuesday. "It's time for a Democrat to be elected as circuit court judge and I'm the girl for the job." She will face Judge Liam Brennan, a Republican appointed to fill Elsner's vacancy by the Illinois Supreme Court, in the November general election. (It's not know whether there is any familial connection between Joan and Liam Brennan.) Brennan's would-be challenger, Republican attorney Tom Laz, did not win his appeal to have his removal from the ballot reversed. The election commission rejected six pages of Laz's petitions because they had various problems that two of the three commissioners said showed a "pattern of fraud." The number of names excluded meant Laz did not have the minimum amount needed to be on the ballot. Circuit Judge Bonnie Wheaton did not cite any evidence of fraud but a clerical error did invalidate his petitions nonetheless. Laz's petitions said he was seeking the "seat of Circuit Judge John P. Elsner," but should have said, "vacancy of resident Circuit Judge John P. Elsner." "Because of that, all my petitions are no good," Laz said. "The ruling is what the ruling is." While the decision was frustrating, Laz said, he found some solace from Wheaton's confirmation there was no fraud associated with his ballots something he vehemently denied when the election commission cited it as the basis for their ruling. Despite the appeal loss, Laz said he would continue his evidentiary motion against Matthew Pike, of Lombard, who filed the objection to his petitions. Laz said he wants to depose Pike about why he challenged the signatures. Advertisement "I still want to find out what motivated him," he said. The next hearing date for the motion is April 20. Laz said. Alex Keown is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. Sensing the growing animosity between those for and against a new swimming pool at Oak Park and River Forest High School, Oak Park Trustee Adam Salzman had a proposal of his own. Speaking during the Feb. 1 Village Board meeting, Salzman suggested the village reveal its own stance on the controversial project. Advertisement "The issue is not going to go away," Salzman said. "I would think the village, whether we like it or not, is a piece of the puzzle. The garage and parking plan is our area of responsibility." A previous proposal called for OPRF to purchase and demolish the village-owned parking garage at Lake Street and Scoville Avenue to make way for a new aquatics center. Advertisement Following a challenge by citizens, the OPRF school board chose to withdraw its intention to borrow $17.5 million to partially fund the new swimming pool. Among the key issues opponents of the plan are critical of is the intention to demolish the parking garage, which teachers use during the day, and the need for a parking plan should demolition occur. "I have been pretty distressed by the tone of the discussion," Salzman said. "I think our community is better than the way it has conducted itself during the course of the debate. I actually don't think the question of the pool is an either/or question. I still think there can be a collaborative solution." Salzman suggested the village release a resolution on its position regarding the garage and possible parking plan, which he feels could alleviate some tension within the two villages. "I think [the community] probably needs to [vote] with as much information as possible," Salzman said. "I think that would be a case of us basically being a good neighbor. I think it's a very important piece of context to the extent it can help turn the page on this very, I think, unnecessary debilitating discussion. Maybe we can be of some value." After dropping its plan to borrow money on Jan. 19, the OPRF board said it would begin work on a new proposal, which could still include the demolition of the garage. Board members, however, said they would not ask the public to approve a project without a proper parking plan in place. Prior to Salzman's comments, residents Wayne Franklin and Peter Ryan spoke in support of OPRF, and urged the village to work with the high school to develop an appropriate plan. "I understand neighbor and resident concerns of possible impacts of losing the garage," Ryan said. "I disagree such a loss represents some kind of neighborhood disaster. I believe parking restrictions with a parking plan would keep the neighborhoods from devolving into disfunction." Advertisement sschering@pioneerlocal.com Twitter: @steveschering We have to giggle just a little bit. On one hand, it's amusing that a bunch of media organizations make a big deal anytime a group of leaders, lawmakers or politicians want to hole up for a meeting. Anyone who has ever been to a government meeting knows what a lonely, sleepy proposition that can be. Often reporters and members of the media are the only ones who attend those meetings, and the seemingly endless conversations about policies, procedures and budgets often induces sleep in even the most caffeinated reporter. On the other hand, fighting to keep even the most mundane and pedestrian meeting open is exactly what should happen if we want to have open government and accountable leaders. That's why the decision last week of the legislative Democrats to hold a meeting in the open was not only keeping with the letter of the law, but the spirit, too. Citizen participation We applaud the Democrats for the transparency and we hope that Republicans and all other government bodies took notice. Several very important cases in Montana law have helped establish a very important principle here: That citizens can't be informed, can't give input and truly can't hold leaders accountable without access. Barb Bryan argued that point in Billings years ago when she won a case that said lack of access to information robbed her of the right to effectively participate in government. A landmark case against Montana State University established that even university leaders must conduct their business in the open in order for Montanans to truly be able to hold leaders account for decisions. Open government isn't just a principle that sounds good here. It's a time-honored practice. The open meeting at Fairmont drew about two dozens of the 41 House Democrats and half a dozen of the 21 Democrats in the Senate. The goals they talked about weren't surprising: infrastructure, energy, business, education, justice system reform and workforce development. The point is that Gazette readers and other Montanans could find out what that group of lawmakers said. It can be argued that government would be more efficient, maybe even more blunt, if it could conduct business in secret, outside the purview of the pesky public. But, that would completely misunderstand the role of the public in government. Leaders aren't just delegated to make the decisions for their constituents, they have to also be held accountable for their actions and votes. Open door at Fairmont Democracy, even at the local level, has been described as the marketplace of ideas. In order for their to be a free marketplace of ideas, those ideas must be out in the open, discussed frankly and not under the pall of secrecy. The decision to open the meeting in Fairmont was also a great sign and we'd like to thank the leaders, including Chuck Hunter, D-Bozeman, and Mary Sheehy Moe, D-Great Falls. Many times, it's up to the media or private concerned citizens to hire attorneys in order to get access to these meetings or win a case. There was no rush to courthouse this time; no attorneys needed. Instead, Democratic party leaders set an example, held themselves accountable and opened the meeting without the threat of a lawsuit. As with almost any right, it's a use-or-lose it. What we mean is: No one will likely take away open meetings. But, open meetings become meaningless if no one attends. They become worthless if no one holds leaders accountable for what they say and what they do. So, now it's time for us, the citizens who have been granted access to meetings, to participate and observe. Remember: The doors to government are open. Who will walk in? A federal judge indicated Monday that he didn't see Bank of America as the victim of three local defendants accused of defrauding the bank because of the bank's practices that helped lead to the national real estate collapse in 2008. However, U.S. District Judge Philip Simon also expressed skepticism that the defendants - Minas Litos, who owns several Round the Clock restaurants in the area, and husband-and-wife Adrian and Daniela Tartareanu - should not be let off the financial hook completely. Advertisement "Because otherwise they get a freebie," Simon said during a hearing at the U.S. District Court in Hammond. "I'm not crying a river for (Bank of America), but why should they be held for the full loss?" Litos pled guilty to and the Tartareanus were found guilty of wire fraud in a scheme to recruit buyers for houses, mostly in Gary, owned by their company, Red Brick Investment Properties. Advertisement The buyers recruited by the defendants did not have the financial means to qualify for mortgages, so the defendants provided them with the money for down payments and lied on their loan applications to get loan approval. Kerry Connor, defense attorney for Litos, argued Bank of America made it a policy at the time in 2007 to go after what she called "liar loans," or loans approved without any verification of income and other assets. The bank made money by charging fees to transfer the loan, Connor said, but took no risk for them because the bank would transfer the loans within a week to other companies, such as Fannie Mae. Many of the home buyers defaulted on their mortgages, and the houses had to be sold at a sheriff's sale for a loss. Alexander Beeman, attorney for the Tartareanus, showed some of the loan applications for the home buyers and pointed out what he called red flags, such as one client saying she earned $3,400 a month but had $350,000 in a bank account, that a reasonable mortgage officer would have investigated. "These problems persist throughout these applications," he said, adding the same bank employee handled all of the applications. Connor argued Bank of America's didn't just stick its head in the sand but helped put home buyers in a situation where they would almost certainly default. "Your client did as well," Simon responded. Advertisement Federal attorneys had originally requested the defendants pay more than $2 million to Bank of America and Fannie Mae, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Bell said at the hearing that the government was dropping the request for Fannie Mae, for $1.25 million, because those loans were part of a larger, $10.3 billion settlement Bank of America agreed to. That leaves almost $900,000 in loss to Bank of America for 16 loans it agreed to take back from Fannie Mae after that company noticed issues with a lack of supporting documents for the loans applications. Simon questioned the attorneys as to why he shouldn't just say Bank of America shared responsibility for the loss and apportion it among the company, the Tartareanus and Litos, admitting that it would be unusual to say the victim in a case was at least partly responsible for its loss. Bell acknowledged the problem, indicating the government would not fight a move by Simon to include Bank of America in the restitution. "I think the heart of the issue is do you want to award restitution to an institution that took part in liar loans," Bell said. Simon said he would not issue an order on restitution at the defendants' sentencing hearings Tuesday morning but would instead issue a written opinion in 90 days. Advertisement tauch@post-trib.com Munster got a step closer to protecting residents from discriminatory practices when Munster Town Council President John Reed introduced a human rights ordinance at Monday's meeting. The ordinance makes it illegal to obstruct someone from entering a business, entering into a contract, obtaining and maintaining employment or participating in any type of program or service available to the general public on the basis of race, sexual preference, disability or gender identity. Anyone in violation of the ordinance could be fined up to $500 for each occurrence. Advertisement The ordinance is essentially the same as one adopted by the city of Carmel, Ind., said Reed, R-1st, adding that Munster's law would not add a layer to town government, such as a human rights commission. Hammond voted for a similar ordiance in April. "I think the ordnance sends a clear message that the town of Munster doesn't tolerate discrimination of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community or anyone," said Reed, noting several letters of support received from local businesses in addition to the School Town of Munster. Advertisement Religious worship and clergy while engaged in religious activities, non-for-profit clubs organized exclusively for religious purposes and private gatherings not open to the public are specifically are noted exceptions to the law. Munster residents crowded past council meetings to petition for a human rights ordinance people such as Amy Sandler whose same-sex marriage was the first legally recognized in Indiana. Sandler previously addressed the council to describe how she had been denied a "family" membership at a local health club because it did not recognize her same-sex marriage. Other residents said added protection was necessary at the local level because they believe federal and state laws do not adequately address discriminatory practices. The upstart "We Are Munster" conducted a petition drive to urge the council to take action. Reed said he hopes that once fellow council members review the proposed ordinance they will adopt it at their Feb. 22 meeting. Jim Masters is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. Alison Erickson, 20, of Valparaiso, talks about getting a pacemaker at age 19 during a news conference Tuesday at Porter Regional Hospital. (Amy Lavalley / Post-Tribune) Alison Erickson ran cross country and played volleyball for eight years. But on the morning of Nov. 6, as she was headed into math class at Indiana University Northwest, she had what she called "a weird, pulled muscle feeling" in her chest. Advertisement The Valparaiso resident went out with friends that night but the pain only got worse. "I was getting short of breath and I thought, I should go," she said, so she headed to the emergency room at Porter Regional Hospital, where she works as a secretary and certified nursing assistant. Advertisement "It's different when you're on the cart," she said. "It's a different world. It's scary." With tightness in Erickson's chest, medical staff performed an EKG, which revealed third-degree blockage in her heart. Her doctor said the top part of the heart wasn't working with the bottom part, and the two halves weren't communicating. She got a second opinion at a Chicago hospital before returning to Porter for a pacemaker on Nov. 16, four days before her 20th birthday. Erickson, who shared her story Tuesday during a news conference at Porter, said she learned that the 15 nightmares she had every night about a car accident were a sign that her heart was pausing and her body was trying to wake her up. "I never knew I had a third-degree heart block until I had that pulled muscle feeling. If I had known, I would have watched it," she said. Erickson, who is on track to get into IUN's nursing program, said her experience has given her a new understanding of patients who come through the emergency room. "We understand what patients are going through. I've learned to be a better nurse and nursing assistant. I'm glad I had this now," she said. The American Heart Association has designated February as American Heart Month, with a focus on women and heart disease. Advertisement "It's a reminder of women and heart disease and the difference we can make. It's a movement that strives to improve the health of all women because unfortunately, the statistics are staggering," said Diane Kemp, executive director for the heart association in Northwest Indiana, adding a woman is diagnosed with heart disease every 80 seconds. "Here's the good news: We do not have to be a statistic. We can be proactive," including talking to doctors and family and seeking medical help when symptoms show up, she said. Porter Health Care System and the American Heart Association have formed a three-year partnership for heart health awareness, officials from the two organizations said, which includes being a lead sponsor of the Feb. 19 Valpo Goes Red breakfast at the Harre Union on the Valparaiso University campus, and sponsoring the annual county heart walk. The partnership kicked off this month and also includes raising awareness about heart disease and funds for research, said Steve Lunn, chief executive officer of Porter Health Care System. Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. A former St. John couple who had pleaded guilty to lying in order to get back more than $1 million in tax returns now want to take back their pleas. George and Barbara Gasich, who now live in Florida and have rejected the role of the federal government, pleaded guilty last fall just before they were set to go on trial to one count each of false tax refund claims. Advertisement At the time of the guilty pleas, the couple also agreed to accept legal representation after representing themselves since they were charged in 2014. However, the couple has filed a number of court filings within the past few weeks in which they again assert that the U.S. District Court in Hammond has no jurisdiction over them because they do not live in Washington, D.C. Advertisement Their attorneys had also filed requests to withdraw from the case, saying that communication between them and their clients had broken down. According to court records, the defendants told U.S. District Judge Philip Simon during a hearing Tuesday to discuss the issue of their attorneys that they want to withdraw their guilty pleas and again represent themselves. Simon approved the request for the attorneys to withdraw and gave federal attorneys until Feb. 17 to respond to the couple's request to withdraw their guilty pleas. He has not changed their sentencing hearing set for March 25. Barbara Gasich declined to comment on the issue at this time. The Gasichs have the support of a Texas man, Michael Joseph Kearns, who is known for filing briefs in other federal cases, including Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, in support of the sovereign citizen movement that the Gasichs claim to adhere to. Kearns submitted an amicus filing in their case on Tuesday, arguing that the United States of America is still under the control of Great Britain and that anyone who declares themselves to be "a people of the United States" is no longer subject to the federal government outside of Washington, D.C. However, Simon, who has previously dismissed the Gasichs' arguments over jurisdiction, rejected the filing, noting that it adds nothing new to the case. "Instead, he regurgitates the Gasichs' oft-repeated theory that I have no personal jurisdiction over them," Simon said. "They certainly do not need his help in making that argument, one which they have asserted at every conceivable turn." tauch@post-trib.com By Dezan Shira & Associates Editors: Nathan Wakelin-King and Qian Zhou While Chinas FTZs are regulated by many similar policies, important technical distinctions exist between the four zones. For example, corporate income tax (CIT) and individual income tax (IIT) is structured differently across the FTZs, and Shanghai and Tianjin treat cross border RMB cash pooling differently. Moreover, despite a widely liberalized system for foreign direct investment, there are certain restrictions and incentives across the four zones that investors should be aware of. Reduced Market Access Restrictions on Foreign Investment The Free Trade Zones use a Negative List for foreign investment that stipulates in which industries foreign companies cannot invest. For industries not included in the Negative List, foreign investment is no longer required to go through the approval process. Instead, a more efficient filing system is applied. The Negative List was initially introduced in 2013 alongside the creation of the Shanghai FTZ and has since been updated twice, most recently in May 2015. Long and at times extremely specific, the Negative List may ostensibly give the impression that Chinas FTZs are overly restrictive on foreign investment. However, while there are a number of areas that remain closed, many more have been opened up to FDI and provide attractive opportunities for investors. RELATED: Business Advisory Services from Dezan Shira & Associates Manufacturing The manufacturing sector received a significant overhaul across all of Chinas FTZs in the latest Negative List. Here, we detail how investment is treated in some of the countrys most popular industries: Automotive manufacturing: Automobiles fall under the restricted category: the shareholding percentage of the Chinese partner should not fall below 50 percent. Further, a foreign investor may establish no more than two joint venture enterprises in China to manufacture the same types of vehicles (however, this restriction does not apply in the case of a merger or acquisition of another vehicle manufacturer). Automobiles fall under the restricted category: the shareholding percentage of the Chinese partner should not fall below 50 percent. Further, a foreign investor may establish no more than two joint venture enterprises in China to manufacture the same types of vehicles (however, this restriction does not apply in the case of a merger or acquisition of another vehicle manufacturer). Aeronautical design / manufacturing: Depending on the type of aircraft, the business venture must be in the form of an equity joint venture or a cooperative joint venture, in some cases with the controlling stake held by the Chinese party. Depending on the type of aircraft, the business venture must be in the form of an equity joint venture or a cooperative joint venture, in some cases with the controlling stake held by the Chinese party. Rail transportation: Manufacturing of railway transportation equipment is limited to equity joint ventures or cooperative joint ventures. However, the FTZs allow for 100 percent ownership in certain areas of railway equipment development and manufacturing. These include the R&D and manufacturing of passenger service facilities and ancillary equipment. It also includes the R&D and manufacturing of equipment related to tracks and bridges. Equipment manufacturing for electric railway systems and equipment can be wholly foreign owned. For urban transit projects, 70 percent of equipment used must be from China. Shipping For the operation of international vessel agency operations, restrictions on foreign investment have loosened somewhat: foreign entities are allowed a 51 percent equity stake in such a venture if it is located in an FTZ. Previously, a Chinese controller was required. It is important to note, however, that foreign entities are still blocked from any sort of domestic shipping operations. Wholesale and Retail Wholly Foreign Owned e-commerce operations are permitted, including online data processing and trading processing operations. This small but significant change is new in the 2015 list; previous lists had equity restrictions. Overall, the significance of the FTZs to potential wholesale or retail businesses are less related to changes in investment laws, and more related to other aspects of the FTZs, such as simplified customs procedures and other administrative procedures. Finance Overseas investors in banking institutions in Chinas FTZs must themselves be financial institutions. The 2015 negative list specifies what varieties of foreign financial institution can invest in what variety of FTZ financial institution. In some cases, they require the investor to be the same type of institution. For example, investors in rural credit banks must themselves be rural credit banks, and investors in currency brokerage companies must be currency brokerage companies. Most other financial services remain in the restricted category: that is, there are openings for foreign investors, but there are either limitations on the proportion of foreign equity, or restrictions on specific types of foreign investment. Professional Services Telecommunications services have changed significantly with the revisions of the negative lists. As written above, e-commerce firms can be wholly foreign owned within an FTZ. For value-added telecommunication services, foreign investors are allowed up to a 51 percent equity (in the 2013 negative list, a Chinese partner with a majority share was required). RELATED: Navigating Chinas FTZs, Part 2 Accounting firms require that the managing partner be a Chinese national. As elsewhere, foreign law firms must enter China in the form of a representative organization. Medical institutions can be set up as wholly foreign owned entities, but investors must have five or more years of experience in medical institution investment and administration, among other requirements. The minimum total investment is 20 million RMB. This article is an excerpt from the January and February issue of China Briefing Magazine, titled A Guide to Chinas Free Trade Zones . In this issue of China Briefing magazine, we examine Chinas four Free Trade Zones and discuss the differences and strengths that exist in each of them. We begin by providing an introduction to the FTZs, and then take an in-depth look at the market access conditions, registration procedures and tax environments of each. Finally, we highlight some of the key considerations that foreign companies should be aware of when choosing an FTZ to invest in. An Introduction to Doing Business in China 2015 Doing Business in China 2015 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in China. Compiled by the professionals at Dezan Shira & Associates, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Chinese market, but also for companies that already have a presence here and want to keep up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes. Selling, Sourcing and E-Commerce in China 2016 (First Edition) This guide, produced in collaboration with the experts at Dezan Shira & Associates, provides a comprehensive analysis of all these aspects of commerce in China. It discusses how foreign companies can best go about sourcing products from China; how foreign retailers can set up operations on the ground to sell directly to the countrys massive consumer class; and finally details how foreign enterprises can access Chinas lucrative yet ostensibly complex e-commerce market. Importing and Exporting in China: a Guide for Trading Companies In this issue of China Briefing, we discuss the latest import and export trends in China, and analyze the ways in which a foreign company in China can properly prepare for the import/export process. With import taxes and duties adding a significant cost burden, we explain how this system works in China, and highlight some of the tax incentives that the Chinese government has put in place to help stimulate trade. China has confirmed an imported case of Zika virus, the country's first, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) announced late Tuesday. The patient, a 34-year-old male from Ganxian county of Jiangxi province, is now recovering with normal body temperature and fading rash. He had traveled to Venezuela and showed symptoms of fever, headache and dizziness on Jan 28, before returning to his hometown on Feb 5 via Hong Kong and Shenzhen. He has been quarantined and treated in a hospital in Ganxian since Feb 6. The NHFPC said that according to evaluation by public health officials and experts, the risk of further spreading of the virus due to this imported case is extremely low due to low temperature. Symptoms of Zika virus, which spreads to people through mosquito bites, include fever, joint pain, rash, conjunctivitis, headache, muscle pain and eye pain. Mosquitoes to be used against Zika in China A pilot field study using mosquitoes infected with bacteria is expected to be launched in South China probably in March, according to a lead researcher. The move is aimed at reducing the local mosquito population, which could pass the Zika virus to humans, said Xi Zhiyong, who heads the study. Xi is a microbiology professor at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Millions of laboratory-produced Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacteria will be released at two or three trial sites in Guangdong. Last year, the team lowered the mosquito population by 90 percent during a trial using the same method and helped to contain a local outbreak of dengue fever. Both dengue and Zika are viruses spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Xi said the researchers only release male mosquitoes, which don't bite. The eggs produced by females mating with Wolbachia-infected males are infertile, which leads to reduced mosquito populations. The Zika virus, which has been linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, is spreading rapidly in the Americas. The US has reported a sexually transmitted Zika case, but the World Health Organization has said more investigations are needed to verify this. No Zika cases have been reported in China to date. On Thursday, the National Health and Family Planning Commission ordered the mass extermination of mosquitoes. Xi said the team is working on ways to produce more Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes and is considering drones to help release them in March. The WHO has recommended studies of genetically engineered mosquitoes and those infected with bacteria to help with reduction efforts. Xi said the genes of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes are intact and the mosquitoes are safer for the ecological environment and other species, including humans. But he said more field studies are needed to evaluate this method before it is used in other parts of China to control and prevent the Zika virus. Guo Yuhong, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Infectious Disease Institute, said Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can be found widely in South China and some northern areas of the country. But she remains cautious about the Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes and feels that more investigations are required. "They work in theory, but we are not sure about the potential impact that extinction of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes would have on the ecosystem," she said. Flash Norway's police intelligence agency PST said on Tuesday it still regards extreme Islamism as the greatest threat to the Scandinavian country. "We continue to regard extreme Islamism as the greatest terrorist threat to Norwegian interests, and consider it possible that in the course of 2016 attempts will be made to carry out terrorist attacks against targets in Norway," PST said in its annual National Threat Assessment. The agency said attacks with simple weapons or on symbolic targets could be the most likely scenarios for an attempted attack in Norway and there is a lower risk that random civilians will be the target of such an attack. "We consider that the largest and most important group of actors who present an Islamist threat to Norway in 2016, as in previous years, consists of individuals who are inspired by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and to some extent also al-Qaida," it said. At the same time, the PST considers the threat from right-wing milieus to be increasing as the asylum issue is fuelling right-wing activity, radicalisation and recruitment. But right-wing extremism poses a lower risk of terrorism than extreme Islamism because the milieus continue to suffer from poor organisation, internal conflicts and constant changes in leadership and there is no significant external ideological agent corresponding to ISIL or al-Qaida, the agency said. The threat from right-wing extremists comes therefore primarily from lone actors and small groups in or outside the milieus, it added. As for the issue of state intelligence activity, the PST said foreign intelligence services will continue to work in and against Norway in 2016 and there are a number of factors that make Norway an interesting intelligence target. Norway "has rich natural resources and an important strategic location in the north, is a member of NATO, has technological expertise in a number of areas, participates in peace and human rights work and is at times engaged in various conflict areas," it said. The Norwegian police intelligence agency considers Russia's capacity for and intention to carry out espionage against Norway as having the greatest potential for harming Norway and Norwegian interests. "The activities of Russian intelligence services are partly steered by long-term Russian security interests. The areas of defence, security and preparedness in Norway are a target for these services, and our capacity in these areas is the subject of continual surveillance," the PST said. "Our assessment is that the aim of these activities is to facilitate Russian military dispositions in a future security policy scenario," it said. "The results of such intelligence activity could therefore ultimately threaten key Norwegian interests and Norway's control over its own territory." Flash Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday discussed ways to handle the refugee crisis. Szijjarto underlined that with the regional conflicts giving rise to a new wave of refugees, there was little hope of reducing the flow of people moving westward and northward. Turkey, he said, had performed well in carrying out the EU-Turkey plan of action, which involves identifying and registering refugees, and attempting to house them. But he also called for a second line of "defense," a line of protection running through Macedonia and Bulgaria. Europe, said the Hungarian FM, is not obliged to accept the people leaving their homes but to help them to return as quickly as possible and to live in dignity at home. Help from Turkey, therefore, is vital, Szijjarto said, with Turkey being the first point of entry outside the conflict zones. Cavusoglu called for an immediate halt to air strikes in Syria, which he said was making things worse. He called for uncovering the true reasons for the conflicts and taking action to resolve the Syrian and Iraqi situations if the crisis is to be resolved. Cavusoglu also said he was pleased that Hungary was ready to support Turkey's candidacy for the European Union. Upon arriving in Burns, Ore., on Jan. 5, three days after the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge began, I saw up close the unfolding news story that was captivating the nation. But behind the TV satellite trucks, a years-long movement the connection between extremists and elected politicians calling for the sell-off of public lands was hitting prime time. Representing the Center for Western Priorities, the first public lands watchdog organization in the country to show up to challenge Ammon Bundys illegal occupation, our goal was to shine a light on the connections between the extreme right-wing militants who have terrorized this rural community, and their political allies operating in state capitols across the West. We wanted folks to know that Bundys armed occupation of our public lands is part of a larger movement endorsed and led by right-wing politicians here in Montana. Emboldened by their success in garnering international attention in Oregon, more extremists can be expected to infiltrate our legislative bodies in an effort to take away our rights to hunt, fish, hike and enjoy the economic benefits of lands weve used for generations. A recent report by the Center for Western Priorities outlines how, over the past three years, politicians and right-wing special interest groups in 11 Western states, led by the American Lands Council, have tried to seize and privatize many of Americas most treasured places. Fielder leads land grab The Center for Western Priorities report puts Montana Sen. Jennifer Fielder, RThompson Falls, who recently took the helm at the American Lands Council, squarely at the center of this land-grab scheme. In her role as president of the American Lands Council, Fielder will act as the bridge between the extreme and the mainstream. Her defense of those in Burns is a reckless enabling of violence, and it should be a wake-up call to every member of the Montana Legislature who sided with her during the 2015 legislative session. Not only is Fielder vice chair of the Montana Republican Party, which still includes the transfer of public lands in its platform, but she is also endorsed by the Oath Keepers, a prominent militia group, and is a member of the Sanders Natural Resource Council, which is run by the Militia of Montana, including known white supremacist John Trochmann. Elected officials like Fielder who support seizing federal lands cant explain how states would pay to manage these assets. Truth is, their plan will lead to a massive sell-off to corporate interests for development, and out-of-state billionaires for trophy ranches. Perverting the Constitution As detailed in the Center for Western Priorities report, the movement feeds on the ideological framework of extreme anti-government beliefs such as posse comitatus and county supremacy, two unequivocal perversions of what the Constitution both says and means. These arguments are the exact same ones I heard Ammon Bundy make to frigid reporters during his illegal takeover of the wildlife refuge. And they are the same words Fielder uses on the carpeted floor of the Senate in Helena. Now as the spotlight fades on the dramatic scene in Oregon, our state leaders have to decide who they stand with Fielder and the Bundys, or the overwhelming majority of Montanans who respect our outdoor heritage and the rule of law. Flash Israeli and Turkish negotiation teams are set to meet Wednesday in Switzerland in an effort to finalize a rapprochement deal, local media reported on Tuesday. According to Israel's Ha'aretz daily, the Israeli team will include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's representative Joseph Ciechanover and acting National Security Adviser Jacob Nagel. The participants on the Turkish side will be headed by Under Secretary of State Feridun Sinirlioglu. A spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister's Office was not immediately available to comment on the report. Relations between the two former allies have soured over a deadly assault by Israeli commandos on a Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship in 2010. Recently, Israeli and Turkish officials have reportedly held a series of talks in an attempt to normalize their relations, including discussions on possible exports of Israeli natural gas through a new planned pipeline. Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu said that both sides will have to make compromised to achieve a deal. "We aspire to normalization with all our neighbors, but it's always a two-way street," he said in a statement. His remark came after the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met a delegation of senior officials with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, a main Jewish lobby organization, in Ankara. The group was led by Malcolm Hoenlein, who is considered to be Netanyahu's close associate. The road for reconciliation was paved in 2013, when, at the behest of U.S. President Barack Obama, Netanyahu called and apologized to Erdogan over the killings of 10 Turkish citizens. Since then there have been various reports of secret channels between Israeli and Turkish officials. Two years ago, some reports suggested a breakthrough was reached amid a 20 million U.S. dollars compensation deal. Since then, there have been various reports of the contacts being stalled by the Israeli and Turkish leaders. Flash At least 15 people including 10 school kids were killed and scores of others injured when a liquified petroleum gas tanker exploded after colliding with a car in Pakistan's eastern Sheikhupura district on Wednesday morning, local media reported. Samaa News reported that fire erupted in the tanker, following the collision, engulfing two passing-by cars and two rickshaws which were carrying kids to school. The accident happened at about 9:20 a.m. local time in Mananwala area of the Sheikhupura district located in the country's eastern Punjab province. The injured people including women and school kids have been shifted to district headquarters hospital where several of them are said to be in critical condition. Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the accident and ordered an inquiry to determine the cause of the accident. Official report about the cause of the accident will be released after the inquiry by the police, however, the eyewitnesses said the tanker driver lost control over his vehicle and hit into the car due to dense fog. Rescue teams reached at the site to shift the injured people to the hospital and recover bodies from the vehicles. Fire fighters were also called in to extinguish the huge fire triggered off by the explosion. LANDER, Wyo. Alpha Natural Resources Wyoming mines are on the auction block. The bankrupt coal company said in court filings Monday it had received a $500 million offer from its secured creditors to buy the Virginia-based firms core assets, including the Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte mines outside Gillette. The announcement marks a new chapter in Alphas bankruptcy case. The company had previously said it planned to restructure its debts and emerge from Chapter 11. But the court filing signals the coal miner is also considering the sale of some or all of its assets. Analysts said the move appeared designed to spark a bidding war. Alpha had previously floated proposals to sell some of its eastern mines, but had never publicly expressed a willingness to part with its Wyoming operations. By offering its core assets as a package, the company is likely looking to entice prospective buyers to take some of its best assets along with the less desirable counterparts, they said. The proposal by the companys lenders represents a so-called stalking horse bid. It effectively amounts to creditors valuation of the company, establishing what lenders are willing to pay if no other parties submit bids for Alphas assets. Mondays court filing would also establish a process for auctioning off Alphas assets, allowing the company to sell if it receives a bid that surpasses its creditors valuation. Third parties would be given until March 28 to submit bids. The lenders may be hoping this is a starting point, where someone will come in and offer $550 million or $600 million or some higher value, said Bob Burnham, who heads the Colorado-based consulting firm Burnham Coal LLC. They're trying to salvage what they can. They probably figure, for $500 million, if they do end up with it, they will be able to generate a cash flow. The list of Alphas core assets also included its natural gas operations in the Marcellus shale formation, the McClure, Nicholas and Toms Creek mines in West Virginia and Virginia; all its Pennsylvania coal operations; and its stake in an eastern Virginia coal port. But whether the company is able to prompt a bidding war is unclear. The market of prospective buyers is likely thin. And while mines like Eagle Butte and the Cumberland Complex in Pennsylvania could be potentially attractive, others are less so. The Belle Ayr mine, for instance, has some of the highest production costs in the Powder River Basin, said John Hanou, of Hanou Energy Consultants. High-cost mines are likely to see production curtailed sharply in a declining market, he said. The companys reclamation liability of $411 million at Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte alone is slightly less than the $500 million valuation given to the companys core assets by its creditors. The mines reclamation would be assumed by creditors if they take control of Alphas assets. In my personal opinion, the value of those two mines are zero or probably negative in a way because Belle Ayr is the high-cost mine, Hanou said. A company official noted market conditions have continued to deteriorate in the wake of Alphas August bankruptcy filing. With few projecting a quick turnaround, the company opened discussions with creditors over the possibility of liquidating assets. The arrangement called for in court filings is required as part of the $692 million debtor-in-possession loan Alpha received to finance operations during bankruptcy, the company said. Mondays court filing will also help inform our decision if certain properties should be sold, and which operations will remain upon completion of our reorganization in the coming months, Alpha said in a statement. As part of our overall restructuring effort, we believe this process will provide the best chance of preserving jobs and maximizing the value of the broader enterprise for all stakeholders." The $500 million valuation of the companys core operations underlined the rapid deterioration in Alphas financial condition. In 2009 the company paid $1.5 billion to acquire Foundation Coal, the former operator of Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte, along with a host of eastern mines. Alpha paid $7.1 billion for metallurgical miner Massey Energy two years later. You have to take into account that when they were paying the big bucks, the metallurgical coal market was sky high, Burnham said. Where they made the mistake is they assumed those prices would hold. Those prices didnt hold and the value of the assets dropped dramatically. Authorities manhandle a Christian protester. Expose Authorities in the neighboring Chinese coastal Fujian and Zhejiang provinces conducted a church demolition and two cross removals on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, respectively. Videos sent to China Aid showed officials in Fuqing, Fujian, demolishing Yulin Furen Christian Church on Jan. 6 for failure to register with the local government. Previously, it was registered and approved, but not in recent years, an individual from the Fuqing Christian Association said. At this time, a real estate certificate is required for registration [in Fuqing] [Therefore], we cannot just go register, even if we want to do so. There are still many [churches] that have not registered. On Jan. 7, government personnel in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, forcibly demolished Nanhu Churchs and Wutian Dongzhuang Churchs crosses. Christians at both churches attempted to stop the officials, resulting in a scuffle and the detention of several church members. It is the sub-district and city management [officials] that united to demolish [the crosses], a Wenzhou police officer said when China Aid called to inquire about the incident. We only maintained order. China Aid exposes religious freedom abuses, such as those experienced in cases of forced demolitions, in order to promote religious freedom and rule of law in China. China Aid Media Team Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] For more information, click here Human Rights Watch Abduction, Arbitrary Detention Harm Free Speech in Hong Kong and Beyond (New York) Chinese authorities should immediately release five booksellers who the government has forcibly disappeared, Human Rights Watch said today. The five are affiliated with the Hong Kong-based Mighty Current Media, known for publishing books critical of senior Chinese leaders. The Chinese government should immediately release the five booksellers it abducted and disappeared under the guise of law enforcement, said Sophie Richardson, China director. Beijings actions are a clumsy attack on free speech in Hong Kong that has implications far beyond the fate of the five being held. Hong Kong authorities said on February 4, 2016, that mainland authorities had writtenconfirming that criminal compulsory measures had been taken against Hong Kong residents Lui Por, Cheung Chi Ping, and Lam Wing Kee for alleged illegal activities. The three had been missing since mid-October 2015, with virtually no information regarding their whereabouts or the basis of their detention. A fourth bookseller, Gui Minhai, and a fifth, Lee Bo, went missing from Thailand and Hong Kong, respectively, and are believed to have been abducted by Chinese security agents, as there have been no records of them leaving those territories. Pro-democracy lawmaker Albert Chan, carrying portraits of five missing booksellers from a local bookstore, shouts to Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying as he enters the Legislative Council chamber for the annual policy address in Hong Kong, China on January 13, 2016. 2016 Reuters Under international law, a government commits an enforced disappearance when state agents take a person into custody and then deny holding the person, or conceal or fail to disclose the persons whereabouts. Family members and legal representatives are not informed of the persons location, well-being, or legal status. Disappeared people are often at high risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Gui Minhai, a Swedish citizen who is the co-owner of Hong Kong Mighty Current publishing house, went missing from Pattaya, Thailand, in mid-October 2015. In mid-January, CCTV, Chinas state television network, broadcast a confession by Gui in which he said he had returned voluntarily to the mainland to face charges related to a 2003 drunk-driving incident. Subsequent state media reports said Gui is now being investigated for other unspecified criminal activities, and that others have been investigated in connection with him. Gui has not had access to a lawyer, family members, or representatives of the Swedish government. In mid-October 2015, Causeway Bay Books general manager Lui Por, business manager Cheung Chi Ping, and manager Lam Wing Kee, who at the time were believed to be in Shenzhen and Dongguan in Chinas Guangzhou province, went missing. Mainland authorities provided no information as to their whereabouts or well-being. There is no evidence that they have had access to lawyers or family members. Any Hong Kong residents detained in connection to criminal investigations in the mainland should be afforded the same basic rights of Chinese nationals under Chinas laws, such as access to lawyers and notification of families, as well as their rights under international law. In addition, the relevant Hong Kong authorities are obliged to provide assistance by liaising and communicating with their Chinese counterparts about their cases. On December 30, 2015, Lee Bo, a British citizen and Hong Kong resident who ran Causeway Bay Books, went missing after being seen at Mighty Currents Chai Wan warehouse. His wife, Choi Ka-ping, said Lees travel documents remained at home. Choi later received a letter purporting to be from Lee Bo, stating that he was in the mainland and assisting [the police] with an investigation. In a January 18, 2016 communication, mainland authorities reported to their Hong Kong counterparts that Lee was in the mainland, but provided no information about his whereabouts, well-being, or access to lawyers or representatives of the British government. Following Lees disappearance, Hong Kong authorities expressed serious concern about the case, and stated that mainland authorities carrying out of law enforcement activities in Hong Kong was unacceptable and unconstitutional. Article 4 of the Basic Law, Hong Kongs functional constitution, stipulates that only legal enforcement agencies in Hong Kong have the legal authority to enforce law in Hong Kong. Thailand has forcibly returned to China those with a well-founded fear of ill-treatment, such as the group of 109 Turkic asylum seekers sent back in July 2015, and two mainlanddemocracy activists, Dong Guangping and Jiang Yefei, between November 14-15, 2015, even though they had been granted refugee status by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and offered expedited resettlement with their families to Canada. Most recently,Li Xin, a former correspondent at Southern Metropolis Weekly, a prominent mainland Chinese newspaper, went missing near the Laos-Thailand border in mid-January while seeking to renew his visa for Thailand. In early February, Lis wife, in Henan province, received a call from him, stating that he was back in China and assisting police with an investigation. It is unclear how he returned to China from Thailand. Lis wife believes that he had been abducted and held against his will. Canada, Germany, the European Parliament, the European Union, Japan, Sweden, and the United States, among others, have strongly condemned the abductions and arbitrary detentions of the booksellers. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said during a visit to Beijing he had urgently enquired after Lee Bo. Human Rights Watch called on these governments to raise these cases in upcoming high-level interactions, such as the February 26-27, 2016 meeting of G20 Finance Ministers in Shanghai, with Chinese counterparts until the five are released, and to immediately review the nature and scope of cooperation with Chinese law enforcement counterparts. US President Barack Obama should also publicly challenge Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha concerning his governments role in the suspected abductions of Gui Minhai, Li Xin, and others at the upcoming US-ASEAN summit at Sunnylands, California on February 15-16. Foreign governments have criticized Chinas abductions and detentions of the Hong Kong booksellers, but they are going to have to turn up the heat until the five are released and returned home, Richardson said. Deterring Beijings unprecedented new impulse to snatch people outside its borders requires an unequivocal response before this outrageous practice becomes a norm. China Aid Contacts Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] Website: www.chinaaid.org Radio Free Asia 2016-02-08 A Tibetan man has died from injuries sustained under torture by Chinese authorities while serving a 13-year prison sentence for refusing to fly a Chinese flag, sources tell RFAs Tibetan service. The body of the man known as Trigyal was recently turned over to family members, said Driru Samdrub, a Tibetan resident living in Europe with close contacts in the region. He died due to severe torture under Chinese detention, Samdrub said. Trigyal was one of three men from Mukhyim village in Tibets restive Driru (in Chinese, Biru) county who received stiff sentences for refusing to fly the Chinese national flag in 2014. County residents were being required to fly the flag from their houses in a government campaign to force them to show loyalty to Beijing. Some of the more than 1,000 residents protesting the order threw the flags in a nearby river. While Trigyal was given a 13 year sentence in 2014, the two other men, Ngangdrak and Rigsal, were handed 10-year terms, sources told RFA in earlier reports. Tibetan protester Trigyal is shown in an undated photo. Photo courtesy of an RFA listener Driru is one of three neighboring counties in the Tibet Autonomous Regions Nagchu (Naqu) prefecture that Beijing considers politically unstable. Chinese authorities fear that political unrest there may spread unchecked to other parts of the region. Loyalty campaign About 1,000 Driru-area Tibetans were detained when authorities launched a crackdown in September 2014 designed to enforce the loyalty campaign, sources say. The campaign intensified in early October 2014 when villagers refused to fly Chinese national flags, throwing them instead into a river and prompting a deadly security crackdown in which Chinese police fired into unarmed crowds. Chinese security forces were accused of killing four Tibetan villagers and wounding 50 others in 2013 during Driru-area opposing the government campaign forcing displays of loyalty to the Chinese state. Bachen Gyalwa, the leader of Ushung village in Driru countys Gyashoe Yangshok township was killed on Nov. 21, 2014 on the orders of the local [ruling Chinese] Communist Party authorities, the India-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) said in a statement at the time. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Beijings rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008. Reported by Sonam Wangdue for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Brooks Boliek. China Aid Media Team Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] For more information, click here Pastor Gu Joseph Yuese Expose Authorities in Chinas coastal Zhejiang province charged the chairman of the provincial Chinese Christian Council (CCC) with embezzlement and re-assigned all ministerial leadership under him to different churches following his dismissal from his position of senior pastor Chinas largest government-approved church in late January. Pastor Gu Joseph Yuese of Hangzhous Chongyi Church was forcibly removed from his position as senior pastor according to a Jan. 18 document released by the local TSPM and CCC because of his public opposition to the hundreds of forced cross demolitions throughout Zhejiang since early 2014. Gus family received an arrest notice on Jan. 28, stating that Gu was placed under residential surveillance in a designated location, a situation commonly known by experts as a black jail. Authorities also detained Gus wife, Zhou Lianmei, for a day and warned her not to leave the country. On Jan. 30, China Aid learned that Gu was charged with embezzling 10 million Yuan (U.S. $1.6 million) in funds. His arrest marks a major escalation in the crackdown against those who oppose the forced demolition of crosses, China Aids Bob Fu said. He will be the highest-ranking national church leader arrested since the Cultural Revolution. China Aid reports cases like Gus in order to expose religious freedom abuses in China. China Aid Media Team Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] For more information, click here U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren Hultgren Urges Full Release of Chinese Prisoner of Conscience Washington, DC U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) today called on Chinese authorities to release Zhu Yufu from imprisonment once and for all or, at the very least, provide him with proper medical treatment and improve his living conditions. A fearless democracy activist, Zhu Yufu was sentenced to prison four year ago today, and celebrates his 63rd birthday on Saturday. Rep. Hultgren delivered a statement on the House floor highlighting his plight in collaboration with theDefending Freedoms Project, a joint effort by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and Amnesty International USA. Valuable information about the plight of Zhu Yufu and thousands of other political prisoners in China is available via the Congressional-Executive Commission on Chinas Political Prisoner Database. Rep. Hultgren delivered the following prepared remarks: I rise today yet again in need of bringing the worlds attention to the plight of Zhu Yufu. Four years ago today, this democracy advocate was unjustly sentenced by the Chinese government to seven years behind bars, following previous imprisonments. Zhu Yufu, who is currently imprisoned in China. (Photo: China Aid) His tireless advocacy for democratic rights, freedom of speech, and the rule of law is worthy of praise, yet the Chinese government has harassed and jailed him numerous times on faulty charges. He is in a poor health: he is not able to stand without support, and he has coronary heart disease and a coronary artery tumor, in addition to other ailments. Yet Chinese authorities refuse to provide him with medical care or medication. Further, they have forced him to do hard labor, and have caused the job losses of his family members. This Saturday, Zhu Yufu turns 63 years old. The least the Chinese government could do is provide him with proper medical treatment, improve his living conditions, and leave his family alone. If this nation is serious about demonstrating any legitimate leadership, it should release him and the hundreds of others like him immediately. Rep. Hultgren is an Executive Committee-member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) and a commissioner on both the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) and the Helsinki Commission (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe). China Aid Media Team Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] For more information, click here Test tubes with blood samples are analyzed to rule out cases with the Zika virus in a health center in Caracas, Venezuela on February 1, 2016.[Photo/Agencies] BEIJING -- China has confirmed an imported case of Zika virus, the country's first, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) announced late Tuesday. The patient, a 34-year-old male from Ganxian county of Jiangxi province, is now recovering with normal body temperature and fading rash. He had traveled to Venezuela and showed symptoms of fever, headache and dizziness on Jan 28, before returning to his hometown on Feb 5 via Hong Kong and Shenzhen. He has been quarantined and treated in a hospital in Ganxian since Feb 6. The NHFPC said that according to evaluation by public health officials and experts, the risk of further spreading of the virus due to this imported case is extremely low due to low temperature. Symptoms of Zika virus, which spreads to people through mosquito bites, include fever, joint pain, rash, conjunctivitis, headache, muscle pain and eye pain. Mosquitoes to be used against Zika in China A pilot field study using mosquitoes infected with bacteria is expected to be launched in South China probably in March, according to a lead researcher. The move is aimed at reducing the local mosquito population, which could pass the Zika virus to humans, said Xi Zhiyong, who heads the study. Xi is a microbiology professor at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Squirrel monkeys scramble for a red envelope at Chongqing Leheledu wildlife park on Feb 9, 2016. [Photo/IC] Chinese people receive red envelopes from elders during the Spring Festival or grab virtual red envelope on their smartphones. Now monkeys in a Chongqing zoo also enjoy the joy of receiving red envelopes. On the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, breeders at Chongqing Leheledu wildlife park put monkeys' favorite food into red envelopes as a kind of blessing to the squirrel monkeys and ring-tailed lemurs. Seduced by delicious food, every monkey wanted to have a red envelope and began to scramble for red envelopes. It makes sense to worry that weaning China off of king coal will lead to an economic slowdown. But a new stud - co-written by an MIT professor and scholars at the Institute of Energy, Environment, and Economy, at Tsinghua University in Beijing - shows that China's newly announced plans to cap and trade carbon can reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions significantly without hobbling economic growth at all. The researchers created a unique model that ties together China's energy system and its economy and found that China's coal use - a major source of global CO2 emissions - should peak around 2020, while the nation's overall CO2 emissions would peak around 2030, or maybe even sooner. Still, the drop in carbonfueled economic activity would not keep China from reaching its goal of becoming a "well-off society" by 2050, they write. "Using carbon pricing in combination with energy price reforms and renewable energy support, China could reach signifi cant levels of emissions reduction without undermining economic growth," writes Valerie Karplus, an assistant professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a co-author of the new paper titled Carbon emissions in China? How far can new efforts bend the curve? in the journal Energy Economics. The other co-authors are Xiliang Zhang, Tianyu Qi, Da Zhang and Jiankun He, all at Tsinghua University. The study was spurred by headline-making policy changes recently announced by China, including the toughest- ever regulations on local environmental pollution and the creation of markets for CO2 emissions, other pollutants and scarce resources like water. That suite of measures led to the agreement with the US unveiled in November 2014 where China committed to a goal of making non-fossil fuel sources account for 20 percent of its energy use by 2030. (By 2015, that fi gure was at 11 percent). For its part, the US promised to lower its CO2 emissions by 26-28 percent against 2005 levels by 2025. And that bilateral agreement, in turn, has been credited with laying the foundation for the grander set of global carbonreduction pledges inked at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December. The study uses a model of China's economy and energy output, called C-GEM and was developed by scholars at the Tsinghua-MIT China Energy and Climate Project. The model lays out two main paths that China's energy consumption could take: One, the "Continued Eff ort" scenario, is a business-as-usual trajectory. The other course, following the reforms and initiatives China has announced, is called the "Accelerated Eff ort". In the "Continued Eff ort" scenario, China's carbon emissions would not level off until around 2040, 10 years later than in the "Accelerated Effort" scenario, and at a level 20 percent higher. In the model, coal's use as a primary source of energy would drop sharply from around 70 percent in 2010 to around 28 percent in 2050. "Coal today is used with varying degrees of effi ciency across the Chinese energy system," Karplus writes. The model is capturing the fact that you have a lot of low-cost opportunities to reduce coal, from heavyindustry direct use as well as the electric power sector." In both simulations, China's famously high personal savings rate declines, as it has in many developing economies. As a result, more and more of China's GDP will come from consumer-driven spending, not state-led investment, which itself will drive reductions in carbon emissions per unit of GDP. "The consumption share of GDP has a very diff erent carbon intensity, as a bundle of goods, relative to investment goods, so you automatically get a reduction in carbon intensity from that trajectory," Karplus writes. Put simply: At the moment, household earnings in China are tucked away in banks, where they get loaned out to fund massive infrastructure projects - highways, dams, power plants - that pump out huge amounts of CO2. In the future, if China's households save less, they will be spending more on services and everyday goods, which leave a smaller carbon footprint. The study has gotten the nod from the energy policy world. John P. Weyant, a professor and deputy director of the Precourt Institute for Energy Effi ciency at Stanford University, called it "state of the art" and a "realistic representation of the pathways by which the Chinese and world economy can be expected to adjust to policy initiatives." One more argument for China to push aggressively ahead on the environment. Contact the writer at chrisdavis@chinadailyusa.com. CHEYENNE, Wyo. Fixing structural problems at the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins will cost $85 million, the state's corrections chief told state lawmakers Tuesday. That $85 million price tag is nearly as much as it cost to build the entire prison 15 years ago. Several lawmakers said they were shocked by the figure. Officials said it would cost $160 million to build a new prison from scratch. The prison issue comes as the state is suffering a downturn in energy revenues and lawmakers are casting about to find hundreds of millions a year to continue the state's school construction program. "If I had an opportunity to build a new building for $160 million, and know that it was done right, and take advantage of all current technologies and all current cost saving measures, I would spend $160 million to build a new building before I would spend $85 million to try to salvage a lost asset," Senate President Phil Nicholas, R-Laramie, said Tuesday. Corrections Department Director Robert Lampert briefed state lawmakers Tuesday in Cheyenne on the estimated cost to replace the prison's cracking walls and floors and make other necessary repairs. "When the facility was constructed, it wasn't constructed exactly to design," Lampert told members of the Joint Appropriations Committee. He said after the meeting that the state hasn't determined whether it will take legal action. The troubled Rawlins prison replaced an earlier prison nearby called the North Facility that the state had to abandon because of similar structural problems. The Joint Appropriations Committee on Tuesday endorsed Lampert's request for $7 million in the coming fiscal year to protect a room that holds the core of the prison's electrical system and a gymnasium roof. The committee also is calling for an additional $13.5 million to add 144 new beds to the state's medium-security prison in Torrington space that could be critical if the state needs to rotate inmates out of Rawlins to accommodate repairs. "The most critical need is for that electrical room," committee member Rep. Donald E. Burkhart Jr., R-Rawlins, said. "Without that electrical room, you don't have security and I don't want the inmates showing up on my doorstep." Engineer John S. Lund briefed Gov. Matt Mead and other statewide elected officials last month about structural problems at the prison. Lund said the Rawlins prison remains structurally safe for staff and inmates but said that could change in coming years unless the state addresses the problems. It will be necessary to demolish and replace interior walls and floor slabs as well as perform extensive work on the building's foundation, Lund said. All mechanical, electrical and security systems affected by the replacement of the interior walls and slabs will also have to be replaced, he said. Nicholas said Tuesday that he's shocked by the $85 million repair estimate. He said he had voted as a young lawmaker to approve construction of the Rawlins prison relying on promises from engineers and architects that the problems that plagued the North Facility wouldn't be repeated in the new building. Nicholas, who also has served on the committee overseeing ongoing renovation of the Wyoming Capitol, said he intends to introduce a bill in the ongoing legislative session that would merge the state offices that oversee school capital construction with the capital construction office at the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information. His bill would create a new, cabinet-level post to oversee state construction projects, Nicholas said. "We simply have to get a better skill set and a better team to make sure that the facilities that we build are brought in on-budget, are brought in on time, and that the final product will last the life span for which we made the initial investment," he said. Before the state commits money to try to repair the Rawlins prison, Nicholas said the state needs to analyze the expected costs against the expected service life of the building and other expenses. He said he has asked the Corrections Department to analyze the cost of keeping the prison in Rawlins versus locating elsewhere in the state closer to medical care and other services. Chinese disabled artists perform during an event to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Panama City, capital of Panama, on Feb. 8, 2016. [Xinhua/Mauricio Valenzuela] The Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations got underway at the Chinatown of Panama's capital city on Monday, bringing festivity to the local Chinese community in anticipation of greater business development in the year of Monkey. Lion dancing amid a flourish of gongs and drums, members from Panama's Chinese Fayen Society made their way through crowds, stopping and dancing at the entrance of each shop to wish them fortune and prosperity in 2016. A parade with lion dancing was accompanied by natives and Panamanians with Chinese ancestry both dressed in red shirts, and was greeted with deafening firecrackers lighted by shopowners. Tourists and passers-by were easily attracted by the jubilation and stopped to watch, film and take photos. David Yao, the director of the lion dance, told Xinhua that since 1960, the lion dance parade has been held in Panama City annually on a Monday during the Chinese Lunar New Year. An artistic Monkey King appears in a window at the Macys State Street in Chicago to mark the Chinese New Year. [Photo/Xinhua] Chicago is filled with joy and festivity as it celebrates China's Lunar New Year, with lots of decoration and activities featuring monkey in the city, which aims to boost its attraction to Chinese visitors. Entering China's Year of Monkey, it is easy to find images of monkey in Chicago, the third largest U.S. city that Mayor Rahm Emanuel aims to make as the top destination in the U.S. for Chinese New Year celebrations. No one can find more monkeys elsewhere than in Bloomingdale's on the Magnificent Mile, where tens of paper-cut monkeys hang high along the top-end store's major aisles, and porcelain monkeys either wear a sunglass or carry a bag to greet customers. Bloomingdale's is not the only shopping mall that has monkey as decoration. Macy's, a U.S. chain retailer, granted a prized window for the Chinese Ministry of Culture to install a red face of "Monkey King" in Beijing opera. Passers-by are fascinated by the monkey who keeps winking at them. The retailers certainly do not stop at having monkeys as decoration. Bloomingdale's is giving out Chinese New Year red envelopes and KatCheung Monkey bags to customers. Customers are also getting coupons with face values of 8, 88 and 888 dollars, as "eight" sounds like enrichment in Cantonese Chinese. The Art Institute of Chicago Monday has kicked off its 2016 Chinese New Year celebration with the theme of "Monkeying Around." Monday takes the 9th place on the Chinese zodiac circle of 12 animals. The museum is offering Chinese language tour guide books, standard Chinese Audio Guide and Chinese food at its cafe during the holiday season. Depression is still the most misunderstood of illnesses Updated: 2016-01-11 07:58 By Chang Kwun - Hei(HK Edition) Nov 11, 2015 - "HKU medical professor found hanging in flat". Oct 29, 2015 - "Pregnant woman with two young children jumps to death in Mong Kok". Sept 14, 2015 - "Mother who battled depression for 10 years " These are some of the newspaper headlines from the past three months in Hong Kong. Undoubtedly they are just the proverbial tip of the iceberg, as many more less dramatic suicides went unreported. But there seems to be incontrovertible evidence of at least one suicide case per month due to depression. These deaths show a clear link between depression and suicide. Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists spokesman Chan Lap-kei has said these tragedies highlight the prolonged shortage of psychiatrists in public hospitals. The city is short of around 400 psychiatrists when measured against World Health Organization standards. This acute shortage of mental health professionals at public hospitals is forecast to continue for 20 years. The intake of students to study Master of Science in Clinical Psychology at both the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong is limited to 19 students respectively per year. What is the reason for such restrictions on the course when the city is so short of mental health professionals? The only reason I can think of is that we do not fully understand depression and underestimate the negative impact of mental disorders. "You do not want to go to the toilet, you do not want to make yourself food. It is so terrifying," said one of my patients. "It is not nice to have people thinking that I am a mental case or a failure. You won't understand the feeling. Only someone who has had it knows how paralyzing depression can be. Every day, I have gone through death with this disorder," my patient added. There is a one-in-four chance that depression will affect you at some stage in your life. It is bad enough to get it, but the stigma can make you feel much worse. There is a significant number of people who are suffering from depression, yet so many people will feel the need to hide it. Why? It is because of its stigma. People with depression are judged to be weak, or mentally unbalanced. Others have gone so far as to deny the existence of such illness. For those not able to see depression as an illness, it is important for them to see what is actually happening inside the head. The part of the brain responsible for memory and emotion is the hippocampus. Neuroimaging shows the hippocampi in depressed people behave differently than those in people without the illness. There has been research to show that depression does not only affect how the brain works but actually has an impact on the structure of the brain, and these changes can be seen through brain imaging. The hippocampus is a brain area that has been most recently found to be smaller in people with depression. Another brain area, the amygdala, is also found to behave differently in depressed people. The amygdala is a tiny area of our brain. Research scientist Catherine Harmer of the Oxford Centre for Brain Research took a sample of depressed people and showed them negative images as she was scanning their brain. Her results show that depressed people's brains exaggerate negative images. Many experts are already showing evidence that science can detect little changes in the brain in depressed people, and yet there are still many very educated people questioning whether depression actually exists and remaining completely ignorant about its manifestations. Some commentators even described it as a designer illness, using phrases like "depression is the new black". In the past, people with depression were called lunatics. But now, the people who do not recognize depression should be called lunatics. Depressed people are not crazy, they are just sick with an illness that is mostly controllable, if not curable - but which potentially can lead to tragic consequences if left untreated. The author is a UK-qualified neuropsychologist with years of experience in treating mental illnesses, including depression. (HK Edition 01/11/2016 page9) The wreckage of a carriage is pictured at the site of two crashed trains near Bad Aibling in southwestern Germany, February 9, 2016. At least 10 people died after two trains collided in the southern German state of Bavaria on Tuesday, a police spokesman said, adding about 100 people were also injured. [Agencies] BERLIN -- A wrong decision of a dispatcher is supposed to be the reason for the train collision which killed at least 10 people in the southern German state of Bavaria on Tuesday morning, German media reported. A railway worker suspended the automatic signal system exceptionally, in order to "wave through" a belated train set, German newspaper Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung quoted investigators. However, the train set did not make it in time to a meeting point where the single-track line is expanded to double track, said the report. So far, one person is still missing in the train wrecks, while 17 people were seriously injured, according to local police and media reports. A police spokesman confirmed on Tuesday chances were small for the person missing in the train wrecks to survive. About 150 people were onboard the two trains when they collided head-on at around 6:40 am local time (0540 GMT) in Bavaria. S.Korea shuts down joint factory park with DPRK (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-02-10 16:29 SEOUL - South Korea on Wednesday announced a plan to completely stop operations at a jointly run factory park with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over Pyongyang's recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. Unification Minister Hong Yong-Pyo told a televised press briefing that the DPRK conducted extremist provocations, including the fourth nuclear test and long-range missile launch, in defiance of repeated warnings from the international community. The DPRK launched a rocket on Sunday to deliver an observation satellite into orbit after testing what it claimed was its first H-bomb on Jan. 6. Pyongyang is banned under UN Security Council resolutions from testing any ballistic missile technology and conducting a nuclear test. Calling the recent moves as an intolerable act and a challenge to peace and stability to the Korean peninsula and the world, Hong said Pyongyang has never shown intention to give up its nuclear and missile programs as seen in the DPRK's recent declaration of plans to continue nuclear and missile tests. No change of this situation would advance the DPRK's nuclear capability and result in devastating disasters, Hong said, expressing worries that the DPRK' nuclear development may lead to a "nuclear domino" in the region. Operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex were stopped again in about two and a half years after the DPRK's withdrawal of its workers led to the suspension for over five months between April 8 and Sept. 15 in 2013. The inter-Korean factory park, where the first product was manufactured in December 2004, was the last remaining symbol of cooperation between Seoul and Pyongyang. About 120 South Korean companies were employing over 53,000 DPRK workers there. A jury weighing the fate of a Chinese-American New York City police officer charged with shooting and killing an unarmed man in a public housing stairwell in 2014 was sent home for the day on Tuesday evening. After hearing instructions from the judge, the 12-member panel deliberated for about an hour Tuesday in Officer Peter Liang's trial. The 28-year-old officer faces manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and other charges in connection with the November 2014 death of Akai Gurley. Before delivering his instructions to the jury, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun dismissed one of two misdemeanor counts Liang faced, saying prosecutors failed to meet their burden of proof in an argument that not rendering medical aid to Gurley in the stairwell was criminal. Prosecutors argue Liang was acting recklessly when his gun went off in the darkened stairwell and then failed to help the dying man. The rookie officer's defense attorney has said it is a "terrible tragedy" and not a crime. He urged the jury to acquit Liang. Liang said that he didn't know anyone was in the pitch-black stairway when he unintentionally fired. The shot ricocheted off a wall and hit 28-year-old Akai Gurley. Liang testified Monday he was patrolling with his gun drawn and his finger on the weapon's side when a noise startled him. He says he "just turned, and the gun went off." Liang faces manslaughter, assault, criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment and official misconduct charges. If convicted of the top charge, he faces up to 15 years in prison. After starting deliberations shortly before 4 pm, the jurors asked for an array of materials, including a copy of the New York Police Department's patrol guide. They will resume deliberations on Wednesday morning. Chinese Ambassador to UK Liu Xiaoming says China's continuous growth benefits UK and the world at a Spring Festival reception hosted by Britain's Labour Party at its head office in London on Tuesday. (Picture provided to China Daily) Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to UK, said China's service sector has, " for the first time in history" contributed to more than half of the country's economic output, and a restructured and resilient economy will power the growth of UK and the rest of the world. Addressing a Spring Festival reception hosted by Labour Party at its head office in London on Tuesday, Liu said 2015 saw a steady growth of 6.9 percent in China and in particular, consumption contributed 66.4 percent and the service sector accounted for 50.4 percent of China's total economy. "This was the first time in history that more than half of China's economic output was from the service sector. This advance was driven by new industries and businesses emerging at a faster pace," said Liu. Labour Party leaders Jeremy Corbyn, Tom Watson, Sonny Leung and other guests attended the reception held on the second day of China's lunar New Year. "A new year brings a new beginning. As we gather to mark this new beginning, we can all be full of expectations for the year ahead," said Liu. "My first expectation is for China's continuous growth. This is important not just for Chinese people. It means China's continuing and potentially greater contribution to the global economy." He said the good news for the UK and the world is that China remains a powerhouse of the world economy, contributing more than a quarter of global growth last year. Liu said 2016 will mark the start of China's 13th Five Year Plan and to achieve high-quality, efficient and sustainable growth, China will follow through five new development concepts, which include innovation, balanced growth, green economy, opening-up and inclusiveness. He said China's economy is resilient and much more potential remains untapped and more space can be opened up for further growth. "China is both confident and capable of advancing structural adjustment. China is able to grow at a medium-to-high rate and inject greater momentum into world economic growth and global development," said Liu. As to Sino-UK relations, he said 2016 is the opening year of the "Golden Era" following President Xi Jinping's successful visit to the UK last October. The two countries announced the building of the China-UK global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st century. "This year, we should build our efforts around fully implementing the outcomes of President Xi's visit and should strengthen high-level exchanges, promote result-oriented cooperation," said Liu. To achieve so, he expected the Labour Party to play an even bigger role in advancing China-UK relations. Last October, during his state visit to the UK, Xi had a fruitful meeting with Corbyn and the shadow cabinet. "Looking into this New Year, we hope to work closely with the Labour Party to build stronger China-UK ties in the era," said Liu. To contact the reporter: fujing@chinadaily.com.cn Chinas Relations With the West: Straight Line Decline There are those who believe China's ongoing Party Congress will bode well for companies that do business in or with China. I am firmly convinced that the opposite is true and that it will used as yet another opportunity by China to show that it will not be cowered by the declining relations and sanctions/counter-sanctions between the United States / EU / Australia / Japan on the one hand, and China on the other. I see China using this Congress to let the world (domestic and external) know that it fully intends to fight back and fight back hard. In other words, this Party Congress will lead to China's decoupling from much of the world accelerating, not slowing down. CASPER, Wyo. State regulators denied an application to dispose of wastewater underground in a significant setback for the proposed Moneta Divide oil and gas project spanning Natrona and Fremont counties. In a 5-0 vote Tuesday, the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission reversed its earlier approval of an aquifer exemption permit allowing up to 10 million barrels of wastewater a day to be pumped into the Madison formation. The commissioners said the analysis presented by Aethon Energy was insufficient to assure the wastewater would be confined to one low-lying area within the Madison formation, and not contaminate other aquifers used for drinking water. Three years ago, the commission approved the injection permit on a split 3-2 vote. Commission member and State Geologist Thomas Drean, and Commissioner Mark Doelger, also a geologist, voted against it. On Tuesday, new Commissioner Tom Fitzsimons, a petroleum engineer, sided with them. The data that went into the reservoir study was short, and in my belief the fact that we have a lack of a containing structure, the assumption that the reservoir is homogeneous, and the freshness of the water, compels me to really not support the application as proposed, Fitzsimmons said. Inputs into the model are simplistic, Dean added, and dont represent the actual geology of the area. That puts too much uncertainty in my mind, he said. State Land Director Bridger Hill and Gov. Matt Mead shifted their votes after hearing the other commissioners. I supported this in the past, relying upon what information we had in the hearing before the commission (in November), and DEQ, Mead said. I have a great amount of respect for the three experts on the commission, and I would be willing to take their lead on this, which would be a change from what Ive voted previously. Drean noted that Aethon could reapply for the permit if the company has data to help its case. In a statement, Aethon executive assistant Mary Hite wrote, "The Commissioners acted on an application submitted by Encana, which was inherited by Aethon Energy in its recent acquisition of the Moneta Divide field. Aethon Energy will review and carefully consider the Commissioners feedback as Aethon begins our own study to determine our strategy for the Moneta Divide field." Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency must also approve use of the permit because the water at the site is clean enough to qualify for protection under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Several environmental groups had opposed using the Madison because of the water quality, noting its potential for municipal and agricultural use. The Moneta Divide project is currently in the midst of an Environmental Impact Statement process, which could be completed as soon as 2017. At the November hearing, Aethon said it was reapplying for the injection permit to satisfy EPA concerns. The company said it was seeking the single injection well permit to increase production for its 820 existing wells, but in the future it hoped to expand the request to include the 4,250-well Moneta Divide project, which could generate upwards of a trillion barrels of wastewater over its lifetime. Aethon said current production is being constrained because only a limited amount of wastewater can be discharged onto the surface. While the company has a new water treatment plant that can process 25,000 barrels of wastewater a day about a million gallons it said it needs a lower-cost option due to current gas prices. (Photo : Reuters) The EU's top trade official, Cecilia Malmstrom (above), earlier this week warned Minister Gao Hucheng of China's Ministry of Commerce that she is about open three more anti-dumping investigations into steel products from China. Advertisement Amid extraordinary moves to force more stringent anti-dumping duties on imported Chinese steel, the European Union (EU) is girding for what many predict to be heated rounds of debate in the coming months as the organization is set to vote on whether or not to grant China the status of a market economy in the World Trade Organization (WTO) before the year is out. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The vote could make a difference to China, which now confronts steel dumping allegations from at least seven EU countries. Market economies, as the term implies, are driven by market forces such as banks, businesses and consumers. Non-market economies, on the other hand, are those in which government institutions can set prices for goods artificially. This often puts them at odds with their more liberalized counterparts in free trade arrangements. Honoring Obligations Part of the WTO's purpose is to provide market economies the tools they need to resolve price disparities set by governments that control non-market economies. These tools include protectionist duties like the anti-dumping tariffs recently levied by the EU against imported Chinese steel. China is seeking recognition as a market economy in the WTO as this would help the country fight such prohibitive trade restrictions. "As a WTO member, China has been honoring each of its legal obligations since its accession, and must be entitled to all WTO rights," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said recently. China joined the WTO in 2001 as a non-market economy. Beijing argues that the WTO accord automatically grants China the status of a market economy by the end of 2016. Europe must decide whether it agrees with that interpretation before the year ends. The US, as expected, has warned that granting China the status of a market economy would amount to "unilaterally disarming" trade defenses against the country. Europe's traditional industries have meanwhile led a campaign to deny China market economy status (MES) -- an effort that has gained some attention in recent months as the European steel industry has stepped up its protests against low cost imported Chinese steel products in EU markets. Louder Protests The European steel association EUROFER insists that unfair competition from Chinese steel manufacturers have caused some 85,000 EU steelworkers to lose their jobs since 2010. The continent's ceramic sector is likewise said to be hurting from the competition brought on by imported Chinese products. Ceramie Unie, a ceramics trade union, has warned that half the sector's workers in Europe -- about 100,000 people -- risk losing their jobs if China is granted MES. The EU's top trade official, Cecilia Malmstrom, earlier this week warned Minister Gao Hucheng of China's Ministry of Commerce that she is about open three more anti-dumping investigations into steel products from China. "In the wake of a worrying trend, I urge you to take all appropriate measures to curb steel overcapacity and other causes aggravating the situation," the Financial Times quotes Malmstrom as saying in a letter to Gao. China, however, is the world's second largest economy, and a significant creditor nation. The American geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor reports that many EU nations would like to appease China to attract future investments. The firm suggests these interests are likely to swing votes in China's favor. Factions within the EU have already begun to emerge ahead of the vote, with Italy leading a group that is likely to vote against recognizing China as a market economy. The UK is expected to lead the camp that backs the change in China's trade status. Stratfor says the EU is likely to grant China MES in the next few months, but some analysts expect a long fight. "Even if the EU starts the legislative process today, it's unlikely to be ready before the 2016 deadline," Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director at the European Center for International Political Economy, told the Financial Times recently. Advertisement TagsChina-EU relations, WTO, China Trade (Photo : Getty Images) A railroad postal service has been launched between Moscow and Beijing to cater for international deliveries. Advertisement International parcels can now be shipped from Beijing to Moscow following the introduction of the Russia-China railroad delivery service, the logistics department of Russian Railways announced on Monday. In a statement, Russian Railway said that currently, international deliveries to Russia are only made by air and road. The railroad delivery service was put up on behalf of the federal post operator Russian Post. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Packages will now travel the world's longest railway line - the Trans-Siberian Railway - built between 1891 and 1916 that connects Moscow with the Far East city of Vladivostok, en route to China, North Korea and Mongolia. Last week Thursday, a statement announced that the very first package from China has been successfully delivered. In an interview with TASS news agency, a Russian Railways Logistics representative said that the railway service could carry over 50,000 tons of mail every year. "A mail train consisting of 18 special mail cars instead of cars hitched to passenger trains will circulate between Moscow and Beijing," Russian Post chief executive Dmitry Strashnov said. Strashnov further stated that the goal is to create a "powerful and reliable logistics route" between Asia and Europe, to link initiative on the development of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The service is part of a strategic cooperation agreement inked between the Russian Railways and China Railways on May 20, 2014, as part of the raft of agreements reached between Moscow and Beijing in an effort to strengthen tighter economic ties. Through the service, package delivery now comes at a lower cost and allows cargo in the same container to be delivered door to door, thus getting rid of additional operations. Furthermore, the railway lines have cut down cargo traffic and shortened delivery times. Advertisement TagsRussia, china, Railroad service, postal service, Trans-Siberian Railroad (Photo : Getty Images) China's food safety and drug conditions significantly improved last year compared with 2014. Advertisement China's industrial watchdog has revealed that the country's food and drug safety conditions improved significantly in 2015, with the number of illegal cases decreasing every year. A report published by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) said last year more than 350,000 illegal food and drug cases were filed in the country - this is 50,000 lesser compared with that in 2014. Furthermore, the government shut down more than 13,000 unwarranted establishments in 2015. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The improvements is the result of an initiative to establish cooperation between food and drug watchdogs and other government sectors, according to CFDA. A recent report by Xinhua said Chinese officials have revealed ways to boost cooperation between administrative and judicial sectors in managing food and drug safety cases. Different sectors including the CFDA, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Supreme People's court and the State Council's executive office of food safety commission have issued a document to the effect. In the past, the country's efforts to combat food and drug safety crimes had been ill-cordinated as different departments had troubles carrying out their responsibilities because of vague rules on case referrals and unspecific assignments during investigations. The new measures drawn up addressed these problems as well as those involved in conducting shared/joint investigation and transferring cases from administrative bodies to police. The CFDA report recommended that public security organs, food and safety watchdogs and judicial officials at all levels create a collaboration scheme in cooperating and publishing case information and should conduct regular meetings to tackle cases. Authorities have also suggested an online information platform so cases can be viewed and followed-up via the Internet. Advertisement Tagsfood safety, drug conditions, China Food and Drug Administration (Photo : Reuters) Speaking before a function of International Fleet Review earlier this week, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (above) made a veiled reference to the South China Sea disputes, telling the audience that "countries must "respect and ensure freedom of navigation and cooperate, not compete." Advertisement The United States and India are considering cooperative naval operations. According to US defense official, the operations may include joint patrols in disputed waters in the South China Sea, a move that is likely to antagonize China. Reuters reports that the US is bolstering its allies in the region to build a united front against Beijing's extensive territorial and maritime assertions in the South China Sea, where it has constructed seven artificial islands in spite of mounting opposition from rival claimants. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement India and the US have increased their military cooperation in the past few years, conducting regular naval exercises in the Indian Ocean. Japan joined the exercises last year. "Freedom of Navigation" The Indian navy, however, has never carried out joint patrols with other countries, and an Indian naval officer told Reuters that there has been no change in that policy. The unnamed US defense official nonetheless claims that both countries have lately discussed joint patrols in the South China Sea, and said Washington and New Delhi officials hope to begin the joint patrols -- which would also cover the Indian Ocean -- within the year. Neither India nor the US has claims in the South China Sea, but both nations have voiced their support for freedom of navigation in the contentious territory, where the Obama administration appears to be stepping up efforts to rally its allies against China's territorial claims. Last year, India announced its intention to explore for oil in the South China Sea in partnership with Vietnam. Beijing opposed the plans, claiming they were "illegal." Speaking before a valedictory function of International Fleet Review earlier this week, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a veiled reference to the South China Sea disputes, telling the audience that "countries must respect and ensure freedom of navigation and cooperate, not compete." "No 'bullying'" US President Barrack Obama is meanwhile said to be preparing a hard-hitting message to China during a summit with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next week. Ben Rhodes, White House deputy national security adviser for communications, says Obama intends to tell ASEAN leaders that maritime and territorial disputes in the South China Sea must be settled peacefully, and not with a big nation "bullying" smaller neighbors. Washington had previously said the two-day summit to be held in California is not an "anti-China" effort. White House officials have, however, made it clear that the disputes in the South China Sea will be among the main focal points of the conference. China is laying claim to almost all of the South China Sea. Its increasingly muscular approach toward its territorial and maritime claims has led to disputes with the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia, each of which has overlapping claims on the waters. Singapore makes no claim over any of the disputed territories, but has in the past expressed concern over China's land reclamation policies. All five are ASEAN member countries. Advertisement TagsTerritorial disputes in the South China Sea, US-China relations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Photo : Getty Images) Amazon is assertively expanding its logistics operations in the mainland as part of its efforts to contain the upsurging cost of shipping. Advertisement Amazon Inc plans to broaden its logistics operation in the mainland, as part of its efforts to contain the increasing cost of shipping billions of packages. The company's plans in China include cargo and customs handling for goods to be delivered in the ports of Japan, Europe and the United States. Experts say the move could enable Amazon offer shipping services to other companies and it will consequently rival with giant companies such as the United Parcel Service Inc and DHL Worldwide Express. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The move also reflects Amazon's strategy to integrate its cloud computer platform Amazon Web Services, which is the fastest emerging unit of the company. The platform was initially introduced to cater to the retail operations of the company, but now, it is hosting data for other establishments American e-commerce company is being put under pressure by Wall Street to bring down its shipping costs, which has skyrocketed by 37 percent in the latest quarter compared with the same period in 2014. Amazon has refused to comment on the issue. Beijing Century Joyo Courier Service, Amazon's Chinese subsidiary, is registered as a freight forwarder, which will handle the legal processes (customs and documentations) involved in transporting cargo out of the country. The subsidiary also applied for a similar specification in November with the Federal Maritime Commission in the USA. Amazon also applied to the Shanghai Shipping Exchange to give its company permit as a shipping broker for 12 routes, such as Shanghai to Hamburg, Germany, and Shanghai to Los Angeles. According to John Manners-Bell, the CEO of logistics anlysis firm Transport Intelligence, Amazon is targeting major gateways and appears to be creating the foundation for a much bigger forwarding operation. As stipulated in the documents that Beijing Century Joyo submitted to the exchange, transporting a 40-foot dry van container from Shanghai to Hamburg will cost clients around $520 to $2,530. The range is relatively the same with rival forwarders, and price is flexible based on volume. Experts are anticipating that Amazon will utilize its new freight forwarder license to offer convenience to Chinese businessmen by transporting their goods to huge hubs where Amazon has storehouses that ships goods to clients. Amazon will deal with all the paper works including selecting of shipping lines and ensuring that cargo trucks are there to pick up the products on the other side. In short, businessmen will only deal with Amazon instead of negotiating with various companies for trucking, storing and shipping. Advertisement TagsAmazon, DHL, Amazon Web Services, shipping cost, Beijing Century Joyo Courier Service (Photo : Getty Images) US President Barack Obama will call on the members of the ASEAN to resolve the South China Sea issue peacefully and not through a bigger nation bullying smaller neighbors in an upcoming US-ASEAN summit to be held in California from Feb. 15-16. Advertisement President Barack Obama will host the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next week and the White House has said he will deliver a tough message to China during the summit that 'bullying' has no place in resolving the disputes in the South China Sea. The White House said on Tuesday that the South China Sea dispute must be tackled peacefully and diplomatically and not with a big nation 'bullying' smaller neighbors. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement A big part of the summit will have Obama address North Korea's 'provocations' as he hosts the members of the ASEAN in California on Monday and Tuesday Feb. 15 and 16 at the Sunnyland estate near Palm Springs, California. Military facilities Obama's deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said the President will reiterate Washington's position that territorial disputes over the international waterway, to which China and other nations from ASEAN have conflicting and overlapping claims, must be resolved through negotiations and within the realm of international law. Rhodes said one of the focal points that will be addressed in the summit is China's continued building of islands and facilities in the disputed waters which the US has repeatedly said could be turned into military use. Although China will not be represented at the summit, Obama's aide said Washington will tackle Beijing's recent actions in the South China Sea. Halt land reclamation "The president will call on all claimants to halt land reclamation, construction of new facilities and to carry out no militarization of outposts in the South China Sea," Dan Kritenbrink, Obama's top Asia adviser, told reporters at a press conference. China is claiming ownership over most of the South China Sea, which is believed to have huge deposits of gas and oil. Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei have overlapping claims over the reefs and islands of the international waterway in which $5 trillion worth of maritime trade passes through the waters yearly. US authorities said Obama will call on the Southeast Asian nations to 'avert all possible efforts to resolve the disputes through one large nation bullying the smaller one.' Freedom of navigation Rhodes also said the summit will highlight the need to uphold freedom of navigation and avoid unnecessary military action in the South China Sea. China was recently angered by a US Navy warship which sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other nations in the South China Sea last month. Reports said the US' incursion was deliberate and intended to counter what Washington deems as China's 'unacceptable' efforts to limit freedom of navigation. US navy warship The US Navy warship that sailed within 12 nautical miles of China's controlled territory was the second such military exercise that Washington has carried out in the disputed waters since last year. Rhodes said the President will also voice concerns over China's repeated test flights on its newly-built airstrip in the Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands. Advertisement TagsUS President Barack OBama, ASEAN, Sunnydale estate in California, Summit, US Navy warship (Photo : Getty Images) Satellite image of the Spratly Island. China's expansion in the South China Sea is expected to be on the top of the agenda during the US-ASEAN conference next week. Advertisement U.S. intelligence Chief James Clapper categorically said to the U.S. senate on Tuesday that he expects China will continue building artificial islands to supports its claim in the disputed South China Sea. This is despite the assurances from the Chinese government that further land reclamation in the South China Sea has been halted. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Foreign experts believe that this statement by the U.S. Intelligence Chief is in fact an acceptance by Washington that recent pressure on China has not garnered desirable results. Beijing''s increasingly assertive posture in the South China Sea is still expected to be one of the talking points in the 'US-ASEAN Summit' in California next week. Last month, U.S Secretary of State John Kerry visited all major ASEAN countries to rally support against China's actions in the South China Sea. China's artificial island controversy Over the past two years, Beijing has dramatically invested in construction activities in South China Sea - specially around Spratly Island, which is also claimed by Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei. All these neighbors share a very frosty relationship over this island and other contentious area of the South China Sea with China. The U.S., in protest of China's expansion in the South China Sea, has conducted two freedom of navigation patrols with warships sailing within 12 nautical miles of China's artificial islands. The last freedom of navigation patrol by the U.S. in the disputed area was carried out last month. China dubbed as 'provocative' and it has expectedly strained the relationship between the two countries. Advertisement TagsSouth China Sea, china (Photo : Getty Images) A health personnel conducts testing of the larvae of the Aedes aegypti. China has confirmed its first case of the Zika virus. Advertisement China has confirmed its first case of the Zika virus in a 34-year-old man who recently travelled to South America, according to Xinhua, citing China's National Health and Family Planning Commission. The man comes from Ganxian county in the eastern province of Jiangxi. Chinese health officials have given little credibility to the chances of the virus spreading because of the winter cold. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement According to the Department of Health in Hong Kong, the man had traveled through the city and Shenzhen on his way back from Venezuela, where he had started to experience symptoms of the virus, such as fever and dizziness. He has been under quarantine in a hospital in his hometown since Feb. 6 and is reportedly recuperating well. Port Health officials in Hong Kong carried out inspections at the airport following the case and conducted reinforced training for boundary control officers. There is an increased risk of the virus to spread locally since the virus-carrying mosquito Aedes Albopictus is present in the city. But so far, there have no reported cases yet. The bureau is currently reviewing the itinerary of the man as he transited throughout the city, Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man told reporters. The zika virus is a mosquito-borne disease and has been associated with birth defects, particularly microcephaly (a condition where babies are born with an abnormally small head and underdeveloped brains). The disease is a big concern for women who are pregnant or are planning to be pregnant. Most people infected suffer only from mild symptoms like fever and skin rash. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the virus an international health emergency. It has rapidly spread in the southern and central parts of America and the Caribbean. Brazil has badly been affected, raising questions about the country's capability to host the upcoming summer Olympics this August. Meanwhile, China has expressed commitment to help fight the virus. Advertisement TagsZika virus in China, Zika virus outbreak, Zika virus, Hong Kong CASPER, Wyo. The bill, Jim Byrd said, was becoming like an old friend. The Cheyenne Democrat had brought marijuana bills to the Wyoming State Legislature before. This year was no different. Four of the pieces of legislation he sponsored, including a minimum wage increase, a marijuana decriminalization bill and a medical marijuana reciprocity bill, all failed to meet the two-thirds vote necessary to introduce non-budget bills during the Legislature's 2016 budget session. The decriminalization bill, Byrd said, would have helped the House look at adjusting state laws to be in line with the new, changing social norms. Hed said earlier that he was happy just to keep the conversation going about marijuana in Wyoming. On Tuesday, thats all he could do. The state representatives bills joined a handful of other pieces of legislation that failed to meet the requirements to advance in the House. Some, like HB14, lived to see another day. Known as asset forfeiture-3, the bill mirrors legislation that the Senate and House passed last year before a veto by Gov. Matt Mead. The legislation would change asset forfeiture practices in Wyoming, where property or money believed to be associated with a crime can be taken by law enforcement without a charge or conviction. The legislation, sponsored by House judiciary chairman Rep. David Miller, R-Riverton, would require a conviction for asset forfeiture. A similar bill, SF 46, is sponsored by the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee. The legislation differs from Millers bill by requiring clear and convincing evidence for asset forfeiture, rather than a conviction. We dont think you should be able to take people's things without a conviction, Miller said. HB18, sponsored by the Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee, also made it past the intro voting threshold. According to the bill, the legislation would prevent state law enforcement officials from helping the federal government in the investigation, arrest or prosecution of people who injure or take grizzly bears and gray wolves. Other legislation faced more of a challenge to make it to the next step. HB72 would have allowed parents to opt their children out of state and federal testing. This is for parent voice and choice when it comes to the educational decisions in their child's lives, the bills sponsor, Scott Clem, R-Gillette, said. The bill failed to pass the intro vote threshold shortly before legislators broke for lunch. The Chocolate Math of it All - v. 9/30/2022 Number of Days Since This Chocolate Bet Started: 5,860 Number of Chocolate Items Eaten: 5,860+ Number of different items combined with chocolate: 371 - from Absinthe to Zucchini) Weight of Chocolate Eaten: ~ 5,860 oz. (366.25 lbs. or 166.12 kg) Total Number of Chocolate Calories Consumed to date: ~ 879,000 (There are, on average, 150 calories in 1 oz. or 28.3 grams of chocolate.) Number of Companies producing chocolate items I've eaten: Approx. 1,592; Number of bean-to-bar makers: 194 Number of Countries where chocolates were made: 66 Number of Pounds of Chocolate Americans Eat: Approx. 11-12 pounds per year; I eat 27 lbs. (more than 12 kg.)/year. Per capita chocolate consumption in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Ireland: 8-9 kilograms (17-22 pounds)/year. Global demand has stayed high, despite economic fluctuations. Cost of all these Chocolates: A lot of money, but worth every penny. Chocolates range from $1 to $20 each. Occasionally I receive gifts or samples. Copyright Information All other product names, logos, trademarks, and product packaging designs belong to their respective owners. Content and photos are by Corinne C. DeBra unless otherwise noted; all photos are posted in low resolution. Copyright (c) 2006-2021 Corinne C. DeBra, Chocolate Banquet (Photo : Frank Yu/Flickr/CC) Chinese pastor Huang Yizi has been released from 'black jail,' where he was detained for the last five months for opposing demolition of crosses. A Chinese pastor who was arrested for protesting against removal of crosses in Zhejiang province has been released from 'black jail', according to China Aid. Pastor Huang Yizi had organized a prayer vigil against demolitions of crosses in China's eastern province, known for its high concentration of churches. He had peacefully protested against the removal of crosses, but was put under criminal detention in September on charges of "endangering national security," and "stealing, spying on, buying or illegally providing state secrets for institutions and people outside the country." The pastor was denied access to a lawyer, but was allowed to return home last week after about five months behind the bars. Previously, Pastor Huang was detained in August 2014 for leading a public prayer vigil in July of the same year, and was charged for "gathering crowds to disturb social order." He was protesting the removal of the cross outside Sjuitou Salvation Church, but police took to using iron batons to beat the crowd, and about 10 people were hospitalized. Onlookers had taken videos of the incident, showing police beating a group of churchgoers who were singing and praying, irrespective of their ages. During that one year, the pastor was interrogated over 100 times, with each session lasting about 6 hours. In a letter published after his release, he said that he used his time at the prison as a Sabbatical where he got an opportunity to share his faith, and reach the prisoners with the gospel. Bob Fu, founder and president of China Aid, told Christian Today that Pastor Huang had faced severe persecution and threats before his release. "We are glad Pastor Huang is released home for Chinese New Year after being arbitrarily detained for five months in a black jail," he said. "Both the previous one year criminal sentence and the past five months detention are absolutely part of political revenge against pastor Huang's public opposition against the barbaric forced demolition of crosses and his effort for organizing true Gospel mission independent of the government controlled religious body, the TSPM [Three Self Patriotic Movement].. I call upon the Chinese higher authorities to hold accountable those abusers of power (in its arbitrary nature of pastor Huang's detention) in Zhejiang and restore justice to pastor Huang." press@cdaily.co.kr - Copyright , #ChinesePastor Terrorists fund jihad with drug money, fight while 'high' on cocaine, amphetamines 10 February, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , | NEW YORK (Christian Examiner) Four members of Hezbollah, the radical Shiite terror group operating in Lebanon and Syria with funding from Iran were arrested in France Feb. 1. The members of the cell weren't connected with the Paris terror attacks in November 2015, but were charged with terrorist activities nonetheless, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). The operatives, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials said, had created a pipeline in which drugs (in particular, heroin and marijuana) flowed west into Europe, while money flowed east to fund terror operations and weapons purchases. The case, which saw the drug trafficking and money laundering reach from the Ivory Coast to Belgium and Latin America, was indicative of a new phase in the drug war where terrorism and drug trafficking are intertwined and where Muslim extremists who normally eschew immoral social behaviors are content to use the drugs at their disposal to further weaken the West and increase their arms caches. Hezbollah is, of course, not the only terror organization using such tactics. The Taliban has also funded its operations with drug money. IS [soldiers] have syringes attached to their clothing so that if they are shot they can give themselves a boost. ... They are high on cocaine and amphetamines. It helps them fight. In January Duetsche Welle reported that while the Taliban has always been good at kidnapping and extortion, such as the exchange of protection money for safety, it is especially good at trafficking drugs. According to the magazine, the insurgents depend on farmers to grow opium poppies and reward them handsomely. Some resist, but for famers who will not grow the drug crop, the Taliban uses threats of violence and intimidation to coerce them into doing so. "They profit not only from drug sales, but also by extracting revenue from various taxes imposed on drugs throughout key trade routes, many of which are located in areas under their control," the magazine concluded. Those who don't farm or who are too poor to pay the Taliban for the protection racket simply disappear, a resident of Helmand Province told the German news magazine. Another source, anonymous for fear of reprisal, told the magazine that the Taliban makes large sums of money from drug traffickers as they help transport the opium. One counter-terrorism expert valued their income at $100-300 million annually. A single United Nations report in 2012 claimed the Taliban collected as much as $400 million in that year. The illegal narcotics trade is at the heart of the Taliban's success. It is for the Islamic State as well, but the organization's response to the illicit drug trade is inconsistent. In January, the UK's Mirror reported the Islamic State had gained a large share in the European marijuana market when it seized control of a smuggling ring anchored in Lazarat, Albania. Most in the town already grew marijuana, but according to the paper police raids on mafia drug farms in 2014 left an opening for the terror group. It recruited heavily among young, nominal Muslims who were already trained in violence and drug smuggling, according to a former intelligence officer, Vladimir Pivovarov. "With new recruits and money, the Mafia in the region is exactly the reason why Muslim extremism is establishing itself in this part of Europe," Pivovarov said. "It wasn't as if the Mafia moved out and Jihadists moved in," another government official said, though he wished to remain anonymous. "What many people fail to understand is that the borders between Albanian Mafiosi and ISIS militants are blurred. Even if the leadership is different, they often use the same people to supply them with illegal weapons, and use the same people for illegal activities whether it's drug running or indeed any of the other illicit activities," he said. ISIS is also participating in drug trafficking from South American cartels. There was virtually no South American cartel presence in the Middle East before 2004, when they began smuggling drugs across the Atlantic by ship and plane. Now, however, the cartels are shipping more than 350 tons of cocaine to the region annually. The cartels flew into private airstrips in the North African desert and trafficked the drugs along thousand-year-old caravan routes. Ironically, Islamic militants who now control the region have provided security and collected windfall profits on the estimated 48 tons of cocaine (worth $1.8 billion) shipped along the routes annually. According to International Business Times, jihadists then used the money from trafficking drugs to buy armored vehicles, surface-to-air missiles and automatic rifles made available in the collapse of Muammar Gaddafi's regime during the Arab Spring in 2012 an effort stoked by U.S. President Barack Obama and then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In some instances, ISIS has burned marijuana fields it has captured in Syria, calling the plant popular in America and Europe "evil." That may be more for show than anything, an act carried out against villagers who oppose their rule. At other times, they've bought the marijuana from farmers on the edges of the territory they wish to control. They then sell the weed to fund their operations. But ISIS and other jihadists are not just trafficking drugs. They're cooking them as well and taking them, according to multiple reports. The Sun, a British tabloid, reported the discovery of an amphetamine factory by Al-Nusra Front rebels in Syria last week. Those rebels, aligned with Al-Qaeda, which is competing with ISIS for control of the region, said the drugs primarily Captagon were being taken by ISIS terrorists. Captagon in its liquid form was the same drug found in syringes in the hotel rooms of the Paris attackers who killed 130 people and wounded dozens more in November. French police, the paper said, believed the attackers were high on the drug which opens the airways, raises the heartrate and increases alertness when they launched the assault. ISIS jihadists are also reportedly high on cocaine and Captagon when they go into battle. In December, a British newspaper reported former British army sniper Allan Duncan, who fought alongside Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Northern Iraq, saw ISIS soldiers dead on the battlefield, each with a syringe as part of his combat gear. "IS [soldiers] have syringes attached to their clothing so that if they are shot they can give themselves a boost," Duncan said. "They are high on cocaine and amphetamines. It helps them fight." In that respect, history is repeating itself. During World War II, Nazi leaders ordered Pervitin, a methamphetamine, to be issued to German soldiers and airmen to keep them alert and awake on the battlefield. The drug also produced in the soldiers a sense of invincibility and euphoria in war. One German soldier wrote in a letter home to his family that he needed more Pervitin. When he took the drug, he wrote, all of his cares seemed to disappear and he was happy. Even the "desert fox," General Erwin Rommel, was said to have taken the drug daily. Use of the similar drug Captagon, though in use by all sides in the conflict in Syria, may explain why ISIS has gained so much territory, so fast and with such ferocity. They are high on 21st-century "chemical courage." One Syrian rebel leader, Imaduldin Hneithel, former head of the Revolutionary Council in Manbej, told an Australian reporter that rebel forces "aren't angels," but it is most often a weapon used by ISIS fighters. Ahmed Thaljeh, another soldier with the Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki brigade, a tribal unit near Aleppo, told the source the drug "helps them fight crazily, [and] attack uncovered against strong positions." "They don't even care about their wounded," he said. Texas governor says crosses on police cars show respect for peace officers by AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The governor of Texas supports police putting cross images on their patrol cars, saying they are part of U.S. historical practices, and symbols of service, his office said last week. Governor Gregg Abbott, a Republican, offered his support for the crosses in a brief filed to the state's attorney general. He was responding to a sheriff's office in Brewster County that received a complaint about images of a Christian cross with a horizontal thin blue line displayed on its patrol vehicles. "In addition to its religious significance, the cross has a long history in America and elsewhere as a symbol of service and sacrifice," Abbott wrote, adding in his opinion, the display does not violate U.S. constitutional provisions preventing the establishment of religion. The governor's office did not respond to a request if Abbott also supported the display of other religious symbols on patrol cars. In addition to its religious significance, the cross has a long history in America and elsewhere as a symbol of service and sacrifice. Abbott said the cross has been used at revered places including the Arlington National Cemetery to honor the sacrifice of members of the U.S. Armed Forces and on military medals. "The symbol of the cross appropriately conveys the solemn respect all Texans should have for the courage and sacrifice of our peace officers," Abbott wrote. At the end of last year, the Brewster County Sheriff asked state officials if his deputies in the sprawling and sparsely populated west Texas county could keep the cross decals displayed on the rear windows of their patrol vehicles. The request followed a complaint by the Freedom From Religion Foundation which called on the sheriff to remove the crosses, arguing no government official has the right to promote his or her religious belief on government property. "Whether it is a cross, a star and crescent, or a pentagram, law enforcement must remain neutral on matters of religion in order to foster public confidence in their impartiality," the nationwide group that promotes the separation of church and state, said in a statement. The Freedom From Religon Foundation also objected to the Childress Police Department practice of placing the motto, "In God We Trust," on its law enforcement vehicles. Childress Police Chief Adrian Garcia, in September 2015, responded to the complaint with four words, "Go fly a kite." [With additonal reporting by Christian Examiner.] At a press conference today in downtown Chicago, Wheaton College president Philip Ryken and professor Larycia Hawkins addressed their reconciliation and her departure. Meanwhile, back on the school's suburban campus, a small group of students, alumni, and others disappointed with the outcome staged an Ash Wednesday protest and launched a Lenten fast of "embodied solidarity." Followers of the Illinois school's "same God" controversy were surprised by weekend announcements that provost Stanton Jones had withdrawn his recommendation that Hawkins's tenure be revoked, yet the associate professor of political science would still be leaving Wheaton after nine years of service. In recent weeks, many faculty asked Wheaton to drop its attempt to fire Hawkins over whether her views on Islam fit the school's faith statement. At today's press conference, which emcee C. J. Hawking, executive director of Arise Chicago, described as a "historic moment filled with grace and filled with reconciliation," Wheaton faculty, students, alumni, and observers received few additional details. Ryken described Wheaton's community as "a place of grace where relationships are marked by hope, courage, honesty, repentance, and reconciliation." He praised Hawkins for "her membership in our community and her sincere faith in Jesus Christ." Ryken said he was "saddened by the brokenness we have experienced in our relationship and the suffering this has caused on our campus and beyond," and was "grateful to come to a place of resolution and reconciliation ... by Jesus Christ." "We are moving on in genuine friendship," he said, "trusting ... 1 For all the discussion about America becoming a post-Christian nation, Americans have a hard time electing presidents who arent Christian. Perhaps the closest weve come in recent years to a president outside of the Christian tradition was Mitt Romney, and many Christian leaders argued against voting for Romney because of his Mormonism. This election cycle, one distinctly non-Christian candidate is proving to be a serious challenge to Hillary Clintons once certain Democratic nomination: Bernie Sanders. A Washington Post article on Sanders religious views revealed that he believes in the idea of God only in the most vague and inconsequential sense: To me, it means that all of us are connected, all of life is connected, and that we are all tied together. This concept of deity combined with his emphasis on living ethically suggests that Sanders is functionally a humanist, a conclusion Jennifer Michael Hecht draws in her recent article for Quartz. Hecht argues that Sanders may be precisely the kind of president we need to govern our divided country. We need a president, the logic goes, not driven by particular religious motives but by universal ethics, unity, and compassion. Citing a number of stats that show a rise in non-religious people in America, Hecht implies that a secularizing country needs a secular leader. This poses an important question for Christians: Given the changing demographics of our country, and the increased tensions between Christians and more secularized forces in our country over issues like same-sex marriage and abortion, what kind of leader is most equipped to navigate these tensions? Should we elect a secular leader, hoping that he or she can arbitrate ... 1 Note: The Liturgical Year in Cinema is an ongoing series, a personal exploration of the thematic connections between the Christian calendar and films. February 10 marks the celebration of Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, the season of preparation for Easter, and time for reflecting upon our own mortality and our need for repentance. The dead man pulls himself out of the grave. Spittle flies from his mouth and mixes with the surrounding snow as he crawls through slush, grime, and blood. Hes been left for dead, abandoned by his companions in the wintry North American wilderness after his narrow survival of a vicious bear attack. He wanders through the wilderness, driven by vengeance. The Revenant was recognized this year as an immersive, visceral cinematic experience. We follow Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) on his journey across the beautiful-yet-brutal landscape. Revenant means a person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead. Glass is hounded by death, as everything in his environment seems bent on trying to kill him. The surrounding creation is cold, both physically and emotionally, uncaring about his plight for survival. Nearly every human being he encounters along the way attempts to kill him. The lone Native American who helps Glass is hung by French trappers with a sign around his neck: We Are All Savages. Death triumphs over mercy in this savage world. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu shoves our faces in the violence and depravity of it all. Death is inevitable for every human being; it surrounds us, and we cannot escape it. The Revenants thematic twin is Joe Carnahans 2012 survival film, ... 1 Priests for Life Launches 'SupremeCourtVictory.com' -- Prayer Campaign Continues Against HHS Mandate Contact: Leslie Palma, Priests for Life, 347-286-7277 NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Priests for Life has launched a new web domain for its prayer campaign for success at the United States Supreme Court. SupremeCourtVictory.com will lead visitors to ten prayers that focus on various aspects of religious freedom, and the need for the People of God to defend that freedom against the unjust "HHS Mandate," based on Obamacare. This mandate tries to force groups like Priests for Life to include abortion-inducing drugs and other objectionable services in its health insurance coverage for its employees. Priests for Life's federal lawsuit challenging the mandate is one of seven cases now being heard by the US Supreme Court. Oral arguments are on March 23. "We are asking the other plaintiffs in the six cases that will be heard with ours, as well as all those who have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in our favor to help us promote this prayer campaign, so that all citizens can unite with us in prayer for religious freedom," Father Pavone said. "The Supreme Court's decision in this case will be one of the major events in 2016 and it will greatly impact the pro-life movement. A major response of prayer is essential." Priests for Life as an organization is challenging the mandate, and Father Pavone, Janet Morana, executive director, and Dr. Alveda King, director of African-American Outreach, are additionally challenging the mandate as named plaintiffs. The seven consolidated cases at the Supreme Court are as follows: 14-1418 ZUBIK, DAVID A. ET AL. V. BURWELL, SEC. OF H&HS, ET AL. 14-1453 PRIESTS FOR LIFE, ET AL. V. DEPT. OF H&HS, ET AL. 14-1505 ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP V. BURWELL, SEC. OF H&HS, ET AL. 15-35 E. TX BAPTIST UNIV., ET AL. V. BURWELL, SEC. OF H&HS 15-105 LITTLE SISTERS, ET AL. V. BURWELL, SEC. OF H&HS, ET AL. 15-119 SOUTHERN NAZARENE UNIV., ET AL. V. BURWELL, SEC. OF H&HS, ET AL. 15-191 GENEVA COLLEGE V. BURWELL, SEC. OF H&HS, ET AL. The primary sponsors of this prayer campaign are Priests for Life and the National Pro-life Religious Council, and they are joined by a coalition of 43 national and pro-life groups, including: American Life League, American Values, Americans United for Life, Americans United for Life Action, Anglicans For Life, California Civil Rights Foundation, Catholics Called To Witness, CEC For Life, Citizens for a Pro-life Society, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, Couples for Christ Foundation for Family and Life, Evangelical Church Alliance, Expectant Mother Care, Faith and Action, Faithful Catholic Citizen, Gospel of Life Ministries, Heartbeat international, Hispanics for Life, Human Life Alliance, JillStanek.com, Life Coalition International, Life Issues Institute, LifeNews, LifeSiteNews.com, Lutherans for Life, MO Blacks for Life, National Black Pro-Life Union, National Clergy Council, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, National Life Center, National Pro-life Center, Operation Rescue, Presbyterians Pro-Life, Pro-Life Action League, Pro-Life Action Ministries, Rachel's Vineyard, Sidewalk Advocates for Life, Susan B. Anthony List, The Children First Foundation, The Heidi Group, The Justice Foundation/Operation Outcry, Tubman Truth, WallBuilders. Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org. Christ for all Nations Gospel Crusade in Bouake, Ivory Coast BOUAKE, Ivory Coast, Feb. 10, 2016 / The country is about 40% Muslim and only around 30% are Christian. There are numerous animists and followers of ancient cults, but the ministry remained expectant that the Ivory Coast would be saved. The crusade was a huge triumph for the Kingdom of God. By the second night of the crusade, the crowd had more than doubled. Not only did many people surrender their lives to Christ in Bouake, but there were also many people healed. A miraculous testimony was presented from a man who attended the first night of the crusade. He had been paralyzed for seven years! Evangelist Kolenda recounted, "As I prayed for the sick, he said he lifted his hand and it began to shake. He didn't understand what was happening to him and suddenly he collapsed under the power of the Holy Spirit. Then he heard me say that he should get up and walk. He tried to move his leg and realized it felt very 'light.' He tried the other leg and it was also moving. He stood to his feet and began to walk for the first time in seven years!" In addition to the paralyzed man's miracle, countless other people experienced healing as well. A woman who was born deaf and mute could both hear and speak, a mad man came to his right mind, and a woman who was experiencing kidney failure reported that her kidneys were healed as confirmed by her physician. Similar to the many victories of the crusade itself, the Fire Conference, which was held for the pastors and church leaders of the surrounding area, was also a huge success. Close to 10,000 delegates attended the Fire Conference. On the final morning of the conference, there was a prayer for the local pastors and church leaders to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Evangelist Kolenda commented after the conference, "I believe a spark of revival has been lit here in Bouake, Ivory Coast, that will continue with the local Body of Christ long after we've gone." Share Tweet Contact: Lori Bell, 918-760-2039BOUAKE, Ivory Coast, Feb. 10, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Evangelist Daniel Kolenda of Christ for all Nations (CfaN), together with Peter van den Berg, recently completed a four-day crusade in Bouake, Ivory Coast. On the first day of the crusade, Evangelist Kolenda commented that he had already "fallen in love with Bouake."The country is about 40% Muslim and only around 30% are Christian. There are numerous animists and followers of ancient cults, but the ministry remained expectant that the Ivory Coast would be saved.The crusade was a huge triumph for the Kingdom of God. By the second night of the crusade, the crowd had more than doubled. Not only did many people surrender their lives to Christ in Bouake, but there were also many people healed. A miraculous testimony was presented from a man who attended the first night of the crusade. He had been paralyzed for seven years! Evangelist Kolenda recounted, "As I prayed for the sick, he said he lifted his hand and it began to shake. He didn't understand what was happening to him and suddenly he collapsed under the power of the Holy Spirit. Then he heard me say that he should get up and walk. He tried to move his leg and realized it felt very 'light.' He tried the other leg and it was also moving. He stood to his feet and began to walk for the first time in seven years!"In addition to the paralyzed man's miracle, countless other people experienced healing as well. A woman who was born deaf and mute could both hear and speak, a mad man came to his right mind, and a woman who was experiencing kidney failure reported that her kidneys were healed as confirmed by her physician.Similar to the many victories of the crusade itself, the Fire Conference, which was held for the pastors and church leaders of the surrounding area, was also a huge success. Close to 10,000 delegates attended the Fire Conference. On the final morning of the conference, there was a prayer for the local pastors and church leaders to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Evangelist Kolenda commented after the conference, "I believe a spark of revival has been lit here in Bouake, Ivory Coast, that will continue with the local Body of Christ long after we've gone." UNC excavation crew in Galilee region of Israel uncover first known depictions of biblical heroines An excavation team in Israel has discovered the first known depiction of two biblical heroines from the Old Testament. World to reach 8 billion people in November, India to unseat China as most populous in 2023: UN By Nov. 15, the worlds population is projected to reach 8 billion, and by 2023, India is projected to surpass China as the worlds most populous country, according to a new report from the United Nations. Single, non-religious young adults are most unhappy Americans post-COVID-19: report Young adults under 35 who are single and non-religious report the highest levels of unhappiness since the COVID-19 pandemic began and since 1972, when the General Social Survey began measuring levels of happiness among Americans, a new analysis from the Institute of Family Studies suggests. Wyoming regulators approved new rules aimed at curbing methane emissions from oil wells on Tuesday, disappointing environmentalists, who argued the measure lacked the provisions needed to curtail releases of the power greenhouse gas, and winning praise from industry, which said the plan would improve the states understanding of oilfield air quality. The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commissions 5-0 vote in favor of the new regulations took place under far different circumstances than when proposals to limit methane emissions were first floated in 2014. Oil production in Wyoming was booming at the time, raising concerns over the potential public health and environmental dangers poised by increased drilling. Today, the states oilfields are largely silent following a 70 percent collapse in the price of crude. Commissioners acknowledged the change in comments before their vote but said the measure would improve data collection on methane emissions from oil wells. Companies now report total emission levels, but they do not identify what type of gas is being released or how it is being disposed of. The new rules will require operators to say what is being emitted and whether it is being vented or flared. Venting is the practice of releasing raw gases into the atmosphere. Flaring, the process of burning off many pollutants in a wells gas stream, is generally thought to be the less hazardous of the two disposal strategies. Although this is a painful time for the industry, I think now is a great time for folks to get their plans together for when drilling picks up, said Tom Drean, Wyoming state geologist and a commission member. I think this particular rule, with the plans that are required, would help fill that gap. Industry representatives hailed the move. Many assume methane comprises all flaring and venting emissions, said John Robitaille, vice president for the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. But in many cases the volumes being reported include harmless gases. Emissions from the top flaring and venting well in Wyoming during 2015, which comprised around 20 percent of the states annual total, were almost entirely made up of nitrogen, according to state regulators. We really dont know what is accurate," Robitaille said. My hope is we will get a more accurate handle of what is going on. Environmentalists said the rule falls short of measures considered by other oil and gas producing states and the federal government. North Dakota has a prohibition on venting while the U.S. Bureau of Land Management recently proposed a similar ban. The Wyoming rule lowers the daily venting limit from 60,000 cubic feet of gas to 20,000 cubic feet. The 20,000 cubic foot threshold was perhaps the biggest change from the draft rule, which had called for a 30,000 cubic foot standard. We had hoped the Commission would raise the bar at least to the level that North Dakota has and outright prohibit the antiquated and dirty practice of venting with a narrower exception carved out for only those wells that technically have no other choice, said Amber Wilson, environmental quality advocate at the Wyoming Outdoor Council, a conservation group. The new rule leaves flaring thresholds unchanged. Operators will still be required to apply for a permit if daily flare volumes exceed 60,000 cubic feet. Wyoming oil and gas companies reported flaring and venting volumes of 5 billion cubic feet in 2014, according to a Star-Tribune review of state figures. Flaring volumes for 2015 are a matter of some dispute given the volumes reported by the top flaring well. Industry argues it should not be counted because the majority of the wells emissions were nitrogen. That would bring Wyomings total to 4.6 billion cubic feet for the year. Environmentalists say the state lacks the data to show the wells emissions should not be counted. If the wells total were included, Wyoming flaring and venting volumes would equal roughly 5.8 billion cubic feet. Can the Church save the planet? Green energy shows the way Churches across the UK are being encouraged to swap their homes and churches to renewable energy. The call has gone out from two leading aid agencies, Christian Aid and Tearfund, but rather than leave it at an appeal to churches' better nature, they've set up a system to make it happen. Working with established provider 2buy2, the Big Church Switch aims to get churches switching to renewable energy providers in a way that's straightforward and secures them the best possible deal. Set up seven years ago by Christian procurement professional Rob Kissick, 2buy2 works by negotiating directly with suppliers on behalf of the churches, charities and other organisations that sign up with it. Because it has around 12,000 users, it's able to negotiate bulk discounts on products and services ranging from insurance to photocopiers and other office products and energy. For Christian Aid and Tearfund, this is a model that has the power to deliver real, noticeable change in how the Church puts its principles into practice. At present, power stations generate around a quarter of all the UK's emissions of the gases that cause climate change. The charities are convinced thousands of people across the UK can be persuaded to switch their homes and churches to electricity from renewable sources, and that this can send a strong signal about the Church's commitment to creation care. Among those using 2buy2 are the Methodist Church and the Quaker movement. However, the Big Church Switch, launched today, is a new departure. Kissick told Christian Today he hopes to get 5,000 churches signed up within three months, which could provide them with massive buying power. And it does sound simple. Visitors to the Big Church Switch website are invited to register their church's interest or their own and then get a confirmation email with simple forms to fill in. 2buy2 then sorts out the best deal for them and provides them with a quotation. The switch takes place when the current contract is up and the new contract is with the supplier, not with 2buy2. For Kissick, it's fundamentally about releasing money for mission. "The Church does not buy well," he says. "We're keen to support as many churches as we can." According to the Bishop of Salisbury, Nicholas Holtam, who leads on environmental issues for the Church of England, "The Big Church Switch is a simple, practical, good idea. It supports the move to renewable energy. If Lent is about renewing our lives in response to the love of God here is a way to follow. You can do it, and so will I." However, for Christian Aid's Head of Advocacy, Laura Taylor, it's just a step on the way. "The public want clean energy and are willing to take action themselves by switching suppliers," she says. "But to make the big shift to a low carbon future happen, individuals and communities can only do so much before it's up to the Government to change the whole system and drive the energy market to 100 per cent clean energy. So today we're saying to the Government: we're switching to low carbon energy, now you must switch the country's energy from fossil fuels to renewables." A step on the way it may be, but it could be a very considerable step. There are around 50,000 Christian congregations in the UK and millions of church members. A scheme such as this, if it's really taken to the Church's heart, could involve a substantial number of those. If green energy from wind, solar and hydro power becomes the default choice for Christians, individually and as churches, it helps create a commercial pressure for change, not just an ideological pressure. More revenue for green energy companies means more investment and research, which leads to more progress. It's possible to imagine a future in which fossil fuels are gradually out-competed and the Church could be part of that. Christians targeted in Baghdad by Iran-backed militia Christian properties have been seized in Baghdad by Iranian-backed militia, according to members of the Iraqi parliament. The militia targeted houses, businesses and cultural sites including churches, forcing individuals to leave their homes and forfeit their possessions, AINA reports. Christian political and community leaders have condemned the attacks, with the Chaldean Patrick of Iraq saying they were a form of ethnic cleansing aiming to rid Baghdad of Christians. "Their claim is that the property of a non-Christian is halal, meaning it can be seized," Chaldean Patriarch Louis Saco said in an interview with Al Hayat. "We are begging, once again, appealing to the conscience of government officials and authorities from Sunni and Shiite states in order to do something meaningful to safeguard the life and dignity and property of all Iraqis, because they are human," Saco said. Dr Walid Phares, an advisor to members of the US Congress, accused the US government of effectively backing and funding the cleansing of Christian minorities in Iraq through partnering with Iran. He told The Foreign Desk that releasing funds to the Iranian regime had allowed them to back these militia targeting Christians in Iraq. The Middle Eastern country is considered to be one of the oldest homes to Christianity with communities concentrated in Baghdad, Erbil, Basra and many other towns including Mosul until the rise of ISIS forced many to either leave or be killed. According to Saco, there are now no Christians left in Mosul for the first time in Iraq's history. First Catholic service in centuries takes place at Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace With clouds of incense and exquisite choral music, the first Roman Catholic service for more than 450 years was last night celebrated in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. The Chapel Royal lies at the heart of the Tudor residence of King Henry XVIII who was responsible for the Church in England's breach with Rome. Every one of the chapel's 300 seats in the wooden stalls and boxed pews was taken for the service, which was mostly in Latin. The Genesis Foundation and the Choral Foundation jointly organised the historic Vespers, the first Latin Rite of the Catholic Church to be celebrated at the Chapel Royal since the 1550s. As a "Royal Peculiar", the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace falls under the personal jurisdiction of the Queen. Hampton Court Palace was built by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey on the site of the chapel of the Knights of St John Hospitaller. The Vespers service was dedicated to St John the Baptist in recognition of its origins. In the early 16th century the chapel was taken from Wolsey by the King and rebuilt, to include on his orders one of its most striking features, the blue and gold carved and star-studded ceiling. Harry Christophers and his ensembles, The Sixteen and Genesis Sixteen, performed some of the oldest and most beautiful choral music in the song book, including Thomas Tallis' Magnificat, William Cornysh's Salve Regina and John Taverner's "Leroy" Kyrie. Before the service, Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Bishop of London Richard Chartres took part in a public "conversation" on "Faith and the Crown" in the Great Hall at Hampton Court, debating the relationship between the Church and state and the role of Christianity in society. Bishop Chartres told Archbishop Nichols: "Welcome home, Cardinal." Cardinal Nichols described Catholics as a "significant minority". Bishop Chartres said: "Of course, we're all minorities now." They also spoke about conflicts in Europe of the 16th and 17th centuries, secularisation and contemporary religious violence. Bishop Chartres, who is among the most erudite of the English bishops and who is particularly expert on Orthodox Christianity, said Christian unity would come through the Churches finding common cause as they "look together" at the problems facing humanity rather than focusing on their differences. Henry VIII broke with Rome after Wolsey failed to secure his annulment from Catherine of Aragon. Henry's third wife Jane Seymour gave birth to his only son Prince Edward at Hampton Court. His fifth wife Catherine Howard is said to haunt the palace, where she had faced accusations of adultery. The King married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court. The last Catholic service took place at Hampton Court during the reign of Henry VIII's daughter, Queen Mary I. Michele Price, of the Choral Foundation, said: "The Chapel Royal at Hampton Court played centre stage to the religious changes in the 16th Century. Its musicians and composers met the challenge of serving the spiritual needs of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, by producing new and beautiful music and in so doing became "the cradle of English church music. This historic occasion enabled us to explore our rich heritage and bring together Christian traditions as we celebrate 500 years of Hampton Court Palace." John Studzinski, founder and chairman of the Genesis Foundation, said: "We need to recognise that we have more in common than not. I'm therefore delighted that the Genesis Foundation is enabling the Catholic and Anglican churches to engage in dialogue on this site that is so rich in history, both theological and musical. It will be an unforgettable occasion and is genuinely one for the history books." Signs that division is still a reality however were visible before the service, when ten people from the Protestant Truth Society protested with placards outside the Palace, which is on one of the most beautiful stretches of the Thames just outside London. 'Here am I Lord, use me': Holy Spirit convinced Ted Cruz to run for president, his dad reveals Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz decided to run for president after he felt the Holy Spirit urging him to do so during an intense prayer session, his father, Pastor Rafael Cruz revealed. Speaking on Dove TV recently, the elder Cruz said at the culmination of six months of prayer, the family held a two-hour prayer session where his son Ted felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in the room, Raw Story reported. "We all were at awe," Rafael Cruz said. "And Ted, all that came out of his mouth, he said, 'Here am I Lord, use me. Here am I Lord, I surrender to whatever Your will for my life is.' And it was at that time that he felt a peace about running for president of the United States." Ted Cruz won the Iowa caucus on Monday night, upsetting Donald Trump, who had led in pre-caucus polls and even in Monday's exit polls. Rafael Cruz also spoke to WND to explain further his son's motivation in seeking the highest office in the land. "For many years, the church has been absent from the political process," he said. "Surveys that [Christian pollster] George Barna has done show that nearly half of all evangelicals don't even vote. So when that happens, of course, you're going to have a situation where too many people say, 'Politics is a dirty business, I don't want a part of it.' "But if the people of principle don't vote and don't run for office," he asked, "what is left? People without principle voting for people without principle, and we get what we deserve." Rafael Cruz said his son defied the polls and pundits to win the first contest in the Republican primaries by "empowering the faithful." "What I think is happening is the sleeping giant is waking up," he said. "What we are seeing are millions and millions of conservatives, of evangelicals, beginning to wake up. And I think the catalyst for that was the June 26, 2015, Supreme Court decision that tried to redefine marriage. Because it was much more than that; it was a direct frontal attack on religious liberty." The GOP candidate's father said he believes the action taken by the Supreme Court galvanised Christians to make their presence felt in this year's election. He said this explains the record turnout in the Iowa GOP caucuses. His son appealed strongly to these voters, emphasising that he shared their values. "The Body of Christ is waking up, and they are coalescing around my son," he said. Iowa caucus results: Trump defeated by Ted Cruz, Clinton and Sanders tie US Senator Ted Cruz soundly defeated billionaire Donald Trump in Iowa's Republican nominating contest on Monday, upending the party's presidential race and creating a three-way competition with establishment candidate Senator Marco Rubio. A conservative lawmaker from Texas, Cruz won the first state Republican contest with 28 percent of the vote in Iowa compared to 24 percent for businessman Trump. Rubio, a US senator from Florida, came in third with 23 percent, making a stronger-than-expected finish. On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont came in deadlocked, both receiving roughly 50 percent in a race that was too close to call. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, declared the result a "virtual tie." Cruz's win and Rubio's strong showing could dent the momentum for Trump, whose candidacy has alarmed the Republican establishment and been marked by controversies ranging from his calls to ban Muslims temporarily from entering the United States to promising to build a wall on the US-Mexican border. "Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation," Cruz, 45, said during a victory speech lasting more than 30 minutes. An uncharacteristically humbled Trump, 69, congratulated Cruz and said he still expected to win the Republican nomination. Opinion polls show Trump leading nationally and in New Hampshire, which holds the next nominating contest. "I'm just honoured," Trump said. Unusually large crowds poured into schools, churches and other venues for the so-called caucuses, in which voters gather together to select a candidate. Cruz's well established get-out-the-vote effort helped overcome the enthusiasm from large crowds that have shown up for Trump's rallies. Trump skipped the last Republican debate before the caucus because of a dispute with host FOX News. A Trump adviser said his second-place finish was expected. Iowa has held the first contest in the country since the early 1970s, giving it extra weight in the electoral process that can translate into momentum for winning candidates. Rubio, 44, may benefit from that momentum as much as Cruz, who was buoyed by evangelical support and thanked God for his win. The Florida lawmaker established himself as the mainstream alternative to the two front-running rivals. "Rubio has staying power. He weathered $30 million in negative ads and late deciders broke his way due to his upbeat and optimistic close," said Republican strategist Scott Reed. Clinton sighs, Sanders smiles The results of the Democratic race put pressure on Clinton to siphon support away from Sanders, who has won over politically left-leaning voters with his promises to take on Wall Street and start fresh with healthcare reform. Clinton, 68, said she was breathing a "big sigh of relief" after the results. She lost Iowa to then-Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic race and never recovered. The former first lady congratulated Sanders and did not declare victory in her remarks. Her spokesman Brian Fallon, however, said numbers showed she would emerge with two more delegates from Iowa than Sanders, a victory. Delegates determine the party's nominee at a convention in July. "It is rare that we have the opportunity we do now to have a real contest of ideas," Clinton said with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea joining her on stage. Sanders, 74, declared himself overwhelmed. The lawmaker, who smiled broadly as he addressed supporters, is leading in New Hampshire, home to next week's second contest, but trails Clinton in other states such as South Carolina, which holds the third contest. "Nine months ago, we came to this beautiful state, we had no political organisation, we had no money, we had no name recognition, and we were taking on the most powerful political organisation in the United States of America," Sanders said. Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who had trouble gaining any traction in the Democratic race, suspended his campaign after coming in third in Iowa with 0.6 percent. The 2016 election is shaping up to be the year of angry voters as disgruntled Americans worry about issues such as immigration, terrorism, income inequality and healthcare, fuelling the campaigns of Trump, Sanders and Cruz. Republican establishment candidates more traditional than Rubio did not fare well in Iowa. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush took 2.8 percent, Ohio Governor John Kasich took 1.9 percent, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie took 1.8 percent. Surgeon Ben Carson placed fourth among Republicans with 9 percent while former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said he was suspending his campaign for the party's nomination. Huckabee won the Iowa caucus in 2008. Market reaction in Asia to the results was muted, with US stock futures down around half a percent. "Financial markets might be more comfortable with Hillary (Clinton) than Bernie (Sanders)," said Sean Callow, a strategist at Westpac Bank in Australia. "There would have to be at least some jitters over the guy who plans to break up the big banks. But it's probably too early to expect the US presidential race to have an impact on the US stock market." CASPER, Wyo. Parenting is another chance to live, to see again how big the world looks from 3 feet off the ground. Its remembering that finding the right toy in a Happy Meal can be the difference between a great day and a tough one. And then there are moments when the dream of what a child is capable of feels limitless. That sentiment was clear Monday in Paradise Valley Elementary School's crowded gymnasium during the Chinese New Year Celebration as Wyoming kids sang in Mandarin behind the elaborate mask of Sun Wukong, the clever and wise Monkey King. Its a yearly celebration from the Dual Language Immersion program at Paradise Valley. A chance for the whole school to participate in the cultural exchange that most of the year is contained in the dual language classes. I think its pretty exciting, and I think, you know, Chinese is pretty neat, said Vicky Gopp, grandmother to a kindergartner. Theres a lot of people in the world that speak Chinese. In a brief break between the different class's versions of the Monkey King, Gopp sat in the highest row of the gym bleachers, waiting for her granddaughter, Madison Zeller, to emerge. Gopp knows the value of cultural exchange, she said. As a teacher, she had a Fulbright Scholarship in Japan. Her son lived and worked in Taiwan on a mission trip. At Paradise Valley, parents can choose to enroll their kids in the dual immersion program. Three native Chinese teachers conduct their classes in Mandarin. For kids, this means half a day in the language. The immersion program is in its third year, serving kindergarten through second grade. Next year it will be through third grade, following the first kindergartners to enter the program until their senior year. At least that is the vision of the program, which requires continued funding and community interest. One of the purposes of dual immersion, and one of the benefits, is it exposes our kids to a different culture, said Principal Aaron Wilson. So we celebrate the Chinese New Year, because it is the most important celebration in their culture. Thats where we bring in our traditional track kids, and they get to benefit from it, too. During Monday's celebration, the gym lights were dimmed, and students read the story of the Monkey King over the loudspeaker as a colorful spectacle of dance and drama played out on the court. The story comes from a 16th-century Chinese novel, "Journey to the West," said Paradise Valley music teacher Nathan Gurtler. One of the school's Chinese teachers suggested the story for the celebration of the New Year. Each Chinese year is symbolized by an animal. This is the year of the monkey. Two other teachers, Jane Grogan and Michelle Holden, worked with Gurtler on Monday's program. Gurtler condensed the story of the Monkey King. He simplified it around a central moral. Its about making good choices and showing grace, he said. Sun Wukong is born in stone, and he has many heroic journeys where he learns lessons. In the final act he must choose between revenge and mercy. He chooses mercy. But kids are always just kids, even if they can speak in foreign tongues. In one portion of the show, a little boy with duck fluff blonde hair made his way off the courts and approached his teacher as she conducted a singalong in Mandarin. I have to go potty, he interrupted in a stage whisper. Some chuckled. The other kids kept calling out their parts loudly, impervious to their classmates plight. The teacher leaned forward and spoke to him in Mandarin. It was three sentences, maybe four. He shook his head. He listened. He understood. The kids learn quickly, Wilson said. Seeing those interactions is the payoff for parents after the worry that the dual immersion classes will be too hard or too confusing for their kids. When our kids first come in, they are in culture shock basically, Wilson said. One, they are starting kindergarten, and two, they are starting kindergarten in a foreign language. It takes them some time to get used to what that looks like and what that sounds like. After three to four weeks, that anticipation or that angst goes away. Some kids arent bothered by it at all, theyre not fazed by it. The lights dimmed as another class prepared to enact the story of the Monkey King. Ribbons waved and drums thumped. The cardboard face of an emerald dragon wove its way across the gymnasium floor, followed by six feet clad in bright blue dragon claw slippers, the kind a child wears around the house before bed. A boy's face peered out of the dragons mouth. A gong sounded. Iraqi Christians boycott peaceful coexistence conference, demanding 'concrete change' for religious minorities Iraqi Christians have boycotted a conference organised by the government to promote the peaceful coexistence of religious communities. Other minorities such as Yazidis and Mandaeans also refused to attend the "conference on the protection of peaceful coexistence" which was held on February 7 at the Iraqi parliament, according to Fides. The groups' protest was intended to highlight a gap between rhetoric and action from the government. "What need is there in participating in meetings like this, and repeating the formulas that give the title to the conference, if then one does not see initiatives and changes in concrete terms?" Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Sako told local media. The conference was attended by politicians, diplomats and government ministers and was organised under the patronage of the Presidency of the Parliament and the Sunni Council for religious facilities. However religious groups refused to attend and the Chaldean Patriach told Fides he had launched an appeal for political and religious leaders to denounce the "legal discrimination and sectarian bullying suffered by Christians" which, he says, is ongoing. "We met with government officials, and paid a visit to some of the Islamic religious authorities to talk about what we have in common, with regards to our faiths and the life we share in this land," he told Fides in a letter. "During these meetings, we assured our loyalty to Iraq, which is our country, and we do not seek revenge, we want to live in peace with all Iraqis. "Unfortunately, none of their promises has become reality." Italy arrests priest accused of 'defrauding elderly people out of millions' A Roman Catholic prelate has been arrested for allegedly defrauding hundreds of elderly people out of millions of euros through an elaborate money-laundering scheme, Italian police said on Wednesday. Monsignor Patrizio Benvenuti, 64, originally from Argentina, has been placed under house arrest, and an international arrest warrant has been issued for French financier and property dealer Christian Ventisette, 54, whom authorities have not been able to find, finance police said in a statement. Police said the pair persuaded 300 would-be savers in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the United States and Italy to invest 30 million euros ($34 million), encouraged by the promise of helping a charitable foundation. Contacted by Reuters, Benvenuti said he "substantially rejected" the accusations aimed at him personally. He added that he did not know about finance, suggesting Ventisette had been responsible. "The funds disappeared, but they are not in my pockets or in those of the foundation. They are in the pockets of the person who duped everyone," Benvenuti said. Benvenuti worked at the Vatican's legal tribunal and as a military chaplain before retiring frompriestly duties. The victims thought they were entrusting their savings to finance and property sector experts. Police said they were spurred on by Benvenuti's promise that they would also be helping a charitable foundation he falsely boasted was supported by senior Vatican officials. "He exaggerated the Vatican's support for his foundation," police captain Alessandra Faietti said, adding the organization's statutes referred to a high-ranking archbishop who has denied being involved in its activities. The investigation started after a former nun went to the police saying she had received bank documents showing movements of hundreds of thousands of euros that she could not explain. She said she had signed contracts which gave her titular roles in companies tied to the alleged fraud while living with Benvenuti in Rome. As part of the investigation, police ordered the confiscation of an eight-million-euro villa in Tuscany, and an archaeological site in Sicily. Nine other people are also being investigated in the investigation, which includes charges of alleged tax evasion. Lyme disease news: Scientists discover new species of bacteria that causes disease A new type of bacteria that transmits Lyme disease has been discovered by scientists. The name Borrelia mayonii was given to the newly discovered species in honor of the researchers at Mayo Clinic who helped with the discovery, ABC News reported. The research was a collaborative work of Mayo Clinic, local health departments, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings were reported in the journal The Lancet last week. The bacteria species was identified in ticks found in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin after researchers found six people tested positive for Lyme but exhibit different symptoms. Before this new discovery, Borrelia burgdorferi was the only species of bacteria known to cause the disease in North America. Vanderbilt University Medical Center's infectious disease expert, Dr. William Schaffner, said that modern medical technology has helped researchers understand infectious diseases better. "This was likely a bacteria that was there all the time," Schaffner told ABC News. If it weren't for the new advancement, the disease caused by the new species remains as an "unknown infection." Schaffner went on to say that the findings will be relayed to doctors in different communities as the bacteria cause symptoms that distinguish it from the other types of bacteria. These symptoms include acute nausea and vomiting, and diffuse rashes (as opposed to the "bulls-eye" rashes from B. burgdorferi). The deer tick or black-legged tick remains as the same vector of B. mayonii, researchers said, according to a press release from CDC. But with further bug testing, researchers believe that the species is confined in the upper Midwest. As for the treatment, the CDC reports that patients recovered successfully when given the antibiotic regimen usually used in treating B. burgdorferi-caused Lyme disease. The agency recommends that doctors should follow the same treatment regimen for B. mayonii-infected patients. According to study co-author and CDC microbiologist Dr. Jeannine Petersen, the next step is to continue the research with the help of Mayo Clinic and upper Midwest state health departments. "We plan to continue collaborating with Mayo clinic and state health departments in the Upper Midwest to find more patients infected with this bacteria, to look for additional areas where infected ticks live, and to identify other bacteria that can cause tick-borne disease," Petersen told CBS News. New Western Wall plans will damage ancient site, Netanyahu warned Breakthrough plans to expand a mixed-gender prayer section along Jerusalem's historic Western Wall have faced another setback after leading archaeologists warned the suggestions would damage the site. Nine senior Israeli archaeologists signed a letter warning Prime Minister Netanyahu that the "diamond in Jerusalem's archaeological crown" must not be harmed, according to Israel Radio. The protest is another stumbling block in plans to extend an existing area south of the main Western Wall prayer site by creating a plaza over the Temple ruins in an area known as Robinson's Arch. Signatories to the protest letter include Dan Bahat, who excavated the Western Wall tunnels; Ronny Reich, head of the Archaeological Council of Israel who exposed part of the paved road beneath Robinson's Arch; Jerusalem Prize winner Gabriel Barkay, who directs the Temple Mount Sifting Project; and Israel Prize laureate Amihai Mazar. However the plans have been approved by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, responsible for archaeological concerns. Until now women were allowed to pray in silence in a small section of the western wall but were forbidden from singing or worshipping aloud and from praying alongside men or in groups. If built, the plan would formalise access to the Western Wall for women's prayer groups and allow them to pray with men. This is not the first time a spoke has been driven into the wheels of the plans, which would end a decade-long struggle between Reform, Conservative and ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups over prayer rights at the wall. One day after the plans were announced, Palestinian Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs Youssef Ideiss warned Israel would use the expansion of the non-Orthodox section to carry out archaeological digs and "Judaicize the holy site". The Western Wall is the holiest site where Jews can pray. It is a remnant of the Temple destroyed in AD70, closest to where the Holy of Holies used to be. God's presence, according to Jewish tradition, dwelt within the Holy of Holies. Obama offers prayer for persecuted Christians suffering under 'unspeakable violence' President Obama today said that he will mark Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent alongside his "fellow Christians" in prayer for those who are persecuted around the world. "We pray for all those who suffer, including those Christians who are subjected to unspeakable violence and persecution for their faith," Obama said, speaking on behalf of himself and his wife, Michelle. "Lent is a season of reflection, repentance and renewal, a time to rededicate ourselves to God and one another." He added: "We join millions here at home and around the world in giving thanks for this sacred and solemn season that guides us toward the Easter celebration." Obama has been criticised by conservative voices for not having done enough to protect Christians in the Middle East who are suffering under regimes such as ISIS. The President has also strongly opposed the anti-Muslim rhetoric present in the US, standing against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's proposition to bar Muslim immigrants from entering the country. In an address at the Islamic Society of Baltimore mosque in Maryland last week, Obama said people of all faiths and none must reaffirm a "fundamental truth: we are all God's children, we are all born equally with inherent dignity." "Christians, Jews and Muslims, we are all under our faiths descendants of Abraham, so mere tolerance is not enough. Our faiths summon us to embrace our common humanity," he said. "All of us have the task of expressing our religious faith in a way that seeks to build bridges rather than to divide." Pope tells missionaries of mercy: Abandon the 'cudgel of judgement' Priests must abandon the "cudgel of judgement" when hearing confession, Pope Francis said in a homily to his specially appointed "missionaries of mercy" before their send-off yesterday. The pontiff bemoaned that many abandon confession because they receive scolding or experience unnecessary prying from priests. Over 1,000 men were commissioned to preach about God's mercy during the Catholic Church's Year of Mercy, ending on 20 November. They will be sent to act as confessors for Catholics around the globe. Around 700 attended the official papal mandate on Tuesday where Francis stressed they recognise that people's desire for forgiveness might be obscured by feelings of embarrassment about discussing their sins. "It's not easy to go before another person, knowing he represents God, and confess one's sins," he said. Confessors "aren't called to judge, with a sense of superiority", he said, but should be respectful and encouraging. "Do not forget, there isn't a sin before you, but a repentant sinner." The missionaries of mercy will be given special permission to absolve grave or uncommon sins such as abortion, which are normally dealt with by a bishop. They will travel throughout countries containing the Catholic Church's 1.2 billion flock, visiting places such as the United Arab Emirates, China, Burundi, Israel and Egypt. One priest is travelling far into the Canadian north and another is using a camper van to reach Catholics living in the remote Australian outback. "If you're going to the Arctic, bundle up!" the Pope joked. The missionaries of mercy play an important role in Francis' Year of Mercy initiative to encourage a more welcoming and inclusive approach in the Catholic church. Candidates to be missionaries had to be "inspiring preachers of mercy" and "especially attentive to the difficult situations of each person". Pope to meet group of divorced and remarried Catholics Pope Francis has invited a group of divorced and remarried Catholics to discuss the controversial issue of whether such individuals should be allowed officially to receive Holy Communion at Mass. The group is from the Italian diocese of Fossano and is called L'Anello Perduto, or the Lost Ring, launched in 2008. They have also published a book in 2011 of the same name. The meeting comes shortly before the publication of his document on the family which Pope Francis is writing after the two synods of 2014 and 2015 and is expected in March. Communion for Catholics who have had a civil marriage after divorce emerged as the most contentious subject at both synods. Liberal bishops believe Communion should be opened up to Catholics who are in so-called irregular unions, but conservatives want no change in the rule that remarried divorcees must be barred from Communion unless they have first obtained an annulment. This is on the grounds that Jesus taught marriage is for life. In the current Year of Mercy, campaigners for reform had been hoping that Pope Francis would relax the ban but recent indications are that this might be overly optimistic. He has already changed the rules to make it less difficult to obtain an annulment. "While the outreach certainly confirms Francis' interest in better pastoral care for divorced Catholics who have remarried outside the Church, it doesn't quite tip his hand in terms of which way he may be leaning on the Communion debate," reports Crux. In a telephone call last month, Pope Francis invited the coordinator of L'Anello Perduto, Deacon Paolo Tassinari San Sebastiano, and his wife Alessandra Rosano to the meeting. Tassinari told Fossano diocesan paper La Fedelta that he received the call at lunchtime on Saturday 30 January. "Deacon Paul Tassinari? I am Pope Francis!". The Pope called after the group of separated and divorced Catholics wrote to him about the Lost Ring project. In their letter, the 60 members wrote: "In separation we have suffered abandonment, betrayal, the break-up of families, the collapse of the deepest values we believed in, the loss of identity and of all the safety, [our] confidence in God and at times the faith," the group wrote in the letter. In this traumatic context, the Church has proven to be generally indifferent, or even hostile, and God seemed distant and aloof." Tassinari said in the diocesan paper: "Initially I thought it was a joke." But the Pope replied in his distinctive voice: "I'm not a ghost, this is Pope Francis." Tassinari said he was with his son Samuel, who was quick to pick up his cell phone and start recording audio, so they recorded two-and-a-half minutes of conversation that he will in any case never forget. He said the Pope invited the group to an audience in the Vatican, but the date has yet to be fixed. "After the phone call, I said to my son: 'He was the Pope!' And I burst into tears!'" Even now, he said he could hardly believe that Pope Francis had wanted to devote "a crumb of his time" to ask about their "little project". The deacon added: "But his gesture is another example of the affection and esteem that the Bishop of Rome has for a periphery of human beings, such as someone who lives or has lived the failure of his marriage. Before hanging up he asked me: 'Pray for me!'" According to well-informed commentator John Allen, imminent change on the issue in the Pope's apostolic exhortation is unlikely. Thomas Reese on NCR online wrote: "Francis has forcefully spoke of the supremacy of mercy and against legalism, which would indicate an openness to readmission to Communion. Or perhaps the Pope will do something extraordinary and admit that the hierarchy is divided on this question and say that it requires further study and conversation in the church before a definitive answer is given. That would be a first." Syria: Suffering reaches 'almost medieval scale' as one million people live under siege More than double the number of civilians are living in beseiged towns in Syria than the UN has recorded, according to aid organisation Siege Watch. More than one million Syrian civilians are living under blockade, according to a report by the organisation a joint intiative of PAX and The Syria Institute dedicated exclusively to providing accurate information on conditions in Syria's besieged communities. "The human suffering in the besieged towns and cities of Syria has now reached an almost medieval scale," Jeremy Moodey, CEO of Embrace the Middle East told Christian Today. "The 'starve and surrender' approach being adopted is without doubt a war crime," he added. Madaya is among the towns facing starvation. Although residents received aid in January after photos and videos of emaciated inhabitants were released, these supplies are already running out. "Today I ate grass, to make the aid last longer," a young teacher and activist in Madaya told the Guardian. "Some families have already run out. In 10 days most of us will have nothing to eat." Sadly, when the aid did arrive, it was already too late for some. "Since the aid entered Madaya, 16 men and women have died, and four children," said the teacher, who asked not to be named. In December 2015, Madaya did not appear on the UN's list of areas under blockade. Its status has now been altered, which was intrinsic to the efforts made in January. However, this level of suffering is not limited to the south-western town. Mouadamiya, a suburb of Damascus, was not on the UN's list in December either, despite 44,000 people living under siege, Siege Watch said. Reuters reports that the International Committee of the Red Cross consider the community besieged and recently delivered aid for thousands. A residents' committee accused the UN of "ignoring the suffering of civilians... until [they] are at the brink of death," in a Facebook post on 3 February. The UN has now warned that the figure of one million residents living under siege in Syria is at risk of rising if supply chains to Aleppo are cut off by the government troops. "If the government of Syria and allies sever the last remaining flight route out of eastern Aleppo city, it would leave up to 300,000 people still residing in the city cut off from humanitarian aid unless cross-line access could be negotiated," it said in an emergency bulletin on Monday. "In order to alleviate the suffering of these people, we need those governments who have influence, including the UK, to ensure the real application of UN security council resolutions which allows for the delivery of humanitarian aid to all those who need it no matter where they are," Lousie Finah, Christian Aid's advocacy officer for the Middle East told Christian Today. "After five long years of conflict it is time to put the people of Syria first." Siege Watch said that the UN has failed to register over half of the blockades occuring in the country, and its report found that "the Syrian government and its allies are by far the biggest perpretrators of sieges against Syrian civilians." It highlights that this method of war in which the residents are forced either to starve or surrender is illegal. "The deliberate starvation of civilians is also a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and therefore a war crime," it said. That people are living outside the reach of aid "is completely unacceptable", Kathleen Rutledge, Tearfund's Middle East response director told Christian Today. "There is a need for redoubled efforts to reach a political solution to this conflict, or the atrocities will sadly continue." Deir ez-Zor is another beseiged town in Syria. ISIS is starving out an estimated 200,000 people, but government forces have refused to allow aid flights to the civilians. The UN has reported Deir ez-Zor as being besieged by ISIS, however "residents living there feel that they are besieged by both ISIS and the Syrian military," Seige Watch said. "The Syrian government's actions towards the beseiged neighbourhoods support this claim." "We are in the 21st century, not the Middle Ages," said Jeremy Moodey. "The international community can and must do much more to end this humanitarian catastrophe. "First by insisting on genuine all-party peace talks in Geneva; second by committing to the humanitarian aid which is so desperately needed; and third by not contributing itself to the violence and misery. Russia, which actually stepped up its airstrikes against some of the besieged cities as the last round of talks got underway, should particularly take note." Two Sudanese pastors detained without charge in 'campaign to eradicate Christianity' Two Sudanese pastors have been detained without charge since December, according to World Watch Monitor (WWM). Telahoon Nogosi Kassa Rata was told to report to Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) in mid-December, local sources report. "He went to the NISS office behind the airport at al-Mashtel the next day, and he has been detained ever since," the source said. Another pastor, Rev Hassan Abduraheem Kodi Taour from the district of Bahri, has also been detained since December. He was arrested alongside Rev Kowa Shamal who has been acquitted, but Taour is still being held. No details are know of the men's location or physical health and both been are "being held incommunicado", according to WWM, a persecution watch group. Taour's lawyer has written to the Sudanese Human Rights Council to ask for help in bringing the case to court but has so far received no reply. The Sudan Council of Churches has also written a letter to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, govermnent ministers and the Security Office to appeal for access to Rev Taour and "other Christians" believed to be held by the NISS, but has as yet also not received a response. According to Sudanese law, an individual must either be released or presented to court 45 days after arrest. However neither event has occurred in over 60 days since Rata and Taour's arrest. "The latest cases are representative of a much larger campaign by Sudan's government to eradicate Christianity," Sudanese religious freedom activist Kamal Fahmi told WWM. "Since the secession of South Sudan (July 2011), Khartoum has intensified the war in Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains (both areas of known Christian presence), and the indiscriminate harassment and arrests of church leaders and active church members" said Fahmi, who has campaigned for the repeal of Islam's blasphemy and apostasy laws. "Foreign Christian workers have been deported. Sudan has stopped the import of Christian literature and scriptures, while confiscating most of the Christian literature in the country and closing the only Christian bookshop in the capital Khartoum," said Fahmi. "Torture and arrest of converts from Islam is also commonplace" he added. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Chef Rebecca Masson is whipping up dinner for her friends. You're invited. Masson will launch a monthly "Dinner With My Friends" series at her Fluff Bake Bar, 314 Gray. The series kicks off at 6 p.m. Monday with Brandi Key, the chef behind SaltAir, Punk's and Coppa Osteria. The six-course collaborative dinner costs $95; optional wine pairings are an additional $55. To book, call 713-522-1900. Future "Dinner With My Friends" dates: March 14: Justin Carlisle of Ardent in Milwaukee April 11: Philip Speer of Austin May 23: Joosh Sutcliff of FT33 in Dallas June 6: Cody Sharp of Filament in Dallas Aug. 1: Nathan Lemley of Parkside in Austin Sweet sandwich at Katz's Deli Who said you can't improve on the classic cheesecake? Katz's Deli has come up with a shareable dessert just in time for Valentine's. The dessert features a slice of the deli's New York cheesecake drizzled with chocolate and strawberry sauces, topped with crushed Oreos and served on a brioche roll that is dusted with powdered sugar. The Original Cheesecake Sandwich sells for $10.99. 616 Westheimer, 713-222-2200 Openings Little Liberty, from the folks behind Liberty Kitchen and BRC, is now open for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Rice Village. Among the specialties are house-made Greek-style yogurt, New York-style pizzas and Hawaiian poke. 3265 Rice, 713-807-7224 The upscale Irving-based chain Uncle Julio's has opened its first store in the Houston area. The chain built its reputation on classic Tex-Mex fare and the Swirl, a drink that combines frozen margarita and frozen sangria. 20526 I-10, Katy; 832-464-8930. Canadian-based franchise dessert/cocktail bar chain The Middle Spoon has opened its first U.S. store in Sugar Land Town Center. The restaurant offers light meals, sundaes and a full bar. Its dessert menu features treats such as Lemon Pavlova, Peanut Butter Pie and Sticky Toffee Pudding. 15911 City Walk, Sugar Land; 804-869-8114. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It's not easy to find Kevin and Melissa Katz's house. From the street - a standard residential block in Dickinson - only their house number and a driveway are visible. But that unpaved drive, wedged between two standard ranch houses, winds 500 feet back to a 16-acre contemporary retreat full of art and light. The Katzes built this home, nearly hidden by the trees, about a dozen years ago. It's an open, airy design, all glass and concrete with lofty ceilings and vast open spaces. "We wanted to be able to sit in the house and see the forest on both sides," Kevin Katz says. The trees are thick and wild, and they're visible from almost everywhere inside. INSPIRATION: Before and after pics of bathroom renovations Before they built this home, the Katzes - both retired optometrists - lived in a nearby ranch house, where they raised their sons. "In the little house we lived in, we had rooms that we never used and we seldom went into," Kevin Katz says. "So we wanted a house that didn't have that." This place has 3,700 square feet and few true walls. A partial wall separates the living area from the kitchen, which is sleek and tidy with stainless steel countertops and rifted oak cabinets. In the vast and open living area, sunlight filters in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the ceiling overhead stretches to 16 feet at its peak. Double-paned glass, good insulation and 4-foot eaves help keep utility bills low. The home's materials are "honest," Kevin Katz says - the floor is unstained concrete, and the walls that aren't glass are made of concrete blocks. Ductwork and steel beams are all exposed. "A lot of people would say, 'That's not finished,' but we like that industrial kind of look," Melissa Katz says. "We love the way the beams look, the nuts and bolts - it's beautiful to us." The open spaces form what amounts to a gallery for the Katzes' art collection. The collection mostly is an assortment of paintings, sculptures and artifacts from Africa that Kevin Katz - who hails from South Africa - began collecting 40 years ago. The couple also has some pieces by the late John Biggers, the muralist who established Texas Southern University's art department. The art has space to breathe here; sculptures and paintings are spaced out along windows and walls. And throughout the house, the Katzes chose materials that resemble art themselves: The bathroom sink is a luminous piece of onyx, and the bedroom doors are a set of rusty metal shutters salvaged from an old building in Galveston. On the glass doors at the front entrance, the wooden handles were once pieces of an antique loom, which they found in a shop in Nepal. MORE RENOVATION MAGIC: Post-hurricane family creates a dream home "What we appreciate is the serenity of the house," Kevin Katz says. The couple regularly sees wildlife through the windows - deer, raccoons, a couple of resident owls. A curved wall leads to the master bedroom, which has minimal furniture and is surrounded by glass on three sides. Sometimes, he says, "we'll be woken up by a full moon shining on us." On the opposite end of the house, a spiral staircase leads to a loft that serves as a guest bedroom and Melissa Katz's office. The floors here are made of Panga Panga, an African hardwood with dramatic streaking, and the bathroom sink is an Ethiopian bowl. Amid the open spaces and clean surfaces, the Katzes do have storage: A large walk-in closet is nestled next to the master bath, and a storage room is tucked away next to the oversize garage. Having space to put things away helps them keep the home's empty spaces and smooth surfaces clean and clutter-free. That, along with the trees and wildlife that surround it, makes the house "an oasis," Melissa Katz says. "Everything's custom," Kevin Katz says, looking around at the home they designed together, detail by detail. "There's just nothing we would change." And they've found the best of both worlds, a wooded retreat that's still in the city. "We've got 16 acres right in the middle of everything," he says. "So we can run to the store in 5 minutes, and yet escape from all of that, come in here and just have serenity." Its a scene that may only happen at Garner State Park: Camping under the stars, two-stepping on an old outdoor dancefloor and instantly freezing as soon as your kneecaps meet the Frio River. That experience never gets old to the thousands of Texans that visit the park each year. Residents' complaints over waterline ruptures in their front yards moved the Bellaire city council to take action and highlighted a citywide concern about aging waterlines. "Every day they are digging, it seems like, on both sides of my driveway. I had water coming out of both sides of my driveway for three days over the holidays. All that dirt comes up and I am driving through 3-to-4 inches of muck. It sticks to your vehicle like glue and follows you into the garage and house. It has been two or three months we have been living this way. We need help. We are tired of it," said Joe Pfau, who lives in the 5200 block of Grand Lake Street. City Manager Paul Hofmann and Director of Public Works Brant Gary said the problems arose because of water line work taking place on nearby streets. Changes in pressure resulted in failure of the Grand Lake Street waterline. Changes in water pressure happened when contractors began exercising the new lines on adjacent streets and bringing them online stressed the aged and brittle cast iron Grand Lake Street line and provoked the ruptures. An April 2015 report from City Engineer James Andrews said a significant portion of the city's waterlines are around 70 years old. The council voted to use about $125,000 that has been carried over from the fiscal year 2015 budget in a water line account to replace the water line. Councilman David Montague said he is concerned about reports from the city manager and city engineer that 38 percent of the city's water lines are cast iron similar to the lines on Grand Lake Street. Andrews outlined the situation. "As it stands today, about 62 percent of the original water distribution system has been successfully replaced using different funding sources, including the Bellaire Millennium Renewal Program," he said. "After BMR, and probably more of a factor, after Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, the city began to concentrate on improving the paving and drainage systems through the Rebuild Bellaire Program, and less emphasis on improving the remaining 70-year-old water distribution system," Andrews wrote. Andrews report identified 13.5 percent of the city's remaining, nonreplaced waterlines as high priority to be addressed over a 1-5 year period. The remaining 24.5 percent of the nonreplaced lines could be addressed over a 5-25-year period. The cost for replacing the high priority waterlines over a period of 5 years is estimated to be $11 million. "I would characterize this as a significant unfunded need. Broken waterlines create problems. We lose water we are buying from the city of Houston, we have service interruptions and we disrupt neighbors and tear up their yards," said Hofmann. He said iron lines become brittle and break easily when the ground moves. He said the ground moves because of fluctuations in the soil moisture content. "Exercising the valves and changing the pressure in the pipe can also cause a rupture, which is what we think contributed to the breaks in the Grand Lake Street line. We had to turn valves because of construction work on nearby Ferris Street," he said. He said the city has included the $11 million figure mentioned above in its capital improvement plan. "The $11 million is in our capital improvement plan, but is not yet funded. It is intended to address the most critical of the lines over a 5-year period," Hofmann said. He believes debt financing (bond sales) would be the best approach to provide that funding and that the 38 percent of lines are spread around throughout the city. Heights residents have hinged their hopes of protecting Yale Street's trees on their commercial property neighbors. The Houston Heights Association, Trees for Houston and the Urban Forestry Committee are seeking to designate the first protected stretch of trees under the City of Houston's Green Corridor Ordinance. The mature trees to be protected are along a two-mile stretch of Yale Street from Fifth to 24th streets, on an 11,265 foot piece of frontage land. Along this corridor sit 120 businesses, with approximately 80 owners. And though it has been residents pounding the pavement, it is the commercial property owners who are the voices that matter. "How to Designate a Green Corridor," under Sec. 33-104 of the Houston Code of Ordinances, outlines a familiar pathway: gather a petition and present it to City Council. But the verbiage of the ordinance specifically excludes single-family property owners from the petition and requires not a number of signatures, but linear feet of commercial property support. The petition of commercial property support supplied to City Council must represent a combined street frontage of 75 percent of the corridor. As such, not all signatures are of equal value. During a meeting at the Historic Heights Fire Station on Jan. 19, Houston Heights Association members tacked up a chart ranking property addresses by frontage. The group has sent out two sets of mailings, email blasts and face-to-face visits, targeting property owners who hold the largest shares of frontage. Still, some property owners of large sections have proven elusive. HHA spokesman Jonathan Smulian said while the majority of property owners have shown support, many commercial properties on Yale are rented spaces, occupied by local businesses but owned by another entity. So the association has its work cut out for it, as members have spent countless hours scouring the Harris County Appraisal District records and the Better Business Bureau and calling upon personal connections to track down owners and property holding groups. Once the owners are located, the association faces the task of making a case to save the trees to, often times, an indirect and non-local stakeholder. "This is not a huge, dramatic ordinance," said Smulian. "The purpose is to get added protection." According to the ordinance, a Green Corridor would offer special protections for mature trees with a minimum 15-inch diameter trunk. The designation would not prevent tree removal for City infrastructure or drainage projects. If Yale receives the designation, it would also then receive special consideration by the city when more trees are being planted. For oak trees, maturation takes three to four decades. Many of the trees in the proposed corridor were planted in 1980 through a volunteer effort sponsored by the Heights Chamber of Commerce and Trees for Houston that planted 500 trees with a raised $90,000. The association holds that the trees provide a noise buffer for residents around Yale, aid water retention and storm drainage and beautify the thoroughfare. As Yale has transformed over the years into a major traffic artery connecting Interstate 10 and Loop 610, some of those trees have been removed, or replaced by smaller, younger trees, an action that the HHA is seeking to stop. One local business and property owner in support of the designation is Gary Mosley of the Greek Group, who owns Dry Creek, located at Sixth and Yale. Mosley said businesses and trees are both a part of the community. This, he said, is one of the reasons he supports the initiative and believes other business owners should as well. "I've always been an advocate for trees. It's so important that I have built some of my restaurants around existing trees," Mosley said. "Because of lack of ordinances, you can see what has happened in our city." Residents assisting with the association's efforts echo that sentiment, stating that the Heights trees are community assets, which they believe deserves protection. "The Heights have always been really wooded, that's what I've liked about it," said Donnie Mosqueda Jr., known to many on the HHA as "The Tree Man." Mosqueda is a former Heights resident who joined the Yale Green Corridor effort at inception. Mosqueda works in tree trimming and removal, but he said he has a love for mature trees and feels they deserve this special protection. "I'm a tree hugger, for real," Mosqueda said. "I'm up to doing to footwork and this is going to stand out because we'll be the first." The HHA will be collecting commercial property owner signatures for the petition until the beginning of March, when they must present the proposal to City Council for a final determination. For more information and questions about the Yale Green Corridor, contact urbanforest@houstonheights.org For a time, the library at James S. Hogg Middle School was a neglected space, tucked into the corner of the third floor. That all changed when the newly appointed principal Angela Sugarek took the helm in the summer of 2015. Now the space has received a makeover, as well as a new librarian to make sure the book haven continues growing in the right direction. Sugarek said she was surprised when she discovered the state of the library on the HISD campus at 1100 Merrill St. in the Heights. More Information Ways to help? The library at James S. Hogg Middle School needs more books. Visit www.houstonisd.org/domain/38916 or www.facebook.com/hoggmslibrary/. To learn more about Students Need Libraries in HISD, visit www.studentsneedlibrariesinhisd.org. For more information about Learn Local, visit http://learnlocalhogg.org. See More Collapse "It was forgotten," she said. "It wasn't updated. It wasn't a place that I wanted to be, so I couldn't imagine it was a place our kids would want to be either." The renovation became her top priority. "I wanted to create a space where kids would want to go, look things up and learn," she said. "We also needed a librarian." Sugarek hired Mary Chance for the position. The new librarian knew that first the space needed to be reorganized to be more functional for teachers and pupils, she added. "It looked more like a lab; it was kind of empty and didn't have a lot of books," Chance said. The librarian and principal were convinced that a well-stocked and more accessible space was essential, especially because the campus is an International Baccalaureate World School. "We teach Texas curriculum, but it's about how we teach it," Sugarek said. "We teach with big ideas, and every area of content is equally important. The arts are as important as math." She said that research is an important tool on the campus. "And the library is an important place for that to happen," she said. "Whether Mary is helping students check out a book or other media, she's a connection to that world." With the help of volunteers from the community, parents and teachers, the school moved the books out and started to remodel the space. Shelves and tables were put on wheels to make it a flexible classroom. More shelves were added to house a broader collection. More comfortable seating was installed, and the space received a coat of fresh paint to make it lighter and brighter. Parents from Learn Local, a nonprofit established to devoted itself largely to recruiting more Heights-area families to attend Hogg, signed up to donate items from Chance's wish list, rugs, side tables, coffee tables, all designed to make the space more inviting. Then Chance and her pupils restocked the shelves and hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 21. Chance has noticed that students are already showing an increased interest in the library. "You find kids sneaking in at lunch and reading in the corner," she said. Sugarek said that when the school focused on the library, pupils saw that the space was important. "It shows them that we believe in them and that reading matters," she said. Chance said that the library can serve as an example for other schools in the district. She said that in HISD, principals decide whether they want to hire a full-time, certified librarian or not. "We wanted to do this, because we think libraries are important and libraries matter," she said. Chance said librarians come with a unique skill set. "It's not just about checking out books," she said. "We're all about databases and rolling out technology in the right way." She also brings visiting authors to campus and designs literacy related field trips. Debbie Hall, a former HISD librarian, has organized a group called "Students Need Librarians in HISD" to raise awareness of the need to have qualified librarians in all schools throughout the district. "It's all about advocacy, trying to change the tide and raise awareness of this problem," she said. "HISD needs a vision. They need to make sure all kids have the same resources." Hall hopes that other campuses will be inspired by the initiatives Sugarek took to make the library a high priority and her dedication to hiring a full-time, certified librarian. Hall said that the district and the community needs to be aware of the vital role librarians play in schools. "They think librarians just check out books," she said. "They don't think about that librarian connecting the right child to the right book at the right time. "They don't think about the teacher collaboration or the special programs the librarians create to inspire a love of reading." Katy Bar Association Area attorneys are invited to the Feb. 23 lunch meeting of the Katy Bar Association at 11:30 a.m. at Willowfork Country Club, 21055 Westheimer Parkway, Katy. Kendall Cockrell will talk about "Avoiding Probate Pitfalls in your Personal Injury Case." He will present an overview of some of the issues affecting such claims, including: avoiding inherent dangers and successfully prosecuting the claims of the estate or ward, signing up the correct claimant, who has a claim, who can pursue claims, who has authority to hire the attorney to pursue the claims, and can one attorney represent everyone with a claim. Much of the Feb. 23 District E Town Hall meeting will focus specifically on the Capital Improvement Plan, and how it will affect the residents in the Kingwood Community. Houston City Councilman Dave Martin will host the meeting, his first since his re-election to the District E seat in November. The mayor also is expected to attend. "We have just confirmed that Mayor (Sylvester) Turner is expected to attend the meeting and address the audience about city budget-related matters," said Lauren Laake, Martin's chief of staff. Laake also said the Public Works and Engineering and Rebuild Houston will be giving an overview of their department and program. Houston Parks Board officials also will share an update on the Bayou Greenways 2020, and the Planning Department will present an overview of Plan Houston Master Plan as well as the Bike Houston Plan. Meanwhile, Stan Sarman, chairman of the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 10 and the Kingwood Mobility Steering Committee, is expected to share updated information on the work in obtaining funding mechanisms for key segments of Northpark Drive, one of the key traffic arteries related to the Kingwood Mobility Study that was completed in April 2015. Since the study concluded earlier this year, Sarman and others have held discussions about the issue of funding with other entities such as Montgomery and Harris counties, the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the Texas Department of Transportation, Union Pacific Railroad, and the Federal Highway Administration. Sarman said the talks have gone well with many of the entities, and that all of the parties are trying to determine the best course of action to obtain the needed funding in order to begin the project. Sarman said the TIRZ also has hired a financial adviser to help guide them in identifying key funding mechanism. "A lot of these projects require a match with local city, state or federal funds and that's what we are working on," he said. Additionally, Burdette Huffman, vice president of development for Lovett Commercial, will be giving an update on the new Kingwood MainStreet project that is under construction at the corner of Kingwood Drive and West Lake Houston. He will be joined by H-E-B President Scott McClelland, who be giving a presentation as well regarding the new H-E-B that is scheduled to open in August at Kingwood MainStreet. The meeting will be from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods Drive in Kingwood. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate As a busy elementary-school teacher, Marie Kellogg says she had little time outside the classroom to focus on her health and wellness. Eager to lose weight, she turned to the Montgomery County United Way's workplace wellness program. Kellogg lost 32 pounds over about nine months while experiencing drops in body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. "I am not the stereotypical recipient, but I would say that United Way has changed my life incredibly," said Kellogg, a teacher at Greenleaf Elementary School in Splendora. More Information Learn more online For information about the Montgomery County United Way's wellness programs, visit www.mcuw.org/healthandwellness. See More Collapse "I teach five classes, so I am on the go all day. It goes to a point where you lose yourself and you do not apply yourself to exercise or taking care of your health." In 2014-2015, its pilot year, the Healthy Living Alliance's workplace wellness program experienced measurable success at two pilot sites, Greenleaf Elementary and the city of Willis. Employees who participated in the program were offered daily group exercise, nutritional tips, general health education and health screenings. Lost up to 56 pounds "One thing that the United Way does is have an instructor that comes in that trains you to have a healthier life. It gives you a goal - something to work for for your body, for yourself and for your health," Kellogg added. A 2011 community health assessment by the Texas Health Institute found that 70 percent of adults in Montgomery County were obese or overweight, about twice the national rate. The Montgomery County United Way started the Healthy Living Alliance to reduce obesity and the health risks posed by overeating and lack of exercise. To increase health responsibility and education in Montgomery County, the nonprofit also offers a "Healthy Me!" program for K-5 grade schools, and sponsors community events such as bike rodeos and 5K runs. According to the Healthy Living Alliance, 16 Willis city employees completed the program; nine had weight losses ranging from 1.5 to 56 pounds. Twenty-one staff members at Greenleaf Elementary School completed the program, and 19 of the participants experienced weight loss ranging from 0.2 to 40 pounds. While half of the elementary school staff experienced improved health, 90 percent of Willis employees benefited from the program. The two pilot sites are into their second year of the program, and three additional sites have been added: Splendora Junior High, Reeves Elementary in Conroe and the city of Conroe. Company partnership "We greatly appreciate our partnership with the United Way and the contributions their Healthy Living Alliance makes to employee wellness," said Don Stockton, superintendent of the Conroe Independent School District, in a written statement. "Personal health is so much more than an individual issue; it impacts the greater community. We can achieve so much more together when we're healthy." There's also a waiting list for businesses wishing to take part in the program, which is tailored to small- and medium-sized companies that don't necessarily have the resources to offer employees a workplace wellness program. "We are specifically using local fitness and local instructors throughout Montgomery County to donate their time, education and knowledge. "They go onsite to these companies and organizations to provide a full workplace wellness program that (those employees would) be able to get if they worked for a large corporation," said Candice Rouquette, director of the Healthy Living Alliance. Tomball city officials are looking for the city's recent stretch of rapid growth and boost in sales tax revenue to continue. Since 2013, the city has seen the ground breaking and completion of the first phase of the Tomball Tollway between Spring-Cypress Road and FM 2920; the recent opening of the Grand Parkway connecting U.S. 290 to Interstate 45; and the announcement last summer of the Grand Parkway Town Center, at the intersection of Texas 249 and Boudreaux. That retail center alone, which is still in development by NewQuest Properties, is projected to generate an estimated $80 million in sales tax revenue between its projected grand opening in late 2017 and 2022. Since 1990, Tomball's population, which now tops 10,000, has increased by 50 percent. Since 1970, the number of residents has increased by 350 percent. By 2030, the population in Tomball is projected to double to more than 20,000 residents. Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan described the explosive growth and construction the city has experienced since 2013 during a recent address to the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce. "Tomball growth has just been crazy," she said. "We know we are going to grow, we see the statistics and we hear it over and over." In 2014, the city issued 316 building permits with a total valuation of $40.6 million - up 127 percent from 2010. Last year, only 163 building permits were issued, but the total valuation of these projects was higher at $53.2 million. Fagan said that while the building permits were lower, the valuation was higher because the projects themselves were larger in scope than those in 2014. Despite the fact that Tomball is growing, Fagan said the city is doing its best to ensure "controlled growth" with tighter zoning ordinances, and the implementation of the city's livable centers plan, completed in 2009; the city's comprehensive plan, and the FM 2920 Access Management study that was completed in 2008. "We know where things are going to go now," Fagan said. One of the documents most referenced in 2015 by the Tomball City Council was the livable centers plan, which has helped guide city leaders on key projects, such as the planned $30 million in mobility upgrades to FM 2920 between Four Corners and Willow Street, and upgrades to downtown sidewalks, and the addition of public restrooms, parking lots and a splashpad to the Downtown Depot. While the plans have helped manage growth, they have also fostered the explosion of small businesses like Nonnie's; Cisco's Salsa Company; Jane and John Dough; Brautigam's Bar and Grill, and Tejas Chocolate. "The city of Tomball is amazing," said Ryan Aduddell, chairman of the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce. "I couldn't ask for a better community." Growth spurt Tomball, which was long regarded as a far away suburb, has experienced substantial growth over the last three years. Some key areas of growth include: Mobility Tomball Tollway The Grand Parkway Medical Complex Drive (ongoing) Hufsmith-Kohrville expansion (planned) Housing Pine Country Hayden Lakes OakCrest Willow Creek Ranch Estates Reserve at Spring Lakes Woodtrace Raleigh Creek Retail and business Grand Parkway Town Center (planned) Tomball Business and Technology Park (ongoing) Holiday Inn Express Marriot Residence Inn Fire Ant Brewing Company (planned) Panera Bread The Egg & I Jimmy Johns Gourmet Sandwiches Pot Belly's Sandwich Shop Dumass Tacos Brautigams Bar and Grill LandHaus Nikodemus Jane & John Dough Tejas Chocolates Pretzels Pleaz Schools Tomball Memorial High School Timber Creek Elementary Creekview Elementary Wildwood Elementary Oakcrest Intermediate Creekside Park Junior High (opening 2016) Montgomery County sheriff's deputies are mounting an extensive search for a man they believe helped run a "bank jugging" operation targeting bank customers who'd just made withdrawals. Henry Wilson, identified as a member of the Money Street Market Gang in Houston, is accused of engaging in organized crime, authorities said. Wilson, 21, of Houston and 22-year-old Patrick English of Spring are accused of running a "bank jugging" operation - a growing local crime trend in which criminals sit in bank parking lots and follow bank customers who make large withdrawals, then either burglarize their vehicles or rob them directly. English was captured Friday in a sting operation run by officers from Houston's Northeast Tactical Unit posing as customers at a Houston bank, authorities said. English was being held at the Harris County jail on an organized crime charge filed in Montgomery County against both him and Wilson. English was also being held on theft and burglary-of-vehicle charges, online court records show. The charge stems from a September incident involving a customer who withdrew $13,000 from a bank in The Woodlands. The pair is accused of following that customer to a fast-food restaurant, and then breaking into his vehicle and taking the cash while he was inside dining. Both are also suspects in a string of other "bank jugging" cases across Texas, Montgomery County prosecutor Tyler Dunman said. "When English was arrested Friday," Dunman said, "He was out on bond on three separate Harris County felony charges and one felony charge out of Fort Bend County." Wilson is also on the run for another "banking jugging" charge out of Harris County besides the one in Montgomery County, authorities said. He has four prior convictions for theft, two for car burglary and one for marijuana possession that date back to 2012, records show. English has two prior convictions each for auto and building burglaries. "Members of this Houston criminal gang are known for not only 'bank jugging' thefts, but also pharmacy burglaries, commercial safe cracking, narcotics trafficking, identify theft, cigarette theft and more," Dunman said. The lead prosecutor in the case, Rob Freyer, asked anyone with information to contact the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in Conroe, noting that Wilson poses a potential threat to area bank customers. Every year in late September I go down to the inlet at the end of Great Bay Blvd to engage in one of my more aggravating birding activities-... This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON - Recovering from his upset loss to Ted Cruz in Iowa, Manhattan real estate mogul Donald Trump closed the deal Tuesday on his first victory in the 2016 presidential election. Partial results in the Republican primary showed that second place would go to Ohio Gov. John Kasich, thrusting the longshot center-right moderate, once largely written off, into the middle of the GOP conversation. Running for third in perhaps the fiercest battle of the contest were a cluster of tightly-packed candidates led by Cruz, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, in that order. For Bush, a one-time front-runner who fell to the middle of the pack, New Hampshire provided a lifeline for a campaign that had been long on cash but short on popular support. ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE: Voter frustration helps propel Sanders While Trump for months enjoyed a consistent lead in the polls, his victory represented a milestone in modern American politics, conferring a major party primary victory on an outright political outsider who has never held public office. "So beautiful," Trump said, repeating his campaign slogan. "We are going to make America great again." In a nod to his Iowa loss to Cruz, Trump added, "we learned a lot about ground games in one week." Cruz, with the best-financed campaign in the Republican race, had not been considered competitive among moderate New Hampshire voters until his first-place finish in Iowa propelled him to the top ranks of the GOP field. Cruz claimed credit for exceeding expectations by possibly finishing third in the Granite State. "That was the result all of us were told was impossible," he said. "Together, we have done what the pundits and the media said could not be done, and what the Washington establishment desperately hoped would not be done." Some recent polls had put Cruz in a neck-and-neck race with Rubio to emerge as the top alternative to Trump in New Hampshire. But a rush of late-deciding voters almost half of the GOP electorate broke for Trump and Kasich instead. The first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary also was seen as the first and perhaps last chance for the three trailing governors or ex-governors in the race: Kasich, Bush and Chris Christie, who followed the leaders along with Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina. Once thought to be the contest that would stamp the leaders in the crowded GOP field, New Hampshire voters braving snow, traffic and long lines left behind a fragmented lineup of closely-packed Republicans scrambling to take each other down. If Iowa raised questions about Trump's ability to translate massive rallies into votes, New Hampshire showed the reality TV star could be for real. Until Rubio's shaky debate performance Saturday night, he was seen as the candidate most likely to unify the GOP's traditional conservatives and emerge as the "establishment" candidate. Falling below expectations in New Hampshire, Rubio took responsibility for his disappointing finish. "It's not your fault," he told his volunteers. "It's mine." TRUMP UNDER FIRE: News outlets call out N.H. after his win A Rubio surge also would have been a threat to Trump and Cruz, who seemed to be in a two-man race until Iowa. Those two Iowa front-runners one a maverick, the other seeking to consolidate the conservative coalition - now clearly benefit from a crowded "establishment" lane. Despite his first-place finish in Iowa, Cruz was not one of the main combatants in New Hampshire, which is less conservative and evangelical than the Hawkeye State. Though he campaigned in New Hampshire all week, he seemed to fly under the media radar in order to prepare for more favorable ground in the South Carolina primary on Feb. 20, the next contest in the GOP race. As the polls closed at 8 p.m., Cruz's wife, Heidi Cruz, was already in Charleston, S.C., for a rally. Cruz was scheduled to follow her on Wednesday for a "Ground Zero" rally in Myrtle Beach. Cruz stayed out of the most pointed clashes in the New Hampshire debate, other than having to apologize to Carson for his campaign's attempts in Iowa to spread the inaccurate suggestion that the retired neurosurgeon was quitting the race. Fragmented lineup The controversy marred Cruz's victory in Iowa, and put him on the defensive at a time when he sought to build critical mass in the race. His campaign also came under scrutiny for some controversial campaign mailers, including one marked "check enclosed" the check turns out to be a dummy check encouraging a donation to his campaign. While the play for Carson loyalists in Iowa might have backfired, Cruz hoped to benefit from the exit of social conservatives Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Rand Paul. Cruz sought to make inroads with Paul's libertarian network. He hit pay dirt on Monday with the endorsement of State Sen. Kevin Avard, Rand Paul's New Hampshire campaign chairman. But some Paul supporters said they were still voting for Paul. Among them was Ellie Lynch, an X-ray technician from Weare, N.H. "Cruz has that liberty streak in him," she said, "but his wife works for Goldman Sachs." JUST FOR LAUGHS: Social media picks sides in N.H. primary Lynch, a Paul volunteer, said many Paul supporters were put off by Cruz's 2012 Senate campaign loans from Wall Street entities Goldman Sachs and Citibank. Some are also opposed to his bellicose talk on fighting the ISIS terrorist group. "As a Christian, he wants to 'carpet bomb' the Middle East," Lynch said. "I mean, c'mon." But Cruz got a boost from traditional conservative voters like Vincent Salerno, owner of Vinny's Pizzaria in Concord. "I like the fact that he doesn't get along with them in Washington," said Salerno, who praised Cruz for his consistent conservatism. "If he says he's going to kick a bull moose at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, at 3 o'clock you'll hear a whack and Errrggg! I like a guy like that." Going into the final days in New Hampshire, much of the flak in the race seemed directed a Rubio, particularly from Bush and Christie, who pummeled Rubio in the debate for his reliance on repetitive talking points about Barack Obama. Christie said it was evidence that Rubio is "unprepared for the world;" Bush called his performance "totally scripted and robotic." Bush also directed much of his fire at Trump, continuing a months-long running feud. "I don't want my party, the conservative party, to be hijacked by somebody who is not a conservative," he said in a radio interview Tuesday. Trump, for his part, kept to his high-flying campaigning style, generating headlines for some salty language on the stump. He also missed a critical day of campaigning because of Friday's snowstorm. Flying in and out of the state each day from his residence in Manhattan, his plane was unable to land. With little to prove in New Hampshire, where until recently he was not expected to be competitive, Cruz campaigned on a bus and a well-worn palate of conservative nostrums: Second Amendment gun rights, repealing Obamacare, and abolishing the IRS. But with an eye on South Carolina, Texas, and other upcoming primaries in the South, Cruz's New Hampshire stump speech retained some elements of Scripture and the apocalyptic language what served him well in Iowa. "We are standing on the edge of a cliff," he said at a town hall in Barrington on Monday. "We have to pull this country back from the abyss." United Blood Services is asking donors who have traveled to the Caribbean, Mexico or Central or South America to not donate blood for 28 days after leaving those areas to reduce the risk of spreading the mosquito-borne Zika virus. The restriction may cut the blood supply by about 2 percent, according to a news release from the nonprofit group. Blood banks in Bismarck, Minot and Fargo could be impacted by the new donor deferral measure. Blood centers in states bordering Mexico will be particularly affected by the post-travel waiting period, according to the release. Northern and Midwestern states will also be affected, as many residents travel to warmer climates, such as Mexico and the Caribbean, to escape winter weather. Kim Peterson, regional field operations director of United Blood Services in Bismarck, said she expects the travel restriction to affect the blood supply at the Bismarck location, though it wont be as bad as it will be in the southern states. "They still think were going to take a hit, she said. Peterson adds that the restriction occurs during the cold and flu season when donor deferrals are already high. "Now, this will potentially add to it, she said. Were hoping that people who havent traveled or who havent tried donating before or havent donated in a while will be the people that step up. More than 25 countries and territories have been affected by the disease, including Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The North Dakota Department of Health issued caution last week for people planning to travel to affected areas. The Zika virus is primarily transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. Although the mosquitoes known to carry the virus are not found in North Dakota, those traveling to affected areas can bring the disease back with them. Peterson said United Blood Services does a health history screening of all donors, including travel questions to detect if donors have traveled to areas affected by diseases such as malaria. A new question will be added to determine if donors have traveled to areas impacted by the Zika virus. United Blood Services followed in suit of other blood suppliers who were adding stricter policies to mitigate the transmission of the Zika virus, Peterson said. "Its not that its just ours, we upped our policies to match what the (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and everybody else is doing, she said. Last week, the American Red Cross announced a 28-day waiting period for travelers wanting to donate blood. The Canadian Blood Services also announced last week anyone who has traveled outside of Canada, the continental U.S. and Europe will now be temporarily unable to give blood for three weeks. The CDC says there have been reported cases of the virus spreading through blood transfusion and sexual contact -- including a sexually transmitted case in Texas last week. Pregnant women and women planning to become pregnant should postpone or cancel travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. The virus may be linked to a serious birth defect called microcephaly, in which babies are born with smaller than normal heads and brains. Last week, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a global health emergency, linking the spread of the disease to a spike in cases of microcephaly in Brazil. There is no vaccine to prevent Zika virus disease, and those who travel to countries where the disease exists should avoid mosquito bites by taking standard precautions, including using insect repellents. For more information on the Zika virus, visit http://www.cdc.gov/zika/. To donate blood, visit www.UnitedBloodServices.org or call 877-827-4376. Volunteer blood donors must be at least 16, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and be in good health. Additional height and weight requirements apply to donors 22 and younger, and donors who are 16 must have signed permission from a parent or guardian. A Dickinson man was sentenced this week after pleading guilty to charges related to a police chase from Dickinson to Mandan. South Central District Judge James Hill sentenced Brian Alan Gordon, 36, to three years in prison with credit for time served for felony reckless endangerment and fleeing a police officer, as well as misdemeanor driving under the influence. Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said the incident began in September when the Dickinson Police Department responded to a domestic disturbance, which led to a pursuit of Gordon as he fled eastbound on Interstate 94. Officers were able to take Gordon into custody in the Mandan area when his vehicle was forced into a ditch and he lost control. Speeds during the chase varied, with Gordon at times driving up to 120 miles per hour. Work has ceased on a state compliance plan for federal emissions rules a day after the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to halt implementation until court challenges are resolved, according to the North Dakota Department of Health. Were going to take a step back and see what this all means, David Glatt, head of the environmental section of the North Dakota Department of Health, said Wednesday. The nations highest court ruled 5-4 Tuesday to halt implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys emissions rules for new and existing power plants. The concern is if we get too far down the road and changes are made the work may have been for naught, Glatt said. Halt garners support State officials quickly came out in support of the Supreme Courts decision. Coal-fired power plants provide about 80 percent of North Dakotas residential and commercial energy supply while also providing power to surrounding states. These plants continue to reduce emissions, but unworkable rules will only eliminate jobs and jeopardize consumers access to reliable and affordable energy, Gov. Jack Dalrymple said in a statement. As far as work being done by utilities, Great River Energy has contracted with California-based nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute to study the economic affect the rule would have, said Vice President and Chief Generation Officer Rick Lancaster. Lancaster said GRE also has hired a Kansas City-based engineering firm to look for ways to make the company's power plants more efficient. "Were still continuing those things," Lancaster said. "The stay is just a delay; it's not going to make the rule go away." Requirements in the original rule from June 2014 called for North Dakota to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 11 percent from 2012 levels by 2030. The final rule moved that target to 45 percent, drawing sharp criticism from industry, North Dakotas congressional delegation and state officials. Under the rule, North Dakota chose the option to come up with its own plan for compliance and was working toward that until Wednesday. "Weve been talking to the Department of Health," Lancaster said. "Well continue to work with them to the degree they want to and have time to. We're really glad they're interested in getting input from industry." Halting development of a state implementation plan may slow progress for GRE, Lancaster said, as the company will need to know what mandates to meet when it begins making investments to come into compliance. "We are going to be re-evaluating our next steps but expect we will be having continued dialogues with the states as we move through this process," spokeswoman for Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Mary Miller, said of the health department's announcement. Miller called the stay of the rule "good news" and a "step in the right direction," but the cooperative is still analyzing the Clean Power Plan as it exists and will continue to determine a plan of action for meeting it, though timelines may shift. Basin provides power to cooperative members across the upper Midwest and has four coal plants two in North Dakota and two in Wyoming. "While we will continue to study compliance options, this is an appropriate pause in this process. The targets in the states in which we provide service were extremely high, and this pause will hopefully allow for a more thorough review of potential cost impacts to our customers and how emission reductions should be handled," Mark Hanson, spokesman for Montana-Dakota Utilities Co., said in an email. MDU has coal-fired power plants in Mandan and Montana and partial ownership of plants in South Dakota and Wyoming that serve customers in the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest. A federal fight The state is involved in lawsuits in federal court against the EPA over the rules for both new and existing plants; the state is arguing that the EPA has overstepped its authority in the Clean Air Act. More than two dozen states as well as industry groups are opposed to the rules. Sierra Club of North Dakota spokesman Wayde Schafer said, while hes disappointed in the courts decision, he wasnt deterred. The administration had looked at all the legal angles . I think eventually it will be allowed through the courts, Schafer said. Glatt said, once the lawsuits are over, he believes the mandate will either be ruled illegal or will be sent back to EPA for significant changes. Obviously, well be asking for a re-set, Glatt said of the timeline for compliance if the rule isnt stopped. Schafer said hes also disappointed by the health departments delay in working on a plan. I would hope the health department would be looking at areas where we can make improvements in the meantime, said Shafer, adding that improvements to energy efficiency statewide are one option. Members of the North Dakota Public Service Commission supported the courts move in remarks at their regular commission meeting Wednesday. I think for North Dakota it really allows everyone to step back and consider what the EPA has proposed, Julie Fedorchak, chairwoman of the PSC, said. Fedorchak said the EPA plan isnt the only way to reduce emissions. The state of North Dakota has reduced emissions by about 11 percent from 2005 to 2014. Commissioner Randy Christmann said the courts decision was a good sign of things to come, adding that objection to the plan doesnt mean anyone is opposed to any option in dealing with carbon. Senators note action Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., both supported the courts action in separate statements Tuesday. I believe the coalition of 27 states, including North Dakota, made a powerful case for halting implementation of the rules. Clearly, the cost to coal companies and utilities to comply would be crippling and costly to consumers, Hoeven said. Heitkamp agreed. Its irresponsible to put policies in place that dont provide a viable path forward for coal and dont invest in clean coal technology, Heitkamp said. Heitkamp said there is growing support in Congress for research in coal technology, and Hoeven is pushing a bill to protect consumers from rate increases and states from having federal highway dollars withheld if not in compliance with the rules. A Thursday town hall meeting at Bismarck State College may bring critics of a proposed penny sales tax into the same room with its proponents as both sides urge residents to come with their questions and opinions. "I hope we have a good turnout. I look forward to having people's input," said Bismarck Mayor Mike Seminary, adding that future meetings about the proposed city sales tax hinge on the turnout and outcome of Thursday's meeting. Dustin Gawrylow, managing director of the North Dakota Watchdog Network, says he also is hoping for a large turnout. "We're hoping a lot of people turn out. We need to take care of what's actually in the city. I think the discussion needs to be constricted to where the actual needs are," said Gawrylow, who is in the beginning stages of organizing opposition to the proposed sales tax. Feedback from the meeting and a survey being conducted by the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce may guide the Bismarck City Commission in its decision to put the proposal on a citywide ballot in June. Survey results are being compiled this week. A new penny sales tax could be earmarked for $228 million in road projects, as identified by a long-term study, over the next 10 years, according to Seminary. He said revenue from the existing city 1-cent sales tax will see a shortfall of $5.8 million in late 2017 and $20 million in 2020 as more funds are used to buy down 25 mills of property tax. The meeting will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the National Energy Center of Excellence at the BSC campus and is being presented by the Bismarck Mandan Chamber of Commerce. Seminary said he will be delivering much of the presentation and answering questions. Bismarck city commissioners may decide in March whether the request will be on the June ballot, the mayor said. Perrie Schafer, chairman of the executive committee of the Bismarck Mandan Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber has not taken a position on the sales issue and he is not sure it will. Seminary said he has been questioned about the need for a second city sales tax. "What I found is that when people fully understand how we fund the roads with the 1 cent sales tax, completely understand if they want to continue property tax relief and continue to have special assessment relief and want to have roads, they realize we have to have another source of revenue," Seminary said. Gawrylow says he has not seen enough justification for the list of road projects. "If a second city sales tax is based on the $228 million list of projects, it should be rejected," said Gawrylow, who challenges projects tied to the 66th Street interchange. For now, he refers to the proposed 66th Street interchange project as an "interchange to nowhere." First lady Betsy Dalrymple will kick off Giving Hearts Day, a statewide, 24-hour fundraiser, at 10 a.m. Thursday at Dunn Brothers Coffee in north Bismarck. There will be 338 nonprofits participating this year, a 17 percent growth over last year. Predicted donations are expected to exceed $7 million in this online effort. The event spans North Dakota and western Minnesota. Community donors have pledged to match donations of $10 or more up to at least $4,000 for each participating nonprofit in the Bismarck area. We teach a donor-centered approach for fundraising at our Impact Institute, says Pat Traynor, president of Dakota Medical and Impact foundations, which launched the first Giving Hearts Day in 2008. For more than a decade, weve been teaching a framework that can be easily adapted to make charities successful at funding their missions year-round. Donors find the day deeply rewarding, too, as they see the impact of their gifts multiplied and know they are equipping charities to perform important work in our communities. The Anne Carlsen Center, which recently received $100,000 from Thrivent Mutual Funds, will use the money to match donations from Giving Hearts Day. Proceeds benefit the Anne Carlsen Center's new Taylor Made Living Program, a home facility to support individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities. The North Dakota 4-H Foundation also is participating in Giving Hearts Day, and funds raised will support state and local 4-H leadership development and educational opportunities in various science and art disciplines. Great Plains Food Bank, which works to fight childhood hunger across the state, is another charity that will benefit from raised money. Some other Bismarck area nonprofits participating in Giving Hearts Day include Abused Adult Resource Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bismarck-Mandan, Bismarck Cancer Center, Bismarck Public Schools Foundation, Central Dakota Childrens Choir, Charles Hall Youth Services, Cystic Fibrosis Association of North Dakota, Elks Camp Grassick, First Choice Clinic, Gateway to Science, Kidder County Community Health Center, Martin Luther School, Missouri Valley YMCA, ND Center for Nursing, ND Coalition for Homeless People, Inc., ND FFA Foundation, ND Safety Council, ND Teen Challenge, ND Womens Network, Northern Plains Dance, Ronald McDonald House, Ruth Meiers House, Salvation Army, The Arc, Welcome House and Youthworks. For more information, to donate or to view other participating nonprofits, visit impactgiveback.org. Parks are about being out in nature, but its often nature with a concrete manicure and a green buzz cut. The North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department is aiming to create a park left mostly in its natural state, where the shifting sands of the Missouri River have made their mark. Paths for hiking and mountain biking would meander through wetlands, woodlands and between sand dunes, with views and access to the rivers shore. A table here and there might invite rest and a serene moment to listen to the wild call of geese overhead and to watch deer browse in the cottonwoods. The public is invited to bring ideas for the park, which will be located south of Bismarck on a 220-acre crescent bordering the river adjacent to the Missouri River Correctional Center. An open house and comment opportunity will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Bismarck Public Library. The Missouri River Day Park its working name for now will be the first new state park since Cross Ranch State Park back in 1989 and to say that park director Mark Zimmerman is excited about the opportunity is to sorely understate the situation. I am excited about it, but this young man is even more so, Zimmerman says, gesturing toward young Bismarck landscape architect Jake Axtman, who was hired to develop a working vision for the property. This will be different. There wont be camping and shower houses like in other parks, or boat ramps. This will be for enjoying the natural aspect of the river and we hope with the public meeting, well hear what people want, Zimmerman said. Axtman said hes spent many hours wandering the property, gradually understanding that a nature-first approach would be a harmonious way to bring the landscape and the people together. This is so close to the city and it provides an opportunity to be close and still have a connection to nature and to open space, Axtman said. I see a park with only a light man-made influence. Fort Abraham Lincoln is just across the river and the historic Whisky Point steamboat landing somewhere nearby. This is a place of history, ecology, restoration and recreation, Axtman said. The flood of 2011 dropped a heavy deposit of sand on part of the property and along the bank where a vast sandbar stretches to the north, promising summer days of backwater splashing and volleyball. Young cottonwoods grow valiantly in open places and old ones are falling in the woodlands. This is a true living laboratory thats been impacted by man and nature. Weve got the opportunity to showcase for generations how nature is always changing, Zimmerman said. Funding comes from a special infusion of $14 million toward park improvements. Zimmerman said hes planning to spend about $1 million of that on the day park. He said he hopes an access road could be built later this summer and enough work done so the public could start using the property in the fall. The park is a compromise solution for entirely removing the correctional center and developing the valuable river acreage. Therell be plenty of work for service groups Boy Scouts and the like to help clear deadfall, spray noxious weeds, dig trails and plant vegetation. Some of that work might be done by men who have earned the privilege of finishing their terms at the correctional center, where education and physical labor are intended to help in their transition. We understand that a lot of these men would like to help out here. How cool would that be? Zimmerman said. The public is also invited to leave comments on the Missouri River Day Park Facebook page. George H.W. Bush was the first politician I ever disliked. I was 12, my parents were loyal Democrats, and every night wed watch the news, cheer for whatever Bill Clinton was saying on the trail, and then glower at the screen when Peter Jennings went to Brit Hume, then the White House correspondent, for an update on what the incumbent president was up to. For a kid new to politics, in a family that regarded Republicans as stuffed shirts and black hats, the fact that the elder Bush had been elected president was simply baffling. His voice, his affect, his malapropisms, his endless forehead they reminded me of a stiff in one of the black-and-white films my parents watched, or the Token Clueless Grown-up in a kids adventure movie. Watching him nightly, I kept thinking: How could anyone like this guy? One answer, I learned later, was that relatively few people really did. Not that Bush hadnt earned his share of admirers across his distinguished career. But by the standards of modern presidents he lacked a truly passionate fan base. The conservative movement was perpetually disappointed in him; liberals gave him no credit for his moderation; the press never swooned for him; and few voters bonded with him the way they did with the beloved Reagan, the charismatic Clinton or even, eventually, with a more populist and swaggering President George W. Bush. So my 12-year-old selfs political instincts werent all wrong. The elder Bush had many gifts, but he was not a particularly appealing politician. Neither, it turns out, is his second son. Weve reached the last stand of the Jeb Bush campaign, the make-or-break moment, and unless New Hampshire delivers a dramatic surprise, his $100 million juggernaut is just days or weeks away from breaking down. And in many ways, the Jeb! campaign has recapitulated his fathers struggle to play the modern presidential part. The father had the wimp factor, his second son has low energy. The father struggled to deal with a billionaire populist; so too has the son. (Ross Perot then, Donald Trump now.) The fathers inspirational gestures (a thousand points of light) were less memorable than his crime-and-culture assault on Michael Dukakis; the sons promise to run a joyful campaign has collapsed into a wave of negative ads. The father famously told a New Hampshire audience, message: I care. The son finished a recent town-hall peroration with the instantly immortal please clap. The difference is that the father had better fortune before his 92 defeat. The father got to run for Ronald Reagans third term in 1988, whereas Jeb has the anchor of his brothers unsuccessful administration. The father faced Bob Dole and Dukakis; his son has more politically effective rivals. (Theres more than a hint of Clinton in Marco Rubio.) And the elder Bush was better served by his hatchet men, Lee Atwater and James Baker, than Jeb has been by Mike Murphys super PAC, whose most memorable attack ad involved Rubios boots. So unless something dramatic changes, Bush family history will have repeated itself the first time as a rise and fall, the second time just as a flop. But before it does, its worth recalling that after he was ejected from the White House, people realized that actually George H.W. Bush had been a pretty good president. Not a transformative one, to be sure; not an ideological hero in the mold of Reagan or Franklin Roosevelt. But precisely because the elder Bush lacked certain politicians gifts, he also lacked certain characteristic politicians weaknesses the appetitive indiscipline of his successor, the headstrong utopianism of his son, the polarizing arrogance of our present chief executive. Which meant that while his presidency left no major domestic policy legacy, it also bequeathed few disasters, and left the economy in good shape for its 1990s boom. His foreign policy built on Reagans achievements, but Bush presided successfully over an extraordinarily fraught four years (the Berlin Wall, the invasion of Kuwait, the fall of the Soviet Union) and left office with U.S. interests arguably stronger than at any point in modern history. As a case for his son, this is not the stuff of 30-second ads: I share my dads weaknesses as a politician, so maybe Id actually be a pretty good president. Im Jeb Bush and I approve this message. But the funny thing is, it might be true. Jeb has proven, over many painful months, that he lacks the gifts required to win a primary campaign. But the democratic process is hardly infallible, and a great deal of damage can be done by presidents rich in political charisma and with it zeal, self-righteousness and certainty. Between Ted Cruz, Rubio, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to say nothing of Trump theres a lot of those qualities to go around. Which makes me fear that we could do a lot worse than John Ellis Bush. And that we probably will. Now, before he goes please clap. (Ross Douthat writes for the New York Times. His syndicated column appears on Wednesdays.) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Shannon Miles, the man accused of gunning down a Harris County sheriff's deputy in August, was committed Tuesday to a state hospital after prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed he is mentally incompetent to stand trial on charges of capital murder. He initially was expected to have to wait about three months until the transfer. On Wednesday, a state legislator citing security concerns cleared the way for the 31-year-old to go to a mental health facility within days. "To say there's a three-month waiting period, I just don't think that's a safe, healthy environment to be confined by deputy sheriffs who suffered such a loss," State Senator John Whitmire said Wednesday. "There are human feelings on all sides, and I think it serves the system and all concerned to get him to the hospital as soon as possible." In the months since Miles was arrested in the fatal Aug. 28 shooting of deputy Darren Goforth, experts for the defense and prosecution examined him and concluded he is unfit to go to trial. Officials said a logjam of people already committed to state mental hospitals equipped to handle capital murder suspects meant Miles would have to wait about three months before even being transferred. On Wednesday, Whitmire said he contacted the director of facilities to get Miles a spot within days. "The circumstances of his case are so sensitive," Whitmire said. "Being housed and guarded by colleagues of the fallen officer make it really pressing that we get him out of the Harris County Jail." Defense attorney Anthony Osso said his client should not have received special treatment by being put at the front of the line. He said he did not have any safety concerns and complimented the jail staff. "I have a good working relationship with the jail captains and they've been very accommodating," Osso said. "I would have thought (Whitmire) would have at least discussed this with Miles' defense team before doing something like this. He should have discussed it with us." In court Tuesday, state District Judge Susan Brown committed Miles to North Texas State Hospital knowing that there were about 60 people in line in the jail ahead of him, putting him in limbo as he waited for a bed. Brown, who is also the administrative judge who speaks for Houston's 22 felony courts, said news about the transfer being delayed has spotlighted a serious problem that legislators, like Whitmire, should look at. "We want to get every single one of these folks to the state hospital as quickly as we can," she said. "If it's happening in Harris County, it's happening in every county." Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman was more pointed. "We look forward to the state picking up a greater part of their responsibility, providing mental healthcare, to keep people out of our county jails who should be better treated somewhere else," Hickman said. "Miles, we hope, will eventually be evaluated and found competent so he can stand trial, and justice in the Goforth killing will be served." Although there is a chance Miles will never be deemed competent to go to trial, prosecutors said they believe his mental state can be restored. They said Tuesday's ruling was just another step in getting to trial. Experts for the defense said in December that he is "schizophrenic and episodically psychotic." Prosecutors who had their own experts examine Miles agreed that he is incompetent to stand trial, meaning he would be committed to the Vernon mental hospital near Fort Worth until he can understand the charges against him. Under Texas law, a suspect can stand trial only if he understands the charges against him and can aid lawyers in his defense. It is not the same as a plea of "not guilty by reason of insanity," which is a different court procedure that Miles' lawyers have said they would not address until his competency is restored. With Miles being sent to a mental health facility by the end of the week, Whitmire said he plans to examine the backlog and see what changes legislators can make. He said Texas, as well as the entire nation, has not given enough attention to mental health, especially in criminal justice. "It's unacceptable to have a waiting list when the criminal justice and the mental health system would be served by admitting these individuals," he said. During a campaign stop at Houston Matters this week, Sheriff Ron Hickman brushed off systemic deficiencies revealed in the Chronicle's "Jailhouse Jeopardy" series, saying what kept him up at nights was thinking about how to stretch the department's $464.4 million budget to meet unbridled population growth in Harris County. In a promo clip posted Tuesday, Hickman said Harris County is growing by about 250,000 people every five years or roughly half a million every decade. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A lawyer for a Houston man accused of killing eight people in a horrific episode of domestic violence in August indicated Wednesday that he may not face the death penalty because of his intellectual disability. David Ray Conley, 49, was charged with three counts of capital murder, accused of fatally shooting his estranged ex-girlfriend Valerie Jackson, her husband and six children, including his own son, one by one in the head. TIMELINE: What happened at the Falling Oaks Massacre "There's a lot of testing being done," said Conley's attorney Philip Scardino. "I can't tell you what the test results are, but there's some indication that our client may have an intellectual disability." Because there is a gag order in the case, Scardino could not provide many details but did cite a Supreme Court prohibition on executing intellectually disabled people. SUSPECT SPEAKS: Accused killer says "I'm not God ... I'm the man of the house" "The Supreme Court has ruled over and over that we can't execute people who are mentally retarded or intellectually disabled," he said. "Our position is that anything that would get them to not seek the death penalty is what we're working on." Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson has not made a decision on whether the office will seek death in the case, a decision that typically takes months and is made after any psychological testing is done. THE CRIME: Suspect charged with capital murder in death of 6 children, 2 adults Conley was arrested after surrendering to sheriff's deputies on Aug. 8 following a police standoff outside a house in northwest Harris County. Authorities said he had broken in through a window, armed and with handcuffs. He is accused of restraining the family, including his 13-year-old son, then killing them by shooting them. All eight died in the house . Authorities identified the dead as Valerie Jackson, 40, Jonah Jackson, 6; Trinity Jackson, 7; Caleb Jackson, 9; Dwayne Jackson Jr., 10; Honesty Jackson, 11; Nathaniel Conley, 13; and Dwayne Jackson, 50. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A 10-day pilot project to extract cars from Houston's bayous yielded 20 vehicles by its conclusion last week. "Operation Submerge" started on Jan. 27 to test the muscle needed to pull cars from the water, preserve them for police processing and contain environmental impacts resulting from removal. The effort, financed by $49,500 from Harris County Precinct 2 and the city, wrapped up Feb. 5. Most of the cars recovered were at least 20 years old. The Harris County Flood Control District the project administrator supervised Saltwater Salvage, a contractor handling underwater location, and Apple Towing, which operated the crane that lifted the vehicles to the bayou banks and delivered them to the Houston Police Department's impound lot. As many as 200 vehicles are believed to be submerged in Brays, Buffalo and Sims bayous, three of Harris County's primary waterways. The effort, which included weekends, began in a stretch of waterway between Old Spanish Trail and South Wayside Drive. A gunk-covered 1987 Buick reported stolen in 1998 and an orange-colored Hyundai Excel from the mid-1980s were recovered the first day. Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller first brought the existence of dozens of underwater vehicles in the bayous to the public's attention in 2014 during a presentation to Houston City Council. He told officials the nonprofit search and rescue group mapped 127 in late 2011 while looking for 82-year-old Lillian High. Her remains were found three months later inside her car in an artificial pond. HPD officials at the time said they were aware of the vast majority of those submerged vehicles. Most are believed to be stolen cars that were dumped, said Sgt. Tracy Hicks with HPD's auto theft division. A gold-colored pickup truck, a gray minivan and a difficult-to-identify car were pulled up on Jan. 28. The next day revealed a heavy vehicle with a missing roof, possibly an SUV, and another find also without a clear description. Crews brought up a red GMC TrailBlazer and a late 1990s black Pontiac Grand Am on Jan. 30. The following day's catch was an early 1990s Ford Ranger pickup. Crews moved upstream of the Lidstone Street bridge over Brays Bayou on Feb. 1 and pulled up two vehicles from the 1990s: a white Chrysler LeBaron and a maroon Chevrolet Silverado pickup. There were no recoveries on Feb. 2. The haul on Feb. 3 yielded three vehicles and brought the count to 15. Workers pulled up a green 1989 Jeep Cherokee Laredo, a blue 1991 Eagle Talon and a green 1990 Chevrolet Astro van. Another trio emerged on Feb. 4: a white 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier, a blue 1996 Chevrolet Caprice and a blue 1998 Honda Accord. Crews then moved to a staging area on Sims Bayou at Broadway Street to complete the project. Workers removed the final two vehicles on Feb. 5 a 1980s-era Buick LeSabre and a 1998 Cadillac DeVille. An Executive Management Committee that includes county and city officials will meet to discuss potentially continuing the extraction program on a larger scale. Anyone seeking information on the recovered cars should contact HPD at 713-308-3280. The crew at Mental Floss has come out with another entertaining U.S. map of Google searches. This one provides a state-by-state look at what people are musing about when they do Internet searches. Police in London are singing the high praises of a random guy this week. On Monday, the Kingston Police department tweeted a short video of a foot chase between officers and a suspect. The footage shows the accused criminal running down a sidewalk, looking back at the officer quickly gaining on him. What he didn't see was the very-well dressed gentleman about to throw a wrench in his getaway. Lawmakers during the 2015 Legislature rejected a proposal from Gov. Jack Dalrymple to spend $30 million to replace the Missouri River Correctional Center with an expanded facility. The center is a concern because of flood damage, mold and maintenance needs. With oil prices on the decline and revenue projections uncertain, lawmakers decided it wasnt the right time to spend money on the facility. The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was considering sending inmates to Colorado, not the ideal solution, when a better option came along. The state has started leasing a 185-foot housing unit that has been used in the oil patch. This is a cheaper and more practical solution for the problem. The Missouri River Correctional Center south of Bismarck houses minimum-security inmates, many transitioning back into society. Like most correctional facilities in the state, the Missouri River Correctional Center is full. The state is leasing the units from Target Logistics for $35 per bed per day, or $1,260 daily. It cost the state $60,000 to move and put the units together. The units were part of man camp near Tioga used for a project and werent needed there any longer. The rooms are described as small and two rooms share a bathroom and shower, but they provide privacy. They also are cheaper than the alternatives. Leann Bertsch, director of corrections, said shipping inmates to Colorado likely would have resulted in minimum-security inmates being placed in a medium- or maximum-security facility, not a desired situation. It also would have been more expensive than the temporary housing. The housing was used by workers in the oil patch so inmates dont need to fear they are being placed in unsuitable accommodations. While a temporary fix, the housing provides a chance for the inmates to remain in the state, go on work release and transition back into society. At a time when the state expects less revenue and tighter budgets it allows a delay in more expensive solutions. With the states correctional system and many county jails full, more ideas like this will be needed. Yes, delayed projects can become more expensive over time, but if you dont have the money its better to wait. The correctional system is under review at the moment and the 2017 legislative session could see proposals to ease the crowding problem. One of the most important results of the temporary housing is it gives inmates an opportunity to prepare for life on the outside. A chance to be free, law-abiding and productive. U.S. Rep Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) guest hosted the conservative radio show Point of View last Friday. The legislator used his time on the air to blast the Supreme Courts decision making on gay marriage. He agreed with a caller who said the Supreme Court exceeded its authority and the authority of God by ruling on gay marriage. Gohmert, clearly not a fan of separation of church and state, went on a mini-rant about how the justices ignored the teachings of Jesus, God and Moses: Tuesday night's New Hampshire primary went all right for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. He didn't appear Wednesday morning on the Washington Post's list of "winners and losers" of the vote, and his standing as a plausible contender for the GOP nomination remained unchanged. That's because Cruz had long predicted a modest but respectable showing in New Hampshire a tiny state sporting minuscule blocs of Cruz's typical evangelical followers. So Cruz's third-place finish with 11.7 percent of the vote didn't turn many heads. The vote will impact Cruz most by shaping the cast of his GOP contenders and on that front the vote turned heads. Most hope faded for an "establishment" candidate to emerge from the fray and challenge GOP front-runners Donald Trump and Cruz. As Politico wrote, "GOP establishment stares into the abyss." Marco Rubio's surge to third place in Iowa last week had suggested to many that he was the man behind whom moderate Republicans could coalesce to rout the self-professed outsiders' takeover of the party. But Rubio's fifth-place finish on Tuesday deflated those hopes, as the candidate sunk back into the pack of fledgling campaigns. Several major publications chose the same word to describe that pack: "muddled." The New York Times reported Tuesday that GOP leaders "have all but abandoned hope that the nomination will be decided without a long and costly fight stretching well into the spring." Ohio Gov. John Kasich claimed a surprising second place Tuesday, but almost no one posited that he could assume front-runner status in the national race. "The picture is unsettled," wrote the Wall Street Journal Wednesday morning, noting that the early primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire have shed unusually little light on how this race will evolve. Now the campaigns turn to the next primary votes in Nevada on Feb. 23 and in South Carolina on Feb. 27. There Cruz has run a months-long ground operation, even housing volunteers in a co-opted dorm similar to the "Camp Cruz" that fueled his upset victory in Iowa. Absent a rising moderate challenger, Cruz is largely expected to perform well in South Carolina thanks to a strong evangelical bloc. After that will be Super Tuesday, when 14 states and a U.S. territory cast their votes. The day's main attraction will be Texas, where Cruz spots the home state advantage. But tiny New Hampshire may offer some lessons going forward, among them that "Republicans decided late and debates mattered a lot," reported NPR. Numbers show that voters there were most susceptible to last-ditch campaign efforts in the final days before the vote, possibly explaining Kasich's surprising second-place finish. And the nationally televised GOP debate on Saturday swung voters' opinions substantially. That means that the upcoming primaries could also be subject to dramatic lastminute influences. And that means everything is still up in the air. Opponents in the media lashed out viciously at Texas Sen. Ted Cruz after Tuesday night's New Hampshire primary kept the conservative firebrand in the running for the presidential nomination. Cruz, once widely characterized as a fringe candidate, has emerged as perhaps the only viable contender to billionaire mogul Donald Trump's bid for the GOP nomination. That seems to have tickled some tempers. THE LEAD: A very long fight New Hampshire: Bernie Sanders gets 60 percent, Hillary Clinton 38 percent. Donald Trump wins with 35 percent, and John Kasich trails in second place with almost 16 percent. What it means: Many Republican Party leaders may be terrified by Trump's ascendance, but have yet to divine a way to stop the billionaire real estate mogul. Clinton may have all the endorsements of her party's bold-faced names, but it is Sanders who is winning over the young people and independents who helped push Barack Obama to the White House, per the AP in Concord. Trump and Sanders thrive at the start of what will likely be bruising fights for the nominations in both parties. Ted Cruz claimed victory after placing third with 11 percent, basically a tie with Jeb Bush, but the next few states raise the stakes for the Texas senator. And pollsters are breathing a sigh of relief this morning after their New Hampshire predictions proved more accurate than their Iowa ones. Welcome to Wednesday, folks. The Texas countdown: six days until early voting begins here, and 19 days until primary day. Send your predictions to bobby.cervantes@chron.com or find me on twitter at @bobbycervantes. -- Facing off for third time in House race, Bennett Ratliff and Matt Rinaldi battle over conservative credentials, by the Morning News Claire Cardona. In an appearance before The Dallas Morning News editorial board, the two candidates went head-to-head on whether being a conservative is defined by who you vote with or against. Rinaldi, a Tea Party favorite who has been named among the most conservative legislators by various conservative groups, said he has no plans to go along to get along. Ratliff said he is not interested in his rank on scorecards produced by activist groups that rate lawmakers based on certain votes. He said they end up measuring partisanship, rather than conservatism. -- Green seeks to blunt aggressive Garcia campaign with ad buys, by the Chronicles Rebecca Elliott. U.S. Congressman Gene Green has taken Texas' 29th District Democratic primary to television, leveraging his substantial financial advantage over challenger Adrian Garcia to pour more than $240,000 into network and cable advertising over the next three weeks. Green's English- and Spanish-language ads focus on his involvement in the community, providing a contrast to Garcia's more aggressive negative messaging about the incumbent. -- Yall, Hillary could lose, by the Texas Observers Chris Hooks. The ideological fight between Clintonites and Sandernistas has obscured something important: Clinton is a seriously flawed candidate, and if Republicans put up a halfway decent opponent, Democrats have reason to be anxious about her ability to win." -- University of Houston said to decline role in planning use of UT Houston land, by the Chronicles Ben Wermund. UH officials and supporters have opposed UT's planned Houston expansion, saying the flagship is acting without consulting the city's existing schools.The UT spokeswoman said UH was offered, but declined, a spot on the 18-member panel that will develop a plan for the site. The group, announced Tuesday, will consult other experts and community leaders for guidance over the next year. It includes representatives from Texas Southern University and Rice University. UH alumni are on the task force. -- Obama vows to press ahead on Clean Power Plan after setback, by the APs Michael Biesecker and Sam Hananel. Tuesday's surprising move by the court is a blow to Obama and a victory for the coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led states and industry opponents, who call the regulations an unprecedented power grab. By issuing the temporary freeze, a 5-4 majority of the justices signaled that opponents made strong arguments against the rules. The high court's four liberal justices said they would have denied the request for delay. The administration's plan aims to stave off the worst predicted impacts of climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by about one-third by 2030. -- Horse racing to continue in Texas through the end of February, by the Chronicles Brian Rosenthal. Texas Racing Commission officials on Tuesday informed the Sam Houston Race Park that the tracks will be allowed to stay open at least until the end of February, instead of being forced to close Feb. 16. The notification followed a Cameron County judge's order that temporarily prevented the commission from voting to close or to repeal a controversial new form of betting known as "historical racing." The judge issued the order in response to a request from the Texas Greyhound Association, which is involved with racing at the Valley Race Park in Harlingen. -- Lawmakers discuss breaks for some drug crimes, by the Statesmans Chuck Lindell. The question is whether such changes, coupled with a robust emphasis on substance abuse treatment, would have the desired effect of reducing prison populations, lowering re-arrest rates and cutting state spending. The House Corrections Committee, which held a Capitol hearing on the subject Tuesday, will study the issue in the coming months and plans to release a report next fall that could lay the groundwork for legislation after the session kicks off in January. SPEED READ Texas Take: Clintons path after New Hampshire, Houston Chronicle Ramsey: Is a move from the House to the Senate a clear promotion? Texas Tribune Teen killed by Austin police on Monday was unarmed, Austin American-Statesman Austin mayor to host event for Hillary, Austin American-Statesman Herman: As NH votes are counted, Ted Cruz looks south, Austin American-Statesman Clinton campaign hosting fundraisers in Mexico, The Hill Advocates say hundreds saved from opioid overdose since state law went into effect, Quorum Report Lujan takes the oath in HD-118, San Antonito Express-News Ferguson asks for changes to reform deal, drawing criticism, Associated Press Abortion rights activists say their support is growing in Texas, San Antonio Express-News Obamas crude tax misses all the marks, Houston Chronicle Bill would allow N. Texas reservoir to bypass federal regulators, The Dallas Morning News Jonas blamed La Raza for his woes in Crystal City, San Antonio Express-News Winners and losers from the New Hampshire primary elections, The Dallas Morning News Former murder capital of Mexico presents sunnier image for pope, Los Angeles Times Obama declares 25 Texas counties federal disaster areas, Austin American-Statesman QUOTE TO NOTE Im disappointed. Its on me. I [did] not do well on Saturday night, so listen to this: That will never happen again. -- Marco Rubio to supporters at his New Hampshire primary night rally after a disappointing night RACE TO 2016 -- 5 takeaways from New Hampshire, by Politicos Glenn Thrush. If there was any doubt that voters in both parties are in an ornery, establishment-flaying frame of mind (oh, and there wasnt) Tuesdays First in the Nation primary demolished the last illusion that 2016 would revert to anything approaching a normal election cycle. -- Can Hillary Clinton come back? by Politicos Annie Karni and Gabriel Debenedetti. If Iowa answered many questions about the strength of her field organization, New Hampshire raised just as many about the weakness of her message. Perhaps not enough to send her supporters to the exits, or to hear faint echoes of the Joe Biden drumbeat, but if she doesnt pull it together in time for Nevada on Feb. 20 and South Carolina on Feb. 27, its going to be flop sweat time for the Democratic establishment. -- Bernie Sanderss huge NH win exposes a fractured Dem primary, The Washington Posts Philip Bump. The results in New Hampshire show a Democratic Party in the state that is deeply ruptured demographically and ideologically -- in a way that happened to very much favor Bernie Sanders on Tuesday night. -- As Trump wins, mainstream GOP is left to muddle on, by The New York Times Alex Burns. Despite strenuous efforts to overtake Donald J. Trump, none of his mainstream Republican opponents stood out from the pack. Now, they are left to muddle forward with no particular momentum into the next contests, in South Carolina and Nevada. The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p. About Me Blair Russell I am a guy from from Florida who is now 41 (!) This will talk about movies in this blog. More info about me can be found at www.myspace.com/blairpac and an e-mail address to use to send correspondence with me is Blairpac@yahoo.com View my complete profile Blog Archive Malheur Occupation: How Does Nature Nurture Shape the Adults We Become? A Guest Post by Dave Irons I was eleven when I first visited Harney County and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Our family spent most of a long weekend up on Steens Mountain, where I caught and ate trout from Fish Lake and gazed down from the east rim onto the dry white expanse of the Alvord Lake bed roughly a mile below. Steens Mountain is a massive fault block rising to nearly 10,000 feet. It is the defining geological feature of this subregion of Oregon. Having just moved to Portland from Indiana about 18 months earlier, this was my first exposure to Oregons high desert. I was enthralled. Nearly six more years would pass before my first real birding trip to Malheur. As a carload of us drove onto the refuge that first afternoon, Wilsons Phalaropes and Cinnamon Teal seemed to be in every puddle and roadside ditch. Any fencepost that didnt have a Willet or a Wilsons Snipe standing on it was likely to feature a Yellow-headed or Red-winged Blackbird. Calling Willets and Long-billed Curlews displayed overhead, while American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts scolded from roadside nest sites. As dusk settled in over the Malheur Environmental Field Station (now Malheur Field Station), Sage Thrashers sang from every direction. It was baffling to hear Soras and American Bitterns sounding off out in the distance when all the vegetation in sight was big sagebrush, rabbit brush and greasewood. The smell of sage was ever present. At night, it was quieter than anywhere I had ever been and the number of visible stars was at least an order of magnitude greater than I could recall seeing elsewhere. It was a simultaneously sensory overload and sensory underload. Years compiled into decades and decades accreted into nearly 40 years of pilgrimages to this magical place. Ive explored the Malheur/Harney Basin with many companions, some dear, lifelong friends and others fleeting acquaintances. To a person they have been captivated by what some of us came to call the Big Country. We appropriated this handle from a BBC documentary about Malheur and Steens Mountain that was filmed in the early 1970s. Sharing Malheur with my oldest daughter Lucy, my late daughter Lilly and their younger brother Stuart ranks among my greatest joys. Their early visits were part trial by ordeal, with me making too many birding stops. Nevertheless, they gradually bonded with this place on their own terms. Now in their 20s, they organize their own Memorial Day Weekend trips, bringing along friends who theyve introduced to Oregons high desert country. Lucy, her best friend Meli, and Lilly began referring to each other as desert sisters some years back. Taking a group picture of them in front of the famous Pete French Round Barn became an annual tradition. When Lilly died in August 2014, it was a no-brainer that we would scatter some of her ashes at Malheur during our 2015 Memorial Day Weekend trip. She will be forever with us when we come to visit. Three months later we placed a memorial bench honoring Lilly at the refuge headquarters. There is a gentle pace to Harney County that is quite unlike that of Oregons more densely populated westside. Finding a quiet spot to be alone and reflect on the surrounding beauty is never a challenge. Returning home to the city is a culture shock after even a few days in southeastern Oregon. I would have never expected Malheur to make the national news for all the wrong reasons, but it did on the afternoon of 2 January 2016. Ironically, I was sitting in a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service building in Newport, Oregon, tallying up birds seen on the Yaquina Bay Christmas Bird Count when I learned that Ammon Bundy, his brother Ryan, and a number of others had taken over the headquarters complex at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Having spent most of my life in Oregon, Malheur represents more than just a place we go birding. It is a shrine, a state of mind, a spiritual condition. Special bonds are forged among those who have shared experiences on this stark and arid landscape. Its a vast, mostly treeless expanse that offers a vivid contradiction to the typical notion of Oregon. I was dumbfounded by the initial news and lingered in a state of denial over the next day or so. Not until I arrived home the next Monday evening did I fully engage the reality of my beloved Malheur being under siege. Gradually I began to unravel the motivations that were driving the actions of the principal players in this unlawful occupation. News clips showed men with guns gathered on grounds I knew well. Their interpretations of The Constitution and inability to understand and appreciate how society as a whole benefits from public lands were mystifying. Who raised these people and filled their heads with this nonsense? Denial quickly spiraled into anger that was at times quite intense. Emotions were raw and unbridled. Like many folks I know, that anger spawned fantasies of invasions to rid these squatters from our hallowed birding grounds. There were hours and sometimes days when it mattered not whether the occupiers came out in handcuffs or body bags, I just wanted them gone. Looking back at some my early responses to this takeover, I cringe a bit. As time passed, I began to think about the occupation in much different terms. Instead of focusing on my anger, I began to search for answers to the question raised at the end of the previous paragraph. I hadnt paid much attention to the original Bundy standoff. Cliven Bundy seemed to be a disgruntled rancher, who wasnt happy with government regulations and the federal ownership of large tracts of arid lands across American West. What else is new? This has been going on for as long as I have been going to Malheur. My original visits coincided with the first wave of Sagebrush Rebellion. I failed to realize just how intensely this man hated the government and what lengths he might go to in an attempt to usurp federal lands. Worse yet, he seems to have poisoned the well for his own children, who are enslaved by the seeds of hatred and discontent that he planted in them. I found myself reflecting on my own upbringing and wondering what type of people Ammon and Ryan Bundy might have been had they been raised as my siblings instead of being the progeny of Cliven Bundy. As the occupation of Malheur stretched from days into weeks, my anger towards the Bundy brothers turned to sadness. I began to realize that they have been irreparably scarred by a virulent father whose teachings left them wholly unprepared to function within the framework of the agreed-upon laws that the rest of us abide by. Ammon Bundy never appears to seethe the same way his father seethes, but he is certainly a prisoner to the family credo and perhaps a need to live up to the old mans expectations. Growing up on the arid rangelands of Nevada, one might expect that the Bundy boys had a magical childhood. The soundtrack of their youth was surely filled with the songs of Western Meadowlarks, desert sparrows, Sage Thrashers and nighttime hooting of Great Horned Owls. But did they hear them? Coyotes, jackrabbits, pronghorn, and all sorts of snakes and lizards were likely common sights on their familys land. But did they notice, or were all these animals merely fodder for youngsters learning to shoot straight? Did their father and mother know the names of any of the local plants and animals? Could they, or would they, explain to their boys that all these creatures have a place on the planet and serve as important links in natures balance? Sadly, the answer is probably no. Did their parents ever take them on vacations to the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Arches or Zion? Being Mormon, they presumably made pilgrimages to Utah. Do they even know that Bear River National Wildlife Refuge exists, or did they ever go there? Given their fathers disdain for federal land ownership, it seems unlikely. This saddens me. My parents joined the Audubon Society when I was about five years old. Family vacations usually involved camping on state or federal lands and included visits to many National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, National Scenic Areas and state wildlife areas. For as long as I can remember, my parents worked on conservation issues. Both are past presidents of the Audubon Society of Portland (Oregon), now one of the largest independent chapters in the country. I dont recall my parents carping about the government, or talking disrespectfully about elected officials, even those at the opposite end of the political spectrum. If there was something that they thought needed to be changed, they reached out to their representatives and made their feelings known. They organized campaigns, inspiring others to do the same and worked to elect like-minded folks. They routinely testified at government hearings, wrote to and called on elected officials. They were squeaky wheels to be sure. These efforts contributed to the creation of the Big Walnut Creek preserve in central Indiana, the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, and Oregons landmark Bottle Bill. While working for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, my mom came up with the idea to organize a cleanup of Oregons beaches in 1984, the first of its kind in the United States. Thirty-plus years later this annual cleanup is still going strong and many states and countries now make similar efforts to remove trash and debris from their coastlines. In my home, there was definitely what I call nature nurturenot to be confused with nature vs. nurture. I firmly believe that our values and beliefs are shaped by unique sets of life experiences. These start with where we were raised and who raised us. Given my upbringing, there was little chance that I would grow up to own a gun, or come to believe that transferring any of the public parks and refuges that I visited as a child back into private hands would be a good thing. Birds and other wildlife large and small were valued and to be protected. I have to wonderwas there much nature nurture in the Bundy childhoods? It seems that they learned plenty about guns and confrontation, while their education about compromise, civil discourse, and the natural world lagged behind. Were the Bundy children taught to value any wildlife? Did they learn how wildlife was abusively exploited for profit before the Audubon Society and Teddy Roosevelt came along and convinced us to think about it differently? Recent events have been a wake up call for me. It never occurred to me that someone might occupy a wildlife refuge, let alone Malheur, thus denying our rightful access to public lands that we all share. Will this be a one-time occurrence? Will others copycat this takeover in an effort to push their so-called wise use agenda? We cant know what the future holds, but we must recognize that this takeover did not occur out in the middle of nowhere as it has often been portrayed. This narrative was repeated frequently during the early days of the occupation. Surprisingly, even President Obama initially called it a local law enforcement issue. Oregon Governor Kate Brown pointed out that this seizure of federal property is outside the jurisdiction of state and local law enforcement. This siege was not out in the middle of nowhere. It happened in someones backyardmine! Yours could certainly be next. I can assure you that its not a pleasant feeling to have a place that you hold so dear in the hands of folks who would treat it with such disregard. There are actions we can take to disable the three percenters. First, we need to use our affiliations (bird clubs, conservation organizations, Friends of NWR groups etc.) to rally our many allies to make their feelings known, both at the polls and with those already in office. We can educate folks about the cultural, social, and economic impacts that come from birding, sightseeing and wildlife watching on public lands. In addition to these primary benefits, we need to raise awareness to and appreciation of the many ancillary benefits of public lands and access to them. We need to utilize our collective voice to swamp out the misguided idea that such places are underutilized, or that resource extraction might offer a superior, albeit unsustainable economic engine. It is estimated that visitors to Malheur NWR and surrounding public spaces pour upwards of $15 million dollars into the Harney County economy annually, with little impact on or degradation of the landscape. Imagine the economic impact visitors have on communities near our most iconic national parks. Our best defense going forward is to make sure that there is nature nurture for every child. In birding, we often refer to spark birds. Once a spark ignites a fire, be it the one that burns in me or the one that burns in the Bundys, it is eternal and is subsequently passed forward through the generations. -=====- Dave Irons is a lifelong birder who got his start tagging along on Audubon Society field trips with his parents as a young child in Indiana. The landscapes on which he birded were ultimately his spark bird and that continues to the present. Birding is best when there is a spiritual connection to the mountains, streams, deserts, oceans, forests and grasslands that surround him. No place on Earth better represents this for Dave than Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and the high desert sagebrush country of southeastern Oregon. 12081 FREMONT,CA: Based on a report from Balancing Actan African telecoms, internet and broadcasting website, the Department of Homeland Security, Gabon has selected Gemalto, a top digital security provider for supplying and implementing fully integrated border and visa management system. This alliance will foster operational efficiency, enhance national security and improve travelling experience to the people visiting the Equatorial African state. As per the new scheme, the issuance of visas, e-visas and residents permit will be made simpler with the visa management system. From July onwards, visitors can use the internet to get visa for entering the country by using Gabons e-visa portal service. After the delivery of Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), the visa will be issued at Libreville International Airport upon the arrival of the travelers. The solution is built around the centralized, back-office Coesys Visa and Border Management System which facilitates the automation of queries to be entered in database. Apart from this solution, Automated Border Control Kiosks will provide speedy self-service passport checks to the travelers at Gabons main airport where around one million passengers are addressed annually. The Border Intelligence module utilizes the data obtained from the border resources and provides investigation tools and solutions for new risk patterns through a highly intuitive clicking process. Also the reporting app of the module helps to drive tourism and prioritize national investment efforts by providing valuable and related information. General Celestin Embinga, General Manager of DGDI, Gabons Department of Homeland and Security says, Gemaltos solution puts us in control of a secure and adaptable integrated border management system that is field-proven. It also helps expedite the border clearance process, cutting waiting times and improving the customs experience for travelers. In addition, Gemaltos speed and commitment are tangible. Our new e-visa service was defined and implemented within 14 weeks, he adds. Gemalto is delivering a unique solution which is flexible and fast to implement. We also combine local resources and international expertise in partnership with government bodies. This is precisely what is appreciated by our growing number of customers in Africa, states Ari Bouzbib, Senior Vice President of Government Programs. ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham. David Sher is co-CEO of AmSher Compassionate Collections and past Chairman of Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, ONB, and CAP. Let's turn Birmingham around. Click here to sign up for our newsletter. There's power in numbers. (Opt out at any time) Today's guest blogger is Matt Hottle. If you'd like to be a guest blogger, please click here. Recently, Comeback Town published an article from an anonymous author that was very critical of Birmingham and its prospects for the future. I'm not quick to publicly criticize anyone's opinion but this article bothered me because it was only offered anonymously and appeared to be written from a poorly informed viewpoint. Not content to simply troll suburban neighborhood Facebook pages, we now see people skimming salacious headlines about fist-fights in City Council offices and outrageous European "economic development" trips by the Mayor's office and use those embarrassing outliers as some kind of "I told you so" affirmation about how Birmingham is doomed. Seemingly rooting for its ruination, people who spend zero time working with those striving to build businesses, push neighborhood revitalization and improve the quality of life in the city speak fervently about all the failings of Birmingham. Birmingham is far from failing. Every square inch of Innovation Depot is being utilized even as they "graduate" increasing numbers of incubated companies. REV Birmingham is inspiring entrepreneurs to take a leap of faith and supporting them with educational programs that cost a fraction of what they are actually worth. "Over the Mountain" companies like Barfield, Shank, Murphy and Smith are opening new offices downtown. Matt Landers and Depot U are teaching people off the street how to write software code- virtually guaranteeing them immediate employment in $60k jobs upon graduation. Mickey Milsap and K12 Lean Labs are creating an educational incubator that pushes innovation in educational experiences for children right here in Birmingham. Jones Valley Teaching Farm has launched its largest project to date at Woodlawn High School, effectively doubling its production capacity and educational program's reach. The Lyric has been lovingly restored and stands, once again, as a crowning jewel of Birmingham. Should I go on? Spending time with some of the region's intelligentsia reveals an optimism that probably hasn't existed since Birmingham earned its "Magic City" nickname. Many of them point to construction of more residential properties as a clear signal this revitalization will actually stick. As the demand for living downtown has increased, especially for young people, the corresponding economic development has inevitably followed. Office space is becoming harder to find and rental rates per square foot are rising steadily; further evidence this iteration of Birmingham's reinvention may be significantly more durable. I started a strategic management consulting firm to work exclusively with entrepreneurs and owner-operated companies. Being based in Birmingham has been a boon for my business. The enthusiasm and access within the small business community here made our firm grow in ways not possible in other cities. As some of our large companies slowly deteriorate with the erosion of the steel, coal and energy markets, we have a whole new generation of dreamers ready to build a more dynamic economy. The business and cultural community is experiencing a real renaissance and the entrenched detractors appear to be missing, ignoring or even denying most of it. We need to spend more effort working to support the city than the effort spent criticizing it. There is work to do, no doubt, but that requires actual effort from the entire region - not just the city itself. Matt Hottle owns Redhawk Consulting - a strategic management consulting firm specializing in entrepreneurial and closely-held companies. Matt and his family moved to Birmingham 6 years ago from Atlanta. He is a member of the Birmingham Zoo's Junior Board and works closely with several economic development programs in and around Birmingham. Edward Greenwood liked to play solitaire on his work computer. One day in January 2006, the 39-year-old stepped away from his desk in the middle of a game. When he came back, it was too late: the boss had caught a glimpse of the screen. Greenwood got the sack. Normally it doesnt make the papers when an unknown person gets fired from a $27,000-a-year office job. This time it did. Greenwoods boss was New York Citys no-nonsense mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and his job was in the citys Albany lobbying office. The local media ate it up. MAYOR BLOOMBERG DOESNT LIKE GAMES, sniffed Gothamist.com. Some New York Post readers called it an overreaction; most said that Greenwood had it coming. We pay city employees to do the work that the public expects done, Bloomberg said. The workplace is not an appropriate place for games. Its a place where you have to do the job that youre getting paid for. It was vintage Bloomberg: decisive, pragmatic, concise. Then beginning his second term as mayor, the self-funding tech billionaire was hitting his stride as a political leader. New York in 2006 was as safe and prosperous as it had ever been. Building on the remarkable public-safety gains of his Republican predecessor, Rudy Giuliani, Bloombergs NYPD had pushed crime down to unimagined lows. Hed gained control of city schoolsa goal that had eluded previous mayorsand introduced choice and accountability into a notoriously sclerotic, union-dominated system. He preserved welfare reform and did his best to get a handle on the citys skyrocketing pension obligations to its retired workers. The citys parks and public spaces flourished; so did its arts scene and philanthropic sector. Tourist money juiced the citys economy, which enjoyed record-smashing job growth. Brooklyn became internationally known as a synonym for urban revival led by the creative class. In November 2005, the New York Times called Bloombergs 20-point reelection victory over Bronx borough president Fernando Ferrer a triumph of competence over the ideology, ethnic politics, and partisan appeals. Along with Giuliani, the Times saidgrudgingly, one imaginesBloomberg had set a standard by showing that voters across party lines want a commanding and independent-minded mayor who shows measurable results on crime, education and quality of life. Bloomberg was a true independent. His vast wealth meant that he was beholden to no one. He could say what other politicians refused to say and do what others refused to do. This included his unpopular decision to ram through an extension to the citys term-limits law so that he could run for a third term in 2009. He cruised to victory over Democratic city comptroller Bill Thompson and cemented his joint legacy with Giuliani as the men who saved the city. It seems all but certain that Americans will wake up Wednesday morning to strange and, to some, frightening New Hampshire primary results. The Republicans will have selected the bombastic populist Donald Trump; the Democrats will have chosen the avowed socialist Bernie Sanders. Sensing an opening for a pragmatic centrist in the general election, Bloomberg has confirmed that he is exploring an independent run for the White House. His decision will likely hinge on what shape the race takes over the next several weeks. Reactions range from bemusement to open hostility. Conservatives especially will gag on the idea of supporting an anti-gun, nanny-state mayor who supports same-sex marriage and abortion rights. But many of Bloombergs most meddlesome initiativeslike his infamous attempt to ban big gulp soft drinkscame to nothing. The ones that did become policylike the 2003 indoor smoking banseem hard to argue with in retrospect. On issues ranging from crime to education to economic growth, Bloomberg governed like a conservative. On one issue especially, his record stands up to any leader in America: terrorism. In 2011, the Associated Press published a series of 30 articles claiming that in the years since 9/11, Bloombergs police commissioner Ray Kelly had built an aggressive domestic intelligence program that had systematically spied on Muslim neighborhoods, listened in on sermons, infiltrated colleges, and photographed law-abiding residents. Bloomberg stoutly defended Kelly and the NYPD Intelligence Unit. We live in a dangerous world, and we have to be very proactive in making sure that we prevent terrorism, Bloomberg said. [I]f youve got a clergyperson preaching anarchy, do you really think the police department shouldnt try to send somebody and listen and see if theyre trying to foment a riot? You cant wait till the riots on the streets. Bloomberg refused to back down, even when bigshot liberals like Yale University president Richard C. Levin accused the NYPD of violating American values by monitoring the websites of Muslim student groups. The Police Department goes where there are allegations, and they look to see whether those allegations are true. Thats what you would expect them to do. Thats what you would want them to, Bloomberg fired back. We have an obligation to do so, and it is to protect the very things that let Yale survive. Bloomberg may not look like the ideal candidate for loyal Democrats or conservative Republicans, but his candidacy could prove compelling in a topsy-turvy election year like this one. As a pro-growth, pro-education reform, pro-Israel candidate, and as a government executive who expects public employees to earn their pay, Bloomberg could have broad appeal to the anti-Trump wing of the GOP. On the center-left, a pro-choice, pro-gun control candidate with Bloombergs resume could also win support, especially if the Democrats nominate Bernie Sanders. And even if Hillary Clinton becomes the Democratic nominee, Bloomberg might forge a winning coalition of moderates, independents, and disaffected members of both parties big enough to push him over the goal line. And money certainly wont be a problem. The only question is: will he see an opening? Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images Michael Jenkins Jefferson County farmer Michael Jenkins was honored Feb. 3 at the Alabama Farmers Federation Annual Commodity Organizational Conference in Montgomery for his years of service on the State Horticulture Committee. From left are Federation President Jimmy Parnell, Jenkins, and Federation Horticulture Division Director Mac Higginbotham. Leadership elections for 16 Alabama Farmers Federation commodity groups were held during a three-day meeting in Montgomery, Feb. 2-4 at the Embassy Suites Hotel. Nearly 900 farmers from around the state discussed challenges, set goals for their respective commodities and helped establish Federation policy. Jimmy Carmack of Jefferson County, left, was recently elected to the Alabama Farmers Federation State Bee & Honey Committee at the Commodity Organizational Conference in Montgomery. He is pictured with Federation Bee & Honey Division Director Mac Higginbotham. Nearly 900 farmers from around the state representing 16 commodities discussed challenges, set goals and helped establish Federation policy during the three-day conference held Feb. 2-4. Alabama Bee & Honey Producers, a division of Alabama Farmers Federation, is composed of beekeepers across the state involved in the production of honey and honey products as commercial producers, sideliners, and hobbyists. For more information about the Alabama Bee & Honey Producers visit here. Shelby County farmer Terry Wyatt, who grows cotton, wheat, soybeans, corn and grain sorghum on his farm near Harpersville, said he's been attending the conferences for years. He said the meeting is important because it helps him learn about new tends and technology that's available to farmers. "We learn about new varieties plus other things that could help us this year or in the future," Wyatt said. "The meetings have excellent speakers who give up-to-date information we might not get otherwise." Adam Wilson of Calhoun said this year was his second time attending the commodity organization conference. He raises cotton and cattle with his father, Wendell Wilson. "I'm still new to all this but I see a lot of value in coming to this meeting,' said Wilson, 24. "I want to be a good advocate for agriculture so it's important for me to understand what's going on in our industry so I can convey that information to people who aren't involved in agriculture." Federation Governmental and Agricultural Programs Director Brian Hardin said the annual meeting charts the course of the state's largest farm organization. "State commodity committee members are all farmers who are elected by farmers," Hardin said. "Who better to determine the goals and issues these commodity committees will address than farmers? It's a true grassroots structure." Alabama peanut farmers met Feb. 11 in Dothan for the Alabama Peanut Producers Association annual meeting. For more information, visit alpeanuts.com In addition to electing new commodity leaders, the meetings honored outgoing commodity committee members during lunch each day. They were Joe Lambrecht, Elmore County, Bee & Honey Committee; Paul Wheeler, Perry County, Catfish Committee; Jimmy Miller, Blount County, Cotton Committee; Toni Flowers, Montgomery County, Equine Committee; Jackie Loyd of Jackson County and Michael Jenkins of Jefferson County, Horticulture Committee; Albert Miller, Mobile County, Pork Committee; Mike Carnes, Marshall County, Poultry Committee; Pat Buck, Sumter County, Soybeans Committee; and Chip Stacey, Conecuh County, Wildlife Committee. Un microbuz special a fost transmis de Uniunea Europeana si Fundatia Soros Moldova Centrului de zi pentru copiii cu dizabilitati din Cahul Zurich Insurance Group AG is prepared to shrink some of its businesses after being caught off guard by the scale of claims it had to absorb last year, according to Cecilia Reyes, the companys chief risk officer. We were surprised, obviously, by the poor underwriting results in the general insurance business, she said in an interview at the companys headquarters in Zurich. We need to either re-price or, if we cannot get the right level of compensation to the risk, we should walk away from some risks. Reyes switched to chief risk officer from chief investment officer in July, shortly before unusually high claims pushed the companys general insurance unit to a third-quarter loss of $183 million and prompted it to drop a bid for Britains RSA Insurance Group Plc. Zurich is bringing back Mario Greco, who oversaw general insurance before he left in 2012, this time as chief executive officer starting in May to replace Martin Senn who stepped down in December. We prided ourselves on that reputation for underwriting excellence, but we didnt understand our exposure to potential losses, Reyes said. We have already taken actions to improve that. Zurichs general insurance unit has been one of the worst performers among its peers in the 35-member STOXX Europe 600 Insurance Index for the last two years, measured by the combined ratio, or what it pays out in claims and expenses compared with premiums it collects. It had the fourth-highest ratio in 2014, the last full year for which data are available. In each region where Zurich operates its combined ratio is higher than of its peers on average, said Andreas Schaefer, an analyst at Bankhaus Lampe in Germany. Greco, who became head of Italian insurer Assicurazioni Generali SpA after leaving Zurich in 2012, hasnt commented on his plans for the company. Zurich reviewed its general-insurance portfolios after the unit posted losses and identified 15 that were lagging, including auto liability and construction liability, according to a presentation in September. Reyes said the company needs to make better use of reinsurance to manage volatility. The underperforming portfolios, representing about 15.7 percent of the premiums earned in the General Insurance unit in the first 9 months of last year, had an average combined ratio of 143 percent compared with 94 percent for the rest, the company said. A ratio above 100 percent means the company is paying out more in claims than receives from premiums. A surge in U.S. auto accidents and the biggest man-made disaster in Chinese history pushed Zurichs general insurance business to the third-quarter loss. The company predicted a fourth-quarter loss of $100 million after having to pay out $275 million to cover damage claims from storms in the U.K. Reyes said the company is cautiously optimistic that it has taken the right steps to meet its targets this year. We will deliver in 2016 on our targets; our strategy remains unchanged. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. BILOXI, Mississippi -- For more than 100 years, the Gulf Coast Carnival Association's Fat Tuesday parade in Biloxi has brought a festive close to Mardi Gras season on the Mississippi coast. And this Fat Tuesday was no exception. Biloxi Mayor Andrew "FoFo" Gilich, in his welcoming remarks from the grandstand erected in front of City Hall, noted it was Mardi Gras in Biloxi, but "everywhere else it's just Tuesday." Gilich, who began his first term as Biloxi's mayor roughly eight months ago, oversaw his first Mardi Gras season as the mayor of his hometown. "It's awesome," Gilich told The Mississippi Press. "This is a great day. It's a wonderful way to kick off the rest of what should be a great year for the city of Biloxi." Gilich noted he would walk up and down Porter Avenue and other streets on the parade route as a kid with his friends, never dreaming he would one day be opening the day's festivities from the grandstand as mayor. "No, I could never have imagined such a thing," he said. "But it is wonderful." The GCCA parade rolled at 1 p.m. with approximately 100 units cruising through the streets of the downtown area in front of an estimated 75,000 people. With brisk winds and temperatures in the 50s, the weather was a bit chilly at times, but a picturesque, sunkissed blue sky and the revelry of the coast's largest parade seemed to leave most in a party spirit. "This is the highlight of Mardi Gras," said Frank Rankin of Gulfport, attending with his family. "We go to other parades each year, but this one on Fat Tuesday is can't miss. It's the biggest, has the best throws and we have a great time." School of American Ballet Announces 2016 Winter Ball New York City Ballet's official training academy, The School of American Ballet (SAB), announces their annual 2016 Winter Ball at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater for Monday, March 14, 2016, sponsored by legendary French jewelry Maison Van Cleef & Arpels. This glamorous annual dinner dance, presented each winter for the past 12 years, is attended by 500 patrons -- including the School's board members and alumni as well as leaders from the New York corporate and social communities. The event is led by Chairmen Joyce Giuffra, Julia Koch, Serena Lese and Young Patron Chairmen Noreen Ahmad and Amanda Brotman. Cocktails begin at 7 p.m. with the black tie dinner set to commence at 8, followed by the encore dessert and dancing at 9 p.m. One of the main highlights of the evening will be the one-time-only performance by the School of American Ballet's students choreographed by Peter Walker, who was selected for the second year running. Walker is said to have honed his choreographic skills while still an SAB student by participating in SAB's annual Student Choreography Workshop; and in 2011, 2012 and 2014. He joined the New York City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in fall 2012. Any money raised by the event will go to the enhance the SAB's exemplary ballet training program -- providing for student scholarships as well as other beyond-the-classroom programs. Those interested in purchasing tickets or a table should contact the Special Events Office at (212) 769-6636. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsSchool of American Ballet, New York City Ballet, 2016 Winter Ball, Maison Van Cleef & Arpels BLOGARRHEA: A Life Lost on the Upper West Side of NYC and a Goodbye to My Friend Pam Elton John being interviewed by Mike Greenblatt in 1980. (Photo : Bob Sorce) Meet my old friend Pam -- She lived in a cluttered apartment on the Upper West Side with two cats and more cockroaches than you'd care to deal with. The ashtrays were overflowing with dead butts. There was never any food, and there was a big egg stain on the wall that she refused to clean after one of her boyfriends threw an egg to presumably make a point. I used to take her to music industry functions, once photographing her with Guns N' Roses' drummer, Steven Adler. She put the picture in a frame on her wall and told people that Adler visited her in the hospital. She cried a lot. She used to say how she had no life, this 29-year-old woman whose father lived in Maryland with a new girlfriend and whose mother lived in Florida. Neither parent could or would take her in so she lived alone with hardly any friends. She had no job and she was sick most of the time. She had cancer and so many doctors botched so many operations that she had lawsuits going with hospitals all over the country. It was the only thing she had to live for -- the fact that if she won her cases, she'd ultimately be a millionaire. That one thought kept her going. Her lawyer kept up on her bills. Sometimes the pain got so bad all she could do was lie in bed all day. She liked to read, mostly Erica Jong novels. Working in New York City as I did and living in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, she'd let me crash in her apartment on those nights when industry functions kept me in the city past the last bus. I'd read aloud to her until she fell asleep. But it was rare that she'd sleep through the night. I'd wake at some ungodly hour to find her sitting at the dirty kitchen table smoking cigarette after cigarette. She took pills to ease the pain. All kinds of pills. Plenty of pills. She'd take so many damn pills, she couldn't walk or talk right. She'd slur her words and have trouble lighting her cigarettes. One midnight, I came to the apartment after an Elton John press party to find her incoherent, her eyes rolling up to the top of her head, the place more of a mess than it usually was. An open jar of peanut butter sat on the floor with an obscenely protruding cigarette butt obviously squished out into its creamy insides. The cat litter was turned over. Clothes were ankle-deep. "I want to die," she kept repeating. "How many pills did you take?" "Half the bottle." I called 911 and the cops came. They took her and me to emergency where I was told to wait in the waiting room while they gave her another drug to induce vomiting. I sat there in that waiting room feeling disjointed, almost floating in space, reeling in the 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. netherworld that's neither today nor tomorrow. Whores lounged; junkies slept; one huge guy was bleeding from a hole in his head. A doctor finally told me that she might have done irreparable damage to the lining of her stomach and that I should go back to her apartment and bring her clothing so they could discharge her the next day. I got some sleep, went to work, left early, and brought her some clothes. They had put her in the psyche ward. When she got out, she cursed me for putting her through all that. "You f*cked up big time! I would have been fine!" I didn't argue. Two weeks later, she called me at home and told my wife she was engaged. We were happy for her. Then she called again to tell us her fiance beat her up in a hotel room and stole her money and jewelry. Another time she was forcibly taken to Bellevue Hospital in the middle of the night and thrown in the psyche ward for no apparent reason. She cursed, fought, kicked, bit and scratched all the way there. She had absolutely no idea why she was being abducted. Her lawyer got her out after a harrowing night of fending off both patients and guards. But wouldn't you know that she did meet "a cute boy," as she said later. "Billy was nice to me." When Billy got out, he started calling her. She always had a problem saying no to anybody who showed her the slightest bit of attention. Billy, recovering from heroin addiction by taking methadone, wound up "borrowing" her credit card to buy prescription drugs. Every few months, she'd have to undergo another operation which would literally burn the cancer off her. For weeks afterwards, her insides would smolder with unbearable heat so she'd gobble more pills. With no one to look after her, she'd sometimes fall and knock her head against the sink. "You should be in a hospital," I'd tell her to no avail. "You should be with one of your parents." She'd explain to me that her father's new girlfriend was jealous of her, and thought she was having an incestuous relationship with him. And her mother, well, her mother was just too busy. So she remained alone. Then her only two friends in the building moved out of town. She'd cry that she had no friends, no job, no health, no money, no life. She was so beautiful. And she had yet to turn 30. They found her dead in her apartment. It was a Saturday and I wasn't there to wake her up. It would be easy to blame the system or the hospitals that let her go despite it being painfully obvious she couldn't take care of herself. Her parents who didn't have any time for her certainly failed her. The boyfriends who really could care less and only saw a vulnerable beautiful lady who desperately needed that love and affection that I couldn't give her as a friend certainly failed her. And, yes, I failed her too. Toward the end, she convinced herself that I was the one she loved, and not the boyfriend-of-the-moment. But it wasn't real. And I had to tell her so. And the very next day she was dead. So who's to bless and who's to blame? At least she's not in pain anymore. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsGuns N'Roses, Elton John, Blogarrhea, New York City Jazz Pianist Marcus Roberts Creates Songs About Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump and More Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks at Boutwell Auditorium, January 18, 2016 in Birmingham, Alabama. Sanders spoke to a capacity crowd of around 5,000 supporters. (Photo : Hal Yeager/Getty Images) Have you ever wondered what Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump would sound like personified through music? For Marcus Roberts, a jazz pianist, coining a jazz tune for the bipartisan candidates is just a part of his creative process. Having premiered "Feel the Bern," Mr. Roberts found that writing a composition inspired by the Vermont senator was punctuated on small details that spoke to Sanders' campaign. Talking to the New Yorker, Mr. Roberts said: "It's to show the different components of Bernie Sanders's personality. When the piano does it, it's laid-back and it's kind of cool and dignified. When the tenor plays it, it starts to get a little more rambunctious. You know, maybe that's when he tells Hillary, 'I don't really give a damn about hearing about your e-mails anymore.' It becomes kind of aggressive, and there's a lot of fire, like, we're going to get to this. I think that's why Sanders appeals to young people." Perhaps the "artful smear" that Hillary posited onto Sanders' campaign against her can be equated to a musical process, but Mr. Roberts' compositions on the Presidential hopefuls doesn't end there. The piano player notes that he is blind, so creating these jazz songs is a matter of relating their vocal presence to a figure in his head. Roberts notes the differing personalities, temperaments, voice, rate of speed all contribute to the final product and the only details, really, that the musician has to go on. Other songs in his Presidential canon are "It's My Turn" (Hillary Clinton), "I Did Chop Down that Cherry Tree" (Ben Carson) and the seminal "Making American Great Again (All By Myself)" (Donald Trump). Don't take our word for it. Preview Marcus Roberts below and be sure to keep in mind the depth of the political frontrunners when watching the next debate. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsMarcus Roberts, Bernie Sanders, Feel the Bern, Hillary Clinton Akron police 3 Akron police are searching for an 18-year-old accused of setting up online dating profiles and robbing people when they arrive at his home. (File photo) AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron man is accused of posing as a woman on online dating websites in order to rob men lure men to be robbed at gunpoint. Jamaal Dunston, 18, faces two counts of aggravated robbery in connection with two armed robberies in a five-day span. Dunston is not in police custody and warrants were issued Tuesday and Wednesday. Dunston set up one of his fake profiles on the dating site meetme.com. He posed as a woman who said she wanted to "hang out" and "watch Netflix," according to court records. A 20-year-old Mogaodore man messaged the fake profile on Jan. 23. Dunston messaged the man to go to a home about 5 a.m. in the 800 block of Sheridan Road. The Mogadore man told police he drove to the home. He got out of his car to check the addresses. Dunston walked out from behind the home, pointed a silver handgun at him and told him to empty his pockets, according to police reports. The man handed over an e-cigarette and a wallet with a credit card inside. Dunston ran away, police reports say. Dunston was also part of group that carried out a similar robbery on Jan. 19 at the same home, according to police. In that case, the group lured a 22-year-old Akron man to the same home on Sheridan Avenue through a fake profile on an online dating site. The man drove to the home about 1 a.m. to meet the "woman" in person. The man got out of his car and the group surrounded him, according to police reports. One of the men pulled out a revolver and demanded money. They stole $60, a cellphone, drugs and a credit card, according to court records. The group also made an unsuccessful attempt to steal the man's car. Dunston, Kenneth Wallace Jr., 20, Albert Kelley Jr., 20, Christian Ruffin, 20, and a 17-year-old boy, have all been charged with aggravated robbery in connection with that incident. Lincoln Electric plans new welding center Facility to focus on training educators, expected to open in 2017 Lincoln Electric is combining its North America Welding and South America Welding businesses into Americas Welding. Its operations in Europe and Asia will also be combined. (photo courtesy Lincoln Electric) EUCLID, Ohio - Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc., announced that it has combined its welding businesses, including those in North America and South America. The company is combining its North America Welding and South America Welding businesses into Americas Welding, according to a Lincoln Electric news release issued Tuesday. The Europe Welding and Asia Pacific Welding businesses will be combined into International Welding. "We believe our new welding organizational structure will improve efficiencies by further integrating operational and product development processes across regions to better serve customer needs," said Christopher L. Mapes, Lincoln Electric's chairman, president and CEO, in the release. "This structure also leverages the functional and technical strength of our core teams in developing markets, which will help accelerate profitable growth in advanced applications as part of our 2020 growth strategy." The company said no layoffs are expected as a result of combining the welding businesses. Combining the operations has led to the realignment of Lincoln Electric's organizational and leadership structure. George D. Blankenship will serve in the newly created position of executive vice president and president, Americas Welding. He most-recently served as senior vice president and president, Lincoln Electric North America, according to the company website. "In his role as President of Americas Welding, he has oversight of the company's North and South American operations and implementation of the Company's growth strategy in those geographies," the website stated. Mathias Hallmann will serve as president, International Welding. He most recently served as president of Lincoln Electric European Welding. In that role, he had "oversight of the European and Asia Pacific regions' day-to-day operations, as well as implementation of the Company's growth strategy in those geographies," the website stated. Lincoln Electric will continue to operate The Harris Products Group separately. That business includes the company's global cutting, soldering and brazing businesses and retail channel distribution in the United States. Revenue for what is now Americas Welding was nearly $1.4 billion for the nine-month period, ended Sept. 30. Revenue for what is now International Welding was about $402 million, for the same period. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A divided Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to halt enforcement of President Barack Obama's sweeping plan to address climate change until after legal challenges are resolved. The surprising move is a blow to the administration and a victory for the coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led states and industry opponents that call the regulations "an unprecedented power grab." By issuing the temporary freeze, a 5-4 majority of the justices signaled that opponents made strong arguments against the rules. The high court's four liberal justices said Tuesday they would have denied the request for delay. The Sierra Club called the setback a "pause," not the end of the case. The Court's decision does not overturn the historic policy or decide its legal merits. This is a pause, and we are confident the Clean Power Plan and all of its benefits ultimately will be implemented across the nation," said Joanne Spalding, the Sierra Club's chief climate counsel, in a prepare statement. "The Supreme Court has already upheld the EPA's authority to limit carbon pollution from power plants under the Clean Air Act. We fully expect the Clean Power Plan to ultimately prevail in the courts." Ted Ford, Ohio Advanced Energy Economy CEO, echoed that position. "This decision doesn't change the fact that the energy sector has embarked on an unstoppable shift to a clean energy future," he said in a statement. Opponents said the EPA has been overstepping its authority and intruding on states' rights. The Supreme Court intervention casts doubt on the legal prospects for the program, they say, suggesting concerns among a majority of the nine justices. The ruling late Tuesday "confirms that the legal justification for the Clean Power Plan should be examined by the courts before scarce state and private resources are used to develop state plans," said Melissa McHenry, a spokeswoman for Columbus-based American Electric Power Co., one of the biggest coal users among U.S. utilities. "AEP has already cut its carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent from 2005 levels, and we will continue to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from our generation fleet as we transition to more natural gas and renewable resources in the future," she said. FirstEnergy Corp. spokesman Todd Schneider said the company will continue working with states that are developing plans to comply while the court battle continues. "While the legal challenges are addressed, we will work with our states if they chose to continue development of their compliance plans," he said. The Obama administration's plan aims to stave off the worst predicted impacts of climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by about one-third by 2030. "We disagree with the Supreme Court's decision to stay the Clean Power Plan while litigation proceeds," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement. Earnest said the administration's plan is based on a strong legal and technical foundation, and gives the states time to develop cost-effective plans to reduce emissions. He also said the administration will continue to "take aggressive steps to make forward progress to reduce carbon emissions." A federal appeals court in Washington last month refused to put the plan on hold. That lower court is not likely to issue a ruling on the legality of the plan until months after it hears oral arguments begin on June 2. Any decision will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court, meaning resolution of the legal fight is not likely to happen until after Obama leaves office. Compliance with the new rules isn't required until 2022, but states must submit their plans to the Environmental Protection Administration by September or seek an extension. Many states opposing the plan depend on economic activity tied to such fossil fuels as coal, oil and gas. They argued that the plan oversteps federal authority to restrict carbon emissions, and that electricity providers would have to spend billions of dollars to begin complying with a rule that might end up being overturned. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia, whose coal-dependent state is helping lead the legal fight, hailed the court's decision. "We are thrilled that the Supreme Court realized the rule's immediate impact and froze its implementation, protecting workers and saving countless dollars as our fight against its legality continues," Morrisey said. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has worked has worked closely with Morrisey. "I am very pleased that the Supreme Court has granted our stay request," DeWine said in a statement issued Wednesday. "This unlawful power plan is a power grab to force states into policies Congress has rejected and that would fundamentally alter the economies of states like Ohio. This stay is a significant victory, and the "Power Plan" is yet another example of the Obama Administration overstepping its authority." The Ohio EPA and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio have been developing a plan to comply with the proposal, even as Ohio and other states oppose it. In its written comments last month, the PUCO noted that it did not believe the federal rules were legally enforceable. "The PUCO continues to maintain that the Clean Power Plan is unlawful and that the U.S. EPA has stretched beyond its jurisdiction in drafting that regulation," the agency prefaced its remarks. "Concurrently, the PUCO seeks to be constructive in its commentary regarding the CPP in the event that Ohio is eventually required to comply." Ohio EPA Director Craig Butler said the Supreme Court"got it right" in delaying the implementation of the plan until its constitutionality is decided. "By staying U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan, the Supreme Court got it right. The State of Ohio has pointed out the serious legal shortcomings of the federal Clean Power Plan on numerous occasions," he said in a statement Wednesday. "We will evaluate the decision and determine how it will impact our plans moving forward." Robert Murray, CEO of Murray Energy, which has led the legal opposition to the plan, immediately predicted the high court would ultimately overturn the Clean Power Plan. "The Obama Administration's climate change agenda is a fraud," he said in a statement. "We are pleased to lead the way, joined by twenty-nine states, against this destructive government overreach." Implementation of the federal rules is considered essential to the United States meeting emissions-reduction targets in a global climate agreement signed in Paris last month. The Obama administration and environmental groups also say the plan will spur new clean-energy jobs. The Ohio Conservative Energy Forum, self-described political conservatives who believe in an "all-of-the-above approach," reacted to the decision on Wednesday by urging Ohio policy makers to move ahead with policies fostering renewable energy. "The Supreme Court's decision to issue a stay until the legal challenges are heard should have no impact on Ohio's decision to pursue a true all-of-the-above energy policy, including continued development of domestically produced renewable resources. Ohio must move forward," said Mike Hartley, executive director, in a statement. "While Ohio's conservative leaders have been suspect of the Obama Administration's plan, we must not allow the Clean Power Plan delay to serve as an excuse to keep Ohio's energy future on hold," he added. "Such a move would be misguided and result in the state falling even further behind the rest of the nation. Now is the time to put in place the right clean energy policy that promotes energy diversity, security and advances our state's economy through energy innovation." Also on Wednesday, Christian R. Palich, President, Ohio Coal Association, called the decision a "just victory" and slammed the "radical EPA bureaucrats" who drew up the "Obama's politically motivated" plan. He said the decision would bring the nation "one step closer to defeating this agenda and ensuring our energy grid has access to reliable and affordable power." This article has been edited to include additional reaction to the ruling. How now, brown cow? Trending up, thank you. ORIGIN MILK After decades of being upstaged by black-and-white Holsteins and their mighty udders, golden-brown Guernsey cows are m-o-o-o-ving back into the spotlight. You know Guernseys, the cows that kids think make chocolate milk. Now there are grown-up reasons to care about the breed, and one Cleveland entrepreneur is making them the foundation of his new milk company. Look for the Origin brand to show up soon in Northeast Ohio dairy cases at Heinen's, Mustard Seed Market, Whole Foods, Constantino's and Giant Eagle Market District. A new, local milk brand is rare these days. Changing price formulas and industry consolidation over the past few decades have erased many of the country's small, family owned farms. Some 470 have disappeared from Ohio alone. And in a 75 percent Holstein world, the birth of a Guernsey-only business is news. Is Guernsey milk so different? Definitely. Creamy, yellow color from a higher level of beta-carotene, especially from grassfed cows. Higher levels of protein and fat. (Conventional: 3.6 percent butterfat. Origin: 4.8 percent.) Not always best from the calorie standpoint, but generally More vitamins, including 33 percent more vitamin D, 25 percent more vitamin A and 15 percent more calcium than average milk, according to the Richer taste for consumers who seek the flavors of local, heirloom foods. Expect higher prices, too. A half-gallon of Origin at one local shop runs $5.99. There's another possible advantage that is attracting worldwide attention. Gene testing has uncovered two types of proteins in cow milk. Some 10,000 years ago, all cows (like humans and goats) only produced A2 proteins. Now it's a mixed bag with most Guernseys giving A2 and most Holsteins A1. Lately, there's a growing body of anecdotal and statistical evidence that A2 can help resolve a laundry list of what ails us, starting with lactose intolerance. Yet some academics and competing milk producers argue that there's still not enough testing on humans to show cause and effect. Adrian Bota, 33, is unafraid to dip into the controversy. For the past five years, the co-owner of Piccadilly yogurt shops in Cleveland and Cleveland Heights has used a yogurt base made from A2 Guernsey milk by Amish-owned Paint Valley Farms in Holmes County. Bota and his wife, Lauren, prefer less-processed food, often buying fresh goat milk for themselves and their children. They decided to bottle the milk used to make the yogurt and sell it fresh in grocery stores. Their products include whole, two percent, chocolate, half-and-half, cream, butter and goat milk. They pasteurize their Origin brand at the lowest legal temperature limits to fight pathogens, and they don't homogenize it. While milkmen once delivered non-homogenized milk to American homes, now it's a contemporary preference. Filtering milk under high pressure breaks fat cells into smaller pieces that can float in the milk without separating. Origin's cream still rises to the top of each plastic milk jug. "It's milk as it was originally intended," said Bota. He does separate the cream for his two percent, and blends it back in to match a percentage consumers want and understand. But his whole milk is never separated and contains the original amount of vitamin-toting milkfat that comes out of the udder. "You won't see 'added Vitamin A and D' on our (whole milk) label," he said. "It's already in the milk, and at a higher level. We don't have to add it back in." This is not innovation, Bota said, just a return to tradition. "We're bringing something back that America used to do, and did it very well," he said. Les Gyerman gives Origin a thumbs up. The dairy buyer for Heinen's liked it at the first milk-moustache sip. "It's fantastic," he said. "To me it is very rich and so much creamier. Even the color is different." And the nutritional argument? Gyerman says sales of lactose-free milk are strong, and if Origin happens to help some people who struggle with that restriction, he's glad to give them an alternative. "I'm still learning about the science, to be honest with you," said Gyerman, who now sells 20 brands of milk including lactose-free, almond and soy. "I'm not saying the other milks are bad for you, just that people who like fresh milk will like this product. To me, it's so much creamier and really good. We want to offer it to people." He plans a trial run in all his Ohio stores, and tastings for the public. Find a schedule on Origin Milk's Facebook page. Bota said it took him a year and a half to launch Origin, and months to find Paint Valley Farms in Wilmot, a four-family Amish processor. When he first met with the group, they were already convinced of A2 benefits. That includes dairy farmer Edward Keim, 31, who has a herd of 35 Guernsey milkers on a 110-acre farm. Keim bought the land at a below-market price from another Amish family who wanted to keep it in agriculture. The Amish community helped him come up with the money. After years of carpentry, Keim was happy to work at home and carry on a family tradition with his wife and four children. Keim's father, Aden, a part-owner of Paint Valley, had read the book, "Devil in the Milk," by New Zealand dairy science professor Keith Woodford. The author pulled together information from 100 studies to label A2 milk as good and A1 as problematic. The debate still circles the globe. Farmer Keim prefers to talk about the anecdotal evidence. He says he has a customer whose child could not tolerate regular milk, but easily digests A2 milk from his cows. His own children had skin rashes that disappeared after he put them on A2 milk, he said. As a test, he put them back on A1, and the rashes returned. They went back to A2. "When you see the health benefits yourself, it's truly impressive," Keim said. Adrian Bota isn't waiting for the full science, either. He believes the freshness and flavor of Origin milk will sell itself, although he hints at some of the digestibility issues on his labeling. Right now, he's most concerned about getting milk in the stores. "The hardest part is being by myself and dealing with everything," he said, chatting briskly while standing near Keim's corral of Guernseys. "It's hard when you're doing distribution and pricing and marketing yourself, and you don't have the money to hire other people," he said. "We're starting at capacity," he added. Elyria police.png A Monday afternoon argument involving two Elyria brothers over finances led to one being stabbed, police said. (File photo) ELYRIA, Ohio -- An argument Monday afternoon over finances at an Elyria apartment led to one brother stabbing another, police said. Officers were called to an apartment about 3 p.m. Monday on the 100 block of Brunswick Drive, where they met with the 53-year-old victim, according to a police report. The victim told police that he and his brother, also 53, were arguing over bills in their shared apartment. The victim told police that the argument became tense, and his brother grabbed a knife out of a drawer and threatened to kill him, the police report says. The brothers tussled, and the victim was cut on his hands. The knife was briefly knocked away, the victim said, but his brother quickly retrieved it. The brother then attempted to stab the victim in the chest, the report says. The victim suffered a "poke" to the chest -- a non-penetrating wound, the report states. When the victim called police, his brother ran from the apartment. Police were unable to find the man in the area. The victim refused medical treatment and would not press charges against his brother. However, police signed an arrest warrant due to the severity of the situation, the police report says. The man has not yet been arrested. MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- The following incidents have been reported by the Moss Point Police Department for Jan. 15-20, 2016: Friday, January 15 * Tremaine Betts, 31, was charged with grand larceny for an incident on Main Street. * Police responded to a call of a commercial burglary on Highway 63. * Thomas Stallworth, 42, and Carl Haynes, 23, were charged with simple assault stemming from an incident on Mayo. Saturday, January 16 * Robert Mass, 34, was charged with DUI/Controlled substance on Gregory Street. * Police responded to a call of a burglary at 5639 Rose Drive. * Darius Price, 20, was charged with felony malicious mischief from an incident on 4948 Belfair Ct. Sunday, January 17 * Angel Dawn Sebring, 36, was charged with DUI and disorderly conduct at the intersection of Highway 613 and Rosa Lane. * Police responded to a call of a burglary and breaking and entering at 5809 Orange Gove Road * Theresa Lowery, 28, was charged with shop lifting for an incident at 4000 Highway 63 Monday, January 18 * Police responded to a call of a burglary at 3929 Morningview Dr. * Police responded to a call of burglary of an automobile at 4254 Gautier Street Tuesday, January 19 * Kimberly Marshall, 26, was charged with having an open container near the intersection of Franklin Griffin and Essex Ave. Wednesday, January 20 * Police responded to a commercial burglary on 5601 Rose Dr. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 47-year-old Euclid woman is being held in jail after she beat a Cleveland woman in a wheelchair in the head with a glass candlestick, police said. Ronell E. Tucker was arrested Monday, and charged with felonious assault in the Dec. 26 beating. She is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday in Cleveland Municipal Court. Doctors needed six staples to close a gash on the woman's head, and sutures to close a wound on her leg after Tucker beat her with the candlestick, investigators said. Tucker knocked the woman from the wheelchair that she uses because of her arthritis. She left the woman on the floor of the home in the 1100 block of East 143rd Street. Cleveland police did not say what prompted the attack. Tucker is being held in the Cleveland city jail. Like Chanda Neely on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter: DSCF2759.JPG City council met Feb. 9 at its regular council meeting and caucus. (Mark Holan/special to cleveland.com) INDEPENDENCE, Ohio - Council passed a resolution Feb. 9 commending Jim Crooks for his distinguished service as a councilman. Crooks, who served on council for 10 years, ran unsuccessfully for mayor last November. Members of council unanimously passed the resolution and gave him a standing ovation. Councilman Jim Trakas introduced an ordinance to authorize the use of ohiocheckbook.com in partnership with the Ohio Treasurer to advance open and transparent government. During the comments session, a number of council members commended Trakas for introducing the ordinance. In other action Council approved the purchase of three 2016 Ford Interceptor SUVs for the police department at a cost of $67,490. A 2010 Dodge Charger and a 2008 Dodge Charger will be traded in. The dealer is Lebanon Ford in Lebanon, Ohio. The next council meeting will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 16. Representatives of Fairmount Properties will be on hand to address council. TWINSBURG, Ohio -- When you think of a home constructed from logs, the word "stunning" probably doesn't come to mind, but then you've never seen Bob Voelker's 5,300-square-foot log home in Twinsburg. Pardon the cliche, but it really is something right out of a magazine. Step inside and there's a lot to absorb at first sight. Sweeping wood staircase to the right. Soothing wood-and-stone encased aquarium to the left. Vaulted ceilings with exposed thick, golden-brown beams and trusses. Huge windows and lots of sun streaming throughout the open floor plan. Together, the natural wood walls and floors and pretty much everything else wood give the first-floor rooms a soft glow. Voelker's log home, which he shares with his wife, Jennifer Richter, and their 5-year-old daughter, Cecilia, has four bedrooms and 4-1/2 baths. The home was built in 2002 after Voelker went on a business trip to Montana and came home determined to live in a log cabin. "I was doing a hotel project there and I fell in love with the big sky country, the fly fishing and the log homes," says Voelker, president and CEO of Gateway Hospitality Group, an independent master developer and ongoing operator of hospitality packages. "It's kind of complicated because you have to buy a whole log home package and then you have to find someone locally to build it. So I came back home and told my attorney, 'I want to build a log home.'" Turns out his attorney knew of a local guy, Jeff Badger of Badger Brothers, builders of log, timber frame and other homes. Voelker's home, on 16 acres, is constructed of white cedar logs milled and shipped from Town & Country Cedar Homes in Michigan. What makes the home even more unusual is that it is built on a stone quarry, and many of the rooms have a spectacular view of the jagged quarry wall and the drop-off right behind their home. Want to nominate a Cool Space? The builders integrated stones from the quarry into the design and aesthetics of the home, including hard-scaping outdoors and the interior stone touches too. "When I was building this home, one of the carpenters asked, 'Do you know that you have hundreds of millstones down by the railroad tracks?' So I went down there with him and sure as heck there were big millstones all stacked up ready to go on the train years ago," says Voelker. "There was about 150 so I used those all around the outside of the house. I used them for the hearth of the fireplace. It was fun project." Voelker also used those millstones at Blue Canyon Kitchen * Tavern in Twinsburg when building his independent restaurant in 2004, also run by his brother, Val Voelker, and Chef Brandt Evans. Building the home on the quarry required some blasting, he recalls. "The challenge here was building on stone." The home's indoor floor plan includes an open kitchen that's only a few steps away from the great room, or grand salon as Voelker prefers to call it, a custom-made bar and sun room. The grand salon and sun room are divided by a two-sided fireplace, faced with stone, of course. Voelker, a trained Culinary Institute of America chef who loves to cook and entertain, said he didn't want the kitchen isolated from the rest of the downstairs. It's wide open and visible from the grand salon, and there's an island with four seats where his family and friends can sit and eat and watch him cook. What stands out most about it is a huge gleaming copper exhaust over the stainless steel stove. "This is a great party house," he says. "People come and everybody wants to congregate in the kitchen. They don't want to go into closed spaces. They want to be where the action is. So people stand around and watch me cook or they're over at the bar." He adds, "This is a chef's gourmet kitchen. Because I'm in the business of building hotels, I had my kitchen supplier design the hood. It's a huge exhaust system so when you turn this thing on, it's like a vacuum." As for the decor, there's lots of old-world elegance, including strategically weathered kitchen cabinets and chandeliers brought over from Europe. Voelcker says it's French Country design. He and his family love the view of the quarry and all of the sunlight that streams through the huge windows throughout. "It's a one-of-a-kind property, that's for sure," he says. GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A Maple Heights woman who struck and killed a pedestrian last year offered a tearful apology to the woman's family during her sentencing hearing. Nisa T. Harrison, 29, will not serve jail time after pleading guilty to charges related to the Aug. 27, 2015 crash that killed Kerry L. Kipfstuhl. Kipfstuhl, 40, died later that day at Marymount Hospital. "Every day since Aug. 27, I've been sorry," Harrison told Kipfstuhl's family during the sentencing hearing. "I feel so bad for you." Kipfstuhl's sister said Tuesday in Garfield Heights Municipal Court that the family did not want to see Harrison serve jail time. Instead, Judge Jennifer P. Weiler ordered Harrison to repay more than $15,000 in funeral expenses and perform 500 hours of community service. She also suspended Harrison's license for two years. Harrison pleaded guilty last month to vehicular manslaughter, reckless operation and a red light violation in the crash. Her sentencing hearing took place the day after Kipfstuhl's birthday. She would have been 41, her sister said in court. Colleen Kipfstuhl described her sister as a generous person loved by her family and friends. "It's been five months, and our grief is still just as raw as the day she died," she said. Harrison was driving a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta just before 6:30 a.m. when she ran a red light and struck Kipfstuhl, who was walking along Rockside Road near Lee Road, court records say. Harrison hit Kipfstuhl when she swerved left to avoid hitting another car. Harrison stopped her car and went to check on Kipfstuhl, she said in court. "I've never been in an accident before," she said. "For this to be my first accident, it kills me." Maple Heights police investigated the crash for two months before filing charges in November. Neither weather nor alcohol was a factor in the crash, police said. McGinty O'Malley Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty, left, and his challenger, Michael O'Malley, traded jabs at each other's toughness on corruption, just weeks away from the March 15 primary election. CLEVELAND, Ohio - The March 15 Democratic primary is five weeks away, and the two candidates for Cuyahoga County prosecutor are fighting over corruption. Michael O'Malley, a former Parma Safety Director and assistant prosecutor under Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, is trying to unseat first-term Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty. And O'Malley's campaign is trying to poke holes in McGinty's crusade against corruption. The first shots came Monday night when O'Malley called on McGinty to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate McGinty's campaign treasurer and longtime friend John Zayac over campaign contributions he made to a city council fund. Zayac, an engineer and former Cleveland city councilman, is the principal of the consulting company called the Project Group. The Cleveland City Council paid the group a lot of money -- up to $250,000 annually -- to brief city council on issues related to public utilities. An investigation of the Project Group's work from 2009 to 2014 by cleveland.com showed that the group sometimes did shoddy work -- significant portions of the Project Group's reports to council were copied, word-for-word, from past reports or council presentations, for example. The reporting also showed that the group only brought some issues to councils attention after The Plain Dealer or cleveland.com started asking questions. But O'Malley specifically pointed to campaign contributions a political action committee started by Zayac and a business partner made to the City Council Leadership fund. The group's donations were capped at $1,000 annually: Zayac said his contributions are not tied in any way to the yearly renewal of his firm's contract. But would Zayac continue donating to the fund if council terminated the agreement? "Being realistic, probably not," he said. "I'm not going to lie to you. Of course, I would not contribute to the same level." Reporters spoke to a good-government analyst who said there was nothing "necessarily illegal" about contributions like Zayac's, but said they weren't "good for the people of Cleveland." But O'Malley charged that McGinty's failure to appoint a special prosecutor to examine Zayac's contributions undermines his public commitment to crack down on public corruption. "Prosecutor McGinty's appointment of Mr. Zayak as his campaign treasurer AFTER the analysis of his work by [cleveland.com] demonstrates a level of hubris not scene [sic] in this county since the days of the corruption scandal," O'Malley also said. Zayac defended the firm's work. McGinty also brought up the corruption scandal in his response to O'Malley. But for different reasons. "Mr. O'Malley's weekly mudslinging is his tactic to deflect responsibility for the county corruption scandal that took place under his watch," McGinty said. McGinty pointed out that O'Malley was the top assistant prosecutor under Mason when the federal government conducted one of the largest local corruption investigations in U.S. history. The investigation ended up convicting busloads of corrupt politicians and contractors, including former Cuyahoga County Commissioner , auditor and Parma school board member . The politicians "robbed the county blind right under [O'Malley's] nose, right below his window," McGinty said. "He was the watchdog and he did nothing. He was too busy running his political patronage machine to see it." While McGinty was at it, he also pointed out that O'Malley voted to re-approve Project Group's contracts with the city each year during his tenure on city council in the early 2000s. O'Malley served as the chair of the public utilities committee for two years. "Mr. O'Malley never expressed any concern until now, one week before voting begins," McGinty said. "It's all about politics." Cincinnati-hit-and-run.jpg Cincinnati police said a 15-year-old girl was hurt in a hit-skip accident at this intersection in the city's Avondale neighborhood Wednesday morning. (Dan Wells, WXIX-TV Cincinnati) CINCINNATI, Ohio - A driver struck a 15-year-old girl heading to school this morning, then drove off. The girl was crossing in a crosswalk with a crossing signal at Reading and Glenwood roads in the city's Avondale neighborhood at about 8:15 a.m. when she was struck, Cincinnati Police Lt. Steve Saunders told WCPO-TV in Cincinnati. The girl was complaining of pain in her arm and leg, dispatchers said, and she was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center as a precaution, WXIX-TV in Cincinnati reported. The driver left in a 1998 blue Honda CRV, heading north on Reading Road. The driver was described as a man in his 30s having facial hair and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, WLWT-TV in Cincinnati reported. jewel.png Hans T. Wrage, a teaching and research technician at John Carroll University, was indicted Feb. 2 on grand theft and vandalism charges in connection with a Dec. 3, 2015 jewel heist from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. This photo, released by police, shows the thief exiting the museum. (University Circle Police Department) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The John Carroll University employee accused of stealing jewels from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in December 2015 has been indicted. Hans T. Wrage, 36, was indicted Feb. 2 on grand theft and vandalism charges by a grand jury, court records show. He pleaded not guilty in his initial court appearance Dec. 14. Wrage is accused of smashing a display case Dec. 3, 2015 at the museum and taking nearly $81,000 in sapphires. He was caught on a surveillance camera exiting the museum. The sapphires have not yet been recovered, Cleveland Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said Tuesday. Wrage, a Cleveland Heights resident, is out on bail. He also remains on administrative leave during the spring semester while the university conducts an investigation. Wrage worked as a teaching and research technician within the school's physics department. Before he was indicted, Wrage was granted a bond modification by Common Pleas Judge John J. Russo to attend a job interview at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, court documents show. Wrage's attorney Daniel Lang said that the interview had been scheduled since November 2015 and Wrage's plane tickets had already been purchased. Wrage traveled to Arizona from Jan. 27-Jan. 31 and complied with Judge Russo's order to promptly report to his supervised release officer, the documents say. Wrage is scheduled to appear for arraignment on Feb. 17, court records show. Top stories: Snow piling up in Northeast Ohio is creating dangerous driving conditions that are expected to worsen throughout the day as several more inches accumulate. (cleveland.com)(WKYC Channel 3) Investigators raided a Brook Park motel this morning after obtaining a warrant to search the "nuisance" building, officials said. (cleveland.com)(WEWS Channel 5) Lorain police are searching for an armed man who beat and bound a woman before stealing her car early today. (cleveland.com)(Elyria Chronicle-Telegram) Area crime news: A Barberton man will spend four years in prison for facilitating a drug deal that ended with a woman dying of a heroin overdose. (cleveland.com) Two then-Cleveland Browns players were indicted Tuesday on gun and drug charges in connection with a Christmas-day traffic stop. (cleveland.com)(WEWS Channel 5) Avon Lake police arrested two men accused of illegally killing several deer in the city. (cleveland.com)(Lorain Morning Journal) Youngstown police are investigating two separate shootings Tuesday evening on the city's South Side. (Youngstown Vindicator) The Avon Lake Police Department is investigating two burglaries where the suspects kicked-in doors and stole items. (WKYC Channel 3) When troopers with the Ohio Highway Patrol's Canton post pulled over a wanted sex offender on parole Tuesday afternoon, he ran away, but he only made it a short distance before troopers caught up. (Canton Repository) Local news - east: The family of a 54-year-old man shot to death by a Lake County sheriff's deputy said his ongoing battle against cancer might have led him to stab his wife and draw a replica gun on deputies. (cleveland.com)(News-Herald) A Geneva man is in critical condition following a two-car crash Tuesday in Perry Township. (News-Herald) The issue of an appeal of a judge's decision that ordered Youngstown school board President Brenda Kimble to appoint a classroom teacher to the academic distress commission may not be over. (Youngstown Vindicator) Local news - west: The Lorain County Fair Board took no action Tuesday night to halt the sale of the Confederate flag at the fairgrounds, but the leader of a group of citizens pushing for a ban said after the meeting that doesn't mean they'll stop trying. (Elyria Chronicle-Telegram)(Lorain Morning Journal) A car veered off the road and overturned in a creek in Erie County Tuesday night, injuring two people. (Sandusky Register) As Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems prepares its exit from Elyria, Mayor Holly Brinda wants to start a countywide effort to stop cities from having conversations with companies that result in them leaving their home cities for greener pastures a stone's throw away. (Elyria Chronicle-Telegram) Akron-Canton area news: A second Northeast Ohio Zika virus case has been confirmed in a 21-year-old Stark County man, the Ohio Department of Health said Tuesday evening. (cleveland.com)(WAKR 1590-AM) At the urging of Brunswick Hills Township officials, the Brunswick Police Department is contemplating changing the way it bills for dispatch service. (Medina Gazette) This year, St. Stephen Martyr Lutheran Church in Jackson Township in Stark County allowed motorists to receive their ashes for Ash Wednesday by driving through the church parking lot. (Canton Repository) Save Lakewood Hospital Save Lakewood Hospital members rally in front of City Hall to demand a vote on whether to close the hospital. If the referendum appears on the March ballot, primary election results for the entire county could be delayed. (Bruce Geiselman, special to cleveland.com) LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- The question of whether to overturn City Council's decision to close Lakewood Hospital could set the stage for an "unprecedented" bureaucratic boondoggle that could slow down results for all of Cuyahoga County, according to the county Board of Elections. Putting the referendum on the March ballot would segregate the city from the rest of the March 15 primary, elections Director Pat McDonald wrote in a letter Tuesday to City Council. Lakewood voters would have to "sign two poll books, receive two ballots, and scan each ballot with a different machine." Early voting would start up to five days after the Feb. 17 start date. Because election board officials would have to manually combine the results, results would be slowed not just for Lakewood, but all races, he said. City Council voted in December to close the hospital and allow the Cleveland Clinic to build a $34 million health center and emergency department in its place. That was a month after voters rejected a ballot issue that would have required voter approval to close the hospital. Last month, the grassroots group Save Lakewood Hospital submitted petitions to overturn the closure, which officials said was necessary because of declining patient volumes. When does the public get to weigh in? Lakewood City Council will host a public hearing Thursday, Feb. 11, at 6:30 p.m. to listen to arguments on both sides of the issue. It's in City Hall, 12650 Detroit Avenue. Hasn't deadline passed to put additional issues on the March ballot? Yes. The petitions were submitted past the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections normal Dec. 16 deadline, but within a time frame allowed under the Lakewood City Charter. City and elections officials said the city charter is out of step with the county's deadlines and should be changed. Meanwhile, to get the referendum issue on the ballot, the board would "have to employ unprecedented and untested procedures that would both risk successful execution of the election as well as pose potential consternation and inconveniences to voters." Still, McDonald said that he believed the board could "successfully conduct" the election. Why is "Save Lakewood Hospital" persisting in this fight? Inpatient services ended at the hospital Feb. 5, 99 years after they began there. Outpatient services, including cardio-vascular testing, chronic care, lab and radiology, continue. But Save Lakewood Hospital believes much more can be done to save the infirm infirmary. "We don't feel like we're kicking a dead horse," spokesman Kevin Young said Wednesday. "We're very energized." lead paint City and county officials are looking for people who qualify for lead remediation grants. (LONNIE TIMMONS III, The Plain Dealer, File, 2000) CLEVELAND, Ohio - City and county officials have millions to spend in the next three years to make homes lead safe for children. So far, though, the city department that distributes the grants is processing only about 30 applications. Of those, a dozen are ready to be assigned to contractors who will remediate lead hazards, Interim Community Development Director Michael Cosgrove said during a city council hearing last week. Cosgrove said the city hopes to finish 47 homes or apartments by the end of 2016 and then step up the process to finish about 220 homes. Cosgrove said the program provides help, in the form of grants, to families that meet certainly income eligibility requirements. That includes both tenant and owner occupied homes, he said. To qualify for a grant, it is NOT required that a property already be identified as a lead hazard. However, there are requirements based on the income of the homeowners or tenants and the age of children who live or spend time in the home. Click here for a brief survey to see if you might qualify and here for the application for Cleveland's grants or call (216) 664-4021. (The information is also below in a document viewer.) If you live in Cuyahoga County, find information here. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health has about $3.3 million to spend to remediate lead in the following suburbs: Bratenahl, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Brook Park,Cuyahoga Heights, East Cleveland, Euclid, Fairview Park, Garfield Heights, Lakewood, Linndale, Maple Heights, Newburgh Heights, Parma,Rocky River, Shaker Hts., South Euclid and Warrensville Heights. Working on a few hundred homes per federal grant, the city and county have helped cleaned up roughly 4,300 homes since 1993. Roughly 187,000 homes in Cuyahoga County are thought to be potential lead hazards because they were built before 1978, when lead-based paint was banned from residential use. However, environmental officials stress that not all homes with lead-based paint are considered hazardous. The paint becomes a problem when it isn't maintained and is allowed to flake, chip or deteriorate into lead dust that can be ingested by babies and toddlers. Previously, Cleveland had trouble moving homes through its pipeline from application to remediation. In 2012, the city lost $2 million in HUD funding for lead hazards because of a failure to efficiently carry out home assessment and abatement work. At the time, HUD demanded the city transfer management of the program from the Department of Public Health to the Community Development Department in order to keep a remaining $1.1 million in funding. The city was denied a new grant in 2013, the first time Cleveland had been without lead abatement funding since 1995. When that happened, the county health department stepped in, using some of its grant money to assist Cleveland residents. In September the city was awarded the grant it is using currently to fix homes More than 13,700 children under 6 were screened for lead in 2014, and about 1,885 had levels higher than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's threshold of 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood. More than 493 children had lead levels higher than 10 micrograms per deciliter, and 52 children had levels higher than 25 micrograms per deciliter. Cleveland, however, lags in screening children for lead. Only between 20 and 30 percent of children under 6 who should be screened each year get the blood tests. Despite the dismal screening rates, city health officials identified more than 500 homes since 2010 that did pose a hazard to children, and not all of them have been fixed. Housing Court Judge Ray Pianka's staff is working to refer homeowners who might benefit from the program. Last week, the court sent letters to 15 property owners who, because of housing code violations, have to answer to court probation officers. The letter, which can be viewed here, noted that the homes were on a list of more than 500 that identified as lead hazards by city investigators in recent years. A Plain Dealer analysis of city records revealed those homes hadn't been fixed. City health officials also sent out information to residents and owners of 157 homes that state data showed were identified in the previous decade as associated with poisoning multiple children. The packets, city health officials said, included information on reducing lead hazards and how to apply for the federal grants. Applications can be mailed to: City of Cleveland Lead Hazard Control Program, 601 Lakeside Ave, Room 302, Cleveland, OH 44114 Bernie Sanders, Rev. Al Sharpton The Rev. Al Sharpton talks with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. as they sit down for a breakfast meeting at Sylvia's Restaurant, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. Sanders defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday in the New Hampshire primary. (Richard Drew/The Associated Press) COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- Here's the latest on the 2016 presidential race as Republican and Democratic candidates head from New Hampshire to South Carolina and beyond. All times local: 11:30 a.m. The Rev. Al Sharpton says he met one-on-one with Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders Wednesday at a Harlem landmark, where they discussed issues that affect the African-American community around the country. Sharpton says, "I think it is very important that he sent the signal that on the morning after a historic victory...he would come to Harlem and have breakfast with me." Sharpton says the two men talked at Sylvia's Restaurant about affirmative action, police brutality and the water disaster in Flint. Sharpton adds that he and various heads of national civil rights organizations plan to meet with Clinton next week. He says he won't endorse a candidate until after that meeting with Clinton. ___ 11:25 a.m. Donald Trump wishes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would "disappear." "I would get China to make that guy disappear in one form or another very quickly," Trump said on "CBS This Morning." Host Norah O'Donnell asked whether Trump is calling for Kim Jong-un's assassination. Trump shrugged, "Well, I've heard of worse things frankly." He adds: "China has control, absolute control over North Korea...And they should make that problem disappear." ___ 10:47 a.m. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has finished third in the New Hampshire primary behind winner Donald Trump and runner-up John Kasich. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush finished in fourth place, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio finished behind him in fifth. Trump led the field, beating Kasich, the sitting Ohio governor, by nearly 20 points. Cruz came in third, leading Bush by less than a percentage point. Rubio trailed Bush by less than a percentage point. ___ 10:00 a.m. Jeb Bush's campaign is unveiling a radio ad Wednesday in South Carolina featuring Jeb Bush's famous presidential brother, George W. Bush. The former president says "There's no doubt in my mind that Jeb Bush will be a great commander-in-chief for our military." George W. Bush has been enlisted to campaign for his brother in South Carolina, where Jeb Bush is making eight campaign stops in the state over the next three days following a fourth-place finish in New Hampshire. The 60-second ad, "Steady Hand, will air throughout the state. ___ 8:55 a.m. Score one for optimism. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says his underwhelming debate performance and low finish in the New Hampshire primary won't stop him from winning the Republican presidential nomination. He says on NBC's "Today" that he is "going to be the nominee. It is just going to take a little longer, but we are going to get there." Rubio was hammered by his rivals, especially New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, in last week's debate for being repetitive and scripted. Rubio went from a third place showing in Iowa to fifth place in New Hampshire with 10.5 percent. ___ 8:28 a.m. Donald Trump says he will release his tax returns "over the next few months," attributing the delay to the size and complex nature of his taxes. The billionaire businessman, who is coming off of a major win in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, tells NBC'S "Today" that he thinks people will be surprised "at how little I pay." He says, "I hate the way the government spends my money." Trump says he is hoping to become more of a statesman, but notes that he sees nothing wrong with using foul language at his campaign rallies. "Political correctness is killing us," he says. "It wasn't the worst thing in the world." ___ 8:20 a.m. Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he will not sit back and "be a marshmallow" and allow his Republican presidential rivals to attack him. But speaking to NBC's "Today" Wednesday, Kasich said he will not allow the negative nature of the campaign to overshadow his positive message. Instead, he says he'll let his record speak for itself. Kasich won second place in Tuesday's New Hampshire's primary, breaking out from a pack of traditional, establishment candidates. Kasich has refrained from engaging in many of the sharp attacks that have dominated much of the discourse between his competitors. ___ 8:08 a.m. Donald Trump says he talked with Chris Christie a "little bit" about the New Jersey governor dropping out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination. Trump says on "CBS This Morning" that he and Christie spoke after the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, in which Trump won a big victory and Christie fared poorly. Seeking endorsements from any rivals that quit the race, Trump said of Christie, "He's a friend of mine. I'm surprised he didn't do better." He adds: "I'd like to see a lot of people drop out." Christie has cancelled an event Wednesday in South Carolina, an organizer says. ___ 7:56 a.m. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has cancelled an event in South Carolina on the heels of his disappointing finish in the New Hampshire GOP primary. Brielle Applebaum of the Conservative Leadership Project says a Wednesday forum on legal and constitutional issues set for Charleston has been cancelled. South Carolina is next up on the GOP primary calendar and votes Feb. 20. Christie told a crowd of supporters in New Hampshire on Tuesday night that he was headed home to New Jersey to "take a deep breath" and assess what comes next. On MSNBC Wednesday morning, first-place New Hampshire finisher Donald Trump said he had a "long talk" with Christie Tuesday night but did not go into detail about what was said. missing-baby-found.jpg Dayton police find a missing Middletown infant in a car outside an apartment complex Wednesday morning with the body of her mother inside the vehicle. (Jake Ryle, WDTN-TV Dayton) DAYTON, Ohio - The mother of a missing Middletown child was found dead in a car in Dayton today. Dayton Police responded to an apartment building this morning and found the body of Brittany Russell, 30, in a vehicle with gunshot wounds, WDTN-TV in Dayton reported. Her 6-month-old daughter, Haven Edwards, who had been reported missing Tuesday evening, was found inside the car and taken by Middletown police. In a written statement late this morning, Middletown police said Dayton police notified them Russell was found dead. Haven has been reunited with her father, Chris Edwards. Edwards, holding his daughter dressed in a sleeper, said he was "overwhelmed with joy" when the Middletown police placed the baby in his arms, WHIO-TV in Dayton reported. The father said Russell took the child from a sitter without his knowledge Tuesday evening, WDTN reported. He said this was out of the ordinary for Russell and was concerned for the safety of both the child and Russell. Police wouldn't say whether a weapon or anything else was found inside the car. Here are other top stories today from across the Dayton area: COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio EPA on Tuesday issued a violation notice to the village of Sebring for failing to provide test results and guidance to homeowners who had requested voluntary water sampling, and for failing to submit required weekly reports on water chemistry. On Jan. 21, EPA Director Craig Butler ordered the Mahoning County village to offer free water testing for any resident who requested it to give them peace of mind about the quality of their drinking water. Since then, 34 of the 698 samples tested found lead concentrations in drinking water above federal allowable limits. Sebring was required to notify any resident of his or her lead results, and to provide them with an information sheet detailing how to minimize their risks. "When EPA staff followed up this weekend to conduct cautionary testing on a few homes that tested above the federal allowable level, it became evident that the village had not notified these residents of their recent test results as quickly and thoroughly as they should have," Butler said in a news release. "I expect the village to keep the public in mind and provide prompt information to its residents." The weekly report must provide pH and alkalinity monitoring results. Sebring failed to submit these reports on Feb. 1 and 8. Ohio EPA also has required the village to provide contact information for any resident as additional voluntary test results are received so the EPA can follow up at these homes. As Sebring collects and processes water samples taken from hundreds of residents, the Ohio EPA has continued to check some of the readings. These follow-up tests will confirm that the tap water is healthy, and by turning on the tap for several minutes should successfully eliminate any detectable lead in the water. The Ohio EPA is continuing to work closely with Sebring and the U.S. EPA to fine-tune the water chemistry to minimize lead from leaching into the water. Tests confirm that the village's water plant is lead free, the news release said. Sebring is required to provide bottled water or filtration systems to homes where the results were above the federal allowable level for lead, and to work with the county to provide health screening for residents. moore_michelle-pic11.jpg Michelle Moore is accused of engaging in sex with a 14-year-old boy on multiple occasions between October 2015 and January 2016. (Courtesy of Licking County Sheriff's Office via WBNS-TV Columbus) COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Licking County woman is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Michelle Moore, 37, a substitute aide at Southwest Licking Local Schools, east of Columbus, was arrested Tuesday for having sex with a 14-year-old boy. As of Tuesday night, Moore was being held in the Licking County jail without bond, WSYX-TV in Columbus reported. Moore is charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Over a period of several weeks, detectives investigated sexual allegations made by the boy, WSYX reported. The Sheriff's Office says the victim claimed he and Moore engaged in multiple sexual encounters involving sexual intercourse from October 2015 to January 2016. Southwest Licking Local School District Superintendent Robert T. Jennell told WCMH-TV in Columbus the district is working in conjunction with the Licking County Sheriff department, which is investigating the matter. Here are other top stories from the Columbus area today: WHO declares Zika virus a health emergency Dr. Angela Rocha examines three-month old Annika Vitoria, who has microcephaly, at the Oswaldo Cruz Hospital in Recife, Brazil. Before last fall, medical reports of babies born with microcephaly were so rare in Brazil that only about 150 cases were registered each year in the entire country. Now Brazilian officials are now investigating thousands of them, and they say that the Zika virus is the cause. In Northeast Ohio, two Zika virus cases have been confirmed in two people returning from Haiti. (Mauricio Lima, The New York Times) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A second Northeast Ohio Zika virus case has been confirmed in a 21-year-old Stark County man, the Ohio Department of Health said Tuesday evening. The man was returning from a trip to Haiti, the Ohio Department of Health said. The first confirmed case, a 30-year-old Cleveland woman, also contracted the virus during a trip to Haiti. The two cases are not linked, the health department said. "Given the number of travelers between Ohio and Zika virus-affected countries, it would not be a surprise to see more cases," health department medical director Dr. Mary DiOrio said in a release. However, local experts say that the two local cases should not trigger panic. struthers-couple.jpg Lisa Marenkovic, left, and her boyfriend, Beau Geidner, appeared today in Struthers Municipal Court on felony child endangering charges for allegedly abusing her 5-year-old daughter. (Courtesy of WFMJ-TV Youngstown) YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - A suburban Youngstown couple faces child endangering charges for allegedly abusing their 5-year-old daughter. The girl's mother, Lisa Marenkovic, 27, and her boyfriend, Beau Geidner, also 27, appeared today in Struthers Municipal Court on felony child endangering charges, WKBN-TV in Youngstown reported. Bond was set at $105,000 each for Marenkovic, who is also charged with obstructing justice, and Geidner, who is also charged with obstructing official business, WFMJ-TV in Youngstown reported. The two were arrested Monday after police broke into their home and took custody of the child. Struthers Elementary school officials had alerted police the girl may be living in dangerous circumstances. She had not been to school for several days and staff noticed previously the girl had visible bruising on her body, WKBN reported. When police entered the house, they located the girl who they said appeared malnourished. Police also noted the girl had bruising on her body. She was immediately taken to Akron Children's Hospital in Boardman for an evaluation and remains hospitalized for treatment of several injuries, WFMJ reported. Here are other top stories today from Youngstown and eastern Ohio: A Weirton, W. Va., man was arrested after leading officials on a chase through Jefferson and Belmont counties early this morning. (WTOV-TV Steubenville)(WTRF-TV Steubenville) Trumbull County Hazmat was called out to a Niles apartment complex today to investigate after a resident became suspicious about a substance that arrived in the mail. (WFMJ-TV Youngstown) A Coshocton man accused in the hit and run of a 9-year-old child last week faces charges. (WHIZ-TV Zanesville) The Ohio Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from the man convicted of murdering three members of a family in their Canfield Township home more than 40 years ago. (WFMJ-TV Youngstown) One year ago in Belmont County, a homeless man had to give up his dog due to health issues, and the dog couldn't go with him to the nursing home. But now he's back on his feet, and his first stop was the Belmont County Animal Shelter for a sweet reunion. (WTRF-TV Steubenville) Middleburg Heights City Council.jpg During Tuesday night's Middleburg Heights City Council meeting, Mayor Gary Starr announced the potential visit of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). (John Deike/special to cleveland.com) MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Millions will celebrate the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer; at the same time, thousands of fallen U.S. troops will be mourned in Middleburg Heights. This July, as the RNC gears up, the AVTT Vietnam Traveling Wall will roll into the city so residents throughout the region can honor those lost in the war, according to Mayor Gary Starr. The traveling wall, a four-fifths scale version of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., is the largest traveling wall replica. In an interesting turn, Starr is trying to arrange for U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) - a storied Vietnam veteran - to visit the city and once again pay homage to the 58,000 fallen Americans. Starr has been in touch with Rob Frost, chairman of the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County, who's open to the idea of a McCain visit. As the primaries wind down in the coming weeks, Frost said he'd be in touch with the city. "We're going to honor Vietnam veterans and their service to our country," said Starr. "And having Senator McCain, who visited Middleburg Heights during the (2008 presidential race), would certainly add something special." Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cynthia Peck arranged for the mobile wall to be transported to the city, and has planned for the memorial to be placed at the southeast corner of Bagley Road and Craigmere Drive from July 18-24. For more information on the traveling memorial, click here. KATY, Texas -- A man and woman in Texas are facing federal charges, accused of holding a nanny captive for two years, forcing her to work without pay and making her live in terrible conditions. Chudy Nsobundu, 56, and his wife, Sandra Nsobundu, 50, were released on bond Tuesday after being arrested Monday in Katy, Texas. They are being investigated for forced labor, visa fraud, harboring illegal aliens and withholding documents, according to the Houston Chronicle. KPRC Channel 2, citing court documents, says the 38-year-old nanny, a Nigerian national identified as A.E., worked every day from 5:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. taking care of several children, cleaning and cooking. According to the Chronicle, A.E. could not watch television or sit down during work hours. She was only fed leftovers only was given milk left behind from the children's cereal bowls. Court documents show the couple had promised to deposit $100 per month in the nanny's bank account so she could return to Nigeria, but she was never paid, the Associated Press reports. The couple also took the woman's passport, officials say. "She regularly endured physical and verbal abuse and was not treated like a human being," documents show. If convicted, the couple could face 20 years in prison. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A bill that seeks to defund Planned Parenthood cleared the Ohio House on Wednesday and now heads to Gov. John Kasich to be signed into law. House Bill 294 passed mostly along party lines in a 62-32 vote, with Republican Reps. Nathan Manning of North Ridgeville and Jeffery Rezabek of Clayton breaking with their party to vote against the measure. The Senate approved the bill last month. Kasich has said he will not veto the bill. What does the bill do? The bill prohibits the Ohio Department of Health from awarding state and federal grants to any organization that performs or "promotes" abortion or to any organization that contracts with such an organization. Instead, the money will be available to health departments, federally qualified health centers, and other clinics -- supporters say there are more than 200 such facilities. The bill also earmarks $250,000 of existing funding for community health centers to teach safe sleep, smoking cessation and other practices to prevent infant deaths and allows health departments and other clinics to sign up pregnant women for Medicaid and provide services while their applications are pending. Planned Parenthood centers would not be eligible for the infant mortality program funding. What happens next? The bill will be prepared for Kasich to sign, which can take a few days, and he then has 10 days to sign or veto the bill before it automatically becomes law. Kasich typically does not comment on legislation until it reaches his desk. But while campaigning for president, Kasich has been pressed about the bill and said he will sign it. The law will likely trigger a court battle over the funds. Courts in other states that have defunded Planned Parenthood have sided with the organization and temporarily delayed the laws' implementation. How does this affect Planned Parenthood? The legislation targets Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio and Greater Ohio, which perform abortion services at three of their 27 clinics. Planned Parenthood received about $1.3 million in competitive state grants last year -- a small part of its overall budget. But the bill affects more than Planned Parenthood, say Columbus public health officials. They warn the bill could jeopardize funding for county health departments and other entities that contract with hospitals which perform abortions. Will the bill prevent more abortions? Bill sponsors Rep. Bill Patmon, a Cleveland Democrat, and Margaret Conditt, a Liberty Township Republican, say the legislation ensures no taxpayer dollars are used for abortion services. But Ohio and federal laws already prohibit the use of public money for abortion services. Ohio Right to Life, the state's largest anti-abortion organization, said even if the money isn't spent directly on abortions, it helps "keep the lights on" at Planned Parenthood. Stephanie Kight, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio CEO, said the organization will continue to provide care at the same levels and might fundraise in order to bridge funding gaps created by the bill. Kight said Planned Parenthood earned the grants by efficiently running effective programs and she questioned whether other providers will step up and apply for the grants or can comply with all the grant requirements. What are politicians saying? Rep. Barbara Sears, a Moncolva Township Republican, praised the bill for its infant mortality provisions, which were added last month by the Senate. "This may be the No. 1 bill we do in this General Assembly to improve women's healthcare and access to care," Sears said on the Ohio House floor. Rep. Kathleen Clyde, a Kent Democrat, said House Bill 294 would likely increase the number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions. "This bill uses Planned Parenthood as a stand in punching bag for Ohio's women," Clyde said. "By passing this bill, the Ohio House is showing women where they are on the priority list and unfortunately, it shows they are at the bottom." GOP 2016 Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich arrives to speak to supporters Tuesday night in Concord, N.H. (Jim Cole, The Associated Press) John Kasich accomplished his goal of being 'a story' of the New Hampshire primary, but the challenge is just beginning. Read more in Ohio Politics Roundup. When second place is as good as a win: When you're Ohio Gov. John Kasich and in need of a big, Marco Rubio-beating finish to prove you have a case to make as the Republican establishment's alternative to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Kasich finished as runner-up to Trump in the New Hampshire primary - placing ahead of a free-falling Rubio and his two gubernatorial cohorts, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie. Now the key questions: Can Kasich raise money and keep the momentum rolling until March (when the calendar looks more favorable to him and his politics)? Will Kasich's remaining rivals attack? And will Kasich's "prince of light and hope" tone continue? My full analysis from Kasich's Concord night primary rally is here. One more key question: "Which candidates, if any, drop out in coming days - and can Kasich win their supporters?" the Columbus Dispatch's Darrel Rowland wonders. Kasich delivered what amounted to a victory speech: "Maybe, just maybe, at a time when clearly change is the air, maybe just maybe we are turning the page on a dark part of American politics," Kasich told his supporters. "Because tonight, the light overcame the darkness -- and you made it happen! You made it happen!" The comeback kid? "A top-tier finish seemed improbable just six weeks ago, with town hall attendance dwindling and Kasich stagnating in polls here," the Cincinnati Enquirer's Chrissie Thompson writes. "But as notoriously late-deciding New Hampshire voters started tuning into the race, Kasich began to rise. A trio of improving debate performances and a rush of media coverage gave him even more of a boost." John vs. Jeb: "Shortly after the Associated Press affirmed that Kasich would finish behind a dominant Trump, Bush spokesman Tim Miller sought to portray Kasich as weak on the military, a cutting jab ahead of strongly pro-military South Carolina, the next state on the Republican primary calendar," Politico's Kyle Cheney reports. The response from Team Kasich: "I wouldn't be surprised if Jeb Bush drops out, which he should do instead of tearing down the rest of the party," communications director Chris Schrimpf tells Politico. "He is destroying his legacy." The path ahead: Team Kasich is taking great pains to prove it has eyes, ears and infrastructure beyond New Hampshire. After addressing his supporters Tuesday night, the governor headed immediately to South Carolina to get a jump on the Feb. 20 primary there. And his campaign announced a swing through Michigan next week. Meanwhile, Kasich's super PAC allies at New Day for America have been organizing in South Carolina for months. Earlier Tuesday, New Day announced that more than 300 GOP leaders and activists in the state have endorsed Kasich's bid. "As the race moves south, Kasich faces immediate hurdles to prove that he is more than a one-state wonder," the Washington Post's Philip Rucker and Robert Costa write. "In the South, Trump has found deep and enthusiastic support for his incendiary nationalistic platform. Cruz is well positioned to contend with Trump for the top spot in those states because of his broad support from movement conservatives and evangelical Christians." Candy-Graham: South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a former presidential candidate now supporting Bush, threw down a pre-emptive gauntlet to Kasich on Tuesday. "Of the three early states, South Carolina has always been Jeb's best, in terms of infrastructure and dynamics," Graham told the Washington Post's David Weigel. "We have a reputation for voting for the most conservative candidate who's electable. John's a good guy, and a good governor, but when it comes to military issues he's been more of a budget cutter than a hawk. He describes himself as a budget hawk; well, advocating for more BRAC before you rebuild the military." Bern's big night: "Bernie Sanders needed a strong showing in New Hampshire on Tuesday. He got one and then some," cleveland.com's Jeremy Pelzer writes. "Sanders solidly won the ... primary, beating Hillary Clinton in a state that voted for her in 2008." Back at the Statehouse ... A term-limit tussle: "A group opposed to changing Ohio's term limits for state legislators has launched a series of radio ads to rally citizen opposition to a proposal that would loosen the current limits," cleveland.com's Robert Higgs reports. "U.S. Term Limits is warning that the a proposal under consideration by the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission would expand the time legislators can serve." Tips or links? Send here. Follow along on Twitter: @HenryJGomez. Subscribe to Battleground Briefing, our daily politics newsletter: Sign up here. John Kasich, Karen Kasich With his wife Karen at his side, Republican presidential candidate John Kasich waves to supporters Tuesday evening at his primary night rally in Concord, N.H. The Ohio governor finished a strong second place behind Donald Trump. (Jim Cole, The Associated Press) CONCORD, N.H. - Ohio Gov. John Kasich needed to be the big story coming out of the New Hampshire primary. He did his part Tuesday by winning the race that mattered most - the race for second place in a large and muddled Republican presidential field. The strong showing elevates Kasich as a top alternative to Donald Trump, the billionaire real estate mogul whose angry rhetoric frightens the party's establishment. Trump won New Hampshire decisively, recovering from his collapse last week in the Iowa caucuses. But Kasich beat everyone else, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whose third-place finish in Iowa rocketed him to the front of the establishment lane. Rubio was in danger late Tuesday of also finishing behind former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. It's hard not to blame his poor debate performance last week. This was the best-case scenario for Kasich. Polls long had pegged Trump as a double-digit favorite here, making runner-up almost as good as champion. Kasich was careful not to set expectations, but a top-three finish was essential. So, too, was beating Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, two other establishment-friendly candidates. Placing behind Rubio might not have been immediately fatal to Kasich's campaign, but it would have badly damaged his argument that he's the candidate best positioned to unite the GOP. That Rubio was so far back in the pack is icing on the Kasich cake. "There's magic in the air with this campaign, because we don't see it as just another campaign," Kasich told supporters gathered here inside a hotel conference center. "We see this as an opportunity for all of us -- and I mean all of us -- to be involved in something that's bigger than our own lives. To change America ... to restore the spirit of America. And to leave no one behind, am I right?" Will the money follow? New Hampshire was a grind for Kasich. He put nearly everything he had - financially, physically and emotionally - into the state. Though he and his advisers justifiably are pleased with the result, the question that could not be answered Tuesday is whether it will encourage the Republican Party's donor base to rally around him. Kasich needs the cash to sustain his momentum. New Hampshire suits his style. South Carolina, where the race now shifts for a Feb. 20 primary, does not. Kasich was scheduled to fly there Tuesday night. And in a show of strength, the super political action committee backing Kasich announced endorsements earlier Tuesday from more than 300 GOP leaders and activists in the state. But it's also tough to see a win for Kasich in a batch of other southern states with March 1 contests. Kasich's goal now is to survive until March 8, when he expects to make a big play in Michigan, a Midwest neighbor that is friendly ground for moderates. Then comes March 15, when states can begin awarding delegates on a winner-take-all basis. Ohio holds its primary that day. So does Illinois, where Kasich is well-organized. Will Bush or Christie drop out? Another variable is Kasich's competition. Bush and Christie could face pressure to drop out now that Kasich and Rubio have eclipsed them at different points in the intramural race among the establishment candidates. But if one or both stick around, they might have little choice but to escalate their attacks on Kasich. And Rubio, whose strategy is based on uniting anti-establishment conservatives with more-mainstream centrists, will be looking to quickly eliminate Kasich as a rival. Even Cruz and Trump will be tempted to sling more arrows Kasich's way. That raises another question: Is the positive Kasich here to stay? Kasich gambled his campaign on a notion that voters, at a time of angry, anti-establishment ideology championed by Cruz and Trump, would prefer a cheery career politician with a pragmatic approach. He saw in New Hampshire a treasure trove of moderate Republicans and independents who might respond to such a message. And it worked. "We have had tens and tens of millions of dollars spent against us with negative advertising," Kasich said Tuesday night. "See, that's the old politics. ... Maybe, just maybe, at a time when clearly change is the air, maybe just maybe we are turning the page on a dark part of American politics. Because tonight, the light overcame the darkness -- and you made it happen!" This adult-in-the-room strategy, as his advisers called it, occasionally has drawn smirks, given Kasich's quick temper and his past marriages of political convenience. He won the governor's race in 2010, for example, after locking arms with the same Tea Party conservatives that elevated Rubio and, later Cruz. He split with them in 2013 by pushing for Medicaid expansion under President Barack Obama's health care law. Setbacks, then a comeback We've seen some Kasich tantrums, too. Last fall, clearly frustrated by Trump's rise and his own inability to stand out in the debates, Kasich erupted. He crankily dismissed Trump's call to deport all undocumented immigrants as a fantasy. He took shots at Bush and Ben Carson, too. Those were dark months for Team Kasich. His poll numbers dipped in New Hampshire. He seemed one stumble away from being finished. But he regained confidence over the holidays. When a winter storm kept others from campaigning in the state, Kasich kept his schedule. And, suddenly, the Zen-like "prince of light and hope" was born. This self-proclamation drew its share of smirks, too, especially when Kasich's campaign or allies with a super PAC took shots at one of his rivals. But Kasich was having fun. He was relaxed. And he was connecting with voters - New Hampshire's are notoriously late deciders - just as they were narrowing their options. Kasich held more than 100 town hall-style forums, most in tiny rooms chosen to produce a crowded-but-intimate feel. He invested in a strong get-out-the-vote effort. That ground game benefited in recent days from an influx of Ohio loyalists, ranging from young activists to state officeholders, who flew in to knock on doors and make phone calls. A changed man? In recent weeks, Kasich has grown increasingly sentimental. Indeed Zen-like, he began to realize that this was either the beginning of something special or, perhaps, the last race he would ever run. His sister and cousins joined him on his massive bus for a swing last month. Old friend Tim Penny, a former Minnesota congressman, came along, too. A Democrat-turned-independent, Penny served as a character witness, touting Kasich's bipartisan bona fides at a string of town halls. In the primary campaign's closing days, Kasich remarked at every stop how New Hampshire has changed him. And there's some truth to that. The old Kasich, for example, might have gotten arrogant once the polls started to improve. The new Kasich seemed only to grow more hopeful and humble in the closing days as he sensed a big finish. Consider his performance at Saturday evening's debate in Goffstown, N.H. That night, Bush tangled with Trump and Christie tangled with Rubio. Kasich, somehow, remained out of the mud, even when moderators tried to draw him into it. "I want you to know that you've changed me - because I've listened to your stories, and I've had your hugs, and I've seen your tears," Kasich said in his closing statement. "And I've seen you walk away and say, 'I now have hope.'" On Tuesday, New Hampshire voters changed Kasich once again. They turned him into a contender. JACKSON COUNTY, Mississippi-- Jackson County investigators were on the scene Tuesday reconstructing an accident scene that took place on Sunday night, Deputy Coroner Jason Moody told The Mississippi Press on Wednesday. The two men were identified as Michael Drieling, 34, of St. Martin, and Frank Mares, 40, of Biloxi. Both were pronounced dead on the scene. The accident took place in the 8200 block of Daisy Vestry Road between Johnson Still and Cook Road around 6 p.m. Sunday. The southbound pickup carrying Drieling, the driver, and Mares, his passenger, struck a northbound pickup. Two additional people in a separate vehicle were treated for minor injuries at the scene and were later transferred to the hospital to be checked out further. Calls were placed into the Jackson County Sheriff's Office for additional information and they are still investigating. PD-stock-Ohio-Supreme-Court.jpg In a 6-1 decision, the Ohio Supreme Court held that a defendant can challenge the validity of blood evidence by showing that it is unreliable, but that it should not automatically be rejected if officers didn't strictly follow handling rules. (cleveland.com file) COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Blood samples collected by law enforcement may still be used as evidence, even if officers do not strictly comply with rules that the samples be refrigerated, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled today. In a 6-1 decision, the court held that a defendant can challenge the validity of the evidence by showing that it is unreliable, but that it should not automatically be rejected. The case involved an Ashtabula County man, Michael D. Baker, who was convicted of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, in the 2011 death of a pedestrian who was hit along the roadside. Baker acknowledged he had been drinking and agreed to a blood test. An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper then kept the blood sample in his car until the end of his shift about four hours later, when he mailed it to Columbus for testing. The trial court suppressed the blood evidence because it had not been handled with strict compliance to state regulations -- that it be refrigerated when it was not in transit to a lab or under examination. An appellate court agreed. The Supreme Court, though, reversed that decision, holding that the rejection of the evidence is not automatic. In the majority opinion, Justice Terrence O'Donnell noted that logistical issues could make strict compliance unrealistic and cited previous rulings in which the court, nevertheless, had allowed its use at trial. The defendant should be given a chance to argue the evidence should be suppressed, O'Donnell wrote. The state must then show substantial compliance with the rules. The defendant then can challenge whether the evidence is still reliable. Justices Paul E. Pfeifer, Sharon L. Kennedy, and Judith L. French concurred. Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, in a separate opinion supported by Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger, urged that the Ohio Department of Health provide more guidance on when a sample could become unreliable. Justice William O'Neill dissented, arguing that the majority opinion set the bar for admitting the evidence too low. "One man lies dead and another man faces a lengthy prison term if convicted of drunk driving. This is no time to be treating the rules regarding admissibility of evidence lightly," he wrote. The case now returns to Ashtabula County to allow Baker to argue the evidence was unreliable. CLEVELAND, Ohio - The news often flows at a very quick pace on cleveland.com, and today has certainly proven that to be true. Here are some of the stories from the last 12 hours you may have missed, including a Cleveland woman becoming the first confirmed Zika virus case in Ohio, a former Pilot Flying J president indicted on fraud charges and John Kasich notching a very early lead in the New Hampshire primary. Cleveland woman contracts Zika virus while in Haiti The photo shows a female Aedes aegypti mosquito in the process of acquiring a blood meal from a human host. The mosquitoes are known to carry the Zika virus. Ohio's first reported case of Zika -- a rapidly spreading virus that is linked to severe birth defects -- has been reported in Cuyahoga County. The Ohio Department of Health said a 30-year-old Cleveland woman who recently returned from Haiti contracted the virus, which is spread by mosquito bites and sexual contact. Haiti is one of many Western Hemisphere countries where the virus is active. "There is no vaccine available for Zika virus so it's important for Ohioans traveling to affected areas to take steps to prevent mosquito bites," Dr. Mary DiOrio, medical director of the Ohio Department of Health, said in a news release. "There have been no reported cases of Zika virus disease transmission through mosquito bites anywhere in the continental U.S." | Read Jackie Borchardt's story Former president of Pilot Flying J indicted on fraud charges The former president of Browns' owner Jimmy Haslam's family business, Pilot Flying J, was indicted on federal charges involving rebate fraud committed against trucking companies. The former president of Browns' owner Jimmy Haslam's family business, Pilot Flying J, was indicted on federal charges involving a massive rebate fraud committed against trucking companies, according to an indictment unsealed today. Mark Hazelwood was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and witness tampering. All charges stem from allegations of long-term fleecing of customers of Haslam's business, allegedly involving tens of millions of dollars. An FBI affidavit filed in April 2013 suggested that Hazelwood and Haslam knew about the fraud; it asserted that they were in sales meetings when the scheme discussed. Haslam has denied any knowledge of wrongdoing, and he has not been charged. Hazelwood left the company in 2014. Hazelwoods's attorney, Rusty Hardin, could not be reached for comment. | Read John Caniglia's story John Kasich has very early lead in New Hampshire primary Snow begins to fall as Ohio Gov. John Kasich talks to reporters Monday in Plaistow, N.H. Ohio Gov. John Kasich scored an early, feel-good win Tuesday in the New Hampshire primary, beating Donald Trump in Dixville Notch. The tiny northern township, which boasts nine registered voters, makes a show of casting the first ballots on primary day, as soon as the clock strikes midnight. Kasich edged Trump, the New Hampshire front-runner, three votes to two. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won all four votes on the Democratic side, shutting out former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The lion's share of votes aren't cast or counted until later Tuesday, with results trickling in after polls have closed in the evening. | Read Henry J. Gomez's story Cleveland City Council introduces income tax hike measure Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley on Monday introduced legislation seeking to put a municipal income tax increase on the ballot. Cleveland City Council on Monday introduced legislation to put a municipal tax increase on the ballot, though it's unclear how soon city voters will get to decide the issue. Mayor Frank Jackson announced last week that he would seek a tax increase from 2 to 2.5 percent to plug a multi-million shortfall in the city's budget next year, improve city services and pay for reforms to the city's police department. He said he would ask council to approve the issue for the ballot either in November or next May. The timing of Monday's legislation, which will be referred to committees for discussion and public scrutiny, suggests the issue might go to voters in November. But Jackson has said that he first plans on presenting voters with an outline explaining just how far the extra $83.5 million will go. Alternatively, if City Council waits to put the issue on the ballot next year, a 2017 budget proposal will show deep service cuts and mass layoffs after the first quarter. | Read Leila Atassi's story Record Powerball jackpot gives boost to Ohio education Rebecca Hargrove, second from right, president and CEO of the Tennessee Lottery, presents a ceremonial check to John Robinson, right; his wife, Lisa, second from left; and their daughter, Tiffany, left; after the Robinson's winning Powerball ticket was authenticated on Jan. 15. in Nashville, Tenn. The ticket was one of three winning tickets in the $1.6 billion jackpot drawing. The other two tickets have not been claimed. The Ohio Department of Education was among the winners in the record $1.6 billion Powerball drawing on Jan. 13, Ohio Lottery officials said. More than $30 million of the $116 million transferred to the Lottery Education Fund in January was due to Powerball sales in Ohio, finance director Greg Bowers told lottery commission members on Monday. The lottery is on track to send more than $1 billion to the education department by the end of the fiscal year. By law, all lottery profits go to the Ohio Department of Education. Profits had been increasing because of the revenue from slots-like video lottery terminals at the seven racinos. | Read Karen Farkas' story CLEVELAND, Ohio - Between 1868 and 1920, American voters elected 12 presidents - including seven from Ohio. Can you name them? You're forgiven if you can't. Other than perhaps Ulysses S. Grant, the revered Civil War general, most of these men are not household names. A group of historians in Ohio is trying to change that, launching a presidential campaign of their own, of sorts, in an effort to elevate interest in the state's eight commanders in chief. There's early talk of a possible presidential center, a presidential trail or a presidential passport - something that would tie Ohio's rich presidential history together so that would-be visitors could easily access information about these men, their legacies and the places they called home. The timing may be perfect. With 50,000 visitors headed to Cleveland in July for the Republican National Convention, there may be no better time to highlight the achievements and eccentricities of the state's most accomplished elected officials. After all, all but one of Ohio's eight presidents were Republicans. And the one who wasn't, ninth president William Henry Harrison, was a member of the Whig Party, which preceded and eventually folded into the Grand Old Party. "What a great opportunity to promote our heritage," said JoAnn Davidson, the former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives who is serving as a co-chair of the Committee on Arrangements, the Republican group organizing the Cleveland convention. At her urging, the Ohio History Connection, the state's historical society, put together an oversized brochure detailing more than a dozen sites throughout the state where visitors can explore presidential history -- from James A. Garfield's Victorian-era home in Mentor to the one-room schoolhouse that Grant attended east of Cincinnati. Hundreds of the brochures have been sent to state parties throughout the country in an effort to entice visiting Republicans to learn more about their party and the nation's presidential past by visiting some of these sites before or after the convention. A version without the RNC pitch is in the works, as well. Steve George, a senior advisor at the Ohio History Connection, said Ohio's presidents have never gotten the attention or the respect they deserved. But he believes that trend may be reversing. Consider: * Last week, a national audience tuned in to "Murder of a President," the much-praised PBS documentary on the life of James Garfield, based on the best-selling book, "Destiny of the Republic," by Candice Millard. * Karl Rove, the Republican strategist, just authored a book on Niles native and 25th president William McKinley, "The Triumph of William McKinley," which chronicles the importance of the 1896 election and McKinley's enlightened leadership. * The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums in Fremont recently embarked on a $1 million upgrade of its museum, to make it more contemporary and interactive and to give visitors a broader perspective on Hayes and the time in which he lived. "We need to dust off these presidents and showcase them as part of our Ohio heritage," said George. "What were these people like? What accomplishments did they make? What challenges did they face?" Christie Weininger, executive director of the Hayes center, said the importance of Ohio's leaders is often left out of history books. A cluster of Ohio-born presidents shepherded the nation through the tumultuous time between the Civil War and World War I, during a period of heavy industrialization, a growing gap between rich and poor, nascent civil and women's rights movements, and the dawn of the Progressive era. "When you look at Ohio history and the impact Ohioans were having on the nation - it's huge," she said. "This was a critical time in our nation's history. There's such a big story tell about this time period." Cleveland lawyer James Robenalt is among those hoping to tell it. Robenalt, who authored a 2009 book on Warren Harding, is spearheading an effort to establish what he's calling an Ohio Presidential Center, possibly at Ohio State University, which would be a central space for scholars and armchair historians to learn about Ohio presidents, as well as the presidency in general. "Ohio's presidents played a huge role in our nation's development," he said. And it's time they're recognized for that role. (Check back Thursday for more on Robenalt's efforts to establish a presidential center.) In addition, there has been renewed talk of creating a kind of Ohio Presidential Trail, which would link the sites together, either as a sanctioned National Park Service site, similar to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, or something less formal. On a smaller scale, work continues on a plan to create a James A. Garfield State Historic Corridor, which would extend from downtown Cleveland to Painesville, with stops along the way at locations important in Garfield's life, said Andrew Misak, executive director of the Friends of James A. Garfield National Historic Site, One of the challenges of linking all the sites together: They're owned and operated by different government and nonprofit groups. The Garfield site in Mentor and the William Howard Taft home in Cincinnati, for example, are owned and operated by the National Park Service. The Harding, Grant and Hayes properties, on the other hand, are owned by the state and operated by nonproft organizations. Still, the Republican National Convention this summer may be just the impetus needed to encourage additional coordination. In the past year, representatives from the various sites have met several times to talk about joint marketing and other efforts. Todd Arrington, manager of the Garfield site, is expecting a busy year at the Mentor property - both because the National Park Service is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and because of the RNC, 25 miles away in Cleveland. The RNC is being held more than a month earlier than usual this year - four years ago, the convention in Tampa ran Aug. 27-30 - which JoAnn Davidson hopes will encourage attendees to spend a few extra days in Ohio and make it a vacation. She has the perfect itinerary for them. "Where else besides Virginia can you cover this many presidents in a couple of days?" asked Sherry Hall, site manager of the Harding Home in Marion. She said she frequently speaks with visitors who are on their own, self-guided tours of Ohio presidential hometowns. They're almost always amazed by the experience. These visitors already know all about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, she said. What they don't know much about: the lives and legacies of Harding and Garfield and Hayes. "Ohio presidents aren't the most well known when you compare them to the Big Guys, as I call them," said Hall. "But they each have awesome stories to tell. I think people enjoy discovering those stories. It's something brand new." See also: Meet Ohio's 8 presidents, and the places they called home Coming later this week: Cleveland lawyer pushes plan for Ohio Presidential Center Ohio's presidential drought: What caused it and what can end it Take a tour of Rutherford B. Hayes' elegant, Victorian-era estate And Monday, Presidents Day, take our Ohio Presidents Quiz. Every year on January first, the moment I wake up I head to the window to see what my first bird of the New Year will be. My hope is us... China has confirmed its first imported case of the deadly Zika virus, state media agency Xinhua reported in the early hours of Wednesday. Citing the Naitonal Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), Xinhua said the patient was a 34-year-old man from Ganxian county in Jiangxi province and who had recently traveled to Venezuela. The man developed symptoms on Jan. 28, before travelling through Hong Kong and Shenzhen to his hometown on February 5. The man had been quarantined and treated in a Ganxian hospital since Feb. 6 and was recovering, with a normal temperature and a fading rash, the media outlet reported. The NHFPC said the risk of the virus spreading as a result of the case was "extremely low due to low temperature," Xinhua reported. Zika, for which there is currently no vaccine, has been reported in 33 countries, mostly in the Americas. Investors now worry about companies that used to be a lot larger, like Chesapeake Energy , which was right in the blast zone of the recent sell-off. Initially when oil began to sell off, there was a host of small companies that went belly up. "The longer crude keeps collapsing, the more stress there really is in the system, and the worse the fundamentals get for the financials that lent these oil companies money. That is why we are so glued to every tick up or down in the price of oil," the " Mad Money " host said. As soon as oil rebounded on Tuesday, stocks managed rally out of the deep hole they were in earlier in the trading day. And while Jim Cramer has been adamant about lower oil prices being good for the stock market, there is one giant dark underbelly that he thinks needs to be addressed. If we can get enough Chesapeakes to stop drilling, oil will indeed find a bottom. Chesapeake was once among the largest natural gas producers in the world. It was founded by Aubrey McClendon. The company borrowed large sums of money and bought key properties in the shale regions. It made some of the most monumental acquisitions with so much debt, Cramer thinks it may have contributed to McClendon's ultimate removal as CEO. McClendon had the foresight to see that natural gas wasn't going to grow much, so he moved aggressively into oil. When he left in 2013, Chesapeake's market capitalization was $18 billion. It now stands at $1.2 billion. Read more from Mad Money with Jim Cramer Cramer Remix: Stocks to buy amid the bloodbath Cramer: We're nowhere close to stocks bottoming Cramer: Fed could spark a long awaited rally More importantly, the company racked up a ton of debt during McClendon's acquisition spree, as much as $16 billion. This is a big problem, as cash flow has become hard to come by with oil prices so low, and it has $500 million in debt that will come due next month. While Chesapeake has hired advisors to figure out what to do, Cramer stressed the importance of repercussions that could be felt from the company's actions. "The chief thing you need to know is that this $1.95 stock has become incredibly significant to this market," Cramer said. (Tweet This) Not only does Chesapeake owe a ton of money to people, companies and banks, but it could signal something about the rest of large energy companies. If Chesapeake is having a problem, than many other companies that share the same lack of financial discipline. Additionally, Cramer does not think the market is ready for these large companies to default. Much of the debt is held in high-yield bond funds. "If you haven't heard me before I am telling you that these must be sold. I mean MUST. This is no place to be reaching for yield," Cramer said. (Tweet This) So, while most energy companies weren't as reckless as Chesapeake when they built their portfolios, Cramer used Chesapeake as an example to illustrate the damage that could be felt to the market especially the banks and master limited partnerships. Cramer does think there are more Chesapeakes out there, and they will be revealed in time. "If we can get enough Chesapeakes to stop drilling, oil will indeed find a bottom," Cramer said. In the meantime, he said to expect more pain to continue in the stock market every time oil falls. watch now As soon as oil rebounded on Tuesday, stocks managed rally out of the deep hole they were in earlier in the trading day. And while Jim Cramer has been adamant about lower oil prices being good for the stock market, there is one giant dark underbelly that he thinks needs to be addressed. "The longer crude keeps collapsing, the more stress there really is in the system, and the worse the fundamentals get for the financials that lent these oil companies money. That is why we are so glued to every tick up or down in the price of oil," the "Mad Money" host said. Initially when oil began to sell off, there was a host of small companies that went belly up. That is no longer the case. Investors now worry about companies that used to be a lot larger, like Chesapeake Energy , which was right in the blast zone of the recent sell-off. Additionally, Cramer does not think the market is ready for these large companies to default. Much of the debt is held in high-yield bond funds. "If you haven't heard me before I am telling you that these must be sold. I mean MUST. This is no place to be reaching for yield," Cramer said. (Tweet This) Read More Cramer: A $2 stock controls this entire market A worker on a Chesapeake Energy natural gas rig in Fort Worth, Texas Matt Nager | Bloomberg | Getty Images Cramer likes to look at the market from all perspectives. That means listening to the fears of investors and interpreting what drastic valuations could mean for the future of stocks not just what the charts like the VIX are indicating. "Take, for example, some of the extreme valuations of the market. And when I say extreme, I am talking about genuinely out of control valuations," the "Mad Money" host said. Cramer found some major disparities in the valuations of several stocks that were very intriguing and could be signaling a recession. Thus, Cramer thinks the combination of positive currency swings, commodity costs and good yields make the consumer packaged goods group as attractive as the airlines and autos are unattractive. "Both groups of stocks are forecasting a recession with less travel, less spending money and tighter credit. In other words, they are simply saying the same thing, but in very different ways," Cramer said. Read More Cramer: Extreme valuations point to a recession Another group that intrigued Cramer was the agriculture space. Though there has been weakness in many crop prices, Cramer found something odd happening in the stock market. AGCO is the world's No. 3 largest maker and distributor of agricultural equipment, such as tractors and combines. It reported a week ago, and even though the quarter was viewed widely as a disappointment, the stock began to work its way higher in the past few days. In fact, AGCO's stock is actually up year-to-date, dramatically outperforming the S&P 500. To find out what is going on in the world of agriculture, Cramer spoke with AGCO's chairman and CEO, Martin Richenhagen. "Our point of view today is that Europe might be down slightly but of course much better than America or South America," Richenhagen said. Black swans, it turns out, are not that rare a bird, after all. In Australia and New Zealand, there are hundreds of thousands of them. Imported by private collectors, black swans have also spread to the wild in the United Kingdom and are bullying their white (also called "mute") swan cousins for territory. In the investment context, "black swan events" may also be less rare than formerly thought. The concept, popularized by New York University professor and former derivatives trader Nicholas Nassim Taleb, is intended to describe unexpected events that have very big consequences. They don't have to be negative, but they do have a profound effect on the economies and markets they disrupt. Mayo5 | E+ | Getty Images Usually, black swans in financial markets are meant to refer to big, bad panics characterized by massive waves of selling. Asset prices formerly thought to be uncorrelated fall en masse, and liquidity evaporates. In other words, something like 2008. "These are extreme events characterized by massive outflows from all risky assets, creating a systemic financial crisis," said Roger Aliaga-Diaz, a senior economist with Vanguard's investment strategy group. "All risk assets tend to perform poorly, and there's a general flight to quality by investors." With a bona fide black swan in our recent past, it's a fair question to ask whether others could be lurking in the weeds. Is the increase in volatility this year a prelude to a bigger fall in the markets? What might trigger a more severe loss of confidence, and how if at all can investors protect themselves from such a scenario? Answers are hard to come by. Black swans, by definition, are hard to predict and typically cause a major shift in the prevailing perceptions of investors. Neither market analysts nor media outlets are likely to be reliable guides for when and where potential black swans might emerge again. "Black swan events are things you don't imagine as you're going into them, but they seem logical in hindsight," said Wesley Phoa, a fixed-income portfolio manager at Capital Group, manager of American Funds. "Our job is to try to imagine what those things might be and to come up with game plans to deal with them." A shortlist of potential events that Phoa thinks could cause major volatility in financial markets include the following: A major devaluation of the Chinese yuan (likely sparking a wave of other currency devaluations). The imposition of more draconian capital controls by Chinese policymakers. The default of Petrobras, the giant energy company majority owned by the Brazilian government. The U.K.'s votes to leave the European Union sometime this year or next. A war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Any and all of these events could seriously affect investor sentiment across global markets and reduce their appetite for risk. Other political or economic developments could wreak similar havoc. watch now Whether they provoke a wholesale repricing of risk by the markets, however, depends as much on the environment as the event itself. "You have to think about not just what can go wrong but what kind of contagion it might cause across markets," said Phoa. Leverage is almost always a key factor exacerbating panic in financial markets. As asset prices fall, leverage magnifies the losses and force institutions and investors to sell other assets in their portfolios. The cascading effect can drive down the prices of even high-quality assets that would normally be considered safe havens for investors. The situation gets much worse when the leverage is poorly disclosed or hidden. The growth of the "shadow banking" system in the early 2000s is arguably the biggest reason for the failure of the banking industry in the financial crisis. Trillions of dollars in loans were extended by banks in "off-balance sheet" transactions that were never disclosed in their public filings. The financial system in developed markets today is far more stable than it was prior to the crisis. The Dodd Frank Act may have deserved the criticism about regulatory overreach, but it has helped put the banking system on more solid footing. The reserves of banks in the U.S. and euro zone are significantly higher, and leverage is significantly lower. "We've paid for it in terms of economic growth and flexibility, but systemic risk in the financial system has gone down a lot from pre-crisis levels," said Phoa. It hasn't disappeared, however. The two areas most commonly cited as potential breeding grounds for the next black swan event are China and the uncertain outcomes of the ultraloose monetary policies in developed world markets. The slowdown of the Chinese economy has been a source of concern for global investors for years. The emerging markets, with China as the linchpin, account for more than 50 percent of global domestic product now, and if the Chinese economy is slowing more dramatically than anticipated, the global economy will suffer. Of late, however, the problem isn't just that the economy is slowing and likely at a much faster pace than official stats suggest but that Chinese policymakers are stumbling in their management of it. The erratic behavior of government policymakers still learning to live with the often-erratic behavior of free markets has shaken the confidence of investors in China's commitment to reform its markets and economy. The government remains obsessed with setting and meeting growth targets and maintaining controlled currency-exchange levels. While it still has enormous foreign-exchange reserves, the Chinese government will be hard-pressed if capital outflows $500 billion last year accelerate further. "Chinese policymakers are juggling a lot of balls now," said Vanguard's Aliaga-Diaz. "The quality of their policy and the communication of it to the markets is not the same as here." The contagion that accompanies a black swan event is often a result of a major misread of a widely accepted belief. The more we believe in the illusion of control, the more vulnerable we are to losing it in catastrophic fashion. If the central planners in China continue to try and control their economy and resist market reforms, things could get very messy. The issue of control also arises when it comes to the monetary policies of developed markets. In December the U.S. Federal Reserve ended its zero rate policy of the last seven years, but the real rate of return for risk-free assets has been negative since the financial crisis. When prices come down and spreads widen out, it fosters an environment for investors to do better, not worse. Jay Leopold head of U.S. investment risk at Columbia Threadneedle Investments While few economists would argue with the Fed's ultra-accommodative policy when the financial system was on the verge of collapse, the return to a more "normal" monetary policy is now fraught with uncertainty. There is also the Fed's multitrillion-dollar securities portfolio amassed in the QE programs that sits like a giant blob astride the market. What happens if and when the Fed decides to stop reinvesting the funds from maturing bonds back into the market? "We have no data points to suggest what could happen," said Jay Leopold, head of U.S. investment risk at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. "This has been unprecedented monetary policy." He added, "It's a classic example of an environment that's difficult to model. We're in uncharted territory." watch now watch now watch now Businessman Donald Trump and Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders swept to convincing victories in the New Hampshire primaries on Tuesday night, according to NBC News. Voters in the state took to the polls on Tuesday for the first primary in the 2016 presidential race an important contest that could winnow the GOP race before the next showdown in South Carolina. Trump and Sanders, two self-styled outsider candidates running larger-than-life campaigns, were polling for weeks as the likely winners in New Hampshire despite the fact that many wouldn't have originally anticipated their sustained momentum. And so, most expected to watch Tuesday night for which GOP hopeful could secure a second-place finish in the Granite State. Ohio Gov. John Kasich is projected to finish second, NBC said just after 11 p.m. ET. The runner-up position represented an important victory for Kasich, who has been embroiled in a multi-polar fight for support from the Republican establishment: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio were also vying for a second-place finish in New Hampshire. A sign is seen at a polling place at First Baptist Church in Nashua, New Hampshire February 9, 2016. Eric Thayer | Reuters Trump is the national front-runner for the GOP election, according to every major poll, leading Cruz and Rubio who are averaging second and third place, respectively. But while some polls show the race in single-digits contention nationally, Trump has long held a more comfortable lead in New Hampshire surveys. On Tuesday night, the real estate developer delivered a rousing victory lap, hitting on the major themes of his campaign. "We are going to start winning again, and we are going to win so much, you are going to be so happy, we are going to make America so great again maybe greater than ever before," Trump said at the conclusion of his speech. "We are going now to South Carolina, we're going to win in South Carolina." And while Trump rides a national wave of populism, candidates like former Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kasich have been hoping to emerge as the standard-bearer for the party establishment. Rubio had seemed best positioned to consolidate establishment support, but apparent stumbles in Saturday's debate may have hurt his momentum. Facing a worse result than his campaign had hoped for, Rubio said Tuesday night that blame for the evening's disappointment rested on his shoulders. "I did not do well on Saturday night, so listen to this: That will never happen again," he said. Prophetically, Google tweeted before the last polls closed that Kasich was the top-searched GOP candidate in New Hampshire on Tuesday. Just last week, the governor said if he got "smoked" in New Hampshire he would go home to Ohio, so the strong primary finish will likely reinvigorate his campaign. Still, Kasich faces an uphill battle: He has polled near the bottom among GOP contenders in South Carolina. watch now And on the Democratic side, Sanders had been expected to defeat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton he led the former New York senator by a sizable margin in most recent statewide polls. Still, Clinton's campaign had been pushing for a last-minute surge, ramping up its attacks on Sanders in recent days. Sanders, however, appeared to win a comfortable majority in the Democratic primary, and the senator pitched himself as the strongest general election candidate in his victory speech. "We won because we harnessed the energy and the excitement that the Democratic Party will need to succeed in November," he said. "What happened here in New Hampshire in terms of an enthusiastic and aroused electorate, people who came out in large numbers, that is what will happen all over this country." Acknowledging that his campaign's momentum puts a target on his back, Sanders said "they're throwing everything at me except the kitchen sink and I have the feeling that kitchen sink is coming pretty soon as well." An NBC News exit poll of New Hampshire democratic race voters found considerable variation in the kinds of voters who came out for Sanders: That poll found 85 percent under 30 years old, 72 percent of independents, 68 percent of gun owners, and 65 percent of those identifying as very liberal came out for the Vermont senator. watch now "Star Wars" drove strong results for Walt Disney , but some "Fast Money" traders would still hesitate to buy the media giant's shares. Disney posted earnings and revenue Tuesday that handily beat analysts' expectations, driven by strong growth in its film unit. But its shares fell in after-hours trading, partly on a decline in operating income for cable networks. Disney shares fell in after-hours trading. Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger attends the World Premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the Dolby, El Capitan, and TCL Theatres on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Getty Images Some traders echoed investors in expressing concerns about the cable business. Trader Brian Kelly said that he would avoid the stock until momentum picks up in Disney's cable segment, particularly ESPN. Analysts have expressed concerns about so-called "cord-cutting" amid a consumer shift away from cable and toward streaming. Trader Tim Seymour, though, contended that Disney has a strong chance to "survive and innovate" even in that environment. Disney CEO Bob Iger addressed those concerns in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, saying the company would "thrive in a new media world." watch now Philippe Dauman is in the hot seat. Not only is Viacom 's CEO and newly appointed chairman under fire for the media company's recent poor performance, but an activist investor is raising questions about his outsized pay, which consistently places him among the highest-paid chief executives in the country. The headline numbers, however, do not always tell the whole story. In fact, a deeper dive into SEC filings shows the amount of money Dauman has earned at the helm of the media giant is much higher than some reports suggest. Philippe Dauman, Viacom Getty Images SEC filings show that during Viacom's 2011 to 2015 fiscal years, Dauman actually received $425 million, or an average of $85 million a year, in salary, cash bonuses, gains from exercised options and from vested stock grants. That number excludes options that have not been exercised, stock grants that have not vested, perquisites and the change in the value of his pension. During the same time period, from Oct. 1, 2010, to Sept. 30, 2015, Viacom's Class B shares were down 15 percent. "This is a real money look. That is money that was actually banked," said Brian Foley, a compensation consultant and CEO of Brian Foley & Co. Executive pay can be a tricky thing to nail down. The number companies typically point to when discussing it is the total number highlighted in the summary compensation table of a company's proxy. Using this, it would suggest Dauman earned $37.1 million in fiscal 2015 the number being the sum of his salary, option awards, stock grants, cash bonus, change in pension and perquisites. But looked at another way, which includes the $37.1 million plus an unvested stock award of $17 million linked to his contract renewal, that number rises to $54.1 million. There is also a third way of calculating Dauman's pay for fiscal 2015. Using that method, he took home $112 million roughly three times the total number in the summary compensation table. The $112 million is calculated by combining his $4 million in salary, $14 million in a cash bonus, $64.6 million worth of gains from exercised options and $29.5 million from realized stock grants. When looking at the summary compensation table numbers, Foley said much of what you see is grant value of equities on a specific day. But they are unlikely to be worth that amount on the day they vest, or the day the executive can actually sell them. That means the executive could pocket less than what is in the table, or more. To find the real number, he said, you need to look the numbers in the proxy detailing the gains realized from exercising options and the value of stock grants when they actually vest. According to SEC filings, from fiscal 2011 to 2015, Dauman's salary and cash bonuses totaled $100.9 million. During those same years the value of vested stock grants totaled $187.4 million, and gains realized from exercised options totaled $136.8 million. That brings what many would see as his take-home pay to $425.1 million. watch now So millennials are not so shallow after all. Their support for Sanders proves that they're attracted to the common economic messages and themes from the Sanders campaign today and the Obama campaign of 2008. And the large dose of apparent idealism that goes along with the Sanders campaign is also a big draw despite the fact that the experts wrote off youthful idealism as something that died in the early 1970s. But this is where the apology to the millennials ends and the warnings begin. Younger voters may not be shallow but the ones supporting Sanders are still following the wrong path about the economy. Many of them are also misconstruing the politics of resentment and blame and seeing it as idealism. You don't have to listen to too many of Sanders' speeches to glean the central theme that can be summarized by the phrase: "it's someone else's fault!" Can't get a good paying job? It's Wall Street's fault. Can't afford your medications? It's the big pharmaceutical company's fault. Can't afford your college tuition? It's the government's fault for not making it free. The list goes on. It may sometimes sound like idealism, especially when Sanders dresses up phrases like "income inequality" to sound as profound as helping the truly poor. But it's not. It's simply anger born out of fear. And this fear and tendency to blame others for their challenges is something a great deal of millennials have learned from their parents. For example, when I point out that today's young people are still better off than just about every generation before them it's not the young people themselves who disagree with me the most. It's their parents. And while these parents often swear up and down that their college grad children have no choice but to move back in with them because of economic realities that have nothing to do with coddling, I can usually end the conversation simply by asking: "OK, but are you still doing their laundry?" You don't have to be the wisest parent to know that if we tell children and young adults that their failures are generally someone else's fault, and we're always going to be there to do their laundry, we're going to raise a generation of failures. watch now watch now watch now watch now watch now watch now watch now watch now It's been a rocky few weeks for European banks, which have lost nearly one-quarter of their stock market value since the start of the year. Investors are worried about lenders' high debt piles and exposure to the struggling energy sector and to China, amid global market turmoil. The financial and economic crisis that rocked Europe from 2008 is still fresh in people's minds. Then banks got into serious trouble by overloading their balance sheets with risky private and government debt. As a result, once the economy hit recession, they found it difficult to raise funds and, in some cases, fill their cash machines. As a result of the crisis, European authorities have strived since then to improve how lenders are supervised and, should they fail, how they are either wound down or rescued. However, some of the plans are yet to be instituted, and there is fierce debate about how much power member countries should hand over to authorities in Brussels and whether supervision will hamper banks' profitability. CNBC takes a look at what measures the euro zone has in place to stop banking systems in its 19 member countries going to the wall. Resolving failing banks The Single Resolution Mechanism was established after the euro zone's debt and bank crisis with the aim that in the future, failing banks would be resolved (liquidated in an orderly way) at the lowest cost and impact to tax payers. All euro zone countries are required to participate but it is unknown whether it will be successful as it only became fully operation in January this year. Under the plan, bank resolution could include participation by unsecured depositors or junior creditors. There will also be a bailout fund that will be built up over eight years through contributions from the banking industry. Enhanced supervision The Single Supervisory Mechanism means the European Central Bank is now responsible for approximately 6,000 banks across the euro zone. The aim is to ensure that banks comply with Europe-wide banking rules and tackle problems early on. The central bank directly supervises the 129 largest banks those like Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas and ING that are viewed as linchpins to the entire euro zone financial system and allows national supervisors to monitor smaller banks. The central bank cooperates with the European Banking Authority (EBA) in conducting "stress tests" on systemically important banks -- including those in European Union countries that do not use the euro. Stocknshares | Getty Images This year's test is expected to launch at the end of February and will assess banks' ability to meet required capital ratios in the event of an economic shock. It will include 53 banks in the European Union, amounting to around 70 percent of the area's banking sector. The EBA's last stress test took place in 2014 and was criticized by some for being insufficiently tough. Around 25 banks out of 123 failed, including the National Bank of Greece, Belgium's Dexia and Banco Popolare in Italy. Insurance scheme European officials plan to introduce further measures to protect bank depositors. In November, a pan-euro zone scheme similar to that of the U.S.'s Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was proposed, with the aim of safeguarding bank deposits of up to 100,000 euros ($112,502). However, Germany has opposed the introduction of the scheme, saying it does not want its depositors to be liable for bank payouts in other countries until financial risks have been minimized across the area. There are also fears that such a fund would encourage banks to feel they can take greater risks than they would if there was no such safety net in place. "One wonders whether compromising the integrity of more robust banking systems by linking them together with weaker ones is the right way to go such pooling of insurance like any mutualisation of risks creates a moral hazard problem," Diego Zuluaga, a research fellow at the U.K.'s Institute of Economic Affairs, said in a blog post after the scheme was announced. If and when the scheme comes to fruition, the scheme will be obligatory for euro zone countries and optional for countries like the U.K. that do not use the euro but are part of the European Union. watch now After losing a quarter of their market value since the start of the year, European banks are looking badly bruised and trying hard to reassure investors that there is nothing to fear. Shares have sold off as falling oil prices and slowing growth in China conspired to make the start of 2016 the worst on record on Wall Street. Europe has not been spared, with banking stocks down almost 25 percent year-to-date as concerns over provisions for bad debts and the banks' exposure to the energy sector loans grows. Deutsche Bank shares have come under severe pressure; the stock is down over 30 percent year-to-date. The group's co-CEO said in a memo to staff on Tuesday that the bank remained "absolutely rock-solid" given its strong capital and risk position. But the comments only served to undermine investors' confidence further, with the stock tumbling once again. On Monday it had already tried to restore calm by saying it had "sufficient" reserves to service its so-called tier 1 debts, or its most junior bonds. There was some respite on Wednesday. Shares soared 15 percent following a Financial Times report which said the bank was considering buying back several billion euros of its debt. Analysts caution against doomsday scenarios, arguing banks are in much better shape than in 2008 when the financial crisis unfolded. watch now "This is not the financial crisis all over again. Banks are in a much better position and a much stronger position from a balance sheet perspective than they were a few years ago," Alex Dryden, global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management told CNBC. "I don't think the valuations that are being touted at the moment are accurate of what we're seeing on the ground." Credit Suisse has also witnessed heavy selling while its chief executive, Tidjane Thiam, argued in an interview with CNBC that the "world would have to come to an end" before investing in banks proved risky. The additional capital that banks had raised and new regulation meant that banks were in very different shape he argued. Meanwhile Italian banks have come under scrutiny after European Central Bank requested further information on their still-large portfolios of non-performing loans. After days of heavy selling, Italian banks rebounded sharply on Wednesday with gains of over 10 percent. Not everyone is convinced, however. Marcus Ashworth, chief markets strategist at Haitong Securities, said last week that investors should be "petrified" of the banking sector. "The reality is the regulators have made this a nightmare for the banks to navigate and at the same time the on-going litigation costs are just incalculable," he told CNBC. Weak earnings have not helped some of these high-profile banks, but analysts at Nomura point out that "at the halfway point for European banks' fourth-quarter results, almost as many banks have missed consensus expectations as beaten". It's still a long road to the Republican presidential convention this summer in Cleveland. But billionaire businessman Donald Trump could turn his early momentum into the GOP nomination, if none of his rivals can break out of his shadow and offer a viable alternative, said former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, a day after Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. After being edged out by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in the Iowa caucuses, Trump got his first win in New Hampshire, with 35.3 percent of the vote, more than doubling the 15.8 percent tally of Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who jumped into a second. Cruz finished New Hampshire at 11.7 percent, in a virtual tie with former Florida Gov. at 11.1 percent. "As long all those folks stay bunched together, Trump is going to ride this pony all the way Ohio and the convention, and there will be very little folks can do to stop him," Steele told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday. Read MoreNew Hampshire's 'primal scream' will have consequences Sen. Marco Rubio, who failed to turn his strong third place Iowa finish into New Hampshire success, came in fifth place with 10.5 percent, followed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 7.4 percent, who went home to take what he called a "deep breath." "[Christie] set up the reset in this race by taking down Marco Rubio, by exposing Marco Rubio in such a way that put Marco in fifth," Steele argued, referring to how Christie called out Rubio in Saturday's debate for being too scripted. Many GOP pundits, Steele included, were questioning whether Christie would drop out of the race. "Trump is ahead. There's no question about that," said Kay Bailey Hutchison, a former Republican senator from Texas in a separate "Squawk Box" interview. "[But] I think as other candidates go away and there is a smaller group on the other side you are going to see a much closer race." With New Hampshire and Iowa in the rearview mirror, the candidates left standing look next to the nominating contests in Nevada and South Carolina later this month and Super Tuesday on March 1. "We're not going to see a true trend until March 1st," said Hutchison, who feels Bush still has a chance. Steele agrees. "Bush has a good ground game in South Carolina. If posts well a third place, even a second place finish behind Trump then it's a whole other reset." Read MoreTrump, Sanders sweep to victory in New Hampshire J.C. Watts, a former Republican congressman from Oklahoma, said on "Squawk Box" Wednesday that Bush may have more staying power than Kasich because the former Florida governor has more resources to deploy in upcoming nominating states. As for Trump, Watts said, "Donald Trump, I think, probably finds it a little more difficult in a place like South Carolina, where Jeb and Kasich and Cruz and Rubio would find it a little more comforting." The RealClear Politics polling aggregator showed that Trump had big lead in South Carolina, with 36 percent support, followed by Cruz at 19.7 percent, Rubio at 12.7 percent, and Bush at 10 percent. While Kasich had only 2 percent support, it's worth noting the polling data were from late January, before Iowa and New Hampshire. Google's self-driving car project has received a boost after a key U.S. regulator said the computer controlling the vehicle should be legally defined as a "driver" rather than the human. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration laid out its thoughts about the definition of a driver in a letter to Alphabet -owned Google this week. "NHTSA will interpret 'driver' in the context of Google's described motor vehicle design as referring to the SDS (self-driving system), and not to any of the vehicle occupants," the agency said. "We agree with Google its SDV (self-driving vehicle) will not have a 'driver' in the traditional sense that vehicles have had drivers during the last more than one hundred years." "If no human occupant of the vehicle can actually drive the vehicle, it is more reasonable to identify the 'driver' as whatever (as opposed to whoever) is doing the driving. In this instance, an item of motor vehicle equipment, the SDS, is actually driving the vehicle." The ruling is significant for Google because it makes as its self-driving vehicles, which have no steering wheel, one step closer to being roadworthy on a mass scale. NHTSA's ruling now means the car could pass the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards test. Police clash with protesters at Mong kok on February 9, 2016 in Hong Kong. Anthony Kwan | Getty Images Joshua Wong, prominent student activist from Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement, blames the deteriorated relationship between police and the people of Hong Kong for the Mong Kok riots on Monday. "Those relations have reached a critical point of hostility and Hong Kong demonstrators are using violence to challenge the police's violence and fight against the rule of law," said Joshua Wong, in a self-authored TwReporter.org article. A ballooning crowd began protesting government officials' clearing of illegal street vendors -- many of whom were selling local food -- at a central intersection on Monday night, which was also the first day of the Lunar New Year. The riot police were also deployed to the area. Tensions quickly escalated into a violent clash between protestors and the police in Tuesday's early hours. Protesters threw large objects and bricks pried from the sidewalks at the police, who had initially fired warning shots and then used pepper spray and batons on protestors. The Mong Kok riots were reportedly the most violent clashes in Hong Kong since November 2014 and have been trending on social media as the #FishballRevolution. The riots are the culmination of "two years of heated dissatisfaction and public distrust of the government," said Wong in the TwReporter.com article. He pointed to the disappearance of the Causeway Bay Books staff and a 2014 incident in which seven policemen who had attacked a protestor for nearly four minutes as reasons behind the Hong Kong public's dissent. Demonstrators are "using force to defend the social values they believe in," said Wong. Wong said while he empathized with demonstrators, he does not condone the use of violence, preferring a "non-violent struggle for Hong Kong people's rights." The 19-year old student activist also warned of Hong Kong citizens' growing defiance, which "will not disappear just like that." He added that there is a snowball effect for "ignoring the violent crimes of the police who have reached unacceptable levels of brutality." Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung addressed the protectorate in a television-aired statement on Tuesday, condemning demonstrators and voicing his support for the police force. "A few hundred [demonstrators] attacked police officers and the media in Mong Kok. They damaged police cars and public properties, committed acts of arson, threw bricks and odd objects at police officers, including those who had already been injured and lying on the ground," said Leung. "The SAR (Special Administration Region) government strongly condemns such violent acts, the police will apprehend the [demonstrators] and bring them to justice," said Leung, who also voiced his sympathies for injured police officers. Not about Fishballs The police-public clash wasn't just about Hong Kong's street food. The Mong Kok riot follows the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests, which blocked major streets in Hong Kong for months, as pro-democracy activists braved tear gas, pepper gas and police baton charges. The protesters' primary demand was the ability to select candidates for Hong Kong's chief executive post, rather than being forced to choose from a slate pre-determined by Beijing. Other demands have included the resignation of the unpopular current chief executive, CY Leung. The demands weren't met and that protest ended in December 2014 after authorities cleared away barricades and tent cities. Joseph Cheng, founder of Power for Democracy, a pro-democracy political group, said the Mong Kok riot was "an unexpected clash between regulators and illegal hawkers who are usually quite tolerated during the Chinese New Year period." Similarly, the Hong Kong student activist group Scholarism said in a statement released today that the unlicensed street stalls are "cherished and viewed as a precious heritage" of Hong Kong. Media reports indicate that Hong Kong Indigenous, a local rights group, was heavily involved in the Mong Kok protests. Hong Kong Indigenous was founded after the Umbrella Revolution, and its members harbor strong anti-mainland sentiment. watch now HSBC has been sued by the families of U.S. citizens murdered by drug gangs in Mexico, claiming the bank let cartels launder billions of dollars to operate their business. The lawsuit alleges that by participating in the money laundering scheme of the cartels, HSBC knowingly contributed directly to the international drug and trafficking trade, including the "brutal acts" that accompanied it, during the period of 2010 to 2011. The London-based bank, which was already being monitored for its involvement in money laundering schemes, had paid nearly $2 billion in penalties in December 2012 to resolve charges that it failed to stop hundreds of millions of dollars in drug money from flowing through the bank from Mexico, and it promised to fix the problems. Gov. Tom Wolf is defending the stern tone he took with the Republican-controlled General Assembly during his budget address Tuesday, saying he's "just the messenger" of fiscal bad news that's been known for a number of years. "Let's be honest about where we are," the York County Democrat said during a brief telephone interview on Wednesday. "Let's face up to reality and not try to wish it or pray it away. There are two stark contrasts [facing the state]. I'm the messenger. You know what you're not supposed to do to messengers." Wolf was hit with catcalls and boos, mainly by House Republicans, as he delivered his fiscal 2016-17 $33.2 billion spending plan to a joint session of the state House and Senate. Wolf, who has still not secured legislative approval for his first budget, slammed the House GOP for walking away from talks that could have resolved a stand-off that's now dragging past its eighth month. Enraged Republicans complained afterward that he'd fatally undermined future budget talks. But as he did Tuesday, Wolf said his arguments were buttressed by unassailable budget math showing the state headed toward a future of yawning deficits ($2.2 billion in the coming fiscal year); drastic cuts to education and social services, and continued credit downgrades if the Democratic administration and legislative Republicans can't come to terms on what are broadly referred to as "recurring revenues." That's tax increases -- for the folks back home. Wolf has proposed a nearly 11 percent increase to Pennsylvania's personal income tax, taking it from the current 3.07 percent to 3.4 percent. He also wants to expand the base of the state's 6 percent sales tax to include such items as digital downloads and movie tickets; boost the state's cigarette tax and impose a new tax on eCigarettes and other smokeless tobacco products. Republicans may not like that news, he said, but it's "the truth" of what has to be done to balance the state's books, he argued. "In my business career, or at home with my family, I'm used to giving a bad message," he said. "'No, you can't go out tonight. You have to do your homework. Or you have a test tomorrow. Anyone who hears that, whether it's a child or a business associate or a legislator ... it is frustrating to hear that. "The point I hope we call come to, whether you like me or not, the message is the message. It won't change by booing me," he continued. "That time bomb is still ticking. I understand that hard truth was not palatable. But I'm hoping that everybody gets over that and says maybe they don't like the way the message away delivered, but it is the truth." Jennifer Kocher, a spokeswoman for Senate Republicans, said lawmakers are well aware of Wolf's message - they're just hearing a different one. "The people of Pennsylvania cannot afford $3.6 billion in new taxes including a 10 percent increase to their income tax. That is the message from taxpayers that we have been trying to get across to the Governor," she said. "But it's a message to which he has turned a deaf ear - evident by his a retread budget proposal with superficial changes to his sizable tax-and-spend plan with massive tax increases." On Wednesday, Wolf defended his decision to continue to pursue approval of the so-called budget 'framework' he blamed House Republicans for dynamiting late last year. The administration's budget documents say its proposal is premised upon approval of that agreement - even though lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have declared it all but dead. "We agreed to it," he said. "I'm not trying to hold someone to anything that's unreasonable ... that compromise had a lot of things that ... were important to Republicans. I agreed to historic pension and liquor reform. It wasn't anything of us wanted. We all compromised." Wolf needs to move on, Kocher said. "While the Governor keeps harping on the framework, he has demonstrated time and again his inability to lead and provide any support for his ideas from his own party. We will say it again - the framework is dead. It died the day that his own party killed pension reform," she said. Wolf insisted Wednesday that he wasn't necessarily wedded to his proposed tax increase, but he was "just looking for the math to work. "The only two big taxes at the state level are the [income and sales taxes]," he said, adding that last year he agreed that if, "either one came to my desk, the litmus test was that there had to be balance to do things we needed to do in the budget." Ukraine is taking too long to introduce government reforms and fight corruption, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned Wednesday, adding that without new efforts, its financial aid program could end. "I am concerned about Ukraine's slow progress in improving governance and fighting corruption, and reducing the influence of vested interests in policymaking," IMF chief Christine Lagarde said in a statement on Wednesday. A year ago, Ukraine was given a financial lifeline by the IMF worth $17.5 billion with additional aid from the international community making a total aid package worth $40 billion. The financial aid has helped to prevent the country from falling into bankruptcy and political crisis. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images The government in Kiev has so far only received some small tranches of the loan and now getting the remainder is looking shaky after Lagarde said Ukraine, a country now mired by increasing internal political division, was not doing enough to fulfil its bailout conditions. "Without a substantial new effort to invigorate governance reforms and fight corruption, it is hard to see how the IMF-supported program can continue and be successful," she warned. As part of the IMF's aid program, designed to run over four years, Ukraine pledged to overhaul its economy, fight corruption and implement reforms such as privatization and austerity measures -- all of which were designed to restore credibility on the financial markets and growth. The former Soviet republic, which has a continuing conflict with Moscow over its annexation of Crimea and encouragement of pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country, has had problems closer to home with politicians struggling to push through reforms, however. Lagarde said Ukraine's government had to act now to prevent it repeating past mistakes. "Ukraine risks a return to the pattern of failed economic policies that has plagued its recent history. It is vital that Ukraine's leadership acts now to put the country back on a promising path of reform," she added, concluding her statement. That lament came from the 1896 Democratic Convention; the speaker was William Jennings Bryan. The millennial socialists "feeling the Bern" are his rightful heirs. Their preference for the programmatic elements of Sanders' campaign free health care, free tuition, free etc. are the New Deal icing on the cake. Today's youth are the populists of yore. There is indeed nothing new under the sun. In the panicking Clinton camp, Gloria Steinem's shaming and Madeline Albright's scolding said all there is to say: "Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie," and "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other". Hillary's campaign has been identity politics on steroids at least since the first Democratic debate, when moderator Anderson Cooper asked "Secretary Clinton, how would you not be a third term of President Obama?" She replied, "Well, I think that's pretty obvious. I think being the first woman president would be quite a change from the presidents we've had up until this point, including President Obama." Identity is the hallmark of the "new left," the radical elitists who came of age in the 1960s to become the pensioners of the baby boom. Having long ago made their peace with the financial aspects of adulthood, they have rallied for decades behind the banner of identity: race, gender, orientation, ethnicity. But the smashing New Hampshire primary victories of Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders and bombastic Republican billionaire Donald Trump represent a primal scream that by itself will have consequences for the 2016 presidential race. It may not last through springtime. It may disappoint its advocates and fail to produce sweeping changes of any kind. Favorites of the so-called Washington establishment may yet become the major party nominees who face off in November's general election. Their common wellspring is the economy's decades-long failure to deliver the big gains in living standards that Americans became accustomed to in the post-World War II boom times. For a while, America's receding dominance of the global economy was masked by a surge in two-paycheck households as women entered the workforce, by dramatic expansion of both consumer credit and government borrowing, by surging stock values and real estate prices that inflated household wealth. Sanders translates that failure into outrage against Wall Street and the "millionaires and billionaires" who have prospered in the increasingly integrated global economy. That message holds powerful appeal to Democratic liberals, including young voters saddled with large repayment burdens for the borrowing that allowed them to pay for college. "Tonight we serve notice to the political and economic establishment of this country that the American people will not continue to accept a corrupt campaign finance system that is undermining American democracy," the Vermont U.S. senator said in his New Hampshire victory address. "We will not accept a rigged economy in which ordinary Americans work longer hours for lower wages while almost all new income and wealth goes to the top 1 percent." Despite his personal fortune, Trump has voiced similar sentiments. He invokes his own experience as a donor as an example of campaign finance corruption, rips hedge fund managers for dodging taxes, and joins Sanders in blasting the pharmaceutical industry for reaping undeserved profits. The difference in his message, targeted toward the Republican Party's swelling ranks of working-class white voters, is in his identification of external threats to Americans' economic well-being. His strongest emotional appeal lies in the issues of immigration and trade. "We are going to make America great again," he told New Hampshire supporters in his victory speech. "But we're going to do it the old fashioned way. We're going to beat China, Japan. We're going to beat Mexico at trade. watch now watch now watch now Oil cartel OPEC has cut its forecasts for how much its rival producers will produce in in 2016, while the 12-member group continues to ramp up its own production levels. According to the latest monthly report from the group, whose de facto leader is Saudi Arabia, non-OPEC oil supply is forecast to decline by 700,000 barrels a day (b/d) in 2016 -- 40,000 b/d less than the cartel's January report. Jahi Chikwendiu | The Washington Post | Getty Images Non-OPEC producers, such as those in the U.S., have struggled to break even with the lower oil price and have cut costs drastically. OPEC too said that its downward revision to the non-OPEC supply forecast was "mainly due to announced capex cuts by international oil companies, the fall in active drilling rigs in the U.S. and Canada, and a heavy annual decline in older fields." Oil prices remain very low, with a barrel currently fetching around the $30-mark on the back of a glut and lagging demand. OPEC has refused to cut its own output and thereby support prices, however, even as lower prices hurt government budgets in OPEC member countries in the Middle East and beyond. Supply and demand Signaling that the imbalance in supply and demand was not set to be rectified anytime soon, OPEC said on Wednesday that it expected world oil demand to grow by 1.25 mb/d in 2016, "representing a marginal lower adjustment of 10,000 b/d from the previous forecast, to average 94.21 mb/d." That forecast for oil demand follows a similar prediction from the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Tuesday. It too forecast that global oil demand growth would "ease back significantly" in 2016 from the five-year high of 1.6 million barrels a day (mb/d) in 2015 to 1.2 mb/d in 2016. It said demand growth would be "pulled down by notable slowdowns in Europe, China and the U.S." At the same time as the global oil demand forecast was lowered, OPEC forecast that its own supply had increased in January, with crude production up 131,000 barrels a day to average 32.33 mb/d, according to secondary sources, above its official output ceiling of 30 mb/d. Even as low oil prices start to hit home with even Saudi Arabia reporting a record budget deficit in 2015 and spending cuts to cope with lower oil revenues, OPEC has refused to budge on output and has been optimistic on the outlook for global oil demand. U.S. buoys demand In fact, OPEC believes that global demand for oil would still be "broadly robust" in 2016 with countries outside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, including China, India and Brazil, continuing to "contribute the bulk of oil demand growth this year." OPEC reiterated that it was ready to step into the breach to meet that global oil demand. "In 2016, demand for OPEC crude is expected at 31.6 mb/d, a gain of 1.8 mb/d, higher than last year," OPEC noted, adding more detail on where it expected demand to come from. "For 2016, oil demand is anticipated to grow by around 1.3 mb/d, below last year's growth but still broadly robust. Demand in the OECD countries is projected to grow by 0.2 mb/d, with the U.S. leading growth, while Asia-Pacific is seen declining and Europe is expected to be broadly flat compared to the previous year." Rebuffing fears of a slowdown in U.S. growth and how that could put a dampener on oil demand, OPEC said "positive projected growth in the U.S. economy and continued healthy growth in the road transportation sector are seen outweighing downside assumptions for overall U.S. oil demand, mainly linked to fuel substitution and vehicle efficiencies." A small boat load of Republican governors, present and past, from Arkansas, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, etc. will soon announce their candidacy for the GOP nominee for President in 2016. They will join the three Senators, Cruz, Paul and Rubio who have been the first to have thrown their hats into the ring. Already we have heard a number of the governors indirectly putting down the "Junior, First-Term Senators" as lacking executive experience and commenting, "We have seen how that has worked out." This statement infers that if Obama had possibly been a governor instead of a first-term Senator from Illinois, we would find the situation the U.S. is in , both domestically and internationally, to be remarkably different and of course, more positive. Really? If Obama had been a governor and supposedly having executive experience, what difference would it really have made? Would Obama have selected a different set of advisors, mainly those with business experience to deal more effectively with the 2008 financial crisis instead of ivory tower academics he ended up with? Less than 8% of his advisors and cabinet had any "real world" experience, the lowest of any President since the Carter Administration and the lowest in U.S. history? Also, would there still be a Valerie Jarrett calling the shots in the White House? Would Obama's nearly one trillion dollar stimulus program of "shovel ready jobs" that was really a union teacher full employment and union dues kickback plan to Obama been any different with him having executive experience? Would an Obama, with executive experience, focused more on the economy and made jobs a priority in his first term instead of taking over the healthcare industry and 1/6th of the U.S. economy with ObamaCare? Would he have told the truth that "You could not keep your doctor or your plan if you like it" if he had previously been a governor? Would he still have gone around the Congress, claiming they were not in session when in fact they actually were, to appoint union biased members to the NLRB? Would he still have had his lapdog Dirty Harry Reed change the rules of the Senate for the first time in U.S. history in order to pack the DC Circuit Court with Obama cheerleader judges? Would he have taken GM into bankruptcy after claiming that was what Governor Romney would do and ending up structuring a settlement favoring the United Auto Workers at the expense of legitimate shareholders and creditors? Would he have claimed that he would bankrupt anyone stupid enough to build a new coal fired power plant? Would he still have allowed the IRS to harass non-profit conservative organizations to hinder their fund raising efforts prior to the 2012 election? Would he still have increased the debt in 8 years more than the total of all U.S. debt prior to his administration? Would he still have made a number of unconstitutional executive actions such as his granting over 5 million illegal's amnesty? The list of what he might not have done domestically goes on. What about foreign policy? Having had executive experience, would he still have gone on an apology tour, starting in Cairo and blaming the U.S. for the world's problems? Would he have actually negotiated a Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq instead of withdrawing all troops to fulfill a campaign promise and allowing ISIS and Iran to take over the county? Would he been able to say, "Islamic terrorists"? Would he still have allowed Putin to take over the Crimea and Eastern Ukraine? Would he still have drawn a non-existent red line for Syria to cross? Would he still have thrown Israel under the bus in favor of Iran? Would he still have released five high-ranking Gitmo terrorists for the return of one known U.S. Army deserter? Once again, we could continue to describe other failures such as Libya and Benghazi, Yemen, a dumb nuclear deal with Iran, etc. where even with his having executive experience we would still find our situation where our friends no longer trust us and our enemies no longer fear us. Essentially then, the GOP governors' argument that the current Republican Senator Candidates lack executive experience and would probably repeat Obama's failures if elected do not hold water. In fact, Obama was not a failure in his effort to change/destroy the United States as we know it. Rush Limbaugh remarked in 2008 that he, "Hoped Obama would fail." He now admits Obama has been unfortunately successful in implementing his radical plans and it was his policies, not his lack of executive experience that created the present disastrous situation we find the country in. Therefore, it is important for these Senators to explain their policies if elected and not dwell on the executive experience diversion of the governors. On second thought, had Obama been governor of Illinois it is highly likely he would have ended up in prison with the previous Illinois governors and not in the White House. The head of Russian state-run oil company Rosneft on Wednesday floated the idea of a coordinated output cut by major oil-producing countries to prop up sagging prices but fell short of saying whether Moscow would contribute to such a plan. Rosneft Chief Executive Igor Sechin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, told the IP Week conference in London that the global oil glut was predominantly the fault of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, listens to Igor Sechin, CEO of Rosneft. Sasha Mordovets | Getty Images Sechin suggested major oil producers cut production by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) to reduce oversupply, which he estimated at 1.5 million bpd. "A coordinated supply cut by major exporters by around 1 million barrels per day would sharply reduce uncertainty and would move the market towards reasonable pricing levels," he said. Oil prices have slumped more than 70 percent to near $30 a barrel over the past 18 months as supply exceeded demand after OPEC, seeking to drive higher-cost producers out of the market, decided not to cut production. Sechin has in the past criticised OPEC's strategy, saying the group, of which Russia is not a member, had "lost its teeth". He has also said Moscow would never cooperate with OPEC as Russia's oil industry could withstand any price rout thanks to cheap labour and a weak local currency. On Wednesday, Sechin gave similar messages but chose his words more carefully, rarely mentioning OPEC and blaming only "some producers" for creating the glut. Oil markets have risen in recent weeks on hopes of a deal between OPEC and non-OPEC producers after a number of Russian officials suggested dialogue should begin. But Putin has not spoken yet on the subject. Wednesday's speech by Sechin was also his first statement on the subject in recent weeks. Who will cut? Sechin declined to say whether Russia would participate in any coordinated cut, when quizzed by reporters after the speech. "Who are we supposed to be talking to about cuts? Will Saudi Arabia or Iran cut production?" Sechin asked. Struggling oil-producing countries have urged OPEC leader Saudi Arabia in recent weeks to call a special meeting to discuss output cuts. Riyadh has indicated it would be willing to consider a cut only if all major producers agreed to one, while Iraq and Iran have said they intend to boost their output this year. Sechin said he expected Iran to ramp up oil production to between 5 million and 6 million bpd by 2025 from 3 million now as the country opens up after the lifting of sanctions. Energy Futures Sechin also said U.S. shale production, another key driver behind the global glut, would decline in the long term. "Shale oil production has its limitations in scope and time ... U.S. shale oil production will reach its peak in 2020," he said. Sechin said however that onshore U.S. producers had proven more resilient to the oil price downturn. "Shale oil markets reacted very quickly to the price shock as productivity rose dramatically, costs of production dropped and fracking became more efficient," Sechin said. Party leaders have repeatedly looked at reforming the process, but always blanch at the threats brought down by Iowa and New Hampshire. What the party leaders have done instead is punish states that try to leapfrog to the head of the primary and caucus calendar. In 2008, Florida and Michigan both lost their Democratic state delegations when they moved their votes before March 6. That one decision may have had a decisive effect on the Obama-Clinton primary fight. In 2012, only Florida tried this approach, and lost half their delegates. There are some easy possible reforms, including rotating the lead-off states and creating regional primaries. All have been discussed, but neither party is really able to stand-up to Iowa and New Hampshire. What is particularly odd about the hammerlock on the process is the fact that New Hampshire and Iowa don't even have a real historic claim Florida was actually the first state to adopt the presidential primary idea, back in 1904. New Hampshire did not hold one until 1916, and did not even have a contested one till 1952. And Iowa did not hold a seriously contested caucus until 1972. Most of the criticisms of the two lead-off states focus on the fact that they "don't look like America." They are older, whiter, more rural and more homogeneous than the states that in the end decided who will be president. But that's not really their big problem. The real issue is that they so often fail at providing a good launch pad for a winning candidate. Instead of cowering in the face of threats from those two states, the national parties should look for a reset on the process and take on the top two states. The best answer may be a top-down requirement to rotate the lead-off states, giving others a chance to shine every four years. While not a cure, it would at least start the process of revamping a system that puts too much focus on two specific states. Twitter's trailing 12-month price-to-sales ratio now stands at a laughable 4.7 vs. Facebook at 15.9. The problem for Twitter, however, is that, at about $700 million a quarter in revenue, they are only growing at about 50 percent year-over-year, while Facebook, at $5.8 billion in quarterly revenue for the December quarter, is growing at about 52 percent year-over-year. For high growth, high multiple companies, the slope of revenue growth deceleration is incredibly important, and investors are basically betting that Twitter's is going to drop off a cliff here before the business reaches huge scale. Given its user growth issues, that's not a terrible assumption, and it's scary. Even worse, it seems Twitter has lost the trust and respect of the market. Meaning, it could post a reacceleration in revenue growth when it reports earnings but because the market does not trust management's ability to execute on product or marketing, they'll assume Twitter stuffed the ad channel on its platform in a one time rush to prove investors wrong about its trajectory. Analysts are looking for 13 cents on $712 million in revenue in Twitter's earnings report, according to the Estimize consensus from over 300 hedge fund, brokerage, independent, and amateur analysts, slightly above expectations from Wall Street analysts. And, while the Estimize consensus has been more accurate than Wall Street 89 percent of the time, my expectation is that the company misses both of those numbers, and the last chapter of the Twitter saga is at hand. The stock may even react kindly to this outcome as investors begin to assume an activist hunt and an eventual sale at a premium (what that premium is, who knows). Renowned fund managers who invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the troubled Greek banks are trapped in uncertainty caused by the political developments in Greece and global financial turmoil. A pedestrian passes a graffiti damaged sign at the entrance to a main branch of the National Bank of Greece in Thessaloniki, Greece, on Wednesday, July 1, 2015. Konstantinos Tsakalidis | Bloomberg | Getty Images John Paulson, Prem Watsa, Wilbur L. Ross and other funds, such as Brookfield Capital Partners, Capital Research & Management, Mackenzie Cundill, Schroder Investment Management and Wellington Management are among those who invested more than 10 billion euros ($11.3 billion) of capital in the Greek banking system over the past couple of years. Many of them saw the $6.7 billion worth of investments in Greek banks that they made in February 2014 evaporate just a year later, under the . Although they lost their initial bet on Greek banks, last November they dared to put an additional 4 billion euros ($4.45 billion) worth of funds into the Greek banking system. Until recently, these foreign investors argued their investments in Greek banks were promising, as their stocks traded at a third or less of their tangible book value. They were confident that as the Greek economy would start to grow, bank reserves and earnings would improve pushing up Greek bank stock valuations. The same investors saw great value in the portfolios of nonperforming loans of Greek banks and believed that 20 percent of these bad loans could be recovered. But this bet has been disastrous: three months later they lost 61 percent of their initial investment. Greek bank shares have plunged as uncertainty over yet another stalled bailout review weighs on the country's economic recovery prospects. This development contradicts fund managers' expectations that things could turn around after the harsh pain of bank recapitalization. Alarmed at their loss, the heads of Paulson & Co and Fairfax Financial Holdings met 10 days ago, in late January, with the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to discuss the prospects of the Greek economy. The investors reportedly stressed to the Greek prime minister that the completion of the review of Greeces adjustment program will have a major impact on the economy. Therefore, time is a crucial parameter: The earlier it is completed, the faster the economy will recover. Tsipras assured investors of the government's determination to proceed with the necessary reforms, privatizations and creation of an attractive environment for investments. He also told them the bailout review will be completed by the end of March. The situation changed after the recent visit of the IMF, EU, European Central Bank and European Stability Mechanism executives in Athens, as the progress in reforms appeared to be less than satisfactory. The dramatic plunge in Greek bank shares can be attributed to the uncertainty generated by the never-ending negotiations between Athens and its creditors, public opposition to the Social Security reform, the farmer blockades and the talk of another snap election. All this, combined with the strained external environment, led to an investor exodus. Since the start of 2016, the Athens Stock Exchange has sunk 28 percent. Brokerage sources note that Fairfax, Capital Research, Wilbur Ross, Fidelity, Mackenzie and Brookfield, who recently participated in the capital increases of the Greek banks, did not sell their shares, despite suffering losses of more than 55 percent on their investments. In contrast, KKR, Wellington and Credit Agricole sold their Greek banking stocks en masse over the last two weeks, with damages in relation to the purchase price. These sales, among others, resulted in the precipitation of the Greek stock market. Is it Cyprus all over again? It's one of the biggest frustrations of modern life: reaching for your smartphone to make that crucial call or vital email, only to find its battery is already flat. But one company thinks it has the answer with technology that could mean your phone could last a week on a single charge. British firm Intelligent Energy has been touting the potential of hydrogen fuel cell technology as the answer to your dead smartphones. The company announced on Monday a 5.25 million ($7.6 million) project in which it is working with an "emerging smartphone" maker which it didn't disclose to embed the technology into the manufacture's devices. Intelligent Energy said that hydrogen fuel cells could be embedded into a smartphone while retaining the device's existing technology, giving the handset a one week life on a single charge. But the way hydrogen fuel cells work could pose a problem. They generate electricity from a chemical reaction between hydrogen in oxygen which then creates an electrical current, producing water as a byproduct. Just exactly how this water escapes the phone will be a key challenge to prevent soggy pockets and damaged devices. Also, hydrogen fuel cells cannot be charged up just by plugging it into the wall. Instead, the actual hydrogen within the cell needs to be replaced, another design challenge the manufacturer will have to overcome. A disposable cartridge that can be inserted into the phone could be one way to tackle this. Intelligent Energy and its partner will also need to find a way to reduce the cost of the technology. Hydrogen fuel cells however have been demonstrated in other products. Intelligent Energy showed off a drone earlier this year powered by the technology while carmakers are looking at ways to integrate the power source. But the technology has had some critics, most notably the Tesla boss Elon Musk, who last year called hydrogen fuel cells "extremely silly". "It's just very difficult to make hydrogen and store it and use it in car," Musk said in a press conference in January 2015. "Hydrogen is an energy storage mechanism, it's not a source of energy." Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. The Utica College board of trustees has selected Laura Casamento as the schools 9th president, effective Aug. 1. She currently serves as executive VP and chief advancement officer. Casamento will replace the retiring Todd Hutton. (Photo credit: Utica College Twitter feed) UTICA, N.Y. The woman who currently serves as executive VP and chief advancement officer at Utica College (UC) will be the first female to serve as the schools top executive later this year. The Utica College board of trustees has selected Laura Casamento as the schools 9th president, starting Aug. 1. Casamento will succeed Todd Hutton, who is set to retire as the schools longest-serving president after 18 years, according to a Utica College news release. Eleven months ago, when the board put together this presidential search, we were determined to find a dynamic, future-focused leader who could support and build upon this institutions current trajectory as a leader in an innovative approach to higher education, and, working together with our faculty and administrative team, lead us into a new era. The board strongly believes that weve found such a leader, Mark Pilipczuk, chair of the Utica College board of trustees, said in the release. Casamento has more than 20 years of senior executive experience in the private sector and higher education, the school said. Since arriving at UC in 2004, she has played a major role in increasing the institutions external funding; strengthening its financial position; and making it possible to improve the teaching and learning environment. She also co-led the team that developed the colleges tuition reset strategy. In her current role, Casamento is responsible for three of the schools operational divisions. They include advancement planning and administration, which involves development and campaign planning and management, marketing and communications, alumni and parent relations, government relations, grants, and sponsored research management. She also oversees financial planning, administration, and analysis, including the operational areas of financial affairs (controller and budget, payroll, contract and other auxiliary services). In addition, Casamentos current role also involves oversight of strategic enrollment planning and management, including undergraduate, graduate, international admissions, online and extended campus admissions, and student financial services. Background Prior to joining Utica College, Casamento served as president and COO of Herkimer County Trust, an independently owned, state-chartered bank in Herkimer. She served as president from April 1998 until December 2002, when the bank was sold to the Savings Bank of Utica, which is now part of M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB). Besides her role as an administrator, Casamento is also a student. She is currently pursuing her doctor of education degree in the Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management program at the University of Pennsylvania. She anticipates graduating in May. Casamento also holds an MBA degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com Washington Lawmakers on the House education committee had a not-so-subtle message Wednesday for states and the U.S. Department of Education as they move to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act: Well be watching you. Republicans on the panel that held the hearing seemed to be trying to cut potential federal overreach off at the pass, making it crystal clear from the get-go that, in their view, the law is aimed at returning key authority over K-12 schools to states and districts. ESSA includes more than 50 provisions to keep the Department of Education in check when it comes to accountability, standards, assessments, and more, said Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind., the chairman of the subcommittee that oversees K-12 policy in his opening statement. Congress promised to restore state and local control over K-12 education, and now its our job to ensure that promise is kept. Meanwhile, Democrats made it equally clear theyll be keeping their eye on the department and states to make sure that they dont use this newfound flexibility to trample on protections for historically overlooked groups of students, such as English-language learners and those in special education. The U.S. Department of Education will need to ensure that states are putting children first, said Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio, the top Democrat on the subcommittee. To be sure, this rhetoric is all pretty preliminary. States are still mulling their ESSA plans, and the department hasnt even specified exactly what it will be regulating on. But the different takes on ESSA oversight should come as no surprise to anyone who followed the development of the legislation closely. ESSAwhich passed with big, bipartisan support late last yearseeks to strike a delicate balance between giving states and districts much greater leeway on K-12 and continuing the federal role in looking out for vulnerable groups of kids. Trust Us State and district leaders who testified before the committeeJoy Hofmeister, Oklahomas superintendent of public instruction, and Paul Vic Wilson, the superintendent of Hartselle City Schools in Alabama, had their own message for the feds: Trust us. States are not only ready, but we are willing and able to lead, Hofmeister said, noting that states have already raised standards and improved tests. Future regulations should focus on providing states with guidance, clarification, and support, not prescription or compliance. Whats more, an alphabet soup of ten groups representing superintendents, principals, state and local board members, state lawmakers and teachers sent a letter to acting U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr., Wednesday , letting him know that theyll be working together to promote state, local, and school decision-making when it comes to ESSA regulation. But Selene Almazan, the legal director for the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, which works to protect the civil rights of students in special education, sees a pivotal role for the federal government in making sure states look out for low-income kids, racial minorities, students in special education, and others. Past history shows that states often set expectations far too low, which leads directly to low student achievement, impacting our most disadvantaged students, she said in written testimony. One particular exchange encapsulated both sides of the argument: During her testimony, Hofmeister said shes not thrilled with every part of her states accountability system. The way that the Sooner State calculates the performance of subgroup students can mask gaps. Oklahoma will likely revisit that portion of its system when it designs its new accountability system under ESSA, she said. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., seized on that, asking her how the federal government can make sure that other states dont use their newfound flexibility to sweep the performance of low-performing subgroups of students under the rug. Hofmeisters response? We have to accept the fact that at the state level, I am held accountable to the people of the state of Oklahoma, she said. (Hofmeister is an elected chief.) Polis noted, though, that shes elected by a majority of people in the Sooner State, but required to look after minority rights. Theres more to it than just politics, he said. Theres a civil rights issue that transcends politics. Standards and Enforcement Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle also sought to clear up areas where they seem to think that messaging on ESSA has been muddled. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., who was an architect of the law, said hes dismayed with some of the rhetoric coming out of the U.S. Department of Education on areas like standards. The law calls for states to adopt standards that get students ready for college-bearing coursework and, in Klines view, the department has been twisting that language to make it sound like the law still somehow endorses something like the Common Core State Standardswhich wasnt his intention. For her part, Rep. Suzanne Bonaminci, D-Ore., said theres nothing in ESSA that inhibits the U.S. Department of Educations authority to enforce the law. And one of the witnesses called by Republicans, Kent Talbert who served as general counsel at the U.S. Department of Education under President George W. Bush, agreed that the laws laundry list of secretarial prohibitions dont hinder enforcement authority. But he also said, in general, the department should tread carefully. If it oversteps its bounds in regulation, it could open itself up to lawsuits. More to Come This might be the Houses first ESSA oversight hearing, but it wont be the last. The panel has already invited King up to testify twice before the end of the month. The first appearance, possibly on Feb. 24, is slated to focus on the budget. And the second, on Feb. 25, is expected to be solely on ESSA implementation and oversight. (Read the committees letter to King here .) Whats more, the committee expects to continue ongoing communication with the department, including congressional staff briefings. Meanwhile, the Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Senate education committee, has already announced plans to hold at least three oversight hearings on ESSA implementation this year. The first could be scheduled for the end of this month or early next, advocates say. By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal A retired Memphis police sergeant has been indicted on a charge of aggravated assault in an incident of road rage, the office of the Shelby County District Attorney General said Wednesday. David Meskenas was charged with pointing a gun at a 60-year-old motorist on Feb. 10, 2015 while traveling in the area of Interstate 240 and Norris Road. The victim said the person with the gun was driving a dark gray van with a government license plate and also showed him a gold badge. The victim said he feared for his safety, according to an affidavit. The civilian motorist wrote down the vans tag, filed a complaint with the police department and provided a description of the driver, according to a news release. Meskenas, 48, was released on his own recognizance. Keith Williams of Memphis, a pro-voucher advocate, speaks to the House Finance Subcommittee while Rep. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville), right, listens. Dunn is sponsoring the voucher bill in the House. By Richard Locker of The Commercial Appeal NASHVILLE Falling short of the votes needed to pass a statewide school-voucher bill, voucher advocates filed an amendment Wednesday that would limit vouchers to students from the Shelby County Schools system on an experimental basis, then be expanded later. After seven years of failure, the bill is set for a crucial floor vote in the House of Representatives Thursday morning. It was postponed from Monday when supporters acknowledged they lacked the 50 votes required for passage. The bill in its statewide version won state Senate approval last year; if the House approves the Shelby-only amendment, it must return to the Senate for concurrence before it becomes law. Vouchers allow parents to take taxpayer funding from public schools to pay tuition at private schools about $7,000 per student in Shelby County. The bill would limit vouchers to students attending schools in the lowest five percent as defined by state academic achievement standards, and students must be from households with incomes low enough to qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches. The statewide bill provides for 5,000 vouchers in the first year of operation, increasing to 20,000 in the fourth year of the program. The amendment would allow 5,000 vouchers in Shelby County alone and require the state comptrollers office to evaluate the program and make annual reports to the state legislature, which could then expand the program at any time. The amendment was filed by Rep. David Hawk (R-Greeneville) but the bills sponsor, Rep. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville), said he will support it if it wins enough votes to pass a bill. Most Democrats oppose vouchers but the Houses huge 73-26 Republican supermajority would be enough to pass the bill. But enough Republicans, particularly from rural areas, oppose vouchers and have stymied passage. A small army of voucher lobbyists most funded by out-of-state school choice groups worked the legislative office building in hopes that the Shelby-only amendment would sway enough votes. If thats where we are and we can help some kids, we will go with it, Dunn said Wednesday. The thing about Shelby County is they have a very large population, most of the failing schools are in that county and also they have many different private schools that have a lot of experience working with inner city children. So it really is a good place to start it out. Asked if he believes the amendment would turn enough votes his way, Dunn said, Well see. I dont know. Tony Thompson, lobbyist for the Shelby County Schools, called the amendment a last-ditch attempt to pass what has been determined by their inability to get enough votes on the original bill as bad policy. The SCS school system is adamantly opposed to the voucher bill, but especially now that it evidently will single our school system out over all others in the state... Shelby County Schools have made great strides over the past several years, with the Izone schools which are outperforming the Achievement School District, and we are continuously closing down struggling schools, consolidating schools and moving students to better schools. This could potentially pull another $17 million out of the SCS school system alone, in a system that is already struggling due to the growth of charters and losing schools to the ASD. Collierville students could be issued handheld electronic devices. SHARE By Daniel Connolly of The Commercial Appeal Collierville school officials are studying ways to give each student in certain grade levels access to an iPad or similar electronic device. A working group that's looking at the issue has visited the Apple corporate headquarters as well as schools already running such programs in Huntsville, Alabama, and in Coppell, Texas, a Dallas suburb, school system chief of staff Russell Dyer told town school board members Tuesday night. Collierville's tech study committee is dubbed the Digital Learning Implementation Working Group and is expected to give recommendations to the school board this spring. Dyer said many Collierville students and teachers already make extensive use of technology. But he said giving each student in certain grades their own device could change the learning process for the better. For instance, students in a science class could run experiments and enter data on handheld devices, and the teacher could watch their entries in real time. Such technology wouldn't come cheap. At Tuesday's meeting, Dyer said installing new wireless equipment would cost about $800,000 and that buying devices for all students in grades four, five, six and seven would cost the system $2.5 million. He said afterward that this was just a hypothetical example and that the committee hasn't yet decided which grade levels should get the devices. But he said it matters. "For me, it's digital citizenship," he said, adding that schools must train students that using technology isn't some separate thing that they do, but rather, that "it's just part of what we are." And he said students need to know how to use technology to enhance their learning and improve their lives. "Because that's what's going to be expected of them in a business down the road." The working group will focus its efforts on Apple devices, already in wide use within the suburb's school system, Dyer said. The school system aims to solidify plans as the board moves toward its budget season, Superintendent John S. Aitken said. SHARE By Jane Roberts of The Commercial Appeal Parents at Madonna Learning Center cheered when state lawmakers passed a voucher bill last session for children with special needs. They are crestfallen now and hoping for a change as the state Department of Education gathers public comments on how the Individualized Education Accounts will work. The way the law was written, students are eligible only if they have an Individualized Education Plan and attended public school in Tennessee two semesters immediately preceding their voucher enrollment, are new to the state's public schools or received an IEA in another state. To qualify, students at Madonna and in other private schools for special needs would have to enroll for a year in a public school. Julie Olsen, a parent at Madonna, is trying to get lawmakers' attention regarding their concerns about the requirements "and maybe help them understand how unfair it is for those of us who have children in private schools all this time." "We've always paid private school tuition, but our tax dollars have gone to the public school. "Most of us have experienced public schools at some point in our venture. We are at Madonna for a reason. It is the only private school choice for children with Down syndrome," Olsen said. Tuition at Madonna is $12,200 a year, "but the cost to us is $20,000 per child. We use our fundraising to cover the rest," Jo Gilbert, executive director, said. "This could be very difficult for us. We could see a big change in the fall," Gilbert said regarding parents leaving to qualify later for the voucher. She's also worried there may not be room for them when they return two semesters later. The voucher law gives eligible families approximately $6,335 annually to enroll their child in a private program, pay for services, including therapy from accredited providers, transportation, textbooks and other expenses. The first accounts will be awarded January 2017. Clay Culpepper, another Madonna parent, says people don't understand that families at Madonna are not "typical" private school families. "Some are working two or three jobs to afford this," he said. "Our children thrive on routine and familiar surroundings, the teachers and therapists they come to know," Culpepper said. "If you have to leave, you are going to disrupt all that. The consequences and ground you lose could be significant." Last week, the state Department of Education issued a call for public comment on preliminary drafts of procedures, the parent handbook and provider handbook for the voucher program. The public may send comments to IEA.Questions@tn.gov through March 11. Madonna parents hope eligibility rules will change. "That is what we are praying for," Gilbert said. The bill was sponsored by Dolores Gresham, R-Somerville. Madonna parents have funneled concerns through local lawmakers, including Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown. The voucher bill under consideration in the state House of Representatives requires children also be enrolled in public school two semesters immediately preceding their use of a voucher. That bill also requires that they be in a district with failing schools and meet family-income guidelines. Kelsey will meet with parents at Madonna at 7 p.m. Thursday. He says Gresham's intent was to give options to families of special needs students entering kindergarten. "The reason was one of funding. If you have a child currently in private school, you can't all of sudden have the state and local funds going to pay for their education without a large increase in taxes and funding," Kelsey said, adding he could propose revisions to the special education voucher legislation if he is still in Tennessee next year. He is seeking the U.S. House of Representatives seat Rep. Stephen Fincher in the 8th Congressional District will soon vacate. Although the first special education vouchers will be issued in January, "the reality is, the program is probably not going to start in a robust way until August 2017," Kelsey said. "I still think there is a chance to change the law in January (2017)." By From Staff And Wire Reports State Health Department officials have confirmed the state's first case of the Zika virus in East Tennessee, and officials in Shelby County are making preparations for a case here. The infected person had recently traveled to South America before returning home to eastern Tennessee, health officials say. The virus was not acquired in Tennessee, state Health Department spokeswoman Shelley Walker said. Officials are not identifying the infected person. The Shelby County Health Department is making preparations in case a local resident contracts the virus, spokeswoman Elizabeth Hart said. The department recommends that travelers review recommendations issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before visiting countries where the virus has been spreading. The local Zika threat, however, will become more pervasive with the arrival of mosquito season this spring. Shelby County is home to the Asian tiger mosquito, one of the 48 species known to transmit the virus. In the wake of the announcement of the Zika case in East Tennessee, the local department on Tuesday posted a blog link on Twitter advising residents to eliminate water-filled containers that could serve as mosquito-breeding sites in their yards and to wear repellent and loose-fitting shirts and long pants when mosquitoes are active. Zika is a mosquito-borne virus spreading rapidly across Latin America. Most people who get it experience only minor symptoms, if any at all, but the virus has been linked to a devastating birth defect that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads. For this reason, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned pregnant women about traveling in the affected countries. The World Health Organization has called the spread of the virus a global health emergency. Health officials in Tennessee say they have been expecting an imported case of the virus "While public health and medical professionals have a good body of knowledge about many mosquito-borne diseases, there is still much to learn about Zika virus disease," state Health Commissioner Dr. John Dreyzehner said in a prepared statement. "At present there are still questions about its transmission through sex and other avenues. Pregnant women or people who develop a fever within one week of returning from an affected country should contact their personal health care professional for advice." State officials say those planning on traveling to warmer climates for spring break should wear insect repellent and clothing to protect themselves from mosquitoes. Staff reporter Tom Charlier contributed to this story. SHARE We have used this space many times over the years to promote the idea that local elected leaders govern best when their decisions are made with an eye toward the future. That type of planning is prevalent in the private and philanthropic sectors. It has to be if those entities are to remain financially viable and relevant. That fact has not been lost on the leaders of Regional One Health, which includes the Regional Medical Center. Regional One has opened a new campus in southeast Memphis, on Quince near Kirby and Bill Morris Parkway, in an effort to draw more customers who are insured while looking at a new model for delivering health care. It is a smart move for a medical system that operates top-notch regional trauma, burn and high-risk birth services, but is perceived as the hospital for the area's poor and uninsured. With 25 to 30 percent of the patients it treats uninsured, for which Regional One Health receives about $26 million a year from Shelby County government and federal sources, expanding its healthier, paying customer base is a bottom-line need for the health system. During visits with The Commercial Appeal's editorial board over the years, Dr. Reginald Coopwood, Regional One's chief executive officer, has talked about changing the public perception of the hospital to attract more insured and paying patients, especially those who would be taking advantage of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. One of the ideas he floated early was possibly opening a campus in the eastern part of the city. The hospital also has made other moves. The hospital rebranded last year and a new academic physician group, UT Regional One Physicians, came on line to boost a strategy, said Coopwood, to "create an environment where people (who) have choice will choose Regional One Health as their facility." The satellite office is a one-stop provider for a variety of medical services that will make the Quince location convenient for patients. The community should hope Regional One Health's effort in southeast Memphis is a success. The hospital is an important player in the growth and vitality of the Memphis Medical Center. And, in the competition for paying patients, it is a positive sign to see the collaboration between Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis and Regional One Health to try to open stand-alone emergency departments on Regional One's east campus and in Lakeland. SHARE By Noah Feldman The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit has struck down Maryland's law regulating assault weapons, creating a split with the 2nd Circuit, which upheld similar laws in New York and Connecticut. That split could, and probably should, lead the U.S. Supreme Court to take up and decide the issue. It's time therefore to ask: How should the justices treat the question? In particular, what does the right to bear arms, created to preserve a "well-regulated militia," say about assault weapons today? The key issue in the 4th Circuit's opinion last week was: Does the Second Amendment even apply to assault weapons? When the 2nd Circuit addressed the issue in October, it assumed without deciding that the amendment applied. To its credit, the 4th Circuit addressed the issue head on, and said the answer was yes, it did apply. On the surface, this seems like it might be the right answer. In the 2008 Heller opinion, the Supreme Court said that "the Second Amendment does not protect those weapons not typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes." Currently, there are some 7 million assault weapons in the U.S., including more than 4 million AR-15 rifles, according to the 2nd Circuit. Most people don't use them to commit crimes. Taken statistically, these weapons must be "typically possessed for lawful purposes." But deeper analysis of the Heller case suggests this interpretation may be too quick. Heller was itself interpreting a 1939 decision, U.S. v. Miller. The court then analyzed the Second Amendment's explanation that the purpose of the amendment was related to the need for a "well-regulated militia." In an opinion by Justice James McReynolds, a libertarian generally agreed to be the nastiest justice ever, the court said that "ordinarily when called for service," militiamen "were expected to appear bearing arms supplied by themselves and of the kind in common use at the time." The Heller opinion, written by Justice Antonin Scalia, suggested that the way to understand the reach of the Second Amendment was to begin by considering what kinds of weapons were used in the militias that the text of the amendment mentions. Scalia went on to say that "in the colonial and revolutionary war era, [small-arms] weapons used by militiamen and weapons used in defense of person and home were one and the same." This, said Scalia, yielded "the original understanding of the Second Amendment": It protects weapons possessed by law-abiding people for lawful purposes. So what should this self-professed originalism have to say about assault weapons? A true originalist could say that literally only 18th-century weapons are protected. Because that would presumably limit the amendment's reach to flintlock muskets, it would be like saying the amendment is obsolete. That kind of originalism isn't very convincing, and the court won't adopt it here. Another angle would be to say that the amendment covers all weapons a militia would use today. That would surely include assault weapons. The problem is, this originalism would prove much too much. Modern militias would also have rocket-propelled grenades, vehicle-mounted machine guns and no doubt some armed drones. The court won't want to include these in the right to bear arms. So that originalism is out, too. That leaves the view that there's something special about weapons that can be used both for self-defense and for militias. According to Scalia, those are the weapons that the people who ratified the Second Amendment had in mind. Today, that includes handguns. But it doesn't include assault rifles. They're great for military purposes, and no doubt fun to shoot on the range. But they aren't useful for self-defense, almost by definition. It emerges that a careful, responsible originalist wouldn't apply Second Amendment protection to weapons that aren't simultaneously for self-protection and for hypothetical militias. In his dissent in the 4th Circuit case, Judge Robert King came close. "Let's be real," he wrote. "The assault weapons banned by [Maryland] are exceptionally lethal weapons of war." He said he was "far from convinced" that the Second Amendment applied. But King then followed the 2nd Circuit in saying that the case should've been decided by applying what's called intermediate scrutiny, so that the regulations would survive provided they were supported by an important interest that was substantially related to them. This view may be right but it's unlikely to win in the Supreme Court, where the justices like to treat fundamental rights as, well, fundamental. Better not to enter the thicket of balancing tests at all. If the Second Amendment is to be read through the lens of originalism, it should be originalism that makes sense. Noah Feldman, a Bloomberg View columnist, is a professor of constitutional and international law at Harvard. Tennessee officials have halted the online administration of the states assessment after widespread failures that they attributed to a procedural problem with the vendor. Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said the breakdowns occurred on the morning of the first day of testing, in the first year that the exams were implemented by a new testing vendor for the state, Measurement Inc. As the scope of the testing breakdowns became evident, state officials directed school districts to postpone administering the exams until paper and pencil versions could be printed and distributed. According to McQueen, department of education officials had been working with the Durham, N.C.-based company since an October stress test of the platform to increase server capacity and fix problems. State officials said that shortcomings discovered during that stress test, and ongoing concerns about the stability of the platformcalled the Measurement Incorporated Secure Testing, or MISTled them to alert districts last week that they had the option of testing with paper and pencil. Then, on Monday, a new batch of network failures, unrelated to the issues that were thought to have been fixed, forced the state to require all schools in all districts to administer hard copies of the assessment. Though McQueen says that the terms of Tennessees contract with Measurement Inc. shield the state from any additional costs associated making the necessary fixes, she did acknowledge widespread frustration among students and teachers over the scheduling issues caused by the delays. In a conference call with reporters, McQueen blamed the vendor for the failures. But, she also ultimately said, When you are talking about the vendor, you are talking about the state, and that local districts are absolutely not to blame. According to Cliff Lloyd, the department of educations chief information officer, the testing breakdowns occurred because of processes kicked off by the vendor which led to flooded servers and system failures. In a statement , Measurement Inc.'s president, Henry Scherich, said the company was very disappointed by the decision to suspend the online testing and move to a paper and pencil administration. Scherich voiced confidence in the MIST platform, saying that Tennessee students took more than 1.1 million practice assessments in January to get ready for this weeks exams. The Measurement Inc. president added that the company is convinced that the server overload problem has been fixed. He attributed the problems some students had logging in to the system to improper network utilization, not MIST functionality. Disruptions on online assessments have become common in states around the country, enraging district leaders, teachers, and parents, and fueling anti-testing sentiment. In many cases, states have sought monetary reimbursement from test vendors for delays and disruptions. The causes of the breakdowns have varied from state to state. Recent testing failures in Kentucky and Florida were later linked to cyberattacks. Tennessee is one of many states that has embarked on the transition to online platforms for administering its state assessment in recent years. As EdWeeks Ben Herold reported, however, recent analyses have shown that the format in which students take tests can affect their scores . McQueen declined to comment on how the problems would affect the states relationship with Measurement Inc., beyond saying that her department would continue its yearly review of testing procedures. In 2014, the state entered a $108 million contract with the vendor that is set to run from 2015 to 2020. The Measurement Inc.'s MIST platform is also used by state departments of education in Michigan, Utah and Connecticut. See also: A Harvard report no sooner debunked the FBIs Going Dark argument than the U.S. intelligence chief admitted the government might use your smart internet-connected devices to spy on you. U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified (pdf): Smart devices incorporated into the electric grid, vehiclesincluding autonomous vehiclesand household appliances are improving efficiency, energy conservation, and convenience. However, security industry analysts have demonstrated that many of these new systems can threaten data privacy, data integrity, or continuity of services. In the future, intelligence services might use the IoT for identification, surveillance, monitoring, location tracking, and targeting for recruitment, or to gain access to networks or user credentials. Clappers prepared testimony about spying via IoT were included in the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community report (pdf) delivered to the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 9. The Internet of Things was the first topic mentioned under cyber and technology, followed by artificial intelligence, although the report notes that the order of topics doesnt necessarily mean the intelligence community views the topic as the most important. While this is not the first time an intelligence chief has admitted the potential of spying on people via their internet-connected devicessince CIA Director David Petraeus said the same thing four years agothe Harvard report pointed out just how widely IoT surveillance could be used. The report included specific examples of potential surveillance via baby monitors, smart TVs, IP cameras, home automation products such as smart thermostats and smoke detectors, smart toys such as Hello Barbie or Elf on a Shelf, the Amazon Echo, connected cars and smartphones. But there are so many more when you consider fitness trackers, refrigerators, crock-pots, motion detectors, even pregnancy testsalthough a fitness tracker might do double-duty as a Reddit user reported that his wife's Fitbit knew she was pregnant before they did. Appliances and products ranging from televisions and toasters to bed sheets, light bulbs, cameras, toothbrushes, door locks, cars, watches and other wearables are being packed with sensors and wireless connectivity, the Harvard report explained. Law enforcement or intelligence agencies may start to seek orders compelling Samsung, Google, Mattel, Nest or vendors of other networked devices to push an update or flip a digital switch to intercept the ambient communications of a target. Could your smart LED bulb be enlisted in the governments spying machine? Maybe or maybe not, but the U.S. did invoke national security to stop Philips from selling the Lumileds LED portion of its company to the Chinese. Those LEDs are used in one of every three cars made in the world, used in TV, mobile device and computer displays, used as a flash for smartphone cameras, and used in general lighting markets. Youd think if companies adopting encryption by default in smartphones was really a threat to intelligence agencies that the threat assessment report would hammer the point home; yet Clapper mentioned encryption just four times in the 29-page report; once was in regard to attackers trying to change source code to break network equipment encryption. Encrypting was mentioned regarding ransomware developed by cybercriminals, a topic listed under nonstate actors. Violent extremists will publicize their use of encrypted messaging apps and terrorists will take advantage of widely available, free encryption technology, mobile-messaging applications, the dark web, and virtual environments to pursue their objectives. However, when describing global threats, FBI Director James Comey did mention the FBIs inability to crack encryption on a phone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters. Comey claimed, I dont want a backdoorI would like people to comply with court orders, and that is the conversation I am trying to have. But who needs a back door when you can waltz right in the front door of a home with internet-connected smart devices or home automation? Not much time passes without hearing about some new security flaw in smart devices and how to exploit their protocols to take control of the device or steal information. Even the FBI has warned citizens about IoT risks and to be aware of IoT vulnerabilities cybercriminals could exploit. If hackers can exploit those devices, do you really think intelligence agencies cant already do so? The ENCRYPT Act Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the bipartisan legislation ENCRYPT Act was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives. The ENCRYPT Act would prevent any state or locality from mandating that a manufacturer, developer, seller, or provider design or alter the security of a product so it can be decrypted or surveilled by authorities. Now, if only manufacturers of internet-connected devices would deploy encryption. It might stop cybercriminals as well as government spies from using our IoT devices against us. 23 May 2022 - Understand the French healthcare system, how you access it and how you are reimbursed - Useful if you are new to the French healthcare system or want a more in-depth understanding - Reader question and answer section Aimed at non-French nationals living here, the guide gives an overview of what you are (and are not) covered for. There is also information for second-home owners and regular visitors. Note: Joshua Cowen, an Associate Professor of Education Policy in the College of Education at Michigan State University, joins us this week as a guest blogger. You can follow him on Twitter at @joshcowenMSU. Yesterday I made some comments about variation in voucher-accepting private school quality. Today, I want to continue the school choice theme first by mentioning another type of program, inter-district choice within the traditional public sector, and using that hook to make a general case for thinking of school choice as a more transient activity than what I think both supporters and opponents sometimes have in mind. In a report released last summer, I looked at such a program in Michigan, where more than 100,000 students currently learn in traditional public schools outside their district of residence. My co-authors and I found that African American students, lower income students, and students who score comparably lower on state tests than their peers in their residential school districts are most likely to exit for a new district. But these statewide trends masked important differences between local districts. In districts with lower levels of academic achievementas well as those with high proportions of African American childrenit was actually the higher testing students and those who are white who tend to leave for surrounding districts. In other words, historically disadvantaged children appear to be leaving typical or more advantaged schools, while students who are comparably better off appear to be exiting districts that may be struggling. I argued at the time that those patterns provided interesting indicators of how an understudied but very common type of choice policy work. But thats not why Im revisiting the report today. The more important question we consideredand one that is too often ignored in choice debatesis whether the choices of those students we examined really represented long-term steps away from a default schooling option. Which students stay in choice settings, and who those students are, are questions that have received far less attention than the matter of who selects such options in the first place. When the question is asked, it tends to be focused on specific concerns, such as certain schools pushing out certain tough-to-teach students, as evidenced this fall when news broke of the Got to Go list at the Success Academy charter school in New York. But thats not the only reason to think about exits from choice programs. Simply put, its worth knowing whether choosing a school is something parents do once or many times over the course of their kids academic careers. We should also know who is especially prone to repeated moves. In Michigan, we found that students most likely to exit their residential districts overall are those also most likely to leave their new districts as welllikely moving back to where they came from in the first place. Only 40 percent of the students we examined made use of the open enrollment program for the duration of their elementary school careers; for African Americans, that number was even lower, with less than a third staying in the program from kindergarten through fifth grade. Similar patterns have emerged in research out of Colorado, where black children in particular were highly mobile between school districts. Although the overall impact of transferring between school districts on student outcomes is not clearonly a handful of studies have been able to study the questionwe do know that more general forms of mobility between public schools can generally have adverse effects on achievement, particularly for the most disadvantaged children. Who chooses school choice is a hotly contested question, largely because of the implications of the answer for who benefits and who may be adversely affected by these programs. But our research suggests that who stays may be as important a question as school choicewhether in the form of open enrollment, charter schooling, or school vouchersexpands nationwide. Indeed, our findings in Michigan echoed earlier work on which I collaborated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There, our team found that African Americans and students with lower test scores were those most likely to exit the citys voucher program to return to public schoolsjust as similar students were more likely to give up their vouchers years earlier in a major study of a privately funded program in New York City. Among the Milwaukee students, the available evidence we had strongly suggested that test scores actually went up once they re-entered public schools. It is worth noting that despite the anecdotal headlines concerning Success Academy, the link between student background and mobility is less clear for charter schools as a whole. It is possible that higher rates of mobility out of other choice programs among disadvantaged children are simply the result of families sorting between schools repeatedly until they find a proper match. More to the point, parents select schools for any number of reasons. In New Orleans, for example, where parents can choose between charter, private and a few traditional public schools, we know that academic results are only one of many factors considered by the citys predominantly poor, minority population. Other factors such as the availability of arts, sports, transportation or after school care may also attract parents to a school other than the one nearest their home. We should also remember that changing employment, economic, or family circumstances in parents lives also play a role in determining where they enroll their children. Because of that, one under-appreciated benefit to increased choice may be that it doesnt consign kids to one school forever if other parts of their lives change. These possibilities aside, if school choice is a temporary or repeated activityas our work appears to indicate for many children in Michigan and Wisconsinthen policymakers should consider whether it is enough to simply provide new alternatives to those who need them the most. Doing more to ensure that, upon making a choice, parents are ultimately able to find a stable learning environment that suits the particular needs of their children is necessary for school choice policy to reach its full potential in the future. --Joshua Cowen Sturgeon accuses Treasury of sabotaging devolution talks The First Minister of Scotland has accused the Government of trying to sabotage plans to deliver new powers to the Scottish Parliament, according to The Guardian the Daily Record uses the term shafting Scotland. Nationalists are trying to extract a guarantee that Scotland would never suffer financially as a result of taking on new powers. The general idea seems to be: if good governance leads to rewards, Holyrood reaps them; if poor governance leads to losses, Britain bails it out. The Government, quite rightly, take a different view. John Swinney, the Finance Minister, has promised to put a deal before MSPs before Holyrood breaks up for the upcoming election. Meanwhile, the SNP leadership were discovered to be heading for a confrontation with their grassroots after the Daily Record was shown leaked documents that indicated there will be no talk of a second referendum on the partys pre-election conference agenda. Senior Plaid AM refuses to rule out deal with Tories Wales Online reports that a senior nationalist member of the Welsh Assembly has refused to rule out striking a bargain with the Conservatives to oust Labour. Whilst the leadership of hard left AM Leanne Wood makes such a bargain extraordinarily unlikely, Simon Thomas confirmed to reporters that Plaid had only ruled out a formal coalition with the Tories. This might be an attempt to increase the nationalists bargaining power in the event that Labour lose their Assembly majority, as the Conservatives would be an essential component in any alternative administration. Meanwhile, the Tories have themselves challenged Wood to rule out propping up Carwyn Jones ailing administration should Labour fall below 30 seats. Ulster politicians press Villiers for historical investigation funding Theresa Villiers, the Northern Ireland Secretary, and the Northern Ireland Office have been criticised by several Stormont politicians after refusing to release additional funds for historical investigations, according to the News Letter. Arlene Foster, the First Minister and Democratic Unionist leader, had called upon the NIO to fund progress into a number of historic cases, including the enormous investigation into the Army agent known as stakeknife. After the Government replied that yet more cash was not available both David Ford, the Justice Minister and Alliance Party leader, Ross Hussey, an Ulster Unionist MLA and policing board member, claimed that devolved institutions could not bear the cost. Labour try to outflank SNP with tax rise pledge Labour have tried to outflank the Scottish Nationalists, who boast of their progressive credentials, by pledging to raise income taxes to fund services if they win the upcoming Holyrood election. Sturgeon faced a tough First Ministers Questions this week as she was accused of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Tories in opposing the hike. As Euan McColm argues, it almost certainly wont make much of a dent in the SNP in the short term the aim is to start to apply pressure to the disconnect between the their progressive rhetoric and their separatist priorities. Both Labour and the Conservatives are also keen to shift the pre-election debate away from the constitution and onto the Scottish Governments less than stellar record. Welsh UKIP in turmoil over candidate selection The Peoples Armys only councillor in Wales has resigned from the party, following a bitter row over the selection of candidates for the upcoming elections to the Assembly. Kevin Mahoney, who sits on Vale of Glamorgan council, opposed the imposition of candidates such as Mark Reckless, Neil Hamilton, and Alexandra Phillips, all favourites with Nigel Farage. He claims credit for having forced UKIP to have passed final say on candidate selection to its Welsh membership. Meanwhile Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, has urged Welsh protest voters to back his party rather than Farages English nationalists. Labour bid to refresh Holyrood ranks stalls An effort by Kezia Dugdale, Labours Scottish leader, to renew her partys Scottish Parliamentary Party has suffered a severe setback, according to the Scotsman, with only four fresh faces likely to take their seats after May. Many long-serving MSPs look set to lose out after she stripped them of protected status in the party lists although hopeless former leaders Johann Lamont and Iain Gray look safe. Despite a strict 50-50 gender balancing rule, Labour also look set to return only one non-white MSP Anas Sarwar, the former Glasgow Central MP. Meanwhile, an SNP councillor and Holyrood candidate at the upcoming election has been suspended after being accused of using racist language. Boris Johnson will, I believe, vote to remain in the European Union. He is not yet ready to admit this: indeed, has two strong motives to avoid admitting it. One of his strengths, both as politician and as journalist, is the lightning speed with which he reacts to a change in the story. If something goes wrong with David Camerons EU renegotiation, Boris wishes to be free to react accordingly. He cannot bear the thought of giving up this freedom of manoeuvre and becoming a mere subordinate cog in someone elses system. His column in Mondays Telegraph, in which he asserted that the arguments for remaining and leaving are as finely balanced as they have ever been, should be understood in that light. Boris was not, as some observers imagined, nailing his colours to the fence. He was covering a retreat: for his second pressing need is to let his Eurosceptic admirers down gently, by making a great show of demanding extra concessions from the EU, in order, later on, to justify voting to stay within it. My colleague Mark Wallace immediately pointed out that the disappointment should he eventually back Remain will alienate people who might otherwise have supported him for the Tory leadership. On Tuesdays Daily Politics, Jacob Rees-Mogg issued a sterner warning: If the great Mayor of London is still making up his mind we wait to see which way he jumps. But if he jumps to stay in his chances of getting the leadership vanish because then he offers nothing against George Osborne and all the others who stay in. This kind of warning gives Boris every incentive to veil his intentions for as long as he can, and to sound as Eurosceptic as possible. But unlike Rees-Mogg, I do not see how the Mayor can end up on the Eurosceptic side. For the avoidance of doubt, I should state that Boris gave me no steer of any kind before I wrote this article. My purpose is to argue, as his biographer, that he is not by temperament an Outer, and would find it immensely difficult to throw in his lot with them. True Eurosceptics do not agree with him that the arguments are as finely balanced as they have ever been. Parliamentary sovereignty is for them so valuable that it far outweighs whatever advantages we may derive from EU membership. The word sovereignty is often, one has to admit, on Boriss lips. In an ingenious passage in his party conference speech, he led on from some remarks about dear Jezza wondering whether to sing the national anthem, to the Queen and the ideas that she incarnates of our democracy and of the sovereignty of the Crown in Parliament. This last expression sounded reassuringly traditional. But in the many millions of words he has written and spoken, Boris has never taken the stern, unbending view of sovereignty which was expounded by Enoch Powell, and is held by Powells successors on the Tory benches. As Boris cheerfully admitted, when I interviewed him on this subject just over three years ago, he has always been seen by hardline Eurosceptics as incorrigibly wet. His position is closer to Camerons. Boris too wants to find a middle way, so we can have our cake and eat it. That may sound an implausible prospectus, but is one often offered by democratic leaders, and has generally characterised the British approach to the EU. The last Tory Prime Minister, John Major, who at Maastricht achieved his own version of the middle way, then suffered so grievously at the hands of Eurosceptic Conservative MPs that in 1995 he challenged them to Put up or shut up. John Redwood accepted the invitation, and was photographed at his campaign launch with a bizarre group of supporters, including Tony Marlow in a stripy blazer, reminiscent (as Geoffrey Wheatcroft remarked in The Strange Death of Tory England) of a theatrical party in Maidenhead. The truth is that Boris, although on friendly terms with many Eurosceptic Tories, cannot be said to be spiritually at one with them. Owen Paterson, Iain Duncan Smith, Peter Lilley, Bill Cash, Bernard Jenkin, Liam Fox, David Davis, Jacob Rees-Mogg, John Whittingdale, Chris Grayling and Steve Baker all possess, on the European issue, a more inflexible attachment to principle than characterises Boris. William Hague used to belong to, indeed led, that group, but somehow acquired, during his time at the Foreign Office, a more worldly outlook, as has his successor, Philip Hammond. The Eurosceptics are in desperate need of a leader who can unify them and present their case to the wider public. Neither Theresa May nor Michael Gove has shown any eagerness to volunteer for the role, which when one takes UKIPs worsening internal dissensions into account, looks even more difficult. If Boris were himself a true Eurosceptic, he could undoubtedly take it on. Indeed, the likelihood is that he would already be doing it, as Andrew Roberts urged him as long ago as May 2015. But for Boris to pretend to think that Britain would be better off out would be a recipe for disaster. That would be rather like trying to write a Jeffrey Archer novel while believing the way Archer writes novels is all wrong. At best, one produces a parody, but it is actually quite difficult after about three pages to keep going at all. Euroscepticism is a harder cause to represent in a united way than one might think. Its adherents often disagree among themselves about the whereabouts of the last ditch which they are pledged to defend. As Powell found to his dismay, pure Euroscepticism seldom attracts enough votes, and restating it in more and more vehement terms does not do the trick either. On 9 July 1976 just over a year after Harold Wilsons referendum on our membership of the European Economic Community he declared in a speech at Bromley Chamber of Commerce: It is the nation that is dying, it is dying politically or rather, perhaps, it is committing suicide politically and the mark of death upon it is that it has lost the will to live. Even most Eurosceptics would now say this sounds a bit too pessimistic. The nation has proved more flexible and resilient than Enoch expected. Forty years on, we are in many ways a more confident nation than we were in the 1970s. Brussels holds no fears for Boris. He spent part of his childhood there, made his name as a journalist there, and would not be alarmed by the prospect of negotiating to uphold British interests there. He would expect, indeed, to be a bolder negotiator than Cameron, and to make a greater success of things: and this, rather than a walk-out, is what he is promising in his Telegraph article. Close Chipotle is gunning for a tasty comeback after months of disruptive E.Coli food scandal which caused company stocks to plunge and sales plummet. After closing down all of its 2, 000 stores on Monday until 3 pm for a company-wide meeting on food safety, the management announced that it will be giving away free burritos to customers. "If we messed up your lunch plans today, follow the steps and we'll hook you up. Text the word 'raincheck' to 888-222," the promotion on website reads which was to end Monday at 6pm as quoted by AZ Central. After following the simple steps, customers are expected to receive a text coupon for free burrito treat a few days later. Apart from implementing more stringent procedures on supplies procurement and food preparation, CEO and founder Steve Ells announced that the burrito chain is going to invest $10 million to help local farmers meet its raised food safety standards which include DNA-based testing of fresh meat and vegetable according to report by the Wired. Chipotle is trying its best to win back customer confidence after a series of food scare outbreaks seriously undermined the company's image as a healthy alternative to conventional fast food chains. "2016 is going to be the year for Chipotle to try to win back consumer confidence. It's still an uphill struggle for the company," remarked IBISWorld analyst Andrew Alvarez as quoted saying by the Los Angeles Times. Meanwhile, a Maryland man named Hank Levine was flooded with hundreds of texts from customers asking for free Chipotle burritos. Some customers mistakenly add an extra '2' to the text hotline and had their text messages redirected to Levine's inbox instead according to a news story featured by ABC News. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare What to Look for in a Criminal Defense Attorney You were charged with a crime and you need a defense attorney. How do you know who to choose and whether that person will be any good? Let's take it one step at a time and start with consultation. An initial meeting can reveal a lot. Consulting With Counsel If you are in the market for a private criminal defense attorney, meet with a few lawyers and get a feeling for who they are, how they speak, and how they treat clients. Attorneys can have very different styles, all of which succeed. But the most important thing you need from a lawyer is someone who hears you and who you would want arguing on your behalf. Does the lawyer ask you questions? Do you feel comfortable answering? Does this attorney seem intelligent and articulate, and capable of explaining process to you? Constitutional Rights Once you have hired a lawyer or one has been appointed to you, your defense attorney should be making moves to protect your constitutional rights. What does that mean? Your lawyer reviews the case and the evidence the prosecutor plans to presents, ensuring it was obtained via a legal process. Was there probable cause for your arrest? Did police speak to you after you asked for an attorney? Your lawyer will challenge evidence that was obtained in violation of the law with motions to suppress the evidence and exclude it from prosecution. The attorney also investigates any possible leads and subpoenas any parties who can shed light on the case. Your lawyer should talk to you about your right to a speedy trial and to be tried before a jury and whether you wish to waive these, explaining advantages and disadvantages of either. And a good defense attorney will always explain to you the risks of trials as opposed to plea bargains. Ultimately the decision must be yours. Perhaps most importantly, a good criminal defense attorney will remind you of your right to remain silent, repeatedly. You should not be speaking to anyone about your case besides your lawyer and you should be able to speak to your attorney with some regularity. In the Mix Although it can be disconcerting to defendants to watch their lawyers chatting with a prosecutor in a professional or even friendly fashion, that is actually their job. Some lawyers like to say they will fight for you when what they really mean is that they like to fight. A good lawyer will understand the art of negotiation and will take advantage of a cordial professional relationship with the opposition to negotiate a deal if that is what you seek. Even if you do not want to plea bargain, your lawyer still has to work with the prosecutor throughout the process and it will work out better for you, if the lawyer is able to do that. Not Guilty? Your defense attorney should not make innocence a condition of representation. Whether or not you are guilty, you are entitled to a zealous defense and the best attorneys work on that principle. They do not require clients to be innocent, but see their role as minimizing negative consequences for all defendants. Related Resources: Close X-men actor Hugh Jackman has revealed to fans his most recent struggle with basal cell skin cancer by posting a selfie after getting a treatment. A recent picture of himself with a be-plastered nose appeared on his Instagram and Facebook page comes with a stern warning to fans. "An example of what happens when you don't wear sunscreen. Basal Cell. The mildest form of cancer but serious, nonetheless. PLEASE USE SUNSCREEN and get regular check-ups," his post reads soon after he was treated for the fifth time since November 2013 as quoted in Yahoo News report. The Australian actor has been open with his condition since he was diagnosed with the cancer two years ago after a visit to a doctor for a medical check-up on a spot that doesn't seem to get off his nose as mentioned in a Good Housekeeping article. Jackman initially thought that the bloody spot on his nose was simply a movie injury he got from the wolverine claws he was wearing while filming 'X-Men: Days of Future Past. "It's always a bit of a shock just hearing the word 'cancer'. Being an Australian it's a very common thing. I never wore sunscreen growing up so I was a prime candidate for it," the actor said as quoted by People. Since his diagnosis, Jackman endorsed Pure Sun Defense- a sunscreen brand for kids. According to a CNN news article, 8 out 10 Americans are diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a mild form of skin cancer that is rarely fatal but may cause physical disfiguration if left untreated. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close U.S. researchers are heading to Puerto Rico to study another disease that could be linked to the Zika virus, which has been spreading throughout the Americas. The team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be analyzing the mosquito-borne virus in relation to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare condition that occurs when the immune system attacks parts of the nervous system. Guillain-Barre can cause weakness in the limbs and upper body. In some cases, it can lead to total paralysis. "Right now we're focusing on Puerto Rico, where we've just started seeing cases of Zika as well as cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome," Dr. James Sejvar, a neuroepidemiologist at the CDC, told Reuters reported by FOX News. "In order to get ahead of the curve, we're going to try to rapidly establish active surveillance for Guillain-Barre in Puerto Rico in the hopes that we're catching the outbreak early." Guillain-Barre has also been reported in some of the Zika-affected South American countries. In Colombia, the National Health Institute reported that there are nearly 100 cases of Guillain-Barre. Brazil, El Salvador, Suriname and Venezuela have also reported higher cases of Guillain-Barre. Authorities in Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency on Feb. 5 after the total number of confirmed cases increased to 22. On Feb. 1, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika a global health emergency after early research found strong evidence between the virus and a birth defect called microcephaly. Due to the link between Zika and microcephly, which is characterized by an abnormally small head and an underdeveloped brain, the CDC has issued safe traveling guidelines for pregnant women and women looking to get pregnant. The agency has also issued safe sex guidelines after a case of the virus getting transmitted sexually surfaced in Texas. The United Nations health agency reported that it expects the virus to spread everywhere in the Americas with the exception of Canada and Chile. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Next Onslaught In Gaza: Why The Status Quo Is A Precursor For War By Ramzy Baroud 10 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org It is not true that only three wars have taken place since Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006 in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Other wars that were deemed insignificant or skirmishes also took place. Operation Returning Echo in March 2012, for example, killed and wounded over 100 people. But since the death toll, relative to the other major onslaughts seemed trivial, it was not cited as 'war', per se. According to this logic, so-called operations Cast Lead (2008-9), Pillar of Defense (2012) and the deadliest of them all, Protective Edge (2014) were serious enough to be included in any relevant discussion, especially when the prospective new Israeli war on Gaza is considered. It is important to denote that most of the media, mainstream or other, adheres to Israel's designations of the war, not those of Palestinians. For example, Gazans refer to their last confrontation with Israel as the Al-Furqan Battle, a term we almost never hear repeated with reference to the war. Observing the Israeli war discourse as the central factor in understanding the war against the Resistance surpasses that of language into other areas. The suffering in Gaza has never ceased, not since the last war, the previous one or the one before that. But only when Israel begins to mull over war as a real option, do many of us return to Gaza to discuss the various violent possibilities that lie ahead. The problem of relegating Gaza until Israeli bombs begin to fall is part and parcel of Israeli collective thinking - government and society, alike. Gideon Levy, one of the very few sympathetic Israeli journalists in mainstream newspapers wrote about this in a recent article in Haaretz. "The addiction to fear and the eternal wallowing in terror in Israel suddenly reminded one of the existence of the neighboring ghetto," he wrote in reference to Gaza and sounding of Israeli war drums. "Only thus are we here reminded of Gaza. When it shoots, or at least digs ... (only then) we recall its existence. Iran dropped off the agenda. Sweden isnt scary enough. Hezbollah is busy. So we return to Gaza." In fact, Israel's exceedingly violent past in Gaza does not hinge on Hamas' relative control of the terribly poor and besieged place, nor is it, as per conventional wisdom, also related to Palestinian factionalism. Certainly, Hamas' strength there is hardly an incentive for Israel to leave Gaza alone, and Palestinians' pitiful factionalism rarely help the situation. However, Israel's problem is with the very idea that there is a single Palestinian entity that dares challenge Israel's dominance, and dares to resist. Moreover, the argument that armed resistance, in particular, infuriates Israel the most is also incorrect. Violent resistance may speed up Israel's retaliation and the intensity of its violence, but as we are currently witnessing in the West Bank, no form of resistance has ever been permissible, not now, not since the Palestinian Authority was essentially contracted to control the Palestinian population, and certainly not since the start of the Israeli military occupation in 1967. Israel wants to have complete monopoly over violence, and that is the bottom line. A quick scan of Israel's history against Palestinian Resistance in all of its forms is indicative that the Israel vs. Hamas narrative has always be reductionist, due partly to it being politically convenient for Israel, but also useful in the Palestinians own infighting. Fatah, which was Palestine's largest political party until Hamas won 76 out of the legislative councils 132 seats in the early 2006 elections, has played a major rule in constructing that misleading narrative, one that sees the past wars and the current conflict as an exclusive fight between Hamas, as political rival, and Israel. When seven of Hamas fighters were recently killed after a tunnel collapsed - which was destroyed during the 2014 war by Israel and was being rebuilt - Fatah issued a statement that appeared on Facebook. The statement did not declare solidarity with the various resistance movements which have operated under horrendously painful circumstances and unremitting siege for years, but chastised the 'war merchants' in reference to Hamas - who, according to Fatah, "know nothing but burying their young people in ashes." But what other options does the Resistance in Gaza actually have? The unity government which was agreed on by both Fatah and Hamas in the Beach Refugee Camp agreement in the summer of 2014 yielded no practical outcomes, leaving Gaza with no functioning government, and a worsening siege. That reality, for now, seals the fate of a political solution involving a unified Palestinian leadership. Submitting to Israel is the worst possible option. If the Resistance is Gaza was to lay down its arms, Israel would attempt to recreate the post-1982 Lebanon war scenario, when they pacified their enemies using extreme violence and then entrusted their collaborating allies to rearrange the subsequent political landscape. While some Palestinians could readily offer to fill that disreputable role, the Gaza society is likely to shun them entirely. A third scenario in which Gaza is both free and the Palestinian peoples political wishes are respected is also unlikely to materialize soon, considering the fact that Israel has no reason to submit to this option, at least for now. This leaves the war option as the only real, tragic possibility. Israeli analyst, Amost Harel highlighted in his article, Hamas' Desire to Increase West Bank Attacks Could Trigger New Gaza War the reasoning behind this logic. "To date, Israel and Palestinian Authority security forces have succeeded in scuttling most of Hamas schemes," he wrote, referring to his allegations that Hamas is attempting to co-opt the ongoing uprising in the West Bank. In one of several scenarios he offered, The first is that a successful Hamas attack in the West Bank will spur an Israeli response against the group in Gaza, which will lead the parties into a confrontation. In most of Israeli media analyses, there is almost total disregard for Palestinian motives, aside from some random inclination to commit acts of terror. Of course, reality is rarely close to Israels self-centered version of events, as rightly pointed out by Israeli writer Gideon Levy. After his most recent visit to Gaza, Robert Piper, UN envoy and humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Territories, left the Strip with a grim assessment: only 859 of homes destroyed in the last war have been rebuilt. He blamed the blockade for Gaza's suffering, but also the lack of communication between the Ramallah-based government and Hamas movement in Gaza. "There's no changes to the underlying fragility of Gaza," he told AFP, and the situation "remains on a frankly disastrous trajectory of de-development and radicalization, as far as I can tell." Of the blockade, he said, It is a blockade that prevents students from getting to universities to further their studies in other places. It's a blockade that prevents sick people from getting the health care that they need. Under these circumstance, it is difficult to imagine that another war is not looming. Israels strategic, political and military tactics, as it stands today, will not allow Gaza to live with a minimal degree of dignity. On the other hand, the history of Gazas resistance makes it impossible to imagine a scenario in which the Strip raises a white flag and awaits its allotted punishment. Dr. Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. He is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His books include Searching Jenin, The Second Palestinian Intifada and his latest My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gazas Untold Story. His website is: www.ramzybaroud.net. Nazi Zombies Ate Gloria Steinem's Brain! (or Why US Politics Turns Ordinary People Into Drooling Morons) By Kieran Kelly 10 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org The problem, in a nutshell, is this: when people decide to support a prospective candidate in the US primary races they are putting themselves in the position of defending the indefensible. The very nature of this politico-Darwinist death match means that once you pick your chosen leader you must reject all criticism and suppress all doubt. You must become aggressively defensive and you must, above all, prevent your own wayward brain from thinking those bad thoughts that weaken the image of the immaculate leader. Any chink in their armour will be exploited by the enemies that surround them. Loyalty must be automatic and unconditional. Vigilance must be constant. Triumph of the Ill Gloria Steinem caused some kerfuffle this week by saying: Women are more for [Clinton] than men are. Men tend to get more conservative because they gain power as they age, women get more radical because they lose power as they age. Theyre going to get more activist as they grow older. And when youre younger, you think: Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie. When you let it sink in the implications of what Steinem said are quite stunning in their utter stupidity. Here is a feminist icon suggesting that young women support Sanders only to impress or be with boys. As some have pointed out, this is a sexist generalisation that is disrespectful, demeaning and disempowering of young women. Steinem apologised for being misinterpreted and clarified her position by contradicting herself entirely: What I had just said on the same show was the opposite: young women are active, mad as hell about whats happening to them, graduating in debt, but averaging a million dollars less over their lifetimes to pay it back. Because she is not retracting her repeated contention women are more conservative when were young and we get more radical as we get older she seems to be quite happy to believe two contradictory things and just pick whichever seems right for the occasion. Steinem also tacitly declares that supporting Hillary Clinton is an act of radicalism. This is demonstrably false. Clinton is a former First Lady, former US Senator, and a former Secretary of State. Clinton and her spouse are among the richest people on the planet and have been paid $153 million in speaking fees. Her own personal income for 2014 was $30.5 million. Clinton is arguably the most establishment person seeking candidacy even more than J. E. Bush the (wannabe) Third. So what makes Gloria Steinem spout nonsense and contradict herself? Aside from the general human idiocy in which we all partake, it is that most glorious of institutions: US presidential politics. More specifically it is the bipartisan electoral process which is formally and informally constituted of tribal factionalism, cult of personality, manipulative marketing campaigns, dog-whistle invective, incendiary rhetoric, buzzwords, patriotism, sentimentality and many other components. These components all have one thing in common; they bypass thought. They direct decisions and impel action through impulse, emotion and herd reflex. US Presidential electoral politics is the epitome any such electoral process. It is like other elections, but even more so. It is dominated by deception, manipulation and sentiment. Throughout the history of politics, popular appeals have been divided into appeals to reason and appeals to unreason. Technology, scale, and the narrow control of mass media have conspired to bring a moment of near total triumph for unreason. The individual voter will be profiled and targeted with anything from the scale of the tear on the cheek of a pretty 5 year-old girl, to the roar of a stadium of mass fervour. The result of such mass unreason is, among other things, an ostensibly political electoral system that is devoid of substantive politics. But it is also a totalising ideology. It tells people that it represents the entirety or near-entirety of the legitimate political spectrum. People in countries with multi-party elections for central government seem universally to accept that the breadth of political ideology is largely represented by the competing parties and that the space between the two (or more) camps is the ideological centre. In reality, regardless of the political system, political elites are inclined to be elitist and authoritarian. They like to think of themselves as more enlightened and progressive than the reactionary masses, but by nature their centre is to the right of popular sentiment, sometimes drastically so. We don't have to settle for defining left and right in relative terms set by political elites. The left/right division has a clear historical basis and can be defined in absolute terms. In these terms we see that each person, each party and each ideology has left and right elements. There is no pure Left or pure Right out there. We can also see that Republicans and Democrats have always been broadly right-wing. (In other countries there were once broadly left electoral choices in Labour, Socialist or Social Democrat parties, but these have all since embraced broadly right-wing liberal/neoliberal policies, along with military nationalism and Western interventionism). Electorates are regularly presented with two right-wing alternatives, one of which is falsely labelled as left. The Authoritarian's Dilemma There is incessant propaganda screaming over and over at people that if they do not partake in the electoral process they are deficient and delinquent and it is their fault that the government is crap. In the US, where everything apparently needs to be taken to self-parodic extremes, this spawned the Vote or Die movement. Small wonder then, that people get involved in electoral politics. But instead of choosing a person who actually represents their own interests blended with their own sense of what is morally and ethically right, people choose according to irrational criteria. Citizens are lured by many things, but mostly by the deliberately fostered delusion that a particular candidate will in some way embody and be responsive to the will of that citizen. They are led to believe that the candidate wants what they want, sees things as they do, and will make the same choices that they would. Their candidate is a version of themselves, but a superior version. It is a sad and pathetic spectacle. It gets even sadder when a candidate takes office and the citizen must continually reassess their beliefs because the former candidate makes choices that must be right because they know and understand more. People like that are referred to as right-wing authoritarians. This is a description used by some psychologists for a group of inter-related psychological tendencies which add to a desire for authoritarian leadership in politics, in the workplace, in religion, and in the domestic sphere. Obviously such people tend to be attracted to right-wing politics, but they can also be attracted to authority in left-wing or ostensibly left-wing politics. These people are authoritarian followers. They seek the certainty of strong leadership. Party politics, or any form of popular politics, will always attract authoritarians. But in our time, if you are not an authoritarian you must become one just to participate. If you choose to support Clinton, for example, there is a ton of baggage that comes with it. Her wealth, her power, her history of warmongering, and the blood on her hands are a much bigger burden to her supporters than to her. Clinton is a media-trained expert hack who only ever faces comparative softball questions. Her supporters might find themselves asked to give real answers to justify Clinton's record, and there are none. Judged by the standards of ordinary mortals she is pondscum and a war criminal. The best moral justification you can give for her is that she is deranged by power and hence has diminished responsibility. Can anyone actually give a real defence of her actions in helping to bring war to Libya? She has the blood of thousands on her hands. Daughters, sons, fathers, mothers real people who suffered and died, for what? So she could gloat like a demented crime boss: We came, we saw, he died? Would it be okay if it was a failed attempt to do good (if anyone can believe that), or was the plan destroy Libya and create yet another failed state of lingering suffering, violence and death so that US oil hegemony remained unchallenged by any strong nationalism or anticolonial internationalism? Murderously incompetent and arrogant, or murderously power-mad and Machiavellian? Either way, she cannot be defended if someone is willing to put things in those terms Hillary supporters cannot even defend Hillary to themselves. They must lash out by delegitimising opposition. Steinem's now retracted criticisms of of Sanders supporters were pure ad hominem of the vilest sort. She created a caricature, a generalisation about those who felt differently by imposing on them a personal trait. This is a technique used against feminists so often that you might think her scruples would have stopped her. To take another example, it is impossible in moral and legal terms to justify the support that Hillary Clinton has given to Israel. Bear in mind that this is not solely about Israel's 1967 occupation of land and its illegal settlements. As a UN signatory that shares responsibility for the initial 1948 seizure of Palestinian property and flight of Palestinians from the self-declared state of Israel, the US is obliged to find a just and lasting settlement to the plight of 1948 Palestinian refugees. Because the state of Israel is dependent on US support it can be argued that high-level US politicians are actually more culpable than high Israeli politicians without even having any false justifications of an existential threat. Clinton is responsible for Israel's crimes in a very real sense. This brings me to Bernie Sanders. He too is responsible for Israel's crimes. As Thomas Tucker wrote in August 2014: Lets not be fooled by any politician appealing to high ideals when they are in the business of war and empire. Sanders not only defends military contracts that benefit his constituents in Vermont, he also joined the 100 to 0 vote in the Senate to give unalloyed moral and political support to the state of Israel during its most recent bombing campaign against Gaza. Someone also pointed out that criticism of Sanders foreign policy record is only half of the story. On domestic issues he voted for continuing intelligence gathering without civil oversight; opposing local attempts in Vermont to impeach Bush II (however he advocates prosecuting Snowden in some capacity if he returns to the US!); ...against ending offshore tax havens and promoting small businesses; ...for legislation that extended and, in some areas, made fourteen provisions of the Patriot Act permanent and extended the FBI's power to perform roving wiretaps and access certain business records; ...repeatedly against the Brady Bill that mandated waiting times and background checks for firearms purchases. What a guy! How do you defend such a record? The same way you defend Clinton's record. You yell. You employ ad hominems. You employ the appeal to consequences, another fallacy which goes something like this: Q: How do you justify Sanders' bloody militarism, pork-barrel cynicism, support for war crimes, support for restricting liberties and complicity in Israel's occupation of Palestine? A: Donald Trump! March Of The Swivel Heads Speaking of Donald Trump, everything I have written so far is about Democrat supporters. Would anyone be so silly as to think that Republicans are any better? In some respects Republican supporters have less need to be defensive of their chosen candidate because Republicans don't try to hide their warmongering and racism, they simply embrace it with a patriotic exceptionalism beneath which is an unstated thuggish sensibility that says we are strong and we will crush those who transgress against us (transgression being subject to broad interpretation). Republicans have the same situational factors shaping them into right-wing authoritarians, but the Republican Party has been quite a home for right-wing authoritarians for years, so in a way the fact that this has worsened to any degree is not much of a story in itself. The reason that we should fear the spread of right-wing authoritarianism is that once an authoritarian has chosen their leader they will be loyal regardless of any actions that leader takes. The structure and the discourse of electoral politics in the US (which is setting a standard for other countries) are such that people are forced into the position of becoming mindless shambling followers of each Great Leader. People who support Obama, for example, have become as immune to reason and evidence as any George W. Bush supporter in 2008. Obama attracted those supporters with a very personal charismatic style, and his policy messages were overtly about emotions of hope and belief rather than a coherent platform based on an articulated ideology. (You won't get anything different from US politics: Bernie, for example, has substantively replicated the style, shape and colour of Obama's Change We can Believe In placards to create A Future to Believe In.) This is all great fertiliser in which to cultivate uncritical worship and obedience, but I think the real kicker is the way people have been conditioned to reject criticism of Obama by the constant unprincipled, unfair, untrue, hyperbolic and hysterical criticisms levelled at him by Republicans and other right-wingers. This ranges from the Birther movement to simple blatant and hateful racism. The same can be said of Hillary Clinton. The whole Benghazi issue was turned into a type of fake witch-hunt against Clinton. This not only gave her a much need new layer of Teflon, but helped to conceal the stunning blatant illegality of US government acts that went far further than just Clinton and the State Department. Partisan badgering, real or fake, creates the sense that the person that supporters place their hope in is constantly under siege. Under the siege mentality it begins to feel dangerous to question anything about the Leader. Any admission against them can be exploited and abused and so you must steel your mind to perfect unquestioning loyalty. Because it is a bipartisan framework and not a dictatorial one, this regime of leader worship differs in many ways from historical Fascist or Communist cult of personality regimes. The US regime blends aspects of that nationalistic One Leader, One People, One Empire style with a more fragmented style of right-wing factionalism akin to a milieu of organised crime interests that may co-operate, compete, or fight. The Price of a Special Place in Hell is Worth It Linked to the Gloria Steinem story has been a prominent story about Madeleine Albright. Albright once said that she thought that the price of 500,000 dead Iraqi children was worth it. She is also the Godmother to a cluster of humanitarian interventionists and liberal imperialists dominated by Clinton that is linked (by revolving door) to NGO's such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Regarding support for Clinton, Albright said: There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other! She used exactly the same words in 2008, for the same candidate. In fact she claims she has used the phrase for 40 years. That does not change the fact that she was equating failure to support Hillary with betraying one's own gender, as if the election was a giant job interview and women had an obligation to give poor Hillary a shot. The extreme and hateful implications stand regardless of how lighthearted Clinton says they were. Like the extreme rhetoric of Republicans, Albright's words show a distinct lack of any brain activity. I am the last person to suggest that political elites are actually stupid, but they are deeply out of touch with normal life. Despite all of their focus groups and messaging specialists, politicians at this level are as tone-deaf as any inbred 18th century aristocratic dandy. Albright has angered people on many fronts, in many ways. The Intercept's Jon Schwarz tweeted the blurb from a book specifically exploring the immense harm done to Iraqi women by the sanctions that Albright supported. She is damned by her own words, so to speak. Albright and Clinton being who they are, much of the angry reaction has suggested that electing an elitist warmonger is not feminism if the warmonger happens to have internal genitalia and wear skirts. Rania Masri put it thus: Feminism demands a critique of U.S. policies, both domestically and internationally. It demands a critique of all wars and all hegemonies and of all structures of oppression. Independently engaged people get angry, but most people blind themselves to the gulf that separates them from their political masters. The system continues because people foolishly believe that they have to choose within the candidates of the major parties, or they are effectively disenfranchised. The fear of one side makes people stampede into the other camp. Once again they are avoiding the process of thinking when making the decision to commit. They end up in positions that are morally and intellectually indefensible, but they can get away with it by only associating with like-minded fools and by snarling viciously at the unrealistic people who point out the immorality and/or foolishness of their choice. When they have safety in numbers; when the harsh light of reality will not intrude; believers may debate within accepted bounds of disagreement. They are thus secure in the knowledge that no one will point out that they are all backing different naked emperors who are engaged in an unflattering unclothed brawl that is just as revolting in actuality as my metaphor suggests. That is when they say really stupid things. For example, in response to the fact the policies under Bill Clinton had a terrible impact on black people Madeleine Kunin said that Bill Clinton was called 'the first black president.' She followed by saying of Hillary shes been voted the most admired woman in the world, year after year, because people respect her. I am not sure what world she is referring to, but it is not the planet Earth. In fact she is probably referring to a Gallup poll that asks Americans which woman they admire anywhere in the world. Kunin probably doesn't understand the difference. Not to be outdone Kunin's debate opponent, Ben Jealous, said that on the issues that Dr. Martin Luther King referred to as the 'giant triplets of evil'racism, militarism and greedBernie is the clearest and the most consistent. Not only is that only true if you preclude third party candidates, but there is a piece of authoritarian lunacy hidden there in plain sight. If you care about what Dr King believed in, why endorse someone that he would never have endorsed? King might have forgiven the banal ways in which Sanders has soiled himself in the pits of DC muck, but he would never have tolerated Sanders' embrace of militarism and empire. Perhaps the scariest thing is that people do not see this immediately. People seem to have forgotten what it means to have principles around the same time they forgot what it means for their country to be at war. Kunin and Jealous would probably feel a need to pick a prospective winner because they are immersed in this sort of politics. Relevance is capital to such people, but ordinary folks are also drawn to power. People want to feel they are part of something. The fervour of manic Trump supporters is really only the shabby and slack-jawed version of the credulousness of Democrats who are seeking to be part of history by supporting the first woman president or the first black president. The mania is the same regardless of how noble the pretext. Women who support Clinton in the belief that it is somehow feminist or will advance the cause of women in general are zombiefied. They brainlessly shuffle through an undead parody of a political process, immune to the ample evidence that in actions, rather than rhetoric, Clinton is not a great supporter of women's rights. Nor can Obama supporters process the reality that his administrations have deported more immigrants than any others in US history; have slowly reconstituted the wars he was supposed to end; and have carried out the largest international assassination programme in history; and numerous studies over the years show that the vast majority of his victims are civilians. Third Party Insurance My concluding advice to US voters: vote for a 3rd party candidate in any election that you can. People mistakenly believe that votes do not count if your candidate is not elected. That is stupid. How many elections come down to just one vote? More to the point, how responsive to the voters are people once elected? Studies have shown that elected officials do not carry out the will of voters and that mandate theory is empirically invalid. A vote is only good as an official statement of your belief, so it is not tactical to compromise on beliefs. Quite the opposite. Voting for a 3rd party in the US (assuming that votes are recorded honestly) is a message to your fellow citizens. If enough people do it, then the usual plutocrats will be weakened when they campaign in 2, 4, or 6 years because they will have to forestall any emerging alternative. Furthermore, they are so entrenched and decadent that they may fail to quell a growing alternative despite the resources at their command. Then you will have a real choice. Be smart. Do not put your faith in elected leaders. Vote 3rd party, then continue to fight for democracy in other ways. The current electoral process is not real democracy, it is the dance of the dead the Nazi Zombie Shuffle. Kieran Kelly blogs at On Genocide and can be found on Twitter, Facebook and Academia. Paz Colombia: The Latest US Attempt To Control Colombia? By Justin Podur 10 February, 2016 TeleSUR English The U.S. has announced funding for a new Plan Colombia as the country moves towards a resolution to its civil war. What is its real purpose? Colombia's peace process has entered its final phase. Agreements have been reached on land reform, political participation, and the rights of victims. The discussions are now focused on ending the conflict and implementation and verification of the accords. The deadline for a final agreement is March 23, and it might be met. In this last phase of negotiations, Colombia's president reached out to the US for aid. On February 4, a new initiative was unveiled in Washington by presidents Santos and Obama: the new version of Plan Colombia, which they called Paz Colombia. Obama began by commemorating the success of Plan Colombia, a plan that brought military helicopters and escalated aerial fumigation to the country. We were proud to support Colombia and its people as you strengthened your security forces, as you reformed land laws, and bolstered democratic institutions, he said. And after 15 years of sacrifice and determination, a tipping point has been reached. The tide has turned. Santos elaborated on the successes since Plan Colombia was rolled out in 2000: Today we can say without a doubt that the goals that we had in 2000 such as fighting the drug war, strengthening institutions, and imposing the rule of law, and to take social programs to great parts of remote Colombian territory those objectives have been met. The history of Plan Colombia is slightly different than that presented by Obama and Santos. As lawyer Dan Kovalik outlined in this article for TELeSUR English, the problems the presidents claim Plan Colombia solved were mostly made worse by it. Take Santos's objectives, which Plan Colombia supposedly met: The drug war? There may be a peace agreement between the government and FARC, but the drug war promises to go on and on. The rule of law and the strengthening of institutions? These were certainly areas of struggle over the past 15 years, but any gains made there were fought for by the people, not flown in by the military helicopters of Plan Colombia. Social programs and protections? Many have been lost under neoliberalism some have been preserved by struggle by Colombia's movements. What about Obama's list? Security forces were strengthened, to be sure. New equipment was introduced and soldiers were trained in its use. But the Plan Colombia years were years of collaboration between the military and the paramilitaries, who were responsible for the most horrific violence. Reformed land laws? The 15 years of Plan Colombia were a time of losses of land and of rights to land. Colombia's 1991 Constitution was one of the most progressive in Latin America when it came into force. Indigenous and Afro-Colombian territorial rights were enshrined. Paramilitary violence escalated after this constitution, as elites deployed their forces to create facts on the ground: specifically, to use terror and massacre to force people to flee the territories they had just won legal rights to. Millions of people were displaced from their lands in this way. Legal changes under the 15 years of Plan Colombia, the reformed land laws, attempted to retroactively legalize this loss of land. As for the bolstering of democratic institutions, it was in the Plan Colombia years that the para-politica or para-Uribe scandal occurred evidence of signed contracts between politicians and paramilitaries to kill and displace local people. There were other scandals too, in the Plan Colombia years. The Colombian security services wiretapping politicians involved in the peace process. The Colombian military entrapping and murdering completely innocent peasants, dressing them up as guerrillas, and using the deaths to inflate the numbers of casualties their units were inflicting (false positives). At the announcement of the Paz Colombia plan, Obama said that the US would support the peace the same way it had supported the war. If this is the plan, it is frightening. When Plan Colombia started in 2000, there was actually a peace process underway between the FARC and the government. It had begun just a year before, in 1999. There is little question that Plan Colombia helped to derail it, steering the Colombian government towards a military solution. At $450 million USD, the scale of Paz Colombia was reportedly disappointing to President Santos. The original Plan Colombia was announced at $1.3 billion USD, most of which paid for US-manufactured attack helicopters. Colombia paid several times that amount out of its own budget for Plan Colombia. Colombians paid for Plan Colombia, and they will be paying for Paz Colombia. Those were not the only costs Colombians paid. The environmental and health costs of the spraying are difficult to calculate. In 2008, Ecuador took Colombia to court over the ecological and health damage caused by aerial fumigation on the Colombia-Ecuador border. In 2013, the lawsuit was settled for $15 million, which environmentalists argued was an extreme undervaluation of the damage. The true damages might be in the billions. Many problems remain. Neither the peace accords nor Paz Colombia deal with the bigger cause of violence over the decades: the paramilitaries. Implementation will be fraught with difficulties. When previous guerrilla groups disarmed and joined politics (Union Patriotica and M-19), they were devastated by state-backed paramilitary assassination campaigns. Unarmed social movements have struggled during the talks, as they did during the war, to get their voices heard and their sacrifices recognized. But a negotiated end to the armed conflict has long been a demand of these movements, and its realization is to be celebrated. The movements will be the ones fighting to prevent Colombia's post-war reality from being mired in structural poverty and violence and endemic corruption, as Hector Perla wrote in TeleSUR last week. It is not accurate to say that the US is standing with Colombia in peace as it did in war. It might be more accurate to say that the US is trying to control the peace as it controlled the war. If the history of Plan Colombia is a guide, an independent path might yield a better peace. Justin Podur is the author of Haiti's New Dictatorship (Pluto Press 2012). He has contributed chapters to Empire's Ally: Canada and the War in Afghanistan (University of Toronto Press 2013) and Real Utopia (AK Press 2008). He is an Associate Professor at York University's Faculty of Environmental Studies. First published at TeleSUR English Printer Friendly Version Welcome To The United States Of Flint By David Rosner & Gerald Markowitz 10 February, 2016 Tomdispatch.com I know if I was a parent up there, I would be beside myself if my kids' health could be at risk, said President Obama on a recent trip to Michigan. Up there was Flint, a rusting industrial city in the grip of a water crisis brought on by a government austerity scheme. To save a couple of million dollars, that city switched its source of water from Lake Huron to the Flint River, a long-time industrial dumping ground for the toxic industries that had once made their home along its banks. Now, the city is enveloped in a public health emergency, with elevated levels of lead in its water supply and in the blood of its children. The price tag for replacing the lead pipes that contaminated its drinking water, thanks to the corrosive toxins found in the Flint River, is nowestimated at up to $1.5 billion. No one knows where that money will come from or when it will arrive. In the meantime, the cost to the children of Flint has been and will be incalculable. As little as a few specks of lead in the water children drink or in flakes of paint that come off the walls of old houses and are ingested can change the course of a life. The amount of lead dust that covers a thumbnail is enough to send a child into a coma or into convulsions leading to death. It takes less than a tenth of that amount to cause IQ loss, hearing loss, or behavioral problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the government agency responsible for tracking and protecting the nation's health, says simply, No safe blood lead level in children has been identified. President Obama would have good reason to worry if his kids lived in Flint. But the city's children are hardly the only ones threatened by this public health crisis. There's a lead crisis for children in Baltimore, Maryland,Herculaneum, Missouri, Sebring, Ohio, and even the nation's capital,Washington, D.C., and that's just to begin a list. State reports suggest, for instance, that "18 cities in Pennsylvania and 11 in New Jersey may have an even higher share of children with dangerously elevated levels of lead than does Flint." Today, scientists agree that there is no safe level of lead for children and at least half of American children have some of this neurotoxin in their blood. The CDC is especially concerned about the more than 500,000 American children who have substantial amounts of lead in their bodies. Over the past century, an untold number have had their IQs reduced, their school performances limited, their behaviors altered, and their neurological development undermined. From coast to coast, from the Sun Belt to the Rust Belt, children have been and continue to be imperiled by a century of industrial production, commercial gluttony, and abandonment by the local, state, and federal governments that should have protected them. Unlike in Flint, the crisis seldom comes to public attention. Two, Three... Many Flints In Flint, the origins of the current crisis lay in the history of auto giant General Motors (GM) and its rise in the middle decades of the twentieth century to the status of the world's largest corporation. GM's Buick plant alone once occupied an area almost a mile and a half long and half a mile wide, according to the Chicago Tribune, and several Chevrolet and otherGM plants literally covered the waterfront of this automotive city. Into the Flint River went the toxic wastes of factories large and small, which once supplied batteries, paints, solders, glass, fabrics, oils, lubricating fluids, and a multitude of other materials that made up the modern car. In these plants strung out along the banks of the Flint and Saginaw rivers and their detritus lay the origins of the present public health emergency. The crisis that attracted President Obama's attention is certainly horrifying, but the children of Flint have been poisoned in one way or another for at least 80 years. Three generations of those children living around Chevrolet Avenue in the old industrial heart of the city experienced an environment filled with heavy metal toxins that cause neurological conditions in them andcardiovascular problems in adults. As Michael Moore documented in his filmRoger and Me, GM abandoned Flint in a vain attempt to stave off financial disaster. Having sucked its people dry, the company ditched the city, leaving it to deal with a polluted hell without the means to do so. Like other industrial cities that have suffered this kind of abandonment, Flint's population is majority African American and Latino, and has a disproportionate number of families living below the poverty line. Of its 100,000 residents, 65% are African American and Latino and 42% are mired in poverty. The president should be worried about Flint's children and local, state, and federal authorities need to fix the pipes, sewers, and water supply of the city. Technically, this is a feasible, if expensive, proposition. It's already clear, however, that the political will is just not there even for this one community. Gina McCarthy, the Environmental Protection Agency's administrator, has refused to provide Flint's residents with even a prospective timetable for replacing their pipes and making their water safe. There is, however, a far graver problem that is even less easy to fix: the mix of racism and corporate greed that have put lead and other pollutants into millions of homes in the United States. The scores of endangered kids in Flint are just the tip of a vast, toxic iceberg. EvenBaltimore, which first identified its lead poisoning epidemic in the 1930s, still faces a crisis, especially in largely African American communities, when it comes to the lead paint in its older housing stock. Just this month, Maryland's secretary of housing, community, and development, Kenneth C. Holt, dismissed the never-ending lead crisis in Baltimore by callously suggesting that it might all be a shuck. A mother, he said, might fake such poisoning by putting a lead fishing weight in her child's mouth [and] then take the child in for testing. Such a tactic, he indicated, without any kind of proof, was aimed at making landlords liable for providing the child with [better] housing. Unfortunately, the attitudes of Holt and Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan have proven all too typical of the ways in which America's civic and state leaders have tended to ignore, dismiss, or simply deny the real suffering of children, especially those who are black and Latino, when it comes to lead and other toxic chemicals. There is, in fact, a grim broader history of lead poisoning in America. It was probably the most widely dispersed environmental toxin that affected children in this country. In part, this was because, for decades during the middle of the twentieth century, it was marketed as an essential ingredient in industrial society, something without which none of us could get along comfortably. Those toxic pipes in Flint are hardly the only, or even the primary, source of danger to children left over from that era. In the 1920s, tetraethyl lead was introduced as an additive for gasoline. It was lauded at the time as a "gift of God" by a representative of the Ethyl Corporation, a creation of GM, Standard Oil, and Dupont, the companies that invented, produced, and marketed the stuff. Despite warnings that this industrial toxin might pollute the planet, which it did, almost three-quarters of a century would pass before it was removed from gasoline in the United States. During that time, spewed out of the tailpipes of hundreds of millions of cars and trucks, it tainted the soil that children played in and was tracked onto floors that toddlers touched. Banned from use in the 1980s, it still lurks in the environment today. Meanwhile, homes across the country were tainted by lead in quite a different way. Lead carbonate, a white powder, was mixed with linseed oil to create the paint that was used in the nation's homes, hospitals, schools, and other buildings until 1978. Though its power to harm and even kill children who sucked on lead-painted windowsills, toys, cribs, and woodwork had long been known, it was only in that year that the federal government banned its use in household paints. Hundreds of tons of the lead in paint that covered the walls of houses, apartment buildings, and workplaces across the United States remains in place almost four decades later, especially in poorer neighborhoods where millions of African American and Latino children currently live. Right now, most middle class white families feel relatively immune from the dangers of lead, although the gentrification of old neighborhoods and the renovation of old homes can still expose their children to dangerous levels of lead dust from the old paint on those walls. However, economically and politically vulnerable black and Hispanic children, many of whom inhabit dilapidated older housing, still suffer disproportionately from the devastating effects of the toxin. This is the meaning of institutional racism in action today. As with the water flowing into homes from the pipes of Flint's water system, so the walls of its apartment complexes, not to mention those in poor neighborhoods of Detroit, Baltimore, Washington, and virtually every other older urban center in the country, continue to poison children exposed to lead-polluted dust, chips, soil, and air. Over the course of the past century, tens of millions of children have been poisoned by lead and millions more remain in danger of it today. Add to this the risks these same children face from industrial toxins like mercury, asbestos, and polychlorinated biphenyls (better known as PCBs) and you have an ongoing recipe for a Flint-like disaster but on a national scale. In truth, the United States has scores of Flints awaiting their moments. Think of them as ticking toxic time bombs -- just an austerity scheme or some official's poor decision away from a public health disaster. Given this, it's remarkable, even in the wake of Flint, how little attention or publicity such threats receive. Not surprisingly, then, there seems to be virtually no political will to ensure that future generations of children will not suffer the same fate as those in Flint. The Future of America's Toxic Past A series of decisions by state and local officials turned Flint's chronic post-industrial crisis into a total public health disaster. If clueless, corrupt, or heartless government officials get all the blame for this (and blame they do deserve), the larger point will unfortunately be missed -- that there are many post-industrial Flints, many other hidden tragedies affecting America's children that await their moments in the news. Treat Flint as an anomaly and you condemn families nationwide to bear the damage to their children alone, abandoned by a society unwilling to invest in cleaning up a century of industrial pollution, or even to acknowledge the injustice involved. Flint may be years away from a solution to its current crisis, but in a few cities elsewhere in the country there is at least a modicum of hope when it comes to developing ways to begin to address this country's poisonous past. In California, for example, 10 cities and counties, including San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Oakland, have successfully sued and won an initial judgment against three lead pigment manufacturers for $1.15 billion. That money will be invested in removing lead paint from the walls of homes in these cities. If this judgment is upheld on appeal, it would be an unprecedented and pathbreaking victory, since it would force a polluting industry to clean up the mess it created and from which it profited. There have been other partial victories, too. In Herculaneum, Missouri, for instance, where half the children within a mile of the nation's largest lead smelter suffered lead poisoning, jurors returned a $320 million verdict against Fluor Corporation, one of the world's largest construction and engineering firms. That verdict is also on appeal, while the company has moved its smelter to Peru where whole new populations are undoubtedly being poisoned. President Obama hit the nail on the head with his recent comments on Flint, but he also missed the larger point. There he was just a few dozen miles from that city's damaged water system when he spoke in Detroit, another symbol of corporate abandonment with its own grim toxic legacy. Thousands of homes in the Motor City, the former capital of the auto industry, are still lead paint disaster areas. Perhaps it's time to widen the canvas when it comes to the poisoning of America's children and face the terrible human toll caused by the American century. David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz, TomDispatch regulars, are co-authors and co-editors of seven books and 85 articles on a variety of industrial and occupational hazards, including Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution and, most recently, Lead Wars: The Politics of Science and the Fate of America's Children. Rosner is a professor of sociomedical sciences and history at Columbia University and co-director of the Center for the History of Public Health at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health. Markowitz is a professor of history at John Jay College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Both have been awarded a certificate of appreciation by the United States Senate through the office of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who has recognized the importance of their work on lead and industrial poisoning. Copyright 2016 David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz Tweet WhatsApp Share Share on Tumblr Comments are moderated Obama Intensifies Wars And Threats By Jack A. Smith 10 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org The Obama Administration is expanding its military power and threats against Russia and China as well as increasing its war efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria while preparing to restart Washington's old war in Libya. Most of this has been revealed in the first six weeks of the 2016 election year and President Barack Obama's last full year in office without any significant new provocations against the United States. At least part of the White House motive must be to undercut right wing Republican campaign rhetoric alleging Obama and the Democrats are "soft on defense," and creating a more robust martial entry into the president's legacy. On Feb. 9 the White House revealed that is sending up to 800 more soldiers to Afghanistan to join some 10,000 U.S. troops already in the country, according to an account in the Guardian, which reported: "In keeping with Barack Obamas formal declaration that the U.S. is not engaged in combat despite elite forces recently participating in an hours-long battle in Helmand province defense officials said the additional troops would not take part in combat. But they will help the existing Helmand force defend itself against Taliban attacks, officials said." Nearly five years after the U.S., Britain and France launched a bombing campaign against the Libyan government to bring about regime change, President Obama is now preparing a second military intervention in that country. Washington's initial intrusion resulted in the murder of the country's leader, Col. Muammar Gaddafi, and unexpectedly sparked a civil war between two factions that seek to rule the country. The chaos induced the Islamic State to enter Libya, becoming a powerful force in recent years. The use of U.S. special forces troops and airpower are soon expected. On Feb. 2 Defense Secretary Ashton Carter addressed the Economic Club of Washington about the new military budget and its uses, noting: "We dont have the luxury of just one opponent, or the choice between current fights and future fights. We have to do both." This evidently means fighting in the Middle East now and preparing fora much bigger war in the future against a more formidable force. Who might that be? The Washington Post's Missy Ryan wrote the next day: "Carter previewed the Pentagon budget proposal for fiscal 2017, making a case for why Chinas rapid military buildup and Russias intervention beyond its borders pose a bigger danger to U.S. security, and merit larger investments, than does the immediate threat from the Islamic State.... The proposal reflects Carters attempt to broaden the militarys focus to include not just the insurgent conflicts of the post-2001 era but also 'higher-end' threats from Russia and China, whose military innovation U.S. officials acknowledge has at times out-paced the United States. "Almost half of the new investments... are related to what officials see as a growing threat from Moscow, where President Vladimir Putin has demonstrated his willingness to employ Russian military might from Ukraine to Syria.... A senior defense official said the advances made by Russia and China do 'force a competition that has to be confronted in the next decade.'" The proposed Pentagon budget for 2017 is $583 billion and if passed will go into operation Oct. 1. The separate national security budget, which also includes war-related expenses, will be about the same size, bringing such expenditures to about a $1 trillion annually. Money for "securing Europe" will grow to at least $3.4 billion. There are presently about 75,000 U.S. military personnel in Europe. On Feb. 2 The New YorkTimes revealed that Obama "plans to substantially increase the deployment of heavy weapons, armored vehicles and other equipment to NATO countries in Central and Eastern Europe, a move that administration officials said was aimed at deterring Russia from further aggression in the region." The war budget for the fight against the Islamic State is expected to reach $7 billion, an increase of 35%. Speaking on the John Batchelor Show Feb. 2, Nation contributing editor and long time Russian analyst Steven F. Cohen argued that the Obama Administration's actions will further militarize the "new Cold War" between the countries, making it more confrontational and likely to lead to actual war with Russia. According to the program notes paraphrasing Cohen's remarks: "The move is unprecedented in modern times.... Russia will certainly react, probably by moving more of its own heavy weapons, including new missiles, to its Western borders, possibly along with a large number of its tactical nuclear weapons." Cohen pointed out that a new and more dangerous U.S.-Russian nuclear arms race has been under way for several years, which the Obama Administrations decision can only intensify. The decision will also have other woeful consequences, undermining ongoing negotiations by Secretary of State Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov for cooperation on the Ukrainian and Syrian crises and further dividing Europe itself, which is far from united on Washingtons increasingly hawkish approach to Moscow. On Jan. 29 it was reported that President Obama is in the process of intensifying U.S. military engagement in Iraq. There are further reports Obama has revised the "terms of engagement" in Afghanistan to enable remaining U.S. forces to once again undertake combat missions. At the same time, in the name of "freedom of the seas," Washington sent a Navy destroyer to intrude on a small China Sea parcel of territory claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. The United States spends far more annually on military matters than the combined war budgets of the eight other highest spenders, including China and Russia, and this doesn't include non-Pentagon war and national security spending. While there may be a need for increasing spending for the Obama Administration's several ongoing wars, where there have been setbacks and surprises, nothing remotely justifies the warlike rhetoric and warspending aimed at China and Russia.The U.S., NATO and other allies are inestimably more powerful in combination than these two countries not that Beijing and Moscow have provided any evidence of an intention to eventually attack Washington. This is an election year, and the Democratic Partymust display martial prowess in its confrontation with the same reckless chest-beating Republican opposition that heedlessly launched the new wave of wars since 2001 that President Obama has been continuing these last seven years. It is also an escalation of the U.S. threats to China and Russia, warning of the potential military consequences of disrespecting the leadership of the global superpower. The author is editor of the Activist Newsletter and is former editor of the (U.S.) Guardian Newsweekly. He may be reached at jacdon@earthlink.net or http://activistnewsletter.blogspot.com Parents of Lead-Poisoned Girl in Flint, Michigan File Lawsuit The first individual lawsuit for a child plaintiff poisoned by lead in the drinking water in Flint, Michigan has been filed. The child is a 2-year-old girl who went from friendly and responsive to perpetually irritable, according to the Detroit Free Press, and the lead levels in her blood are nearly three times higher than the baseline for toxicity. Luke Waid, the child's father, announced on Monday with his lawyers that they filed suit against State of Michigan and Flint officials, including Governor Rick Snyder, former Flint Emergency Manager Darnell Earley, and former Flint Mayor Dayne Walling. The plaintiff's lawyers explained that they feared the little girl's claim would be lost in the sea of claims by plaintiffs involved in class actions against the city. Dad Feels Betrayed Waid said that he feels betrayed by the Flint officials, who failed to warn of the lead in the water. He described the changes he's seen in his daughter, Sophia, after exposure to lead, saying she went from being a bubbly, energetic kid to an anxious and irritable one. Speaking on behalf of Sophia and his other children, Waid said, "These guys don't have a voice of their own so I have to be their voice. I have to stand behind my children. If I didn't feel so betrayed, I wouldn't have brought it this far. They could have told us, and we could have had a home filtration system set up so it wouldn't have gotten this far." Lead levels of 5 are considered toxic and harmful to children, yet Sophia's blood has registered lead levels of 14. Her father is concerned about long-term damage to her mental and physical development. "We don't know what's going to come in the future," Waid told reporters. "I'm uncertain. I'm no doctor, but it's really putting the parents in between a rock and a hard spot. ... It seems like our city officials do not care." Class Actions Waid is of course not the only concerned parent. Others have joined in class actions against the city, but the Waid family worried that Sophia's claim would not receive the attention it is due given the slew of plaintiffs in those cases. "This child is but one of literally thousands of Flint residents who've been affected," said Waid's attorney Brian McKeen. Speaking of the Waid parents, he said, "They, like any parent have suffered tremendous anguish knowing that their child has been poisoned and faces an uncertain medical and developmental future." What About Your Kids? If you or your children have been harmed by exposure to toxic materials like lead in water, paint, or elsewhere, speak to an attorney. A lawyer can assess your case and help you determine whether you have a claim. Many attorneys consult for free or no fee and will be happy to hear your story. Related Resources: 5 Worst Things to Wear to Court You know that tiny voice in your head that loves your style and is always encouraging you to follow your sartorial instincts? Most of the time, that's a great voice to listen to. But sometimes you need to listen to that other little voice saying, "We need to be on our best fashion behavior here." And one of those times is going to court. Whether you're appearing in court as a juror, witness, plaintiff, or defendant, you will be judged, fairly or not, on your appearance. But you can have a say in how you're judged when you get there, especially by avoiding these five courtroom fashion faux pas: 1. Pajamas We've said it before, and we'll say it again: If you're going to court, put on some clothes. No, pajamas are not clothes. No, pajama bottoms with a coat on top are not clothes. No, pajama bottoms when it's really early in the morning and you're really tired and they're really cute with this coat are not clothes. We're not even saying you need to don your best suit or dress -- but at least put on some proper pants before you leave the house. Not one but two Pennsylvania judges have banned pajamas in court, so if you even want to get in the door, get out of your sleepwear first. 2. Sandals or Flip Flops Before you start in about how great your feet look and how fantastic your pedicure is, I want you to imagine everyone else in the courtroom walking around with their toes out. Does that paint a pretty picture? What's good for the goose is good for the gander, and what's best for everyone are closed-toed shoes in the courtroom. 3. Hats Perhaps your parents didn't implement a strict "no hats indoors" policy, but fear not -- the judge will. Judges won't allow hats in the courtroom, so unless you're travelling through a blizzard or rainstorm to get there, you might want to just leave the headwear at home. 4. Crack Jackets Didn't know crack jackets were a thing? Well now you know, and knowing is half the battle. So if you're heading to court to face drug charges, perhaps avoid wearing a sweatshirt featuring drawings of baking soda, spoons, and an open flame (depicting the crack-making process) and emblazoned with the slogan "Stack Paper Say Nothing." Just a thought. 5. Yoga Pants or Tights No. No no no. Noooooooope. Just ... no. If you need more advice on dressing yourself for a court appearance, try asking someone who's been there before -- an experienced attorney. Related Resources: By Susan Orr of the Courier and Press Workers at Alcoa Warrick Operations are learning which employees and how many will lose their jobs in next month's smelter shutdown. By March 30, Alcoa will shutter its Warrick County smelter, which employs about 600. The plant's rolling mill and power plant, which employ another 1,235 people, will remain open. Most of Alcoa Warrick's hourly employees are members of United Steelworkers Local 104. After several weeks of talks, Alcoa and Local 104 have come to terms on various shutdown-related issues, including seniority rights. "The agreement took care of that issue, which was a major issue for the union," said Local 104 President David Willett. Willett said Alcoa had wanted to keep rolling mill employees in their jobs, even if that meant that smelter employees with more seniority would be laid off. That was at odds with the union's interpretation of its employment contract, Willett said. "It's all one company. We're all Alcoa employees." Under the agreement reached with Alcoa, Willett said, smelter employees with more seniority will have the chance to move to jobs on the rolling mill. Willett estimated that more than 100 current rolling mill employees will lose their jobs as smelter employees with more seniority take their place. The exact number isn't yet known, Willett said, because the Alcoa agreement also includes severance and retirement package offers. Most all the smelter employees are getting offers, Willett said, along with some rolling mill employees. The number of layoffs depends on how many people accept offers, Willett said, and that won't be known until next month. "If everyone was to take a package, we could avoid layoffs." The union is also working on other possible ways to retain employees, Willett said. For instance, the union is analyzing work hours in different departments. If some areas run a lot of overtime hours, Willett said, the union will ask whether the company could cut overtime to save some jobs. "We are looking at every opportunity to keep someone," Willett said. He said the total number of people affected is 527. In a mass layoff notice filed last week with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Alcoa said "up to 600" employees will be affected. Alcoa spokesman Jim Beck said he could not account for the difference between the company's number and the union's. The smelter is still on track to shut down by March 30, Beck said. Most employees will be laid off April 7, according to the layoff notice. ___ A copy of the WARN Act mass layoff notice Alcoa sent to Indiana state officials Liberal Politics from the Heart of Bluegrass Country SHARE Jared Drennan Regency Properties, a commercial real estate company specializing in county seat communities, named Jared Drennan to the newly created position of construction manager. Drennan joined Regency Properties last July as a business manager responsible for the operations of 11 shopping centers throughout the South and Midwest. Drennan graduated from Murray State University with a bachelor's degree in business. He has over 17 years of management and personnel experience with companies such as Shelter Insurance, Accuride and Mycom. SHARE Just in time for Heart Month, the American Heart Association recognized The Heart Hospital as a gold-level "Fit-Friendly Worksite." The Fit-Friendly program recognizes employers who champion the health of their employees and work to create a culture of physical activity and health in the workplace. Worksites achieving the gold standard have a minimum of 25 employees, implement at least six of the physical activity criteria, two of the nutrition criteria, and one of the culture criteria listed in the application form. Walking programs, encouragement to take breaks for stretching during the work day, maintaining well-lit stairwells to promote using stairs instead of elevators, and a commitment to buying healthy choices for vending machines and cafeterias are examples of Gold-level criteria. "The Heart Hospital at Deaconess is proud to be designated by the AHA as a Gold Fit Friendly Work-Site. This recognizes our commitment to our employees to offer exceptional overall wellness programming, and our employees' commitment to demonstrate a healthy lifestyle." said Becky Malotte, executive director and chief nursing officer, The Heart Hospital. SHARE By Susan Orr of the Courier and Press Mother Nature and the calendar helped Tropicana Evansville post a strong performance last month, the casino's general manager says. Tropicana reported $10.1 million in gambling revenue last month, an increase of 4 percent over January 2015. Its visitation dropped 3 percent, to 93,750. On both of those metrics, Tropicana outperformed the state average. Taken as a whole, Indiana's casinos earned $179.5 million in gaming revenue, up 2 percent year-over-year. The casinos saw a combined 1,341,971 visitors, down 6 percent. John Chaszar, Tropicana's general manager, said the casino's increase in earnings came mostly from the first week of the month. This year, New Year's Day fell on a Friday. Weekends are generally the busiest times at casinos, and starting the month off with a three-day holiday weekend boosted revenues, Chaszar said. "It's what pushed us over the top." Favorable weather was also a factor. Except for one snowstorm, Chaszar said, January weather didn't keep patrons away in significant numbers. Around the state, nine casinos posted gambling revenue gains. The biggest winner was the French Lick Casino, with revenue growth of 12 percent. Another four casinos posted revenue losses ranging from 3-8 percent. All four of those casinos are in the southern or southeastern part of the state. Looking at admissions, only three casinos saw gains in January. The biggest gainer was the Blue Chip Casino in Northwestern Indiana, which saw 8 percent more visitors than a year ago. Horseshoe Southern Indiana in Harrison County posted the steepest decline, at 12 percent. Several casinos, including French Lick, do not report admissions. The numbers all come from the Indiana Gaming Commission's monthly revenue report, which was released on Tuesday. ___ The Indiana Gaming Commissions casino revenue report from January 2016 and January 2015 SHARE By Megan Erbacher of the Courier and Press Students who study music do better in school, according to a sign hanging in Moore Music. Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. Superintendent David Smith said he "wholeheartedly" believes the message. As a way to continue supporting EVSC music programs, on Tuesday afternoon EVSC Foundation representatives and Moore Music owner Brett Mulzer announced Liverpool Legends, "The Complete Beatles Experience!" will return to Evansville for a second time. The live performance will be 7 p.m. April 15 in the Jerry Hoover Performing Arts Center at North High School, 15331 U.S. 41. Doors open at 6 p.m. And like last year, the performance will also feature a section that includes EVSC instrumental and vocal students as part of Help Keep Music Alive through Louise Harrison, sister of late-Beatles member George Harrison. Smith said music is a great activity not only for students, but for the community as well. It's so important, he said, that the EVSC recently invested about $2 million in new instruments and hired seven additional teachers. "I've tracked student outcomes and since we've brought music back to the younger grades, you see that student performance track back up," he said. "So it is great for kids. I taught band orchestra for 19 years and I know the positive impact it makes in student lives." Smith said the Beatles tribute band sells out 60,000-seat stadiums, so the roughly 1,000 seats in the Jerry Hoover Performing Arts Center will go fast. Tickets range in price from $35 orchestra seats, $30 mezzanine seats and $25 balcony seats. The Fall 2014 Liverpool Legends concert was the first event hosted by the EVSC Friends and Alumni Association arm of the EVSC Foundation. It was created "to connect and engage everyone that is a part of the EVSC family." EVSC Alumni Association President Jon Siau said a portion of the proceeds will benefit EVSC music programs. The 2014 concert raised about $7,000 to benefit EVSC students through the EVSC Friends & Alumni Association. "Thanks to (David) Smith, we've reintroduced some of those (music programs) back into the school curriculum and we needed it," he said. "Statistics show that if you're involved in things, especially music, it's one of the premiere places you can get involved to improve your studies, and your intellect." Siau said Liverpool Legends is a group of four musicians and actors who were hand-picked by Louise Harrison. The Grammy nominated group has headlined the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and this year will perform at New York City's Carnegie Hall. "It's a night you will not forget," Siau said. "I assure you." The event's title sponsor again is Moore Music. Mulzer said the 2014 event was "a huge success" and he's honored to be involved again. "One of the main things I've always wanted to do was help students, especially in music," Mulzer said. "Because I used to be a band director. And this is a perfect way for us to tie in my music store with my previous band experience. It's a great fit for us." To purchase tickets, visit evscfoundation.org/tickets. SHARE Todd Young By Zach Osowski INDIANAPOLIS The Republican Party race for Sen. Dan Coats' open seat could be down to just one candidate, if a complaint filed against Rep. Todd Young's ballot candidacy is validated. The Indiana Democratic Party filed a formal complaint with the state's Elections Division, claiming Young did not collect enough signatures to be on the ballot. Young's campaign has denied those claims, accusing the Indiana Democratic Party of being scared and desperate. John Zody, chairman of the state Democratic Party, said Young did not reach the minimum signature threshold in Indiana's 1st Congressional District, which includes part or all of Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties. The Elections Division report states Young collected 501 signatures; the minimum requirement to be on the ballot is 500. The Elections Division does not count individual signatures, instead just certifying the number approved by individual county clerks. Zody said his office counted the signatures and only came up with 498. "It's important we hold our candidates accountable and make sure they are meeting state law," Zody said. Young's campaign provided the signatures to multiple members of the Statehouse press corps on Wednesday. A line-by-line count of each signature came up with 497 signatures. The count was supervised by Republican and Democrat employees of the Indiana Secretary of State's office. The discrepancies could stem from three Porter County residents who signed petitions in both Porter and Lake counties. Those signatures were validated in Porter but not in Lake. Another page seemed to indicate a LaPorte County resident was incorrectly counted in the 2nd District instead of the 1st. "It seems Todd Young simply wanted to not do the hard work that's necessary to get on the primary ballot," Zody said. "We look forward to next steps in this process to determine its outcome." The matter will be taken up by the four-member Indiana Election Commission on Feb. 19. If they rule Young did not be the requirements, he could be left off the ballot, leaving U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman as the lone GOP candidate. Eric Holcomb withdrew from the race on Monday after accepting the lieutenant governor position. Baron Hill is the lone Democrat on the ballot. Young's campaign maintains enough signatures were collected. Trevor Foughty, Young's campaign manager, called the complaint a "political stunt." "Indiana Democrats know they can't beat Todd Young in an election, so they are making a desperate attempt to keep him off the ballot by disenfranchising the Hoosier voters who put him there. It won't work," Foughty said in a statement. Foughty said more than 650 signatures were collected in the 1st District. Of those, only 501 were counted as eligible, registered voters by the county offices. Foughty said the campaign believes the number of valid signatures is even higher than 501. By Staff Report An alleged snafu involving petition signatures could keep Rep. Todd Young out of the Republican primary race for U.S. Senate. The Indiana Democratic Party will issue a challenge to the state election division on Wednesday claiming Young's campaign garnered only 498 signatures in District 1 two short of the 500 needed to be placed on the ballot, according to a statement from the party. "The IDP is formally challenging Young's petitions because it is imperative that every candidate seeking office in Indiana is determined to be eligible and it appears Todd Young may not be eligible," Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody said in the statement. Young's campaign manager refuted the claims, and accused the Democratic Party of trying to "disenfranchise" voters. "Todd Young has clearly met the requirements to be listed on the ballot," Trevor Foughty told Politico. "Our campaign submitted more than enough ballot petition signatures in each congressional district. Further, clerks in all 92 counties verified the validity of those signatures. At this point, any attempt to disenfranchise voters would be unfortunate, underhanded, and ultimately unsuccessful." Senatorial candidates are required by state election law to garner at least 500 signatures from each congressional district. A hearing on the issue has been tentatively scheduled for Feb. 19, according to the Indianapolis Star. Young, 43, R-Bloomington, has represented the 9th Congressional District in Southern Indiana since 2011. He is running for the Senate seat that will be vacated by Dan Coats, who will not seek reelection. FILE - DENNY SIMMONS / Courier & Press SHARE By Zach Osowski INDIANAPOLIS No vote was taken on a divisive police body cameras bill after a hearing by the Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. House Bill 1019 would restrict access to police body camera footage and would put the burden on the public and media to prove they have an interest in viewing the video. Authored by Rep. Kevin Mahan, R-Hartford City, the bill would require members of the public to get a petition from a judge to be able to view the video. The person would have to prove public interest would be served by the video being released and that no harm would come from its publication. Members of the public, as well as media groups, have argued those points might be hard to prove if they don't know what's on the video beforehand. Courier & Press investigative editor Jay Young testified at the hearings last month. The committee chairman, Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford, said he had concerns over the burden of proof being put on the public. He offered an amendment on the bill loosening the burden of proof and expanding the time frame police agencies would be required to keep video archives. The amendment wasn't voted on after Steele said it still needed some work. No action was taken on the bill either and further study was assigned to a subcommittee created by Steele. He said he wanted the subcommittee members to come up with some amendments that would better job of balancing public access with privacy concerns. Steele said he hoped the Judiciary Committee could vote on the bill next week but it could be two weeks before the bill is ready to go. Jason Dombkowski, police chief for West Lafayette Police Dept. and a representative for the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police, testified on the success he's seen at his department, which implemented a body camera policy a few years ago. Dombkowski said the body cameras have been an improvement on his staff. "Everybody behaves differently when they know they're being recorded," Dombkowski said. He also said more often than not, body camera footage is used to exonerate police from wrongdoing. The majority of police agencies support the bill, although they expressed concern about the cost of extending the amount of time they would have to save body camera footage. A previously unknown artifact from Abraham Lincoln's life in Indiana is displayed at the Indiana State Museum, in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Museum officials unveiled the wooden mallet they say Abraham used to make furniture when his family lived in southwestern Indiana during his youth. The mallet is inlayed with nails that form Lincoln's initials "A.L" and the year "1829." (Kelly Wilkinson /The Indianapolis Star via AP) NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT SHARE Rachel Hoffmeyer / TheStatehouseFile.com Steve Haaff, expert on Lincoln furniture made in Indiana, called the mallet Spencer Countys best kept secret. By Christina Ramey INDIANAPOLIS The Indiana State Museum unveiled a previously unknown artifact that connects Abraham Lincoln to his life in Indiana. The museum on Tuesday displayed his bench mallet "the railsplitter's railsplitter." "The tool that we have was lost to history up until now. And it was made and used by Abraham Lincoln right here in Indiana's own Spencer County," said Tom King, president and CEO of the Indiana State Museum. "And here it has stayed until today, marked with his initials and the date. This tool is crafted and then recrafted into what is known as a bench mallet by Lincoln's own hands." The mallet is a rare find that shows Lincoln's Hoosier roots. The Lincolns lived in Southern Indiana from 1816 to 1830, but there are not many artifacts from that time. "It tells of the earthly beginnings of a man who is not just celebrated in this state or just celebrated in America," said Gov. Mike Pence. "But I will tell you when I was telling Indiana stories in China last year, the Chinese people revered Abraham Lincoln as almost no other American for his character and his strength and his wisdom." The mallet has been passed down five generations of the Carter family and is currently owned by Keith Carter, of Evansville, and his sister Andrea Solis of Saline, Michigan. "They had it on display on a mantle in their house for their family. The best kept secret in Spencer County," said Steve Haaff, an expert on the furniture the Lincolns made while living in Indiana. But the new generation of Carters wanted to share the artifact with the state Auditor Suzanne Crouch said a man who lives in the district she served as a state representative contacted her with information about the mallet. "In Spencer County they knew about it," said Crouch. "They were trying to figure out how to make this go bigger and how to share it with people of Indiana." Crouch said the mallet had been in the Carter family since 1829, when Lincoln moved to Illinois and gave the Carters the hammer. It passed its way through several generations before recently coming into the possession of Nick Carter, Brauns' cousin. Crouch said the Carter and Lincoln families were neighbors. Crouch said no one had any idea the artifact existed outside of the Carter family, until Nick received it from his father. "There are stories people had it under their floorboards and up in their attics," Crouch said. "The last few generations had it sitting on their fireplace. It's pretty incredible." Before Tuesday, the most well-known artifacts from Lincoln's time in Indiana were pages from his arithmetic book that he made for himself. There is a page that resides at the Indiana Historical Society and one at the Lilly Library at Indiana University. "When the Lincolns left Indiana for Illinois in 1830 there wasn't really a whole lot of reason to maintain objects that belonged to Abraham Lincoln," said Dale Ogden, chief curator of history and culture at the Indiana State Museum. "He was a Southern Indiana farm boy. He wasn't Abraham Lincoln, the great emancipator, quite yet." Lincoln used the mallet to drive iron wedges into logs to create split-rails for fences. The head of the mallet was made out of a tree root-ball, but eventually broke in half. Instead of throwing it away, Lincoln turned it into a bench mallet that he used to drive pegs into furniture. He discarded the long handle that was on it and replaced it with a shorter handle. The mallet wasn't inlayed until after it was broken in 1829. The mallet will be on display to the public beginning Feb. 12, Lincoln's birthday, at the Indiana State Museum and will be on loan to the museum until the end of the year. "I know that this will be cherished by Hoosiers," said Pence. "But I have every confidence that it is going to draw people from around the country and around the world who will come to see those initials and when they do they will know Abraham Lincoln was a Hoosier." SHARE By Richard Young Federal re-entry programs benefit former offenders as well as community On Nov. 1, 2015, approximately 6,000 federal inmates were released from prison earlier than originally expected, representing the largest one-time influx of offenders coming under supervision by the United States probation system. The mass release was due to a sentencing guideline amendment that was approved by the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 2014 which reduced the custody range for federal drug offenses and authorized the lower range to be applied retroactively to some 46,000 inmates in the Bureau of Prisons. While the release of so many prisoners on one day was unusual, it is important to note that in the federal justice system, the vast majority of individuals sent to prison will be released at some stage. It is thus critical, for the sake of the community and for the well-being of the offender, that services and guidance are provided to reduce the likelihood of a released offender committing future crimes. In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, individuals convicted of felonies are placed on supervised release as a condition of their sentences. U.S. probation officers monitor former inmates (who are called clients) and inform the court of any violations of terms of supervised release. The Probation Office for the Southern District of Indiana and its community partners have established a number of programs to help clients learn new ways of thinking, obtain housing, find jobs, repair family relationships, and eliminate destructive behaviors. These efforts reduce recidivism rates and therefore benefit not only the client but also the wider community. One of the longest-standing initiatives in the Southern District is the voluntary Re-entry and Community Help (REACH) program. Dating to 2007, REACH gives high-risk clients an opportunity to participate in monthly informal hearings with a team composed of a federal judge, federal public defender, assistant U.S. attorney and U.S. probation officer. During these hearings, clients interact with the REACH team and other offenders to discuss and address issues such as substance abuse, employment, criminal thinking, family relationships and peer association. Each client and their team also set short-term goals (with the) completion of these goals rewarded with positive reinforcement, including verbal praise, certificates of acknowledgment, and a celebratory reception. In addition to the monthly hearings, federal probation officers maintain weekly contact with REACH participants. Motivated individuals who successfully complete the two- to three-year program are eligible for early termination of supervised release. The REACH program has produced significant success stories. In one instance, an offender with a 35-year criminal history who had spent the previous 15 years in federal prison volunteered for REACH upon his release. Despite the individual's high risk for recidivism, he showed diligence and worked with his REACH team members to obtain housing, life skills and job training. Over the course of his two-year participation, the individual completed each phase of the program without any violations. As a result, the court granted early termination of his supervised release and the man has become a productive and contributing member of society, with no arrests or infractions. The efforts to facilitate successful re-entry in the Southern District of Indiana extend beyond the REACH program. With the support of the court, Indiana Federal Community Defender Inc. and U.S. attorney's office, the probation office has adopted a cognitive-behavioral strategy known as Moral Reconation Therapy. MRT is designed to challenge moral reasoning in every day life, thereby enhancing thinking and improving behavior. MRT is generally voluntary but can also be ordered by the court as a term of supervised release. During weekly group therapy sessions, which are facilitated by a probation officer certified in MRT, participants complete certain steps toward improving their moral reasoning. Studies have shown that former offenders who complete MRT are considerably less likely to recidivate. Newly released offenders also face issues that require legal assistance to overcome, like sorting out child support obligations, addressing a suspended driver's license or outstanding traffic citations, and securing housing. The newly established Legal Assistance Program, a partnership between the U.S. attorney's office, Indiana University McKinney School of Law, and the Indianapolis Bar Association (with the support of the probation office and Indiana Federal Community Defenders), pairs an attorney and a law student with newly released, high-risk offenders to provide legal advice and assist with court proceedings. The benefits of this program are wide-reaching, as lawyers have the opportunity to mentor law students; students receive academic credit and valuable experience; high-risk offenders are able to overcome challenges; and the community sees further reductions in recidivism rates. The U.S. Probation Office also works with the Indianapolis Mayor Office of Re-entry, Workforce Development, Goodwill Industries and other partners in its effort to assist clients with successful re-entry. Additionally, court-ordered treatment for substance abuse, mental illness, gambling addiction, and sex offenders assists offenders returning to society, as do residential re-entry centers or halfway houses which provide inmates nearing the end of their term of imprisonment the opportunity to adjust to more freedom and responsibility before fully re-entering the community. But what do these programs actually accomplish? Approximately 80 percent of clients in the Southern District of Indiana complete their term of supervision without being sent back to prison. In contrast, national studies have shown that individuals coming out of state prison systems have recidivism rates of over 67 percent in the three years post-release, with 56.7 percent of these offenders rearrested in the first year of their release (though it must be noted that recent Indiana Department of Corrections records indicate their adult recidivism rate is 37.6 percent). While some of those who do re-offend may have had access to the best programs, training, mentoring and other support systems, successful re-entry is an individual choice. The U.S. Probation Office for the Southern District of Indiana, in conjunction with many partners, goes to great lengths to assist its clients in making the right choices. Richard L. Young is chief judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. He has chambers and presides over cases in Evansville and Indianapolis. SHARE Kurt Tillman Evansville I noticed that the cartoon/satire piece in (the Feb. 9) paper depicted a group of Caucasian-only, "high-ranking Michigan officials" sipping Perrier with their noses in the air all the while complaining about their own "water crisis." Are we to believe that upper-class "white America" is solely responsible for Flint Michigan's recent polluted water scandal? The reality is most of Flint's elected officials are actually black; including the mayor and seven of the nine city council members. In my opinion, this kind of racially charged false narrative represents what's wrong with today's media. Intended or not, Nick Anderson's depiction is both divisive and irresponsible. It seems to me that race relations in this country can be characterized as "uneasy" at best without needlessly and inaccurately adding to it. So I ask: Isn't the racial divide in America big enough? SHARE Scott Straw Mount Vernon, Indiana The recent article by The Associated Press concerning fatal domestic shootings in Indiana was a continuing saga of biased and one-sided reporting by the liberal news media on anything related to firearms. It seems the media will stop at nothing to attempt to demonize an inanimate object such as a gun or the law-abiding citizens who choose the exercise their right to be armed. As most people know, statistics can be manipulated. The AP did not disappoint in that area. Their in-depth research of firearms related domestic violence deaths in Indiana covered a nine year period from 2006-2014 and revealed a whopping average of 16 deaths per year in a state with a population of 6.6 million people. Not exactly a social epidemic. Had they searched a bit further they would have discovered that the very same FBI statistics tables for the same nine year period also revealed an Indiana average annual death rate of 16 people due to the use if hands, fists, and feet. Knives and other cutting instruments produced 28 deaths per year. Everyday across this nation there are countless lives saved by armed citizens including here in Indiana. Remember when it looked like the Senate committee that oversees the CIA was writing the notorious CIA Torture Report, and caught the CIA searching their Senate bosses' files to find out what they knew? Apparently, CIA Director John Brennan doesn't. At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing yesterday, Brennan pitched a tantrum when Senator Ron Wyden [D-OR], who sits on the Committee, asked him to account for spying on his bosses. The Director snarls at his boss, insisting that nothing bad happened, that Wyden shouldn't be talking about it, and so on saying everything, in fact, except, "Sorry, it won't happen again." Brennan: Yes, I think you mischaracterize both their comments as well as what's in those reports. And I apologized to the Chairman and the Vice Chairman about the de minimis access and inappropriate access that CIA officers made to five emails or so of Senate staffers during that investigation. And I apologized to them for that very specific inappropriate action that was taken as part of a very reasonable investigative action. But do not say that we spied on Senate computers or files. We did not do that. We were fulfilling our responsibilities. CIA Director Freaks Out After Senator Wyden Points Out How The CIA Spied On The Senate [Mike Masnick/Techdirt] Accueil Forums Le marche Echange de cles jeux Echange de cles jeux system313 @ Ouvrier agricole 434pts Inscrit le: 31 decembre 2013 Age: 33 Messages: 160 Navigateur : n.c. Inscrit le: 31 decembre 2013Age: 33Messages: 160Navigateur : n.c. Hors ligne Poste le: 03 fevrier 2016 a 19:22 J'ai des jeux provenant de bundle en double, et un compte uplay qui me fait doublon aussi. Jeux de bundle -Beware Planet Earth! -Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Uprising (Origin) -Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered -Knight Squad -Neighbours from Hell Compilation -Populous (Origin) -Sacred 3 Gold -Saints Row 2 -Splinter Cell Chaos Theory ( Uplay) -Splinter Cell Blacklist (Uplay) -The Last Remnant -Tomb Raider I -Tomb Raider II -Tomb Raider III -Ultimate General Gettysburg On ne vend ni echange de compte ... Razwar Pas que des jeux de premiere fraicheur mais pas mauvais non plus ^^ Donc a vous de proposer Edit: En revoyant mes anciens bundle, je vois cle Steam et Origin, mais une fois active sur l'un, elle n'est pas valable sur l'autre? Hello a tous.J'ai des jeux provenant de bundle en double, et un compte uplay qui me fait doublon aussi.Jeux de bundle-Beware Planet Earth!-Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Uprising (Origin)-Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered-Knight Squad-Neighbours from Hell Compilation-Populous (Origin)-Sacred 3 Gold-Saints Row 2-Splinter Cell Chaos Theory ( Uplay)-Splinter Cell Blacklist (Uplay)-The Last Remnant-Tomb Raider I-Tomb Raider II-Tomb Raider III-Ultimate General GettysburgPas que des jeux de premiere fraicheur mais pas mauvais non plus ^^Donc a vous de proposerEdit: En revoyant mes anciens bundle, je vois cle Steam et Origin, mais une fois active sur l'un, elle n'est pas valable sur l'autre? Derniere edition par system313 le 21 mai 2016 a 12:52; edite 3 fois 0 pour, 0 Evilspirit @ Agriculteur 1650pts Inscrit le: 08 mai 2014 Messages: 881 Localisation: Franxault Navigateur : n.c. Inscrit le: 08 mai 2014Messages: 881Localisation: FranxaultNavigateur : n.c. Hors ligne Poste le: 03 fevrier 2016 a 20:13 C'est en tout cas comme ca que ca s'est passe pour moi lorsque j'ai pris le dernier bundle Origin : j'ai eu une cle pour Origin qui activait tous les jeux du bundle et d'autres cles pour Dragon age, Mass effect 2 et Dead Space a activer sur Steam. Plop, les cles HB sont valables pour les deux comptes, en fait tu dois surement avoir deux cles une pour Origin et une pour Steam.C'est en tout cas comme ca que ca s'est passe pour moi lorsque j'ai pris le dernier bundle Origin : j'ai eu une cle pour Origin qui activait tous les jeux du bundleet d'autres cles pour Dragon age, Mass effect 2 et Dead Space a activer sur Steam. 0 pour, 0 system313 @ Ouvrier agricole 434pts Inscrit le: 31 decembre 2013 Age: 33 Messages: 160 Navigateur : n.c. Inscrit le: 31 decembre 2013Age: 33Messages: 160Navigateur : n.c. Hors ligne Poste le: 05 fevrier 2016 a 00:44 Personne n'a un Batman ou un Tomb Raider offert par Asus a echanger ? 0 pour, 0 system313 @ Ouvrier agricole 434pts Inscrit le: 31 decembre 2013 Age: 33 Messages: 160 Navigateur : n.c. Inscrit le: 31 decembre 2013Age: 33Messages: 160Navigateur : n.c. Hors ligne Poste le: 09 fevrier 2016 a 20:30 Ajout de Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. 0 pour, 0 cyrilsails @ Paysan 970pts Inscrit le: 16 fevrier 2015 Messages: 723 Navigateur : n.c. Inscrit le: 16 fevrier 2015Messages: 723Navigateur : n.c. Hors ligne Poste le: 09 fevrier 2016 a 23:04 Je me permets d'utiliser ton topic pour proposer des jeux a donner/echanger, ils sont issus d'humble bundle, certains, je les possede deja et d'autre pas le temps, l'envie d'y jouer, donc si ca vous interesse n'hesitez pas Pixel Piracy UnEpic Super Splatters Outlast Torchlight II La-Mulana Shadow Warrior Special Edition 140 MirrorMoon EP Contraption Maker Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Game of the Year Edition Company of Heroes Complete Edition Warhammer 40K: Space Marine Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II: Retribution 0 pour, 0 Mirahine @ Eleveur bovin 15432pts Inscrit le: 19 decembre 2012 Messages: 7866 Localisation: Dans la campagne de Paris, le 77 Navigateur : Inscrit le: 19 decembre 2012Messages: 7866Localisation: Dans la campagne de Paris, le 77Navigateur : Hors ligne Poste le: 10 fevrier 2016 a 18:30 Possible d'avoir 2 jeux? Dans l'ordre, Outlast et Pixel Piracy. 0 pour, 0 system313 @ Ouvrier agricole 434pts Inscrit le: 31 decembre 2013 Age: 33 Messages: 160 Navigateur : n.c. Inscrit le: 31 decembre 2013Age: 33Messages: 160Navigateur : n.c. Hors ligne Poste le: 21 mai 2016 a 12:53 Ajout de -Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered -Knight Squad -Sacred 3 Gold -Saints Row 2 -Ultimate General Gettysburg 0 pour, 0 Accueil Forums Le marche Echange de cles jeux Sauter vers: Selectionner un forum Forums des constructeurs MSI [MSI] Presentation et informations importantes [MSI] Cartes meres [MSI] MSI et LUCID [MSI] Cartes graphiques [MSI] Nettop [MSI] Netbooks [MSI] Accessoires [MSI] Portables [MSI] Suivi techniques [MSI] Les exclusivites [MSI] Les presentations [MSI] Les videos [MSI] Les jeux [MSI] Les questions a MSI [MSI] Modding [MSI] Les evenements Cooler Master [Cooler Master] Presentation et informations [Cooler Master] Les boitiers [Cooler Master] Ventirads, ventilateurs et watercooling [Cooler Master] Alimentations [Cooler Master] Peripheriques gaming CM Storm [Cooler Master] CM Mobile [Cooler Master/CM Storm] Vos questions Corsair A propos de Corsair Alimentation Boitier Corsair link Memoire Peripherique Refroidissement Stockage Service Apres Vente (SAV) Divers NZXT A propos de NZXT Boitiers (S340, H440, Manta, editions speciales) CAM AIO Kraken HUE+ Accessoires & autres Questions & SAV HardwareLand : questions / avis / entraide L'atelier La selection des fermiers Mecano Composants CPU, Cartes meres, RAM Cartes Graphiques Alimentations SSD Boitiers/racks Refroidissement Watercooling AirCooling Hardcore Mods Overclocking Tuning HWBOT Concours Mods amateur NomadesLand PC Portables Tablettes Mini PC Telephones portables Peripheriques Ecrans Audios Claviers et souris Divers Hardware Do It Yourself CowcotMinute Tests Accessoires Boitiers Composants Peripheriques Refroidissement Portables SoftLand OsLand Optimisation Windows Linux Developpement Php/javascript/html Autre Graphisme GameLand Jeux pc Jeux Consoles LANs Consoles LAND Communaute Le marche Les Bons Plans de Jibaka Ventes Estimations Feedbacks Achats/Recherches Commandes groupees Le poulailler Amelioration du site Blagues Sorties et regroupements Calendrier Presentation [36 15 Cowcotland] Reserve aux Coqs Les photos des fermiers Chaines Youtube Moderation Questions diverses... Amazingly, this is an improvement on last year, when hackers took 300,000 taxpayers' records from the IRS. The identity thieves leveraged data from other breaches to automate the impersonation of taxpayers to the IRS's servers, making 464,000 attempts and succeeding 101,000 times. No personal information was obtained from the IRS systems. Agency officials are flagging the accounts of all affected taxpayers and plan to notify them by mail of the incident. The IRS is also working with other government agencies and industry partners to investigate the hack or stem its effects. The hack occurred last month. The breach underscores just how easy it is for attackers to dredge up personal information for huge numbers of people. With the recent compromises of the US Office of Personnel Management and health insurers Anthem, Premera, CareFirst, and Excellusto name just a small samplingit's easy to see how a breach on one organization can provide hackers with enough raw data to compromise millions of accounts housed with unrelated organizations. IRS website attack nets e-filing credentials for 101,000 taxpayers [Dan Goodin/Ars Technica] IRS Statement on E-filing PIN (Image: IRS 1040 Tax Form Being Filled Out, Ken Teegardin, CC-BY-SA) The problem? The same way that bacteria are learning new ways to overcome antibiotics, thereby threatening to send medicine back to the leech 'n chop days, wheat rust too is learning to overcome. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Really good for wheat rust's character arc; less good for sandwich enthusiasts. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Back in 1999, Uganda experienced the first outbreak of a new strain of stem rust. Designated Ug99 for the year it was discovered, this harmless-looking red fuzz can decimate a crop in short order. And researchers have determined that nearly all wheat strains in the world are susceptible to it. If you're thinking that this is happening way over in Uganda and therefore you needn't be the least concerned about it, then first of all: Hello, fellow American! And second of all, since its discovery, Ug99 has spread to almost a dozen countries and shows no signs of slowing. A single hectare of Ug99-infected wheat can release more than 10 billion spores, and it would take only a single spore hitching a ride on a single human to spread this to the United States and transform our amber waves of grain into red wastelands. And that's when you'll discover that when a loaf of bread is worth its weight in gold, everybody is gluten-free. Kaspersky Labs Australia managing director Andrew Mamonitis has left the vendor to join its major distributor Hemisphere Technologies. The northern Sydney distie announced its blockbuster signing yesterday, adding Mamonitis would join as a director responsible for sales and alliances. [The switch] was a purely personal decision. It was an opportunity to work for a young, dynamic organisation and a number of different vendors, Mamonitis told CRN. Its nothing untoward with Kaspersky. Kaspersky Labs marketing manager Basem Abdo is following his former boss to Hemisphere. The security vendor stated that its presence in the country would continue as-is, despite the personnel changes. Kaspersky Labs operations in Australia and New Zealand remain unaffected and the company will continue to invest and grow its market presence in this very important region, said Kaspersky chief business officer Garry Kondakov. Maxim Mitrokhin, Kaspersky Lab's managing director for Asia-Pacific, will take over the management of the region until further notice. Hemisphere to open new Sydney facilities Mamonitis departs after seven years as the Australian boss of Kaspersky. He originally joined the security vendor in 2009 as a sales director, leaving behind a seven-year stint at MYOB. He cited the strong growth of Hemisphere as a major reason for his defection. The distributor, after opening a Melbourne branch about a year ago, will launch brand new headquarters in the northern Sydney suburb of Brookvale in the coming weeks. It will have a new warehouse and facilities for training, said Mamonitis, who will be based in Melbourne. Hemisphere chief executive Peter Phokos said Mamonitis appointment would relieve some of his burgeoning workload. Bringing him on board as director allows me to focus on the operations side of the business while confident the sales side is being handled by one of the best in the business, Phokos said. We have aggressive expansion plans for the next year and are hoping to grow our staff count by 30 per cent. Andrew is a critical part of those plans. In Australia, Kaspersky Labs currently distributes to both consumer and corporate markets through Hemisphere Technologies. The second distributor, Exclusive Networks, concentrates on the corporate channel. From 2008 to 2012, the vendor was represented by Victorian distributor SMS eTechnologies. Check Point Software Technologies has appointed David De Laine as its regional managing director for Australia and New Zealand. Based in Sydney, De Laine will look after the firewall vendor's business across the region, including supporting the companys partner community. De Laine has more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry and was formerly the country manager for Clearswift Asia Pacific where he was responsible for the management and development of the ANZ sales organisation as well as supporting the companys channel partner network. Steve McWhirter, Check Point Software vice-president for Asia, Middle East and Africa, said: David has a proven track record in sales and business development within IT security and will be a real asset to Check Point as we continue to protect private and public organisations from cyber-attacks. De Laine said: Security attacks come in all shapes and sizes, and regardless of the size or complexity of the attack, the downtime associated with an attack can result in significant revenue losses. Ill be working closely with the sales teams and our partners to deliver Check Points first class solutions to business across Australia and New Zealand." A Microsoft partner that customises Dynamics CRM has signed a landmark deal with Dicker Data to distribute its solutions. xRM develops solutions for specific customer verticals that are imported into Dynamics CRM environments. Dicker Data stated that this means end user customers can start using the software from day one with industry specific terminology, forms, fields, views, charts, dashboards, reports and workflows. The customer then reaps significant cost savings by avoiding the need for lengthy discovery workshops, business analysis, consulting and development. The solutions provider has already served big-name customers such as Ausenco, Brookfield Multiplex, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Thales, but will now offer its product to resellers in Australia through Dicker Data. This new partnership with XRM will enable our partners to get the most out of Microsoft Dynamics through faster deployment and quicker realisation of returns on investment, said Dicker Data chief executive David Dicker. Las Vegas xRM is a Microsoft gold partner established in 1997. Dicker Data is headquartered in Kurnell, in southern Sydney. We are delighted to be working with the team at Dicker Data as the success of Microsoft Dynamics CRM continues to grow, said xRM director David Blumentals, citing increased interest in cloud CRM solutions from the legal, accounting and finance verticals. India's decision to effectively ban Facebook's pared-back free internet service is a major blow to the social network's plans, and may prompt other regulators to demand equal online access for their users. Facebook will have to reconsider its approach in the light of India's new rules preventing internet service providers from having different pricing policies for accessing different parts of the web, analysts said. "This is a major setback for Facebook," said Naveen Menon, lead analyst at A.T. Kearney in Singapore. "Not only because India was expected to be such a critical piece of the overall Internet.org success story, but more so because it has potential dangerous knock-on effects for the universal access initiative in other markets." Internet.org is Facebook's umbrella initiative to bring Internet access to the unconnected. Part of that is the Free Basics program, which Facebook has launched in around three dozen emerging countries. The service has been criticised outside India, too, with Facebook accused of infringing the principle of net neutrality - the concept that all websites and data on the internet be treated equally. Critics and internet activists argue that allowing free access to a select few apps and web services disadvantage small content providers and start-ups that don't participate. Ram Sevak Sharma, chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), told Reuters he hoped its ruling would clarify ambiguity about net neutrality and "that India has set the record straight that will be followed [the] world over". In Facebook posts after Monday's ruling, founder Mark Zuckerberg said Free Basics was just one part of a larger initiative that includes solar-powered planes, satellites and lasers, and pairing with local entrepreneurs to provide wireless hotspots. Expanding these approaches with or without the operators was one option for Facebook now, as well as legal workarounds where the service is repackaged, said Martin Geddes, a UK-based telecoms consultant. Facebook could also challenge the ruling in the courts, but a more likely move, said Marc Einstein, Asia-Pacific director at Frost and Sullivan, would be to sit down with the TRAI "to try to come up with a solution that's deemed a little more neutral". Facebook executives were not immediately available for comment, but India-born Karthik Naralasetty, whose blood donor matching service Socialblood is available in more than 20 countries via Free Basics, said Facebook was already re-thinking its approach. "Facebook is re-thinking what it's doing, coming up with better plans," he said by telephone. "Communications will have to improve. They have to get the buy-in of different governments before they go into those countries." Fight goes on It won't be easy. For one thing, said Neil Shah, a director of Counterpoint Research in Mumbai, Free Basics made little headway in India before it was suspended in December, gaining 1 million users. Only 252 million of India's 1.3 billion people have Internet access. Part of the problem, one expert said, is that Facebook implemented Free Basics in India following a playbook it has used in other developing countries without considering India's active civil society. Indian activists and local businesses strongly opposed Facebook acting as the "gatekeeper" of the internet, said Rebecca MacKinnon, director of the Ranking Digital Rights project at New America. "India is not a place where Free Basics is going to be welcomed or work and (Facebook) might be better off thinking about another strategy to win over users in India," she said, such as focusing on telecommunications infrastructure or helping people access affordable devices with internet connections. Opponents of the service said they would continue to fight. "Facebook is not going to take it lying down and they will try and figure out a way for it to happen one way or the other," said Sachin Bhatia, co-founder of Indian dating app TrulyMadly. "Our job is to keep at it non-stop to ensure internet freedom is not threatened." Regional telecoms operators which partner with Facebook, such as Indonesia's PT Indosat, controlled by Qatar's Ooredoo, and Globe Telecom in the Philippines, said the ruling would not lead them to reconsider the partnerships. "The Indian experience is very isolated," said Vicente Froilan Castelo, general counsel of Globe Telecom. (Reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff and Himank Sharma, with additional reporting by Ruma Paul in Dhaka, Eveline Danubrata in Jakarta, Neil Jerome C. Morales in Manila and Yasmeen Abutaleb in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Ian Geoghegan and Stephen R. Trousdale) Channel programs News CSC's Consulting, Staff Augmentation Businesses Struggle As Workforce Issues Persist Michael Novinson Share this Weak consulting and staff augmentation results dragged CSC's sales down for yet another quarter, though the company hopes to resume growing revenue by late 2017. The Falls Church, Va.-based company, which was No. 5 on the CRN 2015 Solution Provider 500 before spinning off its public sector business, saw sales in the quarter ended Jan. 1 fall 4.9 percent, to $1.75 billion, after factoring for changes in foreign currency exchange rates. This fell well short of Seeking Alpha projections of $1.85 billion, the company reported Tuesday. Non-GAAP earnings per share climbed 16 percent, to 71 cents, or $130 million overall, edging out Seeking Alpha estimates of 69 cents per share. [Related: New Day Dawns: CSC Split, SRA Merger Done, Spawning $8.1B Commercial, $5.5B Public Sector Powerhouses] "We saw a moderation in the trends of our legacy business, and continued strong growth in our next-generation offerings," CSC Chairman and CEO Mike Lawrie said Tuesday during the first earnings call after November's split with CSRA. The solution provider recorded declining sales in both areas of its business, with global business services (GBS) revenue falling 2.5 percent on a constant-currency basis, to $886 million, and global infrastructure services (GIS) revenue sinking 7.2 percent on a constant-currency basis, to $864 million. CSC's Americas region is further behind other areas in moving to higher value digital work, Lawrie said, which contributed to project-based consulting and staff augmentation projects' not materializing at the anticipated level. Year-over-year consulting revenue fell globally by 10 percent on a constant-currency basis, though regions with more enhanced capabilities such as the United Kingdom delivered double-digit growth. Applications revenue was also down slightly on a constant-currency basis as declines in legacy staff augmentation engagements were not wholly offset by growth in higher-value app utilization work, according to the company. Part of the challenge stems from a lack of employees, particularly in the Americas, who can carry out app utilizations and high-level IT consulting engagement, the company said. Much of the existing staff has more familiarity with legacy consulting and staff augmentation, Lawrie said. "To transform the business model of a company, you have to transform the skill set," Lawrie said. "The drag we are experiencing is in the acquisition of skills." Additionally, concerns about the state of the global economy prompted some clients to push out the start date on their short-term consulting work by two or three months, which Lawrie expects to continue at least through the first three months of 2016. "I have certainly seen some caution in the marketplace over the past six or seven weeks," Lawrie said. CSC's infrastructure sales continue to tumble even in the absence of lost business since renewals often come in at a lower rate than the initial contract. Lawrie gave the example of an outsourcing deal that was initially signed 17 years ago for $2.5 billion but renewed at a rate of only $600 million, despite the same services' being provided. CSC hopes to replace these large legacy deals with a higher volume of small contracts and renewals, but Lawrie cautioned that the process will take time. Additional infrastructure contracts around next-generation technology such as cloud or virtualized desktop tend to come in at a lower revenue rate, Lawrie said. Yet roughly 18 months from now, CSC expects to be at a point where the growth in next-generation offerings exceeds the decline in legacy revenue. As recently as late 2014, Lawrie said, CSC was experiencing $200 million to $300 million declines in legacy sales and recouping less than $100 million from new offerings. Yet over the past year, Lawrie said, that gap has been cut in half. CSC's revenue from next-generation technologies is now approaching a couple of hundred million dollars each quarter, Lawrie said. That has, in part, been fueled by 40 percent year-over-year growth in cloud sales, 300 percent annual growth in next-generation networking and virtualized desktop sales, and 1,000 percent year-over-year growth in Storage-as-a-Service (STaaS) sales, Lawrie said. CSC's stock remained unchanged at $30.80 per share in after-hours trading Tuesday. Earnings were announced after the market closed. For the next quarter, CSC expects low to mid-single-digit decline in revenue. Non-GAAP earnings per share for CSC's 2016 fiscal year, which ends March 31, are expected to come in at between $2.40 and $2.60 per share, Lawrie said. Security News Fireglass Launches From Stealth With Channel-Friendly Threat Isolation Platform Sarah Kuranda Share this After 13 years working at Check Point Software Technologies, Guy Guzner decided the security industry needed something new to help it get ahead of attackers, instead of reacting to them. "I wanted to even the playing ground here and come up with something that will bring the advantage back to the defender. This is why I founded Fireglass," Guzner said. Launching from stealth Wednesday, Tel Aviv-based Fireglass offers an enterprise network security solution designed to isolate Web activity from the network, assuming all of it is bad. The Fireglass Threat Isolation Platform acts as an "air gap" between potential attacks from Web, email and documents, and the endpoint and Web applications, according to the company. This isolation approach is different from Secure Web Gateways, which for the most part rely on signatures to separate good traffic and Web activity from bad. [Related: Cato Networks Launches Network Security-As-A-Service Platform To Channel] The launch from stealth comes just a few weeks after Fireglass landed $20 million in Series A funding, which was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, Singtel Innov8 and Trusteer co-founders Mickey Boodaei and Rakesh Loonkar. That funding is being put toward R&D as well as building out sales and market support, the company said at the time. Guzner, who is CEO of Fireglass, said the startup will focus its go-to-market strategy on the channel. Guzner said he knows the value of the channel from his time at Check Point, San Carlos, Calif., where he was head of security products, and will pursue that same channel-focused strategy at Fireglass. "We are planning to be a channel-based company. We truly believe in the scale and opportunity that the channel can bring," Guzner said. The solution is designed to be seamless in installation, management and user experience, Guzner said. It is agent-less and is available on-premise or as a service, requiring only a proxy on the endpoint to route traffic through the platform. "We designed the product right from the beginning with the channel in mind. It will be very easy to deploy, manage and sell the value of the product. [Those were] the guidelines right from the beginning when we started," he said. Guzner said Fireglass hasn't signed any reseller partners just yet, but it is talking to some of the biggest security solution providers in the U.S. and Europe, and is targeting partners who have a strong focus on security. He said the company is in the process of signing them up for its formal partner program, which he expects will launch shortly. The Fireglass product will be generally available in spring 2016, the company said. A 2012 lawsuit from the Navajo Nation, against Urban Outfitters, drags on. Uncomfortable with the retailer's now cancelled "Navajo" line of clothing, the suit was brought to defend The Navajo Nation's Federal trademark. Urban Outfitters, naturally, feels the term "Navajo" is generic and descriptive of a style, they're asking the trademark registration be removed. Who doesn't want a hipster panty named after them? Via ICTMN: Grand Circle Cruise Line today announced that the 89-passenger M/V Clio will begin cruising this summer following a $5M refit beginning in May. The M/V Clio will operate four European itineraries, including two new itineraries: a Small Ship Cruise Tour along the west coast of England, Wales, and Scotland, and the east coast of Irelandand later, an itinerary from Lisbon, Portugal to Barcelona, Spain. Grand Circle acquired the small ship, formerly called the M/V Tera Moana, from Paul Gauguin Cruises last year for an undisclosed price. "American boomers and seniors are increasingly interested in traveling by small shipsand in even smaller groups," said Alan E. Lewis, Chairman of Grand Circle Cruise Line. "We define small ships as those with 150 or fewer passengers, and the trend we're seeing is very different from the industry's move to bigger and bigger ships. "To create even smaller groups of travelers, we assign our local Program Directors to no more than 25 travelers, which creates a more intimate experience and more easily fosters engagement with local people, cultures and their ways of life. We are proud to introduce the M/V Clioa 4-star experience at a 3-star price and the best value in the industry." Itineraries include Coastal Charms of England, Wales, Ireland & Scotland and Voyage to Iberia: Lisbon to Barcelona. Security threats from peer to peer (p2p) communication are nothing new, but they are becoming more sophisticated. From ransomware and CryptoLocker to botnets, these are global threats that continue to evolve in more sophisticated ways. If security teams arent looking for them, they may go undetected, which could be costly for the enterprise. The TrendLabs Security Intelligence blog has been talking about ransomware and CryptoLocker threats for the better part of this and the last decade. In his August 2015 post, Macro Threats and Ransomware Make Their Mark: A Midyear Look at the Email Landscape, Maydalene Salvador, noted that the number of spammed messages in 2014 was nearly 200 billion emails. But not all spammed messages related to macro threats had attachments. Other emails contained links that led to legitimate file hosting websites like Dropbox, where the malicious file is hosted, Salvador wrote. Whether the files are encrypted and held for ransom or injecting malware that can then steal credentials, users continue to click on and share these virulent attachments. These massive campaigns continue to benefit the bad guys by granting them access or earning them a payload. Chase Cunningham, director of cyber threat research, and Jeff Schilling, CSO, of Armor spoke about todays common p2p threat, the CryptoLocker campaign. Schilling said, Individual computer threat actors are sending phishing emails to victims. That crypto software sees what protocols are open across your network. Then they lock up the files, encrypt them, and hold them for ransom. [ ALSO ON CSO: Peer-to-peer, wireless network could help in disasters ] Criminals have now entered the server arena, said Schilling. It used to be botnets five years ago, but they made the switch to web servers which gives them more power. If you dont have a lot of p2p protocols, they can compromise one server and then gain deeper access, he continued. Cunningham added, From a technical perspective, if your infrastructure is not seeing what is going on in the network, youre not going to see the p2p traffic. If your organization is not actively engaged in collecting targeted threat intelligence, you dont know what may show up in your network. There is almost no regulation in the p2p file sharing software industry, said Schilling, So whos to say what ports and protocols are in there? One solution is to monitor for it, all the way down the entire stack. You need to have threat intelligence. Most organizations are lucky if they have antivirus and anti-malware, said Schilling, but they need consistent monitoring. A common monitoring problem, said Schilling, is that most network traffic is monitored from north to south. Observing the east to west connection between the server in our environment and other servers will unveil different threats. Most organizations dont put the sensors in between the servers to pick up that p2p activity. We had a customer last year who had a botnet enter into the corporate environment, and it spread to one server in our environment, but we blocked it because we were monitoring east to west and had a white listing, said Schilling. While there are multiple tools on the market that map out network and IT professionals about all the connections, A lot of people dont want to invest in those tools, said Schilling. They dont because they really dont want to know how bad it is. Cunningham and Schillling said that CryptoLocker remains another p2p problem, Its something that is really taking off this year, and the vulnerabilities on their personal laptops and devices are from not shutting down those p2p protocols, Schilling continued. Once criminals gain access to one machine, they can see all ports and protocols in that network. Very few should be open, Cunningham said. People are doing file shares or they are mapped to network drives and the malware migrates and encrypts those network drives. Avoiding these threats has a lot to do with network design and creating network access control systems so that when a computer connects to a network, only certain traffic is allowed. All ports and protocols are locked down. Many users can do all the business they need to do from guest networks which are segmented from the corporate network, said Schilling. In addition, Segment the users who are using their own devices away from the corporate network. Treat that user population as if they are already compromised, Schilling continued. Michael Taylor, lead applications developer at Rook Security, said that depending on the nature of the attack coming from the p2p, avoiding threats can be very difficult. Instead of coming from a few servers or hosts, they are outsourcing those onto many, many hosts. Using firewalls is not going to block all of that traffic. Botnets from p2p applications are popular and more sophisticated in their communication methods, and eradicating them requires eliminating the herd, which is different from a traditional botnet threat with a command center. When you have a botnet, you have to have some of the servers telling the other servers what they should be doing. If you can isolate your network from the command and control servers, the conductor of the botnet cant get to the control setting, said Taylor. If you have those few command and control servers that are static, it is easier to isolate that traffic. You can basically cut off the instructions from the person who is operating the botnet, then it will allow you to have some time for remediation, but with the p2p setting, the more decentralized the botnet is, the more difficult it is to isolate that communication, Taylor explained. [ MORE: Botnet trafffic in 2015 - the invisible force that wants to eat the Internet ] The threats from these botnet range from DDoS to spam emails to using them to infiltrate a network by compromising a work station within an environment. Once they have access, they can then pivot onto a server where there is confidential information stored. "You can also use those hosts for extended phishing attacks, identifying executives or other targets for spear phishing or whaling campaigns, or targeting employees with ready access to the data you are after, said Taylor. Data is most often the primary target for criminals. Thats been a fairly lucrative attack vector for these bad actors where the executives seem to be fairly easy prey. They have authorized wire transfers or had their own hardware compromised because of the amount of data executives have access to, said Taylor. Depending on how the network has been segmented, it might not be the case that a criminal could go directly from a single work station to the enterprise crown jewels, but the attacker might be able compromise credentials that would allow them to navigate that network. Having the signatures at the perimeter of the network as well as the internal network, said Taylor, You would be able to see traffic coming from the outside of the network and then when someone started trying to access others on the inside. In response to mounting cyber attacks on federal networks, President Barack Obama is seeking $19 billion for cybersecurity, more than a 35% increase over last years spending, and calling for a federal CISO to oversee all the upgrade of outdated and insecure cyber infrastructure. The number of information security incidents grew more than 11-fold between 2006 and 2014 to 67,168, and attacks from other countries have been on the rise. +More on Network World: Feds' primary network security weapon needs more bang+ Notably China has acknowledged that hackers there were connected to the breach of the Office of Personnel Management which lost comprehensive records of 22 million federal employees, contractors and job applicants. Public-facing federal Web sites have been abused, most notoriously the Internal Revenue Services online services which coughed up detailed tax records of more than 334,000 taxpayers to hackers scamming the system. To help stem the tide, Obama has announced the Cybersecurity National Action Plan, which lays down a series of specifics to stem the tide and modernize the governments digital networks. It would strengthen security but also provide for the education of experts needed to ensure ongoing improvements. Here are the essentials of the plan: Allocate $3.1 billion for upgrading outdated and hard to secure cyber infrastructure. Appoint a federal CISO to oversee the upgrade. The job will be to develop, manage and coordinate cybersecurity strategy, policy, and operations across the federal government. Establish the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity This group of business and tech leaders, some of whom to be appointed by Congress, will draw a 10-year cybersecurity roadmap to promote best practices. The plan will include enhancing cybersecurity awareness, protecting privacy, maintaining public safety and economic and national security, and empowering Americans to take better control of their digital security. The group will be backed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Up total spending on cybersecurity to $19 billion, a boost of more than 35% over last year. Create the Federal Privacy Council to create strategic and comprehensive federal privacy policy across agencies. Educate consumers about cybersecurity via the National Cyber Security Alliance, an existing non-profit that includes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as well as private businesses such as Symantec, Cisco, Microsoft, SAIC and EMC. It calls for encouraging use of multi-factor authentication as well as implementing an unnamed means of adoption of effective identity proofing. Require agencies to do a risk assessment of the date they are in charge of, and then implement a plan to protect it better. Push for shared IT services such as cloud - to improve efficiency and lift the burden of individual agencies having to create their own secure infrastructure. Expand Einstein, the DHS program that records and analyzes netflow records and runs an IDS on government network traffic. The expansion would include running all government Internet traffic through a few central locations and running it through an IPS. Expand the DHS Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program for automating network risk assessment. Increase DHS cyber-defense teams to 48 to conduct penetration tests, search for intrusions, provide security expertise and incident response. Expand the number of colleges and universities that are part of the National Centers for Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity program, and fund scholarships for cybersecurity degrees that incorporate a federal core cybersecurity curriculum. In return, recipients agree to work for the government in cybersecurity programs, with the possibility of student-loan forgiveness. That would be funded at $62 million. Identity proof public-facing federal Web sites to prevent fraud, such as filing phony tax returns for the refunds. Reducing federal use of Social Security numbers as a means of ID to help prevent identity theft. Support regional cybersecurity training for small businesses through the Small Business Administration, the Federal Trade Commission and NIST. Create a testbed to test defenses for critical infrastructure such as the electric grid. This is run by DHS, Department of Commerce and Department of Energy. Develop a program to certify that Internet of Things devices are secure. Lay out strategic R&D goals for cybersecurity technology. Work with and help fund open source technologies to ensure their security. This story, "Obamas new cybersecurity agenda: What you need to know" was originally published by Network World . The network, in my minds eye, feels like a complex labyrinth with winding passages leading to opened and closed ports and firewalls exploding. Interestingly, when I did a little Google search to make sure I had my Greek mythology correct, I stumbled across this nugget of wisdom. In reference to Ovids Metamorphoses, and the labyrinth built by Daedalus, Wikipedia warns, This story thus encourages others to consider the long-term consequences of their own inventions with great care, lest those inventions do more harm than good. From what I hear, the myriad of security tools that elicit alerts of potential threats can sometimes do just that. Because IT folks are inundated and barraged with alerts, they stop paying attention to them all together. The result is exactly then the same consequence of an invention doing more harm than good. Whether that perception is true or false is up for debate. Sisense CEO Amir Orad holds that data analytics can be used to improve security in the enterprise. Getting endless alerts is a problem. Its too much, too many applications, and too much traffic, Orad said. What is happening now at large organizations is that they have way too many incidents, and we are trying to analyze all the events they are getting from the various systems then they have to determine what is a priority within those incident." [ ALSO ON CSO: The 5 worst Big Data privacy risks (and how to guard against them) ] When organizations have endless alerts to figure out, they need some way to analyze it better within their limited resources. Orad said, Agile business intelligence is very different from machine learning. Intuition is critical to security. We are using human beings to navigate in the data with very intuitive tools, whether its physical security in a retail store or cyber security of an enterprise. Twenty years from now, I dont think you will see companies that will be successful unless they take advantage of their data assets and using analytical tools to do that. Sisense CEO Amir Orad For example, a large retailer that has had loss of inventory needs a very intuitive tool in order to search through and make sense of the hundreds of millions of inventory pieces. That cant be done with excel or a white board, said Orad. Context and understanding the business is critical in using data analytics, which makes the success of these tools contingent upon the human beings who use them. The success of data analytics demands a bond between humans and machines. You have to have context to appreciate what is relevant to your business, said Orad. Twenty years from now, I dont think you will see companies that will be successful unless they take advantage of their data assets and using analytical tools to do that, said Orad. As technology advances and machines continue to supplant the work of human beings, we would all do well to heed the warning of Ovids masterpiece. Denying the value of human intuition could do more harm than good. Orad said, Some companies end up dictating almost in a script how the analysis should work. You lose all the intuition in the business. The minute you give a prescribed pre-defined way of doing things, you will lose all of the optimal thinking which means that you can miss threats. You have to give some leeway. We can't seem to find the page you are looking for. You may have typed the address incorrectly or you may have used an outdated link. Tom Cotter went to the dogs. There are no regrets, however, because it helped his career enormously. Cotter, let us remind readers, is the first comedian to have ever been a finalist on the Americas Got Talent television show, which the comedy world considers quite a feat. The Breakout Star from season seven of NBCs AGT, he finished as runner-up to a dog act. Those wounds run deep ... losing to dogs in front of millions of viewers, Cotter said, laughing. The experience has subsequently become grist for his stand-up act. It can be venomous. ... I can spend hours on the subject, he added, but he does take pride in being the highest finishing human being on the show. Its likely that hell spend some time on the subject when he comes to the Mohegan Suns Comix venue on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12-13, for three shows, including a Nasty Show on Saturday at 10 p.m. More Information Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12-13. 8 p.m. "Nasty Show" Saturday, Feb. 13. 10 p.m. $50-$20, adults only. 860-862-7000, COMIXcomedy.com See More Collapse AGT was so impressed with Cotter that he was invited back to the show in August 2013 to perform as a special guest star and then again to host Season Eights AGT Snapple Viewing Party. Another topic that Cotter likely will expound upon at Comix is his new book published on Jan. 20, Bad Dad: A Guide to Pitiful Parenting (Amazon, $9.99). Cotter, who we caught up with in West Palm Beach, Fla., for a gig, said readers should judge his book by its cover: A man, with a baby strapped to his chest, has a cigar in one hand, a beer in the other. Its not for the easily offended ... its pretty edgy and off-colored, he said of the book, which is described as hilariously awful. Born and raised in Rhode Island (the son of a neurosurgeon), Cotter lives in Stony Point, N.Y., with his wife and their three sons (age 8-13), who he considers his muses. Growing up, I was the youngest of six. As the littlest, I was always scrambling for the last piece of chicken ... and the one scrambling for attention. He loved being the class clown at school. In college, at Denison University (in Ohio), I was planning on being a lawyer and preparing to apply to law school, when I thought it might be a good idea to first get this comedy thing out of my system. That was about 30 years ago, and Im still working on it. Cotter describes his style as very Boston, very, very quick with lots of puns, misdirection, innuendo and lots of left turns and one-liners, he said. As for content, Ill talk about anything: my wife, sports, current events, kids. He has been featured on The Tonight Show, Last Comic Standing, Comics Unleashed and Comedy Central Presents. Cotter was in the movie Next Stop Wonderland and has done dozens of commercials for the likes of McDonalds, Doritos, Pepsi and Amstel Lite. The comedian has won the Seattle International Stand-Up Comedy Competition, was voted Best Stand-up at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and captured Grand Prize at the Boston Comedy Festival. (The Boston Herald pointed out that he won by the largest margin of victory in the history of the event.) Whether doing film or television or commercials, it all is a means to an end for me. Nothing is better than performing. pasboros@ctpost.com; Twitter: @PhyllisASBoros This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HARTFORD They have been able to get drivers licenses and in-state tuition at state colleges and universities. Now the states Dreamers, who were born in other countries and have come of age with other millennials in Connecticut, want access to financial aid. The Dreamers say its tough enough growing up as undocumented residents, and once they get into institutions of higher education they should be eligible for the same aid available to students who are U.S. citizens. For Edgardo Perez-Cabrera, of New Milford, and Angelica Idrovo, of Danbury, the extra money could be the difference between working multiple jobs with little future and attending college. I am here and living my American dream, which is to attend college, said the Guatemala-born Perez-Cabrera, 30, whose mother only attended school until second grade. He came to the country at age 16, sent by his mother to avoid the gang violence in his troubled Central American country. Without citizenship papers, Perez-Cabrera has worked washing dishes and shoveling snow to support himself. But he has suspended his studies at the Danbury campus of Naugatuck Valley Community College because of the cost. I always knew that I was undocumented, inside me, but I never felt the struggle until I had to apply for scholarships and the universities and everything, said Idrovo, 19, another Naugatuck Valley Community College student who was born in Ecuador, came to the U.S. when she was 12 and graduated from high school with honors. While she was accepted at Western Connecticut State University, Idrovo and her family were unable to afford it. After this year, her third at NVCC, she will continue to work two jobs before finishing her bachelors degree elsewhere, she said. Institutional aid will be everything for me, Idrovo said. I will contribute to the community, I will contribute to this amazing country and you guys will help me. Perez, Idrovo and a dozen other Dreamers joined lawmakers and advocates in promoting legislation that would allow undocumented students to become eligible for so-called institutional aid for those with demonstrated financial needs. The amount varies from hundreds of dollars per semester to thousands of dollars. This is a call to action for the state of Connecticut to help support me and my battle for this aid, said Joseline Tlamamulco, 18, a Mexican-born freshman at UConn. The new statewide effort, kicked off in a Capitol news conference on Wednesday, is called #AffordtoDream. Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, recalled that the bill passed the Senate last year before stalling and dying on the House calendar. Hes hoping the bill moves forward during this legislative session, which runs through May 4. It is, in fact, an issue of equity, said Looney, who has been instrumental in promoting legislation to give those without citizenship papers, who came to the country as children, opportunities for drivers licenses and in-state college tuition. These are students who are paying tuition, who are making a contribution to their own education and, in equity, they should be able to draw on the pool of aid that is given to other students who have paid those fees and paid that tuition, because it is an investment in our future, Looney said. What we need is to continue to have the best-educated, the best-prepared workforce in the nation. kdixon@ctpost.com; Twitter: @KenDixonCT A 28-year-old Connecticut man is in big trouble with federal law enforcement authorities after he allegedly drove 29 hours to Colorado to have illicit sex with what he thought was a mother and her two young daughters. But it turned out the mom in the Rocky Mountain State was a fictional persona of a single mother of two children, ages 10 and 14 created by federal agents to target individuals who use a particular website to sexually exploit children. John F. Walsh, U.S. Attorney for Colorado, said in a release that those invididuals may create and join a variety of groups based on their sexual interests, including groups called incest, jailbait, and teen. Members may post advertisements in the websites classified section seeking to meet other members with the same sexual interests such as rape and incest. Jason Tremblay, 28, of Ledyard, Conn. has been arrested in this investigation set up by a variety of law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Colorado State Patrol and the Greeley, Colo. police pepartment and U.S. attorneys. Tremblay was arrested late last week after driving from his home to Colorado to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a mother and her two minor daughters, who in this case was an undercover Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent, Walsh said. He was first charged based on a criminal complaint on Feb. 4 and then indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday. According to the indictment, Tremblay faces one count of aggravated sexual abuse with children. If convicted on that count he faces not less than 30 years, and up to life in federal prison. Further, he faces one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. If convicted on that count, he faces not more than 30 years in federal prison. Finally, Tremblay faces two counts of attempted coercion and enticement. If convicted on those counts, he faces not less than 10 years, and not more than life imprisonment, per count. Each of the four counts also carries a fine of not more than $250,000. This is how federal agenices set up the undercover operation: Last November, the HSI special agent was working in an undercover capacity in Greeley, adopting a fictional persona of a single mother of two children, ages 10 and 14. The agent posted a classified, and on Nov. 30, the agent received an email via the afore mentioned website from an individual asking if the mom persona was active with your girls. After this email, further communications ensued, including chats and other communications. This year, on Jan. 6, the undercover agent received an image that then target, now defendant Tremblay claimed to be himself. In return, the special agent sent images that she identified as her with her two minor daughters. After agreeing to a meeting that would involve the sexual exploitation of the minor girls, on Feb. 2, 2016, Tremblay began a drive he estimated would take 29 hours from Ledyard, Conn. to Greeley, Colo, which is about 50 miles northeast of Denver. On Feb. 4, 2 at 2:20 a.m., Tremblay was encountered by a Greeley Police Officer, who asked Tremblay about his sobriety and why he was in the vicinity. HSI agents and Colorado State Patrol Officers then arrived on scene and Tremblay was placed under arrest. According to U-S-History.com, Greeley, the county seat of Weld County, was established in 1870 by the members of the Union Colony of Colorado, a joint stock colonization company. The company was headed by Nathan Meeker, the agricultural editor of Horace Greeleys New York Tribune. Meeker was attracted to the scenic beauty and pure environment of the Rocky Mountains, which he felt would be ideal for setting up a community based on temperance, religion, education, agriculture, irrigation, cooperation, and family values. The town was named after Horace Greeley, who paid the community one visit in 1870 and never returned. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HARTFORD The Latino & Puerto Rican Affairs Commission joined minority lawmakers and legal activists on Wednesday to push for a change in the way state legislative districts are drawn up. Under legislation that a powerful co-chairman of the legislative Judiciary Committee said he would pursue this year, inmates would no longer be included as living where they are imprisoned. Instead, they would be counted as residents of the cities and towns in which they last resided before being incarcerated. Advocates said its a way to return more political power to the states cities, from which most of the states 16,000 inmates come. About a third of inmates are in local jails, either serving short misdemeanor terms or awaiting trial. But most of the rest are located in northern Connecticut, particularly the Enfield, Suffield and Somers regions, far away from the cities of Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven from which most inmates come. For too long, black and Latino communities have been robbed of our political representation, said Richard A. Cruz, chairman of the commission. This enhances the representation of prison towns in the Legislature without increasing the number of constituents. The more politically impartial alternative is to count prisoners in their last town of residence before they went to prison. During a morning news conference in the Legislative Office Building, state Sen. Eric D. Coleman, D-Bloomfield, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said that while the bill has failed in recent years, hes optimistic that it will pass in this legislative session. He said that most inmates would say their homes are where they were arrested and prosecuted. Under the bill, state grant formulas for towns and cities that host prisons would not be affected. Most of the states prisons are in five towns. House districts represent about 23,000 people, while Senate districts contain about 90,000 people. If the law were changed, it would not affect the drawing of legislative districts until after the 2020 U.S. Census. Lawmakers with prisons in their districts gain the advantage of having more-compact districts. Ingrid Alvarez-DiMarzo, state director of the Hispanic Federation, representing nonprofit agencies from throughout the state, said prison gerrymandering dilutes the power of minority communities, from which a disproportionate number of residents serve time behind bars. Peter Wagner, executive director of the Prison Policy Initiative, said that New York, Maryland, Delaware and California have already addressed the issue. The state of Connecticut relies on flawed data that counts incarcerated people in the wrong location, he said. This flaw distorts the legislative districts that are drawn based on that data, and it changes how the decisions made in this building are made and their outcomes. The result is to give extra political representation to the cities that host the prisons, Wagner said. The impact on Latino and African-American communities is particularly stark, because most people locked up in Connecticut are people of color, but most prisons are located in disproportionately white State House districts. The legal theory behind the proposal for change is that people do not lose their place of residence just because theyre in a state institution. Wagner said the Department of Correction can easily report the last home addresses of inmates. State Sen. Sen. John A. Kissel, R-Enfield, ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday that he has not opposed similar bills in the past. The idea has merit, Kissel said. I represent a region which includes several prisons and thousands of inmates. kdixon@ctpost.com; Twitter: @KenDixonCT STAMFORD Stamford High School was just one of a string of schools across the state to be disrupted by threatening phone calls Tuesday. Stamford police responded with a show of force after the call, made to the schools main office shortly after noon, hinted at a potential explosive device and threatened violence to the schools 1,700 students. Schools in West Haven, Hartford and Bristol received similar calls around the same time. Stamford police took the threat seriously. The school was evacuated and teachers and students sent home. A team of bomb-sniffing dogs went through the building for two hours Tuesday afternoon, as Special Response Team officers armed with carbines and wearing body armor encircled the citys flagship high school. Hillendale Avenue was closed to traffic as fire crews and ambulances staged a block away. At least one police sniper team was visible on the roof of the adjacent Fountain Terrace Condominiums. There was also a threat that there was possibly going to be some type of harm done to the children as they exited the building, Lt. Thomas Barcello, incident commander on the scene, said. Speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon as teams continued to sweep the school, he said that there had been more than just a bomb threat. The response was due to a call of a concerning nature made to the Stamford High office around 12:20 p.m., said Principal Ray Manka. Manka immediately called the police department and began evacuating the school. The kids did a great job. Everyone was out in minutes, he said. We had kids get out of here as fast as they could, he said. Several schools threatened Stamford Highs evacuation was one of at least five statewide on Tuesday. The West Haven High School initiated a so-called shelter-in-place procedure after a threatening phone call was made to the school at 12:30 p.m. The Hartford Police Department confirmed bomb threat to Capitol Preparatory Magnet School on Tuesday, and said officers were dispatched in response at 12:32 p.m. (A) male voice spoke an unknown language and then in English, Hartford Deputy Chief Brian Foley said in a statement. The caller stated that he had placed bombs across the roof of the school. Officers canvassed the roof and found nothing suspicious ... Nothing suspicious was found at the school." Similar calls were made at 12:45 to Bristols Central High School and South Side Elementary, the Bristol Press reported. The Bristol Police Department could not be immediately reached for comment. Stamford Police Lt. Diedrich Hohn told reporters that the department was looking into the possibility that Tuesdays incident was a hoax. I dont want to jump the gun and say (this is) what it is, but it sounds like it could be a swatting incident, Hohn said. Swattting, a term that refers to the practice of falsely reporting crimes to provoke a massive police response, is a growing trend nationwide. One such incident occurred in Cos Cob last March, when a caller falsely reported domestic violence and a hostage situation. The practice has become prevalent enough to prompt strong rebuke from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Swatting ... is extremely dangerous and places first responders and citizens in harm's way," the bureau wrote in a recent report on swatting. Hohn stressed that his departments investigation into Tuesdays call was still ongoing. Regardless of the nature of the threat, Hohn said that Stamford High responded well. We had them out within a half hour, he said. It seems like the students, the teachers and everybody took this pretty seriously. Advocate staff member Justin Papp contributed to this report BOMA is your guide to the impact of politics on commercial real estate. Advocacy is at the heart of BOMA San Francisco's mission. We act on legislative and regulatory measures to enhance and protect the value of commercial real estate. Visit BOMA at www.bomasf.org BRIDGEPORT A 46-year-old former Stratford teachers aide pleaded not guilty Tuesday to having a sexual relationship with two teenaged boys once in front of her own daughters. Meanwhile, a judge ruled a lawyer for the two boys cannot sit in on plea bargain discussions in the case. Standing before Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin, Kyle Damato-Kushel, of Overland Drive, Stratford, pleaded not guilty to two counts each of second-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree sexual assault, three counts of risk of injury to a minor and tampering with a witness. She asked for a jury trial. The judge continued the case to March 3. We have an aggressive defense we intend to pursue, Damato-Kushels lawyer, Richard Meehan Jr., said later, as he and his client left the Main Street courthouse. Damato-Kushel is free after posting $50,000 bond. She had worked at Wooster Middle School, and was arrested late last year and charged with having an ongoing sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy, beginning when she had been the boys preschool teacher. Police said that victim later told them Damato-Kushel had also had sex with his 16-year-old friend. The boy said on Aug. 12, 2014, he had gotten into a fight with Damato-Kushels husband at her home and had then left the house to meet his friend at Bunnell High School, police said. After a while police said Damato-Kushel had picked both boys up and had taken them, along with her two daughters, now 8 and 15, to the Trumbull Marriott Hotel. While in a room at the hotel with her daughters present, police said, Damato-Kushel had sexual contact with the two boys. James Clark, executive director of the Victim Rights Center of Connecticut, who represents the two teenagers, asked the judge during the hearing to allow him to sit in on pretrial discussions in the case citing an amendment to the state constitution protecting the rights of crime victims. But Meehan objected and the judge upheld the objection. My interpretation of the constitution is that victims can be present at any proceeding in which the defendant is present and the defendant is not present during pretrial discussions. The judge said. Victims have rights under our constitution but there is no enforcement provision and that makes their rights unenforceable, Clark said later. If Judge Devlin is incorrect there is nothing we can do about it. Cuba and Spain agree to move forward in its relations Submitted by: Juana Spain Politics and Government 02 / 10 / 2016 Cuba and Spain agreed in Madrid on Tuesday to continue moving forward in their relations on the basis of mutual respect and benefit, during a visit to that European country's paid by Ricardo Cabrisas, Vice-president of the Cuban Council of Ministers. The two parties confirmed the decision of moving forward in the implementation of the multilateral draft copy with the aforementioned Club, reads a commnique by the Cuban embassy there. During his brief working visit to Spain Cubas first trading partner in Europe-, the top official thanked Spanish authorities for their permanent position of rejection of the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States on the island. Madrid announced the decision to reopen the operations of an insurance export credit in the medium and long term by the Spanish Insurance Company of Credit to Export. In the talks, foundations were laid so the European nation can proceed to an additional cancellation of Cubas debt, through the signing of a conversion program of these obligations. To that end, an Exchange Value Fund would be created to finance projects in Cuba, agreed jointly, which will deepen bilateral economic ties. In addition, Spain confirmed the favorable stance in the process of negotiation and signing of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation between the European Union and Cuba, points out the text. source: www.cibercuba.com 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. What's going on in and around Somerset County? Ian relief: Deadline extended for property tax payments Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order delaying the payment of property taxes across 26 Florida counties struggling from impact of Hurricane Ian. When MaLeah Farmer stepped foot on the University of Memphis as a freshman, she was scared, because she was the first member of her family to attend college. Moving to Memphis to live on campus meant living in a city with nearly 100 times more residents than her hometown of Tiptonville, Tennessee. Now Farmer is a senior heath administration major at the U of M. Her day consists of going to class, catching up on homework and working part-time at night. She said she has adjusted to the college life now, but it was not easy. When I was a freshman, being first-gen was really scary because no one in my family had this experience, she said. It was like jumping in blind and not really knowing how to do anything or what to expect entering the college experience. She experiences the same struggles many first generation students face entering college: balancing time, lack of preparation and culture shock. In the United States roughly onethird of undergraduate students are first generation students, according to a study from the US Department of Education and Georgetown School of Public Policy. Farmer said transitioning from high school to college was a challenge. The biggest thing for me was being more responsible for myself and not having my parents wake me up and make sure that I went to school, she said. I had to learn how to be more responsible and get up to go to class. Its something I had to learn the hard way. Farmer said even when her parents were not around; they supported her from freshman year to today. They were definitely tough on me because they want me to get good grades to have this opportunity, she said. If it wasnt for my scholarship with First Scholars, I probably wouldnt be here because they cant afford college by themselves. First-generation students have trouble learning how college works because they often have no one to guide them, according to Victoria Maher, graduate assistant for the First Scholars Program, which helps first-generation students receive scholarships to the University of Memphis. Maher knows firsthand what it is like to be a first-generation student. When your parents dont know what college is about, youre pretty much on your own, she said. They rely a lot on themselves and their peers to see how college works. Many first-generation students are far from home, Maher said. Some people are from the east side of Tennessee, and they dont have anyone else to talk to except for us, she said. So there are a lot of barriers. Completing the FAFSA, financial aid, and some even ask whats a bursar. They dont know that college lingo until they get here. Maher said another huge issue among most first-generation students is culture shock. Coming to a city like Memphis, typically a metropolitan area, can definitely be a culture shock, she said. Having a different kind of schedule, students are used to going to school from 7 to 2. They are used to that in high school, going to class every day opposed to going to class for an hour and a half twice a week. Parents of first-generation students expect for their child to continue the same schedule they had in high school, according to Maher. Parents want them to come home every weekend, and it is not possible because they have jobs and other obligations, she said. Its definitely a challenge because it not like high school you have a lot more work to do. Get by and get those good grades, and that is a challenge for the students and the parent. Maher also added that an open door policy could be another solution to helping first generation students succeed. There is a lot of training going on for the faculty, like open door policies for those students, recognizing when they are in dire need and when they are not attending class, Maher said. Statistically, if one faculty or staff helps the student, they are more likely to return. Charles Frame, program coordinator of the First Scholars Program, said first-generation students primarily have to learn the lingo of college. He said it was going to be a hurdle for anyone just because of the way courses are structured. When you play a sport or learn about a new sport, thats kind of how college is, Frame said. That may be new to those students from high school, when a teacher teaches you a topic, you go home, you do your homework, and they move on. Well thats flipped here in most cases. In here youre expected to learn outside the classroom. A lot of first-generation students in general face those challenges. There are obvious social and cultural pieces about coming to college that might be different than where they came from. Frame said he tries to help students understand what is going on and advise them to not expect a big payoff. There is a lot a pressure for the student to go to college from their family, he said. You have pressure that youre going to get this education and youre going to get that high-paying job. A lot of the students come in to look to go into nursing or engineering, but those are areas that take a lot of work and are pretty cohort; those are classes you need a strong background in sciences. You really have to find out who you really are instead of a giant paycheck. Three out of five first-generation students drop out of college within the first six years, according to the Department of Education. Only 15 percent of first-generation students graduate with a bachelors degree and 10 percent with an associate degree. Nearly half dropped out and do not return, the same study from the Department of Education stated. Matthew Haught, the first-generation student advocate of the College of Fine Arts and Communications, said first-generation students do not have the best support system at home. Its not that their parents dont love them or have the finances to help them, Haught said. The experience of a first-generation student means that your family doesnt necessarily understand what it takes for you to succeed in college. Those things are issues. According to Haught, parents dont realize the time commitment and the expectations for homework, extra curricular activities and study time. First generation students can carry a load of responsibility, and it is a tough choice for the students. If the first-generation student has to carry a lot of the family responsibility, it creates a struggle for them, Haught said. They have to choose if they are going to help their family or going to do the work they need to succeed in college. That is a really tough choice because youre going to let somebody down, either your family or yourself. Haught said faculty should find whom the first-generation students are, so they can know when a struggle exists and can approach these issues head on in the classroom without prompting. The best thing for faculty to do is to recognize that these issues exist and to be able to talk to students about them, he said. Its not a lowering of standards, its an ongoing conversation to think about this student, and how this student can succeed. Lifestyle | Daily Life | News | The Sydney Morning Herald Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss The strongest argument advanced by the remain campaign is that it would be disastrous for Britains trade if we pulled out of the EU. Today comes striking evidence that this is palpable nonsense. Indeed, the latest trade figures illustrate graphically how much more Brussels needs Britain than we need Brussels. They show not only that UK exporters are becoming less dependent on European markets, but that the rest of the Union remains hugely reliant on ours. EU row: The latest trade figures illustrate that Brussels needs Britain more than Britain needs Brussels. Pictured, David Cameron speaks in central London this week Indeed, with fellow members selling us goods and services worth 223.4billion last year a record 89billion more than we sold to them they would be mad to erect self-destructive trade barriers. Meanwhile, Britains exports to the rest of the world continue to boom, outstripping sales to the EU by a resounding 17billion in 2015. And the trend looks set to continue, with Europes share of world trade growing smaller as businesses remain tied up in red tape by arthritic Brussels. Indeed, the figures suggest there is every chance we would prosper outside the EU, while our partners would sorely miss subsidies from the UK the second largest net contributor after Germany. What is so frustrating is that all this ought greatly to strengthen David Camerons bargaining hand next week. Yet from the start he threw away his aces by making it clear he wasnt serious about threatening to recommend withdrawal if his demands werent met. Indeed, it is deeply depressing to see him today, reduced to gagging his front-bench critics and scaremongering about EU reprisals if voters fail to endorse the empty package outlined last week. Mr Cameron should be careful. For the more he insults Britons intelligence, the less they will trust his advice on which way to vote. NHS migrant crisis Inevitably, the liberal Left is in uproar over claims by a cancer expert that the NHS has been brought to its knees by uncontrolled immigration from the EU. They point out that Professor Angus Dalgleish was a Ukip candidate last May, as if this disqualifies him from expressing a view on his area of expertise. They say, too, that the health service relies heavily on staff from abroad. True again. But none of this alters the truth of Professor Dalgleishs claims. Indeed, despite massive net immigration, Britain collects only 1 from European patients for every 15 the Treasury pays out for treating Britons abroad. That leaves a 700million annual health tourism gap and this is before the mass influx we can expect if the migrants now sweeping across the continent are granted EU citizenship. Yes, the NHS depends on foreign staff, many of whom are wonderful. But hasnt it occurred to the Left that if we had control of our borders, we could vastly decrease the pressures that force us to rely on them? Comic-book defence First Emily Thornberry was sacked by Ed Miliband for posting a tweet sneering at a white van owner who had hung England flags outside his home. Now she has embarrassed her party again, with some breathtakingly foolish remarks about the nuclear deterrent. Embarrassed: Emily Thornberry has made some breathtakingly foolish remarks about the nuclear deterrent Re-emerging as Labour's defence spokesman, she claims submarine-tracking 'diving drones' could make the Trident system as obsolete as the Spitfire. Yes, there's a serious debate to be had about renewing our deterrent. But heaven help us if we base our defence policy on comic-book science fiction. Whether you're half of a happy couple, half of a miserable one, gleefully single or Happn-hunting, one thing is certain: Valentine's Day is quite the challenge. A day designed, quite honestly, to discombobulate us all, it's round about now that we all begin gritting our teeth and praying for it to be 15th February already. 'Nobody loves me.' 'He doesn't love me enough.' 'THEY love each other more.' 'Do I love somebody else?' 'Why didn't he get me a card?' What did he get me THIS card?' 'Why did they give us the table by the loo?' 'How come he isn't proposing?' 'Oh, God, that guy IS proposing.' Will you be toasting each other like this? Unlikely. Valentine's Day must be approached with serious care Yes, there's the chance you'll have a lovely dinner and talk about your future children and enjoy the warm happiness of being with your favourite person in the world. But chances are, you'll have an even HAPPIER couple next to you, and you'll end the evening feeling quite dejected. The safest option, if you are in any doubt, is to choose to stay at home, warm and cosy, and treat yourself to some truly delicious food. Maybe at the table, with some lovely flowers, or maybe on the sofa in front of a heart-warming film. Happily, Marks & Spencer's super-decadent, poshest-yet Valentine's Day Dine-In deal lets you treat the person you love most in the world to a sublime private dinner - away from PDAs, pink food and annoying rose salesmen - for just 20. Choose your perfect meal from a fantastic selection of delicious M&S starters, mains, sides and desserts - including Smoked Salmon Pearls, Coquilles St Jacques, Lobster Halves, Beef Wellington, Gastropub Chunky Chips, Garlic Mushrooms, Posh Profiteroles and Raspberry & Prosecco Spheres plus a bottle of wine and box of delicious chocs - and save up to 17. Treat yourself to a truly enjoyable V Day with lovely food like sirloin steak and raspberry & Prosecco spheres Whether you're enjoying an indulgent night in by yourself or with a loved one, coquilles St Jacques are a luxury And if the person you love most in the world just happens to be yourself... well, at least you won't have to share your profiteroles. The alternative? Leaving the house and stumbling into one of these dreadful (and TRUE!) Valentine's Day scenarios 1. The one with all the kissing couples Dodge the smooching couples by locking yourself indoors with a chilled bottle of nice crisp Cava So, you've found someone prepared to lock lips with you. Big whoop. Medal's in the post. So how about you both go wait for it indoors, eh? The world reaches peak PDA on 14th February, which is enough to turn even the squishiest romantic into a Valentine's Grinch. So if you're not prepared to trip over at least four snogging couples between your front door and the local pub on Sunday, stay home. Bolt the doors and pour yourself and your beloved a nice crisp glass of Cava (Heretat El Padruell Cava Rosado and Cava Heretat El Padruell are both included in the M&S Valentine's Dine-in). 'I once invited a female friend out for dinner to say thanks for something she'd done for me. I knew she was a little bit in love with me, but unfortunately I didn't feel the same way. 'She turned up to the restaurant really overdressed and looking really excited - and then I looked around to see only loved-up couples in the restaurant and hear only love songs playing over the sound system. Then, and only then, did I realise it was Valentine's Day. What an idiot.'Max, 38 2. The one with the fully booked restaurants If you haven't secured a table for Sunday by now, you might as well put the phone down and start planning dinner a la kitchen. But don't worry; plump for Marks & Spencer's Valentine's Dine-in feast and you won't even get in trouble for not booking a restaurant, you'll be rewarded. Their most upmarket dine-in deal yet, M&S's V-Day meal options include Chicken Liver Parfait with Vodka & Cranberry, Gastropub Runny Poached Scotch Eggs, Sirloin Steak, Goats Cheese & Red Onion Lattice En Croute, Strawberry Punnets, Snapper Cove Chardonnay and Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. You'll pay 20 for a romantic banquet that would set you back over 100 in a nice restaurant, and you can even eat dinner snuggled up on the sofa in your PJs. Win, win. 'There was the Valentine's Day where not only did I have to ring around restaurants at the last minute trying (and failing) to find a table, but I also had to buy my own card for him to write in later, because he didn't want my flatmates to think he'd forgotten (he had).' Danielle, 32. 3. The one with the 'romantic' food Dining out on Valentine's Day inevitably means a restaurant full of better, much more in-love couples than you and overpriced pink food, possibly with a scattering of rose petals. Horrifying if you're on a date, more horrifying still if you're with a colleague. Or your accountant. Or your dad. Choose sexy food instead of twee: the M&S Gastropub Runny Poached Eggs work for us Spare yourself the horror by staying in and choosing sexy food over twee nonsense - the Gastropub Runny Poached Scotch Eggs work for us, or how about Sirloin Steak with a side order of creamy Carrot Crush, one of the side dishes available as part of the M&S Valentine's Dine-in? 'We were students. Too broke to eat anywhere else, we went to McDonald's for our Valentine's Day dinner. Both our cards were declined. I was so hungry I cried in front of everyone.' Leonie, 33. 4. The one with the cringy proposal If the thought of watching someone get down on one knee at the next door table in the restaurant makes your lonely heart weep with sorrow (Reader, we have witnessed seen such a scene: it makes you feel SO ENVIOUS), then stay indoors this Sunday. If this happens at the next door table, you will feel TRAGIC (we know, it happened to us) Valentine's Day is king of proposals; not even the grubbiest Theydon Bois back alley is safe from the buggers. And not all proposals are of the marital kind. Some are dreadful in an entirely different way 'My boyfriend told me he'd booked a really hot new restaurant for Valentine's Day and I was so excited I bought a really expensive dress and shoes for the occasion. But when we got there, it turned out he'd booked it for March 14th, not February 14th, and everyone else waiting for their tables smirked at us. Meanwhile I saw one man going down on bended knee at a lovely table in a corner of the restaurant. We left and ended up in the chippie, with me in my amazing new dress.' Jess, 38. We'd rather stay in and feast on smoked salmon pearls than be the third wheel on February 14th 5. The one when you're the other man If you don't have any plans for Valentine's Day, but your smugly loved-up friends do, look out. The only thing worse than being by yourself on V Day is joining another couple who've taken pity on you. No, we don't want to accompany you to the hot tub screening of Four Weddings And A Funeral, nor aboard the SS Love Ship for a twilit cruise down the Thames. We'd MUCH rather stay inside and share a plate of glossy M&S Smoked Salmon Pearls with the cat, thanks. In fact, there's only one thing worse than a pity-invite from your friends on 14th February: a pity-invite from your mum. 'I once acted as third wheel on the special Valentine's dinner my step-dad made for my mum. 'We split the cannelloni and sparkling rose three ways. I was 25.' Sam, 30. 6. The one with the unexpected break-up Emotions ride high around mid-February when relationships are suddenly hit with mass external pressure; sometimes it's difficult to tell whether your partner's skittishness is a sign that they're about to propose to you, or dump you. Sometimes they don't even know themselves until the very last minute. 'My best friend-turned-boyfriend-turned love-of-my-life dumped me out of the blue on 13th February. The next day he texted me to let me know there was something under my pillow. I found a love letter and the first in a series of hidden clues that guided me around my bedroom with kisses and little presents at each stage, leading ultimately to a Valentine's card (complete with personalised poem) and present. Turned out the breakup was still on, though.' Milly, 33. 7. The one where your Valentine is your mum Receiving a Valentine's care package at school: absolutely fine. University? Cute, though less so. Work? Oh, the humanity. A word to all mothers of fully-grown, self-sufficient humans: we know that you love us, and we're delighted, but please don't feel you need to shout about it to Colin from Finance. That barber shop quartet you sent last year made the company newsletter. Thank HEAVENS Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday this year. 'I used to get an anonymous Valentine's Day card sent to me at school every year. It was transparently from my mum and all the cool boys laughed at me.' Archie, 31. Who hasn't had a Valentine's Day card from their mum? But it gets a bit embarrassing once you're an adult... 8. The one with the creepy ex We've all got one, and Valentine's Day is when they come out to play in especially weird ways. Stay on home turf so that if they turn up out of the blue then at least you know all the best hiding places. 'I went on three dates with a guy before calling it a day, but for the past two years he's sent me Christmas, New Year and Valentine's Day texts telling me he loves me. I never reply. I wonder if I'l get one this year.' Sarah, 37. 9. The one where it's a massive anti-climax Yes, we'd love this chap to arrive bearing chocs but chances are he won't, so stay in and start a blog instead Will he? Won't he? Do I even want him to? And on Valentine's Day? Isn't that a bit naff? If he hides it in the pudding I'll have to say no. OMG, he's down on one knee! Is this really happening? Do my nails look OK? Oh, he's just tying his shoe. Nobody thinks rationally on Valentine's Day. All that chocolate does weird things to our brains. We may have only right-swiped each other on the 13th February, but if he isn't thrusting a diamond into your face by the 14th then it's OVER. 'I sat beside a couple on a plane to South Africa one February. They were all over each other and she kept discussing their relationship and ostentatiously ogling pictures of rings in magazines. 'They were also on my flight back. She was looking ringless, miserable and about ready to break up with him. I felt really sorry for her.' Claudia, 24. 10. The one where it's all a bit depressing Being single on Valentine's Day makes us do doolally things, from drunk-dialling inappropriate exes to waking up on the 15th next to a complete stranger. Stay safe: lock yourself indoors with your best single friend, confiscate each other's phones, share an M&S Beef Wellington, and start that dating horror story blog you've been joking about for months. 'Aged 27 I met a gorgeous man in a club on Valentine's Day. He was absolutely lovely, warm and funny, and as he went to the loo I smiled to myself thinking 'I can't believe I've actually found a good one on this day of all days'. 'But as he came back from the loo, he was confronted by a stunning woman who very obviously thought she was his girlfriend. She marched him off towards the bar as he threw me a sheepish look. I took a taxi home, trying not to cry.' Anna, 31. 11. The one where your advances are spurned Rule 101: Never, ever, EVER declare your undying love to someone you're not dating on Valentine's Day. You are not in a Richard Curtis movie. Most likely you will be rejected and fall down a hole on your way home. Save all declarations of love for 15th February, when you'll really catch them off guard. They'll probably say yes out of sheer surprise. 'I once bought a girl I really fancied a rose for Valentine's Day, but her boyfriend who I didn't even know existed sent it back to me with a note telling me to stay away.' Pete, 29. Keep your thoughts to yourself: Never ever declare your love to someone you're not dating on Valentine's Day The Marks & Spencer Gastropub Beef Wellington is part of its new, poshest-ever V Day Dine In deal this year 12. The one where everything goes RIGHT! Valentine's Day CAN be lovely, so keep your fingers crossed it's your turn, this year. 'I always used to dread Valentine's Day - even in a relationship, going out was always such a let-down. Last year, I arrived home from work, wondering whether we'd call a pizza as usual, or go to the pub for a couple of drinks, to find the front room filled with stunning white roses. According to research, nearly half of us have sent or received a 'sext'. With technology evolving so quickly, it's never been easier to send a risque message or picture to a lover or partner- but with the rise of 'revenge porn' sites and screenshots, there's also risks to consider. The law, consent and protecting your sexts are all things you need to think about if you're interesting in sending off some naughty notes to someone. Then there's the problem of what to write, how to take flattering pictures and the all important issue of timing. FEMAIL have spoken to the experts to compile the ultimate guide so you know your rights, know the risks and are ready to rumble. Sext is the new text: Nearly half of all Australians have received an explicit text so FEMAIL is giving the ultimate guide to sexting THE LAW WHAT IS THE LAW REGARDING SEXTING? Sending or receiving of any sexual imagery is illegal if either party is under 18 Sending sexual imagery or messages when the person has not consented to receiving them is also illegal Sharing or threatening to share someone's sexual images illegal The exact laws are different around Australia so check your state or territory's specific legislation Advertisement Legally, there are a few things to think about when it comes to sexting, and the exact laws change from state to state. However there are some common threads to the law, cyber security expert and ex-policewoman Susan McLean told Daily Mail Australia. 'With the sharing of sexual imagery, if you are under 18 it is going to be a crime. It doesnt matter if youre happy to share it, if you've consented to it being received, it's still a crime,' Ms McLean explained. Ms McLean is known as the 'cyber cop' and is an expert in the field, having written a book called Sexts, Texts and Selfies. She points out that many people don't know the laws around sexting and can get themselves into trouble through ignorance, especially because the legislation differs from state to state. Sharing someone's private images without their consent, or threatening someone with sharing their images, is against the law in all states, although Victoria's laws are the strongest in this regard. 'In Victoria there is specific revenge porn laws. So if an image you sent to someone is shared or it's threatening to be shared that's an offence,' Ms McLean said. Her advice is to go to the police if someone is sharing your images or sending you unsolicited correspondence, and if it's happening through social media, report it on the platform so it gets removed. Ensuring that anyone you're engaging in sexting with is over 18, and that all parties have consented to the sexting is essential to. Cyber cop: Susan McLean advises people to know the law before sexting anyone CONSENT The last thing you want when engaging in a steamy sexting session is to make the other person feel uncomfortable. Not only is it bad manners, but it is illegal to send someone sexual images or messages without their consent. Continually asking for sexual images or messages is also illegal, and considered a form of harassment that can be reported to the police. You need make sure the person you're sexting wants to receive what you're sending. That doesn't just apply to initial consent, but also the types of content you are sending and the continuation of of the sexting. If someone has suddenly stopped sexting when they were previously into it, you may have crossed a line. Think about it this way: if you exposed yourself to someone at a party, or walked up to them and groped them, it would be considered sexual assault. If you started having sex with someone and they told you to stop, but you kept going, that's rape. The same principals apply to sexting. The other issue is feeling pressured to sending a sext to someone. Consent must be freely given, or it's not real consent. It's your body and your images, so only send a sext if you 100 per cent want to. If you start sexting and then feel uncomfortable, you can stop- you don't owe someone else anything, much less images of your body or dirty messages. Communication is key. If you're worried someone you're sexting with isn't into it, ask them. The same goes with starting a session of sexy texting: don't just sent an unsolicited message or picture, confirm that the recipient is enthusiastic about receiving it. Communication is key: Make sure the person you're sending the sext to has consenting to receiving it first PROTECTING YOURSELF WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PROTECT YOUR SEXTS? Apps like Snapchat and Wickr can allow you to send self destructing messages, but aren't full proof Cropping out all identifying features in photos means even if they are shared your face won't be If your messages or images are shared without consent, contact the police immediately Advertisement Many women are worried about their messages or pictures being shared with others. It's a very real concern, especially with the abundance of revenge porn sites on the internet and how easy it is to save a picture and send it on to others. Writer Kate Iselin documented in 2014 how she had a naked picture of her shared without her consent, and how easily her partner had sent the private photo on to other people. 'After he took the photo, he immediately sat back on his heels and sent it to someone else, as routine as sharing an Instagram snap of a great sunrise,' she wrote. 'I felt hurt. I felt empty. I felt crushed; and I still feel all of these things and more.' The rise of app Snapchat was partly due to these concerns, mostly from women. Snapchat's features allowing messages that can only be seen for a maximum of 10 seconds, as well as notifications when something is screenshoted, making it somewhat less-risky to send a sext. However there are ways to save someone's snapchats without them knowing, meaning it's not fullproof. Encrypted messaging app Wickr may not include the filters and emojis that Snapchat does, but it's a much more secure way to send and receive sexts. It's end to end encrypted, meaning no one or no other app can hack into your messages, and you can set messages and images to self destruct after anywhere from three seconds to six days. New app SessMe is also worth trying. It allows you to encrypted messages, photos, video and audio, and delete messages you've sent not only from your own phone but from anyone you've sent it to. It also blocks screenshots on Android devices, and notifies you if someone has taken a screenshot from an iPhone, meaning it's probably the most secure way to send pictures. In the end, a lot of sexting comes down to trust. And whilst it is illegal to send on someone's pictures or messages, once they're out there it can be hard for them to ever completely go away. So weigh up the risks and do what you can to minimise them. Encypt yourself: A number of apps exist that can help protect you from having your sexts leaked SENDING PHOTOS Another step you can take to protect yourself is when taking any naked or semi-naked photo. Ensuring any photos you send don't have any identifiable features in them will help protect you if your photos are sent on to others. Be strategic, cropping or blurring out out your face or any tattoos or birthmarks. Don't include anything in the background that could identify you, like photos or clear shots of your bedroom. And delete the photos from your camera roll- you don't want to try and show a friend a cute puppy picture and them to see you naked instead. Importantly however, sexting doesn't have to mean completely explicit- suggestive photos, with a hint of leg or cleavage, can be very sexy. Think burlesque dancers- sometimes, less is more. In terms of taking the best possible photos, if you're going to go full nude or not, as with selfies lighting is key. Daylight is usually the most flattering time for photos, but darkness can also be very alluring (and hide areas of your body you don't feel as good about). Most importantly, don't get too caught up in being super serious- have some fun. And just because you took a photo, or said you would send one, doesn't mean you have to. If you don't feel comfortable, you can simply delete and no one is the wiser. 'Try to find your own voice': Author Krissy Kneen says to have fun with writing about sex PROSE When it comes to the nitty-gritty of how to sext, many people worry about not sounding 'sexy' enough. We're not all romantic writers, so Daily Mail Australia spoke to author Krissy Kneen, who wrote both Tryptich, An Erotic Adventure and The Adventures of Holly White and the Incredible Sex Machine. Ms Kneen says that when writing about sex, she is a fan of words that are visceral and strong. 'I like wet and juice and humid. I like words that speak to the blood and flesh and muscle of our bodies. I go to Lidia Yuknavitch or Han Kang or J G Ballard when I am lost for words. They offer words for the body that I have never even thought of,' she said. She advises that when writing your own sexy prose, it doesn't have to be perfect. Some of the best, sexy writing comes from honesty and what really turns you on. 'I think there has to be an honesty to [sex writing],' Ms Kneen says. 'If everything is too perfect, too pretty, too sexy then it becomes just a heightened faux sexuality and reads more like an advertising campaign rather than real sex. It is the human faults, the blemishes, the mistakes, the cramps and teeth clicking together that make the whole thing feel more real.' One of the most important things to remember, according to Ms Kneen, is to have fun with sending messages and don't get too caught up in the exact wording. 'The best thing is to try to find your own voice. Be playful. Find the joy in the sex. Follow your body. You will know when something is turning you on and if it turns you on, no doubt it will turn others on.' WHEN AND WHERE Once you understand the legalities, consent and the risks, if you decide you want to send a sext there are some other things to consider, like timing. There are times to sext, and times not to sext. For example, it's probably not best to send your lover messages or pictures when you're in a meeting with your boss. Same goes for when you're attending a family dinner, sitting on public transport or when you're on a date with someone else. Stories of sexts showing up when phones are plugged into big screen TVs or during a work presentation are cringe-inducing but common. If there's any chance of you receiving a sext when other people will see your phone, turn off notifications just to be sure. Additionally, check your workplace's electronic communications policy- sexting could be prohibited during work hours, and there could be a ban on using company devices to send explicit messages. The last thing you want it your steamy text to your partner to get you fired. From making pancakes in the classroom to hiding the pet cat in your rucksack, it seems pupils never run out of imaginative ways to bust boredom - and entertain their friends. Now pupils have posted photographs of their most hilarious and surreal moments at school including pranks like a girl crawling dressed as a turtle, another boy dressing as Goofy and snapping their teacher as she eats mustard from the bottle. FEMAIL rounds up the best images from the internet that prove quite how creative children can be when it comes to livening up the school day. One attention-seeking pupil decided it was fancy dress day and came in as Disney character Goofy. The picture was posted: 'This student walked into the classroom, stared and just left' A teacher is on top of the world and appears to almost be flying off his desk like a superhero in this picture taken by a pupil in school One pupil managed to capture the moment their teacher launched himself from his desk and did his best Superman impression. However, his landing wasn't captured for posterity. Another attention-seeking pupil decided it was fancy dress day and came in as Goofy. The picture was posted: 'This student walked into the classroom, stared and just left. 'This was at a private school, the teacher wasn't even mad.' Another picture showed the moment a teacher unzipped her student's backpack to discover that he had brought his cat to school. She hadn't believed him, until she opened his backpack and saw the ginger feline with her own eyes. A strange picture shows a girl dressed as a turtle crawling to school in the snow as she screamed: 'I'm a turtle.' Another picture showed when a teacher discovered her student wasn't lying that he brought his cat to school. She didn't believe him, until he opened his backpack and a ginger cat was inside A strange picture shows a girl dressed as a turtle who was crawling to school in the snow and screamed 'I'm a turtle' One pupil posted a picture of a substitute teacher drinking 'spicy mustard' from the bottle in their classroom on Snapchat And one pupil, was clearly aghast at the sight of their substitute teacher knocking back mustard from the bottle as they posted a picture on Snapchat. Several pictures are a testament to students' ingenuity, with one boy bringing a snazzy briefcase to school only to use it hide his Gameboy console inside. A pupil was also spotted sneakily reading a restaurant menu that was folded inside a textbook. While in another strange scene a teacher had an unusual way to get down with the kids, by categorising sexually transmitted diseases using Pokemon characters. But they didn't stop there and the teacher even used the Japanese programme's slogan to tell kids 'don't catch 'em all' and illustrated Chlamydia and other STIs with animated characters. One student posted a photo of a boy who wore a suit to school and had brought a briefcase with nothing but a Gameboy console inside A pupil was spotted sneakily reading a restaurant menu saved inside a textbook in another strange scene A teacher tried to get down with the kids using Pokemon characters to represent STIs in a bizarre classroom display In another funny picture, a teen took a snap of a berry smoothie which had been spilled everywhere but thanks to the unfortunate colour, they wrote 'it looks like someone has been brutally murdered.' But some of the shots show how creative pupils can be - and willing to go the extra mile. One pupil turned their locker into a dinosaur tea party complete with a gilt mirror and a chandelier which was uncovered during a locker search - although where the pupil was keeping their school books was a mystery. Berry disaster: Spilled berry smoothie everywhere looks like a 'brutal murder' happened, one pupil wrote and posted the pic A locker filled with a dinosaur tea party and complete with a gilt mirror and a chandelier was uncovered during a locker search And it must have taken extreme planning for a group of college students to makeover a campus observatory using just sheets and blue paint. The domed top was perfect to give it a new look and they transformed it overnight into beloved Star Wars droid R2-D2 which must have taken plenty of dedication to scale up to the roof. One teenage boy was caught red handed making pancakes in the classroom, heating them up in a toaster with syrup ready to pour over - and his makeshift kitchen barely hidden by a text book. It's not clear where the toaster was plugged in but he gets an A+ for effort. Other pranksters found interesting ways to make the school day pass quicker. Impressive prank changed a college observatory to look like Star Wars' R2-D2 using just sheets and spray paint A boy warms up pancakes in a toaster with syrup ready to go on top and covers his plan with just a textbook A CPR dummy in a hoodie was left in the hallway to confuse staff - and the principal tried to wake it up An ingenious pupil made the most of a strange hole in the floor by dropping down a crisp to try and communicate with the floor below A pupil took advantage of the new system for late passes at their school, which they could give a reason for being late and blamed it on a video game. But a Harry Potter fan wins with this elaborate one in the school toilets based on what happens when the chamber of secrets is opened at Hogwarts A joker left a plastic dummy used to practise CPR on a chair in the hallway covered with a hooded swirtshirt all day, but it was so convincing the principle tried to wake him up. An ingenious pupil made the most of a strange hole in the floor by dropping down a crisp to try and communicate with the floor below. He posted with the picture: 'We tied a Cheeto to a piece of yarn and we're trying to communicate with this girl but so far she hasn't noticed.' And a pupil took advantage of the new system for late passes at their school, which they could give a reason for being late and blamed it on a video game. They wrote: 'Was too scared to go outside because fog reminded me of Silent Hill.' But a Harry Potter fan wins with this elaborate one in the school toilets based on what happens when the chamber of secrets is opened at Hogwarts. Advertisement He spent years hanging out in the most iconic New York loft apartment of all time, now Matthew Perry has moved into a three-bedroom Manhattan-style penthouse during his stint in London. The 46-year-old star is currently appearing in The End Of Longing on the London stage and has moved into the stunning central London apartment, which is on the market for 7million. The space, designed by the Manhattan Loft Corporation and Ridgeford Properties, emulates a typical city pad and has a open-plan living areas and a modern, sleek design scheme. Scroll down for video Plenty of room for Friends: Matthew Perry, 46, is currently appearing in The End Of Longing on the London stage and has moved into the stunning apartment, pictured, the kitchen and lounge, which is on the market for 7million The space, designed by the Manhattan Loft Corporation, emulates a typical New York pad. With its grey wood floors and low-slung bed the master suite, pictured, oozes cool factor. Full-height windows give it a city feel There may not be views of Central Park, but Regent's Park makes an excellent substitute. Outside, there's a duplex terrace with spectacular city views. Perhaps if he looks hard enough, the star might even find an 'ugly fat guy' to spy on - a favourite pastime of his Friends character Chandler Bing. The duplex penthouse, which is located on the sixth and seventh floors of the newly developed block, has a master suite plus two further bedrooms and bathrooms. The multimillion pound property also comes with a 24-hour concierge service. Home from home: He spent years hanging out in the most iconic Manhattan loft apartment of all time, now Matthew Perry has moved into a Manhattan-style penthouse during his stint on the London stage In the kitchen is a mix of white high-gloss and wood finishes with over-sized wall tiles. On the other side of the island is the open-plan living area. The multi million pound property also comes with a 24 hour concierge The white marble bathroom: Over-sized tiles and a free-standing bath add a touch of cool to the huge space Outside, there's a duplex terrace with spectacular city views. Perhaps if he looks hard enough, the star might even find an 'ugly fat guy' to spy on - a favourite pass time of his Friends alter ego Chandler Bing The open-plan living area has a modern, sleek design scheme. There's a strong grey theme with a marble dining table, rug, dining chairs and sofa all in various shades of grey, plus funky touches in mustard and blues In the kitchen is a mix of white high-gloss and wood finishes with over-sized wall tiles. Across the island is the open-plan living area. There's a strong grey theme with a marble dining table, rug, dining chairs and sofa all in various shades. But the monotone backdrop is littered with funky touches in mustard and bright blues. Through the corridors, with walls decked entirely in wood, and up the open-tread staircase is the master bedroom. With its grey hued wood floors and low-slung bed, the space oozes cool factor. And the full height windows give it that city smart feel. Along with a dressing room the master suite also has a luxurious white marble bathroom. Huge floor tiles and a free-standing bath add a touch of cool to the opulent space. According to sources, Matthew Perry is believed to be staying at the luxurious property until May, when his stint at the Playhouse Theatre is due to end. The apartment, developed by Manhattan Loft Corporation and Ridgeford Properties, is for sale for 6,995,000 via estate agents Savills and Druce. He spent years hanging out in the most iconic Manhattan loft apartment of all time, so it's only fitting that Matthew Perry has moved into a Manhattan-style penthouse during his stint in London New Friend? Matthew Perry and co-star Jennifer Mudge in rehearsals for his play The End of Longing The duplex penthouse, which is located on the sixth and seventh floors of the newly developed block, has a master suite plus two further bedrooms and bathrooms, one of which is pictured The dining area has a grey theme bit a bright picture on the wall adds a touch of colour to the space Advertisement Black veils that cover women's hair or faces may be common throughout Iran but in the villages of the Persian Gulf, girls as young as nine shield their looks in colourful masks that rely on years of tradition for their distinctive look. Photographer Eric Lafforgue has taken a series of stunning pictures of the gold, red, embroidered and sequined boregheh masks of Southern Iran, worn for centuries by the Bandari people, the Arab Iranians who live in the coastal region. The intriguing headpieces are designed according to ancestral tradition and are first worn at social events by children before they reach puberty. And while many women - and their husbands - cling to the tradition, others lament the rise of the plain niqab which is growing in popularity simply as it's cheaper. Scroll down for video A Bandari woman wears a traditional mask with a moustache shape, Qeshm Island, Salakh, Iran. A French photographer has captured a set of stunning portraits of women in Southern Iran who wear an intriguing face mask called the boregheh. The traditional accessory has have been worn for centuries by the Bandari people - Arab Iranians who live on the southern coast and on islands in the Persian Gulf A smiling woman wears a traditional mask with a moustache shape. Qeshm Island is home to several masks styles and local people are able to immediately recognise which village someone is from by their mask and they are worn by both Shiite and Sunni Musilms. But Shiites tend to wear red rectangular masks, while Sunnis usually wear black or golden ones with indigo and less geometric shapes Yet even fewer protest against covering their faces in public, with many saying they prefer to wear their boreghehs - and their husbands agree. Eric Lafforgue, who spent time travelling around to meet the women who make and wear the masks, which have been worn for centuries by the Bandari people, admitted that he needed to earn the community's trust before taking the portraits. He said: 'With patience, diplomacy and litres of tea swallowed, I could pierce the secrets of these ornaments and their significance in visiting villages along the Persian Gulf and the island of Qeshm.' The masks are worn by both Shiite and Sunni Musilms. But Shiites tend to wear red rectangular masks, while Sunnis usually wear black or golden ones made with indigo cloth and less geometric shapes. In the coastal village of Salakh on Qeshm Island, where ancestral traditions are still closely followed, Eric met Ameneh - one of three Sunni seamstresses who make masks in the village. While her husband was sailing from port to port, visiting places such as Muscat, Mukala, Mogadishu, Berbera, Zanzibar and Lamu, she learned to sew and make the boreghehs. A Bandari woman wearing a traditional mask at Panjshambe Bazar market held in Minab on the mainland every Thursday. It's a meeting place for women who come to buy and sell masks, belts and shalwars - beautiful multicolored embroidered pants - and exchange news and gossip over a shisha pipe A Bandari woman wearing a traditional gold mask with a moustache shape on Qeshm Island, Salakh, Iran, which gives a severe and enigmatic appearance. The moustache shape was designed centuries ago to fool invaders, so they would mistake women for male soldiers A woman wears the traditional mask and keeps her head covered. Eric said: 'With patience, diplomacy and litres of tea swallowed , I could pierce the secrets of these ornaments and their significance in visiting villages along the Persian Gulf and the island of Qeshm,' The Qeshm mask looks a lot like a moustache and she explained to Eric that it was designed centuries ago to fool invaders, so they would mistake women for male soldiers. Ameneh explained that the prominent vertical part of the mask that runs along the nose is made from depressor sticks, used by doctors to push the tongue down to examine the throat. If the pharmacy is out of stock, an ice cream stick makes a good substitute, while other rigid structures of the mask are made of small branches from palm trees. Eric describes the making of the boregheh as being like a 'folding game' of cotton and indigo coloured sheets, which are specially made in Mumbai and have been imported for centuries. He observed her cut one blue sheet with scissors, rub it energetically with a smooth stone to make it shine, insert the sticks and then sew the different elements together. Masks are sold for the equivalent of 5.00 (3.90) but they sell for more when they are exported to the United Arab Emirates where demand for boreghehs is strong. The prominent vertical part of the mask that runs along the nose is made from depressor sticks, used by doctors to push the tongue down to examine the throat. If they're not available from the local pharmacy an ice cream stick (pictured) makes a good substitute, while other rigid structures of the mask are made of small branches from palm trees Eric describes the making of the boregheh as being like a 'folding game' of cotton and indigo coloured sheets, which are specially made in Mumbai and have been imported for centuries Eric visited Ameneh, one of three Sunni seamstresses who make masks in the village, to learn about the process of mask-making. While her husband was sailing from port to port, visiting places such as Muscat, Mukala, Mogadishu, Berbera, Zanzibar and Lamu, she learned to sew and make the boreghehs A Bandari woman wearing a traditional mask showed Eric one she was sewing when he visited Hormozgan in Minab, Iran. Each mask takes two days to make and is made-to-measure for the wearer Ameneh's hands are covered with indigo dye, but she doesn't wash them because she says the blue pigments soften and protect the skin. She never removes her mask in the presence of strangers in her house, or when walking outside. 'The first time my parents forced me to wear it,' she told Eric. 'Now it's my choice. I never go out without my mask. It would be shame to be in the street with my face uncovered.' However, Eric pointed out that the mask in no way prevents women from enjoying a social life or speaking to men, which is commonplace in strict regimes such as Saudi Arabia. Her husband also gave his opinion on the boreghehs to Eric, saying: 'I prefer my wife with the mask, it is more beautiful. And it is also our religious rules.' The couples' daughter Maryam, ten, wears a small mask at events such as wedding parties but is eager to wear a proper one when she's older. The golden ornaments on the veils and masks are reserved for weddings, to add a touch of sparkle during ceremonies. They also signify good financial health for anyone who wears such an ornate mask in everyday life, according to Eric Shiite Muslims tend to wear red rectangular masks and the embroidery style also shows the ethnicity of its owner Eric explained that he had to seek permission before taking pictures of anyone as 'stealing' an image is considered an insult. When he travelled to the village of Jargan where the finest Shiite rectangular red embroidered masks are made, women remained indoors and none were willing to be photographed by him A traditional woman pictured on Qeshm Island, Salakh, Iran. One woman explained to Eric that she would feel shame if she went out on the street without her mask 'I want to wear the mask when I grow up,' she said. 'With it I can go anywhere, I will not be shy, I'll feel confident.' The golden ornaments on the veils and masks are reserved for weddings, to add a touch of sparkle during ceremonies. They also signify good financial health for anyone who wears such an ornate mask in everyday life, according to Eric. Each mask takes two days to make and is made-to-measure for the wearer. However, the practice is dying out and Eric explained that going mask-free has been championed by a woman called Zinat who lives in Qeshm. She was the first person from Qeshm to dare to go out in public without a mask two decades ago when she studied medicine in the city of Bandar Abbas. 'It was forbidden to keep the mask inside the school,' she told Eric. 'Without my mask, I felt naked.' But she had no choice but to take it off, and by the time she had returned to the island her perception of life had changed. She decided not to wear the boregheh. Nobody recognised her on the first day she took up her role as the local doctor, and her decision caused a wave of protest. Over the next ten years she was ostracised and men only allowed their wives to meet her when they were sick. A father is pictured with his son and second wife who is much younger than him at 20 years old. Polygamy is very common among the Baluch people, a conservative ethnic group who live mainly in Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan A bandari woman wearing is pictured with her husband on Qeshm Island. One man told Eric that he prefers his wife when she's wearing a mask because it's more beautiful, and also because it's in line with their religious beliefs At the Panjshambe bazaar in Minab, masked women sell multicoloured bras which Eric observed are in contrast with the rigor of their own modest clothing Women in Qeshm take part in a Zar ceremony: Zar is a magical wind that grabs you and can be good or bad. Once the woman is put into a trance and covered with a veil, she removes her mask and is possessed by the spirits. This is one of the rare moments when the mask is removed in public Zinat was working around in 62 villages vaccinating, delivering babies and caring for opium addicts. But unless she was giving them medical assistance, everyone avoided her. She had no friends, and nobody invited her to weddings - a real disgrace in the local culture. Her father was the only one to support her, and after he died she was alone. 'One evening, the whole village was at a wedding party,' she told Eric. 'The entry to these celebrations is free, no need to ask. But I was still persona non grata. 'Desperate, I went to sit on a rock on the beach. The sky was full of stars, the moon was bright, not a cloud in sight. Suddenly I felt two drops fall on my hand. I told myself that the moon shared my sadness.' Zinat composed a poem about this experience that adorns the entrance to her house. Now, with the passage of time, she has finally been accepted and was the first woman on the island to win local elections. Zinat was the first woman in Qeshm to dare to go out in public without a mask two decades ago when she returned from studying medicine in the city of Bandar Abbas. She was ostracised for more than a decade and men would only allow their wives to associate with her when they were receiving medical treatment Zinat was working around in 62 villages vaccinating, delivering babies and caring for opium addicts. But unless she was giving them medical assistance, everyone avoided her. She had no friends, and nobody invited her to weddings - a real disgrace in the local culture. She is now a local politician and campaigns for women's rights At an artistic performance at Zinat's home, she puts an iron mask to a girl, to represent the oppression she suffered when she was young and was forced to wear the mask in her village of Salakh Only half of the women in her village wear the mask. It has became for many a cultural sign more than a religious one. But there's still much progress to be made. In a society still firmly rooted in tradition, many children born out of wedlock in Qeshm are still killed at birth. Zinat is now fighting to stop these practices, which belong to another age. However, it's becoming less common for young people on Qeshm Island to wear the masks that cover most of their faces and it's mainly a tradition among older Bandari women. 'It's to hide our wrinkles, we are not pretty to look at,' one grandmother told Eric. However, those who don't wear it are careful to keep one to hand if they visit a place where they don't know anyone or in a conservative village such as Pey Posht in the central district of Qeshm County. It's becoming less common for young people on Qeshm Island to wear the masks that cover most of their faces and it's mainly a tradition among older Bandari women. 'It's to hide our wrinkles, we are not pretty to look at,' one grandmother told Eric Eric pointed out that the mask in no way prevents women from enjoying a social life or speaking to men as happens in a strict regime such as Saudi Arabia Wearing the mask has became for many a cultural sign rather than a religious one. But one woman told Eric she would never go out in the street without one The women who do not wear the mask every day are careful to keep one to hand if they're visiting a place where they don't know anyone or they're travelling in a conservative village such as Pey Posht in the central district of Qeshm County The area is known to be home to wealthy smugglers who bring in goods such as cigarettes, alcohol, gasoline , drugs, livestock, from Oman - 40km cross the Strait of Hormuz - on speed boats. 'The whole village seems to join me in the tiny room where tea is served, an inescapable ritual,' Eric said of his visit. He said it was difficult to put an age on the Bandari men and women around him and can't figure out who the couples are. 'My host told me he was married at 13 when his wife was 12,' he added. Here, the majority of women do not wear the boregheh anymore, but the niqab - a black veil that covers everything except the eyes, because it's cheaper. 'In five years there will be no more boreghehs here,' he was told. A girl traditionally starts wearing the boregheh once her parents have agreed a marriage with the groom's family Black is reserved for girls who have to follow the custom from the age of 9 years in the village of Minab. The orange mask is for the fiancee and often small gold decorations are added to the cords that attach it to the head. Red is worn by married women. The embroidery style also shows the ethnicity of its owner, and the price varies depending on the colour: orange is expensive, black is cheap Many women were happy to be photographed by Eric, but those who refused explained that they feared being made fun of and said they dind't think foreigners would understand their culture A bandari woman with her husband and son wearing a traditional mask at Panjshambe Bazaar Thursday market, Hormozgan, Minab, Iran But for now, a girl traditionally wear the mask once her parents have agreed a marriage with the groom's family. She also wears it when she enters the Hejleh or wedding chamber, which is lavishly decorated with mirrors, garlands, baubles, artificial flowers, colorful cushions, and verses from the Koran. The newlyweds spend a week together cloistered in the windowless room, allowing them to get to know each other intimately for the first time. The only time a woman is permitted to remove the mask is during a Zar ceremony - which is thought to be a magical wind that can be good or bad. Once the woman is put into a trance and covered with a veil, she removes her mask and is possessed by the spirits. On the mainland, the Panjshambe bazaar, held in Minab on a Thursday is a meeting place for women who come to buy and sell masks, belts and shalwars - beautiful multicolored embroidered pants. There, many masked women can be seen selling multicoloured bras, socialising and exchanging the latest news over a shisha. Few visitors venture into this region of Iran, away from the tourist routes. A market like Bandar Abbas bazaar is the kind of conservative setting where women would not be seen in public without their mask Women used to embroider the masks by hand, however sewing machines have taken over. But it still takes two days to create a mask as they are always made to measure. Two holes must fit perfectly in front of the eyes so they don't cause blurred vision. The forehead and nose have to be covered, and the mouth is often hidden by adding a veil Sunni Muslim women tend to wear black or golden masks with less geometric shapes, especially in the coastal village of Salakh on Qeshm Island, where ancestral traditions are still closely followed Eric explained that he had to seek permission before taking pictures of anyone as 'stealing' an image is considered an insult. 'Women who refuse pictures explain me they fear being made fun of them,' he recalled. 'They think foreigners do not understand their culture.' Eric then travelled south of Minab, to the village of Jargan where the finest Shiite rectangular red embroidered masks are made. But the doors remained closed to him, and women refused to be photographed. However, a seamstress agreed to give him an outline of the different colours used in the local masks. 'Black is reserved for girls who have to follow the custom from the age of nine years in this village,' he explained. 'The orange mask is for the fiancee, and often small gold decorations are added to the cords that attach it to the head. 'Red is worn by married women. The embroidery style also shows the ethnicity of its owner, and the price varies depending on the colour: orange is expensive, black is cheap.' A laughing bandari woman wearing a traditional mask at Panjshambe Bazaar. Men associate masks to religion, while women associate them with modesty, Eric explained In Pey Posht the majority of women do not wear the boregheh anymore, but the niqab - a black veil that covers everything except the eyes, because it's cheaper. 'In five years there will be no more boreghehs here,' Eric was told Masks are sold for the equivalent of 5.00 (3.90) but they sell for more when they're exported to the UAE where demand for boreghehs is strong. The fabric to make them has been imported from Mumbai for centuries Women used to embroider the masks by hand, however sewing machines have taken over. But it still takes two days to create a mask as they are always made to measure. Two holes must fit perfectly in front of the eyes so they don't cause blurred vision. The forehead and nose have to be covered, and the mouth is often hidden by adding a veil. The masks have practical as well as cultural purposes. They help to keep the skin white and shield it from the sun's harsh rays in summer. Southern men prefer white skin, and refer to darker skin as 'green' rather than black, according to Eric. 'I wanted to buy an engagement mask as a souvenir, but none were available for sale. It was wedding season,' he said. 'Seeing me disappointed, the seamstress offered me hers. Iran's generosity. 'In this region, wearing a mask is mandatory. Especially among the Baluch people, a conservative ethnic group to be found in Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.' A popular yoga guru delighted her Instagram followers recently with a video of a morning vinyasa session featuring a baby goat balancing calmly on her back as she got herself up into crow pose. Rachel Brathen, a Swedish-born yogi who resides on the island of Aruba, is known for her colorful and inspirational Instagram account, @Yoga_girl, which has 1.8 million followers and counting. But the 27-year-old earned additional applause from her fans after introducing the adorable Penny Lane, a baby goat she and her husband welcomed into their home over the holidays, into her posts. A new student: Social media star and yoga guru Rachel Brathen, 27, often practices her complex poses with her baby goat, Penny Lane Island living: Rachel resides in Aruba with Penny, her dog Ringo and her surfer husband Dennis Schoneveld Almost immediately after Rachel surfer husband Dennis Schoneveld brought their new pet home, the cute create took a keen interest in Rachel's yoga practice, often climbing atop her mid-pose - a fun ritual which she has happily begun documenting on her Instagram account. In one video, which has received 70,000 likes, Penny jumps onto Rachel's back and excitedly paces around the area as the yogi impressively lifts her legs into crow pose. And in a similar clip posted last week, Penny takes a ride on her owner's back as she flows from a downward dog to an upper push-up plank. Daily adventures: 'All she wants to do is sit on our laps and watch TV and climb things,' says the yogi Yoga's biggest star? The Instagram celebrity has amassed more than 1.8 million followers on the app The curious goat is often documented on Instagram lurking around Rachel's yoga mat, trying to get in on the workout. 'All she wants to do is sit on our laps and watch TV and climb things,' the social media star wrote on to her followers. It's no surprise that Penny is proving to be very popular in her own right. The pint-size black goat now has her own Instagram account, @Penny_thegoat where her parents share her daily adventures with nearly 40,000 followers. Rise to fame: The curious pet, who was adopted by Rachel and her husband Dennis last year, has her own Instagram account with nearly 40,000 followers Dog days: Rachel's Italian greyhound Ringo is also very popular on social media, boasting 100,000 followers Balancing act: The Swedish-born yoga star is no stranger to complex poses - and often ropes in her friends, family members and pets to help her out According to the feed, Penny's latest hobby is 'chewing on everything non-stop'. Animal lovers, Rachel and Dennis also own an Italian greyhound named Ringo and run Sgt. Pepper's Friends, an animal rescue center on the island. In addition to working with the animals, leading yoga retreats around the world and teaching paddle board yoga classes in Aruba, Rachel also found time to launch the Kickstarter-funded virtual yoga studio oneOeight.tv last year. Commenting on the appearance of others is always invidious especially when youre no oil-painting yourself. Then again, I didnt spend years hotly pursuing the heir to the British throne, so no one cares how mad I look. Kate Middleton, on the other hand, did and so her appearance is a legitimate concern for Her Royal Highnesss loyal subjects. Kate isn't doing too little, she's trying too hard. And she really doesn't need to, argues Sarah Vine I speak, of course, of Eyebrowgate, which erupted after Kates first official engagement of 2016, her appointment as Honorary Air Commandant of the Air Cadets. The fact that she became the first woman to hold this role was entirely overshadowed by her right eyebrow being a good deal thicker and darker than its sister. To be fair, its an easy mistake to make, especially when youre in a hurry. But judging by the perfection of the rest of her (blow-dry, fresh manicure), the Duchess had not been in a rush to get ready. So what went wrong? Simple: shes has two very young children. And although her pregnancies appear to have had no effect whatsoever on her trim figure, motherhood clearly shows in her face. This is by no means a criticism. On the contrary, its a badge of honour. It proves that, unlike so many famous women who make a great show of looking after their own offspring but in reality just farm them out to a secret army of nannies, shes a hands-on mother. Those are eyes that know what 3.40am looks like; that is a complexion that hasnt had a decent nights rest in months. Shes clearly not spending hours having facials or massage treatments. Shes doing what most young mothers do, i.e. being run ragged by tiny tyrants. No, the issue here is that Kate isnt doing too little, its that shes trying too hard. And she really doesnt need to. For years, she has maintained a rigorous falling-out-of-Boujis-at-three-am look: too much black eyeliner, little or no lipstick, matte foundation, peach blusher. Even hours after giving birth, there she was, made up as if about to go nightclubbing. But why? Shes bagged her Prince and theyre a family now. Time to move on. Kate needs to do what Princess Diana did years ago: update her style completely In fact, she needs to do what her mother-in-law, Princess Diana, did all those years ago when she stopped being a malleable little Sloane and started being a grown-up in her own right: update her style completely. For Diana it began when she ditched the blue eyeliner and clumpy mascara. Then she lost the Shy Di fringe in favour of a much edgier cut. Finally, she stopped buying her clothes from Peter Jones and started frequenting the designer rails at Harvey Nichols. Kate can very easily do the same. A tired, puffy eye always looks a lot worse with too much make-up, especially in shades of muddy purple. Just keep it chic and simple with eyebrightening shades of pale pink and a soft, flattering line. As for the brows, if ever there were a time to spend money on professional services, this is it. Maybe some semi-permanent colour, too, just to avoid a repeat disaster. Next, the hair. There is no doubt it is beautiful. But its also too long, shapeless and wholly lacking in style. As for her wardrobe, the prim doors-to-manual air hostess has got to go. Because when even the Queen herself, who is about to turn 90, is pictured wearing more sequins, you know somethings not right. But the main reason for ditching this look is that, at Kates age, its a lot of effort for very little reward. Shes a busy mother, wife and princess. There are better uses for her time than faffing around with eyebrow pencils. So come on, Kate, its time for a makeover. Your people demand it. Female nominees at this months Oscars ceremony can expect a goody bag worth (allegedly) 150,000 containing, among other delights, a voucher for a skin-tightening treatment, a breast lift and a sex aid. Theres only one message to take away from that, ladies, and its not a flattering one. At the till in H&M the other day I spotted a pile of peach plastic lint rollers, for removing fluff from clothes, marked Valentines Gifts, 99p. Gentlemen, a word of advice: only buy one of these if you want her to be picking the shattered shreds of your relationship off her jumper with it. THAT'S POSH HAND LUGGAGE Victoria Beckham was pictured sauntering through an airport in 8in high heels Victoria Beckham defies all logic. Not only was she pictured this week sauntering through an airport in 8in high heels, she also appeared to be carrying only a clutch the size of an envelope. Even on the rare occasions Im allowed to travel without children, I still end up with an overstuffed handbag containing the usual laptop and chargers, plus a shawl for the draughts, an inflatable neck pillow, a chunky bunch of keys, some peppermints for foul plane breath, a half-drunk bottle of water and a copy of the Economist, which I buy to make me look clever but never read. All of which fits fine in my bag at the beginning of the flight but somehow will never squeeze back in eight hours later. Advertisement Theres always one, isnt there? Why, when Storm Imogen is lashing the coastline, would you think it was a good idea to go and take pictures on the quay at Newquay? Yet thats exactly what some dozy woman decided to do and ended up get hit by a wave and knocked into the sea. Lucky for her, she escaped with just a broken arm. But not before volunteers from the RNLI had risked their own lives to save her. Gwyn's ego trip Gwyneth Paltrow seen in celebrity Twitter picture with his daughter Apple Im detecting an annoying new celebrity trend: mother and mini-me selfies. This one of Gwyneth Paltrow with her daughter Apple is actually quite spooky. Talk about vanity parenting. Its not all about you, Gwynnie. Beyonces recent Superbowl performance has provoked outrage over its references to Malcolm X and Black Power. Of course, shes perfectly at liberty to make a stand against racial discrimination, but she might be a teeny bit more credible if she stopped dying her hair blonde. Mummy trouble! Mothers, eh? First David Camerons adds her name to a petition to save some childrens centres earmarked for closure by Tory-run Oxfordshire County Council; this morning, mine sent me an email expressing concern about my husband Michael Goves new approach to prison reform (she thinks hes gone a bit soft). Still, youve got to love them. And mums are, of course, always right. At Monday nights Conservative fundraiser it was Zak Goldsmith, the Tory candidate for London Mayor, who had the best line. Joking that he had been described as Kate Middleton to Boris Johnsons Princess Di, he pointed out that, in fact, Boris was more like Prince Charles: a man who had spent all his life waiting to inherit the top job. The health watchdog Nice has released new guidelines warning that we should spend no more than ten minutes in the sun. Firstly, chance would be a fine thing. Secondly, why not just issue a statement warning that being alive poses a real danger of death and be done with it? I was intrigued to read that, despite his wild lifestyle, Jimi Hendrix was a tidy man who always had a neatly made bed a legacy of time in the Army. Its so true: when my grandfather, who was with the Chindits in Burma, was suffering haunting flashbacks, he was always immaculately turned out. It was when he stopped polishing his shoes that you knew things were really bad. Meet the living 'Barbie princess' who says her human doll-like looks are ruining her love life. She may not be blonde but Hannah Gregory, 22, from Skegby, Nottinghamshire, boasts the same seemingly impossible body proportions and perfectly symmetrical facial features as a Barbie doll. She has a tiny 22-inch waist and wears contact lenses that mimic the wide-eyed doll's glassy stare. Scroll down for video Hannah Gregory has a tiny 22-inch waist and wears contact lenses that mimic Barbie's glassy stare 'I feel happy and cute as a doll': Hannah says she takes it as a compliment when people compare her to Barbie However, the Sheffield University student claims she is regularly criticised by passers-by in the street and can't find a man who is interested in her personality. Her walking, talking doll looks have amassed her thousands of online followers. However she claims that her striking appearance and Barbie-inspired outfits often come under fire from total strangers - and her striking looks mean that men become 'obsessed' without getting to know her. Hannah said: When I leave the house, people laugh and shout rude comments at me. My family don't like to go out with me because they hate seeing people being mean to me in public. It's hard to find a boyfriend too. Often, guys will become infatuated with my appearance and tell me how much they like me. But they're not interested in getting to know my personality - they just see me as a doll. But the abuse doesn't bother me, I feel happy and cute as a doll. And when people yell 'Barbie' at me on the street, I take it as a compliment! I'm proud to be called a human Barbie. Hannah, pictured aged 12, said that dressing up as a Barbie doll gives her 'the confidence to be myself' Hannah, from Skegby, said: 'When I leave the house, people laugh and shout rude comments at me' As a child, Hannah was very shy. She recalls feeling unattractive and not having the confidence to experiment with fashion. Hannah, who has two sisters, says: Growing up, I was painfully shy and self-conscious about my appearance. I thought I was ugly and lanky. However, when Hannah started university in Sheffield in 2013, classmates began commenting on her resemblance to a human doll. Hannah explained: On my first day at university, no-one spoke to me and I was upset that nobody seemed to like me. 'People were lining up to take pictures with me': Hannah visisted South Korea in her second year of university. Like Barbie herself, Hannah has wide eyes, long legs, and a 22-inch waist, and loves wearing pink clothes On my first day at university, no-one spoke to me and I was upset that nobody seemed to like me': But Hannah claims her classmates later admitted they were simply 'intimidated' by her doll-like looks Hannah says she spends up to 90 minutes a day getting ready but doesn't wear 'that much' make-up But afterwards, my classmates told me that they had been intimidated by me and they were scared to approach me because I looked so much like a doll. Over time, other students would keep coming up to me and ask me how long I had looked a like living doll for. But I had never realised that I had looked like one! It made me so happy. I had always admired the doll aesthetic but now I finally had the freedom to explore that look. Hannah then began to embrace her 'human Barbie' appearance and began dressing up in doll-like clothes. She now spends up to three hours per day getting ready and also wears enormous contact lenses to imitate the blank gaze of a doll. Hannah aged six. She said she felt unattractive as a child but had 'always admired the doll aesthetic' Hannah explains: I love wearing short pink skirts and dress - anything that looks cute and things that a Barbie princess would favour. I wear heels all the time. I'm always in character and I refuse to do "casual". Casual clothes make me feel anxious. Being dressed up as doll gives me the confidence to be myself. I want the doll lifestyle but as a student, it can be hard. I have to sell a lot of my clothes so I can afford to buy new ones. And I have to wake up super early so I can pick my outfit and get dressed for the day. It takes me about 90 minutes to get ready but I don't actually wear that much make-up. 'I have to wake up super early so I can pick my outfit and get dressed for the day,' Hannah, 22, admitted Hannah says that wherever she goes, she gets stopped in the street by total strangers asking for selfies 'People sneer at me and shout horrible things about my appearance': Hannah said that her looks also attract negative attention, despite having over 18,000 Instagram followers and receiving daily fan mail I do try to eat healthily to maintain my figure but I love food. My family always ask me how I'm able to eat so much and not put on weight! Hannah's living, breathing Barbie looks mean she gets attention everywhere she goes. Wherever I go, strangers stare at me because of the way I look. In Sheffield, people are always asking for selfies with me and complimenting me on how I look like a princess. It's very sweet. When I went to Korea in my second year of university, people were lining up to take pictures with me and I got lots of attention for being a foreign Barbie. But at the same time, I get a lot of abuse hurled at me too. People sneer at me and shout horrible things about my appearance. Hannah said her family don't like going out with her in Skegby because of all the negative attention she attracts Hannah's unusual looks have won her an Instagram following of 18,000 fans who write to her every day Hannah with one of her 'Barbie princess' outfits. She said her appearance makes it difficult to meet men The student visited South Korea in her second year of university, and said people were 'lining up' for selfies When I go back home to Skegby, my family don't like to be seen with me because of the negative attention I attract. In spite of the unwanted hassle she receives, Hannah was eager to show off her human Barbie looks to the world and last year, when she started to upload pictures online of her posing in doll-like outfits on social media. Her unusual looks won her over 18,000 Instagram followers who now worship her as the embodiment of perfection. Hannah, who receives fan mail on a daily basis, said: I always respond back to fan mail. I've heard some of the other living dolls don't reply back to their followers but I always make an effort, no matter how busy I am. Hannah says she takes it as a compliment and feels 'proud' when people compare her to the famous doll Hannah, 22, said that men often don't bother getting to know her because of her looks, adding: They don't even know who I am inside - they just like the way I look. Guys see me as a doll and immediately sexualise me' I'm happy to be called the "British human Barbie" and see my photos on fan pages. I think human Barbies are great, they look amazing and they don't care if people think they look weird. Although Hannah boasts thousands of adoring admirers, she says her doll-like beauty is ruining her love life. She said: I find a lot of guys become obsessed with me because of my appearance. Boys who I've never really spoken to before, will suddenly approach me and tell me how much they like me and want to be with me. But they don't even know who I am inside - they just like the way I look. Guys see me as a doll and immediately sexualise me. BBC police drama Happy Valley returned to screens last night for a much-anticipated second series...but while the acting was widely praised, many viewers complained that the sound quality of the show was 'inaudible' in places. Legions of fans took to Twitter to say that they were struggling to hear the programme, which served up an hour of blackmail, suspicion and a raft of new characters, because of poor audio levels. By 30 minutes into the hour-long show, the social media site was awash with viewers complaining about key character Sarah Lancashire's 'mumbling' and saying they were finding the drama hard to follow. Scroll down for video The second series of Sally Wainwright's much anticipated Happy Valley police drama aired on BBC at 9pm last night but viewers were quick to criticise the 'awful' sound quality (Pictured Sarah Lancashire who plays central character WPC Catherine Cawood) Sort out the sound levels! Viewers made a plea to BBC bosses to try and correct faltering audio on Happy Valley before the next episode airs Brilliant acting, shocking sound quality: Characters were said to be mumbling with some viewers saying the sound levels on the show were 'inaudible' in places (Pictured James Norton, right, who plays Tommy Lee Royce) @Norfolk_Girly was one of those who took to Twitter to complain: '#HappyValley. Enjoyed BUT sound not too good. Bit mumbly in places. Or do I have to speak northern to understand.' Others added their voice with @MariaErrington pleading with the BBC to 'sort the sound levels out please before episode 2' and @WoodsideLodge crediting 'brilliant acting' but 'shocking sound quality - #disappointing.' @JennieLeeCobban wrote: 'Awful muffled sound on the otherwise wonderful #HappyValley. So tired of having to switch volume up almost to maximum to make out dialogue.' @amandajp17 agreed that the sound was 'terrible' while @oldnicodemus was happy that other viewers were experiencing the same problems: 'So it's not just me having trouble with the sound quality of #HappyValley The delightful Sarah Lancashire seems to be mumbling.' @Lisafirth666 added: 'Anyone else finding the sound quality poor on #HappyValley?' It is not the first time a BBC show has faced criticism of this nature, as hundreds of people complained about the sound in Jamaica Inn and crime drama Quirke in 2014. Disappointment: Legions of viewers took to Twitter to say that the poor audio levels led them to not enjoy the first episode of the drama James Norton, fresh from War and Peace, plays chilling psychopath Tommy Lee Royce in Wainwright's gritty cop series Sarah Lancashire reprises her role as Sergeant Catherine Cawood serving in the Yorkshire police Is it our hearing or is something wrong? Some viewers said they'd had to turn up the volume when watching MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment. In 2013, BBC director-general Tony Hall said the corporation could look at how to stop actors 'muttering' in its TV dramas. 'I don't want to sound like a grumpy old man, but I also think muttering is something we could have a look at,' he said. 'Actors muttering can be testing - you find you have missed a line - you have to remember that you have an audience.' The first series of Happy Valley captured the imagination of viewers, drawing an impressive consolidated audience of 7.8 million for its series one finale. The second portion of the gripping cop drama, written by Last Tango In Halifax's Sally Wainwright, sees James Norton reprise his role as psychotic Tommy Lee Royce. Set in the Yorkshire Valleys, it stars Sarah Lancashire as Royce's nemesis, police sergeant Catherine Cawood. A million miles from Prince Andrei: James Norton, bound for Hollywood after his role in Tolstoy's novel (right), plays a very different character in Wainwright's drama (left) James Norton fans took to Twitter to comment on just how different his two recent roles are Poor sound quality aside, the episode doubled up as a celebration of current British acting talent with James Norton, who died onscreen on Sunday after Prince Andrei's demise in War and Peace, reborn as violent psychopath Tommy Lee Royce. A million miles away from dashing Andrei Bolkonsky, a role which looks set to catapult 30-year-old Norton to Hollywood stardom, the actor spat and raged while playing the incarcerated rapist. On Twitter, @DrCarlaBanks wrote: 'Struggling to get my head around James Norton as Prince Andrei in #WarAndPeace AND Tommy Lee Royce in #HappyValley - amazing as both.' Fans of Harry Potter were also happy to see a pair of familiar faces and quickly took to Twitter to point out that Happy Valley appeared to have raided Hogwart's acting talent. Actors Matthew Lewis, who starred as Neville Longbottom, and Shirley Henderson who was 'moaning' Myrtle Warren in the blockbuster films of J K Rowling's book both appeared in the first episode of the new six-part series. It's Neville Longbottom! Harry Potter fans couldn't believe their eyes when actor Matthew Lewis made an early appearance in last night's Happy Valley Different spectacles, different role: Actress Shirley Henderson who played 'Moaning Myrtle' in Harry Potter reappears in Happy Valley as Frances Drummond Slew of tweets: Happy Valley fans were delighted to see Neville Longbottom actor Matthew Lewis on their screens last night No longer a footman! Mr Molesley from Downton Abbey (Kevin Doyle) turned up as beleaguered police officer John Wadsworth A celebration of British acting talent: Many familiar faces including former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh, left, and actor Kevin Doyle, formerly of Downton Abbey, appear The pair appeared on screen as characters Sean Balmforth (Lewis) and Frances Drummond (Henderson), both who appeared to be heading for trouble in the latest series of Sally Wainwright's BAFTA-winning cop drama which stars Sarah Lancashire as Sergeant Catherine Cawood. @Eiremay Beatty wrote: 'When you think Happy Valley can't get any better because James Norton's in it, but then Neville Longbottom and Moaning Myrtle show up!' Others looked for some intertextuality between Wainwright's work and JK Rowling's books. @MrDavidEBrown penned: 'Will Neville Longbottom go on a killing spree with Moaning Myrtle? #HappyValley ' @RebeccaLWills noted: 'So, Neville Longbottom might be a serial killer, Mr Molesley is being blackmailed, and Moaning Myrtle is a stalker! Loving #HappyValley' A long way from Hogwart's: Harry Potter fans took to Twitter to comment on Matthew Lewis...but only referred to him as 'Neville' Similarly, @ZoeWelch added: 'Everyone's dreams of Prince Andrei have now been wiped over with nigthmares of Tommy Lee Royce #HappyValley' Norton, Lewis and Henderson weren't the only actors that fans recognised though, with former Coronation Street stars Julie Hesmondhalgh, who played transgender Hayley Cropper in the soap and Katherine Kelly, who starred as Becky McDonald on the cobbles, also making an appearance. Elsewhere, fans were quick to declare that Mr Molesley from Downton Abbey had landed in the valley; actor Kevin Doyle plays tortured police officer John Wadsworth, who is already the subject of a salacious blackmail plot. With a former Prime Minister as a father and QC as a mother, it's little surprise that Kathryn Blair has an illustrious career. At just 26, the daughter of Tony and Cherie Blair is already a top barrister and charity donor as she appears to be following in her parents' footsteps. Kathryn also bears more than a passing resemblance to both parents, which she proved as she stepped out of their shadow during a rare night out a theatre launch on Tuesday night. Kathryn Blair, the 26-year-old son of Tony and Cherie, was at the press night performance of Cirque Berserk! at The Peacock Theatre in London on Tuesday, so what is she up to now? The 26-year-old, from London, displayed her casual style in a pink and red woven skirt, black top and khaki leather jacket as she mingled with performers at the Cirque Berserk! launch night at The Peacock Theatre. Sipping on a glass of white wine, the barrister wore her hair in two plaits as she posed for photographers with the acrobats. The night out surely makes a change from her day job as a barrister. Kathryn studied Law with European Legal Studies at Kings College London, and spent a year of her studies abroad in Strasbourg. At just 26, the daughter of Tony and Cherie Blair is already a top barrister and charity donor as she appears to be following in her parents' footsteps Tony and his daughter pose outside the polling station after Blair voted in the General Election in 2001 in Trimdo; the pair are fiercely close Tony revealed in 2009 how much Cherie missed Kathryn while the then 21-year-old, who was at the time studying at Kings College London, was away in Strasbourg on an Erasmus scholarship. 'She told of her sadness at being apart from my one and only daughter, my pal' The legal student, left, last night, and, right, at the Labour Party Conference in 2006, studied Law with European Legal Studies at Kings College London, and spent a year of her studies abroad in Strasbourg After that, she also studied a diploma in Forensic Medical Sciences at the Academy of Forensic Medical Sciences. She was called to the Bar in 2012 after completing the BPTC at College of Law. Kathryn, then 24, was called to Lincolns Inn, one of the four Inns of Court in London, and the same one which her parents joined in the Seventies. Blair and Cherie famously met when they both joined the chambers of former Lord Chancellor Derry Irvine. High-flier Cherie, who came top of her year in the bar exams in 1976, was made a QC in 1995 and was appointed a part-time judge four years later. Kathryn then landed a top job as a barrister at New Court Chambers. According to the firm's website, Kathryn joined New Court as a pupil in October 2014. Prime Minister Tony Blair accompanied by his family (left to right) Euan, Kathryn, Cherie, Nicky, Front row: Leo, pose on the steps of No.10 as they leave Downing Street, London for the final time in 2007 As well as her work duties, Kathryn gives a lot of her time to charitable causes. She is a trustee of the Dot Com Childrens Foundation and has worked full time helping to expand the charity. Other charitable causes she has lent her time to include the NSPCC with the Caring Dads project, Barnados and the National Centre of Domestic Violence. Kathryn is the second youngest and only daughter of Tony and Cherie and, like her brothers, she has an Irish passport, by virtue of Blair's mother, Hazel Elizabeth Rosaleen Corscaden. Kathryn is fiercely close to her parents, with Tony revealing in 2009 how much Cherie missed Kathryn while the then 21-year-old, who was at the time studying at Kings College London, was away in Strasbourg on an Erasmus scholarship. 'She told of her sadness at being apart from my one and only daughter, my pal. The King and Queen of Bhutan have released the first official picture of their baby son who was born last Friday. In an image posted to Facebook, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 35, and Queen Jetsun Pema, 25, can be seen gazing adoringly at the new arrival who is swaddled in a vibrant yellow blanket as they sit in the grounds of Lingkana Palace in the Bhtanese capital Thimphu. But it was the King's father, who is known as His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, who was given the honour of holding the new baby as he was officially introduced to the world. Scroll down for video King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 35, (left) and Queen Jetsun Pema, 25, of Bhutan gaze adoringly at their newborn son in the grounds of Lingkana Palace in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu. The baby's grandfather, the former King of Bhutan (centre) was given the honour of holding the baby whose name has not yet been revealed The former King of Bhutan cradled the baby - whose name has not yet been announced - in the crook of his right arm, while placing an affectionate hand around his daughter-in-law's shoulder. King Jigme Singye Wangchuk abdicated in 2006 in order for his son to take over and pave the way for democracy and a constitutional monarchy. The photo came with a statement from the royal media office, saying: 'Bhutanese families spent a wonderful Losar today, celebrating the day with family and loved ones. 'To make the day even more special, we have the honour of bringing to you the very first official photograph of His Royal Highness The Gyalsey.' The Gyalsey is a Buddhist word for Prince, meaning 'son of the victorious ones', and Bhutan is currently celebrating the 15-day festival of Losar or Tibetan New Year. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the then-pregnant Queen Jetsun Pema pictured at Paro Ugyen Pelri Palace in Bhutan 'In this delightful Losar Kupar from Lingkana Palace, His Royal Highness The Gyalsey is surrounded by His Majesty The King, His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen,' the statement continued. 'His Royal Highness The Gyalsey was born on the 5th of February 2016, and is the first Royal Child of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen.' The new arrival marks the beginning of an exciting year for the Bhutan Royals, who have been dubbed the William and Kate of the Orient. They are set to host the real Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on an official visit on behalf of the British Government. Their hugely-anticipated visit will coincide with the couples previously announced tour of India and is likely to take place in April. The King and Queen officially announced they were expecting a child in November. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck has ruled Bhutan since 2006 after his father abdicated The couple announced they were expecting a boy four years after they tied the knot, in October 2011 (pictured). Their elaborate fairytale wedding ceremony was the biggest media event in Bhutanese history It's not yet known whether William and Kate will meet the newest member of the family, who was safely delivered at Lingkana Palace on February 5, according to the royal media office. 'Their majesties and members of the royal family are filled with profound joy on the birth of His Royal Highness,' they said in a statement. 'With the blessings of the guardian deities of Bhutan and protectors of the dharma (divine truth), and the prayers of the Bhutanese people, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness The Gyalsey (prince) are both in perfect health.' The prince's birth was marked by sacred Bhutanese traditions with the Je Khenpo, the chief abbot and spiritual leader of the majority Buddhist nation, presiding over religious ceremonies, the office said. The couple have been dubbed the 'William and Kate of the Orient' and are set to welcome the real Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they visit the tiny Himalayan kingdom later this year Known as the 'last Shangri-La', the South Asian kingdom, home to just 750,000 people, famously shuns conventional measures of economic wellbeing, instead compiling a Gross National Happiness index. The hugely popular fifth Druk Gyalpo, or 'Dragon King', studied in Britain and the United States, and was officially crowned King in 2008 after his father abdicated two years earlier. He married Queen Pema in 2011 in an elaborate fairytale wedding ceremony that was the biggest media event in Bhutanese history. An Iranian TV journalist and newsreader has fled the country for revealing the workplace harassment she endured from two of her bosses at the news channel Press TV. After quitting the channel last week, Sheena Shirani, 32, shared a voice recording of news director Hamid Reza Emadi online, in which he begs her to 'satisfy him', and a photo he sent her of himself captioned 'Sexy Boss'. She also gave an interview in which she described how her male studio manager, Payam Afshar encouraged other employees to report the divorced single mother - a status that carries social stigma in Iran - for being late or wearing high heels. MailOnline has contacted Press TV for further comment. Scroll down for video Iranian TV anchor Sheena Shirani, 32, has gone into hiding after facing abuse for revealing the workplace harassment she endured from two of her bosses at the news channel Press TV. Last week she shared a voice recording of news director Hamid Reza Emadi online, in which he begs her to 'satisfy him' The newsreader, who is a divorced mother-of-one, claimed she had no contract at the station Press TV and constantly feared being made redundant. She said that studio manager Payam Afshar encouraged other employees to report her for minor slip-ups and wearing high heels The row erupted last week when Sheena, who has been forced to leave Iran, announced that she was resigning from the channel in a Facebook post stating: 'I can no longer work for an organisation I don't believe in.' She then posted two images of herself wearing a headscarf, saying: 'Since this wasn't good enough, and neither was this.' A third photo showed her presenting on TV with her head covered, wearing a long tunic top and trousers. 'I was slut shamed for this,' she explained. 'I'm sure my good colleagues remember. I was fined and almost lost my job.' Two days later she shared an audio recording of a phone conversation with her boss, Press TV's News Director Hamid Reza Emadi. Emadi, who was included on the EU human rights sanctions list by the European Court of Justice in 2013, for his role in broadcasting the forced confessions of political prisoners, is heard begging her to 'satisfy' him. News website Iran Wire published a translated transcript of the phone call in which Emadi tells Sheena: 'I didnt even touch you last night. You mean touching your tummy over your clothes is considered touching? Sheena shared these WhatsApp messages from news director Hamid Reza Emadi on Facebook. She also posted an audio recording in which he can be heard saying that her breasts drive him 'crazy' ans asking her to have sex with him as a friend 'I didn't even touch your breasts. Your breasts drive me crazy, but I didn't touch them.' Then he asks her: 'Will you do me a favour? Will you do it for me? Im really desperate. Satisfy me.' Sheena tells him to call someone else, reminding him that she's just worked a night shift and has to collect her son in a few hours. Emadi is heard telling Sheena: 'Im not asking you to kill someone. You can have sex with me as a friend.' He describes what he wants from her as 'humanitarian help', but Sheena tells him: 'You are objectifying me.' 'Im doing my best, but sometimes I get to the boiling point. I cant help myself,' he replies. After Sheena made the recording public she received messages from Hamid asking her to remove it, claiming he'd being 'attacked'. The journalist then posted his messages for her Facebook followers to see Sheena responded that he couldn't have expected her to continue being sexually harassed on a daily basis, saying that she had been put through hell Sheena tells him that it isn't her fault, but he continues: 'Well, its your fault as well, because you have amazing breasts and lips. I die for your breasts.' As she hangs up, he asks if she will perform oral sex on him. Following the release of the recording, Sheena posted a WhatsApp message from Emadi in Persian saying that it had been fabricated and that he would report anyone who shared it to Interpol and he's also believed to have shared the message online. Sheena shared his post on Facebook and said she was being 'constantly threatened', adding: 'This voice recording is not fabricated.' An anonymous former Press TV employee backed her up by confirming the recording's authenticity to Iran Wire. Emadi, who was included on the EU human rights sanctions list by the European Court of Justice in 2013, for his role in broadcasting the forced confessions of political prisoners, said that people would be happy to see him being publicly shamed Emadi claimed that he'd always stood by and supported Sheena, a claim that he also made in the audio recording which she posted on Facebook 'Its not a fake. I know both of them and both their voices and its definitely them,' they said. 'Shes a respectable woman, but she was vulnerable as a single mother with a son and he used this against her. She also needed the money.' To add weight to her claims against Emadi, Sheena posted a screenshot of a photo of him he'd sent her on WhatsApp. He'd captioned the photo, which shows him posing on a red carpet: 'Hot boss.' Then he'd sent another image of himself in front of the mirror, saying: 'Right, the pervert motherf***** that I am. Does the weight loss look good on me?' She also shared messages from Emadi in which he begged her to take the image down. Sheena told followers she was being 'constantly threatened' for releasing the recording of Emadiin which he asks her for oral sex and insisted that it had not been fabricated. An anonymous former Press TV employee backed her up by confirming the recording's authenticity to the news website Iran Wire Her decision to speak publicly meant Sheena endured a backlash, and she told her Facebook followers that she'd received a text from another former manager at Press TV who asked me why she didn't lash out and scream when she was being sexually harassed 'This will put me under immense pressure,' he said. 'Because I always stood by you. Please reconsider this. They have already started attacking me. You are making people who hate my guts very happy by doing this.' Sheena replied by telling him: You couldn't have expected me to deal with being sexually harassed on a daily basis forever. I lived through hell. I'm not going to live that life anymore.' Emadi then appealed to her again to remove her post. 'You can make a decision. It's your life,' he said. 'But the way you are announcing it is interpreted as against the system here and will put me under immense pressure. 'Please remove that post. Please. I can imagine how happy they are to see this happening.' But Sheena hit back, refuting his claims that he had always been supportive of her. 'You supported me? How?' she asked. 'By constantly abusing me. Hurting me, objectifying me. Knowing that I'm vulnerable because I need my job.' The mother-of-one announced her resignation from Press TV last week and since then she's been releasing details of the harassment she claims she endured in the workplace. Emadi and Afshar have now been suspended from Press TV, although a statement on their website does not name either man He replied: 'Are you serious? This is bull****. Somebody is poisoning your mind. I always stood by you against anyone.' 'No,' Sheena told him. 'You were following your own dirty agenda.' The exchanges continued with Emadi insisting that he had only ever done his best to support Sheena and said: 'Is this what I get after so many years of fighting for you?' 'I even offered to help your child and told my wife we must help that kid,' he said. Her decision to speak publicly meant Sheena endured a backlash, and she told her Facebook followers that she'd received a text from another former manager at Press TV. Emadi posted this message online, written in Farsi, claiming Sheena's recording was fabricated and threatening to report anyone who shared it to Interpol 'She asked me why I didn't use my fists and feet to stop my former manager, why not scream?,' Sheena recounted. 'She also asked me why these managers didn't come on to her? She posted: ''My response: If I was directly supported by the leader of the Islamic Republic, given a managerial position for the "favours" I had done to Iran, and walked through the building shouting: "I love agha, I love agha" (a term used by some Iranians to refer to the leader), trust me, no man at Press TV would have dared to try approach me. 'Unless, I didn't actually mind it happening. But I wasn't connected to anyone within the system. 'I was reminded time and again that I'm no more than an employee who can be fired at a flick of the fingers, that I need Press TV and they don't need me and being a single mum and a divorced woman, I am an easy target and prey for men. 'And I'm the one to be blamed for anything that happens to me.' Sheena also gave an interview to Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad who is known for her coverage of women's rights and now lives in exile in the UK. In the interview she explains in more detail how her difficulties began with studio manager, Payam Afshar. Afshar had first held a non-influential position as 'content observer' at the channel. Sheena explained that he made advances towards her, but she was able to ignore them at first. 'I had no interest in him, although he kept on making advances on me. I simply ignored him. 'He would say: "Every time you go out to dinner with us you will receive a birthday present". At the time he was not an influential person. I could easily ignore him without facing any repercussions.' However, her problems began when Afshar, with the support of Emadi, was promoted to broadcasting manager. When he was promoted to a managerial position he instructed all his employees to maintain regular reports about me,' Sheena said. 'He threatened to punish all those who did not provide regular reports about me. If I was late by a second or two seconds, I would be reported. At the slightest hint of an oversight on my part I would be reported. It was always related to petty things. If I wore high-heeled shoes I would be reported.' Sheena posted two images of herself in a headscarf saying that neither were considered 'good enough' when she worked at Press TV. She later gave an interview about how Iranian women are forced to cover up in public because men can't control themselves The journalist posted a photo of herself presenting on TV with her head covered, wearing a long tunic top and trousers, but said she had been 'slut shamed' for the outfit as well as being fined. She later explained that her former superior Payam Afshar had asked other staff to report her for wearing high heels The interviewer then asked Sheena to account for why Emadi had said he'd always been very supportive of her in the messages she posted and in the audio recording. Sheena explained that he was her manager, so naturally she had gone to him about the problems she was having with Afshar. 'Mr Emadi as my supervisor was supposed to defend me,' she said. 'He did defend me. For example, every time I got fined by Mr Afshar because of someone's reporting instead of being barred from an entire shift I would lost half a shift.' Emadi would also tell her that Ashfar hadn't wanted her to take on a particular job but he had insisted. 'This was considered defending me,' she said. 'In other words, I actually needed some sort of intervention to do my job properly. Although in an ideal work environment, such obstacles are not supposed to exist.' Sheena also revealed how she'd faced an angry backlash for going public with her claims. The row erupted last week when Sheena announced that she was resigning from the channel in a Facebook post stating: 'I can no longer work for an organisation I don't believe in.' Responding to the news that both men had been suspended from Press TV, Sheena insisted that her raising the issue was never meant as a personal attack on the men, but that she felt compelled to raise the issue of sexual harassment against women 'Some of the messages I had were really hurtful,' she said. 'I came to realise that I was living in a society where even women themselves were attacking me. They were passing rash judgments on me.' Women and men alike said they didn't believe her account, and accused her of having a relationship with Emadi. We women are constantly admonished to observe a modest dress and to wear a headscarf. Why? This is because in our society men simply cannot control themselves 'I have never had any relationship with Mr Emadi,' she stated. If I wanted to engage in a relationship with Mr Emadi, rest assured that I would have reached higher echelons of Press TV rather than working there as a simple woman without even a contract. 'I did not even have an insurance. I constantly ran the risk of being made redundant.' When asked if she'd be content for him to be sacked, she said that it didn't address the widespread sexual harassment problem in Iranian society. 'Powerless and innocent people in my society, men or women should feel that their voices can be heard and they are entitled to protest. Someone should listen to their voices and attend to their problems. 'A woman should not feel scared of verbalising her difficulties. In a society like Iran if you are not one of those privileged, religious people, if you are not related to an ambassador, if none of your family members are associated to people who happen to be in power, then you are basically on your own. 'In addition to that, if you're a woman and a single mother you are completely devoid of any value in this society. We women are constantly admonished to observe a modest dress and to wear a headscarf. Why? This is because in our society men simply cannot control themselves. 'Because there is some likelihood that our men could be provoked. That is why we are constantly told to abide by the dress code. 'Society instructs us women to keep a low profile, not to talk too much. To mind our own business and not to show any reaction even if someone insults us. In brief in our society women basically have no value.' Sheena said that a women should not feel scared of verbalising their difficulties , but in a society like Iran if you don't know anyone powerful then you are left in a weak position Emadi and Afshar are now believed to have been suspended from Press TV, although a statement on their website does not name either man. Referring to the audio recording released by Sheena, the statement said: 'Due to the importance of the matter, the relevant legal bodies are considering this to establish the truth or falsehood of the claim, and pending on their ruling, the two persons have been suspended.' However the statement also claimed that the release of the recording was 'an infringement of national security' which had been done 'only for political gain'. 'Having been done without prior consultation with relevant legal bodies inside the country gives cause for suspicion,' it said. The statement also claimed that Sheena should have 'contacted appropriate legal bodies instead of agitating the public and create false news and try building up a narrative for it.' Sheena took to Facebook to describe the news as 'heartwarming'. 'I would like to make it clear that me raising this issue wasn't a personal attack on either men,' she said. 'As I've stated before, I am not the first and unfortunately not the last woman to be hurt, offended and intimidated at her workplace.' She also addressed press reports about the scandal, appearing to point out that not all of the harassment she was subjected to was of a sexual nature. The Duchess of Cornwall offered a fascinating insight into her relationship with Charles while chatting with an artistic patient at London's Royal Trinity Hospice this morning. Camilla, 68, revealed that while she admired how skillful the Prince of Wales is with a paintbrush, his talents leave her wanting to throw her 'toys from the pram' when the pair paint together. The royal, elegant in a cobalt blue skirt suit twinned with a three-string pearl necklace, confessed her ability when faced with a canvas did not match her husband's, as she toured the hospice in Clapham, South London. Almost as good as Charles! Camilla complimented retired physician Peter Copeman on his Italian landscape on a visit to London's Royal Trinity Hospital, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year The Duchess of Cornwall, dressed in a cobalt blue skirt suit with pearls, is a patron of the hospice; she spent time today meeting patients in a physiotherapy session The conversation arose after she complimented retired physician Peter Copeman on an Italian landscape he had painted in watercolours, then said about her own painting prowess: 'I wish I had more time, I do it very badly.' Charles is well known for his work as a watercolourist but his wife has also tried her hand at painting and received private tutoring from an artist many years ago. Speaking about her husband the Duchess told Mr Copeman: 'He's so good I get frustrated and give up,' and that sitting next to him as they both painted left her wanting to 'tip out my toys from the pram'. At one point, the Duchess pointed out a possible figure in the small painting and the amateur artist, who did not disclose his illness, joked: 'If you're seeing a figure, she's got my gin and tonic.' The Duchess of Cornwall is greeted by Deputy Lord Lieutenant of London Ewen Cameron as she arrived for a visit to the Royal Trinity Hospice in Clapham Camilla unveils a plaque marking the hospice's 125th anniversary while clutching a small bouquet of white and lavender flowers Camilla complemented the blue outfit with a three-string of pearls and a gold bracelet Camilla dropped in on a patient having a foot massage therapy session The Duchess looked happy and relaxed as she greeted patients at the hospice Regal scents! Camilla takes part in an aromatherapy hand-massage session, taking time to smell scented strips of paper You could do with a foot massage! The Duchess points to the pregnant tummy of one of the nurses at the hospice It was an action-packed morning for Camilla who spent time meeting some of the hospice's oldest patients including Helen Cooper, 97, and a group of patients taking part in an exercise therapy class using weights. The group, Camilla and surrounding staff appeared to be enjoying a joke as the work-out took place. Camilla is patron of the Trinity, said to be the oldest hospice in the country, and her visit was held to mark its 125th anniversary celebrated this year. The institution was founded founded in 1891 thanks to Colonel William Hoare of the famous banking family who donated 1,000 of the 2,000 needed to establish the organisation then called The Hostel of God. Throughout its existence the charity has been based in Clapham and for more than 100 years has provided care in two period homes overlooking the famous Common that have been extensively adapted. Patients using purple weights take part in a physiotherapy session as Camilla watches on Sharing a joke: The staff, patients and Camilla smile as they discuss the exercises Camilla looked to be enjoying her tour of the historic hospice, which is situated in Clapham I'm older than the Queen! Helen Cooper, aged 97, meets Camilla as she toured the hospice The hospice serves large parts of central, south and south-west London and cares for around 1,500 patients in the community and at its Clapham centre, which offers a 28-bed inpatient care unit and out-patient services. Camilla visited patients as they were receiving treatments including one lady who was enjoying a foot massage therapy. Elsewhere, the Duchess was asked to smell some aromatherapy scents on strips of paper as she watched a hand massage group. It's been a busy week already for Camilla; she was in Wiltshire yesterday to visit Prospect Hospice, where she met the terminally ill patients being cared for there. The Duchess of Cornwall enjoyed a laugh when she was confronted with a teapot with the slogan, 'there may be gin in here' but admitted that it was perhaps a little too early in the day for a nip. After the moving visit there, in which she praised the organisation's work, the royal also attended a school assembly at Forest and Sandridge Church of England Primary School in Wiltshire. Smiles: Camilla looked happy to be meeting the hospice's patients as the Duchess and Helen Cooper pose for photographers Queen Letizia gave everyone a little sense of Deja vu today as she stepped out in a familiar regal rouge outfit to visit the Royal Palace in Madrid. The thrifty Spanish royal opted for her old favourite Felipe Varela skirt suit for the fourth time as she greeted vice president Soraya Saenz de Santamaria in the capital this morning. She first wore the two-piece, which is thought to have cost around 679, on an official visit to New York in 2009. Scroll down for video Queen Letizia showcased her thrifty side today as she recycled a Felipe Varela suit for the fourth time to visit the Royal Palace of Madrid And she sported the outfit for the second time more than a year ago when visiting Casa dos Marcos, a centre for people with disabilities and rare diseases, on a trip to Portugal. This time she chose a bold print top and a textured red floral clutch. Its third outing was in November during a day of engagements in Madrid where she paired it with a silk shirt and matching nude clutch. On this occasion the monarch opted for colour blocking - layering the jacket over a deep red crew neck top. The suit's most recent outing was in November during a day of engagements in Madrid where she paired it with a silk shirt and matching nude clutch (left). A year earlier she teamed it with a bold print top and a textured red floral clutch during a trip to Portugal (right) She first wore the two-piece, which is thought to have cost around 679, on an official visit to New York in March 2009 (pictured with King Felipe) The mother-of-two smiled for the cameras despite some high winds ruffling her usually perfectly coiffed bob. The 43-year-old Queen was lead by a large entourage of officiaries as she approached the palace during her visit. Today marks Letizia's second royal engagement of 2016 and the first since it was announced that she and husband King Felipe VI will not make their official visit to the UK in March. The Spanish royal was spotted in the 679 suit after previously showcasing the look on three other outings The mother-of-two greeted Vice President Soraya Saenz de Santamaria in the capital this morning. It is her second engagement of the year On this occasion the stylish monarch opted for colour blocking by wearing a deep red crew neck top underneath the jacket The trip has had to be postponed due to the political situation in Spain, which has yet to form a government following inconclusive elections, the foreign ministry announced last week. King Felipe VI and his wife Letizia had been due to pay a state visit to Britain from March 8 to 10 at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II in what would have been the first such trip in more than 30 years. 'Due to the current process of forming a new government in Spain, this state visit has been postponed,' the foreign ministry said in a statement, without offering further details. Felipe, 48, acceded to the throne in 2014 when his father Juan Carlos abdicated, vowing to clean up the Spanish monarchy which has been hit by a series of scandals - including fraud allegations against his sister Cristina and her husband. Letizia smiled for the cameras despite some high winds ruffling her usually perfectly coiffed bob. The 43-year-old Queen was lead by a large entourage of officiaries as she approached the palace during her visit Today marks Letizia's second royal engagement of 2016 and the first since it was announced that she and husband King Felipe VI will not make their official visit to the UK in March He has been actively involved in negotiations to form a government following elections on December 20 that saw the conservative Popular Party win but without an absolute majority, leaving its leader Mariano Rajoy struggling for support. After days of consultations with various party leaders, the King - who traditionally nominates a candidate for prime minister following elections - eventually picked Rajoy's main rival Pedro Sanchez, Socialist party chief. But Sanchez faces an uphill struggle to succeed where Rajoy failed, as he will have to sit down with conflicting parties to try and form an alliance acceptable to his own divided grouping that will also give him enough parliamentary seats to push his government through. QUEEN MAXIMA OF THE NETHERLANDS IS OVERWHELMED WITH GIFTS FROM DOTING FANS DURING SECOND DAY OF OFFICIAL VISIT TO PAKISTAN Queen Maxima was pictured struggling to carry bunches of flowers that she was presented with today on day two of her official visit to Pakistan The Queen was greeted at Islamabad airport on Monday with a colourful rainbow scarf and showed her gratitude as she was pictured wearing it today It is only day two of Queen Maxima's official visit to Pakistan but already the Dutch Queen is laden down with gifts. The royal was greeted at Islamabad airport on Monday with a colourful rainbow scarf and today, during a visit to the Benazir Income Support Programme, she was pictured struggling to carry the bunches of flowers she had been given. Maxima however showed her gratitude, pairing her elegant mauve ensemble with her new scarf as she spoke with clients of the Kashf Foundation - which offers small loans to women to promote entrepreneurship. The Argentinian-born monarch certainly was back to her glam self after Monday evening saw the Queen take a more relaxed approach. The second day of her trip saw her pay a visit to the Benazir Income Support Programme Maxima paired her elegant mauve ensemble with her new scarf as she spoke with clients of the Kashf Foundation, which offers small loans to women to promote entrepreneurship Queen Maxima of the Netherlands went make-up free as she arrived at Islamabad airport in Pakistan on Monday after an 11-hour flight from her home in Holland The Queen of the Netherlands ditched her usual high-glamour look in favour of comfort as she touched down in Pakistan's Islamabad on Monday night. Maxima was pictured make-up free and in loose clothing as she arrived at Benazir Bhutto International after an 11-hour flight from her home in Holland. She flew in to meet with the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan at the Serena Hotel and was greeted by a large group of officiaries who presented her with the colourful scarf as she stepped off the plane. The Dutch royal was photographed bare-faced and wearing loose and comfortable clothes as she touched down in the country Maxima was pictured arriving in Pakistan for a three-day visit in her role as UN secretary special advocate for inclusive finance for development The Queen appeared to be gifted with a colourful scarf as she was welcomed into the country by officials It marked the start of a three-day visit to the country as part of her role as UN secretary special advocate for inclusive finance for development. By Tuesday the Queen was fully refreshed and pictured in her usual glamorous attire as she met with the Governor of the State Bank, Ashraf Mahmood Wathra. The 44-year-old Queen greeted Wathra in an elegant silk brown skirt and pashmina off-set with turquoise earrings. Maxima also met with the prime minister Nawaz Sharif. During their meeting Maxima revealed she believes that the country would benefit from greater access to smartphones in efforts to empower them, The Express Tribune Reports. Later that day the Queen attended the launch of the Universal Financial Access workshop where she gave an impassioned speech to distinguished guests. The following day (Tuesday) Maxima was pictured in her typical glamorous attire as she met with Governor of the State Bank (not pictured) The 44-year-old Argentinian-born Queen greeted the governor in an elegant silk brown skirt and pashmina off-set with turquoise earrings Maxima revealed to the Prime Minister that she believes the country would benefit from greater access to smartphones in efforts to empower them Later that day the Queen attended the launch of the Universal Financial Access workshop where she gave a speech to distinguished guests During her visit, the Queen is set to hold meetings with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, together with governor State Bank of Pakistan, according to Radio Pakistan. The Dutch Queen was first handed her role of Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance in 2009 by Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon Maxima, who is also the Honorary Patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, has been tasked with raising awareness of the benefits of financial systems to help the poor. This means improving access to savings, insurance and credit - all of which are particularly important in countries where famine and rising food prices can hit the poorest hard and, in the worst cases, lead to starvation and malnutrition. Ivanka Trump and her family celebrated the Chinese New Year with an adorable performance from her four-year-old daughter Arabella, who has been speaking Mandarin since she was a toddler. The 34-year-old took to Instagram on Wednesday morning to share a short video of her little girl wearing a red Chinese-embroidered dress as she sings a poem in Mandarin. The clip was filmed on Sunday, the day before the start of the Year of the Monkey, which lasts until January 27, 2017. 'Arabella wanted to have a pre-bedtime #ChineseNewYear party this past Sunday evening,' Ivanka captioned the video. 'She got all dressed up and performed songs and poems for Jared, Joseph and me.' Scroll down for video Multi-cultural family: Ivanka Trump took to Instagram on Wednesday to share an adorable video of her four-year-old daughter Arabella singing in Mandarin to celebrate the Chinese New Year Star of the show: The little girl, who has been studying Mandarin since she was 18 months old, wore a red dress featuring Chinese embroidery as she performed for her parents and her two-year-old brother Joseph 'It was pretty adorable #yearofthemonkey#happyChineseNewYear,' she added. In the short clip, Arabella can be see standing on the coffee table in front of the Chinese New Year decorations hanging from the windows behind her. Arabella has been studying Mandarin since she was 18 months old, and Ivanka often shares videos and pictures of her little girl celebrating the language and culture. Last year, Arabella rang in the Year of the Ram by donning her beloved Little Red Riding Hood costume. Ivanka proudly posted a photo of her then-three-year-old daughter wearing the color red, which symbolizes good fortune and happiness in Chinese culture. While pregnant with Arabella in 2011, Ivanka said she had assigned herself piles of books on motherhood and early-child development, vowing to expose her daughter to other languages at a young age. Doting daughter: On Tuesday night, Ivanka visited her father Donald's campaign headquarters in Manchester, New Hampshire ahead of primaries Proud parent: After winning the New Hampshire primary, Donald thanked Ivanka, who made seven campaign stops despite being eight months pregnant And Ivanka, who has previously credited their 'incredible Chinese nanny' for teaching Arabella the language, has most definitely stuck to her word. However, it is unsurprising that Ivanka was a little late with posting Arabella's latest performance, as the soon-to-be mother-of-three has been traveling around the country in support of her father Donald's presidential bid. Although Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner are expecting their first child in early spring, the soon-to-be mother-of-three braved the elements on Monday and took the family's private jet to snowy New Hampshire where she attended her father's rally in Manchester. The blonde beauty took to Instagram after her arrival to share a photo of herself looking chic in a navy winter coat and black boots despite the blustery weather. Celebrations: Ivanka shared this picture of her and her husband Jared Kushner at a New Hampshire diner on Tuesday night. She was also with brothers Donald Jr. and Eric, and their wives, Vanessa and Lara Jet setter: Ivanka shared this photo of herself braving the elements as she arrived in New Hampshire on Monday 'Hello New Hampshire! I'm so excited to be here!' she captioned the image, which sees her standing on an airstrip in front of several private planes. And soon she was hitting the campaign trail with her family. During her father's event, Ivanka was proudly holding her baby bump as she watched her father address the crowd. She later posted a photo of herself with Jared, her father, her stepmother Melania, her brothers Donald Trump Jr. and Eric, and their respective wives Vanessa and Lara Yunaska at a restaurant for dinner after the rally. 'Enjoyed a wonderful family dinner tonight in New Hampshire. What a great way to end an exciting day!' she wrote. It was thought that Ivanka and Jared's daughter Arabella and son Joseph, two, likely stayed in New York City while their parents are busy supporting their grandfather. Family tradition: Last year, Arabella rang in the Chinese New Year by dressing up as Little Red Riding Hood Ivanka made seven campaign stops ahead of Tuesday's primary, traveling to New Hampshire even though she is eight months pregnant. And after it was revealed that Donald had won the New Hampshire primarily, Ivanka proudly stoon on stage with her dad during his victory speech, in which he thanked Ivanka and the rest of his family. The former model looked radiant in a long-sleeve black dress featuring a cream floral print, and later that night she and her siblings headed to a diner in New Hamsphire before they flew back to New York. 'Ending an exciting day with my siblings at the Airport Diner! #nh,' she captioned a photo of her and her husband joined by her brother's Donald Trump Jr. and Eric and their respective wives Vanessa and Lara Yunaska. Last week, the business was home with children, who happily cuddled their mother's growing baby bump during story time last Thursday. Bedtime! Ivanka shared this heartwarming photo of herself cuddling with Arabella and her two-year-old son Joseph during story time last Thursday Family of five: Ivanka, who is pictured with her husband and their children at the Trump Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, is expecting her third child in early spring Ivanka shared a sweet photo herself sitting in Arabella's bed with her arms wrapped around both of her children. The next morning the children were photographed staring outside the window of their New York City apartment in awe as they watched snowflakes fall from the sky. 'Waking up to snow!' Ivanka captioned the sweet photo of Joseph watching his big sister as she pointed out the window. And while Ivanka appears to have her work-life balance figured out, she admitted that she is concerned about dividing her attention between three children when her new baby is born this spring. 'I have such special bonds with Arabella and Joseph,' she explained to The Tot. 'Naturally, I worried about this when Joseph was born as well, and I know Ill learn to navigate this again with the new baby.' She's just weeks away from her due date but Sweden's Princess Victoria has proved she's still at her elegant best as she stepped out to attend a glitzy evening engagement. The 38-year-old royal flaunted her blossoming baby bump in an elegant floor-length gown to attend the Global Change Awards 2016 at Stockholm's City Hall on Wednesday. The heir to the throne, who is married to Prince Daniel, 41, already has a three-year-old daughter called Princess Estelle, Duchess of Ostergotland. She's just weeks away from her due date but Sweden's Princess Victoria has proved she's still at her elegant best as she stepped out to attend a glitzy evening engagement The 38-year-old royal flaunted her blossoming baby bump in an elegant floor-length gown to attend the Global Change Award 2016 at Stockholm's City Hall on Wednesday Victoria, who arrived at the event with Diana Armin, turned heads in the sophisticated lace party dress, which featured a high-neck collar and sheer sleeves. She accessorised the show-stopping look with a pair of marble droplet earrings and a gold beaded clutch bag. Despite being eight months pregnant, Victoria also decided to wear pointed black high heels. Her glossy brunette locks were pulled back into a tight low chignon and her make-up was kept simple save for a slick of black liquid eye liner. Victoria accessorised the show-stopping look with a pair of marble droplet earrings and a gold beaded clutch Victoria, who arrived at the event with Diana Armin, turned heads in the sophisticated lace party dress, which featured a high-neck collar and sheer sleeves The news of Victoria's pregnancy was announced in a statement released by the Swedish Royal Court in September Victoria was seen smiling brightly as she applauded enthusiastically at the Global Change Award - her baby bump clearly visible Victoria looked resplendent in a navy blue dress with a modest high-neck and delicate lace sleeves. The flattering design tightly hugged her bump Victoria was seen placing her hand on her large bump before being greeted by guests. The news of Victoria's pregnancy was announced in a statement released by the Swedish Royal Court in September. When the baby is born in the coming weeks, the new arrival will become the third-in-line to the Swedish throne behind his or her mother and older sister Princess Estelle. In the statement, released on the Sveriges Kunghaus website, the princess, who had been the subject of baby rumours last summer, declared herself 'happy' at the prospect of becoming a mother again. 'Their Royal Highnesses Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel are happy to announce that the Crown Princess is expecting their second child,' read the statement. 'The birth is expected to take place in March of 2016. No changes in the schedule of The Crown Princess Couple's public engagements are planned during the fall of 2015.' The princess, who was all smiles at the event, recently declared herself 'happy' at the prospect of becoming a mother again Victoria was seen placing her hand on her large bump before being greeted by guests Babies who are given paracetamol are nearly a third more likely to develop asthma, researchers have found. Taking paracetamol during pregnancy also increases the chance of the unborn child later becoming asthmatic, according to the Bristol University study. Paracetamol is the most commonly used painkiller for babies, and is used in medicines such as Calpol and Disprol as well as low-dose painkiller tablets. Babies who are given paracetamol are nearly a third more likely to develop asthma, a study has found The Bristol team and scientists from Oslo University examined data from 114,500 pregnancies, tracking the children until the age of seven. They found that taking paracetamol by mothers during pregnancy and by babies in infanthood was linked to the development of asthma by the age of three. The scientists, whose findings were published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, tested their theory against the idea that the asthma was caused by the medical complaint for which the person was taking paracetamol. Even after that idea had been taken into account, a strong link to paracetamol remained. The scientists suspect that paracetamol induces oxidative stress, in which unstable molecules known as free radicals trigger an allergic response. The scientists found that children given paracetamol during infancy were 29 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with asthma by the age of three, with a similar rate at age seven. Mothers who had taken paracetamol during pregnancy had a 13 per cent increased chance of their baby developing asthma by the age of three, a rate that doubled to 27 per cent by the age of seven. Taking paracetamol during pregnancy also increases the chance of the unborn child later becoming asthmatic The association was similar whether used for influenza, fever, or pain. The team also examined the link between asthma and ibuprofen taken during pregnancy. They found that mothers who had taken ibuprofen while pregnant were more likely to have a child with asthma at the age of three - but this link was less certain, and had disappeared by the age of seven. The results showed that 5.7 per cent of the children had asthma at age three, and 5.1 per cent had asthma at age seven. World health experts declared the outbreak of Zika virus sweeping through the Americas an international health emergency over fears it is linked to a serious birth defect. In Brazil, where up to 1.5 million people have been infected during the epidemic, doctors have noted a steep rise in babies born with microcephaly. The disorder causes newborns to have smaller than usual heads, and it can result in severe disability. Furthermore, a new study has found babies with microcephaly may be at greater risk of eye abnormalities, that can result in blindness. However, there exists yet another side to the Zika virus. Scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are this week traveling to Puerto Rico to investigate whether the Zika virus is linked to a rare neurological disorder. Experts from the CDC are traveling to Puerto Rico to investigate whether the Zika virus, pictured under the microscope, is linked to the rare neurological condition Guillain-Barre syndrome As the outbreak intensifies in the US territory, there are growing concerns of a link with Guillain-Barre syndrome. The disorder causes the body's immune system to attack part of the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis. It comes as more than 100 people in Colombia who were diagnosed with Guillain-Barre were found to test positive for Zika as well. The World Health Organization predicted last month that Zika will spread to all countries in the Americas, except for Canada and Chile. Dr James Sejvar, a neuroepidemiologist at the CDC, told Reuters: 'Right now we're focusing on Puerto Rico, where we've just started seeing cases of Zika as well as cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome. 'In order to get ahead of the curve, we're going to try and rapidly establish active surveillance for Guillain-Barre in Puerto Rico in the hopes that we're catching the outbreak early.' On February 5, the government of Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency as confirmed Zika cases climbed to 22. In addition to thousands of cases of birth defects in Brazil thought to be linked to Zika, health officials have noted a significant increase in Guillain-Barre, a rare syndrome in which the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. Guillain-Barre syndrome is where the body's immune system attacks the nervous system, illustrated, and can leave sufferers paralyzed It usually occurs a few days after exposure to a virus, bacteria or parasite. Guillain-Barre causes gradual weakness in the legs, arms and upper body, and in some cases, total paralysis. The World Health Organization declared the Zika outbreak an international health emergency on February 1, largely based on evidence linking Zika to pregnancy and the birth defect known as microcephaly, marked by a small head size and underdeveloped brains. But the WHO is also studying increased cases of Guillain-Barre. Dr Sejvar recently did a retrospective study of Guillain-Barre in Brazil, looking at cases that occurred six months earlier. In that study, researchers enrolled 41 patients who developed Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and 85 people of similar ages who did not develop the disorder. They found 'an unexplained higher incidence in relatively younger individuals', Dr Sejvar said, striking individuals in their 40s, although older individuals were the largest group to develop the disorder. Most studies of Guillain-Barre have suggested that by six months, more than half of patients would have recovered. But in the Brazil study, nearly 85 per cent of the patients with Guillain-Barre still had motor deficits or weakness. More studies will be needed to say whether these trends can be generalized to other regions, he said. The study in Puerto Rico will be prospective, a more rigorous investigation that gathers information at the beginning of an illness and compares outcomes to similar individuals who did not develop Guillain-Barre. The hope is to 'quickly identify' cases of Guillain-Barre and enroll them in the study, Dr Sejvar said. That helps in terms of collecting blood samples and spinal fluid while patients are acutely ill. World health experts declared the outbreak of Zika virus sweeping through the Americas an international health emergency over fears it is linked to a serious birth defect Microcephaly causes babies to be born with smaller than usual heads, and can result in severe disabilities It also gives researchers a better idea of the clinical characteristics in cases of Guillain-Barre that follow a Zika infection. Dr Sejvar said it is possible that Puerto Rico will not have a large outbreak of Zika, but based on what has happened in Colombia and El Salvador, where the virus has begun spreading and cases of Guillain-Barre have emerged, he said there is a potential that Puerto Rico could have a large outbreak. If that does occur, he said, the study 'would add more strength to this idea that Zika is somehow related to the development of Guillain-Barre'. Colombian health authorities this week announced that three people who had been infected with the Zika virus had died after developing the Guillain-Barre syndrome - the first time health officials had said the Zika virus could cause deaths. 'We have confirmed and attributed three deaths to Zika,' Martha Lucia Ospina, head of Colombia's National Health Institute, said. 'In this case, the three deaths were preceded by Guillain-Barre syndrome,' said Ospina, an epidemiologist, adding that six further deaths were under investigation for a possible link to Zika. Three high street chains have withdrawn camembert cheese over concerns it is contaminated with a bug that is a particular threat to pregnant women and babies in the womb. Batches of the French cheese sold by Sainsburys, Asda and the Co-op are feared to be contaminated with Listeria. The bug is linked to miscarriage and is also a danger to the elderly and people who are already sick and so have a weakened immune system. Unlike other food poisoning bugs, such as campylobacter or salmonella, the symptoms, which range from a fever to convulsions, can take up to eight weeks to appear. Batches of the cheese sold by Sainsburys, Asda and the Co-op are feared to be contaminated with Listeria Sainsburys has issued a recall of its Taste the Difference Camembert following the discovery of low levels of listeria monocytogenes. Asda has recalled its Extra Special Camembert de Pays and the Co-op has done the same with its Truly Irresistible Camembert. All three get their camembert from the same manufacturer in France. The recalls raise questions about the food safety procedures of French cheese makers. In January a company called Fromagerie Beillevaire recalled batches of its Brie de Meaux a la Truffe from France because of high levels of listeria contamination. The camembert recalls were made public by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the retailers have put up warning notices identifying the batches involved in their stores. The FSA said: Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause foodborne illness, particularly among vulnerable groups these are pregnant women, unborn and newborn babies, those over 60 years old and anyone with a weakened immune system. Listeria (pictured) is linked to miscarriage. It is also a danger to the elderly and people who are already sick and so have a weakened immune system The warning notice from Sainsburys states: As a precautionary measure we are asking all customers who have bought these products not to consume or use them, and to return them to the nearest Sainsburys store, where they will receive a full refund. Listeria is a type of food poisoning bacteria that can live and grow in food, particularly chilled food such as pate, cooked sliced meats, soft cheeses made with raw unpasteurised milk and smoked fish. The UK has seen a spike in the number of cases of listeria in recent years. British research suggests that as many as 23per cent of pregnant women who contract listeria food poisoning can suffer a miscarriage or still birth. Twin girls who are joined at the head are about to be separated in a life-changing operation. The sisters, Tuqa and Yakeen Al Khadr, have been conjoined since their birth four years ago, sharing a skull but not a brain. This means they are craniopagus twins, a phenomenon occurring only once in every 2.5 million births. This weekend, the girls will be separated in a procedure at the Specialist Childrens Hospital in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. The operation is being paid for by the Saudi government as a humanitarian gesture. Syrian sisters Tuqa and Yakeen have been conjoined since birth, sharing a skull but not a brain This weekend, they will be separated at the Specialist Childrens Hospital in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. The success rate for the operation is 60 per cent The surgery is the fourth and final stage to be performed on the Syrian twins. They have undergone prepatory surgeries since April 2014, and a spokesperson for KAMC said there had been 'remarkable progress in all the efforts.' The girls' plight first came to light in 2013 when their father appealed for King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to help with treatment. Despite needing urgent surgery Hussein Al Khadr said he could not afford it due to supporting a family of 11 in war-ravaged Syria, Emirates247.com reported. At the time, the twins were 16 months old. Al Khadr, a farmer in the northern Syrian town of Al Raqqa, said: 'We are appealing for the King to help us, given his noble stands in all fields, especially his many gestures of help for Siamese twins in various Islamic countries.' The girls' plight first came to light in 2013 when their father appealed for King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to help with treatment. The operation is being paid for by the Saudi government as a humanitarian gesture Dr Ahmad Al-Furrayan, head of the medical team handling the upcoming surgery, said it will last about 12 hours and will be carried out in stages. This kind of separation surgery is the most difficult and complicated, he told Arab News. However the success rate for the operation is 60 per cent, and Dr Al-Furrayan is positive he will deliver the expected results. Saudi Arabia has performed 37 surgeries on Siamese twins since 1990 with cases coming from 18 different countries including Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Morocco and Iraq. Almost 30 other cases were examined, but doctors decided it was impossible to separate. For more of the latest on the Zika virus visit www.dailymail.co.uk/zikavirus Babies born to mothers infected with Zika virus may suffer severe eye problems, in addition to an abnormally small head, scientists revealed. A new study found babies born with microcephaly in which their heads are small and their brains arent fully formed may also have eye abnormalities. Doctors examined 29 infants with suspected Zika-related microcephaly in Salvador, Brazil. They found abnormalities in the retina or optic nerve of 10 of the infants seven of whom had defects in both eyes. This finding is the first to link Zika with a birth defect other than microcephaly. This study can help guide clinical management and practice, as we observed that a high proportion of the infants with microcephaly had ophthalmologic lesions, the researchers wrote. A new study in Brazil discovered babies infected with congenital Zika virus may be born with severe eye damage - in addition to abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. Some of the most common ocular problems include lesions and atrophy (pictured here in a 20-day-old infant) Other common eye abnormalities include damage to the retina and abnormalities in the surrounding blood vessels and tissue (pictured here, the eyes of a two-month-old girl with microcephaly) Zika has rapidly been spreading around Latin America and the Carribbean since an outbreak began in Brazil in April 2015. The virus is typically transmitted by mosquito, causing mild symptoms in about 20 per cent of cases, while most people experience no illness at all. However, Zika is suspected of causing a spike in reported microcephaly cases among babies in areas of Brazil with outbreaks. As of January, the Brazilian Ministry of Health reported 3,174 newborns with microcephaly. The study, published in the journal JAMA Opthamology, evaluated the ocular findings of infants who are suspected of having developed microcephaly as a result of congenital Zika virus. The examinations were conducted in December. Twenty-three of the 29 mothers in the study reported having mild Zika symptoms during pregnancy, such as rash, fever, joint pain, headache or itch. Of those 23 mothers, 18 exhibited the symptoms during their first trimester of pregnancy. Doctors noticed eye abnormalities in 10 of the children and of the 20 eyes in those 10 children, 17 eyes had defects. Furthermore, seven of those children had abnormalities in both eyes. Most of the affected babies had black lesions in the back of their eye. Other common eye defects in the babies included damage on the retina, in addition to abnormalities in blood vessels and tissue around the retina which can cause them to wither away. Zika virus has been linked to the birth defect, microcephaly, where babies are born with smaller than usual heads, and are at greater risk of brain damage. Experts have recorded almost 4,000 cases in Brazil Doctors also spotted optical nerve damage in eight eyes, as well as other findings. The study concluded: Infants with microcephaly should undergo routine ophthalmologic evaluations to identify such lesions. In high-transmission settings, such as South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, ophthalmologists should be aware of the risk of congenital [ZIKA-associated] ophthalmologic sequelae. Dr Lee Japol and Dr Debra Goldstein of Northwestern University in Chicago added that the report implicates Zika as the cause of chorioretinal scarring and other ocular abnormalities in Brazil. They wrote in the journal: The present 20-fold reported increase of microcephaly in parts of Brazil is temporally associated with the outbreak of Zika virus. However, this association is still presumptive because definitive serologic testing for Zika virus was not available in Brazil at the time of the outbreak and confusion may occur with other causes of microcephaly. Similarly, the currently described eye lesions are presumptively associated with the virus. Scientists claim to have invented the world's first home sperm test kit which measures semen quality as well as quantity. Men often turn to home testing kits because to spare the embarrassment of attending a fertility clinic. Until now, home kits only tested sperm count but not sperm quality, meaning men could be falsely reassured about their fertility. Now, IVF experts from Danish company Motility Count say they have have developed a simple and reliable kit that measures a man's sperm count - but also reveals whether he has good swimmers. The world's first home sperm test kit - measuring semen quality as well as count - has been launched in the UK The device tests sperm quality as it has two chambers, and only motile (good swimming) sperm can travel from one chamber to another. In the second chamber, dye is added to the sperm, which produces the colour in the result window. A stronger purple colour indicates more motile sperm The product, called SwimCount, is now being manufactured by JRBiomedical Ltd, based in Llandudno Junction, North Wales, and can be bought online for 39.99. To use the kit, men should take a sperm sample in the cup provided, without using a condom or lubricant as this might damage the sperm cells, and then leave it to rest for 30 mins. Then, they should use a syringe to stir the sample 10 times, before taking 0.5ml and putting it into the SwimCount device. Within 30 minutes, the kit changes colour, to indicate whether the number of motile (good swimming) sperm a man has is above or below the World Health Organisation's threshold for normal sperm. This is defined as 5 million motile sperms per milliliter. When compared to looking at sperm under a microscope, SwimCount is 96 per cent accurate, its manufacturers claim. HOW DOES SWIMCOUNT WORK? Men using SwimCount put a semen sample into the device. It has two chambers and only motile sperm can move from one chamber into the other. Once the motile sperm are in the second chamber the sperm are stained with a dye which produces the colour in the result window. The more motile sperm in the sample, the stronger the purple colour will be. Advertisement If the test shows a man's sperm quality is below the cut off level for normal sperm, he should consult their doctor for further fertility testing. A low sperm count or poor sperm quality is the cause of infertility in about 20 per cent of couples with fertility problems in the UK, according to NHS Choices. It is also a contributory factor in a further 25 per cent of couples. Dr John Rees, managing director at JRBiomedical, told the Daily Post: 'In November 2014 I became aware there was a Danish biotech working on a new type of male fertility home test that would be complete in 2015. 'It is rare to come across truly innovative products in this sector so I contacted them and visited their company in Copenhagen last year.' After registering the product as a medical device, the company was appointed by the Danes to launch SwimCount in the UK, he added. He said the product will initially be available through the company website but will be rolled out this year to pharmacies. Dr Rees said: 'The key benefit of SwimCount compared to other tests is that it provides a measure of motile sperm (good swimmers) rather than just a sperm count which can overestimate a mans fertility and provide a false sense of reassurance that all is OK.' To use the kit, men should take a sperm sample in the cup provided, without using a condom or lubricant as this might damage the sperm cells, and then leave the sample for 30 mins Then, they should wait 30 minutes, before stirring and collecting a 0.5ml sample of semen in the syringe They should put the semen sample into the device's sample well, and push the slider forward to activate it. After leaving the device for a further 30 minutes, it will change colour to indicate to indicate whether the number of motile (good swimming) sperm a man has is above or below the World Health Oranisations's threshold for normal sperm The parasite that transmits malaria has become increasingly resistant to medical treatments. Until recently, the most effective antimalarial drug was artemisinin. But, resistance to the drug has developed in Asia and doctors fear that resistance may soon spread to Africa. The growing realization has sent the medical community into a frenzy, desperate to search for alternative treatments. Now, scientists believe a 'smart drug', designed using cutting-edge technology could hold the key to tackling the resistant strain. The mosquito-borne malaria parasite has grown to be increasingly resistant against the top antimalaria drug, called artemisinin. A team of US, UK and Australia scientists have developed a 'smarter drug' that targets the parasite's waste disposal system - which is called a proteasome The new drug targets the parasites waste disposal system called a proteasome. Professor Leann Tilley, of the University of Melbourne, said: The parasites proteasome is like a shredder, that chews up damaged or used-up proteins. Malaria parasites generate a lot of damaged proteins as they switch from one life stage to another and are very reliant on their proteasome, making it an excellent drug target. The mosquito-borne malaria parasite kills nearly 450,000 children each year. Resistance to the widely-used drug artemisinin has spread to six countries in five years, according to a study published in the journal Nature. Professor Tilley said: Artemisinin causes damage to the proteins in the malaria parasite that kill the human cell, but the parasite has developed a way to deal with that damage. So new drugs that work against resistant parasites are desperately needed. The study was led by a group of scientists from Stanford University, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council in Cambridge, The University of California, San Francisco and the University of Melbourne. The Stanford team purified the proteasome from the malaria parasite. [The antimalarial drug] artemisinin causes damage to the proteins in the malaria parasite that kill the human cell, but the parasite has developed a way to deal with that damage. So new drugs that work against resistant parasites are desperately needed Professor Leann Tilley, of the University of Melbourne They then examined its activity against hundreds of peptide sequences using a method developed by the University of California, San Francisco. Under the new method, they were able to design inhibitors that selectively targeted the proteasome while still sparing the human host enzyme. The scientists determined the drug had a high degree of selectivity and confirmed it could be used to clear parasites from infected mice. Next, the team at the Medical Research Council in the UK used a revolutionary new technique called a single particle cryo-electron microscopy. That technique generated a three-dimensional, high-resolution structure of a protein based on thousands of composite images. This was the first time the technique had been used to design a drug, the study authors noted. Over in Australia, Professor Tilley tested the new drug in red blood cells infected with parasites. The drug was found to be as effective in killing the artemisinin resistant parasites as it was for the sensitive parasites. Dr Tilley said: The new proteasome inhibitors actually complement artemisinin drugs. Artemisinins cause protein damage and proteasome inhibitors prevent the repair of protein damage. Malaria parasites are reliant on their proteasome, so targeting the area was found to be effective in getting rid of the parasite in mice. Pictured here, the malaria parasite's proteasome (bottom left) and inhibitor (front) A combination of the two provides a double whammy and could rescue the artemisinins as anti-malarials, restoring their activity against resistant parasites. The scientists are currently collaborating with experts from Japanese anti-cancer drug giant Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Swiss-based foundation Medicines for Malaria Venture. They are working to identify additional cases of parasite-specific proteasome inhibitors that could be used in clinical trials. Professor Tilley said: The next step is screening the Takeda libraries to find a similar drug that doesnt affect the human proteasome. The current drug is a good start but its not yet suitable for humans. Kolkata's colonial history is ingrained in its DNA. And while the Victoria Memorial dedicated to the long-dead British queen is a distinguishing feature of the city, there are quite a few structures that now lie in different stages of decay. The 19th century mansions built on Chitpur Road in north Kolkata are a case in point. A new project is documenting the 19th century mansions of Kolkata. Pictured is Marble Palace, Muktaram Babu Street. House of PC Mitter, 42B Sachin Mitra Lane, Bagbazar In 2006, a German photographer named Peter Bialobrzeski came across these mansions while on a tour with conservation architect Manish Chakraborti. Manish pointed out that Chitpur was a unique architectural anomaly in our history. The houses in that locality were built by the Bengali elite but influenced by European architecture. "Till then, the buildings had never been documented and not even a single book on Chitpur had been written, so Peter decided that it would be a good project to embark upon, says Tanvi Mishra, who has designed the exhibition Calcutta: Chitpur Road Neighbourhoods, an evolution of Bialobrzeskis project. Bialobrzeskis project began with him going back to his homeland, bringing 21 of students from the University of Arts Bremen where he taught, and documented the mansions of Chitpur Road. The house of Labonya Roy, Annex, Jorabagan Traffic Guard, Shobhabazar Street House of Manmathanath Ghosh, Pathuriaghata Street The students used a large format camera, working under the collective name of A Kolkata Heritage Photo Project, and made prints of the photographs in Germany. Other than an odd exhibition or two, nothing much really came of it in India. A couple of years ago, Mishra, herself a documentary photographer, chanced upon a set of these prints at the Goethe-Institut. Mullik Bari, PK Tagore Street The prints were catching mould, she says, adding: We restored them and did an exhibition in Mumbai with both Peter and I being the curators of the show. After the Mumbai show, the prints were donated to the Alkazi Foundation, which helped Mishra develop the prints beyond its purpose. I looked at the Alkazi Foundations archive, trying to find elements in which would help me draw parallels with the 2006 prints. "There are three periods of photographs from the archive - images from mid-1800s, images from 1948 taken by an American GI and the images from 2006 - which draw parallels on how you look at architecture in the city. It shows how a city evolves over a period of time. Tihar jail in the Capital is bursting at the seams, with around 14,300 prisoners lodged in its nine jails and the district jail at Rohini. The jails have the capacity to hold just 6,500 inmates, and the current strength exceeds that by 221 per cent. Shockingly, 75 per cent of the inmates are under-trials who have been languishing in prison. The majority of them are poor and have no one to furnish a bail bond on their behalf. The majority of under-trials in Tihar get stuck in the prison as they cannot afford to furnish bail bonds According to National Crime Records Bureau figures, Delhi ranks third for jail overcrowding, just after the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, which sees 331.7 per cent overcrowding, and Chhattisgarh with 258.9 per cent overcrowding. An alarmed Supreme Court, while taking stock of the situation in prisons across the country and the NCRB report, has directed the Under Trial Review Commitee and State Legal Services Authority to take steps for the release of under-trial prisoners and convicts who have served their sentence or are entitled to be released because of the remission granted to them. The court also wants those who could not furnish bail bonds due to poverty to be gradually set free. The apex court had in 2014 asked judicial officers across the country to visit the jails falling in their jurisdiction to identify and release under-trial prisoners who had spent half of the maximum period of sentence prescribed under the law for the offences with which they were charged. But it appears things had not made much headway. The Member Secretary of the State Legal Services Authority of every State will ensure, in coordination with the Secretary of the District Legal Services Committee in every district, that an adequate number of competent lawyers are empanelled to assist under-trial prisoners and convicts, particularly the poor and indigent and that legal aid for the poor does not become poor legal aid, said the social justice bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur. The court also said the Director General of Police/Inspector General of Police in-charge of prisons should ensure that there is proper and effective utilisation of available funds so that the living conditions of the prisoners is commensurate with human dignity. This also includes the issue of their health, hygiene, food, clothing and rehabilitation. Prison reforms have been the subject matter of discussion and decisions rendered by this court from time to time over the last 35 years. Unfortunately, even though Article 21 of the Constitution requires a life of dignity for all persons, little appears to have changed on the ground as far as prisoners are concerned and we are once again required to deal with issues relating to prisons in the country and their reform, said the court. Has anything changed on the ground? The prison statistics available as on December 31, 2014 from the website of National Crime Records Bureau, which indicate that as far as overcrowding is concerned, there is no perceptible change and in fact the problem of overcrowding has perhaps been accentuated with the passage of time, the apex court said. The court also issued a notice to the Ministry of Women and Child Development and directed it to prepare a prison manual after taking into consideration the condition of juveniles who are in observation homes. The directions were the result of a letter written by former chief justice RC Lahoti on June 13, 2013 to then chief justice of India relating to inhuman conditions in 1,382 prisons in India. Justice Lahoti had also pointed out that the State cannot disown its liability to the life and safety of a prisoner once in custody and that there were hardly any schemes for reformation for first time offenders and prisoners in their youth and to save them from coming into contact with hardened prisoners. Mandoli prison to take in excess Tihar inmates By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi In order to decongest the overcrowded Tihar Jail, the Delhi governments Public Works Department (PWD) has expedited the completion of Mandoli Jail, which is expected to be operational by July 1. According to a senior government official, all the high-profile or dreaded prisoners will continue to stay in Tihar. The Mandoli Jail complex has a capacity to accommodate 3,750 inmates, but initially only 1,500 inmates will be transferred here from Tihar Jail. The project has missed several deadlines and solution to decongest Tihar is only through transferring some inmates to Mandoli Jail. Initially only selected 1,500 inmates, who have a good conduct will be transferred to the newly-constructed jail. Those with heinous crime record or gangsters will continue to stay in Tihar, a senior government official said. All the construction work will be completed by June, following which a security audit of the campus will be carried out. However, Tihar officials are yet to receive any communication from the governments end. We will make a comprehensive list of inmates who will be transferred after checking their record. Once the deployment of force is done in Mandoli jail, we will start the process of making transfer documents of inmate who will be transferred. This will be followed by medical examination of transferred prisoners, a Tihar official said, adding that gangsters, terrorists and other heinous criminals will not be transferred. Earlier, a team of PWD officials also carried out security audit of the newly-constructed jail and raised several concerns. Claiming that he worked for the Pakistani intelligence agency the ISI, US-based terrorist David Coleman Headley spilled the beans on the agency via a video conference on the second day of his deposition. Headley disclosed that terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen targeting India are given financial and military support by the ISI. Besides admitting to his links with the ISI, Headley also said that ISI official Brigadier Riyaz was the handler of LeT's top commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi - the mastermind of the November 26, 2008 attacks in Mumbai. Army personnel take up position outside the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 He said the LeT as a whole is responsible for the terror attacks in India on that Wednesday, and it can be speculated that all orders come from Lakhvi since he is the top commander. The LeT operative also identified Lakhvi from a photograph shown to him and added that the ISI had asked him to recruit Indian Army men as spies. I was also working for ISI and had met many people from the Pakistan Army, he told the Special Judge GA Sanap. He named three officials of the Pakistan Army and ISI, Colonel Shah, Lt Colonel Hamza and Major Samir Ali, besides retired army officer Abdul Rehman Pasha, who was working closely with the LeT and Al-Qaeda. 26/11 terrorist David Coleman Headley has been giving evidence to a special court in Mumbai Headley said that according to his assessments the ISI and LeT were coordinating with each other. ISI provides financial, military and moral support to terror outfits JeM, LeT and Hizbul Mujaideen, he said. However, he added that his opinion was formed on the basis of hearsay. Headley said he had visited Mumbai seven times to scout for targets and revealed that plans to attack Mumbai had started over a year before the attack in 2008. He added that LeT initially wanted to attack a conference of Indian defence scientists at the Taj Mahal Hotel, but the plan was dropped. He said he had also conducted a recce of the Siddhivinayak Temple and the Naval Air Station. Divulging details about plans to target Mumbai, Headley said: In November-December 2007, the LeT held a meeting in Muzaffarabad (in PoK) which was attended by LeT operatives Sajid Mir and Abu Kahfa. It was decided here that terror attacks would be conducted in Mumbai. The task of conducting a recce of Taj Hotel was assigned to me. Headley said that Mir and Kahfa had information about a meeting of scientists in Taj and wanted to plan an attack at that time. PM Modi is due to hold a performance review with his Cabinet Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be holding the second review meeting with his Cabinet colleagues to take stock of their performance this week. The next round of assessments would be held on February 17, just ahead of the Budget session of Parliament. The PM will be taking account of the various schemes announced by the Union government. He will take inputs from the Cabinet about on-ground implementations, and make further decisions regarding schemes accordingly. Punjab BJP doesn't want SAD ally The BJPs Punjab unit is putting pressure on the central leadership to review the partys alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the state. The local leaders want the BJP to distance itself from the state government ahead of the Assembly elections. However, the central leadership has indicated that it will not break ties with one of its longest-standing allies. SAD leader Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday evening met BJP president Amit Shah to discuss the strategy for the 2017 polls. Pranab's advice for governors Amid controversies over the role of governors, President Pranab Mukherjee stressed on maintaining the Constitutions sanctity. It is an enduring document that reflects our aspirations and the avenues to achieve them, in an inclusive manner. "It is incumbent on all of us who hold constitutional positions to maintain the sanctity of this sacred text, Mukherjee said while inaugurating a conference of governors. Political parties on reservation drive In what might come as good news to a lot of people, political parties have hopped onto the bandwagon supporting reservation for Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in the private sector, as proposed by the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). NCBC member Shakeel-uz- Zaman Ansari has recommended quota in private sector. Janata Dal (United) was the first party to support the move. Gadkari upbeat about UP polls BJPs future is very good in Uttar Pradesh, according to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. You dont worry. Our future is very good, he said, responding to a question about the upcoming Assembly polls in the state. Gadkari was on a two-day visit to UP during which he met party workers and took stock of the political situation. Siddaramaiah is the fifth Congress Chief Minister to survive beyond 1,000 days in office Karnataka has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. There's the continued attacks on African students in Bengaluru; the flight of capital and IT companies to neighbouring states as the infrastructure crumbles in the tech capital of the nation; more than 1,000 farmers committed suicide in 2015 alone; terror suspects surfaced from different parts of the state; communal disturbances are on the rise in coastal region... But amid all these, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah achieved a major milestone - he became the fifth Congress chief minister to complete more than 1,000 days in office! Though the Congress ruled the state for over 40 years with 12 different chief ministers, only five of them had survived beyond 1,000 days in office. As for Siddaramaiah, he has not only entered the history books, but is also showing signs of completing his five-year tenure without any opposition from within the party or the high command. Alas, his failures overshadow his success, if any. In the absence of any suitable challenger, Siddaramaiah knows that it is difficult for the party to unseat him. When the Congress came to power in Karnataka by dislodging the BJP government, which reeked in corruption-related cases, people expected a transparent and people-friendly administration. But the bureaucrats and the police admit in private that the Congress rule is no better than that of the BJP. It is just that Siddaramaiah has insulated himself from any kind of criticism, internal or external, and continues to work at his own pace. One of the biggest contributions of his administration is the transfer of government officers round the year. A transfer policy, which is in place, states that government officers other than the IAS, IPS and KAS ranks should be transferred only during summer holidays. But now the transfers have become a business for the ministers. There have been episodes where even junior veterinary doctors, who earn meagre salaries, had to pay hefty sums for a posting after being deliberately disturbed from their existing offices. Even the humble teachers have not been spared from this transfer business. On the contrary, officers in the lucrative police and transport departments have emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of this transfer business. Today, Bengaluru has emerged as the preferred posting place among police officers, who have allegedly paid huge sums of money. When these officers come on to the roads to manage traffic or when civilians visit police stations with grievances, all they think of is fleecing them for money. As a consequence, the police are no longer controllable in Bengaluru. Home Minister G Parameshwara had the shock of his life when not even a single police officer was present at a private school function which he attended in Bengaluru last week. Things have come to such a pass that the police are powerful enough to ignore the Home Minister! The second biggest contribution of the government is undermining the efforts of an anti-corruption agency like the Lokayukta, which was considered a role model for the rest of the country. Today, the agency has become headless and toothless after the previous Lokayukta quit in the wake of corruption charges against his son. The same is the case of the State Human Rights Commission, which does not have a full-time chairperson. The fate of the Karnataka State Public Service Commission is no different, as the appointment of its chairperson is pending. If a person has to embarrass their own kin, then he/she should learn from senior Congress leader B Janardhana Poojary. At a public event last Saturday, the former Union minister cautioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah against retaining deadwood in his Cabinet. If you dont sack these non-performers, the Congress will lose the next Assembly polls, declared Poojary in front of top ministers and Congress party workers. Siddaramaiah seemed visibly upset while Poojarys comments evoked boos and criticism from the public, who wanted him to stop the speech. But everyone is aware that whatever Poojary said was true. Stars shine at Bengaluru International Film Festival Jaya Bachchan inaugurated the 8th Bengaluru International Film Festival The recently-concluded 8th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES), organised by the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy and the Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce, was by far the best in the eight-year-old history of the film festival. Among those who made it to BIFFES this year were award-winning filmmakers Mani Ratnam, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Girish Kasaravalli, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ashok Amritraj, along with actors like Jaya Bachchan, Suhasini Maniratnam, B Saroja Devi, Venkatesh, Sanchari Vijay and many more. For the first time in the recent years, Vidhana Soudha became the backdrop for the inauguration of the film festival. Award-winning movies were screened and the city saw film enthusiasts from all four southern states congregate to watch them. The focus of the festival was on 18 different categories, including interesting ones such as Asian cinema, World cinema, Short Films and several world premieres. Housing Minister MH Ambarish (veteran Kannada superstar), Kannada & Culture Minister Umashree (veteran comedian), MLCs Jayamala (multilingual actress) and Tara Anuradha (National Award-winning actress) all played an important role. But the mainstream cinema stars from the south film industries were missing from the event. Corruption emboldening criminals in jails Time and again, the Bengaluru Central Jail is in the news for serious violations by the staff as well as inmates. Earlier this week, cops found mobile phones inside highly fortified barracks of the jail housing several terror suspects, including Pakistani national Mohammed Koya, alias Fahad, leader of the terror group Albadr. Bengaluru Central Jail is frequently in the news for all the wrong reasons In 2011, Koya was found to have made phone calls to his girlfriend and relatives in Pakistan from his solitary cell. Now, the discovery of the phone in his cell has shocked the security establishment. Though the government has been maintaining that it is cleaning-up the jail, the violations continue unabated. Last month, the government found out that more than 60 hardcore convicts had not returned from parole to the jail and the staff did not even have an idea about their whereabouts. It is needless to say that corruption is one of the main reasons for all these violations inside the jail. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad survived for almost a week under 35 feet of ice Sheer grit, determination, will to live against all odds, a miracle - and perhaps a little yoga helped Lance Naik Hanumanthappa survive being buried under 35 feet of ice at 20,500 feet at the Siachen glacier. Those posted at the Siachen glacier currently, and veterans since 1984 when the Indian Army launched Operation Meghdoot and was deployed on the Saltoro ridgeline, are unable to fathom how a soldier could survive being buried under 35 feet of ice for six days in a rarefied atmosphere. With 13 years in service, miracle man L/Nk Hanumanthappa is being described as a deeply religious soldier who was also a practitioner of yoga. We have been told he used to not only practice yoga himself but also help fellow soldiers with their breathing exercises. Medical science can perhaps explain better but we believe yoga perhaps had a role to play in his being able to survive in those conditions. Apart from being the almightys favourite child, a senior officer posted in the 14 Corps told Mail Today. More than 200 soldiers worked round the clock for five days looking for survivors after the ice wall came crashing down on the 19 Madras post in the northern glacier. The rescue team could not believe their eyes when they saw he was conscious. Unsurprisingly, he was drowsy and disoriented. It is unbelievable. In Siachen if you are exposed to nature for more than four hours without taking adequate precautions, chances of survival are slim. There has never before been an instance of a soldier having survived being buried in snow and ice for five days, he added. The medical report is grim. L/Nk Hanumanthappa is comatose, continues to be in shock with low blood pressure, and investigations have revealed liver and kidney dysfunction. Yoga plays a very important role in controlling your breathing especially in high altitude areas and is also important in the mental and spiritual toughening of a soldier, says Lt Gen (retd) Ved Chaturvedi, former Director General of Armed Forces Medical Service. More than 200 soldiers worked round the clock for five days looking for survivors after the ice wall came crashing down on the 19 Madras post in the northern glacier Lt Gen (retd) Ata Hasnain former Srinagar Corps Commander, said: It defies logic. I was posted at the Siachen glacier at the same spot near the sheer ice wall. There is no way one can survive for five days buried under ice with no oxygen. Its a miracle. The Army, of course, says it is too soon to say whether yoga had any role to play in the soldiers survival. Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, though, is convinced. There is no such thing as a miracle. In extreme high altitude conditions those who practice yoga not only have stronger lungs but also their body utilises oxygen better even when lesser amount of oxygen is available in the atmosphere, says Baba Ramdev. The yoga guru is convinced that practicing breathing exercises will benefit all those who go to high altitude areas. 'Its a rebirth for all of us' By Mail Today Bureau in Bengaluru For the last six days, septuagenarian Basamma, mother of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, has not slept properly and has lost her appetite. Every time she tried to sleep, the picture of her daughter-in-law and her 18-month-old grandchild flashed in front of her eyes. Last night, when they called me around 2am and informed me that my son was alive I couldnt believe it. It was as if someone was talking to me in my dreams. It took me some time to realise that it was true, said Basamma, thanking the almighty. Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad's mother and wife at their home in Betadoor village in Hubli As news spread that Koppad was alive, Bettadur village in Kundagol taluk in Dharwad district (northwestern Karnataka), erupted in joy. His wife Jayamma Mahadevi rushed to the local temple and offered special prayers along with the villagers. This is unbelievable God has answered our prayers. Every day I would be offering prayers to the village deity, as my husbands grandmother told me that is the only way we can hope for a miracle. Today indeed is a miracle to hear that my husband is alive. I am forever indebted to the lord. It is a rebirth for all of us, Jayamma said, with tears in her eyes. Apparently, the extended family members had given up hope. We had heard from Koppad first-hand reports about the living conditions in Siachen. We never expected this kind of a surprise call from New Delhi. We hope he recovers fast. We cannot wait to bring him back home, said the soldiers cousin Eshwar Koppad. The family was surprised by Prime Minister Narendra Modis gesture in visiting the soldier. What more can one expect when the PM drops in to check the condition of my son? I hope everything will be fine in the coming days, said Basamma, who was told that her son was yet to emerge from the critical condition. Koppads family was extremely happy with the response from the Army. It's now axed the E.On tariff it's accused of selling to vulnerable customers Age UK is accused of selling pricey home, motor and travel insurance The charity Age UK appears to be quoting up to three times more for the price of insurance compared to its rivals, an investigation by Money Mail has revealed. The revelation comes after Age UK was accused of selling expensive energy deals from E.On to vulnerable customers. Last night it emerged that Age UK had stopped offering its E.On tariff. Age UK, whose chief executive Tom Wright earns more than 180,000 a year, makes money selling financial products through its corporate arm Age UK Enterprises. Quote: Age UK appears to be quoting up to three times more for the price of insurance compared to its rivals Car, travel and home insurance policies are provided by insurance giant Ageas. Age UK Enterprises sold 482,000 Ageas policies in the year to March 2015, raking in 21.9 million. We asked a comparison website to see how competitive the charitys policies were. Go Compare created hypothetical profiles of customers and obtained quotes from Age UK and dozens of other insurers. It found a 70-year-old woman in living in Cardiff would pay 673 to insure a Fiat Panda through Age UK. But it said a virtually identical policy was available for 224 from LV=. On home and contents insurance, it quoted an Age UK annual premium of 161 for a semi-detached house in Bristol. But Halifax offered the same cover for the lower price of 88. For travel insurance, Go Compare obtained Age UKs quote of 78 for a healthy couple in their 70s on an eight-day trip to Italy. But once again, it found lower prices with a different insurer - Saga offered similar cover for 45, it said. When asked about the research, Age UK says these figures are misleading. An Age UK spokesman said: Unless the research was conducted using real peoples details, you will not obtain a fair and accurate quotation this is why we see little correlation with the quotes you achieve from Go Compare and the data we have for Age UK quotations. When a perfectly competent borrower is rejected for a mortgage and just happens to be aged 70 I am instantly suspicious. Susan Bailey had a faultless payment record on her interest-only mortgage, owned a property outright in Spain and had a stable pension from her career as a school teacher. So why, last month, did Santander refuse a deal so she could keep her home for just two more years? Mortgage rejections: Santander has refused Susan a deal that could let her keep her home for two more years The bank denies even the merest hint of ageism. It says Susan was turned down because she had not saved into a so-called endowment investment to pay off the 150,000 debt at the end of the mortgage term. That is the policy for all their customers, says Santander. Let me put this into plainer language: Computer Says No. Susan, for all her excellent financial housekeeping, simply cant tick the right box on Santanders application form. Now, I have a degree of sympathy for banks dealing with the interest-only timebomb. In the vast majority of cases, borrowers who took out these loans were aware theyd have to repay all the money at some stage. The clue is in the name. But in their greed, banks were guilty of flogging these deals without checking how customers planned to do this. As millions of people like Susan reach retirement, its a bit rich suddenly to declare that only an endowment will do. As Susan points out, she can downsize or move to her holiday home in Spain. She just doesnt want to up sticks while she provides vital teaching cover to her local school and is caring for her 91-year-old mother. With such a rigid attitude to older borrowers, its understandable that many honest, reliable customers feel Santander is trying to turf them out of their homes without so much as a fair hearing. Susan is not alone. Judging from the Money Mail postbag, customers at other banks are also being told that gold-plated final-salary pensions and Isas arent proof that their finances are sound. The banks blame the regulator for introducing tougher rules on lending in 2012. But I cant help thinking that their bosses have other motives. Its what you might call a blind eye tactic: banks are turning their backs and putting their fingers in their ears, hoping unwanted borrowers disappear. Yes, interest-only customers in their 70s, 80s or 90s pose a greater risk to banks. As we age, our health tends to deteriorate, we stop working and coping with financial matters can become trickier. But I have no sympathy for banks which reject older borrowers without investigating their precise circumstances first. It shouldnt have taken Money Mails intervention for Santander to accept that Susan Bailey can be trusted with a short loan extension. Sadly, this is the consequence of banks going digital (i.e. cutting costs). We get skeleton staff in branches and advisers on the phones who rely on computers to make lending decisions. As staff disappear, so does common sense and emotional intelligence. The big banks would do well to follow the lead of National Counties Building Society in scrapping all age limits on borrowing. Its time that they turned off their screens, trained up some staff and considered each borrower on merit. Tax hackers Attacks: HMRC has been hacked 17,000 times by crooks claiming other peoples tax refunds HMRC has been hacked 17,000 times by crooks claiming other peoples tax refunds, officials have admitted this week. After the various cyber attacks on TalkTalk, Vodafone, HSBC and other firms, it seemed only a matter of time before fraudsters targeted our tax details. But what really did surprise me was that the bungling taxman paid out. You regularly contact our letters editor, Tony Hazell, asking for help after being unable to extract from the taxman whats rightfully yours. Yet at the same time, your correspondence details the inordinate amount of time HMRC spends chasing taxes that went unpaid due to its own mistakes. The Revenues next multi-million-pound project is moving our tax returns online. Just as it admits a vulnerability to hackers, HMRC is putting all our details on the web and allowing us to tinker with them. What could possibly go wrong? Ticket turmoil Last week, I took a train to my old secondary school in Sussex to celebrate the 40th issue of its magazine. To buy a ticket at London Victoria Station, you can choose between the enormous queue at the ticket office and the cluster of self-service machines in the centre of the concourse. With a friend waiting on the platform, I went for the digital option. If youve used one these dastardly machines, youll know the next step is navigating 20 or more fares to find the right one. On the first page for my journey to Three Bridges was an Off-Peak Day Return (22.10), an Any-Time Day Return (28.40), an Off-Peak Return (31.50), and so on. Three pages and 23 results later, I found another Off-Peak Day Return for 17.40. In the small print, it explains that the more expensive one includes the Gatwick Express. Even if the Gatwick Express did stop at Three Bridges (it doesnt!), how can you justify hiding away the cheapest fare on the last page? Sure enough, I caught up with my friend to find hed selected the first Off-Peak Day Return. You can imagine his reaction on learning hed paid over the odds. John Cryan, the British banker appointed last summer to revive Deutsche Bank, talks a lot of sense. Not so long ago when the jobs axe was swinging, he conceded that many in his profession still got paid far too much for what they did. The trouble is, Cryans protestations that Deutsche is a picture of financial health are falling on deaf ears. The last decade has taught investors that cries of dont panic often indicate they should do precisely the opposite. Even with the German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble unfussed by the banks gyrations, the price of insuring against a Deutsche debt default has hit levels not seen since the financial crisis. Promises: Deutsche has assured it can make the CoCo payments due at the end of April three times over The focus of much panic is the very instrument designed to bail out banks should they ever encounter another meltdown. So-called contingent convertible bonds (CoCos) turn into equity to bolster capital in times of trouble so that bondholders pay up before shareholders get burnt. Never mind that Deutsche has assured it can make the CoCo payments due at the end of April three times over. Tracking the price of this safety blanket that regulators were so keen on is just another way for investors to take fright. They are conveniently forgetting that banking these days involves less risk and bigger buffers. To some extent, the European Central Bank only has itself to blame. Its first efforts to assess balance sheet risk in the wake of the financial crisis might as well have been conducted with a feather duster. Only after a more rigorous inspection were eurozone banks revealed to be sitting a range of toxic nasties and in dire need of raising new capital to meet tougher rules. Given the losses incurred from oil and the emerging markets sell-off, who can blame investors for thinking that loan portfolios should be gone through once more with a fine-tooth comb? It is amazing that only now is the Italian government helping its lenders offload 150bn of bad debts. Compare that to the quick and effective recapitalisation of the Wall Street banks and it is no surprise that the business of investment banking is fast becoming dominated by Uncle Sam. There was a feeling that the ECB might one day have to return to the banks and insist on a better job. If this rout continues, that time is now. Roger that When Walmart swooped to buy Asda almost a generation ago, the supermarket sector was meant to be laid to waste by the arrival of Americas deep-discounting titan. Yet today it is Asda that looks the most exposed in the ongoing price war. A Christmas to forget has been followed by a sales decline accelerating through January. It will take more than Asdas wonky veg box this weeks cheap treat to lure back shoppers who have given Aldi and Lidl a try. Until it gets distracted by the integration of Argos, Sainsburys is making steady progress compared to its closest competitor. Even Morrisons has a new lease of life. The Waltons of Arkansas must be puzzled by what is going on. Head office cuts, a PR man with his fingers in the till and an unconvincing expansion in southern England: roll on the arrival later this year of likeable Yorkshireman Roger Burnley as chief operating officer. Surely he will step up smartly to succeed chief executive Andy Clarke who appears to be past his sell-by date. Air rage Call: easyJet boss Carolyn McCall turned down a top job at Marks and Spencer If Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou was pleased that easyJet boss Dame Carolyn McCall did not answer the siren call to run Marks and Spencer, he has a funny way of showing it. Ahead of the companys shareholder meeting in Luton tomorrow, the airlines founder is laying into its scattergun approach over dividends, calling for the standard payout ratio to rise from 40 per cent to 50 per cent of post-tax profits. That equates to a lot of extra baked beans for Sir Stelios, whose latest venture has seen him become a bargain-basement grocer. In her five years in the cockpit, Dame Carolyn has paid fat returns to soothe the entrepreneur, who insists dividend payments are owed after all the risk equity capital he sunk into easyJet early on. There is always turbulence in the aviation industry, but the biggest risk to this business is if the management swerves off course to address yet more demands from its largest shareholder. Sugar rush Even the wise heads at the Institute for Fiscal Studies cant calculate the consequences of a sugar tax. A glance at Coca-Colas annual results and one thing is easy to work out. Hedge funds have bet more than 3billion on the decline of ten of Britains biggest companies including Sainsburys and Shell in a bid to exploit the turmoil on financial markets. Fears of a global slowdown, the plunge in oil and commodities and the fierce price war between the UKs supermarkets have played into the hands of City speculators. While ordinary investors and pension savers have been hammered by the fall in the stock market, hedge funds have built their short positions in blue chip companies in recent weeks. City speculators: Hedge funds have bet more than 3bn on the decline of ten of Britains biggest companies Their main targets have included supermarket giants Sainsbury and Tesco, and oil and commodities behemoths Anglo American, Royal Dutch Shell and Glencore. Latest figures from research firm Markit indicate hedge funds have increased their short positions on Sainsbury by 25 per cent over the last month. An estimated 405million has been staked on the grocers shares falling in value, with more than a fifth of the companys shares in the hands of hedge funds. Lansdowne Partners, the Mayfair-based hedge fund run by Peter Davies, a close friend of George Osborne, took a 1.9 per cent short position in the supermarket last August. But City hedge fund Marshall Wace bought a 1.7 per cent stake last week, according to data released by City watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority. Hedge funds have also gambled 537million on Tesco, a 33 per cent jump in just a month, according to Markit. The big supermarkets have been hit hard by the rise of German discounters Aldi and Lidl, and have rushed to slash their prices. Tesco has also been dogged by an accounting scandal, notching up a record 6.4billion loss last year. Simon Colvin from Markit said: Shorting has certainly increased in recent weeks. All the UK retailers have been very popular shorts. German discounters have been very aggressive in grabbing market share. Established retailers have become engaged in a price war which has hit their profits and causes shares to fall. As well as betting on shares going up in value, hedge funds can gamble on shares falling. This is known as shorting and is entirely legal. They typically do this by borrowing a stock from another investor for a small fee. As part of the deal they promise to hand the same number of shares back at some point in future. They then sell the shares in the hope that the share price falls. If all goes to plan they buy the shares back at a cheaper price, return them to the investor and pocket the difference. The other main targets for hedge funds have included oil and mining companies, which have been devastated by falling commodity prices. The oil price has plunged from $115 a barrel in 2014 to just under $32. Hedge funds have increased their short position in troubled miner Anglo American by 89 per cent to 244million over the last month. Bets: An estimated 405million has been staked on Sainsburys shares falling in value More than 1.2billion of shares in commodities giant Glencore has been shorted, which is a 48 per cent jump over the same period. Billionaire Crispin Odey took a 1.39 per cent stake in Anglo American last week, according to FCA figures. Odey, who runs Odey Asset Management, accumulated some of his estimated 1.1billion fortune during the financial crisis after betting on the downfall of Bradford & Bingley. BG Group,which is being swallowed by Shell in a 47billion deal, has seen the most dramatic rise in interest from hedge funds, according to Markit. The short position on the oil giant has soared by 1,426 per cent to 209million in just a month. It is estimated that more than 6 per cent of its shares are in the hands of hedge funds. The boss of the Serious Fraud Office has had a contract boost just days after losing the high-profile Libor-rigging case. David Green, director of the SFO, has had his term extended by two years, despite criticism of his time in charge since 2012. His contract would have expired in April had it not been renewed by the attorney general. Criticism: But David Green, director of the SFO, has had his term extended by two years During his tenure, the SFOs workforce has grown from roughly 290 to 500. However, about a fifth of its staff is dedicated solely to investigating Libor, showing the importance of the case to the SFO. Last month it asked for an extra 21million so it could press ahead with its blockbuster investigations. Those who support Green credit him with string of successes. They include the SFOs first deferred prosecution agreement where a defendant is granted amnesty in exchange for agreeing to adhere to specific requirements. It also secured a conviction in a Libor probe with former UBS and Citigroup trader Tom Hayes who was sentenced to 14 years in prison, later cut to 11 years. The agency has several probes under way into companies such as Tesco and Rolls-Royce. Fixed-rate deals are continuing to fall. Nationwide has joined the long list of providers paring rates for new savers. It now pays just 1.1 per cent before tax fixed for one year and 1.25 per cent for two years. The rates are lower than what you can earn on a top easy-access account. Virgin Money pays 1.41 per cent on its Defined Access Saver, which limits you to a maximum of three withdrawals a year, while Yorkshire BS pays 1.2 per cent on its Triple Access Saver, with three penalty-free withdrawals on specific days in the year. Rate cuts: Nationwide has joined the long list of providers paring back rates for new savers Even newer banks, which typically pay top rates, have trimmed back. The best one-year deal comes from French-owned RCI Bank at 2.01 per cent and Charter Savings Bank at 1.81 per cent. On the High Street, the best you can do is 1.6 per cent with Virgin Money for one year, or Coventry BS fixed until the end of April 2017. For two years, top rates include RCI Bank at 2.25 per cent or Paragon Bank at 2.11 per cent. Leeds BS has launched a new bond at 1.7 per cent. These are far higher than those offered by mainstream providers. Halifax pays 1.25 per cent and Santander as little as 1 per cent for two years. Lloyds Banks one-year fixed-rate deal is a measly 0.75 per cent. Leaders of the Islamic State are determined to strike targets in the United States this year, according to senior U.S. intelligence officials. Officials told lawmakers on Tuesday that a small group of violent extremists will attempt to overcome the logistical challenges of mounting such an attack. In a testimony before congressional committees, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and other officials described the Islamic State as the 'pre-eminent terrorist threat.' The militant group can 'direct and inspire attacks against a wide range of targets around the world', Clapper said. Senior U.S. intelligence officials said that leaders of the Islamic State are determined to strike targets in the U.S. this year as it emerges the terror group have made and used their own chemical weapons Marine Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said the Islamic State will probably conduct additional attacks in Europe and then attempt the same in the U.S. He said U.S. intelligence agencies believe IS leaders will be 'increasingly involved in directing attacks rather than just encouraging lone attackers.' Clapper also said al-Qaida, from which the Islamic State spun off, remains an enemy and the U.S. will continue to see cyber threats from China, Russia and North Korea, which is also ramping up its nuclear program. In a testimony before congressional committees, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper (left) and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart (right) described the Islamic State as the 'pre-eminent terrorist threat' Clapper said the militant group can 'direct and inspire attacks against a wide range of targets around the world' North Korea has expanded a uranium enrichment facility and restarted a plutonium reactor that could begin recovering material for nuclear weapons in weeks or months, Clapper said in delivering the annual assessment by intelligence agencies of the top dangers facing the country. Clapper said that Pyongyang announced in 2013 its intention to refurbish and restart nuclear facilities, to include the uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon and its plutonium production reactor, which was shut down in 2007. He said U.S. intelligence had assessed that North Korea has expanded Yongbyon and restarted the plutonium production reactor there. According to Clapper, North Korea has been operating the reactor long enough that it could begin to recover plutonium 'within a matter of weeks to months' Clapper also told the Senate Armed Services and intelligence committees that North Korea has been operating the reactor long enough that it could begin to recover plutonium 'within a matter of weeks to months.' Both findings will deepen concern that North Korea is not only making technical advances in its nuclear weapons program, following its recent underground test explosion and rocket launch, but is working to expand what is thought to be a small nuclear arsenal. U.S.-based experts have estimated that North Korea may have about 10 bombs, but that could grow to between 20 and 100 by 2020. North Korea on Sunday launched a rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite into space. The launch followed a January 6 underground nuclear explosion that North Korea claimed was the successful test of a 'miniaturized' hydrogen bomb. Many outside experts were skeptical and Clapper said the low yield of the test 'is not consistent with a successful test of a thermonuclear device.' Clapper said that Pyongyang is also committed to developing a long-range, nuclear-armed missile that is capable of posing a direct threat to the United States, 'although the system has not been flight-tested.' On the cyber threat, Clapper said U.S. information systems, controlled by the U.S. government and American industry, are vulnerable to cyberattacks from Russia and China. Clapper said China selectively uses cyberattacks against targets Beijing believes threaten Chinese domestic stability or regime legitimacy. Clapper said China selectively uses cyberattacks against targets Beijing believes threaten Chinese domestic stability or regime legitimacy 'We will monitor compliance with China's September 2015 commitment to refrain from conducting or knowingly supporting cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property with the intent of providing competitive advantage to companies or commercial sectors,' he said. North Korea 'probably remains capable and willing to launch disruptive or destructive cyberattacks to support its political objectives,' he said. Moscow 'is assuming a more assertive cyber posture' that is based on its willingness to target critical infrastructure and carry out espionage operations even when those operations have been detected and under increased public scrutiny, Clapper said. Stewart said he does not think the Syrian government of Bashar Assad is likely to collapse or be defeated in the near term because of increased support from Iran and Russia Clapper also said Moscow's incursion in Ukraine and other 'aggressive' moves around the globe are being done in part to demonstrate that it is a superpower equal to the United States. He said he's unsure of Russia's end game but is concerned 'we could be into another Cold War like-spiral.' 'I think the Russians fundamentally are paranoid about NATO,' Clapper said. 'They're greatly concerned about being contained and are of course very, very concerned about missile defense, which would serve to neuter what is the essence to their claim to great power status, which is their nuclear arsenal.' On Afghanistan, Clapper said the country is at 'serious risk of a political breakdown during 2016.' He said waning political cohesion, rising activities by local powerbrokers, financial shortfalls and sustained attacks by the Taliban erode stability. On Afghanistan, Clapper said the country is at 'serious risk of a political breakdown during 2016' because of rising activities by local powerbrokers, financial shortfalls and sustained attacks by the Taliban On Syria, Stewart said he does not think the Syrian government of Bashar Assad is likely to collapse or be defeated in the near term because of increased support from Iran and Russia. He said Assad's forces will likely regain key territory in some key areas. 'He certainly is in a much stronger negotiating position that he was just six months ago,' Stewart said. He predicted, however, that Iranian and Russian interests in Syria will likely diverge because they won't share the stage there as a regional power. For now, however, Iran wants to maintain its relations with Moscow so it can purchase Russian arms without preconditions. They were born seconds apart themselves. Now twin sisters in New Jersey have each given birth to baby daughters just minutes apart at the same hospital. WPVI-TV reports that Stephanie Edginton and Nicole Montgomery delivered their daughters Cora and Louisa six minutes apart on Monday afternoon at Virtua Hospital in Voorhees. Scroll down for video 'We are very close': New Jersey sisters Stephanie Edginton and Nicole Montgomery delivered their daughters, Cora and Louisa, just six minutes apart on Monday afternoon at Virtua Hospital in Voorhees In sync: The women had due dates over a week apart, but ended up giving birth just six minutes apart Special bond: The twins were born three minutes apart, went to the same college and are both speech and language pathologists Edington says she and her sister were both due to deliver their children on Friday. But Edginton was told to go to the hospital for labor while she was at a doctor's appointment. Edington says that as she was on her way to the hospital with her husband, she got a call saying Montgomery was on her way there, too. 'As I was calling my family to tell them I was going in, they told me my sister was going in, too,' Edginton told the New York Daily News. When they arrived at the hospital, they found out they would be giving birth just across the hall from one another. 'As I was getting checked into my labor room, she was able to come in and say hi,' Edginton said. 'I feel very blessed to be going through this with my best friend.' New Jersey sisters Stephanie Edginton and Nicole Montgomery delivered their daughters, Cora and Louisa, just six minutes apart on Monday afternoon at Virtua Hospital in Voorhees Happy couples: The families had due dates over a week apart, but ended up giving birth just six minutes apart The identical twin sisters from New Jersey gave birth to two baby girls just six minutes apart and right across the hall from each other at Virtua Hospital in Voorhees 'We are very close,' Edginton told The Daily News. 'We went to the same college, we went to the same grad school - the same sorority.' The women also both work as speech and language pathologists. The twins say they were born just three minutes apart from each other. Rocker Ted Nugent, a long-time campaigner for right-wing causes, came under fire Tuesday from Jewish groups after he alleged a conspiracy behind U.S. gun control efforts. The 'Cat Scratch Fever' guitarist on Monday listed on Facebook prominent US Jewish politicians who support stricter gun laws and put Israeli flags on their pictures. 'What sort of racist prejudiced (person) could possibly not know that Jews for guncontrol are nazis in disguise?' he wrote in one of a series of profanity-laden postings. Ted Nugent, seen on April 12, 2015, asked what person 'could possibly not know that Jews for gun control are nazis in disguise?' in a Facebook post recently Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said that the group would urge Facebook to take down the graphic if Nugent, who is 67, did not do so himself. 'There are Jews on both sides of the gun control controversy and Nugent knows it. He owes our community an apology,' Cooper said. Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the Anti-Defamation League, acknowledged that Nugent has been an 'equal opportunity offender' but said he had drifted into 'conspiratorial anti-Semitism.' 'It should go without saying that anti-Semitism has no place in the gun control debate,' he said, urging Nugent to take down the post. Nugent posted this on his Facebook on Monday - calling out Jewish politicians in favor of gun control. The post had Jewish groups accusing Nugent of anti-Semiticism, including some with the same second amendment beliefse as Nugent The comments have not only alienated those for gun control, but many with Nugent's same beliefs in the right to bare arms. 'Mr. Nugents thinly veiled call for violent action against Jewish gun control advocates is beyond reprehensible,' gun-rights supporter Robert Farago, who is Jewish, told the New York Daily News. 'It also gives aid and comfort to the forces of civilian disarmament, allowing them to portray gun owners as bigots.' Farago added: 'The NRA should distance itself from Mr. Nugent. They should revoke his membership and remove him from their Board.' Nugent, who has sold more than 30 million albums, is well-known for his strong views on guns. He has lashed out against proposals for tighter screening on weapons sales following a string of mass shootings in the United States and has long spoken out against animal rights. Nugent campaigned for 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and was invited a year later to watch President Barack Obama's State of the Union address as a guest of then congressman Steve Stockman of Texas. A married wheel-chair bound teacher in North Carolina has died after he was struck in his elementary school's parking lot by a private bus from a day care center, police said. Brandon Kincaid, 25, was hit by a Small World Day Care Center bus at Meadow Lane Elementary School at about 8.15am on Tuesday in Goldsboro and later died at Wayne Memorial Hospital. The second-grade teacher, who was expecting his first child, was in his wheelchair and had just arrived at school when he was hit by the bus driven by 56-year-old Ray Batts, according to WRAL. Scroll down for video Brandon Kincaid, 25, (pictured left with wife Sara) was hit by a Small World Day Care Center bus at Meadow Lane Elementary School at about 8.15am on Tuesday in Goldsboro and later died at Wayne Memorial Hospital Scene from the tragic incident above. The second-grade teacher, who was expecting his first child, was in his wheelchair and had just arrived at school when he was hit by the bus driven by 56-year-old Ray Batts At the time, Batts had reportedly just dropped off students at the school. It is not immediately known if charges will be filed against the bus driver following the incident, which is currently being investigated. School system spokesman Ken Derksen said Kincaid had a physical disability that required him to use a wheelchair. School officials said that some students may have witnessed the accident and that a team of grief counselors would be available to them for as long as needed. One student who had just got off the bus prior to the accident told her mother, Taniesha Thompson, that all she saw was 'him under the bus,' according to WNCN. School system spokesman Ken Derksen said Kincaid (pictured in a Facebook photo from 2014) had a physical disability that required him to use a wheelchair Kincaid and his wife pictured on their wedding day. According to Facebook, they have been married for nearly seven years In a Facebook post shared last month, the excited father-to-be shared an ultrasound of what appeared to show his son giving a thumbs up (shown above) Another student, Samantha Cannon, said several students were emotional in class. 'There was a lot of people crying in my class and me and some of my other classmates went into the library to talk about it,' she said. On Tuesday, about 175 of the school's 639 students were picked up early by their parents following the tragic accident, according to WTVD. Kincaid was in his second year teaching at the school in which he taught 21 students in his class, the Goldsboro City Schools said. 'I think this was his life's passion and it is just breaking my heart,' Wayne County Superintendent Dr Michael Dunsmore told WTVD after learning of the death. A school bus pictured in front of the school as law enforcement is gathered at the scene left. School officials said that some students may have witnessed the accident On Tuesday, about 175 of the school's 639 students were picked up early by their parents following the incident He added: 'It is a very, very sad situation. It's difficult, but we get our people out there and listen and do the best we can to support them and get them through this.' Kincaid was expecting his first child in June, a baby boy named Benjamin, with his wife Sara, WRAL reported. According to Facebook, he has been married to his wife for nearly seven years. In a Facebook post shared last month, the excited father-to-be shared an ultrasound of what appeared to show his son giving a thumbs up. He captioned the post: 'He's already got that patented Kincaid thumbs up! Benjamin Taylor Kincaid is ready to make his presence known!' A New York artist wants 'pharma bro' Martin Shkreli to pay up for the $2 million Wu-Tang Clan album that contains his ripped off illustrations. Jason Koza, 34, filed a complaint on Tuesday that said he never allowed his fan art depicting Wu-Tang members to be used in packaging for the hip-hop group's album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, the sole copy of which Shkreli bought. The former drug executive, Shkreli has bragged that he had no plans to listen to the album, but bought it to 'keep it from the people.' Scroll down for video Martin Shkreli faces a new lawsuit claiming that his $2 million Wu-Tang Clan album contains illustrations ripped off from New York artist, Jason Koza, who now wants the former drug executive to pay for them The Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album, which is the sole copy of that Shkreli bought for $2 million The 32-year-old is also known for sparking outrage last year among patients, doctors and politicians after his former company Turing Pharmaceuticals raised the price of the anti-parasitic infection drug Daraprim by more than 5,000 per cent. Koza, 34, of Copiague, New York, said he thought his nine works would appear only on the website Wu-Tang Clan Disciples, a blog filled with fan art. But the Fashion Institute of Technology graduate now blames Wu-Tang leader Robert 'RZA' Diggs for including them in the 'Shaolin' album, and Shkreli for allowing three works depicting Inspectah Deck, Ol' Dirty Bastard and Raekwon to accompany a January 29 article at Vice.com. Koza (right) blames Robert 'RZA' Diggs for including them in the 'Shaolin' album and Shkreli for allowing three works depicting Inspectah Deck, Ol' Dirty Bastard and Raekwon to accompany a January 29 Vice article 'Mr. Koza was happy when his work appeared on the website,' the complaint said. 'Mr. Koza never granted a license for his works to be copied or displayed anywhere (else).' Other defendants include Paddle8, which auctioned the album, and Wu Tang-affiliated producer Tarik 'Cilvaringz' Azzougarh. Koza said he thought his nine works would appear only on the website WuDisciples.blogspot.com and that he never granted a license for his works to be copied or displayed anywhere else Koza said Cilvaringz has acknowledged the infringement, asking in a Jan. 31 email 'if you want to skype discussing the use of your drawings. Thanks bro.' Benjamin Brafman, a lawyer for Shkreli, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Wu-Tang did not immediately respond to a similar request. A Paddle8 spokeswoman declined to comment. Last Thursday, Shkreli invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination at a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on drug pricing, and later tweeted that lawmakers in Congress were imbeciles. He also faces separate federal securities fraud charges. Koza is seeking unspecified damages plus profits stemming from copyright infringement. His lawyer Peter Scoolidge said in a phone interview that Shkreli 'didn't need to know' the illustrations were protected to be liable. 'There is no intent requirement for copyright infringement,' he said. A Connecticut trooper died during a hunting trip in Texas after he was shot by a man who was trying to hit a wild hog. Stephen Davis, 50, died on the Cinco Ranch, about 20 miles west of Houston. Alvin Chase of Warren, Maine, told the police the shooting was an accident, the Portland Press Herald reported. Warren, 51, said he was trying to shoot a wild hog and instead struck Davis, who was wearing a black shirt, investigators said. Stephen Davis, 50, died during a hunting trip on the Cinco Ranch, Texas, about 20 miles west of Houston. He had worked at Connecticut State Police for 27 years. Davis was part of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, educating children about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse Officers found Davis face up and unresponsive with an apparent wound on the left side of his torso, the Maverick County Sheriff's Office said. Chase said he approached Davis after the shooting and found him on his hands and knees on the ground. Davis was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. Davis, of Hebron, Connecticut, had worked for 27 years in the state police. He began his career in 1988 and worked out of the Troop C barracks in Tolland. He worked as part of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, educating children about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, State Police Trooper Kelly Grant told WFSB. 'He was truly passionate about being a Trooper and his attention to detail was superb,' Lieutenant Scott Smith said. 'Stephen was a true professional and a well-respected member of this department.' No charges have been filed as the shooting remains under investigation. The manager of a Croatian nightclub where a Norwegian backpacker was sexually assaulted by three Australian tourists in a toilet says he believes the men were forced into a confession - and suggested the 17-year-old victim made it up 'for the money'. Dylan Djohan, 23, Ashwin Kumar, 23, and Waleed Latif, 21, pleaded guilty to raping the teenager on July 16 last year at the nightclub in Split, Croatia, and paid the victim $31,594 to avoid a trial as part of a deal with prosecutors. The trio, who returned to Melbourne last week, had their passports confiscated when they were arrested and spent almost seven months living in a one-bedroom rented apartment in Split after the victim reported the incident to police that same night. Dylan Djohan, 23, Ashwin Kumar, 23, and Waleed Latif, 21, pleaded guilty to raping the girl on July 16 at the Tropic nightclub in Split, Croatia, and paid the victim $31,594 to avoid a trial as part of a deal with prosecutors But the owner of the Tropic nightclub, Boris Nikolic, told Daily Mail Australia he believed it was 'impossible' for anyone to be raped in the men's toilet and for no one to notice the crime had taken place. '(The toilet) is next to the door, it's next to the warehouse and it is next to our office. There is no music there, or in the hallway,' Mr Nikolic said. 'I believe it is impossible to do something in that part of the club and nobody to hear. It is very strange. Me personally, I think it never happened. Maybe the girl was trying to get money. 'I think they were forced to (confess). But we do not know it.' Mr Nikolic, who was not working at the time, says the first staff at Tropic nightclub knew of the attack was when police turned up at 6am, just after it had shut its doors. 'To be honest, we were shocked,' Mr Nikolic said. 'No one asked for help, no one had noticed anything.' Ashwin Kumar, 23, Waleed Latif, 21, and Dylan Djohan, 23, (L-R) have returned to Melbourne after pleading guilty to raping a Norwegian backpacker, 17, in July at a bar in Split, Croatia Waleed Latif, 21, Ashwin Kumar, 23, and Dylan Djohan, 23, pictured in Croatia last year before they were arrested for raping a 17-year-old Norwegian backpacker in a bar in Split in July The venue, which sits above a seedy looking 'gentleman's club' overlooking the beach, opens from 10pm until 5am each evening during the summer, and can be packed with 300 revellers, most of them foreigners. But before 1am - when the organised pub crawls finish in the city centre, and the so-called guides start driving people towards clubs like Tropic - there can be as few as 20 people in the venue. Staff maintain this was the case when the attack took place. It differs from police who say the attack occurred at 1.30am. 'In the club at that time someone would have heard it. There were lots of waiters, lots of hostesses. When a bottle breaks, someone knows,' Mr Nikolic said. 'So how can someone not hear such a thing as rape?' Mr Nikolic said the club was never contacted again after that night and Daily Mail Australia was the one so far to speak to him about the incident. 'No one investigated like this,' he said. The owner of the Tropic nightclub, Boris Nikolic, told Daily Mail Australia he believed it was 'impossible' for anyone to be raped in the men's toilet and for no one to notice the crime had taken place Mr Nikolic, who was not working at the time, says the first staff at Tropic nightclub knew of the attack was when police turned up at 6am, just after it had shut its doors The venue, which sits above a seedy looking 'gentleman's club' overlooking the beach, opens from 10pm until 5am each evening during the summer, and can be packed with 300 revellers, most of them foreigners 'When you see the whole situation, no one came for help, no one heard a noise. The first we knew was she came back in the morning with police. At that time, the music was not loud. There is no point to pump the music up when there is an empty club.' Mr Nikolic says they have only ever had 'small problems' in his 15 years helping to run clubs in the area - and those were related to people drinking too much. In exchange for freedom and to avoid a trial, Djohan, Kumar and Latif agreed with Croatian prosecutors to pay the victim $31,594 and pleaded guilty over the rape. They were then handed a one-year prison sentence, which was reduced to a five-year good behaviour bond. The men, who were on bail and free to roam Croatia, may have faced 15 years in jail had a deal not been finalised between their lawyers and Croatian prosecutors. Croatian newspaper, 24Sata, have covered the case with an article about how the case has prompted widespread backlash against the men after their identities were revealed Djohan, who had thousands of Instagram followers before he deleted his account on Monday, regularly boasted of his body building on social media and documented his regime while he was holidaying in Europe last July The good behaviour bond is enforceable in Europe but not Australia. A Croatian court heard that the men had been drinking at the beach-side nightspot with the girl when one led the 17-year-old to the men's bathroom before the other two joined them and started assaulting her. The girl was able to fight them off at the last moment but not before the three left forensic evidence to tie them to the assault. Three semen samples were found on her clothing, with two of the accused men claiming they had consensual sex with the woman and the other denying any interaction her. Security or staff from the club did not report the incident on the night. The case has prompted widespread backlash against the men after their identities were revealed, with many outraged Djohan, Kumar and Latif avoided jail by paying the victim. Result is so bad TVs at her party are switched away from live news to show her campaign logo Bernie Sanders relished in his victory on Tuesday night at a high school in Concord raising his fist after humiliating Hillary Clinton into a quick concession. 'Because of the huge voter turnout, we won!' he said, as they yelled back 'huuuuuuuge!' With 92% of the vote counted, Sanders had 60.01% of the total vote and 13 delegates and Clinton had 38.3% and nine delegates. Speaking in Hooksett an hour after polls closed, and Sanders fast victory was announced, Clinton congratulated the Vermont senator on his victory tonight in the state she won during her 2008 bid but lost today and declared, 'I still love New Hampshire, and I always will.' 'And here's what we're gonna do. Now we take this campaign to the entire country,' she continued. 'We're gonna fight for every vote in every state.' Clearly pointing at Sanders, she said: 'People have every right to be angry. But they are also hungry. They are hungry for solutions.' The Democratic fight now moves to Nevada, which holds its caucuses a week from Saturday. South Carolina, where Clinton runs 30 points strong in front of Sanders, votes a week after that. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO WINNER: Bernie Sanders soundly defeated Hillary Clinton tonight in New Hampshire. The democratic socialist is seen here at his victory rally tonight in Concord at his victory rally DEFIANT: Clinton sounded hoarse as she delivered a 10-minute, forward-thinking version of her stump speech. She said: 'Now we take this campaign to the entire country' Your browser does not support the iframe HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later. Revolution: Sanders told his supporters: 'Together, we have sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington and from Maine to California that the government of this great nation belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super PACs' In Concord Sanders told his own supporters 'because of the huge voter turnout, we won!' as they yelled back 'huuuuuuuge' He received a kiss on stage from this wife Jane VICTORY: Bernie Sanders, with his wife Jane O'Meara and their children and grandchildren relish the results coming in The Sanders campaign hopes its victory in New Hampshire will give it a boost in both of those contests, however. 'Together, we have sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington and from Maine to California that the government of this great nation belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super PACs,' Sanders said tonight. Early projections on Tuesday night in New Hampshire had Sanders at 58% to Clinton at 40%, a margin of victory which left a quick concession as the only option. Networks called the race at 8 p.m. for the Vermont senator, as those gathered to celebrate with Sanders at the Concord High School screamed and cheered. Clinton conceded by telephone to Sanders, who becomes the first Jewish-American to ever win a primary. The mood at Clintons victory party was a mixture of sadness and disregard. As Clinton's campaign rally playlist cycled through it went from the apt - Taylor Swift's 'Shake it Off' - to the ill-timed - American Authors' 'Best Day Of My Life'. Some supporters embraced each other and frowned. Hillary's biggest fan? John West attended tonight rally in Hooksett, New Hampshire Several declined to talk to DailyMail.com about the evenings results. Those on the risers behind where she would be speaking from were as fired up as ever, chanting Madame Secretary, Hillary, Im with her, and other favorite phrases of the campaign. Clinton supporter John West, who came to New Hampshire Friday to lend a hand, danced around as if Sanders had lost and told DailyMail.com he was in high spirits 'because we cut his lead in half.' 'We won tonight. The reason is, is turnout was high, and that's gonna benefit Hillary because we're still gonna get the nomination. I'm very confident of that. And I'm just glad that Bernie and his campaign are getting people out and voting because that helps Hillary in the general.' This was West's third trip to the state to volunteer for Clinton. He and his merry band of 'HRC Super Volunteers' have been in Iowa, Minnesota and other states rooting her on and talking to voters. 'We were in Bernie's backyard,' he said of New Hampshire, a state that he pointed out is independent in nature. 'I thought we hit a home run.' In preparation for Clinton, her staff stuck on Rachel Platten's 'Fight Song' - which has become the theme track for the Democrat's campaign. 'This is my fight song, take back my life song, prove I'm alright song....and I don't really care if nobody else believes,' the music blared away as Clinton took the stage. Clinton was defiant and she sounded hoarse as she delivered a 10-minute, forward-thinking version of her stump speech. Sanders, she said, likes to talk about reigning in Wall Street, Clinton pointed out, 'but I know how to do it.' 'I will work harder than anyone, to actually make the changes that make your lives better,' she told her audience. Some 10 miles down the road at the Sanders rally his audience laughed at Clinton as she lectured them on the realities of governing and tried to own the elimination of big money in politics as her issue. The Supreme Court case known as 'Citizens United... was actually a case about a right-wing attack on me and my campaign,' she said. 'A right wing organization took aim at me and ended up damaging our entire democracy.' 'So yes, you're not going to find anybody more committed to aggressive campaign finance reform.' That wiped the smile off her face: Hoarse and testy, Hillary Clinton vowed to fight on and win. She appeared on stage with Bill and Chelsea Clearly pointing at Sanders, Hillary said: 'People have every right to be angry. But they are also hungry. They are hungry for solutions.' Dancing with joy: Sanders supporters celebrate the results giving Hillary Clinton the Bern The glums: At what was supposed to be Hillary Clinton's victory rally the TVs were switched off live news channels so the defeat was not seen by supporters - so they learned by phone anyway AND HERE'S WHAT HER CAMPAIGN WROTE TO SUPPORTERS I wish tonight had gone differently. But I know what it's like to be knocked down - and I've learned from long experience that it's not whether you get knocked down that matters. It's about whether you get back up. I'm ready to keep fighting, starting right now. Every day of my life, I try to practice what's been called 'the discipline of gratitude.' I try to be grateful for not just the good things -- that's easy - but for the hard things, too. Our struggles make us stronger - they give us a chance to reach beyond our grasp. I'm so grateful tonight. I'm grateful for the thousands of volunteers and organizers who've worked their hearts out for this campaign, calling neighbors and knocking on doors. i'm thankful for the 700,000 people and counting who've given to this campaign, the vast majority giving less than $100. I know that doesn't fit with the narrative - there are those who want to deny the passion and purpose you all show every day for this campaign. But that's not going to work. You're the reason we're here. You're the reason we're going to win this nomination and win this election. The stakes are too high for us to let a single loss stop us in our tracks. America's facing a lot of challenges, but I believe with all my heart that we can rise to meet them. We can break through the barriers that hold people back - we can unleash the talent and potential of all our people. And when we do, there will be no limit to what this country can achieve. It starts with you. We've got 14 contests in the next three weeks, and with you by my side, I'm ready to take them on and win. Advertisement Bill and Chelsea were behind her on stage and did not speak to the crowd gathered in the gymnasium at Southern New Hampshire University in Hooksett. 'I just want to begin,' she said but was interrupted by chants of, 'Hillary, Hillary, Hillary.' 'My goodness,' she said. 'I don't know what we'd have done tonight if we'd actually won. This is a very exciting event. Sanders spoke after her - but his campaign quickly embraced the moment sending out an email to supporters asking them for a $3 donation to help propel the senator through the next 14 primaries over three weeks' time. 'Nine months ago, if you told somebody that we would win the New Hampshire primary, they would not have believed you. Not at all. Too bold, they would have said. Not enough money to compete against the billionaires,' the email, signed by Sanders, said. 'You showed them tonight.' Sanders crowd was fired up and many in the audience laughed when Clinton brought up campaign finance reform in her concession speech. When Sanders hit the stage he got the crowd to answer in unison the dollar amount of his average donation. 'Do you know what the average contribution was?' the senator yelled out. 'Twenty-seven dollars,' the crowd replied. 'I am going to New York City tonight. But I'm not going to New York City to hold a fundraiser on Wall Street. Instead I'm going to hold a fundraiser right here, right now, across America,' the victor countered back. Sanders asked supporters to head to his website to chip in. 'So there it is, that's the whole fundraiser,' Sanders remarked. 'Pretty quick.' While Sanders' supporters laughed at Clinton for trying to grab at the Vermonter's issues, Sanders made a pitch for Democratic unity as well. 'We will need to come together in a few months and unite this party and this nation because the right wing Republicans we oppose must not be allowed to gain the presidency,' he said. Repeating his favorite word of the night, Sanders implored: 'No, we will not allow huuuge tax breaks for billionaires.' 'We will not allow huuuuge cuts to social security, veterans loans, Medicare, Medicaid and education,' he added. For the Clinton campaign it was a night of pain. The situation was so bad that at her rally televisions did not broadcast the results and streamed the Clinton campaign logo instead. Glum supporters instead learned about the once 'inevitable' candidate's drubbing from their phones. Early exit polls in the state showed that four out of 10 Democratic voters considered themselves to be independents, which is pretty typical for the Granite State, known for its voters' independent streak. About a quarter of Democratic voters said they were looking for an outsider, a smaller clump than the half of Republican voters seeking someone outside the political realm. Sanders, a democratic socialist, was first elected as mayor of Burlington,Vermont in 1981. Donald Trump, who easily won the New Hampshire primary on the Republican side, is a political newbie, being in real estate and entertainment for the whole of his career. Only two in 10 Democratic voters were late-deciders with a large majority of voters already having made up their mind. Now a week past Iowa, Clinton had been traveling the state with her husband and daughter Chelsea in tow to try to push support back in her direction. Supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ecstatically greeted the news that their candidate handily Bern-ed Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire Tonight's victory party for Bernie Sanders took place at the Concord High School in Concord, New Hampshire and attracted many young attendees As soon as Bernie Sanders was the projected winner, his campaign sent out an email to supporters asking for a $3 donation to help the Vermont senator through the next set of primaries At a dinner event on Friday, she reminded New Hampshire Democrats of the special role the state played in her 2008 race, when she bested now President Barack Obama for the Granite State after he won the Iowa caucuses. 'You lifted me up and gave me back my voice,' Clinton said. Clinton had also tried to tamp down expectations, with Sanders out-polling her by an average of 13.3 percent. 'I'm back in New Hampshire, a state that I love, a state that i'm going to work really hard at even though they favor their neighbors,' Clinton said at a party with supporters on Thursday night. 'That's neighborly of them,' Clinton added. Chelsea Clinton stuck pretty much to script, discussing how this election is particularly important to her because it's the first time she's voting as a mother and a mother-to-be. Since Sunday, Bill Clinton has started going after Sanders, though hasn't said the candidate's name. 'It bothers me to be in an election where debate is impossible because if you disagree you're just part of the establishment,' Bill Clinton huffed yesterday at Manchester Community College. 'When you're making a revolution, you can't be too careful with the facts,' the former president had jabbed the day before. Shocking CCTV footage has captured the moment a woman was punched to the ground from behind by a stranger who sprinted off down the street and then returned naked. The 29-year-old woman was walking along a footpath outside a takeaway in Cairns when she was allegedly violently struck by a shirtless man who had run up behind her during the lunchtime rush. She was knocked unconscious when her head hit the concrete and then started bleeding heavily, according to witnesses who saw the 'horrendous attack' on February 1. CCTV footage aired by Seven News shows the alleged offender returning to the scene outside Bento Paradise shortly afterwards wearing no clothes. Shocking CCTV footage has captured the moment a woman was allegedly coward punched to the ground from behind by a stranger who sprinted off down the street and then returned naked CCTV footage aired shows the alleged offender (back) returning to the scene outside Bento Paradise shortly afterwards wearing no clothes Police arrested a 22-year-old man following the 'random attack' and charged him with assault, wilful exposure and obstructing officers. The 29-year-old woman was taken to Cairns Hospital with head injuries, soft tissue damage and bruising. Witness Yasushi Miyashita, who works at Bento Paradise, told Seven News: 'She was bleeding from her forehead, It is unbelievable. It was really shocking.' An off-duty police officer allegedly saw the incident unfold at around midday and called for assistance. The 29-year-old woman was walking along a footpath outside a takeaway in Cairns when she was allegedly violently struck by a shirtless man Police arrested a 22-year-old man following the 'random attack' and charged him with assault, wilful exposure and obstructing officers The woman was knocked unconscious when her head hit the concrete and then started bleeding heavily The 29-year-old woman was taken to Cairns Hospital with head injuries, soft tissue damage and bruising The offender was allegedly found naked near a phone box when officers arrived, according to the Cairns Post. Senior Sergeant Matt Stevens said the 22-year-old man injured two police officers who tried to arrest him, allegedly trying to bite one of them. He appeared in Cairns Magistrates Court on Tuesday February 2 and was granted bail - despite police warning he was a danger to the community. The 22-year-old then allegedly flew to Brisbane, defying bail conditions that he must stay at his Mt Sheridan home, and went on a crime spree. He allegedly broke into a Brisbane home on Wednesday February 3 and hit a 36-year-old woman with a vacuum cleaner pipe before taking her car keys. An off-duty police officer allegedly saw the incident unfold at around midday outside Bento Paradise and called for assistance The man allegedly stole money, a GPS unit, pillowcase, beverages and vacuum-cleaner parts before fleeing the scene when he was confronted by neighbours. He then broke into a second home in Northgate, but ran off and was later arrested by officers. The 22-year-old was charged with two counts of break and enter and one count each of burglary, attempted robbery and trespass. He did not apply for bail when he appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on February 4. The court heard he had been referred to prison mental-health services and the matter was adjourned until March 3. The coward punch attack is the latest in a string of violent assaults which have occurred in Queensland recently. Cole Miller, 18, was 'coward punched' in the back of the head in Chinatown Mall after he was challenged to a fight in the early hours of January 3. He died in hospital from massive head trauma a day after the alleged assault. Ministers could consider lowering the drink-driving limit in England and Wales if a Scottish experiment proves successful. The limit was cut north of the border from 80mg per 100ml of blood to 50mg by the Scottish Government in December 2014. The reduction is equivalent to just under a pint of beer or a large glass of wine for the average man and half a pint of beer or small glass of wine for an average woman. Road safety campaigners and doctors have urged England and Wales to follow suit amid concerns their drink-driving limit is among the highest in Europe. Testing: Scotland lowered the drink-driving limit from 80mg per 100ml of blood to 50mg in December 2014. Pictured, Road Traffic constable John Parry from Police Scotland demonstrates breathalyser equipment at a drink-drive limit change awareness event at Lockerbie Police Station in December 2014 Campaign: If the Scottish experiment is successful, England and Wales could be set to follow suit. Pictured, Scottish Justice Secretary Michael Matheson (left) joins Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins as police stop drivers in Glasgow for a drink-drive campaign in December 2014 Asked by Labour transport spokesman Lilian Greenwood whether ministers are looking at the Scottish trial, road safety minister Andrew Jones did not rule out a change for England. In his written Parliamentary answer, he suggested the Government could look at lowering the limit if crucial evidence from Scotland shows it has made roads safer. I am intending to discuss with the Scottish minister about the experience of the lower limit in Scotland and about the timescales to get access to robust evidence of the road safety impact, he wrote. It is important to base our decisions on evidence and the Scottish experience will be crucial to that before we consider any possible changes to the limits in England and Wales. This governments current position, however, remains to focus resources on enforcing against the most serious offenders. Police Scotland figures show that, in the nine months after the limit was lowered in Scotland, the number of drink-driving offences there fell 12.5 per cent from the same period the previous year. An RAC Foundation report last year suggested 25 lives could have been saved if England and Wales had adopted the lower limit. The reduction could have prevented a further 95 people a year being seriously injured. At the time, the charitys director Steve Gooding said: In the face of this evidence it increasingly falls on opponents of a limit reduction to defend the status quo, rather than asking those who support a cut to keep making their case. Awareness: Campaigners and doctors are pushing for the change, but the government insists rigorous enforcement is a more effective deterrent. Pictured, City of London Road Safety Team launch an anti-drink driving campaign by simulating a car crash at Liverpool Street railway station in December 2012 Last night the Department for Transport said there were no plans to change the limit in England, and there was no official review being held. Mr Jones insisted Englands current drink-driving limit strikes an important balance between safety and personal freedom. He added that the Government believes rigorous enforcement and serious penalties for drink-drivers are a more effective deterrent than changing the drink-driving limit but our advice remains unchanged: dont take the risk by driving after you have had a drink. The AAs Edmund King said most of its members support a lower limit but that it would probably be more effective to target offenders way over the current limit. A neo-nazi group who posed alongside a child while performing a Nazi salute have distributed flyers around a neighbourhood in an attempt to recruit more 'white brothers and sisters' to 'join the fight'. The Perth chapter of Aryan Nations Australia issued flyers that promote 'white pride' in letter boxes around Perth as well as put them on display in local shop windows. The flyer, which was posted to Reddit by a concerned member of the community on Tuesday, blames the government for causing white Australians to feel ashamed of their culture and calls for others to 'show pride in your race' and 'secure a future for white children'. The Perth chapter of Aryan Nations Australia - pictured posing alongside a child while performing a nazi salute - have distributed flyers around Perth in an attempt to recruit more 'white brothers and sisters' to 'join the fight' The flyer blames the government for causing white Australians to feel ashamed of their culture and calls for others to 'show pride in your race' and 'secure a future for white children' 'The blacks say black pride there is nothing wrong with us saying white pride,' it reads. The leaflet directs readers towards the Aryan Nations Australia website which promotes 'national socialist ideas' and encourages others to 'drink, fight and rally to our cause'. The group, whose Facebook page has been shut down, stipulates that recruits must be of 'the highest caliber' and will be required to complete a six month probation period where they will learn how to defend themselves and partake in speed or weight training. Older recruits, above 40-years-old, can prove their dedication through public speaking, online support and publicity, tending to emails and distributing club materials. The group accepts white members who follow Odinist, Christian or Catholic teachings, as well as Athiests - stating that they want to 'put religion to the side' so that white Australians regardless of faith can forge an alliance. They warn that many of their members have been shunned by their friends and family after coming out as supporters of the group but assure new recruits that they will find a 'whole new family and friends for life'. 'We belive [sic] blood does not make you family but loyalty and honor [sic] does,' the website reads. The website warns that many members of Aryan Nations have been shunned by their friends and family after coming out as a supporter of the group but assure new recruits that they will find a 'whole new family and friends for life' Kalamunda Shire president Andrew Waddell condemned the flyers, telling WA Today that anything promoting hate speech or violence in the area would not be tolerated. However, Aryan Nations member Robert Edhouse says the group are not promoting hate and just want to 'help our people'. 'We are law-abiding people who just want to get on with helping our people,' he told WA Today. He said the group were predominantly concerned about Muslim people immigrating to Australia and the perceived threat that has on the Australian way of life. 'It's becoming a problem and we want Australia to stay Australia and we want people to follow Australian law not Sharia Law,' he told WA Today. 'You only have to see what's happening with immigration in Europe to see it's been ransacked by Muslims.' A spokesperson from WA police said they are aware of the Perth chapter of Aryan Nations. The gap between the the trading has soared to an all time high of 89billion Britain's economy has become less reliant on the crisis-hit EU than ever as exports to Europe continue to collapse. In a sign that the UK could prosper if it quit Brussels, sales to EU countries lagged behind exports to the rest of the world in 2015 for the second year in a row. Official figures also showed that Britain bought far more from EU countries than they bought from us with the gap at an all-time high of 89billion. Britons propped up struggling EU economies by buying French wine, German cars, Spanish vegetables and Italian clothes. Britain's economy has become less reliant on the crisis-hit EU than ever as exports to Europe continue to collapse Eurosceptics said it showed Europe needs Britain more than Britain needs Europe, claiming the UK would be better off if voters opted to quit. Tory MP John Redwood said that EU nations would be happy to strike trade deals following a so-called Brexit, adding: 'They are not going to want to impose barriers on trade. Trade with Britain is so profitable.' The news undermines claims by Europhiles that a Brexit would be disastrous for our firms. US banks Goldman Sachs and Citi had warned last week that leaving would wreak havoc with the UK economy. The widening trade gap emerged as: Turkey's foreign minister warned a million more refugees could flee Syria if Russian president Vladimir Putin continues his bombing campaign; New figures showed ten times as many migrants arrived in Europe by sea in the first six weeks of the year as in the same period of 2015; Angry residents on the Greek island of Kos confronted police with rifles and dynamite to stop the construction of a migrant processing camp; A report by MigrationWatch claimed that three million asylum seekers will make claims in Europe over the next two years; A Home Office minister suggested more prosperous areas in the UK would have to take their fair share of asylum seekers. New figures showed ten times as many migrants arrived in Europe by sea in the first six weeks of the year The gap between EU and non-EU exports widened from 1.7billion in 2014 to 17billion last year and underlined the shift in British trade to faster growing regions of the world. The EU accounted for 62 per cent of British exports in 2006, compared with just 47 per cent last year. David Cameron has urged UK business leaders to join the campaign for Britain to stay in the EU in the hope that they can convince voters of the economic benefits. But yesterday's trade figures, from the Office for National Statistics, undermined claims that quitting the EU would be disastrous for the economy. The ONS said sales of British goods to the EU fell 8 per cent to a six-year low of just 134billion in 2015 31billion less than in 2011 when the eurozone debt crisis plunged the region into recession. By contrast, exports to non-EU countries edged up more than 2 per cent to 151billion last year, meaning they accounted for 53 per cent of overseas sales by British companies. It was the biggest share of exports that the rest of the world has accounted for since comparable records began in 1998. David Cameron has urged UK business leaders to join the campaign for Britain to stay in the EU in the hope that they can convince voters of the economic benefits Ukip MP Douglas Carswell said: 'With every set of trade figures, the EU is declining in importance to our economy. 'If our children and our grandchildren are going to prosper, we need to be free to trade with the whole world. 'Europe is the world's only declining trade bloc. We are better off out.' Since Britain joined the Common Market in the Seventies, it has exported more goods to Europe than to the rest of the world. But the strong pound and subdued demand across the beleaguered Eurozone has hit exports and forced UK firms to exploit faster growing markets. Exports to the Netherlands tumbled 22.4 per cent last year while sales to the Irish Republic were 7.4 per cent lower. Sales to France fell 5.8 per cent, while they were down 4.4 per cent to Belgium and Luxembourg, 3.7 per cent to Spain, 2.6 per cent to Italy and 0.5 per cent to Germany. Sales of British goods to China were also down 17.8 per cent as the slowdown in the world's second largest economy took its toll. Angry residents on the Greek island of Kos confronted police with rifles and dynamite to stop the construction of a migrant processing camp But exports to the US Britain's biggest trade partner and the world's biggest economy jumped 27.1 per cent to a record high of 47.5billion. Demand for British goods in Japan, Canada, Israel, Singapore and the Philippines was also on the rise. Allie Renison, head of trade policy at the Institute of Directors, said: 'As growth remains elusive across much of Europe, UK firms are looking further afield.' Private Kate Wilson, whose name has been changed, claims she was viciously assaulted, sexually harassed and urinated on during her time serving For Private Kate Wilson, the final insult came when an administrative major at Deepcut Barracks a man told her: What you dont seem to realise is that you are just a number to us. We have no further use for you. In the 18 months since Private Wilson had joined as a teenage recruit, the British Army had used her in a quite horrific fashion. She had, she says, been viciously assaulted for refusing to sleep with one of her bosses, sexually harassed by other male non-commissioned officers, urinated upon while asleep, and, finally, crippled for life thanks to the carelessness of a misogynistic instructor. That injury a broken hip led to her interview with that callous major, and a medical discharge from the career she had wanted since she was four years old. She still suffers with the injury 20 years later. Wilson was by no means unique. During her training, she had witnessed a serious but unpunished sexual assault by an instructor on one of her sleeping female room-mates, and the daily abuse of other vulnerable female recruits little more than children by much older NCOs. These were men with no honour and no pride, she told me this week. We were kids, and they were monsters; vile and barbaric. A lot of people in the Army who could have helped knew what was happening and yet they did nothing. Although Kate Wilson suffered, she survived. Which is more than can be said for others in a similar situation. This week saw the start of the second inquest into the death of 18-year-old Private Cheryl James, more than 20 years after the first. On November 27, 1995, Cheryl was found with a single bullet wound to the head at the Princess Royal Barracks in Deepcut, the Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) training base in Surrey. She had been on armed guard duty. The Army at once decided her death was suicide. The civilian police investigation into Cheryls death was sloppy, to say the least. The first inquest, held just three weeks after her death, lasted an hour and heard only enough evidence to record an open verdict. Yet Cheryls was not the only fatal shooting involving a Deepcut recruit. Between June 1995 and March 2002, four young soldiers, including Cheryl all aged between 17 and 20 would die in similar circumstances. For two decades Cheryls parents, Des and Doreen James, have battled for a proper explanation of their daughters death. In a breakthrough last summer, the original inquest verdict was quashed by the High Court and Cheryls body was exhumed for further forensic examination. At a pre-inquest hearing last month, Cheryls legal team claimed that she might have been sexually coerced or raped the night before she was found dead. It was a chilling allegation and more followed this week when her second inquest was told of new evidence which showed that she might not have even fired the fatal shot. So are the James family about to uncover the truth? Some indication of what they have been up against so far came on Monday with the extraordinary suggestion from the QC for Surrey Police that the Jameses campaigning for justice had been a distraction as the force investigated the disappearance of schoolgirl Milly Dowler and also sought to catch the so-called M25 rapist. There was also disappointment among their supporters when the Coroner, Brian Barker QC, ruled that he will not be hearing testimony on any wider culture of sexual abuse. The inquest, which is due to last eight weeks and hear 100 witnesses, is not to be the public inquiry which the four families of the four dead young soldiers have long called for. Today, however, a Mail investigation reveals that the wider culture of sexual abuse may be precisely what the coroner should be considering. Private Kate Wilson spoke out as the second inquest into the death of 18-year-old Private Cheryl James got underway. Pictured: Cheryl James, who died at Deepcut Barracks, Surrey, in 1995, with her mother Doreen Understandably, Deepcut has been the geographical focus of interest in the causes of the four deaths. They took place there, after all. And yet the barracks was the location only of the Phase II part of the dead recruits basic training. Phase I, which took place over a period of ten weeks, had been carried out at the adjacent Pirbright barracks, home to the Army Training Regiment. Could it be that whatever caused the deaths of the Deepcut Four was merely the culmination of what they and other Royal Logistics Corps recruits had suffered since the very start of their Army life on the neighbouring site? Previously unheard testimony given to me this week from both the former Private Wilson and a former Pirbright barracks officer instructor perhaps the first of commissioned rank to confirm systemic abuse in the Royal Logistics Corps gives substance to this theory. Kate Wilson (we are not using her real name because her son has just passed selection to the Royal Marines, and she wishes to preserve the familys anonymity) now runs her own business. She joined up, aged 18, because her family had a history of military service. My great-uncle was a war hero in the Seaforth Highlanders, she explains. I wanted to follow in his foosteps. She arrived at Pirbright not long after Cheryl Jamess death. By the end of the first week, her childhood dream had already taken on a nightmare quality. Kate was billeted in an all-female block. Each night, a different NCO was on duty. One night, it was an infamous individual we shall call Soldier M. The Mail knows his name but has chosen not to identify him at this stage. He was full of anger, Kate Wilson recalls. He would burst through the door without warning, and for no reason grab you and pull you out of bed, then tip the mattress on the floor. He would punch and kick and spit on female recruits. He made sexual suggestions. One night, I even woke to find him urinating on me. He was short and weedy, but because of his position he had enormous power. You did not dare challenge him. At breakfast, some of the other NCOs would be chatting and laughing about the latest thing Soldier M had done to the recruits. It was funny to them. Why would they ever put someone like him in charge of teenage girls? Why did the Army not care? Because they knew what he was like. Everyone on camp knew. Private James was one of four recruits who died at the Surrey barracks (pictured above) in mysterious circumstances over seven years between 1995 and 2002, and a second inquest into her death is underway Extreme beastings or punishments were the norm. On one occasion, the recruits were made to run up and down in full chemical warfare suits and respirators for an hour until by chance a visiting senior officer came across the potentially fatal ritual and went mad. Two other young recruits a boy and a girl were given regimental baths: forced to sit in freezing cold water in which their fellow recruits had been ordered to urinate and defecate. They were then scrubbed with harsh brushes. Unsurprisingly, both recruits dropped out. It was in week three that Wilson sustained the fateful hip injury. A physical training instructor deliberately overloaded her rucksack on a training march. Not tall for a woman, Kate was given the same weight as the men. The guy hated the idea of women soldiers, she recalls. He said to me: If you want to be in the mans Army, then you have to carry as much as a man. He would punch and kick and spit on female recruits. He made sexual suggestions. One night, I even woke to find him urinating on me Private Kate Wilson Jumping off an assault course wall, she felt her hip give when she landed. Although in constant pain, she was simply told to man up. Only months later, when she had been posted to another base, was she given an X-ray which revealed a fracture. By then, permanent damage had been done. More physical abuse was inflicted when she rebuffed the sexual advances of another instructor. He was another sadist, she says. He had two children, and one night he brought them in front of the troop and made the boy hit the girl. He thought it hilarious. It was a big shock when he first tried it on with me as he had always been very abusive to me. He said he knew my type, and bet that I was good at oral sex. Her flat refusal cost her. A week later we were on exercise. I was on stag [on watch] one night, lying in a field in the prone firing position. He appeared out of the darkness with a young officer and gave me two savage kicks in the ribs. The officer just looked away as if embarrassed and said nothing. The message was clear. You do not turn me down. Her ribs hurt so much, and for so long, that Wilson believes some must have been broken. Near the end of Phase I training, at a camp in Devon, the instructor while drunk again sexually accosted her. Terrified, she thought she was about to be raped. He told me very graphically what I was going to do for him. He wasnt going to take no for an answer. By chance, two other soldiers appeared. Petrified, Wilson retreated to her dormitory. One of the others came in later, but he chose one of the other recruits to have sex with him that night. A lawyer for Surrey Police told Des James (right), the father of 18-year-old Private Cheryl James (left), that officers could have had 'more pressing matters' than his daughter's death as he tried to fight for answers The next morning, the instructor delivered a warning. He told me he knew people at Deepcut, where I would be going in less than a fortnight. Wilson says sexual assaults of female recruits at Deepcut were routine not only by male NCOs but fellow recruits and even lesbian instructors. One night, she was woken in her four-bed room by a scream and muffled noises from an 18-year-old girl recruit. I switched my light on and saw an instructor walking out, cool as you like. The girl was sitting up, shaking and crying and clutching her quilt. She told me she had woken when he was sexually assaulting her. The incident was reported and the teenagers repeatedly questioned. The upshot? The victim was given compassionate leave and posted to another base. The instructor remained at Deepcut. I was told it was his word against ours, says Wilson, and we should just forget it. And so it carried on. Wilson says a male recruit tried to hang himself after he was raped by two other recruits, apparently encouraged by an instructor. One instructor sexually abused a teenage female recruit whom he had ordered to babysit his children. Abuse was systemic, it seemed to Wilson. It was the culture. These kids were ground down. It was their first time away from home and they were targets. All the NCOs involved knew each other. They stuck together. Eighteen months later, and against her wishes, she got her medical discharge. In 2002, she gave statements about the abuse she had witnessed to Surrey police, but nothing came of them. The inquest, which began last week, was ordered by High Court judges in 2014 after they quashed an open verdict recorded at Private James's first inquest in December 1995. It is taking place in Woking (pictured) Last summer, they visited me again because of the new inquest. They told me that they would leave no stone unturned. I was told to expect to be called as a witness at the second inquest, but I havent been. She adds: I really feel so sorry for Des James and his wife. I never told my parents what was going on at Deepcut or Pirbright. I didnt want them to worry. Perhaps Cheryl was the same. Hers is one recruits experience. But I have also heard similarly damaging testimony from a former Pirbright instructor. A veteran of the Second Gulf War, Stephen Evans (not his real name) had been commissioned from the ranks, and eventually retired as a captain after 16 years service. He has since joined the Territorial Army. Evans had arrived at Pirbright in 1994 as a lieutenant in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), which trained new recruits at the base alongside the Royal Logistics Corps and other units. He says he immediately noticed something unusual. Being made an instructor was usually a sign of a soldiers excellence. In the case of the Logistic Corps, however, he says, it seemed to me that if a commander had a poor soldier, one option would be to post them to train recruits at Pirbright barracks. Evans agrees with Cheryls father, Des, who told the Mail last month of his belief that recruits were coerced into sex and pimped by rogue NCOs. It was horrific. The culture at Pirbright was one of lawlessness, Evans says. My own basic training had been done in a tough but protective environment. No one took you around the back and gave you a beating. But that was happening to young soldiers at Pirbright. And I knew instructors were sleeping with recruits. Not all abusive instructors at Pirbright were from the Royal Logistics Corps. Deepcut barracks (pictured) was where Cheryl James, Sean Benton, Geoff Gray and James Collinson all died In March 1997, REME Staff Sgt Ian Coates used an SA-80 rifle to kill himself in his room, having just been told he was under investigation for the alleged rape of a teenage recruit. Stephen Evans had wondered why Coates was even an instructor. Sgt Coates was posted from Germany following a drugs issue. He was injecting steroids and working out in the gym, he recalls. He was enormous and highly strung. And he was part of the group of NCOs using the recruit girls. One evening, I walked in on Coates as he was injecting himself, and reported it. Soon afterwards, the rape allegation was made and Coates was dead. The following year, five logistics corps NCO instructors were removed from Pirbright, having been found in a naked orgy with a 17-year-old female recruit. Soon after that, Lt Simon Packer, a Pirbright logistics corps troop commander and a Sandhurst contemporary of Stephen Evans was fined and stripped of seniority at court martial for sexually taunting recruits. Evans says the problem for recruits was that, uniquely, there would be no escape from their abusive environment after Phase I training. They merely walked through the Pirbright gates and into Deepcut. The NCOs at Pirbright and Deepcut knew each other. It must have seemed to the abused that they were trapped. That was the Army for them. Up to three million asylum seekers will arrive in Europe in the next two years, a report reveals. Research by the think tank MigrationWatch says the EU's asylum system is 'unable to cope' after 1.27million people, many fleeing humanitarian disasters in Africa and the Middle East, sought refuge last year an increase of 95 per cent. It adds: 'The EU border agency, Frontex, recorded 1.8 million illegal border crossings in 2015. Meanwhile, the EU Commission estimate that around three million irregular migrants will enter the EU between now and 2017.' Scroll down for videos Up to three million asylum seekers (pictured, Syrians on Turkish border) will arrive in Europe in the next two years, a report reveals Research says the EU's asylum system is 'unable to cope' after 1.27million people sought refuge last year (pictured, Syrians on Turkish border) ARRIVALS BY SEA UP TENFOLD Ten times as many migrants arrived in Europe by sea in the first six weeks of the year as in the same period of 2015, it was revealed yesterday. Figures from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) showed the number of arrivals topped 76,000. Deaths on the treacherous routes across the Mediterranean also rose to 409 in the first six weeks, up from from 69 in 2015. The IOM also predicted that next month Greece would receive its one millionth arrival since the migrant crisis began. More than 1.1 million people fleeing poverty, war and repression in the Middle East, Asia and Africa reached Europes shores last year, most of them heading for Germany. The organisation reported that 70,365 had arrived by sea in Greece so far this year, and 5,898 in Italy. Some 319 have died while crossing the eastern Mediterranean from Turkey to Greece and 90 on the central route between North Africa and Italy. Advertisement Of those who claimed asylum in Europe, around 362,000 just 28 per cent were from Syria, along with 175,000 from Afghanistan and 125,000 from Iraq. The report warns: 'People who face no threat to their lives are also leaving their home countries to escape poor economic prospects.' Of 493,000 asylum applications decided so far, some 234,000 or 47 per cent failed. MigrationWatch says this is fresh evidence that a large number of asylum seekers are economic migrants and that the problem will get worse unless EU nations suspend asylum appeals or introduce a 'deport first, appeal later' system. The warning comes as: Turkey's foreign minister last night warned that up to a million more refugees could flee Syria if Russian president Vladimir Putin continues his bombing campaign. Shock figures showed ten times as many migrants arrived in Europe by sea in the first six weeks of the year as in the same period of 2015. Angry residents on Kos confronted police with hunting rifles and dynamite in an attempt to stop the construction of a migrant processing camp on the popular holiday island. Of those who claimed asylum in Europe, around 362,000 just 28 per cent were from Syria (pictured, Syrians on Turkish border) The EU border agency, Frontex, recorded 1.8 million illegal border crossings in 2015 (pictured, Syrian man on Turkish border) GREECE: FURY AT PLANS FOR MORE TRANSIT CAMPS The mayor of Kos says there will be 'uncontrollable' protests unless Greece scraps plans for a migrant registration camp on the island. Armed locals have blockaded roads and lit fires around the proposed site to try to halt construction. They are concerned migrants will put off tourists the island's main source of income. The warning came in a letter from mayor Giorgos Kyritsis to Greek PM Alexis Tsipras. There were also protests this week in Athens, pictured, as the far-Right Golden Dawn party marched against plans for a transit camp in the Greek capital's suburbs. Greece has said it will set up two relocation camps and five centres to separate refugees from economic migrants by next week. The mayor of Kos (pictured, the outskirts of Athens) says there will be 'uncontrollable' protests unless Greece scraps plans for a migrant registration camp on the island Advertisement Turkey is the main gateway to Europe with nearly a million migrants crossing the Aegean to the Greek islands since the start of last year. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which compiled the figures quoted by Turkey, yesterday warned that it expected no fall in the number of arrivals. Russian bombing of Syria in support of its president, Bashar al-Assad, has intensified the crisis in recent days with tens of thousands arriving at the Turkish border as they seek to escape the bombardment. Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu last night said more than a million more could be on their way unless Putin brings a halt to the campaign. He said: 'Lately more than 50,000 Syrians have arrived at the Turkish border because of the Russian operations. 'Turkey has opened its doors to 10,000 of them with the other 40,000 in camps on the border. If these bombings do not stop, that number could rise to hundreds of thousands and even exceed the million Only 12 per cent of Russian attacks in Syria are directed at Daesh. The remaining are targeting the Syrian opposition.' Shock figures showed ten times as many migrants arrived in Europe by sea in the first six weeks of the year as in the same period of 2015 (pictured, migrants off Libyan coast) The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which compiled the figures quoted by Turkey, yesterday warned that it expected no fall in the number of arrivals (pictured, migrants after being rescued in the Med) Turkey is the main gateway to Europe with nearly a million migrants crossing the Aegean to the Greek islands since the start of last year (pictured, migrants being rescued on the Mediterranean) HEALTH: NHS LOSING 500M A YEAR AS EU CITIZENS FAIL TO PAY HOSPITALS Taxpayers are ripped off to the tune of at least 500million a year a because hospitals are too lax at charging Europeans for their treatment, Jeremy Hunt admitted yesterday. Meanwhile the 'health tourism gap' between the amount the NHS collects from EU patients and the total hospitals on the Continent receive from Britain when UK residents fall ill abroad now stands at almost 700million. Last night one health expert said the system was pushing the NHS to 'breaking point' and said it was reason alone for a vote to leave the EU in this summer's referendum. Yesterday the Health Secretary told MPs that at least 500million a year extra could be recovered if hospitals were more 'efficient'. Mr Hunt said: 'When it comes to the EU, the biggest problem that we have is that we are able to reclaim the costs of people temporarily visiting the UK, but we do not do so as much as we should because the systems in hospitals are not as efficient as they need to be,' he said. It followed comments by Professor Angus Dalgleish, principal of the Cancer Vaccine Institute, who warned the NHS has been left 'on its knees' by uncontrolled migration from the EU. Professor Dalgleish stood for Ukip at the last general election. He is also foundation professor of oncology at St George's Hospital, South London. His comments were backed up by cancer specialist Professor J Meirion Thomas, who has long been warning that many foreigners are travelling to Britain for expensive treatment and then leaving without paying. He said: 'The problem is that EU migration into the UK is becoming an insurmountable problem for the NHS, which is at breaking point ... 'Half a billion EU citizens are entitled to free NHS care. This in itself is a good reason a good reason to vote for Brexit.' Department of Health figures, released after a Freedom of Information request, show that in 2013/14, taxpayers handed 749.8million to European governments to pay for the care of UK citizens abroad, up from 649.3million a year before. In the same year, the NHS managed to collect just 50.3million from European countries to pay for the care of their citizens who needed treatment here an increase on 32million in a year. But the huge amount going the other way leaves the 'health tourism gap' at 699.5million. In 2008/09, the earliest year for which figures are available, the gap was just 418.2million. Advertisement Meanwhile, another report warns that attempts by Britain and Europe to curb the mounting crisis will fail as long as migrants were looking for jobs and schools. The Overseas Development Institute (ODI), a leading, left-leaning think-tank, says cracking down on benefits for those entering the EU would have limited impact on the numbers arriving. It finds that handouts from the UK and other European nations are not acting as a magnet to those seeking new lives in the wealthy West. The ODI's report warns that 'harsh' policies to deter asylum seekers from heading to the UK are unlikely to work. Compiled from interviews with 52 non-EU migrants, it says: 'People wanted a place that offers safety and security, employment, schooling and education and decent living conditions.' MigrationWatch stressed that its latest report, based on official statistics, finds that significant numbers of asylum applicants have come from countries where there is no armed conflict including 72,000 Kosovars and 66,000 Albanians. But the EU has a 'poor track record' of removing failed asylum seekers or those who overstay visas. A man lies on a bed in a drab, non-descript room. He is dressed smartly, as if for an occasion, in a blue and pink checked shirt and grey trousers. Shiny silver cufflinks are fastened at his wrists and his shoes are neatly tied. Around his bed stand loved ones, their eyes ringed red and their heads bowed in sadness. A blonde woman, crying softly, holds his right hand. Slowly but surely, with shaking fingers, he opens a small yellow valve on a tube that is attached via a needle to his left arm. He lies back on the bed, breathes heavily and shuts his eyes for the last time. Scroll down for video Simon Binner, 57, a brilliant businessman with a loving wife (pictured together) and family from Purley, Surrey, was killed by a lethal dose of anaesthetic which he administered in a Swiss suicide clinic 600 miles from home last year Four minutes later, Simon Binner, 57, a brilliant businessman with a loving wife and family from Purley, Surrey, was dead, killed by a lethal dose of anaesthetic which he administered in a Swiss suicide clinic 600 miles from home. His final, precious moments, on the morning of October 19 last year, were shared only with those he cared for the most in the world: his wife, Debbie, sister Elizabeth and three of his closest friends. Simon was so ashamed of what motor neurone disease the debilitating condition with which he had been diagnosed in January had done to him that he wouldnt even let his mother, Jean, or his stepdaughters, Hannah and Zoe, be present. But tonight this most intimate of scenes will be broadcast to an entire nation, when it forms the final part of a controversial BBC Two documentary, How to Die: Simons Choice. The programme follows Simon and his family for the ten months preceding his suicide at the Eternal Spirit Foundation in Basel, Switzerland. Viewers will listen in on the challenging and emotional conversations he and his wife Debbie had with Swiss clinic head Dr Erika Preisig, who tells him dying can be like a ceremony. Simon's final, precious moments, on the morning of October 19 last year, were shared only with those he cared for the most in the world: his wife, Debbie, pictured (right) with Simon (far right; left), sister Elizabeth and three of his closest friends They are given a detailed description of the medication used to kill Simon, which is 30 times the dosage used to sedate patients in serious operations. They will hear Debbie, in the months leading up to his death, racked with grief, begging her husband to stay and battling to stop him from taking his own life. Then, in a shocking television first, viewers will follow Simon into the Swiss clinic where he has arranged to die, see him administering the drugs that will end his life and finally watch him take his last, devastating breath. The next scene, apparently filmed minutes later, shows a wooden coffin having its lid fitted on the bed where Simon was lying, and his body being carried out of the room. The ethically-contentious and emotionally-charged nature of the scenes shown in the documentary has, quite understandably, raised major concerns. It is the first time footage from inside this Swiss assisted-suicide clinic the second biggest after Dignitas will be shown on British television, and many will find it not only difficult but too distressing to watch. Critics say the decision to screen the moment of Simons death is particularly alarming, as it risks encouraging others to take their own lives by normalising assisted suicide, which remains illegal under UK law. All of which begs the question: has the BBC gone too far? Undoubtedly, says Alistair Thompson, spokesman for Care Not Killing, a campaign group that promotes end-of-life care and opposes assisted suicide, who describes the documentary as deeply disturbing. It raises serious concerns for us, he adds. Showing scenes like that on national television risks skewing what people think about assisted suicide and sidelines the alternatives, such as hospice and palliative care. It gives the impression that if youre disabled or terminally ill your life is somehow worthless and you should kill yourself. Suicide is the biggest killer of young men in this country and the more it is normalised, the more people will think of it as a way out. We should do everything we can to stop suicide, not advertise it. Tonight, Simon's death will be broadcast to an entire nation, when it forms the final part of a controversial BBC Two documentary, How to Die: Simons Choice. Above, the couple pose for a photograph The words of Simons widow, Debbie who this week publicly asked the very poignant question, Why didnt I get a say in my husbands right to die? give another pause for thought. I didnt want Simon to suffer, but I didnt want him to die, either, she said, in her only interview since his death. Watching him plan his own death, while I still wanted more time, was overwhelmingly traumatic. He had rights, but how much of his life was mine? At times he would seem to change his mind, and I began to allow myself to hope. She, it appears, never fully supported her husbands decision to end his life a decision she worried he came to all too quickly. Throughout the documentary, she uses phrases like knee-jerk and panic to describe his actions. I feel so strongly inside that this isnt the right thing to do, she says. Hes still really, really enjoying life. In one uncomfortable scene, filmed last July, the couple are sitting at a picnic table with friends. When Simon tells them of his intentions, Debbie speaks out. That doesnt stop you living, she says, firmly. You can eat, your arms and legs work, you can see, you can hear. But youre not thinking about those things, youre just saying: Im booking [into the clinic] on this date. I think thats panic. Is this really the sort of heart-wrenching, deeply personal battle we should be watching played out on national television? Here is a woman, who has been with her husband for 14 years, facing a future without him Simon was told he had between six months and two years to live and yet wanting him to stay with her for as much of that future as possible. The couple had already lost a child Debbies 18-year-old daughter, Chloe, died of a rare bone cancer in 2013. Im guilty that somehow I couldnt make his life nice enough Debbie Binner, Simon's wife Losing a child theres nothing worse than that, said Debbie. But there was something more natural. There was still hope with my daughter right up until the end. And I guess maybe theres a bit of anger in me, thinking: why cant Simon do that? She did, she admits, consent to accompany him to the clinic, following a botched suicide attempt at home a week before his appointment. By then he had lost almost all his power of speech, was struggling to walk and was beginning to lose function in his hands. Ultimately, I felt my choice was: let him commit suicide in some awful way in front of our family, or let him have his wish of an assisted death. The latter seemed the lesser of two stark evils. No-one could blame a loving wife for wanting her husband to keep on living, nor for eventually relenting to his desire to die. But her enduring uncertainty, shown so heart-wrenchingly in the documentary, reveals that she is grappling with issues that are far from black and white. It is Simons views, however, that are given prominence on screen. Director of his own chain of care homes, a Cambridge graduate and fluent in four languages, he was a highly intelligent man much-loved by his friends and respected by his colleagues. He even broke the news of his illness in his profile on the networking website LinkedIn saying of the doctors: The sawbones thought I would last until 2017/2018, but were mistaken no worries, its an inexact science! a move friends said was typical of his witty, self-deprecating nature. Motor neurone disease, a progressive illness that causes the nerves in the brain and spinal cord to waste away, was Simons worst nightmare, threatening to rob him of his dignity. As he explains in the documentary: Im an independent kind of guy and the end game of motor neurone disease is not to my taste. Like a used car, Im worn out and its no longer worth investing in the cost of repairs. But the speed at which he came to the decision to kill himself makes for uneasy viewing. When we drove back from the hospital after my diagnosis in January, I decided then, en-route in the car, that I would either have to kill myself or be euthanised, he reveals. It slips out so easily, as if it were an anecdote from a family holiday. Yet there is nothing about this devastating decision that is easy, and nor should it be portrayed as such. Debbie, it appears, never fully supported her husbands decision to end his life a decision she worried he came to all too quickly. She is pictured with her husband, above The brilliant businessman appeared to announce the date for his death on social networking site LinkedIn The complex and tortuous issues surrounding assisted suicide have hit the headlines several times recently, particularly when concerns have been raised about patients ending their own lives prematurely. There was the difficult case of Jeffrey Spector a 54-year-old father-of-three who took a fatal dose of barbiturates at Dignitas last July after being diagnosed with an inoperable tumour on his spinal cord. Still healthy when he died, he admitted that he appeared to be jumping the gun but said he feared his family would risk prison if they helped him to kill himself further down the line. And in February, Stuart Henderson, 86, and Phyllis McConachie, 89,were allowed to end their lives despite not being ill or incapacitated. The cousins from Scotland relied on each other and feared being put in separate care homes. Though the slew of documentaries about assisted suicide and euthanasia the BBC has screened at least six since 2008 might suggest otherwise, the number of Britons who go abroad to end their lives remains small. At present, roughly one person a fortnight travels to Switzerland where elective suicide, with the help of a medical professional, is legal in designated clinics. Since 2002, more than 250 British people have died in this way. The procedure, costing around 7,000, requires notes from a patients doctor as well as several interviews with them and their family to check they want to go through with it. But anti-assisted dying cam paigner Alistair Thompson says showing documentaries like this on national TV risks boosting the numbers considerably. This has the capacity to encourage others to take their own lives, he explains. There are around 50 studies cited by the World Health Organisation which show the dangers of pushing this issue. It isnt the first time the BBC has come under fire for giving airtime to the subject. In 2011, it was deemed a cheerleader for assisted suicide after screening a documentary on the subject fronted by Sir Terry Pratchett. He began to speak out in favour of assisted dying following his own diagnosis of Alzheimers the disease he died from last March. Watching him plan his own death, while I still wanted more time, was overwhelmingly traumatic Debbie Binner A programme like this will romanticise assisted death and dying, said MP Nadine Dorries. It is pushing back a moral boundary. The same criticisms were levelled in 2014, when The Dilemma, starring Olivia Colman as a woman who prepares a lethal drug for her ill mother, was broadcast without the BBC informing viewers that assisted suicide is against the law. Indeed, last September, an historic vote in the House of Commons saw the controversial Assisted Dying Bill blocked by a majority of MPs. Michael Wenham, a campaigner who has motor neurone disease himself, says he is frustrated by the BBCs apparent bias. There seems to be to be a constant disposition to focus nationally on stories of people ending their own lives, he says. To focus on these stories can induce an atmosphere of fear and hopelessness. What is often completely left out of documentaries such as this, he adds, is the impossible role of those left behind the loved ones, friends and families of the deceased who have to come to terms with what has happened. Those who are left behind inevitably have permanent regrets, he says. Today, no one feels this more than Debbie Binner. I would have preferred him not to go, she admits. There is a beauty in caring for someone who is dying. I loved Simon. I would have loved to nurse and cherish him to the end. Of his decision to die in Switzerland, hooked up to a strange machine that slowly injected poison into his body, she says only this: Im guilty that somehow I couldnt make his life nice enough. Maybe if Id worked harder and made it easier and hadnt snapped at him, maybe he wouldnt have wanted to go. I dont think any of thats logical, but it leaves you with those sort of feelings. Did I do enough? Did I do enough to make his life worthwhile? Tragically, its a question to which she will never know the answer. The 9,000-word Rolling Stone article about a gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity house sparked a national outcry about sexual violence on college campuses in America. The extensive piece told the story of how an 18-year-old was brutally attacked by seven male students at a party in September 2012 - then left to suffer the consequences of her attack alone without the help of friends or school officials. But soon after A Rape on Campus was published in November 2014, it was retracted by the magazine after huge holes emerged in the tale told by the alleged victim identified in the article only as Jackie. As a result, the magazine is facing numerous defamation lawsuits. Now, hundreds of text messages obtained by lawyers representing UVAs associate dean show how the whole saga was sparked by Jackies crush on a boy who didnt feel the same way - and how she faked a love interest and cried rape so he would come to her rescue. Scroll down for video The debunked Rolling Stone article 'A Rape on Campus' stemmed from the alleged victim's crush on a boy. 'Jackie' (left) faked a love interest and cried gang rape so Ryan Duffin (right) would come to her rescue The 9,000-word Rolling Stone article (pictured) sparked a national outcry but was found to have significant inaccuracies and was investigated by Columbia University's school of journalism Ryan Duffin, 21, quickly realized that Jackie, who he met on his second day at UVA, had a crush on him, but says he made it clear he was not interested. I think that began to become pretty clear maybe about a week after I met her, he told CBS6. She started expressing some physical interest in me, which I quickly rebuffed. It was this that led Jackie to hatch an elaborate catfishing scheme to win Duffins affections. She told her friends that she had met someone a student in her chemistry class called Haven Monahan, who she would later accuse of rape. But Jackie also convinced Duffin to text her love interest pretending to be a girl named Brianna. The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house where 'Jackie' claimed she was gang raped. The fraternity is now suing Rolling Stone for $25 million over the discredited article She came up with this plan and got me and Alex [another friend] to pretend to be other girls in Havens class and text Haven to gauge whether he was a good person or not, Duffin said. The messages, sent between September 2012 and December 2014, were turned over as evidence in lawsuits filed as a result of the sensational article. They show that Monahan was desperate to date Jackie, but hindered by her interest in another student (Duffin). As Monahan, she tries to make herself more appealing to Duffin - for instance, claiming to not like flowers and chocolates 'like most girls' and insisting Jackie is 'special'. As herself, she tells Duffin that Monahan is 'creepy' and 'persistent'. 'Please get him to leave me alone!' she texted Duffin. 'Tell him I sound stupid and like a waste of his time.' Shockingly, she even appears to have fabricated having a terminal illness in messages to Duffin. She tells him: 'Its a big deal because people treat you differently, like youre about to break at any given moment. 'And its not cause they like you and its not cause they care...its because youre perishable and that scares them.' But then, she tells Duffin that she is going on a date with Haven. 'She said that when they got up to his bedroom there were other men in the room he locked the door behind her and forced her to perform oral sex on five men in the room,' Duffin told CBS6. He says he urged Jackie to report the rape, but she refused. In October 2012, the messages show that Duffin was suspicion at the time of both Jackie and Monahan. They stopped speaking, but after Duffin read the Rolling Stone article, he contacted Jackie to apologize for not realizing the 'magnitude of the situation'. Jackie then insists that the reporter took 'liberties' and apologized for the way Duffin and his friends are portrayed. They stop speaking again when Duffin again raises doubts about her story. 'Im portrayed as a heartless friend basically Im telling her not to report the rape because I want to join a fraternity,' he said. In the Rolling Stone article, Jackie said Haven who was called Drew in the article of luring her to the frat house where she claimed to have been attacked. She said she called Duffin and two other friends after escaping at around 3am and running barefoot into the street with her face beaten and a blood-splattered dress. Bur Duffin insisted that she looked 'pretty normal' that night. The article's author, Sabrina Erdely, claimed that after 'Jackie' reached out to the three friends - Duffin (called Randall in the article), Alex Stock ('Andy') and Kathryn Hendley (Cindy) - 'launched into a heated discussion about the social price of reporting Jackie's rape'. Hendley allegedly said: 'She's gonna be the girl who cried "rape", and we'll never be allowed into any frat party again.' But all three challenged Rolling Stone's accuracy and said they were never contacted by the reporter. A police investigation found there was no evidence to support the version of events she gave to Rolling Stone and no-one called Haven Monahan was enrolled at UVA. In November last year, Daily Mail Online revealed that Jackie, now 21, has left the school but she is still facing being deposed over the claims she made in Rolling Stone. Despite apologizing for getting the story so wrong, the magazine is being sued by the Psi Kappa Psi fraternity, who are seeking $25million in damages, and three fraternity members maligned in the article are also suing separately for undefined damages. Town halls will be able to scrap Sunday trading laws within months, ministers announced yesterday. By the autumn, councils will be able to ditch Sunday trading laws which limit large stores to open for just six hours on a Sunday. In theory it could allow large supermarkets and major stores opening 24-hours a day 7-days a week. Convenience store groups and unions reacted with fury to the announcement, which will allow large shops to open all day where councils give permission. Competition: Councils will be able to ditch Sunday trading laws, which limit large stores to opening just six hours a day, by the autumn (file image of shoppers in London) The change in the law will also face a rebellion by some backbench Tory MPs, including those opposed on religious and family grounds. Labour has also said it will oppose the move meaning ministers could face a tough time getting it through the House of Commons. David Burrowes, the Tory MP for Enfield Southgate said: The Government should still listen to the significant opposition to this unnecessary and unwanted plan. Otherwise I look forward to leading an unholy cross-party alliance in defeating a measure which is anti-family, anti-small business and anti-workers. But business minister Anna Soubry defended the decision, saying it would help high streets compete with online shops. Positive: Business minister Anna Soubry (pictured) defended the controversial decision, saying it would help high streets compete with online shops She pointed to new protections for shop workers who dont want to work on a Sunday. She said: Extending Sunday shopping hours has the potential to help businesses and high streets better compete as our shopping habits change. The rights of shop workers are key to making these changes work in everyones interests. We are protecting those who do not wish to work Sundays, and those who do not want to work more than their normal Sunday working hours. Under measures to devolve Sunday trading laws to local authorities, councils will be allowed to permit longer opening hours in particular areas, so high streets and city centres could get the right to open longer. Shopworkers who object on religious or family grounds will be able to give one months notice that they no longer want to work Sundays, down from three months, and will have a new right to opt out of working additional hours. The Government said it will also strengthen the duty on employers to notify employees of their rights about working on Sundays. But unions condemned the decision. John Hannett, general secretary of the shopworkers union Usdaw said: What the Government is proposing is undesirable and unworkable. Their claims to be offering additional protection for shopworkers amounts to nothing more than has existed for the last 20 years. He said nine in ten of its members oppose longer Sunday trading because of the adverse effect on family life. James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores accused ministers of failing to publish in full the results of the public consultation. The document, which was published yesterday pointed out three-quarters of councils, large and medium-sized businesses and business groups backed the change. But the response did not include a detailed breakdown of responses from the general public. Mr Lowman said: The Government is attempting to hoodwink the rest of Parliament into accepting these proposals by publishing only the parts of the consultation response that suit its agenda. Business: The change in the law will face a rebellion by some backbench Tory MPs, including those opposed on religious and family grounds (file image of a shopper on Oxford street) The voice of thousands of businesses, communities, shop workers and other organisations has been ignored. But London Mayor Boris Johnson backed the move saying: Extending Sunday trading hours could revolutionise the shopping experience for millions of Londoners and visitors to the city, and build on the capitals position as an international shopping destination. Warships will be deployed to stop migrants crossing the Aegean Sea to Europe, under a plan to be discussed by Nato defence chiefs today. German chancellor Angela Merkel last night called on allies to send vessels to patrol the Turkish coast in a dramatic escalation of the response to the crisis. Today at a meeting in Brussels, defence ministers will consider the request supported by Turkey for military action aimed at preventing people-smuggling gangs sending boatloads to Greek islands. German chancellor Angela Merkel last night called on allies to send vessels to patrol the Turkish coast (pictured, migrants arrive on Greek island of Lesbos) in a dramatic escalation of the response to the crisis A decision to intervene by the 28 Nato members, including Britain, will be seen as an admission that the EU has failed to tackle the problem. Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg last night said its members 'see the need to manage and to tackle the human tragedy' caused by the migrant crisis. 'I think we will take very seriously the request from Turkey and other allies to look into what Nato can do to help them cope and deal with the crisis and all the challenges they face, not least in Turkey,' he added. Germany and Turkey put forward the appeal for military intervention after Mrs Merkel flew to Ankara to meet with Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu. She said they had agreed the Nato defence ministers' meeting should discuss how the alliance 'can be helpful with the surveillance situation' in the Mediterranean and assist the Turkish coast guard and EU border agency. German chancellor Angela Merkel last night called on allies to send vessels to patrol the Turkish coast (pictured, migrants arrive on Greek island of Lesbos after crossing Aegean) PUT ASYLUM IN BETTER-OFF PARTS OF THE UK More asylum seekers could be housed in prosperous parts of the country to ease the burden on poorer areas. Immigration minister James Brokenshire said the Home Office was looking at expanding a programme which ensures refugees are evenly dispersed. The move follows criticism from council chiefs in deprived areas that the housing scheme in place since 1999 is dumping the poor on the poor. Officials are in talks with more councils to accept asylum seekers after it emerged some three-quarters had refused. Under the scheme, councils sign up voluntarily to ensure the housing of refugees is shared around the nation. But it has fuelled anger after it emerged wealthier communities appeared not to be taking their fair share. In June last year, Middlesbrough had 746 refugees one in 43 of all those in Britain. Meanwhile West Oxfordshire, which covers Prime Minister David Camerons Witney constituency, failed to take a single one. Yesterday Mr Brokenshire told the home affairs select committee: We are looking to expand the number of local authorities involved in these dispersal areas. Advertisement The Nato defence ministers will also review their response to a more assertive Russia. Mr Stoltenberg, Norway's former prime minister, said Russian involvement in Syria was 'undermining' peace efforts and 'making a desperate situation worse', adding: 'Calm and easing tensions is more important than ever.' Downing Street last night struck a cautious note and refused to comment on whether British vessels could be sent. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the Government was 'supportive of looking at ways to help Turkey deal with the huge burden it has from refugees'. She pointed out that the Royal Navy is already involved in efforts to stem the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean. But she stressed that talks were at a very early stage with 'no proposals' yet on the table. Douglas Lute, US ambassador to Nato, appeared to voice frustration that the EU had not been able to manage the crisis, but said the German-Turkish request would not be unusual as member states regularly ask for help. A decision to intervene by the 28 Nato members will be seen as an admission that the EU has failed to tackle the migrant problem (pictured, migrants arrive on Greek island of Lesbos after crossing Aegean) He said the EU had 'primary responsibility' for tackling the problem, adding: 'This is fundamentally an issue which should be addressed a couple of miles from here, in the EU [headquarters].' European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said: 'We welcome all discussions on potential measures which could contribute to addressing the refugee crisis, save lives at sea and improve the management of migratory flows and borders.' Lord Tony Hall has previously admitted that the broadcaster is struggling to keep radio audiences for as long as it used to Perhaps radio has become too boring. Or perhaps audiences have simply become too busy. But the amount of time people spend listening to the BBCs radio stations has dropped to nearly its lowest level. Figures show that while millions still tune in, people listen for much shorter bursts than they used to. The average Briton spent just 10.1 hours a week tuning in to BBC radio in the last three months of 2015, according to official figures. This was 14 per cent down on a decade earlier, when they clocked up an average of 11.6 hours a week. The only time BBC radio has struggled more to hold users attention was at the end of 2014, when the average person tuned in for just 10 hours a week. Sources blamed the downward trend on people leading faster-paced lives than in the past, and a change in habits amongst young people. Many people who used to listen to radio as a daily habit now turn to online streaming services such as Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music, or tune into podcasts. And it would seem that younger listeners are more likely to tune in for a short burst of time, than their parents generation. The average Briton spends just 1.2 hours a week listening to BBC Radio 1, according to RAJAR, the organisation which measures radio audiences. The station is targeted at people in their late teens and twenties. Meanwhile, people spend an average of 2.6 hours a week tuned into Radio 4 and 4 Extra, which is most popular amongst 50-somethings. Lord Tony Hall, the BBCs director general, has previously admitted to the BBC Trust that the broadcaster is struggling to keep radio audiences interested for as long as it used to. However, he appears to have made little headway in fixing the issue. Yesterday the BBC said the decline is affecting the entire radio industry. Like all radio broadcasters, BBC Radio is under pressure from changing audience habits and new competition in audio, a spokeswoman said. The Corporation also pointed out that the figures take account of millions of people who do not listen to any radio at all, and do not include on-demand services. Our digital offer is booming with millions of monthly programme and podcasts downloads and with audiences accessing Radio 1s content on YouTube and BBC iPlayer, the spokeswoman said. BBC radio is far from dead in the water. The broadcasters numerous stations still reach 65 per cent of the population each week, according to Rajar figures released last week. That is almost as many as the final three months of 2004, when 66 per cent of people in Britain listened to BBC network radio every week. Some of its analogue stations have lost listeners over that period. However, there has been a sharp rise in the number of people tuning into new, digital stations. The second stage of the controversial Leveson inquiry will never take place, after ministers decided there was no point in reopening the issue. A senior Government source told the Daily Mail that the idea had been abandoned after a string of journalists were cleared of wrongdoing by the courts. What would be the point of having another inquiry? the source said. Things have moved on since the first one, and we see no point revisiting it. The second stage of the controversial Leveson inquiry will never take place, after ministers decided there was no point in reopening the issue. Above, Lord Justice Leveson with the first report into the press The original Leveson inquiry in 2011/12 examined Press ethics. A second stage examining ties between newspapers and the police was put on hold pending criminal inquiries into phone hacking. Culture Secretary John Whittingdale hinted last week that the second inquiry could be shelved following the acquittal of a number of journalists in several high profile prosecutions. He told the House magazine: The question about whether there should be a further inquiry is something we will need to examine, particularly in light of the findings of the courts. 'There have been some convictions but then there have been a lot of people who have been acquitted and have not therefore been involved. I am very conscious that there was that undertaking, but we need to look at it in the light of whats happened since and that is essentially what the courts have told us. The development came as Labour launched a campaign to ensure Leveson Two went ahead. The development came as Labour MPs - including Maria Eagle (left) and Andy Burnham (right) - launched a campaign to ensure Leveson Two went ahead Andy Burnham, the shadow home secretary, said it was vital the Government presses ahead with its wider inquiry. Reassurance was needed about the relationship between police and the Press, he said. He added: One of the issues we want to touch on today is the need for that second stage going forward. Leveson Two is non-negotiable. Maria Eagle, Labours culture spokesman, claimed there were vested interests in Government who did not want the inquiry to continue. MPs had heard from union activists and family members who believed they believe they have been denied justice. Report: A draft Bill for new anti-terror laws published in November by Theresa May (pictured) has been slammed as offering only 'piecemeal' protection for our privacy New anti-terror laws are rushed, fail to safeguard privacy and give spies too much unhindered power, a damning report has concluded. A powerful Parliamentary committee warned that the so-called snoopers charter offered people only piecemeal protection from excessive surveillance by the intelligence agencies. MPs and peers said the proposed Investigatory Powers Bill was so complicated that even Home Office chiefs do not fully understand the laws they want to introduce. Measures to allow MI5, MI6 and GCHQ to tap into communications data the who, when and where of a phone call, text or email but not the content were inconsistent and largely incomprehensible, they added. In a withering report, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) said there was a risk that Ministers would ride roughshod over peoples privacy using recent terror atrocities such as last years Paris attacks to justify greater surveillance powers. It also emerged that Britains secret agents will be permitted to hoover up millions of pieces of information including travel data from innocent people without ministerial approval. Yesterdays report is a huge blow to the Governments hopes of securing a smooth passage through Parliament for the controversial Bill, introduced in the wake of leaks about security service snooping released by US traitor Edward Snowden. The draft Bill, published by Home Secretary Theresa May last November, is an attempt to bring together all new and existing spy tactics used by the police and intelligence agencies in the digital age into one piece of legislation. But in an embarrassing blow for ministers, the ISC Parliaments main watchdog for the security services said it had been a missed opportunity. Committee chairman Dominic Grieve, a senior Tory MP and former Attorney General, said: It is disappointing that the draft Bill does not cover all the agencies intrusive capabilities. Powers available to spies remained scattered through different pieces of legislation, despite the stated intentions of the Government, he said. In another humiliating finding, the committee said the proposals suffered from a lack of sufficient time and preparation and called for Ministers to make substantial changes. Mr Grieve said: Taken as a whole, the draft bill fails to deliver the clarity that is so badly needed in this area. The issues under consideration are undoubtedly complex, however it has been evident that even those working on the legislation have not always been clear as to what the provisions are intended to achieve. Taken as a whole, the draft bill fails to deliver the clarity that is so badly needed in this area. Committee chairman Dominic Grieve, a senior Tory MP and former Attorney General The ISC said protection of peoples privacy was inconsistent in the bill a surprise given the outcry that followed leaks about US and UK spying by CIA contractor Snowden in June 2013. Addressing claims that new powers were needed to thwart jihadist strikes, the report said: Whilst recent terrorist attacks have shown the importance of the work the agencies do in protecting us, this cannot be used as an excuse to ignore such underlying principle or unnecessarily override them. The cross-party committee said one proposed law allowing the bulk collection of sets of data, such as travel or banking information, by hacking into entire computer networks should not be allowed without separate warrants. It also warned that the security services are able to obtain details of journalists sources without judicial authorisation. The Bill would contain extensive surveillance powers, including requiring internet companies to store details of customers website visits, text messages and phone calls for up to 12 months. Invasion: In a withering report, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) said there was a risk that Ministers would ride roughshod over peoples privacy using recent terror atrocities such as last years Paris attacks to justify greater surveillance powers. Pictured, the MI6 headquarters in London Privacy: It also emerged that Britains secret agents will be permitted to hoover up millions of pieces of information including travel data from innocent people without ministerial approval (file image) But the police and the security services will not be able to see the content of communications - such as opening an email or looking at the specific web pages someone has viewed - without a warrant. There will also be a legal requirement on communications firms to help spies hack into suspects smartphones and computers. The likes of BT, TalkTalk and Sky will be obliged to assist with warrants designed to unlock an electronic device, or implant software allowing the contents to be read remotely. The redrafting of the surveillance bill was a huge missed opportunity to tighten up surveillance laws, rein in the spooks and restore public confidence through proper judicial oversight of the whole system. Amnesty UK director Rachel Logan This means firms will no longer be allowed to offer encryption so sophisticated that it allows jihadis and paedophiles to plot under the radar of security services. Former Tory frontbencher David Davis said: Time and time again surveillance powers have been subject to rushed and inadequate legislation, and as the ISC have warned we are in danger of the same thing happening here. This report is damning; it shows that the legislation is rushed and ill-thought through, the powers being granted to the agencies are excessive, and in some cases unjustified, and that the proposed safeguards are weak and inconsistent. Amnesty UK director Rachel Logan added: The damning report from the Intelligence and Security Committee is just the latest in a relentless wave of criticism the government has faced over its surveillance power-grab plans. The redrafting of the surveillance bill was a huge missed opportunity to tighten up surveillance laws, rein in the spooks and restore public confidence through proper judicial oversight of the whole system. This poorly drafted bit of legislation fulfils none of those hopes. Prime Minister David Camerons official spokeswoman said: This is about making sure our police and our intelligence agencies can continue to keep people safe in Britain, whether thats tackling organised crime, tackling terrorism. We need to make sure they have the powers they need for the digital age. Lolly lovers will now be able to buy a bag of 'Peaches and Cream' after they voted for it to 'go solo' from the other sweet treats in Allens' party bag mix. Sugar aficionados inundated Australia's largest confectionery company with their choices after it asked customers to name the party mix lolly they most wanted to be able to buy separately. Allens ran an online poll asking the public which Classic Party Mix treat they would most like to see 'go solo'. Over 25,000 Australians cast their votes with Peaches & Cream taking out 59% of the vote, beating out retro favourite Racing Cars and the classic but controversial Black Cats. Allen's online poll (pictured) asking the public which party mix lolly they would most like to see 'go solo' - with 'Peaches & Cream' taking out 59% of votes Nestle General Manager, Confectionery, Martin Brown said it was clear from the start that Allen's Peaches & Cream was the hot favourite. 'Introduced in 1975, Peaches & Cream has always been a party pleaser for its fluffy creamy-flavoured base and peachy flavoured jelly top,' said Mr Brown. 'While thousands took to social media to campaign for their favourite lolly, Peaches & Cream fans were the most vocal, helping to drive it to the top of the competition with 59 percent of the votes,' he said. After a successful Facebook campaign brought Allen's jelly tots back to shelves in August, shoppers began to use the same tactic and inundate the company's page with requests for peaches and cream, black cats and racing car lollies to be sold separately from the mixed bags. 'I'm not normally a complainer, but can you start making a bag of only peaches and cream PLEASE. It's the only reason I buy party mix and two is just not enough,' customer Kylie Lowdell urged on social media. 'Can you please, please, please make a bag dedicated to your delicious peaches and cream lollies,' loyal customer Shireen King (pictured) wrote on Allen's Facebook page Shoppers began to inundate the company's page with requests for peaches and cream, black cats and racing car lollies to be sold separately The company responded to the demand by introducing a poll that closed on February 5 to its website, asking which 'Allen's lolly should go solo,' out of the three favourites. The peaches and cream lolly appeared to be the most popular among consumers, with pictures of the sweet and requests for it to be separated flooding Allen's social media pages. 'Can you please, please, please make a bag dedicated to your delicious peaches and cream lollies. I see so many people making this same request, you will clearly benefit from following through with what your loyal customers would love for you to do,' Shireen King wrote. 'Make peaches and cream lollies available for separate purchase! They are the only reason that I (and everyone I know) buy the party mixes,' customer Breanne Kovacs said. 'I will buy so many kilos of them!' The peaches and cream, black cats and race cars are currently only available to be purchased in the classic party mix bag The peaches and cream lolly appears to be the most popular among consumers, with pictures of the sweet and requests for it to it to be separated flooding Allen's social media pages Allen's lollies responded to most of the suggestions, saying they were 'taking its fans' feedback on board' Jessie Coad wrote that she frequently shops at the 'five cent mix' lolly shops to specifically buy a bag of the 'beautiful light orange and white half domes.' 'I snap at people when they try to take these ones out,' she said. Allen's lollies responded to most of the suggestions, saying they were 'taking its fans' feedback on board.' The bananas, red frogs, snakes, pineapples, milk bottles, jelly babies and strawberries and cream lollies have already been separated from the party mix and can be purchased on their own. In August, Allen's lollies announced they would be bringing back jelly tots after an enormous Facebook campaign insisted the company made a mistake in discontinuing the sweet. The Bring BACK Allens Jelly Tots page and its 330 followers managed to catch the company's attention, who announced the product is returning 'by popular demand,' News.com.au reported at the time. The bananas, red frogs, snakes, pineapples, milk bottles, jelly babies and strawberries and cream lollies have already been separated from the party mix and can be purchased on their own In August, Allen's lollies announced they would be bringing back jelly tots after an enormous Facebook campaign insisted the company made a mistake in discontinuing the sweet Individual bags of 'Peaches & Cream' will be available exclusively at Woolworths from late March. Allen's Pineapples broke out into their own bag last year. Lolly lovers took to the vote with passion, with many people taking some creative approaches to telling us why they wanted their favourite to win, campaigning for their favourite lolly or reminiscing about sweet childhood memories, says Mr Brown. The red frogs and milk bottles are available for separate purchase and many shoppers believe this should be extended to other favourites The company was slammed early in 2015 year for downsizing the iconic Killer Python from 47 grams to 24 grams. They also announced the cutting of vintage favourites Spearmint Leaves and Green Frogs due to poor sales, to the annoyance of fans. Allens' is not the only company to bend at the request of consumer criticism. In August, Streets ice cream announced the release of a family-sized 1.25L tub of the beloved Golden Gaytime, which is now available from ice cream freezers in grocery stores across the country for $6.99 each. The mission was launched by Jesse James McElroy, from Sydney, after he realised it was impossible to share the popular dessert on a paddle pop stick with anyone else. 'I was on the phone to my ex late at night, who is living in America, and she said 'bring me some ice cream' so I said 'I'll bring you a Gaytime', Mr McElroy told Daily Mail Australia in August. 'But then I realised, I can't share it - why isn't it in a tub? Why hasn't anyone thought of this idea? I freaked out and created a group when I was in the shower at four in the morning.' The tub version was introduced shortly after Mr McElroy's Facebook post, which garnered almost 50,000 shares. My old school-friend Nick Herbert MP a Tory Eurosceptic long neglected horribly by David Cameron yesterday gave a speech saying he wants to stay in the EU. Bingo, Mr Herbert is back in favour with No10. He has been to see Flashman (sorry, the PM) in recent days. No secret about that, murmurs Mr Herbert. If the referendum result goes the EUs way, will there be a reward for his volte-face? Might he finally land the Cabinet job he was denied when the Tories had to form a Coalition in 2010? Will it be arise, Sir Nicholas? He offered no comment. I find it hard not to think of him as Herbert N le Q, the reserved, likeable little chap I sat next to in Mr Chicks maths lessons at Haileybury in the 1970s. We shared a front-row desk with cast-iron hinges and carved graffiti from Victorian days while Mr Chick explained algebra and my eyes rotated in different directions. I scored a U (for Unspeakable) in my Additional Maths O-level. Nick Herbert MP a Tory Eurosceptic long neglected horribly by David Cameron yesterday gave a speech saying he wants to stay in the EU Mr Chick frequently took issue with my scholastic dimness and with my Union Jack socks which contravened the school dress code. Nick wore suede shoes and orthodox socks. Nick was a good boy. As a politician he has until now been brave. He was open about his gayness not easy when he did that and he defended fox-hunting. He also led the campaign against the euro. I was rather proud of him. Now that he is campaigning for a Remain vote I wonder: Did he ever mean his Euroscepticism or was it careerist positioning? Is he now just sucking up to the Establishment Blob? He has co-founded a group called Conservatives for Reform in Europe who claim to be Eurosceptical but are keen on EU membership. That makes about as much sense to me as trigonometry ever did. He claimed to be speaking not just for the interests of people in the room but also for the country. It seemed odd to mention the people in the room. They were Westminster village, middling officer-class, rule-obeying supplicants, not dynamic executives. Many were recipients of honours and political patronage. Good boys and girls, you could call them. Newly-knighted Sir Eric Pickles opened proceedings and referred to Nick as my dearest choom. Behold Sir Oliver Heald MP, former MP Sir Richard Ottaway, recently ennobled Lord (David) Willetts and former MP Sir Tony Baldry, none of whom could be mistaken for boat-rockers. How shrewd Mr Cameron was when he revived the practice of handing out knighthoods to MPs. Sir Tony disclosed that in the 1975 EEC referendum he was link man between the Euro-enthusiasts and Mrs Thatcher. He was responsible for that awful EEC jumper Maggie wore for a photo opportunity a fashion crime at very least. Caroline Spelman MP, recently made Second Church Estates Commissioner was there yesterday, too, as were a handful of MPs (Westminsters Mark Field, Wyre Forests Mark Garnier, South Suffolks James Cartlidge, Ashfords tooth-sucking Damian Green). It struck me that Conservatives for REform in EuroPe boils down to CREEP. Mr Herbert argued that we already cede sovereignty to Nato so it was only logical to do so to the EU. After saying he would not mention disagreements in the Leave camp he proceeded to devote a long passage of his speech to them. He spoke fast, loudly, even with aggression delivered it pretty well, in an eye-poking sort of way. One of the questions afterwards came from a Tory MEP (pro EU, of course) called Charles Tannock. The biography on his website is a hoot, listing his membership of endless committees and foreign honours: The Order of St Maurice and St Lazarus of the Italian Dynastic House of Savoy, a Grand Officer of the Order of San Carlos, Colombia, a knight of the Order of Merits 3rd Grade of Ukraine, etc. My, my! A controversial 'pick-up artist' has allegedly admitted committing what 'could be considered rape' by having sex with two girls he had to pin down after they resisted penetration and repeatedly said 'no'. Daryush Valizadeh, who calls himself Roosh V, allegedly said he had to 'use some muscle' to hold one of the girls down so she would 'stop moving' in a deleted blog post titled 'When No Means Yes'. The founder of self-styled men's advocacy group Return of Kings, who has called for rape to be legalised on private property, said he would be 'in trouble' if a video emerged of either incident. 'I've had two experiences which, if you remove all context, could be considered rape,' he allegedly wrote in a blog post on RooshV.com on 18 June 2010. Scroll down for video Controversial 'pick-up artist' Daryush Valizadeh has allegedly admitted committing what 'could be considered rape' by having sex with two girls he had to pin down 'Two separate girls, completely naked, on their backs resisting penetration for the first time. They squirmed around and kept repeating 'no' even though were moaning, kissing, and squeezing. 'If there was an edited video shot of what happened those nights I'd be in trouble if either girl wanted to screw me.' The 36-year-old American claimed that he slept with both 'girls' many times after the incidents. The paragraph discussing the alleged 'rapes' has been deleted from the live version of the post published on Mr Valizadeh's blog. Mr Valizadeh, who calls himself Roosh V, allegedly said he had to 'use some muscle' to hold one of the girls down so she would 'stop moving' in a deleted blog post (pictured) titled 'When No Means Yes' Mr Valizadeh (pictured at his mother's home) called officers after claiming that he had received hundreds of death threats The deleted segment can only be viewed via a cached webpage. In the post he went on to say that when women say 'no', they do not always mean it as it 'depends on context'. ''No' when you try to take off her panties means 'Don't give up now!' he wrote. ''No' when she's naked and you try to put it in means 'Yes I can't wait to have your c*** inside me.'' Mr Valizadeh, from Maryland, said he would be 'reluctant' to charge a man with rape if the woman was completely naked until saying no. 'For every rape accusation I'd want to know at what stage of undress the girl was at before the supposed rape happened,' he wrote. The 36-year-old has 15 self-published books, many of which have been widely condemned as 'rape guides' by media, residents and politicians who live in the countries he is writing about The paragraph discussing the alleged 'rapes' has been deleted from the live version (pictured) of the post published on Mr Valizadeh's blog 'If she was completely naked until saying no, and got there voluntarily, then I'd be reluctant to charge the man with rape unless there were signs of violence.' The 36-year-old has 15 self-published books, many of which have been widely condemned as 'rape guides' by media, residents and politicians who live in the countries he is writing about. He regularly attacks women on his Twitter account and also runs a YouTube channel that has 19,000 subscribers. His website Return of Kings publishes articles written by Mr Valizadeh and a 'small but vocal' collection of men who hope to bring an end to America's 'politically-correct society that allows women to assert superiority and control over men'. The 'pro-rape pick-up artist' was recently forced to cancel a series of events in the UK after claiming he could no longer guarantee the safety of those who wanted to attend. Mr Valizadeh had announced events for 'heterosexual men only' across the UK in February. The 'pro-rape pick-up artist' was recently forced to cancel a series of events in the UK after claiming he could no longer guarantee the safety of those who wanted to attend For the BBC documentary, Reggie Yates' Extreme UK, the presenter attended one of Mr Valizadeh's seminars Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe rented accommodation on the Earl of Derbys 12,000-acre Knowsley Hall, Merseyside A huge cocaine smuggling ring was allegedly taking place under the nose of Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe while he was renting a property on an aristocrats estate. The unfortunate situation which is likely to heap fresh embarrassment on Sir Bernard following recent criticism of his handling of the dropped sex abuse inquiry into Lord Bramall occurred when the unwitting police officer was based on Merseyside, where he was Chief Constable between 2004 and 2009. At the time, he rented accommodation on the Earl of Derbys 12,000-acre Knowsley Hall estate. While Hogan-Howe was still a tenant in 2008, former soldier Anthony Brown took over as head of security at the estate, only to be arrested three years later with his brother Adrian. Anthony, 52, and Adrian, 55, a former Merseyside Police intelligence officer, who both lived at Ormskirk Lodge, on Knowsley Park, are accused of conspiracy to import 17 million of cocaine. The pair deny charges of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and are expected to stand trial later this year. The Earl of Derbys family has been close to Merseyside Police for many years, allowing the force to use half of Knowsley Hall as its HQ from 1967 to 1997. But only now has it emerged Sir Bernard used to rent the Boat House Lodge on the estate. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirms: The Commissioner was responsible for arranging his own accommodation when he relocated to Merseyside. As a chief constable moving into a new force, his pay would have included a relocation allowance. The Commissioner rented accommodation on the estate at market rate. It was a landlord-tenant relationship between Lord Derby and Sir Bernard. While Mr Hogan-Howe was a tenant at Knowsley Hall estate in Merseyside in 2008 (pictured), former soldier Anthony Brown took over as head of security, only to be arrested three years later with his brother Adrian Edward Perry, current director of operations at Knowsley, says that the Browns would not have been responsible for security in the area of the estate where Sir Bernard lived. Security came under my instructions and the Browns would have looked after the main gates and the safari park, he said. I personally looked after arrangements for tenants and VIPs visiting the park. But I wouldnt know if they had met each other on the estate in passing. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad (pictured) and nine of his colleagues were buried alive after a massive ice wall collapsed on an army post located on top of the Siachen glacier in the Himalayas An Indian soldier has miraculously been found alive after being trapped under 25ft of snow and ice for six days after being caught up in an avalanche. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad and nine of his colleagues were buried alive after a massive ice wall collapsed on an army post located on top of the Siachen glacier in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas. Mr Koppad was the only one of the soldiers from the 19 Madras Regiment to survive the horrific incident on February 3 and is said to be in a 'critical' condition. He was found yesterday by rescuers and immediately rushed to the Army Research and Referral hospital in New Delhi. A doctor said: 'He has been placed on a ventilator to protect his airway and lungs in view of his comatose state. Fortunately, there was no cold exposure-related to frost bite or bone injuries. 'He was severely dehydrated, hypothermic, hypoxic, hypoglycemic and in shock. He was immediately resuscitated by the doctors at the site.' More than 200 soldiers have worked around the clock for six days looking for survivors after the ice wall came crashing down on the post in the northern glacier. The rescue operation is unlikely to end any time soon, although the Indian army continues to play down the scale and magnitude of the effort it has put in to get the men back. It has however reiterated that it will continue to search until all of those trapped beneath the ice are found. An Indian army soldier cuts through ice and snow in the search for survivors after the deadly avalanche Army personnel have battled the ice for days using a mixture of brute force and high-tech gadgetry The search is believed to be one of the highest search and rescue operations in recent years and specially-trained sniffer dogs were airlifted into the area. 'We had to send all our rescue personnel away when the dogs came in. More the people, more the difficulty for the animals to identify smells,' said an officer. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad survived for almost a week under 25ft of ice The most high-tech gadgetry in the army's arsenal was also brought out during the operation. Indian Air Force and Army Aviation helicopters did over 300 sorties of the earmarked zone. Deep-penetrating radars, which can look 40m below the surface and were used to track terrorists during the Pathankot attacks, underground metal detectors, infrared radars, doppler radars, and ice cutters were flown in. So were doctors, three of whom had to remain on site at all times a practice which helped the sole survivor. A 'rescue camp' sprang up close to the site. Lt Gen SK Patyal, Corps Commander for the 14 Corps, said: 'Assets came from all directions. However, the biggest challenge was nature. The atmosphere is so rarefied that walking ten metres can make you breathless. Temperatures fell to minus 50 degrees.' On Tuesday night, the bodies were brought close to the base camp. They will be transported to Thoise air base and then flown to Delhi. Col Hariharan said: 'It is our duty to send our departed colleagues and let their loved ones pay their respect. We are on the job.' Meanwhile Mr Koppad, who has been in the army for 13 years, has been described as a deeply religious soldier who was also a practitioner of yoga - a skill that some believe may have helped his survival. A senior officer involved in the rescue operation said: 'We have been told he used to not only practice yoga himself but also help fellow soldiers with their breathing exercises. Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad's mother and wife at their home in Betadoor village in Hubli Around 200 soldiers with two specially trained dogs helped rescue Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad 'Medical science can perhaps explain better but we believe yoga perhaps had a role to play in his being able to survive in those conditions.' 'It is unbelievable. In Siachen if you are exposed to nature for more than four hours without taking adequate precautions, chances of survival are slim. 'There has never before been an instance of a soldier having survived being buried in snow and ice for five days,' he added. Lt Gen (retd) Ata Hasnain former Srinagar Corps Commander, said: 'It defies logic. I was posted at the Siachen glacier at the same spot near the sheer ice wall. There is no way one can survive for five days buried under ice with no oxygen. It's a miracle. Army rescuers during the operation at Siachen. The team were astonished to find Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad alive after almost a week, though his condition remains critical Mr Koppard's mother Basamma said: 'Last night, when they called me around 2am and informed me that my son was alive I couldn't believe it. 'It was as if someone was talking to me in my dreams. It took me some time to realise that it was true.' As news spread that Mr Koppad was alive, Bettadur village in Kundagol taluk in Dharwad district (northwestern Karnataka), erupted in joy. His wife Jayamma Mahadevi rushed to the local temple and offered special prayers along with the villagers. 'This is unbelievable God has answered our prayers. Every day I would be offering prayers to the village deity, as my husband's grandmother told me that is the only way we can hope for a miracle. 'Today indeed is a miracle to hear that my husband is alive. I am forever indebted to the lord. It is a rebirth for all of us,' Jayamma said, with tears in her eyes. An audience member has slammed a theatrical production as 'tasteless and very awkward' after a male clown performer allegedly simulated sex with her repeatedly on stage. New Zealand woman Eva Tuala was among the crowd with her husband during the Cirque du Soleil's Quidam show at the Vector Arena Show in Auckland on the opening night last Friday. The clown pulled members of the public on stage to participate in a bizarre scene, which saw Ms Tuala sprawled on stage with the performer allegedly simulating sexual positions on top of her. Eva Tuala was among the crowd with her husband during the Cirque du Soleil's Quidam show (stock image) 'I was definitely not a willing 'volunteer'... I had to laugh it off, cause what else can one do when put centre stage. I was embarrassed for myself and my husband watching,' she told NZ Herald. The clown in question was also said to have invited three male spectators on stage, during which he allegedly gestured to a young man to simulate sex with the woman. Despite the strange action, the clown allegedly insisted that the pair had to follow through with the skit before they were allowed back to their seats. Following the performance, Ms Tuala reportedly made a complaint with the show's organisers. A Cirque du Soleil spokeswoman has confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the promoters have received a complaint and 'are dealing with it'. 'We are in contact directly with the plaintiff and will not comment until the situation is resolved,' the Cirque du Soleil spokeswoman said. The woman has slammed the show after she was allegedly manhandled by a male clown (stock image) This comes after NZ Herald reviewer Janet McAllister said: 'On opening night, audience participation was in such poor taste as to be offensive: a male clown repeatedly simulated sex with a young woman "volunteer" after she'd fallen on the stage, and cajoled another "volunteer" to do the same,' she said. NZ Stuff reviewer Siena Yates also agreed that the show's audience participation was 'inappropriate', saying the skit 'wasn't either jaw-droppingly impressive or flat out entertaining'. 'Most will cry femi-nazi at my next statement but it struck me as a little inappropriate,' she said. 'First, the woman - in a tight red dress with an open bust - continuously had her dress pulled one way or another to cover her up. But it was when things got physical and she was being thrown around by the men on stage that it crossed a line. 'She played along well enough and seemed to laugh it off, but she looked visibly uncomfortable and I felt it.' Several spectators, who attended the opening night, have taken to social media to express their opinions on the unusual scene, with some saying it was 'awkward' and 'embarrassing' (stock image) Spectator Steve Vermeulen, who attended the opening night, said there were four volunteers brought on stage and among them were two main 'characters' - the lovers - a man and a woman. 'The scene required the two volunteers to act out a fake love scene and another would bust them,' Mr Vermeulen told Daily Mail Australia. 'As there were no words, it was hard for them to understand what was required. The performer got them to act out the scene based on his direction. 'It would've been considered cheeky but given the nature of the girl's attire the performer should definitely have understood the uncomfortable position he was placing the girl in and managed and modified the scenario better. 'She didn't know what was happening, tried to go along as best as possible but was having a hard time to do so modestly. I could see her clearly ask the performer "do we have to do this again?" Still putting on a brave face but it was awkward for everyone for sure. A Cirque du Soleil spokeswoman has confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the promoters have received a complaint and 'are dealing with it' (stock image) 'I feel for the performer too, they had a job to do, some of the issues were around the two volunteers just having no clue as to what was required of them. 'But yes, we were not the only ones saying "poor girl" when we saw it play out. He just needed to identify when things got weird earlier and finish it quickly, it sort of dragged unnecessarily.' However, some have jumped to the show's defence, with one saying: 'It's all in good fun some people just don't have a sense of humour, I myself didn't think it was rude/sexual, just harmless fun. If you don't want to participate you can refuse, it's your choice.' Cirque du Soleil has been watched by more than 155 million people in 300 cities across the globe after it was founded in 1984 Striking junior doctors are facing a growing public backlash as thousands of patients face cancelled operations due to a second walkout today. The proportion of Britons who strongly oppose the strike has almost doubled in a month to 14 per cent, a poll reveals. A total of 22 per cent are now against the walkout compared to just 16 per cent four weeks ago. Striking junior doctors are facing a growing public backlash as thousands of patients face cancelled operations due to a second walkout today Resentment is greatest amongst the over 65s those most likely affected by the disruption of whom a fifth are strongly opposed. Up to 45,000 junior doctors are expected to take part in a second 24-hour walkout, starting at 8am today, where they will only treat emergency cases. Around 3,000 operations have already been cancelled, including hip, knee and cataract treatments, and many patients will not be rebooked for several months. And many patients are still waiting in agony, having had their surgery postponed by last month's 24-hour walk-out. The dispute centres on proposed new contracts for junior doctors that will see them receiving lower rates of pay for working Saturdays. A poll of 847 adults by Ipsos Mori commissioned by Health Service Journal found that 22 per cent of people now oppose the strike, up from 16 per cent last month. The proportion of Britons who strongly oppose the strike has almost doubled in a month to 14 per cent, a poll reveals This includes 14 per cent who said they strongly oppose, a sharp rise from 8 per cent four weeks ago. But this rose to 21 per cent amongst the over-65s, the highest of any age group. The poll also found that 66 per cent of the public support the doctors' industrial action, unchanged from last month. In a heated exchange in Parliament yesterday, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt accused Labour of deserting 'vulnerable patients' by refusing to condemn the strike. Several Labour MPs joined junior doctors on the picket lines last month, including shadow chancellor John McDonnell. Mr Hunt told the Commons: 'The party opposite are saying that if a negotiated settlement can't be reached, we should not impose a new contract. 'In other words we should give up on seven day care for the most vulnerable patients. 'There was a time when the Labour party used to speak up for vulnerable patients, but now it's clear that unions matter more than patients.' The Department of Health held last minute talks with the British Medical Association yesterday, but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement. Negotiators will reconvene later this week once the strike is over. A BMA spokesman said it would 'take stock' over the next few days and decide whether to stage further industrial action. The row centres on Mr Hunt's new contract for junior doctors, which will see them carrying out more weekend and evening work for lower pay rates. But the main sticking point is Saturday rates, which the Health Secretary says should be paid at a 'normal' level just like during the working week. Junior doctors want rates to be 30 per cent higher as they are currently to compensate for having to work 'unsocial' hours. Mr Hunt claims the new contract is fundamental to ensuring there are more doctors working evenings and weekends, when hospital death rates are higher. In a heated exchange in Parliament yesterday, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt accused Labour of deserting 'vulnerable patients' by refusing to condemn the strike He has also threatened to start imposing it within the next few weeks even if he does not reach a deal with the BMA. Although the contract will not come into force until August, Government officials will have to begin making key changes to policy shortly. The Health Secretary has already made several concessions, including promising to increase junior doctors' salaries by 11 per cent. He has also said they will not have to work two Saturdays in a row and has increased hourly rates for some evening work. Johann Malawana, chairman of the BMA's junior doctors' committee, said: 'We always said we want negotiated settlement. However, Government continues to not address our concerns. It's always been with SoS (Secretary of State Mr Hunt) to decide.' The poll also found that 66 per cent of the public support the doctors' industrial action, unchanged from last month Referring to Mr Hunt's threat to impose the contract, he added: 'Imposition is a sign of desperation and loss of control. We urge the government to put the NHS before politics, patients before machismo.' Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association said: 'Thousands of patients have already had their operations and appointments cancelled and even more will suffer the same fate as a consequence of this next day of action. Charity Age UK has suspended offering its branded energy tariff with the power giant E.on following rip-off allegations. The move follows claims that elderly people were encouraged to sign up to gas and electricity deals that were not the cheapest on the market. The charity received more than 6million from E.on last year, part of this from commission on the energy deals it recommended to the elderly. Charity Age UK has suspended offering its branded energy tariff with the power giant E.on following rip-off allegations Age UK insists the fixed rate tariffs were the cheapest of their type when they were launched. However, cheaper deals were subsequently launched which might, in theory, have delivered savings of more than 200 a year. Energy Secretary Amber Rudd ordered the industry regulator Ofgem to investigate the way the energy contracts were promoted. Energy Secretary Amber Rudd ordered the industry regulator Ofgem to investigate the way the energy contracts were promoted The row focused a spotlight on whether charities should sign partnerships with commercial companies to push products and services like energy and insurance. The charity and the company yesterday issued a short statement saying they would temporarily stop offering an Age UK-branded tariff to new and renewing E.on customers. They said: This decision has been reached on a mutual basis and both organisations retain confidence in the tariff offered to customers. However, due to continued speculation regarding the partnership, both organisations feel it is right to pause and reflect on the best way for both parties to achieve their shared goal of helping customers. E.on customers on existing Age UK Enterprises tariffs are unaffected by this move and can continue until their contract end date or move without penalty between E.on tariffs at any point. A fire started by a hoverboard ravaged a house in Nashville, Tennessee, trapping two teenagers upstairs. One of them, a 16-year-old girl, jumped out of the window from the second floor, ABC reported. Her brother, 14, climbed down a ladder with his father's help. Investigators have determined that the fire, which burnt down the house completely, was caused by a Fiturbo F1 hoverboard. This is one of dozens of hoverboard fires currently under investigation across the country, the Nashville Fire Department said. A house in Nashville, Tennesse, was completely destroyed in a fire (pictured) started by a hoverboard, the Nashville Fire Department said. This is one of dozens of hoverboard fires under investigation around the country Two teenagers, a 16-year-old girl and her 14-year-old brother, were inside the house when the fire started and escaped. It is unclear whether the family will rebuild the 4,000 square feet mansion (pictured) The hoverboard that started the fire was reduced to smithereens (pictured) and is so badly damaged that officials will probably not be able to tell whether it was charging at the time The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission said last month that it was looking into the safety of the toys, linking them to at least 40 fires in 19 states. The two teenagers, who have not been named, were taken to the hospital after the fire and had minor injuries. 'We are fortunate that there were only minor injuries in what was an extremely dangerous fire,' Nashville Fire Chief Rick White told ABC. 'We hope Nashvillians use extreme caution before purchasing or using these hoverboards.' It is unclear whether the family will rebuild the 4,000 square feet mansion, worth $1 million according to ABC. The hoverboard that caused the fire was reduced to smithereens and is now so destroyed that investigators will probably not be able to determine whether it was charging at the time. A close friend of the family, who had also purchased a Fiturbo F1 hoverboard, experienced a small fire while charging the toy, the Nashville Fire Department said. That fire only damaged the hoverboard. Those who own a hoverboard should always use the charger supplied by the manufacturer, the Nashville Fire Department said. They should not leave the toy unattended while charging, or leave it plugged into an outlet during the night. They should not overcharge their hoverboard and they should respect the charging times recommended by the manufacturer. Just last week, another fire caused by a hoverboard ravaged a home in San Leandro, California. Fire officials found that it had originated near an outlet where the toy was charging. A friend of the family bought the same model of hoverboard, a Fiturbo F1, which caught fire while it was charging. That fire only damaged the hoverboard (pictured) It is illegal to buy in Australia as it's not a registered therapeutic good She documented the changes and effects black salve had on her body A woman claims to have cured a melanoma on her chest using a controversial alternative medicine condemned by doctors known as black salve ointment. Brita Hollows, from Taupo in New Zealand, opted for the alternate treatment after noticing a freckle on her chest had started to rise and change colour in the centre within the space of two weeks. The 63-year-old said she researched the use of black salve and the traditional method of having the melanoma cut out before she started using the ointment made by a herbalist. Scroll down for video Brita Hollows, from Taupo in New Zealand, opted to use black salve ointment after noticing a freckle on her chest had started to rise and change colour in the centre within the space of two weeks Ms Hollows did not seek medical advice from a doctor, nor did she have a biopsy to determine if it was a melanoma. She documented the changes and effects the black salve had on her body by taking photos over a 12 month period. The photos have since gone viral on Facebook after Ms Hollows shared them via her healing page Brita Hollows - Conscious Energy. The post was met with a mixed response with some praising her and others condemning her actions due to her lack of medical experience. Ms Hollows said her self-diagnosed treatment took about six weeks. 'I'd been in the sea for a bit and had a dressing over it. I figured the salt water couldn't hurt. Every morning in the shower I checked it, took a photo and re-dressed it,' Ms Hollows told Daily Mail Australia. The 63-year-old took this photo on day three of using black salve. Ms Hollows did not seek medical advice from a doctor, nor did she have a biopsy to determine if it was a melanoma Brita Hollows documented the changes and effects the black salve had on her body by taking photos over a 12 month period. This is towards the beginning when she started using the controversial ointment The photos have since gone viral on Facebook after Ms Hollows shared them via her. The post was met with a mixed response with some condemning her actions due to her lack of medical experience 'In the instructions it says don't pull it out, just let it fall out to get the roots. I had to wait for that. It was sitting there for three or four days. It came out when I took a dressing off.' Ms Hollows took the last photo documenting the process a few weeks ago to show show her scarring healed and says she is in the all clear. WHAT IS BLACK SALVE? Black salve is an 'alternative treatment' for cancer and is also known as red salve, Cansema, or Bloodroot. There is no credible or scientific evidence which shows that any black or red salve preparation is effective in treating cancer. Both black and red salves are corrosive and essentially burn off layers of the skin and surrounding normal tissue. They can destroy large parts of the skin and underlying tissue, and leave significant scarring. It is illegal to buy or sell the treatment in Australia. Source: TGA Advertisement 'There was a bit of a crater after it fell out - there's not much flesh in that area. It's all fine. I have nothing there, I'm healthy. I had a blood test and it was all clear,' she said. It comes after a Brisbane man created an inch-wide hole in his head after using an alternate treatment thought to be black salve to treat a lesion. The 55-year-old man presented to Princess Alexandra Emergency Department in Brisbane after applying the unlicensed treatment to his face for four months. His case appeared in the Medical Journal of Australia where doctors, Natalie Ong, Eric Sham and Brandon Adams, wrote that black salve could lead to scarring and disfigurement because it often contained an alkaloid from bloodroot and zinc chloride. 'In the absence of a biopsy, some patients may commence alternative treatment before attaining a diagnosis of skin cancer, and a very real risk of recurrence and metastasis (cancer spreading) remains,' the doctors wrote. 'As a consequence, there may be delays in diagnosis, and it may be difficult to identify the primary site of malignancy. 'It is imperative for health professionals to recognise that these unlicensed products may lead to adverse outcomes, and for consumers to realise that alternative therapies that have been described as natural are not necessarily safe or, by any standard, risk free.' Ms Hollows said the instructions indicated she should not pull out the growth that formed on her chest. She had to wait for it to fall out After using the black salve for several weeks, Ms Hollows said it fell out one day as she changed the dressing Ms Hollows said there was a little crater when the growth fell out and that her self-diagnosed treatment took about six weeks Ms Hollows took the last photo documenting the process a few weeks ago and says she is in the all clear In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) continues to condemn the ointments. It is illegal to buy or sell the treatment in Australia because all therapeutic goods supplied must be included in Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. The TGA says it is unaware of any credible, scientific evidence that black salve, red salve or cansema can cure or treat cancer. 'In addition there is no evidence that these products can be used to diagnose cancers. In fact, the evidence shows that they will cause skin irritation regardless of whether any malignancy is present,' the TGA said. After: The scar on Brita Hollows skin is barely visible 'Black and red salves and cansema are corrosive salves. They essentially burn off layers of the skin and surrounding normal tissue. They can destroy large parts of the skin and underlying tissue, and leave significant scarring.' In response to online backlash, Ms Hollows said she was not promoting the use of black salve, rather she was giving an insight into how it worked for her. She urged people to seek help from a medical professional to determine what action needed to be taken before deciding on alternate treatment. It comes after a Brisbane man created an inch-wide hole in his head after using an alternate treatment thought to be black salve to treat a lesion for four months Pregnant Ivanka Trump has become the star of The Donald's campaign as her father thanked her during his victory speech for hitting the campaign trail on his behalf. Ivanka, 34, made seven campaign stops ahead of Tuesday's primary, travelling to New Hampshire even though she is eight months pregnant. Trump then tweeted a photo of the entire clan jetting off in his private plane, with the caption: 'Departing New Hampshire with my amazing family! Thank you New Hampshire!' 'Tonight the voters decided. Next stop is South Carolina! I love you all and thank you! Together we are going to make America great again!' Ivanka Trump (right) became the star of her father's campaign as The Donald turned to her during his victory speech in New Hampshire and thanked her for making seven campaign stops for him. Trump paid tribute to his daughter, saying: 'She made seven stops today at the polling areas - so very, very special.' Celebrations: Ivanka Instagramed this picture on Monday night with the caption 'Ending an exciting day with my siblings at the airport diner!' She was with brothers Donald Jr and Eric, and their wives, Vanessa and Lara Family values: Trump was also joined on stage at his victory rally by wife Melania who has been by his side throughout much of his campaign Traveling in style: Trump later tweeted a photo of his entire clan in his private jet. They will then head to South Carolina, where the next Republican primary is scheduled for February 20 Triumphant: Donald's son Donald Jr also Instagramed this picture of the clan boarding the Trump private jet. He said 'Awesome night and victory party but now it's time to get back to work!!' All in the family: Trump is flanked by Ivanka, her husband Jared, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, and their wives, Vanessa and Lara Expectant mom: Although Ivanka donned a chic navy winter coat to the rally, her baby bump was on full display as she turned to face her father earlier on Monday Jubilant: The Donald was flanked at his victory rally by wife Melania and Pregnant daughter Ivanka, right Ivanka, pictured left speaking to the crowd during a rally in Manchester on Monday and right visiting supporters during voting at Windham High School, helped rally as many voters as she could in New Hampshire Chelsea Clinton, pictured at her mother's rally on Monday night, has been by her mother's side for much of her campaign even though she is pregnant with her second child At her father's campaign headquarters in the state, in Manchester, Ivanka said this afternoon, 'I'm feeling good' Trump thanked his family at the beginning of his victory speech after winning the New Hampshire primary with 35 per cent of the vote, beating John Kasich into second with 15.9 per cent and Ted Cruz with 11.6 per cent. He turned to look at his daughter and put his hand on her shoulder as he praised her efforts. 'And Ivanka, she was out,' he said. 'She made seven stops today at the polling areas - so very, very special.' Just before, Trump thanked his wife Melania. 'What she puts up with... She said right from the beginning: "You know if you run you're going to win. She said that from day one.' Earlier today, Ivanka, who is expecting her third child with husband Jared Kushner, said at her father's campaign headquarters in the state, in Manchester, that she was 'feeling good'. 'Good exercise,' she said of her multiple stops today. Even though she is due to give birth in the spring, she braved the elements yesterday and took the family's private jet to snowy New Hampshire. As she greeted volunteers, one gentleman said of her father, 'He is our prince. He is our prince.' 'I'm biased, but I totally agree with you,' she told him The blonde beauty took to Instagram after her arrival to share a photo of herself looking chic in a navy winter coat and black boots despite the blustery weather. 'Hello New Hampshire! I'm so excited to be here!' she captioned the image, which sees her standing on an airstrip in front of several private planes. Ivanka typically lives a jet-set lifestyle, but her father's campaign has made her busier than ever. Earlier in the day, Ivanka shared a photo of herself presumably heading to work, writing: 'Another snow day in NYC!' But just hours later she was hitting the campaign trail with her family. During her father's event, Ivanka was proudly holding her baby bump as she watched her father address the crowd. She was all smiles as she addressed the crowd at her father's rally in Manchester last night. After, she posted a photo of herself with Jared, her father, her stepmother Melania, her brothers Donald Trump Jr. and Eric, and their respective wives Vanessa and Lara Yunaska at a restaurant for dinner. 'Enjoyed a wonderful family dinner tonight in New Hampshire. What a great way to end an exciting day!' she wrote. It is thought that Ivanka and Jared's daughter Arabella, four, and son Joseph, two, have likely stayed in their New York City home while their parents are busy supporting their grandfather. Something he said: The 34-year-old, who is eight months pregnant with her third child, held her growing baby bump as she laughed at her father Donald's rally in Manchester Family affair: Donald Jr., Eric, Lara and Vanessa Trump had some coffee with Senator Scott Brown on Tuesday Down time: After Donald's rally, Ivanka and husband Jared joined her father, her stepmother Melania, her brothers Donald Trump Jr. and Eric, and their respective wives Vanessa and Lara Yunaska for dinner Grabbing a bite: Eric and Lara took a photo outside a diner in New Hampshire on Monday Ivanka started at North Salem School at 10:30 am, where she greeted voters as they walked inside the polling location. She later stopped by her father's office to thank volunteers making get-out-the-vote calls for him. 'Hi, how are you, nice to meet you,' she said, as she worked the room. As she greeted volunteers, one gentleman said of her father, 'He is our prince. He is our prince.' 'I'm biased, but I totally agree with you,' she told him. One woman told her, 'Ivanka we have a sunny day, this bodes well for your dad.' Trump's daughter responded with her signature giggle. Another woman stopped the candidate's daughter to say her grandson is a fan of Mr. Trump. 'He says he's very disappointed he can't vote.' Ivanka laughed and said, 'Soon enough.' On her way out a woman told her, 'This gentleman's dropped by and said hello. He says he's a friend of your father's.' 'Oh how nice, thank you...I appreciate it,' she politely responded, A reporter asked as she entered the elevator if there's 'any chance you'll have your baby in New Hampshire?' 'I don't know,' she said, smiling. If baby number three doesn't arrive tonight, Ivanka will end with Donald's Primary Watch Party in Manchester at 7pm. Still smiling: Ivanka shared this photo of herself in the blustery New Hampshire weather after she arrived, left. Ivanka has opted for a plush, shawl collared wool coat and knee high leather boots while Chelsea is bundling up in a below the knee Canada Goose jacket with a fur trimmed hood and wedge heeled ankle boots Meanwhile, Chelsea Clinton, 35, gave a similar push to her mother Hillary on the Democractic side. Chelsea, who has a one-year-old daughter Charlotte with her husband Marc Mezvinsky, announced in December that she is expecting her second child. But that didn't stop her from waking up bright and early on Tuesday to head to the polls with her mother. 'Good morning New Hampshire! Great to see so many people already at the polls! #603forHRC #ImWithHer,' she captioned a photo of herself with Hillary and her supporters. Just a few hours later, Chelsea and Hillary were snapped at a Dunkin' Donuts in New Hampshire to 'fuel up' before they headed back out again. And while Ivanka and Chelsea are indeed friends, it may be safe to assume that they draw the line when it comes to talking politics. Last week, Chelsea told People magazine that although she is friends with Ivanka, she has never had a relationship with her father Donald. 'My relationship has always been with Ivanka and certainly I do believe that friendship is more important than politics 'I would never hold anyone accountable for what their parents or anyone else in their family said or did,' she said. 'I see Ivanka as Ivanka.' The two women have a remarkable number of things in common, especially when it comes to their husbands and weddings. Ivanka and Jared began dating in 2007 and were married in 2009 after Ivanka converted to Judaism with the bride wearing a Vera Wang gown for her big day. Chelsea and Marc met as teenagers but it was not until 2005 that they began to date. The ceremony was interfaith as Marc is Jewish and Chelsea is Methodist and the bride wore a Vera Wang gown. from the Rubio debacle, coming in third on 11.56%, while Jeb Bush came fourth on 11.1% Rubio is off to South Carolina to try to regain momentum - his debate He came into New Hampshire on a wave of Marcomentum. Unfortunately for Rubio last night it turned out to be propelling him in the wrong direction as he placed fifth in the New Hampshire polls after Trump, Kasich, Cruz and Bush. And according to the Florida senator it was all his fault. With just 10.4% of the vote with close to two thirds of the results counted Rubio, 44, addressed the 500 loyal supporters who had rallied in Manchester in hopes of a better result. 'Many people are disappointed. I'm disappointed. Our disappointment is not on you. It's on me. 'We did not do well on Saturday and so listen to this: That will never happen again.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Your browser does not support the iframe HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later. 'Disappointed': Marco Rubio admitted his debate performance had cost him votes in New Hampshire, as he fell beneath Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush into fifth place, having polled as high as second Responsibility: Rubio went out of his way to make clear that he knew he was to blame for the debate disaster costing him votes Family: Marco Rubio attends his New Hampshire Primary closing rally along with his wife Jeanette and his four children, Amanda, Daniella, Anthony and Dominick. It is the first time that the senator has acknowledged the impact of his blunder at Saturday's GOP debate that saw him dubbed Rubio the Robot when he repeated the same line over and over and over again. The blows were inflicted by Chris Christie, the hard-charging New Jersey governor who saw an even worse performance tonight, coming in well below Rubio on 7.5%. He announced that he was 'taking a deep breath' - a hint that his presidential run could very soon be over. While the voters gave Christie no credit for pointing out how Rubio repeated the same lines over and over again, they did mark Rubio down severely. Exit polls, reported by CNN, showed that half of Republican voters had made their minds up in the past few days, and two-thirds said recent debates had been important to their decisions. The apparent beneficiaries were Ted Cruz, whose campaign had been bracing themselves for as low as fifth place, and Jeb Bush, who desperately needed not to be humiliated in New Hampshire to stay alive in the race. He goes on to South Carolina with some degree of momentum, while Cruz will be more at home in a race where the evangelical vote holds sway. Until now Rubio had attempted to dismiss the robot debacle as a media creation of little significance to the voters. But tonight he shouldered the blame. Speaking over the chants of 'Marco!' that rose in response as the crowd cheered their candidate he continued: 'It's not about this campaign. It's about this election what's at stake. 'We have a president that's been doing tremendous damage to this country trying to redefine the relationship between government and the peopleundermining the constitutionthe second amendmentcivil liberties.' Continuing his theme he told the crowd: 'He's gutting our military and betraying our allies. Are we going to keep doing this?' Off to South Carolina: Rubio tried to stay upbeat as he said he would be fighting on for a nationwide victory and left the stage smiling Well that went well: Marco Rubio's victory rally turned into a collection of glum faces as the reality of his fifth place became clear Dogged by his gaffe: An unknown opposing campaign had a man dressed as a robot trailing the candidate all day IS HE OUT? CHRISTIE'S DECISION New Jersey's Chris Christie set off for his governor's mansion after a bad night in New Hampshire - with his White House bid in the balance. He said that he would he taking 'a deep breath, Politico reported. 'Mary Pat and I spoke tonight and we've decided to go home to New Jersey tomorrow and we're going to take a deep breath and see what the results are tonight,' he said. 'By tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon we should know.' His prospects in South Carolina seem grim after failing to break through in the north-east and his endorsement in the next few days would be a useful boost to other establishment candidates - especially John Kasich, who gained the most momentum tonight. But his brutal attack on Marco Rubio is likely to be his most memorable contribution as the Florida senator fights to get back on track. Advertisement 'No!' came the bullish response from supporters apparently unbowed by the night's defeat. 'If Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton win,' Rubio warned. 'All of the damage Barack Obama has done to America becomes permanent. That's why they must not win. 'If we don't win this election we may lose this country.' Earlier the crowd had waited impatiently as they watched first Hillary Clinton then Bernie Sanders deliver their speeches to their supporters. Trump followed on and finally, with his triumphant address over, Rubio took to the stage in the Radisson Hotel, Manchester at 10.10pm. Flanked by his wife, Jeanette and children Amanda, Daniella, Antony and Dominick, Rubio drew on a theme that has come to define his campaign as he said that if either of the Democratic candidates won: 'My children and your children will not inherit the greatest country in the world.' He admitted: 'We did not wind up where we wanted to tonight. But that does not mean this is where we'll wind up.' Rubio has made great play of his Cuban parents' humble life in America as a bartender and a maid in Vegas. Nemesis: Chris Christie is to take 'a deep breath' and consider the next steps in his candidacy -a hint that he could be out within days Something to smile about: Ted Cruz had been the major apparent beneficiary of the Rubio debacle Regained some energy: Jeb Bush came ahead of Marco Rubio despite weeks behind him in the polls Tonight in his defeat he said he was reminded of a troubled time in their lives when he was just seven years old and his father had been working as an apartment manager. He lost his job and with it the family's home and was forced to seek work in a bar something he had not done for 20 years. 'He could only find work as a bus boy,' Rubio said. 'This gentleman well into his fifties was carrying buckets of ice and cleaning glassesbut he was not prideful. He was willing to do whatever it took so that our family would be better.' The lesson he took from the memory, according to Rubio, was that he too had to be willing to do whatever it takes to make America successful. Because in spite of his loss, he said, he had faith that 'America will rediscover the principles that made her great. 'Americans in the end have always got it right.' Presumably for Rubio, getting it right means casting a vote for him next time. Attempting to leave New Hampshire on an upbeat note despite the poor showing in tonight's primary Rubio insisted: 'You will see us again because we're coming back in November. Outgoing ABC boss Mark Scott believes it might be the right time to rethink the relationship between Australia's two public broadcasters, and that a merger may be the best way forward. Mr Scott described the other national broadcaster SBS as an analogue solution in a digital world at Senate estimates on Tuesday. Crikey reports that Mr Scott believed that because there were so many multi-channels already available there was no reason to produce this kind of content with an entirely separate network. Outgoing ABC boss Mark Scott believes it might be the right time to rethink the relationship between Australia's two public broadcasters (stock image) One solution would be to merge the two public broadcasters. Mr Scott said co-operation between SBS and the ABC was challenging from time to time, but it was an issue for the federal government. I think it is a matter that is worthy of investigation down the track, he said. There have been circumstances where we have bid for programs and we feel that we have been outbid or we have withdrawn from the process because SBS has been bidding. And we would have argued that those programs were core to the charter and the track record of the ABC. Mr Scott said co-operation between SBS and the ABC was 'challenging' at times (stock image) Mr Scott described the other national broadcaster SBS as an analogue solution in a digital world (stock image) Melbourne University journalism academic Margaret Simons has covered the likelihood of a merger between the two broadcasters, and didnt feel that Mr Scott was going all out for a merger of the two. My reading of Scott is he's not necessarily pushing for it, she told Crikey. I think he does believe its a logical solution. It's common sense in a way: you can do so much more with multi-channels, and spectrum is no longer scarce. However, Liberal senator Chris Back said he was questioning the need for two public broadcasters. But Melbourne University journalism academic Margaret Simons did not think that Mr Scott was looking for a merger between ABC and SBS (stock image) Mr Scott said the SBS of today, with more general interest broadcasting, meant the difference between the two broadcasters was not as distinct as it once was. There is far less subtitled content on SBS in prime time than would have been the case 20, 30 years ago, he said. Earlier SBS managing director Michael Ebeid expressed disappointment at the ABC's decision to move its Foreign Correspondent program to the same time slot as Dateline. Trio met earlier that day before deciding to camp at Coorong National Park Both women, believed to be in their twenties, have been hospitalised Locals said the arrested man has been visiting the area for decades Witnesses said one victim was naked and screaming as she ran up to them A young backpacker who endured a savage attack on a South Australian beach reportedly ran naked and bleeding from sand dunes screaming that she was going to be killed. The woman, believed to be a 23-year-old nurse from Brazil, was travelling with a young German woman when they were allegedly attacked by the man. They are both in hospital in a stable condition after they were rescued at Salt Creek in Coorong National Park, south-east of Adelaide, at around 6:30pm on Tuesday. A 59-year-old Adelaide man, whose identity has been suppressed, was detained when one of the women broke away from her alleged captor and managed to find help. The accused man, who is of German origin and from the southern Adelaide suburb of Morphett Vale, is a regular visitor to Salt Creek and has several dating site accounts, one of which claims he is 'looking for my future wife'. The men who saved the two women, Ali Mohammed and Abdul-Karim Mohammed, were driving near sand dunes at Coorong National Park when one of the backpackers ran naked and bleeding towards them. 'She didnt know what was going on... Shes jumped in the car and is telling us please get out of here,' Ali Mohammed told Seven News. The woman screamed 'Get me out of here, get me out of here. He's going to kill us all,' the other man reportedly added. Scroll down for video The alleged attacker (above) is a 59-year man of German origin who live sin the Adelaide suburb of Morphett Vale and regularly visits Salt Creek, where the attack on the female tourists took place in sand dunes Pictured: One of the two women, who are both overseas tourists, who were allegedly kidnapped, raped and brutally attacked by the 59-year-old man at a remote beach called Salt Creek in South Australia The 59-year-old Adelaide man (pictured), whose identity is suppressed, was detained after one of his two alleged victims broke away and ran naked and screaming from the beach at Salt Creek, south-east of Adelaide Police were called to the Coorong National Park, south-east of Adelaide, on Tuesday at around 6.30pm after an injured woman fled her camp site and notified locals of a serious assault The man was seen on his stomach on the ground, with his arms behind his back as two officers detain him A man has been charged with the alleged rape, kidnapping and attempted murder of two young women who were seriously injured while camping in the sand dunes The accused has several profiles on dating websites in which he describes himself as 'athletic' and 'outgoing' and looking for a woman between '22 and 56'. On different sites, he says he is 'friendly and 'respect people and other cultures', as well as saying he is respectful to women and able to 'get along with anyone, well almost haha'. He says that he wants to meet a kind, loving and thoughtful woman ready for marriage and to start a new life with. On Wednesday night, just hours after the incident, he appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court via video link dressed in a white hospital gown and chained to a wall. The man didn't speak during his court appearance. He was remanded in custody until April 18, charged with kidnapping, rape, causing aggravated harm to another and attempted murder. One one of his dating website pages, he says his ideal woman can cook Chinese food, loves kids, be well presented, slender, respectful and honest'. He also declares himself to be down to earth, kind, thoughtful and not racist. He writes that he hopes the new woman in his life will share his love of the outdoors, camping, walks on the beach and fishing and shares photos on his social media accounts of himself at the beach and at Salt Creek. Adam Stewart, the owner of nearby Salt Creek Roadhouse, said he alerted police to the incident after receiving a 'panicked' phone call from a group of fishermen on the beach Salt Creek locals said the man had been visiting the area for 'decades'. One of the men who saved the two female tourists, Abdul-Karim Mohammed said, 'We were just shocked when we seen here and then we go theres something bad going on here we were there perfect timing, if not it wouldve been worse.' According to Seven News, the two women split up to escape the man, with one getting away to alert the witnesses. However, the second backpacker was recaptured. When she was found later in the evening, she was barely conscious. One of the women told her rescuers that one of the backpackers was hit over the head with a hammer, while the other was run over in a vehicle, according to Seven News. Seven News pictured also showed a man being arrested on the beach by police. The man was seen on his stomach on the ground, with his arms behind his back as two officers detain him. He was wearing a black and white t-shirt and grey pants. Police also found a campsite about a kilometre from where the man was arrested. There was a fishing knife and hook left behind. A number of hostel managers in Adelaide said backpackers frequently travel to Salt Creek to work at the roadhouse, with one telling Daily Mail Australia 'two or three' are hired every few months. Superintendent James Blandford said the women, whose nationalities have been withheld, met the man on Tuesday and spent the day travelling with him before deciding to camp at Coorong for the night. The men who saved the two women, Ali Mohammed and Abdul-Karim Mohammed, were driving near sand dunes at Coorong National Park when one of the backpackers ran towards them 'Effectively these two ladies have been driving with a newly acquainted person and effectively found themselves in a situation which has turned out to be rather scary and physically bad for them,' Mr Blandford said. 'One of the victims was able to run away and came across some people who were fishing in the area and they were able to comfort and secure her and make phone calls to police,' he said. According to the Advertiser, their alleged attacker was found nearby and arrested, while it is not known where the second victim was located. 'The details I can't go into because it's still a very fresh investigation and there are still a number of inquiries and witnesses that we need to tie down a story.' He warned others to remain vigilant when meeting new people and encouraged everyone to employ 'protective strategies... particularly around people you've only just met.' 'Unfortunately there are a small minority of people who do prey on innocent people going about their business,' he said during a press conference. The site, including a blood spattered vehicle, is now being investigated by Major Crime detectives and Murray Bridge police Images of the abandoned camp site where the women were brutally attacked have emerged The site, including a blood spattered vehicle, is now being investigated by Major Crime detectives and Murray Bridge police Adam Stewart, the owner of nearby Salt Creek Roadhouse, said he contacted police after receiving a 'panicked' phone call from a group of fishermen who were on the beach. 'They had just come across an injured woman who had come running out of the sand dunes - a young girl, a backpacker,' he told Seven News. A worker at the roadhouse told Daily Mail Australia the girls 'came in' earlier in the day, but said locals had been told not to discuss the incident. The crime scene, including a blood spattered vehicle, is now being investigated by Major Crime detectives and Murray Bridge police. A police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that a 59-year-old man from Morphett Vale, around 60 kilometres north of Coorong, was arrested at the scene. The 59-year-old remained in custody after an appearance in Adelaide Magistrates court on Wednesday. According to Seven News reporters, the man was bound by chains and wore a white hospital gown. Adam Stewart, the owner of nearby Salt Creek Roadhouse, said he alerted police to the incident after receiving a 'panicked' phone call from a group of fishermen who were on the beach The camp-site was only metres from the water's edge in South Australia's Coorong National Park Hospitals should introduce baby drop-off boxes after the body of a newborn was found buried in sand dunes in 2014, a coroner says. An inquest into the death of the infant dubbed 'Baby Lily Grace', who was found in the sand at Maroubra, south of Sydney, has been unable to shed light on the child's identity, or on that of her mother, the Glebe Coroner's Court was told on Wednesday. Deputy State Coroner Hugh Dillon recommended the NSW government consider installing 'baby boxes' in hospitals to allow at-risk mothers to anonymously leave unwanted infants. Scroll down for video A person places flowers on Maroubra Beach, Sydney, near where Lily Grace's body was found in 2014 Bill Green and Filomena D'Alessandro, the couple who informally adopted baby Lily Grace to give her a funeral, arrive at the inquest into the baby's death at NSW State Coroners Court in Sydney on Wednesday Baby Lily Grace is farewelled at a funeral in April last year by members of the Maroubra community and police Despite a lengthy investigation NSW Police were unable to locate the family of the abandoned baby, Lily Grace The couple informally adopted Lily Grace in order to give her a funeral last year Bill Green (left) and Filomena D'Alessandro speak to the media following an inquest into the death of baby Lily Grace He also recommended consideration of 'safe haven' laws, which decriminalise the abandonment of newborns. 'With very few exceptions, the abandonment of a baby or a child is an act of extreme desperation,' Magistrate Dillon said. 'While it is understandable that other members of society are horrified by such behaviour, our tendency to revile the desperate mothers is harsh, unjust, uncaring and ultimately counter-productive.' He also said the purpose of the inquest was not to 'attempt to shame anyone, especially the mother of Lily Grace'. Mr Green and Ms D'Alessandro organised a funeral for baby Lily Grace in April last year after they informally adopted her The couple speak to chief executive of Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, Graham Boyd (left), following an inquest into the death of baby Lily Grace A teddy and cushion made the abandoned baby 'Although we do not know who she is, it takes little imagination to understand that to lose a baby and to seek to hide that babys death in this way suggests that the mother was desperate.' He also appealed to anyone who could still aid with identifying the baby's mother, so help could be given to her and to grant Lily Grace the 'dignity of true identity'. Lily Grace's decomposing body was found by two young boys in November 2014 buried beneath 30cm of sand at the southern end of Maroubra Beach. When they discovered her body they began shouting 'dead baby, dead baby', before parents came to investigate before alerting police. Wednesday's inquest was told that an extensive police search was unable to find the child's mother. Forensic pathologist Dr Isabel Brouwer said due to decomposition, a post-mortem examination was unable to reveal how or when Lily Grace died, or even her race. But it did show that the girl was born full-term and that her umbilical cord hadn't been clamped - suggesting she wasn't born in a hospital. A police forensics team member photographs a part of Maroubra Beach near where Lily Grace's body was found Ms D'Alessandro said: 'We may not have done too much for Lily Grace, but at the end of the day, if something comes out of this that's positive, that would be fantastic' Coronial advocate Sergeant Bronwyn Lorenc said that given Lily Grace's birth weight and full-term status, it was more likely than not she was born alive. 'As to how she came to be at the beach and whether she passed away at the beach or prior to is not available on the evidence,' Sgt Lorenc told the inquest. Magistrate Dillon said contrary to popular opinion, forensic sciences could pinpoint a time of death due to the range of variables involved. With many facts still unknown, it was hard to have a complete understanding of the situation and was therefore difficult to draw particular lessons from. However, the general circumstances led him to his recommendations about baby boxes and safe havens. A local couple that informally adopted the dead child welcomed the coroner's recommendations. 'We may not have done too much for Lily Grace, but at the end of the day, if something comes out of this that's positive, that would be fantastic,' Maroubra resident Filomena D'Alessandro told reporters. A ceremony for Lily Grace will be held at her final resting place at the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park on April 29. The couple, who informally adopted the dead child welcomed the coroner's recommendations A 21-year-old man who was shot dead inside a Florida strip club at the weekend appears to have filmed his own death and posted it live online using the streaming app Periscope. Tampa police say that Marvin Douglass Lancaster III, 21, of Brandon, was killed around 2 a.m. Saturday when shots broke out at Club Rayne. Seven other people were injured. Now, disturbing footage has emerged purportedly taken inside the club by Lancaster at the exact moment he was gunned down, WFLA reported. The video was uploaded to Periscope by the user 'Lil Marvin' and shows Lancaster talking with a dancer, who says: 'Y'all can keep fighting all y'all want ... Keep fighting.' The suddenly, seven shots ring out, and the camera falls to the floor. Scroll down for video Disturbing footage: Tampa police say that Marvin Douglass Lancaster III, 21 (left), was killed Saturday when shots broke out inside Club Rayne, and video uploaded to Periscope appears to have captured that moment In the Periscope footage, a man believed to be Lancaster can be seen filming inside the club (left), as well as turning the camera to his face (right), before seven shots can be heard and the camera falls to the ground The video has since been taken down from Periscope. Police have so far refused to comment on whether the footage was taken at the time of Lancaster's death, or if it is his verified account. Periscope is a live video application launched by Twitter that allows people to share videos in real time. Lt. John Preyer of the Tampa police said that Lancaster died at the scene. The injured ranged in age from 17 to 32, and six were being treated at Tampa-area hospitals. Three of the victims were women. Tampa Police spokesman Stephen Hegarty said the injuries range from "minor to very serious" and all suffered from gunshot wounds. Several people were shot and one was killed at Club Rayne (pictured) strip club in Tampa, Florida, last night App: Periscope is a live video streaming app for iOS and Android launched by Twitter in January 2015 The injured victims are Restaycia Carnegie, 20; Sheila McFadden, 17; Lancinet Stephens, 20; Equanzick Howell, 28; Jose Humphrey, 32; Christopher Houston, 20; and Mekyala Mann, 24. It's unknown how many people were inside the establishment at the time of the shooting. Other video on social media from club-goers also captured the shots and the ensuing chaos. Authorities said all the victims were believed to have suffered gunshot wounds, but the nature and extent of their injuries weren't available. Reached by phone at the club, owner Roberto Mederos declined to comment. Police are still investigating the incident. For one brave eight-year-old, skateboarding became a reality when his father wheeled him up and down the ramps at a Sacramento skate park. The video of Atticus Edmunds, who has cerebral palsy, zooming around a skate park in his wheelchair went viral after being posted by his mother on her website Reese Dixon. With a little help from his father, Jared Edmunds, Atticus enjoyed his first time skateboarding grinning from ear-to-ear. The inspiring video that generated more than 50,000 viewers within just a few days, begins with his mother Tresa Edmunds asking him if he was having fun at the skate park. 'Do you want to drop in again, do you want to go?' she asks. He responds: 'Okay!' Atticus Edmunds, who has cerebral palsy, became a skater in a matter of moments as his father pushed him up and down ramps at a Sacramento skate park The inspiring video of Atticus and his dad generated tens of thousands of viewers within just a few days His dad then pushes him up and down a ramp, then up another and back again. Atticus excitedly holds his hands in the air as he smiles from ear-to-ear. The video shows Atticus and his dad skateboarding two more times, before he says, 'that was great'! 'That was fantastic! And that was crazy,' he said. As his dad pushed him up and down the ramps, Atticus held his hands up in excitement For his mother Tresa, that moment was exciting because her goal is to 'make room in the world for him and to get people to see him as a kid first and the chair second' For his mother Tresa, that moment was exciting because her goal is to 'make room in the world for him and to get people to see him as a kid first and the chair second'. Tresa, who blogs about their family life, creativity and health issues, told CBS Sacramento that 'his brain doesn't talk to his muscles the same way'. Atticus has a neurological disorder that limits muscle strength and coordination, which is why he cannot walk alone. He was born at 28 weeks, weighing only two pounds and three ounces. Atticus and his dad took over the skate park as he continued to push him up and down the ramps several times His dad, Jared, told ABC10 that going to the skate park gives him 'an opportunity to do things that other kids do instead of having him sit on the sidelines and watching'. Edmunds said she has since gotten her son a helmet and special skating gear for his future adventures 'shredding' the ramps. Since the video went viral, Atticus' parents say they've been overwhelmed with messages of support and they hope the attention sheds light on kids with cerebral palsy. The virus has spread rapidly through Central and South America A pregnant woman has tested positive for the mosquito-borne Zika virus in southeast Queensland. The woman, who was diagnosed on Tuesday, had recently returned from overseas where she contracted the virus, Queensland Health said in a short statement on Wednesday. Last week a woman and a child were diagnosed for Zika virus in Queensland's southeast, although both had contracted the virus overseas. Zika virus has been linked to severe birth defects and is spreading quickly through the Americas, and many southeast Asian nations are braced for outbreaks. Scroll down for video A preganant mother has been diagnosed with the mosquito-borne Zika virus after travelling overseas (stock) The woman, from southeast Queensland, was tested positive for the Zika virus on Tuesday The World Health Organization declared an international health emergency over the virus, citing concern over a possible link with a rise in cases of microcephaly, a birth defect characterised by an abnormally small head that can result in developmental problems. The Federal Department of Agriculture has since stepped up spraying procedures on international plane arrivals. It is recommended that pregnant women or those who could become pregnant avoid travel in affected areas. There is no vaccine against the mosquito-borne virus. Queensland's Health Minister Cameron Dick says monitoring is under way in the remote northern region to ensure it is detected early, should it arrive. 'We'll monitor closely through the Torres Strait. We already do that with a number of infectious diseases,' he told reporters in Gladstone on Monday. 'That would possibly be one path of entry into Queensland.' The Federal Department of Agriculture recommends that pregant women avoid travel in affected areas Zika virus has been linked to severe birth defects and is spreading quickly through the Americas Mr Dick has sought a briefing from the state's chief health officer. 'My advice is that it's not a significant risk to Queensland at this time,' he said. 'But we're going to continue to monitor that.' Mr Dick indicated he may raise the need for a co-ordinated, federal response depending on what the briefing said. He said the virus was carried by mosquitoes that were present in tropical and sub-tropical environments and that meant Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia could wind up being pathways for the disease. According to the United Nations , El Nino can cause an 'increase in vector-borne diseases including dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus due to increased mosquito vectors.' Above a worker fumigates a neighborhood in Managua, Nicaragua on January 28 At present, there are no vaccines, specific treatments or rapid diagnostic tests for it. Above a city worker in Santa Tecla, El Salvador fumigates a neighborhood on January 29 It comes after a 27-year-old Australian man is believed to have contracted Zika in Bali last year after he was bitten by a monkey. He was diagnosed at the Royal Darwin Hospital in the Northern Territory after he presented with fever and a rash, according to a report from May 2015. His illness came seven days after he was bitten by a monkey at Bali's Ubud Monkey Forest, although the 27-year-old was also bitten by mosquitoes during his trip. In 2014, four cases of Zika virus infection were diagnosed in NSW in people who had recently travelled from Cook Islands. In 2015, there was one additional case diagnosed in NSW in a returned traveller from Solomon Islands. Another Australian woman is believed to have contracted the Zika virus in Jakarta, according to a 2013 report. The 52-year-old woman was diagnosed with Dengue fever after returning to Australia and is understood to have been the first case of the Zika virus infection reported in a 'returned traveller' in Australia. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ZIKA WHAT IS ZIKA? The Zika (ZEE'-ka) virus was first discovered in monkey in Uganda in 1947 - its name comes from the Zika forest where it was first discovered. It is native mainly to tropical Africa, with outbreaks in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. It appeared in Brazil last year and has since been seen in many Latin American countries and Caribbean islands. HOW IS IT SPREAD? It is transmitted through bites from the same kind of mosquitoes that can spread other tropical diseases, like dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever. It is not known to spread from person to person. Investigators, though, are exploring the possibility that the virus can be passed on through sex - it was found in one man's semen in Tahiti and there's been another report of possible spread of the virus through sex. The World Health Organisation says Zika is rapidly spreading in the Americas because it is new to the region and people are not immune to it. Furthermore, the Aedes aegypti mosquito (pictured) that carries it is just extremely widespread The World Health Organisation says Zika is rapidly spreading in the Americas because it is new to the region, people aren't immune to it, and the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries it is just about everywhere - including along the southern United States. Canada and Chile are the only places without this mosquito. ARE THERE SYMPTOMS? Experts think most people infected with Zika virus don't get sick. And those that do usually develop mild symptoms - fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes - which usually last no more than a week. There is no specific medicine and there hasn't been a vaccine developed for it, which is the case for some other tropical illnesses that cause periodic outbreaks. GLAXO CONSIDERING USING VACCINE TECHNOLOGY FOR ZIKA GlaxoSmithKline Plc is concluding feasibility studies evaluating whether its vaccine technology is suitable for the Zika virus, a spokeswoman has confirmed. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which typically causes mild fevers and rashes, although about 80 percent of those infected show no symptoms. 'We're concluding our feasibility studies as quickly as we can to see if our vaccine technology platforms might be suitable for working on Zika,' a Glaxo spokeswoman said in an email. She declined to provide details but added that vaccine development typically takes 10 to 15 years. Advertisement WHY IS IT A CONCERN NOW? In Brazil, there has been mounting evidence linking Zika infection in pregnant women to a rare birth defect called microcephaly, in which a newborn's head is smaller than normal and the brain may not have developed properly. Brazilian health officials last October noticed a spike in cases of microcephaly in tandem with the Zika outbreak. The connection to Zika is still being investigated, and officials note there are many causes of the condition. Nearly 4,000 cases have been recorded. Meanwhile, doctors have noted increased reports of a nerve condition called Guillain-Barre that can cause paralysis. But the link to the Zika virus is not clear; other infections can spark the problem, including dengue fever. CAN THE SPREAD BE STOPPED? Individuals can protect themselves from mosquito bites by using insect repellents, and wearing long sleeves and long pants - especially during daylight, when the mosquitoes tend to be most active, health officials say. Eliminating breeding spots and controlling mosquito populations can help prevent the spread of the virus. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which typically causes mild fevers and rashes, although about 80 per cent of those infected show no symptoms WHAT ARE THE TRAVEL ADVISORIES? US health officials recommend that pregnant women should consider postponing trips to 22 destinations. Latin America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela. In the Caribbean: Barbados, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, St. Martin and Puerto Rico. Also, Cape Verde, off the coast of western Africa; and Samoa in the South Pacific. In Brazil, most of the mothers who had babies with microcephaly were apparently infected during the first trimester, but there is some evidence the birth defect can occur later in the pregnancy, CDC officials say. The travel alert applies to women in any stage of pregnancy. Advertisement Looking at the world through the eyes of the Web Advertisement Jeremy Hunt today called on junior doctors to do the 'right thing' and end strike action over a proposed new contract as a second walk out cancelled thousands of operations in a day of chaos for the NHS. The Health Secretary thanked the 43 per cent of junior doctors who did work today - figures that suggest around 1,000 more worked than during the first strike last month. NHS England later confirmed this included doctors who never intended to strike as they were providing agreed emergency cover. The strike action across England cancelled 2,884 operations in advance and was expected to end up cancelling thousands more other appointments and procedures. The 24 hour walk out began at 8am today and involves thousands of junior doctors - every hospital doctor below consultant level. The dispute over a proposed new junior doctor contract is now centred on rates of pay for Saturdays. Responding to the strike today, Mr Hunt said he wanted to reach a solution by 'working together' with doctors and doing the 'right thing' for patients. Picket lines quickly formed today outside the The Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, as the new strike began at 8am. Thousands of junior doctors are taking industrial action around the country today Doctors also manned picket lines in Bristol, holding banners saying the proposed contract was 'not safe, not fair' and warning the NHS was on 'life support' Junior doctors also walked out in London, pictured today on the picket line outside St Thomas' Hospital as the 24 hours of industrial action began He said: 'We have now solved nearly every area of outstanding disagreement with the BMA, there is just the one issue about pay rates for Saturdays. 'What we are offering is something that is better for doctors who work regularly on a Saturday and for nurses working in the same hospital, for the ambulance driver who takes a patient to the hospital and for the healthcare assistants in that hospital. 'I think it's a good deal, it's a fair deal, and we should be working together to do the right thing for patients.' Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, pictured today leaving home as the strike began, is facing accusations he vetoed a deal to end the strikes Mr Hunt denied he had rejected any solution would have dealt with the 'weekend effect' he claims is dangerous for patients admitted on a Saturday and Sunday. The Health Secretary said 43 per cent of doctors turned up to work today - a figure he said was 'slightly' better than in the first strike last month. He added: 'I'm very grateful to all the doctors who have turned out to work today and I think what we all want to do is the right thing for patients. 'Let's work out the right thing to do - there is no need for this industrial action and we all want an NHS that offers the safest, highest quality care every day of the week.' But as the strike continued, junior doctors hit back at Mr Hunt. Intensive care registrar Nish Desai, who was on the picket line on her day off joining more than 70 colleagues, said: 'Jeremy Hunt's motives for a 24 hour service seven days a week are good but the way he is going about it is wrong.' Ms Desai, 33, has been a junior doctor for 10 years, continued: 'The way to achieve it is to recruit more doctors and nurses and not simply make the same workforce work longer hours. 'What people don't understand is we do a lot of extra work, academic work, research and checking emails all gets done outside working hours. 'Jeremy Hunt can still redeem himself, but he needs to meet us halfway.' Kitty Thompson, 28, a second year trainee GP in Bristol, said today: 'The negotiations have reached a sticking point over working on Saturdays. 'That's the simple thing we need to negotiate. 'The Government think that working on a Saturday should be like working on a Tuesday, but we feel we work a lot of weekends and this is time we are losing out with our loved ones and we deserve to be paid a bit more. 'We are not trying to get a pay rise but if they are renegotiating the contract we want to be paid fairly for the work that we are doing.'BMA council chairman Dr Mark Porter said the Government had provoked the strike. He told the BBC: 'I'm afraid the way they are trying to manage had provoked this. The way they are trying to manage is to pretend that the valued staff who have worked for patients around the week - the only way the Government can afford to carry on having them work at weekends is to cut their rates of pay. 'It is the Government that is doing all the demands here, has disturbed a way in which junior doctors have for decades worked for patients at weekends and have now come in, ruined industrial relations and made junior doctors so unhappy that 98% of them voted for strike action. 'I'm afraid junior doctors have lost confidence in a Government that manages in that way and has provoked so many committed young professionals to take industrial action. As the new industrial action began today, polling suggested public anger at the doctors was hardening as the NHS said 2,884 scheduled operations would be cancelled today. Analysis by NHS England showed this included 1,150 planned inpatient procedures have been cancelled alongside 1,734 day procedures. Thousands more appointments are likely to be affected. NHS England later confirmed that the 43 per cent figure included doctors who had never intended to strike, such as those working in emergency care. It said 43% of junior doctors - out of a possible 26,000 working on a typical day - have reported for duty on the day shift. Combining junior doctors, other doctors and consultants, the data suggests 72 per cent of the total trust workforce are in work, it said. And a survey of junior doctors, published in the Independent, suggested as many as 90 per cent could quit the NHS if the new deal is imposed. Last ditch talks were held yesterday in a bid to halt the latest strike action but they broke up without agreement. Negotiators will reconvene later this week once the strike is over in a fresh bid to break the deadlock between the BMA and the NHS. A BMA spokesman said it would 'take stock' over the next few days and decide whether to stage further industrial action. A Department of Health spokesman said today: 'The strike is completely unnecessary. 'It is very disappointing that tens of thousands of patients and NHS staff have been inconvenienced by the BMA. 'We have now agreed the vast majority of the contract detail with the BMA but it's a great shame they have broken the agreement we made at ACAS to discuss the outstanding issue of Saturday working and pay for unsocial hours.' STRIKING DOCTORS ARE SETTING A 'DANGEROUS PRECEDENT' John Fitzgerald, whose son had an operation cancelled because of today's industrial action. Speaking on Victoria Derbyshire's BBC 2 show, he quested the doctors' ethics. 'I personally think it sets a very dangerous precedent and I think the doctors are being short sighted because they seem to be placing themselves as more valuable than patients,' he said. The strike action across England cancelled 2,884 operations in advance and was expected to end up cancelling thousands more other appointments and procedures. Mr Fitzgerald said his son was already anxious about the operation and now faced uncertainty over when it would be carried out. John Fitzgerald said his son faced an uncertain future after his operation was cancelled today because of the strikes. While Dr Roshana, a junior doctor in trauma and orthopaedic surgery, said doctors did not want to strike but it was vital to preserve the NHS 'Its had an impact on him,' he said. 'Clearly there is some uncertainty as to whats going to happen after he has the operation. 'But my concern primarily is that we havent been able to find out from the hospital how much longer were going to have to wait. 'They have told us with the backlog from previous strikes and current circumstances at the hospital that theyre not in a position to rearrange the surgery.' Dr Roshana Mehdian a junior doctor in trauma and orthopaedic surgery, who is on strike responded on the programme saying no doctor had taken the decision 'lightly'. She said, barring the first walk-out in January, this was the first time they had taken part in industrial action in 40 years. 'I think you can see the strength of feeling in junior doctors,' she said. Apologising to Mr Fitzgerald directly, she said: 'I'm sorry on behalf of myself and all the other junior doctors who are striking today. We don't want to strike, I can promise you that. 'The reason that we're doing this is because we see into the future, a real danger to our patients.' She said it was 'incredibly dangerous' to bring in this contract for numerous reasons, adding the main one was that the NHS was seeing some of the lowest staffing levels of doctors for decades. 'When there are so few doctors and they are so overstretched, we can afford a contract that will lead to a further exodus of doctors.' Advertisement Doctors picketing outside the Salford Royal in Manchester urged the public who had been inconvenienced by the strike today to 'trust real doctors not spin doctors' as Jeremy Hunt urged medics to do the 'right thing' Mr Hunt was targeted personally by many of the strikers as he raised the threat again of imposing the new deal if an agreement cannot be reached soon In Oxford, one junior doctor on the picket line appealed to 'Big Dave' Cameron to give 'Jezza' Hunt his P45 following his handling of the long running junior doctor dispute Shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'Today's industrial action is deeply disappointing, particularly for the patients who have had hospital treatment delayed because of it. 'The sad truth is that it didn't have to come to this. Jeremy Hunt's handling of these negotiations has been a complete and utter shambles. 'His comments over the past few weeks and months have caused widespread anger among junior doctors and left staff morale at rock bottom. 'Jeremy Hunt can still redeem himself, but he needs to meet us halfway.' Intensive care registrar Nish Desai 'We urgently need to see a resolution to this dispute, which doesn't involve imposing a new contract. 'Jeremy Hunt needs to stop hiding behind his desk in the Department of Health and get back round the negotiating table.' A survey, which was conducted independently of the BMA via an online junior doctor network and is not a conventional opinion poll, asked whether medics were 'prepared to consider resignation in the face of imposition of the contract in its current form'. Of 1,045 junior doctors who responded, 922 said they would consider quitting the NHS if the contract was imposed. A poll of 847 adults by Ipsos Mori commissioned by Health Service Journal found that 22 per cent of people now oppose the strike, up from 16 per cent last month. Dr Anne Rainsberry, national incident director for NHS England, said: 'The NHS is doing everything possible to minimise the impact of this regrettable strike which will delay care for thousands of patients at a time of year when service pressures across the health service are already at their highest. 'We will monitor the situation across the country to ensure plans are in place, and people are ready to respond to any significant increases in pressure in any region over the period of this strike.' Doctors on the picket line in Leeds urged the public to 'meet the doctors' to understand today's strike action while other placards insisted the Government had 'no mandate to destroy the NHS' Nursery nurse Desiree Cranenburg, left, joined the picket line in London today to support striking junior doctors, centre today outside St Thomas' in London and right today The Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield Junior doctors launched a twitter hash tag to highlight the work they do in the NHS, with Isobel tweeting she was the medic who 'deals with anything that walks through the door', while Murali said he 'looks after you when you're growing up and growing old' In Manchester doctors were also out on the picket lines to protest against the Government's plans for their contracts, which Mr Hunt has insisted he may need to impose The picket lines formed across the river from Parliament today as medics launched the industrial action earlier this morning VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY BACK TORY EFFORTS TO DELIVER SEVEN-DAY NHS, ACCORDING TO LEAKED SECRET LABOUR RESEARCH Voters are highly supportive of the Conservative party's pledge to deliver a seven-day NHS, according to unpublished research carried out by the Labour party, MailOnline can reveal. As junior doctors stage a second 24-hour walkout over the Government's proposals for a new contract a key part of its plan to roll-out a fully-functioning service at the weekends the leaked research suggests voters are more sympathetic to Jeremy Hunt's attempts to impose a new contract on medics than previously thought. It is one of a number of suppressed findings in the Labour party's internal study into why it lost last year's General Election. A source close to the report said there was 'high awareness' about the Conservative party's manifesto pledge to introduce a seven-day NHS and the policy helped reverse the party's negative ratings on health, helping to condemn the Labour party to defeat at the polls. 'It received quite high approval and countered some of the negatives people have historically had about the Tories and the NHS,' the insider said. 'It flagged up to them a positive thing about the Conservative party that challenged their long-term assumptions. 'The policy said to them: 'Gosh, that shows the Tories understand my needs as a patient.' Advertisement Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, told the BBC: 'Our members are saying to us this really does now need to reach a conclusion. 'I think the ideal conclusion would be for our members to make a fair and final reasonable offer and for the BMA to accept it - if the BMA doesn't accept it, I think our members are saying to us the Secretary of State has to find a way to bring this to a conclusion. 'Four years later, 3,000 operations being cancelled today, we can't carry on like this - we need to bring this to a conclusion. 'If the BMA won't accept a fair and reasonable offer, then yes, it is legitimate and sensible for the Secretary of State to consider imposition.' Chair of the British Medical Association junior doctors committee Johann Malawana said: 'Over the past few weeks, we have welcomed the involvement of Sir David Dalton in talks about a new junior doctor contract, which recognises the need to protect patient care and doctors' working lives. 'His understanding of the realities of a health service buckling under mounting pressures and commitment to reaching a fair agreement has resulted in good progress on a number of issues. 'It is, therefore, particularly frustrating that the Government is still digging in its heels.' He added: 'The Government's entrenched position in refusing to recognise Saturday working as unsocial hours, together with its continued threat to impose a contract so fiercely resisted by junior doctors across England, leaves us with no alternative but to continue with industrial action.' A 'cost neutral' option was again offered by doctors last night, Dr Malawana said. Speaking to Sky News at a picket line outside Northwick Park hospital in north London, he said: 'Unfortunately the government rejected that plan and pushed doctors once more into this form of action.' He added: 'We have got a reasonable offer and the government has decided instead to play the political game rather than addressing the concerns of these doctors.' Dr Malawana has urged strikers to contact the BMA if they receive requests from hospitals to return work. During the last strike, health bosses in Sandwell declared an incident and ordered strikers off the picket lines and back to work. In a video message posted on the BMA's Twitter account, Dr Malawana urged doctors to contact the BMA for advice and pointed to a protocol between NHS England and the union about returning to work only if there is a 'major unpredictable incident'. Sources close to the BMA yesterday claimed a deal was tabled that both NHS Employers and the Department of Health 'saw the offer as an opportunity to resolve the dispute'. The source said: 'The one person who would not agree was Jeremy Hunt. Dr Johann Malawana, who chairs a junior doctor committee at the BMA, stood by the claim on Twitter that Mr Hunt had rejected a deal Labour veteran Dennis Skinner was the first politician to be seen joining the picket lines, crossing Westminster Bridge from Parliament to join protests across the Thames outside St Thomas' hospital Junior doctors staged a protest on Whitehall on Saturday ahead of today's strike action, which is set to see picket lines across England Junior doctors launched their first strike action on January 12 and had suspended the campaign of industrial action to engage in further talks. Pictured: Junior doctors on the picket line today in Durham Special strike day cakes were handed out to the junior doctors manning the picket lines at the Maudsley Hospital in London today WHY NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE JUNIOR DOCTORS AND THE GOVERNMENT HAVE STALLED AGAIN The junior doctor's strike only needs one substantive issue to be resolved - but it's not as simple as that. 1) Doctors do not see Saturday as a normal working day. Junior doctors across England are given extra money for working on Saturdays and they do not want that to change. 2) The BMA's latest offer has been rejected. The BMA put forward a proposal that would have seen doctors' basic pay rise by about half the 11% offered by ministers in return for Saturday not to be treated as a normal working day. 3) They do not really like Jeremy Hunt. The Health Secretary is hardly a favourite among the profession. His linking of staffing issues with higher death rates at weekends for patients has caused fury among doctors. 4) The Government is threatening to impose the contract. There is a strong likelihood that the Government will impose its contract if agreement with the BMA cannot be reached soon. The threat of imposition has hardened the BMA's stance. 5) There is still support for the strikes. The BMA has massive support from its members for the strikes, as well as from other unions. The general public also appear to be supporting doctors - for the time being at least. Advertisement 'Even though the NHS Employers and DH teams thought this was a solution he said no.' 'Negotiations have completely broken down,' the source added. 'There are no more dates planned for talks. 'The BMA wants to continue negotiating but the other side have walked away.' A Department of Health spokesperson said the claims were 'completely untrue'. Asked directly in the Commons yesterday afternoon if he vetoed a deal, Mr Hunt declined to give a clear denial. He said: 'The only reason we do not have a solution on the junior doctors is because in December on the one outstanding issue, which is about pay on Saturdays, the BMA said they would negotiate but last month they said they refused to negotiate.' The Health Secretary has faced repeated claims from Labour that he is avoiding Commons scrutiny over the strike. Mr Hunt continued: 'That is the only outstanding issue. If they are prepared to negotiate and be flexible on that so are we.' The only remaining outstanding issue over the new junior doctors contract is which weekend hours attract a premium rate of pay. Ministers have continued to insist they have the right to impose a new deal on medics if negotiations - which have lasted for years - continue to fail. Former NHS chief executive Lord Crisp insisted the dispute was not about money. He told the BBC: 'What I would say about this dispute is that this isn't about the technicalities of the dispute. 'This is about junior doctors feeling undervalued, unloved and not cared for' He said it was 'remarkable' that 98% of doctors had voted in favour of the strike. 'I think this dispute is a symptom of something else that needs to be done. 'I hope that when the dispute is resolved, that the Government and leaders of the health service will sit down with the junior doctors everywhere around the country and talk to them about what the real issues are. 'Why it is that these young people with whom our future with the NHS depends to a large extent, as well as nurses and others of course, are feeling so disgruntled and so unhappy with what are fantastic jobs?' Dr Thompson described the support from public, patients and senior colleagues as 'really good'. 'We are really upset that we are on strike,' she added. 'None of us want to be doing this. We want to be at work looking after patients. 'We don't want to be standing here in the cold, that's not what we went into medicine for.' Anaesthetist Nadia Masood, who has been a junior doctor for 11 years, said that she was 'regrettably' planning to strike on Wednesday to protect the care of patients in the face of the proposed contract changes. Over the weekend the Health Secretary accused the union of behaving in a 'totally irresponsible way' and 'spreading misinformation' about the proposed deal. The 34-year-old doctor said: 'Imagine an air plane being grounded for the day: it's not ideal, but the alternative of flying in unsafe conditions is much worse. 'The unsafe conditions are the new junior doctors' contract. 'The BMA are representing all of our views when they speak, and I would like to categorically state I have not been misled by them or anyone else. 'The frequent assumptions by Jeremy Hunt to this effect are not only unnecessary, but insulting and inflammatory.' Junior doctors on the picket line outside St Mary's Hospital in London won support from other healthcare workers who joined the protests today The BMA has insisted the proposed deal for junior doctors is dangerous for patients and unfair to the thousands of junior doctors working in the NHS She said it would be 'reckless' and 'endanger public safety' if Mr Hunt forced doctors to work weekends without investing in more doctors, as staffing levels would worsen. RECORD NUMBERS OF YOUNG MEDICS SNUB THE NHS Young medics applying to continue their career in the NHS by becoming specialists has fallen by 8 per cent in three years, leaked figures show. This essentially means they have decided to work or travel abroad, work in the private sector or leave the profession. The numbers, compiled by Health Education England (HEE), the NHS's medical training and education body, show Foundation Year 2 (F2) doctors who have applied to start training as a specialist in a branch of medicine next August in the NHS has fallen to 15,855. Numbers leaked to The Guardian show 1,251 fewer than in 2013 a 7.9 per cent fall and 453 fewer than the 16,308 who applied last year, a 2.8 per cent decrease. Medical school graduates do two foundation years of training before choosing which area to specialise in. The number of F2 doctors seeking to become GPs has also fallen particularly sharply. Only 4,863 have applied to train as family doctors from August down a quarter on the 6,447 who did so as recently as 2013. Advertisement 'Doctors are here for the public every minute, every hour, and every day of the year,' she said. 'We ask them to stand united with us and ask the Government to listen to our voices. Please protect the future safety of the British public, and do not impose this contract.' NHS England has said that 1,150 planned inpatient procedures have been cancelled as a result of the strike planned for Wednesday, alongside 1,734 day procedures. Currently, 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and the whole of Saturday and Sunday attract a premium rate of pay for junior doctors. An offer from the Government in November said doctors would receive time-and-a-half for any hours worked Monday to Sunday between 10pm and 7am, and time-and-a-third for any hours worked between 7pm and 10pm on Saturdays and 7am and 10pm on Sundays. But in a new offer, dated January 16, Sir David said that as part of an overall agreement, a premium rate of pay could kick in from 5pm on Saturdays rather than 7pm. Furthermore, premium pay could start at 9pm Monday to Friday. The BMA rejects the idea that Saturday is a normal working day. The Government has strongly suggested it will impose the new contract on junior doctors if agreement cannot be reached in the next few weeks. Labour's Mayor of London candidate Sadiq Khan MP tweeted: 'I support #Juniordoctors. The Government's approach is bad for the NHS, bad for patients & bad for London.' Brighton Green Party MP Caroline Lucas tweeted: 'Solidarity & good luck to all the Junior Doctors striking today for a fair and safe contract #JuniorDoctorsStrike.' The author JK Rowling, who is married to a doctor, took to Twitter to say she is backing the strike. She posted a graphic which read 'I support the junior doctors save the NHS'. She added: 'Speaking as a doctor's wife..' Veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner was the first politician spotted on the picket lines today. He crossed Westminster Bridge to join protesting doctors outside St Thomas' Hospital on the banks of the River Thames. Green Party leader Natalie Bennett said: 'The government is playing with fire with its bullying, disrespectful attitude towards the junior doctors. 'There is a global shortage of medical professionals and almost everyone I have spoken to on the doctors' picket lines knows a colleague who has already emigrated. Many more are considering it. 'Our talented healthcare professionals are a national asset who are being driven away by this government. We need to value, support and listen to our junior doctors. 'Instead, ministers are failing to address doctors' serious concerns surrounding safe working conditions, and aren't offering proper recognition for those working unsocial hours. 'The government must rethink the way they're treating our NHS. As a start they should negotiate with the doctors in good faith, and put forward the offer of a contract that is fair and works for staff and patients alike. Until then we'll continue to stand in solidarity with the junior doctors as they fight for what's right.' Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: 'This dispute has sapped the morale of a vital part of the NHS workforce. 'It should never have got to this point. The underlying cause of the dispute is that, with finances stretched to breaking point, the Government is attempting to extend cover without sufficient resources. 'We urgently need a cross party commission on the future of the NHS and care services to look at how we can provide the highest standards of health and care for all. 'We will always support measures that improve patient care and treatment standards, but this clearly cannot be delivered by eroding the conditions of junior doctor contracts and not providing meaningful support to increase capacity in the NHS.' Jeremy Hunt was accused of working to 'destroy the NHS' by one striking doctor outside St Thomas' Hospital in central London The National Health Service Singers joined the picket lines on Westminster Bridge during today's strike, as doctors across the country left work in protest Desiree Crainborough, a nursery outreach worker, left, joined a picket in London, while strike action was also visible in Peterborough, centre today, and Leeds, right 'I am the doctor who...': Junior doctors stage an online protest promoting their work in the NHS during the second day of strikes Junior doctors launched an online campaign today alongside strike action as they moved to make clear how crucial they were to the NHS. Tweeting on the hash tag #IAmTheDoctorWho, the medics outlined some of the lifesaving work they do. As polling indicated public opposition to the strike action is growing medics flooded social media with the images. As the strike began today, junior doctors also made their protest online tweeting on the hash tag #Iamthedoctorwho about their medical work Dr Sarah Hallet said she 'gives your baby a helping hand at the start of life' while a doctor called George tweeted he was the doctor who 'kept two hearts going yesterday'. Frances Pine said: '#IAmTheDoctorWho on their day off from ED will still stand and fight to support our NHS and patients.' F2 doctor Eoin said: '#IAmTheDoctorWho who stays after work to look after your family and fights to keep you safe.' Helen Hammond said: '#IAmTheDoctorWho tries to ensure you have the safest pregnancy possible & can deliver your baby.' The hashtag was also used by other twitter users to show support for the strike, which is due to run for 24 hours until tomorrow morning. Another doctor said she was the 'doctor who breathes for you during your operation'. Accident and emergency doctor Claire Bronze said she was the doctor who 'will look after you no matter what time of day it is'. Dr Gan said he was the doctor who 'was an NHS weekend patient and received excellent care' adding he was on the picket line to 'fight for my patients safety. Doctors continued to tweet on the hash tag, with one saying he was a 'heart surgeon and wishes he didn't have to strike just to be heard' while a doctor called Charlotte said she 'look after you after a stroke' The social media trend went viral during today's junior doctor strike as medics up and down the country took the opportunity to make their case on Twitter THE CAREER OF A DOCTOR: THE 16 YEARS FROM UNIVERSITY TO TRAINEE DOCTOR UP TO FINALLY BECOMING A CONSULTANT Junior doctors training starts at university followed by a postgraduate period called foundation training, followed by further higher specialty training and then progression to being a senior doctor once specialty training is complete Medical degree: 4 - 6 years Undergraduate course studied at university. Involves basic medical sciences, core and initial exposure to different specialties. Student is assessed in many ways including exams, essays, and presenting to groups. Foundation Year 1 (F1): 1 year Provisional registration gained from the General Medical Council (GMC) Foundation years help newly qualified graduate to build on knowledge and skills gained at medical school. After successfully completing F1 year, they receive full registration with the GMC. Foundation Year 2 (F2): 1 year Continues general training in medicine, exposure to a range of different work environments Longer rotations in different medical specialties, to help find out what suits and which area of medicine someone wants to specialise in. At the end of foundation training, they must demonstrate a high level of skill and competency in managing acutely ill patients, team work and communication. Core medical training (CMT) or Acute Care Common Stem (ACCS) (CT1/2 or ST1/2): 2 years These two years help to build on the skills gained in foundation years. At this stage doctors can choose a specialty, whether it be primary care as a GP, or secondary care, which could be working in a hospital or acute environment. Must complete the MRCP (UK) exam, undertake continual workplace assessments, to ensure they are learning and getting feedback on your work from patients and colleagues. Specialty and general practice training (ST3 - ST8): 4-6 years General practice training (GP trainee): 3 years The specialty chosen will determine how long the training will be at this stage, as each specialty differs in length. This period involves in depth learning and practise in advanced areas and working more autonomously, with continued supervision from senior doctors. Once specialty training is complete, they receive a Certificate of Completion of training (CCT) and gain entry to either the GMC specialist register or GP register. They can now work as and apply for more senior positions, such as consultant and GP principal roles. Source: BMA Advertisement The father of the young activist whose suicide sparked the Tatler Tory bullying scandal will today appeal against the decision not to bring criminal charges. Elliott Johnson, 21, was said to have been threatened by senior Conservative election aide Mark Clarke, who has since been kicked out of the party. Ray Johnson's only son was found on a railway track just outside Sandy station in Bedfordshire. In a carefully prepared suicide, Elliott lay down on the track before being struck by a speeding train. Clarke, known as the 'Tatler Tory' because the magazine tipped him to be a future minister, was questioned by police and cleared of blackmailing and assaulting Elliott. Scandal: Tory party activist Elliott Johnson, right, with Mark Clarke, left, the man accused of bullying 21-year-old Elliott before he died Appeal: Ray Johnson gas accused the police did not do enough to investigate events before his son's suicide last September But the 21-year-old's father Ray is writing to the CPS demanding he is charged with harassment. He told the Daily Mirror: 'My personal belief is that the police have not done the job as fully and completely as they should have 'Our lawyer is providing the CPS with the documents today and they have already said they are happy to review their decision,' he said. 'We don't believe the police provided the full set of evidence to the CPS. They also failed to ask them to consider harassment as a charge.' The new 'right to review' scheme allows victims and their families to appeal against CPS decisions over prosecutions. Elliott Johnson accused Clarke of attacking him in the Westminster's Marquis Of Granby pub, a stone's throw from the Commons, on August 12 last year. The Tatler Tory allegedly pinned him down in front of other drinkers in the weeks before he killed himself. Police did consider the case but the CPS decided there was insufficient evidence to 'show that any crime has been committed' despite statements from witnesses. A CPS spokesman said last night: 'Having considered the evidence in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors we have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to charge Mark Clarke with offences of common assault or blackmail against Elliott Johnson and we have advised that no further action be taken'. Row: Witnesses allegedly saw Elliott, left, get pinned down by Mark Clarke, right, in a London pub but the CPS said there was no evidence to charge Clarke was banned for life by the Conservatives after details emerged of the way Elliott was bullied and allegations of sexual misconduct, blackmail and boozing involving his 'Road Trips'. Clarke, 38, who was once tipped as a future minister by society magazine Tatler, has denied the allegations against him. Law firm Clifford Chance has been appointed to carry out an investigation into the scandal and is expected to give the Tory Party Board a progress report shortly. A 93-year-old World War II veteran from the United States embraced his wartime girlfriend in Australia in their reunion Wednesday after more than 70 years apart. Norwood Thomas and 88-year-old Joyce Morris laughed as they wrapped their arms around each other after Thomas flew from Virginia to the southern Australian city of Adelaide to reconnect with his long-lost love. 'Here we are! Well youre still vertical,' Morris said as Thomas entered the room. 'This is about the most wonderful thing that could have happened to me,' Thomas said, in a reunion broadcast on Channel 10's 'The Project.' At long last: Norwood Thomas, 93, arrived in Australia on Wednesday to be reunited with the British woman he dated during World War II Arms open wide: Thomas decided to fly to Australia to see Joyce Morris, 88, after the two reconnected online in November Finally: After more than 70 years apart, the first time the former couple did was go in for a hug Lasting love: Morris' son, left, helped his mother find contact information for Thomas online, and then Thomas' son helped set up a Skype call last year 'This is about the most wonderful thing that could have happened to me,' Thomas said, in a reunion broadcast on Channel 10's 'The Project.' 'Good,' Morris replied with a laugh. 'We're going to have a wonderful fortnight.' Morris was a 17-year-old British girl and Thomas was a 21-year-old paratrooper when they first met in London in the spring of 1944. In an interview with Australia's Today show before their reunion this week, Morris said that he and a friend went to Richmond one day when they saw two young women trying to rent a boat to row on the Thomas River. 'We suggested that they rent two rowboats and one young lady rowed my friend and Joyce would row me,' Thomas recalled. Fell in love: When they met, Thomas was 21 and Morris was just 17-years-old. The two fell in love shortly but became separated after the war The pair went on to date, but were soon torn apart by the war when D-Day came in June 1944. After the war, he returned to the U.S. and the two continued to write letters to each other. Thomas asked Morris to come to the U.S. to marry him, but somehow Morris misunderstood and thought he'd found someone else, so she stopped writing. The two eventually married other people, with Morris resettling in Australia. Thomas' wife died in 2001 while Morris divorced her husband after 30 years. Last year, Morris asked one of her sons to look for Thomas online, and they found his name featured in an article about D-Day that ran in The Virginian-Pilot newspaper. Nerves: When Morris landed in Adelaide on Wednesday, he said he was a bit nervous to see Morris after so many years apart New lives: Morris settled in Australia after the war and got married to another man who she divorced after 30 years while Thomas' wife died of cancer in 2001 Most romantic day of the year: The former couple plan to spend Valentine's Day together in Australia Thomas and Morris reconnected via Skype. After their story went public, hundreds of people made donations to help fund Thomas' trip to Australia from his hometown in Virginia Beach, and Air New Zealand offered to pay for the flights. When Thomas landed in Adelaide on Wednesday, he told reporters that he was a bit nervous for the reunion which he has so looked forward to. 'I am going to give her a squeeze,' Thomas said, according to ABC.net.au. 'I am just sitting and taking it as life comes, line it up for me and I will be there. I appreciate all the help we have had.' The two are planning to spend Valentine's Day together. Six women and five men have been jailed and sentenced to 300 lashes after holding a drunken beach party in Saudi Arabia. The group were charged with 'obscenity' after police found alcohol and indecent pictures during a raid on a villa in the city of Jedda. Some were drunk and resisted arrest after officers from the vice squad were called to the property following complaints from neighbours. Under Saudi law, women are not allowed to mingle with men unless they are related. Six women and five men have been sentenced to 300 lashes after holding a beach party in Saudi Arabia. Under law, women must be covered in public are not allowed to mingle with men unless they are related (file image) The group were initially given jail sentences ranging from eight days to a year and 150 lashes, it was reported by Breitbart. But their prison terms were increased and their flogging sentence raised to 300 lashes after a failed appeal. Saudi Arabia has some of the strictest Islamic laws in the world. Drinking is banned and women must cover themselves in public and not mix with the opposite sex. Cartoon capers: This mascot was arrested by Saudi's morality police for wearing a costume depicting a woman showing skin in an apparent breach of the country's strict Islamic dress code Last week, the country's morality police reportedly barred women from a Starbucks and told to send 'their driver' to get a coffee for them instead after a 'gender barrier' wall had collapsed. Signs in Arabic and English were put up on doors to the coffee shop telling women not to enter. The posters read: 'Please no entry for ladies, only send your drivers to order. Thank you.' Yesterday it was also reported that a man had been arrested by Saudi Arabia's morality police for wearing a cartoon costume of a woman showing skin. British grandfather Karl Andree, 74, was also sentenced to 378 lashes for brewing homemade wine. Banned: Women are said to have been barred from a Starbucks in Saudi Arabia and told to send 'their driver' to get a coffee for them instead (pictured) after religious police noticed a 'gender barrier' wall had collapsed But he was finally spared after spending more than a year in jail following a public appeal by his family who feared the punishment would kill him. The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, as it is officially known, is responsible for ensuring Islamic laws like those are not broken in public. But it has repeatedly been accused of human rights violations. In 2002, the committee refused to allow female students out of a burning school in the holy city of Mecca because they were not wearing correct head cover. A former Brisbane Boys College student who claims he endured physical and verbal bullying as a young pupil is suing the prestigious school for $600,000 in damages. The legal action has been lodged against the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association, trading as BBC, and relates to a period spanning February 2004 to February 2007. In documents filed in Queensland's District Court on Wednesday, it's alleged the boy was the target of derogatory taunts as well as physical attacks. The former student claims when he was just 10-year-old he suffered a broken nose so severe it required surgery, in an incident which allegedly occured at the school on November 15, 2005. A former Brisbane Boys College student who claims he endured physical and verbal bullying as a young pupil is suing the prestigious school for $600,000 in damages Court documents claim the boy finally left the school at the advice of a doctor after the student was allegedly pushed to the ground and stomped on, leaving a 'shoe-imprint shaped bruise' on his back, according to the Brisbane Times. The complainant, who turned 21 on Wednesday, claims he now suffers from ongoing depression, anxiety and has had suicidal thoughts after being the victim of 'ongoing ridicule' from Year Five to Year Eight. The man is seeking damages for future loss of income, claiming his experiences at BBC seriously hindered his academic performance and, as a result, have disadvantaged his job prospects. 'He suffered psychiatric injury which will likely mean time off work or being forced to cease work earlier than he would otherwise have done so,' his lawyer, Peter Black, told the court on Wednesday according to the Brisbane Times. The man is seeking damages for future loss of income, claiming his experiences at BBC seriously hindered his academic performance and, as a result, have disadvantaged his job prospects Mr Black's client has undergone psychological counselling to assess the extent of his distress and impact on his mental health. The court heard that the former student and his family are extremely dissatisfied with the school's response and say the students allegedly involved were not reprimanded. 'Despite complaints by our client and his mother about this course of conduct, the school took no steps or no adequate steps to protect our client from the harmful and offending behaviour,' Mr Black told the court. 'His three years of schooling at BBC were painful, agonising and mentally draining as he endured daily torment both verbally and physically.' The school did not have legal representation present at the brief hearing. The former BBC student will commence legal proceedings against the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association. An elderly couple on a round-the-world Diamond anniversary trip were charged an extra 2,000 to twice change 143 budget flights in a move branded 'disgraceful' and 'exploitation of the worst kind'. To make matters worse, the second time Brian Kay, 84, and his wife Audrey, 80, had to amend the flight - booked through an online travel agent - it was because their passports had been stolen. That change cost them an extra 950.40. In total the couple, from Mawdesley, Lancashire, ended up paying seven times the original 143 fare it cost them each to make the short haul flight from Sydney to Auckland. 'Disgraceful': Diamond anniversary-celebrating couple Brian Kay, 84, and his wife Audrey, 80, were charged an extra 2,000 to twice change their 143 budget flights booked with online travel agent CheapOair (pictured) Mr Kay's son Richard accused the agent the couple booked through, CheapOair.co.uk, of 'taking advantage of two old people' with 'exploitation of the worst kind.' The couple, who are currently on the trip to Australasia, made all their own travel arrangements but it was after they bought return flights from Sydney to Auckland that they ran into difficulty. After paying 143 each for the return flights, operated by Air New Zealand, Mr Kay realised a day later that he needed to change the inbound journey date to Sydney. He made the amendment with CheapOair, which carries the slogan 'Travel the world for less', but was charged 1,049 for doing so. Mr Kay paid the astronomical fee, assuming that it was the typical cost for such a change in the aviation industry. Air New Zealand has since revealed that its usual 'change fee' on the route is about 80 per person, suggesting the admin fee charged by CheapOair was in the region of 890. Astronomical: After paying 143 each for the return flights, operated by Air New Zealand (file photo), Mr Kay realised a day later that he needed to change the inbound flight date to Sydney. He was charged 1,049 TACTICS EMPLOYED BY RIP-OFF HOLIDAY WEBSITES UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT Online travel websites have been thrust into the spotlight of late for snaring holidaymakers with cheap 'deals' that don't exist and springing astronomical extra fees on customers. A Money Mail investigation found shocking examples of misleading pricing and rip-off charges on popular booking sites. Some of the cheapest flights listed by companies such as eDreams or Opodo change price when you try to buy. Revealed: This table shows some of the 'discount' travel deals that can end up costing passengers more When you click on the deals you are taken to the airline's webpage and the price jumps. In one case a flight from Bristol to Paris shot up from 54 to 59.74 with no explanation. Online travel agents are also accused of setting up 'copycat' websites that fool customers into thinking they are booking direct. Budget airlines easyJet and Ryanair say holidaymakers who use these websites are usually overcharged. Not only that, but when changing flights there have also been examples of overcharging. Air New Zealand revealed that its usual 'change fee' on the Sydney to Auckland route taken by the Kays is about 80 per person, suggesting the admin fee charged by CheapOair was in the region of 890. In 2014, it was also revealed that flight comparison websites such as eDreams, Ebookers, Opodo and CheapOair, which claim to offer fares that match or beat those offered by airlines, were actually charging more. What seem like bargain prices start to soar when taxes, fees and service costs are added to the bill - sometimes nearly doubling the initial cost of the ticket. A passenger travelling to Palma from London Gatwick using CheapOair was found to spend 95.59 once taxes and fees are included, despite the website initially displaying a fare of just 55.60. The same flight when booked directly on the easyJet website costs just 61.98 - meaning passengers could save 33.61 on the cost of their holiday. Money Mail revealed earlier this month that the aviation regulator has launched an investigation into such tactics, which are hitting thousands of people a year. The advertising regulator received 1,470 complaints about a total of 1,158 holiday and travel adverts in 2014. Advertisement Mr Kay's son Richard told The Independent: 'We were unaware at the time that my father had paid this. Quite extraordinary, but he is 84 and simply must have thought this is how it is when re-booking flights.' That was not the end of it, though. When the couple landed in Sydney after a flight from Hong Kong they had their passports stolen on their way to the city. The Kays were given temporary documents by the British Consulate, allowing them to continue their trip to New Zealand, but informed they would need to obtain new passports in Auckland to return. I feel CheapOair are taking advantage of two old people and their ignorance in travel matters Richard Kay It meant again having to change the date for their inbound flight, an amendment that was made by their daughter-in-law because the couple were still in shock about the passport theft. CheapOair charged another 950.40, which Lesley Kay paid because she assumed the travel agent was passing on the cost of the airline's fees. That change brought the total amount of 'Post Booking Charges' levied by CheapOair to 1,999.40. Mr Kay's son queried the fees with the company but said he received no reply, despite calling and emailing on a number of occasions. Reflecting on the incident, he said: 'I feel CheapOair are taking advantage of two old people and their ignorance in travel matters.' CheapOair eventually claimed the charges had been a mistake and reimbursed Mr and Mrs Kay with 1,390. It subsequently increased the refund to 1,608, but this still meant the couple had paid 790 for the three-hour flight from Auckland to Sydney. The travel agent then refused to answer why its staff had made 'mistakes' on two separate occasions, instead issuing a statement to The Independent. WHAT AIRLINES NORMALLY CHARGE TO CHANGE THE DATE OF A FLIGHT Airline Cost of changing flight date Aer Lingus Bmi British Airways easyJet Flybe Monarch Ryanair Thomas Cook 35-120 per person 35 pp 0-40 pp 15-50 pp 0-35 pp 35-40 pp 30-90 pp 55-70 pp It said: 'The delay in resolving this error does not reflect the high standards of service that CheapOair strives to achieve. 'CheapOair is reviewing its checks and measures to reduce the likelihood of human error during a booking amendment.' The company later told MailOnline: 'The incorrect additional charge was a highly regrettable and unusual mistake. 'CheapOair has apologised directly to Mr and Mrs Kays son for the distress this has caused, and has issued a full refund and an additional goodwill gesture. 'In addition CheapOair is reviewing its checks and procedures to enhance our processes during a booking amendment. Additional training has been implemented with immediate effect.' CheapOair, which is an offshoot of a US-based online travel company, has a British hub in Chiswick, West London, called Dukes Court Travel. Neither is a member of the travel association ABTA. A spokesman for ABTA said: 'The amounts charged to Mr and Mrs Kay to change their tickets were utterly unacceptable. 'CheapOair appear to act as an agent and so the only amounts that should have been charged were the airlines fee, plus possibly a reasonable admin charge. 'Any charges should have been brought to the customers attention before they booked so that they could have made an informed decision about whether or not to make the booking with CheapOair. He also said violence in Kings Cross had decreased by 40%, not the 60% that Mr Baird wrote in his impassioned Facebook post He said the lockout laws had simply accelerated a pre-existing downward trend of violence in Sydney which started in 2008 NSW Premier Mike Baird is using the wrong figures to support his lockout laws, the state's chief crime statistician says. In an impassioned Facebook post on Tuesday, Mr Baird wrote that the number of assaults in Kings Cross had dropped by 60 per cent since the tough drinking laws were introduced. But Dr Don Weatherburn, director of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, says assaults in the nightclub district have only dropped by 40 per cent. He says Mr Baird is right in saying there has been a decline in the number of assaults across Sydney, but says the laws - imposed in 2014 - have simply accelerated a downward trend that began back in 2008. Scroll down for audio Under fire: NSW Premier Mike Baird has been criticised for a Facebook post defending the state's controversial lockout laws Dr Don Weatherburn, director of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, says assaults in Sydney's nightclub district Kings Cross have dropped by 40 per cent - not the 60 per cent Mr Baird suggested Mr Baird has been corrected on statistics he presented in a Facebook post on Tuesday Dr Weatherburn said alcohol-fueled violence in Sydney was already on the down - and that the lockout laws 'simply accelerated that' Dr Weatherburn says Mr Baird's figure only accounts for serious assaults in the area, including those occasioning grievous bodily harm. He said that while the state's controversial had 'certainly' decreased alcohol-fueled violence across the city, it was important to look at that data in light of 'pre-existing trends.' 'What the Premier was doing was comparing the situation before the lockout law with the situation after,' he said on ABC radio. 'You can't really compare before and after if the assaults are already down.' 'The problem with that is assaults have been coming down in NSW since 2008 ... What the lockout laws did was accelerate that downward trend so it fell even faster after the lockout laws.' Dr Weatherburn says Mr Baird's figure of a 60 per cent drop of assaults in Kings Cross only accounts for serious assaults in the area Dr Weatherburn said you couldn't compare data from 'before and after' the lockout laws as there are a number of other factors affecting the figures Dr Weatherburn said anecdotal evidence that violent revellers are being pushed into Newtown after CBD venues close to entrants at 1.30am, potentially increasing the rate of assaults in the inner west, is incorrect. 'Frankly, that's rubbish. There is no change,' he said. 'Newtown gets what everyone gets which is a rise in assaults in summer and a decline in winter.' Dr Weatherburn said there has been no increase in assaults in any area surrounding the lockout zones. 'There is no doubt that Sydney is safer,' he said. 'Is it worth the restrictions that are being imposed? That's a citizens' issue. That's for them to decide.' A spokeswoman for Mr Baird told the Sydney Morning Herald that the Bureau's set of statistics and Mr Baird's private statistics were both accurate and were 'measuring different things.' 'Whichever you choose they are both an extremely positive outcome,' the spokeswoman said. It has been claimed Egypt's notorious security services are responsible Suffering bruises, cuts and burns, he only died when his neck was broken His ears were cut off and all his fingers broken during the brutal ordeal A Cambridge student found murdered in Cairo was killed when his neck was broken after having all of his fingers snapped and his ears sliced off. Giulio Regeni, 28, was found dead near a highway outside the Egyptian capital, nine days after he was reported missing, having suffered 'inhuman animal-like violence'. The Italian national, a student of Cambridge's Department of Politics and International Studies, was brutally tortured before his death, autopsies revealed. Murdered: Cambridge graduate student Giulio Regeni, 28, from Italy, was subjected to 'animal-like' torture before his death in Cairo, Egypt, including his killers pulling out his finger and toenails Sources close to the investigation told Ansa news agency he was found with his ears chopped off, as well as broken fingers and toes, the International Business Times reported. However, these injuries are just a handful of the litany of abuses Mr Regeni is said to have suffered. Autopsies showed he was found with bruises, stabbing cuts, burns from cigarettes and had toenails torn off. Italian media are now pointing fingers at Egyptian security services, saying the autopsy results show signs of torture which suggests that his killers believed that he was a spy, The Local reports. The autopsy revealed that Mr Regeni's neck was twisted or struck which broke a vertebra and left him unable to breathe. Prosecutors from Rome have opened a murder investigation into the death of the doctoral student and ministers are calling for Egypt's president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to fully cooperate. Egyptian Interior Minister Magdi Abdel Ghaffar has responded to the accusations in Italian media, completely rejecting any notion that security forces were involved in the killing of Mr Regeni. 'There are many rumours repeated on pages of newspapers insinuating the security forces might be behind the accident. This is unacceptable. This is not our policy,' he told a news conference. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is under pressure to authorize a state funeral for Mr Regeni, with anger mounting in Italy over Egypt's initial claims that the student had been killed in a road accident. Mr Regeni, a student of Cambridge's Department of Politics and International Studies, had been in Cairo for just a few months as part of his PhD research into Egyptian labour movements when he disappeared on January 25. Murdered: The body of Mr Regeni was found on naked from the waist down on the side of a Cairo highway, bearing signs of torture, including stab wounds and cigarette burns, according to an Egyptian investigator He had left his apartment with a plan to travel by subway to meet a friend in the city, but was never seen again. A second autopsy in Italy shed further light into Mr Regeni's death with details so shocking that interior minister Angelino Alfano told Sky TV that he struggled to catch his breath after reading the report. While opening details have been released, analysis of tissue and body fluid, which could help pinpoint or at least narrow the time frame when Mr Regeni died, are expected to take several days. Mr Alfano said the student had suffered 'something inhuman, animal-like, an unacceptable violence.' Prosecutor Ahmed Nagi, who leads the investigation team on the case, had previously said 'all of his body, including his face' had bruises, cuts from stabbings and burns from cigarettes, adding that it appeared to have been a 'slow death.' Italian police were dispatched to Cairo on Saturday and have started working with their Egyptian counterparts on the case. Mr Alfano said: 'I am convinced that it is in the interest of el-Sissi to work together. No one can bring Giulio back to life, but bringing the truth to the surface will perhaps be able to save more lives.' Demonstrations: On the day Mr Regeni went missing, residents took to the streets to mark the fifth anniversary of the Arab Spring. Pictured, supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi march in Cairo An Egyptian friend of Mr Regeni, who was from Fiumicello in the north-east of Italy, said that shortly before his death the student had been seeking contacts for trade union activists to interview as part of his research. This political research had been the main focus when the friend was questioned by police following the Italian student's disappearance, he said. Another friend explained he was travelling to downtown Cairo on the day of his disappearance, he said: 'A friend called him after he didn't show up. His cell was off then,' he told MailOnline, speaking on condition of anonymity. He added: 'We briefly talked on the day of his disappearance, about two hours earlier. He was happy and cheerful, he was about to meet a friend. No indication of any worries whatsoever. 'I just feel terrible for his family, his girlfriend and all his friends.' The Egyptian authorities had intensified a crackdown on dissent ahead of the January 25 anniversary of the Arab Spring, with police raiding apartments in downtown Cairo seeking signs of plans for organised protests and checking people's social media accounts. For years, rights groups have accused Egyptian police of regularly torturing detainees. Over the past year, they have also accused them of using 'forced disappearances' - detaining suspected activists or Islamists in secret without reporting their arrest. The Egyptian Association for Rights and Freedoms documented 314 such disappearances in 2015, according to a lawyer, Halem Henish. Most later turned up in prison, but at least five were found at the morgue, including one with signs of torture like burns and electric shocks. Will make her catwalk debut during Madrid Fashion Week later this month The pretty student who caught Justin Bieber's eye has been signed up by a top Spanish modelling agency. The Canadian pop star made Cindy Kimberly, 17, famous after posting a picture of her on his Instagram account in December and asking: 'OMG who is this!' She was subsequently unmasked as a Dutch-born student now living in the Costa Blanca resort of Denia who made pocket money by babysitting for 2.90 an hour. Online success: Cindy Kimberly has been signed by a modelling agency after being 'discovered' on Instagram by none other than Justin Bieber Fame: Bieber put Cindy Kimberly on the map after posting this picture to his 47.5million Instagram followers, saying: 'OMG who is this!' Today it emerged she has been snapped up by Uno Models, which has offices in Barcelona and Madrid. The prestigious agency posted a picture of the stunning teenager on its website along the message: 'Cindy Kimberly, now with Uno.' The news was made public hours after she appeared at a fashion show in Madrid as the face of a cosmetics firm. She is expected to make her catwalk debut later this month at the prestigious Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid, the country's premier fashion show. Cindy, who is still at school, admitted last month she felt like she was 'living a fairytale' when she discovered Justin was a fan. The 17-year-old student has been signed by Uno Models, which has offices in Barcelona and Madrid Miss Kimberly is born in the Netherlands, but lives in Spain, and has indicated to her fans that she is half-Spanish and that she has some Indonesian heritage Talent: Miss Kimberly was snapped appearing at a fashion show in Madrid as the face of a cosmetics firm shortly before the announcement was made Big fan: Bieber, pictured on Monday, asked his fans for help in identifying Miss Kimberly The teenager is expected to make her catwalk debut later this month at the prestigious Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid, the country's premier fashion show She told a Spanish celeb website: 'When I saw Justin was asking about me I got very emotional because I've been a fan of his for more than six years. 'It seems like a fairytale. 'A friend of mine often used to joke that one day I'd be one of the girls he talked about and I didn't believe her. 'My life's changed positively since Justin appeared in my life. 'At the beginning I felt completely overwhelmed and didn't know how to deal with it but now I'm getting used to it.' Nearly 820,000 people now follow the teenager on Instagram thanks to Justin's interest. Her last post shows her lying on a hotel bed, drawing the admiration of fans who describe her as 'stunning.' Dream: Cindy Kimberly, who rose to fame after Justin Bieber shared her photo with more than 50million followers, says her life has been a 'fairytale' since Model: Cindy, who is still at school, is now preparing to make her catwalk debut at a prestigious fashion show in Madrid next month Flattered: Aspiring model and artist Cindy was 'delighted' to have been compared with the likes of Irina Shayk and Angelina Jolie Brains and beauty: Cindy (pictured) wants to study Fine Arts at university after finishing secondary school Serious: Cindy (pictured) joked this week she was sad that Bieber isn't following her on Twitter A spokesman for her new modelling agency, which has the likes of Buenos Aires-born model Martina Klein on its books, said: 'Cindy's not giving interviews at the moment because she's under 18.' The pretty student admitted on Twitter to being only half-Spanish, going some way to confirming suggestions by fans who follow her on Instagram that one of her parents is Indonesian. It was revealed last month Cindy was offering babysitting services for just four to 6 (2.90 to 4.35 an hour) - a far cry from the millions Justin makes every year. She described herself in a CV resume, posted before she turned 17 along the same photo which attracted Justin's attention: 'My name is Cindy Kimberly and I am 16. Loved: Cindy (pictured), who was born in Holland, now has more than 680,000 Instagram followers and that number grows each day Future: Despite the overwhelming attention Cindy's (pictured) been getting, she insists her life is normal and she still wants to study Fine Arts in the future Big fan: 'When I saw Justin was asking about me I got very emotional because I've been a fan of his for more than six years,' said Cindy (pictured), who is still in school 'I can do the shopping and help with homework. If you are looking for a baby sitter and you would like to know more about me, contact me. I love children and I can help them with English as I have a good command of English.' Her name also appears on the Internet alongside an alcohol misdemeanor. Town hall chiefs in Villajoyosa, a 40 minute drive of Denia, published her name on a December 2013 official bulletin, warning her she had 15 days to appeal against an administrative proceeding for breaching a by-law banning drinking in the street. The public notice was published on the internet after the council was unable to inform Cindy Kimberly at her home address. She insisted last night she had only babysat once for family friends. See the latest news on North Korea at www.dailymail.co.uk/northkorea Kim Jong-un's military chief has been executed on charges of corruption, it was reported today. Army General Ri Yong-gil, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, was conspicuous in his absence from events celebrating the North's controversial satellite launch on Sunday. Ri is believed to have been charged with pursuing personal gains and may have been ousted after raising objections to Kim's recent appointments of party leaders to military posts, a source said. If confirmed, it would be the latest in a series of executions, purges and disappearances under its young tyrant. Kim Jong-un's military chief Ri Yong-gil (pictured, second left, with other military leaders and ministers at Pyongyang Airport in 2013) has been executed on charges of corruption, it has been reported North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un (pictured watching the rocket launch from a secret planning room on Sunday) has presided over a series of executions, purges and disappearances under his leadership The source, who is familiar with North Korean affairs, said: 'Ri Yong-gil is known to have been faithful to principles, so it appears the North cited (the charges) to justify his execution. 'This shows that Kim Jong-un is very nervous about the armed forces. It also shows his reign of terror continues.' The news comes amid heightened tension surrounding isolated North Korea after its Sunday launch of a long-range rocket, which came about a month after it drew international condemnation for conducting its fourth nuclear test. It is believed Ri was executed last week around the time Kim presided over a joint meeting of the North's ruling Workers' Party and the military, but it is not clear how he was killed. The news comes amid heightened tensions after North Korea's Sunday launch of a long-range rocket (above) which came about a month after it drew international condemnation for conducting its fourth nuclear test Conspicuous absence: Ri Myong-su, a former minister of people's security, is rumoured to have replaced him after his name was listed instead of Ri on the roll of leaders present at the satellite launch celebrations Ri was appointed to the post in 2013 and appeared to be a favourite of the North Korean dictator, accompanying him on inspection trips until last month. Ri Myong-su, a former minister of people's security, is rumoured to have replaced him after his name was listed instead of Ri on the roll of leaders present at the satellite launch celebrations. The North rarely issues public announcement related to purges or executions of high-level officials. A rare official confirmation of a high-profile execution came after Jang Song Thaek, leader Kim Jong Un's uncle and the man who was once considered the second most powerful figure in the country, was executed for corruption in 2013. Purged: Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Un's uncle and the man who was once considered the second most powerful figure in the country, was executed for corruption in 2013 In May last year, the North executed its defence chief by anti-aircraft gun at a firing range, the South's spy agency said in a report to members of parliament. The North's military leadership has been in a state of perpetual reshuffle since Kim Jong Un took power after the death of his father in 2011. He has changed his armed forces chief several times since then. The Boston Society of Architects and the American Institute of Architects will host a major retrospective of Somerville-based architect Moshe Safdie at BSA Space in downtown Boston beginning March 16. Perhaps best-known as the architect of Israel's official Holocaust memorial and the Habitat '67 model apartment complex (rendered above), the 77-year-old Safdie pioneered the design philosophy of "progressive contextualism," according to the BSA, or "the belief that a building should be an extension of its physical, historical, and cultural environments." Habitat '67, or Habitat of the Future, started as Safdie's thesis at McGill University and then became reality as part of the 1967 World's Fair in Montreal. The design launched his international prominence. The BSA exhibit, divided into five parts covering Safdie's career, starts with his work as an undergraduate. A Muslim man who was due to fly out on his honeymoon with his pregnant wife said he was taken off the plane and questioned over terrorism because of his faith and his beard. Ahmed Ali was supposed to fly to Marrakesh, Morocco, from Manchester Airport, but was told by staff on the Thomson flight he had to disembark. Mr Ali, 39, of Derby, said he was then taken away and questioned for several hours by Greater Manchester Police Officers. Scroll down for video Ahmed Ali, 39, pictured, said he feels 'victimised' after being taken off the Thomson flight to Marrakech He said it was the 20th time in two years he has been questioned when trying to board a plane, but the first time he was forced to get off. He told the Derby Telegraph: 'I was on the plane and watching a video and my wife was chatting to the people next to her. We were really looking forward to the holiday because it was a late honeymoon for us. 'I was then tapped on the shoulder by a member of staff who said you need to leave the plane. I asked three times - 'why?'. She said the police are outside waiting for you. Mr Ali, of Derby, said he would be making a complaint against the airline and Greater Manchester Police Mr Ali recorded a video, pictured, on YouTube and Facebook, branding David Cameron 'today's Hitler' 'I asked why have you taken me off the flight. They said follow us and said they would interview me under section seven of the terrorism act.' Mr Ali, a property developer now working with his millionaire father Zamir, 59, regularly flies to the Middle East and Europe for business and holidays. He said he was recently questioned before boarding a flight at Heathrow with his mother and that he previously accepted officers were just doing their job. But after the latest incident the charity worker said he wanted to take a stand and hoped he was arrested and taken to court so he could prove there was wrongdoing. He added: 'I'm so upset about it. What they did was wrong and I think it is purely because I am Muslim and have a beard.' In an online rant he compared David Cameron to Hitler and said he was 'oppressing the Muslim people'. Mr Ali, pictured, compared David Cameron to Hitler in a video recorded shortly after the incident He said: 'I'm no threat to anyone. The only person who is a threat is David Cameron and his bigotry. 'Hitler was an oppressive and a bad person to the Jews and to people in General. Today's Hitler is David Cameron. 'So I encourage all of you brothers and sisters, and I'm sure there are lots of you that have this problem, to stand up for your rights. He added: 'I feel sorry for all those people who fought in World War One and World War Two; all those ex servicewomen and men who gave their lives to uphold freedom, liberty, democracy and all the things David Cameron talks about but takes no action [over].' On the video, which he posted to YouTube and Facebook, he said he refused to answer police questions because he was so angry at being removed from the plane. He said: 'I said to them I'm not answering anything. I said 'I've had enough'. Three weeks ago I was stopped with my mum. They insulted my mum, they insulted me, and for what? 'Because I've got a beard. It's supposed to be in fashion; everybody has a beard but you don't see white people getting stopped.' In the video, which has more than 389,000 views, he said he felt he had been 'stripped' of his rights as a British citizen. He added: 'I was born in this country. As a kid I was told I had freedom of expression, freedom of this, freedom of that...I've got nothing to hide, so why couldn't they come to me before? Come to my house or give me a call. Email me. Twitter me. 'But they let me go through security. I was checked in and cleared; the full works. I've sat on my plane, it's about to fly and they remove me from it. So I won't answer their questions and I encourage everyone to not answer their questions.' Speaking in an interview on the BBC, he said he was a frequent flyer who 'liked to fill up his jumbo passport'. He said the incident at Manchester Airport, pictured, was the 20th time in two years he has been questioned by police before boarding flights at British airports He said: 'I explained that I was British. I'm a British Muslim. I go out and feed the homeless in Britain - white people. I've been to Cumbria to help people. Before all of this; I've been doing it for seven or eight years. 'Any sane person knows right is right, and wrong is wrong.' Mr Ali said he has recently been inundated with racist comments on his Facebook page alleging he is a terrorist with several wives, claims he strongly denies. He added his wife has had panic attacks since the incident and he plans to make formal complaints against the airline and police because he feels victimised. Mr Ali said he had been stopped at 20 airports by police and intelligence officers since 2012. He married his wife Sarah, 27, in December and they paid 1,800 for a week-long honeymoon to Morocco when they were stopped at Manchester Airport. Mr Ali is divorced and has two children with his first wife. He said: 'The first time I was stopped was at Birmingham Airport when I returned from Pakistan in 2012. 'My father was visiting family near Islamabad and fell ill. I went over to look after him and on my return to Britain I was stopped by police and MI5. 'I completely understood why I was being stopped and complied with everything. I told them why I was in Pakistan and they apologised and released me. 'Since then I have been stopped at Heathrow Airport, Birmingham Airport and Manchester Airport. 'I go regularly to Sharm el-Sheikh with my family for cheap holidays and I've also been to Saudia Arabia on pilgrimage to Mecca three times. 'In recent years I have been flying to Europe a lot looking for potential property investments. I've been to Poland, Germany and Holland. Mr Ali, a property developer, pictured left and right, said he flies to Europe and the Middle East frequently to scout out potential investments 'We haven't bought any property abroad but that is why I fly over to these places. 'I understand why I am being stopped, I get it and support the fact that the authorities have a job to do but I am being stopped in front of my children, my mum and my wife. 'This latest incident at Manchester has been the straw that broke the camel's back and I had to come out and say something. 'I have not had my money refunded by Thomson and the police say it's nothing to do with them. I don't need the money, I just want to be treated like everyone else. 'I'm a businessman, my father is a millionaire and pays for my trips away. The fact I get stopped even when I'm going on a cheap holiday with my family to Sharm el-Sheikh is just too much.' Thomson Airways confirmed staff asked a customer to leave the aircraft on the flight from Manchester to Marrakesh at the request of the authorities. Greater Manchester Police also confirmed a 39-year-old man was removed from the flight and questioned under the Counter Terrorism Act and subsequently released. It comes just weeks after London's Mohammad Tariq Mahmood, 41, his brother and their children, aged between eight and 19, said they were stopped at the departure gate at Gatwick airport and told their visas to the US had been revoked. He claimed the family were barred from flying 'because they are Muslim'. It later emerged that a Facebook page linked to Taliban and Al Qaeda was registered to Mr Mahmood's address, which he insisted he had no knowledge of. You've met the coupon queens who save hundreds of pounds by scouring newspapers and magazines for cut-price supermarket deals. Now meet the wombling king, who saves himself thousands per year - simply by scavenging other people's litter. Stephen Auker, 58, a retiree from Keighley, West Yorkshire, is a pioneer in the so-called wombling world, a practice which sees 'womblers' gathering discarded receipts and swapping them for any unclaimed value. Scroll down for video You've met the coupon queens - now meet wombling king Stephen Auker (pictured) who saves hundreds of pounds by picking up shoppers' receipts from supermarket car parks. The name for the money-saving practice derives from the decades-old book The Wombles, who live on Wimbledon Common and help the environment by collecting rubbish in creative ways. But the practice has now become the latest trend for thrifty shoppers, thanks to the loyalty and price-match schemes offered by supermarkets and other retailers. Mr Auker, who began wombling in 2010, now estimates that he makes savings of up to 200 per month - more than half of his shopping bill - through the practice. His preferred womble spot is Asda, which allows shoppers to scan their receipt into the store's website and claim money back if their shop is not at least 10 per cent cheaper than rival chains. Yet, by his own admission, it is a hobby which requires an inordinate amount of patience. 'You get out of wombling exactly what you put in,' he told the Daily Telegraph. 'For example, yesterday was a very windy day so I sat in a car park for seven hours waiting for the receipts to blow towards me.' The 58-year-old retiree claims to save around 200 through the practice. He said the most common place to womble is in Asda car parks due to the supermarket's unique price guarantee scheme But his patience appears to have paid off. Despite stumbling across the practice by accident, married Mr Auker has now become such a successful wombler that he has a YouTube channel dedicated to the practice. In the videos - which see him scouring supermarket car parks in a bid to find receipts - he describes himself as 'finding value in the things others leave behind'. He goes on to give tips on carrying out wombling in the most fair, effective and 'discreet' way, before explaining how to claim back the money from the discarded receipts. The system works by using the vouchers to claim either money off or benefits, including loyalty points, that the shopper does not use. The most popular place for wombling is Asda, due to the store's price guarantee scheme. Mr Auker now has a YouTube channel in which he demonstrates how to womble. In this video, he films himself scouring the Asda car park and stops to pick up a receipt which has been blown into some fencing HOW WOMBLERS SAVE MONEY FROM ASDA'S PRICE GUARANTEE SCHEME The most popular system is Asda's Price Guarantee system, which refunds shoppers if their total bill is not at least 10 per cent cheaper than it would be in Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons or Waitrose. The process involves scanning the barcode on the foot of the receipt into the Asda website or app. To work, the receipt must bear an intact barcode and at least eight items must have been purchased. The most popular system is Asda's Price Guarantee system (pictured) which allows shoppers to claim back money if their shop is nor at least 10 per cent cheaper than it would be in a rival store If the shop is not at least 10 per cent cheaper, the supermarket calculates how much the shopper is owed and allows them to print a money-off voucher. On this occasion, Mr Auker claimed back 7.93 The site then compares the price of the items with the supermarket's rivals, eventually calculating how much cheaper the overall shop was in the Asda store. Asda pays the difference if a basket there is not at least 10 per cent cheaper than the nearest rival. This can sometimes be as little as a couple of pence but can often be up to around 12. This voucher can then be used in store or online in a subsequent shop. Advertisement The scheme - also known as APG - allows shoppers to claim back money if their shop was not at least 10 per cent cheaper than it would be in Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons or Waitrose. The process involves scanning the barcode on the foot of the receipt into the Asda website or app so the prices can be compared. If it is not cheap enough, the supermarket allows the person to print a money-off voucher to use in store or online. This can sometimes be as little as a couple of pence but, with sometimes dozens of receipts being scooped up in one session, it can add up to several pounds. The most Mr Auker has ever made from a receipt was 14.48, while his largest monthly savings haul was 225. Womblers are forbidden from taking the receipts from bins, because once something is placed in a bin, it legally belongs to the owners of the bin. The most Mr Auker has ever made from a receipt was 14.48, while his largest monthly savings haul was 225 Instead, they look in the bottom of bushes or in the base of trolleys in a bid to find as many receipts as possible. According to Mr Auker, it's particularly good news for the womblers when there has been a lot of wind, as it means several receipts will have blown across the car park into 'windy corners'. Another good sign is when the trolley bays are empty, because it means there are hundreds of shoppers in the store, increasing the likelihood of receipts being dropped. Although womblers mainly visit Asda, they can also be seen in action outside the likes of Sainsbury's and Tesco, where they search for unclaimed Nectar and Clubcard points. As long as you stay within your the terms and conditions they don't mind. A lot of stores don't encourage wombling, but it's not illegal Stephen Auker Mr Auker said that, as long as womblers stay within the terms and conditions, most companies do not mind the activity. But he reiterates that womblers must never scour inside stores or rummage in bins - not only because the contents technically belongs to the stores, but because Asda has specifically asked the womblers not to do so. He said: 'As long as you stay within your the terms and conditions they don't mind. A lot of stores don't encourage wombling, but it's not illegal.' Referring to Asda, he added: 'This particular store does nothing to discourage wombling - we've even had a letter from them reminding us to keep within the guidelines.' Mr Auker, a seasoned charity fundraiser, has now set up a JustGiving page to encourage womblers to donate their savings to Cancer Research UK. Last year he created a Facebook group for the wombling community, which now has almost 5,000 members - some of whom claim to make savings of 750 per month. They also share tips, such as pressing the receipts inbetween the pages of magazines to stop the barcode smudging and running. The name for the money-saving practice derives from the decades-old book The Wombles, who live on Wimbledon Common and help the environment by collecting rubbish. It later became a TV series This is the moment a woman described as El Chapo's financial operator was arrested by federal police in Mexico. Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, also known as La Patrona, is accused of being in charge of cash for the Sinaloa drugs cartel. She was arrested by officers in Culiacan in Sinaloa state, where El Chapo, whose real name is Joaquin Guzman, was captured in January after escaping a maximum security jail. Scroll down for video Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, also known as La Patrona, who is described as El Chapo's financial officer, has been arrested in Mexico Valencia, 55, is wanted in America after being accused of trafficking cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the country as well as money laundering. She was also added to the kingpin list by the U.S. Treasury Department, meaning any assets she holds in American can be seized. Any American citizens are also prohibited from conducting business with her. It is believed her brother Manuel Fernandez Valencia was also a member of the Sinaloa cartel and is currently in custody in the U.S. The arrest of one of El Chapo most trusted advisers comes as it is claimed the drugs lord is willing to plead guilty in the U.S. - as long as he is not jailed in a maximum-security prison. The arrest of one of El Chapo most trusted advisers comes as it is claimed the drugs lord is willing to plead guilty in the United States - as long as he is not jailed in a maximum-security prison The Sinaloa cartel leader believes he would enjoy better treatment in an American cell compared to the 'extreme freezing conditions' of his current Mexican lock-up where he 'fears for his life', his lawyer revealed in an exclusive interview with Univision last week. However, he will only plead guilty if US prosecutors promise to spare him from its most brutal institutions 'where he would not see the light of the sun for more than an hour a day'. Mexican and U.S. officials want to have El Chapo tried and imprisoned in America because of his track record of escaping from Mexican prisons. Since being recaptured in January, the Sinaloa cartel leader has been held in the same maximum-security prison he escaped from just outside Mexico City. More than 3,000 children who were offered asylum in Britain over an eight-year period were deported back to war-torn countries, new figures have revealed. The Home Office admitted that it had miscalculated the number of youngsters sent back to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Albania. More than double the number were removed from Britain than previously thought, the immigration minister James Brokenshire said. Scroll down for video Britain deported more than 3,000 previously orphaned children to war-torn countries between 2007-2015, despite hundreds of thousands of people, including migrants pictured above waiting for boats to take them to Greece, currently fleeing the same countries today The Home Office previously said 1,616 former orphans were deported. The new figures come as hundreds of unaccompanied children arrive in camps in northern France, including these two boys, pictured in Dunkirk The Government was told to 'get their act together' as many more unaccompanied vulnerable children are set to arrive in the UK over the coming years as conflicts intensify in the Middle East and north Africa. And Labour accused the Government of having 'seriously misjudged' the number of former orphans Britain had 'forcibly removed to war-torn countries'. The new figures are corrected statistics published by the Home Office after it had previously said just 1,616 children had been deported to the conflict-ridden countries between 2007 and 2015. The corrected figures - revealed in a response to a parliamentary question - show a total of 3,750 formerly unaccompanied asylum seeking children were removed in the eight-year period. Labour MP Louise Haigh said it was an 'astonishing' and 'completely unacceptable' mistake. 'The reality is that ministers have been basing their confident assurances on protecting these extremely vulnerable young people on a calamitous guesstimate which seriously misjudged the numbers they were forcibly removing to war-torn countries,' she said. Labour's Louise Haigh, pictured right, accused immigration minister James Brokenshire, left, of 'seriously misjudging' the number of youngsters the Government had deported to 'war-torn' countries The Government was told to 'get their act together' as many more unaccompanied vulnerable children are set to arrive in the UK over the coming years as the Syrian conflict sees thousands of refugees flee, with many living in refugee camps in neighbouring countries, including Lebanon, pictured 'With many more vulnerable young children due to arrive in the UK over the next five years, the Government need to get their act together and launch an urgent review into this mistake. If not people across the country will be right to ask - what else have they got wrong?' In his corrected response, Mr Brokenshire said: 'Removal of former unaccompanied asylum seeking children will only take place after their asylum claim has been finally determined, including any appeal hearing, and it has been established that there is no risk of persecution, or of a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, upon return to their home country. FACT BOX TITLE Foreign minister Tobias Ellwood, pictured, said last night that Britain was ready to support a government of national unity in Libya The Government said last night that it stands ready to support a government of national unity in Libya in taking on ISIS. Giving evidence to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, foreign minister Tobias Ellwood said the Government had no plans to commit British troops directly against IS - also referred to as Daesh or Isis. However, he said that the UK was prepared to provide advice, support and training to the Libyan military if political agreement could be reached on the formation of a new government of national unity. He disclosed that RAF warplanes had already been involved in flying missions over the country but gave no further details. 'There are discussions being had as to what we can do to facilitate assistance once a government is actually formed as to what we can do to advise, assist, support and train. We are not going in there to hold and take ground,' he said. 'We are looking for a political agreement. Once that is in place we can then work towards providing assistance to the Libyan national army which absolutely can provide greater defences and take Daesh out.' Jonathan Powell, the UK special envoy to Libya, said that it should be possible to establish a coalition of armed groups to take on IS - which has established a stronghold in the city of Sirte. 'There are a number of armed groups there sitting next to Isis who are more threatened than we are who have the capacity to deal with it but they need to be united, they need a common cause if they are going to do something,' he said. However Mr Ellwood warned that while the rise of IS represented the biggest long-term threat to the future of Libya, the danger was not fully understood in the country. 'Currently, as a militia, as an entity, it is quite small in comparison with some of the other militias that are there already,' he said. 'I don't think it's seen as such a priority at this stage by the people in that country who just see this as another, more extremist, militia. 'The absence of a government is allowing them to get a footprint in and once they have got a footprint it then becomes easier for them to expand.' Advertisement 'After a former unaccompanied asylum seeking child is over 18 years of age, and found not to be at risk upon return to their home country, their removal will be managed in line with our usual arrangements for the safe and secure return of failed asylum seekers who do not leave the UK voluntarily.' The revelation comes as David Cameron comes under renewed pressure to offer shelter to 3,000 unaccompanied migrant children in Europe, with Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron claiming he is 'betraying Britain's values'. And Yvette Cooper, the former cabinet minister leading a Labour review of the issue, will accuse him of pushing the UK towards leaving the EU by failing to engage with the urgent reforms needed to prevent the situation spiralling. Ms Cooper will use a speech to warn that a fresh surge of new arrivals in the spring will entirely overwhelm Europe unless major steps are taken, such as reimposing national border controls, greater burden sharing and more funds. 'David Cameron has to change tack or he will end up letting the Eurosceptics win,' she will say. 'His strategy on the refugee crisis is to refuse to engage with Europe at all. That won't work. It just makes it harder to get the EU reforms we here in Britain will need, harder to keep stability in Europe.' 'We should be in Europe arguing for reform. For all countries to offer sanctuary to refugees and for stronger borders to manage the flow of people and stop criminal gangs. 'For an end to Schengen. For more security checks and rapid asylum assessments. And for every country to do their bit to help rather than the failed relocation scheme that just leaves Germany and Sweden taking all the strain.' Dismissing Eurosceptic arguments, she will say: 'Brexit won't magic away the refugee crisis or keep it further from our shores. Quite the opposite. 'Faced with a crisis that crosses borders, unilateralism just won't work. Mr Farron has invited MPs and campaigners to talks on the practicalities of giving shelter to the young victims of war, accusing ministers of breaching a promise to examine the case. The Prime Minister insists that Britain should concentrate on resettling orphans from the camps in the region rather than those who had made the crossing to Europe. But the Lib Dem leader said: 'During every crisis I can think of, Britain has opened its doors and hearts to those in need. 'We are a beacon of hope and that is something millions of people like myself are proud of. It is what makes me proud to be British. 'This time the Prime Minister has ignored the pleas of charities and frankly he is betraying Britain's values by doing so. 'He clearly isn't willing to lift a finger to help these desperate children, but I refuse to give up. Tomorrow we start the creation of a plan to show the Prime Minister how Britain can take care of 3,000 unaccompanied children.' Meanwhile the Government said last night that it stands ready to support a government of national unity in Libya in taking on ISIS. Giving evidence to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, foreign minister Tobias Ellwood said the Government had no plans to commit British troops directly against IS - also referred to as Daesh or Isis. However, he said that the UK was prepared to provide advice, support and training to the Libyan military if political agreement could be reached on the formation of a new government of national unity. He disclosed that RAF warplanes had already been involved in flying missions over the country but gave no further details. 'There are discussions being had as to what we can do to facilitate assistance once a government is actually formed as to what we can do to advise, assist, support and train. We are not going in there to hold and take ground,' he said. 'We are looking for a political agreement. Once that is in place we can then work towards providing assistance to the Libyan national army which absolutely can provide greater defences and take Daesh out.' David Cameron is coming under renewed pressure to take in 3,000 unaccompanied children as the number of unaccompanied children in the Middle East, pictured, increases Jonathan Powell, the UK special envoy to Libya, said that it should be possible to establish a coalition of armed groups to take on IS - which has established a stronghold in the city of Sirte. 'There are a number of armed groups there sitting next to Isis who are more threatened than we are who have the capacity to deal with it but they need to be united, they need a common cause if they are going to do something,' he said. However Mr Ellwood warned that while the rise of IS represented the biggest long-term threat to the future of Libya, the danger was not fully understood in the country. 'Currently, as a militia, as an entity, it is quite small in comparison with some of the other militias that are there already,' he said. 'I don't think it's seen as such a priority at this stage by the people in that country who just see this as another, more extremist, militia. gun to calm the elephant down, before it was removed with a crane It took three shots with a Elephant ran amok in towns in West Bengal, India, after wandering from forest and losing its way home Advertisement A wild elephant rampaged through towns and villages in west India on Wednesday, smashing homes and sending frightened residents running down the streets. The panicked elephant was seen covered in blood and cuts as it careered down the streets, crashing into parked cars and trampling motorbikes. It took several rounds with a tranquilizer gun to stop the elephant in its tracks, as crowds of people gathered to watch from balconies and roof tops. Scroll down for video Running amok: The panicked elephant sent locals running as it emerged in the town of Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, on Wednesday, covered in injuries and bloodied cuts Terrified: The female elephant ran amok in Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized Long journey: The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town of Siliguri in West Bengal state. It was caught on camera in the nearby village of Ektiasal, with the video showing the beast wandering around and knocking over flimsy huts. 'The elephant entered from a nearby forest area. It has destroyed many houses and people are scared and helpless,' villager Milan Saha said. Divisional Forest Officer Basab Rai said the female elephant appeared to be a loner, and was likely searching for food when it strayed into the town. Big animal: The female elephant also smashed homes and knocked over huts in a nearby village The wild elephant can be seen with a tranquilliser dart in its backside was it walks through Siliguri Scared: Officials said the elephant did not attack any people, and appeared to be afraid of anyone approaching The panicked elephant was seen covered in blood and cuts as it careered down the streets Confused: The elephant was eventually cornered by the crowds and animal rescue officers He said it did not attack any people, and appeared to be afraid of anyone approaching. After several hours, it became clear the elephant was unable to find its way back to the forest. Authorities eventually shot the elephant three times with a tranquilizer gun and used a crane to lift it into a truck once it had calmed down. It was then taken to a special park for domesticated pachyderms that is maintained by the forest department. Once the effect of the tranquilizer wore off, authorities planned to return the elephant to the forest, Rai said. Attacks by elephants have been on the rise in eastern India. Wildlife experts say the destruction of animal habitats in the country is one of the main reasons for the increase in encounters between wild animals and villagers in rural areas of India. Attraction: After fleeing onto balconies, local residents began filming the rampaging elephant Taken down: It took several rounds with a tranquilliser gun to stop the elephant in its tracks, as crowds of people gathered to watch from balconies and roof tops In for a ride: The adult elephant was tranquillised and captured by wildlife officials and transported to a nearby forest Angela Merkel has been accused by Pope Francis of becoming angry in a phone call she made to him after he compared Europe to a 'barren woman' - but her office claims she has no memory of it. 'The chancellor does not recall a phone call with the pope,' a spokesman for Merkel said. An Italian newspaper had on Monday quoted the pontiff as saying the German Chancellor had called him after he had delivered a withering attack on a 'haggard' Europe in a November 2014 address, saying it is 'now a grandmother, no longer fertile and vibrant.' Scroll down for video Angela Merkel has been accused by Pope Francis of becoming angry in a phone call she made to him after he compared Europe to a 'barren woman' - but her office claims she has no memory of it. She is pictured here with Pope Francis in 2015 at the Vatican Italy's Corriere della Sera quoted the pope as saying in the interview: 'She was a bit angry because I had compared Europe to a barren woman, incapable of producing children.' 'She asked me if I really thought Europe could no longer make children. 'I told her: yes it can, and many, because Europe has strong and deep roots,' he said, adding that 'in the darkest moments, it has always shown itself to have unexpected resources.' A spokesman for Merkel told AFP that she 'values any meeting with him extremely'. Pope Francis (left) told an Italian newspaper that Merkel (right) 'was a bit angry because I... said Europe was incapable of producing children'. A spokesman for Merkel said she 'values any meeting with him' A celebrated German psychiatrist recently called Merkel a 'narcissist' whose refusal to curb immigration may be a sign of a 'mental breakdown'. The German Chancellor has been heavily criticized over her 'open border' policy, which resulted in 1.1million refugees and migrants entering Germany last year. The U.S. is to carry out its first ever military exercises in Finland this year just days after Russia announced it was undergoing massive training drills in order to test its army's 'readiness'. A small group of F-15 fighter jets and around 100 personnel will visit the Scandinavian country, which borders Russia to the West, for training in May. Although Finland remains a 'neutral' country, it has edged closer to the NATO defence alliance in recent years, alarming Russian president Vladimir Putin. Scroll down for video A small group of U.S. F-15 fighter jets (pictured) will travel to Finland in May to carry out the military exercises Between 70 and 100 members of the Oregon Air National Guard will spent two weeks undertaking the exercises, which could yet include Norway and Sweden, Yle.fi reported. Mika Varvikko, an official at the Finnish Department of Defence, said: 'Co-operation with the U.S. is close and our co-operation on a practical level has been and will continue to remain tight.' Tensions with Russia have grown in recent years following Putin's aggressive power plays in eastern Europe and the Middle East. Relations remain at a low following its annexation of Crimea in 2014, its clandestine support for rebel forces in eastern Ukraine, and its bombing of Syria in support of Bashar al-Assad. Finland's announcement also comes a day after it was revealed Putin was scrambling 8,500 troops, 200 warplanes and 50 battleships from his military reserves in the south-west. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said yesterday the country's large military manoeuvres will feature airborne troops and military transport aviation, as well as the navy. He noted that the drills are intended to check the troops' ability to respond to extremist threats and other challenges. The manoeuvres will test the troops' mobility, with some being deployed to areas up to 1,800 miles away, the military said. Russia's military drills come as tensions with the West continue to worsen as it flexes its military might on the international stage Vladimir Putin has demonstrated his country's resurgent military might with an air campaign in Syria in support of president Bashar al-Assad Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said in a statement that up to 8,500 troops, 900 ground weapons, 200 warplanes and about 50 warships will be involved in the drills. Russia has demonstrated its resurgent military might with its air campaign in Syria, which helped President Bashar Assad's military win a series of victories in recent weeks. The military used the Syrian operation to test new types of weapons in actual combat for the first time, including long-range air-and-sea-launched cruise missiles. Two thirds of overseas child benefit payments goes to children in Poland It could see UK paying more to 800,000 Polish migrants than it does now Britain could have to pay more child benefit to Polish workers under the proposals in David Cameron's EU deal, it has emerged. A new scheme proposed by the Polish government would introduce a new 87-a-month child benefit payment that would hit Mr Cameron's plans to base the child benefit payments of EU migrants in the UK on the equivalent rate in their home country. The Polish plan, designed to encourage workers to stay in Poland and to have more children, would boost the benefits paid to the 800,000 Polish workers in the UK. Scroll down for video The Polish prime minister Beata Szydlo, pictured with David Cameron in Warsaw last week, is reportedly considering a proposal to bring in a new child benefit payment of 87 a-month, which would mean the UK could end up paying Polish migrants in the UK more under Mr Cameron's EU deal than they are currently paid News of the plan, reported in the Daily Telegraph, throws Mr Cameron's hopes of reducing the pull factor for EU migrants coming to the UK into chaos. Downing Street has hailed the agreement with Brussels over restricting benefit payments for EU migrants as a 'substantial change' to the current system, which allows EU migrants to claim child benefit payments for children living overseas. Figures released by the House of Commons library estimated around 34,000 children outside of the UK are in receipt of child benefit. Two thirds of those children - around 22,000 - are from Poland. The Polish prime minister Beata Szydlo has been one of the main opponents among EU leaders to Mr Cameron's plans to restrict EU migrants' access to benefits. She has expressed concern that the reforms would hit the 800,000 Poles currently living in the UK. But speaking last week, when Mr Cameron visited her in Warsaw, she signalled she would support Mr Cameron's plans for an 'emergency brake'. The plan for an 'emergency brake', which could be agreed by EU leaders at the crunch Brussels summit next week, would bar EU workers in Britain from claiming in-work benefits such as tax credits for the first two years of arriving in the UK and would then taper in the payments over the following two years. Polish Premier Beata Szydlo, pictured greeting Cameron in Warsaw last week, has been one of the main opponents to Mr Cameron's plans to restrict EU migrants' access to benefits. Mr Cameron's claim that the plan would cut net migration to the UK were dealt a blow as the former president of the European Commission said the 'emergency brake' would not stop EU workers heading to Britain. Jose Manuel Barroso said proposals to reform Britain's relationship with the EU were a 'creative and intelligent' compromise that 'could work'. But the former prime minister of Portugal dismissed David Cameron's calls for greater British sovereignty and said restrictions on in-work benefits would fail to deter workers moving to the UK. Britain has been 'leading' the EU and the 28-nation bloc would be 'weaker' if it left, he told BBC Two's Newsnight. Asked if an emergency brake on welfare would put migrants off from coming to Britain, he replied: 'No. Frankly not.' NEARLY 4,000 CHILDREN OFFERED ASYLUM IN UK AS ORPHANS WERE DEPORTED BACK TO WAR ZONES Britain deported more than 3,000 previously orphaned children to war-torn countries between 2007-2015, the Home Office said yesterday More than 3,000 children who were offered asylum in Britain over an eight-year period were deported back to war-torn countries, new figures have revealed. The Home Office admitted that it had miscalculated the number of youngsters sent back to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Albania. More than double the number were removed from Britain than previously thought, the immigration minister James Brokenshire said. The Government was told to 'get their act together' as many more unaccompanied vulnerable children are set to arrive in the UK over the coming years as conflicts intensify in the Middle East and north Africa. And Labour accused the Government of having 'seriously misjudged' the number of former orphans Britain had 'forcibly removed to war-torn countries'. The new figures are corrected statistics published by the Home Office after it had previously said just 1,616 children had been deported to the conflict-ridden countries between 2007 and 2015. The corrected figures - revealed in a response to a parliamentary question - show a total of 3,750 formerly unaccompanied asylum seeking children were removed in the eight-year period. Labour MP Louise Haigh said it was an 'astonishing' and 'completely unacceptable' mistake. 'The reality is that ministers have been basing their confident assurances on protecting these extremely vulnerable young people on a calamitous guesstimate which seriously misjudged the numbers they were forcibly removing to war-torn countries,' she said. Advertisement The Prime Minister wants new legislation to assert the sovereignty of Parliament as part of the reforms. But Mr Barroso said in the age of globalisation, sovereignty was better protected 'if we are together'. He said: 'A country of 60 or even 80 million people cannot defend its rights and values in front of countries with 1.3 billion or 1.5 billion if we are alone. So, we share sovereignty.' It comes as it emerged that businesses will be forced to set out the risks of Britain quitting the European Union in their annual results. Laws requiring directors to disclose major concerns to shareholders mean the final days of the referendum campaign are set to be dominated by the fears of major firms if the vote goes ahead on June 23 as widely anticipated. Some of Britain's largest companies, including Marks & Spencer and Tesco, posted their accounts in May and June last year. The Financial Reporting Council told The Daily Telegraph that directors were required to set out major risks under the Companies Act. A spokeswoman told the newspaper: 'Companies may well be considering the risks and uncertainties of the UK's renegotiation of its EU position and potential exit. 'Under the Companies Act if directors consider this to be a principal risk they should disclose that to their shareholders.' Brexit campaigners claimed the referendum was becoming an 'establishment stitch up'. Leave.EU founder Arron Banks told the newspaper: 'It seems to be that the every tool that the British establishment have will be deployed in trying to scare the public. 'After the vote there will be a two-year period to negotiate exit and therefore any financial impacts won't be clear until then. 'This is rapidly becoming an establishment stitch-up and I think the public see it for what it is.' Campaigners on both sides will step up their operations on Wednesday, with senior Tory figures Liam Fox and David Davisj joining Ukip's Nigel Farage and the DUP's Ian Paisley Jr to set out the 'good life after Brexit'. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron is launching his party's campaign for Britain to remain in the EU and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas will join the 'another Europe is possible' left-wing group pressing the case for 'in'. A spokesman for Vote Leave said: 'Even the EU's biggest advocate knows the PM's renegotiation is trivial. The final package won't bring powers home, won't cut the cost of Brussels and won't fix the fundamental flaws at the heart of the European Project. If the PM can't even get his own side to back the deal, why should the public? The only safe option is to Vote Leave.' Meanwhile an influential German politician has said holding a June referendum on Britain's future in Europe is 'too risky' because the EU migration crisis is set to get worse. Detlef Seif, who sits on the European affairs committee in the Bundestag, warned that migrants are expected to surge at the time Britain is expected to go to the polls on whether to remain part of the 28-nation bloc. He urged David Cameron to look at staging the vote in October or November, warning it would not be the 'best stroke of public relations ingenuity' if it coincided with a rise in numbers. Mr Seif told Lords European Union Committee: 'I believe that we are only at the beginning of the migration problem as we see it. 'If in June, and these are our expectations within our region in Germany, we will see 8,000-10,000 migrants coming every day, then it is quite clear that different steps are necessary to address the problem.' 'If I were the Prime Minister, I would consider this too risky a strategy,' he added. Mr Seif said there were 'hundreds of millions who just want to improve their standard of living'. The 'highest figures for the migration, I think, are really honestly only just coming', he added. Serial thief: Rosa Calaca, 45, has been convicted of stealing more than 3,500 worth of cosmetics in one trip to a branch of the discount store Wilko A Portuguese carer who turned to shoplifting after becoming addicted to heroin has been convicted of stealing more than 3,500 worth of cosmetics in one trip to discount store Wilko. Rosa Calaca, 45, was caught on CCTV shovelling 'handfuls' of items into shopping bags during one of five raids on the same shop in just nine days. The serial thief, who last July was handed a 12-week suspended prison sentence for shoplifting from Wilko and Morrisons, has now been convicted of five counts of theft between March 18 and 26 last year. She did not turn up to Horsham Magistrates' Court and was convicted in her absence. Staff at the Crawley branch Calaca targeted were unable to ascertain the exact value of the goods she stole, but it is estimated to be at least 4,000. Giving evidence, security officer Ryan Patterson said: 'A stock gap was identified at the store so an investigation began. 'On March 26 I saw a woman enter the store with a large bag and she walked up and down while other people were in the area. 'When the coast was clear she then emptied boxes of stock, it was all confectionery goods such as chocolate and mints, into her bag. 'She then walked straight out of the store without paying.' On this occasion 112 worth of stock was taken. A member of staff recognised a woman on CCTV footage as someone on the town's Shopwatch list - where different shops share pictures of shoplifters. Mr Patterson worked backwards through dates to find more CCTV of stock being taken - and Calaca appeared time and time again. He said: 'The face became familiar and imprinted in my mind. 'On March 25 she entered the store and appeared uncomfortable when staff were around her. 'Again when the coast was clear she emptied stock, this time worth 174, into a bag and left without attempting to pay.' Calaca's biggest shoplifting spree was on March 18 when she emptied a staggering 3,465 worth of cosmetics into her bag and walked straight out. Mr Patterson said: 'She spent 30 minutes walking up and down aisles taking handfuls of items before concealing them.' The security officer studied CCTV footage for four or five hours looking for Calaca. Targeted: The prolific shoplifter was caught on CCTV shovelling 'handfuls' of items into shopping bags during one of five raids on the same shop in Crawley, West Sussex (pictured) in just nine days in March last year He said: 'I am 100 per cent sure it is the same woman in each instance and I am 99.9 per cent confident that woman is Rosa Calaca. 'She would wear the same clothing, same hat, same shoes and have the same bag.' Prosecutor Christopher Prior said Calaca, from Crawley, West Sussex, was eventually arrested on April 14 after police had been put on alert to catch her. Caught: Calaca (pictured) did not turn up to Horsham Magistrates' Court and was convicted in her absence. She is due to be sentenced on February 26 Chair of the bench Elaine Richards said: 'We find the case to be proved. The prosecution witness was very reliable. 'He was able to identify Rosa Calaca as the person taking items without paying on these occasions on CCTV.' Calaca had six previous convictions for shoplifting between February 2013 and September 2014. These included stealing 24 products worth 395 from Body Shop and ten items of clothing from Bon Marche worth 211.50. After the trial a warrant was issued for Calaca's arrest but minutes after the case finished she appeared and was told to go and hand herself into police. She appeared in court the following day and was released on bail ahead of sentencing on February 26. Last July a court heard Calaca came to Britain from Portugal with her partner in 2002, who she later cared for. A probation officer said she started shoplifting around the time she became addicted to heroin. The number of sexual offence complaints almost quadrupled at this year's carnival in Cologne, despite heightened security aimed at preventing a repeat of the mass assaults that marred the city's New Year celebrations. A total of 66 complaints for sexual insults or aggression were lodged between last Thursday, when the carnival got underway, and Wednesday morning. The previous year there were 18 such reports, police said. Police also revealed they had to break up a mass brawl between asylum seekers and carnival goers when one of the refugees allegedly began to grope a teenage girl. The violent incident, which left three people hospitalised, occurred at the end of this year's Cologne Carnival, which police have now confirmed resulted in more crimes. Cologne police (pictured) had to break up a mass punch-up between asylum seekers and carnival goers when one of the refugees began to grope a teenage girl Police officers arrest a young man in Cologne. Police from Cologne and neighbouring Leverkusen said there had been 673 crimes reported at the carnival, of which 55 were of a sexual nature Outlining the incidents, police from Cologne and neighbouring Leverkusen said there had been 673 crimes reported. In addition, 432 people ended up being taken into custody. Police said all these figures represented an increase on the year before. The violent confrontation which ended carnival festivities this week happened when a group of asylum seekers clashed with carnival-goers. Police said a knife had been used and that three people were hospitalised as a result of the attack, which was started by an alleged sexual assault on a young woman by one of the refugees. They said that one of the asylum seekers, believed to be a 27-year-old from North Africa, had groped the 19-year-old and that the carnival-goers had stepped in to protect her. The Cologne and Leverkusen police force said officers calmed the situation down and made arrests. They also announced that they ordered bars and clubs in the Bahnhofstrasse area of Leverkusen to close in order to prevent the violence from spreading and going out of control. The members of the European Cups Commission (ECC) chaired by Roman Stanislavov gathered on Sunday and Monday at the CEV headquarters in Luxembourg City for their annual meeting.This was the first meeting since last years General Assembly and elections and so the new Commission chaired by Mr Stanislavov aimed to establish the general framework of their work for the next four years and distribute the tasks among the members which include a few newcomers.The Commission reviewed the current requirements set for each of the three European Cups, as well as the interconnection and position of each of them in the existing European Cups programme.The ECC members also assessed the implementation of the CEV Volleyball Competitions Regulations that entered into force last year and discussed a number of amendments, updates, and additions to this reference document. They also reviewed the exhaustive guidelines offered to all actors involved in the delivery of the European club competitions.The Commission took many positives from the delivery of the 2015 season with the two major highlights being the Final Four Tournaments of the CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League that took place in Berlin and Szczecin for men and women, respectively.The ECC received comprehensive feedback by the CEV Volleyball Department on the 2016 European Cups season, whilst checking a number of issues that have been dealt with since the 2016 campaign got underway in October 2015. The 2016 European Cups will reach their climax in late March / early April with the final stages of all six competitions, and with Italys Pomi Casalmaggiore and Polands Asseco Resovia Rzeszow playing host to the much anticipated Final Fours of Europes elite competition.Following a number of working groups and the initial conclusions made last year, the ECC also continued discussions about the future structure of the European Cups, with a focus on the Champions League. The primary goal is to improve the status of this already well-established competition on a global scale and the exposure that it enjoys across all media, including social networks.Based on these discussions, the ECC began preparations for the 2017 European Cups season and made initial plans for the respective Drawing of Lots. It also reviewed the programme of seminars which will be run to assist those working in the delivery of these competitions. He was said to have been hit by debris caused when it landed in a college Indian officials said the bus driver died after the rock plummeted to earth They say the 'crater' is not accurate and the rock itself is not from space Scientists have rubbished claims a meteorite killed a bus driver when the supposed space rock slammed into the grounds of an engineering college in India at the weekend. The small blue object landed in the college in Vellore, in Tamil Nadu state, shattering a water cooler and sending splinters and glass shards flying. Police had claimed the victim, a 40-year-old bus driver, was hit by the debris and died while being taken to hospital. Scroll down for video The small, blue object slammed into the ground at an engineering college in Vellore, in Tamil Nadu state, over the weekend, shattering a water cooler and sending splinters and shards flying, it was claimed He was standing on a patch of grass near the college cafeteria when he was killed. Two gardeners and a student were also injured. But the experts now say the shape of the crater, the absence of a sonic boom, a lack of debris and the green and blue colour of rock recovered from the scene all suggest some other cause. Lindley Johnson, a planetary defence officer for NASA, said the supposed 'crater' was likely to have been caused by a 'land based explosion'. She told The Times of India such a rare occurrence had never before been recorded - though there were reports of injuries caused by a meteorite shower in 2013. One senior scientist at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics said it was 'highly improbable' the green rock was a meteorite. And professor GC Anupama, the dean of the institute, said: 'Considering that there was no prediction of a meteorite shower and there was no meteorite shower observed, this certainly is a rare phenomena if it is a meteorite.' CB Devgun, who has been tracking meteorites for the last two decades, said the colour of the rock and absence of other particles ruled out a meteorite. He said: 'It cannot be a meteorite. It was a greenish colour and no other pieces of debris were found. 'Normally it would be a darkish yellow or darkish black in colour, just like burned coal, with a slightly melted surface.' The meteorite attribution was announced this week by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram, a former film star who is known for her authoritarian style. Local scientists are examining the stone and crater, but believe it is unlikely that the object is a meteorite The object, believed to have been pictured before it was cleaned up, is hard, jagged and small enough to be held in a closed hand Authorities inspect the site of the suspected meteorite landing at an engineering college in Tamil Nadu state She claimed the bus driver was killed by the meteorite at an engineering college and awarded a sum of 100,000 rupees (1,000) in compensation to his family. Jayalalithaa has a cult-like following in her state, with her pictures on prominent display in the offices of her party's politicians, as a sign of their unquestioning loyalty. Since her comments, state officials have been reluctant to discuss publicly what happened. A team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bangalore arrived in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday to inspect the 6.5ft-wide crater and collect the recovered rock sample, which is small enough to fit in a hand. In February 2013, a large meteor was photographed streaking across the sky above the Siberian city of Chelyabinsk. A Florida attorney is suing a colleague for $15,000 after claiming his hand was crushed and he was left in extreme pain when the pair shook hands at a children's birthday party. George Vallario Jr, 75, was at the 11th birthday party when fellow lawyer Peter Lindley arrived with his teenage daughter. On greeting each other, the pair exchanged a handshake, but Mr Vallario claims it was made with such 'ferocity, force, strength and violence' that is caused him to 'yelp in extreme pain'. George Vallario Jr, 75, who is suing a colleague Peter Lindley, right who he claims shook his hand so hard, it left him in extreme pain According to legal papers served on Mr Lindley, 59, the 'uncalled for' handshake caused his former friend injury and 'mental anguish'. Married Mr Vallario also claims that he was left experiencing pain in his right hand for at least a year after the party and that is why he is being forced to sue. The handshake took place at a party in Boca Raton, Florida, on February 8, 2014. Mr Vallario was already at the celebration hosted by his god-daughter Catherine Abbott, whose twins girls go to school with Mr Lindley's daughter. The senior citizen alleges in court papers served on Mr Lindley that the greeting was 'violent' and he 'immediately shouted out and was in pain'. Married Mr Vallario also claims that he was left experiencing pain in his right hand for at least a year after the party and that is why he is being forced to sue Friends of the pair are baffled by the impending legal case, by Mr Vallario, a grandfather-of-four, who insists the greeting caused him extreme pain. He said: 'I once had a nightclub in New York and I would shake 200 people's hands a night - that's what you did when you had a club - and nobody ever shook my hand so violently or forcefully as did Peter. Mr Vallario claims that even almost two years on, he is still experiencing pain from the incident 'As a consequence there of, that happened on a Saturday and by 2.20am Sunday morning I woke up with the most intense pain you can imagine. 'Monday I was at the orthopedic surgeon's office and I have just had the brace off now. The guy was just showing off. 'He's not a mean guy, he's a pleasant man, he was my lawyer when I needed civil work done, he's a nice guy, but he wanted to show me how strong he was. 'And do you know what? He's strong, God bless him. 'I'm 75 years old, and he's a strong, young, virile man, and I ain't an old man, but it hurts. '[When he shook my hand] I said "Holy cow! Pete, what's wrong with you man?" 'And he said "Do you have arthritis?" and I said "yeah" and he said "so does my mother." And Mr Vallario claims that despite suffering from extreme pain, he didn't receive any sort of apology. He added: 'After two days I sent him an email - "Dear Peter, no flowers? No candy? No card?" 'All he had to do was do something nice, but he wouldn't, so I did sue, and the case is coming up and one of these days soon. 'I don't know why he is so strong. He may have started a new work out regiment, I really don't know. 'He is not a bad guy, but he did something stupid, and that's why they call it negligence. Mr Vallario, left wearing a support on his hand, declined an out of court settlement of $500 from Mr Lindley and has decided to take the case to court 'It's not a crime but it is negligent to be so silly. 'I'm looking at my hand right now and it is just scary. It is swollen, the joint and the vein is sticking out. It was two years ago.' It is understood Mr Lindley will argue in court that his former friend didn't shout out in pain and they chatted in a friendly way for the rest of the four-hour party. The pair have argued back and forth in an attempt to settle the disagreement outside court. But when Mr Lindley made an offer of settlement of $500, Mr Vallario decided to take the case to a civil trial in court this year. Paul Keenor, 23, was driving a Toyota Celica on Wall Hill Road in Ashurst Wood, near East Grinstead, when it crashed just before midnight on August 1 A firefighter who was thrown from his car and killed while responding to a 999 false alarm was not wearing his seatbelt, an inquest has heard. Paul Keenor, 23, a father-of-two, rushed from a party to an emergency call when his car crashed into a wall on August 1 last year. The building contractor, from Ashurst Wood, was a crew member with East Sussex Fire and Rescue. Coroner David Skipp heard evidence from Mr Keenor's father, Graham, and a collision investigator from Sussex Police, Roland Watmore at the inquest held in Horsham. Mr Keenor lost control of his Toyota Celica at about 11.55pm when coming out of a bend. He was not wearing a seatbelt and fell from his car when it collided with the wall. There was no evidence to show he had suffered a medical problem or encountered an animal in the road, with Mr Watmore concluding he simply lost control of the vehicle. He had been at a party before answering the emergency call from the fire station but his alcohol level was below the drink-drive limit. His father, Graham, a retired police officer, told the court: 'He was always on the go. He was such a lovely lad and was always trying to help people. 'When his alerter went off (from the fire station) I thought "he should be staying with us". He was having a good time and was happy.' At the inquest, the court heard that if he had been wearing a seatbelt, he may have remained in the car. But the collision investigator did not say whether he felt this could have saved Mr Keenor's life. Coroner Mr Skipp said: 'Mr Keenor did have a desire get out ... and help people. 'We just don't know (exactly) what happened and we never will. 'I think it is sad when a young man loses his life and I offer the family my condolences.' The coroner recorded a verdict of death by road traffic collision. A fireman's helmet sat on top of the coffin in a poignant tribute to the part-time firefighter who died while answering an emergency call which turned out to be a false alarm Hundreds of people attended Mr Keenor's funeral in August last year where his fire engine, JCB and jet ski led the procession Mr Keenor, a talented rugby player, was father to Vincent, three, and Charlie, one, at the time of his death. In 2013, he rescued a family - including a baby - who had become stranded in heavy snow. Hundreds of people attended his funeral in August last year where his fire engine, JCB and jet ski led the procession. Four cases of the Zika virus have been confirmed in Britain, health officials revealed today. Public Health England said the pandemic feared to cause abnormally small skulls and brain damage in babies was identified in the last six weeks in those infected. A committee of MPs in Westminster were told that the four cases were 'travel associated' and not believed to have been contracted in the UK. Pandemic: Heath officials revealed today that four cases of the Zika virus have been confirmed in Britain. They are linked to the current outbreak which has swept through South America, including in Brazil (pictured) Precaution: Flights to the UK from countries hit by the Zika virus will be sprayed with insecticides to stop the virus spreading. Pictured is a plane in Thailand being sprayed in June 2015 to stop the spread of MERS Speaking to the Science and Technology Committee, Public Health England's Dr Dilys Morgan said that there had been seven travel associated cases documented in the UK in the past three years. Six of the cases are linked to the current outbreak in South America, including four since the start of the year. She also said that officials 'expected to see more cases' of travel associated infections. According to the Daily Telegraph, Dr Morgan said: 'We have had seven cases, six associated with the current outbreak in South America, in the past three years. 'We have four of those in 2016 so we are seeing cases coming back. We have raised awareness so people are more aware of the infections. 'We are likely to see more cases.' It comes just over a week after the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak, which has swept through South and Central America since last summer, an international public health emergency over fears the virus has triggered a surge in cases of the birth defect microcephaly. The UK government also announced last Thursday that aircraft flying into the UK from countries hit by the Zika virus would be sprayed with insecticides to stop the virus spreading. To combat mosquitos that might have entered aircraft travelling to Europe in the cabins, insecticide will be sprayed to kill them off. Spreading: Public Health England said the virus carried by mosquitos and feared to cause abnormally small skulls and brain damage in babies was identified in the last six weeks in those infected Meanwhile, when asked what advice GPs are giving to patients who have travelled to affected countries, Dr Morgan told MPs today: 'We are dealing with these cases all the time. 'It very much depends on where the woman has been, what the woman has done, has she gone to an area of high transmission where there have been lots of cases reported? I think there is a gradation of the risk which we can give. 'I dont feel we should be worrying these women too much when not every foetus will be affected, we dont know what the proportion is but we know it is probably low looking at the numbers so I think there are various reassurances we can give, but what we shouldnt do is give reassurances about the evidence.' When asked if there was anything going on to track the number of people that are presenting to their GPs with worries about Zika, she added: 'There are various surveillance schemes that are ongoing. What we are doing is explaining what we do know and how best people can be protected, reassuring them that there is no risk to the UK population Dr Dilys Morgan, from Public Health England 'We are tracking the women who ring in to Public Health England, because that is all centrally logged, with their worries.' She added: 'What we are doing is explaining what we do know and how best people can be protected, reassuring them that there is no risk to the UK population. 'It is a risk to travellers, of those travellers your risk of acquiring Zika depends on where you are travelling - you are likely to get a very mild illness if you notice anything at all but if you are pregnant then you may be at risk of an abnormal foetus which is obviously devastating. 'We have been trying to communicate those risks and we have been working with the medical profession so that when women do go and want to discuss it with their healthcare providers then they are in a better position of how to advise them.' The hearing on the virus comes as the UK medicines watchdog has pledged its support to counter the outbreak. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as a member of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities - which brings together 21 medicine regulators from across the world, has said it will work to fight against the virus. An MHRA spokesman said that priorities are to support the rapid development of diagnostic tests as well as vaccines and treatments against Zika. The Zika virus is carried by two types of mosquito. In the majority of cases, around 80 per cent, people infected show no symptoms. In the remaining 20 per cent of a cases sufferers will typically experience fever, rash, joint and muscle pain, red eyes and headache, which can last from several days to a week. Patricia Mallon, the oldest winner of The Weakest Link, died after her electric armchair burst into flames while she sleeping, an inquest has heard The oldest winner of The Weakest Link died after her electric armchair burst into flames while she was sleeping in it, an inquest has heard. Grandmother-of-six Patricia Mallon, who won the BBC quiz show in 2010, died after the chair burst into flames at her home in Bournemouth, Dorset. An inquest into her death heard that Ms Mallon was asleep at the time but that her fluid, believed to be her urine, had caused a spark in the chair's mechanism. The 84-year-old, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and had limited mobility, then set off her personal alarm as the flames spread. She was found by firemen lying on the floor with burns to her back. She was rushed to Southmead Hospital, Bristol, where she died three weeks later from multiple organ failure, pneumonia and burns with smoke inhalation. At the inquest, Mr Sheriff Payne, the Dorset coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental death. But he said he would write to manufacturers Sherborne Upholstery in a bid to prevent anything similar happening again. He said: 'I will write a report to the manufacturers and ask if there are any steps they can take which might mitigate any events happening in future.' Ms Mallon took part in The Weakest Link when she was 78 and won 1,150. Anne Robinson, the show's notoriously tough host, congratulated her afterwards and told Ms Mallon that she was the show's oldest winner. But, after appearing on the show, she started to lose her mobility and later bought the electric armchair. The chairs are designed to make it easier for someone to get up from where they are sitting. Stuart Granger, of Dorset Fire and Rescue service, investigated the case and said Ms Mallon had released fluids which seeped into the mechanism of the armchair, causing the fire. He said there was no evidence the fire had been started deliberately and the insurance company's investigator had corroborated his findings. He said the chair - a recliner-style chair known as a 'lift and rise' - was found to rarely have any manufacturing faults. Mr Granger said: 'There is no evidence to suggest the fire had been started deliberately. 'In my gathered opinion, the most likely cause of this fire was an electrical fault in the chair, caused by the ingress of fluid into the chair.' Ms Mallon took part in The Weakest Link when she was 78 and won 1,150. Anne Robinson congratulated her afterwards and told Ms Mallon that she was the show's oldest winner (file picture) Ms Mallon's daughters Claire Leslie, Delia Gorse, Maria Mallon and Anne Lydon described their mother as a 'very colourful character'. Mrs Leslie said the chair was her mother's 'pride and joy'. She said: 'It would be just horrific for this to happen again. Elderly people do often suffer from incontinence. The majority of these chairs are bought by the elderly. 'Is it something that should be investigated by the manufacturers? 'That has to be looked at because this was a tragedy. It's terrible but something's got to be done.' The families of the Birmingham pub bombing victims will face a further agonising wait after a coroner ordered police to produce evidence following claims they were tipped off by an IRA mole. It was suggested to the Birmingham and Solihull coroner Louise Hunt, hearing an application to resume an inquest into the deaths of the 21 killed in 1974, there was reason to believe it's the case. Ashley Underwood QC, representing some of the victims' families, also said there was suspicion among them that West Midlands Police lied to gain the wrongful convictions of the Birmingham Six. And on the first of what was scheduled to be three days of submissions, Ms Hunt said today that she was adjourning proceedings because of an evidential vacuum around claims made by the lawyer. Birmingham Six: (From left) John Walker, Paddy Hill, Hugh Callaghan, [plus Chris Mullen MP], Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter and William Power celebrate their release from prison in 1991 after serving 16 years Appearance: Mr Hill, one of the men wrongly jailed over the Birmingham pub bombings, arrives for the inquest review into the bombings at the Civic Suite in Solihull today Addressing the families at the hearing in Solihull, West Midlands, she said: I know you've waited a long time and it's never helpful to wait a little longer but I want to get everything right. A provisional decision date has been set by the coroner for April 6. The six men were released in 1991 after their convictions for murder were overturned by the Court of Appeal. The force's barrister, Jeremy Johnson QC, told Ms Hunt that the force's own chief constable had no principled objection to the resumption but claimed the coroner had no legal jurisdiction in the case. However, he added West Midlands Police would comply with the coroner's direction to supply any documents, statements and supporting evidence on a number of key factors raised by the families. On the night of November 21, blasts ripped through the city centre Tavern in the Town and the Mulberry Bush pubs, packed with pre-Christmas revellers. The bombings, which also left 182 people injured, are widely acknowledged to have been carried out by the IRA. Victim's families: (Left to right) Margaret Smith, mother of Maxine Hambleton, Bill Craig, brother of James Craig and Jane Hambleton, sister of Maxine Hambleon, arrive for the inquest review into the bombings today Interested parties: Julie Hambleton (left), sister of Birmingham pub bombings victim Maxine Hambleton, and Paul Rowlands (right), son of Birmingham pub bombings victim John Rowlands, arrive at the inquest review Mr Underwood said it would be a question for any future inquest as to why police might have lied to gain convictions, but suggested one such reason may be that officers wanted to cover up their informant's involvement. He said: These were appalling deaths and the only reason it's not been investigated, as common sense dictates, is the false convictions. I know you've waited a long time and it's never helpful to wait a little longer but I want to get everything right Louise Hunt, Birmingham and Solihull coroner These cry out for a proper, fearless investigation which represents the best closure these relatives can have. Putting forward the families' application to resume the inquest, the barrister added: There is reason to believe the gang of murderers had an informant in their ranks and that the police knew in advance. And there is reason to believe the police had sufficient time, between the telephone warnings and the first bomb going off, to evacuate - and that the emergency services could have arrived earlier - but that records about those things were falsified. He recounted a 2014 newspaper interview with one of the Birmingham Six, Paddy Hill, also sitting in the coroner's court at Solihull today, who raised the subject of the alleged informer. Mr Underwood, addressing the coroner, said: I can't say if that's true, that's for an inquest to determine. Bombs in 1974: On the night of November 21, blasts ripped through the city centre Tavern in the Town (above) and the Mulberry Bush pubs, packed with pre-Christmas revellers Destroyed: A mass of rubble forms the remnants of the Mulberry Bush pub in Birmingham in November 1974 Mulberry Bush: The pub itself in Birmingham where so many casualties occurred in 19was left shattered by the bomb while many windows far from the source of the explosion were broken by the blast But if it is (true), then the police had a mole in the gang which raises the question, did they know it was going to happen and did they lie to the (criminal) court to cover their knowledge of that, and cover their mole?' He said there was a very compelling case to resume the inquest to provide answers for the victims and their loved ones. If it is (true), then the police had a mole in the gang which raises the question, did they know it was going to happen and did they lie to the (criminal) court to cover their knowledge of that, and cover their mole? Ashley Underwood QC, representing some of the victims' families Before hearing submissions, Ms Hunt had requested West Midlands Police's legal counsel Mr Johnson provide her with a list of lost evidence, including an unexploded third bomb. A separate police review of evidence in the case, ending in 2014, discovered that of the 168 original exhibits listed for the Birmingham Six trial, 35 items could not be located. Opening the hearing, the coroner said: This was a terrible atrocity resulting in the deaths of innocent people and serious injury to many more but unfortunately this hearing is going to focus very much on legal argument, so I'm sorry about that but I think it's necessary for me to make the decision that needs to be made. Outlining the current state of the police's criminal investigation into the bombings, Mr Johnson said there had been three developments in the case including new potential forensic evidence, a book by a former IRA spymaster Kieran Conway, and a first-hand account from a now dead West Midlands fireman Alan Hill. Vigil: Friends and relatives of the Birmingham Six - including Ann Farreh (centre right), the daughter of jailed Richard McIlkenny - gather outside police headquarters in the West Midlands to protest in March 1990 Movement: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (centre, then only an MP), with National Birmingham Six Campaign members Breda Power (left) and Maggie McIlkenny (right) at the Houses of Parliament in March 1990 Inquests were opened and adjourned at the time, but never resumed as a result of the Birmingham Six's convictions in August 1975. BIRMINGHAM SIX: JAILED & FREED 1974 : Bombs at Tavern in the Town and Mulberry Bush pubs in Birmingham kill 21 people and injure 182 others 1975 : Paddy Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerard Hunter, William Power and John Walker all convicted of 21 counts of murder. 1976 : First appeal against convictions made by Birmingham Six is dismissed 1985 : Documentary programmes lead to concern about case against them 1987 : Home Office refers convictions to Court of Appeal 1988 : Appeal dismissed and convictions ruled 'safe and satisfactory' 1990 : Fresh evidence prompts Home Secretary to again refer convictions to Court of Appeal 1991 : Birmingham Six were freed after 16 years in jail 2001 : Awarded wrongful imprisonment compensation between 840,000 and 1.2 million 2014 : Former senior IRA officer Kieran Conway admits group was involved in bombings 2015 : Coroner begins considering whether to reopen inquest into victims deaths Advertisement Concluding, Ms Hunt said she needed more information before making any decision on a resumption of the original inquests. Making her order, the coroner asked for any information held by the police in relation to the timing of the bombings and any evidence that the State had advance notice of the bombings. She also asked the force for any evidence held surrounding whether or not there was an informant, and whether the response to telephoned bomb warnings was delayed. The police must also now disclose anything relating to falsification of documents by West Midlands Police for the purposes of protecting any informants or anyone else. A summary of the previous police investigations carried out since 1991 was also requested, along with a list of lost and destroyed evidence from the original criminal investigation. An internal police review ending in 2014 found that of 168 original exhibits listed for the Birmingham Six trial, 35 items could not be located. All the information must be provided to the coroner by March 4, added Ms Hunt, along with a statement from a senior officer which can be made public. Earlier, she described the events of that night as a terrible atrocity resulting in the deaths of innocent people and serious injury to many more. Speaking outside court after the hearing, Julie Hambleton - whose then 18-year-old sister Maxine was killed by the Tavern bomb - said the families had been left in limbo by West Midlands Police. They know how long we have been waiting and still they are keeping us waiting Julie Hambleton, whose sister Maxine was killed by the Tavern bomb She added: The police have failed to provide material that was asked for months ago. Its frustrating and it's offensive. What have we done to be treated with such contempt? They know how long we have been waiting and still they are keeping us waiting. All we want is for the police to provide the coroner with everything she's asked for. It can't be that hard, surely. We miss Maxine today as we did the night it happened. We will fight endlessly for truth and justice for our loved ones. These people have no voice but the survivors do. We will fight to our dying breath. To Kill a Mockingbird is set to hit the Broadway stage. The Pulitzer Prize-winning American classic, which was written by Harper Lee and released in 1960, will be appearing on Broadway for the very first time and is expected to premiere during the 2017-18 theater season. The rights for the stage adaptation were acquired by Tony and Oscar-winning Producer Scott Rudin who has tapped a fellow Oscar winner to adapt the novel - Aaron Sorkin. Scroll down for video Big announcement: Aaron Sorkin (left last week in LA) will adapt Harper Lee's (right in 2011) To Kill a Mockingbird for the Broadway stage Big name: Producer Scott Rudin (above with Amy Pascal in 2011) obtained the rights to the novel which was released in 1960 'To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most revered pieces of 20th century American literature,' Sorkin said in an interview with The New York Times. 'It lives a little bit differently in everybodys imagination in the way a great novel ought to, and then along I come. Im not the equal of Harper Lee. No one is.' It is not the first time the book will be making the leap to the stage, with a 1991 production at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse being the first time the book was adapted and more recently a version premiering at London's Barbican Theatre in 2013 with actor Robert Sean Leonard taking on the role of Atticus Finch. The character of Finch has become mired in controversy ever since Lee's second novel, Go Set a Watchmen, was released last year 55 years after her debut. In that story Finch, who was the moral center of Mockingbird as he defended a young black man against false rape charges, had become a bigot who was opposed to racial integration in the South. 'The Atticus we do is going to be the Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird,' said Rudin. 'Hes one of the greatest characters ever created in American literature.' Also making the character a difficult one to adapt for the stage will be the fact that Gregory Peck is considered by many to have given one of the all-time great screen performances when he played the trial lawyer and single father in the 1962 film version. Classic: The 1962 film version of the book won an Oscar for Gregory Peck (above with Mary Badham) for his portrayal of Atticus Finch Premiere: The will be the first time that Lee (left in 1960) has allowed her novel (right) to be staged on Broadway Peck won an Oscar for his role and the film also won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Rudin - who as a producer won Tony Awards last year for Best Play (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) and Best Revival of a Play (Skylight) - said he spent two years trying to get the rights before Lee, 89, finally accepted his offer. 'While Nelle had always had misgivings about anyone who might want to bring To Kill a Mockingbird to Broadway - and there have been many approaches over the years - she finally decided that Scott would be the right person to embrace this,' said her agent, Andrew Nurnberg. And while it seems unlikely the the notoriously reclusive Lee would make the trip up to New York City to see the play, she can still catch one stage version as her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama will once again be putting on the play as it has done ever year for the past 26 years. Amber Harper's dogs got loose while she spent three weeks in the hospital. During that time, animal control picked up the dogs and brought them to a shelter where one of them was put down A woman who spent weeks in the hospital came home only to find one of her three dogs had been put down by the Humane Society. Amber Harper's brother watched her beloved pets while she spent three weeks in a Sebastian County, Arkansas, hospital. During that time, the three dogs got loose and were caught by animal control and brought to the Humane Society. The Humane Society has a five-day stray hold policy before the dogs become the shelter's property. One of Amber's dogs, a blue heeler named Blue, was said to be aggressive and unmanageable. When Amber arrived at the shelter to bring her dogs home, she learned that Blue had been euthanize. 'Two of them were in the cage together, and I asked, "'Where's my third one?" 'They said, "I don't know, she's here somewhere," and they finally brought out some paperwork. 'They said, "Oh we put her down,"' Amber told 5News. Amber said she didn't have any way to retrieve the dogs while she was in the hospital because the Humane Society said she was the one who had to pick them up. 'They were my dogs, I had to be the one because the Human Society has to get your license, and fill out a bunch of paperwork,' Amber said. Amber's blue heeler named Blue was 'aggressive' and unmanageable, which is why she was put down 'Ill miss her, just have to move on.' 'I can't do anything about it,' Amber said. The shelter normally charges pet owners $18 a day per pet for boarding fees, but is only charging adoption fees to return the dogs. An anonymous donor has come forward to pay the adoption fees for Harper, which she said cost $150. 'Its great because I was really scrambling trying to figure this out, Harper said. I didn't really know what to do,' Amber said. She will pick up Blaze and Pryor, her two other dogs, on Thursday and go home without Blue. Amber will be able to pick up her two remaining dogs, Blaze and Pryor (pictured, center and right) tomorrow With 92% of the vote counted in New Hampshire, Sanders had 60% compared to Clinton's 38% The meeting between the men is similar to the one Sharpton had around the same time and at the same place with Obama during the 2008 primary Four out of five African Americans prefer Clinton to Sanders in that state, and they make up over half the Democratic voters The meeting comes as the two opponents head to South Carolina, where Hillary is the overwhelming favorite among African-American voters this afternoon as he interviews her for an MSNBC piece which will run this weekend Bernie Sanders is trying to improve his standing with the African-American community in more ways than one. In New York City this morning, just hours after he clobbered Hillary Clinton, gaining 60 percent of the Democratic vote in New Hampshire, he met with a possible new ally powerful civil right activist Al Sharpton. Sanders then hopped over to the set of 'The View' where he talked about the meeting and why his candidacy might be of interest to the African-American community. 'We have a lot of support within the African-American community, but I think most importantly, I think the reason we'll do well is our views on criminal justice in this current country and that is, we have a broken criminal justice system,' Sanders said. 'When a police officer breaks the law, like any other public official, that officer must he held accountable,' Sanders added, referring to the officer shootings of unarmed black men that have inspired the protest movement 'Black Lives Matter.' Scroll down for video Bernie Sanders went on The View this morning and talked about why black Americans might be interested in his candidacy, suggesting their views were aligned on criminal justice reform Bernie Sanders, sitting next to The View's Raven-Symone, briefly discussed his meeting with Al Sharpton, saying he only consumed a half of cup of coffee at the popular NYC breakfast spot In honor of Valentine's Day, Candace Cameron-Bure asked guest Bernie Sanders to say one nice thing about a number of the candidates. When asked about Sen. Ted Cruz, Sanders simply said 'loud' New friends: Bernie Sanders met with the Reverend Al Sharpton for breakfast on Wednesday morning at Sylvia's in Harlem Fist bumb: Sanders and Sharpton both greeted the crowd as they entered the restaurant Bernie Sanders said he was 'disappointed' in Bill Clinton's heightened rhetoric against him, adding that he hopes the Democrats could stick to an issues-oriented campaign Feeling the Bern? The View's Joy Behar gives Bernie Sanders a squeeze as the Vermont senator took a victory lap with the hosts of the daytime talk show after winning big in New Hampshire last night Sanders' meeting with Sharpton took place at Sylvia's, the famed comfort food restaurant, which is located just one block from Bill Clinton's former office in Harlem. Oddly enough, the Reverend will then head off to meet with Clinton for an interview that will air this Sunday morning on his MSNBC show PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton. When asked about the meet on 'The View,' Sanders said, 'well, it wasn't much of a breakfast, I only had half a cup of coffee.' He then explained his growing support within the black community. Sanders named a couple of surrogates that he expected would serve him well, as the dueling Democrats move on from New Hampshire to Nevada and then South Carolina. Sanders has always had the support of thinker Cornell West, who's been making passionate pleas for the Vermonter in early contest states. The senator also pointed to former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner and Rep. Keith Ellison, a Minnesota congressman who is one of only two members of Congress who are Muslim. Sanders also added to his roster last week Ben Jealous, the former head of the NAACP. On a conference call with reporters, Jealous pledged to promote Sanders to other black leaders in the South, in advance of the party's first Southern primary on Feb. 27, which is held one week after the GOP contest. On 'The View' today Sanders also repeated two points that he often talks about on the stump. First that youth African-American unemployment sits at 51 percent. 'Don't tell me we do not need to invest heavily in the African-American community and create decent paying jobs,' Sanders said. He also railed Wall Street for getting away with crashing the economy without penalty, while a kid who smokes pot could have his future messed up over a criminal charge a storyline that happens disproportionately in black communities. 'Some kid in New York City picked up with marijuana today will have a police record for the rest of his life,' Sanders pointed out. 'But if you're an executive on Wall Street whose illegal behavior helped destroy the economy, not a problem. Good day: The meeting comes after Sanders' decisive win in New Hampshire and took place just a block away from Bill Clinton's old office Chatting it up: The two men were photographed enjoying coffee as they chatted with one another Keep in touch: They hugged as they departed the restaurant and as Sharpton headed off to interview Hillary Clinton Your browser does not support the iframe HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later. Trying to explain his more widespread appeal, Sanders noted, 'And I think people are upset about that.' Sanders took a whacking over the weekend courtesy of former President Bill Clinton on his wife's behalf. 'I was disappointed in President Clinton,' Sanders said on the show. 'I've known him for 25 years and I like him, I respect him and I hope this campaign does not degenerate ... let's keep it on the issues, not making personal attacks.' Candace Cameron-Bure had this sentiment in mind when she reminded Sanders that it would soon be Valentine's Day and asked the senator to say a nice word about a number of his political rivals. 'Intelligent,' came to mind when Hillary Clinton's name came up. Sanders doled out a 'humble' to Donald Trump, which was clearly a joke. And for Ted Cruz, Sanders just assigned 'loud.' 'Is that nice?' Cameron-Bure mused. Jane Sanders also played nice when asked about Trump's appeal. Bernie Sanders celebrated his victory last night playing hoops, so did the same today with the ladies of The View, who sauntered over to the hoop in their high heels Bernie's wife Jane Sanders was asked to explain how voters could pick both a Bernie Sanders and a Donald Trump. She said the two shared a 'surface commonality' in getting away from the style of prepared and polished rhetoric Host Raven-Symone asked how voters could go for Sanders, but also Trump, trying to link together last night's victories from each of the political parties. 'I think they find a commonality, a surface commonality in terms of people saying what they think and not being part of the inside crowd, just saying whatever is polished and prepared by speech writers and by pollsters,' Janes Sanders said. THE VIEW FEELS THE BERN 'The kids love you.' - Joy Behar 'The whole journey has been quite something. People fainting. They're screaming and passing out ... it's a wonderful thing that's happened.' - Whoopi Goldberg 'To me, Bernie's a young man.' - Joy Behar Advertisement 'I think that's the best face I can put on it considering Valentine's Day is around the corner,' the political spouse added. The ladies of 'The View' also had some fun with Sanders. They brought out a tub of his special edition ice cream, created by Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's fame, which is named 'Bernie's Yearning.' 'I'm tasting this for the very first time,' Sanders said, sampling the mint and chocolate concoction that is supposed to symbolize the struggles of those not in the top 1 percent. 'Mmm, really good,' the candidate said. 'Excellent. I'm not just saying that because it's Bernie's yearning.' The women, having learned that Sanders celebrated his New Hampshire victory with some basketball, decided to also join the candidate for a little hoops. 'Everybody got on heels today,' Raven-Symone noted, though still clopped over to the basketball hoop to play the game with Sanders. Sanders sit down with Sharpton could not come at a worse time, especially as this meeting echoes the one Sharpton had with President Barack Obama back in 2008 shortly before he defeated Clinton in the primary and went on to win the election. And in that primary Clinton had actually defeated the then-Illinois senator in New Hampshire, getting the exact same percentage of the vote as she did Tuesday night - though in 2008 it was a three-person race in New hampshire with John Edwards having yet to drop out of the primary. The two men were seen smiling and waving as they left the restaurant, and even shared a hug before Sanders headed off. Sharpton also tweeted a photo of the two inside the restaurant, writing; 'I am meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders at Sylvia's Restaurant in Harlem.' The gathering of people outside the restaurant was so massive that crowd barriers had been set in place, with many cheering as the two men walked in a little after 8am, emerging from the same car. They were also joined by Sanders' wife Jane. Timing: The meeting comes as the race heads to South Carolina, where Hillary is the overwhelming favorite among African American voters Rock stars: Barriers had to be put in place to keep the massive crowd at bay for the meeting between the two Needed boost: Four out of five African Americans prefer Clinton to Sanders in South Carolina , and they make up over half the Democratic voters No comment: Sharpton has yet to endorse a candidate in the race at this point While Clinton did lose New Hampshire, she did manage to to score more votes than Sanders among African Americans and Latinos, with her campaign saying she scored a double-digit lead over her opponent with those groups. Sanders support base at this point has been largely young white voters, but as the primary race moves to South Carolina he will need to connect with African Americans, who represent half of the registered Democrats in that state. Clinton also had actresses Angela Bassett and Vivica A. Fox campaigning for her in the state on Tuesday, and Bassett took over her Twitter account for the day. The $25 million political organization Every Citizen Count, which is politically aligned with Clinton, is expected to point its efforts toward driving registration and turnout among African-American and Latino voters, which could give the former secretary of state a boost. African Americans currently prefer Clinton over Sander by a margin of 3 to 1 according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Sharpton has yet to endorse a candidate in the race. 'I think that they have dealt with the reality that if people are going to address issues they will have to address them with the people involved in the issues,' Sharpton said in an interview with The Daily Beast. 'You cannot appoint our leadership for us.' He then added; 'We are not monolithic. They have to talk to us trans-generationally.' Clinton and Sharpton hug this past June at the funeral of Reverend Clementa Pinckney, who was killed in the Charleston, South Carolina church shooting Odd couple: Sharpton and Trump have appeared together before at events (above in 2006) Eerie: The meeting between the men is similar to the one Sharpton had around the same time and at the same place with Obama during the 2008 primary (Sharpton and Obama above in April 2014) Allies: Clinton before he addressed the Ninth Annual National Action Network Convention in 2007 As it currently stands, four out of five African Americans in South Carolina are in favor of Clinton, giving her a massive lead in the state. There is also one other major player whose endorsement could greatly help either of the candidates - President Barack Obama. Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo to reporters on Tuesday; 'It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African American and Hispanic voters.' Bill Clinton was referred to by some as the 'first black president' both during and after his time in office, though in a 2011 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live he told the host; 'I loved being called the first black president, but Barack Obama really is.' The Clintons support from the African-American community became strained however during her 2008 primary against Obama, with Sharpton one of the first to back the senator. At the beginning of the primary, Clinton actually had an edge over Obama with female African-American voters, but that soon disappeared, especially after she made an ill-advised comment about Martin Luther King Jr., saying; 'Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act. It took a president to get it done.' See more of the latest on Marco Rubio at www.dailymail.co.uk/marcorubio Rubio is off to South Carolina to try to regain momentum Marco Rubio turned his ire on the media today as his opponents reveled in his stunning fall from grace in New Hampshire. The 44-year-old United States senator last night admitted that he failed his supporters in a Saturday evening debate and his performance was not as strong as he'd been proclaiming. 'Many people are disappointed. I'm disappointed. Our disappointment is not on you. It's on me,' he said. 'We did not do well on Saturday and so listen to this: That will never happen again.' This morning the Florida lawmaker made a similar claim but said he wouldn't have lost Tuesday's New Hampshire primary if it hadn't been for extensive media coverage of gaffes. And he claimed he would still be the last Republican standing. 'We're gonna be the nominee,' he said on the Today show. 'It's just gonna take a little longer, but we're gonna get there.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO The morning after the night before: Marco Rubio turned his ire on the media this morning as he reveled in his stunning fall from grace in New Hampshire Getting out of dodge: Rubio and his sons Anthony and Dominick walk across the tarmac this morning before departing from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport after his fifth place finish A bit of light reading? Rubio boards a charter plane to depart for South Carolina clutching several books, including The Twelfth Imam, a Christian fiction book by Joel C Rosenberg Your browser does not support the iframe HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later. 'The debate is the debate, and I don't think people at home analyze it the same way as the media,' he said. 'The problem is that 72 hours later the media fixated on that.' Rubio said, 'The last thing people heard about our campaign in many cases was something bad happened on Saturday night with Marco Rubio.' The freshman senator came in fifth place after a better-than-expected third in Iowa that could have propelled him into second in New Hampshire. Instead, John Kasich took second in the Granite State, losing only to Donald Trump, Ted Cruz came in third and Rubio rival Jeb Bush, also from Florida, came in fourth. Roughly 1,500 votes separated Rubio from Bush in the primary. To catch Cruz he would have needed another 3,000. That's 'enough in an election like this to make a difference,' he proclaimed on Today. He then said, 'To the extent that we finished shorter than what we wanted to, it was because of me' and that's 'something that's never going to happen again.' Rubio rebuffed political analysts saying he didn't have a bad debate - he's a bad candidate, saying, 'That's absurd.' 'No one in this race....has shown greater depth, knowledge, understanding or greater judgement on the foreign policy issues than I have.' I can even prove it, he declared to Today show host Savannah Guthrie. 'You can ask me any question you want on any policy issue you would like....I don't know what you're gonna ask me.' 'What really hurts is you cant get any other message out because all they want to ask you about the debate that night,' he said, reflecting on his New Hampshire loss. Still, he believes he will ultimately come out on top in the GOP race. 'Donald Trump's not gonna be the Republican nominee,' he confidently stated. Marco runs on Dunkin: Rubio attempted to raise spirits on the plane with some donuts for the family, including his daughter Amanda, left In flight: Rubio puts on a brave face as he talks with reporters on board his charter flight from Manchester Rubio similarly argued on Fox and Friends,'Obviously Saturday night, the debate went the way it went and then the media coverage over the last 72 hours was very negative about it and so forth. 'So the last thing that voters heard before going into the booth or yesterday was, you know, something bad happened on Saturday night. So it made it very difficult for us to get any other message across.' He said,'I felt bad, our supporters work worked really hard. They did a great job. Our team here did a great job. 'To the extent that we finished shorter than we wanted to, I think it had to do with the fact that Saturday night and the last three days and the coverage. So that's on me. 'That ain't ever going to happen again,' he promised, and said his team was 'looking forward to South Carolina.' 'We're headed there right now. We're getting back on the road here. We're going to win this campaign. We're going to win this primary. It's important for the country and I'm fired up about that.' Rubio came into New Hampshire buoyed by Marcomentum after his Iowa showing. He was quickly derailed and placed fifth in the New Hampshire polls after Trump, Kasich, Cruz and Bush. With just 10.4% of the vote with close to two thirds of the results counted Rubio, 44, glumly addressed the 500 loyal supporters who had rallied in Manchester last night. In his address and on Twitter he took responsibility for the loss, acknowledging for the first the impact of his blunder at Saturday's GOP debate that saw him dubbed 'Rubio the Robot' when he crashed under pressure and repeated the same line over and over and over again. The blows were inflicted by Chris Christie, the hard-charging New Jersey governor who saw an even worse performance last night, coming in well below Rubio at 7.4 percent. Family: Marco Rubio attends his New Hampshire Primary closing rally along with his wife Jeanette and his four children, Amanda, Daniella, Anthony and Dominick. Christie is expected to suspend his presidential campaign after earlier saying he was 'taking a deep breath' following the poor result. While the voters gave Christie little credit for taking on Rubio, his attacks were a severe drag on Rubio's support. Exit polls, reported by CNN, showed that half of Republican voters had made their minds up in the past few days, and two-thirds said recent debates had been important to their decisions. The apparent beneficiaries were Ted Cruz, whose campaign had been bracing themselves for as low as fifth place, and Jeb Bush, who desperately needed not to be humiliated in New Hampshire to stay alive in the race. He goes on to South Carolina with some degree of momentum, while Cruz will be more at home in a race where the evangelical vote holds sway. Until now Rubio had attempted to dismiss the robot debacle as a media creation of little significance to the voters. But tonight he shouldered the blame. Speaking over the chants of 'Marco!' that rose in response as the crowd cheered their candidate he continued: 'It's not about this campaign. It's about this election what's at stake. 'We have a president that's been doing tremendous damage to this country trying to redefine the relationship between government and the peopleundermining the constitutionthe second amendmentcivil liberties.' Continuing his theme he told the crowd: 'He's gutting our military and betraying our allies. Are we going to keep doing this?' Touchdown: Rubio waves as he steps off his charter in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he will start afresh with his push for the Republican nomination Family ready for more? Rubio's daughter Danielle, wife Jeanette and son Dominick wait in the vehicle in Spartanburg as dad wraps up on the tarmac Dogged by his gaffe: An unknown opposing campaign had a man dressed as a robot trailing the candidate all day, although Rubio did his best to laugh it off 'No!' came the bullish response from supporters apparently unbowed by the night's defeat. 'If Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton win,' Rubio warned. 'All of the damage Barack Obama has done to America becomes permanent. That's why they must not win. 'If we don't win this election we may lose this country.' Earlier the crowd had waited impatiently as they watched first Hillary Clinton then Bernie Sanders deliver their speeches to their supporters. Trump followed on and finally, with his triumphant address over, Rubio took to the stage in the Radisson Hotel in Manchester at 10.10pm. Flanked by his wife, Jeanette and children Amanda, Daniella, Antony and Dominick, Rubio drew on a theme that has come to define his campaign as he said that if either of the Democratic candidates won: 'My children and your children will not inherit the greatest country in the world.' He admitted: 'We did not wind up where we wanted to tonight. But that does not mean this is where we'll wind up.' Rubio has made great play of his Cuban parents' humble life in America as a bartender and a maid in Florida and Las Vegas. Nemesis: Chris Christie is expected to suspend his presidential campaign despite being largely credited with inflicting the damage on Rubio's New Hampshire campaign Something to smile about: Ted Cruz had been the major apparent beneficiary of the Rubio debacle Regained some energy: Jeb Bush came ahead of Marco Rubio despite weeks behind him in the polls Last night in his defeat he said he was reminded of a troubled time in their lives when he was just seven years old and his father had been working as an apartment manager. He lost his job and with it the family's home and was forced to seek work in a bar something he had not done for 20 years. 'He could only find work as a bus boy,' Rubio said. 'This gentleman well into his fifties was carrying buckets of ice and cleaning glassesbut he was not prideful. He was willing to do whatever it took so that our family would be better.' The lesson he took from the memory, according to Rubio, was that he too had to be willing to do whatever it takes to make America successful. Because in spite of his loss, he said, he had faith that 'America will rediscover the principles that made her great. 'Americans in the end have always got it right.' Presumably for Rubio, getting it right means casting a vote for him next time. Attempting to leave New Hampshire on an upbeat note despite the poor showing in the state's primary Rubio insisted: 'You will see us again because we're coming back in November. A former Catholic priest who is now an 83-year-old married grandfather has been charged with murdering a 25-year-old beauty queen in 1960 after hearing her confession. Irene Garza, a second grade teacher once crowned Miss South Texas, was last seen alive heading to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas, to see John Feit, then 27, the day before Easter, almost 56 years ago. Five days later her lifeless body was found wrapped in burlap, face down in a nearby canal. An autopsy later found she had been raped while unconscious and suffocated. Feit was considered the prime suspect for more than half a century, but was finally arrested on Tuesday in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is now fighting extradition back to Texas. The ex-clergyman was ordered held in lieu of $750,000 cash bond. Feit said the murder charge didn't make sense and that he's puzzled because the killing occurred in 1960. Irene Garza, a teacher once crowned Miss South Texas, was last seen alive heading to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas, to see John Feit in 1960. Her body was found five days later Feit, then 23 (left), was considered the prime suspect for more than half a century, but was finally arrested on Tuesday in Scottsdale, Arizona. He's now a married 87-year-old grandfather (mugshot right) Garza's family said the church and police orchestrated a 'cover-up' as he was a member of the clergy, and had him moved to a monastery just after the slaying. Since the 1970s he has enjoyed family life. He's married, has children and grandchildren and is a regular volunteer at his church. But he is now facing spending the rest of his life in jail if he is convicted. He said the last time he saw Garza was in the church's rectory after he heard her confession, but all the evidence pointed to him. District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez told The Monitor he had presented his case to a grand jury last Thursday, and they voted to indict him. 'We had kept it quiet as much as we could we sealed the indictment,' he said. He would not say what new, if any, new evidence he had. It comes 12 years after the case was reopened, but a grand jury failed to indict in 2004. Just 24 days before the 1960 slaying, Feit had been arrested for attacking Maria America Guerra at a church in a town about 10 miles from McAllen. Garza's family accused the church and police of orchestrating a 'cover-up' as he was a member of the clergy, and had him moved to a monastery just after the slaying Deputy Sheriffs and volunteer workers remove the burlap wrapped body of 25-year-old Garza from an irrigation canal near the heart of McAllen Just 24 days before the 1960 slaying, Feit (left) had been arrested for attacking Maria America Guerra, 20, (right) at a church in a town about 10 miles from McAllen Feit pleaded no contest to misdemeanor aggravated assault. A judge found him guilty and fined him $500 with no prison time. He was interviewed by police after Garza's disappearance, but told them he didn't do it. However he is believed to have failed a series of lie detector tests. At the time it was unthinkable for a priest to commit such a horrible act. Garza's cousin Lynda De La Vina, who was nine years old at the time, told CNN: 'We were accusing a priest that - in those days priests were infallible.' Noemi Sigler, was only 10, added: 'It was impossible for a priest to do such a deed. I mean, if you thought of it, that would be sacrilegious.' She also believed that authorities and the church were protecting Feit. 'I don't know whether it was out of respect for the church or anger or fear, I have no idea. 'Shortly after the killing, the church transferred Feit far away to a monastery. He would be moved to other locations over time, and about three years after the killing, the church transferred Feit to Our Lady of Assumption monastery in Ava, Missouri.' She even recorded a conversation with a former priest at Sacred Heart, Joseph O'Brien, who claimed Feit confessed to him and was sent away from the area because he was 'dangerous'. Dale Tacheny, a Missouri monk at the monastery Feit attended, also came forward after 40 years because the burden of guilt had become too much, according to CNN. Garza's cousins supported him as he ran for the DA's office in 2014. They asked him to re-examine the case to see if it could be taken to grand jury. Ex-officers claim inquiry is a bid to push the scandal into the 'long grass' Both were investigated by the Met following allegations but later cleared P robe follows calls for apologies to Lord Bramall and family of Lord Brittan Britain's top policeman refused to apologise last night as he was accused of kicking the row over his discredited investigation of war hero Lord Bramall into the long grass. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe faced a backlash as he unveiled an independent review of his beleaguered historical child sex abuse inquiries. The Scotland Yard chief hopes the move will reassure the Home Secretary as she prepares to rule on an extension to his five-year contract. Scroll down for video Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, pictured yesterday on Sky News, said he would meet Lord Bramall - but said Operation Midland and the new judge-led inquiry would have to conclude first But Sir Bernard remained at the centre of an extraordinary controversy as he ducked an apology to those, including Lord Bramall, investigated on the word of a suspected serial fantasist. The former Chief of Defence Staff, 92, was having breakfast with his dying wife when their Surrey home was subjected to an unannounced raid by 20 Scotland Yard officers last March. The detectives spent ten hours rifling through his possessions as his wife, who was suffering from Alzheimers disease, was shunted from room to room. He spent ten months under investigation, during which time his wife died, before police admitted they had no evidence against him. Yesterday, critics branded Sir Bernards review a cover-up and a whitewash, questioning what it would achieve as Sir Bernard insists most of its findings will remain secret. Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who is still waiting to be cleared of suspicion, said: Its a cover up, an attempt to put the Operation Midland scandal into the long grass. Sir Bernard penned a newspaper article and spoke to selected reporters yesterday as he battled to secure his job and take some of the heat out of the scandal. But on the crucial question of whether he would apologise to Lord Bramall, Sir Bernard said he could not say sorry for doing his job. The Metropolitan Police announced last month it had dropped the investigation into Lord Bramall, pictured Lord Bramall, pictured last month after he was cleared of all allegations, has called for the Metropolitan Police to offer him a full apology I have expressed regret if somebody has been hurt by this process, he said. I cannot apologise for investigating serious criminal offences, that is our job. There is no arrogance or dismissiveness about apologising when necessary. But I do think when you are investigating serious crime if you are apologising on every occasion there is a difficulty. We do need to investigate without fear or favour. That is what was written on the warrant card that I signed. David Cameron and Boris Johnson have suggested that Lord Bramall deserves an apology. There have also been calls for Sir Bernard to apologise to the family of former Home Secretary Leon Brittan. Lord Brittan died last year without knowing an allegation that he raped a woman in the late 1960s had come to nothing. Sir Bernard today said it was right for an inquiry to look into how the Met handled the challenging historic allegations Last night Sir Peter Fahy, former Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, told Newsnight it would be right to apologise if a procedural error had been made but not for investigating anybody about whom allegations had been made. Sir Bernards tenure at Scotland Yard has been rocked by disastrous inquiries into claims of a VIP child abuse sex ring in Westminster. A string of senior Establishment figures faced outlandish claims of abuse, rape and even murder by an anonymous witness known only as Nick. His allegations were once described by the Met as credible and true and are the foundation of the notorious Operation Midland. Many now suspect they are nothing more than fantasy. But speaking at the BBCs Salford MediaCity last night, Sir Bernard said Operation Midland would continue so that no one could accuse the Met of a cover-up. It seems unlikely that any files will be passed to prosecutors but the evidence is expected to be passed to Justice Lowell Goddard, who is chairing the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse. Sir Bernard denied that he was embattled or had screwed up, saying that he hoped to stay in his post which he took in September 2011 for up to seven years. He announced that retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques will review files relating to several inquiries, including Operation Midland, and report later this year. However, the reports conclusions will remain private and only key findings will be published. Sir Bernard said it would look at how the force can balance... the interests of suspects amid widespread criticism that the lives of public figures have been besmirched. A friend of the Brittan family said: This is totally inadequate and does not address the real needs. To commission an independent inquiry with an independent judge and say you are not going to publish the full report is almost laughable. Mr Proctor, who was interviewed by police twice, said: How can Hogan-Howe up a secret inquiry into Operation Midland with his own terms of reference when it is still supposedly active? Its an attempt to put the lid on how they have got things disastrously wrong. It will be a whitewash. He claimed that Sir Bernard will be forced to leave his post when the full details of Operation Midland are revealed. Lord Brittan, pictured in 2014, died before the Metropolitan Police concluded the investigation into claims made against him and found he had no case to answer HE ALSO BACKS ANONYMITY FOR RAPE CASE SUSPECTS Suspects accused of rape and other sexual offences should be formally handed anonymity, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said last night. The Scotland Yard chief said the time is right for those at the centre of police inquiries to have a legal right for their identities to be protected. This would only end when they are formally charged with a crime, the first action in the judicial process, he said. Sir Bernard added that his officers should be able to name a suspect only after an application to a court so a judge can assess the public interest. His call will be seen as yet another attempt to clamp down on the freedom of the Press to report the actions of police. In many cases involving high-profile figures, further victims have come forward as a result of publicity following an arrest. There are also fears that police could seek to avoid scrutiny of their actions, including depriving people of their liberty and keeping them on bail, by concealing who they are. Writing in The Guardian, Sir Bernard said investigating historical claims of child sex abuse is exceptionally difficult. He added: I recognise that public confidence has been affected by such cases. Advertisement Drew Pettifer, Lord Bramalls solicitor, added: Lord Bramall welcomes any review that can assist the police in making improvements in the way they investigate such allegations thus making the process fairer and less painful for all those concerned. There was also scepticism among senior police ranks about what the secret inquiry will achieve. One former chief officer said: Sir Bernard can hide behind yet another inquiry into stuff that is his responsibility. Its very obviously an attempt to push this scandal into the long grass. A distinguished former Met detective added: So, basically, theyre admitting that as a police force they no longer know how to investigate crime. A Met spokesman said: The key findings of the review and the recommendations will be published later this year, but the full review will contain confidential and sensitive information and will be a private report for the commissioner. A SENIOR Scotland Yard officer who is a close ally of Sir Bernard is being investigated for allegedly bullying a colleague. Assistant Commissioner Patricia Gallan, who has overseen Operation Midland, is the subject of an official complaint made by one of her own commanders. The complaint, which could end her career if upheld, is being investigated by a separate police force. Boris Johnson's wife has savaged David Cameron's EU deal, writing a 2,700-word essay explaining why it fails to address the core legal problems of Britain's membership of the 28-state bloc. In a damning assessment of the Prime Minister's proposals for reform, Marina Wheeler QC, a human rights lawyer, said they 'raise more questions than they answer'. And on the key issue of sovereignty - the most important area for Mr Johnson - she said the plan for a 'red card' for national parliaments to veto unwanted EU laws 'ducks the issue entirely'. Scroll down for video Marina Wheeler, pictured with her husband Boris Johnson, has written a damning legal assessment of the Prime Minister's draft proposals for reforming Britain's membership of the EU David Cameron, pictured with Boris Johnson, knows that winning the backing of the London Mayor is crucial in his hope to keep Britain in the EU Wheeler's letter is a strong indication that her husband will back the Brexit campaign after months speculation. Accusing Cameron of ignoring the real problems of Britain's membership of the EU, she writes that 'proper reform' should address the way the EU enforces its legislation. She says the Prime Minister's renegotiation should have reviewed the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, 'whose reach has extended to a point where the status quo is untenable'. The ECJ is 'eroding national sovereignty,' she writes, and also 'undermines legal certainty' and 'good governance'. Wheeler leaves open the possibility of backing Cameron in the referendum but suggests she will only do so if he significantly broadens his demands for reform. 'Now, when Britain is debating its relationship to the EU, we should state our position afresh,' she writes in an essay for the Human Rights Blog. 'Here is an opportunity to restore a measure of constitutional coherence. Let us not pass it by.' Wheeler's intervention will intensify speculation that Johnson will campaign for Brexit, which would deal a major blow to Cameron's hopes of keeping Britain in the EU. Boris Johnson, pictured with his wife Marina Wheeler during a Sikh New Year celebration, wants assurances that Cameron will bring in laws that affirm the supremacy of the British Parliament over EU law Wheeler, pictured with her husband on polling day, said the European Court of Justice 'erodes sovereignty' The Prime Minister promised Johnson that he will introduce plans in the coming days to 'put beyond doubt' the supremacy of the House of Commons over EU law after the London Mayor demanded assurances over British sovereignty. Friends of Johnson said he had given the Prime Minister a one-week deadline to come up with the proposals - before he travels to Brussels on February 18 for his crunch EU summit with his 27 fellow European leaders. He will hope to secure agreement on his renegotiation package at the summit before heading back to the UK for a four-month referendum campaign. But winning the backing of Johnson is seen as crucial and plans to bring in the 'sovereignty bill' is seen as a direct attempt to win over his support. By writing such a damning assessment of Cameron's renegotiation, however, Wheeler has again cast doubt over Johnson's stance on the referendum. She writes: 'Politically, the proposals may be just the job: a new commitment to enhance competitiveness, proposals to limit benefits to migrants, recognition that member states different aspirations for further integration must be respected, and creation of a red card mechanism to block EU legislation. 'Legally, however, they raise more questions than they answer.' Wheeler adds: 'This ought to have been an opportunity to look at the Court of Justice of the European Union, whose reach has extended to a point where the status quo is untenable. 'Aside from eroding national sovereignty (which it does) the current situation also undermines legal certainty which, in turn, undermines good governance. 'Proper reform needs to address the EU legal order, in particular the jurisdictional muscle-flexing of the Court of Justice in Luxembourg. 'The new proposals do not do this. Instead, they duck the issue entirely clearing the way for a whole new body of EU rights law.' Phillip Barrett, 32 (pictured) tried to make an undercover police officer perform sex acts online believing she was a 14-year-old A disgraced teacher who tried to make a 14-year-old perform sex acts online was snared after the schoolgirl turned out to be an undercover police office. Phillip Barrett, who was head of PE at Eggbuckland Community College in Plymouth, persistently tried to coax who he believed was a teenage girl into explicit sex talk over the internet. The 32-year-old, who has since lost his job, also performed an 'appalling' sex act, believing the youngster was watching. But Barrett, from Ivybridge, Devon, was caught after it emerged the account belonged to a police officer who was posing as the young girl. Plymouth Crown Court heard the officer set up an account on Kik messaging, a social media network which is popular with young people. Barrett saw the profile picture - which was a young girl covering her face - and contacted her, claiming he was 23, the court was told. Prosecuter Ali Rafati said the officer told Barrett that she was too shy or too young for him. But they soon started talking about sex and he then asked the officer to perform a number of lewd acts. He then turned on his Skype and performed a sex act. After pleading guilty to the offences, Judge Ian Lawrie branded Barrett's behaviour 'appalling'. But he spared him jail, because he said sex offender treatment was the best way to stop him reoffending. Defending, Jason Beal said Barrett was under pressure at work and having difficulty in his relationships at the time of the offences. He added that Barrett could not explain why he committed the offences. 'He recognises there is a problem and wants to deal with that problem,' he said. Barrett pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to perform a sexual act and attempting to incite a child to watch a sexual act on December 17 last year. He was handed a three-year community order with sex offender treatment and probation supervision. Barrett was head of PE at Eggbuckland Community College in Plymouth (pictured) at the time. Police said after the case that there was no evidence of any inappropriate behaviour towards his students He was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting contact with children and access to the internet. Barrett must also sign the Sex Offender Register for five years and was barred from working with children or vulnerable adults for life. Police said after the case that there was no evidence of any inappropriate behaviour towards his students at Eggbuckland, nor at Bodmin College, where he taught for eight years. Officer in the case DC Darren White said after the hearing: 'There is absolutely nothing to suggest that these offences are linked to the school in any way. This came as a shock to the college. He had not been there for very long. 'Devon and Cornwall's Child Exploitation Unit proactively monitor the internet for these types of offences. The Turkish military has stopped 34 people carrying suicide vests and explosives from entering the country from Syria as Ankara today hit back at UN demands to open its borders. Military officials stopped the group of four men, 10 women and 20 children near the town of Oguzeli as they carried luggage containing 33lb of explosives. It was not clear if the group was linked to ISIS, but local media reported security forces had acted on a tip about the planned smuggling attempt. Scroll down for video Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) has accused the UN of being 'ineffective' and said his country had shouldered the burden of the refugee crisis stemming from the long and brutal Syrian civil war Their arrest comes as the number of refugees at the border fleeing a Russian-backed government assault of Aleppo continues to rise. Under intense pressure from the UN to open his borders and allow the refugees entry, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan today fired back. He claimed the UN had provided only $455 million to Turkey - but he had actually spent $10 billion on the refugees since 2011. He said: 'What does the U.N. say? "Open your border to the refugees." What are you for then? What is your use? Is it that easy? 'We have taken 3 million Syrians and Iraqis into our home until now. How many did you take? Which country took them in?' Labelling the European governing body 'ineffective', he claimed it was failing to shoulder the burden as Turkey had. The war in Syria against President Bashar Assad's government has killed more than 250,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes since it began in 2011. More recently, a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive around Aleppo has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border in recent days. Turkey, already home to about 3 million refugees - 2.5 million of them Syrians - is providing assistance to the new wave of refugees at displaced persons camps on the Syrian side of the border. It has kept a key border crossing for refugees closed, prompting UNHCR on Tuesday to call on Turkey to admit 'all civilians who are fleeing danger and seeking international protection as they have done since the start of this crisis'. A group of Syrian women who have fled the bombing of Aleppo are pictured at the border crossing near Kilis, Turkey. Thousands have amassed at the frontier in recent days in a desperate bid to escape the fighting A Syrian woman and a young child approach the Oncupinar border crossing today despite Turkey's refusal to open its gates to refugees fleeing the fighting in Aleppo Turkish officials have denied it has closed its borders, insisting it has simply chosen to house the refugees on the Syrian side of the boundary Some have been allowed to enter. Today Suleyman Tapsiz, the governor for the border province of Kilis, said Turkey allowed in 12 Syrians who were seriously injured in Russian and Syrian bombings near the town of Tel Rifaat, in northern Syria. One of them has since died while the others were in stable condition, he told NTV television in an interview. The governor denied accusations that Turkey had closed its borders to the refugees, insisting that the country had chosen to assist the new arrivals at the displaced peoples' camps just across the border, but would let them in if the need arises later. He said: 'Our doors are not shut. There is no need to take them in because all of their needs are being taken care of.' Tapsiz said, however, that Turkey had made all preparations in case it becomes necessary to take them in, including preparing camps and deploying mobile units to process the refugees. Tapsiz acknowledged that conditions on the other side of the border were 'difficult,' but said the camps were constantly being improved and new ones were under construction. Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday that about 23,000 new arrivals fleeing the fighting in Aleppo were in urgent need of emergency shelter and support near Syria's border with Turkey. Mohammed Uddin (pictured), 29, a security guard from Barking, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court after pleading guilty to a charge of preparing acts of terrorism A British man who travelled to Syria to join ISIS but returned home because he disliked the 'cold water', 'bland food' and 'doing absolutely jack' has been jailed for seven years. Mohammed Uddin, 29, a security guard from Barking in Essex, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court after pleading guilty to a charge of preparing acts of terrorism. The court heard how Uddin - who referred to himself as 'Supaman' - travelled to the war-torn region on November 4 intending to join ISIS and fighting for them. On December 12, he crossed the border back into Turkey where he was held by the authorities because he did not have any travel documents. He was stopped by counter terrorism officers at Gatwick Airport when he returned to Britain on December 22, who believed he was involved in terrorist-related activity and found extremist material in his possession. Uddin, who had earlier boasted it was 'p*** easy' to cross the border from Turkey into Syria, quickly became disillusioned with life in the Middle East. He was in touch with a friend in Britain who had been ready to join him when police raided his home in Bedford. Less than two weeks after he left Britain, Uddin messaged his friend saying: 'Lol bro, it's soo easy to get in man, especially during the day, alhamdulillah, we walked in, no running bro. Don't worry inshallah, don't stress about getting in here. It's p*** easy [sic]'. He went on: 'When u cross over, the mens maqqa [residence] is shared and tough man, especially with this weather. I wud recommend good trainers u can wear/take off [sic]. 'Keep your thermals close buy too. Trust me, u will be thankful. I suggest u prepare urself by using cold water for everything too and be ready for stinky shared toilets, not clean lol [laughs out loud]. 'U need to get used to the cold water and no electricity. Everyday use cold water, u will probably get your first shower when u get to your mudhafa [annex]. The house u stay in before the muaskar [training camp]. It's tough bro lol, A LOT of patience is required [sic]. 'Start eating small amounts of food to get used to it, because u will be sharing your food as soon as u arrive. Bland food btw lol, inshallah it will be better when u get to mudhafa. Also u need to decide where u wana get placed. Alhamdulillah. I chose Halab [Aleppo]. We're placed in Menbej, small town, no action, just normal life alhamdulillah [sic].' Uddin, who had earlier boasted it was p*** easy' to cross the border from Turkey into Syria, quickly became disillusioned with life in the Middle East (file picture) The wannabe terrorist also complained how he could not get to the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa as there was 'high demand and not enough places'. He added: 'If ur planning on going to Raqqa as a singleton FORGET it [sic]'. In response to that, his friend inquired as to where the best place to go was, adding: 'Esp where I can get istishadi [martyrdom] quick timeWallah [I swear], it's my dream [sic].' By this time, Uddin had grown disillusioned with life in Syria and told him: 'I wanna get out of here now. I've had enuff. Lol, this isn't the jihad or system we thought we'd like to see [sic].' On November 19, the man asked Uddin: 'So wat u up 2 in Sham? Just munchin, toileting and sleeping, lol?' To that, Uddin complained they had taken his passport and 'electricals' from him until he passed training. On November 26, he wrote: 'I've been here 20 days doing absolutely jack [nothing].' When his friend tried to reassure him, he sent a message a week later saying: 'Still going round in circles. Had a fat argument with some planks 2 days ago. Bro trust me, here is not how u think it is. Inshallah you will see for yourself so called mujahideen [sic].' He did, though, boast of having fired a machine gun at two different rebel groups while on the 'ribbath' (front lines). Uddin left the UK on November 4, not long after the ISIS attack on the ancient city of Palmyra (pictured) Uddin left Britain on November 4 and entered Syria through Turkey three days later. He had worked as a security guard at a company based in Knightsbridge. He lived in Ilford with his parents and family and was separated from his wife, who was pregnant with their child when he left for Syria. On December 3, he messaged her saying he was considering running away from ISIS. On December 12, Uddin was detained by the Turkish police close to the Syrian border without a passport. He claimed he was staying at hotels in Istanbul until December 8, when he realised he had lost his passport and was told to go to the British Embassy in Ankara. He said he had caught a bus to Ankara with his Norwegian girlfriend but they had both fallen asleep, waking in the early hours of the morning in Gazientep, near the Syrian border. Pleading guilty at Woolwich Crown Court, Uddin accepted the account he gave was false and he had in fact travelled to Syria, where he was required to hand over his passport. He pleaded guilty to preparing acts of terrorism by attempting to travel to Syria under section 5(1) of the Terrorism Act 2006. Annabel Darlow QC, prosecuting, said: 'Within a relatively short period after his arrival in Syria, he expressed discontentment regarding the slowness of progress in reaching a training camp and disillusionment with the prevailing system in Syria. 'The defendant also experienced pressure to return to the United Kingdom, where his wife awaited the birth of their child. 'His plans to return to the United Kingdom may have been slowed by the fact that his passport had been confiscated from him. 'Whilst the defendant chose to return to the United Kingdom, some of his messages indicate an intention to return at some future point to Syria.' Uddin, who joined ISIS in Syria, pleaded guilty to preparing acts of terrorism by attempting to travel to Syria under section 5(1) of the Terrorism Act 2006 (file picture) Assistant Chief Constable Laura Nicholson, the head of counter-terrorism across the South East, said: 'Uddin's purpose of travel was to join Daesh and engage in terrorist activity. 'Anyone intending to travel to Syria or Iraq to fight or to commit terrorist acts against the UK or our interests should be in no doubt that the police will take the strongest possible action against them. 'Returning foreign fighters pose a threat to the UK and we also have a responsibility to protect UK interests around the world. 'Preventing travel to Syria is a key part of keeping the British public safe whether they are at home and overseas. Sue Hemming, Head of Special Crime and Counter Terrorism at the CPS, said: 'Mohammed Uddin left the UK to travel to Syria intending to join Daesh (ISIS) and take part in acts of terrorism. 'It was very clear from the conversations recovered from electrical devices that Uddin had meticulously planned his trip so that he would be able to get to Syria undetected. Esteras allegedly hid a razor blade in the band of her hat near the label and Munoz has one in the sole of his shoe Two passengers allegedly tried to board a plane at New Yorks LaGuardia Airport with concealed weapons on Monday. Both Lizbeth Esteras, 18, and Miguel Rosario Munoz, 40, were arrested on Monday after police say sharp objects were hidden in their apparel. Lizbeth Esteras, 18, was allegedly hiding a razor blade in the band of her hat near the label, according to CBS. Evidence: Lizbeth Esteras, 18, was allegedly hiding a razor blade in the band of her hat near the label. She did not provide an explanation for what the razor was for Miguel Rosario Munoz, 40, was reportedly carrying a razor blade in the removable sole of one of his shoes. Also hidden in his shoe was a tube of cologne, say police. Police say its not clear if the passengers knew one another but that they both were boarding a plane from New York to Miami. Rosario Munoz later told the Port Authority police that the straight razor was 'for personal use'. Esteras had no explanation for the blade she was allegedly hiding, according to the New York Daily News. Both of the passengers were arrested on Monday on weapon possession charges. Neither of them were on any government watch list. Hidden: Miguel Rosario Munoz, 40, was reportedly carrying a razor blade in the removable sole of one of his shoes. he told police that the razor was for 'personal use' The widow of Simon Binner said today a BBC documentary showing her husband killing himself in a Swiss Clinic is 'beautiful' - but insists it does not promote euthanasia. Debbie Binner was with her husband, 57, who had motor neurone disease, when he was filmed administering a deadly of dose of anaesthetic 600 miles from home in Purley, Surrey last year. The BBC has been accused of marketing euthanasia by showing 'How to Die: Simons Choice' tonight, but Mrs Binner has praised the documentary and hopes it sparks a 'grown-up debate'. She told MailOnline: 'It's all a bit much at the moment. But what I will say is that it's a beautiful documentary. We have done it to show the complexities of the argument'. Scroll down for video Defence: Debbie Binner said today the BBC film showing the death of husband Simon Binner (pictured together) in a Swiss suicide clinic last year is 'beautiful' Anger: Since the documentary's screening this evening was announced there has been anger over the decision to show it at all When asked whether she accepted criticism of her husband's decision to film his death which he had previously announced on LinkedIn she said: 'It's not a black and white issue'. She added: 'People get these illnesses. It can happen to anyone. It's so important to have a debate. 'I'm not telling anybody what to do we just wanted to show the complex issues and use our experience to help move on the debate'. In the film Simon Binner is seen on a bed in a drab, nondescript room, dressed in a blue and pink checked shirt and grey trousers. Around his bed stand loved ones, their eyes ringed red and their heads bowed in sadness, and his wife crying softly, holds his right hand. Slowly but surely, with shaking fingers, he opens a small yellow valve on a tube that is attached via a needle to his left arm. He lies back on the bed, breathes heavily and shuts his eyes for the last time. Four minutes later, Mr Binner, 57, a brilliant businessman with a loving wife and family from Purley, Surrey, was dead, killed by a lethal dose of anaesthetic which he administered in a Swiss suicide clinic 600 miles from home. His final, precious moments, on the morning of October 19 last year, were shared only with those he cared for the most in the world: his wife, Debbie, sister Elizabeth and three of his closest friends. Simon was so ashamed of what motor neurone disease the debilitating condition with which he had been diagnosed in January had done to him that he wouldnt even let his mother, Jean, or his stepdaughters, Hannah and Zoe, be present. But tonight this most intimate of scenes will be broadcast to an entire nation, when it forms the final part of a controversial BBC Two documentary, How to Die: Simons Choice. The programme follows Simon and his family for the ten months preceding his suicide at the Eternal Spirit Foundation in Basel, Switzerland. Viewers will listen in on the challenging and emotional conversations he and his wife Debbie had with Swiss clinic head Dr Erika Preisig, who tells him dying can be like a ceremony. The brilliant businessman appeared to announce the date for his death on social networking site LinkedIn Simon's final, precious moments, on the morning of October 19 last year, were shared only with those he cared for the most in the world: his wife, Debbie, pictured (right) with Simon (far right and left), sister Elizabeth and three of his closest friends They are given a detailed description of the medication used to kill Simon, which is 30 times the dosage used to sedate patients in serious operations. They will hear Debbie, in the months leading up to his death, racked with grief, begging her husband to stay and battling to stop him from taking his own life. Then, in a shocking television first, viewers will follow Simon into the Swiss clinic where he has arranged to die, see him administering the drugs that will end his life and finally watch him take his last, devastating breath. The next scene, apparently filmed minutes later, shows a wooden coffin having its lid fitted on the bed where Simon was lying, and his body being carried out of the room. It is the first time footage from inside this Swiss assisted-suicide clinic the second biggest after Dignitas will be shown on British television, and many will find it not only difficult but too distressing to watch. Critics say the decision to screen the moment of Simons death is particularly alarming, as it risks encouraging others to take their own lives by normalising assisted suicide, which remains illegal under UK law. Alistair Thompson, spokesman for Care Not Killing, a campaign group that promotes end-of-life care and opposes assisted suicide, who describes the documentary as deeply disturbing. It raises serious concerns for us, he adds. Showing scenes like that on national television risks skewing what people think about assisted suicide and sidelines the alternatives, such as hospice and palliative care. It gives the impression that if youre disabled or terminally ill your life is somehow worthless and you should kill yourself. Suicide is the biggest killer of young men in this country and the more it is normalised, the more people will think of it as a way out. We should do everything we can to stop suicide, not advertise it. Tonight, Simon's death will be broadcast to an entire nation, when it forms the final part of a controversial BBC Two documentary, How to Die: Simons Choice. Above, the couple pose for a photograph Debbie, it appears, never fully supported her husbands decision to end his life a decision she worried he came to all too quickly. She is pictured with her husband, above The BBC has denied it is promoting euthanasia and a spokesman said: 'This is a sensitive observational documentary following one familys experience of assisted death, which explores some of the complex questions at the heart of this deeply divisive issue. The film does not serve to support either argument or intend to wholly represent the debate.' It isnt the first time the BBC has come under fire for giving airtime to the subject. In 2011, it was deemed a cheerleader for assisted suicide after screening a documentary on the subject fronted by Sir Terry Pratchett. He began to speak out in favour of assisted dying following his own diagnosis of Alzheimers the disease he died from last March. A programme like this will romanticise assisted death and dying, said MP Nadine Dorries. It is pushing back a moral boundary. The same criticisms were levelled in 2014, when The Dilemma, starring Olivia Colman as a woman who prepares a lethal drug for her ill mother, was broadcast without the BBC informing viewers that assisted suicide is against the law. Indeed, last September, an historic vote in the House of Commons saw the controversial Assisted Dying Bill blocked by a majority of MPs. Michael Wenham, a campaigner who has motor neurone disease himself, says he is frustrated by the BBCs apparent bias. There seems to be to be a constant disposition to focus nationally on stories of people ending their own lives, he says. To focus on these stories can induce an atmosphere of fear and hopelessness. A young widow is being made homeless from her leafy country estate after falling behind on her daughter's expensive private school fees. Maxine Turner-Hankinson, 47, has lived in the grounds of Etwall Lawn - a Regency mansion in Derbyshire - on-off since the early 1990s. However, after a tumultuous 25 years which have seen her become a widow, divorcee and now bankrupt, the mother-of-two is set to lose her home. Maxine Turner-Hankison, pictured in her Barbados villa, was declared bankrupt after being left unable to pay her daughter Megan's (right) school fees Ms Turner-Hankinson was battling to keep her home in the grounds of Etwell Lawn, the former family estate in Derbyshire Ms Turner-Hankinson's cottage was gifted to her by first husband Alex Turner's wealthy parents Stuart and Erica Turner, who ran hugely successful DIY firm Plasplugs Ltd. She told London's High Court that it was provided to her as a home to raise the couple's young son Alistair shortly after Mr Turner died from a brain tumour in 1991. However, she never bought it from her in-laws and only ever lived in the vast detached property rent free. Years later, Ms Turner-Hankinson remarried. In 2007, she and her second husband purchased a 1.6million villa in Barbados, where they lived with Alistair and his younger sister Megan, who is now 18. But after the two divorced, the trio returned to Britain, making the cottage their permanent home in 2009. Soon later, the Turner family began to run into money problems. Plasplugs collapsed in 2010, forcing Mr and Mrs Turner to heavily mortgage the estate as their multi-million-pound business fell apart. The couple owed over 1.5million to the Allied Irish Bank and the family lost everything. She is set to be evicted from this cottage, where she has lived rent free as it belonged to her in-laws Mr Turner then suffered a catastrophic stroke in 2013. Judge Anthony Elleray QC told this week's hearing that Etwall Lawn was repossessed weeks later in early 2014, adding to the family's misery. Despite the once 'highly successful' businessman being moved to a nursing home, Ms Turner-Hankinson continued to live in her home on the estate, insisting that she had no rent or mortgage to pay. However, she herself ended up going bankrupt in 2013 after falling behind on Megan's costly private school fees. Now the family's ruin is complete after Judge Elleray today granted the bank possession of Ms Turner-Hankinson's cottage home on the Etwall Lawn estate. She has been given just eight weeks to move out - leaving her and her children homeless. Ms Turner-Hankinson remarried following her first husband's death. In 2007, she and her second husband purchased a 1.6million villa in Barbados (pictured), where they lived with Alistair and his younger sister Megan, who is now 18 'I do not consider that Maxine ever thought that she had a beneficial interest in the cottage', the judge concluded. Mr Turner's wealthy parents were determined to preserve at least something for Maxine and their grandson, Alistair, now 27, when their son died suddenly, providing the grieving widow the home free of charge. They did the cottage up and encouraged their daughter-in-law to live there with Alistair when she was 'ill and fragile' after her husband's untimely death. But Judge Elleray said Maxine was 'mostly resident in Barbados' when the mortgage was signed in 2005 and was 'not in actual occupation' of the cottage. The widow of 'the world's best chef' has said there is 'no rational explanation' as to why he took his own life. Brigitte Violier, whose husband Benoit Voilier was found dead at his home after suffering a self-inflected gunshot, said it was 100 per cent false that he had been suffering money troubles or had been ripped-off in a wine scam. Mrs Violier decided along with investors in her husband's acclaimed three-star Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier, near Lausanne, Switzerland, to reopen the venue less than two days after her husband's death on January 31. Scroll down for video Benoit Violier, 44, whose Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville was awarded three Michelin stars, took his own life Benoit Violier and his wife Brigitte, who found her husband's body at their home following a call from a concerned friend. Mrs Violier, left, denied her husband took his own life because of money worries In an interview with Swiss newspaper L'Illustre, Mrs Voilier claimed neither she, nor any of her husband's friends had noticed anything strange in the days before his death. However, she stressed it was '100 per cent false' that he had been caught in a financial swindle involving rare wines. Speaking of his death, Mrs Violier said: 'There's no rational explanation.' Mrs Violier said it was untrue the renowned chef fell victim to a scheme where rare wines priced from 14,000 up to 27,500 were sold to restaurants - but never delivered. Swiss financial magazine Bilan claims he was the victim of a vast scam allegedly masterminded by Private Finance Partners, a Swiss wine company based in Sion. In 2015, the company trading in rare wines sold expensive bottles that fetched thousands of pounds to a number of restaurants, including Violier's, but allegedly failed to deliver them. The same bottles, priced between 14,000 and 27,500, were allegedly sold three or four times to various unsuspecting buyers. According to Bilan, Violier's restaurant suffered losses due to the scam of between 554,700 and 1.37 million. Private Finance Partners was declared bankrupt on November 30 last year. The magazine claimed that one of the brokers, who remained anonymous in the article, was taken into custody in October. It said: 'The last months of the famous chef were quite troubled.' A Swiss magazine claimed Mr Violier, pictured, had lost up to 1.4 million in an elaborate wine scam Violier (pictured with his wife Brigitte) had been due to fly to Paris for a Michelin Guide awards ceremony, however concerns were raised when his friend arrived to collect him and there was no answer Violier was laid to rest on February 6 in France. A service was also held on that same day in Lausanne, Switzerland, where 1,500 people attended. He was buried in Montils, a town in the region of Charente-Maritime in France, where he was born and where his mother and one of his six siblings still live. Violier's death came just weeks after his Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville was crowned the best of 1,000 top eateries across 48 countries ranked by France's La Liste. The ranking was seen as the French foreign ministry's answer to the Britain-based World's 50 Best Restaurants. Some saw it as launched out of pique after not a single French eatery reached the top ten of the UK-based table. Violier said at the time: 'It's wonderful, it's exceptional for us. This ranking will only motivate our team more.' Hundreds a of people turned out for a special memorial service for the celebrated chef in Lausanne (pictured) Known as a keen hunter, the Gallic chef was famed for his game dishes, including ibex or chamois. Opened nearly 40 years ago, the restaurant offers menus starting at 134. Louis Villeneuve, his maitre d'hotel, who has been in his post for four decades, was one of the last people to see Violier. It was 11pm on Saturday, January 30 when the restaurant was closing for the usual two-day period of Sunday and Monday. His final words to Villeneuve, as he said goodbye, were: 'See you Tuesday.' On Sunday, Violier's wife and son Romain, 12, left the apartment at noon for lunch with friends. Violier was due to fly to Paris later in the day for a Michelin Guide awards ceremony. When his friend arrived to collect him there was no answer at the door or on his phone. He called Brigitte who immediately made her way home. The pair then made the grim discovery. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, or see www.samaritans.org for details. Some 1500 mourners gathered to pay tribute to Violier during his funeral ceremony at the Cathedral of Lausanne in western Switzerland on February 5 The married father-of-one was found dead with a hunting rifle by his side at his home on Sunday January 30. He leaves his wife Brigitte and their 12-year-old son Romain Michael Sykes, 23, is wanted for questioning by police after his girlfriend and her three children were stabbed at a Staten Island hotel Wednesday morning Police are searching for the boyfriend of a woman found dead alongside two of her daughters as another baby girl clung to her life after a Wednesday morning knife attack at a Staten Island hotel. The 28-year-old woman and her two children were stabbed to death shortly before 9am in a room at the Ramada Inn, officials said. Scroll down for video The homeless woman had lived at the hotel, which served as a shelter under the Department of Homeless Services, since December 6 last year. The dead children were aged five months and one year, respectively, Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference at the New York City Police Department headquarters. A two-year-old child underwent surgery Wednesday and was listed in critical but stable condition. 'Every parent would share my view that our hearts break when see innocent children attacked,' Mayor de Blasio said. Police suspect the woman's boyfriend, Michael Sykes, of committing the triple murder. A body is being carried out of the Ramada Inn on Staten Island after a triple knife murder on Wednesday This knife was discovered near the scene of a grisly quadruple stabbing on Staten Island that left three dead Officers from the NYPD emergency service unit during the search for the suspect in Wednesday's Staten Island knife murders Sykes, 23, is the father of the murdered 5-month-old, police said. The suspect was caught on camera entering the hotel with his girlfriend and the three children on Wednesday morning, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said. After entering the woman's hotel room at 8:50am, Sykes was spotted leaving the Ramada Inn a few minutes later. Police believe that was the moment the attacks occurred. A 'large kitchen knife' that was 'full of blood' was recovered near the crime scene, Boyce said. Sykes called his mother on Wednesday morning and told her about the killings and then threatened to commit suicide, officials said. Police believe Sykes departed the crime scene by bus and then left Staten Island on a ferry. Police Commissioner William Bratton said that 25,000 police officers citywide have received photos of Sykes. 'We want to get him off the streets as fast as we can,' Bratton said at the press conference. Boyce noted that Sykes has no previous criminal history, and no previously known psychological issues. Police supplied these photos of Michael Sykes, 23, who is a person of interest in the investigation into the murder of his 25-year-old girlfriend, two of her children, and the stabbing of another child Video courtesy of Staten Island Advance Emergency services received the report of the stabbing at 11:11am and transported the victims to two different Staten Island hospitals, a spokesperson with the New York fire department told Daily Mail Online. All four victims were alive by the time paramedics arrived on the scene, but the woman and one child died shortly afterwards, while the second child passed hours later, police and fire officials said. New York Police Department helicopters and K9 units were aiding in the search for the killer, the Staten Island Advance reported. The Ramada Inn hotel has been used by the Department of Homeless Services as a shelter since August last year, officials said. All of the remaining 28 homeless families at the hotel will be relocated by Wednesday night, and the facility will no longer be used as a shelter, Mayor de Blasio said. Police are searching for the boyfriend of a woman found stabbed to death alongside three of her children The 25-year-old woman died alongside two of her children as a toddler clung to her life Wednesday NYPD emergency service truck at the scene of a triple murder on Staten Island Wednesday John Kasich - the second-place finisher in the New Hampshire primary - fired a warning shot in GOP front-runner and notorious trash tweeter Donald Trump's direction this morning. 'Somebody wants to mess with me, they're messing with the wrong guy,' the Ohio governor told Matt Today hosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie. Guthrie had pointed out that Trump often comes after the competition quite brutally and Kasich could be next. 'I'm not gonna sit there and be a marshmallow and have somebody pound me. We're not just gonna sit back and take a pounding from anybody,' he told her,'but at the same time we're going to tell people what we're for, and I think people really, really like it.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO John Kasich - the second-place finisher in the New Hampshire primary - celebrated his success on the top morning shows and warned Donald Trump not to mess with him Kasich is already on the ground in South Carolina and is doing three events a day through the end of the week Kasich said Tuesday that in his win 'light overcame the darkness.' He's tried to run an uplifting campaign in over the last few weeks that focuses on his own strengths rather than his opponents' weaknesses. 'I don't think it was the faltering (of other candidates),' Kasich said on Today of his surge to second. 'We were on our way up anyway.' 'Secondly, I had a very positive message. As you know, I was the only one with a really positive message. I always felt that the light could overcome the darkness in a political campaign where we can say what we're for bringing families together, creating jobs, making sure that no one gets left behind,' he said, repeating his mantra. He didn't have to do the dirty work. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie did it for him, destroying Marco Rubio, a top dog heading into the state, at a Saturday night debate. The move didn't help Christie - who suspended his campaign today after finishing near last in New Hampshire - but it had the intended effect on Rubio, who came in a disappointing fifth behind Trump, Kasich, Cruz and Bush. Kasich's super PAC, New Day for America, has also acted as attack dog, going after Trump's military preparedness and brash rhetoric. The candidate isn't exactly a Boy Scout when it comes to negative campaigning, either. 'It's a long race. We're going to go through South Carolina, ultimately to the Midwest,' Kasich said today on Good Morning America. 'This is a long, long race.' He's seen here at an event in the Palmetto State this afternoon Kasich said Tuesday that in his win 'light overcame the darkness.' He's tried to run an uplifting campaign in over the last few weeks that focuses on his own strengths rather than his opponents' weaknesses. He ran a web ad in November throwing Trump's comments about Muslims and Hispanics and treatment of protesters back in his face. 'Think about this: If he keeps going, and he actually becomes president, he might just get around to you. And you better hope there's someone left to help you,' a former Vietnam POW recruited by the campaign declares. It led to a bitter back and forth on Twitter between the two candidates. 'Going to Ohio, home of one of the worst presidential candidates in history--Kasich. Can't debate, loves #ObamaCare--dummy!' Trump tweeted at him as he campaigned in his rival's back yard. Kasich told him in response, 'A bully never expects anyone to fight back. And tonight you saw what happens when we did. See you on the trail, Mr. Trump.' Trump likewise pushed back on Kasich's claim that he's kept the gloves on throughout the primary as he did his own tour of the morning shows today. 'You know, he talked about [how] he's not going negative, but he did a negative commercial on me, so I didn't like that,' Trump said this morning on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.' He threatened to take 'a little bit tougher stance' on the governor in the next round of campaigning. STRONG FINISH: 'I had a very positive message. As you know, I was the only one with a really positive message. I always felt that the light could overcome the darkness in a political campaign where we can say what we're for bringing families together, creating jobs, making sure that no one gets left behind,' he said this morning, repeating his mantra Kasich attempted to stay on Trump's good side last night as he spoke to supporters at his watch party. 'I want to congratulate Donald Trump,' he said at the celebration to boos from his supporters. 'No, no, he won fair and square,' Kasich said. Upbeat, the governor said 'theres magic in the air with this campaign.' And he predicted that it would carry him through South Carolina, the next state up in the GOP's competition, and beyond. 'Theres so much gonna happen, if you dont have a seatbelt...go get one!' Kasich said, repeating a laugh line from last Saturday's debate. New Day immediately set to work projecting strength in South Carolina, telling DailyMail.com it's already made a million voter contacts there on Kasich's behalf. The PAC has six offices in the state and eight full-time staff members - one for each congressional district plus a state director. By comparison, it also had six offices in New Hampshire, a state with a third of the population of the Palmetto State. And it had 17 dedicated staffers there. Kasich is already on the ground there and is doing three events a day through the end of the week. 'It's a long race. We're going to go through South Carolina, ultimately to the Midwest,' Kasich said today on Good Morning America. 'This is a long, long race.' He warned, 'Everybody always underestimates me.' The Ohio politician hopes to stick it out until March, when his home state votes. If he wins there, he'll pick up a total slate of delegates in the winner-take-all contest, wiping away his early loss in Iowa. One man who recently sold his childhood home is giving the humble beach-side cottage a sentimental send off. Artist Gary Sweeney, 63, has covered the Manhattan Beach, California home in blown-up photos his father took from the family's more than seven decades living in the house. Each of the 80 images that now cover the side of the wood home show a different aspect of Sweeney's childhood, from photos of the artist as an infant, to him in a white tux for prom, as well a shots of his grandmother who once lived with them and one of the last images of his mother before she died in the 1990s. An artist has covered his childhood home in pictures his father took during the more than 70 years his family occupied the house, a month before it is set to be demolished Gary Sweeney, 63, inherited the house from his father when he died in 2001, and recently decided it was time to sell after he got an offer he could not refuse Sweeney and his sister Gail inherited the house from their father, beloved Manhattan beach councilman and mayor Mike Sweeney, when he passed away in 2001. Gary eventually bought his sister out of her interest in the home, but hasn't been able to live in it since he and his wife are located in San Antonio, Texas. Six years ago, Sweeney told LA Weekly that he was offered 'an armored truck full of money' for the property, but turned it down. Instead he continued to rent the home out. But after the airline he worked for offered him cash to retire, and the home's plumbing and maintenance costs started piling up, he decided to finally sell when he was offered even more money for the property - $2.6million to be exact. Part of the deal he struck with the new owners though was that he could stay in the home until the end of February for the art project. Above, the 1922 home in Manhattan Beach pictured above before it underwent a temporary makeover by Sweeney 'This was the house that I was brought home from the hospital to and my sister ... my grandmother died in the apartment downstairs and my father died upstairs, 'Sweeney told the Beach Reporter. 'So this was such a huge part of our family. I lived here until my 20s when it came time to sell it dawned on me that this was a huge part of my childhood I was getting rid of. I sort of had a little bit of a panic attack, and I decided I needed to do something.' Sweeney brought in a art grad student who helped him with the project - printing and mounting the pictures showing his family's long history with the home. Sweeney says his father was stationed in Guam for World War II when his mother first bought the cottage for just $5,400. Growing up, Sweeney says his father was an avid photographer who even had his own basement darkroom to develop pictures. The installation is in large part a tribute to him, a hardware store owner who served 20 years on the local city council and three terms as the town's mayor. In addition to being able to admire the pictures on the side of the house, Sweeney is also holding tours of the inside of the home on Wednesday in February. 'Im hoping its not just highlighting our family, but I hope it triggers memories in other peoples families as well, especially ones that grew up here because this was an incredibly special place to grow up,' Sweeney said. The installation ends on the final day of February and Sweeney says the new owners plan to demolish it sometime in March, replacing the home built in 1922 with a brand new duplex. Michael Bloomberg, who is worth $37.2billion, revealed earlier this week he is considering a Animal rights activist Georgina Bloomberg recently took a trip down to Puerto Rico with The Humane Society of the United States to rescue some stray dogs and help them find new homes. Bloomberg, who was joined by friends including Amanda Hearst and Humane Society workers and volunteers, posted a photo of her trip in November on Facebook, writing; 'It's been an amazing experience helping out down here. Heading home with ten incredible dogs who will be looking for homes through the Monmouth County SPCA, and we'll be back in a few weeks for some more.' In the photos she was standing on the tarmac at the San Juan International Airport, about to board one of her father Michael's private jets to fly back to New York. The trip would cost approximately $7,000 each way on the private jet, which cost a reported $24million to purchase. Scroll down for video Good deed: Georgina Bloomberg rescued stray dogs with The Humane Society of the United States and friends last November Helping hand: She flew the dogs and those with her on the trip home on her father Michael's private jet (pair above at the 2015 Costume Institute Ball) Little man: Bloomberg posted a photo of some of the stray dogs playing with her son Jasper (above) when they returned Friends: Bloomberg was joined on the trip by friends including Amanda Hearst (far right) The cost of the trip is based on the $6,016 the Wall Street Journal said each one-way trip New York Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly was taking on the same jet to West Palm Beach was costing in a 2013 article. Kelly was lent the jet to travel to his vacation home with his wife. It is not clear just how many puppies and people were on the jet for Bloomberg's trip, which she spoke about in a recent interview. 'Puerto Rico has a big stray dog problem, a big problem with people not spaying and neutering so there a lot of puppies born there who don't have a shot at getting adopted there,' Bloomberg told People. 'So we are trying to get as many of the dogs out as possible, especially the more adoptable ones that we think can find homes pretty quickly.' Bloomberg also shared photos of the dogs after they returned to New York, running around her farm in North Salem and posing with her 2-year-old son Jasper. Georgina gave birth to son Jasper in December 2013 with her longtime boyfriend Raimor Quintana, 38. The Whitney Museum of American Art, in Gansevoort Street, New York City, features an outdoor gallery space named after Jasper. They remain friends and split parenting duties with their son, who was born on Christmas Eve 2013. However, Jasper's last name has been changed to his mother's of Bloomberg. In July 2015, Michael Bloomberg's eldest daughter Emma revealed she would be giving her daughter Zelda Violet the surname Frissberg - a hybrid of her and her husband's name Chris Frissora. Emma is rarely in the public eye and no one knew she was pregnant. Georgina previously told an HBO documentary the Bloomberg moniker 'sucks', but now she has come around to it and insists she is proud Jasper carries the family name. She said about her son: 'He's the most amazing thing. I've always wanted to have kids. For me that comes first.' Georgina is a talented horse rider, and in the past has joined the daughters of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Bruce Springsteen and Steven Spielberg in the expensive sport of equestrian. She is ranked 15th in the US Olympic Team and is hoping for a chance to go to Rio this summer. Philanthropists: Bloomberg and Hearst (above in November) have long been involved with The Humane Society Running free: Bloomberg shared photos of the dogs running around her farm when they got home Group photo: Bloomberg also shared a photo of those who joined her on the trip Heart also shared photos of the trip to Puerto Rico, saying that they would be taking home 63 dogs in one of her Instagram posts. She has started her own side project in connection with The Humane Socity called Friends of Finn, which works to end puppy mills. 'Cute Puerto Rican pups! Me and @friendsoffinn came down here to see what the @humanesociety and locals are doing to end animal cruelty...95% of dogs in shelters get euthanized in Puerto Rico and there is something called Dead Dog Beach,' wrote Hearst on one photo from the trip. A few months after the group returned, Hearst actually had her dog Finn get married in a wedding ceremony to raise money for Friends of Finn. Advertisement Eight thousand black cab drivers have brought central London to a standstill today in protest against the 'unfair competition' from mobile taxi app Uber. The drivers are demonstrating against what they consider is the light touch regulation of the industry harming cabbies and promoting private hire firms - with the blockade stretching a mile either side of Whitehall. But Uber bosses said the competition it provides could lead to 'service improvements and better experiences for passengers'. Thousands of black cab drivers have parked their vehicles in Whitehall, London, pictured, today in a mass protest against regulations Drivers say there is a 'light touch' being taken against private hire firms including popular mobile app company Uber Unions including Unite, which represents 25,000 cabbies in the capital, and United Cabbies Group are behind the protest UCG bosses said there needs to be a 'clear understanding' that taxi drivers, pictured, are not supported by the taxpayer or charities Unions say the protest is demanding tougher action against private hire firms like Uber when it comes to following regulations. Len Martin, chair of United Cabbies Group, told City AM: 'The choice is simple. If London wants its highly regulated, safe and on demand gold standard taxis, there needs to be a clear understanding that we aren't supported by the taxpayer or charities. 'Government must not allow private hire operators to ignore the legislation. The taxi trade cannot survive with unfair competition.' Unite, which represents many of the capital's 25,000 black cab drivers, is taking part in the demonstration. Jim Kelly, a representative of the union, said: 'It is clear that the Government, London mayor Boris Johnson and the Tory candidate for mayor Zac Goldsmith have all seriously taken against the black taxi trade in London, a taxi trade which consistently comes out top in terms of value and service compared to other cities around the globe. Some 'passengers', pictured, are enjoying the blockade, which stretches a mile either side of Whitehall Crowds have gathered along the road, pictured, to watch the protest, which has caused major diversions around the city The Metropolitan Police are also at the scene, pictured, to ensure public safety and keep the protest in check Some drivers have put signs and placards in their vehicles to emphasis their point, including this car's 'Save Our Black Taxis' poster 'We feel that Uber exploits its drivers by using their self-employed status to extract maximum income from them which translates to those drivers working long hours. Steve Wilson, a cabbie for the past 22 years, said all they want is a 'fair playing field'. 'We are not saying do away with Uber, we just want them to have the same regulations that we have,' added the 47-year-old. 'We also want Uber to pay tax here.' Mark Rowley, 57, said: 'The Government are doing nothing - at the end of the day they have left us to it. The protest has gone off peacefully although police have had to make some arrests for 'obstruction', pictured right The motorcyclist is detained by officers as his bike is moved out of the path of traffic, pictured The man is then taken away by officers as a crowd of onlookers stands by and watches, pictured 'We have got to help ourselves out, and the only way we can do that is by blocking the streets.' A driver for 29 years he said there are 600 new licence applications for Uber each week, with just 10 people passing the knowledge test in that same timeframe. Brian Garvey, vice chair of the United Cabbie Group, called the turn out 'fantastic'. He added: 'We are professionals, we know the streets of London better than the police and ambulance. 'We are predominately parents and older, more mature, so for us to be upset is a serious thing. All this is about protecting our profession. 'We know how to block the streets because we know London and can be strategic in what we do.' Uber UK regional manager Jo Bertram said the competition could lead to 'service improvements and better passenger experience' One driver holds up a more inventive piece of propaganda - a protest balloon criticising Transport for London The protest has caused traffic chaos in the Whitehall area as well as Piccadilly with tailbacks stretching throughout the city Uber say they want the 'best of both worlds' where passengers are free to hail a cab on the street or use their app Uber yesterday announced cabbies will not have to pay a fee for the first year of using their service in an effort to show 'cabbies and Uber can co-exist' For the first time five different groups representing the city's 25,000 drivers joined together to demonstrate. Drivers from France and Belgium also attended to show their support for London's drivers. 'The reduction in safety for passengers because of the light touch regime is to be deplored.' But Tom Elvidge, General Manager of Uber in London, said: 'This protest was sparked when Transport for London dropped plans for bureaucratic new rules on licensed private hire drivers, such as five minute minimum waiting times. But Londoners made clear they didn't want to be slowed down with more than 200,000 opposing those proposals. 'We believe black cabs and services like Uber can coexist in the capital. That's why earlier this week we announced that black cab drivers can use our app to get extra custom with zero service fee paid to Uber for a year. By making the most of new technology we can all improve services for passengers and keep London moving.' London cabbies have also rejected an offer from Uber allowing them to use its app to pick up passengers without paying commission. The vehicles have been cordoned off, pictured, as police marshal Whitehall to avoid any problems despite the sheer weight of traffic Another driver pictured with an anti-Transport for London placard in his car windscreen displaying their anger at the situation The Licensed Taxi Driver Association said its drivers were protesting because they 'didn't like the way Uber treats drivers or customers' Uber announced that cabbies will not have to pay a fee for the first year of using their service, with a message that 'black cabs and Uber can co-exist'. But the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) said it would be 'amazed' if any drivers take up the offer. The Uber app allows users to select and pay for a black cab in the same way as a regular Uber car. Ms Bertram added: 'Common sense regulations combined with new technology can help ensure that black cabs and apps like Uber live side by side. 'It's the best of both worlds. Londoners - and tourists - would be free to choose whether they want to hail a car on the street or push a button and get a ride for generations to come.' Brian Garvey, vice chair of the United Cabbie Group, called the turn out 'fantastic' and said it sent a 'serious' message For the first time five different groups representing the city's 25,000 drivers joined together to demonstrate, pictured She said the offer was a chance for taxi drivers to pick up a fare when there are 'no passengers on the street or they're waiting in a long queue at a rank'. Ms Bertram added that the Knowledge - a course which black cab drivers have to pass before being allowed to operate - could be made 'just as effective' if it took advantage of GPS and live traffic apps. But Steve McNamara, LTDA general secretary, commented: 'With over 15,000 cabbies registered with specific taxi-hailing apps like Gett and Hailo, we would be amazed if any drivers decide to take up Uber's offer. 'Licensed taxis in London offer the best service in the world and as a membership group the LTDA doesn't like the way Uber treats its drivers and customers. Fashion giant Gap was able to reduce its tax bill in the UK by declaring net losses from its three UK companies between 2012-2015 Fashion giant Gap became the latest multi-national company to face public anger over its tax bill today after accounts revealed it has paid almost nothing to the UK taxman over the last five years. It was accused of setting up an 'opaque' network of accounts to reveal net losses in the UK between 2012 and 2015 - despite sales of more than 1billion. This allowed the firm to claim more than 4.2million tax credits from HM Revenue and Customs and set it against future profits. Firms only pay corporation tax on profits, meaning it can avoid paying tax if it declares accounts showing losses. Gap, which has three British-based firms, declared accounts that suggest it moved its profits between the businesses and to the parent company to reduce its tax liability to HMRC, according to the Evening Standard. The strategy is entirely legal but it will intensify public anger over corporate tax avoidance following the row over Google's 'sweetheart' tax deal last month. Gap, founded in San Francisco in 1969, has 132 stores in the UK and an annual revenue of more than 300million. It also owns Banana Republic, which has eight stores in Britain. Nick Hood, business risk adviser at Opus Restructuring and founder of consultancy Company Watch, said: 'It's disappointing to find yet another multinational organising its financial and taxation affairs in such a complex and potentially opaque manner especially when the result is the UK taxpayer will be substantially subsidising any future tax bill Gap might finally end up paying.' Gap insisted it was complying with multi-national tax laws while HMRC said it enforced tax rules. But it is likely to fuel further anger at George Osborne over corporate tax avoidance. The Chancellor was widely criticised last month after he declared the 130m tax deal with Google a 'major success'. Scroll down for video Gap has 132 stores in the UK and turns over a 300million revenue a year but declared almost no tax in the last four years The bill covered ten years of back taxes and was 10million less than the 140million Google paid its own chief executive earlier this week. OTHER GIANTS IN THE DOCK: MAJOR FIRMS AND CORPORATION TAX Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook, pictured, paid just 4,327 in corporation tax in 2014 and is challenging HMRC's tax audit Facebook: The social media titan paid just 4,327 in corporation tax in 2014, despite reporting UK revenues of 105million. Apple: The US-based technology firm behind the iPad and the iPhone made 34billion in profit during the year to September 2014. Experts estimate that the UK accounted for 1.9billion of that profit, but the firm only paid 11.8million in British corporation tax. Amazon: The online shopping giant took 5.3billion in sales from British shoppers in 2014 but paid just 11.9million in tax after announcing profits of 34.4million. Starbucks: The coffee chain paid just 8.6million of tax over 14 years between 1998 and 2012 when sales totalled 3billion. But latest company filings show it paid 8.1million in corporation tax for last year on profits of 34.2million. Advertisement Mr Osborne is under pressure to step up his efforts on corporate tax collection. Last week Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell demanded he recoups some of the 1.7billion that Facebook has set aside to settle tax battles with national governments. Facebook's accounts revealed that it is not planning to use any of its tax liability fund to resolve its dispute with the taxpayer, despite its current battle with HMRC over the 4,327 it paid in corporation tax in the last financial year. The social media giant made revenues in Britain of more than 700 million last year. Earlier this week Mr Osborne faced anger from within his party, with Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson saying the Google tax deal 'doesn't feel right'. And she warned that failure to take more radical action on tax avoidance could 'erode trust in government,' suggesting that injustice in the tax system turns voters to 'extremists' such as Donald Trump. 'It further adds to the sense of simmering indignation that many people feel at a system that often seems rigged against them,' she said in a speech in Edinburgh last night. 'And that further helps the populists, the demagogues and the extremists the Trumps and the Le Pens who are hoping to exploit that resentment for their own narrow purposes.' She added: 'It feels too often that there is one rule for those at the top, and one rule for the rest of us, she said. 'We ignore this growing sense of resentment at our peril.' A spokesman for Gap said: 'Gap Inc is committed to operating according to and complying with all multinational tax laws. George Osborne, pictured left, has been told by John McDonnell, right, not to let another global corporation off the hook following his 'sweetheart' deal with Google last month 'We maintain an open and transparent dialogue with regulators in jurisdictions where we operate. 'We are a taxpayer in good standing in the UK, and have transfer pricing agreements with tax authorities in the UK and the US covering business activities between our entities. Our global effective tax rate has averaged approximately 39 per cent over the past decade, and we have paid almost $7 billion in taxes during this time.' Swedish retail giant Ikea has launched a worldwide recall of thousands of lamps after 11 customers were injured when they fell from ceilings. The company says that after receiving complaints that the shades of some 'Lock' and 'Hyby' lamps had fallen and caused injuries, it's urging all buyers of the two ceiling lamps to immediately return them to a store for a full refund. There have been 224 confirmed incidents of the lights dropping from ceilings around the world so far, with some customers cut by the broken glass. Pictured: The Hyby ceiling lamp is one of two Ikea fixtures that have been recalled after falling from ceilings The Swedish firm has apologised for the inconvenience after a reported 224 incidents of lights falling But customers have been warned to avoid trying to remove the lamps, which are made in China, themselves while Ikea has apologised for the inconvenience. A spokesman for the company said: 'We have received reports that Lock and Hyby ceiling lamp shades have fallen. 'In order to safeguard customers and avoid further incidents we are recalling the products.' IKEA also said customers don't need to produce a receipt to prove purchase of the items for a refund. The firm has been selling 'Lock' lamps in all its markets since 2002 and the 'Hyby' models since 2012. It comes a month after the firm issued a recall for Lattjo drum sticks and tongue drum toys. The Dutchman was convicted because he 'looked like' the rapist Dixie Dussen was convicted even though his DNA was not found at the scene A Dutchman wrongly accused of a rape committed by British killer Mark Dixie has been freed after more than 12 years behind bars in Spain after his conviction was overturned. The Spanish Supreme Court today quashed Romano van der Dussen's conviction for the attack carried out in August 2003, and ordered his immediate release from jail where he was wrongly serving a 15 year sentence. The court's decision came eight months after Mark Dixie, 44, who is serving life for the savage murder of Sally Anne Bowman in south London in 2005, admitted raping a Spanish woman in a drink and drug-fuelled rage in the popular resort of Fuengirola in August 2003. Two years later Dixie raped and murdered model Sally Ann Bowman, near her home in Croydon, South London. Romano Van der Dussen (right) was freed by Spanish authorities today after spending 12 years behind bars having been wrongly convicted of a rape committed by British killer Mark Dixie, left Model Sally Anne Bowman (pictured) was raped and murdered near her home in Croydon in September 2005 soon after Dixie, from Streatham, south London, returned to the UK from Spain Dixie made the confession to Dussen's lawyer in Durham prison in June last year. A DNA test in Holland later confirmed Dixie's link to the crime. Dussen, 42, was arrested in Fuengirola shortly after that attack and two others, which he always denied, and was later convicted and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. Dixie's DNA was found at the scene of one of the attacks, but never traced by Spanish police. No DNA from Dussen was found at any of the crime scenes. After his confession to lawyer Rachel Imamkhan, Dixie made a written three page statement which was lodged with the Spanish Supreme Court. But Dussen had to remain in prison until the court accepted his appeal against conviction. He had been convicted of all three of the sexual attacks in the resort and was identified by just one of the victims. Mark Dixie has sensationally admitted brutally raping a woman in Spain for which Romano van der Dussen (pictured) has spent 12 years in prison The Supreme Court judges heard during the appeal that the Dutchman bore a similar appearance to Dixie and there were only two years difference in their ages. Last year, Dixie admitted to raping one of the women but claimed he could not remember if he carried out the other two attacks because he was high on drugs at the time. In June, murderer Dixie confessed to one of the rapes and gave a saliva sample at HMP Frankland in Co Durham which was matched to DNA found on the first victim. Spanish police confirmed the match in a report in August. Prosecutors at Romano's trial said the same man must have committed all three rapes, which took place within two hours of each other in the early hours of August 10 2003. One woman was punched, thrown to the floor and raped in a terrifying 15-minute ordeal. She spent four days in hospital and suffered severe psychological problems. Minutes later a second woman was punched in the head, thrown to the floor and sexually assaulted. The attacker fled with her Nokia mobile phone and 120 euros in cash. The third victim was attacked a few hundred yards away; punched in the head, thrown to the floor, sexually assaulted and beaten. Romano, now 42, was jailed for a total of 15-and-a-half years - despite the fact DNA found on the first victim did not match his - after being picked out of photographs in police files. Dixie, who was living in Fuengirola when the three Spanish women were attacked, has claimed he does not remember the attacks on the other two women because he suffered drink and drug-related blackouts. Tragic: In September 2005, Mark Dixie raped and murdered teenager Sally Anne Bowman (pictured left and right, on her 18th birthday in Kos with boyfriend Lewis Sprotson) Romano's lengthy fight to clear his name had already suffered a series of setbacks. Spain's Supreme Court turned down an appeal against his 2005 sentence the following year and refused to admit an appeal in July because it was 'premature.' despite long-standing evidence linking Dixie to at least one of the attacks and pointing to Romano being the victim of a miscarriage of justice. Sally Anne, an up and coming model was stabbed seven times and raped while she lay dead or dying Dixie made his jail confession during a visit by Romano's lawyer Rachel Imamkhan. Ms Imamkhan, legal director of PrisonLAW which specialises in overturning miscarriages of justice, said after meeting him: 'Mark Dixie confessed that in 2003 he was living in Fuengirola and he remembers committing a rape that Romano van der Dussen has been convicted of. 'He also stated that he is sorry that another person has been in prison for such a long period of time for that rape. 'A new analysis of DNA evidence carried out at the National Forensic Investigations Agency has also confirmed that Mark Dixie carried out that rape. 'Dixie claims he does not remember the attacks on the other two women.' Sally Anne Bowman was raped and murdered near her home in Croydon in September 2005 soon after Dixie, from Streatham, south London, returned to the UK from Spain. The teenager was stabbed seven times and raped while she lay dead or dying. Dixie was arrested the following year by chance after a fight in a pub, and was linked to the gruesome killing through his DNA. He was jailed for life - and told he must serve a minimum of 34 years - in February 2008 after a trial at the Old Bailey. Sally Anne's mum Linda, who is supporting Romano's fight for justice, said last year: 'An innocent man has spent 11 years of a 16 year sentence in prison for a crime he did not do. 'I feel very strongly that if the Spanish authorities had done their job properly, my Sally Anne would be alive.' A Facebook board member has caused an internet storm after tweeting that 'anti-colonialism' had been economically catastrophic for India. Marc Andreessen took to Twitter to vent his own fury over India's decision to ban Facebook's limited free internet service, because it violates net neutrality. His tweet appeared to suggest that India would have been better off economically by staying under British rule. Twitter fury: Facebook board member Marc Andreessen tweeted that 'anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the Indian people' This week, India's government has essentially banned a Facebook program that sought to connect with low-income residents by offering free access to a limited version of the social network and other Internet services. It was seen as a victory for critics who argued that Facebook's 'Free Basics' program gave unfair advantage to some Internet services over others. Mr Andreessen had been discussing the ban on FreeBasics on Twitter when someone compared Facebook's scheme to colonialism. He responded: 'Anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the Indian people for decades. Why stop now?' He later deleted the tweet, but not before angering thousands of other users of the social media network reacted with fury. Startup investor Mahesh Murthy tweted: 'Now @facebook Board Director @pmarca suggests being colonized was good for India & we should've let Fb do so:).' Fury: This tweet by Mr Andreessen appeared to suggest that India would have been better off economically by staying under British rule Too little too late: Mr Andreessen later deleted the offensive tweet and posted a number of apologies India Today Mumbai editor Gayatri Jayaraman added: 'yup @pmarca and @facebook clearly see themselves as the new East India Co colonial saviours to poor brown India.' Mr Andreessen then apologised, saying that he 'admires India and the Indian people enormously. He added: 'I now withdraw from all future discussions of Indian economics and politics, and leave them to people with more knowledge and experience!' Andreessen sits on the board of directors of Facebook, eBay, and HP - among others - and is is best known as co-author of Mosaic, the first widely used Web browser. Facebook has introduced 'Free Basics' in partnership with wireless carriers in dozens of emerging nations, where the company hopes to get more people online. The service provides free access to a stripped-down version of Facebook and certain other Internet sites including some that provide essential information like weather forecasts, health education and job listings. But the program has sparked debate in some countries, particularly India, where critics contend that 'Free Basics' effectively steers users toward Facebook and its partners, while making it harder for other Internet services including homegrown startups to build their own audiences. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg hug after a Townhall meeting, at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California, America. India's government has essentially banned a Facebook program offering free access to a limited version of the social network and other Internet services. In a much-awaited decision Monday, Indian regulators said telecommunications providers may not charge different or 'discriminatory' rates for delivering different kinds of Internet content. Facebook said in a statement that it's disappointed with the ruling but will continue its efforts to increase Internet access. COLONIALISM IN INDIA After 1858, India became officially a British colony as the crown took control from the East India Company. A combination of administrative failures and natural factors resulted in large number of famines in the subsequent decaded, which killed millions of people. During this time, India was forced to produce cash crop, which were to be sold by the British. India was also forced to accept British goods that destroyed cottage industries. Many peasants had to borrow money to pay the extremely high taxes imposed on them. India stayed a British colony for nearly 100 years, with finally winning independence along with Pakistan on 14 and 15 August 1947 respectively. Source: gatewayforindia.com Advertisement 'Our goal with Free Basics is to bring more people online with an open, non-exclusive and free platform,' the company said. Zuckerberg had campaigned hard for the program, making personal visits to India and publishing an open letter in at least one newspaper there. He said 'While we're disappointed with today's decision, I want to personally communicate that we are committed to keep working to break down barriers to connectivity in India and around the world. Internet.org has many initiatives, and we will keep working until everyone has access to the internet. 'Our work with Internet.org around the world has already improved many people's lives. More than 19 million people in 38 countries have been connected through our different programs. 'Connecting India is an important goal we won't give up on, because more than a billion people in India don't have access to the internet. 'We know that connecting them can help lift people out of poverty, create millions of jobs and spread education opportunities. We care about these people, and that's why we're so committed to connecting them. Francis Maude today told the Prime Minister he would be resigning as Trade Minister and ending his front line political career Trade Minister Lord Francis Maude has resigned from the Government telling David Cameron it was 'time to move on' from the political front line. Lord Maude, who quit the Commons at the General Election and was made a peer, said in a letter to the Prime Minister it had always been his intention to leave after establishing the new post. In reply, Mr Cameron today said it was 'difficult to adequately pay tribute' to Lord Maude's 'substantial political career'. Former Waitrose boss Mark Price will join the House of Lords and replace Lord Maude as Trade Minister, a role split across the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign Office. Lord Maude is probably most famous for controversially suggesting people keep jerry cans of fuel during 2012 strikes which led to a nationwide petrol shortage. In his letter to Mr Cameron, Lord Maude said: 'Since May, we have agreed a new whole of government export strategy. 'UK Trade and Investment has new leadership and a reform plan which will both cut its own costs and increase the practical and financial support for exporting businesses. 'However, implementation of all this will take several years. 'When I accepted the position, I made it clear that I did not want to stay in government for much longer. 'I now want to move on and it is a good moment for my successor to take on this task of implementation.' Lord Maude told the PM it had been a 'pleasure' to work with him throughout his 10 years as Conservative leader. And he added: 'Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve and for your commitment and support for what were often controversial reforms. 'It has been a pleasure to work with you, and I look forward to continuing to support you and the government in the years ahead.' In his reply, Mr Cameron said: 'Thank you very much for your kind letter today, informing me of your decision to step down from the government. 'I know that this will not have been an easy decision for you to have made especially following so many years of exemplary service on our front bench but I understand completely your decision to move on and you have my support in doing so. Mr Maude, right, has been on Mr Cameron's front bench team for every day of the Prime Minister's more than 10 years as Tory leader The new Trade Minister will be ex-Waitrose boss Mark Price, pictured in one of the supermarket's branches, once he is appointed to the House of Lords in April 'It is difficult to adequately pay tribute to such a substantial political career: almost 30 years dedicated public service, including over 25 years on the Conservative front bench, over half of which have been in government.' He added: 'Above all, you have always been a good, candid friend, and a tremendously loyal colleague. 'You have supported me through thick and thin from the very beginning and that is something I will not forget. 'For now, this comes with my profound thanks for all you have done, and my very best wishes for the future.' Baroness Anelay will cover the post until Mr Price joins the House of Lords in May. The Queen has approved the new appointment. David Azurmendi, 34, admitted Tuesday he had sex with a teenage girl at a New York nightclub last summer A married former Manhattan prep school teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday to having sex with a 16-year-old girl in the bathroom of an East Village nightclub last summer. A Manhattan Criminal Court judge sentenced David Azurmendi to 10 years probation for third-degree rape, criminal sex act and endangering the welfare of a child. Azurmendi, 34, finished teaching health at the $43,650-a-year private school Leman Manhattan Preparatory on June 19 last year. Later that same night, he went to the now-closed Second Avenue club Lit Lounge where the illegal sex act took place. Azurmendi's attorney told DNAinfo in July last year that the teenage girl was not a former student of the disgraced teacher. 'They met in a club where presumably every one is of age,' attorney Aaron Wallenstein said. The New York Daily News reported after Azurmendi's arrest last August that the underage girl had been drinking when the teacher had sex with her, citing police sources. Azurmendi, who was married at the time of his crime and has two children, was about to begin teaching at the Vermont boys boarding school Greenwood School last fall but was fired upon his arrest, the Daily News reported. In a 2012 recommendation letter for Azurmendi published by Gothamist, the principal of an Atlanta, Georgia elementary school wrote that the former teacher 'has an excellent rapport with the students' and 'shows a sincere interest in them as individuals'. Following his guilty plea, Azurmendi will be required to register as a sex offender. 'He has accepted responsibility for his conduct, and he looks to put this behind him and go on and live a productive life,' Azurmendi's lawyer, Sanford Talkin, said Tuesday, according to the Daily News. The 93 Second Avenue address that formerly housed the Lit Lounge is now home to a gay bar called the Cock He says his arthritic goat milk treatment has cured Charlie Sheen has hit out at his controversial doctor who claimed he'd cured the troubled actor of HIV with arthritic goat's milk and told him to go off his meds. In an interview with Inside Edition, the Two And A Half Men star said Dr Sam, whose real name is Dr Samir Chachoua, should be prosecuted. 'This guy is a liar and if he comes back here to practice medicine, he should be arrested,' Sheen fumes in the spot set to air on Wednesday. Speaking to Dr Oz, he goes on to say he is lucky he didn't die after indulging in Dr Sam's prescriptions for two months. It comes soon after Sheen revealed the worrying news that his HIV numbers are 'up' after being encouraged to stop taking his antiviral drugs. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO 'This guy is a liar and if he comes back here to practice medicine, he should be arrested,' Charlie Sheen fumes about his amateur unlicensing former doctor - Dr Sam - in an Inside Edition interview set to air on Wednesday Charlie Sheen's (right) has hit out at his doctor, Dr. Samir Chachoua (left) saying his treatment was 'illegal' The actor, who revealed he was diagnosed with the virus four years ago, was said to have been responding well to the drugs but had gone off his meds after he sought alternative treatment from Chachoua two months ago. Dr Oz will be seen on Wednesday telling Inside Edition: 'Dr Sam could have killed Charlie Sheen. 'He convinced him to go off medication, which have been effective for four years.' The disgraced medic, who famously injected himself with Sheen's HIV positive blood, claims his 'cure' based on the milk of arthritic goats had made the virus 'undetectable' in the Hollywood star, Gawker revealed. During an interview on Real Time with Bill Maher he said that Sheen was 'the first adult in history to go HIV negative' thanks to his treatment and even claimed he had 'cured countries' of HIV and Aids. But the 50-year-old Golden Globe winner refuted the extraordinary claims in a diatribe on Twitter last week. He tweeted: 'Dr Sam I was with u in Mexico for 1 day. It's illegal for u to practice in U.S.A. where u treated me for 2 months.' The actor also revealed in an appearance on the Dr. Oz Show last month that his HIV numbers were going up for the first time after taking the doctor's 'cure.' 'I had been non-detectable, non-detectable and checking the blood every week and then found out the numbers are back up,' the Anger Management star told the 55-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Oz. 'I'm amazed that I'm actually alive'. Sheen tweeted this last week, slamming Dr Sam's 'illegal' practices Chachoua went onto announce he had eradicated HIV and another virus called chikungunya in Comoros, an island nation off the eastern coast of Africa, in 2006 Chachoua had told Maher that arthritic goats milk could cure the disease as CAEV virus present in the milk 'destroys HIV and protects people who drink it for life.' He went onto announce he had eradicated HIV and another virus called chikungunya in Comoros, an island nation off the eastern coast of Africa, in 2006. The doctor did not go into any detail to how his supposed treatment would 'destroy HIV', neither did he offer any scientific studies backing up his wild claims during his appearance. Chachoua also discussed the moment he had injected himself with Sheen's blood, saying he had been 'that confident' of his cure. He told the host that when Sheen was on 'the incredibly powerful medical cocktails, he still showed virus'. 'As soon as he started my treatment he became undetectable,' he claimed. The bizarre and false claims were followed by a pre-recorded clip of Sheen complaining to the doctor about some of the side effects of his antiretroviral therapy including migraines and 'poo poo pants.' 'It's a horrible way to live, all these side effects disappeared the minute he started my therapy and the minute he started my therapy, his liver went to normal levels,' claimed Chachoua. 'Even the charts they held up on our show, all the great tests they showed, they were during my treatment, not theirs.' Sheen stopped taking the drugs to try a treatment in Mexico with Dr Sam Chachoua, pictured above, who is not licensed in the United States Sheen has previously admitted he is risking his life with the untested treatment. Charlie - born Carlos Estevez - said in a pre-recorded segment on the Dr Oz show: 'I've been off my meds about a week now. I feel great. Am I risking my life? So what? I was born dead. That part of it doesn't phase me at all.' 'I didn't see it as Russian roulette. I didn't see it as a complete dismissal of the conventional course we've been on. I'm not recommending that anyone - I'm presenting myself as a type of guinea pig.' U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump has hit out at German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying it was a 'tragic mistake' for her to let thousands of migrants into her country. The Republican contender also predicted that her actions and the refugee crisis could trigger revolutions and even mean the end of Europe. More than one million people arrived in Europe last year, fleeing war and failing states in the Middle East and North Africa. Scroll down for video U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump, left, who has hit out at German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, saying it was a 'tragic mistake' for her to let thousands of migrants into her country Numbers show little sign of falling, despite the winter, with many aiming to reach countries such as Germany after Merkel said there was an open door policy. Trump's comments came in a interview with French conservative weekly magazine Valuers Actuelles, which said it was the billionaire's first in-depth campaign interview with the European media. It was released on the same day that he stormed to victory in the the New Hampshire Republican primary elections last night. He told the publication: 'I think Angela Merkel made a tragic mistake with the migrants. 'If you don't treat the situation competently and firmly, yes, it's the end of Europe. You could face real revolutions.' The 69-year-old was also asked about the recent Paris terror attacks and the threat of terrorism in Europe. Refugees come streaming into Macedonia before continuing their journey on to Serbia. More than one million people arrived in Europe last year Humanitarian aid workers deliver fresh fruit to refugees in Macedonia. Many are fleeing war and failing states in the Middle East and North Africa And he said that he believed Brussels in Belgium had become a breeding ground for terrorists and some neighbourhoods in Paris and elsewhere in France had become no-go zones. He added: 'Unfortunately, France is not what it used to be, and neither is Paris.' He also said tight French gun laws were partly responsible for the killing of dozens of people at the Bataclan concert hall last November by Islamist militants. He added: 'I always have a gun with me. Had I been at the Bataclan, I can tell you I would have opened fire.' Trump's comments on migrants in Europe came in a interview with French conservative weekly magazine Valuers Actuelles, which said it was the billionaire's first in-depth campaign interview with the European media However, in the article he did praise Russian president Vladimir Putin who he described as smart. He added that he thought the United States could have very good relations with Putin and that nothing could be worse than the current situation where President Barack Obama scarcely speaks to him. He explained: 'He (Putin) said I was brilliant. That proves a certain smartness.' The French magazine said the interview was conducted at Trump's office in New York's Trump Tower a week before the Iowa caucuses, in which he finished second among candidates seeking the Republican nomination for November's presidential election. However last night, Trump claimed victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary elections, predicting before a raucous crowd in Manchester that he'll also win the next presidential nominating contest in South Carolina. Last night, Trump claimed victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary elections, predicting before a raucous crowd in Manchester that he'll also win the next presidential nominating contest in South Carolina With 92 per cent of the votes counted, Trump led the field with 35.17 per cent of the total vote and 10 delegates, John Kasich was in second with 15.84 per cent and three delegates, Ted Cruz third with 11.66 per cent and two delegates, Jeb Bush fourth with 11.07 per cent and two delegates, Marco Rubio fifth with 10.52 per cent and Chris Christie sixth with 7.47 per cent. And immigration issues facing America were not far from Trump's mind when he gave his victory speech. He said: 'In a nutshell, we're going to make great trade deals, we're going to rebuild our military ... we are going to take care of our vets. 'We're going to have strong, incredible borders and people are going to come into our country but they're going to come into our country legally!' 'We're going to build a wall. It's going to be built,' Shouts of 'Build the wall! Build the wall!' followed. Survivors of the Auschwitz death camp have told of their torturous experiences before a former guard goes on trial accused of 170,000 counts of accessory to murder. Reinhold Hanning, 94, is accused of serving as an SS Unterscharfuehrer - or sergeant - between 1943 and 1944, a time when hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews were gassed to death at the camp. He is one of four former Nazi guards being put on trial for war crimes this year, following an 11th hour push by German prosecutors. Survivor Leon Schwarzbaum, 94, the first witness to give evidence at the trial next week, still vividly remembers how the 'chimneys were spewing fire... and the smell of burning human flesh was so unbelievable that one could hardly bear it'. Reinhold Hanning (pictured), 94, a former SS guard at Auschwitz, is set to go on trial accused of 170,000 counts of accessory to murder Auschwitz survivor Leon Schwarzbaum (pictured, holding a picture of himself (left) next to his uncle and parents who all died at the death camp) said it would be very unsettling to come face to face with the former SS guard in court on Thursday Sat alongside other survivors, Schwarzbaum said it would be deeply unsettling to see Hanning in the courtroom on Thursday, but believed it was important to give the former SS man a chance to give a full account of the horrors that unfolded at Auschwitz. He told a press conference: 'It's perhaps the last time for him to tell the truth. He has to speak the truth.' Around 40 Auschwitz survivors or their relatives have joined the trial as co-plaintiffs, but not all will testify. Hanning, who now lives in the small western city of Detmold, admitted to serving at the Auschwitz I part of the complex in Nazi occupied Poland but denied being at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau section where most of the Nazi's 1.1million victims were killed. But prosecutor Andreas Brendel said the main camp's guards were also used as on call officers at Birkenau when trainloads of Jews were brought in. He said: 'We believe that these auxiliaries were used in particular during the so-called Hungarian action in support of Birkenau.' Sat alongside other survivors (right, Auschwitz survivor Erna de Vries) Schwarzbaum (left) said it would be deeply unsettling to see Hanning in the courtroom on Thursday Hanning admitted to serving at the Auschwitz I part of the complex in Nazi occupied Poland but denied being at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau section where most of the Nazi's 1.1million victims were killed Prosecutor Andreas Brendel said the main camp's guards were also used as on call officers at Birkenau when trainloads of Jews were brought in (sitting down, survivors Erna de Vries, Justin Sonder and Leon Schwarzbaum, and standing, their lawyer Thomas Walther) THE FORMER SS GUARDS TO GO ON TRIAL FOR SS WAR CRIMES Hanning's trial is the latest following a precedent set in 2011, when former Ohio autoworker John Demjanjuk became the first person to be convicted for serving as a camp guard without evidence of involvement in a specific killing. Demjanjuk's verdict widened the number of possible prosecutions, establishing that simply helping the camp to function was enough to make the guard an accessory to the murders committed there. Before that, prosecutors needed to present evidence of a specific crime, which was a difficult task given the small number of surviving witnesses and perpetrators whose names were rarely known. Demjanjuk always denied serving at the death camp and died before his appeal could be heard. But last year, prosecutors managed to successfully convict SS Unterscharfuehrer Oskar Groening, who served in Auschwitz, on 300,000 counts of accessory to murder. Groening's appeal is expected to be heard sometime this year, but prosecutors are not waiting to move ahead with other cases. Prosecutors managed to successfully convict SS Unterscharfuehrer Oskar Groening (left and right), who served in Auschwitz, on 300,000 counts of accessory to murder He is one of four former Nazi guards (pictured, the death camp in Poland in 1965) being put on trial for war crimes this year, following an 11th hour push by German prosecutors Advertisement Hanning's case is one of 30 involving former Auschwitz guards being investigated by federal prosecutors from Germany's special Nazi war crimes office in Ludwigsburg. One of the two other cases likely to go on trial this year involves a 93-year-old woman charged with 260,000 counts of accessory to murder over allegations she served as a radio operator for an Auschwitz commandant in 1944. Another 94-year-old man is charged with 1,276 counts of accessory to murder on allegations he served as an Auschwitz guard. Former SS officer Hubert Zafke, 95, is also set to go on trial at the end of February in Neubrandenburg, north of Berlin, on 3,681 counts of accessory to murder on accusations he served as a medic at an SS hospital in Auschwitz in 1944. His attorney, Peter-Michael Diestel, said it was Germany's 'shame' that many higher-ranking perpetrators and Nazi war criminals were able to escape with minimal or no sentences in the years after the war. He questioned whether prosecutors were simply trying 'to make up for mistakes of the past' with his client. One of the two other cases likely to go on trial this year involves a 93-year-old woman charged with 260,000 counts of accessory to murder at Auschwitz (pictured) Another 94-year-old man is charged with 1,276 counts of accessory to murder on allegations he served as an Auschwitz guard (pictured, the death camp in January 1945) Diestel added: 'He was a medic for Wehrmacht [army] soldiers and SS men - for uniformed men - and had no part of the Holocaust - but the judicial argument of the Demjanjuk verdict says that if he didn't provide his service as a medic then Auschwitz wouldn't have functioned. 'What should a young man, even if he knew what was going on in Auschwitz, do to stop it?' In all four cases, the health of the elderly defendants is expected to be a major factor on whether the trials can be concluded. Hanning's trial will be limited to two hours per day because of his age. His attorney says his health will be checked again by an expert when the trial begins. Jens Rommel, the head of the Nazi war crimes investigative office, says it is too early to talk about the final round of trials. There are a half-dozen open investigations right now with state prosecutors, and his office is looking into another seven suspects from both the Auschwitz and the Majdanek death camps. 'Year by year it's more difficult, but the state justice ministers last year decided that Ludwigsburg would keep working,' he says. Hanning's trial will be limited to two hours per day because of his age (pictured, women in the barracks at Auschwitz) Former SS officer Hubert Zafke, 95, is set to go trial on 3,681 counts of accessory to murder on accusations he served as a medic at an SS hospital in Auschwitz (pictured) in 1944 'The state of North-Rhine Westphalia last summer talked about another 10 years as a timeframe.' Auschwitz survivor Justin Sonder, who is scheduled to testify Friday, said it's never too late to pursue those responsible for running the camps. Harry Potter fans were brimming with excitement today after JK Rowling announced plans to release another book in the magical series nine years after the last novel. The author confirmed the script of the new stage play, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, will be released as a book on July 31 - the day after the play's world premiere and, fans will note, Harry's birthday. It comes nine years after the most recent Harry Potter book, The Deathly Hallows, was released. Scroll down for video JK Rowling confirmed the script of the new London stage play, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, will be published as a book on July 31 - nine years after the publication of The Deathly Hallows and Harry's birthday The Cursed Child is officially the eighth book in the Harry Potter canon and will be released in two versions: a Special Rehearsal Edition using the script performed in the play's previews, before being replaced later by a Definitive Collector's Edition. The news will be a relief for fans worldwide who are desperate to join in the new chapter of Harry, Ron and Hermione's wizarding adventures, but have been unable to get tickets to the play which is currently only showing in London. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ended 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts, as Harry waved his two eldest children off to the wizarding school. The Cursed Child will pick up from that moment, focusing on Harry as a frazzled Ministry of Magic civil servant and his middle child Albus Severus, who is struggling under the weight of the family's legacy. This will be the first tale in the Harry Potter series not to be penned by Rowling. The two-part play has been written by Jack Thorne, although it has been based on an original idea by Rowling, Thorne and the stage play's director John Tiffany. The History Boys' Jamie Parker will play Harry Potter in the new play, alongside Olivier Award-winning actress Noma Dumezweni as Hermione and Les Miserables actor Paul Thornley as Ron. The Cursed Child is officially the eighth book in the Harry Potter series, which made a star of Daniel Radcliffe as young Harry (right), and comes nine years after JK Rowling's (left) latest novel, The Deathly Hallows Harry Potter and The Cursed Child will run as a stage play in London until 2017, starring Paul Thornley as Ron Weasley (left), Noma Dumezweni as Hermione Granger (centre) and Jamie Parker as Harry Potter (right) The stage play will run into 2017, which marks the 20th anniversary of the UK publication of the very first book, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone. To celebrate the momentous year, fans will be able to collect a new edition of Hogwarts library book Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, featuring new content by Rowling, as well as new editions of Quidditch Through The Ages and The Tales Of Beedle The Bard. Before then, fans will be able to indulge themselves once more in Rowling's magical world in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, starring Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, a magizoologist who accidentally unleashes a menagerie of magical animals on New York. The film is set for release in November 2016. But they say the public should not be concerned about a 'random killer' Police have yet to comment on whether the death is being considered suspicious A three-year-old boy who disappeared from a Missouri home while his grandparents slept last night has been found dead, the St Louis Post-Dispatch reported today. Titus Greyson Tackett went missing from his grandfathers home in Irontown, around 90 miles south of St Louis, last night, and a police search was launched shortly after midnight. It was believed at the time that he may have walked into nearby woodland. But his body was found today inside a van near the home, underneath a blanket. Police told the Post-Dispatch that the person who found the body flagged down a volunteer around 11am. Three-year-old Titus Tackett went missing Tuesday night near Lake Killarney in Missouri. His body was found at 11am today in a van near his home According to KSDK, officials say the boy's grandparents had been looking after him after his parents had run out on an errand around midnight, but they fell asleep. When the boy's parents returned at around 1am they found the front door open and their son missing. An autopsy is to be conducted this afternoon to determine whether there was foul play involved in the boy's death. Staff at the Iron County Sheriff's office could not confirm the exact time the autopsy was to be performed or exactly when results would be expected. Titus, pictured with mom Amber, was last seen just before midnight. He was left with his grandparents, who fell asleep while. When his parents returned home, they found the front door open and their son missing In a press conference a spokesperson said that Titus was identified at the scene by a family member, The Daily Journal Online reported. When asked whether the public should be concerned about a random killer on the loose, the response was No. A search had been conducted from just after midnight this morning onwards, involving police officers, dogs, an infrared-radar-equipped helicopter and a 50-strong ground search team, including volunteers. This shocking video shows the moment a boozing mother and grandmother are attacked by passers-by angered at the pair for drinking while caring for children. The attackers - a mother and daughter, and one other woman - were outraged when they saw bottles of vodka lying around the breastfeeding mother. Taking matters into their own hands, they filmed their attack on the women they found on the shores of Lake Gusinoye, in southern Russia. An elderly woman who saw the two boozing while looking after the children hits them with an object She also struck the mother, who had been breastfeeding, in the face before snatching away the child The prolonged attack was triggered by the woman's realisation the mother and grandmother were drinking while caring for the children Police later said they had fined the mother (pictured in red) for 'dereliction of parental duties' The recorder narrates the scene by telling viewers that the adults are in a 'constant drunken state' and are unfit to raise the three children who are with them. The narrator's mother then launches a harsh physical attack on the two drunken women slapping their faces and hitting them with objects nearby. The mother, who had been breastfeeding her three-month-old child, is hit several times by the angry woman, who continues to ask: 'What are you doing? Look at all this alcohol.' The person filming the encounter then pans around the area to show several empty vodka bottles lying nearby. The young boy and his sister also watch the violence unfold, while the girl covers her eyes as she can no longer watch her own mother being beaten. At one point, even the woman filming the video asks her own mother to stop the attack, as she tells the terrified children to get into her car. Reports said the three children were taken to a local hospital by the women, where they were found with alcohol in their system. Local police later picked up on the incident and launched an investigation into the two woman who were beaten. The pair were picnicking with the children on the shores of Lake Gusinoye, in southern Russia, when the incident occurred At one point, the person filming the encounter pans around to two of the children being cared for - one of which is covering her eyes during the brutal assault Police spokesman Oleg Vasiliev said the drunken mother was fined for 'dereliction of parental duties', while authorities also inspected the home of the accused. He added the three children were found to have adequate sleeping quarters, and were also well fed. Local media reported the attacked mother promised to improve in her behaviour and parenting, otherwise she would have her newborn child taken from her custody. The video's author and her mother have since come under heavy criticism from Russia's online community and especially those who live in the Republic of Buryatia. Viewers admitted their intentions were good, but said it was not right to attack the mother and the grandmother in front of the young children. PM wants to sew up deal at crunch summit next week in time for June vote Main stumbling blocks to agreement are believed to be France and Poland Donald Tusk, pictured with David Cameron outside Downing Street last week, warned that talks over Britain's EU deal are in a 'very fragile' state Britain could vote to leave the European Union because of the migrant crisis, the Brussels official leading the renegotiation talks admitted last night. European Council president Donald Tusk said the many crises facing the EU meant that 'it is very similar to some very dangerous moments in our history it is like the day before World War One'. Mr Tusk said the failure to halt the migrant crisis that has seen more than a million people come to Europe in the past year was the 'worst political context for the referendum'. The former Polish prime minister, who will chair a summit of EU leaders to finalise a deal on the UK renegotiation next week, said the fiasco was 'the greatest tool for Eurosceptics'. His warning came as the head of Nato said the migrant crisis was the 'most challenging threat' to the security of the military alliance in a generation. Mr Tusk last night said he was 'confident' of getting agreement between all 28 member states on the whole package next week but warned it was 'a very fragile political process'. However, he said the agreement would not be the most important factor when British voters make their decision and expressed concern that migration could persuade people to choose to leave. 'It's obvious we have to do everything to keep the British in Europe,' he said. 'Migration is the first problem because details of the document [setting out the UK deal] are not as important as the wider political mood. 'The migration crisis is the worst political context for the referendum. I have no doubt. It is too easy to blame EU as a whole for this crisis. I am sure it is the greatest tool for Eurosceptics. I feel this responsibility.' Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, caused jitters among In campaigners that Britain's deal with the EU is in jeopardy after saying on Twitter that talks are in a 'fragile' state. Tusk, who also expressed the fears to the European Parliament today, cleared his diary for talks with leaders Mr Tusk also warned that even if Britain decided to remain a member, the EU's future was still in jeopardy as other leaders could follow Mr Cameron's example and seek to hold referendums on whether their countries should leave. 'I am really afraid that the referendum could be a very attractive model for some politicians to achieve internal, egotistical goals,' he said. Jen Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, said it was looking at ways to help tackle the 'largest refugee and migrant crisis in Europe since World War Two'. The flow of people, the spread of terrorism, continued unrest in the Ukraine and the failed states in the south had made the world a 'more dangerous place', he said. Donald Tusk, pictured left with David Cameron and Angela Merkel, said he had held urgent meetings with the EU's most powerful leaders - including the German Chancellor and French President Francois Hollande Francois Hollande, pictured right with David Cameron and Angela Merkel, is believed to be opposed to plans for non-eurozone countries to have a veto on issues that affect the entire of the EU TOP EUROCRAT: EMERGENCY MIGRANT BREAK WON'T WORK A top Eurocrat yesterday warned the UK's referendum deal will do nothing to curb mass immigration. In a bruising intervention, the ex-president of the European Commission said David Cameron's 'emergency brake' on migrant benefits would not stop EU workers flooding in. Former commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, who is supposed to be an ally of Mr Cameron, stuck the knife into one of the main planks of No 10's referendum negotiation. No 10 claims that, by restricting the access which EU migrants have to in-work benefits for the first four years they are in the UK, he can reduce the so-called 'pull factor'. But asked whether the proposed measure would deter anybody from coming to work in the UK, Mr Barroso replied: 'No, frankly not.' He said the European Union would be weaker if Britain voted to leave in the expected June 23 referendum, but added that levels of future migration would be determined more by labour market conditions than by benefit levels. He told the BBC: 'People who want to go to Britain, if the basic rights of the people are ensured, they will be willing to go but of course with slightly different conditions.' His intervention is the latest hammer blow to the policy, which is itself a watered-down version of a Tory manifesto commitment to stop migrants gaining any access to in work benefits for four years. A spokesman for the PM said: 'We believe our benefits are a pull factor and that is why we are seeking to address that.' Advertisement But he said the military alliance was responding and would discuss ways to help Turkey tackle the migrant crisis, such as providing warships to the Aegean Sea or air surveillance. Defence ministers from the 28 Nato members, including Britain, will discuss the plans at a meeting in Brussels today and are expected to roll out the proposals over the coming months. Last night Defence Secretary Michael Fallon denied any move by Nato would be an admission the EU was failing. He said: 'No. Navies from across Europe have been already working to tackle the migrant crisis in the sea near Libya. 'Anything that helps save lives in the eastern Mediterranean and helps disrupt criminals behind this trafficking is extremely welcome and we will be looking at that proposal very seriously.' Marina Wheeler, pictured with her husband Boris Johnson, has written a damning legal assessment of the Prime Minister's draft proposals for reforming Britain's membership of the EU David Cameron, pictured with Boris Johnson, knows that winning the backing of the London Mayor is crucial in his hope to keep Britain in the EU 'IT'S LIKE BEING ON THE TITANIC' The Italian prime minister has accused the European Union of being like the orchestra that kept playing as the Titanic sank. Matteo Renzi criticised officials in Brussels for failing to act decisively and having a lack of clear strategy as they deal with a series of problems, including the migrant crisis. He accused the EU of being overly dominated by Germany and wants Italy to play a more influential role. In an interview with Bloomberg, Mr Renzi said: 'The EU is like the orchestra playing on the Titanic. 'Today Italy has done reforms and we are in a position to say to EU partners: "friends, we can change this wrong, bureaucratic approach". Italy has not solved all its problems but it has shown in the past two years that everything is possible.' Mr Renzi, 41, has been engaged in a war of words with Brussels after he clashed with officials over spending rules and demanded leeway to cut taxes. The former mayor of Florence has often referred to the EU's stability pact budget rules as the 'stupidity pact'. Advertisement It is understood that maritime patrol aircraft which Britain scrapped several years ago could be offered up to track migrants in the sea as part of surveillance measures. British assets which could be offered up include HMS Enterprise, which is in the Mediterranean rescuing migrants making the journey from Libya and carrying out surveillance. Warped fans from all over the world send parcels to his Isle of Wight prison Glitter, 71, was jailed for 16 years for attempted rape and child sex offences He buys treats for his cash-poor sex offender inmates in HMP Albany Gary Glitter reportedly has thousands of pounds in his prison account Fans: Twisted fans of jailed pervert Gary Glitter send him parcels and fan mail from all over the world Jailed paedophile Gary Glitter is bombarded with parcels from 'fanatics' from all over the world and buys chocolate and treats for other inmates in the prison full of the country's most depraved sex offenders. Glitter, 71, reportedly has a prison bank account full of thousands of pounds - despite only having a maximum 25 weekly spend for sweets and toiletries. 'He is buying chocolate and crisps and fags for others on this wing who don't have much cash to spend,' a source told The Sun. 'He also gets a lot of stuff sent in from so-called fans and often hands that out as well once it has been checked by staff,' said the same source. The former pop star is jailed in a high-security prison on the Isle of Wight dedicated to housing convicted sex offenders and 'vulnerable prisoners.' It is one of eight such prisons in the UK, according to the Ministry of Justice. He was jailed for 16 years last February for having sex with a 12-year-old fan, attempting to rape an eight-year-old and indecent assault. It was reported last April that he had 'paid' fellow prisoners with tobacco to be his bodyguards at his jail in High Down, Surrey, after other inmates were irritated by his 'preferential treatment'. High-security: Glitter is jailed alongside more than 1,000 inmates on the Isle of Wight at HMP Albany, one of eight UK prisons dedicated to housing sex offenders and vulnerable prisoners Pervert: Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, was jailed last February for 16 years on attempted rape and child sex abuse offences Jailed alongside Glitter - whose real name is Paul Gadd - at HMP Albany is fellow inmate Colin Blanchard, 44, who was described in court as the centre of a 'warped, wicked and dangerous' paedophile ring. Blanchard was jailed indefinitely in 2011 after a court heard he manipulated nursery workers into taking pictures of themselves abusing children, before sending them to him for his own gratification. William Goad, one of the most prolific paedophiles in British legal history, also died there in 2012. Goad was jailed in 2004 for using his money and influence in order to lure young boys into his clutches before sexually abusing them. In total, he is thought to have abused 3,500 youngsters, once boasting that he attacked 132 in a single year. The heartbroken daughter of a businessman who was 'executed' in an armed robbery on his firm's Birmingham warehouse has made an emotional tribute as police step up efforts to find his killers. Akhtar Javeed, 56, was shot in the neck as he tried to fight off two masked gunmen who burst into his distribution warehouse just before 6.40pm on February 3. The grandfather was gunned down after he refused to hand over cash before the thugs made their getaway from the catering supplies firm empty-handed. Gunned down: Akhtar Javeed died after being shot in the neck during an armed raid on the distribution warehouse of his catering company in Birmingham 'Shattered': His daughter Lilas, 30, revealed her family's devastation following the attack, at a press conference held by West Midlands Police Armed police rushed to the scene and found Mr Javeed lying in a pool of blood outside Direct Source 3 Ltd. in the Digbeth area of the city. He was rushed to hospital but died a short time later. His daughter Lilas Javeed, 30, told how her family had been left 'shattered' by her father's murder at a press conference held by West Midlands Police. 'He was our world - a humble, simple family man who worked tirelessly every day to make sure that everyone was looked after. 'He was someone with great character and always had a smile on his face and never stopped until everyone else smiled along with him. 'Everything has changed since the day he was taken from us, our family is now shattered. 'A devoted husband and caring father, who selflessly did everything he could to look after the ones he loved, is now gone. 'It breaks our hearts knowing that his last moments were not spent with us as they should have been, we didn't get to say goodbye. 'Instead he died whilst he was working to give us the best lives possible. Investigation: Police have released CCTV footage of a silver Renault Megane spotted driving away from the warehouse, which is being searched for Appeal: Police have asked witnesses to come forward to help in the investigation into the killing of Mr Javeed Devastated: Lilas spoke at the press conference, supported by her husband Sheraz Bhatti (left) and Detective Super Intendant Mark Payne (right) Heartbroken: Lilas described how her younger brothers will 'have to become men and start life without their role model guiding them' at the press conference 'Nothing will fill the hole left in our hearts. That warm, happy, and comfortable feeling we would get whenever our dad was with us will never return. 'My brothers will have to become men and start life without their role model guiding them with unconditional love, they are asking questions like, can we have one more chance with dad, what do I say to that?' It comes as police released CCTV footage of the killing, showing a silver Renault Megane which detectives believe may have been used. Police are now appealing for anyone who spotted the car in the area between 6.20pm and 6.40pm to come forward. Supt Payne added: 'A silver Renault Megane drove into Rea Street South from MacDonald Street at around 6.30pm. 'It parked opposite Mr Javeed's business, waited a short while and then drove towards the entrance with its head lights off. Missed: Mr Javeed is survived by his wife Aisha Nisan, 46, daughter Lilas, 30, three sons aged 11, 12 and 24 and a three-year-old granddaughter Tragedy: Armed police rushed to the scene and found Mr Javeed lying in a pool of blood outside Direct Source 3 Ltd. in the Digbeth area of the city. He was rushed to hospital but died a short time later 'The car is next seen 10 minutes later on Rea Street South where it carried out a U-turn and drove back towards MacDonald Street turning left. 'Its headlights were still switched off. 'We know from the CCTV footage that lots of people either drove or walked along Rea Street South before and after the killing.' Detective Superintendent Mark Payne, from West Midlands Police, said: 'Mr Javeed was a law-abiding family man who was killed during an armed raid on his business. 'From the moment we received the 999 call reporting the robbery, we've been working around the clock to find the people responsible. Crime scene: The fatal shooting took place in this street of mainly industrial units in Birmingham on February 3 Probe: Police found Mr Javeed seriously injured in the street. Pictured, forensics officers in the street Target: The raid took place in Rea Street South, which is to the south of Birmingham city centre, on February 3 'This has involved speaking to a large number of witnesses and a detailed forensic examination of the scene. 'A forensic analysis of bullet cases taken from the unit has shown the weapon which fired the fatal shot had not been used in any other crime either locally or nationally. 'We know two masked men entered the unit at around 6.30pm and were inside for several minutes. 'We believe the business was deliberately targeted but we don't yet understand why.' Five staff members - including Mr Javeed, from east London - who were inside the unit at the time of the raid were tied up by the robbers before the fatal shooting. Originally from Gujarat in Pakistan, Mr Javeed leaves behind his wife Aisha Nisan, 46, daughter Lilas, 30, three sons aged 11, 12 and 24 and a three-year-old granddaughter. Anyone with information is asked to call West Midlands Police on 101 or via independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Five staff members - including Mr Javeed, from east London - who were inside the unit at the time of the raid were tied up by the robbers before the fatal shooting Jeb Bush is deploying his secret weapon his brother, George W. Bush in an effort to catch Donald Trump's crushing poll numbers in South Carolina. A new radio ad features the former U.S. president praising Jeb's leadership skills and 'steady hand'. 'There's no doubt in my mind that Jeb Bush will be a great commander-in-chief for our military,' George W. Bush says in the ad. Scroll down for video BIG BROTHER: George W. Bush is appearing in a radio ad for his brother Jeb in South Carolina PAYING BACK: Jeb stumped for his older brother in 2000 and 2004 (pictured) and now the former president is returning the favor Jeb Bush, pictured, appeared last night at a town hall meeting in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina Jeb Bush finished a disappointing fourth place in New Hampshire but his campaign team hope his fortunes will improve dramatically following Super Tuesday which is a vital point in the nomination process Jeb is making eight campaign stops in South Carolina during the next three days, following a disappointing fourth-place finish in the New Hampshire primary. His campaign said the ad is airing statewide beginning Wednesday, but spokeswoman Allie Brandenburger wouldn't tell DailyMail.com how many days it will be on the air or how much the campaign spent to run it. That could indicate that it's a symbolic gesture angling for free exposure online and on TV talk shows, rather than an attempt to actually saturate the Palmetto State's airwaves in advance of the February 20 primary there. The 43rd president is expected to campaign with Jeb in the coming days, but the former Florida governor is keeping details close to the vest. Jeb Bush, pictured, hopes to follow his elder brother and father into the White House Jeb Bush, pictured, hopes to see a massive increase in support now the nomination race had headed south Former president George W Bush, pictured at a basketball game in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife Laura, is expected to join his brother Jeb on the campaign trail later this week ahead of Super Tuesday The former president has appeared in an advertisement for his brother which is being shown in South Carolina Unlike in the moderate-to-liberal northeast, South Carolina is a place where the Bush name evokes near-reverent loyalty. 'This is President George W. Bush,' Jeb's more famous brother says in the ad. 'We live in troubled times with the military deployed around the world. We need a strong leader with experience, ideas and resolve.' 'Theres no doubt in my mind that Jeb Bush will be a great commander-in-chief for our military. Jeb has dealt with crises as the governor of Florida, and he did so with steadiness, and a calmness necessary in a good leader.' 'He respects the military he honors their families,' George W. adds in his voice-over. 'He can make the tough decision to keep Americans safe and our country free. And in a time of crisis, he will be a steady hand.' UNDER PRESSURE: Jeb finished in fourth place in the New Hampshire primary and is polling at 10 per cent in South Carolina, compared with Donald Trump's field-leading 36 per cent STILL GOING: Former President George W. Bush'd voice on the ad is unmistakable and will be welcome in the Palmetto State, where the Bush name is still respected The Bush campaign is expected to spend more than $4 million on TV advertising over the coming days His younger brother speaks next, claiming that 'Im the only candidate for president whos running on my record not away from it. And the only candidate with a real plan to defeat ISIS, balance the budget and grow our economy.' Bush's super PAC, called Right to Rise, has a war chest that other Republicans in the so-called 'establishment lane' haven't been able to match, and reportedly plans to spend $4.2million or more on TV ads in South Carolina. Jeb hasn't shied away from bringing his famous family along on the campaign trail. His mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, stumped with him in New Hampshire. It didn't seem to help much, however: Bush finished the primary contest without a top-three finish. He's also in fourth place in an average of South Carolina polls maintained by Real Clear Politics. Bush is polling at 10 percent on average, compared with front-runner Donald Trump's 36 percent. Police have not released a motive, but the sheriff believes first deputy was shot because 'he was wearing a uniform' Slain officers were described as a 30-year veteran and a 16-year veteran The second deputy died later in hospital Second deputy was also severely injured before the gunman was killed Two sheriff's deputies have died after a gunman opened fire inside a crowded Panera restaurant in Maryland. David Brian Evans, 67, first fatally shot a sheriff's deputy in the head inside the restaurant in Abingdon at lunchtime on Wednesday, then killed the other deputy in a shootout later, authorities said. The suspect was also killed in the exchange of gunfire not far from the Boulevard at Box Hill, the shopping center where the restaurant was located, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. Remarkably, no bystanders were hurt. Police have not released a motive for the shooting, but the sheriff said he believed the first deputy who approached the gunman was shot 'because he was wearing a uniform.' Scroll down for video Two sheriff's deputies have died after a gunman opened fire in a crowded Panera restaurant (pictured) in Abgindon, Maryland, on Wednesday Lynn Faulkner hugs and kisses her daughter Sophia near the scene of a shooting at a branch of Panera Bread on Wednesday Evans had warrants out for his arrest in Harford County and Florida, where he was accused of assaulting a police officer and fleeing and eluding. Gahler said a loaded handgun was recovered from him. The slain officers were described as a 30-year veteran and the other a 16-year veteran. The sheriff said he had met with both of their families but was withholding their names because more relatives needed to be notified. 'This is a tragic day for the Harford County Sheriff's Office,' Gahler said, his eyes moist with tears. 'They were two outstanding deputies who served the citizens of this community faithfully.' A 15-year-old girl, who witnessed the initial shooting inside the sandwich shop, said she had been in a booth with her mother just 10 feet away when the terror unfolded. Sophia Faulkner said she almost sat right next to the gunman but instead, she and her mother chose a booth a little further away because the man appeared 'sketchy' and disheveled. He was sitting in the back and hadn't ordered any food, she said. A sheriff's deputy arrived at the restaurant at around 11.45am to check on a report about the man causing a problem. Witness Sophia Faulkner, left, talks with reporters near the scene of a shooting at a branch of Panera Bread A car at scene of the shootout that left the suspect and a second deputy dead is pictured with its windows appearing to be have been shot out As an ambulance and a sheriff's car left the hospital, apparently taking the body to the nearby state medical examiner's office, police lined each side of the street and saluted The deputy tried to talk to the man, who was apparently known to workers there. The deputy sat down beside him, asked how he was doing and the man shot him in the head. 'I saw him fall back out of his chair and the blood started coming out,' Faulkner said. 'I didn't know how to process it. My mom said, 'What's going on?' and I said, 'Get down, someone just got shot.' She said 'everyone started screaming' after the gunshot and children - out of school because of snowfall - were running around. 'I was freaking out so much and everybody was running to one side of the store. Families were huddling together. I didn't really know what was going on,' she said. 'You see this stuff online and in movies and on TV when it happens, but you never think you're going to go out to lunch one day with your mom and it's just going to happen.' Her mother, Lynn Faulkner, a registered nurse, said that she recognized the man and believed he was mentally ill and in need of social services. It's unclear why the shooter choose to open fire. Police had been called to the restaurant about the man's behavior 'I've seen him there frequently, and I've seen him at areas of the library,' she said. 'He's definitely in need of mental health care, and he never should have had a gun.' 'He knew what he was doing, because he shot right for the head,' she continued. 'Apparently, the policeman tried to come up to him, 'Hi, how are you doing,' - he's living in this store - and, 'Can you try to move on?' or 'Why are you here today?' and that's when he immediately pulled out the gun and shot him.' The gunman fled and witnesses gave officers a description of him and told them which way he was headed, the sheriff said. After at least one deputy caught up with him, shots were exchanged. The deputy was left severely wounded and the suspect dead, the sheriff said. The deputy later died in hospital. 'I saw two women and a child run from Panera to our back door. They were hysterical. They said they heard gunshots,' said bartender Mike Davis, who was working at the Ocean City Brewing Co.'s Taphouse. 'We locked the door and went to talk to a cop. The cop said not to let anyone in. Then, we heard more gunshots, 'Pop, pop, pop, pop,' from down in the shopping center. It was hectic.' The sheriff said investigators believe the person acted alone. 'The restaurant was very full at lunchtime,' Gahler said. 'Thankfully, no one else was injured.' One of the deputies was treated at the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Video showed an ambulance and a sheriff's car escorted by police on motorcycles leaving, apparently taking the body to the nearby state medical examiner's office. Police lined each side of the street and saluted when the vehicles drove by. Investigators walk at the scene of the initial shooting where a gunman shot an officer in the head Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler talks to reporters after a shooting at a branch of Panera Bread in Abingdon, Maryland Yellow tape blocked off the Panera and Taphouse restaurants, but people were coming and going freely at other businesses after the shooting. Panera spokeswoman Amanda Cardosi said the company is heartbroken. 'Our thoughts and actions now are directed towards the victims and their families,' she said. 'This location will remain closed as we work with law enforcement to investigate,' she said. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has ordered flags be flown at half-staff to honor the two deputies. In a statement, Hogan said: 'Anytime law enforcement or first responders lose their lives in the line of duty, it is a tragedy and todays violence in Abingdon and the deaths of two Harford County sheriffs deputies is nothing less than absolutely heartbreaking. 'The First Lady and I send our most sincere thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of the brave deputies who made the ultimate sacrifice today for the community they selflessly served. 'It is my hope that their commitment and dedication to law enforcement and protecting others will be remembered and will forever serve as an inspiration to others.' A spokesman for Hogan said the order takes effect Thursday, and will remain in effect until after funeral services are held for the deputies. Harford County Executive Barry Glassman ordered the county flag to be flown at half-staff effective immediately. An investigator walks beneath a police tape line at the scene of a shooting at a shopping center in Abingdon Madonna's ex-boyfriend has been fined just one euro after taking an unflattering selfie with the French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen while he slept. Mr Le Pen, 87, was fast asleep on a plane when fellow Frenchman Brahim Zaibat, 29, snapped him on the flight between Paris and the southern city of Nice. Mr Zaibat, a professional dancer who dated the queen of pop for three years, then shared the photo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Snap: Brahim Zaibat (left) can be seen wearing headphones as he took a selfie with sleeping French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen, who took him to court for taking the unflattering photo and posting it to social media The unflattering snap - which showed Mr Le Pen with his head back and mouth hanging open - was tweeted more than 12,000 times after it was posted on December 12, ahead of France's regional elections. The dancer can be seen in the seat behind Mr Le Pen, wearing headphones and smiling broadly. But a Paris court has ordered Mr Zaibat to remove the offending image, after Mr Le Pen took him to court for invasion of privacy and copyright. Although the National Front founder was seeking 50,000 euros (39,000) in damages, Mr Zaibat was only fined a token one euro, reported The Local. The court found that while the photo 'was of a humorous nature and was used to send a political message', it did not violate Mr Le Pen's exclusive right to his image, according to French law. Celebrity: The French professional dancer dated Madonna (pictured at Heathrow Airport with then boyfriend Brahim and her sons Rocco and David Banda in 2011) for three years Star: A Paris court decided the selfie did not violate Mr Le Pen's exclusive right to his image, according to French law. Pictured, Zaibat on stage with Madonna (left) and at a gala event in New York (right) Queen of pop: Madonna - who dated the French dancer for three years - performs during her 'Rebel Heart' tour in California It added that the photo, which was actually taken two years ago, was 'neither degrading nor malicious'. However, Mr Zaibat was also ordered to pay 3,000 euros (2,300) in legal fees and take down the image within 48 hours or be fined 1,000 euros (780) for every day it remained online. Mr Zaibat used the image to urge voters not to back Mr Le Pen's far right National Front (NF) party in the second round of regional elections in December. 'Let's all vote tomorrow to give them a knock-out blow, to preserve our brotherly France' wrote Mr Zaibat, whose father comes from a North African immigrant background. Insult: Mr Zaibat was ordered to pay a fine of just one euro as a token, after the court ruled that the image was 'neither degrading nor malicious'. Mr Le Pen claimed the selfie caused the defeat of the National Front party at France's regional elections in December Mr Le Pen said the photo harmed his public image, and contributed to the defeat of the party in the elections. The National Front, which is now led by his daughter, Marine Le Pen, constantly campaigns against immigration, especially from former French African colonies such as Algeria. Mr Le Pen is a convicted racist and anti-Semite who has often complained about the number of people with foreign backgrounds in France. He was officially expelled from the party last year because of his extreme views about the Nazi Holocaust, but remains an NF affiliated MEP. Pope Francis has unleashed more than 1,000 handpicked 'super confessors' across the globe to forgive those whose sins are so bad they can normally only be pardoned in the Vatican. In a bid to win back the hearts of people who have left the Catholic Church, the 'missionaries of mercy' will hear the confessions of the worst of all sins - from attempting to assassinate the pope to spiting out blessed bread and wine in Church. Since the 12th century, those guilty of these so-called 'reserved sins' had their cases evaluated by a secret tribunal in the tiny Vatican city state before they were sent before the pope, who would determine an appropriate penance. Forgiven: Pope Francis has given 1,142 priests the power to take confession from 'the world's worst sinners' Tradition: Since the 12th Century people guilty of 'reserved sins' can only be pardoned by the Pope himself Now, 1,142 priests and monks from around the world have be given the power, for the Vatican's Jubilee Year, to forgive sinners in their flocks - and possibly fellow priests as one of the special sins is breaking the seal of confession. One missionary is off to the Canadian Arctic to hear Eskimo confessions, another will tour Australia in a camper, whilst others are packing their bags for Burundi, China and Lebanon. Vatican watcher John L. Allen, writing for the Cruxnow website, said the pontiff was hoping the missionaries would carry with them his messages on key social issues, from tackling climate change to opening doors to refugees. World: But the 'super confessors' are travelling to far flung places, including the Canadic Arctic to welcome people back to the Catholic Church (file photo) Australia: One missionary is planning to travel around Australia in a camper van hoping to give people who have left the chance to come back 'As the 'Pope of Mercy' sees it, this jubilee year isn't just a series of celebrations and events intended to foster deeper piety, however desirable that may be. The far more audacious aim is to launch a revolution - spiritual at its core, but with imminent social and even political consequences,' he said. American priest Joseph Hlubik, 62, who was meeting up with the other missionaries ahead of talks with the pope, said he hoped that those who have left the Church in recent years 'see this as an opportunity to come back'. 'People who thought they were outside of the grace of God for one reason or another. Let them find us approachable and understanding,' he said, holding his wide-brimmed black hat on in the wind. Priest Mana Thembalethu from South Africa, 39, said the confessors would be forgiving those who take part in abortions - but warned 'we're not saying abortion is cool, everybody must do it. It still remains a sin'. And 49-year-old Xavier Lefebvre, a Paris-based priest, shrugged off the label 'super confessor', saying anyone who takes confession should be super, or they are not doing their job right - a sentiment shared by Francis. Special message: Analysts say the pontiff was hoping the missionaries would carry with them his messages on key social issues, from tackling climate change to opening doors to refugees 'Let those who do not feel up to it have the humility to say: 'No, I'll celebrate Mass, I'll clean the floor, I'll do everything but not confess, because I do not know how to do it well',' the pope said. Maltese Franciscan Marcello Ghirlando, 53, said he thought giving the 'super confessors' authority usually reserved for the man in white was 'a symbolic gesture' to show people the Church is ready to wipe slates clean. 'I think the pope wants to insist that 'listen, God is always going to forgive us if we turn to him with a clean heart, with a repentant heart',' he said with a grin, adding that he was relishing the challenge of bringing people back to church. Pope Francis has repeatedly warned priests not to turn off potential believers by being boring, inaccessible or overly intrusive, and on Tuesday he told the missionaries they should take a 'maternal' approach to sinners. 'Remember, you are not dealing with sin but a repentant sinner, a sinner who wants to change but can't,' he said, telling them to 'cover the sinner with a blanket of mercy, so that he is no longer ashamed and can rediscover joy.' Viewers today described being left in floods of tears as they watched a controversial BBC film documenting the death of a British father at a Swiss assisted suicide clinic. More than 1.2million watched as businessman Simon Binner played a poignant last message to his wife Debbie from his deathbed before turning on the drip that killed him. Many watching were left distraught as the motor neurone disease sufferer administered the life-ending drugs with a smile on his face. Broadcaster Clare Balding tweeted she was 'sitting here sobbing' watching Mr Binner's final moments while ITV presenter Fiona Phillips said his case proved assisted suicide can be 'valid'. Radio 2 and Strictly Come Dancing star Jeremy Vine said it was 'devastating' to watch his death and Gabby Logan said she was 'emotionally shattered' by the film. The BBC had planned to show footage featuring Simon's lifeless body at the assisted suicide clinic in Basel, Switzerland, but decided to make last minute changes after the Samaritans raised concerns. Scroll down for video Documentary: Gripping his wife's, this is the heart-breaking moment 57-year-old Simon Binner took his own life at an assisted suicide clinic after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease The heart-breaking documentary showed the businessman administering the drugs by flicking this switch which ended his life, before cutting to a black screen Simon Binner's wife, Debbie, (pictured in the show) told MailOnline it was a 'beautiful documentary' and said she hopes it sparks a 'grown-up debate'. Many praised her on social media for bravely supporting her husband's decision The documentary does not show the moment of death but it does show the clinic's staff placing Simon in a coffin and screwing on the lid (pictured) Despite the controversy about the documentary the BBC has received fewer than 10 complaints and broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has not received any. The film shows Simon gripping his wife's hand tightly with a smile across his face as he took his own life. The scenes were described by viewers as 'the saddest they had ever seen', but even more controversial footage showing his life ebb away was cut at the last minute. HIS HEARTBREAKING FINAL WORDS 'Hi Debbie, it's Simon here, I've loved you very, very much Debbie. I haven't deserved you or Hannah or Zoe. Such loving and caring young ladies, and I've been such a grumpy gruffalo for much of the time. 'But I really love you Debbie. We've had such a fun and laughter-filled marriage, we were really blessed to have found one another. 'The one blessing of a slow decline is that we've had time to speak about things over 10 long months, not like losing me in a car smash. 'We've really said everything that needs to be said. You've been a truly fantastic wife to me Debbie and I know that you loved me and I've loved you. 'Anyway, time and tide wait for no man, I love you very much Debbie. Goodbye.' Advertisement After receiving concerns from the Samaritans, the Corporation decided to edit out footage of his corpse, as well as scenes detailing the drugs he used to kill himself on October 19 last year. As the documentary - How to Die: Simon's Choice - was aired on BBC Two last night, viewers took to social media to describe the show as deeply distressing and 'difficult but important' viewing. Many praised Simon's bravery and the strength of his wife who supported him until his dying day. Julia Strong wrote: 'Cried all the way through this but what an inspiring man Simon was, living life to the full and knowing what was right for him.' Joe Trigg said: 'Just saw @BBCTwo's #SimonsChoice. Not been so upset over a TV show in years. I am in awe at the bravery of Simon, his family and his friends.' TV presenter Michael Underwood wrote: 'Simon's wife is so strong it's breaking my heart. When he's gone, she'll be left to live. So so sad. Incredible documentary. #simonschoice' Adam Callinan said: 'The most emotional thing I've ever watched. Fantastic documentary.' Richard Hellyar wrote: 'Extremely gut wrenching, thought provoking programme on assisted dying. Such articulate and ultimately strong people #simonschoice' Sally Shearing said: 'Possibly the saddest thing I have ever watched, in floods of tears, both Simon and especially his wife were so very brave #simonschoice' And another user added: 'I just watched possibly the saddest programme I've ever seen. I urge everyone to watch it, so hard to watch but so important #simonschoice.' Reaction: Stars spoke of being moved to tears by Simon's story, which has been well received online The heart-wrenching documentary followed Simon Binner's journey from his diagnosis of motor neurone disease last summer to his death just a few months later on October 19. The cameras followed him around as he enjoyed a final few months with friends and family, and also gave an insight into the deeply distressing life of a terminally ill patient deciding to take their life. After following his journey right up until the point of him arriving at the suicide clinic, the footage showed Simon enjoying a final farewell meal with his family and friends on the eve of his death. They toasted him and told him he was a 'top bloke'. It then showed him taking his own life on Monday, October 19, at 9.38am while surrounded by his wife and four friends. His daughters, Hannah and Zoe, were not present at the time of his death. In deeply traumatic scenes, he could be seen dressed in a smart chequered shirt lying on a bed at the suicide clinic, holding his wife's hand, as a pre-recorded message played out around the room. In it, he told his wife: 'Hi Debbie, it's Simon here, I've loved you very, very much Debbie. I haven't deserved you or Hannah or Zoe. Such loving and caring young ladies, and I've been such a grumpy gruffalo for much of the time. 'But I really love you Debbie. We've had such a fun and laughter-filled marriage, we were really blessed to have found one another. 'The one blessing of a slow decline is that we've had time to speak about things over 10 long months, not like losing me in a car smash. 'We've really said everything that needs to be said. You've been a truly fantastic wife to me Debbie and I know that you loved me and I've loved you. 'Anyway, time and tide wait for no man, I love you very much Debbie. Goodbye.' As the message came to a close, he could be seen administering the life-ending drugs in highly upsetting footage - which MailOnline has decided not to repeat. The film then cut to a black screen before a coffin was wheeled into the room. His wife could be seen embracing friends as they left the assisted suicide clinic. The heart-wrenching scenes were cut short just before the controversial programme went to air after the BBC received concerns from the Samaritans. The charity said the Corporation may fall foul of guidelines that prevent broadcasters from giving detailed guidance about suicide methods. Among the footage to be deleted from an earlier preview of the documentary, which was broadcast to journalists, was Simon's lifeless body following his death and a description by staff at the Eternal Spirit clinic of how the anaesthetic used to end his life affects the human body. In heart-breaking scenes, the documentary showed family members saying their final goodbyes to Simon as he prepared to board his flight to the Swiss assisted suicide clinic from a London airport days before his death The documentary showed Simon enjoying a final farewell meal with his family and friends on the eve of his death. They toasted him as they told him he was a 'top bloke' during his last meal in Switzerland in October Holding the device to administer the drug which will eventually kill him in one hand (left), Simon used his mobile phone to play a final voice recording to his wife of 14 years Debbie in which he told her how much he loved her The documentary, which has come under fire from charities who branded it 'deeply disturbing', was supported by Simon's wife, who praised the film and said she hopes it sparks a 'grown-up debate'. Speaking to MailOnline yesterday, she said: 'It's all a bit much at the moment. But what I will say is that it's a beautiful documentary. We have done it to show the complexities of the argument'. When asked whether she accepted criticism of her husband's decision to film his death, which he had previously announced on LinkedIn, the 51-year-old said: 'It's not a black and white issue'. She added: 'People get these illnesses. It can happen to anyone. It's so important to have a debate. 'I'm not telling anybody what to do we just wanted to show the complex issues and use our experience to help move on the debate'. The documentary began with a home video showing Simon in a hotel room during a holiday with his wife to celebrate their fourteenth wedding anniversary. In the footage, she could be heard asking him if he is having a nice time with him only able to communicate by putting his thumbs up to the camera and smiling having lost his speech to the disease. I totally understand how some people are vulnerable. I am in a different category, I have thought it through and I want to die Simon Binner Other heart-breaking scenes show him reuniting with his friends, many of whom he knew for more than 40 years, and show him struggling to communicate with them at a dinner party due to his lack of speech. He informed them of his decision to end his life with a text message, having decided as he drove home from the hospital following his diagnosis. The message to his close friends read: 'I am booked to die now on Monday 2 November. Thank you for bringing the annual Christ College reunion forward on my account.' Telling the camera of his wish to end his life at an assisted suicide clinic, he said: 'I totally understand how some people are vulnerable and they must never be pushed into this road of assisted dying but I ascertain this. 'I am in a different category, I have thought it through and I want to die. I'm heading downhill. The BBC decided to make last minute changes to harrowing documentary How To Die: Simon's Choice after receiving concerns from the Samaritans. Pictured: Simon Binner being helped by a nurse in the film Other footage to be deleted from an earlier preview broadcast to journalists included a description by staff at the Eternal Spirit clinic, in Basel, of how the anaesthetic used to end Mr Binner's life affected the human body However, many of his friends expressed their concerns about his decision to take his life, with some suggesting he made the choice 'too early'. One former school friend said: 'He seems to be checking out ahead of his time and I'm not entirely comfortable with his decision.' Another friend, Dr Simon Sandberg, said: 'We are actually all feeling distraught. We have sustained a very close set of friendships all this time. And he is utterly central to our group. I have cried every time I have seen him for the last few months.' He added: 'We are all crushed. How can one be reconciled to someone who is so great taking themselves off at [that] age and killing themselves. I think he has chosen a date which is too soon.' Reading out an email he sent to Simon, he said: Bins I know you feel strongly about it but I do feel that setting a date in advance is potentially deeply problematic. Debs has real qualms about you choosing a date in advance, and that worries me too. Debbie has rights in this.' He added: 'If Debbie was more resolute, that would make it a much more difficult matter for all of us.' Throughout his decline, Simon still showed the humour for which he was loved by his family and friends. Just two months prior to his death, he arranged a party at his home with friends playing 'hoop the cone'. He even joked to one friend that he had been nominated CBTO for the day 'Chief Bins Transportation Officer' in an attempt to make light of his deteriorating mobility. The documentary showed the family struggling to come to terms with Simon's decision, with him even admitting at one point that he was reconsidering the decision to end his life. Debbie told the camera: 'Firstly, I don't think it's the right thing to do, and two more importantly - I don't think he really wants to go. In him reconsidering, we suddenly have hope again.' In another scene, she said: 'He's giving mixed messages and I think we need to explore another way. 'When the assisted bill got voted down, I was pleased. It's kind of a vote of the sanctity of human life. I want to look really, really carefully at what's on offer. Simon can tell me to bugger off, it's his life, but that's how I feel.' Simon uses a machine to help him communicate with his family after losing his speech due to the disease Simon was seen at various points during the documentary communicating by writing his thoughts down on a pad of paper. In one touching note, he wrote about his fears of losing his mobility to motor neurone disease Twitter users described the BBC Two documentary as 'gut wrenching' and 'thought-provoking' but deeply sad In the footage, taken in September, the camera panned to Simon, who confirmed he was reconsidering his decision to end his life on November 2. He wrote on a piece of paper: 'I thought they'd be indifferent to the timing of my demise. I was so wrong. If I was single, I'd be gone. Definitely. But I'm not single and I have responsibilities to others that I am only now fully beginning to understand.' He later told the camera: 'I'll be totally unable to communicate soon. Losing my voice is bad but none is terrible.' Capturing the frustration of his disease, in one moving scene he could be seen writing a note on a piece of paper. It said: 'I'm having a care worker help me shower and dress next week. I hate it. Humiliation, helplessness and above all, unmanly.' As the documentary progressed, it became more and more evident how the disease was tormenting Simon. Ultimately, it led to him attempting to hang himself at his home in Purley, Surrey, in October. At that point, he and his wife agreed that they would prefer for him to travel to Switzerland and end his life at an assisted dying clinic than attempt to kill himself again at home. It was also the moment Simon decided to bring the date to end his life forward to October 19, from the previously scheduled date of November 2. The documentary began Simon getting ready in a hotel room during a trip away with his wife to celebrate their fourteenth wedding anniversary. He had to use a 'thumbs up' to communicate with her after losing his speech In footage taken on the day before Simon's death, he can be seen arriving at the airport in London ahead of his flight to Switzerland. He is accompanied by his wife Debbie and friends, Dr Sandberg, Mike, Elizabeth and Will Speaking of the decision to support her husband's wish to take his own life, Debbie told the camera: 'I know before I fought a battle so hard but he's made it clear that he doesn't want to carry on with his life. 'I feel furious, tender, loving, protective, so pleased I married him and I will miss him terribly. 'He's terribly sad. And we love each other but I think at the end of the day, if you love someone, you have to do what they want to do. 'And I think we have got to the point where when Simon does die, it won't take away what we've had. It will be there still and I am so glad I met him.' The camera then shows the family hosting a final farewell lunch party the Friday prior to his death. Loved ones rally around the businessman as he says his final goodbyes to those who won't accompany him to Switzerland. Confirming he believes his decision to end his own life is the right one, Simon writes on a piece of paper: 'I would only last until January 2016 anyway. Not even 1% scared. I'm 0% scared. It will be a relief.' The footage then shows him travelling to the airport with his wife Debbie and four friends he chose to accompany him to the assisted dying clinic - Dr Sandberg, Mike, Elizabeth and Will. Just two months prior to his death, Simon arranged a party at his home with friends playing 'hoop the cone'. He even joked to one friend that he had been nominated CBTO for the day 'Chief Bins Transportation Officer' in an attempt to make light of his deteriorating mobility On the eve of his death, Simon is seen going through the final checks with a staff member at the Swiss clinic After the distressing scenes showing Simon taking his life, the documentary throws forward to two weeks later where Debbie ponders to the camera over whether she did enough for her husband and how she is now coping The five enjoy a final meal together in Switzerland on the eve of Simon's death before the documentary shows the harrowing scenes of his last moments. It then throws forward to two weeks later, and shows his wife Debbie walking the family dog. Recalling the moment her husband took his own life, she said: 'I remember Simon dying and I know he played a tape but I don't remember the tape. I remember the tenderness I felt towards him, I got him ready in the morning. 'I vaguely remember being on the plane that's about it. We were just trying to get through it. What we had to go through to end his life, it was extraordinarily difficult. I feel I'm still in shock and in trauma. Someone is there one minute and not the next.' She added: 'I haven't got the words to express how big a deal it is. I am missing him, I yearn for him. I am guilty that somehow I couldn't have made his life easier. Did I do enough? Did I do enough to make his life worthwhile when he had done so much for me over the years?' The footage also heard from his mother, Jean, who showed the camera a note he wrote to her prior to his death. It read: 'It's sad but it's for the best. Thank you for being my mum.' The documentary concluded with Simon's funeral, in which his long-time friend Dr Sandberg paid tribute by saying: 'I think we can say without contradiction that we will never know anyone like him.' The one hour and 30 minute show then finished with touching footage of Simon dancing carefree in his kitchen as music plays in the background and his dog jumps up and down on him. Debbie Binner said the BBC documentary showing the death of her husband Simon Binner (pictured together) in a Swiss suicide clinic last year is 'beautiful'. She was widely praised on social media for supporting Simon Since the documentary's screening was announced there has been anger over the decision to show it at all It is the first time footage from inside the Eternal Spirit Foundation assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland - the second biggest after Dignitas - has been shown on British television. WHAT IS MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE? Motor neurone disease (MND) is a terminal illness that kills the motor neurones - the nerve cells that send messages to the muscles so the body can move. There are 5,000 people living with motor neurone disease in the UK at any one time, but its unusual for it to strike in under-40s; most people diagnosed are between 50 and 70. The patient eventually becomes entirely paralysed - unable to move, talk, swallow or breathe, but still able to see, hear and feel. In most cases there is no obvious cause - around ten per cent of cases are genetic. Life expectancy is usually six months to five years and the only licensed treatment is the drug riluzole, which can slow the progression of the disease, but only for up to six months. More than 300 million is spent annually on cancer research in the UK, the average annual spending on MND research is 2 million. Advertisement Critics said the decision to screen the moment of Simon's death was particularly alarming, as it risks encouraging others to take their own lives by 'normalising' assisted suicide, which remains illegal under UK law. Alistair Thompson, spokesman for Care Not Killing, a campaign group that promotes end-of-life care and opposes assisted suicide, described the documentary as 'deeply disturbing'. 'It raises serious concerns for us,' he adds. 'Showing scenes like that on national television risks skewing what people think about assisted suicide and sidelines the alternatives, such as hospice and palliative care. 'It gives the impression that if you're disabled or terminally ill your life is somehow worthless and you should kill yourself. Suicide is the biggest killer of young men in this country and the more it is normalised, the more people will think of it as a way out. 'We should do everything we can to stop suicide, not advertise it.' However, the BBC denied it was promoting euthanasia. A spokesman said: 'This is a sensitive observational documentary following one family's experience of assisted death, which explores some of the complex questions at the heart of this deeply divisive issue. 'The film does not serve to support either argument or intend to wholly represent the debate.' The businessman appeared to announce the date for his death on social networking site LinkedIn last year Simon's final, precious moments, on the morning of October 19 last year, were shared only with those he cared for the most in the world: his wife, Debbie, pictured (right) with Simon (far right and left), sister Elizabeth and three of his closest friends It isn't the first time the BBC has come under fire for giving airtime to the subject. In 2011, it was deemed a 'cheerleader for assisted suicide' after screening a documentary on the subject fronted by Sir Terry Pratchett. He began to speak out in favour of assisted dying following his own diagnosis of Alzheimer's the disease he died from last March. 'A programme like this will romanticise assisted death and dying,' said MP Nadine Dorries. 'It is pushing back a moral boundary.' The same criticisms were levelled in 2014, when The Dilemma, starring Olivia Colman as a woman who prepares a lethal drug for her ill mother, was broadcast without the BBC informing viewers that assisted suicide is against the law. Indeed, last September, an historic vote in the House of Commons saw the controversial Assisted Dying Bill blocked by a majority of MPs. Michael Wenham, a campaigner who has motor neurone disease himself, says he is frustrated by the BBC's apparent bias. 'There seems to be to be a constant disposition to focus nationally on stories of people ending their own lives,' he says. 'To focus on these stories can induce an atmosphere of fear and hopelessness.' Half-naked, bound and with a plastic bag over her head, this is the body of a Mexican crime reporter who was murdered after being abducted by eight armed men wearing military uniforms. Mother-of-two Anabel Flores Salazar, who was a journalist for the newspaper El Sol de Orizaba, was snatched from her home by men with guns claiming they had a warrant for her arrest. She was forced into one of three gray trucks and driven away from her home in Orizaba, in the state of Veracruz, her aunt, who was at the home, told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Scroll down for video Mexican crime reporter Anabel Flores Salazar, 32, was found dead by the side of a road. Police found her bound, half-naked body with a plastic bag over her head Mother-of-two Ms Flores Salazar, who was a journalist for the newspaper El Sol de Orizaba, was snatched from her home by men with guns claiming they had a warrant for her arrest Ms Flores Salazar's body was found tied up and abandoned by the side of a road in the neighboring state, Puebla, on Tuesday, a day after she was abducted. Veracruz Governor Javier Duarte Ochoa said officials were investigating whether she had been targeted because she was a journalist. Flores Salazar's aunt, Sandra Luz Salazar, said the men pointed guns at family members as they bundled the reporter into the truck. 'We pleaded with them not to take her. I told them that she recently had a baby,' she said. Ms Flores Salazar, 32, had a four-year-old son, as well as a baby. The journalist's aunt said she did not know of any threats against her before she was murdered, but the Veracruz state prosecutor's office said the reporter had been with an alleged gang member when he was arrested in August 2014. Ms Flores Salazar was abducted and murdered and investigators are looking into her links to a gang member A statement from the prosecutor did not say why or if this was a significant part of the investigation into Ms Flores Salazar's death. However, the reporter's aunt told the CPJ that she was in the same restaurant when he was detained, but was not directly with him. Eleven journalists have been killed in Mexico because of their reporting since 2011, with six of those deaths in Veracruz, making the country one of the most dangerous in the world for reporters. The CPJ - a non-profit group that promotes press freedom around the world - is investigating seven more suspicious deaths of reporters in Veracruz. The organization called on federal authorities to take over the investigation, saying Gov Ochoa 'has a dismal record of impunity'. Carlos Lauria, the CPJ's senior program coordinator for the Americas, said the governor was 'incapable and unwilling to prosecute crimes against the Press'. Carraway also used the chat app 'Kik' to share nude pictures 'Vile': Police say Deonte Carraway filmed 'vile sexual acts' between children while working as a volunteer at a Maryland school A Maryland volunteer teacher's assistant has been arrested after allegedly videotaping 'vile sexual acts between minors during the school day on school grounds'. Police say they have recovered more than 40 videos showing children performing sexual acts alone or with each other, under the direction of Deonte Carraway, 22, according to the New York Post. Carraway was working at Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School in Glenarden at the time, and police said some of the videos were recorded in a school bathroom. Carraway has been charged with 10 counts of felony child pornography, abuse of a minor and second-degree sexual offense. He also made recordings in private homes, in a public school complex and at a municipal center, a statement from Prince Georges County police said. Scroll down for video Field trip: Carraway (pictured, far left), of Glenarden, Missouri, was a frequent user of social media, and posted this image of a field trip with pupils on February 3 last year Police were notified when pornography was found on a child's phone. 'We were notified by the uncle of a student that they saw a nude photo on the childs phone on the application Kik,' said one police officer, according to CBS Baltimore. 'Thats how they were relaying the images back and forth.' Court documents said he had recorded videos of at least 10 children aged between nine and 13. However, police said the investigation could last months and uncover more victims. According to his Twitter account, Carraway was active on Kik and Instagram under the username Glenardenboy, although his Instagram account appears to have now been deleted. At the time of writing, Carraway's Twitter account has no posts more recent than November last year. Most paint him as a fairly happy individual, but one post from that time says, 'Basically don't open up to anyone ever.' He also posted various selfies, including topless images, and on February 3 last year he posted a photo of himself taking a class of small children on a field trip. School: Some of the videos are said by police to have been filmed at Sylvania Woods Elementary School in Glenarden Charges: Carraway has been charged with 10 counts of felony child pornography, abuse of a minor and second-degree sexual offense Carraway had been a paid assistant in the previous school year, and was working as a volunteer this year. He was also the director of the Glenarden Voices of Youth Choir. Prince Georges County Public Schools said in a statement 'The safety of our students is a top priority for PGCPS.' A spokesperson told CBS Baltimore that Carraway had undergone a background check and that he did not have a criminal record. The number of women playing lead roles in Hollywood films went up 12 per cent last year due to outrage about industry sexism. But women still account for less than a quarter of all major parts despite strong performances by Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road and Daisy Ridley in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. A study found that just 22 per cent of protagonists in the top 100 grossing films in 2015 were women. The figure represents the highest number since the study began but is still woefully under representative of real life. Scroll down for video Force: Women still account for less than a quarter of all major film roles, despite a rise of 12 per cent in 2015. Pictured is Daisy Ridley in Star Wars: The Force Awakens Stars: Industry sexism has provoked outrage leading to a rise in female roles. Pictured are Daisy Ridley (left) from Star Wars and Charlize Theron (right), who starred in Mad Max: Fury Road As Hollywood grapples with its worst race row in a generation, the study also showed that the number of female characters of colour was a mere 13 per cent, a two per cent rise from the year before. Last year was a banner year for female-driven films and included hits like Disneys Cinderella, Trainwreck and Fifty Shades of Grey. But the research, which looked at 2,500 characters appearing in the top 100 grossing films in the US during 2015, found little progress for women. Overall women made up 22 per cent of the leads, 34 per cent of major characters, and 33 per cent of all speaking roles. Many of the films were rife with gender stereotypes and were less likely to explain what women did for a living - but more likely to highlight their marital status. Sixty four per cent of men in the top 100 films were shown at work compared to 44 per cent of women. Leading lady: A study found that just 22 per cent of protagonists in the top 100 grossing films in 2015 were women. Pictured is Charlize Theron in Mad Max Strength: Overall women made up 22 per cent of the leads, 34 per cent of major characters, and 33 per cent of all speaking roles Some 78 per cent of male characters had identifiable jobs compared to 61 per cent of women. A big difference was when there was a woman director or writer, the study found. In those films females were the protagonist 50 per cent of the time versus 13 per cent from male directors. Dr Martha Lauzen, the studys author and director of the Centre for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University said: The numbers were definitely moving in the right direction. What is not clear is whether or not 2015 was a bit of an anomaly or whether this is the beginning of a longer-term trend. When it came to race the figures were worse, giving critics of the Academy more reasons to demand that it speed up promised changes to make itself more diverse. The study said there was no change in the percentage of Latin American characters - four per cent - and a drop in the percentage of Asian female characters from four per cent to three per cent. Actor: Many films were rife with gender stereotypes and were less likely to explain what women did for a living - but more likely to highlight their marital status. Pictured, Lily James at the Cinderella premiere in Los Angeles Fairytale: A big difference was when there was a woman director or writer, the study found. In those films females were the protagonist 50 per cent of the time versus 13 per cent from male directors The roles they got were less prominent too and 27 per cent of parts played by Hispanics, blacks or Asian actresses were major ones, compared to 38 per cent for white actresses. The debate about Hollywood sexism began in earnest in February last year when Patricia Arquette used her acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress to call for equal pay in Hollywood to applause from Meryl Streep and other A-list women. Leaked Sony emails revealed that Jennifer Lawrence was getting paid less than her male co-stars including on the hit film American Hustle. Despite being the star of the Hunger Games franchise she got seven per cent of the profits while the men including Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper got nine per cent. Cheated: Leaked Sony emails revealed that Jennifer Lawrence (pictured) was getting paid less than her male co-stars including on the hit film American Hustle Unfair: Despite being the star of the Hunger Games franchise Jennifer Lawrence (pictured, in new film Joy) got seven per cent of the profits while the men including Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper got nine per cent After an outcry it emerged she would be paid 12.7 million for her new film Passengers, double that of her male co-star Chris Pratt. The row about racism has been fuelled by stars like Will Smith and director Spike Lee who said they will boycott this years ceremony because no black people were nominated for any of the major awards. British actor David Oyelowo, who was snubbed for Best Actor Oscar in the civil rights biopic Selma, said said the decision was unforgivable. According to a 2012 survey by the Los Angeles Times 94 per cent of the Academy are white and black members make up about two per cent. The extent of Hillary Clintons control over the media has been laid bare in emails from her personal spokesman which show he he blackmailed a writer at one of Americas most prestigious magazines. Marc Ambinder, the former politics editor at The Atlantic, agreed to describe a Clinton speech as muscular under the orders of Philippe Reines, one of her toughest enforcers. Ambinder agreed to write that Clinton was seated next to three powerful figures for the talk at the Council on Foreign Relations - to make her look more important. Reines laid out his conditions in an email which had the conspiratorial joke: 'Dont say you were blackmailed! Secret emails: Hillary Clintons (pictured left on Wednesday) control over the media has been revealed in emails from her personal spokesman Philippe Reines (pictured right) to a reporter Evidence: Marc Ambinder, the former politics editor at The Atlantic, agreed to describe a Clinton speech as muscular under the orders of Philippe Reines, one of her toughest enforcers The emails, which were reported by Gawker, show in stark detail the cozy relationships between Reines and reporters under which he traded scoops for favorable coverage for his boss. A spokeswoman for The Atlantic confirmed to Dailymail.com that Ambinder's story goes against our standards and did not rule out taking it down from their website. The original article has been updated to read: It is The Atlantics policy never to cede to sources editorial control of the content of our stories. The emails were obtained by Gawker after a Freedom of Information request put in four years ago, which it is suing the State Department over. Correspondence: Reporter Marc Ambinder's emails with Philippe Reines surfaced this week The speech Clinton gave took place on July 15 2009 and the day began with Ambinder asking Reines for an advance copy. Among those attending would be the former US envoy to Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, the former special envoy for the Middle East, George Mitchell, and National Security Council senior director Dennis Ross. Reines, who once told a reporter he didnt like to f*** off and have a good life, wrote back saying that he would hand it over under three conditions. He wrote: 1) You in your own voice describe them (Clintons remarks) as muscular 2) You note that a look at the CFR seating plan shows that all the envoys from Holbrooke to Mitchell to Ross will be arrayed in front of her, which in your own clever way you can say [is] certainly not a coincidence and meant to convey something 3) You dont say you were blackmailed! Ambinder responded: Ok. The article was published later that day and followed Reines suggestions closely. It read: When you think of President Obama's foreign policy, think of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. JULY 15, 2009 : EMAIL FROM CLINTON AID PHILIPPE REINES TO REPORTER MARC AMBINDER From: [Philippe Reines] Sent: Wednesday, July 15 2009 10:06 AM To: Ambinder, Marc Subject: Re: Do you have a copy of HRCs speech to share? 3 [conditions] actually 1) You in your own voice describe them as muscular 2) You note that a look at the CFR seating plan shows that all the envoys from Holbrooke to Mitchell to Ross will be arrayed in front of her, which in your own clever way you can say certainly not a coincidence and meant to convey something 3) You dont say you were blackmailed! Advertisement JULY 15, 2009 : MARC AMBINDER'S EMAIL REPLY TO PHILIPPE REINES ONE MINUTER LATER From: Ambinder, Marc Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 10:07 AM To: Philippe Reines Subject: RE: Do you have a copy of HRCs speech to share? got it Advertisement That's the message behind a muscular speech that Clinton is set to deliver today to the Council on Foreign Relations. The staging gives a clue to its purpose: seated in front of Clinton, subordinate to Clinton, in the first row, will be three potentially rival power centers: envoys Richard Holbrooke and George Mitchell, and National Security Council senior director Dennis Ross. The emails also reveal that Ambinder fawned over Clinton on other occasions too. On July 26, 2009 he wrote to Reines: She kicked A on MTP (Meet the Press). In an email sent on November 29 2010, Ambinder wrote Reines and email titled: This is an awesome presser JULY 26, 2009: EMAIL FROM MARC AMBINDER TO PHILLIPE REINES From: Ambinder, Marc Sent: Sunday, July 26, 2009 12:05 PM To: Philippe Reines Subject: she kicked A on MTP Advertisement He wrote: She is PITCH f#$*& PERFECT on this stuff. The Atlantic was founded in 1857 and is seen as one of the most venerated magazines in the nation. It was among the first publications to publish essays by slavery abolitionists in the 1860s and its writers currently include Ta-Nehisi Coates, winner of the MacArthur Award, also known as the Genius Grant. Ambinder, who is now editor-at-large at The Week magazine, did not return calls and emails asking for comment. He told Gawker that the email exchange was probably at best an incomplete record of what went down. November 29, 2010: EMAIL FROM MARC AMBINDER TO PHILLIPE REINES From: Ambinder, Marc Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 12:05 PM To: Philippe Reines Subject: This is an awesome presser... She is PITCH f#$*& PERFECT on this stuff. Advertisement He said: That said, the transactional nature of such interactions always gave me the willies.... Since I cant remember the exact exchange I cant really muster up a defense of the art, and frankly, I dont really want to. I will say this: whatever happened here reflects my own decisions, and no one elses. In another message he said: It made me uncomfortable then, and it makes me uncomfortable today. And when I look at that email record, it is a reminder to me of why I moved away from all that. The Atlantic, to their credit, never pushed me to do that, to turn into a scoop factory. In the fullness of time, any journalist or writer who is confronted by the prospect, or gets in the situation where their journalism begins to feel transactional, should listen to their gut feeling and push away from that. Being scrupulous at all times will not help you get all the scoops, but it will help you sleep at night. At no point at The Atlantic did I ever feel the pressure to make transactional journalism the norm. The Gawker emails raise questions over the relationship between Reines and other journalists too. MARC AMBINDER'S EMAIL AND PHONE COMMENTS TO GAWKER EMAIL COMMENT: Philippe and I generally spoke on the phone and followed up by email. The exchange is probably at best an incomplete record of what went down. That said, the transactional nature of such interactions always gave me the willies.... Since I cant remember the exact exchange I cant really muster up a defense of the art, and frankly, I dont really want to. I will say this: whatever happened here reflects my own decisions, and no one elses. PHONE COMMENT: It made me uncomfortable then, and it makes me uncomfortable today. And when I look at that email record, it is a reminder to me of why I moved away from all that. The Atlantic, to their credit, never pushed me to do that, to turn into a scoop factory. In the fullness of time, any journalist or writer who is confronted by the prospect, or gets in the situation where their journalism begins to feel transactional, should listen to their gut feeling and push away from that. Advertisement New York magazine used the word muscular in its headline about Clintons speech and mocked up a picture of her with bodybuilder arms. Another journalist who wrote a near identical story to Ambinders was Mike Allen, the top Washington correspondent for Politico. He too called Clintons speech muscular and mentioned the seating arrangements in his report. Allen did not return requests for comment. A spokesman for Politico said: Mikes preview of this speech includes multiple aides say qualifiers and is transparent in that its based on prepared remarks and a seating chart. Another set of emails is between Reines and Dana Hughes, a reporter with ABC News at the time, debunking a report that Clinton had been attacked by bees in Malawi. Reines wrote: One more thing since Im giving you this gift . . . add a line taking a small poke at BuzzFeed and others for getting this wrong. Hughes replied: I dont have a problem with that at all. Nobody for Clinton was available for comment. New footage released by Iranian state television shows a U.S. Navy seaman in floods of tears moments after his unit was captured in the Persian Gulf. The crew member, who has not been identified, is seen with his head in his hands inside a room the kidnapped sailors were kept in during their ordeal. For 16 hours, a group of 10 Americans were kept in custody after their vessel drifted into Iranian waters on January 10. The group were taken onto the highly secretive, government-owned Farsi Island - prompting a diplomatic stand-off between the two nations. It is not known why these images were not released earlier. New footage released by Iranian state televisions shows a U.S. Navy seaman in floods of tears his unit was captured in the Persian Gulf The crew member, who has not been identified, is seen with his head in his hands inside a room the kidnapped sailors were kept in Following the release of the latest footage, a State Department official told Daily Mail Online: 'Weve been clear, and the Secretary was clear, about our disgust at seeing the pictures and video of our sailors being used clearly for propaganda purposes. 'That remains the case with the newly released pictures and videos. Beyond that, I know our DOD colleagues are still looking into the incident so I don't have anything further to add.' The sailors were stationed in a room with Iranian interpreters, and were given food, as they were being filmed. A woman who was stationed with the unit was forced to wear a Muslim hijab and was escorted out of the room when other men entered. The footage, which was aired on the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN), was then shared around the world. The sailors were released unharmed the following day, but images of the seamen surrendering to the IRGC were seen as an embarrassment. Resting on their knees with their hands on their heads, they were surrounded by the revolutionary guard at gun point before being dragged to shore. One of the soldiers even apologized for his actions in an interview with the state television. For 16 hours, a group of 10 Americans were kept in custody after their vessel drifted into Iranian waters on January 10 He is seen looking down with a tear running down his cheek as the camera zooms in on him Lt David Nartker, 27, said: 'The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here. We thank you very much for your hospitality and your assistance.' It took places hours before Obama's final State of the Union address. It was a blow for the President who had trumpeted closer relations with Iran following a much-criticized deal over the Middle Eastern nation's nuclear program. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the unit had 'misnavigated' into Iranian waters - but questions still remain as to exactly what happened. They were reportedly trying to fix the problem when they were taken into custody. At the time, Secretary of State John Kerry said he was 'furious' footage of the American sailors on their knees which was screened on Iranian television. Speaking to Fox News he said 'I was furious about it, and I immediately contacted my counterpart. And we indicated our disgust.' He added: 'It was very, very unfortunate, inappropriate. And as a former sailor, and member of the military, I was infuriated by it and I expressed that very directly to my counterpart.' The sailors were traveling in small armed vessels known as riverine command boats, headed from Kuwait to Bahrain, which is the location of the Navy's 5th Fleet. Along the approximately 50-mile journey they were to have refueled by linking up with a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, the Monomoy, in international waters. The sailors were released unharmed the following day, but images of the seamen surrendering to the IRGC were seen as an embarrassment Resting on their knees with their hands on their heads, they were surrounded by the revolutionary guard before being dragged to shore Carter said the sailors were not on a covert mission and were simply making their way through the Gulf. The timeline said that approximately 10 minutes after the scheduled refueling, Central Command's naval headquarters at Bahrain received a report that the boats were being questioned by Iranians. A large-scale search-and-rescue mission was undertaken at that point, but it is not clear whether the Americans had by this time already been taken ashore on Farsi Island. Aircraft from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, which was operating 45 miles southeast of Farsi Island, participated in the search, along with Air Force planes and vessels of the U.S. Coast Guard, the British Royal Navy and other U.S. Navy vessels. Gen Ali Fadavi, the navy chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, told Iranian state TV the American boats had shown 'unprofessional acts' for 40 minutes before being picked up. He said Tehran did not consider the US Navy boats violating Iranian territorial waters as an 'innocent passage.' The area is also the route for more than one-fifth of the world's oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which is controlled by Iran and Oman. A woman who was stationed with the unit was forced to wear a Muslim hijab and was escorted out of the room when other men entered The sailors were stationed in a room with Iranian interpreters, and were given food, as they were being filmed The IRGC said they were treated well while they were in custody and none of them were hurt A passport showing a bald sailor that was captured is shown to the camera Posters featuring the bearded actor that appeared in The Bronx were defaced with racist graffiti referencing 'bombs' and driving taxi designer, became first Sikh man to appear in ad campaign for GAP In 2013, Ahluwalia, who is also a model and He says he accepts apology but airlines need to do more to respect faith irport screeners asked him to remove his turban in public, but he refused Actor said earlier he wouldn't leave Mexico until he can talk to bosses about training their staff Sikh actor Waris Ahluwalia who was barred from boarding a plane in Mexico earlier this week after refusing to take off his turban during a security screening was finally heading home to New York Wednesday. Ahluwalias return to the US comes after a very public two-day standoff with Aeromexico, which ended Tuesday night with the airline capitulating to the actor's demands. Ahluwalia had declared earlier that he would not leave Mexico until the airline agreed to implement sensitivity training on how to treat Sikh passengers. Aeromexico officials on Tuesday issued an apology to Ahluwalia, which he accepted but still refused to budge. Scroll down for video Cleared for takeoff: Sikh actor Waris Ahluwalia is seen in this Instagram photo posing with two Aeromexico pilots on his way home to New York Wednesday after the airline promised to change its security protocols Later that day, Ahluwalia got word from Aeromexico that the airline will be overhauling its screening protocols. In an interview at a Mexico City hotel where he ended up extending his stay by two nights, Ahluwalia said he was 'thrilled' by this turn of events, and also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support on social media that he believes helped pressure airline executives to change and apologize. Ahluwalia showed an excerpt from an email that he said came from Aeromexico. The text said the airline had issued a directive to its staff regarding the religious significance of the Sikh turban and planned to ask that the US Transportation Security Administration and the Mexican government implement sensitivity training on religious headwear for airport agents. That's all I wanted, and here it is in a few lines - it's right there in black and white, he said. I'm getting goosebumps right now that if this makes a difference for anyone traveling into the country or leaving the country, then it was all worth it. He said the agreement had been worked out by lawyers for Aeromexico and the Sikh Coalition in New York and the deal had not yet been made public. Aeromexico said earlier in the day that because of the incident it intended to revise security protocols to respect cultural and religious values of its customers. Ahluwalia, 41, told CNN earlier that Aeromexico's apology was 'a brilliant start' but that he would remain in Mexico until he can talk with the airline's bosses Ahluwalia said he isn't angry with Aeromexico or the airport staffers who turned him away. The only way to combat that is with love, is with tolerance, is with understanding and is with education, he said. He noted he was booked to return home Wednesday on the same Aeromexico flight he was blocked from. The reality of the situation is that it could have happened anywhere - and it has happened everywhere, Ahluwalia said. It just so happened it went this far here. On Wednesday morning, Ahluwalia posted a photo on his Instagram page depicting the bearded actor, model and designer posing with two Aeromexico pilots, one of them flashing a 'thumbs up sign. Heading home this morning, he wrote. Thank you @aeromexico for understanding the importance of religious and cultural tolerance. I am happy we were able to work together to come up with a resolution. Harsimran Kaur, the legal director for the civil-right group Sikh Coalition, told the New York Times that Ahluwalia passed through security without incident this morning. He told us that the check was smooth, she said. We understand he was not asked to remove his turban. Ahluwalia, who has appeared in Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Darjeeling Limited and The Life Aquatic, took to Instagram on Monday morning uploading a photo of himself holding up his now-useless Aeromexico plane ticket. Ahluwalia said on Instagram he was barred from boarding a flight bound for New York on Monday because he refused to remove his turban Ahluwalia, pictured in Mexico City, has chosen not to leave until he can talk to Aeromexico's bosses about how they can train their employees to avoid similar issues in the future A post that accompanied the image read: 'This morning in Mexico City I was told I could not board my @aeromexico flight to NYC because of my turban. #FearisanOpportuntytoEducate #humanright #dignity #lovenotfear.' Ahluwalia's plane ticket, seen in his Instagram selfie, shows that the actor was scheduled to travel first class on board Aeromexico Flight 404 from Mexico City to New York City at around 7am Monday. The code 'SSSS' on the face of the ticket indicates that Ahluwalia had been randomly pre-selected for a secondary security screening. Speaking to the New York Daily News on Monday morning, Ahluwalia recounted how security personnel at Mexico City International Airport initially searched his bag, swabbed him for explosives residue and patted down his feet. 'Then they asked me matter-of-factly, "Can you take off your turban?"' Ahluwalia said. 'At that point I said the thing that I always say when I've been asked that before. I said, "I will not be taking my turban off here."' Ahluwalia said he was then told he would not be boarding any Aeromexico plane and should arrange to fly with another carrier. that is when he turned to Instagram to let his followers know what had happened. Word spread rapidly on social media, and within about an hour airline executives tracked him down at the gate and offered him a boarding pass for the next flight to New York. He declined, deciding to speak up as an actor and prominent member of the Sikh community to demand change. The actor, pictured left posing in Mexico City International Airport, says security personnel prohibited him from getting on the plane after he refused to remove his article of faith in public 'That was the moment I realized that if I didn't say anything, if I didn't do anything, if I didn't step out of my comfort zone, that this could happen again to someone' else, Ahluwalia said. 'And I couldn't in good conscience get on that plane knowing that someone else would have to experience this.' Ahluwalia, who is also a successful jewelry designer with the New York-based House of Waris, later posted another selife from the airport along with a message that read: 'Dear NYC fashion week. I may be a little late as @aeromexico won't let me fly with a turban. Don't start the show without me.' On Tuesday morning, Aeromexico posted a statement on its website apologizing to Ahluwalia. The actor told CNN the apology was 'a brilliant first step' but more was needed to avoid further misunderstandings from now on. 'Really, this is about education, about education of the Sikh religion, but also of other religions, and this is not just about me or Sikhs,' he said. The current US Transportation Security Administration's regulations read: 'Persons wearing head coverings, loose fitting or bulky garments may undergo additional security screening, which may include a pat-down. A pat-down will be conducted by a TSA officer of the same gender. 'If an alarm cannot be resolved through a pat-down, you may ask to remove the head covering in a private screening area.' Wes Anderson's muse: Ahluwalia appeared in Wes Anderson's 2007 film The Darjeeling Limited, which takes place in his native India In good company: The Sikh actor (far right) also had a role in Anderson's The Life Aquatic starring Bill Murray (center) and Anjelica Huston (right of Murray) Ahluwalia, who said the airline's reaction had left him anxious and shaking, told CNN he wasn't angry at Aeromexico. 'They did not know,' he said. 'I cannot blame them for that, but ignorance and fear is the flag humans carry, and we have to be vigilant to fight that.' The airline previously said the incident has motivated it to 'strengthen the customer service protocols of our safety personnel in respectful accordance with the cultural and religious values of our customers.' This is not the first time that Ahluwalia has been targeted because of his faith. In 2013, he became the first Sikh man to appear in an advertising campaign for GAP. A short time later, several billboards featuring Ahluwalia sporting a beard and turban were vandalized with racist graffiti. The slogan for the national retailer's holiday campaign was 'Make Love' but one person scrawled over a poster that appeared in The Bronx, 'Make Bombs.' The offensive scribbles also included the line: 'Please stop driving taxis!' Although it is has dried up and then rebounded in previous decades, scientists warn this could the end of the lake Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have lost their livelihoods and left the area since Lake Poopo dried up Climate change, as well as a harsh El Nino meteorological phenomenon, are believed to be the primary causes Scientists say water evaporated three times as fast between rainfalls and temperature has risen 0.9 degrees Celsius images reveal vast evaporation that has struck Bolivia's second-largest lake in the past three years Advertisement A lake the size of Los Angeles has dried up into a desert in Bolivia as a result of climate change and industry, according to scientists. The shocking aerial photos taken by NASA's Earth Observatory show a dusty plain where the mountainous saline lake used to lie. Scorching temperatures, an extended drought and the diversion of water for mining and agriculture has left the once 3,000sq km bone dry. The government has declared the area a 'disaster zone,' but many say not enough has been done to make the area sustainable again. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have lost their livelihoods and left the area after Lake Poopo dried up in a development scientists have warned is the stark reality of climate change. 'We have no lake. There were flamingos. But after the first few days of December, we are not surprised the lake has dried up,' Valerio Calle Rojas, a fishermen from the Untavi community. Local scientists say the water has evaporated three times as fast between rainfalls. 'Lake Poopo has been tracked for about 60 years and there has been evidence that climate change has had an effect in the last decade, from the 90's in the 20th Century. The temperature has gone up 0.9 degrees Celsius,' said Milton Perez, a professor at the Oruro Technical University told Reuters. Scroll down for video Climate change: Scientists say the water has evaporated three times as fast between rains - a consequence of climate change An abandoned boat lies on the dried up lake bed, where Bolivia's second-largest lake, Lake Poopo, has officially evaporated Fishermen who once earned a living from the shallow body of water are pictured wandering along the dried up lake bed Overturned fishing skiffs lie abandoned on the dried up former shores of what was Bolivia's second-largest lake The lake dried up before in 1994, and researchers said it took several years for the water to return and the ecosystem to recover. The lake used to go through drastic changes every eight years as a result of regulated climatic changes, but because of global warming it changes every three years. High on Bolivia's plains at 12,000ft and long subject to climatic whims, the shallow saline lake has essentially dried up before only to rebound to twice the area of Los Angeles. But recovery may no longer be possible, scientists say. 'This is a picture of the future of climate change,' says Dirk Hoffman, a German glaciologist who studies how rising temperatures from the burning of fossil fuels has accelerated glacial melting in Bolivia. As Andean glaciers disappear, so do the sources of Poopo's water. But other factors are in play in the demise of Bolivia's second-largest body of water behind Lake Titicaca. Drought caused by the recurrent El Nino meteorological phenomenon is considered the main driver. Authorities say another factor is the diversion of water from Poopo's tributaries, mostly for mining but also for agriculture. More than 100 families have sold their sheep, llamas and alpaca, set aside their fishing nets and quit the former lakeside village of Untavi over the past three years, draining it of well over half its population. Only the elderly remain. 'There's no future here,' said 29-year-old Juvenal Gutierrez, who moved to a nearby town where he ekes by as a motorcycle taxi driver. Record-keeping on the lake's history only goes back a century, and there is no good tally of the people displaced by its disappearance. At least 3,250 people have received humanitarian aid, the governor's office says. Poopo is now down to 2 per cent of its former water level, regional Governor Victor Hugo Vasquez calculates. Its maximum depth once reached 16ft. Field biologists say 75 species of birds are gone from the lake. While Poopo has suffered El Nino-fueled droughts for millennia, its fragile ecosystem has experienced unprecedented stress in the past three decades. Temperatures have risen by about 1 degree celsius while mining activity has pinched the flow of tributaries, increasing sediment. Florida Institute of Technology biologist Mark Bush said the long-term trend of warming and drying threatens the entire Andean highlands. A boy swats away mosquitoes in Untavi, near the shores of Lake Poopo, Bolivia, where few people now live after the lake disappeared Abraham Fulguera shows his fisherman's credentials while standing in the dried up lake bed, on the outskirts of Untavi, Bolivia In this photograph, Abraham Fulguera checks his abandoned fishing net. Lake Poopo is now down to 2 percent of what was normal A 2010 study he co-authored for the journal Global Change Biology says Bolivia's capital, La Paz, could face catastrophic drought this century. It predicted 'inhospitable arid climates' would lessen available food and water this century for the more than 3million inhabitants of Bolivia's highlands. A study by the German consortium Gitec-Cobodes determined that Poopo received 161 billion fewer liters of water in 2013 than required to maintain equilibrium. 'Irreversible changes in ecosystems could occur, causing massive emigration and greater conflicts,' said the study commissioned by Bolivia's government. The head of a local citizens' group that tried to save Poopo, Angel Flores, says authorities ignored warnings. 'Something could have been done to prevent the disaster. Mining companies have been diverting water since 1982,' he said. President Evo Morales has sought to deflect criticism he bears some responsibility, suggesting that Poopo could come back. 'My father told me about crossing the lake on a bicycle once when it dried up,' he said last month after returning from the U.N.-sponsored climate conference in Paris. The wooden shell is the only pieces that remain of an upturned boat abandoned on the lake bed near Untavi, Bolivia Left, fisherman Felix Rojas, 78, said with the lake dried up he was concerned about his grandchildren's futures. Right, Cirilo Choque carries a ladder on his bicycle as he walks to his job as bricklayer Environmentalists and local activists say the government mismanaged fragile water resources and ignored rampant pollution from mining, Bolivia's second export earner after natural gas. More than 100 mines are upstream and Huanuni, Bolivia's biggest state-owned tin mine, was among those dumping untreated tailings into Poopo's tributaries. After thousands of fish died in late 2014, the Universidad Tecnica in the nearby state capital of Oruro found Poopo had unsafe levels of heavy metals, including cadmium and lead. The president of Bolivia's National Chamber of Mining, Saturnino Ramos, said any blame by the industry is 'insignificant compared to climate change.' He said most of the sediment shallowing Poopo's tributaries was natural, not from mining. In hopes of bringing it back, Morales' government has asked the European Union for $140 million for water treatment plants for the Poopo watershed and to dredge tributaries led by the Desaguadero, which flows from Lake Titicaca. Critics say it may be too late. 'I don't think we'll be seeing the azure mirror of Poopo again,' said Milton Perez, a Universidad Tecnica researcher. 'I think we've lost it.' High on Bolivia's semi-arid Andean plains at 12,000ft and long subject to climatic whims, the shallow saline lake has dried up before A flock of flamingos rest on the surface of Lake Poopo, which is now down to two per cent of its usual levels The El Nino weather phenomenon has inflicted periodic droughts on Lake Poopo for millennia and last struck this hard in 1997-98 Officials in San Diego have apologized for trying to claim the term 'Founding Fathers' is gender-biased. The city released a guide to non-discriminatory language this week - days before President's Day - which singled out the reference to America's patriarchs as an example of outdated phrases. Instead, the manual said, Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and the rest should simply be referred to as 'the Founders'. The suggestion sparked outrage - and on Wednesday, Mayor Kevin Falcouner rushed to denounce the manual as 'political correctness run amok'. San Diego officials have rushed to denounce their city language guide that suggested the Founding Fathers (pictured) should simply be referred to as 'Founders' to avoid discriminating against women This is a grab of the guide which highlighted Founding Fathers as a gender-biased phrased In a tweet on Wednesday, Falcouner insisted he does not support the suggestion. 'Suggesting that our Founding Fathers should be referred to as "Founders" is political correctness run amok. 'We are proud of our nation's history and there is nothing wrong with referring to the Founding Fathers.' It is not clear who penned the idea into the manual and whether or not they have been disciplined following the embarrassment. Leading the outrage, Brad Dacus, head of the legal watchdog Pacific Justice Institute, wrote an open letter to Mayor Falcouner this week slamming the manual's phrasing.' Just days before President's Day, Dacus said, the suggestion is 'offensive and indefensible'. 'At a time set aside to honor American icons to whom we owe our constitutional freedoms, it is offensive and indefensible that the City of San Diego is directing employees not to even mention the Founding Fathers,' Dacus wrote. PJI senior staff attorney Matthew McReynolds also weighed in in the letter, pointing out that city employees are even advised to edit data that does not conform to the style guide. It is 'concerning' he writes, that the manual promotes 'style over substance, to the point that employees are encourage to omit or alter relevant research, based on subjective interpretations as to whether it includes biased or non-inclusive language.' This element is crucial if the phrase 'Founding Fathers' were to be banned, he said. PJI has found more than 1,500 instances of the phrase in legal statutes. To alter the phrasing of a Supreme Court or lower court ruling would be 'indefensible'. A man in Durham, North Carolina, got a nasty surprise on Tuesday morning when he was shot in the face with a flare gun by an acquaintance after entering the restroom of a Panera Bakery cafe and now police say the attacker is at large. The attacker, identified by police as as Todd Newland Pope, 53, shot Kenneth Bartlett in the face after Bartlett entered the restroom. Bartlett wrestled the gun from the man's hand, and in doing so recognized his attacker as a homeless man he occasionally helped. Although police initially said the two man got into an argument, Bartlett denied the claim in an interview with ABC News. 'At first I didn't know who it was,' he said .'I didn't know until after I'd been shot and then he didn't expect me to turn around. His eyes got kinda big.' Shot: Kenneth Bartlett (pictured) says his attacker took him by surprise when he shot him him in the face with a flare gun in the restroom of a cafe in Durham, North Carolina Accused: Todd Pope (pictured, left) has been identified by police as the attacker, but is still at large. The attack took place at the Panera Bakery (pictured, right) at a shopping center in Durham Bartlett told ABC News that he saw smoke and flames shooting from the flare as it burned his face, and that he now has a hole in his right cheek. He said he had no idea why he was shot, except that his attacker may be mentally unstable. 'We come here for lunch like twice a week,' Panera customer Adela Mann told ABC News. 'So to hear that is very alarming and kind of scary.' Pope has been charged with with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. At the time of writing, however, police said that he was not in custody. The remains of two people have been found in a large metal box recovered from a dam south of Brisbane during a search for missing Queenslanders Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru. The grisly discovery was confirmed by Queensland Police on Thursday afternoon. Police located the box behind a Coates Hire equipment-leasing shop on Mudgee St, Kingston, in Logan. Investigators had been scouring the area for Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru, who went missing more than two-and-a-half weeks ago. Six people have been charged with their murder, after the pair were allegedly shot in the head last month. Scroll down for video Iuliana Triscaru, 31, was last seen at a Marsden address on January 24. Six people have been charged with her murder. Cory Breton, 28, went missing on January 21 from the Logan area Police used a crane to load the metal box, which is believed to hold the bodies of Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru, onto a truck at the crime scene Police fear the bodies of the Logan duo were stuffed inside the box after they were allegedly shot in the head Police removed the box from the dam this afternoon and sent to the John Tonge Centre where it was examined. 'The box was subsequently opened and found to contain the remains of two people,' police said in a statement. The remains will be subject to postmortem examinations and positive identification. Earlier in the day, Detective Superintendent Dave Hutchinson, Southeast regional crime coordinator, said police found the metal box, which was about two metres long, just after 8am. Police alleged that the metal box was transported by a dark green 1999 Toyota Hilux on the night of January 24. Mr Hutchinson has urged anyone that saw the vehicle to contact police. As a consequence of the investigations we are also of the view that two yellow ratchet straps were disposed of on Third Avenue in Marsden the morning of 25 of Jan," he added. We will allege the ratchet straps were used to secure the box to the utility," he said, and asked anyone finding the straps to hand them into the police. Investigators announced on Thursday morning they had charged six people with murder over the disappearance of the Logan duo. Police fear the bodies of the Logan duo were stuffed inside the box after they were allegedly shot in the head Police allege that the metal box was transported by a dark green 1999 Toyota Hilux on the night of January 24 Police said they found the metal box, which was about two metres long, just after 8am on Thursday Police conducted a forensic examination of the crime scene in the Logan suburb of Kingston on Thursday Mr Breton, 28, went missing on January 21 from the Logan area, while Ms Triscaru, 31, was last seen at a Marsden address on January 24. Two men were arrested after police intercepted a vehicle on the Gateway Motorway, southeast of Brisbane, just before 5pm on Wednesday. Three people were initially detained, but only two were charged with murder. Police also allegedly found a quantity of methylamphetamine when they searched the vehicle. Two men were arrested after police intercepted a vehicle on the Gateway Motorway, southeast of Brisbane, on Wednesday The six accused appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday afternoon, where they were all charged with the murder of Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru and remanded in custody. It is alleged they shot the Logan duo in the head last month. The Courier Mail reported that a mother of seven, 36-year-old Ngatokoona Maretti, was among the suspects charged on two counts of murder. Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, 24, Webbstar Latu, 31, Davy Malu Junior Taiao, 21, Stou Daniels, 21, and Trent Michael Thrupp, 22, also appeared in court. Mr Hutchinson said investigators were still looking for a motive, but suspected the murder was drug related. He said police were keen to speak to two more men, a 32-year-old from Crestmead and a 25-year-old from Kingston, who they believe have knowledge of the alleged crime. If those people, and they will know who they are ... we would encourage them to come and see us now, Mr Hutchinson said. Pictured is the dark green 1999 Toyota Hilux that police believe was used in the murder Police told media on Thursday that they believed the metal box was strapped onto the Hilux On Wednesday, police set up two crime scenes in the Logan suburb of Kingston. One was centred around the house of 23-year-old Lelan Harrington, who disappeared with Ms Triscaru and Mr Breton, but was later found. A second concentrated on a location off Mudgee Street in Kingston and saw police divers search a dam on a vacant block, while officers and police dogs scoured nearby bushland. Police resumed their search of the location off Mudgee Street in Kingston today. Speaking to media on Tuesday, Mr Breton's partner, Miranda, who did not want her surname used, said his disappearance didn't add up. 'To not hear from him, for him to stay away from his little girl for this amount of time, it's not only heartbreaking, it's puzzling in itself,' she said. Ms Triscaru's mother, Victoria, said she was very worried for her daughter and Iuliana's three children missed her. A crane is captured lifting the metal box out of the dam The metal box was found in a dam behind a Coates Hire on Mudgee St in Logan For the past two days police have focussed their search on a vacant block off Mudgee Street in Kingston Police divers searched a dam on the block, while officers and police dogs scoured nearby bushland This is the moment a man relentlessly battered another man with a replica Samurai sword in a Florida mall. Jovaughn Walker, 22, was allegedly high on drugs when he burst into the Swap Shop in Lauderhill on Sunday morning, manically wielding a three-foot blade. Customers could be seen scrambling and screaming as Walker lashed out at them, striking one man repeatedly. It was the climax of a bizarre violent crime spree: that morning he had stolen a car and attacked an 81-year-old man at a Shell gas station with a metal rod that he pulled off a display case. Jovaughn Walker, 22, was allegedly high on drugs when he burst into the Swap Shop in Lauderhill on Sunday morning, manically wielding a three-foot replica Samurai blade (pictured) Customers could be seen scrambling and screaming as Walker lashed out at them, striking one repeatedly The victim clearly is not aware the sword is fake as he squirms in panic on the floor trying to free himself As police were trying to track down Walker, they received a call with reports of a Samurai sword-wielding attacker in the Swap Shop nearby. Finally, shop workers managed to tackle Walker at the scene - then he screamed that he could see an evil poltergeist that he needed to kill. When police arrived he was arrested and charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, carjacking, aggravated assault, and cannabis possession. The two victims were hospitalized with 'lacerations', police said. They have since been discharged. 'I've been in law enforcement for 32 years now and I've never encountered anything this bizarre,' Maj. Rick Rocco of the Lauderhill Police Department told ABC News on Wednesday. 'Just randomly attacking people, especially in the manner, especially with a sword. 'An 81-year-old male and his wife were inside the store area of the Shell and while they're in there the suspect comes walking into the store and without saying a word goes into the display rack and takes the support pole, then approaches the elderly male and just starts to attack him. 'The victim's wife gets between the suspect and the victim, and he doesn't hurt the wife but then he leaves the gas station.' The attack caught on CCTV was the climax of a bizarre violent crime spree: that morning Walker had stolen a car and attacked an 81-year-old man at a Shell gas station with a metal rod that he pulled off a display case Shop workers managed to tackle Walker at the scene - then he screamed that he could see an evil poltergeist that he needed to kill When police arrived he was arrested and charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, carjacking, aggravated assault, and cannabis possession 'I've been in law enforcement for 32 years now and I've never encountered anything this bizarre,' Maj. Rick Rocco of the Lauderhill Police Department said on Wednesday It is often said that it is the thought that counts, and that is certainly the case in this touching tale. A man whose limbs were left irreparably damaged by polio as a young child has spoken out about his dream to be able to help his elderly stepmother more around the house. Yu Zhongjie, from Hefei, Anhui, east China, has looked after his 87-year-old stepmother Su Weifang for 13 years, since she had a brain haemorrhage in 2003, reports People's Daily Online. Always together: Yu Zhongjie, from Hefei, east China, looks after his 87-year-old stepmother Su Weifang Silent guardian: Yu does everything for Su, making and bringing food, helping her to move around and cleaning Tragic tale: The 60-year-old's legs were crippled when he developed acute poliomyelitis at the age of two The 60-year-old's legs were crippled when he developed acute poliomyelitis at the age of two, which stunted his growth and left him just over 3ft in height in adulthood with deformed legs. At the age of three, a year after his diagnosis, Mr Yu was abandoned by his biological mother and left to fend for himself during his early days at school, helping to care for his young siblings. Always later to learn and progress than other children because of his physical condition, Yu was able to stand up and walk without assistance by his 19th birthday. He took a job at a carton plant for eight years during his twenties after which he learned the craft of repairing shoes as a trained cobbler for many years, during which period he finally began to live something resembling a normal life. That was up until 2003, when Su broke her leg badly during recovery from her stroke at a time when she was not being looked after, which prompted Yu to move back and look after his stepmother. Family: Mr Yu has cared for his stepmother every day since 2003 when she had a stroke and broke her leg Strong: One of the most difficult things Yu has to do is carry heavy shopping back, which he has problems with True fighter: Day-to-day activities, even things like reaching high shelves, are a constant struggle for Mr Yu Now he alone cares for her on a day-to-day basis - making and bringing her food, helping her to move around, cleaning, even crafting her a special wheelchair for them to pick up groceries with. If I could walk like normal people, I could take better care of my mom. Yu Zhongjie 'To buy something from the grocery store, which is only 1,000 feet away from home, I could not even carry all the items if I bought a little extra', Yu told People's Daily Online. 'I felt ashamed: if I could walk like normal people, I could take better care of my mom.' Inspired by his courage, Yu's local community recently donated a mobility scooter worth 7,000 Yuan (750) and helped turn the stairs in front of his home into a ramp for easier passage into the house. One local resident said: 'When we were little, no one wanted to play with Yu Zhongjie, and most of us felt sorry for him. However, we have nothing but respect for him.' Happy: Mr Yu was delighted with the 750 walker he was given by the community to help him get groceries Handy: Mr Yu, who fixed shoes for many years, is a keen woodworker and helps fix things around the house After Yu's remarkable story was published online, plenty of web browsers were similarly touched. Several took the time to comment that though Yu is short, he is a 'great man' with a 'noble spirit'. China had its last indigenous polio case in 1994 and was declared completely polio-free in 2000. Chinese authorities yesterday confirmed it has found its first case of the damaging Zika virus in a 34-year-old man. The male victim from Ganxian county, Jiangxi province, is now said to be quarantined in hospital while he recovers from a temperature, according to People's Daily Online. Meanwhile, the Chinese researchers said they plan launch a pilot field study in March using mosquitoes infected with bacteria in a bid to fight against the deadly virus. Under threat: The male victim from Ganxian county is now said to be quarantined in a local hospital (pictured) Making leaps: Chinese researchers said they plan launch a pilot field study in March using mosquitoes infected with bacteria in a bid to fight against the deadly virus Danger zone: The hosital rooms close to where the man is being held have been closed off for fear of spread The China's National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) announced the country's first case of imported Zika virus in a statement on February 9. The patient, who works in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province, had recently returned from travelling in Venezuela. He had reportedly displayed symptoms of fever, headache and dizziness when he was in South America and visited doctors on January 28 in Venezuela. He returned to his hometown Jiangxi in south-east China on February 5 via Hong Kong and Guangdong Province. Meanwhile Xi Zhiyong, a micro-biology professor at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, recently confirmed plans for a pilot field study in March to reduce the mosquito population carrying Zika. According to the plan, millions of laboratory-produced Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacteria will be released at two or three trial sites in Guangdong. Wolbachia is a bacteria which scientists believe can combat Zika if it's implanted into mosquitos. Last year, Xi's team eliminated 90 per cent of the local the 'Aedes aegypti' mosquito population during a trial using the same method and helped to contain a local outbreak of dengue fever. NHFPC ordered the beginning of a mass extermination of mosquitoes on Thursday last week, with risk of Zika cases at its peak. On February 4 the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced it had developed an effective reagent for the detection of Zika, paving the way for the creation of a vaccine. The organisation also confirmed that the chances of a national Zika epidemic stemming from this original case were very low, given the freezing conditions in China at present and lack of living mosquitos - since the insect is the primary avenue for transmission of the virus. However, with temperatures now rising in China's southern provinces, the risk could be more acute. Unstoppable outbreak? Zika virus has been detected in China as scientists search for a vaccine (file photo) Progress: the Chinese Center for Disease Control has announced a reagent for Zika detection (file photo) Low risk: Experts have said that the spread of Zika in China is unlikely due to the local climate (file photo) With the virus spreading rapidly throughout South Americas, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently predicted there would be between three and four million cases of Zika detected in the Americas over the next year. Zika has been linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, with cases multiplying. Most mothers who contract it have either mild or no symptoms including rashes, but their babies are born deformed due to exposure to the virus, which is non-fatal. At present there is no vaccine to prevent the spread of Zika although research is ongoing. The appeal offered a 10,000 Yuan (1,040) reward to whoever handed it in The authorities of a Chinese county were panic-stricken last week after a police officer lost his gun after using a public toilet. The Public Security Bureau of Xiuwen County, Guizhou Province, had to send out a text message to members of the public on February 6 to look for the missing weapon, with an offer of a cash reward. After the appeal the gun was recovered according to a spokesman from the bureau, reports Huanqiu.com, and affiliation of the People's Daily Online. Careless: A public officer from Xiuwen reportedly lost his gun after using a public toilet in China (file photo) According to reports, residents of Xiuwen County received the text message after the officer allegedly lost his gun in a toilet near his police station at 10am last Saturday. The message which was signed off by the Xiuwen County Government. Part of it read: 'We request all officials and staff to assist investigation, and find out whether your families and friends have any relevant clues.' A cash reward of 10,000 Yuan (1,040) was also offered to anyone who handed it in or had any clues to its whereabouts. Careless: After he lost his gun the local government offered the public a cash reward to whoever handed it in A spokesman from the Xiuwen Public Security Bureau told reporters that the gun has been recovered since the message was sent out. However, it's unclear whether or not a reward was handed out. The news sparked concerns on Chinese social media over the cautiousness of police force. A user named 'zhi cheng da bin' said on Weibo: 'A gun is the second life of a policeman. How can he be so careless. It's fortunate that [the gun] had been picked up by a criminal.' Another user called 'Transient_chi ren shuo meng' said: 'The 10,000 Yuan reward should be paid by the officer who lost the gun. Don't spend our tax money like this.' Advertisement The opening of a new highly precarious walkway hanging off a mountain edge in south China has seen thrill-seekers flock to sample the dizzy heights. The bridge, which officially opened to the public in January, measures in at five miles long. It's suspended above the Qianjiang Guanyin Canyon, which dips to a maximum of 1,640 feet deep according to a report from People's Daily Online. The long walkway, which is thought to have cost up to 600 million yuan (63 million) runs through the Wuling mountain range in the Chongqing Municipality, stretches through previously untrodden regions of the vast mountain and provides stunning views of the rural scenery. It is not known why the official unveiling of the amazing achievement was delayed from May until January in the 18-square mile area Stomach-churning: The 1,640 foot drop down this canyon in the Wuling mountain range, Chongqing, China, is not for the faint-hearted The long walkway, which is thought to have cost up to 600 million yuan (63 million), stretches through untrodden regions of the mountain The photographs taken on February 8 show thousands of eager tourists making the remarkable trek up hundreds of stairs on the first day of the Chinese New Year in order to enjoy the wonderful views from above. Having originally been set to open in May last year, it now allows visitors to access to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is peppered with ravines and gorges with pools and waterfalls as well as thousands of incredible quartzite sandstone pillars. It is not known why the official unveiling was delayed until January, with the Musk Dear Fort Viewing Platform already open in the 18-square mile area. The local Fuling Wuling tourism board originally came up with the idea of the elaborate walkway in order to give people access to the gorges and ravines that were previously inaccessible and could only be seen from a plane or helicopter. These photographs show thousands of tourists making the remarkable trek up hundreds of stairs to enjoy the wonderful views from above Chinese culture seems to have developed an obsession with terrifying walkway bridges in recent times, particularly ones made out of glass Chinese culture seems to have developed an obsession with constructing terrifying walkway bridges in recent times, particularly ones made out of glass. In May this year, a 1,230-foot-long glass-bottomed skywalk hanging 984 feet above the ground will open to the public over a national forest in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan province, making it the largest bridge of its kind anywhere in the world. Remarkable new glass bridges have also recently been unveiled at Shiniuzhai Geopark in Hunan, central China and on a cliff face on Yuntai Mountain. Delayed opening: Having originally been set to open in May last year, it now allows visitors to access to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tiny monkeys no bigger than a thumb are being sold illegally in China and used as accessories by the country's nouveau riche. These little primates are thought to be pygmy marmosets, the world's smallest monkey, they are being priced at up to 30,000 Yuan (3,140), reports the People's Daily Online. Pygmy marmosets are native to rainforests of Western Amazon Basin in South America, but they are becoming increasingly popular as exotic pets in China especially as gifts to celebrate the Year of the Monkey. Cute: Pygmy marmosets are being sold illegally in China as pets among the super rich (file photo) Illegal: Although buying and selling monkey is against the law in China, they're being traded as pets (file photo) According to the report, the tiny animals have been given the nickname of 'thumb monkeys' in China and they have become the new star pet among wealthy people in the country. One such man surnamed Chen is the owner of a jewellery business. He showcased what he referred to as a 'New Year mascot' on China's Twitter-like social media platform Weibo. His post said: 'Snow skin leopards and red-crowned cranes have nothing on my New Year's gift. Please meet Xiao Shen.' A wave of comments among his friends on WeChat came after the post. Chen then wrote a reply that said: 'My friend is selling and it costs 30,000 Yuan (3,140).' Adorable: These tiny primates have been given the nickname of 'thumb monkeys' in China (file photo) Threatened: Pygmy marmosets are native to rainforests in the Amazon Basin in South America, but they are becoming increasingly popular as exotic pets in China (file photo) The monkeys are smaller than mice and cling on to a person's thumb as if to be hugging it. An official expert who was not named spoke to local reporters: 'Buying and selling are certainly not legal. Not only one governmental bodies are supervising this.' The official also said the monkey is not native to China, so it not only involves the protection of wildlife, but also quarantine. They have to be able to adapt to the environment, as pygmy marmosets are native to the Amazon, survival in China could be extremely difficult. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PYGMY MARMOSETS? Pygmy marmosets are the smallest monkey's in the world. They average about five inches, with a tail that grows to about eight inches. Native exclusively to rainforests of Western Amazon Basin in South America. They like to eat grasshoppers and make high pitched clicks, squeaks and whistles. The pygmy marmoset is becoming increasingly popular as an exotic pet, but they are very hard to keep. International Union for Conservation of Nature's have listed them on their red list of threatened species. Pygmy marmosets are listed as 'Least Concern' with no major threats resulting in a significant population decline. They are undergoing some localized declines, due mainly to habitat loss in the rainforests and international trade. Source: International Union for Conservation Advertisement The tiny monkeys are becoming increasingly popular as exotic pets for their cuteness and size but they are very hard to keep. According to a-zanimals.com, when a baby pygmy marmoset is taken away from the family it can often die quickly due to depression. A spokesman from the World Animal Protection spoke to the MailOnline about keeping these animals as pets: 'It is obvious to see why these incredibly endearing animals have appeal but people must remember they are wild animals and they must live out their lives in their natural environment not as a curio for someone as a pet. 'They have specific needs that cannot be met in a domestic environment and keeping them as pets is not only cruel but highly irresponsible.' Pigmy marmosets are on the the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species under 'Least Concern.' The species has a relatively wide distribution range, and there are no major threats resulting in a significant population decline. Many men would attest to the fact that wearing a condom changes the sensation of sex. But that could soon be about to change after Australian scientists developed ultra-thin condoms made using grass. Fibres from spinifex grass, a native plant from the red soil landscape of the Outback, help make condoms as thin as a human hair while still maintaining their strength. Scientists have developed a method of extracting plant fibres from grass that can be added to latex during the production process of condoms. The researchers believe they could make prophylactics (stock image) thinner than a human hair, and could add value to the multi-billion dollar rubber industry The process was developed by scientists at the University of Queensland. It involves extracting fibres of nanocellulose from the grass, which can be added to latex during the production process. Cellulose is the fibrous material which gives plants their rigid strength. It is made of long chains of sugar molecules and is the main component of the walls which support and protect plant cells. EXTRACTING NANOCELLULOSE Cellulose is the fibrous material which gives plants their rigid strength. It is made of long chains of sugar molecules and is the main component of the walls which support and protect plant cells. The fibres are incredibly strong and nanocellulose, shorter chains found in wood fibres, has potential for adding value to many products. This includes making flexible medical devices, recovering oil after spills, and in this case, reinforcing materials such as latex. Advertisement The fibres are incredibly strong and nanocellulose, shorter chains found in wood fibres, has the potential to add value to many products The team behind the method said it can help produce thinner, stronger rubber which 'significantly improved' the physical properties of latex. Professor Darren Martin, from Queensland's Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, explained: 'The great thing about our nanocellulose is that it's a flexible nano-additive, so we can make a stronger and thinner membrane that is supple and flexible, which is the Holy Grail for natural rubber. Commercial tests have already proved successful, with the thinner condom material outperforming commercial samples of latex. At the end of 2015, the team were able to produce a latex just 45 microns thick around the width of a human hair and the researchers believe they could make condoms that are thinner still. Dr Nasim Amiralian, a member of the team at the University of Queensland, stretches the material (pictured) which incorporates nanocellulose into latex to make it stronger and more flexible. The reseacrhers believe they can use the material to make condoms less than 45 microns thick, which is thinner than a human hair 'We tested our latex formulation on a commercial dipping line in the US and conducted a burst test that inflates condoms and measures the volume and pressure. 'On average [we] got a performance increase of 20 per cent in pressure and 40 per cent in volume compared to the commercial latex control sample,' said Professor Martin. 'With a little more refinement, we think we can engineer a latex condom that's about 30 per cent thinner, and will still pass all standards, and with more process optimisation work we will be able to make devices even thinner than this. Fibres of nanocellulose - chains of sugar which give plants their structure and strength - were extracted from spinifex grass, a native Aussie plant which dominates the red soil landscape of the Outback. Stock image According to the team at the University of Queensland, the fibres extracted from spiniflex grass (pictured) can be added to latex and could be used to make condoms thinner than a human hair, without losing their strength RECENT CONDOM BREAKTHROUGHS Students taking part in last year's TeenTech awards devised a 'smart' condom that changes colour when it detects a sexually transmitted disease. Although still just a concept, such an innovation could help to cut the spread of the illnesses from soaring infection rates. Called the S.T.EYE, the condom concept includes a layer impregnated with molecules that attach to the bacteria and viruses associated with the most common STIs. These would cause molecules in the condom rubber to fluoresce a certain colour in low light, according to the infection detected. The condom might glow green for chlamydia, yellow for herpes, purple in the presence of the human papillomavirus which causes genital warts, and blue for syphilis, for example. Advertisement The benefits of the technology will likely interest latex manufacturers around the world, in what is a multi-billion-dollar global market. Professor Martin added: 'Rather than looking at increasing the strength, companies would be looking to market the thinnest, most satisfying prophylactic possible. 'Likewise, it would also be possible to produce latex gloves that are just as strong, but thinner, giving a more sensitive feel and less hand fatigue to users such as surgeons. 'Because you would also use less latex, your material cost in production would potentially drop as well, making it even more attractive to manufacturers.' Spinifex had long been used as an effective adhesive by indigenous communities in Australia, to attach spearheads to wooden shafts. But the return journey will be longer, effectively cancelling each other out If you frequently fly between the US and Europe, journeys could soon take much longer - and be bumpier - thanks to climate change. This is the prediction of a British scientist who claims that climate change is likely to accelerate the jet stream, a high-altitude wind blowing across the Atlantic. This will slow down westbound flights, from the UK to New York, for example, while travellers heading eastbound will enjoy slightly shorter flights for the same reason. If you frequently fly between the US and Europe, journeys will take longer in the future and be bumpier, thanks to climate change. The maps show the quickest routes between JFK and LHR airports, with eastbound journeys (top) predicted to get quicker and westbound journeys (bottom), to become slower Paul Williams, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Reading, said: 'The aviation industry is facing pressure to reduce its environmental impacts, but this study shows a new way in which aviation is itself susceptible to the effects of climate change. 'The bad news for passengers is that westbound flights will be battling against stronger headwinds. 'The good news is that eastbound flights will be boosted by stronger tailwinds, but not enough to compensate for the longer westbound journeys. 'The net result is that round trip journeys will significantly lengthen. By accelerating the jet stream - a high-altitude wind blowing across the Atlantic - climate change will slow down westbound flights, from the UK to New York, for example. The faster eastbound passengers will then spend longer in the air on the return journey, ultimately cancelling each other out. Stock image pictured 'This effect will increase the fuel costs to airlines, potentially raising ticket prices, and it will worsen the environmental impacts of aviation.' THE TRANSATLANTIC ROUTE The transatlantic route between Europe and North America is one of the world's busiest aviation corridors, with 600 flights per day. But it contributes just a fraction of the estimated 100,000 flights per day globally. Historically, global air traffic (measured in passenger-kilometres) has experienced an average long-term growth rate of 5% per year. The current, non-Concorde record for a transatlantic crossing from New York to London stands at five hours and sixteen minutes. It was set on 8 January 2015 by a British Airways 777, which rode a particularly strong jet stream from the USA to Britain. The new study predicts we will see far more record-breaking crossings like this in future. Advertisement Overall, Dr Williams calculates that transatlantic aircraft will spend an extra 2,000 hours in the air every year, adding millions of dollars to airline fuel costs and increasing the risk of delays. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, looked at the effects of doubling the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which will occur within the next few decades unless emissions are cut quickly. The average jet-stream winds along the flight route between London's Heathrow airport and New York's John F. Kennedy International airport are predicted to become 15 per cent faster in winter, increasing from 48 to 55 mph (77 to 89 km/h). There will also be similar increases in the other seasons. As a result, London-bound flights will become twice as likely to take under 5 hours and 20 minutes, implying that record-breaking crossing times will occur with increasing frequency in future. For comparison, the current non-Concorde record for a transatlantic crossing from New York to London stands at five hours and sixteen minutes. On the other hand, New York-bound flights will become twice as likely to take more than seven hours, suggesting delayed arrivals will become increasingly common. London-bound flights (graph shown top) will become twice as likely to take under 5 hours and 20 minutes, while westbound ones are predicted to get longer, approaching 7 hours 20 minutes (bottom) Due to the extra time spent in the air, transatlantic flights will burn an extra $22 million (15 million) worth of fuel annually. These flights will emit an extra 154 million lbs (70 million kilos) of carbon dioxide, which is the equivalent to the annual emissions of 7,100 British homes. And this might only be the tip of the iceberg. 'The jet stream encircles the globe, and there is one in the southern hemisphere too,' Dr Williams said. 'It is possible that flights elsewhere in the world will also suffer from a similar jet stream effect. Dr Williams fed 'atmospheric wind fields' fields generated from climate model simulations into an algorithm of the type used operationally by flight planners to reach his conclusions. What is the name of the former United States president whose face is on the $10 bill? If you said Alexander Hamilton, don't congratulate yourself just yet. Many Americans are quick to state the answer to this question, but there's one problem Alexander Hamilton was never president of the US. A recent study from Washington University reveals that many people are 'very confident' that Hamilton and other non-presidents held this rank, and the mix-up may be tied to the context of their historical fame. What is the name of the former United States president whose face is on the $10 bill? If you said Alexander Hamilton, don't congratulate yourself just yet. Many Americans are quick to state the answer to this question, but there's one problem Alexander Hamilton was never president of the US WHO WAS ALEXANDER HAMILTON? Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father of the United States. He became chief staff aide to General George Washington, and was one of the most influential interpreters and promoters of the U.S. Constitution. He also founded The New York Post, and was first Secretary of the Treasury. There, he led the establishment of a national bank, a system of tariffs, and friendly trade relations with Britain. Advertisement The St. Louis research, led by Henry L. Roediger III, a human memory expert at Washington University and K. Andrew DeSoto, a former psychology graduate, examines how well Americans can recognize the names of presidents from a list of actual and false examples. Of the 326 people surveyed via online platform Mechanical Turk, participants could correctly recognize past presidents at a rate of 88 percent. Some presidents, like Franklin Pierce and Chester Arthur, were recognized less than 60 percent of the time, while Alexander Hamilton was identified as president much more frequently. And, people were almost certain of this, marking an average of 83 on the 100-point scale of certainty. 'Our findings from a recent survey suggest that about 71 percent of Americans are fairly certain that Alexander Hamilton is among our nation's past presidents,' said Roediger, a human memory expert at Washington University. 'I had predicted that Benjamin Franklin would be the person most falsely recognized as a president, but Hamilton beat him by a mile,' Roediger said. 'The interesting thing is that their confidence in Hamilton having been president is fairly high higher than for six or so actual presidents.' More than a quarter of participants also incorrectly recognized other prominent figures as past presidents, including Franklin, Hubert Humphrey and John Calhoun. Almost a third of those in the study even falsely recognized the common name 'Thomas Moore,' as a president. Historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, left, who have contextual relevance to past presidents are commonly mistaken for presidents themselves. More than a quarter of participants also incorrectly recognized other prominent figures as past presidents, including Franklin, Hubert Humphrey and John Calhoun WHAT THE STUDY FOUND This study looked at the issue from a different angle than past research, which focused on the ability to recall presidents' names off the top of one's head. Of the 326 people surveyed via online platform Mechanical Turk, participants could correctly recognize past presidents at a rate of 88 percent. The study found that roughly 71 percent of participants falsely identify Alexander Hamilton as a past president. More than a quarter of participants also incorrectly recognized other prominent figures as past presidents, including Franklin, Hubert Humphrey and John Calhoun. Almost a third of those in the study even falsely recognized the common name 'Thomas Moore,' as a president. Much of the false-recognition likely comes down to historical context, the researchers explain. When the context relates to the name, people may be likely to make a false identification; if the list included musicians of the time periods, these would be recognized as false. Advertisement Earlier research has found that people can name a short list of the first and last few presidents off the top of their heads, but fewer than 20 percent can remember more than the last eight or nine in order. 'Our studies over the past 40 years show that Americans can recall about half the US presidents, but the question we explore with this study is whether people know the presidents but are simply unable to access them for recall,' Roediger said. This study looked at the issue from a different angle. Much of the false-recognition likely comes down to historical context, the researchers explain. When the context relates to the name, people may be likely to make a false identification. 'Elvis Presley was famous, but he would never be recognized as a past president,' Roediger said. 'Most of the names in our study that were falsely recognized as belonging to past presidents are those with strong ties to American history. 'These same individuals would not be recognized if the task were to recognize famous musicians from the 1960s. 'It's not just enough to have a familiar name, but it must be a familiar name in the right context.' And, the patterns across these studies are mostly consistent. 'No matter how we test it in the same experiment, with different people, across generations, in the laboratory, with online studies, with different types of tests there are clear patterns in how the presidents are remembered and how they are forgotten,' DeSoto said. The researchers say these findings have implications for the understanding of human memory, and the lasting or diminishing fame of a historical figure. 'Even on a recognition test, knowledge of American presidents is imperfect and prone to error,' Roediger said. The next time you log into Gmail you may notice a small red padlock next to a sender's email address to highlight the message is potentially unsafe. Google has introduced the security measure to help people identify dodgy emails and make sure users stay safe from hackers while using the email provider. When a person is sending an email to a recipient whose account is not encrypted, making it potentially unsafe, Gmail will use the lock icon to alert them to the risks. The next time you log into Gmail you might notice a small red padlock (illustrated) next to a sender's email address to highlight that the message may not be safe. Google has introduced the security measure to help people identify dodgy emails and make sure users stay safe from hackers while using Gmail When a person is sending an email to a recipient whose account is not encrypted, making it potentially unsafe, Gmail will use the lock icon to alert them to the risks (pictured). The security update has been introduced to coincide with 'Safer Internet Day' - an initiative to promote online safety The security update has been introduced to coincide with 'Safer Internet Day' - an initiative to promote online safety. Encryption is a security practice used to protect data, encode messages and keep the prying eyes of hackers away from private information. The method keeps data safe by turning plaintext information sent over the web into a seemingly unintelligible format using different algorithms. This way, even if unauthorised parties manage to access the encrypted data, all they find is streams of incomprehensible, alphanumerical characters. If the account the user is sending it to is encrypted, the padlock with show as locked. This means users can send the email without worrying that someone will be able to read it who isn't supposed to. If the account the user is sending to is encrypted, the padlock with be locked. If they receive a message that can't be authenticated (right), they'll see a question mark where they may otherwise see a profile photo or logo As part of Safer Internet Day, Google also announced it will reward users with 2GB of free Drive cloud storage for those that complete its online security check. Completing the security check (pictured) is free and let's Google scan the user's internet connection to warn them if it sees anything unusual GOOGLE'S PADLOCK ALERT If the account the user is sending it to is encrypted, the padlock with show as locked. This means users can go ahead and send the email without worrying that someone will be able to read it who isn't supposed to. If they receive a message that can't be authenticated, they'll also see a question mark where they may otherwise see a profile photo or logo. They can then choose to send the data or not. Advertisement If they receive a message that can't be authenticated, they'll also see a question mark where they may otherwise see a profile photo or logo, Google said. As part of Safer Internet Day, Google also announced it will reward users with 2GB of free Drive cloud storage for those that complete its online security check. Completing the security check is free and let's Google scan the user's internet connection to warn them if it sees anything unusual. 'Just complete a two-minute Security Checkup - seriously, we timed it - and once you're done, you'll get a permanent 2 gigabyte bump in your Google Drive storage,' Google said. They are an effective alternative to guns, capable of stopping a full grown man in his tracks and sending them writhing to the floor. In the US, more than two million people have been hit with Tasers by police over the past decade and more than 9,200 in the UK since they were widely introduced in 2009. But a new study has raised concerns about the impact that the 50,000 volt shock these 'non-lethal' weapons inflict on the human body. Scroll down for video A new study has raised serious questions about the impact the 50,000 volt shock delivered by Taser stun guns (pictured) can have on the brain. The study showed it can impair a person's ability to remember and process information for up to an hour, meaning suspects may struggle to understand or answer police questions Researchers, who were funded by the US Department of Justice, found the burst of electricity from stun guns can impair a person's ability to remember and process information. Some of those who were hit by the electric weapons also showed short-term declines in cognitive function which were comparable to mild dementia. The scientists behind the study said it raises serious questions about the ability of suspects to understand their rights and answer questions after they have been hit by a Taser. THE LINK BETWEEN TASERS AND COGNITIVE DECLINE The team recruited 142 healthy young participants who were divided into four groups. One group hit a punch bag to simulate the heightened physical state that may occur after a tense police encounter. Another received five second shocks from a Taser, while a third hit the punch bag and received shocks, and a fourth acted as a control who did nothing. The research team assessed the cognitive ability of each participant before and after the experiments. Those shocked by the Taser showed impairments in verbal learning and memory, which lasted, on average, less than an hour. While short-term, the researchers were shocked by the severity of the effect on brain function. The mean score on a test known at the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test, which measures a person's ability to learn a string of new words and recall that information, was 26 before the experiments. A quarter of those hit by the Taser, however, scored below 20 in the same tests, which is the same level of cognitive functioning as a 79 year old - indicating mild cognitive decline. Advertisement Dr Robert Kane, director of the criminology and justice studies department at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who led the study, said: 'Being shocked had a traumatic effect on some participants. 'Some were emotionally debilitated by the experience.' 'The findings of this study have considerable implications for how the police administer Miranda warnings. 'If suspects are cognitively impaired after being Tased, when should police begin asking them questions? There are plenty of people in prison who were tased and then immediately questioned. 'Were they intellectually capable of giving 'knowing' and 'valid' waivers of their Miranda rights before being subjected to a police interrogation? 'We felt we had moral imperative to fully understand the Tasers' potential impact on decision-making faculties in order to protect individuals' due process rights.' The research, which is published in the journal Criminology and Public Policy, is the first to conduct a randomised controlled trail on the cognitive effects of being shocked by a Taser. The team recruited 142 healthy young participants who were divided into four groups. One group hit a punch bag to simulate the heightened physical state that may occur after a tense police encounter. Another received five second shocks from a Taser, while a third hit the punch bag and received shocks, and a fourth acted as a control who did nothing. The research team assessed the cognitive ability of each participant before and after the experiments. Police officers in the UK have been carrying Tasers since 2010 and since then they have been fired at more than 9,200 suspects (training course pictured). In the US more than two million people have been hit by Tasers Those shocked by the Taser showed impairments in verbal learning and memory, which lasted, on average, less than an hour. While short-term, the researchers were shocked by the severity of the effect on brain function. The mean score on a test known at the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test, which measures a person's ability to learn a string of new words and recall that information, was 26 before the experiments. A quarter of those hit by the Taser, however, scored below 20 in the same tests, which is the same level of cognitive functioning as a 79 year old - indicating mild cognitive decline. 'Tasers are a great alternative to deadly force. When used in lieu of firearms, Tasers can save lives,' said Dr Kane. The researchers warned that the impacts they saw in their experiments could be amplified in the real world where 'typical' suspects may already be drunk, high on drugs or mentally ill. They warn that police should take the impacts on brain function into consideration when using Tasers (stock picture of Taser being aimed) HOW A TASER WORKS A Taser or conducted electrical weapon is an electroshock device sold by Taser International. It fires two small dart-like electrodes, propelled by a nitrogen cartridge which stay connected to the main unit by conductors. These can be fired from a distance of just over 15 feet (five metres) and the probes sink into the skin to make an electrical circuit. This delivers an electric current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles causing 'neuromuscular incapacitation'. The probes emit 19 pulses per second and each charge lasts around five seconds. Someone struck by a Taser experiences stimulation of their sensory nerves and motor nerves, resulting in muscle contractions. They have been introduced in the UK, US and elsewhere to subdue fleeing criminals and apprehend dangerous people who would otherwise possibly be subjected to firearms. Tasers are considered 'prohibited weapons' in the UK under the Firearms Act 1968 and possession can result in a 10 year prison sentence and fine. They have been used by the police since 1997 as a 'less lethal' weapon. In the US, Tasers are not considered firearms and can be legally carried without permission in 45 states. Advertisement 'But using a Taser is not without risk. 'Although they are considered safe when used on healthy people, people have died from being Tased. 'They should be treated as a dangerous weapon.' The results also showed that Taser exposure caused participants to have difficulty in concentrating, increased anxiety levels and a feeling of being overwhelmed. The researchers said these subjective self-reported states suggest being shocked by a Taser can also alter important emotional states that can effect someone's ability to think clearly. They added that in real-world situations, the cognitive impairment suffered by suspects who are Tasered could be even greater than the healthy participants in the experiments. Dr Kane said: 'We would expect 'typical' suspects - who may be high, drunk or mentally ill and in crisis at the time of exposure to experience even greater impairment to cognitive functioning as the result of Taser exposure.' Tasers have now become a common piece of equipment for trained officers in the US and many European countries. In the UK they were initially issued to firearms officers, but are now carried by more specially trained units. The weapons are controversial has they have been implicated in the death of a number of police suspects. However, law enforcement agencies argue they provide a safer alternative to using live fire arms and give police a way of subduing threatening or out of control suspects. Human rights campaigners have been pushing for stricter rules for police using tasers and insist they should be considered a dangerous and lethal weapon. While the researchers of the latest study do not advocate withdrawing Tasers from use, they say police should take the impact they can have on the brain into account when using them. Dr Kane said: 'When police take suspects into custody, they read them their Miranda rights, which state that suspects have the right to remain silent, and anything they say can and will be used against them in a court of law. 'The findings from this study suggest that people who have been shocked with a Taser may be unable to understand and rationally act upon his or her legal rights, and may be more likely to waive their Miranda rights directly after Taser exposure or to give inaccurate information to investigators. 'These decisions can have profound impact on an eventual judicial finding of guilt or innocence. The more subjects rated their god as moralistic, knowledgeable and punishing, the They asked them to play a game in which they Since humans began working the land thousands of years ago, we have had to co-operate with one another, leading to the formation of increasingly complex societies. Now researchers claim ancient people's belief in all-seeing punitive gods may have been the catalyst that drove such societies to expand. They claim the study 'offers the most explicit evidence yet that belief in supernatural punishment has been instrumental in boosting co-operation in human societies.' Researchers claim the people's belief in all-seeing punitive gods may have caused the dramatic expansion of societies. A fresco by Frederico Zuccaro showing demons persecuting the damned is pictured above Researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver tested the hypothesis that belief in a punitive and knowledgeable god boosts co-operation and fairness towards distant members of the same religion a move that allows societies to gradually expand. To do this, author Benjamin Grant Purzycki from the University of British Columbia and his colleagues, interviewed 591 people from eight diverse communities around the world. This included people in Brazil, Mauritius, Siberia, Tanzania and islands in the South Pacific Ocean who reported following world religions such as Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism as well as local traditions such as ancestor worship. Researchers interviewed 591 people from eight diverse communities around the world - including Brazil, Mauritius, Siberia, Tanzania and islands in the South Pacific Ocean (shown) who reported following world religions such as Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism as well as local traditions including ancestor worship The team devised games - designed to subtly reveal preferences - in which players were given the choice of putting money in cups assigned to themselves or their immediate community, or in another cup intended for someone who was a stranger but who shared the same religious beliefs as that player (shown above) THE ECONOMIC GAMES To measure a player's favouritism to themselves and their community, the researchers devised a random allocation game, in which they has to allocate 30 coins between two pots. Players played two rounds. In one round, they chose between a cup assigned to an unspecified member of their religious community and another anonymous member of the same religion living far away. In the second, they chose between a cup for themselves and a cup for another anonymous and distant member of their own religion. Participants understood that money put into the cups would be given to the people they represented, including themselves, and this was done as part of the study. Advertisement The team devised games - to subtly reveal preferences - in which players were given the choice of putting money in cups assigned to themselves, or in another cup intended for a stranger who shared the same religious beliefs as that player. They found that the more subjects rated their god as moralistic, knowledgeable and punishing, the more money they gave to distant strangers following the same religion. This was believed to have been a result of fear influencing their actions if they felt they were being judged. 'Interestingly, allocations increased for moralistic gods that were punishing and knowledgeable, but not for more locally relevant supernatural agents that were also punishing and knowledgeable,' Dr Dominic Johnson, of the University of Oxford wrote. 'Hence, general conceptions of supernatural agents cannot alone explain the results. 'Rather, it is moralistic, "big" gods that seem to stimulate generosity towards distant co-religionists.' The team also showed that a belief in being rewarded for good deeds didn't affect the results, with the threat of a religious 'stick' proving more motivational than a divine 'carrot'. They found that the more subjects rated their god as moralistic, knowledgeable and punishing, the more money they gave to distant strangers adhering to the same religion - perhaps in fear their actions were being judged. This chart shows how people from the eight different places rated the wrath of their gods The study, published in the journal Nature, said: 'People may trust in, co-operate with and interact fairly within wider social circles, partly because they believe that knowing gods will punish them if they do not.' The Goddess Kali (illustrated) has a long tradition in Hinduism, she can be presented as dark and violent 'Moreover, the social radius within which people are willing to engage in behaviours that benefit others at a cost to themselves may enlarge as gods' powers to monitor and punish increase.' It suggests that over time deities spread culturally and came to dominate the world religions like Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, and as traditions grew they accounted for a large proportion of the world's population. Through sharing beliefs and standards of behaviour, commitments to the same gods meant followers living in different, distant places had similar expectations about how to behave with others. As a result, world religions promoting moralistic, punitive gods that take an interest in human affairs may have contributed to the dramatic expansion of human societies after the agricultural revolution. Dr Purzycki said: 'These results build on previous findings and tell us more about how wide-ranging cooperation has evolved in large-scale societies today. 'In addition to some forms of religious rituals and non-religious norms and institutions, such as courts, markets and policy, our findings suggest the threat of punishment from a god if that individual did not reach out to help strangers may have been one reason for the close bonds that developed between different communities across the world.' However, Dr Johnson said: 'It is worth emphasising that the subjects in this experiment were not co-operative with random strangers, only with strangers that shared the same god. 'We therefore still face the challenge of understanding the promotion of co-operation and trust among members of different religions.' If you have an unusual surnname, chances are that someone with the same last name will share some of your DNA, even if you've never met. Researchers studying the DNA of 1,600 unrelated men, including Sir David Attenborough, have found a link between the Y chromosome and their surnames. For example, as many as 90 per cent of men alive in Britain with the surname Attenborough or Attenborrow share a common ancestor with the naturalist. Researchers studying the DNA of 1,600 unrelated men, including Sir David Attenborough (pictured right with his late brother Richard), have found a link between the Y chromosome and their surnames. As many as 90% of men alive in Britain with the surname Attenborough or Attenborrow share a common ancestor The 89-year-old wildlife documentary presenter's DNA was used as part of wider research to determine a link between the Y chromosome and surnames, both passed down the male line. The study, published in the journal Molecular Biology & Evolution, also involved examining the Y chromosomes of more than 1,600 apparently unrelated men with 40 different surnames. It found that for men with uncommon surnames, such as Attenborough, there was a clear link between a Y chromosome type and their surname. SURNAME AND Y CHROMOSOMES The study involved examining the Y chromosomes of more than 1,600 apparently unrelated men with 40 different surnames. It found that for men with uncommon surnames, such as Attenborough, there was a clear link between a Y chromosome type and their surname. This was the case even when the men in question did not know they were related. However, the results differed when examining a random sample of men all bearing a common surname, such as Smith. They were no more likely to share a common ancestor through their surname than men with different surnames chosen at random from the general population. Advertisement This was the case even when the men in question did not know themselves to be related. However, the results differed when examining a random sample of men all bearing a common surname, such as Smith. They were no more likely to share a common ancestor through their surname than men with different surnames chosen at random from the general population. Other surnames studied included Werret, Stribling, Titmus and Dalgleish. Researcher Dr Turi King, of the University of Leicester, said: 'Attenboroughs essentially form one big family of distant relatives. 'The Y chromosome type was the same even across spelling variants, which confirms that the spellings of names were formalised only relatively recently. 'David was kind enough to take part in the research project many years ago and his surname was one of the ones that really stood out.' This work builds on research by Dr King that has been ongoing since 2008. 'In Britain, surnames are passed down from father to son,' Dr King said following the publication of the original research. 'A piece of our DNA, the Y chromosome, is the one part of our genetic material that confers maleness and is passed, like surnames, from father to son. However, she continued that, in reality, the link may not be so clear cut. Hereditary surnames in Britain are many hundreds of years old and each name may have had several founders. The Y chromosome (pictured right) type was the same even across spelling variants, which confirms that the spellings of names were formalised only relatively recently. The chromosome, is the one part of our genetic material that confers maleness and is passed, like surnames, from father to son However, the results differed when examining a random sample of men all bearing a common name like Smith. They were no more likely to share a common ancestor through their surname than men with different surnames. This graph shows how much of each haplogroup (shown in colours) shared by each name Events such as adoptions, name-changes and non-paternities would confuse any simple genetic link. Dr King explained there were a number of factors that could break the link between surnames and Y chromosome type, for example there could have been more than one person, known as a surname founder, who took on a surname at the time of surname formation around 700 years ago. With rarer surnames, it was found that there seemed to be one Y-chromosome type that dominated the group. Sir David's surname appeared to be the best example of this, with 90 per cent having an identical or near identical Y chromosome type. Sir David returned to the University at the end of January to deliver a lecture on 'Beauty in Nature' - where he explored his life-long love with the natural world. When a swarm of locusts narrows in on an area, the effects can be devastating. Each locust eats its own weight in food every day, and in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia, these swarms grow exponentially, with tens of millions of locusts plaguing an area at a given time. A team of British researchers has developed an algorithmic model to better understand how these pests behave, and the model could be used to help curb their destructive migrations. Scroll down for video A team of British researchers has developed an algorithmic model to better understand how locusts behave, and it could be used to help curb their destructive migrations. HOW LOCUSTS MOVE IN A SWARM The study reveals that locusts communicate with their neighbours before changing their direction of movement. As the swarm increases in size, the locusts are more likely to stay on course. In a small group, the researchers found that locusts dont really interact. But, when the numbers are increased, the locusts begin to move in a uniform direction. Occasionally, theyll switch direction, and will all start heading the other way. The researcher explains that the insects are sensitive to randomness, so disrupting the order of their swarms could help break them apart. Advertisement The mathematicians from the universities of Bath, Warwick, and Manchester worked with footage taken by colleagues at the University of Adelaide.Using this footage, which showed the movements of different size locust-groups, the researchers were able to study individual actions and create the model of their collective behaviour. The study reveals that locusts communicate with their neighbours before changing their direction of movement. As the swarm increases in size, the locusts are more likely to stay on course. [The Adelaide researchers] took a ring-shaped arena, co-author Dr. Christian Yates of the University of Bath told Reuters, there was an area in the middle where the locusts couldnt go and they put a wall round the outside. They put a few locusts into the arena, and they watched to see what these locusts would do. In a small group, the researchers found that locusts dont really interact. But, when the numbers are increased, the locusts begin to move in a uniform direction. Occasionally, theyll switch direction, and will all start heading the other way. THE BIGGEST SWARM In 1875 the Rocky Mountain locust formed the largest recorded locust swarm in the history of humankind, 1,800 miles long and 110 miles wide, equalling the combined area of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Advertisement When you put five or six locusts into the arena like we have here they just march around randomly, they dont really pay much attention to each other, Yates explained. But as soon as you put more locusts into the arena they all start to march together around the arena in the same direction, so either clockwise or anti-clockwise, and occasionally spontaneously, these locusts will all switch direction all at the same time and start to move in the other direction around the arena. Along with Yates, the study was co-authored by Dr Louise Dyson, of the University of Warwick, Professor Alan Mckane from the University of Manchester and Dr Jerome Buhl from the University of Adelaide. The researchers reveal that the behaviours seen in locust swarms mirror those in fish and starlings, among other flocking animals. Directional movement is heavily influenced by the movement of surrounding locusts, the researchers found. In a previous study, the team found that locusts position their bodies in a way that prevents cannibalistic attack on their vulnerable flank by another member of the swarm. When a swarm of locusts narrows in on an area, the effects can be devastating. Each locust eats its own weight in food every day, and in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia, these swarms grow exponentially, with tens of millions of locusts plaguing an area at a given time The most important thing we found in our research was that if you take two locusts coming in one direction and one in the other then these two locusts can turn this individual, and if you dont include this two meets one interaction then you find that you cant replicate these startling switches of behaviour that you see in the locusts, the same sorts of things that you might see in flocks of starlings changing direction quickly or in schools of fish, said Yates. These findings can be useful in developing methods to deter locust swarms. The researcher explains that the insects are sensitive to randomness, so disrupting the order of their swarms could help break them apart. This could be done using planes or even ultrasonic disturbances, Yates says. If we can somehow increase the external noise that these locusts are experiencing then we might be able to break up the swarm, isolate the individuals, and deprive them of the benefits of being in a swarm, said Yates. These locusts can fly, as well as just marching, so one option is to maybe fly planes close to the locusts which will increase the disturbances in the air. Other possibilities are maybe using some sort of ultrasonic device to disturb the locusts. Marc Andreessen, a prominent venture capitalist and Facebook board director, apologized on Wednesday for tweets that condemned the Indian government for banning the social media company's free Internet service. India introduced rules on Monday preventing Internet service providers from having different pricing policies for accessing different parts of the Web, effectively dismantling Facebook's Free Basics program, which offers a pared-back version of Internet service. Andreessen, who often takes to Twitter to offer his opinions, said the new rules denied India's poor access to the Internet. Marc Andreessen, a prominent venture capitalist and Facebook board director, apologized for tweets that condemned the Indian government for banning Facebook's free service. WHAT IS FREE BASICS? Facebook has introduced 'Free Basics' in partnership with wireless carriers in dozens of emerging nations, where the company hopes to get more people online. The service provides free access to a stripped-down version of Facebook and certain other Internet sites including some that provide essential information like weather forecasts, health education and job listings. 'Free Basics' is part of a broader effort, dubbed Internet.org, in which Facebook has also tried to work with phone-makers on designs that reduce data usage and extend battery life. In addition, the company is working on long-range projects to develop drones and satellites that deliver Internet service to remote areas. Advertisement Only 252 million out of India's 1.3 billion people have Internet access. 'Denying world's poorest free partial Internet connectivity when today they have none, for ideological reasons, strikes me as morally wrong,' Andreessen wrote. 'Anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the Indian people for decades. Why stop now?' Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg condemned Andreessen's Twitter outburst in a Facebook post on Wednesday. 'I want to respond to Marc Andreessen's comments about India yesterday,' he wrote. 'I found the comments deeply upsetting, and they do not represent the way Facebook or I think at all. 'India has been personally important to me and Facebook. 'Early on in my thinking about our mission, I traveled to India and was inspired by the humanity, spirit and values of the people. It solidified my understanding that when all people have the power to share their experiences, the entire world will make progress. 'Facebook stands for helping to connect people and giving them voice to shape their own future. But to shape the future we need to understand the past. 'As our community in India has grown, I've gained a deeper appreciation for the need to understand India's history and culture. 'I've been inspired by how much progress India has made in building a strong nation and the largest democracy in the world, and I look forward to strengthening my connection to the country.' Dozens of Twitter users blasted Andreessen for his comments, which he deleted and apologized for on Wednesday in eight tweets. 'I apologize for any offense my comment caused, and withdraw it in full and without reservation,' Andreessen wrote. 'I will leave all future commentary on all of these topics to people with more knowledge and experience than me.' Earlier this week, Zuckerberg said he was disappointed with the Indian ruling and said that the company was still 'working to break down barriers to connectivity in India and around the world.' Fury: This tweet by Mr Andreessen appeared to suggest that India would have been better off economically by staying under British rule Too little too late: Mr Andreessen later deleted the offensive tweet and posted a number of apologies India's government essentially banned a Facebook program that sought to connect with low-income residents by offering free access to a limited version of the social network and other Internet services. The ruling is a major setback for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who had lobbied hard for the program as part of a campaign to expand Internet access in developing countries. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg hug after a Townhall meeting, at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California, America. India's government has essentially banned a Facebook program offering free access to a limited version of the social network and other Internet services. COLONIALISM IN INDIA After 1858, India became officially a British colony as the crown took control from the East India Company. A combination of administrative failures and natural factors resulted in large number of famines in the subsequent decaded, which killed millions of people. During this time, India was forced to produce cash crop, which were to be sold by the British. India was also forced to accept British goods that destroyed cottage industries. Many peasants had to borrow money to pay the extremely high taxes imposed on them. India stayed a British colony for nearly 100 years, with finally winning independence along with Pakistan on 14 and 15 August 1947 respectively. Source: gatewayforindia.com Advertisement It's a victory for critics who argued that Facebook's 'Free Basics' program gave unfair advantage to some Internet services over others. Facebook has introduced 'Free Basics' in partnership with wireless carriers in dozens of emerging nations, where the company hopes to get more people online. The service provides free access to a stripped-down version of Facebook and certain other Internet sites including some that provide essential information like weather forecasts, health education and job listings. But the program has sparked debate in some countries, particularly India, where critics contend that 'Free Basics' effectively steers users toward Facebook and its partners, while making it harder for other Internet services including homegrown startups to build their own audiences. In a much-awaited decision Monday, Indian regulators said telecommunications providers may not charge different or 'discriminatory' rates for delivering different kinds of Internet content. The ruling essentially bans programs like 'Free Basics' that are based on what's known as 'zero rating' in industry jargon, because they don't charge for downloading certain kinds of data. An intoxicated passenger became so unruly on board an Alaska Airlines flight that the plane had to divert so he could be removed by police, the carrier says. Fellow passengers said the disruptive man was verbally abusive and made threats to kill people as the Boeing 737-900ER flew from Boston to San Diego. Footage captured on board shows passengers cheering and applauding as he was escorted off the plane following the disturbance last night. 'Agitated and verbally abusive': The man, seen being escorted off the plane by police, was told to calm down but then issued a threat to flight crew The passenger, wearing a backwards hat, is escorted off the plane by Denver Police officers After the man refused to calm down and made threats the crew decided to divert to Denver's airport Several people tweeted about the experience on board flight 769 as the mans behavior forced the crew to divert to Denver International Airport as a precaution. Twitter user Claire Conroy wrote: There was a very intoxicated guy on the flight, who began threatening other passengers, saying we were all gonna die. Then he started making threats at other passengers. Flight crew and passengers handled it so well. After the drunk and belligerent man was removed, she wrote: God bless him, he thought the cops were his car service and asked them to make sure his luggage got to his house. She said the man threw empty nip bottles, or mini-alcohol bottles, at passengers. Alaska Airlines passengers said the disruptive man told them 'We're all gonna die' and made threats Twitter user Rebecca Shepard wrote: Crazy dude on my plane to San Diego from Boston. @AlaskaAir flight attendants handling so professionally. Later, she added: Insane drunk or drug fueled dude being removed from our @AlaskaAir plane after disturbing several passengers. Travelers suffered a delay of nearly an hour before the plane, which was carrying 181 passengers, took off again and resumed its journey to San Diego. An Alaska Airlines spokesman told NBC News: 'He was told to calm down by flight crew, and then became agitated and verbally abusive, even issuing a threat to flight crew.' A law enforcement officer happened to be on the plane and assisted crew. The airline spokesman said: 'Out of an abundance of caution, the captain decided to land at the nearest airport, which was Denver International Airport. Advertisement Most of us are vigilant when it comes to travelling to a new destination but a new infographic has revealed a series of scams that might surprise the most seasoned of travellers. The scams are currently being used to target tourists in different European countries and include everything from fake police officers in the Czech Republic to counterfeit money in Hungary. Luckily, there are always ways to avoid getting caught out or to handle a tricky situation. Drivers in southern Italy should be wary of 'kindhearted' strangers if their tyres get a puncture and while in France, it's best to avoid petitions You don't need to pay a fee to enter or leave Gibraltar and the plain-clothes police in the Czech Republic are't always what they seem The infographic, created by insurance providers AIG, revealed that cars travelling on the motorways between Naples and Salerno in Italy could be targeted by 'Highway Pirates'. They deliberately puncture your types, causing you to stop, before robbing you while pretending to lend a hand. In the Czech Republic, you could be in a different kind of trouble if you're stopped by a plain-clothes police officer. Scammers are said to be posing as police, while extorting money from unsuspecting tourists by accusing them of a crime. Hungarian taxi drivers and street money changers are known to pass on fake currency while in the Netherlands, thieves distract you before stealing your belongings Currency is another situation where travellers could be duped. Street money changers and taxi drivers in Hungary have been known to pass counterfeit bills to tourists. If you're travelling to the country, it could be worth familiarising yourself with the seven security features that's on every single note. Even when you go into seemingly legitimate establishments, you could end up paying more than you bargained for. In Croatia, some bars and restaurants are known to levy extortionate 'surcharges' onto your bill and you may even be threatened if you fail to pay up. It just shows - vigilance might not always be enough when it comes to travel scams. A passenger who carried cow faeces on an 11 hour flight found himself in a sticky situation when it was seized by security. The man, who had just arrived at Auckland Airport in New Zealand following a lengthy flight from Malaysia, attempted to bring the dung into the country. Heading to the 'something to declare' desk, the traveller told Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) that he had 'commercially packaged dung' in his luggage. New Zealand's MPI said the discovery was one of the 'more unusual biosecurity finds so far this year' The faeces was flown over to the country for a ritual burning ceremony at a Hindu temple in Otahuhu. Cow pats, which contain gas that is rich in methane, have been used in rural areas of India and Pakistan to light fires for centuries. New Zealand's MPI said the discovery was one of the 'more unusual biosecurity finds so far this year'. Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Dave Sims, MPI's Auckland Airport manager, said: 'Cows pats are now a commercial product. There's even a website selling them and some customers want gift wrapping. 'In this case, the passenger did the right thing by declaring the cow pat.' The man arrived at Auckland Airport in New Zealand following a lengthy flight from Malaysia He added: 'Cow pats are made by mixing fresh cow faeces with hay. We can't permit them to enter New Zealand as they could contain unwanted seeds, parasites or even plant or animal diseases that could harm the livelihood of farmers and growers.' MailOnline Travel also reported on another biosecurity risk at Auckland Airport this week. An aeroplane passenger carried an eight-and-half foot long snakeskin into New Zealand in his luggage. The New Zealander arrived at the airport on a flight from Brazil, where he declared the biosecurity risk item, to security agents. Upon inspection, the lengthy reptile skin was seized by airport staff. She's been smoldering on the red carpet thanks to Hollywood stylist Elizabeth Stewart. But Australian actress Rebel Wilson couldn't hide from her less than fashionable past during Monday's episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers. The 35-year-old was questioned by funny man and host Seth Meyers about her first-ever acting headshot which he dug up to show viewers. Scroll down for video 'So, I'm like 18 or 19 here, holding a softball mitt, and just in case you didn't know I was sporty, a softball': Rebel described her first acting headshot as 'embarrassing' Looking red faced, Rebel described the picture as 'embarrassing' before going into detail about her less than perfect 90's fashion sense. 'So, I'm like 18 or 19 here, holding a softball mitt, and just in case you didn't know I was sporty, a softball,' she told the late night host. 'I don't know what's happening with my feral hair. I'm also wearing the world's thinnest gold chain. Maybe that's because, like, 'Maybe I can be classy'. But, just so you know my gangster, ghetto roots, we've got the graffiti in the background.' Meyers then jokingly responded: 'There's so much going on and there's so few acting parts where this works.' 'I don't know what's happening with my feral hair': Rebel Wilson, 35, jokes about her hair and choice in fashion in first-ever acting headshot on NBC's Late Night Mondays 'I'm also wearing the world's thinnest gold chain. Maybe that's because, like, 'Maybe I can be classy': The funny woman continued to joke about the throwback picture 'Like, what was I auditioning for? A reboot of A League of Their Own?': Rebel believes people didn't believe that she would succeed as an actress and the vintage snap only fueled the disbelief Rebel replied: 'Like, what was I auditioning for? A reboot of A League of Their Own?' Meyers added: 'It's sort of like a more street League of Their Own.' Rebel continued:: 'When I first said I was going to become an actress, like nobody thought that it would ever happen. Looking at that headshot, would you think that girl would get hired? No!' 'It's usually one of those things where you're like, "Nobody believed in me and I proved them wrong". But this is a case where you look at this and go, "Nobody believed in me, and right they were". It's crazy now to look back that I have succeeded based on my early decisions on a headshot.' Upping the style stakes: Over the years, the starlet's fashion sense has continued to improve Past and present: Although a bad decision in the past (R), Rebel has upped her style thanks to Hollywood stylist Elizabeth Stewart (L) Despite her previous fashion faux pas, Rebel nailed her look for the How To Be Single European premiere on Tuesday evening. The Aussie starlet stunned in a blue textured gown which showed off her famous curves. The designer frock incorporated an asymmetric hem which exposed her slender calves and a pair of glittering silver stilettos. Rebel curled and tousled her blonde locks in a voluptuous do, while applying a thick layer of nude lipstick onto her naturally plump lips. The former Fat Pizza star also made sure to accentuate her big blue eyes with thick lashings of mascara and a light dusting of pink powder onto her cheeks. Stunner! Despite a poor choice in attire more than 16-years, Rebel nailed her look for the How To Be Single European premiere on Tuesday evening In her new comedy, Rebel plays party girl Robin. Speaking of her role on the Ellen DeGeneres show, she said: 'While my character is fiercely independent, Dakotas character [Alice] has just come out of a long-term relationship and is showing all the signs of codependency. Robin takes Alice under her wing, so to speak.' The film will officially open in Australian cinemas on Friday. She's not one to shy away from an eye-catching outfit. But on Tuesday night Casey Batchelor opted to channel a more demure look at the Cirque Berserk Real Circus Comes To The West End launch in London. And while the 31-year-old glamour girl appeared to have toned down her wardrobe for the evening, she still managed to draw all eyes to her thanks to her leg-flashing floral dress. Scroll down for video She's still no wallflower: Casey Batchelor opted to channel a more demure look at the Cirque Beserk Real Circus Comes To The West End launch in London, on Tuesday night Channelling a retro-chic vibe with her the knee-grazing mini dress, Casey managed to flaunt her legs whilst also retaining a hint of a demure air. Slipping her figure into the fitted a-line dress, which features a high neckline and with a wraparound cape detail, the Celebrity Big Brother star drew focus away from her bossom towards her legs. Split by a black band at the waist line, the lower-half of the dress featured a stitched floral design reaching down to the hemline - which floated just above Casey's knee. A leg flashing number: And while the 31-year-old glamour girl appeared to have toned down her wardrobe for the evening, she still managed to draw all eyes to her thanks to her leg-flashing floral-themed mini dress Legs on display: Slipping her figure into the fitted a-line dress, which features a high neckline and with a wraparound cape detail, the Celebrity Big Brother star drew focus away from her bossom towards her legs Taking the plunge: Casey wasn't the only reality star taking in the sights and sounds of the circus, as Made In Chelsea star Stephanie Pratt took the plunge on the red carpet in a semi-sheer white dress Ensuring that her pins were highlighted and finely accentuated, the former reality star paired her dress with some nude stiletto heels. Casey kept her accessories to a minimum, and only sported two silver bracelets on her arms. Wearing her long brunette locks in spiraling, voluminous waves, Casey allowed her hair to spill down around her shoulder and frame her pretty face. An eye-catching number: The former Hills Star, 29, arrived at the event in a layered, wraparound midi dress, which featured a plunging neckline - flashing a hint of the LA native's cleavage Here come the girls: The three reality stars looked happy to catch up during the event Ultra feminine: Stephanie looked like a wedding guest in her delicate dress, before she covered up in a furry coat to leave the event She carefully highlighted her eyes with a liberal application of mascara, whilst she also plumped up her lips with a slick of pink lip gloss. But Casey wasn't the only reality star taking in the sights and sounds of the circus, as Made In Chelsea star Stephanie Pratt took the plunge on the red carpet in a semi-sheer white dress. The former Hills Star, 29, arrived at the event in a layered, wraparound midi dress, which featured a plunging neckline - flashing a hint of the LA native's cleavage. Business as usual: Luisa Zissman arrived at the even in a thigh-grazing LBD which she teamed with a pair of over-the-knee boots Remember when we lived in that crazy house? Former Celebrity Big Brother housemates Luisa and Casey have kept in touch since their reality experience Hysterical: Stephanie appeared in high spirits as she was entertained by a clown from the show Lady in black: TV presenter Laura Hamilton showed off her slim post-baby figure in a feathered sheer dress following the birth of her second child last May With a dipping hemline, Stephanie's dress allowed the E4 star to flaunt her toned and tanned legs in all their glory, while she further highlighted her limbs with a pair of nude stilettos. Wearing her blonde locks in cascading curls down past her shoulders, Stephanie left her pretty face unobscured - highlighting her features with a lashing of eyeliner and hot pink lipstick. Obviously a draw for reality stars, other familiar faces at the event included Ricky Rayment, Luisa Zissman, Laura Hamilton, Nikki Grahame, Tony Hadley, Jill Halfpenny and Lady Collin Campbell. Representing the political world was Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow and his wife Sally, who have patched up their marriage following a brief split last year. Not so dapper: Ricky Rayment threw together a smart casual ensemble, while actress Jill Halfpenny (right) looked dressed down too Who is she? Former Big Brother alumni Nikki Grahame wore an interesting all-black ensemble I'm a celebrity... let me in! Former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star Lady Collin Campbell arrived at the event with her loyal son Dima Back on track: Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow and his wife Sally enjoyed a night out with their children Anyone need some ironing done? Luisa and Steph hammed it up with a clown Girls' night out: Casey cosies up to Luisa's mother Christina Kalozois (2nd left), while the Apprentice star links arms with Steph and Casey's mother Kim (centre) Family ties: Former Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley, wife Alison and one of their two daughters Her life has been under the microscope since she announced her split from her husband of three years in December. And as Jodi Anasta continues to adjust to single life, attention has turned to the mother-of-one's appearance. Stepping out in Sydney in recent weeks, the 31-year-old's lithe frame has sparked concern, with one particular outing to the beach prompting worry. Scroll down for video From fresh-faced Home And Away star to ultra-slim fashion maven: As she dismisses fears for her weight, how Jodi Anasta's look has changed over the years. Pictured left in 2006 and right in February this year Different look: Jodi is seen beaming in a snap in 2005 when she first broke onto the scene Jodi's look has changed considerably over the years since she first emerged on the scene as a dough-eyed young actress making her first strides in showbiz in the mid 00s. Then known as Jodi Gordon, the beauty became a household name in her role as Martha Mackenzie on Home And Away. Dazzling audiences with her fresh-faced complexion, she fast became known as one of the hottest new additions to Summer Bay after joining the soap in 2005. At the time, a then 20-year-old Jodi had already found success as a model having landed a contract with Vivien's Modelling Agency aged just 13. Making waves: before her Home And Away years Jodi had already found success as a model having landed a contract with Vivien's Modelling Agency aged just 13. Pictured on the soap A taste for success: In 2006, a year after joining the soap, Jodi was nominated at the Logie Awards for Most Popular Actress. She attended the ceremony in a sweeping white gown and wore her hair off her face In 2006, after a year with the popular show, Jodi was among nominees at the Logie Awards for Most Popular Actress. She appeared at the event in a sweeping white gown, sashaying along the red carpet. Wearing her brunette locks off her face, her natural beauty was plain to see. Sporting a deep tan and winning smile, the then small-time actress was the picture of health. Changing it up: In 2007 (left) Jodi sported longer, wavy locks and a deep tan. The following year she debuted a new shorter hairstyle with a fringe Glitter girl: While taking part in the 2008 series of Dancing With The Stars, Jodi showcased a more toned look after weeks of gruelling training Moving on up: As her acting career continued, Jodi's style became increasingly sophisticated. Above she is seen in 2009 some months before being involved in a bizarre raid at the home of Mark James Judge Two years later, while still committed to her role as Martha, Jodi took part in the reality TV series Dancing With The Stars. The intense exercise added some muscle to the model's slim physique, with Jodi showing off impressive biceps as she performed in glittering gowns. After mourning the death of her boyfriend Chris Burkhardt, who died in 2007 following a battle with leukemia, Jodi began dating media heir Ryan Stokes. Shake it off: The beauty showed off a cropped hair-do and a more understated make-up palette in 2009 Next chapter: Jodi dated boyfriend Chris Burkhardt up until his death in 2007, pictured in 2006 (left). She dated media heir Ryan Stokes until 2009 (right) The pair had been together for two years when, in June 2009, she was found cowering in an apartment with Mark James Judge after reportedly calling the police with claims the property was being encircled by a gunman. In the weeks beforehand Jodi showed off a darker hair colour, stepping out to attend an array of Sydney events. Several months later Jodi showed off a bobbed hair cut as she tried to put the scandal behind her. Beach days: Jodi's figure was put on display in a black bikini during one trip to the beach in 2010 Romance: Jodi and NRL player Braith Anasta became engaged in 2011, two years after first being linked. Above, they attend the Australian Open in January that year WAG Behaviour: At the 2011 Dally M Awards Jodi showed off her enormous diamond engagement ring as she posed on the red carpet Adding to the family: Jodi and Braith announced they were expecting their first child together in 2013, a year after tying the knot. Above, she is seen in 2014 Back on the red carpet: After giving birth to the couple's daughter Aleeia, Jodi snapped back into shape to show off her post-pregnancy figure and style at the Dally M Awards in September 2014 Later that year she was linked to future husband Braith Anasta for the first time. The pair appeared at the 2010 Dally M Awards looking every inch the power couple with Jodi showing off her evolved sense of style in a chic black gown. They announced their engagement the following year and for her wedding she opted for a strapless, fitted gown with mermaid skirt. Wearing her brunette locks tied half off her face, Jodi glowed as she said 'I Do' with her NRL beau. In October 2013, the couple announced they were expecting their first child together. Changing her style once again, Jodi stuck mostly to dark hues throughout her pregnancy. Domestic bliss: Jodi settled into her role as a mother, often taking to social media to share snaps with Braith and Aleeia. Above, the family pose during a holiday Style queen: In 2015 Jodi's look became increasingly sleek, with the beauty favouring ponytails and heavy eye make-up She snapped back into shape shortly after the birth of her daughter, Aleeia in March 2014, returning to work as a Myer ambassador with unprecedented glamour. In December Jodi made the shock announcement that she and Braith had agreed to a trial separation. It came after the pair were seen arguing in a public park, with Jodi putting on a fraught display as they exchanged stern words. In the weeks that followed the announcement Jodi was spotted looking increasingly strained, failing to raise a smile as she jetted out of Sydney alone for a holiday in Bali last month. Most recently, following a trip to the beach, concern for her figure surfaced after photographs emerged in which she was seen looking particularly slender. Scrutiny: After announcing her split from Braith in December, Jodi's seemingly shrinking figure has sparked concern. Recent photographs of the mother-of-one in a pink swimsuit showed her looking slimmer than ever On Wednesday a representative for the star dismissed reports she had been urged by Myer bosses to 'urgently start eating', telling Daily Mail Australia: 'We haven't received any communication from Myer regarding Jodi's weight. 'In fact Jodi has just been re-signed for another 12 months as their brand ambassador. 'Jodi is aware that her weight is of interest to the media and appreciates the concern. She is doing her very best as a single working mum.' Petite: In January the beauty posted this image on social media in which she was seen looking particularly slender Radio presenter Fifi Box and her lookalike daughter Trixie Belle returned to Australia after a jet set European holiday just last month. But even though the holiday is over, the pair appeared in high spirits as they strolled around their native Melbourne shortly after getting back to the country. Single mother Fifi, 38, doted upon her two-year-old as they enjoyed the sunshine and in a tender moment, showered her in kisses. Scroll down for video Mother and daughter day out! Fifi Box and daughter Trixie Belle, two, enjoyed a stroll around Melbourne at the end of last month after getting back from Europe A mother's love! Single mother Fifi, 38, doted upon her two-year-old as they enjoyed the sunshine and in a tender moment, showered her in kisses Both Fifi and Trixie Belle were rugged up against the chill, with the media personality cutting a stylish figure in a black skirt and top, with stockings and a coat on top. She teamed her look with blue designer sunglasses and black boots and had her hair swept into a low side ponytail. The blonde appeared to be wearing light make-up for the day. Trixie Belle meanwhile was dressed by her mother in a red, pink and white dress - that featured both spots and stripes - completed with polka dot stockings and silver shoes. Sweet: The pair both appeared in high spirits on the day All rugged up! The media personality cut a stylish figure in a black skirt and top, with stockings and a coat Adorable: Trixie Belle meanwhile was dressed by her mother in a red, pink and white dress - that featured both spots and stripes - completed with polka dot stockings and silver shoes At one point, Trixie Belle walked on her own down the street but appeared to get a little tired before getting a lift from mum. Fifi held her girl tightly in her arms as they shared a cuddle and kisses. She has never confirmed who Trixie Belle's father is, however she is widely reported to be sports buff Grant Kenny's child. The duo were an item and reportedly split in 2012, shortly before Fifi announced she was expecting. Help me mum! At one point, Trixie Belle walked on her own down the street but appeared to get a little tired before getting a lift from mum Keeping silent: She has never confirmed who Trixie Belle's father is, however she is widely reported to be sports buff Grant Kenny's child Grant was previously married to former Australian swimmer Lisa Curry, with whom he shares three-children, Jamie, 26, Morgan 23, and Jett, 19. His children met their baby sister at Fifi's Melbourne home shortly after her birth, with Jett posting pictures of himself holding Trixie in his arms for all his followers to see. Fifi and Trixie Belle have just returned to Australia having vacationed in Europe over Christmas and the New Year. While there, they enjoyed time in places including Monaco and Paris. Siblings: His children met their baby sister at Fifi's Melbourne home shortly after her birth, with Jett posting pictures of himself holding Trixie in his arms for all his followers to see On Holiday: Fifi and Trixie Belle have just returned to Australia having vacationed in Europe over Christmas and the New Year Happy Valley Rating: Prison Brides Rating: Happy Valley (BBC1) ought to have come with a stern warning for Downton Abbey fans: Look away now, if you dont want to see more of Mr Molesley the footman than youll ever be able to forget. We all know actor Kevin Doyle as the frustrated intellectual below-stairs, too shy to tell Miss Baxter that he loves her. But as this superb police drama returned, there was nothing shy about his performance, face down and bare buttocked on a hotel bed. He played the boozy detective cheating on his wife, whose blackmailing mistress drugs his pint, strips him naked and photographs him in a feather boa and frilly underwear. Weve seen much worse on television, of course, even decades ago in dramas by Dennis Potter, but this was shocking because Doyle has always seemed such a dependably ordinary fellow. Sergeant Catherine Cawood is bursting with repressed grief and anger in Happy Valley (BBC1), argues Christopher Stevens Thats part of Happy Valleys subversive brilliance. Set in West Yorkshire, outside Huddersfield, it depicts a community of decent folk infected by crime and drugs, and the tiny band of police overwhelmed by a tide of mindless law-breakers. The first series two years ago was a triumph, though it inexplicably failed to win a Bafta for Sarah Lancashire as the no-nonsense sergeant who runs the local nick. Creator Sally Wainwright (also the writer of Last Tango In Halifax) is back blazing with confidence, and the script spills over with clever dialogue and unexpected lines. Sergeant Catherine Cawood is bursting with repressed grief and anger, and the words cascade out of her, especially when shes telling stories about work to her neer-do-well sister (Siobhan Finneran). But the language is just as effective when characters are saying next to nothing. How do you know Im not going to make life difficult for you? asks the coppers mistress (Amelia Bullmore), as she hands him back his toothbrush and one sock. We know . . . we definitely know. The opening was darkly whimsical, as Cawood was forced to put a sheep out of its misery with a rock, in a surreal incident that began with poachers on LSD and ended with an outbreak of poisoned dogs. But the plot wasted no time, and Cawood was soon a suspect in a murder enquiry after she found a mutilated corpse in a lock-up garage the body of a woman she had good reason to loathe. Set in West Yorkshire, outside Huddersfield, Happy Valley depicts a community of decent folk infected by crime and drugs, and the tiny band of police overwhelmed by a tide of mindless law-breakers The victim was the mother of rapist Tommy Lee Royce. Hes psychopathic and sadistic, hes inarticulate and brutish, but hes also played by James Norton who, just a couple of days ago, was saintly Prince Andrei on his deathbed in War And Peace. With his shaven head and the tattoos of crucifixes on his neck and skull, Royce is the embodiment of all the twisted evil in Happy Valley. He and Cawood hate each other: he raped her daughter, who killed herself after giving birth. But Norton imbues the character with such inverted charisma that its easy to believe women could be enthralled by him women such as the bespectacled Frances (Shirley Henderson), who visits him in prison and has now taken to standing outside Cawoods house, watching and stalking. The phenomenon of women who fall for convicts is not rare, as Prison Brides (C5) showed. The interest of this one-off documentary was blunted by the fact that three of the four case studies were American if director Danny Beck had looked harder, he would have found more than one British example. Most of the subjects were guarded, and we sensed that large pieces of their stories were being held back. But mother-of-two Jen was pathetically vulnerable, as she told how she was marrying a bank robber called Brandon because she needed someone to protect her and her two daughters. Brandon still had ten years to serve and, if he kept breaking the arms of other inmates, he might never get out. But in Jens fantasy, he was her Incredible Hulk, because hes big and strong and always in green . . . the green of prison fatigues. There is one advantage to loving a prisoner, though: I know where he is at all times. Much like his fellow British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, he has a legion of adoring female fans. And Tom Hiddleston's own fan group (the aptly named Hiddlestoners) are sure to be delighted that the 35-year-old actor has thrown most of his modesty to the wind for forthcoming film, High-Rise. Stripping off in the latest trailer for the slick dystopian movie, the Avenger's star showcases his washboard abs and muscular physique with little to preserve his modesty except a well-placed white shirt. Scroll down for video 'An excellent specimen': Tom Hiddleston's fan group (the aptly named Hiddlestoners) are sure to be delighted that the 35-year-old actor has thrown most of his modesty to the wind for forthcoming film, High-Rise The sexually-charged and hedonistic trailer for the film, based on the novel by J.G. Ballard, introduces the eponymous housing block and Tom's character Dr. Robert Laing in all their glory. Introducing his character Dr. Robert Laing, and the story of his decent into the immoral and predatory world of the eponymous housing block, Tom comes into view as he recites some lines from the film. In his signature silky drawl, the actor explains: 'For all its inconveniences, Laing was satisfied with life in the High-Rise. Ready to move forward and explore life.' Switching to a view of the Doctor surrounded by cardboard boxes, having evidently just arrived in his new home, the trailer cuts to a view of the louche Laing sunbathing naked on his balcony. A real eye-full: Stripping off in the latest trailer for the slick dystopian movie, the Avenger's star showcases his washboard abs and muscular physique with little to preserve his modesty except a well-placed white shirt Unaware that he has neighbours overlooking his pad in the newly constructed tower, the good Doctor is laid out asleep in the afternoon sun with nothing but a magazine covering his manhood. Covering his face with a shirt, and with an expansive view of a tarmac car park filling the rest of the frame, the viewer's eye is drawn firmly to the very relaxed and muscular form of Laing. Reclined in such a way, the actor's impressive physique is on full display as the trailer cuts to his character's voyeuristic neighbours admiring the new arrival, describing him as an 'excellent specimen'. A real introduction: The sexually-charged and hedonistic trailer for the film, based on the novel by J.G. Ballard, introduces the eponymous housing block and Tom's character Dr. Robert Laing in all their glory 'For all its inconveniences, Laing was satisfied with life in the High-Rise. Ready to move forward and explore life': Moving quickly through the premise of the film, the camera focuses on Laing's arrival in the building Neighbours from Hell? The clip also introduces other members of the cast, including Sienna Miller as Charlotte Meville - Tom's beguiling and voyeuristic neighbour Obviously impressed with Dr. Laing, Charlotte Meville (Sienna Miller) and Richard Wilder (Luke Evans) invite Laing to a party on the floor above. Starting his decent into the building's complex social dynamic, Laing is told he 'doesn't know how things work around here' by one resident. Heading straight into a normal routine of shopping and gym visits, Laing soon finds himself chatting to the detached and enigmatic 'architect' of the building in an Eden-like garden atop the building. The architect: Heading into a normal routine of shopping and gym visits, Laing soon finds himself chatting to the detached and enigmatic 'architect' of the building (Jeremy Irons) in an Eden-like garden atop the building Things get messy: Struggling to find his place in the building, the residents, the high-rise and even Laing himself begin to deteriorate and disintegrate in various ways But things quickly unravel as the clip shows the premise of the film - a utopia gone wrong. Struggling to find his place in the building, the residents, the high-rise and even Laing himself begin to deteriorate and disintegrate in various ways. Due out on March 18, High Rise features a stellar cast, which also includes Jeremy Irons, James Purefoy, Elizabeth Moss and Keeley Hawes. An LBD is a style staple in any girl's wardrobe. And on Tuesday night Jennifer Hawkins showed exactly how to work the perfect black frock putting an unusual twist on the old classic. The 32-year-old model wore a figure-hugging dress to attend the launch of new Indian eatery Indu in Sydney. Scroll down for video Mixing it up: Jennifer Hawkins wore a Toni Maticevski dress to attend the Indu restaurant launch in Sydney on Tuesday evening While the short gown showed off her perfect pins, the dress also included strips of material hanging down from the side seems, adding an element of interest to the outfit. Jennifer also added a pop of colour to her look by carrying an quilted Chanel clutch bag in a bright aqua hue. To emphasise her lithe limbs the model wore a pair of Gladiator-inspired heels for the evening. Leggy lady: The 32-year-old model paired the short gown, which boasted strips of material at the side seams, with gladiator-style heels and a bold aqua Chanel clutch bag Flawless: Jennifer looked effortlessly stylish as she enjoyed the launch of the new Indian eatery Jennifer, who is brand ambassador for Myer, was dressed in a Toni Maticevski gown, available at the department store. She was joined by the likes of bikini model Natalie Roser, former Bachelor star Lana Jeavons-Fellows and actress and gymnast Bree Robertson. The new venue is owned by Dr Sam Prince, who as well as being a restaurateur is also an aid worker, medical surgeon and philanthropist. Always on brand: The Myer ambassador was of course wearing a dress available from the department store Sweet accessories: Jennifer accessorised with silver bangles and teamed chunky rings with thin bands on her fingers While Jennifer was busy mingling on Tuesday night on Thursday she will join fellow Myer representatives at an exclusive dinner held in Sydney's Barangaroo Reserve. Jen will be joined by Aussie model Shanina Shaik, who spoke to Kyle Sandiland and Jackie 'O' Henderson about the event on Wednesday morning. The Victoria's Secret model revealed it would be a double celebration - with it being her 25th birthday on the same day too. She told the radio show that the bash is 'definitely going to be a showstopper'. 'It's a super exclusive VIP dinner for 100 guests which will include a stunning presentation.' Party people: Former Bachelor star Lana Jeavons-Fellows also attended the restaurant launch They spoke about their determination to showcase their cultures with their meal on My Kitchen Rules. And while Gianni Romano and Zana Pali impressed the judges with their tasty dishes, Gianna has found himself being mocked by viewers for the lack of Italian influence in their dishes and for being 'whipped' by his wife. Highlighting the fact that Zana seems to wear the pants in the relationship, viewers flocked to social media to point out how much Zanas Albanian culture seemed to dominate the food served on Tuesday night's show. See My Kitchen Rules updates as Gianni Romano is mocked by fans for being 'whipped' Let down? While Gianni Romano and Zana Pali impressed the judges with their tasty dishes, Gianna has found himself being mocked by viewers for the lack of Italian influence in their dishes Not a good look? The solicitor found himself becoming the butt of the joke as fans reacted to the couple's relationship Italian viewers were particularly unimpressed when Gianna stated he wanted to put Italian food on the map with one viewer firing back: Hey Gianni, I'm pretty sure Italian food is already on the map. And fans were left even more unimpressed when the pairs dishes were revealed and served to the judges and fellow contestants. The pair started with a traditional Montenegrin entree, dishing up Albanian pita with beetroot hummus. Who's kitchen is it? Highlighting the fact that Zana seems to wear the pants in the relationship, viewers flocked to social media to point out how much Zanas Albanian culture seemed to dominate the food served Helping hand: Italian viewers were particularly unimpressed when Gianna stated he wanted to put Italian food on the map with one viewer firing back, Hey Gianni, I'm pretty sure Italian food is already on the map Hands on: Fans were left even more unimpressed when the pairs dishes were revealed and served to the judges and fellow contestants The couples main meal was also Albanian as they served crumbed calf livers with Albanian peppers. Dessert came in the form of a Krofne with hazelnut ganache, which is again a popular meal with Zanas family. The fact Zana seemed to be running the kitchen did not go unnoticed as one Twitter user quipped: Absolutely zero Italian influence. No doubt Zana's genes will do the same to Gianni's when they have children. Because she says so #MKR. Not impressed: The fact Zana seemed to be running the kitchen did not go unnoticed as one Twitter user quipped, Absolutely zero Italian influence' Another added: I thought Gianni was going to show his Italian heritage tonight. Unless being Italian means being a b**** then hes (sic) not doing a good job #MKR One fan asked: #MKR Gianni's Italian right - where is his influence on the food??? Another fan concluded: We'll get Italian culture in the next round by the Italians... Sorry Gianni.. #MKR. Disappointed: Another added, I thought Gianni was going to show his Italian heritage tonight. Unless being Italian means being a b**** then hes (sic) not doing a good job' Others joked: 'Gianni served his b**** up on a plate looong before he served anything on up on #MKR. The boy is whipped!'. My Kitchen Rules' final leaderboard Zana and Gianni (VIC) - 97/100 Anna and Jordan (WA) - 94/100 Mitch and Laura (VIC) - 89/100 Monique and Sarah (NSW) - 68/100 Rosie and Paige (SA) - 59/100 Cheryl and Matt (QLD) - 31/100 Advertisement One quipped: 'Which course will Zana serve up Gianni's b****?' Another tweeter previously wrote: 'Ok so every single remark by Zana and no response from Gianni... We know who wears the pants in that relationship #mkr #whipped' Despite the viewers annoyance, the dishes served worked out perfectly for the legal eagles as they went on to top the leaderbaord After getting a combined total of 55 out of 60 from the judges, the other teams handed the pair a shocking 42 out of 50 leaving them with a grand total of 97 out of 100. Delicious: The pair started with a traditional Montenegrin entree, dishing up Albanian pita with beetroot hummus Something different: The couples main meal was also Albanian as they served crumbed calf livers with Albanian peppers She wowed on the David Jones catwalk last week when she starred in the department store's annual Autumn/Winter Fashion launch. And Jesinta looked equally sensation as she stepped out for lunch on Thursday in Rose Bay, Sydney. The 24-year-old, who was joined by her manager Sharon Finnigan, donned a stunning low-cut white dress with black trim, which showcased her incredible figure. Scroll down for video White hot: Jesinta Campbell stunned in a low-cut white dress as she stepped out to lunch with her manager Sharon Finnigan on Thursday in Rose Bay, Sydney The brunette beauty teamed the look with a pair of monochrome leather high-heeled mules, featuring a large black strap over her toes and dainty white straps around her ankle and heel. She shielded her eyes with a pair of large Aviator sunglasses and carried no bag, instead clutching her rose gold iPhone in her hand. Pulling her glossy chocolate locks back into a slick ponytail, she accentuated her already tanned visage with a generous dusting of bronzer. Chic: The brunette beauty teamed the look with a pair of monochrome leather high-heeled mules, featuring a large black strap over her toes and dainty white straps around her ankle and heel Close: Jesinta and Sharon, who also manages the model's fiance Buddy Franklin, were seen chatting away during the outing Jesinta and Sharon, who also manages her fiance Buddy Franklin, had dropped into a local cafe to pick up some food, and the model left with a small bag of delicacies. The newly-minted catwalk star has no doubt been busy since announcing her ambassador role with Australian retailer David Jones last Monday, ahead of their runway show. This week the slender glamazon took to her blog to gush about her new job, writing: 'Last week I announced my signing with David Jones as an official ambassador, something I have worked so hard and wanted for such a long time!' Her first duty as a David Jones spokesperson was to strut the runway during last Wednesday's extravaganza alongside fellow ambassadors, Jessica Gomes, Montana Cox and Jason Dundas. It marked the second time she had walked for David Jones. Meal time: Jesinta and her manager had dropped into a local cafe to pick up some food, and the model left with a small bag of delicacies Pared back: The brunette beauty wore barely any accessories, but shielded her eyes with some Aviator sunglasses and carried her iPhone Lunch on the run: The newly-minted catwalk star has no doubt been busy since announcing her ambassador role with Australian retailer David Jones last Monday Polished: The former Miss Universe Australia made sure not a strand of hair was out of place Hugh Jackman has been pictured leaving his New York hotel sporting a bandage on his nose from his recent skin cancer treatment. The Australian actor announced doctors had removed yet another growth with an Instagram selfie on Monday, and the 47-year-olds bandage was wear to see as he stepped out of his Manhattan residence. Hugh wore a black top underneath his grey hooded jacket and completed the ensemble with black jeans and aviator shades. Scroll down for video In recovery: Hugh Jackman has been pictured leaving his New York hotel sporting a bandage on his nose from his recent skin cancer treatment The Prestige star carried a large black bag and a smaller cooler bag as he made his way to a waiting car and appeared to be alone. In the snap he shared on Instagram, Hugh told fans: An example of what happens when you don't wear sunscreen. Basal Cell. The mildest form of cancer but serious, nonetheless,' he wrote alongside the photo. 'PLEASE USE SUNSCREEN and get regular check-ups.' It's the fifth time in two years that the Wolverine star has had a basal cell growth removed from his face. Another scare: The Australian actor announced doctors had removed yet another growth with an Instagram selfie on Monday, and the 47-year-olds bandage was wear to see as he stepped out in Manhattan residence Sun damage: Hugh wore a black top underneath his grey hooded jacket and completed the ensemble with black jeans and aviator shades Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer, and according to the American Cancer Society, the most common form of cancer in humans. It's a slow growing cancer and rarely spreads to other parts of the body. The ACF states that about half of those diagnosed with a basal cell skin cancer will develop a new skin cancer within five years. It develops on areas of the skin that are exposed to the sun, mainly on the face and neck. Last May, Hugh revealed he'd had four skin cancers in 18 months and his doctor had warned him he would likely have more in the future. Cancer-prone: The Prestige star carried a large black bag and a smaller cooler bag as he made his way to a waiting car and appeared to be alone. Warning: In the snap he shared on Instagram, Hugh told fans: An example of what happens when you don't wear sunscreen. Basal Cell' Just eight months after his fourth procedure, the medical prediction has proved to be well-founded and the star now gets his skin checked every three months. The X-Men star first revealed he had some cancerous cells removed in November 2013. The first time was after a makeup artist noticed a little spot of blood on his nose while he was filming X Men: Days of Future Past and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness, 60, also urged him to get it checked out. Hugh said the second time around he thought he just had a dark freckle but that, too, turned out to be cancerous. The third cancer was found after he noticed blood on his nose again. The actor gets his skin checked every three months. Bachelor Ben Higgins was looking forward to a lighthearted group date. But things quickly got out of hand when the software salesman, 27, took the remaining contestants to meet The Bahamas' famous swimming pigs on Monday's The Bachelor. Many of the large pigs soon became aggressive, swarming and chasing some of the frightened women out of the water and onto the beach of Exuma island. Group date: Ben Higgins and Leah Block ran away from a swimming pig as The Bachelor traveled to The Bahamas on Monday's episode However, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has defended the animals, blaming their pushy behavior on the contestants, reports TMZ. The tourist office said the pigs are very sensitive, and became agitated and aggressive after picking up on the women's anxiety. The group date was undoubtedly tense. Many of the women grew jealous and resentful as Ben lavished time on a favorite, California flight attendant Lauren Bushnell. A disappointed Ben later described the group date as awkward and said the women had seemed distant. Just keep smiling: The ladies put on a brave face as Ben announced their group date would involve swimming with large pigs, who are a popular tourist attraction Surprise! Ben's group date didn't go as planned, and he later described it as 'awkward' Aggressive: The pigs cornered a frightened JoJo Fletcher on the beach Tourist attraction: The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism defended the pigs' pushy behavior, saying the animals are surprisingly sensitive and picked up on the women's awkwardness and anxiety The date began with the women climbing off their boat and attempting to feed hot dogs to the large black and white pigs as they swam beside them. However, they were soon rushed by the animals, with some of the women yelping, swearing and running away in fear. The women were told crossing their arms in front of their chest would signal to the pigs to go away, but when they tried, the pushy creatures ignored their command and continued to jostle for hot dogs. JoJo Fletcher was especially overwhelmed, swearing and falling over in the water as the pigs swarmed her and chased her onto the beach. One aggressive pig even jumped up on JoJo as she stood on the sand. Run! Ben cracked up as the porkers chased JoJo onto the beach Help! JoJo screamed and flailed around in the water as the pigs became aggressive Determined: Lauren Himle raced out of the water as two pigs followed her onto the beach Here piggy! Becca Tilley waved a hot dog at the hungry animals, who soon surrounded her Wants treats: Becca threw her hot dog at a pushy pig before jumping back in fear Feeding time: Lauren Bushnell cuddled a cute piglet as the pigs surrounded the group None of the women were injured, but they were left rattled by the encounter. Theyre pretty aggressive, especially the bigger ones, said Amanda Stanton, a single mother-of-two who later earned a rose from Ben for being 'sweet.' The unusually tense group date set the stage for a dramatic episode, which saw Ben send home three of the women, including wildly confident Olivia Caridi. Mind of their own: The women were told the pigs would back off if they made an across-the-chest motion. However, the animals ignored the command and continued to swarm Side eye: Single mom Amanda Stanton was also hesitant to get too close to the pigs Go away! Amanda tried to command a pig to leave her alone by crossing her arms over her chest Bad piggy: JoJo let out a yelp as two pigs got too close for comfort Favorite: The other women grew jealous as Ben spent time with Lauren B This little piggy: Kindergarten teacher Lauren Himle managed to befriend one of the cute piglets Bahamas date: Bachelor Ben said he hoped the group date would be fun, but things didn't go as planned Ben shocked Olivia by sending her home after her two-on-one date with Emily. The wildly confident former news anchor, who had described her love with Ben as all-consuming, ever present and constantly growing,' appeared blindsided. Olivie previously said she knew Ben was her future husband but her feelings were unrequited and she was sent home. Kindergarten teacher Lauren Himle, 25, and event planner Leah Block, 25, were also rejected this week. Controversial contestant: Olivia Caridi was sent home on Monday's episode of The Bachelor Tough decisions: Ben Higgins sent three women home on the show on Monday Not impressed: Olivia, 23, had became annoyed to share Ben with Emily Ferguson, also 23, who had also been selected for a two-on-one date Olivia, 23, had became annoyed to share Ben with Emily Ferguson, also 23, who had also been selected for a two-on-one date. Shes young, shes like a bird, I mean I dont give a sh*t, moaned Olivia. Emily and I are the same agebut Im going to feel like Im going on a date with my daughter, she said defiantly. Dressed to impress: The girls put on their best swimsuits for the date Jetting off: The weather was as tumultuous as the atmosphere during their Bahamas rendezvous The weather was as tumultuous as the atmosphere during their Bahamas rendevous. Ben and Is love is that all-consuming, ever present, constantly growing kind of love, grinned Olivia, who described herself as rounded, strong and intimidating. Deep intellectual things are just my jam, she gloated. Determined: Emily and I are the same age but Im going to feel like Im going on a date with my daughter, Olivia said defiantly Im in love with you, Im just so over the moon, happy, joyful, she raved to a befuddled-looking Ben. Emily also confessed her adoration for the hunky software salesman who reportedly loves hiking, fishing, and stimulating conversation. Im falling, blabbered Emily. Head over heels: Im in love with you, Im just so over the moon, happy, joyful, she raved to a befuddled-looking Ben Falling: Emily also confessed her adoration for the hunky software salesman who reportedly loves hiking, fishing, and stimulating conversation Blindsided: The sobbing Texan was left alone on the beach while he sailed off with Emily, whose twin sister Haley was sent home from show in an earlier episode Olivia had no doubt that the rose was hers but Ben let her down. The sobbing Texan was left alone on the beach while he sailed off with Emily, whose twin sister Haley was ejected from the show in an earlier episode. Im just hurt, a lot, sniffled Olivia. What I thought Ben wanted was everything that I ambut I guess not, she wept. What I thought Ben wanted was everything that I ambut I guess not, she wept After a draining day Ben cancelled the final cocktail party and jumped right to the execution stage where Lauren H. got the chop. I would have been great for himI dont really get what he wants, she cried. I just want someone to get me, and love me, she said. Didn't make the cut: Kindergarten teacher Lauren Himle, 25, was also sent packing Moving forward: Lauren B. received a rose Real estate developer JoJo was terrified, but he saved her with a rose. Im scared to open myself up, bawled the 24-year-old. Becca and Lauren B. were also spared. The show had opened with Ben pulling Olivia aside, to ask why the other women were so disparaging about her. Olivia blamed her rivals for being jealous: Immediately there was a target on my back, she complained. The leggy blonde then criticised the others, telling Ben that they like to paint their nails while she favors reading books and thinking. So long: Ben told Olviia that he couldn't reciprocate her feelings and sent her home Im just different, she boasted. I want to talk smart things [sic], she continued. Come at me, broeverybody else can suck it, she raged coarsely in her monologue later. After the first rose ceremony Jennifer Saviano, a 25-year-old small business owner was sent packing. He doesnt know who I am, she whispered sadly. With Jennifer gone they set of for the sunny Bahamas where Ben had a one-on-one date, the group date swimming with pigs, and that awkward two-on-one with Olivia and Emily. Rose ceremony: Ben narrowed the field as he sent three women home Software sales rep. Caila, 24, got the one-on-onefor the second time. Leah was pis*ed that it wasnt her. I dont know why Im here, sobbed the 25-year-old, from Denver Colorado. Caila and Ben took a boat ride for some deep sea fishing and swimming in the aquamarine waters. 'Confusing': Caila got a rose from Ben, even after confessing she worried she would break his heart Nice guy: Ben thanked Caila for her honesty as he gave her a rose Over dinner Caila confessed: Right now, I feel like I love you. But my biggest fear is that Im going to hurt you, she backtracked, while musing that she might not completely' love him yet. Ben was allured by her confusing nature and gave her a rose anyway. Distraught Leah was sent on the group date a trip on a sailboat to Bens private island. Having doubts: Leah was distraught after not getting a one-on-one date with Ben As they reached the shallows they came across the group of swimming pigs, who chased them onto the beach. After the commotion, Lauren Bushnell stole Ben away, leaving the others disgruntled. I feel like Im the group date groupie, sobbed Leah, who was upset that Caila had been given a second one-on-while while she had not yet had a date with Ben. Scare tactics: Leah tried to scare Ben off Lauren B my throwing her under the bus Ben then pulled Becca Tilley aside afterwards to ask her why she had been standoffish on the group date. The Californian beauty, 26, confessed she was a bit jealous about his obvious connection to Lauren B. Im feeling itbecause I really, really like, you, confessed the chiropractic assistant. Jealous: Becca admitted the group date was difficult because Ben's connection with Lauren B was obvious to everyone Connecting: But Becca said she was only jealous because of her strong feelings for Ben Feeling threatened, Leah threw Lauren B. under the bus, telling Ben that Lauren B was two faced and it probably wouldnt work out if Ben fell for her. Leah blatantly lied to the girls when they confronted her about the betrayal. She then visited Bens room to reiterate her point. Shocked: Lauren B was stunned when Ben told her he'd heard she was two-faced Emotional: The flight attendant was distraught after hearing other women were spreading rumors about her to Ben Tearful: Leah denied everything when asked if she'd been the one to turn Ben against Lauren B How she comes across doesnt seem genuine, she said, but Ben didnt believe her. Something doesnt feel right, he told her. Adding: I think its best for us to say goodbye. I feel foolish, but I feel like Ben is the fool for letting me go, Leah said afterwards. Ben gave the rose to Amanda for being sweet the whole time. The drama continues next week on ABC. She's one of Australia's most famous exports, having made the leap from local television to the bright lights of Hollywood. But last year, Rebel Wilson said she fell victim to the 'tall poppy syndrome' when Woman's Day magazine reported her real name was Melanie Bownds and that she was actually 36 years old - not 29 as reported. After shrugging off reports at the time on Twitter, the Pitch Perfect star will talk further on the subject on Wednesday's Julia Zemiros Home Delivery, insisting she 'doesn't have skeletons in her closet'. Scroll down for video Interview: Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson (right) is profiled by TV host Julia Zemiro, 48, (left) on Wednesday's episode of Home Delivery and explains she 'lied' about her name and age to pursue a career in Hollywood On the ABC series - in which French-born TV host Julia, 48, interviews a comedian each week - Rebel speaks openly about the claims, which she initially branded as muckraking. When quizzed by Julia about her old classmate's decision to talk to the magazine about her 'true' age, Rebel admits it 'was never really a secret'. She continues: 'If I was guilty of something which, I mean, I dont really have any skeletons in my closet which is why its quite hard for people to write bad stuff about me. Beaming: The Australian actress Rebel appears in good spirits while visiting her old haunts in Sydney for the show 'You know, I dont have a drug addiction, or secret child. But I think, when I did go to America, I kind of just stopped saying my age.' Rebel, originally from Sydney, continues: 'It's Hollywood, come on, people. 'The reality is, when you work in America, you have to show your passport and your visa for every single job, so its not like you can hide how old you are.' The former Bogan Pride star also suggested light-heartedly that she was being ladylike by not telling her real age after moving to the States. Response: Rebel first addressed the controversy last year on Twitter, writing: 'OMG I''m actually a 100 year old mermaid formerly known as "CC Chalice"... Back to her roots: Rebel and Julia take a stroll through Sydney in a trailer for the show, which airs on Wednesday night. She will discuss her youth in Castle Hill and overcoming shyness, among other topics She adds: 'So for the press to do a story that I was deliberately, you know, lying or whatever... No, I was just being a lady and not telling my age when I moved to America. 'And thats not really a crime. Also, most actresses do that,' she concluded - with Julia adding, 'Most women do that.' The conversation then strayed to the subject of Rebel's name, which was also scrutinised last year. Theatrical: Rebel and Julia laugh together in her old school auditorium at the Tara Anglican School for Girls in North Parramatta, where the How To Be Single star first started performing in the mid-1990s Jazz hands: From humble beginnings, Rebel has gone on to conquer Hollywood through her role as Tasmanian a capella hopeful Patricia 'Fat Amy' in comedy film Pitch Perfect and its sequel In the original Woman's Day article, an ex-classmate claimed the How To Be Single star went by Melanie in her youth despite later claiming Rebel was her real name, and not a stage name. She explains: 'I went under one of my middle names, Melanie. And my fathers surname.' She also remarks that Rebel wasn't exactly 'the best name to have' while attending a 'Christian girls school', referring to her education at the Tara Anglican School for Girls in North Parramatta in the mid-1990s. Success: Pitch Perfect, released in 2012, was a sleeper hit and eventually became the highest-grossing music comedy film of all time behind School Of Rock. Its sequel, Pitch Perfect 2, would outperform the original Tonight's show will also touch upon Rebel's remarkable journey from Sydney's Castle Hill to the Hollywood Hills, as she and Julia visit her school and former haunts. They also discuss how she overcame severe shyness before blossoming into a global superstar in the Pitch Perfect series. Rebel Wilson appears on Julia Zemiros Home Delivery tonight at 8pm on ABC. She became engaged to Rupert Murdoch in Los Angeles last month. And Jerry Hall is clearly still enjoying her love bubble as she appeared at the 100 years of British Vogue party hosted at the National Portrait Gallery on Tuesday night. While the 59-year-old supermodel looked sensational in a sexy black gown, all eyes were in fact on her finger, which boasted her vast engagement ring from her husband-to-be. Scroll down for video Little black dress: Jerry Hall is clearly still enjoying her love bubble as she appeared at the 100 years of British Vogue party hosted at the National Portrait Gallery on Tuesday night Elegant Jerry looked every inch the veteran fashionista as she wore the black structured gown, boasting expertly draped sheer fabric beneath a boned base. The Texas-born beauty flaunted her age-defying figure in the excellently cut-gown which featured a nipped-in waist and a calf-skimming hem. Keeping the look age-appropriate yet still sexy, she paired the outfit with low-denier tights while opting not to boost her six feet height by wearing her favoured flat shoes. Jerry showed off her sizable engagement ring, a 20-carat marquise rock rumoured to have cost Murdoch an eye-watering 2.4 million. The bling ring: While the 59-year-old supermodel looked sensational in a sexy black gown, all eyes were in fact on her finger, which boasted her vast engagement ring from her husband-to-be Chic frame: The Texas-born beauty flaunted her age-defying figure in the excellently cut-gown which featured a nipped-in waist and a calf-skimming hem The statuesque blonde radiated happiness as she nonchalantly rested her bejewelled hand on her slender hip to reveal the epic rock. David Allen, creative director of 77 Diamonds, told the MailOnline: 'A Marquise diamond of this size is incredibly rare in the market so Mr Murdoch will have spared no expense at this impressive jewel. 'This unique diamond shape was originally commissioned by King Louis XV in 1745 to create a diamond that resembled the smile of his mistress Madame de Pompadour and has been popular ever since, with Victoria Beckham and Catherine Zeta-Jones both sporting Marquise cut engagement rings.' Black on black: Elegant Jerry looked every inch the veteran fashionista as she wore the black structured gown, boasting expertly draped sheer fabric beneath a boned base Looking hip: The statuesque blonde radiated happiness as she nonchalantly rested her bejewelled hand on her slender hip to reveal the epic rock Chic: Jerry was showing the younger years how it was done as she worked the red carpet like a pro Flouncing: As she stood in the wintery chill, Jerry wrapped up in a chic fur wrap Blonde beauty: Jerry showed off her sizable engagement ring, a 20-carat marquise rock rumoured to have cost Murdoch an eye-watering 2.4 million The news was announced via a post on the Births, Marriages and Deaths page of the The Times, which is owned by Murdoch's News Corporation. Jerry has four children with former partner Sir Mick Jagger, although the couple were never legally married - so given it is Jerrys first marriage, it is only fitting that Rupert slides a sizable piece of bling on the finger of his intended bride. The event, which was to mark the launch of the Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition, a display featuring the finest works shot for the style bible since its launch in 1916, saw Jerry fly the flag for the older fashion generation. Also in attendance were the freshest faces of the industry, including Lottie Moss, Suki Waterhouse and Karlie Kloss. Chic: Jerry has four children with former partner Sir Mick Jagger, although the couple were never legally married - so given it is Jerrys first marriage, it is only fitting that Rupert slides a sizable piece of bling on the finger of his intended bride Across the generations: Also in attendance were the freshest faces of the industry, including Lottie Moss, Suki Waterhouse [right with Jerry] and Karlie Kloss Leggy: Jerry showed off her flawless pins as she climbed out of her car Making her entrance: The blonde flashed a huge smile as she headed inside She's always by his side for his big nights on the red carpet. And as the 2016 BAFTAs approach, Eddie Redmayne's pregnant wife Hannah Bagshawe is looking forward to joining the nominated actor at Sunday's star-studded ceremony in London. The couple were spotted arriving at LAX airport in Los Angles on Tuesday to catch a flight home to the UK, with Hannah showing off a hint of baby bump. Scroll down for video Parents-to-be: Hannah Bagshawe showed off her baby bump as she jetted out of Los Angeles with her husband Eddie Redmayne on Tuesday to head home to London for Sunday's BAFTAs Hannah, 34, dressed down for the trans-Atlantic flight in skinny jeans teamed with a black vest. Her tight top displayed her blossoming baby bump, while she kept comfy in a pair of well-worn Converse sneakers. Eddie, 34, matched his wife in his own pair of Converse, teamed with belted chinos and a white v-neck t-shirt. Exciting time: Hannah dressed down in skinny jeans and a black vest for the long flight The acclaimed actor took charge of the bags, carrying a vintage suitcase and a large black carrier into the terminal. The couple - who confirmed they are expecting their first child last month - were dressed for the current balmy temperatures in LA where they have been enjoying some pre-Academy Awards celebrations, including the Nominees Luncheon on Monday. Jet-set Eddie and his wife are on their way back to the chillier UK in time for a big night at the BAFTAs. Keeping things casual: Eddie, 34, matched his wife in a pair of Converse, teamed with belted chinos and a white v-neck t-shirt Coming through: The acclaimed actor took charge of the bags, carrying a vintage suitcase and a large black bag into the terminal Eddie is nominated in the Leading Actor category, thanks to his starring role as transgender artist Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl. The star could pick up his second consecutive BAFTA for the raved-about portrayal, after winning the gong for The Theory of Everything this time last year. Eddie faces stiff competition from a talented shortlist this time around though, with Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Matt Damon (The Martian) and Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs) also in the running. Leonardo DiCaprio's star turn in The Revenant is the favourite to win the BAFTA though, which would mark the US star's first triumph at the Brit ceremony. They lit up the red carpet the previous evening at the How To Be Single premiere in London. Yet Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson proved there was not a sartorial hangover in sight as they arrived at the BBC Radio 1 studios on Wednesday morning. The 26-year-old Fifty Shades of Grey actress looked incredibly chic in a leopard print coat while Rebel, 35, went for a stylish monochrome ensemble. Scroll down for video Sensational styles: Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson proved there was not a sartorial hangover in sight as they arrived at the BBC Radio 1 studios on Wednesday morning Dakota, who plays leading character Alice in the hotly-anticipated rom-com, looked chic and sophisticated in a velvet coat emblazoned with a leopard print. She dressed down the stylish look with the addition of indigo jeans and a plain black top while pulling on chic loafers. The pretty actress pulled a pair of stylish round sunglasses over her minimally made-up face while allowing her brunette locks to cascade over her shoulder. Stunner: The 26-year-old Fifty Shades of Grey actress looked incredibly chic in a leopard print coat while Rebel, 35, went for a stylish monochrome ensemble Black and white: Rebel, who plays Robin in the tipped-to-be blockbuster movie, meanwhile wore a flirty black gown with a skater hem and boasting an intricate lace pattern. Rebel, who plays Robin in the tipped-to-be blockbuster movie, meanwhile wore a flirty black gown with a skater hem and boasting an intricate lace pattern. A white bomber jacket added a splash of light to the otherwise dark ensemble as her sunglasses and shoes were also black. Her blonde locks were worn loose and free, with her fringe tickling the tops of her glasses in a stunning style. Lovely in leopard: The pretty actress pulled a pair of stylish round sunglasses over her minimally made-up face while allowing her brunette locks to cascade over her shoulder Miaow! The pretty actress pulled a pair of stylish round sunglasses over her minimally made-up face while allowing her brunette locks to cascade over her shoulder The night before, Dakota made a literally shimmering entrance onto the pink carpet in the capital's Leicester Square as she'd picked out a gold-lame floor-length gown for the special screening. Dakota glittered from head-to-toe in the metallic frock which featured a plunging neckline, offering attendees and onlookers a glimpse of her pert cleavage. She was the shining star of the event as she turned heads in the form-flattering frock which clung to every contour of her body thanks to the skin-tight nature of the fabric. Then and now! Dakota was the shining star as she led the glamour at the star-studded European premiere of How To Be Single in London on Tuesday evening While the deep-V neckline meant a large proportion of her alabaster-toned decolletage was on show, eyes were also drawn to her back as the dress design featured generously-sized cut-outs. Dakota supported her naturally pert bust with a black bra which was partially visible thanks to the open-back design and she was lucky to avoid any unfortunate wardrobe malfunctions despite the sides being largely open. She was keen not to distract from her upper half and the trailing length of the festive-season-appropriate number ensured her slim pins were entirely concealed, as were her choice of accompanying heels for the most part. All that glitters is gold: Dakota shimmered from head to toe as she arrived on the pink carpet dressed in a gold-lame frock Single girls assemble: Leading lady Dakota was joined by (from left to right) Rebel Wilson (Robin), Alison Brie (Lucy) and Leslie Mann (Meg) Christmas came early: The Fifty Shades of Grey actress wouldn't have looked out of place at a festive gathering in the metallic number Anything for the leading ladies: Dakota and Rebel's freshly-styled hair was protected by security guards holding umbrellas over them Doing her part: The Texas-born screen star was all too happy to sign as many autographs as she could for her adoring fans Dakota towered above her co-stars somewhat as she further heightened her 5'7" figure with a pair of platform heeled peep-toes which were an exact match to her glittering gown. She looked every inch the leading lady as she was impeccably made up, favouring her go-to look - meticulously-applied eyeliner flicks and a sumptuous red-pink lipstick plumping her pout. The Texas-born screen star swept her super-glossy and endless brunette tresses into a mid-height ponytail with her full fringe and front sections left loose to further frame her face. Meticulously-made up: Dakota was impeccably made up, favouring her go-to look - meticulously-applied eyeliner flicks and a sumptuous red-pink lipstick plumping her pout Dakota was joined by the equally talented Rebel Wilson who plays the supporting role of Robin in the hotly-anticipated chick flick. The BAFTA nominee greeted the 35-year-old comedienne with a warm embrace as they both did their best to not let a badly-timed Great British downpour rain on their parade ahead of the special screening. Although Rebel opted for a strikingly different outfit to her co-star, she too added an element of sparkle to the otherwise-dreary night and made quite the entrance in a decorative dress. Blue is best: Australian comedienne Rebel - who plays the supporting role of Robin in the rom-com - turned up in a brightly-coloured textured dress which featured an asymmetric hem Curves in all the right places: Rebel, 35, made the most of her curvaceous figure in the figure-hugging number which exposed a glimpse of her slender calves Not impressed: Rebel appeared to be struggling with the less than ideal weather conditions as she looked to be scowling at the downpour I got your back: Rebel and Alison playfully sized up next to one another as they did their thing for the pap pack Rebel's choice of attire made the most of her famous curves as the blue textured material clung to all the right places while the asymmetric hem exposed her slender calves all well as her glittering silver stilettos. The popular screen star appeared to be struggling with the less than ideal weather conditions but she soon got into the spirit of the movie as she assembled for group shots with Dakota, Leslie Mann and Alison Brie. Leslie Mann too showcased her individual style sense as she appeared to have been inspired by traditional Chinese dress on the night, arriving in a little black dress which was decorated with colourful applique patches. I think you're turning Japanese: The 43-year-old appeared to have been inspired by traditional Oriental dress in the wardrobe department Leslie, 43, showcased her age-defying figure in the statement number - made from layers of organza - which was cinched at the waist and jutted out into a structured skirt. The Knocked Up actress followed Dakota's glamour lead by opting for professionally-applied contouring, lashings of mascara but her lip was glossy as opposed to matte. Alison Brie too put on a show-stopping display as she was pictured arriving on the pink carpet ahead of the special screening. The Mad Men actress was a vision of sexiness as she made the most of her impeccably-toned figure in a rather revealing gown which was a sight to behold. Calling the style shots: Alison Brie was not afraid to show some skin as she arrived to the European premiere of How To Be Single in London's Leicester Square on Tuesday evening Alison, 33, turned heads as she arrived to the capital's Leicester Square dressed in a blue floor-length number which left little to the imagination. She owned the style limelight in the frock which was slashed from the hem to her thigh, offering onlookers a generous eyeful of her impossibly lean legs. Additionally, the form-flattering one-piece featured risque lace detailing which stretched from her thigh to her cleavage, affording an extra revealing element. Contrasting colours: The Mad Men actress clashed with the bright pink carpet in her pastel-coloured frock His wife Victoria Beckham is across the Atlantic preparing herself for her New York Fashion Show this weekend. So it's up to David to hold the fort at home in London as he takes care of their four children. The retired footballer, 40, was spotted carrying some of Harper's clothes and toys as he headed home on Tuesday evening. Scroll down for video Holding the fort: David Beckham carries his daughter Harper's belongings as he heads home in London on Tuesday evening The former England and Manchester United star was wrapped up warm for the chilly day in a khaki coat, skinny jeans, Chelsea boots and a beanie hat. He appeared to be carrying his daughter's coat and pink scooter as he parked up the car and headed inside. Later that evening, David and his children had a traditional Pancake Day dinner with his eldest son Brooklyn helping out with the frying pan. See David Beckham updates as he's back on dad duty as he carries Harper's toys On daddy duty: David is holding the fort at home while his wife Victoria is preparing for her New York Fashion Week show on Sunday Riding in style: David was carrying his daughter Harper's pink and purple scooter and some of her other belongings David posted videos of both himself and Brooklyn showing off their pancake flipping skills as they worked their magic in the kitchen. Their Shrove Tuesday celebrations came after a brief trip Stateside last week to attended the American football Super Bowl final on Sunday. The Beckham boys were spotted changing flights at New York's airport on the way home on Monday. Winter chic: David was wrapped up warm for the chilly day in a khaki coat, skinny jeans, Chelsea boots and a beanie hat He's got his hands full: David has been picking up the children from school and feeding them Meanwhile, Victoria has been spotted out and about in Manhattan, busy preparing for her Fashion Week show this Sunday. The designer, who launched her eponymous range in 2008, will debut her Autumn/Winter 2016/2017 collection. David and the family usually fly to New York to support her, with all four children joining their father on the front row of Victoria's shows in previous years. Flying visit: David and Brooklyn spent the weekend in California to attend the American football Super Bowl final on Sunday before flying home via New York City on Monday Nice bag! The former footballer was carrying a Louis Vuitton drawstring rucksack while his son opted for a multi-coloured number Speaking about her range to the Telegraph last November, Victoria said: 'I think we have grown in confidence. I dress differently now to how I did then. I wear looser dresses, flat shoes. I can express myself in a different way. 'I want to evolve each season. I never want to be one of those brands where people know what theyre going to see. I always want an element of surprise. One thing I never want to do is copy what anybody else is doing. I have a signature, and its very important to me to stay true to that.' This is how it's done: David showed off his pancake flipping skills as he celebrated Shrove Tuesday on Tuesday night Not so good as dad: David teased his eldest son Brooklyn for his flipping attempts on another Instagram video Busy bee: Victoria was spotted arriving back at her hotel in New York City on Tuesday night She is set to play the role of a crime-fighting cyborg in the her upcoming film Ghost In The Shell. But it appears, Scarlett Johansson's most beloved role is that of a mother to her 16-month-old daughter, Rose. The 31-year-old American actress was seen tenderly cradling the tiny tot in her arms as she strolled through Cuba Street Mall in Wellington during a break from filming in New Zealand. She's a natural! Scarlett Johansson was seen tenderly cradling her daughter Rose as she strolled through Cuba Street Mall in Wellington in New Zealand Hands on: Despite having an entourage with her including a nanny, the mother-of-one insisted on carrying her daughter as she took a break from filming Ghost In The Shell Despite having an entourage with her including a nanny, the hands-on mother-of-one insisted on carrying her daughter. The doting mother's little one was seen resting her head on the actress's shoulder as Scarlett sauntered along the pavement. The blonde beauty stopped off at a local bookstore where she purchased Jeffrey Eugenides' best seller, The Marriage Plot, leaving her toddler in her pram under the watchful eye of her nanny. Casually clad: The Captain America: Civil War actress dressed comfortably for the occasion in a pair of light-wash, high-waist jeans with the bottoms rolled up Her main role: Showing off her motherly instincts, Scarlett cuddled her tot as the little one rested her head on her shoulder Incognito: She added a newsboy cap, which aided in her disguise as she attempted to fly under the radar Emerging from the store with the romance novel in her arms, the group continued their jaunt, before stopping off once more for ice cream at a nearby cafe. The actress dressed comfortably for the occasion in a pair of light-wash, high-waist jeans with the bottoms rolled up. She added a grey sweater, before accessorising her ensemble with a messenger purse, glasses and a newsboy cap, which aided in her disguise as she attempted to fly under the radar. The red carpet regular finished off her casual look with a pair of bright pink trainers. New purchase: Emerging from the store with the romance novel in her arms Bookworm: Scarlett stopped off at a local bookstore where she purchased Jeffrey Eugenides' best seller, The Marriage Plot, leaving the toddler in her pram in the care of her nanny Going makeup-free for the occasion, the Hollywood star looked youthful and made sure to don her sizable engagement ring and a delicate silver necklace. Meanwhile, Rose was also warmly dressed in a eclectic ensemble of blue and red printed tights, a bright yellow parka jacket, pink socks and purple shoes. The BAFTA Award winner arrived in Wellington with her French husband Romain Dauriac several weeks ago, and has been making her way around town largely unrecognised. She's got her own style! Rose was also warmly dressed in a eclectic ensemble consisting of blue and red printed tights, a bright yellow parka jacket, pink socks and purple shoes Quick treat: The group then stopped off once more to grab ice cream at a nearby cafe In an article published by the New Zealand Herald, one local said that Scarlett 'arrived at a local south Wellington gym fairly innocuously with a group, she was wearing trainers, training gear and a hat. 'To the uninitiated no-one would have known she was a star,' the source added. Scarlett, her husband and her daughter are understood to be living in a gated mansion in the coastal suburb of Seatoun Heights overlooking the Wellington Harbour for the next two months as she films Ghost In The Shell. The movie is based on the manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow and is set in 2029. Scarlett is set to play a female special ops cyborg, Motoko Kusanagi, who leads an elite task force called Section 9 as they try to bring down notorious hacker Puppet Master. She will appear alongside English actor Sam Riley (Maleficent) and will be directed by Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman). She's a new addition to the Zoolander cast, playing the sexy love interest of leading character Derek Zoolander. However, it looks like there may be trouble in paradise for Penelope Cruz's special agent character Valentina Valencia as she appears to cheat on Derek in some sexy Instagram posts. In a series of images posted over a nine-hour period, Valentina appears to get revenge on Derek by sleeping with two of the worst possible candidates - his arch-enemy Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell) and his best friend Hansel McDonald (Owen Wilson). Scroll down for video Feeling lonely: Penelope Cruz was lamenting her on-screen love interest Derek Zoolander's 'infidelity' as she lay lonely in a New York hotel room Following Zoolander No.2's US premiere on Tuesday night, Penelope posted a photo of herself looking lonely in a New York hotel room wearing nothing but a bathrobe and a pair of heels. In faux outrage, she expressed her distress at seeing photos of Ben Stiller's male model Derek kissing Cara Delevingne in Paris last week. In a blurring of fact and fiction, she confessed to inviting Will - rather than his alter-ego Mugatu - to her suite, before asking Hansel - not the actor Owen - to join them in the early hours of Wednesday morning. In her first posting on her official Instagram around 9pm (local time) on Tuesday night, Penelope wrote: 'Dear Derek ... here I amalone, again, in New York. When we fell in love I knew it was dangerous. Me, a woman with brains, talent and intelligence, and you, a male model with good skin and hair. Of COURSE it could never work. It all started so innocently: Penelope flirts up a storm with Will Ferrell after inviting him to her hotel suite... 'Lately, you have been so busy promoting your "career" it seems you have forgotten the one thing that matters most. Being there for the important people in your life. Its just a movie Derek, it will come and go, and no matter what you say, it is not a "documentary about your life as an awesome person". 'Also, Ever since I heard about you cheating on me with Cara Delevingne, I have been tortured by the images from your Instagram. And if that wasn't humiliating enough, today I found out you've spent the weekend hanging out with other "models". Today my damaged dignity will speak. Please forgive me for what I am about to do.' In a second shot uploaded shortly after, Penelope and Will are seen having a friendly chat in bed wearing his 'n' hers bathrobes. Well, that escalated: A slightly disheveled Penelope in a 'post-coital haze after her hot night with Will, who appears distracted by Derek's Vogue shoot with the actress Praising Will's prowess in the bedroom, the Spanish actress wrote: 'It started innocently enough. I heard the brilliant actor and well known lover and swordsman Will Ferrell was in the hotel. I invited him to my room Just for a few laughs. I told him to shower, put on a robe and to entertain me with funny jokes. 'He was shy at first afraidtimid like a young man about to climb mount Everest. The mount Everest of love. Seriously Derek, what part of your dumb brain thought "Hey, I think Ill CHEAT ON HER". You realise thats like, the stupidest move ever, right? Like Ive seen wet garbage in Central Park smarter than that.' Nine hours later, Penelope boasted the pair had 'done the deed' and had enjoyed getting her revenge on the blue steel pioneer. Look away now Derek! The male model's best pal Hansel McDonald (Owen Wilson) turns up arms with champagne to join in the fun This is getting out of hand: Penelope looks baffled as Owen and Will appear to be enjoying each others' company more than her Posting a photo of Will reading a magazine with his hair wrapped up in a towel turban, she wrote: 'As expected, we had a pretty good time. 'Derek, You know I am not a bad person. But I knew my affair with Will Ferrell would not be mean enough if I was to willingly hurt you. So I called someone who I probably shouldnt have. Someone I knew would really really REALLY get under your skin and hurt your feelings and break your heart. And make you sorry you ever cheated on me. So #sorrynotsorry.' The fourth photo was the ultimate betrayal for Derek, as Peneope was seen looking cosy in the bedroom with both Will and Owen. He's a cheater! Ben Stiller as Derek was pictured in a saucy photoshoot with model Cara Delevingne in Paris last week She captioned it: 'That's right, Derek. I called your best friend. HANSEL.' Finally, on Wednesday morning, it looked like things had taken an interesting turn with Owen and Will appearing to be more interested in each other than Penelope. She wrote: 'Okay Not going to lie Derek, this is the part that got kinda weird. Even for me. Hansel and Will Ferrell started to get kinda super into each other. OK.' Zoolander No.2 is the long-awaited sequel to the 2001 comedy, starring Ben as a male model called Derek. Returning to the cast is the actor's on-screen wife Christine Taylor as reporter Matilda, while Kristen Wiig is a new addition as beauty expert Alexanya Atoz. Goofing around: Penelope, Owen, Will and Ben Stiller appeared as their characters at the New York premiere of Zoolander No.2 on Tuesday night Mark Wright had the Loose Women going wild on Wednesday when they quizzed him about his relationship with wife Michelle Keegan. Probing him on when they met me expanding their family, Mark said he's already getting it in the ear from his mother, Carol. 'It's hard work with the pressure of having babies,' he said. Scroll down for video 'The pressure is on': Mark Wright spoke about starting a family with Michelle Keegan as he discusses the secrets to their sex life on Wednesday's Loose Women Time is flying by: The couple will be celebrating their first wedding anniversary in May But as the panel went on about their incredibly good looks, Mark joked: 'We're going to end up giving birth to an ugly duckling and let everyone down.' He added: 'Aunty Debbie is the first of the sisters to become a grandmother and she's tells my mum every day that being a grandmother is so much better than being a mum. 'So now my mum's on our case. Hurry up and make it happen, I want to be a nan. I think we've got another year or two of her nagging and we'll just have to do it. Probing him on when they met me expanding their family, Mark said he's already getting it in the ear from his mother, Carol. 'It's hard work with the pressure of having babies,' he said Mark joked: 'We're going to end up giving birth to an ugly duckling and let everyone down' 'Aunty Debbie is the first of the sisters to become a grandmother and she's tells my mum every day that being a grandmother is so much better than being a mum,' he said. 'When she gives birth, there will be 300 Wright's around her.' Panellist Jamelia also brought up a recent report which claims that the key to good lovemaking is saying 'I love you,' during the intimate act. 'I didn't know that,' Mark said. 'We say "I love you" all the time. 'Maybe when it's about to happen but not when it's happening, that's a bit too nicey nicey for me.' Hey there: Mark cut a handsome figure in his smart jumper and jeans as he made his way into the studio Nice to see you: He gave photographers the big thumbs up ahead of his interview Mark said he always knew Michelle was the one for him and when asked if it was love at first sight, he said he loved her even before they were dating. 'I knew for the first three years, when I was chasing her,' he said. 'Well one year. 'You just feel it don't you? I met her on our first date and we were sat next to one another and even though I fancied her, it was great that she just seemed so normal. We got on so well. 'We both had the same family values and she told me that when she gets home, she puts on a DVD and wears her scruffs - and I thought this is the girl for me.' Michelle is about to go away for a few months to film BBC1 drama Our Girl in South Africa from next month. 'FaceTime saves a lot of agg,' said Mark. 'Everyone makes a big deal out of her moving away but I'll be joining her out there later in the run.' He added: 'Aunty Debbie (centre) is the first of the sisters to become a grandmother and she's tells my mum every day that being a grandmother is so much better than being a mum' He's a self-proclaimed party boy. And Scotty T has certainly lived up to his reputation since leaving the Celebrity Big Brother house as he hit the town for the fifth night running on Tuesday as he partied in his native Newcastle with his Geordie Shore co-stars. The Celebrity Big Brother champion headed out to on the Toon to Floritas nightclub, where he filmed for the reality show's five year special, which is due to air later this year. Scroll down for video Hitting the Toon: Scotty T has certainly lived up to his party boy reputation since leaving the Celebrity Big Brother house as he hit the town for the fifth night running on Tuesday as he partied in his native Newcastle with his Geordie Shore co-stars The 27-year-old made the most of the venue's circus and ballroom theme by dressing up in a red and white striped unitard that left very little to the imagination as he left the club later that evening. The reality star's blonde locks were styled into his signature quiff as he partied into the early hours with his equally party mad co-stars, including a rather scantily-clad James Tindale. The 25-year-old opted for a unitard that consisted of far less fabric in a bid to show off his bronzed, sculpted body. See CBB updates on star Scotty T as he hits the town with Geordie Shore co-stars The spot: The Celebrity Big Brother champion headed out to on the Toon to Floritas nightclub, where he filmed for the reality show's five year special, which is due to air later this year And at the complete opposite end of the spectrum was Daniel Thomas, 22, who dressed as a woman in a floral gown and a long black wig. The night out marked the fifth in a row for Scotty, who is yet to have an evening of rest since being crowned the winner of Celebrity Big Brother house on Friday night. And it seems the questionable costumes are also refusing to seize as Monday night saw the handsome star sport a dominatrix ensemble comprised of nothing but mesh cropped leggings and a pvc frill skirt. Playing up: The 27-year-old made the most of the venue's circus and ballroom theme by dressing up in a red and white striped unitard that left very little to the imagination as he left the club later that evening Meanwhile, Scotty T hinted romance may not be on the cards for him and his CBB love interest Megan McKenna. The 27-year-old offered a bashful response when grilled by New! magazine about his plans for a romantic future with the Ex On The Beach babe, 23, as she recently broke up with fellow reality star Jordan Davies. He cheekily joked: 'I'm in love with Megan. I'm not really, I'm only joking. Megan's just got out of a relationship. She lives in Essex. 'I live in Newcastle. I genuinely don't know what's going to happen. I don't commit unless I can put all my effort into it and at the minute I'm too busy.' Looking the part: The reality star's blonde locks were styled into his signature quiff as he partied into the early hours with his equally raucous co-stars, including a rather scantily-clad James Tindale Teresa Giudice spent almost one year inside the Danbury Federal Correctional Facility in Connecticut due to 40 counts of fraud charges. And during that time the 43-year-old Bravo beauty was not able to have sex with her spouse, Joe, because she thought conjugal visits did not provide the right 'setting.' But they made up for it when she returned to their New Jersey home on December 23. 'My husband and I had to sneak into another room in the middle of the night [away from the kids],' the Real Housewives Of New Jersey star told People. Scroll down for video... The love is still there: Teresa Giudice told People on Wednesday that she is happy with her 'honey' Joe; here they are seen in a RHONJ teaser on the first night she returned home from prison Her rock: The reality star said the two are 'devoted' to each other after 16 years of marriage The kiss:'My husband and I had to sneak into another room in the middle of the night,' the Real Housewives Of New Jersey star told People about their first intimate night together in nearly a year That was after all four of her children - Gia, 15, Gabriella, 11, Milania, 10, and Audriana, six - fell asleep in their king bed inside their New Jersey mansion, which they saved from foreclosure. Teresa added she is already looking forward to Valentine's Day with her man. 'I would love to take a Jacuzzi bath with my honey and just stay home.' Joe couldn't stop gushing about his wife of 16 years to the magazine. Their clan: That was after all four of her children - Gia, 15, Gabriella, 11, Milania, 10, and Audriana, six - fell asleep in their king bed inside their New Jersey mansion, which they saved from foreclosure Bonded for life: Teresa added she is already looking forward to Valentine's Day with her man. 'I would love to take a Jacuzzi bath with my honey and just stay home' 'I missed everything about her when she was gone,' he said. 'It's just so good to have her back.' The businessman also said that he didn't even mind her hollering. 'When she's here she's constantly calling my name. It's always Joe this, Joe that.' Joe missed his wife so much, in fact, that during her nearly year stay in jail he drank heavily to deal with the pain. 'The whole year she was gone I drank a couple bottles of wine at night, every day, just to go to bed.' The reality diva addressed his drinking in her interview. In love: 'I missed everything about her when she was gone,' he said. 'It's just so good to have her back'; here they are seen in 2011 'He drinks a lot,' she said. 'He's gonna get into, God willing, the right alcohol program, I want him to do a program; let's just leave it at that. He's not abusive or anything, thank God, but he drinks every day. That's not good. It's not good for your liver.' Joe's 41-month sentence begins in March. As far as claims that he cheated on her before she went to prison, she said there's no proof. 'No woman has ever come up to me and said that my husband was having an affair with her,' she stated. Getting real: 'He drinks a lot,' she said. 'He's gonna get into, God willing, the right alcohol program, I want him to do a program; let's just leave it at that'; here they are seen in 2010 And she offered: 'We've been married 16 years; listen, we're both devoted to each other, and I don't have a collar around his neck. If we didn't want to be around each other, we would both go our separate ways.' As far as her new thinner body - she worked out steadily while in prison - he's into it. 'He likes my body,' she said. 'I just lost my ass. My husband says, "You gotta do squats."' When she offered to get implants, Joe scoffed, saying he would not touch them. Teresa then hilariously countered: 'I'm like, "Why? I have fake boobs and you touch them!"' The new and improved Trey: The star seen leaving Good Morning America in New York City on Tuesday This interview comes after a Tuesday teaser for The Real Housewives Of New Jersey season seven showed her hugging Joe the first night she was home from prison. 'After 11 months in prison, be there for the moment Teresa comes home,' read the text on the clip. When the star first gets home she can see handwritten signs that have been taped to the front door of her residence, which is now out of foreclosure. Good to go: On Monday it was announced The Real Housewives Of New Jersey is set to return for season seven. And there are plenty of vets on board, including Teresa, Melissa Gorga and friend Jacqueline Laurita The mother mom of four is greeted by Joe and their daughters. Teresa was so overcome with emotion that she covers her face with her hands. Giudice looks different from her pre-prison days with a slimmer figure and shorter hair. She also much less makeup on than normal. Joe is dressed in nothing but a black tank top that shows off his many tattoos. 'Hi, honey. Welcome home,' he said. This comes the day after Bravo confirmed the series would return for a seventh season with the new episodes centering on Teresa, Melissa Gorga and Jacqueline Laurita. Finally talking: Also on Monday a new teaser for Giudice's first post-prison sit down with ABC's Good Morning America was shared where the beauty revealed her New Jersey mansion is out of foreclosure Stronger than ever: The TV star had no problem talking about her painful past that included time in jail Other cast members have yet to be announced. The show will debut later this year. Also on Tuesday, Teresa's Good Morning America interview aired. She described prison life as 'hell.' 'It was no country club, trust me,' she said. 'There was mold in the bathrooms, there was not running water constantly, the showers were freezing cold. It was hell.' While she says there were fights in the jail, she was never scared because she knew she 'could hold my own'. Still, she says meeting the women changed her opinion of criminals as all being bad people. To the contrary, she says she encountered a good amount of kindness and even made fiends. 'The girls were amazing there. Anytime someone new comes we help each other,' she said. Home again: Teresa looked to be in good spirits as she told Robach in her ABC interview, which will air Tuesday at 7 am EST: '[We're not in] foreclosure any longer, thank you, God. And our restitution's paid off. We're in - thank God - in good shape' Determined: 'Losing the family home was never an option. Teresa made that very clear to me,' Leonard said. 'There was no way we were going to let that happen. I am very happy it all worked out' 'I am very excited to be back,' Giudice told Bravo's The Daily Dish on Monday about her return to RHONJ. 'For me, this season is all about letting go of the past and embracing the future. People are calling me Teresa 2.0.' Her house arrest ended on Friday. Gorga added: 'I can't wait for you to see what we've been up to and how much our kids have grown.' Also in her GMA interview, Teresa told Amy Robach: '[We're not in] foreclosure any longer, thank you, God. And our restitution's paid off. We're in - thank God - in good shape.' 'Like a lot of people, the Giudices had fallen behind on their mortgage payments, which then puts the home into foreclosure as a way to protect the bank,' her lawyer, James J. Leonard Jr. told People. They came to spectacular blows in Tuesday night's episode of Ex On The Beach. And despite filming for the reality show wrapping up months ago, Megan McKenna and Lacey Fuller are clearly still holding a magnificent grudge, as illustrated during a press call in London on Wednesday. The 23-year-old Essex-born beauty was belting out a self-penned track about the show for a promotional busking session when her co-star, 19, arrived with an extremely scathing donation to make. Scroll down for video Giving her all: Megan McKenna and Lacey Fuller are clearly still holding a magnificent grudge, as illustrated during a press call in London on Wednesday At her tender age, Megan has become something of a reality veteran after failed stints at singing stardom on Britain's Got Talent and The X Factor, a brief appearance on TOWIE, a recent turn on Celebrity Big Brother and two appearances in MTV's Ex On The Beach. The star met her, now, ex-boyfriend Jordan Davies, of Magaluf Weekender fame, in the third series of the MTV dating show and they returned to the current fourth as a couple. Kent-born Lacey is the daughter of a Maidstone nightclub owner and joined the show as the ex-girlfriend of Youssef Hassane, however she also enjoyed a dalliance with Jordan. When Jordan and Megan, fondly self-titled as Jegan, entered the show on Tuesday's episode, the two girls were immediately at loggerheads, becoming embroiled in a blazing row which has evidently still not settled. Rivals: The 23-year-old Essex-born beauty was belting out a self-penned track for a promotional busking session when her co-star, 19, arrived with an extremely scathing donation to make Handbags at dawn: Although filming has wrapped up, it seems that Lacey has failed to let bygones be bygones as she appeared at the unique Ex On The Beach press call on Wednesday Although filming has wrapped up, it seems that Lacey has failed to let bygones be bygones as she appeared at the unique Ex On The Beach press call on Wednesday. As Megan turned up to belt out her self-penned music, looking stunning in a thigh-skimming mini-dress and thigh-high boots, a furious-looking Lacey arrived on the cobbled London street. She looked striking in dusky grey thigh-high boots and skin-tight jeans, while rocking a plunging sweater with a grey fur gilet. In a dramatic turn, the blonde beauty withdrew a crisp fifty pound note and scrawled in large letters: 'I always give to charity, Lacey X' before placing the money in Megan's collection basket. Furious: As Megan turned up to belt out her self-penned music, looking stunning in a thigh-skimming mini-dress and thigh-high boots, a furious-looking Lacey arrived on the cobbled London street Nasty note: In a dramatic turn, the blonde beauty withdrew a crisp fifty pound note and scrawled in large letters: 'I always give to charity, Lacey X' before placing the money in Megan's collection basket. Fuming but fabulous: The gesture would no doubt particularly sting after their beach-side row saw the girls sink to deep depths when discussing both money and sex They're back! The star met her, now, ex-boyfriend Jordan Davies, [left] of Magaluf Weekender fame, in the third series of the MTV dating show and they returned to the current fourth as a couple. Lost love: Kent-born Lacey is the daughter of a Maidstone nightclub owner and joined the show as the ex-girlfriend of Youssef Hassane, however she also enjoyed a dalliance with Jordan The gesture would no doubt particularly sting after their beach-side row saw the girls sink to deep depths when discussing both money and sex. After Megan bragged of her sexual prowess with the girls' shared conquest Jordan, Lacey screamed: 'I was born richer than you'll ever be'. This came after Megan slammed Lacey for being 'Daddy's little nightclub princess'. Multi-talented: Megan revealed one of her many talents as she belted out the tracks Making her name: While Megan has become famed for her fiery temperature and aggressive outbursts, rumours are circulating that the singer wants to forge a singing career off the back of her reality fame Getting ready: Prior to Megan's trip to Covent Garden, unbeknownst to her forthcoming fate, the pretty star took to Twitter to share a teaser video ahead of her al fresco performance later in the day Posing up a storm: Megan made sure she looked stunning even if she was faced with dramas Prior to Megan's trip to Covent Garden, unbeknownst to her forthcoming fate, the pretty star took to Twitter to share a teaser video ahead of her al fresco performance later in the day. In the clip, where she sits in a car alongside her resident musician, she says: 'Hi everyone, this is Cameron, my guitarist for the day and we are en route to Covent Garden for the day to perform one of my songs for the MTV press day.' While Megan has become famed for her fiery temperature and aggressive outbursts, rumours are circulating that the singer wants to forge a singing career off the back of her reality fame. Kiss, kiss: Megan was playing up to the crowds as she made her singing debut in the famed London area Angelina Jolie has secretly added two large new tattoos to her collection - and now her entire back is covered in inkings by the same Thai tattoo master. Ajarn Noo Kanpai - the same guru who inked her left shoulder blade in 2003 and the tiger on her lower back in 2004 - carried out the work last month. He was flown from his base near Bangkok to Siem Reap in Cambodia where Angelina is directing a new movie First They Killed My Father to complete her 11-year series of inkings, this time covering the centre of her back and right shoulder blade with two separate designs. Scroll down for video Adding to the collection: Angelina Jolie's tattoo artist Ajarn Noo Kanpai has revealed he gave her two new inkings last month. Here they are pictured in 2003 she got one of her earlier tattoos Angelina's husband Brad Pitt was also tattooed on his left side in the same session, and now has a Buddhist symbol inking on his stomach. The same ink was believed to have been used by Ajarn Noo for the work, symbolically binding husband and wife together. He also used the traditional hand-poked method of tattooing, a bamboo tube with a sterilised needle on the end, rather than a mechanical tattoo machine. Angelina's new tattoos are a number of ancient Thai Buddhist symbols and mantras, with two different designs which echo the ha thaew (five rows) yantra she had applied to her left shoulder blade. See more of the latest on Angelina Jolie and husband Brad Pitt as they get new tattoos His finest work: Photos of the actress adorn the studio near Bangkok. She now has a design on her right shoulder blade that echos the one on her left Her go-to guy: Ajarn Noo gave Angelina the tiger tattoo on her lower back in 2004, and has now given her another inking on the middle of her back Angelina's new inkings (which she showed off on set earlier this month) are in the same Thai Sak Yant or ancient style and cover her right shoulder blade and the middle of her back. Buddhists believe the mystical tattoos have powers of strength and healing, with the one applied to her right shoulder designed to offer protection for mother-of-six Angelina's family. A source said: 'The tattoos are composed of grids with pyramids at the top, which are full of ancient Buddhist symbols and prayers. They help to give the wearer protection and health. 'Angelina is a very spiritual person and has long believed her tattoos are more than just designs on her body that they actually hold some meaning, power and influence over her.' Only the best will do: He was flown from his base near Bangkok to Siem Reap in Cambodia where Angelina is directing a new movie to complete the new tattoos 'The tattoos are composed of grids with pyramids at the top, which are full of ancient Buddhist symbols and prayers': According to a source, Angelina's latest tattoos are said 'to give the wearer protection and health' Sak Yant tattoos, also known as Yantra designs, are believed among most Thai people to have strong magical powers. People get them for protection and good luck and they represent a mix of Hindu, Brahman, Animist and Buddhist traditions. Angelina's decision to get the protective tattoos including another recent Sak Yant design on her left forearm - may have been spurred by her recent surgeries to prevent cancer. She has had a double mastectomy and her ovaries removed as preventative measures after losing her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, and a number of other family members to the disease. Another celebrity visit: There are also pictures of Michelle Rodriguez visiting the tattoo studio in 2014 Stopping by: The actress got a tattoo from Ajarn Noo when she was in Thailand on holiday with Cara Delevingne Angelina's new tattoos would have taken around two hours to complete, while Brad's latest etching would have been finished in 30 minutes. Once the tattoos were completed, Ajarn Noo would have carried out a ritual blessing of the work. The superstars and Ajarn Noo were photographed immediately after the tattooing session, with the pictures then put onto Ajarn Noo's website and later appearing on Facebook. Speaking at his tattoo parlour just north of Bangkok after carrying out the work, he said he knew Angelina would return to him and that she 'believes in the power of Sak Yant.' A family affair: Angelina's husband Brad Pitt was also tattooed on his left side in the same session, and now has a Buddhist symbol inking on his stomach Symbolic: The same ink was believed to have been used by Ajarn Noo for the work, symbolically binding husband and wife together He added: 'I don't know if my work has helped Angelina in her life, but I hope so. My tattoos have a great deal of spiritual meaning and significance, so I hope they have blessed her.' The tattoo master is a celebrity in Thailand for his designs and is credited with bringing an ancient style of tattooing back into fashion. Some believe he has magical powers through the work he creates, and there are many myths surrounding him. He also personally believes his tattoos are more than simply pretty designs, but claims their power is only in effect for as long as the wearer properly conducts themselves. If they start to do bad, all magical power will be lost from the tattoo and the person who has it. Traditional: He also used the traditional hand-poked method of tattooing, a bamboo tube with a sterilised needle on the end, rather than a mechanical tattoo machine Protection: Angelina's decision to get the protective tattoos including another recent Sak Yant design on her left forearm - may have been spurred by her recent surgeries to prevent cancer Also in his studio is a picture of Hollywood actress Michelle Rodriguez who also had a tattoo from him when she was in Thailand on holiday with Cara Delevingne in 2014. He added: 'My tattoos don't physically protect, but they can protect you spiritually, as long as you are a good person and follow the right path. 'It is different for others I only work with people who are spiritually clean and moral. 'Other artists can do tattoos that are almost the same, they will look the same, but they won't have the same power as my tattoos, which are sacred and have been passed down to me. She 'believes in the power of Sak Yant': Speaking at his tattoo parlour just north of Bangkok after carrying out the work, Ajarn Noo said he knew Angelina would return to him 'I only work with people who are spiritually clean and moral': Ajarn Noo says his tattoos 'don't physically protect, but they can protect you spiritually, as long as you are a good person and follow the right path' 'The designs I have, which come from my grandfather's book, alongside ones I have created, are widely copied all over Thailand and the world, but that's all they are copies, they don't have the same power to them. 'I only work with good people who take care of their parents and work and lead moral lives, and that's what keeps my tattoos strong, and spiritually correct.' Ajarn Noo also explained the meaning behind his most popular design, the five rows yantra, which is most commonly applied to a person's shoulder blade. He told how the first row stands for changing from bad to good, and how it protects people from the bad spirits and pushes them toward the good. Impressive: Angelina also has 'know your rights' on her lower neck, Arabic script on her right forearm which reads 'Determination' and the co-ordinates of each of her children's birthplaces on her upper arm Catching up with Angelina: Meanwhile Brad's tattoo designs include the Bob Dylan lyric: 'We live, we die, we know but I'll be with you,' on his left stomach, which appears to be written in Angelina's distinctive handwriting The second row is for luck, the third to offer protection from bad spirits, the fourth is to wish people success in business and the fifth is to give the wearer elements of charm. Angelina has an impressive collection of tattoos, including the words 'know your rights' on her lower neck, and Arabic script on her right forearm which reads 'Determination' and the co-ordinates of each of her children's birthplaces on her upper arm. Meanwhile Brad's tattoo designs include the Bob Dylan lyric: 'We live, we die, we know but I'll be with you,' from the track When the Deal Goes Down, which appears to be written in Angelina's distinctive handwriting and is placed on his left stomach. He also has a cross on his right forearm and the first letters of each of his children's names. Riley Keough confesses she's really kind of laid back when it comes to sex and nudity. The eldest granddaughter of Elvis Presley headlines the new Starz series The Girlfriend Experience and told Nylon she had no qualms about stripping off for the part of a college student turned call girl. 'I dont have a weird button on nudity really. I guess Im a bit hippie in that sense,' the 26-year-old said. 'You kind of know what youre signing up for when youre doing a show about a sex worker.' Scroll down for video Laid back: Riley Keough, 26, said she has a 'hippie' approach to sex and nudity as she promotes her role as call girl in the Straz TV drama The Girlfriend Experience in an interview with Nylon magazine Riley, the daughter of the Elvis's only child Lisa Marie Presley and musician Danny Keough, plays the lead in the drama based on a Steven Soderbergh movie of the same name. The actress, who had a part in blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road, was drawn to it, she said, because the character challenged the usual perceptions about women. 'Shes selfish and controlling, and she really likes sex. Shes not a character you often see written for a woman as a lead, and youre kind of put off by it, because women are supposed to be super wholesome and moral or whatever,' she said. Then added: 'Thats why I liked it.' Famous genes: The eldest granddaughter of Elvis Presley is forging a Hollywood career as an actress and model Challenging part: Riley said she was attracted to the call girl role becuase the character is a selfish and controlling woman who really likes sex On fire: The striking brunette showed off her model figure as she posed for a series of portraits to accompany her magazine interview Riley started her acting career in 2010 with a small part in Hollywood movie The Runaways and a role in 2011 in The Good Doctor opposite Orlando Bloom. But, the 26-year-old tells the March issue of Nylon, she bided her time before really launching herself into the spotlight. She explained: 'I wanted to grow up before I started acting. I wanted to live my life a bit. I also really dont like attention on me, so it was kind of coming to terms with all of that.' Lineage: The 26-year-old is the daughter of Elvis's only child Lisa Marie Presley and musician Danny Keough Mature: She said she doesn't really like having attention focused on her and waited to 'grow up' before embarking on an acting career It was on the location set of Mad Max: Fury Road that Riley met her husband Ben Smith-Petersen, a stuntman. 'Ben and I started hanging out, and then we started dating. Then I imported him,' she explained. She was previously briefly engaged in 2012 to English model and actor Alex Pettyfer who she met while making the film Magic Mike. Riley and Ben tied the knot a year ago at a ceremony in Napa, California, but the actress insisted she knew right away that he was the one she wanted to be with. 'We were together eight months and then we got engaged. But I think I told him I wanted to marry him after a week.' 'I just had a moment. I dont over-intellectualize it because it just kind of happened, and I went with my gut there. We both had the same reaction, like, OK, cool.' Happily married: Riley celebrated her one year wedding anniversary to stuntman Ben Smith-Petersen on February 4. the couple, pictured in LA in January, met on the location set of Mad Max: Fury Road Close: Riley credited her mom Lisa Marie with protecting her from the dark side of growing up famous in Los Angeles. The two are pictured together at a Hollywood event in April 2012 As for being the granddaughter of Elvis, Riley has taken it in her stride. She credits her mom Lisa Marie for protecting her from the more negative aspects that came with her heritage. 'She was like, I dont want you growing up like another Hollywood celebrity daughter. She was so not about that life, you know?' Riley said. 'She didnt really put attention on it. It was there. Wed get photographed doing stuff, but I didnt see a tabloid until I was 15.' Tori Spelling has an alter ego. This persona, which only comes out when she is drunk, likes to urinate everywhere, according to the former 90210 star. The 42-year-old made the startling and slightly icky revelation while on Kocktails With Khloe during a sneak peek for Wednesday's episode on the FYI network. Scroll down for video 'I will do it everywhere!' Tori Spelling made a startling and slightly icky revelation while on Kocktails With Khloe during a sneak peek for Wednesday's episode on the FYI network Khloe asked the reality star what was the strangest place she had ever urinated. 'You know how you have KhloMoney,' Tori said, referring to Khloe's alter ego when she drinks a bit too much. 'Well, I have Terri,' she revealed. She's going there! Khloe asked the reality star what was the strangest place she had ever urinated Alter ego: 'You know how you have KhloMoney,' Tori said, referring to Khloe's alter ego when she drinks a bit too much. 'Well, I have Terri,' she revealed. 'When Terri comes to visit she is cray-cray and one of her things is she likes to pee and she pees anywhere,' the former actress admitted. 'Shell piss under a table, everyone raise your legs, she will pee in a potted plant,' she continued. 'She doesnt come out that often now that Im a mother,' Tori said, who has four children. 'When Terri comes to visit she is cray-cray and one of her things is she likes to pee and she pees anywhere,' the former actress admitted Fair enough: Khloe listened to the confession without appearing to be too grossed out Quieting down: 'She doesnt come out that often now that Im a mother,' Tori said, who has four children 'But theres Terri. Terri is super fun.' Then she could not help but add: 'If we were having the most amazing conversation, I would literally drink this glass and rather sit here and piss in it so we can continue our conversation than get up and leave you.' Khloe seemed to not be surprised by the confession and even jokingly said that she would like to see this shocking activity take place. The confession comes after it was revealed that Tori has been sued for $38,000 over an unpaid American Express bill. And to make matters worse, Spelling packed up her family and moved them yet again, and it's the seventh move in five years, Daily Mail Online learned exclusively. Not fazed: Khloe seemed to not be surprised by the confession and even jokingly said that she would like to see this shocking activity take place After only six months behind the gates in Calabasas, Tori has returned to Encino, reportedly to be closer to her kids' schools. The cash-strapped Tori and husband Dean McDermott, 49, have settled on a 1950's era 5-bedroom, 4-bath, 3,900 square foot home in the heart of Encino that rents for $7,500 a month. Her mother Candy Spelling is footing the bill for the home, as well as the family's food and the children's education as she revealed last month. Gigi Hadid is one of the most beautiful women in the world. And on Wednesday the 20-year-old declared that her good looks have a supernatural origin as she stepped out in a shirt emblazoned with the message 'God created Gigi'. The Victoria's Secret model teamed her self-congratulatory top with a Kith bomber jacket slung over her shoulders as she ran errands in New York City. Scroll down for video She's got great self-esteem! Gigi Hadid declared on Wednesday in NYC that her good looks have a supernatural origin as she stepped out in a shirt emblazoned with the message 'God created Gigi' While Gigi spread the good word about her maker, the blonde also made sure to show off her supernatural figure. The daughter of Yolanda Foster sported skintight leather trousers, displaying her long and incredibly toned legs. And adding a few inches to her already impressive 5ft10in frame, Gigi donned black booties. See more of the latest Gigi Hadid updates as she sports a 'God created Gigi' T-shirt Nice look: The Victoria's Secret model teamed her self-congratulatory top with a puffy jacket slung over her shoulders as she ran errands These boots were made for gawking! While Gigi spread the good word about her maker, the blonde also made sure to show off her supernatural figure Putting in the leg work! The daughter of Yolanda Foster sported skintight leather trousers, displaying her long and incredibly toned legs Cool arrival: The up and coming model wore her gorgeous mane in wild flowing waves over her shoulders as she sported dark Karen Walker sunglasses The up and coming model wore her gorgeous mane in wild flowing waves over her shoulders as she sported dark Karen Walker sunglasses. Meanwhile, her best pal Kendall Jenner recently said that Gigi is her security blanket. 'I'm in a job that all of my really good friends are in. They are the ones who are my security blanket. If I didn't have them, I think I'd be freaking out, lol!' the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star wrote on her website kendallj.com on Wednesday. Gorgeous: The catwalk pin-up looked to be wearing minimal make-up on her skin, though injected a glamorous touch with a winged eyeliner Her biggest fan! The model's jacket was also a tribute to herself as it was emblazoned with her name In a recent interview with LOVE magazine, Gigi revealed that she would only consider herself a supermodel when she had over five Vogue covers. The French cover is her sixth. She explained: 'I was always told as a kid that you need five Vogue covers to be a supermodel. I dont know if I consider myself a supermodel, but that was what I was told you need to do. 'There was Italia, Netherlands, Brazil, Spain. Theres another one. Im forgetting. I think I got six, shooting another tomorrow, another comes out in a couple of weeks in the UK. Crazy, right?' And she's certainly had the best training in the business - not only was her mother, reality TV star Yolanda Foster a top model in the 1980s and '90s, but she has been given a catwalk tutorial from Naomi Campbell. Fashionista: Gigi instilled a splash of colour into the style with a small backpack that was adorned in a colourful motif Finishing touches: The statuesque beauty added a few inches to her already impressive 5ft10in frame, Gigi donned black booties So, it's official? Gigi recently revealed that she would only consider herself a supermodel when she had over five Vogue covers, with the model recently gracing her sixth There's no denying she's got an impeccable style sense but Amal Clooney veered away from her signature look somewhat for her flight to Berlin on Wednesday. The high-flying lawyer attempted to go incognito as she concealed the most part of her face beneath a tan suede baker boy hat as she and husband George were pictured arriving in the German capital ahead of the annual film festival. Amal, 38, was uncharacteristically dressed down but managed to pull off the casual ensemble which was mostly black with a few quirky touches. Scroll down for video Welcome to Berlin: Amal Clooney looked excited ahead of Berlin Film Festival as she was pictured arriving in the German capital with husband George on Wednesday The Lebanon-born activist slipped her slim frame into a pair of black-wash jeans, featuring horizontal rips on the knees. Amal warded off the plummeting temperatures by wrapping up in a black textured coat which she wore fastened and which rested on her thighs. She wore a plain black polo-neck top beneath the cover-up but made more of a statement when it came to her choice of footwear. Nothing to see here: Amal, 38, attempted to go incognito as she hid under a brown suede baker boy hat Keeping her head down: The high-profile lawyer hoped to go unnoticed as she dashed from Berlin Tegel Airport to the couple's waiting car Feeling experimental: Amal was untypically casual in a pair of ripped black skinny jeans, a textured coat and a pair of flat leopard-print knee-high boots Got nothing to hide:She appeared to show no sign of exhaustion following the flight and was perfectly preened beneath her headwear Following her lead: George, 54, too opted for a smart-casual ensemble and afforded himself a disguise tool in the form of a pair of blacked-out sunglasses The serial heel-wearer prioritised comfort as she pulled on a pair of flat knee-high boots which were emblazoned with classic leopard print all over and afforded the mostly-black look a welcome contrasting edge. Despite the frenzy surrounding Amal and George's arrival to Berlin Tegel Airport, she seemed in good spirits as she was pictured smiling beneath the peak of her headwear. The talented Hollywood actor echoed his wife's mood as well as her keenness to disguise herself. Glossy goddess: Amal boasted a head of super-sleek tumbling curves which reached far past her shoulders Sartorially-in-sync: Amal and George - who have been married just over a year - sported his and hers black tailored coats Playing the supportive wife: Amal will accomapny George to the screening of his new film - Hail, Caesar! - which opens the annual film event on Thursday 11 George, 54, dressed down in a pair of bootcut jeans, a black pea coat which he styled with a partially unbuttoned shirt and a pair of blacked-out sunglasses. He played the perfect gentleman by ferrying the married couple's luggage from the terminal building to their chauffeur-driven vehicle. George and Amal were closely followed by his Hail! Caeser! co-stars - Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum and Josh Brolin. Woman in disguise: Hail, Caesar! actress Tilda Swinton followed closely behind Amal and George and she was evidently keen to go unnoticed An air of Inspector Gadget: Tilda, 55, sported a navy double-breasted coat, featuring military-style buttons, a matching fedora hat and a pair of aviator sunglasses Winning combo: Co-star Channing Tatum appeared to follow her lead in a brown fedora hat and rounded shades Tilda, 55, was evidently keen to go unnoticed as she made an effort to disguise herself in a look which wasn't dissimilar to Inspector Gadget. The legendary actress sported a long navy double-breasted coat, a matching fedora hat and a pair of aviator sunglasses. Channing, 35, followed her lead as he boasted his own take on the wining combo. He took an original approach to smart-casual dressing as he wore a white shirt - which was partially unbuttoned and hung loose over his waistband - and a denim waistcoat. Meanwhile, Josh, 47, prioritised comfort and favoured black tracksuit bottoms, a matching T-shirt, a purple V-neck jumper and trainers. Berlin Film Festival kicks off on Thursday 11 February and concludes on Saturday 20 with an award ceremony Comfort over style every time: Josh Brolin favoured black tracksuit bottoms, a matching T-shirt, a purple V-neck jumper and trainers Juliette Lewis and Courtney Love rocked out at Fleetwood Mac Fest in Hollywood Tuesday night. The 51-year-old grunge icon went barefoot onstage the Fonda Theatre clad in nothing more than a lacy purple slip. The Nasty Gal designer performed a cover of Silver Springs, a B-side from Rumours 'that I happen to love so much.' Scroll down for video Honouring the British-American rock band: Juliette Lewis and Courtney Love rocked out at Fleetwood Mac Fest in Hollywood Tuesday night Courtney curtsied, then showed her panties to the crowd after her rendition of the Stevie Knicks-penned 1977 track. The Hole frontwoman famously covered Fleetwood Mac's Gold Dust Woman for The Crow: City of Angels soundtrack in 1997. Meanwhile, the 42-year-old Oscar nominee slipped her fit 5ft6in figure into a skintight, banana-yellow jumpsuit and high-heeled boots. Signature style: The 51-year-old grunge icon went barefoot onstage the Fonda Theatre clad in nothing more than a lacy purple slip 'You could be my silver springs': The Nasty Gal designer performed a cover of Silver Springs, a B-side from Rumours 'that I happen to love so much' Cheeky: Courtney curtsied, then showed her panties to the crowd after her rendition of the Stevie Knicks-penned 1977 track 'And did you say she was pretty?' The Hole frontwoman famously covered Fleetwood Mac's Gold Dust Woman for The Crow: City of Angels soundtrack in 1997 The Jem and the Holograms star whipped her brunette locks to the beat of Stand Back after announcing: 'I brought my love and pain. I hope you don't mind! I want to take you all to the jungle right now.' Afterwards, Lewis wrote on social media: 'Last night @fondatheatre for #fleetwoodmacfest was a blast! COME TONIGHT!! I might make you sing!' The LA-born Scientologist's on/off band Juliette And The Licks will kick off their nine-date UK/European tour on April 20 at Huxleys Neue Welt in Berlin. Legit rock swagger: Meanwhile, the 42-year-old Oscar nominee slipped her fit 5ft6in figure into a skintight, banana-yellow jumpsuit and high-heeled boots The Jem and the Holograms star whipped her brunette locks to the beat of Stand Back after announcing: 'I brought my love and pain. I hope you don't mind! I want to take you all to the jungle right now' Afterwards, Lewis wrote on social media: 'Last night @fondatheatre for #fleetwoodmacfest was a blast! COME TONIGHT!! I might make you sing!' Hitting the road! The LA-born Scientologist's on/off band Juliette And The Licks will kick off their nine-date UK/European tour on April 20 at Huxleys Neue Welt in Berlin Fans can catch the Golden Globe-nominated duo Wednesday night at the Best Fest event benefitting Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and and the Sweet Stuff Foundation. Love appears in the six-part docuseries Generation X, which premieres Sunday on the National Geographic Channel. And Juliette will likely reprise her characters on the second seasons of ABC's Secrets and Lies and Fox's Wayward Pines - both airing later this year. Two-night celebration: Fans can catch the Golden Globe-nominated duo Wednesday night at the Best Fest event benefitting Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and and the Sweet Stuff Foundation Discussing Pacific Northwest musical influence: Love appears in the six-part docuseries Generation X, which premieres Sunday on the National Geographic Channel Chad's president to run for fifth term Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno, who has been in power since 1990, will run for a fifth term in office after being chosen Tuesday as his party's candidate. "You have given me the immense honour of renewing in me your confidence by making me your candidate in the 2016 election," Deby told members of his ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) party. If he wins enough ballots in the voting set for April 10, Deby will extend his grip on power that began in 1990 when he overthrew former president Hissein Habre. Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno, picturedon November 22, 2014, will run for a fifth term in office Miguel Medina (AFP/File) Deby, born in 1952, modified the constitution in 2004, scrapping its two-term limit on presidential tenure, and won the following elections by a huge majority. An oil-rich central African country with entrenched poverty, Chad is playing a pivotal role in the military campaign against the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram. Candidates have from February 10 to 29 to file their bid. A runoff vote will be held on May 9 if no outright winner emerges from the first round in April. Two opposition figures, Kassire Coumakoye and Malloum Yobode, have already declared they will run. On Tuesday, Deby announced he intended to restore term limits, saying they provide "vitality to our young democracy." North Korea has restarted plutonium reactor: US North Korea has restarted a plutonium reactor that could fuel a nuclear bomb and is seeking missile technology that could threaten the United States, Washington's top spy said Tuesday. In an annual threat assessment, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and senior military and intelligence officials singled out the authoritarian pariah state as a major and unpredictable menace. Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart, the director the the Defense Intelligence Agency, joined Clapper to brief the Senate Armed Services Committee on the global dangers faced by US planners. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un delivering a speech at a national awards ceremony for nuclear scientists KCNA (KCNA/AFP) "North Korea's nuclear weapons program and evolving missile programs are a continuing threat," he said. Clapper said the Kim Jong-un's secretive Pyongyang regime continues to develop cyber-espionage and cyber-attack capabilities, and has sold illegal weapons technology to other states. Last month, the regime tested what it said was a "hydrogen bomb," but -- according to Clapper -- US intelligence believes "the yield was too low for it to have been successful test of a staged thermonuclear device." It was the north's fourth nuclear test, and an apparent bid to expand its arsenal with a more destructive thermonuclear device. Despite this apparent failure, North Korea has pressed on with its ballistic missile program and on Saturday launched a rocket into space, a move which Washington and Tokyo said was a banned weapons test. "Pyongyang continues to produce fissile material and develop a submarine launched ballistic missile," Clapper told the lawmakers. "It is also committed to developing a long-range nuclear-armed missile that's capable of posing a direct threat to the United States, although the system has not been flight tested." Perhaps most worrying for the Americans, however, is North Korea's resumption of plutonium production -- a sign it remains bent on producing a more powerful bomb despite international economic sanctions. "We further assess that North Korea has been operating the reactor long enough so that it could begin to recover plutonium from the reactor's spent fuel within a matter of weeks to months," Clapper said. North Korea mothballed the Yongbyon reactor in 2007 under an aid-for-disarmament accord, but began renovating it after its third nuclear test in 2013. When fully operational, the reactor is capable of producing around six kilos (13 pounds) of plutonium a year -- enough for one nuclear bomb, experts say. Last month, Washington-based think tank the Institute for Science and International Security said satellite images suggest the reactor is operating only intermittently and at low capacity. - Wholesale collapse - Stewart told the panel that North Korea had paraded a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile in a recent parade, launched two satellites into orbit and was testing a submarine launched missile. In response to the latest North Korean provocations, Washington plans to deploy the THAAD missile defense system to its ally South Korea and has been pushing the UN Security Council to impose new sanctions. A draft sanctions resolution prepared by Japan, South Korea and the United States has been in negotiations for weeks, but veto-wielding China, the North's key ally, has been reluctant to back measures that would damage North Korea's already weak economy. "I don't think there's any question that to the extent that anyone has leverage over North Korea, it's China," Clapper told the committee. The US spy chief estimated that the otherwise impoverished state does 90 percent of its external trade with its giant neighbor China, which buys around $1.2 billion in coal from Pyongyang every year. "And then, of course, it's illicit finance," he alleged. "They have an organized approach to laundering money." China fears that pushing Pyongyang too far could trigger instability and unleash a wave of starving refugees across its border. Beijing also worries that a wholesale collapse of the regime in Pyongyang could eventually lead to a US-allied unified Korea right on its doorstep. The North is already subject to numerous UN sanctions over previous rocket launches and three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. It routinely insists the rocket launches are part of a legitimate space exploration program, but the United States and its allies view them as disguised ballistic missile tests. Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart (R), director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and James Clapper (L), Director of National Intelligence, testify during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on February 9, 2016 Saul Loeb (AFP) Facts on the Syrian exodus The Syrian conflict, which began in March 2011 and has become more and more complex, has forced more than half of the country's inhabitants to flee their homes. The United Nations on Tuesday urged neighbouring Turkey to open its borders to the tens of thousands of Syrians who have fled a major government offensive backed by Russian air power. The main border crossing north of Syria's second city Aleppo remained closed, forcing huge crowds including women and children to sleep in tents or in the open. Syrian families line-up on February 8, 2016 at the Turkish Oncupinar border gate near Kilis Bulent Kilic (AFP/File) Here are some key facts on the exodus: - On January 12, 2016, the United Nations said that 13.5 million people, out of a pre-conflict population of 23 million, have been displaced. - Humanitarian aid continues to be blocked by warring parties, in particular in difficult-to-access areas or those besieged by the army or armed opposition. - The UN says that some 486,700 people currently live in regions besieged by the army or by rebels, with dozens dying of malnutrition and lack of medical care. However, on Tuesday, two non-governmental organisations said that more than one million Syrians in 46 localities are living under siege, mainly by the regime and its allies. - Some 4.7 million Syrians have fled to neighbouring countries. "It is the biggest population of refugees for a single conflict in a generation," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said in July 2015, even before the staggering figure was reached. - Most of the refugees are in neighbouring countries, notably Turkey, which has become the biggest host country with between two and 2.5 million on its soil. It is followed by Lebanon with nearly 1.2 million, or more than a quarter of its own population. Roughly 630,000 people have taken refuge in Jordan, according to the UNHCR, but the authorities there put their number at more than a million. Some 225,000 Syrians have taken refuge in Iraq and 137,000 in Egypt. - The refugees are mired in poverty, health problems and growing tensions with local communities where they live in makeshift camps under extremely difficult conditions. - An increasing number make the perilous journey to Europe, at the hands of networks of traffickers. According to EU police agency Europol, around one million migrants -- mainly Syrians, Iraqis and Eritreans -- arrived in Europe in 2015. Indian avalanche soldier 'critical' after six-day ordeal An Indian soldier rescued nearly a week after he was buried by a deadly avalanche on the world's highest battleground was Tuesday being treated in Delhi in "extremely critical" condition, the army said. Hanamanthappa Koppad spent six days trapped after a massive block of ice fell onto his army post 5,900 metres (19,600 feet) high in the Himalayas, killing nine of his colleagues. His rescue late Monday came days after India said there was little hope of survivors from the disaster on the Siachen glacier in the disputed region of Kashmir. India and Pakistan have deployed around 3,000 troops on the glacier, where winter temperatures plummet to minus 70 degrees Celsius, with blizzards gusting at speeds of 160 kilometres (100 miles) per hour Indian Defence Ministry (Indian Defence Ministry/AFP) General D. S. Hooda, who heads the Indian Army's northern command, said the man's survival under nearly 25 feet (eight metres) of snow in temperatures of minus 45 degrees Celsius (minus 49 Fahrenheit) was a "miracle". "It was not a typical soft snow avalanche. It was like a wall of rock-hard ice," he told AFP, describing how army rescuers used sniffer dogs and specialist radar to detect the buried soldiers before cutting them free. "The effort went on day and night, except during two nights when blizzards hit the area. "In the end, the whole effort paid off as a miracle when a survivor was pulled out." The soldier, who was found conscious but severely hypothermic and in shock, was airlifted to a military hospital in Delhi on Tuesday. A government statement said he was now comatose and in an "extremely critical" condition and had been placed on a ventilator. - 'God has been kind' - "We are all very, very happy," Koppad's father told reporters in comments broadcast on television. "God has been very kind to us. His mother had been crying, I was also crying," he said, without giving his name. "We don't have money to go and visit him. If the government can help us a little, we can go to meet him." Hooda said the bodies of the other nine soldiers had now been retrieved, declaring the rescue mission over. Special battery-operated snow-cutters had to be flown in using helicopters, which at that altitude can only carry up to 50 kilogrammes (110 pounds) in weight, he said. An estimated 8,000 soldiers have died on the glacier since 1984, almost all of them from avalanches, landslides, frostbite, altitude sickness or heart failure rather than combat. In 2012, 140 Pakistani soldiers were killed at the high-altitude Gayari base in one of the worst disasters on the glacier. Each side is estimated to deploy around 3,000 troops on the glacier, where winter temperatures plummet to minus 70 degrees Celsius, with blizzards gusting at speeds of 160 kilometres (100 miles) per hour. The nuclear-armed neighbours fought a fierce battle over Siachen in 1987, though guns on the glacier have largely fallen silent since a peace process began in 2004. The Kashmir region -- of which Siachen is a part -- is divided between Pakistan and India but is claimed by both in full. It has triggered two of the three wars between the neighbours since independence in 1947 from Britain. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the soldier in hospital shortly after his arrival in Delhi. "We are all hoping and praying for the best," Modi tweeted. An Indian army dog helps in the search for survivors after a deadly avalanche on the Siachen glacier on February 8, 2016 Indian Defence Ministry (Indian Defence Ministry/AFP) Palestinian government says willing to step down for unity The Palestinian government said on Tuesday it was ready to step down to enable a new national unity government, as rivals Fatah and Hamas engaged in a new reconciliation effort. Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah was "ready to resign to support the formation of a national unity government and to take every effort to achieve genuine reconciliation", a statement read. The government is the remnant of the cabinet of independent technocrats that the West Bank-based Fatah and Gaza rulers Hamas agreed on in 2014 when they announced their reconciliation. Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, pictured on April 21, 2015, is "ready to resign to support the formation of a national unity government" Romeo Gacad (AFP/File) But the unity government has been ineffective and essentially barred from operating in Gaza, with president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah and the Islamist Hamas long at loggerheads. Tuesday's new declaration of a willingness to resign, coming after two days of talks between Fatah and Hamas in the Qatari capital Doha, was not the first time the government has proposed such a move. Hamas also said it was "ready to form a new unity government without preconditions", and called for "a new government to solve the current problems". Hamas accuses Fatah of preventing the government from regulating the salaries of its 50,000 employees who have been on the books since the Islamists seized power in Gaza in 2007. Fatah accuses Hamas of maintaining a rival government and refusing to cede the management of Gaza's borders. Nickolay Mladenov, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, on Tuesday welcomed the Doha meeting, saying the world body "supports all efforts undertaken to advance genuine Palestinian reconciliation on the basis of non-violence, democracy and PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) principles". "The formation of a national unity government that abides by the PLO programme and the conduct of long-overdue elections are important elements of this process," he said in a statement. Kerry: Russian bombs hurting Syria peace talks US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Tuesday that Russia's aerial bombardment of Syrian opposition targets could derail efforts to re-start talks to end the country's brutal civil war. Kerry and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are due in Munich on Thursday to host a meeting of a 17-nation contact group designed to get the talks back on track. But US frustration with Russia's bombing in support of Bashar al-Assad's regime is growing, amid fears that the opposition will refuse to join UN-led peace talks while their cities are under fire. US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a press conference at the State Department on February 5, 2016 in Washington, DC Brendan Smialowski (AFP/File) "There is no question, and I have said this before publicly, that Russia's activities in Aleppo and in the region right now are making it much more difficult to be able to come to the table and to be able to have a serious conversation," Kerry said. "And we have called on Russia and we call on Russia again to join in the effort to bring about an immediate ceasefire and to bring about full humanitarian access," he said. "That is what this meeting will be about and this meeting will tell a lot about the road ahead," he added, in remarks at the State Department ahead of talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. Russia is a signatory to UN Security Council resolution 2254, passed in December, which orders all warring parties in Syria to respect an immediate ceasefire and allow humanitarian agencies to take food and relief supplies to besieged civilians. But, with UN-led peace talks in Geneva stalled, Russian jets have continued to bomb Assad's enemies, most recently in an onslaught that has seen regime forces advance to all but encircle the city of Aleppo. Flint mayor demands lead pipes be replaced after scandal Replacing 15,000 lead pipes is the only way that residents of Flint, Michigan can feel safe again in the wake of a tainted water scandal, the US city's mayor said Tuesday. "We have been emotionally traumatized and we need new pipes," Mayor Karen Weaver told reporters. "That's the only way the community is going to have confidence in what's going on." Officials are accused of ignoring months of foul-smelling and discolored water, even as residents complained it was making them sick and tests showed elevated lead levels. Matt Hopper holds and comforts Nyla Hopper, after she has her blood drawn to be tested for lead on January 26, 2016 in Flint, Michigan Brett Carlsen (Getty/AFP/File) It wasn't until a local pediatrician published evidence of a huge spike in lead poisoning among Flint children in October that state officials admitted the water was unsafe to drink. Residents of the predominantly poor and black city of 100,000 have been using bottled water ever since. Weaver said crews could begin pulling out pipes within a month if she is able to secure the $55 million needed to replace 550 miles (885 kilometers) of aging, corroded lead pipes with new copper pipes. The work could be completed in about a year. Lead exposure can have devastating impacts on young children by irreversibly harming brain development. It has been shown to lower intelligence, stunt growth and lead to aggressive and anti-social behavior. Governor Rick Snyder -- who is facing calls to resign over his handling of the crisis and has declined requests to testify before a congressional panel investigating the scandal -- has pledged to address the damage done in Flint. But he has not yet supported calls to immediately begin replacing the pipes, saying that the short-term solution is to restore a protective coating that stops the corrosion. That simply won't work for Flint, Weaver said. "We will never be confident that the biofilm has built back on. That's a tough one for us," she told reporters. The cash-strapped city was reportedly hoping to save $5 million over two years by drawing water from the Flint River beginning in April 2014 rather than continuing to buy it from nearby Detroit. The US Justice Department launched an investigation into the crisis last month and Michigan's Attorney General Bill Schuette has also launched an independent investigation. He told reporters Tuesday that the former prosecutors and FBI agents leading the investigation will determine if any laws were broken. They will also be investigating whether the poisoned water could be blamed for any deaths, which could lead to involuntary homicide charges, special prosecutor Todd Flood said. When asked if Snyder could be exempt from the investigation due to executive privilege, Todd said: "No one can get away from a crime." Flint Mayor Karen Weaver speaks on January 20, 2016 in Washington, DC Mandel Ngan (AFP/File) Monsanto fined $80 mn for accounting violations Monsanto will pay an $80 million penalty to settle charges it misstated earnings by failing to accurately count rebate costs for a best-selling weed killer, US securities regulators announced Tuesday. Monsanto undercounted rebate payments in 2009, 2010 and 2011 that boosted revenues of the herbicide Roundup and, as a result, "materially misstated its consolidated earnings in corporate filings during a three-year period," the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a statement. "Corporations must be truthful in their earnings releases," said SEC Chair Mary Jo White. Monsanto undercounted rebate payments in 2009, 2010 and 2011 that boosted revenues of the herbicide Roundup Philippe Huguen (AFP/File) "This type of conduct, which fails to recognize expenses associated with rebates for a flagship product in the period in which they occurred, is the latest page from a well-worn playbook of accounting misstatements." The moves meant Monsanto counted $44.5 million in rebate payments in 2010 that should have been recorded in 2009. Monsanto counted $48 million in rebate costs in 2011 that should have been assessed in 2010, the SEC said. The SEC also settled administrative proceedings against two Monsanto accounting executives, Sara Brunnquell and Anthony Hartke, who agreed to pay penalties of $55,000 and $50,000, respectively. A former Monsanto sales executive Jonathan Nienas was fined $30,000. The SEC also said Monsanto chief executive Hugh Grant and former chief financial officer Carl Casale reimbursed Monsanto for $3.2 million and $728,843, respectively, in bonuses and stock awards received during the period when the accounting violations were committed. The SEC found no evidence of personal misconduct by Grant or Casale. "Monsanto is committed to operating its business with the utmost integrity and transparency and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations," Monsanto said in a separate statement. "The company is pleased to put this matter behind it." The accounting case dates back to 2011, when Monsanto announced it was restating its financial statements for 2009 through the third quarter of 2011 to accurately account for the rebate costs. Pentagon chief in Europe to drum up anti-IS support US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Europe on Tuesday ahead of a summit to convince key members of a US-led coalition to expand their roles in the fight against the Islamic State group. Carter has in recent weeks chastised partners in the 65-nation alliance for not helping enough in the fight against the extremists, who despite suffering some significant setbacks remain firmly in control of large parts of Iraq and Syria and have a growing foothold in Libya. "I don't think anybody is satisfied with the pace (of the campaign), that is why we are all looking to accelerate it," Carter told reporters as he flew to Brussels. US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter speaks in Washington, DC on February 2, 2016 Saul Loeb (AFP/File) "My instructions are very clear from my president. He wants to get this done." In all, 27 coalition members who have contributed militarily to the 18-month fight will join Carter's delegation for talks in Brussels on Thursday. Another 21 coalition countries are attending as observers. Defence ministers from several Western nations such as Australia, Britain and France will attend, as well as Saudi Arabia -- a key Sunni ally that joined the coalition in late 2014. Though Riyadh initially carried out air strikes against IS jihadists in Syria, its participation and that of other Gulf coalition members dropped as they shifted focus to conflict-torn Yemen. "I really hope they make a strong contribution because I think they have a strong stake in making sure that extremism doesn't run rampant over their own region," Carter said. "We will defeat ISIL and it will be good for their futures for them to be on the winning side," he added, using an alternative acronym for the jihadists. Riyadh has said it would commit ground forces to fight the extremists in Syria, should the US-led coalition ever send in combat troops. Beyond military contributions, the Pentagon hopes to drum up pledges of logistical support, intelligence sharing and much-needed cash. So far, the campaign has cost the US $5.8 billion -- about $11.4 million daily -- since it began at the end of summer 2014, according to Pentagon figures. - New Canadian commitment - Carter, who has been in the job for a year, has bashed some members of the "so-called" coalition for doing "nothing at all," while America carries out the lion's share of the military campaign. Pentagon officials say his appeals are bearing some fruit. Canada, for instance, announced Monday it would triple the number of special forces training Kurdish militia in northern Iraq. Despite some successes, such as the coalition-assisted takeback of Ramadi by Iraqi security forces, the IS group still holds several important cities like Mosul in Iraq and Raqa in Syria. Highlighting the complexities inherent in maintaining a 65-member alliance whose members can have divergent national interests, Turkey on Tuesday reportedly summoned the US ambassador after a State Department spokesman angered Ankara by saying Washington did not consider the main Syrian Kurdish party to be a terrorist organisation. The United States must tread cautiously with Turkey, as it arms and advises Kurdish rebels fighting the IS group in northern Syria. Carter and President Barack Obama are hearing growing criticism at home over the pace of progress of the campaign and face calls for intervention in Libya, where IS jihadists have doubled in number to about 5,000 in recent weeks. Last year, they seized control of the city of Sirte and an adjoining length of Mediterranean coastline. Carter will also discuss the situation in Syria's Aleppo province, where a government assault backed by Russian air support has resulted in tens of thousands of newly displaced people and refugees. - NATO summit - Ahead of his anti-IS meeting, Carter will on Wednesday attend a summit of NATO defence ministers that will feed into a general NATO summit in Warsaw in July. The 28-member alliance is trying to figure out how to adapt to a massively complicated array of potential threats, including future Russian land grabs along the borders of countries in eastern Europe and the Baltic nations. NATO's posture is "moving from reassurance to a full deterrence posture in Europe," Carter said. The Pentagon's proposed budget for next year includes $3.4 billion -- quadruple last year's amount -- for US military operations in Europe. The cash will fund the so-called European Reassurance Initiative. Smoke rises in the distance behind an Islamic State (IS) group flag after Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters reportedly captured several villages from IS in the district of Daquq, on September 11, 2015 Marwan Ibrahim (AFP/File) A Canadian CF-18 Hornet warplane takes part in a joint NATO exercise in 2014 'No shortcuts' in Africa's war against jihadists: US special forces chief African states must brace for a long-term fight against jihadist organisations, which are developing new tactics, recruiting more fighters and learning from each other, the US special forces chief in the continent said. "This kind of warfare is long term and there's no shortcuts to it. You've got to stay on course and it requires everybody cooperating. You can't underestimate their ability to resurge," General Donald Bolduc told reporters in Dakar. Bolduc's comments late Monday came as the United States launched an annual military exercise dubbed Flintlock, which will see 1,700 special forces personnel from some 30 countries take part. Soldiers participate in a three-week joint military exercise between African, US and European troops, known as Flintlock on February 8, 2016 Seyllou (AFP) With jihadists in Africa increasingly resorting to attacks on markets and security forces, the latest round of training would focus on improving police and military preparedness, particularly for urban warfare. "The most important training that we can do is connect that military training to the police," he said. Despite losses in the battlefield, extremists are becoming more "proactive" across the continent, Bolduc warned. "They have transferred tactics, techniques and procedures, particularly in improvised explosive devices, and they have traded ideas and concepts on how to message and present themselves in public, solidifying their ideology and what they stand for." With Nigeria leading a regional offensive against Boko Haram's Islamist insurgency since last year, the group has resorted to carrying out a string of suicide and bomb attacks in and around Africa's most populous country, leaving thousands of civilians dead. In Burkina Faso and Mali, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for deadly attacks on hotels popular with foreigners in November last year and on January 15 this year. In east Africa, Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab insurgents have lost ground since being routed from Mogadishu in 2011, but they continue to stage regular shooting and suicide attacks. - IS 'reaching out' - Bolduc said a key part of governments' fight against jihadists should be "countering the narrative" of extremists, as their rhetoric is an essential part of their recruitment strategy. He meanwhile warned that IS -- to which Boko Haram has pledged allegiance -- now poses a more direct threat than ever in Africa. A US-led coalition has since 2014 been carrying out air strikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria, where the radical group holds large swathes of territory. Now IS "is reaching out to Al Shebab, it's reaching out to Boko Haram, it's reaching out to AQIM. In some cases, it's directly supporting AQIM. It's influencing Al Shebab, it's influencing Boko Haram, not directly supporting it, but influencing it with its ideas," Bolduc said. On Tuesday, Nigeria's intelligence agency announced the arrest of a recruiter for IS who was preparing to go to Libya, which has slid into chaos since the fall of Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Fears have been expressed about a link-up between IS fighters in Libya and Boko Haram as well as Al-Qaeda affiliated jihadist groups in places such as Mali and elsewhere in North Africa. To date there has been little evidence of the use of foreign fighters in Boko Haram's insurgency, which has left at least 17,000 dead and displaced more than 2.6 million people since 2009. In New Hampshire, primary voters are keen -- and divided Jamie Labrie says he is a proud Republican who admired former president George W. Bush. This time around, Donald Trump is getting his vote and, like many in New Hampshire, Labrie is keen to have his voice heard. Labrie, a 38-year-old trained metal worker, says he is worried about the economy, and he thinks a man who's made billions in international real estate has the answers. "For lack of a better word, balls," Labrie told AFP outside a church in Concord, on his way to vote Tuesday in New Hampshire's largest city Manchester, when asked about his choice. An elderly man votes at a fire station in Loudon, New Hampshire on February 9, 2016 Jewel Samad (AFP) Like many in the Granite State, the first in the nation to hold a presidential primary, Labrie was excited about being part of the process Tuesday -- and thrilled at the chance to have an early influence on the 2016 White House race. "I think it's every citizen's duty. That's my feeling on it. You can't complain if you didn't vote," he said. In New Hampshire, a small state in the northeastern United States, voters can register as a Democrat, Republican or an independent allowed to vote for anyone. Labrie said he also admires Bush's younger brother Jeb, who wants to follow his father and brother into the White House, but is weary of career politicians. "America's the biggest business on the planet and the fact that he's one of the most successful businessmen on the planet, helps," he said of the 69-year-old Trump. - Jazzed - Inside St John's Church in Concord, office manager Lauren Flieder is stand-in moderator for a ward of 2,620 registered voters but expects to sign another 200-400 up on the spot. "It's a fun day, everyone's all jazzed for it," she told AFP in the warmth of the church hall, the snow covering the ground outside. "We're all about voting and getting everyone voting. It's very exciting when we have a first-time voter." Flieder plans to ring through the ward's tally to headquarters shortly after 7:00 pm, then kick back and watch the results trickle in late into the night over a glass or two. "A few of us will go back to my house and have a cocktail and lament about the day, and how great we did and how nice it is to have it all done," Flieder said. Ohio Governor John Kasich captured the imagination Tuesday by winning the midnight vote in the tiny community of Dixville Notch, which since 1962 has picked the Republican who goes on to win the nomination. Beth Sargent, a middle aged volunteer for the Kasich campaign who works in government relations, laughed as she held up a placard. "I want him to win," Sargent said, bundled into a cream jacket and purple gloves. "I think he'll make good decisions for the country. I think he can bring the Congress together. Kasich, former governor Bush and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are snapping at the heels of Florida Senator Marco Rubio in the polls, hoping to beat frontrunner Trump or finish in second place. "They've been here for months, all the governors have, so I think that they could definitely have an opportunity to win," said Sargent. - Love it - But indicative of the divisions in the state, Hillary Clinton volunteer Ruth Smith said she would never be happy with a Republican in the White House. She went to see Kasich on the campaign trail, and says she thought to herself, "If he's one of the best ones, we're in big trouble." A fundraiser for a non-profit who lives in the picturesque town of Canterbury, she plans to attend Clinton's results party in the evening. "I totally love it," she said of the extraordinary opportunity in New Hampshire to meet the candidates and vote early, potentially making or breaking the presidential dreams of many. "I actually will not vote for someone whose hand I haven't shaken. And that's kind of a cool thing to be able to do," Smith said. She believes Clinton and her self-styled democratic socialist rival Bernie Sanders want the same things, but that he is unelectable even if, as expected, he carries the Democratic vote in New Hampshire. "If Bernie wins the nomination in November, we will have a Republican president -- I firmly believe that," she said. "This country is huge and diverse, and there's a lot of people who would just do, I don't know what, before they vote for a socialist." Robert Bundy disagreed. A retired power plant operator, Bundy called for campaign finance reform outside a polling station in Concord with a "No PAC Rats ALLOWED!" poster. "I'm for Bernie because his policies align with everything that I care about, so I have no problem supporting that man," he said. Campaign signs in the snow outside a polling location on February 9, 2016, in Concord, New Hampshire Dominick Reuter (AFP) A man walks out of a booth with his ballot at the town hall in Canterbury, New Hampshire, on February 9, 2016 Jewel Samad (AFP) Supreme Court deals blow to Obama climate plan The US Supreme Court has put on hold a sweeping plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fueled power plants, dealing a significant blow to President Barack Obama's efforts to rein in climate change. A coalition of 27 US states -- most of them run by Obama's Republican adversaries -- is suing in a lower court to halt Obama's Clean Power Plan, and petitioned the Supreme Court to suspend its implementation until the case is resolved. The White House said it was disappointed in the ruling, but convinced the ambitious plan to slash US emissions was based on a strong legal foundation, and would prevail. A coalition of 27 US states are suing in a lower court to halt Obama's Clean Power Plan, and petitioned the Supreme Court to suspend its implementation until the case is resolved Mark Wilson (Getty/AFP/File) "We disagree with the Supreme Court's decision to stay the Clean Power Plan while litigation proceeds," spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement issued after the five-to-four ruling. "We remain confident that we will prevail on the merits." Tuesday's ruling, backed by five of the nine Supreme Court justices, halts the rollout of rules that require the power sector's carbon dioxide emissions to be slashed by at least 32 percent compared to 2005 levels by the year 2030. The far-reaching regulations issued last year by the Environmental Protection Agency are central to Obama's drive to reduce overall US greenhouse gas emissions. "Even while the litigation proceeds, EPA has indicated it will work with states that choose to continue plan development," Earnest said. California's Democratic Governor Jerry Brown -- who is part of a coalition of states defending the emissions plan -- said as much, as he accused the justices of acting "tone-deaf" faced with the threat of "irreversible climate change." "This arbitrary roadblock does incalculable damage and undermines America's climate leadership," he said in a statement. "But make no mistake, this won't stop California from continuing to do its part under the Clean Power Plan." Democratic White House hopeful Bernie Sanders voiced bitter disappointment at the ruling, shortly before he was declared winner of the key New Hampshire presidential primary. "The Supreme Court's decision is deeply disappointing. There's no time to spare in the fight to combat climate change," he tweeted. The court's four liberal justices -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elana Kagan -- also voiced their firm dissent. But West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey hailed it as a major victory against efforts to regulate the coal industry. "Hope. Coal miners and their families should have more hope tonight after our unprecedented victory at the US Supreme Ct. We stayed the CPP!" tweeted Morrisey, whose state leads a group opposing the Obama plan. - Republicans cry victory - The federal program was a central part of the commitments put forward by Washington ahead of the Paris climate deal struck by 195 governments in December. But many US conservatives deny outright that climate change is caused by human industry and agriculture, and have opposed emissions controls designed to slow global warming. The EPA rules have incensed Republicans, particularly lawmakers from coal-producing states, who say the economic cost of the endeavor would cripple industry and hike energy costs for millions of Americans. Republicans in Congress late last year voted through two so-called disapproval resolutions on the regulations, dealing a largely symbolic yet blunt rebuke to Obama. The Republican leader in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, thanked the Supreme Court for stopping an "illegitimate abuse of power". "The administration's regulations would kill jobs, increase costs, and decrease the reliability of our energy supply," he charged. "That's not what America needs." Likewise, House Speaker Paul Ryan called it "a victory for the American people and our economy." "President Obama's attempt to remake the country's entire energy sector to further his own climate agenda is more than costly, it's unlawful," the Republican said. Obama has relied heavily on the EPA to drive through measures on climate change since failing to secure congressional adoption of a broad energy package early in his presidency. But the powerful agency is viewed with suspicion if not outright hostility by part of the Republican camp. In practice, the EPA will be barred from implementing the emissions rules while an appeals court weighs the case filed by the state plaintiffs -- a delay that risks limiting Obama's ability to cement the reform before he leaves the White House. Top greenhouse gas emitters New Environmental Protection Agency rules have incensed Republicans, particularly lawmakers from coal-producing states, who say the economic cost of the endeavor would cripple industry George Frey (Getty/AFP/File) Australia introduces medicinal cannabis legislation Australia Wednesday introduced legislation into parliament to legalise the growing of cannabis for medicinal purposes, with the government calling it "the missing piece in a patient's journey". Health Minister Sussan Ley said the law, if passed, would allow cultivation of cannabis through a national licensing and permit scheme, opening the way to a safe, legal and sustainable supply of locally produced product for the first time. "This is an important day for Australia and the many advocates who have fought long and hard to challenge the stigma around medicinal cannabis products," Ley said. Research, including findings published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows marijuana has some effectiveness in helping treat chronic pain GUILLERMO LEGARIA (AFP) "For Australia, this is the missing piece in a patient's journey. "Importantly, having a safe, legal and reliable source of products will ensure medical practitioners are now at the centre of the decision making process on whether medicinal cannabis may be beneficial for their patient." Research, including findings published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed marijuana has some effectiveness in helping treat chronic pain. But there are concerns about side effects and the issue of whether or not it works remains a matter of debate globally. The Labor opposition and the Greens have indicated they support the move, with the government envisaging that cannabis will only be available to patients through a doctor's prescription or a medical trial. "I sincerely hope the parliament can continue to work together to pass this legislation in a bipartisan fashion as quickly as possible in the interest of Australian patients seeking access to medicinal cannabis," said Ley. S. African scrutiny over Zuma's ties to Indian family Political scandals, huge economic deals and even extravagant wedding party controversies -- an immigrant family that is one of South Africa's wealthiest is accused by critics of wielding immense power behind the scenes. The Guptas, an Indian family that moved to the country in the 1990s, are alleged to exert a magnetic pull over President Jacob Zuma, and their influence has increasingly become the target of government's fiercest critics. To outsiders they may seem an industrious immigrant family that has made it big in their adopted country, but now their reputation is a key battleground in opposition efforts to oust Zuma from power. Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema (C) peeks through barbed wire around the Constitutional Court where judges were hearing a case over public money spent on President Jacob Zuma's private house on February 9, 2016 in Johannesburg John Wessels (AFP) The family has built a string of South African companies controlled by brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh with interests in computers, mining, media and engineering. Zuma ferociously defends his friendship with the Guptas, and many of his ministers have various ties to the family. The president's son Duduzane is a director of the Gupta's Sahara Computers and is a partner in some of their other businesses, while Zuma's third wife Bongi Ngema was also a Gupta employee. "The Guptas are smart and shrewd business people and this can't be a normal relationship," political analyst Prince Mashele told AFP. "There appears to be a Gupta hand in every business sector." Last week the radical leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) opposition party put the Guptas at the centre of its campaign against Zuma ahead of municipal elections later in the year. - Political target - "We cannot allow a situation where South Africa is colonised by a family," EFF leader Julius Malema raged, as he blamed the Guptas for many of South Africa's problems and demanded that they leave the country. "We will do to the Guptas what we did to the colonisers and apartheid," he said. "The more we talk, the more they become corrupt and they do not care about South Africa. "We can no longer tolerate it. It's a battle, it's a war against the Guptas." Public anger towards the family soared in 2013, when a large private jet carrying foreign guests to a Gupta wedding was granted permission to land at Waterkloof Air Force base, outside Pretoria. The airport is a military facility that is normally used to receive heads of state. The wedding party did not go through immigration checks, and were given a police escort to the marriage at a casino resort 160 kilometres (100 miles) away. The fact that several ministers attended the week-long lavish ceremonies fuelled further media and public antagonism towards the Guptas. In another ongoing controversy, the Gupta-owned Tegeta Exploration and Resources company is in the process of acquiring a Glencore coal mine. The minister of mines, Mosebenzi Zwane, joined the firm's delegation that visited Glencore's headquarters in Switzerland last year to negotiate the sale. Zwane's surprise appointment as mines minister in September was widely seen to have been due to the Guptas, with whom he has been close for several years. In another deal, VR Laser, partly run by a Gupta nephew, has entered into a joint venture with Denel, the state-owned arms manufacturer, to sell its products in Asia. "Such deals smack of the capture of public entities by private individuals," said Mashele. "This is an improper relationship that goes into the heart of our national integrity." - Web of influence - The Guptas, who hail from Saharanpur, in northern India, developed a friendship with Zuma well before he became president in 2009. And he repays the loyalty by refusing to distance himself from them. Atul, the middle brother, was the first to arrive in South Africa in 1993 to scout for business opportunities. In 1994 they founded Sahara Computer, named after their hometown. High-profile holdings in their portfolio include the New Age, a pro-government newspaper launched in 2010, and the 24-hour news channel ANN7, broadcasting since 2013. Now their business ambitions are hatched from a huge residential compound in the upmarket Johannesburg district of Saxonwold. In 2011, Zuma's office issued a official statement rejecting allegations of Gupta interference, following claims that it was the Guptas who first told a minister of his appointment. The presidential office and Gupta spokesman Gary Naidoo did not respond to AFP's request for comment. "There is a feeling that the Guptas are almost running the state," Adriaan Basson, author of the book "Zuma Exposed", told AFP. "Although there hasn't been any formal investigation into the relationship, all probabilities point to an improper alliance. "I can't see President Zuma turning his back on the Gupta family." The Guptas, an Indian family that moved to South Africa in the 1990s, are alleged to exert a magnetic pull over President Jacob Zuma John MacDougall (AFP/File) Explosives, suicide belts found on suspects at Syria border: Turkish army Turkish security forces seized explosives and four suicide vests in the baggage of a group of suspects stopped at the border with Syria, the Turkish army said on Wednesday. "Between 12 and 15 kilos of explosives and four belts that could be used for suicide attacks were found in two bags," the army said in a statement. A group of 34 people -- four men, 10 women and 20 children -- were stopped in Turkey's southeastern border town of Karkamis, the statement said. Trucks cross the border between Syria and Turkey at Bab al-Salama on February 5, 2016 Bulent Kilic (AFP) The army did not refer to any terror group in its statement, but Karkamis lies across the border from the Syrian town of Jerabalus, which is currently controlled by the Islamic State group. The seizure comes as around 30,000 Syrians are huddled on the border with Turkey at Oncupinar, around 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Karkamis, after fleeing a major government offensive, backed by Russian air power, in Aleppo. Turkey, already hosting 2.7 million Syrian refugees, has so far refused to let the new wave into the country, providing humanitarian assistance across the border. The United Nations on Tuesday urged Turkey to open its borders to the Syrians, who have overwhelmed the emergency camps, where huge crowds including women and children have been forced to to sleep in tents or in the open. Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has said that a "worst case scenario" could see up to 600,000 refugees arrive at the border. Turkish police are on the alert for fighters slipping into the country, after a series of attacks on its soil claimed by the IS group. In January 11 German tourists were killed in a blast in Istanbul's historic centre, while in October last year a suicide attack killed 103 people at a demonstration in Ankara. Syria: civilians flee as regime, Kurds advance against rebels Philippe MOUCHE (AFP) Pregnant woman diagnosed with Zika in Australia A pregnant woman has been diagnosed with the Zika virus in Australia, officials said Wednesday, adding that the disease was acquired overseas. The Australian government has urged pregnant women to avoid areas where the mosquito-borne Zika virus, suspected of causing a surge in brain-damaged babies in Brazil, is circulating. "A woman was diagnosed with the disease in South East Queensland yesterday after recently returning from overseas," Queensland Health said in a statement. Some Latin American countries have increased the monitoring of pregnant women because of the risk of infection by Zika virus JOHAN ORDONEZ (AFP) "The woman is pregnant. This is not a locally acquired case of the virus." It is the third confirmed case of the virus so far in Queensland this year, although one of these cases -- a woman who had recently returned from El Salvador, was later found to have contracted the virus in 2015. None of the cases in Australia of Zika, which normally causes relatively mild flu-like symptoms and a rash, were locally acquired. Scientists suspect that when Zika strikes a pregnant woman it can cause her fetus to develop microcephaly -- a condition which causes the baby to be born with an abnormally small head. Top takeaways from the New Hampshire primary In July, Hillary Clinton offered up some prophetic words. "I always thought this would be a competitive race," she told CNN. How right she was. Her rival Bernie Sanders ran away with the Democratic presidential primary in New Hampshire, besting Clinton by more than 20 percentage points. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks to the crowd during a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, on February 8, 2016 Don Emmert (AFP) On the Republican side, Donald Trump earned his first win of the campaign, and none of his rivals were even close. What does it all mean? Here are the top takeaways from Tuesday's primary in the Granite State, only the second stop on the long road to the White House. - Trump 1, Establishment 0 - The first lesson is not to be hasty in drawing conclusions from the campaign trail. It's clear that Trump was unable to fully muster supporters last week in Iowa, when he finished second to ultra-conservative Senator Ted Cruz. But he made good Tuesday on the resounding overall lead he has enjoyed in opinion polls since last summer, earning more than a third of Republican votes in New Hampshire. "People read a lot into Trump's performance in Iowa," said Robert Boatright, a professor of political science at Clark University in Massachusetts. The anti-establishment, anti-elite message of the billionaire tycoon resonates with an eclectic mix of voters -- from the center to the far right -- whose unifying characteristic is the rejection of politics as usual. Unless evidence surfaces to the contrary, those voters have not abandoned their chosen candidate. Trump's rivals are many -- four of them earned at least 10 percent of the vote on Tuesday: Ohio Governor John Kasich, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Cruz, the hero of the religious right. "The Republican leadership wanted the field of non-Cruz and non-Trump candidates to be reduced," said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of the University of Virginia's online political newsletter Sabatos Crystal Ball. "The winnowing didn't really happen tonight." - Jeb Bush: Stayin' Alive - Bush, who is looking to follow in the footsteps of his president father and brother, spent last week insisting over and over again that New Hampshire was not a do-or-die moment for his campaign. With roughly 11 percent of the vote on Tuesday, Bush -- headed for a fourth-place finish -- is still alive. New Hampshire "revives his campaign to a certain degree -- it shows that he has at least as much support as Rubio and Cruz in a primary state," said Steven Smith, a professor of political science at Washington University in St Louis. "He also probably has a larger bank account than Kasich and Rubio at this stage. So he will be in a position to put on full-scale campaigns in South Carolina and Nevada" later this month, Smith said. - What next for Rubio? - Rubio -- the surprise third-place finisher in Iowa -- looked headed for fifth place in New Hampshire, largely due to a robotic debate performance on Saturday that didn't impress voters in the northeastern US state. "Maybe Rubio was a little overvalued after Iowa -- now he's probably going to be undervalued after New Hampshire," Kondik predicted. Rubio, in a campaign message to supporters hours after the New Hampshire polls closed, admitted: "On Saturday night at the debate, I dropped the ball. I want you to know that will never happen again." - Clinton banking on black voters - After Tuesday's loss, Clinton's team quickly tried to downplay its significance by turning to the numbers. "The nomination will very likely be won in March, not February," campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo sent to reporters. Voters in 28 states will cast ballots in March, with more than half of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention at stake. Notably on the calendar are contests in South Carolina, Texas, Georgia and Alabama, where black and Hispanics make up a majority of the Democratic voters. Since the presidency of Clinton's husband Bill in the 1990s, the links between the Clintons and blacks have been nearly airtight, with the exception of Barack Obama's historic 2008 run -- at Hillary's expense. "Before the primaries, you could make the argument that Iowa and New Hampshire were two of Bernie Sanders' three best states because they're very liberal and they're very white, Vermont being the third state," Kondik said. Clinton's national profile may suffer after the loss in New Hampshire, Kondik said, but Sanders' lack of popularity in the South is borne out by several polls. According to an NBC survey, he trails Clinton in South Carolina by 37 percentage points. The question of course is: Will African-American voters stay loyal to Clinton? "It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African-American and Hispanic voters," Mook said. - The math - So far, only two percent of the Democratic and Republican delegates on offer have been awarded in Iowa and New Hampshire. As long as the Republican race remains divided, Trump can continue to dominate, even without winning 50 percent of the vote. But, from March 15, many states will begin attributing all of their Republican delegates on a winner-takes-all basis, and not proportionally, as the Democrats do. Trump win in New Hampshire Ohio Governor and Republican presidential hopeful John Kasich speaks to supporters in Concord, New Hampshire, on February 9, 2016 Dominick Reuter (AFP) Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush has the funds to launch full-scale campaigns in South Carolina and Nevada after a strong performance in New Hampshire Jim Watson (AFP/File) US Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio finished a distant fifth place in New Hampshire Jewel Samad (AFP) Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters in Hooksett, New Hampshire, on February 9, 2016 Don Emmert (AFP) India, UAE eye trade, security on crown prince's visit India and the United Arab Emirates are eyeing a string of defence, infrastructure and other deals when Abu Dhabi's crown prince starts a visit to New Delhi late Wednesday, an official said. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the two-day trip aimed at bolstering trade which reached $59 billion last year. The trip comes six months after Modi became the first Indian premier in three decades to visit the UAE, as he seeks to attract more foreign investment, including from the oil-rich state's sovereign wealth fund. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (right) will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the two-day trip aimed at bolstering trade which reached $59 billion last year HO (WAM/AFP/File) "The visit takes place after we decided to elevate our relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership during the PM's August visit," India's foreign ministry secretary (east) Anil Wadhwa told reporters. The crown prince, deputy chief of the UAE armed forces, arrives late Wednesday accompanied by a large business delegation, before talks with Modi the next day. Counter-terrorism is expected to be on the agenda, with India seeking exchanges of information with the UAE about regional security threats. The UAE is part of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group that has seized parts of Syria and Iraq. Delhi hopes to advance agreements on jointly producing defence equipment, as India undertakes a massive modernisation of its ageing military, Wadhwa said, without specifying any deals. Delhi is also seeking to secure investment in major infrastructure projects as the government overhauls its dilapidated railway and road networks. Abu Dhabi is the largest of seven emirates making up the UAE, which is India's third largest trading partner after the US and China and is a major supplier of oil. The UAE is also home to around 2.6 million Indian expatriates who mostly work on construction sites. Venus finally off the mark in 2016 Venus Williams finally registered her first tour win of 2016 as she powered past Lee Pei-chi 6-3, 6-2 at the Taiwan Open on Wednesday to set up a clash with Urszula Radwanska. The top seed and world number 12 broke Taiwan's Lee, aged 21 and ranked 529th, three times in their first career meeting as she cantered to victory in less than an hour. It put the seven-time Grand Slam champion, 35, into the second round for the first time this season after she lost her opening matches at both Auckland and the Australian Open. Venus Williams, in action on January 19, 2016, broke Taiwan's Lee Pei-chi three times in their first career meeting as she cantered to victory in less than an hour William West (AFP/File) Iran blames 'terrorists' for Syria peace talks collapse Iran blames the failure of Syria peace talks on the participation of "terrorists", state media said Wednesday ahead of an international meeting to try to get the process back on track. "What created problems at the recent Syria meeting in Geneva was not having differentiated between the opposition and terrorists," Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura by telephone, according to state broadcaster IRIB. The presence of "certain terrorists" was "not constructive", he was quoted as saying. UN Envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura (L) and Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian meet in Tehran on January 10, 2016 Atta Kenare (AFP/File) Iran openly gives financial and military support to the regime of its close ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which objects to the inclusion in peace talks of Islamist rebels whom it brands "terrorists". De Mistura last week suspended Syria peace talks as the regime pressed an offensive backed by Russian air strikes in the northern province of Aleppo that has sent tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing towards the Turkish border. Syrian Kurds open Moscow office, amid Kremlin push Syrian Kurdish separatists on Wednesday opened a representation in Moscow amid a push by the Kremlin to have them included in Syria peace talks despite Turkey's objections. "This is a historical moment for the Kurdish people," Merab Shamoyev, chairman of the International Union of Kurdish Public Associations, said at the ceremony in an industrial neighbourhood in southeast Moscow. "Russia is a great power and an important actor in the Middle East. It is in fact not only an actor, but it also writes the script." A Kurdish man waves a large flag of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) political wing, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) Delil Souleiman (AFP) The opening of the representation -- which Shamoyev said was a "big political step" for Syrian Kurds -- came as global powers meet in Munich on Thursday in a bid to revive Syria peace talks. The opening of the office in Moscow is also bound to fuel tensions in Russia's relations with Turkey, which broke down in November after Ankara shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border. Those present at the ceremony have ties to the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), said Shamoyev. The PYD is a leader in the fight against the Islamic State group in northern Syria, but Turkey considers it to be an offshoot of its arch-foe the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PYD was not invited to the Syria peace talks which collapsed in Geneva last week amid accusations from the West and the Syrian opposition that Russia's bombing campaign was targeting civilians. The talks, aimed at ending a nearly five-year war that has killed more than 260,000 people, were suspended until February 25. Moscow, a long-time supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has said no negotiations could yield results without the Kurds but Ankara considers their presence unacceptable, given their desire for independence. Russia's foreign ministry has appeared to distance itself from the opening of the Syrian Kurdish office, saying Kurdish interests will be represented by diplomats from Syria and Iraq. Shamoyev expressed hope that the rights of the Kurdish people to have their own "culture, language and self-governance" would be guaranteed by Syria's constitution and that Russia would help them with that. In a November meeting in Vienna, world powers agreed on an ambitious roadmap that foresees six months of intra-Syrian talks, leading to a new constitution and free elections within 18 months. But it left unresolved the contentious issue of Assad's leadership. In late 2013, Kurdish groups in the northeast of the war-ravaged country announced the establishment of a transitional autonomous administration after making key territorial gains against jihadists. Syrian Kurdish separatists have also announced plans to open offices in Washington, Paris, Berlin and Arab countries. Last year, they opened their first representation office in the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. UAE names women ministers for happiness, tolerance The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday appointed women to the newly created posts of state ministers for happiness and tolerance, and a 22-year-old female for youth affairs. Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum named eight women as he revealed his latest cabinet line-up of 29 ministers in a series of tweets. Ohoud al-Roumi, who serves as director of the council of ministers' office, was appointed "minister of state for happiness". She will also keep her former post. Nura bint Mohamed al-Kaabi, who was appointed as a new minister to the United Arab Emirates' Federal National Council "Happiness is not just a wish in our country. There will be plans, projects, programmes and indices. It will be part of the job of all ministries," tweeted Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the ruler of Dubai. The new post "will align and drive government policy to create social good and satisfaction," he said earlier. Shamma al-Mazroui, 22, was appointed state minister for youth, while Lubna al-Qassimi, a veteran minister of international cooperation and development, was handed the new post of state minister for tolerance. "The post of Minister of State for Tolerance has been created to promote tolerance as a fundamental value in UAE society," Sheikh Mohammed wrote when he announced the reshuffle earlier this week. The cabinet has eight new ministers, including five women, with an average age of 38, WAM state news agency said. Sheikh Mohammed described the cabinet shake-up as the "largest structural change in the history of our federal government," merging ministries and appointing several state ministers. The move could be seen as an attempt to cut expenditure as Gulf oil-exporters struggle to adapt to the sharp drop in their revenues after crude prices nosedived to record low levels. An oil-rich federation of seven Gulf sheikhdoms, the United Arab Emirates is considered a safe haven spared in the wave of Arab Spring uprisings that hit the region. - Nascent democracy - Last year its rulers sought to widen the country's nascent democratic credentials with about a quarter of its one million citizens given the right to vote. Eighty-seven of the 330 candidates were women, who play a much larger role in public life in the UAE than in neighbouring Saudi Arabia. But the authorities have been deeply cautious and in 2014 introduced sweeping new counterterrorism legislation that rights groups have criticised as paving the way for a crackdown on dissent of all sorts. Citizens account for a small minority of the UAE's population of nine million which is overwhelmingly made up of foreign workers. The female ministers include also Noura al-Kaabi, as Minister of State for the Federal National Council, or parliament, Jamila al-Muhairi, as Minister of State for Education, and Najla al-Awar as Minister of Community Development. Reem al-Hashimi was moved to the post of State Minister for International Cooperation Affairs, while Maitha Alshamsi kept her post as a state minister. Several key ministries remained in the hands of members of the ruling families. Sheikh Saif bin zayed al-Nahyan, a son of the late founder of the UAE and a member of Abu Dhabi's ruling family, has kept the portfolio of interior. His brother Sheikh Abdullah stayed at the helm of the ministry of foreign affairs, now merged with the portfolio of international cooperation, while his other brother Sheikh Mansour remains vice prime minister and minister of presidential affairs. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid himself kept hold of the defence portfolio and his brother Sheikh Hamdan stayed as minister of finance. Oil Minister Suhail al-Mazroui remained in office. Shamma al-Mazroui, 22, who was appointed as the United Arab Emirates' new minister for youth Afghan policeman killed in firefight with NATO troops An Afghan police officer was killed during a clash with NATO forces in the capital Kabul, the country's interior ministry said Wednesday. The incident erupted on Tuesday when the police officer opened fire on a NATO delegation at the entrance of Afghanistan's Ministry of Commerce and Industries, the ministry said in statement. The shooter was wounded when NATO soldiers returned fire, according to NATO spokesman Michael Lawhorn. No NATO forces were injured during the incident. Attacks on NATO troops by Afghan forces have bred fierce mistrust Shah Marai (AFP/File) The assailant later died after succumbing to injuries at a local hospital. "The interior ministry has ordered Kabul police to investigate the incident," the ministry's statement added. So-called "green-on-blue" attacks, when Afghan soldiers or police turn their guns on international troops or colleagues, have been a major problem during NATO's long years fighting alongside local forces. The attacks have bred fierce mistrust between Afghan and foreign troops even though the number of such incidents has declined in recent years. NATO formally ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in December 2014 and pulled out the bulk of its troops, however, a 13,000-strong residual force remains in the country to assist with training and counter-terrorism operations. The Afghan military, which was built from scratch after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, has also struggled with "insider attack" killings, high casualty rates and mass desertions. Meteorite not responsible for killing man in India: NASA NASA on Wednesday said it was unlikely a meteorite was responsible for killing a man at a college campus in India last week, as local scientists continued to examine the mysterious object recovered from the scene. Authorities in southern Tamil Nadu state had claimed that a meteorite fatally struck a bus driver and injured three others on Saturday. After reviewing photographic evidence, the US space agency told AFP that they did not believe the object was a meteorite. Scientists inspect the crash site of a suspected meteorite that landed in the Vellore district of Tamil Nadu state, southern India on February 6, 2016 "While more details are forthcoming from local scientists, this is unlikely something from space," Dwayne Brown, a NASA spokesman, said in a statement. "To form a crater the size of what has been posted online would have required a meteorite of at least several kilograms," he said. Local officials recovered a blue object, which was roughly smaller than an adult hand, near the accident site and claimed it had left a crater in the ground. The college also reported that buildings on the campus were damaged during the incident. Two days after the episode, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram said the unknown object was a meteorite, triggering an international debate. G.C. Anupama of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, which sent a team to examine the object, said the group has not finished their investigation yet. "The team has received a sample from the local police investigating the event. The nature of the object will be ascertained only after a detailed analyses by the experts," Anupama, the dean of the institute, told AFP. Meteors are particles of dust and rock that usually burn up as they pass through Earth's atmosphere. Those that do not burn up completely, surviving the fall to Earth, are known as meteorites. Young Palestinian killed by Israeli fire in West Bank clashes: ministry Israeli fire killed a Palestinian youth during clashes near Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry said. The Israeli army confirmed opening fire after spotting "assailants hurling rocks at civilian vehicles" during the clashes in the area of the Al-Arroub refugee camp. The Palestinian killed, identified as Omar Jawabra, was said to be 15 or 16. Palestinian protestors hurl rocks at Israeli soldiers during clashes Musa al-Shaer (AFP/File) A wave of violence that erupted in October has claimed the lives of 166 Palestinians, 26 Israelis, a US national, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. Most of the Palestinians were killed carrying out attacks, while others died during clashes and demonstrations. Some analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest. Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media as a main cause of the unrest. Israel has also faced questions over whether it has used excessive forces in some cases, which it firmly rejects. Also on Wednesday, Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog spoke of his proposal to begin unilaterally separating from the Palestinians "as much as possible" to restore security, saying he sees no peace deal possible for now. The head of the Labour-led Zionist Union coalition said he still wants a two-state solution, but does not believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas are capable of a breakthrough. As a result, he proposes separating Palestinian areas on the outskirts of Jerusalem from the city itself and completing construction of Israel's controversial separation barrier already walling off much of the occupied West Bank. Herzog said the Palestinians must also be given more civilian authority in the West Bank itself as part of "confidence-building measures", though he stressed the Israeli army would continue to operate anywhere it sees necessary in the territory. Turkey's Erdogan lambasts US over support for Syrian Kurds Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan bitterly attacked ally the United States over its support for Syrian Kurdish groups, as they seized an airport near Aleppo and sought to build ties with Russia. In an impassioned and sometimes angry address, Erdogan accused Washington of creating a "pool of blood" in the region by working with Kurdish groups Ankara lists as terror organisations. The US has been supporting Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in their fight against Islamists in Syria, but Turkey considers them to be terror groups allied to Kurdish rebels on its soil. Syrian Kurds demonstrate against the curfew imposed by the Turkish army in the town of Cizre, on February 8, 2016, in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli Delil Souleiman (AFP) "Hey America! How many times have we had to tell you?" Erdogan said. "Are you together with us or are you with the PYD and YPG terror groups?" "As you have never recognised them (as terror groups) the region has turned into a pool of blood." His remarks escalated a row between Washington and Ankara over the role of Kurdish fighters in the struggle against Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria. The dispute also risks further complicating the search for a solution to Syria's five-year conflict, driving a wedge between two key members of the anti-IS coalition and further hampering a stuttering peace process. "Is there a difference between the PKK and the PYD? Is there a difference with the YPG?" growled Erdogan. "We have written proof!" "Allies don't tell each other my enemy's enemy is my friend. You must have principles. But there are no principles here." - 'Most successful' against IS - Turkey on Tuesday summoned the US envoy to Ankara in protest after the US State Department said Washington did not recognise the PYD as a terror group and would continue to support its operations in Syria. Ankara has also expressed outrage over a visit last week by US presidential envoy Brett McGurk to the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane where he met YPG fighters. "Even the best of friends aren't going to agree on everything," State Department spokesman John Kirby said earlier this week. "Kurdish fighters have been some of the most successful in going after Daesh (IS) inside Syria." YPG fighters backed by Arab rebel groups captured the strategic Minnigh air base and adjacent town in northern Syria from anti-government factions, monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said early Thursday. The advance comes after days of fierce clashes that saw YPG forces advance east from the Kurdish stronghold of Afrin and take over a series of villages before reaching Minnigh. "With the defeat at Minnigh, Islamist fighters lost the only military airport they held in Aleppo province," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. Turkey says the Syrian Kurdish groups are simply a branch of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is recognised as a terror group by the United States, and has carried out a string of deadly attacks in Turkey in the last few months. - 'Relations will fray' - Can Acun, a researcher with the Ankara-based Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, said Turkey was facing a "serious crisis" with the United States on the issue. "We don't know if the US is using the Syrian Kurds for short-term tactical reasons or in the long-term. If it's the second, then bilateral relations will fray," he said. In a further twist, a Syrian Kurdish group on Wednesday opened a representation in Moscow, which is currently in the throes of a diplomatic crisis with Ankara and is working to tighten ties with the Kurds. "This is a historical moment for the Kurdish people," said Merab Shamoyev, chairman of the International Union of Kurdish Public Associations, adding that those present at the ceremony had ties to the PYD. Russian air strikes in support of a regime offensive around Aleppo have sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to the border with Turkey, already home to some 2.5 million refugees from Syria and hundreds of thousands from Iraq. More than 500 people have been killed by the onslaught so far this month, the Observatory said. But Erdogan blasted the response from members of the United Nations, saying: "UN, what are you useful for?" "We have so far taken in three million people from Iraq and Syria and how many have you taken in? How many people has each country taken in? You are troubled by 300-500 people but we have taken three million." Syria: civilians flee as regime, Kurds advance against rebels Philippe MOUCHE (AFP) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) gives an impassioned speech on February 10, 2016 asking whether the United States is an ally or is working with groups Ankara lists as terror organisations Adem Altan (AFP) A Kurdish man waves a large flag of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) political wing, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) Delil Souleiman (AFP/File) Jordan rejects 1982 Paris attack suspects extradition Jordan has rejected an extradition request from France for two suspects accused of carrying out a 1982 deadly attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris, a judicial source said Wednesday. The alleged mastermind of the attack, which killed six people and wounded 22 others, Zuhair Mohamad al-Abassi, 62, was arrested in Jordan last year. The request was rejected because at the time of his arrest an extradition deal between Jordan and France had not entered into force, the source said. Jordan has rejected an extradition request from France for two suspects accused of carrying out a deadly attack on the Jo-Goldenberg restaurant in Paris, pictured on August 11, 1982 Joel Robine (AFP/File) The deal was signed in 2011 but became effective only in July last year, after Abassi, also known as Amjad Atta, was released on bail. Jordan has also refused to hand over a second suspect, Nizar Tawfiq Hamada, 54, because the statute of limitations concerning the criminal allegations against him expired, the source said. The decision was taken in October, four months after French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius urged Jordan to "respect international procedure" by extraditing Abbasi and Hamada. David Pere, a lawyer for the AFVT association that represents French victims of terrorism, said he was "astounded" by the Jordanian decision. "We were expecting the Jordanian authorities to send a strong message in the fight against terrorism," Pere said. He said Amman's decision not to extradite the pair was a "political" one aimed at "keeping social peace in Jordan". A French judiciary source said Paris was "not surprised" by the decision. The attack on the Chez Jo Goldenberg Jewish restaurant -- in the popular Marais district of Paris -- began around midday on August 9, 1982 when a grenade was tossed into the dining room. Two men then entered the restaurant, which had around 50 customers inside, and opened fire with "WZ-63" Polish-made machine guns. They also shot at passers-by as they escaped. Between three and five men are thought to have taken part in the attack, which was blamed on the militant Palestinian group Fatah Revolutionary Council. NATO debates German-Turkish refugee aid request NATO defence ministers discussed Wednesday a request by key members Germany and Turkey to help cope with a massive influx of refugees, mostly fleeing the Syrian conflict, alliance head Jens Stoltenberg said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Ankara on Monday that Turkey and Germany would ask NATO to help police the Turkish coast to prevent smugglers from packing migrants into boats for the perilous crossing to Greece. Stoltenberg said the 28 allies "are now considering the request for NATO support for coping with the migrant and refugee crisis and we are of course doing that in very close dialogue with the allies that are most affected." Hundreds of migrants and refugees disembark from a ferry at the port of Piraeus on February 10, 2016 Louisa Gouliamaki (AFP) "There are consultations and discussions going on now but I can not tell you anything about the conclusions," he said as NATO defence ministers held a two-day meeting in Brussels. "We have to look very carefully into whether and how NATO can make a contribution and a difference," he said, adding that there could be an announcement on Thursday. Agreeing a NATO role could prove difficult as Turkey and Greece have a long history of disputes, including in the Aegean Sea where the migrants cross. Turkey -- the only Muslim-majority nation in NATO and with one of its largest armies -- was the main transit country for the more than one million migrants who reached Europe last year. Once in Greece, they mostly made their way north to Germany and other richer countries in the European Union, driving what has become Europe's worst migrant crisis since World War II. The problem shows no sign of slowing -- more than 70,000 made the dangerous crossing in January, with over 400 dying, according to the International Organization for Migration (OIM). US accuses Rwanda of 'destabilizing activities' in Burundi The United States accused Rwanda Wednesday of involvement in "destabilizing activities" in strife-torn Burundi, including the recruitment of refugees for armed attacks against the government. The US concerns were raised in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by two top diplomats, who cited reports from colleagues in the field that point to Rwandan involvement in the Burundi crisis. "There are credible reports of recruitment of Burundian refugees out of camps in Rwanda to participate in armed attacks by Burundian armed opposition against the Burundian government," said Thomas Perriello, US envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa. Burundian protesters hold banners at Bujumbura airport on January 21, 2016 Griff Tapper (AFP/File) Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, told the senators" "We have seen a number of reports from our colleagues in the field that suggest (that) the Rwandan government has been involved in destabilizing activities in Burundi." It is the first time the United States has publicly accused the government in Kigali of involvement in the crisis in neighboring Burundi. The United States historically has been an ally of Rwanda, but relations between the two have chilled in recent years. Burundi has been in turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans in April to run for a third term, which he went on to win. More than 400 people have died since then and at least 230,000 have fled the country. Relations between Rwanda and Burundi are at a low point, with Bujumbura accusing Kigali of supporting its opponents and serving as a rear base for a nascent insurgency. Rwanda rejects the accusations. A UN panel reported last week that Burundian refugees had been recruited at a refugee camp in eastern Rwanda in May and June 2015, and given two months of military training. The refugees said their "ultimate goal" was to remove Nkurunziza from power, according to the report. Kurds, allies seize most of key air base in north Syria: monitor Kurdish forces backed by Arab rebel groups on Wednesday seized most of a key military airport and the adjacent town in northern Syria from rival anti-government factions, a monitoring group said. The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and its Arab allies expelled Islamist and other rebel fighters from the town of Minnigh and overran "more than half" of the nearby air base, north of Syria's second city Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The advance comes after days of fierce clashes that saw YPG forces advance east from the Kurdish stronghold of Afrin and take over a series of villages before reaching Minnigh. Fighters from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) sit in the back of a vehicle in the al-Zohour neighbourhood of northeastern Syrian city of Hasakeh on August 2, 2015 Delil Souleiman (AFP/File) Clashes were ongoing inside the airport, where Islamist rebels were trying to maintain a grip on the last military air base they hold in Aleppo province, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. Government forces lost control of the Minnigh airport in August 2013. Rebel groups are facing a dual advance by both Kurdish forces coming from the west and regime troops -- backed by a barrage of Russian air strikes -- pressing an offensive north from Aleppo city. The Latest: Prosecutors say Adnan Syed killed ex-girlfriend BALTIMORE (AP) The Latest on Adnan Syed's retrial request in a murder case explored by the popular "Serial" podcast (all times local): 3:30 p.m. The prosecution has finished its closing arguments in the case of Adnan Syed, whose murder conviction was re-examined by the popular "Serial" podcast. Now a Baltimore judge must decide whether to grant him a new trial. FILE - In this Feb. 3, 2016 file photo, Adnan Syed enters Courthouse East in Baltimore prior to a hearing in Baltimore. An alibi witness who was never called, cell phone data that was misrepresented and other legal failures more than justify a new trial for Syed, his defense lawyer argued Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016 closing an unusual hearing prompted by the popular "Serial" podcast's extensive re-examination of the murder case. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/The Baltimore Sun via AP) WASHINGTON EXAMINER OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT Defense attorney Justin Brown has a few more words to say to Judge Martin Welch, and then both sides plan press conferences about the case, which turned millions of listeners into armchair detectives. --- 1:50 p.m. Maryland prosecutors are asking a Baltimore judge not to grant a new trial for the man convicted in a murder case re-examined by the popular "Serial" podcast. They argue that Adnan Syed wasn't convicted because of ineffective counsel or faulty evidence, but because "the evidence was overwhelming, and because he did it." Deputy Attorney General Thiru Vignarajah launched into his closing arguments Tuesday afternoon after four days of testimony. Syed, now 35, is serving a life sentence after being convicted of murder in the 1999 strangling death of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. His lawyers argued that he deserves a new trial because his trial attorney did not contact an alibi witness who said she saw Syed in a public library during the time Lee was killed, and because prosecutors presented cell tower data to jurors without a cover sheet warning that information about incoming calls was unreliable. Prosecutors said the data linked Syed to the site where Lee's body was buried on the night she was killed. Vignarajah acknowledged the intense media attention generated by the podcast, which attracted millions of listeners who became fascinated with the murder case. He said "this is not a popular position, but the state's role is to do justice." --- 12:30 p.m. An alibi witness who was never called, cell phone data that was misrepresented and other legal failures more than justify a new trial for Adnan Syed, his defense lawyer argued Tuesday, closing an unusual hearing prompted by the popular "Serial" podcast's extensive re-examination of the murder case. Deputy Attorney General Thiru Vignarajah was delivering closing arguments for the state, which maintains that Syed was properly convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison for the 1999 strangling death of his high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee. But first, attorney Justin Brown summed up the defense case in closing arguments Monday and Tuesday, telling Judge Martin Welch that "we proved our case. We did exactly what we said we would. I believe we met our burden and that Mr. Syed deserves a new trial." Brown argued that cell tower data linking Syed to Lee's burial site was misleading because it was presented to jurors without a cover sheet warning that information about incoming calls was unreliable. Man, woman out on bond after arrest with Los Angeles inmate LAS VEGAS (AP) Las Vegas police say a man and woman accused of harboring a murder suspect who was mistakenly released from a Los Angeles jail last month are out on bond. Authorities arrested 37-year-old fugitive Steven Lawrence Wright at a Boulder City, Nevada, hotel on Monday, along with 39-year-old Bruce Oliver and 39-year-old Lavera Wilson. Wright had been hiding out for days after being released in January due to a paperwork mistake. He was facing a new trial after an overturned murder conviction. In this Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, booking photo released by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shows California fugitive Steven L. Wright at the Henderson Detention Center in Las Vegas. Wright, a murder suspect mistakenly released from jail Jan. 30, 2016, was captured in Nevada. Detectives learned Monday, Feb. 8, 2016 that Wright might be hiding in a Boulder City hotel and requested assistance from the FBI and local police departments. Wright was taken into custody without incident. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP) He's being held at the Henderson city jail awaiting extradition, with no additional charges expected. Oliver and Wilson are accused of harboring, concealing or aiding a felony offender. Police haven't detailed their relationship with Wright. Racially abused commuter to attend PSG vs Chelsea match PARIS (AP) The commuter who was prevented by a group of Chelsea fans from boarding a metro train last year because he is black has accepted an invitation from Paris Saint-Germain to attend the French team's next Champions League game against the London club. Souleymane Sylla's lawyer told The Associated Press on Tuesday that his client has recovered well since the incident that left him "traumatized" and plans to be at the Parc des Princes next week when the teams meet again. The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation of the incident, which was filmed and occurred before Chelsea played PSG in the Champions League. Legal proceedings are still ongoing, lawyer Jim Michel-Gabriel said. After twice pushing Sylla away, the Chelsea fans chanted "we're racist, we're racist, and that's the way we like it." Michel-Gabriel said Sylla has been invited to the Champions League last-16 first leg match on Feb. 16 as part of a campaign launched by SOS Racisme, an organization fighting against racism and discrimination. "SOS Racisme have been in touch with him since the incident," Michel-Gabriel said in a phone interview. "He was traumatized and in a state of shock. He is still undergoing therapy but at the same time he knows he must carry on with his life. He is not the type of person who stays at home indulging in self-pity." Chelsea issued a public apology after the tube incident but Sylla rejected the Premier League team's invitation to go to London to watch them play the return leg against PSG. Michel-Gabriel said that Chelsea is not associated with PSG's invitation this time. Four of the Chelsea supporters who took part to the mishap were given banning orders by a British court of up to five years last summer. In a video posted by the Guardian newspaper, Sylla pushed back and asked if he could walk into the carriage before again being shoved away. "Not a single person came to my defense but, in any event, what could they have done?" he later said in an interview with a French newspaper. "I went home without talking about this to anybody, neither my wife nor my children. ... What would I say to my children? That daddy got shoved in the metro because he is black?" Michel-Gabriel said Sylla had been off sick from work many times over the past year because of the incident. More recently, his attention had been focused on the arrival of a new baby in his family. Sanders surpasses Clinton in NH primary with wide support MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) Sen. Bernie Sanders won a decisive victory over Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic primary Tuesday, propelled by support from a formidable alliance of men, women and young people. Sanders was also buoyed by independent voters and a belief that he was more honest and trustworthy than Clinton, who won New Hampshire eight years ago against then-candidate Barack Obama. "The government of our great country belongs to all of the people, and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super PACs," Sanders told supporters Tuesday night in a message that he said resounded "from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California." Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves to the crowd during a primary night watch party at Concord High School, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) His win will likely prompt rank-and-file Democrats and some major campaign donors to give his campaign a second look as the race shifts to contests in Clinton-friendly states like Nevada and South Carolina. Sanders stuck to core campaign themes this week in an effort to avoid upsetting a race trending his way. "I felt like he was the most honest," said Nicole Reitano, a 24-year-old from Nashua, New Hampshire, who voted for Sanders. "He's had the same views forever, and he's never budged. That makes me feel confident in him." While Sanders' victory means he's assured of a majority of New Hampshire's pledged delegates, Clinton remains ahead in the overall delegate count due to support from superdelegates the party officials who can support the candidate of their choice. Clinton has amassed at least 392 delegates and Sanders at least 42; the magic number to clinch the nomination is 2,382. Inside her rally, Clinton's supporters defiantly chanted, "I'm with her!" and roared with approval when the former secretary of state took the stage, joined by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea. "We are going to fight for every vote in every state," Clinton told the cheering crowd after she conceded defeat. She acknowledged she has "some work to do, particularly with young people." Sanders, once labeled a "fringe candidate" by his detractors, received majority support from younger voters and was narrowly favored by women. "What the people here have said is given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for the same old, same old establishment politics, and establishment economics," Sanders told a victory rally. "The people want real change." Sanders aides said they plan to focus on introducing the Vermont senator to a broader swath of the country, including minority voters, a group that largely backs Clinton. On Wednesday, they will launch ads in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Colorado and Massachusetts all states where they believe Sanders can expand his following. Those ads will focus on Sanders' personal history, including his immigrant father and early work as a civil rights activist in college. In the week since her slim victory in the leadoff Iowa caucuses, Clinton's campaign tried to lower expectations in New Hampshire, the site of her 2008 comeback. She traversed the state's snow-covered highways with family in a push to maintain her edge in national polls, and reassure the Democratic establishment to continue backing her campaign. But Sanders maintained a steady lead in New Hampshire despite Clinton's longstanding ties in the state. Tom Olson, a 35-year-old from Manchester, New Hampshire, said Sanders would make a better president. "It would be nice to see someone willing to swing for the fences," Olson said. Two-thirds of Democratic voters identified as politically liberal, compared with 56 percent during the 2008 primary, exit poll data showed. But Clinton and Sanders both benefited from a similar amount of support from moderates and liberals. __ On Twitter, follow Ken Thomas and Lisa Lerer: https://twitter.com/KThomasDC and https://twitter.com/llerer Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at her first-in-the-nation presidential primary campaign rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Hooksett, N.H. Clinton lost to Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Hoarding in Syria's largest city as government advances BEIRUT (AP) As government troops close in on Aleppo, some residents are preparing to flee Syria's largest city while others are hoarding food in case of a long siege, even laying out bread on rooftops to dry it out for storage. The U.N. warned Tuesday that hundreds of thousands of people could be cut off from humanitarian aid as siege conditions tighten around the rebel-controlled eastern part of the city. The threat of starvation haunts Aleppo's residents, who have seen images of emaciated children and adults from other blockaded parts of Syria. An estimated 1 million people are trapped in besieged areas, according to a report issued Tuesday by the Siege Watch project. FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 file photo, Syrians walk towards the Turkish border at the Bab al-Salam border gate, Syria. As government troops close in on Aleppo, some residents are preparing to flee while others hoard food, with some even hanging bread on rooftops to dry it out for storage as the U.N. warns that hundreds of thousands of people in Syrias largest city could be soon cut off from humanitarian aid. (Depo Photos via AP, File) TURKEY OUT "There is a lot of fear, especially after people saw Madaya," said opposition media activist Karam Almasri, referring to a besieged town in southern Syria. "They don't want the same to happen to them," added Almasri, who lives in Aleppo's war-ravaged neighborhood of Bustan al-Qasr. He and others spoke to The Associated Press via Skype or social media. Aleppo looms large in Syria's 5-year-old conflict, both as the country's former commercial capital and a bastion of the opposition in the north. The city has been divided since 2012, with the government controlling the western portion, while the eastern part is held by insurgents. Many neighborhoods and historic buildings have been ruined by street fighting and aerial bombardment. A government offensive in the countryside north of Aleppo has cut a vital opposition supply route from the Turkish border, leaving just one corridor from the east to the outside world. That route is squeezed between two government fronts to a border crossing farther west and is exposed to heavy bombardment by the Russian air force. Those airstrikes are helping Syrian forces, supported by Iranian, Lebanese, and Iraqi militias, to advance. The only other routes to the north are blocked by militants from the Islamic State group and, to a lesser degree, by Kurdish forces. Aid operations also have been disrupted. "We've been able to access Aleppo through the western route, but it's become very risky," said Dalia Al-Awqati, programs director for Mercy Corps in northern Syria. The international relief organization provides food assistance to 66,000 people in eastern Aleppo. The prewar population of the provincial capital exceeded 2.1 million, but there are no accurate statistics about how many people still live there. The U.N. estimates only 300,000 remain in the eastern part, warning that they could be cut off from aid if Syrian government and allied forces encircle the city and leave no way out. "We are talking about very vulnerable families that have lived through years of conflict. The possibility of a siege is starting to wear very much on them," al-Awqati said. Aleppo already is facing bread shortages because the price of diesel fuel has doubled in the past two weeks as supplies from Turkey have dwindled. "Some bakeries have stopped production because diesel is too expensive," said Almasri, noting that the price of bread cannot be raised except by an order of local councils, which have not adjusted them yet to the soaring cost of fuel. "Life here is tied to diesel," he said. Many people who can leave are preparing to do so, said Bahaa Halaby, another opposition media activist. "We call them the smart ones. ... They are packing their bags so that they don't get struck by the planes." But tens of thousands are likely to remain, some because they have no means to find somewhere safe to go, and others because they choose to stay. Tens of thousands of people who already have left are stuck out in the cold at the border with Turkey, which so far has only allowed a few thousand to enter. "We are choosing one death over another," said Halaby, who plans to stay around Aleppo. "Let us die in our land and in our homes (rather) than in the cold at the border." Those still in eastern Aleppo are starting to hoard food and other supplies. Halaby said he has seen people laying bread on their rooftops to dry it for storage. "I don't know how we'll eat it. We haven't tried it yet," Halaby told the AP. "But if you eat it with lentils, it will fill you up. It won't leave you content, but it will fill you up." Almasri, who said he had stored up about 100 kilograms (about 220 pounds) of goods already, also will stay in Aleppo for now, but he added that he didn't know about the future. "I did not leave when things were even tougher. I think the siege will be easier than the barrel bombs," he said. The deadly bombs, usually dropped by helicopters, cannot be precisely targeted, and a report last year by the Physicians for Human Rights said the bombardment had demolished much of eastern Aleppo, including most of the hospitals. At the moment, there are several factions of insurgents in those neighborhoods, ranging from Islamic battalions linked with the pro-Western Free Syrian Army, to al-Qaida's Syria affiliate, the Nusra Front. Activists worry that if the factions don't coordinate their defense under one leadership, government forces could choke off the enclave within two weeks to a month. The loss of Aleppo would be a devastating blow for the opposition. "Aleppo is the supplies warehouse for all north Syria, for revolutionaries from Hama to the Turkish border," Almasri said. "After Homs fell to the government, Aleppo is the most important opposition city." Still, he remained hopeful the opposition could hold out against the government. "We haven't reached the end of the story yet. Some areas go, others are captured. We are used to this," he said. Sikh man blocked by Mexican airline satisfied with apology MEXICO CITY (AP) An Indian-American actor and designer who wasn't allowed to board a Mexico City-to-New York flight after refusing to remove his turban said Tuesday that he is satisfied with an apology from the airline. Waris Ahluwalia said he is now waiting for Aeromexico to implement special training on how to treat Sikh passengers, for whom the headgear carries deep religious significance. "We're just a few steps away from a lot of hugs," Ahluwalia told The Associated Press. Waris Ahluwalia, a member of the Sikh community, gives an interview in Mexico City, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. The Indian-American actor and designer who wasn't allowed to board a Mexico City-to-New York flight after refusing to remove his turban said Tuesday that he is satisfied with an apology from the airline. Ahluwalia said he is now waiting for Aeromexico to implement special training on how to treat Sikh passengers, for whom the headgear carries deep religious significance. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) Aeromexico issued a statement Tuesday saying: "We apologize to Mr. Waris Ahluwalia for the unfortunate experience he had with one of our security guards during the boarding process prior to his flight to New York at the Mexico City International Airport." "This incident inspires us to make sure that we strengthen the customer service protocols of our safety personnel in respectful accordance with the cultural and religious values of our customers," the statement said. Ahluwalia welcomed the airline's apology. "We've gotten the apology and I'm grateful, and thanks to them for doing that," he said. "The next step is to do the training" for inspecting Sikhs and others with religious headwear, he added. The turban is part of the required dress for Sikh men. In addition, Sikh men and women are forbidden to cut their hair. Ahluwalia had reported he was trying to board a flight from Mexico City to New York City on Monday when he was told he couldn't get on "because of my turban." Aeromexico had said Monday night that it is "committed to transporting all its passengers without regard to their religion, social status or gender ... but the airline is obliged to comply with the federal rules determined by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for inspecting selected passengers travelling to the United States." However, U.S. guidelines put into effect in 2010 no longer require air passengers to remove turbans if doing so makes them uncomfortable. Many members of the Sikh community have objected to the practice of frisking Sikh turbans, calling it unnecessary in a world with machines for body scanning and metal detection. Judge urges president to commute harsh sentence he imposed SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A former federal judge who gave a Utah music producer 55 years in prison for bringing guns to marijuana deals asked the president to commute the sentence Tuesday, the latest appeal in a case held up as an example of problems with mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Paul Cassell, now a law professor, said in a clemency petition letter that he was deeply troubled by the lengthy sentence he was forced to hand down in 2004 to Weldon Angelos, then a 24-year-old father of three. The sentence he called "unjust, cruel, and even irrational" was the main reason Cassell stepped down from the bench after five years. Angelos got a longer prison term than people convicted of crimes such as kidnapping, rape and second-degree murder, Cassell said. FILE - In a Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005 file photo, members of Safer Choice stand in protest at the federal appeals court in Denver, where the court was hearing the appeal of Weldon Angelos of Salt Lake City. Angelos has been held up as an example of whats wrong with mandatory sentences. Paul Cassel, a former federal judge who gave a Utah music producer 55 years in prison for bringing guns to marijuana deals asked the president to commute the sentence. Cassell, now a law professor, said in a letter Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, that he was deeply troubled by the lengthy sentence he was forced to hand down because of mandatory minimum sentencing laws. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File) "When the sentence for actual violence inflicted on a victim is dwarfed by a sentence for carrying guns to several drug deals, the implicit message to victims is that their pain and suffering counts for less than some abstract 'war on drugs,'" the former judge wrote. Angelos likely would not face such a harsh sentence today, Cassell said. President Barack Obama has pushed for the reduction or outright elimination of severe mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent offenders. The White House did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday. Angelos founded Extravagant Records in Utah, producing hip-hop and rap music. He had no criminal record before he was convicted of selling $350 worth of marijuana to a police informant three times. Prosecutors said he was a gang member who carried a gun during two of those deals, though he was not accused of using or showing a weapon. Angelos denied being in a gang and having a firearm, but police found several guns while searching his apartment. He was convicted in federal court of 16 counts of drug trafficking, weapons possession and money laundering. The penalty for possessing firearms during a drug transaction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for the first offense and 25 years for each subsequent deal. The federal system does not have parole. It's not the first time the president has been urged to commute Angelos' sentence. In 2013, more than 100 high-profile figures petitioned the White House, including an ex-FBI director, prosecutors and celebrities. Politicians such as Republican Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and Democratic Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy also have said the punishment didn't fit the crime. The conservative billionaire Koch brothers have also taken notice of the case in their push for sentencing reform. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Utah declined to comment on the case. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Lund said in 2004: "This sends the message that people who engage in armed drug dealing are going to face very serious consequences." The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the sentence, and the U.S. Supreme Court has denied Angelos' petition for a hearing. Angelos, now 36, has served more than 12 years in prison, and a presidential commutation is his only option. His sister, Lisa Angelos, said the clemency letter is a "huge" step that she hopes is a turning point. Weldon Angelos has spent his time in a prison in California earning a business degree, working in the institution's dental lab and tutoring others, she said. The expense of traveling there makes it hard for his family to visit, and he recently saw his sons, now 17 and 19, for the first time in years, his sister said. Judge's error could set man free without trial for murder ATLANTA (AP) A Georgia man who was charged with murder in the stabbing death of a 75-year-old woman may walk free, all because of a mistake made by a superior court judge. The case started on June 17, 2013, when police said Geary Otis ran up the stairs of a high-rise apartment building for seniors and attacked 71-year-old Emmanuel Surry. He kicked down a metal door and stabbed 75-year-old Mary Oliver to death. Police had to use a stun gun to subdue him, according to court records. Otis, who was 64 at the time, was a resident in the building, but didn't know Oliver or Surry, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said. Oliver was asleep in her bed and Surry had just returned from taking his uncle to the hospital. This undated photo provided by Fulton County Sheriffs Office shows Geary Otis. A mistake by a superior court judge may set the Georgia man free without him ever having to stand trial for the stabbing death of a 75-year-old woman. (Fulton County Sheriffs Office via AP) Otis was arrested and jailed. When his murder trial began April 7, 2014, public defender Amanda Grantham told the jury in her opening statement that Otis "just snapped." The only possible verdict is not guilty by reason of insanity, Grantham told the jury. Prosecutors were caught off guard. They objected, saying they hadn't been notified of an insanity defense and needed more time to prepare. Grantham said she wasn't required to give them a heads up because she didn't plan to call any experts. The judge overseeing the trial, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville, said he believed the law required prior notice. He didn't want to keep jurors long enough for the trial to be rescheduled, so he declared a mistrial. He said he'd put the case back on his trial calendar in a couple of weeks. "He's a very well regarded judge," said Georgia State law professor Jessica Gabel Cino. "He did what he thought was right at the time given the circumstances." Grantham didn't want a mistrial, though, and she challenged the judge's decision. She argued that a jury had been seated and the trial had begun, and re-trying Otis would amount to double jeopardy, which is when a person is improperly tried twice for the same crime. The judge rejected that argument. Grantham appealed to the state Supreme Court, which on Monday said the judge had erred and reversed his ruling. The justices said a 1995 ruling makes clear that the defense doesn't need to provide notice of an insanity defense if no expert witnesses are to be called. That opinion came during the sentencing phase of a death penalty case, and Glanville interpreted it as only applying in that context. The Supreme Court disagreed. In a concurring opinion, Justice David Nahmias said the superior court rules need to be revised. "It is apparent that the trial court in this case was striving to produce a fair trial, but the court erred in not abiding by our holding" in the earlier case, Nahmias wrote. Glanville declined to comment through the court's public information office. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said the high court's ruling is "beyond belief" and "shocking to the consciousness of justice and fair play." He said his office would request reconsideration. Oliver's daughter, Jan Jacobs, sobbed as she pleaded with the high court to reconsider. "It was a mistake on the judge's behalf. By all means, sanction the judge and give it to another judge," she said. "But he should not walk free. What kind of message does that send if we just let murderers walk free?" If the Supreme Court declines to reconsider its unanimous ruling, Otis will likely be released in several weeks after being in jail for three years. The social workers in the public defender's office are working to set him up with the help he needs. Bryan Grantham, the husband of Otis' trial attorney who joined the case on appeal to help his wife, said he doesn't believe Otis will be a danger to anyone because he didn't have a violent history. Bergdahl case delayed over classified information dispute A military appeals court halted proceedings against U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on Tuesday while it considers a dispute over how much leeway the defense should have in accessing classified information. The order delaying the case against Bergdahl, who walked off an outpost in Afghanistan in 2009, was issued by the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals. Prosecutors asked the appeals court to consider overturning a decision by the trial judge regarding thousands of pages of classified documents. The defense has argued that prosecutors want them to follow a cumbersome process of seeking classified information while it prepares for trial. The issue had been debated for weeks in pretrial motions and emails between the sides. It wasn't clear how long the trial tentatively scheduled for this summer could be held up while the prosecution's appeal unfolds. File- This Jan. 12, 2016, file photo shows Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl exiting a courthouse at Fort Bragg, N.C. after a pretrial hearing. The U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals has temporarily halted the desertion case against Sgt. Bergdahl while it considers a dispute between the sides over how to handle classified information. (AP Photo/Ted Richardson, File) The judge overseeing Bergdahl's military trial, Col. Jeffery Nance, ordered prosecutors last week to turn over many of the classified documents they had gathered, subject to certain rules. "All CI which the government may offer into evidence at trial will immediately be provided to the defense" within the specified constraints, he wrote in his Feb. 2 order, using an abbreviation for classified information. The judge also disagreed with prosecutors' arguments that Bergdahl's attorneys needed an extra layer of approval when they did their own research from the officials who initially restricted a given document referred to as original classification authorities. Within days, the prosecutors asked the appeals court to overturn the judge's decision, adding in their written appeal that "no session of the court should be held or rulings should be issued until conclusion of the appeal." A defense attorney for Bergdahl, Eugene Fidell, issued a statement describing the timeline of events leading up to the appeal but declined further comment when reached by phone. Bergdahl faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, a relatively rare charge that carries a punishment of up to life in prison. He was held by the Taliban and its allies for five years after he left the base in Afghanistan. Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, walked off his post in eastern Afghanistan's Paktika province on June 30, 2009, and was released in late May 2014 as part of a prisoner swap, in exchange for five detainees in Guantanamo Bay. The move prompted harsh criticism, with some in Congress accusing President Barack Obama of jeopardizing the safety of the country. He was arraigned in December but has yet to enter a plea. Walter Huffman, a retired major general who served as the Army's top lawyer, said the appeals court should move swiftly to resolve the issue because of rules giving the matter priority, but the case could be delayed further if either side were to appeal again. UN experts: North Korea continues to evade UN sanctions UNITED NATIONS (AP) U.N. experts say North Korea is continuing to evade U.N. sanctions, using airlines, ships, and the international financial system to trade in prohibited items for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs raising important questions about the sanctions regime. The experts monitoring sanctions against the North say Pyongyang also continues to export ballistic missile-related items to the Middle East and trade in arms and related material to Africa. A summary of the expert panel's report, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, says one reason North Korea is able to keep evading sanctions is "the low level of implementation" by the 193 U.N. member states of the four U.N. sanctions resolutions adopted since the country's first nuclear test in 2006. The panel said the reasons for non-implementation are diverse including "lack of political will," inadequate national legislation, lack of understanding of the Security Council resolutions, and "low prioritization." The report and its conclusions "raise important questions about the overall efficacy of the sanctions regime," it said. The report was sent to the Security Council, where the United States and China have been working on the text of a new sanctions resolution since North Korea's latest nuclear test on Jan. 6. The council pledged to adopt "significant new measures" at an emergency meeting Sunday after the North launched a long-range rocket that world leaders denounced as another "intolerable provocation" and called a banned test of dangerous ballistic missile technology. The United States, backed by its Western allies, Japan and South Korea, want tough new sanctions that would impact North Korea's ability to do business. But diplomats say China, the North's ally and key protector in the Security Council, is reluctant to impose economic measures that could cause North Korea's economy to collapse. The experts' summary said Pyongyang conceals illicit activities by embedding agents in foreign companies and using diplomatic personnel, longstanding trade partners, and relationships with a small number of trusted foreign nationals. The experts said North Korea's Ocean Maritime Management Company, Ltd. "continues to operate through foreign-flagged vessels, name and company re-registrations, and the rental of crews to foreign ships," despite being on the U.N. sanctions blacklist since July 2014. ___ English town regains Pancake Day Race title from Kansas town LIBERAL, Kan. (AP) Residents of Olney, England, have reclaimed the title in the long-running International Pancake Day Race against competitors from Liberal, Kansas, which involves donning aprons and scarves, sprinting and flipping pancakes. Olney resident Lianne Fisher won Tuesday with a record time of 55.02 seconds on the 415-yard course that participants run with a pancake in a pan, flipping it at the beginning and end of the race. She beat Liberal's Summer Parsons, who finished in 62.61. Both towns run the race at 11:55 a.m. local time on Shrove Tuesday widely known in Britain as Pancake Day the last day before Lent. First place finisher Lianne Fisher, right, pulls away from second place finisher Kaisa Larkas, en route to setting a new course record time of 55.02 seconds during the annual Shrove Tuesday trans-Atlantic pancake race in the town of Olney, in Buckinghamshire, England, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Every year women clad in aprons and head scarves from Olney and the city of Liberal, in Kansas, USA, run their respective legs of the race with a pancake in their pan. According to legend, the Olney race started in 1445 when a harried housewife arrived at church on Shrove Tuesday still clutching her frying pan with a pancake in it. Liberal challenged Olney to a friendly international competition in 1950 after seeing photos of the race in a magazine. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) This year's race marked the 67th year of the competition between the towns, which Liberal leads 37-29. One year's score was disqualified. The previous record was 55.6 set by Olney's Devon Byrne in 2014. Parsons, a physical education teacher at Garfield School in Liberal, won the Liberal leg of the race in 2014 with a time of 63.5 seconds. Miss Liberal Gaby Amparan was the fastest of 11 Kansas contestants, but her time didn't count because she was an honorary racer. Olney had 25 women, including honorary entrant Isobel Ager-Righinioti, who is 84, according to Hayley Taylor, a member of the Olney Pancake Race Committee. The Olney race also included a man, Barney Harwood, who ran to represent the BBC's "Blue Peter," a children's show. In a men's pacer race before the Liberal event, San Francisco Giants rookie second baseman Kelby Tomlinson was the winner. Tomlinson spent two years at Seward County Community College and returns to Kansas in the winter to train. Legend says the race originated in Olney in 1445 after a housewife who was cooking pancakes heard bells ring and ran to a church still wearing her apron, with skillet and pancake in hand. After Time magazine did a feature on the race in 1950, Liberal challenged Olney to a competition that has carried on since then. From left, Sally Yates who placed 3rd, Leslie Spikes who placed 2nd and Summer Parsons who placed 1st stand at the winner circle after the international pancake race during international pancake day in downtown Liberal Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. (Andrew Whitaker/The Hutchinson News via AP) Reverend Claire Wood, second left, and competitors cheer on the last place finisher at the finish line of the annual Shrove Tuesday trans-Atlantic pancake race in the town of Olney, in Buckinghamshire, England, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Every year women clad in aprons and head scarves from Olney and the city of Liberal, in Kansas, USA, run their respective legs of the race with a pancake in their pan. According to legend, the Olney race started in 1445 when a harried housewife arrived at church on Shrove Tuesday still clutching her frying pan with a pancake in it. Liberal challenged Olney to a friendly international competition in 1950 after seeing photos of the race in a magazine. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Miss Liberal Gaby Amparan finishes first as an honorary race with Summer Parsons right behind her winning the International Pancake Race during International Pancake Day in downtown Liberal, Kan., Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. (Andrew Whitaker/The Hutchinson News via AP) Competitors take part in the annual Shrove Tuesday trans-Atlantic pancake race in the town of Olney, in Buckinghamshire, England, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Every year women clad in aprons and head scarves from Olney and the city of Liberal, in Kansas, USA, run their respective legs of the race with a pancake in their pan. According to legend, the Olney race started in 1445 when a harried housewife arrived at church on Shrove Tuesday still clutching her frying pan with a pancake in it. Liberal challenged Olney to a friendly international competition in 1950 after seeing photos of the race in a magazine. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Summer Parsons interviews media after finishing first in the international pancake race during international pancake day in downtown Liberal Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. (Andrew Whitaker/The Hutchinson News via AP) First place finisher Lianne Fisher is congratulated by Reverend Claire Wood as she arrives for the service at the Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul after winning and setting a new course record time of 55.02 seconds in the annual Shrove Tuesday trans-Atlantic pancake race in the town of Olney, in Buckinghamshire, England, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Every year women clad in aprons and head scarves from Olney and the city of Liberal, in Kansas, USA, run their respective legs of the race with a pancake in their pan. According to legend, the Olney race started in 1445 when a harried housewife arrived at church on Shrove Tuesday still clutching her frying pan with a pancake in it. Liberal challenged Olney to a friendly international competition in 1950 after seeing photos of the race in a magazine. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Miss Liberal Gaby Amparan finishes first as an honorary racer in the international pancake race during International Pancake Day in downtown Liberal, Kan., Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. (Andrew Whitaker/The Hutchinson News via AP) First place finisher Lianne Fisher poses for photographs after winning and setting a new course record time of 55.02 seconds in the annual Shrove Tuesday trans-Atlantic pancake race in the town of Olney, in Buckinghamshire, England, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Every year women clad in aprons and head scarves from Olney and the city of Liberal, in Kansas, USA, run their respective legs of the race with a pancake in their pan. According to legend, the Olney race started in 1445 when a harried housewife arrived at church on Shrove Tuesday still clutching her frying pan with a pancake in it. Liberal challenged Olney to a friendly international competition in 1950 after seeing photos of the race in a magazine. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Summer Parsons stands near the alter while presented with an engraved silver platter during Shrove Tuesday Shriving Service at the First United Methodist Church for international pancake day in downtown Liberal, Kan., Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Parsons was the winner of the Liberal International Pancake Race. (Andrew Whitaker/The Hutchinson News via AP) Liberals Kelby Tomlinson, right, leads the pack in the men spacer race prior to the International Pancake Race, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Liberal, Kan. Tomlinson, the second baseman for the San?Francisco Giants, won the race for the second consecutive time. (Earl Watt /Leader & Times via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT First place finisher Lianne Fisher, second right, runs level with second place finisher Kaisa Larkas, right, en route to setting a new course record time of 55.02 seconds, during the annual Shrove Tuesday trans-Atlantic pancake race in the town of Olney, in Buckinghamshire, England, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Every year women clad in aprons and head scarves from Olney and the city of Liberal, in Kansas, USA, run their respective legs of the race with a pancake in their pan. According to legend, the Olney race started in 1445 when a harried housewife arrived at church on Shrove Tuesday still clutching her frying pan with a pancake in it. Liberal challenged Olney to a friendly international competition in 1950 after seeing photos of the race in a magazine. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) First place finisher Lianne Fisher, second right, pulls away from second place finisher Kaisa Larkas, right, en route to setting a new course record time of 55.02 seconds during the annual Shrove Tuesday trans-Atlantic pancake race in the town of Olney, in Buckinghamshire, England, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Every year women clad in aprons and head scarves from Olney and the city of Liberal, in Kansas, USA, run their respective legs of the race with a pancake in their pan. According to legend, the Olney race started in 1445 when a harried housewife arrived at church on Shrove Tuesday still clutching her frying pan with a pancake in it. Liberal challenged Olney to a friendly international competition in 1950 after seeing photos of the race in a magazine. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Bill would stop removal of Confederate, historic markers MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) Confederate monuments first erected after the Civil War to honor Southern soldiers have increasingly been targeted by civil rights activists who say they are offensive to blacks and should be taken down. An Alabama legislator wants to make sure that doesn't happen without state lawmakers' approval. Republican Sen. Gerald Allen of Tuscaloosa has proposed a bill that would prohibit the removal of historic monuments, plaques and statues from public property unless a committee of lawmakers grants a waiver. "I think there is an undercurrent, not just in Alabama, but throughout the nation" of people who "want to kind of rewrite history or whitewash it," Allen said during a public hearing on the bill Tuesday. An unidentified man walks past a Confederate monument in Linn Park in downtown Birmingham, Ala., on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. A legislative committee is considering a proposal that would make it more difficult for local officials to remove Confederate memorials like the obelisk, which the city park board has voted to take down. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves) Allen's bill does not specify Confederate monuments, only historic objects of "remembrance," but it comes after a handful of Southern cities including Birmingham, Alabama are seeking to shed symbols of the Old Confederacy. The city of Birmingham, where African-Americans represent the majority of residents, has the possibility of removing a Confederate memorial from a downtown park. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley removed four Confederate flags last year from the grounds of the Alabama Capitol, but Bentley said he had no plans to remove an 88-foot-tall Confederate monument that stands outside his office. The New Orleans City Council last year voted to take down four Confederate monuments. Mike Williams of the Sons of Confederate Veterans said the monuments memorialize people who "answered the call of duty for their state." "Don't disgrace my grandfathers or your grandfathers or these people's grandfathers by allowing political correctness to come into this state and start destroying the history of this country," Williams said. The Rev. Rayford Mack of the Montgomery branch of the NAACP said the decision about what to do with the monuments should rest with the local governments where they are located, not a state panel of lawmakers. "Nobody wants to erase history, but there are always two sides to that story," Mack said. "If this monument is in the middle of a predominantly black area, or a predominantly minority area, how do you think that makes the community feel? How can I take pride in something that wanted to continue my enslavement?" A House of Representatives committee is scheduled to take up its version of the bill Wednesday. A statute memorializing veterans of the Spanish-American War and other conflicts stands near a Confederate monument in Linn Park in downtown Birmingham, Ala., on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. A legislative committee is considering a proposal that would make it more difficult for local officials to remove Confederate memorials like the obelisk, which the city park board has voted to take down. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves) The inscriptions on a Confederate monument in Linn Park in downtown Birmingham, Ala., are shown on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. A legislative committee is considering a proposal that would make it more difficult for local officials to remove Confederate memorials like the obelisk, which the city park board has voted to take down. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves) Trump and Sanders big winners, riding voter frustration MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders rode a wave of voter frustration with American politics to commanding victories in Tuesday's New Hampshire primaries, adding crucial credibility to their upstart candidacies. Sanders swept majorities of men, women, independents and young people in his win over Hillary Clinton, but faces challenges in the more diverse states that come next on the primary calendar. Trump, appealing to voters seeking a political outsider, could benefit from the persistent lack of clarity among the more mainstream Republicans struggling to challenge him. "We are going to do something so good and so fast and so strong and the world is going to respect us again, believe me," Trump said at a victory rally. Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a primary night rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. At his side are his wife Melania Trump, left, and daughter Ivanka Trump, right. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Ohio Gov. John Kasich grabbed second in New Hampshire after pouring nearly all of his campaign resources into the state. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio vied for third along with Ted Cruz, the Iowa caucus winner, ensuring all would press on to the next voting contest in South Carolina. Sanders, at his own raucous rally, said his victory sent a message "that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California. And that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super PACs." The enthusiasm behind Trump, a real estate mogul who has never held political office, and Vermont Sen. Sanders, who says he is a democratic socialist, underscores the public's anger with the current political and economic system. Even if neither candidate ultimately becomes his party's nominee, whoever wins that nomination will have to reckon with the voter frustration they've tapped into. Clinton appeared to recognize that reality in her concession speech, echoing Sanders' calls for taking on Wall Street banks and tackling income inequality. But she cast herself as more prepared to make good on her pledges. "People have every right to be angry. But they're also hungry, they're hungry for solutions," she said after congratulating Sanders on his win. New Hampshire did little to clarify the crowded contest among more mainstream GOP candidates fighting to emerge as a challenger to Trump and Texas Sen. Cruz. Florida Sen. Rubio, former Florida Gov. Bush and Cruz battled for third behind Kasich. Throughout the heated primary campaign, Kasich has prided himself on not attacking his rivals. A more moderate Republican from a politically important state, Kasich told supporters Tuesday night that his second-place finish could be an indication that "we're turning the page on a dark part of American politics." The day was a blow for Rubio, who had appeared to be breaking away from the second-tier Republican pack after a stronger-than-expected showing in Iowa. But he stumbled in Saturday's debate under intense pressure from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has relentlessly cast the young senator as too inexperienced and too reliant on memorized talking points to become president. Rubio conceded that the debate may have hurt him in Tuesday's contest and pledged to supporters that his poor performance "will never happen again." Christie, however, didn't benefit from roughing up Rubio. He lagged behind the pack as votes were being tallied and said he planned to return home to New Jersey to "make a decision on our next step forward." Bush was pressing on, declaring that New Hampshire voters had "reset the race." Republican voters were more negative about their politicians than Democrats, with about half of GOP voters saying they felt betrayed by party officials. Trump carried a majority of those who said they wanted an outsider to win, according to exit polls conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks. More than half of voters in the Republican primary made up their minds in the past week. However, Trump's support appeared more sustained, with his supporters saying they made up their minds some time ago. In a sign of Trump's impact on the race, two-thirds of GOP voters said they supported a temporary ban on non-citizen Muslims entering the U.S., a position the billionaire outlined last year amid rising fears of terrorism emanating from the Middle East. Sanders pulled from a broad coalition of New Hampshire voters, gathering a majority of votes from both men and women, independents and voters under 45. Hillary Clinton won the majority of those over 65. Clinton's campaign argues she will perform better as the race heads to more racially diverse states, including Nevada and South Carolina. Both New Hampshire and Iowa are overwhelmingly white states that are far less diverse than the nation as a whole. As polls closed, her campaign manager Robby Mook blasted out a memo touting Clinton's strength with Hispanics and black voters and arguing that a Democrat cannot win the presidency without support from those constituencies. The distinctions between what motivated Sanders and Clinton voters were sharp. The Vermont senator was backed by 9 in 10 voters for whom honesty was important and 8 in 10 who wanted a candidate who "cares about people like me." Clinton, meanwhile, won support from nearly 90 percent of those who considered the "right" experience important in their decision and about 80 percent of those regarding electability as the most important factor. ___ Pace reported from Washington. AP writers Lisa Lerer, Ken Thomas, Holly Ramer, Steve Peoples, Julie Bykowicz, Thomas Beaumont and Kathleen Hennessey, and AP News Survey Specialist Emily Swanson contributed to this report. ___ Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC and Kathleen Ronayne at http://twitter.com/KRonayne Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., reacts to the cheering crowd at his primary night rally Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/J. David Ake) Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gestures to supporters at her New Hampshire presidential primary campaign rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Hooksett, N.H. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) With his wife Karen at his side Republican presidential candidate Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, cheers with supporters Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Concord, N.H. , at his primary night rally. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks during a primary night rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to supporters on primary election night, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Hollis, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) PICTURED: Editor selections from Carnival in Latin America Now that Carnival has drawn to a close, here's a selection of top images taken at this year's pre-Lenten parties across Latin America and the Caribbean. At the iconic Sambadrome parade in Rio de Janeiro, some performers literally became shower heads, spraying water up into the air from their hats as they sang and danced. A performer who uses a wheelchair dazzled the crowd with a seemingly impossible feat: a handstand while holding the chair up in the air. Animals got into the action during a pet parade along Rio's Copacabana Beach, with some dogs in baby strollers and all of them in costume. Performers from the Portela samba school sport water spouts on their heads during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) Other cities around the hemisphere celebrated in their own unique ways. Revelers in Triunfo, Brazil, strolled the streets in sad-faced masks, while partygoers in Montevideo, Uruguay, banged on Candombe drums, a tradition dating from the colonial era when African slaves were brought to South America. In Oruro, Bolivia, dancers performed their pagan-Catholic blend of Carnival, an event considered one of UNESCO's Masterpieces of Humanity's Oral and Intangible Heritage. Political tensions in Haiti caused some events to be cancelled and dampened participation, but people still took to the streets to celebrate, including roller-skaters in elaborate costumes. The Zika outbreak in the Americas was on a lot of people's minds, but it didn't dent Carnival celebrations. At one street party, Brazilians symbolically buried the Aedes aegypti mosquito that transmits the virus, insisting the show go on as always. ___ This gallery was curated by AP Regional Photo Editor Enric Marti in Mexico City. A man works on the final touches of a piece that will decorate a carnival float before a parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) A performer stands in his costume before the start of a Carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) A resident watches from her home a "Careta" parading through the streets of Triunfo, Brazil, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016. The traditional festivity dates back almost a century. Residents say it was created in this small town by two men who weren't allowed to take part in a folk celebration because they were drunk. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) A man in costume waits to roller-skate with a group on the last day of Carnival celebrations in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Political tensions haven't stopped the Haitian capital's annual Carnival, but the uncertainty led to the cancellation of the first day of festivities and put such a damper on the party that a number of top bands have pulled out. There have been relatively few decorated floats, a scarcity of sponsors and many Haitians say they are staying away from the capitals annual celebration this year out of security concerns. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) A performer on a wheelchair from Uniao da Ilha samba school, walks on his hands during the Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Dancers from the Imperio de Casa Verde samba school perform during a carnival parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2016 file photo, dogs wearing Olympics ring headbands ride in a stroller at a carnival pet parade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. People dressed up their pets in costumes for the annual block parade near Copacabana beach. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File) A sculpture stands at a collection area after the Carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) A performer from the Portela samba school jumps as he parades on a float during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Members of the Salgueiro samba school perform during a carnival parade inside the Sambadrome of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) A performer from the Vila Isabel samba school parades during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Sikh man barred from Mexico flight sees 'small victory' MEXICO CITY (AP) An Indian-American actor and designer who was turned away from an airline flight after refusing to remove his Sikh turban during a security check said he's "thrilled" that Aeromexico is vowing to overhaul its screening protocols. In an interview Tuesday night at a Mexico City hotel where he ended up extending his stay by two nights, Waris Ahluwalia also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support on social media that he believes helped pressure airline executives to change and apologize. Ahluwalia showed an excerpt from an email that he said came from Aeromexico. The text said the airline had "issued a directive to its staff regarding the religious significance of the Sikh turban" and planned to ask that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and the Mexican government implement sensitivity training on religious headwear for airport agents. Waris Ahluwalia, a member of the Sikh community, gives an interview in Mexico City, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. The Indian-American actor and designer who wasn't allowed to board a Mexico City-to-New York flight after refusing to remove his turban said Tuesday that he is satisfied with an apology from the airline. Ahluwalia said he is now waiting for Aeromexico to implement special training on how to treat Sikh passengers, for whom the headgear carries deep religious significance. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) "That's all I wanted, and here it is in a few lines it's right there in black and white," he said. "I'm getting goosebumps right now that if this makes a difference for anyone traveling into the country or leaving the country, then it was all worth it." He said the agreement had been worked out by lawyers for Aeromexico and the Sikh Coalition in New York and the deal had not yet been made public. Aeromexico said earlier in the day that because of the incident it intended to revise security protocols to respect cultural and religious values of its customers. The turban carries deep religious significance for Sikh men. Many members of the Sikh community have objected to the practice of frisking turbans, calling it unnecessary in a world with machines for body scanning and metal detection. Ahluwalia, who had traveled to Mexico for an art fair, left his hotel around 4:30 a.m. Monday planning to catch a morning flight to New York. When he checked in he noticed the boarding pass had an "SSSS" notation on it, which he said he has encountered "more than a dozen times" before at airports and apparently flags passengers for secondary screening. After passing through the security checkpoint, he said, he was pulled aside at the gate and checked with a wand, a pat-down, and swabs on his belt and bag. "Then they asked me matter-of-factly, 'Can you take off your turban?'" Ahluwalia said. "At that point I said the thing that I always say when I've been asked that before. I said, 'I will not be taking my turban off here.'" Ahluwalia said he was then told he would not be boarding any Aeromexico plane and should arrange to fly with another carrier. He turned to Instagram to let his followers know what had happened. Word spread rapidly on social media, and within about an hour airline executives tracked him down at the gate and offered him a boarding pass for the next flight to New York. He declined, deciding to speak up as an actor and prominent member of the Sikh community to demand change. "That was the moment I realized that if I didn't say anything, if I didn't do anything, if I didn't step out of my comfort zone, that this could happen again to someone" else, Ahluwalia said. "And I couldn't in good conscience get on that plane knowing that someone else would have to experience this." He returned to the hotel. That night, Aeromexico issued a statement saying it was "committed to transporting all its passengers without regard to their religion, social status or gender ... but the airline is obliged to comply with the federal rules determined by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for inspecting selected passengers travelling to the United States." However, U.S. guidelines put into effect in 2010 no longer require air passengers to remove turbans if doing so makes them uncomfortable. "TSA officers are trained to treat all passengers with dignity and respect, and receive periodic training regarding cultural and religious sensitivities," the agency said in a statement Wednesday. "When additional screening is needed that requires the removal of religious apparel, our officers offer private screening and request the passenger remove the item." On Tuesday, the airline issued a more explicit apology to Ahluwalia "for the unfortunate experience he had with one of our security guards during the boarding process prior to his flight." Ahluwalia said he isn't angry with Aeromexico or the agents who turned him away. "The only way to combat that is with love, is with tolerance, is with understanding and is with education," he said. He noted he was booked to return home Wednesday on the same Aeromexico flight he was blocked from. "The reality of the situation is that it could have happened anywhere and it has happened everywhere," Ahluwalia said. "It just so happened it went this far here." ___ Associated Press writer Mark Stevenson contributed to this report. ___ Peter Orsi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi In Central America, gangs an obstacle in battle against Zika CUSCATANCINGO, El Salvador (AP) For health workers battling Zika across much of Central America, the immediate menace is not the mosquitoes that transmit the virus. It's the gangsters who control the streets, and sometimes threaten their lives. Armed and well-organized street gangs known as maras exert near-total control over entire neighborhoods, using sentries to track everyone who comes and goes. In some cases, they deny access to health crews they suspect of working with police or a rival gang. In 2014, an emergency medical technician accompanying a fumigation team in greater San Salvador was shot dead by mara members after they lifted his shirt and, according to local media reports, found he had a tattoo from a rival gang. Similar incidents have played out in neighboring Honduras and in Guatemala, where fumigators are chased by thugs, assaulted or charged a small tax for access. In this Feb. 5, 2016 photo, a soldier provides security for a Health Ministry worker fumigating against the Aedes aegypti mosquito in the La Comuna 2 neighborhood of Guatemala City. For health workers battling Zika across much of Central America, the immediate menace is not the mosquitoes that transmit the virus. Its the gangsters who control the streets, and sometimes threaten their lives. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) "The state is absent" in such areas, said Carlos Carcach, a criminologist with the Superior School of Economics and Business in El Salvador. "The state is being replaced by the gang." More than 7,000 suspected cases of Zika have been identified in El Salvador, where government officials have advised women to put off pregnancies for two years due to severe birth defects tentatively linked to the virus. The country has also launched a campaign against the Aedes aegypti mosquito, relying on aggressive fumigation and the removal of standing water and refuse where its larvae can breed. But El Salvador, a country of just 6 million people, recorded more than 700 murders in January and had a homicide rate of 103 per 100,000 inhabitants last year, believed to be the highest of any country not in open war. That's the environment in which government health workers struggle to contain Zika. To get into Cuscatancingo, on San Salvador's outskirts, a reporter met a local resident outside town and traveled there in his car, which would not raise the gangs' suspicions. Approaching the Villa Mariona government health clinic, the driver rolled down the vehicle's windows so a group of young Mara Salvatrucha gangsters in low-hanging jeans, gelled hair and plaid shirts could see who was inside. One asked what was going on, and whether the reporter had cameras. When a police foot patrol came up the street, a teen shouted "Policia!" into his radio and the youths ran. Several years ago, the clinic was forced to shut down for several months because staff members were being extorted, according to Nelson Mejia, Villa Mariona's sanitation coordinator. He and the then-director met with gang members to explain why it was important that they work there. Gang members asked that their people get prompt treatment at the facility then agreed to allow operations to resume under a wary truce. But there have been more incidents. Gang members beat up and took away a man working on a local water project for the health ministry. Once, when a clinic employee was going door-to-door for a health project, a gang member called to warn that he should leave immediately because he was suspected of being a cop. Another worker on a fumigation mission left after being intimidated by gangsters. "When this clinic reopened, it reopened with fear," Mejia said. Whenever a suspected case of Zika is identified, the Villa Mariona clinic tries to send teams into the area to look for others with fever and to destroy mosquito breeding areas. Mejia said workers from another clinic in Cuscatancingo have been denied entry at times. Eduardo Espinoza, vice minister of health, said such incidents are sporadic. "We haven't had any significant trouble except in some areas, specifically in the metropolitan area," Espinoza said. In Guatemala, fumigators planned to go into one Guatemala City neighborhood last week but locals warned it was too dangerous, said Sergio Mendez, fumigation coordinator for the health ministry. "We don't ask for help from the police or the army to enter an area, because later they go and carry out raids," Mendez said. "And we have to go back. The people think we reported them." Gangs can also hamper the fight against Zika and other public health efforts in less-direct ways. Fear of the maras leads many residents to refuse to answer the door or let health workers inside. Of the nine suspected Zika cases in the area served by the Villa Mariona clinic, only five have been identified because people refuse to share relatives' phone numbers or addresses. It's common for people to suddenly and secretly relocate to escape gang threats, making it difficult to do proper follow-up and contain the epidemic. Mejia said fear also contributes to the root causes of the epidemic. For example, when a water pipe breaks in a gang-controlled neighborhood, the government responds slowly because sending a repair crew is dangerous, he said. That leads to unreliable service in the area, prompting locals to stockpile water in barrels perfect for mosquito breeding. Resident Cesiah Estel Vargas said the three huge metal drums of water on her clean-swept patio are for when the water stops flowing. Two were covered, but one was open and filled to the brim. She said that one is used to flush the toilet and usually gets refilled daily, so she doesn't worry about mosquitoes. Across the way, Raul Rivera swatted at mosquitoes swarming inside his tidy living room. In a smaller room just off it sat a large concrete water tank, where even more of the bugs flitted about. Rivera got Zika two months ago and missed work for a week. Last year, his mother and son came down with chikungunya, which is transmitted by the same mosquito. He said he knows the water in his house is the problem, but it had been months since health workers distributed the larvicide for the water tanks. He seems resigned to disease. "It's nothing new," he said. ___ Associated Press writer Sonia Perez D. in Guatemala City contributed to this report. In this Feb. 5, 2016 photo, Sergio Mendez, chief of a Health Ministry brigade, gives instructions during a fumigation campaign against the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, in La Comuna 2 neighborhood of Guatemala City. Mendez said that fumigators had planned to go into the neighborhood last week but locals warned it was too dangerous. Soldiers escorted his team to La Comuna 2 where gangsters control the streets. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) In this Feb. 5, 2016 photo, soldiers show a mosquito larva found during a fumigation campaign against the Aedes aegypti mosquito in the La Comuna 2 neighborhood of Guatemala City. Soldiers worked to protect health workers from armed and well-organized street gangs known as maras that exert near-total control over entire neighborhoods. In some cases, gangs deny access to health crews they suspect of working with police or a rival gang. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Refugee mental health needs could overwhelm, experts fear BOSTON (AP) For the thousands of Syrian refugees expected to arrive in the U.S. in coming months, the first order of business will be securing the basics health care, jobs, education and a safe home. But what organizations helping resettle them might not be prepared for, and what refugees themselves might be in denial about, is the need to treat the mental scars of war, experts said. Iham Al Horani, a 32-year-old refugee living in Worcester, Massachusetts, said he has had little time to think about his mental health in between months of job hunting and shuttling his mother, recovering from sniper gunfire, to doctor's appointments. In this Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, photo Syrian refugee Ahmad Alkhalaf, 9, smiles as he talks with his father and sponsors at a mosque in Sharon, Mass. Ahmad, who arrived in the Boston area this past summer for medical treatment, said he used to have restless nights when he would relive his mothers screams from the night a bomb killed three of his siblings and left him without arms. But those sounds, he said, have largely faded. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) "It was difficult, what we came from," Al Horani said through a translator. "The living conditions in the refugee camp were bad. But at least we're all here." Organizations that work with refugees said it's too early to assess the full scope of arrivals' mental health needs. But experts say it's important to keep tabs on the emotional state of new arrivals, since symptoms may not appear until months or years later well after most resettlement support services have ended. The U.S. has taken about 2,500 Syrian refugees since the conflict there began in 2011, including about 100 in Massachusetts. The Obama administration expects to take in at least 10,000 in the federal fiscal year that began in October. Experts estimate 10 to 20 percent of incoming Syrians will have war-related psychological problems warranting treatment. "They're in the honeymoon phase," said Richard Mollica, a psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School who has spent decades working with torture and genocide victims. "In the first year, they're so happy to be out of that situation. They feel something wonderful is going to happen in America. "It's only about two years later or so when there's a mental health crisis," he said. "It's at that point that reality hits and they really need a lot of mental health care." Ahmad Alkhalaf, a 9-year-old who arrived in the Boston area over the summer for medical treatment, said he used to have restless nights when he would relive his mother's screams from the night a bomb killed three of his siblings and left him without arms. But those sounds, he said, have largely faded. "I'm fine," Ahmad said through a translator. "They're gone." Ahmad's father, Dirgam Alkhalaf, said he recently took his son to a counselor, who found nothing concerning. They don't plan to go back. Ahmad Houssam Hallak, a 51-year-old Syrian recovering from an artillery attack that left him with speech and movement problems, said winning asylum last year hasn't eased his stress. He is working to bring over his wife and three children, who remain in Lebanon. "They live in an unstable country," Hallak said through a translator. "It's a constant fear that I'm living in." Such stresses finding a job, adjusting to a new culture or dealing with life apart from family can also contribute to mental health problems, said Bengt Arnetz, a professor at Michigan State University who has been studying trauma in Middle Eastern refugees. Failure to address them could lead some refugees to withdraw from society, increasing the chances they'll be drawn to extremist groups, Arnetz warned. Alexandra Weber, chief program officer at the International Institute of New England, an agency contracted by the U.S. government to resettle refugees, agreed mental health services can be improved. Many agencies, for example, don't have enough Arabic speakers, she said. But, she said, agencies are increasingly asking refugees about their emotional state as part of initial health screenings something not done in years past. "For the first time in my career, I feel encouraged," said Weber. "In some ways, Syrians couldn't be coming at a better time." A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, declined to comment but pointed to general information on the office's website about federally funded programs for torture victims and its efforts at promoting "emotional wellness." At the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, a Detroit-area nonprofit, public health manager Madiha Tariq said she hopes the government will hurry to get refugees out of squalid, dangerous refugee camps and to the U.S. "With the Syrian population, they've already been the victims of extreme trauma. They've also been in refugee camps for a long time," Tariq said. "So the longer that displacement is, the more work we'll have to do repairing the stress and damage." ___ Online: Office of Refugee Resettlement: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr ___ Associated Press writer David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report. Follow Philip Marcelo at https://twitter.com/philmarcelo. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/philip-marcelo . In this Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, photo Syrian refugee Ahmad Alkhalaf, 9, sits on a prayer rug in a mosque in Sharon, Mass. Ahmad, who arrived in the Boston area this past summer for medical treatment, said he used to have restless nights when he would relive his mothers screams from the night a bomb killed three of his siblings and left him without arms. But those sounds, he said, have largely faded. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) In this Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, photo Syrian refugee Ahmad Alkhalaf, 9, leans up against his father Dirgam Alkhalaf in a mosque in Sharon, Mass. Ahmad, who arrived in the Boston area this past summer for medical treatment, said he used to have restless nights when he would relive his mothers screams from the night a bomb killed three of his siblings and left him without arms. But those sounds, he said, have largely faded. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) In this Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, photo Syrian refugee Ahmad Alkhalaf, 9, talks with his father Dirgam Alkhalaf as they sit inside a mosque in Sharon, Mass. Ahmad, who arrived in the Boston area this past summer for medical treatment, said he used to have restless nights when he would relive his mothers screams from the night a bomb killed three of his siblings and left him without arms. But those sounds, he said, have largely faded. Alkhalaf, said he recently took his son to a counselor, who found nothing concerning. They dont plan to go back. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) In this Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, photo Syrian refugee Ahmad Alkhalaf, 9, has his eye checked for an irritation by Na'eel Cajee at a mosque in Sharon, Mass. Ahmad, who arrived in the Boston area this past summer for medical treatment, said he used to have restless nights when he would relive his mothers screams from the night a bomb killed three of his siblings and left him without arms. But those sounds, he said, have largely faded. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) In this Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, photo Syrian refugee Ahmad Alkhalaf, 9, smiles as he talks with his father and sponsors at a mosque in Sharon, Mass. Ahmad, who arrived in the Boston area this past summer for medical treatment, said he used to have restless nights when he would relive his mothers screams from the night a bomb killed three of his siblings and left him without arms. But those sounds, he said, have largely faded. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) In this Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, photo Syrian refugee Ahmad Alkhalaf, 9, talks with his father and sponsors at a mosque in Sharon, Mass. Ahmad, who arrived in the Boston area this past summer for medical treatment, said he used to have restless nights when he would relive his mothers screams from the night a bomb killed three of his siblings and left him without arms. But those sounds, he said, have largely faded. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) In this Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, photo Syrian refugee Ahmad Alkhalaf, 9, and his father Dirgam Alkhalaf stand outside Ahmad's school in Sharon, Mass. Ahmad who arrived in the Boston area this past summer for medical treatment, said he used to have restless nights when he would relive his mothers screams from the night a bomb killed three of his siblings and left him without arms. But those sounds, he said, have largely faded. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) In this Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, photo Syrian refugee Ahmad Alkhalaf, 9, has his eye wiped by his father Dirgam Alkhalaf, in Sharon, Mass. Ahmad lost both of his arms when Syrian planes bombed the refugee camp where he and his family where living on the Turkish border in 2013. Alkhalaf, said he recently took his son to a counselor, who found nothing concerning. They dont plan to go back. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) Jury sent home for day in officer's stairwell shooting trial NEW YORK (AP) Jurors weighing the fate of a rookie New York City police officer who fatally shot an innocent man in a public housing stairwell have gone home for the day. The jurors were sent home Wednesday evening after the first full day of deliberations in the manslaughter trial of Officer Peter Liang (lee-ANG'). Jurors asked to rehear testimony from Liang and other witnesses. Police Officer Peter Liang, center, exits the courtroom during a break in closing arguments in his trial on charges in the shooting death of Akai Gurley, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, at Brooklyn Supreme court in New York. Jurors are scheduled to start discussing their views of Liangs actions as soon as Tuesday. Closing arguments are expected in the morning, and deliberations are likely to begin in the afternoon. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Liang says he accidentally fired the gun after being startled by a noise while patrolling the stairwell in 2014. Prosecutors say he was reckless and did little to help the dying victim, Akai (ah-KEYE') Gurley. Gurley was taking the stairs with his girlfriend rather than wait for an elevator. Liang faces up to 15 years in prison if he's convicted of manslaughter and other charges. Deliberations resume Thursday morning. New York City Police Officer Peter Liang, center, arrives for closing arguments at his Brooklyn Supreme Court trial in the shooting death of Akai Gurley, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Liang says he didnt know anyone was in the pitch-black stairway when he unintentionally fired. The shot ricocheted off a wall and hit Gurley, who was taking the stairs down rather than wait for an elevator. (AP Photo/Bryan R. Smith) Assistant District Attorney Joseph Alexis holds New York City Police Officer Peter Liang's fire arm as he speak during closing arguments in Liang's manslaughter trial, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, at Brooklyn Supreme court in New York. The rookie police officer who shot an unarmed man in a dark public housing stairwell says what happened was a deadly accident. Prosecutors call it manslaughter and say he acted recklessly and then did little to help the dying man. Jurors could start deliberating as soon as Tuesday on whether Liang's actions amounted to a crime. (Gregory P. Mango /New York Post via AP, Pool) FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2015, file photo, New York City rookie police officer Peter Liang arrives at court in New York for arraignment. When Liang fired his gun in a pitch-dark public housing stairwell, he at first thought he had hurt nothing but his career. Then he went looking for the bullet and heard someone crying. He followed the sound down three flights and saw a man lying wounded and a distraught woman bending over him, Liang said Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, at his manslaughter trial in the 2014 death of Akai Gurley, who was unarmed. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) New York City Police Officer Peter Liang, center, arrives for closing arguments at his Brooklyn Supreme Court trial in the shooting death of Akai Gurley, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Liang says he didnt know anyone was in the pitch-black stairway when he unintentionally fired. The shot ricocheted off a wall and hit Gurley, who was taking the stairs down rather than wait for an elevator. (AP Photo/Bryan R. Smith) Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson arrives to Brooklyn Supreme Court for closing arguments in the trial of New York City Police Officer Peter Liang on charges in the shooting death of Akai Gurley, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Jurors will start discussing their views of Liangs actions as soon as Tuesday. Closing arguments are expected in the morning, and deliberations are likely to begin in the afternoon. (AP Photo/Bryan R. Smith) Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson returns to the courtroom after a break in the closing arguments in the trial of New York City Police Officer Peter Liang on charges in the shooting death of Akai Gurley, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, at Brooklyn Supreme court in New York. Jurors are scheduled to start discussing their views of Liangs actions as soon as Tuesday. Closing arguments are expected in the morning, and deliberations are likely to begin in the afternoon. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Police Officer Peter Liang, center, enters the courtroom after the lunch break in his trial on charges in the shooting death of Akai Gurley, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, at Brooklyn Supreme court in New York. Jurors are scheduled to start discussing their views of Liangs actions as soon as Tuesday. Closing arguments are expected in the morning, and deliberations are likely to begin in the afternoon. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Robert E. Brown, attorney for New York City Police Officer Peter Liang holds Liang's fire arm as he speaks during closing arguments in Liang's manslaughter trial, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, at Brooklyn Supreme court in New York. The rookie police officer who shot an unarmed man in a dark public housing stairwell says what happened was a deadly accident. Prosecutors call it manslaughter and say he acted recklessly and then did little to help the dying man. Jurors could start deliberating as soon as Tuesday on whether Liang's actions amounted to a crime. (Gregory P. Mango /New York Post via AP, Pool) New York City Police Officer Peter Liang appears during closing arguments in his manslaughter trial, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, at Brooklyn Supreme court in New York. The rookie police officer who shot an unarmed man in a dark public housing stairwell says what happened was a deadly accident. Prosecutors call it manslaughter and say he acted recklessly and then did little to help the dying man. Jurors could start deliberating as soon as Tuesday on whether Liang's actions amounted to a crime. (Gregory P. Mango /New York Post via AP, Pool) Hawaii's big-wave surf competition called off HALEIWA, Hawaii (AP) Legendary surfer Eddie Aikau would have gone out. But Wednesday's surf in Hawaii didn't stack up to his namesake competition's big-wave standards, and the event was called off hours before it was supposed to happen. "Eddie would go" is the mantra of the Quiksilver surfing competition in memory of Aikau, a Native Hawaiian surfer famous for riding monster waves and saving hundreds of lives as Waimea Bay's first official lifeguard. The event was last held in 2009, when waves built to competition size for long enough for the surfers to run their heats. A bodeyboarder runs into the waves at Waimea Bay after the Memory of Eddie Aikau surfing contest was canceled, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Haleiwa, Hawaii. The competition was called off early Wednesday when the 40-foot swells predicted failed to materialize, event spokeswoman Jodi Wilmott said. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia) Conditions Wednesday on the North Shore of Oahu had been forecast to meet the competition's strict requirements for 40-foot-high swells that last for hours. But the towering breakers were a no-show, and as the sun came up over throngs of spectators and dozens of elite surfers, 'The Eddie' was called off. The narrow road that snakes along Oahu's North Shore was backed up with traffic early in the day as fans rode bikes or walked for miles to reach the venue. Parking was nearly impossible to come by anywhere near the beach. The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau competition began in 1984, six years after Aikau died trying to save others. It has only been held eight times. Some of the best big-wave surfers in the world were at Waimea Bay to compete in the event, including Eddie's brother Clyde Aikau, who is the oldest competitor at 66 years old and the only person to compete in all eight events. "Is Uncle Clyde ready to ride? Absolutely," Aikau told The Associated Press after he posed for photos with excited fans. He said he and his brother used to ride Waimea Bay because of their passion for the sport. "It was just that love to ride, you know, the biggest wave in the world, and to ride it with friends that you really love and you really have a lot of confidence in that if you get in trouble, they'll help you out," he said. He said the event isn't about fame or money, it's about honoring his brother's legacy. He also added that this will be his last year competing in the Eddie. As a lifeguard, Eddie Aikau is said to have never had a fatality while on duty. When the surf was too big for most in Waimea Bay and the crowds cleared out, Aikau would grab his surfboard and take on the biggest waves around. Event spokeswoman and longtime Aikau family friend Jodi Wilmott told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the surfers invited to the event "absolutely understand the prestige of being invited," but that the competition is more about the aloha spirit that Eddie lived his life with. "He really did share aloha wherever he went," Wilmott said. He was a guardian of the bay and any other body of water he visited, Wilmott said, and fittingly so as he was a direct descendant of a Hawaiian high priest named Hewahewa, who was given the task of watching over the Waimea Valley long before Aikau arrived. Ultimately, however, Aikau gave his life to the ocean in a final attempt to save others. The 31-year-old Aikau was part of a team that was attempting to trace the route of their Polynesian ancestors from Hawaii to Tahiti aboard the traditional Hokulea canoe in 1978. The vessel encountered rough seas and capsized. Aikau took his surfboard and paddled away for help. He was never seen again, though the rest of the crew was eventually rescued. Organizers will keep watching the ocean in the coming weeks to see if conditions will allow the competition to go ahead. Many of the surfers in Hawaii Wednesday will be travelling to another big-wave competition, Mavericks, which is expected to be held on Friday in Half Moon Bay, California. ___ Follow Caleb Jones on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalebAP ___ This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of the event spokeswoman's last name to Wilmott, not Wilcott, and the spelling of Quiksilver. Spectators gather on the beach at Waimea Bay after the Memory of Eddie Aikau surfing contest was canceled, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Haleiwa, Hawaii. The competition was called off early Wednesday when the 40-foot swells predicted failed to materialize, event spokeswoman Jodi Wilmott said. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia) A bodyboarder catches a wave at Waimea Bay after the Memory of Eddie Aikau surfing contest was canceled, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Haleiwa, Hawaii. The competition was called off early Wednesday when the 40-foot swells predicted failed to materialize, event spokeswoman Jodi Wilmott said. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia) A surfer catches a wave at Waimea Bay after the Memory of Eddie Aikau surfing contest was canceled, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Haleiwa, Hawaii. The competition was called off early Wednesday when the 40-foot swells predicted failed to materialize, event spokeswoman Jodi Wilmott said. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia) A surfer catches a wave at Waimea Bay after the Memory of Eddie Aikau surfing contest was canceled, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Haleiwa, Hawaii. The competition was called off early Wednesday when the 40-foot swells predicted failed to materialize, event spokeswoman Jodi Wilmott said. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia) Spectators leave the beach after the Memory of Eddie Aikau surfing contest was canceled at Waimea Bay, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Haleiwa, Hawaii. The competition was called off early Wednesday when the 40-foot swells predicted failed to materialize, event spokeswoman Jodi Wilmott said. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia) Spectators leave the beach after the Memory of Eddie Aikau surfing contest was canceled at Waimea Bay, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Haleiwa, Hawaii. The competition was called off early Wednesday when the 40-foot swells predicted failed to materialize, event spokeswoman Jodi Wilmott said. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia) This Dec. 3, 2015 photo provided by Quiksilver shows a shrine with a photograph of big wave surfer Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay near Haleiwa, Hawaii, during the official opening ceremony of the the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave competition. Event organizers say the competition will take place Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, at Oahu's Waimea Bay, the first time in six years the surf's conditions have met the events strict minimum requirements. (Brian Bielmann/Quiksilver via AP) A surfer rides a wave in Waimea Bay, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 near Haleiwa, Hawaii. Throngs of spectators packed the beach before dawn and elite surfers descended on Oahu's North Shore, as anticipation built for a big-wave surfing competition last held six years ago. But the towering waves required for the event were a no-show, and as the sun came up Wednesday organizers called it off hours before it was supposed to begin. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones) Big wave surfer Clyde Aikau, right, poses for a photo with Carolyn Cornwall-Cabais, of Pearl City, Hawaii, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 at Waimea Bay near Haleiwa, Hawaii. Aikau was at the bay to compete in his brothers namesake big wave surfing competition, The Eddie, but the waves did not reach minimum requirements and the event was called off. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones) Big wave surfer Clyde Aikau poses for a photo as he talks with The Associated Press, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 at Waimea Bay near Haleiwa, Hawaii. Aikau was at the bay to compete in his brothers namesake big wave surfing competition, The Eddie, but the waves did not reach minimum requirements and the event was called off. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones) A surfer rides a wave in Waimea Bay, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, near Haleiwa, Hawaii. Throngs of spectators packed the beach before dawn and elite surfers descended on Oahu's North Shore, as anticipation built for a big-wave surfing competition last held six years ago. But the towering waves required for the event were a no-show, and as the sun came up Wednesday organizers called it off hours before it was supposed to begin. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones) PICTURED: Jumping donkey leaps to fame in Egyptian village AL-ARID, Egypt (AP) A donkey has leapt to fame in a small Egyptian village by defying her species' well-known stubbornness and jumping hurdles on command. Ahmed Ayman, a 14-year-old farmer living in the Nile Delta north of Cairo, discovered his donkey's natural talent when she leapt over an irrigation canal one day, and decided to train her. "We got a very small barrier, and then would make it higher and higher each day," he said. Now the two perform in front of crowds of gleeful children from their village of al-Arid. Ayman uses a wooden baton to urge the donkey on and leaps over a homemade wooden barrier in the style of an equestrian. A cousin has posted pictures of the feat online, which have been spread through social media. In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture, Egyptian farmer Ahmed Ayman, 14, rides his trained donkey as he jumps over a barrier in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. He discovered the donkeys talent after she jumped over a small irrigation canal. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) Donkeys are a fixture of daily life in rural Egypt, where they are used for transportation or to haul goods, and can often be seen in Cairo and other major cities. But it's rare to see a donkey gallop, much less go airborne. "I have never seen a jumping donkey before. We even tried it with another donkey and when it reached the barrier it stopped," said Abdel-Moneim Sayed, Ayman's uncle. "A donkey is very stubborn. If he knows that he cannot pass a barrier he will not even try, no matter what you do." Ayman dreams of one day jumping horses, but he says he would never part with his donkey, even for a huge sum of money, "because she can jump, and I love her." Here is a series of photographs of the donkey showing off her unique talent by Associated Press Photographer Amr Nabil. ___ Follow AP photographers on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP/lists/ap-photographers Follow AP Images on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Images Visit AP Images online: http://www.apimages.com http://www.apimages.com/ In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture, Egyptian farmer Ahmed Ayman, 14, rides his trained donkey in in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. Ayman says that he wouldnt sell her for any price,because she can jump and I love her."(AP Photo/Amr Nabil) In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture, Ahmed Ayman, 14, leads his donkey to her daily training in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid, about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. She has leapt to fame in a small Egyptian village by defying her species well-known stubbornness and jumping hurdles on command. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture, Ahmed Ayman, 14, and his donkey start their daily training in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. By chance, he discovered her unique talent: the ability to leap over a hurdle like a horse. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture, Ahmed Ayman measures the height of a barrier before before he starts his daily donkey equestrian-style training in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture, Ahmed Ayman and his donkey jump over a barrier in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. Donkeys are a fixture of daily life in rural Egypt, where they are used for transportation or to haul goods, and can often be seen in Cairo and other major cities. But its rare to see a donkey gallop, much less go airborne.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil) In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture children applaud Ahmed Ayman and his donkey after they jumped over a barrier in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture, Ahmed Ayman, 14, rides his donkey as she leaps Equestrian-style over a barrier in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. I have never seen a jumping donkey before. We even tried it with another donkey and when it reached the barrier it stopped, said Abdel-Moneim Sayed, Aymans uncle. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture, villagers gather to watch Ahmed Ayman, 14, and his donkey as they jump over a barrier in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. The young farmer dreams of one day jumping horses, but he says he would never part with her, even for a huge sum of money, because she can jump, and I love her.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil) In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture Egyptian farmer, Ahmed Ayman, 14, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. Ayman discovered his donkeys natural talent when she leapt over an irrigation canal one day, and decided to train her. We got a very small barrier, and then would make it higher and higher each day, he said.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil) In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture, children applaud Ahmed Ayman, 14, and his donkey after they jumped over a barrier in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. A cousin has posted pictures of the feat online, which have been spread through social media.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil) In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture, Ahmed Ayman, 14, rides his trained donkey as she jumps over a barrier in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 picture, Egyptian farmer Ahmed Ayman, 14, feeds his donkey before they start their daily jump training in the Nile Delta village of Al-Arid about 150 kilometers north of Cairo, Egypt. Donkeys are a fixture of daily life in rural Egypt, where they are used for transportation or to haul goods, and can often be seen in Cairo and other major cities. But its rare to see a donkey gallop, much less go airborne. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) Israel court extends ex-leader Olmert's prison sentence JERUSALEM (AP) An Israeli court extended former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's 18-month prison sentence by a month Wednesday for pressuring a confidant not to testify in multiple legal cases against him. The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court rejected a plea bargain Olmert signed in January in which he pleaded guilty to charges of obstruction of justice in an attempt to avoid additional jail time. Olmert is set to report to prison Monday. He will be the first Israeli former prime minister to go to prison. FILE -- In this Dec. 29, 2015 file photo, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert leaves the courtroom of the Supreme Court after the court ruled on his appeal in the Holyland corruption case in Jerusalem. An Israeli court on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, added a month to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's 18-month prison sentence for corruption. (Debbie Hill/Pool File Photo via AP) Olmert was convicted in March 2014 in a wide-ranging case that accused him of accepting bribes to promote a controversial real-estate project, and was sentenced to six years. In December Israel's Supreme Court reduced his sentence. Olmert's attorney Eli Zohar told Army Radio that he would likely "appeal in order to defend the sanctity of the plea bargain." Government sues Ferguson after city tries to revise deal FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) The federal government sued Ferguson on Wednesday, one day after the City Council voted to revise an agreement aimed at improving the way police and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Ferguson's decision to reject the deal left the Justice Department no choice except to file a civil-rights lawsuit. "The residents of Ferguson have waited nearly a year for the city to adopt an agreement that would protect their rights and keep them safe. ... They have waited decades for justice. They should not be forced to wait any longer," Lynch told a Washington news conference. Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington,Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, about Ferguson, Missouri. The federal government sued Ferguson on Wednesday, one day after the city council voted to revise an agreement aimed at improving the way police and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Justice Department complaint accuses Ferguson of routinely violating residents' rights and misusing law enforcement to generate revenue a practice the government alleged was "ongoing and pervasive." Ferguson leaders "had a real opportunity here to step forward, and they've chosen to step backward," Lynch said. Ferguson spokesman Jeff Small declined to comment. Messages left with Mayor James Knowles III were not returned. Ferguson has been under Justice Department scrutiny since 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed, was fatally shot by white officer Darren Wilson 18 months ago. A grand jury and the Justice Department declined to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November 2014. But a scathing Justice Department report was critical of police and a profit-driven municipal court system. Following months of negotiations, an agreement between the federal agency and Ferguson was announced in January. A recent financial analysis determined the agreement would cost the struggling city nearly $4 million in the first year alone. The council voted 6-0 Tuesday to adopt the deal, but with seven amendments. Hours before the lawsuit was announced, Ferguson leaders said they were willing to sit down with Justice Department negotiators to draw up a new agreement. That seemed unlikely from the outset. Within hours of the Tuesday vote, Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said in a statement that the department would take "the necessary legal actions" to ensure Ferguson's police and court practices comply with the Constitution and federal laws. Knowles said the seven amendments were formulated after the analysis showed the deal was so expensive it could lead to dissolution of Ferguson. The analysis suggested that the first-year cost of the agreement would be $2.2 million to $3.7 million, with second- and third-year costs between $1.8 million and $3 million in each year. Ferguson has an operating budget of $14.5 million and already faces a $2.8 million deficit. Voters will be asked to approve two tax hikes in April, but approval of both would still leave the city short. A big part of the cost was the requirement that Ferguson raise police salaries to attract better candidates, including more minority officers. Removal of the pay-raise clause was among the seven amendments. Another provision the City Council added states that the agreement would not apply to any other governmental entity that might take over duties currently provided by Ferguson. That means, for example, that St. Louis County would not be beholden to the agreement if it takes over policing in Ferguson. St. Louis County police spokesman Brian Schellman said if the county were ever asked to take over policing in Ferguson, "we would consider the implications of the consent decree before entering into such an agreement." Knowles doesn't believe neighboring municipal departments would agree to cover Ferguson under the Justice Department's requirements. Defiance has often defined Ferguson since Brown's death. Days after the shooting, then-Police Chief Tom Jackson released surveillance video showing Brown's involvement in a theft at a small grocery store shortly before his death, with the burly teenager pushing the store owner. The video's release only heightened anger among protesters. Jerryl Christmas, a St. Louis attorney who has represented a number of Ferguson protesters, said the Justice Department now understands the frustration the black community has felt with the city for years. "If you cannot operate a legal and just city, you don't deserve to exist," he said. "If you can't put measures into place so you operate under the Constitution of the United States and guarantee rights to the citizens of the area, the city needs to dissolve." Ferguson resident Bob Hudgins, 52, an activist who plans to run for City Council, applauded the lawsuit. "I'm proud of my federal government today," Hudgins said. Knowles has vigorously defended Ferguson. Even as protesters and civil rights leaders called for reforms, the mayor noted that Ferguson was already making changes to municipal courts aimed at easing the burden on people accused of minor violations. In fact, city revenue from court fees and fines has declined by hundreds of thousands of dollars since the shooting. It's not uncommon for local governments to seek changes to agreements even after negotiations, but the overwhelming majority of investigations still end up in a settlement. The Justice Department has initiated more than 20 civil rights investigations into law enforcement agencies in the last six years, including in Baltimore and Chicago. In the last 18 months, the department has reached settlements with police departments that included Cleveland and Albuquerque. There have been occasional disagreements. In 2012, the Justice Department sued Maricopa County, Arizona, after failing to reach agreement on allegations that the sheriff's office targeted Latinos with discriminatory stops and arrests. County officials voted in July to settle parts of that lawsuit. The federal government also sued North Carolina's Alamance County following an investigation that alleged biased policing practices against Latinos. A federal judge last August ruled in the county's favor, saying the Justice Department failed to prove the sheriff ordered deputies to target Hispanics. That case is on appeal. ___ Tucker reported from Washington. Attorney General Loretta Lynch pauses as she speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, about Ferguson, Missouri. The federal government sued Ferguson on Wednesday, one day after the city council voted to revise an agreement aimed at improving the way police and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington,Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, about Ferguson, Missouri. The federal government sued Ferguson on Wednesday, one day after the city council voted to revise an agreement aimed at improving the way police and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, about Ferguson, Missouri. The federal government sued Ferguson on Wednesday, one day after the city council voted to revise an agreement aimed at improving the way police and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Attorney General Loretta Lynch, joined by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, about Ferguson, Missouri. The federal government sued Ferguson on Wednesday, one day after the city council voted to revise an agreement aimed at improving the way police and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Elected Fergsuon officials leave a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, at the City of Ferguson Community Center. They are from left: City Manager DeCarlon Seewood, Councilwoman Laverne Mitchom, Mayor James Knowles, Councilman Wesley Bell, and Councilwoman Ella M. Jones. The federal government sued Ferguson on Wednesday, one day after the city council voted to revise an agreement aimed at improving the way police and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb. (J.B. Forbes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) Ferguson City Councilman Wesley Bell explains the revisions and the unanimous vote in favor of the DOJ agreement at a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, at the City of Ferguson Community Center. At right is new councilwoman Ella M. Jones. The federal government sued Ferguson on Wednesday, one day after the city council voted to revise an agreement aimed at improving the way police and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb. (J.B. Forbes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) Ferguson City Councilman Wesley Bell explains the revisions and the unanimous vote in favor of the DOJ agreement at a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, at the City of Ferguson Community Center. Behind him is Mayor James Knowles. (J.B. Forbes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) Train wreckage being removed in Germany; answers sought BAD AIBLING, Germany (AP) Emergency workers in southern Germany brought in a huge crane Wednesday to start removing the wreckage from a deadly head-on train crash after police said they were no longer looking for another victim. Police spokesman Stefan Sonntag said authorities came to the conclusion that no one was unaccounted-for in the crash that killed 10 people and injured dozens after they contacted all hospitals in the rural region in Bavaria. Authorities are trying to determine why multiple safety measures failed Tuesday morning, allowing two trains to travel on the same single-line track and smash into each other. They are considering possible technical errors, human failure or a combination of the two scenarios. Both Germany's train accident investigation office and local prosecutors are investigating. Rescue workers stand besides wreaths in front of two trains that collided head-on near Bad Aibling, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. At least ten people have been killed and dozens were injured in the accident. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) The governor of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer, visited the crash scene in Bad Aibling, 40 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of Munich. He held a short memorial ceremony with rescue workers, who laid wreaths of white-and-red flowers next to the wrecked trains. "This is a horrible tragedy for all of Bavaria," Seehofer told reporters Wednesday. "We are praying and hope that the injured will recover." The governor also visited survivors in a nearby hospital to hear their stories about the fatal accident and thanked the hundreds of emergency workers for their efforts. Seehofer said he will wait for the results of the investigations to see "which consequences have to be taken to make this kind of tragedy even more unlikely to happen." At the crash site, about 100 emergency workers were helping with the removal of the wreckage a job that the German news agency dpa said would take at least two days. Police said nine of the 10 dead had been identified and both train drivers were among them. Their names were not released but all were men between 24 and 60 years old. About 17 of the dozens injured were still in serious condition but all are expected to survive, dpa said. Police spokesman Juergen Thalmeier warned reporters not to jump to conclusions. While the train dispatcher had been interrogated, he said that did not mean he was necessarily under suspicion. "All possibilities that might have led to this tragedy are being investigated," said Vera Moosmayer, a spokeswoman for the Transport Ministry. "They are looking at the black boxes. They are examining what happened on the tracks. They are speaking to the witnesses and the train dispatchers. They are trying to paint a picture of what might have led to the tragedy." Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt told the German news channel n-tv that one black box has already been examined and based on this analysis there seems to have been no technical problem, but that investigators have not yet finished their overall evaluation. Officials said it was not clear how long the train line between Holzkirchen and Rosenheim would be out of commission. Bus services were offered instead. The two trains were supposed to pass one another at a station where the track was divided. Also, a safety system installed on much of Germany's huge rail network was supposed to automatically brake trains that end up on the same track heading toward each other. Instead, the two trains slammed into one another on a curve. German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said safety systems on the stretch where the crash occurred had been checked as recently as last week. A joint memorial service by the Catholic and Lutheran churches is being planned but no specific date has been set yet. ___ Grieshaber reported from Berlin. Frank Jordans in Berlin also contributed. Rescue personnel stand in front of two trains collided head-on near Bad Aibling, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, one day after at least ten people have been killed and dozens were injured in the accident. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Rescue workers stand in front of two trains that collided head-on near Bad Aibling, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Eleven people have been killed and dozens were injured. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Rescue workers stand in front of two trains that collided head-on near Bad Aibling, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Eleven people have been killed and dozens were injured. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Rescue workers prepare near the place where two trains collided head-on near Bad Aibling, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Eleven people have been killed and dozens were injured. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Rescue workers stand in front of two trains that collided head-on near Bad Aibling, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Eleven people have been killed and dozens were injured. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) A city employee stands besides wreaths in front of two trains that collided head-on near Bad Aibling, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. At least ten people have been killed and dozens were injured in the accident. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Rescue workers arrange wreaths in front of two trains that collided head-on near Bad Aibling, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. At least ten people have been killed and dozens were injured in the accident. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Rescue workers stand besides wreaths in front of two trains that collided head-on near Bad Aibling, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. At least ten people have been killed and dozens were injured in the accident. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Bavarian state governor Horst Seehofer, center, talks to rescue workers at the site where two trains collided head-on near Bad Aibling, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. At least ten people have been killed and dozens were injured in the accident. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) New Hampshire Takeaways: Donald Trump proves he's a winner MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) New Hampshire voters have made their picks: Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders. They are choices with implications for next-to-vote South Carolina, Nevada and beyond in the 2016 race for president. Here are some takeaways from the results in the first primary state: ___ Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump takes the stage to speak to supporters during a primary night rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/David Goldman) TRUMP PROVES HE'S A WINNER He needed a strong victory. Trump got one Tuesday in New Hampshire. The longtime Republican front-runner proved he can do more than just top preference polls by posting a dominant victory in the nation's first primary state. And with it, he could become difficult to stop as the nomination battle moves forward. The brash billionaire was already far ahead of the fractured GOP field in polls of next-to-vote South Carolina before Tuesday's win, and it should be expected that he'll get a boost of momentum coming out of New Hampshire. Also to be expected: the GOP establishment's worries about Trump will deepen. Those Republican leaders who fear Trump is unelectable in a general election and there are many publicly suggest they have until mid-March to coalesce behind a viable alternative. But the continued strength of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, along with Marco Rubio's lackluster performance in New Hampshire, suggest that most of the Republican field will be locked in a messy muddle for weeks to come. And as they fight among themselves for second and third place, Trump may get a relative free pass to grow stronger. ___ RUBIO'S TOUGH NIGHT Hounded by Chris Christie in the final debate before Tuesday's primary for what the New Jersey governor argued is his thin record of accomplishment, Rubio repeated a line from his standard stump speech four times. And for the next two days, Rubio defended doing so even as the whiff of momentum he had carried forward from a strong third-place finish in Iowa's caucuses was evaporating. The Florida senator finally fessed up after voters delivered their verdict in Tuesday's primary. "I want you to understand something. Our disappointment tonight is not on you. It's on me. It is on me. I did not do well on Saturday night," Rubio said. "Listen to this: That will never happen again. That will never happen again." The question for Rubio is how long the damage will last. He moves on to South Carolina no longer ready to emerge as the prospective alternative to Trump and Cruz. Instead, he's back among the pack of GOP hopefuls looking to break out. ___ CLINTON'S VULNERABILITIES Sanders' blowout victory over Hillary Clinton exposed significant weaknesses in the former secretary of state's White House bid. Sanders won an overwhelming majority of young voters, a significant part of the coalition that twice helped elect Barack Obama. And Sanders and Clinton were evenly divided among women, a major setback for a candidate who aims to become the nation's first female president. Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook wrote in a memo that her campaign is well-positioned among black and Latino voters who are prominent in Nevada, South Carolina and the March contests. But the resounding loss in New Hampshire, which Clinton won in 2008 and where her husband revived his flagging campaign in 1992, creates the potential for the party's diverse electorate to give Sanders a second look. ___ WHAT VOTERS CARE ABOUT Among Democrats, voters said they valued honesty over other qualities in a candidate including experience, caring about people like them and electability. That loomed large for Sanders. Less than half of Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire said Clinton is honest and trustworthy. Asked which of the two Democratic candidates had those qualities, half said only Sanders had them and more than 9 in 10 of those people voted for him. About 4 in 10 said both of the Democrats were honest and trustworthy, but very few said only Clinton has those traits. Seven in 10 self-identified independents voting in the Democratic primary supported Sanders, while self-identified Democrats were evenly split between the two candidates. On the Republican side, voters who wanted an outsider made a big difference for Trump. Half said they want the next president to be outside the political establishment 6 in 10 of them voted for Trump. Among those saying they want a candidate who "tells it like it is" over other qualities, two-thirds voted for the real estate mogul and former reality TV star. ___ CAMPAIGN CASH Money is about to get tight for several candidates who just unloaded much of their campaign coffers in New Hampshire, a state where it costs a lot to broadcast TV ads. And some of the biggest Republican donors who'd been hoping for a clear signal from voters as to which of several candidates would be the strongest competitor to Trump and Cruz will have to keep waiting. That means fortunes aren't likely to dramatically rise for any of those would-be alternatives: Rubio, John Kasich and Jeb Bush. Kasich, the second-place finisher in New Hampshire, began the year with just $2.5 million, about one-third as much as Bush and a quarter of Rubio's available cash. Kasich senior adviser Tom Rath said Tuesday he expects an infusion of donations based on the New Hampshire results. "We have a lot of people who have been promising money if we perform," Rath said. "Tonight, we performed." As for Rubio and Bush, both campaigns were working hard to portray to donors their middle-of-the-pack finishes as a "win" of sorts. Yet both ended up well behind Trump and Kasich and were in a battle for third place with Cruz. The results leave little incentive for prospective donors looking for someone to take on Trump and Cruz to act now. ___ Associated Press writers Ken Thomas, Emily Swanson and Julie Bykowicz contributed to this report. Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., smiles and waves to the crowd at his primary night rally Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/J. David Ake) Republican presidential candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich laughs as he speaks to supporters Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Concord, N.H., at his primary night rally, (AP Photo/Jim Cole) Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton huddles with former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea at her New Hampshire presidential primary campaign rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Hooksett, N.H. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., fist bumps his son Dominick Rubio, 8, after speaking at his primary night rally at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, N.H., on Tuesday Feb. 9, 2016. With him is his family Amanda Rubio, 15, Anthony Rubio, 10, Daniella Rubio, 13, and wife Jeanette Dousdebes. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks during a primary night rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to supporters on primary election night, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Hollis, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) This is the moment the man who assassinated Robert F. Kennedy was told for the 15th time that he was being denied parole. At a hearing in California, Sirhan Sirhan stared at the floor as officials said they would not be considering him for release after shooting the presidential hopeful in 1968. It came as 91-year-old Paul Scharade, who was caught in the crossfire of the attack and shot in the head pleaded for the release of Sirhan at the hearing and apologized to him for not doing more over the years to secure his freedom. Scroll down for video Sirhan listened intently during most of the hearing, turning testy when commissioners pressed him on his memory. He said he felt remorse for any crime victim but added that he couldn't take responsibility Paul Scharade, 91, who was caught in the crossfire of the attack and shot in the head pleaded for the release of Sirhan at the hearing and apologized to him for not doing more over the years to secure his freedom Sirhan was found guilty of shooting dead then-presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy in June 1968. Kennedy pictured above laying on the floor as a worker at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles attends to him Schrade's voice broke with emotion at times during his hour of testimony that recounted his efforts to unravel questions about the shooting. 'I forgive you for shooting me,' Schrade told Sirhan. 'I should have been here long ago and that's why I feel guilty for not being here to help you and to help me.' The two men faced each other for the first time since Schrade testified at Sirhan's 1969 trial. Schrade was western regional director of the United Auto Workers Union and labor chair of Kennedy's campaign at the time of the shooting. On Wednesday, Sirhan nodded politely each time Schrade sought his forgiveness. The decision to deny parole came after Sirhan answered questions from a California parole panel during a hearing that lasted more than three hours in a small, windowless conference room. Sirhan Sirhan during a parole hearing Wednesday at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego Commissioners concluded Sirhan (seen next to his attorney William Pepper) did not show adequate remorse or understand the enormity of his crime Commissioners concluded Sirhan did not show adequate remorse or understand the enormity of his crime. 'This crime impacted the nation, and I daresay it impacted the world,' commissioner Brian Roberts said. 'It was a political assassination of a viable Democratic presidential candidate.' During the hearing, the 71-year-old Sirhan stuck to his previous account that he did not remember the shooting in 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after Kennedy won the Democratic presidential primary in California. This June 1968 file photo shows Sirhan Sirhan, right, with his attorney Russell E. Parsons in Los Angeles For the 15th time, officials denied parole for Sirhan Sirhan (seen left in 1973 and right this week), the assassin of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy He said he recalled being in the hotel then going to his car and returning after realizing he had too much to drink. He said he became interested in a female and they drank coffee in a hotel pantry. 'It's all vague now,' Sirhan told the parole panel. 'I'm sure you all have it in your records, I can't deny it or confirm it, I just wish this whole thing had never taken place.' Sirhan, a native of Jerusalem, listened intently during most of the hearing, turning testy when commissioners pressed him on his memory. He said he felt remorse for any crime victim but added that he couldn't take responsibility for the shooting. 'If you want a confession, I can't make it now,' Sirhan said. 'Legally speaking, I'm not guilty of anything ... It's not that I'm making light of it. I'm responsible for being there.' Sirhan said incriminating statements he made at trial were the result of an ineffective defense attorney who pressured him into thinking he was guilty. People rush to the aid of Senator Robert F. Kennedy after he was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in June 1968 Sen. Robert Kennedy is seen on a stretcher following the shooting at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles Paul Schrade, 43, who was hit by one of the bullets fired by Sen. Robert Kennedy's assailant Sirhan Sirhan, holds a press conference in his room at Kaiser Hospital in Los Angeles in this June 1968 photo Sen. Robert F Kennedy was shot in the Ambassador Hotel's kitchen pantry (pictured in a file photo) Schrade showed flashes of anger against Roberts, who admonished him for violating protocol by addressing Sirhan directly. Schrade also criticized a representative of the Los Angeles County district attorney's office for making what Schrade called a 'venomous' statement against the release of Sirhan. Roberts at one point asked Schrade to wrap up his presentation, saying 'quite frankly, you're losing us'. 'I think you have been lost for a long time,' Schrade shot back. Earlier in the hearing, the commissioner asked if anyone wanted a break. Schrade spoke up from the audience and said, 'No I want this to get over, I find it very abusive.' Retired Deputy District Attorney David Dahle argued at the hearing for the district attorney's office. 'The prisoner has still not come to grips with what he has done,' Dahle told the panel. Sirhan is serving a life sentence that was commuted from death when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972. In one of many emotional outbursts during his 1969 trial, Sirhan blurted out that he had committed the crime with 20 years of malice aforethought. Sirhan Sirhan, second from left in blue, reaches to shake the hand of victim Paul Schrade, second from right, at the end of a parole hearing But Sirhan Sirhan was restrained by a guard while trying to shake Schrade's hand on Wednesday That and his declaration when arrested, 'I did it for my country,' were his only relevant comments before he said he didn't remember shooting Kennedy. Sirhan told the panel Wednesday that if released, he hoped he would be deported to Jordan or live with his brother in Pasadena, California. His hope, he said, was 'just to live out my life peacefully, in harmony with my fellow man'. 'This is such a traumatic experience, it's a horrendous experience that for me to keep dwelling on it is harmful to me,' Sirhan said. As Sirhan left the hearing, Schrade shouted, 'Sirhan, I'm so sorry this is happening to you. It's my fault.' Sirhan tried to shake his hand but a guard prevented it. Ban upheld on grandson of Iran's Islamic Republic TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran's constitutional watchdog has rejected an appeal by the grandson of the Islamic Republic's founder against his disqualification from running as a candidate for a top clerical body, the official IRNA news agency reported Wednesday. The Guardian Council upheld a ban preventing Hassan Khomeini from running for election to the Assembly of Experts, a body empowered to pick Iran's supreme leader. The council screens candidates before allowing them to run. It has disqualified thousands of candidates, most of them reformists, from standing in elections to both the assembly and to parliament. A final list of approved assembly nominees is expected to be released on Feb. 16. The Assembly of Experts election will be held on Feb. 26, alongside parliamentary elections in which moderates hope to make gains. The decision to bar Khomeini likely serves as pushback against anyone proposing changes to Iran's clerical leadership after the implementation of a nuclear deal with world powers negotiated by moderate President Hassan Rouhani's administration. The assembly is similar to the Vatican's College of Cardinals, and will pick the new Supreme Leader on the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It also can directly challenge the Supreme Leader's rule, something it has not done since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Earlier this month, Iran's former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is now a member of the Assembly of Experts, sharply criticized the Guardian Council for barring moderate candidates. He described the decision as a "bad gift to the Imam's household at a time we should all be congratulating each other," referring to the lifting of sanctions under the nuclear deal. Ex-SS guard on trial in late push to punish Nazi crimes DETMOLD, Germany (AP) A 94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp is going on trial this week on 170,000 counts of accessory to murder, the first of up to four cases being brought to court this year in an 11th-hour push by German prosecutors to punish Nazi war crimes. Reinhold Hanning is accused of serving as an SS Unterscharfuehrer similar to a sergeant in Auschwitz from January 1943 to June 1944, a time when hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews were brought to the camp in cattle cars and were gassed to death. The trial for the retiree from a town near the western city of Detmold starts on Thursday and is one of the latest that follow a precedent set in 2011, when former Ohio autoworker John Demjanjuk became the first person to be convicted in Germany solely for serving as a camp guard, with no evidence of involvement in a specific killing. Auschwitz survivors Erna de Vries, their lawyer Thomas Walther, Justin Sonder and Leon Schwarzbaum, from left, attend a news conference in Detmold, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Reinhold Hanning, a 94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp is going on trial Thursday on 170,000 counts of accessory to murder, the first of up to four cases being brought to court this year in an 11th-hour push by German prosecutors to punish Nazi war crimes. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP) The verdict vastly widened the number of possible prosecutions, establishing that simply helping the camp to function was sufficient to make one an accessory to the murders committed there. Before that, prosecutors needed to present evidence of a specific crime a difficult task with few surviving witnesses and perpetrators whose names were rarely known and whose faces were often only seen briefly. Hanning's attorney, Johannes Salmen, says that his client acknowledges serving at the Auschwitz I part of the camp complex in Nazi-occupied Poland, but denies serving at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau section, where most of the 1.1 million victims were killed. Prosecutor Andreas Brendel told The Associated Press, however, that guards in the main camp were also used as on-call guards to augment those in Birkenau when trainloads of Jews were brought in. "We believe that these auxiliaries were used in particular during the so-called Hungarian action in support of Birkenau," he said. Leon Schwarzbaum, a 94-year-old Auschwitz survivor from Berlin who is the first witness scheduled for the trial, said he can't forget the vivid images he witnessed there. "The chimneys were spewing fire ... and the smell of burning human flesh was so unbelievable that one could hardly bear it," he told reporters Wednesday. Though he said he felt deeply unsettled about staring Hanning in the eyes in the courtroom Thursday, he said he thought it was important to be there and that more than punishment, he hoped the trial would give the former SS man an opportunity to give a full accounting of what he saw and did. "It's perhaps the last time for him to tell the truth. He has to speak the truth," Schwarzbaum said. In all, about 40 Auschwitz survivors or their relatives have joined the trial as co-plaintiffs, as allowed under German law, though not all will testify. Hanning's case is one of some 30 involving former Auschwitz guards investigated by federal prosecutors from Germany's special Nazi war crimes office in Ludwigsburg. It was sent to state prosecutors in 2013 with the recommendation that they pursue charges after the office undertook a major review of its files following the Demjanjuk verdict. Although Demjanjuk always denied serving at the death camp and died before his appeal could be heard, prosecutors last year managed to use the same legal reasoning to successfully convict SS Unterscharfuehrer Oskar Groening, who served in Auschwitz, on 300,000 counts of accessory to murder. Groening's appeal is expected to be heard sometime this year, but prosecutors are not waiting to move ahead with other cases. Hubert Zafke, 95, a former SS Oberscharfuehrer roughly equivalent to a Sgt. 1st Class is scheduled to go on trial at the end of February in Neubrandenburg, north of Berlin, on 3,681 counts of accessory to murder on accusations he served as a medic at an SS hospital in Auschwitz in 1944. His attorney, Peter-Michael Diestel, says it is Germany's "shame" that many higher-ranking Auschwitz perpetrators and other Nazi war criminals were able to escape with minimal or no sentences in the initial years after the war, and questions whether prosecutors are trying "to make up for mistakes of the past" with his client. "He was a medic for Wehrmacht (army) soldiers and SS men for uniformed men and had no part of the Holocaust, but the judicial argument of the Demjanjuk verdict says that if he didn't provide his service as a medic then Auschwitz wouldn't have functioned," Diestel said. "What should a young man, even if he knew what was going on in Auschwitz, do to stop it?" There is no question there were "some serious failures by the German judicial system in the past," says Efraim Zuroff, the head Nazi-hunter at the Simon Wiesenthal Center. But "that doesn't in any way change the validity of what's happening now." "In a certain sense, you could say these people had the bad luck to live a long life," he told the AP in a telephone interview from Jerusalem. "If they had died five years ago they would never have been going to trial." Two others whose cases are likely to go to trial this year are a 93-year-old woman charged with 260,000 counts of accessory to murder on allegations she served as a radio operator for Auschwitz's commandant in 1944, and a 94-year-old man charged with 1,276 counts on allegations he served as an Auschwitz guard. In all four cases, the health of the elderly defendants will be a major factor in whether the trials can be concluded. Hanning's will be limited to two hours per day in deference to his age, and his attorney says his client's health will be checked again by an expert as the trial opens. Still, Jens Rommel, the head of the Nazi war crimes investigative office in Ludwigsburg, says it is too early to talk of the last round of trials. There are a half-dozen open investigations right now with state prosecutors, and his office is looking into another seven suspects from both the Auschwitz and the Majdanek death camps. "Year by year it's more difficult, but the state justice ministers last year decided that Ludwigsburg would keep working," he says. "The state of North-Rhine Westphalia last summer talked about another 10 years as a timeframe." Auschwitz survivor Justin Sonder, who is scheduled to testify Friday, said it's never too late to pursue those responsible for running the camps. "I'm often asked if there were SS men in Auschwitz who showed compassion," the 90 year-old from Chemnitz said. "No, absolutely not!" FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2012 file photo the entrance with the inscription "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Sets You Free) gate of the former German Nazi death camp of Auschwitz is pictured at the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial in Oswiecim, Poland. A 94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp is going on trial Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 on 170,000 counts of accessory to murder, the first of up to four cases being brought to court this year in an 11th-hour push by German prosecutors to punish Nazi war crimes. Reinhold Hanning is accused of serving as an SS Unterscharfuehrer _ similar to a sergeant _ in Auschwitz from January 1943 to June 1944, a time when hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews were brought to the camp in cattle cars and were gassed to death. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File) The undated photo provided by the Archive of the State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau shows SS Oberscharfuehrer Hubert Zafke. Zafke, now 95, is scheduled to go on trial at the end of February 2016 in Neubrandenburg, north of Berlin, on 3,681 counts of accessory to murder on accusations he served as a medic at an SS hospital in Auschwitz in 1944. (The Archive of the State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau via AP) FILE - In this file photo taken just after the liberation by the Soviet army in January, 1945, shows a group of children wearing concentration camp uniforms including Martha Weiss who was ten years-old, 6th from right, at the time behind barbed wire fencing in the Oswiecim (Auschwitz) Nazi concentration camp. A 94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp is going on trial Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 on 170,000 counts of accessory to murder, the first of up to four cases being brought to court this year in an 11th-hour push by German prosecutors to punish Nazi war crimes. Reinhold Hanning is accused of serving as an SS Unterscharfuehrer _ similar to a sergeant _ in Auschwitz from January 1943 to June 1944, a time when hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews were brought to the camp in cattle cars and were gassed to death. (AP Photo) Auschwitz survivor Erna de Vries attends a news conference in Detmold, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Reinhold Hanning, a 94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp is going on trial Thursday on 170,000 counts of accessory to murder, the first of up to four cases being brought to court this year in an 11th-hour push by German prosecutors to punish Nazi war crimes. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP) Auschwitz survivorErna de Vries, right, and her daughter Ruth arrive for a news conference in Detmold, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Reinhold Hanning, a 94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp is going on trial Thursday on 170,000 counts of accessory to murder, the first of up to four cases being brought to court this year in an 11th-hour push by German prosecutors to punish Nazi war crimes. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP) As a result of the error, Otis can no longer be tried for Oliver's murder The judge was meant to call a continuance, but ordered a mistrial instead Prosecutors were caught off guard, insisting they hadn't been warned of the defense - so needed a couple of days to consider their position A woman pleaded with the Georgia Supreme Court not to let the man accused of killing her mother go free because of a judge's mistake during his murder trial. But the high court on Monday said a judge can't set a new trial for Geary Otis after having erroneously declared a mistrial in his case nearly two years ago. Otis is charged with murder in the slaying of 75-year-old Mary Oliver and aggravated assault in an attack on 71-year-old Emmanuel Surry, on June 17, 2013. 'It was a mistake on the judge's behalf. By all means, sanction the judge and give it to another judge,' Oliver's daughter Jan Jacobs said through tears at a news conference Tuesday. 'But he should not walk free. What kind of message does that send if we just let murderers walk free?' Geary Otis, who is accused of murdering Mary Oliver, 75, (right) in Atlanta It all began June 17, 2013, when police said Geary Otis ran up the stairs of a high-rise apartment building for seniors and stabbed Surry before kicking down a metal door and fatally stabbing Oliver. Police had to use a stun gun to subdue him, according to court records. Otis, who was 64 at the time, was a resident in the building but didn't know Oliver or Surry, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said. Oliver was asleep in her bed and Surry had just returned from taking his uncle to the hospital. Otis was arrested and jailed. When his murder trial began April 7, 2014, public defender Amanda Grantham told the jury in her opening statement that Otis 'just snapped.' The only possible verdict is not guilty by reason of insanity, Grantham told the jury. Prosecutors were caught off guard. They objected, saying they hadn't been notified of an insanity defense and needed more time to prepare. Grantham said she wasn't required to give them a heads up because she didn't plan to call any experts. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville said he believed the law required prior notice. He didn't want to keep jurors long enough for the trial to be rescheduled, so he declared a mistrial. He said he'd put the case back on his trial calendar in a couple of weeks. Grantham didn't want a mistrial, though, and she challenged the judge's decision. She argued that a jury had been seated and the trial had begun, and re-trying Otis would amount to double jeopardy, which is when a person is improperly tried twice for the same crime. Glanville rejected that argument. Grantham appealed to the state Supreme Court, which on Monday said the judge had erred and reversed his ruling. The justices said a 1995 ruling makes clear that the defense doesn't need to provide notice of an insanity defense if no expert witnesses are to be called. That opinion came during the sentencing phase of a death penalty case, and Glanville interpreted it as only applying in that context. The Supreme Court disagreed. In a concurring opinion, Justice David Nahmias said the Superior Court rules need to be revised. 'It is apparent that the trial court in this case was striving to produce a fair trial, but the court erred in not abiding by our holding' in the earlier case, Nahmias wrote. Glanville declined to comment through the Superior Court's public information office. Howard said the high court's ruling is 'beyond belief' and 'shocking to the consciousness of justice and fair play.' He said his office would request reconsideration. If the Supreme Court declines to reconsider its unanimous ruling, Otis will likely be released in several weeks after being in jail for three years. The social workers in the public defender's office are working to set him up with the help he needs. Bryan Grantham, the husband of Otis' trial attorney who joined the case on appeal to help his wife, said he doesn't believe Otis will be a danger to anyone because he didn't have a violent history. Romania upholds sentence for communist-era prison commander BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) A Romanian appeals court on Wednesday upheld a 20-year prison sentence for a 90-year-old communist-era prison guard convicted of crimes against humanity, the most high-profile case against former communist authorities since dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989. Alexandru Visinescu was convicted in July for the abuse and killing of prisoners at the Ramnicu Sarat prison in eastern Romania during his command from 1956 to 1963. Visinescu appealed to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, but was not present in court to hear the new verdict. Police later went to his apartment and took him to a prison in Bucharest. Former communist prison commander Alexandru Visinescu leaves his home escorted by a police officer dressed in civilian clothes, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. A Romanian appeals court has upheld a 20-year prison sentence for Visinescu, a 90-year-old communist-era prison guard convicted of crimes against humanity, the most high-profile case since dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) ROMANIA OUT The prison that Visinescu ran housed people who had been members of the intellectual, political and military elite in Romania before World War II. His prisoners were some of an estimated 500,000 people who fell afoul of the communist regime after World War II and were locked up until a general amnesty was declared in 1964. Prosecutors said former prisoners of Visinescu testified that they were denied access to medical treatment, heating, exercise and adequate food. They were held in solitary confinement and beatings were common. Nearly 140 inmates were incarcerated during the seven years Visinescu was in command. During the trial he showed no remorse and insisted he was only following orders. At his final hearing last month, Visinescu wept and pleaded: "Let me die!" He was asked six times by the judge and prosecutor why inmates died under his command. He answered just once, suggesting they died of old age. Valentin Cristea, 85, the only surviving prisoner of Visinescu's, heard about the verdict at his home north of Bucharest. Reached by phone, he told The Associated Press: "The justice system did its duty." Cristea said he was too ill to discuss the matter further. But he added that he was indifferent to Visinescu, saying he would pay for "his sins in a future life." Anca Cernea, whose father Ion Barbus was incarcerated in Ramnicu Sarat, said it was important for her and her family that the judge determined what Visinescu did was a crime, but said they do not seek vengeance. "We don't want Visinescu to suffer. Maybe if God wants he will seek forgiveness from his cell," Cernea said. Wednesday's ruling is a watershed in Romania's attempts to bring communist-era wrongdoers to justice, 27 years after the collapse of one of the most repressive regimes in the Soviet Bloc. Aside from Ceausescu, almost none of the other top communist-era figures has faced trial, a failure that has been blamed on corruption that has flourished despite Romania's membership in the European Union. The trial itself reflects a commitment by a new generation of prosecutors to stamp out corruption. Though Visinescu was not a high-level leader, he has become a symbol of the system's brutality. Andrei Muraru, who initiated the case in 2013 when he was head of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes, told the AP that he was deeply gratified by the ruling. "It is a historic sentence because starting from this moment, any crimes committed in the communist era can be condemned," Muraru said. "It is an important ruling for the rehabilitation of the victims," he added. The institute's current head said he hopes it will pave the way for more prosecutions. "It's a very important precedent," Radu Preda told Mediafax, a news agency. "But we should not think that a single trial, in this case Visinescu's, means that we have solved the trial of communism." ___ Mutler reported from Paris. Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland, contributed to this report. Former communist prison commander Alexandru Visinescu leaves his home scorted by a police officer, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. A Romanian appeals court has upheld a 20-year prison sentence for Visinescu, a 90-year-old communist-era prison guard convicted of crimes against humanity, the most high-profile case since dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) ROMANIA OUT Former communist prison commander Alexandru Visinescu, left, leaves his home escorted by a police officers dressed in civilian clothes, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. A Romanian appeals court has upheld a 20-year prison sentence for Visinescu, a 90-year-old communist-era prison guard convicted of crimes against humanity, the most high-profile case since dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) ROMANIA OUT FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015 file photo former communist prison commander Alexandru Visinescu, 90, waits for his hearing to start at an appeals court in Bucharest, Romania. A Romanian appeals court has upheld a 20-year prison sentence for Visinescu, a 90-year-old communist-era prison guard found guilty of committing crimes against humanity, in the first such case in since the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File) FILE - In this Tuesday July 30, 2013 file photo retired Lt. Col. Alexandru Visinescu looks at journalists as he enters his home in Bucharest, Romania. A Romanian appeals court has upheld a 20-year prison sentence for Visinescu, a 90-year-old communist-era prison guard found guilty of committing crimes against humanity, in the first such case in since the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File) FILE - In this July 11, 2014, file photo retired Lt. Col. Alexandru Visinescu pauses during an interview with The Associated Press in Bucharest, Romania. A Romanian appeals court has upheld a 20-year prison sentence for Visinescu, a 90-year-old communist-era prison guard found guilty of committing crimes against humanity, in the first such case in since the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File) FILE - In this July 11, 2014, file photo, retired Lt. Col. Alexandru Visinescu wipes his face during an interview with The Associated Press in Bucharest, Romania. A Romanian appeals court has upheld a 20-year prison sentence for Visinescu, a 90-year-old communist-era prison guard found guilty of committing crimes against humanity, in the first such case in since the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File) FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014, file picture media surrounds retired Lt. Col. Alexandru Visinescu, who ran the Ramnicu Sarat communist prison from 1956 to 1963 as he leaves a court in Bucharest, Romania, after attending the first hearing of a trial in which he is charged with crimes against humanity. A Romanian appeals court has upheld a 20-year prison sentence for Visinescu, a 90-year-old communist-era prison guard found guilty of committing crimes against humanity, in the first such case in since the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File) FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015, file picture a man points his finger at former communist prison commander Alexandru Visinescu, 90, at an appeals court in Bucharest, Romania. A Romanian appeals court has upheld a 20-year prison sentence for Visinescu, a 90-year-old communist-era prison guard found guilty of committing crimes against humanity, in the first such case in since the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File) Thai police confident of case against Spanish murder suspect BANGKOK (AP) Police in Thailand said Wednesday they have enough evidence to prosecute a 36-year-old Spanish man accused of killing and dismembering a fellow Spaniard to steal his fortune. Police Gen. Panya Mamen said that Artur Segarra Princep, 36, had been cooperative with interrogators but would not confess to the killing in late January of his countryman, 40-year-old David Bernat. He was arrested in expectation of being charged with premeditated murder and concealing a body. "We are confident that the suspect is the person committed this crime," he said. Thai correctional officers escort Artur Segarra Princep, center, of Spain leaving from the Criminal Court for 1st detention in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Segarra Princep who is the prime suspect in the gruesome murder of a fellow Spaniard is in Thai custody after being arrested in Cambodia, where he fled after the victim's dismembered body was recovered over several days from Bangkok's Chao Phraya River. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Panya said police found a freezer in Segarra's Bangkok home that they believed was used to store the body, along with what he described as "a book with instructions on how to dismember body parts." "We believe that the freezer was ordered specifically to commit this crime, to freeze (body parts)," he said at a news conference. According to accounts in the Thai media, police believe Segarra held Bernat against his will and tortured him to force him to transfer as much as 37 million baht ($1.05 million) to his bank account, then killed him and chopped up his body to try to conceal the crime. Pieces of Bernat's body were retrieved from Bangkok's Chao Phraya River, and identified by DNA matching. Segarra was arrested in Cambodia on Sunday and sent back to Thailand. "We are confident in the witnesses, evidence and documents we have gathered. We have clear evidence to prosecute him," said Panya. "At this stage, we still believe that he committed this crime; killing, transporting, and concealing (body parts) by himself." Segarra's Thai girlfriend, Pridsana "Ploy" Seanubon, has been helping the investigation, but is not a suspect in the murder. Panya said evidence in the case include witnesses who saw the suspect and victim together. Police said earlier that Segarra acknowledged knowing Bernat. Police took Segarra to court Wednesday to get legal approval to extend his detention pending the filing of formal charges against him. Thai correctional officers escort Artur Segarra Princep, center, of Spain leaving the Criminal Court for 1st detention in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Segarra Princep who is the prime suspect in the gruesome murder of a fellow Spaniard is in Thai custody after being arrested in Cambodia, where he fled after the victim's dismembered body was recovered over several days from Bangkok's Chao Phraya River. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) England names Dawson in World Twenty20 squad LONDON (AP) England selectors named uncapped allrounder Liam Dawson on Wednesday in their 15-man squad for next month's World Twenty20 tournament in India. Dawson did enough with England Lions during December practice sessions in the United Arab Emirates to convince selectors that his slow left-arm variety is their best option as a third spinner in sub-continental conditions. He will join England in South Africa next week to shadow the Twenty20 squad in action for two matches in Cape Town and Johannesburg. England players leave the field after losing the 3rd One Day International cricket match against South Africa at the Centurion Park stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. South Africa beat England by 7 wickets with 22 balls remaining. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) "It's a dream come true," Dawson said. "You do all that training as a kid hoping it might happen one day. "It's obviously an amazing tournament to be involved in especially being in India as well, which will be an exciting thing to experience." Dawson and frontline seamer Steven Finn, who is recovering from injury, are the only additions to the T20 squad to face South Africa on the current tour. Chris Woakes makes way for the 25-year-old Dawson as an extra spinner and back-up to Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali. As expected, England ignored Kevin Pietersen despite his strong form in domestic T20 leagues in South Africa and Australia. England coach Trevor Bayliss has yet to see Dawson play and, asked what he knew of the player, said: "Not a real lot... He came to a practice when we were out in the UAE, and he was there with the Lions. "I went to one or two of their practices and saw him in the nets. From a bowling point of view, he gets a bit on the ball, and he looks as though he's got something about him personality-wise." Bayliss made it clear that a return for Pietersen is not on England's agenda. "He wasn't even discussed in the selection meeting," he said. "Everyone is very happy with the young team we've got ... we've played very well in Twenty20 cricket over the last six months. "We just want to move forward with that young team." England's staff in India will include both Paul Collingwood and Mahela Jayawardene, following their coaching stints on tour in the UAE. Collingwood led England on the pitch to their only global trophy, the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in West Indies, and Jayawardene won the latest edition of the same tournament with Sri Lanka. The World Twenty20 runs from March 8 to April 3. ___ England squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey. French foreign minister leaving to head Constitutional Court PARIS (AP) France's top diplomat is leaving his post to become chief of the Constitutional Council, France's top court which makes sure that legislation complies with the constitution. French President Francois Hollande formally proposed the nomination of Laurent Fabius to the Constitutional Council in a statement Wednesday. Fabius, 69, had been in office since 2012. "I led the French diplomacy with pride and I served it with pleasure", Fabius told lawmakers at France's lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, getting loud applause. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius leaves the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. French foreign minister Laurent Fabius says he is to leave the government to be named at the head of the Constitutional Council, Frances top court making sure bills are compliant with the Constitution. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) His successor was not named immediately, but a government reshuffle is expected in the coming days. Environment and Energy Minister Segolene Royal and former Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault are widely considered as front-runners to take the position. Fabius told iTele television his one regret as foreign minister is that "the world didn't follow" France's position on Syria. Paris pushed the U.S. to join in a military intervention during the summer of 2013. "We should have taken action," he said. In his speech at the National Assembly, Fabius denounced the "terrifying brutality" of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime. "There is, we ought to say, and I call the ones responsible by their name, a complicity of Russia and Iran," he said, and called for a cease-fire in Syria. Fabius represented France in the nuclear negotiations with Iran, and for years he worked to help revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, as a strong supporter of the "two-state solution." His international stature soared in December, when almost 200 countries reached an agreement at the U.N. climate conference in Paris. Fabius was praised for his patience and listening skills, and received a standing ovation when he gaveled the deal. "It's rare in life to be able to move things forward at the planet level," a visibly moved Fabius said. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius speaks to the media as he leaves the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. French foreign minister Laurent Fabius says he is to leave the government to be named at the head of the Constitutional Council, Frances top court making sure bills are compliant with the Constitution. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) French Environment Minister Segolene Royal, left, and French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve leave the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. French foreign minister Laurent Fabius says he is to leave the government to be named at the head of the Constitutional Council, Frances top court making sure bills are compliant with the Constitution. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) NATO ministers approve new reinforcements for eastern Europe BRUSSELS (AP) NATO defense ministers on Wednesday approved new multinational reinforcements to beef up defenses of frontline alliance members most at risk from Russia, the alliance's secretary-general announced. Jens Stoltenberg said the plan adopted by the United States and NATO's 27 other members calls for the use of troops from multiple countries who rotate in and out of eastern European member states rather than being permanently based there. He said military planners will make recommendations on the number and composition of troops needed this spring. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. NATO and the European Union have signed an agreement to improve cooperation in cyberdefense, which NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called a concrete example of the two Brussels-based organizations joining forces to counter modern forms of hybrid warfare. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) The soldiers "will be multinational to make clear that an attack against one ally is any attack against all allies and that the alliance as a whole will respond," Stoltenberg told a news conference following the first session of the two-day defense ministers' meeting. Getting firm commitments, or even deciding how many NATO troops should be rotated eastward, may take time, however. Douglas Lute, U.S. ambassador to NATO, said he expected defense ministers to agree on "a framework" but that actual force levels will probably be hammered out only after consultations with NATO's supreme commander in Europe, U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove. One NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements, told The Associated Press one proposal under consideration calls for creation of a brigade-sized force: roughly 3,000 soldiers. On Feb. 2, the Obama administration announced its own plans to quadruple spending on U.S. troops and training in Europe. U.S. officials say that if Congress approves the $3.4 billion proposal, it would mean year-round presence in Europe of an American brigade engaged in training, mostly in small units sent to the NATO members nearest Russia. What's more, enough tanks and other hardware would be stockpiled in advance to equip another U.S. armored brigade whose troops could be airlifted to Europe in case of a crisis. Most of that equipment would be stored in Western Europe, rather than in countries closer to Russia. A senior NATO official, also speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss internal alliance deliberations, said the U.S. now hopes its European NATO partners will commit to new investments for deterrence that correspond to the increased funding and troops, equipment and training moves the Pentagon wants. At Wednesday's meeting, "many allies" announced how they intend to contribute to NATO's enhanced presence in the east, Stoltenberg said, but declined to give details. He said the overall goal was to reassure skittish allies and deter Moscow without completely alienating the Russians in the process. "This is about striking many different balances," the NATO chief said. On Monday, Russia's envoy to NATO warned his country will respond to a buildup of alliance forces near Russian borders. In remarks shown on Russian television, Alexander Grushko said the deployment of NATO forces in eastern Europe "can't be left without a military-technical answer." "Russia won't compromise its security interests," Grushko said. Stoltenberg said he will be meeting Friday with Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, in Munich, Germany, and will stress that NATO harbors no hostile intent toward Moscow. "I will underline that what NATO does is defensive, it is proportionate and it's fully in line with our international obligations when it comes to our increased presence in the eastern part of the alliance," Stoltenberg said. Following a request by Turkey, NATO's defense ministers are also reviewing what the U.S.-led political and military alliance might do to help slow the influx of migrants into Europe by sea. NATO already has AWACS surveillance planes, air policing and maritime patrol aircraft and an increased number of warships in the eastern Mediterranean under the reassurance measures agreed for Turkey in December, Stoltenberg noted. But he said more time is needed to evaluate how NATO might contribute to easing the migrant crisis, and added that he hoped to be able to make an announcement Thursday. "We all understand the concern and we all see the human tragedy," Stoltenberg said. The International Organization for Migration on Tuesday said 409 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, and that migrant crossings in the first six weeks of 2016 are running at nearly 10 times the rate of the same period last year. IOM said 76,000 people have reached Europe by sea, nearly 2,000 per day, since Jan. 1. Germany, the leading Europe destination for the migrants, many of whom are fleeing war or poverty in their Middle Eastern or African homelands, welcomed the discussions at NATO. "It is good that the Turkish government has asked NATO to help for the surveillance of the sea. We are aiming at stopping the business of the smugglers," German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, center, attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. NATO defense ministers convene a two-day meeting to discuss current defense issues and whether the Alliance should take a more direct role in dealing with its gravest migrant crisis since WWII. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, second left, speaks with, from left, British Secretary of State for Defense Michael Fallon, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. NATO defense ministers convene a two-day meeting to discuss current defense issues and whether the Alliance should take a more direct role in dealing with its gravest migrant crisis since WWII. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, left front, speaks to British Secretary of State for Defense Michael Fallon, front center, during a group photo of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. NATO and the European Union have signed an agreement to improve cooperation in cyberdefense, which NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called a concrete example of the two Brussels-based organizations joining forces to counter modern forms of hybrid warfare. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz, front left, speaks with Spanish Defense Minister Pedro Morenes Eulate, front right, during a group photo of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. NATO and the European Union have signed an agreement to improve cooperation in cyberdefense, which NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called a concrete example of the two Brussels-based organizations joining forces to counter modern forms of hybrid warfare. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, third left, walks to a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. NATO defense ministers convene a two-day meeting to discuss current defense issues and whether the Alliance should take a more direct role in dealing with its gravest migrant crisis since WWII. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool) The Latest: Russia has held important talks with US on Syria BEIRUT (AP) The Latest developments on the war in Syria and the tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing violence (all times local): 11:00 p.m. Russia's U.N. ambassador says Moscow has been holding "very important" discussions with the United States on a possible cease-fire in Syria and hopes a meeting of key nations in Munich on Thursday will pave the way for new peace talks. A Syrian woman holds a child and waits for information regarding the possible opening at the closed Turkish border crossing with Syria in the outskirts of the town of Kilis, in southeastern Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. A Russian-backed Syrian government offensive around the Syrian city of Aleppo has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border in recent days. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Vitaly Churkin told reporters after Security Council consultations on the Russian-backed Syrian offensive in Aleppo that "we're not about to be apologetic about what we're doing." He said "hopefully if and when the situation (in Aleppo) is corrected there will be more optimism for a political settlement." New Zealand and Spain called Wednesday's council meeting and urged serious consideration of "a humanitarian pause" to enable assistance to get through to Aleppo. Churkin said Russia would welcome a discussion on a pause "as something leading to a long-term permanent cease-fire." ____ 8:15 p.m. Britain has called on Russia to stop its aerial bombing in Syria and use its influence on President Bashar Assad to get a cease-fire and access for humanitarian aid demands that Moscow approved in a Security Council resolution in December. Britain's U.N. envoy Matthew Rycroft told reporters that progress on those issues would get a Thursday meeting in Munich of nations trying to end the conflict "off to a more productive start." He spoke Wednesday, ahead of a Security Council meeting on Syria. France's U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre stressed that improving the humanitarian situation "is the condition for a credible political negotiation." He says "the regime and its allies cannot pretend that they are extending a hand to the opposition while with their other hand they are trying to destroy them." ___ 6:25 p.m. Turkey's prime minister has put the number of Syrian refugees in his country at more than 2.6 million. Ahmet Davutoglu gave the figure during a news conference Wednesday with his Dutch counterpart in The Hague, Netherlands. Officials had previously said there are 2.5 million Syrians registered in Turkey. ___ 5:25 p.m. France's foreign minister has denounced the "terrifying brutality" of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government. In a speech at France's lower house of parliament on Wednesday, Laurent Fabius also said there was "a complicity of Russia and Iran." Fabius was speaking a few hours after announcing he has decided to leave the government to head France's Constitutional Court. He called for a cease-fire in Syria and reiterated France's position in favor of peace talks. France is a member of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group. The French government insisted on Wednesday that a political solution in Syria ultimately requires Assad's departure. ___ 4:50 p.m. Turkey's prime minister has lashed out at the United Nations after it demanded the country open its borders to tens of thousands of more Syrian refugees, accusing it of failing to stop the Russian bombings that have triggered the exodus. Ahmet Davutoglu said Wednesday he considered the U.N. Security Council "two-faced" for telling Turkey to open its borders while not moving "a finger to solve the Syria crisis" or to stop the Russian bombardments. He also said the Syrian and Russian military operations were an attempt to drive out people who don't support the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. By taking in the refugees that have fled the city of Aleppo, he said Turkey would be indirectly contributing to what he termed as an "ethnic cleansing." ___ 4:30 p.m. Turkey's president has ratcheted up his criticism of the United States for not recognizing Syrian Kurdish forces as "terrorists," saying Washington's lack of knowledge of the groups operating in the region has led to bloodshed. Turkey considers the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, which is affiliated with Turkey's own Kurdish rebels as a terror group. The PYD however, is a key force in U.S. efforts to root out the Islamic State group in Syria. On Wednesday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his position that the PYD was no different to Turkey's Kurdish rebels, which the U.S. does consider to be a terror organization, or to IS. Erdogan said: "You failed to know (these groups). That's why the region is drenched in blood." Turkey summoned the U.S. ambassador on Tuesday over the issue. ___ 2:25 p.m. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has fired back at the United Nations for demanding that Turkey open its border to tens of thousands of more Syrian refugees, accusing the world body of being ineffective over the refugee crisis and of not shouldering the burden like Turkey. A Russian-backed Syrian government offensive around the Syrian city of Aleppo has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border in recent days. Turkey, already home to 2.5 million Syrian refugees, is also providing assistance to the new refugees on the Syrian side of the border. But it has not let them in, prompting UNHCR on Tuesday to call on Turkey to admit them. Erdogan responded Wednesday by saying the U.N. had not assisted Turkey sufficiently. He says of the world body "What is your use? ... how many refugees have you taken in?" ___ 1:50 p.m. Opposition activists and a rebel commander say Kurdish fighters have launched an offensive in northern Syria to attempt to capture a rebel-held military air base. Maj. Yasser Abdul-Rahim, a rebel commander in the northern province of Aleppo, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the main Kurdish militia, known as YPG, is clashing with rebels near Mannagh air base. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says YPG fighters are trying to capture a former Syrian army air base that was lost to the opposition in August 2013. The YPG has received backing from airstrikes launched by Russia, a longtime ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Syrian troops have been on the offensive in Aleppo province for nearly two weeks in an attempt to besiege rebel-held parts of the provincial capital of Aleppo, Syria's largest city and once commercial center. Troops have captured dozens of villages in the area. ___ 12:50 p.m. Turkey's state-run agency says military officials have stopped a group of 34 people at the border with Syria and seized luggage containing four suicide vests and explosives. Anadolu Agency, citing unnamed security sources Wednesday, said four men, 10 women and 20 children were stopped near the town of Oguzeli, in Gaziantep province. It wasn't clear when they were detained, but Anadolu said that security forces had acted on a tip about plans to smuggle explosives across the border. The luggage contained up to 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of explosives. There was no information on the nationalities of those detained. The report didn't say whether authorities believe the group may be linked to the Islamic State group. Anadolu said an investigation was underway. ___ 11:20 a.m. Syria's state news agency SANA says opposition gunmen have opened fire on aid vehicles in the besieged rebel-held town of Madaya, near the capital Damascus, but no casualties were reported. A SARQ official said on Wednesday that the convoy, which included vehicles from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, was evacuating sick people from Madaya when it came under fire by unknown gunmen. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the operation had been completed and people successfully evacuated. Madaya, which has been besieged by government and allied militiamen for months, gained international attention after harrowing pictures emerged showing emaciated children and starving residents. SANA said the shooting occurred late Tuesday night delaying operations for several hours. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, right, and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte wave to photographers and cameramen in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) People walk next to the closed Turkish border crossing with Syria in the outskirts of the town of Kilis, in southeastern Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Turkey must open its doors to the thousands of Syrians who have massed at the border after fleeing violence, the United Nations demanded Tuesday, warning that hundreds of thousands of others could be soon cut off from humanitarian aid amid blistering Syrian and Russian airstrikes. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) In this photo provided by Turkish Islamic aid group IHH, people walk around a temporary refugee camp for displaced Syrians in northern Syria, near Bab al-Salameh border crossing with Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Turkey must open its doors to the thousands of Syrians who have massed at the border after fleeing violence, the United Nations demanded Tuesday, warning that hundreds of thousands of others in Syrias largest city could be soon cut off from humanitarian aid amid blistering Syrian and Russian airstrikes. (IHH via AP) Elephant rampages in east Indian town, smashing homes KOLKATA, India (AP) A wild elephant rampaged through an east Indian town on Wednesday, smashing cars and homes and sending panicked people running before the animal was tranquilized to be returned to the forest. As the frightened elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes, crowds of people gathered to watch from balconies and roof tops. Some followed from a distance as the elephant moved through the streets. "The elephant was scared and was trying to go back to the jungle," said Papaiya Sarkar, a 40-year-old homemaker who watched the elephant amble down a street near her home. A wild elephant that strayed into the town moves through the streets as people follow at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town of Siliguri in West Bengal state. Divisional Forest Officer Basab Rai said the female elephant appeared to be a loner without a herd, and was likely searching for food when it strayed into the town. He said it did not attack any people, and appeared to be afraid of them. After several hours, it became clear the elephant was unable to find its way back to the forest. Authorities eventually shot the elephant three times with a tranquilizer gun and used a crane to lift it into a truck once it had calmed down. It was then taken to a park for domesticated pachyderms that is maintained by the forest department. Once the effect of the tranquilizer wore off, authorities planned to return the elephant to the forest, Rai said. Elephants are increasingly coming into contact with people in India, as the human population of 1.25 billion soars and cities and towns grow at the expense of jungles and other elephant habitats. In India and Sri Lanka, more than 400 elephants and 250 humans are killed each year. On Wednesday, another wild elephant trampled a farmer to death in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The farmer had been sleeping in his paddy field when the elephant appeared, police told Press Trust of India. India's elephants are also threatened by speeding trains and illegal poachers looking for ivory to sell on the black market. Today, there are about 30,000 elephants across the country, restricted to about 15 percent of their historic habitat, according to the environment ministry. Worldwide, elephants have disappeared from some 95 percent of their historical range, which once stretched from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Yellow River in northern China. People watch a wild elephant that strayed into the town of Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) A wild elephant that strayed into the town moves through the streets as people follow at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) People run as they follow a wild elephant that strayed into the town of Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) A wild elephant that strayed into the town moves through the streets as people run at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) A wild elephant that strayed into the town stands after authorities shot it with a tranquilizer gun as people gather to watch at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) A wild elephant that strayed into the town stands after authorities shot it with a tranquilizer gun at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town. The panicked elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was tranquilized. (AP Photo) The Latest: Dutch PM: Turkish efforts help stem migrant flow BERLIN (AP) The Latest on the massive influx of migrants into Europe (all times local): 5:20 p.m. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says efforts by Turkey to stem the flow of migrants pouring into Europe are bearing fruit. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, left, is greeted by his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) At a press conference Wednesday with his Turkish counterpart in The Hague, Rutte called Ankara, "an essential partner" in efforts to reduce the flow of migrants. Rutte says that, "the good news is that we see in recent days that the number is declining significantly." Rutte says that instead of a thousand people per day entering the European Union, "we are now talking about a few hundred." He said that "Turkish efforts, certainly in recent days, are having a great effect," but didn't specify which efforts he was referring to. ___ 2:30 p.m. The European Commission says too few asylum-seekers in Italy have been sent to other European nations under a scheme to distribute 160,000 migrants from Italy and Greece over two years. A report released Wednesday by the Commission said Italy "is still far behind the rate necessary to achieve the overall target." It said 279 people have been relocated since September and 200 requests for places have been sent to other EU countries. So far, countries have only offered 966 relocation places to Italy. The report noted that Italy deported 14,000 people last year but says this "remains insufficient in the context of over 160,000 arrivals in 2015." ___ 1:35 p.m. The European Commission is calling on countries along the Balkans migration route into Europe to do more to provide shelter for people fleeing conflict or poverty. Leaders of Balkans countries committed last year to provide 50,000 places for people to shelter along the migration route, agreeing that it was important to do this in time for winter. A European Commission report released Wednesday said that only "around half of this figure is currently available or being developed." It said that Balkans countries "now need to urgently speed up the provision of reception capacities." ___ 1:15 p.m. The European Union is insisting that "as a matter of urgency" Turkey needs to stem the flow of irregular crossings of migrants into Greece. The EU is specifically looking at Ankara to ease the migrant crisis and last year agreed on a $3.4 billion plan to help the nation deal with the 2.75 million refugees it harbors. Since last year, about 880,000 people have made a crossing from Turkey into Greece and on to Germany and the EU's heartland. The move has caused a major political crisis within the 28-nation bloc since there is widespread disagreement what to do with those who arrive. Hence, Wednesday's European Commission report on Turkey insists Ankara needs to make progress in stopping the crossings fast and beef up action against human traffickers. ___ 12:45 p.m. The European Commission says Greece's response to the refugee emergency continues to be too slow and that it's not sending enough migrants who don't qualify for asylum back home. A report released Wednesday said that the deployment of specialist teams known as hotspots to register and fingerprint migrants has been held up in part by staffing and infrastructure shortages. The commission's report said that "only one hotspot is currently fully operational." The hotspot scheme was launched in September and Greece is supposed to have five up and running. The report noted that almost 20,000 migrants have been deported since the beginning of last year, but that "this remains insufficient in the context of over 800,000 arrivals in 2015." ___ 10:15 a.m. Police say a recent grenade attack on an asylum seekers' home in Germany wasn't triggered by hatred on refugees, but suspect it was caused by rivalry between different companies involved in providing safety for asylum centers. Police in Villingen-Schwenningen in the Black Forest said late Tuesday that they detained four suspects. They did not reveal names of the four men, but only said they were migrants from eastern Europe. Police did not give any further details, but said "conflicts between security companies could be the cause" for the attack. The grenade was thrown over the fence of the asylum home the night of Jan. 28-29 and landed next to the container of the security staff. It didn't explode, and a bomb squad destroyed it in a controlled explosion. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, right, and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte wave to photographers and cameramen in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Refugees arrive by train at the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce, before continuing their journey to Serbia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Macedonian authorities are reinforcing a barrier at the country's border with Greece that is designed to limit the number of migrants and refugees crossing into the country, accepting people only from war-affected zones who declare Austria or Germany as their final destination. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Refugees arrive by train at the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce, before continuing their journey to Serbia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Macedonian authorities are reinforcing a barrier at the country's border with Greece that is designed to limit the number of migrants crossing into the country, accepting people only from war-affected zones who declare Austria or Germany as their final destination. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) A woman carries her belongings after her arrival by ferry with other refugees and migrants from the eastern Greek islands at the Athens' port of Piraeus on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The International Organization for Migration announced that 409 people have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, and migrant crossings in the first six weeks of 2016 are running at nearly 10 times the rate of the same period last year. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Refugees disembark a train upon their arrival at the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce, before continuing their journey to Serbia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Macedonian authorities are reinforcing a barrier at the country's border with Greece that is designed to limit the number of migrants and refugees crossing into the country, accepting people only from war-affected zones who declare Austria or Germany as their final destination. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Refugees and migrants arrive from the eastern Greek islands by ferry at the Athens' port of Piraeus on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The International Organization for Migration announced that 409 people have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, and migrant crossings in the first six weeks of 2016 are running at nearly 10 times the rate of the same period last year. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) A woman holds a child as they enter a terminal building at the Athens' port of Piraeus after their arrival from the eastern Greek islands by ferry on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The International Organization for Migration announced that 409 people have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, and migrant crossings in the first six weeks of 2016 are running at nearly 10 times the rate of the same period last year. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) A refugee woman looks from a window of the train on the arrival at the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Macedonian authorities are reinforcing a barrier at the country's border with Greece that is designed to limit the number of migrants and refugees crossing into the country, accepting people only from war-affected zones who declare Austria or Germany as their final destination. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) A baby looks back over woman's shoulder as they move with a group of refugees towards the border with Serbia, from the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Macedonian authorities are reinforcing a barrier at the country's border with Greece that is designed to limit the number of migrants crossing into the country, accepting people only from war-affected zones who declare Austria or Germany as their final destination. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) A refugee boy, carrying a giant stuffed duck, tries to catch up with his mother while both walk towards the border with Serbia from the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Macedonian authorities are reinforcing a barrier at the country's border with Greece that is designed to limit the number of migrants and refugees crossing into the country, accepting people only from war-affected zones who declare Austria or Germany as their final destination. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) An Afghan refugee woman changes a baby's diaper outside a tent at the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce, before continuing their journey to Serbia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Macedonian authorities are reinforcing a barrier at the country's border with Greece that is designed to limit the number of migrants and refugees crossing into the country, accepting people only from war-affected zones who declare Austria or Germany as their final destination. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Refugees move through the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce, before continuing their journey to Serbia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Macedonian authorities are reinforcing a barrier at the country's border with Greece that is designed to limit the number of migrants and refugees crossing into the country, accepting people only from war-affected zones who declare Austria or Germany as their final destination. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Despite protests, Greek PM says reforms 'not optional' ATHENS, Greece (AP) Protesting farmers said Wednesday they are planning to camp outside parliament and hold a 48-hour protest against government pension reforms. Farmers from about 70 highway and road blockades around the country are planning to bring their protest to Athens on Friday and Saturday, in a confrontation with the left-wing government, which is struggling to implement austerity measures demanded by bailout lenders. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' government is facing growing opposition from unions and professional groups of over planned pension and tax reforms that are likely to hit the income of salary-earners and the self-employed. A farmer walks by a line of tractors parked in protest at a vital point, on a road that links the international airport with the southern and eastern suburbs of the Greek capital, in Koropi, near Athens, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Farmers in northern Greece have blocked traffic on the country's main highway, intensifying nationwide protests against austerity measures demanded by bailout lenders. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Lawyers, engineers, and other groups that even include physical therapists have staged strikes and protests this week. The highway blockades by farmers, now in their fourth week, have caused major delays for drivers and truckers but created no serious market supply shortages so far. Vangelis Boutas, head coordinator of the farmers' roadblocks, said the protesters want to bring up to 100 tractors to Athens for the rally. The police, however, have imposed a ban on tractors entering the city and plan to deploy several thousand officers and eight roadside inspection points near and around the capital. "We cannot back down in this struggle because our future is at stake," Boutas told reporters in Athens. "If they don't take these (measures) back, we won't be alive tomorrow ... And we can't negotiate our own death." Tsipras rejected farmers' demands to scrap the planned pension system overhaul and start a full round of negotiations with professional groups and opposition parties. "It is clear that this reform is not optional," he told a Cabinet meeting. "This is not just a question of us meeting our (bailout) obligations ... The crucial question is whether we will be able to pay pensions or not in just a few years." __ Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed. __ Follow Becatoros at http://www.twitter.com/ElenaBec A farmer changes oil in his parked tractor during a protest at a vital point, on a road that links the international airport with the southern and eastern suburbs of the Greek capital, in Koropi, near Athens, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Farmers in northern Greece blocked traffic on the country's main highway, intensifying nationwide protests against austerity measures demanded by bailout lenders. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) A farmer stands in protest near parked tractors at a vital point, on a road that links the international airport with the southern and eastern suburbs of the Greek capital, in Koropi, near Athens, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Farmers in northern Greece blocked traffic on the country's main highway, intensifying nationwide protests against austerity measures demanded by bailout lenders. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Republican hopefuls hope for survival in South Carolina COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) Republican businessman Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders moved on Wednesday after commanding wins in the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary, and the Republican field contracted with announcements that Carly Fiorina and Chris Christie would drop out of the race. All signs point to a drawn-out battle in the state-by-state contests following Trump's resounding victory in New Hampshire. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, under immense pressure to prove himself after a devastating fifth-place finish, was looking for a fight that could last for months or even spill into the first contested Republican national convention since 1976. "We very easily could be looking at May or the convention," Rubio campaign manager Terry Sullivan told The Associated Press. The Rev. Al Sharpton embraces Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. as they arrive for a breakfast meeting at Sylvia's Restaurant, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. Sanders defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday in the New Hampshire primary. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) If Trump had Republicans on edge, Democrats were feeling no less queasy. Rejected in New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton sought redemption in Nevada, where a more diverse group of voters awaited her and Bernie Sanders. Sanders, a Vermont senator and self-proclaimed democratic socialist, raised $5 million-plus in less than a day after his New Hampshire triumph. The contributions came mostly in small-dollar amounts, his campaign said, illustrating the resources he'll have to fight Clinton to a bitter end. Both Clinton and Sanders the first Jew to win a presidential primary worked to undercut each other among African-Americans and Hispanics with less than two weeks until the Democratic contests in Nevada and South Carolina. Clinton's campaign deployed South Carolina state Rep. Todd Rutherford to vouch for her support for minorities. "Secretary Clinton has been involved in South Carolina for the last 40 years," Rutherford said. "Bernie Sanders has talked about these issues for the last 40 days." Sanders, meanwhile, met with the Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist, at a Harlem restaurant. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the conservative firebrand and victor in the leadoff Iowa caucuses, returned to the center of the fracas after largely sitting out New Hampshire. He drew contrasts with Trump as he told a crowd of 500 in Myrtle Beach that Texans and South Carolinians are more alike than not. "We love God, we're gun owners, military veterans and we're fed up with what's happening in Washington," Cruz said. Far behind in New Hampshire voting, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Fiorina dropped out, and a spokeswoman for New Jersey Gov. Christie said his race was over, too. But a sizeable field remained. Almost all the Republicans have spent months building complex campaigns and blanketing airwaves in South Carolina, which heralds the start of the Republican campaign's foray into the South. After that primary on Feb. 20, seven Southern states including Georgia and Virginia will anchor the Super Tuesday primaries on March 1, with a large number of delegates at stake. Rubio's campaign has looked forward to South Carolina. Yet his path grew far trickier after a fifth-place New Hampshire letdown, which terminated talk of Republican leaders quickly uniting behind him as the strongest alternative to "outsiders" Trump and Cruz. His campaign's suggestion that the race could veer a contested convention seemed to signal to mainstream Republicans that the party would be ill-served by allowing the Trump phenomenon to last much longer. Republican officials have already had early discussions about such a July scenario, which could be triggered if no candidate secures a majority of delegates by convention time. For Gov. John Kasich, whose second-place showing was New Hampshire's primary stunner, the task was to convert newfound interest into support in a state ideologically distant from his native Ohio. With a minimal South Carolina operation compared to his rivals, Kasich must work quickly. Heading into the final two-week sprint, Trump was leading in South Carolina among all demographic groups, an NBC/Marist/Wall Street Journal poll showed, with Cruz and Rubio a distant second and third. Already, more than $32 million has been spent on TV ads here, according to CMAG/Kantar Media data much of it by Right to Rise, the PAC backing former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Though he placed fourth on Tuesday, Bush was hoping that Rubio's slump would forestall his own ouster from the race. Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. boards a plane with his sons Dominick Rubio, 8, and Anthony Rubio, 10, as they leave Manchester, N.H., Wednesday Feb. 10, 2016, en route to South Carolina after the New Hampshire primary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., smiles as he waves to the crowd during a primary night watch party at Concord High School, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a primary night rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. At his side are his wife Melania Trump, left, and daughter Ivanka Trump, right. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Republican presidential candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich laughs as he speaks to supporters Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Concord, N.H., at his primary night rally, (AP Photo/Jim Cole) Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton huddles with former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea at her New Hampshire presidential primary campaign rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Hooksett, N.H. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., gestures to the crowd as he arrives, followed by his daughters Amanda Rubio, 15, and Daniella Rubio, 13, at his primary night rally at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, N.H., on Tuesday Feb. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Theodore Kraemer, 8, of Bedford, N.H., front, joins with supporters of Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush while watching televised returns at a primary night rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., reacts to the cheering crowd at his primary night rally Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/J. David Ake) Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gestures to supporters at her New Hampshire presidential primary campaign rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Hooksett, N.H. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) With his wife Karen at his side Republican presidential candidate Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, cheers with supporters Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Concord, N.H. , at his primary night rally. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks during a primary night rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to supporters on primary election night, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Hollis, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) The Latest: Bush says he won't blame Obama for problems COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Here's the latest on the 2016 presidential race as Republican and Democratic candidates head from New Hampshire to South Carolina and beyond. All times local: 8:20 p.m. Jeb Bush says if he is elected president he won't blame Barack Obama for any of his problems. The audience and media packed this room at Mount Pleasant's Memorial Waterfront Park to hear former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as he kicked off the South Carolina leg of his presidential primary campaign Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. (Wade Spees/The Post And Courier via AP) The former Republican governor of Florida was addressing voters at a town hall meeting in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Wednesday night. He says he got angry when people blamed his brother, former President George W. Bush, for things that happened after he left office in 2009. The stop at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post was Jeb Bush's third of the day in South Carolina. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who dropped out of the 2016 Republican presidential race in December, introduced Bush. He said South Carolina needs to give Bush momentum or risk choosing a candidate that would lose to the Democratic nominee in November. __ 5:22 p.m. Hillary Clinton will campaign next week with the mother of Sandra Bland, the Chicago-area woman who was discovered hanged in her jail cell three days after being pulled over for a routine traffic stop near Houston. Geneva Reed-Veal will join the Democratic presidential candidate at a Feb. 17 voter mobilization event in Chicago. Bland's death has become a symbol of the racial inequalities in the criminal justice system. Her family, black leaders and other activists have questioned her treatment by white law enforcement officers and the determination she committed suicide. Clinton is trying to boost her support among minority voters ahead of primaries later this month in South Carolina and Nevada. Other African-American mothers whose children were victims of gun violence are planning campaign events for her in the coming weeks. ___ 4:59 p.m. A spokeswoman for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's campaign for president says he is dropping out of the race for the Republican nomination. Christie's decision to exit the race comes a day after his disappointing sixth-place finish in New Hampshire. Campaign spokeswoman Samantha Smith says Christie broke the news of his decision to staff at his campaign headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey, late Wednesday afternoon. Christie is also calling donors and supporters to give them the news. ___ 4:10 p.m. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign says it has raised $5.2 million in less than a day since the polls closed in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. Sanders told supporters after his resounding victory over Hillary Clinton in the primary that he was "going to hold a fundraiser right here, right now, across America." His campaign says the total is the most Sanders has raised in less than a day. The average donation since Sanders' speech is $34. Sanders raised $20 million in January, with most of it coming online and pulled in $3 million in the day after he narrowly lost the Iowa caucuses. ___ 4:00 p.m. John Kasich says he knows the value of getting to know members of the other party in order to get things done and he has the scars to prove it. Speaking at a local business in Charleston, South Carolina, Kasich says he has a scar on his forehead from a Democrat who headbutted him during a game of basketball. He tells the story as an example of the value of Congressional bonding in achieving results. He then continued his fitness comparisons, adding, "if you don't go to the gym you get flabby, and if the country doesn't solve its problems it gets flabby." ___ 3:12 p.m. Carly Fiorina is dropping out of the 2016 Republican presidential race. The former technology executive announced on Twitter that she is suspending her campaign. The 61-year-old drew positive reviews for several strong debate performances, in which she promoted her business expertise and argued that as the lone woman in the GOP field she was best positioned to oppose likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. But she struggled to build support in a crowded primary field and her poll numbers lagged. Fiorina announced her candidacy in April. She previously ran unsuccessfully for Senate in California. Fiorina struggled with criticism of her time at Hewlett-Packard, where she was ousted from the top job in 2005, after leading a major merger and laying off 30,000 people. ___ 3:05 p.m. Hillary Clinton's campaign is questioning rival Bernie Sanders record on issues affecting minorities, as the race moves to the more diverse states of South Carolina and Nevada. Just a day after a devastating defeat in New Hampshire, campaign supporters are attacking Sanders record on gun control, criminal justice and civil rights. "Hillary Clinton has been a true friend to the African-American community for nearly 40 years," said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, of New York. "And during that time Sen. Sanders has been largely missing in action." Sanders plans to tout his work as civil rights activists during his college years at the University of Chicago. His aides argue that the more minority voters learn about Sanders, the more they will embrace his economic message. ___ 2:07 p.m. Tuesday's winners in the New Hampshire primary might have gained momentum but they didn't pick up many delegates. That's because there weren't many delegates at stake, and both parties awarded them proportionally, meaning even the losers got some. Bernie Sanders picked up a total of 15 Democratic delegates and Hillary Clinton won nine. Clinton holds a sizable lead in the overall race for delegates because of strong support from superdelegates, the party officials who can back the candidate of their choice. Overall, Clinton has 394 delegates Sanders has 44. It takes 2,382 delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president Among Republicans, Donald Trump won 10 delegates in New Hampshire and John Kasich won four. Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio each won three. Overall, Trump has 17 delegates, Cruz has 11 and Rubio has 10. Kasich has five delegates, Bush has 4 and Ben Carson has three. It takes 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination. __ 1: 51 p.m. Marco Rubio's campaign manager says the Florida senator's New Hampshire setback could extend the Republican nomination fight for at least another three months, if not longer. "We very easily could be looking at May or the convention" before there's a "functional nominee," Rubio campaign manager Terry Sullivan said in a brief interview with The Associated Press. "I would be surprised if it's not May or the convention." There hasn't been a contested national convention since 1976. But Republican National Committee officials have already had preliminary discussions about just such a scenario given the possibility no candidate secures a majority of delegates in the state-by-state contests to come. This year's Republican National Convention will take place in July. ___ 1:25 p.m. One of the first voters to ask a question at Kasich's lead-off South Carolina town hall says she's a lifelong Democrat who plans to vote for the Ohio governor. But she has one concern: "I keep reading that you have a prickly personality...Can you really bring people together to get things done?" Kasich has pledged to run a positive campaign, but he's been known at times to be short-tempered in his home state of Ohio. After jokingly telling the woman "No, I probably can't" get things done, Kasich says he's "mellowed out" since his early days in politics. He says his record in Congress and as governor serves as evidence that he can deliver on his promises. ___ 12:56 p.m. Jeb Bush says New Hampshire voters "pushed the pause button" on anointing any candidate as the favorite to win the Republican nomination. Bush told reporters Wednesday after a campaign rally in Bluffton, South Carolina, that the New Hampshire primary had cancelled "the coronation after a third-place finish" an apparent reference to GOP rival Marco Rubio, who slipped from third in the Iowa caucus to finishing fifth in New Hampshire. Bush finished fourth in New Hampshire's contest Tuesday night. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is joining Bush on the campaign trail in his home state. Graham endorsed the former Florida governor last month after ending his own presidential bid. Graham introduced Bush to a crowd of about 300 people as "a guy who's been tested and will be ready on Day 1 to be commander-in-chief." ___ 12:39 p.m. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to drop out of the 2016 race for the White House after finishing sixth in the New Hampshire primary. That's according to a two people familiar with his plans, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Christie had banked his presidential prospects on a strong finish in the early-voting state, but finished behind most of his Republican rivals in Tuesday's election. It was the final blow for a candidate who spent more than 70 days campaigning in New Hampshire. Christie had trouble from the get-go raising money and building support in a crowded Republican field dominated by another brash East Coaster: businessman Donald Trump. ___ 12:20 p.m. Marco Rubio says his campaign is moving into a more aggressive phase after a disappointing finish in New Hampshire. He told reporters on the flight Wednesday from New Hampshire to next-up South Carolina that it was a mistake during Saturday's debate to revert to talking points instead of engaging with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. He says he won't start intra-party fights but will be more willing to respond when necessary. He said: "We're going to have to point out the differences in our records in a sharper way," adding that his fifth place finish in New Hampshire means he doesn't have "the luxury any longer to basically say, 'Look, I don't want to argue with Republicans.'" ___ 11:50 a.m. Ted Cruz is going after Donald Trump again, this time in South Carolina over who is an authentic conservative on health care, abortion and more. The Texas senator, who came in first in Iowa and third in New Hampshire, said he's the only candidate in the crowded GOP nomination fight who will stand against abortion and defend gun rights. Cruz revived his criticism of Trump as a defender of President Barack Obama's health care law. Trump has called that a "lie." Cruz spoke in Myrtle Beach, S.C. as the race shifted to the next state to vote in the contest. ___ 11:40 a.m. The White House isn't revealing President Barack Obama's reaction to Bernie Sanders' blowout in New Hampshire, but it is acknowledging he's settling in for a long ride. White House spokesman Eric Schultz says it's clear that the fight between Sanders and Hillary Clinton like Obama's race against Clinton in 2008 "is a process that's going to go on for quite some time." Obama has not publicly endorsed a candidate in the race, although recent remarks suggest he favors Clinton, his former secretary of state. Obama says he doesn't want to put his finger on the scale until voters get their say. Still, Obama is slated to deliver a message on Wednesday that may again hint at his preference. The president is slated to address the Illinois General Assembly. The White House says he'll make the case for less ideological, more pragmatic politics. Clinton uses similar rhetoric in campaign speeches when she tries to draw contrasts with Sanders. ___ 11:35 a.m. Chris Christie fundraiser Ken Langone isn't crying over the New Jersey governor's sixth-place finish in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. The billionaire Home Depot co-founder says, "'yesterday was a great day for America, a fabulous day for America," though "it wasn't a great day" for conventional political candidates, including Christie. He says, "the American people are effectively saying to both parties: We're sick and tired of the current situation." Langone says he thought Christie would "do better," but that primary winner Donald Trump is a proxy for the frustrations people are feeling. He says that, while Christie could continue on, "the question is, is it practical or well-spent or realistic." ___ 11:30 a.m. The Rev. Al Sharpton and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders dined together Wednesday at a Harlem landmark, where they discussed issues that affect the African-American community around the country. Sharpton says, "I think it is very important that he sent the signal that on the morning after a historic victory...he would come to Harlem and have breakfast with me." Sharpton says the two men talked at Sylvia's Restaurant about affirmative action, police brutality and the water disaster in Flint. Sharpton adds that he and various heads of national civil rights organizations plan to meet with Clinton next week. He says he won't endorse a candidate until after that meeting with Clinton. ___ 11:25 a.m. Donald Trump wishes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would "disappear." "I would get China to make that guy disappear in one form or another very quickly," Trump said on "CBS This Morning." Host Norah O'Donnell asked whether Trump is calling for Kim Jong-un's assassination. Trump shrugged, "Well, I've heard of worse things frankly." He adds: "China has control, absolute control over North Korea...And they should make that problem disappear." ___ 10:47 a.m. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has finished third in the New Hampshire primary behind winner Donald Trump and runner-up John Kasich. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush finished in fourth place, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio finished behind him in fifth. Trump led the field, beating Kasich, the sitting Ohio governor, by nearly 20 points. Cruz came in third, leading Bush by less than a percentage point. Rubio trailed Bush by less than a percentage point. ___ 10:00 a.m. Jeb Bush's campaign is unveiling a radio ad Wednesday in South Carolina featuring Jeb Bush's famous presidential brother, George W. Bush. The former president says "There's no doubt in my mind that Jeb Bush will be a great commander-in-chief for our military." George W. Bush has been enlisted to campaign for his brother in South Carolina, where Jeb Bush is making eight campaign stops in the state over the next three days following a fourth-place finish in New Hampshire. The 60-second ad, "Steady Hand, will air throughout the state. ___ 8:55 a.m. Score one for optimism. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says his underwhelming debate performance and low finish in the New Hampshire primary won't stop him from winning the Republican presidential nomination. He says on NBC's "Today" that he is "going to be the nominee. It is just going to take a little longer, but we are going to get there." Rubio was hammered by his rivals, especially New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, in last week's debate for being repetitive and scripted. Rubio went from a third place showing in Iowa to fifth place in New Hampshire with 10.5 percent. ___ 8:28 a.m. Donald Trump says he will release his tax returns "over the next few months," attributing the delay to the size and complex nature of his taxes. The billionaire businessman, who is coming off of a major win in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, tells NBC'S "Today" that he thinks people will be surprised "at how little I pay." He says, "I hate the way the government spends my money." Trump says he is hoping to become more of a statesman, but notes that he sees nothing wrong with using foul language at his campaign rallies. "Political correctness is killing us," he says. "It wasn't the worst thing in the world." ___ 8:20 a.m. Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he will not sit back and "be a marshmallow" and allow his Republican presidential rivals to attack him. But speaking to NBC's "Today" Wednesday, Kasich said he will not allow the negative nature of the campaign to overshadow his positive message. Instead, he says he'll let his record speak for itself. Kasich won second place in Tuesday's New Hampshire's primary, breaking out from a pack of traditional, establishment candidates. Kasich has refrained from engaging in many of the sharp attacks that have dominated much of the discourse between his competitors. ___ 8:08 a.m. Donald Trump says he talked with Chris Christie a "little bit" about the New Jersey governor dropping out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination. Trump says on "CBS This Morning" that he and Christie spoke after the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, in which Trump won a big victory and Christie fared poorly. Seeking endorsements from any rivals that quit the race, Trump said of Christie, "He's a friend of mine. I'm surprised he didn't do better." He adds: "I'd like to see a lot of people drop out." Christie has cancelled an event Wednesday in South Carolina, an organizer says. ___ 7:56 a.m. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has cancelled an event in South Carolina on the heels of his disappointing finish in the New Hampshire GOP primary. Brielle Applebaum of the Conservative Leadership Project says a Wednesday forum on legal and constitutional issues set for Charleston has been cancelled. South Carolina is next up on the GOP primary calendar and votes Feb. 20. Christie told a crowd of supporters in New Hampshire on Tuesday night that he was headed home to New Jersey to "take a deep breath" and assess what comes next. On MSNBC Wednesday morning, first-place New Hampshire finisher Donald Trump said he had a "long talk" with Christie Tuesday night but did not go into detail about what was said. In this Feb. 9, 2016, photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at her first-in-the-nation presidential primary campaign rally in Hooksett, N.H. Clintons campaign has spent months fighting the perception that the former secretary of state has a complicated relationship with the truth and is disconnected from the problems facing Americans. So far, it hasnt worked. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Republican presidential candidate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie thanks supporters during a primary night rally in Nashua, N.H., Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Rev. Al Sharpton talks with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. as they sit down for a breakfast meeting at Sylvia's Restaurant, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. Sanders defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday in the New Hampshire primary. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Republican presidential candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich laughs as he speaks to supporters Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Concord, N.H., at his primary night rally, (AP Photo/Jim Cole) Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. speaks to members of the traveling media on board his plane en route from New Hampshire to South Carolina, Wednesday Feb. 10, 2016, after the New Hampshire primary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to supporters on primary election night, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Hollis, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump gives a thumbs up to supporters during a primary night rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks during a primary night rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Image of Asia: Elephant's wild visit to Indian town stopped In this photo, a wild elephant that strayed into an east Indian town stands after authorities shot it with a tranquilizer gun. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest on Wednesday, crossing roads and a small river before entering Siliguri in West Bengal state. The panicked elephant ran amok for several hours, trampling parked cars and motorbikes before it was clear the animal was unable to get back to the forest. It appeared to be afraid of people and did not attack anyone. Crowds of people watched the frightened elephant's rampage. It was shot three times with a tranquilizer gun and removed by crane and truck once it calmed down. NATO, EU sign agreement on cyberdefense cooperation BRUSSELS (AP) NATO and the European Union have signed an agreement to improve cooperation in cyberdefense, which NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called a concrete example of the two Brussels-based organizations joining forces to counter modern forms of hybrid warfare. The technical agreement, signed at NATO headquarters on Wednesday, establishes a framework for emergency response teams from NATO and the EU to exchange information and share best practices, Stoltenberg told reporters. Since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, NATO and the EU, which have 22 member countries in common, have accelerated cooperation in a number of defense-related fields. In a statement, the European Union said the new agreement will facilitate information-sharing to improve cyber incident prevention, detection and response at both the EU and NATO. German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, right, speaks with from left, British Secretary of State for Defense Michael Fallon, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. NATO defense ministers convene a two-day meeting to discuss current defense issues and whether the Alliance should take a more direct role in dealing with its gravest migrant crisis since WWII. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Man who spent 30 years in prison is freed pending new trial NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) A man who spent three decades in prison for a rape conviction based in part on one strand of hair was freed Wednesday after a judge said he is "reasonably sure" the man is innocent and believes prosecutors cannot win a conviction at a retrial. George Perrot was convicted of raping 78-year-old Mary Prekop in her Springfield home in 1985. Last month, Judge Robert Kane granted Perrot a new trial after finding that an FBI agent's testimony about microscopic hair evidence was flawed. The agent said in no uncertain terms that a hair found in the victim's home was a match for Perrot's. On Wednesday, the judge released Perrot on personal recognizance after saying he believes there is strong evidence that Perrot did not rape Prekop. Beverly Garrant, mother of George Perrot, cries Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Superior Court in New Bedford, Mas., after Judge Robert Kane ordered her son's release from prison. Kane granted Perrot, who spent three decades in prison, a new trial last month, citing flawed FBI testimony about microscopic hair analysis. (AP Photo/Denise Lavoie) After the judge's ruling, Perrot gave his mother, Beverly Garrant, a long embrace as tears filled their eyes. Then, Perrot told his mother, "Come on, Mommy. Let's get out of here." Garrant said she was "so happy" her son was going home. "I'm just so glad that the Lord gave him another chance," she said. Perrot, who was 17 when he was arrested, is now 48. He has always denied raping Prekop. The U.S. Department of Justice flagged Perrot's case in 2014 as one of hundreds that involved erroneous statements from FBI agents about hair analysis. Microscopic hair analysis has since been found to be far from exact. The FBI now acknowledges that the science is not conclusive and uses it only in conjunction with DNA testing. The judge said there were other problems at Perrot's trial. Prekop repeatedly described the man who beat and raped her as a man without any facial hair. On the night of the attack, Nov. 30, 1985, Perrot had a beard and a mustache. Prekop refused to identify Perrot as her attacker in a lineup. When she was shown his lineup photo during his trial and asked if he was her attacker, she replied, "How can I say it when this man has a mustache and a beard?" Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Dunphy Farris asked the judge to keep Perrot locked up and deny him bail, citing his lengthy disciplinary record in prison, which included 44 reports for fighting with other inmates and use of drugs. She also cited several escape attempts by Perrot and an incident in 2003 when Perrot fled to Maine after the Massachusetts Appeals Court overturned a judge's ruling granting him a new trial. Dunphy did not say whether prosecutors will appeal the judge's order or whether they will re-try Perrot. The judge acknowledged Perrot's record of disobeying rules in prison but said Perrot has a strong support network of friends and family to help him. Perrot's case for a new trial was championed by lawyers from The Innocence Project and the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University in Waltham. Central African Republic to go ahead with elections Sunday BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) Central African Republic's long awaited presidential runoff vote will go forward Sunday alongside a second attempt at credible legislative elections, election authorities said as the two top candidates campaigned outside the capital Wednesday. The nation recovering from several years of intense communal violence between Muslims and Christians must now choose between two former prime ministers both Christians. The presidential runoff vote has been delayed several times already, raising concerns about whether Sunday's polls would go forward. Commission President Marie-Madeleine N'Kouet Hoornaert confirmed the voting will be held as scheduled. Children walk holding political placards in Bangui, Central African Republic, Wednesday Feb. 10, 2016. Two former prime ministers, Faustin Archange Touadera and Anicet Georges Dologuele, are running neck-and-neck in the second round of presidential elections Sunday Feb. 14 to end years of violence pitting Muslims against Christians in the Central African Republic. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) The constitutional court annulled the results from the legislative elections held in late December, citing widespread irregularities, but the presidential results of the first round were validated. Voting materials are being distributed throughout the impoverished country where some roads have not been repaved since independence from France in 1960. More than 1,500 candidates are running for 140 seats in the National Assembly. In the initial presidential race, former prime minister Anicet Georges Dologuele took about 24 percent of the vote, while another ex-prime minister, Faustin Archange Touadera, got 19 percent. Campaigning runs until midnight Friday. Central African Republic has suffered through dictatorship and coups in recent decades. The president of a decade who had come to power through a coup was overthrown in March 2013, to be replaced by a Muslim rebel leader who was forced to step aside less than a year later. A transitional president has been in charge for the last two years and she is barred from running in the presidential vote. Nearly 1 million people have been forced from their homes by the violence, some displaced within the country while others have fled to neighboring Cameroon and Chad. ___ Associated Press writer Fleury Koursany contributed to this report. A supporter for presidential candidate Faustin Archange Touadera walks in Bangui, Central African Republic, Wednesday Feb. 10, 2016. Two former prime ministers, Anicet Georges Dologuele and Touadera, are running neck-and-neck in the second round of presidential elections Sunday Feb. 14, to end years of violence pitting Muslims against Christians in the Central African Republic. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Teenage girls walk by electoral posters for presidential candidate Anicet Georges Dologuele in Bangui, Central African Republic, Wednesday Feb. 10, 2016. Two former prime ministers, Faustin Archange Touadera and Dologuele, are running neck-and-neck in the second round of presidential elections Sunday Feb. 14, to end years of violence pitting Muslims against Christians in the Central African Republic. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Christian, Muslim leaders in Cyprus support peace talks NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) Christian and Muslim leaders in Cyprus on Wednesday repeated their full support for ongoing talks aimed at reunifying the ethnically-split country, saying their united stand for peace serves as a strong example of cooperation in a region where conflict is often fueled by religion. Greek Orthodox Christian Archbishop Chrysostomos, Muslim Grand Mufti Talip Atalay, Maronite Christian Archibshop Youssef Soueif and representatives from the Latin Catholic and Armenian Christian churches say they're united in their support of the ongoing peace negotiations seen as the best chance at peace in decades. "For the whole region that is suffering at the moment, we hope that we can be a good example for them," Atalay said. United Nations envoy Espen Barth Eide, center, speaks to the media flanked by Greek Orthodox Christian Archbishop Chrysostomos, left, and Muslim Grand Mufti Talip Atalay, during a briefing after their meeting at the Swedish ambassador house in divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Cyprus Christian and Muslim leaders have repeated their full support for ongoing talks aimed at reunifying the ethnically split country, saying their united stand for peace serves as a strong example of cooperation in a region where conflict is often fueled by religion. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) The leaders made the remarks after a meeting with U.N. envoy Espen Barth Eide, who praised them for their "strong leadership and strong will." Eide said given the religious leaders' determined stance, "there is no chance" Cyprus will follow the example of many political conflicts in the region that are "exploited and made into religious conflicts." Cyprus was split into an internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup aiming at union with Greece. Nicos Anastasiades, Cyprus' Greek Cypriot president and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have said much progress has been made after nine months of negotiations, but important hurdles remain like how to deal with property abandoned during the war. "Whatever we can offer we will do with great joy so that this country can see peace and prosperity," said Archbishop Chrysostomos. Archbishop Soueif said the leaders also touched on improving access to all places of worship across the island to bolster a sense among Cypriots that reconciliation has deeply taken root. ___ The story summary has been corrected to say "They said," not "The said." Greek Orthodox Christian Archbishop Chrysostomos, left, Muslim Grand Mufti Talip Atalay, center, and United Nations envoy Espen Barth Eide, leave their meeting at the Swedish ambassador house in divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Cyprus Christian and Muslim leaders have repeated their full support for ongoing talks aimed at reunifying the ethnically split country, saying their united stand for peace serves as a strong example of cooperation in a region where conflict is often fueled by religion. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) The Latest: Hawaii's big wave surf competition called off HALEIWA, Hawaii (AP) The Latest on 'The Eddie' big wave competition (all times local): 7:30 a.m. A spokeswoman for Hawaii's big wave surf competition says organizers have called off the event because the waves are too small. FILE In this Jan. 7, 2002 file photo provided by World Surf League, Clyde Aikau, left, brother of Eddie Aikau, drops into a wave as Tony Ray, of Australia, finishes during the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave surf competition at Waimea Bay, Hawaii. Event organizers say the competition will again take place Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, for the first time in over six years as the surf conditions on the North Shore of Oahu are expected to meet the strict minimum requirements. (Ronen Zilbermen/World Surf League via AP, File) The competition was last held six years ago, when swells met organizers' strict minimums. Spokeswoman Jodi Wilmott said Wednesday morning that the waves fell short of their forecasts. The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau event began in 1984, but there have only been eight times conditions have been ripe for the competition. Aikau is a Native Hawaiian surfer famous for riding monster waves and saving hundreds of lives as Waimea Bay's first official lifeguard. The swell approaching the islands this week is being fueled in part by ongoing El Nino conditions, but the 40-foot-tall waves failed to materialize by Wednesday morning. ___ 12 a.m. The wait is over for a select group of big-wave surfers as "The Eddie" big-wave competition is set to get underway at Oahu's Waimea Bay. For the first time in six years, the surf conditions on Wednesday are expected to meet the organizers' strict minimum requirements, with wave heights around 40 feet high. According to organizers, however, the event is about more than just surfing. Native Hawaiian Eddie Aikau, one of the best big-wave surfers of his time, is credited with saving hundreds of lives as Waimea Bay's first lifeguard. According to organizers, there were no fatalities under Aikau's watch. However, Aikau died in 1978 after leaving a group of men in search of help when their traditional canoe capsized in rough seas off Hawaii. Aikau was never found, but the rest of the crew was later rescued. This Dec. 3, 2015 photo provided by Quiksilver shows a shrine with a photograph of big wave surfer Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay near Haleiwa, Hawaii, during the official opening ceremony of the the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave competition. Event organizers say the competition will take place Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, at Oahu's Waimea Bay, the first time in six years the surf's conditions have met the events strict minimum requirements. (Brian Bielmann/Quiksilver via AP) Jack Huston: The 'Ben-Hur' remake was an epic undertaking NEW YORK (AP) Jack Huston is surrounded by the undead in his new movie "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," but this summer the stakes are even higher. He stars in the role made famous by Charlton Heston in a remake of "Ben-Hur." Huston recently watched an early cut of the film and despite the expected jitters from an actor watching his work, he liked what he saw. "I think the lovely thing is I was seeing it as the big picture. ...I was so taken by everything and all the work that everyone had done," said Huston in a recent interview. FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2015 file photo, actor Jack Huston arrives at the GQ Men of the Year Party in Los Angeles. Huston is surrounded by the undead in his new movie "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," but this summer the stakes are even higher. He stars as the title character, made famous by Charlton Heston, in a remake of "Ben-Hur." (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) In the 1959 version, the filmmakers used thousands of animals and roughly 10,000 extras. In this remake, they have technology on their side. But Huston says they used special effects judiciously. "All of us were very interested in trying to do as little CGI as possible in the moments where you didn't need it," he said. The film's famed chariot scene involved shooting six days a week for two months. "The chariot scenes, all the slave ship stuff, that's all us. That's all me there. ...We were very conscious of that and we tried to make it as real as possible, as immersive as possible. ... We really wanted to give everyone the real experience because that's what 'Ben-Hur' is. When you associate 'Ben-Hur' you see the chariot as well as this incredible character and this arc. Everyone's gonna be waiting, 'OK, when's the chariot scene?' We knew we had to outdo everything on that." "Ben-Hur" is scheduled for an Aug. 12 opening. ___ Follow Alicia Rancilio online at http://www.twitter.com/aliciar Tax fraud trial postponed for French ex-minister PARIS (AP) A French court on Wednesday postponed the trial of a former French budget minister accused of tax fraud and money laundering until September, to give higher courts time to decide a legal issue raised by his lawyers. The much-awaited trial of Jerome Cahuzac, a one-time champion in the fight against tax evasion, started Monday but was adjourned before any debate could be held on the fraud case itself. On the opening day, his lawyers argued a defendant shouldn't be under both a criminal and a tax procedure at the same time. Former French budget minister Jerome Cahuzac leaves the Paris court, Monday, Feb.8, 2016. Cahuzac appears in court on charges of tax fraud and money laundering that forced him to dramatically resign three years ago in the first political scandal under President Francois Hollande. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Cahuzac has already paid back-taxes and heavy penalties to the French tax authorities, and now faces up to seven years in prison and a 1 million-euro fine if he is convicted of tax fraud by the criminal court. The court ruled the legal argument developed by the defense "stirs up a serious doubt" about the legality of the double sanction process that must be decided by higher courts. Pope visit to Mexico basilica highlights Guadalupe influence MEXICO CITY (AP) A weathered pastel image of the Virgin of Guadalupe hangs from German Herrera Hernandez's dashboard, watching over his passengers from her perch next to his cigarettes, gum and the handful of coins he uses to make change. "We believe in her," said Herrera, a 55-year-old who has been driving a cab in Mexico City for about a decade. "She protects us, wherever we go." When Pope Francis visits this week he'll make an emotional stop at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe patron saint of Mexico and "empress of the Americas" where millions of pilgrims flock each year to pray before the shroud that bears her image. FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2014 file photo, devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe camp out overnight in the plaza of the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Pope Francis will make an emotional stop at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, where millions of pilgrims flock each year to pray before the shroud that bears her image. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File) But she's also an ever-present part of life for millions of people like Herrera, not just at the basilica. Across the country, in private homes and public marketplaces, she gazes down beneficently from the walls of taco stands and police stations, from hair salon mirrors and even outside no-tell motels. In poor barrios and posh shopping districts, perhaps nothing unites Mexicans more than their reverence for the Virgin. Grieving families light candles beneath her likeness in shrines to dead relatives, while young hipsters shell out big bucks for shirtsleeve tattoos of the Virgin. "There's the old refrain in Mexico that Mexicans are 90 percent Catholic and 100 percent Guadalupan," said Andrew Chesnut, chair in Catholic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. "If there's one main constituent element of Mexican-ness, it's Guadalupe, because she obviously transcends the religious realm. ... So she sells products, she's tattoos, (even with) people who aren't necessarily her devotees." According to tradition, the dark-skinned virgin appeared before the Indian peasant Juan Diego in 1531 at Tepeyac, a hillside near Mexico City where Aztecs worshipped a mother-goddess, and her image was miraculously imprinted on his cloak. The image helped priests inculcate Catholicism among indigenous Mexicans during Spanish colonial rule, and the church later made her patron of all the Americas. Juan Diego was canonized as the hemisphere's first Indian saint in 2002 during the papacy of John Paul II. Juan Diego's cloak is on display today behind glass at the basilica, the most visited Marian shrine on the planet, where signs admonish against flash photography and long lines of worshippers are carried past along a self-moving walkway. Chesnut called Francis "a very strongly Marian pontiff" and said his visit to the basilica will be one of the defining moments of his trip to Mexico, which has more Catholics than any other Spanish-speaking country. Each year on Dec. 12, millions of people visit the basilica in northern Mexico City, many of them crawling or bearing statues of Guadalupe on their backs, to beseech all manner of favors: to be healed of an illness, freed from an addiction, for the welfare of loved ones. The rest of the year, many Mexicans make the sign of the cross when they pass Guadalupe shrines found in just about every nook and cranny of the country. Custodians make sure the shrines are always well-kept with offerings of fresh flowers or candles. At the Martinez de la Torre market in central Mexico City, a portrait of Guadalupe framed by neon tubes in the red, white and green of the Mexican flag graces a wall overlooking a meat counter. "Why have a Virgin? Because our faith in her is very great, very important," said butcher Erlinda Olivares Zuniga, who choked up when asked about Guadalupe ahead of Francis' visit. "We are God's chosen, because the Virgin appeared here." ___ Associated Press cameraman Gerardo Carrillo in Mexico City contributed to this report. ___ Photos of Mexico's Virgin of Guadalupe can be found on the AP Images Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/ap.images/ __ AP images blog: http://blog.apimages.com/ ___ Peter Orsi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2014 file photo, Anarita Ruelas, wearing her hand-made Virgin of Guadalupe costume, poses for a picture at the entrance of the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City. According to legend the dark-skinned virgin appeared before the Indian peasant Juan Diego in 1531 at Tepeyac, near Mexico City, on a hillside where Aztecs worshipped a mother-goddess at the time, and her image was miraculously imprinted on his cloak. Pope Francis will visit the shrine on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File) FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2014 file photo, a man stands next to a neighborhood shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe built on a street median in Mexico City. Guadalupe is an ever-present part of life for millions of people. Pope Francis will make an emotional stop at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, where millions of pilgrims flock each year to pray before the shroud that bears her image. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File) Fugitive jail inmate facing transfer back to Los Angeles HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) A murder suspect who was mistakenly released from a California jail told a judge Wednesday he won't fight his transfer in custody from southern Nevada back to Los Angeles for retrial on an overturned murder conviction. Steven Lawrence Wright, 37, wasn't represented in Henderson Justice Court by a lawyer, and he didn't speak about the charges against him as he waived extradition. Justice of the Peace Rodney Burr gave authorities two weeks to move Wright to California. In this Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, booking photo released by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shows California fugitive Steven L. Wright at the Henderson Detention Center in Las Vegas. Wright, a murder suspect mistakenly released from jail Jan. 30, 2016, was captured in Nevada. Detectives learned Monday, Feb. 8, 2016 that Wright might be hiding in a Boulder City hotel and requested assistance from the FBI and local police departments. Wright was taken into custody without incident. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP) Wright's lawyer in Los Angeles, Stacie Halpern, said by telephone she believes Wright has a good chance of being cleared in a new trial in the 2011 shooting death of a 47-year-old man in Pasadena, California. Police have said Wright and the victim were rival gang members. She won a retrial after showing that a key witness lied in Wright's trial, Halpern said. Halpern said she didn't believe her client deserves to face any charges stemming from his release from jail on Jan. 30 because of what jailers said was a paperwork mistake. "I don't know what they could possibly charge him with," Halpern said. "It wasn't his choice to be released from the county jail. They released him of their own accord." A Los Angeles sheriff's official, Cmdr. Keith Swensson, has said authorities didn't plan to file additional charges because Wright didn't escape and there was no indication he committed crimes while he was free. Wright was arrested Monday by a southern Nevada regional fugitive apprehension team in Boulder City, a Nevada town near Hoover Dam about 30 miles east of Las Vegas and 275 miles northeast of Los Angeles. He's being held at the city jail in Henderson pending his transfer to Los Angeles. Swensson didn't say what led detectives to the hotel where Wright was found, though he did say a $20,000 reward offered by Los Angeles County generated a lot of tips from the public. A man and a woman who police said were with Wright were arrested on charges of aiding a felony offender. Bruce Oliver and Lavera Wilson, both 39, were later freed on bond pending court appearances. This undated photo released by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shows Bruce Oliver. Las Vegas police say Oliver and Lavera Wilson accused of harboring murder suspect, Steven Lawrence Wright, who was mistakenly released from a Los Angeles jail January 2016, are out on bond. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP) Rubio vows more aggressive approach in extended campaign SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) Facing the biggest test of his presidential bid, Marco Rubio promised a more aggressive approach in what his team expects to become an extended Republican nomination fight that could result in a brokered national convention. "I don't need to start these fights, but if someone starts one in the future we're going to have to point out the differences in our records in a sharper way," Rubio told reporters Wednesday aboard his charter flight from New Hampshire to South Carolina. "I don't think we have the luxury any longer to basically say look, 'I don't want to argue with Republicans." The comments came after a disappointing 5th-place finish in New Hampshire's presidential primary. The poor result was a reflection, he said, of a high-profile stumble in Saturday night's debate that pushed undecided voters toward other candidates. Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. gestures as he speaks next to his son Anthony Rubio, 10, during a campaign event in Spartanburg, S.C., Wednesday Feb. 10, 2016, his first stop after the New Hampshire primary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) And as he shifts his attention to South Carolina's Feb. 20 contest, the 44-year-old freshman senator wants voters to know he's learned an important lesson from his experience in New Hampshire. Instead of trying to avoid attacking his GOP rivals on the debate stage, Rubio said he's now prepared to fight back when necessary particularly with his party's front-runner Donald Trump. "The hard thing about Donald in the short-term is he doesn't have any policy positions," Rubio said. "He tells you what he's going to do, but he won't tell you how he's going to do it. I think once this race narrows, the pressure will be on him." New Hampshire destroyed any momentum Rubio had coming out of Iowa and for now, at least, locks Rubio in a messy muddle in his party's establishment wing. Both Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush beat Rubio in New Hampshire in the contest to emerge as the mainstream alternative to Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Rubio's senior team concedes the New Hampshire setback will extend the Republican nomination fight for at least another three months, if not longer. "We very easily could be looking at May or the convention" in July before there's a "functional nominee," Rubio campaign manager Terry Sullivan said in a brief interview with The Associated Press. "I would be surprised if it's not May or the convention." There hasn't been a contested national convention since 1976, yet Republican National Committee officials have already had preliminary discussions about the possibility of no candidate securing a majority of delegates in the state-by-state primary contests. It's by no means assured that Rubio's candidacy will survive that long. Despite his popularity among many Republican leaders, he will ultimately need to start winning primary contests to remain competitive especially as Trump and Cruz perform well. Sensing weakness, Democrats and Republicans alike have begun to pounce on questions about Rubio's long-term viability. Pennsylvania attorney general survives vote to remove her HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Pennsylvania's embattled attorney general survived a Senate vote to remove her from office on Wednesday as all but one of her fellow Democrats stood by her, defeating a resolution that said her lack of a valid law license had rendered her unable to perform her official duties. The 29-19 vote fell four votes short of the two-thirds required under a provision of the state constitution that gives the Senate the ability to remove elected civil officers without going through the House-initiated impeachment process. Attorney General Kathleen Kane has been without a valid law license since the state Supreme Court suspended it in October, and she faces a criminal trial scheduled for August on allegations she leaked secret grand jury material and lied about it. She has been dismissive of the Senate process, saying it violated the state constitution as well as the will of voters who elected her more than three years ago. FILE - In this June 23, 2014 file photo, Pennsylvania state Attorney General Kathleen Kane releases the results of a probe into the Jerry Sandusky child molestation investigation during a news conference in Harrisburg, Pa. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, Pennsylvania senators debated whether to remove Kane from office because her law license is suspended while she defends herself against criminal charges. (AP Photo/Bradley C Bower, File) She issued a statement after the vote, calling it "a good day for all those who share my desire to restore confidence in our judges and prosecutors and integrity to our system of justice." Kane said a special prosecutor will continue looking into the exchange of lewd and otherwise objectionable emails on state computers. The scandal has already led one state Supreme Court justice to abruptly retire and has a second currently awaiting trial on judicial ethics charges. "I am happy to continue this effort, finish the mission I pledged to carry out and the job for which I was elected to serve," Kane said. At the same time the Senate was debating the resolution, the House voted 170-12 at the other end of the Capitol to authorize the Judiciary Committee to recommend whether Kane should be impeached. If the House does impeach her, a trial on her removal would then occur in the Senate. Senate Democrats argued there was not much evidence her suspension has kept the 800-plus-employee agency from operating properly and warned removal would have set a dangerous precedent, giving the chamber the ability to take out office holders with scant evidence and on short notice. "Such a drastic measure, to recommend the removal of a statewide elected official, requires more than maybes and speculation," said Sen. Sean Wiley, D-Erie, who voted no. Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne, a yes vote, said it was in the public's best interests to have someone in the post who can serve as a lawyer. "Kathleen Kane cannot perform as the commonwealth's lawyer," Baker said. "What overriding public purpose is there in retaining a title when she cannot perform the duties of the job?" One Democrat, Sen. Rob Teplitz, supported her removal, saying people expect the state's attorney general to be able to practice law. A lone Republican, Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, opposed the resolution. The "direct removal" provision the Senate voted down dates to the 19th century and has not been used in more than a century. The state's most recent impeachment was a Supreme Court justice in 1994. "This may be the most extraordinary action any of us will take being a senator," said Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks. "The last time the Senate tried it the West was still considered the frontier, women did not have the right to vote and Ellis Island had not even received one immigrant." The vote came as Kane, the first woman and first Democrat elected as the state's attorney general, and other candidates for office are gathering signatures to get on the April 26 primary ballot. Despite the near-party line vote against removing Kane, Republicans insisted politics were not a consideration. "If this was political, then we would not have done it at this time," Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, told reporters afterward. "We could have delayed it, we could have waited, we could have worked votes, we could have done outreach with the Senate Democrats, but we didn't. I said from the beginning that we would have a vote as quickly as possible. This was as quickly as possible." Scarnati did not rule out another Senate vote on Kane's removal. FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2013 file photo, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane waves after taking her oath of office at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, Pennsylvania senators debated whether to remove Kane from office because her law license is suspended while she defends herself against criminal charges. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2013 file photo, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane takes in applause after taking her oath of office at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, Pennsylvania senators debated whether to remove Kane from office because her law license is suspended while she defends herself against criminal charges. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2013 file photo, then-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, left, and others applaud Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane, right, after she took her oath of office at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, Pennsylvania senators debated whether to remove Kane from office because her law license is suspended while she defends herself against criminal charges. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2013 file photo, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane discusses gun permit laws during a news conference in Philadelphia. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, Pennsylvania senators debated whether to remove Kane from office because her law license is suspended while she defends herself against criminal charges. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) Pennsylvania state Sens. John Rafferty, Larry Farnese and John Yudichak listen during floor debate over a resolution on whether to remove Attorney General Kathleen Kane from office, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Harrisburg, Pa. Some senators had challenged Kane's ability to do her job after the state Supreme Court suspended her law license while she fights criminal charges. Kane had said the Senate's removal process is unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Marc Levy) Pennsylvania state Sen. John Gordner speaks during a historic floor debate in favor of a resolution on whether to remove Attorney General Kathleen Kane from office, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Harrisburg, Pa. Some senators had challenged Kane's ability to do her job after the state Supreme Court suspended her law license while she fights criminal charges. Kane had said the Senate's removal process is unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Marc Levy) Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, speaks during a historic floor debate in favor of a resolution to remove Attorney General Kathleen Kane from office, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Harrisburg, Pa. Some senators had challenged Kane's ability to do her job after the state Supreme Court suspended her law license while she fights criminal charges. Kane had said the Senate's removal process is unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Marc Levy) Pennsylvania state Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill, reads through a resolution to remove Attorney General Kathleen Kane from office as the chamber's members prepare to debate and vote on it, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Harrisburg, Pa. Some senators had challenged Kane's ability to do her job after the state Supreme Court suspended her law license while she fights criminal charges. Kane had said the Senate's removal process is unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Marc Levy) Pennsylvania state Sen. John Gordner, R-Columbia, speaks during a historic floor debate in favor of a resolution on whether to remove Attorney General Kathleen Kane from office, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Harrisburg, Pa. Some senators had challenged Kane's ability to do her job after the state Supreme Court suspended her law license while she fights criminal charges. Kane had said the Senate's removal process is unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Marc Levy) Cudlitz's 'Walking Dead' 'stache has its own Twitter account NEW YORK (AP) On "The Walking Dead," Michael Cudlitz's character, Abraham Ford, is known for his bright red hair and distinctive Fu Manchu-like mustache. His facial hair has so captivated fans of the zombie apocalypse drama that they've even created an off-color Twitter account for it at @CudlitzStache "They play with it and they play with the fact that we don't acknowledge it," Cudlitz said in an interview this week. "It's like, 'What are you doing? I'm right here. I'm right under your nose.'" FILE - In this July 10, 2015 file photo, Michael Cudlitz attends "The Walking Dead" panel on day 2 of Comic-Con International in San Diego, Calif. Cudlitzs character Abraham Ford is known for his bright red hair and that distinctive handlebar mustache. In fact, the actor said his facial hair has so captivated fans of the zombie apocalypse drama theyve even created a Twitter account for it. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, FIle) Cudlitz said he usually doesn't comment on the Twitter page because he doesn't want to get in the way of fans having fun. But sometimes he just can't resist and will chime in with something like, "'Hey, knock it off,' or I say, 'I'm going to cut you off,'" adding that "everybody gets nervous when you say something like that." He spoke just days before "The Walking Dead" returns with its midseason premiere Feb. 14 on AMC at 9 p.m. ET. Cudlitz said Season 6 picks up with Alexandria overrun with zombies. "This is the ultimate test," Cudlitz said, of whether the new characters in the town have the mettle to survive. "In this episode we'll see who is able to rise to the occasion and who gets crushed by it." Fans also get to meet Negan, the iconic villain of the comic books the series is based on, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. "You're going to love Negan. You're going to love to hate Negan and that's what I think the show needs, someone that you love that is bad that is just as beloved as the characters that he's trying to kill." As for Abraham, having found a way to move beyond his malaise, he's now feeling a bit frisky, which viewers saw when he hit on fellow survivor Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green), even though he's already having an affair with Rosita (Christian Serratos). Cudlitz said he doesn't see anything wrong with that. "It's the zombie apocalypse. He's human." __ Online: http://www.amc.com/shows/the-walking-dead __ Bayern to host Bremen, Dortmund visit Hertha in German Cup BERLIN (AP) Bayern Munich beat 10-man Bochum 3-0 on Wednesday and set up a German Cup semifinal at home against Werder Bremen. Also, Hertha Berlin reached the semifinals for the first time in 35 years by winning at Heidenheim 3-2. Hertha was drawn at home against Borussia Dortmund for a place in the final in its home stadium. Second-division Bochum, playing at home, made an encouraging start against Bayern with the first big chances falling to Simon Terodde within three minutes of each other early on. Bayern's Robert Lewandowski celebrates his opening goal during the German Soccer Cup quarterfinal match between VfL Bochum and Bayern Munich in Bochum, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Bayern enjoyed most of the possession but struggled to create any real opportunities until Thomas Mueller set up Robert Lewandowski to score in off the left post in the 39th. Bochum was dealt another blow four minutes later when Jan Simunek was sent off for bringing down Arjen Robben as the last defender. But Manuel Riemann saved the resultant penalty, taken poorly by Mueller. Opinions varied on whether the penalty was fair or not. "He dived. There's contact there, he touched his foot, but it's football, it's a contact sport. He dived," Bochum coach Gertjan Verbeek said. Riemann said, "Robben spent 90 minutes on the ground. He doesn't need to do it, he's world-class," while Robben said it was "a clear penalty and red card." Thiago Alcantara got the goal the visitors threatened since the interval, again set up by Mueller, after a cool flick over a defender from Robben. Mueller missed another great chance three minutes later, and Robben set up Douglas Costa to shoot over as Bayern failed to make the most of its superiority. Lewandowski rounded off the scoring in the final minute with a cool finish after Robben played him through. "It's always dangerous in the cup as long as it's scoreless. We controlled the second half. It wasn't easy out there but we're happy, we're in the semifinals," Lewandowski said of Bayern's 27th semifinal appearance. Earlier, Arne Feick got second-division side Heidenheim off to a flying start agaist Hertha when he converted at the near post from a corner. But Vedad Ibisevic was left unmarked at the far post to equalize four minutes later, and he put Hertha ahead seven minutes after that with a fine finish to Mitchell Weiser's cross. Midfielder Genki Haraguchi sealed the result in the 58th when he left three Heidenheim defenders standing before scoring with his right boot. Marc Schnatterer's late penalty proved to be just a consolation for the hosts. Hertha said Salomon Kalou suffered a suspected muscle fiber tear in his right thigh. Dortmund and Bremen won their quarterfinals 3-1 at Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen, respectively, on Tuesday. Bochum's keeper Manuel Riemann shouts to Bayern's Thomas Mueller after he catched a penaltyl during the German Soccer Cup quarterfinal match between VfL Bochum and Bayern Munich in Bochum, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Mayor shows love to skateboarders, lifts ban in Love Park PHILADELPHIA (AP) Skateboarders in Philadelphia are feeling the love from Love Park now that the mayor has temporarily lifted a ban on skating there until it closes for renovations. Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney made the announcement Wednesday during a groundbreaking ceremony for the park and welcome center's $20 million facelift. The park is a skateboarding haven. Kenney urges skaters to take advantage of it until it closes Feb. 15. He tells skaters they're "part of the fabric" of Love Park. He says granite removed during the overhaul will be used in skate parks across the city. FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2004, file photo, the Rev. Jeffrey Jordan, left, and David Pickett, both from Philadelphia, exchange rings and vows at a same-sex commitment ceremony in Love Park in Philadelphia. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, city officials broke ground on a $16.5 million, yearlong renovation of the park, requiring a temporary relocation of the park's Robert Indiana sculpture, expected to receive about four months of restoration work. (AP Photo/Mike Mergen, File) Skater Luke Darigan tells The Philadelphia Inquirer he's taking time off work to make the most of the opportunity. Robert Indiana's iconic "LOVE" statue will be moved across the street to City Hall's Dilworth Plaza during the yearlong renovation. FILE - In this March 26, 2012, file photo, people participate in a vigil held in support of Trayvon Martin at Love Park in Philadelphia. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, city officials broke ground on a $16.5 million, yearlong renovation of the park, requiring a temporary relocation of the park's Robert Indiana sculpture, expected to receive about four months of restoration work. (AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek, File) FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2010, file photo, people pose for a photograph during a winter storm at John F. Kennedy Plaza, also known as Love Park, in Philadelphia. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, city officials broke ground on a $16.5 million, yearlong renovation of the park, requiring a temporary relocation of the park's Robert Indiana sculpture, expected to receive about four months of restoration work. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2015, file photo, Stephane Fosik, from left, Cedrine Plongeur and Cloe Tinchant light candles in the shape of a peace symbol to remember victims of attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, during a vigil in Love Park in Philadelphia. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, city officials broke ground on a $16.5 million, yearlong renovation of the park, requiring a temporary relocation of the park's Robert Indiana sculpture, expected to receive about four months of restoration work. (AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek, File) Kate Winslet rules out Oscars boycott as she cheerleads for Leonardo DiCaprio Kate Winslet said she would not boycott the Oscars over the nominations race row because it could mean missing seeing "closest friend" Leonardo DiCaprio finally win. The British Hollywood star, 40, appeared in 1997's blockbuster Titanic alongside DiCaprio, 41, who is nominated for the best actor Academy Award for his role in gritty Western The Revenant. Winslet is herself nominated for best supporting actress for her role as Joanna Hoffman in Danny Boyle's biopic Steve Jobs. Kate Winslet is hoping Leonardo DiCaprio triumphs at the Academy Awards The nominations for the Oscars at the end of February created a controversy after no black actors were shortlisted, with several big names saying they may boycott the ceremony in Los Angeles in protest. Speaking at the London launch of her latest film, US heist drama Triple 9, in which she plays a "nasty piece of work" Mafia gangster, Winslet said: "To be honest with you, it has been such an extraordinary year for women I'd feel like I was letting my side down if I didn't go. "And also I feel very strongly that it may possibly be Leo's year. And he is my closest friend in the world, and I just couldn't imagine not being there to support him. And I think those are reasons enough really to show my face." DiCaprio has been nominated for an Oscar six times but has yet to win. Winslet, who won the Best Actress Oscar for 2008 film The Reader, said she enjoyed playing a baddie in the new film, saying: "I truly play a nasty piece of work and I relished every minute of it." As well as the Oscars nod she has been nominated for a best supporting actress award in this weekend's Baftas. The ensemble cast of Triple 9 includes Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, the Avengers' Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson and fellow Brit Chiwetel Ejiofor, star of 12 Years A Slave. Mackie, Paul and Ejiofor were at Tuesday night's gala screening at the Ham Yard Hotel in Soho, Ejiofor plays a former US Navy Seal turned corrupt police officer who masterminds a plan to pull off a robbery by killing another cop, a so-called "triple nine", to cause a distraction. They are blackmailed into the robbery by Winslet's Russian-Israeli mafiosi, who is running the show while her husband is in prison. Asked about the row over diversity prompted by the Oscar nominations, E jiofor said : "We need more equality in our society and we need more equality represented in media, and those are good things to have, healthy things to have for a society so it is right that people ask for those things. That whole thing is just a reflection of that reality. "Absolutely everyone involved on every side of the issue wants the best out of the media and wants the best out of movies and wants the best out of society so it is all positive in the end. Milly Dowler's family describe torment at killer's confessions The family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler have spoken out over their "torment and pain" after her killer Levi Bellfield finally gave harrowing details of his crimes. In a statement they said they hoped the 13-year-old's "soul, at long last, can finally rest in peace" now that the serial killer has given his account. Bellfield would only speak to female officers from Surrey Police when he decided to confess and gave them disturbing details of how he repeatedly raped, tortured and murdered Milly. The family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler said they hoped the 13-year-old's "soul, at long last, can finally rest in peace" He was given a whole-life prison sentence in June 2011 for the brutal slaughter of the teenager, but had never admitted killing her until an investigation was launched in to whether he had an accomplice after he bragged to a fellow prison inmate about his crime. Last month Surrey Police said they had arrested a man in his 40s, but the suspect was released without charge after just 10 hours because there was no evidence. In their statement today the Dowler family said: "We feel we need to say something in addition to the information that has already been made public, as we do not think what has been revealed reflects the true heinousness of this man. "In May 2015 - nearly nine months ago - we were informed that Bellfield had requested to speak to Surrey Police about Milly. Bellfield made it clear to police that he would only speak to female police officers. Bellfield provided the officers with a harrowing account of Milly's final 14 hours. Giving details of her abduction, repeated rape, torture and then finally how he murdered her. "The reason we were told this information last May was because previously Bellfield had shared the information with other prison inmates and one of them was due to be released. This meant there was a risk that this information could be made public without us knowing about it." He told the officers that he had snatched the schoolgirl, assaulted her at his flat near Walton station, and then driven her to his mother's house where he raped her. The horrifying attack continued at another location for a number of hours before he strangled her. The statement continued: "A few days after hearing this harrowing information from Surrey Police, they revealed to us that they were also investigating an alleged accomplice involved in the abduction and rape of Milly. "Hearing Bellfield's account of how Milly spent her final hours before being murdered was shocking enough, but the news that there could have been another individual involved was devastating.There are no words to describe the additional torment and pain we have been going through since we were told this information. "We had to remain silent for eight months whilst the police conducted their investigation. Finally, when they made the arrest of the suspected accomplice, the person was questioned and released without charge in less than 10 hours as there was no evidence found. "The pressure this has put us under as a family has been unimaginable and has taken its toll on all of us. We have had to fight every step of the way to get this far. In desperation last November we wrote to the Home Secretary to tell her of our concerns, and she met with us immediately. "Now we know the final hours of Milly's life, perhaps her soul, at long last, can finally rest in peace. The general public have always played a huge part in supporting us, for which we are eternally grateful and thankful. We believe that they should know what Bellfield did to our beautiful daughter and sister Milly." Milly was snatched from the street while on her way from school to her home in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002. Bellfield was found guilty of abducting and killing her following a trial at the Old Bailey. He was already in jail for the murders of Amelie Delagrange and Marsha McDonnell, and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, when he went on trial accused of killing Milly. In 2008 he had been given a whole-life term for murdering Ms McDonnell, 19, in 2003, and murdering Ms Delagrange, 22, and attempting to murder Ms Sheedy, 18, in 2004. Milly's body was found in a wood in Yateley Heath, Hampshire - 25 miles from Walton-on-Thames. Experts could not say how she died. Bellfield, who now calls himself Yusuf Rahim, lived 50 yards from where Milly vanished but did not become a suspect until he was arrested by police in London for the other offences in 2004. Police are now looking into a number of other crimes in the wake of his shock confession. Bellfield is already suspected of several other attacks. At the time of his conviction in June 2011, detectives said they believed Bellfield may have been responsible for around 20 attacks on women which were never solved. These included the killing of Judith Gold, who was hit over the head in Hampstead, north London, in 1990, and Bellfield's schoolfriend Patsy Morris, 14, who was strangled on Hounslow Heath, west London, in 1980. Anna Maria Rennie identified Bellfield as the man who tried to force her in to a car in Whitton, west of London, when she was just 17 in October 2001. But the jury at Bellfield's 2008 trial for the murders of two other women could not agree and the charge was left on file. Attempts for a retrial for attempted kidnap failed when Miss Rennie refused to attend court. A spokeswoman for Surrey Police said: "The force has been in regular contact with the Dowler family during this investigation into the circumstances surrounding Milly's murder. We recognise this continues to be extremely distressing and our thoughts remain with them." Brother's pride at Bernie Sanders victory in US primary contest The brother of US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has spoken of his pride at his sibling's romping primary victory over Democrat nomination rival Hillary Clinton. Oxford-based Larry Sanders, 80, is six years older than his brother, who scored a win at the first primary in New Hampshire. The 74-year-old left-wing candidate won more than 60% of the vote over the former secretary of state on Tuesday. Larry Sanders, right, with his brother and presidential hopeful Bernie With Ms Clinton winning the first caucus in Iowa, Larry Sanders, a former social worker who moved to the UK from Brooklyn, New York, in the 1960s, said his sibling had done better than he expected. He told the Press Association: "T he great thing about winning is that he will be on the front pages and blasting out of televisions and the radios. More people will then have to think about him, so it might well do the trick." Larry Sanders said the race to win the Democrat nomination is going to be "very competitive" and the "Clintons are going to get very dirty" in their tactics. "But I think his chances are very good - which is hard to absorb," he added. The Democrat candidate's policies include breaking up the big banks, creating more jobs for youngsters, a single-payer national health care programme and free university tuition. Larry Sanders said it was "amazing and magical" to see support growing for his brother and his policies. The politician told crowds in his victory speech on Tuesday: "It is a political revolution that will bring tens of millions of people together. "It will bring together working people who have given up on the political process. It will bring together young people who have never participated in the political process. "It will bring together blacks and whites, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, straight and gay, male and female - people who were born in America and people who immigrated here. "We will all come together to say loudly and clearly that the government of our great nation belongs to all of us - not just a few wealthy campaign contributors." As the battle moves to other states, he added: "Now it is on to Nevada, South Carolina and beyond." Donald Trump took victory in the Republican contest with more than 35% of the vote, after coming second to Ted Cruz in Iowa. About 550,000 voters turned out for the New Hampshire primary, a reported record for the state which has a population of 1.3 million. Trio face jail for helping teen jihadi join Syria fighters Three young men are facing jail for helping a teenage jihadi follow in his big brother's footsteps and join fighters in Syria. Kristen Brekke, Adeel Ulhaq and Forhad Rahman were found guilty at the Old Bailey of playing their part in the plan to get Aseel Muthana to the war-torn country. Muthana was just 17 when he left home in Cardiff on February 21 2014 to join the ranks of Islamic State (IS) and has not returned. Three young men were found guilty at the Old Bailey His older brother Nasser Muthana, who he idolised, had travelled there with four other young men from Cardiff three months before, the court heard. Nasser later achieved "notoriety" when he and other young men made a propaganda video for IS called There Is No life Without Jihad which was released in June 2014, the court heard. Prosecutor Annabel Darlow QC had told jurors that all three defendants shared the same "highly-radical ideology" and support for waging war in Syria. Two of the defendants, Rahman and Ulhaq, were part of a network of friends online who were committed to the violent struggle. That included two brothers from Portsmouth, Tuhin Shahensha and Mustaqim Jaman. The third brother, Ifthekar Jaman, was killed while fighting in Syria for IS, in December 2013. All three defendants played different roles in their mission to help Muthana achieve his goal to reach Syria and all but Brekke expressed a desire to follow suit, the court heard. Rahman was key in funding Muthana's trip, Ulhaq had good contacts in Syria and gave practical advice while Brekke helped purchase kit and let the teenager use his computer. Muslim convert Brekke, 20, had been good friends with Muthana since they worked together at an ice cream parlour in Cardiff. The prosecution said he was well aware of his aim, and cited the evidence of a home-made video of the pair posing with an imitation gun on Asda Hill above Cardiff. Brekke, who did not know his co-defendants before, gave a variety of explanations for his stash of gear, including claims they were impulse buys and he was preparing for a camping trip to the Brecon Beacons. Muthana became fast friends with Rahman online and sent him the video clip from Asda Hill in which he proclaimed: "If you are watching this, I'm probably dead or I'm probably a legend or something." The pair met up in London, where Rahman was working for Addison Lee, and exchanged affectionate messages referring to each other as "cutie", "honey" and "babe", a court heard. He knew at the time he helped Muthana that it was dangerous in Syria as two months before, his acquaintance Iftekhar Jaman was killed in battle. In his defence, Rahman, 21, from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, admitted allowing the teenager to use his credit card but insisted he thought he was going to Syria to "help people" by joining a local militia. He said: "When we discussed this, Isis was not the plan". Rahman introduced his young friend to Ulhaq who gave practical help online and called on his contacts within Syria to smooth his entry into the country. However, Ulhaq never met Muthana in person. The 21-year-old from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, told the jury that he had considered going to Syria himself to bring home his ex-girlfriend, Aqsa Mahmood, from Glasgow, who had gone as a jihadi bride and proceeded to Tweet Isis propaganda. He insisted that he believed Muthana was going for humanitarian reasons and not to fight for Isis, the court heard. The jury was not told that the first Old Bailey trial of the three men collapsed last year due to publicity around Tweets from Mahmood. Brekke, of Pentre Street, Grangetown, Cardiff; Rahman, of Cranhams Lane, Chesterton, Cirencester, Gloucestershire; and Ulhaq, of Westbourne Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, were found guilty of preparing for acts of terrorism. Ulhaq was further convicted of terror funding. The jurors were not told that Iftekar Jaman's brothers, Shahensha, 27, and Jaman, 23, from Portsmouth, had earlier been jailed for six years each for helping people travel to Syria to fight with Isis. Brekke shook his head as the jury delivered its verdict while his co-defendants gave no reaction. Tens killed in clashes in Turkey's Kurdish southeast ISTANBUL, Feb 8 (Reuters) - At least nine civilians and 16 rebel fighters have been killed as security forces battle militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, the army and the region's main political party said on Monday. Violence has raged in the region since the collapse of peace talks last July aimed at ending a three-decade PKK insurgency. Some of the worst clashes have been in the town of Cizre and the Sur district of Diyarbakir, the region's biggest city, where security forces have imposed a 24-hour curfew. Ten of the 16 rebels killed on Sunday were in Cizre and six were in Sur, the military said on its website, adding that this brought the militants' total death toll in the two places to 749 since December. A plainclothes police officer was also gunned down on Monday in the town of Yuksekova near the Iraqi border, media reported. In the centre of Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, police used water cannon and tear gas on Monday to break up a protest against the Cizre operations, witnesses said. Several people were detained, Dogan News Agency said. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, speaking at a joint news conference in the capital Ankara with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said the Cizre operations may draw to a close in the next few days. "It is obvious that (the PKK) is implementing methods to destabilise cities in Turkey. In this regard, Cizre is a critical town, situated so close to the (Syrian) border, exploitable for weapons and terrorists to cross," he said. The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which has Kurdish origins and is the southeast's biggest party, named nine civilians who had been killed in Cizre since Friday, bringing the death toll to 127 civilians since December. MANY WOUNDED Davutoglu dismissed claims that civilians have been targeted and also denied reports that several wounded people had died after spending days stranded in buildings in Cizre. Authorities had sent ambulances to collect the wounded - mainly PKK members - but the poor security situation had prevented them for reaching the hurt, he said. The HDP said late on Sunday its lawmakers had not heard from a group of 15 wounded people, who have been sheltering in a basement in Cizre's Cudi district along with seven dead bodies for more than a week. It said nine more people had died in a fire in a different basement in the area and that they had also not heard from wounded people there for the last two days. The protest in Istanbul occurred after the HDP called for a march near Taksim Square, the city's tourism and transportation hub, to draw attention to the situation in Cizre, Dogan said. Also on Monday police in the Swiss city of Zurich used tear gas and rubber bullets against a group of around 100 Kurdish activists who held an unauthorised demonstration outside the Turkish consulate in the city. Swiss police said the demonstrators were protesting against conditions in Turkey. One person was detailed. Border fences will not stop migrants heading to Europe - think-tank By Emma Batha LONDON, Feb 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Efforts by European countries to deter migrants with border fences, teargas and asset seizures will not stem the flow of people into the continent, and European leaders should make their journeys safer, a think-tank said on Wednesday. The Overseas Development Insitute (ODI) said Europe must act now to reduce migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, where nearly 4,000 people died last year trying to reach Greece and Italy, and more than 400 have died so far this year. European governments could open consular outposts in countries like Turkey and Libya which could grant humanitarian visas to people with a plausible asylum claim, the think-tank said. Allowing people to fly directly to Europe would be safer and cheaper than for them to pay people smugglers, and would help cripple the smuggling networks that feed off the migrant crisis, the London-based ODI said. More than 1.1 million people fleeing poverty, war and repression in the Middle East, Asia and Africa reached Europe's shores last year, prompting many European leaders to take steps to put people off travelling. But the ODI said new research showed such attempts either fail to alter people's thinking or merely divert flows to neighbouring states. Researchers interviewed 52 migrants from Syria, Eritrea and Senegal who had recently arrived in Germany, Britain and Spain. Their journeys had cost an average 2,680 pounds ($3,880) each. More than one third had been victims of extortion, and almost half the Eritreans had been kidnapped for ransom during their journey. "ONE DOOR SHUTS, ANOTHER OPENS" Researchers said that, contrary to popular perception, many migrants left home without a clear destination in mind. Their experiences along the way and the people they met informed where they would go next. Information from European governments was unlikely drastically to alter migrants' behaviour, the ODI said. "Our research suggests that while individual EU member states may be able to shift the flow of migration on to their neighbours through deterrent measures such as putting up fences, using teargas and seizing assets, it does little to change the overall number ... coming to Europe," said report co-author Jessica Hagen-Zanker. "As one of the people we interviewed put it 'When one door shuts, another opens'." Hungary erected fences along its southern border last year to stop migrants crossing it en route to western Europe. Switzerland is seizing migrants' and refugees' assets to help pay for their upkeep. Denmark has approved similar seizures. But Hagen-Zanker said route closures were counter-productive because they made migrants' journeys more expensive, reducing their ability to support themselves when they arrived. The study showed migrants' decisions were influenced less by restrictive policies and more by job opportunities, safety and access to education. The ODI called for a fairer EU-wide asylum processing system and reforms to share responsibilities more evenly between EU countries. Search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean should also be scaled up, it said. Researchers said politicians and the wider public must start seeing refugees as a resource rather than a problem. They called for greater efforts to provide migrants with language lessons and skills training which would increase their ability to support themselves and help fill job gaps in European economies. U.S. health officials tell lawmakers Zika funding is urgent By David Morgan WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - U.S. health officials laid out details of their battle plan against the Zika virus for lawmakers on Tuesday, saying that more than $1.8 billion in new emergency funds is needed to protect pregnant American women by the summer mosquito season. Emerging from a closed-door meeting with Senate leaders, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell pushed back against Republican assertions that the Obama administration had no immediate need for money and could divert existing funds from a longstanding campaign against Ebola in Africa. "The money is important and is urgent," Burwell told reporters, saying the government needs to ramp up preparedness and mosquito control in Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas and other Southern states while pursuing new research and an accelerated vaccine program. Zika has spread quickly in South and Central America and the Caribbean, raising fears of the possibility of a birth defect known as microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. Most infected people have no symptoms or mild ones including fever and skin rashes. Brazil is investigating more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly and has identified evidence of Zika infection in 17 of these cases. But much remains unknown about the virus, including whether it actually causes microcephaly. Zika can be spread by mosquitoes, sexual transmission and blood transfusions. Its discovery in the saliva and urine of infected people has added to concerns. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international health emergency on Feb. 1, citing a "strongly suspected" relationship between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly. Zika is spreading inside Puerto Rico, and more than 50 people in the United States have been infected, mainly while traveling overseas, officials said. Part of the emergency funds would go toward developing new diagnostic tests for the virus. But while Democrats joined with the administration to call for emergency funding, Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri said the administration can find Zika funding in an unspent sum of $1.49 billion for Ebola, and additional money allocated to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health last year. "So there's no immediate shortage of money for the administration to do what they think needs to be done," Blunt, a member of the Senate leadership, said before the meeting. White House: Disputes over South China Sea must not involve 'bullying' By Matt Spetalnick and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will deliver a tough message to China during a summit with Southeast Asian countries next week that disputes in the South China Sea must be resolved peacefully and not with a big nation "bullying" smaller neighbors, the White House said on Tuesday. Obama will also address North Korea's "provocations," a nuclear test last month and a rocket launch over the weekend, when he hosts the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in California on Monday and Tuesday, aides said. Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said the president will reiterate that territorial disputes over the area, where China and several Southeast Asian states have conflicting and overlapping claims, must be handled through negotiations and consistent with international norms. Though China will not be represented, Obama's aides made clear that Beijing's actions in the South China Sea, where it has proceeded with island building that U.S. officials suspect could be turned to military use, will be one of the focal points of the summit at the Sunnylands estate near Palm Springs, California. "The president will call on all claimants to halt land reclamation, construction of new facilities and to carry out no militarization of outposts in the South China Sea," Dan Kritenbrink, Obama's top Asia adviser, told reporters on a conference call previewing the ASEAN talks. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. Rhodes said part of Obama's message at the summit will be the need "to avoid efforts to resolve those disputes through one nation, bigger nation, bullying a smaller one," uphold freedom of navigation and avoid "inadvertent and unnecessary" military action in the South China Sea. A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other states in the South China Sea in late January to counter what Washington deems unacceptable efforts to limit freedom of navigation, prompting an angry reaction from Beijing. It was the second such U.S. military exercise carried out last year. Obama will specifically discuss with Southeast Asian leaders his concerns about China's recent test flights on a newly constructed runway on the Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands, Rhodes said. But even as Obama seeks to reassure Southeast Asian leaders of his resolve, he is expected to face divisions within the 10-nation bloc on how far they are willing to go in angering China. The Philippines and Vietnam have taken a harder line while Cambodia and Laos are more reluctant to confront Beijing. U.S. officials insist the summit is not about targeting China but about bolstering economic and security ties with Southeast Asia, a region Obama has focused on as part of his signature "rebalance" toward Asia-Pacific. At the same time, Obama will update Southeast Asian leaders on efforts to increase international sanctions pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs, a process that the U.S. officials said China had every reason to assist. "We approach China on the basis that we have a shared interest in the principle of denuclearization and avoiding an escalation on the Korean peninsula," Rhodes said. China confirms first case of Zika virus - Xinhua By Megha Rajagopalan and Clare Jim BEIJING/HONG KONG, Feb 10 (Reuters) - China has confirmed its first case of the Zika virus in a man who had recently travelled to South America, the official Xinhua news agency said. The virus, which is causing international alarm after spreading through much of the Americas, was detected in a 34-year-old man from Ganxian county in the eastern province of Jiangxi, Xinhua said, citing China's National Health and Family Planning Commission. (http://bit.ly/1PMj27U) Chinese health authorities downplayed the risk of the mosquito-borne virus spreading because of the winter cold, Xinhua added. Hong Kong's Department of Health said in a statement that the man, who had travelled through the city on his return to China, worked in Dongguan, a bustling manufacturing city in the neighbouring southern province of Guangdong. Hong Kong's Port Health Office has stepped up inspections at the airport in response and reinforced training for boundary control inspectors, the statement added. Health officials in Guangdong urged people to guard against the illness during dengue season, and vowed to step up efforts to ensure early detection, Xinhua said. The dengue season runs during the hot summer months of June to August, studies show. There is a risk Zika could be spread locally if it was introduced to Hong Kong, the statement said, because Aedes Albopictus mosquitoes, which transmit the virus, live there. But no cases of the virus in Hong Kong have been reported, it said. The infected man had been quarantined at a hospital in his hometown since Feb. 6, Xinhua said, adding that he was recovering, with normal body temperature and a fading rash. Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man told reporters the department was seeking details of the man's travel history from the mainland authorities because he had transited through the city. The risk of contracting the virus through human contact was low, so the bureau was not worried about the spread of the illness in Hong Kong, Ko said, but he added the authorities were monitoring the situation closely. Mainland health authorities could not be immediately reached for comment. Zika has spread quickly in South and Central America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the worst affected country. The World Health Organization declared an international health emergency on Feb. 1 over the virus, citing concern over a possible link with a rise in cases of microcephaly, a birth defect characterized by an abnormally small head that can result in developmental problems. "With the volume of travel between China and South America, imported cases of Zika virus in China are to be expected," Bernhard Schwartlander, the body's representative in China, said in a statement. "Chinese health authorities are well prepared to respond to this and any further imported cases." Most infected people have no symptoms or mild ones, including fever and skin rashes. Libya must lead anti-Islamic State effort, Egypt's foreign minister says By Warren Strobel WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Libya needs to form a unified government before the United States and European allies opt for any military intervention against thousands of Islamic State fighters in the chaotic North African country, Egypt's foreign minister said on Tuesday. "This has to be a Libyan-led process," Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told Reuters in an interview, while acknowledging that efforts to forge a single government from two rivals in neighboring Libya have been "difficult." U.S. counter-terrorism officials have been alarmed at the growth of an Islamic State affiliate in Libya, where it has amassed thousands of fighters, seized a coastal strip that includes the city of Sirte and attacked oil infrastructure. The Arab country plunged into chaos in the aftermath of the uprising against longtime dictator Muammar Gadaffi, whose fall was helped by a NATO-led air campaign in 2011. Speaking to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Islamic State's Libya affiliate is "one of its most developed branches outside Syria and Iraq." The affiliate, he said, "is well positioned to expand territory under its control in 2016." U.S. officials have debated increasing air strikes in Libya or deploying U.S. Special Operations Forces, but they say any military campaign is still weeks or even months away. Shoukry suggested that international intervention without Libyan approval could backfire. "The experience in the past ... might have been met by the Libyan people with a little bit of concern, the outcome of the last intervention," he said, referring to turmoil that followed in the wake of the West's help in bringing down Gadaffi. "I think we all recognize that this is an issue that primarily will have to be dealt with by Libyans," he said. Despite an agreement signed in December, Libya's rival governments have failed to finalize arrangements for a Government of National Accord. In the interview, Shoukry rejected growing criticism of Egypt's human rights record. Human Rights Watch last year cited estimates that authorities have jailed more than 41,000 people since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2014, after the military ousted Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Mursi the previous year. Shoukry said he objected to "broad generalizations and the use of numbers that are not authenticated or verified." "There are certainly members of the Muslim Brotherhood who are in prison, who are facing trial for having perpetrated actions or activities that are not within the confines of the law," he said. "We are doing so in the context of a judicial system without any resort to any extra-judicial measures," he said. Egypt is fighting an Islamist insurgency in Sinai that gained momentum since Mursi's ouster in mid-2013. Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed. Shoukry dismissed what he called "innuendoes" from some in Italy that an Italian graduate student, Giulio Regeni, whose body was found by a Cairo roadside bearing signs of torture, was a victim of Egypt's security services. Regeni was researching independent trade unions in Egypt. Egypt is fully cooperating with the Italian government, Shoukry said. U.S. & India consider joint patrols in South China Sea - U.S. official By Sanjeev Miglani NEW DELHI, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The United States and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that a U.S. defence official said could include the disputed South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the waterway. Washington wants its regional allies and other Asian nations to take a more united stance against China over the South China Sea, where tensions have spiked in the wake of Beijing's construction of seven man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago. India and the United States have ramped up military ties in recent years, holding naval exercises in the Indian Ocean that last year involved the Japanese navy. But the Indian navy has never carried out joint patrols with another country and a naval spokesman told Reuters there was no change in the government's policy of only joining an international military effort under the United Nations flag. He pointed to India's refusal to be part of anti-piracy missions involving dozens of countries in the Gulf of Aden and instead carrying out its own operations there since 2008. The U.S. defence official said the two sides had discussed joint patrols, adding that both were hopeful of launching them within the year. The patrols would likely be in the Indian Ocean where the Indian navy is a major player as well as the South China Sea, the official told Reuters in New Delhi on condition of anonymity. The official gave no details on the scale of the proposed patrols. There was no immediate comment from China, which is on a week-long holiday for Chinese New Year. China accused Washington this month of seeking maritime hegemony in the name of freedom of navigation after a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of a disputed island in the Paracel chain of the South China Sea in late January. The U.S. Navy conducted a similar exercise in October near one of China's artificial islands in the Spratlys. MARITIME COOPERATION Neither India nor the United States has claims to the South China Sea, but both said they backed freedom of navigation and overflight in the waterway when U.S. President Barack Obama visited New Delhi in January 2015. Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also agreed at the time to "identify specific areas for expanding maritime cooperation". More than $5 trillion in world trade moves through the South China Sea each year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan also claim parts of the waterway. In December, the issue of joint patrols came up when Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar visited the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii, an Indian government source said. "It was a broad discussion, it was about the potential for joint patrols," said the source, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. India has a long-running land border dispute with China and has been careful not to antagonise its more powerful neighbour, instead focusing on building economic ties. But it has stepped up its naval presence far beyond the Indian Ocean, deploying a ship to the South China Sea almost constantly, an Indian navy commander said, noting this wasn't the practice a few years ago. The commander added that the largest number of Indian naval ship visits in the South China Sea region was to Vietnam, a country rapidly building military muscle for potential conflict with China over the waterway. Still, the idea of joining the United States in patrols in the region was a long shot, the officer added. The Philippines has asked the United States to do joint naval patrols in the South China Sea, something a U.S. diplomat said this month was a possibility. Poland - Factors to Watch Feb 10 Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Wednesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 1 hour): BANKS At least a few Polish banks would be on the edge of bankruptcy if Poland passed the proposed FX loan bill, where banks shoulder most of the costs, on top of the new bank tax, Deutsche Bank Polska's chief executive told Daily Gazeta Prawna. VAT Poland's VAT revenue in January grew by over 2 billion zlotys ($508.25 million) year-on-year, daily Puls Bizesu reported citing an unnamed finance ministry source. PGNiG Polish gas company PGNiG is interested in buying heat plant assets through its unit PGNiG Termika, chief executive Piotr Wozniak told Gazeta Wyborcza daily. PGNiG is mulling acquiring one additional exploration licence in Pakistan and investing in Canadian deposits, and has for six month been researching the Iranian market, but is not revealing the results yet, he said. ****Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.**** PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - Feb 10 SOFIA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. -- Bulgarian police arrested five border police officers who had taken bribes from human traffickers to arrange the travel of migrants from Turkey to Western Europe, officials said. (Trud, Standart, Sega) -- Bulgaria's chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov has approached the Council of Europe on Serbia's inaction on Bulgarian request to extradite fugitive banker Tsvetan Vassilev, charged with fraud linked to bankrupt Corporate Commercial Bank. (Standart, Sega, Capital Daily, 24 Chasa) -- The head of Bulgaria's state energy holding BEH Jacklen Kohen has been dismissed, the energy ministry said, citing the need to optimize the operations of the energy's giant. Sources familiar with the process said slow talks on arranging a bridge to bond loan of up to 650 million euros for BEH and a new EU check on Bulgaria's gas market were behind the move. (Sega, Capital Daily, 24 Chasa) Turkey's Erdogan chastises U.S. over support for Syrian Kurds By Daren Butler ISTANBUL, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan upbraided the United States for its support of Syrian Kurdish rebels on Wednesday, saying Washington's inability to grasp their true nature had turned the region into a "sea of blood". Turkey should respond by implementing its own solution, he said, alluding to the creation of a safe zone in northern Syria - something Ankara has long wanted but a proposal that has failed to resonate with the United States and other NATO allies. His comments, a day after Turkey summoned the U.S. ambassador over its support for Syrian Kurds, displayed Ankara's growing frustration with Washington, which backs Syrian Kurdish rebels against Islamic State militants in Syria's civil war. Compounding tensions, the army said that one Turkish soldier had been killed and another wounded when security forces clashed with Kurdish militants crossing over from Syria. Ankara regards the Syrian Kurdish PYD group as terrorists, citing their links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade-old insurgency for autonomy in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. "Are you on our side or the side of the terrorist PYD and PKK organisation?" Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara to provincial officials, addressing the United States. He added that a U.S. failure to understand the essence of the PYD and PKK had caused a "sea of blood" and created a domestic security issue for Turkey. "On the Syrian problem, which has become a part of our own domestic security, the time has come to implement our proposals for a solution, which everyone finds to be rational and right," Erdogan said. Turkey has repeatedly called for a "safe zone" or "no-fly zone" inside Syria. While some Western allies have voiced support in principle, the idea has gained no traction abroad because of concerns that it could bring the West into direct confrontation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Ankara summoned the U.S. ambassador to drive home its displeasure after State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Monday the United States did not regard the PYD as a terrorist organisation. Another attempt at Syria peace talks last month quickly succumbed to mounting advances against rebels by Assad's forces backed by Russian air strikes, amid international disunity over how to end the war with global and regional powers supporting opposing sides. REFUGEE INFLUX As well as battling both a Kurdish insurgency and Islamic State, which has carried out several deadly bombings in Turkey, Ankara has been grappling with an influx of more than 2.5 million refugees since the 2011 start of Syria's conflict. Erdogan said that Turkish spending on food, accommodation and medical care for 280,000 Syrian refugees living in camps had reached $10 billion, while the United Nations had provided just $455 million. On Tuesday evening, Turkish soldiers spotted seven PKK militants entering Sirnak province's Cizre district from Syria and, during an ensuing clash, one soldier was killed and one wounded, the armed forces said in a statement. The area of Syria near where the battle occurred is controlled by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD). In a separate incident, a police officer was killed and another wounded when PKK rebels fired rockets at an armoured vehicle in the town of Sirnak, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. It was not clear when that attack occurred. Military sources said the army also seized up to 15 kg (33 pounds) of explosives and four suicide-bomber vests when it detained 34 people trying to cross into Turkey from a swathe of Syria under Islamic State control. Turkey fears that advances by Syrian Kurds against Islamic State close to its 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria will fuel separatist ambitions among its own Kurds. A ceasefire between the PKK and the government collapsed in July following what the government said were attacks on security forces, plunging southeast Turkey into its worst violence since the 1990s and scuppering peace talks. The PYD and PKK share not only ideology but fighters, with the PKK drawing Syrian Kurdish fighters to its camps in northern Iraq and Turkish Kurds serving in PYD ranks. French Foreign Minister Fabius leaves office, wider reshuffle due By Ingrid Melander and John Irish PARIS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Wednesday he was leaving the government ahead of a reshuffle President Francois Hollande is set to announce in coming days to reshape his team ahead of the 2017 presidential elections. The reshuffle comes at a time when a beleaguered Hollande is suffering a fresh drop in popularity and deep discontent within his party over contested plans to strip French citizenship from people convicted of terrorism. "I will be leaving office," Fabius told reporters, adding that a wider reshuffle, which has been in the works for months, would be announced later this week. Fabius, 69, who played a prominent role in sealing an international deal with Iran limiting its nuclear programme and helped broker a global climate change agreement, was picked by Hollande to head the country's top constitutional court. While it is unclear how widespread the reshuffle will be, speculation is rife over who could join a revamped government in coming days, with Hollande's former prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, or former partner, Environment Minister Segolene Royal, tipped as possible replacements for Fabius. A lot of attention will also focus on whether former investment banker Emmanuel Macron, who has been the face of reforms for France's European partners but has irritated many of his government colleagues, will get a bigger portfolio. Manuel Valls is set to stay on as prime minister. Hollande is expected to largely stick to his pro-business economic policy even if there could be some changes if rebel Socialists or Green lawmakers were to join his cabinet in a bid to build a wider left-wing alliance to gear up for the presidential election. Hollande was to be interviewed on French television on Thursday evening, and might give more details. TIGHT VOTE Analysts said a reshuffle was unlikely to do much to help his popularity, which has been eroded by a debate on stripping dual nationals of their French passports in case of terrorism convictions - one of the key measures he announced after 130 people were killed by Islamist militants in Paris on November 13. This is a sensitive time for Hollande who, just over a year ahead of the presidential elections, faces an uphill re-election battle, dogged not only by tense debates over security measures but also anger with rampant unemployment of 10.6 percent. The lower house of parliament on Wednesday endorsed a strongly disputed bill on stripping those convicted of terrorism of their French passport by 317 votes against 199. While that will be a relief for the government, the issue is far from over as the measure needs be approved by the senate and then by three-fifths of votes from both houses of parliament, a process likely to take several weeks. A third of the Socialist lawmakers who cast their votes on Wednesday voted against the measure and some others abstained, highlighting divisions over the issue. Former president Nicolas Sarkozy's conservatives are also divided. Fabius, who was France's youngest prime minister in the mid-1980s, had been widely expected to change jobs since the end of last year. He said he would enter his new role in early March. Khomeini grandson loses appeal to stand in Iranian election By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of Iran's Islamic Republic, will not be allowed to stand in this month's election in Iran, the clerical vetting body said on Wednesday, in a blow to reformist forces in the country. Hassan Khomeini, 43, the first member of the Khomeini family to register for polls and an ally of President Hassan Rouhani, lost an appeal to the body against a ban. The setback comes at a time of growing rivalry between reformists and conservatives stirred by a deal with world powers that lifted economic sanctions against Tehran as part of a nuclear agreement. Hardliners fear Iranian voters will now be more inclined to reward reformist and moderate candidates in Feb. 26 elections to the 290-seat parliament and the 88-seat Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for choosing the next Supreme Leader. The Guardian Council, a clerical vetting body responsible for overseeing all elections, excluded thousands of parliamentary hopefuls and hundreds of candidates for the Assembly of Experts, leaving a field mostly of conservatives. Under pressure from the government, the Council overturned hundreds of bans on parliamentary candidates last week, rekindling the hopes of reformists and moderates. But the final list of candidates for the Assembly of Experts, published on Wednesday, makes it clear that the Guardian Council intends to keep reformists and moderates away from this crucial clerical body. Ayatollah Khomenei led a revolution that saw the overthrow of the Shah in 1979 and creation of an Islamic Republic. Hardliners say they are the guardians of his legacy while his grandson feels his views mirror his grandfather's values. The Council said that Hassan Khomeini "has not enough Islamic knowledge to distinguish the next Supreme Leader," a family member was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying. Ayatollah Khamenei is 76, so the new assembly is expected to play a significant role in choosing his successor since its members are only elected every eight years. STILL HOPEFUL Reformist and moderate candidates have accused the Guardian Council of eliminating rivals. "The Guardian Council is now more than ever under pressure by the Islamic Republic's sworn enemies," the Council said in a statement published on its website on Tuesday. "The Council would stand firm to protect people's rights and the Islamic Republic's values." President Rouhani has criticised moves by the Guardian Council to exclude thousands of candidates from the election, saying the decision could undermine the vote's legitimacy. However, he appealed to the nation to participate in the election and choose from to the remaining candidates. "If a shop does not have the ideal clothes you want to buy for your child, you will still buy the best one available to prevent your child from catching cold," Rouhani was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA on Sunday. In the same appeal, the former Iranian president and the leader of Reformist movement, Mohammad Khatami, asked Iranians not to be disappointed by the Guardian Council's decision. "Despite disqualification of many prominent and competent candidates, there are still skilled and knowledgeable figures who can serve the nation due to their loyalty to the values of Revolution and reformist movement," Khatami said in a statement published on his website on Tuesday. Syrian rebels demand U.S. action ahead of peace talks By John Irish and Louis Charbonneau PARIS/UNITED NATIONS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Rebel groups urged U.S. President Barack Obama to do more to stop Russian bombing raids in Syria as pressure mounted on Washington for greater commitment towards resolving the five-year-old war ahead of a new round of peace talks this week. World powers are meeting in Germany on Thursday in a bid to revive peace efforts, but with Moscow backing a Syrian government push for all-out military victory, Western officials and opposition delegates see little hope of a breakthrough. U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura halted the first attempt to negotiate an end to Syria's war in two years after an offensive by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Western-backed rebels backed by Russian air strikes. Trying to prevent a collapse of diplomatic efforts to end the war, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is pushing for a ceasefire and more humanitarian aid access ahead of a meeting of the International Syria Support Group in Munich. Moscow said Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed on Wednesday on the need for a ceasefire in Syria and the provision of humanitarian aid to blockaded areas. But one U.N. diplomatic source said Russia was "stringing Kerry along" in order to provide diplomatic cover for Moscow's real goal - to help Assad win on the battlefield instead of compromising at the negotiating table. "It's clear to everyone now that Russia really doesn't want a negotiated solution but for Assad to win," said the diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity. A senior adviser to Assad, Bouthaina Shaaban, told Reuters in Damascus on Tuesday that there would be no let-up in the army advance, which aimed to recapture the city of Aleppo from rebels and secure Syria's border with Turkey. FABIUS QUESTIONS U.S. COMMITMENT Saudi-backed rebels said they would go to Munich but called on Obama to be more forceful with Russia over its bombing campaign. The rebels would only go to U.N. peace talks in Geneva later this month if Russia stops bombarding their positions and humanitarian aid reaches civilians in the areas they control. Spokesman Salim al-Muslat said: "I believe he (Obama) can really stop these attacks by the Russians on Syrians. If he is willing to save our children it is really the time now to say 'no' to these strikes in Syria." "I believe he can do it but it is really strange for us that we don't hear this from him," Muslat told Reuters. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also questioned the commitment of the United States. "There are the ambiguities including among the actors of the coalition ... I'm not going to repeat what I've said before about the main pilot of the coalition," Fabius said. "But we don't have the feeling that there is a very strong commitment that is there." Rebel groups say that while Washington has put pressure on them to attend peace talks, they see less help on the battlefield. Appeals for anti-aircraft missiles to counter the latest offensive are falling on deaf ears. Turkey, meanwhile, upbraided the United States for supporting Syrian Kurdish PYD rebels, saying Washington's inability to understand the group's true nature had turned the region into a "sea of blood". "Are you on our side or the side of the terrorist PYD?" President Tayyip Erdogan said, referring to Washington's backing of the group against Islamic State. FIGHTING OVER ALEPPO De Mistura set a target date of Feb. 25 to reconvene talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva. But in less than two weeks, the offensive by Syrian forces, Hezbollah and Shiite militias directed by Iran - all backed by Russian bombing raids - have reversed opposition gains on the ground and encircled rebels inside Aleppo, a strategic prize now divided between government and opposition control. This has caused alarm among U.N. and Western officials, who believe the goal of the Syrian-Russian-Iranian campaign is to destroy the opposition's negotiating power in Geneva, kill them on the ground, and secure the first major military victory since Moscow began bombing opposition forces in Syria in September. "It'll be easy to get a ceasefire soon because the opposition will all be dead," a Western diplomat told Reuters. "That's a very effective ceasefire." The latest fighting around Aleppo has killed about 500 people on all sides, a monitoring group said. Other Western officials said Kerry overestimated his ability to bring Moscow around. They said he appeared to believe that since he achieved what some saw as unachievable by getting a nuclear deal with Iran he could do the same with Syria. They noted that the two cases were different. With Iran, Russia wanted a political agreement whereas in Syria it is pushing for a military victory by the Syrian government. "The Russians are playing cat and mouse with Kerry," a senior European diplomat said. Western officials said Moscow is clearly not committed to a ceasefire that would halt what it sees as military momentum that favours the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed supporters. FALSE ASSUMPTIONS "U.S. policy was always based on a series of false assumptions. The main false assumption was that there is no military solution to the Syria crisis," said Christopher Harmer, an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War. "The Assad regime has no interest in a political solution," he said. "The Russians have no interest in a political solution. Iran has no interest in a political solution. Hezbollah has no interest in a political solution." Russia says its air strikes have been targeting Islamic State, the militant Islamist group that has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq, and not Western-backed opposition groups. But U.S. and European officials say that is not the case. ISSG, which includes the United States and Russia, as well as key regional powers such as rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran and European nations, has been struggling to find common ground within its disparate ranks on ending the Syrian war. After agreeing in November on a road map for a ceasefire, U.N.-brokered talks between the government and opposition, and eventual elections, the ISSG has been unable to move ahead with peace talks. Some officials predict that the talks, like the opposition, could die a slow death in the coming months. CLOSED-DOOR BICKERING A December meeting of the group was largely characterised by closed-door bickering about which groups in Syria should or should not be labelled a terrorist organisation, which would bar them from the negotiating table. Jordan had been assigned the task of drawing up the list and collected proposals from members of the group. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was infuriated when he saw that someone had proposed putting the Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, which is actively supporting Assad, on the list of terrorist groups. "Zarif suggested that Iran might propose including the CIA as well," a Western diplomat said. After that, Kerry and Lavrov, who were chairing the meeting, briefly discussed the idea of having the CIA included. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar have not hidden their view that there is little point in holding negotiations when the Russian air strikes and Syrian government advance continue. On the other side, Iran believes the Saudis - not Iran, Russia or Assad - are the major obstacle to peace. "There are some countries that it seems don't want peace to be restored in Syria," a senior official involved in the Syria talks said. Portugal finance minister wary of bonds, promises budget rigour By Axel Bugge and Sergio Goncalves LISBON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Portugal's new Socialist government is well aware of the country's rising bond yields and will be rigorous in controlling the budget to ensure financing for the economy, Finance Minister Mario Centeno said on Wednesday. Investors started selling Portuguese bonds in the past few weeks as general concerns about global growth and the health of banks rose. Portugal's 10-year bond yields hit their highest since October 2014 on Tuesday although they retreated slightly on Wednesday. "We are worried in the positive sense of the term, in other words we are on alert regarding this situation," Centeno told Reuters in an interview when asked about rising bond yields. "At times there are comments that the Portuguese government is not sufficiently concerned regarding questions about financing, but this is not true." Centeno said the minority government will be responsible in executing this year's budget to ensure it reaches goals to cut the deficit agreed with Brussels. This year's budget sees a cut in the budget deficit to 2.2 percent of gross domestic product from around 4.2 percent last year. He said the fact that only one rating agency, DBRS, rates the country's debt as investment grade imposes greater responsibility on the government. "It (one investment grade rating) is a situation which means we have less margin of manoeuvre than other countries have," he said. "Portugal has to assume a degree of responsibility that is very demanding on its budget rigour." Portugal's new Socialist government presented a 2016 budget last month, which includes a series of measures rolling back austerity such as raising civil servant wages and hiking the minimum wage, as well as indirect tax hikes to meet budget deficit goals. The European Commission approved the budget last week, but only after insisting on extra measures by the government to ensure that budget deficit goals are met. The commission still fears the budget could fail to meet EU rules. NATO to agree new Russian deterrent but avoid Cold War footing By Robin Emmott and Phil Stewart BRUSSELS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - NATO is ready to agree on Wednesday its boldest steps yet to deter Russia from any attack in the Baltics or eastern Europe, setting out ways to rapidly deploy air, naval and ground forces without resorting to Cold War-era military bases. In an effort to dissuade Moscow after its 2014 annexation of Crimea, NATO defence ministers are setting up a network of new alliance outposts, forces on rotation, warehoused equipment and regular war games, all backed by a rapid-reaction force. "We need to deploy troops and ships to deter the aggression, the threats that we have seen," British Defence Minister Michael Fallon said as he arrived for the meeting in Brussels. "NATO means what it says, that we are ready to deter any kind of pressure." Troop numbers, spending plans and logistics are still to be decided, but NATO officials say the decision to go ahead with such a substantial military presence on NATO's eastern borders will be one of the biggest for the alliance in decades. That has been cemented by the United States' decision to seek a $3.4 billion budget for European reassurance initiatives in 2017. The four-fold increase in Washington's spending in the region will go to rotate more troops through the region and provide more tanks, armoured vehicles and other support. It reinforces the message from U.S. President Barack Obama in 2014 that NATO will help ensure the independence of the three Baltic states, which for decades were part of the Soviet Union. U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter, speaking to reporters travelling with him to Brussels, said it was important for all NATO allies to increase military spending. "I'll be looking for others in NATO to echo (us) in our investment," Carter said. NOT THE COLD WAR Carter said the plan aimed to move NATO to a "full deterrence posture" to thwart any aggression. "It's not going to look like it did back in Cold War days, but it will constitute, in today's terms, a strong deterrent," Carter said. In the past, the United States stationed some 300,000 troops in Europe. Eventually, NATO could have up to 1,000 troops in each of the six countries the alliance is looking to reinforce: Lithuanian, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. They will be backed by a rapid-reaction force that includes air, naval and special operations units of up to 40,000 personnel. The crisis in Ukraine, where the West accuses Russia of fomenting a separatist rebellion, and the Western economic sanctions on Moscow have raised concerns about a new Cold War. Few European NATO allies openly describe Russia as a threat, for fear of antagonising the continent's main energy supplier. But one senior NATO official says the new deployments in Europe were driven by a consensus that the alliance had entered a new era of tension with Russia. "This is not a thunderstorm that's going to blow over," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "This is climate change, and we have to prepare for the long haul." That view was echoed by non-NATO member Georgia, which fought a five-day war with Russia in 2008 that left two of its regions occupied by Russian military. "With the Kremlin, nothing can be excluded," Tinatin Khidasheli, Georgia's defence minister, told Reuters. "They cannot show weakness." Key Ugandan HIV control body under pressure to close, activists object By Evelyn and Lirri KAMPALA, Feb 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Two parliamentary committees want to cut costs by closing down the Uganda Aids Commission (UAC), set up 24 years ago to oversee and coordinate HIV prevention and control - despite activists' fears that this could damage the fight against HIV/AIDS. Uganda was seen as a role model in tackling the HIV epidemic in the 1990s, and activists say the effectiveness of the UAC led several other countries to take it as a model for their their AIDS response and management. Parliament's budget and health committees have recommended dissolving the UAC in order to cut costs and end the duplication of roles between the commission, a semi-autonomous agency under the Office of the President, and the Aids Control Programme, which is under the Ministry of Health. The UAC was set up at a time when the HIV/AIDS epidemic was ravaging the country, and was responsible for formulating policy, coordinating HIV programmes across several ministries, mobilizing and monitoring resources, leading advocacy activities and promoting HIV/AIDS-related research. It does not directly implement HIV/AIDS programmes. Parliament's health committee recommended amending the law which established the commission to make it answerable to the Ministry of Health. "By maintaining UAC under the President's Office and AIDS Control programme under the Health Ministry, it makes government duplicate activities," the committee wrote in their report. The UAC chairman, Prof. Vinand Nantulya, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation he disagreed with the committees, and said the UAC board had written to the president, Speaker of Parliament and health ministry, objecting to the proposal. "We have already expressed our concerns. When this recommendation was made, we were not consulted," said Nantulya. "This is not a standard way of formulating policy," he added. Parliament is currently in recess ahead of general elections on Feb. 18 and no action is expected until the election results are known. Parliament's current term ends in May. Civil society groups issued a joint statement on Monday to express concern over the recommendation, describing it as an "unfortunate development" which would reverse the way HIV is managed in Uganda. "This is a decision that is going to have high consequences for the national HIV response," said Joshua Wamboga, executive director of the Uganda Network of AIDS Service Organisations. Dr Lydia Mungherera, an activist who lives with HIV, said dissolving the UAC now would be a "major strategic mistake that will lead to a reversal in the gains Uganda has started to make, negatively impacting the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS." New HIV infections have increased in Uganda in recent years, a change attributed mainly to complacency among the public and the advent of life-prolonging drugs, and prevalence currently stands at 7.3 percent of the population. UAC figures show that 1.5 million Ugandans are living with HIV, some 143,000 of them children, out of a population estimated at 39 million. More that 99,000 Ugandans became newly infected with HIV in 2014, a drop from 137,000 in 2013, the figures show. At least 823,000 Ugandans, 61,000 of them children, are enrolled in antiretroviral treatment, 56 percent of all those living with HIV. Syrian, Russian forces carrying out ethnic cleansing around Aleppo -Turkish PM By Thomas Escritt THE HAGUE, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Syrian government forces backed by Russia are carrying out a deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing around the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday. At a news briefing in The Hague with his Dutch counterpart, Davutoglu said 60,000 migrants had fled the violence to the Turkish border and that, while Turkey would not close its doors, the priority was providing aid to them inside Syria. "One of the aims of the latest attacks is to conduct ethnic cleansing. Ethnic cleansing in Syria and Aleppo aimed at only leaving regime supporters behind is being conducted by the Syrian regime and Russia in a very deliberate way," he said. "Every refugee that we accept helps their ethnic cleansing policy, but we will continue to accept (refugees)." Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes and Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, have launched a major offensive in the countryside around Aleppo. The United Nations warned on Tuesday hundreds of thousands of civilians could be cut off from food if rebel-held parts of the city are encircled. Both the U.N. and the European Union have urged Turkey to open its border. Davutoglu said it was hypocritical of those who had failed to stop Russian air strikes in Syria to now ask Turkey to keep its border open, pointing out that it had taken in more than 2.6 million refugees during the five-year war. The border at Oncupinar, where tens of thousands fleeing the Aleppo assault have massed, remains closed to all but the seriously wounded and aid trucks and ambulances, with Turkish relief organisations delivering supplies to the Syrian side. Davutoglu also accused the Syrian Kurdish PYD of attacking civilians in collaboration with Russian forces, and said it was guilty of war crimes. Saudi Arabia says ready to send forces to Syria if coalition decides RABAT, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia would be willing to commit special forces to Syria should the international coalition decide to deploy ground troops against Islamic State, the country's foreign minister said on Wednesday. It was the Saudi minister's second reference to sending special forces since he met U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington on Monday for talks on the war in Syria and the crisis in Yemen. "We will discuss details with experts from the countries involved to decide on the nature of the participation," Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters during a visit to Morocco. He has declined to give any specific numbers. President Barack Obama, anxious to avoid being sucked into another Middle East conflict after the long and costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has been deeply reluctant to commit U.S. ground forces in Syria. But four months of Russian air strikes in Syria - which Moscow says are targeting Islamic State - have helped President Bashar al-Assad claw back territory from rebel fighters, alarming Gulf Arab states who back the insurgents. Saudi Arabia is a member of the U.S.-led coalition that has been fighting Islamic State in Syria since 2014. The government says it has carried out more than 190 aerial missions there, although it has focused its military efforts over the last year on the conflict in Yemen, where it is leading a coalition of mainly Gulf Arab forces battling Houthi fighters who control Sanaa. Last week, an adviser to the Saudi defence minister said the kingdom was ready to participate in any ground operation in Syria, but did not specify the possibility of sending special forces on the ground. Saudi Arabia in December also announced the formation of a 34-nation Islamic military coalition which it said would combat terrorism. Germany says would participate in NATO refugee mission By Robin Emmott and Sabine Siebold BRUSSELS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Germany would take part in a potential NATO mission to help slow refugee flows in the Aegean Sea, the country's defence minister said on Wednesday, a day before the alliance is due to discuss a request for help. Struggling to stop refugees streaming into Greece despite a deal between Ankara and the European Union to combat the flows, Germany and Turkey surprised partners this week by saying they would raise the issue with NATO. One idea could be for NATO to monitor the flow of migrants from Syria trying to reach Europe across the Aegean and pass the information on to Turkish authorities to go after people smugglers. "It is good that Turkey has asked NATO to intensify the maritime surveillance in the Aegean as part of the reassurance measures," German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen told reporters. "Germany will take part in these activities." NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday he had spoken with both Germany and Turkey and that "we will take very seriously the request to look into what NATO can do." The European Union's migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos was careful to stress Germany and others had not asked NATO, a military alliance, to respond to a 'threat'. "Do you see any threat there?" Avramopoulos asked reporters. "We are talking about human beings," he said. He also cautioned that any decision at NATO would need to be discussed with the European Union, which is dealing with the crisis. Pressed for details about what NATO might do, Britain's Defence Minister Michael Fallon said: "Anything that helps save lives in the eastern Mediterranean and helps disrupt the criminal business model behind this trafficking is extremely welcome." More than one million people arrived in Europe last year, fleeing war and failing states in the Middle East and North Africa. Numbers show little sign of falling, despite the winter. Damascus expects tough but short battle for Aleppo By Laila Bassam and Tom Perry DAMASCUS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The Syrian government expects a tough battle for Aleppo, the city that has become the focal point of the country's long civil war, but is confident of victory and says it won't be a long fight. Damascus aims to seal the border with Turkey, a major sponsor of the insurgents fighting President Bashar al-Assad, and to retake rebel-held areas of what was Syria's biggest city and industrial hub before the conflict began in 2011. "These battles are not easy, but the day will come, God willing, when all Aleppo - its rural areas and the occupied part of the city - will return to state authority," Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said in an interview on Wednesday. He declined to predict how long the campaign would last, but added: "I do not expect the battle of Aleppo to go on long." The Syrian government has made significant gains against rebels north of the city in the last week, in a dramatic advance backed by Russian air strikes and allies on the ground including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iranian fighters. The government assault helped to derail already struggling Geneva peace talks this month. Russia's intervention has tipped the war Assad's way, reversing gains rebels made last year. PRIZE Aleppo would be the biggest strategic prize in years for Assad's government in a conflict that has killed at least 250,000 people and driven 11 million from their homes. The offensive has already cut vital rebel supply lines into opposition-held areas of the city from Turkey. Tens of thousands of people have fled towards the border. Zoubi said the insurgents were well-financed and armed, naming groups that have received U.S.-made TOW anti-armour missiles, as well as the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, and other jihadists such as the Turkistan Islamic Party. "They have TOW, they have tanks, they have armoured cars, they have bombs, they have many weapons," Zoubi said. Since Russia began its air campaign on Sept. 30, the Syrian army and its allies have launched major ground offensives in the northwestern province of Latakia bordering Turkey and in Deraa province neighbouring Jordan. While rebel forces are under pressure in both Latakia and Aleppo, government forces have yet to launch a major attack against them in Idlib province, which also borders Turkey and is a stronghold of groups including the Nusra Front. Zoubi indicated Idlib might not be attacked imminently. "Idlib is within the goals of ... the overall military operation, but when its time comes, it will have its own plan," he said. FOOD SUPPLIES The United Nations said on Tuesday supplies of food to hundreds of thousands of civilians could be cut off if government forces encircle rebel-held parts of Aleppo. Zoubi said one goal was to open the main highway south to Damascus and "break the siege" imposed by insurgents. Since the state lost control of the highway, supplies to government-held parts of Aleppo have been sent via a longer road that passes close to areas held by Islamic State to the east where it is being bombed by a U.S.-led alliance. Damascus describes all the groups fighting it as terrorists controlled by regional enemies including Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Saudi Arabia, one of the states that wants to see Assad gone from power, said last week it would be ready to send troops to Syria as part of any ground operation by the U.S.-led alliance. "Even thinking about this is a big adventure and gamble, the results of which I don't believe Saudi can bear, neither for its army or its internal situation," Zoubi said. U.S. can still hit climate goals despite Supreme Court pause, White House says By Ayesha Rascoe WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The White House vowed Wednesday that the United States would still meet international commitments to cut carbon emissions, seeking to allay concerns that the Supreme Court might take away one of its main weapons against climate change. The court dealt a blow on Tuesday to the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan, which would steer electricity plants away from burning coal to cleaner fuel sources, delaying its implementation until all legal challenges are decided. But the White House said it remained confident it would ultimately win the lawsuits brought by industry groups and 29 states opposed to the plan. And White House spokesman Eric Schultz said the administration has an array of tools available to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to rising global temperatures. He cited the long-term extension of tax credits for renewable energy that were enacted in last year's budget deal as an example of other policy measures driving the power sector's shift to cleaner energy. "The inclusion of those tax credits is going to have more impact over the short term than the Clean Power Plan," Schultz said. Still, the court-ordered pause that could push a final legal ruling back a year or more and onto the desk of the next president raised questions about the U.S. ability to deliver on pledges made at December's Paris climate talks. The Paris accord requires countries to set and meet their own national targets to reduce carbon emissions, and the United States presented the Clean Power Plan as a major step to shrink power plant emissions to 32 percent below 2005 levels over the next 15 years. The prospect of a legal delay and possible rejection of the plan rattled some environmental groups and foreign governments that have embraced the Paris formula. Outgoing French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who was praised for his smooth chairmanship that brought about a deal in Paris, was quoted by French government officials saying the Supreme Court's move was "not good news." FAMILIARITY WITH U.S. SYSTEM But other observers, noting the endemic gyrations of global climate politics over the past two decades, warned against panic over the court's move. "No country naively made an agreement with the United States on the basis of one or two of its policies," said Robert Orr, special adviser on climate change to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "The Paris agreement wasn't about what commitments were extracted from one country and whether they can be lived up to," Orr said. "It was a recognition by all the major countries that it is in their own best interest to solve this problem." Michelle Patron, formerly a top adviser to Obama's National Security Council on energy and climate issues, said she expected other signatories to the climate deal to take the U.S. news in stride. "Our partners are well aware of the legal tests and hurdles that our policies now have to go through, and they've seen it before," Patron said, describing climate diplomats as having a "sophisticated" level of knowledge about the U.S. political system. Market reaction seemed to reflect a similar long view. Coal companies have blamed clean air regulations for the collapse of much of the domestic industry in recent years, even though much of the power sector's shift from coal to natural gas has been driven by low prices for the latter. Coal stocks rose quickly in early trading Wednesday after the court's move. But after jumping nearly 7 percent early in the session, the Thomson Reuters U.S. coal index was down 3 percent in afternoon trading, reflecting the deeply ingrained skepticism about the long-term prospects for coal. "Whenever you get a rally in these stocks initially it's from short-covering that helps propel the stock," said King Lip, chief investment officer at Baker Avenue Asset Management in San Francisco. "But people start realizing it's still very difficult for a lot of these companies because they're so leveraged. They come back to Earth and the selling starts to pick up again. That's what you saw today with some of these coal stocks." Congo opposition calls for general strike to make Kabila stand down By Aaron Ross KINSHASA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Opposition leaders in Democratic Republic of Congo called for a general strike next Tuesday to press President Joseph Kabila to step down when his mandate expires at the end of the year. The decision represents a retreat from earlier plans for a mass pro-democracy march after the powerful Catholic church pulled its support last month, saying the event had been co-opted by political interests. Kabila succeeded his assassinated father in 2001 and won disputed elections in 2006 and 2011. Critics accuse him of trying to skirt constitutional term limits and stay in power by delaying a presidential election slated for November. Dozens died in Jan. 2015 in protests over the issue. "We are called upon to stay at home, to not go to work and to not send our children to school," opposition leader Charles Mwando Simba told reporters in the capital, Kinshasa, flanked by leaders from most major opposition parties. Kabila has refused to comment on his future and has appealed for dialogue to resolve difficulties in organising this year's voting. The opposition rejects dialogue as a delaying tactic and says protest is needed to force Kabila to hold a presidential vote this year. The election commission took a step on Wednesday toward restarting the process by rescheduling elections for interim provincial governors for March 26, commission spokesman Jean-Pierre Kalamba told Reuters. Local, provincial and national elections, originally slated for 2015 and 2016, could not be held until new governors were installed, Congo's highest court ruled last September. The consequent delays after that ruling threw the entire election schedule into disarray. Kalamba did not say when an election calendar with the presidential poll would be released. The commission plans to update voter rolls before national elections, a process it has said could take 13 to 16 months. Also on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch urged the U.S. government to impose targeted sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, on Congolese officials responsible for what it called a violent crackdown on Kabila's election critics. Another media storm has been orchestrated over nothing, as New Delhi presents the most recent of its succession of false triumphs against Pakistan-backed terrorism to the nation - the testimony of David Coleman Headley before a Mumbai court by video link from an "undisclosed destination". This momentous event, we are told by no less that Kiren Rijiju, minister of state for home, will end all ambiguity between state and non-state actors involved in Pakistan-backed Islamist terrorism: "The difference between the state and non-state actors will come to an end after this (Headley's) statement," he informed the media, adding, somewhat incoherently (perhaps we can blame the media for this) , "It is known that who all were involved. Headley's statement will lead to a logical conclusion. It will help us." It is astonishing that after over 30 years of Pakistan-backed terrorism in India, high officials of the Indian state still believe that the "difference between the state and non-state actors" persists. Further, if it is already know "who all were involved", what additional light does Headley throw on events? Though the minister fails to clarify these issues, while celebrating the triumph of Headley's deposition, others have offered a range of arguments. One of the most sophisticated among these - and the most specious - is that, with Headley's testimony, the facts of the conspiracy behind 26/11, would now be "judicially known". This would, of course, be important if there was in fact any accused in Indian custody facing trial in this case - and there are none. Others have argued that such judicially validated testimony would "strengthen India's case" in the Pakistani trials against the accused present there, including Hafiz Mohammad Saeed - who has not, in fact, been charged in the case in those processes. The truth is, nothing is going to strengthen India's case in Pakistan as long as Pakistan's duplicity and desire to protect the perpetrators and the wider infrastructure of terrorism on its soil endure. And if Pakistan changes its orientation and actually seeks to end India-directed terrorism from its soil, the quantum of evidence against perpetrating groups is overwhelming. Indeed, everything Headley (and his co-conspirator Tahawwur Rana, who has also been sentenced in USA on charges of supporting terrorism, though he was acquitted of involvement in the 26/11 case) has to say is already "judicially known" in an American court, and any serious prosecution in Pakistan could call for the US court record. Instead, what we have seen is a farcical process in the Islamabad court trying the 26/11 case. Two Pakistani judicial commissions have visited India to gather evidence and testimonies in the case, to add to the volumes of evidence provided by Indian authorities, including DNA samples, photographs, voice records and detailed operational information. But the court has rejected even the evidence of the Pakistani judicial commissions as "inadmissible". The charade of Headley's testimony in India is hardly going to turn the Pakistani political, security and judicial system on its head, provoking a sentimental mea culpa and self-inflicted flagellation by the national security establishment that has orchestrated campaigns of terrorism in India for decades. All it can do is provide an opportunity for a little grandstanding by a few politicians, investigators and lawyers. After each major terrorist attack from Pakistan, India talks about "new evidence" that would "nail Pakistan's lies", even as Headley's "new" testimony is supposed to. Numberless "dossiers" and ever-expanding lists of India's "most-wanted" terrorists have been provided to Pakistan, apparently to be quickly added to the garbage in Islamabad. Evidence has significance only where an independent adjudicatory mechanism exists. It is futile and stupid to provide the perpetrators of terrorism evidence of their malfeasance; Pakistan knows very well what it is and has been doing, and is unlikely to punish itself for its numberless crimes. If there was a paradigm shift in India-UAE ties after Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the Emirates in August last year, the two sides are undoubtedly hopeful that the visit of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the armed forces of the UAE this week will propel economic and geostrategic ties to a more elevated level. The fact that the crown princes four-day visit (February 10-12) is happening barely six months after Prime Minister Modi visited the UAE indicates the upward trajectory of bilateral ties. Though India and the UAE have had historical and close ties, no Indian prime minister had visited the Emirates in over three decades, the last one being by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1981. What has assumed importance now is the strategic nature of bilateral relations between these two traditional friends as they work to forge an overarching and deepening engagement thats being described as a strategic government-to-government partnership. Its also a partnership that New Delhi is pushing to move beyond just trade and people-to-people ties though this in no way undermines the role of the 2.5 million-strong Indian diaspora in the Emirates that sends valuable remittances home. At present, India is UAEs number one trading partner with total trade pegged at $60 billion in 2015 a huge growth since the 1970s when India-UAE annual trade was at $180 million. With respect to oil trade, UAE was the sixth largest source of crude oil import for India in 2014-'15. Going beyond this, India and the UAE are now forging a strategic partnership in the energy sector, having agreed, among other things, on the Emirates' participation in the development of Indias strategic petroleum reserves. Cooperation in security and counterterrorism matters are a significant element of this strategic alliance that saw the two sides alluding to Pakistan in their joint statement after the prime ministers visit when calling upon all states to reject and abandon the use of terrorism against other countries, dismantle terrorism infrastructures and bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice. In a reference to the Kashmir dispute, the joint statement called on nations to fully respect and sincerely implement their commitments to resolve disputes bilaterally and peacefully, without resorting to violence and terrorism. This was certainly not music for Pakistans ear with its traditionally close ties with the UAE, which had taken a beating especially after Pakistan's refusal to back Saudi-led airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Pakistan's decision evoked some trenchant criticism from the UAEs foreign minister and an equally sharp retort from Islamabad. A part of the security construct between India and the UAE is the decision to strengthen defence ties and increase cooperation in the field of maritime security. Its expected that the joint statement during the crown prince Al Nahyans visit will again find mention of cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts. Collaboration in this area has already been stepped up in recent months with the UAE, in September last year, deporting Afsha Jabeen, a woman suspected of having links to the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group. Another three Indians were deported, again for alleged ISIS links by the UAE authorities last month. Prime Minister Modi has invested a lot in this relationship and will be hoping that a deeper and more comprehensive engagement with the UAE will help his government reap the benefits in areas as diverse as the "Make in India" initiative, the "smart cities" project, infrastructure-building, oil, renewable energy as well as security and counterterrorism. The first steps towards strategic collaboration were taken during Modis visit when India and the UAE, in their joint statement, agreed to elevate the India-UAE relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. UAE's ambassador to India, Ahmed AR Albanna, while describing the visit of the crown prince as reflecting a new era in old, existing ties, draws attention to the strategic relationship that both countries are looking to build and enhance further. Reflective of the comprehensive nature of burgeoning bilateral ties are the 16 agreements and MoUs covering a wide range of sectors from nuclear energy, petroleum and infrastructure to counterterrorism on the agenda. Lending heft to the visit by the UAE royal is the fact that he is accompanied by no less than eight ministers along with an economic delegation which has over 100 members. The Indian government will be making a strong "Invest in India" pitch to the UAE economic delegation at a symposium in Mumbai. A lot is at stake for Modi as his government pushes for closer economic ties and seeks to draw more investments from the UAE. During his visit last year, the two sides had agreed to establish an UAE-India Infrastructure Investment Fund, setting an ambitious target of $75 billion to support investment in India's infrastructure. Both sides have set up a task force to nudge investments under this fund. The UAE is the tenth biggest investor in India. According to January 2015 figures, the total foreign direct investment (FDI) from the UAE to India was estimated to be $3.01 billion. The Right ridicules the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) as the last bastion of what is left of the Left. Socialism is still sexy on this campus. Even the haters acknowledge the Lefts heft here. The resurgent Right, now armed with that Modi might, is giving them a fight in the battle of narratives. The Rights favourite weapon: declare difference anti-national. It literally sucked the life out of Rohith Vemula, the dalit student who broke a billion hearts with his final Facebook note. Shut Down JNU. This was the war cry on Wednesday as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad launched a protest, fuelling a fire that spread to Twitter, the bipartisan battlefield of partisan polemic. It sounded as spurious as the regular right-wing anti-national whine. Or did it? The Left literally handed the Right the rare opportunity to cry "wrong" and be right. ABVP said "JNU is anti-national". JNU doesnt need to shut down over some seditious sloganeering, but it should give the administration, both on and outside the campus, some serious heebie-jeebies. Because it goes beyond petty politics. This is what happened. Some students organised a cultural programme that progressed into an event to mark the "martyrdom" of Afzal Guru, who was hanged for his involvement in the December 13, 2001 Parliament attack. This had happened in Vemulas Hyderabad Central University too. Then too, some called it anti-national. No matter what the Right believes, the India's Constitution gives her citizens an inviolable right to speech and belief. But soon, the slogans became shriller and bordered on being anti-India and quickly ended up crossing that border. JNU students at Afzal Guru's 'martyrdom' meet. India, Go Back! This is a slogan we hear in the Kashmir Valley, now a post-Friday-prayers ritual in Srinagar. Not in New Delhi. JNU has never been a "disputed" territory. JNU also does not have a history of demanding Azaadi from India. But the next slogan referred to a war that will go on till Kashmir is freed. Kashmir ki Azaadi tak, jung rahegi, jung rahegi. This would have been enough to light a furious fire in the hearts of the proud and patriot crowd. But the JNU Djangos did not stop at that. They rhymed it with India ki barbaadi tak, jung rahegi, jung rahegi. That means the war will go on till India is destroyed. Modi Govt must purge JNU of these basards, arrest them, book them for sedition, Nehru's Law provides for it. pic.twitter.com/MWoHhRv8Hz ?? ???? ?? ??? (@India_Policy) February 10, 2016 Rhyme and reason. Crime and treason. Or in common parlance, asking for it. In a free nation, you can demand freedom from that nation and that, however unpatriotic, will fall within the freedom of speech framework. Calling for a total destruction of that very free nation is misuse of the fundamental right the same nations constitution affords us all. This is not bordering on incitement, this is incitement. So, this time when the ABVP called this anti-national, it was right. Chocolate Kisses for your Valentine will be more expensive this year, thanks to a shortage of cocoa beans, which are used to make all types of chocolate goodies. There has been a reduction of cocoa beans grown in the two leading cocoa bean growing countries Ghana and the Ivory Coast. As in many commodities, supply and demand controls the production. In the two African countries, weather and outdated farming methods have contributed to the decline in cocoa beans. Many of the cocoa trees are old and do not produce as many beans. The government of both countries tried to encourage farmers to use more modern methods of agriculture. However, as one farmer said, he has survived on 4 acres of cocoa trees, so why should he plant the rest of his 50 acres and work harder? Another contributing factor to the shortage of chocolate products is the increased demand from China and India. These countries populations recently have discovered the delights of chocolate bars and bonbons. Some American chocolate manufacturers, such as Hershey with the help of the World Cocoa Foundation have tried provided weather and planting information directly to local farmers in Ghana and Ivory Coast via the Internet. Farmers have been encouraged to use new grafting techniques onto old non-producing cocoa trees. However, many farmers still stick to their traditional farming techniques. With new farming techniques, yields from a small plot of grafted trees on a farm in the Ivory Coast village of Petit Bondoukou have increased 3,000 kilograms per hectare. This is about six times the national average. On that farm, purple and yellow pods of cocoa beans hang down from grafted trees. Today, we are not aware that cocoa beans once grew abundantly in Central and South America. The cocoa bean was one of the treasures Columbus brought back to Spain from the New World. Neither he nor his patrons, Ferdinand and Isabella, understood the potential pleasures of cocoa. It took Cortez, while conquering Mexico for Spain, to realize that there must be something very special about the chocoatl if Emperor Montezuma and his Aztec court sipped it from golden goblets. Even though this new hot liquid was consumed from golden goblets, the rich chocolate drink was not to Spanish tastes until someone added a bit of sugar and a drop of vanilla. The heated mixture was topped with a cinnamon stick. Both the sugar and cinnamon stick had come from Southeast Asia at that time. With these enhancements, chocolate became the in drink of the day in Spain. Eventually, chocolate fever spread to Italy, then to France and Holland, and finally to England. There its popularity was so great that there were chocolate houses, where meeting, greeting and sipping were the order of the day, any time of day or night. However, through the years, chocolate was still considered exotic. It also was quite expensive, as the cocoa beans were still grown, picked and processed much as they had been in Cortezs time. During the Industrial Revolution, methods were developed to make chocolate finer and smoother. However, the biggest step from bean to chocolate, as we know it today, was taken in Switzerland around 1876, when Daniel Peter added milk and sugar to basic ground chocolate. Two decades later, Milton Hershey further developed the process in Pennsylvania using local milk. This eventually resulted in the founding of the Hershey Company. Hershey developed the first milk chocolate bar in 1894 and made it affordable for every chocolate lover. How do we get from the cocoa bean to chocolate? The end product of chocolate comes from the seed pod of the cocoa tree, which grows to a height of 15 to 20 feet. Grown only in tropical climates, the cocoa tree is very sensitive to wind and excessive sunlight. Hence it is often planted among banana, coconut or lemon trees. These trees are known as cocoa mothers, since they provide shade and protection. Cocoa beans are encased in a green spindle-shaped fruit about 4 inches wide and 10 inches long. The fruit, which is called a pod, hangs directly off the trunk of the tree or its larger branches. When the pods first form, they are green or red, depending on the variety of cocoa tree. As the pods ripen, the outer shells become hard and turn golden or bright red. Inside each pod are about 30 plump almond-shaped seeds encased in a whitish pulp. These seeds, which are white in color but turn purple as they are exposed to the air, are the cocoa beans. The pods are harvested twice a year, each harvest lasting about three months. The pods are cut from the trees by hand using a machete. They are then placed in baskets, which are taken to the work area of the cocoa plantation. There the pods are split open, and the beans and pulp are taken out. Then the beans and pulp are placed in large heaps on wooden platforms in a sunny area. These heaps are covered with leaves so that the pulp can start to ferment. This fermentation also starts chemical reactions that remove the bitterness and develop the characteristic chocolate flavor. At the end of fermentation, which takes two to six days, the beans have turned brown and have separated from the pulp. (The Aztecs did not know about this fermentation process. Hence their chocolate drink was always bitter.) While the beans are still wet, they are spread out on wooden platforms and dried in the sun. In larger commercial operations, the beans are dried with hot blowers. Sun-drying, however, gives the beans a deeper color and more aromatic flavors. Once the beans arrive at the chocolate factory, they are cleaned, sorted and then roasted. During roasting, the beans become darker brown, the shell becomes brittle and the beans take on their full chocolate aroma. Then the roasted beans are put into a machine that cracks them open and uses forced air to blow away the shells. Next, the beans, known as nibs, are ground between rollers to produce a thick dark paste, which hardens upon cooling. At this stage, some of the chocolate mass may be formed into bars and sold as unsweetened chocolate. The rest is further processed into a variety of chocolate products. With all of that work, no wonder chocolate is expensive. But I think Ill have another chocolate kiss, anyway. Did you forget to buy some chocolate for your favorite valentine? You can quickly make my Chocolate Pecan Fudge today or tomorrow and have it to tempt that special valentine. CHOCOLATE PECAN FUDGE cup butter or margarine cup cocoa 4 cups confectioners sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla cup evaporated milk 1 cup pecan pieces Pecan halves, for decoration Microwave the butter in a 2-quart microwavable bowl on high for 1 to 1 minutes or until melted. Add the cocoa and stir until smooth. Stir in the confectioners sugar and vanilla and blend well. (The mixture will be dry and crumbly) Stir in the evaporated milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute and stir. Microwave an additional 30 to 60 seconds, or until mixture is hot. Stir mixture until smooth; then add the pecan pieces. Pour the fudge into an aluminum-foil-lined 8 or 9-inch square pan. Garnish with pecan halves. Cover and chill until firm, about 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares. Store covered in the refrigerator. Makes about 3 dozen candies. Tuesday may have been a snow day for most of the university, but big things were happening inside Sexton Campuss Heavy Structures Laboratory. The object of everyones attention was a pressure test overseen by Pedram Sadeghian, a faculty member in Dalhousies Department of Civil Engineering. In the demonstration, Dr. Sadeghian applied incredibly intense pressure on two concrete columns, each about 150 mm in diameter. Left: Ehsan Nasiri Khaneghah, a Dalhousie Engineering student in the Heavy Structures Lab, helps observe the demonstration of a traditional concrete column. Right: Dal Chancellor Anne McLellan and AVP Research John Newhook examine the same test performed using fiber-reinforced polymer. The difference in the second column was that it was wrapped in fiber-reinforced polymer, or FRP an advanced material that Dr. Sadeghians lab is studying. The second column was able to sustain more than double the pressure, evidence that with further testing FRP could prove to be a crucial part of revitalizing Canadas aging infrastructure, from bridges to pipelines. But the buzz in the room wasnt just about what was being tested, but who was watching: a crowd that included The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Canadas Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and The Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board. The two were on-hand as part of national announcement of the latest round of funding for the Canada Research Chairs program, a federal initiative that aims to support and attract the worlds best researchers in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities and social sciences. In particular, Ministers Bains and Brison were present to announce six new Canada Research Chairs at Dalhousie, including Dr. Sadeghian. They were joined in speaking remarks by Dal President Richard Florizone and Alain Beaudet, president of Canada Institutes for Health Research. Dalhousie Chancellor The Honourable Anne McLellan was also in attendance. There really is no better place to hold this event, [as] this world-class research and training that takes place here at Dalhousie University is really what drives Canadas research and development engine, said Minister Bains. Youre doing exactly the kind of innovative work that the Canada Research Chairs program targets. Minister Brison, a Dalhousie alumnus (BComm89), made reference to his alma mater in quipping, my alma matters when it comes to scientific research driving this province. He also noted how Dr. Sadeghians research aligns with three is of great importance to the Government of Canada: infrastructure, innovation and immigration. The last of these points refers to the fact that Dr. Sadeghian is originally from Iran. That said, his research has distinctly Canadian and Atlantic Canadian applications. Were in the Maritimes, so were exposed to harsh environment of ocean, he explains. At the same time, like much of Canada, these structures are exposed to lots of freezing and thawing. We need to keep water and particles out of concrete, and especially out of steel. [With our technology], we are not only increasing strength, but the durability of the infrastructure. Dr. Sadeghian also receives funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation with matching funds from the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust. Attracting new talent Dalhousie hosts 50 Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) the most of any university east of Quebec. Inclusive of todays announcement, Dalhousie receives approximately $5.7 million each year from the Government of Canada to support those chairs. Research really is the lifeblood of a countrys innovation ecosystem, said Richard Florizone, Dal president. Research is what drives change and growth, finding answers to our fundamental questions about our world and ourselves. It also helps us solve practical problems, like how to make bridges and buildings last longer or how to help people better cope with trauma. We need innovation: the kind of hard work, experimentation and creativity that Dalhousie is known for, added Minister Bains. And this innovation must be supported by sound scientific research both discovery-driven and also [in] commercialization. Dr. Sadeghian is one of the more than 160 current CRCs across Canada who have been recruited from outside the country and two more of Dals new chairholders fit that description as well. Megan Bailey (Marine Affairs Program) came to Dalhousie last year after working as a researcher in the Netherlands. Shes a fisheries economist focused on the global cooperation required for sustainable seafood governance. About a third of global fisheries are exploited from shared fish stocks, which are fish stocks that occur in the waters of more than one country, she explains. "Its very difficult to manage those fisheries sustainably and weve done a pretty poor job of it. Im really trying to figure out why weve done such a poor job and what innovations in market-based mechanisms, like certification of seafood visibility, how those can improve the ways countries sustainably manage their fish stocks. David Barclay (Oceanography) also comes to Dalhousie from outside the country; his last postdoc position was at the Woods Hole Oceanography Institution in Massachusetts. His research explores autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) affordable, lightweight vehicles that can explore the deepest parts of the ocean. The science Im interested in is using acoustics passively so, just listening to understand ocean processes or to detect things in the ocean, says Dr. Barclay, who came to Dalhousie just around a year ago. Dr. Barclay also receives funding through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation's JELF-Partnership with matching funds from the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust. Celebrating top researchers Alongside these three newly recruited Canada Research Chairs, Dal's additional three chairs have been awarded to researchers who've been making impressive contributions as part of the university community for several years now. Aldo Chircop (Law): Uniform shipping regulation is of vital importance to international trade and commerce. Dr. Chircop's research is looking at developing an understanding of the relationship between uniformity in the regulation of international shipping and claims for differential regulatory approaches. Christine Chambers (Pediatrics and Psychology & Neuroscience): Poorly managed pain in children is a serious health problem resulting in unnecessary suffering with long term negative effects. Dr. Chambers (who is also a clinician at the IWK Health Centre) is conducting research that will improve the understanding, assessment and management of childrens pain by studying the contributions of various developmental, psychological and social factors. Dr. Chambers also receives funding through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation's JELF-Partnership with matching funds from the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust. Michael Ungar (Social Work): Dr. Ungar is the founder and director of Dalhousie Universitys Resilience Research Centre. His research will investigate how people around the world nurture and sustain their wellbeing despite exposure to high levels of personal, family and community adversity. Learn more about the Canada Research Chairs program at its website. Archive Reader Comments About DarkeJournal Thanks to your wonderful for sale and garage sale section. I have used both successfully. Keep up the great reporting. From someone who used the unclassifieds: "Thanks to DJ we rented [out] the house!" We understand your site really has the best coverage for our county. Darke Journal is a great website. We kept up with the weather and all the local news on a recent trip. Keep up the GREAT WORK. Keep up the excellent work with the site. Its refreshing to have such a glowing forum for thought and info in the area! I'm a huge fan of Darke Journal - thanks for providing this website/email information for the community. I think we can all agree, this is the best site of its kind for Darke County by far. Your web site has been a great advertising place for our programs ... we always receive lots of calls. Thanks for all you do. Must say I think you have done a really great job with the site. Your web site is such a benefit to the community. ......the journal ROCKS!!!!! Thanks for all your help. Darke Journal is the number one source for Darke County community news. I have truly enjoyed keeping up with the Darke County news, but the constant reporting on conservative causes is totally inappropriate. Darke Journal is sure on top of everything. I really appreciate you running and bumping the garage sale ad over the last few days. My son and I had a really successful sale, and your site was a big help in making that happen (many people told us that they heard about it through DJ). I am a huge fan of your website. It brings more useful information than the newspaper does and even though I am attending college and am away from home, I still check out your website about once a day to keep up on local events. I just love your website. It's better than any newspaper or TV program. Keep up the good work. I like the DJ because it just gives the facts pure and simple. I also like to read what the readers think. You keep up the good work & you will grow! I am so glad that I found this site. It is so nice to have such an upbeat & unbiased Darke County news. I look forward to checking it each day. I just found it this month. Plus, I can feel free to voice my concerns on issues. Great web site! When I turn on my computer in the morning, I check the weather and Darke Journal before anything else. Thank you for the pix & info on this site. It's nice to know what's going on in our great Darke County. You are doing a great service and this is a great media outlet! It just gets better and better! Truly, the 'mix' is what makes it so good for all readers. DJ = nice guy, but should relinquish his website duties. This is a wonderful site! I am so glad there is a place in this community where people can voice their opinion about issues. In the past for many years this community seems to be run by so called political people with others hiding in the brush waiting to inform their leaders of those who disagree with an issue on hand, just so they can point them out and try to ruin their life. Again I am so glad finally, an average Joe can make an Anonymous posted opinion and not fear that they will be pointed at or looked down for stating how they feel. Thank you D. J. Its better than most of the media available in and around Darke County. The web site has had steadily increasing viewership over the last year or two and, at least in my opinion, has become a major player in getting news and commentary to Darke Countians. Your site is not a freaking jungle. Heres news from this DelawareOnline article: Gov. Jack Markell has nominated former Superior Court judge Joseph R. Slights III to be the next vice chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery. If confirmed, Slights will replace Vice Chancellor John W. Noble, who is retiring later this month.The state Senate will have to approve his nomination after the legislative session resumes in March. A former Judge of the Delaware Superior Court, Slights returned to private practice at Morris James as a partner in the firms Corporate and Commercial Litigation group. Since returning to private practice, he has specialized in complex commercial and corporate litigation before the Chancery and Superior courts as well as the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. He also chairs Morris James alternative resolution practice group, serving as a mediator and arbitrator in business disputes. Slights is a Dover native and has an associates degree from Wesley College, a bachelors from James Madison University and law degree from Washington and Lee University. Prior to joining the bench, he was a trial litigator at Richards Layton & Finger and Morris James when it was known as Morris James Hitchens and Williams. Former Gov. Tom Carper appointed Slights to Superior Court in 2000. In 2014, Slights submitted an application to replace outgoing state Supreme Court Justice Carolyn Berger, but Markell ultimately selected former Superior Court President Judge James T. Vaughn III. India which wants to ramp up the share of nuclear power from barely 3 percent to 25 percent by 2050 has been trying to assuage the fears of the nuclear suppliers (Photo: Pixabay) New Delhi: India ratified an international convention on nuclear energy accident liability, the government said on Thursday, the final piece in its efforts to address the concerns of foreign nuclear suppliers and draw them into a market worth billions of dollars. Nuclear reactor makers such as General Electric have been reluctant to set up plants in India because of a 2010 liability law that makes equipment suppliers potentially accountable for accidents, not just the plant operators as is the global norm. Since then, India which wants to ramp up the share of nuclear power from barely 3 percent to 25 percent by 2050 has been trying to assuage the fears of the nuclear suppliers. Last year it launched an insurance pool with a liability cap of 15 billion Indian rupees ($225 million) to cover the suppliers' risk of potential liability. On Thursday, the Indian Foreign Ministry said it had submitted the document to ratify the Convention of Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, which seeks to establish a uniform global legal regime for the compensation of victims in the event of a nuclear accident. "This marks a conclusive step in the addressing of issues related to civil nuclear liability in India," the Foreign Ministry said after the document was handed to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. Energy-starved India plans to construct about 60 nuclear reactors and has been in talks with Westinghouse Electric Co LLC, GE as well as France's Areva for setting them up at sites already selected around the country. Russia is separately building six reactors in southern India and is in talks for another six. The total size of the Indian market is estimated at $150 billion dollars, making it equal to or just behind China's. India expects to seal an agreement with Westinghouse to build six reactors by the first half of this year, a government official said in December, after it ratified the international convention on compensation. Late-night confessions may not offer the proverbial slam dunk prosecutors hope for at trial, suggests a new U.S. study. People who are sleep deprived are 4.5 times more likely to sign a false confession than those who got a full night's rest before signing, researchers found. "I think it's important for the legal community and jurors to do what they can to accurately and reliably assess evidence including confession evidence," said study author Shari Berkowitz, of California State University, Dominguez Hills. She and her colleagues write in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that a recent investigation suggests about 4 percent of people sentenced to death in the U.S. are innocent. False confessions are implicated in about 15 to 25 percent of those cases, the authors note. Sleep deprivation can be used as an interrogation tactic, and Berkowitz said it can be used unintentionally when suspects are questioned during the hours people would normally be asleep. "While there has been a lot of great research into false confessions, no one has actually explored if sleep deprivation increases the risk for false confessions," Berkowitz told Reuters Health. For the new study, the researchers recruited 88 Michigan State University students to complete various computer tasks. While completing those tasks, the participants were repeatedly warned not to press the "escape" key on the keyboard, because it would cause the computer to lose valuable data. The participants then returned in the evening about seven days later to answer more questions. Half of the participants were then allowed to sleep for eight hours, and the others were kept awake through the night. In the morning, the participants were given a sheet of paper to sign that described their activities in the first session and falsely said they had pressed the escape key. Half of the sleep-deprived participants signed the false confession, compared with 18 percent of those who got a full-night of rest. After those who initially refused to sign the paper were asked to do so a second time, false confessions increased to about 68 percent of the sleep-deprived group and about 39 percent of the well-rested group. The study team tested the participants' comprehension to make sure that they knew what they were signing, and when they eliminated two participants - one rested, one sleep deprived - who failed to show they had read the text and understood it, the results for the larger groups did not change. The researchers also found that people who reported being more tired - in general - and those who had less control over impulses were more likely to sign the false confessions. Berkowitz cautioned that the study only looked at false confessions, and it can't say whether sleep-deprived people are more likely to sign true confessions. Also, the researchers acknowledge that the stakes involved are different when falsely confessing to pressing the "escape" key versus falsely admitting to a crime, but the study team was limited by ethical research standards in the scenarios they could test. Dr. Sanjeev Kothare, professor of neurology and the director of Pediatric Sleep Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said this is the first time he has seen sleep deprivation linked to false confessions. "I think this needs to be studied more systematically and possibly find a mechanism for why it happens," said Kothare, who wasn't involved in the new study. He said there is a possible rationale for the connection since sleep deprivation is already tied to poor judgment calls. "I think people should be aware of this and police departments should be aware of this," he said. Berkowitz said prosecutors should use more skepticism when they hear certain evidence before going forward with a case. Defense attorneys should pay attention to the findings, too. "I think that defense attorneys have the responsibility to stay on top of the science that relates to their clients' cases," she said. A "Careta" performer poses for a photo during Carnival in Triunfo, Brazil, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016. (Photo: AP) Triunfo, Brazil: Far from the glitz and glamour of Rio de Janeiro's famous Sambadrome parades, people in this northeast Brazilian town put a frown on their Carnival celebration. Triunfo's "Caretas" revelers take to the streets in colorful hand-made costumes that feature huge hats, long whips - and scowling masks. The festivity dates back almost a century. Residents in this small town say it began after two men were forbidden to take part in a folklore celebration due to their drunken behavior. As retaliation, the pair roamed the streets wearing masks painted with sour expressions. Every Carnival since then, "Caretas" groups parade through Triunfo wearing their dour masks and cracking whips. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday quashed a trial court order directing CBI to return documents seized during raids at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's principal secretary Rajendra Kumar's office on December 15, 2015, saying it contained self-contradictory reasons. A bench of Justice P S Teji, while allowing the appeal of CBI, said that the trial court exceeded in its jurisdiction and the order had self-contradictory reasons. "The appeal is allowed. The trial court order stands quashed," the bench said. CBI, on February 1, had submitted before the high court that the seized documents do not paralyse the functioning of the AAP government, as alleged. It had said that at the "initial stage of investigation relevancy of the documents cannot be disclosed even if known to the probe agency, as it can do harm to the ongoing investigation". Opposing the trial court's finding, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for CBI, had said that the documents in its possession will "not hamper their (the Delhi government) functioning and it cannot be said that these are unrelated documents" and "the order has completely demoralised the investigating agency". The Delhi government had countered CBI's contention, saying the "agency has picked up documents which have nothing to do with the investigation and it is hampering the government's functioning". The agency had contended that the Special CBI Judge had failed to appreciate that the Delhi government has already obtained photocopies of the documents seized and thus the order of returning the documents was "wholly misconceived". CBI had raided office of Kumar on December 15, last year and registered a corruption case against him and others alleging that he had abused his official position by "favouring a particular firm in the last few years in getting tenders from a Delhi government department". Chennai: The Madras high court on Tuesday directed the Union government to pass appropriate orders within eight weeks on a representation, which sought to declare Netaji Subash Chandra Boses birth anniversary, January 23, as national holiday every year. Passing orders on a PIL from K.K.Ramesh, managing trustee of TN Centre for PIL, a division bench comprising Justices M. M. Sundresh and S. Vimala said, The services rendered by late leader Netaji to the freedom struggle do not require any elaboration. However the matter is to be considered by the Union government. Therefore, we do not propose to go into the merits of the case. Taking into consideration of the representation said to have been made by the petitioner very recently on January 27, 2016, the Union government is directed to pass appropriate order on the same within 8 weeks. According to the petitioner, Netaji has made many sacrifices for Indias Independence. Every Indian should not forget Netaji words of Delhi Challo and Jai Hind. So, Netaji was the most respectable leader. But, the Indian government failed to honour him till today even though thousands of Indian National Army men died for Indias Independence. Indian government is always trying to hide the history of Netaji and nowadays young Indian students and people are not aware of the sacrifices made by Netaji and his Indian National Army. In the world, many countries including Japan honoured Netaji. Therefore, the petitioner sent a representation to the Union government. But, there was no response, he added. He also sought a direction to the Union government to confer Bharat Ratna on Netaji Subash Chandra Bose and also to construct a memorial hall and museum to him in New Delhi and other capitals of all states of India. nited Nations peacekeeper stands with displaced children on a wall around the United Nations base in the capital Juba, South Sudan. (Photo: AP) Juba, South Sudan: The United Nations warned Tuesday it had received just two percent of the cash needed for South Sudan, a day after experts said 40,000 people are being starved to death. Some war-zone areas are on the brink of famine. "If we are unable to act now, the situation will be much worse," UN aid chief in South Sudan Eugene Owusu said. "About two percent of the $1.3 billion (1.1 billion euros) required to provide life-saving assistance and protection has been received". On Monday, the UN children's agency UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP), in a joint statement, described some of the worst conditions yet in more than two years of a civil war marked by atrocities and accusations of war crimes, including the blockading of food supplies. Over 2.8 million people need aid, almost a quarter of the country, while in war zone northern areas 40,00 are being starved to death with aid blocked amid violence. For South Sudan, the beginning of the year is "when the country is traditionally most food secure," the UN added. "We are facing widespread food insecurity, malnutrition, displacement and disease," Owusu said, pleading for an initial $200 million to fill gaps until May. "We are facing increasing needs with diminishing resources." The UN-backed specialised hunger assessment, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, warned in October of a "concrete risk of famine" without aid. On Monday, it said areas are most concern were too dangerous for experts to access, meaning it was not possible to gather the statistics needed to declare famine. Civil war erupted in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of planning a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines. US President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room in Washington. (Photo: AP) Washington: The Obama administration has proposed USD 860 million in aid for Pakistan, including USD 265 million for military hardware, which it said would help the country fight terrorists, secure nuclear weapons and improve ties with India. While there was no mention of Pakistan in President Barack Obama's budgetary proposals, secretary of state John Kerry in his proposals said the budget includes USD 859.8 million towards sustaining ties with Pakistan and making progress to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat violent extremist groups". "The requested funding will support the country's counter-insurgency missions, and bolster stability, energy access, economic growth, and social reform," Kerry said in a letter accompanying his proposals. "Pakistan lies at the heart of the US counter-terrorism strategy, the peace process in Afghanistan, nuclear non-proliferation efforts, and economic integration in South and Central Asia," state department said making its case for the aid to Pakistan under the overseas contingency operations (OCO) fund. "OCO resources will support critical US activities such as ensuring the safety of Pakistani nuclear installations, working with Pakistan to facilitate the peace process in Afghanistan, and promoting improved relations with India," it said. For Pakistan, the OCO request supports a robust diplomatic presence and critical assistance programmes to advance cooperation and reforms in energy, economic growth, and agriculture, education, health, and stabilisation of areas vulnerable to violent extremism, it said. This includes supporting the government and its people, while maintaining diplomacy and outreach in the face of challenging political and security conditions, it said. The state department plans to sustain the presence necessary to "achieve our essential strategic priorities of combating terrorism and enhancing stability in Pakistan and the region following the transition in Afghanistan." Under the economic support fund (ESF) of the OCO, the state department has proposed USD 400 million to Pakistan. The state department said this will support the US's strategic objectives in the region, including combating terrorism and violent extremism and increasing security, growth and stability within Pakistan and the broader region. "The request will also demonstrate the US's commitment to fostering longterm cooperation with the Government of Pakistan in order to address areas of mutual interest," it said. Under OCO's international narcotics control and law enforcement section, the state department has proposed USD 40 million for Pakistan-funded programmes that will promote stability during the transition in Afghanistan. Proposing USD 265 million under foreign military funding (FMF) which mainly means providing military hardware, the state department said given the transition in Afghanistan and continued terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, it is essential to Pakistan's efforts to increase stability on its western border and within the country. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj led an all-party delegation here yesterday to pay homage to Koirala saying India had lost a true friend (Photo: PTI) Kathmandu: Thousands of mourners thronged the funeral venue as Sushil Koirala was cremated here on Wednesday with full state honours, a day after the death of the former Nepal prime minister who was instrumental in ushering in the country's new Constitution last year. Koirala's nephews Atul Koirala and Sudhanshu Koirala lit the funeral pyre at the Pashupati Aryaghat. A Nepal Police contingent formed a guard of honour as the pyre was lit. Nepal Army soldiers also performed a 13-cannon salute in his honour. The body was kept at the Dasharath Stadium for final tributes before it was taken to Aryaghat for the last rites. Thousands of supporters of Koirala's Nepali Congress and general public gathered at the funeral venue to pay homage to the former premier. Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, acting NC president Ram Chandra Paudel, senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar, former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal, Prachanda and leaders of other parties were also present during the last rites. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj led an all-party delegation here yesterday to pay homage to Koirala saying India had lost a "true friend". The high-level delegation comprising Congress leader Anand Sharma, JD(U) President Sharad Yadav, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, paid their last respects to Koirala. 79-year-old Koirala had died of cardiac arrest in the wee hours of yesterday after suffering from pneumonia. He served as Nepal's 37th prime minister from February, 2014 to October, 2015. He was elected as Nepali Congress president in September, 2010. After assuming office, Koirala was tasked with formulating the long-delayed Constitution to bring stability to the nation after years of ethnic conflict and abolition of the 239-year-old monarchy. He was credited with promulgating the country's new Constitution that completed a stalled peace process. Plans to cremate Koirala at a newly-launched electric crematorium were cancelled after his family expressed a wish to cremate him on a traditional Hindu funeral pyre. The Nepal government has declared a public holiday today to mourn the death of Koirala. Washington: Expressing concern over Pakistan's evolving "tactical nuclear weapons" doctrine, a top American spymaster today warned the Congress about the increasing risks of an "incident" associated with the growing nuclear arsenal. "Pakistan's nuclear weapons continue to grow. We are concerned that this growth, as well as the evolving doctrine associated with tactical weapons, increases the risk of an incident or accident," Defence Intelligence Agency Director Vincent Stewart told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Islamabad continues to take steps to improve its nuclear security, and is aware of the threat presented by extremists to its programs," Stewart said in his testimony. A Congressional report in January had estimated Pakistan's nuclear warheads to be between 110-130 and that they are aimed at deterring India from taking military action against it "Pakistan's nuclear arsenal probably consists of approximately 110-130 nuclear warheads, although it could have more," the Congressional Research Service said in the report. Stewart also said Pakistan will face internal security threats from militants and separatist groups this year. Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan-Pakistan and al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent will remain significant security concerns for Islamabad, he said. "Counterinsurgency operations along Pakistan's Western border and paramilitary operations in Karachi have had some success in reducing violence and are likely to continue," Stewart said. The deposition of Pakistani American terrorist David Coleman Headley before a court here for the third consecutive day, was today adjourned till tomorrow due to a technical problem in the video-link at the US end. "There was a technical snag in the video conference link from their side (US) due to which we could not connect despite several attempts since morning," Special Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told PTI. The testimony will continue tomorrow, he said. While initially the court adjourned the deposition for an hour, Judge G A Sanap was later informed by Nikam and other officials that the glitch could not be rectified immediately. Following this, the court allowed the adjournment sought by the prosecution till tomorrow. The deposition, initially planned till February 12, may extend for some more time. Headley, for the past two days, is deposing from an undisclosed location in the US in connection with the 26/11 terror attacks case. In his bare all deposition, Headley revealed about how ISI was helping different terror outfits in Pakistan by providing financial, military and moral support. He also told the court about how the plans to target Mumbai had started over a year before November 26, 2008 and that LeT initially wanted to attack a conference of Indian defence scientists at Taj Mahal Hotel for which even a dummy of the hotel was prepared. But the plan to target scientists was dropped because of logistical reasons, like difficulty in smuggling in weapons and personnel and lack of details about the schedule of the meet, he said. About plan to target Siddhivinayak Temple, Headley said that Sajid Mir (Headley's handler in LeT) specifically asked him to make video of it. Headley also said that he also used to work for ISI and met many Pakistan army officials. He also said that he had suggested to LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and its operational commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi about dragging US government to court for banning LeT as a global terror outfit. A 25-year-old man has been arrested for cloning debit and credit cards. His gang members are spread across Delhi, Mumbai and Dubai. The money was sent to Dubai-resident Sumair Sheikh through a hawala operator, police said on Tuesday. Pankaj Bhardwaj, a resident of Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad district, was nabbed in a joint operation by Delhi and Mumbai Police. A gang involved in cloning cards was found active in Mumbai. Several complaints were received from Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and some southern states. It was alleged that money was being withdrawn from bank accounts from Mumbai through ATMs, said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav. Subsequently, Mumbai Police arrested Nasir Ansari when he was withdrawing cash from an ATM in Mumbai. Over 20 cloned ATM cards were recovered from his possession. On interrogation, Nisar told police that he used to send cash to Sumair Sheikh in Delhi. A team of Mumbai Police then sought assistance of Delhi Police in tracing Sumair. Information was developed and the local hawala operator was also identified, who confirmed that he used to hand over the received amount to a person on the basis of code words received from Mumbai. The receiver was identified as Pankaj. It was learnt that Pankaj would come near India Gate. A trap was laid and Pankaj was apprehended, Yadav added. Pankajs interrogation revealed that he used to receive the amount sent by Nasir and other gang members on behalf of Sumair, who stays at Dubai. At Sumairs instance, Pankaj buys bitcoins and transfers them online to Sumair who got those bitcoins encashed. Pankaj got a share from the amount. Sumair procured data of debit and credit cards through his sources in Mumbai. It was used for cloned cards. Pankaj told police that he has forwarded bitcoins equivalent to over Rs 30 lakh to Sumair in last five months. He recently received Rs 14 lakh from Mumbai and forwarded bitcoins of Rs 5 lakh to Sumair. Police have recovered Rs 8 lakh from Pankajs house. Currently, there are no regulation governing virtual currencies like bitcoins in India. India does not have a centralised bitcoin exchange, but users buy and sell coins through several websites. Around 23,000 Indians have online bitcoin wallets where their digital currency is stored. The value off one bitcoin is equivalent to Rs 24,633. Devansh Meenas father has requested police to treat the six-year-old students death in Vasant Kunjs Ryan International School as a murder case. Rahmat Meena has also expressed dissatisfaction over the probe so far saying it is only being looked at as a case of negligence. Devansh, a class 1 student, was found dead in a water tank in the school last month. Rahmat claims a conspiracy behind the death and has been demanding action against the school management. Devanshs death was too suspicious and the reasons have still not been cleared by school authorities. I saw the body. There were some injury marks. The principal has been threatening me since the beginning, saying that keeping quiet will be good for me, he said. Rahmat feels the Delhi High Court will take the matter seriously to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in the future. I have full faith that the court will deliver justice. I am not satisfied with the investigation carried out by Delhi Police so far, Rahmat added. On Tuesday, the court asked Delhi Police Commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi to submit a detailed status report and post-mortem report before February 25. A Delhi government report said the school must be held responsible for Devanshs death. On Monday, Bassi had said here was no prima facie indication of any sexual assault. The post-mortem report has been studied and prima facie does not indicate sexual assault. I would not be able to say more at this juncture, Bassi had told the media. Devanshs mother Mamta has also welcomed the state governments recommendation for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe. We have been demanding a CBI probe from day one as the circumstances were too suspicious. The Delhi governments recommendation has strengthened our hopes that we will get justice, said Mamta. The magisterial probe had earlier indicated towards a heinous crime. The deliberate inaction of Ryan International School authorities that amounts to gross criminal negligence led to the death of the child, the report produced by SDM (Vasant Vihar) Dr Sonal Swaroop has said. Rahmat works as a radiology technician at AIIMS, while Mamta is a nurse in the hospitals otorhinolaryngology department. The couple had met Bassi on Monday to request a fair probe. Devanshs death came days after a nursery student drowned in an open septic tank at a municipal corporation school in south Delhis Kapashera. An eight-year-old girl was raped allegedly by her minor neighbour in northeast Delhis Welcome Colony on Monday. The 14-year-old accused has been apprehended and sent to a juvenile home, police said on Tuesday. The victim lives with her parents, but was alone at home when the incident took place. Her father is a labourer, who came to the capital from Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr district six months ago. Police said her mother had gone to a neighbours house on Monday evening. It is alleged that seeing the main door of the house open, the juvenile entered to watch TV. It is claimed that the accused had also spotted the victim playing alone in the house. He went near the girl and sexually assaulted her, a police officer said. When the victim tried to raise an alarm, the boy tried to gag her and then fled the spot leaving behind the child crying. Hearing the victims screams, her mother rushed to the house and found her semi-naked. The victim revealed her ordeal on being consoled by her mother. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where a medical examination confirmed sexual assault. Police were also informed. The juvenile was initially absconding, but soon nabbed from the area. He was produced before a Juvenile Justice Board on Tuesday and sent to a correctional facility for juvenile offenders. The girl is still undergoing treatment. On the basis of her medical examination, a case under Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act has been registered with Welcome police station. Police said the accused is the victims neighbour and often went to her house to watch TV. Indo-Pak relations "remain tense" after the Pathankot terror attack and India's engagement with Pakistan this year may depend on Islamabad's willingness to take action against those linked to the incident, US intelligence chief has said. "Relations between Pakistan and India remain tense despite the resumption of a bilateral dialogue in December," James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, told the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday. "Following a terrorist attack in early January on Pathankot Air Force base in India, which New Delhi blames on a Pakistani- based group, India's engagement with Pakistan will probably hinge in 2016 on Islamabad's willingness to take action against those in Pakistan linked to the attack," Clapper said during his testimony. State Department Spokesman John Kirby said he agreed with the assessment of Clapper. "The Pakistanis have said themselves publicly that they're not going to discriminate amongst terror groups, and we know that this is a threat they face as well," he said. "We want both sides of this to continue the dialogue that has started, understanding that it's still a tense situation, but we want them to continue the dialogue that they've started to try to get at what is a very common challenge to both countries," he said. Seven security personnel were killed and several others were injured when six militants stormed the Pathankot base on January 2. Kirby said it's important for everybody facing these kinds of threats to take the actions that they need to do to protect their own people and their borders, but also to eliminate this very transnational threat that terrorism is. "The Pakistanis have taken additional steps in the recent past. Can they do more? Every nation fighting terrorism can obviously do more because it's still a very real threat out there in many parts of the world. But again, what we want is for India and Pakistan to continue to work together," Kirby said. Responding to a question, he said that tension between India and Pakistan has an impact on Afghanistan. "The tension between India and Pakistan affect well, obviously, both countries have interest in regional stability and security. And the degree to which Afghanistan is not stable and we all recognise that Afghanistan is still a dangerous place obviously, it affects the calculations of India and Pakistan with respect to their own national security concerns. And we recognise that," Kirby said. "India has played a helpful role in Afghanistan in the past in terms of mostly a training capacity or a willingness to participate in that, and Pakistan in ways has played a useful role in terms of getting at the cross-border threat there in the border regions," he said. "What we want with Afghanistan is the kind of normal bilateral relationship that we have with nations all over the world, that so far it's been very heavily dependent on the security component. And nobody is arguing that that doesn't still matter today," he said. Accusing India of trying to defame Pakistan by concocting confessions out of David Headley, former interior minister Rehman Malik has termed Pakistani-American terrorist's testimony in the 2008 Mumbai attack case as "a pack of lies". On the second day of his video-linked testimony from an undisclosed location in the US, the Pakistani-American claimed on Tuesday Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants planned to attack on a meeting of Indian defence scientists at the Taj Mahal hotel about a year before they struck on 26/11. The Express Tribune reported that Malik, who was interior minister when Mumbai attack occurred, accused India of trying to defame Pakistan by concocting confessions out of Headley. "His confessions are all a pack of lies and fabricated statements," Malik, who heads the Senates Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control, said. Brushing aside all "allegations levelled by India against Pakistan for ulterior motives", the former PPP lawmaker claimed Headley was "planted" by Indian intelligence agency for "executing the Mumbai attacks and then getting concocted statements from him". "We have the details about who paid tickets, who funded him and how he recruited non-state actors from Pakistan [for the attack]," Malik claimed. Headley, 55, was jailed for 35 years in 2013 by a Chicago court for his role in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived here today to a warm welcome by Prime Minister Narendra who went to the airport to receive the "special friend". During Al Nahyan's three-day visit, his first to India, the two countries will discuss ways to enhance ties in a range of areas including energy, economy and security and are expected to sign a number of agreements in sectors like oil nuclear energy, IT, aerospace, railways and electronics. "A special welcome for a special friend. PM @narendramodi personally receives HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," tweeted the PMO with a photo of the two leaders shaking hands at the Palam Technical Airpor. Modi had visited UAE in August last year, the first by an Indian Prime Minister after a gap of 34 years, and Al Nahyan had received him at the Abu Dhabi airport. "This is Sheikh Mohammed's 1st state visit to India & am glad he is visiting with his family," Modi said in a tweet. "Sheikh Mohammed is a visionary leader. His visit will add new vigour and momentum to comprehensive strategic partnership between India & UAE," the Prime Minister added. Al Nahyan, also the Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE armed forces, is accompanied by a power-packed delegation for his three-day trip till February 12 which includes several top ministers and over 100 business tycoons and CEOs of top companies. Official sources said Modi went to the airport to receive the Crown Prince without any disturbance to the normal traffic in a compact carcade without having any ambulance. The two leaders will hold detailed deliberations tomorrow following which both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements to expand cooperation in sectors like oil nuclear energy, IT, aerospace, railways and electronics. Ways to contain radicalism, stepping up counter-terrorism cooperation and dealing with the ISIS are likely to figure prominently in talks Al Nahyan will have with Modi tomorrow. Economy of UAE, one of the leading producers of oil, has been hit hard by falling crude prices and it is expected that the Gulf nation would like to invest significantly in India's energy and infrastructure sectors from its sovereign wealth fund of around USD 800 billion. India has been eying the fund, being managed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, for its infrastructure sector including for railways, ports and roads. Joint production of defence equipment is another key area where both the countries are working hard. Under the initiative, UAE may make investment for manufacturing such equipment in India and get the products' supply. Strengthening existing cooperation in information sharing and counter-terrorism will be another focus area in view of rising threat of ISIS. UAE has deported about a dozen Indians with suspected links to the terror group. "The security cooperation between the two countries has been exemplary. There is concrete meeting of minds on the issue," said Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs. President Pranab Mukherjee will host a private lunch for Al Nahyan tomorrow, in a reflection of importance the government has accorded to his visit. Al Nahyan will travel to Mumbai on Friday where he will visit Bombay Stock Exchange and interact with select industry leaders before departing. A major focus of the visit by the UAE leader will be on significantly enhancing trade volume from current annual figure of USD 60 billion. During Modi's visit to UAE in August, it was decided to increase the current volume of trade by 60 per cent in the next five years and Wadhwa said the two sides are drawing action plans to achieve that target. India nominee D J Pandian has been appointed VP and Chief Investment Officer of the newly-created USD 100 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). "The primary responsibility of the Chief Investment Officer is leading the planning and supervision of the bank's infrastructure investment by promoting sustainable investment throughout Asia," Finance Ministry said in a statement. In his career spanning 30 years, Pandian has held key positions at the state, national, and international levels in energy, infrastructure, finance, and industry sectors. He has also served as the Gujarat chief secretary. Pandian was instrumental in liberalising the policy regime to attract international investment to crucial infrastructure sectors including power, airlines, ports and telecoms, the statement added. "I am delighted to announce the appointment of the AIIBs senior leadership team. This is an exceptionally strong and committed group who bring wide and varied experience and a wealth of expertise that will serve the bank well as it commences operations. I look forward to working closely with them in the years ahead," AIIB President Jin Liqun said. The Beijing-based USD 100 billion multi-lateral lender AIIB was set up to boost lending for infrastructure projects. The China-initiated development bank was formally set up in Beijing on December 25, 2015. China had nominated its former Finance Minister Jin as the first president of AIIB. With authorised capital of USD 100 billion and subscribed capital of USD 50 billion, AIIB will invest in sectors such as energy, transportation, urban construction and logistics as well as education and healthcare. China, India and Russia are the three largest shareholders, taking 30.34 per cent, 8.52 per cent and 6.66 per cent stake, respectively, in the newly-formed bank. Their respective voting shares are calculated at 26.06 per cent, 7.5 per cent and 5.92 per cent. Almost all of us have witnessed campus politics at some point of time during our college days. Some think its an integral part of college life and paves way for our future leaders, while others call it a curse. But whether or not we care about it, it has affected most people (either positively or negatively). In fact, even Bollywood hasnt remained untouched by the concept of campus politics. Movies like Gulal and Haasil are a few examples that have portrayed the brutal face of campus politics in their storyline. A well-known theosophist and president of Theosophical society of Adyar, George S Arundale felt that students jump into politics without knowing much about it. He wrote in one of his pamphlets of Theosophical Society: Unfortunately, the word politics has acquired a different significance, and it is because of this that there is so much confusion at the present time. Politics has come to mean agitation, constitutional or otherwise, either against certain measures which the government of the country has thought fit to adopt or in favour of certain measures which the government does not adopt and which the agitator thinks it ought to adopt. And either kind of agitation has come to involve in the minds of many the imputing of bad motives to the opposite party. With this kind of politics I am very strongly of opinion that students should have nothing to do. However, Saket Bahuguna, Delhi state secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad(ABVP) thinks differently. First of all, I would call it campus activism rather than campus politics. This campus activism definitely has a powerful and a positive role in the life of a student. It helps create a pro student environment inside the campus. He is probably right, but what comes in picture is a little different. Campus politics is not only about elections and clashes, but also about how different party members try to lure students into voting for them by using different methods. Some organise parties while others guarantee attendance. Also, there are cases where the deserving member for a post is replaced by someone from the friend circle of people in power. Despite having done a lot of work for the college and the literary society, I was replaced by someone who was the college presidents friend. Teachers assured me that I was the deserving candidate for the election but its all about power; whosoever has got it, uses it to their benefit, says Poorva Tak, a student of Sri Ram College of Commerce, who contested the college elections this year. Another case of such politics is the very recent and most talked Rohith Vemula. Vemula, a second year PhD scholar at University of Hyderabad, and a member of a political group Ambedkar Students(ASA) Association was accused of a fight and assault by the rival party ABVPs N Susheel Kumar. Vemula was suspended by university administration later, along with four other PhD students and committed suicide on January 17. A bright student who wanted to study science went on to the extent of killing himself because of campus politics. If you look at Vemulas suicide note, you will find out that he had written and then cut a few lines. If you see groups like ASA and Students Federation of India (SFI), youll find that seldom do their goals match with individuals goals. Vemula was unsatisfied because he had different ambitions and he realised that the organisations ideology didnt match with his own... the whole students and teachers community needs to think why such a bright student committed suicide, adds Bahuguna. He is on a wheelchair and she on his lap, holding hands and kissing each other. The couple, that sits against the backdrop of a Portuguese building in Lisbon, is enjoying their moment of love, which photographer Shoba Jolly beautifully captures in her work titled Eternally Yours. Unlike in India, couples abroad are able to freely express their love for each other at public spaces. And this work shows a couple in such a tender moment, she smiles. This image is among many others currently on display as part of StreetBeats, an exhibition of fine art photography by Jolly and Ahmed Firoz, which showcases the myriad hues of life on streets from across the world. The duo travelled to places like Singapore, India, Geneva, Poland, Warsaw, Korea, Uzbekistan and even Istanbul to capture the streets, and the people there. Streets are a reflection of a country and its people. Here, you will find people across all sections of the society. It is an authentic representation of a place, Jolly tells Metrolife.Agrees Firoz, and says each image tells a story, which is unique in itself. He adds that he does not step out on the streets of a new place with a fixed idea in mind, and rather just clicks whatever interests him at that moment. The street is a vast world where life is ever changing, dynamic, transient, and ephemeral, all at the same time. Amongst this chaos and clutter, and the comings and goings, a busy street paints a true character of a nation, of the struggles of its citizens, of the onlookers or the energy of its workforce. I have captured all this through my lenses and put it up together for the show, he says, flipping through a notebook of is works. He takes a pause, opens a page with a black and white image of a fortune teller in Singapore, and continues, This fortune teller sits in front of a temple and is always smoking a pipe. Every day, he sells hopes and provides solutions to people in distress. This image shows the stress and anxiety of the people even in a rich developed nation like Singapore. So while Jolly tries to capture and express moments which are reflective of a place through her work, Firoz focuses on faces and expressions. But doesnt it take a lot of patience to get that particular expression or moment you are looking for? It indeed does, but then the wait is rewarded once you have that moment. You have to keep coming back and it is not always instant. Like, I was in New York once and I saw a couple run and embrace each other. Incidentally, the background was perfect there was a bar, there were people walking on the pavement and there were balloons. I clicked them and titled the image High on Life, as it is vibrant and characteristically New York. The exhibition is on until February 13 at the Convention Foyer, India Habitat Center. Revenue and District In-charge Minister V Srinivas Prasad, on Wednesday, expressed his disappointment over the pathetic living condition of tribals in the country. He attributed it to lack of adequate measures to bring them into mainstream. Speaking after inaugurating a Tribal Cultural fest organised jointly by Kannada and Culture department, Kuvempu Institute for Kannada Studies, Folklore department of University of Mysore (UoM), the minister said tribal people were living in worst conditions with lack of health and education facilities. The country has provided very least facilities for their betterment, he said. Every country in the world has tribal communities and in Western countries, people treat tribals in a well and respectful manner. Tribals are provided with all the basic facilities like good health facilities and education, helping them lead a dignified life, he added. It is exactly opposite in India, where tribals are deprived of many facilities with very little benefits for their uplift. The culture, art and tradition still exist only because of tribals, he added. Key role Tribals are basically forest dwellers and still play a key role in conserving forest resources and wildlife. But, owing to certain reasons, the authorities are shifting them to urban areas, the decision should be reconsidered, he opined. Mayor B L Bhyrappa said current scientific knowledge can be attributed to our ancestors. Forests exist still only because of tribals, who should be brought into mainstream, he said. Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Chairman K R Mohan Kumar said, Every individual has a responsibility to protect tribal culture. The State and Central governments have introduced several schemes for their development. Earlier, in the day tribals from Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu districts took out a colourful procession from the main gate of Manasagangotri, PG campus of University of Mysore. Tribals performed traditional folk arts. Deputy Mayor Vanita Prasanna, Zoo Authority of Karnataka Chairperson Rehana Banu, Kannada and Culture department Assistant Director Nirmala Matapathi and Tribal Welfare Officer Bharati were present. DH News Service Congress leader B Janardhana Poojary on Wednesday said he voiced the opinion of the party workers at a meeting in Mysuru recently. Addressing media persons in the city on Wednesday, Poojary said his statement was meant to strengthen the party. Poojary had said that it will be difficult for the party to come to power if ministers, who are not performing, are not dropped from the Cabinet. The party workers have complained that the ministers are ignoring them, he had said. He criticised the attitude of political leaders, including the Congress ones, regarding the display of flexes for publicity. Poojary urged the State government to provide Kumki land rights to farmers and to regularise lands under Akrama-Sakrama scheme. Also, Moolageni rights should be provided to land holders, he said. He urged the prime minister to react to confession of terrorist David Headley. He welcomed the prime ministers gesture of visiting the Military Hospital to inquire about the health condition of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad. The prime minister should have visited the families of farmers who have committed suicide and suggested the Karnataka chief minister to visit Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, he said. He accused the Union government of trying to destabilise the state governments. Poojary said the federal structure of the country is at stake. The dictatorship by the prime minister will not work longer as the BJP allies --- TDP, Shiv Sena and Akali Dal --- have lost faith in him. According to a review by The New York Times, the Union government has lost credibility, he charged. Poojary said the promises made by the BJP before elections have not been fulfilled. What happened to according autonomous status to CBI, bringing back of black money, control of prices of daily commodities and other issues? he questioned. DH News Service The Swacch Mangaluru Abhiyan will be holding the 40th drive in Mangaladevi, near the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram on February 14. The drive was launched by the Ramakrishna Mission in Mangaluru on February 1, 2015, in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modis call for Swacch Bharath Abhiyan. Ramakrishna Mission (Mangaluru) Secretary Swami Jithakamananda told reporters at a press meet on the Ashram premises on Wednesday that the Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu would be the chief guest for the 40th drive while Nitte University Chancellor N Vinay Hegde will be the special invitee. MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, MLA J R Lobo, MRPL MD H Kumar and MRPL CGM K Lakshminarayana will be guests, he informed. The seer said that although thousands of volunteers- besides students, youngsters and devotees took part in the 39 drives towards making Mangaluru a cleaner City, the efforts were only the beginning. It may, in fact, take generations, to Mangaluru cleaner, he said, and added that he was happy that the Ashram had succeeded in creating a sense of awareness among the people of Mangaluru regarding cleanliness. The Ashram maintained creating awareness about cleanliness among the public rather than just sweeping the streets clean as a priority, during the Abhiyan, the seer explained. Along with the cleaning task, the Abhiyan undertook some minor civil works benefiting the general public, like relaying interlock tiles on footpaths, minor repair of roads, bus shelters, painting direction or sign boards, etc. During the Abhiyan, the volunteers also distributed handouts to thousands of households in the locality to spread awareness, he recalled. 2nd phase Swami Jithakamananda said that the Ashram is planning to take up the second phase of the Abhiyan from October 2, 2016 which would comprise 400 Abhiyans with 40 groups of people cleaning different parts of the City over a period of one year. As it would require a lot of preparation, it will take some time before starting the project in October 2016, he informed. When the reporters asked MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik why he did not raise the issue of disfiguring the walls cleaned during the cleanliness drive at the MCC Council meets, Capt Karnik promised to take up the issue, but did not said when he would so. It may be noted that on many occasions, soon after cleaning the walls, a few associations or film crew put up posters on the walls thus disfiguring the walls, which is also an offence. As a part of the 40th week programme, the Ashram would also honour the dedicated volunteers who have been part of the drives all through the year. Mangaluru Airport former director M R Vasudeva, Dr Satheesh Rao, youth leader Dilraj Alva, syndicate member Harish Achar, trade union leader Suresh Shetty and others were present. The ruling BJD in Odisha has launched a scathing attack on the BJP for the humiliating manner in which its party workers treated a senior legislator of the regional outfit during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the state. This is worst kind of politics. The entire episode demonstrated to what level the BJP leaders, workers and activists can stoop down to. They have forgotten the minimum decency in politics, BJD spokesperson and senior party MLA Samir Dash said. Pramod Mallick, the BJD MLA from Niali in coastal Cuttack district was severely beaten up and was reportedly made to walk on the street wearing a saffron cap by BJP workers armed with lathis (sticks) when he was on his way to Paradip to attend the PMs function. The matter came to light on Tuesday when local TV news channels ran the video clippings of the entire episode in their bulletins. I was dragged from my vehicle...severely beaten up and was made to walk wearing a BJP saffron cap. The mob consisting of BJP workers were armed with lathis. Hence, I had no option but to obey their orders, Mallick, a two time legislator said. His PSO (personal security officer) lodged a police complaint following which 15 BJP workers were arrested late on Tuesday night. State BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma, however, denied the charge and said, the BJD MLA had worn the BJP cap on his own. He wanted to impress the prime minister, he quipped. He strongly criticised the government on the arrest of the BJP workers and said BJD workers led by their party MLAs were also involved in similar activities. It is surprising that no action has been taken against the BJD workers and leaders despite police complaint against them, he added. The war of words between the party leaders has further intensified the ongoing tussle between the BJD and the BJP. The massive building that houses one of the biggest and most important centres of Islamic education in the world, the skull cap wearing students attentively listening to the lectures of the clerics and the traffic snarls outside owing to the ongoing road consttruction works may seem to make the town like any other. The town, where a by-poll is slated for Saturday, however, holds key to the shape the electoral politics in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, especially the attitude of the Muslim votes. No wonder an attempt to polarise the by-poll has already begun though none of the major playersthe BJP, Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) would officially admit the same. The BJP is trying to polarise the voters along communal lines but it will not succeed...people are with us, says Janeshwar Prasad, a former teacher, and SP worker. The SP has fielded Meena Singh Rana, the wife of former state minister Rajendra Rana, whose death necessitated the by-poll. Besides hoping to get the traditional Muslim votes of the party, she also banks on the sympathy factor. SP workers here, surprisingly do not appear to be excited by the their Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadavs claim of all round development of the state during his stint. ``Off course that will also help, Prasad says when specifically asked about it. BJP nominee Rampal Singh Pundeer, an RSS pracharak, hopes to get support of Hindu voters though he will not say that in so many words. A Thakur by caste, Pundeer has already landed in controversy after he allegedly delivered a provocative speech at an election meeting here a few days back. He also heavily banks on the Modi factor. People want change...they are fed up with the prevailing lawlessness in the state, Pundeer says. Local BJP workers, however, say in no uncertain terms that only a polarisation will ensure the saffron partys victory here. For the Congress, the by-poll is very crucial as it will decide if the Muslims may return to the party fold. Congress nominee Maviya Ali, who is also the chairman of Deoband municipality, enjoys popularity among the residents of the town owing to the developmental works undertaken by him. DH News Service India is set to lease out to the United Arab Emirates its strategic petroleum reserve at Mangaluru in Karnataka. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, are likely to discuss UAEs participation in building strategic petroleum reserve in India, when they meet in New Delhi on Thursday. The negotiation on an agreement between India Strategic Petroleum Reserve Limited (ISPRL) and Abu Dhabi National Oil Corporation (ADNOC) has reached an advanced stage and the two leaders might push for its early signing, officials told Deccan Herald in New Delhi. The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, who is also the Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, will land in New Delhi on Wednesday to commence his first state visit to India. The de-facto ruler of UAE will call on President Pranab Mukherjee and hold a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. He will visit Mumbai before returning to Abu Dhabi on Friday. The visit of Sheikh Mohammed follows Modis tour to UAE in August 2015 during which the two countries agreed to elevate the relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. The strategic petroleum reserve is being built in underground rock caverns at Mangaluru. It is one of three such storages New Delhi is constructing to ensure energy security of India in the wake of any emergency, including wars or disruption in international supply. The two others are coming up at Padur in Udupi and at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The 1.5 MMT reserve at Mangaluru is being built under a total area of 104.73 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 1227 crore. Once signed, the agreement will allow the ADNOC to fill up the storage and maintain it as a strategic reserve for India. If New Delhi finds the nation in any emergency situation and supply of fuel is disrupted in future, the ISRPL a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil Industry Development Board will notify the ADNOC and draw petroleum from the reserve. The issue of price of crude oil stored in the reserve is being negotiated and a mechanism for pricing will be spelt out. Technical glitch from the US end on Wednesday forced adjournment of the third day of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative David Headleys hearing over video conferencing. Additional Sessions Judge G A Sanap, who presides over terrorism-related cases at the Mumbai Sessions Court, adjourned the proceedings for the day, but the court will function extra hours to make up for the lost time. The 56-year-old Pakistani-American has deposed for two daysMonday and Tuesdaybetween 7am and 12:30 pm through video-telephone conferencing from an undisclosed location in the US. On Thursday, the hearing will be held between 7 am and 2 pm. After Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told the court that video-conferencing was not working, the court reviewed the situation and at 10:15 am decided to adjourn the matter for the day. We had two telephone lines ready, both were working. However, while they could speak to us over telephone, they could not connect to the video. The Department of Justice of the United States regretted that David Headley could not be produced, Nikam told reporters. During the course of the day, officials from the Mumbai Crime Branch and the National Investigation Agency spoke with the FBI official, who was in touch with the US attorneys. In the last two days, Headley admitted to being an Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) spy and an LeT terrorist who was asked to penetrate Indias military establishment, target defence and strategic installations and scientists, and also crowded places and hotels. He has named several key people from the LeT and ISI and how he was motivated by LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Besides, he admitted to visiting Mumbai seven times before the 26/11 attack on reconnaissance missions. Isro will be signing a deal on Thursday with its counterpart in the United Arab Emirates to launch Arab worlds first ever mission to Mars. The MoU between Isro and UAE space agency is among several that would be signed during the visit of Emirates de-facto ruler and crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to New Delhi. The countries will also ink an agreement to set up UAE-India Infrastructure Investment Fund aiming to boost UAEs investment in Indias infrastructure sector up to $75 billion. The fund would focus on railways, ports, roads, airports, industrial corridors and parks, officials told Deccan Herald Wednesday. Sheikh Mohammed, also the Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday. He will hold a private meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday morning and the two leaders will also lead their countrys respective delegations in the evening. The Arab leader will also meet President Pranab Mukherjee. In July 2014, The UAE announced its decision to launch Arab worlds first ever satellite to Mars in July 2020. After arrival in Dhaka, it does not take you long to realise that here is one country which has lost its ethos. There is not a speck of revolution which had stirred the people in East Pakistan to wage the liberation struggle against the distant and exploitative West Pakistan. Indigenous vested interests ha-ve replaced the ones from Rawalpindi. Still worse is the authoritative Prime Minister that Sheikh Hasina has become. One, her opponent Khalida Zia has gone down in the estimate of the people. Two, Hasina has made peace with the military, which had once overthrown the government of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of Bangladesh. Hasina has increased the salaries of those in the armed forces. More than that, she has made them realise that they evoke respect and authority if they rem-ain professional and stay away from politics. Indeed, the army is now professional and considered a force to reckon with. Only 30 years ago did the people rise against the West Pakistans armed forces and had their own Mukti Bhahini, an ill-equipped force, prove to the world that no nation can be kept under subjugation if it is determined to cut its fetters. Sheikh Mujib was a tall leader in what was then called East Pakistan. Quid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was his leader. But Mujib revolted against him when he said during his visit to Dhaka that the Bengalis would have to read Urdu which, he declared, was the national language. Bengalis gave the people living in Pakistan then their identity in the otherwise West-dominated Pakistan. They realised that the crude Punjabi culture would have penetrated into their sophisticated identity. And when they protested against the onslaughts on their culture, the West Pakistans army brutally crushed them. Even when Mujib or, for that matter, East Pakistan won a majority in the National Assembly, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, then a real force in West Pakistan, who was also the former foreign minister, could not tolerate the Sheikh to be the prime minister. If at all, the responsibility of losing East Pakistan is to be put, it is on Bhuttos shoulder. Hasinas real opposition comes from the Jamiat-e-Islami which still plays a religious card. The Jamiat is not making any headway because it is seen as the sympathiser of Pakistan. Till today, the Jamiat has not condemned, even indirectly, the atrocities committed by Pakistan against the Bangladeshis. I thought that the execution of even the aged Jamiat leaders, who had sided with Rawalpindi, would have created some revulsion. But, to my surprise, I found the people happy that the collaborators were being executed for the crimes they had committed. The Jamiat is yet to criticise Pakistan for what it did in East Pakistan, probably because it is an Islamic country and a part of Umma. The Left, which was a force at one time, is no more in the picture. It has lost its appeal as well as the cadre. Careerism attracts the youth and the businessmen influence politics because they bribe every tier of the government. This pattern prevails all over Bangladesh. Still, the silver lining is that people love the democratic system and express their faith in it through protests and agitations. Not long ago, the peoples unhappiness would pour on to the streets in the shape of processions, which would hamper the normal business. It dawned on the people, even though belatedly, that by closing shops in bazaars and factories they were only harming themselves. They also realised that destroying the environment for producing garments, which is the only source of revenue and foreign exchange, is not going to help improve their economy. What is striking is that the wealth that is accumulated in a few hands. They not only dictate day-to-day business but also politics. Many industrialists finance political parties and individuals to make the National Assembly so that they would have their influence on the policies and programmes formulated by the government. Restrictive freedom The media in Bangladesh is free only in name as is the pattern in third world countries. Editors have freedom to the extent that their owners want them to wield and the press is very cautious in reporting matters relating to the armed forces. Somehow, it has come to be recognised that criticising the military tantamounts to harming the countrys interests. This is blatant even in democratic India, but that the armed forces have the last word is accepted in Bangladesh. I asked many about the direction towards which Bangladesh was going ideologically, economically or socially. One academician who is closely associated with politicians told me that Bangladesh had lost is way and he did not know which direction it was heading. Sheikh Hasinas main strength is New Delhi which has put all eggs in her basket. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) says it openly that Hasina has even damaged Indias image because of her authoritarian rule. She brooks no criticism and sees that her critics are harmed so that they realise she and India have become synonymous. It does not look that Bangladesh would ever have free and fair elections. But if they were to be held, the foregone conclusion is that Sheikh Hasina would not be defeated. Begum Khalida Zia too has not made herself popular by aligning with Jamiat. In fact, it has been an albatross around her neck which she has not been able to shake off. However, one thing is sure that she would not this time boycott elections whenever they are held. The BNP has realised that even a few of their members in the National Assembly would have brought Hasinas acts of omission and commission before the public. The vested interests in the country have never had it as good as it is today because people are disillusioned with both Hasina and Khalida. The two Begums are the inevitable fate of Bangladesh, however unpopular they may be with the people. Family members of a man, killed in the 2002 hit-and-run case involving actor Salman Khan, on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court, seeking compensation and challenging the Bombay HC order acquitting the Bollywood star. Begumjaha Haroon Khan (48) and Firoz Sheikh (25), wife and son of Sheikh Noorullah Shafik submitted that they have suffered immensely since the death of the eldest family member after being run over by the Land Cruiser on September 28, 2002 in Mumbai. Poverty Living in a slum without even the basic amenities, both claimed they sustained by doing menial work without any permanent source of income. Citing the SC ruling in Suresh and Anr Vs State of Haryana (2015), the petitioners through their counsel P B Suresh and Vipin Nair contended that the courts ought to have granted compensation to them as enjoined under Section 357 or 357 A of the Criminal Procedure Code. Victims side It has been categorically held that there exists a mandatory duty on the court to grant compensation to the victim in every criminal case, either under Section 357 or 357 A of the CrPC, as the case may be, irrespective of the guilt or otherwise of the accused so as to reassure the victim that he or she is not forgotten in the criminal justice system, the petitioner stated. Besides seeking compensation, the petitioners also claimed the High Court had in December erred in ignoring testimony of Salman's bodyguard constable Ravindra Patil and rejecting the evidence on him having consumed alcohol while acquitting the actor of the charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Case continues The respondent No 1 (Salman) did not have a valid driving license at the time of the incident and his guilt was further apparent as he ran from the scene of the crime, the petitioners contended. The Maharashtra government had on February 5 contended HCs order reversing the trial court's judgment holding Salman guilty and awarding him five-year jail term was complete travesty of justice. The court had fixed February 12 as the next date of hearing. Siachen means a wild rose. Yes, the Nubra valley is full of shrubs bearing these small pink and white roses, so dense in their flowering that it is difficult to spot the leaves. But lurking between them are thick, firm and sharp thorns that seem to be representative of the conflict on the Siachen Glacier prickly, harsh and intractable. What started as naivete on the part of cartographers of the Karachi Agreement of 1949, where-in they stopped the demarcation of the cease fire line at Point NJ9842, thinking that no one would be foolish to lay claim to the wilderness thence north to the glaciers, the conflict on the highest battlefield in the world has crossed three decades. A ceasefire is in place since 2003 but loss of life due the extremely harsh terrain and weather conditions continues. The death of soldiers of the Madras Regiment due an avalanche has re-kindled the debate about the futility of the Siachen conflict, with the peaceniks renewing their call for a settlement between India and Pakistan. The cartographic aggression by Pakistan in permitting foreigners to explore the Glacier from its side, resulting in the area being shown as Pak-owned in Western maps, resulted in a riposte from India in 1978; Col Narendra Kumar led an expedition that climbed Teram Kangri II peak on the glacier. The Indian Air Force (IAF) gave helicopter support to the expedition and the first landing on the Glacier, with the author as a co-pilot, took place on 06 October 1978 when a Chetak helicopter brought back two casualties from what is now Kumar post. Expeditions from both sides continued during summers of the ensuing years and India pre-empted a Pak plan to occupy heights on the Glacier in April 1984 by moving troops by helicopters to two strategic passes, Bilafond La and Sia La on 13 and 17 April. Thus commenced Op Meghdoot, the longest continuing one, in independent Indias history. The harsh realism of Siachen operations have been brought out in stark reality due the avalanche tragedy. Here, records of resilience and fortitude are set everyday, exemplified by the sheer grit, will power, and of course Gods benevolence, that Lance Naik Hanamanthappas rescue showed after six days of internment 25 feet below the ice cap in temperatures that would have been below -45 degrees Celsius! One can also add that it suggests that God is Indian but when one considers events on ground its the Army jawan who is holding fort. After a strict aclimatisation process that lasts many weeks, a battalion goes for a glacier deployment for three continuous months. Almost a thousand soldiers have lost their lives, the majority due environment related factors. The IAF has been shoulder to shoulder with the Army in air maintaining them, and a thread amongst helicopter pilots is that a tenure of Glacier flying is a must to become a true chopper jock. There have been many helicopter accidents, as the machines fly at the extremes of their flying envelope, carrying out multiple landings at 20,000 feet on a daily basis. The camaraderie between the Olive Greens and the Blues on the Glacier is to be seen to be believed. But is it worth it, all this loss of life on both sides for what Stephen Cohen has termed, two bald men fighting over a comb? Yes it is, and this author responded in an opinion piece that, ..if the head is Indian, albeit bald, we still have a duty to protect. The incursion into Siachen Glacier was Pakistans doing; the motive was ulterior and the aim was to legitimize its claim through a de facto international acceptance. With the ceding of the Shaksgam Valley to China in 1963, the construction of the Karakoram highway close to the Glacier and now the start of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, wherein Chinese personnel would be positioned, Siachen is imbued with vital strategic relevance to the security of the Nubra and Shyok Valleys as also Ladakh. The Indian Army occupies all vantage heights on the ingress routes to the Glacier and its withdrawal to lower areas, with an assurance from Pakistan that it would not move into the heights, is fraught with danger. The Pak Army is against any accord that forces it to concede on paper that it is positioned well west of the Saltoro Range and cannot be trusted with just an assurance, as events have proven over the years. Presumably, an accord had almost been reached in 1987 on similar lines when Zia-ul-Haq was the President of Pakistan; however, Zia was killed in a mysterious plane crash, which Mr AK Verma, the former RAW Chief, has said was linked to the growing disenchantment of the Pak Generals with the deal. Successive Pakistani civilian and military leaders have said that Kashmir is Pakistans jugular, so it is indeed intriguing why an attempt at a selective solution to Siachen is being advanced; there are other issues like Sir Creek too and hence such a segmented resolution should be rejected. Environmentalists have suggested that Siachen be made into an environment park, but there are tens of other such pristine areas that can be conferred this title. A reality is that, over the years, the casualties on the Glacier due nature have come down drastically and so have fatalities during operational activities due to fine tuning of procedures. India should not be coerced by peaceniks into reaching an agreement that threatens its security. History shows that a country claiming to be a regional power has to make sacrifices of men and material if it wants to retain that status. The Indian Army, the IAF, and indeed the nation have made countless sacrifices over the years over a piece of land that is rightfully ours. While every life is precious, let us not self-coerce ourselves due perceived excessive losses. To regain the commanding heights of the Saltoro Range after withdrawing from them would be next to impossible. Lance Naik Hanumanthappa has shown the way with his grit and a steely resolve on the hostile mountains of Siachen that India has more than enough resilience to face adversity. (The author, a retired Air Vice Marshal, is a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi). About the Author Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur, retired from the Indian Air Force after 36 years of distinguished service. He is an Experimental Test Pilot from the French Test Pilots School, a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College, USA and a post graduate in Defence and Strategic Studies from Madras University. He has commanded a frontline Helicopter Unit and two Flying Bases, was the Contingent Cdr of the first IAF United Nations Mission in Sudan and has been Head of Training (Air) at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. As Asst Chief of Air Staff, the author was the operational head of Transport and Helicopter Operations of the Indian Air Force for two and a half years. His last assignment was as Asst Chief of Integrated Defence Staff in-charge of perspective planning and force structure of the Services. He writes for leading national newspapers and professional journals and his core interests concern Air Power and Strategic Affairs. He is presently working on his book Coercion and Air Power. = After scrapping the tender for setting up an emergency distress call system a month ago, the Union Home Ministry has relaunched its efforts to put in place such a mechanism. The ministry has invited potential bidders for a workshop on February 17 here to understand industry challenges in bid participation before publishing a new tender on setting up the ambitious National Emergency Response System under the Nirbhaya scheme. The ministry had planned to set up an emergency number 112 by 2017 under the Nirbhaya Fund, named in the memory of the December 16 gangrape-murder victim of Delhi. The system was aimed at meeting the current challenges being faced by police in the absence of an immediate emergency response system, specifically inclined towards women issues. The decision to have a common national emergency number came after the December 16, 2012 incident and Justice J S Verma Committee recommending such a measure. Though a Request for Proposal from interested parties was invited in June last year and bidding process was in progress, the ministry cancelled the process in mid-January after finding that the terms and conditions mentioned in the bid papers were difficult to meet. Before cancelling the bids, the ministry had cleared two companies after technical evaluations for further processes. During the process, the ministry had held several meetings with states on how to implement the scheme and even send out detailed guidelines. An official analysis had then shown that the ministry expects that the system would receive around five lakh calls per day in the first year of operation. Emergency services At present, the country has three emergency services 100 (Police), 102 (Fire) and 103 (Ambulance), which was designed at the time of a regulated telecom sector with only one telecom provider across India. A number of cities have also provided additional numbers for specific emergencies and this led to confusion in the public about emergency contact number. However, the situation has changed and to avoid confusion, officials point out the need for having a single emergency call number. DH News Service Prime Minister Narendra Modi told governors that they could play a role of catalytic agents in the states for improving development process but without themselves becoming a part of them. Addressing the concluding session of the 47th conference of governors called by President Pranab Mukherjee, Modi said all governors should think about some form of legacy which they would leave behind at the end of their terms, as their contribution to the states. Modis remarks came against the backdrop of controversial role of some governors, some of whom were appointed by his government. Modi said, the governors occupy a unique high position, owing to their vast years of experience, and the prestigious nature of their post. They can hence work as catalytic agents in the States, speeding up and improving processes without themselves becoming a part of them. The prime minister reiterated his governments stress on the importance of cooperative federalism, which he said must be implemented in letter and spirit. He said the Centre and states must work together as Team India. He added that the spirit of cooperative federalism must also extend to cooperative, competitive federalism, with healthy competition for development among states. Addressing the conference, President Pranab Mukherjee said holders of high offices must not only be fair but also be seen to be fair. He reminded Governors even as he asked them to act as catalysts for the success of initiatives like Swachh Bharat Mission and Make in India programme. Mukherjee said laudable initiatives taken by some governors should be replicated in other states and that they should play a proactive role in driving quality higher education. Taking forward his comments made in the opening session on Tuesday, he said governors have been charged with an onerous responsibility to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. DH News Service Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday shed much of his motorcade and security cover to travel to the Indian Air Force station at Palam during the evening rush hour to receive the de-facto ruler of United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Modi reached the airport which is near the Indira Gandhi International Airport with a trimmed motorcade without an ambulance and with lesser-than-usual security personnel, ostensibly to make it sure that his travel does not aggravate the traffic congestion during the evening rush hour, said officials. This is not the first time Modi travelled with a smaller security convoy. Even on Tuesday, the Prime Minister travelled in a small motorcade to reach the Army Research and Referral Hospital at Subroto Park in Delhi to visit Lance Naik Hanmanthappa the soldier who miraculously survived for days after being buried under ice at Siachen Glacier. Sources said that the prime minister had clearly instructed officials to keep the security arrangements minimum during his travels both on Tuesday and Wednesday, so that commuters did not experience any trouble. He has of late been travelling by choppers to places in National Capital Region, again to ensure that his motorcade do not disturb others. Officials said that the prime minister had also asked the Special Protection Group officials to make sure his security arrangements did not cause any inconvenience to the common people. Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij is courting controversy over his beef remarks when he said those who cannot live without eating beef need not come to Haryana. His statement comes at a time when Haryana Chief Minister and RSS ideologue Manohar Lal Khattar is touring the globe and states down south wooing investors by promoting Haryana as an ideal destination for investments. Anil Vij said, There are several nations where our eating habits dont meet and so we dont go there. Haryana has legislated beef ban, which is why the minister maintained that the state was no place to eat beef. His comments have drawn flak from the opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in Haryana. Lok Dal leaders said the chief minister has been visiting the US, China, Japan and other beef eating nations seeking investment on one hand and his cabinet colleague is asking beef eating people not to come to Haryana. They accused the government of living with a spate of contradictions. Notwithstanding the loss of nine lives in an avalanche, India barely has any option but to hold on to the dominating heights on the Siachen Glacier-Saltoro ridge to prevent exposing Ladakh from the threat of an pincer attack from Pakistan and China. The reasons for maintaining these posts despite hostile conditions is due to the security of the nation. This incident is absolutely painful, but there is no second solution, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in Visakhapatnam earlier this week. The minister visited Siachen in May. The genesis of the Siachen issue conflict is historical in nature. The Ceasefire Line and the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir were delineated by the Karachi agreement of 1949 and the Shimla agreement of 1972, respectively, up to a place known as Point NJ 9842. The area beyond NJ 9842 has remained undelineated, which leads to two different interpretations. The Karachi agreement describes the Ceasefire Line up to point NJ 9842 and mentions that it thereafter lies northwards towards the glaciers. Similarly the Shimla agreement is silent on the delineation beyond NJ 9842. Pakistan claims the line joins NJ 9842 with the Karakoram Pass, which is north-west of NJ 9842, but the Indian position is that the line runs towards the glaciers along the watersheds formed by the Saltoro Range as per the internationally-accepted principle of border delineation. The Army occupies the strategic heights on the Saltoro Ridge, overlooking the Nubra Valley, since April 1984, foiling an attempt by Pakistan to gain control in those areas. An assessment by the Northern Command in 1984 states: Pakistani occupation of the Siachen up to the Karakoram pass would lead to their domination of the Nubra valley and the route down to Leh. With an all weather Karakoram Highway to the west and the Aksai Chin road to the east, Ladakh is open to a pincer. Importance A detailed study of maps from showed that Pakistan was illegally occupying 10,000 sq km of land, of which the Army had no knowledge till then. The Army first launched mountaineering expedition and subsequently Operation Meghdoot to regain control over those areas. The government now spends Rs 5 crore per day to maintain these posts on the icy heights. Close to 900 soldiers lost their lives in Siachen mostly due to the harsh terrain and climatic conditions. After a lacklustre performance that saw them fall 1-2 to Sporting Clube De Goa on Saturday, an inspired Bengaluru FC came back strongly to get the better of I-League first-timers DSK Shivajians 4-1 and soar to the top of the table at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday. Skipper Sunil Chhetri, North Korean striker Kim Song Yong, local lad Shankar Sampingiraj and Seiminlen Doungel were on target for the Blues while Sampathkumar Kuttymani scored a consolation goal for the visitors. On a balmy evening, backed by a small yet vociferous crowd, BFC showed no signs of any ill-effects from their previous defeat and began briskly. DSK matched up to their opponents for the first quarter of an hour as they had a couple of shots at goal. But it was the home side that broke the deadlock in the 14th minute after Kim was fouled by DSK's Justin Stephen on the edge of the box. Chhetri stepped up and superbly beat DSK custodian Subrata Paul with a well-placed free-kick that found the top left corner. Having taken the lead, BFC continued to apply pressure on DSK as Beingaichho Beikhokhei made a couple of darting runs on the right flank but couldnt deliver a telling pass or two. BFC kept knocking on the doors and eventually got their second in the 33rd minute. Rino Anto played in a delightful cross that found Kim, who did well to get into a good position in the box, and he headed past a hapless Paul. Just before half-time, Kuttymani struck to pull one back for Shivajians. The lively Douhou Pierre evaded a couple of BFC defenders to cross into the box where Kuttymani played a slick flick past Amrinder Singh. After the break, Bengaluru came out showing positive intent and almost immediately added to their tally in the 47th minute as Chhetri squared the ball into the box, only for Shankar to fire over the crossbar. But Shankar had his goal six minutes later as he latched on to a loose ball, after Beikhokhei's header was saved by Paul, and tapped home to make it 3-1. In firm control, BFC punished DSK further in the 81st minute with Dounghel calmly slotting past a charging Paul to score his first goal for the club. After seven games, BFC have 15 points, one more than East Bengal. DSK remain rooted to eighth spot with four points from six games. In Mumbai, Sony Norde missed one of the easiest of chances as Mohun Bagan were held to a goalless draw by a spirited Mumbai FC in their fifth-round tie. A young Army officer Shikhar Deep, travelling from Katihar in Bihar to New Delhi, has been reportedly missing for the last four days, forcing the Army to issue a public notice seeking information. The officer did not reach his destination and went missing during transit. Any information with regard to the whereabouts of the officer may please be conveyed to Lt Col Anant Kumar on mobile number 9128724351, said the Army notice. The Army official, posted as Captain at the 8th Sikh Light Infantry Regiment, Jammu, was travelling by the Mahananda Express. Hailing from Bihars Purnia district, the defence personnel boarded the train at Katihar junction as he was returning to his place of posting. His family members suspect the hand of extremist elements behind his disappearance, but police sources say it could be the handiwork of local criminal gang which serves tea laced with sedatives to pounce upon unsuspecting victims. The High Court on Wednesday sought to know whether it was necessary for the court to interfere in a petition seeking directions to the Bangalore Advocates Association to hold a special general body meeting to discuss about the indiscipline and abnormal behaviour of a sitting High Court judge, Justice Ram Mohan Reddy. Justice Anand Byrareddy observed that the said judge would be retiring in the next four months and asked the advocates to leave him (judge) alone and passed an order to call the matter after six months. The petition filed by N P Amruthesh has over 700 signatures of the members of the Bar requesting the president of the Advocates' Association to hold the meeting. The petitioner has contended that Justice Ram Mohan Reddy was harassing the advocates in the open court while conducting the proceedings. The petitioner has said that Justice Reddy has not maintained the dignity and decorum of the court and behaved abnormally and in an indisciplined manner. The petitioner has said that the members of the Bar were facing humiliation and harassment by Justice Reddy in his court and it was the duty of the Advocates Association to hold a general body meeting to discuss the issue. The petitioner has said the members of the Bar had given a representation to the association on November 30, 2015, to hold the meeting and the request had not been considered. The petitioner has approached the court seeking directions to the association to hold the meeting in the next 15 days to discuss the issue. Members of the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged protests seeking a rollback in the new changes made to PU answersheet revaluation rules in Bengaluru on Wednesday. AIDSO and ABVP staged separate protests. Members condemned the Pre-university education departments rule asking each student to apply for a photocopy of the answersheet by paying Rs 504. Members demanded that the department withdraw this rule. They said that many students will not be able to afford such a hefty fee to obtain answersheets for revaluation. They also criticised the department for its move to seek an undertaking from the students that they will not reveal the photocopies of answer papers to the media and will not challenge the revaluation result in the court. Discuss with experts Ashwini, President, Bengaluru unit of AIDSO, said that the PU department was taking a unilateral decision of making students compulsorily apply for the revaluation of answersheet. She urged the department to hold a discussion or meeting with experts and stakeholders before making any changes or introducing any new rules in revaluation policies. Meanwhile, Secretary of ABVP Prashanth has threatened to intensify protest across Karnataka if their demands was not fulfilled on time. The advertisement scam in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) went unnoticed because of a bureaucrat-politician-advertiser mafia. It has emerged only now that nearly 40 per cent of hoardings in Bengaluru belong to politicians of all parties or their followers, several advertisers admit in private. Lokayukta officials concur but suspect the percentage is more than 40. They are either benami (held in others names) or plain illegal and unauthorised, a senior functionary in the Lokayukta, who didnt wish to be named, told Deccan Herald. Its a challenge to find when and where these hoardings were erected? One advertiser even claimed that a majority of the politicians are from the ruling Congress party while leaders from the opposition BJP and the JD(S), too, have similar interests. Besides sitting corporators and legislators, former elected representatives also have their share of pie in the thriving business, he said. According to an estimate by the Lokayukta, a hoarding in a prime locality will fetch a rent of at least Rs one lakh per month and sometimes up to Rs 5 lakh depending on the demand and the companys profile. Besides the profit from the display of advertisements, illegal advertisers save on land rent and BBMP tax. We pay up to Rs three lakh a year as tax to the BBMP besides land rent to property owners. In the end, people with illegal hoardings walk away with profit while we with all legal sanctions are made to suffer even after paying tax, said Manmohan Singh, secretary, Bangalore Outdoor Advertisers. Rahman Khan relative A source said that Pro Ads and Signs, a firm run by a relative of former Union minister and Rajya Sabha member K Rahman Khan, had illegal and unauthorised hoardings all over Bengaluru, even on drains. A few hoardings at Mantri Square Mall, near Gymkhana Club in Cooke Town and close to the new JD(S) office on Platform Road said to belong to this company. The firm is accused of not only erecting over-sized hoardings without permission but also using fake stay orders to avoid action from the BBMP. Once an advertiser gets stay orders, the BBMP refrains from acting and doesnt even bother to check whether the stay order is genuine. When contacted, Khan said he had nothing to do with illegal hoardings. He could be a relative of mine, but I never encouraged any illegality. Let the government take action, he said. Vatals family In another instance, the BBMP has been more than generous in allotting its land free to former MLA Vatal Nagaraj to erect 12 hoardings in prime localities like Trinity Church junction, MG Road, near Orion Mall in Rajajinagar and opposite The Forum mall in Koramangala. The allotment was made by then commissioner M Lakshminarayana. He sanctioned seven hoardings on BBMP property for Vatals family firm by using his discretionary powers under section 176 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act. Even a senior ministers supporter in Bengaluru is said to be involved in pole advertisements on footpaths and central medians, which are banned. The quid pro quo Besides those directly involved in the hoarding business, some politicians act as protectors to illegal advertisers. Politicians ask illegal advertisers to put their photographs for free during festivals, New Year, on their birthdays or when senior party functionaries visit the City. In turn, they protect the interests of these illegal advertisers, according to officials and advertisers. A division bench of the High Court comprising acting Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath on Wednesday directed the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) to remove all encroachments on the Hosakerehalli lake in Bengaluru South within six months. After passing the order, the bench disposed of a petition seeking directions to demolish illegal structures encroaching upon the Hosakerehalli tank in survey number 15, Uttarahalli hobli, Bengaluru South taluk. The government counsel informed the court that steps are being taken to remove the encroachments. Petitioner N Sriram Reddy, an advocate who appeared in person, contended that illegal structures had encroached upon six acres and 17.5 guntas of the tank whose total area was 59.26 acres. Misuse of funds The High Court has directed the BBMP commissioner to be present before the court in a petition filed by advocates questioning the misuse of funds allotted for law books for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The petitioners Suresh and 108 others contended that grants of Rs 4.64 crore meant for law books were used for the Sadhana Samavesha function by the previous government. Through an RTI, the petitioners were given information that the grant allotted for books were used for holding a function by the BBMP. Justice S Abdul Nazeer passed an order directing the BBMP commissioner to be present at the next hearing and adjourned the matter to February 17, 2016. A 14-year-old student fainted after he was hit by a management committee member at an Muslim Orphanage school on Dickenson Road under Ulsoor police limits on Wednesday. According to police, Syed Sultan, 7th standard student at the school was reprimanded by Shafiullah, a committee member of the school, for not doing the home work and doing poorly in studies. He hit Sultan on his hand with a cane. While Sultan tried to escape, he was hit on the stomach. Sultan collapsed on the ground. The staff members at the school rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was treated. He is stated to be out of danger. On receiving information, police visited the school. Based on the statement made by Sultan, a complaint has been registered. The Hebbal assembly constituency bypoll is turning out to be a direct fight between the Congress and the BJP, with the JD(S) having the potential to play spoilsport to either of the two national parties. A tour of the Assembly segment reveals that there are several pockets which are BJP bastions. The voters here have supported the BJP during the last two Assembly polls and the last Lok Sabha election and make it no secret that they have not changed their party preference. The developmental works undertaken by former legislators Katta Subramanya Naidu and Jagadish Kumar during the last seven years are well accepted. The BJP is showcasing its candidate Y A Narayanaswamy as an experienced legislator (he is a two-term MLC), approachable and helpful. But the Congress has the advantage of being the party in power. Four ministers from Bengaluru are in charge of two BBMP wards each in the constituency and have been camping in the Assembly segment for the last 15 days, canvassing for party candidate C K Abdul Rahaman Sharief. Roadshows are being held on a daily basis. Congress has been portraying Rahaman, who lost the 2013 polls in the constituency by a margin of 5,136 votes, as a victim of split in minority votes. The party has sought that Rahaman be given another chance. The BJP, during its campaign, has repeatedly been branding Rahaman as inexperienced and yet to emerge from the shadows of his grandfather and former union minister C K Jaffer Sharief. This apart, the run-up to the February 13 bypoll - necessitated due to the death of sitting BJP legislator R Jagadish Kumar - exposed several political undercurrents that may have a direct bearing on the results. The poll brought to fore the simmering discontent among the Congress old guard against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who they consider an outsider. After an open tug-of-war, the party high command preferred Jaffer Shariefs grandson over Siddaramaiah choice of independent MLC Byrathi Suresh as the candidate. The election exposed the love-hate relationship between the States two seniormost politicians - Jaffer Sharief and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda. Shariefs request that JD(S) not field a candidate to ensure his grandsons victory was rejected by Gowda. The run-up to the bypoll also witnessed open revolt in the JD(S) with party legislators Zameer Ahmed Khan rebelling against Gowda. The concern expressed by both Sharief and Khan is understandable. They feel that the JD(S) - by fielding a Muslim candidate (Ismail Shariff) - would divide the minority votes between the Congress and the JD(S), benefitting the BJP - a repeat 2013. There are around 60,000 minority votes in the constituency. The then JD(S) candidate Abdul Azeem had secured 25,073 votes. However, the BJP is not buying this argument. The party is of the view what Azeem secured in 2013 were not just his community votes but those of Azeems well-wishers and Vokkaliga voters supporting the JD(S). The BJP feels that these JD(S) voters would this time support party candidate Narayanaswamy, who is a Vokkaliga. Moreover, Azeem has now joined the BJP. The Congress and the BJP agree that of the 2.26 lakh electorate, an estimated 25,000 undecided voters would turn out to be the crucial factor in the poll. DH News Service A day after a farmer committed suicide, a video clip of the last moments of the victim blaming MLA H D Revanna for his extreme step went viral on Wednesday, putting the latter in a spot of bother. Gangadhar (55), a farmer from Hatchichowdenahalli, had stated that he decided to end his life as JD(S) leader and MLA H D Revanna had scolded him for supporting the Congress during the recently concluded election to the Legislative Council from the local bodies constituency, though he was a staunch supporter of the regional party. However, Gangadhars son B G Mohan, in his statement to the police, gave a different version. He stated that his father had borrowed a loan of Rs 21 lakh from Khadi Gramodyog Board 30 years ago and ended his life as he was unable to repay the loan. According to the hospital staff, they have no clue about the person who had videographed the statements of Gangadhar on his cellphone, during the latters last minutes. An attendant who was on duty during the incident said Gangadhar came to the hospital at 10 pm on Tuesday, saying he had consumed poison-laced liquor and pleaded with the medical staff to save his life. Duty doctor Dr Prabhavathy provided first aid and later suggested that he be shifted to Hassan hospital. By the time the police were informed, Gangadhar had died. Visibly irked over the development, MLA Revanna blamed the Congress leaders in the district for their involvement in tarnishing his image for political reasons. I am ready for any kind of probe related to the incident. Let the government hand over the case CBI, Revanna told media persons. He alleged that Congress candidate Sunil from Halekote ZP constituency and his friends were attempting to tarnish his image, as his (Revanna) wife Bhavani was contesting against him on a JD(S) ticket. He demanded a detailed probe into the issue. Forest officials placed a cage with two dogs as bait behind Vibgyor High school at Thubarahalli in eastern Bengaluru on Wednesday to capture the leopard that was sighted in Whitefield, Varthur and Gunjurpalya localities on Tuesday night. S Krupanidhi, assistant conservator of forests (Bengaluru South), told reporters, We zeroed in on this location after one person confirmed to have seen the leopard here. On Sunday, another leopard had strayed into Vibgyor High and injured several people. Forest and police officials struggled to keep the residents at bay while placing the cage. A mild caning failed to deter them. The forest department also struggled to get dogs to keep as bait. It had a tough time convincing the people to get dogs as bait and stay away from the spot. It is the same spot where the cage was kept on Sunday to capture the leopard but in vain. The department brought a cage from Kaggalipura around 5.30 pm on Wednesday after it was used in the rescue of another leopard in Magadi taluk of Ramanagar district. The department is taking the help of veterinarians from the Bannerghatta Biological Park. Four teams of forest officials and local police perambulated the eucalyptus plantations, Gunjurpalya forest patch and Varthur green patches for signs of the leopard on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Some old and new pug marks were seen. But it could not be confirmed whether they were of the leopard. Forest and police officials said things went smoothly on Wednesday as Vibgyor High school had declared a holiday. After a meeting between forest and police officials, local residents were asked not to make noise at night, venture out at night or crowd the cage area. Residents are living in fear. We fear the leopard will come and attack us, said Pasha, a construction labourer who had first seen the leopard in the area on Tuesday night. Dipika Bajpai, deputy conservator of forests, Bengaluru Urban, cautioned people against spreading rumours. The Forest Department has launched a Twitter handle @dcfbangalore to interact faster with the people living in the troubled area, reports DHNS. People can post information related to forest, wildlife and conservation. Also, the police have pressed in dog squads to trace the leopard. #leopardattack: We have set up a cage to capture any leopard frequenting the area near Vibgyor School ----First tweet I saw the leopard hiding behind the bushes on Tuesday night. Shareef, contract labourer I saw the leopard run from the bushes and then disappear into the eucalyptus plantations on Tuesday night. Anwar Mondal, contract labourer I could not sleep the whole night as I was worried about the safety of my two children. We lit a fire, burst crackers and stayed in groups on police instruction. Chandana Habib, 22, construction worker There was no news of any leopard straying here in the last five years. Its the first time that I heard of it but have not seen any so far.Gulabi Mono, resident of a slum behind Vibgyor school. A software professional from Karnataka, who went missing on Monday from Divyasri Womens PG Hostel at Gachibowli here, has been traced by the Patancheru police to a bus stop in the neighbouring Medak district in Telangana on Wednesday. The 22-year-old techie, Anusri, is employed with TCS at its Adibhatla campus. The Medak police, who were alerted by the Gachibowli police, traced her mobile phone signals to Patancheru area. They were told by the local people that they had found Anusri wandering near a water body next to the bus stand. The police admitted her to a local hospital, where doctors informed them she was mentally unstable. Based on her ID card, the police informed her parents, residents of Brahmana Beedi in Halebeedu, Hassan district, Karnataka. Gachibowli Circle Inspector Vijay Kumar said Anusri had been restored to her parents. On Monday, Anusri had called her younger sister Ashwini over the phone saying she was sick and wanted to return home. However, she was dissuaded by her family members. Even as her father Prabhakar and Ashwini assured her that they would be reaching Hyderabad shortly and taking her to a doctor, Anusri went missing. Throughout their journey to Hyderabad, they were in constant touch with Anusri on WhatsApp. But when they reached the city, she became inaccessible, Prabhakar said. The worried relatives enquired at the hostel. The warden said Anusri had gone to her office in Adibhatla. The CCTV footage at the hostel lobby also confirmed Anusri leaving the building. According to sources, Anusri used to travel to her office and hostel by a company cab. She is said to have called the company on Tuesday saying she had missed the cab and would take a bus to office, but did not turn up. Later, Prabhakar lodged a missing complaint with the police. In October 2013, a techie was abducted by a cab driver and his accomplice from Madapur under the same Cyberabad police commissionerate and was raped in Medak. They were later arrested with the help of CCTV footage from a corporate school. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday hit back at JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on the issue of his expensive wristwatch by seeking to know who paid for the imported car owned by the JD(S) leaders son Nikhil Gowda. Replying to a question by reporters on Kumaraswamy's charges, Siddaramaiah said, Kumaraswamy's son has an imported car. Who paid the money for it (car)? Did he (Nikhil Gowda) earn it? Then who bought him the car? Moreover, Kumaraswamy is spending crores on his son's movie. From where does he get all the money? he retorted. He was speaking to reporters after garlanding the statue of Kengal Hanumanthaiah on the latters birth anniversary at Vidhana Soudha. The JD(S) leader had claimed that Siddaramaiah has a diamond-studded watch worth Rs 50 to 60 lakhs. He also claimed that Siddaramaiah uses an expensive sunglasses costing Rs 1.5 lakh and questioned his credentials as a follower of socialist icon Ram Manohar Lohia. Siddaramaiah, further, said there were many such charges against Kumara-swamy. One should not throw stones at others when one is sitting in a glasshouse, he stated adding that the watch was gifted to him by somebody. The chief minister also reiterated that he was ready to sell both his watch and sunglasses for Rs 5 lakh if Kumaraswamy is ready to buy them. On the BJP leaders taking exception at the chief minister for not meeting the parents of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad at his native village during his recent visit to Hubballi, Siddaramaiah said the BJP has nothing worthwhile to do. The BJP leaders are known for making irresponsible charges. I wanted to go during my visit to north Karnataka. But his (Koppad) parents had already left for Delhi. The BJP has nothing worthwhile to do and so they make irresponsible charges, he added. Low-powered jammers to block data connectivity can now be installed at examination centres to prevent students from using radio devices in cheating. The Centre has granted permission to all statutory bodies which conduct examinations to use them in sensitive centres. The Cabinet Secretariat, which released the policy on Wednesday, made it clear that organisers, however, can deploy the device only at sensitive centres. The announcement comes months after many students were caught cheating in the All India Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Test using sophisticated bluetooth devices. The test had to be re-conducted by the CBSE after a Supreme Court order. For installation of the jammers, the examination bodies will have to seek prior approval of the Cabinet Secretariat. Only those jammers which have been produced by the approved vendors can be installed, the secretariat said. Bharat Electronics of Bengaluru and Electronic Corporation of India of Hyderabad, have been approved for supplying the jammers. Exam centres can be marked as sensitive for the purpose of deployment of jammers either on the basis of past experiences or any other inputs, the notification said. With Karnataka being the first state to declare failure of winter crop this year, the Centre on Wednesday decided to send a high-level team there to assess the situation caused due to dry, warm winter. The Agriculture Ministry has decided to send a team headed by Dinesh Kumar, joint secretary, to visit calamity-hit areas, an official told Deccan Herald. The States resident commissioner Atul Kumar Tiwari met Union Agriculture Ministry officials, including Kumar, and apprised them of the situation in the State. Karnataka has requested central assistance of Rs 1,417 crore after damage to rabi crops worth Rs 7,209 crore. The State sought Rs 1,290 crore for crop failure, Rs 74.67 crore for animal husbandry losses and Rs 52 crore to provide drinking water in rural areas, said an official. The State - in its memorandum submitted to the ministry - said rabi crops sown in more than 24.64 lakh hectares mainly in 12 districts (Dharwad, Haveri, Vijayapura, Gadag, Bidar, Belagavi, Bagalkot, Ballari, Koppal, Raichur, Kalaburagi and Yadgir) had suffered damaged. Winter crops - jowar, sunflower, chickpea and linseed - suffered heavy losses while wheat, cotton and rice are partially affected. Rabi crops depend on moisture and Karnataka witnessed warm and dry weather this year, said an official. DH News Service 1 February 2016 (Pachamama Alliance) The indigenous people in this region are strongly opposed to any plans for oil development and vow to resist and stop these projects. They know the environmental and social disaster that oil development will bring. On January 26, the government of Ecuador formally signed exploration contracts for two Amazonian oil blocksknown as blocks 79 and 83with Chinese state oil company, Andes Petroleum. The Ecuadorian government also announced plans to open up 16 other oil blocks in its South-Central Amazon region to bids later this year. The indigenous people in this region are strongly opposed to any plans for oil development and vow to resist and stop these projects. They know the environmental and social disaster that oil development will bring. For two decades, Pachamama Alliance has worked in solidarity with the indigenous organizations of Ecuadors South-Central Amazon region to defend their rights and their territorial homes: the Achuar, Shuar, Kichwa, Sapara, and Shiwiar. Over eight million acres of pristine tropical rainforest have been protected from oil development. In late 2013, oil development rights to nearly 100% of this territory were offered at auction to oil companies. The auction attracted very little interest from the oil industry, however at that time Andes Petroleum placed a bid on blocks 79 & 83. The recent signing of a formal contract for these blocks represents a next step in what can be a lengthy oil development process, especially when oil prices are at historic lows. However, in this case the government is clearly attempting to accelerate the process. As you can see from the map below, the areas making up blocks 79 and 83 are home to both Kichwaincluding the community of Sarayaku and Sapara people. There are also two indigenous groups, the Tagaeri and Taromenane, living in voluntary isolation in the area comprising block 83. Ecuadors Constitution declares the territories of such people off-limits to development. Both international and Ecuadorian law recognize that indigenous and tribal peoples have the right to a process of prior, informed consultation about major projects in their territories. The process must be conducted in a culturally appropriate manner and be designed to achieve consent. The Ecuadorian government claims to have properly consulted the Sapara, however, members of the Sapara community, including the Saparas elected leader, Manari Ushigua, assert that this consultation was made with false representatives of the community, not in accordance with the law, and they reject the legitimacy of the process. The Ecuadorian government has conducted a process of dividing the indigenous communities and setting up compliant and non-representative alternative leadership councils. Instead of a culturally appropriate process to achieve consent, the government has created divisions and stirred conflicts in the indigenous communities in violation of rights clearly established by the Inter American Court of Human Rights. Indigenous leaders from the Sapara and from Sarayaku participated at the UN climate conference in Paris. Thus they are fully informed about global commitments to move beyond fossil fuels toward a renewable energy economy and about the global discussions of how important it is to protect rainforests. This knowledge has reinforced their opposition to the governments plans in blocks 79 & 83. To them it is now clearer than ever that oil development should not happen in a pristine tropical rainforest. Its where oil must be left in the ground. On January 28, the leaders of different indigenous nationalities directly affected by the contract between Ecuador and Andes Petroleum held a press conference in Quito to publicly announce their position that the governments process of consultation has been illegal and illegitimate and that they reject the plans for oil exploration and exploitation in blocks 79 and 83 and reject plans for additional oil development in the South-Central region. Pachamama Alliance team members have been on the ground providing support to the indigenous people of the region as they organize to defend their territories. It is vitally important at this time that the indigenous people have support so that they can make their voices heard and their firm opposition known, by Andes Petroleum and the Ecuadorian government, and also by other oil companies that might be considering participating in the next round of bids later this year. Right now the indigenous people need legal support and the ability to travel, and convene and organize quickly throughout their territories. Thanks to our generous donors, we have been able to provide this kind of support in the past and we will be able to continue providing support where it is needed most at this crucial time. With your support our indigenous partners can hold the line to protect their territories. It has worked in the past and it will again. Your donation today will ensure that indigenous federations have the support needed to be able to make informed decisions about protecting their rainforest homes. Donate Now Update: Synopsys Acquires Silicon and Beyond Private Limited to Expand High-Speed SerDes IP Portfolio (March 21, 2018) Bengaluru (India) Feb 10 th 2016 -SilabTech, leading supplier of High Speed Interface intellectual property designs (Ips), announced today that it was awarded with the 2015 IESA Award for the Most Innovative Product for its High Speed Interface (SERDES) Design which is leading the industry in its Low Power figures while enabling customers to use it in wide variety of applications. The award was announced as part of IESA (Indian Electronic and Semiconductor Association) annual summit that had taken place in Bangalore last week. The IESA committee had looked at more than 100 nominees before awarding this prestige prize to SilabTech. Winning the IESA Award is a great recognition for our break-through work on Low Power solutions for High Speed Interfaces. SilabTech is operating in a highly demanding environment where Interface Speed is increasing dramatically at the time where customers are expecting Green solutions with lower power and lower silicon area- this is the toughest segment in Silicon IP, said Sujoy Chakravarty CEO of SilabTech; This industry recognition is announced at the time where we win several high profile projects with Industry leaders that will integrate SilabTech solutions as part of their next generation products. Technovation Awards celebrates excellence and recognize role-models in the electronics and semiconductor ecosystem, as stated by M.N Vidyashankar, President,IESA who further commented that Team SilabTech winning the award in the Product Innovation category shows just how great products can come out of India and are adopted by global players in the semiconductors space SilabTech s, VP Engineering, GK Nayak & VP IP, Ravi Mehta received the IESA Technovation Award from Santosh Kumar, President & MD, TI India & P.K Das, Director, STPI During the IESA summit event, SilabTech had demonstrated its USB 3.0 and 3.1 SERDES IP Cores that support the newest Type C Connector on advance nodes for the PC, Storage and Consumer Electronics markets. SilabTech also demonstrated its solution for the Data Converters market based on the JESD204B SERDES and Controller (1- 12.5Gbps). About SilabTech: SilabTech is a privately held company, headquartered in Bangalore, India with sales offices in US, Europe, Japan and China. The company brings innovative design approaches to the ever increasing challenge of on-board and backplane high speed connectivity. The company is led by a group of senior mixed signal designers with vast experience in building analog and mixed signal IPs and in integrating them at chip level. Among the companys customers are multinational fabless IC companies, system companies and ASIC design houses. SilabTech has taped out multiple SERDES, High Speed ADCs and other analog IP Cores in technologies ranging from 130nm to 28nm in multiple foundries. 13 Facts You Should Know About Pablo Escobar From Narcos! AfricaOnline Ghana is launching its new Radwin Network in Accra, Ghana to provide high speed broadband for its corporate clients. Part of Gondwana International Networks (GIN), the pan-African service provider has further bolstered its offering through iManage, a smart desktop services and management application aimed at drastically reducing high corporate IT budgets. AfricaOnlines Radwin Network offers a symmetrical fixed wireless broadband, which will initially cover greater Accra. The company plans to extend the service to peri-urban areas in the next phase of deployment as well as to cities like Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale where radio connectivity is already present. Kwadwo Ohemeng Asumaning, Managing Director of AfricaOnline Ghana, said that clients can look forward to greater reliability, value for money, scalability, and first-rate customer care, as well as an excellent licensed new network, free from interference from weather and other competing networks. We believe that our long-term presence in Ghana serving major key corporates and SMEs gives us the experience and competencies to better understand the needs of our customers and recommend appropriate solutions to their requirements, said Asumaning. The new AfricaOnline Wireless Network offers a unique avenue for both corporate and SME clients to increase capacity on a high speed reliable symmetrical network. We plan to leverage our existing customers to encourage them to increase capacity, follow up on churned clients who churned due to the instability of the previous unlicensed network, as well as target newly established business looking for reliability through a superior service, concluded Asumaning. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site. by Kathleen Gilbert BEIJING, September 7, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) Escaped Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng is leading international opponents of forced abortion in calling upon the worlds largest company to end compliance with the Chinas one-child policy. Family planning police have targeted employees (569) Sign up below to have the hottest Catholic news delivered to your email daily! Close Sign up below to have the hottest Catholic news delivered to your email daily! Church Militant, we need to band together to protect our religious liberties and win the culture war! I was lost and feeling pretty nervous about it. Nothing looked familiar. I bent over, placing my hands on my knees, huffing and puffing, thinking about how terribly wrong my brisk walk had gone that day. My t-shirt was soaking wet. My husband Kenya and I were new to Pike Creek, Delaware when I chose to get some outdoor exercise on that sunny afternoon. I dont know how I got turned around, but all I saw were trees to my right and private residences to my left along the hilly road. After my brief rest period, I picked up the pace and began jogging. I had already been gone too long and since I left my cellphone at the house, assuming it would be a quick 15-minute workout, I had no way of telling Kenya I was okay. I didnt want him to worry. Panting heavily and wiping sweat from my brow, I resisted the urge to stop. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. A half hour. My heart knocked violently against my chest. My throat and legs burned. I was sure I was about to pass out. But I kept on running. In fact, though I was at the point of tears and nearly delirious, instead of allowing each painful step to halt my progress, I pushed harder. I prayed and ran. Prayed and ran some more. I was on a mission and felt determined not to give up until I reached my destination. Physically exhausted and emotionally drained, I pressed onward. Then, just when I thought I couldnt go any further, something remarkable occurred, unlike anything I had ever experienced. Suddenly, my breathing regulated. My muscles and joints quit aching. Seemingly, out of nowhere, I got this burst of energy. Running felt easy. Thats when I looked up and saw my neighbors house! I was just minutes away from home. I bolted onto our doorstep, pounded on the door, astounded that my breathing wasnt labored. I didnt feel a hint of tiredness. Kenya, who told me he was relieved to learn I was alright after not hearing from me for so long, was also fascinated by what I shared. Though I didnt know what happened to me, he understood. A former cross country runner, Kenya explained that I had gotten whats called a second windsomething distance runners know all about. Its when the body, once too weak and weary to go on, finds the strength to press on with less exertion. For somebody reading this, youre about to get your second wind. You have been feeling tired, discouraged and worn out by lifes trials. The enemy has been saying you wont make it through and you dont have what it takes to endure. But, because you didnt give up and you kept on pressing, youre going to experience a renewal of your strength, peace and joy, and receive a breakthrough. You have been pressing like the woman with the issue of blood did in Luke 8:43-48. Though her constant bleeding for 12 years made her unclean according to the law in Leviticus 15:25-27, she refused to go into hiding and miss her chance to receive healing from the Savior. This woman had had enough. She was bleeding both physically and financially. The treatments shed sought to heal this vaginal hemorrhaging had cost her everything she had. Broke and broken she made her way to Jesus. Weary and worn she pursued Him by pressing her way through the crowd. When she touched the hymn of His garment, Luke 8:44 lets us know that what had been ongoing for more than a decade immediately stopped. In the Greek, that word immediately is parachrema, which means at that moment, right away, or so quickly. What once took so long turned round so quickly! The Lord is shifting things in your favor & He's doing it swiftly! There are some things about which you have cried long enough, prayed for long enough, believed for long enough and dealt with long enough. A shift is taking place. The man Jesus healed at the Pool of Bethesda had been waiting 38 years according to John 5:1-15. He was lying around with many others who were sick, hoping he could jump in the pool when the water was troubled. If he could just be the first one to hop in, he would get his healing. But everyone else seemed to get there before he did. The impotent man had no one to help him. At least not before Jesus showed up on the scene. When the Master stopped by Bethesda, which means "House of Mercy," everything changed. The place where this man had been for almost four decades, feeling stuck and hopeless, became his place of healing. Friend, the Lord is about to show you mercy, grace and favor. He knows you have been in this low place for a long time. Change is coming. Your suddenly shift has been years in the making. Some days it has looked like things would never change, but God was just setting you up to get glory out of your situation. If you simply keep on pressing, you will get your breakthrough. Just dont give up prematurely. While holding onto the ropes of life, dont allow your weariness to convince you to toss your towel into the ring. Breakthrough is coming. Change will happen. To remind you that God is able to do things suddenly, Im stirring Isaiah 48:3 into your cup of inspiration. But first, I want to provide a little context. This verse was spoken by God during a time of judgement against the stubborn and disobedient children of Israel. Im sharing it here, however, as a way of reminding you that, when God says a thinggood or badit will show upsuddenly. Heres the verse in the New American Standard Bible translation: I declared the former things long ago and they went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. As you drink down the contents of your cup, rejoice, because some good things God promised you long ago, are about to show up suddenly. God has sent out a word of deliverance over your life and what He says will manifest. Now let's pray. God, thank You for turning things around for me. It has been a long time coming, but I believe my change has arrived. By faith, I praise You for it. In Jesus' name, Amen. As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you! If you need prayer, don't hesitate to request it. I would be honored to stand in faith with you. I know that prayer works. CLICK HERE to learn how to submit your prayer request. The US vehicle regulators have said that the artificial intelligence system can be considered to be the driver, which is a big step towards getting such vehicles allowed on roads The artificial intelligence system that pilots Googles self-driving car can be considered to be the driver, according to the US vehicle regulators. According to a report by Reuters, this is a very big step towards getting an approval for autonomous vehicles to be allowed on roads. As per the report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) told Google of their decision earlier this month. Google had submitted a proposal for a self-driving car that has no need for a human driver in November last year. The NHTSA said, NHTSA will interpret driver in the context of Googles described motor vehicle design as referring to the (self-driving system), and not to any of the vehicle occupants. It added, We agree with Google its (self-driving car) will not have a driver in the traditional sense that vehicles have had drivers during the last more than one hundred years. If the cars computer is considered to be the driver legally, then it is possible that Google may design vehicle systems which communicate directly with a vehicle's artificial driver. The NHTSA said that the next question is whether and how Google could certify that its self-driving system would meet standards thats developed and designed for vehicles with human drivers. However, state and federal safety rules may be impeding testing and eventual deployment of such vehicles. Reuters report notes that California has proposed draft rules that require steering wheels and a licensed driver in all self-driving cars. Google isn't the only company trying to get autonomous vehicles onto the road as Apple may also be working similar technology. Last month, the CEO of Daimler said that he was surpriced with Apple and Google's progress with their car. Today, Lenovo announced the Yoga 900 and the Yoga Tab 3 Pro for the Indian market. While the Lenovo Yoga 900 is a 2-in-1 hybrid laptop, the Yoga Tab 3 Pro is an Android powered 10 inch tablet. Digit was present at the launch event and here are our initial thoughts on both products. Lenovo Yoga 900 With the Yoga 900 laptop, it seems that Lenovo is still committed to its Yoga series of laptops. Just like the Yoga 3 Pro, the Yoga 900 is all about the looks and design. The Yoga 900 has a premium feel to it and its Champagne Gold colour adds to its upmarket looks. Don't be fooled though, the price of the Yoga 900 also keeps with it's high-end design philosophy. The Yoga 900 will set you back a whopping Rs. 1,22,000. This off-the-charts pricing is what could set Lenovo back when compared to the Rs. 1,52,000 MacBook Pro and the Rs.1,15,999 Asus ZenBook Pro UX501, both with higher specifications. Design There's no doubt that the Yoga 900 looks pretty fancy. The best part about this hybrid's design is its watchband hinge. The watchband hinge is made up of more than 800 individual pieces and helps lock the laptop in various positions such as - tent, laptop, stand and tablet. The watchbands hold on a particular position is quite stiff and makes for easy maneuverability of the device. The keypad is smooth and makes barely any sound while typing. The trackpad on the Yoga 900 is similar to that of the Yoga 3 Pro. It is completely black with a chrome trim encasing it. The division on the trackpad is marked with a subtle red line, also inspired from previous Yoga laptops. Display The Lenovo Yoga 900 has a 13.3 inch display with a 3200x1800 QHD resolution. Lenovo has used an IPS panel for on the hybrid and display is quite vibrant. Colour reproduction is good and images are sharp. Functionality In terms of usage, Lenovo is clearly targeting the power user with the Yoga 900. The laptop-tablet hybrid runs on Intel's latest Core i7 CPU which is a big update over the Core M processor that powered the Yoga 3 Pro. It also has 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD. These specs are more than enough for any home or office user. Navigating multiple windows and desktop apps was also pretty seamless when tried at the launch event. The Yoga 900 houses 4 USB ports out of which one is a USB Type C port. This is definitely enough number of USB ports for a laptop-tablet hybrid. All-in-all the Lenovo Yoga 900 seems like a powerful machine and has a lot to offer. The price is a mood dampener. How the price affects the Yoga 900 in the market is something we will address in our review. Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro The Lenovo Tab 3 pro is 10.1 inch tablet with a 180 degree rotatable stand. You can even hang the tablet on your shower hook for your viewing pleasure. Before you call a water alert, let me tell you that the Tab 3 Pro is splash proof and unless you drown it in a bucket of water, this one is a cool customer. The USP of the Lenovo Tab 3 Pro is its projector though. Let's first start with the design. Design As soon as you pick up the Tab 3 Pro, you know it's designed to look luxurious. The tablet has a strong aluminium body and the back is covered with faux leather, giving it a good grip. The Yoga Tab 3 Pro's rotatable hinge is also made of aluminium and houses the projector on it. This makes it easy to adjust the tablet while projecting the screen on a white wall. It was a smart move by Lenovo to place the projector on top of the rotatable hinge as it provides enough play to project the screen in different angles. The hinge also acts as a stand for the Yoga Tab 3 Pro. So, when you are not using the projector, you can make the tablet stand vertically and use it while reading or working. Projection The projector on the Yoga Tab 3 Pro gives an output of up to 50 lumen and can project an image of up to 70 inches on any wall or ceiling. When I tested the projector at the event, the first thing I realised is that one needs a completely dark room to see the projection clearly. A little light leak fades the projected image, but it performs decently in darkness. The projector works best when the device is placed close to the surface of projection, rather than at a distance. Battery With a QHD display and a an in-house projector, one would think that this device guzzles battery. But, that's not the case, or so says Lenovo. The Tab 3 Pro has a 10,200 mAh battery, which the company claims can last for 18 hours of usage and 49 days on standby. Now that is impressive but obviously up for debate. The Tab 3 Pro also comes with a USB 'On the Go' power bank, allowing users to charge other devices as well. Other Specs The Yoga Tab 3 Pro runs on Android OS v5.1. It has four front facing JBL speakers with Dolby Atmos sound. Unfortunately we could not test the tablet for audio at the event. For connectivity, the Yoga Tab 3 Pro has Bluetooth and WiFi support. The memory of the tablet is expandable up to 128GB, using a micro-SD slot. In terms of camera, the tablet has a 13MP primary camera and a 5MP front facing camera. Priced at Rs. 39,990 the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro is a good tablet option and the projector definitely gives it an edge over other Android tablets. The two camera samples shared by Bin Lin on his Weibo account suggest that the rear camera on the Mi5 will have a good shutter speed and fast autofocus. Earlier today, Xiaomis President Bin Lin shared couple of images taken by the Mi 5 on his Weibo account. While the images look quite good at first glance, we are unable to deduct from the camera samples the specifications of the camera. This is due to the heavy compression on the Chinese social website. Xiaomi is expected to launch its upcoming flagship, the Mi5 smartphone on February 22. Xiaomis Co-Founder and Senior VP, Liwan Jiang has already revealed that the phone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC. Other specification of the phone have been under constant speculation since last year. As mentioned, like every other flagship smartphone which is expected to come out in the near future, the Xiaomi Mi5 is expected to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. Going by all the previous rumours, the phone is expected to feature a 5.2-inch 2K display, 4GB of RAM and 16/64GB storage options. However, a recent GFX benchmark listing paints a different picture. According to that listing the Xiaomi Mi5 will come with a 5.7-inch display and just Full HD resolution. The RAM is 3GB and not 4GB which was expected earlier. The benchmark listing suggests 64GB storage on the phone but a different variant with smaller storage is still expected. The listing however, does not reveal what camera sensors the phone houses which takes us back to the two images shared by Lin Bin. Images show good colours and plenty of details. The image suggests that the camera could capture the flying bird in mid-flight which suggests a faster shutter speed and good autofocus. It is quite likely that the rear camera on the Xiaomi Mi5 will be aided by optical image stabilization as well as laser autofocus. Rumours suggest that the phone will feature a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing camera. Apart from the core specification, the phone is rumoured to sport a glass back and a fingerprint sensor as well. Landore Resources had secured a deal to offload its Root Lake non-core lithium property in north western Ontario, Canada on Wednesday, to dedicated lithium producer Ardiden. The AIM-traded firm said the option agreement was subject to a CAD 50,000 deposit (24,864) on the date of execution. If the option was to be exercised, Ardiden would be required to pay CAD 150,000 to Landore on the competion date. It would also issue CAD 150,000 of ordinary shares to Landore on completion, and grant Landore a 3% net smelter royalty from minerals produced from the Root Lake property. Ardiden would have the option to purchase 50% of the royalty from Landore for a payment of CAD 1m. Root Lake Lithium was considered a non-core asset by Landore, with a book value of nil. In the 2014 financial year there was nil expenditure on the property. "We are pleased to pass on our Root Lake property to a dedicated lithium explorer whilst retaining an interest in the property through shares and a net smelter royalty, leaving Landore to remain focused on the development of its highly prospective Junior Lake property", said CEO Bill Humphries in a statement. The cash consideration to be received by Landore would be applied towards its working capital requirements, Landore confirmed. Pinewood Studios was holding steady on its growth trajectory in the second half of the year, as the company revealed it was undergoing a strategic review that could lead to its sale. The AIM-traded media company said that, since the publication of interim results on 1 December 2015, film revenues had benefited from robust growth in ancillary sales. Pinewood's sound stages were also operating at high utilisation levels, the company confirmed, with Media Hub revenues also performing strongly as a result of high occupancy. The company was continuing to develop its international revenues, with strong growth from its joint venture in Atlanta, Georgia, and Media Investment revenues also growing in the second half of the year. "As we come close to the end of the financial year, the benefits of our long-term strategy for the business are again being realised", said Pinewood chief executive Ivan Dunleavy. "The company continues to experience strong demand for its facilities and services as we look forward to the new financial year," he added. The company said its expectations of performance for the full year were now higher than at the interim results in December, though it did not give any specific numbers. Pinewood confirmed that Phase One of the Pinewood Studios Development Framework was on schedule and on budget for completion in June 2016. The project was adding five new large sound stages and additional facilities, totalling 300,000 square feet. The board of Pinewood also revealed on Wednesday it was undergoing a strategic review of its capital base and structure. It said the firm's shareholder base remained tightly held, even after the 30m placing last April, which was stifling liquidity in the shares and preventing the company from achieving its aim of a main market listing. "We believe Pinewood has the potential to build on the strong performance of the last few years to grow further both in the UK and internationally", said Dunleavy. "The board is now looking to identify the best ways to create the appropriate capital structure to allow the company to realise its goals in the best interests of shareholders," he added. Pinewood's board had appointed Rothschild to assist with the strategic review of the overall capital base and structure, which could include a sale of the company. The UK Takeover Panel granted Pinewood a dispensation from the Takeover Code requirements, so that any interested party would not be required to be publicly identified as a result of Wednesday's announcement, and would not be subject to the 28-day deadline for as long as it was participating in discussions. Japan's Asahi has offered to pay 2.55bn to acquire SABMiller 's Peroni, Grolsch, and Meantime beer brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev to help the merger swerve competition concerns. AB Inbev, which agreed to the takeover of SAB in November, said it had received a binding offer from Asahi Group for the brands and associated businesses in Italy, the Netherlands, UK and internationally, with the exception of the rights in the United States for the Peroni and Grolsch brands. Other European beer giants had been mooted as potential buyers, though Heineken, which has the leading position in most of these markets, would have faced daunting regulatory headwinds had it made a move, with Carlsberg and Turkey's Anadolu Efes felt to be unlikely to make the acquisition due to the effect on their balance sheets. A sale has not yet been agreed until the SAB acquisition clears all regulatory hurdles and closes successfully, but a period of exclusivity has been given to Asahi as the companies begin a consultation on a potential sale of the brands and businesses. As part of the ABI-SAB deal, the European Commission will also now need to clear Asahi as a purchaser of Royal Dutch Grolsch NV, Birra Peroni, Miller Brands UK, the Meantime Brewing Company. "SABMiller has grown Peroni and Grolsch into world-renowned premium brands, and we are confident that, along with fast-growing modern craft brewer Meantime, they will continue to thrive and develop," said SAB chief executive Alan Clark. "These beers will continue to be part of SABMiller and sold and managed by us until the change of control." After shaking hands on the deal, AB InBev said in November it would look at selling a number of SAB Millers premium European brands to satisfy any regulatory concerns that might come out of the takeover, having already agreed to sell its 58% holding in Miller Coors to avoid American regulators. This sale will enable ABI to keep its own major brands, such as Budweiser and Leffe. SAB's third-quarter results in January showed lager volumes up 3% across the group, driven by 7% growth in Latin America, while soft drink volumes frothed 8% higher thanks in part to double digit growth in Africa. Last week, credit agency Moody's said the ABI-SAB merger was unlikely to alter the competitive landscape of the European beer market over the next 12-24 months as it will take time for the combined entity to hit its stride. Moody's said although an ABI-SAB combination would result in significant shifts in market share in the UK, Italy and the Netherlands, ABI plans to sell most of SAB's assets in these countries, and there is "limited overlap" in other European beer markets. The European Commission has approved Staples proposed $6.3bn takeover of office supplies distributor Office Depot , subject to the divestment of some of the latters businesses in Europe. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: "The substantial remedies package offered will ensure that effective competition is maintained, in particular on the EU's international office supplies market. "This will allow European companies to continue to benefit from the Single Market by procuring their office supplies internationally and to reduce costs." Staples has agreed to sell off Office Depots contract distribution business in Europe and its entire business in Sweden. In addition, the companies have decided they will also divest office Depots retail, online and catalogue operations in Europe. The acquisition has now received approval from Australia, New Zealand, China, and Europe and Staples said it looked forward to a full, impartial judicial review in the United States. The merger is the subject of ongoing litigation with the US Federal Trade Commission and the Canadian Competition Bureau. Staples expects to deliver more than $1bn of annualised synergies net of investments to provide increased value to customers by the third full fiscal year post-closing. It argued that the combined company will be better equipped to minimise redundancy, reduce costs and optimise its retail footprint. The UK High Court has ruled against London-listed power generation company Drax and renewable energy firm Infinis Energy, after they urged a review of the governments decision to remove the climate change levy exemption. The companies said the decisions had been made without a reasonable and proportionate notice period. The High Court said that while it recognised in the judgment the merits of bringing the case, it has ruled against Drax and Infinis. Drax said on Wednesday that it will now consider the judgment in detail. Chief executive Dorothy Thompson said: Since their introduction in 2001, CCL exemptions such as Levy Exemption Certificates (LECs) have played a critical role supporting investment in a wide range of renewable technologies. In recognising our right to bring this case, the Court acknowledged that the removal of LECs was sudden and unheralded. However, it concluded that the government had not provided any specific and clear assurances on the continuation of exemptions and accordingly ruled in their favour. In September last year, Drax and Infinis began legal proceedings against the British government, saying it had not given enough notice the climate change tax exemption would be removed. Drax estimated that the removal would cut its core earnings by 30m in 2015 and 60m in 2016. At 1535 GMT, Drax shares were down 0.7% to 227.10p. Supermarket retailer Tesco has bought the remaining stake in coffee chain Harris & Hoole it did not already own. When Tesco picked up a 49% stake in the artisan coffee business three years ago, the deal included an option to buy the rest. A spokesman for Tesco said: We can confirm we have acquired full ownership of Harris & Hoole. We have worked successfully with Harris & Hoole since investing in the business three years ago and will continue to partner with the management board in the future. Tesco bought out founders Andrew, Nick and Laura Tolley, although it did not disclose any financial details of the transaction. For the year ending 1 March 2015, Harris & Hoole which has over 40 outlets, including 29 in Tesco stores posted a pre-tax loss of 25.6m compared to 12.8m the previous year. At 1500 GMT, Tesco shares were up 5.2% to 182.76p. Circleville Pumpkin Show 2022: What you need to know if you plan to go Essie is probably up there as my all time favourite nail polish brand. Theres just so much to choose from, and theyre one of the longest lasting nail colours on my nails, usually nail colours will literally chip by me just looking at them, but Essie always seems to be a little more hardwearing. Over the past few years, Ive been steadily adding to my Essie collection, one here and there, I mean after all they are 8.99 a pop, so yknow cant afford to be too spendy these days. However, I had a little sort out of my collection the other week and thought Id make a post all about my faves so in case youre thinking of having a little treat soon, then Ive got you covered! Also I just have to put in a little side note, but Fiji is also up there in my fave Essies, its just that Ive run out of it and need to get a new bottle soon but if you want an opaque White/pink then that is your ticket! Minimalistic: This is probably my fave Essie polish right now, I bought it in NYC and you can read here why its my fave and probably most special Essie colour. Its a thick baby pink colour, which looks amazing on your nails. I do hate that it doesnt seem to be readily available in the UK which means it doesnt have the thick brush which I do kinda hate, but I can get over it. Please Essie if you read this, can you bring this colour to the UK and Ill be forever in your favour! Blossom Dandy: This was part of the Spring Collection in 2015, and it was top of my list of what to buy when I went to Vegas last May. Its an aqua blue/mint colour which is one of my faves for Spring/Summer. It also will now be one of my special colours as this was the exact nail polish I was wearing when Henry proposed back in August! Cocktail Bling: I love this cool toned blue grey, I think its a little different to many other colours I own. Its quite sophisticated, and is nice with a silver glitter in the Christmas/winter time. Im pretty sure its part of the main collection, and it doesnt really look much in the bottle, but its definitely one of my favourite winter Essie colours. Muchi Muchi : Oh look another pale baby pink! What a surprise eh? I like this one as its a slightly more sheer, and gives you a really nice manicured finish to your nails. Its got a wide brush which I always find makes painting your nails a bit easier, its also not as thick as Fiji so its a bit easier to apply, you could apply one coat to just have a swash of colour, or build it up to two or three coats for a more opaque colour. Summit Of Style: This is up there as one of my new fave glitter colours, its a bronze chunky glitter which i got from Fragrance Direct for the bargainious 2.99. I basically wore it throughout the whole of December, and even now I think you can wear it all year round cause its THAT pretty. Totally worth the ball ache of taking it of with nail polish remover. It looks so good with white nail polish, just a little tip for you there! Mint Apple Candy: I had to include this colour as it was the first Essie I ever bought, its very similar to Blossom Dandy but not as bright, MCA is a little more pastel-y. This is probably one of the most cult Essie colours so it should always be within the core line up, its absolutely perfect for Spring time, and looks amazing with a tan! Looking back, these faves are all very similar so I must apologise for that, butttt hear me out when these are my favourites and without sounding too silly, I do love them for separate reasons even though some of them are almost twinning. Other favourites are Absolutely Shore (very hard to get hold of though ) & Wicked (perf for October/November time) Essies I want to add to my collection; Blanc Brides To Be Sand Tropez Whats your fave essie polish? Los Angeles firm buys Weyerhaeuser's Federal Way headquarters for $70.5M Industrial Realty Group of Los Angeles said it has purchased Weyerhaeuser's Federal Way campus. Property records show IRG paid $70.5 million for the 425-acre campus, which has 810,717 square feet of office, lab and industrial space. IRG will lease the five-story Corporate Headquarters Building back to Weyerhaeuser until it completes its move from Federal Way to Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood. Weyerhaeuser also signed a 10-year lease with the new owner for space in the Technology Center Building. Stuart Lichter, president of IRG, said in a press release the campus has traditionally accommodated a single company, but leasing will determine whether that remains the case in the future. He said many businesses would not consider a campus like Weyerhaeuser's because it is too expensive to build and maintain. But IRG said it gives tenants access to a unique environment without a lot of the costs. IRG Chief Executive Officer John Mase said IRG hasn't set rents yet for the office space, but typically IRG charges about 25 to 50 percent less than a brand new building. IRG said it is nationally recognized for redeveloping commercial and industrial real estate, including large campuses like Weyerhaeuser's. It operates a portfolio of more than 120 properties in 28 states totaling 100 million square feet of space. Mase said the Weyerhaeuser campus won't require a lot of redevelopment work. He said there may be some development of outlying parcels, but much of the outdoor space will be preserved, and the Headquarters and Technology buildings will remain mostly intact. Mase said IRG could sell off some of the parcels for development, or develop the land itself. IRG has spoken with the Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell, and it is starting to put together its project team and office brokers. To the strains of Frank Sinatras I Did It My Way, the remains of Jim White, hotelier and former TD, were brought into St. Annes Church of Ireland, Ballyshannon, on Friday afternoon for a service of thanksgiving. To the strains of Frank Sinatras I Did It My Way, the remains of Jim White, hotelier and former TD, were brought into St. Annes Church of Ireland, Ballyshannon, on Friday afternoon for a service of thanksgiving. By Michael Daly, Editor The church was packed to the capacity, among the attendance, An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD and Col. Brendan McAndrew, representing President Michael D. Higgins. Earlier Mr Whites remains had been transferred to a two horse drawn carriage following the journey from Donegal town where he had been waked for two days. Throughout the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of James Mitchell White, there were moments of both levity and sadness. At times poignant, hymns from the congregation and solos sung by Ms Farah Bogle mingled with well chosen words, not least from Presbyterian Minister, Rev. Alan Mitchell, Sligo. Earlier, in his address to mourners, Methodist Minister, the Rev. Ian D. Henderson, Donegal town, told mourners it was ironic but appropriate that Mr White, a Presbyterian, was being buried in a Church of Ireland Church with a Methodist Minister officiating. He said Mr White supported all the churches and loved nothing better than to sing in church. His son, Marcus, delivering a twenty minute plus reflection, said he would do so without notes as he wanted to speak from the heart. Wearing a brightly coloured shirt, he explained his attire. Daddy, (Im over 50 but he will always be Daddy to me), told me not to wear black today, so Im honouring his wish, he said. In what was a memorable and quite unique reflection, Marcus related a series of stories to explain the person he felt his father was. In his words and gestures, in his turn of phrase as he spoke Marcus brought back memories of his late father. It was uncanny. He said his father loved to make money but wasnt materialistic, adding: He loved a bargain. When he concluded the congregation responded with a round of applause. Mr White, who was waked at the Abbey Hotel, where thousands paid their respects, was earlier in the day given a memorable send off from Donegal town with huge numbers of people coming on to the Diamond to bade a final fond farewell as his remains were brought by hearse from there to his native Ballyshannon. Just outside Ballyshannon the remains were transferred from a hearse to a horse drawn carriage in deference to Mr Whites ability with and love for horses. As the horse drawn carriage made its way up the Cloughan, onto Bishop Street and through the town before turning on the Diamond to Main Street and the entrance to St Annes, it was flanked by Fine Gael party colleagues, including Deputies John Perry, Dinny McGinley and recently appointed Minister Joe McHugh, all part of a guard of honour of Fine Gael party members. Paddy Harte Junior, Raphoe, was there also, representing his father, Paddy Snr, a life long friend and colleague of Mr White, who was unable to attend the service. In Ballyshannon hundreds lined the streets and businesses closed their doors as a mark of respect as the funeral cortege made its way through the town where he had been born on January 2nd, 1938. Following the Service, as a light misty rain began to fall gently, the burial took place in the adjoining graveyard at St. Annes Church which overlooks Ballyshannon. May he rest in peace. For further coverage please see our Monday Donegal Democrat and Donegal Peoples Press. dpa ElectionsData With dpa ElectionsData you get access to a unique collection of data. Via a programming interface (Rest-API), your developers can access detailed information, candidate profiles and live results for all national elections in the European Union and important international elections, like the US Midterm elections etc. The data pool also includes all heads of state and government as well as about 20,000 elected members of parliament throughout the EU. In addition to their data (name, party, constituency or list position), we collect social media profiles and official websites of individuals and parties. A Dundalk coffee enthusiast has launched a campaign to bring late night coffee to the town. But Ross Burlingham from Mount Avenue Dundalk is not just doing this because he a fan of the popular caffeinated drink, he believes having an alternative social outlet to the pub can play a key part in tackling mental health issues. There's no real alternative to the pub and alcohol in Dundalk. But that doesn't have to be the case, and late night coffee has been proven to work in other towns. Ross started thinking about the idea after watching an episode of Claire Byrne Live, and on the back of that launched a Facebook page - Dundalk Late Night Coffee Shop Campaign. We already have 453 following the page, which shows that there is an appetite for a late night coffee shop. It would give people the opportunity to socialize without alcohol. Don't get me wrong, what the pubs and bars to is great, but it would be nice to have an alternative. At the moment in terms of nightlife you have either Ridleys or Brubakers late at night. The option of having a late night coffee shop wouldn't detract from that, and if anything it would create a buzz to see a busy shop on Park Street or elsewhere. And there's an example of the model working in a neighbouring town. Grounded - a late night coffee shop in Newry on the quays - is doing very well and they're very busy most nights. Ross has spoken to a number of coffee shop owners and many are open to the idea. In fact Coffee Time on Park Street was opened until 11pm last Friday and Saturday. Owner of Panama Coffee Stephen Egan said he definitely supports the concept and is looking at the viability of a late night opening. Ross believes having a non-alcoholic arena in which to socialise could also help people suffering with mental health issues to. People can get out of the house for a bit each week and not feel excluded from the social life of the town. That has to be a good thing. Foods of fall: Sweet potatoes There are many great foods that we enjoy in the fall. Apples, leafy greens, and of course, one of my favorites, sweet potatoes. Best known... Planning for Santas visit Here at the Early County Museum, weve jotted down our wish list for Santa, and we all wished for the same thing snow! We... A visit to Lake Kolomoki Ranger Lauren Bryant couldnt help but notice young Khalil's casting skills while making rounds Saturday morning. When visiting from Atlanta his grandparents say this is... Fall weather brings unwanted guests We welcome the cooler temperatures of fall, but the unwanted house guests that often appear are not so welcomed. Insects including roaches and other types... The U.S. government has authorized an information technology contract with a potential value of US$503 million that is designed to meet newly adopted goals for greatly improving IT acquisition. TheGeneral Services Administration, which issued the contract for software and cloud-related services, described the acquisition approach as a first-of-its-kind initiative. A distinct feature of the contract vehicle is that it focuses exclusively on the specific IT resources of a single provider Salesforce. Another significant element of the contract is that it includes a set of generally applicable federal acquisition improvements and quality standards. These elements meet government objectives for compliance with the Federal Information Technology Reform Act, which was enacted in late 2014 and is gradually being implemented by federal agencies. GSA selected six vendors to participate in the contract: Accenture, Acumen, Capgemini, Deloitte, Phase One and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Acumen is the leader of a team that also includes Excella Consulting and Carahsoft. Those contractors will be called upon to assist federal agencies with efficiently acquiring and implementing Salesforce offerings and meeting standardized quality and performance metrics. The contract vehicle combines Salesforce technical development, operations and maintenance, and implementation strategy requirements into a single procurement vehicle that numerous federal agencies can use, GSA said. Without the mechanism, federal agencies did not have access to a streamlined, strategic-sourcing vehicle for Salesforce professional services, which meant many agencies were awarding their own standalone contracts, the agency said. The contract provides an opportunity to improve the governments business practices by setting standards for Salesforce development, addressing contract duplication issues, and helping the government save money, GSA said. Why Focus on Salesforce? The selection of Salesforce as a focal point for the contract vehicle was the result of two elements. The first was a bottoms-up initiative. Agencies were alerting GSA that they needed help implementing Salesforce offerings for both technical and expense control reasons. Agency IT personnel were wildly raising their hands and that got GSAs attention, Mary Davie, assistant commissioner for the integrated technology services at theFederal Acquisition Service, a unit within GSA, said at a press briefing. GSA, in fact, had set up a special Salesforce users forum and application exchange for federal agencies called GSA Labs. The second element was a top-down approach by GSA. As a major factor in federal acquisition activities, GSA routinely monitors agencies to see where large chunks of federal dollars are spent in order to determine where possible economies of scale can be used for procurements. The discovery that Salesforce software and cloud capabilities showed up as a significant area of activity, with nearly 17,000 federal users, fit in with GSAs objectives. Federal agencies were using the Salesforce platform broadly but in an uncoordinated and decentralized manner, one government official noted at the press briefing. Also, some implementation vendors, including those who were inexperienced with the technology, presented quality-assurance problems, so the lack of performance standards became an issue. These factors led to dubious results, the official said, and helped spur GSAs initiative. The framework for the acquisition vehicle is a Blanket Purchase Agreement, or BPA, under which the six vendors will be eligible to obtain individual task-order contract awards from agencies across the government. The contract has a term of five years and was awarded through GSAs current listing of IT vendors known as Schedule 70. The awardees are enterprise-level Salesforce operations partners that have proven their ability to manage implementations and integrations in complex, multiorganizational cloud ecosystems, GSA said. The contract contains a detailed tiered-pricing structure to facilitate discounts. Savings also can be achieved through the reuse and sharing of relevant code across the government. The sharing element has become a standard objective in federal IT procurement to significantly reduce expenses through a build once, use many times philosophy, Davie noted. With so many common, repeatable agency support functions and processes, our goal is for agencies to stop reinventing the wheel every time they have a Salesforce-based IT need, she said. The BPA contract will enable the reuse and sharing of hundreds of applications and public-facing portals supporting multiple users, GSA said. Under the BPA, the cooperative use of code and applications will be implemented through GSA Labs. Agencies can potentially save between 50 and 80 percent on application development costs by using the code and configuration hosted on GSA Labs. For example, if an application costs $500,000 to build from scratch, agencies could save between $250,000 and $400,000 by leveraging existing applications or code snippets shared on GSA Labs, said Anne Rung, U.S. chief acquisition officer. Vendors Welcome GSA Initiative Just how the GSA initiative will affect the competitive standing of Salesforce in the federal market is yet to be determined, but the company indicated a positive outcome. Were seeing incredible momentum for Salesforce in the government space as agencies seek to connect with citizens in entirely new ways, said Dave Rey, executive vice president, public sector, at Salesforce. We can help agencies transform digitally, run their organizations from their phones, and create one-to-one journeys for constituents all on our trusted cloud. Thats what makes this GSA contract so exciting. Were thrilled that this contract will help accelerate digital transformation in government, he told the E-Commerce Times. The contract signifies the federal governments acceptance of the Salesforce Platform as a Service capability, according toPhase One, one of the vendors GSA selected. Nothing in the last 20 years holds the same transformative promise of Platform as a Service. It is cheaper, it is more secure, and it allows agencies to change more quickly than ever before, said Jerad Speigel, CEO at Phase One. This is monumental as it makes cloud application procurement mainstream something that was seen a few short years ago as radical within the federal marketplace, said Dan Helfrich, a principal and federal practice leader atDeloitte, another member of the GSA contractor group. The GSA blanket contract for Salesforce is one example of how the federal government is learning from commercial industries taking best practices and innovation to better run the business of government, he told the E-Commerce Times. Much like we have been seeing with our commercial clients, we are encouraged by and expect to see more disrupters that will transform not only the underlying technology that serves the government, but also the fundamental way our government serves its citizens. Salesforce is one of a number of excellent technology enablers to make this happen, Helfrich said. GSA is planning to develop similar targeted IT acquisition vehicles in the future, perhaps two per year. Inasmuch as other vendors such as Microsoft and SAP also compete in this space, GSA might at least consider vehicles for those providers. It would depend on agency interest and use, the Federal Acquisition Services Davie said in response to a query from the E-Commerce Times at the briefing. GSA developed the Salesforce Implementation, Integration and Support Services contract in partnership with the Federal Acquisition Service and several IT specialists at federal agencies. This new solution brings together the best of the administrations efforts to drive category management and increase innovation in the delivery of IT, said Rung, the chief acquisition officer. By driving agencies to these BPAs, we will be able to leverage industrys agile talent while ensuring that we deliver the best value for the American taxpayer. Vaio on Wednesday announced Phone Biz, a Windows 10 mobile phone. The device doesnt have a SIM, leaving users free to select their own carriers. The Phone Biz lets users easily access corporate apps, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Exchange, as well as the Azure cloud, according to Vaio. The OS is synced with the latest version of Windows 10. Users can manage settings from the same Microsoft account as their PCs. The Phone Biz incorporates Microsofts Continuum feature, which lets users connect phones to TVs or monitors, if they want to work on a larger screen. The Phone Biz supports single sign-on and connection speeds of up to 225 Mbps. The position and size of tiles are customizable, and the phone comes with the Cortana digital assistant. The phone can use encryption or a virtual private network. It includes built-in GPS and supports remote data erase and remote locking. Admins can change users access to apps and data remotely. The Phone Biz will be available on NTT DoCoMos network. It reportedly will begin selling in Japan in April for about US$430. More About the Phone Biz The Phone Biz has an aluminum body and a full high-definition tempered glass screen. It has a microUSB 2.0 port, said Vaio. Four versions will be available. Two use eight-core 1.5-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processors. One of them has a 5.5-inch 10801920 screen and the other a 5-inch 7201280 screen. The other two are 5-inch devices with 7201280 screens. One has a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and the other a 1.1 GHz quad-core processor. RAM ranges from 1 GB to 3 GB, and internal storage from 8 GB to 16 GB. Rear cameras are 8 MP or 13 MP, depending on the model, and front cameras range from 1 to 5 MP. None of the features is particularly outstanding, said Mike Jude, a program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan. However, the Continuum capability that allows the phone to serve as a platform or CPU for a desktop makes the Vaio phone better suited for business use than personal use, he told TechNewsWorld. With Sony, its all about design, so this phone is incredibly good-looking, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. Sony has a minority stake in Vaio, which it spun off in 2014. Alternative platforms often work far better in Asia than they do in the U.S., Enderle told TechNewsWorld. The Asia-Pacific region as a whole is more accepting of diversity, making it a far better geography to launch a phone like this. Fighting an Uphill Battle Worldwide smartphone shipments hit a record in Q4 2015, totaling nearly 400 million units, IDC reported. That is nearly 6 percent higher than the same quarter in 2014. As a whole, 2015 was a record year for phone shipments. However, the Windows Phone OS share of the market has been hovering around 2 percent since March, according toNetmarketshare. That hasnt deterred Microsoft, which last fall announced that several Japanese companies would be making Windows 10 phones. That said, Windows Phone never really caught on that much, because its highly dependent on a very good network connection, said Frosts Jude. With active tiles, you need a reliable data connection and, if youre roaming, that might be hard to come by. The current push in Japan indicates Microsoft is fighting for a beachhead and have found Asia a far better geography to get one, Enderle said. Microsoft isnt giving up on mobile as theSwiftKey purchase clearly showcases, he noted. Its looking for a geography to take back and use as a springboard to once again become relevant in this space. The rise of autonomous war machines is outpacing policies and technological countermeasures, weapons and robotics experts warned last week at theWorld Economic Forum. Autonomous weaponry potentially is a US$20 billion industry that has taken root in 40 countries, saidBAE Systems Chairman Roger Carr. He was one of four panelists at the session titled What If: Robots Go to War? The other panelists were Angela Kane, senior fellow at theVienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation; robot ethics expert Alan Winfield; and Stuart Russell, a computer science professor atUC Berkeley. Lethal autonomous robotics, or LARs, have no emotion or sense of mercy, Carr said. The panel stressed the need for human operators to oversee LARs, which cant fully comply with laws limiting all-out war. The next 18 months or so will be critical, warned Kane, because some actors will use the technology irresponsibly and possibly even maliciously. The First Autonomous Weapon Whilekiller robots very well may be an existential threat to humanity, autonomous weapons already have been used on a large scale. The U.S. is believed to be the first country to have launched an autonomous weapon, according to Richard Stiennon, chief research analystIT-Harvest. That weaponized artificial intelligence, Stuxnet, was designed to take down power plants and other large-scale industrial sites. The only reason we havent seen this yet in the private cybercrimes space is that traditional attacks, such as spearfishing and man in the middle, are a lot less expensive and take a lot less work, he told TechNewsWorld. States actively researching or testing autonomous weapons include China, Israel, Russia, South Korea, the UK and the U.S., according to theCampaign to Stop Killer Robots. Nation-State Involvement The sophistication of cyberattacks seems to be moving at warp speeds, said Brian Arellanes, CEO ofITSourceTek. One of the things weve realized, in sitting on different panels and engaging the community, is that there are nation-states that are heavily funding these hacker organizations, he told TechNewsWorld. So its not just one individual operating as a lone wolf anymore, though there remains that threat. Nation-states increasingly have been turning to hacker collectives to wage war and play spy games. Its becoming a much more complex landscape, so it makes it harder, especially for private sector companies, to fight these cyberterrorists, said Arellanes. Its imperative to highlight the potential for bad actors to hack and control LARs and other military equipment. I cant help but think of William Gibsons novel Neuromancer where he described all of this in graphic detail, IT-Harvests Stiennon said. its quite amazing that someone who is not a technologist has the imagination to see this coming. T-Mobiles 700-MHz rollout has given its mobile users some of the fastest data speeds in the U.S. market, according to a report OpenSignal released Tuesday. OpenSignal crowdsources data on carrier signal quality from users who have its consumer mobile application installed. T-Mobile has the fastest 4G LTE download speeds in the country, overtaking Verizon by a slight edge. Its expanded LTE coverage is almost identical to AT&Ts coverage and is closing the gap with Verizons coverage, according to the State of Mobile Networks: USA report, which was based on speed tests conducted from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. We think the story around the OpenSignal report is just as much about our LTE coverage gains, if not more so, as our being able to remain Americas fastest 4G LTE network, said Viet Nguyen, senior communications manager for corporate communications at T-Mobile. T-Mobile doubled its LTE footprint last year, adding nearly 1 million square miles of LTE and covering nearly 97 percent of Verizons customers, he told TechNewsWorld. Speed Slowed by Throttling How fast a carriers data flows may be less important to consumers than how it doles out that speed. Coverage area also may trump speed for customers. Being identified as the fastest mobile data provider can be a big win for any company, especially if proven by a neutral third party, said John Turner, CEO ofUsersThink. The problem is, as it is easy to fact check these types of things, many, many more people would be hesitant to fully believe these claims if it was shown that a company like T-Mobile was actually throttling its data in a violation of net neutrality, he told TechNewsWorld, referring to areport from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The sad efforts of a certainCEO to dismiss the EFF does little to improve the public image of the company, no matter what other awards or tests it may win, Turner added. While data speed is important, what counts more for many mobile users is where they can get a signal, suggested Alex Merkulov, CEO of8th Sphere. I think most consumers care about network speed, but many care more about coverage area as well as signal strength and stability, he told TechNewsWorld. For people who live behind thick stone walls in NYC or people who travel outside densely populated areas, Verizon should still remain the provider of choice. Just because customers get a fast download speed in one corner of an apartment does not mean they are getting a great mobile networking experience overall, Merkulov said. Digging In to the Data T-Mobile is meeting its goal of having more LTE coverage across the country, according to OpenSignal. T-Mobile users got LTE 81.23 percent of the time. However, it was third behind Verizons 86.73 percent and AT&Ts 82.63 percent. 4G download speeds for T-Mobile and Verizon averaged about 12 Mbps nationally, with T-Mobile edging out Verizon in a speed comparison in the 11 largest U.S. cities. T-Mobile had the fastest 3G voice calls and the fastest 3G download speeds at 3.48 Mbps, OpenSignal found. AT&T and Sprint showed much slower results, but all four major operators gained ground on their coverage footprints in the last quarter. Numbers Count Any time a challenger like T-Mobile or Sprint receives recognition from an independent, well-respected third-party source like OpenSignal, it is significant, according to Rob Chamberlin, chief revenue officer atDataXoom. Its used not only in consumer-based advertising, but also by carrier B2B teams. T-Mobile has a rather low penetration rate in midmarket and enterprise relative to all of the other carriers, particularly Verizon and AT&T, so this might entice a business to more seriously consider T-Mobile as an option, he told TechNewsWorld. Network speeds become more relevant to consumers and businesses as more mobile applications utilize video. Business apps like wearables are video-centric and require fast network speeds to work effectively. Network speeds are most noticeable and important when bandwidth-heavy apps are used, Chamberlin said. Other Perspectives OpenSignals speed test results differ considerably fromother accounts, according to Sprint, although its not clear what criteria those tests used. OpenSignal also draws a comparison between the slower speeds of even the fastest U.S. networks and networks in other countries. Countries with newer LTE networks have bigger spectrum blocks, OpenSignal concludes. The U.S. networks carry more users, however. 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Reports have suggested that shooting for the film starts in April 15 in two locations, New Zealand and Manhattan Beach, California. Lead star Sam Worthington, who will reprise his role as Jake Sully, is joined by his love interest Neytiri, played by actress Zoe Saldana in the trilogy. Actress Sigourney Weaver whose character, Dr. Grace Agustine, died in the previous movie will be back to play a yet unknown character. The actress revealed in The Jonathan Ross Show, "I don't play the same character." However, in another interview with Coming Soon, the actress said "Jim [Cameron] says no one dies in science fiction. He's told me the stories for the next two movies and I have to say that they're absolutely wonderful and there's a real treat in store." At a press event back in 2010, creator-director James Cameron's teased Weaver's fate, saying, "Who said she died? Nobody dies in a science fiction movie." Cameron is known to be a perfectionist, and though no one in the production has confirmed that his attention to detail could be causing production delays, 20th Century Fox CEO Jim Gianopulos may have hinted at it at a conference in New York. Variety shares that Gianopulos had visited Cameron's office in New Zealand and said, "It's a room which is covered floor to ceiling with images, characters, worlds, settings It's the most amazing, breathtaking thing you've ever seen. His challenge is to put all of that in a movie." The first "Avatar" movie also went through multiple delays before it was finally shot and eventually shown. The three part sequel will be shot simultaneously and shown one year apart each other. No release date has been announced yet. (Photo: REUTERS / Asmaa Waguih)A Coptic Christian clergyman conducts a feet washing ceremony on Holy Thursday at a church in central Cairo April 17, 2014. More than two years after Coptic Christians in Egypt faced a wave of attacks from Islamist extremists during the one year tenure of President Mohamed Morsi, his ousters are pledging to carry out promises to repair damaged property. Coptic Christians in Egypt faced waves of attacks in the north of the country in August 2013 after pro-Morsi sit-ins were broken up. Egypt President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi apologized for not finishing the reconstruction work of Christian properties damaged following Morsi's ouster in 2013, the Assyrian International News Agency reported Feb. 7. While visiting Cairo's St. Mark Cathedral on the Coptic Christmas Eve in January, El-Sisi apologized to the country's Christians over the delay in the completion of renovations, which he says will be done by the end of 2016. El-Sisi was hailed by many Christians as a savior when he seized power in 2013 after the repression they suffered under the Muslim Brotherhood-backed rule of Morsi. But he has faced criticism for autocratic rule, extravagant spending and failing to carry out many of his promised reforms. Safwat El-Bayadi, the former head of Egypt's Evangelical Church and a member of the Family House, a liaison body between Sunni Mulsim and Christians spoke to the Egyptian newspaper Ahram Online, He said, "Unfortunately, we only received 9 million Egyptian pounds and $8,000 since the initiative started, which is a very small amount of money in relation to the damages." Restoration work sponsored by the Armed Forces will cost some 200 million Egyptian pounds ($25.5 million). "I appreciate so much the president's promise to continue the restoration process this year," said Bishop Macarius of Minya in a phone call with Ahram Online. "I appreciate so much the president's promise to continue the restoration process this year," said Bishop Macarius of Minya in a phone call with Ahram Online. He also thanked "the Armed Forces for their effort in renovating the churches to return them to the way they were before the attacks, or even better." At the same time he thanked, "the efforts of the Muslims who protected churches from attacks and provided refuge for their Christian neighbours to save their lives." He noted that Aug. 14, 2013 marked the worst attacks in the church's modern history, "as all Christian lives were threatened." "They lost their properties in seconds, but thank God despite all the sectarian incidents and discrimination, Christianity in Egypt not only remains, but flourishes." Although Christians only make up roughly 10 percent of the Egypt's 90 million people, many Islamists blamed Copts for the massive, nationwide protests that preceded Morsi's ouster on July 3, 2013. The attacks following the dispersal of two pro-Morsi sit-ins targeted churches and Christian religious institutions, as well as Coptic-owned properties including six Christian schools, 60 houses, 85 shops, three hotels and 80 vehicles. A number of Christians were also killed in the attacks. The churches being renovated were attacked in August 2013 on the day of the dispersals of pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo, and were followed by sectarian attacks against Christians in Upper Egypt, where the Coptic population is relatively large. El-Sisi was defence minister at the time and had announced that the Armed Forces would pay the costs of renovating and rebuilding all churches damaged in the attacks, which lasted over 12 hours. The Coptic rights group Maspero Youth Union (MYU) said supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the group to which Morsi belongs, destroyed and set fire to around 65 Churches. Some these churches, according to the report, dated as far back as the fourth century. Many states rely too heavily on standardized testing, open their doors too easily to charters and other school choice options, and fall short in adequately paying and supporting their professional teaching force, according to a stinging new report from the Network for Public Education, a group led by the education historian and policy activist Diane Ravitch. The report, titled Valuing Public Education: A 50-State Report Card, rates the states and the nation on an A-to-F scale in a half-dozen categories and overall, based on the groups policy positions in areas such as teacher evaluation and compensation, testing, and the financial support of traditional public schools. The current policy framework that pushes for more testing and privatization has failed, Ravitch, the co-founder and president of the group, said at a press conference at the National Press Club last week. Its insanity. Lets try some common sense for a change. In its report card, the organization gave the nation as a whole a grade of D in every category except for the one on resistance to high-stakes testing, where it was awarded a C. Thirty-seven states, in addition to the District of Columbia, scored an overall grade of a D or F, and 13 received a C, the highest overall grade awarded. (Some states received higher gradesincluding some Asin particular categories.) Among the specific factors that figured into those scores: A rejection of high-stakes testing for student graduation, promotion, and teacher evaluations; The degree of resistance to privatization, including tighter restrictions on charter schools and rejection of parent-trigger laws and vouchers; Measures aimed at gauging equity in school funding, as well as household income and employment, and school integration; A wide range of teacher-related factors, including salary measures, a commitment to teacher experience, and rejection of merit pay; and How well taxpayer money is used, as measured by markers such as lower class sizes, pre-K and full-day kindergarten, and rejection of virtual schools. Serving as a Counterweight The Network for Public Education was launched in 2013 as a counterweight to what its members saw as a barrage of attacks on teachers and regular public schools after the release of the documentary Waiting for Superman in 2010. Among other things, the NPE opposes high-stakes testing, what it terms the privatization of public education, for-profit management of schools, and policies that it sees as contributing to a lack of support and respect for teachers. Instead, the group advocates for racially integrated schools, funding of social services, and replacing annual bell-curve tests with periodic sample tests such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP. Accountability systems should target those at the top, such as administrators, rather than those at the bottom, such as teachers, Ravitch said at the reports rollout event. The organization concedes in its report that it set a high bar in rating the states on its policy priorities. It gives an overall failing grade to eight states: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Texas. But the report also notes what it called some bright spots. It specifically cited Alabama, Montana, and Nebraska for rejecting high-stakes testing and what it calls privatization. And Alabama, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and West Virginia all received As in the resistance to privatization category. There are no silver bullets in education, Carol Burris, the executive director of the organization, said at the news conference. Turning schools around takes hard work, and it happens incrementally over time. The NPE report card was modeled after national report cards issued by groups such as StudentsFirst and the American Legislative Exchange Council, which advocate for more charter schools and student choice, among other priorities. Inez Feltscher, the director of the ALEC task force on education and workforce development, said charters and other school choice programs have proved to be effective. Giving parents the flexibility to place their children in the learning environment that works best without undue regulatory interference from state bureaucrats is a win for students, not a reason to give a state a lower grade, she said. For 14 years, I taught in schools with students from low-income households. It was a source of great professional fulfillment for me. I witnessed daily triumphs and joys that more than offset the particular difficulties in working with economically deprived children. On the day the district presented me with its Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching, a colleague approached me, pointed to the award, and suggested that now I could finally get out of this low-income school. I think he meant I could get a job at a middle- or high-income school since I had an award to my name. Often the public, and even educators, view working with economically stressed children as something that lesser teachers do. Theres a perception that the really good teachers work in schools that cater to students from wealthy families. Working with children who live in poverty requires some special skillsskills that took me years to develop. I watched beginner teachers come into my low-socioeconomic-status, or SES, school and flame out because they lacked management skills. Teaching is a tough job. Nationwide, roughly 40 percent of new teachers quit within the first five years. This rate is 50 percent higher at schools in low-income communities. I saw successful, experienced teachers transfer into my low-SES school and fail because they didnt have the specialized skills they needed to work with economically stressed students. Teaching these kids and working with their parents does not come naturally for many teachers. Ive also witnessed high-poverty schools become the laboratory for training new principals. To move up the chain, these neophyte principals feel pressure to play along with more experienced administrators who might request the transfer of one of their struggling teachers to a low-income school. This doesnt happen often, but the impact of a low-skilled teacher on a fragile population of children can be devastating. New principals typically lack the training and experience to follow the prescribed steps to improve the weak teachers or fire them. Studies show that experienced teachers are far more effective than newer teachers. So when an experienced teacher leaves a low-SES school, the loss in experience and leadership places an additional burden on the remaining staff. Since teacher turnover causes the most harm in schools with large populations of disadvantaged students, our kids struggle to overcome the effects of both poverty and an unstable, rookie teaching staff. Often the public, and even educators, view working with economically stressed children as something that lesser teachers do. Top professional educators working in low-income schools must often face the scorn of politicians and pundits who label their low-SES schools as failing. It is clear to me that people who use this appellation dont truly understand why these students lag behind their middle-class or privileged peers. My students lived with poverty-related stress that impaired cognitive and emotional functioning, and they struggled with learning disabilities at a higher rate than other populations. When immigrants moved into the area, the most affordable housing was near our low-SES school. As a result, we often had English-language learners, many of whom had never been in a classroom before. And yet, what we were able to accomplish with these students struck me as bordering on miraculous. But these kids still scored low on standardized tests. And, predictably, to many observers, low scores meant we were a failing school. Trying to shame the teachers who work with economically deprived learners into closing the achievement gap only motivates the successful teachers to work somewhere else. And thats exactly what happens. Whos left to teach these students? What if teachers in low-SES schools were specifically trained to work with children who live in poverty? What if the teachers had a special add-on credential that said to the world, Im a highly trained specialist working with the kids I choose to teach? The teachers in high-poverty neighborhoods could show that they are there not because they are inexperienced, transferred against their will, or because there was nothing better available. Those teachers are there because they want to make a difference in the lives of these kids. Its their area of expertise. Part of the training for this specialization would need to include working with experienced teachers and university-based educators who have studied and developed curriculum for this specialization. A casual review of teacher-training courses in my home state of Oregon revealed that none specifically addresses the teaching techniques and special needs of underresourced learners. If the credential existed, its safe to assume that such courses would be created: Colleges would need to get classes up and running for teachers to acquire this new credential. It would stimulate research into special methods and skills necessary to be successful in the low-SES classroom. And me? What happened to my commitment to these precious underresourced learners? Maybe, like a tiny pebble in my shoe, I finally started to notice their needs were wearing at my enthusiasm for teaching. Had I received more support, I would likely have stayed where I was. Instead, I needed a change. After grappling with my flagging enthusiasm and arduous commute, I finally applied for a position at a high-SES school closer to my home. When the test results came in showing my new school as highly effective, the principal attributed it to the hard work and talent of the teachers on staff. I was the same teacher at both schools, but was suddenly valued differently. Many of my former colleagues are still toiling in the dark, without any praise or recognition. And I still feel guilty about leaving them behind. But faced with many professional challenges, including those of the struggling colleagues I tried to help, the job became impossible for me. We need to elevate our respect and the skills for teachers at high-poverty schools. Training and support for an add-on credential could go far to contribute to the stability and quality of the teachers who serve our most fragile students. It is time to recognize and reward these educators for their hard work, so we can stop them from walking out the door. I dont want my story to become theirs. Concord, USA, Feb 10 (EFE).- Former United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton conceded defeat to her rival, Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary in New Hampshire. Just minutes after the polls closed, all the projections showed that Sanders won the primary. "To Bernie Sanders, congratulations. To New Hampshire, thank you. And to our volunteers: I'm so grateful for what you built. Now, onward. -H" Clinton personally wrote on her official Twitter account. Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook said in a brief statement that he already keeps an eye on the next elections to be held in South Carolina and Nevada, the states where the former Secretary of State maintains a substantial lead in the polls over Senator Sanders. "After splitting the first two contests, an outcome we have long anticipated, attention will inevitably focus on the next two of the early four states," said Mook. "The nomination will very likely be won in March, not in February, and we believe that Hillary Clinton is well positioned to build a strong -potentially insurmountable- delegates lead next month," he added. With over 50 percent of votes counted, Sanders won the New Hampshire primary with a preliminary 57.9 percent of the vote, while the former First Lady of the USA won 40.1 percent. According to the projections by major newspapers and U.S. television channels, on the Republican side, the real estate magnate Donald Trump was the winner of the Election Day in New Hampshire. In these first U.S. primaries, 23 Republican and 32 Democrat delegates (including 'superdelegates') will represent New Hampshire at the national party convention, when the Democratic and Republican candidates will be officially appointed to compete in the November elections for the U.S. Presidency. In New Hampshire, a small state of New England, 550,000 people are expected to vote in the primaries, of which 390,000 are registered as "independent" and not being registered with any party. As a result, they can vote in either the Republican or the Democrats primary. San Jose, Feb 9 (EFE).- The government of Costa Rica on Tuesday warned the thousands of Cuban migrants stranded in this country that they must fill the flights established to Mexico and El Salvador so they can be on their way to the United States, or otherwise the transit visas they have been issued will be revoked. That was the message from President Luis Guillermo Solis and Foreign Minister Manuel Gonzalez, who were irritated by a note in the Diario Extra, in which the owner of a travel agency said he could have offered the trips at a much lower cost. President Solis said the publication could convince Cuban migrants not to take the flights arranged by the International Organization for Migration, or IOM, which would destroy the whole operation designed to help them get where they are going. If that happens, the government will be forced to revoke the visas it issued them, he said. "If this possibility is not taken advantage of because of the rumors going around...we will be forced to revoke their visas and deport them. This is not necessary, nor is it what we want to do," Solis told a press conference. The president said the possibilities for the migrants to resume their journey to the United States is still available through the IOM, and that the parties involved want nothing more than to guarantee them "a safe, orderly trip." The first direct flight from Costa Rica to Mexico for Cuban migrants took off Tuesday with 118 aboard and it was "successful," because all reached the U.S. border, Foreign Minister Gonzalez said. The Costa Rican government plans another two direct flights to Mexico on Wednesday, each with a capacity for carrying 118 passengers, and which will take off from the city of Liberia in Guanacaste province at 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. Costa Rica previously sent two plane-loads of Cuban migrants to El Salvador, from where they were taken by land in buses to the Guatemalan-Mexican border, and plans additional flights this week. Gonzalez said the IOM is in charge of the transportation and that none of the governments involved have paid or received any money for the Cubans' transportation. Migrants must defray the expenses of the travel, which for the route across El Salvador costs $555 and the direct flights to Mexico between $750 and $850. "If the flights aren't full, the operation simply collapses. This isn't like taking a bus. If the flights aren't full it's not viable," Gonzalez said. The migratory crisis began Nov. 15 when Nicaragua closed its borders to the Cubans on grounds of risks to its security and sovereignty. Since then Costa Rica issued 7,802 temporary visas to the islanders up to Dec. 18, when the awarding of those documents was suspended because the country had exhausted its capacity for providing shelters and humanitarian aid. According to official figures, some 4,000 Cubans remain in shelters, and there is always the possibility that some migrants have hired people traffickers known as "coyotes" to get them to the United States. Donald Trump may want to build a wall across the U.S. southern border to keep Mexican migrants out but don't expect Mexico to pay for it, former President Felipe Calderon told CNBC, calling the billionaire a "not very well-informed man." The GOP presidential hopeful insisted in October that if elected, he would build a wall along the Mexican border and get Mexico to pay for it. But Calderon, Mexico's president from 2006 to 2012, told CNBC on Saturday that there was no way that Mexico would pay for it. "Mexican people, we are not going to pay any single cent for such a stupid wall! And it's going to be completely useless," Calderon said. "The first loser of such a policy would be the United States," he said. "If this guy pretends that closing the borders to anywhere either for trade (or) for people is going to provide prosperity to the United States, he is completely crazy." "It is incredible that a quite admirable society like the American society could produce such kind of candidates," Calderon said. "I cannot understand that. No offense, no offense to America. So Donald Trump ... is ambitious but not exactly very well-informed man, I don't want to say ignorant, but he is not very well informed." Calderon said the level of migration of the Mexican labor force to the U.S. had been steadily declining. Calderon said that children studying in Mexican schools and universities no longer wanted to go the U.S. as they had opportunities closer to home with around 4 percent unemployment, although he conceded that there were still "bad salaries" in Mexico. "They don't want to go, they can work for a motor company (that's) not in Detroit, I am sorry to say. They are working for a motor company in Hermosillo and Toluca, so Mazda is coming to Mexico, Honda is coming to Mexico. Those kids have jobs in that industry in Mexico." Re: What are you giving up for Lent? Quote: zymogen The Lent period has started today. Many people use the 40 days till Easter to give up on something they especially like - food, alcohol, cigarettes... etc. Traditionally a christian thing but people doing it for numerous reasons nowadays. I'll be giving up on sweet stuff: cookies, cakes, chocolate and sweets (I really love sweet things ). Mainly because I want to remind myself that not everyone lives in a place where food is so abundant. Are there more people around that give up something for Lent? What is it? I am not able to see something that I am ready to give up for now... Well I'll catch up on the Ramadan then... I used to give up sugar, but this time, since I am going to give birth at Easter, I can't handle to give up that at this critical phase of the pregnancy.... I could give up my sleep, but it is already the case....I am not able to see something that I am ready to give up for now... Well I'll catch up on the Ramadan then... Re: Is 4000 CHF a good salary // Belgium equivalent Quote: Chuff I was on 68k when I arrived here in IT and I was low-balled by my English managers. 60k is a very bad salary when you think that it is what unskilled supermarket workers earn. I would be re-negotiating hard and aiming for 80k, as his company are clearly trying to screw him... I'd take the job, make the move and look if I like Switzerland - if yes, renegotiate the salary (unlikely to work out in my experience) or find something better - which is way easier once you are in country, have a permit and your life set up... After all can I tell you one thing: changing job and country will never be as easy as when you are a single in your 20s. Go and give it a try... Doesn't sound like the opportunity cost is high if all you leave behind is a 2k EUR job wich you clearly don't love that much... Highlighted the important bit: entry level salaries in engineering and especially IT are higher than in most other jobs. Nobody says the pay is great, but it's not out of line with others. Most junior marketing people struggle to find paid work at all.I'd take the job, make the move and look if I like Switzerland - if yes, renegotiate the salary (unlikely to work out in my experience) or find something better - which is way easier once you are in country, have a permit and your life set up... After all can I tell you one thing: changing job and country will never be as easy as when you are a single in your 20s. Go and give it a try... Doesn't sound like the opportunity cost is high if all you leave behind is a 2k EUR job wich you clearly don't love that much... British model Amy Willerton may be angling for a spot on the new season of ABC's Dancing With the Stars. Which 'Cheers' Co-Star Does Kirstie Alley Thinks Should Compete On 'Dancing With the Stars'? Should we expect the British beauty to put on her dancing shoes this spring? Willerton recently tweeted her excitement over the upcoming return of Dancing With the Stars: This caused one of her followers to ask her to compete on the show. Willerton's reply suggested that she is very interested in the possibility of participating. Kym Johnson Is Bringing 'Dancing With the Stars' Routines To The Public @acrocker90 I would absolutely love to be invited to @DancingABC It's my favorite American show! Amy Willerton (@amywillerton) February 7, 2016 Dancing With the Stars has featured many models over the years, to varying degrees of success. These include Rachel Hunter, Paulina Porizkova, Albert Reed, Kathy Ireland, Joanna Krupa, Pamela Anderson, Petra Nemcova and Charlotte McKinney. Willerton also has previous experience on reality shows. She won the British series Signed by Katie Price and also competed on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Outta Here! where she finished in fifth place. But she is mostly known as the winner of Miss Universe Great Britain 2013. She would place in the top for Miss Universe 2013. ABC has not said a word about any of the cast set to compete on Dancing With the Stars next season. Typically, the network announces the cast and pro partners a few weeks before the premiere. Dancing With the Stars season 22 begins Monday, March 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Well, it finally happened. The first actual primary vote in the run up to the 2016 presidential election (sorry, Iowa--you're weird and you know it) was last night. That means this morning, the political blogosphere was alight with explanations, analyses and predictions--all on the New Hampshire Primary impact. Here are the six main shakeups to the 2016 election, courtesy of New Hampshire: Trump Is Now The Republican Front-Runner As much as a lot of people don't want to accept it, Donald Trump is the candidate officially leading the GOP nomination race. With 35% of the Republican vote (and 50% of exit polling showing republicans would be satisfied him as the nominee), that's the main impact New Hampshire just made on the election. So Trump haters can forget about the reality TV star/mogul burning out anytime soon. According to polling, Trump's stance on a muslims (banning them) and immigration (deporting all undocumented immigrants) were big with voters. Sanders Is The Future Of The Democratic Party From his campaign tactics to his supporter base, it's becoming more and more clear that Bernie Sanders' impact is laying the groundwork for future democratic candidates. He crushed Clinton with young voters by connecting with his messaging about income inequality and financial reform. As Jeet Heer at The New Republican explains, "In coming years, Democratic politicians will have to echo Sanders' slashing critique of Wall Street and his call for a far more robust welfare state if they want to hold on to the rising generation in their party." It's Going To Get Ugly Between Bush & Rubio Marco Rubio was the first to admit that his debate fumble at the hands of Chris Christie was probably the reason he didn't get as nearly as many votes as he did in the Iowa. The fact that Jeb Bush spent more than anyone else on ads also played a part as well. The two actually tied at around 11% of the votes, and since both are vying to be the GOP establishment candidate, they're now directly squaring off against one another. As one Rubio aide told Politico about the next primary election in South Carolina: "[It's] gonna be a bloodbath." Kasich Found His Base...Moderate Independents Of all the results from New Hampshire, none was more surprising than John Kasich coming in second for the Republican primary. The Ohio governor has made a habit out of speaking common sense (even when it was against his own party leadership) and offering up a moderate point of view during debates. It hasn't earned him much excitement or donations from hardcore conservatives, but in independent voters stuck between the polar opposites of Trump and Sanders he found an audience. As Slate's Josh Voorhees points out, the success will sustain Kasich's campaign...and create agony within the GOP. Get Ready For Clinton To Go To The Mattresses For those unfamiliar with The Godfather, "going to the mattresses" is gangster-speak for all-out war. It means to ruthlessly fight an opponent, and it's probably just what HIllary Clinton's campaign is gearing up for (and what Sander's people should be doing now). Clinton knew she was going to lose New Hampshire, which is probably why she didn't focus too much on it. But Sanders' strong showing, particularly with women and middle class voters, has put serious pressure on Clinton. So Hillary will likely come hard at Bernie as the primaries move into the southern states, where Sanders already doesn't have the strongest of footings. Christie, Carson, And Fiorina Are On The Way Out Even if you like Carson, Christie, or Fiorina, where's their path to the nomination? https://t.co/XXVlGDPkrM pic.twitter.com/LmTqON3bxr jimgeraghty (@jimgeraghty) February 10, 2016 As Politico's Mike Allen wrote in his daily column Playbook today: "Bye, bye, Christie, Carly, Carson." And the general consensus is that the three trailing candidates will be bowing out soon. Christie is expected to announce he's out any day now, while both Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina (see below) have both expressed plans to fight on. UPDATE: Carly Fiorina announced she was suspending her campaign via the below Facebook post: At the User Meeting dinner, traditionally held on the 2nd day of the event, Paola Coan, Chair of the User Organisation, presented the best poster award to Davide Orsi from the Department of Physics, University of Parma, Italy. Davide Orsi's poster carries the title of 2D dynamical arrest transition in nanoparticle-phospholipid layers studied in real and momentum spaces", and won the prize over more than 150 posters in the competition. Davide Orsi receiving the prize from the hands of Paola Coan during the dinner. ESRF/C. Argoud. Microsymposia, maxiscience On Day 3 of the ESRF User Meeting, all heads are down with three scientific conferences organised around the site. Ana Diaz, from the Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland is the keynote speaker and first to talk during the Nanoscience: X-ray diffraction and coherence symposium. She presented work carried out on Quantitative high-resolution X-ray imaging with ptychography". The conference on Dynamics of Complex Systems aims to disseminate new results to show advances made by users from different fields and to explore new directions in the study of the dynamics of complex systems by means of synchrotron techniques. The three sessions of the conference will each kick-off with keynote lectures and continue with user talks. Members of the Symposium on Dynamics of Complex Systems. ESRF/C. Argoud The third symposium, on the subject of The future of (time resolved) room temperature protein X-ray crystallography, will combine a series of plenary talks from invited speakers with shorter talks from users and will examine the current state-of the-art in RT-MX, looking forward to a future in which the extremely intense X-ray beams that will be available at 4th generation synchrotron sources will lead to a boom in RT MX and the renaissance of time-resolved MX experiments on the micro- to milli-second timescale. Day 2 of the User Meeting in images During the social sessions on Day 2. Photos P. Jayet and C. Argoud. Members of the ESRF User Organisation thank ESRF staff for their excellent organisation of the meeting and logistics. ESRF/K. Colvin UM2016 in full swing! 09-02-2016 Tuesday, 9 February. Today is the busiest day at the ESRF User Meeting. The plenary session played to a full house with keynote lectures from Emmanuelle Gouillart, Andrew L. Goodwin and Liane Benning. Any remaining ice was broken at the cheese and wine evening yesterday, and the User Meeting is in full swing. Fruitful exchanges abound during the talks and social occasions. The traditional "Wine and Cheese" evening during the UM2016. All photos ESRF/C. Argoud. Poster clips had young scientists queuing along the walls of the ESRF's impressive auditorium, patiently waiting in turn to present, in 3 minutes, the posters they submitted to the competitive poster session later in the afternoon. The variety of posters reflects the research being carried out at the ESRF, from fundamental physics to medical research with applications for the development of new drugs or therapies to combat cardiac pathologies. Its my first time at the ESRF User Meeting. I came to make contact with other scientists and discuss their results, my results. Theres a good combination here of talks and social activities. It was easy to make contact with other scientists at yesterdays cheese and wine evening! Nico Oliver CARL, University of Bayreuth, Germany. Im hoping to meet people here who can help me for my next project. I came especially for the tutorial on EXAFS. It was really very good and will be helpful in my work. Petr CEJPEK, University of Charles, Prague, Czech Republic. At 4 p.m., Paola Coan, chairwoman of the ESRF User Organisation, handed the microphone to Professor Massimo Altarelli to announce the winner of this year's Young Scientist Award: Dr Andrew Cairns, for his outstanding work on negative linear compressibility. Dr Cairns gave a talk on this fascinating subject which has earned him much recognition over the last few years. See the full article. Andrew Cairns, Young Scientist Award winner 2016, during his talk at the ESRF User Meeting. Credit: ESRF/P. Jayet. Ready, steady ... ESRF prepares for Users 05-05-2016 The large white marquee that stands proud in front of the ESRF main building announces the imminence of the 2016 edition of the ESRF User Meeting, the annual event dedicated to the user community. From Monday to Wednesday next week, the event will draw together more than 350 synchrotron-inspired people for three days of tutorials, keynote lectures, dedicated symposia, poster clips and sessions. Not only is the User Meeting an excellent opportunity to learn more about the exciting science taking place at the ESRF, the social programme offers participants a variety of informal opportunities for networking. The plenary session, which will take place all day on Tuesday, includes keynote lectures from Liane Benning , German Research Center for Geosciences GFZ, Germany / University of Leeds, UK , German Research Center for Geosciences GFZ, Germany / University of Leeds, UK Andrew Goodwin , University of Oxford, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford, UK , University of Oxford, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford, UK Emmanuelle Gouillart, CNRS UMR125/Saint-Gobain, Surface du verre & Interfaces, Aubervilliers, France. On Wednesday, three user-dedicated micro-symposia will be held with the following topics: The symposia will include talks from users in the related disciplines. In addition, each user-dedicated microsymposium will host keynote talks and the opportunity to meet and discuss with the ESRF Staff. Get the full programme of the User Meeting 2016 (pdf file). Follow the activities of the ESRF User Meeting 2016 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you are tweeting at the meeting yourself, dont forget to add the hashtag #ESRFUSERS Happy User Meeting to all! Distinguished geneticist, molecular biologist, and mathematician Eric Steven Landerpresident and founding director of the Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, and a principal leader of the historic international Human Genome Projectis the winner of the 2015 Philip Hauge Abelson Prize given by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Lander is being honored by AAAS for advancing science in society through his extraordinary contributions to science, and for his ability to explain science to the public and students, as well as his work bringing science to bear in serving the public. The award will be presented February 12th during the 182nd AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. In addition to leading the Broad Institute, Dr. Lander is a Professor of Systems Biology at the Harvard Medical School, and a Professor of Biology at MIT. Dr. Lander is co-chair of the Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), appointed in 2008 by President Barack Obama. PCAST provides direct advice to the President on matters of science and technology and during Dr. Landers tenure has prepared 27 advisory reports on topics from antibiotic resistance and how best to prepare for pandemics, to advanced manufacturing and energy policy. As a scientist, one of Dr. Landers seminal achievements was the sequencing and interpretation of the human genome, which changed the course of biological research by providing an inventory of human genes and a reference for human genetic variation as well as conserved genetic elements. In a nomination letter, Duke University Research Professor Robert Cook-Deegan, M.D., a Visiting Professor at Arizona State University, noted that Dr. Lander played a key role in the Human Genome Project (HGP) from its earliest stages, from his fundamental work on methods to create genetic and physical maps to the successful completion of a finished sequence, for which he directed the flagship center that produced one-third of the projects data. Dr. Cook-Deegans nomination letter also cited Dr. Landers many other contributions to genomics and biomedicine, from the first sequencing of the mouse genome to the development of new methods and standards for whole-genome sequencing as well as new methods for studying the three-dimensional folding structure of genomes. The Abelson Prize was inspired by the late Philip Hauge Abelson, long-time senior advisor to AAAS and editor of Science. Dr. Abelson, who served as president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, died 1 August 2004, following more than 60 years of service to science and society. The award is given annually to either a public servant, in recognition of sustained exceptional contributions to advancing science, or to a scientist whose career has been distinguished both for scientific achievement, and for other notable services to the scientific community. Established in 1985 by the AAAS Board of Directors, the award consists of a commemorative medallion and an honorarium of $5,000. Dr. Lander was also lauded for his exceptional skill as a science communicator, and for his contributions to science policy. Prof. Landers ability to explain highly technical science to a nontechnical audience is nonpareil, Dr. Cook-Deegan wrote in his nomination letter. Specifically, Dr. Lander has written many influential position pieces for scholarly publications on complex scientific and bioethical issues, from precision medicine to germline editing. He further has written for popular media outlets such as The New York Times, provided public-engagement talks at events such as the World Science Festival, testified as a pro bono expert witness in one of the first legal cases involving DNA fingerprinting, and wrote an influential friend-of-the-court brief in a recent Supreme Court case on gene patenting. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1957, Dr. Lander attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. He earned a B.A. degree with highest honors in mathematics from Princeton University in 1978, and a Ph.D. degree in mathematics from Oxford University in 1981, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. He was an assistant and associate professor of managerial economics at the Harvard Business School from 1981-1990. He served as a Whitehead Fellow from 1986-1989. In 1990, Dr. Lander became Professor of Biology at MIT and a Member of the Whitehead Institute. He founded the Whitehead/MIT Center for Human Genome Research, which was both a flagship of and leading contributor to the HGP, and which also became a cornerstone of the new Broad Institute. Dr. Landers honors and awards include the MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship in 1987, the Woodrow Wilson Prize for Public Service from Princeton University in 1998, the City of Medicine Award in 2001, the Gairdner Foundation International Award of Canada in 2002, the AAAS Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology in 2004, and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences in 2013. He was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2004 and by U.S. News and World Report as one of Americas Top 20 Leaders in 2006. He was elected a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 1997 and of the U.S. Institute of Medicine in 1999. He has received honorary degrees from ten colleges and universities, and has served on governing and advisory boards for various government agencies, academic institutions, scientific societies and corporations. The Abelson Prize will be bestowed upon Lander during the 182nd AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., 11-15 February 2016. The AAAS Awards Ceremony and Reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, February 12, in Palladian Ballroom of the Omni Shoreham Hotel. ### The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science as well as Science Translational Medicine, Science Signaling, and a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes nearly 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. The non-profit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, http://www.eurekalert.org, the premier science-news Web site, a service of AAAS. See http://www.aaas.org. For more information on AAAS awards, see http://www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/awards/. AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society, dedicated to "Advancing science - Serving society." Sir Peter Gluckman, who convened an international conference for governmental science advisers and now chairs the International Network for Science Advice to Governments that emerged from the conference, has been chosen by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to receive the 2015 Award for Science Diplomacy. Gluckman is chief science adviser to the prime minister of New Zealand. He is also professor of pediatric and perinatal biology at the University of Auckland and founder of the Liggins Institute, the university's first large-scale research institute. He was honored by AAAS for transforming the theory and practice of science advice -- an essential component of science diplomacy--by bringing its practitioners together into a global network. "In an increasingly interconnected world characterized by global threats, the demand for good scientific advice has arguably never been greater. While many governments have structures and systems in place to provide this at a national level, the cross-border nature of these threats mean that the need for effective communication and coordination between scientific advisers is becoming increasingly essential," the nominating committee wrote. Gluckman convened, hosted, and chaired the international conference on Science Advice to Governments in 2014, bringing together 220 people from more than 45 countries as well as representatives from regional and multinational organizations. The meeting resulted in an agreement to establish the International Network for Science Advice to Governments (INGSA), with Gluckman as its founding chair. INGSA now provides a space for capacity building and dialogue on best practices in the field of scientific advice. The conference and network built upon Gluckman's contributions to developing the theory of science advice. His 2014 paper in Nature, "Policy: The Art of Science Advice to Government," outlines 10 fundamental principles for providing sound scientific advice while navigating political dynamics. Gluckman drew on his experience as the first chief science adviser to the prime minister of New Zealand. In addition to advising the prime minister, Gluckman promotes an understanding of science among policymakers and the public, enhances the role of evidence in policy formation, and promotes New Zealand's interests through science diplomacy. He was named to the role in 2009, and his appointment has been extended twice until June 2018. He was also appointed special science envoy for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2010. Gluckman was nominated to receive the 2015 AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy by an advisory committee including Cathleen Campbell, president and CEO of CRDF Global; William Colglazier, past science and technology adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State and former executive officer of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council; and Romain Murenzi, executive director of The World Academy of Sciences. Gluckman's selection was approved by the AAAS Board of Directors. The committee cited Gluckman's leadership in using science diplomacy to benefit New Zealand. Under his tenure as chief scientific adviser, New Zealand established the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases. The alliance, which now counts 46 countries as members, focuses on the research and development of methods to grow food using climate-resilient systems without increasing emissions -- and demonstrates the significant role that small nations can play on the global stage through science diplomacy. Gluckman is also the founding head of the secretariat of the Small Advanced Economies Initiative and served as co-chair of the World Health Organization Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. He also proposed that the Asia Pacific Economic Council should have a grouping of chief science advisers; the group, the first formalized regional network of its kind anywhere, was approved in 2012 with Gluckman as its standing co-chair. Gluckman earned a bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery at the University of Otago. He received a master of medical science and a doctor of science degree from the University of Auckland. Prior to his appointment as chief science adviser, he served most recently as director for New Zealand's National Research Centre for Growth and Development and as director of the Liggins Institute for Medical Research. His many honors and awards have included the Rutherford Medal from the Royal Society of New Zealand, the society's highest award; the David Barker Medal from the International Society for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease; and the Sir Paul Callaghan Award Medal for outstanding contributions to science communication. In 2015, Gluckman was named a member of the Order of New Zealand, a royal honor restricted to 20 living New Zealanders. The AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy was approved by the AAAS Board of Directors in 2010 (it was formerly the AAAS International Scientific Cooperation Award, established in 1992). It recognizes an individual or a small group working in the scientific and engineering or foreign affairs communities making an outstanding contribution to furthering science diplomacy. The Award consists of a plaque and an honorarium of $5,000. Gluckman is the first awardee outside the United States since the award's renaming. The AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy will be bestowed upon Gluckman during the 182nd AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., 11-15 February 2016. The AAAS Awards Ceremony and Reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, February 12, 2016 in Palladian Ballroom of the Omni Shoreham Hotel. ### The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science as well as Science Translational Medicine, Science Signaling, and Science Advances, a new digital, open access journal. AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million. The nonprofit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, http://www.eurekalert.org, the premier science-news Web site, a service of AAAS. For more information on AAAS awards, see http://www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/awards/. The glowing region in this new image from the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope is a reflection nebula known as IC 2631. These objects are clouds of cosmic dust that reflect light from a nearby star into space, creating a stunning light show like the one captured here. IC 2631 is the brightest nebula in the Chamaeleon Complex, a large region of gas and dust clouds that harbours numerous newborn and still-forming stars. The complex lies about 500 light-years away in the southern constellation of Chamaeleon. IC 2631 is illuminated by the star HD 97300, one of the youngest -- as well as most massive and brightest -- stars inits neighbourhood. This region is full of star-making material, which is made evident by the presence of dark nebulae noticeable above and below IC 2631 in this picture. Dark nebulae are so dense with gas and dust that they prevent the passage of background starlight. Despite its dominating presence, the heft of HD 97300 should be kept in perspective. It is a T Tauri star, the youngest visible stage for relatively small stars. As these stars mature and reach adulthood they will lose mass and shrink. But during the T Tauri phase these stars have not yet contracted to the more modest size that they will maintain for billions of years as main sequence stars . These fledging stars already have surface temperatures similar to their main sequence phase and accordingly, because T Tauri-phase objects are essentially jumbo versions of their later selves, they look brighter in their oversized youth than in maturity. They have not yet started to fuse hydrogen into helium in their cores, like normal main sequence stars, but are just starting to flex their thermal muscles by generating heat from contraction. Reflection nebula, like the one spawned by HD 97300, merely scatter starlight back out into space. Starlight that is more energetic, such as the ultraviolet radiation pouring forth from very hot new stars, can ionise nearby gas, making it emit light of its own. These emission nebulae indicate the presence of hotter and more powerful stars, which in their maturity can be observed across thousands of light-years. HD 97300 is not so powerful, and its moment in the spotlight is destined not to last. ### More information ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It is supported by 16 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and two survey telescopes. VISTA works in the infrared and is the world's largest survey telescope and the VLT Survey Telescope is the largest telescope designed to exclusively survey the skies in visible light. ESO is a major partner in ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre European Extremely Large Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky". Links Images of the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at La Silla - http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&subject_name=mpg Photos taken with the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at La Silla - http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&facility=15 Contacts Richard Hook ESO Public Information Officer Garching bei Munchen, Germany Tel: 49-89-3200-6655 Cell: 49-151-1537-3591 Email: rhook@eso.org Washington D.C., February 10, 2016 - Five researchers have been named winners of the 2016 Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists in the Developing World, in recognition of research that has strong potential health and economic benefits. The winning scholars from Indonesia, Nepal, Peru, Uganda and Yemen are being honored for their accomplishments in nutrition, psychiatry, biotechnology, women's health, bioenvironmental sciences and epidemiology. They are also celebrated for mentoring young women scientists who are pursuing careers in agriculture, biology and medicine in their respective countries. The Elsevier Foundation awards are given in partnership with the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries. The five winners will receive their awards on February 13th during a ceremony at the Gender & Minorities Networking Breakfast at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. The 2016 winners are: Dr. Etheldreda Nakimuli?Mpungu, Makerere University Kampala, Uganda (Sub-Saharan Africa Region) Psychiatric epidemiology: For her work using psychotherapy as treatment of depression and alcoholism in Ugandans with HIV. Depression is a serious problem for HIV patients throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, making it more likely that those patients will stop taking their HIV-antiretroviral medications. Dr. Nakimuli?Mpungu is working with service providers to integrate depression screening with HIV-treatment, as well as to include local communities in discussions of depression to help destigmatize the illness. "A country needs human capital; individuals who are productive members of society," said Dr. Nakimuli-Mpungu. "This innovative model helps people coping with HIV/AIDS to regain their dignity, self-esteem and desire to fully participate and contribute to their communities." Dr. Sri Fatmawati, Kampus ITS Sukolilo, Indonesia (East and South-East Asia & the Pacific Region) Bioenvironmental sciences: For her work analyzing the medical and pharmaceutical potential of plant and fungi extracts normally used in herbal medicine. Dr. Fatmawati has also received the prestigious Pemenang Fellowship International L'Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science for research analyzing substances from sponges that may lead to treatments for malaria, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. "I don't know what the future brings, but I know science is part of my soul," said Dr. Fatmawati. "I hope more young generations will share their life with science for a better world." Dr. Sushila Maharjan, Research Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology RIBB, Nepal (Central & South Asia Region) Biochemistry and biotechnology: For her work using soil microbes to develop medically useful chemicals. Microbes create a great number of the materials used in medicine, including antibiotics. Dr. Maharjan is currently researching bacterial strains from the high-altitude regions of Nepal to identify substances useful for development of new antibiotics, as well as other medically useful compounds. "The most rewarding part of my research is to find novel drugs and antibiotics from Streptomyces bacteria of Nepal that have great potential to combat the emerging drug and antibiotic resistant diseases worldwide," said Dr. Maharjan. Dr. Magaly Blas, Urb Ingenieria, Peru (Latin America and the Caribbean Region) Epidemiology: For her work using information and communication technology to solve health problems, particularly sexually transmitted diseases in urban and rural Peru. Dr. Blas also leads the Mama River Programme, training community members to use smartphones to collect basic information from pregnant women and forward this information to a medical ship to schedule visits. "Female leadership in Latin America is growing," said Dr. Blas. "I feel proud to be part of this new generation of women scientists who are trying to make a difference in their country and in the world." Dr. Ghanya Al?Naqeb, Faculty of Agriculture, Sana'a University, Yemen (Arab Region) Nutritional Sciences: For her research using chemicals isolated from Yemeni herbal plants for disease prevention. For example, a major focus of her work has been black cumin seeds, which are commonly used as a spice in Yemen, other Middle Eastern countries and India. Her research on these seeds has focused on their effects in protecting the heart from cardiovascular diseases. "Despite all the difficulties we face in our country, Yemeni women have always worked hard to raise the name of Yemen," Al-Naqeb said. "I am very pleased to represent my country with my scientific research." The 2016 Elsevier Foundation awards competition focused on biological sciences (agriculture, biology and medicine) and a panel of eminent scientists selected each winner based on her achievements. The prize includes USD $5,000 and all-expenses-paid attendance at the 2016 AAAS Annual Meeting. This important recognition helps invigorate the winners' careers by providing them with new visibility and extended professional networks, allowing them to engage with colleagues and the public while their careers are still at an early stage. The winners also serve as a source of inspiration for other women in countries where more scientific expertise is a critical need. "The determination, commitment and enthusiasm of these five women is an inspiration to us all but especially to other women undertaking scientific research in developing countries. This award celebrates their excellent science and demonstrates that their hard work has had an impact both regionally and internationally, despite the difficult local conditions" said Fang Xin, president of OWSD. "These are exemplary researchers, and their work has enormous potential to improve people's health and support stronger communities," said TWAS Executive Director Romain Murenzi. "Their work will be widely appreciated for the benefits it can bring to developing countries. Just as important, they will serve as models and as inspiration for young scientists - women and men - of a new generation." David Ruth, executive director of the Elsevier Foundation, said, "Over the past 5 years, we've evolved these awards together with OWSD and TWAS and each year we learn more about the incredible challenges faced by women researchers doing science in low-resource settings. We hope that our awards help shine a light on these emerging women leaders and the important work they are doing in their fields--and what better place to do this then at the AAAS conference where the latest science, issues and leaders come together each year." The Elsevier Foundation Award winners will be giving a talk about their work at the Global Women's Institute, George Washington University, February 11th in a session moderated by Dr. Rachelle S. Heller, Professor in the Department of Computer Science. You can read more about this story on Elsevier Connect. ### Notes to editors Reporters wishing to attend the Award ceremony on February 13 at the AAAS Annual Meeting can contact: y.schemm@elsevier.com. About TWAS The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) works to advance sustainable prosperity through research, education, policy and diplomacy. TWAS was founded in 1983 by a distinguished group of scientists from the developing world, under the leadership of Abdus Salam, the Pakistani physicist and Nobel Prize winner. Today, TWAS has nearly 1,200 elected Fellows from more than 90 countries; 16 of them are Nobel laureates. The Academy is based in Trieste, Italy, on the campus of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). Since 1983, its mission has focused on supporting and promoting excellence in scientific research in the developing world and applying scientific and engineering research to address global challenges. TWAS receives core funding from the Government of Italy. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) administers TWAS funds and personnel. About OWSD The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) provides research training, career development and networking opportunities for women scientists throughout the developing world. Headed by eminent women scientists from the South, OWSD has more than 4,500 members and runs various programmes, including a PhD fellowship programme with over 200 successful graduates from Least Developed Countries and sub-Saharan Africa. OWSD is the first international forum to unite eminent women scientists from the developing and developed worlds with the objective of strengthening their role in the development process and promoting their representation in scientific and technological leadership. OWSD is affiliated with TWAS and based in Trieste, Italy, with national chapters throughout the developing world. http://www.owsd.net About The Elsevier Foundation The Elsevier Foundation is a corporate not-for-profit 501(c)(3), funded by Elsevier, a global provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The Elsevier Foundation provides grants to knowledge centered institutions around the world, with a focus on diversity in STEMM, health information delivery, research in developing countries, nurse leadership and sustainability. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than 100 grants worth over $5 million to non-profit organizations working in these fields. Through gift-matching, the Foundation also supports the efforts of Elsevier employees to play a positive role in their local and global communities. http://www.elsevierfoundation.org About Elsevier Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions -- among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Elsevier Research Intelligence and ClinicalKey -- and publishes over 2,500 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and more than 33,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part of RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com Media contacts Tonya Blowers Program Coordinator OWSD +39 040 2240 682 tblowers@owsd.net Marie Gentile Widmeyer Communications marie.gentile@finnpartners.com +1917 679 6299 Ylann Schemm Program Director Elsevier Foundation y.schemm@elsevier.com Edward Lempinen Public Information Officer TWAS +39 040 2240 512 elempinen@twas.org Hiroshima, Japan -- Hiroshima University, the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, and Panasonic Corporation announced the development of a terahertz (THz) transmitter capable of signal transmission at a per-channel data rate of over ten gigabits per second over multiple channels at around 300 GHz. The aggregate multi-channel data rate exceeds one hundred gigabits per second. The transmitter was implemented as a silicon CMOS integrated circuit, which would have a great advantage for commercialization and consumer use. This technology could open a new frontier in wireless communication with data rates ten times higher than current technology allows. Details of the technology were presented at the "International Solid-State Circuit Conference (ISSCC) 2016," held from January 31 to February 4 in San Francisco, California. The THz band is a new and vast frequency resource not currently exploited for wireless communications. Its frequencies are even higher than those used by the millimeter-wave wireless local area network (from 57 GHz to 66 GHz), and the available bandwidths are much wider. Since the speed of a wireless link is proportional to the bandwidth in use, THz is ideally suited to ultrahigh-speed communications. The research group has developed a transmitter that covers the frequency range from 275 GHz to 305 GHz. This frequency range is currently unallocated, and its future frequency allocation is to be discussed at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) 2019 under the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R). Today, most wireless communication technologies use lower frequencies (5 GHz or below) with high-order digital modulation schemes, such as the quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), to enhance data rates within limited bandwidths available. The research group has successfully demonstrated that QAM is feasible at 300 GHz with CMOS and that THz wireless technology could offer a serious boost in wireless communication speed. "Now THz wireless technology is armed with very wide bandwidths and QAM-capability. The use of QAM was a key to achieving 100 gigabits per second at 300 GHz," said Prof. Minoru Fujishima, Graduate School of Advanced Sciences of Matter, Hiroshima University. "Today, we usually talk about wireless data-rates in megabits per second or gigabits per second. But I foresee we'll soon be talking about terabits per second. That's what THz wireless technology offers. Such extreme speeds are currently confined in optical fibers. I want to bring fiber-optic speeds out into the air, and we have taken an important step toward that goal," he added. The research group plans to further develop 300-GHz ultrahigh-speed wireless circuits. "We plan to develop receiver circuits for the 300-GHz band as well as modulation and demodulation circuits that are suitable for ultrahigh-speed communications," said Prof. Fujishima. ### This work was supported by the R&D on wireless transceiver systems with CMOS technology in 300-GHz band, as part of an R&D program on key technology in terahertz frequency bands of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan. Media Contacts: Hiroshima UniversityE-mail: pr-research@office.hiroshima-u.ac.jp IOP PUBLISHING PRESS RELEASE: This release is provided on behalf of the University of Reading. Planes flying between Europe and North America will be spending more time in the air due to the effects of climate change, a new study has shown. By accelerating the jet stream -- a high-altitude wind blowing from west to east across the Atlantic -- climate change will speed up eastbound flights but slow down westbound flights, the study found. The findings could have implications for airlines, passengers, and airports. The study, led by Dr Paul Williams, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Reading, calculates that transatlantic aircraft will spend an extra 2,000 hours in the air every year, adding millions of dollars to airline fuel costs and increasing the risk of delays. "The aviation industry is facing pressure to reduce its environmental impacts, but this study shows a new way in which aviation is itself susceptible to the effects of climate change," Dr Williams said. "The bad news for passengers is that westbound flights will be battling against stronger headwinds. The good news is that eastbound flights will be boosted by stronger tailwinds, but not enough to compensate for the longer westbound journeys. The net result is that roundtrip journeys will significantly lengthen. "This effect will increase the fuel costs to airlines, potentially raising ticket prices, and it will worsen the environmental impacts of aviation." Record-breaking flights The study, published today (Feb. 10, 2016) in the IOP journal Environmental Research Letters, looked at the effects of doubling the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, which will occur within the next few decades unless emissions are cut quickly. The average jet-stream winds along the flight route between London's Heathrow airport and New York's John F. Kennedy International airport are predicted to become 15% faster in winter, increasing from 77 to 89 km/hr (48 to 55 mph), with similar increases in the other seasons. As a result, London-bound flights will become twice as likely to take under 5h 20m, implying that record-breaking crossing times will occur with increasing frequency in future. On the other hand, New York-bound flights will become twice as likely to take over 7h 00m, suggesting that delayed arrivals will become increasingly common. Due to the extra time spent in the air, transatlantic flights will burn an extra $22 million worth of fuel annually, and will emit an extra 70 million kg of CO2 -- equivalent to the annual emissions of 7,100 British homes. And this might only be the tip of the iceberg. "The jet stream encircles the globe, and there is one in the southern hemisphere too. It is possible that flights elsewhere in the world will also suffer from a similar jet stream effect," Dr Williams said. The latest findings are further evidence of how climate change will affect aviation in the future. A previous University of Reading study, also led by Dr Williams, found that clear-air turbulence will become stronger and more frequent as a result of global warming. ### For more information, contact Pete Castle at the University of Reading press office on 44-0-118-378-5757 or p.castle@reading.ac.uk. Dr Paul Williams is available for interview. The University of Reading has ISDN radio studio facilities available. An embargoed video of Dr Williams talking about his research is available here: https://youtu.be/ErNPXJv9GsU The full version of the paper and images are also available: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ehclgshj2a06m9q/AAAQF0ReHczIhrcjXZvNVLvla?dl=0 NOTES Heathrow third runway: The effect of UK airport expansion on climate change has been closely scrutinised by the Airports Commission. However, while the Commission recognised the potential impacts of changes to the jet stream in a 2013 Discussion Paper, the issue was disregarded in both its Interim Report and Final Report on airport expansion. Flight numbers: The transatlantic route between Europe and North America is one of the world's busiest aviation corridors, with around 600 flights per day. The transatlantic route contributes just a fraction of the estimated 100,000 flights per day globally. Historically, global air traffic (measured in passenger-kilometres) has experienced an average long-term growth rate of 5% per year. Transatlantic records: The current (non-Concorde) record for a transatlantic crossing from New York to London stands at 5h 16m. It was set on Jan. 8, 2015 by a British Airways 777, which rode a particularly strong jet stream from the USA to Britain. The new study predicts that we will see far more record-breaking crossings like this in future. This work was funded by the Royal Society. Environmental Research Letters: Environmental Research Letters covers all of environmental science, providing a coherent and integrated approach including research articles, perspectives and editorials. Full reference: Williams (2016) Environ. Res. Lett. 11 024008 doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/11/2/024008 and will be freely available to the public from 10 February at http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/11/2/024008 This news release is available in German. An international team of researchers gained new insights into magnetic spin waves. Spin waves can evolve in electrically non-conducting materials given a specific temperature gradient and then be converted into electrical energy in an adjacent metallic layer. Thus, thermal energy can be converted into electrical energy. This recently discovered principle allows to think of new ways to recover waste heat and can improve a great variety of processes to be more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable. The joint research project involves researchers of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), the Walther Meiner Institute for Low Temperature Research in Garching, Tohoku University in Japan, and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The resulting research paper was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Spin waves, or magnons, are fundamental excitations in magnetic materials which transport energy and angular momentum. The latter allows to make use of them for the transmission of information within magnetic solids. Since their existence is bound to that of magnetic solids, they are challenging to measure. This circumstance led to quite a number of difficulties with respect to the proof of fundamental theories about the properties of magnetic materials. In a joined project, the researchers involved were able to show that even in complex systems consisting of many different magnetic atoms, magnons can be thermally excited by making use of the recently understood spin Seebeck effect. These results furthermore show that the spin Seebeck effect can be employed to probe fundamental properties of such systems in a simple way and thus to deduce the complex interplay of the constituents. Spin waves out of waste heat The spin Seebeck effect represents a so-called spin-thermoelectric effect, which enables the conversion of thermal energy into electrical energy. Contrary to conventional thermoelectric effects, it also enables the recovery of heat energy in magnetic insulators in combination with a thin metallic layer. Researchers at Mainz University have recently been able to demonstrate that the origin of the spin Seebeck effect can be understood as thermally excited spin waves within the magnetic solid. These thermal spin waves present a so far unexploited way for the energy recovery of waste heat. Following this discovery, the researchers started investigations of more complex materials, so called ferrimagnets. In contrast to simple ferromagnetic materials, ferrimagnets possess a non-trivial temperature dependence of the magnetization, resulting of a complex interplay of its different magnetic sublattices. By making use of temperature dependent spin Seebeck measurements of ferrimagnetic materials, it was possible to deduce characteristic and thus unique signal features. These features can be traced back to the magnonic origin of the effect and therefore allow to gain a new idea of thermal magnons and their distribution. "Seeing the complicated signal behavior for the first time, I did not think that one could learn so much about the complex and intrinsic interaction within the materials. All this has only been possible due to the excellent collaboration with our national and international colleagues", said Andreas Kehlberger, who just recently finished his PhD in the research group of Professor Mathias Klaui, supported by a stipend of the Graduate School of Excellence "Materials Science in Mainz" (MAINZ) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. "I am very pleased that this exciting result emerged in a cooperation of a doctoral candidate out of my group at the MAINZ Graduate School of Excellence together with co-workers from Garching within the framework of the Priority Program on Spin Caloric Transport, funded by the German Research Foundation", emphasized Professor Mathias Klaui, Director of the MAINZ Graduate School of Excellence at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. "It shows that complex research is only possible in teams, for instance with funding by the DAAD SpinNet exchange program with Tohoku University." Graduate School of Excellence "Materials Science in Mainz" The MAINZ Graduate School of Excellence was approved in the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments in 2007 and received a five-year funding extension in the second round in 2012 - a tremendous boost for the Mainz-based materials scientists and for the sponsorship of young researchers at JGU. The MAINZ Graduate School consists of work groups at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, the University of Kaiserslautern, and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz. One of its focal research areas is spintronics, where cooperation with leading international partners plays an important role. Publication: Stephan Geprags et al. Origin of the spin Seebeck effect in compensated ferrimagnets Nature Communications, 4 February 2016 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10452 Image: http://www.uni-mainz.de/bilder_presse/08_physik_komet_sse_magnon_eng.jpg Sketch of the thermal excitation of the magnetic sublattices, consisting of two Iron (Fe) and one Gadolinium (Gd) lattice sides: the excitation causes the emission of a magnetic spin wave, a so-called magnon, which propagates within the lattice. Ill./: Andreas Kehlberger, JGU Further information: Professor Dr. Mathias Klaui Condensed Matter Theory Group Institute of Physics Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz 55099 Mainz, GERMANY phone +49 6131 39-23633 e-mail: klaeui@uni-mainz.de http://www.klaeui-lab.physik.uni-mainz.de/308.php Graduate School of Excellence Materials Science in Mainz Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz 55099 Mainz, GERMANY phone +49 6131 39-26984 fax +49 6131 39-26983 e-mail: mainz@uni-mainz.de http://www.mainz.uni-mainz.de/ Related links: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2016/160204/ncomms10452/full/ncomms10452.html - Article http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/19572_ENG_HTML.php - press release "Indications of the origin of the Spin Seebeck effect discovered" (September 7, 2015) http://www.spinnet.uni-mainz.de - website of the SpinNet project of Mainz University, Tohoku University, Stanford University, and IBM SEATTLE (Feb. 10, 2016) -- A new technology commercialization program will launch this spring to help Washington's life sciences innovators move their promising ideas into the hands of providers and patients, thanks to a $1.8 million "ecosystem" award from the state's Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF). Led by the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA; currently undergoing a name change to Life Science Washington), the program will address key gaps within the state's "commercialization ecosystem" -- the resources needed to advance technologies from the concept stage to the market. The program will create a commercialization "playbook;" develop an online marketplace for resources and networking; and provide funding to help entrepreneurs secure their first capital investment. The playbook builds upon the successes of WBBA's prior LSDF grant, which built an entrepreneur mentoring program. The Washington Innovation Network for Life Sciences has assisted 24 companies to date in recruiting senior management, fundraising, and overcoming other significant commercialization challenges. The new initiative was selected for funding following review of four proposals for their ability to meaningfully address major gaps in Washington's commercialization ecosystem; strength of commitment by the participating organizations; and potential for long-term growth and sustainability. "As a highly regarded organization with a strong track record and statewide reach, WBBA is ideally positioned to assist our entrepreneurs in bringing their products to market and improving health in Washington and elsewhere," says Carol Dahl, chair of the LSDF Board of Trustees and executive director of The Lemelson Foundation. "This new program offers a needed package of services that is certain to deliver value in the near term and beyond." The ecosystem award joins 33 other actively managed grants in LSDF's portfolio, totaling $10.7 million. The portfolio also includes 79 completed projects, representing $97 million in awards. The work of LSDF grantees has saved lives and yielded a 7-to-1 return on investment -- including over $588 million in new funding and over $67 million in health-care cost savings. "For nearly 10 years, LSDF grants have helped health-care innovators test their ideas and attract the additional funding needed to turn those ideas into reality," says LSDF executive director John DesRosier. "The ecosystem grant will add to that momentum by helping homegrown technologies get into the clinic and the community. The grant will also nurture Washington companies so that they are more likely to remain here, create jobs, and grow our economy." ### The Life Sciences Discovery Fund, a Washington state agency established in May 2005, makes grant investments in innovative life sciences research and development to benefit Washington and its citizens. Funding comes from Washington's allocation of payments under the Master Tobacco Settlement Agreement of 1998, revenues arising from multi-state litigation with tobacco product manufacturers. The fixed division of labour between crested penguin parents increases their chicks' vulnerability to food shortages made ever more common by climate change. The parents have been unable to adapt their habits to the challenges of increasingly frequent years of limited food supply and, as a result, will become further threatened by extinction. So says Kyle Morrison of Massey University and the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research in New Zealand, who led a study published in Springer's journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. The main duties of all penguin parents are to provide food and to defend their offspring against predatory seabirds and other intruding penguins. While on guard duty, parents fast and do not go off to sea to feed. Most penguins avoid long fasting periods by alternating brooding and chick-provisioning duties between the sexes. However, the seven species of Eudyptes penguins (the crested penguins, including rockhopper penguins) are an exception. Males guard and fast for the first three to four weeks after eggs have hatched. During this time, females are the sole providers. During the next six weeks, chicks gather together in creches and can be fed by both parents. During this creche phase, both sexes may make extended multi-day trips to sea to regain weight. These parental roles never vary, no matter what the environmental conditions. However, how frequently each sex brings food to their chick can change drastically between years, depending on how much krill, fish, and squid the parents can find. Eudyptes populations have already seen worrying long-term declines, especially because of climate-induced food shortages. The researchers studied Eastern Rockhopper Penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome filholi) on New Zealand's sub-Antarctic Campbell Island over two consecutive breeding seasons. During the 2011 season, abundant food was available, but 2012 was a lean year. The researchers noted how often chicks were fed, their subsequent size at one month old, and the colony's overall success in raising chicks. Data-loggers installed along a narrow travel pathway from the sea were used to gather accurate data on how much time tagged adult birds spent away from the island and how frequently they returned to feed their chicks. Morrison and his team found that chicks were hatched and reared more successfully during the 2011 season than in 2012's lean months. During the 2012 creche phase, males in particular spent more time at sea in search of food to regain the mass they lost during their chick-guarding fast ashore. This made males less likely to regularly bring food to their offspring. Chicks that were fed less also grew more slowly. The results show that these penguins' rigid division of parental roles is not suited to ensure that their chicks grow and survive as well as possible, especially in times of poor food supply. The situation is expected to become worse with increasing climate change. The researchers estimate that if Eudyptes penguins were to share guarding and foraging duties equally, up to 34.5 percent more feeds could be provided to their chicks. However, changing their breeding strategy isn't a simple matter, because the smaller, less aggressive females would be less effective in the role of guarding chicks. "Eudyptes penguins, ostensibly anchored in a reproductive strategy maladapted to a marine environment where food availability is less predictable, will continue to be highly threatened by climate change," warns Morrison. ### Reference: Morrison, K. et al (2016). The canalized parental roles of a Eudyptes penguin constrain provisioning and growth of chicks during nutritional stress, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, DOI 10.1007/s00265-016-2060-z BOSTON (Feb. 10, 2016) -- Twenty-six aspiring doctors and researchers experienced life as medical students or biomedical scientists during the fourth Tufts University School of Medicine/University of Massachusetts Boston Enrichment Program (TUSM/UMass Boston). The UMass Boston undergraduates took part in an intensive curriculum that ran for three weeks at Tufts University School of Medicine. The goal of this annual program is to introduce undergraduate students to careers in clinical healthcare or biomedical research. Many of the UMass Boston student-participants come from communities under-represented in medicine or are the first in their family to attend college. "Tufts University School of Medicine and our colleagues at UMass Boston recognize the need for a more diverse physician-scientist workforce that accurately reflects the populations these students may serve in the future," said Joyce A. Sackey, M.D., dean of Global Health and Multicultural Affairs, Tufts University School of Medicine. "We hope that this pipeline program at Tufts helps fulfill that need." The TUSM/UMass Boston Enrichment Program began as a result of the collaborative efforts of Dean Sackey; Gerard Gaughan, M.D., clinical professor of medicine at TUSM and a member of the Board of Visitors at UMass Boston, Jane Gaughan, Ed.D., and Andrew Grosovsky, Sc.D., dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at UMass Boston. "The Enrichment Program builds on our pre-med curriculum by giving the students a tangible experience of what it would be like to work as a physician or science researcher," said Dean Grosovsky. "This program provides our UMass Boston students the opportunity to establish mentoring relationships with Tufts University School of Medicine graduate and professional students and faculty who help them learn how to strengthen their candidacy for applying to graduate and professional degree programs in science and medicine." The TUSM/UMass Boston Enrichment Program allows students to select one of two career pathways: the Pathway to Clinical and Health Careers or the Pathway to Ph.D. Students in the clinical pathway shadow medical students and clinicians, and complete coursework in a number of traditional medical school courses, including physical diagnosis and problem-based learning. Students in the Ph.D. pathway learn research and lab techniques while shadowing doctoral candidates from the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts. Both groups participate in a career luncheon series during which representatives from the Friedman School, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts delivered remarks on career pathways in their respective disciplines. The UMass Boston undergraduates also participate in career workshops about the application process for professional and graduate degree programs, writing resumes, and financing post-graduate education. In addition to the various clinical and research exposure, students also participated in the Science and Society Seminars co-led by Dean Grosovsky and Jonathan Garlick D.D.S., Ph.D., of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts. The seminar series aids students with leadership development and provides an overview of effective interview techniques. Students also receive an in-depth look into stem cell research and team-based learning in a classroom setting. This year, the participating students included: Pathway to Clinical and Health Careers Pantea Fatemi Ardestani - Mission Viejo, CA Matthew Bowser -- Malden, MA Rodney Bruno -- Roxbury, MA Christina Cange -- Norwood, MA Selam Dejene -- Arlington, MA Larissa DeSouza -- Abington, MA Ahmad Hasaba -- Boston, MA Amanda LaFlamme -- Sturbridge, MA Maria Nsubuga -- Randolph, MA Anjali Pandey -- Burlington, MA Karishma Patel -- Waltham, MA Rushabh Patel -- Kingston, Ontario, CAN Animan Randhawa -- Abington, MA Kit Sitterley -- Mooresville, NC Nalat Siwapornchai -- Waltham, MA Kevin Valencia -- Queens, NY Eduardo Vargas -- Chelsea, MA Tatyana Zaborovskaya -- Newton, MA Pathway to Ph.D. Uyenkhak Dam -- Boston, MA Ana Carolina de Araujo - Waltham, MA Sarah Dupont -- Fairhaven, MA Dora Kadish -- Burlington, MA Mark MacRae -- Pembroke, MA Susana Ruiz -- East Boston, MA Emina Tabakovic -- Boise, ID Leslie Torres Ulloa -- Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic The TUSM/UMB Enrichment Program is one of several pipeline programs offered by Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts as part of a commitment by the schools to pursue initiatives that will diversify the applicant pool for academic programs in medicine and biomedical sciences and the related workforce. The pipeline programs at Tufts University School of Medicine begin with youth in middle school and high school by providing interesting and informative courses for those who take an early interest in medicine or biomedical sciences. ### About Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts are international leaders in innovative medical and population health education and advanced research. Tufts University School of Medicine emphasizes rigorous fundamentals in a dynamic learning environment to educate physicians, scientists, and public health professionals to become leaders in their fields. The School of Medicine and the Sackler School are renowned for excellence in education in general medicine, the biomedical sciences, and public health, as well as for innovative research at the cellular, molecular, and population health level. Ranked among the top in the nation, the School of Medicine is affiliated with six major teaching hospitals and more than 30 health care facilities. Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School undertake research that is consistently rated among the highest in the nation for its effect on the advancement of medical and prevention science. About UMass Boston The University of Massachusetts Boston is deeply rooted in the city's history, yet poised to address the challenges of the future. Recognized for innovative research, metropolitan Boston's public university offers its diverse student population both an intimate learning environment and the rich experience of a great American city. UMass Boston's 11 colleges and graduate schools serve more than 17,000 students while engaging local and global constituents through academic programs, research centers, and public service. To learn more, visit http://www.umb.edu. RIVERSIDE, Calif. (http://www.ucr.edu) -- A team of researchers led by a University of California, Riverside scientist has been awarded a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in an attempt to save the United States citrus industry from a disease that has already devastated the industry worldwide. Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease, is a bacterial plant disease fatal to citrus trees. The disease has devastated citrus trees in Asia, South America and Florida. More recently it has been found in Texas and California. "This disease is getting more and more scary because we have no cure," said Wenbo Ma, an associate professor of plant pathology at UC Riverside and lead researcher on the project. "Once a tree is infested all a grower can do is watch it die." Ma and the other scientists will use the funding to study the disease at a molecular level to identify ways to stop it from killing citrus trees and develop varieties that are resistant to the disease. The project will be the first attempt to understand differences of HLB in different citrus growing areas. In this case, they are focused on California, Florida and Texas. The researchers will identify genes that make citrus susceptible to HLB and use the recently developed CRISPR-based genome editing approach to modify those genes. They will not be introducing foreign genes into the citrus. Instead, they will deactivate or modify native citrus genes. Genome-edited crops are not considered genetically modified organisms, or GMO. The genome-edited citrus varieties will then be examined for their resistance to HLB. In addition, the researchers will investigate public acceptance of products with genome-edited citrus. Past research has shown that certain species of bacteria are associated with HLB. In the United States, the dominant species is Ca. L. Asiaticus (Las). Genome sequencing has revealed that Las contains the Sec secretion system, through which a variety of proteins, called effectors, can be secreted into the citrus phloem. Ma compared effectors to missiles being released into the citrus, causing damage and making the plants sick. Past research by the team has shown that effectors, which they call SDEs (sec-delivered effectors), are promising detection markers for HLB diagnosis and excellent molecular probes to understand how HLB develops. Specific activities and processes in citrus that are targeted by Las SDEs are promising targets for modification using the CRISPR-based genome editing approach. ### Ma has two collaborators from UC Riverside: Georgios Vidalkakis, a cooperative extension specialist and director of the Citrus Clonal Protection Program; and Xin Ge, an assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the Bourns College of Engineering. Vidalkakis will disseminate the research findings to people in the citrus industry in California, which is valued at nearly $2 billion. Ge will develop highly specific antibodies targeting SDEs for HLB detection. Other collaborators include: Veronica Ancona, an assistant professor at Texas A&M; Gitta Coaker, an associate professor at UC Davis; Lisa House, a professor at the University of Florida; and Nian Wang, an associate professor at the University of Florida. COLUMBIA, Mo. - Approximately 40 million foreign-born persons, representing about 13 percent of the population live in the United States. Many Latino immigrants find it best to maintain their cultures and identities while acclimating to mainstream American culture, thereby becoming bicultural. New research from the University of Missouri points to biculturalism as an indicator of positive self-evaluation and prosocial tendencies, such as empathy towards others, for Mexican-American youth. "Regardless of the nationality of a parent, one thing remains constant--parents want their children to have prosocial tendencies," said Gustavo Carlo, Millsap Professor of Diversity in MU's College of Human Environmental Sciences. "Parents want their kids to have self-esteem, to care for others and be confident: traits that lead to relatively high levels of well-being. This is particularly true for Latino immigrants working to make a better life for their children in the U.S." Carlo says that for Latino youth in the U.S., biculturalism allows them to stay connected with both their culture of origin and the culture of their communities. Through his research, Carlo found that those with higher biculturalism scores had greater prosocial tendencies and positive self-evaluation. Moreover, he found that prosocial actions, such as caring for others and helping those in need, promote a better self-concept making it easier to maintain connection with one's culture of origin. To study the impacts that biculturalism has on Latino youth, Carlo focused on the predicted positive associations biculturalism would have on positive self-evaluations and whether prosocial tendencies increase as biculturalism increases. Carlo surveyed 574 U.S. Mexican adolescents living in the greater Phoenix area. The survey consisted of questions related to ethnicity, language spoken at home, willingness to help others and self-esteem. "We found that adolescents who can adopt both their culture of heritage and mainstream culture and those who can navigate between the two worlds are more likely to be confident, have higher self-esteem and help others," Carlo said. "However, not all adolescents have the luxury to navigate both worlds. For example, one may want to fit in with their peers but, for a variety of reasons, is unable to do so. Then the next best alternative is to remain connected with one's culture of origin to improve overall well-being." To help Latino youth navigate between cultures, parents and teachers can play roles, Carlo said. He suggests that parents be open to their children's entering and adopting mainstream culture as well as teachers' supporting programs that promote inclusion and diversity. The Journal of Latina/o Psychology will publish the study, "The Associations of Biculturalism to Prosocial Tendencies and Positive Self-Evaluations," this spring. The research was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (MH068920). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of either funding agencies. Camille Basilio and George Knight from Arizona State University co-authored the study. Carlo's book, "Prosocial Development: A Multidimensional Approach," was recently published by Oxford University Press and received an award from the American Educational Research Association. ### AMHERST, Mass. - As maple sugaring season approaches, plant ecologist Kristina Stinson at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently received a two-year, $149,800 grant to study the impact of climate change on the quantity and quality of sugar maple sap, including its chemical composition, and of sap from red maples, a species less sensitive to climate change. The researchers believe is the first study to look at the effect of climate change on sap quality, that is sugar content and chemistry, as opposed to flow and volume, and the first to investigate how red maple compares to sugar maple as a source for sap. Stinson and colleagues hope to predict maple syrup quality under future climate conditions and explore a variety of management strategies. Stinson, an assistant professor of environmental conservation, and co-investigator Toni Lyn Morelli, a research ecologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, with UMass Amherst postdoctoral researcher Joshua Rapp, received the grant from the Northeast Climate Science Center at UMass Amherst to study sap quality and plant chemistry in maples from Virginia to Quebec and from Massachusetts to Indiana. Maple sap is mainly sugar and water, Stinson explains, but compounds called phytochemicals that occur naturally in plants give maple sap its signature flavor. Rapp adds that any sap containing sugar could be boiled down to syrup, but maple does have a unique flavor. People sometimes do tap birch, walnut or hickory, for example, but these syrups have a different flavor and take more time and energy because of lower sugar content. Stinson notes, "Phytochemicals are what give sap from the different species their particular flavors." Phyto is Greek for plant; phytochemicals give blueberries their deep blue color, for example, and garlic its distinctive smell and flavor. This so-called "secondary plant chemistry" can also offer advantages, she notes, such as protection against insect pests or frost. Rapp says that sap quality has two components, sugar content and secondary chemistry. "Sap sugar content determines how much syrup can be made from a given volume of sap; all syrup sold commercially has a consistent density of sugar, about 66 to 68 percent." Stinson says another goal of this study, which will use historical as well as ecological data, is to "get a handle on how much variation there is in this secondary chemistry, the different concentrations of phytochemicals and the relationship to syrup quality in sugar and red maples across the landscape." At present, the researchers have enlisted students and volunteers who sample 15 to 20 trees per site at six locations, one at Harvard Forest in Petersham, Mass., one near Dartmouth in New Hampshire, two managed by a scientist at the University of Virginia's College at Wise, one led by a researcher at the University of Quebec Chicoutimi and one at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. A chemist at Montana State University carries out the phytochemical analysis using a technique called high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to identify phytochemicals and their concentrations. Over the decades, the tapping season has started earlier and earlier, Stinson says. Estimates are that it may now start two weeks earlier than the traditional date. She hopes the number of sampling sites will eventually reach 30, representing a variety of eco-zones. Each will be managed by scientists at colleges and universities, or by state, federal and industry technicians, or citizen scientists in sugaring families. They will also assess overall tree health. Stinson says, "We hope to be adding sites all the time, especially by recruiting family maple producers. Many of them keep records right in the sugarhouse. We'd love to have them contribute the data from 50 or 100 years of notches on the sugarhouse walls. That would give us really helpful information on the quantity and quality of syrup produced over the years, and would help us predict the effects of climate change going forward." She, Morelli and Rapp recently formed a maple syrup research network, the Acer Climate and Ecological Research Network (ACERNet), not only for scientists but for producers and others interested in the future of this heritage crop, which held its first workshop, "Sugar Maple in a Changing Climate," in December with about 40 participants. Acer is the Latin genus name for maples; the scientific name of the sugar maple is Acer saccharum. The group has support from such groups as Massachusetts Audubon, the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Native American programs at the University of Maine and the Lac Courte d'Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Wisconsin. Morelli says ACERnet is addressing some of the unanswered questions the community has on the future of the sugar maple and syrup production, with a focus on how sap and syrup quality is influenced by climate. "This work has the potential to help inform producers about how they might be able to adapt their business and other plans to climate change." Many people aren't aware that producing maple sugar had a very patriotic role to play for the North during the Civil War, Stinson says, as an alternative to sugar cane harvested by slaves in the Caribbean. "It is part of our cultural heritage." Rapp adds that Native Americans have been tapping trees for centuries, and some tribes' origin stories include tapping maple trees for sap. ### PITTSBURGH, Feb. 10, 2016 - Patients who go to UPMC Presbyterian for heart catheterization and who receive a stent to treat clogged arteries are now being screened with a simple blood test to determine if they have a gene variant that makes them less likely to respond to a blood-thinning medication commonly prescribed after the procedure. This unique program, one of the first of its kind in the country, aims to use clinical pharmacogenomics knowledge to individualize patient treatments--part of a broader program at UPMC that could eventually include a wide variety of drugs to improve outcomes for patients. "Increasingly we are able to pinpoint gene variations and other factors that affect how patients metabolize drugs, allowing us to more precisely target the right drug for the right patient," explained Philip Empey, Pharm.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacy and therapeutics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, and the leader of this program. To launch the PreCISE-Rx (Pharmacogenomics-guided Care to Improve the Safety and Effectiveness of Medications) initiative, a multidisciplinary team created streamlined processes to test patients for the relevant genes and promptly add the results as well as treatment alerts to UPMC's electronic health record. The genetic and clinical information that is gathered also feeds UPMC's "big data" analytics effort, which is expected to lead to new scientific insights into how and why drugs work for some patients but not others, and to identify new drug targets. "Our intent is to select the best medication for each patient based on their genes," Empey said. "Most drugs, such as antibiotics, psychiatric medications and painkillers, don't work for everybody. As we learn more about the genetic, environmental and other factors that shape drug metabolism, the current one-kind-fits-all approach will give way to personalized and more effective treatments." In PreCISE-Rx, when the cath team places a stent to reopen a blocked heart artery, a blood sample is drawn for testing at a specialized lab at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. The test determines if the patient carries certain variants of a drug metabolism gene that can prevent the antiplatelet medication clopidogrel from working properly. A commonly prescribed blood-thinning medicine, the drug is used to inhibit the formation of new clots that could reclog arteries. "We know that some of our patients do not have an optimal response to clopidogrel so their arteries could become blocked again, which puts them at risk for heart attack and hospitalization," said A.J. Conrad Smith, M.D., director of UPMC's cardiac catheterization laboratories. "Now, with our pharmacist colleagues, we can analyze the pharmacogenomic test results along with other clinical data to choose a medication that will reduce a patient's chance of recurrent clots and a return to the hospital." More than 700 patients are expected to be treated through this project at UPMC Presbyterian's cath lab in the coming year. Past studies show that 30 percent of patients are unlikely to metabolize clopidogrel appropriately, and about 10 percent experience complications because of the blood thinner's ineffectiveness. Dr. Empey's research team will follow up with patients and collect data to evaluate their outcomes. The goal is to implement the program at other UPMC hospital cath labs and expand it to include other medications to provide the best possible care for patients. "This effort could greatly help patients while reducing the costs of hospital readmissions and recurrent illness," said Steven Shapiro, M.D., chief medical and scientific officer of UPMC. "It also holds the promise of revealing insights into the genetic basis of disease and treatment response because we can warehouse and analyze the collected data in ways that were never possible before." PreCISE-Rx is a lead initiative of the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Personalized Medicine, which has been working since 2013 to support innovative patient care, education and research. The effort is supported by the University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute and grants from the National Institutes of Health, McCune Foundation and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. ### About UPMC A world-renowned health care provider and insurer, Pittsburgh-based UPMC is inventing new models of accountable, cost-effective, patient-centered care. It provides more than $888 million a year in benefits to its communities, including more care to the region's most vulnerable citizens than any other health care institution. The largest nongovernmental employer in Pennsylvania, UPMC integrates 60,000 employees, more than 20 hospitals, more than 500 doctors' offices and outpatient sites, a 2.8-million-member health insurance division, and international and commercial operations. Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, UPMC ranks No. 13 in the prestigious U.S. News & World Report annual Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals. For more information, go to UPMC.com. About the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy Chartered in 1878, the School of Pharmacy is the oldest of the University of Pittsburgh's Schools of the Health Sciences. For over 135 years, the School of Pharmacy has been committed to improving health through excellence, innovation, and leadership in education, research, patient care and service. Today, the School of Pharmacy is a leader in pharmacy education and research, with endeavors ranging from patient health outcomes and human clinical research to research in molecular genetics. The School of Pharmacy is home to four centers: the Center for Pharmacogenetics, the Center for Education and Drug Abuse Research (CEDAR), the Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences Center, and the Center for Development and Delivery of Pharmaceutical Agents. http://www.upmc.com/media Contact: Anita Srikameswaran Phone: 412-578-9193 E-mail: SrikamAV@upmc.edu Contact: Wendy Zellner Phone: 412-586-9777 E-mail: ZellnerWL@upmc.edu Fibers from the Australian native spinifex grass are being used to improve latex that could be used to make condoms as thin as a human hair without any loss in strength Fibres from the Australian native spinifex grass are being used to improve latex that could be used to make condoms as thin as a human hair without any loss in strength. Working in partnership with Aboriginal traditional owners of the Camooweal region in north-west Queensland, the Indjalandji-Dhidhanu People, researchers from The University of Queensland have developed a method of extracting nanocellulose -- which can be used as an additive in latex production -- from the grass. Professor Darren Martin from UQ's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) said the spinifex nanocellulose significantly improved the physical properties of latex. "The great thing about our nanocellulose is that it's a flexible nano-additive, so we can make a stronger and thinner membrane that is supple and flexible, which is the Holy Grail for natural rubber," Professor Martin said. "We tested our latex formulation on a commercial dipping line in the United States and conducted a burst test that inflates condoms and measures the volume and pressure, and on average got a performance increase of 20 per cent in pressure and 40 per cent in volume compared to the commercial latex control sample," he said. "With a little more refinement, we think we can engineer a latex condom that's about 30 per cent thinner, and will still pass all standards, and with more process optimisation work we will be able to make devices even thinner than this. "Late last year we were able to get down to about 45 microns on our very first commercial dipping run, which is around the width of the hair on your head." Professor Martin said the benefits of the nanocellulose technology would interest latex manufacturers across the multi-billion-dollar global market. "Rather than looking at increasing the strength, companies would be looking to market the thinnest, most satisfying prophylactic possible," he said. "Likewise, it would also be possible to produce latex gloves that are just as strong, but thinner, giving a more sensitive feel and less hand fatigue to users such as surgeons. "Because you would also use less latex, your material cost in production would potentially drop as well, making it even more attractive to manufacturers." Professor Martin said spinifex had long been used as an effective adhesive by indigenous communities in Australia. "Spinifex resins have been used traditionally for attaching spear heads to their wooden shafts," he said. UQ and the Dugalunji Aboriginal Corporation have signed an agreement to recognise local Aboriginal traditional owners' knowledge about Spinifex and to ensure that they will have ongoing equity and involvement in the commercialisation of the nanocellulose technology. DAC Managing Director Colin Saltmere said the technology provides an opportunity for the partners to establish themselves as leaders in the area of spinifex harvesting and processing and the supply of a range of nanocellulose and other spinifex-derived products. "There are strong hopes of cultivating and processing spinifex grass on a commercial scale, bringing economic opportunities to the remote areas across Australia where it thrives," Mr Saltmere said. "We're very excited by the prospects of commercialising the technology to provide an entirely new industry to regional Australia." AIBN's Dr Nasim Amiralian said the nanocellulose could be converted from spinifex using an efficient chemistry method. "You would firstly hedge the grass, and then it would be chopped up and pulped with sodium hydroxide -- and at that stage it just looks like paper pulp," Dr Amiralian said. "Then you hit it with mechanical energy to force it through a very small hole under high pressure to peel the nano-fibres apart from the pulp, into nanocellulose happily suspended in water and ready to add to things like water-based rubber latex," she said. UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Hj said innovation delivered its greatest impact when translated into tangible solutions that created positive change, and the spinifex project was a prime example. "Research like this has great potential to make a difference in the fight against HIV and AIDS and other global issues in healthcare," Professor Hj said. "At the heart of our research at UQ, we are aiming to harness research insights to engineer the next-generation of products and solutions, build on global knowledge capital, and generate funding for further innovation." "This completes the laboratory-to-market lifecycle that can deliver benefits to millions, taking excellence to what we call Excellence Plus, and through that we aim to create change." ### UQ's commercialisation company UniQuest has provided support for the development of the nanocellulose technology and funding through its Pathfinder initiative. The risk of death by age two among infants born before 28 weeks' gestation is up to 45 per cent higher when they receive targeted oxygen saturation in the range of 85-89 per cent compared to 91-95 per cent, according to a paper published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Conducted in Australia and the UK by the BOOST-II Collaborative Groups, the trial involved 2,108 cases and confirms similar findings from a randomised controlled trial in North America. Prior to these findings, neonatologists had targeted hemoglobin saturations between 85 per cent and 95 per cent because saturations lower than 85 per cent increased the likelihood of neurologic damage and those higher than 95 per cent increased the risk of retinopathy in extremely pre-term infants. "This evidence will help prevent thousands of deaths worldwide each year," said the University of Sydney's Professor William Tarnow-Mordi, co-principal investigator of the study. "Now more trials are urgently needed to improve the quality of survival of premature babies. With innovative investment in clinical trial networks and point-of-care data capture, trials like these could be completed much faster, at a fraction of the cost." Using revised oximeters, a post-hoc analysis of combined data from the UK and Australian centres revealed that deaths were significantly higher in the lower-oxygen target group than in the higher-target group: 144/587 (24.6%) versus 99/586 (16.8 %), RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.15-1.82; P=0.001. In post-hoc combined analyses using all oximeters, deaths were significantly higher in the lower-oxygen target group than in the higher-target group: 222/1045 (21.2%) versus 185/1045 (17.8%), RR 1.20, 95% CI 1.01-1.43; P=0.04). The success of trials like these depends on hundreds of parents and health professionals," said Professor Tarnow-Mordi. "Thanks to their support, the outlook for very preterm babies has never been better - and continues to improve." ### When Jurg Zeltner started at UBS, the bank was seen as a local Swiss firm. Now UBS Wealth Management has more than $2 trillion in assets globally and a presence in more than 50 countries. Its funny to think that when I started in this industry 30 years ago there were 3.5 billion people on the planet, now were rocketing towards 9 billion, says Zeltner, now 48. Back then, the huge growth in Asia had yet to really begin. I feel like I have experienced globalization personally and, over the course of my career, witnessed the largest wealth creation ever. Zeltner is smart and extremely likeable. It is rare to meet someone so self-effacing within the senior echelons of the financial services industry, but he is just that. His peers describe him as a selfless leader. Some people pretend to be humble, but for Jurg it is just his nature, says one consultant. It is never about Jurg. He is always focused on the other person, listening to them and asking questions, trying to learn. Series & TV La temporada 2 de Los Anillos de Poder ya ha presentado a su gran villano... y no es Sauron The Prime Minister of New Zealand has hit out the UK over plans to make anyone from outside the European Union who wishes to stay in the country for more than six months pay towards their healthcare.From April 2016 visa holders from New Zealand and Australia, both of whom have large expat populations in the UK, will be asked to pay a surcharge of 150 to 200 a year.It will affect those who apply for a visa to stay for longer than six months and expats already in the UK who apply for an extension to an existing visa.John Key, the New Zealand prime minister, said the charge represented the "chipping away" of New Zealanders' rights in the UK. He hinted that it upsets an historic relationship between the two countries based on New Zealand being a former British colony."I would have thought charging Kiwis 150 if they're over there for a bit longer as a surcharge, over and above the national health system, is pretty cheap and not really in keeping with the history of the two countries," he said but added that he would not seek to introduce anything similar for British people in New Zealand.British people going to New Zealand and Australia do not face such a surcharge. Currently under the existing reciprocal agreement Britons travelling to Australia can stay in hospital free of charge and receive subsidised medicines and GP visits while those in New Zealand can receive free care even for existing medical conditions. In both countries, there is a part charge for GP visits for all patients, including locals.The surcharge already applies to people from some countries outside of the EU but it is now being expanded to Australia and New Zealand as it is regarded as a good way to help the National Health Service meet the extra costs of healthcare for foreign nationals.There has been a lot of concern in the UK that people arrive in the country as so called "health tourists" who take advantage of the free healthcare system. The new surcharge has raised more than 100 million in six months so it is being extended.It does not apply to those coming to the UK for six months or less, or those visiting the UK with a visitor visa an d they will still be fully liable for the cost of any National Health Service treatment they receive during their stay in the UK.Immigration minister James said that it is "only fair" that Australians and New Zealanders contribute to the NHS. "By keeping the surcharge at a competitive level, we are also recognising the contribution temporary migrants make to the wider economy," he explained.There is also disquiet among Australians and people from New Zealand that the UK has cut the cost of visas for Chinese citizens from 324 to 85, meaning they pay a lot less than those from down under. As you are early retirees and not yet in receipt of UK state pensions, you would need to take out private health insurance for at least the first year you are resident in Spain (unless at least one of you is working in a contracted job or registered as self-employed, thus paying Spanish social security contributions). After you have been registered as residents for one year, in most areas of the country you would then have the option to pay into the system known as the Convenio Especial to access Spanish state healthcare. This currently costs 60 per person per month for those aged under 65 and 157 per person per month for those aged 65 and over. It covers any and all pre-existing conditions, but not the cost of medication (and indeed very few private health policies cover prescribed medication, either). If neither of you has pre-existing medical conditions then private health insurance could well be cheaper than that. Only people in receipt of UK state pensions and who get an S1 form from the DWP in the UK can register to receive Spanish state healthcare (because the British Government pays Spain an annual sum of approx. 4k per year for each of them). The spouse or other dependants of a UK state pensioner can also be covered by S1 forms, giving them access to Spanish state healthcare too. The quality of Spanish state healthcare is usually said to be very good, although we have made very little use of it so far. Shropshire A Full-Time position is available for an assistant herdsperson on a family dairy farm in mid Shropshire. We have a 250 dairy herd rearing own replacements together with a b... A London egg packer and wholesaler has been fined 2500 for extending best before dates on eggs and breaching compliance notices issued by Animal and Plant health Agency (APHA) Egg Marketing Inspectors. Ziya Gorur pleaded not guilty before the District Judge at Waltham Forest Magistrates Court on Thursday 21 January, but was found guilty on all four charges after a three and a half hour trial. He was fined 2,515 (500 per offence plus 500 court costs and a 15 surcharge) under the Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009. In summing up, the District Judge praised the professional manner in which the Animal and Plant Health Agencys Egg Marketing Inspectors carried out their enforcement roles. When Ziya Gorur was inspected by APHA, inspectors found that eggs at two separate stalls at New Spitalfields Market, Leyton, had been falsely dated. Batches of eggs were found to be individually marked on the shell with a date of 25 April, despite the eggs having been re-packed with a label showing a best before date of either 8 or 10 May. Around the same time, Egg Marketing Inspectors issued two Compliance Notices to Mr Gorur regarding two batches of eggs that had been downgraded for failing to meet the Class A quality standards. Despite clear instructions both verbally and in writing, Mr Gorur chose not to adhere to these requirements, breaching both Compliance Notices. APHA Lead Inspector Tim Platt, said: Consumers rely on honest egg marketing to ensure that the eggs they buy are fresh and safe to eat. This case should serve as a warning and reminder that APHA enforces egg marketing legislation robustly and that deliberate transgressions result in tough sanctions for those not willing to comply. Farmlinkmontana.org acts as a one-stop shop By Diego Flammini Assistant Editor, North American Content Farms.com Between finding land, getting their finances in order, acquiring equipment and other vital pieces to run a successful agricultural operation, new farmers may find themselves being tugged in many different a directions. A new online service in Montana is designed to provide new farmers and ranchers with the answers to many of the questions they may have. Farmlinkmontana.org includes information on finances, marketing, internship and mentorship information. The new site also acts as an avenue for people selling land to connect with farmers looking to acquire land, and provides access to in-person classes about agribusiness. Farmlink Montana snapshot Connecting Montanas beginning farmers and ranchers with the tools they need to succeed, the sites homepage reads. Annie Heuscher, program director for Community Food & Agriculture Coalition in Missoula told the Helena Independent Record that many beginning farmers knew resources existed but didnt know where to find them. The website launched after the coalition received a $250,000 grant from the USDA. Sue Ann Streufert, director of member relations with the Montana Farm Bureau told the Montana newspaper that helping young farmers get started is key in maintaining a healthy agricultural industry; according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the average age of a principal operator in 2014 was 58.9. Start2Farm.gov estimates the average age of farmers across the United States is about 57 years old up from 55 years old about five years ago; theres also been a 30 percent increase in farmers over 75 years old and a 20 percent decrease in farmers under 25 years old. Pitts: Mailer for Fayetteville council change misleading, say opponents A former councilwoman who is Black, supports Vote Yes is wrongly depicted as a Democrat. Organizers say it was a mistake; opponents think otherwise. The FCPA Blog flagged a case recently where a Florida medical assistant who filed a whistleblower suit was awarded $3.2 million as part of a False Claims Act settlement. The medical assistant alleged that the cancer-care practice where she worked had submitted Medicare and other government claims for medically unnecessary tests. I am not decrying the FCPA Blogs reporting of the story, nor the fact that the whistleblower was awarded a significant sum for her efforts. No, the crux of my observation relates more to the fact that none of us will be surprised that a medical company is charging for unnecessary tests, simply to enhance their profits. These sort of scams have been going on for years. One of my investigators, a former UK police officer, tells of arresting UK National Health Service (NHS) dentists, opticians and pharmacists who had bolstered their earnings by any number of underhanded tactics. The dentists had either conducted treatments that were not required, or claimed for tooth fillings and extractions that had simply never taken place. The optician, meanwhile, had claimed for a supplementary payment for dealing with very young children. The anomaly in this instance wasnt the cut-off age, but a subjective measurement called Pupillary Distance, which gave the unscrupulous optician leeway to mislead the NHS. The funnier (or sadder) tale he tells in regard of individual stupidity, though, is that of a pharmacist who was claiming for tubs of 500 paracetamol tablets that he was allegedly providing to people on a monthly basis. Paracetamol is used as pain reliever and a fever reducer. When my colleague took a statement from an expert witness provided by the NHS, she explained that if any of the patients concerned consumed the 16 or so paracetamol tablets per day as claimed, theyd very soon be dead. That the supposed recipients were all still alive and well (plus had no knowledge of the tubs of paracetamol they were allegedly being given) made for a straightforward conviction for fraud. Scams of this nature cost the NHS millions of pounds every year, money that has to be supplemented somehow, normally via cuts to other NHS services or increased taxes. My fellow attorneys out there who specialize in medical negligence claims will no doubt confirm that there are unscrupulous medical professionals, who are conducting unnecessary treatments on patients in order to make money. This is not only frightening but amounts to an assault on the recipient who would never have signed the consent form had they known they were being misled. That the whistleblower described in the FCPA Blogs post received more than $3 million shows just how serious the problem can be. The case discussed in the post shows again why whistleblowing is not only a good thing, but it is also vitally important when we are talking about peoples welfare. _____ Martin Kenney is Managing Partner of Martin Kenney & Co., Solicitors, a specialist investigative and asset recovery practice focused on multi-jurisdictional fraud cases www.martinkenney.com |@MKSolicitors. An insight into the difficulties of establishing and protecting e-legal professional privilege arising from a bribery investigation was recently provided in a recent administrative law case. The claimant, a bribery suspect, sought to challenge the Serious Fraud Offices use of inside IT specialists for sifting through and isolating potential legal professional privilege (LPP) material from his seized electronic devices. The SFOs in house digital forensic units initially deal with or quarantine that material so as to deny its investigative team access until it has been reviewed and released by an independent and outside lawyer. The claimant sought to advance a number of arguments. The first was a purported inconsistency between the SFOs operational handbook and the Attorney General Guidelines for e-disclosure. In particular: A32. If the material is voluminous, search terms or other filters may have to be used to identify the LPP material. If so this will also have to be done by someone independent and not connected with the investigation. The court rejected the contention that someone independent required the function to be outsourced, holding that there was a clear distinction drawn between the respective independence requirement of the sifting IT forensic units and that of the reviewing lawyer; that the same distinction existed for assessing hard copy material as for digital material; and that had the sifting exercise to be carried out externally, one would have expected clear and incontrovertible language to that effect. The claimants second argument relied on the KPMG/Bolkiah case, which decided that a lawyer in receipt of confidential information from a former client acting for a new client with an adverse interest had to establish that effective measure were in place to ensure no risk of disclosure. The claimant contended that effective measures meant outsourcing the sifting of LPP material. This argument was rejected on the grounds that there was a clear distinction between a lawyer conflicted by confidential information and that of a publicly tasked agency such as the SFO; and that the actual measures in place made it very unlikely that members of the investigative team could access the pre-sifted material. The last argument, based on the Tchenguiz litigation, that the IT specialists were in an analogous position to that of independent lawyers attending execution of search warrants, was also rejected. There was certainly a whiff of Catch 22 around the claimants arguments, so the result is perhaps not that surprising. What the case does reveal is the potential complexity and enormity of the task in terms of time and cost that enforcement agencies face in dealing with digital LLP issues, particularly, in major investigations. The full judgment of the High Court in The Queen (on the application of Colin McKenzie) and the Director of the Serious Fraud Office is here. ______ Alistair Craig, a commercial barrister practicing in London, is a frequent contributor to the FCPA Blog. Writing My Own Dear Brother brought me face-to-face with the horrifying reality of 1940s wartime Austria, when the Nazis murdered thousands of disabled people, labeled as 'life unworthy of life'. One of my main characters, Schosi, is a teenage boy with a learning disability, closely based on my great uncle who lives in the Austrian countryside. My great uncle has a learning disability and autistic traits. He spends obsessive hours petting or feeding his mangy ginger cats, murmuring to them in his soft monotone, or tinkering with his wristwatch. I share his love of cats and once helped him conceal a litter of kittens born in his shed, saving them from his brother who would soon come to smash their heads with a stone (from his point of view, there were enough mousers already). In a nearby barn, we gently deposited the kittens inside the torn upholstery of an old car, then coaxed the mother cat to the nest. Holly Muller My affection for my relative has certainly been written into the character of Schosi. I've also drawn upon my work with disabled adults. I now provide support to disabled university students but used to work with adults with learning disabilities in their own homes. Involved in all aspects of their everyday lives, I got to know each person well. Relationships strengthened over time; trust was built and mutual respect. I worked to help all to meet their full potential. So, when I researched the brutally pragmatic murder of disabled people in the Third Reich it hit me very hard. Seen as 'useless mouths' - a drain on resources in a time of economic crisis - those with disabilities were sent to designated clinics and killed. Children like Schosi disappeared. I read many testimonies about the shocking experiences of such children. I admit that I struggled to continue at times; it was so harrowing. But I felt there was an important story to be told and Schosi was wonderful and I wanted to write about his life, his world, his thoughts and feelings, to show him as more than a voiceless victim. My great uncle, in his late seventies now, was a child just like Schosi, growing up in 1940s Austria. Somehow he survived - it could easily have been otherwise. When I visit him, I can't think of it, this awful outcome that might have been. He's no angel, no more than anyone else. On one occasion, he stole my parents' car keys because he wanted us all to stay a little longer. His face lit with mischief, he announced he'd hidden them amongst the myriad boxes in the cobwebbed garage. It took an age to locate them, so he got his wish. But he's undeniably a good man. His peaceful kindness is infectious. I love his lined and inquisitive face, his frank, un-judging eyes. He accepts me and my stilted German, my foreign clothes. He doesn't reject me for my difference or assess my value by what I can give. We're just two people - that is all. Two people who really like cats. My Own Dear Brother by Holly Muller, published by Bloomsbury Circus, at 14.99 There's not long to go now until Tom Hiddleston returns to the big screen in the long-awaited movie High-Rise - and a brand new poster for the film has been unveiled. High-Rise Hiddleston is a bit of a favourite here at FemaleFirst and he has teamed up with filmmaker Ben Wheatley for the first time for an adaptation of the novel by J.G. Ballard. High-Rise kicks off a busy year for Hiddleston - both on the big and small screen - and this is one of his movies that I have been looking forward to for quite some time. Wheatley has brought us movies such as Kill List and Sightseers but High-Rise is his first feature since A Field In England back in 2013. The director has brought together a terrific cast as Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, James Purefoy, and Keely Hawes all star alongside Hiddleston. 1975. Two miles west of London, Dr. Robert Laing moves into his new apartment seeking soulless anonymity, only to find that the building's residents have no intention of leaving him alone. Resigned to the complex social dynamics unfolding around him, Laing bites the bullet and becomes neighbourly. As he struggles to establish his position, Laing's good manners and sanity disintegrate along with the building. The lights go out and the lifts fail but the party goes on. People are the problem. Booze is the currency. Sex is the panacea. Only much later, as he sits on his balcony eating the architect's dog, does Dr. Robert Laing finally feel at home. As for Hiddleston, we are also going to be seeing him in I Saw The Light - in which he plays musician Hank Williams - and return to television with The Night Manager. The actor is currently filming on Kong: Skull Island and is set to reprise the role of Loki in Thor: Ragnarok, which will start shooting later this year. High-Rise is released 17th March. by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on Beth Tweddle has taken her first "assisted" steps following surgery on her broken back last week. Beth Tweddle The retired gymnast was rushed into theatre to fuse two fractured vertebrae in her neck after she was involved in a horror smash on 'The Jump' and, although doctors are unable to confirm how much permanent damage has been done, she's already showing signs of a positive recovery. Beth's parents Ann and Jerry said: "Since her surgery, Beth has managed to walk a few steps whilst being assisted by the nursing team. She is still very tired from the operation but the medical team are pleased with the progress she is making. At the moment we aren't certain of the timescale for her recovery. We are taking each day as it comes and will update you when there is further news." The 30-year-old athlete, who has won the title of Britain's greatest ever gymnast, sparked concern among fans over the weekend when she was airlifted to a hospital in Austria after she ploughed into a barrier and damaged her spine. Following the shocking accident, Beth has been left with no choice but to leave the competition - making her the fourth celebrity to quit the show due to a life-changing injury. 'Made in Chelsea' star Mark-Francis Vandelli, 27, was forced to pull out of the competition earlier this week after he snapped his ankle, which later needed surgery, while battling it out in the aggressive Snow Cross challenge over the weekend. 'Holby City' actress Tina Hobley, 44, was also forced to withdraw after she dislocated her elbow and fractured her arm when the crew failed to vacate the landing area. And Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington, 26, has also decided to depart the competition after she dislocated her shoulder while practicing the frightening air jump last week. The page you were looking for does not exist. HOME | B2B | KNOWLEDGE | SERVICES Here are some helpful links instead: AKH Group, one of Bangladesh's leading garment exporters, broke new ground, opening an eco-friendly factory at Dhamrai on the outskirts of Dhaka, with a target of exporting products worth $80 million annually.Named AKH Eco Apparels Ltd, the company spent Tk 150 crore to set up the factory. The company claims the factory will be able to reduce electricity consumption by 1,295 megawatt-hour a year, fuel oil by 325 tonnes and water use by 30 per cent. A quarter of its electricity need will be met through solar power. AKH Group, one of Bangladesh's leading garment exporters, broke new ground, opening an eco-friendly factory at Dhamrai on the outskirts of Dhaka# The new factory received gold certification from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), one of the most popular green building accreditation programmes used around the world. Gold is the second highest LEED rating, after platinum.Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed inaugurated the project while representatives from the US Green Building Council handed over gold category LEED certificate to the factory authorities.We started construction of the building in the middle of 2014, when our customers were pushing for such production units, said Shamsul Alam, managing director of AKH Group, set up in 1997 by three friends at a rented house in Shyamoli with with Tk 52 lakh and 300 workers.Of the total invested amount in the new venture, 85 per cent came from the company's own funds and the remaining 15 per cent from the local Exim Bank. Its long-term buyers provided technical support.If the government can supply us gas with adequate pressure, we can build such eco-apparel buildings every two years, as we have a lot of potential and customers.Spread over 13 acres of land, the factory has a rainwater harvesting system. Rainwater will be reused to reduce the consumption of groundwater, the company said.For AKH Eco Apparels, its management, employees and customers, the future is now, said Roger Hubert, H&M's head for Bangladesh and Pakistan. H&M is a major customer of AKH Group.About 150 factories either open or under construction are applying the green concept. They are the future of Bangladesh's garment industry, he said.AKH symbolises the new future of Bangladesh. A transformation has been happening in Bangladesh in a new and innovative way, said Marcia Bernicat, US ambassador to Bangladesh. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Bengaluru-based outdoor apparel and equipment maker, Wildcraft, has launched operations in West Asia and South East Asia in an effort to grow globally, the company said in a press release.Wildcraft has tied up with partners for its foray in the markets of the UAE and Oman and online partnerships for Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The first step in the company's aggressive growth plans will allow it to evaluate these markets before expanding into other countries. Bengaluru-based outdoor apparel and equipment maker, Wildcraft, has launched operations in West Asia and South East Asia in an effort to grow globally# Over the last year, Wildcraft unveiled a new brand identity and expanded its product portfolio into clothing and footwear. The company has also made a series of moves which include expanding its retail footprint to 130 retail stores in more than 50 cities across India, extending its presence in over 400 cities in India through over 3000 distribution points.In South East Asia, Wildcraft has partnered with Zalora, part of Global Fashion Group, giving the company access to the Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan markets. Through this alliance, Wildcraft will start off with selling its outdoor gear product lines. In the UAE, the outfitter has built partnerships across offline and an online distribution channels. The company has also tied up with Souq.com, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in the region.Expanding into South East Asia and the Middle East, both important markets for us, is just the start of our growth plans. The focus, at this point, is to reach countries with similar climatic conditions and geo-proximity, said Gaurav Dublish, Co-founder of Wildcraft.Talking about the future plans, he said, Our efforts will be focused on creating a strong customer connection through product innovation and on deepening our distribution footprint across these countries.Wildcraft products include jackets, shoes, rucksacks, sleeping bags, tents and travel accessories for trekking, camping and outdoor pursuits. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Weavers, fabric designers and heritage preservation campaigners in Bangladesh have said that support from the government was essential for reviving the country 's legendary muslin fabricsIt would be quite impossible for any individual to revive muslin which has become virtually extinct, said Centre for Policy Dialogue Executive Director Mostafizur Rahman while moderating the discussions at a a workshop on the Revival of Muslin: Policies and Institutions in Dhaka. Weavers, fabric designers and heritage preservation campaigners in Bangladesh have said that support from the government was essential for reviving # He said that coordinated efforts by the concerned government departments and private entrepreneurs alone could revive muslin.Researcher and rights activist Hamida Hossain also backed the idea.A major intervention is needed from the public sector to promote muslin and to protect the livelihood of muslin artisans, she said in her address.The effort to revive jamdani and muslin, whose manufacture was systematically decimated by the British colonial authorities, is part of a larger process to reclaim the heritage of this textile and to promote brand Bangladesh globally, speakers said.The workshop is one of several events this month during Muslin Festival 2016, organised by Drik, Aarong and Bangladesh National Museum.In 2013, Bangladesh's jamdani muslin was included in the list of masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco.Artisans and investors alike need government support, preferably through a public-private partnership arrangement, speakers said. But they conceded that little was known about the international demand for the textile and said research into this was needed.National Craft Council president Chandra Shekar Shaha said that muslin was a handicraft product and not an industrial product. Without grooming skilled weavers it will be difficult to revive the muslin, he said.The history of muslin goes back at least a millennium but the fabric's origins are shrouded in mystery. It finds mention in Marco Polo's accounts during his travels. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India EU ambassador to Pakistan, Jean-Francois Cautain, has asked the Pakistani business community to explore opportunities in other sectors besides textile and leather to derive maximum advantage of the GSP Plus scheme.Cautain's comments came at a symposium in connection with Pakistan Mega Leather Show 2016 (PMLS) at Lahore. EU ambassador to Pakistan, Jean-Francois Cautain, has asked the Pakistani business community to explore opportunities in other sectors besides textile# The leather sector is an important sector in Pakistan, due to the sheer size of its economic footprint, employment, and potential for value creation. Despite being an export earner, the leather sector has a small share in the global trade of value added goods and products. In the wake of the current incentives given by the EU, which includes the GSP Plus status for Pakistan, the value added leather sector needs to seize the opportunity and further develop the sector to become an even greater export earner for Pakistan, the ambassador later told reporters.Events such as the Pakistan Mega Leather Show help in improving confidence of international investors in leather sector, Cautain said.The PMLS-2016 provided a unique platform for the Pakistani leather industry, including tanners, footwear manufacturers, leather garments and gloves manufacturers, chemical companies, and other vendors supplying equipment, machinery and components to the leather industry to display their products, and provide a single platform for the Pakistani leather industry. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India The Textile Association of India (TAI) Karnataka unit organised a two day International Textile Conference at Nimhans Convention Centre, Bangalore from January 22-23, 2016.The conference, alongside which a trade show was also organised, was inaugurated by textile commissioner of the state, Dr. R Raju, who explained about the development activities of textile industries in Karnataka. The Textile Association of India (TAI) Karnataka unit organised a two day International Textile Conference at Nimhans Convention Centre, Bangalore # He said that the Karnataka state government was putting more emphasis on development of industry both in Bangalore as well as outside Bangalore areas.According to him, the state government offered opportunities for the growth of industry like; good roads, availability of water, electricity and infrastructure even in rural areas.He also said that the government has contributed 2,500 acres of land through industrial development, while electrical infrastructure of up to 2500 MW has been made available.Arvind Singh, president of TAI informed that financial problems of developed countries have affected the textile industries in India.He said besides traditional textiles, there are other opportunities coming up in the sector like nonwovens textiles, medical textiles, geo-textiles etc, and urged everyone to make use of the opportunity.Prem Malik, president of CITI spoke on the requirement of developing basic infrastructure for the growth of industry. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India A group of Pacific Island leaders meet in Tonga today to build on momentum from the successful COP21 Summit in Paris, late last year. Representing Fiji will be Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, Ambassador Climate Change and Oceans, Amena Yauvoli and Fijis Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Peter Thomson who will represent Fiji at the meeting arranged by the Chair of the Pacific Small Island States (PSIDS). The current Chair of PSIDS is the Kingdom of Tonga. The ministerial meeting commences today, followed by a PSIDS strategic planning meeting at ambassadorial level ending on Friday. Special guests at the meeting will be a Swedish delegation led by Minister Isabella Lovin, the Swedish Minister of International Cooperation. Minister Lovin is a strong advocate on issues relating to Climate Change and Oceans. At the meeting, Kiribati President Hon. Anote Tong, on his last few months in office, is expected to be lauded for his advocacy on climate change in the lead-up to COP21. President Tong and Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama have worked closely on climate change advocacy and mitigation for Pacific Island states. Co-sponsored by the Swedish Government, the Nukualofa-based meetings will also focus on preparations for the United Nations Conference on Oceans and Seas to be held in Fiji in June 2017. The conference in June next year, is to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and Sustainably Use the Oceans, Seas and Marine Resources for Sustainable Development. An important element of the strategic planning meeting in Tonga is expected to be implementation of the Paris Agreement. This will include the obligations on all countries to prepare, communicate, and maintain successive nationally determined contributions every five years, a new transparency framework applicable to all countries for measuring, reporting and verifying climate change action and support, and new mechanisms to recognize and track adaptation actions. At the meeting, Minister Kubuabola is expected to affirm PSIDS as being firmly established within the UN, G77, AOSIS and the Asia-Pacific Group, as the logical regional representative of Pacific Island developing countries in international negotiations. Members of the public are advised to monitor weather reports and take precaution. The National Forecasting Centre in Nadi is closely monitoring a tropical disturbance system lying to the north-west of the country.Director Meteorological Services, Ravind Kumar says TD 09F was located about 1030km west-northwest of Rotuma at 9am today and was moving southwest at 10 knots.Over the last 24 hours, the system has moved westward, but anticipated to track southwards and gradually intensify, Mr Kumar said.At this stage, the chance of it developing into a Category One cyclone in the next 24 to 48 hours is low to moderate.Tropical depression 09F does not pose a direct threat to Fiji and is expected to pass West of Fiji later in the week, however, associated rain and strong gusty winds are expected to spread over the country from later Thursday through to the weekend.A strong wind warning is now in force for Rotuma waters and moderate to fresh northwest winds expected over land areas while the rest of the Fiji Group is expected to receive rain developing from the north over most places by Thursday with strong and gusty northerly winds spreading over Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, Mr Kumar said.The system is expected to bring isolated heavy rain which may lead to flash flooding in low lying areas and it is advisable that people remain prepared at all times and keep updated with the latest weather bulletins. Tholi Prema Tholi Prema is a must-watch for people, who are in a situation, where they are unsure of their future, but have the confidence to achieve their goals, if they have their loved ones with them. Aarya Thanks to Aarya, which boosted the confidence of all the one side lovers. If you are going to propose your love this valentine's day, here is the film, which will inspire you. Nuvve Kavali To know the beauty of falling in love with your best friend, one has to go through the experience. If you are anywhere close, this movie is for you. Orange In case you are wondering where your relation is going, you are in store of, 'an ocean of love'. Orange tells you the beauty of sticking together, no matter what. Bommarillu If you are madly in love with a person, you need to accept their flaws, too. Because, love makes life beautiful. Ishq Ishq reminds you that, you never know when you are going to meet your love. Be sure so that you don't lose a chance. Yem Maaya Chesave Age and religion can never be the barrier between you and your love. Geetanjali This movie will never miss from any list. Not anytime in the near future, at least. Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju MMIRR proves a point that if two people are in love, situations and distance are insignificant. 3 The love that is as mad as the one between Janani and Ram, is for a lifetime. Aaradhana The film re-establishes the faith in the magic of love. Prem Nagar Prem Nagar is one of those films, which is dramatic yet would make you want to believe in love. CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Japan is on Wednesday scheduled to release January figures for producer prices, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Producer prices are expected to fall 0.7 percent on month and 2.8 percent on year after shedding 0.3 percent on month and 3.4 percent on year in December. Japan also will see January numbers for housing loans and Tokyo office vacancies; in December, they were up 2.4 percent and 4.03 percent, respectively. Australia will provide February numbers for consumer confidence and December data for new home sales. The consumer confidence index fell 3.5 percent on month in January to a score of 97.3. New home sales fell 2.7 percent on month in November. Finally, the markets in South Korea, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong remain closed for the Lunar New Year holiday. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian dollar weakened against the other major currencies in the Asian session on Wednesday. The Australian dollar fell to 1.6061 against the euro and 80.47 against the yen, from yesterday's closing quotes of 1.5969 and 81.37, respectively. Against the U.S. and the Canadian dollars, the aussie dropped to 0.7039 and 0.978 from yesterday's closing quotes of 0.7069 and 0.9797, respectively. If the aussie extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 1.61 against the euro, 79.00 against the yen, 0.69 against the greenback and 0.96 against the loonie. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - This time, the polls were correct as Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump cruised to easy victories Tuesday in their respective New Hampshire primaries. Sanders, the socialist Vermont Senator, was expected to dominate the Democratic race in New Hampshire - and he did. Trump, the business mogul, also won by a wide margin in the Republican race. Both men were declared winners by CNN and other media outlets immediately after the polls closed, shortly after 8 p.m. ET. That was a far cry from last week's Iowa caucus, when Trump was expected to win - but it was Texas Senator Ted Cruz who came away with the win. Conversely, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - to many the presumptive Democratic nominee - was pegged as the easy winner in Iowa - but it wasn't until the next morning that she was determined to be the winner by the narrowest of margins. With 30 percent of the vote counted, Sanders enjoyed a 58 percent to 40 percent advantage. Clinton called Sanders shortly after the race was called to congratulate him. The two will square off in another debate Thursday evening in Wisconsin. The Republican race was more wide open, given its wider base. With a third of the ballots counted, Trump had 34 percent of the vote, followed by Ohio Governor John Kasich at 16 percent and Cruz at 12 percent. Former Florida Governor and Florida Senator Marco Rubio were right behind at 11 percent apiece, followed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at 8 percent, businesswoman Carly Fiorina at 4 percent and Dr. Ben Carson at 2 percent. Next up for the Democrats is the Nevada Caucus on February 20 and the South Carolina Primary on February 27. For the Republicans, the South Carolina Primary is February 20 and the Nevada Caucus is February 23. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Offers International Investors Easy Access to Participation The Asociacion de Afectados de Petrobras, a Madrid-based shareholder association; International Securities Associations Foundations Management Company for Damaged Petrobras Investors (Bolsa Madrid) Ltd. ("ISAF Petrobras"); and a coalition of international law firms, including Cremades Calvo-Sotelo, Motley Rice, and Lowey Dannenberg Cohen & Hart, announce that they have prepared a substantial criminal complaint against Petroleo Brasileiro SA, certain Petrobras group entities and (formerly) high-ranking Petrobras officers (collectively, "Petrobras et al") and intend to file it in Criminal Court in Madrid in the coming weeks. The complaint will be filed on behalf of all Petrobras investors who bought shares through Bolsa de Madrid (LATIBEX index) and all investors who bought shares through BOVESPA in Sao Paulo but brought back those shares to Spain clearing through Iberclear and kept and custodied the shares in Spain thereafter, and suffered losses as a result of the allegedly long-running fraud perpetrated by Petrobras et al. Petrobras is majority-owned by the Brazilian government. The complaint will allege that when years of complex fraud and bribery schemes orchestrated by management and officials of Petrobras were finally revealed to the public in 2014, investors lost billions of dollars, euros and Brazilian reals, resulting from significant asset write-downs and precipitous declines in Petrobras share prices. Petrobras shares are listed on the BOVESPA in Sao Paulo and became subject to compliance with European regulatory standards when Petrobras made its shares available for trading and clearing via LATIBEX on Bolsa Madrid and Iberclear, respectively, and subjected itself to compliance with the Comision Nacional del Mercado de Valores ("CNMV"), the regulatory body of Spanish financial markets.The CNMV is a member of and subject to the regulations of the European Securities and Markets Authority. Petrobras specifically desired access to investors in European and other international capital markets and promoted itself to them. To increase investors' confidence, it declared its expected compliance with a well-developed European market regulation system and its willingness to be governed by it. Whether the Petrobras shares are trading in Brazil or Europe, the security identifiers for both the common and preferred shares are in fact the same in each jurisdiction. Shares can be transferred back and forth for custody between Brazil and Europe as a result of the CNMV regulatory framework and the arrangement via Iberclear in Spain. Efforts are underway to recover investor losses related to the revelations of allegations of rampant corruption, money laundering, bribery and violations of securities laws in multiple jurisdictions. The first investor lawsuit was filed as a class action in the United States on behalf of investors who purchased American Depository Shares on the New York Stock Exchange, but is limited to only cover losses in those ADS shares and certain US dollar denominated bonds. Importantly, this US class action does not cover investor losses that stem from the largest class of shares, which traded on the BOVESPA or LATIBEX, and it will not cover losses on certain other bonds, including Euro denominated bonds. Goals of the Legal Action How to Recover Losses Spain's legal framework does not have the concept of a securities class action as it exists in the United States. Damaged Petrobras investor plaintiffs seeking financial recovery must enter or "opt-in" to the collective litigation to be entitled to participate in any settlement or litigation-related proceeds. Additional goals of the collective litigation include increasing the level of influence of independent directors and safeguarding the interest of all stakeholders through improvement in compliance standards and control measures, to a level normally expected by international institutional investors. It is important that investors (a) who purchased common and preferred shares of Petrobras anytime between 2004 and July 28, 2015 and (b) suffered and/or are in danger of suffering (further) damages as a consequence of the alleged fraud, contact ISAF Petrobras so that it can determine eligibility to pursue claims in the Spanish court system. Eligible damaged investors can join Asociacion de Afectados de Petrobras with no upfront cost or risk. About the Shareholder Association Association Organizers. The Asociacion de Afectados de Petrobras, a Madrid-based shareholder association, has appointed ISAF Petrobras to interact with investors, law firms, service providers, and media and to undertake all administrative tasks, including the collection of client trading data, loss calculations, loss certification, and all aspects of documentation handling. In addition, ISAF Petrobras will finance all litigation costs, including legal fees, experts' fees, processing, data collection, administration, and claims administration, including potential payout administration. Apart from this Spanish association, an affiliate of ISAF Petrobras International Securities Associations Foundations Management Company for Damaged Petrobras Investors (Bovespa) Ltd. is fully funding all efforts by Stichting Petrobras Compensation Foundation, a Dutch-based foundation, to pursue restitution for damaged investors. Law Firms. Cremades Calvo-Sotelo, the pre-eminent Spanish securities law firm, is cooperating with securities litigation firms Motley Rice and Lowey Dannenberg Cohen Hart. Cremades Calvo-Sotelo is considered one of Spain's leading law firms, specializing, amongst other fields, in collective securities actions. Motley Rice is one of the largest plaintiffs' litigation firms in the United States, with a tradition of representing those whose rights have been violated. Lowey Dannenberg Cohen Hart focuses its practice on complex litigation, including securities and commodities litigation, antitrust litigation and healthcare litigation. Claims Analysis and Processing. Battea Class Action Services, LLC, an international leader in the class action securities claims filing space, has been retained to collect client data and process and validate investor loss calculations. Damaged investors are offered a "success only" contingency fee cost structure. By accepting the contingency fees, the damaged investors are offered a no-risk and upfront cost-free participation ("no cure no pay"). For more information, please visit www.isafpetrobras.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160209006750/en/ Contacts: Investor Access Information ISAF, London, UK +44 203 769 7223 or ISAF, Rio De Janeiro, BR +55 212 018 1197 or ISAF, Rotterdam, NL +31 102 680 138 or ISAF, Madrid, ES +34 910 602 178 Info@isafpetrobras.com or Media Access Information ISAF, Stamford, CT, USA Peter Hansen, +1-203-252-3378 media@isafpetrobras.com AMSTERDAM (dpa-AFX) - Dutch brewer Heineken NV (HKHHF.PK) reported that its net profit for fiscal year 2015 increased 25% to 1.89 billion euros from the prior year's 1.52 billion euros. Net profit (beia) for the year rose 16% to 2.048 billion euros from the previous year's 1.758 billion euros, with earnings per share (beia) improving to 17% to 3.57 euros, from 3.05 euros last year. Revenue for the year grew 6.5% to 20.51 billion euros from 19.26 billion euros in the previous year. Revenue increased 3.5% organically, with a 2.2% increase in total volume and a 1.3% increase in revenue per hectolitre. Adjusting for negative country mix, revenue per hectolitre would have grown 1.7%. Consolidated beer volume grew 2.3% organically in 2015, with slightly positive growth in the first half and 3.5% growth in the second half. In 2016 heineken expects to deliver further organic revenue and profit growth despite an increasingly challenging external environment, with margin expansion in line with the medium term margin guidance of a year on year improvement in operating profit (beia) margin of around 40bps. Assuming spot rates as of 4 February 2016 the calculated negative currency translational impact would be approximately 60 million euros at consolidated operating profit (beia), and 35 million euros at net profit (beia). Foreign exchange markets remain very volatile. The Heineken N.V. dividend policy is to pay out a ratio of 30% to 40% of full-year net profit (beia). For 2015, payment of a total cash dividend of 1.30 euros per share (2014: 1.10) will be proposed to the Annual General Meeting. This implies a 36% payout ratio, in line with the payout ratio in 2014. If approved, a final dividend of 0.86 euros per share will be paid on 4 May 2016, as an interim dividend of 0.44 euros per share was paid on 12 August 2015. The payment will be subject to a 15% Dutch withholding tax. The ex-final dividend date for Heineken N.V. shares will be 25 April 2016. Hans Wijers (Chairman) and Mrs. Mary Minnick will resign by rotation from the Supervisory Board at the Annual General Meeting on 21 April 2016. Mr. Wijers is eligible for re-appointment for a period of four years, and a non-binding nomination for his re-appointment will be submitted to the AGM. Mrs. Minnick has informed the Supervisory Board that she will not seek a third term as member of the Supervisory Board. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de BELGRADE, Serbia, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Business Intelligence (BI) and analytics software vendor, Yellowfin, has partnered with its first Serbian-based reseller, signing an agreement with Micro Business Solutions. Micro Business Solutions is a Serbian enterprise technology consultancy specializing in software implementation and development for government, legal as well as the food and beverage industries. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150616/223408LOGO Under the partnership agreement, the Belgrade-based firm will offer Yellowfin's business-user-oriented BI solution, and associated suite of professional services, to its current and future clients throughout the entire Adriatic region, including Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Montenegro. Micro Business Solutions CEO, Tatjana Kovacevic (PhD), said growing client demand for reporting solutions led the company on an extensive search for both a BI technology to sell and a BI vendor with which to partner. "After a long and extensive analysis of all major options in the Business Intelligence industry, we found Yellowfin to be the standout solution and vendor," said Kovacevic. "Yellowfin was the most compatible option for us in terms of its flexible business approach, combined with its passion for making business analytics as simple and accessible as possible. "Yellowfin delivers on our need, attractively presenting rich information in a highly graphical manner, catering for all user types and customers from across all industries. We are deeply convinced that we selected the best BI solution available and are entering this partnership with great confidence and big expectations." Micro Business Solutions CTO, Igor Ivanovic, said the breadth and depth of technical capabilities within Yellowfin's BI platform was an important factor in the partnership decision. "From a technical point of view, we are impressed with the product itself - Yellowfin is a fantastic solution that brings ease of access to its users," said Ivanovic. "Yellowfin is delivering the most modern, simplified approach to BI on the market. "Everything is refined and easy, from its drag-and-drop interface for creating reports or dashboards, unique approach to Collaborative BI, number of predefined data source connectors, minimal hardware requirements as well as simple implementation for cloud or on-premise deployment. Moreover, Yellowfin licenses fall into a highly accessible price range." Yellowfin Managing Director for EMEA, Peter Baxter, said that he was excited by the potential of Yellowfin's new partnership with Micro Business Solutions. "Micro Business Solutions is a highly skilled enterprise software consultancy that is equally passionate about delivering a competitive advantage for every one of its clients," said Baxter. "Our partnership with Micro Business Solutions has the potential to rapidly expand Yellowfin's market presence throughout the Adriatic region." About Micro Business Solutions Founded in 1993, Micro Business Solutions is a Serbian-based software company that focuses on high quality, timely and cost-effective software development and implementation across a number of sectors, including government, legal as well as the food and beverage industries. Micro Business Solutions has rich and varied experience in providing software development, implementation and project management capabilities as well as stringent quality standards, developing solutions that deliver its customers an edge over their competitors. The Micro Business Solutions team consists of skilled programmers and implementers with a broad base of experience in designing and implementing software solutions using the latest technology and tools. In addition to partnering with Yellowfin, Micro Business Solutions is also registered as a partner with Microsoft, Zebra, HotDocs, Open Text and IBM. For more information, visit www.micro-bs.com About Yellowfin Yellowfin is a global Business Intelligence (BI) and analytics software vendor passionate about making BI easy. Founded in 2003 in response to the complexity and costs associated with implementing and using traditional BI tools, Yellowfin is a highly intuitive 100 percent Web-based reporting and analytics solution. Yellowfin is a leader in mobile, collaborative and embedded BI as well as Location Intelligence and data visualization. Over 10,000 organizations, and more than one million end-users across 70 different countries, use Yellowfin every day. For more information, visit www.yellowfinbi.com For regular news and updates, follow Yellowfin on Twitter (@YellowfinBI), LinkedIn (Yellowfin Business Intelligence), YouTube (Yellowfin Team) or email pr@yellowfin.bi to subscribe to Yellowfin's free e-newsletter. For further media information, interviews, images or product demonstration, please contact: PUNE, India, February 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Global high performance computing market is projected to reach USD 36.62 Billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 5.45% with higher computational power driving the HPC market growth with Asia-Pacific (APAC) expected to witness the highest growth and HPC servers to gain maximum market share during the forecast period. Complete report on global high performance computing market spread across 162 pages, profiling 10 companies and supported with 66 tables and 34 figures is now available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/273323-high-performance-computing-market-server-storage-networking-software-middleware-cluster-fabric-management-performance-optimization-professional-services-deployment-models-price-bands-global-market-forecasts-analysis-2013-2018-.html . The HPC market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.45% during 2015-2020. The emergence of big data has increased the demand for systems that can handle data intensive workload. HPC clusters are systems that can easily handle vast amount of data and extensively support high performance data analysis. The improved data collection technology provides lively images for simulations, medical, life science, video rendering, and such other applications. All these applications require higher processing power and speed for data analysis and results. Better scans, HDTV, multi-layer scans, and enhanced information gathering abilities all adds to the requirement of more CPUs and quicker storage solutions that is delivered through HPC and helps in driving the market. The market in APAC is in the growth phase and is the fastest-growing region for the global HPC market. This is mainly attributed to the growing focus of the market players to address the demands of higher processing power with reliable and quicker response time. On the other hand, Middle East and Africa (MEA) is aiming toward the growth phase while Latin America is still in the introductory phase in terms of adoption of HPC solutions. HPC servers market is estimated to contribute the largest market share in terms of components type. Storage, networking devices, and software solutions are also seen with higher prospects in coming years. Moreover, the services market is estimated to have great opportunities and projected to grow at a high CAGR in the next five years. Prominent vendors in the HPC space include AMD, Cray, Cisco Systems, Intel Corporation, SGI, HP, Dell, IBM, Atos SE, and Fujitsu among various others. With the rapid development of new technologies, the new vendors are emerging in the market, especially in the area of cloud computing. Also, the vendors are focusing on providing the HPC solutions converged with big data technologies. This latest trend is gaining significant traction and is growing steadily. Order a copy of High Performance Computing Market by Components Type (Servers, Storage, Networking Devices, & Software), Services, Deployment Type, Server Price Band, Vertical, & Region - Global Forecast to 2020 research report at http://www.reportsnreports.com/purchase.aspx?name=273323 . From an insight perspective, this research report has focus on various levels of analysis-industry analysis, analysis of top players, their offered products and services, supply chain analysis, and company profiles, which together comprise and discuss the basic views on the competitive landscape, emerging and high-growth segments of the HPC market, high-growth regions, drivers, restraints and opportunities. The report will enrich both established firms as well as new entrants/smaller firms to gauge the pulse of the market, which, in turn, will help the firms in garnering a larger market share. Firms purchasing the report could use any one or combination of the below mentioned five strategies (market penetration, product development/innovation, market development, market diversification, and competitive assessment) to strengthen their market shares. On a related note, another research on Cloud High Performance Computing (HPC) Market Global Forecast to 2020 says, the cloud HPC market size is estimated to grow from USD 4.37 billion in 2015 to USD 10.83 billion by 2020, at an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.9% from 2015 to 2020. The cloud HPC market is driven by factors, such as complex applications management, emergence of big data market, and adoption of pay-as-you-go model. Companies like IBM Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Google, Dell, Amazon Web Services, Penguin Computing, Sabalcore Computing, Adaptive Computing, Gompute and Univa Corporation have been profiled in this 119 pages research report available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/435512-cloud-high-performance-computing-hpc-market-by-service-type-hpc-iaas-hpc-paas-data-organization-and-workload-management-clustering-software-and-analytics-tool-professional-service-and-managed-service-global-forecast-to-2020.html . Explore more reports on IT & Telecommunication market at http://www.reportsnreports.com/market-research/information-technology/ . About Us: ReportsnReports.com is an online market research reports library of 500,000+ in-depth studies of over 5000 micro markets. Not limited to any one industry, ReportsnReports.com offers research studies on agriculture, energy and power, chemicals, environment, medical devices, healthcare, food and beverages, water, advanced materials and much more. Connect With Us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReportsnReports/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reportsnreports Twitter: https://twitter.com/marketsreports G+ / Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/111656568937629536321/posts RSS/Feeds: http://www.reportsnreports.com/feed/l-latestreports.xml Contact: Ritesh Tiwari UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune - 411013 Maharashtra, India. + 1 888 391 5441 sales@reportsandreports.com LONDON, February 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- METICULOUSLY CRAFTED ONE-NIGHT-ONLY PERFORMANCE CELEBRATES THE LAUNCH OF THE BOLDLY DESIGNED NEW LEXUS RX Last night, Hollywood actor and producerJude Law starred alongsidean elitecast ofactors from the world of immersive theatre, in an exclusive interactive show. (Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160208/330717) (Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160208/330718) (Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160208/330719) (Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160208/330720) (Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160208/330721) The 14-scene odyssey, held at London's Tom Dixon-designed Mondrian hotel and a secret underground bank vault, allowed 100guests to take centre-stagein the performanceand become the star of their very own personalised show. These unwitting participants were catapulted into alivetheatrical manifestation of'The Life RX' - a multi-sensorial world of luxury, excitement and thrills, as depicted in the latest TV advert for the new 2016 Lexus RX, which also stars Jude Law. Each room brought with it new scenarios and unexpected experiences that required guests to improvise in their new persona as an international movie star, whilst the rest of the cast had been fully prepped toworkaround their specific personalities. The ultimate bespoke performance. The guests' new role then took a dramatic turn as award-winning stage and screen legend - and immersive theatre fan - Jude Law surprised them by sharing their 'red-carpet scene' finale to the production. Designed to celebrate the luxury credentials of the new Lexus RX,each carefully crafted scene was inspired by elements of the sharply styledbest sellingSUVand the extraordinary lifestyle depicted in its TV advert. This creative premise propelled the guests into a multitude of 'film star' scenarios, each designed to stimulate the senses in ever more sophisticated ways. Propelled from one exhilarating scene to the next, en-route guests were laser-guided through underground bank vaults,crawled through giant speakers inspired by Woodstock Sound Engineer Mark Levinson's premium acoustics systems,bundled into Lexus RX's to escape their pursuers, and asked to ride incognito in a customized luxury luggage trolley! Our stars' gastronomy skills were tested by a perfectionist, personal chef. Their 'on-screen presence' was questioned by cinemas' media elite. And gaggles of adoring fans threw themselves at our stars during the premier of their very-own movie. They were even in-demand as fashion muses. Luxury British tailor, Joshua Kane, (playing himself in the production) begged our stars to wear one of his unique creations for the forthcoming awards season. In creating the garment he had used the same expert craftsmanship and hand-stitched techniques seen in the interior of the luxury SUV. Speaking about the event, Jude Law said:"Immersive theatre is a medium that has interested me for a while now. This is an experience where the audience is in the driving seat, and are taken into an incredibly magical world -having filmed the Life RX ad, being thrust into that world was something I wanted to be a part of. I had a lot of fun and hope everyone who came enjoyed it as much as we did creating it." Spiros Fotinos, Head ofMarketingatLexus Europe said: "With 'The Life RX' campaign we expressed an attitude that resonates with the modern luxury consumer. Luxury is not only about having the option to do something but actually having the courage to do it and make it your own. This is exactly what we did by staging an unprecedented immersive theatre experience and what we enabled our guests to do. All went throughthe same 14 scenes but they each experienced something unique and amazing. This bespoke approach reflects the spirit of the Lexus brand and fits perfectly with the bold and innovative character of the new RX." The event was meticulously produced and directed by an A-list team including the Creative Director of London's Old Vic Tunnels, Hamish Jenkinson, the Performance Director behind many Secret Cinema classics, Simon Evans, the Sound and Graphic designer from smash-hit immersive experience Punch Drunk, Stephen Dobbie, 'The Railway Children's' award winning Set and Costume Designer, Joanna Scotcher,Moschino and BeyonceLighting Designer, Tupac Martir and many of the cast from cult immersive theatre shows such as 'You Me Bum Bum Train'. 'TheLife RX' immersive experience will be further brought to life using pioneering 360 filming techniques, hidden cameras were placed throughoutthe experience to allow those who couldn't attend on the night to enjoy this one off performance at home. Pictures of the event are available on Lexus Newsroom:http://www.newsroom.lexus.eu 'The Life RX'TV advertcan be foundat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF9NTslNGpY NOTES TO EDITORS ABOUT IMMERSIVE THEATRE In immersive theatre,the lines between performer and audience and between performance and life are blurred. The audience are not passive bystanders and audience members, they are part of the story. However small their role may be, they are placed within in the middle of the action allowing them to individualize their experience based on their reactions and choices and write their own stories. ABOUT LEXUS Launched in 1989, Lexus has become renowned throughout the world for its pursuit of perfection, the outstanding quality and sophisticated high-technology content of its products, and for its unique concept of complete customer service. Further reinforcing the traditional Lexus values of unparalleled build quality, comfort and interior luxury, Lexus is currently rejuvenating its line-up, launching a new wave of emotional and inspirational products featuring bolder product execution, superior driving dynamics and state-of-the-art technologies. Today, Lexus remains the first - and only - premium automotive manufacturer to offer a comprehensive full-hybrid model range comprising the RX 450h, the GS 450h and GS 300h, the LS 600h, the ES 300h, the IS 300h and the CT 200h. In Europe, models featuring Lexus Hybrid Drive account for more than half of all Lexus sales. RSA, the leading international insurer, has extended its relationship with Accenture (NYSE:ACN), selecting the company as its preferred supplier for insurance business process outsourcing (BPO) services for an additional six years to 2021. Under the new contract, Accenture will provide RSA UK with back-office administration and customer support services across its sales, service, claims and finance operations, supporting both direct customer and intermediated businesses. Accenture will also identify additional opportunities for standardization, automation and cross-training to help RSA deliver a superior customer-focused operation. UK Chief Operating Officer Darren Mackenzie said, "We are delighted to extend our contract with Accenture. They offer both flexibility and a unique understanding of our business and the conditions we face in the market. The contract extension reflects Accenture's role as a valued business partner to RSA and its proven track record in delivering significant cost reductions and enhancing our operations as we aspire to achieve best-in-class performance." Andrew Poppleton, managing director of Accenture's Financial Services practice in the UK and Ireland, said, "We are proud of our long history working with RSA to deliver cost-savings and operational efficiency. We look forward to helping RSA create and support a more agile and dynamic workforce as they continue on their journey of significant transformation through an as-a-service delivery model." This new agreement complements an existing contract the two companies have for management consulting, application development and management services. Under that contract, Accenture provides development, implementation and ongoing maintenance services for RSA UK's IT applications in the UK and Ireland, including those related to customer relationship management, claims processing, commercial lines products, policy management and back-office operations. About RSA With a 300 year heritage, RSA is a multinational insurance group. RSA has operations in the UK Ireland, Scandinavia, Canada, Latin American and the Middle East with the capability to write business in around 140 countries. Focusing on general insurance, RSA has around 18,500 employees and, in 2014, its net written premiums were 7.5 billion. About Accenture Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions underpinned by the world's largest delivery network Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 373,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160210005502/en/ Contacts: Accenture Melissa Volin, 1 267-216-1815 melissa.volin@accenture.com or Petra Shuttlewood, 44 7788 305373 petra.shuttlewood@accenture.com BARCELONA, Spain, February 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue will host from June 21 to 23 In(3D)ustry From Needs to Solutions, a new international trade show focusing on the Additive and Advanced Manufacturing industry, more popularly known as 3D printing. The event aims to become a "global hub" that brings together all the players in the Additive Manufacturing ecosystem and showcases the latest technology and innovation. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160209/331226 ) Organized by Fira de Barcelona, this first In(3D)ustry will feature 30 of the world's top Additive and Advanced Manufacturing companies along with corporations from various industrial sectors such as Health, Automative & Aerospace, Architecture and Retail & Consumer Goods seeking solutions to their specific needs. Attendees range from first-generation producers of 3D printers to the manufacturers of machinery and tools, and companies that are strongly entering the 3D printing market. According to the show director, Miquel Serrano, "In(3D)ustry will be an unprecedented event designed to meet the demands made by industries such as the automotive and healthcare to the creators of 3D machinery, to help them seize the opportunities created by this revolution in manufacturing technology." "The goal of this new hub is to support a rapidly growing sector and provide a meeting place to accelerate this technology and successfully adapt it to the real needs of consumers and industrial users," he adds. One of the exhibiting companies, HP, will stage the European launch of their Multi Jet Fusion technology. As Ramon Pastor, Vice President and General Manager of HP 3D Printing states: "HP is committed to advancing the state-of-the-art of 3D printing with a disruptive technology and an Open Platform that will drive collaborative innovation with materials and software partners. To this end, platforms such as In(3D)ustry are key to enabling productive dialog amongst industry players, and encouraging open discussions to resolve common 3D printing industry challenges." In(3D)ustry will also feature an Open Innovation Markeplace, where companies, investors, users and manufacturers of 3D printing machinery will meet, a Call for Best Solutions that will select the best 50 prototypes and showcase them during the event, and the first In(3D)ustry Awards that will recognize the best solution presented at the show. ROME (dpa-AFX) - Italy's industrial production decreased for the second straight month in December, defying economists' expectations for an increase, figures from the statistical office Istat showed Wednesday. Industrial production fell a seasonally adjusted 0.7 percent month-over-month in December, faster than the 0.5 percent drop in November. Meanwhile, it was expected to climb by 0.3 percent. On an annual basis, industrial production declined 1.0 percent at the end of the year, confounding economists' forecast for a 1.4 percent gain. It was the first decrease in six months. Production in the capital goods sector dipped 1.6 percent yearly in December and that for intermediate goods sector slid by 2.6 percent. At the same time, energy output registered a growth of 0.4 percent. In the whole year 2015, overall industrial production expanded 1.0 percent compared with the preceding year. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. LUXEMBOURG CITY, LUXEMBOURG--(Marketwired - February 10, 2016) - Lombard International Assurance, the global leader in wealth structuring solutions, today announces its intention to open a branch office in Belgium in the second quarter of 2016, subject to regulatory approval. The move is further evidence of the firm's ambitious global growth strategy with most recent development being the acquisition of Zurich Eurolife Luxembourg SA's Private Banking business (subject to regulatory approval). The firm has previously been active in Belgium and the opening of a branch in Brussels further underlines its commitment to the market and its strategy to be the partner of choice for sophisticated wealth solutions using life assurance for the high and ultra high net worth segment. John Hillman, Executive Chairman of Lombard International, said: 'We are excited to be opening a branch in Belgium, one of our longest standing markets in Europe. The move demonstrates our commitment to this important market as we seek to build out our franchise across Europe as the leader in our sector'. Jurgen Vanhoenacker, Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Wealth Structuring, stated: 'Our aim is to develop long-term strategic relationships with key wealth management partners globally. The opening of a new branch in Belgium is an important step in this direction and demonstrates our intent to continue to expand our offering to partners and their clients with on the ground expertise and servicing'. About Lombard International Assurance Lombard International Assurance is a leading life insurance-based wealth solutions provider, combining the strength and expertise of two specialist life insurance companies with over 20 years' experience and market leadership in their respective fields. Lombard International Assurance provides wealth structuring solutions using unit-linked life insurance to high net worth individuals, their families and institutions around the globe. The global group, branded as Lombard International, launched to market in September 2015. With head offices located in Luxembourg and Philadelphia, a combined global presence enables Lombard International to serve clients' complex needs on a global basis while being sensitive to local cultures and attitudes. Global assets under administration are in excess of USD 75 billion with a global staff number of over 500, including more than 60 technical experts specializing in 20+ jurisdictions. Funds managed by Blackstone own Lombard International. Blackstone is one of the world's leading investment firms with over $330 billion in assets under management. For further information about Lombard International visit: www.lombardinternational.com Media Enquiries: UK/EU Andrew Waterworth Prosek Partners awaterworth@prosek.com +44 (0)20 3440 5802 USA Gabrielle Simon Prosek Partners gsimon@prosek.com +1 212 279 3115 ext. 108 Lombard International Assurance S.A. www.lombardinternational.com Head office 4 rue Lou Hemmer L-1748 Luxembourg Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Tel +352 34 61 91-1 Fax +352 34 61 90 R.C.S. Luxembourg "' B 37604 VAT LU 15902470 Tax "' 1991 2204 696 Italian Branch/Sede secondaria italiana Piazza San Marco 3 I-20121 Milano Italia Tel +39 02 3670 5260 Fax +39 02 3670 5263 P.IVA/Registro Imprese Milano n. 08441540963 Iscrizione Albo IVASS della Sede secondaria italiana n. I.00121 Representative offices in ROME | GENEVA | LUGANO | ZURICH BOISE, ID -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- A10 Capital, the nation's leading middle-market commercial real estate lender, today announced it closed a $75 million investment facility from KKR. This platform investment will bolster A10's core capital base to fuel the future growth of its on-balance sheet bridge and permanent loan products. "We have built A10 into a leading commercial real estate lender by being obsessed with our clients -- broadening our on-balance sheet loan products, solving our borrowers' pain points, and delivering a better and more efficient borrowing experience with our nimble and full-service platform," said Jerry Dunn, CEO of A10 Capital. "This significant investment from KKR, one of the most prestigious institutional investors in the world, further enhances our leadership position and capital base." "A10 is an established lender in the middle-market commercial mortgage space," said Dev Gopalan, Head of U.S. Private Credit. "What distinguishes A10 is its strong track record and unique origination platform that has generated consistent growth. A10 is positioned to be an effective nonbank CRE lender, able to compete with bank, CMBS, and life company lenders at time when they are being significantly and adversely impacted by new financial regulation." KKR joins A10's top-tier institutional backers, which include BlackRock, H.I.G. Capital, and THL Credit. A10 has recently financed over 30 million square feet of both stabilized and un-stabilized commercial properties nationwide. About A10 Capital Commercial real estate investors rely on A10 Capital as their one-stop balance sheet lender for middle-market commercial mortgages. Our broad menu of bridge, perm, bridge-to-perm, and note purchase loans cover the entire life cycle of commercial properties across the United States. Our full-service lending platform, which incorporates focused origination, speedy underwriting, in-house legal, and servicing for the life of the loan, has made A10 Capital the most active lender in the middle-market commercial mortgage space. With loans ranging from $1 million to more than $20 million per property, A10 has funded over 30 million square feet of commercial properties. An innovator in the industry with a scalable funding model, A10 is backed by four significant institutions: $4.7 trillion asset management firm BlackRock, $98 billion global investment firm KKR, the $19 billion global private equity firm H.I.G. Capital, and the credit affiliate of Thomas H. Lee Partners. We are based in Boise, ID and Dallas, TX and have regional offices in Annapolis, MD; Darien, CT; Kansas City, KS; Nashville, TN; Newport Beach, CA; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia, PA; and Princeton, NJ. For more information, please visit the A10 website at www.a10capital.com and on Twitter @A10Capital. About KKR KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages investments across multiple asset classes including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit and hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation at the asset level. KKR invests its own capital alongside its partners' capital and brings opportunities to others through its capital markets business. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. L.P. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR's website at http://www.kkr.com/ and on Twitter @KKR_Co. Media Contact: A10 Capital Cathy Clarke 508-833-8533 cathy@cncassocs.com CARPINTERIA, CA and MISSION VIEJO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- (HIMSS Booth #9908) -- Redspin, an Auxilio Company (OTCQB: AUXO) and leading authority on cyber security in healthcare, has announced that it will be showcasing its professional services and its Redspin Risk Manager application at HIMSS16 on March 1 - 3, 2016 at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Redspin's exhibit is located in the Cyber Security Command Center, a section designated for product and service providers who help healthcare organizations including business associates (BA) with challenges and concerns pertaining to cyber security and breaches. Redspin's Vice President and Managing Consultant, Chris Campbell, an expert in cyber security best practices, HIPAA, social engineering, cloud computing and vendor risk, will present at the Cyber Security Command Center's educational sessions on Wednesday March 2, 2016 at 10:45 AM PST. Mr. Campbell's presentation is entitled "Case Studies: Social Engineering & Security Breaches." Social engineering is the root cause of over half the reported healthcare security incidents in 2015. For example, hackers used social engineering tactics such as fraudulent emails ("phishing") to gain the trust of employees then manipulated them into disclosing their login credentials. The session will discuss the evolving threats and effective defense strategies through real-world case studies and how the human element of creativity in these type of attacks must be met with an equally creative and human response. "With the rise of breaches related to social engineering, healthcare organizations need to be ready to defend against these powerful attacks," says Mr. Campbell. Following the educational session, Redspin will have copies of its newly released Breach Report 2015 at its booth #9908 located in the Cyber Security Command Center. About Redspin Redspin, an Auxilio Company is a trusted leader in cyber security for the healthcare industry. Since 2001, the company has offered IT security assessments, consulting and managed services to protect critical infrastructure and confidential data. Redspin helps healthcare organizations maintain compliance and reduce overall security risk by providing HIPAA risk assessments, penetration testing, social engineering, and security program development services. Through its Redspin Risk Manager application, security teams can easily perform risk assessments on projects and business associates mapped to policy, NIST, ISO 27002, PCI and HIPAA. Redspin is an active member of HIMSS and CHIME. Auxilio Inc. is a managed print services and IT security company exclusively serving many of the leading hospitals and health systems. In 2015, Auxilio acquired Redspin. Together the companies serve over 350healthcare customers including covered entities (CE) and business associates (BA). For more information about Redspin, visit https://www.redspin.com For more information about Auxilio, visit http://www.auxilioinc.com About HIMMS16 | Cyber Security Command Center HIMSS provides thought leadership, community building, professional development, public policy and events to more than 61,000 individual and 640 corporate members in the healthcare industry. The HIMSS annual conference brings together 40,000+ health IT professionals, clinicians, executives and vendors from around the world. Exceptional education, world-class speakers, cutting-edge health IT products and powerful networking are hallmarks of this industry-leading conference. Additional information about the event can be found here: www.himssconference.org This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of Auxilio, Inc. that can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'believes,' "expects,' "anticipates," "may" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including uncertainties relating to product/services development, long and uncertain sales cycles, the ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection, market acceptance, future capital requirements, competition from other providers, the ability of our vendors to continue supplying the company with equipment, parts, supplies and services at comparable terms and prices and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are or will be described in greater detail in our Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. Auxilio, Inc. is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. CONTACT: Investor Relations: MZ North America Mike Cole Vice President Direct: 949-259-4988 mcole@mzgroup.us http://www.mzgroup.us/ Media Relations: Auxilio Inc. Carrie Mulcahy Director of Corporate Marketing Direct: (949) 310-2548 carrie.mulcahy@auxilioinc.com http://www.auxilioinc.com/ CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - February 10, 2016) - Trustwave today released the 2016 Security Pressures Report, based on a survey of 1,414 in-house information security professionals, which shows a rise in both the current and expected pressures in the career field and offers ways for security professionals globally to mitigate the increasing tensions. In addition to providing year-over-year comparisons of 2014 and 2015, the third-annual report adds previously unmeasured insight related to cybersecurity pressures including new data and regional viewpoints. In addition to respondents from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, the 2016 report features 398 Asia Pacific respondents -- from Australia and Singapore -- and adds new questions that address the timing of increased pressure, job security, and specific security threats that pose the greatest challenges to security practitioners. Key findings from the 2016 Security Pressures Report from Trustwave include: Under pressure: 63% of information security professionals felt more pressure to secure their organizations in 2015 compared to the previous 12 months, and 65% expect to feel additional pressure this year. Those numbers grew 9% and 8%, respectively, compared to last year. Skills gap: Shortage of security expertise has climbed from the eighth-biggest operational pressure facing security pros to the third-biggest, behind advanced security threats and adoption of emerging technologies. Board burden: 40% of respondents feel the most pressure in relation to their security program either directly before or after a company board meeting - 1% higher than how they feel after a major data breach hits the headlines. Detection trumps prevention: The largest security responsibilities facing 54% of respondents are related to detection of vulnerabilities, malware and compromised systems. Moved to managed: The number of respondents who either already partner or plan to partner with managed security services providers has climbed from 78% to 86%. Not ready for prime time: 77% of respondents (nearly four in five) are pressured to unveil IT projects that aren't security ready. Empty promises: Pressure to select security technologies containing all of the latest features has jumped from 67% to 74% among respondents, but having the proper resources to put them to use has fallen from 71% to 69%. Connectivity breeds contempt: Internet of Things (IoT) is the emerging technology respondents feel the second-most pressure to adopt/deploy, behind the cloud. Respondents rate it the second riskiest emerging technology, also behind the cloud. Data and DDoS gloom: Customer data theft and intellectual property theft remain the top two worrying outcomes following an attack or data breach, but a disabled corporate website is the biggest riser (from 7% to 13%). Demand outpacing supply: Respondents wishing to quadruple their staff from its current size has risen from 24% to 29%. Early termination: Job loss remains as the third-highest post-breach repercussion fear, but has grown from 8% to 11%. It sits behind reputation damage and financial damage to one's company, respectively. "Security professionals live in a unique and stressful environment, defined by conflict with faceless attackers as well as internal threats," said Steve Kelley, Chief Marketing Officer at Trustwave. "Businesses rely on information security more than ever before and the pressure to show measurable success is taking a toll on security practitioners. The widening gulf between the expected outcomes and the struggle to maintain adequate solutions and staff is driving businesses, now as many as 86% of them, to partner with a managed security services provider to relax the pressures and help them achieve their cybersecurity goals." Download the Report To download a complimentary copy of the 2016 Security Pressures Report from Trustwave, visit: https://www2.trustwave.com/security-pressures-report-2016.html. Methodology Trustwave commissioned a third-party research firm to survey 1,414 full-time information technology (IT) professionals who are security decision makers or security influencers within their organizations. The objective of the survey was to measure the variety of pressures they face regarding information security. Respondents consisted mainly of chief information officers (CIOs), chief information security officers (CISOs/CSOs), IT/IT security directors and IT/IT security managers: 1,414 worldwide, which included 604 in the United States, 210 in Canada, 204 in the United Kingdom, 202 in Australia and 194 in Singapore. Respondents work in a variety of sectors, with the most frequent being technology service providers (31%), manufacturing (10%), financial services/banking (9%), and retail and professional services (both 8%). The survey was deployed through emails sent between November and December 2015. Survey results have a margin of error of +/- 3%. About Trustwave Trustwave helps businesses fight cybercrime, protect data and reduce security risk. With cloud and managed security services, integrated technologies and a team of security experts, ethical hackers and researchers, Trustwave enables businesses to transform the way they manage their information security and compliance programs. More than three million businesses are enrolled in the Trustwave TrustKeeper cloud platform, through which Trustwave delivers automated, efficient and cost-effective threat, vulnerability and compliance management. Trustwave is headquartered in Chicago, with customers in 96 countries. For more information about Trustwave, visit https://www.trustwave.com. All trademarks used herein remain the property of their respective owners. Their use does not indicate or imply a relationship between Trustwave and the owners of such trademarks. Dillon Townsel Media Relations dtownsel@trustwave.com +1 (312) 995-5732 VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - February 10, 2016) - TriMetals Mining Inc. (TSX: TMI) (TSX: TMI.B) (OTCQX: TMIAF) (OTCQX: TMIBF). In 2012 Bolivia expropriated our very large PEA-stage Malku Khota silver-indium deposit without compensation and struck a major blow to the Company and its shareholders. The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, South American Silver Limited, is pursuing international arbitration against Bolivia to seek fair compensation for the illegal expropriation of the Malku Khota Project. The oral hearing is scheduled for July of this year. The Company is claiming US$385.7 million in compensation for damages. The Company also continues to retain its Escalones copper-gold porphyry in Chile where it has developed a large resource estimate reported in a NI 43-101 technical report dated July 11, 2014. Costs here have been reduced to a minimum and an 18-month deferment of option payments to acquire Escalones has been negotiated, at no additional cost (PR, December 18, 2015). To further align corporate and investor interests the management team agreed to cut all management's salaries by 25% to 40%. We have closed offices and made the remaining more cost efficient, and constantly review other ways to reduce the ongoing administrative costs to ensure that the Company preserves its cash as the gold price recovers. I believe the Company is now well positioned to take advantage of the improving investment climate for gold while at the same time maintaining low overhead costs. I thank you for your continuing support. Ralph Fitch CEO *Using at Cutoff grade of 0.2 Au g/t. Gold equivalent (AuEq) was calculated using a gold/silver price ratio of 57.14 and assumes 100% metallurgical recoveries. About TriMetals Mining Inc. TriMetals Mining Inc. is a growth focused mineral exploration company creating value through the exploration and development of the near surface, Gold Springs gold-silver project in mining friendly Nevada and Utah in the U.S.A. The Company's approach to business combines the team's track record of discovery and advancement of large projects, key operational and process expertise, and a focus on community relations and sustainable development. Management has extensive experience in the global exploration and mining industry. The Company's common shares and Class B shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols "TMI" and "TMI.B" and the common shares and Class B shares also trade on the OTCQX market under the symbol "TMIAF" and "TMIBF". Additional information related to TriMetals Mining Inc. is available at www.trimetalsmining.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking statements". Forward looking statements look into the future and provide an opinion as to the effect of certain events and trends on the business. Forward-looking statements may include words such as "plan", "belief", "will", "continue", "intent", "pursuing", "seek", "scheduled", "target", "future", "potential" and similar expressions.These forward- looking statements are based on current expectations and entail various risks and uncertainties. Actual results may materially differ from expectations if known and unknown risks or uncertainties affect our business or if our estimates or assumptions prove inaccurate. Factors that could cause results or events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, risks of the mineral exploration industry which may affect the advancement of the Gold Springs project, including possible variations in mineral resources, grade, recovery rates, metal prices, capital and operating costs, and the application of taxes; availability of sufficient financing to fund planned or further required work in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; availability of equipment and qualified personnel, failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, changes in project parameters, including water requirements for operations, as plans continue to be refined; regulatory, environmental and other risks of the mining industry more fully described in the Company's Annual Information Form and continuous disclosure documents, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The assumptions made in developing the forward-looking statements include: the accuracy of current resource estimates and the interpretation of drill, metallurgical testing and other exploration results, including the reliability of exploration results of previous companies; the continuing support for mining by local governments in Nevada and Utah; the availability of equipment and qualified personnel to advance the Gold Springs project; execution of the Company's existing plans and further exploration and development programs for Gold Springs, which may change due to changes in the views of the Company or if new information arises which makes it prudent to change such plans or programs. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Except as required by law, TMI assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or any other reason. Unless otherwise indicated, forward-looking statements in this press release describe the Company's expectations as of February 10, 2016. Class B Shares The holders of the Class B Shares have contingent rights to receive a pro rata share of 85% of the net cash proceeds, if any (after deducting all costs, tax and expenses and the third party funder's portion thereof), received pursuant to any award or settlement agreement entered into in respect of South American Silver Limited's arbitration claim against the Government of Bolivia. The holders of Class B Shares will not realize any value if: (i) no award or settlement agreement is reached; (ii) no cash payment is included in a settlement agreement; or (iii) the costs of obtaining a cash payment on, or enforcement of, an award or settlement agreement exceeds the amount of such cash payment. South American Silver Limited has sole discretion and decision making authority over when and whether to pursue any particular course of action in respect of the arbitration proceedings, including whether to negotiate or enter into a settlement agreement and including whether to accept non-cash consideration pursuant thereto. In addition, the accrual of value on the Class B Shares may be significantly delayed. The international arbitration process can take several years before an award is rendered or settlement reached. Once an award is rendered or settlement is reached, enforcing the award or settlement agreement could take additional several years and the full amount of any award or settlement may not ultimately be received, which would reduce the amount, if any, payable to the holders of Class B Shares. The costs, fees and other expenses incurred in connection with the arbitration, including financing costs and other commitments, would be paid out of the proceeds of any such award thus potentially reducing funds received by South American Silver by as much as one-third of the amount of any award in its favor. TriMetals Mining Inc. Contact: Ralph Fitch President & CEO 303.584.0606 ralphfitch@trimetalsmining.com Matias Herrero Chief Financial Officer 303.584.0606 mherrero@trimetalsmining.com YOKOHAMA (dpa-AFX) - Nissan Motor Co Ltd. (NSANF.PK, NSANY.PK) reported Wednesday that its third-quarter net income attributable to owners of the parent climbed 25 percent to 127.2 billion Japanese yen from last year's 101.8 billion yen. Earnings per share were 30.35 yen, higher than 24.28 yen a year ago. Operating income increased 23.5 percent to 192.6 billion yen. Net sales increased 2.2% to 3.01 trillion yen from 2.94 trillion yen in the prior year with strong growth in North America and Asia, despite decline in Japan and Europe. For the April-December 2015 period, Nissan sold a total of 3,891,000 vehicles globally. For the full year, the company continues to expect net profit of 535 billion yen or $4.5 billion, operating profit of 730 billion yen or $6.1 billion, and net revenues of 12.25 trillion yen or $102.6 billion. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. CPH: Strong growth on long-haul routesUsually a somewhat slow month, January has become a significantly busier travel period at Copenhagen Airport. Close to 1.9 million travellers passed through the airport, with the long-haul services accounting for much of the growth.While January is traditionally one of the slower months in aviation, at Copenhagen Airport the number of passengers was up by more than 200,000 to a total of 1,877,044 passengers. In other words, 2016 has kicked off with 13.4% year-on-year passenger growth. Particularly the long-haul, intercontinental routes attracted more passengers."Our intercontinental traffic rose more than 15% compared with January 2015. The increase was explained by new routes as well as more frequencies and larger aircraft on a number of routes. For example, Qatar Airways doubled the number of frequencies while Emirates upgraded its daily flight to Airbus A380. Moreover, Norwegian launched new routes to Las Vegas and the Caribbean. We now have 32 intercontinental routes, and more will be added during 2016, including new SAS routes to Miami and Boston," said Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports A/S.European traffic rose 13.8% year-on year, London standing out with an impressive 25% increase. Another contributor to the European traffic growth was an increase in passengers travelling to Denmark:"We have seen several new airlines add routes to Copenhagen, and this has made more Europeans aware of Denmark and Copenhagen as a destination. A large proportion of the new passengers are leisure and business travellers visiting Denmark. This generates growth and jobs, particularly in the tourist industry, not just in Copenhagen, but all over Denmark," said Mr. Woldbye.1,877,044 passengers travelled through Copenhagen Airport in January 2016, which was 13.4% more than in January 2015. Domestic traffic was up 5.2%, European traffic climbed 13.5% and intercontinental traffic climbed 15.1%.Attachment:https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=546112 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. TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - February 10, 2016) - (Please note that all dollar amounts in this news release are expressed in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.) Primero Mining Corp. ("Primero" or the "Company") (TSX: P) (NYSE: PPP) today announced it will be redeeming with cash its currently outstanding $48.1 million 6.5% senior unsecured convertible debentures due March 31, 2016 (the "Debentures"). Pursuant to the terms of the Debentures, the Company has elected to satisfy its obligation to pay all of the redemption price using cash on the maturity date of March 31, 2016. The debentures are redeemable for an amount equal to the principal amount of the debentures plus accrued unpaid interest up to, but excluding, the maturity date, which is estimated to total $1.6 million. The Company has drawn $50 million on its previously undrawn $75 million line of credit to satisfy this obligation. About Primero Primero Mining Corp. is a Canadian-based precious metals producer that owns 100% of the San Dimas gold-silver mine and the Cerro del Gallo gold-silver-copper development project in Mexico and 100% of the Black Fox mine and adjoining properties in the Township of Black River"Matheson near Timmins, Ontario, Canada. Primero offers immediate exposure to un-hedged, below average cash cost gold production with a substantial resource base in politically stable jurisdictions. The Company is focused on becoming a leading intermediate gold producer by building a portfolio of high quality, low cost precious metals assets in the Americas. Primero's website is www.primeromining.com. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release contains "forward-looking statements", within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business and operations of Primero Mining Corp. and its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively, "Primero" or the "Company"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "if approved", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "in order to" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "are anticipated", "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will require", "will allow", "will enhance" or "will include" or similar statements or the negative connotation thereof. Forward-looking information is also identifiable in statements of currently occurring matters which will continue in future, such as "is updating", "is working" or "is also assessing" or other statements that may be stated in the present tense and are not historical facts or words with future implication such as "opportunity", "promising". Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's capacity to satisfy the obligation to pay all of the redemption price of the Debentures and the Company's intentions to become an intermediate gold producer. The assumptions made by the Company in preparing the forward-looking information contained in this news release, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to: the expectations and beliefs of management; the specific assumptions set forth above in this news release. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Primero to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including: the Company may not be successful in satisfying its obligation to pay all of the redemption price of the Debentures, the Company may not be able to become an intermediate gold producer by building a portfolio of high quality, low cost precious metals assets in the Americas. Certain of these factors are discussed in greater detail in Primero's registration statement on Form 40-F on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and its most recent Annual Information Form on file with the Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. In addition, although Primero has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and accordingly are subject to change after such date. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of our operating environment. Primero does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are included in this document, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Attachment Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/2/10/11G082276/Primero-0b508c810ebba1ec95aa8b5bc682b42f.pdf For further information, please contact: Evan Young Manager, Investor Relations Tel: (416) 814-2694 eyoung@primeromining.com BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The pound was trading in a positive territory in European trading on Wednesday, as European shares rose on the back of positive corporate earnings and M&A activity. Investors also cheered the rebound in oil, after news that Iran is ready to talk with Saudi Arabia over the current conditions in international oil markets. Focus also shift towards semi-annual testimony from the Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen later today, which could shed more light on the Fed's policy outlook. Deteriorating global outlook and volatility in financial markets since December have arose speculation that Yellen may concede about her change in plan to hike rate four times this year. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that British industrial production declined at a faster pace in December. Industrial production fell 1.1 percent month-on-month, faster than November's 0.8 percent drop. Economists had forecast output to remain flat in December. This was the second consecutive fall in production. Manufacturing output dropped at a pace of 0.2 percent, confounding expectations for a 0.1 percent rise. In November, output had fallen 0.3 percent. The pound held steady against most majors in Asian deals. In European trading now, the pound climbed to a 2-day high of 1.4535 against the greenback, off its early low of 1.4435. At Tuesday's close, the pair was valued at 1.4467. The pound is seen finding resistance around the 1.48 zone. Reversing from an early low of 165.28 against the yen, the pound firmed to a 2-day high of 167.28. On the upside, 168.00 is possibly seen as its next resistance level. Data from the Bank of Japan showed that Japan's producer prices fell 0.9 percent on month in January. That missed forecasts for a decline of 0.7 percent following the 0.4 percent contraction in December. The pound advanced to 0.7745 against the European currency, following a decline to 0.7819 at 8:30 pm ET. The pair was worth 0.7800 when it ended yesterday's trading. The next possible resistance for the pound may be located around the 0.76 mark. The pound appreciated to 1.4162 against the Swiss franc, up by 0.84 percent from its early low of 1.4044. The pound is poised to target resistance around the 1.44 area. Looking ahead, the NIESR U.K. GDP estimate for January and U.S. Federal budget statement for January are due to be released in the New York session. At 9:00 am ET, European Central Bank Board member Peter Praet will deliver keynote speech at the 'Lender of Last Resort: An International perspective' conference organized by Harvard University in Washington. At 1:30 pm ET, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President John Williams is scheduled to speak before the 2016 National Interagency Community Reinvestment Conference, 'Pathways to Economic Opportunity,' in Los Angeles. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de LONDON, February 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Thorn Medical PLC ("Thorn" or the "Company"), the international healthcare group, today announces the appointment of Lord Beaverbrook to the Board, with immediate effect. From 2000 to 2007 he was Chairman of Net Integration Technologies Inc. of Toronto, now part of IBM. He is currently Chairman of Cherif Investment Properties Limited and a Director of Ansgate Barnes Holdco Limited, a property development company. Prior to that, Lord Beaverbrook was a Lord in Waiting and Government Whip (1986-1988) and the Treasurer of the Conservative Party and the European Democrat Union (1990-1992). In 1983 he founded and served as Chairman of VenTech Healthcare Corporation, which acquired Abbey Medical Inc., the then largest supplier of home healthcare equipment in the USA. In 1995, Lord Beaverbrook founded MARK Telecom, one of the first of the new 'switchless re-sellers' in the UK. This interest in the Telecom industry led to the formation of Highway One AG, a broadband, multimedia and data transport company of which he was Chairman until 1999 prior to it being sold to Telefonica in 2001. From 1972 to 1978 Lord Beaverbrook worked for Beaverbrook Newspapers, starting as a management trainee and ultimately rising to General Manager of the Sunday Express. Since 1978 he has served as a director of the Aitken/Beaverbrook Family Office, overseeing a diversified investment fund, specialising in real estate for many years, and, more recently, in oil and gas, and insurance. He became Honorary Air Commodore of 4624 (County of Oxford) Movements Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force in July 2004, and in October 2009 was appointed Honorary Inspector General, Royal Auxiliary Air Force in the rank of Air Vice-Marshal. Jack Kaye, Thorn Medical's Chairman and Chief Executive, said: "We're delighted to welcome Lord Beaverbrook back to the Board as non-executive director. His international operations experience in the medical and technology fields will be a great help to achieving our challenging global expansion plans now that he has more time to devote to assisting us again." Lord Beaverbrook added, "I regretted having to leave Thorn Medical to devote my time to other matters, but am glad to be re-joining the Board now in the run-up to our imminent stock market listing which will be the springboard for significant growth in the year ahead." THE DIRECTORS OF THE ISSUER ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENTS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT Note to Editors Thorn Medical PLC Thorn Medical is a trusted expert investor and acceleration partner dedicated to breaking down the barriers to providing more efficient and effective healthcare worldwide. With a clear focus on improving human wellbeing, it acts as an aggregator of innovative, scientifically-validated medical technology, pharmaceutical products and healthcare services businesses. It aims to transform organisational performance through delivering best practice flexible management services that streamline operations, reduce costs, encourage cross-fertilisation, expand market reach and enhance return on capital. Thorn Medical is dedicated to this market, with a global perspective and an understanding at first hand of the evolving challenges that healthcare businesses face in growing successfully. Thorn Medical understands how to create value for investors, service providers and patients through building a balanced portfolio of pre-and post-revenue companies that specialise in commercialising innovative and medical technologies and services. Thorn Medical will continue to grow both organically and through acquisitions, continually developing the enterprise and fully addressing the human health cycle and its genetic, environmental, physical and nutritional influencing factors. Thorn Medical focuses on four areas Disease prevention Immunity optimisation Disease treatment Research & development For further information, please visit Thorn Medical's website http://www.thornmedical.com Contact: Henry Gewanter,Thorn Medical PLC Tel: +44-(0)7774-228845 PUNE, India, February 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DeepResearchReports.com adds 2016 Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) market report with analysis by product types (CAB-30, CAB-35, others), application (appliances, automobile others) and by regions (China, USA, Japan, Europe, RoW) to the chemicals section of its online business intelligence library. Complete report on Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) market spread across 257 pages, profiling 29 companies and supported with 233 tables and figures is now available athttp://www.deepresearchreports.com/154158.html . The global cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) production market was 266000 MT in 2015 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2017 to 2022.Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) is mainly in appliance industry and automobile industry, of which appliance industry occupies larger share. Major companies with their market volumes and revenues are covered for each of the regions. A few top players in the industry are Solvay, Clariant, BASF, Lubrizol, Evonik, KAO Chem, EOC, Inolex, Stepan, Croda, Oxiteno, Lonza, Huntsman, Galaxy Sur., Miwon, Colonial Chem, Taiwan Sur., Pilot Chem, Enaspol, Tianci, Tianzhi Fine-chem, Roker Chem, DX Chem, Flower's Songs, Top Chem, OLI Bio-tech, Zanyu Tech, Wanli and Mailun Chem. This is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) market with a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) market analysis is provided for the international markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status. Development policies and plans are also discussed and manufacturing processes and cost structures analyzed. Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) market import/export consumption, supply and demand figures and cost price and production value gross margins are also provided. The report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market. Order a copy of '2016 Market Research Report on Global Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) Industry' at http://www.deepresearchreports.com/contacts/purchase.php?name=154158 . The major cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) market (including China USA, Europe and Japan, etc.) is analyzed, data including: market size, import and export, sale segment market by product type and applications. Then we forecast the 2017-2022 market size of cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB).The report focuses on global major leading companies providing information such as company profiles, sales, sales revenue, market share and contact information. Finally the marketing, feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered. With 233 tables and figures to support the Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) market analysis, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market. 2017-2022 forecasts for Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) market provided in this report include 2017-2022 Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) capacity production overview, production market share, sales overview, supply sales and shortage, import export consumption and cost price production value gross margin. Explore more reports on theChemicals marketat http://www.deepresearchreports.com/cat/chemicals-market-research.html . Related research titled "2016 Market Research Report on United States Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) Industry" focuses on United States major leading industry players providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The United States Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) Industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered. With 218 tables and figures the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market. 2016 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) are Solvay, Clariant, Basf, Lubrizol, KAO Chem, Evonik, EOC Surfactants, Inolex Chemical, Stepan, Croda, Oxiteno, Lonza, Huntsman, Galaxy Sur, Miwon, Colonial Chem, Taiwan Sur, Pilot Chem, Enaspol, Guangzhou Tinci, DX Chem, FLOWER'S SONG, Tianzhi Fine-chem, OLI Bio-tech, Top Chem, Mailun Chem, Zanyu Tech, Roker Chem and Daxiang Chem. Browse a copy of complete research report at http://www.deepresearchreports.com/145663.html . About Us: Deep Research Reports is digital database ofsyndicated market reports for global and China industries. These reports offer competitive intelligence data for companies in varied market segments and for decision makers at multiple levels in these organizations. We provide 24/7 online and offline support to our customers. Connect with us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deepresearchreports Twitter: https://twitter.com/DResearchReport Google+: https://plus.google.com/117151957945248166335 Contact: Ritesh Tiwari UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune- 411013 Maharashtra,India. + 1 888 391 5441 sales@deepresearchreports.com ALBANY, New York, February 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Transparency Market Research has published a new market report titled "Clear Brine Fluids Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023." According to the report, the global clear brine fluids market was valued at US$842.9 Million in 2014 and is anticipated to reach US$1,444.7 Million by 2023, expanding at a CAGR of 6.2% between 2015 and 2023. Clear brine fluids are industrial fluids used in various operations, such as completion, work-over, and drilling, in the oil & gas industry. These fluids are specifically manufactured to control formation pressures as well as reduce damage in the reservoir. Clear brine fluids are categorized into potassium chloride, calcium chloride, sodium chloride, calcium bromide, potassium bromide, sodium bromide, and others (including zinc bromide and ammonium chloride). Chloride brines such as potassium chloride, sodium chloride, and calcium chloride are preferred for onshore drilling activities, while bromide brines such as calcium bromide, potassium bromide, sodium bromide, and zinc bromide are preferred for offshore drilling activities. Browse the full Research Report at http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/clear-brine-fluids-market.html Energy security sought after by developed nations is estimated to be one of the major factors driving the clear brine fluids market. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is one of the major forces dictating the global crude oil prices. This dominance has compelled major developed nations to explore alternative energy resources in order to gain energy security and lower their dependence on OPEC for demand for energy. Thus, there has been a major paradigm shift toward alternative sources of energy across the globe; major developed nations such as the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia have been striving to achieve complete energy self-sufficiency over the past few years. Development of shale reserves has been one of the key steps toward achieving this objective. This race toward achieving energy security has resulted in a sudden spike in drilling and exploration activities in these developed nations. Thus, demand for clear brine fluids in drilling and completion activities has been increasing. This trend is estimated to continue during the next few years. Potassium chloride was the major product type, accounting for nearly one-fourth share of the global clear brine fluids market in 2014. Potassium chloride has been the preferred choice of clear brine fluids in drilling and completion activities in the oil & gas industry. Potassium chloride is anticipated to continue its dominance in the clear brine fluids market during the forecast period. Get Sample Report, Segments or table of Contents as per your Requirements:http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=2197 North America dominated the global clear brine fluids market with nearly two-third share in terms of volume in 2014. This trend is projected to continue during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is likely to be the fastest growing region in the next few years due to high growth in the number of shale exploration projects in China and Australia. Major players operating in the clear brine fluids market include Israel Chemicals Ltd., Albemarle Corporation, TETRA Technologies, Inc., and Great Lake Solutions. Browse Regional Analysis in detail: http://www.europlat.org/global-clear-brine-fluids-market-to-account-for-us1-44-bn-by-2023-transparency-market-research.htm This Report Segments the Global Clear Brine Fluids Market as follows: Clear Brine Fluids Market - Product Segment Analysis Potassium chloride Calcium chloride Sodium chloride Potassium bromide Sodium bromide Calcium bromide Others (zinc bromide, aluminum chloride, etc.) Clear Brine Fluids Market - Regional Analysis North America U.S. Rest of North America Europe U.K. Spain France Germany Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan ASEAN Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa (MEA) GCC countries South Africa Rest of MEA Browse Other Research Reports: Potassium Chloride Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/potassium-chloride-market.html Carbon Nanotubes Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/carbon-nano-tubes-market.html Plasterboard Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/plasterboard-market.html About Us Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. Contact Transparency Market Research Mr. Sudip S State Tower 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany NY - 12207 United States Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Blog: http://www.europlat.org/category/news/chemical-industry-news TAMPA, FL and SAN DIEGO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- FindYourCloud.com (FY/c), an evidence-based software and market analysis service, announced today that KiteDesk FIND has ranked in the Top 5 in overall satisfaction for a sales SaaS product, with a score of (4.25 out of 5.0), outperforming the Market Average (2.87 / 5) and Market Benchmark (4.11 / 5) in category scoring. FY/c uses research and analytics to provide key indicators, drivers, and comparisons of how business cloud services perform relative to their competitors. FY/c's Market Satisfaction Guide for Sales SaaS is based on 508,935 integrated user satisfaction profiles gathered from 5,636 sources covering 1,289 business and technical cloud service spanning 56 markets. FY/c has gathered public data points about cloud service quality of experience. The report includes 1,562 data points spanning 33 SaaS Sales services collected between February 2014 and January 2016. Based on this extensive research, FY/c has positioned KiteDesk FIND as an "Exciter" in the business intelligence marketplace based on KiteDesk's ability to meet the needs of its customers for usability and functionality. KiteDesk CEO, Sean Burke, commented: "We're particularly pleased with this objective score, because, unlike other software research services, FY/c's service is not opinion-based -- their algorithm is highly tuned to eliminate bias. The ratings on the quadrant grid are based on actual user experience profiles, updated continuously, ensuring that only the most recent and accurate data is used in evaluations and presented in reviews." According to Allen Bernard, Co-Founder of FY/c, "Customers can expect KiteDesk FIND to deliver an excellent quality of experience that far exceeds average performance and goes significantly beyond the basics. Exciters deliver superior functionality and enablement, empowering users to make the most of service features. With KiteDesk, customers can expect to be very satisfied overall, describe their experience as delightful, and say they would choose this service again." Eric Quanstrom, CMO at KiteDesk, added: "Exciters have the highest combined scores for ease-of-use and functionality. FY/c calls out KiteDesk's strengths in the areas of: Reliability (dependable, accurate service), Tangibility (appearance, UI, ease of use), and Empathy (understands, values and incorporates user input). In fact, KiteDesk FIND is outperforming the Market Average by an order of magnitude, is beating the Market Benchmark, and resides in the top 5 companies in all of the Sales SaaS category." Seven attributes distinguish KiteDesk's cohort. Specifically, Exciters: Balance usability and functionality; Perform required functions reliably, accurately and consistently; Willingly and promptly provide assistance; Deliver on promises, and demonstrate assurance though competence, courtesy, and security; Enable users to achieve their goals through features and design that contribute to a shortened learning curve; Foster positive engagements through easy access, good communication, customer understanding, and personalized attention; and Inspire loyalty in their customers and users. The KiteDesk FIND buyer's guide is available at https://www.findyourcloud.com/Reports/SaaS/Sales/KiteDesk-FIND/ The full FY/c Market Satisfaction Guide for Sales SaaS is available at FindYourCloud.com. Register to see more Guides and Reports. About FY/c FindYourCloud.com (FY/c) is a big data research and analytics company focused on benchmarking cloud customer satisfaction since 2012. FY/c uses automation to produce evidence-based cloud satisfaction research that answers the one question that really matters to business buyers of cloud services: "How will this service actually perform for my business and my users?" FY/c provides key indicators, drivers, and comparisons of how business cloud services perform relative to their competitors. FY/c's personalized online buying guides direct buyers to the best cloud service for their business based on their unique satisfaction requirements. Our 1,200 cloud service Buyers Guides and 56 Market Satisfaction Guides are based on 500,000 (and growing) actual user experience profiles that are updated continuously to ensure only the most recent and accurate data is used in our evaluations and presented in our reviews. Disclaimer: FY/c does not endorse any service or service provider presented in its research publications, nor does FY/c advise cloud business consumers to select only those providers with the highest scores. FY/c research publications reflect algorithmically created evaluations made at the time of its production, and shouldn't be construed as statements of fact. FY/c disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to its research, including all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About KiteDesk KiteDesk's products (KiteDesk FIND and KiteDesk REACH) provide smart sales prospecting software for growth organizations. As the first lead generation system to combine an on-demand Prospecting Toolbar, Chrome Extension, Web App and clickable Kite icons, we help salespeople dramatically decrease the amount of time spent generating qualified leads. KiteDesk is a venture-backed, privately-held company headquartered in Tampa, with offices throughout the United States. To learn more, please visit www.KiteDesk.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook or @KiteDesk. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2962214 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2962222 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2962218 CONTACT INFORMATION Press Contact: KiteDesk Marketing Email Contact MADISON, WI--(Marketwired - February 10, 2016) - Widen Enterprises, a leading digital asset management (DAM) solutions provider, today announced that the company was selected as a winner in the fifth annual Killer Content Awards from Demand Gen Report, a leading publication for B2B marketing professionals. Widen's work won the award in the Design Concept/Theme category, and the company will be honored along with other winners at an exclusive luncheon at the upcoming 2016 B2B Content2Conversion Conference on February 17, 2016, at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Arizona. Mary Turner, a graphic designer at Widen, designed the winning infographic, which is entitled "How to effectively use visual storytelling for your brand," with content and support from Jenn Lisak at DK New Media and Danielle Templeton, Nina Brakel-Schutt and Jake Athey from the Widen Marketing team. Turner and Brakel-Schutt will attend the 2016 B2B Content2Conversion Conference in Arizona and accept the award on behalf of the Widen team. The infographic features a carefully crafted visual design and actionable information to introduce readers to concepts they can use to successfully infuse visual storytelling into their marketing efforts and manage resources to improve marketing performance cost effectively. It has been shared thousands of times across multiple platforms and appears in numerous prestigious industry publications and sites, including Adweek, MarketingProfs, Social Media Today, Search Engine Journal and more. "We're incredibly proud of Mary and the team," said Matthew Gonnering, CEO of Widen. "The awesome infographic they created not only provides vital information about how storytelling can help marketers convey their message effectively, it demonstrated that principle by getting a lot of online attention and then winning this prestigious award. It's an honor for everyone at Widen, and we're grateful for the recognition." The award-winning infographic will be showcased along with work from other top B2B brands in a final awards report that will be released after the 2016 B2B Content2Conversion Conference. To learn more about Widen, please visit www.widen.com. About Widen Widen is a content technology company. That means we develops solutions for marketers who need to connect their visual content -- like photos, videos, graphics and creative files -- for greater visibility and sharing. Organizations of any size can use Widen's DAM solutions to power their content from a central source of truth, and sync it with the other systems they use every day. Our solutions are trusted by hundreds of thousands of users worldwide like Roche, Trek, Cornell University, New Orleans Tourism Marketing, The Atlanta Falcons, Red Gold Tomatoes, and Yankee Candle. Learn more about Widen at www.widen.com. Contact: Jake Athey Marketing Director, Widen 608-443-5472 jathey@widen.com CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Canadian dollar advanced against its most major rivals in European deals on Wednesday, as oil prices rallied after Iran signaled that it is ready for cooperation with OPEC nations to resolve the problem of global oversupply of oil. 'We support any form of dialogue and cooperation with OPEC member states, including Saudi Arabia,' Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh told Iran's Press TV. Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft blamed the OPEC for lack of coordination among members to address the situation of excess oil supply existing in the market. Rosneft's CEO Igor Sechin suggested that coordinated cuts by all producers by one million barrels per day would significantly support prices. Traders await the Energy Information Administration's weekly inventory data due today, following yesterday's API data that showed a build of 2.4 million barrels in U.S. crude inventories. Focus also shift towards semi-annual testimony from the Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen later today, which could shed more light on the Fed's policy outlook. Deteriorating global outlook and volatility in financial markets since December have arose speculation that Yellen may concede about her change in plan to hike rate four times this year. The loonie declined against most major rivals in Asian deals, as worries about global economic growth continued to weigh on investor sentiment. In European deals, the loonie bounced off to 83.19 against the yen, reversing from a low of 82.11 hit at 11:30 pm ET. The next possible resistance for the loonie-yen pair is seen around the 84.00 zone. Data from the Bank of Japan showed that Japan's producer prices fell 0.9 percent on month in January. That missed forecasts for a decline of 0.7 percent following the 0.4 percent contraction in December. The loonie rose to 1.3820 against the greenback and 1.5564 against the euro, from its early low of 1.3921 and near 3-week low of 1.5726, respectively. If the loonie extends rise, it may challenge resistance around 1.37 against the greenback and 1.55 against the euro. On the flip side, the loonie declined to 0.9869 against the aussie, and held steady thereafter. The pair was valued at 0.9797 when it ended Tuesday's trading. Looking ahead, the NIESR U.K. GDP estimate for January and U.S. Federal budget statement for January are due to be released in the New York session. At 9:00 am ET, European Central Bank Board member Peter Praet will deliver keynote speech at the 'Lender of Last Resort: An International perspective' conference organized by Harvard University in Washington. At 1:30 pm ET, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President John Williams is scheduled to speak before the 2016 National Interagency Community Reinvestment Conference, 'Pathways to Economic Opportunity,' in Los Angeles. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- Columbus Gold Corporation (TSX: CGT) (OTCQX: CBGDF) is pleased to report that it plans to commence a follow-up drilling program at its Eastside gold project in Nevada on February 25th, 2016. Two drill rigs, a rotary rig and a core rig will be used and the preparation of access roads and drill sites is underway. The planned program includes 16,000 feet (4,850 m) of core drilling in 16 to 18 core holes, and 32,000 feet (9,700 meters) of reverse circulation, rotary drilling. Core holes will be pre-drilled by rotary drilling to 600 feet and then entered with the core rig to complete the holes. Some exploration holes and several infill holes will be completed by rotary drilling alone. The goals of the 2016 drilling program are as follows: 1. To test the known gold/silver mineralization at greater depths than drilled so far. Sixteen of the deeper Eastside holes have "bottomed" in gold/silver mineralization. Geological logging of drill holes indicates the hydrothermal alteration style in deeper holes is getting more intense and likely indicates higher temperatures of formation. (Replacement silicification is changing-from chalcedonic silica replacement near the surface to replacement by coarser, crystalline quartz at depth. Veining in stockwork zones at depth has more banding, and much coarser quartz crystals, more common quartz after calcite textures, and more adularia than near-surface veins. Adularia is much more common as a replacement and in veins at greater depths. Surficial clay alteration (dominantly kaolinite) is also changing to illite alteration with depth.) There are essentially no silver values in surface sampling at Eastside, but silver appears at depth in drill holes. Thicknesses of silver appear to be increasing at depth (24.4 m of 37.6 g/t silver in ES-39) with occasional higher grade silver as well (3 m of 203 g/t silver in ES-40). The maximum depth drilled in 2015 was 1,250 feet (379 m). Core drilling in 2016 will test to depths of 1,600 feet (488 m), or more if the holes remain strongly mineralized near their bottoms. Please refer to Columbus' news release dated September 22, 2015 for more details on drill results that include ES-39 and ES-40. 2. To test a surface geochemical anomaly (described as Target 6 in previous news releases) to the north of the area drilled to date. The strong geochemical anomaly in arsenic and antimony continues directly north of the gold surface anomaly. Twenty-two surface samples define an arsenic (200 to 18,810 ppm As) and antimony (13 to 330 ppm Sb) anomaly that is about 600 meters long and 100 to 200 meters wide as it extends directly north from the gold surface anomaly. Please refer to Columbus' news release dated March 30, 2015 for more details on Target 6. 3. To test gaps in previous drilling, where holes are as much as 328 to 492 feet (100 to150 m) apart. In addition, permitting is in progress to drill test Target 5, which is located 4.5 miles (7 km) south of the Original Target area. Target 5 is about 1 km in diameter, and its geology is identical to the Original Target, consisting of a rhyolite flow dome complex displaying strong hydrothermal alteration. Surface sampling at Target 5 identified a gold-bearing outcrop about 200 meters long and 10 meters wide, where four surface samples ranged from 0.4 g/t to 1.08 g/t gold. Please refer to Columbus' news release dated October 23, 2014 for more details on Target 5. Click on the following link for the location of the various targets on the large district scale Eastside property: www.columbusgold.com/i/nr/2016-02-10-targets.pdf Andy Wallace is a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG) with the American Institute of Professional Geologists and is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 who has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release. Mr. Wallace is the principal of Cordilleran Exploration Company (Cordex), which is conducting exploration and project generation activities for Columbus Gold on an exclusive basis. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, Robert F. Giustra, Chairman & CEO Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This release contains forward-looking information and statements, as defined by law including without limitation Canadian securities laws and the "safe harbor" provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ("forward-looking statements"), respecting the expected start date and extent of company's planned 2016 drilling program, mapping, sampling, metallurgical studies, potential mining methods, Columbus Gold's general exploration plans and management expectations. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including without limitation the ability to acquire necessary permits and other authorizations; delays and other unforeseen circumstances that may cause actual results of any drilling program to differ from expected results expressed in this news release; environmental compliance; cost increases; availability of qualified workers and drill equipment; competition for mining properties; risks associated with exploration projects, mineral reserve and resource estimates (including the risk of assumption and methodology errors); dependence on third parties for services; non-performance by contractual counterparties; title risks; and general business and economic conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, including without limitation assumptions about: general business and economic conditions; the timing and receipt of required approvals; availability of financing; power prices; management expectations about the timing, extent and expected results of the drilling program; ability to procure labourers, equipment and supplies including without limitation drill rigs; and ongoing relations with employees, partners and joint venturers. The foregoing list is not exhaustive Columbus Gold undertakes no obligation to update any of the foregoing except as required by law. Contacts: Investor Relations (604) 634-0970 or 1-888-818-1364 info@columbusgold.com Five grants awarded to projects in France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the USA, exclusively supported by Boehringer Ingelheim Winners chosen from over 500 entries by an independent Scientific Committee appointed by the ESC The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has announced five winners of the competitive research programme 'Grants for Medical Research Innovation', exclusively supported by an independent grant from Boehringer Ingelheim. The grants are awarded to research projects that will address areas of unmet medical need in thromboembolic disease. "We were astounded at the quantity and quality of the proposals submitted. The judges had an extremely difficult task, even selecting five winners instead of four as originally planned", said Professor Francesco Cosentino, from Karolinska, Stockholm, the chairperson of the programme's Scientific Committee. "With one in four people dying as a result of thromboembolic disease, innovative research in this field is urgently needed. We look forward to supporting the winners to advance knowledge in this important area." The five winners were selected from 554 entry submissions by leading researchers and institutes worldwide and will provide important insights into cardiovascular care. The grant winners and awardees are: David-Alexandre Tregouet, PhD, from the Pierre Marie Curie Medical School, Paris, France Timo Heidt, MD, from Heart Center Freiburg University, Freiburg, Germany Jose Manuel Soria Fernandez, PhD, from Institute of Biomedical Research Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain Christina Christersson, MD, PhD, from Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Michael Joner, MD, from CVPath Institute in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, and Deutsches Herzzentrum Munchen, Munich, Germany According to ESC President, Professor Fausto Pinto, "The ESC has a major commitment to support cardiovascular research. These grants supported by Boehringer Ingelheim are an excellent example of transparent partnership between industry and the scientific world. Supporting this research is helping peoples' lives." "As a company firmly grounded in research, we believe that it is very important to support scientific initiatives. Therefore we are grateful to be able to support the ESC and the grant recipients and look forward to seeing the outcomes in the near future. We trust that the results of the grant programme will drive innovation in cardiovascular science." said Professor Jorg Kreuzer, Vice President Medicine, Therapeutic Area Cardiovascular, Boehringer Ingelheim. The ESC Grants for Medical Research Innovation website, which includes information about the programme and selected projects, is accessible via: www.escardio.org/innovationgrants. Results of the projects are expected to be presented at the 2017 ESC Congress. This press release is issued from our Corporate Headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany and is intended to provide information about our global business. Please be aware that information relating to the approval status and labels of approved products may vary from country to country, and a country-specific press release on this topic may have been issued in the countries where we do business. ~ENDS~ Please click on the link below for 'Notes to Editors and References': http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/news/news_releases/press_releases/2016/10_february_2016cv.html View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160210005907/en/ Contacts: Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH Friederike Middeke Phone: +49 6132 77 141575 Fax: +49 6132 77 6601 E-mail: press@boehringer-ingelheim.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/Boehringer or More information www.boehringer-ingelheim.com or To interview winners: European Society of Cardiology ESC Press Office Email: press@escardio.org Phone: +33 4 92 94 86 27 DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- Global Equity International, Inc. and subsidiaries (OTCQB: GEQU), a specialist consultancy firm with offices located in Dubai and London, and now also a physical presence in Frankfurt (Germany), is pleased to announce that today, Mr. Kevin Wynn has formally become the newest member of the Global Equity Partners Plc. team. Mr. Wynn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-wynn-7715632a) brings a wealth of knowledge and additional focus to the Company's already rapidly growing portfolio of clients, while developing new business strategies, potential new avenues of funding and additional opportunities internationally. As an essential part of Global Equity's growing team, Kevin's extensive accomplishments and expertise will provide the Company with a valuable pipeline of new portfolio clients. Kevin brings an impressive amount of experience from both an operational and capital raising perspective and has significant contacts across the financial markets. He has historically worked closely with numerous Private Equity, Institutional Investment Funds and International Property Developments Corporations in Europe and also in the United States. The Company is very confident that Kevin will attract tremendous new deal flow mainly from continental Europe as he is based in Frankfurt (Germany). Patrick Dolan, Managing Director of Global Equity International Inc., said, "We look forward to Kevin's contribution to the Global Equity Partners team. We truly believe that he will be an asset to the Company that will not only support my role as managing director but also bring in a number of new quality portfolio clients seeking to raise substantial capital funding and/or a listing of their shares on a recognized stock exchange." Kevin Wynn said, "Global Equity International Inc. is an exciting upwardly moving company with a very unique business model which is now proving itself to be both pragmatic and extremely successful. The Company is attracting unique and robust companies looking to raise substantial capital funding, often pre-IPO and is receiving quite a lot of attention from international funding sources that are looking to deploy capital into the Company's portfolio clients. I feel privileged to join such a team of professionals at Global Equity Partners." About Kevin Wynn Mr. Kevin Wynn currently resides in Frankfurt, Germany. He was born in the Bahamas in 1960 and was educated in London (United Kingdom) where he completed a B.A. Honors Degree in History from the University of Keele in Staffordshire (United Kingdom). After completing Management Training at GEC in London he moved into publishing and then on to McGraw-Hill / Standard & Poors for 8 years, becoming the European and Mid East African sales and marketing director for "Platts" the Global Oil and Petrochemical Pricing and Information Service. In the late 90s Kevin moved to Germany where he has been involved in Corporate Finance and Asset Management, lastly with Comval Asset Management AG in Frankfurt. There he worked on planning and capital raising on Commodity, Real-Estate, Timber, Agriculture and Environmental projects. He also has worked as a project advisor for HP Law, a firm that specializes in corporate M&A, finance, Capital Markets, international taxation and fund management. Kevin Wynn speaks fluent English and German and brings with him a wealth of contacts in the Private Banking and Asset Management sector. About Global Equity International Inc. and subsidiaries Global Equity International Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary Global Equity Partners Plc., advises worldwide business leaders with their most critical decisions and opportunities pertaining to growth, capital needs, structure and the development of a global presence. With offices in Dubai and London, Global Equity has developed significant relationships in the US, UK, Central Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia to assist clients in realizing their full value and potential by bringing them to external capital and resources that place an emphasis on collaborative thinking. Furthermore, because Global Equity has offices in key financial centres of the world, they are able to introduce their clients to a unique opportunity of listing their shares on any one of the many stock exchanges worldwide. Global Equity Partners holds significant long-term equity positions in the companies that it represents. Safe Harbour Statement This press release may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements related to anticipated revenues, expenses, earnings, operating cash flows, the outlook for markets and the demand for products. Forward-looking statements are no guarantees of future performance and are inherently subject to uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon, among other things, assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management, including management's own knowledge and assessment of the Company's industry and competition. The Company refers interested persons to its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and its other SEC filings for a description of additional uncertainties and factors, which may affect forward-looking statements. The company assumes no duty to update its forward-looking statements. CONTACT: Patrick V. Dolan Managing Director Tel + (44) 7917 383762 (UK) Email: patrick@gepartnersplc.com Enzo Taddei CFO and Director Tel + (1) 321 200 0142 (US) Email: enzo@gepartnersplc.com Kevin Wynn Tel. + (49) 176 3914 5367 (Germany) Email: kwynn@gepartnersplc.com Hamilton, Bermuda: Golar LNG Limited ("Golar") announced today that it has entered into a purchase agreement to sell the Golar Tundra, a floating storage and regasification unit, to Golar LNG Partners LP ("Golar Partners" or the "Partnership") for a sale price of $330.0 million. In connection with the closing, the Partnership will receive a daily fee plus operating expenses, aggregating to approximately $2.6 million per month, for Golar's right to use the FSRU from the date of the closing until the date that the Golar Tundra commences operations under its time charter with West Africa Gas Limited. In return, the Partnership will remit to Golar any hire income received with respect to the Golar Tundra during this period. The sale is expected to close in March 2016 and the vessel is expected to commence operations under its time charter with West Africa Gas Limited at the end of the second quarter of 2016. The sale of the Golar Tundra will strengthen Golar's liquidity by approximately $130 million. The sale has been arranged in accordance with the Omnibus Agreement which regulates Golar's obligation to offer any vessel on charter for more than five years to the Partnership. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning future events and Golar's operations, performance and financial condition. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain the words "believe", "anticipate", "expect", "estimate", "project", "will be", "will continue", "will likely result", "plan", "intend" or words or phrases of similar meanings. These statements involve known and unknown risks and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond Golar's control. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Hamilton, Bermuda February 10, 2016 Enquiries: Golar Management Limited: + 44 207 063 7900 Brian Tienzo This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Golar LNG via Globenewswire HUG#1985171 Stuart Buchanan EDMONTON, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- SUNVAULT ENERGY INC. ("Sunvault") ("the Company") (OTC PINK: SVLT) in conjunction with Aboriginal Power, an incubation company for Sunvault Energy announced today that it has signed an agreement for 25% ownership of a 13 Million dollar project on a 48 acre land package located on the Okanagan Reserve in Winfield, BC. The Company has been working with its partners, the Marchand family, on this development and the Marchand family has received approval from the Chief and council for the housing project. The Company plans to construct a 150 unit environmentally friendly subdivision on the property utilizing many of the company's skill sets to produce one of the first of its kind, leading edge, technology advanced, green, renewable subdivisions in Canada. The companies' share of the value of the asset from a land perspective is $3.25 Million. The Company plans to construct a micro Anaerobic Treatment plant to deal with organic wastes of all kinds. This digester would convert the organic waste into a methane rich gas. This biogas would then be used in reciprocating engines to generate renewable electricity. The digester would also generate fertilizer by products. The reciprocating engines' excess heat and exhaust would be utilized, to further increase the efficiency of the system, to generate hot water that would be used to supplement the thermal energy needs of the units. There are over 6,000 of these types of plants being utilized throughout the world. The technology is proven and turning waste into energy is a step societies will have to take as landfills continue to fill and the environment continues to face challenges. The Company has had this area of concentration in its sights for sometime as described on its website through its Sunvault Community Infrastructure focus. The electricity that is produced will be enough to power more than 600 homes. As the site calls for 150 homes the additional electricity that is produced can be stored in the Company's Graphene EESD (Electrical Energy Storage Devices) and released into the grid during peak periods for income generation. That plant will not only serve as a sewage treatment plant for the housing development, but will also serve as a home for organic waste from the area. The plant will be designed to treat approximately 15,000 kilograms of organic waste per day. Current electricity price in the province is approximately 15 cents per kWh and rate increase approved by the Government up to .20 cents over the next couple of years. So on the power generated, annual gross revenues would be in the range of $1.11 million per year. An additional $500,000 in revenue will come from the collection and sale of waste heat from the reciprocating engines and from the sale of the ammonium and phosphorus rich fertilizer that is one of the by-products of the anaerobic treatment system. "Our efforts to expand into revenue generating assets for the company and assist the company in reaching its technology advancement goals continue" stated Gary Monaghan, CEO of Sunvault Energy Inc. About Sunvault Energy Inc: Sunvault Energy Inc. is committed to bringing cost effective energy generation and energy storage to the solar industry through a seamless and novel integration of energy generation and storage. This technical approach is a first and has the potential to enable the lowest overall system cost at maximum efficiency. SunVault has further diversified by acquiring companies or assets that are immediately accretive and that will facilitate into the owning of quality non-cyclical assets. For more information, visit the Sunvault Energy website at http://www.sunvaultenergy.com/ and/or monaghan@sunvaultenergy.com. Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this news release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the completion of any transaction with Edison Power Company, any eventual acquisition by them, or the results of any discussion or negotiations that may be entered into. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, general economic conditions, our ability to achieve the expected benefits from the development agreement. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Contacts: Sunvault Energy Inc. Gary Monaghan 1-778-478-9530 monaghan@sunvaultenergy.com invest@sunvaultenergy.com www.sunvaultenergy.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Obama administration has proposed $860 million in aid for Pakistan, including $265 million for military hardware, which it said would help the country fight terrorists, secure nuclear weapons and improve ties with India. While there was no mention of Pakistan in President Barack Obama's budgetary proposals, Secretary of State John Kerry in his proposals said the budget includes $859.8 million towards sustaining ties with Pakistan and making progress to disrupt, dismantle and defeat violent extremist groups. The requested funding will support the country's counter-insurgency missions, and bolster stability, energy access, economic growth, and social reform, Kerry said in a letter accompanying his proposals. Pakistan lies at the heart of the US counter-terrorism strategy, the peace process in Afghanistan, nuclear non-proliferation efforts, and economic integration in South and Central Asia, State Department said making its case for the aid to Pakistan under the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund. OCO resources will support critical US activities such as ensuring the safety of Pakistani nuclear installations, working with Pakistan to facilitate the peace process in Afghanistan, and promoting improved relations with India, it said. For Pakistan, the OCO request supports a robust diplomatic presence and critical assistance programs to advance cooperation and reforms in energy, economic growth, and agriculture, education, health, and stabilizsation of areas vulnerable to violent extremism, it said. The State Department said it plans to sustain the presence necessary to achieve the US Government's essential strategic priorities of combating terrorism and enhancing stability in Pakistan and the region following the transition in Afghanistan. Under the Economic Support Fund (ESF) of the OCO, the State Department has proposed $400 million to Pakistan. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Nanterre (France), February 10, 2016 Faurecia certified Top Employers 2016 in France, Germany and the U.S.A. Faurecia, one of the world's leading automotive equipment suppliers, has been certified as Top Employers 2016 in France, Germany and the U.S.A. In 2015, in these three countries, Faurecia has hired some 900 managers and professionals out of 2,000 on a worldwide scale. The Group employs over 37 000 people there, out of a total of 103,000. The quality of the management practices is audited using a detailed questionnaire and an in-depth audit covering numerous aspects such as talent management, training and development, career management, enterprise culture... This certification, already obtained over the last 5 years in Germany and in France in 2015, contributes to reinforcing the visibility of the company and the image of the Group's employer branding. Faurecia has been deploying for two years its enterprise project named Being Faurecia , which is based on the redefinition of its culture and of its management model and aims at fostering accountability and the development of its workforce while creating long-term value. In September 2015, as an extension of Being Faurecia, it has launched a new employer branding campaign, deployed throughout the Group. With its motto Born to be Faurecian , this campaign underlines the Group's conviction that values and enterprise culture represent key assets to motivate and retain associates, as well as to attract the best talents. "The "Top Employers 2016" certification, obtained by Faurecia in three key countries, underlines the quality of the working conditions offered to our entire workforce and is recognition of the efforts deployed over the years to promote skills development through the enrichment of our training offer and optimizing our career management. This label will contribute to enhancing our visibility and reinforcing our attractiveness in particular among young graduates eager to lead a career in the automotive industry," welcomed Jean-Pierre Sounillac, Executive Vice President - Human Resources of Faurecia Group. Issued by Top Employers Institute, an international certification organization based in the Netherlands since 1991, this label certifies the quality of working conditions offered by employers to their employees. About Faurecia Faurecia is one of the world's largest automotive equipment suppliers in four activities: Automotive Seating, Emissions Control Technologies, Interior Systems and Automotive Exteriors. In 2014, the Group posted total sales of 18.8 billion. At December 31, 2014, Faurecia employed 100,000 people in 34 countries at 330 sites and 30 R&D centers. Faurecia is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris stock exchange and trades in the U.S. over-the-counter (OTC) market. For more information, visit: www.faurecia.com (http://www.faurecia.com/) Media contact Olivier Le Friec Manager Media Relations Tel: +33 (0)1 72 36 72 58 Cell: +33 (0)6 76 87 30 17 olivier.lefriec@faurecia.com (mailto:olivier.lefriec@faurecia.com) English news release (http://hugin.info/143691/R/1985183/727979.pdf) This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: FAURECIA via Globenewswire HUG#1985183 SOFIA (dpa-AFX) - Bulgaria has formally announced its nomination of UNESCO chief Irina Bokova for the post of UN Secretary General. The Balkan country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Tuesday that it sent a letter nominating Irina Georgieva Bokova for the post of Secretary General of the United Nations. Given her background and experience, Bokova may be one of the top candidates in the upcoming campaign for UN's top post, the ministry added. The UN's next chief will take up their post on January 1, 2017, replacing Ban Ki-moon who has held the job for two five-year terms. Bokova, 63, was the first woman to head the UN's culture body UNESCO, and the first leader from the ex-Soviet bloc when she was elected in 2009. UNESCO's admission of Palestine as a member in October 2011 spelled problems for Bokova, with the United States immediately suspending its funding of the UN body. But the former foreign minister won re-election nonetheless, and her second term is due to expire at the end of 2017. All the eight persons who have led the United Nations since 1946 were men. 'I know that I will win the UN vote,' Bokova told private television channel Nova. A former Bulgarian ambassador to France and Monaco, Bokova has recently been criticized over her privileged upbringing in a prominent communist family. Her father Georgi Bokov was editor-in-chief of the Communist Party newspaper Rabotnichesko Delo. Bokova received an elite education abroad, first at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and later at the University of Maryland and Harvard in the United States. After stints at the Bulgarian foreign ministry and its UN mission in New York, Bokova was elected a lawmaker for the Socialist Party after the fall of communism in 1989. Bokova was appointed deputy foreign minister to coordinate Bulgaria's relations with the European Union between 1995 and 1997. She briefly served as Bulgaria's foreign minister from November 1996 to February 1997 when she led the country's bid to join the EU. She speaks fluent English, French, Russian and Spanish, and is married with two children. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de EVERETT, WA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- Seen On Screen TV, Inc. (OTCQB: SONT) went live online today with its latest product, a pocket sized, battery powered unit that can charge almost any mobile device, but its best feature is that it will jump start a car with a rundown battery. The e-commerce site for the Charge'n Jump was developed by VoiceFlix, Inc. It is located at Charge'n Jump.com and the units are selling for $59.99. George Jarjour, COO of Seen on Screen TV, Inc., remarked, "A few months ago, when this product was just a sample and we had not yet committed to it, I accidentally left my car lights on all day while I was at work and my car would not start after work because the battery was flat. I went back in the office and got one charge'n Jump, plugged it into my car and was delighted when it worked exactly as advertised. This is a very high quality product that we are selling at a very competitive price." Antoine Jarjour, CEO of Seen on Screen TV, said, "The Charge'n Jump is a fine product that we have used ourselves, and it performs its job admirably. We take it to trade shows and it keeps our phones and laptops charged all day with no problem. This is an excellent device that has become necessary to keep all our portable devices charged and ready for use." ABOUT Seen On Screen TV, Inc. Seen on Screen TV, Inc. is a global retailer selling products through its range of websites and direct response television advertising. Headquartered in Everett, Washington, it markets direct to the public its own branded products as well as other specialty products using television commercials and infomercials to drive direct response telephone calls to its call centers and also driving traffic to its websites to create corporate awareness as well as online sales. For more information about the corporation please visit Seen on Screen TV.com Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking information. There are many factors that could cause the Company's expectations and beliefs about its operations, its services and service offerings, its results to fail to materialize. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof. Management assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements made by us herein are discussed in filings we make with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K and also reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K and available on our website: ir.seenonscreentv.com Contact: George Jarjour Seen On Screen TV INC 425.367.4668 george@seenonscreentv.com Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/qckf76/europe_online) has announced the addition of the "Europe Online Payment Methods: Second Half 2015" report to their offering. Online payment methods continue to evolve as B2C E-Commerce markets grow across Europe. One of the findings of the report is that alternative payment methods rank high in online shoppers' preferences in these regions. Though in countries such as the UK and France, around half of online shoppers chose to use credit card to pay for purchases online in 2015, both among advanced and emerging European markets there are countries where credit cards rank below alternative payment methods. This trend is especially evident in Eastern Europe, as the report shows. In Russia, cash on delivery still holds strong positions, but non-cash payment methods have gained in share of online shoppers, while cash on delivery was losing percentage points over the past years. Also in the Czech Republic and Romania cash on delivery was the payment method most used by online shoppers last year. However, in Poland, bank transfer ranked higher, while in Turkey and Greece credit card accounted for the majority of online transactions. Among the advanced markets of Western Europe, there are also exceptions to the dominance of credit cards in online payments, according to the report's findings. In Germany, for example, invoice was preferred by more than three quarters of online shoppers, closely followed by PayPal, and in the Netherlands, local banking method iDEAL remains in the lead, accounting for more than half of online purchases made in the first half of 2015. Online retailers, payment providers and banks strive to satisfy online shoppers' preferences and offer the most convenient and secure methods. For example, Amazon launched the Amazon Pay Monthly scheme in the UK, while in Germany multiple banks and other financial institutions cooperated for the launch of the new Paydirect method. More launches are expected to come as competition intensifies in the growing online payment landscape in Europe. Key Questions Answered What are the payment methods most used by online shoppers across Europe? How do online payment method preferences differ between the countries of Eastern and Western Europe? Which online and mobile payment trends are evident in this region and worldwide? How are mobile payments developing in various European markets? Companies Mentioned ASAD Alipay Amazon American Express Apple BlackBerry Caixa Bank China UnionPay Deutsche Telekom eBay Google Hitachi Capital Consumer Finance JPMorgan Chase MFS Africa MasterCard National Australia Bank Otto Group PayPal Qiwi Samsung Visa WeChat Yandex.Money For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/qckf76/europe_online View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160210005985/en/ Contacts: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Sector: E-Business, Online Banking NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - February 10, 2016) - Taglich Brothers, Inc. announces it has initiated coverage of Quadrant 4 System Corporation (OTC PINK: QFOR). Quadrant 4 System Corporation, headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, is a provider of cloud-based software products to the healthcare, media and education industries. The company also provides IT (Information Technology) services. The complete 16-page report is available at www.taglichbrothers.com. Taglich Brothers, Inc. is a full-service broker dealer focused exclusively on microcap companies. The Company defines the microcap segment of the equity market as companies with less than $250 million in market capitalization. Taglich Brothers currently offers institutional and retail brokerage services, investment banking and comprehensive research coverage to the investment community. We do not undertake to advise you as to changes in figures or our views. This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell. Taglich Brothers, Inc. is fully disclosed with its clearing firm, Pershing, LLC, is not a market maker and does not sell to or buy from customers on a principal basis. The above statement is the opinion of Taglich Brothers, Inc. and is not a guarantee that the target price for the stock will be met or that predicted business results for the company will occur. There may be instances when fundamental, technical and quantitative opinions contained in this report are not in concert. We, our affiliates, any officer, director or stockholder or any member of their families may from time to time purchase or sell any of the above-mentioned or related securities. Analysts and members of the Research Department are prohibited from buying or selling securities issued by the companies that Taglich Brothers, Inc. has a research relationship with, except if ownership of such securities was prior to the start of such relationship, then an Analyst or member of the Research Department may sell such securities after obtaining expressed written permission from Compliance. As of the date of this report, we, our affiliates, any officer, director or stockholder, or any member of their families do not have a position in the stock of the company mentioned in this report. Taglich Brothers, Inc. does not currently have an Investment Banking relationship with the company mentioned in this report and was not a manager or co-manager of any offering for the company within the last three years. All research issued by Taglich Brothers, Inc. is based on public information. The company paid a monetary fee of $4,500 (USD) in January 2016 for the creation and dissemination of research reports for the first three months. After the first three months from initial publication, the company will pay a monthly monetary fee of $1,500 (USD) for a minimum of twelve months to Taglich Brothers, Inc., for the creation and dissemination of research reports. Contact: Richard Oh Taglich Brothers, Inc. 631-757-1500 Regulatory News: Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE/Euronext Paris: PM) will host a live audio webcast of a presentation by Andre Calantzopoulos, Chief Executive Officer, and other members of PMI's senior management team, at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) Conference at www.pmi.com/webcasts on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at approximately 9:15 a.m. ET. The webcast will provide live audio of the entire PMI session and will be in a listen-only mode. The audio webcast may also be accessed on iOS or Android devices by downloading PMI's free Investor Relations Mobile Application at www.pmi.com/irapp. An archived copy of the webcast will be available at www.pmi.com/webcasts until 5:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 17, 2016. Presentation slides and script will also be available at www.pmi.com/presentations. Philip Morris International Inc Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is the leading international tobacco company, with six of the world's top 15 international brands, including Marlboro, the number one cigarette brand worldwide. PMI's products are sold in more than 180 markets. In 2015, the company held an estimated 15.6% share of the total international cigarette market outside of the U.S., or 28.7% excluding the People's Republic of China and the U.S. For more information, see www.pmi.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160210006026/en/ Contacts: Philip Morris International Inc. Investor Relations: New York, +1 917 663 2233 Lausanne, +41 0 58 242 4666 or Media: Lausanne, +41 0 58 242 4500 OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- Melkior Resources Inc. ("Melkior") (TSX VENTURE: MKR)(OTC PINK: MKRIF)(FRANKFURT: MEK) is pleased to announce that it has signed a Memorandum of Agreement to drill a minimum of 600 metres on its 100% owned Carscallen Township properties. Depending on availability of financing the program may be expanded. The initial program will be on the Big Marsh property. The main Carscallen property covers eight gold zones, previously announced. A significant portion of the property is covered by a granitic unit hosting gold bearing veins at various locations on the property. Recent drilling and data analysis have determined that the granitic unit is in the order of 200 to 300 metres thick and overlies volcanics that host what appears to have the potential to become an important discovery in volcanics (NR January 22, 2016). This will be a focus of future exploration. The volcanic system is interpreted in a swampy area north of previous drilling. Melkior's Carscallen property is located immediately west and northwest of the Lake Shore Timmins Mine and the important, new 144 and 144 Gap discoveries. Melkior's Carscallen properties share a 5.29 kilometre boundary with Lake Shore (NR February 8, 2016) Miner Tahoe to buy Lake Shore Gold). To view map of the Melkior Carscallen Timmins properties please click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/MKR0210.pdf This news release has been prepared by Jens E. Hansen, P. Eng About Melkior: The reader is invited to visit Melkior's new web site www.melkior.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contacts: Melkior Resources Inc. Sabino Di Paola Interim CEO and CFO 613-293-9219 613-680-1091 (FAX) sabino.dipaola@accmadeeasy.ca Melkior Resources Inc. Jens E. Hansen, P. Eng Director 613-721-2919 613-680-1091 (FAX) info@melkior.com CHICAGO, IL -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- nGenx, a cloud services pioneer in the delivery of hosted workspaces, including applications, desktops, and data, announced today that it is now an Elite Sponsor in partnership with Technology Assurance Group (TAG), an organization of leading unified communications companies in North America representing $350 million in products and services. With this partnership, TAG members have a vetted workspace as a service platform, nFinity nWorkspace, to deploy to support the transition of their customers to the cloud. TAG evaluates technologies so that Elite sponsor vendors can bring their qualified solutions to TAG members. Its mission is to provide members with the competitive advantages necessary to achieve a foremost position in their respective areas of business. TAG selects only strategic partners who are dedicated to providing superior quality, service, and customer satisfaction. By doing so, TAG aids in increasing its members' sales and profits through education, in addition to supporting the introduction of new technologies into the marketplace by leveraging the combined intellect and purchasing power of its members. "TAG members are the most profitable, well run, and customer centric unified communications companies in the industry and we are excited to make nGenx offerings available to them and the small and medium sized businesses they serve," said Brian Suerth, president, Technology Assurance Group. "More companies are migrating to the cloud, which increases the demand for solutions such as nFinity nWorkspace. TAG members who are looking to expand their cloud solutions, will greatly benefit from having nGenx as a TAG partner." As a result of TAG's partnership with nGenx, TAG members will be able to resell nGenx's nFinity nWorkspace, a comprehensive workspace as a service platform that deploys quickly and simplifies IT while expanding access to desktops, software applications, data, and entire workspaces from any device or location. For organizations, the efficiencies delivered by nFinity nWorkspace result in higher employee productivity and lower IT costs. The award-winning solution is distinguished by its ability to fully integrate organizational data within the cloud workspace for a seamless user experience. "IT buyers are looking for a solution that will not only be reliable, but also provide the highest levels of workforce mobility and employee productivity," said Max Pruger, chief sales officer, nGenx. "We are pleased to partner with TAG and offer its members a solution that meets the requirements for mobility and productivity. In turn, we look forward to expanding our market share through TAG's distribution to its member base, represented by 90 members in North America and $350 million per year in end customer sales." nGenx is an Elite Sponsor of TAG's 16th Annual Convention, April 3-6, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, visit: www.TAGNational.com. Tweet This: @nGenxCloud Partners with @TAG_National to Offer nFinity nWorkspace to TAG Members - http://goo.gl/Vh1X29 - WaaS cloud Resources: View nFinity nWorkspace video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQT4v7FSKPA Contact nGenx today to schedule a free demo at: http://www.ngenx.com/contact/ Follow nGenx on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/nGenxCloud Visit nGenx at: http://www.nGenx.com About nGenx Founded in 2000, nGenx is a cloud services pioneer in hosted application and desktop delivery. nGenx works with strategic partners such as Microsoft, Intuit, Google, IndependenceIT, Artisan Infrastructure, and others to develop hosted IT applications provided via the cloud. Through its cloud platform solution, nFinity nWorkspace, nGenx enables organizations to access their business applications on any device, anywhere business may be conducted. In 2014, nGenx was recognized by both Microsoft and Citrix for its leadership in the industry. nGenx markets its solutions through both white label and agency programs supported by its nGenx control panel, a single pane-of-glass provisioning system that allows partners and enterprise customers complete control over their IT environments. For more information, visit Why nGenx. About Technology Assurance Group, LLC (TAG) Technology Assurance Group (TAG), an organization of leading unified communications companies in North America representing $350 million in products and services.TAG members integrate all communication solutions including IT, cloud based technologies, telecommunications, AV, surveillance, video and telepresence and managed print. TAG provides its members with the competitive advantages necessary to achieve a dominant position in their marketplace. Members benefit from best business and management practices, advanced sales training programs and processes, in-depth financial analysis and industry benchmarking, professionally led peer group interaction, marketing and lead generation programs, and strategic partnerships with communication solution providers. For more information on TAG, please call 858-946-2108 or visit http://www.tagnational.com/. nGenx Agency Contact: Joe Austin The Ventana Group 512-531-9119 Email Contact LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - February 10, 2016) - Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to announce that the firm has elevated eleven of its attorneys to partner. The new partners are Katharine E. Allen (San Francisco), Rena Andoh (New York), Daniel P. Bane (Orange County), Jeralin Cardoso (San Diego (Del Mar)), Jeffrey S. Crowe (Orange County), Ruben D. Escalante (Los Angeles), Brian D. Murphy (New York), Jennifer E. Renk (San Francisco), James Rusk (San Francisco), W. Ray Rutngamlug (Washington, D.C.) and Reid Whitten (Brussels). Katey Allenis a member of the Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental practice group and is based in the San Francisco office. Allen's practice focuses on sophisticated commercial real estate transactions. She has experience with a variety of commercial real estate dealings, including purchase and sales agreements, lease agreements and amendments, real estate financing, construction contracts, easement issues, licenses, and related matters. Allen has worked with many types of properties, including retail shopping centers, office buildings, industrial facilities and warehouses, and hotel and resort properties. Allen received her J.D. from University of California, Davis in 2006 and her undergraduate degree, with honors, from University of California, Berkeley in 2003. Rena Andoh is a member of the Business Trial practice group in the New York office. Andoh has a broad-ranging litigation practice with substantial trial and arbitration hearing experience, including acting as lead counsel/first chair trial counsel in complex commercial matters. She also maintains an active appellate practice and has argued before courts such as the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the First Department of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division. Andoh also has extensive experience litigating in many state and federal jurisdictions, and has a particular expertise litigating in the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court system. Andoh received her J.D. from New York University School of Law in 2003 and her undergraduate degree from University of Michigan in 1995. Dan Bane is a member of the Business Trial practice group and is based in the Orange County office. Bane's practice focuses on general business litigation with an emphasis on land use litigation, real estate litigation, business torts/contracts, intellectual property, and litigation involving internet usage. He handles all aspects of litigation, including administrative, trial court, and appellate proceedings in both state and federal courts. His transactional experience includes counseling clients regarding intellectual property rights, environmental compliance issues, water rights, and the reuse of real property. Bane received his J.D. from Pepperdine University in 2007 and his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from University of Missouri - Columbia in 2003. Jeralin Cardoso is a member of the Corporate practice group and is based in the San Diego (Del Mar) office. Cardoso's practice encompasses general corporate and securities matters, including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, venture capital, public offerings, securities compliance and general corporate governance. She is also a member of the healthcare team and has experience representing a wide variety of healthcare-related clients in California and nationally. Cardoso received her J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from Pepperdine University in 2007 and her undergraduate degree from University of California, San Diego in 2004. Jeff Crowe is a member of the Business Trial practice group in the Orange County office. Crowe focuses his practice in insurance-related litigation, class actions and unfair competition claims. For more than 14 years, he has defended insurers in state and federal courts in California against claims for breach of contract, bad faith, unfair business practices, fraud and other torts. Crowe also represents insurers in matters before the California Courts of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He handles all aspects of insurance disputes involving a variety of personal and commercial lines policies, including homeowners, renters, auto, property and commercial general liability. Crowe received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Whittier Law School in 2001 and his undergraduate degree from California State University, Long Beach in 1998. Ruben Escalante is a member of the Labor and Employment and Business Trial practice groups in the Los Angeles office. Escalante provides frequent counsel to employers on compliance with state and federal employment laws and regulations, litigation prevention, and civil litigation and trials. He has experience defending employers in both state and federal courts and agencies in multiple areas of employment law, including wage and hour class actions, breach of contract, claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination, defamation, and other related matters. Escalante also handles a wide range of complex civil litigation in both state and federal courts. He has experience handling large consumer class action lawsuits, arbitrations, shareholder derivative actions, purchase price adjustment disputes, breach of contract claims, and other related matters. Escalante received his J.D. from University of Southern California in 2006 and his undergraduate degree, summa sum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from University of California, Los Angeles in 2003. Brian Murphyis a member of the Labor and Employment practice group and is based in the New York office. Murphy has extensive experience in all areas of labor and employment law, and focuses on the defense of class and collective wage and hour litigation in New York, New Jersey, and California federal and state courts. Murphy also defends companies in discrimination litigation, restrictive covenant and non-competition cases, and breach of contact cases. Murphy advises clients on matters relating to harassment, employment contracts, employment and personnel policies, reductions-in-force, independent contractor agreements and compliance with Title VII, ADEA, ADA, WARN, FMLA, COBRA, USERRA, OSHA, and other federal, state and local employment statutes. Murphy received his J.D., cum laude, from Saint John's University School of Law in 2004 and his undergraduate degree from University of Buffalo in 2001. Jennifer Renk is a member of the Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental practice group in the San Francisco office. Renk's practice focuses on land use and environmental law, with particular expertise in the California Environmental Quality Act. She advises clients on the regulatory and political hurdles facing development projects across California, with an emphasis on commercial, residential, mixed-use, and high tech projects. Over the course of her career, Renk has worked on a diverse range of projects, including Facebook's Menlo Park Headquarters, the Bohannon Development Group's Menlo Gateway mixed-use project, the Carlyle Group's mixed-use project in Mountain View, as well as numerous multi-family developments and independent school projects across the Bay Area. Renk received her J.D. from Santa Clara University in 2003 and her undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1990. Jim Rusk is a member of the Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental practice group and is based in the San Francisco office. Rusk specializes in project permitting, compliance and litigation involving endangered species, wetlands and water quality, and related environmental review requirements. He guides landowners and developers through the complex permitting and compliance processes under federal and state natural resources laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the California Fish and Wildlife Code and Porter-Cologne Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the California Environmental Quality Act. Rusk also represents clients in litigation defending federal and state permits against challenge by project opponents, and in suits challenging arbitrary agency action. Rusk received his J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from University of California, Hastings in 2007 and his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from University of Houston in 1997. Ray Rutngamlugis a member of the Corporate practice group in the Washington, D.C. office. Rutngamlug's practice focuses on the negotiation of a broad spectrum of communications service agreements, including agreements for providers and large-scale users of communications services. He regularly assists some of the nation's largest cable MSOs in drafting and negotiating agreements for access to infrastructure necessary for the provision of voice, high-speed internet and other next generation communications services. Rutngamlug also has considerable experience advising communications providers on a wide range of commercial matters including the sale and provision of voice and data services to other communications companies, enterprise communications users, and federal and state government agencies. Rutngamlug received his J.D. from Cornell University in 1999 and his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in 1995. Reid Whitten is a member of the Government Contracts, Investigations & International Trade practice group and is based in the Brussels office. Whitten's practice focuses on international trade compliance and investigation work. He advises clients on detecting and deterring potential compliance issues with U.S. and international anti-corruption laws, export controls, and sanctions regulations. He has also advised on anti-dumping, anti-boycott and CFIUS issues. Whitten received his J.D. from Wake Forest University in 2007 and his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from The College of William & Mary in 2002. About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP Sheppard Mullin is a full service Global 100 firm with 760 attorneys in 15 offices located in the United States, Europe and Asia. Since 1927, companies have turned to Sheppard Mullin to handle corporate and technology matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions. In the U.S., the firm's clients include more than half of the Fortune 100. For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com. CONTACT: GUY HALGREN (619) 338-6605 RALPH RICHARDSON (213) 617-5542 VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, will outline his vision for the federal government's plan to double infrastructure investments over the next 10 years with the Vancouver Board of Trade. The Minister will be available to media immediately after his speech. Date: Thursday, February 11, 2016 Time: 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Location: Pan Pacific Vancouver 999 Canada Place Vancouver, BC V6C 3B5 Crystal Pavilion Follow us on Twitter at @INFC_eng Contacts: Brook Simpson, Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities 613-219-0149 brook.simpson@canada.ca Infrastructure Canada 613-960-9251 Toll free: 1-877-250-7154 infc.media-medias.infc@canada.ca ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - February 10, 2016) - A $2.8 million boost is coming to the Atlanta economy when more than 1,800 community development professionals from around the country convene in the city for the NeighborWorks Training Institute (NTI) Feb. 22-26. The conference is hosted by NeighborWorks America, a national, nonpartisan, congressionally chartered nonprofit that creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities. "NeighborWorks America's Training Institutes provide community development professionals from around the country with the expertise and knowledge needed to improve their communities," said Paul Weech, chief executive officer of NeighborWorks America. This is the third time that NeighborWorks America has brought its NTI to Atlanta during the past five years. Atlanta is a demonstrated leader in community development. There are two NeighborWorks organizations in Georgia: Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership and NeighborWorks Columbus. To read about NeighborWorks organizations' impact in Georgia and other states, view the NeighborWorks America interactive map. A highlight of the the NTI is a Feb. 24 symposium that will focus on "Creating Opportunity through Collaboration." This is the first in a year-long, four-part series, Creating Economic Opportunity. The event will explore the housing and community development sector's efforts to create economic opportunity and social mobility through collaboration with the education, health and workforce development sectors. "This year our Training Institutes will highlight the elements of places that create opportunity, such as access to healthcare, education, and jobs," said Weech. "On the Wednesday of each symposium week, in Atlanta -- and later, in Los Angeles, Detroit, and Washington, DC -- we will convene leading experts and innovative practitioners to explore one specific aspect of what it takes to create economic opportunities for all." Among the speakers at the symposium are Todd Greene, vice president and community affairs officer at Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; H. Luke Shaefer, co-author of "$2 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America" and associate professor of social work and public policy at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan; Robert Doar, Morgridge fellow in poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute; and Nathaniel Smith, founder and chief equity officer, Partnership for Southern Equity. The NeighborWorks Training Institute in Atlanta is supported by a variety of partners, including JPMorgan Chase and JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Wells Fargo Housing Foundation, Bank of America, HUD, Citi and Citi Foundation, BB&T, and Fifth Third Bank. For more information about NeighborWorks America, and to watch a video highlighting the symposia series, go to http://neighborworks.org/EconomicOpportunity. About NeighborWorks America For more than 35 years, NeighborWorks America has created opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $24.5 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation's leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals. Contact: Lindsay Moore lmoore@nw.org 202-760-4059 @neighborworkspr WASHINGTON, February 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Early-career researchers from Indonesia, Nepal, Peru, Uganda and Yemen honored for their life-enhancing work in health and nutrition Five researchers have been named winners of the2016 Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists in the Developing World, in recognition of research that has strong potential health and economic benefits.The winning scholars from Indonesia, Nepal, Peru, Uganda and Yemen are being honored for their accomplishments in nutrition, psychiatry, biotechnology, women's health, bioenvironmental sciences and epidemiology. They are also celebrated for mentoring young women scientists who are pursuing careers in agriculture, biology and medicine in their respective countries. The Elsevier Foundation awards are given in partnership with theOrganization for Women in Science for the Developing World(OWSD) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries. The five winners will receive their awards on February 13th during a ceremony at the Gender & Minorities Networking Breakfast at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. The 2016 winners are: Dr. Etheldreda Nakimuli"Mpungu, Makerere University Kampala, Uganda (Sub-Saharan Africa Region) Psychiatric epidemiology: For her work using psychotherapy as treatment of depression and alcoholism in Ugandans with HIV. Depression is a serious problem for HIV patients throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, making it more likely that those patients will stop taking their HIV-antiretroviral medications. Dr. Nakimuli"Mpungu is working with service providers to integrate depression screening with HIV-treatment, as well as to include local communities in discussions of depression to help destigmatize the illness. "A country needs human capital; individuals who are productive members of society," said Dr. Nakimuli-Mpungu. "This innovative model helps people coping with HIV/AIDS to regain their dignity, self-esteem and desire to fully participate and contribute to their communities." Dr. Sri Fatmawati , Kampus ITS Sukolilo, Indonesia (East and South-East Asia & the Pacific Region) Bioenvironmental sciences: For her work analyzing the medical and pharmaceutical potential of plant and fungi extracts normally used in herbal medicine. Dr. Fatmawati has also received the prestigious Pemenang Fellowship International L'Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science for research analyzing substances from sponges that may lead to treatments for malaria, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. "I don't know what the future brings, but I know science is part of my soul," said Dr. Fatmawati. "I hope more young generations will share their life with science for a better world." Dr. Sushila Maharjan , Research Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology RIBB, Nepal (Central & South Asia Region) Biochemistry and biotechnology: For her work using soil microbes to develop medically useful chemicals. Microbes create a great number of the materials used in medicine, including antibiotics. Dr. Maharjan is currently researching bacterial strains from the high-altitude regions of Nepal to identify substances useful for development of new antibiotics, as well as other medically useful compounds. "The most rewarding part of my research is to find novel drugs and antibiotics from Streptomyces bacteria of Nepal that have great potential to combat the emerging drug and antibiotic resistant diseases worldwide," said Dr. Maharjan. Dr. Magaly Blas, Urb Ingenieria, Peru ( Latin America and the Caribbean Region) Epidemiology: For her work using information and communication technology to solve health problems, particularly sexually transmitted diseases in urban and rural Peru. Dr. Blas also leads the Mama River Programme, training community members to use smartphones to collect basic information from pregnant women and forward this information to a medical ship to schedule visits. "Female leadership in Latin America is growing," said Dr. Blas. "I feel proud to be part of this new generation of women scientists who are trying to make a difference in their country and in the world." Dr. Ghanya Al"Naqeb, Faculty of Agriculture, Sana'a University, Yemen (Arab Region) Nutritional Sciences: For her research using chemicals isolated from Yemeni herbal plants for disease prevention. For example, a major focus of her work has been black cumin seeds, which are commonly used as a spice in Yemen, other Middle Eastern countries and India. Her research on these seeds has focused on their effects in protecting the heart from cardiovascular diseases. "Despite all the difficulties we face in our country, Yemeni women have always worked hard to raise the name of Yemen," Al-Naqeb said. "I am very pleased to represent my country with my scientific research." The 2016 Elsevier Foundation awards competition focused on biological sciences (agriculture, biology and medicine) and a panel of eminent scientists selected each winner based on her achievements. The prize includes USD $5,000 and all-expenses-paid attendance at the 2016 AAAS Annual Meeting. This important recognition helps invigorate the winners' careers by providing them with new visibility and extended professional networks, allowing them to engage with colleagues and the public while their careers are still at an early stage. The winners also serve as a source of inspiration for other women in countries where more scientific expertise is a critical need. "The determination, commitment and enthusiasm of these five women is an inspiration to us all but especially to other women undertaking scientific research in developing countries. This award celebrates their excellent science and demonstrates that their hard work has had an impact both regionally and internationally, despite the difficult local conditions" said Fang Xin, president of OWSD. "These are exemplary researchers, and their work has enormous potential to improve people's health and support stronger communities," said TWAS Executive Director Romain Murenzi. "Their work will be widely appreciated for the benefits it can bringto developing countries. Just as important, they will serve as models and as inspiration for young scientists - women and men - of a new generation." David Ruth, executive director of the Elsevier Foundation, said, "Over the past 5 years, we've evolved these awards together with OWSD and TWAS and each year we learn more about the incredible challenges faced by women researchers doing science in low-resource settings. We hope that our awards help shine a light on these emerging women leaders and the important work they are doing in their fields-and what better place to do this than at the AAAS conference where the latest science, issues and leaders come together each year." The Elsevier Foundation Award winners will be giving a talk about their work at the Global Women's Institute, George Washington University, February 11th in a session moderated by Dr. Rachelle S. Heller, Professor in the Department of Computer Science. You can read more about this story on Elsevier Connect. Notes to editors Reporters wishing to attend the Award ceremony on February 13 at the AAAS Annual Meeting can contact: y.schemm@elsevier.com. About TWAS The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) works to advance sustainable prosperity through research, education, policy and diplomacy. TWAS was founded in 1983 by a distinguished group of scientists from the developing world, under the leadership of Abdus Salam, the Pakistani physicist and Nobel Prize winner. Today, TWAS has nearly 1,200 elected Fellows from more than 90 countries; 16 of them are Nobel laureates. The Academy is based in Trieste, Italy, on the campus of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). Since 1983, its mission has focused on supporting and promoting excellence in scientific research in the developing world and applying scientific and engineering research to address global challenges. TWAS receives core funding from the Government of Italy. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) administers TWAS funds and personnel. About OWSD The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) provides research training, career development and networking opportunities for women scientists throughout the developing world. Headed by eminent women scientists from the South, OWSD has more than 4,500 members and runs various programmes, including a PhD fellowship programme with over 200 successful graduates from Least Developed Countries and sub-Saharan Africa. OWSD is the first international forum to unite eminent women scientists from the developing and developed worlds with the objective of strengthening their role in the development process and promoting their representation in scientific and technological leadership. OWSD is affiliated with TWAS and based in Trieste, Italy, with national chapters throughout the developing world. http://www.owsd.net About The Elsevier Foundation The Elsevier Foundation is a corporate not-for-profit 501(c)(3), funded by Elsevier, a global provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The Elsevier Foundation provides grants to knowledge centered institutions around the world, with a focus on diversity in STEMM, health information delivery, research in developing countries, nurse leadership and sustainability.Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than 100 grants worth over $5 million to non-profit organizations working in these fields.Through gift-matching, the Foundation also supports the efforts of Elsevier employees to play a positive role in their local and global communities. http://www.elsevierfoundation.org About Elsevier Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier providesweb-based, digital solutions - among themScienceDirect,Scopus,Elsevier Research Intelligence andClinicalKey - and publishes over 2,500 journals, includingThe LancetandCell, and more than 33,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part ofRELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com Media contacts Tonya Blowers Program Coordinator OWSD +39-040-2240-682 tblowers@owsd.net Marie Gentile Widmeyer Communications marie.gentile@finnpartners.com +1917-679-6299 Ylann Schemm Program Director Elsevier Foundation y.schemm@elsevier.com Edward Lempinen Public Information Officer TWAS +39-040-2240-512 elempinen@twas.org TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- Minera Alamos Inc. (TSX VENTURE: MAI) (the "Company" or "Minera Alamos") today provided additional details regarding their acquisition of the La Fortuna Gold Project located in Durango Mexico ("La Fortuna") announced in their press release dated January 18, 2016. "One of the primary factors in our decision to acquire La Fortuna is its advanced stage of development," said Chris Frostad, Minera Alamos' CEO. "The scope of previous test work that is available gives us a significant head start on the development timeline. We expect to be able to complete a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") of La Fortuna by this summer." "The ability to pre-concentrate the gold mineralization at La Fortuna using crushed rock sorting equipment presents a number of interesting opportunities for the project", said Darren Koningen, President of Minera Alamos. "It appears that sorting equipment can effectively reject coarse crushed rock containing less than 0.6-0.8 g/t gold which would reduce the amount of material needing to be processed for gold recovery by 75% or more. Obviously this could have significant and positive impact the overall project economics." Highlights: -- Comprehensive mineralogical analyses demonstrating that the gold in the deposit occurs as free grains; -- Metallurgical testwork demonstrating the potential for exceptional recoveries(1) by most common gold recovery techniques including gravity (approx. 90%) and cyanide leaching (98%); -- Heap leach recoveries in excess of 60% with the potential to increase recoveries further through fine crushing (less than 1/4"); -- Ore sorting testwork completed on production scale equipment has demonstrated the potential for +90% gold recoveries with approximately 25% mass recovery from coarse crushed rocks (approx. 1-1.5"); -- Ability to recover +95% of gold from coarsely ground mineralize rock (+200 microns) into a flotation concentrate with only 10-15% of the original rock mass; -- Work has now commenced to identify capital equipment required for the preparation of the PEA. Minera Alamos would like to take advantage of the surplus of used equipment currently available Mexico and North America; -- The Company intends to target the release of the PEA in Q3 of 2016. La Fortuna Project The La Fortuna Gold Project includes the historic La Fortuna mine together with the surrounding concessions, totaling 994 hectares. The property is located in the northwestern corner of the State of Durango, Mexico, about 70 kilometers northeast of the city of Culiacan, Sinaloa. Initial development of La Fortuna followed the 1884 discovery of the gold-bearing oxidized outcrop. Between 1886 and 1892 a 200 TPD gravity mill was built near the site to process the ore which was selectively mined underground. Reportedly, about 200,000 tonnes of material, grading 20 g/t was mined and processed during this period. In 1987 an 80 tonne per day flotation mill was installed in order to process the sulfide ore, operating intermittently until 1990. Between 1991 and 2008 numerous exploration surveys were performed which included detailed mapping and sampling of the underground workings and the drilling in the immediate La Fortuna Mine area. These programs culminated in the development of a resource block model which produced a Measured and Indicated resource of 4,800,000 tonnes at 2.0 g/t gold (308,000 contained ounces) at a 0.50 g/t gold cut-off grade as detailed below: La Fortuna Resources: ---------------------------------------------------------------- Measured Category Indicated Category Measured & Indicated ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cutoff Tonnes Au Tonnes Au Tonnes Au Au Oz. Grade Au g/t (000) g/t (000) g/t (000) g/t (000) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.8 1,322 3.332 2,681 1.731 4,003 2.260 290.8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.5 1,538 2.956 3,287 1.533 4,824 1.986 308.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes: 1. Resources are as reported in the NI 43-101 Technical Report titled "La Fortuna Project, Durango, Mexico, Updated Technical Report for Castle Gold" by Toren K. Olson, P.Geo. and dated November 21, 2008. 2. Based on a total of 127 drill holes comprising 19,400 metres, including 121 original holes (18,885 metres) plus 6 twin holes comprising 515 meters 3. Assays normally included silver as well as gold. However, in some cases silver values were not available and as a result of the inconsistency of this sampling resources of silver were not calculated. 4. To the best of knowledge, information and belief of Minera Alamos, there is no new material scientific or technical information that would make the disclosure of the mineral resources set out in the foregoing Technical Report inaccurate or misleading. 5. Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all of any part of the Mineral Resources will be converted into Mineral Reserves. Pursuant to the terms of the binding LOI, the Company will pay the vendor USD $750,000 on closing. An additional USD $250,000 will be paid 9 months after the closing and USD $1,000,000 will be paid upon the announcement of a construction decision. The vendor is also entitled to a 2.5% net smelter returns royalty subject to a maximum amount of USD $4,500,000. The closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval. About Minera Alamos Minera Alamos is a junior exploration and development company. Its flagship project is the Los Verdes open pit copper-molybdenum project in Sonora, Mexico that is currently in development. Mr. Darren Koningen, P. Eng., Minera Alamos Inc.'s President, is the Qualified Person responsible for technical content of this release under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Koningen has supervised the preparation of, and approved the scientific and technical disclosures utilized in this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information with respect to the proposed transaction, timing of the closing of proposed transaction and the Company's consideration of the proposed production plans. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", or "will be taken", "occur", or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made at the date that such statements are made. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including the risk factors disclosed elsewhere in the Company's public disclosure. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is presented for the purposes of assisting readers in understanding the Company's plans and objectives and may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Contacts: Minera Alamos Inc. Chris Frostad (416) 306-0990 www.mineraalamos.com PHILADELPHIA, PA--(Marketwired - February 10, 2016) - Microgrids represent a paradigm shift for the electric markets around the globe. The convergence of technological advances in Distributed Energy Resources (DER), energy storage and telecommunications has allowed innovators to produce resilient and efficient microgrid systems. Microgrid systems are increasingly important on the East Coast where unpredictable climate changes and major storms can cause severe and indefinite citywide outages. With 2012's national disaster, Hurricane Sandy, keeping 8.5 million Americans from having power, the need for backup energy sources is now increasingly important. Devashree Ghosh, Alumni, 2015 Fellowship at EDF Climate Corps, recently spoke with marcus evans about how the City of Hoboken responded to Superstom Sandy by creating a microgrid toolkit to increase energy efficiency and community resilience: Why was it necessary to create a microgrid toolkit and how did the project get initiated? DG: Superstorm Sandy left Hoboken devastated in October 2012. Because the city already sits in a flood zone, Sandy brought in around 500 million gallons of brackish water, flooding the City of Hoboken -- its streets, homes and infrastructure. Ninety percent of the city lost power for about two weeks displacing many while forcing others to seek shelter in place. Sheltering vulnerable residents in place was an extremely stressful situation for city administration and also for the vulnerable residents, since there was no electricity or fresh water. Hoboken Mayor, Dawn Zimmer was with each of the residents at this moment of crisis. She felt that the City needed to strengthen its resiliency plans by improving energy availability during emergencies, reducing pressure on the main power grid during peak hours and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. With assistance from the Department of Energy, Sandia National Labs identified critical infrastructure and designed an energy surety system for a microgrid. The idea for a toolkit was initiated by Gail Lalla, Senior Project Manager at Greener by Design who was involved since the inception of the microgrid concept for the City of Hoboken. Greener by Design was the energy consultant for the City of Hoboken at that time and Gail sensed the need to fully engage with internal and external stakeholders. The toolkit put together by Greener by Design and me, an EDF Fellow at that time for the City of Hoboken, was necessary to help city managers think of community microgrids as a resiliency feature. What was your role in creating the toolkit and what was your main objective? DG: Superstorm Sandy brought catastrophic changes to the east coast in general -- causing landfall in several cities. The toolkit encourages city managers all along the East Coast to implement resiliency measures while thinking of back-up power and generation. My role while working hand in hand with Greener by Design was to create a toolkit that would enable green conversations, engage with stakeholders and monitor energy usage by a community so that at a time of crisis, only the required amount of energy is used. While the microgrid toolkit could take many different forms, the main objective was to ensure that the amount of energy required by a community during a crisis situation is available to all. What was the biggest challenge in creating the toolkit and how did you overcome that challenge? DG: When taking a hard look at whether the Hoboken Microgrid Project could become a carbon-neutral microgrid, it seemed an unachievable task even with the current technology, pricing and incentives available. Based on my calculations, there was just no way without offsets and impeccable costs for a microgrid to be carbon neutral. Hence, I channeled my efforts to strategize the need to achieve carbon-neutrality by creating templates that would easily allow city managers to collect data for carbon emissions monitoring. Included in the toolkit are directives for pursuing carbon neutrality over time. These include: Decrease energy use in existing buildings to reduce stress on the microgrid Integrate renewable sources of power generation By including guidelines, I hope that future microgrid projects will be substantially greener than if these sustainability aspects had not been considered at all. What are some of the most notable aspects of the toolkit that other municipalities can learn from? DG: Facilitate emissions monitoring Increase energy resiliency for the entire community Grow civic involvement Benchmark different microgrid projects Provide a scoring mechanism for the benefits derived from a microgrid Ensure energy efficiency How are other cities able to take advantage of the toolkit and why should they make it a priority? DG: There are several microgrid projects across the states. Each microgrid caters to their immediate environments and increases the resiliency of the infrastructure connected to the microgrid. However, a microgrid created to increase overall community resiliency is fairly new. In order to demonstrate improved energy availability during a crisis and take the pressure off the main power grid during peak hours while reducing emissions through the application of renewables, there are a few variables that need to work hand in hand. "Resilient Microgrids" is a toolkit to increase microgrid resiliency. It encourages people first to think about the solution. Cities that want to have clean-energy conversations with the stakeholders and the community can take advantage of the toolkit. The following benefits have been identified: Identifies return on investment for stakeholder investment in clean energy Helps the city to monitor emissions for the community connected to the microgrid Provides visual dashboards which can be used to benchmark other communities with microgrids The Toolkit acts as a medium to engage in conversations on clean energy with other interested communities The Toolkit acts as a knowledge transfer network of all parties in contract for the microgrid Devashree Ghosh has earned her Master's degree in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management from The New School in New York City. Ghosh has reduced factory operating costs through energy efficiency and water conservation projects in Special Economic Zones in India. She is an ardent advocate of clean energy and waste reduction. Join Devashree at the 4 th Microgrid & Distributed Energy Development Conference, March 16-17, 2016 at The Hyatt at the Bellevue in Philadelphia, PA. View the conference agenda to check out Devashree's case study topic. For more information, please contact Tyler Kelch, Digital Marketing Manager, marcus evans at 312.894.6310 or Tylerke@marcusevansch.com. About marcus evans marcus evans conferences annually produce over 2,000 high quality events designed to provide key strategic business information, best practice and networking opportunities for senior industry decision-makers. Our global reach is utilized to attract over 30,000 speakers annually; ensuring niche focused subject matter presented directly by practitioners and a diversity of information to assist our clients in adopting best practice in all business disciplines. For more information, please contact: Tyler Kelch Digital Marketing Manager tylerke@marcusevansch.com SolarWorld, the largest U.S. crystalline-silicon solar manufacturer for more than 40 years, is now accepting applications for its SolarWorld Junior Einstein Award 2016. The oldest and most prestigious prize for young scientists in the photovoltaic industry will be awarded for the 11th time. The honor not only offers an appreciative cash prize, but it also opens many doors for young scientists: As part of the award ceremony, winners meet important personalities in the photovoltaic industry. Last year's Junior Einstein Award winner, Michael Rauer, says his honor represented the highlight of his scientific career to date. "It is nice to see that my work is considered valuable by leading representatives of the photovoltaic industry, and that the results are being applied in practice," Rauer says. "For me, the award ceremony was an outstanding end for my work, through which I have come into contact with many renowned scientists in my field." At the annual ceremony, the company also bestows the SolarWorld Einstein Award upon a figure who has done much to advance solar energy for the betterment of the human race. U.S. winners have included Molly and George Greene III, founders of the water-relief nonprofit Water Mission, which uses solar to power remote water pumps, and Bill Yerkes, a solar-industry pioneer whose 1975 startup Solar Technology International began the 41-year U.S. industrial lineage of SolarWorld. Yerkes was honored in 2015 after his death in 2014. Students in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, renewable energy, engineering, chemistry, physics or similar areas- who have completed a thesis focused on solar technology or a related area- are eligible to apply for the Junior Einstein prize, if their scientific thesis was written in German or English between April 2015 and April 2016. The deadline for applications is April 29, 2016. This year, the prize will once again be presented at a celebratory event during the solar trade show Intersolar in late June in Munich, Germany. Find more information and the application here. About SolarWorld REAL VALUE: SolarWorld manufactures and sells high-tech solar power solutions and, in doing so, contributes to a cleaner energy supply worldwide. The group, headquartered in Bonn, Germany, employs about 3,800 people and carries out production in Freiberg, Germany; Arnstadt, Germany; and Hillsboro, Oregon, USA. From raw material silicon to solar wafers, cells and modules, SolarWorld manages all stages of production including its own research and development. Through an international distribution network with locations in the United States, Europe, Singapore, Japan and South Africa, SolarWorld supplies customers all over the world. The company maintains high social standards at all locations across the globe, and it has committed itself to resource- and energy-efficient production. SolarWorld was founded in 1998 and has been publicly traded on the stock market since 1999. Connect with SolarWorld on Facebook, Twitter and www.solarworld.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160210005358/en/ Contacts: SolarWorld Americas Inc. Ben Santarris, 503-693-5189 Mobile: 503-927-9858 Head of Corporate Communications Ben.Santarris@SolarWorld.com Technavio analysts expect the global shooting ranges market to exceed USD 1 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of over 8%, according to their latest report. The global shooting ranges market during 2016-2020, is expected to grow rapidly due to increasing demand for cost-effective, efficient and enhanced training requirements of armed forces all over the world. Abhay Singh, a lead research analyst at Technavio for the defense industry says, "As live training programs are expensive and logistically difficult, defense authorities and governments around the globe are focusing on simulators and shooting ranges, which are more affordable than other forms of training." A rapid increase in the sale of guns and ammunitions was observed in the US, which has stimulated the US Department of Defense (DoD) to strengthen regulations on the use of guns and ammunitions and increase the efficiency of the police by setting up of shooting ranges. The need to strengthen law enforcement agencies, to help them keep pace with the changing world environment, is also driving the global market for shooting ranges. Technavio's lead aerospace and defense market research analysts have identified the following three factors that will drive the growth of the global shooting ranges market: Increasing demand for enhanced training Introduction of advanced weapon systems Investments in R&D Increasing demand for enhanced training Major military spending in countries such as the US, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and India will be replacing their existing military equipment with modernized shooting ranges and artillery systems, which will drive the market during the forecast period. In 2015, Canada-based CAE signed a contract, approximately worth USD 150 million to provide simulation products and training services for many countries. Northrop Grumman, signed a contract with the US Army to develop the combat training center instrumentation system. Under this contract, the vendor will modernize and replace the legacy RCS voice, video, and data instrumentation by implementing the live training transformation (LT2) consolidated product-line management (CPM) strategy. Introduction of advanced weapon systems Three-dimensional printed guns are part of a new technology that has been developed to improve the accuracy of soldiers. TrackingPoint, a US-based vendor, has developed a high-tech long-range shooting rifle called TrackingPoint rifle, using 3D graphics, laser technology, and Wi-Fi. The precision-guided firearm offers practice in shooting moving targets at extended ranges (over 500 yards). Use of such advanced weapons in a live combat situation requires training. "The introduction of advanced weapon systems leads to a growing need for training and simulation for soldiers, law enforcement agencies, and police officers. Although outdoor shooting training provides more space and movement to soldiers, indoor ranges offer enhanced accuracy. These factors will drive the growth of the shooting ranges market during the forecast period," says Abhay. Investments in R&D R&D in shooting ranges has picked up owing to an increase in defense budgets across the world. As a result of changing environments and emerging technologies, defense departments across different countries are developing new and improved weapons and equipment to be used in shooting ranges. In 2015, Meggitt Training Systems signed a three-year contract worth $25 million with Public Works Government Services, Canada, to set up shooting range facilities for the Canadian armed forces. Browse Related Reports: Global Non-lethal Weapons Market 2015-2019 Global UAV Payload and Subsystems Market 2015-2019 Global Military Support Vehicles Market 2015-2019 Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160210005053/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 630-333-9501 UK: +44 208 123 1770 www.technavio.com media@technavio.com Regulatory News: Stallergenes Greer plc (the "Company") (Paris:STAGR) (Euronext Paris: STAGR), a biopharmaceutical company specializing in treatments for respiratory allergies, today announced the appointment of Michele Antonelli as President of Stallergenes SAS and Executive Vice President, Head of Europe Rest of World (excluding the Americas). He is succeeding Christian Chavy in these positions. Michele has more than 20 years of international experience in the biopharmaceutical industry with extensive expertise in both manufacturing and commercial. He joined Stallergenes SAS in November 2015 as Executive Vice President, Head of International Operations. Michele previously worked at UCB where he held roles of various responsibility and scope, most recently serving as Executive Vice President and Head of lmmunology Europe, overseeing the region's commercial, medical, and market access activities. Prior to joining UCB, Michele spent 16 years at Merck Serono, ultimately serving as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Biotech Manufacturing and Process Development. Fereydoun Firouz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stallergenes Greer, said: "Since joining us late last year, Michele has made an immediate, positive impact by assuming leadership for and overseeing the resolution of the operational disruptions caused by the implementation of our new IT system at our plant in Antony, France. Michele's primary focus will be to deliver the value proposition of our state-of-the-art medicines to key Allergy Immunotherapy markets. He will also play a pivotal role in helping build our commercial organizational structure under the global Stallergenes Greer umbrella, ensure our commitment to remaining customer-centric, and help strengthen our culture dedicated to innovation and excellence in execution "I would like to thank Christian for his contribution in bringing Stallergenes and Greer together creating a new global allergy company - and helping expand access to our therapies for patients suffering with allergies in Europe and beyond. I wish him the best in his future endeavours." ABOUT STALLERGENES GREER PLC Headquartered in London (UK), Stallergenes Greer plc is a global healthcare company specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies through the development and commercialization of allergy immunotherapy products and services. Stallergenes Greer plc is the parent company of GREER Laboratories, Inc. (whose registered office is in the U.S.) and Stallergenes S.A.S. (whose registered office is in France). Trading information: Name: Stallergenes Greer ISIN: GB00BZ21RF93 1 Ticker: STAGR ICB classification: 4577 Market: Euronext Paris regulated market Additional information is available at http://www.stallergenesgreer.com This document (including information incorporated by reference in this document), oral statements made and other information published by the company contain statements that are or may be forward-looking with respect to the financial condition and/or results of operations and businesses of the Company. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe", "expects", "project", "estimated", "forecast", "should", "plan", "may" or the negative of any of these, or other variations thereof, or comparable terminology indicating expectations or beliefs concerning future events. These forward-looking statements include risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Without being exhaustive, such factors include economic situations and business conditions, including legal and product evaluation issues, fluctuations in currencies and demand, and changes in competitive factors. These and other factors are more fully described in our prospectus filed with the French Autorite des marches financiers on September 3, 2015. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, due to various factors. Save as required by applicable law, neither the Company nor any other person assumes any obligation to update these forward-looking statements or to notify any person of any such update. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160210006263/en/ Contacts: Stallergenes Greer PLC Investor and analyst relations Peter Buhler, Tel: +33 1 55 59 23 22 Chief Financial Officer Email: investorrelations@aresallergyco.com or Investor relations agency FTI Consulting Arnaud de Cheffontaines, Tel: +33 1 47 03 69 48 Email: arnaud.decheffontaines@fticonsulting.com or Media relations Lise Lemonnier, Tel: 33 1 55 59 20 96 Head of Global Communications Email: llemonnier@stallergenes.com DUBLIN, February 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent report published on Research and Markets has forecast the freight transportation management market to grow from $15.30 billion in 2014 to $23.69 billion by 2019, at a CAGR of 9.14%. American e-commerce giant Amazon is expanding its logistics operations in an effort to combat rising shipping costs, according to reports [ 1] this week. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769 ) A report on the Global Logistics Market predicted growth of 8.44% during the same period and also identified the high cost of operation as a major challenge. It highlighted a trend of companies outsourcing some, or all, of their supply management functions such as transportation and warehousing. But Amazon, who currently rely on other companies for delivery services, seem intent on managing their own shipping and distribution services rather than sourcing from competitors. Amazon registered Beijing Century Joyo as a freight forwarder in January, with the Chinese subsidiary submitting a similar application to the US Federal Maritime Commission in November. They also filed an application with the Shanghai Shipping Exchange to serve as a shipping broker for 12 trade routes. This will allow Amazon to manage its own customs and export goods. Another report on Research and Markets, Global B2C E-Commerce Delivery 2015, found that free shipping remains a number one priority for almost two thirds of online shoppers worldwide. In Asia, for example, around half of digital buyers would add items to a cart in order to qualify for the free shipping service. But the report also notes delivery speed is also a major concern of global online shoppers. Especially in the emerging markets, online consumers have to cope with long delivery times, as online retailers struggle with underdeveloped logistics. In response to this demand, online retailers are offering various express delivery options. Amazon have been exploring their delivery options by adding truck trailers, freight ships and delivery flights as they look to challenge the world's biggest logistic companies. For further information on this topic, and a full list of all related documentation, please visit the Logistics section of http://www.researchandmarkets.com/rm/LKRJ. About Research and Markets Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. -------------------------------------------------- 1. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-logistics-china-idUSKCN0VI21F Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 DUBLIN, February 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The global autonomous car technology market is expected to witness a CAGR of over 10% through 2035, according to the Global Autonomous Car Technology Market report published on Research and Markets. It identified three key factors contributing to growth - a decline in the price of autonomous tech, the rising focus on road safety and the anticipated changes in autonomous regulation. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769 ) The market received a fresh boost this week from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). They published a letter to Google on their website [1] , which says that the artificial intelligence system piloting a Google self-driving car could be considered a driver under federal law. The US government has recently unveiled plans to spend $4bn over a 10-year period on self-driving cars, in a bid to create consistent laws across all states. A recent report on Robot Cars and Trucks expects semi-autonomous car technology to witness robust growth over the next ten years, owing to various moves toward autonomous vehicles that park themselves, provide automated steering, are used as test vehicles, mapping vehicles, and that provide driver alerts but fall short of complete robotically operated car vehicles. This will also lead to growth in related areas, with a report on the connected car ecosystem predicting it will account for nearly $40 billion by 2020. The growing proliferation of embedded in-vehicle connectivity and smartphone integration platforms has made connected cars one of the fastest growing segments of the IoT (Internet of Things) market. The proportion of connected car service revenue for driver assistance systems and autonomous driving applications is expected to dramatically increase from merely 5 percent in 2014 to over 11 percent by 2020. Google is yet to respond to the NHTSA's letter. For further information on this topic, and a full list of all related documentation, please visit the Telematics and Vehicle Electronics section of Automotives. About Research and Markets Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. -------------------------------------------------- 1. Source: nhtsa.gov http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/Google%20--%20compiled%20response%20to%2012%20Nov%20%2015%20interp%20request%20--%204%20Feb%2016%20final.htm#_ftnref6 [http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/Google -- compiled response to 12 Nov 15 interp request -- 4 Feb 16 final.htm ] Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 DUBLIN, February 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The global mobile ad spending market is to grow with a CAGR of 38.12% by 2019, according to the Global Mobile Ad Spending Market 2015-2019 report from Research and Markets. However, the rise of ad blocking technology could see a decrease of this percentage, and the reinstating of Adblock Fast to the Google Play store this week is a sure sign of the popularity of such apps. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769 ) Google have banned numerous ad blockers from the Google Play Store, and it was assumed that this practice would continue indefinitely. Following an appeal from Rocketship, the developers behind Adblock Fast, Google reversed the ban and immediately republished the app. The move is sure to cause alarm among e-marketers, and could have an effect on the global e-marketer IT spending market, which is poised to grow with a CAGR of 12.48% by 2019 as noted in a recent report. The decision could also have an effect on the global in-app advertising market predicted growth of 39.97% CAGR by 2019 as highlighted in a recent report. As the number of mobile devices utilizing ad blocking application increases, e-marketers will be forced to use alternative advertising solutions, such as in-app advertising. For further information on this topic, and a full list of all related documentation, please visit the Online Advertising section at http://www.researchandmarkets.com/rm/LKPP. Ad blocking programs are proving immensely popular with users right across the world, but at the incredible expense of the online advertising industry. Source: http://techcrunch.com/2016/02/09/google-reverses-its-decision-to-ban-ad-blocking-apps-from-the-google-play-store/ Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Each investor will obtain a 25% ownership interest in the project. Today, DONG Energy has signed and completed an agreement to divest 50% of the 258 MW UK offshore wind farm project Burbo Bank Extension to Danish pension provider PKA and KIRKBI A/S, parent company of the LEGO Group. Each investor will obtain a 25% ownership interest in the project.Burbo Bank Extension will be constructed by DONG Energy with offshore construction works commencing in the spring 2016. The project is expected to be fully commissioned in the first half of 2017. The total purchase price for the investors amounts to approximately GPB 660 million (DKK 6.6 billion) to be paid in the period 2016-2017.Burbo Bank Extension will consist of 32 turbines and will be the first large-scale wind farm to deploy the new MHI Vestas 8.0 MW turbine. When completed Burbo Bank Extension will be able to supply CO2-free power equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of more than 230,000 households.DONG Energy will provide operation and maintenance services to Burbo Bank Extension under a long-term O&M agreement. Furthermore, DONG Energy will be responsible for the sale and delivery to the market of the part of the production that is generated by PKA and KIRKBI A/S's 50% ownership share.Henrik Poulsen, CEO of DONG Energy, welcomes the partners:"I am delighted to welcome the LEGO Group and PKA to a new partnership with DONG Energy. Both of them are already trusted partners in other DONG Energy offshore wind projects and we are proud to be able to build on these existing, successful partnerships. Our partners' commitment to the green transition is well known, and I am pleased that they continue to find our market-leading partnership model attractive."For the LEGO Group the investment fits well with its high ambition of making a positive impact on the environment. Jrgen Vig Knudstorp, President and Chief Executive Officer of the LEGO Group comments:"I am proud to announce our investment in the Burbo Bank Extension together with our partners DONG Energy and PKA. This investment is another substantial step for the LEGO Group towards balancing our global energy consumption with renewable energy capacity. Our goal is to fulfil this by 2020 and beyond as we want to make a positive impact on the planet our children will inherit - primarily by providing great play experiences that inspire and develop children, but also through our commitment to the environment."The investment is made by KIRKBI A/S, which owns 75% of the LEGO Group, and the investment in Burbo Bank Extension is the second major long-term investment within KIRKBI's strategic investment area: Renewables. In 2012, KIRKBI A/S invested in the Borkum Riffgrund 1 offshore wind farm. Both investments support the LEGO Group in balancing its global energy consumption with renewable energy capacity.Today's announcement marks PKA's fifth investment in an offshore wind farm, of which three are together with DONG Energy. The investment is a part of PKA's ambition to combine stable long-term returns with investments in renewable energy:Peter Damgaard Jensen, CEO at PKA, said:"In the spring of 2015 we blacklisted 31 coal companies, which have since lost more than 60% of their value. In the same period, the return on our offshore wind farms has been more than 7%. The first investment in a wind farm by PKA was Anholt offshore wind farm in 2011 together with DONG Energy, and today PKA has invested in five offshore wind farms. Together they will provide renewable energy to about 2 million households. We are proud to be able to provide a good return to the pension savers and at the same time make a positive difference".The information provided in this announcement does not change DONG Energy's previous financial guidance for the 2016 financial year.For additional information, please contact:Media Relations Martin Barlebo +45 9955 9100Investor Relations Allan Bdskov Andersen +45 9955 9769Facts about Burbo Bank Extension-- The wind farm will be located in the Irish Sea, 7 kilometres from the coast of Liverpool. -- The wind farm will consist of 32 MHI Vestas V164-8.0MW wind turbines. -- The wind farm will produce enough environmentally friendly electricity to supply 230,000 British households each year. -- Final investment decision regarding the wind farm was taken by DONG Energy in December 2014. -- The wind farm is expected to be fully commissioned in the first half of 2017.About DONG Energy DONG Energy is one of the leading energy groups in Northern Europe, headquartered in Denmark. Around 6,700 ambitious employees are engaged in developing, constructing and operating offshore wind farms; generating power and heat from our power stations; providing energy to residential and business customers on a daily basis; and producing oil and gas. Group revenue was DKK 71bn (EUR 9.5bn) in 2015. For further information, see www.dongenergy.comAbout the LEGO Group The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company with headquarters in Billund, Denmark, and main offices in Enfield, USA, London, UK, Shanghai, China, and Singapore. Founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, and based on the iconic LEGO brick, it is one of the world's leading manufacturers of play materials. Guided by the company spirit: "Only the best is good enough", the company is committed to the development of children and aims to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through creative play and learning. LEGO products are sold worldwide and can be virtually explored at www.LEGO.com.About PKA PKA is one of the largest pension funds in Denmark with 275,000 members and assets of 235 billion DKK. PKA has invested about 17 billion DKK in climate-related projects, including wind farms, green bonds and the Danish Climate Investment Fund. The aim is that climate-related projects will be 10% of total investments in 2020.With Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm in England PKA has invested in five offshore wind farms in four countries: Anholt in Denmark, Gode Wind II and Butendiek in Germany and Gemini in the Netherlands. A total investment of more than 9 billion DKK, which will provide renewable energy to about 2 million. households. https://www.pka.dk/Attachment:https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=546145 OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on behalf of the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, will highlight the Government of Canada's support of research and innovation at the University of Ottawa. After the announcement, Minister McKenna will tour Dr. Benoit Lessard's lab and participate in a demonstration. Media are invited to join the tour for a photo-op. Media availability will take place after the announcement. Date: Friday, February 12, 2016 Time: Announcement at 10:15 a.m. Location: University of Ottawa SITE Building, Ground Floor Lobby 800 King Edward Avenue Ottawa, Ontario Follow Minister Duncan on Twitter: @ScienceMin Contacts: Media Relations Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada 343-291-1777 ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca Neomie Duval Manager, Media Relations University of Ottawa 613-240-0275 neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Senate lawmakers are scheduled to vote Thursday on legislation that would permanently ban taxing access to internet service, with the measure expected to receive bipartisan support. The Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act will be included as part of a customs enforcement conference report, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ken., has revealed. McConnell noted that Congress has repeatedly reauthorized temporary bans on internet taxes and argued now is the time to make the ban permanent. 'I think many Americans would agree with this statement: The Internet should remain open and free - politicians should certainly not try to tax it,' McConnell said. 'The House already passed common-sense, bipartisan legislation to make the ban on Internet taxes permanent,' he added. 'It's time the Senate did too.' The inclusion of the internet access tax ban in the customs bill came after Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., reached an agreement with McConnell on a separate more controversial measure related to an internet sales tax. Durbin and Alexander reportedly allowed the customs bill to go forward after McConnell agreed to hold a vote on the internet sales tax bill later this year. The internet sales tax bill would allow states to collect sales taxes on purchases made from out-of-state online retailers, although the legislation is likely to face opposition. In a statement on Tuesday, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., claimed the so-called Marketplace Fairness Act would be bad for New Hampshire's economy and small businesses. 'I will continue to do everything in my power as U.S. Senator to prevent this legislation from advancing in Congress,' Shaheen said. 'The last thing our small businesses need is this unnecessary red tape.' While New Hampshire does not have a sales tax, the statement from Shaheen's office said the bill would force businesses to collect sales taxes for 46 states and 9,600 taxing jurisdictions across the country. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. According to the latest research study released by Technavio, the cyber security market is predicted to reach close to USD 161 billion in revenue by 2020. This research report titled 'Global Cyber Security Market 2016-2020' provides an in-depth analysis of market growth in terms of revenue and emerging market trends. This market research report also includes up to date analysis and forecasts for various market segments and all leading countries. Request sample report: http://bit.ly/1nHIcdv "During the forecast period, the market share of North America is anticipated to witness a decline. Market shares of Europe, APAC, Latin America, and MEA are likely to increase during the same period. Stringent government regulations in Europe is likely to drive the adoption of cyber security solutions by enterprises until 2020. Increased penetration of internet in APAC countries such as India and China is also likely to increase the number of cyber-attacks over the next four years. The market is thus expected to witness a significant demand for security solutions until 2020," said Amrita Choudhury, one of Technavio's lead research analysts for IT security "Rise in the use of mobile devices for personal and professional purposes is also expected to boost market revenues. Sectors such as retail, manufacturing, telecom, and BFSI will particularly witness higher adoption of cyber security solutions over the next four years," added Amrita. Segmentation of global cyber security market 2015 (% revenue) Government 37.01% BFSI 21.40% Manufacturing 15.40% ICT 9.30% Retail 7.20% Healthcare 5.30% Others 4.39% Source: Technavio research Top three segments of the global cyber security market by end-users: Government sector BFSI Manufacturing Government sector: largest revenue contributor for the global cyber security market The global cyber security market in the government sector was valued at over USD 33 billion in 2015. Growing government spending for the implementation of cyber security in government installations in countries such as India and China is a primary driver of the market in this sector. The need for cyber security solutions to maintain homeland security will further positively impact market growth during the forecast period. Growing awareness among SMEs in Latin America and MEA, regarding the use of cyber security solutions is also expected to emerge as key factor that encourages its adoption during the forecast period. Second largest contributor: BFSI sector in the global cyber security market With an increased demand for online transactions through apps, instances of cyber-attacks have grown significantly. This has resulted in data theft, phishing scams, and other online threats. Since the BFSI sector deals with financial data of customers, it is important for these organizations to maintain data confidentiality, thus, BFSI organizations are predicted to invest heavily on cyber security solutions over the next four years. Technavio analysis shows, with the growing adoption of mobile banking, the need to implement cyber security solutions will witness a significant increase through 2020. Manufacturing sector in the global cyber security market One of the major reasons for the revenue growth of cyber security in the manufacturing sector is the need to safeguard critical data. Currently, the use of cyber security solutions is limited to many organizations in the developed world. However, the manufacturing sector in developing countries will likely witness an increased adoption of cyber security solutions during the forecast period. According to Technavio analysis, the global cyber security market in the manufacturing sector was valued at USD 14.02 billion in 2015, and it is projected to reach USD 25.17 billion by 2020. Browse related reports: Cyber Security Market in North America 2015-2019 Cyber Security Market in Europe 2015-2019 Global Industrial Cyber Security Market 2015-2019 Cyber Security Market in the APAC Region 2015-2019 Global Enterprise Cyber Security Market 2015-2019 Purchase any three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160210005069/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 630-333-9501 UK: +44 208 123 1770 www.technavio.com media@technavio.com NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - February 10, 2016) - With the improving economy in the US, the amount of spending in commercial real estate lending is beginning to increase. But under Basel III, new requirements have been introduced around High Volatility Commercial Real Estate (HVCRE), requiring banks to hold more capital for loans. However, many banks feel the regulation is unclear and controversial, and they are struggling to come to terms with what the new requirements mean for them. Mr. Sipple, Senior Vice President, Commercial Real Estate, Wealth Management at Wells Fargo Bank, NA recently spoke with GFMI about key topics to be discussed at their Commercial Real Estate Lending for Banks Conference, April 25-27, 2016 in New York, NY. How is the current real estate environment impacting the underwriting process? JS: At Wells Fargo, our underwriting standards and processes do not change according to where we are within any given point in an economic cycle. That is the beauty of Wells Fargo's real estate lending philosophy. We keep the same prudent and conservative underwriting practices at all times. We tend to increase our market share during low economic periods when competing lenders pull back as market volatility hampers their growth. Why is it important to ensure your underwriting standards are compliant? JS: Our underwriting discipline is critical to our success. While underwriting standards become more regulated and more restrictive, the result is that we are ensuring the long term success of our brand. This approach will continue to benefit our customers and their businesses. What effect has Basel III had on the overall lending market? JS: Basel III has not had any material impact on the overall lending environment as the CRE industry has increased lending activity each year for the last five straight years. However, banks with constrained Common Equity Tier 1 under Basel III either at or near the 7% level will be limited in their ability to provide aggressive lending structures. Remember, the Basel Committee on Lending Supervision has already proposed Basel 4 which will impose more stringent capital requirements and greater oversight. Why is HVCRE such a big issue for CRE lenders now? JS: Just so we are on the same page, HVCRE are defined as A&D and construction facilities where there is less than 15% borrower contributed equity as a percentage of an "as-complete" value. HVCRE is important because it 'draws a line in the sand' for lenders. Highly leveraged transactions are at risk to be the first to experience a default when larger, macroeconomic influences change market conditions which directly impact the viability of a transaction. What do you think people will gain from attending this event? JS: I hope that the attendees gain a greater appreciation for the benefits of prudent lending practices. Ultimately, our borrowers are benefitted. Our conservative approach keeps us lending in all of our product specific CRE lending platforms regardless of where we are during any economic cycle. Additionally, attendees will appreciate getting an inside look at how we view CRE lending from a banker's perspective. John Sipple is a Senior Vice President and the Regional Leader for Commercial Real Estate in the Northeast Region for The Private Bank. Based in Summit, NJ, John pursues commercial real estate production in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. He is responsible for and partners with the region's Private Bankers and Credit Team for sourcing, structuring and approval of commercial real estate transactions. A commercial real estate and banking professional for 32 years, John began his career in Los Angeles as a real estate consultant for Kenneth Leventhal & Co. John went on to co-found the Hospitality Brokerage Group for Grubb & Ellis out of its Los Angeles headquarters. After relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1991, John was Senior Vice President for Koll-Dove ( a subsidiary of the Koll Company), and was responsible for the firm's note sales and commercial real estate auction business. John started his banking career with ITLA Capital Corp. in San Francisco. John has worked for Wells Fargo since 1997 and has been a member of the bank's Real Estate Group, CMBS Group and Special Situations Group in addition to The Private Bank. John earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Cornell University and his master's degree from the Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. John is also a licensed real estate broker in the state of California. In the community, John is a leader in his local Boy Scout troop. John will be presenting at the GFMI Commercial Real Estate Lending for Banks Conference, April 25-27 in New York City. This meeting will analyze the key issues with understanding the HVCRE requirements. Delegates will learn the best practices to classify loans as HVCRE and how to manage capital to meet the requirements and avoid the HVCRE classification. Case studies will cover the impact of the Basel III regulations on the overall real estate lending market and strategies to best compete with non-bank lenders in this profitable line of business. For more information, please click here to download the conference agenda or contact Tyler Kelch, Assistant Marketing Manager, GFMI at 312-894-6310 or tylerke@global-fmi.com About Global Financial Markets Intelligence GFMI is a specialized provider of content-led conferences for the financial markets. Carefully researched with leading financial market experts, our focused quality events deliver key bottom-line value through targeted presentations, interactive discussions and high-level networking opportunities. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/2/10/11G082394/Images/sipple_photo_10-2015-105bf7432dd58fdfb38527cb1614370d.jpg GFMI Tyler Kelch Assistant Marketing Manager 312-894-6310 tylerke@global-fmi.com Technavio's latest global product lifecycle management (PLM) in aerospace and defense 2016-2020 report highlights the top three emerging trends predicted to impact market growth through 2020. Technavio defines an emerging trend as something that has potential for significant impact on the market and contributes to its growth or decline. "Increasing demand for commercial aircrafts from the EMEA region will significantly drive the global PLM in aerospace and defense market until 2020. In the next 20 years, the demand for new commercial aircrafts is expected to be over 2,000 from the Middle East and over 7,000 from Europe. Africa also is expected to create a demand for nearly 1,000 airplanes in the next 20 years. This trend has increased the global demand for PLM in aerospace, and it is expected to boost manufacturing and design of new aircraft models," said Amrita Choudhury, one of Technavio's senior industry analysts for product lifecycle management research. "An increase in technical capabilities of the aircraft is also anticipated to drive the digital manufacturing market in the aerospace and defense industry over the next four years. With progress in digital manufacturing, the market is expected to witness the introduction of highly fuel-efficient engines and significant reduction in weight of aircrafts during the forecast period," added Amrita. Technavio's market research study identifies the following top three emerging trends for the global product lifecycle management (PLM) in aerospace and defense: Increasing integration among PLM software Role of PLM in IoT supporting devices Increased outsourcing of FEA pre-processing jobs to APAC Increasing integration among PLM software The global electronic design automation market for the aerospace and defense industry experienced a decline in 2015. However, from 2017, the market is expected to show an increase in growth rate. Complexity of electronics products has led to the demand for integrated software. For instance, Mentor Graphics has launched a new version of FloTHERM XT, which has executed both computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and electronic design automation (EDA) applications. FloTHERM XT has the added capabilities of CFD simulation and analysis as well as an electronics system and printed circuit board (PCB) thermal management. The adoption of such integrated software is predicted to increase significantly during the forecast period. The availability of two software packages at the cost of one is also anticipated to increase the demand for CFD and EDA integrated software solutions. Role of PLM in IoT supporting devices The global IoT market finds the adoption of PLM software such as EDA to develop smart connected devices in the aerospace and defense industry. The industry finds an increase in the successful implementation of sensors and computerized automations in their products and operations. IoT is the network of physical tangible objects, interconnected through technology with the ability to communicate among themselves, and the external environment. IoT covers hardware devices, embedded software, communication services, and IT services into a single unit. The major components of IoT include, radio-frequency identification (RFID), wireless sensor networks (WSN), near field communication (NFC), cloud services, gateways, data storage and analytics, and visualization elements. IoT helps in efficient monitoring and management of numerous interconnected devices. With advancements of IoT, smart machines can monitor and control various objects using microcontrollers via the Internet from a distance. The global IoT market was valued at USD 196.32 billion in 2014, and it is expected to reach USD 778.43 billion by 2019, growing at a CAGR of close to 32%. In terms of usage, the global connected devices market was 3.32 billion units in 2014, and it is expected to reach 17.22 billion units by 2019. With the global IoT market expected to show a CAGR of more than 30% in terms or revenue and usage, the adoption of PLM will witness an increase in demand for developing IoT supporting devices during the forecast period. Increased outsourcing of FEA pre-processing jobs to APAC The global FEA market is showing an increase in outsourced FEA pre-processing jobs to APAC. India and China are the hub of these outsourced jobs. In pre-processing, a finite element mesh is created, and complexities in mesh generation during the pre-processing phase of FEA analysis is one of the existing challenges faced by companies in this phase. It is also necessary for the mesh to imbibe an analytical ability to examine properties of the material and its boundary conditions to understand the real-time behavior of the material when subjected to specific stress and loads. Therefore, mesh generation plays a key role in understanding a structure's behavior. In developed countries, for linear static problems, FEA pre-processing costs about 43% of the overall investments. However, in countries such as India and China, the cost reduces by more than half. It is thus leading to an increase in outsourced FEA pre-processing jobs to the APAC region. Browse related reports: Global FEA Market in the Aerospace and Defense Industry 2015-2019 cPDM in the Aerospace and Defense: Global Market Research 2015-2019 CAD Market in the Aerospace and Defense Industry in APAC 2015-2019 Global DM in the Aerospace and Defense Sector: Market Research and Analysis 2015-2019 CAD Market in the Aerospace and Defense Sector in North America 2015-2019 Global CFD Market in Aerospace and Defense Industry 2015-2019 Purchase any three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160210005073/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1-630-333-9501 UK: +44 208 123 1770 www.technavio.com media@technavio.com NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - February 10, 2016) - Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, reminds investors in Imprivata Inc.("Imprivata" or the "Company") (NYSE: IMPR) of the April 4, 2016 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action lawsuit filed against the Company and certain officers. The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on behalf of all those who purchased Imprivata securities between July 30, 2015 and November 2, 2015 (the "Class Period"). The case, Coyer v. Hussain et al, No. 1:16-cv-10160 was filed on February 2, 2016, and has been assigned to Judge Leo T. Sorokin. The lawsuit focuses on whether the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by overstating the sales trends and demand of its IT security products and services leading to an inflated price of Imprivata common stock. It also charges certain executives and insiders of selling more than $72 million worth of their personally held Imprivata stock at fraud-inflated prices. Specifically, on October 14, 2015, Imprivata issued a release preliminarily announcing that its 3Q15 sales would come in at or below $29.2 million rather than the revenues in the range of $31-$31.5 million that the Company had stated it was on track to achieve in the quarter on July 29, 2015. The 3Q15 loss per share would also come at between ($0.22) to ($0.23) per share instead of the ($0.20) the Company had led the market to expect. After the announcement, Imprivata's share price fell from $17.31per share on October 14, 2015 to a closing price of $12.00 on October 15, 2015-a $5.31 or a 31.2% drop. Then, on November 2, 2015, the Company disclosed its third quarter financial results, affirming the announcement in October 14 as well as further disclosing adverse sales trends during the third quarter 2015. The Company also announced reduced fiscal 2015 guidance and disclosed that the negative sales trends would continue to diminish sales into fiscal 2016. After the announcement, Imprivata's share price fell from $10.39 per share on November 2, 2015 to a closing price of $9.42 on November 3, 2015-a $0.97 or a 9.3% drop. Request more information now by clicking here: www.faruqilaw.com/IMPR. There is no cost or obligation to you. Take Action If you invested in Imprivata securities between July 30, 2015 and November 2, 2015 and would like to discuss your legal rights, visit www.faruqilaw.com/IMPR. You can also contact us by calling Richard Gonnello toll free at 877-247-4292 or at 212-983-9330 or by sending an e-mail to rgonnello@faruqilaw.com. Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Imprivata's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others. The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class that is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner. FARUQI & FARUQI, LLP 685 Third Avenue, 26th Floor New York, NY 10017 Attn: Richard Gonnello, Esq. Email contact Telephone: (877) 247-4292 or (212) 983-9330 Technavio has announced the top seven leading vendors for the global PLM in electrical and electronics marketin their latest research report. This report also lists 14 other prominent vendors who are expected to contribute to this market's growth over the forecast period. To identify the top vendors, Technavio's lead ICTmarket research analysts have considered the top contributors to the overall revenue of this market. To calculate the market size and the vendor share, the report considers both the direct revenue and the indirect revenue of the vendors, which includes resellers and distributors. Request sample report: http://bit.ly/1PLzHEc "Vendors, like ANSYS, Mentor Graphics, and EXA are likely to forge strategic partnerships with different computational fluid dynamics (CFD) support platform providers through 2020. Increased global consumption of consumer electronics will continue to foster the demand for advanced FEA and CFD in PLM during the forecast period. FEA and CFD are of much use in designing consumer electronics devices such as smartphones for analyzing the temperature and its effect in the circuitry," said Amrita Choudhury, one of Technavio's lead analysts for product lifecycle management research. "In terms of CAGR, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element method (FEA) are predicted to remain the fastest growing segments until 2020, followed by cPDM in the global PLM in electrical and electronics market," added Amrita. Seven leading vendors in the global PLM in electrical and electronics market: ANSYS ANSYS, a global engineering simulation software and service provider, follows a product expansion strategy to increase its revenue in the global FEA market in the electrical and electronics industry. They are focused on providing new technology to their end customers to increase productivity through engineering simulation solutions with extended functionalities that can be integrated with CAD, ECAD, and PLM solutions. The company maintains a direct sales management organization, with a developed enterprise-wide and focused sales approach. They also support channel partners through their presence of a direct sales office. The company derived 25% of its revenue from indirect sales channels, indicating a large presence in the direct sales channel. Cadence Design Systems Cadence Design Systems was established in 1988 and is headquartered in San Jose, California. The company is an EDA and SIP provider. They combine products and technologies into categories that are related to key design activities such as the following: Functional verification that includes emulation hardware and IP Digital IC design and signoff Customs IC design System interconnect and analysis In July 23, 2014, they introduced three new OrCAD PCB products targeting the emerging electronic product design challenges. In the same period they announced Protium rapid prototyping platform which significantly expanded their system development suit. Dassault Systemes The overall strategy of Dassault Systemes is to expand its 3D EXPERENCE platform to several end-users globally. They follow various strategies to compete in the PLM market. They offer various novel software and solutions for new disciplines and segments. For instance, they provide different software or solutions for product design, engineering and simulation, quality assurance and compliance, manufacturing, business operations and planning, and project management within a single sector. Dassault's sector diversification strategy includes providing different software and solutions to specific sectors, such as aerospace and defense, transportation and mobility, high-tech, engineering and construction, marine and offshore, life sciences, process and utilities, natural resources, industrial equipment, consumer goods and retail, CPG, and financial and business services. Mentor Graphics Mentor Graphics was incorporated in 1981 and is headquartered in Oregon, US. They are engaged in the design and production of EDA software and hardware solutions for electrical engineering and electronics. Their product portfolio serves multiple industries such as the military and aerospace, communications, computer, consumer electronics, networking, multimedia, semiconductor, and transportation. Their product portfolio is segmented into five categories: IC design to silicon, scalable verification, integrated system design, new and emerging products, and services and others. The company offers products that help its customers to create ICs, PCBs, embedded software solutions, FPGAs, wire harness systems, and computers. Siemens PLM Software Siemens PLM Software is primarily engaged in the design, development, and production of pre-packaged computer software, and they specialize in 3D and 2D PLM and collaboration PLM software. They generate revenue from licenses, maintenance, and services. The strategic differentiators between Siemens PLM Software and other vendors is that the former allows end-users to configure the system. The code is automatically generated by the software, which makes software deployment a lot easier. The company focuses on making the UI easy to use. PTC PTC is focused on serving emerging markets, such as SLM and IoT. In 2014, PTC acquired ThingWorx, which develops platforms for IoT, and Axeda, which provides a platform for connecting sensors and machines to the cloud. The company sees fewer opportunities in the highly penetrated CAD market. However, they hold a strong presence in the market in North America, with new and innovative products and a large number of resellers. Synopsys Synopsys, established in 1986, is headquartered in Mountain View, US. They are an EDA software company engaged in offering core design solutions, IP products, and professional services that are widely used in designing ICs and electronic systems. The company's products portfolio is classified into four groups: core EDA solutions, IP and system-level solutions, manufacturing solutions, and professional services and training. The company uses the Galaxy Design Platform and the Discovery Verification platform in design and verification of an IC. Some key products include IC Compiler physical design solution, PrimeTime timing analysis, and FPGA products. Browse related reports: cPDM market in the Electrical and Electronics: Industry Analysis 2015-2019 Global CFD Market in the Electrical and Electronics Industry 2015-2019 CAD Market in Electrical and Electronics Sector in North America 2015-2019 Purchase three reports from our library for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160210005075/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 630 333 9501 UK: +44 208 123 1770 www.technavio.com media@technavio.com NOVATO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- The California Department of Food and Agriculture's Preliminary Grape Crush Report for 2015 has been released. It is a critical barometer for the wine and grape industry, containing tons crushed and prices of wine grapes sold during the 2015 harvest. The Crush Report provides growers and wineries insight into the inventory position for the California wine business as a whole, and influences market dynamics for the current bulk wine market as well as the upcoming 2016 harvest. Key Insights by Region General/Statewide "The 2015 Preliminary Grape Crush Report, as released by the National Agriculture Statistics Service, announced a California statewide wine grape crop of 3.7 million tons. This is the lightest California wine grape crop since 2011 -- down 5%, or about 32 million gallons from 2014. The crop was especially light in coastal regions which predominantly supply premium and luxury programs. Overall, the lighter crop helped to balance out inventories built up from the previous three good sized crops." -Steve Fredricks, President, Turrentine Brokerage "The 2015 crop came in below estimate in most coastal areas of California and in some areas the crop delivered was dramatically under expectations. This has caused the grape and bulk wine markets to become very active in the early months of 2016." -Brian Clements, Vice President, Turrentine Brokerage "The total crush was down 5% from last year due mostly to the short crop in coastal regions. However, an ample harvest in Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley helped lift the total California grape crop. Northern Interior production was 2% down from last year, bolstered by new acres and a better Chardonnay crop than 2014." -Erica Moyer, Interior and Central Coast Grape Broker, Turrentine Brokerage North Coast "Due to poor weather during bloom, grape cluster weights were down in Sonoma County. This adversely affected Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in particular. Sonoma County Pinot Noir was down 36% off of the five year average, while Chardonnay was down 27%. This has stimulated the bulk wine market and the grape market to start earlier than previous years." -Brian Clements, Vice President, Turrentine Brokerage "The release of the 2015 California Grape Crush Report shows grape prices continuing to climb to record highs for Sonoma County and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $2,642 and $6,224 per ton, respectively. Turrentine Brokerage's internal sales show that newly contracted grape prices are even higher than that." "The Sonoma County Chardonnay crop was down 27% off long-term average and Pinot Noir was down 36%. Cluster counts early on left the impression the 2015 crop could be reasonably sized again, but poor weather during bloom and a warmer summer resulted in much lower cluster weights. The low crop has meant wineries are active in the bulk and grape markets much earlier than the last few years." -Mike Needham, North Coast Grape Broker, Turrentine Brokerage Central Coast "Bloom proved to be a challenging time for the Central Coast in 2015. Widespread shatter set up Crush District 8 for a lighter crop; however, once harvest was upon us, it was clear the 37% decrease of Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon and the 39% decrease of Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir were going to leave the market needing more. With growth of programs and a lighter crop, the district average price for Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara County has once again reached similar levels to the height of the grape market in 2008. With a light crop behind us, the Central Coast is experiencing an active market. "Grape prices have risen for Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which now have a combined estimated value of $325 million in the Central Coast alone. "Regardless of variety, Paso Robles was one of the most challenged regions in California due to a light crop in 2015, with very few exceptions. This has meant buyers are out earlier, especially for Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc." -Audra Cooper, Central Coast Grape Broker, Turrentine Brokerage "Monterey County had weather during bloom that led to poor berry set and lighter cluster weights for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir resulting in a 32% decline in Chardonnay from 2014 and a 49% decline in Pinot Noir, a disaster! This has stimulated an earlier grape buying market than in previous years and increased prices for grapes and the few gallons of 2015 bulk wine for sale." -Erica Moyer, Interior and Central Coast Grape Broker, Turrentine Brokerage Lodi & Interior "Grape yields per acre were average to above average as new plantings continue to come into production in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley. Though vineyards are being pulled out in the Southern San Joaquin Valley, vineyards are producing more on less acres which offset the acres that have come out." -Erica Moyer, Interior and Central Coast Grape Broker, Turrentine Brokerage About Turrentine Brokerage Turrentine Brokerage, founded in 1973, serves as trusted and strategic advisors to growers, wineries, and financiers and specializes in the strategic sourcing of wine grapes and bulk wine from the major growing areas across the globe. Working with thousands of wineries worldwide, and with over 2,000 growers, this experienced team has negotiated transactions between buyers and sellers valued at more than $2 billion over the past decade. Turrentine Brokerage is available to provide comment and analysis on this report and its probable impact on growers, wineries and consumers. Turrentine Brokerage will have its experienced team of grape and wine brokers and analysts available all day Wednesday, February 10th and throughout the week for comment and questions. Contact Brian Clements Vice President (707) 495-8151 Grapes throughout CA, especially Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino & Lake Counties Steve Fredricks President (415) 847-0603 Grapes and bulk wine throughout CA and global import/export Erica Moyer Grape Broker (209) 988-7334 Grapes from the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys Audra Cooper Grape Broker (805) 400-9930 Grapes from the Central Coast LIBERTY LAKE, WASHINGTON -- (Marketwired) -- 02/10/16 -- Hunt Mining Corp. (the "Corporation") (TSX VENTURE: HMX) is pleased to announce that an Argentinian subsidiary of the Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to buy the Martha Mine in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina from an Argentinian subsidiary of Coeur Mining, Inc. for total cash price of US$3.0 million. The Corporation believes the purchase paves the way for the transition from an exploration company to a mining company and enhances the commitment of Hunt Mining to be engaged in the Province of Santa Cruz for the long-term. Further information will follow in due course. About Hunt Mining Hunt Mining Corp. has continued to develop its properties as an active and aggressive explorer in Santa Cruz since 2006. During that time, Hunt's wholly owned subsidiary, Cerro Cazador S.A., has completed exploration activity including approximately 64,000 meters of HQ core drilling, 416 line kilometers of Induced Polarization geophysical surveys and more than 20,000 surface soil, sediment, channel, chip, and trench samples, beyond the historical work previous to the same properties. This, and additional information can be viewed at www.huntmining.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking statements. The Corporation has provided the forward-looking statements in reliance on assumptions that it believes are reasonable at this time. The reader is cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of the forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. All such forward-looking statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Corporation's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, delays resulting from or inability to obtain required regulatory approval. The actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits, including the amount of proceeds, the Corporation will derive therefrom. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Contacts: Hunt Mining Corp. Bob Little Chief Financial Officer (509) 290-5659 blittle@huntmining.com www.huntmining.com Jewelry Find jewelry by Kalevala, Marimekko, aarikka and more in Fashion Accessories. Adveq, a Zurich, Switzerland-based asset manager investing in private equity globally, held the final closing of two of its funds, Adveq Specialized Investments and Adveq Europe Co-Investments, at 323m and 102m, respectively. Both Adveq Specialized Investments and Adveq Europe Co-Investments held their final closings in January 2016, receiving support from investors around the world, including pension funds, insurance companies and family offices. Adveq Specialized Investments targets private equity investments globally that benefit from positive exposure to long-term fundamental trends (aka megatrends) and that have specific characteristics which provide them with a high level of robustness. The fund focuses on building, growing and transforming portfolio companies through a mix of specialized strategies, including specialized buyout strategies, turnaround, growth capital and venture capital. Adveq Europe Co-Investments aims to build a portfolio of co-investments, mainly with European small buyout opportunities, alongside a select group of specialized fund managers including buyout groups, turnaround fund managers and industry/strategy specialists. The fund targets small buyout companies having a strong market position and significant value creation potential through both revenue growth and business transformation. Founded in 1997 and led by Sven Liden, Chief Executive Officer, Adveq is an asset manager investing in private equity globally allowing clients to get access to select private market segments through primary, secondary and co-investments. The firm has offices in Zurich, Frankfurt, London, Jersey, New York, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. FinSMEs 10/02/2016 Bullnet Gestion, a Madrid, Spain-based venture capital firm, has held the first closing of its third fund, at 42m Bullnet Capital III SCR, which has a final target of 50m, aims to invest in Spanish early-stage ICT companies with a strong intellectual property component and a business-to-business model. The fund, which received support from the European Investment Fund, will primarily support companies operating in sectors such as semiconductors, engineering software, and hardware-software systems. Founded by Javier Ulecia and Miguel del Canizo, the firm has already deployed Bullnet Capital I, launched in 2002 with a capital commitment of 18m, and Bullnet Capital II, its second 30m fund. FinSMEs 10/02/2016 Cobi, which stands for Connected Biking, a Frankfurt, Germany-based developer of a smart control centre for bikes, raised almost 6.3m in funding. Backers included Munich Venture Partners and Meinders & Elstermann International Print & Mediaservices. The company, which has raised 12m in total funding to date, intends to use the capital for internationalization as well as the development of further products. Led by Andreas Gahlert, Founder and CEO, COBI provides an integrated system that intelligently connects a bike with a smartphone. The modular system integrates six bike accessories into one design object: automatic front and rear light, navigation, smartphone holder with charging function, bell, alarm system, and bike computer. The system can be pre-ordered online as an accessory for any bike from between 179 and 330, and will be pre-fitted by many bike manufacturers. Delivery will begin in time for the biking season in Spring 2016. More than 30,000 pre-orders have already been received. FinSMEs 10/02/2016 Hexadite, Inc., a Tel Aviv, Israel-based provider of a security orchestration and automation platform, closed an $8m Series A funding round. Backers included Hewlett Packard Ventures, Ten Eleven Ventures, and YL Ventures. In conjunction with the funding, Ten Eleven Ventures co-founder Mark Hatfield, a security venture capital veteran, will join Hexadites board. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate research and development in Israel and expand its marketing and sales operations worldwide. Led by Eran Barak, CEO and co-founder, Hexadite provides a security orchestration and automation solution that automatically investigates and resolves all cyber security alerts quickly. The Hexadite Automated Incident Response Solution (AIRSO) aims to maximize a customers ability to investigate attacks post-detection to resolve the full extent of a breach. In 18 months, with $2.5m in seed funding, the company brought to market the solution, which has protected more than 500,000 devices in customers from the financial services, retail, technology, insurance, manufacturing, telecommunications, life sciences, and healthcare industries. FinSMEs 10/02/2016 Consensus based technology entrepreneurship: A general agreement about an entrepreneurial technology business opportunity: an idea, a business or consumer proposition that is considered successful by a majority of people in the technology ecosystem Often opinion makers, founders and funders develop a consensus of opinions towards specific entrepreneurial ideas and evaluate opportunities narrowly within a pre-defined framework. This phenomenon is often further emphasised by the role of traditional and social media that transforms simple consensus into dangerous hyped consensus. Consensus and hype are not ingredients for large, disruptive, sustainable entrepreneurial success. Being an original thinker and challenging the status quo are the most exciting dimensions of entrepreneurship for both founders and funders. It is of course possible to be successful founders and funders by following established consensus. Some founders launch companies by analysing existing ones, copying them and adding operational excellence and regional expertise. In the same vein, some funders base their investment strategy on joining party deals and blindly follow proven investors. That said, it is important to recognise that extraordinary, game-changing and industry defining tech companies (i.e. Google, Facebook, Uber, AirBnB, Spotify) were not built by making operational or feature improvements to an existing idea or business. Rather, they were all non-consensus business ideas, applying brand new thinking and approaches to existing and new problems. When those companies started, founders and a few funders had an idea that was not at all shared by the majority: they were clearly in the area of non-consensus. A good read on this topic is by Brian Chesky of AirBnB: 7 Rejections. A simple framework to analyse consensus vs non-consensus thinking is below: In order to unleash European entrepreneurship and take it to the next level, both founders and funders need to be able to get out of their comfort zones and push the envelope in the areas of non-consensus business building. If founders and funders rely on consensus and good execution, this may well achieve some gains and in some cases even good gains. However, extraordinary gains based on sustainable huge opportunities will only be achieved by pushing the envelope in the areas of non-consensus. If founders & funders find themselves pursuing a non-consensus based business idea, there are 3 key things that they need to keep in mind: 1 Fear of feeling alone Deciding to work on a non-consensus driven business idea is often the start of a lonely road which can be very scary and might push both founders and funders to constantly challenge their decision making. Founders and funders need to accept that non-consensus based decisions imply by definition a sense of isolation. There will likely be a large gap between T0 (time in which the decision is taken) and T1 (time in which it is possible to see the results of that decision). In a non-consensus tech venture the time between T0 and T1 can be extremely challenging. Tip: Once the decision has been made to work on a non-consensus venture, both founders and funders must try to protect themselves from the noise of consensus. Try not to be influenced by what others say and think. This is tough because the noise can be high and can come from many directions: friends, press, other founders and funders. This is usually the best time for founders and funders to stick together and feed off each others energy. This is a war against consensus and the best thing to do is to stay super focused and hide from the hype of consensus. 2 The issue of knowing too much Sometimes knowing too much is an obstacle because knowledge aligns itself with the status quo and therefore with consensus. This is why in some cases, young founders can come up with disruptive non-consensus based business ideas. This is also true for funders: who might have previously invested in the space and are not able to recognize a new idea because their brain is influenced by their old experience. Tip: Founders with strong experience in an industry should always be sure to challenge their own thinking. The most traditional industries can be disrupted if approached from a new angle. Sometimes we observe spectacular failures from serial entrepreneurs who just work within the constraints of what they know, unable to free themselves from the past. Similarly, some funders should not have the answers before asking the questions. Keeping the brain fresh and un-opinionated in front of a non-consensus business idea is often a key component of successful judgement. 3 The cool factor Sometimes there is a perceived cool factor in developing a non-consensus business idea: I am working on the next search engine because Google sucks! Therefore, I am building the next Google. Non-consensus business ideas emerge because founders and funders see something that other people do not see, rather than a desire to generate hype around a cool story. Most founders and funders are not proud of the fact that their venture is a non-consensus one. They actually suffer the non-consensus dimension: it makes their life much more complex. Tip: There is nothing cool about working on a non-consensus business idea. Avoid seeking publicity until product market fit is proven and focus on execution.Hype is not validation. European founders and funders need to realize that in order to build extraordinary large sustainable businesses, they need to get out of their comfort zones, take risks and found and fund non-consensus driven ventures. Often European funders tend to be more focused on protecting the downside rather than helping to unleash potential of the upside. Similarly, founders are more focused on developing ventures with an exit in their mind, rather than focussing on the broad long term objective of maximization of shareholder value. European founders and funders lets forget the hype, the news, the political posturing and all the rest. Lets all focus on working hard to unleash the most successful non-consensus based entrepreneurial ventures! Roberto Bonanzinga blogs at @Entrepreneurship at Work and tweets at @Bonanzinga Panakes Partners, a Milan, Italy-based venture capital firm focused on medtech, is to raise its first fund. The Panakes Fund I has already attracted support from the European Investment Fund, which follows the investment from Fondo Italiano dInvestimento. It will be the first Italian-based fund focused on the medtech sector (i.e. medical devices, diagnostics and healthcare IT) focusing on areas such as personalised medicine, cardiovascular, oncology, immunology and orthopaedics over the next five years. Led by founding partners Alessio Beverina, Fabrizio Landi, and Diana Saraceni with Francesco Panfilo acting as President, Panakes is also part of the investor network of Invitalia Ventures. FinSMEs 10/02/2016 PLEASE REMEMBER TO ORDER FROM AMAZON THOUGH FMF.CLICK ON ANY BOOK WE LIST TO GET TO AMAZON, AND THEN ORDER WHATEVER. thanxxx &amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;gt; 2ND EDITION!!! I hope to have some news soon about the 2nd edition of hole in my heart. Sorry for the delay! THANK YOU AND LEGAL NOTICE As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. THANK YOU TO ALL THE READERS WHO REMEMBER TO GO TO AMAZON VIA FIRST MOTHER FORUM. IT MATTERS NOT WHAT YOU PURCHASE. From the New York Times "Lorraine Dusky, a writer who relinquished a daughter as a young single mother in New York State in 1966, supports opening the records. She reported in her 2015 memoir that in the handful of states that offered women the opportunity to remove their names from original birth certificates, only a small fraction of women fewer than 1 percent chose to do so." -- Dont Keep Adopted People in the Dark by Gabrielle Glaser, June 19, 2018 From the New York Times "On FirstMotherForum.com, a blog that discusses issues among women who had given children up for adoption, Lorraine Dusky, one of the sites authors, praised the series (ABC's 10-episode Find My Family): 'Maybe this will be heard by people who think it is unloyal somehow for a person to search out his or her roots, parents, family, when it is a most natural desire of consciousness.' --Two Reality Shows Stir Publicity and Anger"--Dec. 6, 2009. This blog takes cookies. "It shouldn't take a miracle to find people you are related to by blood."--Jenn Gentlesk EMAIL US AT forumfirstmother@gmail.com Oregon court records available Instructions and forms for accessing adoption records are on the Oregon Judicial Department's website. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Material from First Mother Forum may be quoted as long as FMF is credited and with a link to original source here. Over 350 words, contact for permission: forumfirstmother@gmail.com. Sonam Kapoor-starrer Neerja based on real incidents during the hijacking of the Pan Am Flight 73 at the Karachi airport in 1986, has been banned in Pakistan allegedly for showing the country in a poor light. The film has been banned here without even being submitted to the censor boards. The Ram Madhvani-directed movie revolves around Neerja Bhanot, a flight attendant on board a Pan Am Mumbai-New York flight shot dead by terrorists during the hijacking while trying to save the lives of passengers. Advertisements of the movie in some newspapers had shown its release across Pakistan on February 19 but it has emerged that the Ministry of Commerce had initially authorised the import of the film but later changed its decision. A Commerce Ministry official said that due to the objectionable nature of the content which portrayed Pakistan in poor light the certificate to import the film was revoked. IMGC Executive Director Abid Rasheed admitted that there were certain anti-Pakistan elements in Neerja and it showed Muslims in a negative light. PTI (This is an updated version of the analysis of Punjab National Bank earnings, adding other banks' numbers.) At least three public sector banks (PSBs), Central Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and Dena Bank posted huge losses in the October-December quarter on account of a sharp increase in bad loans, while Punjab National Bank (PNB), Indias second largest state-run bank, logged a significant fall in its profit. Bad loans are loans, where recovery is overdue more than 90 days. PNB reported gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of 8.47 per cent for the December-quarter. This is the highest level of bad loans the bank has recorded at least in 11 years. High bad loans result in high provisioning, the money every bank need to set aside to cover their future losses, which more than doubled for PNB to Rs3776 crore in the third quarter from Rs1468 crore in the year-ago quarter. As result, the net profit of the bank plunged 93.4 per cent to Rs51 crore in the third quarter, compared with Rs775 crore in the corresponding period in last year. This is arguably one of the worst quarterly results of PNB in recent years. Take a look other banks numbers. Central Bank of India logged a loss of Rs 836.62 crore for October-December 2015-16, against a profit of Rs 137.65 crore in the third quarter of the previous fiscal with its GNPAs rising to 8.95 per cent of the gross advances during the quarter, as against 6.2 per cent year ago. Similarly, Dena Bank reported a loss of Rs 662.85 crore for the third quarter as against net profit of Rs 76.56 crore in the same quarter last year, after it witnessed its GNPAs jumping to 9.85 per cent from 5.61 per cent in the year-ago period. Allahabad banks loss stood at Rs 486.14 crore for the third quarter, hit by 6.40 per cent GNPAs (from 5.46 per cent) and subsequent provisions. What we are seeing here is just an indication of the deeper stress the banking system with the problem aggravated due to a prolonged economic slowdown. Even large private sector banks, such as ICICI Bank, have felt the pain of rising stress in the banking system. ICICI Bank registered a sharp increase in its GNPAs to 4.72 per cent of total loans in the quarter as compared with 3.77 per cent in the preceding quarter and the 3.40 per cent in the year-ago quarter. Here again, the bank had to set aside higher chunk of money to cover provisions on the bad loans, which put pressure on its bottom line. As Firstpost highlighted the other day, the story of other large banks, especially public-sector banks, couldnt have been more different as seen in the earnings of Allahabad, Dena and Central Bank results. Other PSU lenders, which are yet to announce earnings, too may not tell us a very different story. How did the problem worsen? The NPAs on bank balance sheets didnt happen overnight. There is a mix of factors including laxity in apprising creditworthiness of a borrower for years on end, governments directed lending through state-run banks, using state-run banks for the roll out of governments populist schemes and the misuse of banking system by politically connected crony promoters to their advantage. What we see today is a result of all this. When banks went on a lending spree in 2010-2013 period, the assumption was there will be a sharp economic recovery that will justify their actions. But, that recovery hasnt happened yet, putting a whole lot of loans at risk. As Firstpost pointed out in a recent article, it wouldnt be an exaggeration if one says that Indias state-run banks are on the verge of a crisis. Over 90 per cent of the total bad loans of Indian banks (currently stands over Rs 3,00,000 crore) is on the balance sheets of these entities. Their restructured loan portfolio would be nearly double this amount, if one goes by industry estimates. These two categories together, termed as stressed assets, would constitute around 11-12 per cent of the total bank loans given. Also, there is a risk of existing restructure loans turning bad if economy doesnt do well as expected. Many loans, especially in infrastructure sector, which bank conveniently pushed to the restructured basket to avoid turning bad loans, might return to haunt in that case. This is one reason why RBI governor, Raghuram Rajan, stipulated a deadline of March, 2017 for banks to clean up their bad loans and state the problem today and do not postpone for tomorrow. Though the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the finance ministry have consistently maintained that bad loans in Indian banking system is not at an alarming level, the stress that is emerging from bank balance sheets, especially that of state-run banks, is indeed a serious problem for finance minister, Arun Jaitley, considering its multiple implications on requirement of capital and banks ability to further lend that is critical for economic growth. Burden on the fisc In turn, this would make allocation of capital to state-run banks a complex process for Jaitley, who has so far allocated Rs70,000 crore for state-run banks and has asked them to find funds from the market for about Rs1.1 lakh crore. The consensus estimate of capital these banks would require in the year to 2019 is at least Rs2.4 lakh crore when the Basel-III norms will take effect. Also, the capital requirement can change if bad loans shoot up beyond estimates. For every Rs100 loan, banks need to set aside Rs15 if the loan turns bad. The government, which owns majority stake in these banks, will have to work out ways to face this capital shock in the years ahead or, at least, let these banks go private and fend for themselves. One thing is sure. Managing the sarkari banks is going to be a much more difficult affair for Jaitleyone more headache for the lawyer-turned-politician as he prepares to unveil the Union budget for 2016-17. Data contribution by Kishor Kadam By Prasanna Deshpande and Kishor Kadam India's state-run banks, on the verge of a crisis on account of escalating bad loans and capitals scarcity, are witnessing sharp erosion in their share values. Even Government's much-hyped revival package for these banks, Indradhanush, has failed to impress investors as evident from the decline in market capitalisation over last six months. Shares of PSU banks have dropped by an average 30 per cent ever since the Indradhanush scheme was launched on 14 August 2015. To be sure, the overall investor pessimism in equity markets too have contributed to this fall. Indian banks are sitting on a ticking timebomb of stressed assets as analysts caution on further bad news in the sector. At this stage, about 12 per cent of the total loans given by Indian banks are in the stressed category. Stock market participants continue to dump PSU banking stocks, as disappointing quarterly earnings from several government-controlled banking entities coupled with rising bad loans and lack of pick-up in credit growth prompted them to pare their holdings. While key equity benchmark indices, Sensex & Nifty, have fallen by nearly a percent tracking weak global cues in early trades, banking index in fact has taken a much bigger hit on the bourses with BSE Bankex tumbling 2.1 percent to 16507.71. Among the major banking laggards on BSE, shares of Central Bank of India tanked 11.16 percent to Rs 54.95, Allahabad Bank plunged 9.02 percent to Rs 46.40, UCO Bank slumped 7.84 percent to Rs 31.75, Dena Bank dropped 7.68 percent to Rs 28.85, Indian Overseas Bank shed 6.6 percent to Rs 23.35, Punjab National Bank lost 6.32 percent to Rs 82.30, Oriental Bank of Commerce declined 6.19 percent to Rs 97, Union Bank of India eased 6.04 percent to Rs 121.30, Bank of India dipped 6 percent to Rs 90.40, Bank of Baroda faltered 5.93 percent to Rs 116.65 and Andhra Bank slipped 5.11 percent to Rs 48.40. Nervousness amongst the investors is evident over the past few sessions, especially after the December quarterly results of public sector banks (PSBs) such as Punjab National Bank, Central Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and Dena Bank came worst than expected. Yesterday, Punjab National Bank (PNB), Indias second largest state-run bank, logged a significant fall in its profit. The bank reported gross non-performing assets of 8.47 percent for the December-quarter. This is the highest level of bad loans the bank has recorded at least in 11 years. As result, the net profit of the bank plunged 93.4 per cent to Rs51 crore in the third quarter, compared with Rs 775 crore in the corresponding period in last year. This is arguably one of the worst quarterly results of PNB in recent years. Similarly, Central Bank of India logged a loss of Rs 836.62 crore for October-December 2015-16, against a profit of Rs 137.65 crore in the third quarter of the previous fiscal with its GNPAs rising to 8.95 percent of the gross advances during the quarter, as against 6.2 percent year ago. Also, Dena Bank reported a loss of Rs 662.85 crore for the third quarter as against net profit of Rs 76.56 crore in the same quarter last year, after it witnessed its GNPAs jumping to 9.85 percent from 5.61 percent in the year-ago period. Allahabad banks loss stood at Rs 486.14 crore for the third quarter, hit by 6.40 percent GNPAs (from 5.46 percent) and subsequent provisions. In fact, PSU banking stocks have been the worst performers on the bourses compared to their private listed peers over the past six months when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on August 14 (2015) had launched a seven pronged plan - Indradhanush - to revamp the functioning of public sector banks. For full table click here However, no let-off from the rising bad loan menace and persistent slowdown in credit growth fueled wide-spread correction in these stocks. Hence, the resultant investor exit has wiped out aggregate market-cap of Rs 136,661 crore from a total of 23 listed PSU banking stocks in nearly six months period. As Firstpost pointed out in a recent article, it wouldnt be an exaggeration if one says that Indias state-run banks are on the verge of a crisis. New Delhi - When the government goes around in circles over drafting policy for any sector, smart businessmen usually find a way to circumvent prevailing laws. Retail trade has been a bane for successive governments, which have tried to introduce insane clauses by dividing the industry into various formats and then selectively bar foreign investors from investing in India besides also placing myriad restrictions in formats where FDI is allowed. Babus believe they have been acting in the interests of the mom-and-pop stores -- the kirana stores -- which provide livelihood to vast swathes of Indians. But at least the big boys of India's e-commerce segment have been doing business, oblivious to complete ban on foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail, by devising a unique model called marketplace. Until now, no definition of this model exists in any policy related to the retail trade and this oversight has been used by e-comm giants to set up their businesses with active participation of foreign investors. They say the marketplace model allows them to offer a platform for retailers to connect with buyers and that they own no inventory so there is no question of flouting norms. Technically, these guys are right. Now, reports suggest that the government has begun thinking of allowing 100 percent FDI in the marketplace model of e-commerce. Before we start cheering this move to open up just one segment of the retail industry to foreign investments, let us understand the futility of this piecemeal approach. If there is consensus and the marketplace model is actually allowed 100 percent FDI, this will address just one pain point in the retail industry. For one, this move shows capitulation of a government which has so far been unable to stop retailers from using loopholes or omissions in the existing policy framework while it continues to place illogical restrictions on FDI in other retail formats. Secondly, what will this move achieve? The big boys are already funded through FDI - in some cases by more than 50% - so there seems to be no dearth of foreign investors, pension funds or the likes who are investing in Indian e-commerce without a care about which model it actually follows. This move may, at best, stem the rising instance of e-commerce companies shifting their base overseas for easier access to funding. Instead of getting into models of business, placing restrictions on sourcing and trying to appear kirana-friendly, the government should take a clear call on whether FDI is fine in retail trade or not. "The government must draft a new retail policy where it is clear about FDI. Either ban FDI completely or allow it without restrictions on which model the retailer is following," says Arvind Singhal of retail consultancy Technopak. Retail trade in India is categorised variously into heads such as single or multi brand, marketplace or inventory models, wholesale cash and carry or front end. Restrictions have been placed on FDI in most cases with only 51 percent being allowed in single brand retail and 100 percent FDI allowed now allowed in B2B e-commerce. It must be noted that foreign investors seem unconcerned with the model an Indian e-commerce company is following since several estimates put the amount of FDI the big guys have attracted in the last two years through their marketplace models at $5 billion. An official at a large e-commerce company points out that though the marketplace model probably does not exist in any other country in the world, it is beneficial in India since it helps small sellers expand their geographical reach and therefore nullifies fears of kirana owners getting impacted adversely by the arrival of foreign investment in the sector. His argument: FDI should in fact not be allowed in the inventory-lead model of e-commerce (where the e-commerce company owns the inventory) since then large global retail brands can distort markets through pricing power. However, some of the smaller start-ups in the sector are happy to hear the news that DIPP is reviewing the possibility of liberalising the marketplace model. "It will send a positive message to the industry and foreign investors. We are also hopeful that this is the start by the government to break down barriers of policy regulations for different business models followed by the industry," said Amir Jariwala, secretary, Ecommerce Coalition. Jariwala is also of the view that there should not be separate policies for attracting FDI for B2B or marketplace or even inventory-led B2C Ecommerce. "The government should allow 100% FDI for the entire ecommerce industry, irrespective of the business models followed by them," he says. Interestingly, the governments move to allow 100% FDI in the marketplace model comes just when the Delhi High Court is examining a PIL which alleges FEMA violations by e-commerce sites. A probe against 21 companies is already on, on a petition filed by the All India Footwear Manufacturers and Retailers Association which alleges violation of FD rule by e-commerce companies. Instead of getting into the marketplace versus inventory-lead models, the government should just open up retail trade to FDI. Period. A survey of 1500 small traders across six mega metros and 500 manufacturing MSMEs across eight product categories last year found almost zero instances of closure of businesses due to increasing e-commerce in India. The survey "Computing the socio-economic value addition of FDI in e-commerce sector" was conducted by Pahle India Foundation, founded by economist Rajiv Kumar. Nirupama Soundararajan, co-author of the survey had said at the time of its release that FDI should be allowed in inventory-led models of e-commerce too since this will enable large e-comm players to take the risks associated with inventory management. As of now, MSMEs have to bear these risks without being equipped to handle them. Reacting to reports about easing FDI norms in marketplace model of e-commerce on Tuesday, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) opposed any such move and in fact said that allowing FDI in e-commerce will be worst than allowing FDI in retail. The CAIT has deeply regretted that so far no scheme has been evolved to ensure growth in Indian small businesses whereas the government looks more eager to provide facilitation to MNCs which is unreasonable and unjustified, a CAIT statement said. Not just small retailers, even big Indian multi brand retailers who have invested large sums in real estates and other fixed costs for brick and mortar retail business have been opposed to any relaxation in FDI restrictions. The government should open up the retail sector, slowly and with adequate safeguards to the kiranas initially, instead of taking a piecemeal approach. Manchester (New Hampshire): Billionaire businessman Donald Trump won New Hampshire's Republican presidential nominating contest on Tuesday, while US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont won the Democratic primary over Hillary Clinton, US television networks said after early results. Trump's win solidifies his front-runner status in the race to be the party's White House nominee for the 8 Novemvber election. The reality television star's untraditional campaign has been marked by calls to deport illegal immigrants and temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States. Sanders, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, had 56 percent of the vote in early returns, ahead of former Secretary of State Clinton, the perceived front-runner nationally, who had 42 percent, according to CNN. In a statement Clinton's campaign acknowledged it had lost in New Hampshire. Campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo they had "split" the first two nominating contests - Iowa was last week - and said the Democratic nomination would "very likely" be decided in March. The Clinton campaign said the support of black and Hispanic voters would be key to victory. The next primary races are in Nevada and South Carolina later this month. "It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African-American and Hispanic voters," Mook wrote in a memo titled "March Matters." "The nomination will very likely be won in March, not February, and we believe that Hillary Clinton is well positioned to build a strong potentially insurmountable delegate lead next month," he said. Some 25 minutes after polls closed at 8 pm EST (0100 GMT), Trump was in first place with 34 percent of the early vote. Ohio Governor John Kasich, who staked the viability of his campaign on the New Hampshire outcome, was in second place with 16 percent, CNN said. A logjam of Republican candidates were in a dead heat for third place. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the son and brother of former presidents, had 12 percent; U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who won the Iowa caucus last week, had 11 percent, and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida had 10 percent. KATHMANDU Former Nepali Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, a moderate figure in the impoverished country's unsettled politics, died on Tuesday, presenting a potential hurdle in attempts to win greater rights for minorities in a new constitution. Koirala, 78, a senior figure in one of Nepal's biggest political dynasties, stood down as prime minister in October. He died overnight of respiratory illness, one of his doctors said, at his nephew's home in Kathmandu. He had helped prepare Nepal's first republican constitution that, its authors hoped, would take the Himalayan nation closer to stability and peace after years of conflict and the abolition of the 239-year-old monarchy. Koirala was head of the centrist Nepali Congress party, the largest opposition group in parliament that has traditionally close ties to India. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj was due to fly to Kathmandu on Tuesday to pay her respects. Koirala's funeral will be held on Wednesday. Nepal has been in turmoil since the new constitution was adopted in September. The ethnic Madhesi community launched protests against the charter, saying it did not address their desire for a greater say in government. Laxman Lal Karna, from the Sadbhavana Party that organised those protests, said Koirala's death would not derail talks aimed at securing greater rights for minorities. Others said his death presented a succession problem for the Koirala dynasty. He never married. "More crucial will be who will carry the legacy of the Koirala dynasty that has produced four prime ministers in the past and dominated the Nepali Congress party in the past six decades," said Yubaraj Ghimire, editor of the Annapurna Post daily. The Congress will hold a leadership election next month, with some in the party saying it could then seek to engineer the downfall of Prime Minister K.P. Oli, whose tough line against Madhesi protesters has angered India. The front runner to take over as party leader is Sher Bahadur Deuba, a three-time former prime minister who comes from the same social democratic tradition as Koirala and would likely show little sympathy towards the constitutional protesters. Although talks have made scant progress on meeting the grievances of minority Madhesis, who live in Nepal's southern plains and have close ties to India, tensions eased when they lifted a border blockade on Monday. Confirming the thaw in ties, Pramod Dahal, an aide to Oli, said the prime minister would travel to India on Feb. 19 to meet his counterpart, Narendra Modi. Koirala spent several years in India, where he had close political ties. He was jailed there for three years for his role in the hijacking of a Nepali plane during the democracy struggle of the 1970s. Thousands of mourners, many carrying bouquets of flowers, gathered outside the house where Koirala's body lay. Koirala had undergone treatment for tongue cancer in the United States and was given a clean bill of health in November before succumbing to pneumonia and bronchitis, aides said. (Additional reporting by Ross Adkin; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Nick Macfie) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New Delhi: India may ask Pakistan to seek deposition of Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headley through video conferencing before its court, where the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case is being tried, to gather more evidence so that those involved in the incident could be punished. As the Pakistani-American terrorist talked about ISI's "financial, military and moral support" to LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen in his deposition to a Mumbai court, there is a possibility of India asking Pakistan to take a similar initiative to ensure production of Headley before the court in Pakistan where the 26/11 trial has been going on. "It is one of the actions which could be taken. A decision has to be taken at the highest level," a senior government official said. Since Pakistan is in denial on the evidence provided by India so far, Pakistan should speak to the US for Headley's testimony through video conferencing to get first-hand evidence, the official said. The trial of the Mumbai terror attack case in Pakistan is moving at a very slow pace with frequent disruption and change of judges. In his deposition before a Mumbai court, Headley gave out details about 26/11 attacks and his role in it. While testifying via video-link from the US, Headley said he was working for Pakistan Army and ISI besides LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) and that he knew about ISI official Brigadier Riyaz being the handler of LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi who was a key man responsible for the 26 November 2008 attacks in Mumbai. He also said that LeT had planned an attack at a conference of Indian defence scientists at Taj Mahal Hotel a year before the 26/11 strikes and h ad even prepared its dummy. But the plan was dropped because of logistical reasons, like difficulty in smuggling in weapons and personal and failure to know the schedule of the meet, he said. Headley, who had visited India seven times to scout for targets, said he had also conducted a recce of the famous Siddhivinayak Temple and Naval air station. PTI Poet-philosopher Nida Fazli, who died earlier this week, was once confronted by Muslims during a mushaira in Pakistan for a song he wrote for the film Tamanna. The couplet of contention was this: 'Ghar se Masjid hai bahut door, Chalo yun kar le, kisi rote hue bachche ko hansaya jaye.' (The mosque is too far from home, so let's instead make a child smile.) When angry listeners asked how a child can get priority over a mosque, Fazli replied: "A mosque is built by men, but children are created by Allah." What would have Fazli, and his inspiration Kabir, who was a lifelong critic of self-anointed custodians of religion, said on hearing that Muslim women, creations of Allah, can't become clerics because of laws created by men? The debate on the eligibility of women to become qazis has been ignited by a section of the Muslim clergy's vehement opposition to the idea. A week ago, they denied permission to two women from working as qazis in Jaipur, saying there is no such precedent and the Quran doesn't allow anybody other than a man to interpret and enforce the Sharia, Islamic law. The two women, Jahan Ara and Afroza Begum, were trained as qazis by Darul Ulum I-Niswan, a Mumbai-based organisation set up as part of the Indian Muslim women's movement for more rights. The organisation says it felt the need for female qazis after realising that women were being cheated by many male clerics during weddings by hiding important information. So it decided to train women for two years in Islamic law to perform marriages and intervene in matters related to nikaah, talaq and meher. But, the chief qazi of Rajasthan, Khalid Usmani, refused to let them work. "A woman can't become a haakim (judge or ruler). In Islamic history, there is no evidence of women being allowed to become qazis," he argued. The women and social organisations of Rajasthan are outraged by this opposition and attack, which., they believe., is being led by the All India Muslim Personal law Board, Jamiatul-Ulame-Hind, the Jamait Islami Hind, the chairperson of the Rajasthan Madarsa Board, Anjum Educational Welfare Society, Taiba Social Welfare Society, Chief Qazi of Rajasthan and the Jaipur Mufti. That women are considered second-rate citizens, naqis al-aql (intellectually inferior to men) and naqis al-iman (inferior in faith) is an old story. Due to deep-rooted biases, Muslim women are not allowed equal rights and opportunities. They are under-educated the result being 800 million out of the world's 1.4 billion Muslims are illiterate; they are under-utilised in the society and face regressive laws and customs. Even in developed and developing countries, they work from behind the veil of poverty, ignorance and inequality and contribute very little outside their home. All this in the name of the Quran, which doesn't favour such discrimination. The biased laws are just an innovation--man's creation against Allah's creation-- by the patriarchal clergy to retain a firm grip on women. Muslim scholars say the discrimination and oppression is not because the Quran dictates them, but because its laws have been interpreted, even forged, by men to keep women on the leash. According to a spokesperson of the Darul Ulum Deoband, a renowned centre of learning and Islamic studies, Islam allows women to become qazis and perform all the rights and duties vested in them without restrictions. Others argue that famous historian and Quranic commentator, Tabari, had pointed out that there is nothing in the religious texts that forbids women from becoming qazis. Prophet Mohammed's own house had independent, enterprising and scholarly women. By many accounts his first wife Khadija bint Khuwaylid was the richest woman in Mecca, who employed several men in her business. His youngest wife Aisha Binte Abu Bakr was also a scholar. She is believed to have such a great memory that she narrated several thousand Hadith, some of them on marriage and divorce. And the earliest compilation of the Quran was kept in the custody of the Prophet's wife, Hazrat Hafsa. Ironically, the male clerics are willing to follow laws based on the Hadith narrated by the Prophet's wife. But they are not willing to let women interpret them. When the Prophet died, he had no surviving male offspring. The Prophet's bloodline was carried forward by his daughters. That Muslims would discriminate against their own daughters in the name of the Quran would have been unimaginable for the Prophet. As an old saying goes, if the Prophet and Quran are raazi (agreeable), why can't a woman become qazi? Obviously, the aim is deny equal rights and opportunities to women, to keep them under the tyranny of male patriarchy. The fear among the clergy is that women qazi would be more keen to fight for the rights of women in matters of separation and alimony. And they could lead a movement for reforms and equal rights. The opposition is because of the fear of independent women. Not Allah. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday quashed a trial court order directing CBI to return documents seized during raids at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's principal secretary Rajendra Kumar's office on 15 December, 2015, saying it contained self-contradictory reasons. A bench of Justice P S Teji, while allowing the appeal of CBI, said that the trial court exceeded in its jurisdiction and the order had self-contradictory reasons. "The appeal is allowed. The trial court order stands quashed," the bench said. CBI, on 1 February, had submitted before the high court that the seized documents do not paralyse the functioning of the AAP government, as alleged. It had said that at the "initial stage of investigation relevancy of the documents cannot be disclosed even if known to the probe agency, as it can do harm to the ongoing investigation". Opposing the trial court's finding, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for CBI, had said that the documents in its possession will "not hamper their (the Delhi government) functioning and it cannot be said that these are unrelated documents" and "the order has completely demoralised the investigating agency". The Delhi government had countered CBI's contention, saying the "agency has picked up documents which have nothing to do with the investigation and it is hampering the government's functioning". The agency had contended that the Special CBI Judge had failed to appreciate that the Delhi government has already obtained photocopies of the documents seized and thus the order of returning the documents was "wholly misconceived". CBI had raided office of Kumar on 15 December, last year and registered a corruption case against him and others alleging that he had abused his official position by "favouring a particular firm in the last few years in getting tenders from a Delhi government department". PTI While the entire country is united in prayer for the quick recovery of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, who miraculously escaped death in the Siachen avalanche and is fighting for life at the Army Hospital Research & Referal in Delhi now, this gesture from an ordinary Indian stands out as the most touching. Sixty-six year old Prem Swaroop is ready to donate his organs so that the life of the brave soldier could be saved. "Take my lungs, kidney, liver or whatever is required to save the brave son of the motherland. If doctors need, they even can take my blood. But for Gods sake, revive the jawan," Swaroop, a retired head constable of CISF, told Firstpost. The resident of Nithari in Delhi arrived at the hospital after hearing the news of Hanumanthappa being shifted there on Monday. He has met doctors with his offer and he has been told that he would be contacted if required". Asked what led him to take such a decision, he said "My life is not more important than his. His life should be saved and this is my only concern. I will be more than happy if I sacrifice my life to save the life of a young man who will serve the nation." Meanwhile, a housewife on Wednesday also offered to donate a kidney to Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who is battling for life after being rescued from Siachen glacier. Nidhi Pandey, who lives in Padaria Tula village, about 50 km away from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, said she was aggrieved to know about the soldier's condition who clung to life after being buried for six days under 30 feet of snow following an avalanche hitting his post at the glacier. "It was being broadcast in the news channels that his condition is extremely critical as his liver and kidneys are not functioning properly," she said, adding that she felt that something more should be done for the soldier apart from prayers. She said that is the reason why she decided to donate her kidney, if required. "With my husband's consent, I expressed my wish to a news channel through its helpline number that flashed on the screen," Pandey said. She said she has taken the decision as it could benefit the soldier serving the nation. With inputs from PTI New Delhi: Former army chief General V K Singh has called for improving the functional relationship between the military command and civilian leadership. He asserted that the government needed to seriously consider the recommendations made by the Kargil Committee report in this regard. "We have been talking about improving our civilian-military relationship for three-four decades now. But we are only talking about it as nothing concrete has been done," he said talking to reporters on the sidelines of a book launch in New Delhi late on Tuesday. "Government needs to take a serious look at the Kargil Committee report and bring in serious changes," Singh added. Singh, who is currently the minister of state for external affairs, blamed the foreign policy of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the debacle in 1962 war with China. He also said the distrust between the then civilian and military establishment was a major reason for India's suffering. "Foreign policy of the time and approach we had adopted towards our neighbour prior to 1962 was the primary reason for India's suffering," Singh said. "The 1962 war is looked at as failure on two fronts. How our political leadership, bureaucracy and intelligence worked. And how military looked at it if it was allowed to shed the baggage of colonial era. Clearly there was a huge gap in communication," Singh said substantiating his views regarding the historical event. Singh launched a book '1962: The war that wasn't' authored by Shiv Kunal Verma. "Sometimes a person grows in his stature to such an extent that he goes beyond scrutiny and any kind of questioning despite the blunders he makes," Singh said, referring to Nehru, who he alleged went scot-free despite the humiliation that country had to face during the war. IANS "IIT Madras is an apolitical institute." This is what a circular, which aims at banning all political activities in the institute, said. The circular comes less than a year after IIT Madras banned a Dalit students' movement. Last week's undertaking, dated 31 January, was allegedly issued by the hostel authorities, and had rules asking first year students to not do anything that would tarnish the institute's image and keep away from political activities inside the campus. According to The Indian Express, authorities at the IIT Madras said they had no knowledge of such a circular being passed around. Others admitted it was a mistake. Students, however, could not help but wonder at the timing of the circular, which comes soon after student rebellion across the nation over Rohith Vemula's death in Hyderabad. "Even in the absence of such undertaking, student activities are under constant surveillance. This undertaking would help administration take action against any student for anything under the tag of 'tarnishing the image of IITM'. This is to silence dissenting voices and crucify independent student bodies," a statement by Chinta Bar, an independent students' movement in IIT Madras said. IIT Madras and its Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi faced immense flak for his decision to ban a Dalit students' group for criticising the central governments economic policies. It was only after mass agitation by students and people all over the country that that ban was revoked. Two students, who had raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he went to address the convocation of Ambedkar University in Lucknow on 22 January 2015, were ejected from the institutes' hostel by the authorities. The latest 'circular' is a body-blow to the increasing clamp down on free speech in government institutions. The revoking of the de-recognition of a students body, the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle (APSC), at the IIT Madras was an endorsement of political freedom in Indian campuses. To think that a premiere institute like IIT Madras, which should foster healthy debate and is routinely touted as one of Indias crown jewels, wants to smother deliberation is simply shocking. But what is worse is the authorities' half-baked theories negating that such squelching is, in fact, happening. Speaking to The News Minute, K Sethupathi, chairman, council of wardens at IIT Madras termed the whole issue as a "clerical error." In 2015 similar clauses was included and then withdrawn after student protests. The rejected documents got included in the application this time and that is the reason for the confusion, Sethupathi told The News Minute. Sivakumar Srinivasan, dean of students, who was blamed for the decision to ban Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle (APSC) in May 2015 based on an anonymous complaint forwarded by the Union HRD ministry, told The Indian Express: "May be (it was) a mistake if such clauses are added in the listor it may be something done by the hostel authorities." After feigning ignorance in the beginning, Ramamurthi also claimed that it could have been a mistake by his colleagues. "Officials must have used those papers again. Anyway, I have no intention to impose such rules," Ramamurthi said. Like G Pramod Kumar of Firstpost writes in this article: "Unfortunately, students at learning places such as the IITs, tend to overlook socio-political issues outside their campuses and use their time only for furthering their careers. If at all they intervene in social issues, it usually happens in a piecemeal project-basis that is devoid of an overall political thought." A university, as esteemed as IIT Madras, is expected to raise citizens who are more than just engineers who can be programmed to follow someone else's code. The sorry condition of education in Jammu and Kashmir is under the spotlight. A district deputy commissioner found in a random `education audit that school teachers did not know their subjects well enough. So, he has ordered a larger check. Reports of that came close on the heels of a public spat in which a teachers forum head used objectionable language about the director of education. The spat caused a public furore, for it not only indicated that transfers and postings are a bit of an industry, it also showed that the misplaced value-systems of some professional teachers can even at times be feudal. Some of the social media comments on it showed how widespread such uncivil values are. One comment dwelt on the `backward mentality of the teachers leaders village. For his part, the latter had abusively boasted that the director did not know that he had taken on the son of a landlord. The sad fact is that many teachers seem to pass on societal gradation, contempt and exclusion. Blinkered mindsets seem to have become more common than egalitarian values and mutual respect among fellow citizens, and across religions and genders. Militancy impact: The decline in standards was partly caused by militancy. Many of todays teachers were educated during the 1990s, when blasts, encounters, curfews and hartals disrupted life on an almost daily basis. More than 5,000 schools were destroyed in arson attacks. Students and teachers often could not reach school or college, or had to rush out suddenly. The exodus of Pandits had further affected teaching. Examinations too became a major casualty of militancy in the early 1990s. In that period, there were reported instances of grey-bearded men writing school or college exams. Nobody dared question their identity, for they often carried a pistol or some other weapon. Cheating became almost the norm. Even now, passing exams is often more about purchasing a degree than imbibing knowledge or values. The late Mufti Sayeed tried hard to expand the reach of education when he was chief minister from 2002 to 2005. His government built several new universities, and colleges in more or less every district. However, the then education minister, Harsh Dev Singh, acknowledged to me that the state did not have enough quality faculty for these institutions. Some have just given up on the task if they can get away with it. In 2011, the principal and a couple of the staff were the only ones present at a government higher secondary school when I happened to walk in. This, it turned out, was normal at that school. The principal offered to summon students if I informed him before my next visit. One wonders if that sort of attitude to schooling is related to the emergence of that particular town as a major hotbed of militancy since then. Over the past decade, there has been a rash of new private schools and even a few private colleges (mainly education, engineering and technical). Some of them provide excellent education. However, if government schools allow sloppy attendance and performance, many private schools pay teachers peanuts. Earlier this decade, one prominent private school in uptown Srinagar used to pay its bus drivers Rs 7,000 a month, and its teachers Rs 4,000. Respectability and conservatism Such a lack of respect and value for teachers is a major problem. Some teachers do not feel confident enough about their command over the subject to encourage students questions. So, unwilling to expose the limits of their knowledge, they shout down questions in the classroom. Other teachers reach for the respectability of religious conservatism to cover academic inadequacies. Even the best reputed private schools in todays Kashmir are not entirely immune to such trends. According to a student, one teacher told his class that evolution was against his religion and so he had nothing more to say about that chapter in the curriculum. Some parents objected to a teacher explaining the ideas of different religions. That sort of attitude does not augur well for peace and communal harmony. For, it allows misinformed hate propaganda about other religions and ethnicities to spread. It promotes religion-based exclusivity, which willy-nilly tears apart the various parts of this ethnically diverse state. Resistance to understanding alternative ideas and traditions extends seamlessly to dress and behaviour codes. Students say one teacher called a student in the classroom shameless for not following a religious dress code. Another asked a student how many times his father prayed daily. Many teachers reflexively call for `good behaviour or values on the basis of religion, saying things like `as our God-given religion teaches us, To be sure, not all teachers take this sort of attitude. Some point out that the Prophet of Islam urged people to go as far as China for education. On the other hand, the trend of spreading conservatism is similar to what is happening elsewhere based on conservative interpretations of various religious traditions. It pushes society towards hidebound rules, patriarchal attitudes and the force of power rather than of logic, debate and interaction. For example, the principal of a prominent government college made a rule that only women students could enter by the front gate, males from the back gate and the opposite sexes must not be seen together on campus. He was soon promoted to a very senior university post. Power clash Reforming the education system is a tough nut to crack, anywhere. In troubled Jammu and Kashmir, it can be a little like climbing a slippery mountain while it rains. Both recent incidents that exposed the shortfalls of the system pitted two kinds of power that of the administration and of teachers against each other. Teachers representatives came off badly, looking almost like mafia outfits. Public support turned towards administrators, not least because the teachers representatives anger was directed at Shah Faesal, the popular young director of school education. The officer has become an icon ever since he topped the Union civil services exam a few years ago. `Chocolate boy was the least offensive term that the teachers forum leader used against him. A recording of his offensive speech went viral. Resultant public ire allowed the Governors administration to cancel all `attachment orders, which allowed a teacher to be at an administrative desk even be part of the annual `durbar move between the states two capitals. The one who expressed belligerence against Faesal has consequently been posted to a school in his home village. (This of course does not augur well for the education of students there given the values he has displayed.) Faesals mentor, former education minister Naeem Akhtar, first stirred the hornets nest last year by transferring a teachers association leader of his native Bandipora back to a teaching job. The strategy apparently was to improve accountability by breaking the stranglehold of such representatives on teachers transfers and postings. However, the power of teachers and administrators had combined about a decade ago to scuttle a grassroots movement in Ladakh to make school teachers accountable to village education committees. Sonam Wangchuk, who led that movement, fled the state under threat of arrest after the deputy commissioner of Leh backed the teachers associations against his movement. The outpouring of support for top-down education reform by Akhtar and Faesal gives it a much better chance of success than any grassroots movement. However, the effort should be at least two-pronged: to make teachers feel included in the reform process, even as a carefully thought out scheme to improve education training for the long term is gradually and cautiously put in place. The latter process will have to grapple with the power of B.Ed. colleges, which have mushroomed in Kashmir. Since B.Ed. is a one-year degree in this state, some B.Ed. colleges allow distance learning. Some are little more than degree shops. Primary school teachers shape the next generation. To train them is a key challenge, an investment in peaceful coexistence and social harmony. An extended, comprehensive programme is required. It could teach pedagogy, child psychology and expression skills, along with a gamut of social sciences, general knowledge and one subject specialization over a six year programme beginning from Class 11. That would be the same number of years teachers spend in higher secondary school, college, and B.Ed. college. Another critical challenge of education in this state is to cater to the aspirations of very different social groups. For example, one of Wangchuks demands was that Ladakhi children should be taught their culture, and in their language. (The states official language is Urdu.) That is only one example of the challenges of designing an adequate education system. It is, as I said, like climbing a slippery slope in the rain. United Nations: UN experts say North Korea is continuing to evade UN sanctions, using airlines, ships, and the international financial system to trade in prohibited items for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs raising important questions about the sanctions regime. The experts monitoring sanctions against the North say Pyongyang also continues to export ballistic missile-related items to the Middle East and trade in arms and related material to Africa. A summary of the expert panel's report, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, says one reason North Korea is able to keep evading sanctions is "the low level of implementation" by the 193 UN member states of the four UN sanctions resolutions adopted since the country's first nuclear test in 2006. The panel said the reasons for non-implementation are diverse including "lack of political will," inadequate national legislation, lack of understanding of the Security Council resolutions, and "low prioritization." The report and its conclusions "raise important questions about the overall efficacy of the sanctions regime," it said. The report was sent to the Security Council, where the United States and China have been working on the text of a new sanctions resolution since North Korea's latest nuclear test on 6 January. The council pledged to adopt "significant new measures" at an emergency meeting Sunday after the North launched a long-range rocket that world leaders denounced as another "intolerable provocation" and called a banned test of dangerous ballistic missile technology. The United States, backed by its Western allies, Japan and South Korea, want tough new sanctions that would impact North Korea's ability to do business. But diplomats say China, the North's ally and key protector in the Security Council, is reluctant to impose economic measures that could cause North Korea's economy to collapse. The experts' summary said Pyongyang conceals illicit activities by embedding agents in foreign companies and using diplomatic personnel, longstanding trade partners, and relationships with a small number of trusted foreign nationals. The experts said North Korea's Ocean Maritime Management Company, Ltd. "continues to operate through foreign-flagged vessels, name and company re-registrations, and the rental of crews to foreign ships," despite being on the UN sanctions blacklist since July 2014. AP New Delhi: Cracking down on routine filing of appeals in the Supreme Court by defence ministry in several cases decided in favour of employees and pensioners, Minister Manohar Parrikar has issued a fresh set of guidelines overhauling the procedure. The step is likely to bring down grievances of civil and military employees, pensioners and disabled soldiers, since the ministry was known to litigate till the Supreme Court decided against it. In the fresh MoD policy, the concern of the defence minister over rising litigation in routine matters and those involving meagre financial implications has been noted. The fresh procedure would now involve the processing of proposals by the Defence Services Headquarters on whether to file an appeal or not. The joint secretary concerned would either send the file back for implementation or for the views of Legal Advisor (Defence) if he feels that the case is fit for appeal. If the legal advisor feels that the case is not fit for appeal and the joint secretary agrees, then the file would be sent for implementation. In case the joint secretary is in favour of filing an appeal, the approval of additional secretary would have to be taken. The policy also states that no appeals would be filed in sensitive matters or those involving public policy unless approved by the minister. On implementation, the ministry is expected to shed the "compulsive litigant" tag, experts said. The move comes soon after the submission of the report of the Committee of Experts constituted by the defence minister which expressed displeasure with the MoD for "indulging in luxury of litigation" and which recorded that appeals were being filed as a default reaction by indulging in "ego-fuelled" litigation. The committee, comprising Lt Gen (retd) Mukesh Sabharwal, Lt Gen (retd) Richard Khare, lawyer (retd) Major Navdeep Singh, Kargil veteran Major (retd) DP Singh and former Judge Advocate General (retd) Maj Gen T Parshad, had reminded the ministry that government was not an ordinary litigant trying to win against its own citizens by hook or crook and it was its duty to settle honest claims and policies already adjudicated by high courts and Supreme Court. The Committee had recommended that in case of both civil and military employees, decisions of tribunals in their favour should normally be accepted and a challenge should only lie in exceptional cases at best till the high court and only in the rarest of rare cases to the Supreme Court. PTI Indians dont value human life. Indian life is cheap. Dime a dozen. Even then we don't use our currency. Neither the government nor the judiciary nor the overall system cares enough. For decades we have told ourselves this litany and believed it. We even add the rider that other countries run to the support of their citizens. Our people dont. Not at home or abroad. That old chestnut: our embassies dont help us. Indians are so dispensable. Not like the Americans who care so much more... that odious comparison and we swear by it. Time, perhaps, to stop the self flagellation. If Indian life was truly that much of a toss then why would the army squads hunt for those 10 soldiers for so many days in freezing weather and such high altitude. If they had given up seeing that hope was a slender tendril that survivor would not have been rescued. And they are still looking. They havent called off the search even though odds indicate it is well nigh impossible anyone is alive but they wont give up. Remember the Dornier crash off the Chennai coast last year. It was a Coastguard flight that disappeared. They hunted for it with dogged determination for over 30 days and they did not give up till the wreckage and the casualties had been found. Maybe that moaning and groaning we do has less basis than we think. Sure there are so many of us that the illusion of life being undercut gets a certain legitimacy. Riots, drunken driving, mob violence, these acts have had their casualties. But this generation seems to have a lot more self respect and regard for life per se. That is why there is public opinion on killing protected animals wantonly. That is why rapists and paedophiles are given short shrift. That is why we have learnt, or at least are learning how to say, enough to injustice and threat. And we do care more. Perhaps a new world order, a fresh sense of pride, more starch in the spine, the advent of technology and a wider knowledge base have all contributed to stand by each other and not give up. I think such camaraderie in the home or the workplace is creating a general realisation that we count, each one of us, so dont roll over us or throw us under the bus or think you can take us for granted. It is this elevated sense of looking out for fellow Indians that has at least cut through the cynicism. We must now use this self belief effectively to end the practices that cheapen our lives. You make spurious medicines we will get you. You lock undertrials for years we will haunt you. You exploit child labour, we will come for you. You think poverty coarsens the right to life, think again. You hurt women we will indict you. You drink, drive and kill, we will fix you. Our lives are not on a sale. We are the still the record holders for the biggest mass evacuation by air in the history of the world. For what it is worth we do care...we just have to change the mindset and stop letting ourselves down. New Delhi: Suspected ISIS operative Mohsin Ibrahim Sayyed, arrested for allegedly conspiring to carry out a terror strike during the Ardh Kumbh Mela at Haridwar, was today remanded to police custody till 20 February by a Delhi court. Sayyed was produced before the court after expiry of his police remand and the Special Cell of Delhi Police sought extension of his custodial interrogation, saying he was needed to be taken to Muzaffarnagar, Agra and Lucknow for the purpose of investigation in the case. The police claimed that 26-year-old Mohsin, a resident of Mumbai, had come in contact with Syria-based Islamic State terrorist, Yusuf Al Hindi, and had left his house in December last year to join the terror group of the Middle East. It alleged that on the instructions of Yusuf, Mohsin had delivered money to the four co-accused who are arrested in this case for carrying out the terror strike. "After he (Mohsin) left his house, he visited several states in India on the instructions of Yusuf. Accused has to be taken to Muzaffarnagar, Agra and Lucknow for the purpose of investigation. Data from Facebook and other accounts is still to be recovered at the instance of accused," the police said in its remand application. Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh allowed the plea and extended the police custody of Mohsin by another 10 days. Besides Mohsin, four other co-accused Akhlakur Rehman, Mohd Osama, Mohd Azeemushan and Mohd Mehraz were also produced before the court and they were remanded to judicial custody. While seeking extension of Mohsin's police remand, special cell claimed that during the interrogation, he has revealed that he came in contact with Yusuf through one of his friends who had left for Afghanistan to join Islamic State. The police alleged that the four arrested co-accused had said during interrogation that they had come in contact with Yusuf through Facebook and other chat platforms and he had motivated them for propagating violent 'Jihad' in India. "Yusuf tasked them to cause blast in a train going to Haridwar or during Ardh Kumbh Fair being held in Haridwar. For the purpose of causing blast these accused have collected explosive materials, received money to procure explosive materials, purchased SIM cards and mobiles and conducted reccee in Haridwar," it claimed. The police had earlier alleged that these accused were conspiring to target the Ardh Kumbh Mela, especially trains headed there, along with some other strategic locations in the national capital. All of them were found to have links with a former Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist who later went to fight for Islamic State, the police had claimed. PTI Jalpaiguri (West Bengal): A rampaging elephant on Wednesday strayed from Baikunthapur forest area and entered Siliguri town damaging buildings there, police said. The elephant was first spotted at Dabgram, Fulbari areas within ward numbers 30 and 40 of Siliguri town which falls within the limits of Jalpaiguri district. WATCH: An elephant strays into residential area of Siliguri (WB), damages around 100 houses.https://t.co/bCAkPSpJ59 ANI (@ANI_news) February 10, 2016 An elephant strays into residential area of Siliguri (West Bengal), damages around 100 houses. pic.twitter.com/jO6iJ6xKG5 ANI (@ANI_news) February 10, 2016 An elephant strays into residential area of Siliguri (West Bengal), damages around 100 houses. pic.twitter.com/ntGei3hzof ANI (@ANI_news) February 10, 2016 As panic-stricken locals ran helter-skelter for shelter, forest personnel rushed to the area to drive the elephant away. Tranquiliser shots were fired at the jumbo but it was not too helpful, police officials confirmed to PTI. Locals were told not to panic as police tried to control the mob. The elephant damaged as many as 100 homes, their walls and pillars. Baikunthapur Forest Ranger Sanjoy Dutta said five to six buildings were damaged by the jumbo. The elephant is now at Ashigarh, another densely populated area of the town. Presence of curious onlookers have led to traffic snarls which are giving a trying time to forest and police personnel who are waiting to see whether the elephant is showing symptoms of being tranquilised. Watch the video of the elephant here: PTI By Shishir Tripathi The news of promotion of a man who stands booked on charges of sexual harassment at workplace, stalking and criminal intimidation by countrys whos who makes my flesh crawl. This is how the research analyst, who allegedly suffered sexual harassment at the hands of her former boss RK Pachauri, reacted in an open letter after the septuagenarians re-appointment as executive vice-president of TERI. Her open letter gives a sense of deja vu. In 2013, former Supreme Court judge AK Ganguly addressed a letter to the then Chief Justice P Sathasivam, claiming innocence from allegations of sexual harassment made by an intern and a law student of National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS). Reacting to Gangulys statement, the law student wrote in a blog that anyone claiming my statements are false is showing disrespect not just to me, but also to the Supreme Court of India. The NUJS student alleged that she was harassed in a hotel room in New Delhi on 24 December, 2012, while she was interning with the former judge. The blog had the same pathos and angst as reflected in the open letter written by the research analyst in Pachauris case. Another letter, written in November 2013, had created a similar public outrage. A young journalist at Tehelka magazine brought allegations of sexual harassment against Tarun Tejpal, the editor. Tejpal was accused of sexually harassing the victim during an event in Goa on 7 November. As the story unfolded, the debate over safety of women at workplaces was reignited. Strict implementation of Visakha Guidelines was called for and severe punishment for Tejpal was demanded. Law enforcement agencies acted fast and Tejpal was booked under several sections of the IPC on 22 November. The first information report (FIR) charged Tejpal with sexual assault and within three months on 17 February, a chargesheet was filed and the trial began. The manner in which a host of other high-profile cases of alleged sexual harassments were dealt with in last few years, however, makes the swiftness displayed by the state in Tejpals case appear like an aberration than a routine. TERIs nine-member governing council, which also includes Pachauri himself, on 7 February reinstated the former director-general as executive vice chairman, which gives him operational power. According to sources, at the governing council meeting last year, Pachauri demanded that he should be made executive vice president and given the charge of human resources (HR), finance and administration. Though it cannot be confirmed what powers will be given to him, in all probability Pachauri will have most of the operational powers. Last July, Delhi high court allowed Pachauri to enter the offices of TERI except its headquarters and the one in Gurgaon, where the complainant was posted. The 29-year-old analyst was anguished at Pachauris return and stated that she does not have much confidence in the governing council. Her fears came true. In July 2014, a young intern leveled allegations of sexual harassment against a former judge of the apex court. What followed was enough to break the spirit of even the most indomitable fighter. A Rs 25 crore defamation case was filed against the victim and various media houses who reported the news and an injunction from the Delhi high court curbed any reporting of the allegations. Senior Supreme Court lawyer Indira Jaising, who appeared for the victim, said while commenting on the fate of sexual harassment cases:Both the powerful and those who are not powerful sexual harassers seem to be doing well despite pending cases against them. There are serious problems with the law. She added: In the case of Dr Pachauri, his power was complemented by the power of the members of the Board. It is a conspiracy of the powerful, an inner club, which ensured that he was not only rehabilitated but promoted. The question that needs to be asked is, why was he not suspended immediately upon being accused of sexual harassment and when the internal complaints committee was set up? Allowing him to go on leave instead of being disciplined was the major problem. It meant that there was no censure of Dr Pachauri by the Board and he was free to interfere with the functioning of the organisation. His promotion is the logical outcome of a management policy to support the harasser and victimise the complainant. On the case involving the Supreme Court judge, she noted: He is after all a judge and he filed a case in his own court where he practices and where he was a lawyer. His case was argued before a judge who was junior to him at the bar. He was represented by 22 of the senior-most lawyers of the Delhi High Court, many of whom are now additional solicitors general. This gives you an idea of his clout. As usual, most of these people get their staff and juniors to depose in their favour and there is always someone to oblige. She added: We have applied for the transfer of the case to another High Court and the petition is pending in the Supreme Court of India. Referring to another case where a sitting judge of high court in Madhya Pradesh (MP) was accused of sexually harassing an additional district and session judge (ADJ), Jaising said: In the case of the Judge of the high court of MP, he is being impeached and yet he continues to be a sitting judge of the high court influencing his subordinates. The Supreme Court has thrown up its hands and takes the view that it has no power to suspend him pending an impeachment. The ADJ who was compelled to resign has been very badly affected, her career ruined, and her family exposed to unhealthy environments. In her compliant, the lady judge who resigned in 2014, said she had to do so to protect her dignity, womanhood and self-esteem. It was indeed not an open letter but opened up the scars that women face at workplace and which in most of the cases never comes up for justice. By Dinesh Unnikrishnan and Kishor Kadam The writing was on the wall; just that no one wanted to acknowledge it. The bad loan crisis that has gripped Indias Rs 95 trillion banking sector didnt happen overnight. For years, Indian lenders, especially state-run banks, were engaged in volume game to balloon their balance sheets and appease their promoter (the government). That has been so ever since nationalisation of these banks happened in two stages (beginning 1969). Governments often treated these banks as their extended arms and used them for populist measures. There used to be competition among sarkari banks to flag their total business number on front-pages of national newspapers but very little attention was paid to the quality of assets. Every outgoing chairman passed the buck to his successor. That was a time (2011-2013) when everyone rushed to give money to corporations, no matter what the credit perception was. Everyone expected a miraculous pick-up in the economy, recalled a former banker with a nationalised bank who now works as a consultant. Firstpost takes a look at how the NPA picture of Indias government-owned banks have evolved so far: From Rs 53,917 crore, Indian banks gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) in September 2008 (just before the 2008 global financial crisis broke out following the collapse of Lehman Brothers), the bad loans have now grown to Rs 3,41,641 crore in September 2015. In other words, the total GNPAs of banks, as a percentage of the total loans, has grown from 2.11 per cent to 5.08 percent. Surprisingly, in the pre-crisis period, private banks topped the list of banks with highest NPAs (see the chart). A quick look at the top ten NPA scorers in September 2008 shows ICICI Bank at the top. This was followed by small and medium-sized private sector banks such as Karnataka Bank, Lakshmi Vilas Bank, Kotak Mahindra and IndusInd Bank. Among the few sarkari banks that figure in the list are Central Bank, Uco Bank and Syndicate Bank. By March 2009, a few months before the Congress-led UPA II assumed power, the scene began changing gradually. More state-run banks began appearing in the picture. The countrys largest lender by assets, State Bank of India (SBI) and Indian Overseas Bank found place in the list of top NPA scorers. Still private sector lenders figured prominently in the list with ICICI and DCB Bank leading the pack. To be sure, there is no direct link between the ascension of UPA-II and the increase in the NPA picture, but this is when the state-run banks began feeling the heat of NPAs. Things had worsened to a great extent by March 2014, incidentally, months before the Narendra Modi government assumed power at the Centre with a landslide victory over the Congress-led UPA government. The bad loan troubles of government banks began to hit hard despite the best efforts by banks to cover up possible NPA stock to restructured loan category. The list now is dominated mostly by public sector banks, with eight out of ten banks being government owned. Twenty months into the Modi government rule, it wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that state-run banks are on the verge of a crisis due to their high NPAs, which constitute over 90 percent of the total bad loans of the industry. Many of them have reported losses on account of huge NPAs in the December quarter, surprising analysts. Investors are dumping shares of these banks while there is a sense of uncertainty prevailing on the extent of troubles in the banking sector. Nine out of 10 most stressed banks in the sector are government banks. The RBI has given a deadline of March 2017 for all banks to clean up their balance sheets, which also require these lenders to set aside huge chunk of capital in the form of provisions. RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has given a clear message to banks to deal with the NPA problem upfront, instead of postponing it and worsening it. But, there is also huge capital implication on these banks on account of high NPAs too. Banks need to set aside money (known as provisions) to cover their bad loans. The onus to keep government banks stay afloat lies with the government, which is the owner of these banks that control 70 per cent of the banking industry assets. Experts have opined that the governments promised capital infusion in these banks is inadequate. Finance minister, Arun Jaitley, has to work out ways to bring in solutions in the long term. For now, all eyes are on the Union budget for a roadmap. New Delhi: Attacking Haryana government over beef issue, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday alleged that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has taken a "U-turn" on the issue and that the BJP is bereft of a "stable policy". "Haryana CM has taken U-turn on it. Actually I read his statement where he said 'we will take special permission on beef for foreigners'. The Act has been passed in the Assembly. If you want to amend it to get special permission, then you have to go to the Assembly. The whole Assembly was unanimous when it passed the Cow Protection Act," Hooda said. Taking on BJP, the former Haryana Chief Minister said, "I am Arya Samaji. I am against eating of cow meat. While we said we will be opposing it, the chief minister has taken a U-turn, because the BJP has no stable policy." Earlier, Khattar had been quoted as saying in a section of the media that he was open to relaxing the beef ban for foreigners in the state. But later on he ruled out any plan to issue licenses and give relaxation to foreigners to consume beef in the state, where a stringent cow protection law was passed nearly 11 months ago. Haryana's Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill, passed by the Assembly in March last year, came into force in November after President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent. Under the provisions of the law, cow trafficking, slaughtering and eating beef are banned in the state. BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said, "I have not seen exactly what he (Khattar) has said and in what context he has made his comment. In any case, there are different laws in terms of banning beef. These have been there from long time in different states." Kohli added, "Another side is the question of eating habits of individuals which is also an issue. However, whatever has to be done it has to be done within the existing legal framework." Another BJP leader Om Prakash Dhankar said, "On the land of Haryana, beef is not permissible according to our law. Every land has its laws and beliefs. PTI Allahabad: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "break silence" over the Ayodhya issue, and give "a clear message" that his government was "committed to the construction of a temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi". At a meeting of the VHP's "Kendriya Margadarshak Mandal" close to the holy Sangam, the Sangh Parivar outfit asked the Prime Minister to "pay a visit to Ayodhya and click a selfie at the Ram Janmabhoomi" to underscore the commitment of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre towards construction of temple at the disputed site. At the meeting, which was attended by a number of VHP office-bearers and Hindu religious leaders, concerns were also raised over "increasing incidence of cow slaughter" and demands made for setting up a national "Gau Seva Aayog" on the pattern of similar bodies that have come up in BJP-ruled states like Gujarat and Haryana. Talking to reporters after the meeting, senior VHP leader Ram Vilas Vedanti said "it is necessary for Narendra Modi, who enjoys the blessings of the Hindu community, to break his silence over the Ayodhya issue. "He has visited a number of shrines in various countries - many of them belonging to other religions - and clicked selfies to demonstrate his regard for different sects. "Now he must visit Ayodhya and do the same there". Vedanti, who is also a member of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas and a former BJP MP, added "it has been said many times that matters of faith can not be decided by a court of law and that an Act of Parliament should pave way for the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya." "If the ruling BJP is wary of raising this issue in the Parliament on account of its lack of majority in the Rajya Sabha, it must consider the option of convening a special joint session of both houses," he said. "If Modi and the BJP succeed in getting such an Act passed in the Parliament, Hindus will bless them with an unprecedented victory in the 2019 elections. "Failure to do anything in this regard may earn them the wrath of the sant samaj, whose blessings were unequivocally with the party and its leader in the last general elections", Vedanti added. PTI MANCHESTER, N.H. Billionaire businessman Donald Trump won New Hampshire's Republican presidential nominating contest on Tuesday, while U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont won the Democratic primary over Hillary Clinton, U.S. television networks said after early results. Trump's win solidifies his front-runner status in the race to be the party's White House nominee in 2016. The reality television star's untraditional campaign has been marked by calls for the deportation of illegal immigrants and temporarily banning Muslims from entering the United States. Sanders, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, was the underdog in the race against former Secretary of State Clinton. He had 56 percent of the vote in early returns, ahead of former Secretary of State Clinton, the perceived front-runner nationally, who had 42 percent, according to CNN. A logjam of Republican candidates were in a dead heat for second place, networks said. The election is on Nov. 8. (Writing by Roberta Rampton, Steve Holland and James Oliphant; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen, Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Toni Reinhold, Alistair Bell and Howard Goller) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Washington: The International Monetary Fund pounded the table in Ukraine on Wednesday, threatening to cut crucial financial aid because of the country's "slow progress" in fighting corruption. "Without a substantial new effort to invigorate governance reforms and fight corruption, it is hard to see how the IMF-supported program can continue and be successful," Christine Lagarde, the Washington-based lender's managing director, said in a strongly worded statement. The crisis has been boiling since the shock resignation last Wednesday of the reformist economy minister, Aivaras Abromavicius, in protest against alleged influence-peddling and state graft. Lagarde, who last week said the reasons for his resignation were troubling, went much further Wednesday. "I am concerned about Ukraine's slow progress in improving governance and fighting corruption, and reducing the influence of vested interests in policymaking," she said. "It is vital that Ukraine's leadership acts now to put the country back on a promising path of reform." If the IMF makes good on its threat, it would freeze all future lending under the $17.5 billion four-year aid program agreed in March 2015 on the condition that cash-strapped Ukraine delivers drastic reforms. It has disbursed $6.7 billion to date. The IMF program is the keystone of a roughly $40 billion international bailout of Ukraine that could collapse, with almost-certain disastrous consequences for a country reeling from a severe recession and a pro-Russian insurgency in the east. The IMF, by far, is the largest potential provider of aid for Ukraine, which also hopes to prop up its finances thanks to debt relief, bilateral loans and loans from multilateral development banks. 'Political games' The Ukrainian prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, responded Wednesday to the IMF threat by renewing his pledge to reform the former Soviet republic. "The recent political games could cost our country dearly," Yatsenyuk told a meeting attended by foreign security and justice officials, as well foreign ambassadors, including those from the United States and Germany. "We will not permit a return of all the old Ukrainian rules," said Yatsenyuk, who threatened to quit Friday along with his entire government in an escalation of the political crisis following the economy minister's resignation. "We will only get help when the whole world sees that we are helping ourselves and moving our country forward." The stakes are also high for the IMF, which has been criticized for offering aid to Ukraine in 2015 under pressure from the US, its largest stakeholder, and the European Union, despite concerns about its debt, recession and the serious geopolitical conflict with neighboring Russia. The IMF recently modified one of its key lending rules which had threatened the continuation of its aid to Ukraine over sustainability issues, triggering an angry response from Russia which said the move "seriously undermines" its confidence in the IMF's decisions. The latest developments with Ukraine also bring back bad memories for the IMF. In 2008 and in 2010, the IMF abandoned two previous lines of credit for Ukraine $16.4 billion and $15.1 billion, respectively to denounce the lack of political will for reforms by the authorities at the time. "Ukraine risks a return to the pattern of failed economic policies that has plagued its recent history," Lagarde said Wednesday. The US ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, was even firmer on Twitter. "Policies & practices that held this country back in the past can no longer be tolerated," he tweeted. AFP BAGHDAD Strain on Iraq's budget from falling oil prices is delaying the removal of Islamic State explosives in Ramadi and the restoration of basic services needed for displaced civilians to return to the western city. The army declared victory in December over Islamic State (IS) after elite counter-terrorism forces seized the Anbar provincial capital's main government building. On Tuesday those forces reclaimed strategic territory linking the city to a major army base nearby. The recapture of Ramadi was the first major gain for the U.S.-trained army since it collapsed in the face of an assault by the ultra-hardline Sunni militants in 2014. Its recovery boosted Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in his quest to oust IS from Mosul, northern Iraq's biggest city, later this year. But Ramadi's hundreds of thousands of residents will not be able to go home until bombs are removed and infrastructure damaged by six months of fighting is rehabilitated - operations that require tens of millions of dollars Baghdad cannot spare. "We know that the government has its back against the wall fiscally. In order to stabilise areas and to help displaced families go back, we've got to do more," said Lise Grande, the United Nations' humanitarian coordinator in Iraq. She appealed to international donors for at least $40 million more for initial reconstruction efforts. Iraq, with income nearly exclusively from oil, is struggling to pay its bills amid the fall in global crude prices. Anbar Governor Sohaib al-Rawi said his provincial government had not received its share of the federal budget in about two months. "The local government has accumulated debts from last year which will be paid from this budget," al-Rawi told reporters in Baghdad, declining to define the size of the debt. Besides U.N.-funded activities, he said efforts to prepare Ramadi for the return of civilians were being financed "through local efforts" of provincial authorities, without providing details. Unless additional funds are provided, it could take nine months for those efforts just to clear Tamim, a large district in southern Ramadi where the first phase of U.N. efforts will be conducted, according to Grande. The United Nations also plans to rehabilitate health, water and energy infrastructure in the city, much of which was destroyed in fighting that included Islamic State bomb attacks and devastating U.S.-led coalition air strikes. "The level of destruction in Ramadi is as bad as anything we have seen anywhere in Iraq," said Grande. "Thousands of homes have to be rebuilt, thousands of buildings have to be rebuilt. The total cost of reconstruction in Ramadi is huge." STRATEGIC ADVANCE Tuesday's advance by Iraqi forces in Ramadi's eastern farmlands boosted government efforts to close in on Falluja, the Islamic State stronghold located halfway to Baghdad and now besieged by the Iraqi army and allied, Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militias. The ultra-hardline Sunni militants of IS swept through a third of Iraq in 2014, declaring a caliphate in Iraq and Syria, carrying out mass killings and imposing a draconian form of Islam, but have since been pushed back on various fronts. A military statement broadcast on state television said the army, police and counter-terrorism forces had retaken several areas, including the town of Husaiba al-Sharqiya, about 10 km (6 miles) east of Ramadi. "(Our forces) also managed to open the road from Ramadi to Baghdad that passes through al-Khaldiya," the statement added, referring to a highway that links the city to the Habbaniya army base where U.S.-led coalition forces are located. "All of Ramadi has now been liberated," said al-Rawi, the Anbar governor, adding that the handover of authority to local police from the military was going smoothly. No civilians are currently living in the city, he added. It has taken more than a month for the military to clear insurgents from the eastern rural outskirts. Militants are still holed up in some northern farmlands bordering the main east-west highway, according to security sources. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Stephen Kalin; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Dan Grebler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. It is universally acknowledged that the Presidential Election in the United States affects the entire universe. The campaign trail leading to the elections is such that it brings out the best (or the worst) in all the candidates and the media covering it. The battle is for control of what the current President of the United States in his final State of the Union address called the 'most powerful nation on Earth'. It doesn't matter if your conscience allows you to admit the fact or not, but the US elections do matter. And it's that time of the four-year-cycle again when the two major parties of the country, the Republicans and the Democrats, battle it out in a (almost) year-long process. The process in question is already under way and this year, it promises to be different with millionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump running for the nomination from the Republicans. On Tuesday night, Bernie Sanders won a commanding victory over Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary, and Trump also scored a big win. Both outcomes would have been nearly unthinkable not long ago. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, beat a former secretary of state and first lady once seen as the all-but-certain Democratic nominee. While Clinton remains the favourite in the national race for the Democratic nomination, the win by the Vermont senator could be a springboard into a competitive, drawn-out primary campaign. For Trump, the brash real estate magnate and television personality who has never run for public office, the win was an important rebound after his loss to Texas Senator Ted Cruz in last week's Iowa caucuses, the first nominating contest. But if you are uninitiated with the election process in the country, the last paragraphs might not have made much sense. Primary? Nominations? Year-long election process? Here is an all-you-need-to-know about the nominations for the Presidential Election in the United States: Every four years, Democrats and Republicans fight it out for the top office in the country. This is one of those years. But unlike many elections around the would, in case of the US, it will be unwise to just look at the day of the election (8 November this year). The entire year is of interest. The election year kicks off with primaries and caucuses. Here, a number of Republicans and Democrats candidates contest to represent their party in the presidential race. In other words, the winners (among the candidates of both parties, decided through the primaries and the caucuses) will run for President position this year. This year, the Democrat candidates still in the fray are Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. As for the Republicans, the candidates include Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, John Kasich, Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. (Many other drop out over time.) All these candidates will compete for the nomination for the presidential candidate. The primaries and the caucuses take place on different dates in different states in the country. Here, in some states, the entire population gets to pick a candidate while in others, Republicans only get to elect Republican candidates and same goes for the Democrats. The dates for these primaries and caucuses are decided upon individually by states. Here are the dates for this year. But the citizens do not elect the candidates directly, they elect delegates who are in turn are bound to candidates. In other words, you indirectly vote for a candidate. There are a specific number of these delegates in every state. This year, the Republicans are represented by 2,472 delegates. A candidate needs to win more than half this number 1,237 in this case, in order to win the nomination. As for the Democrats, there are 4,763 delegates this year; ergo, 2,382 to win. These delegates officially elect the candidate at their respective party's national convention. This year, the Republican National Convention will be held from 18 to 21 July in Cleveland, Ohio, while the Democratic will be held from 25 to 28 July in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. If none of the candidates win more than half the delegate votes, negotiations are held. Some candidates may withdraw in the process and then the delegates vote again. But at this stage, delegates can vote for any of the remaining candidates regardless of whom they were originally representing until a candidate comes out on top. After the convention, it becomes clear who will be fighting whom for the top position. Now, to the election. All the eligible voters of the country get a chance to cast their votes on 8 November and become part of history. With inputs from agencies. WASHINGTON Republican Chris Christie considered the future of his struggling U.S. presidential bid on Wednesday amid news reports he would suspend his campaign and narrow the field of rivals facing businessman Donald Trump. A disappointing sixth-place finish in Tuesday's New Hampshire nominating contest raised doubts about the combative New Jersey governor's viability as a candidate for the Nov. 8 election. The Wall Street Journal quoted a senior adviser to the campaign as saying Christie was expected to make an announcement soon suspending his campaign. Other news organizations carried similar reports. A spokeswoman for Christie's campaign said no decision had been made about whether he would stay in the race. Christie's departure would leave eight Republicans vying to represent the party. Trump has dominated the Republican race and won the party primary in New Hampshire on a wave of voter anger at traditional U.S. politicians. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a democratic socialist, defeated former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the state's Democratic contest. The results testified to the sizable share of American voters upset at the slow economic recovery, immigration and America's place in the world and willing to send a shockwave to Washington. Christie had poured much of his campaign's resources into New Hampshire and had considered a good showing there critical. He cancelled plans to go to South Carolina, a sign he could drop out soon. The southern state holds the next Republican primary on Feb. 20. "No decision has been made," Christie spokeswoman Sam Smith wrote in an email to Reuters. Trump's opponents, most of them mainstream Republicans, could benefit if Christie pulls out. Ohio's Republican governor, John Kasich, won second place in New Hampshire, followed by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. TRUMP STAYING POWER For Trump, New Hampshire showed he has staying power and can take a punch after losing last week to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in the first nominating contest, the Iowa caucuses. The former reality TV star's win showed pundits were wrong to think he would quickly self-destruct based on his penchant for insults and imprecise plans for the presidency. Trump's odds for winning the White House, once seen as an extremely long shot, improved significantly after his victory in New Hampshire, online betting site Ladbrokes PLC (LAD.L) said. The real estate tycoon is now at 9/2, compared to 7/1 last week, meaning that his chances of victory in November are now 18 percent. Clinton still had the best odds of becoming president at 50/50, Ladbrokes said. [L2N15P0TI] SANDERS MEETS SHARPTON On the Democratic side, Sanders courted the African-American vote. Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton met Sanders for breakfast at a restaurant on Wednesday in New York City's Harlem neighbourhood. It was an attempt by Sanders to chip away at Clinton's strong support from African-American voters, who will be crucial in the Democratic primary in South Carolina on Feb. 27. Sharpton and Barack Obama met at the same Harlem restaurant during the then-candidate's 2008 successful presidential campaign - a piece of symbolism for Sanders as he tries to expand his appeal beyond northeastern liberals. November's election is followed by the inauguration of Obama's successor in early 2017. My concern is that in January of next year for the first time in American history a black family will be moving out of the White House. I do not want black concerns to be moved out with them. We must be front and centre and not marginalized. And Senator Sanders coming here this morning further makes it clear that we will not be ignored, Sharpton, a Baptist minister and television talk show host, told reporters afterwards. Sharpton discussed a recent spate of police shootings of black males and other issues with the senator. He said he would not endorse a candidate until he met with Clinton. Clinton consistently polls better among African-American voters and has a long history of support for civil rights. She also has benefited from her husband Bill Clintons popularity in the black community during his presidency, although that became strained during her fierce 2008 primary battle with Obama. Even before the exit polls on Tuesday showing Sanders had won New Hampshire, Clinton's campaign was trying to highlight her double-digit lead over Sanders among African-American and Latino voters. "It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African American and Hispanic voters," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo sent to reporters. He predicted that the Democratic race would be won in March, when it quickly expands to 22 delegate-rich states with some of the largest minority and urban populations, and that Clinton would have the advantage. (Writing by Alistair Bell; Additional reporting by Brendan McDermid, Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Clarece Polke and John Whitesides; Editing by Howard Goller) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. WASHINGTON The Obama administration has no immediate need for funding to combat the Zika virus because money remains unspent from fighting the two-year-long Ebola outbreak, a member of the Republican Senate leadership said on Tuesday. Lawmakers are debating what resources are needed as Zika spreads in South and Central America and the Caribbean and raises fears of the possibility of birth defects. But while Democrats joined with the administration to call for more than $1.8 billion in emergency funding, Republicans say there is no need for immediate action and intend to have hearings on Capitol Hill, including a meeting with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell on Tuesday. "We all believe this needs to be dealt with," said Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, who will chair a hearing about Zika on Thursday. "Theres still money left that was appropriated for Ebola," Blunt told reporters. "So theres no immediate shortage of money for the administration to do what they think needs to be done. He said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the National Institutes of Health have received additional funding. Most of the money sought by Obama would be spent in the United States on testing, surveillance and response. A Republican aide said the government had $1.49 billion left in Ebola funding as of Dec. 31, 2015. The Ebola outbreak began in West Africa in December 2013. The CDC received a $272 million increase for 2016, the aide said. Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services were not immediately available to comment. Democrats rejected the Republican agenda of hearings and called for action on Obama's plan. "All the lip service in the world isn't going to protect America from the Zika virus," said Senator Charles Schumer of New York, the Senate's No. 3 Democrat. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international health emergency on Feb. 1, citing a "strongly suspected" relationship between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. Brazil is investigating more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly and has identified evidence of Zika infection in 17 of these cases. But much remains unknown about Zika. (Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Grant McCool) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. UNITED NATIONS/DAMASCUS/ONCUPINAR, Turkey World powers pressed Russia on Wednesday to stop bombing around Aleppo in support of a Syrian government offensive to recapture the city and a Western official said Moscow had presented a proposal envisaging a truce in three weeks' time. Secretary of State John Kerry is pushing for a ceasefire and more aid access to Aleppo, where rebel-held areas are being cut off and the United Nations has warned a new humanitarian disaster could be on the way. Aid workers said on Wednesday the water supply to Aleppo, still home to two million people, was no longer functioning. Kerry is hoping for agreement at a meeting in Munich on Thursday between Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other powers, aimed at trying to revive peace negotiations that foundered earlier this month. Syrian officials have indicated no plans to ease up the war effort. A Syrian military source said on Wednesday the battle for Aleppo, a major prize in a war which has killed a quarter of a million people, would continue in "all directions". Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said the government expected a tough but relatively short battle to return the city to state control. "I do not expect the battle of Aleppo to go on long," he told Reuters in Damascus. A Western official said Russia had made a proposal to begin a ceasefire in Syria on March 1, but that Washington has concerns about parts of it and no agreement had been reached. In Washington, a state department envoy told Congress the United States needs to consider options in case the diplomatic push does not succeed. Asked how soon a ceasefire could be put in place, a Russian diplomat who declined to be identified said: "Maybe March, I think so." At a closed-door meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, several members pressed Russia to end the Aleppo bombing sooner. "The (Syrian) regime and its allies cannot pretend they are extending a hand to the opposition while with their other hand they are trying to destroy them," French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters. "CROSSED THE LINE" Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Russian air strikes were being undertaken in a "transparent manner" and some Security Council members had "crossed the line" by politically exploiting humanitarian issues. "They rather crudely use humanitarian matters in order to play, we believe, a destructive role as far as the political process is concerned," said Churkin, adding that given the heightened interest in humanitarian issues, the council should also start regularly discussing Yemen and Libya. One U.N. diplomatic source said Russia was "stringing Kerry along" in order to provide diplomatic cover for Moscow's real goal - to help President Bashar al-Assad win on the battlefield instead of compromising at the negotiating table. "It's clear to everyone now that Russia really doesn't want a negotiated solution but for Assad to win," said the diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Kremlin rejects claims that it has abandoned diplomacy in pursuit of a military solution, saying it would continue to providing military aid to Assad to fight "terrorist groups" and accusing Syria's opposition of walking away from the talks. FOOD, WATER SHORTAGES Doctors working on both sides of the Syria-Turkey border say they have been overwhelmed by injuries caused by the air strikes, which Moscow says have only targeted Islamist militants but which Western countries say have caused widespread civilian casualties. "We are increasingly seeing what we call multiple-trauma injuries because of the bombs and the heavy weapons they are using. There are large burn cases, lots of amputations, and internal traumas," Mahmoud Mustafa, director of the Independent Doctors Association, told Reuters in Gaziantep, Turkey. French charity Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF), which runs six hospitals in Syria and provides support for another 153 health facilities across the country, said medical workers in the area north of Aleppo had been forced to flee for their lives. "Yet again we are seeing healthcare under siege," said Muskilda Zancada, MSF head of mission, Syria. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was delivering water to Aleppo because the city's system was no longer working but that some supply routes for aid had been cut. "The temperatures are extremely low and, without an adequate supply of food, water and shelter, displaced people are trying to survive in very precarious conditions," the head of the ICRC in Syria, Marianne Gasser, said in a statement from Aleppo. The latest fighting around Aleppo has killed about 500 people on all sides, a monitoring group said. Medecins Sans Frontiers spokesman Sam Taylor said that while its own hospitals in Syria had not been hit, many others had. "From the reports we get from MSF-supported facilities, the majority of hospitals are damaged or destroyed by aerial attacks," he said. "In last two to three weeks we have definitely seen a trend of facilities being hit in the south and in the north." FABIUS QUESTIONS U.S. COMMITMENT Saudi Arabia's King Salman plans to visit Moscow in mid-March, Russia's RIA news agency said, a meeting that would bring together the main sponsors of the opposing sides. Saudi-backed rebels said they would go to Thursday's meeting in Munich but would only go to U.N. peace talks in Geneva later this month if Russia stopped bombarding their positions and humanitarian aid reached civilians in the areas they control. Opposition coordinator Riad Hijab said the Russian and Iranian intervention in Syria was bolstering the extremist threat in the Middle East, but the rebels would not give up. On the ground, rebels say they are fighting for survival. A commander of a Turkmen contingent within the Levant Front rebel group, Zekeria Karsli, said his men faced attacks on three fronts: Islamic State to the east, Syrian government forces to the south and Kurds to the west. "Unfortunately the military situation on the battlefield is pretty bad. Russian planes are hitting us from the air and the Iranian/Assad block is hitting us from the ground," he told Reuters near the Oncupinar border post. He said Russian warplanes were carrying out hundreds of sorties every day and that the north of Aleppo city was encircled. But he said routes in to rebel-held parts of the city from Idlib province to the west were still open. Opposition spokesman Salim al-Muslat said U.S. President Barack Obama could stop the Russian attacks. "If he is willing to save our children it is really the time now to say 'no' to these strikes in Syria." The rebels want anti-aircraft weapons so they can bring down the Russian planes that have been bombing intensely over the past four months. But their Western and Arab backers have refused, fearing Islamic State militants could seize and use them against their own planes conducting air strikes against the jihadists, who have exploited the war to seize large parts of Syria and Iraq. United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has set a target date of Feb. 25 to reconvene talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva. But the offensive by Syrian forces, Hezbollah and Shiite militias directed by Iran - all backed by Russian bombing raids - have reversed opposition gains on the ground and encircled rebels inside Aleppo, a strategic prize now divided between government and opposition control. "It'll be easy to get a ceasefire soon because the opposition will all be dead," a Western diplomat told Reuters. "That's a very effective ceasefire." (Additional reporting by Warren Strobel in Munich, John Irish in Paris, Louis Charbonneau in New York, Parisa Hafezi in Ankara, Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Jonathan Landay in Washington and Michelle Nichols in New York; writing by Philippa Fletcher; editing by Dominic Evans) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New Delhi: Boosting trade ties by ramping up UAE's investment in India and stepping up defence and security cooperation in the wake of rising threat of IS are set to be the major focus of talks between Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. Economy of UAE, one of the leading producers of oil, has been hit hard by falling crude prices and it is expected that the Gulf nation would like to invest significantly in India's energy and infrastructure sectors from its sovereign wealth fund of around USD 800 billion. India has been eying the fund, being managed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, for its infrastructure sector including for railways, ports and roads. Joint production of defence equipment is another key area where both the countries are working hard. Under the initiative, UAE may make investment for manufacturing such equipment in India and get the products' supply. Strengthening existing cooperation in information sharing and counter-terrorism will be another focus area in view of rising threat of IS. UAE has deported about a dozen Indians with suspected links to the terror group. "The security cooperation between the two countries has been exemplary. There is concrete meeting of minds on the issue," said Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs. Asked whether India will raise the issue of attaching properties of wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim in UAE, Wadhwa refused to talk about any specific individual maintaining these are "ongoing processes". Al Nahyan is accompanied by a power-packed delegation for his three-day trip till 12 February which includes several top ministers and over 100 business tycoons and CEOs of top companies. President Pranab Mukherjee will host a private lunch for Al Nahyan on Thursday, in a reflection of importance the government has accorded to his visit. Wadhwa said he does not recall such gesture by the President in recent times. The Crown Prince will also have a working dinner with Modi on Thursday. A number of pacts in a wide range of sectors like nuclear energy, oil, IT, aerospace and railways are expected to be signed on Thursday after talks between Modi and Al Nahyan, an influential leader in the UAE who is also the country's Deputy Supreme Commander of the armed forces. After visit here of Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in March last year, Al Nahyan is another important leader to come to New Delhi from Gulf region, home to 7 million Indians who are a major source of remittances. It also fulfills 60 per cent of India's energy needs. "The visit takes place after we have decided to elevate our relationship to comprehensive strategic partnership during our Prime Minister's visit to UAE in August last year and this will provide an opportunity to have detailed discussions to consolidate the domains of existing partnership," said Wadhwa. He said areas of cooperation will include production of defence equipment in India, strategic partnership in security and counter-terrorism and cooperation in nuclear and space sectors. Al Nahyan will travel to Mumbai on Friday where he will visit Bombay Stock Exchange and interact with select industry leaders before departing. Wadhwa said collaboration in counter-terrorism including information exchange and steps to ensure that youths do not get radicalised have been in place. A major focus of the visit by the UAE leader will be on significantly enhancing trade volume from current annual figure of USD 60 billion. During Modi's visit to UAE, it was decided to increase the current volume of trade by 60 per cent in the next five years and Wadhwa said the two sides are drawing action plans to achieve that target. On the proposal that UAE would invest upto USD 75 billion dollars in India, Wadhwa called it an "aspirational figure" adding discussions were on for investment in diverse areas. India is UAE's number one trading partner while the Gulf nation is India's third largest trading partner after the US and China. UAE is India's second largest export destination. For India's energy security, UAE is an important country as it gets 9.38 per cent of total crude requirement from that country. The volume of supply in 2014-15, was 15.99 million metric tonnes. The two countries had already agreed to make bilateral investments in the petroleum sector and also take up joint projects in third country. On whether India will raise the issue of levying of taxes by UAE to offset impact of falling oil prices as its tax has hit Indian people also, Wadhwa said every country has to manage its economy and that it was an internal matter of UAE. But he said welfare of Indians usually comes up in the discussions and if the specific issue is mentioned, then it may talk about their difficulties. He said UAE has initiated a Mars mission for 2020 and India can assist that country. He said ISRO was willing to help UAE in the mision. PTI United Nations: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned of the danger of the Islamic State spreading its tentacles to South Asia through organisations like the Tehreek-e-Khilafat in Pakistan and called for international action against the grave threat. In a grim report on the Islamic State's threat to international peace and security presented to the Security Council Tuesday, Ban said groups like the Tehreek-e-Khilafat in Pakistan "are sufficiently attracted by its underlying ideology to pledge allegiance to its so-called caliphate and self-proclaimed caliph." Ban called the terrorist organisation Islamic State, which is also known by the acronyms ISIS, ISIL and Da'esh, "an unprecedented threat to international peace and security." He said, "This is a matter of considerable concern, since these groups appear to be emulating IS's tactics and carrying out attacks on its behalf." "In 2016 and beyond, member states should prepare for a further increase in the number of foreign terrorist fighters travelling to other States on the instructions of IS," he added. The Islamic State now controls swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria, but Ban said, "The recent expansion of the IS's sphere of influence across West and North Africa, (West Asia) and South and South-East Asia demonstrates the speed and scale at which the gravity of the threat has evolved in just 18 months." "In Afghanistan and Pakistan, IS continues to develop a network of contacts and sympathisers who carry out attacks in its name," Ban said. "On 13 January, 2016, the IS group 'Khorasan Province,' which operates in Pakistan and Afghanistan, issued a statement claiming credit for an attack on the Pakistani Consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan." "The complexity of the recent attacks and the level of planning, coordination and sophistication involved raise concerns about its future evolution," he warned. An incident not included in Ban's report was the Islamic State taking responsibility for killing more than 40 Ismailis in a bus attack in Karachi. Pakistan appears conflicted in dealing with the Islamic State challenge. Last October, General Raheel Sharif, the Pakistani Chief of the Army Staff, was quoted in the Pakistani media as saying, "There are people in Islamabad who want to show their allegiance to Daesh. So it's a very dangerous phenomenon." Speaking to the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London, Raheel Sharif added, "I feel the future challenge is Da'esh. It's a bigger name. Al-Qaeda was a name but Da'esh is now a bigger name." However the next month, Pakistani foreign ministry issued a denial "There is no footprint of Da'esh in Pakistan. We will also not tolerate anyone affiliated with it," Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah was quoted as saying. But he said it was aware of the Islamic State threat and the security forces were on alert. Ban said in his report that till the middle of December 2015, 34 groups had reportedly pledged allegiance to IS. "In view of its territorial claims of more 'provinces,' it is expected that IS affiliates will increase in number and that its membership will grow in 2016," Ban said. "It is able to adapt quickly to the changing environment and to persuade or inspire like-minded terrorist groups in various regions of the world to facilitate and commit acts of terrorism," he added. Therefore, he said the the international community must also be "adaptive" in its responses and "take comprehensive approaches that incorporate security-led counter-terrorism initiatives and preventive measures." IANS Washington: President Barack Obama hosts leaders of the South East nations in the US next week as part of his Asia-Pacific rebalance strategy during which critical security issues including maritime will be discussed amid flexing of muscles by China over the South China Sea issue. "There are a number of critical security issues that will be discussed. One of those is maritime security, including the situation in the South China Sea (SCS)," White House Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters in a conference call. "And so this will be an opportunity for the leaders to discuss some of the recent events that have taken place in the South China Sea, including the test flights at the newly constructed runway in Fiery Cross Reef," he said. During the two-day summit being held for the first time in Palm Springs in California beginning 15 February, the US will underscore the importance of resolving any territorial disputes consistent with international norms and international law. Being held in the backdrop of an assertive China, some of whose actions in the recent past have left several nations in the region worried about their security, White House officials on Tuesday said the US-ASEAN summit would discuss those issues as well. "We will continue to underscore the principle that these issues have to be resolved consistent with international norms and not through bigger nations bullying smaller ones," Rhodes said. He said the summit is a truly unique and historic occurrence with President Obama hosting these leaders in a standalone US-ASEAN Summit in the United States. "It is central to the President's broader strategy of rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific region, which he has pursued since he took office," Rhodes said. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is of enormous interest to the US, he said, adding that the 10 nations Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam together represent the world's seventh largest economy. They are at the nexus of critical security issues, whether it is maritime security, counterterrorism, or counter-piracy. And their efforts are essential to combating the threat of climate change, he said. PTI New York: Two of America's whitest states have proved that Trump voters are for real and 'Clinton fatigue' is too as the countrys months-long presidential nominating contest barrels into South Carolina next - where racial undertones are not uncommon. The forensics team of the Clinton campaign is being pounded by these messages: Is there a problem with the message or is it about the messenger? Even if that's sorted out, the questions are damaging enough already. Billionaire businessman and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary by double-digits as his supporters sang praises of Trumps plan to build a big beautiful wall and seal Americas southern border with Mexico so rapists and drug peddlers cant smuggle in. Build a wall they sang loudly as Trumps nearest competitors split the remaining vote four or five ways. Among Democrats, Hillary Clinton was beaten by the oldest candidate in the fray powered by young voters - Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont - a 74-year-old self-described democratic socialist promising a political revolution for the masses. Sanders, who wants to break up banks, hike taxes on rich people and "make the country's police look like the neighborhoods they serve" won 60 per cent of the vote. His staff claimed this was the biggest-ever victory in a contested Democratic primary -- he hammered Clinton in almost every category of voter. Even the meme of the night belonged to the eldest - #berniesandwich for the tired and hungry. This page on The Guardian website allows you to track votes by county. Iowa and New Hampshire are two of the whitest states in the country. The next states up have many black and Hispanic Democrats, who have traditionally been pro-Clinton but this is an election that's been all but traditional. Bloomberg Politics notes how South Carolina, whch has set the bar many times for picking potential winners, often corrects the mistakes from the first two states. Sanders, in his victory speech on a cold, windswept night, promised that his message will echo from Wall Street to Washington. Exit polls are saying Sanders won over 80 per cent of younger voters. He beat Clinton among other groups too - men and women, graduates and non graduates, those with guns and those without. Only voters aged 65 and above who earn roughly more than $200,000 annually stayed loyal to Clinton. Considering that Clinton won the New Hampshire primary in 2008 and had a 40-point lead there when she announced her candidacy last year, this loss, although expected, is a whiplash. When Clinton won New Hampshire in 2008, it was a three-way split and Clinton won 39 per cent - which is more than her second place finish this time behind Sanders. Clinton put on a brave face, though. "I know what it's like to stumble and fall. All Americans know that. But I will get back up and fight on," she told supporters. Jim Demers, New Hampshire strategist for Clinton, admits that the Clinton "message needs to be refined". "There's no need to panic", Demers told MSNBC. Sanders has yet to demonstrate the ability to win over older white voters as well as minorities. Without that ability, he can't win, says The Washington Post. Two key takeaways from NPR analysis, one from each camp: One: The famed Clinton appeal among black and Latino voters - which become important now, may not hold true. Clinton fatigue and Clinton limitatons are back. Two: The Im with crazy Trump voters are real, his path to the Republican nomination looks even clearer after New Hampshire. New Hampshire, by voting today, you'll say loudly and clearly: this country belongs to all of us, not just the billionaire class. #NHPrimary Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 9, 2016 Links Ghosts from the 1990s back to haunt Clinton US Elections Explainer: What's a caucus? "Mr Cameron, you're making an enormous mistake." That's how Oscar-hopeful actor Mark Ruffalo's address to Britain Prime Minister David Cameron began in this one minute 47 seconds video where the Avengers star tells Cameron to disallow fracking in the United Kingdom. During the process of fracking, water, chemicals and sand are blasted at shale rocks to release the gas trapped within. "It's a legacy mistake, because there's no fracking that can be done safely." Continuing his address, Ruffalo said, "Your people don't want [fracking], you have already told them once before that if they didn't want it you wouldn't push them to take it. You're turning your back on your word, sir." "Today we are at the precipice of a renewable energy revolution. This is the new economy. This is where all new wealth is going to be created. This is where new jobs are going to be created." Ruffalo, whose latest film Spotlight is about the Boston Globe's investigation into Catholic child abuse, is a prominent anti-fracking campaigner who lobbied successfully for a ban on the controversial technology in New York. The state in 2014 said it would ban the practice of hydraulic fracturing because of "red flags" about its risks to public health. The ban puts one of the last great areas of untapped potential in the Marcellus Shale off-limits to the oil and gas industry. Since coming to power last May, the Cameron government has axed a swath of green measures, including cutting solar and wind subsidies, ending favourable taxation for electric cars, and putting a carbon tax on carbon-free electricity generation. In December 2015, British MPs voted in favour of allowing fracking under national parks, despite earlier promises of a ban. Environmental campaigners and opposition lawmakers accused the government of using "sneak" tactics to relax the legislation. The change would allow shale gas companies to drill sideways under national parks. Before the general election, the government had made a commitment for an "outright ban" on drilling in national parks. "It's not even a year since the government promised to ban fracking in national parks," Hannah Martin, energy campaigner at Greenpeace, said in a statement, AFP reported. Prime Minister David Cameron's government has pledged to go "all-out for shale", saying it would increase energy security, keep prices down and create jobs. But there is widespread opposition and there is no commercial fracking under way in Britain yet. The government's plans were dealt a blow earlier this year when local authorities rejected plans for an exploratory fracking site by energy firm Cuadrilla in northwest England following protests. A government polling last week found that more people in the UK oppose fracking than support it, The Guardian reported. Ruffalo, who has earlier made similar appeals to Barack Obama to ban fracking in the US, said that Cameron should honour the will of the British people. By leaving the fossil fuels in the ground, as scientists have called for to avoid dangerous global warming, Cameron would become a 'true and a honest leader.' However, Ruffalo's appeals to the British PM might not cut much ice as Cameron has said fracking is important for energy security and economic growth. Meanwhile, check Mark Ruffalo's full address to David Cameron here: Vodafone has launched its 4G LTE services in Mumbai, as it had promised last week, after launching it in n Kerala, Mysore, Kolkata and Delhi & NCR. Vodafone said that it will be rolled out in key business & residential corridors of Mumbai across Western suburbs & South Mumbai in a phased manner, and the roll-out will be completed across all parts of Mumbai including Eastern suburbs & New Mumbai license areas by the end of March 2016. It is based on 1800MHz FDD-LTE band 3, which the company acquired last year. It is built on strong fiber back-haul of 100G, and is supported by its 3G services. Vodafones Mumbai customers have a bonanza of special benefits to enjoy the 4G experience seamlessly that includes: FREE upgrade to 4G for customers along with high-speed 4G SIM 100% extra data for Vodafone 4G RED customers for one month Three-month complimentary subscription to TV, Movies & Music on Vodafone Play. Live TV channels, VOD service HOOQ, Hungama Play, Vodafone Music etc. Array of Data Packs ranging from Rs. 26 4G Mobile Wi-Fi that supports connectivity for up to 10 devices Vodafone subscribers can also check if their SIM / Phone is 4G compatible by sending an SMS <4GCHECK> to 199 Request for 4G SIM by calling the call centre or sending an SMS <4GSIM to 199> Instant SIM swap at all Vodafone stores and select retail outlets 1 day door-step delivery of postpaid 4G SIMs (for requests received before 7:00PM previous day) Country first: 4G customers can avail 4G international roaming in UK, Germany, Romania, Spain and Netherlands. Vodafone 4G services, which is now present in 5 circles Kerala, Karnataka, Mumbai, Delhi & NCR and Kolkata contribute to 30% of industry revenues and close to 50% of Vodafone India data revenues, the company had said earlier. Vodafone will launch 4G services in Bengaluru tomorrow, which will be the final city to get 4G in the first phase. Second phase of the roll out will begin in early financial year 2017. Commenting on the launch, Ishmeet Singh, Business HeadMumbai Circle, Vodafone India said: Mumbai is a strong leadership market for Vodafone India with data contributing around 30% of total revenues. As the leading telecom service provider, our close to 9 million customers in Mumbai have a lot to look forward to and we are proud and delighted to launch 4G services in Mumbai. Sunil Sood, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone India said: Initial response from customers who have experienced our 4G services in Kerala, Karnataka, Kolkata and Delhi & NCR has been positive and encouraging. As a steadfast partner of Digital India, we remain focused on deploying multiple technologies be it 2G, 3G and now 4G-for optimum use as each technology has its own vital role to play in servicing the myriad connectivity needs of consumers across the country. Opera has received a buyout offer of whopping $1.2 billion from Chinese consortium. Qihoo 360 (mobile security maker) and Beijing Kunlun Tech (mobile game developer) are the companies included in the consortium along with investment funds Golden Brick and Yonglian. Opera told its shareholders that it has received a 10.5 billion Norwegian Krone ($1.2 billion) offer that values it at a 53% premium. The Opera board has endorsed the deal and owners of 33 percent of Operas shares have already agreed to the deal. Opera Software which is known for its series of Opera Web and mobile browsers, said it expects revenues of $690 million to $740 million this year, compared with $616 million in 2015. Opera CEO Lars Boilesen said in a statement There is strong strategic and industrial logic to the acquisition of Opera by the Consortium. We believe that the Consortium, with its breadth of expertise and strong market position in emerging markets, will be a strong owner of Opera. Opera said in a statement The Offer is the result of the structured process to explore various strategic opportunities initiated by Operas Board of Directors (the Board) and announced in a stock exchange release on 7 August 2015. After careful consideration of the various opportunities for the Company and the proposals received, the Board has concluded that an acquisition of Opera by the Consortium is the most attractive proposition for the shareholders, the Company and its employees. Former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski has settled back into the corporate world after serving over six years in the New York State prison system. In 2005 Kozlowski was convicted of crimes relating to reported unauthorized compensation of more than $81 million as chronicled in Taking Down the Lion by Professor Catherine S. Neal, who also questioned the government's legal tactics in the case. Kozlowskis lavish lifestyle and spending was widely reported and criticized as a sign of corporate greed. In a Q&A with FOXBusiness.com he talks about his next chapter which is focused on M&A, politics and helping former offenders get back on their feet. As chairman of The Fortune Society, a non-profit that helps ex-prisoners, what advice do you plan to give individuals starting over and what do you wish someone had told you? How difficult the adjustment to the outside world would be. It took me some time. I had the support of family and friends. I quickly recognized I was in the minority. Fortune, which I became involved with when I was away, becomes their [prisoners] sole support group. The mission of the Fortune Society, as described by Kozlowski, is to help former offenders with housing, job training and placement, as well as advocacy and general support. The organization has served over 5,500 men and women in the New York area. You returned to society after six-and-a-half years in a NY state prison prison. You now run a mergers & acquisitions consulting practice what was the biggest challenge for you transitioning back to the corporate world? How fast information moves with technology. What used to take weeks and a staff can now be done on an iPhone. The iPhone didnt exist when I was away and you dont have access to technology [in prison]. Kozlowskis iPhone is about three years old and he plans to upgrade soon. He also tells FOXBusiness.com he has no interest in working for a large M&A advisory firm, instead preferring to work with smaller, more nimble companies. In 2015, M&A volume surpassed a record $5 trillion, led by mega deals [$50+ billion] in health care and technology. What is your outlook for 2016? With depressed stock prices and slow growth, the ingredients are there for more M&A this year. My clients are primarily health care and tech and they are active or interested in mergers. As you go up the pyramid there are fewer companies of size. So I am not certain youll see the same mega deals we saw in 2015, but smaller companies are eager. Pfizer/Allergans $160 billion deal, the largest pharmaceutical deal ever, will move the company to Dublin, Ireland which offers a lower corporate tax rate of 12-13% vs. the United States 40%. These so-called tax inversions are being excoriated on the campaign trail. What are your thoughts? For companies to be called out for trying to reduce costs is simply wrong. Inversions have the beneficial effect of helping employees, customers and investors. Its difficult to compete against a company with a significantly lower tax rate and therefore adding another reason why inversions are critical. That at times is whats not understood by some in Washington. Earlier this year, Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI) announced plans to purchase Tyco International (NYSE:TYC), based in Ireland, for $16.5B. Kozlowski declined to comment on the deal. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary. With the presidential election season in full swing we asked him which presidential candidate he is supporting. He declined to comment but hopes that individual is more friendly to business. I would hope the next president is a supporter of business. That is something that has been sorely lacking in the last eight years. Hedge fund impresario Steve Cohen is in the market again, this time not just to buy some stocks but also to find a new firm to help monitor his market activities, the FOX Business Network has learned. Cohens Point72 Asset Management is actively looking for a new so-called independent monitor to watch his market activities following a settlement with U.S. regulators that stems from a wide-ranging insider trading investigation, people with direct knowledge of the matter say. Former federal prosecutor Bart M. Schwartz had been Cohens monitor following a 2013 plea deal with federal prosecutors. In an email, Schwartz says his contract with Cohen ended in 2015 and he is not available for a new one that is required under a separate regulatory settlement Cohen has reached with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokesman for Cohen had no comment. Attorneys say the assignment is a plum one; the two-year contract pays between $30 million and $50 million, they say, and it doesnt consume the amount of time and resources spent on high-cost activities like criminal defense work. Every big law firm wants this gig because it pays so much and you can assign a junior staffer to do most of the work, said one white-collar attorney with first-hand knowledge of Cohens activities. Cohen has never been personally charged with insider trading, but rather with failure to supervise an executive at his firm who was convicted for trading material non-public information, and is now serving a lengthy prison term. His old firm, SAC Capital was forced by federal prosecutors to shut down after the criminal plea deal, and under a separate civil settlement with the SEC, Cohen has been barred from managing outside cash for two years for failure to supervise the employee. He is also required to hire a firm to monitor his trading. Despite the various bans, Cohen is still a dominant force in the markets as he continues to trade his own net worth, estimated at $11 billion. Heightened regulatory scrutiny since the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent crackdown on insider trading, banks and hedge funds have ramped up their compliance activities. Many settlements reached with regulators have required firms to hire outside monitors for a period of time to assure that firms abide by securities laws. Its unclear what firm is in the lead to replace Schwartz, the chairman of Guidepost Solutions, and a final decision has yet to be made, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter. Bracewell LLP was considered a top contender for the Point72 job, but after the departure of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani as its founding partner, other firms have made compelling cases for the appointment. Giuliani recently left Bracewell to join Greenberg Traurig LLP. Lumber Liquidators (NYSE:LL) rallied on Wednesday after U.S. regulators said the retailers China-made laminate flooring carries low risks of causing cancer. The Consumer Product Safety Commission tested formaldehyde levels released from the floorboards, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined that exposure would be much lower and would last for less time than the exposures linked to cancer. We estimated the risk of cancer from exposure to this flooring and its low, the CDC said in a report. The CDC added that formaldehyde levels in homes with the flooring installed should return to typical levels within two years. The stock jumped as high as $13.03 a share, its highest point since early January. Lumber Liquidators has lost about 80% of its value since February 2015, when questions over formaldehyde in laminate flooring first surfaced. Lumber Liquidators appreciates the work that the agency has done to produce this report. We support their recommendations and share their commitment to educating consumers. We have invested significant time and resources, and have continued to work with outside third parties, as part of our ongoing efforts to provide customers with the highest quality products, Lumber Liquidators said in a statement. Lumber Liquidators is committed to operating with integrity and delivering great products to our customers at a great price. We look forward to continuing to work with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to bring this matter to a conclusion. The controversy began last year when the CBS (NYSE:CBS) program 60 Minutes aired an investigation into laminate flooring. The report claimed that Lumber Liquidators flooring made in China released formaldehyde levels that exceed California regulatory standards. Lumber Liquidators fought back, saying its products complied with state regulations. In May, Lumber Liquidators suspended the sale of laminate flooring supplied by Chinese companies between 2012 and 2014. The U.S. company also offered customers free indoor air-quality tests. Formaldehyde, which has been linked to cancer, is found in the glue that binds composite wood products like fiberboard, the base of laminate flooring. Formaldehyde is also found in a variety of other products, such as permanent-press fabrics. The CDC characterized formaldehyde as a common pollutant found in almost every home. According to the CDC, tests concluded that added cancer risk from Lumber Liquidators floorboards is small. Oil prices pulled back Wednesday even as weekly data from the U.S. Energy Department showed a surprise decrease in crude-oil stockpiles. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said crude-oil inventories declined by 754,000 barrels in the latest week. Analysts surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expected an increase of 3.7 million barrels and the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, had reported a 2.4 million-barrel rise in crude supplies. The report is a widely watched measure of supply and demand, and a drawdown on stocks would signal higher demand or lower supplies than expected. Analysts and a broker pointed to a 1.1-million-barrel drop in imports for the week that likely caused the decline in supply. "We just don't need crude oil imports to run the country," said Carl Larry, director of oil and gas at Frost & Sullivan, a consulting firm in Houston. Prices spiked after the data but didn't hold gains, likely because of a larger oversupply around the world and still-growing stockpiles of motor fuels and other oil products in the U.S., analysts said. Light, sweet crude for March delivery settled down 49 cents, or 1.8%, at $27.45 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose as high as $29.22 a barrel immediately after the report. Brent, the global benchmark, recently traded up 76 cents, or 2.5%, to $31.08 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe. It reached as high as $31.90 immediately after the report. Despite the drawdown on crude, total oil stockpiles did still grow last week, according to the EIA, because of increases to both gasoline and diesel storage levels. They both grew by 1.3 million barrels, compared with expectations of a 900,000-barrel decline for distillates and just a 1 million-barrel increase for gasoline. That likely played a major role in halting the sharp rally, said Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy-advisory firm Ritterbusch & Associates. Oil prices spiked around $1 and fell all the way back within 13 minutes after the report. Total stocks of crude and its products have now increased in 11 out of the last 14 weeks. The International Energy Agency and the EIA said this week they expect that kind of oversupply to persist for months, keeping prices low. And the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries earlier Wednesday cut its forecasts for global oil-demand growth, citing lower consumer appetite in places like Russia and Brazil despite low prices. Rallies are "simply providing fresh selling opportunities," Mr. Ritterbusch said. "Once the market realized (the draw on crude storage) didn't mean (anything) in the grand scheme of things, it came back down." Lower oil prices are generally considered a boon to oil consumers and more broadly for the global economy. But this time around, "the overall negative effect from the sharp decline in oil prices since mid-2014 has outweighed benefits in the short term," OPEC said. Despite lackluster appetite for its commodity, OPEC has continued to pump at full tilt. The group said its production rose 131,000 barrels a day to 32.33 million barrels a day in January, driven by higher output from Nigeria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Industry executives gathered at the International Petroleum Week in London remain largely bearish. Oil major BP PLC Chief Executive Bob Dudley said he expected the oil market to begin to balance itself in the second half of this year, but stated that a $100 a barrel-plus market won't return in the near future. Industry players and many analysts are holding out for a supply-side response with production closures or cuts. "The big story is still that most of the industry is not viable at [this] level, so we know we're going to rise at some point," said Paul Horsnell, head of commodities at Standard Chartered Bank. "The question is, how long do we stay at low prices and what kind of signs does the market need to see." Benoit Faucon, Ese Erheriene and Biman Mukherji contributed to this article. By Timothy Puko Staples said Wednesday that it got European Union approval to buy Office Depot Inc., as the merger of office supply giants continues to face pushback from U.S. antitrust regulators. Staples said if the deal closes, the combined company will divest Office Depot's retail, online and catalog operations in Europe. That is a more substantial divestiture than what the European Commission, the EU's executive body in Brussels, asked for. To approve the merger, the Commission wanted Office Depot to sell its European contract business and its operations in Sweden. Staples said it would do what the Commission asked, as well as the other European divestitures. In January the office supply companies said they would extend the deadline of their tie-up by about three months, as the merger continues to face opposition from U.S. antitrust regulators. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit in December to block the deal, arguing that a tie-up of the last large national office-supply chains would eliminate important competition. The lawsuit alleged the transaction would mean higher prices and fewer options for big companies that buy office supplies in bulk. Earlier this month, due to the length of the merger process, Staples took out a $2.5 billion loan to hold in escrow, instead of just committing to borrow funds to buy Office Depot once the deal was finished. Staples' offer to buy rival Office Depot in a $6.3 billion deal was announced last February, more than a year ago. Write to Austen Hufford at austen.hufford@wsj.com Wall Street has taken a more bearish tone on Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) amid worries over cheap gas and whether the electric car maker can boost production. When Tesla details its fourth-quarter performance on Wednesday, investors will be keeping a close eye on the outlook for Model X sales in 2016. Falling oil prices, which have brought gas prices to their lowest level since 2009, are seen as a headwind for sales of electric vehicles like Teslas Model S sedan and Model X crossover. Investors are also looking for reassurance that Tesla can produce enough vehicles and launch its next-generation sedan, the Model 3, on time. Those concerns have contributed to a string of downgrades from Wall Street analysts. Tesla shares have slipped 38% since the beginning of 2016, and the stock touched a two-year low on Monday. Morgan Stanleys (NYSE:MS) Adam Jonas, one of the most bullish Tesla analysts, slashed his price target for the stock to $333 from $450, although he maintained an overweight rating. Pacific Crest added to the bearish sentiment engulfing Tesla, saying Model X orders are trailing expectations. On Tuesday, Barclays (NYSE:BCS) lowered its price target to $165 from $180 but added that Teslas unveiling of the Model 3, possibly in March, could spark a rally. Wall Street views on Tesla appear to be mixed overall, considering several analysts remain bullish for the long-term. Morgan Stanleys price target remains well above Teslas all-time high of $291 a share. Meanwhile, Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) issued a note to clients on Monday that described the current state of Tesla shares as an opportunity. The firm also called concerns over Model X production and sales volume as overdone. Ramp is slower-than-expected, but not due to fundamental issues, Credit Suisse said. Tesla has already revealed that it delivered 17,400 cars in the most recent quarter, near the low-end of Teslas outlook for 17,000 to 19,000 units. Fourth-quarter sales included just 208 Model X crossovers, which began shipping in the fall. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based automaker is expected to provide guidance for 2016 deliveries when it reports earnings on Wednesday. Tesla shipped a total of 50,580 vehicles in 2015. CEO Elon Musk has said Tesla was aiming for weekly production of 1,600 to 1,800 Model S and Model X vehicles this year. However, analysts at Stifel Nicolaus warned that guidance may be lower than the 80,000 to 85,000 units that Musks output target would suggest. Unfortunately for bullish, long-term minded onlookers like us, the care with which [Tesla] approaches each new Model X further delays return on investment and allows negative story lines to flourish, wrote Stifel Nicolaus analyst James Albertine. Tesla has said it wants to deliver 500,000 vehicles annually by 2020, which largely hinges on Teslas ability to make enough batteries. The so-called Gigafactory, a battery manufacturing plant in Nevada, is scheduled to begin providing batteries for Tesla vehicles in 2017, according to the company. Production of Tesla Energy products was relocated to the Gigafactory last year, while construction continues at the facility. Growing competition is another key issue, as General Motors (NYSE:GM) plans to begin selling its 2017 Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle by the end of the year. The Bolt will be capable of traveling over 200 miles on a single charge, and its price tag will start at $37,500 before a $7,500 federal tax credit. Tesla has said the Model 3 will cost around $35,000, but Morgan Stanley sees the future sedan being priced at $65,000. Morgan Stanley also believes the Model 3 wont go on sale until after 2017. Tesla will release its fourth-quarter results after the closing bell on Wednesday. Wall Street has forecasted adjusted earnings of 8 cents per share on revenue of $1.79 billion. Billionaire businessman Donald Trump and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders solidified their winner status in the New Hampshire Primary on Tuesday night. In the Republican race, Trump received 35% of the vote to John Kasich 16%. The Fox News Exit poll found Trump won with voters who are worried about the economy, worried about terrorism and angry about the government. Voters also said Trump is the best candidate to handle the economy with 40% to Kasich's 19%. On the Democratic side, It was Sanders with 60% and Hillary Clinton 38%. Sanders enjoyed strong support from voters under 45 years old, independents, voters whose top concern is income inequality and those looking for an honest and trustworthy candidate. The economy and jobs was the big topic with Sanders getting 59% to Hillary Clinton's 38%. All eyes are on the next two major presidential contests in South Carolina for Republicans and Nevada for Democrats. On the GOP side, the South Carolina primary has historically predicted the eventual Republican nominee from 1980-2008, priding itself on choosing a winner. Only once did voters get it wrong when they picked Newt Gingrich over Mitt Romney in 2012. South Carolina primary voters have a desire to pick a person who is going to be the winner and is going to be someone who can win the general election, said Gibbs Knotts, political science chair at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Evangelicals make up 35% of the Republican electorate in the Palmetto state, a key demographic of voters that Knotts says candidates must secure in the upcoming primary. According to a recent Gallup poll, 51% of South Carolinians classify themselves as "very religious." Its a group that Ted Cruz did the best with in Iowa, so I think that gives him an advantage in South Carolina and will make him someone who will be near the top of the field, said Knotts. Endorsements also carry weight in South Carolina. Knotts says with Florida Senator Marco Rubios recent endorsement from South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, he could be poised to take on his biggest Republican rivals. If all the 'establishment voters' in South Carolina unite behind Rubio or Kasich than it will challenge Cruz and Trump who are competing for the same pool of voters," said Knotts. The South Carolina primary will be held on Saturday February 20, the same day Democrats will duke it out in the Nevada caucuses. While Sanders is coming off a fresh win in New Hampshire he does face stiff competition in the Western caucus. Nevada its not quite a minority-majority state, there are a lot of Latinos, said Ted Jelen, political science professor at University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Latinos are a little more volatile in their voting behavior than African Americans. They are a little less predictable and turn out is less predictable. Hispanics and African Americans make up approximately one third of caucus-goers, an electorate that Jelen says Sanders is lagging in. In order to win Nevada you must be able to mobilize Hispanic voters and have a really good ground game which he says Clinton has. About a year ago, the former Secretary of State established highly organized field teams in the Silver State. Hillary has been running Spanish ads and working the non-white vote which is mostly made up of Mexican Americans here, said Jelen. According to a CNN-ORC poll in October, a survey of likely Nevada caucus-goers, Clinton led Sanders 58% to 36% in a race with Martin O'Malley. I think it will be interesting to see if Hillary Clinton can parlay her very strong support with African Americans into support from Latinos as well, said Jelen. "I don't see Sanders having a chance here." U.S. President Barack Obama proposed a $4.1 trillion spending plan for fiscal year 2017 on Tuesday in a final White House budget that met immediate Republican resistance for its cost and reliance on tax hikes to fund domestic priorities. Obama, a Democrat who leaves office next January, sought to outline his fiscal and political vision for the country with proposed investments in infrastructure, cyber security, education, and job growth. It also includes more than $11 billion for the Departments of Defense and State to fight Islamic State militants and stabilize Syria - one measure that could draw bipartisan support. But the plan is primarily a political document and is unlikely to be embraced by the Republican-controlled Congress. Paul Ryan, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, called it a "manual for growing the federal government at the expense of hardworking Americans." The budget envisions a deficit of $503 billion in fiscal 2017 after a $616 billion budget gap in the current fiscal year ending on Sept. 30. It seeks to cut deficits by $2.9 trillion over 10 years largely through smaller tax breaks for wealthy earners, new savings in Medicare healthcare, and assumptions that adoption of its policies on immigration reform and other areas would boost economic growth. "The budget that were releasing today reflects my priorities and the priorities that I believe will help advance security and prosperity in America for many years to come," Obama told reporters at the White House after a meeting with national security advisers on cyber security. "It drives down the deficit. It includes smart savings on healthcare, immigration, tax reform," he said. The budget seeks $19 billion for cyber security investments across the U.S. government. White House officials sought to play down the portrayal of the budget as dead on arrival in Congress. They noted bipartisan support for increases in funds for cancer research, opioid addiction programs and anti-poverty measures such as an expansion of the earned income tax credit (EITC), which helps low-income taxpayers. Other proposals were clear non-starters, though, including one to levy a $10.25 per barrel tax on imported and domestically produced oil to fund transportation infrastructure such as mass transit and high speed rail. "The presidents final budget continues his focus on new spending proposals instead of confronting our countrys massive overspending and skyrocketing $19 trillion in debt," said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi. BIPARTISAN DIVIDE The budget forecasts that deficits would average 2.5 percent of U.S. economic output over 10 years compared to about 4.0 percent in the Congressional Budget Office's estimate, which is based on existing tax and spending laws. It stayed within the bounds of an agreement reached between the White House and Congress last year that lifted mandatory "sequestration" cuts on both defense and domestic spending. The budget proposes lifting the limits entirely from 2018. Obama and Ryan agree on some anti-poverty policies, but the general differences between the two men and their parties are vast, particularly in a presidential election year. Underscoring that divide and the fact that the budget is Obama's last, Republican lawmakers took the unusual step of not inviting Obama's budget director Shaun Donovan to brief about the proposal. White House spokesman Josh Earnest, who has likened the snub to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's decision to skip a debate with fellow candidates before the Iowa nominating contest, challenged Republicans to move on areas of compromise. "The question really for Republicans at this point is, are they going to do anything? Are they going to use their majority in Congress to strengthen our cyber security, to fight opioid addiction, to cure cancer, or are they not?" he said. Congress can advance elements of the budget without endorsing the entire proposal. Republicans are especially resistant to the White House's tax proposals. The budget takes aim at tax breaks for the wealthy that have been perennial targets, including the carried interest loophole allowing investment fund managers to treat income as capital gains. It would also increase the top tax rate on capital gains and impose the Buffett Rule to ensure that millionaires pay a tax rate of no less than 30 percent of their income after charitable contributions. In addition, it proposes a new fee on the liabilities of the largest banks that would raise $111 billion over 10 years and discourage excessive leverage in the financial system. The budget foresees $375 billion in new 10-year savings to federal healthcare programs, including several changes to the Medicare program for seniors. The budget calls for $152 billion in research and development, an increase of 4 percent over fiscal year 2016. (Additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe, David Shepardson, Susan Cornwell, Richard Cowan, and Julia Edwards) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed during a House panel Wednesday that it had identified Zika virus in tissue samples of two Brazilian babies who died of microcephaly, USA Today reported. More than 4,000 babies in Brazil have been born with the defect, which leads to an abnormally shaped head and a partially formed brain. One child in Hawaii, whose mother lived in Brazil during her pregnancy, has also been diagnosed with microcephaly. This is the strongest evidence to date that Zika is the cause of microcephaly [for these babies], CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Microcephaly is not exclusively linked to Zika, as other babies around the world who were not exposed to the virus have been born with the defect. Frieden, who in the past has expressed skepticism of a link between the virus and birth defect, urged more caution Wednesday and said more tests would be needed before the CDC can confirm a causal effect. "Zika is new, and new diseases can be scary, particularly when they can affect the most vulnerable among us," Frieden said. As Zika has been linked to a reported 4,704 cases of microcephaly in Brazil, and nearly 100 cases of a nerve disorder that causes paralysis in Colombia, scientists are scrambling to create a vaccine to protect against the virus. Meanwhile, public health officials in the United States are bracing for original cases of Zika to appear, as the Aedes aegypti the primary vector of Zika, a day-biting mosquito already inhabits Gulf Coast states. The CDC has advised pregnant women against traveling to more than two dozen Zika-afflicted regions in South and Central America, and the Caribbean. People who are not immunosuppressed namely those who are not pregnant, are healthy, and who are not elderly or very youngwill experience only mild symptoms like muscle and joint pain, and a fever, after being infected with Zika. Frieden said the virus usually leaves an individuals blood within a week. "Our goal really is to protect pregnant women," Frieden said during the panel. "That's our main priority right now." Turning 13 is a big deal for any child, but for one Texas teen with a rare disorder, it marks another survival milestone. To celebrate, hes fundraising for the organization thats supported him through the years, the Childrens Miracle Network. Brenden Baker, of Abilene, Texas, has Desbuquois syndrome, a disorder that affects the development of the bone and cartilage. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), characteristics can include short stature with short extremities, distinctive facial characteristics and severe joint laxity. There have been only 50 cases described in medical literature, according to Orphanet. When he was first born, we werent sure hed make it to the thirteenth birthday, in fact we werent sure hed make it more than a couple days, but hes been in relatively good health for the first 12 years, then about a year ago the doctors had to put him on oxygen, Brendens grandfather, Bruce Bachman, told WKRC. Since Brenden was born, the Childrens Miracle Network has supported him through Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene and for his first teenage birthday, hes asking for donations to be made to the center in lieu of gifts. Originally, he asked for $200, but quickly surpassed that and is now aiming higher. $150,000, please, Brenden told WKRC. When asked if he could make his big goal, he responded, Yes, people, donate, please. A GoFundMe page for Brendens birthday has a goal of $6,800. Family and friends say the teen has always been optimistic. "He faces life full force, nothing really gets in his way," Brenden's father Chris Baker, told WKRC. If it does, better look out because he's fixing to come over it. Walgreens announced a two-part plan Tuesday to help address the growing issue of heroin and opioid abuse in the United States. In the first part of its program, the company plans to roll out safe medication disposal kiosks in more than 500 drugstores in 39 states and Washington D.C. The kiosks, which will dispose opioids and other controlled substances, primarily will be stationed in the companys 24-hour locations, according to a news release. The second part of the program involves offering naloxone, the heroin overdose drug that users can inhale or inject, without a prescription in 35 states and Washington D.C. Many doctors have praised naloxone, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated could prevent 20,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. CVS has also made naloxone, as well as Narcan, a similar heroin overdose drug, available to customers without a prescription in states where it is legal to do so. Walgreens made naloxone available over the counter in New York last week, and it plans to introduce the prescription-free antidote in Indiana and Ohio later this month. The company said the aim of its medication kiosks, which have begun rolling out in California, is to help reduce medication abuse and overdose deaths. Walgeens and CVSs efforts have come amid rising rates of heroin and opioid abuse in the U.S. Overdoses from opioids hit a record high in 2014, driven largely by heroin and prescription painkiller abuse, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Walgreens pharmacists play an important role in counseling patients on the safe use of their medications, and now we are leading the way in retail pharmacy's fight against prescription drug abuse," Richard Ashworth, Walgreens president of pharmacy and retail operations, said in the release. "We understand the challenges our communities face, and we stand ready to help our patients and customers lead healthier lives. When the stakes are this high, the solutions must be comprehensive." Walgreens said it would coordinate with drug regulators in states that do not permit the sale of naloxone without a prescription to expand the antidotes availability. "Providing safe and convenient disposal options for prescription drugs and expanding access to the lifesaving overdose-reversal drug naloxone are critical parts of our national strategy to stop the prescription drug and heroin overdose epidemic, along with effective enforcement, prevention and treatment," National Drug Control Policy Director Michael Botticelli said in the release. According to the CDC, drug overdoses killed a reported 47,055 people in 2014, a 6.5 percent increase from 2013. The miracle rise of Bernie Sanders continues, with polls showing he is now even with Hillary Clinton nationally and maintains his 20-point lead in New Hampshire. Hes still not likely to win the nomination, but his strength and increased willingness to challenge Clinton on her record and policies is creating a new headache for her. She must fear that core Sanders voters will not back her in a general election. Two incidents point to a deepening party schism. The first came in Iowa when, during her angry victory speech, she insisted that I am a progressive. TV cameras in Sanders headquarters showed young supporters booing, then a spontaneous chant of Shes a liar erupted and grew. Its one thing when Republicans and a majority of independents find her dishonest and untrustworthy; its quite another when young Democrats so vital to her Oval Office quest reach the same conclusion. The second incident happened in a New Hampshire town-hall setting, where Clinton waved off questions about why Goldman Sachs paid her $675,000 for three speeches. Thats what they offered, she said with a shrug. The audience did not seem to share her indifference. Laughter from the people you are trying to woo is never a good sign. To continue reading Michael Goodwin's column in the New York Post, click here. One of the biggest predictors of the unpredictability of the primary today is the coveted "undecided". Going into New Hampshires primary, that number is still big, at almost 50-percent on the GOP side. It's not an understatement to say undecided voters could change the whole scope of the election results. New Hampshire primary history shows us exactly what Im talking about. In 1984, the final Washington Post-ABC News poll had Walter Mondale tied with Gary Hart -- but Hart won by 9. In 1996, a CNN-Time Magazine poll showed Bob Dole winning by 15 points, but Pat Buchanan ended up winning by one. In 2008, the Real Clear Politics average on primary day for Barack Obama showed him winning by 8.3 percentage points -- but he ended up losing by 2.6 percentage points. The same poll in 2008 had John McCain up 3.6 points, but he ended up winning bigger at 5.5 points. In 2012 Mitt Romney was up 20-percent, but ended up winning lower at 16.4-percent. Based on history, I bet we see at least one big surprise tonight in New Hampshire, maybe more. Editor's note: The following column originally appeared in The Hill newspaper and on TheHill.com. Mainstream news shows have now joined conservative websites and magazines in roiling political waters with the suggestion that Hillary Clinton could be indicted. Such charges, the theory goes, would pertain to her sending secret government information over her personal email account while she was secretary of State. Under questioning by ABCs top political anchor in the days before the Iowa caucuses, Clinton dismissed the whole controversy as Republicans grasping at straws. This is very much like Benghazi, George, Clinton told George Stephanopoulos. The Republicans will continue to use it, beat up on me. I understand that. Thats the way they are. But the most respected news organizations in the nation The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, as well as ABC and other television networks all pursue the Clinton email story as legitimate news rather than as a political vendetta. John Podesta, Clintons campaign chairman, told me before Clintons narrow win in Iowa that the story is doing little political damage to Clinton in the Democratic primaries. Democrats, including Clintons fiery opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist from Vermont, are dismissive of it. But Podesta conceded the controversy is eating up time, forcing Clinton to go down the rabbit hole to discuss endless hints and allegations. More broadly, many people beyond the campaign believe the furor contributes to the perception that Clinton is not honest. So, too, does the far more concrete story about ties between Clintons work at the State Department and donors to her husbands charity. But reporting on that issue pales in comparison with coverage of the emails. The email story broke last March when the New York Times reported Clinton used a personal email account to conduct government business as Secretary of State. In July, the story escalated when the Times incorrectly reported that requests had been made for a criminal investigation of Clintons handling of email. Even after a correction on that story, her totally legal use of a private server while at the State Department became an acceptable short-hand for political opponents and reporters looking to appear tough to condemn Clinton. Still, there was no evidence of law-breaking. The attacks continue like a steady rain even though the Times reported in August that Clinton is not a target of the investigation. In September, the Justice Department put out a brief saying even when Clinton deleted personal emails without agency supervision, it was appropriate and legal. A week ago Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, reiterated that officials have said she is not the target of the investigation. Later last week, NBC News reported that emails that had been retroactively declared classified had also been sent to the personal email account of former secretary of State Colin Powell and to key aides of his successor, Condoleezza Rice. None of it quieted critics. They responded by suggesting a White House cover-up even as an October poll by Monmouth found 59 percent of Americans were tired of hearing about Clintons emails. Shes trying for the White House, but shes probably more qualified for the Big House, businesswoman Carly Fiorina said at a recent GOP debate. I find it hard to believe that they would be eager to nominate someone who is under indictment and could well face felony incarceration, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the winner of the Republican Iowa caucuses, recently told radio host Hugh Hewitt. What felony charge is that? Republicans often point to charges against former Gen. David Petraeus for sharing classified information with a former girlfriend. But even in a case where the general handed military information to an outsider, he pled guilty to a misdemeanor. He never went to jail. It has never been shown that Clinton shared information marked as classified at the time it was sent or received. And of course there is still no evidence that she broke any law. Legal analyst Dan Abrams recently reviewed the allegations and wrote on the LawNewz.com website that while Clinton was foolish to use a private server, it is also indisputable that it was neither a crime nor even a violation of State Department procedure for Clinton to have used personal email for government business at that time. But nonpartisan assessments of the case have not stopped the drumbeat at every GOP primary event. A willingness to join in assumptions of Clintons guilt is a litmus test for anyone entering the conservative echo chamber on talk radio and the internet. I have friends that are in the FBI and they tell me theyre ready to indict, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) recently told NewsmaxTV. DeLay added that if the FBI and Attorney General Loretta Lynch do not indict Clinton, there are FBI agents who plan on going publicEither shes going to be indicted and that process begins or we try her in the public eye with her campaign. That kind of innuendo-laden conjecture is widespread among Republicans and in some cases extends to suggestions of criminality by the White House. I think the FBI director would like to indict both Huma [Abedin, a top Clinton aide] and Hillary as we speak, Rep. Darrell Issa, (R-Calif.) told the Washington Examiner last week. He explained that the FBI director, James Comey, is being forced by the Obama Administration to triple time make a case of what would otherwise bea slam dunk. The use of rumors to weaken a political candidate has a long history. In 1999, GOP presidential candidate Pat Buchanan won repeated applause at rallies nationwide when he promised that his first act as president would be to turn to his predecessor, Bill Clinton, and say: Sir, you have the right to remain silent. Base political attacks have been with us since the Founding Fathers. But in the era of social media and niche conservative outlets, the body politic seems to be entering a new era in which the tail wags the dog. The biggest newspapers and networks say they are just reporting the news while spreading baseless venom. They came close in Iowa, but just fell short of claiming victory. Tuesday night in New Hampshire was a different story. The political outsiders have taken control of this election. Donald Trump won Tuesday nights Republican primary in New Hampshire. By a margin of 34 percent to 16 percent for John Kasich, Trump proved that his slogan of Make America Great Again resonates with voters in a big way. On the Democratic side, self proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders edged Hillary Clinton out by 20 percentage points. His message railing against the rigged economy, special interests that control Washington and pledging to give Americans universal healthcare and free college tuition brought together a larger coalition of young voters than the one Barack Obama built in 2008. To my mind, Tuesday nights results show that there are finally politicians who understand how marginalized, disenfranchised and betrayed a majority of Americans feel. Its both Republicans and Democrats, including the 42 percent of Americans who now identify as independent because they think the two parties dont represent their values and positions. We are seeing a full scale rejection of the political establishment. This is a threat that we did not take seriously enough over the past few years, as evidenced by the fact that most rejected Trump as a clown and a joke. His ideas on illegal immigration and placing a temporary ban on Muslims ruffled our national feathers even though a majority of Republican primary voters agreed with him. Thats how out of touch our political class has become. Indeed, 46 percent of GOP voters say they feel betrayed by Republican politicians. Trump won 32 percent of that group. We did the same thing to Bernie Sanders who began this race upwards of 50 points behind Hillary Clinton. We said a socialist could never win. And he may not be able to win a national election, but we are seeing an electorate so starved for an honest and trustworthy politician that they will make allowances for ideologies that they may not have considered before. Sanders has argued about oligarchy and money in politics and has been his whole career. He doesnt flip flop or evolve on his advocacy for the average American. Sanders is just Bernie Sanders. And Donald Trump is just Donald Trump. We are living in a time when trust in Americans institutions has collapsed. A recent Pew survey shows that less than 20 percent of Americans trust the government always or most of the time. And a CNN poll showed that 60 percent think the American Dream is unachievable today. Against this backdrop, its no surprise that America is in revolt. Honesty and trustworthiness matters more than whether a candidate has experience or can win in November according to voters. And the establishment isnt delivering anything resembling what the American populace desires in their political leaders. I see a clearer path to the nomination for Trump than for Sanders, but there is no doubt that Americans have spoken and theyre done with business as usual. Convincing victories by political outsiders in New Hampshire Tuesday night demonstrates, without doubt, that most voters are disgusted with both political parties. The electorate will probably make one of themmore likely Donald Trumpthe next commander in chief. Since 1976, just one candidate from either party has not won in both Iowa and New Hampshire (Bill Clinton in 1992) and still won his partys nomination. While history clearly is not determinative, it can hardly be ignored. On the Republican side, Trump won by a compelling margin in the Granite State over Iowa winner Ted Cruz36 to 12 percentbecause he did well among both moderates and conservatives and most age categories, except the elderly. Trumps diverse appeal among Republicans and independents will be tough for Ted Cruzwho relies principally on religious conservatives and with Rand Pauls departure, libertariansto counter beyond southern states. Perhaps not even those placeshe is polling a bad second to Trump in South Carolina. As for the very moderate Ohio Governor Kasichendorsed in New Hampshire by both the New York Times and Boston Globehe devoted enormous resources to that small state. With Governor Bush and Senator Rubio still in the mix, he wont have the money to mount a successful southern strategy but could do decently enough in many of the 16 states holding contests on or before March 1 to become a king maker. With five reasonably viable Republican candidatesTrump, Cruz, Kasich, Bush, and Rubioand a few stubborn stragglers all winning some delegates, it will be tough for Trump to gather enough delegates before the national convention to lock up the nomination. The most logical target for one of Trumps famous deals is Kasich, who, unless he trips, should have a nice bundle of delegates to bargain with. Kasich, like Trump, is not an ideology-pure conservativeat least as measured by those who impose a litmus test, such as the National Review. Rather both are malleable personalities interested in workable solutionsfor example, instead of denying poor folks health care for partisan reasons, the governor implemented the Medicaid provisions of the Affordable Care Act expansion in Ohio. By offering Kasich the second spot on the ticket, Trump would show voters he is serious about finding help from seasoned politicians to deliver on trade, immigration, health care, and national security. On that score, if you can name a more solid candidate, then you can have my academic tenure. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders whipped Hillary Clinton across all demographic categories, including women, except voters over 65 in New Hampshire, but she still has a commanding hold on minority voters who are much more important in Democratic primaries elsewhere going forward. To ultimately prevail, she will have to continue to emphasize positions that younger women embracesuch as the proposed Paycheck Fairness Actand issues important to African-Americans and Hispanics: police behavior and social issues beyond simple economic justice. That should be enough to ward off Sanders and win the Democratic nomination but will push her into an awkward position for the general election. Criticizing police tactics to adequately appease Black Lives Matters will alienate many white moderates. The notion that Hillary merits womens votes simply because she is a woman was roundly discredited in New Hampshire. Young white women, along with white young men, often cant find jobs that make good use of their education or pay very well. And Democratic prescriptions like more taxes, further building out ObamaCare, free trade and open immigration will not have the appeal of radical change offered by Trump. If Trump moderates his rhetoric and, with the help of Kasich, polishes his pragmatism on taxes, health care, immigration, and national security, he offers both sexes what they want mosta change in direction from the slow growth policies of Presidents Obama and Bush and the promise of a more effective national security policy. Enter President Trump. The week leading up to Valentines Day is an ideal time for more conversation about the other marriage issues of the day--the ones that get short shrift in current political debate. What about remedies for the serious decline of marriage rates? What about an honest look at the new social norm where more than half of American babies born to women under age 30 now occur outside of marriage? Let that sink in a bit. In 1960, even prior to Roe v. Wade, less than 5 percent of U.S. babies were born outside of wedlock. The one tool that decreases the probability of child and family poverty by 82 percent iis not a government program. Statistically, its marriage. Why does this matter? Candidates of both political parties can agree on some basic premises -- that marriage is one key solution, among others, to poverty. Research shows that married persons build greater financial security than single men and women; and children raised with both parents perform better academically and have less addiction, less teen pregnancy, and less trouble with the law. Of course, single mothers are to be applauded for their sacrifices. From the ones I know, most do wish they had the constant support of a responsible husband/father. So do we do anything? Or just quietly accept a new social norm? Isnt it worth our effort to give children better chances and to help our citizens find more success and stability in their home lives? Especially since almost everyone has aspirations for lifelong lasting love? British iPrime Minister David Cameron recently gave a speech called Life Chances, where he made the case that the role of government first is to provide security and safety for its citizens -- and that helping people out of poverty is part of that call. Cameron said we need to break free from old thinking about poverty--to move beyond the economicswe need a more social approach. His ideas included: improving family bonds with shared parental leave, a tax code that rewards marriage, widen opportunities for free marital counseling, speed up adoption processes, create a voucher program for parenting classes, character/relationship education programs in schools, to reaffirm respect for religious traditions, and rebuild social trust. So rather than throw up our hands, what can we do? Here are four recommendations made this month in a joint research project by the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for Family Studies Center (truncated below): 1. End the marriage penalty in means-tested welfare programs. A single or cohabiting mother is less likely to marry if she will lose social benefits. One way to remove this barrier to marriage is to allow low-income married families with children under six to have their split income considered in applications for programs like Medicaid and food stamps. 2. Strengthen vocational education and apprenticeships as a means of boosting earning capacities for low income families. This would help young people forge more stable marriages which create greater economic stability and more promise for children. 3. Give couples a second chance. Research shows that one-third of married couples exploring divorce are open to reconciliation. Academic and family court leaders have suggested that states 1) extend the waiting period for divorce, 2) provide high quality education about the option of reconciliation, and 3) provide a university-based education (online) to couples at risk of divorce. 4. Launch civic efforts to strengthen marriage. Campaigns against smoking and teenage pregnancy have been effective. Likewise a civic campaign around what Brookings Institution scholars call the Success Sequence could helpencourage young adults to pursue education, work, marriage and parenthood in that order. A U.S. civic campaign to promote the benefits of marriage, and a Success Sequence for young Americans, is sorely needed if we are going to encourage a turnaround from the new social trends of long term cohabitation and out-of-wedlock child bearing. Why?So that children will have more stability and modeling to create their own next generation of families, the cornerstone of a strong citizenry. To spark a national discussion and debate, Eureka College, in collaboration with McLaughlin and Associates, has created the first-of-its-kind American Opportunity Index, a national poll of 1,007 likely voters assessing their attitudes and perceptions about the state of freedom and opportunity to pursue their dreams. The full results are available at www.eureka.edu/aoi. Eureka is the smallest college to graduate a president of the United States, Ronald Wilson Reagan. Reagan's remarkable journey took him from rural Illinois to world leader, with five careers in betweenhis life story illustrates the promise of American Opportunity. Ronald Reagan once said, The national purpose of our country is to unleash the full talent and genius of every individual. Do people today believe that America still offers the freedom and opportunity to use their talents and skills to pursue their dreams? Here's what we found: ? Our survey showed that 91 percent of Americans agree, a sign that there is a personal sense of opportunity. Of interest, among African-Americans, the percentage was 96 percent. ?Americans are more divided on equality. When asked if they have the same freedoms and opportunities to pursue their dreams as compared to their parents and grandparents, 45 percent of those surveyed say they do not. ?Forty-two percent disagreed that future generations will have the same freedoms and opportunities to pursue their dreams compared to today. ?When asked if our leaders work to make sure Americans have the freedom and opportunity to use their talents and skills to pursue their dreams, only 57 percent agreed. These findings are based on seven metrics; personal access, equality of access, compared to past generations, compared to other nations, attitude about the future, belief in the future of American Opportunity and leadership. When totaled, these seven metrics produce a cumulative percentage score or Index of American Opportunity. Here, at the start of 2016, Americans perceive opportunity at two-thirds or 66 percent of its full potential based on the seven metrics. The Reagan Society of Eureka College gathered over the weekend on the campus of Eureka College in Illinois to commemorate the 105th anniversary of Reagan's birth and the 161st anniversary of the founding of Eureka Collegewhich amazingly both fall on February 6th. At the event, we celebrated the values of lifelong learning, servant leadership, and the discovery of ones vision and voice that are central to the classical liberal arts education Reagan experienced at Eureka. These liberal arts values helped him to become one of the most transformational leaders of the 20th century. He never forgot these lessons, nor where he came from, often saying, "Everything that has been good in my life began here [Eureka College]." Eureka College challenges the nation to remember American Opportunity. President Reagan once said, Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We believe this is true for the opportunity that goes hand-in-hand with freedom. The best annual birthday present in support of the legacy of Ronald Reagan is for all of us to keep American Opportunity in mind. Add this to the list of election-year proverbs to dismiss: John Sununus snarky missive that Iowa picks corn and New Hampshire picks presidents. The last presidential hopeful to make good on Sununus words: his old boss, George H.W. Bush. That was all the way back in 1988 three years before Peyton Manning first took the field . . . for his high-school team. Maybe Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, New Hampshires two big winners, will make Sununu look good. Time will tell. In theory, the first two stops on the campaign trail embody two traits: clarity and attrition. In that regard, Iowas GOP caucuses didnt disappoint. Three Republican candidates left the race not long after the votes were counted; the contest moving forward suggested a three-man war of attrition between Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. And then New Hampshire went to the polls. Three cards coming out of the primary? Try 52-card pickup, with the race as muddled as it was pre-Iowa. And as many as five Republicans still with a pulse: Trump, Cruz and Rubio, plus John Kasich and Jeb Bush. Consider what the Granite State results meant to the Still-Alive Five: Trump. The Donald held only 11 town hall meetings and spent but 23 days in the state it would have been 24 if he hadnt been snowed out last week due to his insistence upon sleeping in his Manhattan bed. You wont find a more economical victory this early in the process. Before Iowa, Trumps message was words to the effect that Im ahead because Im great and Im great because Im ahead. Trump can now credibly repeat that mantra (as he surely will). Soon, South Carolina will break the tie as to whether Trump is more of a concept or a reality. There is this one cloud on the horizon for Trump: as sweeping as his victory was (he scored particularly well with voters concerned about the economy and terrorism), Trump finished only one point above the final pre-primary poll. He emerges from New Hampshire with momentum, but its not an unstoppable train. Kasich. The strategy of second place or bust paid off for Ohios governor. Kasich held no less than 106 town halls, nearly 10 times Trumps empathy stops. Credit the man for his persistence; if youre cynical, give him demerits for blatant single-state pandering. With the second-place finish, Kasich moves on albeit with two problems: not a lot of money in the bank (perhaps as much $2.5 million in cash on hand, which wont go far in a race thatll soon span time zones); and finding another state where, minus the luxury of enough time to personally sell the message of high-road governance, he can do serious damage. Rubio. There he was cruising along, picking up ground in the daily tracking polls, until Chris Christie bloodied him badly in the final pre-primary debate (as in Iowa, debates seem to have played a crucial role). So much for Rubios 3 (Iowa) 2 (New Hampshire) 1 (South Carolina) strategy. Like Tony Soprano killing the mob informant during his tour of Maine colleges with his daughter, this one act of New Jersey violence imported into New England had serious ramifications. Rubios jarring underperformance means its time to regroup, rethink strategy and maybe revisit all the rehearsed lines. If its any consolation to Rubio, Christie finished a disappointing sixth too poor of a showing to qualify for the next GOP debate. He announced he's heading back to New Jersey. Well see if he vows to soldier on. Cruz. The one Republican in the field playing with house money, in that the Texas senators fortunes have always been predicated on strong performance in Iowa and the South, not New Hampshire. Youll be hearing a lot about Upcounty in the coming days. Its the more socially conservative part of noncoastal South Carolina that will determine Cruzs success in the Palmetto State (it went big for Newt Gingrich in 2012). As luck would have it, its also the locale of the next GOP debate (Saturday, at Greenvilles inaptly named Peace Center). Bush. What does $36 million in primary expenses and a claim of reaching the largest number of voters get you? For Jeb Bush, a problematic argument that his success in not finishing last among the three governors and not getting buried by Rubio earns him the right to fight on in the South. The Bush strategy well, the new strategy after the massive war chest failed to clear the field of moderate alternatives? Its not much different than his father and brothers presidential runs: South Carolina as a Bush firewall. For Jeb, that means South Carolina as the state where he turns the corner brushing aside Kasich, outperforming Rubio and arriving at the March 1 Super Tuesday cluster of states as a more believable establishment alternative to Cruz and Trump. Or so another multimillion-dollar sell with attempt. With Republicans not voting again until a week from Saturday, its time for a little perspective. In 1996, New Hampshires Republican presidential primary likewise produced a jumble. The evenings winner was the conservative commentator Patrick J. Buchanan same middle initial as Trump, same angry populist message (Do not wait for orders from headquarters, Buchanan roared in his victory speech, mount up everybody and ride to the sound of the guns.) Finishing second: Bob Dole, the fields frontrunner and establishment favorite. Not far behind Dole: Lamar Alexander and Steve Forbes. Twenty years ago, the GOP field was clearly divided, with an air of inevitability. Buchanan, like Trump, tapped into nativist and protectionist sentiments. Dole, like a few GOP candidates in this current field, struggled with how to fashion himself as au courant despite being a well-worn political figure. Alexander, a former Tennessee governor, was the candidate of the New South. Forbes, a flat-tax champion, was the economic candidate. The 2016 GOP field offers similar clarity in that Trump is a more entertaining version of Buchanans pitchfork rebellion. Cruz is preaching old-timey social conservatism. Kasich espouses good (and sometimes expansive) government. Rubio and Bush are running on big-tent electability. Yet unlike 1996, when Dole had the money and machinery to outlast the rest of the field, no current Republican has an inside track on the partys nomination. Trump has yet to write himself a big check suggesting hell blitz the airwaves. Cruz has yet to prove he can win on a field not tilted in his favor. Kasich may or may not prove to be a one-state wonder. Rubio and Bush carry lingering doubts. The good news now that New Hampshires in the books: they all get to linger a little longer. Who won in New Hampshire? The ambitions of Michael Bloomberg. The former New York City mayor has hinted that if the 2016 presidential contest came down to a race between extreme candidates like Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders, he might throw his hat in the ring. His calculus is that the mainstream American voter might not be won over by a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist or by a blustery billionaire who trades in insults and sound bites but who may flame out over the course of a long and arduous campaign. The New Hampshire primary may give Bloomberg a push. Hillary Clinton, the establishment Democratic candidate, was clobbered by Bernie Sanders. Sanders, long the favorite in the Granite State won by some 20 points considerably more than anticipated. The Vermont senator was expected to chalk up a victory in a neighboring state, but the margin of victory was impressive, and suggested real momentum. Yes, Sanders is from Vermont, but the Clintons have a long history of winning in New Hampshire. This was not hostile territory. The Sanders campaign clearly built on his better than expected results in Iowa, where he came within a whisker of beating Mrs. Clinton, evoking memories of her shocking 2008 defeat at the hands of upstart Barack Obama. That outcome fueled his romp in New Hampshire, and sets him up to compete in Nevada and South Carolina. In Nevada, which holds its Democratic caucus on February 20, voters who turn up at the polls will be largely white, even though non-white Hispanics amount to only 51.5 percent of voters. In 2008, only 15 percent of Democratic caucus-goers were Hispanic; that number has doubtless increased since then, but a significant portion of Nevadas Hispanics are either undocumented or too young to vote. In short, Nevada could mirror Iowa, and prove receptive to Sanders. Its another caucus state, where enthusiasm and turnout are key; that could work to Bernies advantage. In South Carolina, which holds its Democratic primary on February 27, half of the primary voters are black, and Hillary is currently running 30 points ahead of her rival. But, those polls were taken before the Iowa caucuses and dont reflect the unquestionable boost Sanders received from that outcome, not to mention the huge win in New Hampshire. The Sanders campaign is working hard to line up black endorsements, and has scheduled Bernie to have lunch with Al Sharpton always a powerful voice. Hillary may have the edge here, but black voters, who may not have heard much about Sanders, will likely approve of his message about reducing income inequality. Overall, Sanders decisive win in New Hampshire and close second place in Iowa makes him a legitimate candidate one who was dismissed by many as a kook not that long ago. Clintons campaign is apparently so alarmed that a staffer shake-up is in the offing. Word is that the Clintons are dissatisfied with the message provided the candidate from her staff. Some might think that Mrs. Clinton herself should author that message. But that is but one of the flaws of the Clinton run. Voters agree: she is not trustworthy, and not authentic. She doesnt even know what it is she wants to say. Meanwhile, Bloomberg is also looking at the GOP side, where Donald Trump capitalized on his huge crowds to post a decisive win, unlike in Iowa where he came in second. Trump may well have benefited from the rules in New Hampshire, which allows independents to vote in their contest of choice Republican or Democratic. My guess: Trump drew a lot of left-leaning, blue collar independents who in the past would have lined up behind Hillary. (In fact, one groups exit polls said that only 55 percent of GOP primary voters defined themselves as Republicans.) His appeal is not conservative; it is disruptive. At the same time, the rise of Governor Kasich, who came in second, demolished the apparent rise of Marco Rubio, who definitely had momentum coming out of Iowa, where he came in third, close behind Trump. The outcome is that the battle for the moderate or establishment voter between Kasich, Bush, Rubio and Christie, is not over. That group will continue to battle each other to be the last guy standing in case Trump and Cruz falter. That suggests that the Republican nomination fight will be extended, weakening all the players and possibly resulting in a brokered convention. All this turmoil sets the stage for a third-party candidate. Its a long-shot, but the conditions are about as good this year as they may ever be. Mayor Bloomberg has expressed disdain for the tenor of the race, and many may agree that the substance of the debate is an insult to American voters. Undoubtedly, he imagines elevating the discourse. We do have serious problems in the country that require attention, and Bloomberg is a seasoned executive with a proven record of accomplishment in both the private and public sectors. Mr. Bloombergs priorities, which include gun control and trying to confront climate change, are not necessarily those of the majority of Americans, but for sure he would find a following. Hes a pragmatic man with lofty policy goals who could financially support a serious campaign. While New Hampshire voters boosted the prospects of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, they may also have issued an invitation to Michael Bloomberg. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders scored decisive victories in Tuesdays New Hampshire primary as Ohio Gov. John Kasich surged into a second-place finish and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was fighting to stay in the race with Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush for third. After months of campaigning in the snow, the battle for the South now begins -- and the runners-up will be looking for new life, and in some cases survival, as the winners celebrate. We are going to make America great again, the victorious Trump told cheering supporters Tuesday night. We are going now to South Carolina. We are gonna win in South Carolina! Chris Christie, though, is staying behind -- returning to New Jersey after a disappointing sixth-place finish, planning to make a decision by Wednesday on the way forward with the viability of his campaign now in doubt. The rest head to the Palmetto State, each facing a unique challenge: Trump aims to hold his front-runner status after cementing it in New Hampshire on the heels of his Iowa loss. Kasich, while getting a big boost out of Tuesdays contest, will look to demonstrate he can play beyond New Hampshire. And as Cruz and Bush look to build on their performance, Rubio is vowing to improve after a rocky debate seemingly disrupted his momentum. "That will never happen again," Rubio told supporters Tuesday, referring to his Saturday debate performance. On the Democratic side, meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is facing the prospect of losing her front-runner status if Sanders can close his polling gap in South Carolina and beyond. The Vermont senator voiced confidence at his victory rally Tuesday night. Tonight we serve notice to the political and economic establishment of this country, Sanders said. Now its on to Nevada, South Carolina and beyond. The Clinton campaign tried to cast the candidates primary loss in the best light, saying in a memo that the outcome was long expected and prospects for future victories remain very good. I want to say I still love New Hampshire and I always will, Clinton told supporters at a Tuesday night rally. Now we take this campaign to the entire country. We are going to fight for every vote in every state. For the winners of both contests Tuesday night, New Hampshire was a comeback after each came in second last week in Iowa. Trump won decisively; incoming returns show him with 35 percent, towering over the field. And Sanders was crushing Clinton 60-39 percent. Kasich clocked in second with about 16 percent. The battle for third, though, remained a fierce contest among three candidates Texas Sen. Cruz, former Florida Gov. Bush and Rubio. Cruz had 12 percent, Bush had 11 percent and Rubio had 10 percent, according to the latest returns. Fox News can project that former HP CEO Carly Fiorina will finish seventh, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson will finish eighth. For Kasich, his time in the state appeared to pay off and the second-place finish gives a major boost to his campaign, especially after he finished a distant eighth in Iowa last week. It also dealt a blow to Rubio, whose strong, third-place finish in Iowa eight days ago gave him momentum that lasted until Saturday, when Rubio stumbled in the debate amid withering attacks from Christie. The closeness of the race for third, fourth and fifth places still might end up prolonging the Republican nominating contest because it complicates the establishments efforts to coalesce around a single consensus candidate. Yet the person who tripped up Rubio in Saturdays debate, Christie, was mired in single digits in Tuesday's race, leaving him to weigh his options back home. Exit polls suggest Trump was aided in large part in the state by independents. They showed 36 percent of the states influential independents were backing Trump, leading the field among that bloc. On the Republican side, Trump led virtually every poll in the state in the run-up to the contest. And on the Democratic side, Clinton consistently trailed Sanders going into Tuesdays contest. But the margin of victory for both Sanders and Trump was substantial. Clinton herself has pushed back on reports that the campaign may be looking at a shake-up in the near future but the speculation is sure to mount following her Granite State loss. From here, the campaigns head next to Nevada and South Carolina, which hold the next two contests before Super Tuesday at the beginning of March. A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday abruptly halted President Obama's controversial new power plant regulations, dealing a blow to the administration's sweeping plan to address global warming. In a 5-4 decision, the court halted enforcement of the plan until after legal challenges are resolved. The surprising move is a victory for the coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led states and industry opponents that call the regulations "an unprecedented power grab." By temporarily freezing the rule the high court's order signals that opponents have made a strong argument against the plan. A federal appeals court last month refused to put it on hold. The court's four liberal justices said they would have denied the request. The plan aims to stave off the worst predicted impacts of climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by about one-third by 2030. "We disagree with the Supreme Court's decision to stay the Clean Power Plan while litigation proceeds," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement.Earnest said the administration's plan is based on a strong legal and technical foundation, and gives the states time to develop cost-effective plans to reduce emissions. He also said the administration will continue to "take aggressive steps to make forward progress to reduce carbon emissions." Appellate arguments are set to begin June 2. The compliance period starts in 2022, but states must submit their plans to the Environmental Protection Administration by September or seek an extension. Many states opposing the plan depend on economic activity tied to such fossil fuels as coal, oil and gas. They argued that power plants will have to spend billions of dollars to begin complying with a rule that may end up being overturned. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia, whose coal-dependent state is helping lead the legal fight, hailed the court's decision. "We are thrilled that the Supreme Court realized the rule's immediate impact and froze its implementation, protecting workers and saving countless dollars as our fight against its legality continues," Morrisey said. Implementation of the rules is considered essential to the United States meeting emissions-reduction targets in a global climate agreement signed in Paris last month. The Obama administration and environmental groups also say the plan will spur new clean-energy jobs. Environmentalists were stunned by the court's action, which they stressed did not reflect a decision on the relative strength of the Obama administration's case. "The Clean Power Plan has a firm anchor in our nation's clean air laws and a strong scientific record, and we look forward to presenting our case on the merits in the courts," said Vickie Patton, a lawyer for Environmental Defense Fund, which is a party to the case. California Gov. Jerry Brown called the decision an "arbitrary roadblock" that "undermines America's climate leadership." To convince the high court to temporarily halt the plan, opponents had to convince the justices that there was a "fair prospect" the court might strike down the rule. The court also had to consider whether denying a stay would cause irreparable harm to the states and utility companies affected. The unsigned, one-page order blocks the rules from taking effect while the legal fight plays out in the appeals court and during any further appeal to the Supreme Court, a process that easily could extend into 2017. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Independent voters propelled Donald Trump to victory Tuesday night in the New Hampshire Republican primary, according to exit polls. The Fox News exit polls show the billionaire businessman got 36 percent of the Independent vote, followed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich with 17 percent, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with 13 percent and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also with 13 percent, in the first-in-the nation primary. Fox News projected Trump the winner shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. ET. The first-time candidate, who led in polls before Tuesday nights voting, also benefitted from late-deciding voters. He and Kasich each got 21 percent of the late-deciders, compared to 13 percent each for Bush and Rubio, the exit polls show. Undeclared New Hampshire voters can vote in either party's primary. They made up roughly 44 percent of the electorate this year and were expected to be a late, deciding factor. Trump led Rubio and the rest of the GOP field by double digits going into Tuesday. His direct, get-tough campaign rhetoric has captured the interest of voters and potential voters since he vowed when declaring his candidacy this past summer to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to keep out drug dealers and other criminals. And the Fox exit polls reflect those angry with the federal government still favored Trump, a first-time candidate. He got 37 percent of that vote, compared to 17 percent for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, 12 percent for Rubio and 9 percent for Bush, according to the polls. Of the New Hampshire voters looking for their next president to have elected-office experience, most favored Kasich, also a former congressman. He got 25 percent of that vote, followed by Bush with 22 percent, Rubio with 19 percent and Cruz with 14 percent. Kasich and Bush had campaigned strongly in New Hampshire and hoped to have a good showing Tuesday night to keep alive their respective White House bids. Cruz won the Iowa Republican Caucus last week by appealing to evangelical Christian voters. However, just 23 percent of the New Hampshire electorate is evangelical, compared to 62 percent in Iowa, according to Fox polls. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie suspended his Republican presidential bid Wednesday afternoon, joining former HP executive Carly Fiorina in exiting the 2016 race after a disappointing finish in the New Hampshire primary. Sources say Christie met with staff in person Wednesday in Morristown, N.J., and also held a conference call to announce his decision to his campaign team. The announcement was widely expected, after the two-term governor returned home after his loss Tuesday night to weigh his options. Christie had finished sixth in the primary contest, while Fiorina finished seventh. In a statement on Facebook, Christie said, "I ran for president to say that the government needs to once again work for the people, not the people work for the government. And while running for president I tried to reinforce what I have always believed - that speaking your mind matters, that experience matters, that competence matters and that it will always matter in leading our nation. And so today, I leave the race without an ounce of regret." The decision to drop out immediately kicks off the race in the rest of the still-crowded GOP field to scoop up their support. And it marks the end of the 2016 road for two candidates who showed political promise earlier in the race only to watch their support fade as the elections themselves neared. Christie was banking on a solid performance in the New Hampshire contest, seen as more friendly territory for the Northeast governor who did poorly in Iowa. But even as he touted his executive experience, the other current and former governors in the race outflanked him Tuesday night. While the tough-talking Christie received widespread attention for his aggressive criticism of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at Saturdays debate, that spat seemed to hurt Rubio more than it helped Christie. Rubio finished fifth, but Christie ended up well behind the freshman senator, pulling just 7 percent in the state. His exit from the race completes a drastic turnaround in the governors political fortunes. In 2012, he delivered the keynote address at the Republican National Convention, after having gained national political fame for taking on the states public employee unions and his no-nonsense approach to governing. His periodic confrontations with hecklers captured on film also made him somewhat a YouTube star. But he was politically damaged by the scandal in his administration over subordinates blocking traffic on the George Washington Bridge, in a seeming act of political retribution against a local mayor. Christie has denied knowledge of the decision, but has struggled ever since to get out from under the cloud of controversy. His persona as the telling it like it is candidate also seemed to take a backseat last year to Donald Trump, who if anything was more brash, more unscripted, more confrontational than Christie. In the crowded field, he struggled to break through. For a time in late 2015, Christie looked like he could be in contention for second place in New Hampshire. He was devoting time and resources to the state, and gaining attention for his impassioned and personal remarks on drug addiction in a state where heroin addiction and treatment is a major election issue. But in the end, voters gravitated more toward Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who finished second Tuesday. Trump easily won the Republican contest, while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz finished third. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Rubio finished fourth and fifth, respectively, followed by Christie. Meanwhile, Fiorina, who was the only female GOP candidate in the 2016 running, called it quits Wednesday after failing to crack the top five in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night. While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them, Fiorina said in a written statement. She added, I will continue to serve in order to restore citizen government to this great nation so that together we may fulfill our potential. Fiorina entered the tumultuous Republican primary in April. She promoted herself as an outsider with business experience and argued that as the lone woman in the GOP field she was best positioned to oppose likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. After a standout performance in the first undercard debate, Fiorina rose to the mainstage and soared in the polls in the fall. But her momentum quickly stalled and by the end of the year she had dropped back down. Fiorina's first major foray in to politics was in 2010, when she ran for Senate in California and lost to incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer by 10 points. Throughout her presidential bid, Fiorina emphasized her meteoric rise in the business world. A Stanford University graduate, she started her career as a secretary, earned an MBA and worked her way up at AT&T to become a senior executive at the telecom giant. But she was also dogged by questions about her record at Hewlett-Packard, where she was hired as CEO in 1999. She was fired six years later, after leading a major merger with Compaq and laying off 30,000 workers. The Associated Press contributed to this report. San Diego officials have walked back a warning to city workers ahead of President's Day not to drop any F-bombs -- as in the phrase "Founding Fathers." The traditional reference to America's patriotic patriarchs was an example of "gender biased" language in a city manual, and the admonition not to use it was reinforced this week with verbal orders, according to legal watchdog group, Pacific Justice Institute. "We cannot allow this type of censorship and PC insanity to destroy our free speech. Brad Dacus, Pacific Justice Institute At a time set aside to honor American icons to whom we owe our constitutional freedoms, it is offensive and indefensible that the City of San Diego is directing employees not to even mention the Founding Fathers, Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, said in a statement provided to FoxNews.com. The warning against referring to Washington, Jefferson, Adams and company as "Founding Fathers" first appeared in a section of a city-issued manual titled, Bias-Free Language. Mayor Kevin Faulconer said in a tweet Wednesday that he put a stop to the matter as soon as he heard about it, ordering the passage removed and the manual scrubbed for any remaining similar examples. "Suggesting that our Founding Fathers should be referred to as "Founders" is political correctness run amok," Faulconer tweeted. "We are proud of our nation's history and there is nothing wrong with referring to the Founding Fathers." Dacus said any city employee who is disciplined for uttering the phrase can rely on his organization for help. The folly of the prohibition is so self-evident that we will offer to represent, at no charge, any city employee who is disciplined or admonished for invoking our Founding Fathers," he said. It won't happen, according to city spokeswoman Katie Keach. "No employee has ever been disciplined for referencing our founding fathers, and no one ever will, she said. Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich vowed Wednesday to stick to his moderate message, as he arrived in South Carolina drawing sizeable crowds following a strong second-place finish in New Hampshire. People told me that when I get to South Carolina, I gotta go real conservative, Kasich told an overflow crowd at a town hall event in downtown Charleston. But he said, I gotta go with what I think. Nearly 100 people, include many with a military background, filled the small second-floor office, challenging Kasich with such questions as how he would improve health care for veterans and help returning vets find jobs. Kasich argued that the agency must get rid of the bureaucracy that has created so many problems, but he stopped short of calling for privatization or closure. Government has to move into the 21st century, Kasich said. The event was the second of three on Wednesday in the Charleston area for Kasich. In the morning, he attended another town hall-type event at a pizza restaurant in Mount Pleasant. Kasich adviser Scott Milburn said requests to attend the event went from 60 to 300 after the New Hampshire GOP primary where Kasich placed second. Front-runner Donald Trump won the primary, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz placed third. Kasich invested much of his time and resources in New Hampshire, and whether his good showing there will translate into enough fundraising to keep his campaign going and whether his appeal extends beyond New Hampshire -- remains to be seen. You get close to winning and everybody shows up, he said Wednesday, before heading to a final event for the day in nearby Huger. I dont expect to get out. Im looking forward to the Deep South. I expect were going to be here for a long, long time. Hillary Clinton didnt just lose New Hampshire she got clobbered, losing to rival Bernie Sanders across virtually every demographic. Despite the campaigns attempt to downplay the defeat as long anticipated, the astonishing turnout for Sanders now raises serious questions about the former secretary of states appeal going into the next round of contests not just South Carolina, but Nevada and the many delegate-heavy states that vote in March. Republicans were all too eager to point out that the Democrats longtime front-runner has a problem on her hands. The word momentum is very important, and certainly, there's not a lot of momentum there, Donald Trump, the Republican winner Tuesday night, told Fox News. Whether Clinton is facing a 2008-level crisis remains to be seen. Democratic strategist Joe Trippi said the test for Sanders will be whether he can expand his support to black and Latino voters, or if New Hampshire was his high water mark. The Clinton campaign minces no words in suggesting that once states with a bigger minority population vote, Clinton will recover. The nomination will very likely be won in March, not February, and we believe that Hillary Clinton is well positioned to build a strong potentially insurmountable delegate lead next month, campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo Tuesday night, noting the electorates in the first two contests are largely rural/suburban and white. But Clinton, who won New Hampshire in 2008, still lost across virtually every voting group Tuesday including women, exit polls show. The exit polling showed Sanders won among women, 55-44 percent; among moderates, 58-39 percent; and among voters under 50 by a huge margin. Sanders won across voters of every education level and every income level except for those making over $200,000, among whom Clinton had the edge. The major demo won by Clinton Tuesday night was the over-65 bloc, which backed her 55-44 percent. Overall, Sanders won the state, 60-38 percent. Clinton still leads heavily in the polls in critical states like South Carolina and Florida, and its unclear whether Sanders will be able to transfer his momentum from the Northeast his home turf to the South. While non-Hispanic white residents make up more than 91 percent of the New Hampshire population, Census figures show they make up just 62 percent of the overall U.S. population meaning minority voters will be a bigger factor going forward. In New Hampshire, though, exit polls show Clinton only won the states small non-white demographic by a single percentage point. The exit polling data in the Granite State still holds troubling signs for the campaign. She lost big among voters looking for a candidate who is honest and trustworthy though won among voters whose priority in a candidate is experience. Its a factor Clinton is likely to hit hard in the days ahead, as she squares her foreign policy record at the State Department against Sanders whose main foreign policy resume item was his vote against the Iraq war, which he mentioned again at his victory rally Tuesday night. Tonight we serve notice to the political and economic establishment of this country, Sanders declared. Meanwhile, Clintons loss revives speculation about a possible campaign shake-up. The Clinton campaign had denied such reports before the New Hampshire vote. But while Clinton also told MSNBC on Monday she has no idea what theyre talking about or who they are talking to regarding the Politico piece, she did acknowledge her campaign is going to take stock." Reports indicate the campaign may be looking more to add staff -- rather than fire people. The Republicans, meanwhile, charge into South Carolina and Nevada with the race remaining tight and unpredictable. Trump scored a decisive win over the rest of the Republican field, recovering after his second-place finish last week in Iowa to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. But Ohio Gov. John Kasich, among the worst performers in Iowa, scored second in New Hampshire. And the race for third was tight, potentially giving every candidate in the top five a reason to keep running. Cruz was ultimately declared the third-place finisher by Wednesday, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. All three are indeed vowing to keep charging ahead. Bush told CBS News on Wednesday that the field will whittle down and he is a patient person. Cruz potentially heads to more friendly territory in South Carolina, looking to build on his Iowa win which was aided by the strength of the evangelical vote. And Rubio, who stumbled in a rocky debate performance Saturday, vowed to supporters Tuesday that hell keep fighting and a performance like that will never happen again. America's social fabric has been held together by a few simple rules: Don't swear in front of children, say 'thanks,' and don't pee in public. But in San Francisco, public urination is now being sanctioned by the government. The city's Dolores Park reopened in January, equipped with an open-air urinal following complaints that too few toilets were leading people to relieve themselves ... elsewhere. Though it was an attempt to make a gross situation just a little bit less so, some locals are not happy and one group is threatening to sue. This is a new low even for San Francisco. It is also blatantly illegal, Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute and a constitutional attorney, said in a statement. The PJI says the open-air urinal is costing taxpayers $15,000. The structure itself looks like a warped batting cage -- mesh-wiring and a white screen mounted into a semi-circular concrete block. The PJI , a conservative-leaning civil liberties nonprofit, has written to the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, calling the object offensive and illegal and threatening a lawsuit if the city does not remove it. The City has not even attempted to comply with its own ordinances, much less state or federal law. We intend to hold them accountable, Dacus said. In the letter, the group claims the drainage hole running to the sewer exposes locals to noxious odors, and the structure raises privacy issues. Not only are the privacy rights of those having to publically relieve themselves in the sewer hole abridged, but the privacy rights of individuals who happen to come upon the one urinating is also violated, the letter, dated Feb. 4, says. They also claim the area is discriminatory against women, as it is designed to be used by men and is consequently more difficult and less private for women to use. And hitting the ick factor, the group points out there is no facility for washing hands. Put simply the open hole place for urination is inconsistent with public health policy in relation to hygiene, the letter reads. Dacus told FoxNews.com they have not heard back from the city yet. We are not holding our breath for a change in direction but we are hopeful they will look at the law and be responsible for the people they are serving, Dacus said. Some residents have expressed support for the urinal. "Honestly, we were ready to go pee anywhere," San Francisco resident Aaron Cutler told KNTV when it was unveiled. "So any facility is better than none." Another issue is that like in many cities, public urination is illegal in San Francisco. In 2002, the city increased the possible fine for the offense up to $500 -- but that did little to deter it. Last summer, the city painted close to 30 walls with a repellant paint that makes urine spray back on the offender, San Francisco Public Works spokeswoman Rachel Gordon told The Associated Press. Solar-powered toilets roll through city streets several afternoons a week. And city crews have inspected 10,000 light posts to make sure they won't fall over from erosion, after a three-story-tall light post corroded by a likely mix of human and dog urine, and weighted down by a large banner, toppled. The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department did not respond to a request for comment from FoxNews.com. However, in a statement to the Associated Press, a spokeswoman said the move was part of a wider goal to reduce public urination. "Dolores Park has seen an exponential increase in the number of visitors, on a sunny Saturday it can host between 7,000 and 10,000 people. One of the goals of the renovation was to address the littering and public urination issues that were rampant at the park before the renovation," said San Francisco Recreation and Park Department spokeswoman Sarah Madland. Dacus was unconvinced. Public urination is bad enough; spending taxpayer money to promote it is indefensible, Dacus said. FoxNews.coms Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Rev. Al Sharpton says he met one-on-one with Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders Wednesday at a Harlem landmark, where they discussed issues that affect the African-American community around the country. Sharpton says, "I think it is very important that he sent the signal that on the morning after a historic victory...he would come to Harlem and have breakfast with me." Sharpton says the two men talked at Sylvia's Restaurant about affirmative action, police brutality and the water disaster in Flint. Sharpton adds that he and various heads of national civil rights organizations plan to meet with Clinton next week. He says he won't endorse a candidate until after that meeting with Clinton. Donald Trump pushed back on Wednesday at the New York Daily News latest attack, telling Fox News the newspaper would be closing soon and that the publisher is jealous as hell of him. On Wednesday, the newspaper touted Trumps win in Tuesdays New Hampshire Republican presidential primary as the Dawn of the Brain Dead. The cover featured an exaggerated image of Trump as an evil clown. Clown comes back to life with N.H. win as mindless zombies turn out in droves, the paper says in its subtitle, referring to voters in the Granite State. The billionaire businessman believes the attacks were motivated out of jealousy. The owner is a guy named Mort Zuckerman whos got a total inferiority complex and hes had [it] for years, Trump said. Hes jealous as hell because he would have loved to have done it himself. Trump also took the publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader to task for endorsing Republican rival New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for president. He is a bad guy, Trump told Fox News. He asked me for advertising for his newspaper and he wanted me to make speeches and he wanted me to do his debate which was just before the Fox debate the one where you drew 24 million people and I said I could not do it. Trump brushed off other reasons the New Hampshire paper endorsed Christie and continued to slam the paper and its management. Hes a bad publisher and his paper is going down the tubes. As for Christie, Trump said the New Jersey governor called him Tuesday night and the two spoke. He said he has no idea if Christie is getting out of the race but that ultimately, Id love to see Chris stay in. I think somebody like Jeb Bush has far less talent than Chris and hes still in, Trump said. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders scored decisive victories in Tuesdays New Hampshire primary as Ohio Gov. John Kasich surged into a second-place finish and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was fighting to stay in the race with Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush for third. After months of campaigning in the snow, the battle for the South now begins -- and the runners-up will be looking for new life, and in some cases survival, as the winners celebrate. We are going to make America great again, the victorious Trump told cheering supporters Tuesday night. We are going now to South Carolina. We are gonna win in South Carolina! Speaking on Fox News, he said Wednesday that the pro-Trump turnout was even higher than the polls predicted. I had these massive poll numbers but you never know if they're going to be real, he said. But they turned out to be real so that was a good feeling. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, though, is staying behind -- returning to his home state after a disappointing sixth-place finish with a mere 8 percent of the vote. He told supporters he planned to make a decision Wednesday on the way forward with the viability of his campaign now in serious doubt. The rest head to the Palmetto State, each facing a unique challenge: Trump aims to hold his front-runner status after cementing it in New Hampshire on the heels of his Iowa loss. Kasich, while getting a big boost out of Tuesdays contest, will look to demonstrate he can play beyond New Hampshire. And as Cruz and Bush look to build on their performance, Rubio is vowing to improve after a rocky debate seemingly disrupted his momentum. "That will never happen again," Rubio told supporters Tuesday, referring to his Saturday debate performance. On the Democratic side, meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is facing the prospect of losing her front-runner status if Sanders can close his polling gap in South Carolina and beyond. The Vermont senator voiced confidence at his victory rally Tuesday night. Tonight we serve notice to the political and economic establishment of this country, Sanders said. Now its on to Nevada, South Carolina and beyond. The Clinton campaign tried to cast the candidates primary loss in the best light, saying in a memo that the outcome was long expected and prospects for future victories remain very good. I want to say I still love New Hampshire and I always will, Clinton told supporters at a Tuesday night rally. Now we take this campaign to the entire country. We are going to fight for every vote in every state. For the winners of both contests Tuesday night, New Hampshire was a comeback after each came in second last week in Iowa. Trump won decisively, towering over the Republican field with 35 percent of the vote after 92 percent of precincts had reported results early Wednesday. Sanders was crushing Clinton 60-38 percent with 93 percent of precincts reporting in the Democratic race. Kasich clocked in second with about 16 percent, while the battle for third remained a fierce contest. With 12 percent of the vote, Texas Sen. Cruz had nudged ahead of former Florida Gov. Bush and Florida Sen. Rubio, who both had 11 percent. However, the margin between the three was still too narrow to project who would finish third, fourth and fifth in the Republican race. Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina finished seventh with 4 percent of the vote, while retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson finished eighth with 2 percent. For Kasich, his time in the state appeared to pay off and the second-place finish gives a major boost to his campaign, especially after he finished a distant eighth in Iowa last week. It also dealt a blow to Rubio, whose strong, third-place finish in Iowa eight days ago gave him momentum that lasted until Saturday, when Rubio stumbled in the debate amid withering attacks from Christie. The closeness of the race for third, fourth and fifth places still might end up prolonging the Republican nominating contest because it complicates the establishments efforts to coalesce around a single consensus candidate. Yet the person who tripped up Rubio in Saturdays debate, Christie, was mired in single digits in Tuesday's race, leaving him to weigh his options back home. Exit polls suggest Trump was aided in large part in the state by independents. They showed 36 percent of the states influential independents were backing Trump, leading the field among that bloc. On the Republican side, Trump led virtually every poll in the state in the run-up to the contest. And on the Democratic side, Clinton consistently trailed Sanders going into Tuesdays contest. But the margin of victory for both Sanders and Trump was substantial. Clinton herself has pushed back on reports that the campaign may be looking at a shake-up in the near future but the speculation is sure to mount following her Granite State loss. From here, the campaigns head next to Nevada and South Carolina, which hold the next two contests before Super Tuesday at the beginning of March. A new telescope view has revealed hundreds of galaxies that were previously obscured by the Milky Way's bulk. Scientists used an Australian radio telescope famous for assisting with the moon landings to peer through the gas and dust of the Milky Way, and uncovered 883 galaxies hidden behind it one-third of which were never observed before. You can see how the hidden galaxies were found in this video. This new view of the region could help explain something called the Great Attractor, which is a mysterious spot in the universe whose strong gravity pulls on the Milky Way and thousands of other galaxies with "the force equivalent to a million billion suns," researchers said in a statement. Scientists have known about the phenomenon since the 1970s. "The Milky Way is very beautiful, of course, and it's very interesting to study our own galaxy, but it completely blocks out the view of the more distant galaxies behind it," lead author Lister Staveley-Smith, director of science with the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) said in the statement. The new observations, made using the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Parkes Observatory, in Australia, found three new galaxy concentrations (NW1, NW2 and NW3) and two new clusters (CW1 and CW2). The researchers put a new, 21-centimeter (8.3 inches) multibeam receiver on the observatory that allowed it to map the sky 13 times faster than it had previously, officials said in the statement. Thus, they were able to pin down a region beyond the Milky Way that astronomers had wondered about for decades. Read more at Space.com Wild leopard cats may have been domesticated by farmers in China more than 5,000 years ago, according to a new study of feline fossils. These cats were of a different species than the ancestors of today's house cats, which suggests that at least in the early history of pets, humans may have had two different kinds of kitties keeping them company. Today's pet cats (Felis catus) descend from the wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) native to the Middle East and Southwest Asia. It's typically thought that humans and cats first got cozy in the Near East some 10,000 years ago, after the birth of agriculture. A cat was found buried in the same grave as a human at a 9,500-year-old Neolithic settlement in Cyprus. Cat burials nearly 8,000 years old have also been found at an elite cemetery in Hierakonpolis, in Egypt. [Here, Kitty, Kitty: 10 Facts for Cat Lovers] But recent discoveries of cat fossils in China have muddled that narrative. Cat bones have been unearthed at Neolithic sites; one such site was a village called Quanhucun. Some researchers have claimed these remains are evidence that cat domestication also occurred in northwest China independently, but it was not clear which species these cats belonged to. A group of researchers, led by Jean-Denis Vigne of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris, took a close look at five cat jawbones found at archaeological sites in China's Shaanxi and Henan provinces, dating from 3500 to 2900 B.C. They found that all five jawbones most closely resembled those of the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), a species that still lives in the region today. The analysis was published Jan. 22 in the journal PLOS ONE. The researchers suspect Asian leopard cats were probably domesticated by the same processes as wildcats in the Near East; the felines likely followed the rats that were drawn to the grain stores in early Chinese settlements. "That the cats turned out to be Asian leopard cats is not really a surprise," said Carlos Driscoll, a geneticist at the National Cancer Institute, who has studied cat genetics but was not involved in the new study. "Had the cats actually been F. silvestris the story would have been much more complicated, interesting and important. As it is, the paper is still important, but we know the end of the story even if we don't know the middle." The end of that story is that none of the cats that populate our homes and Internet videos today are the descendants of ancient Asian leopard cats. At some point, F. silvestris replaced the leopard cat as the pet of choice in China, but more research is needed to fill that gap in cat history. The earliest record of F. catus in China dates to the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618 to 907), the researchers said. But when did it arrive? Did the species, as a statement from CNRS suggests, head east along the Silk Road with traders traveling between the Roman and Han empires? Driscoll also raised the possibility that these cat fossils from China could have been a fluke, representing a group of wild animals that were tamed after a hunting expedition. "It could be that the cat with a broken femur was caught in a snare, broke it's leg, but was kept alive as a curiosity or a pet," Driscoll told Live Science. "This type of one-off taming is known to occur widely in early agricultural communities the world over. People just like interesting animals." Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. NASA has questioned whether a man was killed by a meteorite in India on Saturday, following multiple reports that the victim died after an object plunged to Earth from space. The Tamil Nadu government said that the meteorite crashed into an engineering college in Vellore in Southern India, killing one man and injuring three others, according to The Times of India. Citing witnesses, The Times of India reports that the meteorites blast left a crater 5 feet deep and 2 feet wide. Police recovered a black, pockmarked stone weighing 0.39 ounces, it said. Related: NASA will tackle asteroids with new Planetary Defense Office "Initial assessments, based on photos posted online, are not consistent with something from space," explained NASA, in a statement emailed to FoxNews.com. "Small meteorites do not start fires or cause explosions when they hit the ground." The space agency explained that it would take a meteorite "of at least several kilograms" to form a crater the size of what has been posted online in photos. "While more details may be forthcoming from local scientists, this is unlikely something from space," it added. Experts from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics on Tuesday examined the impact crater using metal detectors to check the site for the presence of metals and dug up the soil. Related: 100-foot asteroid to buzz Earth next month In an email to The New York Times, NASAs Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson explained that death by meteorite impact is so rare that one has never been confirmed in recorded history. There have been reports of injuries, but even those were extremely rare before the Chelyabinsk event three years ago, he said, citing the meteor that entered Earths atmosphere and exploded over Russia in 2013. NASA recently opened a new office to track asteroids and comets that come too close to Earth. The Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) formalizes the agencys existing program for detecting and tracking near-Earth Objects (NEOs). The office is located within NASAs Planetary Science Division, which is in the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "NASA places a high priority on finding and characterizing any potentially hazardous asteroids or other objects as much in advance as possible to have sufficient time to protect our home planet from an impact," explained the agency, in an email to FoxNews.com. "Over the past five years, the agency has increased by a factor of 10 our nation's investment in asteroid detection, characterization and mitigation activities." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Supporters of a World War II veteran started an online fundraising push to send him to Australia, so he could reunite with his wartime love in person, more than seven decades later. Norwood Thomas, 93, was all smiles as he spoke to 88-year-old Joyce Morris online over Skype last week. But they were thousands of miles apart; he was at home in Virginia Beach, and she sat at her computer in Australia. After the Virginian-Pilot published his story, Barbara Lee McDonald said the happy couple deserved a face-to-face meeting. She set up a GoFundMe page, seeking $25,000 for the trip. Thomas said he met his sweetheart in London months after he and the 101st Airborne Division landed at Normandy, and he fell in love. He sent her a letter after the war asking her to marry him, he told the newspaper. But Morris reportedly misunderstood the letter, and ended their relationship. More than 70 years later, they seemed thrilled to reconnect, and reminisced about his courtship. She said he would wink at other girls, telling him, You were such a scalawag, you. He replied, I did enjoy beauty... and I still do. "We can't sit by," McDonald wrote on her fundraising page. "We can't say it was a beautiful Skype date, best of luck to them. This story can not end here. These two beautiful people deserve after all this time to hold one another and reconnect." Norwood says he's concerned about his health. He's reportedly fighting prostate cancer, and wasn't sure about whether to accept donations. "I guess it's making people happy," he told the newspaper. An alibi witness who was never called, cell phone data that was misrepresented and other legal failures justify a new trial for Adnan Syed, his defense lawyer argued Tuesday, closing an unusual hearing prompted by a popular podcast that turned millions of listeners into armchair detectives. Deputy Attorney General Thiru Vignarajah countered that the evidence is "overwhelming" that Syed was properly convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1999 strangling death of his high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee. "This is not a popular position, but the state's role is to do justice," the prosecutor said, acknowledging the popularity of "Serial," a public radio podcast that extensively re-examined the long-closed case. Earlier Tuesday, defense attorney Justin Brown urged Judge Martin Welch to grant Syed a new trial. "We proved our case. We did exactly what we said we would. I believe we met our burden and that Mr. Syed deserves a new trial," Brown argued. He said cell tower data linking Syed to Lee's burial site was misleading because prosecutors presented it to jurors without a cover sheet warning that information about incoming calls was unreliable, and also withheld that information from Syed's trial attorneys. Moreover, Brown said Syed's trial lawyer was ineffective because she didn't contact Asia McClain, now Asia Chapman, an alibi witness who said she was with Syed at a public library during the time Lee was killed. "A mistake was made not to talk to an alibi witness who could have turned this trial around," Brown said, calling Chapman "earnest," ''compelling" and "extremely credible." Brown said, "If Mr. Syed was with Ms. McClain at the library on Jan. 12, 1999, he didn't kill Hae Min Lee. He couldn't have." Prosecutors dismissed the defense arguments, arguing that Syed wasn't convicted because of ineffective counsel or faulty evidence, but because "the evidence was overwhelming, and because he did it." Vignarajah said Syed's trial attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, put on a "passionate, vigorous defense," and "poured every ounce of her great talents into Mr. Syed." Syed himself said so, the prosecutor said, writing in a letter to the trial judge during his original proceedings that Gutierrez's "hard work, determination and belief in my innocence assures me I'm in the best hands." Vignarajah was to continue his arguments after a brief lunch break. A former business titan convicted in a notorious corporate fraud case is now board chairman of a nonprofit that helps ex-prisoners. The Fortune Society announced Tuesday that ex-Tyco International CEO L. Dennis Kozlowski was elected to the post. The group helps about 4,500 ex-prisoners re-enter society every year. Kozlowski and another Tyco executive were convicted in 2005 of looting the security systems company of $600 million. The trial featured headline-grabbing tales of lavish spending, including a $6,000 shower curtain. Prosecutors also detailed a $2 million toga party he threw on the Italian island of Sardinia in 2001 complete with an ice sculpture of Michelangelo's "David" urinating vodka. Kozlowski served 6 years behind bars. Kozlowski says he's humbled and inspired by those at the Fortune Society. The body of a 22-year-old California woman was discovered in the parking lot of a Salinas, Calif., Walmart last week and investigators said Tuesday that it appears her body went unnoticed for three months. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Lauren Jessie Moss was last seen alive on Nov. 13, 2015. Authorities blamed her cars dark-tinted windows, and a sunshade on the dashboard was one of the reasons it was difficult to spot someone inside. Authorities reviewed security cameras and discovered that the car was in the same parking spot since December. Her cause of death was not yet determined by a coroner, but Salinas police said her death was likely a suicide. The paper, citing a KSBW report, said Moss sister said she left behind a suicide note. A drug needle was also reportedly found in the car. A new pot dispensary in California announced Tuesday that it would offer free medical marijuana for cancer patients and veterans for life. Green Leaf Wellness, in Desert Hot Springs, is reportedly the only dispensary in the state that has a medical program that will offer that deal to patients. We cater to veterans. Because of our education, were capable of offering them relief from anxiety without that high feeling, Ian Armstrong, the president of the American Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, told KESQ.com. He said these patients and veterans deserve help. He said clients need to show a diagnosis or a DD214 from the military to qualify. The company intends to pay for the free medication by tapping into other lucrative business ventures. This guy knows how to write late notes like a Boss. An upstate dad chalked up his daughters tardiness at school Tuesday to attending a Bruce Springsteen concert the night before. New York father Patrick Pipino writes letter to excuse his daughter for being tardy to school. Great excuse to me!! pic.twitter.com/aDUqD9yJqs Jennifer Feldman (@jenniferfeldman) February 9, 2016 Patrick Pipino of Saratoga Springs took the honest route in pleading for Isabelle, 12, explaining that she attended the concert at The Times Union Center Monday night with her sister, Sarah, 7. Last night Isabelle was lucky enough to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Albany, and darned if he didnt play for three and a half hours, Pipino wrote in the note, which he posted on Facebook. This may not seem like a good excuse, but have you ever wondered how many kids would be late or miss school outright if God were to suddenly appear? Its something like that, he wrote. Click for more from The New York Post. Two sheriffs deputies were shot and killed Wednesday at a busy Maryland shopping center by a gunman who was also killed in the resulting shootout, authorities said. The identities of the deputies have not been released. The suspect, identified as 67-year-old David Evans, had outstanding warrants in two states for his arrest, including for assaulting an officer in Florida, officials said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. The second warrant was issued in Harford County, Maryland. Remarkably, no bystanders were hurt in the exchange of gunfire, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. The first shooting took place inside a Panera restaurant in a shopping center in Abingdon, which is about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore. Sophia Faulkner, 15, said she and her mother were getting lunch and almost sat right next to the gunman. Instead, they chose a booth about 10 feet away because the man appeared "sketchy" and disheveled. He was sitting in the back and hadn't ordered any food, Faulker and her mother said. A sheriff's deputy was called to the restaurant after a report about someone causing a problem. The deputy tried to talk to the man, who was apparently known to workers. The deputy sat down beside him, asked how he was doing and the man shot him in the head. The deputy later died at the hospital, officials said. "I saw him fall back out of his chair and the blood started coming out," Faulkner said. "I didn't know how to process it. My mom said, `What's going on?' and I said, `Get down, someone just got shot."' She said "everyone started screaming" after the gunshot and children -- out of school because of snowfall -- were running around. "I was freaking out so much and everybody was running to one side of the store. Families were huddling together. I didn't really know what was going on," she said. "You see this stuff online and in movies and on TV when it happens, but you never think you're going to go out to lunch one day with your mom and it's just going to happen." The gunman fled and witnesses gave officers a description and the direction he was headed, the sheriff said. After at least one deputy caught up with him, shots were exchanged, leaving the second deputy wounded and the suspect dead, the sheriff said. The second deputy later died at the hospital. "I saw two women and a child run from Panera to our back door. They were hysterical. They said they heard gunshots," said bartender Mike Davis, who was working at the Ocean City Brewing Co.'s Taphouse. "We locked the door and went to talk to a cop. The cop said not to let anyone in. Then, we heard more gunshots, `Pop, pop, pop, pop,' from down in the shopping center. It was hectic." The sheriff said investigators believe the person acted alone and there is no further threat to the community. "The restaurant was very full at lunchtime," Gahler said. "Thankfully, no one else was injured." The shopping center is called the Boulevard at Box Hill. It has a mix of shops, restaurants, a grocery store and a bank. Yellow tape blocked off the Panera and Taphouse restaurants, but people were coming and going freely at other businesses after the shooting. Click for more from Fox 45. Federal investigators have yet to access the contents of a cellphone that belonged to one of the shooters in the December attack at a Southern California health department building, according to FBI Director James Comey. Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee that data encryption has hampered the efforts of agents trying to get into the phone. Comey also noted that encryption technology is also hampering local law enforcement investigations into murders, car accidents and drug trafficking cases, according to Reuters. We still have one of those killers phones that we have not been able to open, he added. Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik opened fire at a health department Christmas party in San Bernardino and killed 14 county employees. Farook and Malk were killed hours later in a firefight with police. Comey and other federal officials have warned about the effects and challenges encryption pose to investigations. Officials have called for back door access to encrypted phones, but security experts warn that granting such access could threaten the security of the Internet and could expose copious amounts of data to potential hackers. The White House ended its push for legislation that would force American tech companies to allow investigators to infiltrate encryption protected items, according to Reuters. However, the struggles of investigators in the San Bernardino investigation and the Paris attacks have brought back door access arguments back to life. Companies are increasingly making devices such as cellphones with encryption that allows only the people communicating to read the messages. Comey says it's a big problem when law enforcement armed with a search warrant can't open a phone, even when a judge says there's probable cause to have it opened. North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein have said they would seek encryption legislation in the future. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from Reuters. A Florida man was arrested Monday and charged with assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill after allegedly throwing an alligator through a fast-food chains drive-thru window in October. Joshua James, 24, threw a 3.5 foot alligator through a Palm Beach County Wendys drive-thru window nearly four months ago, according to Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation officials. He was also charged with illegally possessing an alligator and petty theft. A report that James drove his pickup truck to the window at about 1:20 a.m. Oct. 11 was written by wildlife officer Nicholas Guerin. When an employee handed James his drink, he tossed an alligator through the window and sped off. No one was hurt and Guerin captured the alligator and released it into the wild. James was finally tracked down through video surveillance and a purchase at a neighboring convenience store. Guerin wrote James admitted to throwing the alligator in a December interview. He said James told him he had found the alligator on the side of the road and put it in his truck. The Palm Beach Post noted that James faces a third-degree felony charge for possessing the reptile. If he is convicted of that particular charge, he could face up to five years in prison. In James court appearance Tuesday, he was ordered to stay clear of all Wendys restaurants, to avoid possessing animals aside from his mothers dog, to undergo a mental health test and to refrain from possessing any weapons, according to WPTV. He was later released on $6,000 bond. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Authorities in Arizona arrested a former Catholic priest Tuesday in connection with the 1960 murder of a Texas schoolteacher. John Feit, 83, was arrested by Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies outside his apartment in Scottsdale, ABC 15 reported. He faces a murder charge in connection with the death of 25-year-old Irene Garza, of McAllen, Texas. Garza, a former beauty queen, was last seen going to confession on Easter Saturday, 1960. Her body was found several days later in an irrigation ditch about a mile away from Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where Feit served as a priest. An autopsy showed that Garza had been raped and bludgeoned to death. Feit was believed to have been the last person to see Garza alive, having heard her confession. He was questioned at the time of the woman's murder and denied any involvement. The Dallas Morning News reported that Feit was prosecuted on a charge of assault with intent to rape in connection with another incident earlier that year. However, the case resulted in a mistrial and he pleaded no contest to a charge of aggravated assault. Feit left the priesthood in the 1970s, married and settled in Arizona. Two priests came forward after the case was reopened in 2002, claiming that Feit had made incriminating remarks to them about the case. Then-Hidalgo County DA Rene Guerra said in 2003, that he did not find any evidence to warrant prosecuting Feit, despite the witnesses' claims. Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez told the Associated Press that he presented the case against Feit to a grand jury last week. No one had been arrested in Garza's murder prior to Tuesday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Fairfax County police say a man seeking medical attention for a self-inflicted gunshot wound fired at locked hospital doors, but no one else was hurt. Police spokesman Officer Don Gotthardt says the 53-year-old Loudoun County man approached a locked entrance at Reston Hospital Center around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday and fired a shot at the door, breaking the glass. Once inside, Gotthardt says the man approached staff, but when they tried to help, he fired another shot. No one was hit and security and staff convinced the man to put down the weapon. The man was taken to another hospital, but Gotthardt says his injuries aren't thought to be life-threatening. He says investigators will confer with prosecutors about whether to charge the man. The hospital has resumed normal operations. Tennessee officials said Tuesday that a hoverboard was to blame for destroying a $1 million home in January and leaving the family homeless. Nashville Fire Department Spokesman Brian Haas said the two teens who lived at the home heard a noise downstairs at 11:40 a.m. on Jan. 9. When teens rushed down to see what the noise was, their entire first floor was in flames. Haas said it was a hoverboard that burst into flames, which started the blaze. Brian Fox, the teens father, caught his 16-year-old daughter as she leapt from second floor to escape the flames, according to The Tennessean. Fox then rushed to get a ladder to help his 14-year-old son get out of the house from the second floor. The teens suffered only minor injuries. The Foxes have two other children, a 12-year-old and a 5-year-old, according to The Tennessean. The Fox family still in shock told reporters they couldnt believe a toy had destroyed their home, according to the paper. Brian Fox said wants others to know the dangers of the hoverboard, which he said seemed innocent at first. It was a hoverboard that destroyed out house, Brian Fox said. It started as just a toy. Haas said the fire destroyed the 4,000 square-foot home. The Tennessee State Fire Marshals Ofice said the blaze was first confirmed house fire that was caused by a hoverboard. A fire department investigation concluded that a FITURBO F1 hoverboard was to blame for the fire. A separate investigation revealed that friends of the Fox family had their FITURBO F1 caught fire near the hoverboards battery area. Fire officials reiterated to hoverboard owners that they must take the proper precautions in order to prevent another tragedy. If you do own a hoverboard, do not leave it unattended while charging, said State Fire Marshal Gary West. Do not leave it plugged into an outlet overnight. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating dozens of similar fires across the country which are believed to be caused by a hoverboard. The Nashville fire is among those being investigated. Click for more from The Tennessean. The coldest temperatures of the winter are expected for much of the United States over the Valentines Day weekend, bringing possibly record-breaking temperatures to the Northeast and subzero temperatures in parts of the Midwest. A southward dip of the polar jet stream, bringing cold air from the Canadian Arctic, is being blamed for the plummeting temperatures that could affect states from California to South Carolina. The cold front is expected to arrive on Friday and continue through Valentine's Day. The cold front is expected to move out relatively quickly, with temperatures expected to warm up on Monday. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service forecast scattered and localized heavy snow showers in Southern New England on Wednesday that could drop another 4 inches of snow, but are more likely to leave behind an inch or so. Following predictions of up to 18 inches in some parts of New England, the totals for the hardest hit areas by the time the snow ended Tuesday morning were: 11 inches in Falmouth, Mass., and 10 inches in nearby Yarmouth. New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania got much less snow than was originally forecast, but some accumulation was predicted as the storm was expected to last into Wednesday. Predicted snowfall totals for southeastern Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey were downgraded to 1 to 3 inches, although a winter storm warning remained in place for parts of Philadelphia's western suburbs, where up to 5 inches was possible. Parts of western Pennsylvania and West Virginia could get more than 6 inches of snow. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The hunt for a 3-year-old who disappeared from his grandfather's eastern Missouri home wearing only a diaper reached a grim conclusion Wednesday when the child's body turned up in a van nearly a mile away, investigators announced. Titus Greyson Tackett had vanished from the home in Irontown sometime after midnight Tuesday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The van was on a neighbor's property roughly a mile from the home, according to investigators. They said they believe the child crawled into the van for shelter but died from exposure to the frigid weather. Still, they did not entirely rule out foul play. Temperatures hovered around 14 degrees at 4 a.m. The sheriff from Iron County told The Dispatch Wednesday morning that dogs from the states correction department were sent to the area and about 50 people gathered to help with a ground search. Police said they would order an autopsy. A southern New Jersey man has been found guilty of stabbing his downstairs neighbor to death in a dispute over pet birds. Camden County prosecutors say 65-year-old David Giordano was convicted on Monday of aggravated manslaughter in the June 2012 slaying of 52-year-old Michael Taylor. The Voorhees Township man had been Taylor's upstairs neighbor. Prosecutors say Giordano poured water on Taylor's pet birds because they were chirping too loudly. The birds had been kept on Taylor's porch. Giordano then repeatedly stabbed Taylor with a knife when Taylor confronted him. Taylor died from his injuries at a hospital nearly three weeks later. Giordano is expected to be sentenced next month. He faces 15 to 30 years in state prison. The Senate is considering legislation to hit North Korea with more stringent sanctions. The bill that senators are scheduled to vote on Wednesday comes in the wake of Pyongyang's satellite launch a few days ago and technical advances U.S. intelligence agencies say the reclusive Asian nation is making in its nuclear weapons program. The bill's backers say it targets North Korea's ability to access the money it needs for developing miniaturized nuclear warheads and the long-range missiles to deliver them. That's according to the legislation's backers. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says North Korea's "belligerence" can't be ignored. The House overwhelmingly approved a similar measure last month. There is strong bipartisan support in the Senate for the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act. The father of a 13-year-old girl who police say was slain by a Virginia Tech student said he found out about his daughter's death on TV, and questioned whether the tragedy could have been avoided if he had been more a part of her life. During an episode of "Dr. Phil" that aired Wednesday, David Lovell told host Phil McGraw that police have not explained a possible motive for Nicole Lovell's death. He said he had raised concerns about his daughter's online conversations with older men, but partially blames himself for not putting an end to it. "If I would've been there, maybe she wouldn't have went looking for acceptance from older guys," said Lovell, who gripped a stuffed panda bear and wore a blue ribbon on his jacket in his daughter's memory throughout the hourlong episode. "There's regrets that I have that I'll never get over." David Eisenhauer, 18, has been charged with abduction and first-degree murder. Another Virginia Tech student, 19-year-old Natalie Keepers, is charged with accessory before and after the fact and with illegally dumping Nicole's body just across the state line in North Carolina. Authorities say Nicole was stabbed, but have not provided clues as to a motive. A neighbor told The Associated Press recently that Nicole told 8-year-old friends before she vanished from her mother's home that she planned to sneak out to meet her 18-year-old "boyfriend," a man she said was named David. A friend and classmate was quoted by The Washington Post as saying that Nicole had talked about running away and starting a family with Eisenhauer. When shown a picture of Eisenhauer, David Lovell told MGraw that it's difficult to look at the man's face. "I would like to get locked up in the same cell with him," he said. "I'm pretty sure I could get answers out of him. He took my little girl." Lovell said authorities forgot to tell him before they told reporters that his missing daughter had been found dead. But he did not blame officials, saying it was "a screw-up" and that they apologized for the oversight. Neither the spokesman for the Blacksburg Police Department nor an attorney for Keepers immediately responded to an email seeking comment on Wednesday. An attorney for David Eisenhauer said in an email this week that he is not commenting on the case. David Lovell pledged to make it his mission to ensure that parents know the dangers of social media. He said he found out about his daughter's conversations with men online before Christmas and her phone was taken away, but she later got it back. He said he wishes he could have done more. "I wasn't there for her when she needed me," he said, his voice quivering and tears in his eyes. "There's no way to roll back the time." Federal authorities said Tuesday a Texas couple forced a Nigerian woman to work for them without pay during a two-year period in which she was physically and verbally abused, made to work nearly 20 hours per day and told to sleep on the floor. The 38-year-old nanny, whose name wasnt revealed in the criminal complaint, told investigators she was promised $100 per month to work at the home in Cinco Ranch but was never paid. Chudy and Sandra Nsobundu allegedly held the woman hostage, taking away her passport so she was unable to leave the country. "She regularly endured physical and verbal abuse and was not treated like a human being," the criminal complaint said. According to The Houston Chronicle, the woman is not married and has no children. She also wasnt allowed to talk to her family members, according to the complaint. The Nsobundus were arrested Monday on charges of forced labor, withholding documents, conspiracy to harbor an illegal immigrant and visa fraud. Sandra Nsobundu, 50, was granted an unsecured bond and Chudy Nsobundu, 56, was granted a $5,000 bond. The couple faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Ruben Perez, one of the federal prosecutors handling the case, said after Sandra Nsobundu's hearing that the nanny was "enslaved" by her employers. Perez said cases in which immigrants and others are forced to work in homes in harsh conditions as nannies or caretakers are more common than people think. "We know they are out there. When it comes to our attention we'll act on them," he said. The nanny was living in Lagos, Nigeria before she started to live with the Nsobundus in September 2013. The Nsobundus are naturalized U.S. citizens originally from Nigeria. The complaint said the nanny would work every day from 5:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., couldn't take breaks and had to eat leftovers and not fresh food, including being forced to only drink milk left in bowls in which the children had eaten cereal. She also couldn't take hot showers, according to the complaint. The nanny alleged Sandra Nsobundu repeatedly hit her if she thought the woman wasn't doing her job correctly. The complaint said Sandra Nsobundu is accused of once striking the nanny across the face with a slipper and threatening to "shoot her and kill her" after not liking the socks the woman had put on one of the younger children. After the nanny found out that she hadn't been paid in two years, she reached out for help and was rescued last October following a tip to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, the complaint said. It's not clear who made the tip. The Associated Press contributed to this report. New Hampshire was one for the record books. Record turnout propelled Donald Trump to a substantial win among the Republicans getting more than 35%. Kasich with a strong showing at #2 with 16%. Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, and Marco Rubio each got about 11%. Chris Christies attacks on Rubio may have dented Rubio in New Hampshire, but it didnt get him enough support in return. Hes reportedly headed home to New Jersey to figure out his next move. Carly Fiorina also polled badly, but insists shes staying in the race. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton got stomped by the self-described socialist Bernie Sanders. Sanders got 60% to Clintons 38%. Ouch. Dan Balz in the Washington Post today writing, Trump and Sanders were the big winners in New Hampshire on Tuesday night, a moment of triumph for a pair of candidates who have tapped anti-establishment anger and energy across the political spectrum. Everything that shaped the politics of 2015 came together to produce a seismic result, even though the contours of the finish had been forecast by months of polling. Philip Rucker and Robert Costa write in the Washington Post today, New Hampshire, the initial primary of the election year, could jolt the chaotic 2016 race by reinvigorating the flagging candidacies of Kasich and Bush and delaying the winnowing of the establishment contenders. John Wagner and Anne Gearan write in the Washington Post today, Sen. Bernie Sanders scored a decisive victory in Tuesday's New Hampshire presidential primary, embarrassing Hillary Clinton in a state she won eight years ago and upending the Democratic nominating contest. Trip Gabriel writes in the New York Times, With Donald J. Trump's decisive victory in New Hampshire and no strong runner-up among a pack of also-rans, the Republican race barreled into South Carolina on Wednesday shadowed by a question: whether any alternative candidate can gain enough support to threaten Mr. Trump's drive to the nomination. Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, the second-place finisher in New Hampshire with less than half the support of Mr. Trump, arrives in this more conservative Southern state where he has little staff or support. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, resuming an effort here to enlist the Christian right, the key to his victory in Iowa, faces a playing field where evangelical voters are far less monolithic. And former Gov. Jeb Bush, buoyed by outperforming his Florida rival Senator Marco Rubio, has a chance to open more daylight -- but it is unclear if it will be enough to inspire establishment-leaning Republicans to coalesce behind him. Several campaign events well be monitoring for news. TBA EST -- Sen Sanders has breakfast with Al Sharpton. Harlem, NYC. LIVE STAKEOUT via LiveU 1115EST -- Fmr FL Gov Jeb Bush holds a rally. The Pavillion, Bluffton, SC. LIVE via LiveU 1130EST -- Sen Cruz holds a rally. Ground Zero, Myrtle Beach, SC. LIVE via LiveU 1200EST -- OH Gov Kasich holds a town hall meeting. Finn's Brick Oven, Mt. Pleasant, SC. LIVE via LiveU 1200EST -- Sen Rubio holds a rally. Spartanburg Marriott, Spartanburg, SC. LIVE via LiveU The next contests are in South Carolina and Nevada. The Clinton campaign insists it will perform better in both states as it makes a push to shore up support among minority voters specifically African Americans. The U.S. Senate is expected to vote today on more sanctions against North Korea after it successfully put an object in space using technology that could be used to target the United States with nuclear weapons. Japan announced new sanctions today. South Korea has pulled out of a manufacturing zone it runs with North Korea. The U.N. says North Korea continues to evade sanctions already in place. Its believed the North Koreans could soon test another nuclear device. Congress also working feverishly on new measures targeting Iran after President Obama signed a nuclear deal with Iran. This week alone, there are five separate committee meetings that are studying Iran and its terror ties, and weapons ambitions, and compliance with the nuclear deal terms. Syria continues to deteriorate. There was a hearing yesterday with U.S. intel officials who testified about the Russian involvement in shoring up dictator Bashir Assad. The Washington Posts Greg Miller writes today, Russian military intervention in Syria has turned the course of that country's civil war against U.S.-backed rebel groups, increasing the likelihood that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his loyalists will remain in power, U.S. intelligence officials testified Tuesday. The assessment amounts to an acknowledgment by U.S. spy agencies that Russian airstrikes have derailed the Obama administration's aims of pushing Assad aside as part of a political settlement to the nearly five-year old conflict. Theres also a hearing today on fighting ISIS. Catherine Herridge is monitoring. President Obama set to return to Illinoiss state house today. Hell give a speech at the Old State Capitol in Springfield.. the place where nine years ago today he announced he was running for President. The House Financial Services Committee will hear from Fed chair Janet Yellen today as the world economy is wobbling and stocks are falling. A heat wave in the middle of Winter for California. There had been progress this year toward easing the severe drought, but an extremely hot and dry February putting a damper on the celebrations. Southern California is baking under temperatures in the 80s and 90s. Northern California also dry and much warmer than usual. Meanwhile on the East Coast, temperatures are plunging with parts of the Northeast to fall below zero this week. For more news, follow me on Twitter: @ClintPHenderson The medical director of the District of Columbias fire department resigned Tuesday, but not before taking the opportunity to rip the mayor in a scathing letter that calls into question her ability to properly reform one of the nations worst emergency response time. People are dying needlessly because we are moving too slow, Dr. Jullette Saussy said in a letter, which was shared with the Associated Press. The fire department in the nations capital has a poor reputation for providing timely emergency care. Saussy said in the letter that a man died of a stab wound that he couldve survived if he hadnt waited 18 minutes for an ambulance. The Associated Press reported in 2013 that the department was trying to make do with less than half the paramedics employed by departments with similar call volumes. The city has also struggled to dispatch calls in a timely matter. Last years incident on the DC Metro which killed one passenger when smoke filled a subway train it took five minutes for the first firefighters to be dispatched to the scene. Also, a 1-year-old died after choking on a grape when the nearest ambulance wasnt sent to the scene. The death of the 35-year-old man who was stabbed last month was just one of many that have not been scrutinized by the public, Saussy said in her letter, dated Jan. 29. "Tragically, people die needlessly quite frequently, and the majority of them don't make the news," she said. Saussy submitted her resignation after less than seven months on the job, saying her efforts to reform the department had been stymied. She said the departments culture is highly toxic to the delivery of any semblance of quality pre-hospital care. Mayor Muriel Bowser has recognized the need for change. But Michael Czin, a Bowser spokesman, told the Associated Press that Saussys claims were largely inaccurate. Bowser hired Gregory Dean as chief. Dean spent 10 years as chief of Seattle's fire department, which is recognized as a national leader in emergency medical care. The Washington Post noted that Dean has major support in Seattle from the firefighters union and has escaped criticism when firefighters were dispatched to a call for a man dying of a heart attack but went to the wrong address. The mayor pushed through a proposal to supplement the city's overworked ambulance fleet with private ambulances to handle low-priority calls. Saussy said that plan "is as unlikely to fix the situation as placing a Band-Aid on a gushing artery." But administration officials say the private ambulances are just part of a multipronged approach to reforming the department, including better training for firefighters to handle medical emergencies. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A team of West Point cadets has found a better use for social media than posting selfies and 140-character witticisms: going undercover and online to steer young Muslims away from terrorist recruiters. The cadets crafted an online strategy to stem the flow of disaffected young people to Islamic State as an entry in an international contest sponsored by a group of federal agencies and tech companies. Unlike the competing teams from universities all over the world, the West Point contingent, which took second place, worked undercover. We post after Friday prayer, when many people would be home and at their computers. Cadet C.J. Drew Since our website was targeting what we called fence-sitters, I think if individuals who visited our social media platforms knew that they were being produced by anyone in the U.S. government, then the site would lose credibility, Lt. Col. Bryan Price, director of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, told FoxNews.com in an email. Under Prices direction, the team designed a recruiting strategy of its own, in which members go into chatrooms and websites where potential targets gather, engage and guide them toward websites and Twitter pages containing moderate Muslim voices. Those sites include a website, Facebook page and Twitter account the team created, which remain in effect and secret even now that the contest is over. We post after Friday prayer, when many people would be home and at their computers, Cadet C.J. Drew told Christian Headlines. The campaign was part of the Peer to Peer [P2P]: Challenging Extremism initiative, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Facebook and EdVenture Partners and hosted by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The task was to use digital tools to counter violent extremist narratives and reach those most likely to get sucked in by the dark vision. One of the U.S. Governments highest priorities is preventing and challenging violent extremism, and we realize we cannot do this alone, said Evan Ryan, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs. We need civil society, in particular students like those involved in this initiative. West Point competed against 44 other U.S. and international universitiesmore than 900 students in alland received a scholarship of $3,000 for placing second. Team members include Austin Montgomery, Brittany Scofield, C.J. Drew, Jordan Isham and David Weinmann, and the project will be passed on to a new class of cadets when the graduate. While two of the cadets involved with the project have studied Arabic, they turned to fellow cadets of the Muslim faith for help identifying and understanding ISIS target audience, cadets told Religion News. Interviewing psychologists helped them determine which colors to use on their Facebook page. They found that green and black would be effective colors to use; green because of its sacred nature in the religion of Islam and black because it is a commonly worn color among terrorists groups. In two months, the cadets Facebook page gained more than 900,000 users in more than 25 countries, according to Christian Headlines. The first-place winner was Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan, while the bronze went to Universita della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, Switzerland. Each group was given a $2,000 budget and a semester-long timeframe to complete their projects. The basic instructions were to create an effective online campaign to stem digital radicalization. The fact that West Points project continues is testament to its effectiveness, and importance. These students are helping us reach those who are most vulnerable to extremist recruiting, said Ryan. A recent survey by the National Sleep Foundation found that 23 percent of married couples routinely sleep in separate beds. Thats up from just 12 percent in 2001. Its become such a trend that the National Association of Homebuilders says they soon expect most new homes they build will have two master bedrooms. Wait, just a minute! Before we go on and consider what this might do to the institution of marriage, lets get the caveats out of the way. Were fat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than a third of Americans are obese. With obesity comes related problems, including snoring and sleep apnea. In cases where theres a health issue (we will assume our chunky friends are seriously considering salad, as Tony Soprano once put it), separate bedrooms can mean a healthy night of sleep for both couples. Were OK with that, but once the pounds are off, well, move it on over. But if youre sleeping away from your spouse because you want Fido or Fluffy with you, or because you want to make sure your precious snowflake kids feel loved, we arent buying it. Even worse, if you feel obliged to head to the other room to catch just one more "X-Files" rerun, youre doing damage to yourself and, more importantly, to your relationship. The bedroom has to be sacred space where married couples share everything. The research is clear that couples who dont share a bed are far less communicative than partners who sleep together. Thats bad because the best of couples highly committed, highly communicative couples carry some resentment, and even some hostility toward one another. Be wary of falling into the trap of thinking that the sign of a healthy relationship is lack of conflict. Healthy relationships have all kinds of conflict, but couples resolve them together. The hard work of any relationship (and it's harder with kids) has to be done, side by side, head to head, and sometimes with both noses to the grindstone. Its that togetherness and shared pain that creates the unbreakable bond. Plus, when there are kids involved, the bed may be the only place where you can lay across from each other and really talk (but make it quick, because one common denominator of modern parenting is exhaustion). Barton Goldsmith, writing in Psychology Today, says there are other intangible benefits to sharing a bed. "I believe we do exchange some kind of energy with the person we are sleeping with, and sometimes it can be quite powerful and wonderful. When you dont get the chance to experience that, you will feel that something is missing in your love life," he said. That may sound "new-agey," and Barton acknowledges that. But he's right. Think also about the kids. Everything they learn about relationships, they learn from you. What does it say to them when mom and dad cant even spend a night in the same room? Sharing a bed has always been one of the best things about being married. After years of courting, for instance, we all remember that first time we said goodnight to the in-laws and headed off to the same room. Back in the 1960s and 70s, the parents bedroom was off-limits. No kids slept in there. No playing was allowed. Mom and dad's bedroom was sacred ground. It might as well have been El Dorado for as much as the kids saw it. Today, with the onset of "attachment parenting," young kids can sometimes be found in the parental boudoir a couple of nights a week. And with the rise of technology, sometimes whole families can be found snuggling up together in the master for movie night. But the master must still be the prime place for privacy and intimacy for mom and dad. In the original "Ghostbusters" movie, Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) visits Dana Barretts (Sigourney Weaver) apartment to do some ghost hunting. He wanders the house and says, "Whats through there?" "Thats the bedroom," she says, "but nothings ever happened in there." A deadpan Bill Murray says What. A. Crime!" Hit the sack together, banish electronics, talk about whats necessary to both partners getting a good nights sleep, and make some compromises. Clean the room and make the bed. Turn your bedroom into the sacred space it should be and chances are itll be the one place where all kinds of magic happens. More from LifeZette.com: Dont Be Hamstrung by Crippling College Debt 7 Surefire Ways to Her Heart: These Valentines Day gifts could save a woman's life Grandmother vs. Grandmother: A Shocking Rivalry 10 Significant Lenten Promises A man repeatedly stabbed his girlfriend and all three of her children Wednesday morning at a hotel that was being used for homeless housing, killing her and two of her daughters, authorities said. Rebecca Cutler, 28, died at a hospital along with two of her daughters, a 1-year-old and 5-month-old, following the early morning stabbing at a Ramada Inn on Staten Island, authorities said. A 2-year-old girl who was also stabbed is in critical but stable condition following emergency surgery, they said. "This is an atrocious crime, and I think every parent would share my view that our hearts break when we see innocent children attacked," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference. Michael Sykes, 23, the father of the 5-month-old, is wanted for questioning after he called his mother to say he had killed his girlfriend and was going to kill himself, officials said. Nobody apparently heard or saw what happened, but hotel surveillance video shows Sykes entering Cutler's hotel room just before 9 a.m. and leaving four minutes later, said Robert Boyce, chief of detectives for the New York Police Department. Police are still searching for Sykes, who is seen on surveillance video taking a bus to the Staten Island Ferry, Boyce said. A housekeeper found the injured family and called police, who discovered a black-handled bloody kitchen knife nearby, Boyce said. Cutler's shocked aunt said she last saw Cutler and Sykes on Monday night when they picked up the children from her Brooklyn home. "She was doing great," Helen Mathis said. Mathis said she had no knowledge of any domestic disputes between her niece and Sykes. But authorities said a domestic incident report was filed with police Tuesday after Sykes was accused of stealing Cutler's phone, claiming she was contacting another man. Officials said there was no history of domestic violence between Cutler and Sykes. Cutler was placed in the hotel by the Department of Homeless Services on Dec. 6, de Blasio said. About 2,600 homeless New Yorkers, including 637 children, stay in 41 hotels citywide for an average of about two weeks while officials determine whether they can be placed more permanently in other city facilities, officials said. Contact information for Sykes and his family members wasn't immediately available. Try explaining this to an insurance company. A Russian man watched in disbelief as a utility vehicle ended up tearing the rear axle out of his car after it got stuck in a sinkhole outside of Moscow, Jalopnik reports. Vladislav Rybin, the owner of the Fiat, said the car fell through the ground in a sinkhole caused by a busted sewer line in Zhukovsky. A few public utilities vehicles from the Ministry for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters managed to pull the car free, but left it in worse shape than it was to begin with. Rybin is seeking compensation from the Ministry, according to 360 TV. Watch out for falling mice bridges! A busy road in Wales was closed this week after a $275,000 bridge built to allow mice to safely cross to the other side collapsed in a storm, according to the South Wales Evening Post. The protective netting around the bridge in Church Village, near Pontypridd, fell and officials closed the road for more than two hours for health and safety reasons. The bridge was built in 2010 amid skepticism from critics who accused local officials of wasting taxpayers money to protect local ecology. "Dormice are threatened, hence the highest level of protection afforded to them via the EU Habitats Directive and the special treatment required in this instance, a spokesman for the Countryside Council Wales told the South Wales Evening Post. Authorities are investigating the extent of the damage to the bridge before repairs take place. Soon, the critters will be on their way. Click for more from the South Wales Evening Post. Tensions between the U.S. and Turkey over Washingtons support for Kurdish fighters in Syriaviewed as terrorists by Ankarasharpened Tuesday when Turkish officials demanded a meeting with the American ambassador. The Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador John Bass to a meeting in Ankara after the State Department said publicly Monday it doesnt consider the Syrian Kurds to be terrorists. Turkey deems the Democratic Union Party, known by its Kurdish acronym PYD, to be a terrorist group as an offshoot of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. While the U.S., like Turkey, classifies the PKK as a terror group, it has lauded the Syrian PYD as an effective organization in countering Islamic State militants. Tensions over that difference in views have been building for months. On Monday, State Department spokesman John Kirby said at a news briefing in Washington that the U.S. doesnt consider the PYD to be terrorist. We dont, as you know, recognize the PYD as a terrorist organization. We recognize that the Turks do, and I understand that, Mr. Kirby said. The Foreign Ministry called in Mr. Bass after those remarks to express the governments displeasure, Turkish media reported. The State Department confirmed the meeting took place, but declined to describe the tone or subject of the meeting. The support the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State has voiced for the PYD and other groups closely associated with the PKK has been an irritant in the U.S.-Turkey relationship over the past several months. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week harshly criticized Brett McGurk, a presidential envoy in matters involving Islamic State, for photos showing him with a PYD commander widely believed to be a former member of the PKK. Mr. Erdogan told reporters on his presidential plane in remarks published last week that the dispute undermined Turkish confidence in the U.S. How can we trust [you]? he said. Is it me that is your partner, or is it the terrorists in Kobani? In Washington on Tuesday, Mr. Kirby reaffirmed the U.S. position on both the PYD and PKK, adding officials were talking to Turkish counterparts about their differences. Click for more from The Wall Street Journal. Turkey's leaders lashed out Wednesday at the United Nations and others who are pressing the country to open its border to thousands more Syrian refugees, accusing them of failing to shoulder the refugee burden or stop the Russian bombings that have triggered the exodus. The civil war in Syria has killed more than 250,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes since it began in 2011. In recent days, a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive around the city of Aleppo has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border. Turkey has taken in some 3 million refugees -- including more than 2.6 million Syrians -- making it the country with the world's largest refugee population. Turkey has not, however, allowed the latest wave of refugees in, providing them instead with assistance at displaced persons camps on the Syrian side of the border. That prompted the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, on Tuesday to call on Turkey to admit "all civilians who are fleeing danger and seeking international protection." At a news conference Wednesday with his Dutch counterpart in The Hague, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the U.N. Security Council and the international community "two-faced" for demanding that Turkey open its borders while not moving "a finger to solve the Syrian crisis" or to stop the Russian bombings. Davutoglu also said the Syrian and Russian military operations were an attempt to drive out people who don't support the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. By taking in the refugees that have fled Aleppo, he said Turkey would be indirectly contributing to what he called Syria's "ethnic cleansing." "With every refugee that we accept, in a way, we would be contributing to this ethnic cleansing aim," Davutoglu said. "If this is a strategy to change the demography in Syria, then we all have to be vigilant against it." In Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the U.N. had sent $455 million to Turkey to help with refugees compared to the $10 billion that Turkey had spent on the refugees since 2011. "What does the U.N. say? `Open your border to the refugees.' What are you for then? What is your use?" Erdogan asked. "We have taken 3 million Syrians and Iraqis into our home until now. How many did you take?" Turkey's Oncupinar border crossing, opposite the Bab al-Salameh gate in Syria, has been closed since Friday, with only ambulances and aid trucks being allowed to cross. The governor of the border province of Kilis, Suleyman Tapsiz, said Turkey had allowed in 12 Syrians who were seriously injured in the Russian and Syrian bombings near the town of Tel Rifaat in northern Syria. One of them died while the others were in stable condition, he told NTV television. The governor denied accusations that Turkey had closed its border to the refugees, insisting instead that it had chosen to assist the new arrivals at the displaced peoples' camps just across the border, but would admit them if the need arises later. "Our doors are not shut," Tapsiz said. "There is no need to take them in because all of their needs are being taken care of." Tapsiz acknowledged that conditions on the other side of the border were "difficult," but said the camps were constantly being improved and new ones were under construction. Davutoglu on Wednesday also warned of a looming humanitarian disaster after Russian and Syrian military operations closed a vital humanitarian aid corridor between Turkey and Aleppo. "The corridor has been closed because of the attacks of these barbaric forces," Davutoglu said. "If this corridor is not opened, hundreds of thousands of Syrians who don't have the opportunity to reach Turkey face hunger." Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said his country appreciated the "very careful way of working Turkey chooses to prevent an uncontrolled entry" of refugees from Syria. He said the Netherlands and Germany had offered to help the refugees on the Turkish side of the border. "Finger-pointing serves no purpose," he said. "I believe that Turkey has a sensible policy here." Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday that about 23,000 new arrivals fleeing the fighting in Aleppo were in urgent need of emergency shelter and support near the border with Turkey. It said it had increased the number of hospital beds in the Azaz district from 28 to 36 and was preparing to expand if needed. The group says it has distributed hundreds of blankets, tents, mattresses and other supplies. Meanwhile, Turkey's state-run agency Anadolu Agency said military officials detained a group of 34 people at the border with Syria and seized luggage containing four suicide vests and explosives. Citing unnamed security sources, Anadolu said four men, 10 women and 20 children were stopped near the town of Oguzeli in Gaziantep province. Anadolu said security forces had acted on a tip about plans to smuggle explosives across the border. The luggage contained up to 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of explosives. The report didn't say whether authorities believe the group may be linked to Islamic State extremists. The widow of celebrated Swiss-French chef Benoit Violier says in a published interview that she has no explanation for his apparent suicide, sharply denying allegations that financial troubles were to blame. Brigitte Violier explained her decision along with restaurant investors and executives to reopen the three-star Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in the town of Crissier, near Lausanne, less than two days after her husband died Jan. 31 of what police called a likely self-inflicted gunshot. In an interview published Wednesday in Swiss newspaper L'Illustre, Violier said neither she nor friends had noticed any strange behavior from the chef before his death, adding, "There's no rational explanation." She called "100 percent false" a report by magazine Bilan that the chef had become ensnared in a financial swindle involving rare wines. Important Cookie Information We collect information from our users this is for administration and contact purposes in connection with contributions you may wish to make to the site or your use of certain site features such as newsletter subscriptions and property enquiries. In 2011, RPM Pizza (the largest U.S. franchisee of Domino's Pizza) made major improvements in its speed-of-delivery service by improving its percentage of on-time pizza deliveries by 17 percent. However, according to an independent third-party mystery shopper survey, RPM ranked last among its major competitors in hospitality--demonstrating how a company can get overly focused on one component of their business while letting other key components slip away. So in 2012 RPM committed to changing its culture from being solely an operationally excellent organization, which they called being "Brilliant at the Basics," to also being known for being a world-class hospitality company. They started by creating a "day in the life of a customer" video, to teach their employees to view things from the customer's perspective. Remember, many employees have never been their own customer, have never needed the services and products their company provides, and cannot comprehend what the customer's mindset is. Therefore, they do not relate well and find it difficult to empathize, be compassionate, and anticipate customer needs. Think about the last time you ordered pizza to be delivered to your home. Why did you do that? It was critically important for Domino's employees to truly understand the "why" piece. Were their customers hungry? Yes, but they could get food from thousands of places to satisfy their appetite. Why pizza, and why Domino's? Bringing the vision to life This is where the "day in the life of a customer" video, titled Creating Smiles, played a major role. To illustrate RPM's service vision, to really make it come to life and not just be another stale company quote, the video needed to show all the benefits of what delivering great pizza in less than 30 minutes really provides to its customers--beyond just filling their bellies. This video showed people being in a rush, with their busy lives, some away from home traveling, others trying to get home from work and get the family fed. In certain instances, it showed people trying to please everyone's tastes, and wanting to spend more quality time with their loved ones instead being in the kitchen preparing food and having to clean up afterward. When a "day in the life of a customer" video is done well, watching it makes it obvious and clear what your company's customer service vision statement should be. At RPM, it was vital that every team member understood that they were not just making and delivering pizza, but that their purpose--what their customers truly needed from them--was easy and simple: Domino's pizza delivered to their door, exactly as they ordered it, promptly, by someone smiling with genuine hospitality. Thus, the customers smiled because their lives were made easier. This ensured that every team member clearly knew why their service vision was "Creating smiles by making lives easier." This is a great customer service vision that is measurable, accountable, and trainable. At RPM, their three pillars are: Operational Excellence ~ Customer Delight ~ Deliver the WOW. By 2013, RPM Pizza's service culture had made a drastic turnaround. Not only was its customer satisfaction score significantly better than the previous year, but it also hit the highest score in RPM's history. John R. DiJulius III is the author of The Customer Service Revolution and president of The DiJulius Group, a customer service consulting firm whose clients include Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, The Ritz-Carlton, Nestle, PwC, Lexus, and many more. Email him at john@thedijuliusgroup.com. RE/MAX Northern Shores Makes Its Debut in Skokie New Franchise Features Full-Service Concept with Local and Global Focus CHICAGO (PRWEB) Janurary 30, 2016 - The Chicago areas newest RE/MAX franchise, RE/MAX Northern Shores, opened its doors on Jan. 12 in the heart of Skokie, Ill. At a grand opening celebration three days later, its ownership team said their brokerage is committed to offering a full range of real estate services while maintaining a sharp focus on both the local and global real estate markets. The new office is located at 8814 Niles Center Road, adjacent to the intersection of Niles Center, Dempster Street and Skokie Boulevard. The 3,500 square-foot facility provides ample room for its current staff but also space for future growth. Its debut was celebrated on Jan. 15 with an open house and ribbon cutting that attracted more than 200 guests and was hosted by co-founders Manuel Waldo, Rafay Qamar and Shaheen Pervaiz. Their vision is for RE/MAX Northern Shores to offer not only real estate brokerage, but also in-house access to a range of complementary services, including title insurance, mortgage lending, property management and an experienced real estate attorney. They also view their new enterprise as a bridge between the North Shore real estate market and investors from around the world who find the area attractive. Waldo, 52, will serve as managing broker of RE/MAX Northern Shores, and he anticipates that a good deal of the firms growth will come from the international investors with whom they have been working for the last decade during which he and Pervaiz were co-owners of Legent WP Realty, based in Lincolnwood, Ill. Those investors were drawn to North Shore residential properties during the recession of 2007-2008, and this area continues to attract them. I have active clients from 15 nations who are investing here, said Waldo, a Chicago native who earned degrees from Loyola University of Chicago and Heriot-Watt University of Scotland. One reason we wanted to affiliate with RE/MAX is that it is a global brand, and that makes it easier for us to service investors from many nations, he said. Pervaiz, 60, enjoyed a long career in IT consulting before turning his attention to real estate 12 years ago and partnering with Waldo. He works primarily with investors seeking either commercial or residential properties. Adding another dimension to the new brokerage is Qamar, 28, a highly successful real estate sales producer in the North Shore market. He is moving to RE/MAX from Coldwell Banker, where he was named Illinois Rookie of the Year in 2014. Qamar came to the United States from Pakistan to attend DePaul University in Chicago and stayed to pursue a career in banking at BMO Harris Bank before shifting his focus to real estate. Our long-term vision for RE/MAX Northern Shores is to expand our presence in the North Shore market, ideally by opening several offices to serve this area, said Qamar. Beyond that, we also would like to take advantage of our international contacts and the global stature of RE/MAX to explore overseas opportunities. About RE/MAX RE/MAX agents consistently rank among the most productive in the industry. In the United States, RE/MAX agents averaged 15.6 years of real estate experience and 16.0 transaction sides in 2014. RE/MAX has been the leader in the northern Illinois real estate market since 1989 and is continually growing. The RE/MAX Northern Illinois network, with headquarters in Elgin, Ill., consists of more than 2,250 sales associates and 105 independently owned and operated RE/MAX offices that provide a full range of residential and commercial brokerage services. Its mobile real estate app, available for download at http://www.illinoisproperty.com, provides comprehensive information about residential and commercial property for sale in the region. The northern Illinois network is part of RE/MAX, a global real estate organization with 100,000+ sales associates in 90+ nations. Editor's Note: RE/MAX is a registered trademark. Please spell in all caps. Thank you. This release is posted at blog.illinoisproperty.com. SOURCE RE/MAX Contact: Stephen Johnson RE/MAX Northern Illinois +1 (847) 428-4200 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Leap Day Babies Eat Free At Villa Italian Kitchen Anyone Born on February 29th Receives Free Pizza at Participating Villa Italian Kitchen Locations February 10, 2016 // Franchising.com // MORRISTOWN, NJ - 2016 is a Leap Year, and Villa Italian Kitchen is stepping in to help make the day extra special for all the leaplings out there who can only celebrate their actual birthdays once every four years. In honor of this Leap Day 2016, anyone with the rare birthday of February 29th will receive a complimentary slice of pizza at participating Villa Italian Kitchen locations. To redeem this special offer, Leap Day babies must present a valid identification at any participating Villa Italian Kitchen on February 29th to enjoy their pizza on-the-house.* Leap Day is a rare occasion, especially for people with a February 29 birthday, and we wanted to celebrate by showing our appreciation for our customers most affected by the Leap Year cycle, said Mimi Wunderlich, Brand Manager of Villa Italian Kitchen. Happy Birthday to all those Leap Day babies we thought you deserved something special! Villa Italian Kitchen features a variety of mouthwatering menu items, from Neapolitan and pan pizzas, with homemade dough prepared fresh daily, 100% whole milk mozzarella and sauce made from fresh California tomatoes, to pasta imported from Italy, delicious salads, Stromboli, entrees and much more. Guests can choose from a wide array of dishes, and experience the taste of authentic, old-world recipes from Naples, Italy that made the brand famous. Villa also offers catering and large to-go orders, featuring hot, delicious and high-quality meals that are perfect for any celebration, event or meeting, complete with a dedicated Catering Manager who ensures personalized service and a customized menu. *Must provide valid identification. *Offer available only on February 29, 2016 at participating Villa Italian Kitchen locations. *Offer also available only on February 29, 2016 at participating Villa Pizza and Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen locations. *Limit one per customer. *Cannot be combined with any other offer. For more information, please visit www.villaitaliankitchen.com. About Villa Restaurant Group? (previously known as Villa Enterprises) Villa Restaurant Group is a global multi-brand restaurant operator and franchisor. Founded in 1964 by Michele (Michael) Scotto, a Naples, Italy native, Villa Restaurant Group, began as a small pizzeria next to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. Today, Villa Restaurant Group is an international organization that recently celebrated its 51st anniversary with nearly 400 restaurants in malls, airports, casinos and other high-traffic locations. Villas QSR brands, including Villa Italian Kitchen, Green Leafs Beyond Great Salads, Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt, South Philly Cheesesteaks & Fries, Far East and other emerging brands, can be found across 41 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and eight additional countries. Villa also operates full-service restaurants in New Jersey under the 40North Group brand including The Black Horse Tavern & Pub, The Office, Steelworks Buffet & Grill, Piattino and George & Marthas. For more information, please visit www.villarestaurantgroup.com. SOURCE Villa Restaurant Group? Media Contact: Jillian Verpent Account Executive BML Public Relations D: 973/337.6395 M: 732/674.3814 jverpent@bmlpr.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Scooters Coffee Expands into Tulsa, OK National Franchise Announces Official Site of First Location February 10, 2016 // Franchising.com // Omaha, NE Scooters Coffee, the Midwest-based coffee franchise that has experienced tremendous growth over the past year, announced that they will increase their national footprint to the state of Oklahoma with their first location in the Tulsa market (6954 S. Lewis Ave). Were thrilled to see the Scooters brand continue to grow and be introduced to new states and communities, said Don Eckles, Co-Founder of Scooters Coffee. This will be the first lease executed by franchisees Bill Allen and Morgan Wolff, who will act as owner/operators for the location and have intentions of building multiple locations in the Tulsa market. Being from Council Bluffs, IA, which is neighbor to the Omaha metro, I know how strong of a brand Scooters is, said Wolff. Im very excited to bring the Scooters name and product to my new home of Tulsa. With more than 130 stores in soon-to-be 15 states, Scooters recently signed a large Area Representative Agreement in Phoenix, along with several other Multi-Unit Agreements in Florida, Oklahoma and Arkansas. In late 2015, the company opened its first location in Roswell, Georgia (Atlanta metro) and plans to build several more stores in the Atlanta area. At the same time, Scooters will continue to build locations in the Midwest region, with several stores slated to be opened in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota and Missouri. The company also added depth to its product profile in 2015, with the release of its toasted gouda cheese ciabatta and bagel breakfast sandwiches, along with the Southwest Breakfast Burrito. Scooters, which hand-crafts its pastries and roasts its own 100% shade-grown coffee (sourced through the Arbor Day Foundation), at their Omaha headquarters, will add several innovative items to the menu in 2016, including a comprehensive iced tea program and more breakfast options. About Scooters Coffee Founded in 1998 by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska, Scooters Coffee roasts only the finest coffee beans in the world at its headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Scooter's success over 17 years of history is simple: Stay committed to the original business principles and company core values. The Scooter's mantra, often recited to franchisees, customers and employees is: "Amazing People, Serving Amazing Drinks, Amazingly Fast. It represents the company's business origins from 1998 and reflects a steady commitment to providing an unforgettable experience to loyal customers. For more information, visit scooterscoffee.com or Facebook.com/ScootersCoffee. SOURCE Scooters Coffee ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus United Real Estate Hires Top Performing Industry Veteran to Join its Franchise Development Team Joe Jolly, named Director of Franchise Development of United Real Estate February 10, 2016 // Franchising.com // KANSAS CITY, Mo. - United Real Estate, a rapidly growing real estate company, announces today that Joe Jolly will be joining its Franchise Development team to further expand Uniteds market presence coast-to-coast by establishing relationships with independent real estate companies, evaluating and selecting new franchisees and assisting existing franchisees with business expansion. Jolly is a top performing veteran in the franchise industry, with over 15 years of experience. His energetic sales approach has enabled him with unrivaled success in opening new markets and driving unprecedented growth throughout the Central Atlantic states through his career. Jolly has had great success in awarding franchise offices in the real estate franchise industry and looks forward to accelerating the growth of United through his new role. I look forward to bringing my knowledge to the team and providing United Real Estates top-notch technology, training and branding solutions to current and future offices, said Joe Jolly, Director of Franchise Development. It is truly rewarding to make a difference in the lives of our offices by helping them grow their business with Uniteds comprehensive suite of support tools. Uniteds full service, 100-percent commission strategy and focus on developing top-performing agents with its unmatched agent-centric business model has contributed to its exponential growth. United Real Estate opened its first company-managed office in 2011 and began franchising in 2013. Since the introduction of the franchise system, the company has grown rapidly, covering over 31 market centers at year-end 2015. I am very excited that the timing was right for Joe to come on board and join our franchise development team, said Peter Giese, President United Real Estate. Joes track record of success in franchising will help us greatly in accelerating the growth of the United Real Estate brand. United Real Estate combines a comprehensive suite of support tools with access to a national referral network to real estate agents and to owners of real estate companies through a franchise offering. Backed by a company with a 90-year history of successfully servicing real estate agents and consumers, United stands alone in the residential real estate industry with a true franchise solution, which offers a blueprint process to follow for real estate brokers and entrepreneurs to achieve success. To learn more about United Real Estates franchise offering, visit GrowWithUnited.com. A Closer Look at United Real Estate United Real Estate a division of the United Real Estate Group was founded with the purpose of offering solutions to the challenges facing agents in the residential real estate brokerage industry. Providing the latest training, marketing and technology tools to both agents and brokers under a 100-percent commission strategy, United Real Estate makes it more profitable for an agent to sell real estate and for real estate brokers to leverage a complete system to better grow a successful, thriving real estate brokerage. Named as a frontrunner in the real estate industry in the 2013 Swanepoel TRENDS Report, United Real Estate has more than 20 offices and 1,600 agents. Through a worldwide franchise solution, United continues to rapidly expand into the top U.S. markets. SOURCE United Real Estate Media Contact: United Real Estate Public Relations Department EMS@unitedrealestate.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus A controversial bill that would require transgender students at Virginia public schools to use the restroom and lockers room of their biological sex was killed by a House of Delegates subcommittee Tuesday on a 8-13 vote. The bill, House Bill 781, gained wide attention this year after critics suggested it would require school employees to check students genitals. The bills patron, Del. Mark L. Cole, RSpotsylvania, dismissed those suggestions as false, saying the proposal was meant to protect students privacy and ward off lawsuits against local school boards. I think this will help protect schools from being sued over the issue of allowing someone of the opposite sex to use the facilities that are designated one way or the other, Cole said during a hearing before the House General Laws Committee. This is not about discrimination, this is about privacy. The bill would have required local school boards to adopt policies requiring that all restrooms and locker rooms accessible by multiple students be designated for and only used by students based on the their biological sex. The legislation would have applied to all public buildings owned by the state. Violations would carry a $50 civil penalty. Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, said lawmakers were discussing the issue in a manner that was not right, arguing that people should be able to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. This has the potential to invite almost vigilante-type action, Gastanaga said. Gastanagas group is involved in a federal lawsuit against the Gloucester County School Board brought by transgender student Gavin Grimm, who was born female but identifies as male. Grimm sued after school officials prohibited him from using the boys bathroom, but the discrimination claim was denied in district court. Gastanaga encouraged the committee to hold off on the bill to allow the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rule in the case You are acting precipitously at a point in time when you will add concern and confusion and difficulty to an already difficult situation, Gastanaga said. Several lawmakers seemed to agree. This is a little bit complicated and Im not comfortable sending a signal to the courts that were making a decision in anticipation of what they may or may not decide, said Del. Thomas A. Tag Greason, RLoudoun. Cole said he filed the bill at the request of parents and school officials in Stafford County and urged colleagues not to use the lawsuit as an excuse to shirk our responsibility in this area. Several conservative and religious groups spoke in support of the bill. The bill died in the Republican-controlled committee on a bipartisan vote. I didnt want to know To better grasp both ends of the spectrum, consider the opposing philosophies of Dr. Steve Pergam, a 10-year survivor of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Janet Freeman-Daily, a lung cancer patient and trained aerospace engineer. Pergam, a physician who has diagnosed others with cancer, purposely veered away from Internet investigations of lymphoma as well as patient message boards, he said. I really tried not to look because I didnt want to know. I figured it was not going to change the course of my therapy if I knew what the statistics were, said Pergam, an assistant member of Fred Hutchs Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division and director of infection control at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. He has no evidence of the disease today. I think statistics at the individual patient level are not that valuable because you are who you are and youre either going to survive your cancer or not, Pergam said. I sort of came to this at peace. Research was my way of regaining control Freeman-Daily, a science writer, launched herself into Web research. More than four and a half years after her diagnosis, shes now highly versed on the genomics of her lung cancer, her primary treatment drug and her specific prognosis. Shes also connected with other patients via virtual health communities like Inspire.com and Smartpatients.com. My way of coping with cancer was to find out everything I could about my disease. That was my way of regaining some control when cancer very clearly indicated I had no control over my life, said Freeman-Daily, who lives in the Seattle area and blogs about her experience, often using social media in her writing and research. In October 2011, her cancer became metastatic. Today, she has no evidence of disease a status she said she gained through precision medicine, clinical trials and advice from other patients. Research, for her, has been a lifeline, though a sobering one at times. On the one hand, you very clearly see the statistics, which are somewhat disheartening lung cancer has a 16 percent five-year survival rate; for metastatic lung cancer, its less than 4 percent, she said. On the other hand, online patient communities are the one place where you can find people who have your disease, experiencing exactly the same side effects and symptoms, taking the same treatments, said Freeman-Daily, now a patient advocate and part of a National Cancer Institute working group on small cell lung cancer. She also participates with the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research or HICOR. Online, you can learn how others are dealing with it, any tips and tricks they have, doctors they felt were particularly effective, things that didnt work the patients perspective that you dont get from a doctor. Online, Im part of a tremendously supportive network of fellow patients and their caregivers I otherwise wouldnt meet. Conversely, Pergam, the doctor once treated for lymphoma, only wanted to hear two things from his own oncologist: What do you think is the best treatment, and when can we get started? He also was equipped, he said, with the most essential facts about his disease, enough to help him tackle the mental ebbs of treatment: one, lymphoma is hard but, two, he had a chance to be cured. Both turned out to be true. I dont like being my own physician, Pergam said. I dont want to put myself in that situation. I said to myself: Im not the expert, and I need to give the control of my care to someone else. For patients with chronic conditions, having Internet access makes them more likely than other online adults to read posted reviews about various treatments and drugs, and to gather information about their medical problems, according to a 2013 Pew Research study of 3,014 U.S. adults. A separate 2013 study, led by researchers at the University of Oregon, reported that people actively involved in their health and health care tend to have better outcomes and, some evidence suggests lower costs. Those improved outcomes included 12.5 percent fewer hospital admissions. As with all consumers, there are caveats to online research. Buyer beware, in this case, becomes patients be careful. For some, the disquiet already felt from a fresh cancer diagnosis only surged when they looked online to gauge their survival odds. Unnerved is how Rachel Webb, a St. Louis-based journalist, described her state of mind immediately after she scanned the Internet to learn about her form of breast cancer. I used to write about health care (as a reporter). That was my beat for a long time, said Webb, diagnosed last August. When I started looking at those numbers from the perspective of my own health, I became very stressed and fearful and anxious. My husband told me, You need to stop doing that because its going to make you frightened. Webb agreed with that advice. These days, her online research consists only of reading about what may have caused her cancer and how her treatment drugs may interact. Separating the wheat from the chaff The level of detail many cancer patients typically want and the sources of information they tend to prefer doctors and nurses, websites, blogs, online and in-person support groups, books and brochures can vary greatly, said Dr. Ted Gansler, editor of the American Cancer Societys CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. Regardless of their information-seeking and decision-making style (active vs. passive), their education level and their computer skills, and their form of cancer, all people diagnosed with cancer should have opportunities to learn as much (or as little) as they want to about their disease and about the benefits and side effects of their treatment options, Gansler said by email. His advice for patients is to focus on information thats accurate, unbiased and personally relevant. That means, he added, facts gleaned from cancer websites and forums should be reviewed by experts, not written with the intent of selling a service or product, and they should be applicable to the individual patients type and stage of cancer. To help personalize their online research, the American Cancer Society provides a list of questions that patients can ask their doctors. The answers to those questions can guide patients on how to apply the organizations online information to their own medical situations. Both SCCA and Fred Hutch offer web-based resources on treatments, studies and clinical trials for patients and families facing an array of diseases. Within cancer subtypes, numerous nonprofits maintain fact-loaded sites, including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Breastcancer.org. Patients should ask their doctors for recommendations on where to find the most accurate, online information about their specific cancers, said SCCA psychiatrist Fann. He called several general-info websites helpful. In addition the American Cancer Society, he listed: Its important for patients to have accurate information about their medical situation in order to make informed decisions about their care, Fann said. But it is also possible to become overloaded with information, some of which may be confusing or not entirely accurate, he added. I tailor my advice depending on the particular person. How much research did you do as a patient or family member? Did it help? Tell us about it on the Fred Hutch Facebook page. Bill Briggs is a Fred Hutch News Service staff writer. Follow him @writerdude. Previously, he was a contributing writer for NBCNews.com and TODAY.com, responsible for covering breaking news, health and the military. Prior, he was a staff writer for The Denver Post and part of the newspaper's team that earned the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of the Columbine High School massacre. He has authored two books, including "The Third Miracle: An Ordinary Man, a Medical Mystery, and a Trial of Faith." Email: bbriggs@fredhutch.org. No breasts, no problem? The focus on breast cancer becomes, all too often, a focus primarily on breasts themselves. Awareness campaigns scream Save the Tatas! and feature close-ups of womens cleavage. The underlying message seems to be No tatas no problem! But the truth is that breast cancer can strike anyone people with large breasts, small breasts and seemingly nonexistent breasts. Its often forgotten that nipples are a sign that men possess a little breast tissue, and it's even less well known that it can be just enough tissue to ignite a breast tumor. In the U.S., about 2,600 men per year (less than 1 percent of breast cancer patients) discover that, yes, men get breast cancer, too. Yet the men-plus-breast cancer equation is one that some struggle to master. Del Gardo, who has passionately agitated to raise awareness of mens risk of breast cancer after his own diagnosis, saw his surgery to treat his breast cancer a double mastectomy changed to a vasectomy in a magazine article. Lets be clear: vasectomies make terrible breast cancer treatments. An unexpected cancer Dan Roark, a former school counselor in his mid-60s from Bonney Lake, Washington, had seen his mother undergo a brutal battle with breast cancer when he was younger, but he never suspected that he would be diagnosed with the same type of cancer. When he was directed to a clinic for further tests after a suspicious chest X-ray, Roark didnt realize where exactly he was going until he pulled into the parking lot. There was pink neon, a rose, Roark recalled of the clinics facade. They asked me who I was there to pick up. I said, I have a MANogram appointment! A self-described extroverted snoop, Roark was able to watch his biopsy on a monitor. He felt the snap as the tiny wire they inserted snagged a sample and felt his mood grow gloomier and gloomier as more medical personnel shuffled into the room. The doctors at the clinic couldnt immediately confirm his diagnosis (that would wait until hed seen a specialist at the University of Washington) but told him it looked, theoretically, like cancer. It was 2013. Roark had stage 2, grade 3 breast cancer. Del Gardo, a former computer salesperson from Covington, Kentucky, was diagnosed in 2012 with stage 2 breast cancer. When his left nipple began hurting like hell, breast cancer never occurred to him. I just knew something was wrong. Cancer was so far from my thoughts, he said. When diagnosed with such an unexpected cancer, many men and their doctors are often incredibly curious as to why and how. Del Gardo, who has an 11-year-old son, discovered that he has a very mild form of Klinefelter syndrome, meaning he is carrying an extra X chromosome. Other factors that affect the balance between estrogen and testosterone, such as obesity, can also raise mens breast cancer risk. When his doctors asked about family history (close family relatives with breast cancer raise mens risk too), Roark noted that his mother had suffered through breast cancer but he was adopted. Without a known BRCA mutation or a known family history, his breast cancer retains an aura of mystery. Global LNG Industry Market In North America 2016 - Capacity, Generation, Investment Trends, Regulations , Review, Outlook to 2025 Global Market News has released report on Global LNG Industry Market In North America 2016. Deerfield Beach, FL, United States of America February 10, 2016 /GlobalMarketNews.us/ The report LNG Industry in North America Market Outlook provides in depth analysis on LNG Industry market in North America with forecasts upto year 2025. 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LNG Industry North America Market report will help you to position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the LNG Industry industry's growth potential. Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events. Identify key partners and business development avenues. Understand and respond to your competitors' business structure, strategy and prospects. About Market Research Store Market Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. QY Market Research is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. Contact us: Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442, USA Tel: +1-386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 The post Global LNG Industry Market In North America 2016 Capacity, Generation, Investment Trends, Regulations , Review, Outlook to 2025 appeared first on Global Market News. For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Global Retro-Reflective Sensors Market 2016 Industry Size, Trends, Demand Review & Forecast 2025 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Research on Global Quatrz Oscillator Market 2016 Industry Analysis, Review & Forecast 2020 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global Private Branch Exchange(PBX) Market 2016 Industry Size, Trends, Research, Demand & Forecast (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global Print Mark Sensor Market 2016 Industry Size, Research, Trends, Growth & Analysis 2022 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global OLED Lighting Device Market 2016 Industry Trends, Demand, Analysis & Review Forecast 2020 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global Network Card Market 2016 Industry Size, Research, Trends, Demand Review & Forecast 2020 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Best European Holiday Parks for 2016 Revealed HolidayParkSpecials, an online holiday provider specialising in holiday parks across Europe, have revealed their best holiday parks for 2016 based solely on ratings and reviews from customers. View as PDF Print View February 10, 2016 (FPRC) -- HolidayParkSpecials, an online holiday provider specialising in holiday parks across Europe, have revealed their best holiday parks for 2016 based solely on ratings and reviews from customers. Following a visit, guests are able to rate their experience at a holiday park based on a number of aspects, including general characteristics of the park, (location of) the accommodation and the hospitality of the staff. The results are then calculated and awarded per category, such as Most Luxury Holiday Park and Most Child Friendly Holiday Park. Not only does this make it easier for guests to find the perfect park, it also rewards the top performing parks for their hard work and excellence. Best holiday park in Holland For the third year in a row, Efteling Village Bosrijk has been named the best holiday park in the Netherlands. Efteling Village Bosrijk is situated right next to Efteling theme park, the most visited theme park in the Netherlands since 1952 with over 120 million visitors enjoying the unique Efteling experience. With a phenomenal rating of 8.8, Efteling Village Bosrijk has also claimed the title for the Most Atmospheric Holiday Park in Europe. Radiant reviews from holiday makers include comments such as: luxury cottages with excellent service from staff and a truly magical experience. Landal GreenParks win best park group Another winner to take the prize for the third year running is the Dutch park group Landal GreenParks, who are part of the Wyndham Vacation Rentals Family of Brands. One of the most well-known brands in hospitality across Europe, Landal GreenParks have also won awards for two of their German holiday parks. The best holiday park in Belgium is Domaine Le Boulac, located in the nature-rich Ardennes, and the award for the best holiday park in Germany went to Lindner Ferienpark Nurburgring. The coveted award for Most Child-Friendly holiday park went to the Dutch Slagharen theme park and resort. Send an email to Georgia Walker of r 0031233024772 Recent Press Releases By The Same User Global Small Scale Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Company Market 2016 Industry Growth with CAGR in Forecast period Global Market News has released report on Global Small Scale Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Company Market 2016. 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The report also evaluates the production capacity, dynamics of demand and supply, logistics, and the historical performance of the Small Scale Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Company market worldwide. About QY Market Research QY Market Research is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. QY Market Research is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. Contact us: Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442, USA Tel: +1-386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651 email: sales@qymarketresearch.com The post Global Small Scale Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Company Market 2016 Industry Growth with CAGR in Forecast period appeared first on Global Market News. For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Global Retro-Reflective Sensors Market 2016 Industry Size, Trends, Demand Review & Forecast 2025 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Research on Global Quatrz Oscillator Market 2016 Industry Analysis, Review & Forecast 2020 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global Private Branch Exchange(PBX) Market 2016 Industry Size, Trends, Research, Demand & Forecast (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global Print Mark Sensor Market 2016 Industry Size, Research, Trends, Growth & Analysis 2022 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global OLED Lighting Device Market 2016 Industry Trends, Demand, Analysis & Review Forecast 2020 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Global Network Card Market 2016 Industry Size, Research, Trends, Demand Review & Forecast 2020 (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Locksmiths Brighton Launches New Website To Promote Their Services To Locals Online Locksmiths Brighton serves the Brighton and Hove area, and has just launched a new website with the latest local SEO built in to organically attract more customers from the area. -- Locksmiths services are essential for anyone who wants to be able to protect their valuables and loved ones. The unfortunate downside of locks is that keys are less than perfect, and can be broken, damaged or lost at the most inconvenient times. Fortunately, locksmiths can help people regain access to their homes, cars and other property in a timely and expedient manner. Locksmiths Brighton has been serving their local area for forty years, and has now launched a new website to ensure no one in the area can miss them when searching for Brighton Locksmiths online. The new website is fully responsive and imbued on every page with the latest locally optimized SEO strategies to ensure that the website can be easily and organically found by people in the Brighton and Hove area searching for such services online. The website also has a full accounting of their team and services so people can quickly make an enquiry. The site also has no small amount of feedback from existing clients (locksmiths-brighton.com/testimonials/) which attests to the companies impressively rapid response, expertise and comprehensive suite of tools for dealing with everything from the simplest to the most complex tasks. There is even a news section to keep people abreast of the latest developments in the security and locking industries. A spokesperson for Locksmiths-Brighton.com explained, "We are thrilled to be able to launch our brand new website, which will enable us to promote our services more effectively in the twenty first century, and allows us to bring decades of experience to a new generation of customers who now search almost exclusively online for the services they need. We are very pleased with how the website reflects our brand, our values and our expertise, and we look forward to meeting new clients because of it." About Locksmiths Brighton: Locksmiths Brighton's team of experts has over 40 years of experience in the Brighton & Hove area, and offers lock out services together with installation of new locks, installation of home security systems and safes, assistance with fixing broken locks and more. The company is customer focused and offers 24/7, 365 callout assistance, with a rapid response policy that will see a master tradesman on site within thirty minutes. For more information about us, please visit http://locksmiths-brighton.com/ Contact Info: Name: Alex Hooper-Hodson Organization: K C Brighton Locksmiths Phone: 01273 634 707 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/locksmiths-brighton-launches-new-website-to-promote-their-services-to-locals-online/103559 Release ID: 103559 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Alo KombiServisi Launches New Website To Promote Istanbul Combi Boiler Servicing Online Alo KombiServisi is a company offering Combi Boiler installation, service and repair in Istanbul, Turkey, and has launched a website to help people find their services via search engines. -- Istanbul is one of the oldest and most famous cities in the world, famed for its diversity of influences from east and west. The climate in Istanbul varies hugely across the span of the year, meaning energy efficient boilers are becoming increasingly important to the population. Combination boilers are starting to become increasingly popular, and Alo KombiServisi is the first business set up exclusively to help install, maintain and repair these technologically advanced and energy efficient boilers. They have just launched a new website enabling them to promote their services online. The site has been designed with the latest techniques and strategies in mind, including the latest search engine optimization capabilities (http://alo-kombiservisi.com/umraniye-kombi-servisi/), enabling the website to climb the rankings of search engines so those searching online for combi boiler specialists will now be able to discover the top rated company by customers. The site includes a full and comprehensive description of their services and credentials, their teams and experience, together with useful resources and information on how to get the best out of a combination boiler (http://alo-kombiservisi.com/maltepe-kombi-servisi/), and the advantages of owning one. There is even information on their service areas, which covers almost all neighborhoods in Istanbul. A spokesperson for Alo KombiServisi explained, "Alo KombiServisi is pleased to be able to launch an online presence, as this will enable us to promote our services more effectively than ever. So far we have thrived through customer recommendations, but that has deprived those who don't already know about us from getting the best combi boiler experts in Istanbul. Now, the website will allow a greater number of clients to discover us organically online, which will lead to more business for us and a better service for them. It's an exciting time for us, as the market in Turkey is only growing, and we hope to grow alongside it." About Alo KombiServisi: Alo KombiServisi is a local specialist service for Istanbul, Turkey, helping people discover companies offering combination boiler repair and service. The site works tirelessly to provide the best opportunities for great service. The combination boiler industry is growing in Turkey and so repair and service business demand is increasing steadily. For more information about us, please visit http://alo-kombiservisi.com/ Contact Info: Name: Joe Bragg Organization: Brandoutreach Phone: (415) 632 1664 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/alo-kombiservisi-launches-new-website-to-promote-istanbul-combi-boiler-servicing-online/103526 Release ID: 103526 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) U.S. Plumbing Announces Recent Opening Of New Location In The City Of Clayton Ten percent of homes across the United States have serious plumbing problems. See how U.S. Plumbing is helping the people of Clayton, North Carolina take care of theirs at http://www.usplumbing.us/. -- The EPA's Water Sense website estimates that as many as 10 percent of households across the country experience significant water leaks. The average household with water leaks wastes nearly 90 gallons of water per day and more than 10,000 gallons of water each and every year. It is with these statistics in mind that U.S. Plumbing, a new, full-service commercial and residential plumbing company, is announcing the recent opening of their new location in the city of Clayton, North Carolina. Owner Max Esposito has over 25 years' experience as a plumber and has had his own plumbing business in Brooklyn, New York since 1999. In 2014, he sold his business and relocated to Clayton for the better weather, lower taxes, and friendly business climate. A few months later, he started U.S. Plumbing. Max Esposito, the owner of U.S. Plumbing, stated "There are many homeowners out there who have leaks in their plumbing systems but have yet to call a plumber to fix the problem because they fear the associated costs. Unfortunately, the longer a person waits to have their plumbing system repaired, the more expensive it will be to fix. U.S. Plumbing offers free estimates to customers because we want to encourage them to get their plumbing problems evaluated as soon as they notice an issue. This not only saves them a great deal of money, but it can save time and hassle as well." Esposito goes on to say, "We are a full-service plumbing company, which means we can take care of just about any need that a customer may have. Our technicians are highly trained in the latest techniques, and we can electrically unclog any sink, toilet, or drain in the home. We also offer repairs and installations of sump pumps, garbage disposals, water heaters, faucets, sinks, toilets, and other common household fixtures and systems. We want to ensure that customers can call on us for all their plumbing problems." "Our philosophy at US Plumbing is to make sure that we put customers first. We offer guaranteed work and competitive rates so that people never have to look anywhere else for the service they need." Those who would like to know more about what U.S. Plumbing has to offer should visit their website at http://www.usplumbing.us/. About U.S. Plumbing: U.S. Plumbing is a local, family-owned and operated plumbing company. They are a full-service company offering competitive rates, guaranteed work, and free estimates. Max Esposito, the owner of U.S. Plumbing, has been in the service and repair industry for over 25 years. As a proud member of the Chamber of Commerce and the recipient of an A+ BBB rating, Max loves being a plumber and is passionate about meeting the needs of his customers with high-quality work and the highest level of service. For more information about us, please visit http://www.usplumbing.us/ Contact Info: Name: Max Esposito Organization: U.S. Plumbing Phone: (919) 300-1563 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/u-s-plumbing-announces-recent-opening-of-new-location-in-the-city-of-clayton/103604 Release ID: 103604 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sun Acquisitions Publishes New Guide to Selling or Buying a Company in 2016 With time pressure mounting, those who hope to sell before the year is out do well to ensure a range of basics are covered, while buyers need to move quickly, too, Sun Acquisitions reports -- Sun Acquisitions, one of the Midwest's leading mergers and acquisitions firms, published a new guide aimed at those looking to finalize the sale or purchase of a business in 2016. With many acquisitions taking a year or more from conception to close, buyers and sellers determined to finalize a transaction before the year is over should be well into the process and focused on checking off a number of important requirements quickly. The new Sun Acquisitions guide, which is available now at the company's website, will therefore be a valuable resource for those in this position or who wish to better understand the process in general. "For anyone who is looking to close the sale of a privately held company before 2016 is out, the clock is really ticking," Sun Acquisitions Managing Director Dominic Rinaldi said, "A good, well-grounded exit plan should already be in place and the search for a buyer should be underway and making progress. There are plenty of other things a business owner can do to make it more likely that a sale can be finalized before the end of the year, too. Our new guide points out all the essentials in a straightforward, actionable form, and also has plenty of useful advice for buyers." With many publicly traded firms, ownership is conveyed through shares of stock listed on major exchanges or otherwise easily available to just about any willing buyer, even if full transfers of control can involve plenty of behind-the-scenes deal making. With firms that are privately held, how to buy or sell can be much less obvious, as there is typically no such established, regular way of bringing buyers and sellers together. Companies like Sun Acquisitions therefore provide an important service to the owners of privately held companies and those who would acquire them. Business brokers that fill in for the infrastructure and opportunities otherwise normally denied rake in around $1 billion in revenues annually in the United States, according to research firm IBISWorld, with annual growth of several percent being typical of the modern era. As one of the top mergers and acquisitions companies in Chicago and the Midwest, Sun Acquisitions regularly provides valuable, effective assistance with what can otherwise be the hard work of selling or buying a privately held company. Offering free, confidential consultations to owners and buyers, Sun Acquisitions lists and discreetly markets businesses in ways that serve the interests of the owner and the value of the companies themselves. Handling every aspect of the process for clients, the company helps owners maximize their proceeds and helps buyers discover the opportunities that most precisely match their particular goals, resources, and situation. The new Sun Acquisitions guide to selling or buying a privately held business in 2016 distills a sampling of this valuable expertise into a form that will be particularly useful to many readers. It is available now at the Sun Acquisitions website, where visitors can also arrange for a free, confidential consultation, browse the company's current listings, and learn more about the process. About Sun Acquisitions: With proven expertise that cuts across industries and a range of project scales, Sun Acquisitions is one of the Chicago area's top mergers and acquisitions specialists. Sun Acquisitions works closely and confidentially with buyers and sellers of privately held companies to arrive at the best possible results for each. For more information about us, please visit http://www.sunacquisitions.com/ Contact Info: Name: Dominic Rinaldi Organization: Sun Acquisitions Phone: 773.243.1603 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/sun-acquisitions-publishes-new-guide-to-selling-or-buying-a-company-in-2016/103588 Release ID: 103588 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Compounding Solutions Launched Fostering Customized Approach to Women's Health Blending time-tested techniques with cutting-edge technology gives patients and physicians greater flexibility in treatment options, publishes mycompoundingsolutions.com -- According to census reports, 534,491 women in the state of South Carolina alone are approaching or currently experiencing menopause. Based on a recent women's health survey, an estimated 40 percent of ladies across the country suffering from severe symptoms associated with this phase of life gained little or no relief from standard prescription medications and over-the-counter products designed to allay those common issues. This comes as no surprise to Pam Bramlett, RPh who has spent her entire career in the pharmaceutical field. With this widespread lack of efficacy in mind, Bramlett recently launched a new company catering to South Carolinians in this realm. Bramlett confirmed, "Conventional prescriptions certainly have their place in the world of medicine, but they also have their limitations. Those standard one-size-fits-all options aren't necessarily the answer for everyone. At Compounding Solutions of Greenville, we work closely with local physicians to create alternatives tailor-made for each of our customers based on individual needs." Bramlett began her career as a pharmacist before spending more than two decades as a representative with global health care giant GlaxoSmithKline. After returning to her pharmacy roots, she rediscovered a passion for compounding dating back to her college days at the University of Georgia. Prompted by this sentiment, Bramlett pursued the specialty field of compounding via training conferences and Bio-Identical Hormone seminars, ultimately founding Compounding Solutions on Pelham Road in Greenville. The company specializes in women's health, focusing on such issues as vaginal dryness, chronic yeast, vulvodynia, low libido, mood swings, hot flashes and insomnia as well as other common symptoms. While compounding was once the process used to create all prescription medications, traditional pharmacies largely veered away from this genre following the development of modern mass-production techniques. Compounding provides medical professionals and patients greater freedom with prescriptions, allowing creation of non-standard dosages as well as conversion of pills to liquid form or topical solutions. With allergies and sensitivities to gluten, dyes, lactose and other elements on the rise, this method also grants patients access to treatments from which they would otherwise be unable to benefit. Concluded Bramlett, "Our business is built on relationships we forge with patients and practitioners, and we're proud to be able to promote women's health by blending a time-tested craft with state-of-the-art technology. No two patients are alike, and our approach allows us to meet each one's unique needs by providing customized medical solutions. We welcome those in our area to call or visit our website to schedule a consultation and learn more about the potential benefits of our services." About Compounding Solutions: Located in Greenville, South Carolina, Compounding Solutions partners with local physicians and patients to create customized medications for improving overall health. For more information about us, please visit http://mycompoundingsolutions.com/ Contact Info: Name: Pam Bramlett, RPh Organization: Compounding Solutions Phone: (864) 558-0507 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/compounding-solutions-launched-fostering-customized-approach-to-womens-health/103576 Release ID: 103576 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Allied Stairlifts, LLC Announces Service Expansion Prompted by Surging Area Need Extended reach gives local residents experiencing mobility issues greater access to freedom and peace of mind, publishes alliedstairlifts.com -- According to studies conducted by a Cornell University research team, 685,000 Michigan residents are currently living with a disability, up 121,000 from the previous year. Mobility issues are among the most prevalent impairments factored into these figures. With this increase in mind, spokesperson James Howard of Allied Stairlifts, LLC has announced an extension of the company's service area. Howard elaborated, "This is becoming a growing concern across the state. People in our extended community are being forced to move from their own homes and are experiencing lifestyle limitations due to injuries, strokes and conditions like arthritis to name a few. We offer a number of products and solutions designed to help combat the statistics and make life easier for those with limited mobility. Given the recent surge in people who could benefit from these, we've expanded our reach to Grosse Pointe and Bloomfield Hills." Stairlifts are among the most highly sought-after products offered through Allied Stairlifts, LLC. Bloomfield Hills stairlifts are available for a variety of staircase types and primarily employ rack and pinion drive systems to carry individuals from one level of a structure to the next. Equipped with swivel-style seating, these systems are designed to circumvent contact with stairs. As opposed to products of the past, modern stairlifts operate quietly and require low voltage for more efficient energy consumption. As noted on the company website, www.AlliedStairlifts.com, wheelchair lifts are likewise offered. Available in both inclined and vertical options, these are viable alternatives to Grosse Pointe stairlifts for individuals confined to wheelchairs and recommended for homes and businesses alike. The company also furnishes elevators for residential and commercial applications. Installation, maintenance and repair are provided for products sold by Allied Stairlifts, LLC as well as those purchased from other providers. Concluded Howard, "Our company was established to help make life easier for those experiencing limited mobility. Our products and services are designed to allow our customers to remain in their homes rather than being forced to rely on assisted living facilities, and our goal is to provide a greater sense of safety and freedom for local residents. This extension of our service area will allow us to help more people, and we hope to continue expanding in the future. We encourage anyone in need of our assistance to contact us for a quote." About Allied Stairlifts LLC: A locally owned and operated business, the staff of Allied Stairlifts, LLC takes pride in providing superior products and unrivaled customer service while giving residents in their service areas greater freedom and peace of mind. For more information about us, please visit http://alliedstairlifts.com/ Contact Info: Name: James Howard Organization: Allied Stairlifts LLC Phone: (586) 533-0777 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/allied-stairlifts-llc-announces-service-expansion-prompted-by-surging-area-need/103584 Release ID: 103584 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Putin's Challenge to Publish a Map With All the US Military Bases on it Answered by MilitaryBases.co Putin denies any aggressive intent on the part of Russian military, instead insinuating that the US has an excessive military base presence surrounding Russian territories. MilitaryBases.co has answered Putin's challenge pinpointing US military bases. -- In September, Northern Fleet warships and marines from Russia were dispatched to the Arctic, sending waves of panic in Norway, US, Holland and other countries sharing borders with Russia in the same region. Russia claims that they've retained only those global bases which help stabilize and sustain particular regions, unlike the US. They also claim that their bases are solely for eliminating the threat of terrorism from highly volatile regions like Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. While European nations squirm agitatedly, it might be up to the US to maintain a strategically neutral position. Recently, President Putin invited a tabloid to point out US military bases on a world map. Russian president's call-out is nothing short of subtly nudging the US for its well-camouflaged military advances on a global level. While it may seem difficult to answer such a challenge, there might be an answer closer at home: a website which succinctly answers the Russian President. The name of the website is MilitaryBases.co and it comprehensively marks out US bases spread across the globe. From the kind of data visible here, it is easy to see primary concentration of US foreign defense presence in volatile geographies where military presence is essential to maintain peace and calm. US Special Forces in Hawaii, for instance, are trained to be safe-keepers of peace. One of their key strategies includes developing sustainable development for the entire region, incorporating indigenous needs into the equation. MilitaryBases.co not only makes it possible to locate individual bases in Hawaii, it also allows viewers to learn more about them: showing exactly why these bases are good for the whole area. However, a careful analyses of the mapping of US military bases outside Americas on the world map hints that there could well be underlying motives behind the expansion of US foreign defense presence. Militarybases.co, with broad color-coded graphics and clear diagrammatic schemes of the map, makes it easy to navigate for just about anyone. There are different search functions that help choose between the Army, Coast Guard, Joint Operations, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air-Force bases. The algorithm is equally adept at locating bases in the country and beyond, in places such as UK, Syria and Afghanistan. At present, the map features a complete list of all the base locations throughout the world. Militarybases.co shows nearly 13 bases in/off Hawaii, 23 in the Belgium-Germany-Netherlands region, 12 in Iraq and nearby locations, and more. The website also provides weather information, driving routes, historical information and more about each of these locations as well. It is a comprehensive resource for anyone justifying US military presence at home and outside. By documenting the exact areas of US presence, MilitaryBases.co shows how US could well be seen as the real aggressor in terms of unprovoked military advances in foreign territories, in contrast to how the global think-tank likes to stereotype Russia as the incorrigible military aggressor. The question as to whether USA's prominent foreign military presence is a necessary move to help the country maintain global peace, or a smart under-the-radar strategy to be in a position of military control in major world geographies, will remain buzzing for the next few months, after Putin's clear callout. Nevertheless, MilitaryBases.co is exactly the kind of global map that was needed to answer the Russian President's aggressive comments, at least for the time being. About MilitaryBases.Co: An initiative created as a response to pin the positions of all military (US) bases around the world, Military Bases tries to provide visitors with accurate and adequate information on the place they are looking for. It lets users to select by state/country, leave comments, and expand knowledge of the US military locations. For more information about us, please visit http://militarybases.co Contact Info: Name: Brad Roberts Organization: militarybases.co Phone: 786 220-4984 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/putins-challenge-to-publish-a-map-with-all-the-us-military-bases-on-it-answered-by-militarybases-co/103563 Release ID: 103563 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Mirage Marble & Granite Earns Esteemed 2015 Angie's List Super Service Award Awarded for their exemplary level of customer service -- February 5, 2015 - Peoria, Arizona - Mirage Marble & Granite, LLC, a full-service quartz, marble, and stone contractor located in the Metro Phoenix area, has earned the coveted Angie's List Super Service Award. The award is a reflection of the company's exceptionally high level of customer service to members of the local service marketplace and consumer review site in 2015. An estimated 5 percent of service providers within the commercial and residential stone design and installation category in the Phoenix, Arizona region have consistently maintained such high standards, according to Angie's List Founder Angie Hicks. "It's a really high standard." Angie's List 2015 Super Service Award winners have met strict eligibility requirements, which include an "A" rating in overall grade - which is graded on an A through F scale in areas ranging from professionalism to punctuality - as well as recentgrade, and review period grade. The company must also be in good standing with Angie's List, pass a background check, and abide by Angie's List operational guidelines. This is the third year in a row for Mirage Marble & Granite to achieve this prestigious award. The company performs over 150 installation jobs per year; to maintain such high-quality customer service is quite an achievement. The company is looking forward to continuing their success throughout the 2016 year and beyond. "Whatever your needs are, large or small, Mirage Marble & Granite LLC will be able to exceed your expectation. We receive the lowest prices and can pass the savings on to the customer," says BujorBalog. The company specializes in the design and installation of granite, quartz, marble, limestone and slate surfaces such as countertops, Jacuzzi surrounds, fireplace surrounds, and bathroom vanity tops. Design and installation services are available throughout the Metro Phoenix area including Litchfield Park, Queen Creek, Sun City, and Avondale. For more information For more information about Mirage Marble & Granite LLC, please visit www.mirageaz.com or call 480-252-7182. Media Contact BujorBalog Mirage Marble & Granite LLC. 8199 North 83rd Avenue Peoria, Arizona 85345 480-252-7182 www.mirageaz.com ### Angie's List helps facilitate successful transactions between more than three million consumers nationwide and its collection of highly rated service providers in more than 720 categories of service, ranging from home improvement to health care. Built on a foundation of more than 10 million verified reviews of local service, Angie's List connects consumers directly to its online marketplace of services from member-reviewed providers, and offers unique tools and support designed to improve the local service experience for both consumers and service professionals. For more information about us, please visit http://www.mirageaz.com Contact Info: Name: Bujor Balog Organization: Mirage Marble & Granite LLC. Address: 8199 North 83rd Avenue Peoria, Arizona 85345 Phone: 480-252-7182 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/mirage-marble-granite-earns-esteemed-2015-angies-list-super-service-award/103619 Release ID: 103619 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Daniel Branch Launches the Survivalist Forum "My Survival Forum" "My Survival Forum" is the fastest growing survivalist community forum for those interested in self succifiency, disaster and emergency preparedness, and primitive hunting, MySurvivalForum.com Reports -- In 1988, the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) created the Emergency Events Database EM-DAT, with support from the Belgian government and the World Health Organization. This database serves to rationalize decision making when it comes to preparing for a disaster, while providing an objective base when it comes to setting priorities and assessing vulnerabilities. During the week of January 4-10, 2016, the database recorded a cold wave in Poland, an earthquake in Bangladesh and India, a storm in California, a gas leak in California and wildfires in Yarloop, Australia. Humans must be prepared at all times for these and numerous other types of disaster, as humans can never know when they will hit, and My Survival Forum can be of assistance with this preparation. "My Survival Forum recently launched and covers a range of topics including disaster and emergency preparedness, primitive hunting and self sufficiency. Individuals concerned about what the future may hold need to visit this site to connect with others who share these concerns and exchange ideas on how to prepare for and handle any emergency. This forum is now the fastest growing survivalist community forum today," Daniel Branch, founder of the forum, announces. Disasters come in many different forms, which can make it hard to prepare. For example, EM-DAT recorded floods, landslides, wildfires and an earthquake in different parts of the world for the week ending July 5, 2015. In addition, they also recorded a military plane crash, a collision between a truck and a bus, a shipwreck and a bus accident in various parts of the world. Preparing for all of these possibilities can leave a person stressed and ready to give up. "When talking with others on the forum, individuals can learn more about the types of disasters they are most likely to face, based on where they live, and prepare for those emergency situations first. Then and only then can they move to preparing for emergencies that are less of a threat to them personally. For example, a person living in Los Angeles may need to prepare for blackouts during the summer months, but completely ignore preparations for a blizzard. In contrast, a person living in Maine should focus on surviving a winter storm that leaves them stranded for days or weeks, worrying less about blackouts due to power overloads," Branch continues. The forum also discusses events that may leave a person in need of survival skills for the long term. Although many discount the threat of an electromagnetic pulse or EMP, Congress has been discussing the possibility of a disaster of this type, as the nation's power grid desperately needs to be updated. An EMP could leave large parts of the nation without power or basic resources for an extended period of time, and many wish to learn more about surviving in this type of situation. Others visit to learn more about becoming more self sufficient, talking about solar homes and other ways to live off the grid. "Regardless of what a person wishes to find concerning self sufficiency, primitive hunting, disaster and emergency preparedness and more, the forum will be of help. It's a great way to connect with others who wish to learn the same things and share a similar mindset. Be sure to check it out today, as you can learn a great deal in a short period of time simply by visiting the site," Branch promises. About Daniel Branch: Daniel Branch remains dedicated to building high quality content for a modern day Internet. For more information about us, please visit http://mysurvivalforum.com/ Contact Info: Name: Daniel Branch Organization: Daniel Branch Address: 502 Riverview Drive Manchester Phone: 9315881562 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/daniel-branch-launches-the-survivalist-forum-my-survival-forum/103597 Release ID: 103597 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Regulation alone is unlikely to adequately address the threat of so-called closet tracker funds being mis-sold to investors, despite initial steps by the EUs main financial body. Last week, the European Securities and Markets Agency (Esma) said up to 15 per cent of equity funds it surveyed could be charging active fund fees while doing little more than tracking a benchmark. Intervention against closet tracking in various forms has begun in Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, and JPMorgan analysts recently concluded that the FCAs asset management market study could also shine a light on the practice. The FCA is also set to address the issue in its meeting investors expectations thematic review of the funds industry, but many are unconvinced this will suffice. The Investment Associations interim chief executive, Guy Sears, told a transparency conference last week: The FCA is bound to, if it has not already, carry out further checks against the [funds] aims and objectives that have been set and what actually has been charged. However, Rayner Spencer Mills Research (RSMR) director Ken Rayner said the regulator would be unable to put a stop to closet tracking without straying far beyond its remit. He said: I dont think the FCA could say, all these funds on this list are closet trackers, so you have to reprice them. You cant dictate how a business is run. The best the FCA can do is ask for clarity on objective and purpose and that documents make sure the clients understand what they are getting or what they are likely to get. Sean Tuffy, senior vice president for investor services at Brown Brothers Harriman, thought the Esma data would raise the temperature a bit more but said defining closet trackers could be fraught with complexity, particularly as the lines between active and passive become more blurred. I think that a lot of active managers are going to be pushed to prove that they arent closet trackers, he said. He added: This could get tricky with the emerging smart beta trend. So, it will be very important to see how closet tracking is defined and how regulators will attack the issue. Both Rory Maguire, managing director at ratings agency Fundhouse, and RSMRs Mr Rayner believed market forces could play a greater role in eradicating closet trackers. Mr Maguire said: I dont think you can regulate how active managers need to be. If you come in with regulation for managers to show how active they are, I dont know if that forces a good outcome. He stressed that ratings agencies, as well as investment intermediaries, should highlight funds that were being mis-sold as active and steer investors away from these. He also claimed competition would be the best defence against mis-selling with clients voting with their feet. Esmas study analysed 1,251 Ucits vehicles across the EU, from 2012 to 2014 using active share, tracking error and R2. It then compared results against fund literature, finding enough evidence that closet tracking existed for further examination by domestic regulators. Royal Londons group chief executive has called on the chancellor to give up on plans to turn pensions into Isas in this years Budget, stating this is not the time to turn the system upside down. Using the opportunity of the mutuals annual results statement to make his point, Phil Loney argued the conclusions of the governments consultation on pensions tax relief should aim for reformation of the current system, rather than complete abandonment. He [George Osborne] should not take the huge gamble of introducing Isa-style pensions, which would be reckless at a time when the numbers saving into a workplace pension are finally growing, following the successful introduction of automatic enrolment. Mr Loney said there remains a considerable risk that moving away from the existing taxed exempt exempt system, even with an incentive thrown in, would turn people away from long-term saving. Savers will lose the certainty of a tax relief system which ensures their saved income is not taxed twice, and be thrown into an Isa-style system where they need to believe that future generations of politicians will not renege on the deal and tax their savings when they come to withdraw. As for the groups results for the 12 months ending 31 December 2015, new life and pensions business of 6.7bn was up 40 per cent on the full year 2014 figure, driven by drawdown inflows up by over two thirds to 1.3bn. Group pension new business stood at 2.7bn at the year end, up 27 per cent on 2014, while individual pensions were at 1.9bn, up 39 per cent from the previous year. This meant Royal Londons total funds under management were 84.5bn at the turn of the year, up 2.7 per cent on the 82.3bn at 31 December 2014; despite a year of turbulent markets. The statement noted that individual pensions continue to prosper from the pension freedoms, with income release continuing to be the market leading simplified drawdown proposition for advisers, seeing new business up 67 per cent on the same period in 2014. Workplace pensions also delivered strong sales growth on the back of auto-enrolment, with a healthy outlook, given the increased volumes of much smaller workplace pension schemes staging this year. However, since smaller employers are the main focus of auto-enrolment in 2016, we expect the overall premiums achieved from these schemes as measured by present value of new business premiums to reduce compared with the company record achieved in 2015, added the results. As for the intermediary protections business, new business volumes were up 49 per cent to 502m on the same period last year, with sales driven through changes to products to provide further enhancements in cover. Mr Loney said heavy investment in the adviser-led protection business was starting to pay off. Royal London Asset Management saw gross inflows of 3.1bn - although this figure was down from 3.8bn at 31 December 2014 - while the Ascentric wrap platform saw gross sales of 2.5bn - up 14 per cent from 2.2bn the previous year. The government has announced the formation of a Joint Fraud Taskforce, targeting the serious crime which shames our financial system according to the home secretary. Theresa May launched the taskforce today (10 February) and stated fraudsters not only prey on vulnerable members of our society, but use the proceeds of their crime to fund terrorism. Fraud damages the lives of individuals, the bottom line of businesses and negatively impacts on the UKs economy, she noted. The Home Office has worked with the financial sector and law enforcement to strengthen the collective response on fraud. It aims to make it much more difficult for fraudsters to operate, by improving intelligence sharing and closing the loopholes which they exploit. Ms May said: It will help protect individuals and businesses from becoming victims of fraud by increasing public awareness and put in place interventions to support those who have been a victim. Senior representatives from the financial sector and law enforcement have given their commitment to fully support the objectives and the work of the taskforce, she continued, adding that the taskforce will report progress under Home Office governance. The move follows the governments Insurance Fraud Taskforce putting forward a series of measures to tackle insurance fraud and reduce costs for consumers last month. peter.walker@ft.com More than 3,200 farmers have been accepted on to a scheme in Northern Ireland, which will see them paid to attend meetings aimed at improving their business skills and farm profitability. Agriculture minister Michelle ONeill has announced that all 3,225 eligible applications to the first round of Business Development Groups (BDG) scheme will be offered a place on the programme. This is twice the number initially anticipated. See also: Northern Ireland to pay farmers to attend benchmarking groups Part-funded through the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020, the aim of the BDG programme is to help farmers improve their technical and business efficiency. The Department for Agriculture and Rural Development (Dard) has identified that some farmers are finding it hard to adapt to changing markets and volatility because they lack some of the required management skills (see Reasons for the scheme). Farmers will be organised into groups of 15-20 people and each group will meet eight times a year, starting in March, to discuss topics agreed by the members. Producers will be expected to maintain an active business development plan, attend training events, and be willing to share benchmarking information with other group members. The programme will meet costs incurred by the farmer such as replacement labour while they are away from the farm, travel to and from training events and the initial costs associated with any analytical services. Where farmers attend all eight training events they will qualify for a payment of up to 490 a year. Ms ONeill said the scheme would encourage farmers to work together to help develop their businesses and adopt new technology, with the overall aim of improving farm profitability. In these challenging times, being part of a BDG has the potential to help farmers improve their business decisions, in relation to future investment, technical improvements and efficiency savings. I am delighted to announce that all 3,225 eligible applicants, who applied to the programme at the end of last year, will be offered a place within a local BDG. Initially it was planned to allocate 1,500 places before the end of March, with an additional 1,500 joining the programme later in the year. However, demand for the programme was such that I have decided to offer places now to all eligible applicants, so that they can start maximising the benefits as early as possible. Reasons for the scheme About 15% of the people working in the NI agricultural industry do not have an agricultural qualification. According to DARD, there is a shortfall in management skills in relation to production, business, marketing, and information and communication technology (ICT). The scheme will provide support for knowledge transfer, innovation, co-operation and capital investment to farmers. Source: Dard FIVE GENERATIONS Five generations of the Leach family are pictured above. This is Minnie Brown Leachs second five generation line. Pictured are Minnie Brown Leach, A.L. Jamison, Julia Leach McGill, John F.... County OKs tax break for company that will purchase spec building Now we know why there was plenty of buzz around Project Bee. Although Project Bee had been identified several months ago as the codename for the Canadian company Niagara Pharmaceutical,... Open house on public transportation County residents are invited to drive the conversation this week about how future transportation needs can be met in the community. RLS & Associates is hosting open houses Wednesday from... Cancer Association event to go Over the Edge of AC Hotel The Cancer Association of Spartanburg & Cherokee Counties Inc. announces the return of the popular fundraiser, Over the Edge Upstate slated for Thursday, November 3, at AC Hotel Spartanburg,... Story Highlights 30% say failure of the government to solve major challenges is a crisis 33% say special interests having too much power is a crisis More Republicans than Democrats name government failure as a crisis WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Three in 10 Americans say that the failure of the government to solve major challenges facing the country is a "crisis." Similar percentages see two other issues -- party leaders making decisions based on what is in the best interest of their party, and special interests having too much control over the government -- as crises. Additionally, a majority of Americans consider each item to be a major problem. In total, over eight in 10 see each issue as either a crisis or a major problem. These results come from a Jan. 21-25 Gallup poll. Americans have expressed an ever-rising level of dissatisfaction with the federal government in recent years, including in 2014 and 2015, when pluralities of U.S. adults mentioned some aspect of government as the nation's top problem. Diagnosing the precise problems of the federal government, however, is no easy task. Gallup has tested three prominent theories as to why the government may work in ways that earn the country's disapproval, and has found that Americans rate the seriousness of all three similarly. Americans' belief that these factors are corroding the nation's political system is nothing new. Similar percentages judged each of these issues to be as serious in 2008 as they do today. These major concerns about the workings of Washington are undoubtedly fueling the rise of unconventional presidential candidates in the 2016 election, such as Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders -- both of whom scored big wins in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night. Reps More Likely Than Dems to See Government Failure as Crisis Republicans are twice as likely as Democrats to say that the government's failure to solve the country's major challenges represents a crisis, at 41% and 20%, respectively. Independents fall in between, with 32% saying this issue is a crisis. The three political identities are in greater accord on the other two theories tested. Both 33% of Republicans and 33% of independents believe political leaders who put their party first constitutes a crisis, and about as many Democrats (26%) agree. On the third theory, the identities are almost perfectly aligned, with 34% of Republicans, 37% of independents and 32% of Democrats saying the level of governmental influence that special interests possess is a crisis. Bottom Line Americans' frustration with the federal government has been a rising force in politics, and may play a decisive role in how many Americans vote in this primary campaign and in the general election. These findings confirm that the vast majority of Americans consider the inability to fix problems, partisanship and the influence of special interests to be major problems or crises for the nation. Such perceptions could produce unexpected outcomes in the various phases of the 2016 presidential election, such as a political outsider or "anti-establishment" candidate winning the presidency. In 2008, Barack Obama, a freshman senator, perhaps benefited from Americans' desire to elect a politician less steeped in the Washington political culture -- and that desire seems to be burning just as bright in this election, if not brighter. But the lack of improvement in public opinion on these three dimensions since 2008 suggests the next president, like Obama, may struggle to change these pessimistic views. These data are available in Gallup Analytics. Survey Methods Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Jan. 21-25, 2016, with a random sample of 1,022 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting. Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods. View complete question responses and trends. Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works. Story Highlights International terrorism, nuclear weapons in Iran also top list Democrats far more likely to view global warming as "critical" Dems, GOP about equally likely to view cyberterrorism as "critical" WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As President Barack Obama rolls out a proposal to increase U.S. cybersecurity funding, Americans view cyberterrorism as a leading threat to U.S. vital interests in the next 10 years. U.S. adults rank cyberterrorism (73%) along with international terrorism (79%) and development of nuclear weapons by Iran (75%) as the highest of a dozen potential threats. In prior years, Americans have been most likely to identify international terrorism, which is down slightly from last year's 84%, and development of nuclear weapons by Iran as critical threats to the U.S. This is the first year Gallup has asked about cyberterrorism, defined in the poll as "the use of computers to cause disruption or fear in society." In the Feb. 3-7 Gallup poll, 63% of U.S. adults consider the spread of infectious diseases throughout the world a critical threat. This comes as the first known case of Zika virus transmission in the U.S. was discovered in Texas, after many confirmed infections throughout the world. After this poll was conducted, Obama announced his intention to request additional emergency funding to combat Zika in the U.S. The majority of Americans also see the military power of North Korea (58%) as a critical threat. On Sunday, the last day of the poll's field period, North Korea launched a rocket that illustrated the country's improvements in its missile technology. Similarly, 58% of Americans name the conflict in Syria as a critical threat to the U.S., and a majority (52%) express concern over the potential of large numbers of refugees attempting to enter Europe and North America. Views of these threats as "critical" come as the conflict in Syria rages on, and the question of whether the U.S. would take in Syrian refugees has been hotly discussed in the 2016 presidential campaign. Some of the issues perceived as less threatening are global warming or climate change (50% say it is a critical threat), the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians (45%), the military power and, separately, the economic power of China (both 41%), and the military power of Russia (39%). The percentage rating Russia's military power as a critical threat is down 10 points from last year as the Russia-Ukraine conflict has become less of a U.S. flashpoint. Partisan Differences Small on Cyberterrorism, Infectious Diseases Republicans and Democrats, including independents who lean toward each party, differ considerably in their assessments of what constitutes a critical threat to the vital interests of the U.S. Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are much more likely to categorize most issues as a "critical threat." The largest gap exists on the issue of global warming or climate change, which three in four Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents describe as a "critical threat," while only one in four Republicans and GOP leaners agree. Conversely, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (70%) are nearly twice as likely as Democrats and Democratic leaners (37%) to view the issue of refugees entering Europe and North America in large numbers as a "critical threat." On a couple of issues, however, the differences between the two groups are negligible. When asked about cyberterrorism, about three-quarters of both Democrats and Republicans view the issue as a "critical threat." Similarly, seven percentage points separate the views of the two party groups on the issue of infectious diseases. Bottom Line Given the spate of news on the fronts of international terrorism, cyberterrorism and nuclear weapons negotiations with Iran, it's perhaps unsurprising that these issues are at the forefront of Americans' concerns about potential threats to the U.S. over the next 10 years. And the president's high-profile efforts -- for example, his Wall Street Journal op-ed on cyberterrorism Tuesday -- align with the importance Americans place on such issues. But an issue's prominence might be less of a factor in Americans' assessments than the seriousness of its consequences if it should happen. In the past year alone, Americans have seen the ramifications of the Paris terrorist attacks and of Chinese hackers' infiltration of U.S. federal government data. Of course, Republicans and Democrats often don't agree about what constitutes a "critical" threat to the vital interests of the U.S. Still, for lawmakers, Americans' widespread agreement on issues such as cyberterrorism and infectious diseases may provide a welcome opening for bipartisan agreement and progress on issues whose importance has broad public consensus. Historical data are available in Gallup Analytics. Survey Methods Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Feb. 3-7, 2016, with a random sample of 1,021 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting. Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods. View survey methodology, complete question responses and trends. Learn more about how Gallup Poll Social Series works. gamershell.com expired on 08/21/2022 and is pending renewal or deletion. Backorder Domain A Pinch of Salt: To vote now or to vote later that is the question JEFFERSON Several adjectives could be used to describe Master Chief Aguilar happy, protective, affectionate although petite does not accurately describe the 160-pound Great Pyrenees. Perhaps the most fitting would be lucky. Lucky that animal lovers Dale and Shirley Jones found him after wandering alone for months near Snow Peak, a matted mass of fur more dead than alive and nursed him back to health. Lucky that when he was adopted from SafeHaven seven years ago, an ID microchip was implanted. Lucky that his adopted family loves him dearly and spent much of the last year looking for him. Master Chiefs story began last March when his owner, Xavier Aguilar, left him in the care of a neighbor because he was going to be out of town for a couple of weeks and his 80-year-old mother, Belia, could not care for him. They were only going to watch him until my sister Vicki and her husband Rob Fraley got here from Colorado, Xavier said. But when the Fraleys arrived and went to pick up Master Chief known simply as Chief the neighbor said they had given him away. The family was crushed. Thus began a nearly year-long quest to find the beloved member of their family. They put up flyers throughout the area that included a photo of Chief, his description and a $500 reward. Hes the kind of dog that everyone loves, Xavier said. School kids know him by name, so it was really tough being without him. In fact, Xaviers sister told him last week, when Xavier was feeling low, that he needed to deal with the possibility that Chief might not be coming home. But the next day, the Aguilars received a phone call that was an answer to their prayers. In late May, Dale Jones was on his way home from work at ATI Wah Chang when he saw Chief lying by a stop sign on Island Inn Drive. He looked in distress and starved, Jones said. I went home and got my wife Shirley and we went back in our car. At first, he didnt want to get in. He was scared and I finally got him to come. He couldnt walk 100 feet, but we finally coaxed him into the car. Jones said Chief was in pretty rough shape. His hair was all muddy and matted. He was limping pretty badly. Jones said he told Shirley, Honey, weve got another one. They have several dogs and cats, all rescue animals. We really didnt think he was going to make it, Jones said. We gave him a good bath and shaved him. He slowly began to heal and in time, the couple also began exercising him. He started out walking about 100 feet, Jones said. We like to hike, and we got him up to one-quarter of a mile. Now, he can easily go three-and-a-half miles without any problem. The couple originally called him Buddy, but Shirley decided a better name was Double Bubble due to the way Chief walked. After his limp subsided, the nickname was shortened to just Bubble. All the while, the couple kept on the lookout for Chiefs real family. The Lacomb store is the information center for our community, Jones said. We were told someone had been looking for a dog that fit Bubbles description but they didnt want him back. We wonder if maybe someone found him at one point and had kept him. True to his breed, Jones said Chief would often get up in the middle of the night and walk the perimeter of their acreage. He wasnt afraid to chase things off the property, Jones said. Last week, now that Chief is healthy, the Jones decided it was time to get his shots and took him to the Faithful Friends Animal Clinic in Lebanon. Thats when they discovered Chief had an implanted ID chip. When we found out the owner was listed as Roberto Aguilar, I couldnt believe it, Dale said. I used to work with him at Wah Chang. I ate many tamales made by his wife. They were great. Roberto Aguilar was Xaviers dad and died four years ago. Belia Aguilar said that her husband used to sit in the corner of the living room couch and Chief would lay his head on Robertos lap. When the Aguilars got the phone call informing them Chief had been found, there were many tears of joy from both families. Last week, Dale and Shirley Jones visited the Aguilars and brought with them a giant doggy bed and a large bag of dog food. Chief was visibly excited for the reunion and ran to greet them and their animals. The Aguilars presented the Dale and Shirley with a calendar that features photos of Great Pyrenees dogs. It was the right thing to do and Im really glad he has a good home, Dale Jones said. Roberto was one of the nicest guys I ever worked with. Persons who would like to assist with Chiefs medical needs can donate at: https://de.gofund.me/tqncpwdw&rcid=c1b067dca6ed4249977e768c6ad1e7cc Contact Linn County reporter Alex Paul at 541-812-6114. Contact Linn County reporter Alex Paul at 541-812-6114. A pipe carrying treated wastewater from the Hollingsworth & Vose glass fiber plant broke on Christmas Eve, dumping an unknown amount of effluent into the Willamette River near downtown Corvallis before the problem was detected and the flow shut off. The spill was downstream from the citys drinking water intake, and state environmental regulators say theres no reason to suspect the incident posed a threat to human health or the environment. Hollingsworth & Vose operates a factory at 1115 S.E. Crystal Lake Drive, where it produces glass fiber for battery separator membranes, air filtration systems and other specialty applications. Treated wastewater from the manufacturing process, including glass filaments and other suspended solids, is piped under the Willamette River to settling ponds on the east bank. The solid material settles to the bottom and the liquid effluent is released into the river under a permit from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The effluent also contains trichloroethylene, or TCE. An unknown quantity of the toxic chemical was spilled at the plant more than 20 years ago, and a system of wells has been set up to extract the substance for treatment and disposal. TCE is a highly volatile compound that evaporates quickly in the open air. According to Robert Dicksa of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the break in the wastewater pipe was discovered sometime on Dec. 24 by H&V personnel conducting daily monitoring of the system. They shut things down immediately once things were discovered, Dicksa said. He said he wasnt sure how long wastewater flowed through the pipe before the system was shut down or how much effluent was released directly into the Willamette. But he pointed out that the process wastewater is treated before being pumped to the settling ponds. The same is true for the TCE extracted by the on-site pump and treat system, said Seth Sadofsky, the DEQ employee who oversees the toxic waste cleanup program at the H&V plant. He said the TCE in the treated wastewater would be at pretty low levels that would be expected to dissipate rapidly after entering the Willamette. It will come out of the river relatively quickly, Sadofsky said. Its not like metals or PCBs or some of the other contaminants people worry about. Based on what hes been told by H&V officials, Dicksa said, he doesnt think the spill created any human or environmental health hazards. He has asked the company to give him a full report on the incident. If they followed all their protocols and responded immediately upon discovery, I would say no, there is no immediate threat to human health or the environment, he said. Cindy Frost, the manager of H&Vs Corvallis plant, declined to be interviewed about the incident. Instead, in response to a list of written questions from the Gazette-Times, the company issued a four-paragraph statement. When the problem was discovered through an established inspection process, the company curtailed production and stopped using the pipe; the system was secured and the pipe was physically blocked, the statement reads in part. The damage to the pipe likely occurred as a result of debris in the river during the recent high water conditions. The statement goes on to say that the pipe was fixed on Sunday and is now back in use. In the interim, the company used tanker trucks to transport process water to the settling ponds. Altogether, the statement says, the problem has cost the company $483,000 so far. Unanswered questions But the statement leaves some questions unanswered, including how long the pipe may have been broken before the problem was detected and exactly how much effluent was released into the river. Travis Williams, executive director of Willamette Riverkeeper, said hes troubled by the lack of detailed information on that point. It makes it difficult to calculate the amount of potential impact to the river, he said. The nonprofit environmental watchdog group threatened to sue H&V under the Clean Water Act in 2014 over the years-long accumulation of glass fiber in and around the companys settling ponds. But Riverkeeper agreed to drop the suit after the company cleaned up the area and took steps to prevent material from washing into the river during high water. Williams said he believes H&V is working diligently to manage its waste responsibly, but hes concerned that the company is continuing to operate under an out-of-date wastewater discharge permit. The companys permit expired in 2008, but the DEQ made an administrative decision allowing it to continue discharging treated wastewater under the same conditions after H&V applied for a renewal. Thats standard practice for the DEQ, which has hundreds of expired permits awaiting renewal, according to Dicksa. Williams acknowledges that the agency has made some progress on reducing its backlog, but he argues its important for citizens to get a chance to weigh in on the discharge permits, which are supposed to be renewed every five years. It sort of betrays the idea of the public process, he said of the administrative permit renewals. It doesnt allow the public to consider reauthorizing a permit or adding new technology or information or ideas that we might want to incorporate, he added. Theres a reason that there was a permit starting point and a permit ending point, and its that we could take another look at these permits and work to improve them over time. DEQ recently announced a $240,000 settlement with H&V over the companys air emissions permit. The agency disclosed in December that it had allowed the plant to operate under the wrong class of permit for nearly 20 years and that the plant had been emitting much higher levels of carbon monoxide and fluorides than the permit allowed. The permit was issued based on faulty air emissions modeling data submitted by Evanite Fiber Corp., the plants previous owner, and the problem went undetected until 2014 because the permit did not require testing for those pollutants. Testing was performed at that time because H&V was seeking a renewal of its permit. What do Corvallis, Albany and Philomath citizens have in common other than one city leaning liberal and the other two, conservative? Intelligent, dedicated, public officials, community leaders, and citizens who, like all families, have occasional differences but keep the collective good in mind to reach consensus and function, unlike our dysfunctional Congress. Oregon land use planning is viewed as the national gold standard, thanks largely to goal No. 1: citizen involvement. This is once again under attack by special interest organizations in this short off-year legislative session. Senate Bill 1573, crafted by the Oregon Homebuilders Association and using a bogus declaration of emergency, would trample on 32 cities home rule provisions (600,000 people plus) to amend their city charters through voter annexation laws. It would stifle their citizens ability to debate the impacts and costs of growth from extending infrastructure into their urban growth boundaries. Under voter annexation laws, discretionary annexations are subject to voter approval. Corvallis citizens passed Oregons first voter annexation city charter amendment in 1976. Voter amendment laws have been challenged in the courts and the Legislature over the last 40 years without success. With Oregons Supreme Court upholding these laws, building interests have repeatedly tried to prevent citizens from deciding how big they want their communities to grow and from challenging why they have to subsidize that growth. Oregon Communities for a Voice in Annexations, founded in 1996, has fought for and defended the publics right to be involved in these critical decisions that have long range impacts on their pocketbooks and standard of living. A point in question is the apartment bunkers being dropped all over town and leaving no place to park for longtime homeowners. Silence is not an option when someone wants to eat your lunch. The only way people can retain their voice in government locally and statewide is to defend those rights. Salem talks about ethical and open government while at the same time allowing powerful lobbyists to consistently try to remove the public from the public process. As pointed out in the Jan. 31 Gazette-Times editorial, shorter sessions tend to be full-out sprints, the pace is very fast, but that is deceptive and considerable vetting takes place before the session starts. Interpretation: deals have been made before the session even starts, and opponents, if they are notified at all, sometimes only get 15 minutes. The Senate allowed special interest to testify on SB 1573 while excluding Oregon Communities for a Voice in Annexation and representation from the 32 cities that allow voter annexation. Whats at stake with this proposed legislation is an assault on home rule and citizen involvement. City officials in these 32 cities need to show solidarity and respect for their citizen initiative process, not to mention their city charters. The bill requires cities to annex territory without vote upon receipt of petition for annexation submitted by all owners of land in territory. It also provides that cities are not required to hold public hearings and may declare territory annexed by ordinance containing description of territory. Contact your dedicated public officials, community leaders, and fellow citizens to encourage them to write or call their state representatives and senators with the request to defeat SB 1573. One of the best features that Lex Machina provides for Intellectual Property attorneys is their increased accuracy of information pulled from PACER. The improvements that Lex Machina has made on Cause-of-Action (CoA) and Nature- of-Suit (NoS) codes entered into PACER make it an invaluable resource to clearly identify relevant matters and weed out irrelevant cases. By improving the data, Lex Machina reduces the garbage in garbage out effect that exists in the PACER database. Now Lex Machina has turned its focus on cleaning up another annoyance found in PACER data, as well as many of the other platforms that pull data from PACER. The Attorney Data Engine analyzes the PACER information and identifies the attorneys that are actually associated with the case, even if those attorneys do not show up on the attorney list via PACER. I talked with Karl Harris, Vice-President of Products at Lex Machina, a couple weeks ago, and he gave me some insights on the new Attorney Data Engine, and how they are increasing the accuracy of identifying attorneys and law firms that are actually working on the cases filed through PACER. Karl mentioned that in New Jersey and Delaware, two very important states when it comes to Intellectual Property cases, only about 54% of the attorneys that work on the cases, actually show up in the PACER information. That means that nearly half of the attorneys are missing from the metadata produced by PACER. When accuracy is important, missing nearly half of the attorney names can cause quite a problem. For those of us that ever put on a demo for an attorney of docket information, we know that one of the first questions the attorney asks is can you find X case, which I represented Y client? If you cannot find that information, the demo may as well end right there. Attorneys are issue spotters. If you cannot get accurate information, they will not trust that the product actually works. With the new Lex Machina Attorney Data Engine, you should be able to find the attorney information, even if PACER missed it. Here is an overview of the three components of the Attorney Data Engine: The PACER metadata itself: Every time Lex Machina crawls PACER data, they keep a historical record and can identify when attorneys are added or removed from a case over time. This makes the PACER data better by itself. Pro Hac Vice Extractor: Docket entries will mention when attorneys are added Pro Hac Vice to a case. Lex Machina also keeps a record of attorneys associated to law firms (over time.) Signature Block Analyzer: Lex Machina analyzes the documents attached to the docket entries and identifies the signature blocks for each attorney. Even if the attorneys name doesnt show up in the Docket entry, if they have a signature block, they are then associated with the case. Karl Harris states that the Attorney Data Engine makes Lex Machina the best source for reliably figuring out which attorneys are involved in which cases. It will be interesting to watch Lex Machina grow over the next couple of years, and to see how its new parent company, Lexis, assists in advancing its progress through access to additional data points. It is not a far jump to see how the Attorney Data Engine processes can be turned into a Company Data Engine using Lexis company information databases. Lexis has the content, and Lex Machina has the analytical resources to make that content better. It should make for some interesting results as the two companies learn how to adapt processes to the different products. BONN A59 will be expanded to eight lanes in one section. Plans are being made available to the public. Plans for expansion of the A59 autobahn will be made available to the public beginning this week. From Thursday, February 11 until Thursday, March 10, the construction plans can be viewed at the Stadthaus (city administration building), Kataster and Vermessungsamt, floor 7C. Opening times are Mondays and Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The A59 will be expanded into eight lanes between Sankt-Augustin west and Bonn-Nordost (northeast). Extra land in both Bonn and Sankt Augustin will be used in the expansion. Specifically, the land will be in the areas of Meindorf, Menden and the southwestern area by Geislar and Vilich-Muldorf. Every citizen has until March 24 to voice concerns or objections to the plans to the City of Bonn or the government in Cologne at: Bezirksregierung Koln, Dezernat 25, Zeughausstrae 2-10, 50667 Koln. Kindergarten trend : Protestant management of kindergartens BONN Communities are handing over management of their kindergartens to a Protestant foundation for children. Part of the reason is financial. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken More and more communities are handing over management of their kindergartens to a Protestant foundation for children (KFJ). Some of the reasons are financial. Twelve former community run kindergartens have already been transferred to the KFJ to run. The parish communities of Bonn, Bad Godesberg-Voreifel and Rhine-Sieg county are now looking to see if they can find an alternative to the KFJ. Currently, a total of 15 kindergartens are being managed by the KFJ, three of them were established in agreement with the City of Bonn. Why do communities give their kindergartens over to KFJ management? One of the reasons is financial; they want to secure the kindergarten for the future, according to Klaus Graf, who is CEO of the Protestant foundation. He says another reason is that parents want their children to have the religious education component. Graf sees the KFJ as a good partner because it offers security, reliability and continuously operates at a level of high quality. German kindergartens are normally open to children from ages 3 to 6. Kindergarten is viewed as a pre-school, and it is not required by law. However, every child has a right to attend kindergarten until age 6 when school becomes mandatory. Perhaps the obligation to provide for all children sees many communities finding themselves no longer able to coordinate the direction of their kindergartens, or the volunteer help, and they see KFJ as a good alternative. clarajancita at 10-02-2016 12:37 PM (6 years ago) (f) It is well known that women are not allowed to mingle with men in Saudi Arabia unless they are related. Six women and five men have reportedly been sentenced to 300 lashes of the cane and 1-year imprisonment after neighbors reported them to the police for having a beach-side party. It is well known that women are not allowed to mingle with men in Saudi Arabia unless they are related. Six women and five men have reportedly been sentenced to 300 lashes of the cane and 1-year imprisonment after neighbors reported them to the police for having a beach-side party. Police found images of indecent pictures and alcohol after a raid on a beach-side villa in Jedda, Saudi Arabia and charged the offenders with 'obscenity'. The group were initially given jail sentences ranging from eight days to a year and 150 lashes, according to a report by Breitbart, but their prison terms were increased and their flogging sentence raised to 300 lashes after a failed appeal. In Saudi Arabia, alcohol drinking is banned, women are not allowed to mix with men unless they are related and women are not allowed to wear dressing that shows off their skin. Police found images of indecent pictures and alcohol after a raid on a beach-side villa in Jedda, Saudi Arabia and charged the offenders with 'obscenity'.The group were initially given jail sentences ranging from eight days to a year and 150 lashes, according to a report by Breitbart, but their prison terms were increased and their flogging sentence raised to 300 lashes after a failed appeal.In Saudi Arabia, alcohol drinking is banned, women are not allowed to mix with men unless they are related and women are not allowed to wear dressing that shows off their skin. Post Reply I am a metro reporter on Gistmania, I have been publishing news materials for over 5 years Posted: at 10-02-2016 12:37 PM (6 years ago) | Hero LG G5 Leaked Teaser Hints 'Always On' Display, Set To Launch on February 21 News oi -VijayKumar As the world's biggest tech trade show, MWC 2016 is near, many smartphone leaked information are surfacing online. Earlier, it was said Samsung's upcoming flagship - the Galaxy S7, will come up with a feature called 'Always On' display. Now, a new leaked teaser hints that LG's next flagship smartphone G5 may also sport the similar features. A new teaser showing LG G5's first feature - Always On display, which is set to launch at its event at MWC 2016 in Barcelona. Android Authority has obtained this gif image, shows several smartphone displays steadily switching off the display, and then the LG G5 pops out with time and date of the company's MWC 2016 event, mentioning Always On. SEE ALSO: A First Look at Lenovo Yoga 900: A Stylish, Powerful And Flexible Notebook Earlier this month, LG has confirmed the launch of LG G5 on Twitter. The company to host a keynote on February 21 during the MWC 2016. As of now, there are no details about the specifications about the upcoming LG G5. If rumors are to be believed, the LG G5 will feature a new design. U.S. Intelligence Chief: IS, 'Assertive' Russia Among Unprecedented Challenges February 09, 2016 by RFE/RL U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper says that Russia remains intent on pursuing an 'assertive foreign policy' in 2016, including hampering Ukraine's Western aspirations. U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper says the United States faces an unprecedented array of security challenges including cyberattacks, 'homegrown' terrorists, Islamic State (IS) extremists, North Korea's nuclear saber-rattling, and Russia's 'assertive' foreign policy. 'In my 50-plus years in the intelligence business, I cannot recall a more diverse array of challenges and crises that we confront as we do today,' Clapper told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on February 9 while discussing his agency's annual worldwide threat assessment. In his prepared statement to the committee, Clapper said disruptions in cyberspace and attacks by U.S.-based supporters of violent extremists are the most imminent security threats faced by the United States in 2016. U.S. President Barack Obama is seeking $19 billion to boost the security of cybernetworks across the U.S. government in his 2017 budget proposal, a 35 percent increase compared to this year. Clapper cited terrorism as the other most imminent threat the United States faces in 2016, calling IS militants the 'pre-eminent terrorist threat' in the world because of the territory they control in Iraq and Syria. He added that Al-Qaeda affiliates are 'positioned to make gains in 2016' despite Western counterterrorism efforts that have damaged the network's core operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Extremist organizations like IS and Al-Qaeda will continue to plan attacks on U.S. interests abroad that could motivate homegrown terrorists to replicate them on American soil, Clapper said. 'Homegrown violent extremistswill probably continue to pose the most significant Sunni terrorist threat to the U.S. homeland in 2016,' he said. 'Assertive' and 'Paranoid' Russia Clapper said that Russia remains intent on pursuing an 'assertive foreign policy' in 2016, including hampering Ukraine's Western aspirations. Despite reduced violence between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin will continue to maintain 'long-term influence over Kyiv' and frustrate 'Ukraine's attempts to integrate with Western institutions.' 'Events in Ukraine raised Moscow's perceived stakes for increasing its presence in the region to prevent future regime change in the former Soviet republics and for accelerating a shift to a multipolar world in which Russia is the uncontested regional hegemon in Eurasia,' Clapper said. The United States and the European Union have targeted Russia with several rounds of sanctions following Moscow's takeover of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in March 2014 and the subsequent war in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 9,000 since April 2014. Washington, Brussels, Kyiv, and NATO accuse Russia of supplying the separatists with weapons, money, training, and soldiers, allegations the Kremlin denies despite substantial evidence of such support. Clapper told lawmakers during the February 9 hearing that Russia is 'paranoid' about being challenged by NATO, and that its efforts to challenge American power could drive it into a new Cold War. 'They're greatly concerned about being contained,' he said. Clapper added that Russia in 2016 will raise pressure on neighboring states to join the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union, which former Soviet republics Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan have already joined. Russia's Nervous 'Periphery' Clapper said in his agency's threat assessment that Russia's 'willingness to covertly use military and paramilitary forces in a neighboring state continues to cause anxieties in states along Russia's periphery.' In Belarus, he said, authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues a 'geopolitical balancing act, attempting to curry favor with the West without antagonizing Russia.' These overtures to the West, Clapper said, included the August release of several high-profile Belarusians imprisoned on charges seen as politically motivated, as well as Lukashenka's reelection in an October vote conducted 'without cracking down on the opposition as he has in previous elections.' Turning to Moldova, Clapper said thattheex-Soviet republic, which has actively pursued EU membership, 'faces a turbulent year in 2016' and that 'continued unrest is likely.' A corruption scandal that led to the downfall of the previous government last year has raised concerns about Chisinau's ability to enact reforms needed to bring the country in line with EU standards, and street protests broke out last month after lawmakers approved a new pro-European government. Antigovernment demonstrators are calling for early elections that could boost Kremlin influence in Moldova, an outcome that may complicate Chisinau's efforts to become an EU member state. Clapper said that Russia is also likely to leverage Central Asian governments' concerns about rising extremism and instability in Afghanistan to boost its security involvement in the region. He added, however, that Central Asian states face a greater threat from 'economic challenges' stemming from 'official mismanagement, low commodity prices, declining trade and remittances associated with Russia's weakening economy.' In the Caucasus, Clapper said that tensions between Georgia and Russia will remain high and that 'Moscow will raise the pressure on Tbilisi to abandon closer EU and NATO ties.' 'Rising frustration among Georgia's elites and the public with the slow pace of Western integration and increasingly effective Russian propaganda raise the prospect that Tbilisi might slow or suspend efforts toward greater Euro-Atlantic integration,' he said in the assessment. Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway, Armenian-held Nagorno-Karabakh region, meanwhile, risk escalation in 2016 due to Baku's 'sustained military buildup coupled with declining economic conditions in Azerbaijan,' Clapper said. 'Azerbaijan's aversion to publicly relinquishing its claim to Nagorno-Karabakh proper and Armenia's reluctance to give up territory it controls will continue to complicate a peaceful resolution,' he said. With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/us-clapper-russia-pressure-ukraine/27541488.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Norway Afraid of Russia's Intel Gathering More Than of Any Other State Sputnik News 18:07 09.02.2016(updated 18:20 09.02.2016) Head of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) Benedicte Bjornland claimed Tuesday that Russian intelligence gathering could inflict more harm on Norwegian interests than the activities of any other country. MOSCOW (Sputnik) She added that despite Russia's capabilities, the PST sees no scenario where war is being prepared against Norway. 'We wish to signal that the potentially biggest challenge against [Norway's] independence and territorial integrity comes from other states, and we see comprehensive and aggressive state intelligence being carried out by other countries. Our assessment remains that Russian intelligence has the highest damage potential for Norwegian interests,' Bjornland told reporters. In recent months, Nordic countries, namely Sweden and Finland, have expressed concerns about Russian military activity in the region, such as the growing number of military exercises and intelligence activities being carried out by Moscow. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Arabian Gulf Shield improves interoperability By Master Sgt. Joshua Strang, Air Forces Central Command Public Affairs / Published February 09, 2016 AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar (AFNS) -- Training concluded Feb. 3 at Al Udeid Air Base with a scenario designed to test Gulf Cooperation Council Liaison Officer (GCC LNO) procedures and connectivity to host nation air operations centers. Participants from Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia used their new-found knowledge during exercise Arabian Gulf Shield, which centered on air and air defense strategies. "This type of training is invaluable," said Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command and Combined Forces Air Component. "We have been able to improve our interoperability with our partners in the (Persian) Gulf region as well as increase the air and air defense capabilities within the coalition." The GCC LNO program, which is in its ninth cycle, was streamlined from 15 weeks to six and is significantly more operations focused than the previous cycles. The two-week Senior Operations Planner Program, running concurrently with the GCC LNO program, was executed for the first time during this cycle. This seminar-type training capitalized on the sharing of knowledge and experiences from Persian Gulf coalition members in order to best equip future combined air operations center liaison officers and planners. The exercise is the culmination of the new GCC LNO and senior planner programs. "This group of highly skilled and knowledgeable officers brought a wealth of experience to the table," said 1st Lt. Joshua Skoglund, a LNO/senior planner program coordinator. "They demonstrated the highest levels of integration and cooperation to accomplish their learning objectives." During the course, the senior planners concentrated on strategic planning and campaign plan development and then worked with LNOs to produce a master air attack plan and briefings for the exercise and supervised the execution of that plan. "It's a great concept with both classes running simultaneously and in concert with each other; one feeding the other," Skoglund said. "Without the sharing of knowledge and experiences from our gulf partners this concept would not have become a reality." Since this was the first iteration of the new program, Skoglund said student feedback and learning about each individual culture has been a great experience. "It was great to be part of this unique opportunity to learn from and be immersed in our gulf partner's culture," Skoglund said. "I look forward to working with them in the future in an operational environment." The course director, French Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Konietzko, said the highlight of the course for him was to see the participants put the lessons into action. "It was really good to see the students from different countries and their ability to communicate," Konietzko said. "To see the participants create and deliver their briefs and execute their plans was, for me, the top of the course." Konietzko said this course will increase the readiness of the coalition to deal with any current and future contingencies by allowing countries to better integrate operations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address KC-135 integral to F-16 training in Greece By Staff Sgt. Christopher Ruano, 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs / Published February 09, 2016 SOUDA BAY, Greece (AFNS) -- The first time the Air Force attempted to refuel an aircraft in flight, aircrews successfully stayed aloft for 151 hours. That was over 85 years ago, and the Air Force today has made quite a few innovations since then. A KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 63rd Air Refueling Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is providing air refueling support to the F-16 Fighting Falcons assigned to the 480th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron over the skies of Souda Bay, Greece, during a flying training deployment slated for Jan. 22 to Feb. 15. 'The tanker plays a huge role in what we do to meet any sortie tasking that we could have,' said Lt. Col. Timothy Murphy, the 480th EFS commander. 'We can simulate the same length of sorties here that we could have if we were in combat.' The KC-135 crew kept the mission going and allowed pilots the opportunity to practice air-to-air refueling maneuvers. 'This is a training mission that we are doing here supporting their (flying training deployment),' said Capt. Shannon Callon, a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot assigned to the 63rd ARS. 'We provide a stable platform of fuel to all of the American receivers.' The Stratotanker can deliver 1,000 gallons of fuel per minute, carry up to 200,000 pounds of fuel, 83,000 pounds of cargo and provide air refueling services to all branches of service, NATO and allied partners. 'As the boom operator, I'm the in-flight refueler in the back of the jet being the one who's actually controlling the boom and passing the fuel to the receivers,' said Staff Sgt. Brittany Bahnet, a KC-135 Stratotanker boom operator assigned to the 63rd ARS. 'Our job also includes cargo, passengers and backing up pilots when we're in the cockpit. 'I love it,' Bahnet continued. 'It's very exciting, it's one of those jobs that not a lot of people could ever say they do or experience; definitely better than being behind a desk.' The KC-135 has flown with the U.S. and Hellenic air forces each day and provided air refueling over the Greek ranges on the northwest bay of Crete, White Mountain range and over the Mediterranean Sea. 'They have been there to support us the whole time, it's great,' Murphy said. 'Their tanker crews have been awesome from the boomers to the pilots. Overall, this is really good training for everyone.' The flying training deployments are made possible through the efforts of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, the command which governs all U.S. air assets in Europe with the duty to train, equip and deploy combat-ready Airmen. Their posture is to continuously hone skills during peacetime, address any security threats, and ensure regional peace and stability. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, February 9, 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 aircraft conducted three strikes in Syria: -- Near Kobani, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit. -- Near Manbij, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit. -- Near Mar'a, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position. Strikes in Iraq Coalition forces used rocket artillery and attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft to conduct 18 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Baghdadi, seven strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and three ISIL staging areas, denied ISIL access to terrain, and destroyed two ISIL rockets, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL front-end loader, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and an ISIL vehicle. -- Near Huwayjah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit. -- Near Fallujah, a strike destroyed an ISIL-used bridge. -- Near Mosul, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL mortar tube, and an ISIL vehicle. -- Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck an ISIL logistics facility and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions. -- Near Ramadi, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, denied ISIL access to terrain, and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL staging area, and two ISIL boats. -- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike destroyed two ISIL fighting positions. -- Near Tal Afar, a strike suppressed an ISIL rocket position. Additionally, a strike in Iraq from Feb. 7 was not included on the Feb. 8 strike release: -- Near Ramadi, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and an ISIL boat. 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 a 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 conducting strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Obama's FY 2017 Budget Addresses Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Terrorism By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, February 9, 2016 President Barack Obama's fiscal year 2017 defense budget request highlights defending against challenges posed by Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and terrorist groups, a senior defense official said on background. Each challenge requires different budgeting, resources, capabilities and capacities, all inside of the two-year budget agreement. The fiscal 2017 request is pegged at $582.7 billion, including an overseas contingency operations request of $58.8 billion. The request calls for a 1.6 percent pay hike for military personnel and civilians, and puts readiness on the path for recovery by fiscal 2022. The budget continues the delicate task of balancing the readiness, capabilities and force structure of the U.S. military, the official said. 'Emergent Great Powers' Countering Russia and China is a return to great-power competition, which entails building a joint force that is ready -- and, more importantly, has the capacity -- to meet great power requirements today and in the future, the official explained. In the overseas contingency operations portion of the budget is $3.4 billion for the European Reassurance Initiative, intended to fund continuous armored brigade rotations in Europe, more -- and more involved -- exercises, and prepositioning all the vehicles and equipment an armored brigade combat team would need. Other investments specifically tied to Russia and China are those that enhance cyberspace capabilities, power projection, some space efforts, missile defense, science and technology investments and command and control. These are the "capabilities that would allow us to be able to compete with these emergent great powers in the future," the official said. Funding these capabilities also place the U.S. military in a good position in dealing with "the challenges we've got in North Korea, Iran, and then, of course, the efforts against [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] in the Middle East and in northern Africa," he said. Closing the Gap The Budget Agreement Act of 2015 cut funds to DoD by $18 billion between fiscal 2016 and 2017. The department had to find a way to close that gap from within, the official said. The economic situation made it a bit easier to do this year with lower fuel costs, he said, which saved the department around $2 billion alone. Congress placed another $5 billion in the OCO fund, which also provided some relief, the official added. To make up the rest, "generally speaking, the services made reductions in [operations and maintenance], and they cut and delayed procurement," the official said. There were also some efficiencies the department made that are paying off. The military did not take large reductions in capacity. End strength for the military remains at 1,281,900 active-duty forces and 801,200 reservists. Army end strength is 460,000 and Marine Corps at 182,000. The Navy will have 322,900 sailors and 11 aircraft carriers included in a total of 287 ships. There will be 96 operational bombers and 54 tactical fighter squadrons. The Air Force end strength is 317,000 airmen. Challenge of Operational Demand All this is a good start for the military, but it is only a start, the official said. "A dollar-for-dollar increase does not equal a linear increase in service readiness -- there are other factors at play," he said. "Operational demand is a key one in the Air Force and the Army in particular. The operational demand for units in some cases precludes regeneration of the readiness that we would need to confront the full range of the challenges that the secretary has talked about." The budget does regenerate readiness -- if no new missions are added to the U.S. military's existing mission set. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff "is intensely interested in regenerating readiness of the joint force and generating comprehensive joint readiness, the official said. But the readiness regeneration is uneven among the services, he said, "And the uncertainty is driven, really, by operational demand in the future." Retirement, Tricare Savings From a personnel standpoint, DoD will make a legislative proposal later in the year that's tied to some savings in the program related to blended retirement, the official said. The department will also work on issues of continuation pay. "The law really says 12 years of service is where we'll pay continuation pay,' the official said. 'We're looking to have greater latitude and flexibility in where it comes and how much the continuation pay occurs for a service member.' The department also hopes to adjust the thrift savings program matching portions and possible have them occur later, he added. The official said he believes Congress will make changes to the Tricare program this year. "The joint staff has worked as part of this effort," he said. Whatever is done, it must "increase access for everyone who utilizes the military health care system -- provide more responsive care and finally be sufficient, more sufficient fiscally," the official said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Must Face Varied Threats, Secretary General Says By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, February 9, 2016 The NATO defense ministers meeting beginning tomorrow will posture the alliance to face threats from any direction, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels today. "Over the next two days, NATO defense ministers will make decisions to address the changed security environment we are facing," Stoltenberg said during a press conference at NATO headquarters. With Russia posing a threat from the east and the threats from extremism to the south, the meeting will concentrate on adapting the alliance deterrence and defense strategy, the secretary general said. Bolstering Collective Defense "I expect ministers to agree to enhance our forward presence in the eastern part of our alliance," Stoltenberg said. "This will bolster our collective defense, and at the same time send a powerful signal to deter any aggression or intimidation." The U.S. plan to quadruple the funding for the European Reassurance Initiative "is a significant step," he said. "It will fund a persistent rotational presence of air, land, and maritime forces and more training and exercises." The NATO ministers will also look at ways to improve the alliance's response to hybrid attacks, Stoltenberg said. Russia used this strategy in Ukraine. It combines conventional military force with subversion, cyberattacks and propaganda. "We will speed up our decision-making, and help ensure that we have all the tools and procedures in place," the secretary general said. "We will develop ways to boost our resilience, the resilience of our allies." Combating Specific Threats Stoltenberg said NATO will work more closely with the European Union to deal with a range of issues, especially in combating cyber threats. "This is part of NATO's long-term adaptation to a new and more challenging security environment, and it will require continued efforts, and continued investment," he said. NATO is part of the coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. "All NATO allies are part of the counter-ISIL coalition, and I expect NATO to provide them with support," Stoltenberg said. "We are actively considering the U.S. request for NATO AWACS surveillance planes to backfill national capabilities." Stoltenberg said the alliance is working to end the suffering in Syria, reach a ceasefire and start a political transition. "The intense Russian airstrikes, mainly against opposition forces, are undermining these efforts," he said. The Russian strikes are driving thousands of refugees toward NATO ally Turkey, making the already desperate humanitarian crisis even worse. "The increased Russian air activity in Syria is also leading to violations of NATO airspace," Stoltenberg said. "Overall, the substantial Russian military build-up in Syria and the eastern Mediterranean is shifting the strategic balance and raising tensions in the region," the secretary general said. "So calm, de-escalation and political solutions are more urgent than ever." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Department of Defense Press Operations News Release February 09, 2016 Department of Defense (DoD) Releases Fiscal Year 2017 President's Budget Proposal Today President Barack Obama sent Congress a proposed budget request of $582.7 billion in discretionary budget authority to fund the Department of Defense in Fiscal Year 2017 (FY 2017). The FY 2017 budget of $582.7 billion complies with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, giving the department both funding stability and protection from the damage of sequestration in FY 2016 and FY 2017. Within the confines of this negotiated amount, the budget request reflects the priorities necessary for our force today and in the future to best serve and protect our nation in a rapidly changing security environment. The base budget of $523.9 billion includes an increase of $2.2 billion over the FY 2016 enacted budget of $521.7 billion. As specified in the budget agreement, DoD's FY 2017 overseas contingency operations budget is $58.8 billion, nearly the same as the FY 2016 enacted level of $58.6 billion. The combined request represents a total increase of $2.4 billion, or less than one percent over FY 2016 enacted levels. The FY 2017 budget reflects recent strategic threats and changes that have taken place in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Russian aggression, terrorism by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and others, and China's island building and claims of sovereignty in international waters all necessitate changes in our strategic outlook and in our operational commitments. Threats and actions originating in Iran and North Korea negatively affect our interests and our allies. These challenges have sharpened the focus of our planning and budgeting. Addressing these challenges as part of DoD's mission to defend the nation requires new and innovative thinking, new operational posture in strategic regions, and new and enhanced capabilities. As we confront rising international challenges, we are seizing opportunities, developing new operational concepts, pioneering and dominating technology frontiers, reforming the defense enterprise, and building the force of the future. "This budget marks a major inflection point for the Department of Defense," Secretary of Defense Carter stated. "Even as we fight today's fights, we must also be prepared for the fights that might come in 10, 20, or 30 years." The FY 2017 budget request strikes a prudent balance among the modernization of the joint force, its size, and its readiness, and continues to keep faith with service members and their families. Highlights of the proposed DoD budget are outlined below and in the attached charts. Prior speeches and a budget fact sheet are available at www.defense.gov/fy17budget. The entire FY 2017 budget proposal and the department's FY 2017 Budget Request Overview Book are available at http://comptroller.defense.gov/BudgetMaterials.aspx. Summary of the DoD Fiscal Year 2017 President's Budget (PB 2017)Proposal President's Budget 2017 (PB 2017): Strategic Turning Point for the Department of Defense The PB 2017 request of $582.7 billion in FY 2017 complies with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. It reflects our assessment of what kind of force we need today and tomorrow to best serve and protect our country, our friends and allies, and our national interests in today's global security environment. PB 2017 Commits to our Force and our Families. The PB 2017 reflects a defense program that effectively balances the need to meet today's persistent operational demand and to build our readiness and capabilities for full-spectrum warfare. PB 2017 funding levels will allow the joint force to respond to steady state demand requirements, fulfill strategic obligations, and support the services' readiness recovery plans. Readiness. The PB 2017 request makes critical investments throughout the force to rebuild toward full-spectrum combat readiness. The Army is optimizing combat training center throughput capacity, which will provide brigade combat teams with increased opportunities for full-spectrum training. The Navy's funding continues implementation of its Optimum Fleet Response Plan, which began phased implementation in FY 2015 and balances the preservation of critical maintenance and training while maximizing employability of Navy forces. The Marine Corps fully funds the integrated combined arms exercises for all elements of its Marine Air Ground Task Forces. The Air Force optimized flying hour and maintenance funding to maximize home station training opportunities and increase funding to modernize and expand existing Air Force training ranges and exercises here at home. Compensation. To continue to provide a strong package of pay and benefits for both military and civilians and ensure DoD remains competitive for the best talent, the budget proposes a 1.6 percent basic pay increase for 2017. End Strength. This budget funds an Army of 460,000 soldiers in the active Army, 335,000 soldiers in the Army National Guard, and 195,000 soldiers in the Army Reserve in FY 2017 comprising 56 total Army brigade combat teams and associated enablers and a Marine Corps of 182,000 active-duty Marines and 38,500 Marine reservists. For the Navy, the budget continues to grow the size, and, importantly, the capability, of the battle fleet; which grows from 280 ships today to 308 ships at the end of the FYDP and provides for 380,900 active-duty and reserve sailors in FY 2017. The budget also supports an Air Force of 491,700 active-duty, Reserve and National Guard Airmen, and includes 55 tactical fighter squadrons in FY 2017. PB 2017 Adjusts to Strategic Change. Today's security environment is dramatically different from the one the department has been engaged with for the last 25 years, and it requires new ways of thinking and new ways of acting. This security environment is driving the focus of the Defense Department's planning and budgeting. Counterterrorism efforts. The budget request allows us to prosecute our battles against terrorism around the globeIraq, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhereto ultimately defeat al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Budget elements critical to success include: The department's overseas contingency operations request funds equipment and logistical support for the U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and other areas in the region, as well as provides funds to build capacity for foreign security forces in support of counterterrorism activities. PB 2017 funds intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) support for counterterrorism (CT) that will build to 90 total combat air patrols for combatant commands. Russia. The budget enables the department to take a strong, balanced approach to respond to Russia's aggression in Eastern Europe. We are countering Russia's aggressive policies through investments in a broad range of capabilities. The FY 2017 budget request will allow us to modify and expand air defense systems, develop new unmanned systems, design a new long-range bomber and a new long-range stand-off cruise missile, and modernize our nuclear arsenal. The budget quadruples last year's request for the European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) to $3.4 billion in FY 2017 to reassure our NATO allies and deter Russian aggression. This funding supports prepositioning additional combat equipment, conducting additional training exercises, and enabling a continuous brigade-size rotation which will ensure we have three Army brigade combat teams in Europe at all times. Asia-Pacific. The DoD remains committed to the Asia-Pacific rebalance. The U.S. long-term economic and security interests are inextricably linked to developments in the Asia-Pacific region. In terms of presence, investments in the FY 2017 budget continue to improve the geographic distribution, operational resilience, and political sustainability of our regional posture. This includes building up Guam as a strategic hub, inauguration of P-8 maritime patrol aircraft rotations in Singapore, implementation of rotational initiatives in Northern Australia, and positioning F-35 fighters in Japan in 2017. Iran. While the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran is good for national security, DoD must still counter Iran's malign influence against our friends and allies in the region. To combat those threats, the budget: Continues efforts to hold Iran accountable for its destabilizing behavior by advancing preparations, posture, regional partnerships, and planning to preserve the President's options for any contingency. Requests $145.8 million in FY 2017 for support to Israel. This reflects our unshakeable commitment to Israel and its security and funds Iron Dome, David's Sling, Arrow, and other cooperative defense programs. Cyber Threats. In response to increased threats, we are strengthening cyber defenses and increasing options available in case of a cyber-attack. The president's budget funds $6.7 billion in FY 2017 for defensive and offensive cyberspace operations, capabilities, and cyber strategy. PB 2017 Seizes Opportunities for the Future Force of the Future. Our priorities are attracting a new generation of talent, promoting diversity, and rewarding merit; carving tunnels through the walls between DoD, the private sector, reserve force, and other agencies; and using technology and data analysis to improve personnel decisions and choices. We also are proposing initiatives to recruit and retain the best talent. Those initiatives include setting a standard across the joint force that is competitive with the private sector in terms of maternity and paternity leave by providing service members with 12 weeks and 14 days of leave, respectively; increased availability of child care services; and greater assistance in preserving the ability of couples to start a family. Defense Reforms. We will work with Congress on cost-saving and efficiency-inducing reforms, including: Focusing efforts to reduce management headquarters from the FY 2014 level by 25 percent by FY 2020. Eliminating excess infrastructure and facilities to include requesting authority to initiate a new round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) in 2019. Modernizing the TRICARE health plan to balance the needs of beneficiaries with requirements to maintain military medical readiness by incentivizing care at the military treatment facilities through lower fees and copays, as well as improving access to military care (e.g., timely medical appointments) Continuing progress in auditability across the department in order to become audit ready by FY 2018. Assuming responsibility for development, design, security and operation of the background investigations information technology systems for the National Background Investigations Bureau. This will ensure cybersecurity is embedded throughout the process, thereby strengthening protection of federal employees' and contractors' personal information. Technological Innovation. The DoD is pursuing new technology development, operational concepts, and organizational constructs to maintain our military's technological superiority. For FY 2017, we invest science and technology funds that advance key technology areas such as hypersonics, large data analytics, advanced materials, and human-machine teaming. The budget invests a total of $112.1 billion in FY 2017 to develop and procure the equipment, technology and capabilities we need to deter and, if necessary, fight and win full-spectrum conflicts in the future. The budget increases funding for our research and development accounts, which total $71.8 billion in FY 2017. The budget reflects our continuing efforts to connect with America's technology community. This includes $45 million in FY 2017 for our Defense Innovation Unit-Experimental (DIUx). The budget includes $40 million in FY 2017 for our pilot program with In-Q-Tel, leveraging a venture capital model to help find innovative solutions for some of our most challenging problems. The budget includes $137 million in FY 2017 to support our manufacturing innovation institutes, including one focused on flexible hybrid electronics. Maritime The PB 2017 grows the naval fleet by procuring seven major ships in FY 2017 and will increase the battle force by 28 ships, from 280 to 308 ships, in the next five years. The PB 2017 budget includes $5.2 billion in FY 2017 to buy two Virginia-class attack submarines. The PB 2017 increases funding for advanced undersea capabilities, including $37 million for an improved MK-48 torpedo, and $106 million for unmanned underwater vehicles in FY 2017. The budget invests $3.2 billion in FY 2017 to buy two DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers. The budget reduces planned littoral combat ship/fast frigate (LCS/FF) procurement from 52 ships to 40. Aircraft The budget includes $10.1 billion in FY 2017 for F-35s across the force: 43 F-35As for the Air Force, 16 F-35Bs for the Marine Corps and 4 F-35Cs for the Navy. For continued development of the Long-Range Strike Bomber, the budget invests $1.4 billion in FY 2017. The budget invests $3.1 billion to buy 15 KC-46A Pegasus refueling tankers in FY 2017. To ensure enough fighter squadrons are ready to deploy to meet high overseas demand, the Air Force will transition the A-10 fleet two years later than previously planned, enabling a larger near-term force and investment in legacy capabilities. The Unmanned Carrier-Launched Air Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program has been restructured and renamed the Carrier Based Aerial Refueling System (CBARS). The PB 2017 budget invests $89 million in FY 2017 for CBARS. To maximize capabilities and extend the reach of our airborne systems, PB 2017 invests $759 million for two Navy MQ-4C Triton unmanned maritime surveillance and patrol aircraft in FY 2017. The budget funds $2.2 billion in FY 2017 to continue procurement of the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft. PB17 supports the Army's Aviation Restructure Initiative by providing $1.1 billion for 52 Apache helicopters, and $1.0 billion for 36 Black Hawk helicopters in FY 2017. Land The PB 2017 will help provide our Army, Marine Corps, and special operations forces with greater lethality to ensure ground forces can deter and, if necessary, fight and win a full-spectrum conflict. The budget includes a next-generation shoulder-launched weapon, a replacement for the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) that can be used for improved counter-battery and long-range strike, and increased firepower for Stryker armored fighting vehicles, totaling $0.8 billion in FY 2017. The budget adds significant survivability improvements to the Stryker vehicle to complement the lethality upgrades added in FY 2016. counter-battery and long-range strike, and increased firepower for Stryker armored fighting vehicles, totaling $0.8 billion in FY 2017. The budget adds significant survivability improvements to the Stryker vehicle to complement the lethality upgrades added in FY 2016. Additionally, the budget invests $735 million for 2,020 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) in FY 2017. The JLTVs are intended to replace Humvees. For the amphibious combat vehicle, which replaces the Marine Corps' Amphibious Assault Vehicle, the budget invests $159 million in FY 2017. Nuclear Enterprise For the nuclear enterprise, while many of our systems remain effective, we are entering a period when multiple weapon systems require significant modernization. This drives an increase in the funding required over the FYDP and beyond. The PB provides $19 billion in FY 2017 which reflects our continuing commitment to modernizing our nuclear enterprise. The Ohio Replacement Program is allocated $1.9 billion in FY 2017 and $13.2 billion for development and initial construction over the FYDP. Space The FY 2017 budget builds upon investments in last year's budget to help secure U.S. access to space and address space as an operational domain. The budget invests $1.8 billion for space launch in FY 2017. The budget allocates $108 million over the FYDP to implement the Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center, which will better align joint operations in space across the U.S. government. http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/652687/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sri Lanka war crimes in the spotlight as UN rights chief visits By Jared Ferrie YANGON, 9 February 2016 (IRIN) - Sri Lanka's president is unlikely to cave in any time soon to pressure for international participation in a war crimes tribunal, as the United Nations rights chief urged today. But he could turn the situation to his advantage by offering up less controversial reforms to win back domestic political support and satisfy the international community. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein spoke at the end of a four-day visit to Sri Lanka, where he travelled to check on the government's progress on implementing recommendations in his report released last September. The report documented alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by both the government and the rebel Tamil Tigers in the last two years of a decades-long war that ended in 2009. It recommended a series of reforms intended to breathe life into Sri Lanka's ailing justice sector, including the creation of a truth and reconciliation commission and an office dedicated to investigating the fate of thousands of people who disappeared during the war. More controversially, it also called for the creation of a hybrid court comprised of Sri Lankan and international officials a suggestion that was dismissed by hardliners as well as reform-minded president Maithripala Sirisena. Zeid stuck firmly to that position in his statement today. "Sri Lanka has many excellent judges, lawyers, and law enforcement officials," he said. "But over the years the system they depended on, and which depends on them, became highly politicised, unbalanced, unreliable." Justice denied Many Sri Lankans agree. In fact, justice sector reform was one of Sirisena's key campaign promises. Since he came to power in a surprise win a year ago, many in the country have lost confidence in Sirisena's commitments to investigating abuses during the war and to promoting reconciliation between the mainly Buddhist majority ethnic Sinhalese and minority ethnic Tamils, who are mostly Hindu. Sirisena's government is accused of making little progress on cases of corruption and abuse allegedly committed by members of the former government, which was led by the hawkish Rajapaksa brothers Mahinda, the former president, and Gotabhaya, the former defence minister who oversaw the brutal end of the war. "There is a sense that the sheen is off the government, the sense that people are beginning to lose some trust in this process," said Alan Keenan, a Sri Lanka analyst with the International Crisis Group. Acting on some of the other recommendations in the report could be a way for Sirisena to burnish his fading reputation, Keenan told IRIN. He said the overarching goal of implementing such measures is to help "rebuild the integrity of the justice system". That goal appeals to Sri Lankans from various ethnic and religious groups who in the 2015 elections abandoned the Rajapaksa brothers in droves. Those included minority Muslims who were targeted in a series of attacks in 2014 by mobs stirred up by Buddhist nationalist groups. At best, the government did little to protect Muslims, and some rights groups claim it provided tacit support to the nationalists. "All communities have suffered and they all have an interest in rebuilding the system," said Keenan. Economic benefits In addition to shoring up domestic political support, enacting reforms contained in the UN report would bring economic benefits. The European Union is currently reviewing Sri Lanka's progress on human rights with an eye to restoring access to the Generalised Scheme of Preferences, which allows imports from developing countries at preferential rates. Sri Lanka lost its privileges in 2010. Likewise, Sri Lanka is keen to have the United States return access to funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which provides grants of as much as $500 million over five years to selected countries. Progress on implementing the less controversial recommendations could provide political and economic returns, as well as give Sirisena some breathing space by delaying the tougher decision about whether to allow internationals to participate in a tribunal. But Sirisena can't dodge the question forever. Eventually, Sri Lanka will need to make a decision, and it's bound to alienate one side or the other. Supporters of the military and the Rajapaksas are vehemently opposed. They demonstrated in the streets during Zeid's visit to make it clear that they will not accept foreigners judging military men. But many victims of wartime atrocities will accept nothing less. "An internationalised, hybrid justice process is absolutely vital if it is to gain the confidence of the torture survivors we treat and for the Tamil community as a whole," said Sonya Sceats, director of policy and advocacy at Freedom from Torture, a group that works with torture survivors. "They will have no confidence in the process if there is no international participation," she told IRIN. jf/ag Theme (s): Conflict, Governance, Human Rights, Copyright IRIN 2016 This material comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States. IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Marines with HMH-464 load CH-53Es in preparation for Operation Cold Response US Marine Corps News By Pfc. Nicholas Baird | February 9, 2016 Getting ready to battle the cold in Norway, Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 prepared for Operation Cold Response 2016 by loading CH-53E Super Stallions into a massive C-5 Galaxy at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Feb. 3. Loading the disassembled aircraft onto the C-5, the Marines closely monitored the giant heavy-lift helicopters to ensure they remained undamaged, as they were delicately maneuvered inside the aircraft. "One of the struggles when loading these aircraft would include putting an already large aircraft into a slightly larger aircraft," said Cpl. Dennis L. Tice Jr., a CH-53E helicopter mechanic with HMH-464. "It is almost like playing a game of operation," said Tice, referring to a once-popular child's game penalized players if they were careless in removing parts from small confined spaces. For some of the Marines, this was their first time loading a CH-53E into another aircraft. "It is something that is not done very often," said Sgt. Kevin T. Peters, a crew chief with HMH-464. "It's a rare occurrence, but doing it creates leaders for the next Marines that need to load an aircraft by giving them the knowledge and experience on how to properly load the CH-53E onto a C-5." After the aircraft were loaded, the Marines departed on their flight to Norway to begin training. Up to 2,000 Marines and 15,000 military personnel from 14 nations will attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-level exercise. The key purpose of Cold Response is to train and educate participants on how to conduct joint combat operations in a cold-weather environment. "After landing, we will off-load the aircraft and build up our training area," said Peters. "When everything is put into place, we will begin conducting Operation Cold Response." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary General previews NATO Defence Ministers meeting NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 09 Feb. 2016 Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg briefed media on Tuesday (9 February 2016) on the topics of this week's Defence Ministers meeting. On Wednesday and Thursday, ministers will take further steps to reinforce the Alliance's collective defence and deterrence. "Effective deterrence and defence requires both forward presence of Allied forces, and our ability to reinforce them quickly," said Mr. Stoltenberg. Ministers are expected to agree on an enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of the Alliance. Defence Ministers will also take decisions to improve NATO's response to hybrid attacks and speed up decision-making processes. The Secretary General highlighted that NATO "will develop ways to boost our resilience, the resilience of our Allies. Because our military forces depend on civilian resources, such as food and water supplies, communications and transportation." The Secretary General also underlined NATO's commitment to helping Georgia move towards membership in the Alliance. At a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission, ministers will review progress on NATO's substantial package of support for Georgia, and discuss how to intensify the Alliance's support. They will also discuss Georgia's domestic political and security reforms, which are bringing the country closer to NATO. The Secretary General further addressed NATO's support for all efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria. "All NATO Allies are part of the counter-ISIL coalition," he said, adding "I expect NATO to provide them with support." Mr. Stoltenberg noted that Allies are actively considering the US request for NATO AWACS surveillance planes to backfill national capabilities, and that ministers are expected to address this issue at the Ministerial. "This would increase the coalition's ability to conduct air strikes against ISIL," he said. He stressed that NATO "strongly supports all efforts to end the suffering, reach a ceasefire and start a political transition in Syria." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tucson Visits Sasebo During Indo-Asia-Pacific Deployment Navy News Service Story Number: NNS160209-01 Release Date: 2/9/2016 9:10:00 AM By Lt. j.g. Jimmy Dinh, USS Tucson Public Affairs SASEBO, Japan (NNS) -- Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Tucson (SSN 770) arrived at Fleet Activities Sasebo, Feb. 8, for a visit as part of its deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. The visit strengthens the already positive alliance between the U.S. and Japan through the crew's interaction with the Japanese community. It also demonstrates the U.S. Navy's commitment to maritime security in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. 'Japan is one of our closest allies in the Pacific and the Japanese-American relationship emphasizes our shared dedication to regional peace and stability,' said Cmdr. Michael Beckette, commanding officer. Tucson's crew has the ability to operate in varying environments and is always prepared to tackle any mission that comes its way. 'This will be Tucson's first visit to Japan on this deployment and many crew members are excited to experience the rich culture of Japan,' said Senior Chief Electronics Technician Billy Daly Jr., chief of the boat. Many of Tucson's crew members are excited to experience Japanese culture. 'Being able to visit other nations like Japan and to be immersed in their culture is one of the best perks in the U.S. Navy,' said Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Corey Thuringer. 'I am excited to share this experience with my fellow shipmates.' Measuring more than 360-feet long, Tucson is one of the stealthiest submarines in the world. This submarine is capable of supporting a multitude of missions including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Homeported in Pearl Harbor, Tucson can operate in all oceans of the world. Tucson is the 59th Los Angeles-class attack submarine and the 30th of the Improved Los Angeles-class attack submarines to be built. Twelve vertical launch tubes for Tomahawk cruise missiles and four torpedo tubes provide Tucson with great offensive capabilities and strategic value. Tucson's stealth, endurance, mobility and responsiveness make it a formidable force in multiple mission roles. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 6 Saudi soldiers slain in Yemeni reprisal rocket attack Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 5:39PM Six Saudi soldiers were killed in a retaliatory rocket attack Tuesday by fighters from the Houthi Ansarullah movement of Yemen and allied military units. Yemen's al-Masirah TV said the six soldiers were killed earlier in the day after the allied Yemeni forces launched the rocket attack on a military base in al-Sharqah region in the southern Saudi province of Najran. Yemen's official Saba agency said Yemeni forces launched a missile attack on a military airport in the neighboring Saudi province of Jizan, with no immediate information available on casualties. Saudis also suffered losses in rounds of artillery fire from Yemen's north, which targeted al-Khashal and al-Ma'dhab military bases in Jizan, Masirah said. Houthis say the attacks, which they say only target military positions in Saudi Arabia, are part of the drive to avenge Riyadh's deadly campaign against Yemen, which has taken more than 8,300 lives since March 26, 2015. Houthis and allies are also engaged in fighting inside Yemen with pro-Saudi militants and followers of the fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, with clashes reported in southern and northern provinces on an almost daily basis. Yemeni media said the army units on Tuesday managed to kill a number of pro-Hadi forces, including a notable commander identified as Amin al-Okaymi, in an attack on their main place of gathering in al-Khanjar military base in the northern province of Jawf. Yemeni forces also targeted militants in Ta'izz Province in the south, destroying a Saudi military vehicle in the al-Waiziyah district. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thai army torturing detainees in conflict-torn south: Rights report Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 10:14AM Human rights groups say Thailand's military has brutally tortured scores of prisoners in the country's south, which has witnessed over a decade of anti-government militancy. According to a study to be released on Wednesday, Thai forces have been beating suspects in the Muslim-majority southernmost provinces, threatening them at gunpoint and exposing them to sensory deprivation. The study has documented 54 cases, most of them at military camps, of physical and mental torture or mistreatment between the years of 2014 to 2015. "What we have documented is the tip of the iceberg," Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, one of the researchers, told the AFP news agency. She explained that the situation has been deteriorating since Thailand's 2014 coup that put the military in power and toppled the elected government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. "With no accountability or oversight mechanisms since the coup... interrogation officers have almost a free hand" over detainees, she added. A man, who was detained in a military camp on suspicion of involvement in a bombing, said that he was abused over several days in custody. He denies the accusation. "At first they just slapped me," Weasohok Doloh said. But the abuse worsened and "suddenly one (interrogator) pushed me onto to chair and forced a plastic bag over my head." He had spent 84 days in custody before prosecutors decided not to press charges against him. According to the study, the military, under martial law, is allowed to detain rebel suspects for six weeks without charges. Several rebel groups are fighting the Thai government for more autonomy for the ethnically-Malay region in southern Thailand. About 6,500 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in a 12 year conflict with the government forces. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi air raids claim more lives in Yemen Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 10:9AM Saudi warplanes have targeted several areas across Yemen in the ongoing campaign against the country, leaving at least five people dead. A Saudi airstrike hit a truck loaded with cereal in the Hidan district of the province of Sa'ada on Tuesday, killing at least two people, according to a Press TV correspondent. Media reports also said the kingdom's fighter jets pounded the districts of Sahar and Saqin in Sa'ada. In the Ibb province, at least three people were killed in Saudi air raids. The Yemeni army fired a domestically-built ballistic missile at Jizan Regional Airport inside Saudi Arabia early on Tuesday, the al-Masirah television said. Yemeni forces have fired three missiles at Saudi Arabia in the last 24 hours, it added. Saudi media confirmed the Yemeni missile attacks, but said the kingdom had intercepted them before impact. The Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news network said the country's air force intercepted a ballistic missile in Jizan region on Tuesday. It shot down another ballistic missile that targeted the Asir region on Monday, it claimed. Al-Masirah TV said a military vehicle was destroyed in an attack at the al-Shabaka military base in Najran in Saudi Arabia overnight Monday. A Saudi tank and two military vehicles were also destroyed in Yemeni artillery attacks on the Saudi region of Jizan on Monday, according to the TV channel. Separately, the Huna Aden website said fierce clashes erupted between Yemeni forces and militants loyal to fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a. Yemen has been under military strikes by Saudi Arabia since March 26 last year. The Saudi strikes are supposedly meant to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and bring Hadi back to power. Nearly 8,300 people, among them 2,236 children, have reportedly been killed and over 16,000 others injured. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's infrastructure. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemeni forces capture Saudi town, villages in Asir Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 11:50PM The Yemeni army, backed by Popular Committees loyal to the Houthi Ansarullah movement, has established control over a Saudi border town. According to a statement released by Yemen's army on Tuesday, the Yemeni forces managed to fully capture the town of al-Raboah in the kingdom's southwestern Asir province after fierce clashes with Saudi troops, the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news website reported. The report added that the Yemeni forces captured a number of villages east of al-Raboah before advancing towards the town. The Saudi troopers, though heavily baked by warplanes and choppers, fled the area and left behind their military equipment and weaponry. The Saudi forces also sustained heavy damage and casualties in the clashes. In another retaliatory operation against the Saudis, the Yemeni forces also killed several Saudi troopers in the Midi area of Yemen's western Hajjah province. They also destroyed five Saudi armored vehicles. Meanwhile, at least six Saudi soldiers were killed in attacks launched by Yemeni forces in different areas of the southwestern Saudi province of Najran. Yemeni snipers also killed two Saudi soldiers in the kingdom's Jizan region. The retaliatory attacks conducted by Yemeni forces come in response to the relentless Saudi aggression against the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country. Saudi Arabia launched its military aggression against Yemen in late March last year in a bid to bring the country's fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a Riyadh ally, back to power. Over 8,270 people, among them 2,236 children, have been killed and 16,015 others injured since the onset of the aggression. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India, Israel Prepare $3-Billion Defense Deals Sputnik News 17:22 09.02.2016(updated 17:25 09.02.2016) India is preparing to conclude a set of bilateral defense agreements with Israel, worth $3 billion, local media reported Tuesday. NEW DELHI (Sputnik) At least three deals with Israel are on their way to India's Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for final approval, The Economic Times daily reported, citing sources in the Indian Defense Ministry. One of the joint projects will deal with the development of medium-range air defense systems, with some $1.4 million to be invested by both sides. India is also expected to purchase 164 laser-designation targeting pods, advanced Litening-4, as well as 250 Spice guidance kits for converting air-droppable unguided bombs into precision guided bombs. Moreover, the sides hope to jointly develop medium-range surface-to-air missiles for the Indian Army. There has also been some progress made on a deal to deliver Spikes, which are Israeli-designed anti-tank guided missiles, to India, the newspaper said. India's relations with Israel have improved in recent years, underpinned by growing cooperation on defense and security, as well as the need to unite against the common threat of global terrorism, particularly the Daesh militant group, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address F-35 vs. LRS-B: Battle Brewing Behind Pentagon's Closed Doors Sputnik News 02:51 09.02.2016(updated 10:06 09.02.2016) Development of the infamous F-35 fighter jet has already cost the Pentagon some $400 billion, and the program requires more funding before it can be declared fully operational. But, as the US Air Force sets its sights on its next-generation Long Range Strike-Bomber, defense officials are fighting over which plane should receive funding priority. The most expensive military weapon in history, Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter has seen its share of setbacks. Yet, despite reports of faulty mechanics, cyber vulnerabilities, and inferiority when compared to its predecessors, the F-35 is still high on the Pentagon's shopping list. '[J]ust because it can't out-turn an F-16, or just because it can't go as fast, we are absolutely confident that [the] F-35 will be a war-winner,' Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said in November, according to Defense One. 'That is because it is using the machine to make the human make better decisions.' But as the Pentagon prepares to buy thousands of jets over the next two decades, it must also fund development of a new Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B). That aircraft is desperately needed to replace the Air Force's aging fleet. 'It demonstrates our commitment to our allies, and our determination to potential adversaries, making it crystal clear that the United States will continue to retain the ability to project power throughout the globe long into the future,' Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said of the bomber in October, adding that the LRS-B represented 'a strategic investment in the next 50 years.' As President Obama presents his military spending budget for 2017, defense officials are privately debating which project is more important. 'The F-35A and [the bomber] are almost certainly on a collision course,' Todd Harrison, a budget analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Defense One. 'The problem now is it does not look like we have a buildup of that [Reagan-era] magnitude on the horizon in the defense budget. We're not going to see the budget increase by 30 percent in the near future here.' The Air Force plans to build 100 new bombers, expected to cost between $80 billion and $111 billion. It also plans to spend over $25 billion on 200 F-35s over the next four years. With spending caps in place, the defense budget though still massive isn't the behemoth it used to be. 'The bomber versus [F-35] fight is one that is taking place inside the building right now,' Mackenzie Eaglen of the American Enterprise Institute told Defense One. Adding to the debate is the fact that the US Air Force also plans to spend heavily on a number of other aircraft in the coming years. Boeing has developed a new KC-46 refueling tanker and, given that the Air Force's current fleet of tankers dates back to the 1950's, these planes are in even greater demand than the LRS-B. 'The tanker is in a different category in the debate because the F-35 is useless without the tanker and the LRS-Bstill needs tanking,' Harrison said. Hoping to buy 60 new tankers by 2020, the Air Force estimates that this program will cost some $15 billion. 'The problem now is we've got three massive programs that are overlapping almost perfectly in time. This is really the perfect storm for aircraft modernization,' Harrison said. 'I think we're going to see a prolonged battle among these programs and these companies. It's gonna get nasty.' Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Update: air strikes against Daesh 9 February 2016 British forces have continued to conduct air operations in the fight against Daesh Latest Update Daesh terrorists have been repeatedly struck in the last few days by Royal Air Force aircraft providing support to Iraqi ground forces. RAF Tornado GR4s, Typhoon FGR4s and Reapers have continued to fly daily missions over Syria and Iraq. As well as gathering invaluable intelligence on terrorist activity, they have conducted a large number of successful air strikes on Daesh positions. Typhoons worked closely with other coalition aircraft on Tuesday 2 February to target a group of terrorists manoeuvring in the open near Ramadi, hitting them with a Paveway IV guided bomb. The Typhoons then flew to the area north of Habbaniyah, where they conducted a Paveway attack on a terrorist-held building. Further north, a pair of Tornado GR4s bombed a Daesh mortar team that was firing on Iraqi troops near Bayji. Wednesday 3 February saw both Typhoons and Tornados providing close air support to Iraqi forces clearing Daesh positions in the area around Ramadi. The Typhoons destroyed a terrorist building with a Paveway, then used two more Paveways to engage a pair of Daesh groups, armed with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, which were engaged in close combat with Iraqi troops. Despite the proximity of the friendly forces, the precision of the Paveways and careful planning by the aircrew allowed both targets to be struck successfully. The Tornados similarly had to attack a series of Daesh positions close to Iraqi forces, and these were also highly successful: Paveway attacks accounted for four groups of terrorist fighters, including one heavy machine-gun and two mortar teams, and when machine-gunners opened fire on the Iraqis from the windows of a single storey building, the Tornados launched a pair of Brimstone missiles which accurately struck both windows. Later in the day, Typhoons used a Paveway to destroy a mechanical excavator which had been converted into a large booby-trap, positioned amongst trees next to a road east of Ramadi. RAF patrols over the countryside around Ramadi and Fallujah continued on Thursday 4 February. Typhoons bombed three Daesh positions, as well as a group of terrorists caught moving in the open, whilst Tornado GR4s again attacked extremists engaged in very close combat with Iraqi forces; Paveways were used to destroy a heavy machine-gun team and a strongpoint, but in one instance, the terrorists were so close to the Iraqi troops that even a Paveway could not be used safely. Fortunately, the Brimstone missile's precision and small warhead allowed one to be fired into the midst of the Daesh fighters to significant effect. The following day, Typhoons operated around Habbaniyah and Ramadi, using eight Paveways to destroy an armed truck, a recoilless gun, two Daesh-held buildings, a command and control position, two weapons caches and a workshop producing truck-bombs. On Sunday 7 February, Tornados used a Brimstone missile to destroy a truck-bomb near Habbaniyah, while Typhoon missions near Ramadi successfully attacked a garage containing an armed pick-up truck which was firing through the doorway at advancing Iraqi soldiers, and a terrorist-held building. Throughout all these missions, the Typhoons and Tornados were supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, with Sentinel aircraft providing essential strategic surveillance support to the coalition. Previous air strikes Friday 29 January: Tornado GR4 and Typhoon FGR4s from RAF Akrotiri, supported by a Voyager tanker, flew armed reconnaissance missions over north-east Syria and northern Iraq. Near Mosul, the Typhoons conducted two attacks with Paveway IV precision guided bombs, striking a group of terrorists and a weapons store. Across the border in Syria, two pairs of Tornados worked in close cooperation with an RAF Reaper to target a group of Daesh defensive positions and a large tunnel complex with several entrances. The Tornados dropped eight Paveways on the defensive positions and two tunnel entrances, while the Reaper conducted an attack on a third tunnel with its own GBU-12 guided bomb. Saturday 30 January: RAF Reapers were in action again on In the area of Ramadi, they conducted two successful attacks with Hellfire missiles against an armoured truck and a mechanical excavator, while a patrol along the border with Syria destroyed another engineering vehicle, used to build defences and attempt repairs to damage from coalition air strikes, near Al Qaim. Sunday 31 January: A Tornado GR4 flight provided support to the Iraqi army in and around Ramadi: our aircraft used a Brimstone missile to destroy a large truck-bomb, and three Paveways to destroy terrorist positions, including a heavy machine-gun team which had been previously attacking the Iraqi army. In northern Iraq, Typhoons conducted two Paveway attacks on a group of terrorists caught in the open near Mosul, and, slightly further south, a Daesh-held building. A pair of Typhoons also patrolled over eastern Syria, where they employed Paveways to destroy two large clusters of defensive positions. Monday 1 February: Two Tornados flew reconnaissance and close air support for the Kurdish peshmerga in northern Iraq. Near Kisik Junction, they used a Brimstone missile and three Paveways to attack three rocket launchers and a Daesh vehicle, then over Qayyarah, a further Brimstone and Paveway destroyed an ammunition truck and a mortar position. Typhoons operated in the area of Ramadi, where they conducted successful attacks on three terrorist strongpoints. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address After 30 years of conflict, Sri Lanka still in 'early stages of renewal' - UN rights chief 9 February 2016 After nearly 30 years of conflict and acrimony that not only cost tens of thousands of lives but also eroded vital components of the State, Sri Lanka is still in the early stages of renewal, the United Nations human rights chief said today, ending a mission to the country. "Virtually everyone agrees there has been progress, although opinions differ markedly about the extent of that progress," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement to the press, issued from Colombo. During his four-day visit, Mr. Zeid met with several senior Government officials, including President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. In Colombo, he visited the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and the Task Force that will lead the forthcoming National Consultations on transitional justice. On Sunday, he was in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of the country. "This has been a much more friendly, cooperative and encouraging visit than the one my predecessor endured in August 2013, which as you may recall was marred by vituperative attacks on her integrity, simply because she addressed a number of burning human rights issues that any High Commissioner for Human Rights would have raised at that time," said Mr. Zeid, referring to former UN rights chief Navi Pillay. "I am aware that some of the same people have given me a similar welcome I've seen the posters but I am pleased that in the new environment in Sri Lanka, all voices, including the moderate voices of civil society, can at last be heard, even if sometimes the voices of hatred and bigotry are still shouting the loudest, and as a result are perhaps being listened to more than they deserve," he added. Progress & Challenges Noting that Sri Lanka has come a long way in the past year with the media now having greater freedom, Mr. Zeid said the element of fear has considerably diminished, at least in Colombo and the South, but in the North and the East, "it has mutated but, sadly, still exists." On the positive side, he highlighted several recent "highly symbolic steps" taken that have had a positive impact on inter-communal relations, including the decision to sing the national anthem in both Sinhala and Tamil on Independence Day, for the first time since the early 1950s. He also indicated that one of the most important long-term achievements over the past year has been the restoration of the legitimacy and independence of Sri Lanka's Human Rights Commission. But despite these advances, he said Sri Lanka is still in the early stages of renewal. "Repairing the damage done by a protracted conflict is a task of enormous complexity, and the early years are crucial. If mistakes are made, or significant problems are downplayed or ignored during the first few years, they become progressively harder to sort out as time goes on," he warned. "While the glass is still molten, if you are quick and skilful, you can shape it into a fine object that will last for years." Turning to the proposed Constitutional reform, which should ensure that the rights of all Sri Lankans are fully recognised, Mr. Zeid said there are fears that at a later stage this may be achieved "at the expense of other equally important processes such as truth-telling, justice and accountability." "While the Task Force appointed to lead the National Consultation process includes high quality representatives of civil society, there are concerns including among the Task Force members themselves that the process is too rushed and has not been properly planned or adequately resourced," he noted, highlighting measures that could be taken quickly to reverse this "trend of draining confidence." Implementing Human Rights Council resolution Meanwhile, he said issues relating to implementation of a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council last October were high on his agenda during this trip. Co-sponsored by Sri Lanka and agreed with the consensus of all 47 Council members, it laid out an "eminently sensible pathway for the country to follow," with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) charged with following up on its implementation. "The Human Rights Council resolution was in many ways a reflection of the reform agenda that Sri Lankans had voted for in last year's Presidential and Parliamentary elections. It sets out some of the tough steps that must be taken to achieve reconciliation and accountability and, through them, lasting peace," Mr. Zeid stressed. "There are many myths and misconceptions about the resolution, and what it means for Sri Lanka. It is not a gratuitous attempt to interfere with or undermine the country's sovereignty or independence. It is not some quasi-colonial act by some nebulous foreign power. The acceptance of the resolution was a moment of strength, not weakness, by Sri Lanka" he insisted, adding that it was the country's commitment to both itself and to the world to confront the past honestly and, by doing that, take out comprehensive insurance against any future devastating outbreak of inter communal tensions and conflict. "I urge all Sri Lankans to make an effort to understand what that resolution and the report underpinning it actually say, and I urge all those in a position to do so, to make a greater effort to explain why the recommendations are so important, and why the United Nations and all those individual States Sri Lanka included endorsed them," he continued. The human rights chief told reporters the resolution suggests international participation in the accountability mechanisms set up to deal with international crimes and gross human rights violations committed by individuals on both sides. "This is a practical proposal to solve the very real and practical problems I mentioned earlier. But it is only one aspect albeit a very important one of the broad range of measures outlined in the 2015 UN report and resolution, and the extent to which it has been allowed to dominate the debate in Sri Lanka in recent days is unfortunate," he said. Concluding his remarks, Mr. Zeid said the international community wants to welcome Sri Lanka back into its fold without any lingering reservations and help Sri Lanka become an economic powerhouse. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Embassy Warns of Attacks Targeting Foreigners in Kabul by Ayaz Gul February 09, 2016 The United States has warned its citizens in Afghanistan that insurgents are planning to attack foreign guest houses in the capital city of Kabul as of early this month. A U.S. Embassy statement issued early Tuesday says the warning is based on reports it has received, adding there is no further information regarding the timing, target, location, or method of any planned attack. "Unidentified insurgents are planning to attack unidentified foreign guest houses in Kabul City, possibly near the Qala-e Fatullah neighborhood. The attack could also occur near Ansari or Haji Yaqub roundabouts in Kabul City," it said. The embassy again warned against travel to Afghanistan, saying the security situation in the country is "extremely unstable and the threat to all U.S. citizens in Afghanistan remains critical." Suicide bombings Taliban suicide bombers and heavily armed fighters in recent months have staged deadly attacks against local and foreign targets in Kabul, including guesthouses. Meanwhile, hundreds of U.S. troops were headed for the restive southern Helmand province to support the Afghan Army's 215th corps, which has struggled for months to reverse Taliban territorial gains in the poppy-growing region. "This was a planned deployment of additional personnel to both bolster force protection for the current staff of advisors and to provide additional advisors to help with ongoing efforts to re-man, re-equip, and re-train the 215th Corps," said U.S. Army spokesman Col. Michael Lawhorn. However, the U.S. military's mission in Afghanistan "remains the same: to train, advise, and assist our Afghan counterparts, and not to participate in combat operations," said Lawhorn. Army shakeup The battlefield setbacks have prompted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to replace more than 90 general officers in a major shakeup in the army corps. The NATO-led coalition comprised mostly of U.S. troops ended its combat mission at the end of 2014, encouraging the Taliban to capture territory and inflict heavy losses on Afghan security forces for the first time since it was ousted from power nearly 15 years ago. The insurgents have also captured areas in northern and northeastern Afghanistan but their advances in Helmand have been particularly significant. The Taliban is said to be in control of 11 out of 14 districts in the largest Afghan province, which borders Pakistan and has been a traditional Taliban heartland. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pentagon Budgets Nearly $60 Billion for Overseas Operations by Carla Babb February 09, 2016 The Pentagon's budget for next year includes $58.8 billion for overseas contingency operations (OCO), which will finance war efforts from Iraq to Afghanistan and quadruple funding for activities to reassure European allies. Most of the OCO budget funds the support and counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan, where 9,800 U.S. troops will remain in place through most of 2016 before dropping to about 5,500 in early 2017. The amount is slightly less than the allotment in the fiscal year 2016 budget, dropping from $42.9 billion to $41.7 billion. The biggest increases in the OCO budget focus on the growing threat of Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria and the looming threat of Russian aggression in eastern Europe. Funding for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the operation against Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria, has been increased from $5 billion to $7.5 billion. A large amount of the OIR budget will be used to buy more than 45,000 additional GPS-guided smart bombs and laser-guided rockets, which have become the weapons of choice in the anti-IS air campaign. Some $200 million of the OIR budget will be used to confront the 'newly formed ISIL province in Libya,' Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Paul Selva told reporters Tuesday, using an acronym for Islamic State. The northern coastal city of Sirte has attracted thousands of Islamic State fighters, and a defense official confirmed last week that the number of Islamic State fighters in Libya has risen to about 5,000. The OCO budget increases funding from $0.8 billion to $3.4 billion for the president's European Reassurance Initiative. Initially proposed in Warsaw in June 2014, the initiative includes three continuous brigade-sized rotations in Europe, improvements to key infrastructure in the European combatant command and enhanced training and exercises with European allies. An additional $1 billion has been set aside to fund a partnership-focused approach to counterterrorism in U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Central Command areas of responsibility. The OCO budget represents about 10 percent of the overall defense budget for fiscal year 2017. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Military Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, February 10, 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 Fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted two strikes in Syria: -- Near Mar'a, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions. -- Near Raqqah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle. Strikes in Iraq Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 18 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Baghdadi, a strike destroyed an ISIL supply cache. -- Near Huwayjah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb and two ISIL vehicles. -- Near Habbaniyah, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit. -- Near Haditha, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle. -- Near Kirkuk, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle. -- Near Mosul, five strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 15 ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL checkpoint. -- Near Ramadi, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun position, an ISIL vehicle bomb facility and cratered an ISIL-used road. -- Near Sinjar, three strikes destroyed three ISIL fighting positions and suppressed two separate ISIL mortar positions. 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, 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 conducting strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bataan Hosts TBS During WARFEX Navy News Service Story Number: NNS160210-04 Release Date: 2/10/2016 9:49:00 AM By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mutis A. Capizzi, USS Bataan Public Affairs NORFOLK (NNS) -- The multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) hosted 250 Marine junior officers from The Basic School (TBS), Feb. 5-7, as part of a War Familiarization Exercise (WARFEX). Bataan's role in hosting TBS and purpose of the exercise was to familiarize the junior officers with the capabilities and limitations of multipurpose amphibious assault ships and orient them to what life will be like as part of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) on board Bataan. 'Part of Combat Cargo's responsibility to Bataan is coordinating the embarkation of landing forces, or any outside forces for that matter, and as such, we are honored to be able to host the future leaders of Marine Corps from The Basic School,' said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Alan Gaddis, the combat cargo officer aboard Bataan. 'For nearly all of these young officers, this is their first time aboard a ship, and giving them a positive first experience will help shape the way they view integration of the blue-green team, especially as the Marine Corps gets back to its amphibious roots and adheres to the commandant's planning guidance.' 'This is the culminating exercise for the students of The Basic School,' said Capt. Chris Flood, executive officer of class Fox Company 06-15 of TBS, a native of Ridgefield, Connecticut. 'A backbone of the Marine Corps is being on a ship, and after six months of field exercises and classroom instruction here students will go through amphibious planning and coordination among staffs to reinforce what they have learned at TBS.' The second lieutenants started the visit by splitting up into two groups. Half of the junior officers toured the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17) and the remaining half toured the Bataan. Afterwards, both groups spent the night in troop berthings aboard the Bataan. 'It was nerve-wracking and a lot to take in being my first time on a ship,' said 2nd Lt. Sean Ryan, a native of Park Ridge, Illinois. 'However, this is great because I am going to be able to get to know what my Marines are going to go through when they are living on the ship and experience it before I am actually in charge and expect them to know this.' 2nd Lt. Ramzi Yatim, a native of Phoenix, shared that after six months of training at TBS, he was ready for WARFEX and to show his instructors and leadership what he had learned. 'We studied a lot about amphibious ships and while the instructors and captains tell us what it is like, I am ready to experience it first hand,' said Yatim. 'Being able to interact with the Navy and Sailors is enlightening and gives us an idea of what we are going to do when we deploy with the MEU.' Flood said that the remaining time the students spend on the Bataan will be planning and organizing for the field exercises that will close out WARFEX back on their base located in Quantico. 'My favorite part of the exercise is seeing everything come together,' said Flood. 'Students learn throughout the six months and now this is their show as we instructors and leaders stand back and watch them in action with minimal interference from us.' NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US, India considering joint patrols in South China Sea Iran Press TV Wed Feb 10, 2016 5:27PM The US and India have held talks about carrying out joint naval patrols in the South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the disputed waterway. A senior US defense official told Reuters Wednesday that the two sides had discussed joint patrols, adding that both were hopeful of launching them within the year. A Pentagon spokesman, Commander Bill Urban, said the United States and India 'continue to explore ways to deepen defense cooperation, including in the area of maritime security', but no decisions had been made on joint patrols. The patrols are likely to be conducted in the Indian Ocean where the Indian navy plays a major role. The South China Sea is also being considered as a possible route, the official added, giving no further details concerning the scale of the proposed patrols. The two countries have ramped up military ties in recent years, holding naval war games in the Indian Ocean. This is while the Indian navy has never carried out joint patrols with another country. Over the past few years India has opted for boosting economic ties with China, instead of antagonizing its more powerful neighbor over long-running land border issues. However, as part of extending its naval presence beyond the Indian Ocean, the country has deployed a ship to the South China Sea almost constantly, a move that according to an Indian navy commander was not practiced until a few years ago. Unlike China, which claims sovereignty over most of the disputed waters, India and the US have no such claims. However, following US President Barack Obama's visit to New Delhi in January 2015, the two nations expressed concern over what they called freedom of navigation and over-flight in the waters. Late last month, the USS Curtis Wilbur, a missile destroyer, passed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, which is part of the Paracel Islands, a move apparently designed to increase tensions with Beijing. Beijing accused Washington of using that as an excuse to seek maritime hegemony in the South China Sea. More than $5 trillion in maritime trade moves through the sea each year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan also claim parts of the waterway. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO to Boost Presence in Eastern Part of Alliance - Stoltenberg Sputnik News 18:47 10.02.2016(updated 19:33 10.02.2016) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO defense ministers agreed on an enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of alliance. BRUSSELS (Sputnik) NATO defense ministries have agreed to boost the alliance's presence in its eastern part, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday. 'NATO defense ministers agreed on an enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of our alliance. This will be multinational, to make clear that an attack one ally is an attack against all allies, and that the alliance as a whole will respond,' Stoltenberg told reporters. 'It will be rotational and supported by a program of exercises, and it will be complemented by the necessary logistics and infrastructure,' he added. Also Stoltenberg noted a number of the alliance's recent accomplishments on Wednesday, including increased military presence in Eastern Europe, as well as in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. 'Today, ministers also reviewed the implementation of the readiness action plan and we agreed that we have accomplished a lot. We have increased NATO's presence in the eastern part of our alliance, we have enhanced air policing, maritime controls and robust exercises. We have agreed assurance measures for Turkey with Patriot batteries, AWACS surveillance planes, and an enhanced maritime presence in the eastern Mediterranean and in the Black Sea,' Stoltenberg told reporters. Since 2014, NATO has been steadily building up its military presence in Europe, particularly in Eastern European countries bordering Russia, using Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraine as a pretext for the move. In September, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that any NATO advancement toward Russian borders would prompt Moscow to take counter-measures to ensure the country's national security. Russia has repeatedly expressed concerns over NATO's military buildup along its western borders, warning that the alliance's expansion undermines regional and global security. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli PM Pledges Border Fence to Protect Against 'Predators' Sputnik News 16:28 10.02.2016(updated 16:44 10.02.2016) Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to construct a fence around the entire perimeter of the country's land borders to protect it from external threats. TEL AVIV (Sputnik) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Wednesday to construct a fence around the entire perimeter of the country's land borders to protect it from external threats. To close the ring, Israel needs to fence the border with Jordan, where the construction has been in place since last year. 'After all, Israel, as I see it, is surrounded by a safety fence from all sides. In the environment in which we live, we have to protect ourselves from predators,' Netanyahu said. Israel already protects its borders with Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, the Gaza Strip, and partly with the West Bank. The long-term program for the construction of the security fence along all the borders in the country 'costs many billions of shekels, these are long-term costs, but this program is due to be implemented for the sake of Israel's security,' Netanyahu added. The Israeli prime minister announced plans to build a security fence along the border with Jordan a few years ago, but the construction was delayed over the necessity to build a wall in the Golan Heights on the Syrian border to prevent migration from the war-torn country. In September, Netanyahu vowed to fence the country off completely from war-torn neighbor nations to prevent undocumented migrants from entering, after the opposition had urged him to give shelter to Syrian refugees. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Ramps Up Military Forces Near Russia to Cold War Levels Sputnik News 15:25 10.02.2016(updated 15:30 10.02.2016) NATO defense ministers, meeting in Brussels Wednesday, are due to confirm a huge buildup of its military presence to Cold War levels in what it calls 'an enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of the alliance.' NATO has been gradually building up its forces in Europe for over a decade, but has recently undertaken a huge increase in its presence in the Baltic region and Eastern Europe. The NATO Response Force (NRF) was originally set up following the Prague summit in 2002 as a multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and Special Operations Forces (SOF) that could deploy quickly. Since then, there has been a steady buildup of forces, particularly around Russia. NATO Allies decided to enhance the NRF in 2014 by creating a 'Spearhead Force' within it, known as the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). In June 2015, the alliance held a huge exercise in the Baltic, with 49 ships, 61 aircraft, one submarine, and a combined amphibious landing force of 700 US Finnish and Swedish troops alongside NATO partners Finland, Georgia and Sweden. Overall, 5,600 troops took part. In November 2015, the leaders of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Poland and Slovakia have called for an increased NATO presence in Eastern Europe and the Baltic. The defense ministers meeting in Brussels Wednesday are due to confirm plans for a massive presence in the Baltic and Eastern Europe region. Eight New Headquarters in Eastern Europe British media reported ahead of the meeting that five UK warships and about 530 Royal Navy personnel will be sent as part of what sources described as 'NATO's largest military buildup in eastern Europe since the Cold War.' At a press conference before the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO was: 'increasing our presence in the eastern part of the alliance with more assurance measures meaning planes, air policing, naval presence in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, increased naval presence and also more boots on the ground with more exercises and troops. 'And we are also increasing our ability to reinforce, we have tripled the size of the NATO Response Force to around 40,000 troops and this is a force which can move quickly and the core element or the lead element is the Spearhead Force which can move within a couple of days,' Stoltenberg said. The ministers are due to announce the formation of eight headquarter units in eight Eastern European countries and are due to discuss a further increase of its presence in the 'eastern part of the alliance and also to increase our defense and deterrence posture by this combination of forward presence and ability to reinforce if needed.' Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has admitted to its alliance the former Warsaw Pact states of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania and Croatia. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Witness Says He Worked With Pakistanis On Mumbai Attack February 09, 2016 by RFE/RL An American convicted for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks that killed 166 people told an Indian court that he attended training camps run by alleged masterminds in Pakistan and communicated with intelligence officers in that country. David Coleman Headley, sentenced to 35 years in prison by a Chicago court in 2013 for helping plan the attacks, recently turned prosecution witness for a Mumbai court trying Abu Jundal, an Indian also accused of involvement in the attacks. A U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent, Headley had admitted to his role in the attacks and offered to turn state witness to avoid the death penalty. The Mumbai court granted him immunity from prosecution for disclosing what he knew about the attacks. In his deposition before the court on February 8 via a video link from the United States, Headley, a member of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e Taiba group, said two attempts to attack Mumbai failed before a third succeeded in November 2008. He told the court that he traveled to India seven times to scout for potential targets for the attacks. In one aborted attack, he said a boat the men were using overturned after hitting rocks and their weapons were lost at sea. According to Indian prosecutor Ujwal Nikam, Headley told the court he had attended camps run by the Lashkar group's founder, Hafiz Saeed, and commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lahkvi, the masterminds of the attacks. Nikam said Headley was also in communication with officials from Pakistan's spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, whom he identified as 'Major Iqbal' and 'Major Ali.' Nikam said after more than five hours of questioning Headley that 'it is clear that there is a close nexus' between Pakistani intelligence and the Lashkar group. India has accused Pakistan's intelligence service and army of coordinating the Mumbai assault, a charge repeatedly denied by Islamabad. Headley's deposition will resume on February 9, Nikam said. Headley, 55, was born Daood Gilani to an American mother and Pakistani father, who was a former diplomat. He changed his name to David Coleman Headley in 2006 to avoid drawing suspicion from Indian officials on his frequent travels there as a purported American tourist. Ten attackers staged a three-day siege beginning on November 26, 2008, attacking landmarks and luxury hotels in Mumbai and leaving 166 people dead. Nine militants were killed by police. In 2012, India executed the only surviving gunman, Ajmal Kasab. Seven men, including Lashkar commander Lakhvi, are on trial in Pakistan. With reporting by dpa, AFP, and Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ us-witness-says-worked-with-pakistani-lashkar-group- intelligence-service-on-mumbai-attack/27540108.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Obama Seeking $19 Billion for National Cybersecurity by VOA News February 09, 2016 U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday announced a national cybersecurity plan, calling cyberthreats among 'the most urgent dangers to America's economic and national security.' The 'Cybersecurity National Action Plan' is the administration's attempt to build a broad, cohesive federal response to cyberthreats. It calls for an increase in spending on cybersecurity across all U.S. government agencies to $19 billion, an increase of 35 percent over last year. The plan includes a $3 billion fund to 'kick-start an overhaul of federal computer systems,' Obama wrote in an op-ed published Tuesday in The Wall Street Journal. The plan calls for the creation of a new high-level federal position to coordinate cybersecurity across civilian agencies and working with military and intelligence counterparts in tracking down cyber intruders in federal networks. Private-sector businesses have long had positions similar to the one proposed by the administration. 'The nation's cyber adversaries getting more sophisticated every day -- developing new botnets, spyware, malware and ransomware -- we have to be even more nimble and resilient, and stay ahead of these threats,' Obama wrote. 'Basic level of online security' The goal of the cybersecurity plan is to provide "every American a basic level of online security," he added. The budget proposal also calls for $62 million to expand efforts to attract and retain qualified cyber professionals working for the government. It would also include more training for the private sector, emphasizing measures such as password and pin authentication to sign onto tax data and government benefits. Additionally, Obama's budget proposal urges the government reduce the use of Social Security numbers for identification. Cybersecurity has become a top public issue following several high-profile hacks of private companies, such as the Target retail chain stores, and federal agencies, such as the breach last year of the personal information of 21 million current and retired federal employees held by the Office of Personnel Management. U.S. Chief Information Officer Tony Scott would supervise the new cybersecurity position inside the Office of Management and Budget. He said today's federal model has every agency, and in some cases sub-agency, 'building their cyber defenses pretty much on their own. ... That's just, frankly, a bad model of how to defend against these critical adversaries.' Position already posted The position of chief information security officer was posted Tuesday, Scott said, and he expects it to be filled in 60 to 90 days. Jacob Olcott, a former congressional legal adviser on cybersecurity, said, 'It's great to have more senior executive-level attention on the issue, but the challenge is whether that person will almost certainly be vested with any actual authorities and so it always kind of boils down to that.' The White House expects broad support for what has not been a partisan issue, but it is unclear whether the Republican-controlled Congress will approve the increase. Obama also established two groups to respond to cybersecurity. One, the Federal Privacy Council, created by executive order, aims to connect privacy officials across the government to develop comprehensive guidelines for how personal data is collected and stored. The second, a Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, would involve congressional and private sector leaders tasked with making recommendations in government cybersecurity for the next decade. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address French Lawmakers Vote to Strip Terrorists of Nationality Sputnik News 16:03 10.02.2016 France's national assembly has preliminarily approved a new constitutional measure that would make it possible to strip convicted terrorists of French citizenship. The proposed constitutional amendment was passed yesterday with a narrow majority of 162 to 148 votes (with 22 lawmakers abstaining). Yesterday's vote followed months of negotiations and clashes over the highly controversial measure, which has opened rifts even within President Francois Hollande's socialist majority. Former socialist prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has openly spoken out against the amendment, while Justice minister Christiane Taubira resigned in late January over her opposition to it. Still, the proposal, which is part of a larger constitutional reform package put forward in the wake of the November 13 Paris attacks has substantial support among the French population and was also greenlit by Nicolas Sarkozy's center-right Republican Party. A paragraph that made the law applicable only to dual nationals born in France was eventually edited out from the proposal. But as international law forbids any country from leaving citizens stateless, it is assumed that dual nationals convicted of terror crimes will still be the main targets. For the amendment to be fully implemented it will have to be formally approved together with the rest of the reform by a three fifths majority in Congress in another vote, slated for today. Hollande's prime minister Manuel Valls told France24 that he thought the constitutional changes would be voted through and said that the menace of terrorism in France was 'without doubt more serious than before November 13.' In the same session yesterday, lawmakers also decided to extend France's current state of emergency by three additional months, signalling that the country is still shaken by last year's attacks, and it is going to keep on with its hardline approach. France is not the first country to have envisioned a legal way of removing citizens' who have been convicted of terrorism nationalities. In fact, Australia already passed a similar measure in December 2015, in a bid to counter the surge in Australia-based jihadist fighters traveling to Syria. The bill was also seen as a reaction to a 2014 attack in Sydney thought to have been inspired by Daesh rhetoric. Australia's legislation, unlike France's, made it explicit that only dual nationals would be stripped of Australian citizenship if convicted or suspected- of terrorist offenses, with the Australian attorney general saying it would apply only 'in very limited circumstances.' Similar measures were also floated in the UK, where Home Secretary Theresa May suggested stripping pro-Daesh militants and preachers of their British passports. So far, though, no such legislation has been discusssed. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address S. Korea confirms DPRK satellite's successful launch into orbit People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 11:23, February 09, 2016 South Korea's defense ministry said Tuesday that a satellite, launched two days earlier by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), had successfully flied into orbit. The DPRK's state media said Sunday that the country had successfully put a Kwangmyongsong-4 Earth observation satellite into space aboard a Kwangmyongsong rocket about nine minutes and 46 seconds after lift-off at 9:30 a.m. local time. Confirming the DPRK announcement, the defense ministry said the rocket went through normal separation of three stages, and that the satellite had been put into orbit normally. The rocket was fired at 9:30 a.m., and two minutes later, the first stage was separated and fell in waters off South Korea's northeast coast. Right after the separation, the first stage was exploded into some 270 fragments with self-destructor to prevent South Korea from discovering the first stage and assessing it, the ministry said. The first stage landed in drop zones, of which the DPRK had already informed the International Maritime Organization. The second stage was estimated to have fallen off the Philippine's east coast, about 2,380 km far away from the DPRK's main Tongchang-ri rocket base in its west coast. The ministry said the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite was put into space nine minutes 29 seconds after the blast-off, faster than the DPRK's flight time by 17 seconds. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US deploying anti-missile system on N Korea's doorstep Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 4:52AM The US Department of Defense says it is planning to deploy an advanced missile system to South Korea "as quickly as possible" to counter the growing threat of Pyongyang's weapons capabilities. The Pentagon confirmed on Monday that it will start formal talks with Seoul on placing the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) on the North Korea's doorstep, AFP reported. THAAD is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles in their terminal phase using a hit-to-kill approach. 'Without getting into a timeline, we'd like to see this move as quickly as possible,' Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said on Monday of a possible THAAD deployment. 'We are beginning the consultations now and in the current days with the South Koreans, and we expect that this will move in an expeditious fashion,' he added. The remarks come after North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Sunday carrying what it called a satellite. Washington says the deployment of the missile system to the Korean Peninsula acts as a deterrent against North Korea's ballistic missile program. Russia and China, however, say such a move would undermine stability on the restive Korean peninsula. China is opposed to the deployment of the US anti-missile hardware so close to its borders. The Pentagon spokesman insisted the THAAD missile system would not pose a threat to China. 'If the THAAD system were deployed to the Korean Peninsula, it would be focused solely on North Korea, contribute to a layered missile defense that would enhance the alliance's existing missile defense capabilities against potential North Korean missile threats,' he said. 'This is a defensive system put in place. We don't believe it should pose any kind of concern to the Chinese,' he stressed. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is working on a new sanctions resolution to punish North Korea for its January nuclear test and this weekend's rocket launch, which some believe was a disguised ballistic missile test. On Sunday, North Korea said a missile, carrying an earth observation satellite called Kwangmyongsong-4, was launched from the country's northwestern Dongchang-ri base at around 0030 GMT, and that the satellite successfully entered orbit about 10 minutes later. Pyongyang also announced on January 6 that it had successfully conducted its first hydrogen bomb test, and pledged to continue developing its nuclear program as a means of "deterrence" against potential acts of aggression from the US. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Seoul Confirms North Korea Successfully Put Satellite Into Orbit Sputnik News 05:22 09.02.2016(updated 05:46 09.02.2016) North Korea has successfully put into orbit the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite, the South Korean Defense Ministry confirmed Tuesday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On Sunday, North Korea fired a long-range rocket to allegedly place a satellite into orbit, defying UN Security Council resolutions. According to the Yonhap news agency, there has been no signal received from the satellite so far. South Korean Defense Ministry also said that Pyongyang has not yet mastered the technology of returning intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) into the atmosphere. On Sunday, North Korea fired a long-range rocket to allegedly place a satellite into orbit, defying UN Security Council resolutions. 'North Korea has not yet mastered the technology of returning ICBMs into the atmosphere,' the ministry said, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency. According to the ministry, the North Korean missile can cover the distance of 12,000 kilometers (7.500 miles). Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Successful Satellite Launch Encourages People in DPRK Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS) Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- The successful launch of earth observation satellite Kwangmyongsong-4 immerses all the people of the DPRK in a great festive mood. Cha Song Chol, a workshop head of the Chollima Steel Complex, said that the successful satellite launch instills into us the conviction that the cause of building a thriving nation is near at completion. This success greatly encourages steel workers in their general offensive to greet the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea with unprecedented labor achievements, he said, and continued: We will put the production processes on a Juche-oriented basis to boost the production, thus making a contribution to building an economic giant in the principle of giving priority to self-development. Pho Hui Song, manager of the February 8 Jikdong Youth Coal Mine under the Sunchon Area Youth Coal Mining Complex, said that we, colliers, are proud of being the citizens of Juche Korea. The successful satellite launch assures us that any difficulties can be overcome if we keep deep in our minds the principle of giving priority to self-development, he said, adding: We will increase the coal production with the confidence of our victory in building a thriving nation to send more coal to leading sectors of national economy. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korea rocket has most of US within reach: South official Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 8:42AM South Korea says a long-range rocket recently launched by the North is capable of reaching most of the United States as it appears to be more powerful than the previous model. A defense ministry official said on Tuesday Pyongyang's three-stage rocket has an increased range of 12,000 kilometers, up by 2,000 kilometers in the Unha-3 rocket it launched in 2012. South Korea also confirmed that the rocket, launched from the Dongchang-ri base in North Korea's northwest, had put an object into orbit. The Yonhap had earlier said the rocket launch might have failed. North Korea's state television said the rocket successfully carried a satellite into space and vowed to launch more satellites in future. Pyongyang had earlier informed UN agencies about the launch. Japan, South Korea and the United States are skeptical of such launches, which they say are a cover for banned tests of intercontinental missiles that could strike the US. US, Asian allies to meet on North Korea launch US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford is set to hold talks with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts this week to discuss Pyongyang's rocket launch and expansion of trilateral military ties. Army General Lee Sun-jin, chairman of the South Korean Joint Chief of Staff, is expected to participate via video teleconference in the meeting that will be held in Hawaii, home to US Pacific Command. It is not known if Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano, head of Japan's Self-Defense Forces, will attend the meeting or participate remotely. In the wake of North Korea's launch, Washington and Seoul announced that they would begin formal talks on deploying an advanced US missile defense system called THAAD to the Korean Penisula as soon as possible. The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned North Korea for the launch and said it would soon adopt a sanctions resolution "in response to these dangerous and serious violations." The North is already under UN sanctions over launching missiles considered by the US and South Korea as ballistic and aimed at delivering nuclear warheads. Sanctions not efficient: UN experts The UN panel of experts, however, questioned the efficiency of decade-long anti-Pyongyang sanctions, saying such measures have so far failed to prevent the North from expanding its nuclear and missile programs Four sets of sanctions have been imposed on North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006, but the panel said it found "no indications that the country intends to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs." "Sanctions have not prevented the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from gradually improving and expanding its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities,' read the report. It said Pyongyang is placing "heightened emphasis" on its missile programs, developing short-range missiles, upgrading its launch facilities and scaling up development of its submarine-launched missile capabilities. The experts, however, recommended imposing more sanctions on North Korean entities and individuals. The Pyongyang government has pledged not to relinquish its nuclear deterrence unless the US ends its hostile policy toward the country and dissolves the US-led military command in South Korea. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Senate Expected to Approve North Korea Sanctions by Michael Bowman February 09, 2016 The U.S. Senate is expected to approve tougher sanctions against North Korea as early as Wednesday, just days after Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket capable of carrying a nuclear payload, and weeks after it conducted a nuclear test. "It's going to pass overwhelmingly," Republican Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told VOA. The Senate will pause extended deliberations on an energy bill to take up the North Korea sanctions legislation. At least seven hours of floor debate have been scheduled, followed by a vote. "Clearly what's happened in North Korea is extremely serious," said Sen. Ben Cardin, the Foreign Relations Committee's ranking Democrat. "I would hope there would be no ambiguity at all in American policy on isolating North Korea." Approved by the committee last month, the bill seeks to punish entities in China and elsewhere that help North Korea continue its nuclear program or finance its military complex. "We need to make sure the Chinese pay a price on this," Republican Sen. John McCain told VOA. "They [North Korea] would collapse without Chinese support in a month." 'More pressure' needed Several amendments could be considered, including one requiring the Obama administration to provide Congress with any information it has on nuclear and ballistic missile cooperation between North Korea and Iran. The administration is withholding direct comment until a final bill reaches the president's desk. 'I am not certainly going to get ahead of legislation pending or being discussed on Capitol Hill," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday. 'Obviously, the United States has as we always have had the ability to unilaterally apply sanctions to meet certain ends. "We firmly believe that the international community has got to apply more pressure on the North,' Kirby added. The U.N. Security Council strongly condemned North Korea's long-range rocket launch, and said it stands ready to "develop significant new measures" to rein in Pyongyang's behavior. Skepticism over U.N. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers of both parties expressed skepticism about new U.N. sanctions, and said the United States must speak with one voice. "I'm not hopeful that China will join in doing anything," Corker said. "It's pretty hard for the White House to push back against what we're doing when it's evident that the U.N. Security Council itself is not going to be effective in dealing with this." Cardin agreed. "This is a congressional prerogative," he said. "We are disappointed that the United Nations has not acted. They have had an opportunity to act. So we hope that what we do here [in Congress] will facilitate international action and isolate North Korea if they continue to go down this path." China is under pressure to support tough new sanctions against Pyongyang, but is reported to be balancing the need for action with concerns about creating instability in North Korea. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan Introduces Unilateral Sanctions Against N Korea Over Rocket Launch Sputnik News 16:11 10.02.2016(updated 16:39 10.02.2016) The Japanese government announced on Wednesday the introduction of tougher sanctions against North Korea, including a ban on admission of foreign vessels to the Japanese ports following their visit to North Korea, in response to the recent launch of a long-range missile by Pyongyang. TOKYO (Sputnik) The government of Japan is likely to consider further measures in the future, depending on the response of the DPRK and actions of the international community, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told journalists. According to media reports, Japan's tougher sanctions against North Korea envisage a ban on money transfers in the country, with the exception of humanitarian aid in amount of less than $1,000. In addition, foreign experts in the field of nuclear and missile technologies, who have visited North Korea, will be banned from traveling to Japan. On Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tokyo would tighten unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang, after North Korea launched the long-range rocket on Sunday, in violation of a UN Security Council resolution which bans Pyongyang from launching rockets that may be used as ballistic missiles to carry nuclear warheads. Following Abe's announcements, the Japanese Foreign Ministry told Sputnik that Tokyo would swiftly proceed with measures against Pyongyang 'for comprehensively resolving the issues of abduction, nuclear and missiles.' Tensions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs escalated after Pyongyang claimed on January 6 that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, triggering condemnation from the international community. Tokyo has already imposed several rounds of unilateral sanctions, including a trade embargo, against Pyongyang over cases of Japanese citizens being abducted. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran Air Force equipped with Nasr cruise missiles Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 2:26PM Iran's Defense Ministry has delivered the first batch of a newly developed air-launched cruise missile, dubbed Nasr (Victory), to the country's Air Force. Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization affiliated with the Ministry of Defense on August 25, 2015 launched the production line of Nasr cruise missile in a bid to upgrade the country's deterrence. The cruise missiles were handed over to Iran's Air Force on Tuesday in a ceremony in the presence of Iran's Minister of Defense Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) chief, Brigadier General Hassan Shah Safi. Dehqan said Defense Ministry experts have the capability to supply the strategic needs of the Iranian Armed Forces in different sectors. He noted that nothing can hinder or stop the Defense Ministry's move towards further empowering the Armed Forces. The minister said Nasr cruise missiles are precise enough to hit targets and significantly boost the operational and tactical power of the Armed Forces. "The Nasr air-launched system can be installed on different types of jet fighters," the Iranian defense minister pointed out. In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems. The Islamic Republic also regularly conducts military drills to enhance the defense capabilities of its military and to test modern military tactics and equipment. Iran has repeatedly said that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iranian Professors Sound Alarm Over 'Mass Disqualifications' In Upcoming Vote February 09, 2016 About 300 professors at universities across Iran have expressed their 'growing concern' over the 'mass disqualifications' of candidates in February 26 voting for the parliament and the Assembly of Experts, which could choose the country's future supreme leader. In an open letter to President Hassan Rohani, the academics suggested that holding the upcoming elections, which they say will be 'unfair and non-competitive' because of the disqualifications, could hurt the Islamic republic and damage its global standing. They called on Rohani to use his power as president to ensure that the elections will be free and fair -- but also suggested that, if nothing changes, it might be better to scrap the vote than to hold it. 'Under these conditions, not holding such an election will have priority over holding it,' the professors said in the letter released by the opposition website Kalame on February 9. The final list of candidates who are allowed to run in the vote has not been released yet. According to figures released by Iranian media, some 6,000 candidates have been approved by the Guardian Council, which is tasked with vetting all election candidates. One politician from Iran's reformist camp has said that only 1 percent of their hopefuls, 30 out of 3,000, have been allowed to run in the vote for the 290-seat parliament. Last month, Rohani criticized the disqualifications, suggesting the exclusion of so many candidates could make the vote pointless.He also said that he had asked one of his vice presidents to discuss the disqualifications with the Guardian Council. Iranian media last week reported that the Guardian Council has allowed 1,400 candidates who had been previously disqualified to run. Interior Ministry spokesman Ali Amiri told reporters on February 9 that 'Reformists, moderates, and conservatives are among the newly approved.' Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-elections-academics- letter-disqualifications/27541737.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi forces retake key road connecting Ramadi to Baghdad Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 11:12AM Iraqi forces have recaptured several areas from Deash, including a strategic road that connects the western city of Ramadi to a military base in the capital Baghdad. The Iraqi army said in a statement on Tuesday that the forces "managed to open the road from Ramadi to Baghdad, which passes through al-Khaldiya" to the army base of Habbaniya. The army units have also liberated several other militant-held areas, including the town of Husaiba al-Sharqiya, about 10 kilometers east of Ramadi, read the statement. Ramadi, the provincial capital west of Baghdad, was released in December, almost one year after it fell into the hands of Daesh in 2014. The city's liberation marked one of the most significant victories for Iraq's armed forces since Daesh Takfiris seized swathes of the Iraqi land in June 2014. The army is now preparing to retake Mosul from the Takfiris. An army official said on Monday that forces are now "arriving at a military base near the Makhmur district to start launching initial military operations toward Mosul." Baghdad has said the army would use Ramadi's liberation as a "launchpad" to free Mosul. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has also vowed to rid the entire country of Daesh in 2016. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi Forces Liberate Eastern Part of Ramadi From Daesh Sputnik News 16:54 09.02.2016(updated 17:25 09.02.2016) The armed forces of Iraq recaptured territory to the east of Ramadi from Daesh terrorists, an official told local media. LATAKIA (Sputnik) The Iraqi armed forces have completely liberated areas east of Ramadi, the capital of the Anbar province, from Daesh terrorists, a local official said Tuesday. 'Iraqi armed forces, supported by the Anbar province police and rapid reaction forces, have liberated the area of East Husaybah east of Ramadi from Daesh's control,' Ali Dawood, the head of the neighboring Khalidiya Council, told the local TV network Alsumaria. According to him, the military also managed to liberate the road connecting Ramadi with the neighboring city of Khalidiya. In December 2015, Iraq's army announced that it had regained full control of Ramadi, which had been occupied by Daesh militants since May. The governor of Anbar province, Suhaib Rawwi, and US Secretary of State John Kerry later said that Ramadi had not yet been fully recaptured. Since 2014, vast territories in Iraq and neighboring Syria have been occupied by the Daesh terrorist group, which proclaimed a caliphate on the land under its control. The terrorist group, outlawed in many countries including Russia, has carried out numerous terror attacks and committed many human rights atrocities in the country. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi Army Deploys Thousands of Troops to Liberate Mosul From Daesh Sputnik News 15:23 09.02.2016(updated 16:31 09.02.2016) The Iraqi army is sending thousands of soldiers to a northern base for operational training to retake Daesh's hub city of Mosul, officials said on Monday. Daesh captured Mosul, Iraq's second largest city in June 2014 and except for airstrikes it has held the city largely unopposed for over 18 months as the country's security forces fought the militants in other areas. "Units from the Iraqi army have begun arriving to a military base near the Makhmur district to start launching initial military operations toward Mosul," a staff brigadier general told AFP on condition of anonymity. Makhmur is situated around 70 kilometers southeast of Mosul. "There are three brigades located in that base now," and their number will eventually reach 4,500 soldiers, said the officer, who is part of the security command aimed with retaking Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital. The battle for Mosul is predicted to be one the most difficult battles of Iraq's war against Daesh due to its size, the presence of large numbers of civilians in the city, and the long period the militants have had to prepare defenses. The primary aim is to completely sever Daesh's supply lines between Mosul and areas farther south including Hawijah in Kirkuk province and areas near Baiji in Salaheddin, the army officer said. Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland, the commander of the US-led operation against Daesh has said that Iraqi generals do not think they will be able to recapture Mosul until the end of 2016 or early 2017 at the earliest. In January, Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled Obaidi said the battle for Mosul would take place in 2016 and would become the key operation in fight against Daesh. "A joint center, which includes Iraqi army officers as well as representatives of the US-led international coalition, was opened in Erbil in the [Iraqi] Kurdistan region. Its purpose will be coordination of counter terrorism fight and coordination in Nineveh after the start of the operation there," Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasul said. According to Rasul, another command center for the Nineveh liberation was opened near the town of Makhmur in Erbil province. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Army Study: Iraq's Mosul Dam at 'Higher Risk' of Failure by VOA News February 09, 2016 U.S. engineers examining northern Iraq's Mosul dam say they have found new signs of distress in the massive structure and it is now at 'significantly higher risk' of failure that could devastate vast areas to the south. That assessment from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - released Tuesday by Iraqi lawmakers - bolsters earlier U.S. warnings that failure of the dam on the Tigris River could send a 20-meter flood wave crashing southward into the city of Mosul and then wreak havoc as far south as Baghdad. Numerous studies have warned that hundreds of thousands of people could die if the 32-year-old dam fails. Experts say Mosul Dam has displayed structural flaws for years, and the latest U.S. evaluation says signs of trouble are greater than a year ago and greater than 'originally understood.' Analysts say the dam, built on less than stable underpinnings, was further threatened when the surrounding area was overrun in 2014 by Islamic State extremists who forced the dam's maintenance workers to flee. Kurdish and Iraqi forces liberated the dam months later, but not before the unattended structure further deteriorated. The latest U.S. assessment was dated January 30, just days before Iraq awarded a contract to an Italian engineering firm to repair and maintain the dam. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said some 500 Italian soldiers will be deployed to the dam to provide security. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi Kurds Facing Economic Crisis Caused by Crude Price Slump, Daesh Sputnik News 20:21 10.02.2016(updated 20:25 10.02.2016) Low oil prices and the threat posed by Daesh (Islamic State/ISIL) are about to ruin the Kurds' aspirations for independence and prosperity, Irish journalist Patrick Oliver Cockburn notes. The emergence of Daesh in Iraq and Syria has provided the countries' Kurdish minorities both with new challenges and new opportunities. On the one hand, Syrian and Iraqi Kurdish enclaves created de-facto quasi states on the territories of Syria and Iraq. On the other hand, the ethnic group remains a minority vulnerable to a change in the political tides, Irish journalist Patrick Oliver Cockburn writes in his article for CounterPunch.org. 'The ISIS [Daesh] frontline is still only 40 minutes' drive from Irbil, the Kurdish capital [in northern Iraq], but fear that its fighters would break through has largely dissipated. But the jihadi onslaught, that reached its peak in the second half of 2014, was only one element in the crisis convulsing the de facto state (controlled by the KRG) that is being devastated by an economic catastrophe,' Cockburn narrates. After the overthrow of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 2003, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) advertised the autonomous region as 'other Iraq' able to outperform the 'dysfunctional' government in Baghdad. It was expected that oil prices would remain high, providing the Kurdistan autonomous region with an opportunity of becoming an 'oil state.' Alas, the oil price slump of 2014 and the Daesh advance dealt a heavy blow to the Kurdish much-anticipated 'economic miracle.' 'Some Kurds were always skeptical about the vision of Kurdistan as an oil state, arguing against the creation of a system where people got a cut of the oil revenues without doing much work while the ruling elite received a license to plunder,' Cockburn points out. Today the KRG has to introduce harsh austerity measures to avert an economic collapse. Following the unpopular reform, protests erupted in the Iraqi Kurdistan region Tuesday, Reuters reported. Demonstrations against austerity and delayed salaries took place in Koya, Halabja and Chemchemal. The KRG warns that the crisis may result in desertions from Peshmerga, which fights against Daesh together with the US-led coalition forces. The Iraqi Kurdish government has requested financial aid from the international community. Amid the ongoing economic crisis, Kurdish President Masoud Barzani announced that it is time to hold an independence referendum. 'Now the time is ripe for the people of Kurdistan to decide their future through a referendum. The referendum does not mean an immediate declaration of a state but to know the opinion and desire of the people of Kurdistan which the Kurdish political leadership will implement at an appropriate time and circumstance,' Barzani said in an official statement, as quoted by the Erbil-based Rudaw media outlet. The question arises, whether the Kurdish government has a plan on how to overcome financial hardships. According to Cockburn, for the moment the Iraqi Kurds are politically and militarily strong, because foreign powers view them as an ally in the war against Daesh. 'But this will not last,' he warns. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address S. Korea's Park speaks via phone with Obama, Abe on DPRK sanctions People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 13:20, February 09, 2016 South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday had telephone calls with U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe respectively to discuss tougher new sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on its long-range rocket launch. Park shared a view in her respective phone calls with Obama and Abe that the DPRK's recent rocket launch and nuclear test violated UN Security Council resolutions and represented a significant threat to the international society, according to Park's office. The three leaders agreed to rapidly adopt new UN Security Council resolutions against Pyongyang, involving strong and effective measures, sharing another view that the DPRK should pay a harsh price corresponding to its repeated provocations of significance. The phone calls came two days after the DPRK put an observation satellite into orbit aboard a long-range rocket. Pyongyang tested what it claimed was its first H-bomb on Jan. 6. The DPRK is banned under UN Security Council resolutions from testing a rocket by use of ballistic missile technology and from conducting a nuclear test. Park made phone calls with Obama and Abe, just a day after the DPRK's fourth nuclear test in early January, and had agreed to seek strong and comprehensive sanctions against the DPRK. Park received a phone call from the U.S. president at about 11:20 a.m. local time, making an in-depth discussions about the DPRK's nuclear test and ballistic missile launch, Park's office said. The two leaders agreed to push various bilateral and multilateral sanctions against Pyongyang, separately from new UN Security Council resolutions. About 30 minutes later, Park received a phone call from Abe, agreeing to cooperate in the adoption in UN Security Council of the strongest and the most effective sanctions toward the DPRK. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address South Korea closes joint industrial park with North Iran Press TV Wed Feb 10, 2016 3:6PM South Korea says it has closed a joint industrial park with the North, accusing Pyongyang of using the complex to fund its controversial nuclear and missile programs. In a statement on Wednesday, the South Korean government said it had no option but to take 'extraordinary measures' to force the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions. The funds South Korea had poured into the Kaesong Industrial Complex 'have ultimately been wrongly harnessed in the service of upgrading North Korea's nuclear weapons and long-range missiles," the statement said, adding that Seoul 'has decided to completely shut down' the park. Kaesong, which was set up in 2004 as a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation, lies just 10 kilometers (six miles) across the border in North Korea. The industrial area is home to 124 South Korean companies, employing about 53,000 workers. The government statement said Kaesong had provided the North with 616 billion won (USD 560 million) in cash over the years -- including 132 billion won in 2015 alone. The move came three days after Pyongyang said it successfully launched a long-range rocket reportedly aimed at placing an earth observation satellite into orbit. However, Washington and Seoul denounced the move as a cover for an intercontinental ballistic missile test. Last month, South Korea also resumed its propaganda broadcasts along the border with the North following Pyongyang's latest nuclear bomb test. North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2005 and carried out several nuclear weapon tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. It also conducted its fourth nuclear test last January, triggering condemnation from the international community. Japan to impose fresh bans on North Korea In another development on Wednesday, Japan announced that it will impose new sanctions against North Korea to protest Pyongyang's recent rocket launch. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference in Tokyo that the sanctions will include expanded restrictions on travel between the two countries and a complete ban on visits by North Korean ships to Japanese ports. Under the new measure, all money transfers, except for those below USD 880 for humanitarian purposes, will also be forbidden. 'Despite our repeated requests to stop nuclear tests and missile development, (North Korea) pushed ahead with the launch. It has a direct impact on Japan and we need to show our strong determination,' Suga said. The bans need approval from the Japanese cabinet. They further require legislative changes in the parliament. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU Debate Initiative Sparks Fears Of Concessions To Russia February 09, 2016 by Rikard Jozwiak BRUSSELS -- European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini initiated an internal debate last month with a group of fellow European commissioners on how to improve cooperation with Russia, causing concern among EU members that want to keep up the pressure on Moscow over its interference in Ukraine, sources have told RFE/RL. The discussion was held in mid-January among European Commission members whose portfolios involve ties with countries outside the 28-nation EU. Its purpose, according to a source with insight into the meeting, was to prepare a 'concept where we perhaps can have some cooperation without endangering our position on Russia sanctions.' The meeting came at the start of a year that could bring crucial developments in the standoff between Moscow and the West over Ukraine. Russia wants relief from EU sanctions imposed in response to its interference in Ukraine, and appears to hope Europe's resolve will flag before they come up for renewal in July. Details of what such cooperation could look like are scarce, but one source said it might entail boosting economic cooperation at a time when the Russian economy is faltering. The exercise is worrying member states such as Sweden and Poland, which fear that EU unity over Russia's actions in Ukraine -- its seizure of Crimea and support for armed separatists in the Donbas region -- is slowly eroding. It comes a year after a discussion paper endorsed by Mogherini that suggested a proactive approach toward Russia, just as the separatists were launching an offensive near the crucial government-held city of Mariupol. She has kept a low profile since then on issues involving the EU's eastern neighbors, and it is unclear how much traction the new initiative will pick up. Skeptical Commissioners One EU official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL that most of the European commissioners who took part in the debate where skeptical. 'Why should we envisage a scenario [of greater cooperation] now, when Russia isn't moving?' the official said. The remark was a reference to perceptions that Moscow has done little to fulfill its obligations under Minsk II, a February 2015 deal to end the war that has killed more than 9,000 people in eastern Ukraine and restore Kyiv's control over its border. Mogherini's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment lodged by RFE/RL on February 8. While participants in the discussion were asked to come back with suggestions, the official said there have been few concrete contributions on the topic since the mid-January meeting. But the issue is likely to come back to the fore this spring, with countries such as Italy and Austria expected to step up pressure on EU institutions to consider bringing Russia in from the cold. According to sources in Brussels, EU diplomats have been briefed in recent weeks by U.S. diplomats who have indicated that Russia might become more constructive about resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine in the coming months. No Guarantee Of Extended Sanctions The American optimism stems from a five-hour meeting last month in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad between Victoria Nuland, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, and Vladislav Surkov, an influential aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to RFE/RL sources, the pair spoke in great detail about preparations for elections in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, partially held by the Russia-backed rebels, which eventually could pave the way for a settlement of the conflict. The European External Action Service will also prepare a discussion paper on the EU's relationship with Russia, to be discussed when the bloc's foreign ministers meet in Brussels on March 14. Member states eager to keep up the pressure on Russia are hoping that will be the final debate on the issue among foreign ministers, and that heads of government will take over the talks -- especially on economic sanctions, which expire on July 31 if they are not renewed. European Council sources say that renewal of the sanctions last extended in December is far from guaranteed this time, and that the issue is likely to be the subject of tough debate at the EU summit in Brussels in late June. EU diplomats have said that EU leaders may start discussing the issue of extending sanctions at European Union summit in March, taking the initiative away from EU foreign ministers. A council source told RFE/RL that some nations fear EU foreign ministers who are both more sympathetic to Moscow and tired of the lack of progress of reforms in Kyiv will present a list of proposals for EU-Russia cooperation and that some of the proposals will have to be accepted in exchange for extending the sanctions. Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/eu-mogherini-sanctions- debate-russia-concessions/27541318.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Military to Receive Five An-148 Passenger Planes in 2016 Sputnik News 21:01 09.02.2016 The Russian Defense Ministry expects to receive five Antonov An-148 passenger jets in 2016 without production delays, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Tuesday. VORONEZH (Sputnik) The ministry signed a contract on the delivery of 15 An-148s with Russia's Voronezh Aircraft Plant (VASO). Some 70 percent of the plane's components are made in Russia, while remaining 30 percent are manufactured in Ukraine. 'We should receive five An-148s in 2016. Three are already standing here, while two more are entering the assembly stage,' Borisov said during his visit to the VASO plant. Borisov stressed that despite a certain dependence on Ukrainian suppliers 'no delays in deliveries of components or production schedule have been registered so far.' 'Politics is politics, but business is business,' he added. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Military maneuver planned in S Arabia Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 10:57AM Thousands of soldiers from regional countries are set to participate in a military maneuver in Saudi Arabia, media reports say. Saudi media said some 350,000 forces from the Persian Gulf Arab states and a number of other countries will take part in the Saudi-led military maneuver in the area of Hafer al-Batin in northern Saudi Arabia. Some 2,540 warplanes, 20,000 tanks and 460 helicopters will also participate in the exercise, dubbed "North Thunder." In 18 days of maneuvers, the airspace over northern Saudi Arabia will be closed. Media reports say the maneuver will be the largest throughout the history of the region. Egypt, Sudan, Pakistan and Persian Gulf Arab states are among the 25 countries that will take part in the military exercises. The maneuver comes at a sensitive time after Saudi Arabia announced readiness to participate in any ground incursion in Syria if the US-led coalition decides to start such an operation. Saudi Arabia is a member of the US-led coalition that has been conducting air raids inside Syria. The airstrikes have been going on without any authorization from the Syrian government or a UN mandate since September 2014. The Saudi maneuver is believed as preparation for a possible ground incursion into Syria. Reacting to a potential troop deployment, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said Saturday, "Let no one think they can attack Syria or violate its sovereignty because I assure you any aggressor will return to their country in a wooden coffin." Pavel Krasheninnikov, a deputy of Russia's State Duma, has warned Saudi Arabia that any military ground operation in Syria without Damascus' consent would amount to a declaration of war. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian FM reaffirms commitment to Syrian national sovereignty IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Moscow, Feb 9, IRNA -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said on Tuesday Russia respects Syrian national sovereignty. He said that Russia is involved in campaign against terrorism upon invitation of the Syrian government and Iran is currently extending military advice to the Syrian government. "The formed US-led "anti-IS coalition" doesn't have this legitimacy because there's no UN Security Council resolution for this or an invitation from the legitimate Syrian government," said Syromolotov. He said that earlier the Russian side took the initiative to create a single, legitimate and broad international front against terrorism, a new coalition such as the anti-Hitler coalition. "Something is carried out in this regard; new, high-quality resolutions of the UN Security Council were adopted, work through the International Syria Support Group is continued, political talks over Syria are open, giving despite all the problems and vicissitudes some hope for a settlement," he noted. "But it is the beginning of the road, and the success is only possible with the availability of states' political will of the partnership and effective collaboration," added Syromolotov. 1420**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi troops in Syria very dangerous: Iran official ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Tue 9 Feb 2016 - 17:31 TEHRAN (ISNA)- Iran's top security official warned that a potential troop deployment by regional countries to Syria would be a "very dangerous" decision. Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani made the remark at a meeting with visiting Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Tehran. Saudi Arabia has expressed readiness to contribute special forces to a US-led coalition that is purportedly hitting Daesh in Syria. Bahrain and the UAE have also hinted at similar deployments. "Although claims made by these countries are by no means proportionate to their military capabilities, the potential presence of ground troops without the legitimate consent or request of the Syrian government amounts to an interventionist and highly dangerous decision with unfathomable security repercussions for all the regional countries as well as Europe," Shamkhani said. Any military incursion would be "a step backward and disregardful of all the efforts that have been undertaken to resolve the Syrian crisis," he added. "There is no military solution to Syria's crisis; and the establishment of calm and stability in this country is only possible through inter-Syrian dialog as a means of realizing the Syrian people's will and demands," the Iranian official said. Addressing the Greek premier, the Iranian official said, "Greece has been on the forefront of... the issue of Syrian and Iraqi refugees... and clearly feels the several security and economic problems resulting from it." Greece has been serving as the entry point for more than a million refugees who have been fleeing war and misery in the Middle East for more than a year now. Tsipras, for his part, asserted that Athens was leading an "independent policy" vis-a-vis the Syrian issue. 'West's propagandist terrorism' Addressing a conference hosted in the Iranian capital on Tuesday under the title "The Coalition of Elites against Terrorism," Shamkani blasted the West for using Daesh to serve its Islamophobia agenda. "Accusing Muslims of creating insecurity in the world and casting Islam in a bad light is also a type of media and propagandist terrorism," he said All scholars in the Muslim world, either Shia or Sunni, are of the opinion that the actions of Takfiri terrorist groups are illegitimate, he said. Shamkhani also said that, "Besides military efforts, an intellectual and cultural fight is also required to dry out the roots of terrorist groups such as Daesh." End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kremlin rejects Merkel criticism over Syria Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 2:54PM A senior Kremlin official has rejected a statement by German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Russia's campaign in Syria is causing the suffering of civilians. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said there has been no credible evidence of civilian deaths as a result of the ongoing Russian airstrikes in Syria. 'We once again call on everyone to be very careful and responsible in their choice of words, given the already delicate situation in Syria now and the Syrian settlement,' Peskov told reporters in the Russian capital, Moscow. In the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Monday, Merkel sharply criticized Russia's campaign in Syria. 'We are horrified in the face of this human suffering.' The Russian spokesman said no voices had been raised in protest against the 'barbaric actions of terrorists' when they assaulted Syrian government forces in the past. 'No one made any statements of this kind at the time.' Moscow has also dismissed accusations made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Russia has occupied parts of Syria. Peskov said that the statement is wrong from a judicial standpoint and from the point of view of international law. He added that Moscow considers it impossible to talk about any ways of improving ties with Ankara. The United States also accused Moscow of being partly to blame for torpedoing the Geneva peace talks in Switzerland last week. Senior officials in Moscow have rejected the accusation that Russian actions would lead to the collapse of the talks. The foreign-backed Syrian opposition has said that Russia should immediately stop its anti-terror airstrikes on militant-held areas as a condition for its participation in peace talks with the Damascus government. Russia began combat sorties against positions of Takfiri terrorists in Syria at the request of the Damascus on September 30, 2015. Moscow says the airstrikes are meant to weaken the Takfiri Daesh terrorists and other militant groups that are wreaking havoc in the Arab country. Syria has blamed Turkey for the bulk of the chaos in its northern provinces, including in Latakia and Aleppo, saying Ankara overtly trains and funds militants who enter those areas. For nearly five years, Syria has been grappling with a foreign-backed militancy. More than 260,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since March 2011. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syria opposition urges end to Russian anti-terror air strikes Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 10:53AM The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition says Russia should immediately stop its anti-terror airstrikes on militant-held areas as a condition for its participation in peace talks with the Damascus government. Monzer Makhous, a representative of the so-called High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said the Russian air campaign "complicates the situation" in Syria, Russia's Interfax news agency reported Tuesday. Moscow began its aerial military campaign against terrorists in Syria on September 30 last year upon a request by the Damascus government. "If bombings continue, it is hard to imagine how the negotiating process will proceed," said Makhous. Last week, the latest round of talks between the Syrian government and the opposition was adjourned for three weeks after the HNC did not show up. February 25 has been set as the new date. Analysts say the opposition refused to continue the negotiations after the Syrian army, backed by Russian air power, made significant gains against the Takfiri militant groups on several fronts. The foreign-backed conflict in Syria, which began in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 260,000 people and displaced almost half of the country's population. Over one million besieged in Syria Meanwhile, a new report said more than one million people are trapped in besieged areas in Syria, challenging an earlier report by the United Nations, which put the figure of people living in these areas at less than half a million. The Siege Watch report, released Tuesday by the Netherlands-based aid group PAX and the Washington-based Syria Institute, suggests that 1.09 million people are living in 46 besieged communities. The UN had estimated last month that 486,700 people living in 18 communities have been affected in Syria. The aid group said "many remain unaware of the extent of the crisis, and the international response has been muted as a result." On Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Syrian Arab Red Crescent delivered more aid packages to 700 families in the militant-held suburb of Mu'adamiyat al-Sham near the Syrian capital of Damascus. The ICRC called for regular access to areas under siege in the Arab country, saying more aid will be delivered to Mu'adamiyat al-Sham in coming days. The convoy was the second of its kind that was destined for the suburb last week as a similar operation provided food for over 12,000 people and medical supplies for 10,000 people earlier last week. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian forces liberate four villages in Latakia Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 7:21AM The Syrian army, backed by volunteer forces, has launched successful offensives against Takfiri militants in the coastal province of Latakia, winning back four strategic villages. Syria's official news agency (SANA) said army troops managed to retake the villages of al-Hoor, al-Rweisat, al-Sweidia and al-Wadi al-Azraq in Latakia's northeastern countryside on Monday. Syrian forces later took several other strategic areas and hills in the area, the report said. SANA said the terrorists suffered heavy losses and casualties, while a number of them fled to areas near the Turkish border. The recapture of al-Hoor and Rewisat brings the Syrian forces closer to Kinsabba, the last militant stronghold in Latakia's northern countryside. The developments came a day after the village of Bashora near the Turkish border was purged of militants. The village was considered a main route for terrorists to infiltrate into Syria. Elsewhere, the Syrian army gained control of several positions held by Daesh between the town of Mahin and the city of Qaryatayn in Homs' eastern countryside. Dozens of militants were killed or injured in the operation, SANA said. Syrian troops also defused explosive devices and mines that terrorists had planted in the liberated areas. The foreign-backed conflict in Syria, which began in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 260,000 people and displaced almost half of the country's population. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi Arabia says US has welcomed troops offer for Syria Iran Press TV Tue Feb 9, 2016 6:16AM Saudi Arabia says the United States has welcomed Riyadh's offer to contribute troops to a potential ground incursion by a US-led coalition in Syria. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the offer, made last Thursday, had been met with Washington's approval and that Saudi forces would be playing a major role in any such operation. "The United States government was very supportive and very positive about the kingdom's readiness to provide special forces to the operation in Syria, should the international coalition make a decision to do so," he told reporters. "So the kingdom will be part of it," he said. "That support came from the White House, it came from the [US] State Department, it was natural for [US] Secretary [of State John] Kerry to support such a decision." The 65-member coalition, of which Saudi Arabia is a member, has been conducting air raids inside Syria since September 2014. The airstrikes have no authorization from the Syrian government or the UN and have reportedly fallen short of uprooting the militants. State Department spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the United States had welcomed the Saudi offer, but he would not comment on the nature or timing of any potential ground operation. "We are talking about a ground element," he said. "We have discussed the potential value of a special operations capability inside that element, which would be valuable." Washington itself has deployed special forces to eastern Syria in what it claims is an effort to shore up local militias against Daesh. Reacting to a potential troop deployment, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said Saturday, "Let no one think they can attack Syria or violate its sovereignty because I assure you any aggressor will return to their country in a wooden coffin." Pavel Krasheninnikov, a deputy of Russia's State Duma, has warned Saudi Arabia that any military ground operation in Syria without Damascus' consent would amount to a declaration of war Russia has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh, al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and other terrorist targets at Damascus' request since last September. A top Iranian military commander has dismissed Saudi plans as a 'bluff,' saying the kingdom would face a 'definite' defeat in Syria if it sent troops there. "Sending troops by Saudi Arabia would mean a coup de grace for its regime which, of course, is not bad," chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Mohammad Ali Ja'afari said on Saturday. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address After Freeing Aleppo Syrian Army, Russian Aircraft Could Focus on Raqqa Sputnik News 11:24 09.02.2016(updated 14:18 09.02.2016) The Damascus-led army and Russian aerial forces are apparently close to freeing Syria's largest city of Aleppo, raising hopes that Raqqa, the unofficial capital of Daesh's crumbling Islamic state, could be next. 'After losing up to 60,000 soldiers in five years of fighting, the Syrian army has suddenly scored its greatest victory of the war smashing its way through Jabhat al-Nusra and the other rebel forces around Aleppo and effectively sealing its fate as Russia provided air strike operations outside the city,' English journalist Robert Fisk asserted. Thanks to Russia's military engagement, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has in recent weeks turned the tide of the war against numerous radical groups, who are trying to oust Bashar al-Assad. In the last 48 hours alone, the SAA is reported to have taken the key town of Ta'ana and the strategic Barlaheen hilltop in the Aleppo province under control, killing and wounding scores of terrorists, as well as destroying militant infrastructure and military hardware elsewhere. The decisive victory of the Syrian Arab Army in Aleppo could well deal a fatal blow to the terrorist group that is rapidly losing territories it once claimed in Iraq and Syria. Daesh 'must be learning of the extraordinary developments of the past few hours with deep concern. The everlasting Sunni 'Islamic Caliphate' in Syria doesn't look so everlasting anymore,' Fisk added. Many experts believe that militant losses on the Syrian battlefield are the primary reason why the Saudi-backed umbrella opposition group left Geneva, instead of making an effort to find a compromise with Damascus. The new facts on the ground in Syria could also explain why Turkey and Saudi Arabia appear to be on the verge of sending ground troops to the war-torn country. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army Scores Strategic Victories on All Fronts Sputnik News 10:01 09.02.2016(updated 12:44 09.02.2016) In a series of fierce clashes with terrorists, the Syrian army backed by aerial support managed to take control over a strategic town and a key height in the province of Aleppo. Syrian government forces and their allies continued their offensive in Aleppo province, regaining full control of the strategic town of Taana in the eastern part of the region. The town came under full control of the Syrian Army on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Syrian Air Force attacked terrorists' position in the towns of Hayan and Hraytan. The Syrian Army also continued to advance toward Tal Rafat in northern Aleppo. Scores of terrorists were destroyed and injured as the army was carrying out mop-up operations in the newly regained towns. In the countryside east of Aleppo, government troops alongside popular forces took full control over the strategic Barlaheen hilltop, after daylong clashes with terrorists. The army backed by the Air Force also conducted a series of attacks against Daesh militants in other parts of the province, having destroyed scores of terrorists and many of their military hardware. The Syrian Air Force attacked a number of militants' positions across the central province of Hama, inflicting losses and damages on them. During the airstrikes, several militant positions in the town of al-Ziyarah and villages of al-Qarqur and al-Mansoura in central Hama were razed. In addition, Syrian warplanes alongside the Russian Aerospace Forces attacked militants across the northern part of the region. At least 10 terrorists were killed, and several military vehicles and an ammo depot were destroyed. Scores of militants were killed or wounded in the outskirts of Deir ez-Zor after the Syrian Army shelled their positions and outposts. Fierce clashed also broke out between popular forces and Daesh in the eastern part of Deir ez-Zor. According to FARS News, 15 Daesh militants were killed in fighting in the region. Tens of wanted militants turned themselves in to the Syrian authorities in Homs province as government troops continue to gain ground across the country, officials reported. Earlier, the Syrian Army and popular forces advanced against the Daesh militants in the eastern part of Homs province and deployed their units around the town of Quaryatayn. In the eastern part of Daraa province, terrorist groups sustained heavy casualties in clashes with the army on Sunday. Syrian troops have also scored many victories against militants in different parts of the province. Syrian troops and popular forces killed and injured scores of terrorists in heavy clashes in eastern Ghouta in Damascus province. At least 30 were killed and many more were injured in fierce clashes with the army. Meantime, scores of terrorists were also killed and wounded in clashes with the Syrian army in Darayya town in eastern Ghouta. The Syrian Air Force carried out several raids on militants' positions in mountainous areas in the northwestern province of Latakia. Meanwhile, Russian warplanes attacked terrorists' positions in the eastern part of the province. The Syrian Army also took full control of al-Aliya strategic village and its surrounding mountains in Latakia and destroyed a number of militants' positions across the region. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN agency provides food to Syrians fleeing Aleppo fighting 9 February 2016 The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today it has started distributing urgently needed food to people displaced by the recent surge in violence in Syria's northern Aleppo. The food was transported on cross-border convoys from Turkey into the small town of A'zaz in northwest Syria, 30 kilometres northwest of Aleppo city and close to the Syrian-Turkish border. Over the next few days, distributions will reach 21,000 people with more food to meet the urgent needs of the new wave of displaced people. "The situation is quite volatile and fluid in northern Aleppo with families on the move seeking safety," said Jakob Kern, WFP's Country Director in Syria, in a press release. "We are extremely concerned as access and supply routes from the north to eastern Aleppo city and surrounding areas are now cut off but we are making every effort to get enough food in place for all those in need, bringing it in through the remaining open border crossing point from Turkey," he added. The food includes rice, lentils, bulgur, pasta, white beans, chickpeas, vegetable oil, sugar and wheat flour in parcels that are enough to feed a family for one month. WFP is also sending ready-to-eat rations such as canned food for those who have no access to cooking facilities. According to the agency, thousands of displaced people have gathered in A'zaz in search of refuge close to the Bab Al Salam border crossing point, and thousands more are expected to arrive if the fighting continues. More than 30,000 people are reported to be on the move, many of them fleeing towards the Turkish border, and the towns of A'zaz and Afrin. Prior to the escalation in fighting in northern Aleppo, WFP was regularly delivering food across the Turkish border into Aleppo and Idleb governorates through the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salam border crossings. "WFP urges all parties to the conflict to facilitate unimpeded access to these communities in order to provide immediate relief to families who have already suffered for far too long," Mr. Kern added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Warns of Crisis as Syrian Forces Squeeze Aleppo by Sharon Behn February 09, 2016 The United Nations warned Tuesday that if pro-government forces in Syria succeed in encircling the strategic city of Aleppo then up to 300,000 people could be cut off from humanitarian aid. In an assessment of the situation in Aleppo, the U.N. said the Aleppo offensive has already cut rebel supply lines between the eastern part of the city and the Bab al-Salam crossing on the Turkish border. Further advances into the city could send another 100,000 to 150,000 civilians fleeing Aleppo. The World Food Program said Tuesday it is distributing urgently needed meals to 21,000 people who fled Aleppo to A'zaz, just south of the Turkish border. Volatile, fluid situation Jakob Kern, WFP director in Syria, called the situation in Aleppo 'quite volatile and fluid.' Pro-government forces have pounded their way toward Aleppo during the past week in their effort to crush rebels who have been fighting President Bashar al-Assad's regime for more than five years. "If that happens, the rebel momentum will be gone," said Omar Lamrani, a military analyst for Stratfor, geopolitical intelligence firm based out of Texas. "If Aleppo were to fall, it would highlight how dire the situation is for the rebels throughout the country." Russian warplanes have been relentlessly bombing northern Syria for days, forcing U.S.-backed and other rebel forces to take shelter in tunnels and blast craters. One young rebel fighter told VOA that morale has dropped to rock bottom as anti-Assad fighters feel the West has abandoned them. "I have spoken with the ambassadors and their staffs of the U.S., Britain and France, and asked them, 'What will you do other than make statement?' " said Zakaria Malahefji, political officer to the 3,000-strong Fastaqim Kama Umirt brigade. US game plan With government troops backed by Russian air power and Iranian-backed ground forces seizing the north of the city and threatening to move south to link up with government-held parts of the city, it does not appear that Washington can do much. "The U.S. has its game plan, and that is the negotiating table," Lamrani said. But with Syrian forces gaining ground, the attraction for the Syrian government of a political solution over a military one appears to be fading fast. Talks in Geneva for a political solution to Syria's conflict stalled last week after just two days on differences between Syria and the opposition on the priority of humanitarian issues. The U.S. State Department said Russia was also partly to blame. 'It is difficult in the extreme to see how strikes against civilian targets contribute in any way to the peace process now being explored,' spokesman John Kirby said. Russian investment Although the Russians have lost men and money, Lamrani said it appeared that their investment was paying off, to the detriment of the Syrian opposition and its U.S.-led coalition backers. "They are highlighting they are a power in the Middle East," he said. The Russians and Iranians are also pushing to create a situation whereby the "only really viable choices are the Syrian government or Islamic State and IS is a non-option." "By removing the rebels from the equation, then essentially it is game over," Lamrani said. But the conflict could also get more complicated and more drawn out. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, unwilling to cede such influence to Syria and its allies, might decide that one way to force everyone back to the negotiating table is to raise the cost of the military campaign by bolstering the rebels with more money and bigger and deadlier weapons. "They want to maintain a stake in the conflict," Lamrani said. "They still want the U.S. to stay close and give them cover against Russia to keep Russian ambitions at bay." VOA's Jamie Dettmer contributed to this report from the Turkish-Syrian border, Chris Hannas contributed from Washington. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Government Forces 25 Kilometers From Turkey's Border by Jamie Dettmer February 09, 2016 For the first time since August 2013, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are within 25 kilometers of the Turkish border in northern Syria. They continue to press a Russian-backed offensive that is throwing moderate rebel forces into disarray and despondency, say activists and insurgent commanders. Turkish officials are warning that the round-the-clock Russian air sorties and heavy fighting could spark the arrival of as many as 600,000 fleeing Syrian civilians at its border, but they reiterated their determination that the refugees stay on the Syrian side of the frontier. "Our objective for now is to keep this wave of migrants on the other side of Turkey's borders as much as is possible, and to provide them with the necessary services there," said Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus. Following a Cabinet meeting, he said, "As a consequence of this situation, we are seeing 200,000 people being forced to flee, 65,000 in the direction of Turkey and 135,000 inside Syria." Multisided conflict The multisided conflict raging in the northern Aleppo countryside features regime forces, Western-backed Free Syrian Army militias and their allies, Islamist brigades, al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria, the Kurds and the jihadist Islamic State group. Two mainly Sunni Arab villages in the northern Aleppo countryside, Deir Jamal and Mar'anaz, asked fighters with the Kurdish People's Protection Units, the YPG, to occupy them in a bid to escape ferocious Russian airstrikes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Rebel commanders said YPG territory wasn't being bombed and that was clear evidence of collusion between Damascus and Syrian Kurdish leaders, a claim denied by the YPG. The fate of the strategically important air base at Menagh nearby remains unclear. The base, which anti-Assad rebels captured after a lengthy siege in August 2013, is being targeted by Russian warplanes, according to Zakaria Malahefji, the political officer of the 3,000-member Fastaqim Kama Umirt, a brigade aligned with the rebel alliance Jaish al-Mujahideen (Army of Holy Warriors). Kurdish fighters The YPG, however, holds two nearby villages, and reports mounted late Tuesday that the YPG had launched attacks on the base. General Salim Idris, the former FSA chief, who still advises moderate militias on strategy, told VOA that the YPG and Arab allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces had launched attacks on the base but they "have not taken it yet." He said: "The YPG is supported by Russian warplanes and they are trying to take the base. We are fighting everyone the Islamic State, the regime and the YPG. As ever, we are not getting the support, Western support, we need." The YPG insists it is not colluding with the regime in the government offensive. YPG commanders say their control of Deir Jamal and a road running south has prevented the regime forces, mainly consisting of Iranian guardsmen and Shi'ite fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah movement and Afghanistan, from advancing. The YPG said it transferred Sunni Arab families fleeing the fighting to the Kurdish enclave of Afrin. The YPG said the refugee transfer aims "to prove to everyone that Syria is for all its citizens' and that the YPG 'is not fighting Arabs as promoted by the media." During the weekend, Salih Muslim, the leader of the Democratic Union Party that dominates the YPG, told VOA he doubted the current offensive would impact Syrian Kurdish hopes for semiautonomy. "The fighting is not in Kurdish areas, it is close to them. The Kurdish forces are not involved in the fighting, although some Arab allies of the YPG have been fighting Jabhat al-Nusra," he added. He said the bulk of YPG forces to the east of the Euphrates would not cross west of the river unless it was in coordination with the U.S.-led international coalition against the Islamic State group. "It would be easy to do." Drawn into fighting His biggest worry is that Turkish forces may be drawn into the fighting. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has frequently warned Ankara would not stand by and allow Kurdish advances in northern Syria or the establishment of a semiautonomous Kurdish entity to emerge in northern Syria. Conditions at the border A Turkish official told VOA there were no plans by Ankara to open the border to the new refugees streaming toward it. A new camp is being established by the Turkish Red Crescent and IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, a Turkish NGO, adding family tents to 20 collective tents erected earlier this week. According to the Turkish Red Crescent, 2,400 families have been registered at the new camp that is being built for about 15,000 people. There are another 5,000 refugees scattered nearby. According to VOA's translator, who crossed the border Tuesday: "The refugees are being fed one meal a day. Most are from the northern Aleppo towns of Tell Rifaat and Mara and from IS-controlled towns such as Al-Bab. 'I saw no mattresses or blankets being distributed. There is no running water, no heat, and the conditions are very bad and squalid. The refugees are very disoriented. Most came with just the clothes on their back. A medic with the Syrian charity the Independent Doctors Association told me he and his colleagues had treated 183 sick people, mainly suffering diarrhea, vomiting and fever.' An engineer from Tell Rifaat told VOA's translator the bombing raids were very intense and he saw five Russian warplanes overhead. He said hundreds were fleeing the town. The translator also saw a 3-year-old transferred across the border into Turkey suffering major head and neck wounds. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Airstrikes in Syria to Face Scrutiny at Munich Talks by Pamela Dockins February 09, 2016 Russia's stepped up aerial bombardment in Syria will be a focal point for the United States and other members of the International Syria Support Group when it meets this week in Germany. The group, which includes Syria-backers Russia and Iran, is meeting Thursday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. It is the group's first full meeting since U.N.-mediated proximity talks on a political transition in Syria bogged down, partly because of opposition protests against Russian-backed aerial assaults in Aleppo. The bombing campaign has forced thousands of Syrians to flee their homes, with many of them heading toward the already crowded Turkish border. On Tuesday, the day before he heads to Munich, Secretary of State John Kerry raised concerns about Russia during a State Department appearance with Egypt's foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry. "Russia's activities in Aleppo and the region right now are making it more difficult to be able to come to the table to be able to have a serious conversation," said Kerry. Egypt is also part of the International Syria Support Group, which has been backing U.N.-mediated talks designed to lead to a political transition in Syria. Foreign Minister Shoukry said a successful resumption of talks could eventually increase regional stability. "Hopefully the political process that has been initiated in Syria will provide us all with more ability to control the spread of terrorism in Syria and for that country to regain its stability," he said. Kerry met in December with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. In recent weeks, Kerry and Lavrov have held a series of phone calls on the crisis in Syria. "I would not read too much into the Russian participation on the political track," said former U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford. Ford, now a scholar at the Middle East Institute, said it is more important to watch Russia's military action in Syria, a move that he said is unlikely to receive a strong challenge from the United States. "I think that President Putin has an understanding that the Obama administration's focus is on trying as much as possible to limit involvement in Middle East conflicts," said Ford, in a VOA interview. Moscow pushing back Russia, for its part, has pushed back against accusations that its support for the Syrian regime and its stepped up bombing campaign played a role in derailing the first round of proximity talks. "We think that this opinion is incorrect," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to Russia's Interfax news agency. He said Moscow had "consistently" made efforts to help secure a peaceful political settlement in Syria. But differing definitions of supporting Syria have contributed to tensions between Russia and the other members of the International Syria Support Group, said David Schenker, Director of the Arab Politics Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "The Russians are supporting the eight percent Alawite minority in its continued domination over the vast majority of Syrians," he said. The differences in focus among Russia and Iran and the rest of the group have left some doubting if political talks will lead to the desired results. "I don't think that the political track is going to bear fruit," said Middle East Institute analyst Paul Salem. "I think that the [Syrian] regime, with very powerful support from Russia and of course from Iran and Hezbollah and other groups, is currently operating to defeat what's known a the moderate opposition," he added. Despite pessimism in some circles, Kerry said the United States and other world powers were approaching the talks in Munich with "great hopes." "Russia needs to join all of us in understanding that this can not go on," said Kerry. "They have a major responsibility as a co-convener of the International Syria Support Group to create the framework within which that group can be successful." Germany is the first leg of a three-nation tour for Kerry that also includes a stop in Albania. He will wrap up in California, joining President Barack Obama for a special U.S. summit with Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudis, UAE May Lack 'Capacity' to Help in Syria, US Officials Say by Jeff Seldin, Sharon Behn February 09, 2016 Top U.S. intelligence officials appear to be raising concerns about offers by some Arab countries to put boots on the ground to fight Islamic State militants in Syria. Both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates Sunni-majority states uncomfortable with Iran's expansion into Syria and Iraq have said they could send troops. "We appreciate and value the Saudi willingness to engage on the ground," Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told lawmakers Tuesday, adding, "I think that would be a challenge for them if they were to try to take that on." Clapper praised UAE's counterterrorism forces on their performance in Yemen, calling it "quite impressive." But Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart said an additional deployment might be too much of an undertaking. "Whether they have the capacity to do both Yemen and something in Iraq-Syria is questionable," he said. "They're doing extremely well in Yemen, but the capacity to do more is pretty limited." Different objectives The Soufan Group, which provides strategic security intelligence services to governments and the private sector, warned that the differing objectives of those countries would further complicate an already complex battlefield. "If for Turkey the conflict is mainly about [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad and the Kurds, then for Saudi Arabia it is mainly about Iran, and for the UAE it is mainly about its relationship with Saudi Arabia and the United States," Soufan said. "These competing or overlapping interests will test the coalition as it contemplates its next steps," it said. But the Turkey-Saudi-Qatar front could provide an important counterweight to the Russian- and Iranian-backed Syrian government partnership that appears to have eschewed a political solution for a military one. "Turkey, Saudi and Qatar will likely decide that the way to get everyone back to the negotiating table is to raise the cost of the military campaign for the government side," said Omar Lamrani, military analyst for Stratfor. "So they could likely bolster the rebels by military and financial means, basically giving them cash to pay their soldiers and supply them, and militarily by giving them weapons," Lamrani told VOA. "They want to maintain a stake in the conflict and bring the U.S. closer to their positions,' he said. 'Saudi Arabia and Turkey understand that with Russia involved, it is all the more important that the U.S. remain close to them." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi premier warns against sending troops to Syria Iran Press TV Wed Feb 10, 2016 6:44PM The Iraqi premier has warned against the deployment of ground troops to Syria, describing the envisioned move as a 'dangerous escalation." The warning, which was issued on Wednesday, came after some regional Arab countries expressed readiness to get involved in a ground operation in Syria. "Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called for a political solution to the Syrian crisis and not to send ground troops because that would lead to a dangerous escalation,' a statement posted on Abadi's website said, noting that the Iraqi premier made the remarks during a visit to the Italian capital city, Rome. Earlier in February, Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri, an adviser to the Saudi defense minister, said the kingdom was prepared to participate in any ground operations that "the [so-called US-led] coalition (against Daesh) may agree to carry out in Syria." Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir echoed the same position on Wednesday, saying, 'We will discuss details with experts from the countries involved to decide on the nature of the participation." Apart from the Saudi regime, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain have said they are willing to send troops to Syria to join the US-led campaign allegedly fighting Takfiri Daesh group. Syrian Foreign Ministry Walid al-Muallem has said in reaction that any "ground intervention on Syrian territory without government authorization would amount to an aggression that must be resisted." He has also warned that potential aggressors would return home in a "wooden coffin." Saudi Arabia is a member of the so-called US-led coalition that has been conducting air raids against what are claimed to be the Daesh terrorists inside Syria without any authorization from the Syrian government or a UN mandate since September 2014. The US-led strikes have, on many occasions, targeted Syria's infrastructure and left many civilians dead. This is while Riyadh has been among the staunch supporters of the Takfiri militants operating to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since early 2011. The Syrian troops, backed by Russian air raids, have been engaged in a major offensive around the city of Aleppo, which has reversed gains by militant groups backed by Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf Arab states. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi says ready to send troops to Syria Iran Press TV Wed Feb 10, 2016 6:4PM Saudi Arabia has expressed its readiness to deploy special forces to Syria if the US-led coalition allegedly hitting Daesh militants decides to deploy ground troops. 'We will discuss details with experts from the countries involved to decide on the nature of the participation,' Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters during a visit to Morocco on Wednesday. The top Saudi diplomat, however, refrained from elaborating further on the issue. On Monday, Jubeir held out the possibility of dispatching Saudi forces into Syria as part of the US-led coalition allegedly fighting Daesh in the conflict-hit Arab country. 'There is a discussion with regard to a ground force contingent, or a special forces contingent, to operate in Syria by this international US-led coalition against ISIS (Daesh) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has expressed its readiness to provide special forces to such operations should they occur,' he said during a visit to Washington. The idea of Riyadh's possible participation in ground operations in Syria was first raised on February 4 by Ahmed Asiri, a spokesman for the Saudi Defense Ministry. Although swiftly welcomed by allies like the United States, the proposal was met with huge criticism from Syria and Damascus' allies. Bahrain and the UAE also followed in Saudi Arabia's footsteps and hinted their preparedness for similar deployments. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem slammed the initiative, saying "coffins" await any aggressor in the country "whether they be Saudis or Turks." Saudi Arabia is a member of the US-led coalition that has been allegedly conducting airstrikes inside Syria since September 2014 without the Syrian government's permit or a UN mandate. This is while Riyadh has been among the staunch supporters of the Takfiri militants operating to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since early 2011. Some 2,500 terrorists currently involved in the deadly militancy in Syria and Iraq are Saudi Arabia's nationals, according to a recent report by the New York-based Soufan Group think tank. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army Storms Daesh Terrorists in Raqqa Sputnik News 21:46 10.02.2016(updated 22:00 10.02.2016) Syrian government forces have attacked Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) and made gains in several strategically important areas of Raqqa, Fars reported. The Syrian army and National Defense Forces (NDF) have made advances against Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) in several strategically important areas of Raqqa, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Wednesday. 'Syrian government forces stormed the ISIL defense lines near the small town of Zahiyeh and seized back three strategic heights and several hills in the region,' Fars reported. The army and NDF killed scores of Daesh terrorists in fierce clashes as they advanced towards three other villages around Raqqa, aided from the air by Russian and Syrian fighter jets which bombed terrorist positions near Zakiyeh. Fars reported that Syrian fighter jets have also bombed a Daesh training camp in the north east of Raqqa province, killing at least 33 terrorists and injuring dozens more. Raqqa became a stronghold of Daesh after the terrorist group seized control of the city in January 2014. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Kurds to Continue Working With Russia to Halt Illegal Oil to Turkey Sputnik News 18:05 10.02.2016(updated 19:35 10.02.2016) Syrian Kurds will develop a comprehensive partnership with Moscow MOSCOW (Sputnik) Syrian Kurds will develop a comprehensive partnership with Moscow, including on preventing illegal oil flows to Turkey, the head of the newly opened Western Kurdistan representation in Moscow said Wednesday. 'We will continue cooperating with Russia on all matters, including on the issue of illegal oil supplies to Turkey,' Rodi Osman told reporters. He added that cooperation with Russian oil companies is not envisaged so far. Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Turkey was attempting to protect its 'dirty' oil business with terrorists by voicing its concern over activities by the Syrian Army near its borders. The Daesh militant group, outlawed in Russia, controls large swathes of land in oil-rich Syria, Iraq and Libya. In late 2015, the Russian Defense Ministry presented evidence showing that the jihadist group has been smuggling oil across the Syria-Turkey border in large volumes. According to Russian envoy to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin, Daesh illicit exports of oil, primary via Turkey, allows it to gain approximately $1.5 million a day. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly denied profiting from Daesh oil trafficking. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army Attacks Militants in Latakia, Recapturing Town of Bashoura Sputnik News 08:52 10.02.2016(updated 09:15 10.02.2016) The Syrian Army and the National Defense Forces have reportedly managed to liberate another strategic town in the western province of Latakia. Another key town has been taken back by the Syrian Army and the country's National Defense Forces (NDF) after heavy fighting with militants in Latakia province in western Syria, media reports said. Dozens of terrorists were killed and many more wounded after the Syrian troops finally took full control of the town of Bashoura, located in northern Latakia, sources said. Two days ago, it had been announced by Islamic Front-connected sources that Ahrar al-Sham, a coalition of multiple Islamist and Salafist units, had been targeting Syrian Army positions around the village. The new offensive came after the Syrian Army and the NDF cleared the militants out of the strategic heights of Ziyaret al-Beidha, Zahra al-Beidar al-Mahrouq and Khandaq al-Shahour in Latakia. Earlier this week, the Syrian forces managed to win back more villages and heights in northern Latakia near the border with Turkey, sources said, mentioning the villages of Dahret al-Baiday al-Mahrouq and Ard al-Kataf, as well as the hill of Ziyaret al-Beidha. In another development, the Syrian Army continued their offensive in the northern province of Aleppo, regaining full control of the strategic town of Taana in the eastern part of the region. The Syrian Air Force attacked terrorists' positions in the towns of Hayan and Hraytan as the army continued to advance toward Tal Rafat in Aleppo. Scores of terrorists were killed and injured in the army's mop-up operations in the newly regained towns. In the countryside east of Aleppo, government troops and the NDF took full control over strategic Barlaheen hilltop, after daylong clashes with terrorists. The army backed by the Air Force also conducted a series of attacks against Daesh militants in other parts of the province, having destroyed scores of terrorists as well as some of their military hardware. Adding to the Syrian Army's anti-terror effort is Russia's ongoing air campaign in Syria, which was launched on September 30, when more than fifty Russian warplanes, including Su-24M, Su-25 and Su-34 jets, commenced precision airstrikes on Daesh and Al-Nusra Front targets in Syria at the behest of Syrian President Bashar Assad. In addition, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed earlier this month that advanced, super-maneuverable Su-35S multi-role fighters had begun their combat mission in Syria. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish FM Says US Must Choose Between Turkey, Syrian Kurds Sputnik News 21:26 09.02.2016(updated 21:28 09.02.2016) The United States must choose between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds' Democratic Union Party (PYD), Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday. ANKARA (Sputnik) This statement comes after a meeting between US envoy to the anti-Daesh coalition Brett McGurk and a group of Kurds in Syria's Kobani in January provoked an angry reaction from Turkish President Recep Erdogan who said Washington must choose on whose side it is. 'The U.S. needs to make a decision: Does it choose us [Turkey] as a partner or terrorist organizations?' Cavusoglu reiterated on Tuesday in Budapest, as cited by the national Anadolu news agency. He warned that Turkey considers PYD a terrorist group affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). US government spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday that Washington was aware of Ankara's concerns, but said even friends do not always agree on everything. A divide has been growing between Ankara and Washington on the role of Syrian Kurds in the fight against Daesh terrorist group. Washington does not recognize the PYD as a terrorist organization and considers Kurdish fighters a key ally in the fight against Daesh. The Kurds are Turkey's largest ethnic minority and comprise some 25 percent of the country's population. The PKK has been fighting for independence of Kurdish territories from Ankara since 1984. The group seeks to create a Kurdish state in parts of Turkey and Iraq. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey's Erdogan Issues Ultimatum to US by Dorian Jones February 09, 2016 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued an ultimatum to the United States to choose between Turkey and Syrian Kurds. U.S. forces have been working closely with the Syrian Kurdish group the PYD in the battle against Islamic State. The ultimatum followed a visit by the head of the anti-IS coalition, Bret McGurk, a week earlier to the Syrian town of Kobani, where he met with members of the PYD and its militia, the YPG. U.S. forces have been supporting the YPG in its battle against Islamic State, but Ankara accuses the Syrian Kurdish group of being a terrorist organization connected to the Kurdish rebel group, the PKK, which Turkish forces are fighting in southeastern Turkey. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute is playing down the Turkish president's ultimatum, while underlining the importance of the Syrian Kurdish groups. 'These are not new concerns with regard to U.S. contact and U.S. support for the Syrian Kurdish groups,' he said. 'And of course the visit that you are referring took place into the town of Kobani, which of course was largely freed from ISIL control because of the effective fighting of those Syrian Kurdish groups.' With Ankara providing airbases for U.S.-led operations against Islamic State, Washington is having to perform a delicate balancing act over its support for Syrian Kurdish groups. Analysts say Moscow is courting the Syrian Kurds' allegiance. Russia strongly backed the PYD's presence, which Ankara successfully blocked, in last month's Geneva peace talks. Moscow has also reportedly supplied arms to the Syrian Kurds. Political columnist Kadri Gursel for Al Monitor website says envoy McGurk's visit to Kobani was strategically important for the United States. 'It is a very important gesture; it's a provocative gesture, but a legitimate one. It was a move destined to confirm the United States' position vis-a-vis Syria Kurds, and also a message to Ankara,' he said. 'And the United States is not wishing to see PYD Kurds being pushed to the Russians, this is what Ankara is doing, exactly.' With Turkish political leaders designating the PYD and PKK as greater threats than Islamic State, analysts says relations between Ankara and Washington, are becoming increasingly strained. Gursel says those tensions have led to a redefining of the relationship. 'Washington sees Ankara as a friend, but in the eyes of Washington, Ankara is an untrustworthy, unreliable, unpredictable friend,' he said. 'Believe me, Ankara and Washington are not on the same page, in terms of the Middle East.' Washington, for its part, continues to call Turkey a key partner in its fight against Islamic State. But observers say with Washington's priority being the defeat of IS, and with Syrian Kurds one of the most effective anti-IS forces in Syria, Turkish-U.S. relations appear destined to remain strained for some time to come. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey, US Splits Deepen Over Support for Kurdish Militants by Dorian Jones February 09, 2016 The rift between Turkey and the U.S. widened late Tuesday when Ankara summoned the American ambassador, John Bass, to protest remarks by a State Department spokesman who said Washington does not consider Syria's Kurdish Democracy Union Party (PYD) a terrorist organization. A Turkish official with the Foreign Ministry told VOA that Ankara made clear its "unease." Earlier Tuesday, Turkey's Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, echoed President Erdogan's remarks that the U.S. must decide who it is partnering with in Syria: the PYD or Turkey. Cavusoglu said Western countries needed to make up their minds. "Are we [one of] the partner countries in Syria in the fight against Daesh or are terror organizations?" said Cavusoglu in Budapest during a news conference using a derogatory term for the Islamic State (IS) militant group. The tensions between the two countries were highlighted when the head of the anti-IS coalition, Bret McGurk, visited the Syrian town of Kobani late last month, where he met with members of the PYD and its militia, the YPG. U.S. forces have been supporting the YPG in its battle against Islamic State, but Ankara accuses the Syrian Kurdish group of being a terrorist organization connected to the Kurdish rebel group, the PKK, which Turkish forces are fighting in southeastern Turkey. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute is playing down the Turkish president's ultimatum, while underlining the importance of the Syrian Kurdish groups. 'These are not new concerns with regard to U.S. contact and U.S. support for the Syrian Kurdish groups,' he said. 'And of course the visit that you are referring took place into the town of Kobani, which of course was largely freed from ISIL control because of the effective fighting of those Syrian Kurdish groups.' With Ankara providing airbases for U.S.-led operations against Islamic State, Washington is having to perform a delicate balancing act over its support for Syrian Kurdish groups. Analysts say Moscow is courting the Syrian Kurds' allegiance. Russia strongly backed the PYD's presence, which Ankara successfully blocked, in last month's Geneva peace talks. Moscow has also reportedly supplied arms to the Syrian Kurds. Political columnist Kadri Gursel for Al Monitor website said envoy McGurk's visit to Kobani was strategically important for the United States. 'It is a very important gesture; it's a provocative gesture, but a legitimate one. It was a move destined to confirm the United States' position vis-a-vis Syria Kurds, and also a message to Ankara,' he said. 'And the United States is not wishing to see PYD Kurds being pushed to the Russians, this is what Ankara is doing, exactly.' With Turkish political leaders designating the PYD and PKK as greater threats than Islamic State, analysts say relations between Ankara and Washington, are becoming increasingly strained. Gursel said those tensions have led to a redefining of the relationship. 'Washington sees Ankara as a friend, but in the eyes of Washington, Ankara is an untrustworthy, unreliable, unpredictable friend,' he said. 'Believe me, Ankara and Washington are not on the same page, in terms of the Middle East.' Washington, for its part, continues to call Turkey a key partner in its fight against Islamic State. But observers say with Washington's priority being the defeat of IS, and with Syrian Kurds one of the most effective anti-IS forces in Syria, Turkish-U.S. relations appear destined to remain strained for some time to come. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UK to step up NATO maritime commitment 10 February 2016 The UK will increase its maritime commitment to NATO exercises and activities, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced today. At the NATO Defence Ministerial in Brussels the Defence Secretary outlined a maritime package that will see the UK almost double its deployments to NATO at sea in 2016. For the first time since 2010 the UK will contribute to NATO's Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), an enduring commitment to having NATO warships at sea, which will include two deployments planned this year: - the deployment of HMS Iron Duke, a Type 23 Frigate, from January to July, operating in the Baltic sea; - deployment of a Type 45 Destroyer to the SNMG1 from October to November. The deployments, involving around 400 Royal Navy personnel, reflect the emphasis placed on NATO in last year's Strategic Defence and Security Review. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: 'Increasing our NATO deployments sends a strong message to our enemies that we are ready to respond to any threat, and defend our allies.' '2016 will see a particular focus on the Baltic region with our ships sent there as part of the Maritime Group, the Mine Counter Measure Group and the Baltops exercise.' The UK's maritime commitment in 2016 will also see: - the provision of the NATO Response Force 2* Maritime Component Commander, Rear Admiral Alex Burton, who holds a key leadership role in the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force maritime component throughout 2016. - the deployment of three Mine Sweepers around 130 Navy personnel in total to NATO's Standing Naval Mine Counter Measure Group, each for four months. This programme will include covering the Baltic Sea, North Atlantic, North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. - Agreement for NATO to use our National Exercise Joint Warrior in North Scotland and the North Atlantic in October of this year to train and certify the NATO Response Force maritime and air component commanders for their NRF commitments in 2017, involving upwards of 550 naval personnel. - The contribution of two Frigates to major anti-submarine warfare exercise Dynamic Mongoose, and the UK's largest warship HMS Ocean to Exercise Baltops in the Baltic region. - The commitment of a Fleet Diving Unit to Exercise Open Spirit in Lithuania and Exercise Northern Challenge in Iceland. The Defence Secretary also spoke about NATO's deterrence stance in the face of Russian aggression, called on Allies to commit, ahead of the NATO Warsaw Summit in July, to meeting the NATO target to spend 2% of GDP on Defence within a decade, and updated on the UK's role in the TACET initiative, which he announced in October. Following Mr Fallon's announcement of the UK's role in TACET, the UK will be fully operational as part of TACET by the Warsaw summit, and this will be as a 'Lead Nation' for the initiative, alongside Germany and the US. The UK will take the lead on Airfield Operations; Infantry and Mechanised Infantry tactics; and aspects of Maritime Mine Counter-measures focusing on diving. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kiev's Loss From Ending Military Deals With Moscow Estimated at $2.2Bln Sputnik News 09:47 09.02.2016(updated 13:41 09.02.2016) Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin estimated Ukraine's losses from terminating contracts in the space and military spheres with Russia are 12 times higher than the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) projections. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On Monday, the IMF said in a report that the Ukrainian Space Agency potentially lost about 80 percent of its revenue in 2014 after contracts cancellation, or some $180 million at the exchange rates at the time. 'It's cowardly to understate figures of losses. In reality, it is 12 times more,' Rogozin wrote on his official Facebook page on Monday. The Russian deputy prime minister explained that Ukraine's gas turbine construction complex Zorya-Mashproekt alone lost $750 million for terminating its contract with Moscow. In June 2014, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko halted all military sales to Russia. The relationship between Kiev and Moscow soured in 2014 following Crimea's reunification with Russia and beginning of a military conflict in Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian Army Expects 'Timely' Tripling of Western Assistance Sputnik News 18:52 10.02.2016(updated 20:07 10.02.2016) Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said that Ukraine has close cooperation with states, including member states of the NATO alliance and the financial aid of these countries could be tripled. KIEV (Sputnik) The Ukrainian armed forces expect 'timely' Western assistance to triple this year, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said at a parliamentary committee session on economic policy Wednesday. 'We have close cooperation with states, including member states of the [North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)] alliance. Last year's aid amounted to more than $100 million, this year it is planned at around $300 million,' Poltorak said. Under a 2016 defense budget signed by US President Barack Obama last November, Ukraine is set to receive $300 million in military assistance this year. The Ukrainian Embassy in the United States said in December that Washington had increased its assistance to $658.1 million, including logistical support, training and defense weapons deliveries. 'There is an understanding from our partners, and I hope that this help will come to us in a timely manner,' Poltorak told lawmakers, acknowledging the shortage among countries willing to sell military equipment to Ukraine. US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt said in January that Washington provided military equipment and training valued at over $266 million to improve the Ukrainian forces' efficiency since 2014. The United States has been assisting Ukraine with economic and non-lethal military aid following the 2014 political crisis and Crimea's referendum to reunite with Russia. It has ruled out delivering lethal weapons to Ukraine on grounds that Kiev is capable of manufacturing lethal equipment independently. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Stanley Jones has apparently learned a lot about Danville is his seven months as superintendent of the city schools. Thats the only explanation for why Jones would spend so much time talking about the one thing most Danvillians discuss when the topic is the public schools: Discipline. On the last Friday of January as DPS was recovering from a storm that closed the schools, Jones was talking about discipline and what hes done to improve it. His predecessor had to deal with this problem when Bonner Middle School teachers complained to the news media about a breakdown of discipline; for Jones, the issue boiled over after a student wrote a letter to the editor of the Danville Register & Bee about problems at George Washington High School. I get those calls quite frequently, Jones said of citizen complaints and concerns about student behavior. The superintendent said reports of GW as a chaotic school were just inaccurate. That may be true or it may be more correct now but Danville Public Schools has done a lot of work to ensure that its 1,425 students at GW are more closely monitored by the 125 staff members. There are more security officers, all teachers step outside of their classrooms when classes change and some GW students have been transferred to Langston High School, which has smaller class sizes and more capacity. Jones himself spends 3-4 hours per week at GW. Clearly, Danville Public Schools was blindsided by that letter to the editor in November, but its also true that the public whether they have kids in the public schools or not want the children who are there to be educated in a disciplined, safe environment. During Jones press conference, some of that famous, seemingly inevitable educational jargon (systemic professional learning for all staff and improving accountability outcomes) was part of the presentation. The academic problems at Woodberry Hills Elementary School were a part of the presentation. But Jones kept coming back to discipline. To us, that represents a strong connection to what matters most to this community. Its important, because no child can learn in a school (or just a classroom) where the kids are in control and misbehaving. Jones wants to do a lot with the schools, but he cant do it without public support, and that wont happen until the public believes that the problems uncovered last November have been fixed. After seven months on the job, Jones recognizes that. It gives us hope for the future. To the editor: I am writing in response to the column, Diversifying our portfolio of economic development, (Feb. 7, page A11), by Karl Stauber, the president and CEO of the Danville Regional Foundation. Stauber states that in the past Danville has put all its eggs into two baskets. Those were two good baskets to put them in. Dan River Inc. provided jobs, housing and food for many families who came to this town to work in the mills. It gave them opportunities to live a better life. My father worked for the mill for 43 years. When I was a child, his wages were less than $75 a week, he paid taxes, he contributed to his pension and he even had money taken out of his weekly check to support our local non-profit hospital. Then the hospital was sold by the powers that be to a private corporation who sole purpose is to make money for its stock holders. My father raised a family on his family farm where he also grew tobacco. He cared for his parents in his home until they died. He worked for Nat Terry in the tobacco warehouse business where he also earned money for his family. My father died in the same room he was born in. Those to baskets were good to my family and many others. Yes, Danville was known for Dan River Inc., the biggest textile mill in the world at one time. Yes, Danville was known for tobacco. In 1869 Danville was named the biggest tobacco market in the world. All the tobacco that was sold all over the world was sold under what was created here in Danville, the Danville System. It remained the Worlds Best Tobacco Market until the demise of the auction system. But power, greed and ignorance of our past have brought our city where it is today. We cannot change history, no matter how much we want to or try, so before we start throwing stones at our past we better make sure we have better place for our future. TOM BLAIR Danville Dr. Noel Boaz said he expects the status of the College of Henricopolis School of Medicines application for preliminary accreditation will advance when it is reviewed this week by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting agency. If that happens, the Martinsville medical schools status would improve from "applicant status" to "candidate status," which would clear the way for an LCME team to do a site visit and a report, according to the LCME website and Boaz, who is president of the medical school and its nonprofit affiliate, Integrative Centers for Science and Medicine (ICSM, whose mission is research, clinical service and education). The targeted opening for the private medical school is fall 2017, Boaz said. At its meeting this week, LCME could do three things: 1) in effect, ask the medical school to make more progress; 2) say you have failed in your attempt to advance to candidate status, which would mean applicant status would lapse, and the institution would have to wait a year and pay a $25,000 reapplication fee; or 3) approve the medical school advancing to candidate status, according to Boaz and the LCME website. "We expect it to be approved," Boaz said. Sen. Bill Stanley and Del. Danny Marshall said representatives of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Appropriations Committee, respectively, have indicated they will not approve funding for the medical school because it is private. Governors Terry McAuliffes proposed budget did not include funding for the medical school, officials have said. Stanley, R-Glade Hill, said, "I got ready to propose one (a budget amendment), but I was told by the Finance Committee, because it is deemed a private entity, I couldnt submit a budget amendment." Stanley said he plans to meet with Senate finance staff to look for ways funding might be secured for the medical school perhaps through the Tobacco Commission or other state sources. Marshall, R-Danville, said the Tobacco Commission already has awarded one grant for the medical school (for $800,000, according to a previous Bulletin report), and the Tobacco Commission put consideration of a larger funding request for the medical school on hold to see what the General Assembly would do about funding. Marshall said he has suggested that medical school officials look for other ways to get funding, such as perhaps using the grant writer for New College Institute, who secured funding for the construction of NCIs Building on Baldwin block. Boaz said so far other sources or possible sources of funding include $30,000 collected from investors; about $225,000 in philanthropic pledges; a good chance of getting a $600,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development; a proposed $3 million city of Martinsville bond issue; large investor groups in Chicago, Toronto and London interested in buying unsold stock (which would be capped at 49 percent), which could generate $10 million to $12.5 million; among other sources. Among other assets, a 25,000-square-foot building valued at $350,000 and a small building and surrounding property valued at $16,000 were donated to ICSM, according to the medical school application. Study supports potential to develop a low-cost copper-gold-molybdenum project VANCOUVER, Feb. 9, 2016 /CNW/ - Gold Reach Resources (TSX-V; GRV) ("Gold Reach" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the summary results of an independent Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") on the Company's 100% owned copper-gold-molybdenum Ootsa Project ("Ootsa Project") in west-central British Columbia. The conceptual study demonstrates the potential to develop the Ootsa Project by means of contract mining and toll milling at low initial capital cost to deliver a base case after-tax NPV and IRR of C$186 million and 81% respectively. P&E Mining Consultants Inc. ("P&E") was the lead engineering firm for the PEA, which also included input from Knight-Piesold Consulting, ERM Consultants Canada Ltd., and Gold Reach personnel. "The Company is very encouraged with the outcome of the PEA," said Gold Reach President and CEO Dwayne Melrose. "The results of the PEA support the concept that the Ootsa Project can be developed as a potential profitable, low-cost investment with an anticipated future upturn in metal prices." BASE CASE OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS AND PROJECT PERFORMANCE: Metal Price: US$3.00/lb Cu, US$1260/oz Au, US$10.30/lb Mo, US$17/oz Ag Mill Feed*: 65 Mt @ 0.37% Cu Eq (0.25% Cu, 0.13 g/t Au, 0.016% Mo, 2.3 g/t Ag) Resource Quality: 94% Measured, 6% Indicated Classification Production: 324 M lbs Cu, 185 K oz Au, 15.8 M lbs Mo, 3 M oz Ag Mine Life 12 years Initial CAPEX: C$64 million (including contingency) NPV @ 5% (after-tax)**: C$186 million IRR (after-tax): 81% Payback: 1 year Resilience: 31% IRR at US$2.25/lb Cu *Consists of 61 M tonnes of the Measured portion of the mineral resource at grades of 0.25% Cu, 0.13 g/t Au, 0.016%Mo, and 2.3 g/t Ag, plus 4 M tonnes of the Indicated portion of the mineral resource at grades of 0.24% Cu, 0.07 g/t Au, 0.015%Mo, and 2.3 g/t Ag. **NPV includes by-product credits for gold, molybdenum, and silver. A discount rate of 5% was applied to generate NPV based on the lower risk of the development relative to that of similar projects. A contingency factor of 30% was included in the initial capital cost estimate. The PEA is based on the open pit development of the Ootsa Property by a contract miner, toll milling of Ootsa mill feed at the adjacent Huckleberry Mill at the end of current operations, and use of the existing site facilities on a fee-basis. There are currently no agreements in place to conduct toll milling of Ootsa mill feed at the Huckleberry facilities, nor is there any guarantee that the required agreements can be established on commercially acceptable terms to support the proposed development plan. The projected mining method, potential production profile and other Ootsa Project economics referred to in this news release are summarized from a PEA, which will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this news release, and are conceptual in nature and additional technical studies will need to be completed in order to fully assess the Ootsa Project's viability. The PEA should not be considered a Pre-feasibility or Feasibility Study, as the economic and technical viability of the project have not been demonstrated to that level. There is no certainty that a potential mining operation will be realized or that a production decision will be made. A mine production decision that is made prior to completing a Feasibility Study carries potential risks that include, but are not limited to, the inclusion of Inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. Among other things, mine design and mining schedules, metallurgical flow sheets and process plant designs may require additional detailed work and economic analysis and internal studies to ensure satisfactory operational conditions and decisions regarding future targeted production. Capital cost estimates presented in this news release are preliminary in nature and will require a more detailed assessment in subsequent economic studies. Further, the advancement of the Ootsa Project is subject to requisite consents, permits and approvals, regulatory or otherwise for the Ootsa Project and there is no guarantee that Gold Reach would be successful in obtaining any or all of them. "The key to developing a viable operating plan for the Ootsa Project was to fully recognize the nature of the value present in terms of the property; to use that value as the foundation for a plan that balanced investor risk and reward; and to take advantage of the unique circumstances offered by the proximity of an adjacent operating mine," continued Mr. Melrose. "Gold Reach now looks forward to the challenge of refining the development concept for the Ootsa Project into an executable plan that builds on the results of the PEA." BASE CASE SUMMARY ECONOMICS NPV @ 5% C$ M 186 IRR % 81 Simple Payback Yrs 1.0 Exchange Rate US$:C$ 0.80 UNIT COST Direct Cash US$/lb Cu 1.33 All-In Sustaining Cash US$/lb Cu 2.09 METAL PRICE Cu US$/lb 3.00 Au US$/oz 1,260 Mo US$/lb 10.30 Ag US$/oz 17.00 INITIAL CAPITAL Direct C$ M 33 Indirect C$ M 19 Contingency C$ M 12 Total C$ M 64 OPERATING COSTS Mining C$/t mined 2.67 Processing C$/t milled 10.07 G&A C$/t milled 0.56 PRODUCTION Cu M lbs 324 Au K oz 185 Mo M lbs 15.8 Ag M oz 3.0 MINING Mill Feed Mt 65 Waste Mt 96 Total Mt 161 Strip Ratio w:o 1.46 HEAD GRADE Cu % 0.25 Au g/t 0.13 Mo % 0.016 Ag g/t 2.3 PROCESS Throughput Mtpa 5.6 Mine life Yrs 12 RECOVERY Cu % 91 Au % 69 Mo % 70 Ag % 62 Operating Plan The conceptual operating plan for the Ootsa Project is based on the sequential, open pit development of three deposits in close proximity to each other, by a mining contractor. Crushed mill feed will be transported from Ootsa to the adjacent mill by means of an overland conveyor system employing a series of floating conveyor units to cross an intervening reservoir. Preliminary metallurgical testwork indicates that the Ootsa feed could be processed at a rate of 5.6 Mtpa achieving copper recoveries of 90-92%. Processing would be conducted on a toll-basis. Mineral Resources An updated mineral resource model was developed utilizing a drill hole database comprised of 26,995 assays from 258 drill holes, including 7,311 m of drilling in 11 holes performed after the previous resource update. Drill hole assay data was composited into 2 m intervals and a block model with 10 m by 10 m by 10 m block size was constructed using Gemcom modeling software. Mineralized domains for all deposits were constrained incorporating geological, structural, and lithological parameters and using a $10/t NSR cut-off value. Within these domains, a $8.50/t NSR cut-off value was applied to define the extent of mineralization with reasonable prospects for economic extraction. Within these domains, grades for copper, gold, molybdenum, and silver were estimated using inverse distance squared (ID2) grade interpolation guided by geostatistical analysis. The resulting resource model was subject to pit optimization using a Lerchs-Grossman algorithm to define a pit constrained mineral resource as detailed in the table below. Ootsa Project Pit Constrained Mineral Resource Estimate at $8.50/t NSR Cut-off Value (1-5) Deposit Category Tonnes ('000's) CuEq % Cu % Au g/t Mo % Ag g/t CuEq M lbs Cu M lbs Au K oz Mo M lbs Ag K oz Ox Measured 30,492 0.37 0.26 0.04 0.028 1.5 249 175 39 19 1,471 Indicated 3,204 0.32 0.23 0.04 0.021 1.4 23 16 4 1 144 M&I 33,696 0.37 0.26 0.04 0.027 1.5 272 191 43 20 1,615 East Seel Measured 22,165 0.43 0.28 0.26 0.002 2.5 210 137 185 1 1782 Indicated 1,422 0.38 0.28 0.14 0.003 4.4 12 9 6 0 201 M&I 23,587 0.43 0.28 0.26 0.002 2.6 222 146 191 1 1,983 West Seel Measured 134,491 0.37 0.21 0.16 0.022 3.2 1,097 623 692 65 13,837 Indicated 32,415 0.36 0.21 0.13 0.024 2.9 257 150 135 17 3,022 M&I 166,906 0.37 0.21 0.15 0.023 3.1 1,354 773 827 82 16,859 Inferred 5,212 0.30 0.18 0.09 0.019 2.6 34 21 15 2 436 Total Measured 187,148 0.38 0.23 0.15 0.021 2.8 1,568 934 916 85 17,089 Indicated 37,041 0.35 0.21 0.12 0.023 2.8 286 175 146 19 3,368 M&I 224,189 0.37 0.22 0.15 0.021 2.8 1,854 1,109 1,062 104 20,457 Inferred 5,212 0.30 0.18 0.09 0.019 2.6 34 21 15 2 436 (1) Mineral Resources, which are not mineral reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues. (2) The quantity and grade of reported Inferred Resources in this estimation are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these Inferred Resources as an Indicated or Measured Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to an Indicated or Measured Mineral Resource category. (3) The Mineral Resources in this report were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions and Guidelines prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by the CIM Council. (4) The $8.50/t NSR resource cut-off value grade was derived from Sep 30/15 three year approximate trailing average US metal prices of: Cu $3.25/lb, Au $1,350/oz, Mo $12/lb and Ag $22/oz and a US$:CDN$ exchange rate of 0.85. Process recoveries used were Cu 90%, Au 70%, Mo 70% and Ag 65% with respective smelter payables of 96%, 96%, 96% and 90%. Refining charges in US$ were Cu $0.05/lb, Au $5/oz and Ag $0.50/oz. C$ operating costs used were $2.25/t for mineralized material and waste mining, $1.50/t for overburden mining, $7.50/t for processing and $1.00/t for G&A. An optimized pit shell was utilized for resource reporting that utilized 45 degree slopes and an average mineralized material bulk density of 2.72 t/m3. (5) Copper Equivalent (Cu Eq) calculations are based on base case metal price and process recovery assumptions, and take into account smelter payable rates and refining costs. The updated mineral resource estimate for the Ootsa Project marks a large increase in resource confidence. Measured resources at the Ox deposit have increased from 11 Mt in the January 9, 2014 resource update to 31 Mt in the current update, an increase of 188%. The copper equivalent grade has also increased for the Measured category at Ox going from 0.34% Cu Eq (comprised of 0.21% Cu, 0.04 g/t Au, 0.029% Mo, and 1.6 g/t Ag) in the January 9, 2014 resource update to 0.37% Cu Eq (comprised of 0.26% Cu, 0.04 g/t Au, 0.028% Mo, and 1.5 g/t Ag) in the current estimate. Measured resources at the East and West Seel deposits have increased from 28 Mt in the January 27, 2014 resource update to 157 Mt in the current update, an increase of 463%. At the East Seel deposit the Cu Eq grade in the Measured category has increased slightly from 0.42% Cu Eq (0.25% Cu, 0.26 g/t Au, 1.5 g/t Ag) in the January 27, 2014 resource update to 0.43% Cu Eq (0.28% Cu, 0.26 g/t Au, 2.5 g/t Ag) in the current estimate. At West Seel the Cu Eq grade in the Measured category has decreased slightly, from 0.40% Cu Eq (0.21% Cu, 0.15 g/t Au, 0.021% Mo, 3.8 g/t Ag) in the January 27, 2014 resource update to 0.37% Cu Eq (0.21% Cu, 0.16 g/t Au, 0.022% Mo, 3.2 g/t Ag) in the current resources estimate. Mining The conceptual mining plan uses conventional truck/shovel open pit methods employing an equipment fleet supplied and operated by a mining contractor. Three pits will be mined sequentially over a period of 12 years including pre-stripping with mill feed conveyed to the nearby mill for processing. Total mined tonnage will vary from 10-20 Mt annually depending on waste removal requirements. The mill feed is contained within an optimized subset of the mineral resource set out in the table above. Collectively, the three pits contain 65 Mt of mill feed (inclusive of mining dilution and loss factors) averaging 0.37% Cu Eq (0.25% Cu, 0.13 g/t Au, 0.016% Mo, and 2.3 g/t Ag). The mill feed is associated with 31 Mt of overburden and 65 Mt waste rock resulting in an overall life of mine strip ratio of 1.46:1. It is notable that all mineral resources considered for mining are classified in the Measured and Indicated categories. Milling The nearby mill is expected to be able to process mill feed from the Ootsa Project without modification. Material will be processed on a toll-basis at a rate of 5.6 Mtpa. Metallurgical recoveries are based on preliminary testwork and vary by deposit as shown in the table below. Mill feed will be supplied to the mill via a conveyor system owned by Gold Reach and operated by the mining contractor. Projected Metallurgical Recoveries East Seel West Seel Ox Cu 90% 92% 91% Au 70% 65% 70% Mo --- 70% 70% Ag 60% 60% 65% Infrastructure The Ootsa Project lies on the south shore of the Nechako Reservoir, 6 km from the existing Huckleberry copper-molybdenum mine. As such, road access, process plant, tailings storage, camp, and other support facilities already exist to support development. Crushing, conveying, and field maintenance infrastructure will be established on the Ootsa side of the reservoir to support mining. The added electrical load is estimated to be less than 2 MW and is expected to be supplied by the existing power line. Access across the 1 km wide reservoir for equipment and personnel will be by a barge similar to the one that currently exists to facilitate logging operations on the Ootsa side of the reservoir. Mill feed will be transferred from the mining areas to the mill via a conveyor system 9 km in length. A series of floating conveyor units (similar to those often utilized by dredging contractors) integrated with the overland components will permit mill feed to move in a seamless, low-impact manner across the reservoir at a nominal average rate of 700 tph. Capital Costs The project development requires initial capital of C$64 M to construct the conveyor system, mobilize the contract mining fleet, prepare the first deposit for mining, and cover the cost of reclamation bonding. An additional C$32 M in sustaining capital is required over the life-of-mine. A contingency in the amount of 30% has been applied to all direct and indirect costs excluding pre-stripping. A contingency has also been factored into the reclamation bond estimate separately. Operating Costs Unit operating costs used to determine Project value can be found in the table below. Mining costs vary by material type and pit due to differences in haul distance, drill-blast cost, and the cost to transfer feed to the mill. Processing costs vary from deposit to deposit based on differences in reagent consumption derived from testwork. The total premium imposed on mining and milling costs for contract operation is approximately 30% and includes amortization, depreciation, administration, and margin. It is the opinion of P&E that the contract rates are consistent with industry norms and appropriate for the Ootsa Project. Unit Operating Costs Cost Units East Seel West Seel Ox Contract Mining-Mill Feed C$/t mined 2.95 3.02 2.90 Contract Mining-Overburden C$/t mined 2.06 2.06 2.09 Contract Mining-Waste rock C$/t mined 2.50 2.56 2.67 Toll Milling C$/t milled 9.03 11.64 10.13 Owner G&A C$/t milled 0.56 0.56 0.56 Environmental and Social Total reclamation and closure costs are estimated at $9 M for the Ootsa Project including decommissioning and post-closure monitoring. Preliminary testwork indicates that water from mining areas will meet discharge requirements without the need for complex treatment. None of the proposed development is expected to directly alter any potential commercial, recreational, or Aboriginal fisheries within the reservoir. Construction and mine development are expected to employ about 140 people during the 12 month pre-production period. More significant, however, is that the development could secure longer term employment for the existing mine workforce and the benefits it brings to the local community for an additional 12 years. First Nations bands in the area are supportive of responsible development and have engaged in positive dialogue with Gold Reach throughout the exploration phase of the Ootsa Project. Project Schedule As contemplated in the PEA, engineering, environmental studies, and permitting of the Ootsa Project are expected to take 3-4 years. Construction would last 12 months during which infrastructure will be installed and the first pit pre-stripped. Mining and processing would commence thereafter and continue for a period of 12 years. At the end of operations, decommissioning would take 12-18 months followed by a minimum 5-year period of post-closure monitoring. Economics Financial performance is evaluated from the start of construction and does not consider the cost of permitting or financing. The Ootsa Project has been evaluated using a 5% discount rate as, unlike many new mines, the development is premised on a tolling arrangement for the use of the adjacent Huckleberry assets, which obviates the risk associated with establishing access and constructing a mill and tailings facility. Economics for the Ootsa Project are based on metal prices of US$3.00/lb Cu, $1,260/oz Au, $10.30/lb Mo, and $17.00/oz Ag, and at an exchange rate of C$1.00 = US$ 0.80. Metal prices applied to the project represent a discount to prices projected for 2020 and beyond by various major financial institutions and forecasters. This timing corresponds to when it is reasonably expected that the Ootsa Project could commence production. Metal Price Exchange Rate Sensitivity Metal Price Cu US $/lb 2.25 2.50 2.75 3.00 3.25 3.50 Au US $/oz 1,140 1,180 1,220 1,260 1,300 1,340 Ag US $/oz 14.75 15.50 16.25 17.00 17.75 18.50 Mo US $/lb 6.70 7.90 9.10 10.30 11.50 12.70 Forex US$:C$ 0.73 0.75 0.78 0.80 0.83 0.85 NPV @ 5% (after tax) C$M 21 86 141 186 232 274 IRR (after tax) % 31 54 69 81 92 103 Payback yrs 1.6 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.8 The Ootsa Project has an estimated after-tax net present value (NPV) discounted at 5% of C$186 M, an internal rate of return (IRR) of 81%, and an undiscounted payback of 1 year. The table above shows how the Ootsa Project value varies with changing metal prices and exchange rate. The correlation between metal prices and exchange rate is a major contributor to the Ootsa Project's resilience at lower prices. Direct and all-in sustaining cash costs are US$1.33/lb Cu and US$2.09/lb Cu respectively. Direct cash costs refer to all on-site costs of production while all-in sustaining cash costs are all costs of production including sustaining capital. All cash costs are calculated net of by-product credits. Conclusions and Recommendations P&E concludes that the Ootsa Project has economic potential as an open pit mining operation, utilizing the Huckleberry processing plant to produce copper and molybdenum concentrates. The PEA outlines 65 Mt of mill feed (inclusive of mining dilution and loss factors) averaging 0.37% Cu Eq (0.25% Cu, 0.13 g/t Au, 0.016% Mo, and 2.3 g/t Ag) within 3 pits. The mill feed from the updated mineral resource estimate supporting this tonnage has a high level of confidence with 94% (61 Mt) occurring within the Measured category and 6% (4 Mt) occurring in the Indicated category with no Inferred resources in the mine plan. The Ootsa Project has a low capital cost at C$64 million, a low strip ratio at 1.46:1, and robust economics with an after-tax NPV of C$186 million, an after tax IRR of 81%, and 1 year payback period using base case metal prices. In the PEA, P&E recommends that Gold Reach advance the Ootsa Project with extended and advanced technical studies with the intention of moving the project toward a production decision. QP Statement The resource update and Preliminary Economic Assessment have been completed by P&E Mining Consultants Inc. in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The updated mineral resource estimate has been prepared by Brian Ray, P.Geo. and Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., both Independent Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and has an effective date of January 1, 2016. The Preliminary Economic Assessment has been prepared under the supervision of Eugene Puritch, P.Eng, an Independent Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and has an effective date of January 1, 2016. The PEA will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this news release. Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure in this news release for P&E Mining Consultants Inc. Dr. Shane Ebert, Ph.D., P.Geo. is the Qualified Person for Gold Reach and has reviewed and approved the contents of this release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Dwayne Melrose" President & CEO Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain statements made and information contained in this news release and elsewhere constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, with respect to statements regarding the PEA and updated resources estimate, the assumptions set forth in this news release (including the tolling arrangement terms for use of the Huckleberry assets), and risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results and the estimation of mineral resources, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that future exploration, development results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, accidents, equipment breakdowns, risk of undiscovered, title defects and surface access, labour disputes, the potential for delays in exploration and permitting activities, the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, commodity price fluctuations, currency fluctuations, political risk and other risks and uncertainties, including those described under Risk Factors in each management discussion and analysis and in the Company's other disclosure which are available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information is based on various assumptions including, without limitation, the expectations and beliefs of management, the assumed long term price of copper, gold, silver and molybdenum, that the Company will receive required permits and access to surface rights, that the Company can access financing, appropriate equipment and sufficient labour and that the political environment within British Columbia will continue to support the development of environmentally safe mining projects. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. This news release may use the terms "Measured", "Indicated", and "Inferred" as these terms are defined under Canada's National Instrument 43-101. U.S. Investors are advised that, while such terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, they are not recognized by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and may not be comparable to similar information for United States mining or exploration companies. As such, certain information contained on this news release concerning descriptions of mineralization and resources under Canadian standards is not comparable to similar information made public by United States companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits described in these categories will ever be converted into proven or probable reserves, as defined in the SEC's Industry Guide No. 7. SOURCE Gold Reach Resources Ltd. TORONTO, Feb. 9, 2016 /CNW/ - IAMGold Corp. ("IAMGOLD" or the "Company") today announced the first mineral resource estimate in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") Definition Standards incorporated by reference in National Instrument 43-101 for the Diakha deposit located on the Siribaya JV project in western Mali, West Africa. With the discovery of the Diakha zone in 2014, IAMGOLD expanded its exploration drilling program, culminating in the completion of the first mineral resource estimate for the Diakha deposit. The Siribaya exploration project is operated by IAMGOLD under a 50:50 joint venture with Merrex Gold Inc. ("Merrex"). The resource estimate, which includes resources estimated for previously known zones at Zone 1B and Taya Ko (formerly Zone 1A) along the Siribaya trend as well as the new Diakha deposit, is comprised of Indicated Resources totalling 2.1 million tonnes averaging 1.90 grams of gold per tonne for 129,000 ounces and Inferred Resources comprised of 19.8 million tonnes averaging 1.71 grams of gold per tonne for 1.1 million ounces. A significant portion of the estimate is derived from the newly discovered Diakha deposit which is open in all directions and has significant potential for expansion. Craig MacDougall, Senior Vice President, Exploration for IAMGOLD, stated, "The Diakha discovery is the second greenfield discovery made by the IAMGOLD exploration team in West Africa in the last three years, including the Malikoundi deposit of the Boto gold project located in neighbouring Senegal. Despite reduced budgets resulting from a sustained industry-wide downturn, the exploration group has successfully advanced Diakha from discovery to an initial resource estimate in just two years. We believe that there remains significant potential to expand the current resource base and this will be an objective of future exploration programs. I extend my congratulations to the Diakha discovery team who have worked very hard to achieve this outstanding result." The mineral resource for the Diakha deposit incorporates assay results from 216 diamond and reverse circulation drill holes totalling 25,696 metres, and for Zone 1B and Taya Ko zones, incorporates results from 129 drill holes totalling 3,903 metres. The estimate was prepared using a block model constrained with 3D wireframes of the principal mineralized domains. Values for gold were interpolated into blocks using inverse distance squared (ID2). A preliminary open pit optimization algorithm was run on the estimated grade block model to constrain the resource and to support the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") requirement that Mineral Resources have 'reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction'. The resource estimate assumes a long-term gold price of US$1,500/ounce. Only mineralization contained within the preliminary pit shell has been included in the resource estimate. The mineral resource estimate is summarized in the following table at a cut-off grades ranging from 0.45 to 0.60 grams of gold per tonne. The effective date of this resource estimate is December 31, 2015. SIRIBAYA PROJECT - MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE December 31, 2015 Classification Zone Tonnage (000s) Gold Grade (g/t Au) Contained Ounces (Au) (000s) INDICATED Zone 1B 2,102 1.90 129 Total Indicated 2,102 1.90 129 Zone 1B 4,094 1.52 200 INFERRED Taya Ko 882 1.02 29 Diakha 14,840 1.81 863 Total Inferred 19,816 1.71 1,092 Notes: CIM definitions were followed for classification of Mineral Resources. Cut-off grades range from 0.45 g/t Au to 0.60 g/t Au and vary by weathering material type. Mineral Resources are estimated using a gold price of US$1,500 per ounce. Bulk density varies from 1.55 g/cm3 to 2.63 g/cm3 based on deposit and weathering code. The resources are constrained by a Whittle optimized pit shell. Numbers may not add due to rounding. In support of the mineral resource estimate, preliminary metallurgical testwork was completed by SGS Minerals Services in Lakefield, Ontario, on three composite samples prepared from Diakha diamond drill core. The results suggest that the gold mineralization is not refractory and that a gold recovery of approximately 92% can be expected from a conventional leach / carbon in pulp (CIP) circuit. The Siribaya project consists of 11 contiguous exploration permits which cover a total area of 876.5 square kilometres and is located in the Kedougou-Kenieba inlier of the West African Craton region of western Mali along the borders with Senegal and Guinea. The Diakha, Siribaya 1B, and Taya Ko deposits are hosted within highly prospective, Birimian-aged metasedimentary, volcanic and intrusive rocks proximal to the Senegal-Mali Shear Zone. At Diakha, gold mineralization occurs within an albitized sandstone similar to IAMGOLD's Boto gold deposit located approximately 10 kilometres to the north along strike. Zone 1B and Taya Ko occur within the north-northeast trending Siribaya structural trend, which extends over 10 kilometres along strike, and gold mineralization occurs within breccia-hosted stockworks or fault related silicified zones. Next Steps The mineralization at Diakha remains open along strike and at depth where further drilling is warranted. In 2016, the Company plans additional drilling to increase our confidence in the current resources and continue to expand the mineralization along strike and at depth. Qualified Persons The mineral resource estimate, including verification of the data disclosed, has been completed by RPA Inc. ("RPA") and reported in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) requirements and CIM Estimation Best Practice Guidelines. The resource estimate was prepared by RPA Principal Geologist Luke Evans, P.Eng., and a supporting NI 43-101 Technical Report will be posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com no later than 45 days after the date of this release. Mr. Evans, who is an independent qualified person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this release. Craig MacDougall, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Exploration, for IAMGOLD has also reviewed and approved the contents of this release. Mr. MacDougall is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Notes to Investors Regarding the Use of Resources Cautionary Note to Investors Concerning Estimates of Indicated and Inferred Resources This news release uses the term "indicated resources". We advise investors that while that term is recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") does not recognize it. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in this category will ever be converted into reserves. This news release also uses the term "inferred resources". We advise investors that while this term is recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize it. "Inferred resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that part or all of an inferred resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors The SEC limits disclosure for U.S. reporting purposes to mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. IAMGOLD uses certain terms in this news release, such as "measured," "indicated," or "inferred," which may not be consistent with the reserve definitions established by the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in the IAMGOLD Annual Reports on Forms 40-F. You can review and obtain copies of these filings from the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml or by contacting the Investor Relations department. The Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") requires mining companies to disclose reserves and resources using the subcategories of "proven" reserves, "probable" reserves, "measured" resources, "indicated" resources and "inferred" resources. Mineral resources have not demonstrated economic viability and there can be no assurance that they can be converted to mineral reserves. A mineral resource is a concentration or occurrence of natural, solid, inorganic material, or natural, solid fossilized organic material, including base and precious metals in or on the Earth's crust in such form and quantity and of such a grade or quality that it has reasonable prospects for economic extraction. The location, quantity, grade, geological characteristics and continuity of a mineral resource are known, estimated or interpreted from specific geological evidence and knowledge. A measured mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics are so well established that they can be estimated with confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application of technical and economic parameters, to support production planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed and reliable exploration, sampling and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that are spaced closely enough to confirm both geological and grade continuity. An indicated mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics can be estimated with a level of confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application of technical and economic parameters to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed and reliable exploration and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that are spaced closely enough for geological and grade continuity to be reasonably assumed. An inferred mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling and reasonably assumed, but not verified, geological and grade continuity. The estimate is based on limited information and sampling gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Investors are cautioned not to assume that part or all of an inferred resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. Forward Looking Statement This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding expected, estimated or planned gold production, cash costs, margin expansion, capital expenditures and exploration expenditures and statements regarding the estimation of mineral resources, exploration results, potential mineralization, potential mineral resources and mineral reserves) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "may", "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, failure to meet expected, estimated or planned gold production, cash costs, margin expansion, capital expenditures and exploration expenditures and failure to establish estimated mineral resources, the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, changes in world gold markets and other risks disclosed in IAMGOLD's most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information Form on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement. About IAMGOLD IAMGOLD (www.iamgold.com) is a mid-tier mining company with four operating gold mines on three continents. A solid base of strategic assets in North and South America and West Africa is complemented by development and exploration projects and continued assessment of accretive acquisition opportunities. IAMGOLD is in a strong financial position with extensive management and operational expertise. Please note: This entire news release may be accessed via fax, e-mail, IAMGOLD's website at www.iamgold.com and through CNW Group's website at www.newswire.ca. All material information on IAMGOLD can be found at www.sedar.com or at www.sec.gov. Si vous desirez obtenir la version francaise de ce communique, veuillez consulter le http://www.iamgold.com/French/accueil/default.aspx. SOURCE IAMGold Corp. TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - February 09, 2016) - This news release contains forward-looking information that is subject to the risk factors and assumptions set out on page 7 and in our Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information on page 9. All figures are in United States dollars. Centerra Gold Inc. (TSX: CG) today issued its 2015 year-end estimates for reserves and resources. The Company has used a gold price of $1,200 per ounce as the basis for its reserve estimates. Highlights: Centerra's proven and probable reserves increased 9% to 8.4 million ounces of contained gold (112.5 Mt at 2.3 g/t gold) from 7.7 million contained ounces a year ago. At Centerra's 100% owned AksAt Project in Turkey, the Company announced a positive feasibility study in 2015. As a result of this study, the measured and indicated resources on both the Keltepe and GAneytepe deposits were upgraded to an estimated probable reserve of 26.1 million tonnes at 1.4 g/t gold containing 1.2 million ounces of gold at a cut-off grade of 0.3 g/t gold. At the Gatsuurt Project in Mongolia, the Mongolian Parliament, after having designated Gatsuurt as a mineral deposit of strategic importance in 2015, approved a 34% state ownership interest in the project on February 4, 2016. Under the Minerals Law, the Government is able to substitute the state ownership with a special royalty. In this regard, the Government can now implement the previously agreed upon 3% special royalty in place of a 34% state ownership interest in Gatsuurt. See the Company's news releases of February 4, 2016, October 27, 2015 and January 23, 2015. The gold mineral reserves and resources at Gatsuurt remain unchanged from the 2014 year-end statement. Scott Perry, CEO of Centerra Gold said: "In 2015, our total reserves increased by 9% to 8.4 million ounces of gold. At the AksAt Project, we successfully converted resources to reserves with the positive feasibility study released in July, which contributed to the increase in our overall reserve base. Now that Mongolian Parliament passed the Gatsuurt ownership resolution, we expect to proceed with negotiating definitive agreements and carry out additional exploration drilling to expand the Gatsuurt resource base as well as geo-technical and hydrogeological drilling in support of eventual project development. The addition to reserves at AksAt and Gatsuurt advancing to the next step continues to diversify our operations portfolio and solidify our growth pipeline." As previously disclosed, Greenstone Gold Mines expects to complete a feasibility study for the Greenstone Gold Mine's Hardrock Deposit by the middle of 2016. Greenstone mineral resources have not been included in the Company's 2015 year-end reserve and resource summary since the feasibility study is expected mid-year, at which time the mineral reserve and resource inventory will be disclosed for Greenstone. When completed the Company expects to file a NI 43-101 technical report including a statement of reserves and resources, on SEDAR. Year-end Gold Reserves and Resources Reserves At the end of 2015, Centerra's estimated proven and probable gold reserves increased by 666,000 contained ounces, after accounting for processing of 658,000 contained ounces in 2015. Centerra's proven and probable reserves now total an estimated 8.4 million ounces of contained gold (112.5 Mt at 2.3 g/t gold), compared to 7.7 million contained ounces as of December 31, 2014. The reserve increase is primarily a result of the positive feasibility study on the AksAt Project where resources were upgraded to reserves in June 2015. The 2015 year-end reserves have been verified and estimated using a gold price of $1,200 per ounce. At the Kumtor mine, in the Kyrgyz Republic, proven and probable gold reserves decreased by 495,000 contained ounces, after accounting for processing of 658,000 contained ounces in 2015. In 2015, reconciliation of production against the KS2014YE resource model was very good for total ounces produced, but the model continued to over-estimate tonnage in the +3 g/t fraction and under-estimate tonnage in the 1.1 g/t to 3 g/t fraction. For this reason, a new resource model, KS2015YE was developed for 2015 year-end reserve estimation and to incorporate additional in-fill drilling that had been completed during the year. As a result, 164,000 contained ounces were added and Kumtor's proven and probable reserves now total an estimated 5.6 million ounces of contained gold (69.2 Mt at 2.5 g/t gold) including 4.1 million contained ounces of gold (44.3 Mt at 2.8 g/t gold) in the Central Pit at the end of December 2015. This compares to the previous total of proven and probable reserves at Kumtor of 6.1 million ounces as of December 31, 2014. In Mongolia, at the Boroo mine, the 16,226 ounces of gold produced in 2015 came from secondary leaching of the heap leach pad and from the Boroo mill clean out. The Boroo heap leach operation is transitioning into closure and the mill is on care and maintenance awaiting a positive decision on the Gatsuurt Project. At the Gatsuurt Project proven and probable reserves are unchanged from 2014 and total more than 1.6 million contained ounces of gold (17.1 Mt at 2.9 g/t gold). In Turkey, at the AksAt Project, the proven and probable reserves are unchanged from the June 30, 2015 reserve and resource summary and contain 1.2 million ounces of gold (26.1 Mt at 1.4 g/t gold). The Company is currently working on updating the resource model with additional drill results obtained in 2015. Resources As of December 31, 2015, Centerra's measured and indicated resources decreased by 1.5 million contained ounces to an estimated total of 4.2 million ounces of contained gold (66.6 Mt at 2.0 g/t gold) compared to the December 31, 2014 estimate. The change is primarily a result of, a decrease of 1.2 million contained ounces in the measured and indicated resources at the AksAt Project. At the 100% owned AksAt Project in Turkey, measured and indicated resources total an estimated 156,000 ounces of contained gold (6.8 Mt at 0.7 g/t gold), a decrease of 1.2 million ounces from December 31, 2014. This decrease resulted from converting 1.0 million contained ounces to proven and probable reserves at the Keltepe deposit and converting 125,000 contained ounces in the GAneytepe deposit to proven and probable reserves. At Kumtor measured and indicated open pit resources decreased by 240,000 contained ounces of gold, to an estimated total 2.6 million contained ounces of gold (29.6 Mt at 2.7 g/t gold) at December 31, 2015. Kumtor's open pit measured resources increased by 313,000 contained ounces to an estimated 1.8 million contained ounces (19.5 Mt at 2.9 g/t gold) while indicated resources decreased by 553,000 contained ounces of gold to an estimated 777,000 contained ounces of gold (10.2 Mt at 2.4 g/t gold). These changes are attributable to the development of the new KS2015YE resource model, as discussed above, resulting in the lower grade and fewer ounces. As of December 31, 2015, Centerra's inferred resource estimate totals 2.6 million contained ounces of gold (24.5 Mt at 3.3 g/t gold) an increase of 133,000 contained ounces of gold over the December 31, 2014 estimate. At Kumtor, 1.7 million estimated ounces of gold (4.7 Mt at 10.9 g/t gold) are contained within the high-grade underground inferred resources in the SB and Stockwork Zones. There was a minor positive change in the 2015 year-end inferred underground resource estimate at the Stockwork Zone due to the reclassification of 54,000 contained ounces to the inferred category from the indicated resource category a year earlier. The 2015 year-end resource estimates for Boroo, Gatsuurt, ATO and Ulaan Bulag properties in Mongolia are unchanged from 2014 year-end estimates. Table 1 Centerra Gold Inc. 2015 Year-End Gold Reserve and Resource Summary (as of December 31, 2015) Gold Mineral Reserves (1) (11) (12) (tonnes and ounces in thousands) Proven Probable Total Proven and Probable Property (3) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Kumtor (5) 8,832 1.4 402 60,406 2.7 5,240 69,239 2.5 5,641 Gatsuurt (7) - - - 17,129 2.9 1,603 17,129 2.9 1,603 AksAt(10) - - - 26,137 1.4 1,161 26,137 1.4 1,161 Total 8,832 1.4 402 103,672 2.4 8,004 112,505 2.3 8,405 Gold Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources (2) (11) (12) (tonnes and ounces in thousands) Measured Indicated Total Measured and Indicated Property (3) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Kumtor Open Pit (4) (5) 19,450 2.9 1,787 10,151 2.4 777 29,602 2.7 2,564 Boroo (6) 452 2.2 32 4,464 1.5 210 4,916 1.5 242 Gatsuurt (7) - - - 5,098 2.4 398 5,098 2.4 398 Ulaan Bulag (8) - - - 1,555 1.5 73 1,555 1.5 73 ATO (9) 9,663 1.5 465 8,920 1.1 306 18,583 1.3 771 AksAt(10) 2,100 0.7 45 4,698 0.7 111 6,798 0.7 156 Total 31,665 2.3 2,329 34,886 1.7 1,875 66,552 2.0 4,204 Gold Inferred Mineral Resources (2) (11) (12) (13) (tonnes and ounces in thousands) Property (3) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Kumtor Open Pit (4) (5) 3,894 1.2 148 Kumtor Stockwork Underground (5) 931 11.6 348 Kumtor SB Zone UG (6) 3,806 10.7 1,315 Boroo (6) 7,323 1.0 235 Gatsuurt (7) 5,475 2.5 440 Ulaan Bulag (8) 315 1.3 13 ATO (9) 386 0.6 8 AksAt (10) 2,380 0.8 65 Total 24,511 3.3 2,573 (1) The mineral reserves have been estimated based on a gold price of $1,200 per ounce. (2) Mineral resources are in addition to reserves. Mineral resources do not have demonstrated economic viability. (3) Centerra's equity interests as of this news release are: Kumtor 100%, Gatsuurt 100%, Boroo 100%, Ulaan Bulag 100%, ATO 100%, and AksAt 100%. (4) Open pit resources at Kumtor are constrained by a pit shell developed using a gold price of $1,450 per ounce. (5) The open pit reserves and resources at Kumtor are estimated based on a cut-off grade of 0.85 grams of gold per tonne for the Central Pit and 1.0 grams of gold per tonne for the Southwest and Sarytor deposits. Underground resources occur below the open pit resources shell and are estimated based on a cut-off grade of 6.0 grams of gold per tonne. Further information concerning the Kumtor deposit, including key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate mineral resources and reserves, as well as, political, environmental and other risks are described in Centerra's most recently filed Annual Information Form and the Technical Report on the Kumtor Project, dated March 20, 2015 each of which has been filed on SEDAR. (6) The open pit resources at Boroo are estimated as all material below the pit above a 0.5 grams of gold per tonne cut-off grade. (7) The open pit reserves and resources at Gatsuurt are estimated using a 1.4 grams of gold per tonne cut-off grade. Resources are estimated as all material below the reserve pit above the 1.4 grams per tonne cutoff grade. Further information concerning the Gatsuurt deposit, including key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate mineral resources and reserves, as well as, political, environmental and other risks are described in Centerra's most recently filed Annual Information Form and the Technical Report on the Gatsuurt Project, dated May 9, 2006 each of which has been filed on SEDAR. (8) The open pit resources at Ulaan Bulag are estimated on a cut-off grade of 0.8, 0.9 or 1.0 grams of gold per tonne depending on ore type and process method. (9) The ATO open pit resources are estimated based on a Net Smelter Return (NSR) cut-off grade of $6.50 NSR per tonne for oxide mineralization and $25.50 NSR per tonne for sulphide mineralization (10) The open pit reserves at AksAt are estimated based on a 0.3 grams of gold per tonne cut-off grade. Open pit resources are constrained by a pit shell developed using a gold price of $1,450 per ounce and are estimated based on a 0.2 grams of gold per tonne cut-off grade. Further information concerning the AksAt deposit, including key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate mineral resources and reserves, as well as, political, environmental and other risks are described in Centerra's most recently filed Annual Information Form and the Technical Report on the AksAt Project, dated September 3, 2015 each of which has been filed on SEDAR. (11) A conversion factor of 31.10348 grams per ounce of gold is used in the reserve and resource estimates. (12) Numbers may not add up due to rounding. (13) Inferred mineral resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined economically. It cannot be assumed that all or part of the inferred resources will ever be converted to a higher category. Table 1 (continued) 2015 Year-End Polymetallic Resource Summary (as of December 31, 2015) Category Tonnes (000's) Gold Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (19) (oz 000's) Silver Grade (g/t) Contained Silver (oz 000's) Lead Grade (%) Contained Lead (lb 000's) Zinc Grade (%) Contained Zinc (lb 000's) ATO Project (17) (18) (19) Oxide Mineral Resources (14) (15) (16) (18) (20) (21) (> $6.50 NSR cut-off Grade) Measured Resources 3,677 1.3 148 8.5 1,010 Indicated Resources 3,294 0.7 78 7.2 758 Measured and Indicated 6,971 1.0 226 7.9 1,768 Inferred Resources (17) 87 0.8 2 5.0 14 Category Tonnes (000's) Gold Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (19) (oz 000's) Silver Grade (g/t) Contained Silver (oz 000's) Lead Grade (%) Contained Lead (lb 000's) Zinc Grade (%) Contained Zinc (lb 000's) ATO Project (17) (18) (19) Sulphide Mineral Resources (14) (15) (16) (18) (20) (21) (> $25.50 NSR cut-off Grade) Measured Resources 5,986 1.7 318 8.02 1,543 0.979 129,197 1.704 224,874 Indicated Resources 5,626 1.3 228 8.52 1,541 0.803 99,598 1.447 179,474 Measured and Indicated 11,612 1.5 545 8.26 3,084 0.894 228,795 1.579 404,348 Inferred Resources (17) 299 0.6 6 5.78 56 1.025 6,757 2.306 15,201 (14) Mineral resources have been estimated on the following metal prices (gold $1,300 per ounce), (silver $20 per ounce), (lead $0.90 per lb), (zinc $0.90 per lb). (15) Mineral resources do not have demonstrated economic viability. (16) Inferred mineral resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined economically. It cannot be assumed that all or part of the inferred resources will ever be upgraded to a higher category. (17) Centerra's equity interest in the ATO project is 100%. (18) Numbers may not add up due to rounding. (19) The contained gold resources have also been included in Centerra's 2015 Year-end Gold Reserve and Resource Summary (20) The ATO resources are estimated based on a Net Smelter Return cut-off grade of $6.50 NSR per tonne for oxide mineralization and $25.50 NSR per tonne for sulphide mineralization. (21) Variables used to calculate NSR values include; Oxide total recovery of gold=69.8% Oxide total recovery of Silver=56.7% Sulphide Net Smelter Return total recovery of gold=59.9% Sulphide Net Smelter Return total recovery of silver=48.5% Sulphide Net Smelter Return total recovery of lead=42.6% Sulphide Net Smelter Return total recovery of zinc=27.7% Payable royalty on total recovered gold=10.0% Payable royalty on total recovered silver=6.75% Payable royalty on total recovered lead=6.75% Table 2 Centerra Gold Inc. Reconciliation of Gold Reserves and Resources (in thousands of ounces of contained gold) (9) (10) December 31 2014 (1) 2015 Throughput (2) 2015 Addition (Deletion) (3) December 31 2015 Gold Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves Kumtor (4) (5) 6,136 658 164 5,641 Gatsuurt (4) (7) 1,603 - - 1,603 AksAt(4) (8) - - 1,161 1,161 Total Proven and Probable Reserves 7,739 658 1,325 8,405 Gold Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources Kumtor (4) (6) 2,804 - (240) 2,564 Kumtor Stockwork Underground (4) 54 - (54) - Boroo(4) 242 - - 242 Gatsuurt(4) (7) 398 - - 398 Ulaan Bulag(4) 73 - - 73 ATO(4) 771 - - 771 AksAt(4) (8) 1,383 - (1,227) 156 Total Measured & Indicated Resources 5,725 - (1,521) 4,204 Gold Inferred Mineral Resources (11) Kumtor Open Pit(4) (6) 126 - 22 148 Kumtor Stockwork Underground(4) 294 - 54 348 Kumtor SB Underground(4) 1,315 - - 1,315 Boroo(4) 235 - - 235 Gatsuurt(4) (7) 440 - - 440 Ulaan Bulag(4) 13 - - 13 ATO(4) 8 - - 8 AksAt(4) (8) 9 - 56 65 Total Inferred Resources 2,440 - 133 2,573 (1) Reserves and resources as reported in Centerra's Annual Information Form filed in March 2015. (2) Corresponds to mill feed at Kumtor and mill feed or stacked on heap leach pad at Boroo. (3) Changes in reserves or resources, as applicable, are attributed to information provided by drilling and subsequent reclassification of reserves or resources, a feasibility study on the AksAt Project and a new resource model for the Kumtor Project (4) Centerra's equity interests as of this news release are as follows: Kumtor 100%, Gatsuurt 100%, Boroo 100%, Ulaan Bulag 100%, ATO 100%, and AksAt 100%. (5) Kumtor open pit reserves include the Central Pit and the Southwest and Sarytor Pits. (6) Kumtor open pit resources include the Central Deposit, Southwest Deposit and Sarytor Deposit. (7) Gatsuurt open pit reserves and resources include the Central Zone and Main Zone deposits. (8) AksAt open pit reserves and resources include the Keltepe and Guneytepe deposits. (9) Centerra reports reserves and resources separately. The amount of reported resources does not include those amounts identified as reserves. (10) Numbers may not add up due to rounding. (11) Inferred mineral resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined economically. It cannot be assumed that all or part of the inferred resources will ever be converted to a higher category. Material Assumptions and Risks: Material assumptions or factors used to estimate reserves in this news release include the following: a gold price of $1,200 per ounce, exchange rates: $1USD:$1.34 CAD $1USD:65 Kyrgyz som $1USD: 1,900 Mongolian tugriks $1USD:0.95 Euro diesel fuel price assumption: $0.55/litre at Kumtor The assumed diesel price of $0.55/litre at Kumtor assumes that no Russian export duty will be paid on the fuel exports from Russia to the Kyrgyz Republic. Diesel fuel is sourced from separate Russian suppliers and only loosely correlates with world oil prices. The diesel fuel price assumptions were made when the price of oil was approximately $50 per barrel. Other material assumptions were used in this news release. These material assumptions include the following: The resource models for each of the projects perform as expected including the Kumtor resource model which was updated in 2015 to address historical reconciliation concerns and updated geological data. Gold recovery rates at each of the projects are as expected. All necessary permits, licenses and approvals are received in a timely manner for each project including the Kumtor project where we have historically faced delays in receiving required mine plan approvals and permits. That any discussions between the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and Centerra regarding the resolution of all outstanding matters affecting the Kumtor mine are satisfactory to Centerra, fair to all of Centerra's shareholders, and that any such resolution will receive all necessary legal and regulatory approvals under Kyrgyz law and/or Canadian law. The buttress constructed at the bottom of the Davidov glacier continues to function as planned. The pit walls at Kumtor remain stable and the Company is able to manage the risks associated with the increased height of the pit walls. Any recurrence of political or civil unrest in the Kyrgyz Republic will not impact operations, including movement of people, supplies and gold shipments to and from the Kumtor mine and/or power to the mine site. Any actions taken by the Kyrgyz Republic Parliament and Government do not have a material impact on operations or financial results. This includes any action being taken by the Parliament or Government to cancel the Kumtor Project Agreements, or taking any actions which are not consistent with the rights of Centerra and Kumtor Gold Company (KGC) under the Kumtor Project Agreements. The previously disclosed environmental claims received from the Kyrgyz regulatory authorities in the aggregate amount of approximately $476 million (at the then current exchange rates) and the claims of the Kyrgyz Republic's General Prosecutor's Office purporting to invalidate land use rights and/or seize land at Kumtor and to unwind the $200 million inter-company dividend declared and paid by KGC to Centerra in December 2013, and any further claims, whether environmental allegations or otherwise, are resolved without material impact on Centerra's operations or financial results. The accession of the Kyrgyz Republic into the Eurasian Economic Union and/or any sanctions imposed on Russian entities do not have a negative effect on the costs or availability of inputs or equipment to the Kumtor Project. The movement in the Central Valley Waste Dump at Kumtor, referred to in the 2014 Annual Information Form, does not accelerate and will be managed to ensure continued safe operations, without impact to gold production. The dewatering program at Kumtor continues to produce the expected results and the water management system works as planned. The Kumtor mill continues to operate as expected. Prices of key consumables, costs of power and water usage fees are not significantly higher than prices assumed in planning. No unplanned delays in or interruption of scheduled production from our mines, including due to civil unrest, natural phenomena, regulatory or political disputes, equipment breakdown or other developmental and operational risks. The Company cannot give any assurances in this regard. Reserve and resource estimates are forward-looking information and are based on key assumptions and subject to material risk factors. If any event arising from these risks occurs, the Company's business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows and the market price of Centerra's shares could be adversely affected. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to the Company, or that are currently deemed immaterial, may also materially and adversely affect the Company's business operations, prospects, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows and the market price of Centerra's shares. See the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recently filed Annual Information Form (the "2014 Annual Information Form"), available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and see also the discussion below under the heading "Caution Regarding Forward-looking Information". Qualified Person & QA/QC All reserve and resource estimates, production information and other scientific and technical information in this news release were prepared in accordance with the standards of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum and National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and were prepared, reviewed, verified and compiled by Centerra's geological and mining staff under the supervision of Gordon Reid, Professional Engineer and Centerra's Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, who is the qualified person for the purpose of NI 43-101. Sample preparation, analytical techniques, laboratories used and quality assurance-quality control protocols used during the exploration drilling programs are done consistent with industry standards and independent certified assay labs are used with the exception of the Kumtor project as described in its technical report dated March 20, 2015. The Kumtor deposit is described in Centerra's 2014 Annual Information Form and a technical report dated March 20, 2015, which is filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The technical report is prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and describes the exploration history, geology and style of gold mineralization at the Kumtor deposit. Sample preparation, analytical techniques, laboratories used and quality assurance-quality control protocols used during the drilling programs at the Kumtor site are described in the technical report. The Boroo deposit is described in Centerra's 2014 Annual Information Form and a technical report dated December 17, 2009 prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The technical report describes the exploration history, geology and style of gold mineralization at the Boroo deposit. Sample preparation, analytical techniques, laboratories used and quality assurance-quality control protocols used during the drilling programs at the Boroo site are the same as, or similar to, those described in the technical report. The Gatsuurt deposit is described in Centerra's 2014 Annual Information Form and a technical report dated May 9, 2006 prepared in accordance with NI 43-101. The technical report has been filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The technical report describes the exploration history, geology and style of gold mineralization at the Gatsuurt deposit. Sample preparation, analytical techniques, laboratories used and quality assurance-quality control protocols used during the drilling programs at the Gatsuurt project are the same as, or similar to, those described in the technical report. The AksAt deposit is described in Centerra's 2014 Annual Information Form and a technical report dated September 3, 2015 prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The technical report describes the exploration history, geology and style of gold mineralization at the Boroo deposit. Sample preparation, analytical techniques, laboratories used and quality assurance-quality control protocols used during the drilling programs at the AksAt site are the same as, or similar to, those described in the technical report. Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information Information contained in this news release which are not statements of historical facts, and the documents incorporated by reference herein, may be "forward-looking information" for the purposes of Canadian securities laws. Such forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking information. The words "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "contemplate", "target", "plan", "intends", "continue", "budget", "estimate", "may", "will", "schedule" and similar expressions identify forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates; negotiation of agreements and drilling plans for the Gatsuurt Project and the completion of a feasibility study on the Greenstone Gold Mine's Hardrock Deposit. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Centerra, are inherently subject to significant political, business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward looking information. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: (A) strategic, legal, planning and other risks, including: political risks associated with the Company's operations in the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia and Turkey; resource nationalism including the management of external stakeholder expectations; the impact of changes in, or to the more aggressive enforcement of, laws, regulations and government practices in the jurisdictions in which the Company operates including any unjustified civil or criminal action against the Company, its affiliates or its current or former employees; the impact of any actions taken by the Kyrgyz Republic Government and Parliament relating to the Kumtor Project Agreements which are inconsistent with the rights of Centerra and KGC under the Kumtor Project Agreements; any impact on the purported cancellation of Kumtor's land use rights at the Kumtor Project pursuant to a court claim commenced by the Kyrgyz Republic GPO; the risks related to other outstanding litigation affecting the Company's operations in the Kyrgyz Republic and elsewhere; the impact of the delay by relevant government agencies to provide required approvals and permits, including the delay currently being experienced at the Kumtor Project over the Kumtor 2015 life-of-mine plan and ecological passport; the impact of changes to, the increased enforcement of, environmental laws and regulations relating to the Company's operations; the impact of any sanctions imposed by Canada, the United States or other jurisdictions against various Russian individuals and entities; potential defects of title in the Company's properties that are not known as of the date hereof; the inability of the Company and its subsidiaries to enforce their legal rights in certain circumstances; the presence of a significant shareholder that is a state-owned company of the Kyrgyz Republic; risks related to anti-corruption legislation; and risks related to the concentration of assets in Central Asia; potential risks related to kidnapping or acts of terrorism; (B) risks relating to financial matters, including: sensitivity of the Company's business to the volatility of gold prices, the imprecision of the Company's mineral reserves and resources estimates and the assumptions they rely on, the accuracy of the Company's production and cost estimates, the impact of restrictive covenants in the Company's revolving credit facility which may, among other things, restrict the Company from pursuing certain business activities, the Company's ability to obtain future financing, the impact of global financial conditions, the impact of currency fluctuations, the effect of market conditions on the Company's short-term investments, the Company's ability to make payments including any payments of principal and interest on the Company's debt facilities depends on the cash flow of its subsidiaries; and (C) risks related to operational matters and geotechnical issues, including: movement of the Davidov Glacier and the waste and ice movement at the Kumtor Project and the Company's continued ability to successfully manage such matters, including the continued performance of the buttress; the occurrence of further ground movements at the Kumtor Project and mechanical availability; the success of the Company's future exploration and development activities; inherent risks associated with the use of sodium cyanide in the mining operations; the adequacy of the Company's insurance to mitigate operational risks; mechanical breakdowns; the Company's ability to obtain the necessary permits and authorizations to (among other things) raise the tailings dam at the Kumtor Project to the required height; the Company's ability to replace its mineral reserves; the occurrence of any labour unrest or disturbance and the ability of the Company to successfully re-negotiate collective agreements when required; the risk that Centerra's workforce may be exposed to widespread epidemic; seismic activity in the vicinity of the Company's operations in the Kyrgyz Republic and Mongolia; long lead times required for equipment and supplies given the remote location of some of the Company's operating properties; reliance on a limited number of suppliers for certain consumables, equipment and components; illegal mining on the Company's Mongolian properties; the Company's ability to accurately predict decommissioning and reclamation costs; the Company's ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; and risks associated with the conduct of joint ventures/partnerships, including the Greenstone Gold Partnership; the Company's ability to manage its projects effectively and to mitigate the potential lack of availability of contractors, budget and timing overruns and project resources. See "Risk Factors" in the Company's 2014 Annual Information Form available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Furthermore, market price fluctuations in gold, as well as increased capital or production costs or reduced recovery rates may render ore reserves containing lower grades of mineralization uneconomic and may ultimately result in a restatement of reserves. The extent to which resources may ultimately be reclassified as proven or probable reserves is dependent upon the demonstration of their profitable recovery. Economic and technological factors which may change over time always influence the evaluation of reserves or resources. Centerra has not adjusted mineral resource figures in consideration of these risks and, therefore, Centerra can give no assurances that any mineral resource estimate will ultimately be reclassified as proven and probable reserves. Centerra's mineral reserve and mineral resource figures are estimates and Centerra can provide no assurances that the indicated levels of gold will be produced or that Centerra will receive the gold price assumed in determining its mineral reserves. Such estimates are expressions of judgment based on knowledge, mining experience, analysis of drilling results and industry practices. Valid estimates made at a given time may significantly change when new information becomes available. While Centerra believes that these mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates are well established and the best estimates of Centerra's management, by their nature mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates are imprecise and depend, to a certain extent, upon analysis of drilling results and statistical inferences which may ultimately prove unreliable. If Centerra's reserve or reserve estimates for its properties are inaccurate or are reduced in the future, this could have an adverse impact on Centerra's future cash flows, earnings, results or operations and financial condition. Centerra estimates the future mine life of its operations. Centerra can give no assurance that mine life estimates will be achieved. Failure to achieve these estimates could have an adverse impact on Centerra's future cash flows, earnings, results of operations and financial condition. There can be no assurances that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as many factors and future events, both known and unknown could cause actual results, performance or achievements to vary or differ materially, from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements contained herein or incorporated by reference. Accordingly, all such factors should be considered carefully when making decisions with respect to Centerra, and prospective investors should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. Forward-looking information is as of February 9, 2016. Centerra assumes no obligation to update or revise forward looking information to reflect changes in assumptions, changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law. About Centerra Centerra Gold Inc. is a Canadian based gold mining company focused on operating, developing, exploring and acquiring gold properties in Asia, North America and other markets worldwide. Centerra is the largest Western-based gold producer in Central Asia. Centerra's shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol CG. The Company is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Additional information on Centerra is available on the Company's web site at www.centerragold.com and at SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Attachment Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/2/9/11G082185/5-Year-End_Reserves_and_Resources-FINAL-4a117a68f65f9412906884401dec8c27.pdf TSX:WDO TORONTO, Feb. 10, 2016 /CNW/ - Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX: WDO) is pleased to announce increased Mineral Reserves, net of depletion, at its operating Eagle River and Mishi Mines located west of Wawa, Ontario. Mineral Reserves and Resources are updated as at December 31, 2015. HIGHLIGHTS Mineral Reserves at Eagle River and Mishi increase 12% to 431,000 ounces Eagle River Mineral Reserves increase 13% to 300,000 ounces Mishi surface mineable Mineral Reserves increase 8% to 131,000 ounces Mineral Reserves have now doubled over the last 3 years, net of 149,000 ounces of production Eagle River Inferred Mineral Resources increase 112% to 170,000 ounces reflecting drilling successes of new parallel zones Major drilling program launched to include up to 7 drills in 2016 to assess potential to significantly expand Mineral Resources Mr. Rolly Uloth, President and CEO commented, "In 2015, capital was focused on underground development, specifically to rapidly access the 300 Zone on multiple horizons. We proved the Zone's continuity and commenced production from this structure in the third quarter." Additionally, new exploration drill platforms were created to better access and drill test the 300 and 7 Zones. As a result, Mineral Resources at Eagle River have increased significantly, with grade increasing as well from 8.5 grams per tonne to 9.5 grams per tonne. Mineral Reserves increased 13%, net of depletion, with the Proven Reserve grade increasing from 8.5 to 10.0 grams per tonne. Approximately 49% of the Mineral Reserves and 55% of the Mineral Resources at Eagle River are from the recently discovered 300 and 7 parallel Zones. Recent development work has set the stage for an aggressive drill program in 2016 which will give us an idea of the full potential of these new zones. At Mishi, the infill drill program increased Mineral Reserves by 8%, net of depletion, and importantly, the life-of-mine stripping ratio improved to 2.5 tonnes of waste per tonne of ore. In 2016, at the Eagle River Mine, the underground drilling program will consist of 40,000 metres of exploration drilling (versus 17,000 metres in 2015) and an additional surface drill program will consist of 25,000 metres (versus nil in 2015). This major surface drilling program at Eagle River will test for parallel zones down to 600 metres depth to the North of the mine, which to date has not been explored. Near Mishi, the Company will increase its surface drilling to 25,000 metres focused to the west of Mishi Mine on the Windarra property. MINERAL RESERVES AND RESOURCES MINERAL RESERVES * Mine Category Tonnes Grade Contained (gAu/tonne) Ounces Dec 31, 2015 Dec 31, 2014 Dec 31, 2013 Dec 31, 2012 Eagle River Proven 165,000 10.0 53,000 39,000 41,000 35,000 Probable 846,000 9.1 247,000 226,000 128,000 105,000 Proven + Probable 1,011,000 9.2 300,000 265,000 169,000 140,000 Mishi Proven 157,000 2.2 11,000 12,000 16,000 9,000 Probable 1,728,000 2.2 120,000 109,000 96,000 70,000 Proven + Probable 1,885,000 2.2 131,000 121,000 112,000 79,000 TOTAL 431,000 386,000 281,000 219,000 ADDITIONAL MINERAL RESOURCES * Mine Category Tonnes Grade Contained (gAu/tonne) Ounces Dec 31, 2015 Dec 31, 2014 Dec 31, 2013 Dec 31, 2012 Eagle River Inferred 555,000 9.5 170,000 80,000 105,000 46,000 Mishi Open Pit Indicated 3,679,000 2.1 248,000 248,000 248,000 333,000 Inferred 764,000 2.4 59,000 59,000 59,000 59,000 Mishi Underground Indicated 567,000 4.5 82,000 82,000 82,000 82,000 Inferred 437,000 5.8 81,000 81,000 81,000 81,000 TOTAL Indicated 330,000 330,000 330,000 415,000 Inferred 310,000 220,000 245,000 186,000 * Numbers reflect rounding to nearest 1,000 tonnes and ounces * All Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources estimates have been made in accordance with the Standards of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum and National Instrument 43-101 and assume a gold price of $1,400CDN per ounce. All Mineral Resources are in addition to Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources are not in the current mine plan and therefore do not have demonstrated economic viability. As per section 4.2 (b)(ii) of National Instrument 43-101, the change in mineral Reserves and Resources for the Eagle River and Mishi mines does not constitute a material change in the affairs of the Company. For the Eagle River mine refer to the Technical Report filed on SEDAR, dated December, 2005, by Strathcona Mineral Services Ltd. All Mineral Reserves at Eagle River employ a 1.5m minimum width, a 3.0 gAu/tonne minimum grade for continuity and include 1.0m of external dilution. Mineral Resources are reported in-situ with no dilution provisions. The Mishi mine Mineral Resource estimates were completed by InnovExplo Inc. in a 43-101 Technical Report dated August 25, 2010, and filed on SEDAR. The initial Mishi Mineral Reserves estimates were compiled in a 43-101 Report by InnovExplo Inc. dated January 12, 2011, and also filed on SEDAR. At Mishi, proven Reserves include broken ore, stockpiles and the remainder of two 5 metre benches in progress. (Bench 2990 and 2985). A 1.0 gAu/tonne cut-off grade is employed. Mishi Resources are based on InnovExplo's 2010 model employing a 1.0 gAu/tonne cut-off grade. This has been adjusted to reflect production, broken ore and stockpiles mined from 2012 to 2015. Actual ore mined and milled reconciles very well with the block model. This is clearly a robust and reliable model to date and is carried forward subject to production reconciliation. Qualified Persons for the Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources estimates as per 43-101 are as follows: Eagle River: George N. Mannard, P.Geo., Vice President Exploration, Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. Mishi: Reserves: Daniel Lapointe, P.Geo., Chief Geologist, and George Mannard, P.Geo., Vice President Exploration, both Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. Resources: Based on a Resource Estimate by Karine Brosseau, P.Eng. and Carl Pelletier, P.Geo., InnovExplo Inc., independent consultants, dated August 25, 2010. This estimate has been reconciled to include production and stockpiles by Daniel Lapointe, P.Geo., Chief Geologist, Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. EAGLE RIVER MINE The Eagle River Mine is hosted by a 2.0 km by 0.5 km elliptical quartz diorite stock. Mineralization is hosted by east-west, steeply north dipping laminated quartz veins. The mine is serviced by a shaft and ramp system with the deepest mining level at 900 metres. To date, the mine has produced 3,600,000 tonnes at a recovered grade of 9.10 gAu/tonne, or 1,051,000 ounces of gold, over a 20 year mine life with the bulk of production coming from the main No. 8 vein structure. In the summer of 2013, two new parallel structures were identified, the No.7 and No. 300 structures located approximately 200 m and 400 m north of the No. 8, respectively. These have been aggressively explored and developed with the No. 300 Zone commencing production in 2015. The following tables provide a breakdown of Mineral Reserves and Resources by structure to illustrate the growing significance of these recent developments. PROVEN AND PROBABLE RESERVE BREAKDOWN BY STRUCTURE ** Structure Tonnage Grade Contained Percent (gAu/tonne) Ounces (oz) No. 8 486,000 8.8 137,000 46 No. 300 296,000 9.0 86,000 29 No. 7 166,000 11.4 62,000 20 Other 63,000 7.6 15,000 5 TOTAL 1,011,000 9.2 300,000 100 INFERRED RESOURCE BREAKDOWN BY STRUCTURE ** Structure Tonnage Grade Contained Percent (gAu/tonne) Ounces (oz) No. 8 101,000 8.8 28,000 16 No. 300 224,000 11.3 82,000 48 No. 7 47,000 7.1 11,000 7 Other 183,000 8.3 49,000 29 TOTAL 555,000 9.5 170,000 100 ** Numbers reflect rounding to nearest 1000 tonnes and ounces Inferred Resources are compiled from drilling information at average 50 metre centres. We believe this is conservative by industry standards and reflects a producer's caution in dealing with vein-type mineralization. To date, the new parallel structures have only been tested in the west end of the mine at depth. In 2016, an aggressive underground and surface drilling program will provide an initial test of their potential over the 2 kilometre strike length of the mine. MISHI MINE The Mishi Mine is a surface mining operation located 2 kilometres west of the Company's mill. It consists of a series of tabular sericite-ankerite alteration zones which contain 10% smokey quartz veinlets and lenses. It strikes east-west, dipping 40 degrees north and follows a regional volcanic-sedimentary rock contact. To date, the Mishi Mine has produced 423,000 tonnes at a recovered grade of 2.7 gAu/tonne producing 37,000 ounces of gold. The current open pit has a length of 400 metres and a planned depth of 70 metres. In 2015, definition drilling at 25 metre centres extended mineralization over a total length of 1,300 metres. In 2016, we plan an aggressive drilling program to stepout beyond known information to test how big this system could be. Additionally, geotechnical studies will be initiated to examine the merits of deepening the pit to incorporate substantial Indicated Resources identified to a depth of 110 metres. Current proven and probable Mineral Reserves have a life-of-mine stripping ratio of 2.5 tonnes of waste per tonne of ore. ABOUT WESDOME Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. is in its 28th year of continuous gold mining operations in Canada. The Company is currently producing gold at the Eagle River Complex located near Wawa, Ontario from the Eagle River and Mishi gold mines. Wesdome's goal is to expand current operations at both mines over the next four years through mill expansion and exploration. Wesdome has significant upside through ownership of its two other properties, the Kiena Mine Complex in Val d'Or, Quebec and the Moss Lake gold deposit located 100 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. These assets are being explored and evaluated to be developed in the appropriate gold price environment. The Company has approximately 118 million shares issued and outstanding and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WDO". This news release contains "forward-looking information" which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the future financial or operating performance of the Company and its projects. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances, management's estimates or opinions should change, except as required by securities legislation. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company has included in this news release certain non-IFRS performance measures, including, but not limited to, mine operating profit, mining and processing costs and cash costs. Cash costs per ounce reflect actual mine operating costs incurred during the fiscal period divided by the number of ounces produced. These measures are not defined under IFRS and therefore should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to or more meaningful than, net income (loss) or cash flow from operating activities as determined in accordance with IFRS as an indicator of our financial performance or liquidity. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flow. SOURCE Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. Fortune Bay shareholders receiving one New Fortune Bay Share and one and one half of a Spinco Share for each three Fortune Bay Shares currently held by them; Holders of Kneat Shares receiving that number of New Fortune Bay Shares representing 68.7% of the issued and outstanding New Fortune Bay Shares in exchange for the acquisition by Fortune Bay of all the issued and outstanding Kneat Shares; and The change of Fortune Bay's name to "Kneat Solutions Inc."; and Spinco to be named "Fortune Bay Corp.". HALIFAX, Feb. 10, 2016 - Fortune Bay Corp. ("Fortune Bay") (TSX: FOR) and Kneat Solutions Limited ("Kneat") are pleased to announce that they have entered into a transaction agreement pursuant to which Fortune Bay will: (i) spin-out its resources properties by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement in Ontario (the "Arrangement"); and (ii) acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares of Kneat by way of a concurrent scheme of arrangement in Ireland (the "Merger"). The Merger will create a listed Canadian software company providing leading compliance document and data management solutions for the life sciences industry and other regulated industries. By merging with Fortune Bay, Kneat acquires access to public markets and the increased financial resources required to meet the growing demand for its software solutions.Pursuant to the Arrangement, Fortune Bay shareholders will receive one (1) new common share of Fortune Bay (each a "New Fortune Bay Share") and one and one half (1.5) of a common share (a "Spinco Share") of a newly formed exploration company ("Spinco") in exchange for each three (3) common shares of Fortune Bay held by them. Upon closing of the Arrangement and the Merger, Fortune Bay shareholders will hold 100% of the issued and outstanding Spinco Shares and 31.3% of the issued and outstanding New Fortune Bay Shares, with the former shareholders of Kneat holding the remaining 68.7% of the issued and outstanding New Fortune Bay Shares. In addition to acquiring all the issued and outstanding shares of Kneat, Fortune Bay will retain net CAD $8.2 million. SpinCo will hold Fortune Bay's interests in the Goldfields project in Saskatchewan and the Ixhuatan and Huizopa projects in Mexico. It is expected that an application will be submitted to list the shares of Spinco on the TSX Venture Exchange."Fortune Bay is pleased to enter into this transaction with Kneat. This transaction enables Fortune Bay shareholders to become part of a fast growing software development company with a best in class solution for the life sciences industry, while still enabling our shareholders to maintain their ownership in our resource properties going forward," said Wade Dawe, Chief Executive Officer of Fortune Bay. "We are looking forward to being part of Kneat's exciting future and working with Edmund and his team at Kneat.""We are excited to take the next step on our way to capturing the rapidly growing market for compliance related document and data management software for regulated industries," stated Edmund Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Kneat. "After several years of development, we launched our first solution in 2014, initially targeting validation applications for the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Now we can count several leading biotech and pharmaceutical companies as clients. Existing clients are realizing the power of the Kneat platform, expanding its use into areas beyond validation. We view the opportunity to combine with Fortune Bay as providing the financial resources and flexibility to accelerate Kneat's progress in expanding our client base and our unique software platform."Kneat is a privately owned company operating from its head office in Limerick, Ireland. Kneat designs, develops and supplies software for data and document management within regulated environments. Kneat's current product is Kneat GX, a configurable commercial off the shelf application focused on validation lifecycle management and testing within the life sciences industry. Complete and comprehensively documented validation of processes, products, equipment and software is a significant and impactful regulatory requirement in the life sciences industry. The Kneat GX application provides a compliant e-solution that enables life science companies to become efficient and compliant with an automated process that has traditionally been manual, inefficient and 100% paper-based. Kneat is an ISO certified company along with the Kneat GX software application.The Board of Directors of Fortune Bay and Kneat have unanimously approved the transaction.The Arrangement will be effected by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement and will require the approval of at least 66.6% of the votes cast by Fortune Bay's shareholders at a special meeting expected to take place in April 2016 (the "Meeting"). The transaction is also subject to applicable regulatory approvals, including approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX"), and the satisfaction of certain closing conditions customary in transactions of this nature.The Arrangement will result, through a series of transactions, in:On completion of the Arrangement, Spinco will own and operate the existing business of Fortune Bay, and Fortune Bay will own and operate the existing business of Kneat. Fortune Bay shareholders who receive New Fortune Bay Shares and Spinco Shares under the Arrangement will hold 100% of the issued and outstanding Spinco Shares and 31.3% of the issued and outstanding New Fortune Bay Shares, with the former holders of Kneat Shares holding the remaining 68.7% of the issued and outstanding New Fortune Bay Shares.After taking into consideration, among other things, the terms of the Arrangement and the Merger, the unanimous recommendation of a Special Committee of the Fortune Bay Board of Directors established to review the Arrangement and discussions with its legal advisors, Fortune Bay's Board of Directors has unanimously concluded that the Arrangement is in the best interests of Fortune Bay and has approved the Arrangement. Fortune Bay's Board of Directors intends to recommend in the Management Information Circular, to be mailed in connection with the Meeting, that Fortune Bay's shareholders vote in favour of the Arrangement.In conjunction with the Arrangement, it is expected that Mr. Wade Dawe, the current Chief Executive Officer of Fortune Bay Corp. , will continue with Kneat Solutions Inc. as a Director and Ms. Sarah Oliver will continue as Chief Financial Officer. In light of the change in nature of the business, Mr. Brent MacKinnon will not be continuing on as President and Chief Operating Officer. We wish to thank Mr. MacKinnon for his contribution to Fortune Bay over the past year. Mr. Edmund Ryan, current Chief Executive Officer of Kneat, will become the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Kneat Solutions Inc.Fortune Bay's legal counsel is Fogler, Rubinoff LLP and Mason Hayes & Curran is Kneat's legal counsel.Fortune Bay is pleased to announce that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement financing for an estimated aggregate gross proceeds of up to $2,000,000 (the "Offering"). Fortune Bay intends to issue up to 6,666,667 common shares at an issue price of $0.30 per share.Closing of the Offering is subject to certain conditions, including approval of the TSX. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a statutory four-month hold period in accordance with Canadian securities legislation.Fortune Bay is engaged in the exploration and potential development of two primary mining projects: the Goldfields project and the Ixhuatan project. The Goldfields project is a property located in northern Saskatchewan and consists of two gold deposits: the Box deposit and the Athona deposit. The Ixhuatan project is located in the northern Chiapas State in Mexico.Kneat, headquartered in Limerick, Ireland, is in the business of developing and marketing the Kneat Gx platform software that meets the stringent pharmaceutical industry regulatory requirements for all forms of validation, equipment changeover management, risk lifecycle management, change control and much more. It has been designed to allow the customer to configure and manage many regulated data and document processes in a paper-less environment.Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, certain information presented constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Such forward-looking information, includes, but is not limited to, the approval of the Arrangement and the Merger by the respective shareholders of Fortune Bay and Kneat, the listing of Spinco on the TSX Venture Exchange and the completion of the Offering. While such forward-looking statements are expressed by Fortune Bay, as stated in this release, in good faith and believed by Fortune Bay to have a reasonable basis, they are subject to important risks and uncertainties. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the events predicted in these forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, given that they involve risks and uncertainties. Fortune does not undertake any obligation to release publicly revisions to any forward-looking statement, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Investors should not assume that any lack of update to a previously issued forward-looking statement constitutes a reaffirmation of that statement. Continued reliance on forward-looking statements is at investors' own risk.Wade Dawe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer(902) 422-1421 The Everleigh's Elk Room. In 2015, New York's best hidden bar Please Don't Tell took over the Attic at the Black Pearl in Melbourne. This week, another hidden gem of Manhattan is heading to Fitzroy, this time for a pop-up at the Elk Room at the Everleigh on Gertrude Street. It won't be a huge leap for bartender Sam Ross, who is Melbourne-born and founded the much-missed Brunswick Street venue Ginger with his sister and mother before going on to take New York by storm with the slender Eldridge Street speakeasy. This Wednesday, February 10, from 9pm-midnight, Ross, along with fellow Attaboy bartenders Michael McIlroy and Otis Florence will take over the Everleigh's rifle-and-peacock-decorated Elk Room to serve Attaboy drinks including the Alimony Campo de Encanto (pisco, cynar, fino sherry and salt). The event is open to the public and is un-ticketed, so it's first in, best dressed. Take note, however, that it's a cash bar. Attaboy at the Elk Room, 150-156 Gertrude St, Fitzroy, Wed Feb 10, 9pm-midnight. French toast is made with house-baked croissant and pain au chocolat. Photo: Simon Schluter Address 7 Wynyard Street South Melbourne, Victoria 3205 View map Opening hours Mon-Fri 7am-5pm, Sat-Sun 8am-4pm Features Family friendly Prices Moderate (mains $20-$40) Payments eftpos, Visa, Mastercard Phone 03 9690 9285 If you can take Kirbie Tate's word for it and why wouldn't you? what I like to call South Melburners have a hyper-developed sense of the local. Tate and business partner Angelica Wright own Giddiup, a smart espresso bar in the Coventry Street design/market shopping strip. But the pair felt there was room for a place further east, catering to people on the St Kilda Road side of Clarendon: some of their regulars were walking, oh, 500 metres to Giddiup. So when Coventry Street neighbour Made in Japan moved to a more boutique location in Wynyard Street, the Giddiup gals jumped at the chance to join them. Wynyard has a local hidey-hole vibe. Photo: Simon Schluter Wynyard occupies its own space in the tiny lane, with access to MIJ through the cafe. "We've always wanted to work with Made in Japan," Tate says. "And the space offered us a bigger kitchen and the chance to develop the menu." Wright's partner, Jed, is in charge of that development. His menu is a one-pager with a brunch focus full of dishes that beg to be eaten. Take the smoothie bowl, a big wodge I think quenelle is the technical term of a purple frozen yoghurt-type thing on a bed of crunchy, coconutty granola laced with chia seeds and lush pieces of fresh strawberry. It's kind of girly-sporty-healthy, if you'll pardon my saying so, and the healthy sporty girl who was eating with me ate it all up. Pork belly tortillas are marinated with orange and star anise. Photo: Simon Schluter Then there's french toast made with day-old house-baked croissant and pain au chocolat soaked in vanilla custard, sealed on the hotplate, caramelised under the salamander and served with house-made labna (oh man); and the "early burger" of bacon, egg, potato roesti, avo and rocket. (There's a "late burger" too, more lunch-like, with gruyere, pickles and matchstick fries.) "Mixed mushrooms" often turn up on cafe menus, and often the only mixing is of the Swiss browns in their own juices. But here the dish is a beautifully plated assortment of smoked field mushrooms, enoki, oysters and shiitake, piled with sculptural care on two slices of squeaky-salty haloumi and two thick-cut pieces of toasted sourdough. It's all funghi tastes and textures, meaty and vegetal, toothy and delicate, with splashes of walnut pesto that tastes of equal parts lemon, parsley, nuts and olive oil. Specials Sharpied onto a roll of brown paper might include a splendidly magenta bowl of pearl barley tossed with chunks of roasted beetroot and laced with kale that could have been a little more wilted it was a lovely bright green, but tasted a bit too much of, um, raw kale. The mixed mushroom dish is a beautifully plated assortment of fungi. Photo: Simon Schluter But the pork belly tortillas are a winner: two soft corn tortillas loaded with chunks of sweet, orange-and-star-anise marinated belly meat that falls apart without going stringy a la pulled pork, given a sharp flavour lift by a bright tomato and avocado salad infused with lime and mint. I love the coffee at Wynyard, too, made with beans from Sydney's Single Origin Roasters. The filters are subtle and tangy, like a toffee-and-cola flavoured Rwanda Huye Mountain (a great food match), while the espressos feature creamy body and lifted fruit. My Under $30 colleague Simone Egger recently wrote that Melbourne was suffering from cafe fatigue. Cheeky, I thought. And if she's right, I'm out of a job. The early burger. Photo: Simon Schluter But I think the love affair has a way to run yet as long as cafes like Wynyard keep opening. THE LOWDOWN Dish: Pork belly taco or smoked mixed mushrooms. Do: Try the filter coffee with a savoury breakfast dish. Don't: Miss the homewares shopping at Made in Japan. Vibe: Local hidey-hole. http://www.wynyardcafe.com/ Clams with passata, noodles and nori. Photo: Robert Shakespeare Jamie Webb (Lefty's Old Time Music Hall, Mermaid Lounge, Sonny's and Gordita) is throwing the doors open to yet another Brisbane venue. Ginger's Diner next to Lefty's on Caxton Street opens on Wednesday. It was inspired, Webb says, by an "insanely popular" hole-in-the-wall Korean joint he used to frequent when he lived in New York. "It ran for about 12 years and there was a queue every single night. The first time I tried it, I sort of stored the idea in the back of my head for a future venue." (From left) Stef Gaglio, Nick Stapleton and Jamie Webb of Ginger's Diner. Photo: Robert Shakespeare Webb reckons the time is ripe for a turn away from European and American back to Asian food in Brisbane. "I certainly didn't want to do hamburgers because we've got that well and truly covered and there's not much Korean here, so it just kind of worked." A fan of the TV show M*A*S*H, Webb says he has drawn some inspiration from the "dinky little bars" that the characters would go to during their R&R in Seoul. Thus, there are tongue-in-cheek cocktails such as Klinger's Closet and Seoul Sojourn. Webb describes Ginger's as a little louche and a bit Asian shabby chic. Bibimbap at Ginger's Diner. Photo: Robert Shakespeare The cocktail bar and casual diner seats about 65. One wall has red and gold feature wallpaper, while Webb trawled through south-east Queensland junk shops to source the vintage lighting. Bar manager Stef Gaglio (ex Porteno, Roosevelt and Eau de Vie in Sydney) was enticed back to Brisbane from Perth. Wallet-friendly drinks and food are available until midnight. Snacks include wasabi peas and nuts, kimchi pancakes with sesame and soy dressing; fried chicken wth hot-sweet sauce; clams with spicy passata, noodles and nori; and classic Korean dish bibimbap. Chef Nick Stapleton will head the kitchen for a few weeks, before shipping out to Webb's soon-to-open Paddington venue The Hope & Anchor. Open daily 4pm-midnight. Ginger's Diner, 19 Caxton Street, Brisbane Poking through our newspaper's archives recently I found two old friends: Jake and Zeb. Standard-Times readers maybe remember those two as the stars of a comic called "Cowpokes." The two cowpokes do their best to keep their heads up and their seats in the saddle. It was Ace Reid's time in the Navy during World War II that got him to start cartooning a character named "The Sorry Salt" for Navy newspapers. When he returned home Ace made "Cowpokes" a hit. A true Texas character, Ace said he spent his whole life around ranchers and beer joints. "Cartooning is 'a lead pipe cinch,' " he told a Standard-Times reporter in 1976. "I draw one cartoon a week and get paid as much for one as others do for seven. You can't beat that." Growing up on a 4,000-acre ranch near Wichita Falls, Reid said he "never took a drawing lesson." "Getting ideas and doing the drawing's the easiest thing in the world," he said. "It's the selling them that's hard." His first sales were to the West Texas Livestock Weekly in San Angelo, but it was Standard-Times publisher Houston Harte, who encouraged Ace to branch out. Harte has since died. In the fall of 1991 I was lucky enough to catch Ace on the phone at his Kerrville Draggin S Ranch. He told me one of his favorite "bar stories" took place in San Angelo in 1956 at Olin Manning's Oyster Bar. The Oyster Bar, Ace explained, was once a popular hangout on west Arden Road. "All those old cowboys and sheep herders would come by there after the auctions," he said. The Oyster Bar had several claims to fame. "They said they had the best cold beer and best raw oysters in this part of the state," Ace said, "but they never got around to buying any oysters, so there wasn't anything to eat. Just beer." The bar also featured year-round Christmas decorations. The bar's third claim to fame was that Ace held his first autograph party there in 1956. "I had just started selling cartoons to Houston Harte," Ace said. "He suggested that I come out with a book of my 'Cowpokes.' " So Ace had 10,000 copies of his book printed in San Angelo and loaded 2,000 of them into his car. "It was my first book, and I was broke, and I just had to have some money," Ace said. He drove out to Olin Manning's Oyster Bar to consider his next move over a cold beer. "Olin said he'd heard that I'd just finished a book and I told him that was right," Ace said. "How much are you selling 'em for?" Olin asked. "A dollar," Ace said. Ace sold him a book and signed it, and Ollie brought him a beer. The waitress said she, too, wanted an autographed book. Ace sold her a book and signed it, and she bought him a beer. "Next thing I knew, ranchers started coming in from the auctions. Last thing I remember, I was signing books and they were buying me beers." He woke up the next morning in the Tejas Motel. "I've never seen so many dollar bills scattered around in my life," Ace said. "They were all over that room." Ace knew the book must have been a hit, but he said he never expected success to be quite so painful. "My head hurt so that I would have given ever one of those blamed bills for just one aspirin." Ace Reid died at age 66 in 1991 after a long battle with leukemia and diabetes. "His genius was to be able to see the world in its humor and put it down on paper," his son said. "In his cartoons he would go straight to the point of the problems of everyday people. He made them feel comfortable." Rick Smith is a local news and community affairs columnist. Contact him at rick.smith@gosanangelo.com or 325-659-8248. SHARE Armenta By Ngan Ho of the San Angelo Standard-Times A Tom Green County judge sentenced a San Angelo man to eight years probation for sexual assault of a minor. Daniel Armenta, 29, appeared before 119th District Judge Ben Woodward on Tuesday and, as a result of a plea agreement with the state, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault of a child younger than 17. Armenta was fined $1,000, and his second charge of indecency with a child sexual contact was dropped as part of the agreement. Woodward asked prosecutor Richard Villarreal how giving Armenta deferred adjudication was in the best interest for the victim. Villarreal said that the state communicated with the girl's family, and they did not want her to appear in court and go through the trial process. On March 11, Armenta picked up the victim from school in Mertzon, according to court documents. He then took the girl to his residence in San Angelo, the documents stated. Armenta attempted to become intimate with the girl, but she refused his advances, the documents stated. Armenta then became aggressive, forcing his hand down the front of her pants and assaulting her, the documents stated. The girl told Armenta to stop and attempted to move his hands from her pants, but she was unable to do so, according to the documents. Armenta was arrested March 17 by the Irion County Sheriff's Office and booked into the Tom Green County Jail. He has been in custody since. The victim is not related to Armenta. The conditions of his probation stipulate that Armenta must register as a sex offender and obtain a new driver's license that indicates he is a sex offender. "Do not have any association with the young lady," Woodward told Armenta. "Do not communicate with her at all." Armenta is restricted from being places where children gather, such as schools. He must remain within his residence from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. unless the court directs otherwise. He must also attended sex offender therapy, do 240 hours of community service, pay court fees and obey other basic probation conditions as well as remain in Tom Green County. Armenta told Woodward he is originally from San Diego plans to apply for the court's permission to move back. Sexual assault of a child is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. If Armenta breaks his probation, Woodward could sentence him to the maximum 20 years. Armenta's wife and a female relative were in attendance at his plea hearing. Armenta does not have any prior arrests listed in Tom Green County jail records. San Angelo attorney Shawntell McKillop represented Armenta. Armenta was released from custody Tuesday. Plaque being placed in honor of Uziyah Garcia at San Angelo Kid's Kingdom A plaque will be placed in the San Angelo Kid's Kingdom in honor of Uziyah Garcia, a San Angeloan who was killed in the mass shooting in Uvalde. SHARE WASHINGTON Marine Gen. Lewis "Chesty" Puller reportedly once said that given an army of 18-year-olds he could conquer the world. The remark came during testimony in the famous court martial of Matthew McKeon, a Marine drill instructor who ill-advisedly led his young trainees into a swamp in which several of them died. In 1968, Minnesota Sen. Eugene McCarthy applied those principles in mobilizing an army of 18- to 26-year-olds in an attempt to win the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination based on opposition to the Vietnam War. McCarthy failed, but not before giving his party's establishment including Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey a severe headache. The tendency of youth to follow the dictates of the left side of their hearts is a natural condition. Being liberal, or progressive (to use the current, popular label for those philosophical leanings), is a natural condition that Winston Churchill called a defining attribute of early age. If it sounds good, buy into it. So it is not surprising that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has amassed a following of voters in the 18-to-30-year-old age range to make the Democratic presidential race against Hillary Clinton a very close contest. Actually, as has been pointed out over and over in this seemingly interminable squabble for the nation's top job, tapping into this youthful energy with the help of social media is not unlike the approach that undid Clinton eight years ago. The same blind faith in Barack Obama's promises to make huge changes for the better of the common man and the middle class that attracted the young to his cause is not only present in the Sanders' campaign, it also is the overwhelming force (free this and free that all provided by a benevolent government is hard to resist). Obama's appeal, of course, was bolstered by the opportunity to show the world that we had managed to overcome some of the stigma of racism by electing a black man as our chief executive. Obama not only rode that to victory but managed in his first two years to bring about a major reformation in health care against the opposition of the entire Republican Party in Congress and a majority of Americans. It was his signature achievement, but it cost him and his party enormous political capital, including control of the Congress. The difference in the current race for the Democratic nomination is that while Obama's approach touched the socialistic fringes, Sanders openly embraces the ideals of that philosophy. After years of being an "Independent," he now calls himself a Democrat, socialist democrat or whatever is convenient depending on the hour. Take it from one who worked in the town that produced Eugene V. Debs, the icon of the American socialist movement, Sanders is one. In Sanders' rhetoric, the moneyed class as represented by Wall Street is an evil empire; the billionaires should face drastic tax reform; the usurious, predatory banks need to be broken up; the middle class should take back the government; cradle-to-grave health care in the form of a single-payer plan should be adopted and private insurance eliminated; there should be free college education for everyone and on and on. But who pays for all this, Senator? Answer: Admittedly there must be a tax increase. Right! A big one. Is this America or Standing in a museum gift shop in Copenhagen a number of years ago, my clerk was a neatly dressed gray-haired man, clearly of retirement age. When I asked him why he was still working, he explained that he actually was retired from SAS, the airline, but if he wanted to take his wife out to dinner once a month, he needed supplemental income. "My pension is good," he explained, "but they take most of that for health care and so forth. The tax rate is a bit confiscatory." So much for cradle to the grave, youngsters. Those who like old Bernie's idealism (that's a polite term) should understand that he has little chance of achieving anything he promises and that if he did this country's foundation of free enterprise grounded in incentive would disappear. A word to his youthful supporters: All politics should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism. Dan Thomasson is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service and a former vice president of Scripps Howard Newspapers. Contact him at thomassondan@aol.com. Trading Equipment Buying Spaces Breaking Down Taxes In the past, few software companies had the resources to sell solutions that met the unique needs of 50 states and thousands of cities and counties, all while navigating the often arcane rules of public procurement. The result was limited choices and high costs.But thanks to a combination of venture capital, new technologies and the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley, dozens of businesses now offer digital tools and services designed explicitly for government.The number of these firms has grown so quickly that theres now a public-sector version of the Fortune 500. Called GovTech100, the list of companies and their products have names like ArchiveSocial, CitySourced, GovSense, mySidewalk and Urban Engines. Some of them mimic successful programs in the private sector, such as Airbnb and Amazon. But they all focus on a variety of public-sector needs like transparency and efficiency.The GovTech100 list is compiled by e.Republic Labs, a division ofs parent company e.Republic, Inc. It represents the ways in which government is changing how it uses technology and operates. Here are three examples:The Oregon Department of Transportation, like other state DOTs, has a lot of equipment scattered around its many maintenance centers. Trying to match the demand for dump trucks and snow plows with the supply isnt easy. Surplus equipment can sit idle as much as 70 percent of the time in some DOT centers, while other centers may rent equipment they don't have.To make it easier to figure out what equipment is available and who can borrow it, the agency is using a software called MuniRent, which uses the sharing model popularized by Uber and Airbnb. The software lets one government agency share goods with another or, in the case of the Oregon DOT, one large agency share within its own divisions.Approximately two dozen state agencies and city governments -- not just DOTs -- pay a monthly fee to use it. According to MuniRent co-founder Alan Mond, the service can reduce annual rental costs by 10 percent while boosting the use of idle equipment by hundreds of hours.Central Falls, R.I., which declared and emerged from bankruptcy a few years ago, owns vacant lots and surplus government buildings it wants to sell for redevelopment. This is something on many cities wish lists. But selling such property can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, especially for cash-strapped jurisdictions.Thats where OpportunitySpace can help. Its like an eBay for government real estate. It lists available government land and buildings that can be searched based on certain criteria, such as location, size and type of property. Zoning information and photos can also be added to enhance the listing. The data appears in an easy-to-follow format, making it simpler for cities to manage their real estate portfolios and expand the number of prospective buyers.In Central Falls, the city used OpportunitySpace to redevelop an empty parking lot for a dormant mill into an outdoor bar. The hope is that the bar will attract users for community gatherings, and then set the stage for redevelopment of the entire mill itself.Subscribers pay a fee based on population size.Most citizens are still baffled when it comes to figuring out how their tax dollars are being spent. While large cities have made it easier, many smaller municipalities lack the resources to make it happen.The online tool ClearGov, though, makes a towns financial statement simple to understand with the help of visual tools. Launched last year, its already being used by cities and towns in California, Massachusetts and New York. It takes a governments fiscal data, which often resides in various spreadsheets and accounting programs, and converts them into a series of snapshots that explain -- in plain English -- everything from revenue to per-pupil expenditures to debt. Towns can add more information for citizens to see and analyze.Massachusetts uses it to aggregate financial information from every municipality , and ClearGov lets users compare one places finances with another.Connor Read, the assistant town administrator for Easton, Mass., said the software tool has enhanced the town's reputation for transparency and gotten people more engaged with how its money is spent. Residents can post queries about particular financial details and public officials can respond.Its really important that municipalities make information like this available from a citizens perspective, said Read. It really levels the playing field. With a late surge propelling him to a solid albeit distant second place in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, Ohio Gov. John Kasich vaulted into the top tier of GOP presidential contenders."There's magic in the air with this campaign because we don't see it as just another campaign," an exultant Kasich told hundreds of cheering fans in a hotel conference room a couple of miles from the state capitol."We see this as an opportunity for all of us -- and I mean all of us -- to be involved in something that's bigger than our own lives to change America. To reshine America. To restore the spirit of America. And to leave no one behind."It also was a big night for billionaire Donald Trump, who cruised to a huge victory despite dropping the F-bomb and other R-rated remarks in recent New Hampshire appearances.Since World War II, either the winner or runner-up in New Hampshire has gone on to take the GOP nomination.Kasich pointed out he triumphed over candidates whose supporters aired several million worth of negative ads against him."Something big happened tonight," Kasich said. "Maybe, just maybe, at a time when clearly change in the air ... we're turning the page on a dark part of American politics because tonight, the light overcame the darkness."As he does often on the campaign trail, Trump said in his victory speech that he will turn America into a winner again."We are going to win so much, you are going to be so happy, he proclaimed.Judging from exit polls, Kasich benefitted from late-deciding voters -- which made up a significant portion of the state's GOP vote. Two-thirds of Republicans say Saturday's debate was an important factor in their decision, which could indicate many abandoned Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida after his poor showing.Now Kasich's challenge is to cement his role as the prime alternative to Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who was fighting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for third place.Critical to that task are decisions by major GOP donors and political figures on whether to follow through with support that Kasich says was promised if he did well in the nation's first primary. He often predicted if he became "a story" coming out of New Hampshire, his campaign would be launched "like a rocket ship" all the way to the nomination.Another crucial factor: Which candidates, if any, drop out in coming days -- and can Kasich win their supporters or contributors? Back-of-the-pack finisher New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he would go home to consider his future with his family. Like Kasich, he bet everything on New Hampshire."GOP leaders who do not want Trump and do not want Cruz cannot be happy that candidates who are more palatable to them like Bush, Rubio, and Kasich appear poised to continue to pull votes away from each other," said Kondik of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.Even with his successful showing in the Granite State, Kasich must immediately compete in political terrain decidedly less friendly to his relatively moderate, work-with-the-other-side approach.Kasich already is in South Carolina today -- where his campaign concedes he won't win the Feb. 20 primary. He has a bus tour scheduled through Saturday's GOP debate.The Bush family has always done well in the Palmetto State, and Cruz will find many conservative Christians to target there.Bush spokesman Tim Miller says Kasich "ran a one-state campaign" and doesn't have "a viable path" to the nomination because he "doesn't have a constituency past New Hampshire."Faced with voters generally more conservative than those of the Granite State, the Kasich team is hoping to merely pick off a few delegates in South Carolina before moving on to caucuses in Nevada, and the so-called SEC primary March 1.Presuming he doesn't get blown out of the water in those contests, Kasich himself said he is counting on a win in Michigan on March 8 as the political calendar returns to territory more conducive to his campaign.But even Kasich strategist Tom Rath, former New Hampshire attorney general, admits, "We'll be behind in delegates on March 15."That's the day the Kasich campaign hopes to roll, with the first winner-take-all contests in Ohio, Florida, Illinois and Missouri. In following weeks it's on to such states as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where Kasich is counting on his Midwestern appeal to carry the day.Kasich's strategy was based on the time-honored path to success in New Hampshire: Multiple contacts with voters in small settings, and a strong ground game that swelled to hundreds of volunteers -- including one who flew in Tuesday from London -- the final days of the campaign.The Bush family has always done well in the Palmetto State, and Cruz will find many conservative Christians to woo there.Faced with voters generally more conservative than those of New Hampshire, the Kasich team is hoping to merely pick off a few delegates in South Carolina before moving on to caucuses in Nevada, and then the so-called SEC primary on March 1.Presuming he doesn't get blown out of the water in those contests, Kasich himself said he is counting on a win in Michigan on March 8 as the political calendar returns to territory friendlier to him. He is taking two days out of the run up to South Carolina next week to campaign in GOP counties near Detroit.But even Kasich strategist Tom Rath, a former New Hampshire attorney general, admits, "We'll be behind in delegates on March 15."That's the day the Kasich campaign hopes to roll, with the first winner-take-all contests in Ohio, Florida, Illinois and Missouri. Then, in following weeks, it's on to such states as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where Kasich is counting on his Midwestern appeal to carry the day.Kasich's strategy was based on the time-honored path to success in New Hampshire: multiple contacts with voters in small settings, and a strong ground game that swelled to hundreds of volunteers the final days of the campaign.For some reason he seemed to connect with people in difficult situations, dispensing hugs when cameras were present and when they weren't, and sometimes having staffers follow up to see how those struggling were doing.Such empathy seemingly could help Republicans who have long fallen short of Democrats in poll questions about whether a candidate "cares about people like you."But during the stretch run, Kasich took a generally positive approach, becoming the first and only candidate to call on his super-PAC to take down an ad bashing an opponent. However, he promised to respond in kind if attacked, and his staff members on Tuesday read from a script with two shots at Bush."Everyone is beginning to talk about Kasich running a positive campaign; can it work?" he said during the final days of the race during yet another town hall."It would be really cool if it worked." North Carolina's legal fight over its election map approached its end game Tuesday with the state asking the Supreme Court to take the case in hopes of protecting next month's primary.Lawyers filed the emergency request no more than an hour after a three-judge federal panel refused to delay its order from last week that found two congressional districts unconstitutional. The judges have ordered the state to redraw the boundary lines for the 12th and 1st district by the end of next week.That's less than a month from the March 15 primary. Lawyers for Gov. Pat McCrory and other state officials have argued that putting a new voting map in place at this late date will throw next month's balloting into chaos.They made that same argument in the 183-page motion to Chief Justice John Roberts."This Court should stay enforcement of the judgment immediately," the state argued."North Carolina's election process started months ago. Thousands of absentee ballots have been distributed to voters who are filling them out and returning them. Hundreds of those ballots have already been voted and returned. The primary election day for hundreds of offices and thousands of candidates is less than 40 days away and, if the judgment is not stayed, it may have to be disrupted or delayed."U.S. District Judges William Osteen of Greensboro and Max Cogburn of Asheville along with U.S. Circuit Judge Roger Gregory of Virginia ruled on Friday that the GOP-led legislature relied too heavily on race to draw the boundary lines in the 12th and 1st districts.The 12th, the most heavily litigated congressional district in the country during the 1990s, snakes along Interstate 85 through heavily African-American areas of Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Greensboro. The 1st, which includes parts of 24 counties, rolls east out of Durham to Elizabeth City. Both are represented by Democrats.As part of its unsuccessful motion, the state argued that absentee ballots based on the existing 2011 congressional district map have already been completed and returned by hundreds of voters. To change the lines now, they said, would eliminate those ballots and throw next month's statewide vote into disarray. They also said they relied on partisan politics, not race, to come up with the 2011 congressional map.In response Tuesday, the plaintiffs, including two from Mecklenburg County, said any further delay in replacing the lines will cause "irreparable harm" to the plaintiffs and other voters, and that the state has little chance of winning the case once it goes back to court."Plaintiffs _ and every other voter in North Carolina _ have already been subject to two elections under the unconstitutional enacted plan," the new motion states. "The General Assembly's improper use of race to sort voters by the color of their skin has violated the Fourteenth Amendment rights of millions of North Carolinian(s)."That harm "vastly outweighs the administrative inconvenience and additional cost the state will incur if the primary is delayed," the response says. Court fights led to delays in N.C. elections in 1998 and 2002.The Raleigh and Washington, D.C.-based legal team also argued that the state has only itself to blame _ rescheduling the primary from May to March to increase the state's role in presidential election, a move that McCrory signed into law two weeks before the redistricting case began in court.The judges' response, released by Osteen, followed similar lines.The state, the judges declared, had offered only vague statements about the potential damage to North Carolina citizens. What is clear, they said, is the irreparable harm done to voters living within the improperly drawn districts."The court finds that the public interest aligns with the plaintiff's interests and thus mitigates against (delaying) the case," the judges wrote. "The harms to North Carolina are public harms. The public has an interest in having congressional representatives elected in accordance with the Constitution."That sets the stage for a state appeal to the Supreme Court, which last year struck down Alabama's congressional districts based on the largely the same racial argument. The current court, however, has tried to avoid rulings that could disrupt elections and confuse voters.Legislative leaders say McCrory is poised to call a special legislative session next week to address the issue, if needed.Minority leader Dan Blue, D-Wake, said Tuesday the time for action is overdue."The voters of North Carolina have waited for five years for the right to be heard _ both at the judicial level and at the polls," Blue said. "We applaud the federal court panel's decision as a crucial first step in ensuring that every individual's right to vote is protected."All three federal judges who issued the rulings have played key roles in ground-breaking civil or voting rights cases.Gregory is the only circuit judge in the country who was appointed by a president from both parties (Bill Clinton and George W. Bush) and the first African-American member of the 4th Circuit, which has the highest percentage of black population in the country. He voted with his colleagues to strike down Virginia's ban on gay marriage, which led to the 2015 demise of Amendment One, North Carolina's own marriage ban.Cogburn, who formerly practiced law in Asheville and Charlotte, wrote the order abolishing North Carolina's marriage ban. He was appointed to the bench by Barack Obama.Osteen, a Bush appointee, heard the other two major challenges to the state's marriage amendment, striking it down shortly after Cogburn ruled. A third Supreme Judicial Court justice in the matter of weeks announced her retirement today, further clearing the seven-member bench and allowing Gov. Charlie Baker to reshape the state's highest court.Justice Fernande R.V. Duffly, who was appointed in 2011 by then-Gov. Deval Patrick, said in a statement she intends to step down July 12 to spend time with her husband, who is recovering from surgery.Her announcement follows that of Justices Robert Cordy and Francis X. Spina, both of whom said they're also retiring this year. Fellow Justices Justice Margot G. Botsford and Justice Geraldine S. Hines will also hit the mandatory retirement age of 70 next year, giving Baker at least five seats to fill in his first term.The Massachusetts Bar Association noted the number of appointments matched that of Patrick, though his came across two four-year terms.Duffly said in a statement that she originally had intended to step down in 2017 after serving for 25 years as a judge."When my husband's recent surgery required me to devote more of my time to helping him fully recover, I moved up my retirement date," she said."It has been a privilege to serve as a jurist in the Trial Court, the Appeals Court and the Supreme Judicial Court. My years on the bench confirm for me that broad and diverse perspectives make an enormous contribution to the decision making process."Martin Healy, the Massachusetts Bar's chief legal counsel, praised Duffly, who was the high court's first Asian-American justice. He also noted the potentially new direction the court could go."These retirements create a historic opportunity for Governor Baker to make an immediate and lasting impact on the future makeup of the SJC," Healy said. "This will be a brand-new court with very little institutional knowledge, so it will be interesting to see how things play out. We're not likely to see this again for quite some time." (TNS) -- Shannon Liss-Riordan made a name for herself defending workers against FedEx, American Airlines and Starbucks in wage and hour lawsuits.If youre a business executive and shes knocking at your door, it probably means your company has been accused of doing something few Americans have much tolerance for: ripping off the little guy.So, if youre an executive in Silicon Valley where businesses are lauded for disrupting the old way of doing things, tearing down the hierarchies of the past, making the world a better place youd think youd get a pass, right?Hardly. After slapping on-demand transportation company Uber with a class-action lawsuit over driver misclassification in 2013, the Boston lawyer has been busy, filing a dozen similar lawsuits against California tech firms.Silicon Valley companies may think theyre a breed apart, but to Liss-Riordan, too many of them are too similar to the big corporations shes fought in the past, companies she says flout labor laws for profit at the expense of low-wage workers.Where some see Silicon Valley innovation, Liss-Riordan sees an old power struggle, wrapped in an app.Liss-Riordan hasnt kept track of how many miles shes logged between Boston and San Francisco since she started litigating against companies in the on-demand economy. But shes now treated as a regular at the federal courthouse in San Francisco, where shes often seen dragging a roller bag of legal documents in and out of the towering gray building.An opposing attorney in one of her cases saw her around so much he challenged whether she should be allowed to file so many lawsuits in the state when she isnt a member of the State Bar of California.If hed hoped to deter her, it didnt work. Liss-Riordan responded by registering to take the California bar exam. Once admitted, she plans to open an office in San Francisco.Liss-Riordan carries herself more like an activist than a lawyer. At first, she comes off as approachable, friendly even. But her partner at Boston law firm Lichten & Liss-Riordan, Harold Lichten, describes her as having the heart of a grass-roots organizer with the tenacity of a pit bull with a Chihuahua in its mouth.She knows her stuff and can get really academic, but without making people feel dumb.Opponents have accused her of being opportunistic and taking advantage of young companies who dont know legal rules. She counters by saying that the cases shes filing arent about semantics. Theyre about people getting ripped off.The on-demand economy driven by smartphone apps with which people can instantly hail a ride, order a meal or book a house cleaner is booming in California. Ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft have achieved multibillion-dollar valuations from a business model that uses independent contractors to fulfill a core function of their businesses. Although they compete directly against the taxi industry, theyve labeled themselves technology companies intermediaries that simply connect willing workers with paying customers.Which would be fine, Liss-Riordan said, if they were also treating their workers as independent contractors.In the lawsuits she filed against Uber, Lyft, food-delivery companies DoorDash and GrubHub, and on-demand laundry service Washio, she alleges that these firms exert the kind of control that employers would have over employees without providing any of the benefits employees, by law, are entitled to.In response to her efforts, these companies have hired legal big guns. Uber, for example, hired Gibson Dunn, a global law firm routinely recognized by industry groups as one of the top litigators in America.Theres a good reason theyre fighting so hard. A Liss-Riordan victory could put companies such as Uber and GrubHub on the hook for costs that would eat deeply into their profit margins. Labor experts estimate that their cost of doing business would increase by 30 percent to cover payroll taxes, unemployment insurance and workers compensation. Costs would rise even more with overtime payments and particularly in the Lyft and Uber cases, in which drivers use their own vehicles and pay for their own gas expense reimbursements.Could big firms such as Uber and Lyft afford it? Liss-Riordan believes so. But in Silicon Valley, where sky-high profit margins lead to enormous company valuations that could translate into staggering returns on investment, any increase in the cost of doing business poses a threat. After all, Uber didnt become the worlds most highly valued private company by paying for its drivers gas.If the companies are to be believed, any significant changes to their business model would fall on the drivers. The Ubers and Lyfts of the world argue that recognizing workers as employees would come at the cost of flexible working hours, which is the reason many people sign up to drive for an on-demand service.Liss-Riordan huffs at the notion. Smaller companies such as Shyp (on-demand shipping), Munchery (on-demand meal delivery) and Luxe Valet (on-demand valet parking) have been able to do it while retaining some flexibility, although their workers now have scheduled shifts.These companies just dont want to do it because its going to cost more, she said. And theres nothing stopping them from giving their workers flexible schedules.She almost has to fight back an eye roll when she hears the on-demand economys defense.It just doesnt make a lot of sense to me why we should throw all these worker protections out the window to help a $50 billion company like Uber when the workers who are actually doing the work are struggling and need those protections, she said.She speaks with an urgency. As she delivers each statement, one can imagine a concurrent thought bubble floating above her head in which she grabs people by the shoulders and shakes them: Cant you see? Cant you see why this matters?Liss-Riordan has brought this kind of fight to big and small players alike. Shes taken on Starbucks and American Airlines (both were accused of skimming tips from workers) and sued a Massachusetts strip club and a pizza chain (the former classified its dancers as independent contractors but expected them to share their tips with managers and bouncers. The latter was a case in which kitchen staff members were forced to give back their overtime wages or lose their jobs).Her track record is strong: In Massachusetts, shes won worker-misclassification and tip cases against Starbucks and FedEx. Her lawsuit against the strip club triggered a wave of similar lawsuits across the state. After her lawsuit drove the pizza chain out of business, she bought one of the restaurants herself and turned it into a profit-share pizza joint.Overall she really cares about workers and advancing the law for workers, said Lichten, who has known her for 20 years. Shes very good about rolling up her sleeves and meeting with clients to explain to them whats going on.Theres big money to be made in this area, of course. Class-action lawsuits can lead to hefty payouts, with lawyers walking away with up to a third of what their clients are awarded. In a recent class action over worker misclassification involving FedEx Ground (Liss-Riordan was not the plaintiffs attorney), the company announced a $228 million settlement with 2,300 California-based drivers.Liss-Riordan doesnt charge an upfront fee so if she doesnt win, she gets nothing.Her critics have been blunt, accusing her of taking advantage of confusing and arcane laws to reap a windfall for her clients and her firm.I have a lot of respect for Shannon, but I do see this cottage industry shes created around the tip statute as becoming abusive toward employers, attorney Ariel D. Cudkowicz, who defended several Liss-Riordan-led lawsuits, told thein 2008.Others have pointed out that sometimes companies have good intentions but simply misinterpret the law.Before they get the chance to figure it out, lawsuits like Liss-Riordans can knock them out of business, said attorney Robert Berluti, who went up against Liss-Riordan in the Massachusetts stripper case.Some of her cases have taken more than a decade to resolve. In 2011, she took on a case representing a skycap who was fired in retaliation for participating in a class-action lawsuit; that was a five-year process.She kept fighting without getting paid, said her former client in the skycap case, Joe Travers, 50. According to Travers, Liss-Riordan continued to represent him even when the court reversed his victory. She recently won an appeal on his behalf.Its amazing someone would continue to fight for you even when there might not be anything for them in the end, he said. She just doesnt like people taking advantage of other people.Liss-Riordan doesnt seem fazed by her critics or the size of the industry shes taking on. In her eyes, no company innovator, disruptor, whatever else they want to call themselves deserves a free pass.When asked whether shes been known to be intimidated by anyone a company, an industry, another law firm Liss-Riordans former colleague, attorney Nicole Horberg Decter, had this to say: Ha-ha-ha!Then, after a moment: I dont think of Shannon as someone who is intimidated by anything. When she takes on an issue, shes not taking on a company, shes taking on an industry. I think thats very powerful. So, no, she is not intimidated at all. "Too often government IT is like an Atari game in an Xbox world" @POTUS on #Cybersecurity: https://t.co/8YP0MkzuNU pic.twitter.com/a7HG8pJeWB The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 9, 2016 The White House announced Tuesday, Feb. 9, that it will be rolling out a comprehensive new plan to bolster the nations cybersecurity standing.Under the Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) , announced as part of the presidents 2017 budget, the Obama administration outlined the need for an increased emphasis on cybersecurity given rising threat levels and a need on the part of the government and the public to adapt to the rapidly changing environment.The announcement comes just one day after hackers released the contact information of around 20,000 FBI employees and officials with the National Institute of Science and Technology dedicated new facilities for the expanded National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) in Maryland as part of a collaborative effort between the federal government and private industry.Among the major action items listed in the plan was the creation of the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity and the creation of a federal chief information security officer (CISO). The role of chief information officer (CIO) was created in 2009.Criminals, terrorists and countries who wish to do us harm have all realized that attacking us online is often easier than attacking us in person, the administration said in a release . As more and more sensitive data is stored online, the consequences of those attacks grow more significant each year. Identity theft is now the fastest growing crime in America.The commission will comprise top strategic, business and technical thinkers from outside the government and will be tasked with taking stock of the digital security standing and making recommendations to improve protections, according to the release.The presidents plan takes new action both now and in the long term to help the conditions we need to improve our approach on cybersecurity across the federal government, the private sector and our personal lives, Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel said in a blog post Tuesday.The creation of a top security positon marks the first administrative role dedicated to the oversight of and development of federal cybersecurity.A Federal Privacy Council was also created through an executive action . The action creates a framework to better protect the private information of citizens, expands skills and career development for agency professionals, and creates an environment for sharing best practices among 24 listed agencies.In addition to the aforementioned steps, the presidents 2017 budget outlines $3.1 billion for an Information Technology Modernization Fund, which the officials say will act as a down payment for future upgrades and boosts cybersecurity spending across the board by $19 billion.While there is no silver bullet to fully guarantee our data security, the president has done a lot to enhance security measures on a lot of our daily activities to protect our private information," Daniel wrote. "Last year, he took executive action as part of his BuySecure Initiative to help drive the market toward more secure payments by pushing companies to use microchips instead of magnetic strips or PINs on credit, debit and other payment cards."The cybersecurity blueprint would also require federal agencies to identify and prioritize their highest value and most at-risk IT assets and take steps to remedy security shortcomings.A call for multifactor identification, or two-step identification processes, may also become a reality at the federal level.The president is calling on Americans to move beyond just the password to leverage multiple factors of authentication when logging-in to online accounts, the release reads. Private companies, nonprofits and the federal government are working together to help more Americans stay safe online through a new public awareness campaign that focuses on broad adoption of multi-factor authentication. (TNS) -- Almost about two months after social networking firm Facebook started an aggressive campaign to promote and gather support for its Free Basics initiative in India spending millions of dollars on advertising, all its efforts have turned futile. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Monday banned Internet service providers from offering customers preferential or discriminatory tariffs to access certain content, over concerns that it will violate Net neutrality norms.The decision came a year after Facebook tied up with Reliance Communications Ltd to roll out Free Basics services aimed at offering people without Internet free access to a handful of websites and a range of services through mobile phones.However, a few hours after Trais decision, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said the company is not giving up on India.In a blog on Facebook, Zuckerberg said, While we are disappointed with todays decision, I want to personally communicate that we are committed to keep working to break down barriers to connectivity in India and around the world.Connecting India is an important goal we dont give up on, because more than a billion people in India dont have access to the internet....we are so committed to connecting them, the 31-year-old said.The Menlo Park, California-based firm plans to keep working until everyone has access to the Internet.Everyone in the world should have access to the Internet. Thats why we launched Internet.org with so many different initiativesincluding extending networks through solar-powered planes, satellites and lasers, providing free data access through Free Basics, reducing data use through apps, and empowering local entrepreneurs though Express Wi-Fi, wrote Zuckerberg.Today Indias telecom regulator decided to restrict programs that provide free access to data. This restricts one of Internet.orgs initiatives, Free Basics, as well as programs by other organisations that provide free access to data, he said.Zuckerberg said not only Free Basics, but other programs under Internet.org are changing peoples lives globally. More than 19 million people in 38 countries have been connected through our different programs, he said.In July last year, the company completed and tested its solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle, Aquila, which aims to provide Internet connectivity in remote locations across the world using laser and radio frequency technology.However, in India, the company has had it rough.It started when Trai released a consultation paper on differential pricing in April last year, followed by the launch of Airtel Zero, a marketing platform that allows customers to access mobile applications for free but charges the application providers, by telecom operator Bharti Airtel Ltd. About 10 days after the launch of Airtel Zero, online retailer Flipkart, which partnered with Airtel, walked away from the deal. This was followed by travel portal Cleartrip.com and media companies Times Group and NDTV pulling out of Internet.org, a partnership between Reliance Communications and Facebook.The debate turned vociferous after Trai came out with the second consultation paper on the same and Facebook rolled out a massive campaign across media, urging people to support its Free Basics platform. Late last year, Zuckerberg wrote an opinion piece on Free Basics protects net neutrality in The Times Of India.Early this year, Facebook got involved in an exchange of letters with Trai over users sending in support mails to Trai for Free Basics instead of commenting on the regulators differential pricing consultation paper that it put out on 9 December. Trai wrote back to Facebook to reach out to its users, who supported its Free Basics service through the social networks platform, so as to advise them to send comments to the specific questions raised in the regulators consultation paper. While Facebook reached out to those who supported Free Basics by sending automated mails through Facebook, it could not reach out to individual users who gave missed calls to support the same. A few days later, Trai slammed the company for not passing on its message to all those who sent responses on the consultation paper.According to Facebook, more than 11 million people sent emails supporting Free Basics. After Trais request to send in appropriate responses, the company said about 1.4 million people submitted revised comments and overall 5.2 million people filled more detailed comments with the message specifically addressing the four questions put out in the consultation paper, including whether telecom operators should be allowed to offer different services at different price points and models that can be implemented to achieve this.Trai chairman R.S. Sharma said that the authority doesnt have problem with companies providing free Internet to all, but anything that is on the Internet cannot be priced discriminately based on source, destination, content and applications. Reports compiled from police file Grand Coulee Police 1/30 - A vehicle owned by an Elmer City woman was pulled over for outdated Montana plates. Police had ticketed the driver twice for this offense and referred the matter to the prosecutor for its owner trying to avoid taxes by registering the vehicle in another state. - A customer at Safeway alerted officials there that a man had walked into the store, gone to the liquor aisle, put two bottles of spirits into his pants and walked out without paying for them. The store caught the theft it on video and police will try to use that to identify the thief. - An Electric City man was identified as the burglar who took jewelry and a gun from an Electric City residence. The man was already in Grant County Jail on another matter when police spoke with him. He admitted taking the gun and giving it to another person in Omak, they said. He had the jewelry on him when he was picked up for the other charge. New charges include burglary, theft of a firearm, being a felon in possession of a handgun, trafficking in stolen property and theft. He had been jailed on felony charges before. 1/31 - An officer checked on a domestic call on E. Grand Avenue in Electric City but was unable to make a decision on what went on because he didnt have an opportunity to talk with the man involved. 2/2 - An Electric City woman told police that she had a pop up on her computer screen that said her computer had a virus and gave a number to call. She called the number and was told she needed to give the party a credit card number, and then the pop up would be eliminated. She said she suspected a scam and called her credit card to cancel the charge and change her number. - A Grand Coulee man told police that he had been trying to get into a storage locker that belonged to a deceased person and had cut the padlock to the wrong locker. Police contacted the correct person to let him know what had occurred. 2/3 - Police were called when a person with mental problems left the emergency room at the hospital without any clothes on below the waist. A member of the hospitals security staff returned the man to the emergency room so police were not needed. - A man on Kelso Avenue in Electric City was arrested for domestic violence and for driving while his license was suspended. The report was forwarded to the prosecutors office. - A man on A Street gave police three counterfeit $5 bills he found near his house. - Police helped settle an issue between a man and his son at a W. Grand Avenue residence in Electric City. The man, who had a bad back, wanted his son to shovel snow and put wood in the fireplace. The son agreed to do so after the officer spoke with him. 2/4 - A report of a vehicle hitting a deer near North Dam Park brought an officer to the scene. The deer had damaged the front of the car and its side panel. 2/6 - Police checked on a vehicle that had rolled over and was on its top on SR-174. The male driver was taken by ambulance to Coulee Medical Center and the State Patrol was called, since the accident was outside city limits. 2/7 - The identity of two males who were spinning their tires on the Eden Harbor road was given to the National Park Service since the location is under NPS control. - Police checked on a hit-and-run accident and learned that someone had hit a vehicle on Dill Avenue and left the scene. An officer found the person responsible and the damage was caused by a trailer hitch. The two parties agreed to work it out. - Police responded to a barking dog call and found the dog curled up in front of LaPresa Mexican Restaurant. The dog got up, barked a couple of times and then lay down again in front of the restaurant. 2/8 - A Grand Coulee man told police that he had received a call from a party saying they were from the Internal Revenue Service. He said he knew it was a scam but wanted to report it. - A man on E. Grand Coulee Avenue, who told a driver that was speeding past his house to slow down, got a rude response. - Police got another report of a fraudulent IRS call. The Hill Avenue woman said that if she didnt pay her debt she would be arrested. 2/9 - A 911 caller who said someone had swerved a vehicle and almost hit him hung up without identifying himself. He then told the dispatcher that he now was in the wilderness. Police went to the location in Electric City but couldnt find the vehicle or the caller. - An officer spied a Cadillac with a Montana plate that had been stopped before because the tabs on the vehicle were not current. The Nespelem driver received a ticket for not having a trip permit, no insurance and no drivers license on his person. The car was impounded and three people in the vehicle walked north on SR-155. Coulee Dam Police 1/25 - A woman reported that someone had stolen a wood stove from a home she had for sale on Central Drive. The officer could see marks on the floor where someone had moved the stove. - Police found a young deer dead in the roadway at Columbia and Douglas and removed it from the roadway. 1/26 - The alarm went off in the police department at city hall when the janitor entered his code but it didnt turn off the alarm. 1/28 - A woman driving a semi-truck told police that she had to swerve to avoid a car hitting her trailer, and that in so doing a wheel and tire were damaged when a curb was hit. The officer helped her get the wheel off the trailer so she could continue on her way to British Columbia. 1/29 - A report of an assault at the elementary school brought an officer to the campus. One student had struck another over a binder incident. Since one of the students had a history of causing trouble, the incident was referred to Okanogan County juvenile authorities. - An officer identified a man wanted on a warrant during a walk through of the Coulee Dam Casino. He was taken to Okanogan County Jail. 1/30 - A man on Holly Street reported that four of his Star Shower laser lights were taken while he was away in the evening. 1/31 - An officer cited a man on Civic Way who didnt use his directional signals and also cited him for expired plates. 1/31 - A pickup was stopped on River Drive for not signaling a turn. The driver said he had a blown fuse, so the turn signals didnt work. He was cited for having an expired vehicle registration and for having faulty equipment. 2/1 - A woman on Yucca Street complained to an officer that a large dog in the neighborhood liked to bark and she was afraid for her children. The officer went to the house where the dog was located, but there was no one home, and he couldnt find the dog. 2/2 - A driver making an improper turn from Roosevelt Way onto River Drive, nearly causing an accident, was stopped and given a verbal warning by the officer. - A vehicle crossing the bridge was stopped and the driver warned because of a faulty brake light. 2/3 - A juvenile was seen and arrested on a warrant for a minor drinking in a public place and for third-degree theft. The juvenile threatened the officer and his family while at the police station and all the way to county jail, saying that he had a gun and when he got out of jail he would come and kill the officer and his wife, according to the report. He said that the Coulee Dam officer couldnt arrest him because he had been on the reservation when arrested. 2/4 - Several drivers got warnings for rolling stops, and one for a head lamp being out. 2/5 - A woman sitting at a slot machine at the Coulee Dam Casino was arrested on an outstanding warrant and taken to Okanogan County Jail. 2/7 - Police learned that a woman had texted a man, stating that she was going to jump off the bridge. Police looked all over for the woman and finally found her at a house on Tulip Street. The woman stated that she was having a tough time and had only wanted to see her son. The officer offered to help her and she took his card. 2/8 - Police responded to a court order violation and found that the parties were tribal members, so the issue was forwarded to tribal police. Educator accused of crimes against a child A popular educator and rising young school administrator was taken from Lake Roosevelt Schools in handcuffs last week, after a Seattle-based task force on Internet crimes served warrants to search his home, office and vehicle. Nate Piturachsatit, 37, was arrested at the school Feb. 3, after law enforcement officers from several agencies, all part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, arrived at 10 a.m. with a warrant to search his office and computer. When they left, they didn't take the computer with them, but they did take his cell phone. Piturachsatit is the vice principal of Lake Roosevelt Elementary School, where four of his own children attend. While his office, home and vehicle were being searched, Piturachsatit sat in an unmarked police car behind the school, admitting, according to records filed with the court, that he had had inappropriate contact with a 14-year-old girl through Instagram, a social media account used to send photos and videos. He told Seattle Police Detective Daljit Gill and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent M. Mishke that he communicated with a Wisconsin girl, identified only as C.J., because she "gave him attention and made him feel good," but he knew he had been "stupid," according to Gill's arrest statement of probable cause filed with the court. But those Instagram interludes included photos and videos of a highly sexual nature, the report details. The relationship had come to light in January, after C.J.'s mother received a package for the girl from Pink, a Victoria's Secret sister store where she doesn't allow C.J. to shop. It contained a shirt from a "Nate," which C.J. told Janesville, Wisconsin, police was sent as an apology for having made her feel uncomfortable. The package had a return address of a place in Spokane where Piturachsatit used to live. Police said they identified Piturachsatit from photos on C.J.'s phone that matched his driver's license photo, as well as Facebook and LinkedIn account photos. In the police car, Piturachsatit said he has never had any other similar contact with another minor and that he does not have an attraction to children. He said he had been scheduled to interview for a school job in Thailand later that day. Instead, he was booked into Okanogan County Jail facing allegations of communication with a minor for immoral purposes, sexual exploitation of a minor, and possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually-explicit conduct. Okanogan County Superior Court Judge Henry Rawson set bail at $500,000, double what Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Branden Platter had sought. Piturachsatit was ordered to surrender his passport. On Monday, his attorney entered a plea of not guilty and objected to the length of time his court schedule was set for. On Tuesday, he was still listed on the jail roster. An arraignment is set for Feb. 16 at 1:30 p.m. Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Dennis Carlson said the entire district staff met Wednesday afternoon so they could be apprised of the allegations against Piturachsatit. "I was assured by law enforcement that they had nothing to do with this school," Carlson said. "It was external." Coulee Dam Interim Police Chief Larry Hall said other agencies in the task force included the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Border Patrol, and Bellevue and Kirkland police departments. The searches were happening even as the Grand Coulee Dam Rotary Club was discussing, at a regular weekly luncheon, Piturachsatit's proposal to work with the club on a joint venture to send kids from Lake Roosevelt and Nespelem sixth grades to the Tall Timbers retreat camp in Leavenworth. The club hosted a spaghetti feed to help fund the annual trip last spring and was planning to do the same this year, with Piturachsatit as the key organizer on the school side. Carlson said the Tall Timbers trip will go on as planned this year. He said staff at the school were adamant that those plans not be interrupted. Michael Schumacher's son will delay his move into the highly-competitive European F3 series for at least another year. That is the claim of Germany's Sport Bild, revealing that 16-year-old Mick will instead spend another full year in the formative single seater category Formula 4. It is believed, however, that young Schumacher will combine both the German and Italian editions of F4 in 2016, amid speculation he will drive for the Ferrari-linked Prema team. "Mick did a very good job in his tests for us," said team boss Angelo Rosin. "We are very interested in working with him in the forthcoming season." Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm said she will only make a statement "when we have something official to say". (GMM) Activities Vintage en Vogue, a signature event for the Randolph Hospital Community Health Foundation, raised $16,000 that will be used to help pay for a variety of health and wellness programs throughout Randolph County. More than 300 people attended the fundraiser, an evening of fashion, food and fun. Twenty-five local models walked the runway in unique, on-trend fashions. To learn more about the foundation or to make a donation, call (336) 633-7755 or visit www.randolph hospital.org and click on Foundation. Announcements High Points Safe Haven Equine Rescue and Retirement was recently contacted regarding an off-the-track thoroughbred horse. The rescue group named the horse Ferragamo, or Ferroh, for short, after the famous shoe designer, because he is a horse with medical conditions mostly related to his hooves. The 16-year-old horse was underweight when he was rescued and suffered from rain rot, very thin hoof soles, bruised coffin bones and subsolar abscesses in both front hooves. An equine veterinarian and a farrier recently attended his medical conditions and hoof issues. Donations are needed to help pay for Ferrohs veterinary expenses. To make a donation, visit www.sherrnc. com or send a check to SHERR, P.O. Box 5228, High Point, N.C. 27262. Specify Ferroh on the donation. To donate equine supplies, call (336) 884-2007. Grants The Biogen Foundation has awarded $125,000 in grants to support science education programs and projects in public schools across North Carolina. Local schools to receive grants include New Vision School of Math, Science and Technology in Madison; North Carolina Leadership Academy in Kernersville; and Western Alamance Middle School in Elon. In its second year, the foundations Ignite the Power of STEM program awards teachers, schools and nonprofit STEM education programs that serve K-12 students. Teachers were eligible to apply for grants up to $2,000. Schools and nonprofits could apply for grants up to $5,000. The Ignite grants program for 2016-17 will be held in the fall, when additional and more specific information will be detailed at www.biogen.com/igniteNC and on the N.C. Community Foundations website at www.nccommunityfoundation.org. *** AT&T made a $250,000 contribution to the Middle College at N.C. A&T. Middle College administrators and the School of Education at A&T will use the money during the 2016-17 school year to teach students how to create apps, to offer more student leadership opportunities and to help pay for college tours for students. The Middle College at N.C. A&T is a collaborative effort between the School of Education and Guilford County Schools and is the first all-male public school in North Carolina and one of few in the nation. The school was recognized during the 2014-15 school year for posting a 100 percent graduation rate for four consecutive years. *** The National Association of School Nurses is offering a $5,000 research grant through the American Nurses Foundation for beginner and experienced nurse researchers for studies to advance nursing science and enhance care. Awardees must be a current member of the National Association of School Nurses and a qualified professional school nurse engaged in school nurse practice, education, or research. The deadline to apply is May 1. For information, contact Gisele Marshall at gisele.marshall@ana.org or (301) 628-5227, or visit www.nasn.org/Research/NASNANFGrant. *** Action Greensboro, in partnership with Downtown Greensboro, has awarded Spark micro-grants to the following: The Westerwood Neighborhood Association, Selfies with Spoonboy and Reconsidered Goods Pop Up Shop. The Westerwood Neighborhood Association plans to install a colorful, positive mural on the side of the Greensboro College theater shop building in the Westerwood neighborhood, directly adjacent to the path of the future Downtown Greenway. Selfies with Spoonboy involves the production of several customized inflatables of the Weatherspoons mascot Spoonboy, in conjunction with its 75th anniversary year in 2016. The inflatables will be taken to various locations throughout and near downtown. The Reconsidered Goods Pop Up Shop will be a new, monthlong creative reuse green initiative. It will be aligned with Earth Day activities and open to the public for four consecutive weekends. The Pop Up Shop will offer free hands-on activity for visitors and families to enjoy while exploring the downtown area. The next deadline for Spark Fund micro grants is April 13. The application is available online at Action Greensboro.org. LANSING, Mich. Flint's water crisis, after a switch in the source allowed dangerous levels of lead and potentially caused deadly cases of Legionnaires' disease, could result in criminal charges as serious as involuntary manslaughter, a top investigator said Tuesday. The emergency will prompt Gov. Rick Snyder to propose another $195 million in aid in his annual budget proposal on Wednesday, including $25 million to potentially replace old lead and copper pipes. Snyder also plans to call for $165 million in funding for infrastructure needs across Michigan in the 2016-17 budget. If approved by lawmakers, state spending on the Flint water disaster will top $232 million over this fiscal year and next. Todd Flood, who was appointed as special counsel by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month because Schuette's office is defending the state in civil lawsuits, said manslaughter charges could be on the table if government officials were grossly negligent in their handling of the city's water change and the aftermath. The maximum prison sentence is 15 years. "It's not far-fetched," Flood told reporters, pointing to similar charges against people for deaths on construction sites. He also reiterated the possibility of charges for misconduct in office. Flood said it is possible no crimes were committed instead just "honest mistakes" unless authorities breached their duty in a "grossly negligent way." Another factor is what officials did or failed to do after their mistakes. "If I knew something bad was going on ... and I just want to turn my blind eye, that could be a problem," said Flood, a former Wayne County assistant prosecutor who spoke at a news conference with the Republican attorney general and investigators. Flint is under a state of emergency because of lead-tainted water. Outside experts also have suggested a link between the Flint River and a Legionnaires' disease outbreak. There were at least 87 cases across Genesee County during a 17-month period, including nine deaths. The city's water supply was switched from the Detroit system to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure in 2014, when Flint was under state emergency financial management. It was an interim measure while a new pipeline to Lake Huron is being built. But the improperly treated river water caused lead to leach from old pipes. If consumed, lead can cause developmental delays and learning disabilities. Flint has since moved back to the Detroit system; officials hope anti-corrosion chemicals will recoat the pipes so it is safe to drink without filters within months. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, under fire for his administration's role in the emergency, has accepted responsibility while also blaming local officials and federal environmental regulators. U.S. regulators say Michigan officials ignored federal advice to treat Flint water for corrosion-causing elements last year and delayed for months before telling the public about the health risks. State officials counter that while the state should have required Flint to treat its water, the EPA did not display appropriate urgency and allowed the problem to fester for months. "If you think about it, this is the biggest case in the history of the state of Michigan, right? And that's what draws us to this is to get these people their answers," said Andy Arena, the lead investigator who once led Detroit's FBI office. He said at least 10 outside investigators are working on the probe. Schuette said Tuesday that Michigan's public-records law should be expanded to include the governor's office because of the Flint disaster. Snyder has voluntarily released his personal emails related to Flint from 2014 and 2015, but not his staff's correspondence. Flint's mayor said Tuesday that a plan to remove and replace all lead water pipes in city homes will cost $55 million. Mayor Karen Weaver said households where residents are deemed to be high-risk will be given priority. "We're going to restore safe drinking water one house at a time, one child at a time," she said. "All lead pipes need to be replaced. We deserve new pipes because we did not deserve what happened." No funding has been dedicated to pay for the work, with Weaver calling for the state and federal governments for financial help. Weaver also said the "Fast Start" plan requires coordination between city, state and federal officials. Snyder will deliver his annual budget proposal to lawmakers on Wednesday. "I invite Gov. Snyder and his team to pledge their full cooperation to help us get this done," Weaver said. "And I call on the Legislature and Congress to appropriate the necessary funds so we can get started as soon as possible. The people of Flint have already paid with their lives, health and quality of life." The work would be similar to ongoing lead pipe removal in Lansing. The Lansing Board of Water & Light has removed 13,500 lead pipes over a dozen years at a cost of $42 million. Technical experts with the utility met Monday with Flint officials. Up to 15,000 lead pipes could be removed within one year in Flint under the best of conditions by dozens of work crews. Officials have not determined a date for the work to start. RANDLEMAN The Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority plans testing this spring to learn what High Point officials have declined to study: Whether the organic compound 1,4 dioxane from High Points Eastside Wastewater Treatment Plant is tainting Randleman Regional Reservoirs supplies of drinking water. The water authority will run tests for the unregulated contaminant near a pumping station on Groometown Road in southern Guilford County, the spot where Eastsides treated effluent enters the reservoir, said Greg Flory, the authoritys executive director. Well collect samples both above and below that point, Flory said of the Groometown outfall at the end of a 1.5-mile pipeline from the treatment plant. The regional water authority operates the reservoir and an adjoining water plant that produces 12 million gallons of drinking water a day for Greensboro, High Point, Archdale, Jamestown, Randleman and Randolph County. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering 1,4 dioxane, an industrial solvent, for possible addition to the agencys list of regulated contaminants that are strictly limited in drinking water.The flammable, liquid additive with a faintly pleasant scent is a mixing agent in a plethora of products that range from cosmetics and shampoo to paint strippers, ink, antifreeze and varnish. EPA labels the man-made chemical a probable carcinogen, but clear standards do not exist for how much poses a threat to human health. Some researchers believe the threshold begins at 0.35 parts per billion, while others put it significantly higher. The EPAs current voluntary standard for water-quality in rivers and lakes that provide drinking water is 3.1 parts per billion. Conventional technology for treating both drinking water and sewage cannot remove or meaningfully reduce 1,4 dioxane. Flory said previous water authority tests found 1,4 dioxane in the northernmost reaches of the lake as high as 19 parts per billion. But by the time water reaches the authoritys water treatment plant several miles downstream, the level drops to about 2 parts per billion. High Point officials said recently that they didnt plan any 1,4 dioxane tests on Eastside effluent because there are no government safety standards for the compound and the plants operating permit from state government does not require such testing. Flory said he spoke informally to High Point officials about 1,4 dioxane testing and came away with the impression they would not do it without a directive from the High Point City Council. Flory told the authoritys governing board about the planned tests Tuesday at the governing groups monthly meeting. He said later that the test would probably be done in April as part of the water authoritys regular, quarterly testing that looks for a variety of potentially harmful compounds.1,4 dioxane is the only one thats turned up: We havent seen anything else thats noteworthy. Flory said the additional 1,4 dioxane analysis upstream and downstream from the Groometown Road outfall will add about $100 to the authoritys cost in that testing cycle. He said the tests should give a glimpse of the Eastside plants role in the lakes 1,4 dioxane levels by comparing the upstream results with those downstream. In interviews last week, Flory said that without understanding how much 1,4 dioxane the reservoir receives from treated wastewater, its difficult to estimate exactly how much is coming from other sites along the reservoirs Deep River source, such as the Seaboard Chemical Corp., hazardous-waste cleanup in Jamestown. Greensboro, Asheboro and Reidsville performed voluntary 1,4 dioxane testing on effluent entering and leaving their sewage treatment plants after drinking water in downstream communities, including Fayetteville and Sanford, showed consistently high levels of the solvent. The Cape Fear forms in southeastern Chatham County from the confluence of the Haw and Deep rivers that flow through parts of Guilford County. The cities tests confirmed the presence of 1,4 dioxane in effluent from the Greensboro, Asheboro and Reidsville wastewater plants. High Points Eastside Plant is an up-to-date treatment plant that added the 1.5-mile pipe into the reservoir about 10 years ago, as part of building the 3,000-acre lake. Planners aimed to release its treated effluent in a part of the new lake where it would be most effectively diluted, dispersed and naturally broken down. When operating at full capacity, the Eastside plant that relies partly on ultraviolet disinfection releases 26 million gallons of treated effluent daily. HARTFORD Chambers of commerce from throughout the state will join the Connecticut Business & Industry Association in a new effort to lobby state lawmakers for reduced state spending and growing the economy. They are hoping for a better collaboration among the private sector, the General Assembly and state government. The campaign was announced this week during a joint news conference in the Capitol that included the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, the Business Council of Fairfield County and the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce. Joseph F. Brennan, president and CEO of the CBIA, said that at a time when businesses including General Electric are not feeling welcome, state lawmakers and the business community should be working more closely. The most-important part from our perspective at this point in time is a full recognition from everybody in the state of Connecticut, from both sides of the aisle of what we need to do to bring back those glory days, he said during a Tuesday news conference. Theres some really fundamental changes we have to make in a bipartisan way. Brennan said that the state wont be in a position to offer tax cuts until the government addresses its systemic problem of annual spending increases. We need to make the fiscal changes that are necessary, he said. We need to make important investments in transportation and other kinds of infrastructure in Connecticut to make sure were full. We need to make sure were in a position where we can reduce taxes because were having surpluses. Were only going to get surpluses, not through tax increases, but were going to get surpluses through economic growth. While business leaders have faith in the state Department of Transportation, Brennan stressed the need for the proposed constitutional amendment to create a lockbox to prevent state lawmakers from raiding the fund that uses fuel taxes to support transportation. We need to build up confidence in taxpayers that the state can do this, Brennan said, adding that the issue of higher taxes and tolls will likely be deferred until next year. I think everyone agrees, at least in our membership, that we need greater investment in transportation infrastructure. We just have to figure out how to finance those without doing further damage to our economy. Paul Timpanelli, president and CEO of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, said the eight major chambers and the CBIA represent a wide-ranging coalition from throughout the state in making a major commitment to make their views heard during the legislative session, which runs through May 4. The business community needs to increase its level of commitment, engagement and participation in the process and today we made a commitment to do that, Timpanelli said in an interview. Last week the coalition wrote a letter to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy requesting structural changes on both the spending and taxation side to support future business growth. kdixon@ctpost.com; HARTFORD - The states 18 domestic-violence shelters are operating at above-capacity, as increasing public awareness and outreach campaigns are prompting more women and children to escape abusive relationships, according to a new report. While families are spilling into shelter living rooms and other temporary locations, it underscores the need for more-stable housing options, advocates said. The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence reported Tuesday that 2,323 victims of abuse sought shelter last year, including 1,158 children, with an average stay of 43 days, a length that has increased by 65 percent since 2008. The vast majority of adults in the shelters are women with multi-faceted problems. Karen Jarmoc, a former state lawmaker who is CEO of the coalition, said that the shelters have been able to stay open with a daily cost of $7 per person, with the bulk of funding coming from private sources. The majority of these children are under the age of five, Jarmoc said in a noontime news conference, stressing that many of the youths have experienced violence and trauma. We are over the capacity, basically all the time, Jarmoc said. For instance, in mid-September last year, 332 victims found shelter through local domestic-violence shelters, while 312 beds were available statewide. The extra people slept on sofas and roll-away cots in living areas and playrooms. Certainly the opportunity for more-stabilized housing is important, Jarmoc said. Its been six years since the General Assembly approved 24-hour staffing for the shelters and over the last five years, outreach programs and police assistance have raised awareness, making it easier for victims to leave abusive relationships. We know that the majority of domestic-violence homicides victims and the people around them did not know where to get help, Jarmoc said. The awareness piece has really served to up our capacity. More Information Average shelter capacity: 2008- 57 percent 2015- 114 percent Average shelter stay: 2008- 26 days 2015- 43 days Connecticut's 18 shelters provided services for 35,507 adults and 5,839 children Emergency shelter was provided to 1,165 adults and 1,158 children Crisis calls received - 28,776 *Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2015 See More Collapse Jarmoc and state Sen. Mae Flexer, D-Killingly, agreed that the states fiscal reality is that more funding for the shelters is unlikely. She is opposed to the governors plan to remove the funding from the state Department of Social Services and turn it into a block-grant form, because the current budget line approach is more-stable. When things do improve in our state there is this opportunity to take a look at this data and make some decisions around some policy priorities related to helping victims and their families, because its a circumstance that what weve learned is its not going to go away and we have to be very smart about utilizing the resources were going to have, Jarmoc said. If these shelters and these programs didnt exist, or if their funding was cut and they had less of an opportunity to stay in these programs, victims might find themselves going back to those abusive situations and thats the exact opposite of what we want, Flexer warned. Sen. Tony Hwang, R-Fairfield, said the data reflects the work of the shelters and underscores the importance of those in abusive relationships to escape for safety. Its critical that we maintain the funding because part of what you do all so wonderfully is you break the cycle of violence, Hwang said. You have children and young adults that get impacted and see that this is not the pathway, this is not the way we live. Crisis Numbers: English - 1-888-774-2900 Spanish - 1-844-831-9200 kdixon@ctpost.com; Twitter: @KenDixonCT This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A wedding shoot took place amid the rubble that once represented Syrias third-largest city. Newlyweds Nada Merhi, 18, and Hassan Youssef, 27, posed for portraits for wedding photographer Jafar Meray among the bombed out ruins of Homs. The city and surrounding area had nearly 1.5 million inhabitants before the civil war, which started in 2011, displaced more than half of the populace. READ THIS: Saudis offer to send ground troops to Syria Agence France-Presse photographer Joseph Eid tagged along with the young couple and their portrait-taker for stunning photos. The images contrast the greyed, hollowed out city with the woman in the immaculate white wedding dress and the man in military garb. The wedding photographer told Eid that the purpose of the shoot was to demonstrate life is stronger than death. But the images are more complicated than its "love conquers all" message. Youseff is a soldier in Bashar al-Assads army. The Syrian presidents regime did this to Homs after rebel forces took over Homs in the middle of the war. After Syrian forces laid siege to the stronghold, the rebels evacuated and the city fell back under governmental control at the end of 2015. Drone footage last week offered a disturbing aerial view of the devastation. The United Nations said Monday that the Assad regime has killed so many detainees that it amounts to the crime against humanity of extermination,' according to the U.K.s The Independent. The report noted that the regime's crimes against humanity outnumber those committed by ISIS and other Jihadist groups in the region. See the gallery above for images from the couple's wedding shoot. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Texas-Mexico border city of Juarez, infamous for violent drug cartel activity, is no longer as lethal as it once was, according to a newly released set of data The Citizens Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice (CCSP-JP), an organization based in Mexico, releases an annual, worldwide list of the cities with more than 300,000 residents that are the deadliest. RELATED: Graphic photo of dead father clutching baby killed in Mexican drug gang shootout ignites outrage Juarez has held a spot on the list since 2011, when the CCSP-JP reported 148 non-accidental homicides per 100,000 people, making it the second deadliest place in the world at the time. The 2015 data now shows Mexican cities such as Acapulco, Culiacan, Tijuana, Victoria and Obregon are some of the worlds most lethal spots, but Juarez is no longer included. RELATED: Border Patrol agent charged in grisly decapitation case pleads not guilty to capital murder According to CCSP-JP numbers, Mexican cities showed the biggest decrease in deaths. With 3,946 killings within its population of 3,291,830 people, Caracas, Venezuela is slated as the deadliest place in the world. In order to calculate Mexicos data, CCSP-JP analyzed reports made from the Chihuahua government to two agencies: The National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico (INEGI) and the Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Publica (SNSP.) CCSP-JP compared the varying numbers to come up with a final estimate of 367, but added that official stats are still not fully reliable. RELATED: 3 Mexican cartel 'sicarios' arrested near Texas border, suspected of 5 murders [] the data of Chihuahua and Tamaulipas often reported to SNSP are particularly low comparted to the INEGI, which reveal a probable manipulation by the authorities of those two states, the organization explained in a translated version of the methodology. Regardless of official numbers, homicides in Juarez have been on the decrease since 2011, CCSP-JP reported. RELATED: The crazy reasons Mexican drug cartel leaders got busted or killed A handful of U.S. cities made appearances on the list of murderous spots including: St. Louis, Miss.; Baltimore, Md.; Detroit, Mich. and New Orleans, La. which own the 15th, 19th, 28th and 32nd spots, respectively. mmendoza@mysa.com Twitter: @MaddySkye Fetal tissue research has led to major advances in human health, including the virtual elimination of diseases such as polio, measles and rubella in the United States. However, according to a new analysis in the Guttmacher Policy Review, this critical avenue of medical research now finds itself at the center of a political firestorm instigated by antiabortion activists and lawmakers, who are using it to attack abortion rights generally and the leading reproductive health provider Planned Parenthood in particular. The issue of fetal tissue donations and research burst into the limelight in the summer of 2015, when antiabortion activists released deceptively edited videos attacking fetal tissue donations facilitated by Planned Parenthood health centers. The analysis documents these attacks as well as past episodes where opponents of abortion rights have seized upon fetal tissue research along similar lines. "The most recent attacks not only target sexual and reproductive health and rights, but also pose a threat to the large numbers of people who could benefit from fetal tissue research," says Heather Boonstra, author of the analysis. "Abortion opponents hope to undermine the right to abortion and womens access to the procedure, but their smear campaign jeopardizes potentially life-saving medical advances as well." Boonstra discusses the past and present medical significance of fetal tissue research. Top medical research facilities, including leading universities and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have long used fetal tissue donations derived from abortions to study and develop treatments for life-threatening diseases. Researchers are currently using fetal cells to develop vaccines against diseases such as Ebola, HIV and dengue fever. Fetal tissue is also critical to developing treatments for spinal cord injuries, Alzheimers disease and multiple sclerosis. The analysis also lays out how federal and state laws have regulated fetal tissue donation for more than four decades to ensure proper legal protections and high ethical standards. Federal law prohibits anyone from making a profit from fetal tissue donation, but does allow reasonable compensation for costs associated with such donations. This federal policy is used as the standard for all fetal tissue donations by abortion providers affiliated with Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation. Boonstra further offers for the first time an overview of state policies on fetal tissue donation and research, finding that 38 states and the District of Columbia have laws that explicitly permit fetal tissue donations for research, therapy or education. The remaining 12 states neither allow nor disallow fetal tissue donation. In addition, five states have laws that ban research using fetal tissue obtained from abortions throughout pregnancy. Since July 2015, when renewed attacks on fetal tissue research began, several states and Congress have introduced bills to ban or heavily restrict fetal tissue donation and research. "Scientists who engage in fetal tissue research are rightfully concerned that their work is once again being misused as a weapon to undermine abortion rights, with potentially broad and devastating consequences," says Boonstra. "In todays volatile political climate, targeting fetal tissue research threatens not only women who seek safe abortion care and those who provide it, but also the millions of people globally who could continue to benefit from fetal tissue research." This Sun., Feb. 7 marked the 30th anniversary of Jean-Claude Duvaliers departure and the end of Presidents Michel Martellys term. A last-minute negotiated deal secured Martellys departure, but it may not succeed in producing a long-term solution. Tensions leading up to Feb. 7 provoked violent confrontations between pro-government paramilitaries and opposition protestors in Port-au-Prince, resulting in one dead, as well as the cancellation of the first day of Carnaval. And while foreign diplomats welcomed the accord, a number of opposition parties raised objections to the agreement. On Feb. 6, Martelly publicly signed a political accord with Chancy Cholzer and Jocelerme Privert, the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, respectively. The agreement confirmed that Martelly would leave office and laid out a process for establishing a transitional government to take over. As de facto Prime Minister Evans Paul stays on, the Parliament will supposedly select a new provisional president within five days following the end of Martellys term. The new president will then engage in consultations to appoint a consensus prime minister and redynamize the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP). Once a new government is in place, the accord stipulates, it is responsible for implementing the technical recommendations of the Evaluation Commission and restarting the electoral process begun in 2015. The interrupted elections are to resume on Apr. 24, definitive results to be announced on May 6, and a new President sworn in on May 14. [However, all of these dates would have to be established by the new CEP, the independent institution which governs all electoral matters. - HL] In his final speech as President on Sunday, Martelly expressed satisfaction with the political accord, saying lawmakers gave me a guarantee that the country is going to be stable. Martelly also directly referred to the electoral impasse, admitting that although he had the sense of a job well done, there was also a mission that is not yet completed. A small group of Haitian Bald-Headed Party (PHTK) supporters greeted the outgoing president outside the parliament, wearing pink shirts with the words Je Suis Martelly (I Am Martelly). Thousands of anti-Martelly protesters also took to the streets in the capital, the mood a mix of defiant celebration and uncertainty as to what comes next. The international community were unanimously favorable toward the accord, emphasizing the need to complete the elections as quickly as possible. The Core Group welcomed the signing of the accord, seeing it as a crucial step towards overcoming the political challenges Haiti faces. The Core Group statement described the agreement as a solution in keeping with the Constitution and invited the actors concerned to implement all the commitments entered into, especially the continuation of the electoral process within the timeframes indicated. The U.S. State Department also hailed the accord for ensuring the continuity of governance and the completion of the ongoing electoral process. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon likewise celebrated the accord for providing a roadmap to the swift conclusion of the electoral cycle underway. The oppositions Group of Eight (G-8), on the other hand, immediately condemned the accord as anti-democratic and unconstitutional. The G-8 denounced the large role given to parliament in the accord, given the questionable legitimacy of many members of parliament. Instead, the G-8 suggested an alternative solution by handing the power to a judge of the Supreme Court and called for the establishment of an electoral verification commission that would examine both the Oct. 25 and Aug. 9 elections. Fanmi Lavalas made a similar call for an investigation of both the presidential and legislative elections, as did other parties such as FUSION, Kontrapepla, and OPL. The G-8 statement, however, was only signed by Samuel Madistin; although officially still part of the G-8, Jude Celestin and his party LAPEH have not yet made any statements regarding the accord. The accord was concluded on the heels of a tense day in the capital and other cities. On Fri., Feb. 5, groups of armed militia men claiming to be ex-soldiers from Haitis disbanded military patrolled menacingly through Port-au-Prince, Les Cayes, and other cities. In Port-au-Prince, the appearance of pro-government paramilitaries coincided with a demonstration calling for Martellys resignation. Paramilitaries fired shots at the demonstrators near Champs de Mars, who responded by attacking the ex-soldiers with stones, resulting in the death of one paramilitary. After Feb. 7, one paramilitary member warned, all illegal arms will become legal! Neither UN Mission to Stabilize Haiti (MINUSTAH) troops nor Haitian National Police (PNH) officers made any attempt to control the paramilitaries. MINUSTAH condemned the violence in a statement issued the following day and noted with concern the organized presence of several dozen people in green uniforms, some of whom were armed. Although it was unclear who was in charge of the armed men, former paramilitary leader and Senate candidate Guy Philippe had recently threatened to have his supporters march on Port-au-Prince. We are ready for war, Philippe said in a radio interview on Jan. 24. The G-8 pointed out the coincidence of the political accord and the deployment of paramilitaries, criticizing the signatories for ignoring this serious event and the threat it represents for democracy. Earlier in the week, protests against the controversial arrival of an Organization of American States (OAS) Special Mission had continued, with a sit-in held outside the U.S. Embassy on Feb. 4. In a statement released on Thursday, the Coordination Europe-Haiti (CoEH), for their part, urged the European Union to support Haitian democracy, strongly criticizing the EUs Electoral Observation Mission for taking the position of defending the legitimacy of the Oct. 25 election outcome, even after the Government of Haitis decision to postpone the second round indefinitely. The EU Observation Mission was the only international mission to explicitly take this stance. CoEH urged the Mission to prove its independence and professionalism and stop minimizing the serious irregularities, verging on fraud, as observed by the BCEN and the CEEI during their verifications, and denounced by a large majority of civil society and the political opposition. Despite strong opposition among Haitians to foreign intervention, some foreign commentators claimed prior to the accord that a Haitian-led solution was impossible. The Washington Post insisted in a Feb. 3 editorial that a strong international hand is required, one that can encourage or, if necessary, coerce the countrys political, civic and business leaders to come to terms on a Haitian resolution. The OAS Special Mission, which was present during both the negotiations leading to the accord and the signing ceremony on Feb. 6, judged that its presence had a favorable impact on the search for a consensus formula among the various groups. The State Department also highlighted the constructive role played by OAS Special Mission in fostering a spirit of consensus. Following, Martellys verbal harassment of Liliane Pierre-Paul, a journalist from Radio Kiskeya, womens organizations and civil groups organized a gathering in support of Ms. Pierre-Paul, Jean Monard Metellus, from Radio Television Caraibes, and the countrys independent media. While Martelly may be gone, the resolution of Haitis electoral crisis is far from guaranteed. Martelly departed as he came, as While Martelly may be gone, the resolution of Haitis electoral crisis is far from guaranteed. Martelly departed as he came, as one headline put it (in reference to his contested 2010 electoral victory): amid uncertainty and disorder. Haiti - Politic : Jocelerme Privert calls for political truce Last Sunday after the last address to the Nation of President Michel Martelly https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16543-haiti-flash-last-speech-to-the-nation-of-president-martelly.html , Jocelerme Privert, President of the National Assembly delivered a speech in turn, according to the protocol, in response to that of the outgoing Head of State. Jocelerme Privert speech : "[...] This Sunday, February 7, 2016 has marked a milestone in the history of Haitian democracy. To some and to others it imposes a salutary halt for an examination of conscience on our responsibilities towards the people of Haiti, an uncompromising examination, without prevarication or complacency. Day ceremony is set at a time when the entire nation is watching us and notes our actions and our commitment. Confidence it gives us is not a blank check. It is accompanied by responsibilities that we are required to do. Each power must measure and take the weight of its powers, the responsibilities attached to it and the consequences entailed by any failure both the present and the future. Your Excellency, the President of the Republic, The democratic choice made by the Haitian people is irreversible. Far from being a vow, democracy has become the cement of our national cohesion, political reason which marks our dignity. However, once again, do I remember that this is to the cost of great sacrifices that our people today manages to register in modernity, freedom and dignity. Each authority, each elected therefore has the duty to respect this choice, now printed in our values, our principles and decisions. To consolidate and strengthen this democracy, we must strive to respect the Constitution and laws of the Republic. In my capacity as President of the National Assembly, and in accordance with Articles 134-1, 134-2 and 134-3 of the 1987 amended Constitution, I take note of your statements and draws the observation of the end of your mandate. I declare that from this moment there is a presidential vacuum. This vacuum causes a malfunction of the executive and the resignation of the government which has no constitutional legitimacy conferred by vote of its policy statement by the Haitian Parliament. Haitian people, The departure of the Head of State in this day of February 7, in compliance with the requirements of the amended Constitution, does not stop insofar the march of national history. The wheel of the Republic continues inexorably turning pending the installation of the provisional president to be elected by the National Assembly. Certainly the consensus government, resulting from the December 2014 agreements had not received parliamentary approval before or at the time of taking office in January 2015. However, common sense must agree that it benefits from the imperturbable logic of the accomplished fact, according to immutable theory of 'de facto official' since it manages the affairs of the Republic for more than a year. Pending the accession of the Temporary President, the Government will continue to operate the public administration in a prudent regime and measured of liquidation of current affairs, without taking any capital measure which commits the next government, and especially out of this appetite to sign that often assails the administrators in imminent departure. At the National Palace empty of the presence of a head of state for a period of time that we want very succinct, the Secretary General of the Presidency will take care. It will mount a vigilant guard, soothing and wise on the People's House. Dear and distinguished colleagues of the 50th, I speak to you to make you understand the immensity and take your responsibilities before the nation and the world. The holding of this second National Assembly in so few days and in this particular circumstance put on your head the assignable diadem of popular sovereignty. Now nothing can tarnish or compromise or deprive yourself. No statement, no declamation, no decision, no action of any force in the world can take away a crown woven on the shuttle of the popular sovereignty. You are and remain Parliamentarians as long as the sovereign people who elected you will not choose someone else in your place. However, the National Assembly, that this is said here and remembered by all, does not inherit any executive assignment, although in this vacuum conditions at the summit of the state remains the sole owner of popular sovereignty. It will ensure that the period of uncertainty meets the deadline set by the Agreement of February 5, 2016 between the two sovereign powers of the State. A special Bicameral Commission will be established urgently to investigate the records of applicants under Article 135 of the amended Constitution and produce a report paving the way for election procedures for the provisional president, an expeditious procedure that falls within the range time allotted by the Agreement. In this interval of constitutional vulnerability, administrative and political, on behalf of all the legislative 50th Parliamentarians, on behalf of the Nation suffering and attentive to the next decisions of its representatives and its authentic leaders, in my capacity as President of the national Assembly invested by the sovereign people and the exceptional circumstances of a major part, if not the whole of national sovereignty, I ask the strong force of the country of Haiti, all political sectors, civil society to observe a political truce that permits friendly and serene communication between all. In this, we have helped the Republic to quickly acquire the cardinal institution of the Presidency, in a climate of calm and deep patriotic reflection in the Union that gives strength, the union that has inflated our people palmares eager for freedom and dignity of the most sublime epics of human history. So we will be given the means to cross together, hand in hand, this space of time of failure of institutional languor and make the best choices for the future of the country that we will have installed in the political stability and social peace. Jocelerme PRIVERT President of the National Assembly" See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16565-haiti-flash-call-for-candidacy-for-the-position-of-president-of-the-republic-ai.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16543-haiti-flash-last-speech-to-the-nation-of-president-martelly.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16557-haiti-politic-towards-the-call-for-candidates-for-a-temporary-president.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16552-haiti-politic-first-speech-of-evans-paul-as-chief-of-the-executive.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16533-haiti-politic-the-details-of-the-agreement-from-a-to-z.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : Statement of Florida Senator Marco Rubio Following the announcement of the signing of a political agreement for a transitional government in Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16533-haiti-politic-the-details-of-the-agreement-from-a-to-z.html Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio declared " welcome Haitis announcement of a transition to an interim government, followed by elections in the very near future. It is my hope that this updated schedule will allow the people of Haiti to have the opportunity to freely elect new leadership, and also for allegations of corruption and fraud in the previous election round to be addressed. The United States along with the Organization of American States should assist Haiti's transitional government during the coming months to help ensure that the presidential election occurs as scheduled and is free and fair. I urge all political factions to unite behind the interim government, work together to implement this new transition and election schedule, and put their differences aside in the interest of a better future for the Haitian people. Anyone who is promoting violence or undermining Haitis stability during this period should be held accountable, including through punitive actions by the U.S. government such as visa bans. It is in America's interest to continue supporting the people of Haiti during this key time." HL/ HaitiLibre Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby. 15:19, 20 OCT 2022 les HR team are in an all-out war with opportunistic global hackers who are trying to strategically exploit employees to access troves of secure internal data. Business Insider has revealed hackers are propositioning employees with offers of significant amounts of money for their internal login details. The hackers are targeting Apple employees in Ireland, who have been offered up to 20,000 for their details according to an anonymous employee. "You'd be surprised how many people get on to us, just random Apple employees," the source told Business Insider. "You get emails offering you thousands [of euros] to get a password to get access to Apple. The source went on to say it would be possible to confidently sell Apple ID login information online for 20,000, or the equivalent of US$23,000. A former Apple employee agreed that hackers frequently contact Apple staff and offer them money to hand over login details or company information. "They look for someone who has jumped diagonally into a junior managerial position, so not a lifer working their way up, and not a lifer who has been there a long time," the former Ireland-based Apple employee said. Apples HR team have been forced to respond to the persistent overtures from hackers with their own internal program to strengthen security. Business Insider reports Apple has rolled out a scheme called Grow Your Own in response, though it was unclear how the program was designed. This is backed by tight security measures, with the source saying Apple is very, very careful and that it was very difficult for anyone to gain access. For example, the source said Apples remote workers in Ireland have difficulty accessing offices in Cork where thousands of Apple employees are based. The sources were unable to say what data hackers were after, though it could encompass individual user accounts, IP or corporate strategy data. new head of Australias peak science and research body is championing broad cultural change within the CSIRO and encouraging scientists to up-skill or move on.Dr Larry Marshall has been in the chief executive seat since 2015 and now faces the challenging task of revamping the organisation as the CSIRO focuses on its latest goal of mitigating climate change, and garnering the support of his workforce.Marshall told the ABC s Radio National that his organisation risked stagnating due to lower than average staff turnover and said redundancies and redeployments would make way for a new wave of talent.If you dont have a healthy turnover of people then you run the risk of becoming stagnant and thats our issue, Marshall told ABC radio.And many workers are being encouraged to pick up new digital skills or move on, as part of the CSIROs new strategy to inject fresh innovation into its workforce.Marshall says the organisational restructure would affect up to 350 staff and hit hardest in climate science areas.Under our new strategy we recognise that we need some new skills in the organisation that we dont have already, he says.In an interview with Fairfax Media, Marshall said a "renewal" of staff was necessary for the CSIRO to achieve its key goals of becoming more innovative, more impactful and aligning more closely with industry."Staff numbers will stay the same or go up slightly but in order to respond to the new strategy we realise that we need some people with different skills to the ones we already have," Marshall said.In a worst-case scenario Mr Marshall said 350 staff would be affected. "That's the sort of number of people who will have to adapt, not move on," he says. "It will be up to them and their abilities if they stay or go."Some push back is expected among CSIROs 5200 staff. "The reality is some people are really resistant to change and some people embrace it," Marshall says."It's always sad when people lose a job. That's always sad when people leave, but personally I think what's sadder is when someone stays but what they're doing isn't impactful anymore. It's very easy to fall into purgatory when it's just a grind."Barry Lehrer, founder and director of DiffuzeHR says push back is a common reality when organisations are faced with directional change.Garnering the support of the workforce when championing organisational change is critical for leaders, Lehrer told HC Online.If you dont have employee buy-in, then you dont have change, he says.Some new leaders feel pressure to achieve organisational change before fully understanding the depth of company culture, Lehrer says.If you come in and say I am going to change the culture, then employees will say why change it, Lehrer says.You will get push back as people feel its going to affect them, and natural instinct says this will affect me in a negative way.Leaders seeking to influence change in an organisation should take their time to first understand the depth of company culture by having frank and open discussions with their HR departments.Good HR managers should act as the conduit between management and staff to help the new management understand the existing culture and true machinations of how the company works.On the reverse side HR needs to be working with management to help staff understand where the company is going and get their feelings and feedback, Lehrer says.However if a company is heading in one direction and employees dont wish to follow, then the employee is ultimately the one to miss out, he says. HUS is always keen to test new technology and the impact on patient care that new technologies can have, said David Chan, Carestreams Global Product Line Manager, DMS. When this Carestream test trial was available, it was clear that HUS would be able to offer the large number of pre- and post trauma studies required for a meaningful trial. The Carestream extremity CBCT system captures low-dose, high-quality CT images for orthopaedic medicine, delivering pristine, 3D weight-bearing images at the point-of-care, not otherwise possible with traditional CT. During the research work, experienced radiologists at HUS will evaluate the image quality in bone structure, fractures and the level of metal artifacts. In addition, a medical physicist will contribute to the physical image and radiation exposure assessment. CBCT can be utilized as a low-dose 3D imaging method in both pre- and post-operative diagnostics, explained David Chan. New iterative image reconstruction helps to mitigate image artifacts caused by metallic implants that can typically be present in many orthopaedic cases. Thus, diagnostically relevant structures such as bone fractures of different size and shape, and joint surfaces, can be evaluated more clearly. We also expect to see improvements in the characterization of soft tissue. HUC (Helsinki University Central Hospital) is part of HUS (Helsinki-Uusimaa District), serving a population of one and a half million people around Helsinki and the surrounding area. It includes the largest trauma-imaging centre in Finland which specializes in the treatment and rehabilitation of trauma patients such as orthopaedic and traumatology, hand surgery, plastic surgery and neurosurgery, carrying out some 90, 000 operations each year at HUS region. Source: Carestream Niinisto responded to the question on Facebook already on Sunday, but his response was not picked up by Verkkouutiset until two days later. President Sauli Niinisto has responded to a question from a citizen about the merriment the speech he delivered at the opening ceremony of the new parliamentary session on 3 February has aroused among the far-right circles of Finland. MTV has reported that quite a few approved of my speech, are probably familiar with it. My speech was misrepresented rather notably. For example, it was interpreted that I was proposing that Finland close its borders and violate agreements. That I did not do. Those who castigated my speech and I hope you are not one of them received a lot of publicity, but they did not even begin to comprehend that their misrepresentations may have reinvigorated this extreme, he wrote. The President had previously refrained from commenting on the reactions stirred up by his speech, although he did underscore in an interview with YLE that he never proposed that Finland violate international agreements. By misrepresentations, Niinisto is presumably referring to the harsh criticism his speech has received from, for example, some members of the opposition. His speech has also received widespread support, especially from those opposing immigration. Laura Huhtasaari (PS) referred to the speech while asking the Government on Friday whether the time is finally right for Finland to abrogate the right of asylum. The right of asylum, she argued, was never designed to be applied to tens or hundreds of thousands of migrants. The President will not comment on the matter further, one of his spokespersons said to Uusi Suomi on Monday. Erkki Tuomioja (SDP), a former Minister for Foreign Affairs, commented on Facebook on Monday that he wants to believe President Niinisto is deeply irritated by the objectives for which his speech has been employed. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Antti Aimo-Koivisto Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi He estimates that the nation has previously defined itself based on its unwavering faith in education in that such a small nation can only find success through a high level of education; in strong work ethos in that diligence and perseverance will guarantee well-being and income stability; and in equality. Finns have been drawn into a struggle to re-define their national identity while the country is preparing to commemorate the centennial of its independence in 2017, gauges Markku Kangaspuro, the director of research at the Aleksanteri Institute. We're now being told that this is no longer possible. A major shift has taken place in the rhetoric of how we describe Finnishness, he states. Kangaspuro identifies two distinct discourses in the public debate that seek to re-define Finnishness. One mainstream option is what I'd label a school of Social Darwinism, that we should widen the income gap. We can no longer afford the Nordic [welfare] society and have to give it up. The universal rights of the welfare state no longer belong to everyone, nor is it the obligation of the country to offer them, he analyses. Another discourse to emerge from the rumbling debate about immigration is to deny the equality of people and place them on an unequal footing based on their religion or country of origin. Economic arguments are one way to justify this. We can no longer afford to treat everyone equally because the economy is in dire straits, our citizens and the welfare system are in danger, and we're pouring money into Greece. It's quite harsh, says Kangaspuro. He reminds that the debate about the definition of Finnishness is not, as such, exceptional or surprising but a rather natural consequence of the prevalent circumstances in Finland. We're no longer a country that exports high technology with Nokia, the forest industry and metals industry as the bedrocks of our economy. We're mired in recession. We wanted to believe the euro would create economic stability. We've characteristically wanted to be at the core of Europe, a member of the eurozone, more European than the Europeans, he explains. What I mean by social crisis are the record-long lines for food aid meandering across Helsinki, the increase in deprivation and poverty. It's true in this respect that the welfare state is crumbling []. We're no longer debating what kind of social reforms to implement but where to cut spending, he continues. As the debate rumbles on, another one is brewing about the position of Finland in Europe and the European Union, according to Kangaspuro. Finland set its sights on the core of Europe in the late 1990s and later on the eurozone, but recently the rationale behind the pursuit has been called into question. Kangaspuro estimates that the failure to deliver on economic promises has made it possible to challenge the European concepts of democracy and human rights. Finland has also found itself unusually at odds with Russia due to the crisis in Ukraine. The Ukraine crisis is sort of a concrete sign of us ending up on the opposite side of the front-line with Russia for the first time since World War II. It has created confusion about what to do in our situation. We approved of the sanctions and, as part of the EU, have appealed to Russia, but we still have to live with Russia. We have a long and successful history of coping with Russia with its various rulers but one of the basic settings changed after the crisis in Ukraine and complicated the situation, Kangaspuro says. It seems to culminate primarily in the question of military alignment and Nato. What kind of consequences should the changes in our situation have for security policy-making? This clearly calls for a thorough debate. It is my opinion that we've lost our way on several issues, concludes Kangaspuro. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi Armed gardai from the forces Emergency Response Unit on patrol in the north inner city. Photo: PA Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan has claimed gardai cannot be deployed at all sporting events "just because criminals may be there". Commissioner O'Sullivan, who is under major pressure to get a handle on gangland warfare, yesterday defended the response of gardai as they investigated two murders in four days. She said there was no "viable intelligence" to suggest Friday's horrific attack at the Regency Hotel was imminent. Undercover "There was no specific intelligence indicating any threat last Friday at the Regency Hotel," she said. "I think it's also important to say that gardai are deployed on intelligence and risk assessed. We also have to be very careful how we divide hours of An Garda Siochana. "Last Friday was a sporting event and we cannot have An Garda Siochana going to every single event just because criminals may be there." While four undercover staff reporters from the Herald and Sunday World were at the event at hotel on Friday, gardai have been criticised for not being present. When asked why gardai were unable to prevent Monday night's murder on Poplar Row - despite the rolling checkpoints across the city - the garda chief said: "Sometimes people are determined to carry out a terrible atrocity or a murder such as happened, if they have the intent and will to do it. "Unfortunately, the reality is that it's very difficult to prevent every single crime and what we attempt to do is mitigate these crimes as best we can." Justice Minister Francis Fitzgerald yesterday announced 5m will be provided for a permanent armed response unit in Dublin - which was already flagged last month. She launched a staunch defence of gardai and rejected accusations that intelligence failures preceded the murders of David Byrne and Eddie Hutch. "I would be concerned at any intelligence failing, of course. But what I would say is gardai did not have intelligence in relation to it," Ms Fitzgerald said. She confirmed that gardai will examine why some 999 calls went unanswered. Gardai at the scene as the search begins for the body parts of Kenneth OBrien Dozens of gardai have been involved in the search of a landfill in a major operation linked to the murder of Kenneth O'Brien. It is understood that officers in Wicklow were yesterday searching for remaining body parts of the 33-year-old, whose butchered body was found in the Grand Canal in Co Kildare last month. Gardai entered the dump at Ballynagran, just off the M11, west of Wicklow town, shortly after 9am yesterday and spent the day searching the large site. Links A father and son remained in garda custody for a fifth night last night as officers continued to search a sealed-off house in Finglas as part of the investigation. Members of the garda technical bureau have also been involved in the detailed search of the house after the arrest of the men on Saturday morning. The duo, who were not previously known to officers for involvement in serious crime, are being held at Leixlip and Naas garda stations. An imitation firearm and fake grenade were recovered by officers during the search and gardai have been investigating whether the men have links to dissident Republicanism. It is understood that the younger of the arrested men has given gardai a detailed statement, and sources said that detectives are now checking out the credibility of the details that he has given. It has been established that the father and son knew Mr O'Brien and they became "persons of interest" in the case over a week ago and had been under surveillance before their arrests. The younger man was arrested in Finglas at around 4am on Saturday while his dad was picked up a few hours later. Mr O'Brien (33), originally from Ballyfermot in Dublin, was fatally shot once in the head before his dismembered torso was found in a suitcase in the Grand Canal at Ardclough in Co Kildare on January 16. Additional body parts were later found in the canal near Sallins, Co Kildare. He had lived in Clondalkin, west Dublin, with his partner and young child. Gardai believed that the 33-year-old was shot dead within hours of leaving his Clondalkin home on Friday, January 15. It is understood that the victim had been either laundering cash for a crime gang or providing them with money when a dispute broke out, which led to his death. After being shot in the head, Mr O' Brien's killers used a chainsaw to cut up his body before it was scattered in different locations in bags in the Grand Canal. The Kinahan cartel's number one target, Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, is back in Dublin - but keeping an extremely low profile, the Herald can reveal. The fact that Hutch has left his base in Lanzarote to return to the capital has increased tensions in the murderous feud between associates of his nephew Gary and the Christy Kinahan cartel. It is believed that 'The Monk' (52) was in Dublin when his older brother Eddie (59) was shot dead at his home in Poplar Row, in the north inner city, on Monday evening. He is understood to be completely shocked by the slaying. The development comes as heavily-armed members of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) patrolled streets in the north and south inner city all day yesterday. Shocked Armed officers, who privately admitted they have been shocked by events since Friday, are monitoring key players aligned to both the Hutch and Kinahan gangs. It is understood that up to 40 key criminals are under surveillance by gardai. In recent months many have been warned their lives are under threat. Checkpoints continued last night at various locations amid fears that the bloody feud come claim a third life within a week. Eddie, considered a "soft target", was shot dead on the orders of the cartel in revenge for Friday's murder of David Byrne in a Drumcondra hotel - an attack he had no involvement in. "Eddie was killed to get at his brother. It is simple as that. That man had no involvement in organised crime and his killers knew that," a source told the Herald last night. A massive investigation into the murder is being carried out by gardai at Mountjoy Garda Station and specialist garda units who are attempting to identify the four-man hit team that carried out the ruthless shooting. Sources said gardai are investigating a number of possible suspects for the murder of the taxi man, including Cabra-based criminals suspected of the gun murder of Darren Kearns in December. Also being investigated is a notorious hitman who twice tried to murder exiled crime lord John Gilligan. All these criminals have close links to the Kinahan cartel. It is understood that a very close Crumlin- based associate of Byrne put up 25,000 to avenge his murder in the Regency Hotel. Daniel Kinahan - the son of drugs boss Christy - was also an intended target of the hotel shooting. Eddie Hutch was hit multiple times by two gunmen who shot through the door of his house at around 7.40pm on Monday, before they finally murdered him in his sitting room. The killers escaped in a silver BMW, but failed to burn out the car at St Patrick's Parade before leaving in a dark-coloured 4x4, possibly an Isuzu or Land Cruiser. As gardai probe the murder of Eddie Hutch, a massive investigation is ongoing into the hotel murder of Byrne (34). None of the guns used in the hotel shooting have been recovered and gardai are "especially concerned" that the two AK-47 assault rifles are still in "circulation". Investigations have also established that the three men shot in Friday's attack were hit by bullets from the AK-47s, rather than the handguns brandished by at least two of the hit team. The deadly feud between the Christy Kinahan cartel and associates of Gary Hutch started when Gary was shot dead in Spain last September. After months of simmering underworld tension, the feud exploded when a north inner city gang connected to Gary Hutch opened fire in the Regency Hotel. The cartel held a war council in a south inner city pub over the weekend and struck back quickly. Despite a massive garda presence in the city they murdered Eddie Hutch in Monday's revenge attack. Yesterday, it emerged that just hours after Hutch was murdered, gardai arrested 'Fat' Freddie Thompson and his cousin Liam Roe after a short car chase that started in Crumlin and ended in Cork Street. Thompson had his clothes seized by gardai after they spotted blood on his tracksuit and runners. It is understood that 'Fat' Freddie was "keeping his head down" last night. Assistant Commissioner Jack Nolan would not say if any members of the Hutch family were told if their lives were in danger prior to the shooting of Eddie Hutch. "That's not an avenue I'd like to go down at this point in time," he said, adding that gardai "had no specific intelligence" that Eddie Hutch was at risk. Michael P Foley was born in Edenderry in 1893. Growing up he showed promise as an artist but left Co Offaly for Dublin in 1912 to seek employment. At the time of The Rising he was working as a barman in O'Byrne's pub on Talbot Street. At noon on Easter Monday he walked from his place of work to report for duty at the GPO. A member of the Irish Volunteers, Michael had joined D Company, 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade, and was attached to the GPO garrison under commanding officer The O'Rahilly. He was assigned to serve with men from Maynooth including Domhnall Ua Buachalla, who would later serve as Ireland's last Governor General. One incident Michael later spoke of occurred two days later, when he was relieved from duty at a window position, to get a cup of tea, by Capt Thomas Weafer. A few minutes later he was told that Weafer had been shot by an enemy sniper. Wounded After remaining at the GPO during the week Michael followed O'Rahilly during the evacuation on Friday. He later saw The O'Rahilly fall mortally wounded on Sackville Lane. Following the surrender Michael was captured and interned in Knutsford Prison, Wormsford Scrubs, and Frongoch interment camp. Michael's family was later sent a letter from Michael Collins in Frongoch saying he had taken Michael under his wing and would look after him. The close association between the two men later led Foley to work undercover and report directly to Collins in the War of Independence. After his release from Frongoch Michael returned to Edenderry to organize the IRA there. He married and had a son. He later worked as a member of the clerical staff in the Four Courts. Michael Foley died in July 1960. Details submitted by Gerry Foley (nephew) During the 1916 Rebellion in Dublin, 128 members of the Crown forces, three members of the police and 67 insurgents lost their lives. The largest number of casualties, however, was among the civilian population, with more than 400 residents killed in the fighting. Subsequent lists of people interred cite 254 buried in Glasnevin, 29 in Mount Jerome and 49 in Deansgrange cemeteries. Only 37 of the 49 bodies interred in Deansgrange could be identified and 20 additional unidentified bodies were interred in Glasnevin. These figures included some combatants but, given the confusion of Easter Week, the poverty of the inner-city, and the ferocity of the fires on Sackville Street, these figures may underestimate civilian deaths. Injuries Injuries due to the Rebellion were far higher and over 1,700 civilians were admitted to hospital in Dublin. Citizens of all classes lost their lives, but deaths were concentrated in the working class districts of the north inner city - the area between the environs of modern day O'Connell Street and west to Smithfield Square. It was this area that sustained the most physical destruction of property due to the military's bombardment of the city centre. Intense fighting in the Four Courts area also resulted in high civilian casualties, and military atrocities were carried out in the district during the Friday and Saturday of Easter Week. The 'difficulty' in distinguishing between civilians and rebels was retrospectively highlighted as justification for the deaths of civilians by officers of the Crown Forces. To explain the high level of civilian casualties one needs to examine the background and conduct of the two British regiments sent to Ireland to subdue the Rebellion - the Sherwood Foresters and the South Staffordshire Regiment. Captain Archibald Dickson of the Sherwood Foresters recalled that during the fighting, "we had to sort out friends from enemies as we reached the houses". Lieutenant Colonel Taylor of the South Staffordshire Regiment was in charge of the occupation of houses in the North King Street area when 13 unarmed civilians were shot dead by the military. He subsequently claimed: "My men were fired at and fired back, and any persons in upper rooms of houses, civilians or soldiers, might easily have been shot in that way". There is very limited validity in the argument that the military could not distinguish civilians from fighters during the Rebellion. Several factors need to be taken into consideration, including the poor training of conscripts fighting with the Crown Forces and their subsequent lack of discipline. Captain Gerrard of 5th Division, South Staffordshires, subsequently highlighted the ineptitude and lack of training that characterised the Sherwood Foresters. "One of my sentries in Beggars Bush Barracks...said to me, 'I beg your pardon, Sir, I have just shot two girls'. I said, 'What on earth did you do that for'. He said, 'I thought they were rebels. I was told they dressed in all classes of attire'." Shock Their posting to Ireland had come as a shock to the Crown Forces. Colonel Vale later commented: "In the early morning of the 25th the 176 Staffordshire Brigade were marching to Berhamstead anticipating a move to France. "It was not until the town was reached that newspaper posters of a rebellion in Dublin indicated to the troops that Ireland was a possibility." Even when they arrived in Dublin, many of the men believed that they were in France. The facts surrounding civilian deaths remain unclear and disputed but the ill discipline of the Crown Forces, their obvious contempt for safety of the residents of the city and their limited interest in differentiating between rebel insurgents and innocent civilians lie at the heart of the issue. Military inquiries were later conducted only in high profile cases. For the vast majority of the civilian casualties, there was no legal recourse, no verified accounts of killings and the victims were buried in haste. Not for the last time, the British military in Ireland were content to punish the civilian population for the actions of republican insurgents and ordinary people were treated as mere collateral. Dr Conor McNamara is 1916 Scholar-in-Residence at NUI Galway Hagerstown man found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in 2021 shooting Hagerstown resident Gage J. Coles was convicted Thursday in the October 2021 shooting death of John A. Leonard IV and the shooting of Jaseye Stephens. This weekend might be the last warm one we have in awhile local The Indian Constitution set out to encapsulate the hopes, aspirations and ideals of the people following independence in 1947. It focuses on the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The UAE, in its Constitution of 1971 and through the words and deeds of our founding father Sheikh Zayed, was also founded on progressive principles, placing peace, prosperity, stability, tolerance and unity at the heart of our relations with other nations and cultures. When His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, these two partners will reflect on shared values while considering the rich past and vast potential of this deep strategic relationship. Mumbai, then Bombay, once served as the UAEs primary gateway to India, a three-day boat trip across the Arabian Sea and a springboard for learning, medical treatment and opportunity to the East. In many ways it was the UAEs window to the world. This stretch of water was the focus of our partnership, driving trade of textiles, food and gems, not to mention cultural and linguistic exchange. Pearling, a key driver of our economy before the discovery of oil, was dependent on Indias access to international markets. Today, the UAE has emerged as a hub connecting the Indian Ocean region to other parts of the world thanks to the governments commitment to creating a leading business, industrial and transportation hub, driving regional connectivity and opportunity. While some of those traditional goods still make up part of our powerful trade relationship, the fact that it is today worth in excess of $59 billion per year demonstrates that the UAE-India economic ties continues to grow in step with the development of our two nations. Supported by a range of dynamic economic initiatives driven by the Modi government, which have paved the way for the countrys future growth, Emirati investment in India is now valued at almost $10 billion. This visit is expected to help further increase investment and overall trade figures once again. Our mutual ambitions for our bilateral partnership are truly strategic. And although India is already the UAEs largest trading partner and we are Indias third-largest we have an ambitious five-year, 60% bilateral trade growth target, which demonstrates the mutual confidence each country places on the others future and our shared commitment to elevate our partnership to new heights. This growth will be driven by collaboration in sectors of mutual interest and opportunity for our two nations such as energy, aerospace, technology and infrastructure. In particular, advanced technology and manufacturing are clear areas where the partnership between Indian and Emirati businesses can drive global opportunities. There are many examples of where this is already happening. An example is Invecas, the Hyderabad and Bengaluru based semiconductor intellectual property and design business, which has established a successful partnership with GlobalFoundries, the Abu Dhabi owned manufacturing business with operations in the US, Germany and Singapore. Business aside, we must not forget the human ties that connect us, from the significant cultural contribution Indian expats have and will continue to make to UAE society, to a shared affection for Bollywood films that have seen the UAE emerge as a leading filming location for major Indian productions. Built upon strong cultural, trade and historical foundations, the UAE and India now have a solid platform to elevate this relationship to the next level. This means increased dialogue and cooperation on issues such as regional security. This is an area of strong bilateral cooperation already, but opportunities still remain to work more closely together on a range of security issues, particularly counter-terrorism, maritime and cyber security, and also reaffirm our mutual respect for the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference. India and the UAE also recognise climate change as a serious global challenge and see the development of sustainable energy sources as a shared strategic priority. This will be driven through partnerships at government, private, civil and academic levels. As we look ahead, and create a roadmap for deepening cooperation on these and other issues of global importance, what will the successful expansion of our deep-rooted, value-based strategic partnership look like? I believe success will take many forms greater regional security and stability, partnership in sustainable energy and advanced technology, empowerment of women, more flights between the UAE and India, more academic and cultural exchanges and increased economic prosperity. We look at the journey ahead with great optimism. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed is minister of foreign affairs, UAE The views expressed are personal She entered Bollywood in 2007 with the film, Saawariya. And although she is Anil Kapoors daughter, Sonam Kapoor has made a mark in the industry on her own merit. In a candid conversation, the actor talks about her eight-year-old career in B-Town, her personal life, and more. Recently, you said that you and the makers of Neerja arent selling the film. We arent marketing the film in the traditional way. The effort is to make it clean and pure. When you are market a film like a product, it becomes a product. I honestly feel that this film is more than that. We want everyone to know who she (late Neerja Bhanot) was, so that people get inspired to become heroes. We wanted to celebrate who she was. Watch: Sonam Kapoor in Neerja trailer How do you look back at your journey in Bollywood? I have just been myself. I feel you have to live your life with a lot of dignity. I have never compromised on what I believe in. I have never let my personal life get in the way of my professional sphere. My personal life has never defined my work. I am extremely happy with where I have reached in my eight years in the industry. Read: People will always have an opinion of you, says Sonam Kapoor Read: I am completely fearless, says Sonam Kapoor What have been your biggest learnings? I have grown as an artiste and as a human being with every film. I have made some amazing friends, and met some great directors. Also, my biggest learning has been understanding the space the audience likes me in. Be it Raanjhanaa (2013), Delhi-6 (2009), Khoobsurat (2014) or Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), I have played very real characters in them. I have learnt that when I play real parts, instead of being a glam doll, my films do well. Maybe because my life is such a fairy tale, God wants me to be grounded when I play my characters (smiles). Sonam Kapoor plays Neerja Bhanot, air hostess in her upcoming film. (Facebook/SonamKapoor) Your father says that your time in Bollywood has started now When you want a stable footing, you have to build relationships and hone your craft. I am not in a hurry to reach anywhere, because this will be my job for the rest of my life. It is about taking it slow and understanding that you are here to stay. I never came into the industry saying I want to be a heroine; I wanted to be an actor. Read: I dont repeat myself because thats boring, says Sonam Kapoor Read: Sonam doesnt want to work with me, says Anil Kapoor Do you feel you are starting to move out of your fathers shadow? Not too much grows under a banyan tree. Eventually, you need to shine so bright that your shadow grows too. Making your own identity is a slow process. You have to be very hard-working. You cant be complacent. Your personal life isnt in the news at all... Its because I never talk about my personal life. And the media is fed up (laughs). They know that I wont talk. No one even asks me about my personal life anymore. When I came into the industry, I decided that I will ensure that my dignity is intact. I am not interested in married men or men who are in a relationship, because I feel, at the end of the day, I cant do that to any woman. Unfortunately, in the industry, where I spend all my time, most men are either in relationships or are married. You need to have a set of principles. Read: I work for the craft not awards, says Sonam Kapoor Read: Racism, intolerance not specific to India, says Sonam Your father, Anil Kapoor, is a big name in the industry. Was it difficult to create a separate identity for yourself? You have to take it as a challenge. Instead of getting bogged down, you should be like, I will work harder so that I dont let my family down. Thats what Hrithik (Roshan) also did. He kept working hard and bettering himself. Its the only way forward. Thats why I respect Hrithik so much; he gives his 500%. He is passionate about his work, and I respect it. Shahid (Kapoor) is also extremely hard-working, and one of the best people in the industry. He is eccentric and idealistic and very sincere. Do you feel you have created a separate niche for yourself? I hope so. I like my name being attached to my father. Thats why my name will always be Sonam Anil Kapoor or Sonam A Kapoor. I am proud of the fact that I am my fathers daughter not because of the kind of actor or star he is, but due to the kind of parent he has been to me. Sonam and Anil Kapoor at their Juhu residence in Mumbai. (HT) Your appearance in the Coldplay video has come under the scanner. Kuch toh log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna (people will talk; its their job to talk). I did the video as a Coldplay fan. I was about 14-15 years old when they became famous. I used to listen to them non-stop when I was in high school. I am a crazy fan. When their reps called me, they said, We know that you are a fan, and who you are. So I was like, Really? They know who I am? I will walk across the frame for Coldplay. Any particular roles or films that you get attracted to? I like to work on films that challenge me. The role has to be different and more challenging than the ones I have done before. I have to work like that, or else I will stagnate as a person. This film was more personal because I met Neerjas family, and got to know them. She was a real person, so that connection was different. Since Neerja was a real life person that responsibility and pressure was different. Have you set a deadline to continue working in the industry? I am going to be in the industry as an actor, director or writer till I dont know. Come what may, I have to be in the industry, for sure. I love acting and film-making a bit too much (smiles). Its the only thing I know. Follow @htshowbiz for more. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON If you loved Vidya Balan-starrer thriller Kahani then this news will please you as the 2012 hit film is getting a sequel. Yes, Kahaani 2 is happening. It is in pre-production stage. Vidya Balan will star in the film. Major parts of the film will be shot in Kolkata, said director Sujoy Ghosh in a recent interview. Read: Women are breaking stereotypes, says Vidya Balan Read: Vidya Balan hospitalised for suspected kidney stones The original flick starred the 38-year-old actor as a pregnant protagonist in search of her missing husband. Balan will next be seen making a special appearance in Ribhu Dasguptas T3EN, which also stars Amitabh Bachchan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Follow @htshowbiz for more. The Delhi High Court on Wednesday set aside the order of a trial court asking the CBI to give the AAP government documents it had seized in a raid at the office of Rajendra Kumar, principal secretary to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Justice PS Teji said the CBIs reason to retain documents seized during the raid on December 15 was justified. Teji said the observations made by the trial court against CBI was irrelevant and illogical as the matter was being probed by the agency. The CBI had challenged the trial courts order directing the probe agency to release some of the seized documents. The Aam Aadmi Party government had told the court that the CBI was trying to give political colour to the raid and that the agency acted under political pressure to indiscriminately seize the documents. The CBI, however, said the documents seized from Kumars office prima facie reflect criminal conspiracy and criminal misconduct and abuse of official position by the accused people. The agency, while defending the seizure of the documents, told the courts that it had followed procedure while investigating corruption charges against Kumar. Over the weekend, I met an old friend who is a government contractor. When I asked him how his business was doing, he said rather wryly, Anywhere you go, you get only 60%. Forty per cent has to be divided between the ministers, government officials, even the clerks who just take printouts of your documents that need to go into the file. Otherwise they stall everything. Then anticipating the next question he said, Congress or BJP, they are all the same. Unhone bhee bharpoor khaaya, yeh log abhi abhi naye naye bhooke aaye hain! I did not challenge that perception because there were already scams in Maharashtra since the new dispensation came to power Pankaja Munde in the chikki scam, the fire tender scam of Vinod Tawde for another. But these are modest compared to the scams of the previous Congress-NCP government. The biggest undoubtedly has to be the Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam allegedly involving former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, a nephew of Sharad Pawar. So when the BJPs Kirit Somaiya crowed , We have done it! after the Enforcement Directorate arrested former NCP MP Sameer Bhujbal last week for financial irregularities, I was not impressed. Who is Sameer Bhujbal but for being the nephew of Chhagan Bhujbal? And who is Chhagan Bhujbal if not a protege of Sharad Pawar? But Pawar has never been caught and perhaps never will be with his hand in the till. As for Ajit Pawar, never mind the growing disharmony in the Pawar clan, the mighty uncle was pulling strings with the UPA during the Congress-NCP reign on behalf of his nephew and a white paper that should have clearly brought out the details of the scam ended up as a whitewash. Sameer Bhujbals arrest now indicates a similar exercise is underway behind the scenes between Pawar and the NDA. Even the Maharashtra governors sanction to the CBI to prosecute former chief minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh scam smacks of a deal. The BJP came to power in Maharashtra on the promise of taking action against the corrupt ministers in the Congress-NCP government but when was Chavan, already fighting a case in the courts, a part of that government? And Sameer Bhujbal was neither. Both are just small fry compared to Ajit Pawar who was part of the government for 15 years and at times more powerful than reigning chief ministers. Bhujbal and Chavan have thus been thrown to the wolves so that the current government can be seen to be taking action against corruption while letting the big fish get away. A very clever game is thus underway with Sharad Pawar is once again proving to be the master puppeteer. Bringing down Bhujbal helps him to get rid of a thorn in his side for on his own Pawar will never be able to cut an OBC leader of Bhujbals stature down to size and still hope to keep the substantial vote of this sector. Targeting Chavan was to be expected for he is the only one that kept the Congress flag flying during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and continues to be the partys only hope in Maharashtra, considering they are completely out of grassroots leaders who are both charismatic and good campaigners. So as my government contractor friend said they will never be able to get the big fish. These are all just chindi chors in our parlance, he told me. The big ones are beyond reach.And likely to stay out of reach forever. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Two-wheelers will continue to be exempt from the odd-even restriction that is set to return in April. According to sources, the government is keen on exempting women as well because of security concerns but as since a large number of people in the feedback exercise had opposed it, the jury is still out. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will disclose the findings from the feedback and the new date as well as the modalities of the restriction on Thursday. According to sources, there is a chance that the list of VIPs excluded from the rule may see some crunching. At feedback meetings held by MLAs, people had voted unanimously against giving any exemption to VIPs. Read | Odd-even may be back in April with public support The Delhi government will take a decision on the future of the odd-even vehicular restriction scheme on which a report is being prepared today (Wednesday) on the basis of a referendum, Delhi transport minister Gopal Rai tweeted. After over 2 lakh people sent in their suggestions and the Delhi government contacted another 10 lakh for feedback, it is certain that the odd-even restriction will be back for another stint. Read | Odd-even cant be implemented permanently, clarifies Kejriwal The odd-even formula saw cars with registration numbers ending in even digits off Delhi roads on even dates and vice versa. Two wheelers, women, VIPs and differently-abled were exempt from the rule. Over the course of the past 15 days, the Delhi government received 1,82,808 missed calls to give feedback on the odd-even restriction. In addition, 28,400 forms were filled online and 9,000 emails were sent. The Delhi governments transport department made calls to 10 lakh people to collect feedback. Feedback collection came to a close at 6pm on Monday. After a 15-day trial of the odd-even between January 1 and January 15, the Delhi government had claimed massive support from Delhiites and said it would look at reintroducing the restriction. Read | People dying of pollution; why challenge Delhis odd-even: SC More than one lakh municipal workers in the national capital have been on an indefinite strike since January 27, seeking immediate release of funds for their salaries and arrears. Even as the municipal employees temporarily resumed their duties on Monday afternoon after a 13 day long stir, they are likely to take the final call on the strike on Wednesday after the high court hearing. Heres a list of everything that you need to know about the row: What happened? 1. More than 1.3 lakh municipal employees went on a strike from January 27, including sanitation employees, doctors, teachers, engineers and administration staff. 2. Municipal services came to a standstill, continuous protests, processions and demonstrations, traffic snarls as workers block major intersections. Why the indefinite strike? 3. The Municipal workers had not received salaries for over than three months, arrears of the sanitation employees pending since 2002. 4. This was the fourth time that salaries had been delayed for over two months. Read: Garbage crisis: MCD workers end strike after Delhi HC intervenes The impact 5. Garbage piled up on streets (10,000 ton produced daily, alteast half remained unattended). 6. Students left without teachers, midday meal affected (More than 12 lakh students in 1860 schools left without teachers). 7. No one to treat patients at seven hospitals and 500 polyclinics/dispensaries. Nearly 2,000 consulting doctors, 5,000 resident doctors and 13,000 nurses from all municipal hospitals took part in the protest. (Arvind Yadav/HT) 8. Issuing of birth/death certificates affected (Required for driving license, passport, college/school admission). Rescue 9. CM Arvind Kejriwal and LG Najeeb Jung allocated Rs 1000 crore to Corporations. 10. Several unions of doctors, engineers and teachers call-off strike after assurance of salary payment by municipal administration. Read: MCD workers may return to strike if solution not found by Wednesday 11. High court orders unions to call-off strike as salaries are paid, assures employees that other grievances will be heard. What to expect? 12. High court to hear municipal employees for a permanent solution. 13. Employees may order the employees to return and order the officials to look for a permanent solution for reoccurring financial crisis. 14. High Court may also ask the corporation to look into re-unification of the corporation. 15. If the employees once again call for a strike, the services are likely to be hit again. Her threats scared me. I just wanted her to shut up, Naveen Khatri, arrested for allegedly murdering his girlfriend Arzoo Singh, said in his statement to the police. He described as seemingly endless and the most terrifying the 15 hours during which he killed her, drove the body home, wrapped it to make it seem like a bedding, pushed it down the shaft and sat beside it for hours thinking of ways to dump it. In those 15 hours starting from 3pm in the afternoon, Khatri allegedly gagged his girlfriend using her hand bag after she threatened him of showing up at his wedding venue. As he gagged her using the bag, she started spouting blood, which scared him further. Then he took her dupatta and strangled her. Suddenly it was all quiet. She lay motionless. I did not know what to do, he said in his statement. Cleaned her face Khatri then cleaned her face using a tissue paper in his car, threw her bag that had spots of blood, adjusted her dupatta and placed her in seating position right next to him. He put a seating belt around the body so that it doesnt fall and drove to Rajpura. I could not think of any means to get rid of the body. All that came to my mind was drive home, he told the police. Khatri even crossed a police picket on the way, with the dead body beside him but he kept his calm. Made body appear like bedding A few kilometres away from his home, Khatri shifted the body to the boot. After reaching home he waited for the night to fall. Late at night, he arranged six bed sheets and a thin mattress to wrap the body and went to his car. He drove his car to a nearby area and wrapped the body. He then put it back in the boot and again drove home. He then sought help from a labourer who was draping tents in the area to help him take it to his room. When the labourer asked why is the bedding so heavy, Naveen dodged the question. The labourer helped him carry the body to his room after which he left, sources said. Sat beside body, cried It was 5am. Khatri locked his room and sat beside the body for over two hours, crying. I thought about several ways to dump it but could not think of anything, he told the police. Around 7:30 am when his family members woke up, he panicked. He had a body right in front of him. He did not know what to do with it. One of his cousins knocked on the door asking him to wake up, while he sat with the body inside the room. He planned to put the body inside the shaft for the time being, sources said. After dropping the body inside the shaft, Khatri then locked his room from outside and left with the keys. That day he did not let anyone enter his room. Dead rat in room Naveen did not go to his room for three days. He told his relatives that he would sleep in another room as there is lot of stuff lying around in his room. On the third day, when Naveens newly-wed wife entered the room, she smelled the stench. When she told Khatri about it, he said she should not have gone to the room passed off the stench as that of a dead rat. I could not sleep for all these days. I could not eat. Knowing that there is a body in the shaft. Maybe I was just waiting for someone to find out, he told the police. On December 19, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi, treasurer Motilal Vora, senior leader Oscar Fernandes, and two friends of the Gandhi family, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda, appeared before a judge of the Delhi District Court to answer to the charge of having cheated and misappropriated funds to the tune of Rs 90.25 crore, to acquire the ownership of a defunct daily newspaper, the National Herald. Their arraignment had all the makings of a nautanki: Large contingents from both the BJP and the Congress besieged the premises and shouted slogans at each other. Surrounded by a swarm of security police, the Gandhis and other accused entered the courthouse at 2.47pm. With them, to furnish bail for Sonia, came Manmohan Singh, the former prime minister of India. The magistrate took up the case at 3pm; the accused were granted unconditional bail; another date was set for February 20. They walked out of the courtroom at 3.05. Both sides declared it a victory. In the excitement no one paused to ask whether Subramaniam Swamys petition should have been admitted by the district court and the admission affirmed by the high court, in the first place. For a cursory examination shows that there was not even a shred of justification for admitting it, and that it is Swamy, not the Gandhis, who should be in the dock for framing false and malicious charges and wasting the courts precious time. As president of the Congress, Sonia Gandhi has every right to revive the National Herald, for the paper had been founded by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1937 with the express purpose of reflecting the policy and principles of the Indian National Congress. It got off to a flying start in 1937 but never fully recovered from the blow it received when the British banned it in 1942 for supporting the Quit India Movement. By the time the ban was lifted in 1945, the British were on their way out and Pandit Nehru and other senior leaders, who used to write for it regularly before 1942, were preoccupied with the transition. The death blow came when, in the mid-seventies, other large publications began to underprice their newspapers and make good the loss by increasing their revenues from advertising. Within a decade this had forced scores of independent newspapers all over the country to close down. From then on the National Herald became entirely dependent on annual handouts from the Congress party. In 2008, when these losses had mounted to Rs 50 crore, Sonia Gandhi decided to call it a day and shut down the paper. Provident fund, voluntary retirement, and other minor closure raised the figure to Rs 90.25 crore. By this time, almost every other political party in the country had its own newspaper or channel. So, in 2012, the Congress decided to revive the National Herald. Given the value of brand recognition, this made sense, but the National Herald was technically owned by Associated Journals Limited (AJL), an unlisted company set up under a 1913 Act with GD Birla, several Tata trusts and a number of well-wishers were among its shareholders. And AJL could not raise a paisa as it had an ocean of debt on its balance sheet. The normal way of reviving a company in this condition, that scores of Indias largest firms are taking today, is to convert all or a part of its debt into equity shares and sell these at a discount to those willing to gamble on its recovery. Freed of the burden of interest payments the company regains the capacity to borrow money and launch a new business plan. This is the route the Congress decided to take. To take over AJLs debt it formed a new company called Young Indian in which the Gandhis and their co-accused were the principal shareholders. And to ensure that future profits, if any, went to the organisation and not the shareholders, they made Young Indian a not-for-profit company under Section 25 (a) of the Companies Act. To appreciate how scrupulous the Congress leaders have been one needs to compare this with the manner in which Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani bailed out Raghav Bahls TV-18 and Network-18 media companies. In September 2011, Bahls companies had run up a debt of Rs 2,116 crore. To repay this and finance expansion Bahl floated a whopping rights share issue of Rs 4,000 crore. To maintain his controlling stake in the two companies he had to buy Rs 1,700 crore worth of the shares. This was provided to him by Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Industries through a specially created corporate entity, the Independent Media Trust, which purchased optionally convertible debentures (OCDs) in TV and Network 18. Two years later, on May 27, 2014, giving Bahl only three days notice, Reliance converted the OCDs into shares and took over both companies. Reliance has also bought out Eenadu TV with its 50 vernacular channels, and given a personal loan of Rs 403.85 crore to Radhika and Prannoy Roy, the founder-owners of NDTV. These, and other corporate acquisitions of debt-ridden media companies, have significantly shrunk the public sphere the space for civic debate in the country. But they are entirely legal. If Reliance could set up IMT to pump capital into the TV-18 group, by what stretch of reason did two Delhi courts conclude that there were sufficient grounds to admit a case against the Congress party for setting up a not-for-profit company to revive the National Herald? Rahul Gandhis accusation of political vendetta cannot be dismissed lightly. For when, after examining Swamys charge for a full year, the Enforcement Directorate dismissed it on August 18 for want of substantive evidence, the ministry of finance not only dismissed its executive director, Rajan Katoch, but removed him from government service the next day. On December 17, two days before the start of the nautanki at Patiala house, home minister Rajnath Singh allotted Swamy a fully-appointed government bungalow to live in. Prem Shankar Jha is a senior journalist and author The views expressed are personal The Delhi government on Wednesday told the high court that management quota for nursery admissions in private schools was inherently prone to misuse, which led it to step in and scrap it. The submission was made in response to a query by a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath as to how private unaided schools can be restrained from exercising management quota when they are entitled to it, under a 2007 order of the Lieutenant Governor. When there is something inherently prone to misuse, state as regulator can say dont do it. Management quota is a criterion which is prone to misuse, said the Delhi government. Read: Nursery admissions: HC stays AAP govts order to scrap management quota Private unaided schools contended that the Delhi governments January 6 order scrapping the management quota was not issued by the LG or under any statute, and ran foul of the LGs 2007 order. After hearing arguments of both sides, the bench reserved its verdict on the governments plea challenging a single judge order of the high court staying the scrapping of the management quota and certain other criteria. While reserving its verdict, the court observed that due to shortage of good schools in Delhi, people were being forced to go to Noida where it was easier to get admission. During the hearing, the court said the government would have to show that private unaided schools were indulging in commercialisation and profiteering by way of the management quota and asked the basis for such allegation. The government said it has received complaints from several parents that some schools have demanded capitation fees. These complaints were placed before the single-judge who in turn asked the government to take action. The government said it has issued show cause notices to some schools which had indulged in such activity. The government said that there were inherent contradictions in the entire approach of the single-judge who had passed the February 4 interim order in which he had also given a prima facie view that the January 6 decision was taken without any authority of law. A Class 11 student of Ranchi-based Sapphire International School was detained on Wednesday for allegedly murdering a 12-year-old boy of the same school over the latters relations with his sister. The parents of the accused, Hindi teacher Nazia Hussain and her husband Arif Ansari a math teacher at Taurian residential school in the city, were arrested and their 12-year-old daughter was detained for destruction of evidence in connection with the murder of Vinay Kumar Mahato. Police said the deceased used to like the couples daughter and had been dating her for the last couple of months, but this didnt go down well with her 17-year-old brother. The girls brother on February 4 afternoon invited Mahato to join him and his sister for a party between 12 am and 1 am at their residence in the teachers hostel. The 12-year-old accepted the invitation and slipped out of his hostel barefooted at around 1:10 am, as per the footage from a CCTV camera installed near the principals residence. When Mahato reached their residence, the brother questioned him about his relations with his sister and threatened him to stop seeing her. Following a heated argument, the brother started throwing punches. When Mahato tried to escape, the brother grabbed him by his neck and repeatedly hit his head against the wall, which is when he fell unconscious, said the police. Nazia and her daughter, who were reportedly asleep during the attack, woke up to find Mahato on the floor and presumed he was dead. They then attempted to hide his body but failed, and instead threw him from their first-floor balcony, according to the police. Nazias son then called up his father, who lives in the Taurian school campus in Tupudana, to inform him about the incident. The father reportedly advised them to destroy all the evidence. They wiped the blood off the floor and removed other evidence that could lead the police to them. Mahato was later found bleeding profusely on the front porch of the teachers hostel and rushed to a hospital. He succumbed to his injuries on the way. The accused were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including for murder and destruction of evidence. The couple has been arrested. They tried to destroy the evidence, said senior superintendent of police Kuldeep Dwivedi. Nazia and Arif were presented before the media with their faces covered during a press conference held on Wednesday evening at the SSPs office. We will produce them in court on Thursday. The minors would be sent to the juvenile justice board for further action, Dwivedi said, adding that the investigation was still on. He, however, refused to comment on whether the school management would be booked for the alleged security lapses. A committee has been constituted in this regard. We will act once the committee submits its findings, Dwivedi said. Amid the ongoing deposition of 26/11 terror attack convict David Coleman Headley in a Mumbai court, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have said that the ball is in Pakistans court to act against the culprits. There is no iota of doubt left after this deposition with regard to the involvement of the ISI in providing all sorts of support to these terrorist groups that work against the interest of India. The question is what Pakistan is going to do in terms of the concerns we have had, whether it?s on 26/11, Pathankot or cross border terrorism and that needs to be seen, BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli told ANI. Resonating similar sentiments, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said, During the Congress Government, we had clearly said and given information, but it was not accepted at that time by Pakistan. But now, everything has got revealed. The present government should tell Pakistan on international level that even if all the evidences, if Hafiz Saeed is not surrendered to India, then it wont be trusted. Tiwari further stated that India should now be cautious after getting to know the role of the ISI and the Pakistani army in the terror attack. Headleys deposition which entered the third day today before the Mumbai court, was delayed due to a technical glitch in video conferencing. In his revelation during the deposition on Tuesday, Headley said that Pakistans spy agency ISI provides financial, moral as well as military support to terror outfits like the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. On the first day of the deposition, he revealed the sequence of events and planning behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Headley, one of the main conspirators in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, deposed as a witness in the case and admitted that he had come to the city with a false identity at the behest of his colleague and handler Sajid Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. While India attempts the worlds largest deworming programme on Wednesday, covering 27 crore children, several parents are making frantic calls to child specialists to know whether the medicine given is safe. Doctors, however, urged parents to not fret and let the children have the anti-worm medicine- Albendazole. The medicine kills round, hook or tape worms that may be inside the intestine of the child. I got several calls today where parents wanted to know if it was safe for the child to take the medicine; I want to tell all parents that the medicine is absolutely safe and has been used since ages for deworming, said Dr Anupam Sibal, senior paediatrician, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. Appreciating governments initiative to deal with the problem of malnourishment among children in the country, Dr Sibal, said, It is a huge problem; I often see children with symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhoea and flatulence. This initiative should work positively. All school-going and preschool (anganwadi) children, between the age group of 1 year and 19 years, will be given a 400 mg tablet to bring down the number of malnourished children in the country. Parasitic worms, or soil-transmitted helminths (STH), are among the most common infections worldwide. These worms interfere with nutrient uptake, and can contribute to anaemia, malnourishment, and impaired mental and physical development. According to the 2012 report Children in India, published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India, 48% of children under the age of 5 years are stunted and 19.8% are wasted, indicating that half of the countrys children are malnourished. The initiative aims to create mass awareness about the most effective and low-cost STH treatment. Along with Albendazole tablets, behaviour change practices in terms of cleanliness, hygiene, use of toilets, wearing shoes, washing hands etc. is also important to reduce incidents of re-infection, said Union health minister JP Nadda. The health ministry first launched National Deworming Day(NDD) in 2015, which was implemented in 11 States/UTs across all government and government-aided schools and Anganwadi centres, targeting children aged 1 to 19 years. The initiative was implemented in 277 districts and 9.49 lakh frontline workers were trained for NDD 2015. Against a target of 10.31 crore children, a total of 8.98 crore children received deworming tablet through 4.70 lakh schools and 3.67 lakh Anganwadi centres with 85% coverage. This year, India aims to cover all states and union territories. Nadda will flag off the programme at a school in the state of Telangana. With a billion Indians set to get a 12-digit Aadhaar number by the end of next month, the government is finalising the process to give the project legislative backing and remove the uncertainty surrounding the biometric-based unique identification mechanism. Over 970 million Indians had been issued Aadhaar numbers by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as of January 31. Aadhaar was launched by the UPA-2 government under the chairmanship of Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani. The government introduced the National Identification Authority of India bill in the Rajya Sabha but it could not be cleared. It was rejected by a parliamentary panel. Now with PM Narendra Modi backing the project, the government is planning to push the bill, pending in the Rajya Sabha, in the budget session of Parliament starting later this month. We are discussing whether to get the same bill passed or to move new amendments. We will finalise our stand soon, a source said. The move could help the government address a concern raised by the Supreme Court that Aadhaar was rolled out without legislative backing. In several meetings in the past year, the PM reiterated how Aadhaar could be crucial to the success of his governments financial inclusion schemes such as the Jan Dhan Yojana which aims to provide universal access to banking services to every household. The government is also considering the option of converting the legislation into a money bill. This option is being discussed. A money bill does not have to go to the Rajya Sabha where the BJP-led NDA is in a minority, the source added. Recently, a group of secretaries constituted by Modi to come up with innovative ideas to improve governance recommended that Aadhaar be turned into a money bill. Last August, the SC ruled that while Aadhaar could be used for public distribution schemes such as providing food grains and kerosene, it could not be made mandatory. As the project was initiated by the UPA government followed by the Aadhaar-based direct benefit transfer, the government expects support from the Congress in the RS. With a billion mobile phones and 23 crore bank accounts linked to Aadhaar, the delivery of benefits and services will become efficient and transparent. It will plug leakages in schemes ensuring benefits reach peoples doorstep, said ABP Pandey, director-general, UIDAI. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Another former employee of The Energy and Research Institute (TERI) accused its executive vice-chairman RK Pachauri on Wednesday of sexually harassing her and other women in her presence, alleging that police did not take action on her complaint. The woman who quit the institute in 2003 because of Pachauris alleged sexual harassment lodged a complaint with Delhi police through her lawyer Vrinda Grover, saying she got courage from the case filed by a 29-year-old woman researcher on similar charges. She alleged that police refused to cooperate in getting a case registered against Pachauri. DCP South Prem Nath hit back, saying Grover refused to provide details for police to record her statement. We told the lawyer (Grover) that the police will thoroughly examine the complaint and register a case and that the women who have faced similar sexual harassment at TERI should come and give their statement but she refused to divulge any details about the victim... Who will the police take action against if the complainant is not coming forward to give a complaint? Prem Nath said. Read | Despite sexual assault charge, Pachauri made executive VC of TERI In a statement issued through her lawyers, advocate Grover and Ratna Appnender, on Wednesday reiterating the charge first made about a year ago, the woman provided details of her complaint. TERI did not respond to a questionnaire from HT. In her five-page statement, the woman who worked at TERI for a year detailed the harassment she was allegedly subjected to. Soon after I joined TERI and began interacting with Mr RK Pachauri, he had renamed me with a sexually suggestive nickname xxxx. He said that this was a derivative of my official name and suited me far better. I recall that he said things like xxxx is sweet, and also how attractive flowers attract bees etc, the statement said. On another occasion, she described how the 75-year-old Pachauri called her to his office and told her he could lift hefty and heavy women, and so lifting me would not be a problem for him. She mentioned another incident when she was on leave from work because of ill health and Pachauri called her and offered a massage. He called me on my mobile number to ask why I was not in office. When I told him that I was suffering from migraine, he said, Hum bahut achhi champi kartein hain aap chahein kar sakte hain (I give very good head massage if you want I can give you a massage) the statement said. On several occasions Mr RK Pachauri would ask me intrusive questions about my personal life, about when my husband was going to be out of town, and how I spent my weekends. He would pass comments about the clothes I was wearing, asking me whether my husband gave me a particular dress etc. He made constant attempts to meet me socially outside the office, it added. Read | Pachauris Teri promotion made my skin crawl, says complainant Another time she accuses Pachauri of propositioning her indirectly using a lewd manuscript. He allegedly asked her to read his book and offered to loan her his private farmhouse for that purpose. He told me that... he would like me to read and make suggestions before he handed it to the publisher... He suggested that I could use his house/farmhouse to read in seclusion, and that he would like to join me for discussions etc. He suggested we meet after work to discuss the novel. I told him that I would not go to his house and I found such suggestions by him very disturbing and unprofessional... When I thumbed through the manuscript, I came across graphic descriptions of sex, she said. As the reiteration of the charges came two days after Pachauris promotion was formally announced on Monday, his lawyer said the complaint was meant to prejudice court proceedings. Read | Its a mans world: 7 sexual harassment cases that rocked India This is not a new complaint. There is no complaint for that matter -- this woman seems to only appear on TV and nowhere else. Its being circulated a day before Dr Pachauris high court hearing, and can only be meant to create prejudice and is only intended to prejudice the proceedings, Pachauris lawyer Ashish Dixit said. The complainants lawyers rebutted DCP Prem Naths comment that the victim did not provide enough details to police. We sent letters to the police on behalf of the woman saying she wanted to give a statement that the Pachauri sexually harassed her while she worked at TERI. Our addresses and contact details as her lawyers however the police made no effort to respond to the womans lawyers nor did they ever ask for the complainants details. The woman herself has not recieved any communication from the police. The person alleging sexual harassment should not have to make repeated efforts to contact the police. Once such information has been communicated to the police, its their duty to take appropriate action, they said in a statement. A delegation of BJPs Jammu and Kashmir unit will meet the RSS brass at the Sanghs headquarters in Jhandewalan on Wednesday to review the performance of the party in the state and also discuss the future of the coalition with the Peoples Democratic Party. Senior BJP leaders including the state unit chief Sat Sharma, deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh, MP Avinash Khanna will meet RSS Krishna Gopal, Brig. Suchet Singh and Jammu and Kashmir in-charge Ramesh Papa to discuss the political logjam. Read more: J-K govt formation: PDP chief Mehbooba hints at snapping ties with BJP A senior RSS official said the meeting is a routine affair, but the matter is pertinent given the political uncertainty BJP faces in Jammu and Kashmir. Following the death of PDPs founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, daughter Mehbooba took over as party head and state chief minister, throwing the coalition in a limbo. Reports of differences within the BJPs state unit over the government formation also surfaced. There are some party colleagues who are not happy with the demands being made by Mehbooba Mufti. Their point of view will also be shared with the Sangh, a BJP member said. Even as the national party maintained that it was working to address the concerns of the new PDP chief, and that the coalition will not be terminated, a section of the BJP is unsettled on account of the protracted negotiations. Read more: Mehbooba cant keep J-K guessing on govt formation: Omar Abdullah It is not easy for the BJP cadre to agree to the PDPs demand of initiating dialogue with separatists, revocation of AFSPA and withdrawal of troops. These issues will also be discussed at the review meeting with the Sangh, the BJP member said. Read more: Uncertainty looms over J-K govt formation as PDP, BJP pass buck On Monday, BJP MP Arun Ram Meghwal met Mehbooba Mufti at her residence in Srinagar. Officially, Meghwal was said to have met the chief minister in his capacity as head of the Parliamentary House Committee, but sources said the PDPs conditions also figured in the discussion. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON British newspaper The Independent will switch back to using Bombay rather than Mumbai when referring to Indias financial capital, its editor said Wednesday. Amol Rajan, editor of The Independent, said the move was a stand against what he said was the closed-minded view of Hindu nationalists. The city was officially renamed Mumbai in 1995, a change forced through by Shiv Sena. However, within the city, the old colonial name and the Marathi-language name are often used interchangeably. The whole point of Bombay is of an open, cosmopolitan port city, the gateway of India thats open to the world, said Rajan, who was born in Kolkata--formerly known as Calcutta--and raised in London. If you call it what Hindu nationalists want you to call it, you essentially do their work for them, the 32-year-old told BBC radio. As journalists, as someone who edits The Independent, its incredibly important to be specific about our terminology. Id rather side with the tradition of India thats been open to the world, rather than the one thats been closed, which is in ascendance right now, he said, referring to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP governs Maharashtra in coalition with the Shiv Sena. Rajan said post-colonial India had the open, secular, pluralist and tolerant tradition of Indias first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. It also had a slightly nastier strain of Hindu nationalism and it was important to venerate the tradition of India which shows the best of India -- an open metropolis. Shiv Sena renamed the city after the goddess Mumbadevi, the protector of fisherman who were the areas original inhabitants. Medicos at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna thrashed a cashier on the institute premises over denial of demand draft to a second year student on Tuesday. The institute has constituted a three-member committee to probe the matter and suggest action. It has to submit its report in 48 hours. Son of a police constable, Shivapurari had gone to the bank to get a demand draft of Rs 4,000 made for the examination fee. The branch manager, a woman, reportedly objected to it as his papers were incomplete. Shivapurari had reportedly got an education loan of Rs 2 lakh from the bank. When he sought to remit a portion of the sanctioned amount through draft for examination fee, the manager reportedly asked for performance certificate, which is mandated in such cases. The medico, however, refused to do so and began arguing with the woman banker. Seeing this, the cashier intervened and the matter went from bad to worse, as the duo had an ugly verbal spat. The cashier is believed to have called up the director of the institute who came and diffused the matter. If sources were to be believed, the general manager (GM) and the assistant general manager (AGM), who arrived at the institute branch, tried to escort the cashier out of the campus in their car, but a group of around 50 medicos intercepted the car. The mob reportedly manhandled the GM and the AGM and thrashed the cashier. The situation was brought under control after police arrived at the scene. Later, senior superintendent of police also reached the institute. Though station house officer of Shastrinagar police station, SA Hashmi, claimed that none had complained about the incident, the bank was reportedly contemplating to press charges of attempted bank loot. Confirming the incident, IGIMS medical superintendent Dr Prabhat Sinha said, The director has constituted a three-member committee, comprising the principal Dr Uday Kumar, dean of examination Dr KAH Raghavendra and myself. We have been asked to submit the report within 48 hours. This is the second incident of violence at the IGIMS, involving medicos, in less than eight months. The institute is mulling strong action against the guilty medicos. Communal trouble is brewing in Madhya Pradeshs Dhar with the administration and a hard line Hindu group locked in a dispute over conducting rituals on Friday at a local shrine shared by Hindu and Muslims. The Bhoj Utsav Samiti wants district officials to exempt them from rules of worship at Bhojshala a disputed 11th century structure that Hindus claim as a Saraswati temple and Muslims call a mosque. They want to conduct an Akhand (non-stop) puja on Friday to mark Basant Panchami also known as Saraswati Puja but this would mean barring Muslims from entering the Bhojshala to offer prayers. Rules designate Hindus to pray at the shrine on Tuesdays while Muslims can do so on Fridays. The Saraswati Puja last fell on a Friday in 2013, when police lathi-charged a Hindu group angry for being forced out of the Bhojshala to make way for namaz. This year may see worse violence with the Samiti warning the administration that it may have to face the devotees wrath. It held a 35,000-strong rally on Monday and is mobilising devotees across the Malwa-Nimar region. If the devotees are not allowed to perform Akhand puja, there will be a reaction from the Hindus for which only the administration will be responsible, said Gopal Sharma, convener of Dharm Jagaran Vibhag, an outfit of the RSS. The group has decided to hold the puja outside the Bhojshala premises, a move being seen as an attempt to incite local anger against the incompetent administration and foment communal tensions. If the namaz is held inside the Bhojshala, it would mean stopping the Saraswati puja for a couple of hours to allow the namaz. We are not agreeable to this, so we are holding puja outside the premises, said Samiti patron Vijay Singh Rathore. The local MP Savitri Thakur appealed to the citys Muslims to not offer namaz on Friday to allow the Akhand Puja. The administration is bound by directions issued by the Archaeological Survey of India that say Muslims have to be allowed to offer namaz between 1 and 3pm. But officials are being cautious. We cannot stop anyone from holding Saraswati puja outside the Bhojshala, but we can assure the premises is open for everyone, said divisional commissioner Sanjay Dubey. The Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal will remain friends. The BJP leadership has shrugged off suggestions from local leaders to break away but is open to renegotiating later the terms of engagement. BJP president Amit Shah had a meeting with Punjab BJP leaders on Saturday to discuss the future of the alliance. We do not see a split happening. Sailing together is the best option, said a BJP functionary, who is part of the deliberations. Sources said Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal met finance minister Arun Jaitley on Monday and Shah on Tuesday to discuss future course of action. A leader present in the Saturday meeting said the central leadership shared with Punjab unit some figures of 2014 Lok Sabha elections that suggested that while Akalis were able to hold fort, NDA candidates performed poorly in BJPs pockets. Two critical reasons seem to be holding BJP back from any adventurism in Punjab that will go to polls next year. The party has grown in Punjab over the last decade but is not big enough to test electoral waters on its own strength. Its presence is limited to urban pockets of Punjab and has never fought polls in Jat-dominated areas that are held by Akalis under seat sharing pact. Unlike Maharashtra, where it broke ranks with Shiv Sena in 2014 assembly elections, the BJP faces anti-incumbency in Punjab. It does not see the non-Jat, non-Sikh votes consolidating in its favour as it happened in Haryana in the assembly polls next year. We do not have the strength to contest all 117 seats. We cannot afford to be seen as a non-serious player by fielding just 50-odd candidates in urban pockets, a BJP office bearer said. The BJP leadership is apprehensive that snapping ties might prompt the Akalis to return to hardline Sikh politics to protect its base. Such a situation might revive radical elements in Punjab. The worst case scenario could be a defeat. But elections happen after every five years. We can wait for power, but not risk national interest, the party functionary said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Four members of a family hailing from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh were killed and another with them was critically injured when the car they were travelling in rammed into a truck on National Highway-1 at Nilokheri in Karnal district of Haryana around 6am on Wednesday. It was a pile-up caused by fog; in all around 15 people were injured when 25 vehicles collided with each other. Area station house officer (SHO) Brish Bhan said the family was on way to Amritsar for the engagement of one Harinder Singh, 28, who was among those killed. Other victims have been identified as Harinders uncle Prabhjot Singh, 50; grandmother Gurpal Kaur, 75; and familys domestic help Aditi, 23. Harinders maternal aunt, who was also in the car, was hospitalised in a critical condition. Watch | Fog causes 25-car pile-up in Haryana, 4 dead Other family members, including Harinders father Sarabjit Singh, was in another car, Bhan said, adding that the all family had reached Noida Tuesday night from where they left for Amristsar in the wee hours on Wednesday for the engagement ceremony. According to the police, the accident took place around 6.30am when the truck moving ahead of their car on the Nilokheri flyover suddenly applied brakes and the car crashed into it. At the closure of his deposition on day two, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley denied being paid either by Pakistani intelligence or the LeT for his activity in India, but the NIA in its chargesheet stated he had not just received money from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) but also high quality fake Indian currency. Headleys deposition, which began on Monday, confirmed Indias long standing charge that Pakistans ISI and the LeT were behind the Mumbai attacks in 2008 that claimed over 166 lives. Read: Headley nails role of Pak Army officials, ISI agents in 26/11 According to the National Investigative Agency (NIA), in or around July 2006, ISI officer major Iqbal provided USD 25,000 to Headley in Pakistan for the purpose of establishing an immigration office in Mumbai and for travel expenses. Headley was also provided with high quality fake Indian currency for use in India. This was not the only time; Headley was also paid approximately 1500 USD worth Indian currency to keep the immigration office running in Mumbai. He was to eventually close the Mumbai office and open a new business in Delhi that would be used as a ruse for future activities. Read: ISI funded LeT for 26/11 terror strikes in Mumbai: Headley to court Headley said he visited Mumbai seven times on recce before the dreadful attacks of November 26, 2008. He said he came to Mumbai for the first time on September 14, 2006 and later on February 21, 2007. Headley made three more trips in 2007 in March, September and October. He came back twice in 2008 before the attacks in April and July. Post the attacks, he came back to India on March 7, 2009, landing at the Delhi airport. Read: Lashkar-e-Taiba had plans to attack Siddhivinayak Temple: Headley Read: Live: Taj attack in 2007 was cancelled due to logistics, says Headley Headley however said he was trained by the LeT in the Daura-e-Sufa a study course involving religious indoctrination at Muridke, Daura-e-Aam preliminary military training, and Daura-e-Khas more advance military training in handling weapons, arms, ammunition and explosives. Though, Headley wanted to go to Azad Kashmir and fight the Indian army, he underwent Daura-e-Ribat that focuses on intelligence gathering, after he was told that he was too old for taking up combat task. He said the last training course included expertise on setting up a safe house in an unfriendly or enemy area, post which his handler Sajid Mir asked him to settle down in India. So Headley arrived in Mumbai under the guise of an immigration consultant for his friends firm, Immigration Law Center in Chicago, and used his position to take general video footage of the city. Heres are recap of Headleys testimony in the Mumbai court while deposing in the 26/11 trial: 1) LeT made two failed attempts in 2008 in September and October to attack India with the same set of 10 terrorists who carried out the fidayeen attack in November 2008. Their boat had crashed on the first attempt. 2) LeT operative David Coleman Headley visited Mumbai seven times before 26/11 for reconnaissance. 3) LeT commander Sajid Mir was his contact who had asked him to take general videos of Mumbai. 4) On Mirs instructions, Headley changed his name from Syed Daood Salim Gilani to David Coleman Headley in Philadelphia, US, to conceal his identity and obtained a new passport . 5) Headley was attracted towards the militant organization after listening to speeches by LeT chief Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Dr Hafiz Saeed, whose photograph he identified in the court. 6) Headley was formally inducted into the organisation in 2002 and underwent training in six courses over two years. 7) Pakistani terrorist outfit LeT had planned to attack Hotel Tajmahal Palace, located near the Gateway of India in Mumbai, in 2007 when a conference of Indian defense scientists was scheduled to be held there. 8) Apart from the places which were targeted by 26/11 attackers, Siddivinayak temple at Dadar and Maharashtra state police headquarters at Colaba were part of the initial plan. 9) The ISI was providing financial, military and moral support to all the three major terrorist organizations functioning out of Pakistan Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen. 10) Headleys ISI handler wanted to use him for military intelligence. Headley however was never tasked with a mission. Read: From Mumbai to Pathankot: What David Headleys testimony reveals In Bollywood romcoms, mustard fields glowing iridescent yellow are an oft-used backdrop for romantic songs. Remember the iconic 1995 hit, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. Mustard, as it were, is an onscreen metaphor for vigour and youthful passion. However, looked through a farm scientists lens, the traditional Indian mustard isnt genetically very impressive. It is only half as robustly growing as its east European cousins. Low yields mean India has to import millions of dollars worth of cooking oil each year. Mustard is to India what olives are to Mediterranean countries. A condiment and cooking oil, mustard has been pressed in India for 4,000 years through bullock-powered mortar-and-pestle pressers commonly called the ghani, according to KT Acharya, who formerly served on the WHO Expert Consultation on Fats and Oils team. Although machine-powered oil processors are far more economical, edible oil brands still call their stuff kachchi ghani. India is the worlds largest buyer of edible oil and meets 60% of its annual demand of 18-19 million tonnes through imports. This costs up to Rs 62,000 crore, nearly three times the budget for Sarva Sikshya Abhiyan, the countrys flagship primary education programme. A public-sector developed genetically-modified (GM) mustard, now going through the regulatory process, looks promising. Developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants of Delhi University, mustard DMH-11, as it is called, is a testimony to homegrown scientific prowess. Chief scientist Deepak Pental, a professor of genetics and the universitys former vice-chancellor, says his product will be given free to farmers since it is publicly funded, compared to exorbitantly priced seeds from private companies. Yet, GM mustard will have no easy ride. In fact, the spat over GM foods is poised to turn into a raging national debate again. Five years ago, a massive opposition to Bt brinjal, Indias first GM food, led to a ban by previous government. The decision came just days after the environment ministrys Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, the biotech regulator, had cleared it for commercial cultivation. Although everyone agrees India needs technological leaps in agriculture, GM technologies are fiercely resisted, amid fears that they could compromise food security, lead to seed monopolies and biosafety. Although there is no credible evidence of adverse health effect of GM crops, seed pricing has cropped up as a major issue with Bt cotton, the only GM crop India has allowed since 2002. A vast majority of seven million cotton farmers prefers to grow BT cotton, hailed as a yield and income booster. The countrys cotton output has jumped because of it. A key concern of the farm ministry now is that Mahyco- Monsanto Biotech (India) Private Limited (MMBL) -- a 50:50 joint venture of US biotech giant Monsanto Company -- seems to enjoy a virtual monopoly in the BT cotton seed market. It has already sought a probe into this by the anti-trust regulator, the Competition Commission of India and issued executive orders to cap prices nationally from March. Mustering courage? On February 5, the GEAC sought additional clarifications on various data related to GM mustard from its developers. If the biosafety data recorded during field trials are validated, then the crop becomes technically eligible for commercial approval. So, protests by anti-GM group to halt GM mustard have gained momentum. Not discouraged by the fate of Bt brinjal back in 2010, Pental and his team of scientists and PhD students kept working on a project funded by the department of biotechnology and the National Dairy Development Board to come up with what is known as DMH 11. The science behind GM mustard isnt simple, but the idea is. Pentals group made a seminal discovery: Indian and east European high-yielding varieties match well. So the scientists wanted to infuse the traits from an east European mustard into the Indian variant by creating a hybrid. Mustards, like many plants, are self-pollinating because its flower contains both male and female reproductive parts. To make hybrids, scientists need a parent line with male sterility. This sterility - or impotency -- can be induced through conventional methods or by genetic engineering. Getting pure seeds with conventionally methods is tough because it is just a one in a million chance. Pental and his team then improvised on a 1990s breeding innovation pioneered in Belgium called the barnase/barster male sterility technique. Barnase and barster are genes from naturally occurring bacteria. Barnase switches on male sterility, barster switches it back off. The hybrid Pental got had the higher yields of East European mustard, of up to 25 times. The developers said his product had three genes from rapeseed that had been deregulated for consumption by Canada in 1996, by US in 2002 and Australia in 2003. Such technological marvels can hardly convince the political opposition to mustard, which is intense. After being initially cagey, the Prakash Javadekar-headed environmental ministry -- with backing from Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- removed an effective ban on field trials of GM crops last August. A nod to GM mustard by the GEAC will put the Modi government in an unprecedented tight spot. Allowing it could mean fierce opposition even from within. Rejecting it could dent the prime ministers image of being a believer of technology. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Notwithstanding the diplomatic row between India and Nepal over the latters Constitution, the two countries have set up an authority and started working on first trans-country river linking project to channel water from Sharda river in Nepal to Sabarmati in Gujarat. In the first phase, India will develop five reservoirs on Sharda river that flows along Nepal-Uttarakhand border and has been cause of massive flooding in upper reaches of Nepal. The project on paper is a win-win situation for both the countries, with ministry officials saying India will get excess water from the Himlayan river whereas Nepal will get cheaper power from hydel projects to be developed along the reservoirs. The dams will be built by recently notified Pancheswar Development Authority having two chief executive officers one each from India and Nepal and three directors each from the two countries with ambassadors of both countries as members. The authority has started working on building five reservoirs on Sharda river, said Sriram Vedire, advisor to water resources minister Uma Bharati. The Central Water Commission is working on link feasibility of taking Sharda water to Sabarmati via Yamuna and Sukli rivers. As per the initial plan, excess water stored in reservoirs to be built on Sharda river will be channeled into Yamuna in Uttarakhand, from there to Sukli river in Rajasthan via Haryana and finally into Sabarmati, about 2,000 km from the main source. The cost of the project is estimated to be over Rs 1 lakh crore over the next 15-20 years. Execution of such big multi-purpose hydel and irrigation projects in India has taken over 30 years and Narmada Valley project is one such example with work still going on after it was initiated in 1979. The Sharda-Sabarmati river linking project was revived during Prime Minsiter Narendra Modis Nepal visit in August 2014 12 years after it was envisaged by previous NDA government as part of its river inter-linking project by singing letters of exchange regarding terms of reference of Pancheswar Development Authority, which will construct the dams on river Sharda. There has been headway in the project since the PMs visit, claim officials. The authority was notified in August last year and the power secretaries from two countries met recently in Delhi and decided to get a detailed project report done by water resources ministry consultant Wapcos India Limited. The DPR will be submitted this month and discussed at the next meeting of the authority to be held in Kathmandu, a water resources ministry official said. A Nepal government official also shared his optimism that the ground work on the project could start by the end of this year. However, the decision on the rate at which Nepal will buy power from Pancheswar project still hangs in balance. The two countries have not been able to sort out differences even though prime ministers of Nepal and India had given 45 days to officials in August 2014 to sort the issue. Nepal is objecting to Indian clause that no more reservoirs can be build on the river while India wants Nepal to purchase power at a reasonable rate. Nepal wants to buy power at 2002 rate when the project was first discussed. Officials from Nepal and India were, however, optimstic that the issue will be resolved at the meeting of the authority in Kathmandu this month. We are close to resolving the issue, a water resources ministry official said. The project has its flip-side too. Experts believe that building dams on the river passing through a young mountain range will be an ecological disaster like hydel projects in Uttarakhand that has witnessed series of devastating flash floods in recent past. Investing crore of rupees for channelising water through big canals is a waste. One can get better results through localised watershed management and harvesting programme, said Himanshu Thakkar, an IITian and head of network of NGOs on rivers and dams. Ministry officials admit that even if the work on the project starts this year, its completion will take 25-30 years even though the official time frame is 15 years. The Narmada multi-purpose irrigation project, which covers areas in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, has still not been completed almost 30 years after the work started. A former researcher at Delhis The Energy and Resources Institute has alleged the institutions boss RK Pachauri sexually harassed her, triggering outrage on social media, especially after he was promoted this week. But this isnt the first time a prominent Indian has been embroiled in a sexual harassment charge. HT looks at seven prominent sexual harassment cases in the past that involved influential Indians: 1.KPS Gill: Senior IAS officer Rupan Deol Bajaj complained in 1988 that former Punjab director general of police, KPS Gill, touched her inappropriately at a party. (HT File Photo) Status: Trial court convicted Gill in 1996. Supreme Court upheld the decision in 2005 but the former top cop didnt serve any jail time 2.Phaneesh Murthy: One of Indias best known software executives and a rising star at the time, Phaneesh Murthy had to resign from Infosys in 2002 after his secretary Reka Maximovitch accused him of sexual harassment. Phaneesh Murthy, now president and CEO of iGate, had to resign from Infosys in 2002 (REUTERS) Status: Infosys settled for $3 million outside court. Murthy was also sacked by an American IT firm in 2013 on sexual harassment charges. 3.Gopal Kanda: In a 2012 suicide note, 23-year-old airhostess Geetika Sharma charged Gopal Kanda, a former Haryana minister, of sexually harassing her and forcing her to take her life. Haryana's home minister Gopal Kanda talks to newsmen outside his residence in Gurgaon on Sunday. (PTI Photo) Status: The case is being tried in the Delhi high court 4.David Davidar: The Indian-born author was sacked as head of Penguin Canada in 2010 following allegations by another firm employee, Lisa Rundle, that Davidar sexually harassed her for three years, assaulting her in 2009 during the Frankfurt Book Fair. (HT File Photo) Status: Out-of-court settlement in 2010 5.Shiamak Davar: The Bollywood choreographer was sued by two Vancouver-based former students of his dance school for sexual harassment in Canada last year. The two men accused Davar of controlling them through a spiritual organisation and grooming them into sexual submission. Status: Hearings on in Canada 6.Asok Kumar Ganguly: The former Supreme Court judge stepped down as head of the West Bengal human rights commission in 2014 after a law intern accused him of sexually harassing her at a hotel room. (HT File Photo) Status: A three-member Supreme Court panel indicted Ganguly for unwelcome behaviour and conduct of sexual nature, prompting his resignation 7.Tarun Tejpal: Possibly the most notorious case of them all. The former Tehelka chief was accused of sexual assault and rape during a Goa event by a former colleague. The case grabbed international headlines after allegations that staffers at Tehelka had tried to bury the complaint. Tarun Tejpal, founder and editor-in-chief of Tehelka, speaks with the media at the airport on his way to Goa. (REUTERS) Status: The case is being heard in a Goa court. Read: Despite sexual assault charge, Pachauri made executive VC of TERI Lawyers went on a rampage here on Wednesday, burning and damaging vehicles and attacking police, public and journalists during their violent protest against the alleged murder of a colleague on Tuesday. At least 25 people were injured in the attack forcing the police to lathicharge the violent mob to control the situation. The areas around high court premises and Parivartan Chowk were under siege for around four hours even as the lawyers went about torching over 31 vehicles, including roadways buses, cars and two wheelers and damaging 58 others. The lawyers also vent their ire against the employees of the State Health Directorate, located adjacent to the court premises, resulting in brick-batting between the two groups. Most of the vehicles damaged by the lawyers were parked on the health directorate premises. The lawyers attacked the health directorate because its employees attempted to put out the fire of a burning roadways bus that was torched by the lawyers. SSP Lucknow Rajesh Pandey said police have registered FIR against unidentified agitators and were identifying them with the help of pictures and visuals captured by media persons. Oudh Bar Association general secretary RD Shahi said: The CRPF and civil police cane-charged lawyers inside the high court campus. He added: We have demanded action against the CRPF commandant, who is in-charge of the high courts security, and the SSP. SSP Lucknow Rajesh Pandey said police have registered FIR against unidentified agitators and were identifying them with the help of pictures and visuals captured by media persons. (HT photo) According to the sequence of events, the lawyers blocked traffic at the high court crossing with desks and chairs to protest the alleged murder of a colleague, Shravan Kumar Verma, in Naka area on Tuesday. They were demanding stern action against the culprits. A little later they marched towards the district magistrates office but police stopped them near Parivartan Chowk and the protest seemed to have ended when the district administration assured Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia for the slain lawyers dependents and stern against the culprits. However, another group of lawyers got involved in a brawl with the health directorate employees. Things took a turn for the worse and the area near the high court premises turned into a virtual battlefield, as the lawyers ran amok. The situation was brought under control when district magistrate Raj Shekhar and SSP Rajesh Pandey ordered cops to lathi-charge the lawyers. IG Lucknow Zone A Satish Ganesh and DIG DK Chowdhary were also present at in the war zone. Meanwhile, hundreds of lawyers and judicial staff of the high court and district court were also left stranded inside their offices for around four hours till the situation was completely brought under control. Central Reserve Police Force personnel, who are deployed for the high courts security, locked the gates and restricted entry and exit to protect the premises from the violence. This is the second time in 12 days that lawyers resorted to violence. On January 29, 2015, lawyers and Lucknow University students clashed other over a car accident. Continuing his expose on the role of Pakistan-based terror organisations, its army, spy agency ISI and others, LeT terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley on Tuesday described how he was assigned to gather military intelligence in India and recruit spies from the Indian Army. On the second day of his deposition through video-conferencing from a US jail before the special TADA court in Mumbai Headley said he was tasked with luring spies from the Indian Army to work for Pakistans Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). A man identified as Major Ali of the Pakistan Army wanted him to note troop movement in India as part of the plan to infiltrate the military establishments here. He wanted me to note the movement of troops in India. He wanted someone to spy on matters of military intelligence, movement of officers. He wanted me to develop contacts with officials of Indian military forces with a purpose to gather intelligence, said Headley. In response to questions posed by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, Headley admitted to working both for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the ISI. Headley on Monday revealed that the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks were planned over a year in Pakistan. Detailing the planning for the 26/11 strike, he said that in November-December 2007, he had attended a meeting in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir along with his LeT contact Sajid Mir and Abu Khafa, in which they asked him to conduct a recce of Hotel Taj Mahal Palace and other locations in Mumbai. At the meeting, the LeT leaders gave information about a plan to strike during an upcoming conference of Indian defence officials and scientists at the luxury hotel opposite the Gateway of India which they wanted to hit, Headley told the court of Special Judge G.A. Sanap. However, that plan -- to be executed a year before the Mumbai terror attacks -- was subsequently dropped as the conference itself was cancelled, he added. Headley was specifically asked by his handlers to survey and videograph the second floor of the hotel which he did along with his wife Faiza, when they stayed there between September 14-28, 2006, and selected the landing site for the vessels which would sneak in from the Arabian Sea at Colaba. He said he had met Major Iqbal of the Pakistan Army first time in 2006 at a house in Lahore and discussed the matters with him. Besides Hotel Taj, Headley made videos of Leopold Cafe, Colaba police station, markets and restaurants in Colaba, the naval and air force stations, the Maharashtra Police headquarters, Hotel Trident-Oberoi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, and the Siddhi Vinayak temple in Prabhadevi. Sajid Mir and Major Iqbal were satisfied with the videos and photos of the hotel which I gave them, Headley said, adding that the plan to target the Hotel Taj conference hall was later scrapped for logistics reasons. All the data and locations were stored in a GPS device provided by Sajid Mir and Abu Khafa, which he later handed over to Sajid Mir, Headley added. Headley unravelled before the special court how the LeT and Al Qaeda, which he termed a terrorist organisation, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahiddeen and other groups in Pakistan function under the United Jihad Council and were working against India. He said the LeT and the ISI have a close nexus with the spy agency providing the financial, military and moral support, Nikam later told media persons. Admitting to his links with both the LeT and the ISI, Headley described Hafiz Saeed as LeTs spiritual leader, while Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi was its operational commander and both worked with the sole aim of unleashing terror in India. Headley said that in 2003, he was present at a LeT meeting when Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar made a guest speech about his anti-India activities and his release from India (in December 1999 in exchange for passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814). He met Azhar at the location, around 150 km from Lahore, and the same year he met Lakhvi in Muzafarrabad at the LeT headquarters. However, it was at a meeting in 2006 attended by Sajid Mir, Muzammil, Abu Khafa it was decided that he should go to India. On Monday, Headley deposed roughly on the period between 2003 and 2005 and on Tuesday, he threw light on the period after 2005 till 2008, and the deposition will resume again on Wednesday, Nikam told media persons. Signal jammers will be installed in exam halls across the country, including Delhi, to prevent college and university students from cheating using cellphones and other such devices. In a letter to all the 46 central universities, the University Grants Commission has said examination-conducting bodies have been allowed low-powered jammers to block radiofrequency devices. With advances in technology, cheats too have gone high-tech, using cellphones, wireless earpieces and blue-tooth devices to get answers. Many even wear transmitters to examination centres. For the first time, jammers were used in 2015 during tests for admissions to countrys top medical and engineering colleges. The universities, which include Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia, have been asked to get jammers in place ahead of this examination season that kicks off late March. Responding to the cabinet secretariats concerns that unauthorised manufacturers were providing the equipment, the higher education regulator has asked all the central universities to only deal with authorised vendors. Under the present policy, jammers can be acquired from Electronics Corporation of India Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited. The cabinet secretariat had also suggested that the examination calendar and venues be shared with the two vendors. The jammers will be deployed on rental basis. The vendors and the universities would have to work out the financial aspect. It is not clear if funds would come from the government. Inviting open tender from unauthorised manufacturers is a violation of the policy of government of India, the letter written by UGC secretary Jaspal S Sandhu said. Approval of secretary (security), cabinet secretariat was a must for deployment and procurement of jammers. The cabinet secretariat had in January written to UGC that proliferation of jammers is a serious security concern and inviting open tenders for procurement from unauthorised sources is a violation of the policy. Months after the Maggi storm, the Uttar Pradesh food safety department has found samples of some other instant noodle brands substandard with ash content in the tastemaker exceeding the prescribed limits. The samples of Knorr Soupy Noodles, Horlicks Foodles Noodles and Chings Hot Garlic Instant Noodles were picked up from a mall in the city in May last year for testing and its report was received about a fortnight ago, said Sanjay Singh, the food safety officer of Barabanki district. The samples were sent to the government Food Analysis Lab in Lucknow where it was found that total ash of the tastemaker exceeds the maximum prescribed limits ... hence the samples are substandard, Singh said. Against the prescribed limit of 1%, ash content was found to be 1.83% in Chings noodles, while in Foodles it was 2.37% and in Soupy noodles it was 1.89%, he claimed. Notices were sent to all the three companies a week ago giving them a months time to make an appeal, he said. Responding to a question, Singh said the report did not mention the health hazards caused by ash content higher than prescribed limits. When asked for comment on the issue, a GSK Consumer Healthcare spokesperson said: We manufacture Foodles as per product approvals received by us from FSSAI and manufacturing licences received by our third party manufacturer from the authorities. Foodles available in the market have been manufactured in accordance with this product approvals. Capital Food, which markets Chings Hot Garlic noodles, could not be reached for comment. When contacted, an HUL company spokesperson said: With reference to the analysis reports of the UP Food Safety Authority, we wish to clarify that the conclusion that the product is substandard is incorrect. We will be making appropriate representation with the regulator. In May last year, the UP food safety department had found high lead content and presence of taste enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) in samples of Maggi noodles. Later in June, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) banned Maggi noodles, alleging that the instant noodles were unsafe and hazardous due to higher than permissible lead content and presence of MSG. Nestle had then pulled the product off shelves. The instant noodle brand made a comeback in November after passing tests at three government labs, after which the Bombay high court lifted the ban. Indias elite National Security Guard is planning to conduct joint exercises with commandos of the armed forces to better secure defence installations in the wake of the brazen terror attack on the Pathankot air base in January. The NSG was so far kept out of defence installations, including the Pathankot base in Punjab, which wasnt mapped by the force before being pressed into service on January 2 to neutralize six suspected Pakistani terrorists. We didnt do a recce of any defence installation. Before the Pathankot attack, we did only one joint exercise with the marine commandos or MARCOS in Mumbai. After the Pathankot attack, we did another exercise with the Air Force commandos known as Garuds in Bangalore, said RC Tayal, who heads the NSG. Tayal said he plans to have more such joint exercises in future. The NSG wanted the first responders state police or the armed forces commandos -- deployed for securing defence installations to have capabilities to deal with any threat, he added. After the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the security establishment embarked on an exercise to map sensitive installations that included hotels, malls and crowded markets, and identified 450 such spots nationwide. The idea was to know the building plan of these places and identify suitable spots to launch commando operations to evacuate hostages and neutralise extremists in case of an ambush or terror strike. The NSG regularly conducts regular exercises at these spots, divided into more sensitive and less sensitive categories. The exercise was jointly conducted by the NSG and the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Even some army-run in sensitive locations are part of the exercise. The exercise included a threat assessment of the installations and various measures to strengthen security of a particular location such as installing CCTVs or better access control to plug security gaps, sources in the security establishment said. The IB regularly reviews list of sensitive installations. After the September 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Kenyan capital Nairobi, the NSG spent a considerable amount of time to analyse the attack. Sources say several big malls across the country were added to the exercise after the Nairobi mall attack as terror outfits are known to copy each others successful tactics. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The condition of a soldier who survived for six days under 35 feet of snow in the Siachen Glacier deteriorated on Wednesday but his miraculous rescue could push the frontiers of high-altitude medicine, Indias top military doctor told HT. Doctors at Delhis Army Hospital Research & Referral (R&R) said the next 24 hours were critical for Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who continued to be comatose and in shock. His (Koppads) brain has excessive swelling and his kidneys are severely affected; however age is by his side and if he survives this critical period, he should be able to lead a normal life, said All India Institute of Medical Sciences director Dr MC Misra, after a panel of experts from the institute visited the hospital. Read | He was the toughest: How Siachen soldier survived 35 ft of snow The military is set to kick off research to examine how Koppad stayed alive under 35 feet of snow nearly as high as a three-storey building but his comrades perished, said Lieutenant General BK Chopra, who heads the armed forces medical services. Experts believe a small air pocket, physical toughness and a strong will to live may have helped him cling to life at a height of 20,500 feet on the planets most unforgiving battlefield. Speaking exclusively to HT, Chopra said, He had an edge over the others that X factor. We will carry out a comprehensive scientific study, involving experts in high-altitude medicine, to figure out how Koppads body worked in those extreme conditions. Read | In Pics: India prays for Siachen braveheart Hanamanthappa He said a deeper understanding of the functioning of Koppads body would benefit high-altitude medicine specialists and soldiers deployed at frigid heights worldwide. He said the US military was interested in tapping into Indias expertise in high-altitude medicine. India is the only country where soldiers are deployed at heights of more than 21,000 feet. Koppad was among the 10 soldiers who were presumed dead after a deadly blinding slide struck their post in the western Himalayas on February 3, before army teams pulled him out alive in a dramatic rescue mission on the worlds highest and coldest battleground on Monday. Every minute he lives is a miracle. If he survives, he could still be in critical condition for several weeks. I have not seen anything like this in 40 years of service, said Chopra, who has done multiple high-altitude tenures including one at Siachen. The soldiers from 19 Madras Regiment were buried after a massive ice wall measuring 800ft by 400ft collapsed on their post. The soldiers were about to complete their 90-day deployment on the glacier. He continues to remain extremely critical with evidence of oxygen deprivation to the brain on CT scan. There is evidence of pneumonia in both lungs and his multi-organ dysfunction state continues unabated, read a defence ministry statement. Read | Siachen survivor chose conflict areas over peace posting: Officials As Koppad battled for his life, a woman from Uttar Pradesh offered to donate her kidney and a retired soldier said he was ready to give up any organ of his body to save his fellow brother. An outpouring of prayers and tribute continued on social media, with several Bollywood celebrities, including actors Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan tweeting for him. Mumbais iconic dabbawalas also held an event to pray for the soldier. We pray for him that protects us in extreme circumstances and serves his country, Prayers for L/N Hunumanthappa and his recovery, Bachchan tweeted. Congress president Sonia Gandhi prayed for Koppads recovery and said the nation was indebted to him. We salute his endurance and will power to serve the nation. True to the glorious tradition of our armed forces, Lance Naik Hanamanthappa has fought against the most challenging circumstances that man can ever face, she said. When Koppad was rescued, he was conscious but drowsy and disoriented. He was also severely dehydrated, and had low glucose and oxygen levels. He, however, did not suffer a frost bite or bone injuries. The doctors in the rescue team resuscitated him with intravenous fluids, humidified warm oxygen and passive external re-warming. The rescue operation involved more than 200 soldiers, avalanche rescue dogs, helicopters, rock drills, electrical saws and radars that can pick up metallic objects/heat signatures at a depth of 20m. Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, miraculously rescued from the Siachen glacier after being buried under 35 feet of snow for six days, was in coma and battling for life on Tuesday. Doctors said the soldier from Karnataka, who along with nine other colleagues of the Madras Regiment had been assumed dead, was in extremely critical condition at the Army Research and Referral Hospital here. The bodies of the other soldiers who too were swept away by an avalanche on February 3 at a height of 20,500 feet on the southern side of the glacier in Jammu and Kashmir were also found, the army said. Read more: Miracle at 20,500 ft: How Army rescued a hero from Siachen snow The dead included a Junior Commissioned Officer. A medical bulletin said Koppad, who was flown to Delhi early on Tuesday, was in shock with low blood pressure and was on ventilator in the ICU. The next one or two days were critical for him. He has been placed on ventilator to protect his airway and lungs in view of his comatose state, said the bulletin issued at 4 p.m. Read more: Siachen: 2,700 dead and counting at worlds highest battleground He remains extremely critical and is expected to have a stormy course in the next 24-48 hours due to the complications caused by re-warming and establishment of blood flow to the cold parts of the body. He has pneumonia and his investigations have revealed liver and kidney dysfunction. Fortunately, there was no cold exposure related frost bite or bone injuries to him, it said. Watch | Nation prays for Siachen survivors recovery The soldier, being treated by experts, has been given fluids and drugs to bring up his blood pressure. President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lauded the indomitable spirit of Koppad. Modi visited the hospital along with army chief General Dalbir Singh. Read more: A stalemate set in ice: Why Siachen remains a treacherous battleground Mukherjee said in a message to the army chief: I am happy to know that Koppad has survived the avalanche... I applaud his indomitable spirit and ability to endure adverse conditions. Modi tweeted: No words are enough to describe the endurance and indomitable spirit of Hanumanthappa. He is an outstanding soldier. In Karnataka, his distraught family and relatives prayed for his well being. Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad's mother and wife at their home in Betadoor village in Hubli on Tuesday. Hanumanthappa, who is being treated at Army hospital in Delhi, was miraculously found alive after remaining buried under huge mass of snow for six days at Siachen Glacier. (PTI) The soldier was luckily inside an arctic tent which possibly aided his survival despite being under the ice sheet, army sources said. The tent is designed to withstand extreme temperatures and has a fibre-reinforced structure. While Koppads survival is a miracle, doctors say he was possibly trapped in an air pocket which saved him. Air pocket created between the snow layers can possibly be a reason for his survival. Also, a strong will power to survive must have acted as an added advantage, said H.S. Chauhan, president of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation. Soldiers posted in harsh icy conditions are trained to look for air pockets in case of an avalanche and know how to clear the snow near the nose and the mouth so that they can keep breathing. Even six days after the disaster, by which most people feared that none of the 10 soldiers could have survived, the army refused to give up its search operation in a hostile environment. The efforts paid off late on Monday. Doctors at the site immediately administered warm intravenous fluids, humidified warm oxygen and passive external re-warming -- all of critical importance after the long time spent in the sub-zero environment. Koppad was then flown out of the site on Tuesday by helicopter, along with a medical specialist, first to the Siachen base camp, then to Thois air base in Ladakh and finally to Delhi. Thats where the soldier battles on -- this time for his life. A woman from Uttar Pradesh volunteered on Wednesday to donate her kidney to save a soldier who battled for his life in a hospital after surviving for almost a week buried under 35 feet of snow. Nidhi Pandey, a housewife from UPs Lakhimpur Kheri contacted the helpline of a local news channel, seeking to know how she could contact Delhis Army Research & Referral hospital to donate a kidney to Lance Naik Hanamananthappa Koppad. Read more: He was the toughest: How Siachen soldier survived 35 ft of snow Koppad was conscious when he was pulled out by army rescue teams on Monday but his condition has since deteriorated. He is in a coma and medical examinations have revealed liver and kidney dysfunction with doctors saying the next 24 hours would be crucial. The soldiers condition remains the same. He is critical, and we are taking best care of him, a doctor at the hospital told news agency IANS. His medical condition remains very critical. He remains ventilator dependent since arrival, a medical statement said. An outpouring of prayers and tribute continued on social media, with several Bollywood celebrities, including actors Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan tweeting for him. Mumbais iconic dabbawalas also held an event to pray for the soldier. Watch | Nation prays for Siachen survivors recovery Koppad was among 10 soldiers of the 19 Madras Regiment who were presumed dead after a blinding slide struck their post in the western Himalayas on February 3. None of the others survived. He was rescued in a dangerous rescue mission, carried out at a height of 20,500 feet. The Madras Regiment soldiers were buried under snow after a massive wall of ice measuring 800ft by 400ft collapsed on their post. The ice debris covered an area spanning 1,000 metres by 800 metres, creating a nightmare for rescue teams racing against time to find survivors. The operation involved more than 200 soldiers, avalanche rescue dogs, helicopters, rock drills, electrical saws and radars that can pick up metallic objects or heat signatures at a depth of 20m. The men had to physically cut off ice blocks inch by inch as they went about looking for survivors. The dogs, Dot and Misha, came in for special praise from army officials. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who is in a critical condition after miraculously surviving six days buried under snow on the Siachen glacier, chose difficult areas over peace postings and fought for 10 years in conflict zones. The brave soldier displayed a high degree of initiative and has served 10 years in difficult and challenging areas out of 13 years of total service, a senior army officer said. Hanamanthappa, who hails from Karnataka, was found alive on Monday, buried under 25 feet of snow for six days after an avalanche hit his post at an altitude of 19,600 feet close to the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan. The temperature at that altitude was minus 45 degrees Celsius. Read | Siachen miracle soldier critical, woman volunteers to donate kidney The 33-year-old serving soldier, who was enrolled in 19th Battalion of the Madras Regiment on October 25, 2002, is highly motivated and physically fit... He opted for challenging terrains from the beginning, the officer said. The soldier has served in Mahore (J&K) from 2003 to 2006 where he was actively involved in counter-insurgency operations. He again volunteered to serve with 54 Rashtriya Rifles (Madras) in the state from 2008 to 2010 where he displayed indomitable courage and gallantry in fighting terrorism during his tenure, the officer added. Watch | Nation prays for Siachen survivors recovery Hanamanthappa also volunteered to serve in the Northeast from 2010 to 2012 where he actively participated in successful operations against the National Democratic Front of Bodoland and the United Liberation Front of Assam. He was serving in the high-altitude areas of Siachen Glacier from August 2015 and was chosen for deployment in one of the highest posts at an altitude of 19,600 feet since December 2015, encountering temperature well below minus 40 degrees Celsius and winds up to 100 km per hour. As an individual, Hanamanthappa is an ever smiling man who shares a cordial relationship with peers and subordinates, the officer said. Read | From dabbawalas to students, India prays for miracle Siachen soldier The sudden death of former prime minister Sushil Koirala will not affect Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis upcoming visit to India, officials said on Wednesday. Plans are afoot for Oli to fly into the Indira Gandhi international airport on February 19 for a five-day official visit his first foreign trip since assuming office in October. We are preparing for the visit for the past few weeks. Since there are still some days for the trip to start, it is unlikely that the dates would be changed, Gopal Khanal, Olis foreign affairs adviser, told Hindustan Times. Indian embassy officials too confirmed Oli will reach New Delhi on February 19. Nepal declared three days of state mourning from Tuesday in honour of Koirala, under whose leadership the countrys first democratically drafted constitution was promulgated in September. The last rites of Koirala, who was the head of the Nepali Congress party, were performed at the cremation area of Pashupatinath Temple on Wednesday afternoon with state honours. The government declared a holiday as a mark of respect. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj led an all-party delegation to Kathmandu on Tuesday to pay last respects to Koirala. During her interaction with Oli before leaving for New Delhi the same evening, Swaraj said India is looking forward to welcoming him soon. Oli has been invited to India twice by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But strains in bilateral ties due to the Madhesi protests against the new constitution had put a cloud over the trip. Unhappy with the statute, Madhesi parties blocked key border points with India last September, leading to an acute shortage of essential goods and petroleum products. Despite Indias denials, Kathmandu accused New Delhi of imposing an unofficial blockade to support the Madhesis, residents of the Terai region bordering India who share close family and cultural ties across the border. Last month, Oli told a group of editors he would not visit India till the crisis at home had blown over. The blockade at Birganj, the main trade route between the two sides, was forcibly removed by Indian traders last week. Madhesi parties officially lifted the blockade and there is now smooth flow of traffic. Nepals finance minister Bishnu Poudel made a three-day visit to New Delhi earlier this month to prepare the ground for Olis trip. India had promised Nepal $1 billion in aid during Modis visit to Kathmandu in 2014 and another $1 billion for the reconstruction of areas devastated by last years earthquakes. Deals on using these amounts are expected to be signed during Olis visit. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The US has removed Iqbal Mirchi, an alleged aide of Dawood Ibrahim and Mumbai underworld figure who died in 2013, from its list of international kingpins of illicit drug trade. The deletion, notified by the US treasury on February 3, gave no reason for the change. But a US treasury official said on background, In August 2013, Iqbal Mirchi died in the United Kingdom, which OFAC (Office of Foreign Asset Control) has confirmed. Due to this changed circumstance, Treasury determined that Mr. Mirchi no longer meets the criteria for identification as a Tier I drug kingpin. This removal from OFACs SDN (specially designated nationals) list does not change the veracity of the evidence of his illicit activities prior to his 2013 death, the official added. The treasury said Mirchi was identified as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker (or Tier I drug kingpin) pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act due to his international narcotics trafficking activities on June 1, 2004. US and foreign law enforcement reporting indicated that Mirchi had been involved in drug trafficking (heroin, hashish, methaqualone). But Mirchis sons, Asif and Junaid Memon, who are now based in Dubai, said in a statement their late father had petitioned US authorities against the designation. They added, At last the truth has come out. Iqbal Mirchi, whose real name was Iqbal Memon, was once one of the most wanted men in the world, sought by Indian authorities for involvement in the 1993 Mumbai bombings. Everything they say about me is total bullshit, Mirchi told The Guardian in an interview in 2005 in UK, where he was living then. He added: The drugs, the murder, the terrorism. All bullshit. My first crime is that I am a Muslim. My second crime is that I am a successful Muslim businessman. He died in London in 2013 at the age of 63. US treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control enforces actions against those named to the list of special designated nationals (SDNs) under various authorities. Mirchi was named to the SDN list in 2004 under the Kingpin Act, a 2000 law that slaps sanctions against significant foreign narcotics traffickers and their networks. Designated individuals lose their assets in America and US citizens and entities are prohibited from conducting business with them. RK Pachauri is in an enviable position today. The former IPCC chairman has not only been promoted at The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri), he has also survived a sexual harassment case. Or, if the inaction continues, make it two. Another former employee of the organisation on Wednesday accused Pachauri of sexually harassing her and other women in her presence, alleging that police did not take action on her complaint. It all began in February 2015 when former 29-year-old colleague of Pachauri accused him of sexual harassment; he was the director general of the organisation then. He was forced to leave Teri, resign from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) post and face an internal committee which was investigating the charges. Read: Pachauris Teri promotion made my skin crawl, says complainant He denied the charges, the committee found him guilty of gross misconduct. That was May and, as many thought, the end of his career. Only, less than a year later, the woman has been forced to leave Teri, Pachauri is the vice-chairman of the organisation with executive powers and the wise men and women who brought him back includes names such as Deepak Parekh and Naina Lal Kidwai. So, now he is the judge, jury and the man accused of the crime. The victim is a pariah with, as she put it, no money and a tainted CV; she termed the appointment shameless. According to experts, the appointment also flouts the spirit of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, based on the Vishakha judgment of the Supreme Court in 1997. Sexual harassment laws: 0, RK Pachauri: 1. Read: 7 sexual harassment cases that rocked India Pachauris appointment is an indictment of how lightly gender politics and sexual harassment is taken in India. As the victim put in an open letter she sent after Pachauris elevation, It makes my skin crawl. It should have the same effect on every person who steps out of their home and expect a fair treatment at their workplace. By definition, sexual harassment cases involve people in power using the same power to coax/browbeat a junior into accepting improper sexual advances. It is gender neutral. While most often reported by women, it could easily affect men. It is a misuse of power, gender is secondary. The message this case send out is if you are being targeted sexually at your workplace, you have no recourse available. In case you speak up, you lose your job and will be hounded by the powerful person involved afterwards. Then, there is the branding of the poor victim. Is that a conversation we want in a country which rewrote its laws after the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case and a public outburst? While we talk about making our streets safe for women, do we keep them wary and worried in the workplace? An excerpt from the womans letter shows the hell she had to face even after leaving work: Not a day passed without a message showing up on my mobile, warning me or bringing forth concerns, We are hearing that Victim has settled, I told them clearly that the complainant has not settled and she wouldnt. But they dont seem to believe me, They were asking me about your family background, My computer is always watched by the IT Department because they know that I support you. Undeterred, she promises to take the case to its legal conclusion. For someone in my position who has had zero support from the organisation, when made privy to such developments was most disturbing. What in the world was I to expect and why would I risk more than what is lost already. Not just the Governing Council but others in TERI have shown where their conscience leans (if any). If quitting was not enough, TERI Media Executive went ahead and publicized information leading to my identity to the Press. I spoke up and was quarantined from work... No money and a tainted Curriculum Vitae gave me sleepless nights. It was getting beyond my dignity to be associated with such an organisation and in the best of my interest, I quit. I felt most lighter in my mind and body on quitting TERI, she said in her letter. I deserved better. She did, just as the second women who accused Pachauri and was forced to quit her job in 2003. So do million of women across the country who expect safety at their worplace. Kavita Krishnan, secretary of AIPWA, said, This case is being watched widely. By reinstating and promoting Pachauri, what message is Teri sending? He was held guilty during the internal inquiry and this decision is outrageous. By reinstating him, they have put him in a position to influence witnesses and sent a terrible message to the victim. The decision is not compliant with laws and legal experts want the Teri governing council to be held accountable as well. The Teri governing council has failed to provide justice for the complainant and should be held accountable as well. First the government ought to take cognizance and intervene because the implementation of the sexual harassment law is monitored by the ministry of women and child development, Indira Jaising, a senior rights advocate and founder secretary of advocacy group Lawyers Collective, told Mint. They accept that what happened at Teri is a common occurrence in workplaces. Stay quiet or... is an implicit threat. How this case progresses will decide if it would continue to be so. A 55-year-old man from dalit community was killed and his son was critically injured when half a dozen men attacked them at Kambakshpur village. Police said that the incident resulted out of a land dispute which is stated to be around 3.5 bigahs. The incident occurred when the deceased, identified as Jagdish Singh, and his younger son Dharmender, 20, were on their way to the district court to seek legal aid over some issue. As they left the village at about 7.30 am, 6-7 men from the Gurjar community, who were having a decade old rivalry with Jagdish, attacked them. They had blocked the road using a tractor. The father-son duo tried to flee leaving their bike behind, but they were overpowered and attacked with sharp edged weapons, said Prem Chand, a neighbour of the deceased. He added that some passersby spotted the duo lying in a pool of blood and informed police and family members. Later, Dharmender was found alive and was rushed to the Yatharth hospital where he is undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit (ICU). Jagdish had demanded police protection as he was fighting a legal battle with the neighbours for a piece of land and he was often threatened and thrashed. But he never backed down and continued to fight the case for over 20 years, said Bhola, a relative of the deceased. Police said that a case was registered at the Knowledge Park police station and teams were formed to lead the investigation. Further, a company of provincial armed constabulary (PAC) has been deployed in the village to maintain law and order. Also, reserved riot control police has been deployed near the village on stand by, said Abhishek Yadav, superintendent of police (rural), Gautam Budh Nagar. The victims body was sent for postmortem, reports of which are awaited. It seems like he died after his throat was slit with some sharp object, Yadav said. Following the incident, the relatives of the deceased accused police of inaction and demanded immediate arrest of the accused persons. The incident also triggered a violent protest and the police had to resort to firing in air and a mild force to disperse the mob which tried to block the Noida-Greater Noida expressway by placing the body over the road which also led to long traffic snarls. However, senior police officials rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the mob. However, when they did not agree to clear the road, the police used mild force and seized the body. The expressway was cleared after 45 minutes. When approach, senior superintendent of police Kiran S said, The matter is under investigation. Whatever accusations the deceaseds family has made, will be thoroughly checked. Police said that several of the attackers were identified with the help of locals who witnessed the entire murder. Police is waiting for statement of victims son to get name of the assailants. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Punjab and Haryana high court has issued notices to the Punjab government, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and others on a petition moved by the family members of Bheem Sain, a Dalit man who was brutally murdered in Abohar in December 2015. The petitioners are seeking the transfer of the case to the CBI for a fair investigation. Taking up the petition, the court on Wednesday issued notices to the Punjab home secretary, CBI superintendent of police (SP), Fazilka senior superintendent of police (SSP) and the station house officer concerned in Abohar for February 24 to file their replies. The petitioners have accused police of trying to shield accused Akali leader and liquor baron Shiv Lal Doda, alias Sholly. Sains limbs had been chopped off at Dodas farmhouse in Abohar on December 11 last year. He had later died in a hospital. Bheems associate Gurjant Singh had sustained fractures in the attack. The petition has been filed by Bheems parents and Gurjants brother. Praying for transfer of the case to the CBI, the petitioners said the police had initially not even named Doda and his nephew Amit as accused in the FIR. It was only after protests that their names were included. The plea also pointed out that Dodas farmhouse was sealed 5-6 days after the murder. The petitioners said the police had now moved an application for conducting a lie-detector test on Doda, Amit and Harpreet Singh Harry. They demanded that all accused should undergo a narco test. Read also: Abohar murder - Things you should know about Akali leader Shiv Lal Doda Driving down the link road connecting Verka village with Fatehpur Shukarchak, Golden Grain Inc, a food processing unit spread over half an acre, is hardly noticeable. But the unit is making waves much beyond Punjab, and beyond Indias shores, selling the favourite Punjabi delicacy sarson da saag made of mustard plant leaves! It helps that the raw material is not too far, and is usually bought from eager farmers at rates higher than even the retail market prices. The processing, however, is not that straightforward if one goes by how busy the owner, Jagmohan Singh, 59, remains. On his mobile phone, he is constantly talking to farmers mostly in the adjoining Gurdaspur district, who inform him that plucking of the sarson (Hindi) or saron (Local Punjabi dialect) has commenced. They want to know when his tractor-trolley would be there to pick up the leaves, which would be processed into saag at his unit before being shipped in cans to Dubai, England and even Canada and the US. I was keen to make available the traditional Punjabi food to our families residing abroad so that the young generation takes a liking to it. Saag, paalak (spinach) and methi (fenugreek) are of high nutritional value, and I am exporting as well as selling locally, he says. He runs his business on contacts, he says. I have a verbal contract with around 30 farmers of villages in the Batala area growing mustard. All of them are small or marginal farmers with less than five acres. Mustard leaves being boiled in steam boilers. Jagmohan has clearly instructed farmers not to use chemical sprays or fertilisers. (Sameer Sehgal/HT) Jagmohan himself too grows mustard on his four-acre plot at nearby Makhanwindi village, but it is just not sufficient for his unit. In fact, he mostly uses the land for conducting trials on new varieties of mustard, fenugreek and spinach, and then recommends the varieties to the farmers who supply. Among the experiments is a variety he has got from the Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology in Hisar. This variety has higher oil content and, when processed, that helps in making the saag tastier. WHY ITS LUCRATIVE The average yield of the Hisar variety is 80 quintals per acre, while the local Punjab varieties give a yield of 50 quintals an acre after two pluckings. The rate of saag leaves fluctuates in the Amritsar market, so, if the rate in the retail market is Rs 7 per kg on an average, from an acre the farmer gets an income of Rs 56,000. But, if Golden Grain is paying Rs 2 more, the farmer gets Rs 72,000 from an acre. On the other hand, wheat if sold at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 1,450 per quintal, fetches around Rs 30,000 an acre, if the yield is 21 quintals an acre. The profits are more as the input cost is much less than that in wheat, which too is a winter crop. Wheat input cost is around Rs 13,000 per acre, including the cost of using a combine harvester. However, in the case of mustard, the foundation seed of the vegetable was prepared by Jagmohan on his four-acre farm and supplied to farmers who work with him, free of cost. They were advised to keep a portion of the mustard for preparing the seed for the next season after two pluckings. In accordance with Jagmohans instructions, no chemical sprays or chemical fertilisers are used by the farmers. Another benefit for farmers is that it is a 42-day crop while wheat takes almost five months. This helps farmers to take another winter crop or even sow vegetables which they can harvest before March or April. Yet another advantage is that after having undertaken the required number of pluckings the standing green matter can be ploughed into the fields, a valuable source of green manure. Jagmohan also encourages the farmers to sow fenugreek and spinach and he purchases these for processing at the market rate, as also vegetables. He also makes sauce from chilli bought the same way. The farmers also save upon the transportation cost as Jagmohan sends his tractor-trolleys. As they are all small and marginal farmers, I do not wish to burden them; and they too have always been loyal to me and abide by my instructions. Some sow saag on one acre, while one farmer, Kuldip Singh of Saraspur, has sown it on six acres. They also save on labour as in most cases the plucking is done by the women of the house. The processing of the saag primarily involves segregating and boiling, which is done in steam boilers; in a day around two tonnes are processed. No preservatives are used as the ready-to-eat saags tin jars are vacuum-sealed. These jars are then exported along with other products and sold under the brand name Narain Foods, named after Jagmohans father Narain Singh. TRAINED ABROAD (Sameer Sehgal/HT) The saag unit had come after another venture by Jagmohan in the mid-nineties, a maize milling unit in Batala. Armed with a degree in food cereal milling and engineering from Birmingham University (UK), Jagmohan came back to his hometown Amritsar in 1986. He then came in contact with Dr Narpinder Singh, a renowned food technologist from the food sciences and technology department of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) who suggested that a corn (maize)-milling plant would be an ideal project to set up in the area. Thereafter in 1990 he set up a corn dry milling plant at Batala, for which around 50 small and marginal farmers of Hoshiarpur grow a certain golden yellow variety. Here, too, his modus operandi is the same as the saag unit. As in the case of mustard, for corn too Jagmohan pays Rs 2 to 3 per quintal above the maximum price in the market. Today, the rate of corn in the mandis is around Rs 1,600 per quintal and the average yield is around 20-22 quintals per acre. Maize too matures in 60 days while paddy and wheat take five months each. So, if maize is purchased at Rs 1602 per quintal by the Batala milling plant, farmers get Rs 28,040 from an acre (if yield is 20 quintals) while in case of wheat (at Rs 1450 per quintal and yield of 20 quintals) the farmers get Rs 29,000 from an acre. Taking into account all input costs for maize, a farmer saves around Rs 14,000 per acre which is more than wheat. Another advantage of maize is that it can be grown twice a year as there are winter and summer varieties. He also grows strawberries on one acre, around 25,000 saplings worth Rs 50,000. A grower can pocket Rs 1.5 lakh if the rate is around Rs 80 per kg. After taking out all costs, the saving from an acre works out to around Rs 50,000. These too are used at his processing unit for jams and other products for his own brand and other food companies. THE TASTE-SPOILER He rues that there are no cargo flights out of Amritsar and in the existing passenger flights the cargo space is very limited. Jagmohan says he has studied the Middle East market and found great scope for export of freshly plucked green vegetables and fruit from Amritsar. It is a two-hour flight from Amritsar to Dubai; if we have a daily cargo flight the life of the farmers, particularly the small and marginal ones, will change for the better. Jagmohan used to export his cooked saag and other items to England when the British Midland International was running between Amritsar and Birmingham. This flight had a lot of cargo capacity. But now, with the discontinuation of this flight, he has to make use of the sea route. Tomorrow: Sweet success of stevia Read earlier parts of the series Riding pigs to prosperity A honey trap thats worth it Berries and melons, its an exotic crop cycle in Punjab Milking profit, not cattle class anymore Spicing it up with chilli farming Flowering mini-Holland in Punjab Farmer who knows his onions, gave peas a chance Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal on Wednesday cleared the appointment of retired IAS officer DS Bains as chairman of the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC), a spokesperson of the chief ministers office said. The spokesperson said deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also holds the electricity portfolio, had recommended the name of Bains for the post. On Sukhbirs recommendation, Santokh Singh Sarna has been appointed as member-2 of the commission. For the post of member-1, applications have been pending for a long time; and now the CM has asked for fresh applications to fill the post. The stage has been set: The chocolates have been stocked; the roses have been plucked and the teddy bears have been bought. If you havent guessed it already, yes, Valentines Day is here! 14th of February has been officially deemed as the Day of Love in most parts of the world, a day when lovers express their feelings for their admired ones by means of buying them gifts, a practice that has made Valentines Day the consumerist holiday that it is today. While a large part of the world will struggle to make a reservation at that fancy restaurant, or buy a rose stem 100 bucks a piece, come the 14th of this month, some countries will celebrate the day a little differently. We take a look at some of the unconventional Valentines Day traditions across the globe, and bring them to you to take inspiration from, so that you can boast about spending your Valentines Day in an uncliched way this year. Read and take a cue: Japan celebrates something called the White Day which falls on March 14, one month after Valentines Day. (Tumblr) 1 Japan White Day In a welcome relief from traditional gender roles, it is the ladies in Japan that are expected to do the big spending on Valentines Day and spoil their partners with chocolates and luxurious items. However, the process of gift-giving doesnt end here. Japan also celebrates something called the White Day which falls on March 14, one month after Valentines Day, wherein men who received gifts on Valentines Day are expected to reciprocate the womens gestures. Traditional White Day gifts include everything from cookies, jewellery, and white chocolate to lingerie. In an attempt to include everybody in the celebrations and festivities, single-or-otherwise, Feb 14th in Estonia is called sobrapaev which literally translates to Friends Day. (Tumblr) 2 Estonia Friends Day Like most of the rest of the world, Valentines Day is celebrated on February 14th in Estonia. However, in an attempt to include everybody in the celebrations and festivities, single-or-otherwise, Feb 14th in Estonia is called sobrapaev which literally translates to Friends Day. Non-romantic relationships are acknowledged as friends and family members exchange cards and gifts among each other. Notably, it is also an important day to tie the knot or get engaged among couples. An important tradition that is observed on the 14th of February in Denmark is that of giving gaekkebrev, a funny poem or a rhyme written on an intricately cut piece of paper, sent anonymously. (Tumblr) 3 Denmark Snowdrops and gaekkebrev Adding their own twist to the celebration of the Day of Love, a festival that has only recently gained popularity in Denmark, the Danish people instead of giving their loved ones or admirers roses, present them with pressed white flowers aka Snowdrops along with the regular Valentines Day cards. Another important tradition that is observed on the 14th of February in Denmark is that of giving gaekkebrev, a funny poem or a rhyme written on an intricately cut piece of paper, sent anonymously. If the receiver is able to guess the sender correctly, they are promised an Easter egg later in the year. In an attempt to celebrate and acknowledge the contribution of Ghana to the worldwide chocolate industry, Ghanas tourism industry, in 2007, re-branded Valentines Day so that now it is called the National Chocolate Day. (Tumblr) 4 Ghana Chocolate Day Ghana is one of the largest cocoa exporters in the world. In an attempt to celebrate and acknowledge the contribution of Ghana to the worldwide chocolate industry, Ghanas tourism industry, in 2007, re-branded Valentines Day so that now it is called the National Chocolate Day. While the celebration of the day is similar to the methods practiced in the West, the locals also indulge in chocolate themed meals at restaurants, visit museum exhibits and give each other chocolates. What makes Philippines celebration of Feb 14 unique is that thousands of couples get married. (Twitter) 5 Philippines Mass weddings While Valentines Day celebrations are akin to those in the Western countries, what makes Philippines celebration of Feb 14 unique is that thousands of couples share a wedding day. Mass weddings have gained popularity in the Philippines in the recent years, wherein a large number of couples gather in public areas to get married or renew their vows. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more. If youve seen the new advertisement by British Airways that has gone viral over the past few days, chances are you, too, have fallen in love with the adorable grandmother featured in it. Actor Uma Tembulkar, who plays the character, says it was her family who urged her to accept the role. My husband, children, and their families had seen me as a mother and a homemaker. They thought this role was perfect for me. They were proud of me, and shared my ad film on Facebook. We were all overwhelmed by the positive response, says Tembulkar. And overwhelmingly positive it has been, with the ad clocking over 13 lakh views on YouTube till now. But what is it about the ad that tugs at your heartstrings? Tembulkar says it is the feeling of love that the audience related to. I think the reason this film has touched peoples hearts is that two strangers show compassion for each other, and break down barriers of age and culture, she says. Read: British Airways ads viral response is Fuelled by Love Tembulkar, who has worked in over 60 ads till now, adds that it was easy for her to slip into the role. I have been a homemaker, and Ive always welcomed guests and relatives into my home. So this script was very close to my heart. I completely immersed myself into the role of the grandmother. The director was very calm and patient. Leanne, who played the flight attendant, was also able to bond with me. This helped me express my feelings with ease. The other cast members and production team were also very cooperative. It was great team work, she signs off. Happy Birthday to You, one of the worlds most recognizable songs, looks finally set to be free for everyone to sing. After prolonged legal wrangling, US publisher Warner/Chappell Music agreed to pay $14 million in a settlement that would end its claims to the songs copyright. The settlement was submitted to a federal court in Los Angeles yesterday. The dispute began in 2013 after filmmakers looking at the history of Happy Birthday to You balked at the $1,500 the publisher demanded for the songs use. The filmmakers filed a class action suit on behalf of people who have paid to use the song, which became popular in the United States a century ago and has since spread globally. The song is credited to Patty Hill, a kindergarten instructor in late 19th-century Kentucky, and her sister Milfred, but the plaintiffs say the tune came much earlier By declaring the song to be in the public domain, the settlement will end more than 80 years of uncertainty regarding the disputed copyright, the settlement submitted by the plaintiffs to the court said. The deal still needs a judges approval, which is likely since both sides are in agreement. The settlement enables the publisher to avoid a potential trial at which they would be required to pay even more. While the publisher was not chasing down birthday party revelers to seek payment, it had routinely asked for compensation for recordings seen as making money. The settlement said that $14 to $16.5 million represented the estimated amount that Warner/Chappell would have earned until 2030, the earliest date at which its disputed copyright would end. The filmmakers lawyers would pocket one third of the settlement money -- $4.62 million -- with the rest will be divided among those who have had to pay to use Happy Birthday to You. The plaintiffs said they saw the settlement as a victory and hoped to avoid further costs. Back in September last year, the filmmakers had partly won the case when a judge ruled that Warner/Chappell did not hold a legitimate copyright to the song. But he stopped short of declaring the song in the public domain, leaving open the possibility that others may hold the copyright and setting the stage for a trial. An Afghan police officer was killed during a clash with Nato forces in the capital Kabul, the countrys interior ministry said on Wednesday. The incident erupted on Tuesday when the police officer opened fire on a Nato delegation at the entrance of Afghanistans ministry of commerce and industries, the ministry said in statement. The shooter was wounded when Nato soldiers returned fire, according to Nato spokesperson Michael Lawhorn. No Nato forces were injured during the incident. The assailant later died after succumbing to injuries at a local hospital. The interior ministry has ordered Kabul police to investigate the incident, the ministrys statement added. So-called green-on-blue attacks, when Afghan soldiers or police turn their guns on international troops or colleagues, have been a major problem during Natos long years fighting alongside local forces. The attacks have bred fierce mistrust between Afghan and foreign troops even though the number of such incidents has declined in recent years. Nato formally ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in December 2014 and pulled out the bulk of its troops, however, a 13,000-strong residual force remains in the country to assist with training and counter-terrorism operations. The Afghan military, which was built from scratch after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, has also struggled with insider attack killings, high casualty rates and mass desertions. Last month, 10 Afghan police officers were killed after being drugged and shot by a rogue colleague at an outpost in southern Afghanistans Uruzgan province. A Mexican airline on Tuesday issued an apology to Waris Ahluwalia, a well known Indian American Sikh designer and actor, for stopping him from boarding their flight on Monday because of his turban. Ahluwalia, who made headlines in a GAP ad in 2013, had posted an image of his Aeromexico boarding pass on Instagram on Monday after being denied permission to board a flight from Mexico City to New York. Social media picked it up and turned the issue into a campaign, following Ahluwalias lead calling for education. He later refused to be flown home by the airline unless they apologised. We are a global airline that operates flights in different countries throughout the world and proudly embrace and recognize the diversity of our passengers, Aermexico said in its apology, adding that they were working on ensuring compliance with safety standards while respecting and valuing the culture and beliefs of our customers . Ahluwalia welcomed the airlines apology. Weve gotten the apology and Im grateful, and thanks to them for doing that, he said. The designer said he is now waiting for Aeromexico to implement special training on how to treat Sikh passengers, for whom the headgear carries religious significance. Were just a few steps away from a lot of hugs, he told The Associated Press. Ahluwalia posed a three-point demand to the airline for agreeing to be put on another flight home, according to the Sikh Coalition an advocacy group. (Ahluwalias Instagram account) I realize that this isnt about my convenience or getting home for lunch today, he told The Washington Post on Tuesday. I realize that if I walk away, somebody else was going to go through this experience again. According to reports, Ahluwalia was put through an extra round of screening where his bag was searched, and he was patted down and asked to remove a sweatshirt he was wearing. The security guard then asked him to remove his turban, which he refused. I responded matter-of-factly that I wont be taking off my turban, Ahluwalia told the New York Times. And then they talked amongst themselves and they said, O.K., then you are not getting on the flight. Aeromexico on Monday night said that it is obliged to comply with the federal rules determined by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for inspecting selected passengers travelling to the United States. However, US guidelines put into effect in 2010 no longer require air passengers to remove turbans if doing so makes them uncomfortable. Sikh men are routinely subjected to extensive and intrusive screening at US airports, even for domestic flights. A former Indian Permanent Representative to the UN wasnt spared either. This has little to do with their being Sikh. Most times they are subjected to the treatment because they are mistaken for West Asians, specially men, who also use similar headgear. A Sikh owner of a gas station became the first victim of the 9/11 backlash when he was shot dead by a man who wanted to avenge the attacks just four days after the Twin Towers were brought down in New York. Ahluwalias GAP ad was defaced, also in New York, with anti-Muslim graffiti. Someone wrote Make Bombs on it, a take on the ad campaigns slogan, Make Love. The 41-year-old known for his House of Waris jewellery line also acts. He was recently seen in Wes Andersons The Grand Budapest Hotel. (With inputs from agencies) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was detained at a US airport, yet again, on Thursday. The actor shared his strife on Twitter on Friday saying, I fully understand and respect security with the way the world is, but to be detained at US immigration every damn time really, really sucks. This was, however, not the first time he got in trouble with the US immigration department. He was detained for over two hours in 2012 at the New York airport after arriving from India in a private plane with Nita Ambani, to address students at Yale University. While Nita, wife of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, and the rest of their group were cleared immediately, Khan was stopped and was given immigration clearance only after about two hours. Read: Shah Rukh Khan detained at US airport, catches Pokemon to kill time Khan faced the same troubles in 2009 at the Newark Airport in New Jersey where he was detained for nearly two hours because of his last name. Even though racial profiling of Indians at the airports is nothing new, when it happens to famous personalities, especially to the ones in the cinema field, they make it to the news. Here is a look at some famous Indians who have faced racism at the airport in the past. 1. Irrfan Khan (Photo: Universal Pictures) Actor Irrfan Khan was detained twice at the US airports - at Los Angeles airport in 2008 and at New York airport in 2009. Its humiliating. They dont even disclose the reason. Actually, I dont use my surname Khan in films, but in passports, surname and religion are required. I was stopped not once, but several times at airports in the US, Irrfan had revealed to a television channel in 2013. 2. Waris Ahluwalia Actor Waris Ahluwalia arrives on the red carpet for the film Beeba Boys during the 40th Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto. (REUTERS) The Sikh Indian-American actor and designer claimed in February that he was barred from boarding an Aeromexico flight from Mexico City to New York because he refused to remove his turban. According to agencies, Waris Ahluwalias feet and bag were searched and swabbed at Mexico Citys international airport and he was told to remove the sweatshirt. But when they asked him to remove his turban, the 41-year-old actor refused to budge. 3. APJ Abdul Kalam (AFP Photo) Former President late APJ Abdul Kalam was frisked at the John F Kennedy Airport in New York on September 29, 2011. According to new reports, Dr Kalam had taken his seat in the aircraft but officials came inside and said they wanted to check the former President once again, which was strongly protested by Air India authorities. The airport authorities reportedly took away his shoes and jacket and returned them later. The US later apologised to India for the incident. 4. Neil Nitin Mukesh (HT Photo) Bollywood actor Neil Nitin Mukesh was detained at the New York airport for over an hour in 2009 as he was too fair to be an Indian. They thought I was too fair to be an Indian. I tried hard to convince them about my Indian credentials by telling them that both my mother and father are Indians. However, the incident changed my attitude of how I will approach my role in New York , which also dwells upon discrimination, Neil had told a daily at that time. 5. Mammootty (HT File Photo) Malayalam superstar Mammootty was detained at the JFK airport in New York in May 2009 because of his full name in the passport was Mohammad Kutty Ismail. I said who I am and when I told them that my website reveals everything, they were convinced after they checked it, Mammootty told reporters after the incident. 6. Praful Patel (HT File Photo) In September 2010, then Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel was quizzed by US immigration authorities at the OHare airport in Chicago after his name and date of birth matched with that of another Praful Patel, who is on the US watch-list. 7. George Fernandes Former Defence Minister George Fernandes was strip-searched twice at Washingtons Dulles International Airport in 2002 and 2003 and he had angrily reported the incident to then Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott. Mr. Talbott had narrated this incident in his book Engaging India Diplomacy, Democracy and the Bomb. 8. Meera Shankar Meera Shankar, the Indian Ambassador to the US between 2009 and 2011, was subjected to a pat-down search in December 2010 by security personnel at Mississippi airport though she was travelling on a diplomatic passport. The reason for the security search was that she was wearing sari. 9. Hardeep Puri Indias UN envoy Hardeep Puri was detained for more than 30 minutes in a holding room at Houston airport after refusing to remove his turban in December 2010. 10. Azam Khan (PTI Photo) Senior Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan, who was accompanying chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for a talk at Harvard University in the US in 2013, was detained briefly for questioning at the Boston Logan International Airport. (With PTI inputs) This story was first published on February 10, 2016. Read | Sikh man who was barred from entering flight, turns plight into cause WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should leave the Ecuadoran embassy in London and bring to an end the whole sorry saga, British Prime Minister David Cameron told Parliament on Wednesday. Assange faces a rape allegation in Sweden but has been inside Quitos mission for more than three and a half years in a bid to avoid extradition. The 44-year-old Australian fears deportation from Sweden to the United States over WikiLeaks release of 500,000 secret military files. A United Nations panel last week found the anti-secrecy campaigner had been arbitrarily detained by Britain and Sweden. I think this was a ridiculous decision, Cameron said in the lower House of Parliament. Youve got a man here with an outstanding allegation of rape against him. He barricaded himself into the Ecuadoran embassy and yet claims he was arbitrarily detained. The only person who detained himself -- was himself. And so what he should do is come out of that embassy and face the arrest warrant that is against him. He stressed that the allegation against Assange was in Sweden, a country with a fair reputation for justice. He should bring to the end this whole sorry saga. A Swedish prosecutor said Tuesday she still aims to question former computer hacker Assange inside the embassy, despite the UN report. It does not change my earlier assessments in the investigation, Marianne Ny said in a statement. She said she was currently working on a renewed request to interview Julian Assange at Ecuadors embassy in London. The right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami has demanded that a chapter on freedom fighter Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan or the Frontier Gandhi should be removed from Pakistani textbooks because he promoted secularism. The Jamaat-e-Islami is part of the ruling coalition led by Imran Khans Tehreek-e-Insaf party in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the home province of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. It demanded that the chapter on Khan, also known as Bacha Khan, be removed from school textbooks as he promoted the ideals of secularism which go against the culture and ideology of Pakistan. The chapter was inserted in textbooks when the Awami National Party (ANP), to which Bacha Khan and his family have been affiliated, came to power in 2008. Before the ANP formed the government, the Jamaat-e-Islami was in power in the volatile province and made amendments to the school curriculum to reflect its ideology and beliefs. Bacha Khan, who was close to Mahatma Gandhi, was hounded by Pakistans political establishment for many years after the countrys creation in 1947. He was arrested several times in the 1940s and 1950s and then went into exile in Afghanistan in 1964. Following his death in 1988, he was buried in Afghanistan. This month, the Jamaat-e-Islami again submitted a long list to the education department of what it deems objectionable material in textbooks used in government schools. It said such material is against Islamic and Pakistans norms. But the chapter on Bacha Khan was not the only objectionable material referred to in a six-page letter sent by the Jamaat-e-Islami. The party also pointed out some inappropriate images of human sexual organs that appeared in the biology book for grade 10. The Jamaat-e-Islami also expressed concern at the dresses of children shown in pictures printed in the English book for grade 2 and demanded the removal of some chapters on personalities and events related to Pakistan and Islamic history. The party said it had proposed to the education department last year that objectionable pictures of children should be replaced with images of children wearing national dress in the English book for grade 2. In the textbooks, two children described as a brother and sister can be seen wearing half-sleeve shirts, while their father is dressed in shirt and trousers, the letter pointed out. The Jamaat-e-Islami also asked why preference had been given to western writers in the English syllabus for intermediate classes and not to Muslim and Pakistani writers. In an interview with a newspaper, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mushtaq Ahmed Khan said secularism and western culture were unacceptable. Our local culture, Islam and patriotism should be reflected in the textbooks, he said. We have an agreement with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on education and are holding meetings time to time in this regard, he said, adding that issues would be resolved amicably. The provincial education department made several changes in textbooks last year on the recommendations of the Jamaat-e-Islami. The material removed included a chapter on Helen Keller in the English textbook and a chapter on existing problems in Pashto for grade 10. India and the United States have held informal discussions on conducting joint naval patrols, according to a US defence official but no decisions have been taken yet. There was no confirmation or denial, however, of a Reuters report on Wednesday that the patrols could include the disputed South China Sea. I can confirm that some informal discussions on joint patrols in general have occurred, a defence official told Hindustan Times in response to a request for comments to the article. Also Read | US warship sails near island claimed by China in South China Sea Reuters reported that joint naval patrols being discussed could include the South China Sea, which is likely to anger China given its claim over most of the waterway. It added that the two countries were hoping to launch the joint patrol within the year, likely in the Indian Ocean where India is a major player as well as in the South China Sea. Sources in the Indian defence ministry told HT that the report was highly speculative. Also Read | Japan and India need to deal with the South China Sea dispute US department of defence spokesperson Commander Bill Urban said in a statement: The United States and India continue to explore ways to deepen our defense cooperation, including in the area of maritime security. The US Department of Defence and the Indian Ministry of Defence prioritised this area of cooperation in the Framework for the US-India Defence Relationship signed by Secretary Carter and Minister Parrikar in June 2015. We continue to work with our Indian counterparts on how and where to expand engagement in this area. Also Read | Chinese military conducts war games in South China Sea He added: On the matter of joint patrols, no decisions have been made and we do not have any additional details to provide at this time. There was no specific response about the South China Sea. An Indian Navy spokesperson told Reuters the force has never carried out joint patrols with other countries, and there was no change in its policy of only joining UN-led operations abroad. Thats why India chose to conduct anti-piracy operations on its own, the spokesman told the new agency, and did not join a multi-nation effort. Indo-Pak relations remain tense after last months the Pathankot terror attack and Indias engagement with Pakistan this year may depend on Islamabads willingness to take action against those linked to the incident, the head of the entire United States intelligence services has said. Relations between Pakistan and India remain tense despite the resumption of a bilateral dialogue in December, James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. Following a terrorist attack in early January on Pathankot Air Force base in India, which New Delhi blames on a Pakistani-based group, Indias engagement with Pakistan will probably hinge in 2016 on Islamabads willingness to take action against those in Pakistan linked to the attack, Clapper said during his testimony. State Department Spokesman John Kirby said he agreed with the assessment of Clapper. The Pakistanis have said themselves publicly that theyre not going to discriminate among terror groups, and we know that this is a threat they face as well, he said. We want both sides of this to continue the dialogue that has started, understanding that its still a tense situation, but we want them to continue the dialogue that theyve started to try to get at what is a very common challenge to both countries, he said. Seven security personnel were killed and several others were injured when six militants stormed the Pathankot base on January 2. Kirby said its important for everybody facing these kinds of threats to take the actions that they need to do to protect their own people and their borders, but also to eliminate this very transnational threat that terrorism is. The Pakistanis have taken additional steps in the recent past. Can they do more? Every nation fighting terrorism can obviously do more because its still a very real threat out there in many parts of the world. But again, what we want is for India and Pakistan to continue to work together, Kirby said. The Director also added that any change in the relationship between the two countries would have an immediate impact on their neighbour - Afghanistan. The dreaded Islamic State group is determined to strike targets in the United States this year, senior intelligence officials have said. Officials have told the lawmakers that a small group of violent extremists will attempt to overcome the logistical challenges of mounting such an attack. In testimony before congressional committees, director of National Intelligence James Clapper and other officials described the Islamic State as the pre-eminent terrorist threat. The militant group can direct and inspire attacks against a wide range of targets around the world, Clapper said on Tuesday. Marine Lt Gen Vincent Stewart, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said the Islamic State will probably conduct additional attacks in Europe and then attempt the same in the US. He said US intelligence agencies believe IS leaders will be increasingly involved in directing attacks rather than just encouraging lone attackers. Clapper also said al Qaeda, from which the Islamic State spun off, remains an enemy and the US will continue to see cyber threats from China, Russia and North Korea, which also is ramping up its nuclear program. North Korea has expanded a uranium enrichment facility and restarted a plutonium reactor that could begin recovering material for nuclear weapons in weeks or months, Clapper said in delivering the annual assessment by intelligence agencies of the top dangers facing the country. Clapper said that Pyongyang announced in 2013 its intention to refurbish and restart nuclear facilities, to include the uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon and its plutonium production reactor, which was shut down in 2007. He said US intelligence had assessed that North Korea has expanded Yongbyon and restarted the plutonium production reactor there. Clapper also told the Senate Armed Services and intelligence committees that North Korea has been operating the reactor long enough that it could begin to recover plutonium within a matter of weeks to months. Both findings will deepen concern that North Korea is not only making technical advances in its nuclear weapons program, following its recent underground test explosion and rocket launch, but is working to expand what is thought to be a small nuclear arsenal. US-based experts have estimated that North Korea may have about 10 bombs, but that could grow to between 20 and 100 by 2020. North Korea on Sunday launched a rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite into space. The launch followed a January 6 underground nuclear explosion that North Korea claimed was the successful test of a miniaturized hydrogen bomb. Many outside experts were skeptical and Clapper said the low yield of the test is not consistent with a successful test of a thermonuclear device. Clapper said that Pyongyang is also committed to developing a long-range, nuclear-armed missile that is capable of posing a direct threat to the United States, although the system has not been flight-tested. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders won their respective primaries in New Hampshire easily on Tuesday night, setting up a protracted, closely contested nomination process in both parties. Both ran as outsiders, and both ended the night with more than double the votes than their nearest rival. Trump got 35% (92,820) to John Kasichs 16% (42,021). Sanders trounced Hillary Clinton, the front-runner in national polls and his only rival in the Democratic race, winning 60% of the votes (128,979) to 38% (88,964). Watch | Trump wins, Clinton promises to work harder in New Hampshire Their thumping victory was seen as a resounding defeat of their respective party establishments, which have been slow to embrace them, and doubt their message and winnability. Sanders had news for his party leaders. Together we have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California, he said in a victory speech. And Trump had a similar message. We are going to start winning again, he said in his victory speech, clearly relieved keeping in mind the setback in Iowa last week. A win in New Hampshire doesnt always lead to the party nomination, but it could help Trump and Sanders change the narrative, seem more viable and thus, prolong the race. US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump points at a supporter at a polling place for the presidential primary in Manchester, New Hampshire. (REUTERS) Republicans now go to South Carolina and Democrats to Nevada, states more demographically representative of the country than predominantly-white Iowa and New Hampshire. Trump is leading in polls in South Carolina as well, and by a massive margin 36.0% to 19.7% for Ted Cruz, currently second in the RealClearPolitic average of polls. Clinton leads Sanders 50% to 30.5% in Nevada, which is next, and 62.0 to 32.5% in South Carolina, which follows. If these polls hold, the race could swing dramatically in her favour. But she said in her concession speech on Tuesday night she knows she has to work harder, and identified younger voters as a challenge; Sanders had a lock on them in New Hampshire. Hillary Clinton greets voters outside of a polling station at Fairgrounds Junior High School on February 9, 2016 in Nashua, New Hampshire. Clinton quickly conceded defeat after US media reported that Bernie Sanders had won the preliminary polling. (AFP Photo) The race on the Republican side, however, is currently focussed on the Number 2 slot, with Trump so far ahead of the pack that his position is really not in any immediate danger. John Kasich staked a claim to that slot by finishing second in New Hampshire, joining a crowded field with Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Chris Christie. Cruz, who won Iowa, is currently second in the national average of polls (at 21% to Trumps 29.5%), followed by Rubio, Ben Carson, Bush, Kasich, Christie and Carly Fiorina. But the line-up could change. Bush was the other one who had a good night on Tuesday, finishing fourth. This campaign is not dead, Bush said. Were going on to South Carolina. Bush, who has struggled after entering the race as an establishment favourite last year, has the largest war-chest on the Republican side, and the backing of resourceful outside groups. And there is Rubio, the other establishment favourite, who finished a strong third in Iowa but tanked in New Hampshire following a devastating take down by Christie in the last debate. The Obama administration on Wednesday proposed $860 million in aid for Pakistan, including $265 million for the purchase of military hardware, which it said would help the country fight terrorists, secure nuclear weapons, and improve ties with India. While there was no mention of Pakistan in President Barack Obamas budgetary proposals, Secretary of State John Kerry in his proposals said the budget includes USD 859.8 million towards sustaining ties with Pakistan and making progress to disrupt, dismantle and defeat violent extremist groups. The requested funding will support the countrys counter-insurgency missions, and bolster stability, energy access, economic growth, and social reform, Kerry said in a letter accompanying his proposals. Pakistan lies at the heart of the US counter-terrorism strategy, the peace process in Afghanistan, nuclear non-proliferation efforts, and economic integration in South and Central Asia, State Department said making its case for the aid to Pakistan under the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund. OCO resources will support critical US activities such as ensuring the safety of Pakistani nuclear installations,working with Pakistan to facilitate the peace process in Afghanistan, and promoting improved relations with India, it said. For Pakistan, the OCO request supports a robust diplomatic presence and critical assistance programmes to advance cooperation and reforms in energy, economic growth, and agriculture, education, health, and stabilisation of areas vulnerable to violent extremism, it said. This includes supporting the government and its people, while maintaining diplomacy and outreach in the face of challenging political and security conditions, it said. The State Department plans to sustain the presence necessary to achieve our essential strategic priorities of combating terrorism and enhancing stability in Pakistan and the region following the transition in Afghanistan. Under the Economic Support Fund (ESF) of the OCO, the State Department has proposed $400 million to Pakistan. The State Department said this will support the US strategic objectives in the region, including combating terrorism and violent extremism and increasing security, growth and stability within Pakistan and the broader region. The request will also demonstrate the US commitment to fostering longterm cooperation with the Government of Pakistan in order to address areas of mutual interest, it said. Under OCOs International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement section, the State Department has proposed USD 40 million for Pakistan-funded programmes that will promote stability during the transition in Afghanistan. Proposing $265 million under Foreign Military Funding (FMF)-- which mainly means providing military hardware, the State Department said given the transition in Afghanistan and continued terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, it is essential to Pakistans efforts to increase stability on its western border and within the country. Under the Economic Support Fund (ESF) of the OCO, the Under the Economic Support Fund (ESF) of the OCO, the State Department has proposed USD 400 million to Pakistan. The State Department said this will support the US strategic objectives in the region, including combating terrorism and violent extremism and increasing security, growth and stability within Pakistan and the broader region. The request will also demonstrate the US commitment to fostering longterm cooperation with the Government of Pakistan in order to address areas of mutual interest, it said. Under OCOs International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement section, the State Department has proposed USD 40 million for Pakistan-funded programmes that will promote stability during the transition in Afghanistan. Proposing $265 million under Foreign Military Funding (FMF)-- which mainly means providing military hardware, the State Department said given the transition in Afghanistan and continued terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, it is essential to Pakistans efforts to increase stability on its western border and within the country. Pornsak Bowornsrisuk pulls an umbrella towards him to shield his head of thick grey hair from the blazing sunshine at the Bangkok bus terminal where he records bus arrivals and departures. Such scenes will only become more common in Thailand as its population rapidly ages, unlike its neighbours Malaysia and Singapore with more youthful populations. The World Bank estimates the working-age population will shrink by 11% by 2040, the fastest contraction among Southeast Asias developing countries. The government is urging businesses to hire older people to soften the impact of the ageing workforce on productivity, as well as limit the rise in the cost of its modest pension scheme. The state paid 61.37 billion baht ($1.73 billion) in 2015 in pensions. Thailands stage of economic development, the rising cost of living and education, and a population waiting longer to get married are among the reasons it is ageing more quickly than its neighbours. An effective contraception programme in the 1970s also played a part, said Sutayut Osornprasop, a human development specialist at the World Bank in Thailand. Thailands fertility rate dropped to 1.5 in 2013 from 5.6 in 1970, according to United Nations data. Dubais ruler said on Monday the United Arab Emirates will privatise some government services in the oil rich country, as well as create a state minister position devoted to ensuring the happiness of its citizens. In essence, United Arab Emirates has appointed new ministers of tolerance and happiness as part of a cabinet reshuffle. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the UAEs prime minister, made the comments on Twitter after appearing at the World Government Summit being hosted in his city-state. The post of Minister of State for Tolerance has been created to promote tolerance as a fundamental value in UAE society#WorldGovSummit HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) February 8, 2016 He also announced that some government ministries would be merged, while also creating a minister of state position to oversee tolerance in a country that is home to many faiths and ethnicities. It is a beginning of a new journey of achievement and giving to the people and we ask Allah to help us to serve and take care of them, one message read. The series of tweets sent out to coincide with the summit did not offer a timeframe for when the plans would be implemented. However, they come amid a months long push by the 66-year-old ruler focused on happiness in his emirate, which is known for its futuristic skyscrapers and a liberal disposition compared to the rest of the largely conservative Arabian Peninsula. The UAE is a federation composed of seven autonomously ruled emirates. The ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, serves as the countrys president. In his tweets on Monday night, Sheikh Mohammed said the changes in the federal government came after he consulted with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabis crown prince. The US defence department is seeking $200 million in the 2017 budget for counterterrorism operations in Libya and other portions of North and West Africa, as the Islamic State threat in that region continues to grow. The new funding provides the first concrete indication of what the US military may do to battle the threat, including expanded drone and surveillance flights, strikes and other operations. And it is the first time that the Pentagon has included a separate increase for operations against the Islamic State in Africa. There were no details on how the money would be spent. The $200 million is an overall increase the departments war funding, including the ongoing effort in Afghanistan, and the airstrikes and training in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State. The war funding request is $58.8 billion for 2017, compared to $58.6 billion this year. The $200 million is likely to cover increased drone operations over Africa, as the military struggles to provide real-time intelligence through 24-hour unmanned aircraft patrols in the coming years. And that budget increase will build on discussions U.S. officials are having now on plans to beef up counterterrorism operations in Libya in the coming weeks and months. According to US defence officials, the Pentagon is looking for ways to increase drone flights over Libya and other parts of Africa to get a better picture of what is going on and to be prepared to conduct operations when needed. As a result, officials said the US may have to shift aircraft from other parts of the world, including Afghanistan, to cover the growing demand in Libya, where the number of Islamic State militants has risen from a couple thousand to about 5,000, according to newly declassified US intelligence assessments. Under the plan laid out in the 2017 budget, the Pentagon would increase the number of 24-hour combat air patrols from more than 60 now to 90 by about October 2019. The increase would come as the Army, government contractors and special operations forces contribute more to the flights already being done by the Air Force. Although there are no plans for a large-scale US military action in Libya, President Barack Obama last week directed his national security team to beef up counterterrorism operations there. According to US officials, the military options under consideration include raids and advisory missions by US special operations forces and targeted airstrikes against militants, including high profile enemies. Last November a US airstrike on a command center near the port city of Darnah killed Abu Nabil, a longtime al-Qaida operative believed by US officials to have been the senior Islamic State leader in Libya. US officials are increasingly worried that Libya could become the next Syria, where the Islamic State flourished amid civil war and spread into Iraq. Both Syria and Libya have vast under-governed areas where militants can set up headquarters, training camps or storage depots. Small teams of US military members have gone in and out of Libya in recent months as part of an effort to establish ties with local groups and leaders. The expected increase in military activity in Libya comes as officials pursue diplomatic efforts to form a national unity government there. Since 2014, Libya has been split between two rival authorities, each backed by different militias and tribes. The officials were not authorized to discuss the plans publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity. Expressing concern over Pakistans evolving tactical nuclear weapons doctrine, a top American spymaster on Tuesday warned about the increasing risks of an incident associated with the growing nuclear arsenal. Pakistans nuclear weapons continues to grow. We are concerned that this growth, as well as the evolving doctrine associated with tactical weapons, increases the risk of an incident or accident, Defence Intelligence Agency Director Vincent Stewart told the Senate Armed Services Committee. Islamabad continues to take steps to improve its nuclear security, and is aware of the threat presented by extremists to its programs, Stewart said in his testimony. A Congressional report in January had estimated Pakistans nuclear warheads to be between 110-130 and that they are aimed at deterring India from taking military action against it Pakistans nuclear arsenal probably consists of approximately 110-130 nuclear warheads, although it could have more, the Congressional Research Service said in the report. Stewart also said Pakistan will face internal security threats from militants and separatist groups this year. Islamic States branch in Afghanistan-Pakistan and al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent will remain significant security concerns for Islamabad, he said. Counter-insurgency operations along Pakistans Western border and paramilitary operations in Karachi have had some success in reducing violence and are likely to continue, Stewart said. Mexican authorities have found a body that they believe to be that of journalist Anabel Flores Salazar near the municipality of Tehuacan, just nine miles from the border between the Puebla and her home state of Veracruz. She was abducted on Monday when armed men broke into her house around 2 a.m., claiming to have a warrant for her arrest, as Reporters Without Borders described in a press release. At the breaking of this story, the identities of her murderers remain unknown, according to the Mexican publication Proceso. Flores Salazar was working as a freelance reporter and journalist covering crime and policing in the region, including investigations of the notorious Zetas drug cartel. The State Commission for Care and Protection of Journalists (CEAPP) said in a statement that the system for locating missing media personnel was activated immediately after hearing of the abduction, two hours after its occurrence. "The search and rescue protocol was launched as soon as her relatives reported what had happened," Benita Gonzalez, president of the state commission in charge of protecting journalists in Veracruz, told Vice News on Monday. State authorities have been criticized for not effectively investigating attacks against journalists in the region, and for often hinting that the victims were in some way complicit or responsible, as Vice reports. The CEAPP's statement said that it would investigate "all the possible links of the reporter" to organized crime, mentioning an alleged meeting that Flores had in August 2014 with a suspected drug trafficker who was later arrested. Flores Salazar's colleagues at the daily El Buen Tono also received phone calls on Monday from people claiming to be members of the Zetas cartel, threatening to burn down the newspaper's office in reprisal for some of its stories, according to the Latin American Herald Tribune. State police are now monitoring the office. With her death, Anabel Flores Salazar joins at least 15 journalists who have been killed in the state of Veracruz since 2010. Veracruz is one of the most dangerous states in Mexico for members of the media, according to the BBC. Nationwide, 88 journalists have been murdered in Mexico since 2000. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Just moments after the polls officially closed in New Hampshire Tuesday night, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders were announced as the winners of the early voting state's primaries. The Associated Press, NBC News and CNN all called the race for Trump and Sanders as the final polls closed at 8 p.m. EST, according to The Washington Post. The Associated Press had only reported about 10 percent of the vote, with Sanders leading by a margin of 56 percent to 42 percent. Hillary Clinton immediately conceded the race as media organizations have called the race for Sanders. "After splitting the first two contests, an outcome we've long anticipated, attention will inevitably focus on the next two of the 'early four states,'" Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook wrote in a memo, according to The Hill. "We've built first-rate organizations in each state and we feel very good about our prospects for success." The Sanders win in New Hampshire on top of a virtual tie in Iowa adds the air of electability to the Vermont senator's campaign - something critics, including Clinton, say he lacks. Among Republicans, Trump led with 30 percent as the polls closed. However, second place was too close to call with John Kasich, George Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Chris Christie in a cluster in the middle of the pack, according to Politico. Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson sat at the bottom of the polls. Trump needed to prove he would be able to hold his sizable lead after losing his advantage in Iowa, albeit a smaller one than in New Hampshire. In last week's Iowa caucuses, Trump fell to Cruz and was nearly matched by Rubio. However, Trump's ability to hold onto his lead was a surprise among the New Hampshire political elite. "By name, I only know five people supporting Donald Trump," John H. Sununu, a former governor of New Hampshire, told The New York Times on Tuesday. "So I say I cannot understand this electorate." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Supreme Court on Tuesday dealt a major blow to President Obama's climate change policy by temporarily blocking federal rules designed to carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court granted a request from 29 mostly-Republican states and dozens of industry groups asking for the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan regulations to be delayed while they challenge its legality in a lower appeals court, reported Reuters. The Supreme Court divided along typical ideological lines, with the court's four liberal justices dissenting and saying they would have denied the request, and the five conservatives voting for the temporary block. No explanations were provided in the one-page order, according to The Wall Street Journal. The EPA's regulations attempt to force existing power pants to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent by 2030, based on emission levels in 2005. It also includes an incentive program to encourage the utility industry to pursue cleaner forms of energy, such as wind and solar, over the next few decades. Power plants would not have to reduce emissions until the first deadline in 2022, and would then have until 2030 to be in full compliance, according to The New York Times. States were supposed to submit plans detailing how they would meet emission goals to the EPA by September, or seek a two-year extension. Since October, over 30 lawsuits have been filed challenging the EPA's authority on the matter. The states challenging the regulation, many with economies that rely on coal-fired power or coal mining, sued to stop what they called an "unprecedented power grab" and "the most far-reaching and burdensome rule the EPA has ever forced onto the states." A District of Columbia appeals court in January refused to grant a stay, but expedited the case and will hear oral arguments on June 2 to decide whether the regulations are lawful. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A deadly double suicide bombing killed at least six individuals and injured several civilians in Cameroon early Wednesday morning. Two militants, both reported to be females, carried out the attack in a funeral wake at Nguetchewe, a village located near the country's border with Nigeria. While no group has claimed responsibility yet, the notorious Boko Haram militant group is supected to be behind the atrocity. "The villagers were gathered for the wake when two suicide attackers joined them, pretending to be family members," a source told AFP. The bombers "blew themselves up at 6:20 a.m., just when people who had spent the night there were preparing for a meal." Local authorities also confirmed that children, including a 6-year-old boy, were killed in the attack, according to Newsweek. The injured are being treated in a regional hospital in Maroua, the capital of Cameroon's Far North region. Cameroon has been increasingly experiencing violent attack from Islamic State-affiliated Boko Haram amid the country's participation in the Multi-National Joint Task Force, which was created to contain the group's activities in Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Benin. A series of bombings two weeks ago killed 36 and wounded around 80 civilians, Reuters reported. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Community activism took a major hit Monday after Marshawn McCarrel, a Columbus, Ohio-based, Black Lives Matter member, died on the steps outside of the Ohio Statehouse, the state highway patrol revealed. Authorities say that the 23-year-old fatally shot himself with a handgun at around 6 p.m, reported NBC News. No one was at the scene at the time of the shooting, and McCarrel was pronounced dead at the scene. It's unclear why he decided to commit suicide, as he only left a message just hours before his death on Facebook that read, "My demons won today. I'm sorry." "Let the record show that I pissed on the state house before I left," his last tweet read. Let the record show that I pissed on the state house before i left. SPICY (@MC_CARREL11) February 8, 2016 With McCarrel dead, there is now a huge void in the activism scene in Columbus. He was an active member of the community, founding the youth mentorship program Pursuing Our Dreams, which launched Feed the Streets, a project aimed at helping Ohio's homeless. He was also an advocate of racial justice, helping organize demonstrations in Ohio following the 2014 death of Ferguson teen Michael Brown, and was a key figure in raising awareness around the Black Lives Matter movement, according to The Huffington Post. McCarrel's efforts and contributions to the community weren't overlooked, earning him the recognition of Radio One as a "Hometown Champion" for his great work and activism in the community. In addition to the award, he also won a free trip to last Friday's NAACP Image Awards. Despite the apparent suicide, police are investigating the incident and considering the circumstances behind his death. Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Craig Cvetan said that it appears no one witnessed the actual act despite the building being open at the time of the shooting, and that McCarrel was seen on the Statehouse grounds shortly before he killed himself. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Another young life has been lost in the ongoing conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, as 16-year-old Omar Madi was killed Tuesday after being shot by Israeli forces. The teenager was shot during clashes in the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron's al-Arroub refugee camp, according to Palestine News Network. The teenager had been participating in one of the violent demonstrations in the area. An Israeli army spokesperson noted that soldiers spotted a number of boys throwing stones at Israeli vehicles in the area, to which they allegedly responded with "riot dispersal means." One of the demonstrators, Madi, was shot using live rounds. Due to the violent nature of protests in the area, Israeli forces have started utilizing numerous ways to disperse unruly crowds. While tear gas has been the tool of choice for many, Israeli soldiers have started using rubber-coated steel bullets lately, reported Ma'an News Agency. However, in cases where demonstrators engaged in violent acts like throwing Molotov cocktails, for example, some soldiers have started responding with live ammo. Such was the case with Madi's death. While the teen was rushed to a hospital after the incident, he was quickly pronounced dead by medical officials due to his wounds, The Times Of Israel reported. Madi has become one of almost 170 Palestinians who have been killed in increasingly violent clashes with Israeli forces since October. Check out more World News here. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, a veteran of the country's government and the nation's youngest politician to ever become Prime Minister, has announced that he would be stepping down from office, according to France 24 News. Fabius has held the position for four years. Though his departure is quite significant, the soon-to-be ex-foreign minister stated that he was quite satisfied with the progress France has made during the last four years. "We did good work, and France can be proud," he said, according to The New York Times. Since coming to power in 2012, Fabius proved himself as a very capable politician, presiding over a number of notable foreign policy changes that have enveloped the country in recent years. He also played a huge part in France's cooperation with the U.S. in the fight against the Islamic State and global terrorism in general. His tenure as the foreign minister also saw him contributing greatly in a nuclear accord with Iran, where he held out for tough conditions against the Middle Eastern country. Apart from this, he has also garnered widespread praise and commendation over his role in last year's climate change summit, where he presided over negotiations among a number of disputing nations, according to The Times of Israel. Though Fabius is leaving his post as France's foreign minister, he is expected to take on the position as the head of France's Constitutional Court. For more World News, click here. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Chris Christie is expected to formally suspend his presidential campaign, according to sources close to the campaign, multiple news sources have reported. A statement announcing his decision could come as soon as this afternoon, according to CNN. Christie, who had spent considerable time and financial resources in New Hampshire to jump-start his campaign, had a poor showing in the early voting state. The New Jersey governor finished in sixth place in last night's contest, only ahead of Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson. "We bet the ranch on New Hampshire, and no one ever anticipated the Trump phenomenon," one source told ABC News. "He's a realist." While Christie is short on cash to continue, his showing in the New Hampshire primary would make it difficult to raise additional funds, as well as qualify for upcoming debates. Christie had originally planned to fly to South Carolina to attend a forum, but by last night, he changed his plans, saying, "We're going to go home to New Jersey tomorrow, and we're going to take a deep breath," reported the New York Times. He added that he, his team and his family "will make a decision on our next step forward based on the results that come in here in New Hampshire." Christie also seemed to strike at Republican front-runner Donald Trump and his lack of experience, despite the real estate billionaire's considerable win of 20 points over the second place candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich. "We came here to say that speaking your mind matters, that experience matters, that competence matters, and that it will always matter in leading our nation," Christie told supporters last night, NBC News reported. "That message was heard by a lot of folks and it was stood for by a lot of folks here in New Hampshire, just not enough. Not enough tonight." In recent polling, Christie is in sixth place with 2.3 percent support in the South Carolina primary, according to averages compiled by RealClear Politics. On a national level, he is in seventh place and ahead only of Fiorina. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. McDonald's has once again found itself mired in a bit of controversy about its food, this time due to allegations from an Alaskan mother who claims she is in possession of a 6-year-old McDonald's Happy Meal that has essentially stayed the same since the year she purchased it. Chiropractor Jennifer Lovdahl said she left the Happy Meal in its original cardboard box since Jan. 8, 2010, as part of an experiment to show her patients how unnatural and healthy, McDonald's - and fast food as a whole - is, according to azcentral.com. It's been 6 years since I bought this "Happy Meal" at McDonald's. It's been sitting at our office this whole time and... Posted by Jennifer Lovdahl on Wednesday, February 3, 2016 "It has not rotted, moulded, or decomposed at all!!! It smells only of cardboard. We did this experiment to show our patients how unhealthy this 'food' is. Especially for our growing children!! There are so many chemicals in this food! Choose real food! Apples, bananas, carrots, celery. Those are real fast food," her Facebook post reads. Facebook has been abuzz since she posted the picture, gaining more than 300,000 shares. Although it hasn't been confirmed that the image is real, the claim of McDonald's food being seemingly ageless existed way before Lovdahl started her experiment. David Whipple of Utah is in possession of a McDonald's burger he purchased in 1999, which has seemingly refused to decompose 15 years later, and "last McDonald's burger in Iceland" - purchased in 2009 before McDonald's closed throughout the country - is on display at the National Museum of Iceland where it has remained without any symptoms of decay. In these cases, the food's freakish level of preservation was blamed on active ingredients like preservatives and sodium. However, McDonald's USA addressed the ongoing decomposition misconception stating: "Actually it can [rot]. Food needs moisture in the air for mold to form. Without it, food will simply dry out - sort of like bread left out on a counter overnight to make croutons for stuffing. You might have seen experiments which seem to show no decomposition in our food. Most likely, this is because the food has dehydrated before any visible deterioration could occur." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Heads are continuing to roll in North Korea as rumors from Seoul emerge, alleging that Pyongyang's army chief of staff Ri Yong-gil has been executed in what would amount to the latest in a series of top officials at the hands of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, if the rumors are true. R, was reportedly executed earlier this month for corruption and "factional conspiracy," Yonhap news agency reported, citing a source familiar with North Korean affairs, according to the AFP. He was typically seen accompanying Kim Jong-un during inspection tours, but his name was noticeably absent from state media reports of recent major party meeting and celebrations over Sunday's rocket launch. It should be noted that even though he's "missing," it's not uncommon for North Korean officials to disappear for extended periods of time only to reappear with little to no explanation. "When previous chiefs of staff have been removed, they have reappeared in other positions or been demoted. The only exception was Gen Ri Yong-ho who was removed in 2012 and then put under house arrest," said North Korean leadership expert Mike Madden, according to the BBC. Despite the possible explanation for his disappearance, the possibility of Ri's execution is high, especially considering how many reports, both confirmed and unconfirmed, of purges and execution have surfaced since Kim took control of North Korea in 2011 following the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il. One notable instance occurred last May when the National Intelligence Service In Seoul said Kim had his defense chief, Hyon Yong-chol, executed by anti-aircraft gun fire, according to Newsmax. The most notable case, however, was in December of 2013 when Kim had his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, executed for charges including treason and corruption. It's difficult to know whether such executions are a sign of power or weakness of Pyongyang's leader, however it's even more difficult to know whether they actually occurred. Given the secretive nature of its government, North Korea rarely confirms reports of purges and executions. The 2013 execution of Jang was one of the rare times that it did. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After his sweeping victory in the New Hampshire primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday had breakfast with civil rights activist Al Sharpton in New York City, an attempt to broaden appeal among black Americans. The two met around 10 a.m. at Sylvia's the famed Harlem restaurant where Sharpton sat down with then-Sen. Obama during his 2008 bid and talked for 20 minutes about affirmative action, police brutality and the water crisis in Flint, Mich., according to CNN. "The focus was to deal with the litany of issues that African-American and Latino voters are facing," Sharpton reportedly told MSNBC's Tamron Hall. My concern is that in January of next year, for the first time in American history, a black family will be moving out of the White House. I do not want black concerns to be moved out with them," Sharpton said after the meeting, which was reportedly requested by Sanders. The Vermont independent senator is making a much-needed yet not-so-subtle attempt to shore up support among African-Americans as he prepares for the Feb. 27 Democratic primary in South Carolina, where more than half of registered Democrats are black, according to The New York Post. Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton currently leads Sanders in South Carolina by double digits and is favored to win the state's black vote, however, Sanders' promises of political revolution and strong appeal among younger voters could easily shake things up, according to NPR. Sharpton told reporters after breakfast that he plans to meet with Clinton next week and will likely make an endorsement soon after. The meeting came the day after Sanders stole the show in the New Hampshire primaries, winning 60.4 percent of the vote compared to Clinton's 38 percent. That's one of the widest margins in modern Democratic history. "I think it is very important that he sent a signal that on the morning after a historic victory it's the widest margin we've seen in the history of New Hampshire he would come to Harlem and have breakfast with me," Sharpton said. Sanders' win translated into a massive fundraising bump, with his campaign announcing Wednesday afternoon that it had raised about $5.2 million since the polls closed in New Hampshire on Tuesday at 7 p.m. EST. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. T here is nothing like a tight deadline to focus the mind, and the announcement that stamp duty on buy-to-let property or on a second home will rise by three per cent on each band from April has prompted a scramble by investors desperate to avoid paying thousands of pounds extra. However, this important buy, which could be your pension pot, needs careful thought if it is going to bring a constant return and increase in value in the long term. Exclusive new research from Rightmove reveals the top 20 locations where you can expect the best rental return, both in London and in the commuter belt, and with a price range to suit all pockets. This research is supported by expert advice on how to make the best buy. Top twenty buy-to-let property hotspots 1 /26 Top twenty buy-to-let property hotspots High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire Total return: 21.6% Total rent collected: 10,585 Av. asking price 2015: 235,367 Av. asking price 2014: 202,723 Margate, Kent Total return: 21.7% Total rent collected: 6,671 Av. asking price 2015: 143,202 Av. asking price 2014: 123,152 Dartford, Kent Total return: 21.9% Total rent collected: 10,558 Av. asking price 2015: 223,008 Av. asking price 2014: 191,568 Windsor, Berkshire Total return: 23.3% Total rent collected: 15,736 Av. asking price 2015: 419,788 Av. asking price 2014: 353,298 Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire Total return: 23.5% Total rent collected: 11,284 Av. asking price 2015: 264,011 Av. asking price 2014: 222,857 Stevenage, Hertfordshire Total return: 24.1% Total rent collected: 10,002 Av. asking price 2015: 225,326 Av. asking price 2014: 189,624 Slough, Berkshire Total return: 24.6% Total rent collected: 11,931 Av. asking price 2015: 252,488 Av. asking price 2014: 212,150 Grays, Essex Total return: 25.2% Total rent collected: 10,114 Av. asking price 2015: 200,656 Av. asking price 2014: 168,358 Luton, Bedfordshire Total return: 26.3% Total rent collected: 8,633 Av. asking price 2015: 178,620 Av. asking price 2014: 148,295 Brentwood, Essex Total return: 28.3% Total rent collected: 12,434 Av. asking price 2015: 315,442 Av. asking price 2014: 255,624 Forest Gate Total return: 26% Total rent collected: 14,577 Av. asking price 2015: 314,277 Av. asking price 2014: 261,027 Lee Total return: 26.5% Total rent collected: 14,490 Av. asking price 2015: 339,657 Av. asking price 2014: 280,012 Brent Total return: 27% Total rent collected: 16,125 Av. asking price 2015: 345,370 Av. asking price 2014: 284,745 Barnsbury Total return: 27.3% Total rent collected: 26,540 Av. asking price 2015: 787,609 Av. asking price 2014: 639,768 Silvertown Total return: 28% Total rent collected: 19,674 Av. asking price 2015: 477,045 Av. asking price 2014: 388,123 Wembley Total return: 28.2% Total rent collected: 16,269 Av. asking price 2015: 346,570 Av. asking price 2014: 2283,041 Cricklewood Total return: 28.3% Total rent collected: 19,380 Av. asking price 2015: 569,210 Av. asking price 2014: 458,682 East Ham Total return: 29.4% Total rent collected: 14,195 Av. asking price 2015: 261,328 Av. asking price 2014: 212,933 King's Cross Total return: 30.3% Total rent collected: 28,865 Av. asking price 2015: 938,154 Av. asking price 2014: 742,421 Oval Total return: 31.3% Total rent collected: 20,447 Av. asking price 2015: 571,551 Av. asking price 2014: 450,918 Leading the way in central London is Oval where, according to the research, investors could see a 31.3 per cent return on investment calculated by looking at the average price of two-bedroom flats across London, their annual price change and their annual rental income. The return on each investment does not take into account management costs or the possibility that the property will be empty for some of the year. Nonetheless, the financial gains are impressive. An average two-bedroom property in Oval costs 571,551 up from about 450,000 a year ago and rents for about 1,700 a month. However, Karelia Scott-Daniels, managing director at Manse & Garret Property Search, says investors could get into the area from about 350,000 by buying an ex-council flat, which would rent for about 1,600 a month. These flats are cheaper than private flats, but there is not as much of a difference in the rents they command, she says. She adds that renters on the upper floors of a block like lifts, all of them want security and most prefer small blocks to sprawling estates. Look for connections Transport links are key, so look at areas near new developments such as Crossrail. Proximity to the Tube is a big factor for commuting tenants. Ovals prospects for capital growth look promising because the area is still better value than much of the rest of central London. Being sandwiched between regeneration zones at Nine Elms and Elephant & Castle should help raise prices, too. Regeneration areas are attractive to renters with their uplifting vibe. Kings Cross scores almost as strongly as Oval in todays research, with a total return on investment of 30.3 per cent though high property prices (the average asking price is currently pushing 940,000) might make the area too expensive. Schools are a big draw Almost as lucrative, but a fraction of the price, is East Ham, with average prices standing at just more than 261,000 and a total return on investment calculated at a healthy 29.4 per cent. Sheeba Kumar, director of Swayam Estates, says the property stock in the area tends to be three-bedroom terraces, selling at 350,000 to 380,000, which landlords are snapping up to rent to fortysomethings with children, who typically pay 1,600 to 1,750 a month. If you are investing in a family house, try to buy one thats near good schools as this will be a big draw for parents. Demand is fierce, both from investors and renters, near East Ham Tube station in Zone 3 served by the Hammersmith & City and District lines and close to one of the areas three Ofsted outstanding primary schools (Cleves, St Stephens and Brampton), or its two top-performing secondaries (Brampton Manor Academy and Plashet School). Kumar says: East Ham is still below market price compared to Stratford. People cant even dream of living in central London any more, and we are only 20 minutes away. The Crossrail Factor Outside London, buy-to-let returns are slightly lower. Brentwood in Essex is the best performer. An investment of an average of just over 315,000 could see a return of more than 28 per cent. Perry Binyon, of Country Places estate agents, puts Brentwoods success down to its proximity to the new Crossrail station at nearby Shenfield, which has seen investors rushing to snap up two-bedroom flats near the station, paying about 300,000. Binyon says renters, mostly London commuters, will pay between 1,100 and 1,300 a month for a property, providing it is in smart condition. He believes that the Crossrail factor means prices will increase by 10 to 12 per cent by 2018, when the line is due to open. T he extensive network of railway viaducts and arches in the capital is a great legacy of the Victorian era. Now, after decades of neglect and decay, these splendid structures are being restored and integrated into new housing schemes, weaving their historic heritage into our redesigned inner-city spaces to the benefit of community and buyers alike. Many individual arches have already turned around their image as leaky, back-street lock-ups by being transformed into chic offices for start-ups, boutiques and bistros but, as developers scramble for land, projects are happening on a much larger scale. Planners and Network Rail are collaborating to bring rows of railway arches back into use and to make their beautiful, bare-brick fabric an architectural showpiece. New homes near London's arches and viaducts 1 /16 New homes near London's arches and viaducts The Corniche, SE1 By the Vauxhall viaduct, developer St James is renovating arches as part of a wedge of elite new riverside housing. A new public space will unite the arches with 433 luxury apartments in three separate schemes called The Corniche, The Dumont and Merano Residences. Prices start at 3.35 million. Call 020 8246 4190. Peek Freans, SE16 Property company Grosvenor Estates aims to create a new quarter in a gritty Bermondsey backwater, its 11-acre site butts up against the worlds oldest railway viaduct - the London to Greenwich - which has the longest run of arches in the UK. The Peek Freans biscuit factory once stood here but for years the land has been a no-go zone, closed to the public. Daniel Lynch Snowsfields Yard, SE1 Snowsfields Yard, tucked away behind the London to Greenwich viaduct, is a scheme of 28 flats priced from 765,000. Call Crest Nicholson on 020 3002 5453. Leake Street, SE1 Leake Street used to be a dark and dangerous alley running below the disused Eurostar terminal at Waterloo. Made famous by graffiti artist Banksy, who hosted the first of the Cans Festivals there in 2008, Lambeth Council has given the green light for it to be turned into an avenue of coffee shops and quirky food outlets. Daniel Lynch Albert Embankment, SE1 From Lower Marsh, a 160-year old street market, viaducts run parallel with Albert Embankment (pictured) and pass through fast-changing Nine Elms to the Wandsworth hinterland. (Scroll right...) Albert Embankment, SE1 The railway line used to act as a buffer, blocking access to the river, but Lambeth Council has put an Arch Regeneration Programme in place. The Music Box, SE1 Looming over a railway viaduct at Union Street is The Music Box, a funky scheme of 55 flats. (Scroll right...) The Music Box, SE1 The lower levels of the jazzy block are shared with the London Centre of Contemporary Music. Prices from 737,500. Call 020 3772 7725. Dover House, SE1 A once notable Victorian pub and hotel, Dover House has been refurbished and split into nine laterals. Call Jackson Stops & Staff on 020 7664 6649. Battersea Exchange, SW8 Between Battersea Park and Queenstown Road stations, Battersea Exchange makes a virtue out of listed railway arches. Taylor Wimpey is creating a new car-free street lined with shops and cafes facing 10 buildings with 290 homes. Prices from 790,000. Call 020 3053 0745. Keybridge House, SW8 In Vauxhall, the design of 441-home Keybridge House has been inspired by the awesome rail viaduct alongside it. (Scroll right...) Keybridge House, SW8 Architect Allies & Morrison opted for brick - solid and robust yet textural and elegant - as the main building material, capturing the areas urban grain. Prices from 630,000. Call 020 7205 4152. Arch hotspots: new homes in a new quarter Network Rail owns 10,000 arches in London and has an active programme of renovating rows of them rather than individual units, arguing that this encourages better place-making and more community benefits. The Grosvenor Estate, the Duke of Westminsters property company, is looking beyond its heartland of Mayfair and Belgravia to create a new quarter in a gritty Bermondsey backwater. Its 11-acre site butts up against the worlds oldest railway viaduct the London to Greenwich, built in the 1830s which also has the longest run of arches in the UK. The Peek Freans biscuit factory once stood on the site but for years the land has been a no-go zone, closed to the public. Grosvenors master plan is for 800-plus new homes, a school and park. Offices and studio space will open up the area by creating new pedestrian links through listed arches and passageways to Bermondseys Jubilee line station. From 765,000: Snowsfields Yard, just off Bermondsey Street and close to the Shard, features 28 apartments South-east London: arches and railway viaducts Railway viaducts radiating out of London Bridge and Waterloo mainline stations crisscross this swathe of the capital, and its here that the most ambitious projects are to be found. The best way to get to grips with whats happening is to put on your hiking boots and follow the rail tracks, stopping for refreshment at somewhere like Ropewalk food market near Shad Thames. A campaign by Bermondsey Village Action Group saved rare polychromatic brick arches alongside London Bridge station from the bulldozer, which have been listed by English Heritage. Snowsfields Yard, tucked away behind the viaduct, is a scheme of 28 flats priced from 765,000. Call Crest Nicholson on 020 3002 5453. The Borough market area is set to move up another notch in status with a game- changing 300 million project, opening up magnificent vaulted Victorian railway arches which housed the Vinopolis wine centre. Redevelopment of the three-acre complex will create space for up to 50 new shops, an art house cinema and private members club. Check out Great Suffolk Street, which runs all the way to Trinity Church Square, the latter a traffic-free Georgian conservation area. For many years, this patch was deemed the wrong side of the tracks, but architects and design companies are moving into refurbished arches, while small plots are being redeveloped into flats. A scheme in Rushworth Street has nine flats priced from 710,000. Call 020 7758 8424. Looming over a railway viaduct at Union Street is The Music Box, a funky scheme of 55 flats above new premises for London Centre of Contemporary Music. Prices from 737,500. Call 020 3772 7725. Property company Development Securities is working up a scheme of homes and offices that will wrap around Southwark tube station and dovetail with a hub of popular bars and restaurants in adjacent railway arches. From 737,500: The Music Box in Union Street, Southwark, has one-, two- and three-bedroom flats Arty appeal: boutiques and trendy cafes Leake Street used to be a dark and dangerous alley running below the disused Eurostar terminal at Waterloo. Made famous by graffiti artist Banksy, who organised the first of the Cans Festivals of street art there in 2008, Lambeth council has now given approval for it to be turned into an avenue of coffee shops and quirky food outlets. Most of all it will increase the allure of the neighbourhood around Lower Marsh, a 160-year-old street market that had suffered property blight following the Eurostar terminal closure, but is now gentrifying. From here, viaducts run parallel with Albert Embankment and pass through fast-changing Nine Elms to the Wandsworth hinterland. The railway line used to act as a buffer, blocking access to the river, but arches are being punched through. Damien Hirsts vast Newport Street Gallery has opened alongside the rumbling Vauxhall viaduct. Next door, developer St James is renovating arches as part of a wedge of elite new riverside housing. A new public space will unite the arches with 433 luxury apartments in three separate schemes called The Corniche, The Dumont and Merano Residences. Prices start at 3.35 million. Call 020 8246 4190. South-west London: new homes in railway arches Battersea Exchange, between Battersea Park and Queenstown Road stations, similarly makes a virtue out of listed railway arches. Taylor Wimpey, the developer, is creating a new car-free street lined with shops and cafes facing 10 buildings with 290 homes. Prices from 790,000. Call 020 3053 0745. Meanwhile, architects are turning their attention to a new challenge that of creating homes within railway arches. An amazing prototype home and studio for a photographer has been resourcefully squeezed into an arch in Southwark. Designed by Undercurrent Architects and clad in rusty Corten steel with a highly insulated inner skin, the 1,600sq ft space is acoustically protected from the noise of the trains that go rattling past during the day. D emand for rooms for rent is still far outstripping supply in much of London - it is estimated that up to 11 people are searching for every room available. Availability varies across the capital and East London, for example, has four times more rooms to rent than any other postal district, according to figures released by flat and house share site Spareroom.co.uk Top of the list is Canary Wharf and the Docklands, E14, with almost 9,000 rooms listed, closely followed by Shoreditch and Whitechapel in E1, with 8,000 rooms on offer. Top 10 London areas to find a flat share (February 2016) 1 /13 Top 10 London areas to find a flat share (February 2016) Canary Wharf / Docklands Average monthly rent: 797 Avg. number of rooms: 8,968 Source: www.spareroom.co.uk (January 2016) Shoreditch / Whitechapel Average monthly rent: 763 Avg. number of rooms: 7,961 Graham Hussey Bow Average monthly rent: 715 Avg. number of rooms: 2,992 Bethnal Green Average monthly rent: 715 Avg. number of rooms: 2,750 Angel/ Islington/ Canonbury Average monthly rent: 867 Avg. number of rooms: 2,192 Stratford/ West Ham Average monthly rent: 633 Avg. number of rooms: 1,625 Canning Town/ North Woolwich / Docks Average monthly rent: 754 Avg. number of rooms: 1,530 Camden Average monthly rent: 910 Avg. number of rooms: 1,292 Fulham Average monthly rent: 927 Avg. number of rooms: 1,249 Maida Vale / Paddington Average monthly rent: 832 Avg. number of rooms: 1,215 London's glossy financial district, Canary Wharf, is popular with buy-to-let investors. The area, in Zone 2, is well-served by the Docklands Light Railway and the Jubilee line and when Crossrail arrives in 2018 it will take just six minutes to get from Canary Wharf to Liverpool Street, 13 minutes to Bond Street and 40 minutes to Heathrow. Nearby Docklands is being transformed into a residential hub, with thousands of new homes, shops and schools. Room rents across E14 average almost 800 per month, but the sky's the limit for some of the best penthouses. Once gritty Shoreditch is now a trendy rental hotspot with arty Londoners and City workers, thanks to its maze of small streets, walls of street art, and galleries, cafes, clubs, boutiques and bars. It has a large supply of rooms for about 760 a month because those who bought very cheaply, when industrial buildings were first carved up into fashionable loft-style apartments, remain attached to the area and prefer to rent out rather than sell. Whitechapel offers slightly cheaper rents than neighbouring Shoreditch. It also offers great transport links and the vibrancy that comes from being an area on the cusp of change, thanks to forthcoming Crossrail and two large developments of new homes - Goodmans Fields and Aldgate Place. "East London has undergone major regeneration in recent years, both in terms of housing and much improved transport links. As a result, some of the historically cheap areas of the city are now becoming the most desirable," says director of SpareRoom.co.uk, Matt Hutchinson. "Plus, in parts of the capital, where planning regulations have allowed developers to build upwards, higher-rise housing means greater density." Angel, N1, and Camden, NW1, also make the top 10 list, as does Maida Vale, W9, and Fulham, SW6. "One of the advantages of flatsharing is that you get to live in areas you'd never be able to buy in," says Hutchinson. However, the City of London has the least supply. Only eight rooms are listed in St Paul's, where commercial premises dominate because prices per square foot are so expensive. Towards the suburbs, supply is also low, with less than 50 rooms available in family areas such as Winchmore Hill, N14, and Mortlake, SW14, where monthly rents are about 200 cheaper than in central London. Across London, rental price hikes are slowing, rising about 3.5 per cent over the past year compared to 9.5 per cent the year before,meaning Londoners need to budget for about an extra 25 a month for rent. "If you're looking to rent in an area of high supply, you'll typically have more bargaining power - plus rents tend to remain more steady," says Hutchinson. Attending the last Cornell Hospitality Research Summit in 2014 was a fantastic experience and one that is well worth the trek for any who can make it. As a think tank on the industry at large, there was much learning to be had and I'd recommend the conference to anyone looking for a worthwhile networking event or to catch up on some of the latest research hitting the hospitality airwaves. However, this being held at a hotel school had an unintended effect. It put me face to face with many young, bright minds who will soon enter the workforce, most likely in the hospitality field. Meeting students is always a positive experience, especially when they are enthusiastically volunteering to help orchestrate a symposium of this nature or willingly serving you at a restaurant. These encounters are opportunities for you to invigorate the next generation of hoteliers with your passion and wisdom, but they are also chances for you to rekindle your youthful (and perhaps naive) excitement to start your career. I took the time to talk with several Cornell Hotel School undergrads, both while attending the summit and in the adjoining Statler Hotel that employs student interns for the front desk, reception duties and in the restaurants. Universally, the hotel students I met showed an unfailing commitment to hospitality. They were eager to embrace the fundamentals of guest service and recognized these values that we hold so precious. Unbridled by the need to deliver a RevPAR target or meet some unseen corporate head office revenue commitment, they have yet to be 'ground down' by the P&L gremlins. They were consummate learners, eager to discuss all manners of hotel management or travel with gusto and not a hint of fatigue. Remember back to the start of your career in hospitality. What was it that drove you to this profession in the first place? I will bet that the lion's share of your day-to-day job was part of that train of thought. By chatting with the young minds of hospitality, you are in essence absorbing their aura. Yes, the conversation may be rather one-sided as said students prod you with never-ending questions, but this unto itself should 'show you the light' in terms of what outlook you must have for consummate success. So, what can you do to reinvigorate this youthful passion? Simple: go back to school! For most of us, there should be a hotel school relatively close by. If not, then no doubt one is only a short flight away. I am confident that they would welcome your involvement. And there are many ways to shoehorn your way in, among them: give a lecture, request a tour with a senior manager, have students visit your property, present your company as a vendor at a job fair, reach out to the alumni association or participate in student internship programs. The students will benefit immensely from your experience, but you will as well. Larry Mogelonsky Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited It looks like you've reached a page that doesnt exist (anymore). Please use the navigation or search above to find content on Hospitality Net. Go back to home Radisson Blu Hotel Istanbul Atakoy Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group reported strong 2015 results with 120 new signings, totalling nearly 20,000 rooms, marking a third consecutive year of signing increases. The company announced results at its annual Americas Business Conference this week in Las Vegas, Nev. Carlson Rezidors global portfolio now totals nearly 1,400 hotels in operation and under development with reported 2015 systemwide revenues of $7.3 billion, a 4.6 percent year-over-year increase. The great people who work in our hotels, together with our outstanding brands, delivered accelerated growth, said David P. Berg, chief executive officer, Carlson Hospitality Group. We made great progress last year, with 65 openings in the midst of an ever-changing industry, and we expect to keep that momentum going in 2016. In the Americas, the group signed 54 hotels, an increase of 35 percent year-over-year. The Americas signings equate to 7,326 rooms, the most rooms inked since 2008. Carlson Rezidors first signings in the U.S. and Latin America for its new, lifestyle-select brand, Radisson RED, all of which are scheduled to open in 2016, further highlighted the years success. The company has 13 RED hotels signed to date globally and remains on track to reach 60 hotels for the brand by 2020. Additionally, Radisson Blu, the companys upper-upscale and leading European hotel brand, entered Latin America last year with its first signings. Carlson Rezidor looks to double its pipeline for Radisson Blu and Radisson RED in Latin America in 2016, while its core Radisson brand remains strong in the region as the largest upscale brand in Brazil and a leader in Chile. In 2015, Carlson Rezidor saw the highest number of hotel openings for the Americas since 2009, supported by strong RevPAR growth of 6 percent and record Net Promoter Scores (NPS), a critical measurement of guest satisfaction, for both its Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM brands, which added hotels in key markets including Baltimore, Md.; Dallas and Houston, Texas; New Orleans, La.; San Jose, Calif., and Washington, D.C. The groups global pipeline remains strong with 280 hotels under development and the largest pipeline in Africa, India, Russia and Turkey. Fourteen signed projects occurred in new countries last year including Armenia, Congo, Cypress, Indonesia, Iraq (Kurdistan), Mauritius, Slovenia, Togo and Vietnam. In addition, Carlson Rezidor further strengthened its presence in key markets with openings in Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden and Turkey. It saw an addition to the Quorvus Collection portfolio, the groups luxury brand, with the opening of the Hormuz Grand Hotel, Muscat in Oman, a highly sought after destination for leisure and business travelers. Kanye West had a very exclusive album listening party last night in New York, and while there were many celebrities in the building (including ASAP Rocky, and of course, Kanyes wife Kim Kardashian), there wasnt much of a media presence. With that being said, HOT 97s Ebro Darden did manage to get an invite, and shared a few (purposefully vague) thoughts on the album on his radio show today. Theres some soul, theres some choir singing. Theres some soulful Kanye West Theres some Chicago representatives on the album, he said, suggesting that the project pulls from all of the albums in Wests catalog. He also reveals that theres a playful nod to Ray J. Kanye says to Ray J: Me and Ray J would probably be friends if we wasnt in love with the same bitch you might have hit it first but Im rich! No More Parties In L.A. might be a good indication of what TLOP sounds like. Notice how [on that track] he throws in samples but it almost feels like hes throwing it in like a DJ? It doesnt feel like the beat is made off the sample, the sample lives off the beat that he already put there? Thats a theme that kind of goes through the entire project. Lastly, Ebro confirmed that the LP is definitely rap-heavy, but is more melodic than Yeezus. Check out the full interview below, and expect to hear the full project February 11th. Kanye West Michael Ondaatje wrote The English Patient, and is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language but his latest tome, Divisadero, has confounded and impressed critics in equal measure. This article can only be read with a Premium Account Please Log In or Subscribe to continue reading Yesterday Cardinal Resources Inc (OTCMKTS:CDNL, CDNL message board) managed to reverse the direction of their stock and a as result finished the session with a gain of more than 23% closing at $0.0048. While the outcome of the trading day was encouraging the company has to do a lot better if it wants to recover its recent losses. And these losses have been simply catastrophic - just twelve sessions ago CDNL were trading at more than $0.05 per share. Despite the steep depreciation it is clear that investors are still paying attention to CNDL with yesterday's volume of 31 million shares surpassing the monthly average by more than 3 times. It remains to be seen, however, if yesterday's trading will turn out to be anything more than a short-lived bounce. It is true that in the days leading up to February 15 investors may be excited enough to jump back into the stock. "Why February 15?", you might ask. Well, this is the amended closing date for the first tranche of CDNL's stock purchase agreement. Back in December Cardinal Resources entered into an agreement with a Chinese company called HangZhou Sky Valley Water Technology Co., Ltd., who is going to buy 51% of CDNL's outstanding stock for $7.5 million. Initially the first $3.6 million tranche of deal was supposed to be completed by January 25 but as we said the closing date was extended. Without the hype generated by this deal CDNL may find moving up the chart to be extremely difficult. The latest financial results reported by the company were nothing short of depressing - as of September 30, 2015, CDNL had: $25,454 cash $315 thousand total current assets $3.3 million total current liabilities $60 thousand revenues $851 thousand net loss The report showed that at the end of the September there were around $500 thousand worth of convertible notes still outstanding. These notes can be converted into shares at significant discounts going from 25% all the way up to 50%. The subsequent events section of the report reveals that the owners of the notes have indeed been converting them at an alarming rate. For the period between the start of October 2015 and January 14, 2016, more than 80 million shares saw the light of day as a conversion of debentures and interest. In early trading today CDNL is dropping down currently trading 6.25% in the red at $0.0045 per share. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. 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Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. 5 Steps to Help You Put an End to Workplace Discrimination Posted by Karina Xart on Wednesday, 02-10-2016 8:18 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes (Image Source) Workplace discrimination is more common than you may think, and while studies show that a large number of individuals have to deal with it, the numbers are likely to be under-reported. Even though there are strict laws in place to prevent workplace discrimination against individuals, a lot of people find themselves victimized. Being discriminated against at work can affect a persons professional and personal life negatively. So if you have been a victim of workplace discrimination or think that youre being discriminated against, dont sit there and think that youre at fault. Here are 5 tips to help you take control of a bad situation. Make Sure Its Discrimination As an employee, it is important to note that your boss shouting at you for not completing a project on time or promoting a colleague without considering other suitable employees for the post cannot be considered discriminatory. However, if you feel that you are being treated ... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Cardplatforms Adds New Members to Board of Directors Financial Services Technology Leader Adds Key Executives to Further Strengthen Its Board Posted by Press Releases on Wednesday, 02-10-2016 10:21 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes Boca Raton, FL (PRWEB) February 04, 2016Cardplatforms, a leading financial services technology firm, announced the election of two new directors to the companys board. At the companys annual meeting, Jeff Foster, Cardplatforms chairman, founder and CEO, welcomed the newest additions, Jim Aviles and Charlie Jadallah.It is incredibly important to the maturation of Cardplatforms that we further strengthen our boards breadth of experiences and competencies with individuals at the caliber of Jim and Charlie, said Jeff Foster. I have worked with both of them for over a dozen years and I am confident they will make an invaluable contribution toward the continued growth of our company.Jim Aviles has over 28 years of experience in the electronic payments industry. He was the Founder of Merchant e-Solutions, served as COO and a Board Member for 13 years, and grew it to $55 million in EBITA in 2012, when the company was sold to Visa Brazil/... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Market Analyst Kennedy Ranks DDI #1 Leadership Development Provider Posted by Press Releases on Wednesday, 02-10-2016 9:11 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes PITTSBURGHKennedy Consulting Research & Advisory, the worlds leading source of consulting market analysis, gave Development Dimensions International (DDI) top ranking as the number one leadership development provider on its The Kennedy VanguardTM Matrix based the breadth and depth of its solutions. We are especially pleased that DDI was not only ranked at the top of the Matrix, but rated as one of two companies that are continually growing service offerings, said Richard S. Wellins, Ph.D., DDI Senior Vice President. The rigorous process and objectivity that Kennedy applied when looking at the leadership development provider marketplace makes this acknowledgement even more significant. In their analysis of companies that are focused on leadership acceleration, Kennedy determined placement on the Matrix using a comprehensive evaluation process. It included in-depth rev... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile New Human Resources Group is changing the HR Consulting Industry Hunt Roman Group is the first of their kind to offer cost-effective, top-down HR solutions for small to medium-sized businesses across the US and Canada. Posted by Press Releases on Wednesday, 02-10-2016 10:22 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes February 1, 2016 Hunt Roman Group is pleased to announce their official launch. The Hunt Roman Group, or HRG, is an organization of senior Human Resources executives dedicated to providing timely virtual HR support to small and medium sized businesses. The company specializes in associations, multi-site employers, and multi-unit franchise operations. HRG consultants have world-class experience in all HR disciplines in companies from Fortune 50 to small businesses across multiple industries from government to manufacturing and marketing to non-profits. What Makes HRG Unique: HRG clients can access the companys two Managing Partners and the Leadership Team at any time via phone, text, and email, even outside of business hours. Answers are based on real-world solutions that have already been applied successfully in the past. Clients receive follow-up materials documenting the problem and the solution as well as offering additional resources. Monthly support provides unlimit... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Rewarding your employees properly is not about giving them as much as possible, but rather it is about making sure they feel they are being fairly compensated for the work they are doing. Here are 10 great tips for making sure youre rewarding your employees fairly. Enjoy! 1. Periodic Benchmarking Try to run a regular check-up on what the average rates are for similar roles in companies of a similar size. If employees feel that you are paying them significantly less than other companies are paying comparative roles, they are likely to feel unfairly compensated, and are likely to seek employment elsewhere. Try to keep salaries on or around the going rate, and try to review this at least once a year. 2. Pay the Living Wage If youre trying to get away with paying as little as possible without legal ramifications, chances are youre approaching this the wrong way! As well as the legal minimum wage, there is a guideline called the Living Wage. This widely-accepted rate is different depending on whether or not you are operating within London, and you can check the going rate using this Living Wage Calculator. 3. Create a Transparent Reward System You dont have to publish everybodys individual salaries in your weekly company newsletter, but you should consider communicating with your staff how their pay rates are calculated. For example: Do you pay more than, less than, or roughly the same ... Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-02-09 Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW No. 26/16 09.02.2016 [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Akinci comments on President Anastasiades' statements and says that behaviors which would harm the negotiations must be avoided [02] Durust: "We are not giving Morfou" [03] Columnist evaluates the latest statements of the illegal Turkish ambassador in the occupied area of Cyprus [04] Columnist wonders whether Merkel can convince Cyprus to lift its EU veto on Turkey [05] Siber carried out contacts in Ankara [06] Havadis argues that the water crisis is coming to an end today [07] Atun met with the IDB Director [08] Self-styled minister of education stated that their aim is to increasethe number of students to 100,000 [09] "Cosmopolitan university" will be established in the occupied village Exometoxi [10] Turkey and Germany agreed on action plan to cooperate on the Syrian refugee crisis; they also discussed the Cyprus talks [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Akinci comments on President Anastasiades' statements and says that behaviours which would harm the negotiations must be avoided Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (09.02.16) reports that Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci has said that positive developments and a momentum exists in the Cyprus negotiations and argued that behaviours which could harm this must be avoided. In an interview with illegal TAK news agency yesterday, Akinci claimed that in his recent statements President Anastasiades conveyed the issues which he said that the two sides had agreed "only from his own point of view" and added that the "points of agreement" are issues which only the two sides together could announce. "We are ready for this. Otherwise, what Anastasiades has done is a unilateral interpretation and includes at least deficiencies and mistakes". Akinci said that the leaders have the right to express their positions, but an announcement on behalf of the two sides could be made jointly and with the consent of both sides. Akinci said that a confederation formed by two sovereign states has never been at the negotiating table and added that what is discussed at the inter-communal talks is a federal Cyprus established by two founding states which will be politically equal and will not dominate over each other. He admitted, though, that "some Turkish Cypriot leaders" had referred to confederation from time to time. Referring to President Anastasiades' statement that he does not accept the "rotating presidency", Akinci claimed: "Unfortunately this continuous stance of the Greek Cypriot side is a serious disappointment for us. However, let me say the following: If the Greek Cypriot people will not digest a Turkish Cypriot being at the head of the common federal state during just periods, this means that there will be no agreement". Asked to give an example on what he called as a "unilateral interpretation" by President Anastasiades, he replied: "For example, let us take a look at the issue of population. When you look at the statement it is perceived as if we have also agreed the proportion of population to remain constant. There is no such a thing. To start with, our citizens will without discriminations become citizens of the new united federal Cyprus. The population in Cyprus will develop in its natural flow. If the effort is to say that the demographic structure in Cyprus will not be spoiled with population transferred from outside, this is something else. In any case we also do not want this. However, there is still no text on which we have agreed on this issue. There are some proposals". Asked to comment on the four freedoms issue, Akinci said: "Cyprus will on the one hand be a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation and on the other will be committed on the EU values and principles because we will be in the EU. Within this framework freedoms will exist of course. We also want to live in a modern country based on the human rights in which the freedoms will be valid. In this sense, the right of everybody living anywhere they want will be respected (right to abode). This means the following: If one has his legal residency in his own area and wants to have a summer house, to stay in a hotel in the other area and establish a business with the permission of the municipality, he will be able to do this. These persons will use their political rights in the area where their legal residency is. [?] However, this is the one side of the coin. In the other side, there is the protection of the bi-zonal, bi-communal character. In this sense, the Founding State will have the power to regulate on the issues of permanent residency and internal citizenship". Akinci said that within this framework, they do not want to "endanger the Turkish Cypriot majority in the north" part of the island. He argued: "[?] Our understanding when we say bi-zonality is not limited only to 'political majority'. We cannot make our people approve an agreement in which we will not be the clear majority in the sense of population and property in the north. This issue has been many times expressed by our side at the negotiating table. Within this framework, it is obligatory for the Founding States having powers on the issue of purchasing properties in the future, at least until a certain balance is achieved between the two economies". Asked to comment on President Anastasiades statement that there is "progress to a great extent" on the property issue, Akinci replied: "This is correct. Therefore, when in the past we have been saying that progress exists only on the issues of Governance, Economy and the EU, now we can include the property in these. I have also said this recently. There are still unsolved aspects of the property, of course, but it is true that some distance has been covered. It is also true that the old owner of the property will file the first application. However, the situation of the person living in it will also be taken care of. It does not necessarily mean that the first to make an application will take that house. The issue is that comparing to someone who lived in the house 42 years ago only for a few years, the other who lives in that house for many years after 1974 has more rights. The ECHR's decision on Demopoulos case is in this direction". Replying to a question on the issue of the "rotating presidency" which President Anastasiades said that could not be accepted by the Greek Cypriot side in spite of the expectations of the Turkish Cypriot side in the opposite direction, Akinci alleged: "Unfortunately, the continuous stance of the Greek Cypriot side on this issue is a serious disappointment. However, let me say the following: If the Greek Cypriot people will not digest a Turkish Cypriot being at the head of the common federal state during just periods, this means that there will be no agreement". Replying to a question on the issue of the guarantees, Akinci said: "We have said it many times. The guarantees will be discussed at the very end within a five-party framework. Both we and Turkey have many times announced that this issue will be discussed when the day comes. The allegation from now that the guarantees will be abolished and moreover that we agree with this is wrong. It is obvious that the Turkish Cypriot community wants the continuation of Turkey's guarantee. The important thing here is what kind of a formula we can find so that while the Turkish Cypriots feel safe, the Greek Cypriots will not feel threatened. I believe that the way of this will be found, but when time comes". Asked whether he wanted to add anything else, Akinci alleged: "What I want to add is about what it is written on how the state will come up. It is known that we have differences on this issue. According to them, only the Republic of Cyprus exists and it will be evolved, because according to them, the TRNC does not exist. According to us, however, the TRNC exists and it will turn into a founding state with the solution. When the past international agreements are examined, the agreements we have made will also be examined, not only those made by the Republic of Cyprus. Those which are not in contrary to the new constitution and the foundation agreement will continue being valid. The point I want to finally stress is the following: Positive developments and a momentum exists in the Cyprus negotiating process. We must stay away from any kind of behaviors which would harm this. In both sides, circles exist which immediately start predicting calamity at every opportunity and are panicked when the possibility for a solution increases. We are not going to pay attention to these circles, the intention of which is known. However, we should behave carefully with the statements we make. I repeat, the leaders are of course free to express their positions. However, making a statement on behalf of the two sides could happen only with the consent of the two sides and jointly. We are ready to enter into such an effort". (I/Ts.) [02] Durust: "We are not giving Morfou" Turkish Cypriot daily Gunes newspaper (09.02.16) reports that the self-styled minister of education Kemal Durust stated that it is out of the question to abandon the land they are on. Durust who was participating in a television program stated that anyone must get compensation for his property. "However it is out of the question to abandon the land we are on, the land we made our fatherland [?] the places we have established our universities. By no means we will not let this happen", he stated. Asked about the return of occupied Morfou, Durust stated that the issue is used by the Greek Cypriot side for political purposes in the framework of the election campaign and said: "We will not give Morfou back, there is not such an issue", he stated. (CS) [03] Columnist evaluates the latest statements of the illegal Turkish ambassador in the occupied area of Cyprus Under the title "Ankara's envoy shouldn't lecture Turkish Cypriots", columnist Barcin Yinanc, writing in Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 09.02.16), comments on the latest statements by the illegal Turkish "ambassador" in the occupied part of Lefkosia in the following commentary: "It is said that the stars are allied for finding a solution on the island. But I really don't think it is these stars that are saying 'let's reach a solution'. The Turkish Cypriots have interests and plans. But nobody other that the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey ever says 'the Turks of the island should have their rights; injustices should be ended and the Turkish people should never be subjected to atrocities, murders and discrimination'." These words belong to Turkey's ambassador to Turkish Cyprus (editor's note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of Cyrpus). Derya Kanbay made these 'eye-opening' statements while meeting a Turkish Cypriot NGO that is concerned about the way peace negotiations are proceeding on the island. While Turkey is the only country that recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (editor's note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of Cyrpus), Kanbay's address to his host country was in total contradiction of what should be a relationship between equals. His statement sounded like a badly formulated International Relations 101 course: 'Countries engage in give and take either because they are competing with each other or they fear each other. If one is committing an atrocity in one place, the other remains silent; then when the latter commits an atrocity, the former remains silent. That's how they go about their business. While they are busy fighting, the innocent people suffer. That is what you experienced on the island for years.' While my professors were lecturing my classes at university, even they approached us in a more sophisticated way. But why did the envoy feel the need to speak like this? So far Ankara has been careful to maintain a 'hands off' approach, in order not to damage the conviction on the island that any solution is 'home made'. It is no secret that prior to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, the Turkish establishment was usually suspicious of the approaches made by left-wing Turkish Cypriot parties, finding them too naive and unnecessarily keen to reach a solution. Is Ankara concerned about the way the current negotiations are taking place? Did it feel the need to give a warning? As far as I understand it, Kanbay's statements do not reflect discontent on the part of Ankara. On the contrary, it seems that Ankara knows about every detail in the negotiations and is so far satisfied with the way they are being conducted by Mustafa Ak?nc? and Ozdil Nami. Obviously, there will come a time when Ankara will have to weigh in - especially on an issue like the guarantees of outside powers. In fact, the Turkish Cypriots have already knocked on Ankara's door, for example on the issue of properties. I have previously written that the issue of property is at the centre of the whole Cyprus problem. If there is a satisfactory solution to the property issue then there is a strong conviction on Turkey's part that the rest can be overcome. There are very strong signals that the two sides have agreed on how to solve the property issue in the current negotiations. My understanding is that the current design is even more in favour of the Turkish Cypriots than the Annan Plan, since the option of 'restitution' has been kept extremely narrow. When you remove the option of "exchange," (since there are more Greek Cypriot properties in the north than there are Turkish Cypriot properties in the south), the last remaining piece of the solution puzzle is the compensation issue. But who will pay the bill? Both sides - but especially the Turkish Cypriot side - rely on funding from the international community. At a time when European capitals are having such difficulty getting together 3 billion euros to handle an urgent crisis that is on their doorstep, it will be highly unrealistic to expect any international financial support for Cyprus. After all, there is no bloodshed on the island and the lack of a solution does not pose an urgent threat. Why would the German taxpayer sacrifice their income in order to compensate a Greek Cypriot and ensure that a Turkish Cypriot becomes a house-owner. In fact, Ankara seems to think the same for its own taxpayer, as it has not pledged any financial support for the Turkish Cypriots. The Annan Plan foresaw a negotiation between the 'original owner' and the 'last user', meaning that the 'last user' would have to share part of the burden. Instead of giving lessons on international relations, perhaps the Turkish ambassador should tell the Turkish Cypriots that they might have to chip in to secure a solution, as 'unfair gains' could also hurt the social fabric in the island's Turkish community." [04] Columnist wonders whether Merkel can convince Cyprus to lift its EU veto on Turkey Columnist Murat Yetkin, writing in Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 09.02.16), under the title "Can Merkel convince Greek Cyprus to lift its EU veto on Turkey?" wonders whether Merkel can persuade the Republic of Cyprus in the following, inter alia, commentary: "(?) Yesterday in Ankara, Merkel and her Turkish host Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in a joint press conference that the two countries have decided to work together regarding the Syrian refugee crisis on 10 topics in particular. (?) EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini has called on Turkey to open its borders, (while just a few weeks ago, after the crisis over Turkey's downing of the Russian jet in November last year, U.S. and EU officials were calling on Ankara to seal the border with Syria). This situation shows that the EU has no strategy and no proper policy regarding the migrants ? it only wants Turkey stop them from piling up on EU borders, hoping that the promise of a 3 billion euro budget will be enough. (?) While accusing Turkey of not doing enough, the EU has only opened one negotiation chapter so far - the only one of the six that is not vetoed by Greek Cyprus (editor's note: the Republic of Cyprus). (?) Davutoglu is expected to hold talks in the Netherlands (the current term president of the EU) today (Feb. 9), while on Feb. 18 there will be the second "like-minded" EU countries' meeting with Turkey. In the meantime, it will become clear whether the U.S. approves of the Turkish-German joint proposal to involve NATO in the Syrian refugee crisis. The issue of Syrian migrants is such a pressing issue - not only for Merkel but for all EU leaders ? which these days they tend to avoid debates sensitive to the Turkish government, like those over press freedom or court independence. They just want to stop the flow, without even considering that it will probably only slow down (but not stop) when the Syrian civil war is brought to an end. But even if it does somehow slow down, for a better implementation of the readmission agreement Turkey wants the negotiation chapters under Greek Cypriot veto to be opened. Turkish EU Affairs Minister Volkan Bozkir said recently that Ankara wants to see at least the 24th chapter on Justice, Freedoms and Security to be opened before June, before the readmission agreement is put into effect. How difficult will it be for Germany and the other EU powers to convince the Greek Cypriots to lift the EU veto on Turkey in order to secure relative relief in the refugee crisis? That will be the next scene on the stage." [05] Siber carried out contacts in Ankara Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris (09.02.16) reports that the self-styled speaker of the parliament of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus Sibel Siber, who is currently in Ankara with a delegation for a series of contacts, met yesterday in separate meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Ismail Kahraman. On the same issue, Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 08.02.16) reports that Siber said that as a "nation", the Turkish Cypriots are backing peace and a resolution to the more than 40-year-old dispute on the divided island, where a peaceful solution is currently being sought with U.N.-brokered talks. "We are a nation that has absorbed peace. We also support a resolution at the [peace] talks, which are currently ongoing", said Siber on Feb. 8, after meeting with Kahraman. "Our resolution and will for peace was also high in 2004," she added. Siber further said that the "Turkish Cypriot parliament" is working to pass contemporary laws, arguing that the "parliament" has performed well in regards to being an organ for both legislation and supervision. [06] Havadis argues that the water crisis is coming to an end today Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (09.02.16) reports that the problem with the water issue, which was going on between Turkey and the breakaway regime for months, is coming to an end today and the two sides came to an agreement. According to the paper, "prime minister" Omer Kalyoncu is going shortly to Turkey and after that the water is expected to be distributed to the occupied part of Lefkosia. Kalyoncu will present a document that will safeguard that the water will be administrated by a partnership between the "state" and by the private sector. Havadis writes that the Turkish delegation dealing with the issue is seeing positively the proposal. According to the document, the regulation and prices of the water will be administrated by the "state" while the investments and the collection of revenues will be administrated by private sector. The "municipalities" will also have authority on the water administration. (CS) [07] Atun met with the IDB Director According to Turkish Cypriot daily (09.02.16), the self-styled minister of economy, industry and commerce Sunat Atun met yesterday with Dr Abdul-Hakim Elwaer, Director of the Cooperation and Economic Integration at the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). During the meeting, they exchanged views on various issues, particularly, the support of exports with the IDB potentials, as well as to support the Turkish Cypriot Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (KOBI). (DPs) [08] Self-styled minister of education stated that their aim is to increase the number of students to 100,000 Turkish Cypriot daily Gunes newspaper (09.02.16) reports that the self-styled minister of education Kemal Durust stated that 82,000 students are currently studying at the illegal universities of the breakaway regime and added that their aim is to increase the number to 100,000. Durust made these statements during a meeting he held with the "North Cyprus Alumni Foundation". He stated that even countries that do not recognize the "TRNC", recognize the certificates that the universities offer. He went on and added that around 50,000 of the students come from Turkey and said that foreign students contribute both politically and financially to the breakaway regime. In addition, the paper further reports that the "North Cyprus Alumni Foundation" was established two months ago by Turkish citizens who studied at the universities of the breakaway regime. (CS) [09] "Cosmopolitan university" will be established in the occupied village Exometoxi Turkish Cypriot daily Haberal Kibrisli (09.02.16) reports that Ertan Birinci, the founding chairman of the Birinci media institution and chairman of the board of trustees of the "Cosmopolitan university", announced that the "legal procedures" of the name of the "university" are completed and that they took the necessary "licenses" for founding the new "university" in the occupied village Exometoxi. He added that this "university" will be a "boutique university". (DPs) [10] Turkey and Germany agreed on action plan to cooperate on the Syrian refugee crisis; they also discussed the Cyprus talks According to Turkish daily Sabah (online, 09.02.16), German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Ankara Monday to hold official meetings regarding the ongoing Syrian crisis where she met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. She and the Prime Minister held a joint press conference following their meeting where he underlined that the international community should not expect Turkey to shoulder the refugee burden alone just because it has an open-door policy to those seeking asylum. While both leaders stressed the significance of the crisis, Davutoglu said that humanity is being tested in Syria, as tens of thousands of people are affected by the ongoing crisis. He said that joint efforts are necessary to deal with the issue, announcing a 10-step cooperation plan to tackle the refugee crisis. Providing further details on the official meeting, Merkel said that the two leaders agreed to carry out "joint efforts" for greater NATO involvement in the refugee crisis by seeking the use of NATO's observation capabilities on the Syrian border and in the Aegean Sea. Prime Minister Davutoglu said that although the topic of discussion was primarily Syria and the refugee crisis, the two leaders also discussed bilateral relations. At the press conference, emphasizing that the matters Turkey and Germany will cooperate on will be applied in the framework of the EU's refugee action plan, Davutoglu said: "The first matter we agreed on is to begin a diplomatic initiative together to encourage halting all assaults on civilians in Syria as the peace talks begin. Secondly, we agreed to aid the Syrian refugees at the border through joint cooperation between AFAD [Disaster and Emergency Management Authority] and the German Technical Aid Group. We also discussed the developments in the Balkans and the Caucasus and discussed the Cyprus talks", Davutoglu added. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio (DPs/AM) Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-10 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] The refugee crisis plagues our islands, PM Tsipras says [02] We must be prepared for the possibility of closed borders, Alternate Migration Min Mouzalas says [01] The refugee crisis plagues our islands, PM Tsipras says ANA/MPA---The refugee crisis plagues our islands, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday said during a cabinet meeting. Europe is in a vortex of multiple and parallel crises, Tsipras said adding that constant vigilance, perseverance and patience are needed in order for Greece to cope with this. [02] We must be prepared for the possibility of closed borders, Alternate Migration Min Mouzalas says We must be prepared for the possibility of closed borders, Alternate Minister for Migration Policy Yiannis Mouzalas said on Wednesday in an interview with Mega TV, describing this as "a unilateral action by other countries." As a government we are preparing for that possibility, he said, but he considered that it would be a manageable problem because refugees and migrants that will be trapped in Greece, if borders close, will amount to around 50,000. "Those that build up fences are wrong; closing the borders at Idomeni, we lose the only way to control refugees flows in Europe," he estimated. Asked on a possible involvement of NATO, Mouzalas said that it is a positive development provided that Frontex and NATO patrol Turkey's territorial waters, rescue refugees and push them back to Turkey. "If this is the plan, it is a good one," he stated. He underlined that the key to addressing the refugee issue is controlling refugee flows in the Turkish coasts and expressed the hope that the European efforts towards that end will succeed. He added that Greece is putting pressure so that refugees are pushed back to Turkey via Frontex. Referring to the reactions for the construction of hotspots on the island of Kos, he stated: "At a time when our country needs to meet its commitment for the construction of hotspots, the mayor raises obstacles." Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-10 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] PM Tsipras: Program review will be completed on time [02] Macedonia farmers open border posts for a few hours to facilitate traffic [03] Greece gives green light for Paxi waterway [04] Bank of Greece governor optimistic over Greek economic prospects [01] PM Tsipras: Program review will be completed on time "We have paved the way in order for the program review to be completed on time," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday said during a cabinet meeting. He underlined that the agreement is met in full with priority given on the protection of the weakest citizens. "We are waiting for the institutions to recognise it," he said. Tsipras also said that Greek islands are plagued by the refugee crisis adding that "the majority of the Greeks give an example of humanity worldwide. And this is happening in a Europe which seems to be in an awkward and bewildered position." "Europe is in a vortex of multiple and parallel crises," the Greek prime minister noted stressing the importance of constant vigilance, perseverance and patience in order for Greece to cope with this. He also confirmed that Greece will meet its commitments for the creation of refugees reception centres by next week. We are waiting from the creditors to do the same, because agreements cannot be "a la carte," he underlined. "Despite its economic difficulties, Greece turns into what it ought to be thanks to its geographical position, a country-bridge between West and East," he added referring to the relations with Palestine, his visit to Iran during which important steps were taken towards the deepening of the two countries' relations. On the Cyprus issue, he said that the strategic aim is to find a solution on the basis of UN resolutions and stressed that the government is fighting for a just solution that starts from the withdrawal of the occupation troops from the island. [02] Macedonia farmers open border posts for a few hours to facilitate traffic Promachonas checkpoint on the Greek-Bulgarian border is currently open. Protesting farmers will block it again at 15:00 on Wednesday and they will open it again at 10:00 on Thursday. The farmers' block at Exochi on the Greek-Bulgarian borders opened late Tuesday and closed again at 11:00 on Wednesday. Two blockades have been set at Kilkis region at Evzoni border post (Greek-Fyrom border) and at Doirani (Greek-Fyrom). Farmers will close on Wednesday Evzoni post from 13:00-15:00 and 20:00-22:00 and Doirani checkpoint from 18:00-22:00. Meanwhile, farmers continue to keep Niselio interchange and Malgara toll station on Egnatia motorway closed. Finally, Western Macedonia farmers have set nine blockades and according to the blocks' coordinator Dimitris Moschos the border post at Krystallopigi (Greek-Albanian borders) and Niki (Greek-Fyrom borders) will be closed from 11:00-23:00 on Wednesday. [03] Greece gives green light for Paxi waterway The government approved on Wednesday the environmental terms for the operation of the second Greek waterway in the Ionian Sea and in particular on the island of Paxi. This waterway will operate within the zone of Port Gaius, which is a Natura 2000 area, designated as Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the provisions on Biodiversity. "The aim of the ministry is to have created a waterways network by next summer that will bring substantial benefits to the economy, create jobs and contribute to the interconnection of small and isolated islands as well as the development of local communities," Energy Minister Panos Skourletis said. On his part, the president of the Hellenic Waterways, Anastasios Govas, said: "The fact that the waterway in Paxi was approved to operate within a Natura 2000 area proves that seaplanes are among the most friendly environmental ways of transport. This is a benchmark decision that will help remove any doubts and accelerate environmental licenses for waterways." [04] Bank of Greece governor optimistic over Greek economic prospects Bank of Greece governor Yannis Stournaras on Wednesday expressed his optimism over the ability of the Greek economy to return to growth this year. Presenting the bank's interim report on Monetary Policy for 2015 to the Parliament's Economic Affairs Commission, the central banker said that a first review of the Greek economic programme -"which already has been delayed"- must be completed rapidly and noted that a swift completion of the review will contribute to improve a climate of confidence, resulting to a gradual return of deposits, cheaper funding of financial institutions and accelerating procedures for loosening capital controls in the country. "All these will bring the Greek economy back to normality, offering more favorable conditions of funding the economy and strengthening its course towards growth," Stournaras said, and stressed the need for political stability and social consensus. The central banker said that the distance needed to be covered to exit the crisis was relatively small. "We musts avoid at any cost a new setback, a new vicious cycle," Stournaras said, while he underlined the dangers to the economy from any possible negative developments in the migration issue. "To cover this distance, it is imperative to deal with various issues, such as non-performing loans, to promote reforms in the public sector, privatizations and exploiting state assets," the central banker said while he urged the Greek government to follow the example of Ireland "which entered the memorandum after Greece and exited earlier". Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-10 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] Greece has been out of Dublin since 2011; it's time to change it, EU Commissioner Avramopoulos says [02] Greece ranks second globally in photovoltaic energy production [03] Aegean Airlines increases its daily flights to the island of Skiathos [01] Greece has been out of Dublin since 2011; it's time to change it, EU Commissioner Avramopoulos says BRUSSELS (ANA-MPA/Chr.Vassilaki) - "Greece has been out of Dublin since 2011. It's time to change that," EU Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos said on Wednesday adding that this does not mean transfer of people back to Greece. As he said, the aim is to meet the terms which were not met for years. Avramopoulos stated that the European Commision will make a proposal for the revision of Dublin in March, as this framework is no longer "appropriate" to address the problem. "Dublin exists and we need to respect it until we revise it," he concluded. [02] Greece ranks second globally in photovoltaic energy production Photovoltaic energy covered 7.0 pct of electricity energy demand in Greece last year, ranking the country second globally in photovoltaic energy production for the third successive year, the Federation of Photovoltaic Companies said in a report released on Wednesday. However, changes in the institutional framework (price cuts in energy purchases from the system) and the introduction of capital controls led to a drastic reduction of new installations during 2015, falling to 10.3 MW, from 912 MW in 2012, 1,043 MW in 2013 and 17 MW in 2014. Power capacity of photovoltaic units in Greece surpassed 2,600 MW in 2015, of which half came from low-power units (up to 100 kW), mostly photovoltaic units installed on rooftops. [03] Aegean Airlines increases its daily flights to the island of Skiathos Aegean Airlines on Wednesday said it is planning four daily flights to the island of Skiathos for 2016 tourist season after the increased number of arrivals in 2015. The company outlined its plans on Wednesday at a meeting between the mayor of Skiathos Dimitrios Prevezanos and Aegean Airlines president Theodoros Vassilakis. According to the company, passenger traffic posted a 157 percent hike last year in comparison with 2011. Aegean Airlines extends its network for a third consecutive year offering travellers the opportunity to fly directly to 45 countries and 111 destinations. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article New Zealand sets to revamp its employment legislation, employers and HR practitioners need to study up on the proposed changes to ensure they steer clear of any legal pitfalls.Dundas Street employment lawyer Matt Harrop says the amendments are a perfect opportunity for HR departments to commence internal audits of their organizational practices to avoid future compliance issues.The Bill amends the key employment legislation in New Zealand, and so it is a perfect opportunity for employers and HR practitioners to carefully review existing practices to ensure that they are complying with minimum obligations, Harrop told HC Online.Some employers continue to get basic matters wrong, like not providing employees with a written employment agreement, or ensuring that their holiday pay is paid appropriately, he says.Harrop says that under the new regime, employers will have a positive obligation to keep sufficiently detailed records to demonstrate compliance with minimum entitlements. Traditionally, employers in the hospitality industry and primary industries such as dairy and farming have come under fire for poor record keeping and will need to ensure they adhere to stringent new standards or face hefty penalties.The Employment Standards Legislation Bill includes reforms to employment standards, zero hours contracts, health and safety reforms and extended maternity leave and was introduced last August in response to mounting concerns over enforcement of employment benefits, protections and employment standards.Key highlights include extending paid parental leave from 16 weeks to 18 weeks, beefing up workplace health & safety practices to reduce the number of workplaces deaths and injuries, addressing unfair employment practices , allowing shop trading of Easter Sunday, and introducing the concept of licences for workers dealing with asbestos removal as part of the Health and Safety at Work Asbestos Regulations.In its current form, the Bill will require brand new provisions to be added to employment agreements, so even well organised employers should be checking templates now, Harrop says.For example, restrictions on secondary employment, which are quite common in employment agreements, will have to specify a reason for the restriction, he says.Employers with shift workers will also need to specify a notice period for the cancellation of a shift and a compensation payment in the event that notice isnt provided.New Zealands small to medium business sector has been singled out for not meeting minimum standards, and thus HR managers should also ensure that their managers are well aware of the heavier emphasis being placed on compliance with minimum standards.It will be important to bear this in mind in day to day management of changes in working hours and preparing employment agreements for new employees, Harrop says.He says major legal pitfalls encompassed in the new legislation include the five-fold increase in penalties that can be awarded against an employer for serious breaches of minimum standards.While it is likely that these will only be handed down in the worst cases, these penalties are enough to sink a small business, Harrop says. It is said that the penalties for minor and moderate breaches will remain at current levels, but there has been a notable trend towards the Employment Relations Authority making penalty awards in the last 12 months or so, he says.Labour Inspectors will also be able to issue infringement notices and on the spot fines of $1000 for more basic record keeping matters such as failure to provide a written employment agreement, which should be a sharp wake-up call for businesses need to get their paperwork in order.It is hoped that the new, tougher legislation will create a shakeup throughout the business world and stimulate a change in employer culture.The Bill is a clear signal from the Government that it wants to shift employer culture in certain industries, Harrop says.My view is that the recent media exposure of employers who have failed to meet minimum standards has gone some way to shift the culture and ensure that the playing field is being levelled.The public response to the issue of zero hours contracts shows that media exposure can lead to employers being forced to make changes to their businesses.The countrys top workplace lawyers will be discussing changes to New Zealands employment legislation at the upcoming masterclass. Dates available in Auckland and Wellington. Over years, New Hampshire earned its reputation for upending conventional wisdom, but the 2016 campaign is also leaving another legacy. When Madeleine Albright and Gloria Steinem tried to shame and bully young women into supporting Hillary Clinton, they inadvertently revealed a dirty secret of the lefts fixation on gender, race and ethnicity.They demonstrated that hiding behind the gauzy appeals to make history is a willingness to use brass knuckles to achieve conformity. In their warped vision, biology trumps individuality, and those who dont agree are traitors to their gender....The bullying smears are backfiring, but before the incidents give way to new outrages borne of Clinton Entitlement Syndrome, some context is useful.For one thing, neither Albright nor Steinem was thinking of Carly Fiorina or any female candidate other than Clinton when they insisted on conformity. So their demands amount to a selective use of gender as a partisan club, which ghettoizes female voters.For another, Hillarys enforcers are not alone in dipping into the gutter, with smears also leveled at Republican candidates who dont fit a racial mold.Some liberals have called Dr. Ben Carson, a distinguished surgeon running for president, an Uncle Tom for being a conservative, as if all black Americans must think and vote the same way.Cuban-American senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are routinely accused of running from their Latin roots because they are Republicans who oppose illegal immigration. Again, the suffocating implication is that being an authentic Latino means being a liberal Democrat supporting open borders.The pattern is not new, yet it is new that it no longer works. The 2016 race is turning politics upside down, and Albright and Steinem are among the establishment gatekeepers whose power is ebbing. Acting like bitter reactionaries, they resort to intimidation. This Is How Hillary Clinton Gets the Coverage She Wants https://t.co/8DAekV3IDd Kemberlee Kaye (@KemberleeKaye) February 9, 2016 From: [Philippe Reines] Sent: Wednesday, July 15 2009 10:06 AM To: Ambinder, Marc Subject: Re: Do you have a copy of HRCs speech to share? 3 [conditions] actually 1) You in your own voice describe them as muscular 2) You note that a look at the CFR seating plan shows that all the envoys from Holbrooke to Mitchell to Ross will be arrayed in front of her, which in your own clever way you can say certainly not a coincidence and meant to convey something 3) You dont say you were blackmailed! From: Ambinder, Marc Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 10:07 AM To: Philippe Reines Subject: RE: Do you have a copy of HRCs speech to share? got it When you think of President Obamas foreign policy, think of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Thats the message behind a muscular speech that Clinton is set to deliver today to the Council on Foreign Relations. The staging gives a clue to its purpose: seated in front of Clinton, subordinate to Clinton, in the first row, will be three potentially rival power centers: envoys Richard Holbrooke and George Mitchell, and National Security Council senior director Dennis Ross. ...On the morning of July 15, 2009, (The Atlantics Marc) Ambinder sent (Philippe Reines, Clintons notoriously combative spokesman and consigliere) a blank email with the subject line, Do you have a copy of HRCs speech to share? His question concerned a speech Clinton planned to give later that day at the Washington, D.C. office of the Council on Foreign Relations, an influential think tank. Three minutes after Ambinders initial email, Reines replied with three words: on two conditions. After Ambinder responded with ok, Reines sent him a list of those conditions:One minute later, Ambinder responded:Ambinder made good on his word. The opening paragraph of the article he wrote later that day, under the headline Hillary Clintons Smart Power Breaks Through, precisely followed Reines instructions: Homs was once considered Syria's largest city, a place that was home to as many as 1 million people. Today, it is a shell of its former self, its hollowed-out buildings the result of a being flashpoint in the war between the Syrian government and rebel forces for years. The ruins serve as a powerful backdrop in wedding images taken by Syrian photographer Jafar Meray, who has set out to show that "life is stronger than death." Advertisement Meray took photos of newlyweds Nada Merhi, 18, and Hassan Youssef, 27, in Homs earlier this month, The Washington Post reported. And the results are breathtaking. Agence France-Presse photographer Joseph Eid went to the photo shoot, in which Merhi wore a traditional wedding dress and Youssef his Syrian Army uniform. (He fights for President Bashar al-Assad.) Photos show the couple standing on a street strewn with rubble, and in rooms and doorways of broken buildings. Advertisement It isn't the first time that Meray has shot wedding photos in Homs. He captured another couple there last year: Meray, an Assad supporter, told The Independent that the photos were meant to show that "life goes on." "My message as a Syrian citizen is to stop injustice and terrorism everywhere and spread love and peace, because my country and all countries suffer from terrorism," he said. Here are more photos from Nada Merhi and Hassan Youssef's wedding shoot: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ontario is supercharging its program designed to get drivers behind the wheel of an electric car, offering buyers up to $14,000 to switch away from gas-powered vehicles. Ontarios current subsidy, enacted in 2010, ranges from $5,000 to $8,500 per vehicle. The province is raising that to a range of $6,000 to $10,000. On top of that, it will offer an additional $3,000 to buyers of cars with larger electric batteries, and another $1,000 to buyers of electric cars with seating for five or more, for a maximum potential subsidy of $14,000. Advertisement The Tesla Model S is the best-selling car in Norway, thanks in part to subsidies for electric cars. Ontario's incentive program for electric cars limits the subsidy on a Model S to $3,000. (Photo: The Huffington Post UK) Helping Ontarians shift to low- or zero-emissions vehicles is vital to achieving Ontario's greenhouse gas pollution reduction target of 80 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050, the office of Premier Kathleen Wynne said in a statement issued Wednesday. Electric vehicle incentives have proven effective in some other jurisdictions. For instance, the pricey Tesla Model S, which retails in the U.S. for more than $70,000, is the best-selling car in Norway. Advertisement As the Freakonomics blog explains, thats due not only to the fact that Norwegians are big on eco-friendliness, but also due to generous subsidies given to electric car buyers. But Ontarians hoping to get behind the wheel of a subsidized Model S may be disappointed: For luxury cars over $75,000, the province is capping the subsidy at $3,000. That may be in an attempt to avoid the appearance of subsidizing wealthy peoples purchases, but the downshot of it is that we likely wont be hearing about the Model S being Ontarios number one selling car. More than 4,600 academics around the world are calling for an inquiry into the death of Giulio Regeni, an Italian PhD student found dead in Cairo on Feb. 3. Regeni, who had previously worked for the United Nations, was a University of Cambridge researcher and visiting scholar at the American University in Egypts capital. He disappeared on Jan. 25 and his body was found in a ditch on the outskirts of Cairo more than a week later, BBC reported. Advertisement URGENT- @Cambridge_Uni PhD student Giulio Regeni went missing in Cairo on 25 Jan. Please share widely #whereisgiuliopic.twitter.com/TgqgGknC7r LSE Middle East (@LSEMiddleEast) February 2, 2016 Those of us who knew of Giulios disappearance before the discovery of his body were desperately concerned for his safety because he vanished in the midst of a security campaign that has resulted in mass arbitrary arrests, a dramatic increase in reports of torture within police stations, and other cases of disappearances, the academics wrote in an open letter published by The Guardian. Italys ambassador to Egypt said he has no doubt Regeni was heavily beaten and tortured before being murdered, according to the Telegraph. The 28-year-old was killed by a violent blow to the head, and his body was covered in contusions including bruises, knife wounds and cigarette burns. His death is raising questions in Rome, as an Egyptian official had suggested earlier Regeni died in a road accident. Advertisement Regeni was studying how labour unions were changing the region, and was driven by "a sense of justice," an obituary published on the University of Cambridge Centre of Development Studies said. A woman takes part in a rally in memory of Italian student Giulio Regeni, who disappeared in Cairo and was found dead, on Saturday outside the Italian embassy in the Egyptian capital. (Photo: Mostafa El-Shemy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) There was heavy police presence in Cairo the day Regeni disappeared because it was the fifth anniversary of the start of protests against former President Hosni Mubarak, according to BBC. Several activists were arrested that day and others went into hiding. "It has become increasingly difficult and dangerous to conduct research," the head of sociology for the American University in Cairo told the BBC. Researchers are sometimes denied entry to Egypt or arrested when they get there, she said. Advertisement Egypt is more dangerous than its been in a decade, according to former Amnesty International researcher Mohamed Lotfy. Activists and Italian nationals living in Egypt take part in a rally in memory of Italian student Giulio Regeni on Saturday outside of the Italian embassy in Cairo. (Photo: Mohamed El-Shahed/AFP/Getty Images) Activists, lawyers and journalists live with the fear of their phones being tapped and are constantly intimidated and harassed by authorities, Lotfy wrote just three days before Regeni went missing. This sometimes escalates to illegal arrest, unfair trials, harsh sentences, and even torture or death, he said. Advertisement In such a climate of fear, those who continue to defend human rights are truly bravehearted. Also on HuffPost A possible candidate for federal Conservative leader is breaking from the party's position that Canada needs to directly take the fight to the so-called Islamic State. Advertisement But while top Tories have said the plan to end airstrikes and ramp up training of Kurdish forces is tantamount to stepping back against the terrorist threat, O'Leary said it undermines a unique Canadian "asset value" our reputation as peacekeepers. Kevin O'Leary attends the Disney ABC Winter TCA Tour in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo: CP) "I don't want to bomb or get involved in any campaigns as a Canadian other than keeping the peace," he told host Evan Solomon. "We are the only country, other than the Finns, that can do that. And we're wasting our equity." Solomon pressed on with a question that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has faced in the past and will likely face again in parliamentary debates next week. Advertisement "If you can't use your military to fight ISIS, who can you use it for?" Solomon asked. "What's wrong with that?" O'Leary said that he believed "the last nationality ISIS wants to put a bullet through is a Canadian." "I don't want to bomb or get involved in any campaigns as a Canadian other than keeping the peace." The businessman and reality TV star later said his views were informed by his experiences living in Cyprus as a boy in the 1960s, when he said Canadian peacekeepers commanded the respect of Greeks and Turks. Canada is the only country, he said, with the "moral authority" to help forge peace in the Middle East. "The role I want for Canada is to be that country that can go anywhere in the world and after everyone is finished killing each other, keep the peace," he said. Advertisement Listen to the full interview: O'Leary's remarks stand in sharp contrast to Harper, who said that the international jihadist movement, including ISIS, had "declared war on Canada." They are also out of step with interim Tory Leader Rona Ambrose, who has pushed Trudeau to keep Canada's CF-18 jets in the fight. Ambrose said it was "shameful" that Canada would end the bombing mission as other allies step up their efforts against "the most heinous terrorist organization" in a generation. "Mr. Trudeau doesn't think it's our fight," she said at a press conference Monday. "If he doesn't think that we should use our military against this group, I don't know when he thinks we would ever use our military." Advertisement But, perhaps more significantly, O'Leary's views clash with those of other rumoured candidates for the top Tory job. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, far left, International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion announce Canada's anti-ISIS plan at an Ottawa news conference on Feb. 8. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/CP) Former cabinet minister Peter MacKay, who polls suggest is a front-runner, has called ISIS a "clear and present danger" and has said Canada's jets should continue bombing. "To do nothing is no longer an option and incremental efforts serve no further purpose," MacKay wrote in the National Post in November. "We must fight back against ISIL and all those who share and enable its depraved ends." Advertisement Other possible candidates, including veteran MP Jason Kenney and foreign affairs critic Tony Clement, have been unequivocal that the jets need to stay in the fight. While some doubt that O'Leary is a credible contender, in large part because of his inability to speak French fluently, years spent living in Boston and lack of roots in the party, at least one poll suggests he should be taken seriously. Last month, numbers from Mainstreet Research showed O'Leary was statistically tied with MacKay in terms of early support. O'Leary is also one of six potential leadership hopefuls who will deliver a speech to conservative thinkers at the Manning Networking Conference later this month. The 'establishment' is now irrelevant Perhaps hinting at the message he could champion during a bid, O'Leary said the rise of Donald Trump south of the border shows that the preferences of the so-called political "establishment" mean little to voters. Advertisement "Who gives a damn about the history of any party? It doesn't solve problems, it doesn't create jobs," O'Leary told Solomon. "It's just old-school politics, which is becoming less and less relevant." Though some have called him "Canada's Trump," in large part because of his wealth, celebrity, and brash talk, O'Leary has bristled at the label. "I am not Donald Trump," he told The Canadian Press last month. "I'm a Lebanese-Irish, I don't build walls (and) I am very proud of the society we're building in Canada I think it is the envy of the planet." Conservatives will pick a new leader in May 2017. With files from The Canadian Press Also on HuffPost Netflixs promised crackdown on customers who hop virtual borders to watch content from other countries has been taking place for a few weeks at this point, and evidence is mounting that the service is losing the battle. Canadian Netflix users started reporting on social media a few weeks ago that they have lost access to U.S. Netflix. Advertisement A user of social media site Reddit posted this screencap of a block notice from Netflix. But the crackdown hasnt lived up entirely to Netflixs promise last month that those using proxies and unblockers will only be able to access the service in the country where they currently are. Some Netflix customers say they continue to have access to U.S. streaming through their proxy or VPN service, and evidence is mounting that unblocking services are defeating Netflix's campaign. Workaround Found - ETA: 6 hours. uFlix (@uFlixDNS) February 5, 2016 Advertisement Less than 30 mins later and problem solved, international Netflix back again. Thanks @unotelly Jono Newton (@JonoNewton) February 5, 2016 @Unblock_Us It's now working again. Did you guys change something to make it works or Netflix randomly blocks users? SkAshe (@SkAsheX) February 3, 2016 Many experts say Netflix doesnt have its heart in the crackdown, and is only carrying it out to placate copyright holders who are losing revenue due to virtual border-hopping. And even if they were determined to end border-hopping, they may not be able to. The workaround to Netflixs crackdown is often simple the unblocking service just has to switch the IP addresses of its servers, to an address that Netflix doesnt recognize as an unblocker. VPN providers will be able to keep switching Internet addresses of their VPNs faster than Netflix will want to block them, writes David Glance, director of the Centre for Software Practice at the University of Western Australia. Advertisement And Netflix itself has indicated it doesnt really agree with the current copyright regime. In announcing the crackdown last month, the company hinted it would like to see the licensing of content by geographic region become a thing of the past. It referred to it as an historic practice but vowed to respect geographic rights in the meantime. PayPal Crackdown Those who paid for their unblocking service through PayPal may have an additional problem: The online payment service is reportedly cutting off those services. @sockformation we can no longer accept Paypal. We do accept all major debit/credit cards though. Unblock-Us.com (@Unblock_Us) February 10, 2016 Canadian VPN service UnoTelly said on its blog that PayPal severed its agreement with the company unilaterally and without prior warning. Advertisement In a letter to the VPN, obtained by digital piracy blog Torrentfreak, PayPal said its service may not be used to send or receive payments for items that infringe or violate any copyright, trademark, right of publicity or privacy, or any other proprietary right under the laws of any jurisdiction. A Threat To Privacy? The consumer advocacy group OpenMedia says there is a problem with the Netflix crackdown: Its cutting off people who use VPNs for legitimate purposes, like maintaining their online privacy. Want to access domestic Netflix while using a VPN to protect your privacy? Sorry, too bad. It's Netflix or privacy you can't have both, the group says. Okay here it is. There was an incident yesterday, and we didn't want to share as to not worry our families. After much discussion, we decided that the information is too important to not share with present, and future, sledders. I am not an inexperienced rider, and this slope had no indicators that it might let go. There was no overhang, and the trees were not bent and stripped like you normally associate with slides. This is right beside the other video of me climbing, but the vertical rock face was blown in solid as you can see in the video. This event has realigned my approach to climbing, and I hope that everyone can take away something from my experience. This was very close. A protest on the weekend about the $7-million house slated for demolition was actually not so much about trying to preserve a 20-year-old house, but the greater problem in Vancouver, which is the out-of-control property market that somehow makes this insane scenario make economic sense. It's only in this market, with it's unfettered influx of foreign bags of cash that this can happen. If our market was not in overdrive, we would not see such a flagrant waste of a perfectly good home and that's the thing that people are most upset about. This house is just the touchstone for the whole issue. Advertisement We are both assured that foreign investment is actually not a significant issue and at the same time, by the same people, told that any restrictions on foreign property investment would cause serious damage to our home equity, the construction industry and the residential sales industry. Guess what, it can't be both! There really is no doubt that foreign property investment is a significant part of home sales in Vancouver and real estate companies know it. They have offices in China and appeal directly to offshore buyers through advertising in Chinese media. It's big business and it's fuelling rampant speculation. This is about foreign money, not foreign people. We have duties and tariffs on all kinds of foreign goods and industries to protect our economy. Why nothing on our homes? Our civic and provincial governments have showed little appetite to do anything about it, but hopefully that might be changing. Advertisement Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson had previously indicated that the issue was too sensitive to address, saying, "I'm very concerned with the racist tones that are implied here." The more this issue is covered in the media, the more this "racist card" becomes the irrelevance it should be. This is about foreign money, not foreign people. We have duties and tariffs on all kinds of foreign goods and industries to protect our economy. Why nothing on our homes? Homes which to others, have become commodities to buy, flip, knock down or just to leave empty for months and months. B.C. Premier Christy Clark speaks at a news conference. (Photo: Canadian Press) B.C. Premier Christy Clark, meanwhile, insists that she does not want to take any steps which might impact the equity people have in their homes. Ms. Clark does not realize how mistaken she is in not appreciating the far wider and more important economic issues around this. Sure, we bemoan the destruction of our neighbourhoods with so many homes being bulldozed (in what is supposed to be a "green" city), but the bigger problem is how it impacts people. How all this changes the heart and soul of our city and our economy. Advertisement When companies look to attract talent, they have to compete with every other market where housing is more affordable: "Come to beautiful Vancouver where you have to line up to buy a house, deal with multiple competing offers and foreign cash buyers." It means companies have to pay more to compensate for this issue and that has a real economic impact. Attracting skilled workers and professionals is a very important part of growing our economy and tax base, so the present situation causes real economic damage. Driving professionals away I personally know of a doctor who moved to Vancouver and then quickly moved to the U.S. where she was offered a job in a city with more reasonable housing. Yes, a doctor cannot afford Vancouver's current house prices. Where does that leave other professionals who do not earn a doctor's salary? The answer: it drives them away. Hootsuite founder Ryan Holmes says that Vancouver risks becoming an economic ghost town. I would go further to say it risks becoming a creative ghost town as well, as artists and creatives are driven away from what is becoming an unlivable city because of rampant house price speculation making it impossible to get on the ladder. I want a city that attracts people from more income classes than the uber rich. I want a diverse city, both in terms of ethnic and economic makeup. I want artists to be able to afford this city and I especially want our children to be able to entertain owning a home here instead of having to move away because of affordability. I will take that over seeing the value of my home rise even more. Not only will I take it, but I absolutely believe that it's in the best interest of our city. Advertisement Blogger and filmmaker David Fine listens as Vancouver Coun. Adriane Carr speaks to a reporter. Both Mayor Robertson and Premier Clark have moved their opinion slightly since those earlier statements. Clark is now interested in reviewing the matter and Mayor Robertson proposed some mostly innocuous remedies pertaining to people who attempt to flip houses in less than six months, which is really not the most significant issue. Our mayor continues to pass the buck to the province instead of showing leadership on this issue or taking the kind of steps that Coun. Adriane Carr proposed at this past Sunday's rally. This problem is not unique to Vancouver, but the lack of addressing it is. Other countries have taxes to inhibit or even ban foreign ownership. If you don't live here or contribute to our tax base, then you should have to pay a lot more to buy a house. The independently proposed idea of a 1.5 per cent levy would merely be an annoyance to be brushed aside. To address this properly, the tax has to be far higher. There is enough reason for Vancouver's housing to be of value without the added pressure of unchecked foreign cash flooding and distorting our market even further. We need to appeal to our civic and provincial politicians to look at the big picture in terms of how this situation impacts our city, both economically and in terms of maintaining the kind of community we want, for a wide variety of people and income classes. Advertisement We need our politicians to take meaningful action which will truly effect change and I am heartened that MLA David Eby has taken this on, but we need our government to listen too. If they do, we won't see as many perfectly good houses being left empty or knocked down. Earlier on HuffPost: "How can I stop being such a tiger parent for academics and such a jellyfish parent for junk food and video games? I need some balance." This was a question posed to me by a father in Shanghai where I released the Chinese translation of my book, The Dolphin Parent, which promotes balanced authoritative parenting versus permissive jellyfish and authoritarian tiger parenting. Advertisement Needless to say, it was a fascinating trip. Not only was it interesting to see, hear and experience the different cultural viewpoints, I was genuinely relieved to learn that much of the Western assumptions often portrayed in the media on Chinese parenting are indeed misguided. Stereotypes Broken: Raising Children in a Modern World The Chinese put an enormous amount of energy into raising each child, so much so that it has become a global stereotype. However, according to a 2015 study conducted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, contrary to the widespread perception that Chinese parents are solely concerned with academic achievement, contemporary Chinese parents have been observed to care about much more on a deeper level where it concerns the well-being of their children. Based on the research, Chinese parents understand that being a better parent for a child in today's world involves much more than academic excellence, but also taking care of their psychological health and socio-emotional well-being. Moreover, the study shows that Chinese parents today tend to be more authoritative than authoritarian, further challenging people's stereotypes on Chinese parenting. And while authoritative and authoritarian parenting may sound similar and share the notion of establishing a sense of authority, the distinction lies in that authoritarian parenting ignores a child's needs while demanding their obedience, whereas authoritative considers their needs and allows for discussion. Advertisement With authoritative parenting, the doors of communications are open on either side, giving kids the space to make mistakes and express themselves in a respectful manner. The reality is, tiger parenting can be found all over the world, amongst all cultures; but wherever tiger parenting is observed, so is the evolution away from it. For example, when comparing Turkish parents in 2003 to those studied in 1975, it was found that newer generation parents were more likely to value self-reliance and strong emotion-based parent-child relationships than the latter who valued an authoritarian parenting style. This change is a direct result of the increase in desire to further the urbanization and socio-economic development of their country. As circumstances change, socio-cultural evolution is bound to occur, often changing along with it certain family values, dynamics and overall attitude in raising children. China Adapts to Global Parenting Trends Let's face it. Parenting ideologies and practices are constantly changing in response to our evolving society. The same goes for newer generation Chinese parents, many of whom are quickly adapting to and aligning their parenting styles with the global trend of prioritizing proper socialization, psychological health, independent thinking and overall well-being of their children, as well as seeing the benefits of play and downtime. Advertisement While on Shanghai TV with a top Chinese scholar, I was reminded that despite being stereotyped as authoritarian parents, many Chinese cultural values today are fundamentally much closer to dolphin parenting than one might think, and actually aid the development of some of the most important life skills to have: self-motivation and adaptability. In fact, in former president Jiang Zemin's 16th Congress Party Report, the Chinese spirit is aptly summed up as, "centering on ... unity and solidarity, love of peace, industry, courage and ceaseless self-improvement." That's not to say academic achievement is thrown out the window, of course. Based on a study spanning four years, published in the Asian American Journal of Psychology, there is a clear increase in "parental warmth and autonomy support" in the Asian culture and decrease in authoritarian power assertion, despite retaining their values in high academic achievement. As one contemporary Chinese mother puts it, "It's just like I am setting a higher goal for him to excel beyond just academics towards a fuller, freer, more joyful life." Tigers vs. Jellyfish: Finding a Happy Medium the Dolphin Way While it is important to move away from the harsh controlling nature of tiger parents, we do not want to stray too far down the spectrum and become indulgent, pushover jellyfish parents either, a mistake I see far too often amongst new-age parents who are trying to move away from the authoritarian style of parenting, and one that was repeatedly cited as a major issue by the young Chinese parents during my visit. Advertisement One father I met in particular told me the reason he gave into his son's every whim and bought him all the toys he wanted was because he was never given those privileges as a child, and therefore thought that was what represented love. As I'm sure you can guess, it was a recipe for disaster. Parenting, like life, is about balance. Between independence and rules, work and play. With the authoritative dolphin style of parenting, greater self-confidence, critical thinking, good behaviour and academic performance are all achieved by encouraging collaborative communication that is both firm and flexible, creating genuine social bonds with others, valuing play and learning from trial and error. These all lead to better adaptability, emotional health and self-motivation. The great irony is that research has found that in comparison to their native Asian counterparts, Asian-American parents have adopted a more authoritarian way of raising their children. So, while China itself is now progressing to a more balanced and authoritative dolphin parenting style, many in the West are not. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Patricia Fenn Gallery via Getty Images Anyone who has been on a cruise, or dreamt of one, knows it is a unique experience. Cruises entice passengers with an amazing array of amenities -- from pools to shops -- and on-board programs that entertain young and old alike. This is all in addition to the ports of call along the way which provide opportunities for snapshot visits through specialized tours. If you've had cruising on your mind, now is the time to act. It's Wave Season -- a three-month period when cruise companies put out their best deals and offers to entice travellers. You can grab some amazing deals on cruises to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Alaska and more. But choosing which cruise and destination are right for you can be a challenge. With so many different offerings, it can be tricky. Here are a few tips for choosing the right cruise for you. Advertisement Make sure your destination fits with when you want to go If vacation only comes at a certain time of year, be sure to look for cruise destinations that are best suited to that season. If you are dying to go to a specific destination, book your cruise for when you can experience the best that country has to offer. June to August is the warmest time to travel to Alaska. And if you want to avoid the rainy season, a cruise to the Caribbean is best between December and April. Be honest and thorough when accounting for the needs of you and your travel companions Different cruises are suited to different types of travellers. If you are traveling with young kids, be sure to look for a cruise line that offers activities and amenities for youngsters. While a Disney cruise might well-suit a family of kids 10 and under, a retired couple may not find the quiet relaxation they are after -- a Mediterranean cruise with Holland America might suit those looking for adult-oriented activities. If you are a multi-generation travel bunch, look for a cruise that offers adult and kid-oriented activities. Royal Caribbean has a lot to offer. Set a budget and find the best offering at your price point Because amenities can range so greatly, pricing on cruises -- from luxury to standard -- can vary as well. By all means, research what the cruise of your dreams might cost, but sticking to your budget will give you the satisfaction of not breaking the bank. Cruise prices vary depending on how long the cruise is, the cruise line, the cruise ship, where your room is, what type of room you choose and when you travel. Tully Luxury Travel reminds us to check out what is included in the price you pay. For example, is it all-inclusive or will you also need to pay for meals? Which meals are included? Advertisement Take a look at the itinerary ahead of time to be sure it is right for you What stops will you be making along the way? What tours are available to you on-land? Tully Luxury Travel reminds us to consider -- are these ports of call you want to explore? If you aren't sure which cruise is right for you, work with a travel agent. Choose someone who has experience on cruise ships and booking this type of travel. They will have a wealth of information that can help guide your decision. Happy sailing! Heather Greenwood Davis is the founder of Globetrotting Mama and a freelance writer for publications that include the Toronto Star and National Geographic Traveler. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MICHAEL BRADLEY via Getty Images Chrystia Freeland the Minsiter of International Trade from Canada looks on as Ministerial Representatives from the 12 countries for the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership(TPP) agreement in Auckland on February 4, 2016.The ambitious pact -- agreed in October 2015 after marathon negotiations in Atlanta, Georgia -- aims to break down trade and investment barriers between countries comprising about 40 percent of the global economy. / AFP / MICHAEL BRADLEY (Photo credit should read MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP/Getty Images) Now that the Trans Pacific Partnership has been signed, maybe we can have the honest, open and transparent debate that Canadians were denied during the federal election -- and which the new Liberal government in Ottawa has promised. Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland signed the TPP last week, saying it was merely a formality before the deal could be put before Parliament for debate. So, let's have that debate. There's certainly a lot to talk about. Advertisement A Unifor study last fall found that weakened regional content rules threaten 20,000 well-paying jobs in Canada's auto sector alone. Another study, cited by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, pegged the total jobs risk at 58,000. The deal would also make it easier for companies from TPP countries to bring in potentially unlimited numbers of temporary foreign workers without worrying about proper certifications or wage floors established for other such workers. And temporary foreign workers would continue to be blocked from becoming full citizens. Any worker coming to Canada for a job should have the right to apply for full citizenship. If they are good enough to work here, they are good enough to become citizens. "Harper refused to talk about details of the deal, and just wanted us to sign on out of some fear of being left out -- bargaining from a position of weakness. Clark would have us continue to do the same." As well, there are concerns about the impact of tighter patent laws on drug prices, the TPP's anti-democratic investor-state dispute mechanisms, major concessions on dairy and poultry marketing boards and many other issues that need to be explored. There is no rush for Canada to ratify the deal, especially when it looks like the U.S. might not. The TPP has little to no support among those currently vying for either the Democratic or Republican presidential nomination -- which means that by year end, the U.S. will likely be led by a president who does not support the deal. Even Democratic contender Hilary Clinton -- secretary of state when the TPP talks began and through its first 15 rounds of talks -- is backing away from the TPP. "We need to be sure that new trade deals meet clear tests: They have to create good American jobs, raise wages and advance our national security," she said. "The bar here is very high and, based on what I have seen, I don't believe this agreement has met it." That's the kind of thinking we should apply to our own assessment of the TPP -- is it good for Canadian workers? Will our families benefit? Does it help us to build the equal and caring society, with opportunities for our young people that we want? If not, why ratify it? British Columbia Premier Christy Clark would have us rush into signing the deal. But this is the same panicked thinking that put the Harper government in a position of weakness when it was negotiating the deal -- begging to be let in and giving away the store just to be part of the club. Advertisement We must not let Clark or anyone else push us into ratifying TPP without a lot of debate about what is actually in the deal, and an honest assessment of its impact on the Canadian economy and Canadian families. Clark is looking for a wedge issue to use against the New Democrats in an election expected in the next year. With NDP taking two seats from Clark's Liberals in last week's byelections, she is hoping to scare voters into supporting her and the TPP. Sound familiar? Stephen Harper tried and failed to do exactly the same thing in last fall's federal election. He refused to talk about details of the deal, and just wanted us to sign on out of some fear of being left out -- in other words, bargaining from a position of weakness. Clark would have us continue to do the same. That message was soundly rejected in the federal election, and it must be rejected now. The direction of our economy can't be decided out of fear, panic or intimidation from our leaders. Canada is a strong country with rich resources and a skilled workforce. We can and must negotiate trade deals, the TPP included, from the position of strength that gives us. Advertisement Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Bernard Weil via Getty Images TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 27: A Syrian refugee family, sponsored by a local group called Ripple Refugee Project, pose for photos. Lots are: Reemas Al Abdullah, 5 (little girl), Sawsan Al Samman (red coat), Nahla Al Abdullah (older lady), Aya Al Abdullah, 8 (girl), Anais Al Abdullah (brown coat), Mohamad Al Abdullah (white shirt), Oais Al Abdullah (orange sweater) and Abdullah Al Abdullah (black coat). Friends of Syria hosted a dinner for refugees at the Toronto Port Authority. (Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images) The responses of individuals and countries to the Syrian Refugee Crisis has been a bit of an informal test on the level of humanity within individuals and nations. A mirror has been set up to reflect the political tensions within countries and the identities of its citizens. For Canada we have had a leadership change and a different take on Syrian Refugees as Harper stalled the process for supposed "security concerns" while Trudeau was seen handing out coats to immigrant families at Pearson airport. Trudeau's actions were comforting to me as along with other Canadians I had experienced 10 years of Harper's tight lipped media evasion. I got a little teary eyed when Trudeau welcomed the Syrian families with the words, "Welcome to your new home." I was inspired that Canadian leadership was promoting empathy and understanding for the trauma that these people had suffered. Advertisement Even though outwardly Canada seems to have embraced the incoming refugees, I think some people have forgotten the compassion and despair that was felt when the image of Alan Kurdi's lifeless body, was seared into our collective unconscious. I have been in a discussion behind closed doors where people spoke of the refugees as being "different" and unable to adapt to Canadian Society. I heard people intertwine the identities of ISIS and Muslims and in the same breath indicate that the criminalization of some countries is due to Newcomers. Donald Trump screams Racist Immigration policies from a pulpit in America while many share these views quietly behind closed doors in Canada. The whispers of intolerance still need to be addressed in Canada. I asked Mulugeta Abai, Executive Director of the Centre for Victims of Torture, and a past refugee himself what can be done to confront this backroom racism. He says, "Education. We must trace our roots and acknowledge our own connection to immigration. Everyone has been an immigrant or a refugee at one time." Perhaps he means that in this nation we have connections to many immigrants and refugees in our families or perhaps we may have been a Newcomer at one point. When I was in that backroom discussion of refugees I tried to point out that the other speakers were themselves immigrants in the 50s and 60s. I also tried to relate the urgency of the situation by comparing it to other times in history like the 250, 000 refugees that sought protection from the Nazis in the Second World War. The analogies fell flat as they discussed San Bernadino and their fear of incoming ISIS members. Abai feels that we have to counter these fear mongering ideas with representations of refugees and immigrants that are positive as this population is often blamed for spikes in crime. The incident of sexual assaults in Cologne by migrants and German citizens didn't necessarily help the image of migrants. There is no excuse for sexual assault and Germans and migrants must be aware of the severity of this situation. But is the solution to add to the fear mongering rhetoric of the Far Right or to improve settlement and public safety programs. Shouldn't there be anti-assault and gender equality campaigns instituted in the wake of this incident to let everyone know what is criminal and not tolerated in Germany. Advertisement Also in Denmark, the beacon of socially democratic policies and purported happy people have decided to institute the policy where incoming Syrian refugees may have possessions over 10, 000 Kroners($614.87) seized. It is true that economies can only financially support a limited number of refugees. This policy will definitely take Denmark through a political firestorm as they try to legislate what and how much can be taken, and what is considered too sentimental to seize. I wonder how many refugee organizations they consulted to test out the sensitivity and affect this policy will have on incoming refugees. So the world is reacting and the world is watching to see how compassion is manipulated, and welcoming words are being qualified. Migration causes tension based on different factors like the history of the country, their immigration policy, racism, inclusion and integration policies and others. The choice between exclusion and fear mongering and inclusion and education is being decided. Each individual and country will have to decide which side of history they will come down on. What will they want to be remembered for? Follow Maria Calleja at mariacalleja.wordpress.com It is 1960 in Uganda right now. At least that's what it feels like in a bare, windy classroom in Nyakagyezi, a rural village 400 km from Kampala, where volunteers are imparting sexual health information that would be considered basic knowledge, or even archaic advice, to most Canadian teenagers. There is a drawing of the reproductive system. There are explanations of the menstrual cycle. There is a lot of focus on abstinence. But the 100 or so 12- to 20-year-olds who have packed the room are listening with rapt attention. This could be because in Uganda, 24 per cent of female teenagers are either pregnant or have already given birth. Which, for Ugandan girls, almost always means becoming part of the the same cycle of poverty that trapped their own parents, and their grandparents, and so on. "Here you see a class of 100 can graduate with only 30," explains 17-year-old Nicholas. "A lot of this has to do with pregnancy." Advertisement Early motherhood also exposes young women to the health risks of early childbirth, and HIV/AIDS. Uganda is home to 2.2 million orphans, nearly half of whom have lost one or both parents to the AIDS pandemic. In total, there are nearly 8 million vulnerable children in Uganda today, including the vast majority of the teens attending this workshop. The workshops facilitators are members of Reach a Hand Uganda, a Kampala-based, youth-run organization that empowers teens to make more informed decisions regarding their health and to their futures - work that is beyond crucial in a country like Uganda, sometimes called a "country of children," where nearly half the population is under the age of 15. The answers being given today are literally saving lives: lowering the birth rate (which averages at six children per woman,) reducing the spread of STIs, and creating discussion in a country where sex ed is often taught via 1960s textbooks and well-meaning but uneducated family members. Advertisement "Many children in Uganda have wrong beliefs which they sometimes get from their grandparents and other elderly people in the community," reports Comfort, age 12. Reach a Hand usually involves celebrity facilitators in its workshops, which makes this kind of learning even more enthralling for those in attendance. But in the end, the real star of the show is these teenagers' drive to solve the issues facing their families and communities, and to bring Uganda into the 21st century. This point is made when a 17-year-old named Ronald is asked whether his favourite part of the workshop was meeting Miss Uganda, one of the celebrity volunteers. Smiling, he shakes his head no. "It was learning about the menstrual cycle," he says. "We wanted that part to last forever." Reach a Hand Uganda's workshop was sponsored by Beautiful World Canada, an organization that enables young African women to change their futures through education. To find out more about Beautiful World and the work they do, and to learn about the impact of sponsoring a student in Uganda, Rwanda or Sierra Leone, please visit www.beautifulworld.org. The Washington Post via Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 09: Aidan Parisi, right, sits outside Woodrow Wilson High School on Monday June 09, 2014 in Washington, DC. Members of Westboro Baptist Church demonstrated near the school on Monday. The high school's principal, Pete Cahall recently told his school's students that he is gay. (Photo by Matt McClain/ The Washington Post via Getty Images) By Richard Einarson In March 2015, after months of debate and a massive outpouring of public support, the Alberta legislature passed Bill 10: An Act to Amend the Alberta Bill of Rights to Protect our Children. The bill received the support of all parties in the legislature. In the end, only two MLAs -- members of the PC party -- voted against it. Advertisement This bill was specifically designed to ensure that no school or school board could refuse to support and include LGBTQ students. Its origin was a bill introduced by then Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman, drafted in response to complaints that some schools were indeed creating barriers for these students. Sadly, we know that LGBTQ students still face a difficult situation in schools and there's ample evidence to back this up. Recent research shows that 64 per cent of LGBTQ students in Canada don't feel safe at school and 70 per cent of all students say they hear anti-gay slurs and remarks EVERY SINGLE DAY. LGBTQ students are also far more likely to be physically assaulted, sexually harassed and, most troubling, commit suicide. Advertisement Earlier this year, Education Minister David Eggen moved to fully implement Bill 10 with the introduction of a series of policy guidelines that provide school boards with the framework they need to comply with this new government legislation. The guidelines received a warm response from the LGBTQ community and many other education experts and advocates. For many, these policies are the culmination of decades of progress toward full equality and inclusion for LGBTQ people in Alberta. "We can't let the discomfort of a few overrule protections for vulnerable students. There simply can't be an opt-out on basic human rights legislation, in any school, in any part of Alberta." Now LGBTQ children, the most vulnerable members of that community, will finally be protected and nurtured, regardless of what Alberta school their parents enroll them in. Calgary Catholic Bishop Fred Henry, one of the bill's most vocal opponents, responded to minister Eggen's guidelines with fierce rhetoric and a threat of possible legal action to try to stop the government from requiring Alberta's 100 per cent publicly funded Catholic schools to comply with the new human rights legislation. Advertisement Obviously, as a religious leader and as a citizen, Bishop Henry has a right to his opinions, regardless of whether the majority of the community disagrees (in fact, a 2015 survey showed the majority of Catholics are supportive of the new policy guidelines) -- but he should not have the right to impose his views on students attending schools in Alberta. Especially vulnerable LGBTQ children who are just starting to explore their identity. Without a doubt, it is the duty of educators to provide care and support here, and not to try to force dogmatic viewpoints on children that relate to their own personal identity. Bishop Henry has no legal standing in Alberta's separate Catholic school system. His influence only goes as far as his ability to persuade the elected trustees to take up his cause. Those trustees would do well to remember that Bishop Henry has a long history of vocally opposing LGBTQ rights in Alberta -- he has made statements opposing every step in the fight for equality over the past two decades. He and others who oppose various aspects of the guidelines have focused most of the arguments on the discomfort some parents have in dealing with issues of sexual orientation, gender and identity. That discomfort stems from taboos instilled in many current adults at a very young age. But this doesn't mean that we should continue to enforce these taboos on our next generation of adults. The concerns raised are similar to those raised around the effects of recognizing same-sex relationships and providing other rights to LGBTQ people. Each time after new rules were put in place, society moved forward without incident. LGBTQ people got the opportunity to live freely and openly, while the rest of population continues forward without any impact whatsoever. This will be no different. Advertisement LGTBQ children deserve to be treated with dignity and respect no matter what school they go to. The recent guidelines from Alberta Education are just the next step in moving towards that objective. We can't let the discomfort of a few overrule protections for vulnerable students. There simply can't be an opt-out on basic human rights legislation, in any school, in any part of Alberta. Richard Einarson is an advisory board member with Progress Alberta. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Glasgow's first ever 'slut walk' in 2011 in a bid to raise awareness about commonly-held attitudes towards rape and sexual assault Jeff J Mitchell via Getty Images David Cameron has been accused of stalling over agreeing a Europe-wide convention to tackle violence against women and girls amid a controversial pick-up artist who advocates legalising rape abandoning plans to come to the UK. The Scottish National Party has written to the Prime Minister urging him to ratify the Istanbul Convention, despite the UK signing up to the gold standard four years ago and it coming into force in 2014. Advertisement The Convention legislates for the coordination of policies between government, local authorities and charities. The delay has been blamed on ensuring the UK has the jurisdiction over offences committed abroad against women by UK nationals, but critics say funding cuts mean the Government would not be able implement the Convention fully. The Convention has been ratified by 19 countries - including Albania, Serbia and Turkey. The letter, written by SNP MP Gavin Newlands, has been signed by several different womens rights groups. SNP MP Gavin Newlands: Tackling and ending the violence that many women face on a daily basis is an issue that unites the Parliament, however we should not allow that level of consensus to foster complacency." Advertisement It comes as Daryush Valizadeh, who goes by the name of Roosh V, last week cancelled a series of events in the UK, including in Edinburgh and Glasgow, following widespread condemnation. His neo-masculinist ideology includes supporting legalising rape on private property. The prospect of his arrival prompted an urgent question in the House of Commons. Mr Newlands, who led a Westminster debate on the role of men in preventing violence against women last week, has called on the UK Government to set a date for ratification of the Convention and to commit to working with womens and other relevant organisations to build on the governments work to date. His letter has been signed by White Ribbon UK, Scottish Womens Aid, Womens Aid UK, End Violence Against Women Coalition, Engender, iChange, No More Page 3, Rape Crisis Scotland and Zero Tolerance. He said: David Cameron must stop stalling on this vital piece of legislation. The UK government can and must do more to end violence against women, and I am calling on him today to ensure there is cooperation between Government, local authorities and charities. Advertisement Despite all the positive work that has taken place in ending the violence that many women experience on a daily basis, it should shame and anger us all that 1 in 4 women in the UK will still experience some form of violence at some point in their lives. Tackling and ending the violence that many women face on a daily basis is an issue that unites the Parliament, however we should not allow that level of consensus to foster complacency. The UK Government is doing a lot of work in this area but there is more that can be done to tackle the scourge of violence against women. As a society we have made a lot of progress on this issue but still too many women are living in violent relationships and the comments made by pro-rapist Roosh V highlights the long journey that weve still got to travel to end the violence that women face on a daily basis. I urge the UK Government to ratify the Istanbul Convention and ensure that we continue to introduce a series of preventative measures that will tackle and eradicate domestic violence from our society, and in doing so send a clear message that any form of violence against women will not be tolerated. A Government spokesperson said: "The previous Government signed the Istanbul Convention to show the strong commitment it placed on tackling violence against women and girls - and this Government remains committed to ratifying it. Advertisement Children between the ages of four and 11 should have annual body mass index (BMI) checks, a government think tank has advised. The Policy Exchange also suggested the focus for combating childhood obesity should shift from simply discussing "weight" to talking about overall wellbeing. The recommendations, which were made in a report released today (10 February 2016), also supported the introduction of a tax on sugary drinks. Advertisement Co-authored by double Olympic gold medallist, James Cracknell OBE, it states any revenue raised through the new tax should be spent on preventing childhood obesity rather than treating it. The report advises children should have annual BMI checks BMI is one method health professionals use to measure if a person is a healthy weight for their height. It is measured by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by their height in metres. This number is then divided by the height again to get the BMI figure. Advertisement If a person's BMI is 25+ they are considered "overweight". If it is less than 18.5, they are considered to be underweight. Cracknell continued: "One in five children leaving primary school are obese and critically, of those 11-year-olds, 82% will go on to be obese adults. "This is a national crisis that has severe ramifications on peoples lives and on society as a whole." Cracknell said letters sent home to parents regarding their children's weight are "essentially fat shaming their children", arguing these could have a detrimental effect on that individual and contribute to other physical and mental health illnesses such as anorexia. Rather than naming and shaming children, Cracknell said schools should provide parents with advice linked to encouraging more sleep, physical exercise and eating nutritious meals. Advertisement Cracknell also said Public Health England needs to do more to explore the issue of underweight children, as evidence in the Policy Exchange's report suggests people are more likely to die when clinically underweight than overweight. "At the same time, it is important to introduce a range of other measures to combat obesity," he added. "Including clear and easy to understand labelling on food and drink packaging and more incentives for schools to run breakfast clubs." James Cracknell said the focus needs to be on children's overall wellbeing Tam Fry, a spokesperson for the National Obesity Forum and expert advisory team member for Action on Sugar was pleased with the recommendation. "The annual BMI check is long, long overdue," she told HuffPost UK Parents. "It is certainly the most effective way of assessing unhealthy weight gain before it becomes a problem and was first called for in 2003 by the England's Chief Medical Officer. He stated that the early signs of obesity must be identified and interventions offered. Advertisement "A House of Commons Health Select Committee also emphasised this in in 2004 and recommended it, only to have their advice ignored by the Department of Health. "Successive governments have continued to ignore such a simple preventative, cost-effective measure which has contributed to the 'national emergency' which we have today." Dr Hamed Khan, GP and emergency department doctor at St Georges Hospital also welcomed the news. "Introducing an annual BMI check for children aged four to 11 is a great idea, and will help both parents and GPs monitor children's weight and intervene before it gets too late," he told HuffPost UK Parents. "From my experience most parents with obese children do not appreciate that their child is obese until it is very advanced and lack insight into how severe the problem is. "Sometimes the problem only comes to light incidentally, when a parent brings a child in for a totally different problem. By this time it is often too late, with children suffering complications or significantly debilitated due to the obesity." Advertisement Dr Khan said close regular monitoring of a child's BMI will mean that GPs can act as soon as a child is overweight and alert parents about the risks and potential long-term complications. Addressing the need for a sugar tax in the report, Cracknell also pointed to evidence in the British Medical Journal, which found that when Mexico introduced a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks in 2014, purchases fell by 12% in the first year. Dr Khan also supports the creation of a sugar tax "unreservedly", adding: "It will disincentivise parents purchasing sugary drinks that often have 12 or 13 teaspoonfuls of sugar in a single portion, which is more than half the total amount of sugar one should consume in a day. "The complications of childhood obesity, such as diabetes and heart disease are a ticking time-bomb for the NHS, both for individuals and collectively due to the huge amount of resources we spend on treating them." The Policy Exchange's report also made the following recommendations to combat obesity in the UK in both children and adults: Advertisement Using teaspoons as a unit of measurement on food and drinks packaging to ensure people know how much sugar is contained within an item of shopping. Increasing awareness of NHS' Healthy Start scheme for the 20% of people who are pregnant or who have children under four and are not using their free vouchers to purchase essential items such as milk or fruit. Tommy Robinson confronted A man severely beaten when his home was invaded and burgled by four migrants confronts former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson at a Pegida anti-immigration rally. Posted by Channel 4 News on Tuesday, 9 February 2016 Story contains graphic image A man beaten at his own home last year by four Polish migrants confronted Tommy Robinson at the Pegida UK rally in Birmingham this weekend, arguing with the former EDL chief over the scapegoating of migrants. Lecturer Paul Kohler, 56, was savagely beaten at his home in Wimbledon, suffering a fractured eye socket, a fracture to his left jawbone and a broken nose. The four men were given jail sentences of up to 19 years in January 2015. Advertisement Despite his ordeal, Kohler attended the midlands event in the hope of challenging the extreme anti-immigration sentiment peddled by Pegida and its supporters. Channel 4 News posted a video of some of the exchanges on Tuesday. Paul Kohler was beaten at his own home last year by four Polish migrants Paul Kohler with his family, (left to right) wife Samantha Kohler and daughters Saskia Kohler, Eloise Kohler and Beth Kohler, outside Kingston Crown Court in London Advertisement Speaking at Saturdays march, which was mirrored by others in cities across Europe, Robinson, said: "The growing influence Islam has on society is not good for society. The more Islam the less freedom, that's a reality." As we set off at 2pm, people set off in Germany, in Holland, in Bulgaria, in the Czech Republic, in Belgium, in Poland, he added. Our opposition will say you achieved nothing today -- the whole of Europe is talking about this debate right now thanks to every single person in Europe thats taken part in it. However, speaking to The Guardian on Saturday, Kohler said he was depressed by what he heard. I was drawn into the immigration debate and I wanted to come and see these people, hear their arguments and confront them, he said. Its been sadly depressing. Its lived up to all my worst fears. Below are pictures from Saturday's Pegida rallies across Europe: Former reality TV star Donald J. Trump secured a key victory in the 2016 presidential election on Tuesday, winning the New Hampshire primary ahead of a raft of experienced senators and governors. In a double victory for populism, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Democratic vote. Both winners peddle a strong ideological message at odds with the countrys political mainstream. Trump, a 69-year-old business tycoon from New York, has run a campaign fueled on nationalism and fear, promising to build a wall on the southern border and suggesting a ban on all Muslims entering the US. Advertisement Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a primary night rally, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H Sanders, 74, is an avowed social democrat, promising universal healthcare, free university education and an end the disproportionate political influence of the 1 percent. Yet its the triumph of Trump that will reverberate around the globe, the tycoon enjoying a sweeping victory despite his xenophobia reaching such a level that in January the British parliament debated whether he was fit for entry into the UK. Advertisement We are going to do something so good, and so fast, and so strong," said the tycoon accepting victory. "And the world is going to respect us again. Believe me." "Were going to build a wall," he added, repeating a campaign mantra. "Its going to be built. Its not even, its not even a difficult thing to do. Trump added that he would be the greatest jobs president that God ever created. Hillary Clinton reacts at her New Hampshire presidential primary campaign rally on Feb. 9, 2016, in Hooksett, N.H The early returns showed Ohio Governor John Kasich coming in second for the Republicans, with Texas Senator Ted Cruz, the winner of last weeks Iowa caucuses, placing third. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Florida Senator Marco Rubio vied for fourth. Advertisement New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who spent the past week bullying Marco Rubio over his inability to speak off the cuff, suffered almost no bump for his considerable efforts, languishing in the electoral sediment alongside former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. Thank you to the people of New Hampshire, I love you! Now, off to South Carolina. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2016 Sanders' victory was heavily predicted, so much so that the Clinton campaign put out a press release as soon as polls closed congratulating her opponent while downplaying the importance of the New Hampshire vote. Now we take this campaign to this entire country," said the former first lady in a rousing concession speech flanked by her husband and daughter. "We are going to fight for every vote in every state, she added. Bernie Sanders reacts to the cheering crowd at his primary night rally Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H Advertisement The Vermont senator, who has built a national mass movement on the back of barnstorming attacks on Wall Street and the political elite, reflected on a campaign that started as a kitsch sideshow and has transformed into what Sanders calls a "political revolution." Nine months ago, we began our campaign here in New Hampshire, we had no campaign organisation," he said in victory. "We had no money. And we were taking on the most powerful political organisation in the United States of America. And tonight, with what it appears to be a record-breaking voter turnout, because of a huge voter turnout and I say YUGE! we won. When you win the #NHPrimary, you shoot in a high school gym: https://t.co/4PMrrUXq8Whttps://t.co/VaWgAQVEXY CNN (@CNN) February 10, 2016 Tomorrow's front page: DAWN OF THE BRAIN DEAD - Trump comes back to life with N.H. win: https://t.co/rkj242rGEfpic.twitter.com/LRWPDIJJfL New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 10, 2016 Advertisement The latest instalment in the 100 years of beauty video trend has taken a look at Egypt. Researcher Jacinthe Assaad worked with Cut Video to recreate looks from each decade from 1910 to 2010. The trends range from minimalmakeup with veiled faces to those with a signature red lip. In a separate video, Assaad talked through the research behind each of the looks. Watch the video above to see the 11 transformed faces. 1910s "The look chosen for the 1910s represented the urban look that women would wear to step outside the home," explained Assaad. Advertisement 1950s "We chose the image of Doria Shafik who was a philosopher, poet and editor. She was one of the leaders of the Egyptian feminist movement. Because of her, women were granted the right to vote." 2000s "The beginning of the 21st century represents the ways in which Egyptians are trying to reconcile their conservative aspects with the modernist aspects. The choices are really representative of this hybrid moment." Advertisement Dr Liam Fox PA/PA Archive Barack Obama should open up Americas border with Mexico before giving advice to the UK on the upcoming EU referendum, former Defence Secretary Liam Fox sniped today. The Tory MP hit back at the US President for claiming the UK needed to stay in the European Union to maintain its influence on the world stage. Advertisement Dr Fox today rebuffed President Obamas comments, which were made last June, and even suggest the EU itself was guilty of pernicious anti-Americanism when it came to defence. The Somerset North MP was one of a number of leading eurosceptics who appeared at a Brexit conference in Westminster this afternoon discussing how Britain would manage itself if the public voted to leave in referendum. After claiming that it was Nato, not the EU, which had led to more than 60 years of peace in Europe, Dr Fox said: The next time the American president wants to give us advice about remaining in the EU, which of course hes free to do, he can do it when he has an open border with Mexico and a Supreme Court that can override their own Supreme Court. He added: The Americans need to understand that there is a pernicious anti-Americanism in a great deal of this policy to push EU defence. Advertisement Its not just pushing the EU into the space, its pushing America out, and that is to fundamentally misunderstand the nature of threat we face in the world around us. Londons black cab drivers staged a noisy demonstration in Central London on Wednesday, halting traffic as part of an ongoing protest against Transport for London and the popular minicab app Uber. Arguing that the technology is threatening their livelihood, cabbies descended on Westminster, tooting their horns to start a 90-minute protest. The United Cabbies Group, who accused the government of failing to regulate the industry, organised the action. Claiming the app gives minicab drivers a competitive advantage, cabbies says they have seen takings drop by 30 percent. Advertisement "We are talking about the livelihoods of tens of thousands of drivers and their families, the UGC said in a statement. "Londoners who value their traditional taxi service should rally round it and send a signal to the candidates in the London mayoral election that they will support those of them who give a clear pledge to put an end to the unfair practices of Uber and protect the iconic heritage of London that London taxis represent." In response, Tom Elvidge, the general manager of Uber in London, said, black cabs and services like Uber can co-exist in the capital. The protest comes on the same day that a legal challenge to Mayor Boris Johnsons cycle superhighway scheme by the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association scheme was denied. Climate change could lengthen travel time between the UK and US, increasing pollution and ticket prices, a new study has found. Global warming is likely to accelerate the jet stream, which is a high-altitude wind blowing from west to east across the Atlantic. As a result, westbound flights would be slowed down, yet travel time from North America to Europe would speed up, researchers at the University of Reading have found. Advertisement This effect of climate change could have major implications for airlines, passengers and airports. Dr Paul Williams, who led the study, believes that transatlantic flights will spend an extra 2,000 hours in the air every year, resulting in $22 million (15.2 million) extra fuel costs. (See the video above) Dr Paul Williams from the University of Reading led the study The route between Europe and North America is one of the busiest in the world, with about 600 flights every day. Researchers found that the winds on the New York to London route will become 15% faster on average. Flights from London will become twice as likely to take longer than seven hours while flights from New York will speed up and will become twice as likely to take less than five hours and 20 minutes. Advertisement On average, flights will only gain and lose a few minutes each way, yet the overall impact is expected to be "significant". My paper on climate change impact on flights times is published in ERL today: https://t.co/Tn4ULWJU17pic.twitter.com/7GzHRn4le8 Paul Williams (@DrPaulDWilliams) February 10, 2016 The aviation industry is facing pressure to reduce its environmental impacts, but this study shows a new way in which aviation is itself susceptible to the effects of climate change, Dr Williams said. The bad news for passengers is that westbound flights will be battling against stronger headwinds. The good news is that eastbound flights will be boosted by stronger tailwinds, but not enough to compensate for the longer westbound journeys. The net result is that roundtrip journeys will significantly lengthen. This effect will increase the fuel costs to airlines, potentially raising ticket prices, and it will worsen the environmental impacts of aviation. Advertisement The study, which was published in the IOP journal Environmental Research Letters on Wednesday, assessed the effects of doubling the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, which could happen within the next few decades unless emissions are drastically reduced. Graphs show the quickest routes between JFK and LHR airports, with eastbound journeys estimated to get quicker and westbound journeys slower Researchers believe that as well as worsening the environmental impacts of aviation, airlines are likely to increase ticket prices to cover their costs. The study explains that, while the impacts of aviation on climate change have long been recognised, the effect of climate change on aviation is a fairly new revelation. Advertisement Impacts of climate change on aviation include intensified turbulence and increased take-off weight restrictions. Jeremy Corbyn at Prime Minister's Questions today wearing his badge with pride Jeremy Corbyn sported a badge at Prime Minister's Questions to make clear his "love" for the trade unions but it appears unlikely the Labour leader will be joining striking junior doctors on the picket line today. Mr Corbyn opted not to attack David Cameron over the 24-hour strike, currently underway, instead focussing his six questions on the housing "crisis". Advertisement But the 'Heart Unions' badge worn on his jacket's left lapel, in common with many fellow Labour MPs to mark Trade Unions' Week, underlined how "unions are very important to the Labour Party", his official spokesman told journalists after the session. "Were not frightened to say we work with the trade unions," he added. The 'Heart Unions' badge is being worn by people to mark Heart Unions Week a campaign launched by the Trades Union Congress. The week of action is part of unions campaign to halt the Governments new anti-trade union laws. But Mr Corbyn appears unlikely to join the doctors' protest, which has resulted in nearly 3,000 operations being cancelled in the second official wave of protest over pay and conditions. Advertisement Junior shadow health minister Justin Madders had suggested during the last strike that Labour endorsed the action - the first time ever the party would have supported picketing - but the idea was later played down. However, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell joined the protests in solidarity in January, signalling his own personal support for them. Our problem is that Labour has no back bone: well except John McDonnell joined junior doctors //endorse strike! https://t.co/QzfN64Mm20 Am Ang Zhang (@Croachcatcher) January 14, 2016 And many Labour MPs were with them today, including Angela Rayner. Proud to be on picket line today supporting our junior doctors @TheBMA#JuniorDoctorsStrikepic.twitter.com/7TPWucnIMa Angela Rayner MP (@AngelaRayner) February 10, 2016 Formal talks between the British Medical Association and the Government broke down in January. and there is mounting speculation ministers may soon seek to impose a new contract on the profession. The key sticking point appears to be payments for working on Saturdays. Advertisement Asked if Mr Corbyn would join the picket today, his spokesman said: "No, I dont believe so." And Mr McDonnell? "I dont think so," he replied Asked if there had been a change in Labour's attitude, he said: "There's no change in attitude. People visiting picket lines is a matter for them. It's not a change of attitude. Our attitude has been the same all along." Labour argues the strike is the fault of Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. Prime Minister David Cameron, with Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne (right), sits down after speaking during the debate in the House of Commons on extending the bombing campaign against Islamic State to Syria. shutterstock David Cameron is coming under increasing pressure to halt or reduce planned cuts to taxpayer funding to opposition parties, amid fears that both smaller parties and Labour will be hit hard. Buried in George Osbornes autumn statement was a proposal to slash 10m of so-called Short Money - cash which helps politicians do their job at Westminster - by 19% from this April. Advertisement But with a Commons vote looming on the cuts, the Government could be defeated as a handful of Tory MPs are set to join a united opposition claiming the move would be bad news for democracy. HuffPost UK has learned that the cuts are now expected to lead to redundancies for key Parliamentary support staff for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the SDLP, Plaid Cymru and Greens as well as the SNP and Labour. The DUP would lose upto three staff, while the SDLP, Greens and Plaid would be forced to cut at least one staff member each - all of them from small teams working on policy and scrutiny of the Government. Advertisement DUP leader Nigel Dodds With a majority of just 12, Mr Cameron is being warned that he risks losing goodwill from parties that he may rely on over the coming Parliament. DUP leader Nigel Dodds told HuffPost UK that it was time for the Government to think again. Just weeks from the planned date for the cuts, all parties are scrambling to assess the impact. It is understood that Labour is facing the loss of upto 20 policy advisers, known as pads, a move that would severely weaken its capability to provide effective Opposition. Yet with the Tories increasing spending on their own special advisers by 800,000 to 9.2 million, including a 42% pay rise for the advisor credited with changing Mr Osbornes haircut, MPs, peers and some ministers fear that the cuts would be seen as unfair. The Tories already have the huge resources of the civil service to support them, as well as their own 94 spads, and ministers have privately warned that cutting Opposition resources will come back to haunt the party when it is forced out of office in the future. Former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis has said the Short Money cut is the wrong thing to do, while former Tory Cabinet minister Lord Forsyth said: Short money is supposed to enable the Opposition to operate in Parliament; it is nothing to do with party politics as such and is being cut. Advertisement George Osborne delivering his Autumn Statement The Chancellor has been determined to reduce the amount of public money spent at Westminster, as part of the Governments austerity plans for the public sector and as part of a wider pledge to cut the cost of politics. The Conservatives point out that Short Money increased from 6 million in 2010-11 to 9 million in 2015-16. They add that funding per Labour increased from 20,000 in 2010 to 28,000 in 2015. MPs believe that Downing Street is not as wedded to the cuts as the Treasury. Mr Osborne wants to cut by 19% both the 9.3 million spent on Short Money in 2015/16 and a 2m-a-year Policy Development Grant in the next financial year. Short money would be frozen in cash terms until 2020 thereafter. Critics say the 10m in total savings to the Government are tiny compared to the Treasurys overall budget savings but would have a devastating impact on Parliamentary scrutiny. Advertisement But just as with the Trade Union Bills assault on Labours funding, Mr Osborne infuriated the other parties by failing to consult them before making the unilateral announcement. And some in Parliament believe that the cuts will mean that some of the smaller parties will effectively cease to function in terms of policy scrutiny. Short Money is named after Ted Short, the former Commons leader who introduced the taxpayer cash for opposition parties in the 1970s. It is s calculated according to a complex formula related to their number of MPs and votes at the last general election. The Commons Members Estimate Committee has limited powers to amend the proposed cuts but MPs believe it will require a motion debated on the floor of the House of Commons at some point in coming weeks. The DUP has assessed that the combined impact of the cuts to short money and policy development grant would be a cut of 62,000 next year and 248,000 over the four remaining years of the Parliamentary term, a huge reduction that would cost the DUP up to 3 staff. Mr Dodds told HuffPost UK: I regret the lack of consultation that preceded the Governments unilateral announcement about Short Money cuts. They would be well advised to think again, and actually consult with other parties in the Commons. Advertisement And as and when they do, a much more equitable solution should clearly be found on this matter. It would be sensible and prudent for the government to follow this course of action. Jeremy Corbyn's office and Shadow Cabinet facing staff cuts Labour points out that it trebled Short Money in 1999, when it had a huge majority and the Tories were at their weakest in years. Sir George Young then Shadow Leader of the House observed at the time A healthy democracy depends on a well-briefed, well-resourced Opposition. That is good for government as well. Labour is expected to lose 1.4m every year under the cuts, with around 400,000 of the shortfall coming from cuts to Policy Development Grant, which is administered by the Electoral Commission. The reduction means that Labour may lose upto 20 policy advisers split between Jeremy Corbyns leaders office - which is funded entirely from Short Money - and others working for the Shadow Cabinet. Advertisement The party has yet to spell out full doomsday scenarios but one option would be to share one adviser between two shadow ministers, as well as other cuts. HuffPost understands that it is highly unlikely that Labour will simply seek new loans to cope with the funding loss, as it has spent years finally becoming debt- and loan-free under general secretary Iain McNicol. We have to live within our means, one source said. Taken with the planned 8m loss in funding due to the trade union bill, the party is having to look at deep staff cuts. On the Policy Development Grant, the Electoral Commission has recently written to ministers to suggest that Labour and the Tories will suffer bigger cuts proportionately compared to the smaller parties. The Liberal Democrats have objected to the cuts in Short Money too but they are largely cushioned from the impact because they have more than 100 peers in the House of Lords, whose policy support will be unaffected. Critics point out that while Short Money is to be cut, the equivalent Cranborne Money for the Lords will be untouched. The independent Institute for Government has pointed out that the cutting the cost of politics argument has been undermined by Mr Camerons creation of 233 new peers since he became Prime Minister - which has added a potential 70,000 to the taxpayers bill every day that the House of Lords sits. Advertisement A Cabinet Office spokesperson told HuffPost: "Since 2010, there has been a massive stealth increase in the cost of taxpayer funding of political parties. Short Money has soared by almost 50 per cent, and is set to rise further over this Parliament. "It is only fair that political parties should play their role in tackling the huge deficit left by the last Labour government." But as Government sources insisted all the parties should 'calm down' over the proposals, the Cabinet office hinted that the final detail would be more palatable. "Discussions with political parties have been taking place about the best way to implement these changes and the Cabinet Office will shortly be publishing a consultation paper on delivering the savings to Short Money announced in the Autumn Statement.," the spokesperson said. Advertisement Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP The Green Party estimates it will lose an estimated 40,280 from the changes, which means a "very experienced member of staff" will have to be made redundant from its small parliamentary team. Caroline Lucas MP said: Clearly this Government doesnt like scrutiny. The cuts to funding to opposition parties will hinder them in carrying out the crucial role of properly analysing, amending and oppose legislation. Taken alongside attacks on trade unions and proposals to curb Freedom of Information it appears that the Conservatives are running scared. A functioning democracy needs proper scrutiny of the executive. There is no excuse for these short-sighted cuts the Government should reverse this deeply political decision and let opposition parties get on with the job of holding the Ministers to account. The SDLP's Alasdair McDonnell The SDLP would also suffer. Dr Alasdair McDonnell, SDLP leader and MP for South Belfast, told HuffPost UK: The SDLP maintains an effective and efficient Parliamentary team in Westminster, employing one part time and two full time members of staff to support our three MPs. Advertisement Having a full quota of staff enables us to monitor and respond to the full range of Parliamentary activity. After all, Short Money was brought in to support opposition parties who dont have the same access to the Civil Service and other resources. The reality is the 19% cut to Short Money will be particularly severe for small parties, who already pool their resources and operate with small teams. The SDLP would have to lose a staff member, effectively losing a third of our support team, undermining our ability to hold the Government to account and reducing the service we can provide the public. Katie Ghose, of the Electoral Reform Society Katie Ghose, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said: The decision to cut public funding for opposition parties by a fifth is bad news for democracy. "Short money is designed to level the playing field and ensure that opposition parties can hold the government of the day to account, so this cut could be deeply damaging for accountability. Indeed, an OECD report released just this week shows that Britain already has one of the lowest proportions of public funding for parties among developed countries, spending just a tenth of the European average. Advertisement The whole party funding system is a complete mess as it is, but this measure risks making it worse. By removing public money from the mix, this cut risks making parties even more reliant on big donors with all the potential for corruption that entails. Unilateral moves like this risk being seen simply as partisan attacks, and could make it even harder for parties to get round the table and thrash out a deal on the real problem their over-reliance on big donors money. Until we see a cap on donations and a lower spending limit, taking away public money from opposition parties will just make things worse. We hope the government listens to the recommendations of the new cross-party Lords committee on party funding, which will report at the end of February. We need to move away from tit-for-tat changes and build a lasting party funding settlement. A Lib Dem source said: "This is not a cut in the cost of politics; it is an attack on democracy. "While on the one hand the Government wants to cut short money, they are spending 289 million this year alone on spinners and marketing. Human error may have causes the fatal train crash in Germany on Tuesday but reports of a line controller turning off a safety device have been dismissed as "pure speculation". The crash happened at the town of Bad Aibling, around 37 miles south-east of Munich at 6.48am local time on Tuesday. Advertisement Ten people were killed and many more injured, 18 seriously. The trains partially derailed and a number of carriages overturned. One of the destroyed trains is seen at the site of a train accident near Bad Aibling Unconfirmed rumours had suggested a braking system designed to stop trains that had run a red light was over-ridden. A spokesman for German police said: "Discard that, we reject that." Despite this human error of some form has not been ruled out entirely. Police spokesman Stefan Sonntag told The Associated Press: "This is the biggest accident we have had in years in this region and we have many emergency doctors, ambulances and helicopters on the scene." Advertisement Google's self-driving car could soon have the same legal rights as a human driver after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration admitted that in place of there being no driver, Google's own computer was the legal driver of the vehicle. Advertisement This is a massive step forward for Google because while it doesn't afford Google's car the same legal rights as a human driver, it does at least acknowledge the existence of a driver at all, even if it's not human. In an open email, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Chief Counsel Paul Hemmersbaugh said: "If no human occupant of the vehicle can actually drive the vehicle, it is more reasonable to identify the 'driver' as whatever (as opposed to whoever) is doing the driving. In this instance, an item of motor vehicle equipment, the SDS, is actually driving the vehicle." This acknowledges that Google's AI software which currently powers its self-driving car is being recognised as an entity. What this now means is that the car is able to apply for the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards which determines whether a car is roadworthy in the United States. The decision by the NHTSA comes just a few weeks after California started drafting a similar bill which would legally recognise self-driving cars. There are however some caveats courtesy of the Department of Motor Vehicles. One of these is the legal requirement that the vehicle have, at all times, a full-licensed driver behind the wheel to take over if something goes wrong. The second of them answers one of the most commonly-postured questions surrounding self-driving cars which is: who takes the responsibility? Advertisement According to the DMV the driver behind the wheel will still be held responsible for any accident that takes place. A budding student politician has launched his campaign for student president by parodying hit singles from the likes of Adele, Bruno Mars and Macklemore but promises that he will do more for students just make a great video. Toby Gladwin, who is currently in his third year of studying Ancient History at the University of Exeter, in Devon, hopes that his alternative manifesto will strike a chord with students on campus and make them more engaged in his campaign. Through various guises in the video, the 22-year-old highlights the key issues affecting students enrolled at the university, promising to address available study spaces on campus, introduce bike exchange schemes and improve provisions of cooking facilities, such as microwaves and kettles. Advertisement Whilst his policies might be pragmatic, Gladwin, who grew up in Colchester, Essex, certainly had fun being creative for the campaign, despite three days of filming and editing from 8am to 2am, telling HuffPost UK: Honestly it felt like we (myself, Josh Faux the videographer and Rob Cross the director/producer) were at a festival all over campus and the city because we had to squeeze so many shots into such a small amount of time. It was so much fun to film and I love the [Macklemore] coat now! Finding people to feature in his video was not an issue; Gladwin said that friends were more than happy to help the music video become reality, and people about campus were more than happy to jump in shot. No one really knows what wins a student election whether its talking to people around campus, strong social media or a good manifesto. Weve tried to do all three but the video has definitely helped spread the campaign around Exeter students. Parodying has become a popular trend particularly with young people who rework earworm songs to garner support for particular causes. Carefully considering how best to avoid cheesy SU promotion videos, Gladwin was inspired when his brother showed him a similar campaign from three years ago at Royal Holloway, London. We wanted to make something new and engaging. The songs are incredibly catchy and the lyrics lent themselves to being edited. Advertisement Gladwin, a big Game of Thrones fan and craft beer enthusiast, has already been active on campus throughout his time at Exeter. He helped to cofound the Real Ale society, and is currently President of the Classics society as well as Societies Executive Officer. For all his many talents, however, singing is not Gladwins forte. He told HuffPost UK: I wish I could claim it was me singing! The soloist was Michael Luya, a good friend of mine and part of the award winning a cappella group Semi-Toned. Nonetheless, the video has proved popular amongst students on campus, who have reacted positively to his election campaign. Gladwin says it has been a real confidence boost to hear peoples reactions and have students stop him to discuss the video and tell him how much they enjoyed watching. Balancing his many hats is an easy feat for Gladwin, however. Honestly I dont see it as student politics. For me, its more about being part of a great community of students that enjoy life at university. Voting in the University of Exeter student elections is open until Friday, February 12th, with winners announced the same evening from 7:30pm. Comedy behemoths Funny Or Die have shed light on a super-secret project in the making since December - a full-length film satirising Donald Trump's 1987 business book 'The Art Of The Deal'. The 80s-style mockumentary features a host of big names, most surprisingly superstar Johnny Depp, who is totally unrecognisable as the real estate mogul-turned-politician. Advertisement Other celebs to feature in the hilarious satirical film include Ron Howard, Michaela Watkins, Alfred Molina, Patton Oswalt, Jack McBrayer, Henry Winkler, Stephen Merchant, Christopher Lloyd, Kristen Schaal, Andy Richter and Paul Scheer. Here's the trailer: And, if you fancy being in it for the long haul, here's the full 50 minute movie: Advertisement "It was a crazy, completely nuts idea that somehow we pulled off," Adam McKay, a co-founder of Funny or Die, told the New York Times. The people behind somehow managed to keep everything under wraps, a truly incredible feat when a Hollywood superstar like Depp is involved. Feminist writer Julie Bindel has slammed calls to ban controversial presidential candidate Donald Trump and "pro-rape" advocate Roosh V from entering the UK. The 53-year-old said "we can't ban everything that offends you" and claimed that people are "endangering making censorship the standard response to any view which offends". Advertisement Her comments come after a petition to ban the Republican frontrunner reached over half a million signatures and a similar protest for Roosh V reached 91,237 supporters. Bindel has also experienced no-platforming after being branded "transphobic" by some student unions. Julie Bindel has spoken out on free speech During the speech, recorded in a video by The Guardian, Bindel said: "Banning Donald Trump from the UK won't stop Americans voting for him, banning Roosh V from entering the country does nothing to change the fact that in the UK an estimated 85,000 women are raped, and 400,000 are sexually assaulted. Advertisement "What it does do is blind us to the existence that he articulates. Let's just hear the arguments put forward by those who we disagree so we can expand our language and show rational resistance." Roosh V, who has been widely branded a "pro-rape" advocate has previously said that: "If a woman got raped, that is a sad thing. Its a bad thing. But whose fault is it? Is it the womans fault? No, Im not saying that. "But a woman can do things to reduce the likelihood that she will get hurt. If I get a BMW car right now and I leave the key inside and park it in a bad area and it gets robbed, whose fault is that? Is it the thief's fault, or is it my fault for being a moron?". Comments such as these have led petitioners to brand Roosh V as a "militant pro-rape advocate". After disagreeing with the bans, Bindel went on to discuss her own experience. "In 2015 the National Union of Students women's conference debated banning cross-dressing from fancy dress as it may be offensive to transgender people," she said. "I have been no platformed by student unions around the country and at one debate angry students claimed they would be traumatised if they were forced to repeat my 'horrifically transphobic' views. Turns out not a single one of them had read my work." Advertisement Bindel has been repeatedly no platformed by the NUS because of a 2004 Guardian column in which she criticises gender reassignment surgery and trans activists that many people found offensive. In 2011, the NUS LGBT conference voted to no platform her and approved the motion this conference believes Julie Bindel is vile. Bindel asked: "What ever happened to freedom of expression? We're quickly becoming a society which censorship is the new normal, political movements such as civil rights and feminism have made such progress because we were able to hold people to account. "Banning people from publicly stating their views does not make those views disappear. Let's just hear the arguments put forward by those who we disagree so we can expand our language and show rational resistance. Bernadette Lomas Groups of junior doctors have been praised for offering a "constructive and positive" approach to the strike by NHS workers taking place across England today. While thousands brandished banners to protest proposed changes to staff's pay and working hours, teams of medics ditched the picket line to teach their skills as health workers - by offering the public life-saving CPR lessons. Advertisement SEE ALSO: More than 20 junior doctors attended a packed-out playgroup for parents and their newborns, equipped with mannequins to teach people how to perform the vitally important technique. Bernadette Lomas, a 34-year-old Manchester Royal Infirmary junior doctor specialising in child and maternal anaesthetic, co-organised the initiative, saying she wanted to raise awareness of Wednesday's walkout but also give something positive back to her local community. Advertisement One young toddler enjoying themselves at today's class "We have had a hugely positive and uplifting day- much needed in the midst of the deep sadness, frustration and anger we are experiencing," she told The Huffington Post UK. "Our aim was to give something positive back to our community directly, and from the comments we have had so far I'm really heartened to say that we have certainly achieved that, and more. She added that the morning's events had proven popular with mothers, fathers and their children, with toddlers in attendance now armed with life-saving skills. Two kids learn CPR together on a baby mannequin "Many people have said they will book onto courses and spread the word to friends and family. "Also it has been wonderful to have people completely unprompted give their heartfelt support to junior doctors and the NHS." Advertisement Comments posted on a Facebook event for today's session, hosted at a "community cafe" in Emmanuel Church in Didsbury, Manchester, with a turnout of around 50, all hailed the doctors for their initiative. View from the crowd: 50 flocked to the event "Thank you for the first aid refresher and cuddling my baby so I could have a practice. You'll find lots of support from me and mine," wrote one user, Emma Bennet. "Thanks so much to all of the volunteers today. You were all really lovely and I've learnt some important life-saving skills that I hope I never have to use," another attendee Roberta Agar added. Elsewhere, in London another group of striking medics offered passing commuters and members of the public quick-fire 5-minute CPR courses. Advertisement Striking junior doctors are giving free CPR training outside St Paul's today, in case you weren't already on side pic.twitter.com/v0yrOKW2UP Stephanie Boland (@stephanieboland) February 10, 2016 Staff from Barts Hospital, the oldest hospital in Europe, took to the streets to continue using their skills as health workers. A group of striking staff hailed the event, held just outside St Paul's Cathedral, as an "amazing day". One passer-by praised the NHS workers, saying theirs was a "great way to get [the] message over" about junior doctors' plight to health secretary Jeremy Hunt. Advertisement Junior dr's offering free 5min CPR lessons outside St Pauls grt way to get message over #JuniorDoctorsStrike Jo Vertigan (@JoVertigan) February 10, 2016 There are more than 55,000 junior doctors in England - a position covering people who have just graduated from medical school through to those with more than a decade of experience. Nick Boles: Businesses with as little as half a brain cell should be offering flexible working hours to help end the pay gap between men and women, a Government minister has said. But Nick Boles, equalities minister in the department for business, dismissed suggestions the Government should regulate firms more strictly so they offer more family-friendly conditions. Advertisement The Conservative minister was quizzed by Parliaments Womens and Equalities Committee of MPs, which is examining why men are paid on average paid almost 20% more than women. Mr Boles was probed alongside equalities minister and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, who said she was "disappointed" there were not more women head teachers. Equalities minister and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan: "I am disappointed there are not more women in senior leadership positions in education." Advertisement The pair also defended the appointment of a man review the paucity of women in UK boardrooms, with Mr Boles arguing a minority could be championed successful without the cause being led by someone from that community - pointing to Maria Miller, the Tory chairwoman of the committee, successfully bringing in same-sex marriage legislation. Mr Boles was confronted over why only 6% of jobs are advertised as open to flexible working, which could include part-time working and job sharing. Legislation was introduced in 2014 so employees can request flexible working hours after their first six months. But MPs on the committee questioned whether that should be brought in from day one. The minister said when he was in charge of the Policy Exchange think-tank before entering Parliament he made a point of spelling out flexible working was available when advertising jobs, and as a result got a higher calibre of employee. He said: I was able to recruit better women into those jobs than men, bluntly. They were women who valued the fact they were able to do the job flexibility. I think they were putting an explicit economic and social value - a quality of life value - on the fact it was flexible. They were perhaps able to get a better paid job, but nevertheless chose this job because it was flexible and I hope interesting. Advertisement Committee asks why only 6% of jobs are advertised as open to flexibility.@NickBolesMP denies need for Govt to intervene. #GenderPayGap Women&EqualitiesCtte (@Commonswomequ) February 10, 2016 When challenged whether firms should be forced to offer more flexible hours earlier, he said: If you have got half a brain cell as an employer you realise by offering flexibility you often get better applicants. It does not need me to regulate it. If youre at all alive to the possibility as an employer, in your own interest, you should be maximising flexibility. He added he was not going to be looking into the soul of every citizen and employer to find out why flexible working was not so widespread, but said the Department for Business Innovation and Skills was leading by example. On more female headteachers, Ms Morgan said: The role of women in education cannot be underestimated. I am disappointed there are not more women in senior leadership positions in education, particularly given the high proportion of women in the workforcewed like to have more secondary head teachers who are female. They were asked why a man - namely GlaxoSmithKline chairman Sir Philip Hampton - had just been named to lead a Government review on increasing the number of female executives at the UKs biggest public companies. Advertisement Mr Boles challenged the controversy the move prompted, and alluded to Ms Miller bringing forward same-sex marriage legislation when she was the Cabinet minister charged with the reform. For anyone who has ever spent their work day fantasising about being spotted by a model scout, Olajumoke Orisaguna's remarkable story is the stuff of your most wishful daydreams. Orisaguna, 27, was working as a bread seller in Lagos, Nigeria, when she unintentionally walked into a shot photographer Ty Bello had lined up of Tinie Tempah. A photo posted by TY Bello (@tybello) on Jan 31, 2016 at 10:22am PST Advertisement Tempah was taken by the bread seller, sharing a photo of her on his own Instagram account. Getting that bread. A photo posted by Tinie Tempah (@tiniegram) on Jan 18, 2016 at 10:22am PST However, at first Bello didn't give the interloper a second thought. "The moment didn't look special at all," she wrote on Instagram. "If anything she stood there a little confused. "Some people asking her to leave the set and others asking her to stay. I signaled [to ask] if it was ok to take her photograph and she agreed, and I pressed on my shutter so she could move ahead. "I was wrong to have paid her such little attention. Every frame with her in it was perfect." Looking through her photos after the shoot, Bello found herself drawn to the figure of Orisaguna and decided to appeal on Instagram for information about the mysterious stranger who pulled focus from the pop star. Advertisement "Who is she?" Bello wrote. "Everyone has been asking if this lady is a model... It was a perfect coincidence... She just happened to be walking by while I photographed. It happened so fast. "She definitely should be a model. I'm happy to help her build her portfolio if she's interested. "She's so beautiful and photographed so well. I'll find a way to track her down somehow. You guys can also help." On Thursday 4 February, Bello revealed she had been successful in her quest to track down the bread seller and just a few days later she shared her first shoot with Orisaguna, which featured on the cover of Nigerian magazine 'This Day Style'. A photo posted by TY Bello (@tybello) on Feb 7, 2016 at 12:15am PST Advertisement "This just made me cry," wrote Bello. "She really is a blessed woman with an amazing story . I almost can't believe it." Orisaguna also posed with her second child, 14-month-old Grace. A photo posted by TY Bello (@tybello) on Feb 7, 2016 at 3:35am PST Bello said that Orisaguna had shared with her, "her journey to Lagos". "A hair stylist from Ire in Osun state but not making enough profit between her and her husband, - a sliding door installer from same village, - to care for their two young children," wrote Bello. "At the invitation of a distant relative who knew someone operating a bakery, she relocated to Lagos with her 14-month-old daughter to give bread hawking a try, leaving her husband and older five-year-old behind. "As I listened to her I wondered if the beauty I had seen on my screen as I edited my image was a fluke... well until she smiled. I realised that I was wrong. I had in fact ,underestimated the beauty of this 27-year-old woman. Advertisement "As always it was her eyes and of course her perfectly chiseled features that jumped out at you when she chuckled. This lady belonged in front of my camera." A photo posted by TY Bello (@tybello) on Feb 7, 2016 at 4:43am PST "After a conversation with her husband telling him the story of our meeting I decided I was going to photograph her that very afternoon," continued Bello. "Within an hour Bimpe Onakoya, one of Nigeria's leading makeup artists, and Zubby one of my favourite hairstylists were at my studio to work magic. "They had both followed the story online and were more than happy to put in their very best for her. "Olajumoke, with curly extensions out, revealed a short natural Afro that beautifully hugged her face. @Bimpeonakoya also had decided to keep the make up minimal. Advertisement "She stepped in front of my camera and I almost couldn't recognise her. She moved different too. Jumoke looked straight into my lens emoting like she had done this all her life. "I knew we had found a star." A video posted by TY Bello (@tybello) on Feb 7, 2016 at 8:00am PST Orisaguna is now signed to Few Model Management. A photo posted by Few Model Management (@fewmodels) on Feb 8, 2016 at 4:35am PST David Cameron today refused to rule out delaying a vote on Trident renewal until after Labours conference in October in a bid to exploit the oppositions split on the issue. During this afternoons Prime Minsters Questions, Mr Cameron mocked Shadow Defence Secretary Emily Thornberry for suggesting the UKs nuclear deterrent was as outdated as Spitfires. Advertisement To much laughter from his own benches, the Prime Minster read out a tweet from a Labour MP which said she needed to rest in a darkened room after Ms Thornberry's presentation on Trident on Monday evening. Tory MP Dr Julian Lewis tried to raise the issue above party politics, and called on Mr Cameron to push forward with a vote as soon as possible. Dr Lewis, who is chairman of the influential Defence Select Committee, said: "Given the fun that the Prime Minister had a moment ago at the Labour Partys expense over a Trident successor, it must be tempting for him to put off the vote until Labours conference in October. May I urge him to do the statesman-like thing and hold that vote as soon as possible because everybody is ready for it and everybody is expecting it. Advertisement The Prime Minister replied: What we should do is have the vote when we need to have the vote and that is exactly what we will do, but no one should be in any doubt that this Government is going to press ahead with all the decisions that are necessary to replace in full our Trident submarines. Mondays meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party saw Ms Thornberry, who was appointed Shadow Defence Secretary in last months reshuffle, heckled during her presentation on Trident. Ms Thornberry suggested high-tech drones could track submarines in future, and Trident could become outdated just as the Second World War-era Spitfire planes did. Former Defence Minister Kevan Jones declared at one point during the heated gathering youre an embarrassment, and left the meeting saying she was waffly and incoherentcringeworthy. In PMQs this afternoon, Mr Cameron said: It takes quite a talent from a Shadow Defence Secretary to insult Spitfire pilots and our brave submariners all in one go. Advertisement Another week another completely ludicrous Labour position on defence. I think the last word should go to the Honourable Member for Bridgend [Madeline Moon], and thank you Twitter for this one, who, as she came out of the PLP meeting tweeted this: Oh dear, oh dear, oh my god, oh dear, oh dear, need to go to rest in a darkened room. I expect shell find the rest of her party will be there with her. Oh dear oh dear omg oh dear oh dear need to go rest in a darkened room Madeleine Moon (@MadeleineMoon) February 8, 2016 After Mr Cameron had made the remarks, Ms Moon took to Twitter to say: "Heard I was mentioned in PMQs. Nothing to do with me- I'm still in my darkened room..." Heard I was mentioned in PMQs. Nothing to do with me- I'm still in my darkened room... Madeleine Moon (@MadeleineMoon) February 10, 2016 Advertisement Emily Thornberry talks to Lucy Powell during PMQs While Mr Cameron was having fun at her expense, Ms Thornberry, who was sitting on Labours frontbench, struck up what seemed to be an intense conversation with Shadow Education Secretary Lucy Powell. Women who take paracetamol during pregnancy could increase the chances of their children having asthma, a new study has warned. Researchers from the University of Bristol and Oslo University studied data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study of 114,500 children to look for associations between paracetamol exposure and asthma. They found the risk of asthma at age three was increased by 13% among children exposed to paracetamol during pregnancy. Advertisement For children who had been exposed to paracetamol during the first six months of life, the risk was increased by 29%. "Similar results were observed for asthma at age seven," study author Dr Maria Magnus from the University of Bristol told HuffPost UK Parents. Researchers found an association between pregnant woman taking paracetamol and children having asthma Advertisement The results, which were published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, showed the strongest association was seen if the mother used paracetamol during pregnancy for more than one illness. "Uncovering potential adverse effects is of public health importance, as paracetamol is the most commonly used painkiller among pregnant women and infants," said Dr Magnus. She said that although there have been previous studies on the association between paracetamol and asthma, the new research allowed the associations to be confirmed as being linked to the paracetamol itself and not to the condition which triggered paracetamol use itself - pain, fever, or influenza. "This study supported the conclusion that the results were not caused by underlying characteristics or health behaviours shared by the parents," she added. But Dr Magnus cautioned that the findings from the study dont currently warrant any changes in the recommendations regarding the use of paracetamol among pregnant women. Advertisement Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and policy at Asthma UK believes pregnant women should not panic at the news. She told HuffPost UK Parents: "Although the results from the study show that maternal exposure to paracetamol before birth and during the first six months of the childs life increases the risk of a child developing asthma, more research is needed to better understand this relationship. "If you are pregnant or trying for a baby you shouldnt panic; as the reports author states, no new guidance is required on the use of paracetamol. "If you are concerned about this research and have any questions you can call our team of expert asthma nurses for advice on 0300 222 5800, or contact your GP or midwife to ensure that you are keeping well throughout your pregnancy." Another familiar face is set to pop up on The Voice this weekend, as a former Are You Being Served? star auditions for the judges. Mike Berry, best known as Mr Bert Spooner in the classic sitcom, will be seen auditioning for the BBC talent show on Saturday (13 February), singing Buddy Hollys True Love Ways. Advertisement Mike Berry will be seen auditioning for 'The Voice' The 73-year-old was persuaded to take part by his best friend Charles Hodges, of Chas & Dave fame. Chas accompanied him to the audition, revealing why he told him to try out for the show. I said you aint fat and bald and youve got a good voice theres no reason not to go on, he said. Mike Berry (top right) played Mr Spooner in 'Are You Being Served?' Mike is no stranger to the music scene, however, as he had three hits in the 1960s, and also toured with the Rolling Stones. He also released a song in the 80s called The Sunshine Of Your Smile, which was produced by Chas. Speaking of his previous music success, Mike said: I was in the hit parade and I was still earning 6 a week in the piano shop. Advertisement Of touring with the Stones, he added: It was absolute magic. You could go on sweeping the stage and youd bring the house down. Mike is one of just four surviving cast members from Are You Being Served? having joined the show in its eighth series, when his character took over from gents' junior sales assistant Mr Lucas (Trevor Bannister). You can see Mikes audition for The Voice this Saturday at 7.15pm on BBC One. The five things you need to know on Wednesday February 10, 2016 1) DOCTOR HECKLE AND MISTER HIDE Its PMQs day again and David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn have a wealth of ammo to chose from. Will Corbyn opt for Mrs Camerons council cuts attack (hed surely never mention a family member directly?), the trade union bill criticism by Sir Christopher Kelly (partisan and cynical) or maybe housing (tenant tax or social housing sell offs)? Advertisement For his part, Cameron could easily focus on the PLP v Emily Thornberry (youre an embarrassment, as Kevan Jones said, Islington dinner party, as another MP said), and trot (pun intended) out the line that Labour cant be trusted with national security? But for both leaders, maybe todays junior doctors strike will be the real flash point. Jeremy Hunt in the Commons yesterday sounded very much like a man ready to impose his contract on staff, saying not imposing it would mean giving up on 7-day care. Yet the Indy has a startling poll showing that if Hunt did take the nuclear option, 90% of junior doctors would quit. It all depends on how much damage the PM wants to take in this dispute. Some of the PMs allies believe he has to use up some political capital now because early in the Parliament is the only time to effect really radical, controversial change - especially while Labour is seen as so weak. Others worry Hunt has gone in too hard and could do long-term damage to the Tory brand on the NHS and hand Corbyn a gift. Has Hunt vetoed a compromise that could give docs a Saturday pay rate they'll accept? The Health Secretary wasn't on the airwaves today (and was missing in action on Monday in the Commons). Even some Tory MPs feel like Hunt has looked like he's been heckling doctors rather than the BMA itself. Advertisement Meanwhile, as most public sector workers get a 1% cap on pay, the Sun reveals MPs will get a 1.3% pay raise this year (a nice 962), after last years bumper 10%. 2) LEN ME YOUR EARS Len McCluskey last night used his speech at the Oxford Union to warn Labour MPs to stop plotting against Jeremy Corbyn. After another fractious PLP, Jezza may be pleased at the support. Even some moderate MPs may agree with the Unite leader that Corbyns critics have a plot without a programme: opponents still cant agree on a single candidate let alone a single message. But some MPs are certainly worried about Momentum and what got missed amid the Thornberry fest on Monday night was Tom Blenkinsop demanding the group be proscribed. As for the Shadow Defence Secretary, Tory MP Nick Soames has written a rather rude letter to her, as the Sun reveals today. John Hutton laid into her last night too. But its Madeleine Moon (she of the famous PLP Tweet) who has again made the point on Trident most Labour MPs now focus on: even if Labour renews Trident, how can you have a party leader who vows never to use the nuclear deterrent anyway? More than a few Labour MPs were amused when Speaker Bercow yesterday revealed that it was reading the Socialist Worker that made him a Tory. Watch the clip HERE. Advertisement 3) EUROTRASHED Panic moves to prop up Deutschebank underline fears about both the eurozone and a wider global financial crisis. And theres a lot of volatility in the political as well as economic markets, when it comes to the EU referendum. The Mail splashes on plunging exports to the EU, while the Telegraph reports that the Companies Act will force firms to detail the risks of Brexit on the eve of the poll. The Times reports that Unison, the UKs second largest union, is refusing to back the In campaign over Corbyn-ish fears about privatisations caused by the EU-US trade deal. It adds that Andy Burnham clashed with Labours In camp chief Alan Johnson at Shadow Cabinet yesterday over how close he would be to David Cameron during the referendum - and the need for Labour not to be seen as part of the establishment on EU migration. Cameron isnt having it his own way. Eyebrows were raised over the way Sir Peter Ricketts was nakedly used in a political manner yesterday on Calais, backbencher Sarah Wollaston says shes heading for the Brexit door, Dominic Grieve slammed the PMs pointless sovereignty plan. Oh and Jose Manuel Barroso told Newsnight Camerons migrant benefit plans wont stop the influx of EU workers. At least Alex Salmond found a novel way to warn against a June referendum date yesterday. Watch him quote The Cat in The Hat in the chamber. BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR Watch a RobotRubio get manhandled in New Hampshire. Why have you got your hands on me? Rubio and Clinton have to record impressive wins in South Carolina next. Advertisement 4) UNHAPPY FAMILIES First it was David Camerons mum Mary signing a petition against childrens centre closures. Now its his auntie Clare, thanks to ITV News, who has gone further and gone on camera attacking council cuts as a great, great error. The PM may agree with both of his relatives, saying that Oxfordshire county council should in fact find savings away from the frontline. But I suspect that wont be the message most punters hear on this story and that Tory cuts will be firmly laid at Camerons own door. As it happens, Greg Clarks new 300m cuts cushion Tory councils gives many Conservative MPs a nice campaigning tool ahead of the local elections, but delivers nowt for many northern Labour authorities (the Guardian splash follows our own story yesterday). All councils are still facing billions of cuts over this Parliament. 5) FRANKIE: DO YOU REMEMBER ME? Francis Maude is to step down from his role as Trade Minister after less than a year in post. For the man who was a Cameroon before Cameron, it seems to mark the end of a long career on the frontline. The peer tells the FT he will be quitting pretty soon, understood to mean the next few weeks. Maudes departure comes the day after figures showed the UKs trade deficit had hit a record high and he admitted the stats were not good. As for George Osbornes goal of increasing UK exports to 1trillion by the end of the decade, Maude said it is what would be known in business as a stretch target. Just like Osbornes march of the makers and were the builders, will his exports boast come back to haunt him? And will Labour be in a position to exploit any of it? Advertisement Maude says he will return to the private sector and do "a bit of not-for-profit". Trade unions however remember him for being the driver behind the check-off reforms on their funding, reforms that look like they could be watered down in the Trade Union Bill. Labour is still furious about the overall impact of the bill on its funding though. And smaller parties are just as angry about changes to Short Money (we have a story on this, this morning). If youre reading this on the web, sign-up HERE to get the WaughZone delivered to your inbox. Twitter A Conservative MP on a 74,000 salary has admitted to moving back in with his parents because the housing crisis means he cannot get together a deposit to buy his own place. Twenty-eight-year-old William Wragg has had to move back to his parents suburban semi-detached home in Manchester, blaming the brutal cost of renting for being unable to get enough money in the bank. Advertisement The revelation came as Jeremy Corbyn accused David Cameron at Prime Ministers Questions of overseeing "a very damaging housing crisis". With the basic MPs salary of 74,000 being around three times the average salary of around 26,000 a year, the MP admits he is extremely well-paid but claims to be part of the boomerang generation that has seen a quarter of all adults aged between 20 and 34 living with their parents. The MP, elected in May to represent Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester, told the Granada Debate show on ITV: In a few years hopefully I will have saved up enough for a deposit. I know exactly what it is like. I have complete empathy with people in that position. Advertisement William Wragg on Granada Debate: "When I think how much I spent on rent in a flat instead of a mortgage, I think maybe I made the wrong choice." The University of Manchester graduate qualified as a primary school teacher in 2014 under the Teach First scheme to attract top graduates into teaching, but could only afford a rented flat. When I think how much I spent on rent in a flat instead of a mortgage, I think maybe I made the wrong choice, he said. Parliamentary rules permit only expenses to be spent on renting a second home in London, and pay for their main residence themselves. Labour housing spokesman John Healey said: He is part of a generation for whom home ownership is in freefall. This is a generation of people who are often on good middle incomes but who still find the dream of home ownership is out of reach. Advertisement Jeremy Corbyn at Prime Minister's Questions: "Millions are struggling to get the home they deserve." Mr Corbyn used all six of his questions at PMQs on housing, arguing people were being priced out of the market because of a lack of affordable homes. "Millions are struggling to get the home they deserve," he told the Commons. Mr Cameron contended that more council houses had been built under his Government in the past five years than during Labour's 13 years in power. How do you turn big ideas into a reality? That's one of the real challenges faced by anyone working in global health and development in 2016. Last year was an exciting one - we saw great progress against the Millennium Development Goals, but there's much more work to do and the United Nations agreed to 17 new Global Goals for Sustainable Development. These set out ambitious aims to ensure healthy lives, end extreme poverty and fight inequality. All of us - from individuals to businesses - have a stake in helping to reach these targets. We all stand to benefit from having healthier, more prosperous communities. So what are four ways to get going on the Global Goals in 2016? Reach more people with healthcare More than ever, we need different business models that help us to reach more people with medicines, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. There are innovative approaches such as tiered pricing, which asks countries to pay a fair amount depending on how far along the development journey they are. But we also need to consider how to physically reach people. How can we strengthen supply chains, even in the most challenging areas? That might mean working with local businesses or pharmacists to help get medicines into communities that need them most. Advertisement Key to reaching more people is 'Universal Health Coverage' - or UHC. This is the idea that everyone should receive the quality health services they need without experiencing financial hardship as a result. As Africa's emerging middle class becomes more concerned with equity, UHC could gain traction this year. Governments are custodians of their nations' health needs: we're likely to see more attention paid to how they can devise sustainable ways of financing healthcare - through prioritising health in policies and budgets and considering innovative health insurance models that bring more people into the fold. Other sectors - like business - also have an important part to play in helping to make UHC a reality. Make health systems stronger The devastating Ebola epidemic was a sobering reminder of how vulnerable health systems are. While Ebola might be receding, more resources and focus are needed now to rebuild health systems and bolster them against future crises. One of the most important things is getting more health workers on the ground. This can be done through harnessing collaboration between governments, business and NGOs to help recruit, train and support health workers. One model is GSK reinvesting 20% of its profits from the Least Developed Countries back into supporting health worker training in those areas - 40,000 health workers have been trained since 2009. As well as feet on the ground, we also need to capitalise upon technology - using mobile phones for example to speed up diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Maintain momentum against malaria With a shiny new set of global development targets, it could be easy to forget the progress already made and how important it is to keep up the momentum against neglected tropical diseases and malaria. Since 2000, deaths from malaria have more than halved thanks to better access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment. But this progress is fragile, and the disease still claims nearly 500,000 lives a year. So we need to keep up the fight against malaria, making sure that communities have access to the tools already at our disposal and relentlessly searching for new weapons to add to our arsenal against malaria. Just last month, UK Chancellor George Osborne, together with Bill Gates, announced a 3 billion commitment over the next five years to ramp up efforts to fight malaria. This is a really exciting step and shows we can maintain momentum against this disease. Advertisement Find new ways to keep mums and babies healthy Every day, 800 women die due to complications related to pregnancy. Three-quarters of newborn deaths occur in the first week of life. There are many great ideas in the pipeline to help protect mothers and babies, but they can grind to a halt due to a dearth of resources. Getting these ideas from acorns to oak trees is a priority. One approach is an 'Innovation Marketplace' being created by the Every Woman Every Child Innovation Working Group. Rather than acting as a source of funding itself, the marketplace will primarily be a forum for connecting innovators, private investors and national resources. Making the innovation pathway more transparent is something we could all learn from. I'm not quite clear how we ended up here, but I woke up this morning, read the papers, and realised the whole NHS seems to be broken and at war with the Government. It takes real effort on the part of the Secretary of State for Health, the Prime Minister and his cabinet colleagues to alienate every single arm of the NHS, but - as they say at Eton - by Jove! They've done it! We GPs have been grumbling for years now - we're a pretty grumbly lot generally. Mr Hunt himself confirmed why this is when he admitted that the underfunding of general practice from the Conservative government has been as "penance" for the 2004 GP contract. Just to be clear - general practice was in crisis then after years of underfunding and a collapsing workforce. The Labour government at the time eventually realised this, corrected the lack of funding and introduced a new performance based pay system. GPs performed, and we got paid. Patients could get an appointment easily, young doctors were clamouring to join this highly competitive speciality. There was no shortage of applicants so wages were kept down as a result and locums weren't needed because there weren't any gaps. Then the penance started. In trying to make a political point and score some cheap right wing headlines, the Government has admitted it has made GPs the sacrificial lamb. This is at the expense of patients who are waiting weeks for appointments. It is also to the extent that the only way GPs feel we can get our voices heard is to explore how we can resign en-masse from our contracts with the NHS. Our own "nuclear" option. What a cock up. Advertisement Then we can add Consultants into the mix - they came next. The consultant contract is up for renewal, and suddenly we are being told about all these consultants who can "opt out" of working at the weekends. It was news to the Consultants. It was news to the nurses, and the junior doctors who work alongside them every weekend. It made great headlines, but when the Freedom of Information request information came in, and revealed that less than 1% of Consultants use this opt out - the rest are routinely working weekends - it rather killed Mr Hunt's argument. What it did do was infuriate the Consultants, who were being blamed for 6000 weekend deaths, despite the fact they were in hospitals and at work.(please search #iminworkjeremy if you think that's not true). It also incensed the other staff working at the weekends, who seemed to have been totally brushed aside as being vital for patient care. The message was "it's Consultants we need - you nurses, porters, healthcare assistants, cleaners, you're all pointless. Get the Consultants in and it solves everything." The Consultants were astounded to be accused of lacking "a sense of vocation and professionalism". This was not an example of how to get staff on board with contract changes. It was the exact opposite. Then it was the junior doctors turn. Their sin was not only the fact they don't work weekends and nights (they do...) but that they were responsible for even more deaths - 11,000 deaths. Those figures do keep adding up don't they? Almost like they are just coming out of thin air... They were amazed to have these deaths laid at their doors. They were amazed that after several years of negotiations with no mention of a 7 day NHS, suddenly it was thrown in as the main aim for contract reform. No one disagreed the NHS needed more doctors full stop, but achieving this with recruitment at an all time low, and no extra funding seemed impossible. Those doctors who have trained for over a decade and have tried to juggle professional and family life whilst working unpredictable shifts, felt slapped in the face by the Health secretary. He made this about their selfish decisions, rather than about a government who weren't prepared to invest in the service it had promised the public. He misjudged the mood massively when he then turned his ire on the doctors union the BMA, and accused them of misleading junior doctors - which indirectly implies junior doctors (the ones with 3 degrees and often postgraduate doctorates too) of being too stupid to understand their own contracts. The clue was in the 98% and 99% support for the BMA in the ballot for industrial action, but that didn't register with the government. Repeatedly it has antagonised the situation by communicating with the press for easy headlines, not the juniors themselves. Now it appears a deal had been reached between the BMA and NHS employers - but Mr Hunt refused to agree to it for fear of being perceived to have conceded some ground. He has vetoed something which both sides agreed on, and which could have ended this dispute. Now months of industrial action stretches ahead of the NHS, causing disruption to hospitals trusts, to patients, and to junior doctors themselves. But with a Government who won't agree to a deal even when everyone else does, it doesn't seem to matter. Advertisement But then, most incredibly of all, they turned on nurses. Public sympathy for GPs and Consultants might not be that high. For junior doctors it's pretty good. But nurses?! The absolute bedrock of the NHS? The Government decided they weren't pulling their weight either. There aren't enough nurses so let's get rid of the bursaries that help them to train. Let's put an income cap on foreign nurses working in the UK propping the system up so they get deported. Let's refuse to publish a report on safe staffing which would protect our nurses and patients. Let's repeatedly say we don't want another Mid-Staffs to happen, but not back that up with action. Let's do this because it will really make young people want to join the NHS and stop staff from leaving. Oh no, hang on... Across the NHS, morale is low. Paramedics and ambulance technicians are repeatedly told they are too slow to respond. They don't do enough. Physiotherapists are to blame for delayed discharges. Healthcare assistants aren't caring for patients properly. The non-clinical call handlers at NHS 111 are misdiagnosing patients. Patients are avoiding hospitals at the weekend because they don't think there are any doctors there - people are dying purely because of Government spin. When did the NHS become a collection of incompetent, uncaring, neglectful individuals? That's what the Government are telling us. They wonder why staff are so disheartened. Here's a thought - maybe it hasn't. Maybe the NHS is broken because parts of it are being neglected. Maybe it's broken because the people running it prize headlines above evidence. Maybe it's broken because Secretaries of State are too busy thinking of the next leadership contest instead of running their departments properly. For a party that claims to be the champion of "working people", the Conservatives' first major act of office has been to launch a major legislative attack on unions. The Trade Union Bill has one central aim: to shift the balance power in the workplace even further against workers and reduce unions' negotiating power. We know that unions don't often get good press in the UK. Stories about the inconvenience of strikes dominate, while the day-to-day work of unions goes largely unreported. This is a real shame, as I've seen first-hand the incredible work trade union members are doing across the country. Advertisement Much of the time this involves working closely with employers to improve training, health and safety and productivity. If you want an example of what modern unions do in the workplace, look at the work being done by Usdaw at the DHL Distribution Centre in Yorkshire. As a result of working in partnership with DHL, over half of the 260-strong workforce have taken classes in English, maths and IT. And the company has also been able to develop a proper apprenticeship programme. According to Steve Revis, general manager at the site, Usdaw has been "crucial" in making this happen through its credibility and connection with the staff. Advertisement This type of joint working happens all over the country. At British Gas, where 90% of engineers are GMB members, the union is working with the company to improve productivity. This has proved beneficial for all sides as managing director Matthew Bateman explains: "What drives the union? Job security, earnings security, the well-being of our engineers. That's exactly the same as the British Gas perspective: we want to grow customer numbers so we can be commercially successful, which will only happen if we deliver great service, and that will only happen if we have people who are fired up and motivated, who feel recognised and rewarded." Unions make a difference in numerous ways. Prospect members at the Intellectual Property Office in Newport noticed that female senior patent examiners faced a huge pay gap when compared with male ones. Thanks to the union this pay gap was closed, resulting in 185 workers getting pay rises. I could carry on listing examples of the amazing work that unions do in workplaces and communities. But I want to finish by drawing your attention to this lovely film with Emma, a union supermarket rep in Wales. She articulates beautifully what it means to be in a union and why we all need to defend them. Advertisement It's 2006 and I'm making my way to the British Council headquarters in London after catching an early flight down from Edinburgh. I'm young, nervous and excited; in a few months, I will be heading out to South America to work for a year as a language assistant. I've lived in Edinburgh all my life and the thought of being so far away from home for so long is overwhelming. I look around me. I can't help but feel slightly out of place: the others, who have formed groups and are chatting away merrily, seem to know something I don't. Perhaps it's because they are all language graduates, whereas my first degree was computer science. In an attempt to break the ice, I turn to a couple of girls and ask: "so do you guys speak Spanish then?" They just laugh. My Spanish is rudimentary at best. Fast forward ten years. For all intents and purposes, I am now bilingual (although it's still a word I'm hesitant to use). I'm older and just as nervous but this time, as I return to South America to live, the previous excitement is replaced by a mix of sadness and resentment. Resentment because UK immigration rules have reduced me to the status of a second class citizen in my own country; sadness because I know that if I am to start a family in the next few years, there is a very real chance that I would not be able to bring it back to the UK. My crime? To have married a non-EU resident. The visa rules for spouses are unjust on so many levels, it's hard to know where to start. I count myself lucky that I have no problems meeting the minimum income threshold of 18,600. However, others are not so fortunate and were our income to suddenly fall due to illness or quite simply bad luck, there is a very real possibility my wife would be sent home, regardless of any children we might have. As someone who has paid taxes all my working life, I suddenly find myself deprived of the safety net to which I have contributed for fear of jeopardising our future visa prospects. This is not a hypothetical situation, it is happening as I write: families have already been split up as a result of the UK's visa rules. Advertisement Or perhaps it's because they keep changing the goalposts. My wife's visa, which has already doubled in price, would now be subject to an extra 500 NHS surcharge, despite the fact that when we lived in the UK we both worked and paid the same taxes as anyone else. Her Cambridge Advanced English certificate, which she sat before first coming to the UK, is no longer accepted, which means she will now have to sit a different test if we wish to apply again, followed by another test after two years under the government's new Learn English proposals. It's a financial drain -of the order of 6,000 over five years to obtain permanent residency- and that's to say nothing of the prospect of further hikes to visa application fees. Or perhaps it's just the thought of living with the anxiety and uncertainty of whether we will be able to remain together in the long term. The more I think about it, the more I realise it would be madness to start a family on such shifting sands. Have you ever had sheesha with a sumo in Tokyo? I don't do bucket lists - but if you do, write that one down. It's also gonna be my new jive talk - in response to those daft or tricky questions. And here's the thing - I've actually had sheesha with a sumo in Tokyo. I happened to meet Mohammad Ateia, an Engineering Doctoral student at a conference that I was speaking at in Tokyo, and we got talking about life in Japan. I mentioned how on my last trip to Japan, I watched a short news piece uploaded on YouTube about an Egyptian sumo wrestler. As luck would have it, Mohammed said that he knew him. Great. Advertisement "Do you want me to call him?" he said. My reply was, "sure, I have to meet him. Imagine how cool it would be to say 'wassup Bro' to a sumo over a sheesha in Tokyo? Then I'd feel like the big maguro" [Japanese for tuna]... crazy I know. But it got crazier. I didn't figure that it was such an attractive night out as to entice Sheikh Mustafa Ceric, the other international speaker at the conference, to tag along with me. So there Mustafa and I went, arm in arm, into an up-market secluded sheesha joint to meet sumo in Tokyo. And when we arrived I think they became more freaked out by us than them. A marketing university academic with an afro, who loves bushido, with an Islamic cleric in tow. Advertisement Genkaiho is Osunaarashi's assistant and my mind wandered thinking about how cool it would be to have an assistant like him. Genkaiho sat there fascinated by my hair and bugged out by the fact that I was from Manchester and knew anything about Japanese martial arts. Me, of course I too was in admiration of his size, hair and the surrealness of the unfolding evening. My pigeon Japanese and his Engrish (sic). Once Osunaarashi, got over an almost schoolboy guilt of meeting a Grand Mufti Muslim heavyweight, speaking to him in Arabic about matters perhaps too deep for a late Wednesday night, weirdness settled down into an electric atmosphere of raucous full-bellied laughter, and swirling conversations in Arabic, English and Japanese. Sheikh Mustafa left for a fairly early night, and then Osunaarashi loosened his kimono belt, me my tie, and then we chewed the fat on life. Advertisement Osunaarashi, Japanese for Great Sand Storm, or otherwise known as Abdelrahman, discovered his love for sumo at an amateur sumo wrestling club in Egypt, after having grown to the awesome size of 120kg as a body builder by the age of 15. He came to Japan still a teenager determined to make his mark. You have to admire someone who arrived alone, ignoring a sea of doubters on both sides of the water: that an Arab, African, Muslim boy could do anything in Japan at all. And here he is now, the talk of the town - a disciplined, headstrong, mountain of man who follows the arduous life of a sumo, with all of its rules, who lights up wherever he goes and has the world watching. There's also a real warmth and sense of passion from him, forged from making your own luck through hard work, and polished from placing himself at the feet of traditional Islamic and Japanese culture and values. But that's not without its challenges. His broad shoulders have to bear the burden of a Japanese nation still cautions and trying to feel it's way around what Islam is and in many ways who Muslims are. Add to that the whole Muslim world and nearly 2 billion Muslims' desire to counteract unbalanced negative stereotypes painted in the media - and in Osunaarashi they see a sandstorm of a brand ambassador that they want to celebrate, shape, and claim. Advertisement That's a larger price for fame and success than most 23 year olds have to face. Terrorism also brings with it hate mail and threats to Osunaarashi that punctuate and pollute the larger pile of well-wishes and admiration. What can you do? Well that's between me, him, and the sheesha place. What we did decide though is that if you have to eat natto, you better add some honey to it, and it tastes a whole lot better. Whatever your views as to the content of his speech this week, the Prime Minister has to be congratulated for making the first major speech by a premier on our prison system for decades. For far too long, senior politicians have ignored the enormous issue of tackling the failings of our prisons system and pandered to the ill-informed 'prison works' reactionaries. So to hear a Prime Minister addressing these issues head-on is genuinely welcome; there may not be many votes in it, but giving strong leadership on and attention to this topic is, quite simply, the right thing to do. And there is much to be applauded in the content of the speech itself. Prison sentences are supposed to be about punishment for crime AND about rehabilitation. Sadly, it is only the punishment element that seems to have been given priority. And prisons don't even seem to be much of a punishment if the soaring prison population and enormously high rate of re-offending are anything to go by; the Prime Minister himself highlighted that 46% of all prisoners will re-offend within a year of release and 60% of short-sentenced prisoners will reoffend within the same period. So I am delighted that the Prime Minister made clear that the success of prisons must be judged increasingly by their ability to help their charges to break the re-offending cycle. I am particularly pleased that the Prime Minister recognised the vital role that employment can play in preventing re-offending. For example, the Prime Minister's support for Business in the Community's 'Ban the Box' campaign and the pledge that the civil service will not require inappropriately early or unnecessary disclosure of criminal offences in job recruitment is excellent news. But there is so much to do to help charities and employers to work with prisons to make a real difference. Advertisement Rights-free image via Pixabay.com Mosaic's offender mentoring programme, alongside other similar schemes, has a big role in connecting offenders with employers. We were very pleased that the then Justice Secretary launched the employability initiative of our programme back in 2014 with Mitie CEO Ruby McGregor-Smith and our supporters at the Al Faisal Foundation. We also welcomed Prisons Minister Andrew Selous MP to join our founder HRH the Prince of Wales to see the programme at HMP Leeds last November. We know that our programme makes a real difference - with re-offending rates some one-third lower than the average - but scaling the programme up is proving difficult. As a former civil servant, I am loath to criticise my former colleagues, especially those at the Ministry of Justice with whom I used to work. However, my experience of trying to scale up our offender mentoring programme to meet the ever-increasing need has led me to the sad conclusion that the prison system has for too long been designed around administrative convenience rather than to serve its purpose as a rehabilitation agency. At the current time, Mosaic has over 100 trained volunteer mentors ready to support offenders in prison prior to their release, yet we cannot match them. Prisons want our volunteers to help (they don't have to even pay for Mosaic's programme) but the system makes it enormously difficult for them to find the staff time to facilitate access to the offenders wanting our help. Let alone navigating around the alphabet soup of agencies whom have to be consulted and involved before anyone can start helping. Advertisement If the promised freedoms for Prison Governors to make local decisions announced by the Prime Minister can cut through the current Gordian Knot of stultifying bureaucracy, no one will be more pleased than us at Mosaic. If, however, these changes will mean that we have to continue to negotiate separate arrangements with each prison to enable our support to be used - arrangements which then have to be re-negotiated each time a new Governor arrives - then I fear that we will be no further forward. There must therefore be a strong presumption placed on Governors that their role is to facilitate long-term, easy access by charities and employers to help provide support to inmates. The Prime Minister's speech also, understandably, covered the issue of extremism in prisons. I look forward to reading the results of the review on this issue commissioned by the Justice Secretary; I just hope it will take a properly broad perspective. Mosaic has for some time been calling for a proper review of the reasons behind the shocking - and growing - over-representation of Muslims in prison. The Baroness Young review highlighted that only 1% of this group of prisoners were convicted of terrorism-related offences. So just what is behind this seemingly inexorable rise and what support do such individuals need to stop their re-offending? Mosaic has teamed up with the Prison Reform Trust and Cambridge University to research this very issue. I do hope that Mr Gove and others will look favourably on providing funding for this research. In less than five years, Britney Ziegler has taken the restaurant industry by storm as one of its most dynamic young players. Appointed Vice President of Brands, Marketing and Development of the David Burke Group in 2014, she not only serves as the primary liaison for the group's fourteen existing restaurants and lounges but also as the main point-of-contact for the myriad of brand expansion, partnership and product development opportunities that come through every day. Under Ziegler's strategic direction, David Burke Group successfully maintains long-term partnerships with lifestyle and hospitality brands such as James Hotel New York/Chicago, Foxwoods Resort & Casino, Bloomingdale's, HMSHost, Legends Hospitality, Silverspot Cinema and Archer Hotel while also executing special projects with brands which have included Crumbs Bake Shop and the US Open. At the forefront of branding and development, Ziegler creates experiences through the evolution of existing concepts and the development of new brands to the David Burke Group portfolio. On a daily basis, she also oversees the group's marketing, social media and public relations teams to ensure the year's marketing plans are well underway while carrying out the initial phases of current and future restaurant openings. Advertisement A graduate of Pace University's Lubin School of Business, Ziegler joined the David Burke Group in 2010 as a host at David Burke Townhouse and quickly ascended to the role of Executive Assistant to Chef David Burke and later the group's Director of Special Projects and Brand Manager. Before beginning her career with the group, she honed her restaurant and hospitality skills as the Vice President of the Pace University Hospitality & Tourism Association and as the Assistant to Food & Beverage Operations Director at the highly lauded JetBlue Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy Airport. How has your life experience made you the leader you are today? I give all the credit to my mother. My parents got divorced at a very young age, and I watched my mother not only raise me and my sister, but also experience the death of our older sister who we lost to an extremely rare disease, and foster my handicapped sister. Through all of these challenges she never lost a beat. She spent many years working extremely hard to create a happy life for our family, a happy life for herself and build a business on her own. This has allowed me to aspire to be exactly like her: passionate, hardworking and dedicated to anything I set my mind on. How has your previous employment experience aided your tenure at David Burke Group? I have always been in the hospitality industry but at more of a service level. The skills I learned in these positions has translated to my business relationships - it is extremely important to be hospitable and manage relationships through pure kindness while also attending to my partners' requests and needs. This knowledge has been invaluable throughout my tenure at the David Burke Group. What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at David Burke Group? I have been given an opportunity that many people never have the chance to experience. Working for the David Burke Group has allowed me to take on a managerial role where I'm able to learn, grow and make decisions at a very young age. It has helped shape me into the person I am today and I know there is no end to my growth and success. It is such a pleasure to work amongst a group of extremely talented individuals. Advertisement The restaurant industry has many challenges... we never stop. We are open 365 days a year, so you can imagine, a new challenge is constantly presenting itself. However, the biggest challenge has been to create change, especially with the direction of our company. We have evolved over the years and continue to do so as a very successful restaurant group. Many of these changes are quick yet they require significant personal attention since they not only affect our restaurants' guests but also our employees, partners and vendors. I have learned that change is important, but it requires much more than a flick of the switch. Managing these changes on top of my everyday workload is a struggle, but it's one of the reasons my job so exhilarating! What advice can you offer to women who want a career like yours? Work hard, be passionate, and find a balance between your personal and professional life - you need to find a happy medium. This is a difficult industry, mostly filled by men, and everyone, not just women, need to find a way to shine. Don't be afraid to speak your mind but be sure you have the support behind what you say. What is the most important lesson you've learned in your career to date? Just get it done. I have worked, and still do, with some very important individuals- when they ask for something you must get it done. In order to do this you always have to think ahead and go beyond what they initially asked for. You always want to keep the person above you more apprised then they need to be. The best quote I have heard is, "your subordinate should be better, smarter and wiser than you." This will ensure you are always on your "A" game and growing with their support. How do you maintain a work/life balance? I am fortunate to work in an industry which many people consider "fun," so I do have to say I enjoy waking up and going to work every day. However, my boyfriend has introduced me to the life of travel. For me, the best work/life balance involves both food and travel. My job fulfills the food aspect, and I find time in my personal life to fulfill the travel aspect--That is how I maintain a balance. Although, it is very important that I take off my work hat and enjoy dining at restaurants without analyzing every aspect of the meal. What do you think is the biggest issue for women and girls? There is this preconceived notion that women aren't as good as men. I think many women, even my peers, continue to carry this through life - I am not sure the cause but it's easy to let this mentality affect your confidence. Women can have it all. They can have a great career, a family and a personal life at the same time- they just have to acknowledge their talent. Advertisement How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life? My family and close colleagues have been a huge part of my success in both my professional and personal lives. I tend to take guidance and advice to heart, and I always appreciate the wisdom that others impart. I believe it is life changing to have a strong support system to help guide us all through life. Which other female leaders do you admire and why? It sounds so cliche but Sheryl Sandberg. I truly relate to her in regards to her personal life. Success and money make you happy, children fulfill a sense of parenthood but love is important no matter where you are in life. I admire her for that reason. What do you want David Burke Group to accomplish in the next year? Nobody likes their energy company. Why would you? Britain's entire domestic utilities industry is built around six multinationals whose board members are willing to beg, borrow and steal from cash-strapped war veterans just to carve out a decent bottom line for overseas shareholders. Government regulators dish out fines to these companies like million-pound hotcakes, and regular horror stories of misselling and fuel poverty have done irreparable damage to the industry as a whole. God knows suppliers are doing their best to turn over a new leaf. Customer service agents at the UK's Big Six are now bending over backwards to explain how bills are created. It's easier than ever to negotiate lower monthly payments, and companies are now legally obliged to inform you (albeit in microscopic print) when they're ripping you off. And thanks to rock-bottom natural gas prices, well-funded PR sirens are up on the rooftops every single morning singing songs of long-delayed price cuts. No one can deny the UK's energy market is slowly evolving for the better. But now, big energy companies want to do even more to prove they're standing up for consumer rights. How? By interrupting your dinner and worming their way into your kitchen with fantastic new offers. Advertisement That's right: Scottish Power and SSE are now calling for an end to the government's recent ban on doorstop sales tactics. According to suppliers, this would enable their crack sales teams to help customers who do not shop around for deals online to find a cheaper tariff. At face value, that sounds really nice. Dig a little deeper, and it's actually a load of shit. Four years ago, industry regulator Ofgem banned energy companies from doorstop selling after 52% of customers were found to be paying higher bills after signing up to deals with cold callers. That same year, SSE was fined 10.5m for ripping customers off at "every stage of the sales process". Fellow Big Six suppliers EDF and E.ON were fined 4.5m and 12m, respectively. So, apparently cold callers aren't 100% honest - who knew? But the real kicker is the way in which Ofgem's cold call ban has somehow encouraged more customers than ever before to get out there and compare the market. Since companies like Scottish Power and SSE were told to keep off our doormats in 2012, the number of households switching to cheaper energy deals has shot up to an all-time high. According to YouGov, 72% of all UK consumers have switched their gas or electricity accounts in the last five years. In fact, suppliers now oversee one million more gas and electricity transfers per year than they did in 2012. Almost 6m customers switched in 2015 - and more than 1m households dropped Big Six companies for smaller, up-and-coming suppliers. Advertisement Funny enough, those individuals are also saving a lot of money by dropping big companies. In the past four years, the average annual saving being made by the customers who switch supplier has risen from 138 in 2012 to 337. But it's not always about saving money. On Wednesday, a new campaign was launched that will see hundreds of thousands of UK Christians "put their faith into action" by switching to more eco-friendly energy tariffs. And with more local, green energy suppliers to choose from than ever before, these sort of schemes don't generally favour big multinationals. Listen: the UK's domestic utilities market is a dynamic beast. Believe it or not, Britain actually boasts some of Europe's cheapest energy prices. That's largely thanks to minimal regulatory oversight. Our energy market is very open and very competitive, and that's a good thing. But at the end of the day, some laws are in place for a reason. Cold callers aren't only annoying - they also tend to rip customers off big time. They're bad for PR, bad for business and bad for the industry as a whole. Protecting our skin in the sun is so important, yet there are so many mixed messages surrounding sun safety that we're still getting burnt. Today the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published new advice warning that there is no safe or healthy way to get a tan from sunlight. The health watchdog's latest guidance also states that an existing tan provides little protection against sun exposure. It recommends using at least factor 15 sun cream, with adults urged to use 6-8 teaspoons (35ml) per application. The report has also found that, although we need to stay safe in the sun, many people lack Vitamin D so we do need exposure to sunlight, but it needs to be balanced against the risk of skin cancer. Vitamin D has several important functions including helping to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones and teeth healthy. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain and tenderness in adults. Advertisement I welcome the new guidelines, they offer clarity for sun worshippers ahead of the holiday seasons, but there are some other sun care myths that I want to dispel while we're on the subject of sun safety... 1. Protection from UVA rays is only measured by a star rating - This isn't the case, which is why some products don't have a star rating, including our own. This doesn't mean that they don't offer protection from UVA rays. There are many ways to identify if a product protects against UVA rays, the main one being the UVA symbol circled on the bottle, which shows the product complies with EU recommendations. The star rating system is actually a retailer initiative that that only certain products participate in. Also - keep an eye out for independent tests by credible third parties such as Which?. Our Calypso Sun Lotion SPF 30 has won a Which? Best Buy two years in a row 2. Suncream will stop you getting a tan - When our skin tans it is a sign of skin damage, however sunburn is the biggest danger to our skin when we are trying to get bronzed. Sunburn can be avoided by using a high factor sun cream, with a minimum SPF of 30, and being sensible in the sun. You will still get tanned by doing this, but it will take longer, and you will be more protected from both UVA and UVB rays. There is also a difference between sun block and sunscreen. Sunblock completely prevents UV rays from getting to the skin which would prevent tanning, however sunscreen filters UV rays preventing sunburn whilst allowing the skin to tan. 3. Suncream doesn't need to be applied when it's cloudy - Clouds don't offer protection against the sun's rays when it is hot, so suncream does need to be applied even on cloudy days. The best thing to do is to look online and at weather forecasts to see what the UV levels are that day, if you aren't sure whether you need it or not. Always bear in mind that you don't need to be in direct sunlight to be exposed to UV rays. Advertisement 4. All products with the same SPF offer the same level of protection - All products vary and the SPF of a product indicates its level of protection against UVB rays, not UVA rays, so no, products with the same SPF don't offer the same levels of protection. The SPF is only one feature of the cream and there are others to be taken into account, predominantly the level of UVA protection also, which can differ. There are also other features to suncreams, such as it being waterproof or it being a 'once a day' product, which will determine the level of protection it is offering you. Ensure the product you are buying is EU compliant against both UVA and UVB rays, whilst the SPF should vary depending on the UV levels and the amount of time you will be in sun, but we recommend a minimum SPF of 30 when in the sun. 5. Suncream doesn't go out of date - False, suncream does have a shelf life and it should be adhered to, or you won't be getting the levels of protection you believe you are. Look out for the 'jar' logo on suncreams, which will indicate the number of months the product will last for: for example 12M is 12 months after opening. Suncreams are usually between 12 and 24 months. This expiry date is based on the product being kept in the recommended conditions, usually a cool place out of direct sunlight. If yours has been kept elsewhere then you need to take this into account. Suncream can change in texture and colour if it is out of date too so keep your eye out for this too. 6. Expensive suncream offers more protection that cheaper brands - This couldn't be more wrong as a statement. Our Calypso Sun Lotion was recently tested by Which? for their 2015 suncream round up, and it was the cheapest product on test, costing 1.20 per 100ml. It passed all the relevant tests and the levels of protection in our budget product were proven to be the same, or better, than some of the more expensive creams. The Which? report said major High Street suntan creams from Piz Buin, Malibu and Hawaiian Tropic all failed skin protection tests. 7. We can't get sunburnt when it water - Water lures us into a false sense of security where sun care is concerned. As it cools us, and because we often immerse ourselves in it, we can't feel the heat from the sun and we believe the sun isn't reaching the parts of our body covered by the water, however this isn't the case. Water actually reflects UV rays making us more exposed, we just can't feel it. To be extra safe, wear t-shirts and shorts when in the water. Advertisement From the lecture theatres to the hospital wards, thousands of students will be walking out today in a fight to save our NHS. The action, led predominantly by nursing students, is in response to the government's proposals to cut bursaries and in solidarity with the junior doctors' strike. The campaign has also explicitly linked itself to the bigger battle to save the NHS from private interests. It matters because without these students the NHS would not function. Unlike in most courses, trainee nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers carry out work while learning. They staff our hospitals, surgeries and practices. Their unique funding package is in recognition of this. Advertisement It matters because these students have a lot to lose. Much like going on strike, walking out of placement is not an easy decision to make. A large proportion of the students facing bursary cuts are working class, mature women. Many have caring responsibilities, and have re-entered education later in life. Qualifying is a means of securing employment in an already pressurised public sector - one step out of line can have serious consequences. It matters because despite how overworked, underpaid and largely non-unionised these students have historically been, they have built a big and militant campaign. Just weeks ago, 5000 marched through London shouting "Hunt must go", following a meeting of a small group of students at Kings College. They have since managed to gain the backing of all the health trade unions, NUS, various political parties and public figures. It matters because the plan to cut bursaries is linked to privatisation. Being funded by the NHS (as opposed to the Student Loans Company) gives graduates an intrinsic loyalty to the institution. This move could push more towards private agencies, so it is not just a fight to keep bursaries, but a fight to defend the NHS as a public, free and sole provider. It matters because it has a serious chance of victory. The government has underestimated the nation's devotion to the NHS and public support for the junior doctors' dispute has been unprecedented. The grassroots response of #BursaryOrBust has in some ways out-gunned many of the student movement's strategies since 2010. It has gained mass support for militant tactics in a short space of time. And it's not just on the streets - the students have taken their fight to parliament and seen questions asked in PMQs and priority debates tabled. Advertisement Saturday saw a second demonstration in London over the unresolved junior doctor contract dispute between the British Medical Association and the government. Back in October, 20,000 doctors rallied in London with simultaneous marches in other cities. Today sees a second strike. This will be a decisive escalation of industrial action and may then lead to a third and unprecedented full strike encompassing emergency and routine care. Nursing students will also be joining doctors in protest at the government's proposal to axe the nursing bursary. The BMA states that the new contract would remove safeguards protecting doctors from excessive work and could therefore endanger patient safety. It would mean more work for less money with the reduction of anti-social hours. This would especially penalise specialties, such as emergency medicine, in which doctors work plenty of anti-social shifts. Furthermore, the threat of imposition of the contract is being interpreted as tantamount to bullying. The government claims that the contract is cost neutral and Jeremy Hunt has offered an 11% pay rise - this has been reported verbatim. They are merely fulfilling an election manifesto pledge of a 7 day NHS because weekend services are less safe. The reality is that it would mean a hefty pay cut for many doctors as they are paid according to the number of anti-social hours. The claims around weekend safety are based on a paper, in which the authors warned that the reasons for increased mortality 30 days following admission from Friday to Monday inclusive, are not clear and that to infer it was avoidable would be rash and misleading. The fundamental problem beyond this is that a 7 day service simply cannot be provided with the same resources and funding as a 5 day service. Advertisement Peter Stefanovic - a medical negligence lawyer - puts it succinctly in a video blog. He went on the streets and asked passers-by:- "How would you feel if your boss came in one day and said - Saturday is the new Friday. 7 till 10 pm is the new afternoon. I'll pay you less and if you don't like it, I'm going to force you anyway." Unsurprisingly, most people replied that they would tell their boss to stick it. Doctors also have the trust of the public. Polling shows that two thirds back them. It appears that government and right wing media tactics of smearing doctors have not been successful. Yet, when I have asked members of the public what the dispute is about; they often struggle to identify the issues at stake. Why is this? A simple, clear message has not been communicated to the public. The government's line has been consistent throughout. 7 day NHS. Even services. Patient safety. Every single government spokesperson has stuck to this line; never going off message. Renegotiating the contract is therefore all about a better, safer NHS. It sends out a bright, positive message. Hard to argue with. Except, as we have seen, this ignores many of the complex issues, which the BMA and doctors are dissatisfied with. But facts are often inconveniences to be brushed aside in modern politics. Of course, doctors are at a disadvantage. They are accustomed to handling complex issues. Their moral imperative is to tell the truth however grey it is rather than a reductive or misleading black and white representation of reality. They are not media trained. They are at the mercy of a largely corporate media, which ruthlessly edits their comments and is often aligned with government and establishment interests. Advertisement We've seen this all before. The entire austerity narrative has been seductively framed in this manner with simple stories and strong images. The national debt is portrayed as a household, which has overspent. The nation's credit card has been maxed out. That's why the Conservatives now have to clear up Labour's mess. They have to fix the roof whilst the sun is shining. Of course, the crisis was due to a global banking crash not overspending, which is why you will struggle to find a mainstream economist to endorse this view. The junior doctor contract will set a precedent. It is an attack on terms and conditions and aims to break the allegiance of staff to the NHS. It will pave the way for renegotiating Consultant, GP and potentially other healthcare professional contracts. It is part of a strategy of deprofessionalising medicine. The bigger picture here is, of course, the P word - privatisation with an ultimate goal of universal, private health insurance. So what might a framing of the junior doctor story look like? Well, we will need to reclaim the territory that the government has marked out. We will need to address our audience - the public - and focus on both 'our base' but more importantly on those sitting on the fence. And we will need to be positive. Only by connecting with the public and getting them behind this movement can we hope to create sufficient pressure for the government to back down. So we need to emphasise that this contract is dangerous. It does not value doctors, patients or our NHS. It will endanger patient safety and the future of our NHS. It will lead to a pay NHS. To take Jeremy Hunt's recent analogy with aviation safety - well imagine an airline extending its services from 5 to 7 days not only with the same number of pilots but also the same number of planes and support staff. If a surgeon is going to operate then he needs porters, nurses, anaesthetists. Going on strike is a last resort - grounding the planes until it is safe to take off. We want a contract, which is safe for patients and doctors in order to deliver a first class, free NHS for everyone for the future. Matt Henricks/Water Works Ten bucks says the term "team building activity" doesn't immediately fill you with warm fuzzy thoughts and a burning sense of excitement -- unless, of course, catching Ken from accounts in a game of trust is something that floats your boat, in which case, good for you. But for most, the premise of team building with your colleagues isn't necessarily something to write home about, and fair enough. Advertisement But what if, instead of playing a game of paintball or being forced to take part in a fun run together -- your 'team building activity' had the power to change the lives of people on the other side of the globe? This is exactly the premise of the 'Water Works Program', the brainchild of organisational psychologist Matt Henricks. Essentially, the program is a corporate team-building activity which sees participants, in groups of three, assemble a "completely revolutionary water filtration unit" which will be used to make dirty water drinkable in communities in Uganda. Taking only two hours to put together, each filtration unit built provides enough clean drinking water for 200 people, per day. Advertisement "I have been involved in charitable team building projects for quite a while now," Henricks -- who also founded The Helping Hands program, whereby office workers can make prosthetic hands for land mine victims -- told The Huffington Post Australia. "Water Works is the latest project we have been involved in, and basically it's a way of getting together ordinary Aussies in the workplace and donating clean drinking water to people overseas. "Effectively, when people get involved they get an educational opportunity, they get the fun of putting together a system themselves, they filter dirty water and taste it... basically they get a sense of what it must be like to have to drink dirty water every day, and how life changing it must be to have a water kit that they are donating. "One billion people do not have access to clean drinking water across the globe -- and it is a dream of mine to try and fix that." In a nice touch, groups are encouraged to draw a picture and attach it to their completed water kit, which is then tracked until its final destination. Advertisement "We track each and every donation and where it goes," Henricks said. "So the group that made their system and donated it will get a photo back from the medical centre, school or family where it ended up. "The artwork they created acts almost like a receipt. They get a photo back, they see that artwork on the other side of the world, and they know that, in two hours, they changed the way this family lives." Each filtration unit built provides enough clean drinking water for 200 people, per day. Since being launched in April 2015, the Water Works Program has donated kits to 383 households and to eight schools or health centres. Henricks is hoping to hit the 5000 mark by the end of 2017. "I think people enjoy the process because it's inherently purposeful, it's not just a waste of time," Henricks said. "It's not just a contrived activity. You are helping a real family on other side of the world who, without the kit, may be depending on a water source that's also used for livestock, wild animals, bathing and washing clothes. Advertisement "As a result, there are a number of completely avoidable water borne diseases which unnecessarily take lives -- and this kit, which takes two hours to assemble, can change all that." Henricks recently returned from Uganda where, for the first time, he distributed the water kits to an entire community. When we showed people how to turn on the tap and explained that the water was now pure and clean, they were completely amazed," Henricks said. "The gift of clean water is something these people would never have dreamt of. Often they have to walk several miles to collect the dirty water they have access to. I cant wait to go back to Uganda in March to make sure more people in need of clean water, get the help they need and deserve." In terms of why he chose to make the program a corporate team building activity rather than, say, a charity drive, Henricks says he believes there is a big future in this kind of charity fundraising. Advertisement "My personal goal or hope is that, by challenging the model of how to fund important charity projects, philanthropic team building will continue to grow as a category," Henricks told HuffPost Australia. "I think people like the fact they aren't just giving us money and hoping for the best. "The actual company is spending money they would have been spending anyway on team building activities anyway, and in terms of our partners in Uganda -- we are helping them access a whole bunch of funds they wouldnt be able to access in the past." George Rose via Getty Images SANTA BARBARA, CA - AUGUST 26: Baby lettuce is grown in hydroponic towers at the Urban Farms, located in the downtown Funk Zone, on August 26, 2015 in Santa Barbara, California. Because of its close proximity to Southern California and Los Angeles population centers, and mild Mediterranean climate, the coastal regions of Santa Barbara County have become a popular weekend getaway destination for millions of tourists each year. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) Shoppers are being urged to get back to the fruit and vegetable aisle in the wake of the nationwide salmonella crisis, with the peak body for vegetable growers assuring consumers that safety is its number 1 priority. At least 92 people have been struck down with salmonella poisoning since a pre-packed lettuce recall was announced earlier this month. Advertisement In Victoria, the number of cases has risen from 54 to 62, while another 30 cases have been reported around the rest of the nation. The cases sparked the recall of lettuce linked to Tripod Farmers, based in Bacchus Marsh, west of Melbourne. The list of recalled loose-leaf lettuce due to the salmonella outbreak #salmonellapic.twitter.com/4NOJKkv14p Suzanne Carbone (@SuzanneCarbone) February 8, 2016 Industry peak body AUSVEG said there was no reason for local consumers to be worried, despite the outbreak. Advertisement The number one priority of the industry is the safety of the consumer, AUSVEG's national manager of scientific affairs, Jessica Lye, said on Wednesday. The events of last week have had a substantial impact on growers around the country, including in states unaffected by the recall, and AUSVEG is calling on Australian consumers to throw their support behind the Australian vegetable industry and continue to buy locally-grown produce. This recent recall is not indicative of a systematic food safety issue in the vegetable industry -- it i limited to one supplier, and all affected product has been taken off the shelves. According to Fairfax Media, the Federal Department of Health has been interviewing patients to determine whether they have eaten recalled products, which were sold at Coles, Woolworths, Bi-Lo and other grocers as Coles 4 Leaf Mix, Woolworths salad mix, SupaSalad Supamix and Wash N Toss salad mix. The department has said it's closely monitoring the outbreak in Victoria and last week held a meeting between health and foodborne disease authorities on the situation. Advertisement There are reports emerging that some of the tainted lettuce could have been exported overseas. Lettuce linked to #salmonella outbreak may have been exported overseashttps://t.co/UzCq4Potsnpic.twitter.com/cZmPMRWbnU ABC News (@abcnews) February 9, 2016 AUSVEG's Lye said it was very uncommon for vegetables to be contaminated with salmonella in Australia. "Food safety incidences in the Australian vegetable industry are exceedingly rare, and consumers can be confident in buying the fresh and prepackaged vegetable products that are available, she said. There is a large number of lettuce growers right around the country who currently supply leafy vegetables to Coles, Woolworths and other retailers, and consumers can have faith in the quality of the product that these growers are supplying. Australian produce is known internationally for being high quality and safe to eat." However, senior lecturer in the Food Science and Technology Group from the University of New South Wales, Dr Jian Zhao, said it was increasingly common for people to become infected through vegetables. Advertisement Salmonella can be contracted orally via consumption of food contaminated with human or animal faeces, according to Food Standards Australia New Zealand. "Salmonella is common -- it is one of, if not the most, commonly implicated pathogens involved in foodborne outbreaks, Dr Zhao told The Huffington Post Australia recently. Inspired by the saying that travel always gives you a story to tell, we partnered with Disney Parks and spoke to parents and children about some of their favorite family vacations. What did we learn? While its certainly true that travel gives you a story, exactly what story that is depends a lot on whom you ask -- a kid or a grown-up. Take a look, and add your own favorite family vacation moment in the comments! 1. The Thrill Of The Ride Image: Jonas Mosesson Rosa Foronda and her 3-year-old daughter flew halfway around the world together to Thailand. Rosa delighted in watching her little girl experience once-in-a-lifetime things like swimming with fish in crystal-clear water and hobnobbing with giant elephants. Isabella loved the trip, as well, especially the big chair and pretzels on the airplane. 2. Sleepless In Seattle Image: Jonas Mosesson Desiree Johnson took a trip with her family to Seattle, Washington. For Desiree and her husband, it was a chance to show their two children where they took their honeymoon years ago. It was a nice opportunity to get away from the routines of our house, refresh our energy and just get a break from normal life, said Desiree. And what did her 4-year-old love about the trip? I got to sleep in a bed with mommy and daddy, which was crazy! 3. For Arts Sake Advertisement When writer Katie Sammis and her husband visited Philadelphia last year with their 6-year-old twins, they wanted the boys to get some culture and took their sons to a museum. Katie and her husband thought the collection, which included works by Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso and Renoir, was spectacular. And her boys? They spent the whole time playing with the iPod audio-guides. Of course, thats not such a bad thing. We were able to spend two solid hours in the museum because they were so obsessed with the devices, said Katie. 4. Racing In The Lazy River Image: Jonas Mosesson Stephen Skowronek, his husband and their daughter met up with extended family in Bonita Springs, Florida, for their most recent vacation. The blogger behind The Natty Dad loved spending time in a relaxed setting that had beaches, oceans, pools, playgrounds and -- best of all -- family. And his daughter, age 8, particularly loved "racing her cousins through the Lazy River. Because even when parents want to relax, kids are still raring to go! 5. They Scream For Ice Cream Image: Jonas Mosesson Writer Jen Simon, her husband and their two little boys recently relocated from New York City to a suburb in New Jersey. And so, this past summer, they spent time at the famous Jersey Shore. It was their first vacation as a family of four. Jen savored spending the time together. Her children, well, they savored something else. 6. Better Than Screen Time Image: Jonas Mosesson Once our kids get a little older, we often have a new obstacle to contend with on vacations electronics. iPads. iPhones. If it has a bright screen, they want to use it. For Tracy Seleen, thats one reason her vacation to Hawaii with her two sons was so special. The family unplugged. And the spectacular sunset? It was her oldest sons favorite moment of the trip. Advertisement 7. Seeing A Big-Time Celebrity Image: Jonas Mosesson Ashley Rushing came to Portland, Oregon, over Thanksgiving with her husband and two small children to visit family. Ashley said that as a mother, she was grateful to have a chance to be with so many people she loved. And her 3-year-old daughter? Sage was blown away when she and her little brother got to meet Santa. Being engaged for the second time at 41 is very different than the first time in my 20's. At 25 I wanted a traditional engagement and wedding, following the path laid before me by dozens of friends. As a mature woman, I want what suits my man and me. We haven't yet had a meet the parents pow-wow, friends haven't dropped off dozens of bridal magazines, and I am not going to be taking my mans name. I did settle on a monogram to the appease a girlfriend who recently decided she needs everything to be personalized. When my boyfriend and I started to seriously consider marriage, we seriously considered the how and more importantly the whys of our marrying. Certain of the serious we moved to the frivolous and discussed an engagement ring. It proved to be a less than frivolous discussion that had us stumped and stalled for months. The first time I was married I was given my aunts ring. I loved her and enjoyed wearing her beautiful stone, but it never felt like it was from my ex. I thought that I still wanted a man to give me a classic engagement ring and told my man the task was his. For fun we went to "Tiffany." Fun turned real when, with the same clarity of the diamond that was on my hand, I recalled for most of my 10-year marriage, I didn't wear my engagement ring. I wore it on occasion but everyday I wore a simple wedding band. I was unexpectedly uncertain that I wanted the engagement ring I dreamed of decades earlier. Advertisement My mind buzzed. Do I need a ring the second time around? Where does this tradition come from? Is a solitaire diamond engagement ring the equivalent of a dozen roses on Valentine's Day? Something we're programmed to think we want, something costly and pretty but that really holds little meaning? I've said no to roses on February 14th, should I say no to the ring? Time for research. I've learned that cavemen tied cords of braided grass around a chosen mate's wrists, ankles, and waist, to bring her spirit under his control. No thank you. My man has to let my freak flag fly, no squashing of spirit here. In 2nd Century BC grooms gave their brides a gold ring to wear during the ceremony and an iron ring to wear at home, signifying ownership of her. Ownership? Not happening. In 1477 Archduke Maximilian of Austria notably proposes to Mary of Burgundy with a ring that is set with thin, flat pieces of diamonds in the shape of an "M." Hmmm, personal. Nice. Advertisement Since most people could'nt afford an expense like the Archduke, poesy rings with inscribed messages of love were popular in Eastern Europe from the 15th through 17th centuries. That sounds lovely. In 1873, Cecil Rhodes arrived in South Africa and created the DeBeers Mining Company with other investors. Within the decade, they would control 90 percent of the world's diamond production. In 1947 DeBeers changes the industry with its marketing campaign, "A Diamond is Forever. " It's estimated that 80% of modern brides now wear a diamond engagement ring. There's a lot to consider and we wonder if discussing a ring together is going to suck the romance out of it. We both know life is not a fairytale so romance sucking or not, it's time to speak our minds. And on this topic, our two minds are one. He does not want me to go sans ring, he wants to gift me something that will sparkle on my finger, that both of us will love and feel good about. But, as diamonds don't grow on trees, whatever he gifts me will be sacrifice of sorts. He needs me to be sure that what I say I want is what I will actually want to wear. "I don't want to get you a ring that's going to sit in a drawer. Whatever I get you, I want you to wear everyday." Fair enough. I do want an outward representation of our commitment, especially when we are apart, which is often. I want something special and since we feel sparkly when together, I agree that sparkle is a must. Over several months we look online, meet with a jeweler, visit different stores, change our minds and go back to the stores again. We look outside the standard velvet box. Remembering my young traditional self, I surprised us both when I firmly decided I did not want a typical engagement ring. Advertisement Whilst it's tempting to think of social data as largely frivolous, it is increasingly evident that it is capable of revealing a great deal about us, both collectively and individually. For instance, a Penn State study found that they could use Twitter data to predict the likelihood that someone would enrol on Obamacare, whilst another trawled social media to predict when someone might be tempted to join IS. This kind of behavioral analysis has been available after Twitter opened up its data pipe to researchers via projects such as Gnip, which is an open source repository for social data. Advertisement Predictive analytics in finance This kind of predictive analytics is also evident in finance, with the New York Stock Exchange teaming up with Social Market Analytics (SMA) a few years ago to test whether sentiment analysis could predict share movement. This availability of data coincides with our greater understanding of behavior. For instance, we know that fund managers tend to invest more in companies that are based near them, or where they are connected to employees via their old school tie. Bloomberg are attempting to bring all of this together with their acquisition of Netbox Blue, a company that provide social media monitoring and governance technology. The purchase is designed to augment the company's enterprise compliance platform and help compliance personnel better manage the huge amount of data that is an inevitable part of their job. Advertisement "We continue to see growing demand for dynamic surveillance and behavioural analytical tools that help clients proactively manage the risk associated with the growing adoption of social media and collaboration tools. Bloomberg's acquisition of Netbox Blue will not only enable us to meet that demand, with tools that are pro-active, preventative and predictive, but to offer businesses critical insight into where they are deriving value from these channels," said Harald Collet, global head of Bloomberg Vault. A compliance related investigation can typically take weeks or months to complete. By providing automated support, this process can be reduced to a matter of hours, with compliance officers given invaluable context to support their investigation. "Financial services firms have responded to increased regulation and risk by hiring thousands of new compliance staff to handle manual data collection, manipulation, remediation, and reporting tasks. This leaves little time for value-added analysis of the data that can give them real insight into how their business is using a variety of communications and collaboration channels. We believe that a consolidated platform with value-added analytics helps firms reduce overhead and make the compliance function more nimble and focused on high-value business analysis. The next phase of our investment will focus on consolidating, automating, and simplifying processes and systems to free up compliance officers to provide real insight and value-added analysis back into the business," Collet continues. This kind of natural language processing is something that machines are increasingly capable of performing. For instance, researchers recently developed an accurate means of detecting empathy with the team believing this could be invaluable in psychotherapy sessions. Advertisement Or you have the University of Michigan team who have developed machines capable of detecting lies with 75% accuracy based upon both the words used and our gestures. A UC Berkeley team have even developed machines capable of understanding sarcasm, whilst another team built an algorithm for understanding, and then successfully making funny jokes. Such advances are happening on an almost daily basis, and open up a whole world of opportunity for machines to successfully analyze vast amounts of data that would have previously been beyond them. Hundreds of students walked out of schools and across Minneapolis to protest U.S. immigration policies. In Detroit Public Schools, students demonstrated over unsafe and deteriorating schools. A confrontation between a security guard and a student prompted youth to demonstrate in East Oakland. A student-organized petition drive urging school board members in Clovis Unified School District to approve a gender-neutral dress code gathered nearly 2,500 signatures. And in Seattle, students from Rainer Beach High School and other district schools led a successful effort to convince the Seattle School District to launch a pilot program focused on provided low-income students with transit passes. This is just a small sampling of the student-led activism that has occurred across the country in the last few months. Across the nation and worldwide, a movement has been growing to more fully engage young people in democracy and democratic processes. It's a movement that has reached California communities and provides us with a golden opportunity to increase voter engagement and improve accountability for local elected officials. The Children's Defense Fund-California (CDF-CA) is excited that California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez has proposed a constitutional amendment to allow youth aged 16 and older to vote in their local school board and community college district governing board elections. We have joined with the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, Father's and Families of San Joaquin, and the Black Parallel School Board, among others, to emphasize that the voices of young people matter - particularly in the conversation about education and equity. Enfranchising young voters to have a say in decisions that directly impact their lives will make those districts, and their elected and appointed district leaders, more responsive to the people they serve. It will also help young people build voting habits that can last a lifetime. Advertisement In 2014, the United Nations called for countries to increase their engagement efforts with young people in democratic processes. Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico and Washington have all had proposals to lower the voting age. Two cities in Maryland - Takoma Park and Hyattsville - have actually had success in lowering the voting age by amending their city charters; and in 2013, the turnout of newly enfranchised voters in Takoma Park was nearly double the turnout of voters over age 18. In a time where voter apathy and fatigue ebbs and flows, this is a critical opportunity to engage young people to vote, become active in civic life, and open a window toward creating citizens who will be lifelong voters. Research suggests that not only would 16- and 17-year olds be able to make informed political decisions, but that this could lead to a generation with instilled voting habits and greater civic engagement throughout their lives. While one's first reaction may be to question the ability of 16- and 17-year-olds to fully understand the relevant issues and appreciate the importance of what the right to vote represents, Maria Gonzalez, a student at Jordan High School in Long Beach, said it is no different than some adults. "The students who really care about the issues and who are involved will take it seriously and vote," 17-year old Maria underscored. Since Maria became active in our Action Scholars Leadership program more than a year ago, she has sought out opportunities where her voice can be heard. She is currently a student representative on her school site council where members provide input on school programs and spending, including the Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs) that districts develop pursuant to the requirements of California's new Local Control Funding Formula. Providing youth, like Maria, with the right to vote will help to enrich local education debates with a unique perspective grounded in real-world experiences. Advertisement The constitutional right of voting has been afforded to individuals 18 and over to ensure sensible civic participation and the right to weigh in on decisions that will directly impact them. Across this state, 16- and 17-year olds continue to increase their advocacy on local and statewide issues, particularly around education issues that have a direct and immediate impact on their lives and prospects for a successful future. Yet, they lack actual electoral power to turn that advocacy into true accountability at the ballot box. Providing youth with the right to vote while they are still high school students will very likely translate to an increase in more meaningful and informed civic engagement around education. It may also lead to increased voter turnout in historically low school board elections. Youth are directly impacted by the decisions of school board members and governing community college boards. They must rely on their parents to vote for the elected officials who make the key decisions. "It's always the adults making decision for us, it's time that our voices matter," Maria said. A significant number of students have parents who are not able to vote in elections because of their citizenship status. Yet their child is a citizen whose voice is left unheard. This leaves those students, whom society has deemed responsible enough to drive, work, and pay taxes, without meaningful representation in fundamental decisions that impact their daily lives in school. It may seem strange for a lawyer, doctor or contractor to need help boosting the number of individuals they serve. Doesn't the very existence of humans preclude a dip in demand? Shouldn't this be enough to satisfy their respective practices' financial needs? Unfortunately, no. As the marketplace grows and competition increases, it can be easy for you to get lost in the crowd. To add insult to injury: While the majority of doctors, contractors and attorneys will tell you they love their jobs, they hate some of the other aspects of managing a firm, like finding new clients to get their finances in shape. However, in recent years,marketing for firms and practices has become a little bit easier - and much more financially rewarding - with the help of specialized lead generation marketing websites. There are now a variety of businesses and websites that offer an array of lead generation-focused marketing services to make sure the phone keeps ringing and your bank account remains healthy. Some of these services charge a monthly retainer, others work on a per lead basis, and some are completely free, generating revenue through advertising, among other mediums. As more specialized lead generation marketing solutions continue to pop up online, it is worth your practice's or firm's time to check out how these services can you give your business a fiscal boost. Advertisement Here's our roundup of the top lead generation marketing websites for you to consider in 2016. Are you a doctor? ZocDoc.com Doctors entering the job market post-med school are benefitting from what's called a "seller's market." With baby boomers entering their more rickety years (sorry, everyone!) and more individuals having access to health insurance (many for the first time), demand is up, especially for family physicians. And doctors and their practices can reap the financial benefits -if they spend a modicum amount of time making sure patients, well, know they exist. Fortunately, the Internet offers manifold options. ZocDoc is one of the top lead generation websites for connecting doctors with potential patients, as well as improving patient attendance (with ZocDoc reminders) and rebooking. The site can doctors help attract the best patients for their practice by listing doctor specialties, insurance details and availability on your hosted profile. Plus, ZocDoc is a top result when people search for doctors online. In fact, 120 million doctor searches put ZocDoc in the top results - think, first page on Google. Believe us, this won't just boost visibility; it will also boost the bottom line. Are you a lawyer? GotFired.com Give this site dedicated to helping lawyers boost their client list some consideration. Focused solely on employment law, it seeks to connect both individuals who feel they have been unjustly terminated as well as employers facing lawsuits from current or former employees with highly qualified employment attorneys. Attorneys will be able to join the GotFired network, receive a profile, gain word-of-mouth buzz through client reviews, write for the GotFired legal blog and access help developing their web presence. GotFired has many exciting ideas planned for 2016, so if you're an employment attorney, put this site on you watch-list if you want help in aggressively expanding your client base in 2016. Are you a contractor? HomeAdvisor.com As the economy continues to improve, property owners -- be they business or home -- are willing to invest more in improvements and renovations. For contractors, this opens up much needed opportunity. Still, it can be difficult to connect with new clients, especially as so much new business for contractors seems to rely on word-of-mouth. Advertisement Fortunately, the website HomeAdvisor offers contractors another way to attract new customers. Used by over 30 million homeowners, with more than 5 million online reviews, HomeAdvisor can help pre-screened contractors find new clients in their community, improve their reputation and pad their coffers. On any given morning, thousands of consumers have already submitted requests. With HomeAdvisor, contractors will receive a LiveDirectory profile, which features verified ratings and reviews, licenses, pictures of past projects and mores. Additionally, contractors can opt for ProLeads, Pro-on-the-Go mobile app and a custom web or mobile site. The goal? Connecting contractors with the customers they need to bulk up business and block out your schedule. So what's your PR team up to these days? If you don't know, it's time to ask. The public relations field moves fast and while some old-school teams (agencies and in-house) are struggling to adapt to the ever-evolving digital world, others are expanding their skill sets to get the best results for their clients and brands. (Hint: you want your team to be in the second category.) Forward-thinking brands have learned that PR, when managed and measured correctly, is a path to new opportunities for lead generation, revenue, and brand elevation - opportunities that call for three top skills. 1. Influencer Relations Reality time: emotion outweighs logic when it comes to business decisions. 65 percent of B2B executives admitted this in one survey, and it explains why influencer relations is now a dominant PR strategy. Even cynical buyers that tune out ads will listen to their favorite bloggers, website editors, authors and social media "celebrities" when they're looking for trusted recommendations and credible information. Advertisement PR teams capitalize on this by developing relationships with the right influencers on behalf of your brand and finding opportunities for them to endorse you. And no, it doesn't have to be pay-for-play. Proper relationship building goes beyond getting a one-time promotional mention and gets you to long-term value with the influencers. Think in terms of guest blog posts with backlinks to your website, ongoing social media engagement, and even reviews of your products. The point is that by harnessing an influencer's prestige and credibility and connecting it to your brand, your PR team can drive new fans and customers your way. 2. Long Shelf-Life Content According to The Holmes Report, content creation ranks as the top PR skill needed in the U.S. over the coming decade, and ranks as the 3rd most needed skill internationally. Why? Because the explosion of content marketing is driving incredible benefits for brands and it draws on the PR pro's gift for storytelling and brand messaging. Natural longform writers, PR teams understand how to write the kind of content readers want - brand-agnostic byline articles, case studies, blog posts and other materials that convey expertise, authority and relevance. Marketers are great at writing promotional ads and copy, but they don't know how to weave a compelling brand story or serve up journalistic thought leadership. PR pros do. Not only are PR teams writing content that makes their clients and brands look like titans in their industries, they also excel in cross-promoting it. By building brand friendships and the aforementioned influencer relationships, these teams know how to get their content pumped out through a multitude of channels. 3. Intelligent Measurement PR has always been about relationships, not math, right? Newsflash: in today's public relations world, data is the key that unlocks the door to relationships. By establishing measureable objectives and evaluating campaign performance, your team can collect data that improves their own operational efficiency, and helps them invest in the right relationships that move the needle on business objectives. Advertisement For example, instead of wasting your budget and resources on PR campaigns that aren't likely to deliver, the progressive PR team can consult existing benchmarks and other data, and make recommendations from there. Data should be the driver of PR decision-making, not gut instinct. We're past that as an industry, so don't be afraid to hold your team accountable to the standard of accurate measurement. The best PR pros are naturally inquisitive and stay connected to not just industry developments, but the latest and most innovative practices for telling their clients' stories. If your team isn't up to speed in the above three areas, their performance will begin to lag if it hasn't already. Exciting news, candy lover! Your Kit Kat will now contain sucrose molecules from Latin America instead of Minnesota. That's right, an anti-GMO group has been hard at work, fighting for your right to eat a new peanut butter cup that is exactly like the old peanut butter cup. For two years, they unleashed a cabal of angry Facebookers and Tweeters to tell Hershey's that they better "Break up with GMOs" or else! And break up Hershey's did, meaning they're dumping American sugar in favor of imported sugar. For decades, some Hershey's candy has been made with sugar derived from a sugar beet. The sugar is the same as cane sugar, meaning it's just sucrose, however the beet itself is grown from a seed that is considered a "GMO" so people who are scared of GMOs/sell organic stuff had to go on the attack and bully companies like Hershey's to stop using it. Advertisement Hershey's decided to cave to their demands even though it's doubtful that the people blowing up the Hershey Twitter account would ever actually eat their candy since Trader Joe's probably doesn't carry it. It's also doubtful that a bunch of moms were all that fired up about what sweetens an Almond Joy. Moms aren't exactly looking to candy bars for nutrition. It's fun to imagine the meeting where the candy executives try to figure out how to handle the pressure. After all, they acknowledge that GMOs are perfectly safe so it must have been a tough decision to jilt American farmers. According to Hershey's spokesman, Jeff Beckman: "As a consumer-centric company, we listen to our consumers and work to respond to their interests and expectations." And even though he acknowledges genetically modified ingredients are safe, Beckman says that "non-GM ingredients is[sic] something our consumers are telling us is important to them." Hershey's Very Important Meeting Social Media Guy: Y'all, I'm getting a bunch of all-caps tweets telling me we have to break up with our sugar. Advertisement *laughter and dirty jokes* Social Media Guy: No, really. My push notifications are stressing me out. Marketing Guy: *Googles GMOs* Someone named Food Babe says GMOs are poisoning our kids. Also, I am out of marketing ideas. Science Lady: You are a dumbass. 21-year-old Intern with Man Bun: *stops pouring coffee and lectures room about Monsanto's evil overlords* Entire Room: Beat it, Man Bun. We are the evil Candy Overlords. Social Media Guy: *whines* The GMO Inside Army is really scary, you guys. They use a lot of exclamation points. Marketing Guy: I am too bored to come up with new marketing ideas plus my Google research says that consumers have a right to know what's in their food. Science Lady: Sucrose. Marketing Guy: But...cane sugar... Science Lady: Still sucrose. Marketing Guy: But...poison... Science Lady: *rolls eyes* Marketing Guy: But it's better for you? Science Lady: *speaks slowly* Mr. Goodbar does not care where its sucrose is from. Mr. Goodbar will still make you fat. Advertisement Marketing Guy: But...I need a new marketing idea. Also, sugarcane isn't GMO so it's better for the planet! Pesticides! Science Lady: Yes, pests on sugarcane are sprayed with unicorn tears and it will be shipped here from Central America on flying carpets. *walks out and updates resume* Secretary/Voice of Reason: *whispers* The anti-GMO people still won't buy our candy. Boss: *ignores secretary* Fine. Make the announcement. Tell everyone how much we care or something. Man Bun: *pretends to smoke a Twizzler* Are we going to use, like, Fair Trade sugar or anything? Entire Room: GET. OUT. Man Bun: *rides 10-speed to pot dealer's house* Social Media Guy: *tweets* Have a Sweet Day! Marketing Guy: *finally has a new marketing idea* We Are a Consumer-centric Company! American Farmers: What the hell just happened? GMO Inside: Hooray! *Continues to never buy Hershey products* End Scene Well done, GMO Inside! You and your minions have successfully risked the financial future of 10,000 sugar beet farmers so that a Hershey Bar will still be a Hershey Bar. You've done nothing to change the candy, it is and always will be delicious junk food but now Hershey's can market it as "gmo-free" and give it a little health halo. Excellent work. Perhaps this will help them sell more Kisses! GMO Inside: But...the environment! Can you really make the case that importing sugar from Latin America is somehow more environmentally sound than sugar from Minnesota? GMO Inside certainly isn't delusional enough to think that all sugarcane plantations are run by benevolent leprechauns who use fairy dust to kill weeds. No, even GMO Inside supporters are right to be concerned about pesticides and labor practices on these plantations. Go ahead and take a bow though. You deserve it. But let's not pretend that the campaign against Hershey's was anything but what it was - a clever business maneuver to further the bottom line and the ideologies of the organic corporations who benefit from the demonization of biotech. And we should also acknowledge that you gave Hershey's a nice little gift - a new marketing approach that lets them put a cute GMO-free label on the candy wrappers and allows them to say: Advertisement "We listen to our consumer. We are a consumer-centric company!" When human lives and safety are at stake, we take fire risk very seriously. Our homes, workplaces and schools are designed and maintained to prevent fires from happening in the first place. When they do happen, fire exits, alarms, and extinguishers are accessible and clearly marked. We have all participated in regular fire drills. We have proven ourselves capable of treating fire as both a preventable and a grave concern. That's why it's all the more astonishing that in the last few weeks at least eight fires have killed more than fifty thousand animals in Canada. Each of these animals was an individual with a personality, likes and dislikes, and the capacity to feel fear and pain. Each of these terrified animals burned to death with no means of escape. Incredibly, there are no specific regulations in place to protect animals from burning to death in preventable barn fires. In the face of government and industry inaction, animal advocates have been calling for reform. Advertisement A petition by Canadians for the Ethical Treatment of Farmed Animals demanding the industry create a barn fire code of practice has garnered over 33,000 signatures. The petition recommends common-sense structural requirements like alarms, sprinklers, fire compartmentalizing, maintaining electrical wiring, and protocols for responding to fire. Canadian Federation of Humane Societies has also issued detailed recommendations for farmers, including installing fire extinguishers at regular intervals, scheduling regular fire safety inspections, and ensuring flammable materials are stored away from where animals live. Many of these recommendations are mirrored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, which has issued a report advising farmers on the leading causes of barn fires, preventative maintenance to reduce the risk of barn fires, preventing fire spread, reducing the impact of fire, and assessing one's own risk. Farmers would have to be living under a rock to not realize that barn fires are a serious risk, and one that can be dramatically minimized. Advertisement Yet, these voluntary measures are not being undertaken with urgency, as they should be. The industry has shown its characteristic lack of empathy for the animals, expressing remorse for the farmers who sustained an economic loss rather than the animals who burned to death in these fires. The industry is out of touch with the public, which sees these animals as having moral worth--that's why these barn fires continually make national news, spark public outcry, and result in scathing editorials. Animal protection laws vary by province, but it is generally required not to permit animals to be in distress. Allowing animals to burn to death in barn fires without taking preventive measures is nothing if not permitting animals to be in distress. Provincial law enforcement should investigate jointly with fire marshals, and if farmers haven't take steps to prevent fires, they should face sanctions. There's no excuse for not taking common sense preventive measures to reduce the risk that hundreds or thousands of animals will experience the pain and terror burning to death with no means of escape. We shouldn't be satisfied with waiting for the industry to voluntarily take action, when it has proven itself incapable of even feeling remorse for the preventable suffering inflicted on these animals. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard the message: "Legally presumed Obamacare lawsuit delivered by health care reformers finds amenable federal judges and turns into a real live menace to biggest social reform of the last fifty years." As Yogi Berra said, "It's deja vu all over again." In September 2015, a federal justice in Washington dictated that the House of Representatives does have legal status to sue Obama's administration over Obamacare. The question is did the administration exceed its constitutionally given powers by providing certain funding for the Affordable Care Act -- popularly known as "Obamacare" -- without Congress appropriating the money. The issue is still a controversial question. An unfavorable ruling on the merits may paralyze Obamacare as opposed to simply hurting beneficiaries of its advantages. Advertisement In the meantime, Obamacare has been whipsawed by partisanism and the poor, elderly and sick are caught in the middle. Back and Forth Since ObamaCare was introduced, there has been a good deal of back-and-forth. Between states trying to decide whether or not to set up exchanges and attempts at repealing the ACA from Republicans, tens of millions of Americans are stuck in the middle of the battle. Those that make up the rope in this tug-of-war are paying more for insurance for themselves and their families each year. The only group to benefit are the health insurance groups, pharmaceutical companies, and their lobbying arms. There is some good news for Obamacare according to the latest snapshot. Open Enrollment Snapshot On January 31, 2016, Open Enrollment ended and approximately 12.6 million plan selections were put in place. Of those, almost 10 million came by way of the HealthCare.gov platform and just over 3 million selected a plan through state-based marketplaces. Advertisement Of the ones who obtained coverage through the website, about 4 million are new consumers. That translates into over 40% of all plan selections were from new consumers. "We're happy to report it was a success," said Sylvia Burwell, Secretary of the US Health and Human Services Department. Burwell noted that the federal Obamacare marketplace, serving residents in 38 states, was a success based on the numbers of new consumers signed up. Kevin Counihan, CEO of HealthCare.gov, said, "We knocked the lights out this year." Burwell told reporters that the final tally of enrollments shows that ObamaCare is a product that people "want and need." Despite wanting and needing, facts are facts and one unpleasant downside is the rates will rise in 2016. Advertisement Rates Rise Obamacare premiums are planned to rise by 7.5% in 2016. The question that remains is: Should Obamacare customers expect to pay more or less for their health insurance. The answer, as anything coming out of Washington, is it depends. The new bottom line a consumer may be paying will depend on the state, the plan and the level of income. While the national average for premium increases is 7.5%, in some states, like Alaska, the jump could be as high as 31%. In Indiana, premiums are projected to decrease by over 12%. "For the majority of consumers, premium increases for 2016 are in single digits, and they will be able to find plans for under $100 a month," said Kevin Counihan, CEO of the Health Insurance Marketplace. The Obama White House recognizes the Affordable Care Act with helping over 17 million people gain health insurance. The rate of America's uninsured has dropped to below 12%, a historic low. Those figures don't necessarily reflect young enrollees and other groups who may be shunning enrollment. Young and Shunning The news for Obamacare isn't all roses and rainbows. Enrollment of younger, relatively healthy people with a middle-class income is flat and has left risk pools filled with older, poorer people with more expensive health conditions. Advertisement The design of the ACA's financial support may be the reason that the only people are buying exchange plans in large numbers are individuals and families whose incomes are below 200% of the federal poverty level -- or roughly $24,000 for a single person and $48,000 for a family of four. Individuals earning under that qualify for tax credits that reduce their premiums and subsidies that are substantially lower. For individuals over 200% of the FPL, exchange plans usually contain too little benefit to be worth the cost. For instances, a family of four living in Daleville, Virginia, headed by a 40-year old couple with $60,000 in income will face a $5,000 annual premium after applying a $5,000 tax credit and taking a $5,000 deductible for the second-lowest cost available through the exchange. Each new dollar of earnings will diminish the tax credit more by about 14 cents. If this family's earned income is above $97,200, they would not qualify for a tax credit in any form. Despite this, many enrollees will see savings on their health care. Financial Savings Roughly 80% of the individuals who selected a 2015 Marketplace plan managed to qualify for financial aid and the average tax credit for enrollees who qualified for financial assistance was $270 per month. Based on current HHS analysis, almost 80% of returning consumers will be able to buy a plan for $100 or less after tax credits and 70% will be able to buy a plan for less than $75. For the 2015 enrollment, over 50% of consumers who re-enrolled shopped around and half of those selected a new plan. The typical consumer who switched plans saved money on their net premium. Those who switched plans within the same tier saved, on average, almost $400 on their 2015 annualized premiums compared to those who remained in their same plan. Advertisement Special Enrollment Remains Open enrollment for 2016 is closed, but special enrollment remains for people losing their coverage due to loss or change of employment and individuals undergoing other significant life transitions. Insurers have declared that special enrollment terms have drawn higher-risk enrollees and some insurers have ceased giving commissions to agents as a way to stem special enrollments. If buyers are incapable of enrolling through the special enrollment period, the marketplace will not allow new buyers to join. As Sarah Lueck, a Senior Policy Analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities recently pointed out, insurers that wish to stabilize the risk pool need to encourage more, not fewer, enrollments. If special enrollments continue to be blocked, observers expect to see marketplace registration dropping steadily with a simultaneous increase in the quantity of uninsured. The struggle between Congress and the Administration will continue, and activists will continue to point out promises made by the nation's founding fathers. The US Constitution's Preamble promises American citizens that the nation's elected officials have an obligation to "insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare." By failing to offer a free, common, nationalized healthcare system to Americans, the U.S. Constitution is not being upheld. Instead of promoting the "general welfare," the population is being forced to pay exorbitant amounts to for-profit health insurance companies. Advertisement Who's on first? Yesterday while New Hampshire voters were going to the polls, Hillary Clinton's "chief strategist" Joel Benenson was interviewed about rumors of a Clinton shake-up. He was asked the telltale question: when did he last speak with the apoplectic Bill Clinton, the husband with a supposedly limited role in his spouse's feminist campaign. (Absent her marriage to Bill, would Hillary even be a presidential candidate?) A few weeks ago Hillary said if she were elected, Bill would have to prove the worth of his counsel at the kitchen table. This is not the Year of the Dynasty, for the Clintons or the Bushes. Besides, there is no rationale for either Hillary or Jeb. After leaving as President Obama's secretary of State, Hillary did not inoculate against her vulnerabilities but arrogantly gave in to her greed as she created new ones, like the three $225,000 speaking fees from Goldman Sachs. And after Jeb left two terms as Florida's governor, he did not create a narrative - in the years following -- to rationalize a presidential run or even prepare himself for a campaign. Like Hillary, Jeb focused on establishment cronies and money. All this explains why the original "frontrunners" - Hillary and Jeb - are in trouble. Advertisement Back in 2008 when David Axelrod was Barack Obama's general election "chief strategist," Benenson was a "senior strategist," as distinct from a mere "strategist" - the term CNN and Fox News apply to their talking heads, most of whom were wrong about Hillary and Trump. On the Republican side, Jeb's "chief strategist" is David Kochel -- recommended by Jeb's "longtime strategist" Sally Bradshaw. Kochel has been close to Mike Murphy, "chief strategist" for Jeb's SuperPAC, Right to Rise. It is likely Jeb's people stay on, but if Benenson continues, others on the Clinton team will go, and the Clintons will leak that the campaign is somehow being retooled and that new colleagues will be working with Benenson. All of these people - the strategists, senior strategists, and chief strategists -- represent the so-called Consultant Class. Trump has spent a fraction of Jeb's spending, but Trump has steadily climbed, Jeb (who may have spent $22 million just in New Hampshire) has consistently declined, except for the meaningless bump in New Hampshire last night. Bernie Sanders is not merely a socialist-gone-wild candidate and, in that sense, revolutionary. His campaign itself is revolutionary - surpassing the grassroots direct mail fundraising of Barry Goldwater in 1964 and George McGovern in 1972. Bernie's people are more successful than Barack Obama's team in New Age fundraising - getting money off the Internet, with a marginal cost (mainly credit card fees) of fundraising. And the money comes quickly. The Clintons have a history of blaming staff for their own shortcomings. In 2008, Hillary "chief strategist" Mark Penn was the fall guy. Benenson and his team are not responsible for a generation-long history of Clinton machinations. Nor is Hillary's campaign responsible for her deception following the Benghazi attack, or her scandal-ridden past. By making changes in her campaign team, the Clintons can pretend that the Clintons are not the problem. Instead, we know the main problem is that Hillary, has always been Wall Street's candidate, but this is not the year of Wall street. Further, the attacks on Bernie Sanders by the Clintons - Chelsea, Bill, and Hillary - have backfired. Hillary's supporters hurt her: Madeleine Albright overplayed the gender card and Gloria Steinem insulted young women supporting Bernie. Advertisement Benenson has been aboard for more than a year. He had ample time to create a "new" Hillary Clinton and preempt the predictable Sanders "rigged economy" campaign. On another issue, it's true that in the age of Law and Order SVU, Hillary can no longer get a pass on her complicity, as an enabler and more, for Bill's predatory sex. But her campaign should have found a way around this ticking political time bomb. Also, Hillary's campaign itself is most responsible for not involving younger voters in campaign messaging. Instead, we have 78-year-old Madeleine Albright and 82 year old Gloria Steinem, who are grandmothers or great grandmothers of Bernie's supporters. The irony is that the unreconstructed socialist -- 74 year old Bernie, compared to Hillary's surrogates, seems like the new kid on the block. Now that Bernie Sanders has won New Hampshire handily, perhaps we should ask whether Hillary's campaign may be repeating its self-destruction of eight years ago. In her concession speech last night she mounted an arcane attack on the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and positioned herself implausibly as a champion to take on Wall Street. She is now debating the campaign on Bernie Sanders terms, not a good place to be. At times she wandered - talking about the firing of "LGBT people because of who they love" as part of a hodgepodge of constituencies she enumerated -- from firefighters to hungry children. She seemed incoherent, subsuming every sort of "right" as a "human right." She suggested she had work to do among young voters. The reality is that the only age group she carried was seniors. Perhaps it reflected her two prominent surrogates -- Madeline Albright, 78, and Gloria Steinem, 82. Let's look at the backdrop for what happened last night. Monday in Milford New Hampshire, former president Bill Clinton was on the attack against Bernie Sanders. It seemed part of an overall campaign mosaic, within which Hillary Clinton's campaign did everything possible to assure Bernie Sanders of a decisive victory in New Hampshire and momentum down the line. Advertisement We all recall over the years Hillary Clinton's repeated protestations of poverty, the unfortunate (for her) Clinton-greed backdrop for how this campaign is developing. In 2014, Hillary again complained that the Clintons left the White House "dead-broke." No wonder Bill and Hillary have collected $153 million in speaking fees - to get out of poverty. Last year Harper Collins published Peter Schweizer's Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich. Coverage of the book's release helped dampen Hillary's poll numbers but the book has been little discussed this year. Still, in 2015 it helped frame and renew the distrust of the Clintons as money predators and remains indirectly in the back of the mind of many voters. Expect to see the book back in the news soon. I consider the number one issue among Democratic Party voters to be special interests, in general, and Wall Street, in particular. This "economy is rigged" matrix could be the ball game for Hillary. And it's also one reason why Donald Trump is strong among Republicans, who are attracted to a "self-funder" who supposedly will stand up to the crony capitalists. Many Republican voters believe the big banks and brokerages self-deal and manipulate Wall Street to the detriment of individual investors. In last week's debate Hillary was quite unprepared for the entirely predictable question about her Wall Street connections and contributions, in particular the $675,000 Goldman Sachs paid her for three talks. In a prior debate, she improbably explained her massive Wall Street contributions by invoking 9/11, and Sanders jumped on that explanation, and journalists ridiculed it. Advertisement And just week Hillary told the debate moderator about the $225,000 per Goldman Sachs speech: "That's what they offered." Incredibly, Hillary implied she would not have accepted the fees if she knew then she would run for president. The problem for Hillary is FOURfold. First, Hillary did know she was running. Second, Hillary implies expediency, that she would not have accepted the fees because she looks bad. Third, Hillary's explanation reinforces the perception that she is into money. Fourth, Hillary clearly is not that strategic or shrewd, or as Trump would say, "not smart." If Theodore White were writing The Making of the President 2016, Hillary's awful response to the Goldman Sachs question might be a defining moment. The triple honoraria, which amount to more money than many Democratic voter households make in a decade, will have high retention among voters. Daughter Chelsea Clinton is part of the impoverished Clinton clan. She gets $65,000 per speech. She had no journalism experience, but ABC nonetheless hired her a couple of years ago, starting salary $600,000 a year for a few "special reports." Everyone needs an entry-level job, and the minimum wage is just too low, which is why Bernie wants to raise it to $15 an hour. In a New York Daily News interview that same year, Chelsea insisted she isn't "well off." She explained her job-hopping by saying, "I was curious if I could care about money on some fundamental level, and I couldn't." Perhaps that's why Chelsea and her husband, hedge fund manager Marc Mezvinsky (whose father served five years in prison for investment fraud, a nice touch in the Election Year of Wall Street) paid $10.5 million for a condo. Every young couple needs a modest starter home. Chelsea Clinton has been a prop, testimony to Hillary's tender love for her daughter and grandchild, with another one on the way. This was part of the narrative of a softer, kindler, gentler Hillary. But a couple of weeks ago all that changed. Chelsea Clinton--who seems to be off-limits for critical analysis among many political reporters, made the astounding charge that Sanders wanted to do away with Medicare. The simple answer is, of course, that Sanders wanted "Medikeh fuh ul." Hillary defended her daughter 's misleading - actually false -- accusation by citing her daughter's "expertise" on health care. But the damage was done, not to Bernie, but to Chelsea and Hillary's credibility. And political reporters will no longer give Chelsea any slack. Advertisement Back to her father -- Bill Clinton was campaigning as a surrogate for his independent feminist wife who, she has told us that upon her election as president, might advise her sparingly, from the kitchen table. "When you're making a revolution you can't be too careful with the facts," Bill Clinton began, as he scoffed at Bernie Sanders theme of a political revolution. In an appearance before several hundred supporters - a nice crowd in New Hampshire, he criticized Sanders for hypocrisy and negative campaigning, the same tactics Bill Clinton employed eight years earlier criticizing Barack Obama, with disastrous results. It was after Bill commenced his attacks against Obama eight years ago that Hillary's campaign truly imploded. Back then, Bill was really off-message. This time, we don't know if he's an unguided missile, or just going according to plan. But he's not doing her any good. Even before the 2008 primary campaign ago was in full stride, Bill was demeaning Obama's candidacy. On December 15, 2007, Clinton told PBS's Charlie Rose: "I mean, when's the last time we elected a president based on one year of service in the Senate before he started running?" A month later Bill Clinton was deeply concerned that Hillary's campaign was not the easy cakewalk pundits predicted. "Give me a break," Clinton said while campaigning then in New Hampshire. "This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen," he said, referring to Obama and his foreign policy expertise. "Just because of the sanitizing coverage that's in the media doesn't mean the facts aren't out there," Clinton continued, with a dual attack on what he termed Obama's negative campaign and the media's pro-Obama bias. Now, they claim (probably true) Media Bernie Bias. Back then the Clintons leaked that the problem was the campaign team, and the campaign retooled. Expect the same situation now, rather than the candidate and her husband accept responsibility. Advertisement By the spring of 2008 Hillary's campaign was really falling apart. "Hillary's opponent, in his entire campaign, every two or three weeks has said for months and months and months, beginning in Nevada, that really there wasn't much difference in how America did when I was president and how America's done under President Bush," Clinton said in an April 17 campaign speech in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. "Now, if you believe that, you should probably vote for him, but you get a very bad grade in history." Four days later during a radio interview that became a national story, Clinton -- who had been called the "first African-American president, said: "I think that they played the race card on me. We now know, from memos from the campaign, that they planned to do it all along." Four months earlier in South Carolina, Clinton had offended many African Americans with this observation: "Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in '84 and '88. Jackson ran a good campaign. And Obama ran a good campaign here." On Monday Bill Clinton was in good form, or bad form, depending on your viewpoint, as he raised the specter of the Sanders backers' "vicious trolling and attacks that are literally too profane, not to mention, sexist, to repeat" on a Hillary female "progressive" blogger. Bill Clinton's theme is not incidental; in the last debate Hillary suggested that Sanders is attacking her character by "innuendo." Meanwhile, Sen. Elizabeth Warren's new book suggests Hillary changed positions in the Senate due to Wall Street money. Expect more on that in the coming weeks as Bernie focuses on the "rigged economy." Bill Clinton also faulted Sanders ofor misrepresenting newspaper endorsements of Hillary by quoting the "good" things they said about Bernie. For good measure Clinton then criticized the Sanders campaign for misrepresenting the American Legion. Throwing in everything but the kitchen sink, Clinton again reprised the matter of the Sanders campaign stealing data, via the Democratic National Committee, from Hillary's campaign. It's hard to attack Sanders because he comes across as positive. In the first debate last year Sanders, in a moment that voters will remember, seemed magnanimous when he proclaimed, "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails." Last week he began walking back his graciousness and gently said the emails may be a serious issue. From this point on, a threatened Hillary will attack Sanders, certainly her SuperPAC will, and Sanders will hold Hillary responsible. Advertisement "I happen to admire Hillary Clinton," Sanders said two days ago in New Hampshire (the trademark Sanders tactic of "nice" before sticking the knife in). He then attacked David Brock as "Hillary's attack dog." He was responding to Brock's threat to burst Bernie's "purity bubble." Brock once was paid handsomely two decades ago by conservatives to uncover Hillary scandals. Since then Brock, now her SuperPAC impresario, has been paid handsomely by Hillary to discredit her attackers and unhinge Sanders. Last month Brock in a hit ad was suggesting that Sanders had major health problems. He also criticized a Sanders Iowa ad as "bizarre" and a "significant slight to the Democratic base" because it did not show blacks "From this ad it seems black lives don't matter much to Bernie Sanders," Brock told the Associated Press. The Sanders campaign brought up Brock' role as "a mud-slinging, right-wing extremist" who set out to destroy black law professor Anita Hill, who had testified against the Supreme Court nomination of Clarence Thomas. This last weekend was especially disastrous for Hillary Clinton. Madeleine Albright, 78, who served as Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton, said this at Hillary rally, with Hillary laughing at her side: "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other" (i.e., support Hillary Clinton). To make matters worse, 82-year-old feminist icon Gloria Steinem, who later issued an apology and claimed she had been misrepresented about what she said to Bill Maher about young women supporting Sanders, said THIS: "When you're young, you're thinking, where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie." The Albright-Steinem double-header showed just how out of touch these two elders are with how young women think in the age of Law and Order SVU, when Bill Clinton's alleged sexual assaults, and Hillary's enabling, are no longer off limits. Moreover, women of all ages took offense at Steinem's suggestion that women supporting Bernie were traitors to their gender, and young women betrayed their true self-interest for short-term gratification with "boys." Advertisement Hillary is running defense, even on offense. The continued blunders not only will firmed up Sanders support in New Hampshire and carry into other primary states. All these attacks - from Hillary, Chelsea and Bill, and from Albright and Steinem, and the crude David Brock statements and ads --- (a) demonstrate low confidence, deep concern, and both angst and anxiety, if not panic; (b) offend some of the very voters they need; and (c) hurt Hillary among undecided voters. Male Patient And Doctor Have Consultation In Hospital Room By John Swartzberg, M.D. It's been dubbed "manopause" or "andropause" -- a midlife change for men that some claim is just like menopause for women. But there's no such thing. "Male menopause" is a creation of the pharmaceutical and supplement industries, along with unscrupulous or uninformed practitioners who feel that some of their potency -- sexual and otherwise -- is declining. It sounds perfectly reasonable at first, but scientifically speaking, there's no evidence that men go through menopause in the same way that women do. Advertisement That's not to say that men's testosterone levels don't decline with age, just as women's estrogen levels do. But there is no abrupt change, no dramatic drop in testosterone for men at midlife like the hormonal decline that occurs when a woman reaches menopause. In fact, your testosterone levels have probably been slowly declining for quite some time, a decline that usually begins around age 30. But many men at midlife are convinced by the messages of pharmaceutical and supplement makers, and so-called "anti-aging doctors," that male menopause is the culprit behind their declining libido and difficulty getting an erection. They make dramatic claims about the effectiveness of testosterone replacement therapy--claims that simply aren't supported by sound medical evidence. The fact is that we don't know if a declining testosterone level is pathological--there's no evidence that it is--or something that is healthy and normal and should not be tampered with. We saw what happened when the medical field assumed that it was safe and healthy to "restore" women's pre-menopause estrogen levels with hormone replacement therapy: a significant increase in the risk of breast cancer the longer women stayed on HRT. It took a major clinical study, the Women's Health Initiative that enrolled more than 160,000 women, to learn that lesson. No such data is available for men about testosterone replacement. Advertisement In fact, the Food and Drug Administration is so concerned about the increasing number of men taking testosterone replacement therapy that it published an article last year in the New England Journal of Medicine warning about ad campaigns that "imply treatment benefits that are not supported by substantial evidence from controlled trials." Because of concerns about potential links between testosterone supplementation and cardiovascular problems, the FDA is going to require manufacturers of testosterone products to conduct a controlled clinical trial. Don't get me wrong: the symptoms that men experience as they age are absolutely real and merit evaluation by a doctor. But they shouldn't be attributed to "male menopause," especially not by someone who's trying to sell you a supplement or a pill. As men get older, loss of interest in sex and inability to maintain an erection can be linked to many well-known medical causes that also tend to show up when men reach their 50s, including diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and depression. Occasionally, there are medical conditions that can lead to abnormally low levels of testosterone, such as pituitary damage or testicular dysfunction. Under these circumstances it's appropriate to replace testosterone. Another possible culprit for midlife sexual dysfunction in men, along with other symptoms that have been blamed on "male menopause," such as reduced energy and fatigue, anxiety, and "brain fog," could be hypothyroidism. Low thyroid function may be overlooked as a possible cause of midlife symptoms in men, simple because it's more common for women to be affected, but men can absolutely have decreased thyroid levels as well. Advertisement So, if you're a man in your 50s and you're experiencing reduced sexual desire or other sexual dysfunction, or other symptoms like depression, fatigue, or memory problems, those symptoms are absolutely real and should be evaluated. See your own primary care doctor for a thorough, thoughtful evaluation to consider the multiple possible causes for what you're going through. Many, if not all, of these causes can be addressed with legitimate, proven treatments. But the answer isn't an "anti-aging doctor" or supplement company that will try to sell you an unproven "treatment" for the fiction called male menopause. John Swartzberg, M.D., is chair of the editorial board of BerkeleyWellness.com and the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speaks at her primary night party February 9, 2016 at Southern New Hampshire University in Hooksett, New Hampshire.Clinton, who suffered a deflating if expected defeat to Bernie Sanders, put a brave face on the loss and admitted she had some work to do as the campaign moves south. / AFP / Don EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images) [This article was originally published by Truthdig.com] If Hillary Clinton is elected president, could her slow-bleeding email scandal lead to her impeachment? The question has been percolating in right-wing circles since last October, when Republican Congressman Mo Brooks of Alabama broached the subject in an interview with conservative talk-radio host Matt Murphy. If Clinton makes it to the White House, Brooks declared in no uncertain terms, "the day she's sworn in is the day that she's subject to impeachment because she has committed high crimes and misdemeanors" arising from her use of a private email server to discuss matters of national security during her tenure as secretary of state. Advertisement Ordinarily, I would accord Mo Brooks no more credibility than Moe Howard of Three Stooges fame. Brooks is one of the most outspoken and, often, zany conservatives in the House. He opposes Obamacare, abortion and stem cell research and wants to defund Planned Parenthood and NPR. He has signed Grover Norquist's Taxpayer Protection Pledge, believes Democrats have promoted a "war on whites" and has openly called for President Obama to be jailed over his executive orders on immigration. In the world of mainstream punditry, Brooks is also regarded as something of a buffoon, not to be taken seriously. Within days of the congressman's impeachment comments, reporter Philip Bump, writing in The Washington Post's The Fix blog, attempted both to lampoon Brooks and school him on the finer points of constitutional law. In language no less confident than that used by Brooks on the radio, Bump invoked the House's 1873 impeachment investigation of Vice President Schuyler Colfax to advance the notion that federal officials cannot be impeached and removed from their current offices for crimes committed before they have assumed those positions. Colfax was accused of taking kickbacks in cash and discounted stock from the Union Pacific Railroad's Credit Mobilier subsidiary in exchange for votes while serving in the House during the 1860s. And although it's true, as Bump argues, that the House Judiciary Committee dropped its impeachment probe mainly because Colfax's improprieties occurred before his ascendancy to the executive branch, his case is but one episode in the tangled and often contradictory history of impeachment in America. The Colfax investigation by no means stands as a binding precedent. Advertisement Even a broken clock is right twice a day. And when it comes to impeachment, Brooks may just have stumbled onto something worthy of concern. To see if he has, let's start with some impeachment basics: As explained in a 2015 study, "Impeachment and Removal", prepared by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), "The Constitution gives Congress the authority to impeach and remove the President, Vice President, and other federal 'civil officers' upon a determination that such officers have engaged in treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." The specific constitutional provisions involved are: Article 1, Section 2, which invests the "sole Power of Impeachment" in the House; Article II, Section 4, which sets forth the grounds of impeachment in the famous phrase, "Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors"; and Article I, Section 3, which stipulates, in part, that the Senate shall have the "sole Power to try all Impeachments" in proceedings presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The same provision instructs that those who are convicted by the Senate "shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law." As the CRS study stresses, it's essential to keep in mind that "although the term 'impeachment' is commonly used to refer to the removal of a government official from office," it actually refers to the accusatory process carried out by the two houses of Congress. Advertisement To quote the study further: "First, a simple majority of the House impeaches--or formally approves allegations of wrongdoing amounting to an impeachable offense, known as articles of impeachment. The articles of impeachment are then forwarded to the Senate where the second proceeding takes place: an impeachment trial. If the Senate, by vote of a two-thirds majority, convicts the official of the alleged offenses, the result is removal from office. ..." Although scores of federal officials have been the subject of impeachment deliberations since the nation's founding, the House has referred only 19 individuals to the Senate for impeachment trials--15 federal judges (including Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase in 1805), one senator, one Cabinet member and two presidents, including, of course, Clinton's husband, Bill. The Senate has conducted 16 full impeachment trials, convicting eight lower-court judges. All the rest, Chase and Bill Clinton among them, were acquitted. Because of the plenary powers given to Congress, the impeachment process is largely insulated from judicial review. As a result, invoking the example of Colfax in rebuttal to Brooks is of little avail. Past impeachment investigations aren't binding on subsequent sessions of Congress in the way that past judicial rulings and precedents are binding on judges. In the words of Gerald Ford, who as House minority leader spearheaded an unsuccessful campaign to remove Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas in 1970, "An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history." Nor is it true, historically, that impeachment proceedings have been limited to offenses committed after accused officials have been elected or appointed to their current offices. To cite two examples discussed in the CRS report: In 1912, Judge Robert Archbald was impeached and convicted while serving on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals and the short-lived United States Commerce Court (which was disbanded in 1913) in part because he had accepted gifts from litigants and lawyers and committed other corrupt practices while working previously as a federal district court judge. Advertisement More recently and even more on point, federal Judge G. Thomas Porteous was convicted in 2010 by a Senate vote of 96-0 on four articles of impeachment, two of which concerned financial corruption that began while he was a state court judge in Louisiana in the 1980s, and a third that alleged he had made false statements to the Senate and the FBI in connection with his appointment to the federal bench. The articles passed in his case were signed and certified by Nancy Pelosi, then the House speaker and current a Hillary Clinton backer. It should also be remembered that the investigation that ultimately led to Bill Clinton's impeachment began with an examination of the Whitewater real estate scandal that took place in Arkansas in the 1970s and '80s. From there, the probe expanded to the former president's sexual encounter with Paula Jones while he was governor of Arkansas, then to the deposition he gave while president in Jones' civil lawsuit against him--in which he lied about his relations with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Thus, when contemplating a potential Hillary Clinton impeachment, the vital question may not be whether some tea party zealot in the House, such as Brooks, will call for a formal inquiry over her pre-election conduct--that much seems fairly assured. Indeed, the email controversy has already been the subject of hearings before the House Select Committee on Benghazi and the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. (There is even a Facebook page dedicated to her future impeachment.) The real question is whether Brooks would succeed in persuading a House majority that her use of the private server rose to the level of a high crime or misdemeanor. In this respect, the CRS study doesn't cite Ford's quip about Justice Douglas, but it nonetheless supports Ford's view that the phrase historically has been given a broad and robust reading, suggesting that it pertains to conduct that results in serious violations of the "public trust." Such conduct usually is criminal in nature, but need not be, at least in the strict sense. This probably means that the end of Clinton's email travails is nowhere in sight. Her critics have alleged that, at a minimum, her use of a private email server to conduct official business while she had ready access to a government email account was reckless and foolish. Some critics have also alleged that she should be indicted immediately for violating a variety of federal laws, including statutes dealing with the mishandling of classified information. Advertisement To compound Clinton's problems, the FBI has opened an investigation of her emails. According to Fox News, citing anonymous "intelligence sources," the bureau's probe has widened to "look at whether the possible 'intersection' of Clinton Foundation work and State Department business may have violated public corruption laws." If Clinton avoids indictment before the presidential election, demands no doubt will arise that she be charged afterward. Whether a sitting president can be indicted remains one of the big, unresolved questions of constitutional law. Both Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon came perilously close. There is no question, however, that a president can be impeached. To date, Hillary Clinton's defense has been threefold: that the attacks against her are political rather than legal; that previous secretaries of state such as Colin Powell and aides to Condoleezza Rice also used private email to conduct official business; and that none of her emails contained material that was classified at the time they were drafted, sent and received. No one can fault Clinton for fighting back. And when and if the dust finally settles, she may be proved right on all three counts, especially the first. Impeachment isn't just a creature of the law. It's also a means for exacting political retribution and revenge. But the political nature of impeachment is nothing new, and that fact offers little consolation, much less absolution, for Clinton. This is especially true when her diehard enemies, such as Brooks, are convinced that the law--in addition to morality and God--is on their side. Advertisement And so we can expect the email crisis and the talk of impeachment in the event of her inauguration to persist, sapping the nation's energy and attention in yet another Clinton family drama, writ large. Civil law and criminal law overlap so that a given situation may involve both the possibility of an administrative agency civil action involving a fine or an injunction and potential criminal charges against both the business entity and individual executives. This comment provides a brief and incomplete educational overview of suggestions for executives when it appears that her or his employer is under government investigation. Always consult an experienced attorney in specific situations. The following educational suggestions are not sequential events but possible simultaneous actions. 1.Realize that the government may be simultaneously conducting a public non-criminal administrative agency inquiry and an undisclosed criminal investigation. For example, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may request information by utilizing Form 1662. That form states that the information provided may be shared with federal, state, local, or foreign law enforcement agencies. One must assume that information furnished to an administrative agency will be shared with other agencies including prosecutors. Parallel civil and criminal investigations present complex questions; however, they do not violate double jeopardy. Realize that even good intentioned executives may inadvertently stumble into a criminal violation. Thus, do not suppose that your good faith and honest intentions provide an absolute shield from potential criminal liability. Advertisement 2.Realize that the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations provide an incentive for a business to take prompt remedial actions when wrongdoing is uncovered. A press release may read that "rogue employees" engaged in unlawful conduct without the knowledge or authorization of upper management. The business will seek to isolate the wronging to minimize potential fines and, most of all, to preserve federal contractor status. Upper executives often assert that they were deceived by subordinates. Do not expect the business to be loyal to your best interests. 3.Given the risk that an administrative agency inquiry may become a criminal case, do not delay in obtaining a personal criminal defense attorney. Your attorney should monitor the investigation as it unfolds and protect you from pitfalls. An organization's corporate attorney represents the corporation and the corporation's interests may be adverse to your interests. If the corporate attorney does not represent you, then your communications with the corporation's attorney are not privileged. This means that these communications may be revealed in a criminal proceeding. Be absolutely informed concerning this danger before engaging in any communications. Additionally, determine if your employer will pay your attorney's fees. 4.Does your selected attorney have expertise in the defense of white collar crime? Note that a corporate attorney that routinely addresses contractual matters, for example, may not be sufficiently experienced in criminal law. It is critical that your Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination not be inadvertently waived (given up). For example, providing information or a summary of events favorable to your position may open the door to contradictory unfavorable information being presented. This is highly complex and is briefly discussed below. 5.Do not create timelines or other summary documents, either for your employer or an administrative agency, without the request and participation of your attorney. Attempt to make these items privileged communications with your attorney. One may unwittingly provide evidence that will be utilized in a criminal or civil case. For example, a "Wells notice" (named for a 1972 SEC committee) is a letter that the SEC sends when it plans to take civil enforcement actions. Responding to a Wells notice is not privileged. Consult your attorney. It may be best not to respond unless there are clear factual errors or there exists an extremely strong argument against the enforcement action. Advertisement 6.Follow your personal attorney's instructions. This is not a time for uncounseled actions. All of the items in this brief comment are predicated on your attorney's involvement and approval. 7.Do you possess information that may be utilized to become a statutorily protected whistleblower or to perhaps entitle you to a reward under legislation such as the federal False Claims Act? Consult your attorney. 8.Realize that in cooperating with your employer's internal investigation, you may be providing evidence that your employer will ultimately transfer to the government. However, the failure to cooperate with the internal investigation may result in termination by your employer. This dilemma must be thoughtfully discussed with your attorney. The phrase "Upjohn Warning" refers to a famous U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1981 (Upjohn v. United States). It requires that employees being interviewed in an internal investigation be informed that the company may waive (give up) the attorney-client privilege and provide the statements to the government. Without such a warning, the employee being interviewed may be able to assert attorney-client privilege. Is a written joint defense agreement between you and your employer that limits disclosures possible? 9.Do not delay in contacting your directors and officers liability insurance carrier. Of course, well in advance of any potential problem, one should have obtained insurance coverage and clearly understood any exclusions and limitations. Since criminal and civil matters often are linked, your liability insurance coverage may be available. When purchasing this insurance, one should have a policy provision that pays attorney's fees and other expenses as they are billed to you and not at the end of a lengthy litigation. Advertisement 10. Note that corporations and other business entities traditionally may not assert the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. Hence, corporate records that you hold in a representative capacity may not be shielded from disclosure. However, the act of producing records sometimes involves compelled communication that could trigger the privilege against self-incrimination. Document content is irrelevant under this analysis. Is a subpoena (an order to produce records or to testify) directed to you personally, in which case it may be challenged, or to the corporate entity? Furthermore, if the subpoena requires you to acknowledge that such records actually exist, this may violate self-incrimination. While it is unlikely that corporations will ever be fully granted a self-incrimination privilege, legal trends suggest that the circumstances under which corporate record production may be compelled will be progressively narrowed. Consult your attorney. 11.Do not lie to governmental investigators. You may choose to be silent, but do not lie. A federal statute prohibits a person from making materially false or fraudulent statements or creating materially false documents (18 U.S.C. Sec. 1001). An individual does not have to be in court or under oath for this statute to apply. The lie may be prosecuted even if the underlying investigation results in no legal action being taken. Martha Stewart was convicted under this provision. 12.Do not conspire with others to commit a crime. Both federal law (18 U.S.C. Sec. 371) and state law make it a criminal offense to conspire to commit a criminal offense and to perform an act in furtherance of the agreement (such as creating a false bookkeeping entry). Conspiracy may occur without an underlying crime having actually been committed and even if a co-conspirator is not charged, or is found not guilty or granted immunity from prosecution. 13.Do not tamper with a witness, victim, or informant in an attempt to prevent these individuals from testifying or to have them withhold testimony. The federal obstruction of justice statute is quite broad (18 U.S.C. Sec. 1512). Of course, violence or threats of violence are covered. Intimidation, corrupt persuasion, and harassment are also included. Administrative agency proceedings as well as judicial proceedings are subject to this statute. A related federal statute criminalizes bribery utilized to obstruct a criminal investigation (18 U.S.C. Sec. 1510). Advertisement 14.Do not retaliate against a witness, victim, or informant (18U.S.C. Sec. 1513). Physical harm is not required. A violation may include interference with one's livelihood. Additionally, many statutes contain separate anti-retaliation provisions. 15.Do not destroy, alter, or falsify records (18 U.S.C. Sec. 1519). Actions undertaken to impede a criminal investigation are clear violations. The provision also applies to bankruptcy cases. Note that an actually announced official proceeding may not need to exist in order to have a violation. Business and individuals need to carefully review with legal counsel document retention and destruction policies well in advance of any specific situation. 16.Do attempt, through your attorney, to learn as much as possible about the investigation being conducted. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure 16 details items that a criminal defendant may obtain from the prosecution. Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court has stated that evidence that is material (significant) to guilt or punishment cannot be withheld or suppressed by the prosecution and must be furnished to the defendant upon request (Brady v. Maryland, 1963). Discovery is a complex area of the law that requires consultation with an experienced attorney. 17. Consult with your attorney concerning possible self-disclosure and remedial protocols. For example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides for voluntary identity, disclosure, and resolution of potential fraud related to a federal health care program. The Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations provide incentives for businesses to take prompt remedial actions when illegal activity is uncovered. In these situations a conflict of interest may exist between an employee and a corporate employer. Due care is advised. 18. If a criminal investigation is underway, determine if a deferred prosecution (criminal charges have been filed) or non-prosecution (no criminal charges have been filed) agreement is possible. These have become increasingly common in the area of corporate crime. A corporation may agree to cooperate with the government in making a criminal case against individual employees and enact significant internal operational changes. Again, the interests of employees and the employer may conflict. Advertisement 19. Determine if an integrity agreement is possible. These are often entered into so that a business will not lose government contractor status or access to federal funds such as Medicare. A variety of protocols and "reportable events" will be part of a package. Occasionally an individual may obtain such an agreement. 20. Be cautious about providing testimony in an administrative proceeding or civil case if a future criminal case is possible. Perhaps the civil action may be "stayed" (stopped) while a criminal case is pending. Essentially, what one communicates by deposition, documents, or courtroom testimony in a civil case may likely be utilized in a criminal case. Consult your attorney. 21.Be cautious concerning promises of leniency or other benefits made by government officials in exchange for cooperation. The investigator or official may lack authority to make legally binding promises. Numerous judicial decisions state that an official cannot alter the law by making promises. Consult your attorney. 22.Determine if an immunity agreement in exchange for your testimony is possible. Immunity agreements are complex and require consultation with experienced legal counsel. "Transactional" (blanket) immunity is broader than "testimonial" (what you say won't be used against you) immunity. Also, there are multiple jurisdictions (federal and state, for example) that often must be involved. It does not violate double jeopardy to have multiple prosecutions when they occur in different jurisdictions. "All countries can improve their students' performance, given the right policies and the will to implement them." -- Andreas Schleicher "Low Performing Students: Why They Fail and How to Help Them Succeed" is a new analysis of previously published PISA data which discusses the factors affecting students' low performance on PISA together with recommendations for what countries can do to help their students. In my interview with Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills, Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, we discussed the cycle of poor student performance in at-risk communities, the key characteristics of schools that affect the level of performance, how government policy can support students, and the relevance of the PISA test in a changing education environment. Advertisement Andreas: What surprised you most about the Low-Performing Students: Why They Fall Behind and How to Help Them Succeed report and why? I was surprised how little the economic and social background of schools and countries contributes to the risk of poor performance, and how much school policy can really do about it. And you find that reflected in the progress which some of those countries that had made this a priority have achieved in reducing the share of poor performers. For example, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Tunisia and Turkey significantly reduced the share of low performers in math between 2003 and 2012. What do these countries have in common? Not very much; as a group, they are about as socio-economically and culturally diverse as can be. But therein lies the lesson: all countries can improve their students' performance, given the right policies and the will to implement them. "Disadvantaged students tend not only to be encumbered with more risk factors, but those risk factors have a stronger impact on these students' performance."-- Andreas Schleicher How destructive is the cycle of poor student performance in at-risk communities? How does the cycle of intergenerational low-achievement affect a large country (the U.S. for example) as a whole? Advertisement Poor performance at school has long-term consequences that are hard to compensate, both for individuals and nations. Students who perform poorly at age 15 face a high risk of dropping out of school altogether. And when a large share of the population lacks basic skills, a country's long-term economic growth is severely compromised. In fact, the economic output that is lost because of poor education policies and practices leaves many countries in what amounts to a permanent state of economic recession - and one that can be larger and deeper than the one that resulted from the financial crisis at the beginning of the millennium. Think about the United States: If all 15-year-old Americans would achieve at least the most basic level of PISA performance, the US economy could gain an additional 27 trillion US$ over the working life of these students. Of course, one can always question whether it makes sense to establish global benchmarks for low performance in a highly diverse set of countries that place very different demands on the skills of individuals. But this report sets the bar at a very basic level of performance that we should expect all 21st century youths to attain. In reading, it is the threshold where students more from being able to technically read towards using reading for learning. In mathematics, it involves a basic understanding of fundamental mathematical concepts and operations. And it is interesting that educational policy and practice is a much more powerful predictor for the share of students who are missing this bar than income per capita. We also need to recognize that poor performance at age 15 is not the result of any single risk factor, but rather of a combination and accumulation of various barriers and disadvantages that affect students throughout their lives. Who is most likely to be a low performer in mathematics? On average across OECD countries, a socio-economically disadvantaged girl who lives in a single-parent family in a rural area, has an immigrant background, speaks a different language at home from the language of instruction, had not attended pre-primary school, had repeated a grade and is enrolled in a vocational track, has a 83% probability of being a low performer. While these background factors can affect all students, among low performers the combination of risk factors is much more detrimental to disadvantaged than to advantaged students. Indeed, all of the demographic characteristics considered in our report, as well as the lack of pre-primary education, increase the probability of low performance by a larger margin among disadvantaged than among advantaged students, on average across OECD countries. In contrast, only repeating a grade or enrollment in a vocational track has greater penalties for advantaged students. In other words, disadvantaged students tend not only to be encumbered with more risk factors, but those risk factors have a stronger impact on these students' performance. "The PISA test is less concerned with whether students can reproduce specific subject matter content, but more whether they can creatively use, apply and extrapolate from what they know." -- Andreas Schleicher Advertisement Education Reform has become more focused on designing curricula that can best serve the trends and challenges facing our world. Given this critical big picture debate, how does the PISA test remain relevant? That is precisely what PISA is about. The PISA test is less concerned with whether students can reproduce specific subject matter content, but more whether they can creatively use, apply and extrapolate from what they know. That's because the modern world no longer rewards us just for what we know - Google knows everything - but for what we can do with what we know. How important are the characteristics of schools, including teachers, resources and student body composition, in affecting the incidence of low-performing students? Importantly, students attending schools where teachers are more supportive and have better morale are less likely to be low performers, while students whose teachers have low expectations for them and are absent more often are more likely to be low performers in mathematics, even after accounting for the socio-economic status of students and schools. In addition, in schools with larger concentrations of low performers, the quality of educational resources is lower, and the incidence of teacher shortage is higher, on average across OECD countries, even after accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic status. In countries and economies where educational resources are distributed more equitably across schools, there is less incidence of low performance in mathematics, and a larger share of top performers, even when comparing school systems whose educational resources are of similar quality. Advertisement The report also shows that the degree to which advantaged and disadvantaged students attend the same school (social inclusion) is more strongly related to smaller proportions of low performers in a school system than to larger proportions of top performers. These findings suggest that systems that distribute both educational resources and students more equitably across schools might benefit low performers without undermining better-performing students. "Systems that distribute both educational resources and students more equitably across schools might benefit low performers without undermining better-performing students." -- Andreas Schleicher What are the key policy proposals that the OECD strongly recommends be adopted by countries with a high level of low performing students? The first step for policy makers is to make tackling low performance a priority in their education policy agenda. Because the profile of low performers varies significantly across countries, it is essential to identify low performers and develop multi-pronged, tailored approaches. Tackling low performance requires stepping in as early as possible. That means, among other things, offering pre-primary education opportunities and remedial support in early grades. Providing schools with language and/or psycho-social support (e.g. psychologists, mentors, counsellors) for struggling students and their families, offering extracurricular activities, and training teachers to work with these students can also help. Students, too, can help themselves make the most of their schooling - and their own potential - by showing up at school - on time - and investing their best efforts in learning. (All photos are courtesy of Shutterstock.com) C. M. Rubin and Andreas Schleicher Join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (U.S.), Dr. Leon Botstein (U.S.), Professor Clay Christensen (U.S.), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (U.S.), Dr. MadhavChavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (U.S.), Professor Andy Hargreaves (U.S.), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (U.S.), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Honourable Jeff Johnson (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. EijaKauppinen (Finland), State Secretary TapioKosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Lord Ken Macdonald (UK), Professor Geoff Masters (Australia), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Pak Tee Ng (Singapore), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (U.S.), Richard Wilson Riley (U.S.), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Professor Manabu Sato (Japan), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (U.S.), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (U.S.), Yves Theze (LyceeFrancais U.S.), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (U.S.), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today. The Global Search for Education Community Page Advertisement A week and a half ago something remarkable happened. It was announced that the ATLAH church, home of Rev. James David Manning, one of the nation's most strident anti-LGBT bigots, had been foreclosed and was being put up for auction on February 24th. The members of the local community, who have protested against Manning and his sign outside the church where he promoted hatred against LGBT people, and called for violence against us, immediately approached me. They wanted the Ali Forney Center to acquire the building to provide housing and support to the homeless LGBT youths in our care. We decided to launch a campaign to acquire the building. Here are the reasons why: Three Practical Reasons: 1. Homeless LGBT Youths Desperately Need Housing. Many of the youths in our care sleep in the streets at night. Many ride the subways. In NYC there are fewer than 450 shelter beds designed for homeless youths. The last comprehensive census of NYC's homeless youth found that there were 3,800 young people enduring homelessness, with 1,600 identifying as LGBT. To be an LGBT youth with nowhere to stay in NYC is terrifying and dangerous. The Ali Forney Center averages about 200 youths per night on the waiting list for our beds. What they tell us about the fear, exhaustion, and violence they endure in the streets is heartbreaking. As an organization, we have no obligation more urgent than to increase our capacity to provide housing to these vulnerable youths. Advertisement 2. The ATLAH Site Is a Few Blocks From the Hub of Our Supportive Services. Since 2012 the Ali Forney Center has provided a drop-in center in Harlem, the only 24/7 drop-in center for homeless LGBT youth in the nation. We provide care to over 1,000 youths per year at this site. The youths residing in our housing program utilize this center for a whole host of services, including medical care, mental health treatment, hormone replacement therapy, HIV education, testing and treatment including PEP and Prep, and educational and vocational training and placement services. AFC currently has 12 residential sites scattered across NYC, however none are within walking distance of our drop-in center. Having the ability to provide housing in such close proximity to the hub of our supportive services is a remarkable opportunity. 3. The ATLAH Site Is an Ideal Location to Launch Our Catering Business. At AFC we want to do more than just house homeless LGBT youths. We want them to escape homelessness; we want them to be able to be strong, proud and independent. In order to achieve this we must help our young people find employment. Over the past two years our drop-in center has provided an intensive work training and placement program. The food service industry has proven to be the field in which the greatest numbers of our young people have gained employment. Seeing this, we are determined to launch a catering business that would be owned and operated by our young people, enabling them not only to learn cooking and food handling skills, but also the host of skills that come with managing and implementing a business. To be able to provide a space for this catering business within waling distance our our vocational training services would be ideal. Three Symbolic Reasons: 1. The Justice of Transforming a Place that Promotes Anti-LGBT Hatred and Violence Into a Space of Compassion and Healing. Advertisement Manning has spent the last few years utilizing the sign in front of his church to promote hatred against our community and to incite violence against us. This is very much a direct attack on the youths of the Ali Forney Center, as well as upon all the LGBT people of Harlem (as well as all the straight residents who don't want ongoing hate crimes in their neighborhood!). The calls for violence against us are vicious and reckless; they are an atrocity. It has been gruesome for us to endure this, especially as the homeless LGBT youth we serve are so much at risk of anti-LGBT violence. Ali Forney, who inspired our founding, was murdered in Harlem in 1997, only 12 blocks from ATLAH. In 2013 Islan Nettles was beaten to death in Harlem only one mile from ATLAH. Could there be a more just outcome to the ATLAH foreclosure than that the young LGBT people most endangered by the hatred and contempt Manning promotes would take over his building? 2. The Need to Win a Battle Against Religion-Based Bigotry. When we ask our youths why they were forced to leave their homes, the reason they give most often is that their parents rejected them because of their religious beliefs. Many of our youths have suffered the trauma of being told that they are condemned, shameful, that they are abominations, that God is against them. I wish that Manning was isolated in his use of Christianity to condemn our community. But his expressions of anti-LGBT hatred as representing the truth of God, while often extreme and bizarre, mirrors the same condemnation that poisoned our youths' homes... I find much consolation in the growing acceptance of LGBT people in more and more religious communities; we see it directly in the many congregations who volunteer at AFC, showing kindness and support to our youths. But nothing would better demonstrate to our youths of the wrongfulness of the religious hostility that has so shaped their lives, than for us to take over a space that became a most loudly belligerent symbol of that hostility. 3. Our Youths Are Homeless; Housing Them in Harlem Is a Stand Against Gentrification. Manning has repeatedly vilified LGBT people as agents of the gentrification of Harlem. Harlem is without a doubt experiencing gentrification. Gentrification is often a devastating experience for the poor of a neighborhood who are displaced from their homes and communities. But Manning's narrative is distorted. While some in the LGBT community are affluent, many are not. Homophobia, transphobia and racism continue to diminish the opportunities of many in the LGBT community. LGBT youths are eight times more likely to experience homelessness that heterosexual youths. The young people we serve come to us in utter destitution. I am delighted that ATLAH's neighbors, in advocating that AFC take over the ATLAH site, give their desire to avoid another luxury condo as among the reasons they want us. If we are able to obtain the site at auction, the building will house poor youths, mostly of color. This will demolish Manning's one-dimensional narrative. Advertisement One Very Personal Reason: ATLAH's block lets out on Marcus Garvey Park. In the months before being murdered, Ali Forney slept in the park, on top of the hill. This was during a time when there was no Ali Forney Center, when the homeless LGBT youths of NYC were forced to sleep in the streets as they had no safe shelter. I can only imagine how lost and alone Ali must have felt there. I cared about Ali very much, and Ali's murder devastated me. I cannot envision a greater triumph, a greater sense of closure, than to be able to provide our youths a beautiful home 50 yards from the site of Ali's last lonely space on this earth. On January 29th, we launched the #HarlemNoHate campaign with an initial goal of reaching $200,000 towards the purchase of the building at auction. In 10 days we reached that initial goal, with over 2,600 people making donations in support of our bid. But the starting bid at auction will be the $1.02 million owed by ATLAH, and given the real estate market in Harlem we anticipate the bidding will go significantly higher. We hoped that in launching this campaign we would attract the attention of major donors and real estate developers who might partner with us in seeking to acquire the building. At this point we are in discussions with several such potential partners and are optimistic that we will be in a viable position to put forth a winning bid. We will continue fundraising through the #HarlemNoHate campaign until the 24th, making every effort to be in as strong a position as possible to acquire the building. Please help us in our campaign to turn a place that promotes hatred and violence into a space of healing and compassion. Head here for more info and to pledge your support. The Arab village of Tarshiha was the primary military outpost for Fawzi al-Qawuqji and the Arab Liberation Army during the Arab-Israeli war in 1948. After sustaining hours of plane bombings and heavy artillery fire, the town was overrun by the Israel Defense Forces during Operation Hiram. Tarshiha's fighters and villagers were forced to retreat, with most heading north into Lebanon. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ My grandfather left Tarshiha on foot and headed for Lebanon, with hope that he would return once the war was over. Little did he know that he would become a refugee, and the first of four generations of Palestinian refugees who would live in refugee camps, deprived of human rights while caught in a limbo between the right to exist and the right of return. More than a third of all Palestinian refugees now are forced to live in poorly-maintained refugee camps in Lebanon. In 2002, my grandfather passed away. On his deathbed, Tarshiha was all he talked about. He had lived his entire life dreaming of the day he would return, and when fate betrayed him, dreaming became all that he had. He even asked to be buried there--a final wish that was impossible to grant. No Palestinian refugees are permitted to travel into Israel or any of the Palestinian territories. Tarshiha is only 100 kilometers away from the Lebanese capital of Beirut, but with a closed border standing between Lebanon and Israel, Tarshiha is practically unreachable. 67 years after his exodus, I embarked on a journey to find Tarshiha, the place my grandfather called home. As a Canadian citizen now, I have become the first member of my family able to legally enter Israel. As I drove north from Jerusalem, my mind was filled with memories of my grandfather. I thought of all the stories he had told of Tarshiha--about the mosque, the church, and the roads with the olive trees. I listened to the music my grandfather loved, and lost myself in the reverie. I was scared and excited at the same time. I was finally seeing the land that my grandfather had painted in my imagination for so many years. When I first came upon a sign that read Tarshiha, I stopped, took a photo with it . . . and cried. I wasn't sure what to do next. Surrounded by strangers, I didn't know where to begin my journey through my family's origins. Suddenly I was living my grandfather's dream, seeing Tarshiha with my own eyes. The old streets are exactly as he had described them. The mosque is there, the church still stood. I had the biggest smile on my face, mixed with fears and tears. Advertisement I stopped a young man walking down the street. "Is this Tarshiha?" I asked. He answered in Arabic, "Yes, this is Tarshiha." I knew that it was, but I sought spoken affirmation nonetheless. Finally, I could hear someone telling me I was in my home village. The young man stared at me and saw a lost boy with watery eyes. But he could not fully see the storm of emotions hitting me at the moment. I explained to him, "My grandfather lived here over 60 years ago. His name is Ragheb Kiblawi; his father's name is Saleh Kiblawi." "Sorry, I don't know who that is," he told me. He stopped a car passing by, and the driver said the same. I was less than surprised, as they both appeared much too young to have known my grandfather. My emotions waned, and I left just a little disappointed. I found a falafel shop while searching for a place to eat and collect myself. Some of the town's residents were gathered inside. When the shop owner heard my story, he became excited. Finally, I wasn't the only one! The shop owner asked someone to take me to an old man well-versed in the history of Tarshiha. I was led inside a tiny hut, where he sat surrounded by maps. He was a real estate agent, and he welcomed me warmly. I told him who I was, and he immediately recalled my great grandfather. "Saleh owned a cafe, I remember." I let out a sigh of relief at the further affirmation of my grandfather's stories. They weren't just stories, but a reality that had been harsh on him, affecting each of the generations that followed. The old man asked someone to take me to where my grandfather once lived. When we arrived, I requested my companion to give me some time alone, to which he complied. There, life's countless possibilities flashed through every space of my consciousness. I was reliving the stories, imagining the life for our family had there been no war, and no displacement. I took a video of the neighborhood so that I could share it with my family still living as Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. For them, it is even more emotional. It is the place they are forbidden to visit, but now they could see it through my eyes. I walked the streets of Tarshiha for a long time. I listened to stories from any resident who would tell me one. I found an old man who knew my grandfather, and he told me tales that reminded me of him. Advertisement My grandfather's stories were real, the village is real, and experiencing them for myself will help keep those memories alive. It felt strange to finally reach the place I was forced out of for most of my life--an experience my family has been denied. Those around my age living in Tarshiha didn't want me to leave. They invited me for drinks, then we all stayed over at the falafel shop owner's house. They longed to hear about the people who left years ago, and they were living their own tales through me. The next morning, I planted an olive tree for my grandfather in his village. While I could not fulfill his dream of burying him in Tarshiha, I did the best that I could. I chose to plant the tree as a symbol of hope and peace for my family and for the remaining inhabitants of Tarshiha, that they may be spared further conflict and war. My grandfather was forced out of his village in 1948; this is when he became a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon, never allowed to return back. On his deathbed, his village in Palestine is all he talked about. 67 years after, I am planting an olive tree for him there. Now you can Rest in Peace grandpa... ( ) . . Posted by Chaker Khazaal on Saturday, January 2, 2016 While fulfilling my dream and my grandfather's, I could not help but think of the more than 50 million refugees living in our world today. When will they return to their villages, if ever? How will they feel? What about those whose villages have been destroyed by war? Where will their memories and stories find refuge? This post is co-authored with Jean Trounstine, author of the forthcoming 6th book, 'Boy With A Knife: A Story of Murder', 'Remorse' and a 'Prisoner's Fight for Justice'. In a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision is a deceptively simple line that should affect, and in many cases, transform the way Americans think about juveniles who kill. At the heart of the 2012 groundbreaking case, Miller v. Alabama, said the Court, is the idea, proven by neuroscience and behavioral research, that "children who commit even heinous crimes are capable of change." In other words, when we think about kids convicted of murder, this is the truth: a 16-year-old who kills is still a 16-year-old. Advertisement On January 25, 2016, that truth became evident again when the Court, writing in the 6-3 Montgomery v. Louisiana decision, stated that the ban on mandatory life-without-parole sentences for children 17 or younger must now be applied retroactively. That means, the Supreme Court took Miller one step further. Once sentenced as youth to death in prison, some 2500 prisoners will now have the opportunity to seek parole or in some cases, new sentencing hearings. But wander into any coffee shop and try to strike up a conversation about what the fate should be of kids who have committed heinous crimes. In Massachusetts, where Philip Chism, who at 14 murdered and raped his high school teacher, Colleen Ritzer, the conversation would most likely be about the brutality of the crime, not about the youth's ability to change. But here's the rub. Kids can and in fact do grow up; and as they develop, they change. None of us are the same at 40 as we were at 16. Research has shown us that most violent crime occurs before age 30, and that youth age out of crime . These youth most often have the qualities that make them exactly what they are--kids. The MacArthur Research Network on Adolescent Development & Juvenile Justice puts it this way, stating they manifest: "poor impulse control, lack of foresight, inadequate assessment of risk, and vulnerability to peer pressure." Every day we hear stories of people who turn their lives around behind bars, in spite of the obstacle of incarceration. They get GEDs, create better family relationships, and if they are given the opportunity, choose to do programs that benefit their development. Advertisement Karter Kane Reed is proof of this. At 16, he killed a boy in a Massachusetts high school classroom. It was a horrible tragedy and devastated two families, the family of his victim, Jason Robinson, and his own. It shattered a community as well, and no one was more aware of that than Reed himself. Jean Trounstine, one of the co-authors of this article, met Karter Reed when he was 32, on a trip with her students to the prison in Shirley, Massachusetts, where he was then housed, to hear him and others convicted of murder speak about their crimes and growing transformation. She saw the difference between the boy condemned in news articles and the man thriving in spite of prison. Reed was unfortunately sentenced at the height of the racially-coded superpredator fear that hit the country. He was called "a monster." Experts such as William J. Bennett, John J. Dilulio, and John P. Walters incorrectly warned at this time that teen-age boys would be flooding our streets--joining gangs, dealing drugs, assaulting, raping and murdering--as if there was no end to their viciousness. Reed was not surprisingly tried for first-degree murder. He had stabbed a boy in a school, an inviolate space, something we now know too much of; and he was a poor kid committing a brutal crime in a relatively well-to-do neighborhood. He ultimately received a life sentence with eligibility to seek parole. The idea that he could be a productive citizen and would intend to make meaning out of the tragedy of his youth was not on the table. But he defied the predictions, and after 20 years, a free man, he found a decent job, fell in love, graduated from a community college with a 4.0 average, and bought a house. If the Court had known what we know now about adolescent development or brain research, would Reed have been treated differently? Would the idea be on the table that those who commit horrific crimes are indeed capable of change? Sadly, no. His case still would not have been sent to juvenile court. In Massachusetts, any child age 14 or older who is charged with murder is automatically tried as an adult. Children as young as 8, 10, 12, or 13 have been tried as adults, and 14 states have no minimum age for sending a child to adult court. Advertisement Reed was a template for a kid in trouble. He had "poor impulse control, lack of foresight, inadequate assessment of risk, and vulnerability to peer pressure." If he had been adjudicated guilty in juvenile court, he could have served time until he was 21 in a Department of Youth Services secure facility--and then be transferred to finish his sentence with adults. He might have received therapy and more education, and while Reed did not fear rape or being pummeled by older prisoners, many young people sent to adult prisons and jails do. While adjudication in the juvenile court would have not led to the "easy time" bandied about in coffee shop conversation, it would have honored the spirit of Miller. As Boston Review managing editor, Simon Waxman, wrote, "If there are good reasons to treat adult and youth offenders differently, why are those reasons discarded according to the severity of the crime?" Sending a juvenile to an adult prison under any circumstances does not make sense. If kids can change, the way we deal with them must also change. I am adventurous by proxy. It is not my natural state of being. I often over-resist our adventures & then discover I'm having the time of my life. We are on the Yucatan Peninsula in Tulum. It is a gorgeous piece of land sandwiched between high fashion resorts gobbling up the natural curve & beach-front Caribbean. It's my first time into the depths of Mexico. One New Year's many moons ago, I spent the Eve with a friend in Rosarito & Encinitas. This part of the peninsula reminds me more of Thailand than the former cities. Sue Ann, my adventurous partner, brought me here to share one of her favorite spots on the face of the earth. Once again, chasing history proves nothing remains the same, as trendy tourism morphs this once truly remote paradise. The journey from New York to Tulum was a bit jarring at the point I discovered our accommodations were to be more rustic than expected, i.e. less electricity, wifi and private bath. Communally rustic. We originally planned a gradual segue via posh Cancun, but my Mother was unexpectedly rushed to the ER the night before our departure date. A chilling reminder of my Dad's journey to the other side, his swift, downward spiral began the same way - in the emergency room. Either my mom's body or my mother is starting to rebel against her long-standing methods for managing her diabetes. After a few heartfelt days with family in the HackensackUMC, she was released. My big brother is taking the baton from seasoned, medical professionals. We left them both very early yesterday morning for a long journey into the Yucatan. Two trains, one plane & two buses later, I had a mini breakdown realizing how much I love my mom - once again facing the fragility of life, and the possibility of living it less another parent. How sobering these moments can be. How helpless I feel, and how ironic to process on a long bus ride, as New Year's Eve ticks down to yet another fresh start. Advertisement As I calculate the anticipated challenges of finding my morning cup of coffee, my mini breakdown ramped over the purchase of a large pink bottle of drinking water Sue Ann found at the local bodega. I was convinced the water was either pink or brown, but definitely not clear. And definitely not drink worthy. Panicking over my circumstances, exhausted from the past week, I found myself far from surrendered, still resisting my present moment reality. When we finally arrived at Tulum's Shekinah BnB, we were greeted by a gentle man named Juan, our host originally from Argentina. He walked us up a swiss family Robinson type stairway to our treehouse lodgings. However impressive, I wasn't convinced I could pretend to be a hippy under the circumstances. Perhaps another time, but tonight all I could think about was my discomfort & my mom. Why is it assumed that I must hand Hillary Clinton my vote if she beats Sanders in the primaries this spring? Why is it my "responsibility" to pick the lesser of two evils when I have better choices that align with my ideals? While Jill Stein has little chance of winning, would it make more sense to vote for the person I believe is best suited for the job? Isn't that exactly why we vote? Perhaps we have this broken two party system because we simply let people tell us who to vote for. Clinton has done nothing to earn my vote, yet I am told day in and day out that I must support Clinton if Sanders loses to her or I am somehow doing democracy wrong. Advertisement I am sick and tired of voting for the party candidate, regardless of my feeling towards them. That is not how a democracy functions. I should vote for who I believe is the best person for the job, not who I am told to vote for. There is a specific reason I am not a registered Democrat (I am not, so I can vote for Sanders in the primary, but won't be after that). It's because I am not a Democrat. Today's Democratic Party is a center-barely left party that is so worried about pandering to the middle-right they cave to Republican demands day in and day out and leave real liberal and progressive voters in the dust. I have even stopped calling myself liberal because today's liberals are far too moderate. I don't care what demands the GOP has, they are terrible, selfish and I have no time for them. I am not willing to compromise with billionaires to protect their wealth. I am a socialist, and most consider socialists to be liberals, but liberals today are capitalists who are fine with the capitalist system of economics and governance and I am not. So the term liberal simply does not apply anymore. Advertisement Sanders, a Democratic Socialist, is not the kind of socialist I think this country really needs, but he is the best chance we have to move this country in the right direction. That is why he, a liberal, has my support. It's because his vision for America is very close to mine, and through his victory I believe we can continue to move the country more and more to left and away from this oligarchy we have created. I don't believe Hillary Clinton is a good choice for president. I don't think she cares about feminism, women's rights, gay rights, and all the other issues she only recently adopted out of political convenience. I think she will hand over those rights in order to look as though she "gets things done" and can "work with the other side." Currently, all my support is behind Sanders, and I am not officially saying I will not support Clinton if she gets the nomination. Mainly because I still believe 100 percent that Sanders can win. I am saying, however, I am tired of being told who to vote for. I don't have an obligation to vote for anyone, let alone someone who I don't think should be president. No one owns my vote but me. Stay in touch with Dan Arel on Facebook: Last week I wrote a swooning review of Zahav restaurant in Philly's Society Hill neighborhood, the brilliant invention of Michael Solomonov, one of the most creative chefs of his generation. Eating at Zahav was supposed to be just one of many stops on a tour of Jewish sites of the city. Philadelphia has a rich Jewish history, dating back to Colonial times, and I'd hoped to explore more of it. With much of the city smothered under snow, however, Zahav ended up being the main highlight of the visit (although I suspect even without the snow it would still be). Despite the weather I was able to visit three other Solomonov restaurants: a hummus bar called Dizengoff (named for the famed street in Tel Aviv); Federal Donuts; and Abe Fisher, where Solomonov serves his take on American Ashkenazy cuisine. All had the benefit of being right next door to my hotel in central Philadelphia, on Sansom Street. My son, a college senior in the area, joined me for the day of touring. We started with lunch at Dizengoff. Compared to Zahav, Dizengoff is a modest, lunch-counter type of place. Selection is limited: Hummus with a choice of toppings, fresh pita, chopped salad and some Israeli pickles, washed down with a choice of draft beer, soda or homemade lemonade. In short: Perfection. Solomonov's hummus is as good as you get in the pita dens of Jaffa and Akko. My son avidly agreed. Advertisement Conveniently located directly across the street from Dizengoff, is another Solomonov franchise, the equally modest Federal Donuts. If, upon wiping the last smears of hummus from the corners of your mouth, you decide: Hey, I'd like a coffee! And: Maybe a donut! -- they are right there, done to the same Solomonovian standard. Idiosyncratically, Federal's menu also offers fried chicken. It could be the best fried chicken in the world -- and I suspect it comes pretty close -- but I won't know, as I had no room left for it. Instead, while my son hailed us a taxi to the next stop on the tour, I fetched us coffee and a sampling of donuts to go. Above, hummus at Dizengoff; below, donuts at Federal Donuts. For the record, I eat a donut maybe once a decade. It's not that I don't like them -- to me, there is no more perfectly suited companion to a cup of coffee than a warm cinnamon or glazed donut (perhaps that's because I grew up in Canada, where donuts are close to the national food). Nonetheless, in the interests of journalism, I asked for not one annual but three donuts at a serving: One, a glazed donut, and two others deep-fried to order. Franklin offers both choices, with the flavors of each varying from day to day. When we were there, the hot choices included sugared strawberry and apple-cinnamon. I ordered both. My son was already in the back seat of the taxi when I came out, bearing two cardboard cups of strong coffee and a paper bag of donuts. As I bundled in beside him, the aroma from the take-out bag was overwhelming. The taxi driver's nose kept twitching in the direction of the back seat. As we journeyed to the next stop -- The National Museum of Jewish History -- I carefully tore pieces of the donuts for us to sample. We munched them in reverent silence. Warm or cold they were just crispy enough on the outside, dense and moist on the inside, and sugary without being cloyingly sweet. "Krispy Kreme good?" I asked my son, between mouthfuls. "Like, when Dad took you guys to the factory that time at Hanukkah and you ate them right when they were still hot ...?" Advertisement "Bebber," he replied, his mouth full. "Way bebber ban Bispy Beam." "Would you like to finish these?" I asked the driver when we stopped in front of the museum. The remaining donuts were whisked away into Philly traffic, where I'm sure they didn't live long. It explains why there are now five locations of Federal Donuts. The Jewish museum had been recommended as a good site and it was. A large segment of it is devoted to the Jewish contribution to American culture: movies, music, comedy etc. The take away is: American Jews didn't just contribute to American culture -- they invented it! But as my son and I wandered through the exhibits, we were still talking about the donuts -- and of the meal we were going to eat that night at Abe Fisher. Perhaps we should have been an exhibit ourselves, as examples of how Jews are always anticipating their next meal. Abe Fisher is next door to Dizengoff, which, when you add in the proximity to Federal Donuts, creates a kind of Monopoly effect. I wondered if we'd be sent directly to jail without passing Go. Instead we stepped into a fairly hip urban place: walls clad in strips of wood, Viennese cafe chairs, green leather banquettes. Our waiter passed us a menu which at first read like a send-up of traditional Jewish cuisine: Spinach Kugel: cheddar, jalapeno, pie crust. Manischewitz Glazed Beef Cheeks: celery root, apple, BBQ potato chips. Cholent Pot Pie: short rib, salami, kidney beans, barley. Only the "potato latkes" and "chopped liver" looked reasonably straight-forward, if with a twist (the latkes were served with smoked salmon and avocado cream cheese; the chopped liver with fresh-baked rye and a "pastrami-onion jam."). Most of the items were suggested as small plates to share. "Family-Style Entrees" were listed along the bottom, among them Hungarian Duck, Chinatown style with kishke, steamed buns, shmaltz rice and garnishes; and Montreal Smoked Ribs with housemade rye bread and garnishes. The menu is overseen -- and often changed daily -- by Solomonov protege, and Abe Fisher executive chef, Yehuda Sichel. Sichel was born in Pennsylvania but graduated from the Jerusalem School of Kosher Culinary Arts in Israel. He joined Zahav in 2010, where he quickly rose to sous chef. Last September, he was promoted to the helm of Abe Fisher. Advertisement Sichel's own definition of what he is doing is described as follows: "A menu that pulls together centuries-old flavors that range from Budapest to Montreal to Brooklyn, creating a meal and an atmosphere that both modernizes and elevates the long-familiar classics of Jewish soul food. Nowhere is this effort more rewarded than in his now signature dish - the Montreal Short Ribs - which Food Republic called 'smoked meat nirvana.'" Indeed, my son's eyes lit up at the description of the ribs. We have both eaten at the champion of Montreal Smoked Meat houses-- Schwartz's. Could Sichel's version be a contender for a Smoked Meat Superbowl? So of course we ordered that, along with a number of starters. I chose the most improbable of them because I felt that's what the chef would want me to do. Some were almost taunting in their audacity, such as Fois Gras Mousse: peanut butter & jelly, cinnamon raisin bagel. Really? PB&J? How was that going to work? And yet they all did. The chopped liver was as creamy as could be, shmeared on fresh toasted rye with a dab of sweet salty pastrami-onion jam. The kugel was not like any kugel I've ever tasted, which is a good thing, as I find traditional kugel disgusting. No sweetened soggy noodles lurked in Sichel's recipe -- just fresh spinach mashed up with cheddar and jalapeno. And the fois gras with, uh, peanut butter and jelly and, er, a bagel? Stunning. The bagel seemed closer to a brioche; the PB+J more like a delicate peanut-scented fruit sauce that enhanced the fois gras. But now the true challenge was just hitting the table: a huge steaming plate of smoked beef short ribs! Apparently the ribs can take as long as 14 days to prepare -- they are dry rubbed, rinsed, smoked and roasted. Schwartz's method boasts at least 10 days. Alongside the plate of elegantly carved ribs were four different types of homemade mustard and the softest circles of homemade rye you could imagine. I remember from Schwartz's that you didn't want toasted bread with the meat or it wouldn't be able to sop up the juices and mustard and form itself into a uniquely tasty composite of all three. Abe Fisher's Montreal Smoked Ribs. Photos by Mike Persico. I watched my son take his first bite. Then another. And ... "Is it as good as Schwartz's?!" I interjected, eager to know before tasting myself. "Bebber," he said, mouth full again. "Way bebber ban bwartzes." And of course he was right. Smoked meat Nirvana. It's no wonder Travel & Leisure named Abe Fisher "Best New Restaurant" in its January issue. You can find the recipe for Abe Fisher's chicken liver mousse here. A perfect appetizer for a Valentine's dinner. Advertisement Family travel with teens presents different challenges than when the kids were younger. Teen travelers want to be more active, involved, and independent than their toddler-selves. With the proper planning and destination, it's definitely still possible to plan a family adventure with teens that everyone will enjoy. I recently surprised my two teenage daughters with a trip to Universal Orlando Resort during A Celebration of Harry Potter weekend, and discovered flexibility and freedom that allowed "Universal" enjoyment for the entire family. Universal Orlando's Celebration of Harry Potter weekend is a mini-Comic Con focused solely on J.K. Rowling's work. Fans dress in cosplay outfits, attend panel discussions with film stars, and hear special announcements about upcoming projects. Our daughters were in the throes of high school midterm exams when magical letters appeared. "I was completely surprised," said Evie (age 15), "there were no hints at all we were going." Then, after one more day of exams, we jetted off to sunny Florida. Advertisement (L-R) Maggie and Evie Parfitt at Universal Orlando's Celebration of Harry Potter, image by Dave Parfitt This was the family's first visit to Diagon Alley, and, based on the kids' response, Universal Orlando faithfully recreated the Wizarding World described in J.K. Rowling's books. "I felt just like Harry did when he first saw Diagon Alley," Evie said. Maggie (age 18) described her reaction thusly, We couldn't find it [Diagon Alley] at first. We saw the train station, but kept walking by the entrance. Finally our strategy was to follow everybody in robes, and we saw they were walking through a brick wall. Evie thought I was insane because I was jumping up and down and screaming internally. While our daughters enjoyed the Celebration of Harry Potter, they really just wanted time to tour the parks. That's where flexibility and freedom came into play. Maggie & Evie were old enough to explore together, and Universal Orlando's parks were the right size we felt comfortable letting them go. Everyone could do their own thing: Mom relaxed at the hotel by the pool, Dad attended the Expo and panel discussions, and our girls roamed. Advertisement Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley, image by Dave Parfitt Because the kids couldn't wait for the film star panel discussion, they armed me with questions if I had the opportunity to ask. Maggie wanted to know about Evanna Lynch's (Luna Lovegood) cat L'il Puff (must be a teen thing). Evie was curious what other character (besides their own) each of the stars, wanted to play in the Harry Potter films. I got my chance, and stars graciously answered my daughters' questions to the girl's delight. (L-R) Harry Potter film stars Evanna Lynch, Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom), Katie Leung (Cho Chang), and Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) at Universal Orlando's Celebration of Harry Potter, image by Dave Parfitt Eventually we met back up at the Celebration of Harry Potter Expo to get sorted into Hogwarts Houses. "I was nervous," said Maggie, "I'm very attached to my house and didn't want the Sorting Hat to tell me I wasn't in Ravenclaw." However, the #1 absolute best part of the Celebration of Harry Potter? Discovering Alan Gilmore, Supervising Art Director for the Harry Potter films and Production Design Consultant for Universal's Wizarding Worlds, in our cabin on the Hogwarts Express. I told him I admired his work, and introduced him to my daughters. Alan Gilmore could not have been more welcoming, and then took us on a personal tour of the hidden details in King's Cross Station as well as the London section of Diagon Alley. A wonderful parent child moment equally appreciated and shared together. (L-R) Alan Gilmore, Dave, Evie, and Maggie Parfitt, image provided by Dave Parfitt The secret to this trip's success was discovering our family's common interest and a destination with something for everyone. The entire family has shared in the love of Harry Potter, reading the books together as a family since our children were born and eagerly anticipating each successive novel. Everyone was excited to be immersed in Universal Orlando's Wizarding World together, but the resort offered enough opportunities for everyone to find their space. "I liked going to the parks together," said Evie, "but I loved going with just my sister, making our own choices, and doing our own things." And from this parent's point of view, we loved letting the kids be independent and hearing about their adventures when we got back together as a family. Advertisement Maggie Parfitt shares what Harry Potter means to her at Universal Orlando's Celebration of Harry Potter, image by Dave Parfitt For more photos and videos of our family adventure at Universal Orlando's Celebration of Harry Potter, check out this post on AdventuresByDaddy.com. Also on HuffPost: In the book turned latest Disney action movie The Finest Hours, Chris Pine plays real-life Coast Guard hero Bernie Webber. In February 1952 Webber and his crew of three saved 32 of 33 sailors trapped on the stern end of the Pendleton, a ship that split in two during a historic storm off New England. The Pendleton was one of two war-surplus tankers that were torn asunder by the monster storm's 40-60-foot waves. Webber's seamanship running his 36-foot motor lifeboat through snow-blown surf and making a near impossible rescue quickly earned him a place in the annals of gold-medal lifesaving. Still, his rescue is just one of many in Coast Guard history. Its ranks of heroes who've pulled off similar amazing feats range from Alaska's "Hell Roaring" Mike Healy to North Carolina's Rasmus Midgett to Rhode Island Lighthouse keeper Ida Lewis to the aviators and small boat crews who surged into New Orleans and the Gulf Coast following 2005's Hurricane Katrina, saving 33,000 lives. What sets Bernie Webber apart is that when his dangerously overloaded boat was filled to the gunnels with freezing men and ocean water and his superiors were radioing contradictory orders on where he should head and what he should do next he reached over and switched off the radio that was distracting him. This guaranteed his status as an enduring hero for generations of enlisted men and women. Advertisement Years later I interviewed another small boat operator who during a giant fireworks display on San Francisco Bay messed with a radio transmission from a superior who refused to believe he'd seen what he saw drifting behind a curtain of smoke. He and his crew then dashed into the choking ember-filled blast zone to rescue a couple and their two small children whose broken down motorboat was by then smoking and about to catch fire. Afterward he recalled, despite the applause of thousands of spectators on shore, "The patrol commander said, 'Your ass is mine,' and tried to bring charges against me, but my captain said, 'Don't worry about it,' so I didn't." When I was working on my book Rescue Warriors: The U.S. Coast Guard, America's Forgotten Heroes, one of the things that most impressed me about this smallest of the armed services, with just over 43,000 active duty and reserve members, was how far down the chain of command they push leadership and on-scene initiative. Part of this is based on necessity given how many of their Search and Rescue (SAR) and other missions are carried out by enlisted personnel who are forced to make critical calls in difficult and unpredictable water conditions. Given its small size and historic under-funding, having its enlisted take on command authority at a level not seen in the other services also acts as a force multiplier. Many of the service's elite jobs, including Rescue Swimmer, small boat "Surfman," Tactical Law Enforcement and polar diver, are reserved for enlisted ranks who also get to command the Coast Guard's swimmer shops, surf stations, patrol boats and river tenders. An enlisted chief who ran a Coast Guard tug in New York and had previously served in the Army told me, "As an [Army] E-4 I'd have to ask four people and get signatures to take a Humvee out to pick up a FedEx box. In the Coast Guard as an enlisted E-4 I would take out a 47-foot surfboat without calling anyone. There's that much difference in bureaucracy, or at least in trust." Advertisement "The enlisted in the Coast Guard are a lot more empowered than in the other services," agrees a former Marine who became a senior chief overseeing the Rescue Swimmer School. "In the Marines you don't move till you're told to; here they expect you to figure it out -- and go get it done. Lots of prior-service guys will first wait for an order and then realize it's not coming. They [the Coast Guard leadership] expect you to be a self-starter. They have faith in their people. What's so cool is we have this latitude to initiate commonsense action, and if what you do is based on good order and discipline, no one flips out when you do it." A classic example of how this works in practice is the story of Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) David Lewald. A CWO is an up-from-the-ranks hybrid position between the enlisted troops and commissioned officers. The day after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005, Lewald led a flotilla of small boats and construction tenders down the Mississippi from the "hurricane hole" they'd taken refuge in during the storm. Powering into the devastated city of New Orleans, he began telling his sector command in Alexandria, Louisiana, about the levees having been breached and the city flooded when he lost radio and cellphone contact. It would be more than three days before a 270-foot Coast Guard cutter came up river from the Gulf with officers onboard. In the interim Lewald and his enlisted crews set up a command post and security perimeter, rescued and treated hundreds of sick, wounded and dying people, coordinated with the locals, and helped evacuate 6,600 people across the river from their flooded homes. He was then piped aboard the cutter and taken to its air-conditioned Combat Information Center where the ship's captain smiled and asked, "So what can I do for you?" Of course, up from below leadership like that only works when the highest standards of training and oversight are maintained. And even then the burden of command can impose painful emotional scars on mostly young enlisted women and men asked to make spur-of-the-moment life and death decisions. Today post-traumatic stress disorder is better understood and treated than it was in years past. Although 24-year-old Bosun's Mate First Class Bernie Webber rescued 32 men on the night of Feb. 18, 1952, he was unable to save Tiny Myers, the Pendleton's 350-pound cook who jumped too soon and was crushed between the rescue boat and the Pendleton's propeller blades. While it was an unavoidable moment in a horrific maelstrom Tiny Myers' death would haunt Bernie Webber for the rest of his days. Iran's reintegration into the global economy with the lifting of economic sanctions brings great joy of Iranians but deep reservations to many Americans. With access to more than $100 billion in once-frozen assets, Iran will undoubtedly help shape our world economy, allowing Iran to expand its sphere of influence, mainly in the Middle East. To Iran, one of the positive elements in this turn of events is its ability to rejoin the top ranks of global oil producers. As I've outlined in previous writings, once sanctions were lifted, Iran would be well positioned to influence the oil market, a mix that now includes the heady presence of Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United States. To what degree, you might well wonder. Answer: The market and geopolitics together will decide. All this comes on the heels of a sharp drop in oil prices to below $33 a barrel, something we see reflected whenever we pump gasoline to our heart's content or read about fiscal jitters in states that rely heavily on oil revenue to fund government operations and services. Now that sanctions are officially lifted, oil prices will continue to decline further. Yes, economic opportunities await Iran but they won't come too fast. Iran's economy consists of a series of knots that will take time to loosen. Advertisement For instance, Iran had to store some of its oil in tankers at sea due to international sanctions. Not anymore. The lifting of sanctions allows it to finally sell its oil on the open market -- ironically, contributing to even lower prices for itself and everyone else. My prediction is Iran could add between 600,000 and 800,000 barrels per day to its output. This possibility has already created panic in the oil market, mainly in Muslim arch-rival Saudi Arabia. Could this explain the turmoil within Aramco, the Saudis' state-run oil company? Could it also explain the sudden visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Riyadh recently? The answer is yes. The added Iranian oil, I believe, is a conservative estimate. Iran's oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh, argued in an interview with CNN that Iran is aiming at an output of about 1.5 million barrels by the end of 2016, taking daily production output worldwide to about 4.2 million barrels. You don't have to be a Nobel Prize-winning economist to figure out that oil prices will remain low for a while, perhaps longer than some suspected. However, should war erupt between Iran and Saudi Arabia -- which I do not foresee, nor do both countries really want for all their saber-rattling -- oil prices would quickly jump above $100 a barrel, triggering renewed interest in the oil patch of the United States. While it's no secret that Saudi Arabia wants to eliminate competition -- mainly the U.S. shale boom -- in order to maintain high oil prices in the long term, the lifting of sanctions on Iran will force OPEC members to reconsider such strategies and step up production to defend their market shares, even as OPEC prepares for its much-anticipated June 2 meeting in Vienna. Advertisement All this comes with a Catch-22 challenge for Iran. Amidst an oil glut, it needs a barrel of oil to sell at $145 to balance its own budget. However, a flood of investments by other countries will allow Iran to reintegrate into the global economy. This could not be more evident than in a visit by Xi Jinping to Iran; German former chancellor Gerald Schroder's visit to secure Germany's business interests; and a visit by a high-level French delegation to Iran for the third time since the West reached a deal with Iran over the latter's nuclear program. Against this backdrop, Saudi Arabia's internal political and economic turmoil -- especially Prince Muhammad bin Salman's latest announcement regarding partial sale of state-owned oil leviathan Aramco-- raises serious concerns. The question is whether the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Aramco provides the kingdom more time and investment to weather devastating oil-price declines. The answer, theoretically, is yes. But reality suggests otherwise. While my analysis suggests that such a public offering is designed to calm nervousness in the market, I'm convinced the kingdom will wait till after OPEC's June meeting in Vienna to move head. Equally important, between now and then, Saudis will be watching the market anxiously as Iran floods it with more oil. Further, the Saudi decision regarding the Aramco IPO depends on just how fast other economies (China, Russia, Germany, France, Great Britain, etc.) invest in Iran -- and the gate to securing contracts in energy and other sectors is wide open. The other issue is legal. Should the kingdom move forward with this offering, it is legally obligated to disclose relevant audits of Saudi oil fields. My guess is Washington has no idea what the exact Saudi oil reserves are. Further, such a disclosure will highlight how much liquidity (in trillions of dollars) the kingdom has in U.S. banks and our economy. Such disclosure would have serious repercussions in the streets of Riyadh, Jeddah and the already marginalized southeastern part of the kingdom. And don't forget that country's double-digit unemployment rate. Advertisement Flip side in all this: whether such a decision could force loyalists of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef -- main rival of Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- to orchestrate a palace coup. I wouldn't be surprised. Friends and associates ask me about Donald Trump as if I possess special insight. Their questions apparently come from the traits we share. We both have degrees from Wharton, are successful in business and active in politics. My colleagues also like to remind me that we share the same initials, DJT. But that's where our similarities end. I am a Democrat, an enthusiastic supporter of progressive policies, and a longtime advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union. Trump is a Republican and has run his campaign for President by attacking our most fundamental civil liberties. I believe in hope, while he believes in fear. I run my business based on the people who work for me, the customers who depend on me, and the communities who rely on me. I've always held the firm belief that people come first in business and profits follow. Donald Trump runs his business the other way around. As much as the possibility of a Trump presidency concerns me, I also fear that Trump's campaign might feed an impression that those with business school training and business experience are incapable of elevated political debate and successful governing. Advertisement That would be unfortunate. Business training and experience should be good preparation for a candidate and an elected official. Business school exposes students to best practices in budgeting, marketing, and entrepreneurship, which are important for political campaigning and governing. Working with rigorous analytical tools trains us to integrate different types of information and to make multiple complex decisions, an essential part of political leadership. In retail, we have a laser-like focus on the consumer, an orientation particularly useful for governing in a democracy. Donald Trump's campaign for President is completely antithetical to what we learned at Wharton and what our successful alumni practice in business. The incivility of Trump's campaign exacerbates some of the worst stereotypes of business education and practice. Wharton students are taught to find solutions that actually work, not just ones that sound good. The best solutions create win-win results in which care is taken to ensure that each party in a dispute is satisfied with the outcome. This contrasts sharply with the rhetoric Trump uses to excite his followers. Treating competitors humanely is more likely to result in successful negotiations than calling opponents "bums" and "losers" or making misogynist statements about women or disparaging and threatening comments about entire ethnicities, religions or groups of people. In business, you don't gain customers by insulting them, and you don't make deals by bullying your potential partners. Advertisement His proposals also feed the caricature of business leaders as heartless automatons who care only about profits and mathematical models. It is true that Wharton students then and now are expected to have a deep understanding of finance and quantitative management tools. However, it is simply wrong to assume Wharton students are taught to follow data blindly. My Wharton training taught me that quantitative tools are just that -- tools -- and do not replace values and emotions in decision making. Good business leaders who care about their profits should learn a very different lesson from history than what Trump is teaching. In the United States, economic prosperity was created and has been sustained by leaders who developed effective tax codes, education plans, infrastructure, health care, and housing that support an innovative and consuming middle class. Business leaders benefit from mutually reciprocal economic growth. And lest we forget, much of our economic growth has been fueled by immigration. Indeed, immigrants and their children started 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies. Trump is one of many who fail to see the benefit of promoting economic prosperity for everyone, not just for themselves. Contrary to Trump's claim that his tax plan would be most beneficial to the poor and middle class, both conservative and progressive analysts conclude that most of the benefits would fall to the wealthiest households. In the process, Trump's plan would add $9-10 trillion to the public balance sheet over ten years. That's a lousy business plan, and it would be disastrous for this country. If Trump were true to his business school training, he would know that "Making America Great Again" is a slogan, not serious plan, and that his half-baked proposals would only aggravate existing problems rather than achieve some imagined view of "greatness." As scholars at Wharton and other social scientists repeatedly demonstrate, income inequality, overly restrictive immigration policy, and rapidly accelerating national debt only undermine long-term economic growth. Apparently for the first time ever, the U.S. Supreme Court last night, by a 5-4 vote, blocked a federal regulation from taking effect while that rule was still up for review in a federal appeals court. The unprecedented maneuver by the Court's five-Justice conservative majority stays implementation of the Obama Administration's Clean Power Plan. That rule, issued last August by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, directs states to significantly scale back emissions of greenhouse gases from electric power plants. The regulation, a centerpiece of President Obama's strategy to fight global warming and toxic pollution, would push utilities away from coal and toward alternative sources of energy. Chief Justice Roberts, joined by Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito, voted to halt the regulation. Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan opposed that decision. Advertisement Last month, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington unanimously rejected the plea of 29 states and a large group of energy companies to delay the rule pending that court's final decision. The appeals court, though, had agreed to prioritize the case on its docket and hear arguments on June 2. Not satisfied with that expedited schedule, the five Justices reached down and took sides in a regulatory dispute that a lower court was still considering. That just hasn't happened before. Big energy companies, who continue to put their profit targets ahead of the urgency of finding a solution to catastrophic climate change, could not contain their glee. "There's a lot of people who are celebrating," Jeff Holmstead, an industry lawyer at Bracewell & Giuliani told the New York Times. I hope these lawyers, lobbyists, and energy CEOs enjoyed their oysters last night, because if they prevail in this matter, there may not be many left soon. Advertisement Scores of lawyers paid by the energy industries, ranging from Holmstead's firm, which includes former New York mayor Rudolph Guiliani, to Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe, who mentored law student Barack Obama, have filed briefs telling the courts to delay and invalidate the Clean Power Plan. Had the Supreme Court not acted, each state would have been required to provide the EPA by September 6 a plan to comply with the regulations, or to request a two-year extension. The rule requires lower emissions starting in 2022, with further gradual reductions through 2030. In considering a temporary stay pending the outcome of a lawsuit, a court is required to weigh both (1) the likelihood that the parties who sued will win the case and (2) the balance of harms of ruling one way or the other on a stay until the case is resolved. Since the harm in delaying the rule here was the slowing of efforts to stop global climate change, just as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that 2015 was by far the hottest year on record, versus requiring the states to submit plans and the energy industries to do some planning themselves, the plaintiffs didn't have a particularly strong argument. So it seems there's a good chance that the five-Justice majority, which is generally skeptical of efforts to regulate business, just doesn't like the Clean Power Plan on its merits. Those same Justices, all Republican appointees, last year joined forces to reject, also by a 5-4 vote, an Obama EPA rule limiting mercury and other toxic emissions from power plants. The Court sent that rule back to the D.C. appeals court for further consideration of whether the EPA had adequately considered the economic costs of the rule. Once the Court of Appeals is done with the case, the Supreme Court could similarly send this rule back for more explanation or fine-tuning, perhaps dooming it if Obama's successor does not share his concerns about climate change. As Joe Romm of ThinkProgress has explained, derailing the rule as onerously constructed is unwarranted; as Bush EPA head Christine Todd Whitman told Romm, the rule gives states and utilities broad flexibility to meet its standards. Advertisement The Court alternatively could decide that the EPA doesn't have the authority at all to regulate power plants in this way, but that would fly in the face of previous decisions. All of this legal resistance by some states and sectors of the energy industry fly in the face of market realities: The coal industry is in sharp decline, and smart, foresighted energy companies were already preparing for a shift to more renewable energy. Still, if the courts ultimately reject the power plant rule, that could jeopardize progress on the global climate change deal reached last December in Paris. Which is what the big energy companies fueling the legal challenge are, of course, hoping. With this Supreme Court lineup in place, they may get their well-financed wish. A South Korean university student wearing a mask depicting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un participates in a rally against North Korea's announcement that it had tested a hydrogen bomb in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. North Korea's declaration that it had tested a hydrogen bomb for the first time was greeted with widespread condemnation - but also skepticism - as world powers vowed Wednesday to punish the impoverished and defiant nation with new international sanctions. The banners read " We denounce North Korea' nuclear test." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) Under the Obama administration, U.S. policy toward North Korea largely has devolved into the president sitting in the Oval Office, closing his eyes, and hoping the nuclear monsters will go away. Alas, it hasn't worked. Pyongyang has staged its 4th nuclear test and another rocket/missile launch, and may well be working on a hydrogen bomb. After the tests President Barack Obama seemed to close his eyes and hope that Beijing will make the nuclear monsters go away. Alas, that isn't likely to work either. Without a change in approach, a nuclear North is here to stay. Announced North Korea's Foreign Ministry: "The U.S. should be accustomed to the status of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state whether it likes it or not." Advertisement The administration's frustration in dealing with the North is understandable. Nothing seems to have worked. The latest member of the ruling Kim dynasty is unlikely to abandon his nation's nuclear pretensions. In fact, the nuclear test came amid evidence of warming ties with the People's Republic of China and reports of a possible invitation to Kim Jong-un to visit Beijing. Evidently Pyongyang cares no more about its ally's than America's opinion on the issue. North Korea remains the land of no good options. Two decades ago Defense Secretary Ashton Carter helped prepare plans for striking the North's nuclear facilities. However, triggering the Second Korean War would be a poor legacy for President Obama. Washington is pressing the UN Security Council to approve additional sanctions; the House has passed legislation to impose additional unilateral economic penalties. But the Kims never have let their people's suffering influence policy, the North's economy remains largely isolated except for trade with China, and so far Beijing, though professing to support a "necessary response" by the UN, has refused to apply sufficient pressure to threaten the Kim regime's survival. If the PRC did so the U.S., its allies South Korea and Japan, and China all might regret getting what they wished for. An abrupt and violent regime collapse could yield civil disorder, factional combat, loose nukes, and refugee tides. The consequences would overflow the DPRK's boundaries. Advertisement That could lead to Chinese military intervention to stabilize a new, pro-PRC government in Pyongyang. Then the Republic of Korea would face a renewed and likely permanent division of the peninsula. The administration could continue its "close one's eyes and hope for the best" approach. Yet that almost certainly means continued North Korean development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. Including eventual development of submarine-launched missiles and hydrogen bombs. Even more could be in store so long as Pyongyang subordinates its people's welfare to weapons development. The only other alternative? What Beijing has advocated all along: engagement with the North. Obviously, there's no guarantee that this approach will work either. Nevertheless, it offers what the North most wants -- direct contact with America. The Obama administration's insistence that Pyongyang take steps toward denuclearization first is a non-starter. Talking will be necessary before any concessions can be gained. Negotiations also seem essential to winning greater Chinese support in dealing with the DPRK. In Beijing's view the U.S. is responsible for creating a hostile security environment for the North. Indeed, after recent administration criticism of the PRC's policy toward North Korea, the Chinese Foreign Ministry insisted that China was neither the cause nor the solution to the crisis on the peninsula. Understandably, the PRC is unlikely to risk its political and economic position in the North as well as the ill consequences of a North Korean implosion if Washington does not do its part. Although Beijing does not want a nuclear North, so far stability appears more important than denuclearization on the Korean peninsula. Advertisement Moreover, negotiations offer the opportunity to resolve subsidiary issues and improve security even short of achieving full denuclearization. There's no particular reason to believe that the Kim regime ever will agree to abandon nuclear weapons which have delivered prestige, deterred attack, and enabled extortion. But there may be opportunities to cap the nuclear program and limit missile development. Perhaps there are trade-offs to be made between military exercises in the South and advanced positioning of military units in the North. Or something else. An ongoing dialogue, no matter how limited, offers additional opportunities. If Pyongyang is ever going to talk about human rights, it will do so only after it feels more secure. If there is any hope for evolutionary change within the North, such a process will be advanced by greater cultural and economic cooperation. Nor should the Obama administration leave the problem for the next president. If so, Pyongyang will be another year along in its nuclear development. China will have spent another year blaming America more than North Korea. South Korea will be another year toward its next presidential election, discouraging action by Seoul. Moreover, a Republican successor to Obama -- certainly as possible as not -- would be less inclined to give diplomacy a chance. At least the new GOP president might choose prudence over rhetoric if a negotiating process was underway. However, almost all of the Republican candidates, and all of the leading contenders at present, seem reluctant to appear "weak" by doing anything other than attempting to dictate to America's foes. Which would be a bust in dealing with both the DPRK and China. North Korea's latest nuclear and missile tests are bad news, though hardly a surprise. Indeed, they probably are the inevitable outcome of a policy which continues to confront Pyongyang militarily without engaging it diplomatically. If Washington wants a different result, it will have to employ a different approach. Which means engagement. Advertisement In California, this month is particularly poignant for the homecare providers of the United Domestic Workers of America (UDW). On February 1, all of the state's nearly 400,000 In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers became eligible to earn overtime pay and other basic labor protections for the first time in history. This victory for homecare workers was the result of a long-fought, uphill battle for dignity and respect by a workforce comprised primarily of women of color, many of whom are Black, so it seemed fitting that it coincided with the onset of Black History Month. But that's not where the connection between our workers and Black history ends. In 1938, when the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) became law, it established a nationwide minimum wage, overtime pay, and other vital protections for all working Americans--except homecare providers, other domestic workers, and farmworkers. Advertisement Imagine the landscape of this country in 1938--slavery was abolished just 75 years prior, and southern Jim Crow laws condoned a culture of racist violence and discrimination against Black Americans that left many in poverty or worse. At this time, African-American women were excluded from most occupations with the exception of domestic service, a workforce where they were the majority. Black women cared for the homes and families of their employers - as nannies, cooks, and caregivers - for far less than a livable wage or fair working conditions. Because laws have a history of treating African-Americans unfairly, workers have long taken matters into their own hands. In 1934, the Domestic Workers Union lobbied state and federal governments for inclusion in labor laws, and provided workers with contracts that stipulated wage and hour requirements. In the 1970s, farmworkers and some domestic workers were finally included in the FLSA--but homecare workers were still left out. So in 2011, when President Barack Obama announced a new U.S. Department of Labor rule that would finally include homecare workers in the FLSA's overtime and minimum wage protections, UDW members got to work. After years of federal and state level attempts to stop us, homecare workers in California finally secured overtime pay late last year. This February 1st victory was the culmination of years of fighting for very basic rights and protections for homecare workers. So this Black History Month, UDW homecare workers will celebrate the righting of this historic wrong, but we will also continue our fight to overcome other racist practices like mass incarceration, economic inequality, and police brutality that continue to disproportionately affect African-Americans and other people of color, and negatively impact our communities. Advertisement Those of us in the labor movement cannot assume that as long as we can guarantee our workers wage and benefit increases that our job is done. Time and time again, we've heard the same problems and injustices echoed by low-wage workers and people of color throughout the state and country. Our members live in cities and states where unarmed black men are being killed by police, families are being torn apart without immigration reform and a much-needed pathway to citizenship, and children are living in worsening poverty. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote these words in 1963, but they are more relevant than ever. This is why we must march and rally alongside retail and fast food workers in the Fight For $15 to end economic inequality for all workers. Why we must pledge our support and then actively participate in movements like Black Lives Matter to demand reform of the laws and policies that continue to hurt African-Americans. Because your fight is my fight, and our issues are intersectional. So whether it's through the a culinary arts program that will give formerly incarcerated individuals access to new skill training, or union members standing with California Assemblymember Shirley Weber in Sacramento at a day of action in support of anti-racial profiling legislation, UDW will continue to work beyond homecare to improve our communities. We live in a world of misplaced priorities, a world in which 60 million girls are not in school. The majority of these girls are from poor communities and three quarters of them belong to ethnic, religious, linguistic, racial, or other minorities. Many of these girls experience unimaginable violence, but their resistance and will to change their situation is the focus of my interest. As many of us prepare to mark V-Day, a global day to confront violence against women and girls, it's a moment to reflect on how we can support bold and courageous girls resisting violence. A critical part of the answer is making sure that strong local women's organizations exist to give such girls voice and support. Today in Malawi, girls are speaking up for themselves and claiming their rights to education, human rights, and freedom from violence. They are rejecting child marriage as a violation of their human rights. They are girls like Memory Banda who refused to follow the path of her sister, who was forced into early marriage and pregnant at the age of 11. Memory was empowered by a local women's rights organization and Global Fund for Women grantee partner, Girls Empowerment Network-Malawi (GENET), to resist the discrimination against girls that is perpetuated by culture and enhanced by poverty. Her inspiring work was critical in getting the legal age of marriage in Malawi changed from 15 to 18--a change to law that also made primary school compulsory. Memory's TED Talk helped amplify the issues confronting girls in many communities around the world. Advertisement Chitera--where Memory is from--was a typical, traditional, poor, rural community in southern Malawi. Parents often took their daughters out of school, sometimes as early as age nine, and forced them to marry older men in order to relieve the financial burden on the family. The community reported high rates of death among girls who became pregnant after forced marriages or rape. But the tireless interventions of local girls like Memory and women-led groups, like GENET have now transformed society. With funding and advocacy support from Global Fund for Women, and skills-building support from Let Girls Lead, GENET built the capacity of an inspiring girls' movement in Chitera, which rejected child marriage. Girls, parents, traditional leaders, religious leaders, and government officials are now collaborating to bring about change. School enrollment has increased by over 50 percent since 2011. Girls like Memory and like Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai have become powerful advocates for girls' education and ending child marriage. Change is scaled when it translates into laws that protect millions of women and girls, and when communities change their thinking on issues that they have taken for granted. Advertisement Global Fund for Women partners with bold women's human rights organizations which are driving change in their communities. Memory's story and the work of GENET is evidence that women's groups hold the key to changing lives and communities, and driving gender equality more broadly. The women we support are challenging the status quo in communities that tell a girl that because she's born female, she shouldn't pursue education; she shouldn't speak out if she's a victim of violence; that a woman shouldn't sit in on community meetings, her opinion is not important; her presence is not needed in Parliament or to broker peace accords; that women and girls should be limited to domestic chores. V- Day is about women's resistance. Every single day and in every country, women are breaking the silence on their oppression and violence. Women and women's groups are working tirelessly to end violence in all of its ugly forms and making incredible progress--from laws against domestic violence and female genital mutilation, to changing the attitudes of local men and religious and community leaders. Girls are saying no to forced marriage and demanding their rights to an education, health care, and human rights for themselves and their communities and families. Women's groups are encouraging girls like Memory to shatter the silence and share their stories. Every year, hundreds of thousands of family and friends bury loved ones because of the ongoing opioid overdose crisis happening across the Unites States-- a crisis that could have been largely prevented. Researchers and health professionals link today's predicament to the explosion of opioid prescriptions in the 1990s when there was an increased prescription drug usage of medications to treat pain like OxyContin and from youth experimentation. Now, as awareness of this problem surfaces, prescription opioids become harder to access, leading addicts to turn to heroin, which is often cheaper and more readily available. But the origins of this crisis began long before the 1990's. It existed relatively unaddressed within communities of color for at least 20 years prior with little response by way of government support or resources. Perhaps our biggest drug policy reform failures stem from the historic, unrelenting structural racism inherent in the way our nation responds to the drugs crisis. Today, there are national and statewide taskforces with millions of dollars allocated to address and eradicate the "heroin and opiate" epidemic ravaging the middle and upper classes. Just this week, President Obama proposed $1.1 billion to combat the problem. Advertisement Blacks and Latinos stand by, watching as public health officials rush to bring an abundance of resources in to help predominantly White communities, but we haven't forgotten how a similar amount of money was allocated to helping the police rush into our neighborhoods-- not to help those of us dying from drug use-- but to arrest or remove unsightly Black "junkies" from the public streets. The outpouring of sympathy we are seeing for the loss of White lives is and has been utterly absent for the Black and Brown lives lost due to drug overdoses. If we had allotted a fraction of the care and capital in the 1970s to those in the Black and Latino communities struggling with addiction, we may not have the opioid epidemic we do now. Naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug, is being offered over the counter in pharmacies across the country. It has sparked an increase in public education and awareness, which started after accidental overdose deaths passed vehicular deaths. But why did it take so long for this shift to happen? One reason is that the people who were dying of heroin, for the most part, were perceived to be poor Blacks and Latinos. And this largely unaddressed crisis is just more evidence that in the U.S., Black lives do not matter. If Black lives mattered, our government would not have tolerated a decades-long defeat in the war against drugs. If Black lives mattered, Naloxone would have been available in every urban, health clinic starting in the 1970s. If Black lives mattered, today's overdose crisis would be ameliorated by decades of public health policies focused on reducing stigma and promoting treatment over punishment. Structural and institutional racism uplifts Whiteness and does so at a steep cost to those who are its intended targets. It is precisely because Black lives didn't matter for decades that White upper middle class people are dying in staggering numbers today. It's time to seriously take the call to honor Black lives because when our lives matter, everyone benefits, including Whites. Advertisement How do you go from dishwasher to Grammy nominee? Over some late, late snacks (AKA breakfast) at his Silver Lake, Los Angeles recording studio, Grammy-nominated producer and founder of the group Wallpaper., Ricky Reed, talks about focusing on joy on the most recent episode of The Dinner Party with Elysabeth Alfano. Ricky and I also dish on the making of a hit record and the key ingredient for producing for such varied artists as Jason Derulo, Bomba Estereo, Twenty One Pilots and Meghan Trainor. Adding more excitement to our snack-chat, Reed is up for his first Grammy Award on Monday night. Enjoy this podcast with the prolific producer, Ricky Reed. More info on the artist is below. Advertisement Photo Credit: Ryan Murray Over the past two years, Ricky Reed has become one of the music industry's go-to songwriters and producers, thanks to his scoring of a string of hits with Jason Derulo, such as, Get Ugly, the four-time platinum hit, Talk Dirty, and two-time platinum single, Wiggle. In addition, Ricky has produced smash songs with numerous other groups in the pop and urban music worlds, such as the platinum hit, Fireball with the band Pitbull, Boss with Fifth Harmony, Burning Up with Jessie J, Emergency with the Swedish female group Icona Pop, Headlights with Robin Schulz, and most recently the Bills EP with newcomer Lunch Money Lewis. Ricky is also working with the newly minted chart-toppers Twenty One Pilots. He executive-produced the duo's number-one album Blurryface and produced eight of its fourteen tracks, including Tear on My Heart and Ride. He also produced Meghan Trainor's new single No and executive-produced her forthcoming album. A San Francisco native, Ricky has also expanded beyond the pop and urban music worlds. He has proven his breadth and versatility by working with Colombian electro-folk band Bomba Estereo, whose new album Amanecer is up for a Grammy in the category of Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album. Ricky is a musician himself. In college at U.C. Berkeley, he formed his first real band, Facing New York, which toured across the U.S., Europe, and Japan. While recording their first album, which Reed describes as "this very heavy handed opus," Reed felt the urge to blow off some steam with a lighter-hearted project and his band Wallpaper. was born. Fusing hip-hop, pop, and dance music with pointed, often satirical lyrics, Wallpaper. released an independent album, Doodoo Face, and three EP's, including #STUPiDFACEDD, which spawned the hit title track, and Fucking Best Song Everrr before signing with Epic Records and releasing 2013's Ricky Reed is Real. In a news release, officials said Andrew Joseph Alemao, 28, was observed throwing tomatoes at Trump, the real estate mogul and front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. Alemao has been charged with disorderly conduct, a simple misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $625 or 30 days in prison. He is currently being held in the Johnson County Jail. He was taken into custody by the Secret Service and the UIPD after throwing the tomatoes, the release said. Trump was in Iowa City less than a week before the Iowa caucuses. He drew more than 1,000 people to his rally in the UI Field House, including a number of protesters who repeatedly interrupted the event. Cambodian press and some environmental groups have largely viewed the national government's creation of a committee to curb an illegal wood trade as a sign of real progress. But upon closer inspection, the federal crackdown may be more of a shakedown. By Kerstin Canby and Will Tucker. Adapted from Forest Trends's Viewpoints blog --- Last month, Cambodia's prime minister created a national committee charged with curbing illegal wood trade on the country's eastern border with Vietnam, and the government and military conducted raids to seize illicit timber and investigate high-profile business leaders allegedly involved in the trade. The Cambodian press was quick to describe the move as a "crackdown" and some environmentalists hailed it as a "good first step" toward curtailing illegal logging. But after almost a month doubts are being raised about the true purpose and likely impact of the campaign. A few well-connected businessmen are benefiting tremendously from the crackdown, while only a small number of low-level people involved in the illegal activities have been arrested. Advertisement At first glance it might appear that the Cambodian government is taking a principled stand on forest protection. Revelations that timber exports to Vietnam, alone, reached US $386 million in 2015 -- 50% higher than the previous year -- were made more shocking by evidence that this trade was mostly illegal and largely targeted at the country's rarest and most endangered wood species. But observers familiar with the situation insist that the campaign's real motives can be traced to simmering rivalries and jostling among the most influential players in Cambodia's logging sector. It appears likely that this latest effort to disrupt illegal logging, though highly publicized, represents less of a "crackdown" and more of a "shakedown." The whole episode might be no more than the latest turf war between Cambodia's biggest logging cartels to re-negotiate how the fruits of illegal trade get divvied up. Despite a 1995 ban, logging continues in Cambodia on land designated for agriculture (Anonymous / Forest Trends) Advertisement One cause for skepticism is a 2014 agreement that grants Try Pheap -- logging baron and previous personal adviser to the prime minister -- the exclusive right to buy up wood confiscated by the Cambodian government at below-market prices. Obviously, any scenario in which illegal logs end up simply changing hands from one tycoon to another would remove any illusion of protecting the forests, and would rob the government of much needed revenues. Environmentalists in Cambodia have for years expressed concern about ties between the country's most prominent logging bosses and Prime Minister Hun Sen. In 2007, when the NGO Global Witness published a report entitled "Cambodia's Family Trees: Illegal logging and the stripping of public assets," the government responded by ordering all copies of the report seized and destroyed. (It had already banned the organization from entering Cambodia after a 2005 report questioned the prime minister's connections to logging.) As recently as November 2015, the prime minister went to bat for Try Pheap and another tycoon when he publicly denied allegations that the two had illegally logged in a national park along Cambodias borders with Vietnam and Laos. And soon after the government began its new campaign, The Cambodia Daily reported that one Facebook user found himself embroiled in a defamation lawsuit after posting allegations that the Hun family was complicit in the illicit wood trade. Another reason to remain wary is the lack of information emerging from these high-profile military raids. Weeks after the formation of the illegal logging committee, we've yet to see any official statement about the outcome of the crackdown -- what was confiscated and where. As one skeptical lawmaker put it, "The crackdown is like a storm. It will last only a short period of time and [then] be gone." Unfortunately, that prophecy seems to be coming true. Latest reports indicate that the raids have yielded only "a handful of low-level arrests." "[Environmental protection groups] say past crackdowns announced by the government have done little, if anything, to curb the trade and remain skeptical that the latest drive will prove different," noted The Cambodia Daily. Advertisement Forests covered almost 60% of Cambodia in 2010, but that number is shrinking ("Conversion Timber, Forest Monitoring, and Land-Use Governance in Cambodia") Misgivings about whether illegal actors would be held accountable were reinforced in recent weeks, when stockpiles of timber in an eastern province were burned in a suspected attempt to destroy evidence of wrongdoing. The Phnom Penh Post cited accusations by local residents linking the wood to businessman Seong Sam Ol, whom the government has reportedly identified as a primary target of the crackdown. Elsewhere along the Vietnam border, authorities were reluctant to point fingers after locals twice uncovered hidden caches of high-value logs buried on property owned by another wealthy trader. The fact that this latest campaign does explicitly target at least some of the most powerful of the tycoons -- a privileged class regarded by many as "untouchable" -- is what sets this episode apart from similar spectacles in the past. The crackdown might reveal an escalation of infighting within that group. But don't be surprised if, in the end, it's the smaller loggers and low-level actors who get caught up in the dragnet, while the big players are left alone to consolidate their monopoly on the illicit trade and renegotiate the balance of power. Previous "crackdowns" that followed that pattern have failed to produce meaningful results. One thing is certain: We won't see real change until the true orchestrators of illegal logging are held accountable. As long as these high-level culprits continue to operate in the sector, Southeast Asia's most precious forests remain under imminent threat, and any sustainable forest management or protected area scheme is bound to fail. --- Kerstin Canby is the Director of the Forest Trade and Finance program at Forest Trends, where she oversees the REDDX Initiative as well as the Forest Law and Governance workprogram. She can be reached at kcanby@forest-trends.org. Advertisement I have not agreed with Raila Odinga on all his policy positions: I did not agree with his support for Operation Linda Nchi, which in retrospect has proven to be the epitome of a phantasm of Kenyan power play in East Africa. I did not agree with his signing of the peace accord in 2008, and the subsequent coalition government because I was alive in 2002 and saw the disintegration of the NARC government. I do not agree with the continued shambolic manner in which the Orange Democratic Movement conducts its bureaucratic affairs; it is not only a recipe for loss in the general election, it also makes it practically impossible to consolidate the backing of the rest of the country in uniting to combat ethnic tyrants of Jubilee. But I also know that despite the failings of dogma around Raila, despite the failure of strategy and the image management disaster that plagues his crusade after 2007, the son of Jaramogi remains an enigma in Kenyan politics. I know too that policy is immaterial without a political vehicle, and that even at the success of the one, the other can render any successive progress superfluous. This was the lesson of 2002, and of 2007; this is the lesson Raila must tap into in 2017. Let me explain. Advertisement A cursory look into Kenyan politics from 1992 would make it seem like the Kenyan opposition in general, and Raila Odinga in particular, are held to higher standards of peace-building and democracy than the prevailing government. In 2007, when the whole world joined in condemnation of Mwai Kibaki and an obviously rigged election, the discourse centered on the opposition giving up their democratic contestation for the peace of Kenya. This was regardless of the fact that ODM and affiliate parties were not engaged in a unilateral contest, and that it was in fact the PNU government that had unleashed state machinery against innocent Kenyans. This attitude of the onus for peace was also seen in 2013. Following the 2007 violence, the media engaged in massive self-censorship, international organizations kept silent on obvious irregularities and Kenyans added their silence to the trial of a democratic process. It was again left to Raila and the CORD coalition to seek out redress of the judiciary in order to maintain the peace; it was the opposition that had to pacify its electoral strongholds and avoid violence; it was the CORD coalition that had to be the guardian of Kenyan amity, and eat the humble pie while madcaps like Aden Duale insulted their mothers at every turn. In 2017, Raila, and any supporter of his who knows this history must not allow themselves to be styled a custodian of national unity, nor a sentinel of Kenyan peace. Raila Odinga is also a political entity with interests and ambitions, and must begin acting like it. If the empty-headedness of Aden Duale is to stop, if the Moses Kurias of this world are to hold their tongues for a political legend, power must be projected. So, Lesson 1 of 2017: CORD, must not rationalize spinelessness into patriotism. Secondly, whatever political strategy the CORD spin room has in mind, it must not be small enough to be dependent on the mercy of a Kenyan media fraternity that would rather have a false peace than liberty. I assume Raila Odinga knows the potency of the international lobbying that the Jubilee government has engaged in during the first term. It is known too that Muigai Kenyatta has expended great resources pandering to the western world in attempt to match Raila's perceived stature as an international figure. For these twin reasons, we know the international community has the influence to talk the Kenyan media into the same peaceful nonsense that lulled Kenyans into a deceptive peace in 2013. Advertisement If the information and freedom of agency that enlightens a democratic contest is not freely availed in an elective context, then the media fraternity has become irrelevant to the seeking of democracy in a country. This is Kenya today. In any event, the Jubilee government is obviously keen on cutting on the rights of any source of information it cannot control, or simply jailing those it does not understand. Raila's team must capitalize both on the unpreparedness and the media bias that permeates Kenya at the moment. You don't need a magic wand to know that Jubilee's online machinery is so effective that media houses resort to State House for the content of the news they share. Newspapers merely go to Muigai's Facebook page for images for its papers and online sites. Lesson 2 of 2017: The media is well intentioned, and the opposition has supported their fight for civil rights multiple times, bailed them out from jail and stood by them in courts of law; but thinking them an ally is imprudent. The media has no ally or enemy, just business to make. Third, Raila must treat hysteric sideshows for what they are. William Ruto, Aden Duale and their ilk are dullards who reason only on hateful rhetoric, if at all, and any political cognizance given to them is wasted time. The Jubilee government has shamelessly employed the benefits of tenderpreneurs, ghost workers and scandal after another to ready their war chest for the 2017 election. On his part, Raila must make it clear to his lieutenants on the ground: his governors, senators, women representatives, members of parliament, and ward representatives, that if indeed the right to rule descends from the people, then the people must contribute to the kind of democracy they want to see. Once he has ignored the "peaceful opposition" tag I mentioned above, Raila's team must scour every coin it can to match the billions pillaged by the regime; law and lawlessness are immaterial in a country where Supreme Court justices are investigated for corruption. If, in the last two elections Raila has "lost in peace," he has also earned both the right and the experience to employ whatever means there be to secure State House, especially those employed by his opponents in the last 10 years (Of course nobody should worry if all wins from 2007 have been legitimate). Raila must send Orengo, Junet and the brigade after the irrelevant simpletons pointed at him by the Jubilee mechanists. Hence, Lesson 3 of 2017: Duale, Kindiki, Ruto and anyone who is of no realistic threat to Raila must be treated as such. Raila must not play with children if he does not want a muddy smear. Advertisement Not surprisingly, Geneva III talks were suspended. The United States Secretary of State John Kerry put the onus for the suspension on the opposition's shoulders. Kerry appears to believe that the Russian-regime military campaign that was ongoing during the short-lived talks and has only intensified since then, killing scores of people and driving tens of thousands out of their homes to seek refuge in Turkey, was a predictable outcome of this suspension that will "decimate" the opposition. If these statements aren't morally bankrupt, they are at best an attempt to evade the responsibility for the ongoing carnage in Syria. Geneva III talks didn't fail to progress because of the opposition's intransigence. There were structural factors at play that hindered the talks from the start. Moreover, the run up to the talks has revealed the true nature of the Syrian crisis and the international community's response to it. Advertisement The main motivation behind Geneva III was to get a deal - irrespective of whether this deal was fair and sustainable. Hypothetically, major international and regional powers can exert pressure particularly on the opposition, which is the weaker side, to force them to accept a "political" deal. This logic overlooks the fact that a political deal can only be sustainable if it is also sociologically supported. It is relatively easier to attain an elite level political deal. But it is much harder to acquire the sociological acceptance. The key to turn a political solution into a sociological one as well is legitimacy. The extent of the legitimacy that the deal has in the eyes of the ordinary people will determine the sustainability of a political deal. Yhis is exactly where the international community, consciously or inadvertently, lost sight of the matter in the last theatre of Geneva talks. By forcing the weaker side, the opposition, to give up on their preconditions and to lower their expectations, the international community thought that it could get a deal. However, this approach will actually have a reverse effect. This approach will rob the opposition of any legitimacy that they have in the eyes of their people, given that they will have failed to represent their people's aspirations and demands. Advertisement It is understandable as to why the regime would want to bring about such an eventuality. In the end, the Assad regime was never one that ruled by consent. Instead, it is a regime that rules by brute force. It strives to "tame" its people's political demands by increasing the level of tragedy and brutality that it inflicts on them. The fact that the regime and Russia intensified its military campaigns while going to Geneva supposedly to seek a political solution, proves that they were trying to reduce the legitimacy of the opposition in the eyes of Syrian people by creating friction within the opposition block and to make it appear to have failed even to attain its minimal preconditions for talks. As such, with the military campaign, the regime essentially targets the legitimacy and uniformity of the opposition. US seeks a settlement at any cost This approach and mentality are the root causes of the Syrian crisis, hence should be rejected by the international community. Any lasting solution in Syria requires an opposition with a high level of legitimacy and a high degree of representative power. Hence, international community should strive to help the opposition to maintain its legitimacy and protect its unity. Only an opposition of that kind will have the power to cut a deal and execute it. Since Geneva I, we have witnessed two trends. On the one hand, the distance between the major international stakeholders of the conflict, namely the United States and Russia, has shrunk. The United States has moved towards the Russian formula. It gives the impression that it prioritises the process over the result, and seeks a settlement at any cost. Russia, by contrast, has its own policies and priorities, and is willing to put resources and apply force to protect them. This partially accounts for the American move towards the Russian position. On the other hand, the divergence between regional stakeholders - Iran, Hezbollah, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar - in the conflict has widened. This makes this conflict extremely perilous. Pro-opposition regional parties, feeling that they have been left on their own, might choose to pursue a dangerous path. The US particularly needs to take heed of its allies' disillusionment and sense of frustration. Otherwise, this gulf between the regional countries on the settlement of the crisis will be a major impediment against bringing the talks to fruition. Advertisement Another major impediment in this process is the gap in the political psychologies of the regime and opposition. Pressured and threatened by its regional and international supporters to attend the conference, and squeezed and bombed by the Russians and regime on the ground, the opposition went to Geneva with a significantly weakened political psychology. On the other hand, buttressed by the Iranian/Hezbollah/Russian military campaign, and granted further international legitimacy, the regime went to the talks in an upbeat mood. This gulf in their respective political psychologies reduces the regime's appetite for any concessions and the opposition's belief in any political settlement. This needs to be addressed as any political process should start with establishing some kind of balance in political psychology. This requires a firm position on the part of the opposition's regional and international supporters in aiding the opposition by pressuring the regime and Russia to halt the military assaults while the talks are scheduled and ongoing. The noted abolitionist Lydia Maria Child famously said: "Law is not law, if it violates the principles of eternal justice." For more than eighty years after its founding, and for all of the colonial era that preceded it, the governing documents and philosophies of this land officially condoned a practice that directly contradicted those principles. I am not going to attempt to tackle the complicated, and likely impossible, question of the range of actions our country might take to annul the sins of our past or to address the extraordinary damage they have done through our present. Advertisement But one thing we can and must do is to issue a formal apology for slavery, because it's not enough to simply know that slavery existed. Today, I signed a joint resolution passed by our General Assembly to have Delaware officially deplore, and apologize for, the reprehensible actions of generations past, because it is essential that we publicly, candidly, and wholly recognize the everlasting damage of those sins. It's damage that reverberates widely to this day in a country where more than 150 years after the abolishment of slavery, and decades after the official end of the Jim Crow era, being black in Delaware and in America means your likelihood of success and prosperity is less than if you are white. The damage reverberates when we read that one out of every six black men who today should be between ages 25 and 54 have disappeared from daily life -- either because of early deaths or jail sentences. Advertisement It reverberates when we realize that the income gap between black and white households is roughly the same today as it was in 1970. It reverberates in the finding that whites born into good neighborhoods tend to remain in them and blacks are likely to fall out of them. It reverberates in schools where the achievement gap between white and black students persists and in overcrowded prisons where the number of African-American inmates tops 80 percent in some cities. For generations, our country denied and actively contested a basic fact of humanity: that nothing about the color of one's skin affects that person's innate rights to freedom and dignity. As we recognize those core values, we also admit that our history of discrimination, degradation, and depravation is a direct cause of many of the challenges we face 150 years after the ratification of the 13th amendment. This resolution does more than write a footnote into history books that describe the atrocious conditions that some Delawareans inflicted upon people of African descent. Advertisement It marks an important moment in owning up to our responsibility to fix the long legacy of damage that continues to result in inequality and unfair obstacles for countless citizens because of their race. That doesn't mean we know or have the ability to implement every possible solution, but we will certainly make more progress if we understand and affirm the full extent of our problems - because despite past severe injustices and despite many failed attempts to better serve disadvantaged communities, we can have faith in our state, and our nation. We can have faith in Martin Luther King's timeless axiom that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. I have faith when I see the passionate efforts of people from all background and viewpoints who work to address the needs of our inner-city students -- and when once-struggling schools now earn national honors. I have faith when I see parts of our prison populations decline and more people recognize that the appropriate method of corrections for some individuals can't be found in a jail cell. Advertisement And I have faith when we see diverse groups in our state rally to acknowledge and confront the continuing presence of discriminatory behavior. The great Maya Angelou eloquently said: "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again. Lift up your eyes upon the day breaking for you." Delawareans have a lot to be proud of in our history, but we also know that it is not perfect. I visit New York City often, primarily for business purposes but also when I'm in need of spontaneous adventure that can only be found in the Big Apple. Once, while strolling through Central Park, I watched the cast and crew of Law and Order film a pivotal scene. SPOILER ALERT: The bloody knife found behind the rock was NOT used in the murder. On another visit, I stumbled on a line of patrons outside Broadway's Nederlander Theatre. Upon learning that a small amount of $20 tickets were awarded during a daily lottery, I joined the cue. My number was the last drawn for that evening's performance of Rent. Advertisement Other times I have discovered not experiences, but tangible objects. A $20 bill dropped near a subway platform; a working iPhone whose owner I never was able to locate; a pair of expensive-looking sunglasses left in a diner. However, they could have easily been knockoffs sold by vendors along Canal Street. I'm no expert when it comes to fashionable eyewear. My point is that people in New York City do tend to drop stuff, oblivious to their loss as they continue their hectic journeys to wherever. I hope Martin Shkreli does exactly that with his day planner. Depending on your view, Shkreli, the former head of Turing Pharmaceuticals, is either the "pharma bad boy" or an intelligent, hardworking businessman unfairly portrayed by the media. Vilified for unapologetically jacking up the price of the antiparasitic drug Daraprim more than 5,000 percent, Shkreli recently smirked his way through a House Committee hearing, convened to investigate the price increase. Shkreli repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right, even declining to answer questions about his purchase of a singular Wu-Tang Clan album. Frustrated lawmakers eventually dismissed him. Stripped of his title of CEO at Turing and now free on bond after being charged with federal securities fraud, I can only imagine what Shkreli does all day. Hence my desire to see his daily schedule in writing, which I assume includes the following action items: 7:30 a.m. Start day with brief moment of awesome-ness by standing naked in front of bedroom mirror. 8:00 a.m. Put finishing touches on The Bachelor audition video. 8:45 a.m. Refresh Twitter account while standing in front of mirror again. High five reflection of self after confirming personal account has three times the followers of @congressdotgov. Advertisement 8:46 a.m. Tweet numbers to @congressdotgov. 10 a.m. Continue online learning in Berlitz virtual classroom. In multiple languages, repeatedly practice the phrase, "On the advice of counsel, I invoke my Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and respectfully decline to answer your question." 12 p.m. Commute from Brooklyn apartment to Manhattan on hoverboard. 1:30 p.m. Spot downtrodden, homeless person huddled in doorway politely asking for spare change. Briefly consider dropping $100 bill into cup. Reconsider. Roll right by. 1:45 p.m. Give $100 bill to random financial trader on Wall Street. 3 p.m. Nearly get side swiped by taxi while filming oneself riding through congested Manhattan street. 3:15 p.m. Vow to purchase all New York cab companies and jack up price of standard fare to $85 per mile. 4 p.m. Return to Brooklyn apartment. Check voicemail to see if Taylor Swift or Katy Perry called. 4:15 p.m. Refine smirk. 5 p.m. Call Federal Bureau of Prisons. Ask if, hypothetically speaking, a prisoner could have a Wu-Tang Clan album in his cell. Ask if, hypothetically speaking, the album could be bartered among fellow prisoners in exchange for promises not to assault its original owner on a daily basis. Advertisement 7:30 p.m. Order takeout from Taylor Swift's favorite restaurant. She could stop by. You never know. If you don't know who Turner is, you should. Turner served in the Ohio State Senate from 2008 to 2014. She made national news in 2012 when she introduced a men's reproductive health bill that would have required men to undergo psychological counseling before getting prescriptions for medications like Viagra... When you decided to support Sen. Sanders, did you catch any heat? "Oh, my god yes. I've had white Hillary supporters saying to me that I betrayed the Clintons and saying I'm not going to have a future in politics. I mean, they marked me for life, and I'm sitting back thinking: The Clintons never helped me to do a thing in my life, and all of a sudden they control my destiny? That was very condescending to me. "I had a white woman here in Ohio who supported my Secretary of State run in 2014. I'll never forget this. I was at a Planned Parenthood lecture a couple of months ago and she came up to me and said how disappointed she was in me. Very condescending. And I let her know that I really didn't care about her disappointment and I'm not on the plantation. That's exactly what I told her. "Then she said, 'After all we've done for you.' Now, see. That was it for me. I interpreted that as, 'After all we've done for you, Black girl, you owe us.' They would never say that to anyone else, but the fact you feel you can say that to a Black woman? I thought she was supporting me because I was the best candidate to be Secretary of State, because I was trying to protect access to the ballot box for all people -- not because you own me or I owe you." How important do you think it is to for Black women to turn out and vote this election season? "Black women are vitally important. We were the largest voting bloc in 2012, 29 million strong. Period. When Black women vote, we bring our families with us. It is vitally important to speak to the issues and the needs of Black women. I want to see my sisters take control and embrace their political powers. From the presidency down to the school board." "I always go back to the senator's policies: Increase the minimum wage and address the five types of violence against Black people. Black women have children. Black women have husbands. Black women have brothers. Black women have people that they love. So if the system is unjust, then it impacts Black women. And black women are being knocked over the head, too. And when you talk about 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, we're talking about Black moms, Black sisters, Black caregivers. If you had 30 seconds on primetime TV to pitch Bernie Sanders to America, what would you say? "I would say that people should cast their ballots for Sen. Bernie Sanders, because he has heart-and-soul agreement in terms of knowing this world is a much better place when all people are lifted." This week, President Hassan Rouhani will visit Europe, including France, his first trip since the implementation of Iran's nuclear deal. The two governments will focus on boosting economic ties, and Rouhani will seek to end years of Iran's isolation. But what is at stake for the Iranian people, and what should President Hollande be aware of when meeting with Rouhani? Rouhani left Iran just a few weeks before the parliamentary elections. Rouhani hopes that on the heels of the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions, his supporters would be able to participate in the elections, and then once elected into parliament, provide support for his policies. But Iran's powerful hardliner Guardian Council, supported by Iran's Supreme Leader, has brutally disqualified most of the reformist and moderate candidates, leaving no hope for the president's supporters to even participate, let alone gain a majority. If Rouhani fails to reverse this unequivocal ban, his success in achieving the nuclear deal will not translate into domestic reforms. Rouhani should ensure that the elections are free and fair. With just a few weeks left until the next parliamentary election, Rouhani faces a critical test: will he leverage the good will generated by the nuclear deal to finally deliver on his original campaign promise to bring about much needed human rights reforms? Advertisement The international community, and France in particular, can help. As a party to the agreement, a EU leader, and an important potential trade partner with Iran, France should leverage its standing and demand Rouhani prioritize human rights. Human rights violations in Iran are not going to end on their own. In 2015, Iran achieved a new low - the highest number of executions in a single year in 20 years - more than 960. Women are facing a wave of new potential legislation that would impact their access to work, education, and health. Most importantly, there is effectively no room to express dissent to these and other troubling policies. Take the case of 28-year-old Atena Faraghdani. Locked up in Evin Prison, she awaits an Appeals Court decision on her 12-year prison sentence for drawings she posted on Facebook mocking Iranian lawmakers for passing a law outlawing surgical contraception. The Revolutionary Guards has been aggressively arresting activists and critics. In November, the powerful security and military organization detained high profile journalist Issa Saharkhiz and three other journalists. Many commentators saw this move as an attempt by hardliners to take measures that would ensure the upcoming parliamentary election does not become an opportunity for critical voices to assert themselves. Hardliners fear candidates will get elected who would back Rouhani and push for human rights reforms. Indeed, just last week, Iran's Guardian Council disqualified an astonishing 99% of the reformist candidates among the more than 12,000 total candidates applying to run in this election. Rouahni has called these disqualifications illegal, but he must do more. Hollande should encourage Rouhani to use all the means at his disposal to make these elections as open and transparent as possible. Advertisement Transparency and cooperation should be key among France's demands. Over the past decade while the rest of the world was busy placing economic sanctions on Iran, Iranian authorities were in effect self-imposing civil and political sanctions on the country by increasingly cutting off relations with international human rights, development, and humanitarian bodies. In this regard, Hollande should remind Rouahni that Iran has a responsibility to work with United Nations human rights mechanisms, most importantly among them the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, who has never been permitted to visit the country - and therefore, not able to fully perform his job. This cooperation should extend to international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), none of which are currently allowed to visit the country. There are partners for reform within the Iranian government and civil society, and Rouhani must work to empower them. Just as Iran's oil industry needs the help of international experts and technology to get back up and running, Iran should welcome international assistance from the UN and others when it comes to human rights issues, as opposed to continuing its policy of hostility. By leveraging the post-deal excitement to encourage human rights reform, Hollande can broaden the scope of France's bilateral relationship with Iran beyond trade to ensure human rights principles to be ingrained in every aspect of the new relationship. With a more empowered, vibrant Iranian civil society, France's diplomatic and trade investments would be much more stable as a diversity of voices would be able to check the excesses of the most extreme and hardline political forces. This week in Paris, the meeting of the two presidents should help rebuild relations following the nuclear agreement. Many issues will surely be on the agenda. For the Iranian people, the question is clear: Will Rouhani's reconciliation with the EU lead to real protections for free expression, transparent elections, and increased cooperation with the UN and international organization? The answer to this question will depend on Rouhani's political will, which depends on whether France and the EU prioritize human rights in the new relationship. Advertisement (Photo by Heather Stumpf Popio) It started as a facebook status and it ended up in Huffington Post, the New York Times, and the London Mirror. This is what I learned from going viral. A couple weeks ago I wrote a Facebook status that I also shared on my blog. In a nutshell, my blog was about all the nasty feedback I've received being a normal-sized woman who is an actress in the theatre world. I went on to to demand a call to action for diversifying casting in theatre for different races, body types, genders, etc. Finally, I proclaimed that I will no longer change myself to conform to an industry ideal, because I'm happy with myself just the way I am. You can read the original blog here. This is what I learned... 1) DON'T PUT ANYTHING ON FACEBOOK THAT YOU DON'T WANT THE ENTIRE WORLD TO SEE. Everyone has always said this, and I never paid much attention. But I now know that this is very very true. PLEASE HEED MY WARNING! Is your post something you don't want your family to see? Your spouse? Your boss? Don't. Post. It. It doesn't matter how many privacy controls you have on it. I had my post extremely protected and it still went viral so quickly that I couldn't control it. My friends encouraged me to make it public because the topic was striking a chord with so many. So, I made it PUBLIC. After that, it spread like wildfire. My blog was getting hundreds of views per minute, thousands of views per hour. Everyone I've ever met started messaging me, texting me, emailing me, calling me, tagging me, sharing my post. I had to turn off my notifications to everything on my phone because it was BLOWING UP and I was getting really overwhelmed. Which leads me to... Advertisement 2) GOING VIRAL IS LIKE BEING ON DRUGS. For a couple days I tried to respond to everyone that was contacting me. I watched my website stats exploding. I would hit refresh every couple minutes and the amount of views kept spiking. It was unbelievable and so thrilling. In my personal life however, I could barely string two sentences together. I was so overstimulated. I got distracted by everything. I retreated from being social. I felt like I was in a hyperactive daze. Scientists have said that a "like" on facebook releases dopamine into our brains. It's that little rush of pleasure when someone "likes" your post. Imagine what thousands of "likes" an hour feels like. I've never done it, but I'm guessing it's what being on cocaine feels like. I had to retreat into my bedroom and hide under the covers for a few days until my heart stopped racing. 3) SUDDEN ATTENTION BRINGS OUT THE GOOD... In the midst of all of these stressors, I received the greatest show of support I've ever received in my life. Friends from all walks of life reconneced with me and said they were proud of me. Colleagues, mentors, family members, fellow actors, directors, casting directors, artistic directors, my fellow Navy veterans, and people I went to highschool with, all reached out to me and were so unbelievably supportive. The kindness of friends and strangers took my breath away. I was brought to tears by their own testimonies and their own experiences. I actually felt that for a moment, I was helping people and making the world the tiniest bit better. Advertisement 4) THE BAD... While the response was mostly positive, this kind of sudden attention also brings out the nasty side of people, even in friends. When I mentioned on Facebook that the attention I was getting was overwhelming, I was ridiculed by some. I heard I was "milking it for all it's worth." One of my friends made a good-natured Facebook status making fun of me, and a hundred people liked it. Many of those people are my friends. Some were there to laugh with me, but many were there to laugh AT me. I tried to take it all in stride. 5) ...AND THE UGLY. When a woman posts strong opinions online, the internet thinks she is fair game for abuse. It was so strange seeing pure strangers saying awful things about my intelligence, my talent, my body, and my agenda. Men were messaging me disgusting, derogatory, and explicitly sexual things and posting threatening messages on Facebook. 6) IT DOESN'T LAST. In this instant gratification society that we are living in, our attention span is very short. People will move on to the next viral sensation in a few days, if not a few hours. Make sure you're checking your filtered messages on Facebook. That's where I received messages about being interviewed, being on the radio, and participating in some podcasts. And this is my advice if your blog suddenly goes viral. PUT ADS ON YOUR SITE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I didn't do this right away, because it didn't cross my mind until a couple of days after my blog had already reached its peak of views, but if I had I could've made a little bit of money. And hey, I'm a starving artist. Every little bit helps A LOT. Overall, despite some nasty side effects, it really was a very positive and cool experience. If I had it to do again, I would stress about it a little less, I would not sit like a crazy person and hit refresh for a day watching blog stats spike. I would accept the positive feedback without second guessing it. Of course hindsight is 20/20. Going viral was never on my bucket list. It wasn't something I was striving for. It just happened, but I know how to deal with it all now. And if something like this ever happens again, I'll be ready. :-) Republican presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Jeb Bush speak during the Presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California on September 16, 2015. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump stepped into a campaign hornet's nest as his rivals collectively turned their sights on the billionaire in the party's second debate of the 2015. AFP PHOTO / FREDERIC J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) In our recent Bridging Differences conversation in Education Week, Deborah Meier points out that schools are ideal places for people to learn how to engage in debate, especially if they are diverse in race and ethnic history. I'd add partisanship. In much of education, Republicans are the "other." And for all the gestures toward weighing of evidence and the importance of diverse ideas, the politics of educators (especially in higher education) is often highly moralized, dividing the world between the righteous and the damned, the latter usually described as ignorant bigots. Of course this is part of a broader pattern as well. Advertisement Today people think "politics" is a kind of warfare, funded by the superrich, revolving around parties, politicians, and professionals as detached experts. Citizens need to reclaim politics as the way to negotiate differences to get something done and work out how to live together. This was politics descending from the Greeks, revolving around the people in their role as citizens. I like Wynton Marsalis' description of democracy as like jazz, in Ken Burn's "Jazz": "an argument with the intent to work something out." It is also a description of citizen-centered politics. How can we introduce children to citizen politics and its skills in our divided and demonizing world? And how can schools and classrooms be free spaces, sites for political education that builds democratic habits and democracy as a way of life? One method is teaching and spreading what are called "deliberative practices." There is a growing movement to teach deliberation and its political skills- learning to cool the heat, listen to other people with different perspectives, and incorporate different ideas in "public judgment" not only "private opinion." The Kettering Foundation and the National Issues Forums have been leaders here. A forthcoming study by Stacey Molnar Main has shown striking increases in both teacher and student civic interests and skills among those who use deliberation. At the Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg College, Dennis Donovan and Elaine Eschenbacher have been training students to moderate deliberative discussions and also to organize such discussions in communities. Advertisement A third example: Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy have a new book, The Political Classroom, which shows that many teachers, even the most partisan, are eager for students to hear radically different viewpoints. Teachers also experience pressure to "scrub" any controversy from their curriculum, so they need support in enacting this. Diana Hess is the dean of the school of education at UW-Madison. In my experience, low income and minority students often deliberate more effectively than upper middle class professionals. Two recent experiences illustrate. The first was a forum on "the legacy of slavery" several weeks ago that involved about 40 people. Almost all were upper middle class professionals from Minneapolis and St. Paul. Person after person took the floor to denounce the racism they perceived among working class supporters of Donald Trump and other Republicans and assert their own lack of prejudice. "We're all of the same view in this room," several said. Then I dissented strongly, describing my organizing days in a poor white mill community in Durham, on assignment from Martin Luther King. The movement leaders who mentored me didn't divide the world into good guys versus evil doers. So I disagreed with the faculty and others at Duke who derided the people I was working with as "racist rednecks." Like everyone, people in the community were complex and certainly had some prejudices. But when they got organized they made many more connections with the black communities in Durham than did faculty. Ever since my community organizing days I've been skeptical of the politics around "white skin privilege." It's not because I don't care about prejudices - I'm glad for prophetic voices like Black Lives Matter which shine the spotlight on racial injustices. But the politics of what is called "white privilege" strikes me as a key way that professionals mark their class differences from working class whites. This is ideological politics, revolving around professionals, not citizen politics. Advertisement And it's not a way to deal effectively with prejudice. Another story was a forum that a Public Achievement team in a mostly African American high school, Fairview Academy, organized on gun violence. They invited four community members, including a white policeman. About 70 people were there. The discussion quickly turned to racism, and it was a striking contrast with the forum on the legacy of slavery. Students were mainly nuanced, not self-righteous. They noted prejudices within themselves and within the black community, and also the existence of many different kinds of prejudices. And they responded enthusiastically to my story of community organizing among poor whites in the 1960s and 1970s. Today we hear a lot of righteous rhetoric but not many stories about down to earth citizen politics -- civic organizing -- to complement prophetic statements. Denunciations of racism -- or any other major problem -- without grassroots organizing are like one hand clapping. I see a strong appetite for citizen politics among young people today. So Meier's question, how can schools be sites of political education? is extremely timely. President Barack Obama shakes hand with students of the Al-Rahmah School during his visit to the Islamic Society of Baltimore on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images) At a time of rising anti-Muslim rhetoric and discrimination, communities nationwide are coming together to push back. This is the first in a series of blog posts meant to highlight this fight for equality and religious freedom. President Obama gave a milestone speech in defense of American Muslims and religious freedom at a mosque last week. And I had a hard time listening to it. Advertisement That may seem counter-intuitive at a time when anti-Muslim hysteria, discrimination, and violence have reached such a crisis stage that The Huffington Post has decided to track a "deplorable wave of hate." And indeed, it was important for the president to use the power of his office to acknowledge an essential truth: Like all Americans, you're worried about the threat of terrorism. But on top of that, as Muslim Americans, you also have another concern -- and that is your entire community so often is targeted or blamed for the violent acts of the very few. Blaming the bad acts of a few on any religious or racial community is the essence of bigotry. Sadly, it's not new in our country. At various times in U.S. history, Catholics, Jews, African-Americans, and Japanese-Americans -- to name just a few -- have all been scapegoated as national security threats, and suffered as a result. I'm glad that the president reminded Americans of that past and talked about the history and diversity of American Muslims, starting from those brought here as slaves in colonial times, to the generations who helped build this nation, to all who are part of our rich, pluralistic society today. "...as Muslim Americans, you also have another concern -- and that is your entire community so often is targeted or blamed for the violent acts of the very few." What was hard about listening to the president's speech, though, was the disconnect between his powerful words and government policies that target American Muslims unfairly and foster our national climate of fear and discrimination. Take so-called "countering violent extremism" programs as an example. The Obama administration has identified them as a top national security priority. Certainly, preventing violence is a laudable goal. But as we document, what little we know about these programs indicates they are overwhelmingly targeted at Muslims and aim to prevent violence by policing ideas and beliefs: Our government wants to charge teachers and social workers with monitoring and reporting to law enforcement the ideas and beliefs of schoolchildren. It shouldn't surprise anyone that these kinds of programs are corrosive, divisive, and wrongly stigmatize Muslims as inherently suspicious, despite the fact that a minuscule number of American Muslims have been involved in fatal attacks in this country. We and other civil rights, interfaith, and community groups have repeatedly laid out our concerns about these programs to the Obama administration and received no concrete response. We then filed Freedom of Information Act requests with key government agencies seeking their justification for these programs, their funding criteria, and any privacy and civil liberties safeguards. Again, we received little or no response. To make much-needed information public, and to vindicate many of the things President Obama said in his speech about the rights of American Muslims, we sued his administration today. The problems don't end with these government programs, though. Surveillance programs target American Muslims without any suspicion of wrongdoing. Muslims are detained indefinitely at Guantanamo. Blacklists disproportionately target Muslims. The use of lethal drones in majority-Muslim countries has violated international and domestic law. Advertisement For well over a decade, programs and policies like these have sent a very powerful message: When it comes to American Muslims, our nation's actions often do not match the principles of equal treatment and religious freedom enshrined in our Constitution. I do not lose hope, though. For me, a key source of inspiration comes from American Muslim communities and allies themselves. It comes from activists engaged in organizing, and from sophisticated conversations taking place all over the country about how discrimination impacts diverse American Muslim communities. It comes from interfaith and political leaders, and local business owners, who stand against anti-Muslim discrimination, like this initiative in Minneapolis. It comes from reading about Holocaust survivors who, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, decided to speak out against anti-Muslim demagoguery. And it came this week from an American-Sikh fashion celebrity. American Sikhs, sometimes mistaken for Muslims, have often borne the brunt of discrimination. Waris Ahluwaria was denied boarding on a flight back to the U.S. from Mexico after he was selected for additional screening and wrongly told to remove his turban. He decided to stand up for his rights and not fly until the airline agreed to changes that would benefit not just Ahluwaria, but others. "On this day, and each day hereafter we must remember that our struggle against fear and ignorance is fought with love. That is the only way forward for humanity," he wrote. Until love wins and our values are reflected in our government's policies, we'll be here fighting. With the collapse of the United Nations peace negotiations to end the Syrian conflict, we need to step back and envision what an effective Muslim government with the support of the people would look like. One thing is for certain: It would not be imposed by the United States or Russia or any other outside power. Outside intervention is what got us into this mess in the first place. Advertisement Another certainty is that it would not at all resemble the so-called "Islamic State" -- some sort of caliphate requiring violence and terror to impose its will and distorted doctrine on the people. Many authorities on the region lament that the Sunni/Shia conflict dating back 1,400 years will impede any sort of peace agreement and popularly supported government. But I believe a solution can arise from the combined tradition of Sunni/Shia thought to define what a government in a Muslim-majority country will look like based on common Islamic principles that have the support of all religious factions - even non-Muslim. I know this because for the past 10 years I have worked with a group of Muslim scholars from several Muslim-majority countries Advertisement We agreed -- Sunni and Shia alike -- that the tragedy of today's Muslim world is that many of the states that purport to be Islamic are violating the very fundamentals of the faith. Tyranny is not Islamic. Killing innocents is not Islamic. Persecuting people for their beliefs is not Islamic. In fact, it is un-Islamic to use Islam to divide a Muslim community. Providing justice is the bedrock of Islam law. Our goal was to speak in a vocabulary that reaches the masses of Muslims to find consensus on a definition of a government that reflects this Islamic tradition of justice. We agreed that government should be based on the six objectives of Islamic law. These are protection of life, religion, property, intellect, family values, and dignity. In essence these are the same values in the American Declaration of Independence: Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So if a Muslim-majority state uses these basic principles of Islam to create a government, it is essentially creating a system of values similar what Western governments offer. But you can't tell Muslims they must import Western values of governance any more than you can tell Westerners to import Islamic values. However, if you use Islamic language to describe the same positive values, Muslims will listen. Advertisement In addition to the Sunni/Shia divide, a new divide has developed in the Muslim world that if allowed to grow could be just as damaging. This pits Muslims who seek a secular government against those who want a religious-based government. It's President Sisi in Egypt vs. the Muslim Brotherhood; it's Hamas vs. Fatah among the Palestinians. It's happening throughout the Muslim world. But this new divide is not based on substantive differences - both secular and religious parties seek the same thing. A state is not a religious organism. It is a compact among the people to create a government that provides certain protections and services. But the Muslim approach to law and justice must begin with religious language because secular governments have failed to deliver what Muslims want. Instead of justice and freedom they saw in the West, Arab Muslims got tyrannical governments supported by the West. They got dictatorships that may be anti-Western but do not believe in political freedom. Now is the time for clearer heads to prevail. The foundation of Islamic legal tradition is God's law, which is common to Christianity and Judaism. Islamic law makes both the rulers and the governed accountable to God. It preserves the rights of every person. It protects and promotes human life, seeks freedom of the mind and religion. It promotes family, trade and commerce, property and wealth, economic justice and human dignity. Advertisement It can be the basis for the compact between the people and the governments in Muslim-majority countries that provides the same freedoms, opportunities and order that most Western countries offer their people. All photos by Vlad Semen #InvisiblePlaces is a series of stories about what I've felt in some very popular destinations. My photographer - Vlad Semen - and me travel around the world and explore what is behind the image. The invisible. The emotions. This fabulous Universe gives us the perfect exaltation states every day. Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eyes We travel around the world and let the Universe inspire us. Behind every image there is a story, an emotion. We explore and discover what is above beauty and attractions, what makes us to move forward. Through our stories we hope to inspire people to follow their dreams. Our project - Invisible Us - is about love, inspiration, education and evolution. We will give back what we've learned through books, courses and conferences. We'll make interviews with amazing people, who live their lives with passion. We will create a community where people can freely express their emotions and we'll fulfill the dreams of 100 children. Advertisement Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. We will foster the social emotional learning around the world and we'll inspire young people to believe in themselves. The emotional story behind the image is the most important one! Let's take a look... Dancing on waters I am here, in the face of time. The waters of amber are so quiet that I can hear my desperate thoughts. I wanna get out. I want to escape from myself. It's so damn beautiful, it's magical, I see these kids, playing around, being happy. So simple and yet so meaningful. But inside me it's a storm. I can't watch this because I'm hungry and tired and lonely, at the end of the world. I suddenly know that I'm making a huge mistake. I can feel the urge to enjoy all this, to believe. But I can't, I just curl inside me and fight against evidence. What if I fall? But what if you fly, baby? What if you fly? _____ & _____ Dare to be! El Medano is a town situated at world's end, dangling on a corner of an island. The narrow streets are partially lit by the sun, casting uncanny and majestic shadows. There are hundreds of colourful sails at sea and what floats in the air is the dense, borderline delirious joy of the windsurfers. Advertisement I am sitting on a wooden bench, sheltered under a rock and I can feel the sunlight burning my arms. The Atlantic's vapours wrap me up in a pristine halo just as it should've been like in the beginning of time when everything was pure, simple, bright and wild. There is no movement, no words that penetrate the wind. The sound of the waves is deafening and it paints one's soul in immortality, investing it with the sweet burden of simple, perfect life near the core of the nature. I feel like I am one with the black, volcanic rock burnt by the wanderlust. The ocean with its metre high waves peeps in all its glory through a rocky gate. You get the impression that it is being conquered by surfers and their red and black canvas who appear to transcend time and to walk on water somehow defying reality and fulfilling the words of the holly books. "Through faith you shall walk on water as on land." I would like to give up everything and to live out there at sea, wrestling with the wind in a house with windows towards forgetfulness... _____ & _____ Where My Self resides I will never forget this moment. It was a sunny day and we were in Italy, happy and careless. I looked at nature with respect, but not with gratitude. There were beautiful colors and you could take amazing pictures. But I didn't felt a thing. Nothing moved me a bit. I didn't let anything to touch me, I was closed, I had a glass wall over my head. Advertisement And in that night, in a train, I've cried and cried and cried. I vowed not to travel again on the run. To sit still. To do something else. It was the beginning of a 3-year journey of discovering myself. It was a 'not so easy' task. I am still here, trying to gather my soul's pieces from the ground. But I am more serene, I have more light. I know that I will get there, in that point, where My Self resides. Love isn't something you find. Love is inside you forever. _____ & _____ A number of years ago, I casually asked a friend what she was giving up for Lent. I expected one of the usuals: coffee, chocolate, alcohol, meat. Given the group of theologically-inclined people I generally spend my time with, I had even been prepared for something vaguely religious. I run with Christian friends who "give up Christianity" or "Jesus" for Lent to think more critically about faith, just to see what happens. I rub shoulders with atheist friends who experiment with the religious liturgies and practices of Lent to see what they might learn about human beings or interfaith dialogue. But I wasn't prepared for her answer: "Fear," she said. "The bad kind." I was caught off-guard, but taken, seduced into the simple idea that Lent could be, at the start, something richer than sacrificial gimmicks, more complex than surface-level religious practices, or -- my recurring fear -- a fetish of humility, violence, and loss. Don't get me wrong. I know a lot of people who are surprised and grateful for the strange sacrifices they take up during Lent. But there are moments when some Lenten practices feel like vaguely pious, individualistic, New Year's resolutions. They begin to fall by the wayside quickly, and don't really open up our imaginations to thinking life differently. My friend's words sunk in, and, for the last couple of years, I've taken on her model to my own heart. Over the course of a year, particularly focused in Lent, I choose a theme (wonder, anger, and justice are previous ones), and begin to ask who I am becoming in relation to my chosen fixation. I ask my loved ones what they think when they hear those words. What causes me to wonder? What does healthy anger feel like? What does 'good' and 'bad' fear look like? How do I imagine justice today? What impairs my relationships? And what stories of such things might I listen to, create, or speak into existence? What do my stories look like tomorrow? What relationships and spaces of justice might emerge from such questions? Lent has become a space to imagine the ambiguities, fragilities, and rich bonds of relationship -- with others, with the planet, with my mysterious self, with my own theological traditions. Advertisement I have significant qualms with some unexamined tenets of traditional Christianity -- especially with regards to patriarchy, racism, heterosexism, disregard for the earth, declarations of heresy, and the scapegoating of atheists. But I'm in love with the everyday living of the forty days of Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday. I'm in love with the idea that people gather around to remind each other that they're all part of the same coarse earth from moment to moment, that we're fragile together but gather in communities of fleshy resilience. I'm in love with this earth, flailing, endangered, warming; earth that demands to be cherished, revered, protected, and respected. I'm in love with stories told and questions asked together that cherish difference and ambiguity and embrace the complexities of life. Lent, for me, is not about (and has never been about) sacrifice or penance or appeasing some unexamined heritage. It's about interrogative love, passionate justice, and learning how to wonder again in the midst of all the awful, awful sadness. It's about asking how beauty might occur in the midst of our fragile, decaying lives. It's about creating new songs, stories, images scribbled in dust and ash that reexamine what human beings can be for the life of each other and the life of the planet. The short-shrift harmonies we sometimes manage to sing never are pure or clear, and the words and questions often grate against our ears with their grittiness. But Lent is about the questioning, the ambiguity of grit and glory. Advertisement This time of year, I often return to my family's farm in North Dakota, park my car on top of the highest hill in the area at dusk, and watch the stars slowly wake over the snow-encrusted wheat fields. On the prairie (those of you who know it), our lives look so tiny, wandering between the dust of the field and the bluefire stardust of the sky. We come from dust, and to dust we shall return, as the old Christian liturgy declares. All our questions get asked between those horizon lines of dust and dust and water and ice, spinning around on Carl Sagan's "pale blue dot." In the spinning of those questions, Lent, for me, reels a kind of call to passionately love dusty old questions and ask new ones. Put another way, we come from stardust, and to stardust we shall return. The bursting supernovas of our hearts over time, the decays of suns, the mineralic bones and skin and dust that slough off our bodies daily return to the earth, all return to the fields and waterways. They beckon Christians and others who participate in Lenten times to reorient imaginations to the everyday ambiguities of life together. And the questions multiply... Do you know the name Natasha McKenna? You may have heard her name and her story, and been outraged. You may have heard it once or twice last year amid the alarming list of other names of those who died at the hands of law enforcement. You may have forgotten. You may not have known it at all. But you need to hear it again, because one year after the tragic death of this young black woman - a 37-year-old mother - nothing has been done to ensure that this does not happen again. Advertisement You might recall that Natasha McKenna, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, initially called 911 to report an assault. While she was being examined in a hospital, she was taken to Fairfax County Jail for assaulting an officer some weeks before. While in mental health crisis and naked, she was forced out of her cell in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center in order to be transferred to nearby Alexandria. She was tasered four times while being restrained by corrections officers and then shackled to a chair. Unable to withstand the 50,000 volts applied repeatedly to her defenseless body, Natasha died of cardiac arrest a few days later. Later that year, the state attorney general attempted to use Natasha McKenna's mental health against her. He claimed that she was combative and displayed "superhuman strength." The medical examiner listed her cause of death as "excited delirium." No criminal charges were filed against the six -SIX - deputies that restrained her. Not even when a chilling video showing that she presented no threat to the officers was made public. Tasers, widely thought to be the kinder alternative to deadly force, are tragically misunderstood even by the people who use them. Amnesty International found that from 2001 through 2015, at least 670 people have died after being struck by Tasers. A 2008 report found that 90 percent of the victims that died due to weapons such as Tasers were, like Natasha, unarmed. The American Heart Association has also presented scientific evidence concluding that Tasers can, in fact, cause cardiac arrest and death. Advertisement Among those who have died following the use of a Taser, people with a history of mental illness or who are in an agitated state due to drug use have a higher risk of negative consequences, which can be compounded by the person being restrained by physical force when shocked. The use of prolonged or multiple shocks can further increase the risk of harm. The use of 50,000 volts of electro-shock against people who are restrained and pose no serious threat is an excessive use of force, in some cases amounting to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. International standards call for the use of lethal force only as a means of last resort and only when officers are faced with an imminent threat of death or serious injury to themselves or others. When properly understood, Tasers can and must be considered as potentially lethal, and Amnesty International is calling for national guidelines that restrict their use to only those instances when officers are similarly threatened. In Natasha McKenna's case, Amnesty International found that Virginia is one of nine states that have no laws pertaining to the use of lethal force by law enforcement, while all 50 states and Washington DC fail to comply with international law and standards. While it is not exactly clear how many people die every year at the hands of the police since such official records do not exist, estimates range from 400 to over 1000. What data is available suggests that African Americans are disproportionately affected. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch must finish an independent and prompt investigation into the death of Natasha McKenna, as well as institute nationwide changes to policing. Currently, no national guidelines for the use of Tasers exist, and policies on their use can vary among law enforcement agencies. These policies must comply with international standards under the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. Establishing a National Crime and Justice Task Force to examine and produce recommendations on policing issues, including interactions with individuals with mental illness at the time of arrest and their treatment in custody, would give these reforms extra weight. Natasha McKenna called the police in February to report an assault and then died at their hands. Her last words before she was restrained were, "you promised me you wouldn't kill me." That promise was broken. Natasha McKenna's family, her 7-year-old daughter, and many victims like her, deserve better. Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speaks at her primary night party February 9, 2016 at Southern New Hampshire University in Hooksett, New Hampshire.Clinton, who suffered a deflating if expected defeat to Bernie Sanders, put a brave face on the loss and admitted she had some work to do as the campaign moves south. / AFP / Don EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images) For the life of me, I can't fathom why anyone would consider voting for Hillary Clinton. Forget the baggage about the emails while she was Secretary of State. She has waffled on key issues such as Wall Street reform and outsourcing jobs due to a combination of conflicted contributions to her campaign and because her husband's key legacy while POTUS was deregulating Wall Street and outsourcing jobs by signing the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA) into law. Here's a list of key issues that matter. Outsourcing Jobs Sen. Bernie Sanders is adamantly opposed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the trade deal President Obama is negotiating. Advertisement Trade deals have been "abysmal failures," according to Sanders. "They allowed corporations to shut down operations in the U.S. and move work to low-wage countries ...and they are one of the reasons that we have lost almost 60,000 factories in our country and millions of good-paying jobs since 2001." Not only does Hillary support the TPP, she helped negotiate it as Obama's secretary of state. She called it "the gold standard in trade agreements to open free, transparent, fair trade." When it comes to NAFTA, Clinton is a complete flip-flopper, calling it one of Bill's major achievements and then calling it a mistake after her opponents criticized it. As AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told The Washington Post " Bill Clinton still gets screamed at about NAFTA by working people." It's not just blue-collar Democrats who view free trade as unfair trade. A 2010 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 63 percent of Tea Party Republicans said that free trade had been bad for the country and about half of independents said that it led to layoffs and lower wages. Advertisement That "giant sucking sound" as former Presidential candidate Ross Perot described it, didn't just go south of the border but west of it, to China if you're talking about Apple products. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, most of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold in 2011 were made overseas. That year it earned more than $400,000 in profit per employee, more than Goldman Sachs, Exxon Mobil or Google. Apple used to make its stuff here but by 2004 it turned to foreign manufacturing. To make matters worse, NAFTA didn't just result in the outsourcing of jobs, it lowered tax revenue as former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich outlined in his book, "Locked in the Cabinet." His administration had to "come up with billions to pay for NAFTA. That's because lower tariffs on goods coming from Mexico will mean less tariff revenue flowing into the Treasury... It's a well-kept secret: American taxpayers will shell out much more to pay for NAFTA than for getting people into new jobs--including, of course, people who might lose their jobs because of NAFTA. In my prior life I would have complained loudly about this bizarre result. Now I can't say a word in public." Wall Street Reform That Isn't When Hillary announced a plan to regulate Wall Street last October she stopped short of calling for a measure that separates investment and commercial banking. The Glass-Steagall Act, a depression-era law that created a "firewall" between normal commercial banking and riskier investment banks, was passed in 1933. Its repeal under President Bill Clinton put the banking system at risk ahead of the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Robert Reich has been critical of Hillary's demurral on Glass-Steagall. After a Clinton adviser suggested in July she would not push to reenact it, Reich called the decision a "big mistake economically because the repeal of Glass-Steagall led directly to the 2008 Wall Street crash, and without it we're in danger of another one," wrote Reich, now a professor at the University of Berkeley. Advertisement Making Social Security Even More Insecure Sen. Elizabeth Warren is pushing for more generous Social Security benefits and all but two Democratic senators voted for her proposal. Incredibly, just a few years ago, Democrats were ready to join Obama in offering to reduce benefits as part of a "grand bargain" with Republicans in exchange for a tax increase to keep it solvent. Laura Meckler reported in The Wall Street Journal that Clinton supported a combination of reduced benefits and increased taxes. But why would anyone consider cutting Social Security benefits, given that we have one of the puniest government pension systems in the advanced world, along with the puniest private-sector pensions? Supporting a Bankruptcy Bill that Hurts Bankrupt People When Clinton was first lady and Sen. Warren was a Harvard law professor, Warren was able to get Clinton to convince her then-POTUS husband to veto a GOP-sponsored bankruptcy bill. Warren described the bill as a travesty designed to squeeze women and children who had fallen on tough times as a result of divorce, financial ruin or medical catastrophe. However, three years later, when Clinton was the junior senator from New York, she voted in favor of a "modified" version that provided limited protections for women and children over the vehement objections of Warren and other consumer advocates. The reason for her switch? Contributions from Wall Street. During her two terms as a New York senator, Clinton collected more money from the finance, insurance and real estate Industry than any other member of Congress: more than $31 million -- a hugely hefty sum given that she was only in office for eight years. When Clinton was running for president in 2007 she glossed over that "yes" vote and claimed, during debates, that she "fought the banks" on bankruptcy reform. Warren has complained about it ever since, one of the reasons Bill Clinton refused to campaign for her during her 2012 Senate campaign. Another is Warren's attacks on Clinton's former Wall Street allies, a former Clinton aide told Politico. The bill "was in my view one of the worst pieces of legislation that passed in the last 25 years," said then-Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, who worked on legislation to undo much of the 2005 law. Advertisement The Driver Of Her Positions? Bad Money Like too many politicians these days, Clinton's stance on the issues is driven by bribes: from businesses, not contributions from future constituents. Between 2009 and 2014, Clinton's list of top 20 donors included Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, whose chief Lloyd Blankfein has invested in Clinton's son-in-law's boutique hedge fund. These donors are, as the website Truthout's William Rivers Pitt notes, "The ones who gamed the system by buying politicians like her and then proceeded to burn the economy down to dust and ash while making a financial killing in the process." Consider the two Canadian banks with financial ties to the Keystone XL pipeline that fully or partially paid for eight of her speeches...or the more then $2.5 million in paid speeches for companies and groups lobbying for fast-track trade. According to TIME magazine and the Center for Responsive Politics, in 2014, "almost half of the money from her speaking engagements came from corporations and advocacy groups that were lobbying Congress at the same time... In all, the corporations and trade groups that Clinton spoke to in 2014 spent $72.5 million lobbying Congress that same year." Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, smiles as he arrives to speak during a caucus night party in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Hillary Clinton is clinging to the narrowest edge over Sanders in the Iowa caucuses. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images The New Hampshire primaries, which Bernie Sanders is winning by seventeen points at the time of writing, are the first test of the Clinton campaign's signature attack on Sanders: that he can't win the general election, so a vote for him is a vote for Ted Cruz or Donald Trump. Sanders's large victory suggests that the Clinton strategy didn't work, at least not yet. But are the Clintons right? Could Sanders win the general election? Over the weekend, Paul Krugman continued his New York Times campaign against Sanders in a column (on his New York Times blog) citing a Vox article that quoted six academics expressing doubts about Sanders's prospects in a general election. It was part of Krugman's larger crusade to convince readers that voting for Sanders would be an irresponsible capitulation to the heart in a season when the head should be in charge. Advertisement I was one of those six "experts." I said that it's hard to realign a party ideologically in a single election: It took 16 years for the New Right to go from Barry Goldwater's loss in 1964 to Ronald Reagan's win in 1980. And I still think that. But I think there are some very sensible reasons weighing on the pro-Sanders side of the equation. Here they are. 1. Energy and turnout: Sanders inevitably gets compared to Obama '08, and the Iowa Democratic caucus turnout (a bit lower than in 2008) suggested he may not have quite the same wave going yet; but the relevant comparator is obviously not Obama '08 but Clinton '16, and there's a straightforward case that Sanders's supporters would continue to be more on fire and mobilized in the general than hers. He certainly seems to be winning the enthusiasm race in the primaries. Also, it is possible, though a wild card, that Sanders might energize some of the formerly Democratic working-class voters who haven't gone Republican, but have just stopped voting. 2. The more they know him...: It's been easy to say that Iowa and NH are welcoming states for Sanders, but they didn't look that way a year ago. He's come from way, way behind in both, and was almost universally regarded as a token candidate until sometime in the late fall. So, where voters have actually thought about the campaign, he's done extraordinarily well. Skeptics tend to say there are two limits to this expansion of Sanders's appeal: ideological and demographic. Let's take them in turn. Advertisement 3. Ideological: Yes, some 50 percent of voters say they wouldn't vote for a socialist; but a lot of those are people who haven't thought about the word since the 1970s. We should take this profession of hostility even less seriously than pundits have taken the large share of young voters who say they like socialism, the Iowa Dems who say they identify as socialist, etc. The term "socialist" is a wide-open one now, on account of a whole generation growing up with no memory of the Cold War, and on account of the Republicans' degrading it in attacks on Obama as a "socialist." You can bet that somewhere between half and three-quarters of those "I'd-never" voters are people who mean, "I'd never vote for that Obama!" Others may come to a different opinion when they realize Sanders is basically an FDR Democrat. And they may come to realize, now that the country increasingly admits that inequality and insecurity are very serious problems and that our eagerness for intervention abroad has been a disaster, they are ready for an FDR Democrat again. 4. Demographic: The race question is an untested canard against Sanders at this point. Nearly everyone who has voted for him is white -- they're in Iowa and New Hampshire! Voters elsewhere aren't paying much attention yet. There's more than a little condescension in the common assumption that non-white voters are loyal to the Clintons, or to political machines that are wired into the Clinton apparatus. Recently, South Carolina numbers showed Sanders gaining ground faster among black voters than whites. We'll just have to see. It's clear that Sanders's proposals on the racial aspects of criminal justice, education, infrastructure and health care, to name a few, would mean a great deal for many black voters (who disproportionately lack wealth and live in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty). These agenda items both continue the tradition of Dr. King's democratic socialism and coincide with the positions of groups like the NAACP and North Carolina's black-led, interracial Moral Mondays movement. If we agree with Ta-Nehisi Coates that the interests and priorities of black voters, not myths about them, are where we should start our analysis, Sanders seems awfully well positioned to get a hearing. The same goes for Latinos, who are heavily represented in the service unions and new labor efforts, like the Fight for 15, which have more interests and ideals in common with Sanders than with Clinton. An afterthought on my suggestion that the 16 years between Goldwater's loss (1964) and Reagan's win (1980) suggests a one-cycle realignment is a tall order: That was a time of more stable party loyalties and a Democratic party that was more mainstream. The fact that the Republicans have gone far to the right while public sentiment has gone into flux but opened up to "socialist" ideas suggests an unusually fluid set of possibilities. Senator Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump each decisively won their party's primary in New Hampshire Tuesday, a result that seemed impossible six months ago. Now it seems possible that a self-proclaimed socialist and a former Democrat turned Republican could face off in the presidential election this coming November. Trump scored more than a third of those who voted Republican in the primary. "We learned a lot about ground games in one week, I can tell you," Trump told supporters in Manchester, N.H., referring to his narrow second place finish in the Iowa Caucus. While Trump carried both independent and Republican voters, his total votes were less then both Sanders and Hillary Clinton. But Trump had more than double his nearest Republican opponent, Ohio Governor John Kasich. Kasich bet the farm on doing well in New Hampshire, and he held more than 100 town meetings in the state. Kasich, who ran a positive campaign, greeted his supporters in Concord, N.H., with a hopeful message. "We never went negative because we have more good to sell than to spend our time being critical of someone else," he said. "Maybe, just maybe, we are turning the page on a dark part of American politics because tonight the light overcame the darkness of American campaigning." But it is hard to see how Kasich can win in South Carolina and beyond. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was energized by his competitive finish. "This campaign is not dead. We're going on to South Carolina," he told his supporters. But he will have to do well in the Palmetto State February 20 in order to continue with his campaign. On the other hand, Texas Senator Ted Cruz told his supporters that he had exceeded expectations in New Hampshire, a state in which he did not poll well. But Cruz has built a formidable organization in South Carolina, which has a large evangelical population. While Trump is leading in that state's polls, Cruz is well positioned to overtake him. The big losers Tuesday were the two candidates who came to verbal blows in Saturday's GOP debate. Florida Senator Marco Rubio took responsibility for his poor primary performance, telling supporters, "I did not do well on Saturday night ... that will never happen again." New Jersey Governor Chris Christie tagged Rubio in the debate as a truant, adding, "he simply does not have the experience to be President of the United States and make these decisions." But his aggressive debate performance did not propel him into a top five finish among the Republican candidates. CONCORD, NH - FEBRUARY 09: Republican presidential candidate Ohio Governor John Kasich speaks at a campaign gathering with supporters upon placing second place in the New Hampshire republican primary on February 9, 2016 in Concord, New Hampshire. Kasich lost the Republican primary to Donald Trump, though he upset fellow Republican governors Chris Christie and former Governor Jeb Bush. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images) Sure Ohio Governor John Kasich seems like a longshot for the Republican nomination, despite his impressive second place showing in New Hampshire. But his strategy for winning the GOP contest is not that different from another longshot presidential hopeful from the Midwest, Abraham Lincoln, who sought to be everyone's second choice. For the Civil War class that I teach, I began reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals. It starts with the 1860 GOP Convention, where overconfident Republicans like William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase and Edward Bates wait for the nomination to come to them, while the lesser known Abraham Lincoln, who served a term in Congress and lost two Senate bids, has allies helping him ride the convention to victory. Advertisement Lincoln's secret was to be everyone's second choice. When Seward's and Chase's enemies would work to deny the nomination to that candidate, Lincoln was poised to be the acceptable alternative to all, giving him the win in Chicago, the presidency that fall, and history for the rest. Of course it's a different world, with the media and primaries replacing convention politics and communication gaps, and Kasich is no Lincoln. But he does possess a few strengths that the Illinois Republican, and several 2016 GOP candidates, lack. First of all, Kasich has executive experience, having served as Ohio's Governor. Second of all, he has long Washington, DC experience, given his service in Congress, holding the key chairmanship of the Budget Committee. Third, his experience as a Fox News commentator for many years provides experience with the media that some of his Republican rivals clearly lack, as seen in Rubio's, Cruz's and Carson's debate performances. Ohioans who supported Kasich flocked to New Hampshire to support his candidacy, which contributed to his impressive finish over better known and funded rivals, the way Lincoln benefitted from Illinois allies flocking to the Chicago Convention to back their candidate, while others largely stayed at home and waited. Many others seeking the GOP nomination have paper-thin resumes for governance, or even service in politics (Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Carson, and Fiorina). They have generally staked out extreme positions well out of the mainstream of American politics, where Kasich swims comfortably, as he provides religious reasons to help the less fortunate. Nick Baumann, Ryan Grim and Matt Fuller with Huffington Post contend that Kasich does have his weaknesses. "Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who surged to second in New Hampshire, has barely any money and minimal support in the south," they write. Advertisement But Ryan Grim with Huffington Post does note that there is an opportunity for Kasich to do well in a crowded and confused GOP nomination battle: His strategists hope that the Republican race will remain muddied over the next couple of weeks, with no candidate emerging as the clear favorite to challenge Trump's frontrunner status. That would give the Midwestern Kasich space to capture a trove of delegates in the March 8 Michigan primary and the March 15 winner-take-all contest in his home state of Ohio. Moreover, Kasich's ability to win the Boston Globe nomination and place ahead of better funded candidates in the Northeast show his ability to do well in New York, Pennsylvania and the rest of the New England states. Kasich's showing in New Hampshire can only garner him more attention in the South and Prairie States, as well as money. And wouldn't a moderate do better in large states on the Pacific Coast than the more extreme candidates? It's still a longshot for Kasich, but who would have guessed what Lincoln could have pulled off in May of 1860? -- No one has ever seen God. Obvious? Of course. But stay with it a second. Turn it over in your mind. Ponder its implications. If Wheaton College administrators had done this, maybe Larycia Hawkins would still have a job. Hawkins and the college parted ways earlier this week, nearly two months after she'd been placed on administrative leave for her suggestion that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. This disciplinary action might seem natural, even necessary, for an evangelical Christian college. After all, traditional evangelicalism sees Jesus as the only way to God; Hawkins's comment might dilute that fundamental view. I'm sure that, in their actions, the administrators were striving to be faithful to their belief and the college that lives by it. Advertisement Still, no one has ever seen God. That obvious statement leads to this one: we cannot possibly know everything about God. In the grand scheme of things, we may know very little. So can anyone say with certainty that Christians and Muslims don't worship the same God? It would be one thing to pluck no one has ever seen God from another faith tradition to refute the Wheaton administrators. They would dismiss it as irrelevant to their worldview, and understandably so. But this obvious statement keeps showing up in the very Bible to which they pledge fealty. The author of St. John's writings mentions it twice (John 1:18, 1 John 4:12). The First Letter to Timothy, attributed to St. Paul, proclaims a God who "dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see" (1 Timothy 6:16). The story of Moses has God saying, "No one shall see me and live" (Exodus 33:20). Yes, the ways in which Christians and Muslims think of God are different. The two traditions have different views of what God has said (hence the two different sacred scriptures). They have different metaphors for God and God's action in the world. But in asserting with confidence that the Christian God and the Muslim God are actually different beings--let alone that one is "true" and the other "false"--the asserters run into that obvious statement above. Advertisement In the Christian framework, no one has ever seen God is not enough to build a whole religion on. It is, however, enough to give us pause. In fact, I believe it requires a different approach to faith. It asks us to hold our beliefs lightly, ever mindful that we could be wrong. In doing so, we almost automatically approach any interfaith discussion with humility--a crystal-clear sense of who we are in relation to others and to God. In this case, humility tells us how little we know: we have a great story to share, from our tradition, and many great stories to hear, from other traditions. All of them may tell us something about God. Such an approach leads not only to humility, but to compassion and a desire for peace--virtues in almost any religion. Our world needs these virtues in abundance, awash as it is in interreligious fear and hatred. If Muslims and Christians worship the same God, they have common ground. Common ground is fertile soil for reaching out to one another across the divide. If I don't know everything about God, and you and I worship the same God, I want to know what you know. It could help me draw closer to God. And it would be so very difficult for me to hate you, or seek vengeance, or scrawl epithets on your house of worship. Advertisement At a vigil, Chicagoans take to the streets to call for an end to the violence. (PHOTO, John W. Fountain) CHICAGO--I drove down Fred Hampton's old block the other morning on the city's West Side and I pondered where "we" might be had Fred not died. I sat in my car, staring at the site where his apartment was riddled with police bullets. He was asleep, at age 21, during a raid that early morning in December 1969. I thought about the charismatic leader of the Black Panthers, who, 50 years ago, started a free breakfast program for poor kids in the 'hood, about Hampton's passion for self-help, black empowerment and self-actualization. Advertisement I was only 9 when they murdered Fred Hampton. I lived farther west in a three-flat apartment my grandfather owned--where I watched the West Side burn the previous year, one night in 1968 after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, flames flickering in the pale sky. I wonder where we would be if Dr. King had not died. I wonder whether 1969 and 1968 were the years that so much of the hope of our neighborhoods died. For as I open my eyes to the realities of poverty, blight and hopelessness that flow like a cresting river through our communities today; to that weapon of mass destruction called Chicago Public Schools; to do-nothing, finger-pointing politicians and so-called community leaders; I realize that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Except the "enemy" of the people these days now seems to play a game of charades. It is a masquerading enemy that contributes to the continued demise of poor black and brown neighborhoods, inhibiting their migration from the socioeconomically drained stream to the American mainstream. It is an insidious and elusive, fast-talking enemy of progress for all. Some here in the Windy City have suggested that the political powers that be are more a foe than friend to poor black and brown communities. That the mayor's office and the police department are to blame for much of the shootings and homicide, the poverty and profound systemic devices that have existed since I was a little boy. Frankly speaking, that's a bunch of bull. Advertisement Frankly speaking, what ails black communities in Chicago doesn't end or begin with the mayor's office. That doesn't mean that Mayor Rahm Emanuel is off the hook, especially in light of the alleged cover-up of Laquan McDonald case--the 17-year-old shot 16 times by a cop. Rahm has certainly got some 'splainin' to do. But what about lifer politicians under whose watch poor Chicago neighborhoods for decades have festered like a sore? The politicians who have taken the money and run? What about so-called "progressives" who are MIA? The usual suspects, they come around when television cameras turn on, but are absent for the roll-up-your-sleeves work. What about so-called community leaders who aren't any more for poor or working class folk than the man on the moon? Politicking pastors and preachers who tell their members who to vote for while they secure political appointments and favor? (Turn to your neighbor and say, "Pastors... Don't pimp. Preach.") Across the country, hundreds of millions of dollars have been wasted in the black community on churches built on the backs of the poor with one preacher not so long ago reportedly asking for $65 million for a new jet. In the Chicago area alone, just in recent years, well over a half billion dollars has been spent on building these monstrosities called worship centers. Some storefront pastors are just as lacking in stewardship. Advertisement Imagine if that money had been spent on community-based social programs, on housing or programs aimed at creating homeownership, small business startups and corporate/community partnerships as part of a vision for holistic sustainable communities. I imagine the possibilities and dreams of Fred Hampton and Dr. King who sought not to build palaces but people, not to enrich their coffers but community. I imagine leaders with a true heart for community. I imagine a people willing finally to hold our "leaders" accountable--every single one. Blue light police cameras have become an all too familiar sight in Chicago's hyper-segregated communities. Not only has free speech become a four-letter word--profane, obscene, uncouth, not to be uttered in so-called public places--but in more and more cases, the government deems free speech to be downright dangerous and in some instances illegal. The U.S. government has become particularly intolerant of speech that challenges the government's power, reveals the government's corruption, exposes the government's lies, and encourages the citizenry to push back against the government's many injustices. Indeed, there is a long and growing list of the kinds of speech that the government considers dangerous enough to red flag and subject to censorship, surveillance, investigation and prosecution: hate speech, bullying speech, intolerant speech, conspiratorial speech, treasonous speech, threatening speech, incendiary speech, inflammatory speech, radical speech, anti-government speech, right-wing speech, extremist speech, etc. Advertisement Yet by allowing the government to whittle away at cherished First Amendment freedoms--which form the backbone of the Bill of Rights--we have evolved into a society that would not only be abhorrent to the founders of this country but would be hostile to the words they used to birth this nation. Don't believe me? Conduct your own experiment into the government's tolerance of speech that challenges its authority, and see for yourself. Stand on a street corner--or in a courtroom, at a city council meeting or on a university campus--and recite some of the rhetoric used by the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, John Adams and Thomas Paine without referencing them as the authors. For that matter, just try reciting the Declaration of Independence, which rejects tyranny, establishes Americans as sovereign beings, recognizes God as a Supreme power, portrays the government as evil, and provides a detailed laundry list of abuses that are as relevant today as they were 240 years ago. Advertisement My guess is that you won't last long before you get thrown out, shut up, threatened with arrest or at the very least accused of being a radical, a troublemaker, a sovereign citizen, a conspiratorialist or an extremist. Try suggesting, as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin did, that Americans should not only take up arms but be prepared to shed blood in order to protect their liberties, and you might find yourself placed on a terrorist watch list and vulnerable to being rounded up by government agents. "What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms," declared Jefferson. He also concluded that "the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Observed Franklin: "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" Better yet, try suggesting as Thomas Paine, Marquis De Lafayette, and Patrick Henry did that Americans should, if necessary, defend themselves against the government if it violates their rights, and you will be labeled a domestic extremist. "It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government," insisted Paine. "When the government violates the people's rights," Lafayette warned, "insurrection is, for the people and for each portion of the people, the most sacred of the rights and the most indispensable of duties." And who could forget Patrick Henry with his ultimatum: "Give me liberty or give me death!" Advertisement Then again, perhaps you don't need to test the limits of free speech for yourself. One such test is playing out before our very eyes in Portland, Oregon, where radio "shock jock" Pete Santilli, a new media journalist who broadcasts his news reports over YouTube and streaming internet radio, is sitting in jail. Santilli, notorious for his controversial topics, vocal outrage over government abuses, and inflammatory rhetoric, is not what anyone would consider an objective reporter. His radio show, aptly titled "Telling You the Truth... Whether You Like It or Not," makes it clear that Santilli has a viewpoint (namely, that the government has overstepped its bounds), and he has no qualms about sharing it with his listeners. It was that viewpoint that landed Santilli in jail. Long a thorn in the side of the FBI, Santilli was arrested in January 2016 by the FBI following its ambush and arrest of armed protesters who had carried out an act of civil disobedience by occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Oregon. Santilli was charged, along with the armed resistors, with conspiracy to impede federal officers from discharging their duties by use of force, intimidation, or threats--the same charge being levied against those who occupied the refuge--which carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison. Notably, Santilli is the only journalist among those covering the occupation to be charged with conspiracy, despite the fact that he did not participate in the takeover of the refuge, nor did he ever spend a night on the grounds of the refuge, nor did he ever represent himself as anything but a journalist covering the occupation. Of course, the government doesn't actually believe that 50-year-old Santilli is an accomplice to any criminal activity. Advertisement Read between the lines and you'll find that what the government is really accusing Santilli of is employing dangerous speech. As court documents indicate, the government is prosecuting Santilli solely as a reporter of information. In other words, they're making an example of him, which is consistent with the government's ongoing efforts to intimidate members of the media who portray the government in a less than favorable light. This is not a new tactic. During the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, numerous journalists were arrested while covering the regions' civil unrest and the conditions that spawned that unrest. These attempts to muzzle the press were clearly concerted, top-down efforts to restrict the fundamental First Amendment rights of the public and the press. The message is clear: whether a journalist is acting alone or is affiliated with an established news source, the government has no qualms about subjecting them to harassment, arrest, jail time and trumped up charges if doing so will discourage others from openly opposing or exposing the government. You see, the powers-that-be understand that if the government can control speech, it controls thought and, in turn, it can control the minds of the citizenry. This is how freedom rises or falls. There have always been those willing to speak their minds despite the consequences. Where freedom hangs in the balance is when "we the people" are called on to stand with or against individuals who actually exercise their rights and, in the process, push the envelope far enough to get called out on the carpet for it. Advertisement Do we negotiate the Constitution, or do we embrace it, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us feel, no matter how hateful or ugly it gets, and no matter how much we may dislike its flag-bearers? What we're dealing with today is a government that wants to suppress dangerous words--words about its warring empire, words about its land grabs, words about its militarized police, words about its killing, its poisoning and its corruption--in order to keep its lies going. As I document in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, what we are witnessing is a nation undergoing a nervous breakdown over this growing tension between our increasingly untenable reality and the lies being perpetrated by a government that has grown too power-hungry, egotistical, militaristic and disconnected from its revolutionary birthright. The only therapy is the truth and nothing but the truth. I married my high school sweetheart when I was 19. Nineteen is young -- too young to get married and definitely too young to have a baby, but I didn't think so at the time. So a month after the wedding, I threw away my birth control and started perusing baby books. I expected to see the two telltale positive lines within the first cycle -- I mean, I spent all of high school being terrified of pregnancy, as if it might just happen, intercourse or not. Instead, I bought -- and threw away -- three First Response tests a month, for eight months. Every month, the arrival of my period brought tears. I tracked my cycle, my cervical mucous, my BBT (Basal Body Temperature). My 19 year old friends fell, drunk, down the steps of the frat house, I studied Neurobiological Psychology and went to bed by 10. Rising at 6:30 a.m., I faithfully took and recorded my temperature -- tracking, graphing, plotting, planning. And then, in early February of 1994: two lines. I gave up caffeine. I took prenatal vitamins. I avoided hot baths and hot tubs. I ate a lot of Lucky Charms and Oreos and crab legs. I bought maternity clothes and baby clothes and a crib. I picked names and read books. I decorated the gender-neutral nursery. I never missed a doctor's appointment. Advertisement In May I went to what should have been a regular visit to the OB. Dr. Melchione Dopplered my belly, looking for the whoosh that confirms the presence of the tiny being inside. When he couldn't find it he told me, "Don't worry, babies hide," and he rolled in a rudimentary ultrasound machine for an inside look. With a glop of jelly and a pass of the scanner, I suddenly realized, this unexpected scan would reveal the sex of our baby. It was a girl. I knew. It was a girl. But instead of assurances and excited proclamations of the sex, Dr. Melchione fell back on his rolling stool. He quietly spoke the words I would hear over and over in my head for years. "I don't even know what to say, Joni. Your baby isn't alive." I asked him for a trash can -- a receptacle for the vomit I felt rising. And then things blurred. There was a visit to a higher resolution radiology department, which revealed the same motionless uterine landscape. Only stillness. The table was hard, the jelly cold, the technician silent, and the radiologist straight-faced, as he too told me that our baby was dead. I was 20 weeks pregnant -- with a dead baby. Then there was a visit to another doctor. Then back to my doctor, and other visits here and there. There were plans and appointments and a lost appetite and fear and tears. Advertisement I sat in my OB's office, me in a stationary leather chair, clothed in a summer maternity dress, him with his folded hands and his white coat, sitting across an expanse of oak. And I cried. My husband asked what we should do. And I waited, paralyzed, for one of them to tell me. What should I do? The baby had been dead for some time. He didn't know long long. A week? Two? More? She wouldn't look like I would "expect," he said. I didn't know what to expect. I should have a D&E, he said. This is a fancy acronym for second-trimester abortion. And I did. I saw a new doctor, one who performed abortions. There was jasmine outside his office in full bloom. It made me sneeze, made my eyes water, made my nose run. I sat in his office, flanked by pregnant women, artistic renditions of mother and child hanging on the walls. In the exam room, in a paper gown, feet in stirrups, I cried. Then, through sobs, something penetrated my cervix, a forced passage from my womb to the world -- a dilator to prepare me for the procedure that would steal my unborn baby. I left his office cramping and crying, with an appointment for a D&E the next day. I was sure I would birth my dead baby in my bed. Instead, I contracted and cried all night. The next day, my face swollen with tears, my belly swollen with a baby I'd never meet, I went to sleep in a room with a nurse and an anesthetist and a doctor, a man I'd met once, on referral. I woke up with a sore throat -- and an empty uterus. My husband gave me ice and 7Up and we went home. And I went to bed. And cried. And cried. And cried. I kept crying for a long time -- long after everyone else had stopped crying. People moved on with their days and their lives. They didn't fold up the blanket and crib sheets. They didn't put away the half-completed afghan. They didn't sit alone in her nursery, surrounded by the things that should have been hers. They didn't give her a name. I did. And I cried. Advertisement Jordan Taylor. People sent condolences. They sent casseroles. They came to the door and told me they were sorry. They said, "You can have more children." They said, "At least you're young." They said, "It wasn't meant to be." They said, "Someone else needed that spirit." They said a lot of things. None of the things they said stopped my tears. I cried until I thought there must be no crying left. And then I cried some more. The Internet was a baby then. There was no Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. There wasn't even a concept of those things. There were no communities of women talking about loss and healing. There were no resources. I didn't know anyone who had experienced my pain. I didn't know anyone who could understand my paralysis. I put away the maternity clothes and the baby clothes. I put away What To Expect When You're Expecting -- no one told me to expect this. I cried. Eventually I stopped crying every day and only cried every two days, and then every three, and then once a week. Then, after what felt like a really really long time, I got pregnant again. I was terrified. From the day I saw two lines to the day I pushed my living daughter out of my body -- breathing, screaming -- into a hospital room in the heat of August, I was terrified. There was solace in her head of black hair, in her blue eyes that would turn hazel, her long fingers, her smell. There was solace in pulling her to me in bed each night to nurse her and hold her close to me, our temperatures synced, our hearts beating in time. There was solace even when she cried and cried for months on end -- her father and I taking turns bouncing, pacing, bouncing, waiting for her to settle, then falling into bed. There was solace in first words and first steps. Advertisement I stopped crying about Jordan and started laughing with Kelsey. And the pain of those days faded. Some. The world forgot she ever existed. There was no tangible reminder, after all -- no headstone, no photos, no lock of hair or footprints. There was nothing to indicate she'd ever been alive at all. There was only the surgical report that I found in my chart on my first postpartum visit after she was born: XX chromosome. No genetic anomalies found. Fetal foot length: 21 mm. XX chromosome. Foot length: 21 mm. My baby girl had tiny feet, less than an inch, but she had feet. And toes and fingers. And she was real to me. Even though I had never held her in my hands, she was real to me. Twenty-two years ago I had a baby. The world forgot her, but I never will. I'm going to admit something: I can't keep up. I've got two kids under five, a relationship, a real job, a couple of semi-real jobs, four chickens and a big old house in need of many repairs. Before children, I worked at it but I identified as an organized person. Post kids, I spend a lot of time just getting by. There is always more laundry to fold, a sticky handprint to scrub, crumbs in the couch. Matching socks? Please. For whatever reason, the chaos seems to concentrate in a particularly overwhelming way on the section of kitchen counter where I cook. The mail. All the various electronic items that need to be charged. Toys. Office supplies. SO MANY DAMN CORDS. One day as I was trying to chop some onions amid all the mess, I started day-dreaming about building another place for all of it. A place where phones could charge without getting food on them and mail could be organized, or at least out of sight. I wanted the equivalent of the old school telephone table, except upgraded for the iPhone world. The only problem was that our house isn't large. (See more house projects here.) A piece of furniture wouldn't really work. Old school telephone table: Then I noticed that there was this old, covered electrical socket high in the wall at the bottom of the stairs. It had been installed in the 1960s to power a plug-in clock. And there was kind of a roomy landing area. What if I used the socket at the bottom to build a new-school telephone table? A charging spot for phones and computers and tablets. A place to put the shopping list. A mini island of organization. A mother's control center. I liked "mother" and "control center" in the same sentence. Advertisement Here is the spot. If you look close, you can make out the socket cover on the wall: Next step was to find some cabinets. I wanted it to be inexpensive but also cool. Over Thanksgiving, I visited IKEA in Seattle and settled upon some components of the VALJE series. The key was that the cabinets and drawers were shallow so they didn't take up too much space. (More on shipping IKEA to far-flung places like Alaska here. ) Here's what I bought: I settled on two red box shelves: Two cabinets, in white larch: And two sets of drawers in white larch (pictured here in mocha, in case that's your style): Once they arrived, it took me a couple of weeks to get the time to put them together because I had to do it sans kids. Of course it was tricky. There was one particular step involving sliding in the back panel that just kept going wrong. I was saved by googling the name of the piece furniture and the problem. (Hint: the grooves on the bottom panel and the top panels are not the same depth.) After that, it was easy-breezy. Okay, except for one tiny, missing, essential part. But I called and IKEA sent it to me. Once I got the pieces assembled, I decided to call my carpenter friend Dan to do it. I could have hung them, but I don't do electrical. I put the top of the drawers at counter height, out of reach of children. Dan fished the electricity down from the old clock outlet, wired in an LED under-counter light and put in a sweet USB socket. Cool USB socket. I got it at Lowes, but there are tons of them online. Next I shopped around at some local solid-surface places for a piece of remnant fancy counter-top. I fell in love with this sliver of dark grey quartz. Advertisement Even remnant quartz isn't cheap. A suitable substitute would be butcher block. In that case, you could situate the plug in the back of the top drawer and feed the cords through a hole. Even tidier! The top shelves gave me a place for the cookbooks I had left once I culled them. One of the benefits of the IKEA pieces was that I could afford drawers. The top one is where I hide all the mail. And, look at this satisfying cord situation. And now, when I cook, there are approximately 50 percent fewer random items in the way. I'm all for simple victories. Read more about my DIY house projects here. Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook. Also on HuffPost: African American Policy Forum On February 12th, 2013, Kayla Moore, a Black transgender woman from Berkeley CA, was killed when police officers showed up at her home after receiving a disturbance call for a mental health evaluation from her roommate. Upon arrival, the officers did not assess Moore's mental health status, but ran a warrant check instead. After mistaking her for Xavier Moore, a man 20 years her senior with an outstanding warrant who happened to share her birth name, officers attempted to arrest her. When she resisted, five police officers pinned her to the floor while placing a knee in her back and compressing her chest. She stopped breathing minutes later. A lawsuit filed by Moore's father in 2014 claimed that the officers could have saved her life had they adhered to the WRAP restraint policies and administered first responder mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He maintains that the decision not to do so was at least partially due to the fact that his daughter was transgender. Moore is only one of many Black women whose lives were cut short after encountering law enforcement agents unqualified to handle mental health crises. According to the Washington Post, nearly one quarter of those killed by the police in 2015 were described by the police or by family members as mentally ill. The intersection of mental illness, race, and gender has rendered many women exceptionally vulnerable and defenseless at the hands of law enforcement, representing a form of state violence that often gets overlooked by the media and the public. Advertisement In August 2014, just days after Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Michelle Cusseaux was killed by a Phoenix police officer responding to a call from Michelle's mother, Frances Garrett, who was concerned about her daughter's mental well-being. Cusseaux, a 50 year old Black woman with schizophrenia, was shot and killed at close range by Sgt. Percy Dupra only seconds after he pried open her front door and saw her holding a hammer. No charges have been filed against Sgt. Dupra. On February 8th, 2015, Natasha McKenna, a 37 year old Black woman, died in Fairfax County Jail after being repeatedly tasered by deputies while in the midst of a schizophrenic episode. McKenna, who was unclothed and unarmed during the encounter, can be heard calling out for help multiple times in video footage of the incident, which was released last September by the Fairfax County Sheriff's office. The video also shows McKenna being shackled, restrained in a chair, and covered with a hood by the six officers, all wearing hazmat suits. A few days before the video was released, it was announced that no criminal charges would be brought against the deputies involved. The names go on. Tanisha Anderson. Shereese Francis. Tyisha Miller. All of these women, and others whose names we will never know, were killed by the state when they were most in need of its protection. The tragic and needless deaths of these women have raised questions around the country about whether police officers should be authorized as first responders to mental health calls. Speaking about her sister's death, Maria Moore, Kayla's older sister, said, "The sad truth is, most mentally ill people will see a jail before they see a mental facility. Mental health issues are seen as crime issues - the need to restrain and punish is the first response." Advertisement Indeed, police officers have become de facto first responders for mental health calls in almost every state. While most states (forty-five) offer some sort of Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for officers, few require it. As a result, officers with no prior experience dealing with mental health crises are being inserted into situations they are entirely unequipped to handle. Misinformation about the behavior and needs of mentally ill people can lead officers to act rashly, relying on stereotypes and stigmas rather than facts. In situations involving a mentally ill person of color, racial bias often determines the difference between an officer deeming the person worthy of empathy, or not. Describing the moments before he shot and killed Michelle Cusseaux, Sgt. Dupra said, "Her eyes were wide open, mouth wide open. She never said a word. She had that anger in her face that she was going to hit someone with that hammer." According to this statement, Sgt. Dupra did not fear for his life because of anything Michelle Cusseaux said or because of any violent or threatening movements she made. More likely, he feared for his life because he interpreted the vulnerable, terrified woman before him as a dangerous threat. "What did the police officer see when he pried open the door?" Frances Garrett, Michelle's mother, asks. "A Black woman? A lesbian? He said it was just a look on her face. What face would you have on if the police broke into your house?" BRISTOL, England -- In Iowa, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump proved themselves to be real contenders. In New Hampshire, they led the field. But the rise of political outsiders is not just an American phenomenon. It mirrors the growth of populist parties on the old continent: Syriza and Golden Dawn in Greece, Podemos in Spain, the Austrian Freedom Party, the Five Star movement in Italy: the list goes on and on. The differences between these people and movements might seem so big that it can hardly make sense to group them together. But all are rightly seen as manifestations of a rising populism. Advertisement This term needs some clarification, since it has historically meant different things in America and elsewhere. This kind of populism sees mainstream politics as, at best, bankrupt and at worst, corrupt. Political power has been seized by vested interests and elites, robbing the ordinary people of their entitlements. Sanders used exactly the same words to claim that both the Iowa and New Hampshire results "sent a very profound message to the political establishment, to the economic establishment and, by the way, to the media establishment." To this diagnosis, populism proposes a cure: a return to power for the people, by individuals or parties that stand for common sense and justice. Trump and Sanders fit the mold perfectly. They even have their European equivalents. Trump is an American version of an early harbinger of the rising populist tide: Italy's Silvio Berlusconi. Both men are derided by anyone vaguely intellectual as rich buffoons. But this misunderstands their appeal. People like the fact that they are not intellectuals because intellectuals are obfuscators who inhabit an unreal, rarified world. What they see are plain-speaking people who may not be saints, but they get things done and don't bow down before the gods of "political correctness." Trump is an American version of an early harbinger of the rising populist tide: Italy's Silvio Berlusconi. ... Sanders, meanwhile, is the political twin of Britain's Jeremy Corbyn. Sanders, meanwhile, is the political twin of Britain's Jeremy Corbyn, both proudly unreconstructed socialists who promise to take on big business and return society's abundant wealth to the many, not the few. Advertisement Like all populists, any amateurism is to their advantage as it just goes to show their honesty and lack of spin. Gaffes that hurt other politicians only help populists, since they emphasize how much more human they are than the old guard of apparatchiks. Berlusconi, for instance, repeatedly made "jokes" that made many of his compatriots wince, such as when he claimed to use his "playboy charms" on Finland's female prime minster, or when he called a German member of the European Parliament a "concentration camp guard." It harmed his ratings as little as Trump's string of outrageous pronouncements has harmed his. The very fact that the serious press and the political establishment are alarmed by the rise of the populists only confirms that they have something to fear. But we do have something to fear. Populism is invariably simplistic, both in its analysis of problems and in its solutions. Trumps plans to build a wall across the Mexican border and kick the so-called Islamic State's ass are dangerously misguided. Sanders's plans are not so reckless, but still, the idea that you can fund huge public spending increases by massively increasing taxes on corporations goes against evidence-based economics, which shows that it is much more difficult to increase the tax yield. If we are to avoid heading down populist cul-de-sacs, we have to start by recognizing that there are good reasons for its appeal. When Sanders talks of a "corrupt campaign finance system" and a "rigged economy," as he did after both the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, he has a point. There is a great deal of truth in the idea that mainstream politics has stopped serving the people across the democratic world. A balancing act needs to be pulled off, acknowledging what populism identifies correctly as deep problems in our politics while resisting the often conspiratorial details and simplistic, unworkable solutions. In pursuing the laudable goal of liberalizing trade and opening markets, Western governments have indeed given too much power to large corporations and rich individuals, including a certain Mr. Trump. In seeking the support of swing voters, they have neglected the interests of everyone else, most notably the worst off. In professionalizing their campaigning, they have lost their grassroots connections and authenticity, instead becoming bland brands. Advertisement Mainstream parties that offer realistic policies need to respond to the populists, not by stealing their clothes and their policies, but by showing they are not themselves naked. The choice between these two options is being dramatically played out in America right now. On the Republican side, the populist Tea Party movement has effectively shifted the center so that all the leading candidates are in one way or another playing the populist tune. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are essentially competing with Trump on his terms, not so much challenging his populism as claiming to provide a more realistic version of it. So, for example, in the last ABC televised debate, Ted Cruz adopted populist anti-establishment rhetoric saying, "I will always stand with American people against the bipartisan corruption of Washington." In Europe too, the most disturbing aspect of populism is not so much its share of the vote, but how it is shifting the center ground its way. Hillary Clinton, however, is trying something quite different, conceding that supporters of Sanders have legitimate grievances but insisting their man doesn't have the answers. After New Hampshire, she acknowledged that "people have every right to be angry" adding an important "but:" "But they're also hungry. They're hungry for solutions," solutions that by implication Sanders doesn't have. She is quietly making the case that grown-up politics isn't as easy as Sanders maintains, but that she too wants many of the same things as her opponent. Hence after the Iowa result, she made a point of claiming "to stand in the long line of American reformers" who believe "that the status quo is not good enough." This requires making the case that society can only hold together and make progress if it adopts a more moderate, consensual, boring, mainstream kind of politics. A balancing act needs to be pulled off, acknowledging what populism identifies correctly as deep problems in our politics while resisting the often conspiratorial details and simplistic, unworkable solutions. This requires neither dismissing the populists out of hand nor granting too much to them. Most of all, it requires making the case that society can only hold together and make progress if it adopts a more moderate, consensual, boring, mainstream kind of politics. Advertisement The problem in America right now is that the most prominent advocates of this course are so deeply part of the hated establishment that winning trust is almost impossible. The best we can hope for is that the populist surge is held back in 2016 and that by the time of the next presidential election, a new generation of independently minded, sincere mainstream politicians will be able to lead the counter attack. America is not Europe. Whether this is seen as cause for celebration or lament, it is always a warning against those who would generalize about "the West" based on observation on only one continent. Nonetheless, the political parallels between the U.S. and Europe concerning populism are so striking that we must take seriously the idea that something very important is happening in democracies on both sides of the Atlantic. To respond to it wherever we are, we need to look at what's happening far beyond our own borders. IN FLIGHT - FEBRUARY 10: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) talks with reporters on his charter flight from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport February 10, 2016 en route to Spartanburg, South Carolina. Rubio placed fifth in the New Hampshire primary, behind fellow GOP candidates Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Donald Trump, who swept away the competition with 35-percent of the vote. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) In the week leading up to the New Hampshire primary, we were told over and over that while Iowa Republicans are typically more conservative and evangelical, New Hampshire Republicans tend to be more moderate and levelheaded. Headline after headline celebrated New Hampshire's supposed "moderate" tendencies. The New York Times cited the Granite State's "influential bloc of moderate Republicans." Even Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator from Texas and amateur Grandpa Munster impersonator, got in on the fun, predicting New Hampshire would see a "moderate-a-palooza." Advertisement In its analysis of exit polls, NBC News declared it was "moderate views" that helped Ohio Governor John Kasich "nab second" place in New Hampshire with just shy of 16 percent of the vote even though Donald Trump won voters who described themselves as moderate. In an effort to cast the GOP as a party at war with itself - conservatives battling moderates for the nomination - most in the media seem to have conflated ideology with disposition. They have confused "moderate" with "establishment." The truth is, not one of the Republican candidates in the 2016 presidential race is a moderate. For decades, being a moderate Republican meant you had a difference of opinion with your party, typically on social issues but occasionally on environmental and economic issues as well. Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld was a pro-choice, moderate Republican who supported medical marijuana decades before many Democrats came around on the issue. Advertisement Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman was a pro-choice, moderate Republican who trusted science when it came to climate change. Former Maine Senator Olympia Snowe was a pro-choice, moderate Republican who supported marriage equality for same-sex couples. I could continue this list of prominent, moderate Republicans, but you get the point: if you are a well-known moderate in the Party of Lincoln, it likely means you no longer hold elected office. Donald Trump, John Kasich, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, and Ben Carson hold the same conservative positions on virtually every issue that one could reasonably expect a moderate Republican to have a difference of opinion. They are all anti-choice. They all deny the scientific consensus on climate change. They all oppose marriage equality and important, basic, legal protections for LGBT Americans. They all oppose comprehensive immigration reform - even those who once supported the idea. Only in 2016, when the conversation on the right has been largely dominated by loudmouthed (Trump and Cruz) and borderline crazy (Trump, Cruz, and Carson) candidates, has the word "moderate" come to mean a difference of style rather than one of substance. Advertisement More and more, the right-wing radicals found in the Tea Party and online in YouTube comment threads have come to define the agenda of the entire Republican Party. And while this extreme element often loses primary elections to establishment candidates, they have won the fight over ideas. Even establishment candidates now parrot the views of this fringe in an effort to curry their favor. The king of one-liners, Henny Youngman, when asked, "How is your wife?" once quipped, "Compared to what?" That sentiment is equally effective in answering the question, "Are any of the Republican candidates moderate?" When Trump said he wanted to build a giant wall on our southern border funded by the Mexican government, the other candidates were not moderate to say they want a wall too, but will forgo the moat and crocodiles. When Cruz wanted to shut down the government over funding for Planned Parenthood, it did not make one of the other candidates a moderate to brag about how they defunded Planned Parenthood but would not shut down the government over the issue. When Trump demanded the suspension of all Muslims entering the United States, it did not make one of the other candidates a moderate to oppose such a ban while suggesting that accepting Muslim refugees gives us an opportunity to assimilate them to our "Jewish and Christian values." Advertisement When all of the candidates running for the Republican nomination oppose marriage equality, it does not make any of them moderate just because they say they would have no problem attending a gay couple's wedding. Rubio, Bush, and Kasich are not as loud, insulting, belittling, or bellicose as their leading rivals, but that does not make them moderate. It just makes them unsuccessful in the modern Republican Party. US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks during the primary night rally in Concord, New Hampshire, on February 9, 2016.Self-described democratic socialist Bernie Sanders and political novice Donald Trump won New Hampshire's presidential primaries Tuesday, US media projected, turning the American political establishment on its head early in the long nominations battle. / AFP / Jewel Samad (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) Last night Democratic voters in New Hampshire roundly rejected the cabal of charlatans posing as political experts in mainstream media. While many choose to remain deaf to it, the message from the people is loud and clear: the people of America have had enough of the Faustian bargain between the political, corporate and media establishments. They desire more than just a change of personnel in the oval office-they want a political revolution. There is no longer any room for doubt that the nation has awakened to the nobility of knaves that has been pulling the wool over their eyes for generations. Advertisement This is what the Sanders campaign is up against. Most of the self-appointed elder-statesmen of journalism who are yet to be right about anything are pandering to their political loyalties. They will only amp up their cacophony of sophistry and outright mendacity as the presidential contest progresses and the need to remain steadfast and occupy social media space is greater than ever. Ultimately, the strongest weapon in the campaign is the man himself; Sanders' message is clear and consistent. The inequality gap is untenable and unconscionable, the middle class is losing wealth and political influence, money is going to the wrong people and to the wrong purpose-and the establishment sold out to wall street and any lobby willing to pay top dollar a long time ago. No meaningful change can come by working by the rules of this establishment and there is only one candidate who is an avowed foe of the status quo and promises not just a change of guard but a paradigm shift. New Hampshire Democrats have shown the way. It remains to be seen if the rest of the Union will cease to listen to the rusted rails of mainstream media and usher in the revolution that Bernie Sanders has promised to lead. A Guide to Orlando Theme Parks, and the Fastest Way to get To and Through Them If you're looking for a vacation spot in the midst of all the action, few are better than Orlando, Florida. With 15+ amusement parks in the Greater Orlando area, it's not only easy to spend an entire vacation traversing the many varieties of shows, roller coasters, attractions, and more, but expected! Unfortunately, with so many attractions and only a limited time on your vacation, it's key to pick a location that puts you in the center of the action. Luckily for you, in the dead center of these five big theme parks lies the International Drive Resort area, an accommodation hub perfect for those looking for easy access to all the fantastic Orlando attractions. Welcome to Orlando's 50 miles of family fun, and welcome to amusement park central! Disney World - Distance from International Drive Resort Area: 10 Minutes First, the obvious. Walt Disney World is one of the world's most famous amusement parks, and for good reason too! This giant fantastical metropolis boasts an impressive internal transportation system composed of boats, buses, and monorails, so once you have arrived in the park you won't have to worry about missing out on any of the parks' action. To get there initially, simply hop on the Bus 50 of the Lynx public transit, which travels from International Drive to Disney daily, up until midnight. Advertisement As far as tickets go, Disney provides joint-access tickets that allow visitors to experience any of the four parks within the same day. Depending on the age and interests of your traveling companions, you can plan out your visit to focus on the specific parks of maximum appeal. To save time dining, priority seating is available for reservation online, as Disney's eateries tend to fill up rather quickly. Another timesaving investment is Disney's Fast Passes. The passes are essential place markers you can acquire at the front of a particular ride to reserve your spot for a specific time later in the day. Each ride can only accommodate so many fast passes, so it's important to pick them up at your rides of choice as soon as the Disney gates open. And don't forget! This 40 square mile amusement world is comprised of four separate but interconnected amusement parks known as: Magic Kingdom, Disney Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Disney's Animal Kingdom. Universal Studios - Distance from International Drive Resort Area: 4 Minutes Just a few minutes north of International Drive via the Lynx 8 or 42 you'll find Universal Studios. While not as breathtakingly massive as Disney World this is no amusement park to snub your nose at. In fact, once you've entered the park, you're sure to be so overwhelmed with the theatrics that you won't know what to do first, so how can you make sure you get the most out of your Universal Studios experience? Well, for starters we suggest you opt for the VIP tour. While significantly more expensive than both general admission tickets and Express Passes, a VIP Tour is undoubtedly worth it. Express Passes may allow you to skip the lines of the general admissioners, but you will still have to wait in the long lines of all those who have also paid for the privilege - making the expense only moderately worth it. Advertisement VIP Tours, on the other hand, provide you front of the line access to every ride and attraction. Also included is an exclusive personal guide, valet parking, reserved show seating, continental breakfast, and behind the scene tours. While roughly 7 times the price per person, if you truly want to get the most out of your experience, this is probably your best bet. Legoland - Distance from International Drive Resort Area: 49 Minutes While the farthest from the International Drive Resort Area, LEGOLAND is an amazing experience you're not going to want to miss. If this is one park that truly sparks your interest you may want to invest in a vacation rental slightly southwest of the area. This will put you a little closer to the park, while not taking you to far from the other attractions you're interested in. Additionally renting a vacation house or condo is a good way to make sure your whole family is well fed before and after your days at the park. Nearby grocery stores can be found, and nothing quite says relaxation after a long day at LEGOLAND like lying on the beach and decompressing to the Orlando sunset. To save time and see it all, there are a couple things you can do. First, don't arrive as soon as the doors open. Arriving even thirty minutes after the park's opening is a surefire way to avoid the lengthy entrance lines. Often you'll still be able to find upfront parking, but with out the premium pricing - saving you money in exchange for a minimally longer walking distance. Furthermore, if you plan on seeing the "Lego Movie Experience", mid-afternoon is a great time to avoid the lines - the exhibit's so popular the majority of people flock to it as early as possible. While you won't find any Fastpass opportunities at the LEGOLAND resort, you can avoid lines by thrill-seeking during lunch and naptimes, when the park dies down momentarily. SeaWorld - Distance from International Resort Drive Area: 11 Minutes Of all five attractions, SeaWorld is the second closest to the International Drive area. Residing a few miles due south, it's but a few minutes on the LYNX Bus 8, which arrives roughly every 15-30 minutes. The key to saving time at this sea life wonder world is advanced reservations. SeaWorld employs a Quick Queue Unlimited System that allows you pick any of the seven offered attractions you wish to see and reserve front line access for them ahead of time. Advertisement Also available at SeaWorld is Signature Show seating. This online feature allows you to reserve seats for upcoming shows, effectively reducing the hassle and waiting times associated with attaining conjoined family show seating. Another way you can beat the crowds is by planning to eat during the show performances you will not be attending. This way while everyone else is busy you'll be getting refueled, and as soon as they clear out, you'll be right back in the action. SeaWorld also recommends that you reserve priority seating for their restaurants in advance as these venues tend to be rather popular among visitors, and they only accept priority seating obtained online. However, this is no feat for the true go-getter - you can start booking as soon as the clock strikes 10 a.m. Wet 'N Wild - Distance from International Drive Resort Area: 3 Minutes Wet 'N Wild is an off-site Universal waterpark separate from the Islands of Adventure housed in conjunction with Universal Studios. This park is actually located directly on International Drive, and just a few minutes south of Universal Studios itself. If you've never been to this attraction, this is the time to go, as Universal Studios has announced its closure scheduled at the end of 2016. Guests who choose to stay in the International Drive area will have no problem reaching this park, as the I-Ride Trolley which runs up and down the drive daily will take you there for the budget price of a single dollar. Just as any other park in the Orlando area, throughout the day you'll experience fluctuations in crowd density. However, according to experienced Wet 'N Wild goers the mornings and lunchtimes are the best time to check out the attractions with minimal wait times. Endless Fun, Just Moments Away Advertisement Lately I've been feeling a little homesick and with all the insane news and horrific images that keep pouring out of the syrian war, with shelling and bombing that is ruining much of Syrias antiquities, architecture and heritage sites, I wanted to put together a series of images from Syrian cities that remind myself and everyone who has lived, visited or perhaps wanted to visit this beautiful country, of a time when we lived in peace, shared amazing memories and experiences of a culture rich in its history. Syria, a country which is known as the ancient pearl and the begining of civilization (9000BC), is home to the bronze age (3000-2000BC), where writing was invented and the rise of Ugarit brought the oldest written alphabet and the first musical notation. Here is a compilation of some of my favorite things and places from Syria before the war :- The Hurrian Hymn, Ugarit It is believed that the Hurrian Hymn is the oldest musical notation in the world, aging back to 3400 years. It was discovered on clay tablets in the ancient city of Ugarit, Syria. Many interpretations and performance attempts of the note have been done by composers and artists, this is one of my favorite, played by the syrian composer and pianist Malek Jandali. Khan As'ad Pasha, Damascus One of the largest Khans in the old city of Damascus, this khan was named after the great As'ad Pasha who was the ruling governor of Syria between 1751-1752. This work has been described as one of the greatest architecture pieces of the time, and has hosted caravans coming from Beirut, Aleppo, Baghdad and many other cities around the Ottoman Era. Advertisement The Damascene Sword Monument, Damascus The city of Damascus, which is also the capitol of Syria had a great reputation in the sword industry. Its swords were rumored to have been able to cut through steel material. Historians date the Damascene sword back to the 8th century where it was crystallized among crusaders who defended the city from external attacks. The monument stands in the Umayyad square in the city of Damascus and is a symbol of the victories, strength and achievements of the syrian people. Krak Des Chevaliers, Homs The Krak Des Chevaliers or in english the "crusader palace" is one of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world. It was coined as the Krak Des Chevaliers in the 19th century. Initially, it was named as the Castle Of Kurds, who were its first settlers in the 11th century, it was then given by the count of Tripoli to the Knights of Hospitaller. In 2006 it was identified by the UNESCO as a world heritage site, unfortunately it was partly damaged in the Syrian civil war due to shelling. The Umayyad Mosque, Damascus The Umayyad Mosque is one of the oldest and largest mosques in the world. Constructed on the site of the Byzantine cathedral in 706, It is Known as the great mosque of Damascus and has the mausoleum that contains the tomb of Salah El Din. It is said that the Umayyad Mosques prototype inspired the construction of Al Azhar Mosque in Cairo, the great Mosque of Cordoba in Spain and the Bursa Grand Mosque in Turkey. Damascus By Night As Seen From Mount Qasioun Via Nahel Abou Hatab Damascus is one of the the oldest cities in the world, nicknamed as the city of Jasmine. It is a major culture and religious center of the levant. According to some old myths and interpretations by scholars, Mount Qasioun was the place were Cain killed his brother Abel with a rock. After Cain killed Abel, he carried his body and buried it in the mountain on the border between Syria and Lebanon, around 33 km from Damascus and close to Zabadaneh. Advertisement Statue Of Queen Zenobia, Latakia Sea Zenobia was the queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria and served in the 3rd century. She is one of the most iconic queens of Syrian heritage, idolized for her bravery. Queen Zenobia led one of the largest revolts in history against the roman empire. Zenobia became queen of the Palmyrene Empire in 267, conquered Egypt until 271. It was said that she was later executed in the streets of Rome. Kessab, Northwestern Syria Kessab is one of the most beautiful towns in northwestern Syria. It shares borders with the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia and its population is mostly comprised of Armenian immigrants who contributed to the development of its land and agriculture. It is believed that during the seleucid period, the region of Kessab was the centre of the triad of the cities of Antioch, Seleucia and Laodicea. According to ancient greek mythology, the mount casius located within this triad was the sanctuary of Zeus. Clay Tablet of Ugaritic Alphabet The Ugaritic alphabet is the earliest known alphabet that was used in the semitic kingdoms in the 12th and 13th century BC. Its writing unified the scripts used in Phoenician, Hebrew and Aramaic, It is known to be the greatest discoveries of literature since the Egyption hieroglyphs and the Mesopotamian cuneiform. Widely used and extended in the 15th century, the script that is written from left to right gave the alphabetic order to the Latin, Hebrew and Greek alphabet and it is the oldest source providing written evidence of the Levantine's alphabetical history. In 2005 it was registered by the UNESCO as the "Phoenician alphabet" that falls into the memory of the world program. Al Samra Beach, Latakia Via Daniel Demeter Al Samra beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Syria and is situated at 800 meters above sea level. Located on the northwestern part of the country, it lies on the borders between Syria and Turkey. Beehive Houses, Hama Via Daniel Demeter Made from dirt, mud, stones and straws, the beehive houses were a 3,700 BC creation in Syria, Still adopted and used for living and storage purposes by the syrian people till this present day, It is mostly found in the deserts and rural farming areas of Hama and Aleppo, the Beehive houses are designed for desert climates to keep the heat out. The oculus located at the top of the beehive provides light to the interior of the house and sucks the hot air out in an upward style. Designed with basic and natural material, this design has also ensured that the house is maintained in rainy seasons as its shape allows rain to drain off from the facade, causing little erosion to the beehive homes exterior. Advertisement Ma'loula, Rif Dimashq Ma'loula is a small town located 56 km to the northeast of Damascus and is built into the rugged mountains at an altitude of more than 1500 meters. It is one of the three remaining villages were its inhabitants speak the Aramaic language which is the last surviving dialect that was spoken by Jesus Christ. The word Ma'loula which is derived from the Aramaic language, meaning "Entrance" in english, has one of the oldest surviving monastries in Syria that was built on a pagan site in the 6th century of the Byzantine period. Ancient Ruins of Palmyra, Homs The ancient ruins of palmyra are located in the Syrian desert, lying north east of Damascus. It is one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. An old alleyway in Bab Tuma, Damascus Bab Tuma, meaning "The gate of Thomas" is a borough in the old city of Damascus and one of the gates inside the historical walls of the city. Following the occupation of the cities of Alexandretta and Antioch by the Turkish troops in the 16th century, Bab Tuma became a major hub for the Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches of the Levant region. The Citadel Of Aleppo The citadel of Aleppo is considered to be one of the oldest and largest medievel palaces in the world. Located in the centre of the city of Aleppo, it dates back to the 3rd millenium BC and was occupied by the Byzantines, Greeks, Ayyubids and Mamluks. The Citadel of Aleppo is under the 1986 UNESCO world heritage sites. Unfortunately it was severely damaged amid the shelling and bombing in the Syrian Civil War. Castle Of Salah El Din, Latakia Via Anas Al Rifai Vaclav Berka is the senior trade brewmaster and chairman of the supervisory board of Pilsner Urquell. One of the most famous beers in the world, Pilsner Urquell, is brewed in Pilsen in the Czech Republic. It is the world's first golden lager and has been brewed since 1842. Berka has spent more than 45 years working at Pilsner Urquell and oversees a parallel brewing process that ensures faithfulness to the way the original beer is preserved. Lan Anh Vu caught up with Berka to learn more about his journey as the current senior trade brewmaster, the challenges he faced, and how he maintains the quality and originality of Pilsner Urquell. As told to Lan Anh Vu My Career as a Brewmaster I visited this brewery from the time I was a little boy. During my studies of fermentation in high school and university, I spent all holidays here. My father worked for the company in 1945 in the fermentation department, and the third generation of Vaclav Berka was working in the malting plant. I was connected to the area and atmosphere of this brewery. My career decision was clear. My first working day was 14 July 1980, when I signed a contract with this company. I brewed my first batch of Pilsner Urquell when I was 16. This was in 1971, and I helped a coworker in brew set number 1 and 2. My boss, Mr. Sykora, told me, "Try it and I will check you." That was the first time I ever brewed Pilsner Urquell beer. It was very funny. I felt very proud. Advertisement Challenges My current challenge is to ensure and provide our consumers who drink Pilsner Urquell with the same experience as those in our brewery cellars in Pilsner. Pilsner Urquell has a high content of residual extract and hop substances; therefore, it is much more sensitive to poor handling than other beers. It is more easily damaged by poor storage at unsuitable conditions and for longer periods of time. In bottles, it is damaged by light and omnipresent oxygen, which accelerates changes in taste. In 2005, we founded the trade brewmasters department. We created programs to achieve quality on the market. We check the entire process, from brewery gate to mug or glass, to be sure our consumers have the same experience as those in our brewery cellars. I train the people on our supply chain, our employees, people who transport the beer domestically or internationally, and people in pubs who manipulate and serve the beer. I also train people to properly clean the pipelines and glasses as well as how to serve the beer properly. We train people step-by-step in order to teach them how to maintain the quality and prolong the flavor stability. Lessons Learned Beer brewing is a process that is well described and precisely managed. A brewmaster has to learn from his predecessors. I had great teachers; my first teacher was my father. During my studies, I met many interesting people who had a very deep knowledge of brewing. They influenced and trained me, such as Mrs. Basarova, who is known as the Iron Lady of Czech brewery. She is over 80 years old, but she is still active in organizing and training people in university. I gained valuable knowledge and practical experience from many people. When I started as a young trainee, I had the opportunity to travel across the West Bohemia and visited many small and big breweries. I obtained knowledge and gained enormous experience from brewmasters who worked at these breweries. Advertisement The Making of Original Pilsner Urquell When I received training from my previous predecessors, they all told me, "Don't make changes in the recipe, the ingredients or the process. Be sure the taste of the beer is the same as before." This is very important, because this is how we reproduce the same Pilsner Urquell that was brewed in the 19th century. To guarantee that the beer people drink today remains true to the original Pilsner Urquell, we have basic principles that we have used from the beginning and still currently use. These basic principles include our equipment. We use decoction kettles for boiling in the brewhouse and direct-flame heating for mashing. In the first year, heating was done with wood; later, it was with coals, and now we use natural gas. We utilize the decoction mashing process, which causes the sugars to caramelize; this leads to and creates a beautiful, burnished gold color and rich malt complexity. We use a low temperature for fermentation, up to 9.5 degrees Celsius, and about 0 degrees Celsius for maturation. The processes of fermentation and maturation are separate. One vat is used for fermentation and another is used for maturation. All these steps and parameters are practically the same as in 1842. Josef Groll, our first brewmaster, completed the first batch of brew on 5 October 1842. Five weeks later, on 11 November 1842, the first beer was drunk in the town. The period of time between 5 October and 11 November is approximately 35 days. We now have the same production time. Pilsner water is very soft and distinctive in quality and it is desirable for making very pale beers. We use water from our own sources. Our sources are 100 meters deep; there is mainly sandstone and there is no mineral salt in the sandstone, so the water is very good when filtered. Great water is very important when making great beers because beer contains more than 90% water. Advertisement Since the beginning, we have produced all of our own malt in Pilsner using barley from the same Moravian farms that we've been working with for many years. It's important for us to be able to produce the malt to our exact standards so we can continue to brew Pilsner Urquell in the original way. To achieve a truly rich and noble taste, we use Saaz hops, which originate from the Zatec region of the Czech Republic. Due to low levels of alpha acids (which provide bitterness to beer when boiled), it's great for aroma. I have personally drunk this beer legally for 45 years, and I can say that the beer has the same taste. We still have a panel of old brewmasters and hold a meeting every two months to evaluate the beer. This is how we prolong the taste history. We are continuing a tradition that started with the establishment of the brewery in 1842. My Advice for Aspiring Brewmasters My advice for aspiring brewmasters is, first and foremost, that they should like beer. It is also necessary to obtain the knowledge and theories that come with practice. Learn how to brew and begin to reduce mistakes. For instance, if you use a higher temperature when brewing you could destroy everything, or if you use a lower temperature you will not achieve the proper products. I started as a trainee, and it took me 10 years to become a brewmaster. The size of the brewery is not important. What is important is the quality. The quality depends on the people behind the beers. Brewmasters should not only add the ingredients to the beer--such as water, hops or malts--but must also instill their own soul into the beer and leave their imprint on it. This is the way to ensure quality. Don't be in hurry and don't forgo quality--this is the only way that you can be successful. Advertisement This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. This article was originally published on The Hill and Daily Caller. I write this column February 9th on the morning of the New Hampshire primary. I expect Senator Bernie Sanders to win the primary - probably by a substantial double digit margin. Anything less would upset predictions made by virtually every single poll and pundit. As I have said repeatedly during my TV interviews, I like Bernie Sanders - I like his progressive views, I like and respect him personally. But I must ask, respectfully: Advertisement What revolution will occur if Senator Sanders, a self-declared socialist who calls for socialized medicine, higher taxes, and a government takeover of...well...virtually everything, were actually the Democratic nominee? To answer that question, let's look at history first. In 1968, I and other progressives worked for the anti-Vietnam War candidate Gene McCarthy in New Hampshire and refused to work for the Democratic nominee progressive Democrat Hubert Humphrey. The result: Richard Nixon's election. In 1972, we worked for left-base candidate George McGovern. The result: Nixon carried 49 states plus DC. In 1980, we worked for Ted Kennedy against an incumbent Democratic president who we did not consider liberal enough. The result: Ronald Reagan carried 45 states. In 1984, we supported the great progressive Walter Mondale, former vice president, who promised to raise taxes. Reagan won 49 out of 50 states. Advertisement In 1988, we supported Michael Dukakis, a progressive Democrat from Massachusetts. Republican President George H.W. Bush won 40 out of 48 states. Only in 1992, when a liberal Democrat who governed Arkansas as a decade from the center with bipartisan coalitions, Bill Clinton, supported liberal social programs but also insisted on individual responsibility, welfare reform and balanced budgets. He was elected twice and left office after creating 23 million jobs, turned an inherited deficit into a major surplus, and left his second term with a 65% job approval rating - the highest rating in the history of second term presidents since modern polling was invented. And in 2008 and 2012, we elected and re-elected a president who was not only a progressive and the first African American president, he also tried to govern like Bill Clinton from the center - attempting to reduce the deficit while enacting the Affordable Care Act, a global anti-global warming pact, and a real chance to control or eliminate Iran's runaway race to create a nuclear bomb. Yet in 2011, Bernie Sanders talked of challenging Barack Obama, incumbent Democratic President, for re-election, because he was not progressive enough - just as he criticizes Clinton. Is it possible that today's pro-Obama Democrats would support Sanders over Clinton, who loyally served as Barack Obama's Secretary of State. Really? What is Sanders' message? Repeated over and over again - reminiscent of Marco Rubio: Tax billionaires, anti-Wall Street rhetoric, abolish PACS. Advertisement But these are all positions supported by Hillary Clinton. And Vox's progressive editor, Ezra Klein, has criticized Sanders' proposal for socialized medicine as requiring higher taxes and likely to lead to reduced medical services. And Nobel Prize-winning liberal economist, Paul Krugman, in his regular New York Times column, has analyzed Sanders' and Clinton's anti-Wall Street/big bangs proposals and called Clinton's as "tougher." Why do progressives ignore these facts? Many say their preference for Sanders is emotional - I understand and respect that. But do they seriously consider the consequences of a "Republican revolution" resulting in taking over the White House and the Congress if Sanders is the nominee - taking over the Supreme Court and overturning Roe v. Wade, repealing Obamacare and all other progressive social programs? Can they really trust current general election polls showing some Sanders strength, while Republican Super PACS are spending tens of millions attacking Clinton and ignoring Sanders? Is there a reason why they are doing that? You bet. To progressive Democrats I respectfully ask: Do you want to take the risk that you are wrong - that in fact a Sanders nomination will more likely result in a Republican, not a Democratic, revolution? At least before you vote today in New Hampshire and in future primaries, ask yourself these questions, look at the facts about Hillary's lifelong commitment to progressive fights and values, then consider the risk: If you vote for Sanders and he ends up as the nominee and the country ends up with a Republican Revolution, you will regret it for a long time. Advertisement # # # # Astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell, who was part of the Apollo 14 space crew that flew to the moon in 1971, died last Thursday, February 4, just seven hours before the 45th anniversary of his landing the lunar module Antares on the surface of the moon. Dr. Mitchell was the 6th of one dozen human beings who have stood on the moon. Standing on the surface of the moon looking back at Earth catapulted him into a state of spiritual transformation. "I realized there was a higher intelligence in the universe," he told me in the first of several interviews. Returning to our planet, he left NASA to found the Institute for Noetic Sciences (www.noetic.org), an organization dedicated to scientific research into mysteries of the mind and the nature of consciousness. Advertisement In his bestselling book The Way of the Explorer: An Apollo Astronaut's Journey through the Material and Mystical Worlds, Mitchell connected the dots between outer space, inner space, evolution, and global consciousness. In the B.I. (Before Internet) era, and way before "to google" became a verb, a journalist tracked down an interview subject by reading newspaper clippings and wire service stories and calling the reporters who wrote the initial stories to request contact information. You worked a telephone trail of someone who knew someone who worked with someone who could provide you with an introduction or mailing address and phone number. With persistence and patience, you followed the leads until eventually you spoke to someone who could provide you with an address and phone number for the person whom you wished to interview. That was how I found Edgar Mitchell. It took several months and two letters of introduction before I was invited to his home in West Palm Beach. After setting up my notepad with pre-written questions and pushing the red record button on both tape recorders -- I was trained to bring back-up gear just in case -- the unthinkable happened. Both of the cassette recorders stopped working simultaneously just as Dr. Mitchell had launched into his unified field theory of physics. It was imperative that I not lose the thread of conversation. Twenty years in newsrooms had trained me well in dealing with technical snafus at inopportune moments so I switched to taking notes while maintaining eye contact.(I call it 'subliminal multitasking.') Yet apparently something about me did not inspire confidence. I don't know whether he thought I was young, or whether he thought that as a journalist I didn't have the scientific background to follow him, but he stopped in mid-sentence and leaned over sharply, so that his head was directly over the pad and pen and he was staring sternly into my eyes. Advertisement "Young lady," he said. "Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?" Of course I didn't. But as a student of Buddhism, I understood the concept of duality: light and darkness are two sides of one universal truth which correlated with what Dr. Mitchell was explaining. Quick save: I paraphrased. The sixth man to walk on the moon sat up straight, looking astonished. "You do get it!" he said. I sneaked a peek at my notes and grabbed a couple of his key words to paraphase so as to reinforce his impression that yes, I understood. It worked. Somehow, he was satisfied. It was, and remains, one of the most intimidating moments of my journalism career. Two hours later, I left with a full notebook and just a wee tiny knot in my stomach. What if I had made a mistake while taking notes? After all, this was quantum physics and it needed to be accurate. I asked him if he would mind reviewing his quotes for accuracy and would he be willing to sign a publisher' release stating that he had willingly given me an interview. No one was more surprised than me when he sent back the release with a note saying there were no corrections and offering to write a blurb. Some 20 years after our first interview, Dr. Mitchell appeared on my webtalkradio show, The Sixth Sense with Dr. Laurie Nadel. He was promoting a new edition of Way of the Explorer and I couldn't help reminding him of our first encounter when he somehow didn't think I was smart enough to understand what he was saying. He laughed, politely said he remembered, and asked, "Isn't it time we started calling intuition "the FIRST sense?" Mitchell: In the last few years of work, I've fairly and adequately demonstrated and convinced most of us, if not all, that our intuitive world and our basic communications is rooted in the quantum world, and the nonlocal quantum world has been around a lot longer than we have or longer than our solar system has. I'd say we should call our intuition our first sense just because of that. Advertisement Question: When we're talking about the nonlocal world, are we really talking about what existed before the beginning of time or space-time, as we understand it? Mitchell: That's the interesting thing. Although we really discovered it in science and started to codify it in the 20th Century, the physicists have insisted that the quantum world really only pertained to subatomic matter and did not pertain to our scale-sized matter. And that turned out just to be wrong. It is a subatomic property, but it also influences our world as well. And it's rooted right in our information systems. So, quantum information is really at the basis of our learning or our knowledge base, and it is responsible for our so-called intuitive processing. Picking up on our previous conversations about the intuitive process, I referred to the Webster's dictionary definition as "the spontaneous knowing of something without the conscious use of reason." Sometimes, the source of that information can be explained through information we have acquired through our five physical senses over the years. I suggested that intuition is a form of cognition and in agreeing, Mitchell took it further. Mitchell: The way I'd like to frame that, Laurie, is that what we get in is information. And that forms your basis for how we think, and that still, when we interpret information, we have to interpret what it means. We do that on the basis of our previous experience, and our knowing, and our education, and what we learned on mamma's knee, and so on, and so forth. Advertisement Question: When we're talking about receiving information from nonlocal sources or unknown or spiritual sources, how is that different, or is it different? Mitchell: Well, I guess I have to say that the primary properties that we're talking about here in the quantum world are called entanglement, coherence, and nonlocality, and resonance. And how we get information back is through resonance, and it's this nonlocal thing that Einstein objected to, and we really don't understand how it works at all. Yet, because it says that essentially, that particles that are ever in process together, even if they go across the universe from each other, subsequently they maintain an instantaneous correlation. It's that instantaneous part that Einstein calls "spooky action at a distance. "We really still don't have a good model for how that works, but we know it does. It's right at the basis of the root of knowing anything, except to prove we can make a good case for it as the basis for all of our sensory mechanisms and mathematical modeling. Question: Since you and I first met, I have spent a number of years, back and forth, in South America, studying with shamans in the Amazon, in the Andes, and several years in Brazil. They take these abilities of the mind for granted. They just start with the assumption that it's doable. You have looked into this and had some experience. How do you understand how people in shamanic traditions have learned how to transit, if you will, the barrier between physical consciousness and nonlocal or what they call "non-ordinary reality?" Mitchell: I think the mystics, the shamans, the medicine men--whatever name a particular culture calls them--are steeped in that, and they've exercised those talents. We all have the talent, as you well know. But some people have it in greater measure, or at least, exercise it and rely upon it more than others do. Just like we have great musicians, ball players, or artists. Everybody is good at something. And this is just one of the things that the mystical traditions have emphasized. Advertisement Question: The French mathematician Blaise Pascal, one of the fathers of reason, wrote that there are two excesses: one is to exclude reason, and the other is to admit only reason. Even during the Golden Age of Reason, it seems that the great thinkers were more advanced with regard to understanding that there was intuition; that there are things that couldn't be completely explained through logic, and that even the great mathematicians of the Golden Age were conscious of something that seems to have gotten lost, as you say, in the last 400 years. Why do you think we have lost respect for intuition? Mitchell: The fact is the great thinkers of all time have - whether they recognize it or not were using intuitive intelligence. Question: In the last ten or 15 years, what kind of breakthroughs have you seen since the first printing of your book, "The Way of the Explorer?" Mitchell: What has happened is this discovery of Dr. Schimpf in Germany called "the quantum hologram" has put real meat on the bones of intuitive knowledge in a mathematical mechanism to explain it. Question: When "Sixth Sense" was published in 1990, there was a lot of skepticism and suspicion from the scientific community. Has that changed? Advertisement Mitchell: Oh, of course, and there still is skepticism and suspicion among scientists. Question: From the way the audience is growing do you think there seems to be a need for intelligent questions and real information about what consciousness is and what intuition is? Mitchell: Well, that is absolutely true. The fact is that we have now thousands of experimental data points, showing this connection as evidenced by Faraday's cage screening and the intuitive faculties and go right through it. (A Faraday cage is a small room that's lined completely with copper, which shields out any electromagnetic frequencies.) But see, our intuitive faculties and the so-called Twin Effect and all these other nonlocal effects that we now are starting to understand quite well, are quite adequately described by this property called the quantum hologram that Dr. Schimpf discovered in the mid-1990s. We've been developing that now for almost 15 years, and it's just showing us entirely new approaches to much about nature and science that we didn't have before. Question: And what are some of the specific changes or insights that are different, that you're aware of? Mitchell: the mathematical formulism that has arisen from that discovery is spawning a whole new look in so-called Quantum Biology, Quantum Cosmology, introducing macro scale quantum effects into many, many of our normally-explained processes, but explained with classical and Newtonian sciences. Now we are seeing that there's a quantum component to it, and that's really reshaping the face of medical, psychological, and biological sciences. What has come out of this work that you asked about is it demonstrates that evolution is a learning process, as Lamarque said in the early 1800s, not as a result of random mutations, as has been classical evolutionary dogma since Darwin. That means we're not prisoners of our genes. The whole process of learning is taking place all the time. Our cells are constantly learning and our DNA is constantly learning, as well. Question: Wasn't it Jonas Salk who wrote that if we want to evolve as a species, we need to evolve as a more empathic species, more intuitive and connected? Isn't it true that if we only evolve from a kind of individualized, self-contained ego point of view, and we continue to be competitive, we have the capacity now--and presumably the potential--of being the first species ever to make ourselves extinct. Mitchell: That's right. Unless we learn to get beyond that ego function--unless we learn to get past that, we have the means at our disposal--our weapons of mass-destruction and nuclear weaponry--to destroy all life on the planet. And if we don't learn to conquer the ego that's what we'll end up doing. Question: How does cultivating intuition provide one of the keys for our species' survival? Mitchell: Yes. We have reshaped the mission of noetic sciences at this point, to look primarily at the transcendental or the transformational experience that goes along with that, that is a part and parcel of the mystical traditions and the basis of religion. And what is exactly that transformational experience? Well, it's been around for a long, long time, and basically, it goes to the bottom of we're all interconnected, that we're all part of the same thing. We're all one, and need to have that understanding at a deep visceral level, as opposed to just an intellectual level. What that helps us do is get past this need for violence. The fact is that violence becomes abhorrent when you're in that state. We have to go that way if we're going to survive as a species. At this moment, it's very obvious that civilization, as a whole--led much of it by the United States and the western industrial nations--is not on a sustainable path. We're the ones that created it, and we're going to have to fix it and change it. We've got to. Being green, which is important, it's part of it, but we have to do more than that because the planet that we're on, and our lifestyle, and our consumption habits, and so forth cannot sustain 6-1/2 billion people with lifestyle and consumption patterns of Western civilization. Advertisement sen. hillary clinton speaks at ... Over the weekend, Madeleine Albright repeated a quote for which she has been famous for approximately 40 years. "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women," she said. She, and by extension Hillary Clinton's campaign, came under fire for this Starbucks cup quote. Promptly outrage flared about how she could possibly shame younger women about their valid political views regarding Bernie Sanders. It happens that I have come to some key realizations since Hillary last ran for president in 2008 and I am now more aware of how easy it is to not help other women for sexist reasons, or no reason at all, and not even realize it. As Secretary Albright mentioned in Time, women can be "very judgmental of each other." Sheryl Sandberg asks women to "Lean In" because it worked for her, but the reality for most of us is that her lived experience is approximately as likely as as being offered an actual seat on a real rocket ship. She frequently puts the onus on women to work for themselves, believe in themselves, forgive themselves... which is all great! Focusing on those strategies, however, amounts to blaming victims of sexism for their experience, rather than addressing systematic sexism in society. That said, even Sandberg used Albright's "hell" quote in her book, and frequently encourages women to stick together. Advertisement Speaking of systematic sexism, let's get right to Secretary Clinton's family life. Seemingly everywhere I look, people criticize her in veiled language. They ignore her entire political career, or they ignore her time as First Lady. They compare her years as Secretary of State with equal weight to Senator Sanders's years as Mayor of Burlington. Occasionally, someone comes right out and says it: She should've left her lying, cheating husband and run for the Senate on her own. This idea that a woman's entire career can be dismissed because of her choices about family and marriage are so broadly accepted in our society that I've heard feminists utter them. Eight years ago, I believed similarly. She should've left the man and done it all by herself. That attitude is sexist at it's core, though. No one should be held to the standard that a woman can be no better than her husband's worst. This prevalent attitude also mirrors the worst interpretation of Sheryl Sandberg's convictions, but one that many women face: that family life must be sacrificed in order to achieve career success. When my daughter was born, I was shocked at the difference I felt toward her compared to my son. My brain came up with the worst four-letter words to call her -- words that I wouldn't use to describe my worst female enemy. I struggled to come to the realization that I had internalized the subtle sexism I had experienced my whole life to such an extent that I started heaping it on her nearly the moment she was born. Having realized this and confronted it, I am now a better mom, a better woman, a better feminist, and a better person. It was an experience I could not have imagined eight years ago. The subtle sexism I internalized didn't come from misogynist men. I knew enough to ignore them. It came from feminist women. It came from the paradox that no one should call out a woman on her sexism -- especially another woman. So when Madeleine Albright issues an ominous warning that you feel is directed at you, you might be right. Regardless of your age, you might not yet fully understand why her famous quote cuts so deep in today's context. If you consider yourself a feminist and are supporting Sanders during this primary season, please ask yourself honestly: Do I support his policies in and of themselves? Or am I swayed to his side because of a lifetime of covert sexist microaggressions that leave me disgusted with "the establishment?" Dear JetBlue Airways, I realize this is a bit unorthodox, but I wanted to officially declare my love for your airline on this Valentine's Day. You have given back to our family the gift of travel. Let me explain. My son, Joshua, has a life threatening peanut allergy. After a bad experience with another airline where we were told in response to declaring his peanut allergy "if you think he's going to die, just don't get on the plane", we were admittedly very wary about flying with him again. And then we found you.... When booking our first JetBlue flight after our traumatic airline experience, I was immediately impressed that there was a box that I could check off identifying us as having a nut allergy. The reservation agent spoke kindly to me and informed us that we could request pre-boarding in order to wipe down our seat for past nut residue. This was a tremendous relief to me as an allergy mom. Many times, I had to fight the large crowd during general boarding to rush and clean the seat area where my son would sit and would only hope that I had enough time to do a thorough job cleaning my area for past nut residue. She went on to inform me that JetBlue carries EpiPens (easy to use auto-injectors) on all its flights. I always carry my own set of auto-injectors but it was heartening to know there was back up if necessary. Advertisement When we arrived at the airport, I reminded the gate agent of my son's nut allergy and she personally came to pre-board us. The flight crew was so kind and was already informed about his nut allergy. When we were seated, as per your policy, the flight attendant made an announcement to our immediate area to please not consume nuts and that no products with nuts would be sold in our area. My son was 9 years old at the time, and the tone of your staff as they spoke made us feel that you had our back. I realize you can't guarantee a nut free environment, but you took multiple steps that help us reduce the risk of his exposure to nuts while in the air. When it came time for snack service, I had packed my own. I never rely or expect an airline to provide safe food for my son. I also carry a variety of gluten free, dairy free and other snack options because I try to be mindful that there may be someone in our immediate area who only has nuts for a snack and may need another choice. The flight attendant told me that this was unnecessary on JetBlue as they too had a variety of choices to offer passengers. Then, to my son's delight, she offered him a bag of certified nut free cookies (Skeeter Snacks). His joy was contagious (see picture below). Food allergies affect at least 15 million Americans, many of whom are small children. These children will grow up to be the future business travelers of the world, and will choose to fly airlines that treat their food allergy (a legitimate medical condition) with dignity and respect. They will discover, just like I did, that JetBlue is worthy of their business, love, and support. Advertisement Happy Valentine's Day! A Grateful Food Allergy Mom. Lilian Tintori, wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, cheers to supporters during a rally in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. The opposition is starting their campaign for parliamentary elections, set for December, with demonstrations in Caracas and other cities, in an effort to animate an electorate amid an economic crisis and a growing crime. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) CARACAS, Venezuela -- The moment the tragic situation in Venezuela becomes normal, they have won. I tell myself this every time I enter Ramo Verde military prison to visit my husband, the Venezuelan opposition leader and prisoner of conscience Leopoldo Lopez. At the prison, the guards regularly humiliate me, either by refusing my entrance, making me wait hours for no reason or conducting strip searches. I know I am not alone in this embarrassment; countless women have allowed this routine, an indignity that must be silently endured to see our loved ones. However, in January, the degradation reached a new level, and so now I raise my voice on behalf of all women who are humiliated each time they visit a relative in Venezuela's prisons. During this visit, the colonel in charge of Ramo Verde prison forced me to wait two hours before seeing Leopoldo, while other visitors were allowed to pass through. As I waited, he started to yell at me very loudly, discussing my marriage and insulting me in front of all the other soldiers. I asked him to lower his voice and he told me that if I continued talking back to him, I would be banned from visiting Leopoldo for months. Eventually, I was moved to a separate area in the prison, a small room with two soldiers in it, who ordered me to remove my shoes, pants, t-shirt, undergarments and even my underwear. They later did the same thing to my mother-in-law, Antonieta Mendoza de Lopez. But in her case, she was also forced to open her legs, while the soldiers repeatedly yelled at her, "Open them more!" in front of my children -- her grandchildren -- six-year-old Manuela and three-year-old Leopoldo Santiago. Advertisement Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (L) and deputy and former president of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, salute during a ceremony. (FEDERICO PARRA/AFP/Getty Images) The and the set standards for acceptable conditions of detention and have judged that invasive visiting procedures violate the physical and psychological integrity of prisoners and their visiting relatives and qualify as cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Yet the Venezuelan government continues to employ these tactics as a way to demean and break us. To my fellow women who are victims of such abuse: we must not allow ourselves to become accustomed to it. We must never allow ourselves to become accustomed to the endless lines, insecurity, persecution and medical crises -- from the Zika virus to drug shortages -- that currently plague Venezuela. On Dec. 6, the people of Venezuela for change in legislative elections, and our National Assembly now has a supermajority from the political opposition aligned against Maduro. This starts by ending the need for people like me to visit their loved ones in prison. We must push to free the political prisoners, the persecuted and their families from these terrible situations. On Feb. 18, my husband Leopoldo will have spent two years unjustly imprisoned by this regime, our young children will have grown two years older without their father and I will have spent two years fighting for my husband's release. But our new National Assembly has the means to choose a different future for my family. On numerous occasions, the U.N. has Leopoldo's immediate release -- a call that has been by the Organization of American States along with international organizations and world leaders. The National Assembly is a law providing amnesty for the country's political prisoners, but this will not happen unless there is intense regional and international pressure on Maduro. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado (L) and Lilian Tintori, wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, lead a protest in Caracas on Feb. 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) The soldiers who conducted those humiliating searches told us they were following orders from the leadership in the regime. If they are to be believed, which I am inclined to do, then we now know that the persecution and harassment will not stop until the leadership is held to account. The people of Venezuela are fighting the impunity of this regime, but it is not a fight we can win on our own. We ask that all countries that value freedom, democracy and human dignity demonstrate to Maduro's regime that its attempts to silence domestic opposition will be met with unequivocal and relentless action, and that its lack of respect for the physical and psychological integrity of its citizens has been witnessed by the world and will not be tolerated. Despite the outrage that Venezuelans share over our country's crisis, today we are full of faith and remain committed to fighting injustice. My resolve has only been strengthened as the pressure on everyone who has dared to confront the regime has gotten worse. The people of Venezuela will prevail in restoring our freedoms, including the release of all political prisoners, through peaceful and democratic means. Advertisement Earlier on WorldPost: Female medicine doctor filling in patient medical history list during ward round. Medical care or insurance concept. Physician ready to examine patient and help My head ached and the nausea was extreme as I awoke in the ICU last June. I had just endured my second brain surgery in a week and with 47 staples in my head, I was relieved to be alive. I was determined to survive again since this wasn't my first life-threatening situation. I suffered my first stroke almost 20 years ago. I was a healthy 21-year-old about to graduate college. My stroke symptoms were classic -- left-sided numbness, severe headache, confusion and trouble speaking. Advertisement I had to go to two hospitals before being correctly diagnosed with a stroke. Like many people, I didn't realize that stroke can happen to anyone. Over the course of three years, I suffered a total of three. It took six months for a disease diagnosis and four years of intense treatment and grueling side effects to get my health stable. Wanting to help others, I became a volunteer and advocate for the American Heart Association. Disabled, I wasn't able to work. But I walked, spoke, lobbied, networked, jumped rope and attended fundraisers to share my story and raise awareness. Eventually, I married my best friend and became a mother to two amazing children. I was thrilled to become a 2014-2015 Go Red For Women National Spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. This was my opportunity to educate and create awareness for cardiovascular disease and stroke with a national audience. I created a Facebook community called "ISurvivor Lisa Deck." This group garnered thousands of followers and was intended to be an educational resource. What started out to educate others became a real-time story of my survival. Advertisement Through my strokes and brain disease in my early adulthood, I learned how to be a survivor. Be courageous, think positive, accept help and find your inner strength. I just never suspected that I would have to be a survivor... again. After living for 14 years without any major issues, the entire left side of my body went numb last year. At first I attributed this to my residual deficits of my previous strokes. I wasn't worried and tried my usual solution of resting and hydrating. But the numbness lasted for four days and wouldn't subside. I knew I had to listen to the advice I had given: Take action when experiencing symptoms. I was shocked when the doctors diagnosed my fourth stroke. Weeks of testing resulted in a diagnosis of incurable Moyamoya disease. Left untreated, Moyamoya will continue to cause strokes and can eventually prove fatal. The recommended treatment is surgery. I learned that I would need not one, but two brain bypass surgeries to help my situation. Now being a mother, I had to be even more courageous and strong during this life-threatening battle. My husband and I researched options for these specialized surgeries. This led us to Dr. Steinberg, an esteemed neurosurgeon who would perform bilateral brain bypasses one week apart. I was filled with extreme anxiety and fear anticipating the surgeries and leaving my children to travel across the country. Advertisement Saying goodbye to my children for three weeks was gut-wrenching. I worried about my survival and their well-being. Fortunately, I'm blessed with amazing family and friends who selflessly supported me and my family during our time of need. In June, my husband and I traveled to California for my surgeries. The three weeks at Stanford Medical Center passed in a blur of pain, fear and survival. I remember every scary and overwhelming moment. My two brain surgeries lasted over 16 hours, had the blood flow in my brain totally stopped for minutes, and required 47 staples in my head and a blood transfusion. Immediately post-surgery, I suffered from speech difficulties, trans ischemic attacks, extreme nausea, debilitating pain, swelling and bruising. Physical and emotional recovery were tough but successful. I am now eight months post-surgery and I just learned from post-op testing that my surgeries were effective. The surgeon reported that my blood flow increased seven times which immediately decreases my risk of another stroke. Advertisement After four strokes, a Moyamoya diagnosis and two brain surgeries, I am blessed to be here to continue living my life. I now have another chance to hug my children, raise awareness of cardiovascular disease and stroke and encourage others to stay strong. After all, I am a survivor! Hey BU! We're not done with the Citgo Sign! When I was a little kid lying on my bed on Bay State Road in Kenmore Square, I could blot out the Citgo sign with my thumb. When I got the angle just right, the only visible light in the night sky would be the floodlights at Fenway if a game were going long. Don't get me wrong. I loved the Citgo sign and I still do. The pulsing triangles of red and orange, the bright white background, a perfect electronic poster if there ever was one. I thought that Sister Corita, another childhood saint of mine, should copy the Citgo sign. I even wrote her a postcard suggesting it. I was just very proud of my thumb. The whole blotting-out-the-big-sign-with-my-little thumb enterprise taught me a lot about perspective in art. When I wanted to explain where I lived to anyone, I would say, "in the shadow of the Citgo sign. Literally." Because the sign was the only real landmark for my neighborhood, other than Fenway Park. Later, I learned that the sign was a logo. An advertisement and not my own personal piece of bedroom wall art. That was okay. The company was subsidizing my visual splendor. Sort of like a sponsor for a non-profit. When I began to drive, I patronized Citgo stations whenever I could. That seemed the least I could do. Sometimes a whole row of neon lights would burn out. That unsettled me. I could handle the white lines being interrupted but not the red. No never the red. Or the orange. Or the smallest triangle at the center. That had to be whole, sacrosanct, or I couldn't get to sleep easily. I moved away from Kenmore Square after college. And I kept my all-powerful thumb but I didn't sleep in that little twin bed on Bay State Road again for twenty years or more when I would occasionally stay over at my mother's house By the time I did, I know knew that the Citgo sign was no longer neon. It had become halogen, or LED's, and there weren't many Citgo stations left for me to visit. Over the years, the Citgo sign has become a civic landmark, not just for me. But for Boston writ large. There are postcards, posters and mugs. The sign figures in every movie or documentary shot in the city, (okay, maybe not the ones where everyone is getting their heads shot off in Southie). But the Citgo sign endures as a symbol that this is Boston. We've got Fenway; we've got the State House dome. We've got the Zakim Bridge and Faneuil Hall. Not a bright, colorful capitalistic symbol in the bunch. B.U. has every right to sell the building and I hope they get an enormous price for it. (http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/01/21/get-your-checkbooks-out-the-citgo-sign-for-sale/GyKWfAP97HZLMOyvVOLPRJ/story.html?event=event25I) I grew up in the 'hood and I am grateful for every positive thing that the school has done to develop Kenmore Square as an identifiable and attractive destination. They've accomplished what even the Red Sox winning the World Series could not. Get out the grunge. Kenmore is sort of hip now. Flourishing with good restaurants and more to come. Will the next owner care? Will the next owner remember that a Citgo sign in some incarnation has been on top of 660 Beacon Street since 1940? First as a clunky green and white sign over the City Service divisional offices, then to the triangular neon greatness in 1965. Three different iterations of LED bulb technology. And there have been numerous unconsummated attempts to protect it for eternity as a Boston Historical Landmark. (Hint. Hint.) There is even a website devoted to the sign on the Citgo website (https://www.citgo.com/AboutCITGO/BostonSign.jsp) where you can download the sign as a screen saver. How about a blast of the screen saver to everyone at BU and every potential purchaser? Could change.org get behind that petition? There's a marvelous quote topping the sign's website: "Paris has the Eiffel Tower, London has Big Ben and Boston has the Citgo sign." Our red triangle is in pretty good company. Barnsdall Art Park's Municipal Art Gallery hosts perhaps the timeliest of art exhibits, SKIN, on view thru April 17, 2016. Under the curatorial direction of Barnsdall's director Isabelle Lutterodt, SKIN presents a myriad of stylistic and formal approaches to art by over thirty artists, all related in some manner to race. Post-Ferguson, the issue is charged and on the front burner, but progressive politics do not necessarily translate to dynamic art. The era where lily-white art school faculties encouraged artists to ignore race and politics is over; post-colonial theory has replaced post-structuralism in the ivory tower. Boring obtuse art posing as semiotics is out at the MFA diploma mill but that means a lot of preach-n-spoonfeed art is in. Amidst this background, though, there are bright spots of the art world dragging the institutions kicking and screaming toward diversity, inclusion and an elevated consciousness that also crafts memorable visual and conceptual experiences. While commercial galleries shrink from playing the "bite the hand that feeds you" game that all art addressing power must enter into, larger institutions can only be counted on to embrace political shows as long as the pursuit of radical chic doesn't jar the donor base. Small and medium art institutions therefore remain vital to mount shows that take on the big issues of our time. The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall Art Park is the perfect place for the type of socially-conscious curating that is as inclusive as it is demanding of high artistic quality from those that would be partisan. Lutterodt had an open call for art under the theme of SKIN as metaphor for race and has included household names like Kara Walker, Los Angeles art scene veterans like Sandy Rodriguez and Nery Gabriel Lemus, as well as a smattering of artists for whom Barnsdall will be the biggest show of their career to date. Advertisement While the exhibit has its highs and lows, it is a must-see spectacle for anyone whose political consciousness comes close to matching their good taste in art. Here are six exemplary artworks in the show that pack the perfect punch of invigorating concept, sublime aesthetic and masterful execution. Ken Gonzalez-Day 41 Objects Arranged by Color Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Luis De Jesus Gallery and the artist A billboard-sized collection of monochrome sculptural portraits in museum collections are arranged as a black to white gradient, revealing the skin tones of various races depicted in a range of color, black to dark greens, oranges to ambers to bleach white. Hung on a far wall, the piece looms over the whole exhibit to put the objects here in a true historical context. Artists may be trapped in the biases of their century but art can speak the truths of the past with an allure to seduce the future. Advertisement April Bey #Gradient Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and the artist Another artwork that uses the color gradient but this one more politically pointed. Shades of skin color are applied as expressionist impasto, dark to light. Framing the colors are words that various emails used to describe her during graduate school. The ultimate institutional critique is anything that pops open the hermetically sealed bag of white liberal racism to show it as the same kind of ugly the conservatives brandish. This one probably made more than one gallery-goer scour their old spam folders. James Berson Elvis Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and the artist A brash neon sign carries the subtlest message, and one's interpretation reveals much about the viewer. "Elvis has left the building but the buildings (sic) still there" it reads - in neon that is sharply divided left to right, with different colors and fonts. In a show about rock and roll this artwork might mean something completely different. In a show about race it can be construed that Elvis was a bridge between two cultures by one viewer while the next will see him as the ultimate polarizing figure. The usually pathetic trope of "leaving meaning up to the viewer" here becomes a poetic detente zone - where a powerful artwork can reflect where each of us stands in an endless emotional conversation. Holly Tempo Cardboard Revival Artist Holly Tempo photographed in her installation. Photo: Marlene Picard, Courtesy of Picard Pick Art Props go to the curating at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery for mounting this installation that delivers the reality of Barnsdall Art Park - Mayan revival patterns from the nearby Frank Lloyd Wright Hollyhock house sit depressingly near to tents and cardboard boxes on the property sheltering the homeless. The artist delivers a poignant sermon on race and class divides without ever preaching. The beauty of the installation is seductive but the small anteroom in which it is installed is slowly claustrophobic, like so much dialogue based in race and class. Michael Massenburg Men's Day Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and the artist Michael Massenburg is perhaps L.A.'s best unsung expressionist figurative painter. After all the digressions subverting painting and enacting new forms as fine art, a simple square canvas on which a painter enacts the sheer joy of composition can be a triumph. Here he paints African American men as part of a joyful composition, mysterious yet accessible, part of the landscape yet aloof from it. A brilliant small picture that accomplishes so much by setting out to simply be a great painting. Advertisement Bruce Richards Love Thy Neighbor Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Jack Rutberg Fine Arts and the artist It isn't any coincidence that the two bullet holes in this photorealistic rendition of engraved signage each landed in a letter "O". The two presidential terms of Barack Obama have been marked by gun violence and overt racism. And yet this eternal phrase seems to show that its wisdom endures despite the aim of hatred. Those are my picks for six outstanding works in an outstanding, all-too-necessary exhibition. Check out SKIN and see which of the almost fifty artworks on display are your favorites. If you want any more incentive to follow these interesting artists, here below is an episode of my live web-streamed art talk show MODERN ART BLITZ featuring Michael Massenburg and April Bey. Can you turn a few customers into a thousand ravings fans? Are your clients organizing across the country to talk about what a great experience they had using their service? Listen in as I detail how you can do just that from my experience over the last four years not just creating a company but building an amazing community... Build a Tribe As we say at our travel company Under30Experiences, it's all about the community. People want to know that you are in business to serve them; not for a meal ticket or fancy lifestyle. We refer to clients as "friends" because they truly are. When your product or service provides a life-changing experience, then they will feel a deep emotional connection to you, your brand and others who use it. This of course means you need excellent customer service. Go above to help a close friend. In turn, creating a community of thousands of friends creates massive word of mouth marketing and incredible loyalty. Advertisement How can your brand go above and beyond? Focus on Members' Personal Growth A community should exist to perpetuate the personal and professional growth of the people it serves. If the community truly tries to do this in an authentic way, your community members will "ask not what your community can do for you, ask what you can do for your community," as President John F. Kennedy would have said. A list of subscribers on the other hand is normally an impersonal thing based on numbers and data. Building a community is about engaging the people who you serve. Does your product improve the lives of the people it serves? Start Hiring People With Passion Find leaders who care. The only way to build a community is to have leaders who care about the people inside of it. It takes leaders who go above and beyond for their members and lead by example. The community is usually tied together by a common set of values, and the leaders need to live these values in a very authentic way. For example, with Under30Experiences, our founders and staff live out the values of traveling, understanding the world, having thoughtful conversations and having fun. This kind of attitude is contagious and creates an environment that the people inside the community can connect with. It's what makes people stick around. Every community needs leaders. Bonus points if you let your customers lead! Always Be Communicating In today's digital day in age communities can be spread across the world. Because communities communicate virtually, there needs to be focus on consistent communication that includes email updates, conversation within the Facebook Group, and the chance to have time face-to-face and on the phone. If the leaders of your community or brand reps lose focus or interest, the community will quickly dissolve. Again, this takes leadership from the top down that facilitates community members to take action. How can you turn clients into brand reps into full time employees? Encourage Participation Even if your community organizes on their own and forms 100 percent organically without the help of paid employees, it's important to reward your community members. If I could do it all over again, I would have found a better reward structure to make sure our community knew how much we loved it that they organized themselves by sending free gear, shirts, or at least a round of drinks at the bar. I think this type of thing deepens the connection between the members and the community. Advertisement If customers love your brand so much, let them represent your brand. It's a great recruiting strategy, and make sure candidates see a clear path from brand rep or intern to full-time employee. Ask Your Members What They Want The best part about having an engaged community is getting their advice about our new products and services. With a simple Facebook post and an email, we were able to design a trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and immediately sell out two trips. With little to no investment using the subscription-based website builder Strikingly, we were able to generate $40,000 in revenue in 48 hours. Don't forget to ask your customers for what they want! Find something people are passionate about or it's not worth it. Building a community is hard work if you aren't doing something that people absolutely love. You don't want to beg people to be involved in your community; you want them to beg you to be involved. Don't just copycat others, do something that an authentic group of people will have a connection to. How can you find out what your customers want in an organic way? Let Your Community Grow Organically At Under30Experiences we aim to be an inclusive community instead of an exclusive community. Everyone is welcome regardless of age and if people have interest in other communities or sub-communities, we think that's great. When people break off to do their own thing outside of the community, that's a really good problem to have. Look at your community as a place for people to grow. We don't get upset when members leave to do other things because we know they have received all the value they needed out of our community and it is time for them to move on and graduate. Advertisement -- image credit: Iowapolitics.com During the recent Des Moines Republican debate New Jersey Governor Chris Christie made headlines answering a question from moderator Bret Baier when he asked Christie what he thought was, "the one thing that the federal government does now that it should not do at all?" "How about one that I've done in New Jersey for the last six years. That's get rid of Planned Parenthood funding from the United States of America," Christie said. "When you see thousands upon thousands upon thousands of children being murdered in the womb, I can't think of anything bigger than that." In living rooms across America viewers either agreed or disagreed with his stance, but unbeknownst to the majority of them Christie was misstating the truth. Federal funding does not pay for abortions. It pays for STD and cancer screenings, contraception and other public health services, but not abortions. Because Baier was likely unaware of this, Christie's statement went unchallenged. Advertisement The media is supposed to educate its viewers and readers by covering stories objectively and from all sides. In this case, I don't think the majority of the media is even aware of Christie's mistake. There were a few left leaning publications that took Christie to task for flipping on the issue of funding Planned Parenthood over the years, but none of those journalists mentioned the fact that the money received from public funds does not cover abortions. Federal funding doesn't cover abortions Public funding of medical care at places like Planned Parenthood does not look like what most of the general public imagines it to be. The image of large checks being written by the federal government to family planning providers to spend as they wish are just not the reality. Organizations like Planned Parenthood that provide family planning services to low income persons traditionally can see public funds from 2 programs: Medicaid, the health care program targeted at Americans living under the poverty level, and Title X, a federal family planning program that likewise primarily serves lower-income Americans. In alignment with the Hyde Amendment, which was established in 1976, public funding for Planned Parenthood only covers STD and cancer screenings, contraception and other preventative health services. The Hyde Amendment strictly prevents this funding from covering abortions, except in the case of rape, incest or threats to the health of the mother. The harsh reality is that Medicaid is still the largest insurer of the poor, and even in individual state Medicaid programs, abortions are only funded in 17 states. In every other state in this country, women must pay out of pocket, with some rare exceptions. Advertisement So what would this look like if the federal government restricted clients ability to use their Medicaid card at Planned Parenthood? It is estimated that 1 in 10 women in the United States uses Medicaid for her health care services. In 2013 a total of 8.3 million women in the US received publicly supported contraceptive services and at least 10% chose Planned Parenthood for these services. Dumping 800,000 women needing contraceptive services into an already overtaxed system of providers for low- income people means lack of access to services. In 2011 an estimated 31% of US doctors were reported as "unwilling" to take new Medicaid Clients. What options does this leave? If successful, the defunding of Planned Parenthood will not curb the need for abortion, but rather decrease health services for people who desperately need them and overburden current providers from being able to see clients in need of more urgent health care. Not only appointments for preventative health screening like breast exams and pap smears will be hard to access, but we may find safety net providers unable to see more fragile clients battling diabetes and heart disease or children needing ongoing medical treatments because of an influx of clients needing a new family planning provider. The great irony at play here is that by cutting this funding we are actually increasing the possibility of more unwanted pregnancies at every socioeconomic level. In fact, recent findings by the New England Journal of Medicine published last week found a significant increase in the number of births in Texas among women who had previously received birth control at clinics that no longer get state funding. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, leader of the largest Arab nation during the 1950s and 1960s, was one of the most popular and charismatic statesmen of the twentieth century. In his 1954 memoir, The Philosophy of the Revolution, Nasser claimed that Egypt's unique geography and historical legacy enhanced its ability to influence Africa, the Muslim world, and the Arab world. Of these three significant regions, it was the Arab world which captivated Nasser's attention the most: "I always imagine that in this region in which we live there is a role wandering aimlessly about in search of an actor to play it." Nasser's ultimate vision was to become the undisputed leader of the Arab world, and to exert his influence beyond Egypt's borders. He implemented a brief union with Syria (1958-61) and renamed both nations as the United Arab Republic, but the project collapsed because Syrians viewed it more as an Egyptian occupation rather than a merger of equals. In 1962 during the North Yemen Civil War, Yemeni radicals and conservative royalists competed for power, and Nasser, hoping to expand his influence into the Arabian Peninsula, supported the radicals while Saudi Arabia, seeking to curb Nasser's influence, backed the royalists. Nasser's side ultimately won but he paid a heavy price: at least 10,000 Egyptian troops died, and the Yemeni intervention became known as "Egypt's Vietnam." Moreover, he tarnished his image as an Arab hero, especially for deploying chemical weapons against fellow Arabs. Advertisement Egypt's humiliating defeat by Israel in 1967 exposed the final illusion of Nasser's pan-Arab vision and power projection. To absolve himself of responsibility, he perpetuated a myth that direct American and British intervention led to Israel's stunning triumph. After his death in 1970, no other Arab leader including Hafez Assad, Saddam Hussein, and Muammar Gaddafi were able to replicate Nasser's charisma and vision. The Arab uprisings which began in Tunisia in 2010 has left the Arab world in disarray. Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Libya are plagued with civil war and insurrection, and their central governments do not exercise control over all of their territory. Libya has two rival governments. Lebanon has been without a president for 20 months. Jordan is threatened by Islamic State and burdened with sheltering one million Syrian refugees. Egypt faces many domestic challenges including a jihadist insurgency in Sinai which shows no signs of abating. Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led an unsuccessful Sunni Arab alliance to expel the Iranian-backed Houthis from power in Yemen. The Yemeni quagmire coupled with Saudi Arabia's opposition to Iranian expansion may help explain why Saudi Arabia executed Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr on 2 January 2016, knowing such a provocation would anger Tehran. Saudi Arabia continues to stoke sectarian tensions even with non-Arab Sunni players like Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Until the 1979 Revolution, Iran, which is not an Arab country, occupied a marginal position in Middle Eastern affairs. Since 1979, Iran has sought to export its Islamic revolution, extend its influence in neighboring nations, and support Shia communities outside its borders. Advertisement For decades, Saddam's Iraq served as a bulwark against Iranian expansion in the Middle East. The 2003 US-led invasion and destruction of Saddam Hussein's Ba'thist regime unintentionally strengthened Iran's ability to influence Iraq's Shia majority, and Tehran's influence in Baghdad is unprecedented in modern Middle Eastern history. In 2004, Jordanian King Abdullah II warned of a rising "Shia crescent" that begins in Iran and extends to Iraq. It continues in Syria with Assad's Alawite Shia sect and ends with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran now has extended its influence with the Houthis in Yemen, the same group that the Saudis are hoping to drive from power. The Saudi-led Arab dispute with Iran is primarily about geostrategic interests and which side exerts more prestige and influence. Both sides have stoked sectarian tension although it is imprecise to view the conflict in purely sectarian terms. For instance, Iran has supported Christian Armenia in its claims over disputed territory with Shia Azerbaijan and Sunni Hamas and Islamic Jihad in their struggle against Israel. Yet Sunni Arab anxiety is real. Analyst Hassan Hassan astutely notes that Arab monarchies feel that there is now not a Shia crescent but a "full moon" and they are surrounded by Iranian Shia influence. With Iranian influence extending into Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut, and Sana'a, Iran directly and indirectly influences one-fifth of the Arab world. This is something Nasser could never have imagined. However, Iran's ability to exert its influence in four Arab nations should be assessed in relation to the relative decline of Arab state power, not innate Iranian strength. Yet following the Iranian nuclear deal, the rise of Iranian power will continue in the foreseeable future. At least $100 billion in frozen assets will flow into Tehran's coffers, and while much of that money will be injected into Iran's cash-strapped economy, it can be expected that some will go to support Iran's interests in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. There were three of them, just wasting time before their appointments. They had just come back from combat downrange and the unit had suffered some casualties. They were young and barely had any rank. Good-natured and happy, one soldier was ribbing the other about his weight. He said, "You're pretty good at this 'weighting' thing..." It was stupid but it made me smile--my kind of humor. Clearly, it was annoying him. The third chided the other guy and said, "Stop trying to get his goat." Since there were no small, furry creatures with horns around, I suspect his goat was safe. I joined the chat, indicating that this was just "AWT" -- official Army Waiting Training. Finally the guy said, "Just give it up, it doesn't bother me." Today marks the first day of Lent, where Christians all over the world remember Christ's cleansing trip to the desert before his death. In recognition, we are supposed to mimic his sacrifice by giving up something pleasurable. For years I have keep this part of my faith alive, not only because of my beliefs, but because I always have a list of vices to surrender. Once again, I give up cigars. I have done this for three successive Lents, only to start again after Easter. These young men have signed on to make sacrifices. Many with the thoughts of adventure, only to be met with the realities of war. Today, I learned about the men in their platoon that made the ultimate sacrifice in an IED explosion. Although they sign up to protect our freedom, most of them are just chasing the American dream. They don't sign up to die for you or me, they sign up to live. But if dying is asked for, they lay down their lives for us. Advertisement When we think about sacrifice, most of us don't do it well. We talk about how hard it is to give up something trifling, like candy or cigars. One woman I work with was bemoaning giving up coffee. Of course, many of us make personal sacrifices for our children, to offer them a better way of life than perhaps we had. But our servicemen sign on to help all of us maintain our personal freedoms. Even though they will never meet you or get anything personal out of it. Rather, the opposite is true. Battered and banged up, they just wear out before their time with physical and emotional injuries. I met with a soldier yesterday who was 30 years old; he looked more than 50, with a long list of combat-related challenges. In 1945, the AP fired its lead correspondent in Europe for breaking a major story - the end of war in Europe. Seventy years later, more than 100 of his journalism heirs are battling to repair his reputation. This week they nominated him posthumously for the Scripps Howard Award for distinguished reporting. By Christopher B. Daly I was very pleased to see that my old employer, The Associated Press, finally did the right thing and apologized to a great correspondent who was wronged in 1945 as he broke the news about the end of the fighting in Europe. And that this week reporters are trying again to make it right. The apology came on the 67th anniversary of the surrender of Germany. The date of the official celebrations was May 8, 1945, known as V-E Day, for victory in Europe. Much fighting remained to be done in the Pacific, where Japan was still refusing to recognize the now-inevitable Allied victory. Advertisement In early May, 1945, the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Forces (SHAEF) command selected 17 correspondents from the world's press and flew them to Reims, France to witness the surrender on behalf of the rest of the press and the people of the world. There were few Americans in the group. In fact, not a single reporter representing a U.S. newspaper was present. According to the allied military commanders, the news was to be embargoed; that is, you had to accept a deal. In exchange for access to the event, you had to agree to hold the news until the Army said you could release it. The SHAEF press officer said: "I pledge each one of you on his honor as a correspondent and as an assimilated officer of the United States Army not to communicate [the news] until it is released on the order of the Public Relations Director of SHAEF." Advertisement Was it really an agreement? It remains unclear what constitutes an "agreement" under such conditions (what were the correspondents supposed to do -- get up and walk out of an airplane?). Whatever the case, they proceeded to witness the ceremony. General Alfred Jodl, chief of operations for the German high command, signs the surrender document at Eisenhower's Little Red Schoolhouse headquarters in Reims. Photo Copyright The Associated Press. The surrender by the German high command came in the early hours of May 7. Ordinarily, you might expect that the surrender would touch off immediate celebrations. Not so fast. The press officer announced that a news blackout was in force until 8 p.m. the next day, when the news would be announced simultaneously in Paris, London, Moscow and Washington. As it turned out, Stalin was behind the delay, insisting that he be allowed to make a show in Berlin. The reporters protested to the SHAEF press officer, but to no avail. Among the press corps, one of the most upset was Edward Kennedy -- not the late Democratic senator from Massachusetts but a man by the same name who was the chief correspondent in Europe for the AP. Advertisement Kennedy was in a special position. Kennedy knew that his AP account of the German surrender could probably reach more people on the planet than any other. He knew no other American reporters were present, and probably felt Americans should be among the first to hear the news. Besides, he figured, no embargo on such a momentous story could hold for that long. (Nor, perhaps should it.) World remains unaware Still, the world knew nothing of the surrender. Still, soldiers in Europe kept shooting at each other. When they landed in Paris, Boyd Lewis of United Press got the first jeep from the airport to the Hotel Scribe, the outpost for most of the press corps. When Lewis got to the press center, he tried to tie up all the available telegraph outlets. James Kilgallen of INS beat Kennedy to a phone by throwing his typewriter at Kennedy's legs. Then Kennedy heard that SHAEF had permitted German radio to announce the surrender. Kennedy went to the censors and announced that he was breaking the embargo. Using a telephone, he called the AP bureau in London and dictated the following lead: REIMS, France, May 7 (AP) -- Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union at 2:41 a.m. French time today. The surrender took place at a little red schoolhouse that is the headquarters of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Within minutes, the news was flashed to the world, and wild celebrations began. SHAEF was furious and suspended AP filing facilities throughout Europe. The rest of the press corps was furious, too. More than 50 correspondents signed a protest to Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower, calling Kennedy's action "the most disgraceful, deliberate and unethical double cross in the history of journalism." AP's president apologized to the nation. AP brass told Kennedy he could keep his job if he admitted he had done wrong. He wouldn't and was fired. Ethical questions still reverberate More than 70 years later, Kennedy's decision to publish, and the AP's decision to fire him, still raises hackles. In 2012, a small group of supporters nominated Kennedy for the Pulitzer Prize. The effort failed. The same year, prompted by the tireless efforts of Kennedy's daughter Julia to gain justice for her father, Tom Curley, then President and CEO of the AP, apologized for Kennedy's firing and said his actions were exactly what they should have been. Listen to Tom Curley's rationale for supporting Kennedy's decision The following year, the group gained the support of more than 100 distinguished journalists, media executives and historians and nominated Kennedy for a Special Citation Pulitzer Prize. It failed a second time. Advertisement Ward Bushee, retired editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, said the Pulitzer rejection "demonstrates that even 70 years after his famous scoop Ed Kennedy remains a figure of controversy." Bushee is among those nominating Kennedy for the Scripps Award this week. Click here to see the full tribute to Ed Kennedy on OurPaths.com What might seem amazing today -- aside from the lack of cell phones and other forms of instant global communication -- is how unanimously the correspondents fell in line with the military. Today, I dare say, U.S. reporters would be at least split about the ethics of something that they knew to be both true and life-saving. -30- I live in one of the most romantic towns in the world, San Miguel de Allende, and I had not had a single date since I arrived 15 years ago. I arrived depressed, hoping to disappear into the life of an expat in Mexico, after closing my beloved independent bookstore in Berkeley and filing for divorce. By the following decade, I was Reborn on Cobblestones, the name of my memoir-in-process, a story of a woman in her 50s losing and finding herself abroad. Lost and found in Mexico. By my sixth decade, I was happier, more energetic, healthier, and the owner of a growing homewares and clothing business with wholesale accounts all over the world and a boutique on one of San Miguel's most charming avenues in the heart of the historic center. My life consisted of daily trips from the home I designed in the hills above San Miguel to my store, Abrazos, to meet the seamstresses, interspersed with frequent business trips to Mexico City -- all companion-free. Advertisement Between work, travel, friendships and freedom, I'd stopped hoping for more. It didn't help that I was involved in a complicated long-term relationship with a renowned American icon, nor that there was some ambiguity about my sexual preference by people in town. It took a life threatening illness, a burst appendix, to wake me up to my own desires. I was running out of decades. And I wanted someone to share them with in this country that I'd grown to love. Months in recovery from the near death experience gave me time to compose "104 Qualities I Want In A Life Partner." Once I started writing it, I couldn't stop. I carried that little list everywhere, from dinners with friends to long bus trips to every bed I slept in, alone. I wrote everything down that turned me on, things I couldn't live without and couldn't live with, memories of great loves and observations of friend's marital discord, profound longings and embarrassing needs. It all went on The List. And when I couldn't write any more I organized my list into categories: Fundamentals, Sensuality, Well Being, Spiritual Development, Character, For Me and Sharing Our Lives. When I showed the list to a friend who lived alone, she declared, "The chances of finding a man who matches that list is the same as finding a Unicorn." OK. Meet the Unicorn. Years before, I'd been fascinated by a Mexican man involved with a jeweler in town. My eyes were drawn to that man: the way he leaned quietly against the stone pillars, the numerous ways he attended to her during exhibitions, his rakish, elegant, very Mexican style of dress. I knew nothing of substance about him, but he was on my mind. At the top of my List? 1. Mexican man 2. Gentleman 3. Dignified. Advertisement Three years ago the jeweler posted photos on Facebook of her wedding band collection. I wrote, "After 15 years of single San Miguel living, I'm ready to marry myself." We met, we designed my personal wedding band, and we drank tequila late into the night in her studio. I asked about the mysterious, dashing Mexican man. "Living in Guatemala now," she replied. Two months later, the man from Guatemala and I are having lunch at Cafe Rama, introduced by Carolyn who knew that I was one of the few foreign women in town attracted to his kind of Mexican man. While sharing a three-hour leisurely meal and conversation, he's describing his two-and-a-half-year bicycle journey, after retiring from law, that restored him to himself. And I'm mentally checking off the List: adventurous spirit, takes care of himself, speaks kindly of others, not a snob, lack of self pity, good listener, easy conversationalist, riotous sense of humor, touches me frequently, as passionate about Mexico as I am. I'd met my match. Six days later he proposed. We'd been living together less than a month when I read him The List. He panicked, thinking it was his death march. But no, it was the Magic Carpet that brought him to me, or a Great Synchronicity. I sometimes muse that we lost 10 years but he assures me. "I'm a better man now. I wouldn't have made The List." We had our first big argument at the home of our friends, Susan and Mayer, in the country. He found me, curled in a ball on the sofa, with severe nausea. He wanted to get me home quickly but I rejected his act of love. Fiercely independent, I said in a snarky voice, "I don't need anyone to take care of me!" "Oh, that's too bad," he replied kindly, "that's what I do." The next morning, in his quintessential style of problem-solving with heart, he offered, "Next time I'll ask you first what you want me to do." I stared at him for many long minutes while, in my mind, I played a movie of my life. I saw all those years that I yearned for a man to attend to me. All those years when I wanted someone to be aware of my needs, too. All those years when I longed to be tended to as I lay sick. And I realized that standing in front of me was an attentive man offering the gift. I only needed to open my closed heart. Advertisement On The List: Not a processaholic. Perfect. On our bedroom door hangs a quote that's been a lifeline for coming back together through every disagreement that used to make us withdraw from previous partners. At this phase of life, in our 60s, we prefer to be happy than to be right. And we share a core belief. Since we're running out of decades, let's make every moment together precious, loving and delightful. The Quote? "Forgive Quickly, Kiss Slowly." Patrice Wynne is a social entrepreneur and expat adventurer living in San Miguel de Allende with Ernesto and their 4 legged daughter, Rudi Valentina. To contact her visit: Web: sanmigueldesigns.com FB Page: facebook.com/AbrazosSanMiguel/ The anti-Israel activists who recently disrupted a presentation by an Israeli LGBT center at the Chicago "Creating Change" conference are attempting to hijack the LGBT movement to further an agenda of hatred. The LGBT movement aims to help create a world where people can live freely and with dignity, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identification. The "pinkwashing" accusers--claiming that Israel's gay rights record is merely a smokescreen to hide its supposedly evil deeds-- turn this mission on its head by relentlessly vilifying a country that is at the forefront of LGBT rights, especially in the Middle East. LGBT people thrive in Israel, where employment discrimination based on sexual orientation has long been banned, openly gay and lesbian soldiers have served in the military for decades, and transsexual Dana International represented Israel at Eurovision in 1998 (and won). At the same time, to be openly gay elsewhere in the Middle East means discrimination, harassment, assault, jail, and death. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that a scant one percent of Palestinian respondents believe that homosexuality is "morally acceptable." The Palestinian Authority has no laws to protect LGBT people. In Gaza, Hamas punishes homosexual behavior with up to ten years in prison. Gay men are lashed in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, tortured in Egypt, buried alive in Afghanistan, hanged in Iran. Advertisement Yet some anti-Israel, supposedly pro-LGBT protesters have not a word of criticism to say about the horrific treatment of gay people (or other human rights violations) by Arab and Muslim governments. Why not? The sad and scary answer is that some are actually not interested in LGBT rights or issues. Their sole aim is to first delegitimize and then destroy the Jewish State. To this end, they cynically work to smear every action by Israel, including its stellar LGBT rights agenda, with sinister motivations. Seemingly inspired by Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels' statement, "if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it", the "pinkwashing" claimants repeatedly attack Israel as a "racist," "apartheid" nation. But the facts are otherwise. And while history is the past, we cannot ignore it if we are to understand how the "pinkwashing" accusers distort the present. Yes, Israel was founded by United Nations resolution in 1948 as a refuge state for the Jewish people in their ancient homeland, after 2000 years of homelessness and persecution following the destruction of their country and consequent exile in 70 C.E. Advertisement And, yes: Israel's Declaration of Independence states that the country "will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex" and that "it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture." Arabs who reside in Israel (not those residing in the West Bank, which passed from Jordanian to Israeli control in 1967 following an unsuccessful attempt by Israel's neighbors to destroy the Jewish State) are citizens, have the right to vote, are members of the Israeli Parliament, and even serve on Israel's Supreme Court. For obvious reasons, Arab citizens are not required to serve in the Israeli Army. So much for Israel being an apartheid or racist state. All of this is in contrast to the situation in neighboring Arab and Muslim countries, where Jews face legal restrictions, are often forbidden to be citizens, and may not even be permitted to reside: Hundreds of thousands were expelled from these lands, where Jews had lived since ancient times, following the establishment of Israel. To again reference a Nazi phrase, many of these countries have essentially been made "Judenrein", free of Jews, just as the Nazis sought to accomplish in Europe. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority children's "educational" television features poems stating that Jews are "monkeys and pigs," and Palestinian schools teach children that Jews and Israelis possess inherently evil character traits. And the Chicago protesters condemn Israel. The "pinkwashing" claimants deny any anti-Semitic motivations. Yet they attack only the Jewish state, while ignoring other countries' actual behaviors that are similar to the alleged crimes of which they accuse Israel. Advertisement They do not speak out for the oppressed Christians of the Arab world; on behalf of Tibet; or against the expulsion of 12 million Germans from Eastern European countries after World War II. Nor do American protesters who tar Israel as a "colonialist" enterprise, mocking and dismissing the ancient roots of the Jewish people in the land of Israel, turn their wrath on themselves for actually being part of a nation of settlers who committed genocide against the Native Americans. No, they only condemn the Jews. There's a word for people who target a specific group for a nonstop barrage of invective, calumny, and hatred, and who seek to silence those they assault: bullies. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF THE NATIONAL INTEREST The US trade deficit with China hit a critical milestone in 2015. It now stands at a mind-numbing $1 billion a day, and that $365 billion annual trade deficit continues to rise with the lift of China's illegal export subsidies, sweatshop labor, pollution havens, and undervalued currency. The failure to understand that America's Chinese import dependence has now reached critical mass as a national security issue comes from the very mind-numbing magnitude of the numbers involved. Let's see, however, if we can put the size of the US trade deficit with China into some perspective; and let's start with the F-22 - the only US fighter jet with the agility, speed, and stealth to overcome the latest Russian air defense systems and newest Chinese and Russian fighters. America can deploy only 187 F-22s because Congress, with President Obama's veto gun to its head, cancelled further construction due to high costs: about $360 million a plane. Note, however, that sufficient numbers of the F-22 working in tandem with the F-35 would likely be pivotal to maintaining air dominance in theater should push come to shove with either Russia or China in the coming decades. Yet we simply don't have the numbers necessary to "darken the skies" with fighter jets as America did in World War II. Advertisement In contrast, China surely will have the capability to churn out record numbers of its F-22 clone known as the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon. The sad irony here is that even as Congress was voting to halt F-22 construction, Chinese cyber hackers were brazenly stealing the F-22's blueprints. Now here's the relevant trade deficit math: Assuming that it costs about half the price for China to build its F-22 clone because of cheap labor and no need to pay for the R&D that went into developing the F-22, China can use a little more than one month of its trade surplus of America dollars to replicate the entire US F-22 air wing -- and pay for 1,000 of these planes with American consumer dollars in less than six months. Of course, you can do the albeit rough numbers for any one of a number of other Chinese weapons systems. For example, one day's worth of China's trade surplus with the US buys 1,000 new cruise missiles that Beijing can point at Taipei or 100 anti-ship ballistic missiles to target American carriers. Advertisement Similarly, just one week's worth of China's trade surplus finances the construction of at least three new Chinese aircraft carriers to patrol the South China Sea and Indian Ocean or 20 new Yuan class diesel electric submarines to lay in wait for Japanese destroyers or American aircraft carrier strike groups. And Beijing can pay for its entire annual defense budget with a mere five months of what American consumers contribute to Beijing's imperial fisc. It's not just that American consumers are helping to finance the construction of China's war machine. There is also the creeping loss of control over core strategic elements like the US food chain - once one of the strongest in the world from a country blessed with a temperate climate and some of the most fertile soil on the planet. The poster child for the loss of control of America's heartland to Beijing is the 2013 sale of Smithfield Foods to China for what was widely reported in the press as a "whopping" $5 billion. But just what exactly is "whopping" about a sum of money that China accumulates trading with the US in a mere 5 days. Of course, now the world's largest communist nation owns 1 of every 4 pigs born and raised in America. How about a song about that Bruce Springsteen? And by the way, it's not just the American food chain China is targeting. China has now bid what is truly a whopping $83 billion to buy the high-tech Swiss agro-conglomerate Syngenta, with its portfolio of top-tier fertilizers and chemicals and patent-protected seeds. Has anybody seen how Russia regularly tries to strangle, and then extort funds from, Europe with its natural gas monopoly? If anyone thinks Beijing won't do the same if it gains as much control of the global food chain as it now has over the world's manufacturing base, just remember the Chinese ban in 2010 on the export of rare earths to a Japan that Beijing was trying to bend to its Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands will. Advertisement Of course, the Far Right (and Wall Street Journal) continues to assure us that "free" trade with China, like greed, is good -- so don't worry about China's currency manipulation or other unfair trade practices. Just keep spending like drunken sailors on Wal-Mart leave. Singing an eerily similar song, the Far Left says cheap Chinese goods help America's poor - and then tells the Biggest Lie of all: Economic engagement will eventually transform the Chinese Communist Party into a cuddly democratic reformer. Meanwhile, Middle America winds up with zero annual wage growth for over a decade and millions of offshoring victims on the unemployment lines while the US government wonders why it doesn't have adequate tax revenues to pay its bills -- much less build a 300-ship navy or 500 F-22s. Wake up America. Better yet, somebody please wake up this year's dwindling crop of presidential candidates and myopic TV debate moderators to the most pressing national security issue facing this country. Authored by Pilar Dellano for Psyched in San Francisco. Pilar is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who is passionate about helping her clients make conscious contact with themselves and others. She specializes in relationships of all kinds, is sex-positive, queer & kink friendly. LMFT #90934 An Anti-Assimilationist Valentine's Day I know I don't have to tell you that February 14th is barreling towards us at superluminal velocity. You also may know that if you're not in a romantic relationship, you might as well crawl back into your lair and resume braiding your body hair or filing the fingernails on your dewclaws, or whatever it is that single people do, because how dare you attempt to join the ranks of those who will not be dying alone. But if you do, however, happen to be in love, well I'm sure you know better than to erect anything less than the most stunning and enthusiastic tribute to your beloved, replete with chocolate, champagne, sex in more than one position, and possibly a proposal. Advertisement Am I right? Unless of course, you're not in the business of celebrating corporate sponsored heteronormativity, underwritten by Hallmark, self-hatred and comfort pastries; or the holy day also known as Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day -- destroyer of all things -- is a celebration of everything that's wrong with our rendition of modern love. There's nothing quite like this arbitrary event to magnify our expectations, diminish our relationships and test our self-esteem. Come February 1st, convenience store aisles, awash in the empty symbology of romance, close in on us with one message, and one message only: Your value as a person rests solely on the number of long-stemmed roses that appear on your doorstep. We all know this isn't true, but for a few weeks in February, we throw ourselves at the feet of St. Valentine, hoping, no, praying he'll find us worthy applicants into his candy coated kingdom. Then come February 15th, we'll lift our weary bodies off the ground, extract Cupid's arrows and observe our spoils: empty calories, temporary validation, and an emotional hangover. * * * Advertisement So I propose the end of love. Or the end of a love that must be proven rather than shown. An anti-assimilationist Valentine's Day embraces the corporeal and not the corporation. It asks for presence, not presents. An anti-assimilationist Valentine's Day broadcasts love's cries, its rows, and its rackets, rather than just its tiny, tidy sound bytes. An anti-assimilationist Valentine's Day would never confuse the conversation for the conversation heart. But if you have trouble distinguishing reality from popular culture, it's not your fault. Your Valentine's Day began eons ago. Days and months and years before today, in the mythology of bedtime stories, lullabies and tales of happily ever after. As seen in Arthurian legends to Dante's Commedia, Madame Bovary to Sex in the City, the myth of romantic love asserts that no life event is as important as the moment you and your beloved meet in total (mental, physical and spiritual) union, and that this blissful state shall only be realized through a pristine mixture of coincidence, divine intervention and persistence. As a social mythology, love itself has become our undeclared religion, acting as a lens through which we organize our lives, and a prime -- possibly the most fundamental concern for us human beings. Mythology works best when it fits loosely around us and gives us a framework to bump (and grind) against. It works when it allows us to see ourselves more clearly and understand our human journey in response and reaction to legend and folklore. But when we hold ourselves too tightly to its claims, as has been the case with modern romance, mythology becomes the enemy of self-esteem. Advertisement And on Valentines more than any other day, it looks like: Anger at our partner when they don't meet our unspoken wishes. Resentment towards those in "happy" relationships. Fantasies of being saved or rescued by love. Feeling incomplete or broken without it. So What Does an Anti-Assimilationist Valentine's Day Look Like? Love everyone and celebrate everything. Allow this day be a commemoration instead of a command. Celebrate the ways in which you care for yourself and everyone around you. Be specific. Thank your barista for his expert foam art. Spend hours admiring yourself in the mirror. Tell your sweetheart how wonderful it is when she sets her boundaries even at the occasional expense of your expectations. Write love notes to your in-laws. Buy your pets the plushest most expensive toys you can find. Observe love in all its forms. I don't know about you, but on this V-Day, I will thank my partner for holding me to a higher standard when it comes to natural bath products. Our conversation hearts will as likely read "Not tonight, I have a headache" as they might "Let's F**k." And for the love of god, I will not feed her insulin spikes in the form of champagne and chocolate, but instead, leave her bunches of kale swaddled like babies on her doorstep. I will feed her avocado. I will give her beets. I will give her matcha, which, like her, exhilarates and sustains me. Advertisement I encourage you to give Cupid the day off because you know what, you've got this. Shift away from romance as a cultural imperative, into a pronouncement of personal power and your unique expression of love. HOOKSETT, NH - FEBRUARY 09: Democratic presidential candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during her primary night gathering at Southern New Hampshire University on February 9, 2016 in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Democratic rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) was projected the winner shortly after the polls closed. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images) Hillary Clinton wasn't just defeated by Bernie Sanders yesterday -- she was defeated by women. Sanders received 53 percent of the female vote overall to Clinton's 46 percent, according to ABC News' exit polling. 69 percent of Democratic women voters under 45 backed Sanders and 82 percent of Democratic women voters under 30 did. All I can say to that is, "Shame on young women!" "The story is not over," Madeleine Albright, the first female Secretary of State, said in New Hampshire last week, speaking of American women's long struggle for equality. "You have to help. Hillary Clinton will always be there for you. And just remember," she added, quoting herself (she first uttered the line at Wellesley in 2004; it has been printed on a Starbucks cup since), "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other." Advertisement Gloria Steinem spoke up for Clinton last week too, and like Albright, she caught hell for it. In last Sunday's New York Times Maureen Dowd ridiculed Albright and Steinem and accused Hillary Clinton of "sucking at the teat" of Wall Street--a smear that would have been considered beyond the pale of sexism had any man said it! For all of America's history until 2008, it was run by middle-aged white men. Obama's election was rightly celebrated as a huge step forward for diversity and inclusiveness. But now it's 2016, and while England, Germany, Denmark, Chile, Argentina, India and even Pakistan have elected women heads of state, we still haven't even nominated a woman for our highest office. With Hillary Clinton, we have a female candidate who not only has a stronger resume than that of any of her rivals in either party, but who is firmly committed ensuring equal pay for women, and who has been uniquely outspoken on the impact that women have on the economy. Hillary Clinton may not be the political "natural" that her husband was, but she is the real thing. Her record may not be perfect, but who has been in public life for as long as she has without making their share of mistakes? And who, for that matter, has ever been attacked as relentlessly as she has, and as unfairly? She may represent DC establishment, but she is anything but US establishment. Frank Bruni says that he cares about gender equality but he doesn't think we should vote for Clinton just because she's a woman. "It's bad logic," he writes. "It's even worse strategy. People don't vote out of shame. They vote out of hope." I agree with him. A vote for Hillary is a vote for hope. Hope for a future where there are equal opportunities for men and women, equal pay, and equal leadership and decision- making opportunities. Advertisement Ten years ago, ColorOfChange started in the aftermath of a flood - Hurricane Katrina - caused by bad decision-makers, turned into an epic, life-altering disaster by bad decision-makers. Black folks were literally on their roofs begging for help and they were left stranded by our nation's political leaders. George W. Bush and the nation's political leaders weren't nervous about disappointed Black people or our leadership. It exposed all of our weaknesses as a movement and it led to an uprising of new voices with a new kind of leadership - not just the organization I lead, ColorOfChange, but groups in the gulf coast and the growth of an emerging next generation racial justice infrastructure. A movement more decentralized and comfortable innovating with technology and culture. Three years after Hurricane Katrina, Black folks and our allies in the rising American electorate turned out in record numbers to elect the first Black president of the United States. A community that suffered as its government failed to respond - Black folks channeled that anger and desperation and fought back with an increase in Black voter participation and a historic election that I and so many others could have only dreamed possible. Shortly after the tremendous voter turnout in 2008, we saw a rise in voter suppression attempts fueled by right-wing organizations like the American Legislative Exchange Council and True the Vote. Discriminatory voter ID laws were introduced throughout the country and right-wing election officials used dirty tricks to make it harder for Black folks to reach the polls. Yet Black voters continued to fight back and turned out at higher rates in 2012, higher than any other group. The increased turnout led to another storm - what I call Hurricane SCOTUS - the 2013 Shelby decision by the Supreme Court striking down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act. It was an attack born out of years of right-wing strategy and the deepest cut to voting rights protections since the civil rights victories of the 60's. The Right Wing attacks underscore something we know to be true: when Black people vote we determine elections, we are decisive. Black women are the most influential voting bloc in this country. The progressive victories of the last decade, from health care reform to state-level minimum wage increases, expansions to paid sick-leave, expanded environmental policy and LGBT rights have been made possible because of Black political participation. If history is any example over the next 271 days before the Presidential election, we will see more right-wing attacks on our right to vote. In 2014 when Georgia Senator Fran Millar aired his contempt for Black people's growing political power by saying that early voting in DeKalb County made it "too easy" for "uneducated" Blacks to vote, thousands of ColorOfChange members contacted their local elected officials to ensure expanded early voting hours in Georgia. From their effort and the work of tremendous organizing from partners on the ground, thousands more Georgians were able to vote on Sunday and participate in church-led Souls to the Polls programs. The key is to transform these moments of unfettered racism into organizing moments. Make no mistake, we cannot simply call out the dirty tricks, we must mobilize to confront proponents of voter suppression head-on. To keep rising, we need to convert the mass outrage fueled by voter suppression not just into voter turnout but into mass strategic action that's outcomes-driven and focused on political accountability and legislative change. Action that translates into an expanded freedom to vote and the type of culture change around voting that changes the written and unwritten rules of elections. Changes that expand voter registration, end the disenfranchisement of people with felony convictions, increase innovations like early voting and end the bullying of discriminatory voter ID laws. We cannot simply be on the defense when it comes to our right to vote, we must be on the offense - advancing our freedom to vote. Advertisement This movement, just like the uprisings for immigrant rights, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, workers rights and those that sit at the intersection, share a commonality: they are filled with everyday people who want to express their will for a better future. They want to do so equally among all people, privileged or vulnerable, majority or minority, in-favor or out-of-favor with those in power. Black futures - this is our time and we must build the type of power that lets no one and nothing stand in our way. Illustration by Alyssa Etoile Nine times out of 10, when cisgender people ask me about my experiences as a queer, non-binary trans guy, they aren't actually intending to make me uncomfortable. And yet, it happens. It happens a lot. And these situations can often cause harm to trans people who are trying to live their lives without being subjected to microaggressions like these. Whatever the intention, the result is that someone gets hurt. Which is why I think talking about it is a valuable thing -- the more open and honest we can be, the more we can learn and grow, right? I'm all about reducing harm whenever possible, both as an ally to other communities and as a trans person who finds themselves in a whole lot of awkward situations. Advertisement So I'm going to share with you some common mistakes that cis people make when interacting with trans people. Part sass, part education -- I hope that you'll get a chuckle out of these and learn something along the way. Here are six quick and easy ways to make me uncomfortable as all hell (in other words, things that you should probably avoid if you respect or value me as a person): 1. Ask me if I'm getting or have had "the surgery." Call me old-fashioned, but I actually don't want to discuss my genitals with you. I feel like it's a pretty good rule of thumb to not go around asking ANYONE about their genitals, honestly. Unless you're a gynecologist, which I'm assuming you're not, and even then, it's a little weird outside of the office to be honest. Advertisement Exceptions to this rule: We're about to get busy and you want to know which sex toys you should bring over. You are my medical doctor and it is relevant to the conversation at hand. You're about to perform said surgery and you're asking me to sign a consent form. 2. Pry into my past (before I transitioned). My favorite question is when someone asks me what I was "born as." The answer is simple: A badass. An alien. A badass alien. I think it's safe to say that I will share any details about my past -- whether it's about my gender or not -- if and when I feel comfortable doing so. The name my parents gave me, the genitals I had as an infant (because that's what you mean when you ask what I was "born as" -- and yes, it sounds creepy BECAUSE IT IS), and whatever other weird curiosities you have are probably (read: absolutely) none of your business. In other words, don't be a nosy asshole. Who I was prior to transition is personal and I'll share it on my own terms. Advertisement Exceptions to this rule: You are writing my biography and giving me serious cash royalties on every copy sold. 3. Tell me I look like a woman/man (i.e. discussing if I "pass"). When I say that I'm a queer trans guy, people love to let me know whether or not they think I "look" like a woman or a man. Fun fact: I don't give a f#ck. I'm not interested in "passing" because my identity is not up for debate, regardless of what I look like. I am what I say I am -- outside opinions are irrelevant. I'm also fairly sure that you don't just go up to cisgender people and say, "Hm, weird, you don't really LOOK like a woman/man." I am almost certain that this is rude. I am very certain that you should sit down. Exceptions to this rule: If I am wearing a costume or performing drag, and have asked you how my outfit reads to you. In other words, if I solicit your opinion. Safe answer: I look fabulous. Advertisement 4. Complain about my pronouns. My pronouns are he/him. That's just the way it is. I understand that this might take practice. I understand that you might mess it up sometimes. I understand that, oh my God, you are SO sorry. And I am willing to give you the space and compassion to work on that. As long as you're giving it your best, I'm very appreciative and understanding. But please, for the love of Nutella, do not complain to me about how hard it is. Because I can promise you that shifting your language is nowhere near as difficult as the challenges I face as a transgender person. And it's a little insulting when you imply otherwise. Exceptions to this rule: There is no exception. Ever. 5. Ask for my opinion on something you know will offend me. The number of times a Facebook friend has tagged me on a post about a transgender person being murdered or a new discriminatory law being passed is actually astonishing. The commentary is usually something like, "Thoughts?" or "Have you seen this?" Just wondering, y'all... what do you think my response will be? Really? First off, you're subjecting me to something that is very painful for me to engage with and deeply personal. Not to mention, it comes off as an expectation that I should do the emotional labor of sharing my perspective so that you don't have to do your part as an ally by educating yourself. As a trans person -- and especially as a writer and activist -- yes, I have probably already seen this article you're sharing. And my thoughts are usually something to the effect of, "That really fucking sucks." Advertisement And if you are wondering what a transgender person might think about that topic (if it isn't already obvious), there are plenty of advocates, organizations, and writers who are already discussing it on the Internet. Tune in instead of looking for your Token Trans Friend to break these things down for you. Because listen, I have 400+ Facebook friends. And if they all tagged me every time a trans person was in the news, I'd be writing Facebook comments 24/7. Exceptions to this rule: You're a journalist and you're quoting me for an article you're writing. You're an activist and you want me to weigh in on a course of action that you might take. You are paying a consultation fee ($$$) that we agreed upon prior to the conversation. 6. Tell me about your trans fetish. Trans people are not your fun sexual experiments. We are not objects or playthings. Either you're into me for me -- and I mean all of me, not just because you have "a thing" for trans guys -- or you need to do some serious soul-searching on your perceptions and attitudes towards transgender people. Exceptions to this rule: You're explaining your reasons for breaking things off with me after doing some intense reflection about the problematic nature of how you engage with me. You're warning me before our OkCupid date so I know to block you. This is a consensual fantasy that we've discussed and we're both super-stoked about it. Advertisement It is half a century since Irish travel writer Dervla Murphy took a step into the unknown to embark on a 1,000-mile walk through the Horn of Africa, a journey immortalized in her best-selling memoir "In Ethiopia with a Mule." Inspired by childhood stories of the Queen of Sheba and the Lion of Judah, the writer's unaccompanied trek with her pack-mule took her through a timeless land that had changed little with the passing of the centuries. A fortnight ago, as I walked through Getma village in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNPR), I was reminded of Dervla Murphy and the journey she had taken 50 years earlier. Advertisement How much had change for the people of Getma in half a century, I asked myself? In Getma, most people still harness that beast of burden, the donkey, to carry both people and goods, while the village women in their white cotton shawls and headscarves wouldn't have looked out of place in the Old Testament, let alone the 1960s. But beyond these outward appearances, a great deal is changing for the people of rural Ethiopia, even through poverty continues to keep many of the trappings of modernity at bay. Schmegie Kulbla is a case in point. A widow who cares for a large family, Schmegie recently built a new tin-roofed home to replace the traditional thatched hut that she shares with five of her daughters. She built her home with money earned from the sale of wheat and barley seed that she'd produced and sold through her local farmers' cooperative. Advertisement The 59 year old mother is one of 1,350 'community-based seed multipliers' who have been trained in the production of cereal seed by Self Help Africa. They supply Edget Seed Union, whose locally produced wheat, barley and teff (traditional grain) seed is now widely available to small-scale farmers across the SNNP Region of Ethiopia. Last year, 100% of the first generation wheat seed used by farmers to plant in parts of Southern Nations' province came from Edget suppliers. Schmegie Kulbalya told me that the sale of 30 quintals (three tonnes) of seed she grew on a half-acre plot on her small farm earned her $100, last year. She estimates that the seed she supplied to Edget provided enough for 30 farmers in the region to plant their crops. Limited access to farm support services such as good quality seed is a major obstacle to productivity in Ethiopia, and as a result, much of the land that is in small-scale ownership is under-producing. Advertisement That is both a good and a bad thing - for while poor yields mean that many farmers aren't producing enough, on the plus side it means that there is great potential for increased agricultural production on this land. 'Community-based seed multiplication' is just one measure that is providing a grassroots solution to a grassroots problem in rural parts of Africa's second most populous country. It is a solution being embraced by government too, with the community-based model for seed production being implemented by Edget Seed Union being incorporated into the country's new seed development strategy for agriculture. Sitting on the stoop of her new home in Getma, Schmegie Kulbalya recognizes that for all the challenges of small-scale farming in Ethiopia, there too is enormous potential. The money she's now earning as a seed multiplier hasn't only provided her with a better home for her family, it has also enabled her to buy a calf that she intends to rear and use for breeding. Los Angeles' KTLA Morning News is about to celebrate it's 25th anniversary in July. I was very lucky to have been part of that show from the beginning. During those first 6 years, it became the highest-rated local morning show in the history of, well, history. I want to share a story from an earlier anniversary for the show. In 1994, The KTLA Morning News celebrated its two-and-a-half year anniversary with a prime time TV special. We kinda missed the two year anniversary, so we improvised. We rented out the Chevy Chase Theater on Sunset Blvd for the event. It was called the Chevy Chase because he had just hosted his failed late night talk show there. You may know it as the Earl Carrol Theater, The Aquarius Theater when Hair played there, the Hullabaloo Club and at one time, the world famous Moulin Rouge nightclub. Queen For A Day and Star Search were even shot here. Every performer in Hollywood played there. It was dripping with Tinseltown history. But for the evening of February 11th, 1994, it was the KTLA Morning News Theater. Along with the obligatory "best clips" from past shows, we also had some surprise guest stars as walk-ons. Among them, Florence Henderson, Rod Roddy from The Price Is Right, Mark & Brian from the popular Los Angeles radio show, Deidre Hall, talk show host Tom Snyder, and a few others. Because of the space limitations backstage, these surprise guests, who were even a surprise to the KTLA hosts until they walked on stage, had to share one makeup room. And what's worse, the KTLA talent had been whisked away to the green room. But you had to walk through the makeup room to get to the green room. Still with me? So it was a logistical nightmare arranging for the surprise guests to remain a surprise to the KTLA talent when they all shared one makeup location. Advertisement Another guest that night was the Mayor of Los Angeles, Richard Riordan. Richard is a wealthy businessman and well liked in L.A. and well liked as a mayor. He was going to walk on stage, surprise the hosts, play As Time Goes By on the grand piano and then present the hosts with the key to the city. Richard arrived in makeup just as it was time for the KTLA hosts to go from the green room through the makeup room to the stage. I happened to be in the area and realized I had to hide Mayor Riordan from the talent as they passed through the makeup room. The room was rather large and buzzing with activity, so I figured I'd ask the Mayor to stand in the corner, facing the wall, and the anchors would never notice him. He was happy to and did just that. I ushered the KTLA hosts through the makeup room and onto the stage where we began taping the special. All was going according to plan. A half-hour later, I ran back to the makeup room to get Florence Henderson for her surprise walk-on. As I took her arm and began to escort her out, I noticed the mayor... still standing there in the corner.... with his face to the wall. Oh Ssssshhhhhiiiiiittttttttt!!!!!!!!! Paradigm Shifters is a series of interviews with a select group of women and men from eclectic walks of life. It will highlight unspoken, real-life insights on how they have been able to turn weakness into strength. A naked soul point of view of how their breakdowns were really a preparation for breakthroughs. They are your quintessential paradigm shifters; internal shifts converted into genuine change. Everything I have ever done has been focused on this underlying theme of shifting the paradigm because, "What we think determines what we feel and what we feel determines what we do." Hence, why Empowered by You takes lingerie, which has traditionally been seen merely as a tool of seduction and redirected that energy as a tool of empowerment. I hope from these stories you will look at your own situations, struggles and accomplishments through a different lens. At the very least you will be more equipped with real life tools to change your own paradigm. At the end of the day, we are our own Alchemist turning the silver we were born with into the gold we are destined to become. Advertisement Shira Suveyke - EVP, Chief Merchant THE OUTNET.COM You have an education in business and banking. How did you make this jump to working in fashion and merchandising? I would say the beginning of this really starts with my childhood and my grandmother, who was a major influence in my life from a cultural and style perspective. She loved fashion, art, and music, and had a very strong presence in my life. She really inspired me through the years, but I didn't really know what a career in business and fashion meant. So, I took the pragmatic approach of studying business and economics, because I've always had a sharp mind for analytics and numbers. My parents said, "You're going to get a good job, so go do this." But I also worked in retail during the summers. Then I got to New York and I was surrounded by it - it's everywhere here, which made me realize that there is so much to do in the fashion and retail industry. I feel quite lucky that I figured that out so fast, because banking is definitely not for me (chuckles). I learned that I can be good at something, but I need to enjoy it. When I walked into the buying office of Ralph Lauren, I knew I went to the right place. I felt confident that I made the right move. After working for all of these amazing companies, you have a fine-tuned eye for what works for your site. With so many well-known designer brands and labels, how do you get new brands to feature on your site? Advertisement What I love and feel passionate about at The Outnet is our curation. We have a very specific aesthetic and customer in mind, which really does help make the shape. We're working with roughly three hundred designers, but because we know who we're speaking to it allows us to keep an eye on new talent. Whether that means seeing the teams during Fashion Week, Market, or taking trips to Paris, Milan, or London, we are able to keep an eye out for something new. So we ask ourselves, is it one of the best brands that our customers have to have? How has travel affected your work? The company is truly global and we really think in a different way. Travel really opens your eyes. It changes your perspective - you consider the business and the customer differently. When I came here I was American. Now, I am global. It's been incredible to even see that transformation in myself. So all of our buyers have a bit of that in them as well, because travel is a huge part of what the buying team is doing. And then that allows us to see what's out there and ultimately craft an offering that is for the local customer. We ask ourselves, "how do we speak exactly to the customer from a product, tone, seasonality perspective?" We get pretty granular. You've taken different leadership positions in fashion, but with the position you are in now, how do you lead your team? What has influenced me greatly are some of the remarkable leaders in fashion. These entrepreneurial visionaries are charting the course in their space, but also have that drive to see it through. So ultimately - that's what has led me to a lot of the companies I've worked for. Further, how these leaders have thought about talent has influenced me because you have to have an amazing team to help you see it through. To me it's about recruiting a strong team and empowering them to help drive the vision, business, and brand forward. What would you say has been the biggest break down to break through moment in your life? I don't know if I can point to one specific moment. There have been lots of little adversities - both personally and professionally. I do believe that as you get through each one you come out the other side stronger, and more confident, and you take the next one on with less challenge because you know you can get through it. That perspective is important and comes with time and experience. You have that confidence that you can get through those breakdowns. You can't see through it at first. You think, "Everyone's talking about it and everyone will remember it." But in reality, nobody remembers and nobody cares (chuckles). You have to have as much outside perspective as possible. Looking back, I would tell myself, "There is a ton of adversity and challenges that are going to come to you, but you're going to get through it, and it's going to be great." What sort of legacy do you wish to leave behind? My legacy is still morphing and shaping. Hopefully I've inspired people I've worked with to value hard work, knowledge and passion for the business, and ultimately lead by example. Is there anything you would like to highlight that The Outnet is working on currently that you are excited about? UNITED STATES - JUNE 19: Panel moderator Chris Matthews of MSNBC, left, hugs Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton after she spoke at a candidates forum at the Leadership Conference of The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, (AFSCME), in Washington, D.C., June 19, 2007. (Photo by Dennis Brack/Bloomberg via Getty Images) I've been watching Chris Matthews for a while. I like him. I liked the "thrill up my leg" comment he made during one of Barack Obama's campaign speeches. I like his brash, direct questions and sarcasm when he's interviewing someone he finds frustrating. I like the way he defended his "thrill up my leg" comment to CNN's John King, saying: Perhaps I shouldn't have said so because I've given a lot of jackasses the chance to talk about it. So I hope you feel satisfied that you raised the most obvious question that is raised by every horse's ass right winger that I ever bump into. Thank you, Steve, for serving up that little souffle you have been working on since last night sometime when your brain exploded with this idea that you were going to ask me about it. That my friends is snark from a well-educated man who knows how to verbally defend himself. That's what happens when you have a black belt in character assassination. What I haven't liked is the pot shots he's taking at Bernie Sanders and the way he feigns ignorance to Bernie Sanders' political leanings. Not because I'm a Sanders supporter, but because Matthews is a journalist and what he's doing is unprofessional. Early in the campaign, Matthews consistently referred to Sanders as "the Socialist from Ben and Jerry's country up there in Vermont." The eye rolls were obvious, and the lack of interest was palpable. During a recent episode of his "Hardball" show Matthews, asked for an explanation of what a "Democratic Socialist" is -- the term Sanders uses to describe himself. Matthews, who seems to have a personal vendetta with Sanders, read Webster's definition of "Socialism" on the air: Full Definition of socialism 1: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods Advertisement 2: a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state 3: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done Chris Matthews is a very well educated guy and has been working in and around politics for decades. If he really doesn't know what it means to be a Democratic Socialist, he has ample access to the resources that could explain it to him. He could ask any of the millions of voters lining up to vote for Sanders or use the full fury of the MSNBC machine and have Sanders on. But why do that when you can have Hillary Clinton on and feed her a long, rambling leading question chock full of plenty of meaty chunks for her to sink her teeth into: I'm going to say this bluntly. The only person standing between a confirmed socialist who is calling for political revolution in this country winning the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party, which has always been more moderate than that, is you. So, when you saw that rally last night, the young people all around Senator Sanders, when he yelled "revolution" out there, and they all applauded like mad, do you think that's going to help in the general election or is it what we used to call in the Sixties an NDC candidacy--"November Doesn't Count"--we just want to win the party, we don't care about the general. You seem to be focused on the general. How do you beat a person who comes along in the primaries who says, 'I'm going to give you everything you want: free tuition, more Social Security benefits, no increase in your taxes, free health-care from birth, all of it government-paid.' How do you compete with a revolution? A revolution of promises, really. HRC didn't disappoint and, after throwing out a few compliments, she got down to the business of skinning the carcass: I do think we have an obligation to keep people focused on what's at stake. We can't let the Republicans rip away the progress we have made. We can't let them go back to trickle-down economics, repeal the Affordable Care Act. We can't let them stack the Supreme Court for another generation. We've got to get back to the middle. We've got to get back to the big center and solving problems. That's how we make progress in America. I'm proud to be in a line of Democratic presidents who just got in there and fought it out...I know how hard it is, and I totally appreciate how exciting it can be to be involved in a campaign that really just puts out these great big ideas. But I want folks to just stop and think, no matter what age you are, OK, we agree on getting the economy going. We agree on raising income. We agree on combating climate change. We agree on universal health-care. Who has the track record? Who's got things done? Who can actually produce the results you want for you and your family, and for our country? At one point during an appearance, Matthews went so far as to question Sanders' faith, saying, "He's a Socialist, I assumed he was an atheist." Advertisement Matthews has been accused by Bernie Sanders supporters of being blatantly one-sided in favor of Hillary and against Bernie Sanders. So much so that thousands of progressives have signed a petition calling for MSNBC to suspend the host of "Hardball" "because of his constant shilling for Hillary Clinton." Even Charles Pierce from Esquire, who is an MSNBC contributor, said "This Is Not the Way the Democratic Campaign Should Be Conducted." We'll see how long it is before he's back in front of the camera. All that said, research by "The Daily Caller" has turned up some evidence that Hillary's biggest donors are backing Matthews' wife, Kathleen Matthews, in a congressional race in Maryland. Many of them don't even live in the same state, much less the same district, that Matthews is seeking to represent. The article reads: Many of Matthews' biggest donors have close ties to either the Clinton foundation or the Clintons themselves. As noted by Bloomberg two years ago, 12 families have donated to every single Clinton campaign and charity. Of the 12 families, the two families that have donated the most to the Clintons are both funding Matthews' campaign. Four families from Bloomberg's list of biggest Clinton donors have given to the Matthews' campaign. None of the four live in Maryland, where Matthews is actually running. If that's the case, Matthews is clearly favoring Clinton and blatantly, as the petition says, shilling for Clinton; and it's a low point for Matthews and MSNBC. Advertisement I'm pretty sure Matthews watches "Saturday Night Live," and if he does, he would have seen Bernie Sanders explaining very clearly what Democratic Socialism is. Or, he could have Sanders on his show and hear it from the "self-described Democratic Socialist" horse's mouth (Here's the video of Sanders on SNL). Hell, if he's confused, he could even ask him some questions. Tony Trupiano and I discussed the Matthews phenomenon on the T&Z Talk podcast Wednesday morning along with the results of the New Hampshire Primary. When traveling in Central America, I like to have the help of guides from Augsburg College's Center for Global Education and Experience (CGEE), which offers what I call "Reality Tours." These tours connect travelers with locals in government and non-governmental organizations to sort out confusing issues of the day by hearing both narratives of difficult issues. I've been on four CGEE tours -- and hired CGEE guides for private tours on two other trips -- and it always enriches the experience hugely. On this trip, we had visits set up by CGEE's Havana partner, the Martin Luther King Center, and we enjoyed the services of guide Reinier Menendez. Reinier took us to Afro-Cuban Santeria priests, to communal organic farms, and to a local medical clinic to talk to -- and learn directly from -- the locals. Simply traveling through a country like Cuba for a week comes with a constant barrage of thought-provoking experiences. The American capitalist notices lots of people just sitting around staring at traffic (but perhaps it's no greater than the percentage of Americans just sitting around staring at daytime TV). While religion is entirely legal in Cuba, locals in this secular state are thankful that the Church doesn't have the political clout it enjoys in other Latin American societies. To the average Cuban, the Church means the Roman Catholic Church. They view the Church as being a barrier standing in the way of gay rights and the pro-choice movement. And they think of it as an institution historically friendly to the oppressive government, providing that notorious-in-communist-ideology "opiate of the masses" encouragement not to feel the pain of structural poverty. Advertisement As a confirmed believer in capitalism (if not the "savage capitalism" that Pope Francis warned against during his recent visit to Cuba), I am struck by the Cuban "work ethic." Pay is low...and so is productivity. As locals like to say, "They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work." Any foreman knows that if a tree needs trimming on the farm, an incentive of 200 pesos will get no reaction. But a promise that workers can go home early when the job is done works powerfully, as people just want to get back to their families and enjoy a nap. We were told that, for Cubans, the priorities are: #1 party; #2 rest; and then, only if you have energy, #3 work. But things are changing. Older Cubans I met seemed to strive for social goals over personal goals, while younger ones are gaining an appetite for Western materialism and consumption. Everyone sees the siren of capitalism fast approaching -- and threatening the laid-back Cuban soul. When Madeliene Albright threatened women who voted for Bernie Sanders with a place in hell, my first thought was, "how can she condemn a whole new generation of feminists for being what those of us over 60 fought so hard to raise up and educate?" She seems to have missed the rise of what Kimberle Crenshaw in 1991 called "intersectional feminism." Intersectional feminists, aware of multiple forms of oppression by race, class, sexuality, religion, and gender, refuse to choose one over the other. They challenge the premises of radical feminists who focus on women's oppression as the primary evil. Those of us who experienced racism in the early years of feminism--and still do now in some circles--know that white privilege operates as deeply in feminism as sexism does in racial justice or anti-war movements. And in radical feminist circles, I have especially faced a fierce anti-religion bias, as if working for gender justice where a majority of women are found was a betrayal of feminism ("potted-plant feminists" was Mary Daly's pejorative term), and as if it were more radical to work in majority male institutions like academe or politics, where I also worked teaching women's studies and religion in intersectional ways. Advertisement Over the years, I've found feminist leaders in politics who are members of Christian churches but have little or no understanding of the last three decades of justice work by diverse women theologians and clergy working for change. We have created womanist, mujerista, and global feminist work. It's as if, in their private faith, these feminist leaders in the secular world dropped the political ball. What radical feminism failed to understand is that white feminist space can sometimes be as alienating for women of color as being a feminist or lesbian in racial or ethnic religious space, so establishing our loyalties by either/or choices just makes no sense. Frank Bruni of the New York Times wrote about this complexity as a gay man who might or might not support a gay presidential candidate. What is especially impressive is how seriously and carefully intersectional feminists engage oppression that is not their experience, a form of love-justice Christian churches often preach but only weakly practice weekly, which means they have mostly lost the Millennials. Intersectional feminist Millennials have played a major role in movements such as Occupy, Black Lives Matter, Native American rights, immigration reform, a living wage, and 350.org. Economic oppression, climate change, mass incarceration, marriage equality, war, gun violence, rape, reproductive justice, and student debt are all issues that matter to women who attend to multiple forms of injustice and harm. We know that communities all over the world live under conditions that are hell on earth, and this must change. The younger women leaders I've seen in social change movements are impressive for their confidence, passion, and leadership skills (and the allied men are sometimes the first to notice when not enough women are contributing). As intersectional feminists, they do not identify as women only, but as women aware of multiple oppressions who may choose to support a white man because he represents their passion for justice, not just for women but for others we love. Advertisement Say the words "women's' health" in a conversation and inevitably the listeners' mind likely wanders toward sex. It's not because of inherent sexism, but it's because the global health agenda has programmed us to think of women's health as narrowly focused on sexual and reproductive health. A woman is more than just her reproductive organs. But public policy doesn't always take that into consideration. Last September, on the 20-year anniversary of the historic Beijing World Conference on Women, the United Nations held a meeting to discuss progress to date and steps needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of gender equality. The Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment sought concrete new commitments and financial contributions to eliminate gender inequality and discrimination against women. Out of that meeting global governments committed $25 billion and 88 UN Member States, as well as regional organizations, civil society groups, and private sector groups, made public commitments. Unfortunately, despite the stated purpose of eliminating gender inequality, over and over the public statements almost exclusively focused on sexual and reproductive health. Advertisement For many years this focus, particularly in emerging economies, was essential in stemming the tide of maternal mortality and morbidity. But the women's health landscape has changed. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), like cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes, have emerged as the leading killers of women. In fact, NCDs account for seven of the top 10 killers of women, and 18 million women annually die from them. The global burden of disease from NCDs is clear. But it has not led to changes in the way we analyze, categorize and fund women's health. To have an impact on the future health, wellbeing and longevity of women, the global health agenda must shift its focus from sex organs to the whole woman, and the barrage of illnesses that are killing her. In addition to no longer being an accurate focus, the current framework is discriminatory. An agenda with an almost exclusive focus on women of childbearing age effectively discriminates against and excludes those women who do not have or want children, or are no longer of reproductive age. A further bias in our current system is the lack of gendered analyses of healthcare data. We are beginning to understand that health systems respond differently to women and men and that disease impacts women and men differently. But that wasn't always the case. For many years it was assumed that data and studies involving only men would be equally relevant for women. Advertisement Consequently, in some cases, the clinical definition of disease symptoms are based exclusively on characteristics of those reported in men. This can lead to warning signs in women being ignored, unrecognized or misdiagnosed because they fall outside of the defined parameters for symptoms -- parameters that were defined for men. Or consider that women have historically been under-represented in clinical trials. Because of the assumption that men and women would respond consistently, gender diversity has not been prioritized in research studies, and sex-specific findings and outcomes have not been regularly reported. This has the potential to be extremely detrimental to women's health. In the U.S., between 1997 and 2000, 10 drugs were withdrawn from the market because of life-threatening health effects; eight of the drugs posed greater health risks for women than for men. Women and men are different -- disease impacts them differently and health systems respond differently. Understanding those differences will help us deliver treatment and prevention options that take those differences into account. Data informs public policy. Poorly reported data can lead to ineffective, or even dangerous, public policy. In order to have effective public policy, we must take a gendered approach to collecting, analyzing and reporting health data, and ensure that sufficient numbers of women are included in scientific studies. Advertisement True gender equality and women's empowerment can only take place when women's health means more than just sexual and reproductive health, and the differences between women and men are accounted for and captured in our health systems. Simply put, we need a broader, integrated agenda for women's health. Women are more than the sum of their parts, reproductive or otherwise, and global health policymakers must acknowledge this. The lives of millions of women are counting on them. It's 8:30 AM in Palo Alto and I'm skyping with the CEO of Lean On, Chedva Kleinhandler, who is telling me about her new mobile mentoring app for women. On the screen appears an elegant, well-spoken, dark-haired woman dressed for business even though it's already nighttime at her home near Tel Aviv. Fully bilingual in English and Hebrew, with a background as a translator and social media marketer, Ms. Kleinhandler is ready to connect. The Lean On demo she shows me is impressive. With a crisp, easy-to-use interface, you can search the app to find women mentors to advise you at work. Choose to either search for a topic (like "speaking up" or "work-life balance") and get community-curated tips, or - write your own question and get a list of mentors who are both available right now and relevant to your specific question. After you pick one of them, you'll jump into a 1:1 chat conversation with her - immediately and privately. When I try my questions about assembling a team, working on pitches, and asking for raises, I find there are a dozen mentors in my timezone who would be available to chat with me immediately and in real time. Advertisement The mother of a Texas man killed in a 2012 house fire flew into Lubbock last week, headed to a city council meeting she once hoped would usher in long-recommended fire-safety reforms inspired by her son's death. Instead, Becky Teel got three minutes of public comment time. Shortly after her son, Brennen Teel, died, local officials blamed the fatal blaze on a controversial natural gas pipe called CSST, for "corrugated stainless steel tubing," and declared a moratorium on its use. CSST is a type of flexible pipe, either yellow or black, used in millions of American homes and valued for its ease of use and for withstanding earthquakes. However, the tubing has also been associated with hundreds of fires blamed on its vulnerability to lightning. Nationally, there has been a massive industry-funded educational campaign led by the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) to tell anyone using CSST, especially "yellow" varieties, to make sure it's properly bonded. Trust me, Google-search "CSST dangers" and you'll hurry to comply with that advice. A special Lubbock committee took a long look at the issue and made unanimous recommendations last fall, but so far the council has not acted on the recommendations and the moratorium remains in place. At their regular meeting, Becky Teel told the Lubbock council that she bought her plane ticket "months ago" when she thought there would be a vote on CSST reforms, but decided to make the trip up from Dallas anyway. The city's attorney cut off discussion, reminding officials that they could not really discuss her comments without a formal agenda item. Still, she made the most of her minutes. "I don't stand here with deep pockets, political aspirations or bottom lines; I come here as a mom who lost a son in your city," she said, adding that she'd rather be introducing her son instead of the CSST-safety foundation named after him. While Mrs. Teel failed to get a credible response from the city, she's not alone in wondering what's holding things up. "We really would like to see it go forward," said Steve O'Neil, Lubbock's chief building official, of the new "more safe" regulations, which are part of a more comprehensive building code update. Asked what the holdup was, he said "I wish I could tell you... it's all ready to go." Heck, maybe they should have just asked Kim Davis. Davis is founder and owner of Nomiss Communications, a newly hired Lubbock-based media contact for Omega Flex, one of several big multi-national companies that have been focused on the Lubbock CSST policy, in part because it might set precedence for other jurisdictions. (Omega Flex was not involved in Brennen Teel's death or resulting litigation.) Davis says city officials have told her the code changes are not going to be considered anytime soon, and she speculated that was because of a busy political season and code changes being a low priority. She also confirmed that Kent R. Hance, a politically connected former United States Congressman and, until 2014, the chancellor of the Lubbock-based Texas Tech University system, has recently joined the Omega Flex team. Hance is perhaps best known nationally for being the only person to ever defeat former President George W. Bush in an election. More specifically, Davis explained, the Austin-based Hance Scarborough law firm has been hired to conduct "a study" of CSST, presumably using engineers and safety experts. That study would join both longstanding attorney-supported research that been used by reformers, not to mention the city's own research and review of industry testing by the special gas committee. (I've written before about how the CSST issue is an example of victim's attorneys pushing for reform; some of the research can be found here: www.cssttesting.org.) Advertisement O'Neil, the building official, said the city's investigation led them to allow only one type of CSST, a black-coated variety with a special jacket, similar to the system that protects airplanes, that meets what's called the "1027 standard." Lubbock's new regulations, O'Neil said, would only allow LC 1027-compliant CSST. One controversy, he added, is that only one of the several national CSST companies currently makes the 1027-standard CSST (not Omega Flex). So the industry has concerns of a short-term local monopoly situation, although black iron pipe, which has also long been used as a competitor to the flexible gas tubing, is still being used in market. According to O'Neil, the safer CSST costs "pennies per foot" more than the lesser varieties. Lubbock concerns might become precedent-setting, but they are not alone. For example, Wichita, Kansas TV station KWCH recently noted the Lubbock moratorium while reporting that one type of CSST, identified by its yellow covering, "... is banned in some parts of Kansas as well, including Wichita, El Dorado and Sedgwick County. Those jurisdictions will not allow the product to be used in new installations." And state fire marshals that help set the U.S. agenda for local fire codes are getting into the act. Just this month, the NASFM - the fire marshals group which has long worked with CSST manufacturers on the yellow CSST safety campaign - went on record favoring an upgrade to the higher LC 1027 standard. Jim Narva, Executive Director, NASFM, stated in a press release, "In anticipation of Spring, where lightning risk for homeowners becomes more prominent, flexible gas piping continues to be an area of concern for some homeowners. With safety being paramount, NASFM will advocate for the improvement of the performance standard." What is clear is that Lubbock, the hometown of Buddy Holly and Mac Davis, may still be singing the lead on CSST, but officials should not continue to mess with a Texas mom. Communities in Kansas, Oklahoma and other high-lightening states are following the Lubbock example and, at least in that, Mrs. Teel can take some comfort. Advertisement Meditation has proven its advantage for people of all walks of life be it be Corporate America, educational institutes, health care organizations, prisons, veterans from war-field, etc. Very captivatingly, Ariaana Huffington shares about meditation and its connection to Corporate America. Likes of Melinda Gates and many successful giants attribute their accomplishments to their meditation practices. There are enough studies proving the benefits of meditation to individuals in improving the quality of life. My purpose of writing this piece is to go beyond the individuals and share the influence of meditation on the whole world collectively. Advertisement We have witnessed many times how a handful of people strongly unified by a common intent can profoundly influence a larger group of people. Great global movements for peace, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Mahatma Gandhi, have always begun with a coming together of people who want peace for the greater good. When I heard that 3.5 million people from 155 countries meditating together for world-peace during World Cultural Festival (WCF) happening in New Delhi, India on March 11-13, 2016, I had a question- will it really create the impact? This is so much thrilling and worth the world's attention that I decided to talk to Bhanu Narasimhan, sister of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of Art of Living, the organizer of WCF. She shared some very thought-provoking insights. I researched further to satisfy my rational mind. Here are 3 strong science based reasons why a meditator should meditate for world peace in such massive gathering. 1.We are all ONE! There are studies that prove the existence of a ripple effect of peace in surrounding environment when a group meditates together. Bhanu points out, "It is not about individuality or certain sections of society. It is all about recognizing that we are all connected and part of one universal being. We all are governed by vibrations. A happy person can make us happy and an unhappy person spreads unhappiness. When glaciers melt due to global warming the water levels rise around the planet. Global warming is such a glaring reminder that we cannot isolate ourselves." 2.There is Power In Numbers There are many scientific researches that have shown extremely positive social, political and economic results correlated to synchronized group meditations. In reporting on such unexpected findings, world-renown quantum physicist John Hagelin Ph.D. commented: "There is far more evidence that group meditation can turn off war like a light switch than that aspirin reduces headaches. It is a scientific fact." Cellular biologist Bruce Lipton also states in his book Biology of Belief, that our consciousness can change the physical world around us by altering the energetic field. An experiment conducted during the Lebanon war in 1980s showed that when 1,000 people in Jerusalem meditated on world peace, war deaths in Lebanon went down by over 75%. Not only did war deaths go down, but crime and other destructive happenings also went down on the days the group meditated. Imagine what would be the effect when 3.5 million meditate together!!! Talking about the power of group meditation Bhanu states, "There is definite power in the numbers and collective intentions. When we meditate in a massive group, it has a much greater impact on our consciousness. Meditating together in a group lets us come together in shared intentions for change. We have experienced this in 2006, when 2.5 million people meditated together, the experience was magical, the chants created a wave of vibrations in and around ground! As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, "When thousands of people come together with the single intention of creating a more peaceful planet, it is certain to manifest." The event will also demonstrate how diverse world cultures can coexist peacefully celebrating each other. In the midst of the widespread terror in the world, it's important for all the good people to stand united making the voice of peace louder and stronger. Global meditation will create a field of peaceful and positive vibrations spreading across the planet." 3.Group Mediation is like tug of war According to the super-string theory in physics, waves of vibration flow from everything in the universe affecting the collective consciousness of others. Groups can enliven that field. Group meditation can be similar to a tug of war. You are all pulling on the same side, certain synergy of energy is created and a common goal is achieved. It is the same when you meditate together, collective consciousness raises, it acts like the 'rising tide that raises all boats.' And the peace that is created actually becomes palpable, which is a special, collective experience and accomplishment. Advertisement Let's join the Peace Synchrony! WCF is a historic event, the first of its kind where spiritual leaders, politicians, business leaders, peacemakers, artist and common people will come together to spread the message of global peace and harmony in diversity. There will be 25,000 artists performing 30 global dance forms! Inviting everyone to be part of this momentous phenomena, Bhanu humbly asserts, "When in life you will get the whole world on one platform? Experiencing the magnificence of such a global get together, united in the spirit of love, service and peace for the world, would be life transforming and unforgettable. Seeing so much harmony in diversity broadens our vision and deepens our roots." When I was in my twenties, I happened to read a book about Peace Pilgrim. Her life and message, "This is the way of peace: Overcome evil with good, and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love." left a deep impression on me. I grew up visualizing about myself contributing for world peace. I am amazed to see how the universe is creating occasion for me to fulfill my cherished dream! For sure, I am going to be part of this largest and most spectacular gathering for peace in modern history. Trump as a presidential candidate and political phenomenon challenges any attempt at a balanced appraisal. The Republican Party's presidential frontrunner has offered an admixture of divisive diatribe with cogent observation (as with his excoriating critique of President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq), forming a complex puzzle. This bewildering political persona's complexity and contradictions prove frustrating to the objective observer seeking to comprehend Trump and his message, while inviting partisan supporters and critics to define Donald Trump to their respective constituencies. In particular, major segments of the mass media have chosen to join with conventional political insiders, especially actors within the Republican Party's establishment and old guard, in constructing an oversimplified caricature of Trump, and then using their own mythology to justify prognostications that the Trump presidential campaign was a "joke" and publicity stunt, which would end as soon as the self-indulgent narcissist tired of the enterprise. The one description that would never appear in the lexicon of these pundits and observers was that Donald Trump was very serious about his presidential aspirations, and that his campaign was far from being an exercise in humor. Advertisement When Trump quickly ascended to the status of frontrunner in the GOP's presidential primary, the pundits and political consultants affirmed that this "summer of Trump" was a seasonal anomaly that would soon dissolve when the Republican electorate became more focused on the unfolding presidential campaign. When the "autumn of Trump" soon followed, these same Washington beltway experts and commentators merely adjusted their rationale while their conclusion remained immutably fixed; when the actual primary voting began, the Trump campaign would inevitably implode. Donald Trump's decisive win in the New Hampshire Primary may have put the final nail in the coffin of conventional and establishment theories on presidential campaigning in the United States, as a new paradigm has arisen. Its author is Donald J. Trump. The New Hampshire primary is history, with the South Carolina primary soon to follow, and Trump's double-digit lead in the polls appears unassailable. This poses the following questions: Why did the media get the Trump campaign so wrong? What does New Hampshire suggest for the outcome of the GOP presidential primary? Finally, what do these recent campaign developments reveal about the presidential general election in November? 1. The media largely failed to perceive the power and strategic sophistication of the Trump presidential campaign due to its intimate connectivity with the political establishment in Washington. Journalists covering national politics largely depend on inside sources for the formation of their own insights and estimates of the political landscape. In other words, much of America's political reporting is funneled through the prism of beltway politicians and consultants, who themselves were to demonstrate a profound alienation from mainstream American public opinion. Trump shrewdly perceived the distrust bordering on universal contempt that a large section of the American electorate harbors towards the political class, and utilized his expertise in branding and messaging to latch on to that deep social malaise. The media largely missed this unfolding phenomenon simply because it took seriously and uncritically the thinking of conventional political insiders, who have proven to be historically flawed in their misjudgment. Advertisement 2. Trump's win in the New Hampshire primary only reinforces his already massive and consistent dominance in the polls in the other upcoming state primaries. Early and decisive wins in South Carolina and Nevada will quickly kill any lingering expectations of a brokered Republican convention or a last stand by a still unidentified GOP establishment savior. It would appear at this point that Donald Trump will win the Republican presidential nomination, with no serious impediment to that outcome. 3. There is a new wave of theoretical conventionality in analyzing presidential politics that holds that even if Trump wins the GOP presidential nomination, he stands no chance of defeating the most likely Democratic Party nominee, Hillary Clinton. The same experts and commentators that assured their audiences that Trump's campaign was a flash in the pan -- and later that he stood no chance of winning his party's nomination -- are now thumping their chests with assurances that Hillary Clinton will defeat the real estate mogul in a landslide. I suspect that this thinking is as flawed as earlier predictions of Trump's imminent political demise. Another Davos event has come and gone. The World Economic Forum surpassed itself this year at the 2016 Annual Summit. Now that the dust has settled and the thousands of participants gone back to their own respective countries, let us take a moment to analyze what Davos means for the world. Let's try to understand why Davos matters, if at all, and how is it that Davos bashing has become the most popular sport for those who are not invited. Davos bashers would do good to their own selves if they reflected upon the following points. 1.Davos gives results: No, Davos is not only about convening. Yes, it's a brilliant gathering of scintillating stars from across the globe, insanely dazzling and unbelievably bright. They meet in a space that is defined by its pristine beauty, the snow and the mountains forming an effective backdrop for the drama played on the promenade of a small alpine village. But, like in all dramas, there is a purpose. The purpose is to meet like-minded people with the aim of accelerating momentum in whatever ecosystem we exist. And there is a method in the madness. Having been selected Social Entrepreneur of the year 2014 by the Schwab Foundation, I was invited this year to Davos. I spent 2 months doing my homework, and sent mails to at least 100 people who have the same mission in life as I do, that of serving the disadvantaged. And many others wrote to me as well with the same thought in mind. All this resulted in several private meetings which subsequently led to collaborations, which proves my point that convening is all very well, but its results that matter. Davos gives results. Advertisement 2.Davos is motivational: No doubt there's a strange sense of unreality about Davos. On one had you mingle with heads of states and the hoi polloi, on the other hand you find you are on top of a mountain and so close to heaven that you feel you can reach out and touch the stars. And you want to do so in your real life too. I came back from Davos inspired, uplifted by the beauty of it all, drunk with success and happiness, with a firm determination that whatever I have done up till now must be multiplied several times over in the coming year. Davos is motivational. 3.Davos broadens your horizons. Both as a person and as an organization you boundaries get stretched. You start thinking far beyond your limited perspectives. My NGO, Operation ASHA, is serving 14 million disadvantaged in India and Cambodia, doing the full spectrum of Tb services. In Davos I was approached by donors who wanted to provide nutritional supplements. I met dedicated people serving Syrian refuges in Europe, who were deeply concerned about the extraordinarily high incidence of TB in the migrants, and we explored replicating Operation ASHAs methodology of training local people to serve their community. I could see great vistas extending beyond my horizon, and now I know there is so much more to be done, and so much to be achieved and miles to go still. 4.And Davos is fun too! It's not all about work. We had a Bollywood night where participants gyrated to loud music blaring in a dimly lit pub. We attended the Africa night and danced to beats of a drum at the Africa night. We ooh-ed and aah-ed when Leonardo Di Caprio made a split second appearance at the Belevdere. We ate too much, drank too much, slept too little, made friends for life, and the adrenalin kept us going inspite of the exhaustion. So now this is my question to Davos bashers. Is it a question of sour grapes? And when you are vocal, virulent, argumentative and negative, are you not exposing your own selves? My message to them would be this- live and let live. Do good your own way, let others do it theirs. All who attend Davos will not save the world, but many will. Agreed, many have their own personal agendas and their own interests in mind, and many go to Davos to give their business a fillip, but isn't that what keeps the world going? For increase in commercial activity means more jobs and productivity. Advertisement By Elly Benson On February 4th and 5th, hundreds of people from across California converged on downtown San Luis Obispo to urge county planning commissioners to reject Phillips 66's proposal to build an oil train terminal at its Santa Maria refinery. The oil giant seeks to transport tar sands crude from Canada in mile-long trains -- each laden with over two million gallons of dirty crude -- that would travel through hundreds of communities before arriving at the refinery on California's Central Coast. By Thursday afternoon, nearly 400 people had signed up to speak at the Planning Commission hearing. The local paper reported that it was the largest turnout for a public hearing in years. The crowds were so large that the historic movie theater next door had to be used for overflow seating. People came not just from San Luis Obispo County but also from farther afield: Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Sacramento, Fresno, Santa Barbara, and other towns and cities that would be put at risk by oil trains rolling through their communities. Oil train derailments and explosions have skyrocketed in recent years. The most catastrophic accident occurred in Lac-Megantic, Canada in July 2013, when an oil train derailment caused a fiery explosion that killed 47 people and obliterated several city blocks. Hundreds gathered for a rally during the lunch break on the first day of the Planning Commission hearing (photo courtesy of Vanessa Tsimoyianis) Advertisement At the start of the hearing, Phillips 66 announced that it had downsized its proposal from 5 oil trains per week to three trains per week. Phillips conceded that this new proposal would have many of the same "significant and unavoidable impacts" to human health and the environment as the original proposal, particularly along the rail line. But the company espoused an opportunistic (and flimsy) argument that federal regulation of railroads means the commissioners can only consider impacts at the refinery site -- not the risks posed to hundreds of communities that the unsafe oil trains would rumble through on their way from Canada to the Santa Maria refinery. On the first day of the hearing, the Planning Commission heard from 83 members of the public. Every single speaker opposed the project. The speakers included elected officials such as San Luis Obispo Mayor Jan Marx, Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider, and staffers speaking on behalf of State Senators Bill Monning and Hannah-Beth Jackson, State Assemblymember Das Williams, and officials from nearby towns including Oxnard and Goleta. From the Bay Area, where oil trains would pass through on their way to the Phillips 66 refinery, staffers spoke against the project on behalf of elected officials from Santa Clara County, San Jose, and Berkeley. A lunchtime rally further highlighted the overwhelming public opposition to Phillips 66's project. More than 500 people gathered in the plaza across the street from the hearing, many wearing t-shirts and waving signs bearing the message "Stop Oil Trains Now." As they alternated between listening to speakers and cheering, the rally participants lived up to the directive on one attendee's sign to "Stand Up to Big Oil." Among the rally speakers were Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider and Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal. Advertisement Santa Barbara mayor Helene Schneider addresses the crowd at the rally. This trend of overwhelming opposition to the project continued on the second day of the hearing. Although a handful of people spoke in support (primarily Phillips 66 employees), they were far outnumbered by people urging the Planning Commission to deny the project. This imbalance is nothing new. Of the approximately 24,500 comment letters received on the project during the environmental review process, only about 150 were in support. The county has also received dozens of comments from state and local governmental officials, counties, cities, schools and fire protection districts opposing the plan to transport crude by rail through their communities. At the hearing, the citizens who urged the Planning Commission to deny the project included residents of San Luis Obispo and Nipomo Mesa (where the refinery is located), nurses and physicians, a retired firefighter, students and teachers, San Jose and Davis residents who would be affected by the oil trains rolling through their communities, a retired chemical engineering professor, a zookeeper, parents and grandparents (and even a great-grandparent), a retired CFO, and representatives of groups including the Sierra Club, ForestEthics, Center for Biological Diversity, Surfrider Foundation, Mesa Refinery Watch Group, Santa Barbara Channelkeepers, the League of Women Voters, and the California Nurses Association. Rally participants listen to a speaker, across the street from overflow seating in the Fremont Theater Attorneys from the Sierra Club, Communities for a Better Environment, and Environmental Defense Center also spoke, addressing deficiencies in the final environmental impact report and the project's inconsistency with the Local Coastal Plan and General Plan, as well as refuting Phillips 66's argument that the preemption doctrine precludes the Commission from considering impacts on "up-rail" communities. (Notably, the company has also said it believes that preemption prevents the county from regulating rail terminals or unloading facilities -- which signals that if allowed to build the oil train terminal under the 3 train per week proposal, Phillips 66 would later argue that the county is prohibited from limiting the number of trains.) At the hearing, many of the speakers urged the Planning Commission to follow the recommendation of its own staff, which recently issued a report recommending denial of the project. The staff report noted the significant local, regional, and statewide concern regarding toxic air emissions, risk of derailment and explosion, and inadequate emergency response services along the rail line. The staff report also pointed out that the environmental impact report for the project concluded that there would be "significant and unavoidable" impacts from diesel particulate matter and toxic air emissions at the refinery (including an unacceptable cancer risk for the population near the project), as well as ten "significant and unavoidable" impacts along the rail line (including impacts to agricultural resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, hazards, public services, and water resources). The Sierra Club and our allies have played a critical role in the environmental review process for the project, helping to ensure that the project's impacts are thoroughly analyzed. We submitted comments on the draft environmental impact report in January 2014, which led the county to do another round of environmental review, which we also commented on. In addition, represented by Environmental Defense Center, we submitted comments highlighting the project's inconsistency with critical Local Coastal Program policies. Advertisement Andrew Christie, Chapter Director of the Sierra Club's Santa Lucia Chapter, speaking to the Planning Commission. As the second day of the hearing drew to a close, many people who had signed up to speak had not yet had a chance to do so. The Planning Commission continued the hearing to February 25 for additional public comment. Once the public comment process is complete, there will be a staff response, an opportunity for questions from the Commission (including questions for agencies such as Cal Fire), deliberations, and finally a Planning Commission decision. That decision can be appealed to the County Board of Supervisors, whose decision could then be appealed to the California Coastal Commission. Notably, on February 3, Coastal Commission staff sent a letter to the Planning Commission stating that it "strongly agree[s] with and support[s]" the planning staff's recommendation to deny the project. The people have spoken, and their message to the Planning Commission is clear: put the public before oil industry profits, and deny this project. As the editorial board of the San Luis Obispo Tribune wrote in a recent editorial: "we cannot support a project that would increase rail shipments of crude oil through communities in San Luis Obispo County, or any other county. There are too many risks and too many unanswered questions." And as a Paso Robles High School student told the Planning Commission at the hearing: "oil trains are dinosaurs and dinosaurs belong in museums." Advertisement Editorial: SLO County Planning Commission should follow staff recommendation and reject Phillips 66 rail spur (San Luis Obispo Tribune, 1/30/16) Dear America: Please raise my taxes. I'm perfectly willing to pay them, and have the money spent on fulfilling our basic responsibility to take care of our country -- like replacing ancient pipes so that children in multiple states don't have to be poisoned by lead. We have a national epidemic of lead poisoning. Meanwhile, cities across the country are decades, or even centuries, behind schedule on replacing old pipes, one of several possible sources of lead in children's bodies. And in 2012, as Nicholas Kristof notes in a recent column, Congress cut funding for CDC lead programs by 93 percent. Advertisement That's because that kind of spending has been rebranded as "waste" by special interest groups for short-sighted businesses and investors. They argue that it's good for the economy to cut so much spending, along with the taxes that support it. It isn't.* It isn't good for anything, except looting the public good for the private benefit of the few of us who least need it. And let's remember that most arguments over taxes focus on the marginal rate. That means what you pay on income above a high margin -- after you're already rich. And when it comes to capital gains -- which matter most to people who have a lot of capital -- tax-cutters are defending a rate of only 15 percent, far lower than the rate working people pay on their wages. If trying to keep every dollar I can requires that infrastructure crumble and children suffer, I not only don't need the extra money, I don't want it. Advertisement "But we can cover those costs by cutting waste, so we don't need as much in taxes," -- so goes the counter-argument. Two big problems: No independent study of government waste finds amounts even in the right ballpark for paying the bills we are currently trying to skip. For example, if you eliminate all the -- quite low -- waste, fraud and abuse from welfare programs, you yield a drop in the bucket. That said, no one is against cutting waste. But too often what actually gets cut is vital spending on things like -- think about this -- protecting children from being poisoned by lead in their drinking water. Again, I not only don't need the extra money, I don't want it. Following the results of New Hampshire's primary, live satellite feeds from a Special Place in Hell show countless thousands of women who supported Bernie Sanders having the time of their lives. "At first, I was afraid to cast my vote for Bernie because, you know, all that stuff about fire and brimstone and constant torment and such," said Marsha Hallabeecke, while sipping a banana daiquiri and receiving a massage as Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley and Kurt Cobain performed an impromptu concert on her private island. "But, wow-weee, if this is my punishment for not supporting women, I'm ready to really feel the Bern for all eternity!" By contrast, female voters who wanted to vote for Bernie Sanders but were pressured or guilted into voting for Hillary Clinton were sent to a Special Place Adjacent to a Special Place in Hell, where they were forced to drink gallons of Mountain Dew Kickstart and watch Dirty Grandpa and Super Bowl 50 on an endless loop. Advertisement For those "feeling the Bern," this is not the moment to throw another log on the fire, curl up on your couch, and immerse yourself in books about the most popular brand to emerge from Vermont since Ben & Jerry's. In upcoming Democratic primary states, door knocking, phone banking, and voting will be a far higher priority -- particularly among those newly fired up by Bernie Sanders' landslide victory in New Hampshire on Feb. 9. Yet one by-product of the intensifying Sanders-Clinton contest is a bulging "Bernie bookshelf." The titles on it include the candidate's own political memoir updated with help from Nation correspondent John Nichols; unauthorized biographies by Washington journalist Harry Jaffe and historian Darcy Richardson; an edited collection of Sanders' sayings by labor activist Jonathan Tasini, and a comic book account of Bernie's life and work by syndicated cartoonist Ted Rall. Rounding out this publishing boom-let are two less-Bernie centric books. They address, in different ways, the merits of campaigning within the Democratic Party versus trying to build a progressive third party movement outside of it. Regardless of how Bernie fares this year on the mainstream terrain he has chosen, both his fans and critics will still be grappling, after November, with problems explored in Tom Gallagher's The Primary Route (Coast to Coast Publications) and Jonathan Martin's Empowering Progressive Third Parties in the United States: Defeating Duopoly, Advancing Democracy (Routledge). Advertisement For those pre-occupied with the short-term challenge of advancing democracy by defeating Clinton, the most inspirational reading is likely to be Bernie's own lively autobiography. In 1997, Sanders collaborated with his longtime staffer Huck Gutman on Outsider in The House, which chronicled his first few years as a lonely progressive Independent in Congress. Verso's updated edition of the same book--optimistically retitled Outsider in the White House -- reports on Bernie's move to the Senate eight years ago and rationale for seeking the White House now. In an Afterword, drawing on Nation interviews with the candidate, John Nichols wonders whether it's just "a romantic notion" for Sanders to frame his presidential campaign as a "political revolution." The candidate sets him straight: "What I am referring to is the need to do more than just win the next election. It's about creating a situation where we are involving millions of people in the process who are not now involved... It's about helping to educate people, organize people. If we can do that, we can change the dynamic of politics for years and years to come." The Essential Bernie With current voter education in mind, journalist Jonathan Tasini, former president of the National Writers Union, has compiled a well-organized and carefully annotated collection of Bernie's public statements. The Essential Bernie Sanders and His Vision for America (Chelsea Green Press) includes excerpts from articles, press releases, floor speeches, and media interviews, interspersed with Tasini's own "Bernie Facts." The quoted material covers war and peace, education and the economy, Wall Street and workers, foreign trade and the environment, immigration and agriculture, civil rights, personal liberty, and the failings of our mainstream media. Anyone canvassing for Sanders, faced with voter questions about his record, can find most answers here. Unfortunately, Tasini's index has one untimely omission: "socialism." Now more than ever, that's a word that Sanders fans may be asked to explain in the field. As The New York Times reported last week, "alarmed Clinton supporters" -- including Democratic governors, party officials, paid consultants, and members of Congress -- plan to highlight Bernie's "socialist beliefs to warn that he would be an electoral disaster who would frighten swing voters and send Democrats in tight races to certain defeat." Advertisement Harry Jaffe's Why Bernie Sanders Matters doesn't buy that line -- because his sales will be much bigger if Bernie tops the ticket in November. But Jaffe's hastily constructed work reflects mainstream media framing of Sanders' story in other ways. According to Regan Arts, his publisher, Jaffe offers unique insights into Bernie's personal history as a "Radical. Hippy. Revolutionary. Red Mayor. Pragmatist. Socialist." That list of labels lost me at "hippy." Bernie Fact: whatever his other sins of omission or commission, real or imagined, now or in the past, our would-be-president was never a card-carrying member of Vermont's counter-culture in the 1960s -- and that is to his credit. In Darcy Richardson's Bernie: A Lifelong Crusade Against Wall Street and Wealth (Sevierville Publishing), we get a much more substantive, well-researched account of Sanders's career. A former minor party candidate himself and author of several histories of third- party activity in the U.S., Richardson does a good job of capturing Sander's experience as a four-time candidate of Vermont's Liberty Union Party, formed in 1970 by local anti-war activists. The LUP peaked in 1976, when Sanders garnered 6% of the statewide vote in a race for governor. Unfortunately, the pro-labor party was under-resourced and torn by factionalism. As Richardson reports, Sanders left the group, in part, because of his frustration over its failure to "remain active, on a year-round basis, in the struggles of working people against the banks and corporations that own and control Vermont.... A serious political party cannot maintain the respect of people if it simply pops up every two years for elections." Ted Rall's comic book,Bernie, from Seven Stories Press, also mixes the personal and the political in more deft, insightful, and entertaining fashion. Using his drawings and the candidate's own words, Rall depicts Sander's working class roots and early political influences in Brooklyn, his involvement in Sixties' political radicalism as a university student in Chicago, his Liberty Union campaign defeats, and then his unexpected success as mayor of Burlington, the state's largest city, between 1981 and 1989. Rall praises Sanders' "startling steadiness" over a 45-year career in public life. But he doesn't ignore the criticism of Bernie's attempt to deal with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict "with more nuance and less passion than he brings to other issues." To put Sanders current surge in context, Rall takes readers for "a walk down Democratic memory lane" -- back to the George McGovern campaign of 1972 and the "centrist counter-revolution" within the Democratic Party that followed it. He describes how poor and working class people fared under the corporate-friendly policies of the Carter, Clinton, and Obama Administrations. He believes Occupy Wall Street and the 2007-8 market meltdown that preceded it helped create a mass audience for the "progressive economic populism" that Sanders promotes today. Advertisement (For another political comic book treatment of Sanders -- available only online -- see Paul Buhle's Bernie Sanders comics.) In his book, The Primary Route, Tom Gallagher looks further back than Rall. He assesses more than a century worth of political insurgencies inside and outside the Democratic Party by its own dissidents, socialist rivals, labor-backed progressives, or Greens. A former Democratic state legislator in Massachusetts and now a Progressive Democrat in San Francisco , Gallagher has written a useful historical guide to the strengths and weaknesses of earlier efforts like the early 20th century presidential campaigns Eugene Debs and the Socialist Party; the Robert LaFollette and Henry Wallace campaigns of 1924 and 1948 respectively; Democratic primary challenges by Gene McCarthy, Jesse Jackson, and Dennis Kucinich; and Ralph Nader's Green Party candidacy in 2000. Gallagher believes that the 2016 primaries offered a much bigger soapbox for left-wing ideas about taxation, trade, labor rights, campaign finance reform, and global warming than Sanders would have had running, Nader-style, as an independent. Defeating Duopoly? In contrast, some contributors to Jonathan Martin's Empowering Progressive Third Parties are not "feeling the Bern" because they favor only third-party runs for the presidency. Nevertheless, all the case studies in Martin's excellent collection are relevant to future political work by 2016 presidential campaign volunteers, whether they are working for Bernie or rallying around Jill Stein's second Green Party candidacy. Win or lose, inside or outside the Democratic Party, the real question is what happens after November 8? How do leftists capitalize on the energy and enthusiasm generated by national campaigns to build local political organization? As Martin shows, independent political action has been most successful at the municipal and county level. His statistics on that are sobering: less than 170 progressive third party representatives were serving in such offices in the entire country last year. Out of 7, 383 state legislative seats, only 12 are held by "individuals closely associated with these parties." In "more than 700 campaigns for state representative or an equivalent office" over the last three decades, Green candidates have won only five times. Advertisement Both Martin and Terry Bouricious, a former Burlington, Vt. city councilor describe how Sanders's four terms in city hall fostered a local progressive coalition that later morphed into the Vermont Progressive Party (VPP). The VPP has become, over the last 15 years, the most successful third party in the nation; Sanders's ten straight victories, as an independent, in federal races since 1990 helped pave the way for VPP candidates (many of them his own former staffers or campaign workers) to make their own credible runs for state or local office. While a testament to what Bouricious' calls Bernie's "godfather" role in Vermont politics, the VPP's impressive track record is also a reality check on the rhetoric of "political revolution." As Sanders knows better than anyone, vehicles for progressive electoral politics don't get built overnight. They also don't become stronger and more broad-based just because someone, on the left, decides every four years to run for president -- inside or outside the Democratic Party. In fact, as Martin documents in his study of state legislative campaigns by third-party candidates throughout New England, it takes "community connectedness" for leftists to win office, as opposed to just running an issue-oriented propaganda campaign. Martin finds that many would-be "duopoly"-busters lose because they "tend to be too politically inexperienced and non-pragmatic (that is ideologically driven) to be electorally competitive." The key to success is putting down local roots, organizing around day-to-day issues, building strong volunteer canvassing operations, and doing Sanders-style small-donor fundraising. Other contributors to Martin's book -- like Patrick Quinlan, who recounts the post-2000 electoral gains of Greens in Maine and Ramy Khalil, who managed Kshama Sawant's 2013 Seattle city council campaign -- confirm his findings. Khalil's charismatic candidate has managed to win twice now, as an open socialist, but one willing to take "a nonsectarian approach to voters who had not yet fully broken with the Democratic Party" and were "volunteering for Democrats in other races." After her re-election last November, Sawant cited the "enormous momentum" that Sanders had helpfully generated among local young people who became more engaged in Seattle politics after being drawn to his national campaign. If "feeling the Bern" has similar reverberations throughout the country, political "outsiders" everywhere stand to gain, whether they felt it themselves or not. Advertisement Timothee Chalamet in John Patrick Shanley's Prodigal Son. Photo: Joan Marcus An unruly teen from the Irish tenements of the Bronx is transplanted to a white-bread Catholic prep school on a hilltop in New Hampshire, where his braggadocio, bluster and petty-thievery threaten his escape from the ghetto. Since this is one of those autobiographical plays by an established playwright, we know that our troubled--but (of course) personable and possibly brilliant--protagonist will come out all right; 'cause how else would he be writing this play, fifty years later? Jim Quinn--as drawn by playwright/director John Patrick Shanley, of Doubt and Outside Mullingar--is indeed bristling, troubled and ill-mannered. The playwright has loaded him with enough charm to get him out of any ghetto and into college--although admittedly, it is duly pointed out, he will never be Ivy League material. Add in the dynamic presence of young actor Timothee Chalamet, with an altogether ingratiating performance, and this budding playwright-to-be is sure to successfully navigate the treacherous shoals that threaten his diploma. Advertisement Being a child of the '50s--the play takes place during Shanley's high school years, 1965-68--it seems surprising to find Prodigal Son reflecting Emlyn Williams' The Corn Is Green and Robert Anderson's Tea and Sympathy, two plays which followers of Shanley's work would not necessarily expect him to channel. Yet both plays seem to be suggested here; there's even a scene with a faculty spouse encouraging the troubled young lad with a teacup. Timothee Chalamet and Annika Boras in John Patrick Shanley's Prodigal Son. Photo: Joan Marcus Shanley tells his story--and in a program note he makes clear that it is his story, even retaining some of the names (though not his own)--well. Having been expelled from Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx, "Jim Quinn" is given a scholarship at the Thomas More Preparatory School (now-defunct) located in a turn-of-the-century mansion in Harrisville, New Hampshire. He is clearly a duck out of water, and a blasphemous one at that. Yet he is given a chance by the devout and rigid headmaster Carl Schmitt (Chris McGarry). At the same time, he is nurtured by noble English teacher Alan Hoffman (Robert Sean Leonard) who is dressed in corduroy and "sees something" in the boy. The other two characters are Carl's wife, Louise (Annika Boras)--who also senses the boy's promise--and Jim's dormitory roommate Austin (David Potters), who is nephew to Schmitt. Prodigal Son--a Manhattan Theatre Club presentation, like most of Shanley's past New York efforts--is interesting and likable. It is also uneven. After an effective opening, we slide into a long scene between the two professors, which is followed by a considerably longer one in which the two teenagers discuss life, girls, and Nazis. (Yes, for reasons that are not quite compelling, this Irish Catholic play from the Vietnam era has lots of discussion of Nazis.) After which, near the midway point, the pace finally picks up. Shanley gets back on track, and the rest of the evening is markedly more interesting. Advertisement Enhancing the play's effectiveness is the performance of the twenty-year-old Mr. Chalamet. A born-and-bred New Yorker, his is a somewhat familiar face; he had a recurring role on Season 2 of "Homeland." (He played Finn Walden--son of the Vice President and boyfriend to the daughter of the murderous hero--and was blown up in the climactic bombing of the C.I.A. Headquarters.) Chalamet perfectly projects the border between captivating and annoying, sensitivity and braggadocio. This is a performance not unlike that of the then-young Matthew Broderick in Brighton Beach Memoirs, which is high praise indeed. The overall results are more than workable, but one suspects there's a considerably stronger play in Prodigal Son than what we see at City Center. The trouble with writing autobiographical plays is that the author can be overly concerned with what actually happened, the way it happened; this sometimes leads to accurate reporting but less-than-scintillating dramaturgy. That's where the director comes in. It could well be that Prodigal Son would benefit from the prodding of a director other than the autobiographical playwright, who might be too rigidly staging the events just like they were lodged in memory--and rejecting cuts that would strengthen. Robert Sean Leonard and Timothee Chalamet in John Patrick Shanley's Prodigal Son. Photo: Joan Marcus Let it be added that we were thinking, 80 minutes into the 95-minute play, how very refreshing it was to have a drama taking place in a 1960s Catholic prep school that did not dredge up the obvious plot complication. At which point, alas, it did indeed leap into play. But that's Mr. Shanley, I suppose, telling it as it happened. In the article, "Family Caregiving Is a Workforce and Business Issue," Nancy LeaMond (Executive Vice President & Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer, Communities, States and National Affairs at AARP) poignantly stated: "Family caregiving is one of those important issues that will affect every sector -- employers, individuals, government, nonprofits and communities. There are currently 40 million family caregivers in the U.S. today and they are providing unpaid care valued at $470 billion. [C]aregiving also has long been, and will continue to be, a business and workforce issue. [S]ix in 10 family caregivers are working while more than one in three are working full time. In fact, the average family caregiver is a 49 year old woman who works 35 hours a week and spends 20 hours a week caring for her mother. At the same time, almost 25 percent of family caregivers are Millennials and the average millennial caregiver is working a full time job. All this boils down to one key point-caregiving and work are the 'New Normal.' As workers across all generations are facing the issue of caring for loved ones, employers need to respond." These statistics, along with the tremendous impact of caregiving and its effects, become even more salient when demographics are examined. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP Public Policy Institute's Caregiving in the U.S. 2015 Report, women are more likely to be caregivers than men as approximately 60% of caregivers are female. There is also a higher prevalence of caregiving among Hispanics (21% or 7.6 million), African-Americans (20.3% or 5.6 million), and Asian Americans (19.7% or 2.7 million). In a prior report, it was noted that employed female caregivers may suffer greater economic hardship as a result of caregiving due to being more likely than males to have made alternate work arrangements. These alternative work arrangements included: taking a less demanding job (16% females vs. 6% males); giving up work entirely (12% females vs. 3% males); and losing job related benefits (7% females vs. males 3%). Similarly, the MetLife Study of Caregiving Costs to Working Caregivers showed that 10 million caregivers over 50 years of age who care for their parents lose an estimated $3 trillion in lost wages, pensions, retirement funds, and benefits. This "New Normal" was something that I personally experienced when I became the sole caregiver for my mother in March 2012 after my father died. As her husband, he was her long-time caregiver and companion. Although my mother survived a massive brain hemorrhage and coma that occurred in 2000, she was unable to live by herself. So, she relocated from her home to live with me. Later that year, she was diagnosed with moderate Alzheimer's/dementia. In 2013, she was diagnosed with stage four, breast cancer. Coping with the realities of these two, horrible diseases was the most challenging part of being a caregiver. Intensifying this experience was the fact that I continued working full-time in order to provide for my mother's needs. Although I had access to a number of resources to assist with caregiving, the vast majority of caregivers are not as fortunate. Advertisement Consequently, more resources to supplement employee assistance programs and the Family Medical Leave Act are needed to support employed caregivers juggling rigorous demands because caregiving also negatively affects employers. In the 2010 MetLife Study of Caregiving Costs to Working Caregivers and Employer Health Care Costs, the lost-productivity cost of U.S. businesses was estimated to be about $17.1 to $33.6 billion annually. With such a pervasive issue that will only become more exacerbated with time, creative workplace solutions are imperative. Some ideas include: additional benefits such as paid time off and flexible schedules; geriatric care resources; relevant programming; volunteer programs; and workplace planning with the goal of developing a supportive corporate culture and progressive job performance policies. One of the hallmarks of any society are the legends that it tells, and often, these legends take the form of biographies. Perhaps some of the best known legendary biographies are the Gospels, which detail the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a similar vein, the legendary biography of the Prophet Muhammad has provided centuries of Muslims with material for dealing with their existential concerns. Yet the life of Muhammad is interwoven with other legendary biographies, which have historically also been invoked -by everyone from court jurists to itinerant preachers- as sources of sacral power. Amongst the most powerful of these legends are those of Muhammad's wife, daughter, and granddaughter. The stories of these heroic figures, which are constantly being created and recreated throughout time, are crucial sources of virtue and strength even today. Khadija, wife and companion of Muhammad, was an entirely extraordinary being. She was born in the city of Makka into a society where women were often "inherited" by men as goods, traded as commodities, and executed at birth by fathers who preferred sons. Orphaned around the age of twenty and twice-widowed soon after, she carved a place for herself in Makkan society as a businesswoman whose caravans ran from Yemen to the Roman Empire. Despite the various cults of idols present in Makka at the time, legend has it that she did not subscribe to the oppressive practices of her society, earning instead a reputation for spending her considerable wealth in the way of the poor. After losing her first husbands to the perennial wars of pre-Islamic Arabia, Khadija remained independent for some time, despite numerous proposals from men of stature and several children to care for. Advertisement When she did choose to remarry, it was to a younger man, illiterate and destitute, who was in fact her employee -Muhammad. Her marriage would last twenty four years, until she was killed through the effects of economic sanctions leveled on Muhammad's followers by the Makkan leadership. Though the Prophet Muhammad would remarry after her death -almost exclusively to widows, divorcees, religious minorities, and the daughters of hostile confederations in hopes of reconciliation- the memory of Khadija is said never to have left him. After facing over a decade of exile, when Muhammad at last returned to Makka, the first thing he is said to have done was set his tent beside her grave. In life, she dared violence and persecution to openly worship at the central temple of Makka (the Ka'ba), spent her entire treasure in support of her community, and raised both the knight of Islam -'Ali, the Lion of God- and her own daughter Fatima. Fatima holds an unparalleled rank in Islamic history, with one narration -said to have been spoken to Muhammad by God- claiming that the entirety of the cosmos had been created for her sake. In a society where female children were habitually executed at birth, she was the inheritor of Muhammad and Khadija. She joined her parents in public devotion, despite fierce opposition, and was first to care for her father when he was abused. As an adolescent, she lost her mother and was exiled from her home, braving a long journey under heavy pursuit from Makkan hunters. Upon reaching her new home of Medina, where the Prophet Muhammad and his companions had settled, she refused marriage proposals from every eager suitor, choosing for herself none other than the knight 'Ali, who was homeless and owned nothing but his clothes, sword, and shield. She spent her early days of marriage on the battlefield, wrapping 'Ali's wounds and bringing water to the front as war broke out between Makka and Medina. Advertisement In the days after her father Muhammad's death, Fatima exemplified her father's principle of "speaking a word of truth to an unjust ruler," even if those rulers supposedly shared a confessional identity with her. The authorities who took power, including the caliph Abu Bakr, seized the lands owned by Prophet Muhammad for their own disposal. Fatima stormed into the mosque where Abu Bakr was sermonizing and interrupted the caliph himself to deliver a counter-sermon still remembered today, where she employed Qur'anic verses to prove her claim to her inheritance and condemned the power-hungry authorities. She went so far as to say that in the final judgment, she would stand opposed to Abu Bakr and his cronies in the eyes of God. On her return home, she was accosted and assaulted, but that did not deter her. She and 'Ali refused to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr, barricading themselves in their house even as the caliph's thugs came with torches and swords to lay siege. It was Fatima who castigated and berated the caliph's servants while besieged, until -some reports have it- her house was breached and she herself wounded. Fatima died weeks later, with some citing depression and others claiming she was fatally injured. Most agree that she was in her middle twenties. Fatima's daughter Zaynab would carry on the legacy of her mother and grandmother. Barely fifty years after Muhammad's death, the Islamic nation fell into the hands of the tyrant Yazid, who slaughtered the Prophet's grandson al-Husayn and his revolutionary partisans. Zaynab, al-Husayn's sister, survived the massacre only to be captured. She was paraded in chains along with other women through the streets of the capital, denuded in the timeless practice of publicly humiliating women that is common to so many cultures. However, when she was brought before Yazid himself, Zaynab delivered a blistering sermon to the authorities which condemned them for their deeds. Her speech is still recited by her loyal followers today. After her release, she spent her life as an itinerant preacher, moving about the lands and spreading dissent by immortalizing the tale of her brother's revolution. Before I know it we're wheels up at Dulles International Airport and I'm looking forward to visiting the Middle East (airport style) yet again. One day, I will actually travel to Doha or Abu Dhabi or Dubai or Amman and see something besides an airport. Maybe I'll do that on my 100th visit to a Middle Eastern airport; I hope someone is keeping track of all this. I have a few good days in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, and appreciate that the government has waited until I get to Jaffna to start listening to my phone calls. My appreciation for surveillance is always greater in the island nation's heavily militarized North. Although the country's brutal civil war ended more than six years ago, Sri Lanka's Tamil-dominated Northern Province remains a very difficult place to live. Even with the administration of President Maithripala Sirisena, a return to normalcy remains illusory. During my visit, I hear about militarization, sexual violence, land expropriation, Tamil political prisoners and more. I hear about broken promises. I hear that the new government isn't necessarily looking all that different from the administration of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the previous president. I hear people ask me for specific favors. They want help. They want help because they are hurting and because they have no one else to turn to. They want help because the Sri Lankan government has failed them and the international community has too. And now I have been added to that list. I too have failed them. Advertisement Whenever I return to Jaffna, I usually make sure to spend time pacing the streets. Hospital Road. Palaly Road. Chetty Street. Nallur Temple. Jaffna Library. These are moments for reflection; walking can be therapeutic at times. Before I know it, I'm in the Eastern Province. I'm riding from the Trincomalee bus stand to my beachside hotel, thinking that my tuk-tuk driver had hit a dog -- how terrible. He's actually hit a man on a bike. I look back and the man is on the ground in pain. Seconds later, my driver is racing back there to scream at the guy. Then the injured man screams back. Yelling. Screaming. Muscle flexing. Immaturity. Insecurity. This reminds me of college. One day, I'm riding around on an acquaintance's motorbike in Trincomalee town. On the way to his residence we pass a police station. About ten minutes after arriving at his house for lunch, he gets a call from state security personnel asking who I am and what we are doing. Just in the next couple hours we spent at his house, he receives two other calls from intelligence people. Sri Lanka's surveillance apparatus is alive and well; even without Rajapaksa at the helm, I'm not sure that that part of the government is subject to any real oversight these days. Upon returning to Colombo, I go by my old stomping grounds in Bambalipitiya. Those folks at Ariyapala Supermarket (on the corner of Duplication Road and Lauries Road) all still remember me. In general, I'd rather not be remembered all that well at any particular liquor store, but on this occasion it's nice. The selection of beers has changed, though the people haven't. And they still have a pretty good selection of arrack. As usual, the place smells like incense. Advertisement A day or two before my visit to Ariyapala, I had gone to one of my favorite eateries in Colombo, an unpretentious Muslim restaurant just south of Lauries Road and directly across from Majestic City. I was honestly wondering if people there would still remember me. I was way off. As soon as I entered there were smiles and handshakes all around. I was hearing "my dear" and "sir" more than a couple times. The latter I still don't like and the former isn't my favorite, although "my dear" is way better than the sir treatment. For my last couple nights, I sleep in Colombo 3. I'm staying at a small hotel off of Galle Road. On the day of my departure, the driver who picks me up to go the airport is not my usual guy. This new guy's very nice and not chatty, which is perfect for a 2 a.m. ride to the airport. We get to the airport very quickly and, after I gather my bags, I tell him that I'll "see you next time." "Okay sir," he tells me. As I'm walking to enter the airport I realize that I don't know that I'll ever see that guy again. I don't even remember his name. Yet I do know that at least part of what I've said is not inaccurate -- the part about there being another time. Photo by: Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/IPx 2/6/16 Hillary Clinton at "The Get Out The Vote" Event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I've been in New Hampshire this week talking to voters and knocking on doors for Hillary Clinton. Last night's results will be sliced, diced and analyzed umpteen ways by countless experts, pundits and talking heads, but based on what I've seen and felt here, and what I already know about Hillary, here's what matters. Hillary Clinton is exactly what she says she is -- a fighter for us, who gets things done. I almost wrote "a progressive who gets things done," but I think it may be a mistake to give more oxygen to this argument over who is the real "progressive," Hillary or Bernie. Advertisement It's funny -- the word "progressive" was adopted by Democrats when it became too risky to call yourself a "liberal." Words like these go in and out of favor, and in this election, we're seeing a lot of debate over political labels -- "progressive," "establishment," "socialist," etc. After a New Hampshire primary where more than one voter told me their choice was between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, I think it's safe to say that when it comes to characterizing voters, labels aren't all that informative. But we need to pay attention to a different way these labels are being used. In Hillary Clinton's case, they're being used as the basis for personal attacks. She's not progressive enough. Her supporters are pooh-poohed as merely establishment. These lines of attack aren't engaging her on the issues that matter in this election. They're attempts to define her under false pretenses. Who is the "real" Hillary Clinton? For starters, Hillary Clinton has been named the most admired woman in the world by Gallup a record 20 times, more often than anyone in Gallup's history. What is it that people admire about Hillary? I can think of a few examples. Resilience -- she created the Children's Health Insurance Program as a response to the brutal attacks on her effort to enact universal health care coverage back in the 90's. Advertisement Leadership -- She has been a leader on fighting for children's rights at the Children's Defense Fund, she went undercover in Alabama to expose housing discrimination against African Americans, she was a leader in the Senate for the people of New York after 9/11. And she stepped up to help Barack Obama and mobilize her supporters to help him win election. It's no wonder that President Obama recently said: "I think one of the best decisions I ever made as president was to ask Hillary Clinton to serve as our nation's secretary of state. ... I will always be grateful for her extraordinary leadership representing our nation around the world." Compassion -- Her life-long advancement of human rights for the marginalized, from her Beijing declaration of women's rights as human rights, to her more recent declaration, as Secretary of State, that LGBTQ rights are human rights. And early on as Secretary of State she extended benefits to same-sex couples -- before the Obama administration took that action for other federal employees, and years before the Supreme Court recognized same-sex couples' right to marry. Tenacity -- She is defending Planned Parenthood and women's health care from Republican attacks, and she isn't afraid to demand that public funding be available for abortion care like any other health care. For women like me, who have witnessed the struggles for women's rights since the 1970s, Hillary Clinton's accomplishments are familiar and inspiring. But for millennial women -- who according to the polls are favoring Bernie Sanders over Hillary, it's a different story. The Washington Post published a series on "New Wave Feminism" that began with this definition: Young women (and, increasingly, men) are still coming to the movement in strong numbers, but this feminism looks different, in many ways, than that of earlier generations. This New Wave feminism is shaped less by a shared struggle against oppression than by a collective embrace of individual freedoms, concerned less with targeting narrowly defined enemies than with broadening feminism's reach through inclusiveness, and held together not by a handful of national organizations and charismatic leaders but by the invisible bonds of the Internet and social media. As the leader of one of those national organizations, I know that it is my responsibility to speak to and mobilize new audiences of women who have developed different views on what -- and who -- is a feminist. It's not enough for millennials to support a candidate just because she's a woman, or because she would be the first woman President. They want the first woman to be the right woman -- and you know what? So do I. That's why I always welcome the opportunity to speak with young women about the work Hillary has done and her strong record of advocating and winning advances for women, for racial justice, for LGBTQ equality and more. To be clear: Bernie Sanders is a good man, and I get why he has such appeal to millennials, and I think Hillary Clinton gets it too. She knows what it's like to support a candidate who stands proudly for the best and most deeply held values and beliefs shared by a generation. After all, when Hillary was their age, she worked for George McGovern -- in Texas! I'm looking forward to the next round of primaries and caucuses because I think Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are engaged in an important and productive conversation about their shared values and goals. We need to look beyond the labels and caricatures that get attached to the candidates (though both were hilarious on Saturday Night Live) and focus on what really matters in this election. Conservatives of color often complain that they are treated harshly by the liberal media for not fitting the "stereotype" of how a racial minority should think and vote. Yet many of these same complainants flirt with another stereotype of an arguably more disturbing vintage: the classic Uncle Tom or race traitor. The Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Rep. Xavier Becerra, was circumspect in discussing Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, two frontrunners for the Republican presidential nomination, but his assessment was clear: "Here's the real problem I have with Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio: It feels like they're running from their heritage in my book." What offends Becerra, himself a Latino, isn't Cruz and Rubio's purported conservatism, but rather the hypocrisy that their race to the right reveals. Cruz and Rubio are of Cuban lineage. The immigration laws afford special treatment to Cubans arriving on American soil, as Becerra noted in criticizing the candidates' views on Central American children seeking asylum in the U.S.: Advertisement "If that child is Cuban, and makes it, puts a toe over the U.S. border, they become refugees automatically. Automatically. And they don't say anything about changing the law that gives a Cuban this extreme advantage over anyone else. Yet they blast and they attack these immigrant families that are trying to do better for their kids. And so, you could be conservative. You could say, put up a wall. But then, make sure everyone gets behind that and can't get a special privilege just because of their particular national origin." This kind of hypocrisy is endemic to conservatives of color. Indeed, Cruz and Rubio's positions on immigration are the Latino equivalents of Justice Clarence Thomas condemning affirmative action even though his entire career and lifetime seat on the Supreme Court embodies (in both good and bad ways) that very concept. Conservatives of color find themselves ideologically tongue-tied so often because it's just not that easy to escape who you are, even when the reward might be the presidency. So, on the one hand, Marco Rubio is keen to invoke his parents' immigrant background, albeit not always accurately. On the other hand, though, Rubio sounds positively Trump-like in his assessment of the state of the union. Speaking to white Iowans, Rubio has said, "We sometimes feel like strangers in our own nation." No, the "we" Rubio was referring to was not Latinos. The only thing more absurd would have been delivering the same line to the same audience in Spanish. Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus caterwauled that the liberal media all but ignored the milestone of Ted Cruz being the first Latino to win the Iowa caucuses. Maybe it did. And maybe that's because Ted Cruz campaigns as, and has lived his life as, a white guy who happens to have a Spanish surname. Advertisement I doubt any of the marchers for voting rights in Selma, Alabama on "Bloody Sunday" had the advancement of a Ted Cruz in mind as they were being clubbed by the state police. In the Senate, Cruz has sponsored legislation that would make it more difficult to vote by allowing states to require proof of citizenship before registering. Cruz supported repeal of a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which is credited with giving minorities, including Latinos, an equal ability to elect candidates of their choice. The reauthorization of that provision was supported by most Republican senators, so Cruz is even out of step with the white right. And not surprisingly, Cruz has called affirmative action for racial minorities "insidious." Mixed race man with digital tablet checking solar panels Solar power in suburbia: what's not to like? Gray Watson, CC BY-SA By many accounts, the spread of solar power is unstoppable. Costs continue to fall at a blistering pace, solutions to give consumers a solar-powered home without needing to connect to the grid for back-up power are emerging, and even the U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in, with a recent ruling that is favorable for the solar energy market. Seen another way, though, solar power is seeing serious threats. Predictions from even last year were that solar energy would soon match the price of electricity from utilities -- known as "grid parity" in the business. But the plummeting cost of natural gas, which has become the most used fuel to generate power, has kept electricity prices low. And after dropping precipitously for several years in a row, solar panel prices have recently levelled off, making grid parity more elusive. Advertisement Solar businesses are feeling some of this market instability. First Solar, a large manufacturer of solar panels, has seen its stock price gyrate up and down over the past several months, while the stock price for Solar City, a large installer of solar panels, has dropped nearly 50% since its high in December. And now, electric utilities are pushing back against solar -- with some success. In late 2015, the state of Nevada more than tripled a monthly fee customers need to pay on rooftop solar projects. A last-minute appeal in early January failed, and Solar City laid off hundreds of workers and saw its stock price plummet within the space of a few weeks. The battle between the solar industry and electric utilities has the makings of a classic David versus Goliath tale, but the debate raises legitimate questions, notably: how should regulations be updated to recognize the growth of solar while still ensuring a reliable and affordable power system? And ultimately what value do distributed solar and utilities provide to society? Solar: friend or foe to the grid? Any part of the energy business is going to be volatile at times (just ask any shell-shocked oil executive). But the situation being faced by the solar industry is different, because the industry's success and failure depend as much on a complex web of state and federal regulations as on genuine technological progress. Advertisement Many of these regulations were designed to provide a stable environment for electric utilities, and to promote reliable electricity supplies, by keeping the utility shielded from competition. Utilities are feeling threatened by solar energy upstarts, which effectively turn customers into competitors, and are leaning on those regulations to fight back. Nevada changed electric billing to allow utilities to triple the monthly charges for people who own solar panels - one of a few state-level battles between utilities and solar providers. brendanwood/flickr, CC BY-SA In some places, those fights have not ended well for the solar industry. Nevada and Arizona states have imposed fees on rooftop solar power. In California, the state has resisted the types of fees assessed in Arizona and Nevada, but has also changed the incentives for rooftop solar to limit the amount of excess power - those times when solar panels produce more power than a building consumes -- that flows back to the grid. The whole fight revolves around a seemingly simple question: is rooftop solar power good for the grid, or bad for the grid? Advertisement Two sides to every solar panel While the question seems innocuous, there isn't a very simple answer. There are basically two sides to the debate. On the one hand, more rooftop solar power lowers the amount of power needed from centralized power plants. That means upgrades to the grid -- such as new power plants or bigger power lines and substations -- can be delayed or even canceled altogether. Utilities and their regulators, even those opposing the expansion of rooftop solar power, have long recognized the value of lowering demand. Rooftop solar would seem particularly valuable in this regard since it can be set up to produce more energy during the afternoon peak, when demand is most expensive to meet and the risk of blackouts is the highest. Utilities argue that if more consumers use solar to lower their monthly bills, there are fewer funds to pay for maintenance of the power grid. Portland General Electric, CC BY-ND Advertisement On the other hand, the legacy grid and the goal of providing reliable electricity to society are not simply going away. A utility needs to bring in enough revenue to pay for the grid and to support social programs like providing low rates for poor customers. Also, utilities have a responsibility to make sure there is enough electricity to meet consumers' demand at all times. Having more customers generate their own solar power (and selling some back to the grid) makes the job of utilities more complicated, because it is harder to predict how much power the grid will demand at any given time. An argument made in solar-friendly California (captured by the infamous "duck curve") was that large amounts of rooftop solar would actually increase the cost of maintaining a reliable grid, because a utility would need new power plants to handle the rapid increase in the demand for grid power after the sun goes down. Each of these arguments has some merit. Power grid operators in some parts of the country have found that reducing demand for electricity from the grid can reduce costs and prevent blackouts. California has enacted some reforms to its electricity system to create incentives for the types of supplies that could keep the grid balanced when solar production swings unpredictably. These reforms will encourage new technologies, but will probably also increase the costs of grid-provided power. Existential questions An even thornier question that California is wrestling with is the scope of a utility itself. If solar power achieves the magic point of grid parity, then what is left for the utility to do? How long can the existing power grid work its way around customers who install their own solar power and battery systems, thus cutting the cord to their utility altogether? Advertisement Maintaining the grid requires money, which ultimately comes from electricity users. Who will be left to pay for the grid as more people cut their ties with utilities? What does that mean for electricity access for poor people in particular? Some states, including California, New York and Vermont, are proactively thinking about the overall place of the utility and a sustainable business model in a world of solar grid parity. These states are starting to view utilities as service providers, rather than just kilowatt merchants. States like Arizona and Nevada are, for better or worse, effectively kicking the can down the road. Sooner or later the moment of grid parity is likely to arrive, where cutting the cord to the grid is economical even without any subsidies. That will force a major conversation about the utility business and how to best ensure reliable access to low-cost electric power. by Asher Jay, Creative Conservationist and National Geographic Explorer Moments after arriving at my alleged "eco resort" it had become apparent to me that I had made a terrible mistake. XCaret located near Cancun, in the Riviera Maya, is self-described as an ecologically sustainable resort where "cultural heritage and love the environment await you." To be honest, I had very little time to investigate their liberal use of the terms "sustainable development" and "eco-tourism," and there were absolutely no obvious negative reviews to be found on this place. Even an extensive search performed in hindsight only turned up succinct excerpts from publications and scientifically sound environmental forums. Yet, it was instantly clear when I disembarked from my shuttle that this entire place had been built at the cost of nature and was in no rush to pay off its debt to the earth. Maybe it was the dead squirrel in the middle of the main driveway, maybe it was the macaws with clipped wings that tipped me off or maybe, it was the two trees that were ominously suspended at the entrance, like gibbeted pirates, issuing a dire warning to any defiant wild that dared escape persecution in this so-called "green" haven. As a conservationist, a certain internal monologue that involved screaming at the top of my lungs at several red flags began at check-in and persisted until check-out. From being served hot beverages in polystyrene foam cups, which even the barista knew were hazardous to both humans and the environment, to being accidentally fogged in the face with insecticide on a nature trail, the evidence quickly began mounting against XCaret. This place was about as natural and untouched as contestants in a Trump-sponsored beauty pageant. The true cost at which this site found expression painted a grim picture for any Earth steward as it rose from a highly destructive footprint. With the violent use of jackhammers and dynamite to terraform the landscape and recontour its underground river system, the founders of this resort went to great lengths to convert a thriving ecosystem into a bottom-line driven theme park. Advertisement XCaret is a conservation crime, from the colossal hotel it contains (Grand Flamenco Occidental), to the curated Xplore Riviera Maya caves and zoological "EcoPark". For every square inch of this vacationland is carefully designed to keep ignorant tourists amused at the cost of local heritage and irreplaceable natural resources. This establishment is just one of many resorts on the Yucatan, masquerading under the "eco" banner, hoodwinking the public into believing that such extractive economic growth is in the best interest of both local communities and wilderness areas. The Xplore caves for instance, where countless tourists dive and snorkel, have been bombed, carved into and appended with false stalactites to make underwater cave exploration accessible to the masses. Cenotes continue to be opened up to let people in, exposing complex and fragile systems that thrive in solitude, in the shadows to spectators and sunlight. Having traveled the world and stayed in various lodgings, I know better than to single out just XCaret. It is merely a case study of how the tourism industry, when allowed to burgeon unregulated by policy, legislation and hard science, devastates indigenous ecological networks, decentralized economies, and socio-cultural narratives. It plainly underscores the need for the urgent implementation of Sustainable Development Goals that deliver on a three-prong approach - prosperity, people and planet. "It was not always this way," recounts Guillermo De Anda, Director of Special Projects for Subaquatic Archaeology at Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia (INAH) and fellow National Geographic Explorer. Advertisement "Thirty years ago, it took us a two hour off-road drive and a 500 meter walk with all our equipment on to get to Dos Ojos. Now, you can take a taxi right to the cavern's entrance, which has been modified to enable easy access. No one saw this tourism boom coming, from vast resorts coming up along our delicate mangrove coastline, to subterranean aquifers becoming the next big international attraction. Those of us who knew the significance of these places - scientists, conservationists, cave divers and archaeologists - were just not prepared for this scale of development. We also did not anticipate local farmers, ejidatarios, coalescing their land holdings, ejido, to profit out of the cenotes discovered in their pooled together plots." A quick conversation with Guillermo and his aptly named protege, Dante Garcia, furnished me with some compelling insights into the flourishing tourism industry in the Yucatan peninsula and the price the locals and the land were paying for it due to a lack of awareness. It is the usual story of modern progress eclipsing micro economies that were originally inextricably tethered to native ecology. However, unregulated and uninformed sightseer demand quickly corrupted the environmental supply, severing all tangible ties between inherited wild and individual wealth. This resulted in the overexploitation of these commoditized commons at the cost of the very resource that future earnings for these landowners are dependent on. What started out as a sustainable, community-based revenue model quickly became sullied by myopic greed. Dante adds, "There used to be hard limits on how many people could be brought in on a given day into a particular cenote, but now these tours bring in 3 or 4 times the originally assessed capacity of foot traffic. They have also shortened the duration of each tour, from 2 hours, to just 45 minutes within the actual cave system. This means tourists only have enough time to click photo ops in lieu of actually learning something about them. People not knowing about the cenotes, is why it is so hard to protect them." The environmental impact of the tourism industry on a destination area was formerly easily evaluated as bad or good under the dichotomy of "mass tourism" and "ecotourism". However, new approaches and effective marketing have birthed ambiguous terms such as "eco mass tourism" and "mass ecotourism". The former being less sustainable than the latter, making it possible for places like XCaret to take root. The premise is simple: increased infrastructure leads to increased capacity, which inversely and adversely affects the immediate natural landscape on which these efforts are supported. Advertisement A positive example of sustainable, community-led ecotourism can be found in Peru at the Tambopata National Reserve as of January 2016. But just by telling you this, I might be destroying said reserve. For with continued exposure, this destination's popularity is likely to rise. If this occurs unchecked by legislation, law enforcement and conscientious management, it will result in a paradigm just as detrimental as the one in the Yucatan. "Wherever you walk on the Yucatan peninsula, you have water beneath you," Dante laments. To which, Guillermo adds, "That's probably why the Maya understood the connection between these sacred underground pools and life on earth. We uncover a lot of incredible archaeological finds when we comb the cenotes, from ceremonial wares to entire temple ruins. So truly these submerged caves are cultural legacy sites for Mexico. The government needs to be protecting our history and heritage. When recreational cave divers go in unmonitored, it also results in the looting and improper documentation of our past." It seems obvious enough. To not preserve this concealed network of fresh water capillaries in the Yucatan will only spell the inevitable loss of all the life sustained by this system on the surface. Yet even well intended solutions seem poorly planned. A good example of this is the policy of having visitors shower before they enter the cave system, which many cenote tours now enforce. The intention of this is to prevent the repellants, deodorants, sunscreens, soaps and shampoos with which tropical tourists coat themselves, from entering these pristine subterranean waters. However, as Dante explains to me, due to a flawed design, which fails to account for the porosity of the native limestone, the wash infrastructure is not appropriately insulated to channel the drainage of these chemicals away from the aquifers. Consequently, all this 'solution' accomplishes is the concentrated release of aforementioned chemicals into the aquifers; cumulatively compounding the toxic cocktail's impact on every downstream habitat it in contact with. "The water has a distinct odor in these places, and the presence of large algae blooms serves as a clear indicator of an unhealthy system." So how does one cast a light on a system that exists in shadows without punching a hole in the ground? Guillermo enthusiastically responds, "By inspiring the next generation of Mexicans to take pride in and care for this incredibly rare and priceless asset, through youth outreach and education! We have already begun assembling a team of students and professionals to better document our cenotes, so we can tell people exactly why it is important to conserve them and develop responsibly around them. Right now they are being misappropriated, misused, treated as landfills and filled in for parking lots. If we alert enough people locally, we can stop this from being the story." The influence naive globetrotters have on a given country's ability to meet its sustainable development goals can be tremendously negative as portrayed by XCaret. We each vote with our wallets daily, and we have impact no matter what we do. It is thus essential we each grow conscious of the ecological footprint our actively engaged wallets have on promoting or demoting ecologically unviable mass consumer choices. This is why I wanted to place a spotlight on this dynamic sector, as tourism can just as easily become a catalyst for positive change and sustainably profitable businesses. While I wanted to use my recent visit as an illustrative case to highlight the problems of short term oriented growth, I also want to propose a better way forward. No business or NGO model is truly viable until it can self sustain monetarily, so profit is a critical motive, but the bottom-line needs to reflect ecological costs, particularly in its annual PNL. It needs to account for the resources it draws, and proactively address its negative imprint on both planet and people. Even in places where we have seen a lot of loss in the natural world and local culture, there is still hope, because it is never too late to educate people to do better, and life has a tendency to rebound when given a chance. From mobilizing recreational cave divers to be heritage divers who do citizen science on their trips out, to running public awareness campaigns, we can encourage every mind and wallet to preserve and enhance what remains...starting now! And change can begin with something as modest as asserting a list of dos and don'ts to foreigners who come to experience the Yucatan's homegrown flavors and finds. This post is a part of a series produced by The Huffington Post in partnership with the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation leading up to the 2016 Youth Assembly at the United Nations, a unique platform created to foster dialogue and generate partnerships between youth, private sector, civil society and the United Nations. The winter session will focus on the role of youth in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To see all posts in the series, click here. The tenant/landlord relationship can be a tricky one. Whether it's dealing with a landlord who doesn't return your calls or arguing over what qualifies as an "emergency" (like that pesky mouse infestation), dealing with a deadbeat landlord can be a serious struggle. But the good news is that there are ways to handle an unresponsive landlord without ever having to involve a lawyer. "In order to deal effectively with an absentee landlord, you should understand what most landlords most value," explains Don Tepper, a real estate agent with Long & Foster in Alexandria, VA. "And that is a tenant who pays his or her rent on time and maintains a smoothly run property." Here are eight ways to deal with a landlord who's frequently MIA when you need them most. Pay your rent on time You like your paycheck to arrive twice a month, right? The same goes for your landlord -- he or she wants to get paid just like you. "If the rent arrives on time, month in and month out, most landlords will be more accommodating when there's a problem," says Tepper. "That's true whether or not the landlord is absentee, but considering that problems and repairs can be more of a hassle for a landlord who is absentee, timely payment of rent can be especially useful and give you additional leverage when needed." Advertisement Do a thorough inspection Before you move in, inspect the property up and down to make sure any pre-existing damage isn't blamed on you. Josh Myler, director of the residential division at The Agency in Los Angeles, CA, says your landlord should ensure the property is free of any material defects. All systems like the roof, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, plus fixtures and appliances should be in good operating condition before you move in and after you move out. Document everything with date-stamped photos, a thorough list of any issues upfront (emailed for a paper trail), and even consider having the documents notarized. Don't sweat the small stuff As in, asking your landlord to replace things like high-efficiency light bulbs. But make sure your lease is extremely clear on exactly what you as the tenant are responsible for before signing a lease. "The landlord probably is responsible for major repairs and problems," says Tepper. "The tenant is probably responsible for minor issues such as replacing light bulbs and, depending on the lease, some regular maintenance ranging from mowing the lawn to having the gutters cleaned." Be selective when it comes to major repairs too. "A plugged-up toilet is a problem -- but if it's plugged up with a toy that a tenant's child dropped in. . . ." You get the drift. Play detective if you have to You should never have to track down your landlord, but sometimes things don't work out like you planned. "Your landlord should provide his or her contact information at the same time the lease is signed," says Tepper. "If not, the tenant should request it. If a tenant doesn't have that information, he or she should check with the local city or county tax assessor's office. Most contact information is available online. The tax assessor's office will have the address the tax bills are mailed to. This often will provide the landlord's actual address." Keep in mind that if the property has been managed by the same company for years, the tax bill may be sent to the management company. One caveat: "Continue paying your rent while trying to reach out as this may affect your credit score if you stop," explains Matthew Kennedy, a licensed real estate agent for Coldwell Banker Burnet in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. Advertisement Know your rights This may be the most important tip when dealing with an absentee landlord, especially if your situation results in legal action. "Your tenant rights will be spelled out both in your lease and in your local city or county regulations," says Tepper. Federal law protects against discrimination based on race, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin. On top of those protections, states, cities, or counties may include others, such as sexual orientation or marital status. Other laws and protections will also vary -- for example, the procedure and schedule that must be followed during an eviction or the time by which a damage deposit must be returned. Many cities and counties have an office of tenant or renters' rights that can advise you on these matters. "Landlords have a responsibility to maintain the condition of their rental properties and should be reported if they are not doing so," adds Kennedy, "If you find yourself in a situation where you feel that your health and livelihood are at risk, don't hesitate to contact your local attorney general. They are there to help. Also, your local social services office will be able to offer you information and resources if you find yourself in a legal situation with your landlord. They will have a list of attorneys that you can gain access to if you qualify for legal aid." Be flexible . . . within reason Yes, it may feel like the world is coming to an end if the washing machine in your rental unit breaks. But in reality, it's best to be somewhat flexible, especially with an absentee landlord. "A good landlord will buy the new washing machine, pay for delivery, and pay to have the old one removed," says Tepper. "But if the landlord is 1,000 miles away, they can't physically meet the delivery person." In which case, you could be asked to help facilitate delivery and installation -- and it's in your best interests to do so, especially if you want your landlord to continue to resolve any additional maintenance issues quickly. If there's a management company, go through them first If you rent, it's always ideal to have a rental company act as the mediator between you and your landlord. However, since that's not always an option, it's best to discuss upfront what the best form of communication may be. "What method of communication works best for the tenant and for the landlord? Email? Telephone? A Web-based form? Skype? Text?" says Tepper. "The lease may specify the preferred methods of communication. If not, the landlord and tenant should figure out what works best for them and put it in writing." Put it in writing While it may be most efficient to pick up the phone and call your landlord about a problem, it's always best to get it in writing. "If you're notifying the landlord of a serious issue, write or email even if it's simply for a follow-up," advises Tepper. "If there's a chance that you'll need a record of the communication, you'll need a written record." Advertisement Similarly, real estate agreements must be in writing to be enforceable. Consider this scenario: You want to paint one room a new color. You call the landlord and they give you verbal permission, so you paint. Then when you move out, you're assessed $300 in damages because the room has to be repainted. Your telephone agreement isn't enforceable. But your written lease, which may prohibit repainting rooms, is. If you do communicate with your landlord via phone, send a follow-up email documenting your conversation so that you have what was discussed in the phone call on record. Have you ever had an absentee landlord? Share your tips and experiences in the comments! Also on HuffPost: 'A male face with a taped mouth and a red cross on it symbolizing censorship.Censorship is all around.Freedom of speech is the political right to communicate one's opinions and ideas via speech. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used. In practice, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute in any country and the right is commonly subject to limitations, as with libel, slander, obscenity, copyright violation and incitement to commit a crime.' Much of the impetus for enshrining the 1st Amendment within our Constitution was to protect dissidents: people who opposed popular or powerful political opinion. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, our founders and authors of the Federalist Papers, were dissenters. Nevertheless, a bill that passed the New York Senate, would effectively undercut free speech by disqualifying companies from doing business with New York for boycotting Israel on account of its numerous human rights violations. Entities that engage in their 1st Amendment right to support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian freedom and equality will be penalized. Advertisement The bill requires divestment from and prohibits business transactions, contracts, and investment with companies, contractors, subcontractors, NGOs and/or individuals that boycott an allied nation or companies of an allied nation -- Israel. First, the bill classifies companies that boycott Israel as "non-responsive" bidders for "purchasing services and commodities." New York financing law requires that services and commodities contracts only go to responsive bidders. Consequently, in order for companies to be "responsive bidders" and keep their contracts, they must refrain from supporting BDS. Second, the bill prohibits highway and building contractors with the State from using any subcontractors that boycott Israel, and requires these contractors to certify with the State that they do not boycott Israel. Third, the bill amends the Retirement and Social Security Law by requiring the State's common retirement fund to divest of any pension or annuity from any company boycotting Israel and prohibits investment in any bank or financial institution that boycotts Israel. Advertisement Another New York bill also intends to silence speech that supports BDS. What's next, shutting down New York churches divesting their holdings from companies complicit in Israeli human rights violations? These bills, if signed into law, would be illegal. They place unconstitutional prohibitions on 1st Amendment protected activity and impose an outright ban on freedom of speech backed by the financial harm ensuing from lost business opportunities. If entities want to avoid these penalties, they must refrain from speech supporting BDS. The effect would be to silence entities whose speech the Government disagrees with, smothering the viewpoints it opposes. The U.S. Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission affirmed that private corporations are "persons" with 1st Amendment protected rights. Laws that burden political speech are subject to strict scrutiny. This level of scrutiny requires the Government to prove that the restriction furthers a compelling interest and is narrowly tailored to achieve that interest. These state bills do not satisfy this standard. The BDS movement advances freedom. It is not motivated by national origin, race, or religion. Criticism of the Israeli government's policies and corporation practices that violate Palestinian rights deserves praise rather than criticism from state legislators. The BDS movement is a form of protest similar to the nonviolent struggle for civil rights in this country. At its core is political speech afforded 1st Amendment protection. States have no right to prohibit peaceful political activity and political speech. In NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware the Supreme Court held that protests, rallies, petitions, and sit-ins were protected speech. BDS should be every bit as protected speech and protest as the Montgomery bus boycott. The 1st Amendment stands against attempts to disfavor certain subjects or viewpoints and protects a "person's" right to unpopular speech. There is no right to be protected from controversial or offensive speech, though it's disturbing that some New York politicians regard as offensive speech upholding equal rights for Palestinians. Supreme Court precedent has established that even the most controversial speech, like students wearing black armbands in protest to the Vietnam War in Tinker vs. Des Moines, is protected speech. Surely, speech calling for equal rights ought to be readily protected by New Yorkers and their political leaders. There is no Israel exception. Advertisement By Katie Sizemore In January, El Salvador's Foreign Minister, Hugo Martinez, greeted Cuban migrants passing through one of his country's airports after having been stranded for three months in Costa Rica on their way to the United States. Martinez attributed the situation to a double standard in U.S. immigration policy, which welcomes some Latin American immigrants with open arms while subjecting others to a seemingly discriminatory system. Although political relations between the United States and Cuba have recently thawed, immigration policies between the two countries still reflect a rivalry rooted in Cold War-era policies. As part of the strategy to destabilize Castro's regime, the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA) of 1966 permits Cubans emigrating from the island, historically fleeing a restrictive economy and a politically repressive police state, to obtain asylum relatively easily in the United States as compared with other immigrants from Latin America. Even in cases of illegal entry, unauthorized Cubans arriving by land are allowed to apply for green cards after one year. Due in part to these policies, Cubans now account for the third largest Latino population in the country. Two Cuban-Americans are currently competing in this year's presidential election.i Advertisement The 2014 normalization of relations between Washington and Havana triggered a surge in migration amid fears of changes to the CAA. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released records from 2015 showing a 78 percent increase in Cuban entries to the United States over the previous year. In the last few months of 2015, thousands of Cubans attempted the journey via Ecuador, before continuing toward Central America and Mexico, hoping to eventually pass through the land borders of the southwestern United States. When Nicaragua began denying visas in November 2015, nearly 8,000 migrants were stranded in Costa Rica and Panama. Described as refugees, the group received significant media attention until Central American governments eventually reached a "humanitarian transfer" agreement. By mid-January of this year, the first wave of 180 arrived in the United States. Compare that to the situation of immigrants from Central America, a region that also has a complex historical relationship with the United States. In the 1980s and 90s, the United States was intimately involved in the civil wars of El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. Through strong U.S. support and intervention, these became protracted, proxy wars characteristic of the Cold War era, which had lasting and devastating economic, political, and social consequences. Decades of U.S. deportations of gang-affiliated youth and young men followed and significantly contribute to a cycle of violence in the Central American region today. The effects of these policies can continue to be felt as the region faces the highest homicide and femicide rates in the world, especially in El Salvador (103 homicides per 100,000) and Honduras (57 homicides per 100,000). Since 2014, large numbers of unaccompanied minors and families have fled to the United States in hopes of claiming asylum. Citing the violence in the country, the Department of State has issued numerous travel advisories. In January, the Peace Corps removed its volunteers from the region, and President Obama even alluded to the alarming situation in his most recent State of the Union address. Advertisement Yet, the official U.S. response to Central American migrants has been contradictory, as the Obama administration continues to rely on heavy-handed enforcement. Raids planned for the purpose of tracking down unauthorized immigrants are set to increase, and have thus far ignored Obama's 2014 call for focusing on "felons, not families." The Congressional Hispanic Caucus criticized the January detention of 121 mothers and their children who have legitimate asylum requests according to U.S. precedence, but who were not advised on their rights or the availability of legal representation while also being denied the opportunity to present their cases in hearings.ii Obama's policy rationale has been to increase detentions and raids in hopes of discouraging people from coming illegally. Yet, a policy of deterrence does little to discourage the flow of migrants who are trying to escape rape, torture, forced gang recruitment, or death. It merely raises the risk. The different attitudes towards Cubans and Central Americans seeking refuge in the U.S. illustrate policy inconsistencies that are having deadly consequences. Chilling reports reveal that in at least three cases, Honduran deportees were murdered back in their home countries shortly after their removal from the United States. A longer-term study to be released by social scientist Elizabeth Kennedy reveals that as many as 83 deported Central Americans have been murdered upon their return in the past two years alone. Before Congress concluded its work in 2015, it approved a $750 million aid package for Central America, which includes development, security, and economic assistance. The bill involves a 150 percent increase in security funding to support efforts to crack down on gang violence, a continuation of mano dura or "iron fist" policies which have failed to reduce violence since 2003.iii In fact, heavy-handed enforcement and U.S. deportation of convicted criminals, with sentences of one year or more, directly contributes to the spread of violence as gangs use deportation to expand their networks, in turn causing more families to emigrate. Regarding fears of changes to the CAA, the highest-ranking Cuban-American in the Obama administration, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said there are no plans to change it during his trip to Havana in October 2015. With the exception of the recent surge, Cuban migration has slowed since 2000. Central American nationalities account for 2 percent or less of those immigrants who obtain lawful permanent residence, while around 80 percent of Cuban migrants who apply obtain it. As the CAA applies to a smaller number of people than a similar law would for Central Americans, it is both more politically and logistically convenient. While the situation of Central American migrants is a separate issue and does not directly merit a change to the CAA, the preferential treatment should be revisited, and potentially revised, given the conditions faced in their home countries. Advertisement It's time to take stock of policy inconsistencies and re-evaluate how U.S. foreign policy responds to, and may actually perpetuate, violence in Central America through its current deportation policies, while preserving antiquated special immigration treatment for political convenience. Katie Sizemore is a conflict management professional focusing on Latin America and criminal justice issues. She currently works as a Project Officer at the Organization of American States (OAS) and is a 2016 Latin America Fellow at YPFP. iMarco Rubio and Ted Cruz in fact oppose the CAA in its current form. iiUnlike "unaccompanied minors" who arrived in 2014, children who arrived with their mothers are not automatically entitled to a full hearing before an Immigration Judge, often facing expedited removal, unless credible fear can be demonstrated. Advertisement Pen Movies/YouTube Sure, we hated Mastizaade and everything it stands for, but this is ridiculous. According to various reports, an FIR (First Information Report) has been filed against actors Sunny Leone, Vir Das, Tusshar Kapoor, and director Milap Zaveri for a particular scene in their recently released movie in which "condoms were discussed inside a temple". FIR filed in Adarsh Nagar Police Station in Delhi over a scene in the movie 'Mastizaade' where condoms were discussed inside a temple. ANI (@ANI_news) February 10, 2016 The complaint reportedly comes from Delhi-based advocate Gaurav Gulati, who, last month, had filed a similar petition against Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan for wearing shoes inside a temple, in a promo for the reality show Bigg Boss Nau. Of all the problems this guy chose to have with Mastizaade... Also see on HuffPost: PTI Dharwad -- "It is a rebirth for all of us," said Mahadevi, wife of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, with a sense of relief as the family rejoiced at the news of his miraculous survival after remaining buried under snow for six days at Siachen Glacier. "My husband's grandmother inspired him in his life. Her prayers saved him from certain death in Siachen. It is a rebirth for all of us," Mahadevi, residing at Betadur village in Kundagol taluk of Dharwad district, said. Advertisement Hanumanthappa, who hails from Karnataka, was found alive on Monday after being buried under 25 feet of snow for six days following an avalanche that had hit his post at an altitude of 19,600 feet where the temperature was minus 45 degrees celsius. Mahadevi said the family was going through a painful ordeal after the members came to know of the tragedy, but the news of his survival brought smiles back on faces. "We were going through a painful ordeal after the avalanche struck ... The news of his survival brought smiles back on our faces. We were all crying and almost lost hope. I didn't know what to do - I have one-and-half-year old girl child," she said. Eshwar, Hanumanthappa's cousin, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for visiting Koppad who is on a ventilator at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi. Advertisement "What should I say about the gesture Modi has shown to a simple soldier. It is heartening that a person who is Prime Minister of India visited him," he said. Eshwar also appreciated the concern shown by Army officials who had visited the family members and gave hope of his survival. "The army officials had visited us and instilled hope by saying 'don't worry, nothing will happen. The Army had said will find him out and retrieve him alive from the glacier," he said. The family of six members left for Goa from where they would take a flight to Delhi in the evening to be with Hanumanthappa who is critical, Eshwar said. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also See On HuffPost: PTI A woman in Uttar Pradesh has volunteered to donate a kidney to save the life of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, who is in a coma after being rescued alive from under 35 feet of snow six days after his post in Siachen was hit by a glacier, even as a nation continued to pray for his recovery. Doctors have reportedly said there have been no improvement in Hanumanthappa's condition. The next 24 hours are critical for Koppad, being treated at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi, according to a report in IBNLive. Advertisement Meanwhile, IANS reported that Nidhi Pandey, a housewife from Lakhimpur Kheri, 167-km from Lucknow, contacted the helpline of a local news channel offering to donate a kidney to Koppad. Pandey was deeply moved by Hanumanthappa's story. The soldier faced a tough hurdle in his road to recovery. The soldier is severely dehydrated, hypothermic, hypoxic, hypoglycemic and in shock. He has been diagnosed with pneumonia, his liver and kidney are dysfunctional, he continues to have low blood pressure, the report said. Fortunately, he's not suffered from frost bite or bone injuries, the report quoted a medical bulletin issued by the hospital as saying. Advertisement AN EVER SMILING MAN A report in PTI said Koppad chose difficult areas over "peace" postings and fought for 10 years in conflict areas. "The brave solider displayed a high degree of initiative and has served 10 years in difficult and challenging areas out of 13 years of total service," a senior army officer said. "The 33-year-old serving soldier, who was enrolled in 19th Battalion of the Madras Regiment on October 25, 2002, is highly motivated and physically fit...He opted for challenging terrains from the beginning," the officer said. "The soldier has served in Mahore (J&K) from 2003 to 2006 where he was actively involved in counterinsurgency operations. He again volunteered to serve with 54 Rashtriya Rifles (Madras) in the state from 2008 to 2010 where he displayed indomitable courage and gallantry in fighting terrorism during his tenure," he said. Hanumanthappa also volunteered to serve in the Northeast from 2010 to 2012 where he actively participated in successful operations against the National Democratic Front of Bodoland and United Liberation Front of Assam, he added. Advertisement He was serving in the super high altitude areas of Siachen Glacier from August 2015 and was chosen for deployment in one of the highest posts at an altitude of 19,600 feet since December 2015, encountering temperature well below minus 40 degrees C and winds up to 100 km per hour, the officer said. As an individual, Hanumanthappa is an ever smiling man who shares a cordial relationship with peers and subordinates. "As an individual, Hanumanthappa is an ever smiling man who shares a cordial relationship with peers and subordinates," the officer said. He is being treated at Army Research and Referral Hospital by a team of intensivists, neurologist, nephrologist, endocrinologist and surgeons. He has been administered fluids and drugs to bring up his blood pressure, besides antibiotics. This morning, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh reached the army hospital to take stock of Hanumanthappa's condition. Advertisement "Karnataka is very proud of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. We hope he comes out strong," Atul Kumar, Resident Commissioner of Karnataka, said. Army Chief General Dalbir Singh reaches Army RR hospital to take stock of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa's condition. pic.twitter.com/cBsJ5X4WTE ANI (@ANI_news) February 10, 2016 Koppad was rescued from an altitude of 20,500 feet by a team of over 150 soldiers and two canines, Dot and Misha, and was initially declared dead by authorities, was flown in here by an IAF aircraft accompanied by a critical care specialist of the force and a medical specialist from the Siachen base camp. Youth Congress prays for well being of Siachen survivor Lance Naik Hanamanthappa, in Bhopal pic.twitter.com/tBcnFWC7LP ANI (@ANI_news) February 10, 2016 Iconic dabbawalas of Mumbai pray for well being of Siachen survivor Lance Naik Hanamanthappa. pic.twitter.com/ITy3cILneL ANI (@ANI_news) February 10, 2016 The army troops, including specialized teams trained in glaciated terrain, were moved into the avalanche site and round-the-clock rescue operations were carried out in extreme weather conditions where average day temperature was minus 30 degrees Celsius and night temperature below minus 55 degrees. Medical teams and equipment were moved in and a post established to provide emergency treatment at the rescue site itself. "The dogs, Dot and Misha, did a tremendous job," the officials said. The frozen heights of Siachen are toughest battlefield in the world where hostile weather has killed more soldiers than enemy bullets. Over 869 Indian soldiers have died in Siachen since 1984 due to climatic conditions, environmental and other factors. Advertisement The total number of officers who have died in Siachen since Operation Meghdoot that was launched in 1984 to reclaim the glacier from Pakistan was 33. Besides them, 54 JCOs have lost their lives, while casualties from other ranks are 782. The government has spent over Rs 7,500 crore for procurement of clothing and mountaineering equipment for soldiers posted in high-altitude areas. The guns have largely been silent on the Glacier since 2003 following a ceasefire along the frontiers in Jammu and Kashmir. The then Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had in 2012 called for the resolution of the Siachen issue following an avalanche on the Pakistani side which left 139 dead, mostly soldiers. Pakistan wants India to pull back troops to the positions of 1984. India has asked Pakistan to authenticate and demarcate the 110-kilometre Actual Ground Position Line on the glacier. Stung by the surprise occupation of strategic heights in the Kargil sector in 1999, India has insisted on the authentication and demarcation of current military positions on Siachen. Advertisement The move is aimed at thwarting the possible re-induction of troops by Pakistan after any demilitarisation of the glacier. Here are the other nine soldiers who lost their lives in the avalanche. (With inputs from PTI) ASSOCIATED PRESS All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party chief Jayalalitha gestures during a hunger strike in Chennai, India, Sunday, March. 18, 2007.Jayalalithaa Sunday went on a one-day token fast demanding notification of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's final award in the Central gazette, amidst chaos and unruly scenes around the venue here according to a news agency. (AP Photo/M. Lakshman) An explosion in Tamil Nadu that left one man dead and three others injured does not appear to be a result of a meteorite crash, said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In a public statement, scientists have said that photos of the explosion that left a crater in a college campus in Vellore appeared to be from a land based explosion rather than something from space. This is two days after the state chief minister Jayalalithaa declared that the mishap was a result of a falling meteorite. Advertisement Jayalalithaa's office on Sunday had released a statement that said, "A mishap occurred yesterday when a meteorite fell in the campus of a private engineering college in Vellore district's K Pantharappalli village." Indian authorities inspect the site of a suspected meteorite landing on 7 February, 2016 in Vellore district in southern Tamil Nadu state in an impact that killed a bus driver and injured three others on 6 February. The state leader had called it a meteorite strike even though the debris from the site had not yet been examined. Indian scientists were also skeptical if it was a meteorite that had crashed. Advertisement Considering that there was no prediction of a meteorite shower and there was no meteorite shower observed, this certainly is a rare phenomena if it is a meteorite, said Prof. G.C. Anupama, the dean of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, which is analysing the debris found at the site, toldNew York Times. If it was indeed a meteorite explosion that killed the bus driver on Saturday, he would be the first in centuries to be killed by a meteorite. The last such death was recorded in 1825. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also See On HuffPost: Jan vd Brink Fotografie/Flickr A woman doctor can't be debarred from joining the Army Medical Corps (AMC) just because she became pregnant during the course of the selection process, the high court in Punjab and Haryana ruled. "Forcing a choice between bearing a child and employment interferes both with a woman's reproductive rights and her right to employment and such an action could have no place in modern India," according to the judgment. "Keeping the nature of employment in consideration, the government could grant maternity leave or keep a vacancy reserved which could be offered to a candidate after childbirth." Advertisement In October 2009, the director general of armed forces had stopped a woman candidate from joining the AMC on the grounds that she had become pregnant between the period of her application and completion of final selection process. The court has called it illegal and unconstitutional. The doctor, who is from Pathankot district in Punjab, was selected for Short Service Commission as Captain in AMC in June 2013, was asked to report Commandant of Military hospital in February 2014. Even though she had passed a medical fitness test at the time of her selection, the hospital administration did not allow her to join as they claimed that her pregnancy amounted to "deterioration in health", reportedThe Times of India. This is despite the fact that married women are not required to take military training for the short service commission (SSC). Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also See On HuffPost: UniversalImagesGroup via Getty Images Young Boy Returning Home From School. Boots Hanging From Telegraph Wires. (Photo by: Universal Education/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) A crush on an 11-year-old girl proved to be deadly for 12-year-old Binay Mahato, whose badly injured body was found last week near the teachers' residential flats of Sapphire International School, Ranchi. According to the Times of India, the police arrested Hindi teacher Nezma Khatoon on Wednesday for killing the Class VII student. The alleged motive: Binay Mahato was in love with the teachers 11-year-old daughter. Ranchi SSP Kuldeep Dwivedi said Khatoon, her husband and her two children have been arrested on the basis of evidence gathered during investigations. Advertisement According to DNA, the doctor who conducted the post-mortem said that the boy was beaten up brutally because of which his liver suffered injuries. He also had severe injuries on his head and stomach. According to a recent report by Times of India, Dwivedi revealed that the teacher's son invited Binay for dinner at the teachers quarters (confirmed by the footage). Over dinner, an argument broke out when Binay refused to break all relations with the teacher's daughter. Her son "suddenly covered Binay's mouth with one hand and punched him several times on his stomach. He pushed him to the wall and banged his head on the wall. Vinay collapsed due to the injuries," SSP Dwivedi said. The noise woke the teacher and her daughter sleeping in one of rooms. They thought that the boy was already dead. In panic, they dragged the body to the corridor and threw it off their first floor balcony," Dwivedi said. Earlier on Wednesday, chilling CCTV footage emerged of the boy walking unknowingly to his death. The footage, shared by Times Now on their Twitter feed, clearly shows Binay heading out of his hostel at Sapphire International School after midnight towards the teachers' quarters. He can be seen walking casually, moving his right hand as if he was humming to himself. Advertisement Ranchi: Class 8 student Binay Mahota found dead, was spotted on CCTV leaving his hostel after midnighthttps://t.co/0oQQLfHdTk TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) February 10, 2016 Soon afterwards, Binay was found lying unconscious with severe head injuries in the lobby of the teachers' residential flats lobby. He died later in the day. On 30 January, a six-year-old student in New Delhi was found dead on the school campus. The boy, identified as one Devansh Kakrora, was reported missing from class and was found inside the pit which served as a refill tank in his school. The Indian Express reports that Devanshs parents have now have sought Union HRD Minister Smriti Iranis intervention for a CBI probe into their childs death. (With inputs from PTI) If youre not in Australia, where the bloody hell are ya? Remember the Bingle jingle, inviting the world to mix and mingle? Where a fair go was your welcome mat, unless youre of caramel descent and then aint nobody got time for that. You see, rocking up for my first job at Coles, was like a scene from Border Patrol. What makes you Australian? Is it a Southern Cross Tattoo or wombat stew crumbled with a Dunkaroo? Do you think of a time when Australias learnt to share and care and dare to wear its heart on its face, fully aware that most of us in this place are far from fair, but brown and black and slow to attack? But quick to embrace a warm Australia. Im confused as to why, on Australia Day, when the night sky spews bigot bile, Im left traumatised. When a teen rips off my uncles turban, Im an enraged flame of pain and shame and sorrow, for tomorrow when a hooning ute throws a rotten peach at my dad and screams go home, ya bloody terrorist. I plead to you Lara , where the bloody hell are we? My people, the Sikhs, came here in 1860 with camels and carts and courageous hearts and look at the maxi Taxi, were still driving and steering this country in offices and hospitals and even on stage. So when people tell me and my family to go home to where we came from, I reply with a smile, tongue-in-cheek, mate, weve been right at home for the past 150 years! Im not the one thats a freak, Im fully Sikh. CHANDAN KHANNA via Getty Images To go with 'India-Unrest-Religion' FOCUS by Bhuvan BaggaIn this photograph taken on September 1, 2014, a padlocked door of a Muslim resident stands in the village of Kutba, Muzaffarnagar. More than 60 people were killed, hundreds injured and thousands were displaced in and around the northern Indian town of Muzaffarnagar after a dispute over the treatment of a local Hindu girl spiralled into riots on September 7, 2013. AFP PHOTO/CHANDAN KHANNA (Photo credit should read Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images) NEW DELHI -- Despite its failure to divide voters on religious lines in the Bihar polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party has unleashed a polarizing campaign for a by-election in Muzaffarnagar, one of Uttar Pradeshs most communally sensitive spots. On Saturday, by-polls to three assembly constituencies will be held in UP--Muzaffarnagar, Deoband and Bikapur. A vacuum of new ideas and the absence of a strong leader in U.P. is forcing the BJP to test how far communal polarization can still work as a strategy to woo voters for the big show down of the State Assembly Election in 2017, experts say. Advertisement "It is a trial balloon. BJP is making Muzaffarnagar as an iconic electoral plan. It (communal polarization) was key to their victory in the Lok Sabha election and they want to know whether it could be repeated," said Ashutosh Misra, a political science professor at Lucknow University. "So, they are speaking out in public meetings and doing so unapologetically." While campaigning for the assembly by-election in Muzaffarnagar, BJP leaders have been gloating about the deadly religious violence which engulfed the countryside of Muzaffarnagar in the autumn of 2014, driving tens of thousands from their homes, and ripping apart communities which had lived together for centuries. Speaking at an election rally in Muzaffarnagar, last week, Umesh Malik, a local BJP leader, declared that embers from the Muzaffarnagar communal violence spread to the rest of the country, "and made Narendra Modi the prime minister. Raising the cry of Bahu-Beti Ke Samman Mein, BJP Maidan Mein (BJP is in the field to protect your daughters), BJP campaigners are setting the party up as the protector of the honour of Hindu Jats, who have accused the Samajwadi Party government of targeting innocent men in their community to appease Muslims. The BJP also assumed the role of guarding Hindu women against the advances of Muslim men. Two years on, these two reasons still resonate in the hinterland. Advertisement BJP's campaigners in Muzaffarnagar are men charged with inciting the violence in 2013--Sanjeev Balyan, Hukum Singh, Suresh Rana and Sangeet Singh Som, The Indian Express reported. While Modi was promising "development" if his party came to power in the national election, Balyan called a spade a spade. "It is about swabhiman (self-esteem), not sadak (road)," he said. Balyan, who won from the Muzaffarnagar constituency, was made Union Minister of State for Agriculture in the Modi government. Singh also won a seat from Kairana constituency in riot-hit western Uttar Pradesh. Rana and Som are BJP lawmakers in the State Assembly. In the Lok Sabha election in 2014, BJP won 71 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. In the 2012 State Assembly election, BJP came in third after the ruling-Samajvadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, with 51 seats. Despite Bihar Amit Shah, whose remark about fireworks in Pakistan was widely regarded as distasteful during the Bihar campaign, has just been reelected as the party president for a second term. While BJP lost Bihar under Shah, he engineered his party's sweeping victory in the Lok Sabha election, held six months after the Muzaffarnagar riots. Advertisement Shah set the tone for the 2017 polls in U.P. while speaking at the opening ceremony of the Priyakantju Temple in Vrindavan on Monday. Shah said that Modi was a guardian of Hinduism, and BJP state governments were also protecting "our culture." "Jitna aur saath hoga utni gati tez hogi (the more support we get, the faster would be our pace)," he said, The Times of India reported. BJP's strategy of religious polarization could still work in Uttar Pradesh because its politics and politicians are different from Bihar's priorities and leaders, experts say. The obvious difference is that caste rather than religion is the dominant factor in Bihar, but it is even more significant that Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar simply didn't respond to BJP's communalizing tactics, said Badri Narayan Tiwari, a professor at the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad. On the other hand, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress Party strive to get the Muslim vote, which attracts Hindus to BJP's polarising ploys, he said. For the by-election in Muzaffarnagar, the Congress Party is fielding Salman Saeed, who was also charged for making inflammatory speeches ahead of the religious violence. "Bihar and UP are different," said Tiwari. It isn't just Muzaffarnagar. In the communally sensitive Deoband constituency in Saharanpur, home to the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom, BJP is fielding former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist Rampal Pundir. Advertisement Ek bhay hoga unke andar. Hamara terror hoga unke upar, unke gundon par (Muslims will feel scared. They and their hooligans will feel our terror)," he told The Indian Express. This election has become a fight between Hindus and Muslims because Hindus are unsafe." In Bikapur, the BJP candidate is long-time Ram Temple activist, Ram Krishna Tiwari, BJP's president for Faizabad district, who was jailed in 2013 for defying the state government's ban on the 84-Kosi Parikrama. But all the polarizing candidates at the local level can't mask the absence of one leader to carry the election for the BJP, pointed out A.K. Verma, a political science professor at Christ Church College in Kanpur. "The nature of contest is becoming presidential in India, and their most crucial problem is that they have not been able to project a face in Uttar Pradesh," he said. Lacking ingenuity and a face for the election, Misra believes that BJP will be more, not less, aggressive with its communalizing agenda whether it "clicks or not." "U.P. is a matter of life and death for them. And it is make or break for Modi and Shah. They will use all the tools in their tool box and communalism will be the most potent weapon in their armoury," he said. Advertisement BJP Doublespeak So far, neither the Modi government nor the senior leadership of the BJP have reined in their local leaders or their vitriol. Even local observers are taken aback by the directness of BJP's Hindutva messaging in this Muzaffarnagar by-election, especially after the backlash against the Modi government for rising intolerance triggered by the Dadri Lynching, which also occurred in western Uttar Pradesh, last year. During his trip to the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a foreign journalist that not a single incident of intolerance was acceptable in the land of Gandhi and Buddha, but Malik recently boasted about the meeting which triggered the violence in Muzaffaranagar. Friends, the mahapanchayat did take place. The entire planning was done in jail, he said. "This is the only language they know, where they see a possibility. They have been successful here and think they can do it again," said Tiwari. Judge dismisses Kansas' attempt to block Biden debt forgiveness program Judge Henry Edward Autrey, sided with the federal government in an opinion ruling that a group of six states' case failed to establish legal standing. Downtown Music Justin Kalifowitz Talks Publishing, Big Ideas For 2016 Here Brian Mansfield speaks with Justin Kalifowitz, CEO of the dynamic and versatile Downtown Music Publishing, discussing the state of music publishing, the success of the company's royalty collection service Songtrust, and where publishing is headed in the future. __________________________________ Guest Post by Brian Mansfield on Shore Fire Media as part of the Big Ideas Interview Series In 2016, Shore Fire Media promises to continue to send you valuable news of all sorts. In this new series, former USA Today reporter Brian Mansfield presents provocative interviews with industry leaders. We think the helpful insights and strategies these visionaries share will help our friends do business better and stay on the leading edge of ideas. In the first of this series, Brian interviews Downtown Music Publishing CEO Justin Kalifowitz, one of the most dynamic music publishers we know. "People spend a tremendous amount of time talking about online music rights and not enough about what's happening with music rights offline," says Downtown Music Publishing CEO Justin Kalifowitz, an entrepreneurial idea man who has put his company on the music industry's leading edge. Since founding Downtown in 2007 with one employee, the native New Yorker has guided the company's tremendous growth by embracing a technology-forward philosophy, taking a global approach to rights collection and management, and fiercely advocating not only on behalf his own clients but for the entire creator community. In 2014 he co-founded New York Is Music, an organization promoting statewide recognition and support of the music businesses' cultural and commercial impact. Downtown now has dozens of staff and branches in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, London and Amsterdam. It represents an impressive array of catalogs, including those of John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Cy Coleman, Hans Zimmer, Jason Isbell, Imogen Heap and One Direction. It also has developed Songtrust, the company's technology platform, which powers global royalty collection for more than 80,000 individual songwriters as well as companies such as CD Baby, The Orchard and Downtown's own catalog in over 90 countries around the world. Still, one of the most important issues facing music publishing is a persisting one. The U.S., Kalifowitz says, lags behind other countries in collecting money from businesses like restaurants, bars and retail that use music. Such licenses provide most of the money gathered by collection societies in other countries. "It's not pocket change," Kalifowitz says. "Germany collects almost $350 million a year from that right. In the U.S., which is four times Germany's size, we don't collect even $250 million. It's embarrassing, when you think of the relative scale. Why do Germans pay five times more per person to enjoy music in public than Americans? How is music worth so much less here? That's just not a topic that's discussed, because it's not an exciting topic. It's not about music on the Internet." As Downtown heads into a year in which its writers and artists have 16 Grammy nominations, Kalifowitz talks about the industry changes he has seen over the past nine years and his bold vision for his company's future. Q: How have Downtown's publishing contracts evolved to reflect the realities of the constantly shifting digital and technological landscape? A: The duration of a songwriter's contract used to be tied primarily to music being released on a per-album basis. We've moved away from that to using more applicable metrics, such as income levels or a set number of years. Publishing contracts also used to stipulate royalties for maybe three income types. Now our contracts stipulate at least half a dozen, to reflect different income sources that have evolved. Q: Current conventional wisdom has the concert industry strong, recorded music weakened and non-performing songwriters hurting. How's music publishing holding up? A: People often look at music publishing like records, but for songwriters. That's not an accurate analogy. The record business depends on how consumers get their music and choose to engage with music. Music publishing and songwriters earn much of their income from media spends by businesses. In most markets, songwriters earn the most money from general licensing at restaurants, bars, hotels and retail outlets. Those are the No. 1 sources of revenue for many songwriters. It's not people buying downloads, streaming music or, historically, even buying albums. It was always the broad category of public-performance income. Collecting payment for the use of song copyrights is a much more diverse exercise than what you'll find on the record side. Nowadays, every business, whether it's Coca-Cola or the local cafe opening in Brooklyn tomorrow, has some sort of music strategy. They recognize the value of music to their brands and are willing to pay for it. That's great news for songwriters. As an industry, we'll continue to fight for the value of the songs and focus on getting a higher percentage of revenue for the use of our music on digital platforms. We've withstood the past 15 years of disruption for the record industry quite well. I'm hopeful it's going to only get better from here. Q: In 2010, Downtown launched Songtrust to collect publishing royalties for writers that don't necessarily have publishing deals. Can you share a Songtrust success story? A: There have been many successes, including producers, artists and songwriters across a broad range of genres. One in particular is a songwriter named Mike Campbell. Mike was a college student at New York University writing with some friends in his dorm room. That day, they wrote what would become A Great Big World's Grammy-nominated hit "Say Something" featuring Christina Aguilera. As the song gained momentum, Mike went searching on the web for ways to collect the publishing royalties he was generating. He found Songtrust and immediately signed up. He was able to use our platform to collect all of the royalties he was owed both in the US and internationally. Equally, we're pleased when clients discover that they are owed $264 from YouTube or $86.73 in foreign mechanicals that were trapped in black box. Music publishing is a pennies business, and Songtrust simply enables anyone to collect all of their pennies. Q: If you could snap your fingers and change one aspect of copyright law, what would it be? A: The government wouldn't intervene in the licensing of music. It would be free-market negotiation between copyright owners and those who want to license their music. Q: Downtown opened offices in London, Amsterdam and Nashville in 2014. Why is having a presence in each of those cities important? A: Music capitals particularly songwriting capitals for Anglo-American repertoire like London, New York, Los Angeles and Nashville each hold their own and have incredible publishing communities. How does Amsterdam fit into a business like ours? It speaks to how we think about the whole business interacting. This is a business of people who can make a difference in the lives of the songwriters we represent. We came across an opportunity to work with Lucas van Slegtenhorst who had run Chrysalis' Benelux operation for many years. In the first year, we have had an incredible run with a handful of songs and songwriters on the charts. We had our first No. 1 this year. We're also starting to represent foreign catalogs for the Benelux region and our local Dutch writers are getting cuts with major K-Pop artists. The long-term vision of Downtown is to have a strong local presence in the world's top music markets. Q: How does the Nashville office interact with the ones in Los Angeles and New York? A: Our offices all have their own profiles, their own servicing of the local community and our clients in those communities. That's only half the story. The other half is how they interact with each of the other offices. Nashville, I think, is a great example. We spent quite a bit of time going there. Over and over we heard, "Nashville is far more than country music; if you guys open shop here, you should take advantage of the talent pool's depth and how much it wants to branch out." We've taken that advice to heart. Working with Steve Markland, who runs our Nashville office, we've focused on making sure our Nashville writers and artists travel to Los Angeles, to New York not only to meet our staff but to co-write and collaborate. They focus on writing for film and television in L.A. They take part in songwriting camps we set up in Jamaica and Iceland. They may work with our EDM producers out of Amsterdam, and set up collaborations with pop artists in the U.K. But, of course, it's not only sending out people from Nashville, it's sending talented writers from all our offices to Nashville to work in one of the world's greatest songwriting towns. Q: What potential expansion markets do you see? A: We'd like to be in more countries. It's a function of finding the right people and not expanding too quickly. We have a long-term vision for the company. When you think about it that way, you take measured approaches to expanding. We were active in the UK for several years and were looking at a number of different options to expand our presence before we chose to buy Eagle-i. Roberto Neri, Eagle-i's managing director, was someone we had long admired, and he'd started to build a fantastic catalog and incredible team of publishers. It was perfect timing to acquire the business as our UK platform. Japan's another market of interest to us. It's the No. 2 music market in the world, but 90% of what occurs there is domestic-language music. Operating a publishing business in Japan without extensive knowledge of what happens locally doesn't make practical sense. Australia's interesting, in that it punches well above its weight class: a country of around 20 million people exporting so much incredible music around the world. It has a vibrant and healthy local music scene and APRA is among the world's most efficient collection societies. That all makes for an exciting potential market to consider. Further out, while Brazil has had serious trouble with its economy lately, the music coming out of there is incredible. The fans are passionate, the concert scene is extraordinary and the country's music publishing infrastructure, particularly societies like Abramus, are steadily enhancing their services. That enables a company like ours to think about it a bit differently. Share on: Hawaii, New Hampshire, New York, and Los Angeles are all considering mandatory gun liability insurance for gun owners. Should the four states manage to implement the legislation, violators could face fines of up to $10,000.The gun liability insurance measures are similar to a provision in a bill proposed last year in Congress by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York. Maloneys Firearm Risk Protection Act would require individuals to secure proof of liability insurance before they can purchase a firearm; failure to produce proof would result in a fine.Hawaiis proposal is very similar to Maloneys bill, in that gun owners are required to have insurance for their firearms. The bill, proposed by State Sen. Josh Green, also requires gun owners to renew their registration every five years. The state currently requires guns to be registered, but the registration process is only done once and never again.Rep. Katherine Rogers, D-Merrimack proposed an identical bill for the state of New Hampshire, requiring the seller, purchaser, and owner of a gun to be covered by a liability policy. The bill also has the same proposed fine of $10,000 for those gun owners caught without insurance.In New York, the proposed legislation would require gun owners to maintain $250,000 in liability insurance coverage.Los Angeles County officials are deliberating on whether they should implement more stringent gun control regulations. On top of an insurance requirement, the county is considering imposing local tax on firearms. Purportedly, the proceeds from the insurance would offset costs associated with victims of gun violence. Total Dollar Management Effort Ltd. Was fined so that it could get its license reinstated Shawni Henderson was fined for mischaracterizing life insurance policies as retirement investments and identifying herself as a financial advisor Matthew E. Tyner was fined for failing to renew an insurance policy for a child care business Ticor Title Co. was fined for inducing business for itselfoffering wine and supplies for 16 title insurance producers and providing free information to property owners Washington State insurance commissioner Mike Kreidler has recently cracked down on insurers, agents, and brokers operating in the region, levying fines on those who have violated state insurance regulations. Farmers Insurance was fined $500,000 for a rate adjustment error the company had made between 2010 and 2015, with $200,000 of the fine suspended by the insurance commissioner as long as the insurer complies with the terms of the order.Farmers error left more than 223,000 customers overcharged more than $11 million and over 30,000 customers undercharged for about $1.5 million. Although Farmers has begun refunding those who were overcharged since June 2015 with 8% interest, those who were undercharged have not been asked to repay.State law forbids insurance companies to charge customers rates that differ from the ones approved by the state insurance commissioner.Another insurance company, Safeco Insurance Co., was fined $1,500 due to yet another system error. A computer glitch caused an automobile to be automatically added to an insurance policy. Safeco was asked by the insurance commissioner to check its records for similar other cases. The company reported 21 Washington consumers were affected by the error, and were overcharged more than $3,700 as a result. The company has since repaid their customers plus 8% interest.The insurance commissioner also fined various insurance producers for a total of $8,000:Other insurance producers had their licenses revoked for information manipulation (Hung Vo) and fraud (Heidi Batie), and in the case of one company (Integrity Health Essentials, Inc.) an order to cease and desist was given, as the company was operating without an insurance producer license. Insurance carriers have long argued that because their industry operates so differently from banking and other sectors under the financial services umbrella, it should not be subject to the same levels of scrutiny under the 2010 Dodd-Frank law.Now, that stricture is getting its day in court. MetLife Inc. is preparing for a Wednesday hearing in which it will attempt to persuade a federal judge that it should not be designated a systemically important financial institution, and thus subject to federal oversight. Filed in January 2015, the lawsuit responds to a 9-1 vote by the Financial Stability Oversight Council to designate MetLife a SIFI.The outcome will be significant not only for the future of Dodd-Frank, but for other insurers that may earn a SIFI label including American International Group and Prudential Financial.MetLife is the first SIFI to sue the oversight council, though exactly what the SIFI designation will mean for the group is still being determined.Still, fears over stiff capital requirements and strict government oversight have prompted several SIFIs and would be-SIFIs to restrategize. MetLife announced a plan last month to divest a large piece of its operations in order to be small enough to avoid the label, and AIG is in defense mode after a proposal by investor Carl Icahn to break the company into three parts in order to dodge its own SIFI designation.A legal victory for MetLife would be a watershed moment for insurers, crippling the FSOC and establishing a lessened degree of regulatory restrictions.If the company loses its case, however, Dodd-Frank would succeed in what the Wall Street Journal calls extending broad federal supervision to major financial firms that operated before the financial crisis without a regulator watching over their consolidated operations.If the court adds new obligations or makes it harder for FSOC to [designate SIFIs], it would be undoing, rewriting or undermining arguably the most significant part of Dodd-Frank, Robert Jackson, a Columbia University law professor who worked at the Treasury Department, told the WSJ.Regardless of the outcome, the decision will likely be appealed by the losing side. The life insurance sector in the US is set to see an increase in energy-related losses according to ratings agency Fitch. The losses, from corporate-bond investments, will run to $3-4 billion the firm says, thats around 5 per cent of the industrys statutory earnings."While U.S. life insurers are relatively well-positioned to ride out the oil slump, in a 'lower for longer' oil price scenario insurers may be more susceptible to ratings downgrades if energy contagion spills into other asset classes," said Doug Meyer, Managing Director, Insurance, Fitch Ratings.Fitch estimates that U.S. life insurers' energy high-yield exposure in 2015 increased to 15% which could trigger higher regulatory capital requirements for many insurers.Harsher winter weather in January cost global economies an estimated $4 billion according to Aon Benfield. Half of that is attributed to the storms that hit the US leading to 11 states declaring states of emergency and the loss of 58 lives. Insured losses from the storms are estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars. Elsewhere there were devastating storms in the UK and Europe, Australia, Latin America, South Africa and India.A number of Genworths business units have been downgraded by Standard & Poors. The ratings agency said Tuesday that Genworth Life Insurance Co., Genworth Life and Annuity Insurance Co. and Genworth Life Insurance Co. of New York had all been downgraded to a BB financial strength rating (from BBB) and that the holding companies Genworth Financial Inc. and Genworth Holdings Inc. had been placed on Creditwatch Negative.The Canadian mortgage insurance business remains unchanged along with the Australian mortgage insurance unit. These businesses are viewed by S&P as relatively insulated from a number of factors including regulatory oversight.The downgrades of the other business units reflect the agencys view of the holding companies credit profiles and its lower projections for statutory earnings and surplus for the US life businesses.UK-based insurer RSA and New York-listed Accenture have extended their agreement which makes Accenture the preferred supplier for insurance business process outsourcing through 2021. The six year extension of the relationship will mean Accenture will provide back-office support for the UK firm across administration and customer service functions. Big Dance Turns Mass MoCA Tour Into Multisensual Peformance NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The latest dance performance to appear at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art won't take place on a stage, but that's not the only way it parts from tradition. Big Dance Theater's "This Page Left Intentionally Blank" will wind its movement through the museum itself, taking the idea of a guided tour and using that to create new ideas not only about dance and performance, but about museums as well. "It was definitely conceived of as a piece for a museum, a theatrical alternative version or meta-version of a docent art tour," said company co-director Paul Lazar. "It is that. Everyone meets the docent and off you go, but the nature of that person who is your docent, and the kinds of things that occur, are more things that a dancer and an actor, which the docent is, is capable of than, say, an aspiring academic which may be a traditional docent." Museumgoers seem intrigued by the idea: this weekend's performances are already sold out. Tickets are still available for Wednesday's noon and 3 events. Lazar is hush-hush about many of the details of what will unfold after all, he and choreographer/co-director Annie-B Parson want some surprises for attendees, but he will say that the event takes place within the Sol LeWitt Gallery, at Wall Drawing 146A, which constitutes a whole room, providing a perfect space for performance as well as a thematic undertone. "It's a hieroglyphics related in that it's about translation, translating an idea into instruction and translating the instructions into executions," Lazar said. "Many things have that sequence, but certainly dance and theater do, so there's a kinship with those mediums or those genres." In the performance, attendees will wear headphones, which will feature whatever the docent says to them and sound work by Tei Blow. Lazar says the audio is a rich and textured component to the performance that adds an aural level of trippiness. 'Need to Take Clearance From Govt': BCCI President on Whether India Will Travel to Pakistan For Asia Cup Edward Price Non-Resident Senior Fellow NYU Center for Global Affairs Contact email linkedin Edward Price, a former British economic official, teaches international political economy, financial systems and international relations at NYUas Center for Global Affairs. He is also an economic advisor for BritishAmerican Business (BAB). Educated at the London School of Economics (LSE), Edward holds an MSc in Finance and Economic Policy and an MA in German History. He has worked in both the British and European parliaments, was Americas editor at IFLR and has worked in the City of London. He speaks German, gets by in Italian and is a member of the Economic Club of New York (ECNY). Press Release: IMF Staff Concludes Visit to Republic of Tajikistan End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMFs Executive Board. This mission will not result in a Board discussion. Press Release No. 16/51 February 10, 2016 An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff mission, led by Mr. Paul Ross, visited Tajikistan from February 1 to 10, 2016 to discuss macroeconomic policies and the structural reform agenda. At the conclusion of the mission, Mr. Ross issued the following statement: The Tajikistan authorities and the IMF staff team held constructive discussions on Tajikistans recent economic performance, the impact of external shocks, the authorities macroeconomic policy framework, and reform plans. The authorities have indicated their desire to move with energy and determination to address the challenges the economy faces and IMF staff is supporting their efforts. Over the past eighteen months, Tajikistans economy, like several others in the region, has experienced large external shocks. These shocks have resulted in a decline in the U.S. dollar value of migrants remittances, lower export earnings, and exchange rate depreciation. They have reduced imports and consumption, and affected banks financial positions. Economic performance was affected accordingly. While exchange rate flexibility has alleviated some pressures, Tajikistans economy continues to adjust to lower migrants remittances and export earnings, against the backdrop of returning migrant workers. The authorities are resolved to maintain macroeconomic stability and promote economic growth, job creation, and higher living standards for the entire population. IMF staff welcomes the authorities determination and supports their objectives, particularly in the face of an economic outlook in 2016 that is substantially worse than previously anticipated. To this end, the authorities and the IMF staff discussed economic policies to manage the impact of external shocks, to maintain macroeconomic stability, and to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth over the medium term. The IMF stands ready to assist the authorities economic and reform program, including by considering financial assistance provided the authorities take early and substantial policy actions. During the visit, the team met with Prime Minister Rasulzoda, First Deputy Prime Minister Said, and National Bank of Tajikistan Governor Nurmahmadzoda, and other senior officials. IMF staff will continue its close cooperation with Tajikistan and support the efforts of the government and the National Bank of Tajikistan to promote macroeconomic stability and growth. The IMF will also continue providing technical assistance to continue to build the capacity of Tajikistans economic institutions. Imperial Valley News Center President Obama's FY 2017 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of State and USAID Washington, DC - Under the Presidents leadership, we have turned our economy around and created 14 million jobs. Our unemployment rate is below five percent for the first time in almost eight years. Nearly 18 million people have gained health coverage as the Affordable Care Act has taken effect. And we have dramatically cut our deficits by almost three-quarters and set our Nation on a more sustainable fiscal path. Yet while it is important to take stock of our progress, this Budget is not about looking back at the road we have traveled. It is about looking forward and making sure our economy works for everybody, not just those at the top. It is about choosing investments that not only make us stronger today, but also reflect the kind of country we aspire to be the kind of country we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren. The Budget makes critical investments in our domestic and national security priorities while adhering to the bipartisan budget agreement signed into law last fall, and it lifts sequestration in future years so that we continue to invest in our economic future and our national security. It also drives down deficits and maintains our fiscal progress through smart savings from health care, immigration, and tax reforms. The Budget shows that the President and the Administration remain focused on meeting our greatest challenges including accelerating the pace of innovation to tackle climate change and find new treatments for devastating diseases; giving everyone a fair shot at opportunity and economic security; and advancing our national security and global leadership not only for the year ahead, but for decades to come. The Presidents Budget request for the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) directly supports the National Security Strategy by helping to build and sustain a more secure, prosperous, and democratic world. The Budget proposes targeted investments in international programs that will help mobilize collective action to meet global challenges, counter terrorism and violent extremism overseas, strengthen the U.S. economy, and support U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities abroad. The Budget also advances diplomatic engagement on issues such as environment, energy, human rights, international peacekeeping as well as strengthens democratic institutions overseas. Funding Highlights: The Presidents FY 2017 Budget provides $50.1 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development, including $14.9 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations. This Budget supports the following key priorities: Destroying the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and mitigating the crisis in Syria and Iraq, bolstering regional security, and responding to related humanitarian needs; Ensuring implementation of the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America to address illegal migration, including the migration of unaccompanied children, and promoting good governance, shared prosperity, and improved citizen security; Countering Russian aggression through public diplomacy and foreign assistance programs, and building the resilience of governments and economies in Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia; Leading internationally to strengthen resilience to climate change, reduce carbon pollution, and implement the Paris Agreement, through the Global Climate Change Initiative and $750.0 million in combined State and Treasury Department funding for the Green Climate Fund; Expanding and strengthening the U.S. commitment to effective global health programs, including increased support for the Presidents Malaria Initiative (PMI) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as well as continued strong support for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and programs to end preventable child and maternal deaths; Providing support for international organizations, peacekeeping missions and peace operations that share global security responsibilities with other nations; Securing overseas diplomatic facilities that are instrumental to U.S. outreach to foreign governments and populations; Maintaining the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific Region, which supports regional institutions and architecture, advances economic integration across the region, strengthens and modernizes U.S. alliances, forges deeper partnerships with emerging powers, pursues a stable and constructive relationship with China, and promotes universal and democratic values; Committing to long-term national security, economic and development goals in Afghanistan, while sustaining a cooperative relationship with Pakistan on diplomatic and security matters; and Strengthening Young Leaders Initiatives that reach emerging private, public, and civil society leaders across Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America, ensuring young people have the skills needed to become productive adults. Reforms: The FY 2017 Budget includes a range of efforts supporting implementation of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), including expanded funding for diversity programs, bolstering capacity and expertise on climate issues, and revamping the Departments countering-violent-extremist communications through a new Center for Global Engagement. Advancing Security, Confronting New Threats and Global Challenges: Destroys ISIL and Responds to the Syria Crisis. The Presidents highest priority is keeping the American people safe, and the State Department and USAID budget includes funding that is critical to the United States leadership role in the global coalition that will destroy ISIL. Supporting the QDDR strategic priority of Preventing and Mitigating Conflict and Violent Extremism, the Budget includes $4.1 billion to: stabilize communities liberated from ISIL in Syria and Iraq; disrupt ISILs attack-plotting, financing and recruitment; discredit ISIL propaganda; and support a political solution to the Syrian civil war. The Budget strengthens regional partners and provides humanitarian assistance to those impacted by the conflict, both inside Syria and in neighboring countries. Addresses Root Causes of Migration from Central America. As part of the Administrations $1.0 billion investment to further support the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America, the State Department and USAID budget includes $750.6 million to sustain a long-term, comprehensive approach designed to address the underlying causes of migration of unaccompanied children and families from the region. Efforts are designed to promote economic opportunities for the Central American people; build democratic, accountable, transparent and effective public institutions; and provide a safer and more secure environment for its citizens. Counters Russian Aggression. The Budget includes $953.0 million for critical support for Ukraine and surrounding countries in Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia to counter Russian aggression through foreign assistance and public diplomacy, and for other enduring programming such as global health and counter-terrorism activities. Programs focus on building the resilience of governments, with emphasis on improving democracy and good governance, increasing defense capabilities, promoting European integration, economic and trade diversification, and energy security. Addresses Humanitarian Needs. The Budget maintains strong support for the State Department and USAID to address humanitarian challenges around the world, including helping internally displaced persons, refugees, and others affected by conflict or natural disasters. The Budget includes $6.2 billion for humanitarian assistance to support the provision of food assistance, shelter, water and sanitation, protection, and other critical services for those affected by disasters in countries such as Iraq, Syria, and South Sudan. Combats Climate Change. The Budget includes $983.9 million at the State Department and USAID to advance the goals of the Global Climate Change Initiative and help countries both mitigate and adapt to climate change, through important multilateral and bilateral engagement with major and emerging economies. These funds support the Presidents Climate Action Plans focus on leading international efforts to address global climate change and the QDDR strategic priority to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This amount includes $500.0 million for the Green Climate Fund as part of a combined State Department and Treasury Department request of $750.0 million, which will help developing countries leverage public and private financing to invest in reducing carbon pollution and strengthening resilience to climate change. Supports International Organizations and Peacekeeping. The Budget includes over $4.7 billion for international organizations and peacekeeping efforts to enable the U.S. to meet both assessed and voluntary contributions to the UN budget, UN special political missions, and other international organizations, as well as to enhance the ability for states to participate in peacekeeping and stability operations. These funds strengthen strategic relationships across the globe and enable the United States to advance global security while sharing the burden with other nations. Sustains our Commitment to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Budget provides $2.5 billion for programs that reinforce Afghanistans security and development by supporting military training and assistance, as well as health, education, economic growth, governance, and other civilian assistance necessary to promote stability and strengthen diplomatic ties. The Budget also provides $859.8 million towards sustaining cooperative relationships with Pakistan and making progress to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida and its extremist allies. Promoting Prosperity, Health, and Development: Supports Consular and Border Security Programs and Operations. Consular fees and surcharges support a range of activities that are critical to ensuring U.S. border security, including services for American citizens overseas, passport issuance, visa adjudications, and fraud prevention. The revenue derived from these services helps meet the continued growth in demand for passports and visas without compromising security requirements. The Budget re-proposes a new standalone Treasury account that will more transparently identify these resources to stakeholders. Strengthens the U.S. Commitment to Global Health. A healthy population is critical to sustained economic growth and poverty reduction. The Budget builds upon the Administrations strong global health legacy by increasing support for effective global health programs, including $745.0 million for the Presidents Malaria Initiative. In addition, the Budget proposes to use an additional $129.0 million out of the remaining Ebola emergency funding to combat malaria, for a total increase of $200.0 million, or nearly 30% above current levels. In total, the Budget provides $8.6 billion in critical funding to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, and to address other important health issues such as preventing child and maternal deaths. The Budget provides $1.35 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and continues support for the PEPFAR Impact Fund to focus on reducing HIV infections in high-burden populations and areas. In addition, the Budget increases support for USAID programs to advance the Global Health Security Agenda to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats in vulnerable nations, and increases the U.S. contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to $275.0 million as part of the $1.0 billion, four-year pledge announced in 2015. Advances the Rebalance to Asia and the Pacific. The Budget includes $1.5 billion to support the Administrations commitment to a comprehensive regional strategy in Asia and the Pacific that advances security, prosperity, and human dignity across the region. It aligns resources and activities to strengthen U.S. alliances and partnerships with emerging powers, promotes regional economic cooperation, supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership to help open markets and level the playing field for U.S. workers and businesses, and builds a constructive relationship with China. Builds Strong Democratic Institutions. The Budget continues to provide robust support for democracy, human rights, and governance programs, recognizing that promoting democracy and good governance reflects American values and is essential to achieving our broader global development and national security objectives. The Budget includes $2.7 billion for programs that support rule of law and human rights, good governance, political competition and consensus-building and civil society capacity-building, and supports key Administration initiatives, including the Open Government Partnership and Stand With Civil Society initiative. Bolsters Development. The Budget supports the President's Power Africa Initiative, which encourages investment in Africas energy portfolio to expand electricity access and in building greater economic and institutional capacity among our pan-African partners. It supports additional sectors fundamental to development and economic growth and included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including food security, trade, education for children and adolescent girls, clean water, and conservation of natural resources. Our People, Our Platforms, and Our Global Engagement: Promotes Our Diplomatic Mission While Investing in Our People. The Budget includes $5.0 billion for Diplomatic and Consular Programs ongoing operations, including new positions for Administration and QDDR priorities such as climate change, enhancing Freedom of Information Act processing, cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and intelligence and research. As called for in the QDDR, the Budget continues investments in an agile skilled workforce, and supports diversity initiatives through expanded recruitment, internship, and fellowship opportunities and provides more competitive wages for the Locally Employed Staff who make up more than 60 percent of our workforce. The Budget also includes $1.4 billion for the USAID Operating Expenses account to maintain the Agencys workforce and sustain on-going global operations to meet foreign policy objectives, implement Presidential initiatives, and expand global engagement. Supports Security Programs and Overseas Facilities. The Budget supports the security programs and overseas facilities that are critical to the global operating platform for diplomacy and development. The Budget includes $6.1 billion for Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance and Worldwide Security Protection, including Diplomatic Security (DS) operations, IT network and infrastructure protection, medical support at selected posts, and emergency planning and preparedness. This amount also includes funding for diplomatic facility construction and maintenance to continue the Departments commitment to implementing the security recommendations of the Benghazi Accountability Review Board, as well as the ongoing repair and safety of over $40.0 billion in overseas real property assets. Furthers Our Global Engagement Priorities. Our public diplomacy programs and educational exchanges promote U.S. foreign policy goals by informing and influencing foreign opinion. The Budget includes $1.2 billion in funding for these programs to assist in countering misinformation about U.S. society and policies, which are critical around the world, but particularly increases for the new Center for Global Engagements efforts to counter-ISIL and other extremist groups, consistent with the strategic priority recommendation within the 2015 QDDR. These public diplomacy and exchange activities strengthen relationships between Americans and foreign publics and shape worldwide information campaigns on Presidential priorities such as climate change and global health. They also engage a global audience of young emerging leaders from Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America who will build bilateral partnerships and support for the United States. For more information, see: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/252179.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/results-and-data/budget-spending Imperial Valley News Center Governor Brown Issues Statement on U.S. Supreme Court Decision to Block Clean Power Plan Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order blocking enforcement of the Obama Administrations Clean Power Plan: As the world gets hotter and closer to irreversible climate change, these justices appear tone-deaf as they fiddle with procedural niceties. This arbitrary roadblock does incalculable damage and undermines Americas climate leadership. But make no mistake, this wont stop California from continuing to do its part under the Clean Power Plan. Last November, Governor Brown joined a broad coalition of states and municipalities across the country to defend the Obama Administrations Clean Power Plan. He later blasted West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for crass obstructionism following their attempt to undermine the plan. The Governor also sent a letter to the Republican presidential candidates asking for their plans to deal with climate change and followed with a separate letter to Dr. Ben Carson in response to his comments questioning the science of climate change. Imperial Valley News Center Scripps-Led Team Discovers Four New Deep-Sea Worm Species San Diego, California - A pink flatworm-like animal known by a single species found in waters off Sweden has puzzled biologists for nearly six decades. New discoveries half a world away by a team of scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, the Western Australian Museum, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have helped properly identify these elusive creatures through genetic analysis. In the February 4 issue of the journal Nature, the researchers describe four newly discovered species living near deep-sea cold seeps, hydrothermal vents, and whale carcasses off the coasts of California and Mexico. The new discoveries have allowed the scientists to finally stabilize the placement of the five species, all in the genus Xenoturbella, on the animal tree of life. The 10-centimeter (4-inch) long Xenoturbella churro, named for its resemblance to the popular fried-dough pastry, is one of four species recently discovered that lie near the base of the evolutionary tree of animals. It was found in a 1,700-meter (5,577-foot)-deep cold seep in the Gulf of California. The findings have implications for how we understand animal evolution, said Scripps marine biologist Greg Rouse, the lead author of the study. By placing Xenoturbella properly in the tree of life we can better understand early animal evolution. The animals shifting position on the tree of life began when the first species, named Xenoturbella bocki, was found off the coast of Sweden in 1950. It was classified as a flatworm, then, in the 1990s as a simplified mollusk. In recent years, Xenoturbella has been regarded as either close to vertebrates and echinoderms, or as a more distant relative on its own branch further away. Knowing where Xenoturbella belongs is important to understand the evolution of organ systems, such as guts, brains and kidneys, in animals. "When Greg first spotted the worms gliding through a clam field in Monterey Bay, we jokingly called them purple socks," said MBARI scientist Robert Vrijenhoek, a co-author of the study who led the deep-sea expeditions using remotely operated vehicles. For the next 12 years, the researchers were on a deep-sea hunt to find more. By 2015, they had found four new species and collected specimens for anatomical and genetic analysis. The team analyzed nearly 1,200 of the animals genes to conclusively identify them as evolutionarily simple members near the base of the evolutionary tree of bilaterally symmetrical animals, which are distinguished by having matching halves through a line down the center. Xenoturbella have only one body openingthe mouth. They have no brain, gills, eyes, kidneys or anus, and now appear to be evolutionarily simple rather than having lost these features over time. This discovery greatly expands the diversity of the known species from one to five. The largest of the new species, Xenoturbella monstrosa, was found in Monterey Bay and the Gulf of California, and measured 20-centimeters (8-inches) long. The smallest, Xenoturbella hollandorum, found in Monterey Bay was just 2.5-centimeters (1-inch) long, and named in honor of Scripps biologists Linda and Nick Holland for their contributions to evolutionary biology. The deepest of the species, Xenoturbella profunda, was discovered in a 3,700-meter (12,139-foot)-deep hydrothermal vent in the Gulf of California. All four species are thought to be associated with deep-sea cold seeps and vents to satisfy their appetite for clams and other bivalve mollusks. I have a feeling this is the beginning of a lot more discoveries of these animals around the world, said Rouse. Specimens of the four new Xenoturbella species have a new home in the Scripps Benthic Invertebrate Collection. The research study, which also included researchers Nerida Wilson of the Western Australian Museum and Jose Carvajal of Scripps Oceanography, was supported by a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the National Science Foundations Assembling the Tree of Life program. Long-Distance Course Empowers Film Students to Tackle Ethnic, Religious and Sectarian Conflict San Diego, California - Every Wednesday evening for 15 weeks starting in April 2015, UC San Diego alumnus Robert Hooper (B.A. 69) taught a class from a conference room in the Qualcomm Institute on the UC San Diego campus, just as he had done in 2014. But instead of teaching students in-person in San Diego, Hooper tutored and mentored students from five universities in Bangladesh over a two-way, interactive Internet videoconferencing link that piggybacked on the Qualcomm Institutes advanced teleconferencing network. The students were located in a classroom at the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) in Dhaka, the nations capital, more than 8,000 miles away (over 13,000 kilometers) from San Diego. In addition to students from IUB, participating students came from American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), Chittagong University, Dhaka University, and Rajshahi University. (Dhaka University was represented in 2015 only: none of its students enrolled in the 2014 program.) Now Hooper a former lawyer, filmmaker and journalist who teaches in UC San Diegos School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) has published a retrospective on the long-distance course in an article for the January 2016 issue of the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. In How Film School Can Address Violent Extremism, Hooper noted that in 2015, four bloggers and a publisher were attacked and killed by knife-wielding assailants in Dhaka. More attacks are anticipated, causing growing alarm among those working in all forms of media and mass communication in Bangladesh, said Hooper, adding that the student films reveal not only the mundane origins of a typical young terrorist in Bangladesh, but also provide insights into the process of recruitment and radicalization. One of the student films, for example, was based on the 2013 murder of a Bangladeshi blogger whose Facebook posts criticized Islamic fundamentalism and extremist political parties. Another of the films portrayed an unprovoked attack on a female TV reporter by members of a militant Islamist organization in Bangladesh. Their work helped reveal a frighteningly serious threat to Bangladeshi journalists and the local security services ineffectiveness in addressing the danger, wrote Hooper in the Georgetown Journal. In Bangladesh, anyone opposing a clerics extremist message in local press, on TV, or online is targeted as an atheist subject to attack. Effective counterterrorism must come from within the communities facing extremism, Hooper argued. Arming talented young students with the same persuasive weapons -- cameras, lights, microphones, laptops and counter-narratives can help these communities win the war against violent extremism, where over a decade of boots on the ground has failed. In earlier years, Hooper traveled to Bangladesh and other nations to deliver seminars and courses in-person, which allowed him to provide hands-on training (and to set up a network of former trainees who now serve as co-instructors at IUB). Thanks to the Qualcomm Institutes routine use of videoconferencing that has linked Atkinson Hall to places as far afield as Tokyo, Amsterdam and Sao Paulo, Hooper was able to conduct the course from the UC San Diego campus streaming live to the university in Bangladesh. Fortunately the director of the Qualcomm Institute, Professor Ramesh Rao, provided a space and technical support, which allowed us to enhance the equipment, film faculty and staff in Bangladesh to help teach and mentor the students to fulfill their course requirements. The two-year grant for Filmmaking and TV Journalism for Peace and Tolerance in Bangladesh kicked off in 2014 with 26 students, and a similar number completed the program in 2015. In both years, students teamed up to produce five documentaries or dramatic films. Students learned the basics of journalism and how to produce original documentary and dramatic films to address issues of peace and tolerance, including efforts to understand the roots of violent extremism in Bangladesh. Students were supervised in researching and writing final film scripts, planning their productions and shooting their films on locations in Dhaka and surrounding areas, recalled Hooper. They learned an enormous amount and key lessons in translating their ideas from written film scripts into effective and dramatically filmed scenes on location, often highly challenging. The AIUB film, Bihari Camp, tackled the history of impoverished Muslims from the Indian state of Bihar who emigrated to East Pakistan after Partition and long before the area gained its independence from Pakistan in 1971 as Bangladesh. The film recounts life in the present-day Bihari community, while also pointing to constructive improvements in that community since a 2008 law gave most Biharis full citizenship rights ending decades as refugees. Another film, The Guilt, produced by students from Rajashahi University, dramatized the strikes and political unrest that rocked Bangladesh in February 2015, when activists began throwing petrol bombs at public transportation. For the distance course, Hooper began webcasting his seminars and workshops at 7pm San Diego time to teach a morning course that began at 9am local time in Dhaka. Hooper and his co-instructors at IUB (including reporters, editors, producers and directors of photography) taught students how to write, shoot and edit their own documentary and dramatic films. Professional TV production equipment and accessories were employed simultaneously in both the IUB and UC San Diego classrooms for a truly live, virtual experience, explained Hooper. The Bangladesh program did not end with graduation on July 31, 2015. Ten of the best students in Year 2 were selected to attend UC San Diego during the Fall 2015 quarter (through GPSs Global Leadership Institute). The State Department grant similarly funded stays at UC San Diego for ten students in Fall 2014, bringing to 20 the total number of Bangladeshi students exposed to the San Diego campus under the two-year grant. The long-distance course grew out of a project between 2003 and 2006, when Hooper spent time in Bangladesh teaching workshops and TV journalism courses in Dhaka and Chittagong. While training journalists as well as aspiring reporters and producers at the National Press Institute in 2005, Hoopers visit coincided with a wave of terrorist bombings convincing him to reframe the course as a way to introduce the role of journalism in fighting extremism. Weve achieved a groundbreaking new model to promote tolerance and counter extremism through filmmaking, said Hooper. Only young, media-savvy artists, trusted by their peers, can help counter the domestic and transnational terrorists using social media to recruit vulnerable young people, he wrote in the Georgetown Journal article. Only these empowered youths can convince potential recruits that the call to violent extremism is unacceptable. As the student films illustrate, universities can play a significant role in cultivating a new generation of local filmmakers and social media activists. By providing them with the education, resources, and mentoring to oppose terrorism, the film community can empower student filmmakers to harness their own voices in promoting tolerance and bringing peace to their countries. Hooper has witnessed firsthand the role of media in conflict resolution, terrorism and human rights and has done extensive on-the-ground research. In 2008, he was deployed to train journalists and news crews in northern Iraq from the relative safety of the Kurdish city of Erbil (relative to Baghdad and most other cities in Iraq, where 130 journalists had died in the previous five years). Hooper has also trained journalists in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Slovakia and Vanuatu, and served as a Fulbright Senior Scholar to Malaysia (1989), Indonesia (2001), and Fiji (1994). More recently, he served as the UC San Diego project director for Promoting Independent and Free Media in Fiji, with a two-year grant from the State Departments Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Congressman Vargas Applauds Funding for the Rehabilitation of the Salton Sea Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Interior announced $3 million for the rehabilitation of the Salton Sea. Im excited that my efforts have led to the U.S. Department of Interior allocating funds for this vital rehabilitation, said Rep. Vargas. Funding the Salton Sea Research Project is the first step in investing in our constituents health and in the future of the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is the largest inland body of water in California and one of the few remaining large-scale wetland habitats in the state. The Seas rapid decline in water level and surrounding wetlands poses significant health risks to constituents residing in the area. Miles of dangerous lakebed sediments become airborne, contributing to serious medical issues in one of the already most medically underserved communities in the country. Today, Im thrilled the work Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA-36) and I have put into this project has been rewarded, said Rep. Vargas. I look forward to continue to work with Governor Brown, state and local partners to tackle this environmental and health crisis. The funds announced will be used to build a 31 acre wetland along the Alamo River in order to improve water quality, provide habitat and bolster state efforts to reach a comprehensive management plan for the Salton Sea. Imperial County Air Pollution Control District to Apply for California Air Resources Board Grant; Gives Update on EPA Visit Imperial, California - Today, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved the Imperial County Air Pollution Control Officer Brad Poiriezs request to submit a grant application to the California Air Resources Boards (CARB) Carl Moyer Program for $329,999 and authorized utilization of DMV Surcharge Funds to provide the required matching funds. In addition to the grant application approval, Air Pollution Control Officer Poiriez reported to the Board on the recent visit of U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation Janet McCabe. The Imperial County Air Pollution Control District (ICAPCD) has participated in CARBs Carl Moyer Program for sixteen years, in which the funds, along with DMV surcharge funds, were used to replace approximately 235 non-certified diesel engines with new certified diesel engines in agricultural water pumps and tractors resulting in the reduction of Imperial Valleys Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM) inventories. This grant will be enough to replace approximately six heavy duty diesel engines. Furthermore, Air Pollution Control Officer Poiriez informed the board of a tour of the Salton Sea, renewable energy facilities, and agricultural lands ICAPCD staff gave to Acting Assistant Administrator McCabe during her visit to Imperial County last Wednesday, February 3, 2016. McCabe was able to see first-hand the vastness of the Salton Sea, its exposed playa and the many dangers the Sea poses should current restoration efforts fail. After the tour, Ms. McCabe and her staff met with Supervisor Michael Kelley, county staff, Ms. Aide Fulton and her staff at the Imperial Valley Child Asthma Program (IVCAP) to discuss all of the work that ICAPCD has done to reduce emissions, improve Imperial Countys air quality, and create better public health outcomes. We are grateful that Acting Assistant Administrator McCabe took the time from her busy schedule to get a first-hand look at the incomparable air quality challenges facing our community, said District 3 Supervisor Michael Kelley. I am hopeful that her trip and our time with her will be fruitful and lead to further discussion and partnerships to continue to improve Imperial Valleys air quality and advance restoration efforts of the Salton Sea. I want to commend Mr. Poiriez and his staff for working diligently to compel a prominent official to visit and meet with us. This was a fortunate opportunity to be visited by a high-ranking EPA official, stated Air Pollution Control Officer Poiriez. Ms. McCabe is genuinely concerned and understands the unique air quality issues that Imperial County faces. She wants to be engaged in efforts to assist us in addressing those challenges and expressed that she was impressed at how much the ICAPCD does with the limited staff and budget. During the discussion, Poiriez highlighted some of ICAPCDs recent accomplishments, including investing approximately $525,000 to further ugrade the ICAPCD monitoring network with real time monitors and forecasting elements that provides the community with updated air quality information on the Imperial Valley Air Quality Website, www.imperialvalleyair.org. Moreover, ICAPCD invested $14.5 million grant funds over a four year period to replace slightly more than 300 trucks and retrofit an additional 24 heavy duty trucks, implemented the Low Emission School Bus program spending $3 million dollars to retrofit 54 and replace an additional 13 older dirty school buses with cleaner lower emitting technology and continues to sponsor local efforts such as the Stop and Listen Asthma Forum, and other environmental awareness efforts. For more information about the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District, please visit their website. President Obamas Budget Includes Funding for Imperial County Priorities El Centro, California - The Imperial County Board of Supervisors applauds Congressman Juan Vargas, as well as Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, for their efforts to ensure that the presidents fiscal year 2017 budget request included funding for the Calexico West port expansion project and Salton Sea restoration efforts. Calexico West The presidents budget request includes over $248 million to complete the second and final phase of the Calexico West Land Port of Entry (LPOE) modernization and expansion project. While Congress will have the ultimate say in whether to fund the project, its inclusion in the General Services Administrations (GSA) budget officially makes it eligible to receive appropriations in fiscal year 2017. After so many years of great effort, it is gratifying to see the end is in sight, stated District 1 Imperial County Supervisor John Renison. In fiscal year 2015, Congress provided $98 million to begin construction on Phase I of the project, which will add new northbound and southbound inspection lanes, as well as a command center for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Phase II will include additional site work, demolition of the existing port building, construction of a new pedestrian processing facility and administrative offices, among other things. The benefits of this long awaited project will be a huge boost for our local businesses and those who must cross the border on a regular basis, said District 5 County Supervisor Raymond Castillo. The Calexico West expansion project is a top funding priority for the Board of Supervisors, as an expanded port has the potential to boost economic activity and vastly improve the poor air quality that is exacerbated by thousands of idling vehicles at the border. Once complete, the project will provide the port with adequate operational space, reduce traffic congestion at the border, and provide a safe environment for port employees and visitors. Salton Sea Restoration Once a popular place for recreational activities, the Salton Sea has been plagued by several persistent problems that threaten the health of the current ecosystem, including an alarmingly high salinity level. Additionally, algal blooms and the subsequent by-products of decomposition have led to recent fish and bird kills. Despite the high salinity and resulting die-offs, the Salton Sea continues to be a vital link along the Pacific flyway for migrating birds. Furthermore, a 2003 water transfer agreement embodied in the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) will significantly reduce inflows to the Salton Sea in 2018. With reduced water flows and a high evaporation rate, the Sea will shrink at a rapid pace, causing the increasingly exposed lake bed to blow contaminated dust into the air in the Salton Sea Air Basin. The presidents budget proposes $3 million for restoration efforts via the Salton Sea Research Project, a sizeable increase over the current funding level of $300,000. The journey to a permanent resolution of the issues at the Salton Sea involves many partners and many steps. I am thankful for this step and those who have worked so diligently to make it happen, stated District 4 County Supervisor Ryan Kelley. If Congress approves the funding, the money will be used to build 31 acres of wetland habitat along the Alamo River. Such a project would help improve water quality, provide habitat, and support efforts by the State to reach a comprehensive, resource management plan for the Salton Sea. The Board of Supervisors will continue to work closely with the Countys congressional delegation and other key members of Congress to secure the necessary funds for both the Calexico West port project and Salton Sea restoration through the fiscal year 2017 appropriations process. Strengthening Public-Private Cooperation on Cybersecurity's Toughest Issues Washington, DC - Strong cybersecurity starts at the top. When the CEO or the president of a company truly understands how critical cybersecurity is to their organizations reputation and bottom line, the whole organization gets it. And it takes the whole organization working in concert to give a company, government agency, or non-profit a fighting chance to fend off todays array of cyber threats. Thats why it was an honor today to share the stage with a dedicated group of private industry and government leaders who truly get cybersecurity. The occasion was the dedication of a new national laboratory facility created to support the nations digital economy through advanced cybersecurity. The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) in Rockville, Md., is a public-private partnership launched by the Commerce Departments National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2013. After more than two years working in cramped temporary quarters, NCCoEs new facility in Rockville, Md., provides them with five times the laboratory space previously available for collaborative advanced information technology projects. Were grateful to our partners, the state of Maryland and Montgomery County, Md., for co-funding with NIST the renovation of the facility to the Centers specific needs. To mark the completion of construction, we invited some of the nations top government, academic, and industry thought leaders in cybersecurity to a ribbon-cutting celebration and symposium. Senior Senator from Maryland Barbara Mikulski earned the right to cut the blue ribbon (printed with IT-appropriate 1s and 0s) while an equally blue ribbon group of NCCoE supporters cheered her on. Senator Mikulski has made cybersecurity a hallmark cause. As she told the almost 200 IT and other leaders attending the event: I fought to put funds in the federal checkbook for this center, and Im proud to stand here at this opening. NCCoE brings the best of government experts together with world-class IT companies to make America more secure and create new jobs. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker strongly agreed, saying that economic security through strong cybersecurity is national security, and companies and their boardrooms are our countrys front lines. Im proud of how much the Center has accomplished in helping to fortify those lines in such a short time. Twenty-two formal industry partners have pledged to provide hardware, software, and/or expertise, and several of these (Intel, HP, Hytrust, RSA, Symantec, Splunk) have just renewed those commitments. And with its announcement today, the New York Power Authority became the first utility to publicly pledge to adopt a new NCCoE-developed cybersecurity guide for identity and access management. NIST has been in the cybersecurity business in a big way for decades. But the NCCoE now adds a key missing element. Its a single collaborative space where government and industry can brainstorm and assemble off-the-shelf commercial products into practical solutions for todays toughest cybersecurity issues. Building-block solutions for a wide array of IT fields are already under way in access control, data integrity, smart card credentials, secured email, mobile device security, privacy-enhanced identity brokers, software management, and trusted geolocation. What we need urgently now are fresh examples, many more collaborators and use cases in key industry sectorsretail, automotive, health care, energy, financial services, transportation. Have a great idea for cybersecurity building blocks? We want to hear from you. Work at an IT security company and want to participate in the process of assembling our next practice guide? We want to hear from you. Want to implement an NCCoE practical solution and provide us with feedback? (Yes, you guessed it.) We want to hear from you! As Secretary Pritzker noted at our dedication today, were standing in front of two clear paths. We can stay in our silos and watch the hackers continue to threaten our national and economic security, or we can band together with transparent, well-coordinated, and energetic public-private cooperation. This same approach applies within organizations. Cybersecurity is too important to be left to experts only. CEOs, company presidents, chancellors, business owners, and other leaders: You play a central role in moving your organizations to the strongest possible cybersecurity. The NCCoE can help you get there. President Obamas Fiscal Year 2017 Budget: Overview Washington, DC - Under the Presidents leadership, we have turned our economy around and created 14 million jobs. Our unemployment rate is below five percent for the first time in almost eight years. Nearly 18 million people have gained health coverage as the Affordable Care Act has taken effect. And we have dramatically cut our deficits by almost three-quarters and set our Nation on a more sustainable fiscal path. Yet while it is important to take stock of our progress, this Budget is not about looking back at the road we have traveled. It is about looking forward and making sure our economy works for everybody, not just those at the top. It is about choosing investments that not only make us stronger today, but also reflect the kind of country we aspire to be the kind of country we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren. The Budget makes critical investments in our domestic and national security priorities while adhering to the bipartisan budget agreement signed into law last fall, and it lifts sequestration in future years so that we continue to invest in our economic future and our national security. It also drives down deficits and maintains our fiscal progress through smart savings from health care, immigration, and tax reforms. The Budget shows that the President and the Administration remain focused on meeting our greatest challenges including accelerating the pace of innovation to tackle climate change and find new treatments for devastating diseases; giving everyone a fair shot at opportunity and economic security; and advancing our national security and global leadership not only for the year ahead, but for decades to come. BUILDING ON OUR ECONOMIC AND FISCAL PROGRESS The Budget makes critical investments while adhering to the bipartisan budget agreement signed into law last fall. It lifts sequestration in 2018 and beyond so that we continue to invest in our economic future and our national security. It also drives down deficits and maintains our fiscal progress through smart savings from health care, immigration, and tax reforms. A Record of Job Growth and Economic Expansion. Under the Presidents leadership, the U.S. economy has become an engine of job growth and economic expansion, outpacing other advanced economies in recovery from the Great Recession. American businesses have added 14 million jobs over the past 71 months the longest streak of job growth on record. Our unemployment rate is below five percent for the first time in almost eight years. And the economy added 903,000 new manufacturing jobs in the last six years the first sustained job growth in the sector since the 1990s. Nearly 18 million Americans have gained health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and our high school graduation rate is at an all-time high. Reflecting on Our Fiscal Progress. We have made remarkable economic and fiscal progress, showing whats possible when strategic investment to grow our economy is paired with smart reforms, for example to our health care system, that address the true drivers of our long-term fiscal challenges. Since 2009, under the Presidents leadership, Federal deficits have fallen by nearly three-quarters the most rapid sustained deficit reduction since just after World War II. The annual deficit in 2015 fell to 2.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the lowest level since 2007, and well below the average of the last 40 years. Building on Our Success for a Stronger Economy. The Presidents Budget continues that approach, investing in Americas future and laying out a path to address our greatest challenges. It builds on the bipartisan budget agreement secured last fall, adhering to the discretionary levels provided for 2017, while also putting forward paid-for mandatory investments that are critical to building durable economic growth in the future and maintaining Americas edge as the leader in innovation and cutting-edge science. The Budget proposes a number of reforms including a detailed international tax reform plan that would modernize the business tax code to make it fairer and more efficient, and to create jobs. The Budget also finishes the job the past two bipartisan agreements started by preventing the return of harmful sequestration funding levels in 2018 and beyond, replacing the savings by closing tax loopholes and reforming tax expenditures, and with smart spending reforms. Investing in Economic Growth While Maintaining Fiscal Responsibility. The Budget more than pays for all new investments, achieving $2.9 trillion of deficit reduction over 10 years, from health, tax, and immigration reforms, and other proposals. The Budget includes roughly $375 billion of health savings that grow over time and builds on the ACA with further incentives to improve quality and control health care cost growth. The Budget achieves more than $955 billion in deficit reduction from reducing tax benefits for high-income households, helping to bring in sufficient revenues to make vital investments while also helping to meet our promises to seniors. The Budget reflects the Presidents support for commonsense, comprehensive immigration reform along the lines of the 2013 bipartisan Senate-passed bill, which CBO has estimated would reduce the deficit by about $170 billion over 10 years and by almost $1 trillion over two decades. The Budget keeps deficits below three percent of GDP while stabilizing debt and putting it on a declining path for most of the next decade key measures of fiscal progress showing that investments in growth and opportunity are compatible with putting the Nations finances on a strong and sustainable path. INNOVATION TO FORGE A BETTER FUTURE The Budget invests in accelerating the pace of American innovation, so we can create jobs and build the economy of the future while tackling our greatest challenges, including addressing climate change and finding new treatments and cures for devastating diseases. The Budget includes investments in: Building a 21st Century Transportation System. The Budget invests $320 billion over 10 years in a multi-agency initiative to build a clean transportation system for the 21st Century that speeds goods to market while reducing Americas reliance on oil, cutting carbon pollution, and strengthening our resilience to the effects of the changing climate. Overall, the 21st Century Clean Transportation Plan will increase American investments in clean transportation infrastructure by roughly 50 percent above current levels while reforming the transportation investments already being made to move America to more sustainable, low-carbon investments. Prioritizing Research and Development. The Budget sustains the Administrations consistent prioritization of R&D with an investment of $152 billion for R&D overall through both discretionary and mandatory funding proposals, a four percent increase from 2016. Doubling Clean Energy R&D. Since the President took office, the Administration has made the largest investments in clean energy in American history. The Budget provides $7.7 billion government-wide, a 20 percent increase over 2016, for fundamental and transformative clean energy R&D across 12 agencies, a first step in support of Mission Innovation, the landmark agreement currently among 20 countries to double government funding for clean energy R&D over five years. Supporting Basic Research. The Budget provides $14.6 billion in 2017, an increase of over $900 million over the 2016 enacted level, for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energys Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which invest in basic research the type of R&D that is most likely to have spillover impacts to multiple endeavors and in which the private sector typically underinvests. Supporting a Cancer Moonshot. During his 2016 State of the Union Address, President Obama called on Vice President Biden to lead a new, national Moonshot initiative to eliminate cancer as we know it. The Budget supports this effort with a $1 billion initiative to provide the funding necessary for researchers to accelerate the development of new cancer detection and treatments. This includes $195 million in new cancer activities at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Fiscal Year 2016, $755 million in mandatory funds in the 2017 Budget for new cancer-related research activities at both NIH and the Food and Drug Administration, and support from other agencies such as the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Advancing Biomedical Research. The Budget provides $33.1 billion to support biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), providing about 10,000 new and competing NIH grants that will help us better understand the fundamental causes and mechanisms of disease, like the BRAIN Initiative and Precision Medicine. Revitalizing American Manufacturing. The Budget invests in coordinated, cutting-edge manufacturing R&D, while also expanding industry-driven workforce training and providing additional resources through the Manufacturing Extension Partnership to help Americas small manufacturers access the technology and expertise they need to expand. It includes investments to grow the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation, a national network of innovative R&D centers to help keep U.S. manufacturing in the lead on technology. Creating the Industries and Jobs of the Future. The Budget invests in R&D that can help create the industries and jobs of the future, such as supercomputing, Big Data, robotics, advanced materials, nanotechnology, and synthetic biology. In addition, the Budget makes new investments to sustain Americas leading edge in the development of autonomous vehicle technologies and self-driving cars. Investing in Civil Space Activities. The Budget provides robust funding to support space exploration, monitor the Earths weather and climate from space, develop new space technologies, and partner with the private sector to reinforce the Nations leadership and take the next step on the journey to Mars. Addressing Challenges in Agriculture through R&D. Recognizing the importance of science and technology to meet challenges in agriculture, the Budget invests in three major areas of agricultural R&D: the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive research grants; the Agricultural Research Service intramural research; and construction and renovation of key infrastructure investments based on the Department of Agricultures facility modernization plan. Simplifying and Expanding the Research and Experimentation Tax Credit. The Research and Experimentation (R&E) Tax Credit is an important Federal incentive for private-sector research investments, and last year, the President signed legislation to make the credit permanent and expand the incentive for R&D investments by small businesses. The Budget simplifies and expands the tax credit for companies investing in innovation. Protecting and Expanding the Nations Water Supply. The Budget supports the Administrations two-part water innovation strategy to boost water sustainability and reduce the price and energy costs of new water supply technology to increase the resilience of our Nations water supplies to stressors like climate change and population growth, among others. Supporting Adoption of Clean Energy. In addition to Mission Innovation funding, the Budget provides over $1.3 billion to accelerate the adoption of clean energy sources such as solar, wind, and low-carbon fossil fuels, and energy-efficiency technologies. Partnering with Communities to Tackle Climate Risk. The Budget invests in programs that advance our scientific understanding of projected climate impacts, including changes in droughts, wildland fires, and coastal and inland flooding; assist communities in planning and preparing for future risks; and support risk-reduction and adaptation projects on the ground. Protecting and Preserving Public Lands and Oceans. The Budget includes robust funding to support proven programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund that allow Federal agencies and their partners to enhance the resilience of our lands and waters, and continue to preserve and share our cultural and historical identity. Leading Global Efforts to Cut Carbon Pollution and Enhance Climate Change Resilience. In support of the Presidents Climate Action Plan, the Budget provides $1.3 billion to advance the goals of the Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI) through important multilateral and bilateral engagement with major and emerging economies. This amount includes $750 million in U.S. funding for the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which will help developing countries leverage public and private financing to invest in reducing carbon pollution and strengthening resilience to climate change. OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL As the President stated in the 2016 State of the Union Address, one of the Nations key challenges is how to give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and economic security. In todays global economy, our competitiveness depends on tapping the full potential of all Americans. To address this challenge, the Budget supports education; training and support for workers and their families; access to health care; and other investments to ensure that all Americans contribute to and benefit from our economic growth. Improving Access to High-Quality Child Care and Early Education. High-quality child care and early education for young children support parents in the workforce and help foster healthy child development and school readiness. The Budget aims to ensure that children have access to high-quality learning starting at birth by: Expanding access to quality child care for working families. The Budget ensures that all low- and moderate-income working families with young children have access to quality, affordable child care, as opposed to the small share of children who receive this help today. Overall, this will expand access to high-quality care for more than 1.1 million additional children under age four by 2026. Cutting taxes for families paying for child care with a credit of up to $3,000 per child. The Budget triples the maximum Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) for families with children under age five and makes the full CDCTC available to families with incomes of up to $120,000, benefiting families with young children, older children, and dependents who are elderly or have disabilities. Increasing the duration of Head Start programs, while maintaining access to Head Start. The Budget includes $9.6 billion for Head Start, an increase of $434 million over 2016 enacted. Within this total, the Budget provides an additional $292 million in 2017 to increase the number of children attending Head Start in a full school-day and -year program, which research shows is more effective than programs of shorter duration and also helps meet the needs of working parents. Supporting universal preschool. The Preschool for All initiative, in partnership with the States, provides all four-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families with access to high-quality preschool, while encouraging States to expand those programs to reach additional children from middle-class families and establish full-day kindergarten policies. The Budget increases funding for Preschool Development Grants (PDGs), which lay the groundwork for universal preschool. With the support of Federal funding made available through the PDG program, 18 States are currently developing and expanding high-quality preschool programs in targeted, high-need communities. Investing in voluntary, evidence-based home visiting. The Budget extends and expands evidence-based, voluntary home visiting programs, which enable nurses, social workers, and other professionals to connect families to services to support children's healthy development and learning. Invests in early learning for children with disabilities. The Budget provides increased funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Preschools Grants and the IDEA Infants and Families program, an increase of $80 million compared to 2016, including funding to help identify, develop and scale-up evidence-based practices for early identification of and intervention for learning and developmental delays. Putting All Students on a Path to College and Careers. We have made significant progress in expanding educational opportunities and we are getting results: high school graduation rates are up, drop-out rates are down, and far more students are attending college than in 2008. But there's more we must do to ensure that all children get a high-quality education that allows them to reach their full potential. The Budget focuses on providing equity and opportunity for all students in elementary and secondary education and expanding college opportunity and quality by: Helping Students Prepare for College and Careers. The Budget increases funding for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies, the cornerstone of Federal efforts to ensure that all students, including poor and minority students, students with disabilities, and English learners, graduate from high school prepared for college and careers. Supporting Computer Science for All. The Budget invests $4 billion in mandatory funding over three years for the new Computer Science for All initiative, which would support State efforts to expand access for all students to computer science instruction and programs of study. The Budget invests discretionary resources in a Computer Science for All Development Grants program for school districts to promote innovative strategies to provide high-quality instruction and other learning opportunities in computer science. Providing Tuition-Free Community College for Responsible Students. The Budget funds America's College Promise (ACP), which would create a new partnership with States to make two years of community college free for responsible students, letting students earn the first half of a bachelors degree or an associates degree and acquire skills needed in the workforce at no cost. Americas College Promise would also provide grants to four-year HBCUs and MSIs to provide first-time low-income students, including community college transfers, with up to two years of college at zero or significantly reduced tuition. Strengthening Pell Grants. Pell Grants are central to our efforts to help low- and moderate- income students afford college. The Budget supports and encourages on-time and accelerated completion through year-round Pell availability to low-income students who have completed a full-time course load and through a $300 increase in the maximum Pell Grant for students who take 15 or more credits. The Budget also continues to index the grant to inflation indefinitely for future generations. The Second Chance Pell proposal expands opportunity to incarcerated individuals eligible for release with the goals of helping them get jobs and strengthen their communities. Simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The Budget eliminates burdensome and unnecessarily complex student aid application questions to make it easier for students and families to access Federal student aid and afford a college education. Simplifying and expanding education tax benefits. The Budget streamlines and expands education tax benefits by consolidating the Lifetime Learning Credit into an expanded American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), which would be available for five years and refundable up to $1,500; exempting Pell Grants from taxation and the AOTC calculation; and eliminating tax on student loan debt forgiveness, while repealing the complicated student loan interest deduction for new borrowers. Helping Workers Get the Skills They Need for the 21st Century Economy. A nations ability to ensure a steady and consistent pipeline of highly skilled workers is one key ingredient to helping its economy grow and thrive. One of the surest paths to ensuring that the economy works for everyone is to expand access to job training and education for in-demand skills. The Budget supports this agenda by: Expanding Technical Training Programs for Middle Class Jobs. The Budget proposes a new American Technical Training Fund to provide competitive grants to support evidence-based, tuition-free job training programs in high-demand fields. Expanding the Proven Learn-and-Earn Strategy of Apprenticeship. The Budget establishes a $2 billion mandatory Apprenticeship Training Fund to help meet the Presidents goal to double the number of apprentices across the United States, giving more workers the opportunity to develop job-relevant skills while earning a paycheck. Creating a Talent Compact to Keep and Attract Jobs to the United States. The Budget includes $3 billion in competitive funding to create more than 50 Talent Hotspots across the United States that would prioritize a sector and make a commitment to recruit and train the workforce to help local businesses grow and thrive, attract more jobs from overseas, and fuel the talent needs of entrepreneurs. This proposal would produce a pipeline of about half a million skilled workers over the next five years. Empowering Workers, Training Providers, and Employers with Better Information on Jobs, Skills and Training. The Budget proposes a new Workforce Data Science and Innovation Fund that would recruit to the Department of Labor (DOL) a best-in-class team to help States find new ways to use technology and data analytics to improve training programs and consumer choice. And similar to HHSs Open Health Data Initiative, DOL would partner with the Department of Commerce to develop new open source data on jobs and skills to spur the creation of new products to help match workers to better jobs. Opening Doors to a First Job for More Young Americans. The Budget invests $5.5 billion in mandatory funding to help more than one million young people gain the work experience, skills and networks that come from having a first job. Creating Pathways to High-Growth Jobs. The Budget builds on the progress in the bipartisan Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) by funding the core DOL WIOA formula grants at their full authorized level and by investing $3 billion in mandatory competitive funding for regional partnerships that bring together employers, education and training providers, and workforce boards with the goal of training a half million people and placing them into jobs in high-demand sectors. Investing in Health Professions Education to Improve Access to Health Care Providers and Services. The Budget invests in growing the health care workforce, including expanding and extending funding for the National Health Service Corps through FY 2020 to increase the number of providers serving in the areas across the country that need them most. Helping Americans Thrive in the 21st Century Economy. The Budget invests in programs that help ensure workers in the 21st century economy can balance work and family obligations, stay healthy, save for retirement, and are protected during temporary periods of unemployment and upon return to work. The Budget also supports evidence-based efforts to reduce poverty and help those who are struggling to get back on their feet. Tax Reform that Promotes Growth and Opportunity. The Budgets tax proposals support work by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit for workers without qualifying children, and creating a Second Earner Tax Credit for married couples in which both spouses work. Strengthening Efforts to Help Low-Income Families Succeed. The Budget funds proposals designed to reduce poverty, assist families in deep poverty or experiencing a financial crisis, and improve efforts to help parents find and keep jobs. These proposals include establishing an Emergency Aid and Service Connection Grants program, strengthening the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF), creating a permanent Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children program, expanding opportunity for Native American Youth, and building on current efforts to better serve Native youth. Expanding Paid Leave. The Budget encourages States to establish paid leave programs, providing more than $2 billion for the Paid Leave Partnership Initiative to help up to five States launch paid family and medical leave programs, as well as small grants to help States and localities conduct analyses to inform the development of paid family and medical leave programs. These investments complement the Presidents executive actions to expand paid sick leave for employees of Federal contractors. Modernizing the Unemployment Insurance Safety Net. The Budget proposes a cost-neutral set of reforms to strengthen and modernize the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program to reflect the modern economy and workforce. These reforms ensure more hardworking Americans have access to UI if they lose a job, provide new protections for workers who take a pay cut in order to get back into work, strengthen the programs connection to work, make the program more responsive to economic downturns, and ensure State programs have enough resources to protect workers in the midst of a recession. Helping All Workers Save for Retirement. The Budget includes a package of proposals aimed at increasing access to retirement plans and increasing the portability of retirement savings and benefits. These proposals aim to ensure near-universal access to workplace retirement savings accounts and test new approaches to making retirement benefits more portable across jobs. Partnering with Communities to Expand Opportunity. Initiatives such as Promise Zones, Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership, Partnership for Sustainable Communities, and Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth have supported holistic, local responses to pressing issues. The Budget continues the Administrations place-based approach to coordinating programs that help create jobs and opportunity, promote resilience and sustainability, and implement local visions in communities across the Nation. Ending Homelessness. The Budget sustains funding to support programs dedicated to ending veteran homelessness, while also funding housing vouchers and rapid rehousing over the next ten years to reach and maintain the goal of ending homelessness among all of Americas families in 2020. This significant investment is based on recent rigorous research that found that families who utilized vouchers compared to alternative forms of assistance to the homeless had fewer incidents of homelessness, child separations, intimate partner violence and school moves, less food insecurity, and generally less economic stress. Ensuring Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care. The Budget supports the Affordable Care Act, which is already providing coverage for millions of Americans through the Health Insurance Marketplaces, the delivery of financial assistance to make coverage affordable, and the expansion of Medicaid. It also supports: Expanding Access to Mental Health Care. One in five American adults experience a mental health issue at some point in their life, yet millions do not receive the care they need. The Budget includes $500 million in new mandatory funding to help engage individuals with serious mental illness in care, improve access to care by increasing service capacity and the behavioral health workforce, and ensure that behavioral health care systems work for everyone. Addressing the Prescription Drug and Heroin Overdose Epidemic. More Americans now die every year from drug overdoses than they do in motor vehicle crashes. The Budget takes a two-pronged approach to address this epidemic. First, it includes $1 billion in new mandatory funding over two years to expand access to treatment for prescription drug abuse and heroin use and help ensure that every American who wants treatment can access it and get the help they need. Second, it includes funding to continue and increase current efforts to expand State-level prescription drug overdose prevention strategies, increase the availability of medication-assisted treatment programs, improve access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, and support targeted enforcement activities. Incentivizing Justice Reform with the 21st Century Justice Initiative. The Administration continues to support criminal justice reform that enhances public safety, avoids excessive punishment and unnecessary incarceration, and builds trust between the justice system and the community. The Budget includes a $5 billion investment for a new 21st Century Justice Initiative that will focus on achieving three objectives: reducing crime, reversing practices that have led to unnecessarily long sentences and unnecessary incarceration, and building community trust. NATIONAL SECURITY AND GLOBAL LEADERSHIP Economic growth and opportunity can only be achieved if America is safe and secure. The Budget provides the resources to address security threats wherever they arise and continue to demonstrate American leadership around the world. Destroying ISIL. The Presidents highest priority is keeping the American people safe. That is why the United States is leading the global coalition that will destroy the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The Budget provides over $11 billion for the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of State to support U.S. efforts to continue to hunt down terrorists; provide training and equipment to forces fighting ISIL on the ground; help stabilize communities liberated from ISIL in Syria and Iraq; disrupt ISILs financing and recruitment; strengthen our regional partners, provide humanitarian assistance to those impacted by the conflict; and support a political solution to the Syrian civil war. Countering Violent Extremism. The Presidents Budget includes funding for innovative, community-based approaches that seek to discourage violent extremism and to improve the ability of communities to identify potential extremists and intervene where necessary to thwart radical behavior that may lead to violence. Securing the Digital Economy for All Americans Through Strengthened Cybersecurity. The Budget invests $19 billion in overall Federal resources for cybersecurity to support a broad-based cybersecurity strategy for securing the Government, enhancing the security of critical infrastructure and important technologies, investing in next-generation tools and workforce, and empowering Americans. In particular, this funding will support the Cybersecurity National Action Plan, which takes near-term actions and puts in place a long-term strategy to enhance cybersecurity awareness and protections, protect privacy, maintain public safety as well as economic and national security, and empower Americans to take better control of their digital security. Supporting the Transition in Afghanistan. The Budget includes resources to reinforce Afghanistans security and development by supporting military training and assistance, as well as health, education, justice, economic growth, governance, and other civilian assistance programs necessary to promote stability and strengthen diplomatic ties with the international community. The Budget also supports the U.S. military mission to train, advise, and assist the Afghan National Security Forces and maintain a counterterrorism capability. Countering Russian Aggression and Supporting European Allies. The Budget includes $4.3 billion for political, economic, public diplomacy, and military support to build resilience and reduce vulnerabilities to Russian aggression among NATO allies and partner states in Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia. As part of that effort the Budget includes $3.4 billion for the Department of Defenses European Reassurance Initiative (ERI). Providing Further Support for the Central American Regional Strategy. The Budget provides necessary resources to further support the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America by investing in a long-term, comprehensive approach designed to address the root causes of migration of unaccompanied children and families from the region. Advancing the Rebalance to Asia and the Pacific. The Budget supports the Administrations commitment to a comprehensive regional strategy in Asia and the Pacific that reinforces a rules-based order and advances security, prosperity, and human dignity across the region. For instance, the Budget provides the necessary resources to implement the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) a historic, high-standard trade agreement with 11 countries of the region that levels the playing field for American workers and American businesses. Growing Partnerships in Africa. The Budget provides funding to ensure United States will uphold the commitments it made during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in 2014, including with respect to Power Africa, Trade Africa, the Security Governance Initiative (SGI), the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), the African Peacekeeping Rapid Response Partnership (APRRP), and the Early Warning and Response Partnership (EWARP). It also provides resources for implementing the peace agreement in South Sudan. Preparing for the Future. In addition to addressing todays changing security environment, the Budget makes significant investments to maintain our militarys superiority and ensure the United States always has an operational advantage over any potential adversary. The Budget does this by driving smart and essential innovation: pursuing new research and technology development; supporting updates and refinements to operational concepts and warfighting strategies; supporting capacity building among local partners; building the Force of the Future; and pursuing additional enterprise reform. Sustaining the Presidents Development and Democracy Agenda. The Budget continues to advance the Administrations development and democracy initiatives and activities as it seeks to reduce extreme poverty, encourage broad-based economic growth, and support democratic governance and human rights and to drive progress toward meeting the global development vision and priorities adopted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This includes investments in Feed the Future, the Presidents food security initiative; development programs that mobilize the private sector to deliver tangible results and advance U.S. interests; food aid and other humanitarian assistance programs; the First Ladys Let Girls Learn Initiative; and effective global health programs, including for the Presidents Malaria Initiative and the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Honoring Our Commitment to Veterans. The Budget ensures continued investment in the five pillars the President has outlined for supporting the Nations veterans: providing the resources and funding they deserve; ensuring high-quality and timely health care; getting veterans their earned benefits quickly and efficiently; ending veteran homelessness; and helping veterans and their families get good jobs, an education, and access to affordable housing. It also puts forward a proposal to fundamentally reform the broken appeals process for disability claims so that it can best serve our veterans. A GOVERNMENT OF THE FUTURE The President is committed to driving lasting change in how Government works change that makes a significant, tangible, and positive difference in the economy and the lives of the American people. Over the past seven years, the Administration has launched successful efforts to modernize and improve citizen-facing services, eliminate wasteful spending, reduce the Federal real property footprint, improve the use of evidence to improve program performance, and spur innovation in the private sector by opening to the public tens of thousands of Federal data sets and innovation assets at the national labs. Supporting the Presidents Management Agenda. The Budget includes investments to continue driving the Presidents Management Agenda by improving the service we provide to the American public; leveraging the Federal Governments buying power to bring more value and efficiency to how we use taxpayer dollars; opening Government data and research to the private sector to drive innovation and economic growth; promoting smarter information technology; modernizing permitting and environmental review processes; creating new Idea Labs to support employees with promising ideas; and, attracting and retaining the best talent in the Federal workforce. Supporting Digital Service Delivery for Citizens. In 2014 the Administration piloted the U.S. Digital Service, a unit of innovators, entrepreneurs, and engineers. This team of Americas best digital experts has worked in collaboration with Federal agencies to implement streamlined and effective digital technology practices on the Nations highest priority programs. This work includes collaborating with the Department of Education to launch the new College Scorecard to give students, parents, and their advisors most reliable national data to help with college choice and supporting the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) transition to launch the new myUSCIS which makes it easier for users to access information about the immigration process and immigration services. To institutionalize the dramatic improvements that this approach has demonstrated, the Budget supports the Administrations aggressive goal of hiring and placing 500 top technology and design experts to serve in the Government by January 2017. Strengthening Federal Cybersecurity. As outlined above, the Budget provides $19 billion in resources for cybersecurity. This includes the creation of a new $3.1 billion revolving fund, the Information Technology Modernization Fund (ITMF), to retire the Governments antiquated IT systems and transition to more secure and efficient modern IT systems, funding to streamline governance and secure Federal networks, and investments to strengthen the cybersecurity workforce and cybersecurity education across society. Building Evidence and Encouraging Innovation. The President has made it clear that policy decisions should be driven by evidence so that the Federal government can do more of what works and less of what does not. The Administration's evidence-based approaches have resulted in important gains in areas ranging from reducing veteran homelessness, to improving educational outcomes, to enhancing the effectiveness of international development programs. The Budget invests in expanding evidence-based approaches, developing and testing effective practices, and enhancing governments capacity to build and use evidence, in particular by expanding access to administrative data and further developing Federal, State, local, and tribal data infrastructure. Reorganizing Government to Succeed in the Global Economy. The Budget also includes proposals to consolidate and reorganize Government agencies to make them leaner and more efficient, and it increases the use of evidence and evaluation to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely on programs that work. Shashi Tharoor, Cat or Lettuce? UK PM Liz Truss's Resignation Has Twitter Looking for New Contender Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Owen Wilson has an annoying handshake. It's a finger touch, followed by a quick pull away. The so-called "dead fish". I need not fret, though, because as Zoolander demonstrates, first impressions don't last. As Wilson is quick to remind me, the reason it has taken 15 years to make a sequel is that "the first one didn't do very well." It seems hard to believe, given that "Blue Steel" has gone on to become the most famous pose on Earth, but in 2001, the film was dismissed like a piece of fluff on a jumper. It didn't help that the comedy, starring Wilson and Ben Stiller as supermodels who doubled as terrorists was released two weeks after the World Trade Centre attack. Its premise and constant celebrity name-dropping bore striking similarities to Bret Easton Ellis's novel Glamorama. The author once told me that he got an out-of-court settlement from the film-makers, because of the similarities, although this has never been verified. Still, time has been kind to Zoolander. "I noticed that when I was travelling, there were a lot of people who came up to me quoting Zoolander," says Wilson. "Ben said he had the same experience and a kind of following developed." Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Show all 13 1 /13 Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Models stage a catwalk at the Zoolander 2 premier in New York. Getty Images Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Actors Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Penelope Cruz and Owen Wilson walk the runway during the 'Zoolander No. 2' World Premiere Getty Images Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Getty Images Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Irina Shayk (C) walks the runway at the 'Zoolander 2' World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 9, 2016 in New York City 2016 Getty Images Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Gigi Hadid walks the catwalk at the Zoolander 2 premier in New York Getty Images Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Valentino creative directors Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri attend the "Zoolander 2" World Premiere in New York City. 2016 Getty Images Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Adriana Lima attends the 'Zoolander No. 2' World Premiere in New York. Getty Images Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Gigi Hadid at the Zoolander 2 premier in New York. Getty Images Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Justin Theroux attends the "Zoolander 2" World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 9, 2016 in New York City. Getty Images Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Penelope Cruz attends the "Zoolander 2" World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 9, 2016 in New York City. Getty Images Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Models walk the catwalk at the Zoolander 2 premier in New York. Getty Images Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Will Farrell attends the "Zoolander No. 2" World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 9, 2016 in New York City. Getty Images Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Catwalk at Zoolander 2's New York premier Anna Wintour and Bee Shaffer attend the "Zoolander No. 2" World Premiere in New York. Getty Images The fashion world embraced the film to the extent that the announcement for the sequel was made on the Paris catwalk. Stiller, as Derek Zoolander, and Wilson, as his kindred spirit Hansel, broke the internet when they strutted their stuff for Valentino during fashion week last year. "We were kind of nervous doing it. And you're thinking to yourself, why are you so nervous? All you have to do is walk," recalls Wilson. "The reaction from the crowd when we walked out there in character, was better than we imagined. It made us think, it's like we are making Star Wars, or something." The loud clothes worn by Hansel are far from Wilson's reserved everyday wardrobe. "My biggest fashion faux-pas is probably not taking enough chances. I tend to be very safe. I think you have to roll the dice a bit more. After I did that Valentino show those pyjamas I wore, at first, I thought this is ridiculous. Who would wear those? Then I started to wear them. The reaction I would get from people 'Gosh, I love those pants' and then I started thinking, I need to do this more, take more chances." He looks down at the black shirt, and black jeans that he is wearing, and seems bored by his own choices. Now 47, Wilson says that he has lost count of the number of films that he has made with Stiller. It is 13. They met in the mid-Nineties when Wilson auditioned for a role in The Cable Guy, a Jim Carrey black comedy that Stiller was directing. "I don't know if the relationship has developed over time. It's a little like these characters [in Zoolander]. There isn't a big arc. From when we first became friends, walking around New York, I think that we are still sort of laughing at the same things and our dynamic is still pretty similar." Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Zoolander 2 Exclusive Interview With Penelope Cruz, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig & Justin Theroux The relationship actually began with Stiller writing Wilson a fan letter. "I think it was when he saw Bottle Rocket. He wrote me the nicest letter, saying how much he loved the movie, which meant a great deal, because no one saw Bottle Rocket, and saying that he hoped we might work together on something, some day, and that sure came to pass." Bottle Rocket was the first film that Wilson wrote with his other great collaborator, Wes Anderson. They roomed together at the University of Texas, where Wilson studied as an English major. It was Anderson, who dreamed of being a movie director, who first encouraged Wilson to write, and then alongside his brother Luke, to act in Bottle Rocket. Wilson and Anderson went on to write Rushmore (1998) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), for which they received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. "I picked up Oliver Sacks' last book, On the Move: a Life, and his family sounded very accomplished. It made me think about the Tenenbaums a little bit. That movie, I loved that movie. I think my favourite scene is when Gene Hackman and Danny Glover are in the kitchen. They have a contretemps. Gene says, 'Are you moving in on my woman?' And Glover asks, 'What did you say?' 'You heard me, Coltrane.' Glover then says, 'Did you just call me Coltrane?' 'No, but if I did, you couldn't do anything about it.' Just so it doesn't seem arrogant that I'm quoting this line, Wes wrote that line. I'm really appreciating it as a fan." As if to reinforce his point, he says that The Grand Budapest Hotel, in which he appears, but did not write, is his favourite of his former roommate's films. The Hackman/Glover exchange has racial undertones that touch on the lack of diversity in Hollywood. I ask Wilson for his thoughts on the current row. "I've just been taking note that it's controversial, with the Academy Awards, Spike Lee, and then another person boycotting. Then I read recently that the Academy has already addressed it, or is addressing it, by changing the voting, so I'm just following it, in the same way as everyone else." He's also following the Republican and Democratic candidates' debates but offers not much more detail on the topic politics. Perhaps it's unsurprising, given that he once told Jonathan Ross that he was more excited about visiting the Playboy mansion than he had been meeting President Clinton at the White House. Indeed, it is his short-lived relationships that have made Wilson gossip column fodder. He has fathered two children, most recently in 2014 with his personal trainer Caroline Lindqvist, though his representatives released a statement saying that he was not in a relationship with her. He has another son, born in January 2011, with Jade Duell, but the relationship only lasted for six months after his birth. He has also had high profile relationships with Sheryl Crow and Kate Hudson. Wilson with Ben Stiller in Zoolander 2 (Getty) The major black cloud in Wilson's life comes in the form of reports of a suicide attempt in 2007, when he was said to be suffering depression. Wilson released a statement asking for his privacy to be respected at the time, and has been wary of doing interviews ever since, often walking out if he believes that the journalist is angling to ask him about the incident. All that can be said with any certainty, is that he pulled out of making Tropic Thunder with Stiller, and hasn't written another film script since. Perhaps the truth will only ever be known if Wilson pens another movie. "If I do write another script, it would be something more personal to me." He says that when he meets up with Stiller, or Anderson for dinner, "the stuff that we tend to laugh at, our own failures and shortcomings, that we can see in each other, or ourselves, that kind of thing is funny." In Zoolander 2, Stiller seems to be poking fun at Wilson's reputation when he has his character, Hansel, impregnate almost a dozen people, a harem of characters, known collectively as "the orgy". The original Zoolander featured a cameo from David Bowie. "I think Ben and I were surprised that he agreed to do the first movie. He was just a cool, lovely guy. But then the sad news from a few weeks ago. Of course, I thought about that day, but more, Wes has used a lot of Bowie, especially in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I was listening to some of those songs, watching some of them on YouTube." In recent years Wilson's career has hit the heights. In 2011, he starred in Woody Allen's best film of the past decade, Midnight in Paris, in which he played a screenwriter transported back to 1920s France, where he meets figures such as Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali and F Scott Fitzgerald. He also starred in Paul Thomas Anderson's bewildering adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice. "I couldn't understand the movie," he admits, as I nod in agreement. "I didn't understand the script either." It sounds like something Hansel would say, but that's fine, because Wilson, not for the first time in his life, is so hot right now. 'Zoolander 2' is released on Friday Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Valentines Day is a lot like New Years Eve: hugely over-rated with far too much pressure to have a great time. Things get even more problematic when the subject of what movie to watch on your big romantic night in is raised. Cheesy romcoms have their place but if its understated romance and just a damn good film youre after, we might just have the cliche-free flick for you. Remember the day of love is not just for couples. Try Disney hit Frozen for epic sisterly or Thelma and Louise for the ultimate female buddy movie. High Fidelity (Rex) Record shop owner Rob Gordon recalls his top five most memorable break-ups ever over a subtext of musics effect on our everyday lives. Men and women alike enjoy this one, based on the novel by About a Boy author Nick Hornby. The Theory of Everything The Theory Of Everything interviews Eddie Redmaynes Oscar-winning portrayal of famed physicist Stephen Hawkings relationship with his former wife Jane Wilde is the best kind of tearjerker. Le Week-End British couple Meg and Nick return to Paris years after honeymooning there in a bid to rekindle the spark in their marriage on their 30th wedding anniversary. Expect bittersweet humour and charming warmth. Best and worst romantic movies Show all 20 1 /20 Best and worst romantic movies Best and worst romantic movies Love it: Romeo and Juliet (1968) Franco Zeffirelli, starring Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting Zeffirelli brings spectacle and romanticism. His trick was to treat Shakespeare's play as if it was a Hollywood teen love story and to cast two fresh-faced, young leads (Hussey and Whiting, pictured) as the doe-eyed lovers. REX Best and worst romantic movies Love it: Random Harvest (1942) Mervyn LeRoy, starring Greer Garson, Ronald Colman Post-traumatic stress and romantic obsession collide head on in this wonderfully overcooked Hollywood melodrama. Ronald Colman is the amnesiac English officer, haunted by his memory of the trenches, who somehow contrives to forget that he is madly in love with Greer Garson not once but twice. REX Best and worst romantic movies Love it: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) Jacques Demy, starring Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuova This kitsch but delightful romantic musical boasts eye-popping colours and enchanting Michel Legrand music. The storyline is embroiled and dark (this is a small-town tale of misunderstandings and enforced separations) but the film is still full of charm and makes a perfect Valentine's Day confection. The youthful Deneuve has an unworldly beauty. REX Best and worst romantic movies Love it: Les Amants de Pont Neuf (1991) Leos Carax, starring Juliette Binoche, Denis Lavant One of the most expensive French films of its era, this is a big budget epic... about the love affair between two mud-encrusted and homeless but very stylish tramps living on the Paris streets. It's a thoroughly perverse endeavour. Look out for the scene of Juliette Binoche water-skiing down the Seine with fireworks exploding above her. REX Best and worst romantic movies Love it: Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) Blake Edwards, starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard In truth, this isn't a great film. George Peppard (later to star alongside Mr T in The A-Team) is no Cary Grant and the screenplay is bland and evasive by comparison with the Truman Capote novella that inspired it. Nonetheless, the combination of Audrey Hepburn and Henry Mancini's "Moon River" still makes this the perfect Valentine's Day movie. REX Best and worst romantic movies Love it: Casablanca (1942) Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman A usual suspect in any list of Valentine's Day films, Curtiz's romantic drama crackles with wit, style and (in the scenes between Bogart and Bergman, right) plenty of erotic energy. It's a film that can be played again and again, like its famous song As Time Goes By, without ever quite losing its allure. AP Best and worst romantic movies Love it: An Affair to Remember (1957) Leo McCarey, starring Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr Director Leo McCarey made some of Hollywood's greatest screwball comedies and yet is best remembered for this super-sudsy romantic weepie, adapted from his own earlier film, Love Affair (1939.) Cary Grant is the man about town. Deborah Kerr (pictured with Grant) is the beautiful woman he meets aboard an ocean liner. REX Best and worst romantic movies Love it: His Girl Friday (1940) Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell It was an inspired decision by Howard Hawks to tweak his remake of The Front Page and to turn the reporter into a woman. Instead of a buddy movie about a hardbitten editor and his star journalist, we get a wonderfully spiky screwball romance in which the dialogue is delivered at a velocity that makes today's romcoms seem horribly tongue-tied. REX Best and worst romantic movies Love it: L'Atalante (1934) Jean Vigo, starring Michel Simon, Dita Parlo, Jean Dast The brilliant French director brings lyricism, sensuality and intensity to this story about a young married couple on a barge, enduring jealous spats and very tender reconciliations. REX Best and worst romantic movies Love it: A Bout de Souffle (1960) Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg All you need for a good Valentine's Day movie is a girl, a gun and lots of jump cuts. The gamine-like close-cropped Seberg and the rugged Belmondo make the perfect screen couple in Godard's supremely stylish debut feature. REX Best and worst romantic movies It's over: Romeo and Juliet (2013) Carlo Carlei, starring Hailee Steinfeld, Douglas Booth This lifeless reworking of Shakespeare's play lacks any spark. It doesn't even offer the consolation of the original verse (which has been tinkered with by Julian Fellowes to no particular effect). REX Best and worst romantic movies It's over: Runaway Bride (1999) Garry Marshall, starring Julia Roberts, Richard Gere Julia Roberts and Richard Gere combined to fine effect in Pretty Woman but their pairing here is far less successful. Roberts plays a woman who has had multiple engagements but can't bring herself to marry. Gere is strangely cast as the New York journalist who reports on her habit of jilting men at the altar. REX Best and worst romantic movies It's over: Not Another Happy Ending (2013) John McKay, starring Karen Gillan, Stanley Weber This eccentric and facetious Scottish comedy feels very flat in spite of the charming performance by Gillan as an Annie Hall-like novelist with a bad case of writer's block. (Her creativity only flows when she is miserable.) Synchronicity Films Best and worst romantic movies It's over: Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Nora Ephron, starring Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan Norah Ephron was a tremendously witty and acerbic writer but her features tended to come drenched in schmaltz. Sleepless in Seattle shows off her strengths and is well enough played by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Even so, it sinks under its own mawkishness. AP Best and worst romantic movies It's over: Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) Marc Lawrence, starring Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker Excruciating romcom that squanders the considerable comic talents of Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. They play a New York power couple whose marriage is fraying. After a client is killed, they enter the witness protection programme and head way out west. As Manhattanites, they struggle to adapt to the outdoors life in Wyoming. REX Best and worst romantic movies It's over: You've Got Mail (1998) Nora Ephron, starring Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan A modern-day reworking of the Ernst Lubitsch classic A Shop Around the Corner that simply doesn't deliver. Hanks and Ryan are the email pals who blithely confide in each other without knowing that in "real life" they are sworn enemies. One works for a predatory bookshop chain and the other for a small independent. In today's Amazon age, the film feels very old fashioned indeed. REX Best and worst romantic movies It's over: Ghost (1990) Jerry Zucker, starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore In hindsight, this hugely popular romantic drama seems ghoulish and very odd. The scene in which Swayze's ghost helps Demi Moore with her pottery is especially creepy. REX Best and worst romantic movies It's over: Love Story (1970) Arthur Hiller, starring Ali MacGraw, Ryan O'Neal Valentine's Day movies should be uplifting. This one, based on the novel by Harvard Latin professor Erich Segal was one of Hollywood's biggest downers of the Seventies, a terminal-illness melodrama with a lachrymose, dirge-like theme song. REX Best and worst romantic movies For the lovelorn: Blue Valentine (2010) Derek Cianfrance, starring Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams An anti-Valentine's film, this is a closely focused, brilliantly acted study of a relationship in good times and bad. It's fascinating as a character study but also ultimately very bleak. Too bleak for Feb 14th... AP Best and worst romantic movies For the lovelorn: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) Mike Nichols, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton Mike Nichols' film version of the Edward Albee play about a warring couple (Taylor and Burton, below) in imperious, sacred monster mode) stands as a stark warning for young courting couples about what they. REX Lost in Translation Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson meet by chance while staying at a Tokyo hotel and form an unlikely yet heartfelt bond. Less is so much more in Sofia Coppolas movie as the pair enjoy a night where nothing but everything happens. Love is Strange Love Is Strange: The alternative Valentines Day option Elderly gay couple Ben and George try and cope with living apart after having to sell their New York flat. Fans of Pride will enjoy this moving look at what love, strange and beautiful, can look like. Blue is the Warmest Colour This Palme dOr winner explores the emotional and sexual relationship between a blue-haired French teenager and the older art student she meets in a lesbian bar. Blue Valentine Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine This painful, intense portrayal of a marriage breakdown starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams is billed as a love story for anyone thats ever been in love. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Heartbroken that his ex-girlfriend (Kate Winslet) has undergone a procedure to erase him from her memory, Joel (Jim Carrey) tries to the same, but in doing so realises he still loves her. Revolutionary Road (AP) Based on Richard Yates novel, the film charts the demise of a Fifties power-couple whose obsession with keeping up appearances inevitably leads to destruction. Stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet (just try and keep Jack and Rose from your mind). Before Sunrise Django Unchained Christoph Waltz (left) bagged the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Django Unchained Freed slave Django (the D is silent) sets out to save his wife from a violent Mississippi plantation owner with the help of Christopher Waltzs Oscar-winning bounty hunter. Tarantinos bloody Western may not sound romantic, but youll be left at the knees after hearing Jamie Foxx drawl Hey, little troublemaker. True Romance Tarantino established with Django Unchained that he can do love stories, and this one stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. Yes, theres yet more brutal bloodshed but as the tagline reads, Who says romance is dead? Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Will Smith has confirmed there will be another Bad Boys film. Speaking to BBC Radio 1Xtra, the actor discussed whether he would make a sequel to any of his films, confirming he'll reteam with Martin Lawrence for the follow-up. "I saw Martin a few weeks ago, and I hadn't seen him for about two years. And we just looked at each other, we hugged, and in that moment, we both knew we were making another Bad Boys. So we're definitely doing another one." News of a continuation arose following Sony announced their release slate last year which included tentative dates for - not only a third Bad Boys - but a fourth too. The first film was released in 1995 with Bad Boys II following in 2003; they were directed by Michael Bay. #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Show all 19 1 /19 #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Jada Pinkett-Smith Today is Martin Luther Kings birthday, and I cant help but ask the question: Is it time that people of color recognize how much power and influence we have amassed that we no longer need to ask to be invited anywhere? I ask the question: Have we come to a new time and place where we recognize that we can no longer beg for the love, acknowledge, or respect of any group? - Posted on her Facebook page. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Will Smith "The beauty of Hollywood combined with American ideals is the ultimate dream for humanity: the basis of the American concept of anything is possible, with hard work and dedication, no matter your race or religion, creed, none of that matters in America. I think that diversity is the American superpower. That's why we are great. So many different people from so many different places adding their ideas and their inspiration and their influences to this beautiful American gumbo and for me, at its best, Hollywood represents and then creates the imagery for that beauty. But for my part, I think I have to fight for and protect the ideals that make our country and make our Hollywood community great. So when I look at the series of nominations of the Academy, it's not reflecting that beauty." - Quote from ABC News appearance. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Reese Witherspoon "I really appreciated this article in TIME on the lack of racial and gender diversity in this year's Oscar nominations. So disappointed that some of 2015's best films, filmmakers and performances were not recognized... Nothing can diminish the quality of their work, but these filmmakers deserve recognition. As an Academy member, I would love to see a more diverse voting membership." - Posted on her Facebook page. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Spike Lee "This whole Academy thing is a misdirection play. We're chasing a guy down the field, he doesn't even have the ball. The other guy's high-stepping in the end zone. It goes further than the Academy Awards. It has to go back to the gatekeepers. We're not in the room. The executives, when they have these greenlight meetings quarterly, they look at the scripts and see who's in it and decide what we're making and what we're not making." - Quote from ABC appearance. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say George Clooney "If you think back 10 years ago, the Academy was doing a better job. Think about how many more African Americans were nominated. I would also make the argument, I dont think its a problem of who youre picking as much as it is: How many options are available to minorities in film, particularly in quality films? There should be 20 or 30 or 40 films of the quality that people would consider for the Oscars. By the way, were talking about African Americans. For Hispanics, its even worse. We need to get better at this. We used to be better at it." - Interview with Variety. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Snoop Dogg Somebody was actually like am I gonna watch the motherf***ing Oscars. F*** no. What the f*** am I going to watch that bulls*** for? They aint got no n***** nominated. All these great movies and all this great s*** yall keep stealing from us. F*** you! F*** you! - Posted on his Instagram page. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Don Cheadle "Yo, Chris. Come check me out at #TheOscars this year. They got me parking cars on G level." - Posted on his Twitter page, directed at host Chris Rock. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Mark Ruffalo I woke up in the morning thinking, what is the right way to do this? Because if you look at Martin Luther Kings legacy, what he was saying was that the good people who dont act are much worse than the wrongdoers who are purposefully not acting and dont know the right way. - Quote from interview with BBC News. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Lupita Nyong'o "I am disappointed by the lack of inclusion in this year's Academy Awards nominations. It has me thinking about unconscious prejudice and what merits prestige in our culture. The awards should not dictate the terms of art in our modern society, but rather be a diverse reflection of the best of what our art has to offer today. I stand with my peers who are calling for change in expanding the stories that are told and recognition of the people who tell them." - Posted on her Instagram page. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Tyrese Gibson "This is not us saying we're against the Oscars because we're gonna combat racism. We're just saying, 'Yo, this is not cool.' You can't be doing this in 2016 and act as if no one is gonna notice." - Quote from interview with People. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say David Oyelowo The reason why the Oscars are so important is because it is the zenith, it is the epitome, it is the height of celebration of artistic endeavor within the filmmaking community. We grow up aspiring, dreaming, longing to be accepted into that august establishment because it is the height of excellence. I would like to walk away and say it doesnt matter, but it does, because that acknowledgement changes the trajectory of your life, your career, and the culture of the world we live in. This institution doesnt reflect its president and it doesnt reflect this room. I am an Academy member and it doesnt reflect me, and it doesnt reflect this nation." - Speech at gala honoring Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Brie Larson "Thank you @hollywoodreporter for covering this very unique moment in my life! It was wonderful spending time with all of you. Personally, I'm interested in reading their article on #OscarsSoWhite. This is a conversation that deserves attention." - Posted on her Instagram page. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say How many black films are being produced every year? How are they being distributed? The films that are being made, are the big-time producers thinking outside of the box in terms of how to cast the role? Can you cast a black woman in that role? Can you cast a black man in that role? You can change the Academy, but if there are no black films being produced, what is there to vote for? - Quote from interview with Entertainment Weekly. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Charlotte Rampling "It is racist to whites. One can never really know, but perhaps the black actors did not deserve to make the final list. Why classify people? These days everyone is more or less accepted... People will always say: Him, hes less handsome; Him, hes too black; He is too white... someone will always be saying You are too [this or that]... But do we have to take from this that there should be lots of minorities everywhere?" - Quote from interview on Europe 1. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Michael Caine Theres loads of black actors. In the end you can't vote for an actor because he's black. You can't say 'I'm going to vote for him, he's not very good, but he's black, I'll vote for him'. You have to give a good performance and I'm sure people have. I saw Idris Elba (in Beasts Of No Nation).I thought he was wonderful. Be patient. Of course it will come. It took years to get an Oscar, years. - Quote from interview with Radio 4 Today programme. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Steve McQueen "This is exactly like MTV was in the 1980s. Could you imagine now if MTV only showed music videos by a majority of white people, then after 11 oclock it showed a majority of black people? Could you imagine that happening now? Its the same situation happening in the movies. Hopefully, when people look back at this in 20 years, itll be like seeing that David Bowie clip in 1983 [of artist critiquing channel for not featuring black artists]. I dont even want to wait 20 years. Forgive me; Im hoping in 12 months or so we can look back and say this was a watershed moment, and thank God we put that right." Quote from interview with The Guardian. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Julie Delpy "Two years ago, I said something about the Academy being very white male, which is the reality, and I was slashed to pieces by the media. It's funny - women can't talk. I sometimes wish I were African American because people don't bash them afterwards. It's the hardest to be a woman. Feminism is something people hate above all. Nothing worse than being a woman in this business. I really believe that." Delpy has since clarified these remarks, saying, "I'm very sorry for how I expressed myself. It was never meant to diminish the injustice done to African American artists or to any other people that struggle for equal opportunities and rights; on the contrary. All I was trying to do is to address the issues of inequality of opportunity in the industry for women as well (as I am a woman)." Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Clint Eastwood "I don't know anything about it. All I know is there's thousands of people in the Academy, and the majority of them haven't won Oscars. A lot of people are crying, I guess." - Quoted by TMZ. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Ellen Page Its awful, and I think what just happened in regards to the nominations two years in a row is a reflection of the industry itself, and the lack of diversity in all positions. Its so upsetting that were still having this conversation. I dont know what to say other than its so disheartening, and I feel like we all have to be doing what we can to make a change, because were supposed to be telling stories that reflect human experience, and we cant just be showing one group of people." Quote from interview with The Wrap. Getty Smith is not reprising his role for Independence Day: Resurgence, however, telling the radio station: "I had a couple of films coming up. So it was a decision timing-wise between Suicide Squad and Independence Day." Will Smith's next film is the drama Concussion in which he plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist researching brain damage inflicted upon American Football players despite his efforts being blocked by the NFL. Following the lack of diversity in this year's Oscars nomination, Smith has supported his wife Jada Pinkett Smith in her decision to boycott the ceremony. Bad Boys 3 is scheduled to be released on 17 February 2017. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Deadpool happened. Just take a second to let that thought sink in. An R-rated superhero movie about a foul-mouthed, fourth-wall-breaking lunatic wielding double katanas wasn't laughed out of the studio offices. It's been made, it's here, and it's everything its fans could have ever hoped for. Even the people who wrote Deadpool, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, can't quite believe it's happened. "Its crazy," Wernick told The Independent. "You know, weve watched the movie, weve seen it a bunch of times obviously. And we, much like probably you and the audience, thought, I cant believe that we did that, that we got away with that. Like, sometimes we just scratch our heads and wonder." The pair, speaking over the phone, made their gratitude towards studio 20th Century Fox evidently clear; if not just for the mere gutsiness of giving Deadpool the greenlight. "We thought to ourselves, Is Fox ever going to make this movie if we do it as we want?" Wernick reflected. "And ultimately, they did. And that is a really, really bold decision on Foxs part, you know? This is a big studio and to allow us to do the kind of things that we did and to make fun of the stuff that we did and to say the things that we did, it took a really bold leap of trust by the studio to allow us to do that." Indeed, what becomes remarkably clear in conversation with these writers is the exactly the incredible level of freedom Fox afforded its production. Sure, Deadpool's lack of collapsing bridges doesn't put it on par with the budgetary demands of other superhero movies, but it's riskiness is something that can't ever be underplayed here; and certainly caused enough nervousness to be briefly pushed as a PG-13, with Reese and Wernick even going to the lengths of creating a draft for the rating. "In that draft, in particular, we had a bunch of restrictions but, boy, apart from that draft? Almost zero," said Reese. "The studio was extraordinarily supportive of the R-rated version at the beginning, and then when they finally decided to make the movie. We never had to pull a punch. Not even a single punch. Which was awesome." And when it came to those not-so-subtle jabs at Fox's own X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which featured Deadpool's (disastrously received) first onscreen appearance? "We didnt ask for permission, we just begged for forgiveness after the fact," jokes Wernick. Which brings us to everyone's favourite topic, Ryan Reynolds. Having starred as Origins' Deadpool, Reynolds came into the unique position of being one of the first people attached to the project, and one of its most passionate supporters. The actor stuck by Deadpool through more than 10 years of development hell, as it bounced between studios and failed to attach a director. By the time Reese and Wernick stepped in, January 2010, Reynolds had essentially become Deadpool's "keeper of the flame". "Its always been Ryans voice," Wernick said of the actor's effects on the writing process. "He so embodies the voice, and that voice so engulfs our head and what we write on the page, that it really is so easy to write because all we have to imagine is Ryan saying it." Still from the film Deadpool The pair were largely unfamiliar with the Deadpool comics themselves before they stepped up to the project, though their own education on them meant they, as Wernick phrases it, "fell in love with them as everybody has". They knew certain aspects were essential: the fourth-wall breaks, the suit, the motor mouth, the powers, the scarring, and the cancer; yet no one seemed to know the character quite as intimately as Reynolds himself. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up "Anytime we strayed even a step off the path of what Deadpool might say or how he might act, Ryan would pull us back onto the path and say, 'I dont think he would do that exactly' or 'I dont think he would say that.'" Reese stated. "And that was just always very comforting, it was like a safety net to us. We were never really going to go splat, because Ryan knew the character well enough that if we made a misstep, he would pull us back onto the tightrope." But even with Reynolds' guidance, the writers still faced one major challenge of their own: how would this anarchic, meta-hero fit into the existing cinematic world of the X-men? "That was really a function of, I think, understanding that the X-Men tone is very different from ours, and trying to use that to our advantage," Reese said. "The X-Men is definitely a more serious franchise, maybe not as serious as The Dark Knight, but its very serious. And, rather than look at that with trepidation and wonder, hows Deadpool going to fit in?, I think we tried to take advantage of it and use them as foils to his madness and his lunacy." Reese further explained how the pair struck the tricky balance of Deadpool's own tone, of exactly how to write a superhero movie that deconstructs superhero movies. "I think that the movie wouldnt have worked had it been all parody. I think it needed heart, and it needed a real story and real backbone," he reflected. "I remember the Zucker Brothers, who did Airplane!, were asked a long time ago about what they thought one of the reasons Airplane! succeeded. And they said it was because they used an existing plot of a drama, this movie called Zero Hour, and it had real emotion and it told a real story." "And then they layered all the jokes and the silliness, and the craziness, on top of that. Whereas, if it had been just craziness, it probably wouldnt have worked. So we really did pay attention to the pathos and the tragedy and the love story and the story of loss of someone you love and then redemption and finding that person again. We used those as the backbone of our story, and hopefully that worked." And, boy, are the pair relieved that it did work. "In terms of how the character and the movie turned out, we couldnt be more thrilled," Wernick enthused. "I feel like a triathlete at the last 300 yards of the triathlon, and Ive lost complete muscle and bladder control at this point," Reese said of reaching the end of such a lengthy process. "Like Im stumbling to the finish line." Though the film has only just opened, Deadpool 2 has already been officially greenlit with Reynolds, director Tim Miller, Reese and Wernick all set to return. That said, the pair were only speculating on that fact at the time of speaking, in response to how established X-Men characters could potentially feature in the future; "I think that will be the joy if we get to do sequels; to bring in the likes of, and Im just making this up off the top of my head, Professor X, Storm," Reese mused. "Headline Professor X is in the next Deadpool movie!" Wernick jokingly intervened, with Reese concluding: "Thatll be really fun to explore over time." Let that fun begin. Deadpool is out now. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Drop everything. Drop it on the floor, leave behind your responsibilities, and watch this. Watch it now. Funny or Die, co-founded by Adam McKay, has dropped an hour-long mockumentary about Donald Trump entitled, The Art of the Deal: The Movie. By complete surprise, right in the middle of the Oscar campaign for McKay's last feature length film, The Big Short. Somehow, this was kept on complete lockdown; which is sort remarkable considering the mere size of its cast. Alongside Depp features the likes of Ron Howard (who introduces), Alfred Molina, Patton Oswalt, Jack McBrayer, Michaela Watkins, Henry Winkler, Stephen Merchant, Christopher Lloyd, Kristen Schaal, Andy Richter, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel, and Alf. Yes, the puppet Alf. Plus, Kenny Loggins wrote the theme song; which is a perfect accompaniment to the film's concept that The Art of the Deal is, in fact, a long lost movie made by Trump himself in the 1980s, based on his hit autobiography, but which has only recently been unearthed in a garage sale in Arizona. Where Ron Howard himself had to physically wrestle it out of the hands of a woman. "The plan was to move really fast because we thought Trump would go away, as least as a presidential candidate," Funny or Die's Editor in Chief Owen Burke told the New York Times. "When he bizarrely didnt go away, we had a little more time. But that meant keeping the secret for longer." What's been unleashed is a piece of absolute, wondrous insanity. Written by The Onion's former editor, Joe Randazzo, and directed by Drunk History's Jeremy Konner; The Art of the Deal sees Depp at his absolute prime. Really, this may actually cure you of those icky feelings still left lingering from last year's Mortdecai. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Which Aunt Viv was better, seasons 1 to 3s Janet Hubert-Whitten or season 4 to 6s Daphne Maxwell Reid? Its something that comes up time and time again with Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fans, given the two actors played the parts very differently. BBC Radio 1Xtra attempted to get Will Smith to pick the performance he preferred this week, but he responded: I think that both of the Aunt Vivs were really, really fantastic. He did however, perhaps tellingly, exalt Hubert-Whitten, saying: When you make a show, anytime you make a change, it's going to be excruciating and painful. I think that Janet Hubert Whitten brought a really powerful dignity to the show. She's brilliant... as an artist. She sings, she dances. She's, like, a really powerful artist. So I loved what she brought to The Fresh Prince. Smiths answer was very diplomatic, given Hubert-Whitten recently trashed talk him on Facebook. Discussing Jada Pinkett Smiths boycotting of this years Oscars over the lack of diversity, she said: Does your man not have a mouth of his own with which to speak?, adding that she thought Will didnt deserve a nomination for Concussion. Hubert-Whitten recently put her exit from the show down to her contract banning her from working elsewhere and a bit of a [cast feud]. Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A new Roald Dahl exhibition has all the interactive bells and whistles a childrens clientele could wish for. The Wondercrump World of Roald Dahl, which just opened at Londons Southbank Centre, shows us how to put on a good show for seven-plusses with a tour filled with storytelling, sound-effects, film-set lighting and a labyrinthine layout (shifting shelves in the library; bits of a war plane that Dahl crashed in desert-dunes, etc). But aside from the things that will enthral children a gigantic Peach, of James and the Giant...; an upside-down room, of The Twits; a forest full of hooting owl and eerie night sounds, of Danny, the Champion of the World the adult exhibition wrapped inside the childrens one is no less wondrous, and more informing that one might have imagined. It is not just a case of learning about the man behind some of our favourite childhood stories, though there is certainly that: a class photograph of Dahl aged 16 at Repton boarding school in Derbyshire looking posh and awkward. His childhood letters to his mother (mama), always signed Boy, which hang from the ceiling like origami birds, and which would later inspire the title of his autobiographical book, Boy. And the RAF uniform from his war days (for which he received seven hours flying training before climbing into a plane and crashing in Libya). But among the personal detritus are signs of his process in which elements of his life often the difficult elements were woven and restrung in fiction. In this, the sadness was often resolved, so that fiction provided psychic healing for him, to use the therapeutic language of today. The loss of Dahls father in childhood turned into a happy ending for Danny in his close relationship with his father in Danny, the Champion of the World, and the loneliness, the struggles with authority in boarding school life, were reworked in the same book too. There is a dream journal in the show which reveals not just his boyhood demons and his vivid imagination but the way in which life is processed through storytelling, in sleep as in fiction (Dahl dreams about icebergs, which my tour guide linked to his Norwegian ancestry). These documents reveal, specifically, Dahls inner world, but more generally, the way in which elements of autobiography coalesce with creativity over a lifetime. The bigger insight into his process and the one that most appeals to me is his visual imagination; so how he drew in order to write. There are some simple pencil sketches of Mr Fox, which shows Dahl working out his protagonists movements for Fantastic Mr Fox. It is a delight to see this kind of sequential sketching, which is not unlike the process the film director Martin Scorsese has spoken about in his schoolboy storyboarding days, placing one image after another until these pictures gain imaginative life and narrative momentum. The interface between images and words is clear in Dahls work, not only in his sketches of Mr Fox but his collaborations with Quentin Blake. We can view the photo that Dahl sent him of a local firebrand a horticulturalist called Miss Beatrix Havergal whose fierce, mannish, look he wanted Blake to replicate for the character of Miss Trunchball in Matilda. He also sent Blake a leather sandal so that he would rework the BFGs footwear. Blake had envisaged him in wellies but here was writer telling illustrator that the BFG of his imagination wore this, not that! On my Dahl tour, surrounded by children squeaking in excitement around me, I felt myself thinking of the shape a writers life takes when laid out in documents and objects. If art exhibitions in the past Yayoi Kusamas and Matisses Cut-Outs at Tate Modern or Anish Kapoors retrospective at the RA were deemed successful crossover shows, this too is as much for grown-ups as it is for the kids. Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Normally you have to be a war criminal, gangland executioner, rapist or psychopath to secure a room at Piotrkow prison in Poland. Investigative journalist Paul Connolly is none of the above but he has served time in Europe's most notorious lock-up. After several months of careful negotiation with the Polish authorities, Connolly was allowed to spend five days in the imposing jail. The resulting documentary forms part of the Channel 5 series Inside the World's Toughest Prisons, which will later feature Connolly's visits to Rizal Provincial Jail in the Philippines, El Hongo prison in Mexico and Danli Prison in Honduras. Piotrow was purpose-built in 2003 to house some of the world's most dangerous prisoners. Inside, every space bristles with sophisticated surveillance systems, every prisoner in every wing in every area from low- to high-risk is watched and listened to every hour of the day. Wardens from all over the world visit to study its unique design, which was intended to snuff out violent prison-gang culture by isolating inmates and keeping opportunities for contact to a minimum. "Piotrkow is huge but very claustrophobic," says Connolly. "It is vast but impossible to get lost in. It houses prisoners that other prisons in Europe can't handle. It is almost impossible to break out of, and it tends to break people down." In order to gain the trust of prisoners, Connolly and crew were not always shadowed by guards and, consequently, put themselves at considerable risk. "There was an enormous amount of emphasis placed on trust and goodwill," he says. "If someone had taken a dislike to me and fancied shanking me, there were ample opportunities. I was very vulnerable at many points, but it would have affected the content hugely if I was surrounded by guards." In Honduras and the Philippines, Connolly even stayed with lags in cells overnight. Bizarrely, in these locations the prisons were controlled by the prisoners themselves and Connolly was handed over to gangs by wardens at the perimeter. Inside, prisoners followed rules set by other prisoners and were free to come and go from their cells as they pleased. They could buy what they wanted, smoked drugs openly and even had their wives, girlfriends and children over to spend the night. Jail bate: Piotrkow houses lags who are so dangerous that other prisons in Europe cant contain them Connolly explains: "The guards look after all the administrative stuff, the buildings and systems, but inside the prisoners run things. It is bizarre, and a result of lack of government funding. Oddly, it works. A prisoner is far more likely to upset a guard than he is to upset a fellow prisoner. There was no 'us against them' mentality." In Poland, Connolly spent time with a gangland executioner named Marek who had spent eight years of a 14-year sentence in isolation. "I tried very hard from the outset to disregard any preconceptions I had about the people I met or pigeonhole them because of the crimes they had committed," he says. "It would have been easy to define them by their crimes, but that was not how they saw themselves. To them, those moments that defined other people's perceptions of them were flashpoints; they were moments of weakness and vulnerability that were out of character. They wanted to be known for their qualities, for being kind, generous, loving and intelligent. Some of the people were charismatic, interesting and well-travelled." Connolly decided to experience Piotrkow's most extreme isolation cell. In the plain 6ft by 3ft room his hands and feet were shackled and he was placed in a restrictive helmet that obstructed his jaw and made it hard to talk. He spent less than an hour in the room, but even that had a profound psychological effect. He recalls: "I lost all concept of time. I couldn't separate reality and fantasy. I walked out and, when I turned to do my piece to camera and tried to explain what had happened, I broke down. Every time I tell the story I still well up a little bit. It strips you of your personality." 'Inside The World's Toughest Prisons' begins tonight at 9pm on Channel 5 Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The BBC has been accused of advertising suicide in a new documentary which follows Simon Binner and his assisted suicide in Switzerland. How to Die: Simons Choice documents the 10 months preceding his assisted suicide, showing Binner and his family's emotional struggle after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease in January 2015. According to a report by the Daily Mail, the moment Binner dies will be broadcast by the BBC (Edit: The BBC has since clarified the 'moment of death' is not broadcast), as well as the moments directly after the procedure in which his body is put in a coffin. A spokesperson for Care Not Killing, a campaign group that opposes assisted suicide, has spoken out against the documentary, calling it deeply disturbing. Recommended Read more Terminally ill man calls for change to assisted dying law before It raises serious concerns for us, Alister Thompson told the paper. Showing scenes like that on national television risks skewing what people think about assisted suicide and sidelines the alternatives, such as hospice and palliative care. It gives the impression that if youre disabled or terminally ill your life is somehow worthless and you should kill yourself. Suicide is the biggest killer of young men in this country and the more it is normalised, the more people will think of it as a way out. Binner, from Surrey, died at the age of 57 at the Eternal Spirit Foundation in Basel, Switzerland. By the time he got there, he was almost unable to talk, struggling to walk and was losing function in his hands. In the weeks prior to his death on the 19 October 2015, he had attempted to commit suicide at home. In the UK, assisted suicide is illegal, unlike in Switzerland. Roughly one person every two weeks travels to the country to perform the procedure, which costs 7,000 and requires multiple interviews with a doctor as well as written consent from them. The Mail also states that his widow, Debbie, had begged him not to commit that act, but concluded an assisted suicide was the lesser of two evils. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up A spokesperson for The BBC told The Independent: This is a sensitive observational documentary following one familys experience of assisted death, which explores some of the complex questions at the heart of this deeply divisive issue. The film does not serve to support either argument or intend to wholly represent the debate. If you have been affected by this story and want to speak to someone confidentially, call the Samaritans on 116 123. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the free line. You can also visit their website. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The BBC is pressing ahead with plans to utilise new facial coding technology revealing viewers subconscious emotional attachment to programmes after running successful trials. Developed by a British start-up, CrowdEmotion, the technology uses cameras to record individuals expressions and actions. Facial movements are recorded on a second-by-second basis and the results are divided into six possible emotions: sadness, puzzlement, happiness, fear, rejection and surprise. Recommended Read more BBC 3 has revealed its final night of TV programming The cameras allow researchers to measure the often subconscious responses people have to visual content. CrowdEmotion is working with the Insight division of BBC Worldwide, the corporations commercial wing, on projects which could be used to help the BBC gauge how viewers react to particular programmes. A pilot experiment, measuring 5,000 peoples conscious and subconscious emotional responses to marketing campaigns on the BBC.com website from clients including HSBC has proved a success, BBC Worldwide said. The BBC wanted to discover if audiences would respond more positively to content which was clearly labelled as originating from a commercial brand. Facial coding showed a 77 per cent increase in explicit positivity towards the brands advertising and a 14 per cent increase in subconscious positivity when it was clearly marked as sponsored content. The BBCs advertising division said the technology enabled us to find out the emotional response of each person and how they truly felt about the content they were viewing, rather than just relying on traditional analytics such as dwell time and page views. A separate BBC Worldwide study with CrowdEmotion installed 200 web cams in homes across the UK, capturing viewer reactions to shows including Sherlock. The BBC said the experiment also produced valuable results. Further tests have taken place with audiences in Russia and Australia, with responses to around 100 different programmes recorded. The viewer trial prompted concerns that the BBC would use the webcam technology to spy on peoples living rooms and assess how diligently they were watching programmes. But the BBC believes facial coding will help it to serve audiences merely by gaining a greater understanding of their tastes. Rather than tailoring new programmes to match the results of the experiment, the insights would be used to guide viewers towards more shows they might like, informed by their conscious and subconscious reactions. CrowdEmotion, supported by the BBC Worldwide Labs programme, aims to become the largest dedicated facial coding provider in the world. The BBC programmes trial gave the company a data set of 10,000 face videos. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A team of American scientists have taken inspiration from the humble cockroach to create a slightly unnverving robot which is capable of squeezing through tiny gaps and being crushed by weights that far exceed its own. The University of California, Berkeley researchers behind the CRAM (Compressible Robot with Articulated Mechanisms), hope that one day similar machines could be used in disaster areas, where they could make their way through piles of wreckage to discover survivors and find information. The development of the robot began with an in-depth look at the movement of cockroaches - the researchers, led by Kaushik Jayaram, found that the insects could squeeze through gaps as small as 3mm tall, move through passages much narrower than their bodies, and withstand crushing forces of up to 900 times their bodyweight, which is akin to an average person surviving a crush of almost 60,000kg. "What's impressive about these cockroaches is that they can run as fast through a quarter-inch gap as a half-inch gap, by reorienting their legs completely out to the side," Jayaram said. "They're about half an inch tall when they run freely, but can squish their bodies to one-tenth of an inch - the height of two stacked pennies." Using their knowledge of the cockroach's body as inspiration, the team designed a simple and cheap palm-size robot, which splays its legs outwards when squashed. They then topped it with a layed plastic shell similar to the tough wings covering the back of a cockroach. The CRAM was made with a basic robotics kit, but the team hopes that the idea could be used in the future to create robots capable of helping in disaster situations like tornadoes, earthquakes and explosions. Robert Full, integrative biology professor at UC Berkeley said: "In the event of an earthquake, first responders need to know if an area of rubble is stable and safe, but the challenge is, most robots can't get into rubble." "But if there are lots of cracks and vents and conduits, you can imagine just throwing a swarm of these robots in to locate survivors and safe entry points for first responders," he said. Robot cockroaches may seem scary, but in the event of a natural disaster, you're better off with them than a Russian earthquake-proof bed. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Death rates are higher on wards with fewer nurses, according to research that suggests the drive to replaces nurses with less qualified staff should be reviewed. Experts studied 137 acute hospital trusts in England and found lower death rates when there were more nurses working. However, hospitals with healthcare support workers in higher numbers had patient death rates seven per cent higher. Of the 31 trusts where the team knew the exact staffing ratio per patient, the researchers found that those with an average of six patients or fewer per registered nurse had 20 per cent lower death rates compared to trusts with more than 10 patients per nurse. Recommended Read more Nurses warn NHS not to cut their numbers after watchdog announces end The findings, published in BMJ Open, also show a slight increase in patient deaths for trusts with the most healthcare support workers. Lead researcher Jane Ball, from the University of Southampton, said: At best, healthcare support workers make no difference, but at worst a higher level of support workers is linked to an increased risk of death during a hospital stay. The heavy reliance on support workers at the expense of registered nurses puts patient safety at risk. Thats a situation that can lead to more patients dying during their hospital stay. She said that introducing new roles - such as the nursing associate role announced by the Government in December - must be evaluated for their effect on patient safety. Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty Janet Davies, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nurses, said: The evidence is a clear warning about the impact on patient care and outcomes if we are to have too few registered nurses or are substituting them for healthcare support workers [who] are highly valuable staff but they need to complement the registered nursing workforce - not replace it. A separate study, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood journal, found that a drop in the number of nurses caring for poorly babies is leading to higher death rates. One-to-one nursing for very sick babies in neonatal intensive care dropped by a third - from an average of nine per cent intensive care days to an average of around six per cent - between 2008 and 2012. A 10 per cent drop in the proportion of intensive care days on which one-to-one nursing care was provided was linked with a monthly increase in baby death rates of 0.6 per 100 infants in intensive care. The authors stressed the study was observational and did not prove that low nursing ratios were to blame, but they said it suggested decreases in intensive care nursing increase the in-hospital mortality rate. Caroline Davey, the chief executive of premature and sick baby charity Bliss, said: The Government and NHS decision makers have so far failed to take the necessary action to address these staffing shortfalls, which we have known about for many years. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The British Medical Association was offered a last-minute, improved contract deal, hours before commencing strike action, it has emerged. Sir David Dalton, the hospital chief executive leading negotiations on behalf of the Government, offered terms addressing one of the last out-standing issues Saturday pay offering junior doctors who work one in four weekends or more, a premium rate for every Saturday they worked. The Government had previously sought to redefine Saturday as an ordinary working day. The new offer, which Sir Davids letter said would see the majority of junior doctors who work Saturdays getting a premium rate, was sent late on Tuesday. Recommended Read more NHS bosses say Jeremy Hunt should impose contract on junior doctors However, the BMA, which was given until 3pm to reply, appeared to reject the deal in a letter to the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, in which their junior doctor chairman Dr Johann Malawana offered an alternative settlement, based on one the BMA proposed in December, which would reduce the basic pay rise offered to junior doctors in exchange for better out-of-hours rates. Sir Davids letter stated that without assurances from the BMA by the 3pm ultimatum, he would advise Mr Hunt that we would have reached the end of the road in relation to the likelihood of reaching a negotiated settlement. The terms, and the BMAs apparent rejection of them, appears to pave the way for the Government to impose the contract on junior doctors a step previously described by Mr Hunt as his nuclear option, and which would likely face strong resistance from junior doctors. Junior doctors on strike As junior doctors completed the second strike of their long-running dispute, Chris Hopson, chief executive of the NHS Providers body, said it would be legitimate and sensible for the Health Secretary to consider imposing the contract, if the BMA did not accept a fair and reasonable offer. Hospital managers have told the Government they need to know what kind of contract they can present when offers are made in May. Danny Mortimer, chief executive of the NHS Employers organisation, the arms-length body negotiating on behalf of the Government, said that settling a new contract had already taken four years and cant go on forever. Six times Jeremy Hunt was called out on junior doctors dispute Thousands of junior doctors took part in Wednesday's strike, with more than 160 picket lines across England. According to NHS figures, 43 per cent of junior doctors, out of a possible 26,000, attended work on Wednesday, although this included those in emergency roles, who did not have a mandate to strike. Nearly 3,000 non-urgent operations were cancelled due to the action. Dr Malawana said the Government had rejected a fair and affordable proposal put forward by the BMA and warned that the introduction of the new contract could see many junior doctors voting with their feet. Mr Hunt insisted the strike had been very damaging and Downing Street sources said the BMA would not be given a veto on the new contract. Saturday pay is the last major issue in the contract dispute, but both sides are extremely reluctant to yield ground, with the eventual outcome likely to set a precedent for contract offers to other NHS staffing groups. NHS Providers, in its submission to the independent pay review body last year, said that, regardless of the Governments focus on improving weekend care, reform of doctors contracts is required to help create an affordable workforce. Meanwhile, it emerged the membership body for junior surgeons has written to the NHSs training authority warning of grave concerns at cuts to training posts for medical specialties. Some specialties have seen significant cuts with training places for core surgery reduced by 14 per cent, according to leaked figures. We feel compelled to voice significant concern regarding the ability to safely staff already under-filled surgical rotas, Rhiannon Harries, president of the Association of Surgeons in Training, wrote to Health Education England, in a letter seen by The Independent. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Australia has legalised the growth of marijuana for use in research, in the first step towards potentially legalising the drug for patients dealing with painful conditions. While the drug is currently illegal in Australia, two states?? Are discussing whether to allow people to use it therapeutically. The bill which the Liberal Party introduced to the country's parliament will change the Narcotics Drugs Act 1967. It looks likely to become law, as the main opposition party has offered its support. It is expected to come into play in March, Quartz reported. The result will be the creation of a national licensing scheme and permits to supply medical cannabis to patients with painful and chronic conditions on clinical trials. Health Minister Sussan Ley told Parliament said that the government wanted to enable Australians suffering from severe conditions to use the most effective medical treatments including marijuana. Allowing controlled cultivation locally will provide the critical missing piece for a sustainable legal supply of safe medicinal cannabis products for Australian patients in the future, he said prior to appearing in parliament. The government, which operates in a region with some of the strictest drug policies in the world, stressed that the amendment would not break Australias international obligations to make sure that the drug is only produced and sold for medical and scientific purposes. Currently, Australian manufacturers, researchers and patients on clinical trials have had to use international supplies of legal medicinal marijuana which is made difficult by the costs and export restrictions. However, it would still be illegal for patients outside of clinical trials and the general public to use the drug if the law passes. Cannabis around the world Show all 13 1 /13 Cannabis around the world Cannabis around the world Morocco Farmers destroy cannabis plantations under Moroccan police supervision in the northern Moroccan Larache region, pictured here in 2006 AFP/Getty images Cannabis around the world Colorado Growing business: Cannabis on sale at River Rock Wellness Sam Adams Cannabis around the world Oakland Oaksterdam in Oakland, California, is the world's only university dedicated to the study and cultivation of cannabis Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images Cannabis around the world Seattle A cannabis smoker marks the start of the new law by the Space Needle in Seattle Getty Images Cannabis around the world China Cannabis growing wild in China, where it has been used to treat conditions such as gout and malaria Cannabis around the world Uruguay Uruguay has voted to make the country the first to legalize marijuana AFP/Getty Cannabis around the world Colorado A groundswell of support from the public led to full legalisation in Colorado Getty Images Cannabis around the world Berlin A man smokes licenced medicinal marijuana prior to participating in the annual Hemp Parade, or 'Hanfparade', in support of the legalization of marijuana in Germany on August 7, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The consumption of cannabis in Germany is legal, though all other aspects, including growing, importing or selling it, are not. However, since the introduction of a new law in 2009, the sale and possession of marijuana for licenced medicinal use is legal. Sean Gallup/Getty Images Cannabis around the world UK The UK latest figures show 2.3 million people used cannabis in the last year AP Cannabis around the world Amsterdam Tourists visiting Amsterdam will not be banned from using the citys famous cannabis cafes Getty Images Cannabis around the world Merseyside These 25 cannabis plants, seized in Merseyside police, could have generated a turnover of 40,000 a year Cannabis around the world San Francisco April 20, 2012: People smoke marijuana joints at 4:20 p.m. as thousands of marijuana advocates gathered at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. The event was held on April 20, a date corresponding with a numerical 4/20 code widely known within the cannabis subculture as a symbol for all things marijuana. Reuters Cannabis around the world Spain A cannabis users' association will pay the town of Rasquera more than 600,000 a year for the lease of the land MMJ PhytoTech Ltd became Australia's first listed medicinal marijuana company following an initial public offering last year that was three times oversubscribed. The market for medicinal cannabis in Australia is substantial. The number of patients that could be targeted could be people with epilepsy, Multiple sclerosis, while there is the other spectrum of people with chronic pain, said Gaelan Bloomfield, manager at MMJ PhytoTech Ltd. Additional reporting by Reuters Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Scotland will face real challenges in recruiting GPs over the next decade as many leave the profession or choose to work part-time, Nicola Sturgeon admitted on Wednesday as she announced 27 million of funding to train more doctors, nurses and midwives. The First Minister made the announcement amid fears of a growing GP recruitment crisis, with statistics showing that nearly a quarter of surgeries in some parts of Scotland are refusing new patients as they struggle to fill vacancies. More than 50 practices have been forced to bring in restrictions on patient numbers as a result. Announcing a range of initiatives to widen access to the medical profession over the next five years, Ms Sturgeon said 23m would be spent on a new entry level programme for students from deprived backgrounds, alongside incentives for graduates to work in the Scottish NHS after they qualify. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty 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 A further 3m will go towards training an extra 500 advanced nurses, while 1m will be spent on a fund for nursery and midwifery students experiencing financial difficulties. We need to make sure that we are training the right numbers of professionals in and across different specialities with the skills they need for the health service of the future, Ms Sturgeon said. Addressing the issue of GP recruitment, she acknowledged that the demographics of the profession meant that many would soon be retiring at a time when Scotlands ageing population is placing increased pressure on primary care. What we need to do is take action now to address that, and thats why weve increased the number of GP training places from 300 a year to 400, she said. However, the Scottish Liberal Democrats described the new investment as a drop in the ocean which would not deliver the changes needed in time. This is a recruitment crisis that the First Minister is only just waking up to and how fortunate just before an election, said the partys health spokesman Jim Hume. This is a rushed response to what she knows are ticking time bombs but will not provide additional resources immediately. However, the extra funding was welcomed by Professor Derek Bell, president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Widening participation in the medical profession is a key element in addressing the future challenges of the NHS, he said. We must ensure that a career in medicine is open to all those with ability and not restricted by factors such as socio-economic status. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} He was peddling produce along coastal towns in Connecticut when he fell in love with the neighbor girl, Annie. She was a few years younger and still in high school. Shed walk with her friends in the morning, and hed drive by in his 1932 Ford Roadster and give them a lift. The country was still in the throes of the Great Depression, and Annies father wanted her to marry a man 20 years her senior. But she too had fallen in love, with the charming John Betar. So at just 17, she followed her heart, and they ran away together, eloping in nearby Harrison, N.Y. That was more than 83 years ago. Eight decades later, with 14 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, theyve seen the world change immeasurably over their lifetimes together. Now, at 104 and 100 years old, respectively, John and Ann Betar will tackle a whole new frontier this Valentines Day: Twitter. Named the longest married couple in America, according to an analysis by the Worldwide Marriage Encounter, a Christian organization, the two will dispense marital and life advice online. It was organized by Handy, an on-demand home services company that will be collecting the questions and tweeting the Betars answers. They have few expectations for their social media experiment, but they are accustomed to people asking how theyve stayed content together for so long, and what they eat and do to keep busy. A lot, as it turns out. Ann Betar still cooks, cleans, reads, makes the bed, waters the plants and hosts family gatherings, her husband boasted. And he still drives, cuts grocery coupons and handles the finances, she said. Recommended Read more Syrian doctor escaped torture to be reunited with fiancee in London Were just lucky to be together. So fortunate, he said, in an email exchange. The best part of their long life? Just simply being together, he said. John Betar is a Syrian refugee, whose family escaped during World War I. He was only 10 then, and he bounced between refugee camps for several years. His father had already made it to America. His mother got a foot infection during their escape and died in 1919, leaving him and his brother to fend for themselves until their father sent for them in 1921. He said they send donations to support Syrian refugees now. I always feel the doors [to the West] should be open. They were open to me. Gee, imagine if they werent , he said. There wouldnt have been Annie. Love and sex news: in pictures Show all 31 1 /31 Love and sex news: in pictures Love and sex news: in pictures What makes a perfect penis? Scientists have now answered one of these great unknowns. According to a new study, general cosmetic appearance is the most important penile aspect when it comes to what women value down there. This is swiftly followed by the appearance of pubic hair, penile skin, and girth. Length comes in at number six, with the look of the scrotum trailing closely behind. The least important facet of the phallus, say the scientists, is the position and shape of meatus, the vertical slit at the opening of the urethra. Getty Love and sex news: in pictures Half of divorcees had doubts on their wedding day Over half of divorcees considered abandoning their husband or wife-to-be at the altar on their wedding day, a new study has revealed. On top of likely worrying about wedding favours and making sure guests behave on their big day, 49 per cent of divorcees admitted they were unsure before the ceremony that their marriage would last. Some 15 per cent of divorcees polled said they were so wracked with doubt that they felt physically sick in the run up to their wedding. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Students who marry after studying the same subject Picking a university subject is already difficult enough for young people. But heres an extra piece of data to weigh on your decision: you may be picking a life partner as well. Dan Kopf of the blog, Priceonomics, analysed US Census data and found that the percentage of Americans who marry someone within their own major is actually fairly high. About half of Americans are married, according to the 2012 American Community Survey (part of the Census). And about 28 per cent of married couples over the age of 22 both graduated from college. (The survey didnt recognise same-sex marriages for the 2012 data, but it will for 2013 onwards, says Kopf). Sean Gallup/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures How much sex we have (and how much we'd like) As a nation, we dont have as much sex as we would like, a survey has (somewhat unsurprisingly) confirmed. In a poll of 1523 people by YouGov, 64 per cent of Britons said they would wish to have sex at least a few times a month. The same sample said that only 38 per cent had sex at least a few times a month. In addition, 10 per cent said they wished to have sex every day, a goal which only 1 per cent admitted reaching. Rex Love and sex news: in pictures The new female condom Picture an internal condom. The chances are youre thinking of something which resembles a carrier bag. However, this could all be about to change with the new VA w.o.w. Condom Feminine. Not only is it a wireless, Bluetooth enabled, vibrating interactive device, which comes available in the shape of a heart, but the manufacturers think youll love it more than not using a condom at all. Love and sex news: in pictures One in five Brits admit to having had an affair One in five British adults admits they have had an affair, according to a new poll. 20 per cent of male respondents and 19 per cent of female respondents admitted to having had an affair in a new poll of 1660 respondents by YouGov. Orlando /Three Lions/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures The UK's favourite sex position Casting aside the myth that Brits are a prudish bunch, a new survey has revealed that doggy style is the nations favourite sex position. As many as a quarter of UK adults surveyed said doggy style was their favourite way to indulge with a partner. Missionary, which is sometimes scoffed at the most boring position, was favoured by a fifth of the 1,000 people surveyed by high street sex shop Ann Summers, seeing it come in as third under "woman on top". Caiaimage/REX Love and sex news: in pictures Who's most likely to cheat? Men and women who are economically dependent on their spouses are more likely to cheat, a new study has revealed. Researchers have found that men who are solely financially dependent are more like to cheat than women, at 15 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. Men who are rely on their wives may cheat because they are undergoing a masculinity threat by not being the primary breadwinner as is culturally expected, said study author Christin L. Munsch, a UConn assistant professor of sociology. Eye Candy/REX Love and sex news: in pictures Jailed for loud sex noises A woman who breached a court order barring her from causing nuisance by making "loud sex noises" was sent to jail. Gemma Wale, of Small Heath, Birmingham, was given a two-week prison sentence after a civil court judge concluded that she had breached the order by "screaming and shouting whilst having sex" at a "level of noise" which annoyed a neighbour. Rex Features Love and sex news: in pictures Photo of wedding guest proposing to girlfriend in front of bride and groom goes viral When the staggering amount time, money, and effort that goes into to planning a wedding is considered, it seems pretty obvious that all guests have is to do is turn up with some gifts, and not upstage the couple. But this fact seems to have escaped one man, whose grinning face has gone viral after he decided to propose to his girlfriend in front of the bride and grooms top table. The photo, which has been viewed over 1.4 million times on Reddit, shows a boyfriend perched on one knee in front of his crying girlfriend. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Sexual fantasies The results of a sex survey are busting the myth that Britons are sexually repressed, by revealing how the majority of women have lived out their sexual fantasies. As many as 81 per cent of women and 77 per cent of men have shared and acted out fantasies with a partner with having sex in public topping the list of turn-ons. The study also laid bare the influence of TV and film on our desires, with three-quarters of couples saying they had inspired them. Meanwhile, a further three quarters of women and over half of men have played out a fantasy theyd found in a book. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures The world's sexiest nationalities Irish men are the worlds sexiest, according to a survey of thousands of jet-setting women. In a poll of 66,000 of single American women who use MissTravel.com, as many as 8,000 said that Irish men are the sexiest. Around half of the females who took said they were turned on by Irish men said their accent influenced their choice, according to the Irish Times. ANDREW COWIE/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures More sex = happiness? Couples were asked to double the amount of sex they had each week over a three month period by researchers at the Carnegie Mellon University, who compared them to couples who had their normal amount of sex. Their findings, published in the Journal of Economic Behavior, went against advice given by the average self-help book having more sex doesnt automatically make a person happier. Instead, couples who were instructed to have more sex reported a decrease in happiness levels. Mood Board/Rex Love and sex news: in pictures Most sexually satisfied countries It is often considered the most amorous nation on the planet, but France doesn't even feature in a new list of the most sexually satisfied countries. According to a Durex global survey of 26,000 people, aged 16 and older, across 26 countries, only 44 per cent of people are fully satisfied with their sex lives. In the wake of these results, AlterNet has compiled a list of the 12 most sexually satisfied countries, with Switzerland, Spain and Italy topping the list. INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Sex o'clock They say women are from Venus and men are from Mars but a new sex survey suggests that members of the opposite sex seem to operate in different time zones too. While women like to get steamy between 11:21pm on average, men are more likely to be turned on at the rather inconvenient time of 7:54am. These times fall into the broader timeslots of 11pm and 2am for women, and 6am and 9am for men. PIERRE ANDRIEU/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures More sex = more money People who have more sex are likely to earn more, new research claims. The research, partly conducted from the responses of 7,500 people, found employees who have sex two or three times a week earn 4.5 per cent more than colleagues who do not. Rex Love and sex news: in pictures The effects of watching porn Contrary to suggestion that porn desensitises viewers to sex, a study has found that it doesn't "negatively impact sexual functioning" and in fact boosts couples' sexual attraction to one another. In research published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, scientists at the University of California tested the effects of visual sexual stimuli on men in relationships, finding that it "is unlikely to negatively impact sexual functioning, given that responses actually were stronger in those who viewed more VSS." Rex Love and sex news: in pictures 'I have herpes' A woman diagnosed with herpes at the age of 20 has written an emotional essay about living with the common condition to fight the stigma surrounding it. Ella Dawson, now 22, said she had never had unprotected sex and thought she wasn't the sort of person STDs happened to when the symptoms first appeared during her time at university in the US. She wrote that the diagnosis initially felt like a punishment for her values and relationships and worried her that telling boyfriends would ruin her love life. Ella Dawson Love and sex news: in pictures More sleep, better sex A new study could have a simple answer to enhancing your sex life just get a good nights sleep (if you are a woman at least). A study conducted by a team at the University of Michigan Sleep and Circadian Research Laboratory found women who get an extra hour of sleep at night reported higher levels of sexual desire and were more likely to have sex with their partners. Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Swipe right A woman has detailed her experiences of a week of always swiping right on Tinder. By opening the floodgates, as Ms Caster describes it, she receives scores of messages from different men and not all are terrible. Love and sex news: in pictures The most adulterous town in the UK Ever wondered what the neighbours are up to? Well if you live in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, then the answer is probably... having an affair. The bustling East Midlands town has been granted the dubious honour of being the UK's top spot for infidelity with a total of 941 affairs reportedly taking place right now. According to The Official Infidelity Index 2015, which was released this week, 2.54 per cent of the towns population are currently seeing someone they shouldn't. REX FEATURES Love and sex news: in pictures Average penis size revealed Scientists have measured more than 15,000 mens penises in an effort to find out what size is normal. Researchers at Kings College London and a London NHS trust said they hoped the review would help address the concern that some men have about their penis size and aid people suffering from anxiety and distress. They revealed that the average flaccid penis is 3.6ins (9.16cm) long, or 5.2ins (13.24cm) when stretched, and 3.7ins (9.31cm) in circumference. Erect penises are 5.1ins (13.12cm) long on average and 4.5ins (11.66cm) in girth. Rex Love and sex news: in pictures One true love Men fall in love more times in their life than women, according to a new survey. 2,000 adults were asked about relationships, and discovered that more than half of men say they've loved more than one person their lifetime. For women, it's markedly fewer, with only 45 per cent saying they've had multiple loves. Love and sex news: in pictures Dating site for 'beautiful people only' A self-proclaimed elite dating website has removed around 3,000 members because they were "letting themselves go". BeautifulPeople.com describes itself as the largest internet dating community exclusively for the beautiful and puts peoples photographs to a members vote to decide if they are allowed in. But administrators have now shown that the rigorous 48-hour selection period is not a permanent pass by taking thousands of profiles down, mainly because of weight gain and graceless ageing. Love and sex news: in pictures Sex is a 'miracle cure' Regular exercise including sex, walking and dancing are miracle cures staring us in the face and could dramatically cut our risk of cancer, dementia, heart disease and diabetes, leading doctors have said. In a new review of existing evidence which reveals the full extent of benefits that can be accrued from exercise, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said the improvement in health and savings to the NHS could be incalculable. Susannah Ireland Love and sex news: in pictures Pornhub searches by age of user Pornhubs prolific Insights blog fires out many reports of sociological interest, none more so than its latest on age, which lays bare different age groups' sexual proclivities. Looking at the most popular searches among 18-24s, there are several familial terms including 'step mom', 'milf', 'mom' and 'step sister', a trend that seems to die out somewhat in users' 30s. By 65, 'massage' becomes the top term, while 'granny' perhaps unsurprisingly also hits the top ten. PlaceIt/Just Another IKEA Catalog Love and sex news: in pictures Mature sex Research into the sexual lives of more than 7,000 men and women between the ages of 50 and 90 in England reveals that half of men and almost a third of women aged 70 and over were still sexually active, with around a third of these sexually active older people having sexual intercourse twice a month or more. Around two-thirds of men and over half of women thought good sexual relations were essential to the maintenance of a long-term relationship or being sexually active was physically and psychologically beneficial to older people. Getty Creative Love and sex news: in pictures The secret to an eighty year marriage Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that 42 per cent of marriages in England and Wales end in divorce, and the average British marriage which ends in divorce lasts 11 years and six months. Helen and Maurice Kaye, now aged 101 and 102, have been married for 80 years, and say the secret is: I think its important to have patience and tolerance. You're two entirely different people who suddenly live together, which can't be easy. But if you love each other, you get over the difficulties. Love and sex news: in pictures Valentine's Day porn Pornhub saw a (slight) drop in traffic on Valentine's Day as people focused on pleasuring their partners rather than themselves. Everywhere, it is, except for London. Overall UK traffic dipped 3 per cent across the UK, with Plymouth and Oxford seeing the biggest drops of 11 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. In fact every major city spent less time watching porn bar London, the Pornhub audience for which grew by 2 per cent. Getty Love and sex news: in pictures 1 in 10 men paying for sex A tenth of British men have admitted to paying for sex, according to a new study. Professionals aged 25 to 34 who binge drink and take drugs were found to be the most likely to have used the services of prostitutes, based on findings from a study of 6,108 men. Around 11 per cent of subjects, in the study published in the Sexually Transmitted Infections journal, have ever paid for sex in their lifetime and four per cent admitted to doing so in the last five years. Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Questions that determine if you're in love The existence of love and its nature is something that has troubled philosophers for centuries, but a pair of scientists believe they have a set of questions that yield "clear empirical evidence" of it, or at least whether your relationship will end in divorce. They are: 'How happy are you in your marriage relative to how happy you would be if you weren't in the marriage?' and 'How do you think your spouse answered that question?' Columbia One lesson theyve taken away from their longest marriage is to be happy with the life you have. Live day to day within your means. Be content with what you have, he said. Dont spend more than you have. Respect each other. [Understanding which love language my husband speaks changed our relationship] Betar said dependence on technology has been the greatest change hes witnessed in his century-long life. He has a cellphone, but not an iPhone. You guys live by the phone, he said. Rely on the phone so much. Still, hes very aware of the dating world realities today. Asked how hed court Annie in 2016, he said hed probably, Google her, and then text or call to ask her out. At least he didnt say, swipe right. To ask the Betars your love and life questions, tweet @Handy with the hashtag #longestlove. The company will be making a charitable contribution to an organization of Betars choosing. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Japanese brewer Asahi has made a binding offer to buy beer brands including Peroni and Grolsch for 2.55 billion (1.98 bn). The biggest brewer in Japan, which has a 38 per cent market share, would also acquire the Meantime Company, a London-based craft brewer, bought by SAB Miller in May last year. The brands are being sold to reassure regulators over competition concerns as Anheuser-Busch InBev seeks approval for its 70 billion takeover of SABMiller, agreed in November last year. The merger will see the new company produce almost one third of the worlds beer. The Asahi transaction would depend on regulators signing off on the larger deal. We are pleased to have received this binding offer from Asahi on the Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime brands and businesses iconic beer brands with longstanding heritage and leading positions in core markets, Carlos Brito, the Anheuser-Busch InBev chief executive, said about the new deal. The acquisition would give the Japanese company a major inroad into the European market. "Through this proposed acquisition, Asahi aims to expand its growth platform in Europe and become a global player with a distinct position," Asahi said in a statement. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. Asahi and AB InBev said they will now begin relevant employee information and consultation processes. AB InBev already owns Stella Artois, Budweiser and Corona, which sell better than Peroni or Grolsch. There are fears that its acquisition of SABMiller could stifle competition in the beer market in Italy and the Netherlands, where the two companies have combined shares of 30 per cent and 27 per cent of the market respectively. Additional reporting by Reuters For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A large group of climate scientists has made a bracing statement in the journal Nature Climate Change, arguing that we are mistaken if we think global warming is only a matter of the next 100 years or so in fact, they say, we are locking in changes that will play out over as many as 10,000 years. The next few decades offer a brief window of opportunity to minimize large-scale and potentially catastrophic climate change that will extend longer than the entire history of human civilization thus far, write the 22 climate researchers, led by Peter Clark, from Oregon State University. The author names include not only a number of very influential climate scientists in general but several key leaders behind major reports from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, including MITs Susan Solomon and Thomas Stocker of the University of Bern in Switzerland. Recommended Read more Australia to sack climate scientists because it has learnt everything The researchers key contention is that we have been thinking about climate change far too narrowly by only projecting outward to the year 2100, which the research says was originally driven by past computational capabilities. Rather, we should consider that the long-term consequences of human emissions for global temperatures and sea level will play out over many millennia. Its a statement of worry, said Raymond Pierrehumbert, a geoscientist at Oxford University and one of the studys authors. And actually, most of us who have worked both on paleoclimate and the future have been terrified by the idea of doubling or quadrupling CO2 right from the get-go. In hundreds of years from now, people will look back and say, Yeah, the sea level is rising; it will continue to rise; we live with a constant rise of sea level because of these people 200 years ago that used coal, and oil and gas, said Anders Levermann, a sea-level-rise expert at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and one of the papers authors. If you just look at this, its stunning that we can make such a long-lasting impact that has the same magnitude as the ice ages. The key reason for this is that carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for a very long time before being slowly removed again by natural processes. A considerable fraction of the carbon emitted to date and in the next 100 years will remain in the atmosphere for tens to hundreds of thousands of years, the study noted. Meanwhile, the planets sea levels adjust gradually to its rising temperature over thousands of years. So what will the world look like in 10,000 years, thanks to us? That really depends on what we do in the next few hundred years with the fossil fuels to which we have relatively easy access. It also depends on whether or not we develop technologies that are capable of pulling carbon dioxide out of the air on a massive scale, comparable to the amount that were currently emitting. But assuming that we dont develop such technologies, here are the key factors to consider as laid out in the new paper about how we are shaping the planets very distant future. From 1750 to the present, human activities put about 580 billion metric tons, or gigatons, of carbon into the atmosphere which converts into more than 2,000 gigatons of carbon dioxide (which has a larger molecular weight). Climate change protests around the world Show all 25 1 /25 Climate change protests around the world Climate change protests around the world People rally to promote climate protection in Rome, Italy Climate change protests around the world Hundreds of demonstrators gather in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world People hold hands to form a human chain during a gathering called by ecologist organisations in Marseille, southern France, to protest against global warming a day ahead of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21) held in Paris Climate change protests around the world Demonstrators clash with French riot police during protests on Place de la Republique, ahead of the COP21 World Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, France Climate change protests around the world Demonstrators clash with French riot police during a protest on Place de la Republique ahead of the COP21 World Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, France Climate change protests around the world A group of people perform during a rally to promote climate protection in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Climate change protests around the world A protester sits next to his sign that reads 'Monsanto the Devil Incorporated ' as he joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Environmentalists dance during a protest near the Place de la Republique after the cancellation of a planned climate march following shootings in the French capital, ahead of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21), in Paris, France Reuters Climate change protests around the world People protest next to characters dressed as wild animals during a march against climate change near the Monument to the Revolution, in Mexico City AP Climate change protests around the world Protesters carries a banner while they take part in a protest about climate change at New York City Hall steps in lower Manhattan, New York Reuters Climate change protests around the world People take part in a protest about climate change around New York City Hall at lower Manhattan, New York Reuters Climate change protests around the world People rally to promote climate protection in Piazza Castello, Turin, Italy Climate change protests around the world A woman holds a globe during a protest for the global climate day in Lugano, Switzerland Climate change protests around the world Yemenis hold banners as they participate in the Global March for Climate in the old city of Sanaia, Yemen Climate change protests around the world Protesters dressed as Santa Claus take part in a protest about climate change at New York City Hall steps in lower Manhattan, New York Reuters Climate change protests around the world People gather at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo, during the Global Climate March to demand action on climate change telling world leaders on the eve of a crunch UN summit that there is "no planet B". From Sydney to London, humid Rio to chilly New York, at least 683,000 hit the streets in 2,300 events across 175 countries at the weekend, co-organiser and campaign group Avaaz said, calling it the largest number of people to protest over climate change all at once Getty Images Climate change protests around the world Climate change protests around the world Demonstrators participate in the Global March for Climate in Athens, Greece Climate change protests around the world A man wearing a Bernie Sanders mask leads hundreds of demonstrators who marched near City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Patricia Hauser joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California Climate change protests around the world A woman holds a poster of a sick Earth as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Hundreds of demonstrators march around City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world A demonstrator holds cut-out of US Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world George Patten holds a sign that reads 'No Fracking Ever!' as he joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Gabrielle Sosa wears 'Rising Sea Levels' sign as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Were currently emitting about 10 gigatons of carbon per year a number that is still expected to rise further in the future. The study therefore considers whether we will emit somewhere around another 700 gigatons in this century (which, with 70 years at 10 gigatons per year, could happen easily), reaching a total cumulative emissions of 1,280 gigatons or whether we will go much further than that, reaching total cumulative levels as high as 5,120 gigatons. (It also considered scenarios in between.) In 10,000 years, if we totally let it rip, the planet could ultimately be an astonishing 7 degrees Celsius warmer on average and feature seas 52 meters (170 feet) higher than they are now, the paper suggests. There would be almost no mountain glaciers left in temperate latitudes, Greenland would give up all of its ice and Antarctica would give up almost 45 meters worth of sea level rise, the study suggests. Still, anyone observing the worlds recent mobilization to address climate change in Paris in late 2015 would reasonably question whether humanity will indeed emit this much carbon. With the efforts now afoot to constrain emissions and develop clean energy worldwide, it stands to reason that we wont go so far. With Paris, it does get us off the exponential growth, and we might level off at 2,000, 3,000 gigatons, said Pierrehumbert. Paris Climate Change talks - The Brandalism Project Still, whats striking is that when the paper outlines a much more modest 1,280-gigaton scenario one that does not seem unreasonable, and that would only push the globe a little bit of the way beyond a rise of 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial temperature levels the impacts over 10,000 years are still projected to be fairly dramatic. In this scenario, we only lose 70 percent of glaciers outside of Greenland and Antarctica. Greenland gives up as much as four meters of sea level rise (out of a potential seven), while Antarctica could give up up to 24. Combined with thermal expansion of the oceans, this scenario could mean seas rise an estimated 25 meters (or 82 feet) higher in 10,000 years. There is, to be sure, a big uncertainty range on that prediction, Pierrehumbert said by email. Once again, a key factor that could mitigate this dire forecast is the potential development of technologies that could remove carbon dioxide from the air and thus cool down the planet much faster than the Earth on its own can through natural processes. If we want to have some backstop technology to avoid this, we really ought to be putting a lot more money into carbon dioxide removal, Pierrehumbert said. Pierrehumbert said he believes that we will manage to develop such a technology in coming centuries, so long as human societies remain wealthy enough but he added that we dont know yet about how affordable it will be. The new study fits into a growing body of scientific analysis suggesting that human alteration of the planet has truly brought on a new geological epoch, which has been dubbed the anthropocene. Taking a 10,000-year perspective certainly reinforces the geological scale of whats currently happening. The ability to carry an analysis out so far into the future, Levermann said, is really the result in recent years of several key scientific developments. One is that we are now in a better position to model the ice sheets, really, he said. At the same time, scientists have also recently begun to calculate so-called carbon budgets that describe how much we can emit and still hold the planet to a variety of temperature thresholds. All of this coming together means that a conversation about increasingly long-range forecasts, and about the millennial-scale consequences of todays greenhouse gas emissions, is growing within the scientific world. The question remains whether a similar conversation will finally take hold in the public and political one. Copyright: Washington Post Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Today we're under constant bombardment from wanderlust-inducing imagery, but no over-saturated Instagram snap comes close close to capturing the allure of travel like the vintage posters of the 1930s to 1960s. I like to think I'm relatively immune to modern advertising, but as a hopelessly romantic travel obsessive, a 1930s French railway poster or 1960s United Airlines poster has me mentally filling my imaginary Globetrotter suitcase with my (equally non-existent) glamorous travel wardrobe. Nasa's canny decision to commission sumptuous vintage-inspired posters by Seattle design firm Invisible Creature has firmly placed space travel back where it belongs: in the imagination of travellers. It is particularly fitting that the Nasa commission went to Don and Ryan Clark, who have been running Invisible Creature since 2006, undertaking projects for the likes of Nike and Target. Nasa unveils space tourism posters Show all 6 1 /6 Nasa unveils space tourism posters Nasa unveils space tourism posters Nasa space tourism posters Nasa's canny decision to commission sumptuous vintage-inspired posters by Seattle design firm Invisible Creature has firmly placed space travel back where it belongs: in the imagination of travellers Nasa Nasa unveils space tourism posters Nasa space tourism posters It is particularly fitting that the Nasa commission went to Don and Ryan Clark, who have been running Invisible Creature since 2006, undertaking projects for the likes of Nike and Target Nasa Nasa unveils space tourism posters Nasa space tourism posters "We were ecstatic, just because our grandfather was an illustrator at Nasa for 30 years," says Clark Nasa Nasa unveils space tourism posters Nasa space tourism posters The artwork harks back to the Jet Age-era posters commissioned by Howard Hughes' Trans World Airlines and its rival United in the 1950s and 1960s, when the work of David Klein (for TWA) and Stan Galli (for United) glamorised and essentially branded this new age of air travel Nasa Nasa unveils space tourism posters Nasa space tourism posters It doesn't matter that Nasa has no plans for a "Grand Tour" of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus Nasa Nasa unveils space tourism posters Nasa space tourism posters If global travel is for daydreamers, going beyond the atmosphere is for true space cadets Nasa "We were ecstatic, just because our grandfather was an illustrator at Nasa for 30 years," says Clark. The artwork harks back to the Jet Age-era posters commissioned by Howard Hughes' Trans World Airlines and its rival United in the 1950s and 1960s, when the work of David Klein (for TWA) and Stan Galli (for United) glamorised and essentially branded this new age of air travel. The impulse to travel always arises in the imagination, and those beautifully illustrated, entirely imaginary renditions of exotic island paradises such as Sri Lanka, or wildly glamorous US cities such as San Francisco, tap into our urge to explore, discover and ultimately toy with swapping our current reality for a new one. Unlike most advertising, which looks dated six months later, these posters are oddly timeless, their impact augmented by the intervening years, rather than diminished. Philip Baber is co-founder and director of Stick No Bills, a gallery and online resource for high-quality vintage travel poster art. "These vintage tourism posters evoke travel as how it used to be; glamorous and thrilling," he says. "When people visit our gallery in Galle, Sri Lanka, and leave with a vintage Ceylon poster, they tell me that they're buying a snapshot of the holiday they wish they'd had." Astronaut Tim Peake Captures Dramatic Timelapse of Lightning Storms from ISS Not that accuracy is a big deal in this field. "Most vintage travel posters were created by artists who had never been the destination, so we're seeing an imaginary vision of a place," says Maber. "The intention is to set the consumer daydreaming." So it doesn't matter that Nasa has no plans for a "Grand Tour" of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. That poster has already got me packing my space wardrobe, complete with 1960s Courreges dresses and Barbarella boots. Because if global travel is for daydreamers, going beyond the atmosphere is for true space cadets. sticknobillsonline.com For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Milly Dowlers family have revealed horrific details of the teenagers final hours to expose the true heinousness of her murderer. Levi Bellfield was convicted in June 2011 but his confession to abducting, raping and killing Milly was not announced until last month. Her relatives were told he attacked her at his flat before driving to his mothers house and raping her in broad daylight in the driveway, before continuing hours of "torture" at another location and eventually strangling her to death. The 13-year-old disappeared on her way home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, on 21 March 2002. Video: Levi Bellfield: serial killer Her body was found six months later in woods near Hampshire but without Bellfields evidence, her final hours had remained a mystery. Recommended Surrey Police only released limited details of his eventual confession on 27 January, which came as they investigated claims of an accomplice that have since been dismissed. In a statement, Millys family said they did not feel police had reflected her killers true heinousness, adding: We believe that they should know what Bellfield did to our beautiful daughter and sister Milly. Relatives said they were told Bellfield asked to speak to police about Milly in May 2015, demanding to speak with only female officers. Sally and Bob Dowler, the parents of Milly Dowler (EPA) It was then that he provided a harrowing account of her final 14 hours and how he abducted, repeatedly raped, tortured and murdered her. Bellfield told the police that after abducting Milly and assaulting her at his flat a few yards from Walton Station, he then drove her to his mother's house, the statement said. He reversed down a long driveway and then raped her in broad daylight over the boot of his car. Bellfield then moved her to another location, where the rape and torture continued for a number of hours, until the next day when he finally strangled her to death. Millys family said they were only told the information because Bellfield had already bragged about his crimes to fellow prison inmates, who may have made details public on release without their knowledge. Levi Bellfield is serving multiple murder sentences (PA) "There are no words to describe the additional torment and pain we have been going through since we were told this information, the statement said. "We had to remain silent for eight months whilst the police conducted their investigation. "The pressure this has put us under as a family has been unimaginable and has taken its toll on all of us. We have had to fight every step of the way to get this far. Relatives met with Theresa May last year after expressing concerns over the police investigation. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty 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 Now we know the final hours of Milly's life, perhaps her soul, at long last, can finally rest in peace, the Dowlers said. The general public have always played a huge part in supporting us, for which we are eternally grateful and thankful. Bellfield, who know calls himself Yusuf Rahim, is serving a whole-life sentence for her murder and had already been convicted of killing Amelie Delagrange, 22, Marsha McDonnell, 19, and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, 18. The 47-year-old is suspected of numerous other crimes still under investigation and police previously said they believed he may have been responsible for up to 20 unsolved attacks on women. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Controversial historical sex abuse investigations such as the probe set up to examine claims of a VIP paedophile ring in Westminster will be scrutinised by an independent review. Embattled Scotland Yard boss Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has called in former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques to examine a number of investigations involving non-recent sexual claims against public figures. His force has faced fierce criticism over one investigation, known as Operation Midland, which saw the home of 92-year-old Lord Bramall raided before the case was later dropped. The move comes as a decision is imminent over if and for how long Sir Bernard's contract as Metropolitan Police Commissioner will be renewed. He said: We are not afraid to learn how we can do these things better, and that's why I've announced today's review into how we have conducted investigations into non-recent sexual allegations involving public figures. I am pleased that Sir Richard brings an independent legal mind to advise us whether we can provide a better balance between our duty to investigate and the interests of suspects, complainants and victims. Key findings of the review will be published later in the year, although the full report will remain confidential. An Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse is already being led by Justice Lowell Goddard, and is expected to cost 18 million in its first year, but Sir Bernard said this probe will look at police procedure, not evidence. Operation Midland was launched in November 2014 following allegations that boys were sexually abused by a paedophile ring centred around Westminster more than 30 years ago. There were claims that sex parties were held at the exclusive Dolphin Square apartment block near the Houses of Parliament. The inquiry centred on allegations by a man known as Nick, and was also looking into the alleged murder of three young boys. At the time a detective described Nick's account as credible and true. Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who furiously denied any involvement and claimed he was the victim of a homosexual witch hunt, has been interviewed under caution twice but has not been charged. Former prime minister Edward Heath and ex-home secretary Lord Brittan, both now dead, have also been named in connection with the probe. Operation Midland, which had cost 1.8 million as of November last year, has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after the Met announced that D-Day veteran Lord Bramall would face no further action over historical child abuse allegations. The development sparked calls for police to offer an apology to the former armed forces chief and prompted questions over the veracity of Nick's allegations. There have been claims in recent weeks that Operation Midland is on the brink of collapse. However, following the announcement of the review a Met spokeswoman said the inquiry is still ongoing. Lord Bramall's solicitor Drew Pettifer said: Lord Bramall welcomes any review that can assist the police in making improvements in the way they investigate such allegations, thus making the process fairer and less painful for all those concerned. Scotland Yard has also come under fire over its handling of a separate allegation that Lord Brittan raped a 19-year-old woman known as Jane in 1967. He died in January last year without being told he would not face action over the claim, made to police in November 2012. Police originally determined that the complaint against Lord Brittan should not be pursued more than a year before he died. But the investigation was reopened and he was interviewed under caution in May 2014 while suffering from terminal cancer. The Met submitted a file to the CPS in November 2014 but was told it would not be considered. The force then appealed against that decision and claimed that, even though it had concluded there was not a strong case against Lord Brittan, he could not be informed that no action would be taken at that point. In October police apologised to Lord Brittan's widow, saying she should have been informed there would not have been a prosecution had her husband been alive. The NSPCC welcomed the review but warned that victims should not be put off coming forward. A spokesman for the charity said: We welcome a thorough and independent review of this case and hope that lessons can be learned; it is clear that damage has been done. But whilst it's important to assess its handling, it is crucial that this review does not inadvertently discourage victims of abuse from coming forward. For someone to talk about the cruelty they endured takes unimaginable bravery, and they must feel confident that they will be listened to. We must not return to the dark ages where some powerful people believed themselves to be untouchable, and victims thought they would be disbelieved and dismissed. PA Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, when many Catholics will attend mass and receive a cross on their forehead made of ashes burned from the previous years Palm Sunday crosses. Following Shrove Tuesday, Lent marks a period of abstinence and fasting before Easter celebrations. Lent doesnt last for 40 days Technically Lent lasts for 46 days, from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. Each Sunday is not included in this period of fasting or abstinence by many Catholic communities, however, as the day is used to commemorate the resurrection of Christ and is given over to celebrations and feasting. The 40 days of Lent is generally seen as marking the time Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. Rio Carnival, Mardi Gras and Pancake Day are all connected Rio Carnival is a five day celebration filled with music, Samba, elaborate costumes and celebration, starting five days before Ash Wednesday and ending on Shrove Tuesday, or fat Tuesday as it is known outside of the UK. Shrove is derived from the Old English word Shrive, which means absolve. Mardi Gras literally means fat Tuesday in French, and falls on the same day as Pancake Day. The thing they all have in common? Shrove or fat Tuesday is seen as the last day to feast on richer, fattier foods and celebrate before the abstinence of Lent begins. In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 Roman Catholics queue up to have crosses etched to their foreheads with ash by nuns and laymen as the country marks Ash Wednesday, the official beginning of the Christian Lenten season in Manila, Philippines In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 A Catholic nun uses ash to mark a cross on the forehead of a woman in observance of Ash Wednesday at The Redemptorist Church at suburban Paranaque city south of Manila, Philippines In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 With their foreheads marked with ash, Catholic devotees pray after lighting candles in observance of Ash Wednesday at The Redemptorist Church at suburban Paranaque city, south of Manila, Philippines In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 An Indian Catholic priest (L) marks the symbol of the cross with ash on the forehead of a Christian devotee during an Ash Wednesday service at Saint Mary's Basilica in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad, India In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 East Timorese Catholic worshippers receive black soot marks on their foreheads as they observe Ash Wednesday at the Auxiliadora Komoro Catholic church in Dili, East Timor, also known as Timor Leste In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 Indian Catholic Christians offer prayers during an Ash Wednesday service at Saint Mary's Basilica in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad, India In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 A man maintains oil lamps at the entrance to the Aedicule of the Tomb on Ash Wednesday In pictures: Ash Wednesday 2015 Ash Wednesday 2015 A nun prays at Golgotha on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. The Church of The Holy Sepulchre preserves the most important moments of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ There are some interesting exceptions to the no meat on Fridays rule Lent represents a period of fasting and abstinence in which strict observers do not eat meat on Fridays and eat fish instead. There are a few interesting exceptions to the rule however; in the late 1600s a group of monks in France classified a Puffin as a fish, as its natural habitat was as much terrestrial as aquatic, allowing it to be eaten on Fridays. The National Bishops Conference approved a New Orleans archbishops declaration two years ago that alligators may be eaten on Fridays, because it is considered in the fish family, and in 2006 a number of bishops in America gave their Irish heritage worshipers special dispensation to eat meat on one Friday during Lent. This was because St Patricks Day, which in America carries the tradition of eating corned beef brisket, fell on a Friday. Ashes symbolise the life cycle, grief, and penitence The ashes used to mark a cross on a persons forehead symbolises the belief that God created man from ashes and that man returns to ashes after death. The ritual is usually marked by a priest saying: Remember, man is dust, and unto dust you shall return. The ashes are also seen as a mark of sorrow and grief for personal sins and as a symbol of repentance. Some like to keep the ashes on their foreheads all day, but it is also common to wipe the ashes off after mass. You dont have to be Christian to join in The ritual of Ash Wednesday and the ensuing period of Lent is predominantly observed by Catholics, but people outside the religion also use it as an opportunity to give up a single indulgence such as chocolate for the period of time. This year Rt Rev Seamus Cunningham, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle Diocese, has made it clear anyone can also take part in Ash Wednesday ceremonies if they want to. He said in a statement: This is an important day, but its not just for Catholics. Anyone can receive blessed ashes on Ash Wednesday, whether Christian or not, to express their desire to grow spiritually and to turn away from their failings, their areas of weakness and brokenness, in favour of seeking the healing and wholeness that only God can give. You are welcome to come along to any Ash Wednesday service and join us in taking this simple, but profound step. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Age UK has been criticised by campaigners for accepting millions of pounds to promote a particular funeral firm - which allegedly charges significantly more than some rivals. The charity-branded funeral plans are provided by Advance Planning, a subsidiary of Dignity, a FTSE 250 company. Last year 18,000 of the funeral plans were sold with Age UK Enterprises receiving 9.4m in return. Dignity makes revenues of more than 30m a year from the funerals. The Age UK funeral packages are among the most expensive on the market, with several other firms offering funeral plans for hundreds of pounds less. The charitys basic funeral plan costs 3,495 - more than 200 more expensive than the Co-operative Funeralcares basic package. The price for Age UKs standard funeral is 3,845 which is more than 300 more expensive than an equivalent plan offered by Golden Charter, according to an analysis by Which? in December 2015. Rosie Inman-Cook, manager of the Natural Death Centre, a charity which advises people on how to arrange their own funerals, said Age UK should do more to tell people that cheaper options were available. They could be getting far better value for money elsewhere and spend around a thousand pounds, she said. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty 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 One funeral industry source described the costs of the Age UK funeral plans as disproportionately high, and added: I do believe that as a charity they should be looking for a more proportionately priced product. Age Concern, which merged with Help the Aged to become Age UK in 2009, previously held a minority shareholding in Advance Planning. Last night Dignity stood by its funeral products. A spokesman said: The Age UK Funeral Plan has some of the strongest guarantees in the market with unrivalled service and transparent customer terms. We believe the combination of price and quality makes the Age UK Funeral Plan the best value on the market. An Age UK spokesman said: Not all funeral plans are the same so its best not to compare on price alone. The Age UK Funeral Plans have almost unique levels of cover including guaranteeing cremation costs - and ensure there are no hidden costs, to provide great value. Age UK's website, offering pre-paid funeral plans On a like for like basis, against properly comprehensive products, Age UK Funeral Plans are in fact very competitively priced. Age UK is facing increasing scrutiny over its exclusive partnerships with a number of businesses. A controversial energy tariff marketed to the elderly under the charitys name was suspended yesterday, just days after it emerged that the deal, through E.ON, had been more expensive than the energy suppliers cheapest rate. E.ON said: Due to continued speculation regarding the partnership, both organisations feel it is right to pause and reflect on the best way for both parties to achieve their shared goal of helping customers. Last week the Independent revealed that Age UK made around 40m in 2014-15 from agreements with a number of companies it promotes to pensioners, ranging from bed manufacturers to mobile phone firms. Barrie Duke, vice-chair of Age Concern Okehampton and Torridge, one of a number of local groups which have chosen to remain independent of Age UK, told The Independent: Age UK is a brand, and to me its far more a commercial brand than a charity brand. Gary Fitzgerald from the charity Action on Elder Abuse, said: There is nothing inherently wrong with a charity and a commercial company working in partnership for their mutual benefit. But this is very different from two businesses doing the same thing because the company is trading on the charitys reputation and both parties know it. The public will always see the charity and nothing else, and that means there is an expectation of trust that needs to be recognised and protected. Advance Planning Advance Planning, a subsidiary of Dignity plc, provides the funeral packages which are promoted by Age UK. According to its latest annual accounts, Dignity was paid around 35m as a result of the partnership with the charity. Up until 2009, Age Concern, one of the two charities who merged and became Age UK, had a 25 per cent shareholding in Advance Planning. Gordon Morris, managing director of Age UK Enterprises, was briefly on the board when the charity decided to sell its shareholding. Mr Morris and another director representing Age Concern Enterprises stood down from the board after this happened. Our contract with Dignity will come up for renewal in April 2019 at which point a full re-tender process will be carried out, said a spokesperson for Age UK. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} West Midlands Police may have been tipped off about the Birmingham pub bombings by an IRA "mole" before the deadly blasts, a coroner has been told. It was suggested to the Birmingham and Solihull coroner Louise Hunt, hearing an application to resume an inquest into the deaths of the 21 victims in 1974, there was "reason to believe it's the case". Ashley Underwood QC, representing some of the victims' families, also said there was suspicion among relatives that West Midlands Police's investigating officers lied to gain the wrongful convictions of the Birmingham Six. The men were released in 1991 after their convictions for murder were overturned by the Court of Appeal. Recommended Read more Continuity IRA claims responsibility for killing of David Byrne The force's barrister, Jeremy Johnson QC, told Ms Hunt that the force's own chief constable had "no principled objection to the resumption" but claimed the coroner had no legal jurisdiction in the case. On the night of November 21, blasts ripped through the city centre Tavern In The Town and the Mulberry Bush pubs, packed with pre-Christmas revellers. The fatal bombings, which also left 182 people injured, are widely acknowledged to have been carried out by the IRA. Mr Underwood said it would be a question for any future inquest as to why police may have lied to gain convictions, but suggested one such reason may be that officers wanted to cover up their informant's involvement. A vigil to mark 40 years since the bombings took place in November 2014 (Getty Images) He said: "These were appalling deaths and the only reason it's not been investigated, as common sense dictates, is the false convictions. "These cry out for a proper, fearless investigation which represents the best closure these relatives can have." Putting forward the families' application to resume the inquest, the barrister added: "There is reason to believe the gang of murderers had an informant in their ranks and that the police knew in advance. "And there is reason to believe the police had sufficient time, between the telephone warnings and the first bomb going off, to evacuate - and that the emergency services could have arrived earlier - but that records about those things were falsified." He recounted a 2014 newspaper interview with one of the Birmingham Six, Paddy Hill, who was also sitting in the coroners court at Solihull on Wednesday, who raised the subject of "the alleged informer". Mr Underwood, addressing the coroner, said: "I can't say if that's true, that's for an inquest to determine. "But if it is (true), then the police had a mole in the gang which raises the question, did they know it was going to happen and did they lie to the (criminal) court to cover their knowledge of that, and cover their mole." He said there was a "very compelling case" to resume the inquest into the victims' deaths, in order to provide answers for the victims and their loved ones. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty 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 Before hearing submissions, Ms Hunt had requested West Midlands Police provide her with a list of "lost" evidence, including an unexploded third bomb. A separate police review of evidence in the case, ending in 2014, discovered that of the 168 original exhibits listed for the Birmingham Six trial, 35 items could not be located. Opening the hearing, the coroner said: "This was a terrible atrocity resulting in the deaths of innocent people and serious injury to many more but unfortunately this hearing is going to focus very much on legal argument, so I'm sorry about that but I think it's necessary for me to make the decision that needs to be made." The coroner will hear submissions from lawyers representing the families and the police over the next three days but will not make her decision until later this month. Outlining the current state of the police's criminal investigation into the bombings, Mr Johnson said there had been three developments in the case including new potential forensic evidence, a book by a former IRA spymaster Kieran Conway, and a first-hand account from a now dead West Midlands fireman Alan Hill. He told the coroner: "As and when new lines of enquiry emerge they have been and will be investigated irrespective of whether the inquest resumes. "The chief constable (David Thompson) has no principled objection to the resumption, if there is a proper legal basis. "But we do raise the question as to jurisdiction." Inquests were opened and adjourned at the time, but never resumed as a result of the Birmingham Six's convictions in August 1975. Speaking outside court before Wednesday's proceedings, Julie Hambleton - whose then 18-year-old sister Maxine was killed by the Tavern bomb - said any decision to resume a new inquest would be "seismic". The hearing continues. Press Association Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Britain is sending five warships and 530 naval personnel to join Natos maritime arm as the alliance boosts its military force to counter what it sees as a growing threat from Russia. British troops will also be stationed on the ground in the Baltic states, near to the Russian border, it has emerged. Nato defence ministers are set to also approve measures including the stockpiling of weapons in bases in eastern Europe. The US has quadrupled its budget for forces in Europe to $3.4bn (2.3bn) and has announced that half of this will be spent on a heavy brigade armour and artillery in western Europe. Global Hawk surveillance drones, previously used in Afghanistan, will be based in Sicily and used to gather intelligence from all the Natos borders. The British deployment, the first to Natos maritime force in six years, will consist of a Type 23 frigate, HMS Iron Duke, a destroyer and three minesweepers. They will be in service in the Baltic, the North Atlantic, the North Sea and the Mediterranean. The Royal Navys largest warship, HMS Ocean, took part in a major reassurance exercise for eastern member states in the Baltic region last year. Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said: Increasing our Nato deployment sends a strong message to our enemies that we are ready to respond to any threat and defend our allies; 2016 will see a particular focus on the Baltic region with our ships sent there as part of the Maritime Group, the Mine Counter Measure Group and the Baltops exercise. NATO reinforces Baltic presence as tensions rise with Russia Jens Stoltenberg, Natos Secretary-General, said that all member states were agreed on the need for action. He said: I expect ministers to agree to enhance our forward presence in the eastern part of our Alliance. This will boost our collective defence and at the same time send a powerful signal to deter any aggression or intimidation. Western leaders regard the new measures as imperative because of increasing aggression by the Kremlin, including Russias annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. Former members of the Soviet-dominated Warsaw Pact that are now part of Nato have repeatedly called for a show of strength from the alliance to head off Russian aggression. Michael Fallon says the deployment sends a message to Natos enemies (Getty) (Getty Images) A Nato summit in Warsaw in the summer will work out the composition of western forces to be stationed in six Baltic states. It is believed that up to 6,000 troops will be stationed in these countries and each contingent will have a substantial proportion of soldiers from western Nato members, the UK, USA, Germany and France. The US ambassador to Nato, Douglas Lute, denied that the moves were provocative towards Russia or broke an agreement between Nato and Russia which barred the establishment of bases by the alliance in former Warsaw Pact states. We dont agree with that at all. It isnt provocative towards Russia and it does not violate the Nato-Russia Act, he said. This is not an aggressive move. Nato has not invaded anyone lately. Mr Lute insisted that the decision to station armour and artillery in western Europe rather than in the east was not to avoid breaching the agreement between Nato and Russia. They will be there because there are better facilities, better transport links in the West, he said. It will also be less expensive because we can use the old Cold War bases. Alexander Grushko, Russias envoy to Nato, said that the deployment of Nato forces in eastern Europe cannot be left without a military answer and added: Russia wont compromise its security interests. The Kremlin has ordered a military exercise in the northern Caucuses, the Crimea and areas close to Ukraines bordercompromise its security interests. Americas national intelligence director, James Clapper, told the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday that Russias aggressive military intervention in Ukraine and other moves could put Moscow and the US into another Cold War-like spiral, adding: I think the Russians fundamentally are paranoid about Nato. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Young soldiers training at Deepcut Army barracks lived in a highly sexualised environment where senior staff preyed on recruits in an abuse and misuse of power, the British Armys director of personal [CORR] services has admitted at the inquest into the death of Private Cheryl James. A lack of supervision and welfare helped create such an environment at the barracks in Camberley, Surrey, Brigadier Donnelly said . Pte James, 18, was found dead with a gunshot wound to her head in November 1995. The current inquest at Surrey Coroners Court was ordered after a decision by the High Court quashed the open verdict originally recorded just weeks after her death, amid concerns key witnesses were not called and some evidence was not examined. The hearing was told that sexual activity was so commonplace at the barracks that a room was unofficially set aside for young men to have sexual relationships, where were banned in their own rooms. Relationships took place between recruits and senior staff stationed at the barracks, where women only began training two years before Pte James death. Alison Foster QC, representing her family, asked Brig Donnelly about evidence of a sexualised atmosphere and abuse of power at the barracks. There was certainly a sexualised atmosphere at Deepcut, yes, he told the hearing. Ms Foster asked: Do you accept that this could present a morally chaotic environment for a young female person of teenage years? ... The pressure on a young female recruit could be intolerable, couldnt it? Brig Donnelly replied: Yes. We did not have the structures in place to provide a proper duty of care. Barb wire surrounds the Defence College of Logistics at Deepcut, near Camberley (Getty Images) When asked if there was a culture of misogyny in the Army, Brig Donnelly said: The attitude and language in certain parts of the Army represented a misogynistic viewpoint, which is seen as of its time. His comments came after he had apologised to the family of Pte James, during his evidence to the inquest on Tuesday, when he had admitted: We had large numbers of teenage men and women without a proper structured environment around them. The inquest also heard that male instructors saw women as a sexual challenge and that senior ranks sexually propositioned female recruits. Jane Worboys, who did basic training with Pte James after joining up in May 1995, said that shortly before her death Pte James had been locked in a room by a sergeant who harassed her. He tried to have his way with her. She told me that he had locked the door and was chasing her around the desk. As far as I am aware, nothing physically happened on that occasion. Father of Cheryl James The inquest also heard that the environment at Deepcut was toxic. A report in 2002 suggested the training atmosphere led to soldiers becoming bored, demotivated, and increasingly prone to indiscipline, Ms Foster told the hearing. Alcohol was rife at the barracks, and underage recruits were among those who would routinely bring it into the camp, despite drunkenness being treated as a serious matter. There was inadequate supervision and support of recruits, which resulted in a maximum chance for ungoverned behaviour, rule-breaking and the generation of a chaotic environment, said Ms Foster. In a statement, Emma Norton, a lawyer for human rights group Liberty who represents Mr and Mrs James, said: Over the last two days Mr James has listened to Brigadier John Donnelly give evidence about life in Deepcut barracks in 1995, when his daughter was there. Mr and Mrs James, for the first time in 20 years, have received a public acknowledgement of some of the concerns they have been raising all this time and a formal apology from the MoD. Liberty and the James family would like to acknowledge this important step. Pte James, from North Wales, was one of four young recruits found shot dead at Deepcut between 1995 and 2002, amid claims of a bullying culture. The hearing continues. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The drink-driving limit in England and Wales could be slashed by a third - making it illegal to drive after just one pint of beer or a glass of wine, a transport minister has suggested. Transport minister Andrew Jones has suggested Westminster could follow the example of Scotland which lowered the limit from 80mg per 100ml of blood to 50mg in 2014. The proposed limit would be equivalent to a pint of beer or a large glass of wine for men and half a pint or a small glass for women. In response to a parliamentary question Mr Jones said he will meet with his Scottish counterpart to discuss the impact of the proposed change. He said: "I am intending to discuss with the Scottish Minister about the experience of the lower limit in Scotland and about the timescales to get access to robust evidence of the road safety impact. "It is important to base our decisions on evidence and the Scottish experience will be crucial to that before we consider any possible changes to the limits in England and Wales. "This Government's current position however remains to focus resources on enforcing against the most serious offenders." UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty 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 But a spokesman for the Department of Transport said the government had "no plans" to change the rules in a statement on Wednesday. The UK government has previously rejected calls by road safety campaigners and health experts to lower the limit south of the border saying it "strikes an important balance between safety and personal freedom". Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said that the Government is "right to remain open minded" about the possibility of lowering the limit. He said: "It would be a poor argument to say cut the drink-drive limit just because others have done it, but there is now plenty of data to suggest a change would have a marked improvement in road safety terms. "Our own research estimates a cut in the limit could save around 25 lives annually." Mr Gooding said although the number of people killed due to drink-driving has fallen significantly "the weight of evidence is that we could do more". He said it should be up to people who want the limit to stay the same to "make their case" for it rather than those who want to make the change. Additional reporting by PA Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} An investigation has been launched into claims a funeral home stored coffins containing bodies in a corridor next to an old bike and a Christmas tree. The Sun printed pictures showing three coffins stacked on shelves in a corridor at the Midcounties Co-operative Funeralcare home in Walsall. The newspaper quoted a source as saying bodies were usually left for one or two days, but on one occasion in October, they claimed, a coffin remained for two weeks. It is not clear if the coffin was in use or not at the time. "After bodies have been put in their coffin they get dumped in a corridor behind the chapel and the state it's in is appalling," the source said. Midcounties Co-operative said it would investigate the claims. A spokesman for the firm told the paper: "In our Walsall funeral home, one chapel of rest is used to respectfully hold coffins. Before being transported to a funeral, coffins are moved to an adjoining designated corridor. "It is against company policy for any unrelated items to be kept within a chapel of rest or designated corridor alongside coffins and so we will immediately investigate any allegations of this policy being breached." Jane Hughes, whose father John Bagby's body was kept at the home while awaiting his funeral, told the Sun she was "sickened to the stomach" by the claims. "We were assured Dad would be looked after, so to hear this has absolutely smacked us in the face," she added. The Midcounties Co-operative describes itself on its website as the largest independent co-operative in the UK, employing 9,000 people and with more than 500,000 members. It operates 77 funeral homes across the West Midlands, Oxfordshire, Swindon and Gloucestershire. PA Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Greenpeace has built a 10-metre high mock fracking rig outside Parliament, to protest the Government's support for the controversial drilling method. The rig, accompanied by lorry and drilling sounds and featuring a flare which fires up every hour, was erected to coincide with the opening of a public inquiry into Cuadrilla's proposals to frack for shale gas at two sites in Lancashire. Although Lancashire county councillors rejected the firm's application last June, Cuadrilla has appealed against the decision and Greg Clark, the communities secretary, has said he will intervene to make the final decision. How fracking works and where it could happen Show all 2 1 /2 How fracking works and where it could happen How fracking works and where it could happen 02-FrackingHowItWorks.jpg How fracking works and where it could happen 02-FrackingMapWeb.jpg A Populus survey conducted for Greenpeace found 62 per cent of people think local councils should have the right to permit or reject fracking applications in their area. However, ministers have sought to justify the government's move, claiming the search for shale gas is in the national interest. Greenpeace accuses the government of attempting to fast track fracking in the UK, by reserving the right to overturn local council decisions. Hannah Martin, a campaigner at Greenpeace, said: "Ministers are pushing aside local democracy to bulldoze through their unpopular fracking plans. "We have installed a life-like fracking rig and drill at Parliament Square to show them what people in Lancashire and beyond will have to endure if so-called communities minister Greg Clark forces fracking on a reluctant nation." Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Holocaust survivor who says that living in a care home reminds her of being a prisoner in a German concentration camp is at the centre of a court case after she asked to be allowed to move to Israel. The woman, who is in her nineties and has dementia, features in the first Court of Protection case to be staged in public following the launch of an open-justice pilot scheme. The court deals with issues relating to sick and vulnerable people. Recommended Read more Muslims who saved Jews from Holocaust commemorated in new campaign Council social services staff have asked a judge to make decisions about what is in the best interests of the woman, who was held in a German concentration camp during the Second World War. District Judge Anselm Eldergill heard submissions from the womans daughter and from lawyers representing social services staff at a preliminary Court of Protection hearing in London. Lee Parkhill, a barrister who represented the council involved, told the judge that the woman had vascular dementia, an acute kidney problem, diabetes and hearing difficulties. He said that she had been assessed last year as lacking the mental capacity to make decisions about where she lived and her care. PM meets Holocaust survivors Mr Parkhill said she had been admitted to hospital following a fall at home and then placed in a care home about two years ago. She had lived at home and her family thought that she couldnt manage. Mr Parkhill indicated that a judge had earlier authorised the womans deprivation of liberty at the care home under the terms of mental capacity legislation. He said that authorisation was due for reconsideration later this year. The woman had said consistently that she wanted to leave the care home, Mr Parkhill told the judge. She had made references to feeling like a prisoner again in the German concentration camp and just wanting to be free from this place, Judge Eldergill heard. The womans daughter considered her mothers desire to leave the care home to be an unrealistic aim, Mr Parkhill said. She thought that her mother was well cared for and should stay at the care home. She told the judge that her mother wanted to sell her home and go to Israel. The judge also heard that the woman wanted to be buried in Israel. Judge Eldergill said he would have to decide whether the woman had the mental capacity to make decisions relating to leaving the care home and her wish to move overseas. The judge said if he concluded that she lacked that capacity he would make decisions on her behalf. One possibility was that a hearing would be held at the care home where the woman lived so she could have an involvement in proceedings. The judge, who ruled that none of the people involved in the case could be identified, adjourned the hearing to a date to be fixed. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Thousands of Tube staff are set to stage a 24-hour walk out this Friday over two separate disputes, threatening to disrupt London Underground services. When is the strike? The strike is set to begin at 6:30 am on Friday 12 February for a period of 24 hours. Recommended Read more Maintenance workers Tube strike called off Who is striking? There are two separate disputes causing walk-outs this Friday. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said 500 track patrol staff will strike on Friday over the use of private contractors, which it claims is an attempt to casualise and undermine their jobs. The track patrol staff are striking at the same time as 1,500 maintenance workers are set to stage walk-outs in a separate row over safety. Zac and Sadiq clash on tube Strikes How will it affect Tube services? Transport for London has stated that services will run as normal during the strike and commuters journeys should not be affected, however a lack of maintenance and track staff may mean that it takes longer to repair any faults during the service. New 'driverless' London Underground trains Show all 8 1 /8 New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TFL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TFL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TFL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TfL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TfL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TfL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TfL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TfL Track patrol staff usually travel along the tracks looking for faults, undertaking immediate action where possible. It means that should an issue with a track or signal failure occur it may not be handled until the end of the strike, affecting services, the Evening Standard reports. Are there any more planned? There are seven upcoming strikes planned by maintenance workers: Friday 12 February: 06:30 until 06:29 on Saturday 13 February Sunday 6 March: 06:30 until 18:29 Friday 25 March: 06:30 until 06:29 Saturday 26 March Sunday 27 March: 06:30 until 06:29 Monday 28 March Sunday 24 April: 06:30 until 18:29 Sunday 15 May: 06:30 until 18:29 Sunday 12 June: 06:30 until 18:29 Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Peter was an atheist, happily married in what he believed to be a very loving, caring, thoroughly non-religious relationship. He believed that his wife and family prided themselves on tolerance and free discourse, and people's right to do and think what they wanted as long as that didnt unfairly impinge on the rights of others. But when Peter converted to Islam, and in spite of his keeping it low-key with no real outward displays of his faith, his very open-minded partner could not live with the change and divorced him, leaving him heartbroken. This is one of the most moving stories heard by Professor Yasir Suleiman for Cambridge Universitys new study into the reasons men in Britain have for becoming Muslims, and the challenges they face. This was a very hard story to listen to, Professor Suleiman told The Independent, because it shows that sometimes our commitment to tolerance, and to giving people the freedom to believe what they want, when tested is found wanting. Recommended Read more MI5 blamed for making British Muslim converts objects of suspicion Peter (not his real name) was one of 50 men taking part in the 18-month project at Cambridges Centre of Islamic Studies, and his case highlights the kinds of prejudice felt by almost all new converts in Britain today. Professor Suleiman said one of the most significant findings of his study was the extraordinary range of different routes people took to come to Islam. Many found faith through an interest in music, architecture, food or art, he said. Some converted following revelatory dreams, others after meeting someone they loved, and one even became a Muslim himself despite having never met another Muslim in his life. We are in an age of modernity, where secularity is the dominant social and political framework for living our lives, Professor Suleiman said. And within that, Islam is seen to be oppressive, to be violent, to be out of tune with the rationality of the modern world. Yet in spite of the dominance of this secularity, there are still these very interesting, very intelligent people who find that faith gives them answers, that they are willing to head in that direction and they find their home in that journey is Islam. Experience of being a Muslim convert in Britain Despite their different backgrounds, the men in the study were also united in the view that prejudice against Islam has grown in recent years, and that the media has had a part to play in that. Peter said his wife might have been able to live with his finding faith if he had converted to Buddhism, for example. It was not just converting that meant she left him, but specifically converting to Islam that was the big issue, because of the "negative image" the religion now has. Professor Suleiman heard from men who were happier to have their families explain their newfound faith as a conversion of convenience perhaps because they wanted to marry a Muslim woman rather than a true conversion of conviction, such is the nadir in public opinion about the faith. And the converts were incensed above all else by the fact that a tiny, extreme minority of backward-thinking Islamists has tainted the view of the world on their faith and made their lives harder. They are really very upset about the fact that they have found answers in Islam, and suddenly now their experience is coloured, maligned by the existence of radical extremists and terrorists, Professor Suleiman said. They are angry because they think these people have hijacked Islam, and that the real voices of Islam who have no truck with this kind of violent extremism have been sidelined. The Independent spoke to some of the converts in the anonymous study who were willing to come forward and share their stories. Alan Rooney Inverness I formally converted to Islam in September 2014, though I was practising for a number of months before that. It was all done just through reading the Qur'an learning basic prayers through a book and looking online for some pointers all before I had any actual contact with any Muslims. I am somewhat sheltered up in Inverness, but I am very aware of what goes on and the whole issue of radicalisation has had a quite demoralising effect on me and my fellow Muslims. Especially when there has been a terrorist incident and rhetoric is high, you can visibly see the effect the constant barrage of negativity has on people around you. Their spirits and their shoulders sag. I think this is because you feel pretty helpless to do anything to combat the negativity or to challenge the perpetrators of violence. You feel so helpless. Mark Barrett Norwich I was always a believer in God, but dissatisfied with Christian theology, and the poetry of Jalaludin Rumi inspired me to research Islam more deeply and read the Qu'ran. It has changed my life. Essentially Sunni Islam is about emulating how the Prophet Mohammed and his companions lived together and ran things in Medina together in a way that is appropriate to the time and place we live in. Unlike with some other converts, my family really appreciate and support how my faith has been good for me as a person and as a member of the family. The biggest challenge has been getting beyond all the misinformation, the ideology and sectarianism and the public interpretation that thats what the religion is all about. For me, if Islam is to do its work we need to highlight the positive, and stop giving so much credence to the idea that groups like Isis in any way represent Islam. They do so as much as the Catholic Inquisition represented the teachings of Jesus, or the French Terror represented democracy and the rights of man. Maurice Irfan Coles Birmingham I became a Muslim in 1999, seeking a spiritual path to satisfy my desire to connect with something greater than myself. I feel now that after a long search, I am finally at home. Being a man from a Christian background married to a Hindu, my biggest challenge at the start was the responses of my community. As it happened, people have generally been most supportive, and interested in the reasons for my conversion. Generally the communitys responses have been compassionate. The Jihadis have the best lines, like Miltons Satan. Their violently simplistic message has immediate appeal to the media. Their warped ideology elicits a frightening degree of negative responses towards Islam generally, which they then feed on further. Islams central message of compassion and peace does not lend itself to un-nuanced, sensational journalism. Abdulmaalik Tailor London A number of things happened to me when I embraced Islam, more than 20 years ago it was a very challenging time and a period of my life I will never forget. I did suffer physical abuse from my family and they emotionally abused me as well. You find with myself and with other brown converts, it always goes back to the issue of partition, between India, Pakistan, Bangladesh. They try to challenge the whole concept and say weve been brainwashed. In my case I was given an ultimatum. I had to get out, thats what my father said, give up the religion or get out. I was 18 at the time. A year after my father passed away and there was an expectation that I had to perform all the Hindu rituals as the only son. I couldnt do it, and that itself became a challenge. There seems now to be a concentration on radicalisation or what is deemed to be radicalisation. If they happen to be a convert then thats what they are going to focus in on. However if theres successful Muslim converts who have contributed to society, to Britain, and partaking in many different projects, they wont get highlighted by the media and you wonder why do that why the media have a set agenda to demonise us. Ahmed Paul Keeler Cambridge I became a Muslim in 1975, so Ive been a Muslim now for 40 years, and the change in terms of peoples relationship with Islam is phenomenal. When I became a Muslim, Islam wasnt an issue. Now, 40 years later, it is the big issue. It was really a very good time to become a Muslim when I did, because there wasnt this kind of antagonism and fear which people have towards Islam. I think thats been the biggest change, the fundamental change. Warren (Raiyyan) Clementson London Generally speaking, when I see converts on TV its normally the case that theyve been radicalised, theyve been involved in extremist activity, whether nonviolent or violent. For me personally thats a double whammy first the negative portrayal of Muslims as a whole, then within that theres the sub-context of the convert community being portrayed in a radical light. [The perception] is that they are more susceptible to ideologies of violence. Having been a convert myself and having met so many other converts, this is a fallacy. Matthew Burgoyne Liverpool My family growing up always allowed me to be open-minded I never thought of myself as a close-minded type of person. They always taught me to be welcoming to anyone and to think about things freely, so I think that did influence me at the age where I started thinking about religion, to be able to explore rather than be set in my ways. However, when I did tell them that I had become Muslim it was a big shock, and it brought out some hidden prejudices. It took a while for things to settle down. But as time goes on it becomes more normalised, and the more they see that Im still their son and Ive not changed apart from my faith, the more they can understand and cope with my decision. Matthew, Ahmed, Warren and Abdulmaalik were speaking to Cambridge researchers. For more interviews conducted as part of Narratives of Conversion to Islam in Britain: Male perspectives, click here. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A woman who fell over the side of a balcony in a John Lewis store is thought to have avoided serious injury because she landed on a display bed. The 60-year-old plummeted around 60ft from the upper floor of the shop on Wilmslow Road in Cheadle on Monday. Greater Manchester Police and the ambulance service were called to the scene at around 4pm. The woman was taken to hospital for treatment after she sustained some injuries to her hip and spine as a result of the fall, which reportedly took place by the glass balconies near the escalator. A spokesman from the police said: Her injuries are not thought to be serious and it appears that she fell on to a bed. The John Lewis branch was immediately closed following the serious incident, said a spokesman, who added that CCTV footage had been given to the police. Near death experiences caught on film Show all 9 1 /9 Near death experiences caught on film Near death experiences caught on film 261011.bin Near death experiences caught on film 261012.bin Near death experiences caught on film 260692.bin Near death experiences caught on film 260699.bin Near death experiences caught on film 260689.bin Near death experiences caught on film 260688.bin Near death experiences caught on film 260683.bin Near death experiences caught on film 260963.bin Near death experiences caught on film 260687.bin The spokesman said: We are glad that the customers injuries are not thought to be serious, and our thoughts are with the customer and her family, he said. Surfer falls 40ft off huge wave Our customers safety is of the utmost importance to us and all of our shops conform to the highest safety standards. Additional reporting by PA For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} As Jeremy Hunt continues to pursue the Governments election pledge of a truly seven-day NHS, junior doctors have walked out on strike for 24 hours. Junior doctors have accused the Health Secretary of claiming to the public that the medical profession is getting a pay-rise. One livid junior doctor even accused Jeremy Hunt of lying, manipulating statistics, spinning against the medical profession and putting her patients safety at risk during a live televised interview. Over the last few weeks the Peoples NHS, a community-run organisation to stop NHS privatisation that is supported by the Unite union, has been circulating a round-up of accusations about the Health Secretarys conduct. A nice summary of why we should probably stop trusting Jeremy Hunt, they add. Among them is the contentious issue over weekend care in hospitals and how, they claim, the Health Secretary has misinterpreted data for political point-scoring. Here we take a look at some of those claims. Deaths in weekend hospital care Mr Hunt has repeatedly asserted that understaffing at hospitals during the weekend is causing 11,000 excess deaths every year. The claim is a key plank of the Governments argument for what they call a seven-day NHS. It is based on a research paper published in the British Medical Journal, which identified that 11,000 more deaths occur within 30 days of admission to hospital on Friday to Monday, than occur after admission Tuesday to Thursday. While the paper did identify a lack of senior doctors and support services at the weekend as possible factors, it also points out that people coming to hospital at the weekend tend to be sicker. The authors, who include NHS Englands medical director Sir Bruce Keogh, were explicit that it was not possible to determine the extent to which these excess deaths may be preventable and said it would be rash and misleading to assume they were. This led junior doctors to hold up an 8ft mocked-up copy of a textbook called "How to Read a Paper: the Basics of Evidence-Based Medicine" outside Whitehall. He was also castigated by the editor of Britains leading medical journal over misrepresentation of the facts on weekend mortality at NHS hospitals. More care at the weekend statistics It was not only the Health Secretarys reading on deaths in weekend hospital care that led medical professionals and the public to question his mathematical abilities. Mr Hunt claimed, shortly after the weekend mortality rates furore, that in only 10 per cent of hospitals patients are seen by a senior doctor within 14 hours at the weekend. Leading statisticians, however, described this as unfair, misleading and a gross underestimation. Speaking to the Guardian at the time, the Department of Health said his 10 per cent figure related to the entire week, before adding: The Health Secretary has rightly pointed out that only 10% of hospitals consistently provide the crucial consultant care patients deserve across the week." 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 Budget cut for Welsh broadcaster During his time at the helm of the UKs culture department Mr Hunt was accused by the Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards of misleading the public about a 2m cut in S4Cs budget. Mr Hunt's department, however, insisted the cut "was agreed by both". But the accusation came after a freedom of information request released details of exchanges between Mr Hunt and the chairman of the Welsh-language broadcaster John Walter Jones. The documents show that Mr Jones wrote to the Culture Secretary stating that, on the basis of legal advice, the broadcaster could not legally agree to cut its budget by 2m. However the BBC reported that information released in the FOI request also indicate that S4C's then chief executive, Iona Jones, was also negotiating with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in the same period. The notes appear to show that she did agree the 2m cut with a top official within DCMS, at around the same time that her chairman was refusing. The Department of Culture said at the time: "DCMS announced in May that there would be a reduction in S4C's budget for the current year of 2m. This announcement was made following discussions between DCMS and S4C and the reduction was agreed by both parties." News Corp bid for BSkyB Mr Hunt survived a Labour motion in 2012 to refer him to the independent adviser on ministers interests over the News Corp bid for BskyB. The then Culture Secretary hit out at Labour MPs, who accused him of lying when he denied having intervened in Rupert Murdochs takeover bid, saying: I did not lie to the Commons. The then Shadow Culture Secretary Harriet Harman told the Independent on Sunday: "Jeremy Hunt has misled the House. He said he was impartial when he wasn't, he said he had given the House all the information, when clearly he hadn't." He did, however, go on to say there was a difference between lying and misleading Parliament inadvertently which, he admitted too. "I would like to draw attention to the distinction between inadvertently misleading the House and lying," Mr Hunt said. A major whipping operation by the Conservative party, which forced one MP to miss a funeral, ensured the embattled Culture Secretary survived the furore. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} MPs of all parties failed to raise todays junior doctors strike once at Prime Ministers Questions in the House of Commons. David Cameron was subjected to half an hour of questions on the day of the strike but neither he, nor Jeremy Corbyn, nor any backbencher from any party raised the subject. Mr Corbyn mainly asked Mr Cameron questions about the housing crisis especially how young people would be able to afford to buy homes. The closest any politician came to implicitly mentioning the medics stoppage was Mr Corbyn wearing a pro-trade union badge on his label reading heart unions. The badge was however a nod towards the campaign to stop the Governments proposed anti-trade union laws, rather than direct reference to the strike. Some MPs did visit picket lines at hospitals earlier this morning, according to pictures and messages they posted on Twitter. There are no urgent questions or statements about the strike scheduled for later today, meaning the main platform for discussing it in Parliament has been missed. Labours lack of will to capitalise on the strike in the Commons comes despite a very high proportion of the public blaming the Government for it. An Ipsos MORI poll for the Health Service Journal found 64 per cent of people believe the Government is to blame for the strike, while 13 per cent say junior doctors are. 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 strike is one of few national stoppages in recent history with widespread public support. The industrial action is being taken over a new contract proposed by Mr Hunt which would re-define anti-social hours and make it cheaper for hospitals to roster doctors on weekends and evenings. The Government says this will improve care at the weekends and evenings but junior doctors worry that it will affect patient safety by encouraging unsafe shift patterns, and also that doctors who work the very longest hours will lose out financially. A Department of Health spokesperson said this morning: This strike is completely unnecessary. It is very disappointing that tens of thousands of patients and NHS staff have been inconvenienced by the BMA. We have now agreed the vast majority of the contract detail with the BMA but its a great shame that they have broken the agreement we made with ACAS to discuss the outstanding issue of Saturday working and pay for unsocial hours. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Tucked away on the side streets of Westminster, 55 Tufton Street looks like just another town house. But this low-profile four-storey block, a stones throw from Parliament, is home to no fewer than eight right-of-centre organisations dedicated to pulling Britain out of Europe and undermining the battle to curb global warming. The office building lies at the centre of a network of scepticism towards Europe and climate change, in which the same names and keep cropping up. The former Conservative chancellor Lord Lawson is one of the key figures at 55 Tufton Street, after he moved his climate-sceptic Global Warming Policy Foundation to the premises. This puts the foundation in the same building as the TaxPayers Alliance, the bullishly effective low-tax pressure group whose founder Matthew Elliott is now masterminding the Brexit campaign Vote Leave which has just appointed Lord Lawson as chairman. Vote Leave, which also involves climate-sceptic politicians such as Graham Stringer, Douglas Carswell and Dan Hannan, was originally registered at 55 Tufton Street but recently moved to a bigger office nearby. Richard Smith: 55 Tufton Streets owner Richard Smith is probably best known for flying David Cameron to his home in Shobdon, Herefordshire in 2007 shortly after the then leader of the Opposition proposed taxes on unnecessary flights. But the Midlands businessman also plays a low-profile but prominent role at the centre of right-wing politics. His company, HR Smith Group, owns number 55 Tufton Street, where several groups sceptical about Europe and climate change are based. He is also a trustee of the Politics and Economics Research Trust, the charitable arm of the Taxpayers Alliance. HR Smith is a group of companies working in advanced aerospace technologies. Business for Britain, another group that is hostile to the EU and which is also run by Mr Elliott is still based at 55 Tufton Street. This zealous ideological clique are trying to imprint their extreme agenda on government policy. Its clear they enjoy preferential access to some parts of government and, considering their small size, they are having a disproportionate impact, said Bob Ward, policy director at the London School of Economics Grantham Institute. This small cabal is undermining the democratic process, which should be based on robust and open debate, rather than clandestine meetings between ideological bed-fellows, he added. Another key tenant at No 55 is the European Foundation, an anti-EU think-tank that published an infamous paper during the crucial UN Copenhagen climate summit in 2009 at which world leaders desperately attempted and failed to agree meaningful action to tackle global warming. The research led to a front page story in the Daily Express headlined: 100 reasons why global warming is natural no proof that human activity is to blame. Links between Leave campaign and independent thinktanks The reports author Jim McConalogue, a political analyst rather than a climate scientist said at the time: This demonstrates how tenuous, improper and indeed false the scientific and political claims are for man-made global warming ... when in fact there is little evidence to support any of these claims. Presenting the research on his website, the head of the European Foundation, the Tory MP Bill Cash, thanked the work and insights of the renowned climate sceptic Viscount Monckton of Brenchley and the integrity and arguments of Roger Helmer, the Ukip energy spokesman. One of the directors of the European Foundation is Richard Smith, a Midlands businessman who makes defence equipment. Mr Smith hit the headlines in 2007 when he flew David Cameron 90 miles from Oxford to his house near Hereford in his private jet for a meeting just a week after the Leader of the Tory Opposition had unveiled proposals to tax unnecessary flights. A spokesman for Mr Cameron explained at the time that all his flights are offset for carbon emissions and pointed out that his discussion with Mr Smith related to a new wheelchair he was designing for Davids son, Ivan. But coming just a year after Mr Cameron was famously photographed with huskies the journey proved an embarrassment for a politician seeking to present himself as a champion of the environment. Mr Smith owns No 55 Tufton Street through one of his companies which bought the property on 31 December 2009 for 4.25m. And he is a trustee of the Politics and Economics Research Trust, the charitable arm of the TaxPayers Alliance as well as a business supporter of Global Vision, an anti EU organisation, also based at 55 Tufton Street. Global Vision has listed what it calls parliamentary friends on its website and these include Ukips Mr Helmer, the Tory MP John Redwood and Peter Lilley, who recently became a trustee of the Global Warming Policy Foundation. Apart from being a permanent base for right-of-centre groups, the block also hosts frequent events run by like-minded organisations the best known of which is the Young Britons Foundation. This is the think-tank set up to train young Tories that hit the headlines last year after young party activist Elliott Johnson committed suicide amid allegations of bullying. Matthew Elliott of the TaxPayers Alliance, outside 55 Tufton Street Other permanent residents of 55 Tufton Street include UK2020, the think-tank chaired by the climate sceptic former Environment Secretary Owen Paterson. Another resident is Civitas, the think-tank which, along with the Institute of Economic Affairs situated just around the corner at 2 Lord North Street, has been used to bolster the case for Brexit by Vote Leave. The residents of 55 Tufton Street Global Warming Policy Foundation Set up by Lord Lawson, the foundation is under review by the Charity Commission after one of its leading advisers Professor William Happer, of Princeton University was revealed in an undercover sting offering to write an academic paper casting doubt on global warming on behalf of a shame oil company. Global Vision Argues that the regulatory burden of the EU holds back the City of London from reaching its potential and has a detrimental effect on business. It says Britain should leave the EU and negotiate a trading agreement with it. The European Foundation Best known for publishing a report in 2009 arguing that global warming was natural and that there was no proof that human influence had anything to do with it. The group is led by the Tory MP Bill Cash, who has previously served as a vice-president of Eurosceptic campaign group Conservatives for Britain. Civitas This think tank describes itself as classical liberal and non-partisan. It is committed to strengthening democracy, upholding limited government, maintaining personal freedom and encouraging free enterprise. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty 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 Taxpayers Alliance Known for advocating low taxes, this think tank has criticised renewable energy subsidies and is campaigning for greater British independence. Business for Britain The group argues for fundamental changes to be made to the terms of EU membership. It is led by Matthew Elliott, who also founded the Taxpayers Alliance. Big Brother Watch Set up in 2009 to expose the true scale of surveillance in the UK and to challenge the policies it says threaten our privacy, freedoms and civil liberties. It campaigns for more control over personal data. UK2020 This think tank is chaired by Owen Paterson, the former Conservative Environment Secretary regarded by many as being a climate sceptic. Among other things the group is calling for a robust, common sense energy policy that would encourage the market to choose affordable technologies to reduce emissions. These technologies include shale gas and small modular nuclear reactors. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Chancellor George Osborne's psychiatrist brother faces being struck off from the medical profession after he had a two-year affair with his "vulnerable" patient. A disciplinary tribunal has found that the behaviour of married Dr Adam Osborne was "profoundly unacceptable" and ruled that his fitness to practise was impaired by reason of misconduct. Dr Osborne, who is five years younger than his Chancellor brother, could now be struck off by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS). The hearing, which began on Monday, heard that when the doctor ended the relationship in February last year, the woman - who was referred to as Patient A, tried to take her own life just two days later. She had been under Dr Osborne's care at a private practice in central London between February 2011 and late 2014. Dr Adam is the younger brother of Chancellor George Osborne (Getty Images) When Patient A made a complaint to the General Medical Council (GMC) Dr Osborne begged her to retract it, telling her in threatening emails over a 10 day period that it would "destroy" his family in public. In one email, read to the tribunal he wrote: "Please don't do this to me it will destroy me and my family in public." Another read: "You still have the power to tell the GMC that you made this up because you were angry at me for discontinuing therapy or that you were confused, paranoid, deluded - whatever excuse you can think of." He also admitted making threats towards Patient A and the consequences for her family if she did not withdraw her complaint to the GMC stating: "If I get into trouble for this then I will never forgive you for this and I will make sure you pay." UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty 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 Dr Osborne, who voluntarily absented himself from the Manchester hearing, admitted embarking on the two-year "inappropriate" emotional and sexual relationship whilst the woman who had suffered from mental ill health, was a patient. The tribunal will now decide on what sanction, if any, to impose. The sanction could see the doctor have conditions put on his registration, suspended or even struck off. The tribunal heard that hours after Patient A disclosed the relationship to treating psychiatrist Dr Neil Boast she was to take an overdose of alcohol and prescription drugs. Emails between the former lovers two days prior to her making an attempt on her own life were read to the tribunal. In one, which signalled Dr Osborne was ending the relationship, he said: "We don't seem to be able to live with one another and it's destroying both of us and destroying any relationship that we once had." Patient A was to respond saying that she was "confused", adding "it seems to me like you are breaking it off". She added: "Just please tell me the truth the way it is. I'm very much balancing on the edge and it's so easy for me to tip over just now." Recommended Dr Osborne, who admitted that he knew, or ought reasonably to have known, that the woman was a vulnerable patient because of her history of mental ill-health, replied: "Yes I need to break from this relationship". He further admitted making threats towards a "fragile" and "high risk" Patient A. Chairman of the tribunal Dr Nigel Callaghan said that it had not been a "one-off occurrence" and that Dr Osborne had been aware from the outset that the relationship was inappropriate, as was shown by his insistence that Patient A agree not to report him. He said: "The tribunal does not consider that Dr Osborne's actions are easily remediable. This was not a fleeting relationship but sustained over a period of two years. "Dr Osborne attempted to persuade Patient A to withdraw the complaint by sending inappropriate emails to her over a ten day period when he knew she had taken an overdose, and was therefore in a particularly vulnerable and fragile state." He added: "The tribunal regards Dr Osborne's behaviour as profoundly unacceptable and undermines the public's confidence in the medical profession." Press Association Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The psychiatrist brother of Chancellor George Osborne "sees himself as the victim" following an affair with a vulnerable patient, a disciplinary panel has heard. Dr Adam Osborne, 39, allegedly threatened his "high-risk" patient, warning her not to expose their two-year affair - saying it would "destroy" his family. The doctor, who is five years younger than the Chancellor, was not present at a misconduct hearing at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service on Tuesday but has admitted having an "inappropriate" relationship with the woman - referred to as Patient A. He asked her to drop her complaint after she tried to kill herself after he ended the relationship in February 2015, the panel was told. He had been treating the woman at a private clinic in London for depression, anxiety and chronic fatigue before he embarked on the affair. She also has a history of substance abuse and self-harm. Emails between the married doctor and his patient were read out at the tribunal. In one, Dr Osborne said: "We don't seem to be able to live with one another and it's destroying both of us and destroying any relationship that we once had." Patient A responded saying she was "confused" and that he seemed to suggest he was "breaking it off". UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty 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 She said: "Just please tell me the truth the way it is. I'm very much balancing on the edge and it's so easy for me to tip over just now." Two days later she was admitted to hospital after taking an overdose - shortly after she had told Dr Osbornes supervisor Dr Neil Boast about the relationship. Following complaints to the General Medical Council (GMC), Dr Osborne sent a "number of inappropriate emails" to Patient A in the weeks after her overdose requesting she withdraw her complaint. He increasingly became "more imploring" and was described as "highly manipulative"; preying on the womens vulnerabilities and claiming that she seduced him. Representing the GMC, Bernadette Baxter said: "Patient A said on a number of occasions she wanted him to stop contacting her. "He sees himself very much as a victim. Then there are emails where the mood very much changed and spills into the territory where he makes threats towards Patient A, consequences to her family and in fact, the patient seduced him." Representing Dr Osborne, Julian Woodbridge said he did admit having an inappropriate relationship and sending the emails "in a moment of panic" and has apologised for his conduct. Dr Adam is the younger brother of Chancellor George Osborne (Getty Images) Dr Osborne resigned from the private Elitemed Ltd clinic he ran with his wife Dr Rahala Noor last year when the allegations came to light. The tribunal will decide whether Dr Osbornes fitness to practise is impaired and he could be struck off the medical register. Dr Osborne was also disciplined in 2010 for prescribing contraceptives to Dr Noor and anti-psychotic drugs to a cocaine-addicted prostitute with whom he had a relationship and had installed in a 795-a-month rent flat reportedly so he could have sex on tap. The tribunal continues. Additional reporting by PA Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Junior doctors have walked out on strike for 24 hours as of 8am on Wednesday. Here are the latest updates: Nobody mentioned the junior doctors strike at PMQs NHS bosses say Hunt should just impose contract 90% of junior doctors would quit if new contract was imposed 2,800 operations cancelled due to strike action How much is Jeremy Hunt to blame for the strike? Public overwhelmingly blame Jeremy Hunt for this The public overwhelmingly blame the Government for the junior doctors' strike, a new poll shows. The Ipsos MORI survey shows 64 per cent blame the Government for the strike while just 13 say it is junior doctors' fault. The findings come as medics walk out for 24 hours over a new contract that would redefine weekend and evening working to not count as anti-social hours. The same poll hows public support for the doctors strike still very high, with just 36 per cent opposed to the strike and 66 per cent supportive. The is a slight negative shift from the previous poll conducted before the last stoppage. The Government announced yesterday that nearly 3,000 operations have been cancelled as a result of the junior doctor strike. Another unweighted online poll on a medics-only social network found that 90 per cent of doctors would resign over the new proposed contract. The Independent reported on Tuesday that Health Secretary personally vetoed a deal that could have averted the stoppage. 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 compromise, apparently backed by the BMA, Department of Health, and NHS employers, was blocked by Jeremy Hunt, however. Sources close to the BMA said last-minute negotiations had reached an impasse despite last-minute talks on Tuesday. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Labour peer who was saved from the Nazis and brought to London as a child is calling on David Cameron to do the same for unaccompanied child refugees from Syria. Alfred 'Alf' Dubs left Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia in 1939 as part of a Kindertransport programme, which brought children from Nazi-occupied areas to Britain in the lead up to World War Two. He was just six years old. The former MP for Battersea, 83, who is now a Baron, has introduced an amendment in the House of Lords to call on the government to admit 3,000 children into Britain who are subject to violence, disease and cold and are already in European countries. Speaking to Buzzfeed News, Mr Dubs said: They are the most vulnerable children imaginable and theyre in enormous danger at the moment. Ten thousand are alleged to have disappeared, they could be trafficked, forced into prostitution. Theyre going to have a cold, hungry winter and are likely to fall ill. I think theres a special case there. Mr Dubs proposal was debated in the House of Lords on Tuesday and has been backed by Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Nicholas Winton, centre, who organized the Winton Train rescue of children 70 years ago at Liverpool Street station (AP) The proposal is set to be voted on in March and Labour officials are confident there will be enough support in the Lords to force a vote in the House of Commons, piling pressure on Cameron to do more, reports Buzzfeed News. The 3,000 figure was suggested by the charity, Save the Children, which is backing the proposal. The charity calculated the number of children to be Britains fair share of the estimated 26,000 children who arrived without families in Europe last year. In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' syria-1.jpg Robert Fogarty/dearworld.me /care.org In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' syria-2.jpg Robert Fogarty/dearworld.me /care.org In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' syria-3.jpg Robert Fogarty/dearworld.me /care.org In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' syria-4.jpg Robert Fogarty/dearworld.me /care.org In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' syria-5.jpg Robert Fogarty/dearworld.me /care.org In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' syria-6.jpg Robert Fogarty/dearworld.me /care.org In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' syria-7.jpg Robert Fogarty/dearworld.me /care.org In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' syria-8.jpg Robert Fogarty/dearworld.me /care.org In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' syria-9.jpg Robert Fogarty/dearworld.me /care.org In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' syria-10.jpg Robert Fogarty/dearworld.me /care.org In pictures: Syrian refugees send their plea for help to the West as part of the 'Dear World Project' syria-11.jpg Robert Fogarty/dearworld.me /care.org When Britain took children from the Kindertransport, Britain was the only country in Europe that did it all the other countries said no, Mr Dubs told Buzzfeed News. He told the Guardian his personal experience was not the main reason for acting now. It informs my approach", he said, "but the need to help so many children who require help is so clear anyway. This country really should do more and it is urgent. Mr Dubs was one of 669 Jewish children to be rescued by Sir Nicholas Winton, known as the British Schindler, who died aged 106 in July. Mr Cameron said in September he would take 20,000 refugees from the camps on the borders of Syria over the next five years, in a bid to encourage refugees to stop attempting the life-threatening crossings. His response was faced with criticism from the Green party and former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown, who called the plan derisory, according to the Guardian. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Polish politician leading efforts to renegotiate Britains place in the European Union has warned the negotiations are very fragile and the continent is in a perilous siuation as he stepped up efforts to clinch a deal at next weeks EU summit. Donald Tusk, the European Council president, also expressed fears that the waves of migrants heading for the EU could boost support for the Brexit campaign. The migration crisis is the worst political context for the referendum. I have no doubt. It is too easy to blame EU as a whole for this crisis. I am sure it is the greatest tool for Eurosceptics, he told journalists. I am confident this is a balanced and solid proposal and I hope to finalise it next week in the European Council. He added: We need to be as effective as possible in our campaign against radicalism because I feel that as a historian it is very similar to some very dangerous moments in our history. You know what I mean: it is like the day before World War One, he said. Mr Tusk, who is chairing the complex talks involving David Cameron and the 27 other EU leaders, said he was cancelling other engagements to try to ensure agreement at the summit. 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. He and Mr Cameron have already agreed an outline deal for recasting the UKs relationship with the EU, which will be discussed at the Brussels meeting. If it is supported by all EU leaders, the reform blueprint would be put to voters in an in-out membership referendum in late June. However, let me be clear, this is a very fragile political process. Therefore I have decided to cancel all my obligations and will hold a number of meetings with EU leaders and with the European Parliament in order to help reach an agreement. The French President Francois Hollande, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and the Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka are among those Mr Tusk will meet as he seeks support for a deal which will keep Britain in the EU. Mr Cameron is also due to meet Ms Merkel, the most influential of the leaders, at a dinner tomorrow in Germany. Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, told MPs on Wednesday that his own talks with counterparts at the weekend convinced him there was the basis of a workable deal on the most controversial issue of curbing migrant workers benefits. Refugee rescued standing atop of sinking boat He said other foreign ministers were impressed by the way the [European] Council had managed to find a solution which addressed the UKs needs without trampling roughshod over their cherished principles. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jeremy Corbyn fronted Labours PMQs effort on Wednesday wearing a badge on his left lapel reading heart unions. But what does the badge mean? The heart unions is being worn by people to mark Heart Unions Week a campaign launched by the Trades Union Congress. The week of action is part of unions campaign to halt the Governments new anti-trade union laws. Recommended Read more Why Jeremy Corbyn was wearing a white ribbon at PMQs People wearing the badge, including Jeremy Corbyn, are therefore showing their opposition to the Governments planned Trade Union Bill. The proposed laws include a new turnout threshold to stop workers staging industrial action without a certain turnout in the strike ballot. Unions are also facing new restrictions on political donations unions can give, which Labour would lose out from. There will also be more regulations about what can happen on a picket-line. Heart Unions, or 'heartunions' week runs from 8 to 14 February 2016. 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. "The Trade Union Bill has no place in a modern democracy. Only through coming together and showing our united strength will we be able defend our vital right to strike," said Frances O'Grady, the TUC general secretary, to mark the start of the week. The proposals have been controversial Tory MP David Davis criticised part of the bill, now withdrawn, as resembling General Francos Spain. A letter between ministers leaked earlier this week showed that the Government was considering withdrawing the most controversial parts of the bill and granting new concessions. Nick Boles, a business minister, warned in the letter that the House of Lords might block the bill if it further concessions were not granted. Mr Corbyn has previously worn his heart on his sleeve during PMQs. He aroused interest in November when he wore a white ribbon, representing the fight against domestic violence. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} President Barack Obama has signed bipartisan legislation to bring "affordable and reliable" electricity to 50 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. The Electrify Africa Act of 2015 passed unanimously in the House of Representatives and Senate in 2015 and will go into effect by 2020. The initiative gives legal backing to the presidents Power Africa coalition, a partnership between the US and African governments and the private sector. The US has committed $7 billion (4.8 billion) which has leveraged $43 billion (29.6 billion) from the public and private sectors. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs committee, said on Monday that the legislation would improve the lives of millions. "Enactment of Electrify Africa stands to improve the lives of millions in sub-Saharan Africa by helping to reduce reliance on charcoal and other toxic fuel sources that produce fumes that kill more than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined, Mr Royce said in a statement. This legislation, which will promote development of affordable and reliable energy, isnt just good for Africa. Electrify Africa also means new opportunities for U.S. job creators looking to compete in the continents growing markets. According to the BBC, consultant firm McKinsey has estimated that providing the entire continent with electricity would cost $835 billion (575 billion). Republican presidential candidate and Florida Senator Marco Rubio also applauded the effort. US foreign assistance works best when it is targeted toward the most pressing needs and can be leveraged to help recipients further develop their economies, Senator Rubio said in a statement. The Electrify Africa Act will enhance our current assistance programs in Africa and help expand access to electricity, which is essential to support poverty reduction and promote economic development. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The President of Egypt has been criticised for rolling out 2.4 miles of red carpet for an austerity press conference at a new social housing complex. President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi was driven over the 4,000-metre long carpet on his way to a social housing complex has been built for Egypt's poorest in 6th of October City, south of Cairo. Local TV stations showed the President's entourage arriving at the satellite town where he attended the launch of various service projects, Al Jazeera reports. People have attacked this use of public money as wasteful while 25 per cent of Egypt's population live below the poverty line - according to a UN report, Egyptian news anchor, Yousef Husseini said on his show: "It would've been better to provide the needy with blankets to protect them from the winter rather than spending on hundreds of metres of carpets that, in any case, won't be walked on by the president." Prominent lawyer Gamal Eid estimated how much the red carpet cost, tweeting: "4,000-by-eight metres of red carpet equals to 32,000 square metres. "[The figure multiplied] by 50 Egyptian pounds equals to 1.6m Egyptian pounds[140,860]." The red carpet laid out in 6th of October City south of Cairo (Al Jazeera/YouTube) President Sisi came to power in June and July 2013 when as an Army Field Marshal he overthrew the democratically elected President, Mohammed Morsi. Since taking power, Sisi introduced austerity measures such as cutting fuel subsidies in an attempt to bring stability to the Egyptian economy. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump is known for his outlandish foreign policy but his most recent remark would make even the most hardened diplomats shiver. Mr Trump insinuated that he would like to see the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dead - or disappear - and he would get China to do the job. Recommended Read more Johnny Depp stars in Donald Trump spoof film The Republican, buoyed by his recent win at the New Hampshire primary, was asked on a talkshow as to how he would deal with the persistent threat of nuclear war with North Korea and its dictator Kim Jong Un. I would get China to make that guy disappear in one form or another very quickly, Trump said on CBS This Morning, as reported by Politico. He did not reveal whether disappear meant assassinate and replied: Well, Ive heard of worse things, frankly. I mean, this guys a bad dude, and dont underestimate him, Mr Trump said, not referring to the dictator by name. Any young guy who can take over from his father with all those generals and everybody else that probably want the position, this is not somebody to be underestimated. Mr Trump insisted that China has control over North Korea and the US has control over China, leading him to his thesis that the US president could orchestrate the disappearance. Mr Trump's proposals on foreign affairs are not limited to North Korea. He has also advocated the bombing of Syria, building a wall at the US border to keep out Mexicans and to re-strengthen ties with Israel. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The United States Department of Justice has sued Ferguson, Missouri after city officials reneged on an agreement to reform its troubled police department. The Justice Department spent months negotiating a deal with Ferguson officials, but two weeks after reaching a tentative agreement on police reforms, city officials demanded changes be made to that agreement. All six members of the Ferguson City Council on Tuesday voted to accept the reform deal, but only on the condition that certain changes be made, the Washington Post reported. Those changes include not requiring pay increases for officers, and changes to deadlines and some fees. Recommended Read more Ferguson school boards is accused of racial bias The Justice Department expressed annoyance at the Ferguson officials after Tuesday's vote. On Wednesday, they filed suit. "The Ferguson City Council has attempted to unilaterally amend the negotiated agreement," Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, of the department's Civil Rights Division, said in a statement. "Their vote to do so creates an unnecessary delay in the essential work to bring constitutional policing to the city, and marks an unfortunate outcome for concerned community members and Ferguson police officers." Ferguson has faced intense scrutiny since a white police officer shot unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in the summer of 2014. Subsequent investigations found systematic discrimination and bias in the city, which has a long history of racial tensions. A grand jury did not charge the officer, Darren Wilson, in Mr. Brown's death, re-igniting protests that began after the shooting. The deal between Ferguson and the Justice Department is meant to improve relations between police and the community, and ensure that officers are properly trained and supervised, among other things. City officials claim they voted on the changes after residents came forward with concerns about the deal, the Post reported. Ferguson officials have acknowledged fighting the Justice Department lawsuit will be costly, probably running up a tab in the millions of dollars, but Mayor James Knowles III said challenging the suit will be cheaper than implementing costly parts of the agreement, according to the New York Times. Attorney General Loretta Lynch slammed Ferguson lawmakers on Wednesday. "The city of Ferguson had a real opportunity here to step forward, and instead they've turned backwards," Ms. Lynch said, according to the Times. "They've chosen to live in the past." Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk of court who famously went to jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, has been following orders since her release from jail, a federal judge said on Tuesday. While Ms. Davis has been issuing gay marriage licenses from her office, she continues to court controversy, according to the Associated Press. Licenses issued to gay couples have been altered, removing the clerk's name and title. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin signed an executive order in December, allowing clerks names to be removed from license. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against Ms. Davis, asking that she reissue the altered licenses. United States District Judge David Bunning denied the request, the AP reported. The controversy began last summer when the U.S. Supreme Court essentially legalized gay marriage. Ms. Davis, citing her religious beliefs refused to issue licenses to gay couples from her Kentucky office. She was ordered to jail for five days for contempt of court. Ms. Davis' imprisonment sparked a ferocious debate over religious liberty and equality, with many Republican politicians siding with Ms. Davis, who is a Democrat. After the latest ACLU lawsuit, Ms. Davis' lawyer, Mat Staver, said the organization wasn't interested in gay marriage, only in taking down the Kentucky clerk. "From the beginning, we have said the ACLU is not interested in marriage licenses," he wrote, according to the AP. "They want Kim Davis' scalp. They want to force her to violate her conscience. I am glad the court rejected this bully tactic." Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The US Supreme Court has agreed to stall President Barack Obamas sweeping plans to address climate change. The court ruled on Tuesday the presidents Clean Power Plan could not go ahead until legal challenges had been resolved. The Obama administrations plan aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by around one-third by 2030. Implementing the plan is considered essential to the US meeting emissions-reduction targets outlined during the UN climate negotiations held in Paris in December. Paris climate talks in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 Paris climate talks in pictures Paris climate talks in pictures A man is covered with a multi-coloured banner with the message, "Climate" as environmentalists attend a demonstration near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) that meets in Le Bourget, December 12, 2015 Reuters Paris climate talks in pictures French President Francois Hollande (C) and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) applaud after a statement at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line today with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning. Getty Paris climate talks in pictures US Secretary of State John Kerry (C) speaks with China's Special Representative on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua (R) and officials at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line today with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning. Getty Paris climate talks in pictures Delegates and members of NGO's read and work on copies of 'The adoption of the Paris agreement' is pictured after the announcement of the final draft by French Foreign Affairs minister Laurent Fabius at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning Getty Paris climate talks in pictures UN climate chief Christiana Figueres (C) speaks with French President Francois Hollande (L), United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (2ndL) and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) after a statement at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line today with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning Getty Paris climate talks in pictures A Swiss Dominican priest poses with activists dressed as polar bears as activists gather for a demonstration to form a giant red line at the Avenue de la Grande armee boulevard in Paris on December 12, 2015, as a proposed 195-nation accord to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that threaten to wreak havoc on Earth's climate system is to be presented at the United Nations conference on climate change COP21 in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris. Getty Paris climate talks in pictures Activists hold up a giant banner reading 'Climate justice' by association 'ourpowercampaign' during a demonstration near the Arc de Triomphe at the Avenue de la Grande armee boulevard in Paris on December 12, 2015, as a proposed 195-nation accord to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that threaten to wreak havoc on Earth's climate system is to be presented at the United Nations conference on climate change COP21 in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris. Getty Paris climate talks in pictures Representatives of indigenous peoples demonstrate in Paris, France, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget, December 12, 2015. Reuters Paris climate talks in pictures Environmentalists demonstrate near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget, December 12, 2015. Reuters Paris climate talks in pictures Environmentalists demonstrate near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget, December 12, 2015. Reuters Paris climate talks in pictures Activists form a giant red line during a demonstration on the Avenue de la Grande armee boulevard in Paris on December 12, 2015, as a proposed 195-nation accord to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that threaten to wreak havoc on Earth's climate system is to be presented at the United Nations conference on climate change COP21 in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images Paris climate talks in pictures The slogan "No Plan B" is projected on the Eiffel Tower as part of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) in Paris, France, December 11, 2015. Reuters Introduced in August, the plan set carbon-reduction goals for each state, with states asked to create proposals to meet those goals themselves. The temporary freeze is a victory for a coalition of 27, mostly Republican-led, states and industry opponents that call the regulations an unprecedented power grab and a violation of states rights. A federal appeals court in Washington refused to put the plan on hold last month, but the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to halt the plan, while litigation continues. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement: We disagree with the Supreme Courts decision to stay the Clean Power Plan while litigation proceeds. He said the administrations plan is based on a strong legal and technical foundation, and gives states the time and flexibility they need to develop cost-effective plans to reduce their emissions. He added the administration will continue to take aggressive steps to make forward progress to reduce carbon emissions. The ruling could have a significant impact on the presidents attempt to cut down carbon emissions. Under the plan individual states were due to submit their proposals in how to meet the CO2 restrictions by September, but this will be missed. The lower court is not likely to issue a ruling on the legality of the plan until months after it hears oral arguments begin on 2 June. Any decision will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court, meaning resolution of the legal fight is not likely to happen until after Obama leaves office. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia, whose coal-dependent state is helping to lead the legal fight, welcomed the courts decision. We are thrilled that the Supreme Court realised the rules immediate impact and froze its implementation, protecting workers and saving countless dollars as our fight against its legality continues. Additional reporting by Associated Press Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Just two months ago, Bernie Sanders was running a full 31 points behind Hillary Clinton in the national polls. On Wednesday morning, the Vermont senator is due to have breakfast in Harlem with the Rev Al Sharpton, having secured a huge victory over Ms Clinton in New Hampshire and now looking ahead to the polls in South Carolina with a surge of energy and excitement. As the 74-year-old democratic socialist eats with the activist at Sylvias soul food restaurant - the same place where the preacher ate with Barack Obama in 2008 - and discusses his campaign for a state with a large African American population, Mr Sanders would be forgiven if he took a moment to savour his victory. Bernie Sanders declared victory on Tuesday night (AP) Nine months ago when we began our campaign in New Hampshire, we had no campaign organisation, we had no money and we were taking on the most powerful political organisation in the United State of America, Mr Sanders said at a victory rally. Tonight we have won because of a what has been a record-breaking turnout. The polls had always projected the former mayor of Burlington was going to win in New Hampshire and after he pushed Ms Clinton to within less than half a percentage point in Iowa, it was always likely his campaign was heading for more success. In a state that permits out of state students to vote, it seemed certan he would have the upper hand. Indeed, it was younger voters and those who normally pay little interest to politics who have been at the bedrock of Mr Sanders support. While he he has attracted votes and backing from progressives and liberals, he has also tapped into an anger and frustration with ordinary. Many expressed the similar anger and dissatisfaction with Washington politics as those people attending the rallies of Donald Trump, the other big winner on Tuesday night. On issues such as economic inequality, money in politics, climate change and gender equality, Mr Sanders struck a chord with a range of people. His scale of support among younger voters was many times that of Ms Clinton. He also spoke about making higher education more affordable, of creating a single-payer healthcare system and of preventing dangerous speculation by bankers. He repeatedly hammered home a message that America should belong to the majority of people and not the top one per cent of the top one per cent. The excitement and energy created by such idealism was summed up by a 17-year-old student from New York who came to New Hampshire to see Mr Sanders speak, and who had sneaked into an event of Ms Clinton to ask a question of the former secretary of state. Jack Lovell got to his feet and asked Ms Clinton why people should trust her. The student reckoned her subsequent answer was solid, and he said that he would rather support her than any of the Republican candidates. But he added: When I listen to Mr Sanders, the hairs stick up on the back of my neck. Mr Sanders claimed on Tuesday night at his rally in the city of Concord that his victory had sent a message that had reverberated across the country. Tonight we serve notice to the establishment that the American people will no longer accept a corrupt campaign finance system and will no longer accept a rigged economy, he said. Its just too late for the same old, same old establishment politics, the same old establishment economy. The people want real change. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The scale of Hillary Clintons defeat to Bernie Sanders was still sinking in as she gave her concession speech on Tuesday evening. But David Axelrod, a former campaign manager and senior advisor to Barack Obama, may have got to to the heart of why Ms Clinton struggled to connect in New Hampshire with a single comment on social media. For @HillaryClinton, go to case is bio. Ive done it before, so you can count on me, said Mr Axelrod. But is it too much about her & not people? Ms Clinton said she will work harder than ever to win the nomination (AP) Exit polls have shown that Ms Clinton lost heavily in almost all constituencies in New Hampshire, a state that has traditionally been kind to her and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, who came second here in 1992 and christened himself the Comeback Kid. She lost both by geographic region, and by demographic. The only group where she had any real solid support was among the older and wealthier. She won among people aged 65 or older. One of the most striking findings of an analysis of exit poll data by the New York Times was that Ms Clinton lost very heavily among voters who cared about trust and honesty. A remarkable 91 per cent of voters who placed such issues as their priority opted for Mr Sanders rather than her. She also performed poorly among voters who wanted a candidate who seemed to care most about people like themselves. In another disturbing finding for Ms Clintonss campaign team, the data revealed that the younger voters were, the more skeptical they were of her: she received just 16 per cent of the support from people under 29, and 32 per cent from those 30 to 44. Mr Sanders has built his campaign around a vision of an inclusive society where women and men, gays and straights, are equal; where the economy is designed to help the majority of people and not just the top one per cent of one per cent, and where Wall St donors and big business have no place in influencing politics. He has outlined a system whereby money is removed from politics. At times, Mr Sanders has appeared amused and even startled by the excitement he has created. Yet he has spoke of his campaign more in terms of a revolution or social movement, rather than about a battle simply to push himself to the White House. Tonight we serve notice to the establishment that the American people will no longer accept a corrupt campaign finance system and will no longer accept a rigged economy, he said in his victory speech on Tuesday evening. Former presidential advisor David Axelrod has written a memoir of his life in politics (Getty) Its just too late for the same old, same old establishment politics, the same old establishment economy. The people want real change. Mr Sanders supporters argued that Ms Clinton, by contrast, did not represent change, but rather more of what had gone before. In contrast to Mr Sanders talk of revolution, she spoke of a more incremental shift, arguing that while the Vermont senators policies were well intentioned, he was unlikely to achieve them. She and her husband also placed her at the centre of everything. Bill Clinton claimed his wife was the greatest change-maker he had ever seen. They both said she would fight all day for everyone. She would be their champion. She would take on the people who had been trying to pull her down for decades and had failed to destroy her. And heres what I will promise. I will work harder than anyone to make the changes that make your lives better, she said in her concession speech. She also recognised that young people, in particular, had not come out for her. She said that regardless of who had voted for her, she would continue to fight for everyone. Mr Sanders success would suggest, that while people want a strong leader, they also want to feel they are part of the change - and not simply being led. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Thank you, New Hampshire. (APPLAUSE) Shortly after the polls closed, Secretary Clinton called and was very gracious in her congratulations. I thank her for her call, and I congratulate her and her supporters for the vigorous campaign that they ran in New Hampshire. And, let me take this opportunity to thank the many, many thousands of volunteers here in the granite state who worked so tirelessly. Our volunteers worked night and day, made phone calls, and knocked on a heck of a lot of doors, and we won because of your energy. Thank you all so much. I want to thank Julia Bond and our great campaign staff. We have sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California, and that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors, and their Super PACs. Nine months ago we began our campaign here in New Hampshire. We had no campaign organization, we had no money, and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America. Tonight, with what appears to be a record breaking voter turnout, because of a huge voter turnout -- and I say huge, we won. Because we harnessed the energy, and the excitement that the Democratic party will need to succeed in November. What happened here in New Hampshire in terms of an enthusiastic, and aroused electorate, people who came out in large numbers. That is what will happen all over this country. Let us never forget, Democrats and progressives win when voter turnout is high. Republicans win when people are demoralized, and voter turnout is low. Tonight, we served notice to the political and economic establishment of this country that the American people will not continue to accept a corrupt campaign finance system that is undermining American democracy, and we will not accept a rigged economy in which ordinary Americans work longer hours for lower wages, while almost all new income and wealth goes to the top 1%. I want to take this opportunity again to congratulate Secretary Clinton and her organization and supporters for waging a vigorous campaign. I hope that in the days ahead we can continue to wage a strong, issue oriented campaign, and bring new people into the political process. But, I also hope that we all remember -- and this is a message not just to our opponents, but to those who support me as well. That we will need to come together in a few months and unite this party, and this nation because the right-wing Republicans we oppose must not be allowed to gain the presidency. As we all remember, the last time Republicans occupied the White House, their trickle down economic policies drove us into the worst economic downturn since the depression of the 1930's. No, we will not allow huge tax breaks for billionaires, we will not allow packed -- huge cuts to social security, veterans needs, Medicare, MedicAid, and education. No, we will not allow back into the White House a political party which is so beholden to the fossil fuel industry that they cannot even acknowledge the scientific reality of climate change (INAUDIBLE). The people of New Hampshire have sent a profound message to the political establishment, to the economic establishment, and by the way, to the media establishment. What the people here have said is given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for the same old, same old establishment politics, and establishment economics. The people want real change. What the American people are saying -- and, by the way, I hear this not just from progressives, but from conservatives and from moderates, is that we can no longer continue to have a campaign finances system in which Wall Street and the billionaire class are able to buy elections. Americans, no matter what their political view may be, understand that that is not what democracy is about. That is what oligarchy is about, and we will not allow that to continue. I do not have a Super PAC, and I do not want a Super PAC. I am overwhelmed, and I am deeply moved far more than I can express in words by the fact that our campaigns financial support comes from more than one million Americans who have made more than 3.7 million individual contributions. That is more individual contributions than any candidate in the history of the United States up until this point in an election. And, you know what that average contribution was? $27 dollars. I am going to New York City tonight and tomorrow, but I'm not going to New York City to hold a fundraiser on Wall Street. Instead, I'm going to hold a fundraiser right here, right now, across America. My request is please go to Berniesanders.com and contribute. Please help us raise the funds we need, whether it's $10 bucks, $20 bucks, or $50 bucks. Help up us raise the money we need to take the fight to Nevada, South Carolina, and the states on Super Tuesday. So, there it is, that's our fundraiser. Pretty quick. Now, what the American people understand is that our great country was based on a simple principal, and that principle is fairness. Let me be very clear, it is not fair when we have more income and wealth inequality today than almost any major country on Earth. And, when the top one-tenth of 1% now owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90%, that's not fair. It is not fair when the 20 wealthiest people in this country now own more wealth than the bottom half of the American people. So, are you guys ready for a radical idea? Together we are going to create an economy that works for all of us, not just the 1%. And, when millions of our people are working for starvation wages, yep, we're going to raise the minimum wage to $15 bucks an hour. And, we are going to bring pay equity for women. And, when we need the best educated workforce in the world, yes, we are going to make public colleges and universities tuition free. And, for the millions of Americans struggling with horrendous levels of student debt, we are going to substantially ease that burden. In America people should be financially distressed for decades for the crime, the crime of trying to get a higher education, that's absurd. Well, my critics say, you know, Bernie, that's a great idea, you're into all this free stuff. How are you going to pay for it? I will tell you how we're going to pay for it. We're going to impose a tax on Wall Street speculation. The greed, the recklessness, and the illegal behavior drove our economy to its knees. The American people bailed out Wall Street, now it's Wall Street's time to help the middle class. And, when we talk about transforming America, it means ending the disgrace of this country having more people in jail than any other country in the world, disproportionately African-American, and Latino. Not only are we going to fight to end institutional racism, and a broken criminal justice system, we are going to provide jobs and education for our young people, not jails and incarceration. And, Let me say that as a member of the energy committee in the Senate, and the environmental committee, the debate is over. Climate change is real. It is caused by human activity, and it is already causing devastating problems in this country and around the world. We have a moral responsibility to work with countries throughout the world to transform our energy system away from fossil fuel to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. Now, I have been criticized during this campaign for many, many things. Every single day, that's OK, that's alright. They're throwing everything at me except the kitchen sink, and I have the feeling that kitchen sink is coming pretty soon as well. But, what our campaign is about is thinking big, not small. It's about having the courage to reject the status quo. It's about saying that in a time when every major country on Earth guarantees healthcare to all of their people, we should be doing the same in our great country. In my view, under President Obama's leadership, the Affordable Care Act has been an important step forward, no question about it. But, we can, and must, do better. Twenty-nine million Americans should not remain uninsured, an even greater number should remain under- insured with large deductibles and co-payments. We should not be paying by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs at a time -- listen to this, when the top three drug companies in this country made $45 billion dollars in profit last year. That is an obscenity, and let me tell you something. When we make it to the White House, the pharmaceutical industry will not continue to rip-off the American people. Further, it makes no sense that as a nation we continue to spend far, far more per capita than do the people of any other nation, all of whom guarantee healthcare to all of their people. That is why I believe in a Medicare for all, single-payer program which will not only guarantee healthcare for all, but will save the average middle class family thousands of dollars a year in health care costs. My friends, we all know that we live in a dangerous and complex world. As president I will defend this nation, but I will do it responsibly. I voted against the war in Iraq, and that was the right vote. While we must be relentless in combating terrorist who would do us harm, we cannot, and should not be the policeman of the world. Nor should we bear the burden of fighting terrorism alone. In the Middle East, the United States must remain part of an international coalition sustained by nations in the region that have the means to protect themselves. Together we must, and will, destroy ISIS, but we should do it in a way that does not put our young men and women in the military into perpetual warfare in the quagmire of the Middle East. My friends, we must fix our broken immigration system that divides families, and create a path towards citizenship for hardworking people who are living in the shadows. We must strengthen and expand Social Security, and increase the benefits that seniors, and disabled vets receive so that people can live in dignity in their retirement. We must rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and when we do that, we create millions of decent paying jobs. In pictures: US Elections 2016 Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: US Elections 2016 In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks to supporters after rival candidate Hillary Clinton was projected as the winner in the Nevada Democratic caucuses Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton takes photos with workers at her campaign office in Des Moines, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, second from left, prays before lunch with supporters at Drake Diner in Des Moines, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Maryland Governor. Martin O'Malley, speaks during a campaign stop in Waterloo, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks, as his wife Jane OMeara Sanders looks on, at a campaign event at Iowa State University Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio speaks at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks at a campaign event at Fireside Pub and Steak House in Manchester, Iowa. Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum visiting supporters at a house party in West Des Moines, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican candidate Ted Cruz campaigns at Greene County Community Centre in Jefferson, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Senator Rand Paul speaks during a Caucus rally at his Des Moines headquarters in Iowa Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican candidate Jeb Bush speaks at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa AFP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin introducing the arrival of Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 A portrait of Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders at his campaign headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Campaign badges on sale ahead of a Trump rally at the Ramada Waterloo Hotel and Convention Centre in Waterloo, Iowa Getty We must pursue the fight for women's rights, for gay rights, for disability rights. We must against stronger, and stronger, opposition protect the right of a woman to control her own body. We must protect the men and women who serve our nation in uniform, and protect our veterans who put their lives on the line to defend us. My friends, we must tell the billionaire class and the 1% that they cannot have it all at a time of massive wealth and income inequality, the wealthiest people and largest corporations in this country will start their paying their fair share of taxes. My friends, I am the son of a Polish immigrant who came to this country speaking no English, and having no money. My father worked everyday of his life, and he never made a whole lot. My Mom and Dad, and brother and I grew up in a small three and a half room, rent controlled apartment in Brooklyn, New York. My Mother, who died at a young age, always dreamed of moving out of that apartment, getting a home of her own, but she never realized that dream. The truth is that neither one of my parents could ever have dreamed that I would be here tonight standing before you as a candidate for President of the United States. This is the promise of America, and this is the promise we must keep alive for future generations. What began last week in Iowa, what voters here in New Hampshire confirm tonight, is nothing short of the beginning of a political revolution. It is a political revolution that will bring tens of millions of our people together. It will bring together working people who have given up on the political process. It will bring together young people who have never participated in the political process. It will bring together blacks, and whites, latinos, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, straight and gay, male and female. People who were born in America, and people who immigrated here. We will all come together to say loudly, and clearly that the government of our great nation belongs to all of us, not just a few wealthy campaign contributors. That is what this campaign is about, that is what the political revolution is about. So, New Hampshire, thank you again. And, now it's time. Thank you, New Hampshire. And, now it's on to Nevada, South Carolina, and beyond. Copyright: Washington Post Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The popularity of Bernie Sanders among young female voters has contributed to his victory in the New Hampshire primary, an exit poll has revealed. Mr Sanders won 60 per cent of the votes overall in the New England state, compared to his rival Hillary Clintons 38 per cent. Part of his success was down to the fact that he was backed by 53 per cent of the female Democratic voters. Lagging behind, Ms Clinton won just 46 per cent. According to an exit poll conducted by ABC News, Mr Sanders, 74, was highly popular among the younger female population in particular 69 per cent of female voters under the age of 45 and 82 per cent of those under the age of 30 backed the senator from Vermont. But Ms Clinton, 68, swept up the votes from women over the age of 45. The sway of female voters towards Mr Sanders comes despite the fact the former secretary of state has emphasised that she would be a voice for women if elected president in November. Ms Clinton has said previously that she is trying to break the hardest, highest glass ceiling. However, some female voters may have been deterred from voting for the former First Lady after Madeleine Albright, Americas first female secretary of state, suggested women should feel obliged to support her. During a rally, Ms Albright said there was "a special place in hell for women who don't help each other". I dont think I should have to vote for a woman because I am a woman, said 23-year-old New Hampshire voter Paige Lambert. Ms Lambert, who voted for Ms Clinton's rival, said: If I would have thought she'd do better, I would have voted for her. Im not just going to vote for her because shes a woman. In pictures: US Elections 2016 Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: US Elections 2016 In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks to supporters after rival candidate Hillary Clinton was projected as the winner in the Nevada Democratic caucuses Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton takes photos with workers at her campaign office in Des Moines, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, second from left, prays before lunch with supporters at Drake Diner in Des Moines, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Maryland Governor. Martin O'Malley, speaks during a campaign stop in Waterloo, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks, as his wife Jane OMeara Sanders looks on, at a campaign event at Iowa State University Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio speaks at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks at a campaign event at Fireside Pub and Steak House in Manchester, Iowa. Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum visiting supporters at a house party in West Des Moines, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican candidate Ted Cruz campaigns at Greene County Community Centre in Jefferson, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Senator Rand Paul speaks during a Caucus rally at his Des Moines headquarters in Iowa Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican candidate Jeb Bush speaks at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa AFP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin introducing the arrival of Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 A portrait of Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders at his campaign headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Campaign badges on sale ahead of a Trump rally at the Ramada Waterloo Hotel and Convention Centre in Waterloo, Iowa Getty The popularity of Mr Sanders among female voters nationwide has been rising. According to a poll conducted by the New York Times and CBS News in January, he received 39 per cent support from female Democratic primary voters, up 10 percentage points from the previous month. But Ms Clinton still leads the national polls among female voters with 53 per cent. (Datawrapper) Among policies Mr Sanders has directed at women, he has vowed to secure equal pay and make quality childcare available across the US. Additional reporting by agencies Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Ta-Nehisi Coates, the prolific author of Between the World and Me and The Case for Reparations, says hell be voting for Bernie Sanders this election season. During an interview with Democracy Now, Mr Coates humbly explained why he'd be voting for the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist. "I will be voting for Senator Sanders. I have tried to avoid this question, but, yes, I will be voting for Senator Sanders. I try to avoid that, because I want to write as a journalistdo you know what I mean?and separate that from my role as, I dont know, a private citizen," he said. "But I dont think much is accomplished by ducking the question. Yes, I will vote for Senator Sanders. My son influenced me." However, Mr Coates later clarified on Twitter: "Addendum: No reason to be particularly excited about my personal vote. I'm gonna keep writing like I'm writing." So yeah. This ain't feeling the Bern. It's just trying to be a decent citizen and as transparent as I can be. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Senator Bernie Sanders wants a revolution and is getting it. So, too, is Donald Trump, even if he doesnt say the word. They laid waste to their opponents in the New Hampshire primary and yesterday America awoke to a stunning notion: will one of these men become president? Granite State voters say why not? Senator Sanders the first Jewish-American to win a presidential primary buried Hillary Clinton by a margin no one has seen since John F Kennedy won the state in 1960. And its been at least since 2000 that a Republican has done as well as Mr Trump. Recommended Read more Trump and Sanders storm to victory over establishment rivals The nomination contests will now pick up pace, moving first to Nevada and South Carolina and then a whole parade of states on 1 March, dubbed Super Tuesday. Neither of the New Hampshire winners are immune to reversals of fortune, however. Yet, who could have imagined this a few months ago? Certainly not the increasingly appalled elders of each of the parties. Mr Trump had never held or ran for office. He hasnt himself voted in a Republican primary for decades. And Mr Sanders has never even belonged to the party he is running for. This election is the most unpredictable election that I have ever seen, Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee in the 2008 race, told reporters. Even that, however, may be wishful thinking. Trump Cruises to Victory Over Ted Cruz and Rivals with 35% of NH Vote Mr Trump, 69, could quickly become unstoppable. Exit polls in New Hampshire showed the breadth of his appeal. Compared to second-place Ohio Governor John Kasich, he took women voters by a margin of two to one. Same for all voters under 30. Among men, however, it was a thumping three to one. Hence his mildly self-congratulatory tone at his victory speech, where he ranged wildly over domestic and foreign policy. I am going to be the greatest jobs president that God ever created, he averred and one who would knock the hell out of Isis. Mr Sanders, 74, also started from nowhere when he declared nine months ago. As expected, he easily outpolled Ms Clinton among young and blue-collar voters with his relentlessly liberal message of raising taxes, breaking up the big banks and offering government-guaranteed healthcare for all with a campaign mounted without the help of billionaires and the political action committees they fund. Together we have sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California, he said in a victory speech. And that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people, and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their Super-PACs. But Mr Sanders showed other strengths in New Hampshire that will sound loud alarm bells in the Clinton campaign. Women voters of all ages defected to the senator by a margin of 11 points. Yet Nevada and South Carolina may be different. In both states, he must deal with a much-vaunted Clinton firewall: African-Americans and Hispanics. He is chipping at it already, taking breakfast in Harlem with civil rights veteran Al Sharpton. Voicing concern that issues of most interest to blacks could fall off the radar when President Obama leaves office, Mr Sharpton said: Senator Sanders coming here this morning further makes it clear that we will not be ignored. But he offered no endorsement. Quickly upon the Republicans will be their primary in South Carolina a week from Saturday and a ferocious brawl is already breaking out beneath Mr Trump involving Ted Cruz, the winner in the Iowa caucus, who came a decent third in New Hampshire and second-placed Ohio Governor John Kasich, who has big appeal for moderates. Also still in the ring are Jeb Bush, who came back from the dead to score fourth and Marco Rubio who must now recover steam after a limp fifth place. Chris Christie 'treasures' US-UK relationship The most lethal fighter, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, wont be there to add to the blood. It was a savage attack from him that badly rattled Senator Rubio at a debate last Saturday and stopped his momentum out of Iowa. The stalling of Mr Rubio may long be remembered as a signature moment in the New Hampshire contest. I did not do well on Saturday night, so listen to this: that will never happen again, the candidate himself admitted on Tuesday night. That so many Republicans are still scrapping to emerge as has his only foe can only help Mr Trump. The party establishment had hoped by now to have a single non-Trump contender to rally around. They still hope it is not Mr Cruz, who is almost as far out of the Republican mainstream as Mr Trump. I think theyre all really potential threats, Mr Trump said of his rivals. But Im OK at handling threats. If Mr Trump can hold on until Super Tuesday, his perceived weakness poor ground organisation may become less important as the candidates rely more on the power of television and social media. Which Mr Trump is rather good at. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The internet of things - baby monitors, Samsung televisions, home security devices, voice recognition barbies - is a wonderful place, designed to make your home safer and your childrens playtime more interactive. But what if this new network of gadgets is recording data on you and sending it back to the manufacturing company and intelligence agencies? The US intelligence chief has insinuated as much this week, when he said that agencies might be able to use this new generation of household devices to increase their surveillance capabilities. Recommended Read more 2 charts that show employees are a bigger data risk than cyber attack James Clapper, US director of national intelligence, said at a Senate hearing on cyber security: In the future, intelligence services might use the [internet of things] for identification, surveillance, monitoring, location tracking, and targeting for recruitment, or to gain access to networks or user credentials. Mr Clapper did not specify which devices could be used or which agencies would use the data, but The Guardian reported that security experts took it as a given that agencies could intercept signals that newly networked devices emit, as they have done for years with mobile phones. The comments shed light on the fact that millions of customers buying these devices may have no knowledge they are being recorded, unless they choose to read the small print. Products on the watch list may also come as a surprise: toothbrushes, door locks, watches, toasters and bedsheets may also be recording data, as reported by The New York Times. Police have already asked Dogcam, owned by Google, for footage from cameras inside peoples homes which are designed to keep their children safe. Data from Fitbit, the electronic pedometer that also tracks your movement, has already been used in court against defendants. Devices like Xbox Kinect, Amazon Echo and GMs OnStar program can also track car owners driving patterns. All of these apparently unsecured networks can be easily infiltrated by amateur computer hackers, as illustrated by a new search engine called Shodan, which showed it can easily tap into schools, baby cams and peoples homes. The notion of increased surveillance goes against what the FBI has claimed for two years - that it faces a dark crisis to track potential criminals as more companies enjoy encrypted communications and would not share data on their customers. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A law requiring all applicants for government benefits to be tested for drug use has pushed its way into North Carolina, expanding an increasing number of states that have adopted similar scruitny of welfare applicants. The law in North Carolina was passed in 2013 but has taken time to be enacted. Fewer than 90 tests were taken from August to December last year, with 20 testing positive for illegal drugs, as reported by the Associated Press. The caseload for the Work First department is about 17,000 people. Governor Pat McCrory had vetoed the law as he said it was punitive and potentially intrusive, and there was a lack of funding for the tests which cost $55 each. The legislature overruled him. Seven states that already have drug testing in place for people on benefits spent nearly $1 million as of the start of 2015 to administer the tests. Apart from one state, all uncovered a positive test rate of below 1 per cent. All seven states were well below the national drug use rate of 9.4 per cent, as reported by ThinkProgress. The evidence suggests that there is not a high correlation between those applying for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and drug use. According to the National Conference of State Legislature, there are 13 states as of July 2015 that have laws in place that require drug testing or screening for benefits applications, that either applies to all applicants or those where there is a reason to believe that person is taking drugs. West Virginia also unveiled a bill at the end of 2015 which said that those applicants who failed the test could eventually be permanently barred from receiving assistance. Recommended UCI to investigate Chris Froome claim over lack of drug tests In response, state House Delegate Shawn Fluharty introduced a bill to drug test state lawmakers, to adhere to the laws we implement, he said. In other states drug testing welfare recipients has proven to be a costly, colossal failure, he told The Independent. There is no evidence that poor people use drugs at a higher rate than anyone else in our society. There should not be a double standard simply because we wear suits, he added. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Businesses are closing, international aid agencies are winding up their operations and thousands of Afghans are fleeing abroad in search of better lives as fighting with the Taliban increases. But in a country where big plans often collapse, two young entrepreneurs have taken a small step that they hope will sow the seeds of a greater change. Suleman Fatimie and Shakib Noori, both management graduates from Pakistans Preston University, have given up promising careers and invested their life savings in a bakery in the Afghan capital despite the World Banks most recent official assessment describing the countrys medium-term outlook as unfavourable. Growth is unlikely to exceed 2 per cent, a sluggish rate compared with other Asian economies, the bank believes, and according to some estimates, some two million Afghans are unemployed. We thought hard how can we help change the situation? said Mr Fatimie, who was previously chief executive of Afghanistans export promotion agency. A good, sustainable business has the power to improve lives of those involved. So, we decided to set up a venture. A bakery was a natural choice as Afghans are fond of food and most are addicted to bread. Mr Fatimie and Mr Noori invested $30,000 (20,700) to set up the bakery which they named Khanagi which means home-made in the Dari language. It is barely visible in the shadows of supermarkets, hotels and banks at the centre of the plush Kabul neighbourhood of Shar-e-Now. But the powerful aroma of freshly-baked naan, the flat bread that is an Afghan staple for breakfast, lunch and dinner, fills the street whenever customers open Khanagis glass door. Push for Afghanistan peace talks amid Taliban resurgence Inside, the head cook Shir Mohmmad and his four assistants roll balls of dough and flatten them between their palms before plastering them on the walls of a clay oven. The naan, in a way, reflects the character of Afghans, said Mr Mohmmad as one of the assistants peeled cooked bread from the oven walls using an iron rod. Crisp on the exterior, but soft inside. Recommended Read more Afghanistan official sacked after brawl with tribal chief in Kandahar Khanagi had many firsts to its credit, Mr Mohmmad said. Its the only bakery in Afghanistan that is committed to good taste and health at the same time. We only use whole grain for our breads, he explained. And we are the only bakery in Afghanistan that does home delivery. In the space of a few weeks since its launch, the tiny one-room bakery has created an entire business ecosystem that is helping to rebuild bonds within the local economy and generate employment. Khanagi only uses grain grown by Afghan farmers, and obtains its fruit jams, milk, cottage cheese and seasonal side dishes from local producers. It has given direct employment to 11 local residents and created about 100 other jobs at its suppliers. Jamal, a 21-year-old student of philosophy at Kabul University, is among those who have benefited from the venture. I was about to leave for Europe to seek asylum, just like my friends, he said. I didnt see any future here. My parents couldnt afford to pay my college fees and there was no job for me. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Then I got a call from Khanagi. They were looking for a manager who could also take orders over the phone. Jamal, who uses only one name, got the job from among dozens of applicants. My life has taken a complete turn. I was paid my first salary 10,000 Afghanis (about $153) at the end of December. I plan to use the money to pay my college dues. I will have education, job and money. I now see hope. Facebook and Twitter have helped to spread the word about Khanagi. We get dozens of calls every day from young men, small business owners and entrepreneurs who are keen to learn from our experience, said Shakib Noori, the other co-founder of Khanagi, previously Afghanistans economic attache to the US. We have had a bubble economy in which donor funds have been running businesses. They have now gone. In a way that is good because now people are thinking about setting up businesses that are sustainable. Look at Khanagi. Its been just a few weeks and we are already getting orders for 1,000 breads a day. My only advice to Afghan entrepreneurs is Think small, do small. And then big will follow. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The chief of North Korea's military has been executed on charges of "corruption", according to a South Korean news agency. General Ri Young-gil had been chief of the general staff for Kim Jong-un's regime since he was appointed to the role in August 2013. According to the Yonhap News agency, which cited sources "familiar with North Korean affairs", General Ri was purged this month and also faced accusations of "pursuing personal gains". It is almost impossible to verify the report coming out of the hermit kingdom, but reports of General Ri falling out of favour with Kim have been circulating since early 2014. North Korea's worst human rights abuses Show all 11 1 /11 North Korea's worst human rights abuses North Korea's worst human rights abuses Starvation A UN report said that policies leading to mass starvation in North Korea amounted to crimes against humanity. Deaths peaked during the 1990s North Korean famine. Al Jazeera North Korea's worst human rights abuses Executions Defence minister Hyon Yong Chol is believed to be the latest official executed after falling foul of Kim Jong-un. As well as gruesome public executions, thousands of people have been killed in state 'purges' and for alleged anti-state crimes Getty North Korea's worst human rights abuses Torture Torture is prevalent in prison camps, as well as in police and security service custody. AP North Korea's worst human rights abuses Freedom of religion American missionary Kenneth Bae was one of the many people detained after trying to practice their religion. The DPRK Constitution claims to protect freedom of religion but not if it as alleged of being used a a pretext for 'drawing in foreign forces or for harming the state and social order'. Christianity is frequently considered a political crime North Korea's worst human rights abuses Freedom of expression All media is tightly-state controlled and expressing facts of opinions critical of the government or Juche ideology can lead to arrest and imprisonment. As well as being under extensive surveillance, people are encouraged to 'inform' on friends and neighbours Getty North Korea's worst human rights abuses Freedom of thought A UN report found that the 'DPRK operates an all-encompassing indoctrination machine which takes root from childhood to propagate an official personality cult and to manufacture absolute obedience to the Supreme Leader, effectively to the exclusion of any independent thought from the official ideology and state propaganda' Reuters North Korea's worst human rights abuses Forced labour Prisoners are subjected to forced labour in camps, including children as young as five. Some workers are also reportedly being sent abroad to fund the government's projects AFP North Korea's worst human rights abuses Sexual discrimination Although women are permitted to serve in the military, their role is restrained by the Juche ideology and the UN reports that 'discrimination against women remains pervasive in all aspects of society' AP North Korea's worst human rights abuses Freedom of movement Freedom of movement is severely restricted within North Korea and very few citizens are allowed to leave the country. Immigrants found in China can be forcible repatriated and punished on their return. The right for foreigners to enter is also severely restricted. Reuters North Korea's worst human rights abuses Prison camps Many of the worst abuses reported take place at prison camps, some specifically for political crimes. The camps officially do not exist but have been photographed using satellite. Inmates are 'forcibly disappeared' and usually imprisoned until death REUTERS North Korea's worst human rights abuses Reproductive rights Forced abortions have been reported for imprisoned women, often after being raped by guards. Mothers and babies frequently die in childbirth because of a lack of adequate care, often delivering babies unaided at home. AP Then, it was reported that General Ri might be superseded by the increasingly influential General Pyon In Son, who was made a four-star general in March 2014 and named head of operations in the Korean Peoples Army. But according to South Korean officials, General Pyon was himself then executed in January 2015, two months after he was stripped of office for alleged corruption and failure to follow orders. North Korea launches rocket The purge sends a message that helps to discipline the military, said Kim Yong Hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul, at the time. If the reports can be confirmed, the demise of General Ri would be one of the most high-profile purges in North Korea since Kim ordered the execution of his own uncle, Jang Song Thaek, following a special military tribunal. Jangs killing would nonetheless remain the highest-level purge since Kim took power following the death of his father Kim Jong-il in 2011. At the time, veteran Pyongyang commentators said Kim had not choice to be rid of Jang in order to cement his fragile power. North Korea expert Andrei Lankov then said: He had to go. To really start running the country Kim must get rid of the old guard. They are so much older; they are in their sixties and seventies and he is in his thirties. General Ri was made a lieutenant general at the peak of Kim Jong-ils reign in 2002. Believed to have been in his early sixties, he would certainly fit the term old guard. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A teenager who died in the Australian outback from heat exhaustion had to wait an hour for medical help, partly because the emergency services couldnt understand his fathers Scottish accent, an inquest has heard. Ewan Louis Williamson, 14, from Largs, Scotland died in 2012 on the Badjirrajirra Walk, in Cape Range National Park, Western Australia while hiking with his father, Gordon Williamson. Mr Williamson, 49, told the Western Australia coroners court on Tuesday he had phoned for help at 2pm, when his son became ill and could no longer walk, reported the Scotsman. However, the request was not logged as an emergency because the operator could not understand his accent. Help was further delayed as Mr Williamson was not a local and was not sure on the GPS co-ordinates of their location. Ewan had become unwell shortly after beginning their hike at 10am, when the temperatures were reported to be 48 degrees Celsius, according to the Scottish newspaper, the Daily Record. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty After deciding to turn back to the car, the pair realised they had become lost. Mr Williamson left his son to phone for help. The teenager was conscious, but could not carry on, and stayed in the shade next to Badjirrajirra Creek, just 400 metres from the car. Initially Mr Williamson had not thought his sons case to be life threatening. Upon returning, Ewan was semi-conscious and having small seizures, reported WA Today, which prompted the father to suggest the emergency services send an air ambulance. When the police arrived at 2.58pm, officers did not bring a stretcher and took a long time to carry the teen to transport him less than half a kilometre. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate the teen, but he was pronounced dead in hospital that evening. The inquest heard how the father and son were experienced hikers and had walked extensively together in New Zealand previously, reported WA Today. A post-mortem revealed the cause of his death to be heatstroke or exhaustion. This was complicated by a recent viral illness, which had inflamed the heart, reported the Scotsman. The teenager had gone to Australia a week earlier to spend the Christmas period with his father, who lived in the town of Geraldton, 420 km (260 miles) north of Perth. The inquest continues. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A campaign has been launched to send a 10-year-old boy, who was allegedly raped at a public swimming pool in Vienna, on holiday with his mother. Donations came pouring in after the boys mother Gunja (not her real name) gave an interview to the local newspaper Heute. After recalling the incident she added that it was her sons biggest dream to go on holiday. The newspaper is hoping to raise enough to pay for the entire familys vacation. Local newspaper Kronen Zeitung described the alleged assailant as a 20-year-old Iraqi refugee, who was arrested at the scene of the incident in late December. It was reported that the child was taken to hospital for treatment over "severe" injuries. At first, Austrian authorities did not release details of the rape, on December 2 at the Theresienbad pool in order to protect the victim. After the attack, the suspect left the cubicle and went to enjoy himself by springing from the three-metre-high diving board while the victim alerted a lifeguard, Austrian newspaper the Kronen Zeitung reported. The 20-year-old reportedly told police during an interrogation that he knew he had made a huge mistake and that he had left a big scar on the boy. But he said he had followed his desires, before adding: I havent had sex for four months. Responding to this the victims mother said: "I couldn't believe it when I heard that. I come from Serbia, and I spent five years living in a Caritas home together with people from many different nations. You certainly can't call me a racist, but to try and defend himself in that way is just monstrous. It's like me saying I'm going to go to a bank tomorrow and rob it because I don't have enough money for my five children." She added: "I am a single mother, so we always struggle with money. But my son loves swimming so much that on December 2nd I gave him 3 so he could go to the local Theresienbad swimming pool. "He was so happy at having the money, and after school went there straight away so I wasn't expecting him back home immediately. Three hours after school finished, I got a phone call from him and he was crying into the phone. I couldn't understand a word he said, but then somebody came on the phone and told me: 'Please come straight away, your child has been sexually assaulted." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Pope Francis begins a high-profile visit to Latin America this week in what should be a series of celebrations for the Argentinian pontiff. Attention instead looks set to be fixed again on arguably the single most shocking case of multiple child abuse, cover-ups and conspiracy in a series of worldwide clerical paedophilia cases. Even before Francis touches down in Mexico city, victims of serial abuser Marcial Maciel, the close friend of Pope John Paul II, and head of the Legionaries of Christ, are dismayed that Pope Francis will not find time to meet them despite him spending a whole week in Mexico. The Mexican religious institution had at its height 800 priests, 15 universities, and more than 100 prep schools. Maciel, who died in the US in 2008, aged 86, is said to have exploited his power and position to abuse boys and young men for many decades. It is even thought he abused two of his own children from relations with two women. Despite this, he continued to have the ear of Pope John Paul II, and accompanied him during papal visits to Mexico in 1979, 1990 and 1993 long after formal charges had been filed against him in ecclesiastical courts in Rome. Mexican Popemobiles Barbara Blaine, the president of the US-based support group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), said: Of course, Francis should meet with the Mexican victims. But it seems he only meets victims of abuse for good PR. She added: He doesnt seem to meet the victims who are likely to cause controversy. Given the proven layers of conspiracy and cover-up over Maciel, she said such a meeting would not be easy for the Vatican to stage manage. Victims of Maciel were dismayed not to be offered a chance to see Pope Benedict when he visited Mexico in 2012. Recommended Read more Mexican Church warns public not to buy fake tickets to see Pope Critics were even more upset when Pope Francis recently extended an olive branch to the shamed, ultra-conservative order, founded by Maciel in 1941. In October last year, the pontiff granted a plenary indulgence pardoning the current Legionaries. Critics say that 30 or so priests in the institution are thought to have been abusers. One prominent victim, Jose Barba, a university professor, who was abused by Maciel in his youth, told the Mexican press ahead of the popes visit that survivors were still waiting for justice and he urged the pope to meet them. Marco Politi, a biographer of Pope Francis, told The Independent: The victims of Maciel have the right to see the pope given that they were let down by Benedict who refused to meet them back in 2012 when he was in Mexico. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi insisted there would be no meeting, but remained upbeat. I dont think we can expect a meeting with victims of child abuse, he said, adding: I remember the sea of people when John Paul II visited... everyone loves the pope. Persistent questions over John Paul IIs continued support for Maciel caused some experts to question whether the Polish pope would get a fast-tracked sainthood. In the event he was canonised in 2011 just nine years after his death. A year before, in 2010, the Vatican finally apologised for the crimes of Maciel, noting the Mexican priest had lived a life without morals, 40 years or more after the first documented reports of his sex attacks on children. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The French parliament has voted for controversial changes to its constitution to enshrine powers implemented under its state of emergency and removing citizenship for terror suspects. Politicians voted by 317 votes to 199 to give a new status to emergency security powers, after previously supporting stripping convicted extremists French citizenship by 162 votes to 148 against. Manuel Valls, the Prime Minister, said a long debate had preceded the National Assemblys decision. A message reading 'In the name of democracy, do not change the constitution!' on the walls of the French National Assembly building on the night before the 10 February vote. (AFP/Getty Images) It is a reform that seeks to protect the country and our compatriots, he added, according to iTele. I do not doubt for an instant that the Senate will demonstrate the same sense of responsibility. It is a good day for the Republic, for the country, for France, for unity in the face of terrorism. The decision to revoke a person's French citizenship will be made by a judge and apply only to terrorism-related crimes if passed as law. The bill must still be voted on by the Senate in March and pass with a three-fifths majority in both houses to be adopted as a constitutional amendment. It has already revealed deep divisions in Frances governing Socialist party, seeing the resignation of Justice Minister Christiane Taubira over a now-dropped clause referring to dual-nationals born in France. Sometimes resisting means staying on, sometimes resisting means leaving, she said at the time. Disneyland Paris: man arrested with guns in bag Ms Taubira stood down a fortnight ago, citing a major political disagreement with the government over plans that opponents say effectively singles out dual-nationality French Muslims, as under international law citizens cannot be made stateless. Critics have also argued that the measures will increase, rather than reduce, the alienation of young Muslims, undermining efforts to increase cohesion and fight radicalisation. Despite the shock and mourning still resonating after Novembers Paris attacks, the measures have proved divisive in a nation that still centres itself around the values of liberte, egalite, fraternite. Even as politicians voted in favour of changes to the constitution, protesters gathered outside the building in Paris. Demonstrators waved banners reading stop the state of emergency and we will not give in, while chanting against restrictions, police searches and Islamophobia. Protesters carry a banner reading: 'State of Emergency, NO to the decline' as thousands demonstrated by the Council of State against the extension by the government of the state of emergency period, in Paris, France, 30 January 2016. (EPA) It was the latest in a series of demonstrations against changes to the constitution and the continuing state of emergency, which the United Nations warned was imposing excessive and disproportionate restrictions on fundamental human rights last month. Special rapporteurs on freedoms of opinion, expression, assembly and privacy were among those raising concerns with the Francois Hollandes government. Ensuring adequate protection against abuse in the use of exceptional measures and surveillance measures in the context of the fight against terrorism is an international obligation of the French State, they said in a joint statement. While exceptional measures may be required under exceptional circumstances, this does not relieve the authorities from demonstrating that these are applied solely for the purposes for which they were prescribed, and are directly related to the specific objective that inspired them. The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures Show all 25 1 /25 The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks Members of the public gather to lay flowers and light candles at La Belle Equipe restaraunt on Rue de Charonne in Paris Getty The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks People lay a memorial to honour victims of the Paris terror attacks at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks Soccer fans display the colors of the French flag in response to the deadly terrorist attack in Paris, France before the soccer match between the New York Cosmos' and the Ottawa Fury for the North American Soccer League championship at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, USA The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks Pakistani Civil society activists shout slogans during a protest against Isis militants near the French consulate for the victims of the 13 November Paris attacks in Karachi, Pakistan The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks People gather and view messages written on the ground at Place de la Republique in Paris The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks French flags and a note reading "We will not let you spoil our children's lives" at the site of the attack at the Cafe Belle Equipe on rue de Charonne in the 11th district, in Paris The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks A rose is placed beside a bullet hole at La Belle Equipe restaraunt on Rue de Charonne following the terrorist attack in Paris. As France observes three days of national mourning members of the public continue to pay tribute to the victims of deadly attacks The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks Bono and band members of U2 pay their respects and place flowers on the pavement near the scene of yesterday's Bataclan Theatre terrorist attack in Paris The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks A man kneels as he pays tribute to victims at Place de la Republique near the deadly attack sites in Paris The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks Tributes to the victims at the Place de la Republique square in Paris AFP The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks An electronic billboard on a canal show solidarity with Paris in Milan EPA The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks People lay down flowers and light candles to tribute victims of Friday's attacks in Paris as the Brandenburg gate is illuminated in blue, white and red in the colors of the French flag, in Berlin Reuters The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks A man leaves flowers as a tribute following the deadly attacks in Paris, outside the French consulate in Istanbul Reuters The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks People take pictures of flowers placed in bullet holes in the window of a Japanese restaurant next to the cafe 'La Belle Equipe' AFP The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks People gather at a makeshift memorial next to the Bataclan theatre in Paris on November 14, 2015, The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks A woman carrying flowers cries in front of the Carillon cafe and the Petit Cambodge restaurant in Paris AP The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks People gather in front of flowers that were laid outside the French embassy in Rome AP The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks People react near the cafe 'La Belle Equipe' at the Rue de Charonne AFP The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks A young girl places a candle in front of the Carillon cafe in Paris AP The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks Flowers placed outside the cafe 'La Belle Equipe' at the Rue de Charonne in Paris, the scene for one of the attacks AFP The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks A woman is comforted by others outside the Carillon cafe and the Petit Cambodge restaurant in Paris The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks The Brandenbourg Gate featuring French national colors is pictured in Berlin, on November 14, 2015 a day after deadly attacks in Paris The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks Flowers are laid in front of the French embassy in Rome EPA The world mourns Paris attacks - in pictures The world mourns Paris attacks A candle is lit next to flowers outside the French Embassy in Berlin AFP Human rights groups warned about the scope for rights abuses in November, when the state of emergency was extended for three months. The laws allow police to place anyone deemed to be a security risk under house arrest, dissolve groups thought to be a threat to public order, carry out searches without warrants and copy data, and block any websites that encourage terrorism. Curfews can be imposed, large gatherings or protests forbidden and movement limited. The UN called on the government not to extend the powers beyond their deadline on 26 February, but they are widely expected to be extended. Isis militants killed 130 people in Paris in a series of shooting and suicide bombings at the Bataclan concert hall, Stade de France, restaurants and bars on 13 November last year. The terrorist group claimed the massacres were revenge for French air strikes against its militants in Syria and members have threatened further attacks. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A probe into a train crash in Germany is focussing on whether human error by a signals controller may have caused the catastrophe, a source involved in the investigation told Reuters. Ten people were killed and 18 seriously injured when two passenger trains collided in Bavaria on Tuesday. The announcement comes after a police spokesman dismissed an unconfirmed report suggesting an automatic breaking system was switched off to allow one of the trains to make up time as "pure speculation", the BBC reports. The braking system, which is supposed to operate when a train runs through a red light, was installed after a 2011 disaster at Magdeburg, which killed 10 people. Bavarian state governor Horst Seehofer, third left, arrives at the site where two trains collided head-on near Bad Aibling, Germany AP (AP) German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said safety systems on the track where the crash occurred had been checked as recently as last week. Investigations by authorities trying to determine why multiple safety measures failed, allowing two trains to travel on the same single-line track and sash into each other, in Bad Aibling, Bavaria are on-going. The German transport ministry said both the governments train accident investigation office and local prosecutors are looking into the cause of the crash. All possibilities that might have led to this tragedy are being investigated, said Vera Moosmayer, a spokeswoman for the Transport Ministry. They are looking at the black boxes, they are examining what happened on the tracks, they are speaking to the witnesses and the train dispatchers. They are trying to paint a picture of what might have led to the tragedy. When asked about third-party actions that might have led to the incident, Ms Moosmayer said the investigation is still on-going. German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt told German news channel n-tv that one black box has already been examined and that based on this analysis there seem to have been no technical problem, but that investigators have not yet finished their overall evolution. Around 50 police officers are working on the case, dpa reported. All victims have been identified and both train drivers are among the dead, the news agency said. The names of the victims have not been released, but all of them were men aged between 24 and 60. Emergency workers have started removing the wreckage from the head-on train crash. Officials said it was not clear how long the train line between Holzkirchen and Rosenheim would be out of commission. Additional reporting by Press Association For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Increasing efforts by European countries to discourage refugees by building fences, cutting benefits, tightening asylum laws and seizing possessions will not work, a report has found. While so-called pull factors are at the centre of the bulk of recent laws implemented in Denmark, Hungary, Switzerland and elsewhere, their effect is grossly overestimated by politicians according to the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). The UK-based think-tank interviewed more than 50 migrants who have reached Britain, Germany and Spain to examine the reasons behind their journeys and what might have stopped them risking their lives. Calais refugees share personal stories Its report, entitled Journeys to Europe: the role of policy in migrant decision-making, highlighted the case of Abdu, 29, who arrived in the UK in 2015 after a year-long journey from Eritrea, including spending three months in Calais while trying to cross the Channel. While a recent opinion poll suggested 64 per cent of Londoners thought migrants in Calais choose Britain over France because of its welfare system, Abdu says he is in the UK to work. Were not here for our whole life, he said. No one wants to stay out of his country [] Im not waiting for benefits, Im not here for that. I want to help myself. Jessica Hagen-Zanker, a research fellow at the ODI, told The Independent that the popular perception that migrants choose destination countries with generous welfare systems is misplaced. They dont come because they want access to benefits, they come because they want to go to places where they can make a life for themselves, work and send their children to school, she said. Many of these people come from countries where conflict has been going on for a long time, where conditions are getting worse, like Eritrea. Initially they try to stay close to home, hoping they can return eventually, but in many cases they have to move on because conditions are so difficult. Syrian women wait in line to receive aid from an Islamic relief agency at a refugee camp in the town of Ketermaya. There are some 1.2 million registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon (AP) The British Government is targeting such camps with its resettlement scheme for Syrian refugees, having pledged to resettle 20,000 people from Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and other neighbouring countries. But under half of the asylum seekers currently arriving in Europe are Syrian, according to United Nations figures. A fifth are from Afghanistan, a tenth from Iraq and others mainly from Eritrea, Pakistan, Nigeria, Somalia, Gambia, Sudan and Senegal. Many of those travelling from sub-Saharan Africa face extortion, abuse, kidnapping, rape and starvation in regional refugee camps and countries of transit, including lawless tracts of Libya and Algeria. The crossing from northern Africa to Italy and Spain has become one of the deadliest in the world, killing 1,100 asylum seekers who drowned on overcrowded smugglers boats in just one week last year. The deaths of an estimated 3,771 migrants in the central Mediterranean and Aegean Sea last year caused many European politicians and members of the public to question why refugees would undertake such a perilous journey. ODI researchers found that the dangers experienced in home countries may seem more concrete than abstract risks posed on the journey to a better life. Migrants often feel they dont have any other options and that they are weighing up certain imprisonment or death against possible injury or death, the report said. Turkish officers carry the body of a refugee who drowned during a failed attempt to sail to the Greek island in the coastal town of Bademli, in Canakkale, Turkey, 30 January 2016. (AFP/Getty Images) When The Independent asked a Syrian mother why she and her family chanced the journey from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos in November, she echoed the bleak sentiment, replying: We die in the war or we die at sea - people are dying either way. But so strong is belief in the pull factor in the EU that it was cited as a reason for stopping British sea search and rescue missions in the House of Lords. Questioned in October 2014 on what commitment the UK would make, foreign minister Baroness Anelay replied: We (the Government) do not support planned search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean. We believe that they create an unintended pull factor, encouraging more migrants to attempt the dangerous sea crossing and thereby leading to more tragic and unnecessary deaths. Since her comments the UK has started, and stopped, several missions in the Aegean and Mediterranean while ignoring calls to accept migrant quotas assigned by the EU. Soldiers at the border between Hungary and Serbia, near Roszke (AP) Meanwhile, Hungary, Croatia and Macedonia have erected huge border fences to stop refugees passing through, Germany has backtracked on its pledge to welcome Syrians and started seizing asylum seekers cash and valuables, like Denmark and Switzerland. Denmark even commissioned an advert to appear in Lebanese newspapers advertising their new anti-refugee policies including restricted family reunification rights, language requirements, detention and forced deportations. Recommended Read more Germany gradually turning its back on asylum seekers While the policies may affect the eventual destination of refugees, it will not stop them arriving in Europe, the ODI found. Policies dont work, Ms Hagen-Zanker said. It wont stop people from coming but can shift migration flows from one country to the next. We saw that last year with Hungary when they put up their fence - it kept migrants out of their country but they just diverted around it and kept going. Thats not sustainable. This is a regional crisis. Migration is going to happen and we cant wait for the flows to just stop. Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily. The think-tank is urging the EU to take co-ordinated action to invest in a quicker, more effective and consistent asylum seeker, while expanding humanitarian visas, search and rescue and legal migration channels to minimise the appalling humanitarian and economic consequences of the current situation. The ODI also recommends that nations make the most of migration by capitalising on its positive impact by investing in economic integration and other programmes as current levels of immigration continue. Peter Sutherland, the UN Special Representative on Migration, said the evidence gathered should act as a wake-up call to governments that they need to change course for both moral and economic reasons. We should all be humbled by the dignity of those people who, having suffered so profoundly, are turning to Europe with hopes of improving the lot of their families, he added. To reject them so harshly undermines our common humanity and harkens back to far darker times in Europe that we thought had long ago passed. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Three Holocaust survivors have recalled the living hell they endured at Auschwitz as they prepared to give evidence at the trial of one of the infamous Nazi death camps last remaining SS guards who is accused of complicity in the murder of 170,000 prisoners. The 94-year-old Reinhold Hanning will appear before judges in the German city of Detmold on Thursday accused of being part of what prosecutors have described as the Auschwitz murder machine, which slaughtered 1.1 million Holocaust victims during the Second World War. He has denied involvement in murder. But three former Auschwitz inmates have spoken of the horror of the death camp and underlined prosecutors claims that anyone who was a guard there was automatically complicit in mass murder. Half-Jewish Erna de Vries, 93, was 19 when her mother was sent to her death in the Auschwitz gas chambers. Shaking with emotion, she told reporters: I was certain I was going to suffer the same fate. I was sent to the camp death block where everyone was waiting to be gassed. Former SS guard Reinhold Hanning faces trial this week She added: It was stinking, grossly overcrowded and full of overflowing buckets of excrement. All I wanted was to see the sun before I died. Ms de Vries said she only survived because the Nazis had decided at the last minute that half-Jewish prisoners should do forced labour instead of being sent to their deaths. I have very mixed feelings about seeing a former camp guard, she admitted. Berliner Leon Schwarzbaum recalled how he saw truckloads of naked Auschwitz prisoners being driven screaming towards the gas chambers. It was a living hell, the unbearable smell of burning flesh was ever present. The flames from the crematorium chimneys were huge, the 95-year-old said. Mr Schwarzbaum managed to survive by being selected for work outside the camp. Justin Sonder, now 90, was 16 when he arrived in Auschwitz. He was operated on without anaesthetic by camp doctors, who cynically painted an iodine swastika on his knee. After the operation, I was convinced I would be considered unfit and useless and sent to the gas chambers, he said I owe my survival to the doctor who did not put my name forward, he added. Mr Sonder said he was convinced it was absolutely right to put 94-year-old Mr Hanning on trial. It is never too late to bring the perpetrators to justice. There was no such thing as a harmless SS man, he insisted. Hannings trial follows the conviction in April last year of former Auschwitz guard Oskar Groening, 94, who was also sentenced to four years imprisonment for complicity in mass murder. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to build a 15ft fence to surround the whole of Israel, saying that the country must protect itself from wild beasts. The Israeli Prime Minister appeared to use the extraordinary phrase which has also been translated as predators to describe both Palestinians and the people of neighbouring Arab states. Mr Netanyahu was speaking during a tour of a newly-completed security fence along the border with Jordan near the southern Red Sea city of Eilat. In the end in Israel, as I see it, there will be a fence like this that surrounds the whole country, he said. I'll be told, 'this is what you want, to protect the villa?' The answer is yes. Will we surround all of the State of Israel with fences and barriers? The answer is yes, he said. In the environment we live in, we need to protect ourselves from wild beasts. Last year, Mr Netanyahu was forced to apologise for offending Israeli Arabs in the run-up to the countrys elections, when he warned his supporters that the Arabs are voting in droves. Yet he himself took issue with Donald Trumps comments about keeping Muslims out of America, releasing a statement saying he rejects [Trumps] recent remarks and respects all religions. During his walkabout on the Jordanian border on Tuesday, Mr Netanyahu was asked about the feasibility of extended the security fence to span the whole country. The 18-mile stretch he was visiting, between Eilat and a new airport being built by Israel, is costing around 53 million. Scaling that up for the estimated 663-mile length of all Israels borders, such a project would cost something like 1.9 billion. The Prime Minister admitted the fence would cost many billions, but said it was a multi-year plan that was necessary to defend ourselves in the Middle East as it is now, and as it is expected to be. The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Getty Images The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child Speaking as Mr Netanyahu made his visit, Israels military chief Lt General Gadi Eisenkot identified countering the threat of militants entering the country from Gaza as the number one defence priority for Israel in the coming year. He said the current calm along the Israel-Gaza border was deceptive, and that Hamas has been rebuilding the sophisticated network of underground tunnels that cut under its own fence with Israel, and which Israel targeted during the 2014 conflict. Hamas is diverting great resources to restore what it considers a pattern that allows it to enter Israel discreetly and carry out attacks, Lt General Eisenkot said at an event at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, a college north of Tel Aviv. We have the most advanced abilities in the world and still this is a major challenge. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Ministry of Defence has released cockpit footage of the moment a fighter jet shot Brimstone missiles through the windows of an Isis building in Iraq. Militants armed with machine guns were firing on Iraqi forces from inside as troops continue to push the so-called Islamic State back from areas around its former stronghold of Ramadi. RAF Tornadoes were among the British aircraft providing air support during the battles. When machine-gunners opened fire on the Iraqis from the windows of a single storey building, the Tornados launched a pair of Brimstone missiles which accurately struck both windows, a Ministry of Defence (MOD) spokesperson said. On the same day, 3 February, Typhoons destroyed a building used by a terrorist group with a Paveway missile and two Isis units armed with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades were also hit as they fought Iraqi troops. The MoD gave no estimate of deaths or casualties but said that the strikes were carefully planned and the precision of the laser-guided bombs meant friendly forces were not hurt. Tornado jets also accounted for four groups of terrorist fighters with guns and mortars and a JCB that had been converted into a large booby-trap hidden in trees next to a road. There have been numerous strikes in Iraq in recent days, mostly around Ramadi, as Iraqi forces seek to re-gain ground lost to Isis since its rapid advance in 2014. Other air strikes have targeted countryside around Fallujah, where the group also operates, and Habbaniyah. Iraqi troops in Ramadi (Reuters) Targets destroyed include several Isis groups, fighting positions, mortars, heavy machine guns, armoured vehicles, buildings, command posts, weapons stores and a workshop producing truck-bombs. The RAF has also deployed a Voyager air refuelling tanker, Sentinel surveillance aircraft and Reaper drones in the area. The most recent British air strikes in Syria were carried out last month, hitting Isis underground tunnels, defensive positions and equipment for repairing damage from 29-31 January. It was the first time the RAF had used Brimstone missiles in the country, where more than a dozen countries including the US-led coalition, Russia and Syrian government are conducting air campaigns. Despite the insistence by all parties that only terrorists would be targeted, there have been several unconfirmed reports of civilian casualties. British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Show all 10 1 /10 British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet takes off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Pilots and ground crew prepare combat aircraft Panavia Tornados at RAF Marham at RAF Marham, UK Getty British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Eurofighter Typhoon jet takes off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A RAF Tornado arrives at RAF Akrotiri to begin operations in Akrotiri British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet ahead of taking off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. The air strikes were carried out within hours of a vote by MPs in the Commons to back extending operations against Isis from neighbouring Iraq British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Personnel work on a British Tornado after it returned from a mission at RAF Akrotiri in southern Cyprus British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Two RAF Tornado GR4's, both with remaining weapons ordnance, approach RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, as they return to the base after carrying out some of the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A RAF Tornado takes off from RAF Akrotiri, on the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet leaving RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria AKA RAF Tornado arrives at RAF Akrotiri to begin operations in Akrotiri, Cyprus. The RAF has sent two further Tornado aircraft and six Typhoons to bolster aircraft now flying sorties to both Iraq and Syria The US military has admitted killing at least eight civilians in less than three months of air strikes in Syria and Iraq last year, including someone overtaking an Isis vehicle on a motorbike as it was hit and bystanders killed by missiles. A spokesperson for Central Command said the Coalition takes all feasible precautions to avoid civilian casualties and there were no violations of international law. The death count only covers the period from April to June last year and further claims of casualties in Syria and Iraq are being investigated, including the alleged killing of at least 26 civilians, including children, in Syrias Hasakah province in December. On Tuesday, humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF), said air strikes hit one of its hospitals in southern Syria, killing three people and wounding six more. The group did not say which party in the civil war was believed to be responsible for targeting the Tafas field hospital, in an area believed to be controlled by anti-government rebels. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Isis has succeeded in making and deploying chemical agents in the Middle East, a US intelligence official has said. Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, said sulphur mustard has been used in an alleged Isis attack in Syria and there are numerous allegations of Isis use of chemical weapons in both Syria and Iraq. In a report accompanying Mr Clapper's testimony on Capitol Hill before the Senate Armed Services on Tuesday he states: We asses that non-state actors in the region are using chemicals as a means of warfare." He said an investigation into an alleged [Isis] attack in Syria in August" concluded "at least two people were exposed to [the blister agent] sulphur mustard. "We continue to track numerous allegations of [Isis'] use of chemicals in attacks in Iraq and Syria. In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Show all 30 1 /30 In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani An explosion rocks Syrian city of Kobani during a reported suicide car bomb attack by the militants of Isis group on a People's Protection Unit (YPG) position in the city center of Kobani, as seen from the outskirts of Suruc, on the Turkey-Syria border In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani An explosion rocks the Syrian city of Kobani during a reported suicide car bomb attack by Isis Getty In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani An explosion in the Syrian city of Kobani set off as fighting continues Getty Images In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Heavy smoke rises following an air strike by the US-led coalition aircraft in Kobani Getty Images In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani An unidentified armed man takes position near a building in the Syrian town of Kobani, as seen from near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Kurdish fighters walk to their positions in Kobani In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Residents of Kobani walk in the streets of the besieged town, as seen from near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani People's Protection Unit (YPG) fighters walk in the Syrian town of Kobani, as seen from near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani People watch the Syrian town of Kobani from near the Mursitpinar border crossing, on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani A Turkish soldier stands on a top of a tank as he watches the Syrian town of Kobani from near the Mursitpinar border crossing, on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani, seen from near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc. Kurdish forces defending Kobani urged a U.S.-led coalition to escalate air strikes on Isis fighters who tightened their grip on the Syrian town at the border with Turkey. A group that monitors the Syrian civil war said the Kurdish forces faced inevitable defeat in Kobani if Turkey did not open its border to let through arms, something Ankara has appeared reluctant to do In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Newly arrived People's Protection Unit (YPG) fighters walk in a line in the Syrian town of Kobani, seen from near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Heavy smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani, seen from near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Kurdish women mourn at the grave of a relative, who was a Kurdish fighter killed in fighting with the militants of the Islamic State group in Kobani, and was buried at a cemetery in Suruc In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Turkish army tanks mechanized units take position on top of a hill near Mursitpinar border crossing in the southeastern Turkish town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Smoke rises after an US-led air strike in the Syrian town of Kobani. The air strikes pushed Isis fighters back to the edges of the Syrian Kurdish border town of Kobani, which they had appeared set to seize after a three-week assault, local officials said In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani A huge plume of smoke rises after an airstrike in eastern Kobani, Syria, behind a hilltop where militants with the Islamic State group had raised their flag on Monday AP In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Turkish Kurds watch as airstrikes hit Kobani AP In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani as Turkish army tanks take position on the Turkish side of the border Reuters In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Military aircraft flies over the Turkey-Syria border as it nears targets in Kobani In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Smoke rises after a US-led air strike in the Syrian town of Kobani Reuters In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Turkish Kurds, on the Turkey-Syria border, watch over the border at the intensified fighting between Isis and Kurdish forces AP In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Smoke rises during airstrikes on the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobani by the Kurds Getty In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani A huge plume of smoke rises after an airstrike outside west Kobani, Syria AP In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani A militant with the Isis group walks in the town of Kobani In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Militants with the Isis group, bottom, along with a machine gun-fitted pick up truck, partially seen bottom right, hold positions in Kobani, during intensified fighting with Syrian Kurds In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani People watch smoke rising from the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobani by the Kurds, after an air strike Getty In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Smoke rises from a strike at an area of a mosque that destroyed its minaret, in Kobani during heavy fighting between militants with the Isis group and Syrian Kurds In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani Militants with Isis hold positions in Kobani, Syria, during intensified fighting with Syrian Kurds AP In pictures: Fighting between Kurds and Isis intensifies in Kobani Kobani A partial view of Kobani with a mosque's minaret Mr Clapper is quoted by Fox News as saying this is the first time an extremist group has produced and used a chemical warfare agent in an attack since Aum Shrinrikyo used sarin in Japan in 1995, referring to a subway attack in Tokyo that year. Mr Clapper made the revelations amid an annual assessment of threats facing the US, which ranged from cyber security to drugs. In the assessment, dubbed a litany of doom by Mr Clapper, he described Isis as the pre-eminent global terrorist threat, adding the groups estimated strength worldwide exceeds that of al-Qaida. The head of the Defence Intelligence Agency, Lt Gen Vincent Stewart, who also testified, said Isis "will probably attempt to conduct additional attacks in Europe, and attempt to direct attacks on the US homeland in 2016", CNN reports. Late last year, reports surfaced suggesting Isis was aggressively pursuing the development of chemical weapons, creating a team dedicated to research and experiments. Iraqi and US intelligence officials raised concerns that a large area controlled by extremists, since the group overran parts of Iraq and Syria last year, has left authorities largely in the dark about Isis activities. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} An armed brigade made up entirely of former Yazidi sex slaves has joined ranks with the Kurdish Peshmerga to take back Mosul from Isis and bring our women home. In a region with a proud history of all-female fighting forces, the Yazidi brigade has seen its numbers bolstered in recent weeks as more and more women break free from the Isis jihadist groups oppressive regime. Speaking in an interview with Fox News, the brigades leader Captain Khatoon Khider said there are 500 recruits awaiting training to join the 123 who have already taken their place alongside the Peshmerga on the front line. Iraqi Yezidi women are seen during a military training in the garden of the Yezidi Conference Hall in Sahriya, Dohuk (Getty Images) The Peshmerga-trained Force of the Sun Ladies (pictured in September) saw some fighting when they helped force Isis out of Sinjar. They know their hardest fight is yet to come, however (Getty Images) The brigade has become known as the Force of the Sun Ladies, and it is already battle-hardened after helping to take back Sinjar from Isis and continuing to guard its mountain home. They are just some of the 2,000 Yazidi women who were captured and forced into sexual slavery when Isis raided Mount Sinjar in 2014 but the UN estimates Isis still holds an estimated 3,500 people captive in Iraq, the majority being Yazidi women and girls. While the Iraqi army is not yet ready to take the fight to Isis in Mosul, the Kurds have taken up positions within miles of the jihadists stronghold, preparing for an assault. Captain Khider said the brigade played a support role on 13 November last year, when their hometowns were taken back from Isis occupation, engaging in direct combat and helping to clear streets. She says they know taking Mosul will be the real test but it is one that is important to the Yazidis for more than just strategic reasons. We have a lot of our women in Mosul being held as slaves, she said. Their families are waiting for them. We are waiting for them. The liberation might help bring them home. Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Show all 15 1 /15 Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Isis in Sinjar town, walk towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Isis in Sinjar town, walk towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community settle at a camp at Derike, Syria. In the camps here, Iraqi refugees have new heroes: Syrian Kurdish fighters who battled militants to carve an escape route to tens of thousands trapped on a mountaintop Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis A pilot based at RAF Marham entering a Tornado GR4 prior to taking off for the reconnaissance mission over Iraq. Several RAF Tornado jets set off from RAF Marham in Norfolk this afternoon to travel to a "pre-position", from where they will fly to northern Iraq to provide improved surveillance of the situation on the ground. The jets, fitted with Litening III targeting and surveillance pods, will be able to fly over the crisis area to provide intelligence and help with the delivery of humanitarian aid Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis A British Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado GR4 aircraft equipped with the Litening III pod from RAF Marham, eastern England, on their arrival at RAF Akrotiri Cyprus for their reconnaissance mission over Iraq Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Aid inside a Royal Air Force (RAF) Hercules C130 J aircraft before being airdropped to civilians in Iraq Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis A Royal Air Force (RAF) Hercules C130 J military transport plane at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Britain made a third round of airdrops of supplies to aid refugees stranded on a mountain in northern Iraq, officials said, as Tornado fighters arrived at an RAF base in Cyprus preparing to provide surveillance support for the humanitarian effort Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado GR4 aircraft, flown in from Britain, stand on the tarmac at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis A displaced man helps a woman, both from the minority Yazidi sect fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Isis in Sinjar town, as they make their way towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Iraqis including Turkmen, Shabaks, Kurds, Yezidis and Christians, fleeing from assaults of army groups led by Isis, take shelter at Bahirka Camp in Arbil Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community look for clothes to wear among items provided by a charity organization at the Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community gather for food at the Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community gather for food at the Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Syrian Kurdish Peshmerga fighters take a sick Iraqi Yazidi woman to the clinic at Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Sick displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community wait for treatment at a clinic at Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Freed from slavery and daily rape, trained by the Kurds and now fighting to defend their homelands, the Force of the Sun Ladies has become an elite force and a model for other women in the region, Captain Khider said. Now we are defending ourselves from the evil; we are defending all the minorities in the region, she said. We will do whatever is asked of us. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Suicide vests and explosives have reportedly been found with a group of men, women and children crossing from Syria into Turkey. Security forces stopped the group of 34 people near the town of Oguzeli, in Gaziantep province, the Anadolu news agency reported. A search of their luggage revealed four suicide vests and up to 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of explosives, security sources said. The group of four men, 10 women and 20 children were detained for questioning and police have not revealed any further details. It was not clear when they were detained but Anadolu reported that security forces had acted on a tip about plans to smuggle explosives across the border. There was no information on the groups nationalities but BBC foreign correspondent Debbie Randle wrote on Twitter that they were all believed to be foreigners and not Syrians. Timeline: The emergence of Isis Show all 40 1 /40 Timeline: The emergence of Isis Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2000 Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (pictured here) forms an al-Qaeda splinter group in Iraq, al-Qaeda in Iraq. Its brutality from the beginning alienates Iraqis and many al-Qaeda leaders. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2006 Al-Zarqawi is killed in a U.S. strike. Al-Zarqawis successor, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, announces the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI). Reuters Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2009 Still al-Qaeda-linked ISI claims responsibility for suicide bombings that killed 155 in Baghdad, as well as attacks in August and October killing 240, as President Obama announces troop withdrawal from Iraq in March. Getty Images Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2010 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi becomes head of ISI, at lowest ebb of Islamist militancy in Iraq, which sees last U.S. combat brigade depart. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2012 In Syria, protests (pictured here starting in Daree) have morphed into what president Assad labelled a real war with emergence of a coalition of forces opposed to Assads regime. Syria group Jabhat al-Nusra are among rebel groups who refuse to join, denouncing it as a conspiracy. Bombings targeting Shia areas, killing more than 500 people, spark fears of new sectarian conflict. Sunni Muslims stage protests across country against what they see as increasingly marginalisation by Shia-led government. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2013 Al-Baghdadi renames ISI as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or Isis, as the group absorbs Syrian al-Nusra, gaining a foothold in Syria. In response, al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri (Bin Ladens successor) concerned about Isis expansion orders that Isis be dissolved and ISI operations should be confined to Iraq. This order is rejected by al-Baghdadi. AFP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - January Isis fighters capture the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, giving them base to launch slew of attacks further south. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - June Isis declares itself the Caliphate, calling itself Islamic State (IS). The group captures Mosul, Iraqs second largest city; Tal Afar, just 93 miles from Syrian border; and the central Iraqi city of Tikrit. These advances sent shockwaves around the world. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - June Around the same time Isis releases a video calling for western Muslims to join the Caliphate and fight, prompting new evaluations of extremists groups social media understanding. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - June Isis take Baiji oil fields in Iraq - giving them access to huge amounts of possible revenue. EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - August James Foley is executed by the group as concerns grow for second American prisoner, fellow reporter Steven Sotloff. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - August Obama authorises U.S. airstrikes in Iraq, helping to stall Isis along with action by Kurdish forces following the deaths of hundreds of Yazidi people on Mount Sinjar. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Isis release video showing Steven Sotloffs murder prompting Western speculation his executioner is same man who killed Mr Foley. EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Obama tells us that America will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Isis release a video appearing to show David Haines, who was captured by militants in Syria in 2013, wearing an orange jumpsuit and kneeling in the desert while he reads a pre-prepared script. It later shows what appears to be the aid worker's body. Rex Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Peshmerga fighters scrabble to hold positions in the Diyala province (a gateway to Baghdad) as Isis fighters continue to advance on Iraqi capital. AFP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - October Aid worker Alan Henning is killed. Self-imposed media blackout refuses to show images of him in final moments, instead focuses upon humanitarian care. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - October Isis raise their flag in Kobani, which had been strongly defended by Kurdish troops. The victory goes against hopeful western analysis Isis had overextended itself, while alienating much of the Muslim population through the murder of Henning. Victory causes fresh waves of Kurdish refugees arriving in Turkey. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - November American hostage, who embarced values of Islam, Peter Kassig and 14 Syrian soldiers are shown meeting the same fate as other captives. But intelligence agencies will be poring over the apparently significant discrepancies between this and previous films. Seramedig.org.uk Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February Isis has released a video revealing the murder by burning to death of a Jordanian pilot held by the group since the end of December 2014. Reuters Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February Isis militants have released videos which appear to show the beheading of Japanese hostages Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February American aid worker, Kayla Mueller was the last American hostage known to be held by Isis. She died, according to her captors, in an airstrike by the Jordanian air force on the city of Raqqa in Syria, though US authorities disputed this. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February Isis militants have posted a gruesome video online in which they force 21 Egyptian Coptic Christian hostages to kneel on a beach in Libya before beheading them. Egypt vowed to avenge the beheading and launched air strikes on Isis positions. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February The British Isis militant suspected of appearing in videos showing the beheading of Western hostages has been named in reports as Mohammed Emwazi from London. Rex Features Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - March Isis triple suicide attack has killed more than 100 worshippers and hundreds of others were injured after the group members targeted two mosques in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - April Iraqi forces have claimed victory over Isis in battle for Tikrit and raised the flag in the city. EPA/STR Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - April Isis has claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan that killed at least 35 people queuing to collect their wages and injured 100 more. EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - April Isis media arm released a 29-minute video purporting to show militants executing Ethiopian Christians captives. The footage bore the extremist groups al-Furqan media logo and showed the destruction of churches and desecration of religious symbols. A masked fighter made a statement threatening Christians who did not convert to Islam or pay a special tax. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis has been "incapacitated" by a spinal injuries sustained in a US air strike in Iraq. He is being treated in a hideout by two doctors from Isis stronghold of Mosul who are said to be "strong ideological supporters of the group". Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isis has also claimed responsibility for killing 300 of Yazidi captives, including women, children and elderly people in Iraq AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isis attack on Prophet Mohamed cartoon contest in Texas was its first action on US soil. Two gunmen were shot and killed after launching the attack at the exhibition. Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi have been named as the attackers at the Curtis Culwell Centre arena in Garland. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isiss deputy leader, Abu Alaa Afri, a former physics teacher who was thought to have taken charge of the deadly terrorist group, has been killed in a US-led coalition airstrike. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May US special forces have killed a senior Isis leader named as Abu Sayyaf in an operation aiming to capture him and his wife in Syria. Getty Images Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Iran-backed militias are sent to Ramadi by the Iraqi government to fight Isis militants who completed their capture of the city. Government soldiers and civilians were reportedly massacred by extremists as they took control and the army fled. Charred bodies were left littering the city streets as troops clung on to trucks speeding away from the city. Ramadi is the latest government stronghold to fall to the so-called Islamic State, despite air strikes by a US-led international coalition aiming to stop its advance in Iraq and Syria. AFP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isis rounded up civilians trapped in Palmyra and forced them to watch 20 people being executed in the historic citys ancient amphitheatre. The Unesco World Heritage site was overrun by militants, threatening the future of 2,000 year-old monuments and ruins. Thousands of Palmyras residents fled but many are still living within the city walls, while the UN human rights office in Geneva said it had received reports of Syrian government forces preventing people from leaving until they retreated from the city. Getty Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May A group of Isis-affiliated fighters have captured a key airport in central Libya. The militants took control of the al-Qardabiya airbase in Sirte after a local militia tasked with defending the facility withdrew from their positions. Affiliates of Isis, already control large parts of Sirte, the birthplace of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and a former stronghold of his supporters. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June The US Air Force has destroyed an Isis stronghold after an extremist let slip their location on social media. According the Air Force Times, General Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, said that Airmen at Hulburt Field, Florida, used images shared by jihadists to track the location of their headquarters before destroying it in an airstrike. Reuters Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June Kurdish forces captured a key military base in a significant victory in Raqqa as well as town of Tell Abyad. YPG fighters, backed by US-led airstrikes and other rebels, consolidated their gains, when they seized the key town on the Syria-Turkey border. They are now just 30 miles to the north of Raqqa and have cut off a major supply route deep inside Isis-held territory. Ahmet Silk/Getty Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June Isis has released gruesome footage claiming to show the murder of more than a dozen men by drowning, decapitation and using a rocket-propelled grenade as it seeks to boost morale among its fanatical supporters. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June Isis has begun carrying out its threat to destroy structures in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, blowing up at least two monuments at the Unesco-protected site as Syrian government troops made advances on the Islamists positions. AFP The discovery was expected to spark speculation about Isis involvement, as the groups territories lie over the nearby border. Thousands of foreign fighters have travelled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State, with some taking their families and children, or marrying jihadi brides after arrival. Returning Isis members, including the Paris attackers, are also known to have passed over the border into Turkey and travelled onwards back into Europe. Turkish authorities have not given any information on possible links to terrorism and the investigation continues. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Contentious and hugely significant proposals for Saudi Arabia to lead troops into the Syrian civil war will be under consideration at an international summit, with Gulf states pressing hard for ground operations to begin. The Defence Secretaries of the US and Britain, Ashton Carter and Michael Fallon, along with colleagues from Western governments, will meet senior officials from the Kingdom, other Gulf States and Turkish officials to discuss an expansion of operations at a time when violence has dramatically increased with a regime assault, backed by Russian air strikes, in Aleppo. Recommended Read more How Saudis sending ground forces into Syria will affect the civil war Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have offered to join Saudi Arabia in sending forces. Diplomatic sources suggest one option being looked at is for them to join Turkish troops in establishing a safety zone inside Syria. It is believed that officials from Ankara have been holding talks with their Saudi counterparts on this issue. The arrival of tens and thousands of refugees fleeing fighting in Aleppo has added impetus in Turkey for the establishment of a secure area. The Saudi delegation in Brussels is led by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the defence minister. The 31-year-old is viewed as the power behind the throne of his father, King Salman. He is said to be an advocate of the Kingdom playing a more active role in Syria, ostensibly to fight Isis. But an underlying reason, it is widely said, would be to support rebel fighters who have been losing territory to Bashar al-Assads regime. The Saudis believe they will get their way on troops. The Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, stressed after talks with John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, in Washington: The US is very supportive and very positive about the Kingdoms readiness to provide special forces to the operation in Syria, should the international coalition make a decision to do so. Syria's War: Refugees flee to Turkey for safety But there are warnings of significant risks in having Gulf boots on the ground. The Sunni states, headed by Saudi Arabia, have engaged in a number of proxy wars with their bitter Shia enemy, Iran. One is currently raging in Yemen. In Syria they will find themselves in the same battle space as Iran and its allies, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, bringing with it the spectre of unending sectarian strife. Recommended Read more Starvation fears in Aleppo amid claims Russian bombs killed children It is individual member states in a counter-Isis coalition, rather than the Alliance itself, who are taking part in the talks on the Saudi proposal at Nato headquarters. The US has indicated it is in favour of greater military involvement by the Gulf states. Mr Carter confirmed he would be talking about ground troops. There are lots of different ways that Saudi Arabia and Bahrain can contribute. One of them is on the ground, he said. Mr Carter said he wanted to give leaders of the anti-Isis coalition a clear view of what the operational plan is and all the capabilities which are needed against Isis. The US, Mr Carter said, was in combat alongside the Iraqi military, Kurdish fighters and Syrian rebels to sever Isis lines between Syria and Iraq. He added: The US is working with ground forces in Syria to fight Isil [Isis] to try and move on Raqqa and separate Raqqa from Mosul basically cleave Isil in half. He said to include Gulf forces in that effort was a good thing. Syrian activist describes Aleppo devastation Mr Fallon said: We plan to hit Daesh [Isis] harder; reducing territory, targeting their infrastructure and freeing more people from their brutal regime. Regional allies must make further commitments. Some UK officials maintain that a Saudi presence in Syria may actually lead to the Russians curbing their increasingly aggressive military action. This would not be in fear of Saudi fighting prowess, they say, but due to a desire not to damage commercial and diplomatic ties between the two countries. The Saudis and the Russians, according to reports, have been taking part in secret talks to demarcate areas between Assad regime forces and its allies, and Syrian rebels, in the fight against Isis. Both Riyadh and Moscow hope to avoid clashes, and discussions have also taken place about the future of President Assad, without whose removal, say the Syrian opposition, there can be no peace. But joining a Turkish mission risks worsening relations between Russia and the Saudis. Ankara and Moscow have been engaged in increasingly bitter confrontation since the Turks shot down a Russian airplane in November. Recep Tayyip Erdogans government has been severely critical of Moscows role in the Aleppo offensive. Pelen Hussein, a Syrian refugee, stands on top of a capsized boat before he's rescued by Turkish Coast Guard Air Command in the Aegean Sea Ankara highlighted how security threats have risen, along with humanitarian concerns, from the Aleppo displacement. But Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was also keen to hint of forward deployment and spoke about repaying a historic debt to the people of Aleppo. Referring to the Western campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the First World War, he declared: At one time our brothers from Aleppo defended our cities Now we will defend Aleppo: all of Turkey stands behind its defenders. Western states are worried that an incursion by the Turks may bring them into conflict with the Kurdish YPG group, enemies of Ankara but valuable allies of the Americans against Isis. In the past Washington has refused to back Turkey in the creation of the safety zone. President Erdogan, in turn, has lashed out at Washington, charging that failure to recognise the YPG as a terrorist group was creating a sea of blood. A senior Western diplomat warned: Military contributions from regional states would be welcome, but one must recognise the inherent risks involved in introducing more armed forces into a highly armed and volatile situation in which supposed allies have conflicting agendas. Border arrests: 15kg explosives seized The Turkish military has arrested 34 people, including 20 children, 10 women and four men, after they allegedly tried to smuggle in explosives and four suicide vests from Syria. The state-run Anadolu press agency, citing security sources, said the group, among thousands fleeing Syria for Turkey, were stopped in the Oguzeli district in Gaziantep province. Security forces were reportedly acting in response to a tip-off. The groups luggage contained up to 15kg of explosives. Investigators are examining the groups claimed link to Isis. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The former Prime Minister of Italy, Enrico Letta, has hailed the University of Warwicks annual Economics Summit - which attracted students from 32 universities and 13 counties - for being modern and creative as tickets to the event sold out in less than a minute. Attendees listened to lectures from multiple speakers including the former PM, Nobel Prize winner Sir James Mirrlees, and former French finance minister Jean-Francois Cope, where issues - including development, politics, psychology and international relations - were discussed. Mr Letta, though, who was Italys PM from 2013 to 2014, was particularly praiseworthy of the teamwork behind organising the entirely student-led summit. He said: The Warwick economics summit is something very modern and creative in the way in which [it is] organised. In my view, it is more important than a theoretical course. They [the students] immediately learn what accountability means in their lives, what delivery is, what team-building is. Co-coordinators, Max Rodgers and Piyushaa Newatia, who were in charge of the large team of students organising the summit, told the Independent they both thoroughly enjoyed organising the summit, and can safely say it has been the best thing [they] have done at university; [they] learned so much from the experience and gained a lifetime of memories Raj Deol, one of the 51 students who helped to organise the summit said being part of the team was the highlight of his time at university. It has been truly exceptional this year. Its quite hard to express, but it is certainly the highlight of my time at Warwick. Just looking at the summit this year, it has been absolutely outstanding. Weve invited a superb line-up of speakers, and greeted delegates arriving from across the world Wafiq Islam, who is also a student at the university has attended the summit three times and said he plans on returning to attend the summit after graduating. He said: Having attended the Warwick Economics Summit for the third time in succession, I can honestly say every year the quality of speakers is fantastic and the annual ball is always great fun. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A US congressman has launched a crusade for bans on small seats and limited legroom on flights. Steve Cohen, a Democrat who represents Tennessee in Washington, wants the federal government to stipulate minimum legroom and seat width. He has introduced the Safe Egress in Air Travel Act of 2016 or SEAT Act. It calls on the Secretary of Transportation to establish minimum dimensions for passenger seats on aircraft, including width and seat pitch - the distance from the front of one seat to the front of the next. Representative Cohen said: Shrinking seats raise safety and health concerns, and its time for the FAA to take action. His primary concern is about the ability of passengers to evacuate the aircraft in an emergency, but he also warns about the growing danger of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) as well as general discomfort. Recommended Read more Passenger has entire plane to himself on flight Consumers are tired of being squeezed both physically and fiscally by airlines. The amount of personal space for economy-class passengers in the US has steadily declined over the decades since deregulation in the 1970s. As more rows have been crammed in, seat pitch has fallen by four inches to 31, while the average width of seats has dwindled from 18 inches to 17 or less. Yet airlines already face constraints on the number of passengers they can pack in. The first is the ability to evacuate a full aircraft within 90 seconds, even with half the emergency exits disabled; the aim is to get everyone out before fire takes hold. Seat pitch and width across the Atlantic Airlines tend to wax lyrical about their business-class cabins: the wide open spaces, the flatness of their beds, the squishyness of the pillows, etc. But they remain mostly tight-lipped about the back end of the plane, where the majority of passengers sit. With good reason, too, given the remarkably constant lack of space in the cheap seats. An (i) Independent (/i) survey of the most commonly deployed aircraft on a dozen transatlantic airlines found three-quarters of them offer a seat pitch of 31 inches: Aer Lingus, Air Canada, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta, Lufthansa, Norwegian, United and Virgin Atlantic. Three go one inch better: Air France, Air New Zealand and Icelandair. In terms of width, there is not even an inch in it. The minimum is 17 inches (on Aer Lingus, Air France, Air New Zealand, American and United), with fractionally more on the others; elbowing its way to the top is Delta (17.9). The other limitation is what passengers will tolerate in terms of discomfort, particularly on long flights. There is some evidence from budget airlines in Europe that travellers will put up with a lot in return for cheap fares - with no-frills aircraft deployed on flights lasting five hours or more. No airline, though, has operated the Airbus A380 superjumbo at anything like its certificated capacity of 853 passengers. To do so would involve a one-class-only configuration, with 11 seats abreast - in a 3-5-3 arrangement, felt to be deeply unpopular with passengers. Malcolm Ginsberg, editor of Business Travel News, said: Mr Cohen may live in the land of free enterprise but he is out of touch with what that means. Yes, you can have bigger seats and accommodate less passengers, but that means price rises. Much better to have slimmer and healthier travellers and perhaps fare reductions. This bill has not a chance of success. Do you need more legroom on planes? - London Live Haydn Wrath, director of the long-haul specialist Travel Nation, said: Given obesity levels in the US, I worry that if the government there legislated about seat width and pitch that we might all find ourselves having to pay for business class on transatlantic flights. The Independent has found that economy class on most transatlantic flights has a seat pitch of just 31 inches, with seats 17 inches wide or fractionally more. Passengers on United Airlines 757 flights from various UK airports must be even trimmer, with a seat width of just 16 inches. Airline passengers dissatisfaction with personal space is not simply down to airlines packing in more seats; it is also a result of higher passenger loads. When budget airlines began flying in Europe 20 years ago, an average of seven out of 10 seats were filled; today, both easyJet and Ryanair average over nine out of 10. As a result, there is a much slimmer chance of an empty seat adjacent and a greater likelihood of jostling elbows. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Britains relationship with the European Union varies according to the self-confidence of the two parties. It started with an excess of British arrogance. When the EU began life as the Common Market in 1957, Britain was asked to become a founder member alongside France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. We refused. We thought we were still a great power compared to our continental neighbours, which had each suffered grievous military defeats during the Second World War. Illustrative of British attitudes at the time were the remarks of a Foreign Office minister, Anthony Nutting. He said that France would not be able to play the role of more than a drifting has-been in world politics and that the most popular move in Europe would be for us to move in and run the show. But before many years had passed, Britain lost her self-confidence. This was to bring humiliation upon us. In the 1960s, just as the British economy was beginning to perform poorly, with one sterling crisis after another, the six countries of the Common Market started to forge ahead. The future Labour leader, Harold Wilson, noted the spectacular release of self-confidence and energy which has followed the establishment of the Community. Labour MP Fred Mulley stated that it was an overwhelming British interest that we should become closely associated with the Common Market. The first and most compelling reason is the dynamic expansion one finds today in Europe. Edward Heath, the Prime Minister who finally took us into Europe, told the House of Commons, that what we now see opposite to us on the mainland of Europe is a large group comparable in size only to the United States and the Soviet Union, and as its economic power increases, so will its political influence. So the British political establishment of the day concluded that we had to join. We first applied in 1963. The French President, General de Gaulle, said no. Britain tried again in 1967. Again, President de Gaulle vetoed our application. Our loss of self-confidence had inexorably led us to becoming supplicants. Britain finally gained admittance at the third time of asking in 1973. Now, 40 years later, the situation is completely reversed. The European Union, as represented by its bureaucracy in Brussels, has become demoralised while Britain has become more self-confident. Remember that European bureaucrats are not people just doing a job because it is available and pays the bills. We didnt come here by chance, they often say. Its a sense of being on a mission that sustains them. On Tuesday, however, Le Monde carried a long piece that described the end of illusions. The French newspaper reported that at Brussels, the Europhiles no longer hide their fear that the European Union will break up. What they see as particularly serious is the way the member states are pulling away from each other the west from the east, the north from the south. They describe 2015 as an annus horribilis and expect 2016 to be just as bad. One diplomat said he had never before lived through such an absence of solidarity between European countries. What frightens the true believers most is the sheer unpopularity of their EU. A Belgian member of the European Parliament since 1984, Gerard Deprez, told Le Monde that Europe had been the great affair of my life but now, and for the first time, he was worried: I dont see the dynamic that will lead us out of this crisis. Britains self-confidence is based on superior economic performance. Growth rates in the UK are well above the EU average. The unemployment rate in the eurozone is expected to 10.6 per cent this year almost twice the likely British rate of 5.4 per cent. This simultaneous increase in British self-confidence on the one hand, and European loss of nerve on the other, provided favourable conditions for the Prime Ministers EU negotiation. The context turns out to have been ideal for using one of the key techniques of successful negotiation: placing an almost embarrassingly high opening demand that, even if rejected, starts the bargaining at a higher level. Unfortunately, it is unclear whether Mr Cameron and his advisers took into account the favourable dynamics. Instead the Prime Minister opened with low bids in the hope that at least something would be obtained. In 2009, Mr Cameron promised to negotiate a complete opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights. No such proposals were ever put forward. In the same year, he said he would limit... the European Court of Justices jurisdiction over criminal law. Nothing has happened since and nor has his desire to stop EU migrants coming to the UK without a job offer been put forward during the current negotiations. Thus, the Prime Minister demonstrated his inner lack of confidence in British strengths, in spite of regular boastings about British successes. Indeed, the prevailing characteristic of those who would vote to remain in the EU despite the meagre gains from the negotiations is a lack of confidence in an independent Britain. The leavers believe Britain could withdraw from the EU and yet obtain a free trade deal at least as good as the sort of arrangements that Norway and Switzerland have, if not better. The difference is self-confidence, the secret ingredient in Britains relationship with Europe. You either have it or you dont. Mr Cameron doesnt. His opponents do. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Tanzanian authorities have broken up a ring of elephant poachers responsible for the death of a British helicopter pilot, shot on January 29, while conducting anti-poaching surveillance near Serengeti National Park. Roger Gower, 37, who worked for the Friedkin Conservation Fund was shot during an antipoaching operation in Maswa Game Reserve. At least nine people have been arrested including Iddi Mashaka, a former police officer, who used his current position as an intelligence officer with a regional conservation authority to help the poachers travel undetected. The countrys National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit (NTSCIU) teamed up with the police and the local authorities to find the suspects. We took this very seriously, said Maj. Gen. Gaudence Milanzi, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. We put a lot of effort into catching these poachers. According to Lazaro Mambosasa, the regional police commissioner, two elephant tusks weighing 68 pounds (31 kilograms) were seized as part of the investigation. The arrests were in large part down to new crime fighting techniques at NTSCIU that follow work done in neighbouring Kenya, where poaching rates have nosedived. In both countries the police have started concentrating on the poachers' own technology - guns and phones - and using it against them. By combining that with old-fashioned detective work, they have captured more suspects. Dozens of wildlife rangers have been killed in recent years across Africa, as elephant poaching has reached a frenzied pitch. Tens of thousands of elephants have been slaughtered for their ivory by the poachers, who have grown increasingly militarized and more ruthless. Poaching is a serious problem in Tanzania. According to the most recent elephant census, published in June 2015, Tanzanias elephant population has dropped to 43,000 elephants in 2014, down from 109,000 in 2009. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jeremy Corbyns many critics continue to misread his leadership mandate. More than 250,000 Labour supporters backed him as their first choice. These voters represent a far wider range of opinion than is often reported, including almost the full gamut of views on defence and foreign policy. This should not be surprising, for any group of 250,000 will be diverse in its worldview. Where his voters agreed was on the need for Labour to stand for something, and to be unapologetic in its principles. They alsoo agreed that a movement in which a variety of voices may be listened to is a movement that is better placed to persuade the public. Corbyn understands this too: he does not seek to lead the party on the failed model of his immediate predecessors, who allowed little room for outside input. This is not about the views of one man, but about how a confident political party develops and makes its case for election. Trident is a prime example of this. Those who ask whether it is possible to support Corbyn and back Trident renewal need look no further than Unite, Britains biggest union and Labours biggest donor, who did both. Corbyn himself may be a convinced unilateralist, but there are plenty of impeccable Corbynite reasons to support Trident: it supports working-class and industrial jobs; it diverts defence spending away from weapons which might actually be used to kill and maim; it helps assert at least a degree of independence in British defence policy in the face of a President Trump or President Cruz. There are, too, pragmatic arguments for renewing Trident. if we really seek a nuclear-free world, we need bargaining chips with which to persuade countries such as Russia to reduce and eventually abandon their arsenal. Unilateralism will not bring this world a step closer because it will do nothing to undermine the basis on which nuclear states operate. We will simply waste our bargaining chip and reduce our influence over those nations who are resolved to keep their weapons. Corbynite aims might sometimes best be achieved by non-Corbynite policies. It would be absurd to deny that pro-Trident Corbyn voters are a minority, but they know that under the current leadership their voice will be heard and that political engagement has a purpose. Policy will always be made on reasoned principle and open discussion, rather than boneheaded calculation and executive diktat. We got a glimpse of a different approach in the summer. Harriet Harman told MPs to abstain on the Welfare Bill, with its measures to increase child poverty and victimise the disabled. She imposed this position with no mandate and no consultation. The response of the 250,000 was clear: we, not you, are the party; we, not you, ultimately decide what and who it stands for - and if we dont argue for those values voters will spot us for the frauds we are, and elect the Tories again. If Labour supporters drew one lesson from 2015, it was that voters can spot a phony. Electability demands, first of all, that we understand and debate what we believe so that we can make a plausible case to the public. Under Corbyn, that debate is finally happening - on defence, as on other issues. Pro-Trident Labour supporters should welcome his approach. Simon Richards is a pseudonym. The author is a public policy professional Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Prime Minister has to be congratulated for making the first major speech by a premier on our prison system for decades. I am particularly pleased that he recognised the vital role that employment can play in preventing re-offending. Mosaics offender mentoring programme, alongside other similar schemes, has a big role in connecting offenders with employers. As a former civil servant, I am loath to criticise my former colleagues. However, my experience of trying to scale up our offender mentoring programme to meet the ever-increasing need has led me to the sad conclusion that the prison system has been designed around administrative convenience rather than to serve its purpose as a rehabilitation agency. Mosaic has over 100 trained volunteer mentors ready to support offenders in prison prior to their release, yet we cannot match them. Prisons want our volunteers to help but the system makes it enormously difficult for them to find the staff time to facilitate access to the offenders wanting our help, let alone navigating around the alphabet soup of agencies who have to be consulted before anyone can start helping. If the promised freedoms for prison governors to make local decisions announced by the Prime Minister can cut through the current stultifying bureaucracy, no one will be more pleased than us at Mosaic. If, however, these changes mean that we have to continue to negotiate separate arrangements with each prison to enable our support to be used arrangements which then have to be re-negotiated each time a new governor arrives then I fear that we will be no farther forward. Jonathan Freeman Managing Director Mosaic London N1 An unborn child has rights too My daughter was born at 27 weeks. She weighed just 2lbs and looked very fragile. She had a thick crop of hair and eyelashes, and over the next two weeks she would look at me with an intense gaze, responding physically to sound and to touch. She remained in hospital for eight weeks until she was well enough to come home. She is now 18 and a beautiful, resilient girl, starting university. I wouldnt wish on anyone the emotional rollercoaster of being a parent of a premature baby, but it did enable me to view first hand the development of a baby from 27 weeks, normally unseen in the womb. Speak to any parent of a premature baby born after 22 weeks: they will tell you that it isnt an unfeeling foetus that theyve given birth to; it is a unique, sensitive and responsive baby, already a person. It is why I was concerned to read your article (9 January) about the We Trust Women campaign, which maintains that women shouldnt face prosecution if they self-induce abortion of their unborn child, even through third trimester up until term. I am also a feminist. I believe that women should be allowed the same rights and opportunities as men. But this isnt just an issue of a womans rights or choice. Another life is involved, another life with rights to protect. The advocates of this campaign call the current legislation against women aborting cruel and archaic. Its certainly not cruel to the voiceless and defenceless unborn child it protects. Pippa Jones London SE1 Jeremy Hunts real target No one appears to have identified the real reason for Jeremy Hunts intransigence regarding junior doctors payments for unsocial hours. The target is not the junior doctors. If the doctors can be persuaded, coerced or bribed to accept the new terms then every other group of NHS workers will be targeted and will lose most, if not all, of their unsocial hours payments in the next pay round. This will include nurses, paramedics, porters and kitchen staff the people who provide the seven-day NHS that Jeremy Hunt chooses to believe does not currently exist. Be assured: there will be no compensating pay rises offered to them. Every NHS workers group should be on the picket lines with the junior doctors because they are the real targets. Ray Noy Wigan My birthplace gets its name back Thank you for your sensible decision to drop the style Mumbai and return to Bombay. I was born in Bombay, where my parents were living, both working away from their homes in England. Im white English but India beats in my heart. For people like me, one of the most difficult questions to answer is, Where are you from? It seems disingenuous to say that Im from India; I am not Indian. But Im not from England, either. I was, however, born in Bombay when it was called Bombay, and that is a historical fact. When I renewed my passport in 2011, face to face with an official, the name I used for the place of my birth was crossed out with vigour. Its Mumbai now, I was told. It wasnt Mumbai when I was born. I hope others follow The Independents lead to recognise the facts, not the political correctness of a decision made in 1995 40 years after I was born. To eradicate the location of my birth from my life, for what seems to me to be a jobsworth perspective, denies me my heritage. Joanna Biddolph London W3 The colossal folly of trident Matthew Norman (10 February) is right about the colossal folly of Trident. The world has changed almost beyond recognition since the Cold War. The money would be far better spent on just about anything, or even just saved to pay down the deficit. How about the workers who fear for their jobs being more usefully employed in the manufacture of green energy projects, thus helping to save the planet twice? How about the New Labour Blairites resigning and joining the Conservative Party where they will feel much more at home? Andrew Lowdon Hampshire Matthew Normans arguments for getting rid of Trident seem arbitrary and hard to prove as are all the arguments for and against Trident, to be fair. However, his arguments do raise the following questions. If we did not renew Trident, would it be because we know we could rely on the USA to provide a nuclear deterrence to intimidation by nuclear powers like Russia or North Korea? If that is the case we would be failing to carry our fair share of the deterrence that protects us. Alternatively, do we think it is safe for the USA to also give up its nuclear weapons and hope we can rely on countries like North Korea and Russia not to use the threat of nuclear weapons to intimidate us and the West generally? Bob Morgan Thatcham, West Berkshire Wrong message from the bench Bijan Ebrahimi was the innocent victim of a cruel vigilante murder by a neighbour (report, 10 February). He made numerous telephone calls to the police for help. When an officer did ultimately appear he spent only a couple of minutes there but later lied to investigators that he had been patrolling for an hour. There was the plainest dereliction of duty by the two police officers who were on trial. The judge, Neil Ford QC, stated that it was with a heavy heart that he was imposing custodial sentences: You have already suffered greatly. You have already lost your careers and in each of your cases there is genuine justification for mercy. Mr Ebrahimi had lost his life, not simply his job. The officers did not deserve sympathy. The judge was sending out quite the wrong message and what he should have said was, You each justly deserve a proper custodial sentence. David Ashton Shipbourne, Kent Caught in the headlights I have noticed this winter that being dazzled by oncoming vehicles has become more of a problem. A television advert has revealed why. The advert sets out the advantages of the modern high-power lighting system. Its brilliance is considered a selling feature. The latest advert trumpets that its super bright LED matrix lights shine further than you think. Yes they do, at the expense of oncoming drivers. Anthony O Wilkinson Nottingham Who decides on Europe? David Cameron, dragooned by Ukip and the endless trumpeting of Nigel Farage into promising an in/out referendum on Europe on the grounds that the people demanded it, is now exhorting his MPs to ignore the wishes of their constituents. MPs should follow their own instincts, he advises. Can our Prime Minister have overlooked the fact that it will not be the MPs but we, the plebs who are supposed to have demanded this right, who have the responsibility to take this momentous decision? David Hindmarsh Cambridge Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Remarkably, it is nine and a half years since the rogue News of the World reporter Clive Goodman and the investigator Glenn Mulcaire were arrested over allegations of phone-hacking. The subsequent scandal led to the closure of NOTW, several high-profile criminal trials, the end of the Press Complaints Commission and a lengthy judicial inquiry not to mention millions of pounds paid out by publishers to victims of hacking. Civil proceedings relating to hacking by Mirror Group journalists continue. For the newspaper industry, the resulting examination of press ethics and practices had considerable ramifications. There is a keener awareness in newsrooms of the types of activity that are not permitted by the law or by regulatory codes, and more attention is given to the handling of readers complaints. The inquiries that followed the hacking disgrace served some purpose. Is the industry perfect? No. Can it ever be? Probably not. There will always be critics who regard elements of the press as irreparably grotty either because of their tone and style, or because of their politics. Recommended Read more Calling for The Independent to lay off the Saudi regime vindicates us Andy Burnham, the shadow Home Secretary, called on the Government this week to re-open the Leveson Inquiry, which was originally split in two to avoid a conflict with criminal trials then pending. It was envisaged that once proceedings at the Old Bailey were over, Leveson would move on to examine the extent of unlawful or improper conduct within News International, the role of the police in that investigation, and alleged corrupt links between police and the media. It is not hard to see why some especially victims of hacking or intrusion want Leveson II to proceed. We may know quite a lot about dodgy journalists, but we know less about the extent to which corrupt relationships between police and press made it easier to intrude into the private lives of innocent people and potentially covered up wrongdoing. Operation Elveden, the investigation of payments by journalists to public officials, gave us a flavour of the way some police officers were prepared to sell information. It is hard to believe there were not some even murkier dealings. The family of Daniel Morgan, a private investigator murdered after apparently uncovering high-level police corruption, believes Leveson II could be the key to solving the riddle of his death. In reality, there is little appetite in government for Leveson II, and heres why. Aside from cost and the fatigue brought on by Leveson I, the unfinished Chilcot inquiry and the revolving chairship of the investigation into historical child sex abuse there is the simple objection that the nature of the media has radically changed, even in the past half dozen years. Likewise, the relationship between journalists and police has fundamentally shifted: indeed, it is so far from being cosy as to be on occasion unworkable (which may be the lesser of two evils). Inquiries into past events have their place. Re-examining Hillsborough has been hugely important. Leveson, though, was always framed as an examination of current and recent practices. Even elements of Part I feel anachronistic now. Part II might shine a light on some misdeeds, but the idea that it will have much relevance to todays journalists, or shape the future of an ever more youthful, increasingly digital media industry, is perhaps fanciful. Over 1,500 jobs are to be created across 105 high-potential start-ups (HPSUs) over the next three years according to Enterprise Ireland. New research, conducted by Amarach Research, shows that HPSUs have the potential to create 10 jobs and deliver 1m in sales within the first three to four years of starting up. Enterprise Ireland have arrived at the job creation figure after it backed some 105 HPSUs in 2015. The research from Amarach also shows that 90pc of start-ups surveyed have expressed their intention to increase staff this year. Director of global business development at Enterprise Ireland, Kevin Sherry said: "Last year was a record year for Enterprise Ireland supported new start-up companies with the highest number of funding approvals with a total direct Enterprise Ireland investment commitment of 31m in start-ups." Speaking about the figures minister for jobs, Richard Bruton said: "The companies supported by Enterprise Ireland under its High Potential Start-Ups programme and Competitive Start Funds are key to our plans. I am delighted that there is a strong regional representation with 47% of the high potential start-ups being from outside Dublin." There have been no positive moves by the Government over the past five years to incentivise Irish farmers to grow crops for the bioenergy sector, a climate change expert has claimed. The Irish Bioenergy Association conference heard despite predictions the sector would play a key role for Ireland in reaching renewable energy targets, many farmers have stopped growing crops like miscanthus and have ploughed them back into the ground. UCD Climate Change lecturer, Dr Cara Augustenborg, said Teagasc has also cut back its budget for research work in the sector. The academic said nothing had changed since she originally conducted a survey of some 172 farmers with an interest in growing energy crops in 2011. The farmers expressed concern about the government's attitude to the sector with 58pc worried about "unknown profit margins" and over half having concerns about the creation of a guaranteed market for energy crops. A third also raised concerns about the research being undertaken into energy crops. "A year ago I read that policy changes were needed for bioenergy to proceed in Ireland and Coillte is on record stating that there is absolutely no chance whatsoever that Ireland will reach the heat target demanded by the Renewable Energy by 2020," said Dr Augestenborg, who is also a climate leader with the Al Gore Foundation,. An official from the Department of Energy, who attended in place of Energy Minister Alex White, said his department was now fast tracking the introduction of Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which was originally mooted in a draft form in 2014. Irish Bioenergy Association, chairman Michael Doran, said the RHI could create 3,000 jobs in the sector. Maynooth auctioneer, Eamon O'Flaherty of Property Partners Brady is something of an expert when it comes to disposing of old Land Commission farms. This time he's bringing to market, in an executor sale, a compact residential farm extending to 33 acres. The place is just a short distance from Maynooth and within striking distance of Dublin, which will appeal to commuters. With a guide of 450,000 he is hoping the property will appeal to a broad range of prospective buyers including neighbouring farmers, hobby farmers and the equestrian sector. The holding includes an old style single storey cottage in need of total refurbishment and modernisation. In itself the structure may not be of any great value but there's potential to apply for planning permission to build a new house. Woodland There are also a few old out offices to the rear of the cottage. Set in a lovely wooded setting the farm is at the heart of Kildare 'horsey country' the property backs onto the world renowned Derrinstown Stud, one of many fine equestrian establishments in the vicinity. Laid out in three principal fields of grass the land is good ground but has been neglected in recent years. It could benefit greatly from some attention and investment. According to selling agent Mr O'Flaherty, the farm has already generated considerable interest since residential farms of this size in North Kildare are a rare commodity. He said very few of them come on the market. "We have priced it reasonably as we recognise that some work needs to be done on the property to improve it," said Mr O'Flaherty. "With some expertise and investment it could be developed into a lovely neat farm benefiting from a top class location," he added. The farm will be sold at auction at 3pm on Thursday, March 10 at the Glenroyal Hotel, Maynooth. Bringing home the 'Show Flock of the Year' accolade at the end of the season is an exceptional triumph for any breeder, but for Cheryl O'Brien becoming the first ever Vendeen breeder to achieve a three-in-a-row honour is the stuff that lifetime ambitions are made of. It is the fifth time that the coveted trophy has been brought back to Kildorrery where the Pedigree Vendeen flock run alongside Cheryl and her husband Conor's Simmental suckler beef enterprise in North Cork where they also farm a commercial flock. The 'Show Flock of the Year' award is decided on points earned for each rosette won by entries from the flock at the rural agricultural shows throughout the year. It has been keenly contested by flock owners in all regions of the country each year since it was introduced by the Irish Vendeen Sheep Society more than two decades ago. "It is not an easy award to win, because of the way it is decided, based on the awards at agricultural shows, because it is not enough to have the right quality if the presentation is not good - that's very important too," says Cheryl. She admits that "a lot can depend on what a judge likes" but agrees that the overall standard of judging at the shows is good and the competition between the top flocks in the country is very keen in every show ring. "There is a lot to showing the animals but the quality has to be right. Presentation is huge too, washing, cleaning, and getting them to stand properly. In the Vendeens we are not allowed to clip them," she explains. "The judges should always be good and they usually are. You'd like consistency. It does not always happen. "The good judges know their sheep and they usually get it right. Sometimes there is only the toss of a coin between a few at the top and it can go either way, depending on what the particular judge likes," she adds. The pedigree flock on the farm comprise of 40-45 Vendeen breeding ewes, very carefully selected from the best breeding available on the continent with a constant eye on improvement by mating to the best blood lines available with the building of the flock under way since the late 1970s. "I went to NI in 1979 and bought a ram for to run with the commercials we had at that time. I was so pleased with him that I went back to the North again and I bought three ewes and a ram before I went to Carlisle and bought a good few ewes there," she explains. The commercial flock on the farm was quite sizeable in the earlier years and was largely Texel, so what was it about the Vendeen that became so attractive? "Once I bought the first of them, I liked the Vendeen because they are very quiet, nice and long and very easily fleshed - that was what I liked about them from the beginning - easily finished and good to grade. That was why I bought into the pedigree I was so pleased with the commercials," she says. Cheryl has visited France a good few times purchasing some of the best ewes and rams to be found. For the last 7-8 years she has been using AI from French rams. "I go to the AI centre in France, see the rams and I bring in what I like," she explains. However, conception rates to AI are proving to be widely variable. "The AI is very much hit and miss, I find, and conception rates vary widely. A good year 60pc can be got, and another time it may be back as low as 20pc. "Last year I got 30pc and the year before it was 60pc - don't ask me why because there is no knowing of why the variation is so wide because the ewes can be in the very same condition and the results very different, but I have stayed with it for the last 7-8 years," she says. "Vendeen are naturally an early breed and we lamb in December and into early January, while in France they lamb in October and November. We feed as normal for the Easter trade or later. "The better rams are all kept for breeding and the ewes the same. Some of the better ones are kept on the farm and I have a steady market from customers for the others - a lot of regular customers. The rest will be sold to the factories," she says. "Originally I had a ram Leehall Keats imported from the UK that produced some excellent progeny - he did very well for me and I had fantastic lambs. Then I brought in brought in two very good rams. Rivalin bred lovely females and Challoo was a great meat ram. They were top of the range rams in my pedigree flock," she adds. She won the Vendeen Flock of the Year first in 1997, won her second award in 2004 and nine years elapsed before the third success. "It is not easy won. There are a lot of contenders. I usually go to the same shows each year but some years are more successful than others. That is the way it goes," she says. Repeating her success of 2013 by retaining the award in 2014 was a rare enough achievement but making it three-in-a-row by adding the award for 2015 was a 'dream' result because "it is so difficult to do" that it was never before achieved. With her husband, Conor, she shares a lot of interest in the breeding in their Simmental suckler herd and is very concerned that the pressure on participants in the BDGP to meet qualifying standards on the index of breeding stock "could destroy" the suckler breeding. Star ratings "I have seen what happened in sheep breeding with 'stars' which did not work and sheep farmers are not being incentivised any more and we are getting on with breeding the best with the best," she says. "About three years ago I had the first five in the (sheep) class and they looked five star but they only had three star because they were all French breeding. If the reliability figures are not good enough it does not matter what stars they have. "It is not being impressed on farmers enough how important the reliability figures are and farmers don't understand that. "The star rating really has not worked in the sheep and it is going to be very interesting what happens with the cattle," says Cheryl. "I saw it all happening in the sheep when the breeders had to have them and were paid to have them but it is all gone and we are back to being more normal again which makes a lot more sense. "I don't think there is enough research done and it is almost impossible to get figures on the imports," she adds. Top 10 Vendeen Show Flocks of the Year 2015 1 Cheryl O'Brien, Cork. 2 Gordon and Yvonne Johnston, Westmeath 3 Ciaran Coughlan, Offaly 4 Ena Nagle, Cork 5 John Lynch, Longford 6 Joey Walsh, Kildare 7 Anthony and Oisin Gannon, Offaly 8 Shay Kennedy, Waterford 9 Padraig Monaghan, Mayo 10 John Dolan, Offaly Robbers entered a bank in a small town in America. One of them shouted: "Don't move! The money belongs to the bank. Your lives belong to you." Immediately all the people in the bank lay on the floor quietly and without panic. This is an example of how the correct wording of a sentence can make everyone change their view of the world. While running from the bank the youngest robber, who had a college degree, said to the oldest robber, who had barely finished elementary school: "Hey, maybe we should count how much we stole? The older man replied: "Don't be stupid. It's a lot of money so let's wait for the news on TV to find out how much money was taken from the bank." This is an example of how life experience is more important than a degree. After the robbery, the bank manager said to his accountant: "Let's call the cops and tell them how much has been stolen". "Wait, said the accountant, "before we do that, let's add the money we took for ourselves a few months ago." This is an example of taking advantage of an opportunity. The following day it was reported that the bank was robbed of $3 million. The robbers had only $1 million so they started to grumble. "We risked our lives for $1 million, and they robbed two million dollars without blinking? Maybe it's better to learn how to work the system, instead of being a simple robber." This is an example of how knowledge can be more useful than power. Moral: Give a person a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a person a bank, and he can rob everyone. fibre network operator Enet has agreed a seven-figure deal with Irish telecoms firm Magnet. The five-year deal will facilitate Magnet's delivery of services to customers in Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Portlaoise, and Galway. Magnet will now have access to 100GB circuits on Enet's backhaul network with the option to acquire additional capacity if it looks to expand into new towns. Magnet's head of product, James Canty, said the move is continuing the firm's focus on helping regional businesses grow. "This additional network capacity will have a very positive impact on the speed and efficiency of these services for our customers." The internet service provider will look to strengthen its broadband services with the extra capacity. Magnet aims to take full advantage of the growth in cloud-based services as well as the digital marketplace. Enet's chief executive, Conal Henry, inset, said that the deal is adding to the firm's commitment to serving all licensed Irish telecom service providers. "Our continued investment in fibre infrastructure in both backhaul and within the metropolitan area network towns has given service providers a wealth of choice and opportunities when it comes to delivering the very best services to their customers," he said. Mr Henry said the newly serviced areas will have access to 'wholly reliable' broadband. Last month Enet demonstrated its 1 gigabit-per second fibre power broadband network in north Kerry as part of the Government's National Broadband Plan. Japanese brewer Asahi has tabled a 2.5bn bid to buy European lager brands Peroni and Grolsch being put up for sale as part of the takeover of SABMiller. Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch InBev said it was now in exclusive talks with Asahi, which is known for its Super Dry beer, although it is yet to officially accept the offer. The deal includes Peroni and Grolsch in the UK and Europe, as well as London's Meantime brewery, which are being put up for sale by AB InBev to help ease regulatory concerns over its 71 billion takeover of SABMiller. Carlos Brito, chief executive of AB InBev, said: "We are pleased to have received this binding offer from Asahi on the Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime brands and businesses - iconic beer brands with long-standing heritage and leading positions in core markets." SABMiller's chief executive Alan Clark said: "SABMiller has grown Peroni and Grolsch into world-renowned premium brands, and we are confident that, along with fast-growing modern craft brewer Meantime, they will continue to thrive and develop." AB InBev is launching a consultation with staff over the potential sale, although it is dependent on the completion of the SABMiller takeover. Buying Peroni and Grolsch would allow Asahi to tap into growth outside a declining Japanese lager market, where it has a 38% share. Asahi said it had been looking to grow internationally "for some time". "Through this proposed acquisition, Asahi aims to expand its growth platform in Europe and become a global player with a distinct position," it said. The offer includes the Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime brands, as well as SABMiller's Italian, Dutch and British operations that make and distribute the brands. It also includes the global rights to the Grolsch, Peroni and Meantime brands, except in the United States. AB InBev confirmed it was putting Peroni, Grolsch and its Meantime brewery on the sale block in December, less than a month after formally agreeing the SABMiller takeover following protracted talks. It is seeking to get the green light from authorities for the deal, which marks the largest takeover of a UK-based firm as well as the fourth biggest in global corporate history. AB InBev has already announced the sale of SABMiller's US joint venture, with partner Molson Coors agreeing to buy the remaining 58% stake in MillerCoors for 12 billion US dollars (7.9 billion). Its takeover of SABMiller is expected to go through in the second half of the year, if it gets clearance from regulators and shareholders. SAB has invested heavily in Peroni in recent years, marketing the brand across Europe and America to help cement the lager as a global brand, alongside Grolsch. A sale of the Meantime brewery in Greenwich will bring to a close a brief spell under SAB's ownership after it was bought by the group in May. SAB, which was founded in South Africa, snapped it up under plans to tap into the burgeoning UK craft beer market. Meantime was founded 15 years ago by brewer Alastair Hook and its most popular brews include London Lager, London Pale Ale and London Porter. TITANIC DICAPRIO WINSLET AND CAMERON AT GOLDEN GLOBES...BEV54:GOLDEN GLOBES:BEVERLY HILLS,CALIF.,18JAN98 - Director James Cameron (C) holds his Golden Globe for the film "Titanic" as he stands with the movie's starts Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio at the 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, January 18. The awards, sponsored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, honors excellence in film and television. Cameron won for best director and the film won for best motion picture- drama. The stars were nominated but did not win. bps/DIGITAL/Photo by Sam Mircovich...E Actor Michael Fassbender and his Steve Jobs co-star Kate Winslet have both been given Oscar nods - but the Irishman has revealed that he still fears he could become yesterday's news in Tinsletown Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet attend the UK premiere of 'Revolutionary Road' at Odeon Leicester Square on January 18, 2009 in London, England Kate Winslet attends the UK gala screening of Triple 9 at the Ham Yard Hotel in London. Photo: Matt Crossick/PA Wire Kate Winslet said she would not boycott the Oscars over the nominations race row because it could mean missing seeing "closest friend" Leonardo DiCaprio finally win. The British Hollywood star, 40, appeared in 1997's blockbuster Titanic alongside DiCaprio, 41, who is nominated for the best actor Academy Award for his role in gritty Western The Revenant. Winslet is herself nominated for best supporting actress for her role as Joanna Hoffman in Danny Boyle's biopic Steve Jobs. The nominations for the Oscars at the end of February created a controversy after no black actors were shortlisted, with several big names saying they may boycott the ceremony in Los Angeles in protest. Speaking at the London launch of her latest film, gritty US heist drama Triple 9, in which she plays a "nasty piece of work" Mafia gangster, Winslet said: "To be honest with you it has been such an extraordinary year for women I'd feel like I was letting my side down if I didn't go. "And also I feel very strongly that it may possibly be Leo's year, and he is my closest friend in the world and I just couldn't imagine not being there to support him. And I think those are reasons enough really to show my face." DiCaprio has been nominated for an Oscar six times but has yet to win. Winslet, who won the Best Actress Oscar for 2008 film The Reader, said she enjoyed playing a baddie in the new film, saying: "I truly play a nasty piece of work and I relished every minute of it." As well as the Oscars nod she has been nominated for a best supporting actress award in this weekend's Baftas. The ensemble cast of Triple 9 includes Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, the Avengers' Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson and fellow Brit Chiwetel Ejiofor, star of 12 Years A Slave. Mackie, Paul and Ejiofor were at tonight's gala screening at the Ham Yard Hotel in Soho, Ejiofor plays a former US Navy Seal turned corrupt police officer who masterminds a plan to pull off a robbery by killing another cop, a so-called "triple nine", to cause a distraction. Video of the Day They are blackmailed into the robbery by Winslet's Russian-Israeli mafiosi, who is running the show while her husband is in prison. Asked about the row over diversity prompted by the Oscar nominations, Ejiofor said: "We need more equality in our society and we need more equality represented in media, and those are good things to have, healthy things to have for a society so it is right that people ask for those things. That whole thing is just a reflection of that reality. "Absolutely everyone involved on every side of the issue wants the best out of the media and wants the best out of movies and wants the best out of society so it is all positive in the end. "I don't think anyone is really out there saying 'less diversity is a good thing', it's like let's get on with it, there is absolutely enough for everybody and let's work towards a better and more rounded output. Why not?" Aisling Conlon played Sharon Curley's baby in The Snapper, but the now 23-year-old sounds nothing like her on-screen family. The Snapper is based on one of the novels from Roddy Doyle's hugely successful Barrytown trilogy and is set in a working class area of Dublin. The character of Sharon Curley falls pregnant after a drunken tryst with a much older neighbour but tells her family the father is a Spanish sailor. Aisling (23) bagged the role after a casting agent visited Holles St maternity hospital where she had just been born in 1992. Expand Close Aisling Conlon who played the baby in The Snapper / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aisling Conlon who played the baby in The Snapper "He was speaking to a few of the nurses in the ward and asked them if they had any good looking babies, which sounds like a terrible thing to ask them, but they recommended me because of my large dimples," Aisling told The Ryan Tubridy Show RTE Radio 1. "My parents were very open to it because they had read the Roddy Doyle books and knew the movies Colm Meany had been in so they were definitely all for it." Baby Aisling was paid 300 for her performance, which her parents very kindly donated to Holles Street. While the adult Aisling may sport the same brown curly hair as her on-screen mother, she couldn't be more different to the Curleys. She grew up in Dubai, returning to Ireland at the age of 9. She then attended St Bartholomew's junior school in Dublin 4, where she bumped into Roddy Doyle who was visiting one day and managed to get a selfie and the author's signature on her copy of The Snapper. She is currently studying for a Masters in clinical and translational research at UCD and represents Ireland on the Irish canoe slalom team and hopes to compete in at the Rio Olympics this year. Expand Close Aisling Conlon who played the baby in The Snapper / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aisling Conlon who played the baby in The Snapper Growing up in Dubai, Aisling was not aware of the impact of The Snapper in Ireland. "When I came home [aged 9] people were talking about this movie and my dad said, 'Oh, you were the baby' but it didn't really register how significant of a cult Irish film it was until I was in my teenage years," said Aisling. Video of the Day "It's only as I've got older I've really realised how many people are sentimental about the movie and what it means to people." In the film the baby is said to have weighed 7lb 12 ounces, prompting one character to quip, "Is that a turkey or a baby? That's a good sized baby. Small turkey though." but Aisling is at pains to point out she was actually a small baby of just 6lbs. "I was so much smaller than everyone seems to think I was," she laughs, "I tell people and their faces drop!" Liam Neeson takes time out from rescuing abducted family members and dating mysterious celebrities to narrate a blockbuster new three-part documentary about the 1916 Rising. Here's what we learned from the first episode. 1: Neeson is the perfect 1916 narrator Sounding like he's arrived straight from Taken 3, Neeson delivers his lines with the perfect mix of romantic yearning and wounded anger as though hefting all of the Old Country's woes on his shoulders. Just what you wanted from an hour of telly mainly devoted to enumerating Perfidious Albion's misdeeds in Ireland. 2: It's Not Really For An Irish Audience. Co-produced by the University of Notre Dame (yes, home of the, sigh, "fighting" Irish) and to be broadcast in the United States and Britain later this year, 1916 will contain few surprises for an Irish audience. The Famine was a demographic disaster, Unionists opposed Home Rule, Dublin circa 1916 was a slummish hell-hole There's little here we didn't know already. 3: At Least It Was Better Than Rebellion. With RTE still smarting from the overwhelmingly negative response to the by-turns dreary and hysterical Rebellion, the broadcaster will be glad it played it safe this time around. Though absolutely devoid of surprises, at least 1916 did not attempt to shoe-horn in gratuitous girl-on-girl snogging or paint De Valera as a slithering lunatic. 4: Historians Are Still Doing That Annoying Present Tense Thing. John Humphrys, the esteemed British newsman, has railed against academics' insistence on the "historical present" that is, speaking of events of 100 years ago or more as though they were occurring RIGHT NOW. "It gives a bogus, an entirely bogus, sense of immediacy; it is irritating, it is pretentious. Let's hope he wasn't tuned into RTE, where the historical present was tonight deployed with mad abandon ("Casement can understand what is being done because he understands Irish history" etc etc). 5: Relax, Diarmaid Ferriter DOES make an appearance. Thirty minutes in and it seems Ireland's most ubiquitous historian might have been away the weekend they were filming. Fret not - there he is, adding his tuppence-worth on the 1913 Lockout. Order is restored to the universe. 6: They Really Ought To Have Got An Actual Scottish Person To Voice James Connolly. Video of the Day In Ireland we are often justifiably aghast when foreigners mangle our accents. But we commit the same violation against Edinburgh-born socialist leader Connolly as an Irish actor tries to sound as if he's from bonniest Scotland. The result is closer to Gimli from Lord of the Rings. 7: The Mystical Celtic Schtick is Laid On A Bit. Five minutes in and already we've had our first epic panning shot of the Irish landscape accompanied by mournful tin whistles and Enya clearing her throat. Here is one cliche RTE should have vetoed assuming it had any say in the final content. Deirdre Eighan and Sean Whelan marked their engagement with a blessing at the saints shrine in Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin. Pic John Mc Elroy Valentine's Day might have some extra significance for Deirdre Eighan and Sean Whelan, who marked their engagement with a blessing at the saint's shrine in Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin. Bishop Denis Nulty blessed the couple, who met at secondary school, in a special ceremony ahead of the saint's day on February 14. They are set to marry in May 2017, after Sean popped the question at Christmas while they were on their way to a concert. "We just took a detour up the Grafton Street, Stephen's Green area. He got the weak knee I suppose," laughed Deirdre, as Sean quipped: "I lost my senses." But Sean's proposal was more considered than that - he already had the engagement ring. "I knew what she liked so I went and got it made a couple of months prior, so it was ready to go. I knew what I had to get. I was told." A former Anglo director has told the trial of four senior bankers accused of conspiring to mislead investors that he was acting under the direction of his former CEO David Drumm when he approached Irish Life and Permanent (ILP) about an interbank loan of 7bn. The four men, including former ILP CEO Denis Casey and Anglo Irish Bank's former head of finance Willie McAteer, are accused of conspiring to mislead investors by using interbank loans to make Anglo appear 7.2bn more valuable than it was. Mr McAteer (65) of Greenrath, Tipperary town, and Mr Casey (56), from Raheny, Dublin, are on trial alongside Peter Fitzpatrick (63) from Malahide, Dublin, who had been ILP's former director of finance, and John Bowe (52) from Glasnevin in Dublin, who had been Anglo's head of capital markets. They have all pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to conspiring together and with others to mislead investors through financial transactions to make the bank appear 7.2bn more valuable that it was between March 1 and September 30, 2008. The trial resumed in evidence before the jury yesterday after six days of legal argument when Diarmaid McGuinness SC, defending Mr Bowe, continued his cross-examination of Matt Cullen, the former director of treasury at Anglo. Mr Cullen said that during a meeting with David Drumm, the then CEO of Anglo, Mr Drumm asked him if he would approach ILP "to ask Irish Life for six or seven billion for us in September". He said he was sitting beside Mr Drumm and he was specifically asked to approach David Gantley, his counterpart at ILP. Asked if he was "acting under Mr Drumm's direction" the witness replied "absolutely". Mr Cullen previously testified that the scheme to raise "six or seven billion" in corporate deposits involved money being transferred by Anglo to ILP. It would then be put back on deposit by Irish Life Assurance (ILA), the non-banking entity owned and managed by ILP, so it would appear in Anglo's accounts as a corporate deposit. The corporate deposits figure was for publishing in the bank's full year accounts, when the money would be seen as deposits coming in from ILA. The trial continues. The house in Balgriffin has lain vacant for almost three years Bank of Ireland was today granted possession of a house that has lain vacant for almost three years and against which there was 40,000 arrears in mortgage repayments. Barrister E.J. Walsh, for the lender, told Judge Jacqueline Linnane in the Circuit Civil Court that former owners David Gibson and Li Xiong had not engaged at any stage with the bank over repayment arrears. Ms Walsh said that as of July last year there had been 40,000 outstanding in arrears within a total debt of 238,000 on a loan of September 2010 for the purchase of the property in Belmayne, Balgriffin, Dublin 13. She told the court the bank was seeking an order for possession and sale. Part of the delay in obtaining a possession order had been due to the mortgage having to be transferred from ICS Building Society to Bank of Ireland non engagement of the defendants. Ms Walsh sought service of the courts order on Gibson and Xiong by ordinary pre-post delivery to the house which the couple had long vacated. A 17-year-old student, who was struck on the head when an electronic frame fell off a wall in an Eason store in Dublin, has been awarded 19,000 damages in the Circuit Civil Court. Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke last year refused a 13,500 settlement offer to Shauna Kenny, who, he had heard, was still suffering from headaches and stiffness in her neck two-and-a-half years after the incident. Barrister David Boughton, counsel for Shauna, told the court that in July 2012 Shauna had been browsing in an electronic books area at Easons, Lower OConnell Street, Dublin when the frame had suddenly fallen on her. Shauna, who was 14 at the time, had been struck on her head and right wrist. She had been taken to Crumlin Childrens Hospital, Dublin, where X-rays revealed no fracture. The court heard that Shauna, of Barnville Park, Ballyfermot, Dublin, had suffered a concussion injury and soft-tissue damage to her neck, lower back and right wrist. A splint had been applied to her wrist. She had suffered from severe headaches for half a year following the incident. Through her mother Kathy Maher, she sued the store and David James Retail Solutions Ltd, Edenderry, Co Offaly, for negligence. Judge Groarke heard that following talks between the parties, an increased offer of 19,000 had been made and he approved it. Maree Butler and Eoin Byrne hold a photo of their son, Darragh, at the inquest into his death. Photo: Gareth Chaney A baby boy who died days after his birth may have suffered a brain injury a week before he was born, an inquest heard. In evidence described as "game changing", a pathologist's report found that a condition that could potentially have contributed to baby Darragh Byrne's death from hypoxia (lack of oxygen) occurred before he was born in February 2013. At Dublin Coroner's Court, parents Maree Butler and Eoin Byrne from Portlaoise, Co Laois, heard pathology evidence from Consultant Neonatal Pathologist at the Coombe Hospital, Dr Colette Adida. The court heard that Dr Adida found evidence of both acute and chronic hypoxia and the latter could have been caused by an event in the weeks before the child's death. As the inquest got underway this week, Coroner Dr Brian Farrell heard that the Coombe Hospital issued an apology for failures relating to aspects of the management of Ms Butler's care during labour, relating specifically to a one-and-a-half hour period prior to birth. The cause of death was multi- organ failure due to hypoxia, according to Dr Adida. However, from her autopsy, Dr Adida said it was not possible to give the exact cause of the hypoxia, which was described as a "global cerebral hypoxic change" that caused the baby's death. The pathologist found evidence of chronic hypoxia in the form of non-fatal impairment of the placental function and foetal circulation, which she said can take "a few days to weeks to develop". "I can't give the exact timing, it takes days to weeks... I can't be more precise than that," she said. Barrister Simon Mills for the HSE and the hospital apologised for his use of a colloquial term but said the pathology evidence was a "game changer". Family barrister Sara Antoniotti said the evidence was "entirely inconsistent with what we have been told by our experts". Adjourning the inquest until March 8, Dr Farrell said: "This (pathology evidence) is a crucial issue that I need to look at." A man has been jailed for two years for the possession of 20,000 of counterfeit money. The Special Criminal Court heard from a member of the Special Detective Unit that the counterfeit notes were to be used to "finance the activities of the IRA". Robert Day (44), of St Attracta Road, Cabra, Dublin 7 had pleaded guilty to the unlawful custody of 400 counterfeit 50 notes at Monck Place, Phibsborough, Dublin 7 on February 2, 2014. His co-accused, Hubert Duffy (49) was given an 18 months suspended sentence for possession of a stolen motorcycle. Duffy, with an address at Georges Place, Temple Street, Dublin 1 had pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen BMW motorcycle at the Phoenix Park Racecourse Apartments, Navan Road, Dublin 7 on a date unknown between November 11, 2013 and February 2, 2014 At today's sentence hearing, Detective Superintendent Thomas Maguire, of the Special Detective Unit, told the court that the counterfeit money was used to "finance the activities of the IRA". Det Supt Maguire told prosecuting counsel Vincent Heneghan BL that, on November 12th, 2014, a 650 cc BMW motorcycle was stolen overnight. The court heard that, later that day, Det Supt Maguire's collegue observed the BMW motorcycle being driven by a man to the Phoenix Park Racecourse apartments. The driver stopped, spoke to Robert Day and drove the motorcycle into the apartment complex's underground car-park. The driver was identified as Hubert Duffy, the court heard. The court also heard evidence that, on February 2nd, 2014, gardai in Dublin were engaged in surveillance of suspected IRA activity. Day walked into Clark's pub on Phibsboro Rd, followed later by a man named Richard Molloy. Last year, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Molloy (44), of Preston Heights, Kilmeague, Naas, Co Kildare, was jailed for six years for selling 20,000 in counterfeit bills in exchange for 2,200. Detectives inside Clark's pub observed Day reading a newspaper, the court heard. Day was approached by Molloy, who placed another newspaper on the table and picked up an item. Day was detained outside Clark's pub and dropped something at his side, the court heard. Counterfeit money worth 20,000 was seized. 2,000 was found on Molloy, Det Supt Maguire told the court, adding that the money had been exchanged for the counterfeit currency. The court heard that Day has one prior conviction for assault causing harm, from 2000, when he received a two year suspended prison sentence. Duffy has no prior convictions, the court heard. Delivering the judgement, Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding at the three-judge, non-jury court said that when considering the men's sentences, the court was "ignoring allegations that the money may have been part of an IRA fund-raising operation". Day's sentence was backdated to August 10th, 2014. A jury at the Central Criminal Court has acquitted a 83-year-old man of raping an American teenager after he testified that the sex was consensual. The man, who is also a US citizen, denied two counts of raping the then 17-year-old girl in a hotel room in Limerick city on August 1, 2010 while they were both on holidays here. He also denied two counts of sexually assaulting the teenager in the hotel room on July 31 and August 1, 2010. The man is legally entitled to anonymity. The pair, who are related, were sharing a twin room during their stay when the sexual acts took place. The woman told the trial that she still can't quite believe what happened and said the accused was like a grandfather to her. The man gave evidence during the trial that after confiding in him about her weight problem and bulimia the complainant performed oral sex on him. He said he later tried unsuccessfully to have full sex with her. Under cross examination during the trial he told Paul Greene SC, prosecuting, that there was never a moment where she objected and that she could have stopped the sexual interactions and she was well able to. He agreed that in the following days he apologised to a relative of the girl for causing so much pain to the girl. He said: Regardless of who started or who was responsible, it was a very painful thing for the family, I very much regretted it. A jury of six men and six women deliberated for just short of five hours before returning unanimous verdicts of not guilty on all charges. The woman gave evidence that she completely froze when the man, who she knew all her life, began the alleged assaults. She said he held her down on a bed and she tried to push him off. He told her you're my girl and began to molest her, she said. He asked her when she first became sexually attracted to him, she testified. She said he orally raped her and she stopped resisting as she thought it can't get worse. The girl and the accused were attending a family party in the hotel and because of a booking mistake they ended up sharing a twin room. She told the trial: There was nothing unusual about us sharing a room. I trusted him to look after me. She said they were both napping in the afternoon when she awoke to find her left hand was held across the gap between the beds and it was under the man's bed clothes. She said the beds had been pushed closer together. I completely froze. I couldn't get my head around what was happening. I rolled over and pulled my hand out of his grasp, she said. She said he then jumped up out of bed and put his hand down her top and was saying oh god, oh god. She jumped up and locked herself in the bathroom and spent an hour in the shower. She said he was gone when she came out of the shower. She spent the evening in the hotel gym and changed for bed there before returning to the bedroom late, she said. She testified that she was extremely intimidated going into the room. She crept in as she didn't want to wake him. She said he jumped up while naked and pulled the bed clothes off her. He knelt on the bed and was holding me down. He said, you're my girl, is this ok. I said no. I was trying to resist him. I never thought that anything else would happen. I was completely frozen. I tried to push him off, she said. The next day they travelled to visit other relatives in another part of Ireland and she said she felt mortified and extremely awkward. She pretended nothing was wrong to her relatives but the accused kept following her around during the visit, she said. He kept asking me, how are you bearing up? It was very difficult to get away, she said. The next day again she said she did tell a cousin who she was very close to and an investigation began. Her cousin gave evidence of the woman not being herself and being afraid to tell her something. She said on her encouragement the complainant told her the man had sex with her and said she was worried she was pregnant. The witness said: I asked, did he rape you? She didnt say yes or no, she described what had happened. In my book, thats rape, yes. She said the woman was distraught and was crying all the time. Another relative testified that soon after this she confronted the accused man and told him I know what you did. She said: He reacted. He said it shouldn't have happened. I was shocked. I said to him, there will be repercussions. This is not going away. Go away and don't contact my family again. Northern drivers banned here for an offence in the Republic cannot challenge their bans being extended to the North. Hundreds of motorists banned for drink-driving in the UK may be able to continue driving here after a landmark ruling by a Circuit Court judge. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is examining how it can change its procedures after a loophole in the law was exposed. Judge John O'Hagan was hearing a District Court Appeal by Martin Holmes of Sandy Row, Castlefinn, Co Donegal. He had pleaded guilty to a drink-driving offence at Omagh Magistrates Court, Co Tyrone, in March 2014 and was banned from driving in the North. However, he appealed a decision by the courts to also enforce his ban in the Republic. Driving bans imposed in Northern Ireland also apply here after the RSA makes an application to the district court. Frank Dorrian, solicitor for Holmes, argued at the Circuit Court in Letterkenny that the procedure here is flawed because the RSA brings its applications by way of a summons issued by a District Court clerk. He said the Courts No 3 Act (1986) was introduced to enable court clerks to issue a summons in respect of an offence alleged in this State. Mr Dorrian contended that the RSA could not make its application via a District Court summons, which can only be served in criminal proceedings. "The court clerk in this case was exercising jurisdiction which cannot apply to this situation," said Mr Dorrian. Solicitor Jacqueline Maloney, representing the Road Safety Authority, said Mr Holmes had appeared in court in Tyrone, pleaded guilty, and had not appealed the driving ban. She said the cross-Border recognition of driving bans was introduced under European legislation and, whilst this had not happened across the EU, it had "in our part of the world". She argued that the application to apply the ban in the Republic is a process, and not criminal proceedings. However, Judge O'Hagan agreed with Mr Dorrian that the summons was not the proper legal 'vehicle' for the application of a ban in the Republic. "It is for the administration to create vehicles to bring matters before the court. It is for them to create one," said the judge. He said the legal argument of Mr Dorrian was "nitty-gritty and technical". However, he said the procedure referred to a summons and the application in court was not an offence in this State. In the circumstances, he said, he was allowing the appeal. "The process is punctured and I cannot repair the puncture," added Judge O'Hagan. Mr Holmes's two-year drink-drive ban in the North expires at the end of March. Northern drivers banned here for an offence in the Republic cannot challenge their bans being extended to the North. This is because of the way the UK signed up to the EU directive on cross-Border disqualifications. The RSA has withdrawn a number of applications for disqualifications in the North to be extended to the Republic as the bans had already expired. A man who received a 1.5m settlement from the State after being wrongly considered a murder suspect has told the Fennelly Commission that phone conversations with his lawyers were recorded by gardai. Lawyers acting for Frank McBrearty Jnr have alleged that recordings were made while he was in custody over the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron, the Irish Independent has learned. In a letter to the commission, it is also alleged phone calls made by Mr McBrearty's father, Frank Snr, and cousin Mark McConnell to members of their legal team were also recorded at Letterkenny Garda Station in Co Donegal. The Fennelly Commission was set up in March 2014 to investigate revelations that non-999 phone calls had been routinely recorded in certain garda stations over a 30-year period. Mr McBrearty, an independent county councillor, confirmed he had been in ongoing contact with the commission and had been asked to make a formal submission to it in writing. He said he had instructed his lawyers to write to the commission and that he had also held discussions with the Department of Justice. The Morris Tribunal into garda corruption in Donegal was previously informed of the alleged recording of phone calls between prisoners and their solicitors. However, it did not inquire into the claims. "I am unhappy that it wasn't investigated by the Morris Tribunal due to limitations in its terms of reference. I am now hopeful that this will be fully investigated by the Fennelly Commission," said Mr McBrearty. The Morris Tribunal found that gardai had attempted to frame Mr McBrearty and Mr McConnell for the murder of Mr Barron in October 1996. Neither man had anything to do with his death and it later transpired Mr Barron was not murdered, but most likely died in a hit and run. Mr McBrearty settled with the State after suing for wrongful arrest, malicious prosecution and breaches of his constitutional rights. His father was awarded 2.475m for damages to his business caused by a campaign of garda harassment following Mr Barron's death. In an interim report last November, Mr Justice Nial Fennelly said the commission considered establishing whether any telephone conversations between solicitors and their clients were recorded to be one of the most important elements of its work. "Solicitor/client confidentiality has long been regarded as a cornerstone of our legal and judicial system and any taint of impropriety on the part of An Garda Siochana would be extremely serious," he said. A GARDA who works on protection duty at Aras an Uachtarain is suing the State claiming he was unlawfully arrested on a night out. Garda Oliver Cully (55) told the High Court he was off duty, when he was rugby tackled to the ground by other gardai, handcuffed, and arrested after querying the price of a taxi home. Garda Cully, who has been in the force over 30 years, said he was left sitting on a Dublin street handcuffed until a garda van came to take him to a station. He told a jury he felt totally embarrassed to be sitting in handcuffs on the street opposite a pub which is a garda haunt. He had queried a charge of 35 for a taxi to Lucan in the early hours of the morning after he had left a Dublin city nightclub. He said he had ten months later done the same journey by taxi for just over 20. He has sued the State and the Garda Commissioner claiming he was assaulted, unlawfully arrested, falsely imprisoned and maliciously prosecuted as a result of the incident in the early hours of April 24, 2004. The State defendants have denied all the claims and contend he was lawfully arrested. The jury was told he was found not guilty on all charges relating to the incident in the District Court including breach of the peace and resisting a garda. A garda disciplinary investigation stopped after six months. Garda Cully told the court he had met a garda friend and they went to a nightclub on Harcourt Street. When they came out of the club around 3am, they went their separate ways to get home. It was before the deregulation of the taxi industry and it was difficult to get a taxi in the city centre, he said. He walked to Camden Street and managed to hail a taxi at 3.45 am. He said he got in to the front of the taxi and the taxi driver said it would be at least 35 to Lucan. Garda Cully said he was aware it was illegal to overcharge and he told the taxi driver he would pay what was on the meter. He said the taxi driver told him to get out, but then drove on and stopped after 100 metres and called over two uniformed gardai. He said a male garda came over to him in the car and he told him he just wanted to get home and the driver was trying to overcharge. He said the garda said get the f... out of the car. The other garda spoke to the taxi driver. He said he wanted the gardai to report the taxi driver to the Carriage Office but he was told to get out of the car or he would be arrested. Asked by his own counsel if he was drunk, Garda Cully answered no. He also said he he did not say anything abusive to the gardai. The court heard he had had about seven pints from early in the night to the early hours. Garda Cully said other gardai had arrived one said to him he was a big fucking ape. He said he walked away with the intention of getting another taxi. "After 20 five paces I heard somebody running. "My legs were taken from under me in a rugby tackle . My face hit the ground first. They were trying to get my arms behind my back. They were kneeling on my back," he said. The taxi driver, he said, also got involved and jammed his leg against his arm. Garda Cully said there were other gardai who did not get involved. "I was shocked by what happened." he said The case continues. A SOLDIER who tested positive for cocaine has lost his High Court challenge aimed at preventing his discharge from the Defence Forces. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan dismissed the action brought by Private Christopher Maher, who is stationed in Kilkenny, and tested positive for cocaine in a compulsory random drug test in March 2013. Pvt Maher denies ever taking cocaine, and claims he ingested the drug accidentally. He says he was at a party the night before undergoing the drug test, where illegal substances were taken by others. In May 2013, his commanding officer said the only credible reason for the positive test was voluntary consumption and recommended his discharge. That decision was appealed within the army. Last November, the officer hearing the appeal determined Pvt Maher had failed to produce any evidence to substantiate his claim that he had ingested the drug passively or accidentally. He then brought proceedings against the Minister for Defence, Ireland and the Attorney General, seeking an order quashing the decision to discharge him. He claimed, among other things, there was a failure to provide him with copies of scientific opinion which the appeals officer relied upon. He also claimed there was a failure to take proper account of a medical report submitted on his behalf, or of his argument he had ingested cocaine accidentally. Mr Justice Noonan dismissed all of Pvt Maher's arguments. The explanation that he somehow ingested cocaine accidentally was found not to be credible. In the court's view, there was nothing irrational, unreasonable or unfair in the decision to recommend Pvt Maher be discharged, he said. The Judge put a stay on Pvt Maher's discharge pending appeal. More than 80 million Dublin Bus passengers will be affected by the proposed creation of a pedestrian plaza in Dublin city centre. As many as 100 buses an hour will have to be re-routed if plans by Dublin City Council to create a pedestrian plaza on Dame Street, in front of the Bank of Ireland, go ahead. This will involve banning all buses, cars and taxis from travelling from College Street onto College Green and Dame Street. They will continue to travel north to south past Trinity College. Stops on Dame Street will be removed and buses re-routed. Dublin Bus warned of "potential knock-ons in terms of reliability" which could affect the 82 million passengers a year who travel through the city centre. "Services through Thomas Street, George's Street and Patrick Street will be affected, and up to 100 buses an hour will need to be re-routed," one source said. "Some car traffic would have to go from the quays and there would need to be traffic management. Could this work? Yes it could. But it's reliant on less car movement and more kerbside space on Aston Quay and Bachelors Walk. "The issue is where will buses go and will customers get the same level of service? If it doesn't work, we can't go back (to the current system)." Among the changes proposed to facilitate buses is reducing private car volumes from the north and south quays. Buses will be allowed travel in both directions on Grattan Bridge and Parliament Street, allowing them to be re-routed. Buses travelling from O'Connell Street towards the southside, which previously used Dame Street, will take a new right-hand turn at O'Connell Bridge. They will travel down the south quays, take a left onto Parliament Street, before going right for Lord Edward Street or continuing left onto Dame Street and taking a new right-hand turn onto South Great George's Street. Buses travelling on South Great George's Street towards the northside will take a left turn onto Dame Street, then a right onto Parliament Street and across Grattan Bridge and join the north quays. New bus stops will be provided. The city council and the National Transport Authority have proposed restrictions on private cars around Bachelors Walk, and creating new bus gates on the south quays; Eden Quay is also being considered. A four-week public consultation begins in March, with the changes introduced by summer 2017. Last week, this column explored some reasons why an Irish student may consider studying in Europe, such as a different selection process, lower fees and high quality courses in world-class universities. While there are many excellent options for Irish students all over Europe, this week I will focus on opportunities in one country in particular, Denmark. The university application process for Denmark opened on February 1 and remains open until March 15. There are currently 12 institutions offering courses through English in Denmark, in areas including business, science, robotics and IT. Aarhus University, currently ranked higher than any Irish university in the UK-based Times Higher Education World University Rankings, offers courses in business, marketing and global management, catering for international students. From a financial point of view, Denmark is of particular interest. There are no tuition fees for courses through English. In addition, every Danish student in higher education is entitled to grant support and, since EU citizens may apply for equal status in educational support, Irish students receive the same support as a Danish citizen, which can be as much as 750 a month. Students must take a part-time job in order to be eligible for this grant. This support is related to the duration of the course. And, if an Irish student qualifies for SUSI grant in Ireland, they may also claim this support for their studies in Europe. Student accommodation in Denmark can be from 270 to 350 a month in most areas, and up to 500 in Copenhagen. University entry is based on Leaving Certificate results and not CAO points. Students need to present with at least six subjects, including at least two higher level C3s, and D3s in the others. Ordinary level A and B grades will also be considered. Some courses may require certain relevant Leaving Certificate subjects, a portfolio, or an aptitude test for entry. Universities will also accept relevant qualifications from further education colleges. The option of studying abroad may be intimidating to many students and parents. However, our young people are the most globalised generation ever and, as EU citizens, have an opportunity which was simply not as realistic as prospect to the generation who came before them. While the option of studying in Denmark, or another European country may not be for everyone, it can be a great opportunity for students who are looking for a different university experience. Taking such an opportunity can help any CV stand out from the crowd, and Denmark is certainly worth a look. For more information on studying through English in Europe see www.eunicas.ie. Aoife Walsh is a guidance counsellor at Malahide Community School, Co Dublin Question: I wish to apply for a PLC course that will help me get into commerce in UCD if I don't get the points. Is there a specific one I should do and if so how do I find out what it is? Aoife replies: Most, but not all, third-level courses accept FETAC qualifications for entry. There is a simple way to find out if a particular third-level course accepts FETAC, and which FETAC courses they will consider. As you are interested in a particular course we will use this as an example. However, the process outlined below can be used to see which FETAC qualifications any third level course will accept. The qualifax.ie website is very helpful in this regard. First, click on the Higher Education CAO link on the qualifax.ie course finder. Then, click on the course title (in this case Commerce at UCD), which will bring you to the Commerce/UCD page. Scroll down until you see a section entitled 'QQI/FET applicants.' Here, you will see information on which FETAC qualifications are accepted for entry to the course and any subject requirements. In the case of Commerce in UCD the following course code is listed: 5M2012. This means that UCD will consider applications from graduates of this course. If this section doesn't appear it is quite likely there is no PLC entry route to this course. The next step is to see where this course is offered. Students should copy the course code, click on the 'PLC Post Leaving Cert' link of the qualifax.ie course finder and paste the course code into 'course code' box. It may be helpful to restrict the 'search by' to the county you live in as this will give a more manageable list of results. The final step is to apply to one of these courses by contacting the PLC college directly. It is prudent to check that the PLC college offers all subjects that may be required for entry to your third level course. In the case of Commerce in UCD, any student who does not achieve the required Leaving Cert maths grade will be expected to present a distinction in C20139 or 5N1833 maths for entry. Important dates Today Information Evening on Assistive Technology University College Cork Tomorrow Interview Date - BSc (Hons) Counselling and Psychotherapy -PCI College February 15 Statement of Course Choices sent to paper applicants before this date - CAO Law Academy Days - University College Cork February 17 Plant Biology Workshop - University College Dublin February 19 Microbiology Workshop - University College Dublin Taoiseach Enda Kenny gets a trim from barber Bega el-Feky watched by local FG candidate Paul Kehoe (second from right) in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford. Photo: Mark Condren Politics is a cut-throat business and Taoiseach Enda Kenny had what was perhaps his first real close shave with the electorate on the hustings in the south-east. If previous days were marked by speeches to the party faithful and Fine Gael rent-a-crowds in towns deserted due to rain, walkabouts in Enniscorthy, Gorey and Wicklow were a different proposition. It all started brilliantly for Mr Kenny who spotted the first good photo-op of the day in Bega's Barbers. He sat down in the chair and asked for a shave, with owner Bega el-Feky happy to oblige. "Well done. Thanks very much. Where are you from yourself?" "Egypt", the barber replied. "I met your president over in Paris and New York. Difficult situation in Egypt," Mr Kenny remarked before changing the subject. "Do you find it difficult to shave the Wexford people?" "No - all chins are the same," Bega replies. This is the kind of banter Mr Kenny relishes, but things got more serious at his next stop, Walter Bourke & Son jewellers. "How's the business?" the Taoiseach asked proprietor Mary Bourke. "It's very hard work and the town is very dead, to be honest with you. "It needs an injection of something and here's looking at you, Paul," she said, directing the issue to local candidate Paul Kehoe. He mentions the Enniscorthy bypass plan, which he said would "make a huge difference" to traffic in the town. "That's why you have to keep this recovery moving," Mr Kenny chipped in. "Keep it going, absolutely. We understand that. Thank you for being so honest about it," he adds. Next up was a chat about Irish Oscar prospects - Enniscorthy is of course the setting for 'Brooklyn' starring nominee Saoirse Ronan. Cathy Keane from Galway runs a 'Brooklyn' tour and presented Mr Kenny with a sticker logo for his lapel. The Taoiseach told her about all the State support offered to the film industry. "When you think that Ireland has been nominated for nine Oscars it speaks for itself - the creativity and the quality of the people we have," he enthused. Bet the Government parties wish Oscar night wasn't two days after the election. "Make sure you go to the Springsteen concert when he sings about Brooklyn and all the rest of it and give him a free invite to come down here and take the tour," Mr Kenny suggested. Fine Gael hopes to win two seats in Wexford with Senator Michael D'Arcy and Cllr Julie Hogan rounding off the ticket. And the Taoiseach is willing to throw a bone to Labour here too, telling supporters: "We ask that after you finish with the Fine Gael ticket you support Brendan Howlin of the Labour Party. "Our Government has been comprised of two parties, Fine Gael and Labour. "We've made very difficult decisions over the last five years in bringing the country to a better place - and it is in a better place," he said. On Mr Kenny's arrival in Gorey, mother-of-two Sarah O'Brien - who has been on the social housing waiting list for years - spotted her chance to raise the matter with the Taoiseach. Mr Kenny responded by outlining plans to provide homes for many of those on the housing list by 2020. "It's not that I'm asking for a whole lot. I just need stability for my kids," Ms O'Brien said afterwards. Asked whether she was satisfied with Mr Kenny's response she said: "I'm hoping it will be sooner, with a bit of luck." Leaving Gorey, Mr Kenny generated photo op number two, planting Blathnaid Kenny (13) in the seat of his BMW, saying "she's the boss now". Blathnaid was thrilled and her mum quipped: "She's going to run in the next election." But it wasn't all plain sailing for the Taoiseach yesterday. Wicklow town saw the first demonstration of the campaign - about six protesters from Right2Change standing outside local candidate Andrew Doyle's office. One woman was particularly loud and heckled as Mr Kenny ploughed ahead with his walkabout. "Fine Gael are a disgrace. It's the most unequal country in Ireland . . . er, in Europe," she wailed. Then she spotted local junior minister Simon Harris and appeared to forget all about Mr Kenny. "Simon Harris out, out, out," she roared, before cornering him to tell him she won't be paying her water charges. "I'm well aware of what your views are," Mr Harris replied. "What about the hospital crisis and all the homelessness and everything?" she asked. "You have to have a strong economy to deal with all these issues," said Mr Harris, staying on message. Last stop of the day was Newmarket Kitchen in Bray for the final photo op of a Shrove Tuesday on the hustings - flipping pancakes, of course. Mr Kenny better avoid any major U-turns in the coming weeks or that one might come back to haunt him. SINN Fein leader Gerry Adams has insisted his party is not soft on crime, saying he understands the issues as one of the very few people in the Oireachtas who has actually been shot. Mr Adams hit out at the Government claiming it is to blame for the rise in gang crime. Were talking about organised crime which can be tackled and its not us that have been soft on crime. It is the Government which has allowed the conditions to prevail where these gangs think that they are above the rule of law. They think they can go in and act with impunity and they should not be allowed to do that., he added. Speaking on Ocean FM in Sligo this morning, Mr Adams said concerns about his partys planned abolition of the Special Criminal Court has been hyped out of all proportion, saying it was simply his opponents trying to score points off Sinn Fein. Im probably one of the very few people in the Oireachtas who has actually been shot. Im one of the very, very few people whose home has actually been bombed, Im one of the very few people who even as we speak is under death threat, a viable death threat Im told by the PSNI by some of the gangs who are involved in this behaviour so we wont take lectures from people who cut garda numbers, he added. Read More Adams rejected the notion that the party had any baggage that was impacting on votes. He admitted he had received some very unsavory abuse about his past but insisted he was privileged to know people who had given their very lives in the Northern conflict. "Im like everybody else, like you and everybody listening. Ive made mistakes in my life but I have devoted my life and my adult life. Ive been in prison without trial incidentally because of my position. "Yes I have been subjected to some abuse, very very unsavory and my family are very offended by some of the things said about me but that goes with the turf. Ive been privileged to know people who have given their very lives, when there was a war and I dont glamourise any of that. We are in a new dispensation. "I played some part in bringing that about, he added. Leaving the Ocean FM studios, Mr Adams came face to face with Taoiseach Enda Kenny. While the pair had studiously avoided each other earlier in the morning at the Sligo Park hotel, both men shook hands outside the studio this morning. Read More As Mr Adams waited for the Taoiseach to exit his car he said he would wait to greet Mr Kenny this time. "It's a case of come out, come out wherever you are Enda," he said. As the Taoiseach entered the radio studio he called the Sinn Fein leader over, with both men exchanging pleasantries as Gaeilge. The Taoiseach also greeted the Sinn Fein candidate for Sligo Chris McNamara warning him "you're up against a formidable Fine Gael team in Sligo". "You're up against a formidable Sinn From team here as well," said Mr McManus. "Of course yeah, we're up for that competition," countered the Taoiseach. Mr Adams also hit back at Fianna Fail for saying he's soft on crime. Speaking to Independent he said: "I think that's an insult. "We have stood up to armed gangsters and crime of all types. I've stood with communities against them. Fianna Fail is the government which closed Templemore [garda training college] which cut Garda figures. "We appreciate very, very much the difficulities that people are suffering not least because of the actions of anti-social [behaviour] but particularly organised crime." Denis Naughten may be a favourite to keep his seat, but the Roscommon Independent who was last returned as a Fine Gael TD is not resting on his laurels. Mr Naughten was expelled from Fine Gael just months after the last election, over his stance on Roscommon Hospital. While he remains out in the cold with the party, his popularity in his home constituency is as high as ever. Fine Gael acknowledged his popularity by only running one candidate against him - a lot of grassroot FG voters are expected to stand by him. "The feeling is I put my career on the line and stood by the people. They now feel it's their turn to stand by me," said Naughten. It's not lost on the party that his support as an Independent may be invaluable in forming the next government. As for Mr Naughten, he's not ruling out working with any party in the future - albeit firmly as an Independent. "At the moment it looks like Independents will hold the balance of power after the election. The numbers are stacking up. I would be very foolish to rejoin Fine Gael when dissidents get punished. As an Independent I will have a significant input in the next Dail and any government," he said. Fellow Independent Michael Fitzmaurice, who is hugely popular and seen as a hands-on politician, also looks set to retain his seat in the new three-seater constituency with an all-out battle between FF and FG for the third. After a bitter internal battle, which even saw former TD Conor Lenihan throw his name around, Fianna Fail finally chose their candidate in late December, Strokestown councillor Eugene Murphy. But despite Mr Murphy's own popularity, the feeling remains that FF will find it hard to secure a seat here. This could prove beneficial for FG's Maura Hopkins. The party, which secured two seats last time around, is fighting for the final spot. Despite a poor showing for FG in the local elections, Ms Hopkins managed to win a seat. She also introduced Enda Kenny at the recent Ard Fheis and is seen as one of the party's high hopes. Also in the mix-up are John Kelly for Labour, Claire Kerrane (SF), the Green Party's Miriam Henney, Eddie Conroy (PBP) and Anne Farrell for Renua. However, none are seen as too great a threat. Roscommon-Galway Candidates:3 seats FG Maura Hopkins, LAB John Kelly, FF Eugene Murphy, SF Claire Kerrane, PBPA Eddie Conroy, R Anne Farrell, GP Miriam Hennesy, IND Denis Naughten TD, IND Michael Fitzmaurice TD. PREDICTION: Seats for Independents Denis Naughten and Michael Fitzmaurice with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael battling it out for the third. Labour's Pat Rabbitte believes Minister for Environment Alan Kelly 'watches too much American television'. Speaking on Independent.ies Front Bench podcast, Mr Rabbitte welcomes the personality and colour Mr Kelly brings as its been a dull aul campaign so far so. Expand Close Fionnan Sheahan, Editor of the Irish Independent with former politicians Bertie Ahern, Pat Rabbitte and Nora Owen after taking part in the Irish Independent podcast / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Fionnan Sheahan, Editor of the Irish Independent with former politicians Bertie Ahern, Pat Rabbitte and Nora Owen after taking part in the Irish Independent podcast Id say its going down well in Tipperary, which is his immediate concern, Rabbite said. People are aware of him. Hes a very blunt straight talker but I cant say hes a household name. Also on the show, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern revealed that Dublin's drug addicts were a source of one of Fianna Fail's General Election campaign slogans. The former party leader remembers the day he was on to a winner. Mr Ahern remembered meeting a group of young addicts he sat down to talk to about the Amiens Street Drugs Clinic. At the end of it the young girl, who wasnt that high on drugs but who was a drug taker, turned to me and said remember what you said a lot done, a lot more to do, he said. He also described the recent Dublin gang killings as a wake up call for everybody and believes that some form of mediation between the feuding gangs is required. All of the Front Bench panel Bertie Ahern, Nora Owen and Pat Rabbitte agreed that Sinn Feins calls for the abolition of the Special Criminal Court was wrong. As to the dreaded F word, Nora Owen said the reality is you cant plan for economic certainty beyond the next twelve months and everything else is guesswork after that. Bertie Ahern pointed to the growth figures in 2002 that nobody predicted and likewise the crash of 2007 that nobody saw coming either. The Front Bench podcast, presented by Irish Independent Editor, Fionnan Sheahan, is counting down to the general election each week with Bertie Ahern, Nora Owen and Pat Rabbitte. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud and Independent.ie. It could take up to 13 weeks to train gardai for a new Armed Support Unit up and running in Dublin, claims the body representing Garda sergeants and inspectors. In the wake of an "unprecedented" escalation of gangland bloodshed, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald announced plans for a permanent elite Garda unit armed with high-powered weapons for Dublin. "We will stand down this threat from these gangs," Ms Fitzgerald said as she green light a saturation policing strategy for the capital - similar to that used to rein in feuding gangsters in Limerick in recent years. Read More If you read the Ministers statement, you could take from that that we have gotten 55 new Gardai [but] these are guards already in existence and providing a service to the public, said John Jacob, Deputy General Secretary at AGSI. Warning that the new response unit will lead to reduced frontline services elsewhere, he continued: Were taking them from operational units in stations [and] that means they wouldnt be there to provide a regular policing service. Read More He went on to say that the ability for the guards to identify criminals and monitor and predicted their activities had been reduced due to reduced frontline operations. This whole thing revolves around the fact that we didnt recruit for so long we lost over 2000 people in the last three years. Responding to concerns that the Garda had no intelligence about last Friday's audacious gun attack on the Regency Hotel, Mr Jacob admitted that if the guards knew that there was going to be a large gathering of criminals, there should have been surveillance. [But] if we had had unarmed Garda there, I would have been concerned for their safety, he added. Speaking later to Newstalk's Breakfast, Mr Jacob continued: "It will take up to 13 weeks to train these gardai. "You can't just expect to give gardai a firearm and expect them to be experts. "It's the same with detectives - you can't expect them to be strategically aware when it comes to policing these firearms. Read More "I've no doubt these surveillance units will be out on the streets, but these won't be available for at least 13 weeks." Speaking of Justice Minister Fitzgerald, Mr Jacob described her as an "experienced police person with experience in security and operations", but said she is not 'confident' Minister Fitzgerald is aware of the current resource issues in the force. "From our own association's perspective, I'm not confident she understands the acute shortage of resources for frontline delivery, that's a concern of ours. "We are disappointed we are the only ones highlighting the shortage of resources. "The Minister and the Garda Commissioner are still saying we have sufficient resources. "But we're talking to people on the ground and they are saying we don't have enough, that they don't have the capacity to deliver the service they want." As tens of thousands of commuters face major disruptions tomorrow and Friday due to Luas strike action, workers for the rail service today tried to prevent Independent.ie from asking members of the public their opinions on the stoppages. Filming near the Connolly stop on the red line, reporters from Independent.ie and the Herald were approached by three individuals who identified themselves as staff for Transdev, the company that operates the Luas service. The group proceeded to disrupt attempts at filming the busy Luas stop and interviewing those waiting there despite the journalists identifying themselves and filming from a public space. You cant film, you dont have permission, said one of the staff. You shouldnt be on the platform, youre not allow to be up there. This is private property. Weve cameras watching and were telling you to move on, said another. At one point, one of the Luas workers interrupted a woman saying she did not agree with the strike and told the reporters that Control wants you off. Youve no right to film here. Initially speaking to commuters on the raised platform at the stop, the reporters complied with the request and moved to the street, a public area, a few metres away. However, the Transdev staff continued with their efforts to disrupt attempts to ask commuters their opinions on the strike. One even placed his hand over the lens of the camera to prevent filming from the street. Defusing the situation, one worker said he would apologise if were wrong but Control says you not allowed to take photos. Can you work with us; were getting enough grief off everyone today. He went on: Just stop for five minutes and once we clarify well have no problem However, off camera another Luas worker went so far as to demand to see the video being shot. I want to see the photos youre taking, they said. Ive a right to see them I want any with me deleted. You dont have permission to be here. Told that they could not stop anyone filming in a public space, some of the Transdev staff continued with their complaints and even went to a nearby Garda station to voice their frustrations. Eventually they gave up after a guard explained that they had no right to block filming at the Luas stop from the street or demand that footage taken be deleted. Services on the red and green lines will not run tomorrow or Friday, or next Thursday and Friday. Normal service will resume this Saturday and Saturday, February 20, at 6.30am. LUAS operator Transdev says they can not afford the workers pay claim of up to 53pc, which is over five years. Transdev will be hit with a fine for every day that it fails to run the service during two disruptive 48-hour strikes. Speaking this morning, Transport Minister Pascal Donohoe warned that the company will be in breach of contract during the work stoppages and he does not want to see a second strike go ahead. Mr Donohoe said tomorrow's strike is the last thing Dublin needs and is "not fair" to the travelling public. "The Luas strikes will have an exceptionally disruptive effect on the functioning of our city tomorrow," he said. "90,000 people depend on that service to get in and out of the city and it's not fair to them in terms of the impact it will have on their daily lives." Luas tickets will not be valid on other public transport services during the strikes and Transdev will not be providing an alternative transport service. However, customers with Luas pre-paid or Taxsaver tickets will be eligible for a refund during the strikes. Customers affected this week can apply for a refund from February 15, while those affected by the second strike can apply from February 22. Contact Luas Customer Care, on 1850 300 604 (Left to right) Margaret Smith, mother of Maxine Hambleton, Bill Craig, brother of James Craig and Jane Hambleton, sister of Maxine Hambleon, arrive for the inquest review into the Birmingham pub bombings at the Civic Suite in Solihulll Credit: Joe Giddens/PA Wire Paul Rowlands, son of Birmingham pub bombings victim John Rowlands, arrives for the inquest review into the bombings at the Civic Suite in Solihull Credit: Joe Giddens/PA Wire Brian (left) and Julie Hambleton, brother and sister of Birmingham pub bombings victim Maxine Hambleton, speak to the media before the inquest review into the bombings at the Civic Suite in Solihulll.Credit: Joe Giddens/PA Wire Birmingham Six (left-right) John Walker, Paddy Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Chris Mullen MP, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter and William Power outside the Old Bailey in London after their convictions were quashed Credit: Sean Dempsey/PA Wire West Midlands Police may have been tipped off about the deadly Birmingham pub bombings by an IRA "mole" before the blasts, a coroner has been told. It was suggested to the Birmingham and Solihull coroner Louise Hunt, hearing an application to resume an inquest into the deaths of the 21 victims in 1974, there was "reason to believe it's the case". Ashley Underwood QC, representing some of the victims' families, also said there was suspicion among relatives that West Midlands Police's investigating officers lied to gain the wrongful convictions of the Birmingham Six. The men were released in 1991 after their convictions for murder were over-turned by the Court of Appeal. On the night of November 21, blasts ripped through the city centre Tavern in the Town and the Mulberry Bush pubs, packed with pre-Christmas revellers. The bombings, which also left 182 people injured, are widely acknowledged to have been carried out by the IRA. Mr Underwood said it would be a question for any future inquest as to why police might have lied to gain convictions, but suggested one such reason may be that officers wanted to cover up their informant's involvement. He said: "These were appalling deaths and the only reason it's not been investigated, as common sense dictates, is the false convictions. "These cry out for a proper, fearless investigation which represents the best closure these relatives can have." Putting forward the families' application to resume the inquest, the barrister added: "There is reason to believe the gang of murderers had an informant in their ranks and that the police knew in advance. "And there is reason to believe the police had sufficient time, between the telephone warnings and the first bomb going off, to evacuate - and that the emergency services could have arrived earlier - but that records about those things were falsified." He recounted a 2014 newspaper interview with one of the Birmingham Six, Paddy Hill, also sitting in the coroner's court at Solihull today, who raised the subject of "the alleged informer". Mr Underwood, addressing the coroner, said: "I can't say if that's true, that's for an inquest to determine. "But if it is (true), then the police had a mole in the gang which raises the question, did they know it was going to happen and did they lie to the (criminal) court to cover their knowledge of that, and cover their mole." He said there was a "very compelling case" to resume the inquest to provide answers for the victims and their loved ones. Before hearing submissions, Ms Hunt had requested West Midlands Police's legal counsel Jeremy Johnson QC provide her with a list of "lost" evidence, including an unexploded third bomb. A separate police review of evidence in the case, ending in 2014, discovered that of the 168 original exhibits listed for the Birmingham Six trial, 35 items could not be located. Opening the hearing, the coroner said: "This was a terrible atrocity resulting in the deaths of innocent people and serious injury to many more but unfortunately this hearing is going to focus very much on legal argument, so I'm sorry about that but I think it's necessary for me to make the decision that needs to be made." The coroner will hear submissions from lawyers representing the families and the police over the next three days. Outlining the current state of the police's criminal investigation into the bombings, Mr Johnson said there had been three developments in the case including new potential forensic evidence, a book by a former IRA spymaster Kieran Conway, and a first-hand account from a now dead West Midlands fireman Alan Hill. He said: "There are investigations continuing but it's not a full investigation of the atrocity. "It might lead down that road, but it hasn't at this stage." Inquests were opened and adjourned at the time, but never resumed as a result of the Birmingham Six's convictions in August 1975. Speaking outside court before today's hearing, Julie Hambleton - whose then 18-year-old sister Maxine was killed by the Tavern bomb - said any decision to resume a new inquest would be "seismic". The hearing continues. CONVICTED criminal Fat Freddie Thompson walked home from a city garda station in his underwear after gardai confiscated his bloodstained clothing after a car chase. The incident happened on Monday night not long after the murder of Eddie Hutch in Ballybough in Dublins north inner city. A red Audi A5 was spotted by detectives leaving the family home of Thompsons murdered cousin, David Byrne, in Raleigh Square, Crumlin at around 10.30pm, according to a report in The Star. Read More It was being driven by Freddies first cousin Liam Roe and Thompson was in the passenger seat. Gardai attempted to pull the vehicle over on the Crumlin Road but the car allegedly failed to stop, which led to a pursuit into the city centre with armed officers following the car. The chase eventually ended in the Cork Street area where gardai arrested Roe and Thompson. The two were then brought to Kevin Street Garda Station for a drugs search and sources say that officers noticed that there was blood on Thompsons tracksuit bottoms and runners, and these clothing items were then seized by gardai. Read More When no drugs were found on the cousins, they were released without charge by gardai but Freddies clothing was kept for forensic analysis. Brazen Thompson then walked home in the cold in his boxer shorts, according to The Star. He strolled from Kevin Street to Newmarket Square more than a kilometer away. It is believed he had a cut on his hand and this is where the blood staining may have come from. More than 240 workers at the light rail network, including drivers, ticket inspectors and control office staff, want better pay and conditions. Photo: Caroline Quinn The Transport Minister has called on unions and management to sit down again in a last-minute bid to halt this week's Luas industrial strike action. Minister Paschal Donohoe asked for both sides in the industrial dispute to re-engage through the Labour Court to avert the work stoppage planned for this Thursday and Friday. Around 90,000 commuters are expected to face chaos tomorrow as Luas drivers plan to bring the tram service to a halt for the first time in its history. The drivers are seeking a pay rise that would push their wages to more than 9,000 higher than a train driver's. Minister Donohoe said those who regularly rely on the Luas will be 'massively inconvenienced'. If this action goes ahead as planned significant disruption will be caused to those who have come to depend on Luas to get to work and about their daily business," he said this morning. There have already been a number of attempts made to resolve this dispute through the Labour Court and the Workplace Relations Commission, which are the channels through which mediation and resolution are found. "Strike action does not serve the company, the staff or service users well. "I am asking unions and management to re-engage in discussions on the basis of reasonable negotiations so that strike action can be avoided and Luas can continue to serve commuters across our city in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, figures obtained by the Irish Independent reveal that staff demands go far beyond seeking equal pay with their colleagues in Irish Rail. Staff, who have begun a work-to-rule, are set to cause travel chaos during a 48-hour strike from 4am tomorrow morning. This will be followed by another 48-hour strike tomorrow week. Sources in other unions have privately described the claim - which ranges from 8pc to 54pc - as "lunacy". One union said drivers' wages were not far off Irish Rail drivers' pay already, while wage claims in other sectors range from 3pc to 5pc. More than 240 workers at the light rail network, including drivers, ticket inspectors and control office staff, want better pay and conditions. Their demands include free GP care, and increases in bonus and overtime rates. Currently, the Luas drivers' pay ranges from 35,901 for a 39-hour week in year one to 42,247, when they are there for nine years. Irish Rail drivers' 10-year pay scale ranges from 43,717 to 55,239 for a 43-hour week. But the Siptu document detailing the claim reveals the drivers want to earn from 41,895 to 64,993 by January next year. The desired 64,993 wage is 9,754 higher than the top end of the Irish Rail pay scale. The National Bus and Railworkers Union has claimed that Luas drivers' existing wages are already not far behind Irish Rail staff. It has calculated that Luas drivers' hourly pay is 20.83, with a bonus, compared with 22.04 at Irish Rail, with no bonus. But SIPTU says its members believe they are underpaid, particularly when compared with workers in Irish Rail. Stall Union official Willie Noone said their claim was a "maximum stall" and the drivers did not expect to achieve it. He said the claim could potentially cover the five years of the Luas contract and takes account of potential pay rises at Irish Rail. He said that his members were willing to negotiate but the company was not willing to offer any kind of pay increase. Mr Noone accused Transdev of "demonising" the drivers by releasing details of their claim without saying what conditions it would negotiate on. Labour Party minister Jan O'Sullivan has stoked tensions with her Cabinet colleague, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, after warning Dublin gardai must "get more in control" of gangsters who are "outwitting the forces of law and order". In surprise remarks, Ms O'Sullivan said senior gardai in the capital should follow the example set by their colleagues in her constituency of Limerick, where the problem of gangland crime has been tackled. "While gardai have got on top of it in Limerick, clearly there is a need in Dublin to get more in control of the situation," Ms O'Sullivan said. "Policing [of gangland criminals] is very difficult because they protect themselves, and have people around them who clearly are clever at outwitting the forces of law and order. "Certainly, there are issues that need to be addressed in terms of the protection of the people in those communities in Dublin." Ms O'Sullivan's warning contrasts sharply with comments made by Ms Fitzgerald, who yesterday launched a staunch defence of gardai and rejected accusations that intelligence failures preceded the murders of David Byrne and Eddie Hutch Snr. Ms Fitzgerald - who held talks with Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan and senior officers yesterday - said the Government was willing to provide every resource necessary to assist gardai in their investigations but admitted she was concerned about further retaliations. The Dublin Mid West TD announced that 5m would be provided to set up a permanent armed response unit in Dublin, the plans of which were revealed by the Irish Independent last month. A permanent armed response unit with 55 officers will also be established in the Dublin area. Asked why there was no patrol at the Regency Hotel in Drumcondra on Friday, Ms Fitzgerald insisted that gardai had no intelligence to suggest a hit was being planned. "The reality is the gardai work on intelligence. Obviously, if intelligence had been available, clearly the gardai would have been there. I would be concerned at any intelligence failing, of course," she said. "But what I would say is gardai did not have intelligence in relation to it." However, the minister confirmed gardai would examine why some 999 calls went unanswered. Violence The Garda Commissioner, who is under pressure to get a handle on the gang warfare which has erupted, said there would be an "organisation-wide response" to the violence and sought to reassure the public that as well as an active investigation, preventative measures to quell the violence were also being implemented. These included dedicated armed patrols right throughout the city, which will continue into the coming days. She maintained intelligence-led operations were also continuing "both nationally and internationally". "As you know, we have extensive and very good working relationships with colleagues and foreign police agencies and those relationships will continue in relation to these investigations," she added. Both murders put crime and security on top of the political agenda. Taoiseach Enda Kenny pledged the specialist Garda units would be provided with the kinds of weapons they needed to counter the gang warfare. "We're not powerless at all. It does show you the level of professionalism and resources that criminal gangs have on the basis of illegal activities, mostly concerning drugs," said Mr Kenny, on the campaign trail in Co Wicklow yesterday. Asked whether he feared more bloodshed, the Fine Gael leader replied: "Gangland criminals have no respect for life or limb or for law and order . . . I think there's a situation here of very high alert from the Garda Siochana." University College Dublin will introduce mandatory sexual consent classes for the first time in September - as officials try to track down students who reportedly shared intimate images of female students on a Facebook page. Reports emerged last week that male students allegedly shared explicit pictures in a private Facebook group of women they had sexual relations with. The student newspaper reported that a private Facebook group is being used to share images, including explicit images, of young women with whom participants have had sex. University officials are now trying to identify any individuals involved in the alleged activity. Marcus O'Halloran, president of the Students' Union in UCD, confirmed it was also conducting an investigation. To date no evidence had been found, but any information that linked UCD students to 'revenge porn' or other privacy breaches would immediately be passed on to gardai, he said. In a letter sent by UCD Deputy President Mark Rogers to students, Mr Rogers outlined the details regarding the investigation. He explained that the university is trying to "identity any students involved in posting inappropriate images of others without their consent". Mr Rogers added that the university is trying to "reach out and identify any students victimised by the inappropriate social media posting" and will offer supports to those affected. In his letter, Mr Rogers also stated that the Dean of Agriculture had contacted all agricultural students asking them to "come forward in confidence with any information" on the allegation. "The investigation is progressing," Mr Rogers wrote. Meanwhile, UCD Students' Union (UCDSU) confirmed that it expects consent classes will be rolled out across the university from September. UCDSU President Marcus O'Halloran described the meeting with university president Andrew Deeks as "positive". "The President was very quick to support us, and he said he doesn't feel that it would be adequate enough to just provide it for students that are incoming and living on residence, that he feels that it should be obligatory for all," Mr O'Halloran told UCD's 'University Observer' paper. A Garda spokesman confirmed there is no investigation, adding that no complaint has been received in relation to the issue. UCD did not respond to queries. No more than 10 ballot papers beginning with a sequence other than number one have been excluded from the recount of votes from the 2014 Local Elections. The phenomenon where people cast their 1st and 2nd preferences on one ballot paper and continue on their 3rd and 4th preferences on a second paper - on a day when more than one election is being held - was central to a Supreme Court ruling that ordered a full recount in the Listowel Electoral Area. Former Fianna Fail senator Dan Kiely, who missed out in a seat in the Local Elections in May by just two votes and ran as an Independent, had challenged the outcome of the election. Over 200 doubtful votes are now being adjudicated on at the count centre in John Mitchels GAA Club in Tralee. The 15 candidates, who stood for election or their agents have now been invited to inspect these votes but if these are disputed, the matter will be referred to Judge Tom ODonnell at Limerick Circuit Court. This adjudication has to happen in open court, where candidates are entitled to have legal representation, and in the presence of the media. Barrister Rosemary Healy-Rae, a sister of Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae, is keeping a watching brief on proceedings at the Tralee count centre for Mr Kiely. Also present at the count centre are: Senator Maurice Cummins, Leader of the Seanad; Sean Sherwin, former national organiser for Fianna Fail; and Jim McMahon, Fine Gael regional organiser. Armed gardai from the Emergency Response Unit on patrol in north inner city Dublin after Gerry Hutch Snr's death. PA Sinn Fein wants to repeal the country's most powerful anti-terror laws, despite the two cold-blooded murders that have shocked the nation. As heavily armed gardai patrol the capital, Gerry Adams committed to removing legislation outlawing membership of illegal organisations, intimidation of the government and the establishment of kangaroo courts, if the party gets into power. Fianna Fail justice spokesman Niall Collins accused Sinn Fein of being "soft on crime". "It confirms my view that Sinn Fein are a dangerous cult and not a credible political party. People are simply disgusted at their stance on the Special Criminal Court and the Offences Against the State Act and this confirms they are completely unfit for government." Taoiseach Enda Kenny last night described the Sinn Fein proposal as "the anathema of the laws of democracy and good justice in this country". And now the garda response to the gangland warfare in Dublin is causing tensions within the Coalition. Labour Party minister Jan O'Sullivan has undermined Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald by warning that Dublin gardai must "get more in control" of gangsters who are "outwitting the forces of law and order". Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan will now set up a permanent armed response unit in Dublin. This road in the Rahona area of the Loophead Peninsula was impassable due to flooding related to Storm Imogen. Photo: Noel Gavin/Press 22 The Poolbeg lighthouse in Dublin is battered by heavy seas in the wake of Storm Imogen. Photo: Collins TEMPERATURES are expected to plummet across the country over the coming days with commuters warned to expect severe frost tomorrow morning. The recent Atlantic gales are set to be replaced by frost, ice and snow showers with warnings of black ice in many areas. Motorists have been warned by both the Gardai and the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to exercise extreme caution when driving particularly along inland areas and on higher ground given the risk of ice on many already water-logged roads. Temperatures may sink to as low as -3C, with some areas also experiencing snow showers. However, while snow and sleet will turn to heavy rain showers in some western areas, it will generally be dry, bright but very cold for most of Ireland. Met Eireann warned that it will remain bitterly cold into next week with the next four or five days marked by frost and icy patches. Milder temperatures are unlikely to return until next Monday. Meanwhile, the clean-up continued yesterday after Storm Imogen, with ESB repair crews focusing on damaged power lines in Cork and Kerry. More than 5,000 families and businesses were left without power due to damaged lines at the height of the storm. An ESB repair crew had to be brought to Cape Clear island, off west Cork, by helicopter yesterday, after a ferry was effectively trapped in the harbour. Cape Clears new harbour storm gates installed in July 2015 could not be opened after Storm Imogen hit local power supplies. Both the main power supply for the storm gates and a back-up support system were left inoperable. Winds of 196kph were recorded at the Fastnet Rock at the height of Storm Imogen. Storm Imogen left a trail of destruction across Ireland earlier today. Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Clare bore the brunt of Imogen's fury with the combination of torrential rainfall and high tides resulting in flooding in Limerick city. Limerick City and County Council said its outdoor staff and emergency crews responded immediately to help stricken homeowners after the second highest tide on record. In Limerick city, flooding hit Longpavement, Condell Road, St Ita's Street in St Mary's Park, Corbally Road, O'Dywer's Villas in Thomondgate, Verdant Place, O'Callaghan Strand, Clancy Strand, Merchant's Quay and George's Quay. Seven homes were flooded in Corbally and Askeaton. Flooding also occurred along the Shannon Estuary in rural Limerick at Glin, Askeaton and Foynes as a result of a high tide of 5.2m accompanied by a higher than forecast storm surge of 1.5m. Imogen reached her full fury off the south-west coast with the Fastnet Rock, off west Cork, reporting an incredible hurricane-force wind gust of 106 knots or 196kmh (122mph). However, inland areas reported winds which gusted for several hours to between 80kmh and 120kmh. These gusts brought down trees across Cork and Kerry, resulting in traffic misery for commuters. Cork managed to avoid a third outbreak of damaging floods in 10 weeks though there was spot-flooding of some secondary roads. Bandon Civic Amenity site had to close for public safety reasons given the gusts. In Cork, the storm brought down power lines in Douglas, Inniscarra, Bandon and Kibrittain. Roads were temporarily blocked by fallen trees between Clonakilty-Bandon, Kilbrittain-Bandon, Inniscarra-Lee Road and Douglas-Shamrock Lawn. In Clare, giant waves caused damage to quay walls in Kilkee. Damage was also caused at Doolin and Lahinch with coastal flooding warnings last night over another predicted storm surge at high tide. In Kerry, fallen trees were reported on the Kenmare- Kilgarvan, Kenmare-Sneem and Kenmare-Lauragh roads. Spot flooding was also reported at Ardfert, Ballyheigue, Camp and Kilflynn with the Bellheight Road outside Kenmare impassable for much of yesterday. Met Eireann warned that showers, some very heavy, will persist today before sunny spells begin to emerge from tomorrow. However, the dry weather will also be marked by a significant drop in temperatures with frost and ice likely from the early hours of Thursday. At grass-roots level there is huge interest in the restoration and use of old models. Given the number of enthusiast clubs that exist, a quick calculation puts the numbers with an interest in old cars between 150,000 and 200,000. An incredible number of classic car and old-timer shows take place from March to October. The largest outdoor event is the Terenure Show organised by the Irish Jaguar and Daimler Club. But there are many others. Every two years we have the AXA National Classic Car Show organised by the RIAC in the RDS. This showcases a wonderful mixture of cars from the very rare to the once-commonplace. Perhaps the most important of the other events is the Gordon Bennett Rally of the Irish Veteran and Vintage Car Club that commemorates the 1903 international race held here in Ireland. Early cars are amongst the most glamorous and they are catered for by several events, but most noticeably the RIAC Pioneer Run that brings out cars and motorcycles more than 100 years old. If you're interested in becoming part of this fascinating hobby, come along to the AXA National Classic Car Show on 5th and 6th March. Jet-lag can be prevented by hacking into the bodys circadian rhythm during sleep using a flashing alarm clock, Stanford University has discovered. Most people have suffered the sluggish feeling of trying to function in a different time-zone as the body struggles to reorientate itself to a shift in daylight. But scientists have shown that is possible for travellers to get a head start on jet-lag before it even happens by tricking the body into thinking that dawn is breaking earlier. Being subjected to short flashes of light while asleep speeds up the process of switching to a different time-zone before a trip, researchers have proven. "This could be a new way of adjusting much more quickly to time changes than other methods in use today," said Dr Jamie Zeitzer, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford University. Dr Zeitzer said it was a kind of "biological hacking" that fools the brain the day has started earlier. Researchers recruited 39 participants ranging in age from 19 to 36 and synchronised their sleep routine so they were going to bed and waking up at the same time every day for about two weeks. They then had the volunteers sleep in the lab, where half were exposed to a sequence of flashes of various frequencies for an hour. Expand Close A tired passenger. Photo: Deposit / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A tired passenger. Photo: Deposit The study found that a sequence of two-millisecond flashes of light, similar to a camera flash, 10 seconds apart elicited a nearly two-hour difference in the onset of sleepiness. The therapy effectively creates a false dawn in the brain which more closely matches sunrise in a new country, if travelling from East to West. Dr Zeitzer explained how the flashing-light therapy during the night could be used to adapt to travelling through a five hour time shift, such as from Britain to the Maldives, or from California to the East Coast. "If you are flying to New York tomorrow, tonight you use the light therapy," he said. "If you normally wake up at 8 am, you set the flashing light to go off at 5 a.m. When you get to New York, your biological system is already in the process of shifting to East Coast time". The body adjusts to a new time-zone by around one hour per day, so a five hour change would normally take five days to fully recover. In the meantime jet-lag can cause fatigue, lack of alertness, a general feeling of malaise and sometimes gastrointestinal problems. Read More The researchers said they the technology could also help shiftworkers adjust to unusual working patterns. Dr Zeitzer added: "We have found that most people can sleep through the flashing light just fine, and that flashing-light therapy used at night could be a great method of helping to adjust the internal biological clock for all kinds of sleep cycle disruptions -- from medical residents whose sleeping schedules are constantly changing, to night-shift workers who want to be awake during daylight hours on the weekends, to sleepy truck drivers whose sleep schedules are constantly changing. The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. A separate study also showed for the first time why shift workers are more likely to suffer cardiovascular disease because their body clock is out of alignment. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital studied 14 people over eight days in a sleep lab, half of whom had their body clocks shifted forward by 12 hours through lighting conditions. Results published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that blood pressure rose for those people whose body clock was out of snych with natural daylight and did not dip as much as normal during sleeping hours. There was also more evidence of inflammation in the blood. We were able to determine, under highly controlled laboratory conditions, the independent impact of circadian misalignment on cardiovascular disease risk factors -blood pressure and inflammatory markers," said Dr Frank Scheer, neuroscientist in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "Our findings provide evidence for circadian misalignment as an underlying mechanism to explain why shift work is a risk factor for elevated blood pressure, hypertension, inflammation and cardiovascular disease." Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Here are the stories you may have missed overnight and what is hitting the headlines on this morning's papers: US Presidential race In the US presidential election latest, Hillary Clinton made the prospect of her being elected the first woman U.S. president a centerpiece of her campaign, then lost a critical nominating contest to a 74-year-old man in part because women preferred him. NBC News exit polls showed Clinton, a former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, won 44 percent of the women's vote in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary to 55 percent for her Democratic Party rival, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. Young women contributed significantly to Clinton's loss, and the candidate acknowledged that she struggled with young voters. "I know I have some work to do, particularly with young people," Clinton said during a concession speech. "Even if they are not supporting me now, I support them." Meanwhile, Donald Trump also scored his first victory for the Republicans. Turkey/Syria violence On the Turkey/Syrian border; Kurdish militants killed two Turkish soldiers and one police officer, Turkey's military and state-run media said on Wednesday, with the rebels in one incident trying to cross the border into Turkey from neighbouring Syria. In Sirnak province's Cizre district, security forces spotted seven Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters entering Turkey from Syria on Tuesday evening and as they clashed one soldier was killed and one wounded, the Turkish armed forces said. Zika latest In China, China's first case of the Zika virus has been found in a 34-year-old man who recently travelled to Venezuela. The man, from the southern city of Ganzhou, was treated in Venezuela on January 28 before returning home on February 5 via Hong Kong and the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said. Taiwan building collapse Three building firm bosses have been arrested on negligence charges following the collapse of an apartment building in southern Taiwan which killed dozens of people. They have been detained on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death. Tainan District Prosecutors Office said Lin Ming-hui and architects Chang Kui-an and Cheng Chin-kui were suspected of having overseen shoddy construction of the 17-storey Weiguan Golden Dragon building, which keeled over following an earthquake on Saturday. The prosecutors office said the three were detained to prevent collusion or other acts that could disrupt the investigation. What it says in the papers The sudden increase in gangland violence in Dublin still dominates the front pages this morning. 'Soft on crime: SF to drop terror law' reads the front page of the Irish Independent. The newspaper reports that Sinn Fein wants to repeal the country's anti-terror laws. Party leader Gerry Adams yesterday committed removing legislation outlawing membership of illegal organisations, intimidation of the government and the establishment of the kangaroo courts, if the party comes to power after the General Election. The Herald splashes their front page with the headline 'Lockdown as Monk returns'. The newspaper reports Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch is back in Dublin after leaving his base on the Spanish island of Lanzarote. The Irish Daily Mail also splashes with the news that 'The Monk' is back, with the headline 'The Monk jets back to Dublin'. The Sun leads their front page with a photograph of the body of murder victim Eddie Hutch Senior being carried from his home on Poplar Row. The headline reads 'Animals'. The Irish Daily Mirror leads with the headline 'That's for David' - it is understood the gunmen shouted these words as they shot Eddie Hutch Snr to death in his home in Dublin city centre. The Irish Times lead with the political angle and the headline 'Fitzgerald accused of misleading statements on Garda resourcing'. Finally, the Irish Examiner reports that gardai are operating an 'in-your-face policing' at the homes of more than 40 criminals in Dublin after the murder of Eddie Hutch Snr. The headline reads 'Gardai target 40 criminals in killing aftermath'. How are threats to State security met without disproportionately affecting the human and civil rights of citizens, especially when we have a constitutionally enshrined presumption of innocence and right to a jury trial? It's a question that yields no easy answers. But whether the threat is the IRA or Isil, drug barons, crime lords or cyber-terrorists, governments are always trying to resolve this perennial problem. They often get the balance wrong, as many politicians, vulnerable to swings in public mood, are addicted to knee-jerk, legislative solutions rather than evidence-based policy making. The 'cry of the emergency' is, as Supreme Court Judge Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman has observed, "an intoxicating one, producing an exhilarating freedom from the need to consider the rights of others and productive of a desire to repeat it again and again". And Ireland has attracted much criticism for the permanent, largely unreviewed use of much of our 'emergency' apparatus including the Offences Against the State Act 1939 - it's now 2016 - and the retention of the non-jury Special Criminal Court. It is depressing that the Special (number two is on the way, despite the peace process) has been with us almost without interruption since the foundation of the State. The scrapping of jury trial for a small cohort of suspects is no cause for celebration: it is an admission that the ordinary courts and the rule of law aren't adequate to secure the effective administration of justice or protect the public. It's not just the United Nations and bodies such as Amnesty International who have voiced concerns about the Special. The Supreme Court is also uneasy about practices such as relying on senior gardai who give "opinion evidence" (mostly about IRA membership) unless there is independent corroboration or support for their opinions. However, the Supreme Court also recognises that the Special has its place. It approved, for example, a decision by the DPP to certify Thomas 'Slab' Murphy's tax evasion trial there on the basis that it was "highly likely" the reason why the DPP considered the ordinary courts inadequate "must relate to the connections of Mr Murphy with organisations which are prepared to interfere with the administration of justice". A High Court judge said earlier that another possible reason why the DPP certified Slab for a non-jury trial was a belief that the 'good republican' (as Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams calls him) had previously interfered with a jury. Sinn Fein's plans to repeal the 1939 act and abolish the Special are controversial, not just because we are in the midst of a gangland crisis that has produced two murders in four days. It is because Sinn Fein wilfully ignores the reasons why the Special is still with us - namely dissident republicans and very real fears of jury and witness intimidation. Mr Adams ignores the fact that the vast bulk of suspects tried in the Special stand trial for membership of an illegal organisation, for possession of firearms, ammunitions and explosives, as well as murder and directing terrorist or organised crime. It's hard to imagine any more serious threats to the State. But it's also hard to fathom where we go next given the sheer volume of emergency powers the State has reserved to itself. 'Saturation policing' will only get us through the latest public outcry. We must address the intelligence failures that saw journalists and photographers alive to the potential risks at the Regency Hotel and its murderous fallout while the gardai apparently failed to turn up. Arming gardai with Uzis is pointless if they are operating in an intelligence vacuum. The law is critical, but we can never legislate away the need for evidence - nor the need to prevent crime in the first place. The warring sides in the frightening gangland conflagration that has erupted in Dublin were lying low last night after each claiming a life from either side. There was genuine shock and surprise at the speed with which the Kinahan organisation struck back by gunning down Eddie Hutch, the older brother of former crime boss Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch. The callous killers gunned down the taxi driver who was a completely innocent man and the easiest target in the wider Hutch clan. They spared no time in exacting bloody revenge just hours after intelligence sources had revealed that the gang had placed contracts on the heads of anyone associated with the wider Hutch gang. Read More The hit team wanted to show their enemies - including the gardai and the public for whom they have little regard - that they were well able to stage a dramatic counter-offensive. For the second time in four days, these two bands of glorified terrorists showed that they had very little concerns for the safety of the public or encountering the gardai. Expand Close Click to view full size graphic / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Click to view full size graphic This was obvious given the fact that gardai had deployed major armed reinforcements to patrol the streets, mount checkpoints and carry out searches in the neighbourhoods where the factions reside on both sides of the River Liffey. But just like the assassins who stormed the Regency Hotel, the killers of Eddie Hutch didn't seem concerned about running into the gardai and were undoubtedly prepared to shoot it out if they had to. So it is fair to assume that it was again probably fortuitous that gardai hadn't been on the scene. Read More The methodology of these killer gangs, if it can be described as such, clearly illustrates the perilous job our under-paid and under-resourced police officers are being asked to do. The reckless behaviour of the heavily-armed savages on both sides demonstrates that they think they are untouchable and invincible. They have as much regard for the life of a garda as they do that of their victim. Most other crime gangs intent on dispensing brutal retribution on a former associate or rival tend to factor in the chances of running into the police when planning an assassination. The murder of Eddie Hutch, a man in his late 50s with no involvement in organised crime, was a particularly brutal and savage act. He was singled out simply because he was close to his sibling Gerry: the Kinahan mob wanted to inflict the deepest emotional wound possible on their perceived enemy. A year ago it would have been unthinkable that the gangland veteran and his family would be involved in a conflict with life-long friends and business associates, the Kinahans. Read More In Mafia parlance 'The Monk' is a man of 'respect', which basically means no one dares to cross or antagonise him or any of his family. When the Kinahans murdered Gary Hutch and reneged on a solemn agreement between two gangland veterans - Christy Kinahan and Gerry Hutch - they also crossed a line that few would ever dare. That killing led to the outrage in the Regency Hotel which, in turn, resulted in the murder of a man whose only crime it seems was to bear the same blood and name as 'The Monk'. This horrifying spiral of violence has also drawn into sharp focus the withering effects of austerity on our police force - and left the outgoing Government very much on the back foot. The unexpected crisis has caused panic for Fine Gael and their loyal servants in Garda management who have repeatedly told us that there is no issue with resources. That sense of panic was revealed when the Justice Minister announced the establishment of an extra regional support unit in Dublin, an extra 5m for overtime and "saturation policing". Read More While the new armed unit was already announced weeks ago, it is in all our interests that its deployment is not a matter of too little, too late. Even the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) has hit out, claiming this armed response unit will mean 55 gardai are being reassigned from frontline operational policing duties - affecting service delivery elsewhere. Gardai have proven in the past that if they are given the proper resources they can deliver the desired results. But extra funding for more manpower to tackle a long-festering problem such as gangland-related murders must not be viewed as a short-term response only. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald reacted swiftly yesterday, when she heard the request from Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan that funding had to be diverted to allow more officers to be put on the streets on overt and covert duties. The previous day, the minister had stated the commissioner was satisfied she had all of the necessary resources to deal with the aftermath of the murder of crime gang associate David Byrne, in the Regency Hotel last Friday. But all assessments changed with the retaliatory strike against Eddie Hutch Snr, who was selected by his killers because of the family name only, even though he was not a gangland player. And when the commissioner and some of her senior advisers spelled out the reality that this was a deadly feud threatening to spiral out of control, the justice budget for the year was raided and an initial 5m ring-fenced for an offensive on gangland. Apart from a severe tightening of the financial purse strings in recent years, the strength of the force also dropped from a peak of 14,547 in 2009 to a low of 12,799 by the end of 2014. The numbers increased for the first time in five years in December as recruits marched back into the Garda College in Templemore. However, it's a slow process, with an expected outflow of about 300 gardai a year from the force, through retirements, resignations, deaths and secondments, nullifying half of the annual intake of 600 to Templemore. At that rate, it could take a few years before a strength of 14,000 is reached and it's by no means certain this will be sufficient for the gardai to carry out all of their duties. Last week, on the day of his retirement as general secretary of the Garda Representative Association, PJ Stone told the Irish Independent that nobody knew how many Garda personnel were required. He repeated his long-held view that the Government should carry out an optimal numbers survey. The tactics of saturation policing and armed patrolling and checkpoints on the streets worked very successfully with good Garda management when they were put into force to eliminate the gangland problems in Limerick. Almost all of the main players in Limerick were eventually jailed, some in the Special Criminal Court. A decade ago, the capital was also gripped by the fallout from the deadly Crumlin-Drimnagh feud, which claimed 15 lives from the warring factions and their associates. It ended after an intensive Garda investigation resulted in the conviction and jailing of several leading players. The number of murders also took a heavy toll on the gangs. Since then, some of the leading figures have joined up with associates of one of the two gangs involved in the current feud. The scenario in Dublin now is a little more complex, with an international dimension as well as a wider area to be covered compared with a handful of areas in Limerick. And while those tactics should act as a deterrent to further retaliatory strikes, they need to be backed up by good intelligence. Senior gardai said last night that most of their operations against organised crime were intelligence-led and they maintained they had none to indicate a gun attack was being planned for the Regency Hotel. Many of the major players from the two warring factions were in the hotel at the time, officers said - adding that the investigation will be lengthy. While officers still attempt to identify the gunmen at the Regency Hotel, forensic officers are applying top priority status to their examination of the abandoned getaway car used by two of the killers of Eddie Hutch Snr, on Monday night. Officers believe the men fled from the vehicle before they had time to set it on fire because of the sound of sirens as patrols sped to the scene of the shooting at Poplar Row, in the north inner city, within minutes of the alarm being raised. A can of petrol was found in the car and gardai say the vehicle potentially holds a number of key clues to the identity of the killers. Officers say armed patrolling in place over the weekend disrupted further planned activity by the feuding gangs, but admit they are very concerned at the escalation of the violence. However, one senior officer declared last night: "We stood them down before and we will do it again." Premium John Downing Opinion Pension reforms are dicey territory but grand plan by minister Heather Humphreys just might win through Pension system changes all across the western world have a great propensity to infuriate those most feared by politicians: the grey brigade. And when the oldies take to the streets, they usually play for keeps. 'There were four undercover journalists at the Regency Hotel monitoring the event for gang activity but no gardai' The annual Garda Commissioners' reports on crime, presented to the Minister for Justice and published immediately thereafter every year up to the 1990s, provide a clear insight into serious and other crime in Ireland. In these reports, Commissioners set out in clear language and easy-to-understand statistical form the amount and type of crime that had been committed - and what the gardai were doing about it. In 1989 there were 17 murders; 15 were solved and two remained unsolved. Only a few years later the annual reports began to be packed with information about Garda activities completely extraneous to crime or crime-fighting. They began to be filled with information about 'human resources' and 'change management' - stuff senior gardai were then becoming obsessed with. A new HR model that would bring the old-fashioned force into a new modern age was launched in the early 1990s. Gardai were to be set 'performance' targets, which many of them struggled to understand. The annual Commissioners' reports are now almost entirely lacking any meaningful information or data on crime. Amazingly, that job was passed, without any political or other comment, to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which last year stopped publishing crime statistics for six months after it was pointed out by the Garda Inspectorate that the Garda's 'official' figures were wrong and at least 20pc below what they should be. The latest annual report, for 2014, contains next to no information about the prosecution of crime. For unknown reasons, the only stats in the report refer to firearms and drugs seized, missing persons and actions taken by gardai under the Child Care Act. The number of firearms seized, 689, sounds impressive - but less so when the detail is examined and it emerges that 216 of these were air pistols. There were only three sub-machine guns, two assault rifles and 54 handguns. Nonetheless, it is still a formidable haul. The last official insight the public was given into organised crime in Ireland was from one of the annual reports from the EU crime agency, Europol, in the late 1990s. Europol published the Garda's submission to it on the number of gangs operating in Ireland. The figure given by the gardai, which they were apparently unaware was to be made public, suggested we had some 70 to 80 organised crime gangs operating in the country at the time. We now have a situation - with which the Government appears totally content - whereby the public are given no information about what serious crime is taking place and what the Garda Siochana, and its annual allocation of 1.5bn, is actually doing. We do know from the last Courts Service yearly report that the 400,000 to 600,000 drivers who are prosecuted annually are now taking up 62pc of District Court time, and that each year gardai arrest and prosecute around 15,000 cases of minor possession of drugs. The gangs of the big-time drug dealers who have been murdering each other since the early 1990s are possibly the least likely people in this country to actually face the law. Unofficial figures compiled by journalists and others show that last year the gangs shot dead eight people. The Garda detection rate for these murders was zero. In 2014, there were 12 gang murders. Detection rate - yes, again - zero. These are possibly the two worst years in terms of Garda prosecutions of gang murders. Aware of this, the gang that stormed the Regency Hotel last week were pretty sure they were not going to be interrupted. There were four undercover journalists there monitoring the event for gang activity - but no gardai. The fire brigade arrived on the scene before the guards did. The Regency Hotel attack, followed by Monday night's assassination of Eddie Hutch Snr, was the worst, most embarrassing set of events for the Garda Siochana since the murders of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe and Veronica Guerin in May and June 1996. These events follow a pretty well documented series of murders and power struggles that have been closely covered by this newspaper group's titles. Journalists, who have no form of personal protection, have bravely covered these events and often exposed those responsible. Independent News & Media deployed more resources to the Regency Hotel than the Garda could with its 12,300 staff. The irony is not lost on the many superb gardai who feel they are no longer allowed to do their jobs, demoralised by years of submission to questionable management and governments that have successively sought to diminish the role of police officers in deference to the liberal elite at the centre of power in Ireland who don't give a stuff about working people living in working-class areas. Possibly the saddest irony in the immediate aftermath of the Regency attack was the stock Garda Press Office line seeking help from witnesses. Consider this: if you see a gang murder and give a statement to gardai, your name and address will automatically be given to the accused in the event of a prosecution. Would you be prepared to risk your life and the lives of your family, having seen the images from the Regency Hotel? FGs John Perry (right) meets Philip McCaffrey canvassing in Sligo but are the political parties doing enough to address issues facing rural towns? Pic: Mark Condren We talk about a divided Ireland but I never envisaged this division would have such an impact on my life. Am I talking about Northern Ireland? No. I am talking about the huge difference between the lives of people in the North West and those in 'The Pale'. I am from Sligo - there is no recovery in Sligo, no young people and no hope. Having tried and tried, I finally gave up on beautiful Sligo and moved to Dublin. I still feel that by moving I did exactly what the Government wanted me to do. I've always wondered if all of my generation refused to emigrate, or leave the North West in search of work, would we have forced the hands of politicians? If we had committed wholeheartedly to poverty for the greater good, remaining in Sligo unemployed and patiently waiting, would it have had an impact? The reality is we'll never be deemed that important. Here I am facing into another election in which I know that no matter who gets elected in the North West, we will never get the investment in roads, infrastructure and enterprise that we need. I'll drive home to vote; it'll take me 2 hours, 45 minutes because there isn't a motorway to Sligo, and the last leg of the journey will be lit up by the endless crosses of over 30 victims who lost their lives on a 10km stretch of road that doesn't seem to warrant investment. Once there, I'll wander the streets aimlessly, as each weekend I visit another shop, restaurant or pub disappears. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If a shop closes in Sligo and no one is around to hear it, does it matter? Gillian Cox Address with Editor Are we a post-religious society? In the context of the imminent election, surely it is time for religious believers, secularists, humanists and atheists to seek a consensus on what sort of human entitlements are fundamentally important and in need of protection? If we represent ourselves in terms of mutual antipathies and shallow differences we'll weaken our impact on the intentions of politicians. The secularisation of Ireland continues to gather pace. Secular groups and the Humanist Association of Ireland have done much to focus our minds on specific issues relating to religion, the content of the school curriculum and the Catholic Church's distinctive involvement in education. The relation of secularism and humanism to Christianity is very close and has much to offer in clarifying the part the Catholic Church should play in the future of Irish life, being one voice amongst others, albeit an important one in that it represents the voices of many. However, non-religious views offer a significant critique of the way things were, allied to some sense of future possibilities for a life that befits us as humans. The church failed miserably in not attending to the intelligent and thoughtful voices crying out to be heard, including the cry for attention to the sensitive misgivings of many dedicated priests, religious and lay people about the quality of leadership of the church. Sometime ago, Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin warned us against seeing the church as a safe place for the like-minded. Granted, it is difficult to carve out a purely secular or humanist domain from our overall culture, defined by the norms, values, beliefs and mutual expectations that inform our way of life. Clearly, we are moving into a post-religious phase. One of the striking features of Christ's ministry was his rejection of religion, seen as various forms of oppression of the lives of the people. It may sound paradoxical, but Christ himself was not very religious, being a Jew operating on the margins. Philip O'Neill Oxford, UK Defining 'Fiscal Space' The term 'Fiscal Space' has been causing much puzzlement and speculation of late. The 'Concise Oxford English Dictionary' tells us that "space" means, among other things, "a continuous unlimited area or expanse which may or may not contain objects." Our "space" may - or may not! - contain many billions of euro (12 or 10 or eight or four, or less, depending on who you listen to). Or could it just be that in exploring this 'Fiscal Space', newly appeared out of the black hole of debt and recession, we are simply in the realm of (science) fiction? Let us, in any case, hope that we can avoid a Big Bang! James N O'Sulivan Killarney, Co Kerry Middle East and environment Mary Fitzgerald (Irish Independent, February 6) is partly right that plunging oil prices couldn't have come at worse time for the Middle East. However, the region has been plagued with ethnic conflicts, bloodshed, destruction and environmental degradation. The air, soil and water now contain gases, fumes, odours, blood and dust and will linger in the atmosphere for decades to come, with profound adverse consequences for humans, animals and plants alike. The plunge in prices for oil barrels could spur the need to explore innovative and environmentally friendly alternatives, to stabilise the climate and avert human suffering. Such challenges lie at the heart of the climate change agenda and the Millennium Development Goals. This is the great promise and great cause in the 21st century: hope, opportunity, justice, health and dignity. Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob London NW2, UK Rugby's mighty oak retires Paul O'Connell was like an oak tree in Irish rugby. As the poet wrote: "seasoned timber never gives" - he just got more durable with age. But unlike some, he was never content to be part of the furniture; he only ever stooped to conquer. R Connelley Co Galway Actress Kate Winslet attends The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. 25650_013 (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Turner) Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender attend the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Energy Station at Monte Carlo on May 24, 2015 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Karwai Tang/Getty Images) Alicia Vikander had to prep Kate Winslet before introducing the actress to her father, as he has a bit of a fascination with the Titanic star. Swedish actress Alicia is currently enjoying awards season, having gained nominations for her roles in The Danish Girl and Ex Machina. With the Oscars getting closer and closer the brunette beauty is planning to take her family with her to the prestigious event. In order to avoid any awkwardness on the day, Alicia made sure to pre-warn Kate, who is nominated for her part in Steve Jobs, about her dad's fascination with her. "I am, I got them tickets the other day. I hope so," she grinned when talk show host Jimmy Kimmel asked whether who parents will embarrass her by talking to famous people. "My dad has a bit of a crush on Kate Winslet, so I kind of prepped her: 'My dad's coming, please be kind.' And she was! And he was like, 'Oh my god that's Kate.' I mean, I do have a crush on Kate Winslet (too)." While she didn't mention where she and Kate had crossed paths, it could have been at the Oscar nominees luncheon which took place on Monday. It was on this occasion that Alicia had the chance to mingle with Kate and the rest of the best supporting actress contenders, one of whom she'd been waiting to meet for a long time. Expand Close Actress Alicia Vikander attends the 88th Annual Academy Awards nominee luncheon on February 8, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Actress Alicia Vikander attends the 88th Annual Academy Awards nominee luncheon on February 8, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Read More "I actually finally got to meet Rooney Mara, because many of these events... I looked up to her and admire her as an actress for a long time and we've been like waving across the room," Alicia smiled. "Finally when we did this, we had the Oscar luncheon, we were put next to each other for this cast photo, so we finally got to have a little chat." Jimmy was curious as to whether people actually have lunch at the event, with Alicia confirming that there is in fact a meal - unlike some other showbiz soirees. "At the Golden Globes I was sitting there with a plate in front of me, but the food never came. Isn't that weird? It's actually put out there, I was like, 'Is this every year?'" she giggled. Expand Close Kate Winslet attending the London Critics' Circle Film Awards at the May Fair Hotel, Central London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday 17th January, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Critics. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kate Winslet attending the London Critics' Circle Film Awards at the May Fair Hotel, Central London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday 17th January, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Critics. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire. TV presenter Brian Dowling has opened up about his desire to have babies with husband Arthur Gourounlian. He reckons that he has already found the perfect surrogate - his pregnant pal, Pippa O'Connor. "I'm like, 'Pippa, once you drop this one, do you want to go again?'. Baby Ollie is just gorgeous and she's beautiful - and a nice person as well - and has a really good work ethic. She's so fabulous," he told the Diary. "We are at that point now where it's do or die, as they say. I'm quite pro the surrogacy thing, and Arthur's quite pro the adoption thing, so it's about deciding what works." Expand Close Brian Dowling and Pippa O'Connor in 2011 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brian Dowling and Pippa O'Connor in 2011 Dowling, who got married last July, said he'd love to just have one child - but Arthur's more in favour of two. The pair are just back home following a trip to Barbados to help Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh celebrate her wedding to Justin Scott. Read More Brian - whose hubby was a dancer with Girls Aloud - was photographed hanging out on a yacht in the Caribbean with newly-single Cheryl Fernandez-Versini. However, speaking at the launch of Just Eat's Valentine's survey, he said the issue of her break-up from Jean-Bernard never arose. Expand Close Brian Dowling & husband Arthur Gourounlian / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brian Dowling & husband Arthur Gourounlian "When you're in a situation where you're at a friend's wedding, you don't talk about stuff like that. You have to respect people's privacy," he said. "But everyone had an amazing time. What I admire about them is they're all so famous and there's photographers everywhere. We're on the boat in the middle of the sea in Barbados and the paps are around us on the jet-skis, but the girls did not stop having a good time. Video of the Day Read More "No one put their food down, no one put their drinks down, no one stopped dancing. It was a case of 'this is how it is' - and I quite admire that. Expand Close Brian Dowling got hitched to his Armenian choreographer finance Arthur Gourounlia. Pic: Twitter / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brian Dowling got hitched to his Armenian choreographer finance Arthur Gourounlia. Pic: Twitter "They were just having a laugh and having fun and you kind of respect that about people. And Kimberley looked so beautiful." Now living in Shoreditch in London, last year saw Brian fronted TV3's Sitting on a Fortune - which he admitted failed to hit the mark with Irish audiences. "I really enjoyed it. It was an amazing opportunity, but I don't think people understood the premise of the show." Actress Ashley Benson attends the GQ 20th Anniversary Men Of The Year Party at Chateau Marmont on December 3, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for GQ Magazine) (L-R) Actresses Lucy Hale, Sasha Pieterse, Troian Bellisario and Ashley Benson attend PaleyFest New York 2015 for "Pretty Little Liars" at The Paley Center for Media on October 11, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images) Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson said she's regularly told to lose weight for roles - despite the fact she's already a size two (US). The 26-year-old actress stars as Hanna on the hit show and said she's regularly told she's "too fat" for certain parts, but said she refuses to shed the pounds to fit into Hollywood's unrealistic standards for women. "It's come up a few times in the last few years, like 'You're too fat for this', and I'm just sitting here like, 'Wait! What? Do you want a skeleton?'" she told Health magazine. "But I feel good. I don't want to lose 20 pounds, because I don't need to... I get told all the time to lose weight... There was a point where it was getting to where a size two was great. I'm a size two, but I think that size four is healthy. I think that all of these sizes are healthy." Expand Close Ashley Benson attends the Ocean Drive Magazine Hosts 23rd Anniversary with Ashley Benson on January 28, 2016 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ashley Benson attends the Ocean Drive Magazine Hosts 23rd Anniversary with Ashley Benson on January 28, 2016 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images) Ashley said her journey to body confidence is still ongoing, but works out regularly in order to stay fit. "I usually do Pilates three days a week for an hour, and I try to box or do SoulCycle two or three times a week," she explained. "There are times I just want to do nothing! But then I don't feel good about myself." Read More "Not for my b**t but for my legs," she said. "We usually do circuit training, so I'll do 25 squats, then I'll run back and forth, and then I'll do lunges to the other side of the gym both ways, run, then squats. I can't move for days!" Expand Close (L-R) Actresses Lucy Hale, Sasha Pieterse, Troian Bellisario and Ashley Benson attend PaleyFest New York 2015 for "Pretty Little Liars" at The Paley Center for Media on October 11, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (L-R) Actresses Lucy Hale, Sasha Pieterse, Troian Bellisario and Ashley Benson attend PaleyFest New York 2015 for "Pretty Little Liars" at The Paley Center for Media on October 11, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images) And it's not just for her physical health that she loves hitting the gym, but she also the mental benefits exercise can provide after a long-suffering battle with panic attacks. "I started getting panic attacks for two years straight," she reveals. "I could barely go to work. It would get so bad that I would have to leave set," she added. Video of the Day "I do still get them a little bit," she says. "That's part of why I work out, too, because it has cancelled out the anxiety." A wild elephant that strayed into the town moves through the streets as people follow at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India (AP Photo) A wild elephant that strayed into the town moves through the streets as people run at Siliguri in West Bengal state, India (AP Photo) People watch a wild elephant that strayed into the town of Siliguri in West Bengal state, India (AP Photo) A wild elephant has rampaged through an east Indian town, smashing cars and homes and sending panicked people running before the animal was tranquillised to be returned to the forest. As the frightened elephant ran amok, trampling parked cars and motorbikes, crowds of people gathered to watch from balconies and roof tops. Some followed from a distance as the elephant moved through the streets. "The elephant was scared and was trying to go back to the jungle," said Papaiya Sarkar, a 40-year-old witness who watched the elephant amble down a street near her home. The elephant had wandered from the Baikunthapur forest, crossing roads and a small river before entering the town of Siliguri in West Bengal state. Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close A wild elephant damages a house as it goes on a rampage in a village in Siligiri in India's eastern West Bengal state REUTERS/ANI via Reuters A wild elephant chases after villagers as it goes on a rampage in a village in Siligiri in India's eastern West Bengal state REUTERS/ANI via Reuters A wild elephant is followed by a crowd in a village in Siligiri in India's eastern West Bengal state. REUTERS/ANI via Reuters A wild elephant goes on a rampage in a village in Siligiri in India's eastern West Bengal state / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A wild elephant damages a house as it goes on a rampage in a village in Siligiri in India's eastern West Bengal state REUTERS/ANI via Reuters Divisional forest officer Basab Rai said the female elephant appeared to be a loner without a herd, and was likely searching for food when it strayed into the town. He said it did not attack any people, and appeared to be afraid of them. After several hours, it became clear the elephant was unable to find its way back to the forest. Authorities eventually shot the elephant three times with a tranquilliser gun and used a crane to lift it into a truck once it had calmed down. It was then taken to a park for domesticated pachyderms that is maintained by the forest department. Once the effect of the tranquilliser wore off, authorities planned to return the elephant to the forest, Mr Rai said. Elephants are increasingly coming into contact with people in India, as the human population of 1.25 billion soars and cities and towns grow at the expense of jungles and other elephant habitats. In India and Sri Lanka, more than 400 elephants and 250 humans are killed each year. On Wednesday, another wild elephant trampled a farmer to death in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The farmer had been sleeping in his field when the elephant appeared, police told Press Trust of India. India's elephants are also threatened by speeding trains and illegal poachers looking for ivory to sell on the black market. Today, there are about 30,000 elephants across the country, restricted to about 15% of their historic habitat, according to the environment ministry. Worldwide, elephants have disappeared from some 95% of their historical range, which once stretched from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Yellow River in northern China. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signs a document regarding a long range rocket launch in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang February 7, 2016 North Korea has executed its army chief of staff, Ri Yong Gil, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported today. The news comes amid heightened tension surrounding isolated North Korea after its Sunday launch of a long-range rocket, which came about a month after it drew international condemnation for conducting its fourth nuclear test. A source familiar with North Korean affairs also told Reuters that Ri had been executed. The source declined to be identified, given the sensitivity of the matter. Read More Ri, who was chief of the Korean People's Army (KPA) General Staff, was executed this month for corruption and factional conspiracy, Yonhap and other South Korean media reported. Yonhap did not identify its sources. The source who told Reuters the news declined to comment on how the information about the execution had been obtained. South Korea's National Intelligence Service declined to comment and it was not possible to independently verify the report. The North rarely issues public announcement related to purges or executions of high-level officials. A rare official confirmation of a high-profile execution came after Jang Song Thaek, leader Kim Jong Un's uncle and the man who was once considered the second most powerful figure in the country, was executed for corruption in 2013. Read More In May last year, the North executed its defence chief by anti-aircraft gun at a firing range, the South's spy agency said in a report to members of parliament. The North's military leadership has been in a state of perpetual reshuffle since Kim Jong Un took power after the death of his father in 2011. He has changed his armed forces chief several times since then. Read More Some other high-ranking officials in the North have been absent from public view for extended periods, fuelling speculation they may have been purged or removed, only to resurface. Aerial view of rescue forces working at the site of a train accident near Bad Aibling, Germany. Ten people were killed when two commuter trains crashed head-on yesterday in southern Germany. At least 80 people were injured - 18 of them seriously - when the trains slammed into each other on a curve after an automatic safety braking system apparently failed, the transport minister said. The regional trains collided before 7am on the single line that runs near Bad Aibling in the German state of Bavaria. Aerial footage shot by APTN showed that the impact tore the two engines apart, shredded metal train cars and flipped several of them off the rails and on to their sides. The first emergency units were on the scene within three minutes of receiving the call but, with a river on one side and a forest on the other, it took hours to reach some of the injured in the wreckage. Hundreds of rescue crews using helicopters and small boats shuttled injured passengers to the other side of the Mangfall River to waiting ambulances, which took them to hospitals across southern Bavaria. Nine people were reported dead immediately while a tenth died later in a hospital, police spokesman Stefan Sonntag said. The two train drivers were thought to be among the dead and one person was still missing in the wreckage. "We have little more than hope of finding them still alive," he said. "This is the biggest accident we have had in years in this region." German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said safety systems on the stretch had been checked as recently as last week, but Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt suggested that a system designed to automatically brake trains if they accidentally end up on the same track didn't seem to have functioned properly. Dobrindt, however, said it was too early to draw a definitive conclusion. "The site is on a curve. We have to assume that the train drivers had no visual contact and hit each other without braking," Dobrindt told reporters in Bad Aibling, adding that speeds of up to 100kph (60mph) were possible on the stretch. Black boxes from both trains had been recovered and were now being analysed, which should show what went wrong, Dobrindt said. "We need to determine immediately whether it was a technical problem or a human mistake," he said. Authorities had initially reported 150 injured but Sonntag later lowered that figure to 80. Seventeen had injuries considered serious, he said. Each train can hold up to 1,000 passengers and they are commonly used by children travelling to school. However, fewer than 200 people were on board yesterday because of regional holidays to celebrate the region's Carnival season. "We're lucky that we're on the carnival holidays, because usually many more people are on these trains," regional police chief Robert Kopp said. About 700 emergency personnel from Germany and neighbouring Austria were involved in the rescue effort, using about a dozen helicopters. Train operator Bayerische Oberlandbahn started a hotline for family and friends desperate to check on passengers. "This is a huge shock. We are doing everything to help the passengers, relatives and employees," said Bernd Rosenbusch, the head of the Bayerische Oberlandbahn. In Munich, 60km away, the city's blood donation service put out a call for immediate donations in the wake of the crash. Germany is known for the quality of its train service but the country has seen several other accidents, typically at road crossings. Most recently, a train driver and a passenger were killed in May when a train hit the trailer of a tractor and another 20 people were injured. In 2011, 10 people were killed and 23 injured in a head-on collision of a passenger train and a cargo train on a single-line track close to Saxony-Anhalt's state capital of Magdeburg. Germany's worst train accident took place in 1998, when a high-speed ICE train crashed in Eschede, killing 101 people. Lilas Javeed (right), daughter of Akhtar Javeed, during a police press conference to appeal for information about the murder of her father in the Digbeth area of Birmingham Credit: Joe Giddens/PA Wire The daughter of a businessman who was shot by armed raiders has described his murder as "horrific" - and urged anyone shielding his killers to give her father justice. Lilas Javeed described Akhtar Javeed - who was blasted in the neck at his Birmingham soft drinks firm - as a "humble and simple" father and grandfather who worked tirelessly to provide for his family. Supported by her husband at a news conference, Ms Javeed said she and her three brothers had been left "shattered" by the killing. As police revealed that Mr Javeed, 56, was shot after resisting two masked men, his daughter, from London, told reporters: "Everything has changed since the day he was taken from us. "A devoted husband and caring father who selflessly did everything he could to look after the ones he loved is now gone, after having to suffer such a horrific attack. "It breaks our hearts knowing that his last moments were not spent with us as they should have been." Ms Javeed, 30, added: "Nothing will fill the hole left in our hearts. That warm, happy, and comfortable feeling we would get whenever our dad was with us will never return." Company director Mr Javeed was killed on Wednesday last week after two offenders tied up staff as they attempted to rob his warehouse in Rea Street South, Digbeth, at about 6.30pm. The victim, who lived in east London, was found injured in the street near his firm's car park but died in hospital. Pope Francis smiles during a special audience with the missionaries of mercy, in the Regia Hall at the Vatican, Tuesday. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP) A specially-recruited group of priests received last-minute instructions from Pope Francis on Tuesday before fanning out through the world to show a more merciful face of the Catholic Church to sinners. About 700 priests from around the globe, many of them using headphones for translation, gathered in an ornate hall of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican to hear Francis stress the welcoming image he wants faithful to have of their church and how priests should act when hearing confessions. The pope lamented that many people abandon confession because priests scold them or pry for embarrassing details. Confessors "aren't called to judge, with a sense of superiority" but instead welcome penitents with "open arms", Francis said. "It's not with the cudgel of judgement that we will succeed in bringing the lost sheep back to the fold," he said. This special corps of around 1,000 confessors is known as the Missionaries of Mercy. Reflecting the far reach of the Catholic church in ministering to its 1.2 billion flock, they will be travelling this year to countries including United Arab Emirates, Egypt, China, Burundi and Israel. One priest will head to the far Canadian north; another will use a camper to reach Catholics living in remote parts of the Australian countryside. "If you're going to the Arctic, bundle up!" the pope quipped. Francis gave his pep talk a day before the priests officially start their mission on Ash Wednesday, the start of the annual church period stressing penitence before Easter. They play important roles in the Holy Year of Mercy, an initiative of Francis to encourage a more forgiving mentality in the Catholic church, often seen as harsh and judgmental toward those who stray from its teachings. Candidates had to be "inspiring preachers of mercy" and "especially attentive to the difficult situations of each person". The Missionaries of Mercy will be able to absolve extremely grave and relatively uncommon sins that normally must be dealt with by bishops or officials at the Vatican. Among those sins are profaning a consecrated host, ordaining a bishop without papal permission and violating confessional secrecy. Abortion is also one of those grave sins that normally must be handled by a local bishop or a Vatican official, but during the Holy Year Francis is allowing all rank-and-file priests to grant such absolution. The pope said he realised some women felt they had no choice but to make the "agonising and painful decision" to have an abortion. In Catholic teaching, abortion triggers automatic excommunication when the person is aware of the penalty and commits the sin nevertheless. The Holy Year began on December 8 2015 and ends on November 20 2016. The gold statue on top of the Central Criminal Court, also referred to as Old Bailey, in central London Credit: Clara Molden/PA Wire Three young men are facing jail for helping a teenage jihadi follow in his big brother's footsteps and join fighters in Syria. Kristen Brekke, Adeel Ulhaq and Forhad Rahman were found guilty at the Old Bailey of playing their part in the plan to get Aseel Muthana to the war-torn country. Muthana was just 17 when he left home in Cardiff on February 21 2014 to join the ranks of Islamic State (IS) and has not returned. His older brother Nasser Muthana, who he idolised, had travelled there with four other young men from Cardiff three months before, the court heard. Nasser later achieved "notoriety" when he and other young men made a propaganda video for IS called There Is No life Without Jihad which was released in June 2014, the court heard. Prosecutor Annabel Darlow QC had told jurors that all three defendants shared the same "highly-radical ideology" and support for waging war in Syria. Two of the defendants, Rahman and Ulhaq, were part of a network of friends online who were committed to the violent struggle. That included two brothers from Portsmouth, Tuhin Shahensha and Mustaqim Jaman. The third brother, Ifthekar Jaman, was killed while fighting in Syria for IS, in December 2013. All three defendants played different roles in their mission to help Muthana achieve his goal to reach Syria and all but Brekke expressed a desire to follow suit, the court heard. Rahman was key in funding Muthana's trip, Ulhaq had good contacts in Syria and gave practical advice while Brekke helped purchase kit and let the teenager use his computer. Muslim convert Brekke, 20, had been good friends with Muthana since they worked together at an ice cream parlour in Cardiff. The prosecution said he was well aware of his aim, and cited the evidence of a home-made video of the pair posing with an imitation gun on Asda Hill above Cardiff. Brekke, who did not know his co-defendants before, gave a variety of explanations for his stash of gear, including claims they were impulse buys and he was preparing for a camping trip to the Brecon Beacons. Muthana became fast friends with Rahman online and sent him the video clip from Asda Hill in which he proclaimed: "If you are watching this, I'm probably dead or I'm probably a legend or something." The pair met up in London, where Rahman was working for Addison Lee, and exchanged affectionate messages referring to each other as "cutie", "honey" and "babe", a court heard. He knew at the time he helped Muthana that it was dangerous in Syria as two months before, his acquaintance Iftekhar Jaman was killed in battle. In his defence, Rahman, 21, from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, admitted allowing the teenager to use his credit card but insisted he thought he was going to Syria to "help people" by joining a local militia. He said: "When we discussed this, Isis was not the plan". Rahman introduced his young friend to Ulhaq who gave practical help online and called on his contacts within Syria to smooth his entry into the country. However, Ulhaq never met Muthana in person. The 21-year-old from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, told the jury that he had considered going to Syria himself to bring home his ex-girlfriend, Aqsa Mahmood, from Glasgow, who had gone as a jihadi bride and proceeded to Tweet Isis propaganda. He insisted that he believed Muthana was going for humanitarian reasons and not to fight for Isis, the court heard. The jury was not told that the first Old Bailey trial of the three men collapsed last year due to publicity around Tweets from Mahmood. Brekke, of Pentre Street, Grangetown, Cardiff; Rahman, of Cranhams Lane, Chesterton, Cirencester, Gloucestershire; and Ulhaq, of Westbourne Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, were found guilty of preparing for acts of terrorism. Ulhaq was further convicted of terror funding. The jurors were not told that Iftekar Jaman's brothers, Shahensha, 27, and Jaman, 23, from Portsmouth, had earlier been jailed for six years each for helping people travel to Syria to fight with Isis. A woman has had a lucky escape after plunging over the side of a balcony in a John Lewis store and landing on a display bed. The incident happened at the department store in Cheadle on Monday, with police and ambulances called to the scene at around 4pm. Greater Manchester Police said they responded after receiving reports that a 60-year-old woman had fallen from the upper floor of the shop on Wilmslow Road. The woman suffered hip and spine injuries in the fall, which saw her plummet about 60ft, a spokesman told the Press Association. He added: "Her injuries are not thought to be serious and it appears that she fell on to a bed." The woman was taken to hospital following the incident, which is reported to have happened by the glass balconies of the store's escalators. A John Lewis spokesman confirmed there had been a "serious incident" at its Cheadle branch on Monday. He added: "We closed the shop immediately and are offering partners who witnessed the incident our full support. "We are continuing to work closely with the emergency services and have passed on CCTV footage to the police. "We are glad that the customer's injuries are not thought to be serious, and our thoughts are with the customer and her family." French politicians have approved a divisive bill aimed at making it possible to revoke the citizenship of people convicted on terrorism charges. The bill, presented by Prime Minister Manuel Valls in the wake of the Paris attacks last year, passed by 317-199 in the parliament's lower house, the National Assembly. The measure revealed deep division among the ruling Socialists. Many on the left expressed indignation at the move and refused to vote for it. Justice minister Christian Taubira resigned last month in protest. The measure also divides the opposition conservatives. Mr Valls justified the need for the bill by the terrorist threat. "Because we are at war, we must unite", he said after the vote. "This is a great day for the Republic, for unity, for France and for the fight against terrorism." The reform, which would alter the Constitution, is still far from being definitively adopted. It also needs to be voted on by the Senate and ultimately would require a three-fifths majority vote from lawmakers of both houses. The government said the measure would concern a very small number of people but is of high symbolic value. The decision to revoke a person's French citizenship would be made by a judge and would apply to terrorism-related crimes. Human rights groups had warned that the bill risked discriminating against minorities of immigrant background as the initial text targeted dual nationals only. In response to the criticism, the Socialist government removed the mention of dual nationals and extended the measure to all French citizens. That risks leaving a person stateless, which could be in conflict with France's obligations under international law. Another measure in the bill would introduce the principle of the state of emergency into the Constitution. It would apply in the event of a terrorist threat or a natural disaster for a 12-day period that could be extended by a vote of the Parliament, as under current law. Boys run near a hole in the ground after airstrikes by pro-Syrian government forces in the rebel held al-Sakhour neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria. Hundreds of thousands of civilians could be cut off from food if Syrian government forces encircle rebel-held parts of Aleppo, the United Nations said yesterday, warning of a massive new flight of refugees from a Russian-backed assault. Syrian regime forces, backed by Russian airstrikes and Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, have launched a major offensive in the countryside around Aleppo, which has been divided between government and rebel control for years. The assault to surround Aleppo, once Syria's biggest city with a population of two million, amounts to one of the most important shifts of momentum in the five-year civil war that has killed 250,000 people and already driven 11 million from their homes. Since last week, fighting has already wrecked the first attempt at peace talks for two years and led rebel fighters to speak about losing their northern power base altogether. The UN is worried the government advance could cut off the last link for civilians in rebel-held parts of Aleppo with the main Turkish border crossing, which has long served as the lifeline for insurgent-controlled territory. "It would leave up to 300,000 people still residing in the city cut off from humanitarian aid unless cross-line access could be negotiated," the United Nations Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an urgent bulletin. If government advances around the city continue, it said, "local councils in the city estimate that some 100,000 [to] 150,000 civilians may flee". Turkey, already home to 2.5 million Syrians, the world's biggest refugee population, has so far kept its frontier mostly closed to the latest wave of displaced, making it more difficult to reach them with urgently needed aid. The UN urged Ankara yesterday to open the border and has called on other countries to assist Turkey with aid. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said as many as a million refugees could arrive if the Russian-Syrian campaign continues. Some 50,000 people had reached Turkey's borders in the latest wave, Ankara had admitted 10,000 so far and would allow in others in a "controlled fashion", he said. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it had begun food distribution in the Syrian town of Azaz, near the Turkish border, to the new wave of displaced people. "The situation is quite volatile and fluid in northern Aleppo, with families on the move seeking safety," said Jakob Kern, WFP's country director in Syria. "We are extremely concerned as access and supply routes from the north to eastern Aleppo city and surrounding areas are now cut off, but we are making every effort to get enough food in place for all those in need, bringing it in through the remaining open border crossing point from Turkey." The Russian-backed government assault around Aleppo, as well as advances further south, helped torpedo the first peace talks for nearly two years, which collapsed last week before they got under way in earnest. International powers are due to meet tomorrow in Munich in a bid to resurrect the talks, but diplomats hold out virtually no hope for negotiations as long as the Russian-backed government offensive is under way at full bore. Rebels say they will not attend without a halt to bombing. Moscow turned the momentum in the war in favour of its ally President Bashar al-Assad when it joined the conflict four months ago with a campaign of air strikes against his enemies, many of whom are supported by Arab states, Turkey and the West. German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused Russia this week of bombing civilians, against a UN Security Council resolution Moscow signed up to in December. Russia says it is targeting only Islamist militants. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no evidence of civilian deaths. The complex multi-sided civil war has drawn in outside powers, with the United States leading a separate campaign of air strikes against Isil militants who control eastern Syria and northern Iraq. Meanwhile, a suicide bomber drove his car into a police officers' club in central Damascus yesterday, blowing himself up and killing several people, a Syrian interior ministry statement said. Isil said it was responsible. Nato defence ministers have approved a new multinational force to beef up defences of frontline alliance members most at risk from Russia, the alliance's secretary general has said. Jens Stoltenberg said the new unit will be multinational and will rotate in and out of Eastern European member states rather than being based there. He said military planners will decide on its composition during the spring. The new force's multinational composition, Mr Stoltenberg said, will make it clear that for Nato, "an attack on one ally will be an attack on the whole alliance". Getting firm commitments, or even deciding how many Nato troops should be rotated eastward, may take time, however. Douglas Lute, US ambassador to Nato, said he expected ministers this week to agree on "a framework" but that actual force levels will probably be hammered out only after consultations with Nato's supreme commander in Europe, US Force General Philip Breedlove. One Nato official said one proposal being considered calls for the creation of a brigade-sized unit: roughly 3,000 troops. Reinforcing Nato's presence in Poland and other allies close to Russia "will send a clear signal," Mr Stoltenberg said earlier on Wednesday. "Nato will respond as one to any aggression against any ally." In the discussions held at Nato headquarters in Brussels, US defence secretary Ash Carter and his counterparts from Canada and the alliance's European members are also expected to discuss what other countries can do to better deter Russia following the Obama administration's February 2 announcement that it wants to quadruple spending on US troops and training in Europe. A senior Nato official said the US hopes its European Nato partners will commit to new investments for deterrence that would correspond to the 3.4 billion US dollars (2.3 billion) in extra spending and troops, equipment and training moves the Pentagon is proposing. The alliance's new blueprint for deterrence relies on rotating some forces through frontline member states and prepositioning supplies there, but also on Nato's capacity to airlift in large numbers of reinforcements quickly in a crisis. It may only be fully ready when alliance heads of state and government meet in July. "It is now less than six months until our next summit meeting, in Warsaw," Mr Stoltenberg reminded defence ministers on Wednesday. "There remains a great deal to do." Following a request by Turkey, ministers are also reviewing what the US-led alliance could do to help slow the influx of migrants into Europe by sea, Mr Stoltenberg said. "We all understand the concern and we all see the human tragedy," Mr Stoltenberg said. He said the discussions could lead to a decision to use Nato air or sea assets to help combat people-smuggling. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday said 409 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, and that migrant crossings in the first six weeks of 2016 are running at nearly 10 times the rate of the same period last year. IOM said 76,000 people have reached Europe by sea, nearly 2,000 per day, since January 1. Germany, the leading destination for the migrants, many of whom are fleeing war or poverty in their homelands in the Middle East or Africa, welcomed the discussions at Nato. "It is good that the Turkish government has asked Nato to help for the surveillance of the sea. We are aiming at stopping the business of the smugglers," German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen said as she arrived at alliance headquarters. Donald Trump has emerged the Republican winner of the New Hampshire primary contests (AP) Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders were moving on from commanding wins in the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary to more diverse states that will challenge their transformation from outsider candidates to their parties' presidential nominees. The next Republican contest is the February 20 South Carolina primary, which will test Mr Trump's staying power. Next for Democrats is the Nevada caucus on the same day. Expand Close Result of the New Hampshire primary. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Result of the New Hampshire primary. Mr Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, easily beat Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state and first lady once seen as the all-but-certain Democratic nominee. With more than 90% of the vote counted in New Hampshire, Mr Sanders had 60% to Mrs Clinton's 38%. Mr Trump, the real estate billionaire and television personality who has never held public office, had 35% among the Republicans, with moderate Ohio governor John Kasich a distant second with 16%. "We are going to make America so great again," Mr Trump told a raucous crowd. "Maybe greater than ever before." Texas senator Ted Cruz finished third in New Hampshire, former Florida governor Jeb Bush was fourth and Florida senator Marco Rubio was fifth. Less than a percentage point separated each of those positions. "I think they're all really potential threats," Mr Trump said of his rivals on Wednesday on MSNBC. "But I'm OK at handling threats." Mr Kasich, who surged from relative obscurity in New Hampshire, has a poorly funded campaign that will struggle to keep up momentum in South Carolina and beyond. New Jersey governor Chris Christie was expected to drop out after finishing sixth in New Hampshire. He told supporters that instead of going to South Carolina, he will head home to "take a deep breath" and take stock of his struggling bid. Mr Sanders's campaign launched ads Wednesday in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Colorado and Massachusetts - all states where they believe the Vermont senator can grow. Mrs Clinton's campaign argues she will perform better as the race heads to more racially diverse states, including Nevada and South Carolina. Civil rights activist the Rev Al Sharpton said he met with Mr Sanders on Wednesday to discuss issues that affect the African-American community, including affirmative action and police brutality. Mr Sharpton said he will not endorse a candidate until he and various heads of national civil rights organisations meet with Mrs Clinton next week. Nevada has been considered Clinton territory, in part because of her strong relationships to the Latino community and longtime Democrats in the state. At stake Tuesday were less than 1% of the delegates who, at party national conventions in July, will choose nominees to succeed Barack Obama. But a strong showing in New Hampshire can give a candidate momentum ahead of state contests in coming weeks, including the March 1 "Super Tuesday" when 11 states vote. Mr Trump, Mr Cruz and Mr Rubio all have expansive organisations in South Carolina and several Super Tuesday states. Mr Bush's campaign released a radio ad Wednesday in South Carolina featuring his brother, former president George W Bush. By Ray Chandler SENECA With all votes counted Tuesday, the medical staff of Oconee Memorial Hospital has chosen to unite with Greenville Health System's medical staff. With 71 doctors voting, unification met approval 42-29, according to a memo released by Todd Crowe, chief of the Oconee Memorial medical staff. Among the doctors who perform work at Oconee Memorial, however, unifying with the Greenville Health staff was approved only by a narrow margin, 32-29. Ten doctors who do not work at the hospital voted in favor of unification. The vote followed a meeting of the Oconee Memorial medical staff Monday night at The Lighthouse restaurant on Lake Keowee. The meeting was called to address concerns expressed by some Oconee Memorial staff members about the consequences of unifying with Greenville Health. Oconee Memorial itself, called Oconee Medical Center at the time, became affiliated with the Greenville Health System network in 2014. Billy Campbell, vice chairman of the Oconee Memorial medical staff, said Monday that unifying the staffs might be premature. A vote on unification, he said, was "squeezing the toothpaste out of the tube," according to a recording of the proceedings. There have been benefits to Oconee Memorial's relationship with Greenville Health, but there also have been "bumps along the road," Campbell said. Without being specific, he described some new policies put in place since the 2014 consolidation as "ham-fisted" and characterized the new levels of oversight as "just another layer of bureaucracy." Campbell also said unifying staffs of hospitals so widely separated geographically as Oconee and Greenville has drawbacks. Since the consolidation, he said, a number of doctors have gained full voting staff privileges at Oconee Memorial "without darkening the door" of the hospital. "We could have more people with voting privileges on staff without actually being here than actually on staff," Campbell said. Chris Wright, chief medical officer of Greenville Health, answered concerns Monday by saying that unifying the staffs would not lead to a loss of autonomy. "We offer support and oversight," Wright said. "Not control." Unifying with the Greenville Health staff offers a larger voice for the Oconee Memorial staff in system activities and fuller access to the entire range of Greenville Health corporate partnerships and research projects with other partners, such as Duke University, Wright said. "We're just asking you to come join us," he said. While there was no guarantee of benefits from unifying to each member of the staff, Wright said, he felt the hospital as a whole would benefit. Crowe said Greenville Health trustees are expected to take up the issue at their March meeting and ratify the Oconee Memorial staff vote. SHARE Scott Turner By Independent Mail Authorities are searching in Oconee County for a missing North Carolina man. Jeffery "Scott" Turner, 57, of Dutch Cove Road near Canton, is described as being 6 feet 1 inch tall, 205 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes, according to the sheriff's office of Haywood County, North Carolina. Oconee County Emergency Services, the Oconee County Sheriff's Office and the Haywood County sheriff's office are cooperating in the search, said Charlie King, Oconee County fire chief, on Wednesday. The search Wednesday is being conducted in a wooded area near the Chattooga River. Teams are working on foot with the assistance of area canine groups, King said. An airplane from the South Carolina Forest Service is in the area searching as well. Thirty-two people are involved in the effort, with that number expected to double throughout the day. Help has been requested from Pickens and Anderson counties in the Upstate; Rabun County, Georgia; and Glenville-Cashiers, North Carolina, King said. Turner's last known whereabouts were at his workplace around 10 a.m. Monday, and his family has not been in contact with him since, according to the Haywood County Sheriff's Office. Turner's family members found his vehicle, a black 1987 Toyota pickup, late Monday in the Cherry Hill/Big Bend area of northern Oconee County, officials said. Anyone who has information regarding his whereabouts is asked to call the Haywood County Communications Center at 828-452-6666. Refresh here for more information as it becomes available. SHARE By Vince Jackson EASLEY School District of Pickens County officials are considering a plan that would keep Ben Hagood Elementary School open and close Ambler, A.R. Lewis and Holly Springs elementary schools instead. Consultants hired by the county school board have suggested closing Hagood Elementary to save money and to use the location to house school district service offices. But the School District of Pickens County Board of Trustees facilities committee recommended Monday the alternate plan. The full school board is expected to vote on the recommendation in the coming weeks. Proponents of the recommendation presented Monday say it could save nearly $12 million over five years. But taxpayers may be looking at the potential for increased property tax rates in coming years even if consolidation does not occur, school officials said. The three schools recommended for closing are in need of expensive repairs that have been delayed, officials said. The proposed plan calls for A.R. Lewis and Holly Springs students to be sent to Hagood Elementary for kindergarten as well as first and second grades. Pickens Elementary would house grades 3, 4 and 5, and Ambler students would attend Dacusville Elementary for 4-year-old kindergarten. Details of bus transportation of students, teacher assignments and school closing dates are not yet determined. School district Communications Director John Eby said all contract teachers would retain their jobs and staff reductions would occur through retirement and attrition. School board members have cited the cost of expensive repairs, such as roof replacements, as a determining factor in recommending closing the three schools. Trustee Alex Saitta said he opposes closing any school. Saitta said the school board agreed several years ago to increase capacity at the three schools. "At that time it was agreed we would get rid of portable classrooms, and that is what we did," Saitta said. Eby said student enrollment has decreased to 50 percent or less in the schools recommended for closing, and the added capacity was the result of policies of previous administrations. The school district plans community information meetings on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at each of the three schools. Members of the school district administration and board of trustees will be present to present details of the merger proposal and hear from the public. SHARE By Charlie Bauder TOCCOA Police have released information about a fatal shooting over the weekend. Tomas Baiul Colbert, 21, of Toccoa died as the result of gunshots. Toccoa Police Chief Tim Jarrell said the shooting happened Sunday. "At approximately 6:20 a.m., the Toccoa Police Department was called to respond to an apartment located on Falls Road in Toccoa for a reported call of gunfire," Jarrell said Tuesday. "When officers arrived, they were led to the living room of the apartment by family members." Jarrell said Colbert had suffered several gunshot wounds and was conscious. Colbert was taken first to Stephens County Hospital then flown to Greenville Memorial Hospital in South Carolina. He died shortly after arriving at Greenville Memorial. Jarrell said no other details surrounding the shooting are being released at this time. "The incident is still under investigation by the Toccoa Police Department with the assistance of the Stephens County Sheriff's Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations," said Jarrell, who added that authorities are following up on several leads and conducting interviews. Jarrell added that authorities do not feel there is a reason for public alarm. "We do not believe this to be a random act," he said. There is no evidence the shooting took place during a burglary or home invasion, the chief said. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact either the detective division of the Toccoa Police Department at 706-282-3236 or the GBI tip line at 1-800-597-8477. After playing the menacing villain role opposite Thala Ajith in director Gautham Menon's 'Yennai Arindhaal', Arun Vijay became a much sought after actor in other languages too. He has acted as villain in the Telugu film 'Bruce Lee' with Ram Charan Teja and Puneeth Rajkumar starrer Kannada film 'Chakravyuha' which is in its shooting stage currently. Arun has not acted in any Tamil film after 'Yennai Arindhaal' that released in February 2015. He had completed shooting for director Rathna Siva's 'Vaa Deal' which has still not hit the screens. Now its time for the charming and talented actor to return to his home turf. The actor has just signed up to play the lead role in the Tamil film to be directed by Arivazhagan of 'Eeram' and 'Vallinam' fame. The acclaimed filmmaker is currently busy with the post production of 'Aarathu Sinam' starring Arulnithi and Aishwarya Rajesh in lead roles. After the release of this film he is expected to start working on his film with Arun Vijay. Currently the process of finalizing the cast and crew for the Arivazhagan-Arun Vijay film is underway. We can expect an official announcement regarding the project very soon. Many Indians have settled abroad over the years and countries such as the US, Canada, and the UK boast of having a highly vibrant Indian diaspora which contributes heavily toward their economic growth. India is fast emerging as an economic super power and this fact has not gone unnoticed among the NRIs. They have parked their dollars in India over the years. After the Indian economy was liberalized by the then P. V. Narasimha government in 1990s, foreign investment has seen a rapid rise in the country and it would not be wrong to assume that even NRIs have been an important cog of Indias growth story over the years. One factor that lured them into investing in India is higher returns on conversion. The NRIs these days would be keener to invest in an emerging India, which is being ably led by PM Modi and is perceived by the world as a bright spot among EMs (Emerging Markets). Given below are some investment options for NRIs. NRE / NRO / FCNR Fixed Deposits As an NRI, you can invest your money in a non-resident external (NRE) account and/or a non-resident ordinary (NRO) account. The money held in these accounts will be in rupees. You can access this as a normal savings account, a term deposit account, or a current account. A foreign currency non-resident bank deposit (FCNR) is an account where you can deposit your money in foreign currency. Please note that these accounts are not affected by fluctuations in exchange rates and can be held jointly with an Indian resident. The interest on such accounts is not taxed. However, the principal amount is taxed as per the wealth tax regulations. Direct Equity If you seek higher returns on investment, invest in Indian stock markets. However, stock markets are highly sensitive and one must observe the headwinds and the overall outlook carefully before foraying into the share market. Some experts reckon that staying invested for a long term insulates you from immediate happenings. Everything essentially boils down to your risk profile though. If you have a higher appetite for risk, while the returns might seem attractive, there is always an element of risk. Therefore, study the current market situation carefully and consult experts before taking any decision in this regard. Mutual Funds Mutual funds usually safeguard your capital. However, check the asset management companys rules carefully before investing. Most mutual funds provide NRIs with SIPs that allow you to break your total investment into monthly or quarterly installments. Invest in mutual funds on a repatriable or non-repatriable basis. If you want to invest on a repatriable basis, then have an NRE/FCNR account with a bank in India. In this case, the investment money should be remitted through usual banking channels or from the NRE and/or FCNR account of the NRI investor. On the other hand, the investment made on a non-repatriation basis provides funds from NRO account or NRE/FCNR account of the investor. Realty Investment Real estate investment is always a center of attraction in developing countries. Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) is more liquid compared with direct realty investment. NRIs can invest in commercial and residential properties without any approvals. Nonetheless, they cannot buy agricultural lands.In the past few years, there is a huge increase in investment opportunities for NRIs. The Indian government has simplified investment rules for NRIs and is encouraging them to invest more in India. As every investment option might not be of interest to you because of returns or any other factor in your pecking order of priorities, select the option that best fits your requirements and maximizes your returns. Pfizer Inc. commended recommendation by the US Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) Arthritis Advisory Committee to approve the investigational biosimilar infliximab (CT-P13) across all eligible indications by a vote of 21 to three. Celltrion's proposed biosimilar infliximab, to which Pfizer holds exclusive US commercialization rights, is the first biosimilar monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy to be reviewed by the FDA for licensure in the U.S., and is only the second biosimilar to be recommended for approval by a US FDA Advisory Committee.The FDA is considering the proposed biosimilar infliximab for all indications of the reference product eligible for licensure, including the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, adult ulcerative colitis, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and adult and pediatric Crohns disease.As a leading global biosimilars company and having seen firsthand the impact of biosimilars in other countries during the past eight years, we applaud the FDA Advisory Committee for reaching this positive recommendation," said Sumant Ramachandra, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president, Research & Development, Global Established Pharma, Pfizer Inc. Biosimilars represent an exciting opportunity to expand patient access to important treatments, and we are proud to be at the forefront of helping shape and prepare the U.S. market for these therapies.The Advisory Committees recommendation to approve the proposed biosimilar infliximab for all eligible indications, based on extrapolation of data, marks a critical next step in helping create a sustainable market for biosimilars in the US Pfizer recognizes the importance of this milestone in more broadly advancing opportunities to expand patient access to high-quality, lower-cost alternative treatment options through biosimilars.The FDA is not bound by the Advisory Committees recommendation, but the Agency takes its advice into consideration when reviewing the biologics license application (BLA) for medicinal products.We look forward to the FDAs continued review and, while awaiting its decision and certain other factors, we are moving ahead with the preparation of our launch plans for 2016, said Jenny Alltoft, global biosimilars lead, Pfizer Inc. Pfizer remains committed to bringing these important medicines to patients in the US as quickly as possible.Hospira, now a Pfizer company, entered into a business cooperation agreement with Celltrion in 2009 for several biosimilar products, including a potential biosimilar to Remicade (infliximab).1 Pfizer has exclusive commercialization rights to the proposed biosimilar infliximab in the US and certain other jurisdictions. on Wednesday announced the visit of the agriculture minister of Israel to India in the Month of April 2016 to cement the bilateral ties between India and Israel for its third phase cooperation.Addressing an Interactive Session of Indian agri and horti culture sector with visiting Israel business delegation here today under aegis of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Krush pointed out that the first phase of Indo-Israel business cooperation came into being in 2005 which is subsequently being strengthened with such visits.Recently the visit of President of Indian Republic and its External Affairs Minister to Israel has led to further intensifying the two countrys business and economic ties in multiple sector including defence and agri including the horti sector. Israel has limited landscape where as India has large acreages of land pieces that can be suitably nurtured to further enhanced its agri and horti produced with superior technologies from Israel and her advanced sowing methodologies, she said adding that in view of this background the visit of Israeli Agriculture Minister in the Month of April gains high significance.Speaking on the occasion, Managing Director, National Horticulture Board Dr. A K Singh also emphasized the need for further strengthening the cooperation in the agri and horti culture sector between India and Israel on an equitable proportion as the latter can help India improve its seed variety for higher production.According to him, the NHB has been laying additional focus on creating multi commodities storage facilities in India to ensure that its production is sufficiently kept safe and stopped for being wastage.In Jammu & Kashmir, the NHB has created lot of cold storage facilities including CA (Central Atmospheric) chains as a result the apple of the region is not sold off under price as with these facilities in place, the apple growing community has been selling its produce at its will in all seasons, he said.In his vote of thanks, Secretary General, PHD Chamber, Saurabh Sanyal also emphasized the need to diversifying Indias cooperation with Israel in other sectors also and offered the services of PHD Chamber in finding suitable business partners of both India and Israel in conducting their business in the most profitable manner.Among other who were also present on the occasion comprised Agriculture Attache, Embassy of Israel, Dan Alluf and Chairperson, Agribusiness Committee, PHD Chamber, Priyanka Mittal. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), in partnership with Persistent Systems today announced a new online collaborative experience for attendees at its 24th annual NASSCOM Indian Leadership Forum (NILF). The platform will provide a digital experience with all the videos, blogs and discussions being hosted in one easy to access site. NILF, whose theme this year is The Smart Enterprise Transformative to Disruptive, will launch the site this week at the conference in Mumbai as part of multiphase rollout of its new online community initiative designed to promote NASSCOMs mission to work with its members to help build a growth-led and sustainable technology and business services sector in the country. A key element of successful communities is to provide interactive features to drive engagement, for both members and non-members alike. NILF #NASSCOMmunity will provide multiple online forums with sub-forums covering an array of topics. From vertical industries, systems integrators and regionally-based forums (Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune) to human resources, legal and management subjects, attendees at the conference and those following from other locations will be able to network and actively engage in ways never seen at previous conferences. Each forum has a moderator, to help guide the discussions. Members and non-members can submit questions, which other users can then answer, creating an active community while also encouraging non-members to join. The community also provides valuable information and support to smaller companies looking for guidance across a range of topics to which they may not otherwise have access. Sangeeta Gupta, Senior Vice President, NASSCOM, said We are pleased to partner with Persistent Systems to create a robust online community to leverage the power of a rich digital community. This will make collaboration seamless, encourage new members and leverage the diverse knowledge base of the NASSCOM community. Munjay Singh, COO of Persistent Systems, said, As it embarks on leading the way the world views India innovation and business, NASSCOM community is a great demonstration of the power of digital transformation. They have put in place a sophisticated platform for helping members work smarter and encouraging more organizations to join while offering a valuable resource for companies. Were excited about this first phase of the community as it will offers attendees of NILF a level of engagement theyve never experienced before. Prevent Unauthorized Transactions in your demat / trading account Update your Mobile Number/ email Id with your stock broker / Depository Participant. 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Cipla: Cipla Ltd, one of the leading drug makers in India, will announce its Q3 numbers today.IIFL forecasts the companys net revenue for Q3 FY16 to increase to Rs. 3,403 crore, growing at a rate of 23.1% yoy; however, it is likely to drop 1.4% qoq.ITC: Fortis Inc and ITC Holdings Corp. announced that they have entered into an agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which Fortis will acquire ITC in a transaction valued at approximately US$11.3 billion.Motherson Sumi: The company posted a net profit after taxes, minority interest and share of profit of associates of Rs. 3073.50 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 as compared to Rs. 2542.10 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.TCS: TCS allayed market concerns about the state of demand in the Banking and Financial Services industry vertical by reiterating that TCS' business in the BFS vertical continues to grow well, ahead of the overall company growth.Ambuja Cement: The company will announce its Q3 numbers today.IIFL forecasts the companys net profit for Q4 FY15 to decline to Rs. 204 crore, at a rate of 37.9% yoy; however, it is likely to go up 32.8% qoq.Jet Airways (India) Ltd: Jet Airways is expected to place another large aircraft order, a top official at aircraft maker Boeing Co. has been quoted as saying by a business daily.Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd: The company reported a narrowing of its standalone net loss at Rs. 45.8 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015.Raymond said its Board has approved raising of up to Rs. 100 crore through issuance of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on private placement basis.IDBI Bank Ltd: State-owned IDBI Bank raised Rs. 1,000 crore from bonds on private placement basis to fund infrastructure projects.Prestige Estates Projects Ltd: Prestige Estates Projects reported 35% decline in standalone net profit at Rs. 64.85 crore for the quarter ended December.SRF: The company said it has claimed Rs. 80 crore as damage from the insurance company for its Manali plant due to recent floods and rains in Tamil Nadu.Essar Oil Ltd: Essar Oil net profit increased to Rs. 364 crore in the third quarter if 2015-16 from Rs. 52 crore a year ago despite a decline in revenue, driven by robust margins.MOIL: The companys standalone revenue stood at Rs. 87.81 crore, down 59.79% yoy and 40.13% qoq.Allahabad Bank: Allahabad Bank Bank, mid-sized PSU bank, reported standalone net loss of Rs. 486.14 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015.The bank's Net Interest Income (NII) stood at Rs. 1,416.22 crore, registering decline of 12.65% yoy and 11.87% qoq.Larsen & Toubro: L&T has been awarded the INR 1,734-crore EPC contract to work on the construction of the Dholera smart city, reports a business daily.Hindalco Industries: The companys standalone revenue stood at Rs. 8,150.27 crore, down 5.26% yoy and 8.68% qoq.GAIL (India): The companys standalone revenue stood at Rs. 13,451.58 crore, down 10.14% yoy and 5.04% qoq.Suprajit Engineering: The companys standalone revenue stood at Rs. 159.07 crore, clocking growth of 12.74% yoy and 7.31% qoq.Dena Bank: Dena Bank, financial services company, reported standalone net loss of Rs. 662.85 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015.Ramco Cements: The companys consolidated revenue stood at Rs. 821.21 crore, up 0.58% yoy but down 8.38% qoqSpiceJet, IndiGo: Competition Appellate Tribunal stayed penalties totalling Rs. 106 crore imposed by CCI on IndiGo and SpiceJet for alleged cartelisation in fixing fuel surcharge on air cargo, as per report.Jubilant Life Sciences: Jubilant Life Sciences, integrated global pharmaceutical, reported consolidated net profit of Rs.116.93 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, registering growth of 0.96% qoq.SAIL: The company posted a net loss of Rs. 15287.30 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 as compared to net profit of Rs. 5790.90 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.Punjab National Bank: The Bank reported standalone net profit of Rs. 51.01 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, registering decline of 93.41% yoy and 91.78% qoq.Sunil Hitech Engineers: Sunil Hitech Engineers , diversified company with interest in power plant construction, reported standalone net profit of Rs. 12.75 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, registering growth of 40.17% yoy.Gujarat Fluorochemicals: The companys consolidated revenue stood at Rs. 1,608.22 crore, down 0.79% yoy and 10.42% qoq.Ashiana Housing: The company reported a fall of 95% in net profit to Rs.0.26 crore for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2015 as compared to Rs.5.3 crore in the same period last year.Britannia Industries: Britannia Industries , biscuit maker, reported consolidated net profit of Rs.207.59 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, registering growth of 51.22% yoy.Eros International Media: The companys consolidated revenue stood at Rs. 335.38 crore, down 31.66% yoy and 33.58% qoq.Aurobindo Pharma: Aurobindo Pharma , pharmaceutical research company, reported consolidated net profit of Rs. 534.95 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, registering growth of 39.18% yoy.Ramco System: The companys consolidated revenue stood at Rs. 117.60 crore, witnessing growth of 9.19% qoq and 19.87% yoy.Apollo Tyres: Apollo Tyres, tyre maker, reported consolidated net profit of Rs. 278.60 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, registering growth of 51.25% yoy.Gulf Oil Lubricants India: The companys standalone revenue stood at Rs. 260.23 crore, up 9.07% yoy. CMP Rs2,960, 1-yr Target Rs3,350, Upside 13.2% Sequentially weak quarter as emerging market weakness clouds sustained US performance qoq Revenues miss estimates at -0.5% qoq with strength in US (+4.6% qoq), India (+6.2% qoq) offset by Europe and emerging markets (-3.3% qoq) Remediation, site transfer costs and settlement expenses for Zoledronic lead to margin miss; PAT declines ~20% qoq Weak FY17E outlook though earnings could rebound in FY18E; retain Accumulate with revised 1-year target of Rs3,350 Result table (Rs cr) Q3 FY16 Q2 FY16 % qoq Q3 FY15 % yoy Net sales 3,968 3,989 (0.5) 3,843 3.2 RM & other costs (1,302) (1,253) 3.9 (1,326) (1.8) Purchase of traded goods (307) (289) 6.4 (282) 8.8 Gross profit 2,359 2,447 (3.6) 2,235 5.5 Gross margin (%) 59.5 61.3 (189) bps 58.2 129 bps R&D (410) (447) (8.5) (432) (5.1) SG&A (946) (859) 10.1 (911) 3.8 Operating profit 1,004 1,140 (12.0) 893 12.4 OPM (%) 25.3 28.6 (330) bps 23.2 206 bps Depreciation (258) (247) 4.5 (204) 26.3 Interest (6) (22) - 101 (106.1) Other income 12 32 (61.9) 34 (64.2) PBT 752 904 (16.8) 824 (8.7) Tax (179) (188) (4.8) (254) (29.6) Effective tax rate (%) 23.8 20.8 300 bps 30.8 (706) bps Associate share 6 6 13.7 5 37.3 PAT 580 722 (19.7) 575 0.9 PAT margin (%) 14.6 18.1 (349) bps 15.0 (35) bps Emerging FX depreciation drive top line miss; SG&A weighs on margins Dr Reddys reported sequential loss of momentum in revenues and margin as both top line and EBIDTA missed our estimates. Revenues declined 0.5% qoq as robust performance in US (+4.6% qoq) and India (+6.2 % qoq) was offset by ~9% qoq decline in Europe and 3.3% drop in emerging markets. Overall global generics grew 2.4% qoq while PSAI segment declined 14% on remediation linked costs and lower PAT share in a dominant product though dispatches have since revived. EBDITA margin fell 330bps qoq to 25.3% vs. expected 29.2% on lower gross margin and higher SG&A costs which included remediation, site transfer costs and settlement expenses of patent litigation with Novartis on Zoledronic acid and other routine items. R&D expenses of Rs. 410cr or 10.3% of sales includes milestone payment from Merck Serono for biosimilars program. Reported PAT at -19.7% qoq missed our estimate on weaker margin and top line print. Rs cr Q3 FY16 Q2 FY16 % qoq Q3 FY15 % yoy Global Generics 3,356 3,277 2.4 3,134 7.1 North America 1,942 1,856 4.6 1,646 18.0 Europe 194 212 (8.8) 170 13.8 India 581 546 6.2 433 34.1 Emerging markets 640 662 (3.3) 884 (27.6) Pharma scvs & APIs 508 592 (14.1) 611 (16.9) North America 104 69 49.9 89 16.0 Europe 195 243 (19.6) 264 (26.1) India 62 72 (14.1) 95 (34.4) ROW 147 208 (29.1) 163 (9.7) Proprietary products & others 104 120 (13.7) 98 5.6 Total 3,968 3,989 (0.5) 3,843 3.2 North America: Global generics growth at 7.1% yoy was driven by North America (+18% yoy), India (+34% yoy) and Europe (+13.8% yoy). NA growth was led by seasonally strong performance of injectables and market share gains in key molecules. Company filed four generics (3 ANDAs and 1 NDA under 505 (b) (2) route. Cumulative 79 ANDAs pending approvals of which 52 are Para IVs and 18 FTFs. India and Europe: Robust growth of 34% yoy and 6.2% qoq driven by momentum of mega brands and integration of UCB portfolio; even ex-UCB, base business growth has been 19% which company expects to be sustainable. Company mentioned that on an annualized basis incremental export incentive stood at Rs.150cr. Europe revenues also came in healthy at +13.8% yoy primarily driven by Aripiprazole and Pregabalin. Emerging markets: Emerging market sales declined ~28% yoy due to across the board weakness in geographies 1) 21% yoy drop in Russian revenues due to Rouble depreciation though local currency sales grew 5% yoy on a high base 2) ROW revenue decline of 38% mostly due to deliberate sales cut down in Venezuela given the repatriation issues; company recognized charge of Rs. 64cr on Venezuela monetary assets and liabilities at depreciated rate of VEF 198 to US$ and 3) CIS and Romania sales decline of 17%. Conference call highlights Regulatory update: cannot provide guidance on time line for warning letter resolution; have kept FDA updated from our side. Few approvals got delayed from impacted sites. Most of the concerns of channel partners and API customers wrt warning letter have been mitigated. Venezuela update: Venezuela exposure at US$60.7mn pending repatriation and sales at US$18mn in Q3; sales would taper off from this quarter. Biosimilar strategy: filing in important emerging markets for biosimilars and talking to respective emerging market regulators; regulated market strategy is through partnership and nothing concrete in the short term in regulated markets. Got a milestone payment in Q3 from Merck Serono wrt biosimilar development. PSAI business : some impact due to remediation actions though nothing major to be reported from existing products and even PSAI decline is largely behind us. PAT share with a customer for a product which had dominant share has come down due to entry of several generic players though already back on track in terms of dispatches. India business : Domestic business had a strong quarter with UCB assets. Even ex UCB, base business growth is about 19% in Q3. Portfolio balanced between specialty, acute and chronic in domestic market. Hopeful of maintaining growth rate in this range and a few % pts above market. US business : base business price erosion broadly in line with that experienced by peers but effect is uneven. Oral solids and crowded areas would see price erosion as channel consolidation happens in a big way. Going into clinical trials wherever required for transdermals. Much better visibility on Copaxone as far as science part of it and do not want to rush it. Would target couple of NDA filings every year. Gleevec: site issue should not be an issue; one part of filing from an impacted site. Missed a few approvals which would have been financially big. Nexium: did not lose market share due disruption but price has gone down though still a good product for DRL. None of Q3 filings are due to site transfers and are fresh filings. Gross margin: decline of 170bps qoq in global generics largely due to currency depreciation in emerging markets. Extending scope of KAPPA plan to other non impacted plants. SG&A costs : includes some remediation costs (payment to consultants), site transfer costs, settlement of product litigation. Acquisition and cash usage: If acquisitions do not materialize, may think of other corporate actions to make use of cash. Q4 outlook : some impact from renewed Russia currency depreciation and not much sales going into Q4 for Venezuela. For injectables, it would be a weak quarter as Q3 is a heavy Q though lack of new launches would imply no offset for such weakness in US. FY18E earnings recovery priced in: retain Accumulate Dr Reddys is likely to end FY16 on a subdued note given currency depreciation and soft US injectables business in Q4; we expect current lack of meaningful approvals to have a lagged impact on US business in FY17E which would have a negative impact on margins. However, we do bake in recovery in FY18E as site transfers and large product like Copaxone would provide reasonable visibility to earnings along with improved prospect for approvals. We revise FY17E estimates and roll over valuations to FY18E even as warning letter overhang to keep a lid on PE rerating; retain Accumulate with 1-year target of Rs3,350 (earlier Rs3,500). Y/e 31 Mar (Rs cr) FY15 FY16E FY17E FY18E Revenues 14,819 15,528 17,214 19,453 yoy growth (%) 12.1 4.8 10.9 13.0 Operating profit 3,347 3,835 4,080 4,727 OPM (%) 22.6 24.7 23.7 24.3 Reported PAT 2,218 2,575 2,725 3,189 yoy growth (%) 3.1 16.1 5.8 17.0 EPS (Rs) 130.4 151.4 160.2 187.5 P/E (x) 22.7 19.6 18.5 15.8 P/BV (x) 4.5 3.8 3.2 2.7 EV/EBITDA (x) 16.3 13.8 12.7 10.7 Debt/Equity (x) 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 ROE (%) 21.8 20.9 18.7 18.6 ROCE (%) 16.7 17.0 15.9 16.5 Source: Company, India Infoline ResearchSource: Company, India Infoline ResearchSource: Company, India Infoline Research Travel is always a good idea. And if youre visiting a place during the season of fests and carnivals then you know that you're going to make vibrant and colourful memories. From traditional dresses and music, to exotic food, carnivals are the best for an out-ofthe-box vacation. So take a moment out of your dull life, and visit these 11 carnivals on your travels ! 1. Taj Mahotsav, Agra, Uttar Pradesh Its #jhoola time! #TajMahotsav #mela #rides A photo posted by Namita Gahtori (@namita_babbit) on Feb 21, 2015 at 5:30am PST They say the Taj Mahal is best seen when you visit the iconic monument during the Taj Mahotsav. Its an annual 10-day program that will begin on 18th February. About 400 artists from different parts of the country display their works in this event. Along with cultural performances, this festival invokes the memories of the old Mughal era. 2. Jaisalmer Desert Festival, Rajasthan Guy came up to me and asked if I wanted to go on a camel ride with his boss for the festival. Warily agreed and was asked to wear these traditional Rajasthani clothes. Then was put on a famous camel with a famous man and we rode out into the stadium where 10,000 people watched as I handed the guy a glass of coke. Was then bombarded by hundreds of people wanting photos. Twas good. #jaisalmer #jaisalmerdesertfestival #desertfestival #famousfortwodays A photo posted by Kai Owens (@kai_owens) on Feb 3, 2015 at 7:33pm PST Jaisalmer Desert Festival is a three-day long extravaganza of dances, music, handicraft fairs and interesting competitions- like 'Mr Desert' pageant, a 'turban-tying' contest and a 'best moustache' contest. The festival is organised by the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation. Besides the food, the music and the cultural performances, there are camel rides, processions, camel polo, and even a camel tug-of-war. All of these events are held against the backdrop of the awesome Jaisalmer fort. At night, fireworks display at night light up the entire area. JDF will begin from 20th February. 3. Kumbh Mela, Haridwar, Uttar Pradesh Clicked by: @sadak_chap Spiritual Swag. #india #indiapictures #incredibleindia #allahbad #kumbhmela A photo posted by #IndiaPictures (@indiapictures) on Dec 16, 2015 at 12:33am PST Kumbh Mela is the largest gathering of Hindu pilgrims, celebrated every twelve years at four holy places - Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. The grand event held by rotation, takes place on the banks of the sacred rivers Godavari, Kshipra, Yamuna and Ganga. During this big fair, Hindus pilgrims gather at the sacred Ganges river for a holy bath. The major attractions of this big religious fair are the procession of Naga Sadhu Holy Men of India and procession of Akharas marching. 4. Ambubachi Fair, Assam #Ambubachi #mela at #kamakhya #Temple. #assam #ambubachimela #guwahati #instadaily #instagood #spiritual A photo posted by Bihu Festival Of Assam (@bihufestival) on Jul 12, 2015 at 4:25am PDT Ambubachi Mela, also known as Ambubasi festival, is held every year during the monsoon in the Kamakhya Devi Temple at Guwahati, Assam. This year, it will begin on Ambubachi Mela and go on till the 26th. The festival is closely associated with the Tantric Shakti cult prevalent in eastern parts of India and is famous due to the assembling of Tantric Sadhus from India and abroad. Some of these Tantric Babas appear before public only during these four days. 5. Hemis Gompa Fair, Ladakh The Hemis Gompa festival is another religious fair and is considered the most auspicious occasion for the Buddhist community in India. This grand fair is held at the famous Hemis Gompa, a Buddhist monastery, located in Ladakh. The famous Hemis Gompa is surrounded by mountain rocks and concealed inside the Hemis National Park. It will take place on July 14th and 15th this year. 6. Pushkar Fair, Rajasthan The Pushkar fair is an annual five day camel and livestock fair. It is one of the largest livestock fairs in the world where almost 50,000 camels are decorated, shaved, raced and sold every year. At the Pushkar fair, Hindu pilgrims take a dip in the sacred Pushkar lake. Other highlights of this fair are competitions such as matka phod, longest moustache and bridal competition. The Pushkar fair will begin on 8th November this year. 7. Kutch Rann Utsav, Gujarat At the Rann Utsav Tent City #umbrella #rannutsav #kutch #gujarat #gujarattourism A photo posted by Ramamoorthi N Iyer (@instaram69) on Jan 28, 2016 at 9:56am PST Rann Utsav is the best way to celebrate life. The festival opens on a full moon night where there is an endless cycle of dance and music, where even century old traditions are revived. The colourful fairs are held near the beach with activities such as horse rides, camel safaris, para motoring, archery and more that are a part of this two month long celebration. It is believed that the best time to visit Kutch is during the Rann Utsav. The festival will begin on 18th November this year. 8. Basel Fasnacht, Switzerland Fasnacht liegt in der Luft... #fasnacht2016 #baselland #BaselFasnacht #BaslerFasnacht #kinderumzug #freude #fasnacht #tradition A photo posted by Shopping Center St. Jakob-Park (@stjakobpark) on Feb 4, 2016 at 11:13am PST Basel Fasnacht or the Basel Carnival works as a landmark for Switzerland. The Basel Fasnacht is not only the biggest festival in Switzerland, but probably the most crowded one in the world. Both locals and travellers take part in this event with zeal and enthusiasm. Celebrated for three days, Basel Fasnacht is said to be the only Protestant carnival in the world. The whole atmosphere of the festival is similar to going to a party. There is dance, music, singing and drinking. The participants dress up as clowns and entertain the onlookers with their antics. Basel Fasnacht will begin on February 15th 9. Carnival of Cultures, Berlin #CarnivalofCultures #Kreutzberg #2015 A photo posted by Tanya Leighton (@tanyaleighton) on May 24, 2015 at 5:28am PDT The idea for this event came from the Workshop of the Cultures, which was launched in the multi-nation district Kreuzberg in 1993. The carnival intended to be a symbol of demonstration of peace and colour, the idea of a tolerant and open society. The first Carnival of Cultures happened in 1996 with 2,000 participants and 50,000 visitors, and soon developed into one of the largest events of its kind in Europe. Off late, the festival has witnessed over 4,000 participants and more than a million visitors. Most beautiful displays and costumes are awarded. In addition to the carnival parade through Kreuzberg, a festival on the Bluecherplatz with music from around the globe is an integral part of the Carnival of Cultures. Carnival of Cultures is going to take place from 13th to 16th May this year. 10. Notting Hill Carnival, London, England The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event started in 1966. Since then, it has taken place on the streets of Notting Hill, each August over two days. It attracts around one million people, making it one of the world's largest street festivals, and a significant event in British culture. The best part is that theres something exciting for everyone at this festival and the entire vibe is similar to that of a sea of colours. It will take place on August 28th. 11. Cologne Carnival, Germany Cologne carnival #cologne #carnival #colognecarnival A photo posted by Nina (@firesoul919) on Feb 8, 2016 at 8:17am PST Street carnival, a week-long street festival, popularly known as the Crazy Days , takes place between the Fat Thursday and ends on Ash Wednesday. The highlight of the festival is Rose Monday two days before Ash Wednesday. All through these days, Cologne folks go out masqueraded. The typical greeting during the festival is Kolle Alaaf!, a Kolsch phrase which means Cologne above all! Have we missed anything? Let us know in the comments below! We love living in denial, don't we? We find comfort in sticking to the basics, going by the things we know and turning a blind eye to the things we don't. Take a country, for instance. We know what it is, but in reality, the concept of a country is a little more complex than just that. The globe, or the atlas for that matter, is full of little regions that should ideally be recognised as a country, yet for various reasons they are not recognised by the United Nations and are ignored on most world maps. It is really like entering a parallel universe, actually. These nations have a history not known to many, a rich culture, a clear set of beliefs apart from having a fixed population, a flag, their own set of rules and regulations, and a currency. Some of them can even issue a legit passport. Yet, they aren't recognised as a separate nation by the United Nations, often considered the final seal of recognition. Here are some nations that should be recognised as a country, but aren't. 1. Sealand Conde Nast Traveller An elevated barge right in between the United Kingdom and Europe might look like a disused oil rig but it is actually a country of its own. Yes, you read that right. Presided over by the Bates family, this fortress island is almost 13Km away from the British coastline and is perhaps worlds smallest sovereign entity. Built during World War II, it stood six Kms beyond British marine territory without anyones legal claim over it. Not even the UK. Taking advantage of this loophole, in the year 1966 on Christmas eve, Roy Bates, a former British military serviceman, took his claim over it and named it the sovereign Principality of Sealand. Whats more, in a grand romantic gesture he went on to declare his wife a princess. Ever since, there has been a continuous stand-off between Bates and Sealands powerful neighbor till date. Conde Nast Traveller Currently, Roys son, Prince Michael Bates is the ruler of Sealand. 2. Christiania wikipedia Also known as Freetown Christiania, this country hosts about 850 residents across 34 hectares of land in a small part of Denmark's capital, Copenhagen. Christiania was temporarily closed by its residents back in April 2011, while they were having a dialogue with the Danish government regarding their future, but is open to everyone now. There have been differences leading to conflicts between its people and the Danish government since its creation back in 1971, but off late, things have become more relaxed. The Danish government has also been more tolerant with Christiana's cannabis trade which has led to riots, damage to property and even murder in the past. If you ever end up travelling here, make sure you're not seen clicking pictures. Determined to keep their city away from Danish intervention, they will make sure you don't see your camera again. Other than that, the country is pretty liberal. One of the famous places to visit there is the Gay House - a centre for gay activism, parties and theatre. Such is the fame of the gay house that homosexuals from all across Denmark come to Christiania to attend the high-acclaimed shows. 3. Crimea europe.newsweek.com Covering a comparatively large area of 27,000 square km, Crimea is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea. The only land border it shares is with Ukraine from the North. Crimea has always been a land we hear about in fables. In the past, they have been colonised by the ancient Greeks, the ancient Persians, the Romans, the Byzantine empire, the Goths, the Genoese, even the Ottoman empire. In the recent past, Crimea was annexed by the Russians in 1783 and became a republic as a part of USSR. It was downgraded to Crimean Oblast during the second World War. It got transferred to Ukranian Soviet Socialist Republic and became a part of Ukraine in 1991. If you think you're having it difficult in life, know this, Crimea got annexed by the Russians again in 2014. In spite of all the political unrest, Crimea has been a hotspot for tourists since the 90s with Nat Geo naming it in the top 20 destinations to travel to in the world in 2014. 4. The Republic of Lakotah decolonialatlas.files.wordpress.com The Republic of Lakotah is a sizeable area of land within the United States and boasts of a population of more than 100,000 people. Located bang in the middle of America, Lakotah's story of struggle began in the 18th century when they signed a deal with the American government that promised them the right to live in the Black Hills. The Black Hills, however, turned out to be sacred to many others, thanks to the land's ability to produce gold. For more than a century, the American government forgot about the plight of the locals before issuing an apology in 1998. The court decided to compensate the Lakotah Sioux for nearly $600 million, but they refused their money. They believed if they had taken the money, it would've come across as if the atrocities committed on them were alright. In 2007, they declared a formal withdrawal from the US. The Republic of Lakotah continues to fight for their independence. 5. Barotseland barotseland.info With a population of around 3.5 million and located in a region between Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Angola and Zambia, Barotseland is humungous if we were to compare it with the other countries on this list. Forming a unified group of over 20 individual tribes from around the region, the Barotse speak Silozi, a complex language derived from several tribal languages. It is said that the Barotse nation was founded by Queen Mbuywamwambwa, the Lozi matriarch, over 500 years ago, with people migrating from all over Africa, mainly Congo. Around 1889, King Lewanika signed a treaty to provide the kingdom recognition as a state. This was also around the time when the King had just begun trading the diamonds found in the state with Europe. He signed a trade concession and in return, his kingdom was to be protected. Later, seeking better military protection, King Lewanika signed another treaty with the British South African Company in 1890. This put Barotseland as another unit of Northern Rhodesia. Lewanika protested to the Queen but that didn't make any difference. In 1900, United Kingdom proclaimed and governed the land as part of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia. 6. Murrawarri Republic wp.com The Murrawarri Republic is a micronation that declared its independence from Australia very recently in 2013. They are located in a small area on the borders of New South Wales and Queensland. Interestingly, the Murrawarri Republic released an independence declaration to the Queen of England and the Prime Minister of Australia. In the letter sent, they asked Queen Elizabeth II to prove her legitimacy over their land. They gave 30 days to Australia and the Queen to respond. Not getting a response, they formally became a nation. Their declaration of independence, however, is still unrecognised by the Australian government. 7. Principality of Hutt River ournakedaustralia.com.au Australia has a number of rebels, it seems. Previously known as the Hutt River Province, it is known to be the oldest micronation of Australia. Hutt River is a principality set up by farmers to escape the stringent grain quotas set up by the Australian government. After decades of struggle, the people of the province no longer have to pay Australian taxes. They even have their own currency now. So cute. Then there are many more that haven't been featured here but are equally important on the world map. They deserve our recognition. filmfare Looks like Sunny Leone is definitely controversy's favourite child! Remember how recently she made headlines with her infamous interview with journalist Bhupendra Chaubey? Yeah, the same one where he asked her really uncomfortable and borderline insulting questions. It was that time when the entire film industry supported Sunny Leone and stood up for her. Even Aamir Khan himself clarified after the interview that he'd have no problem whatsoever working with her in the future. This was when Chaubey had asked her whether an Aamir Khan would ever work with an actress like her. And now, just when the controversy was behind her, the girl seems to have landed in another soup! Her sex comedy film, Mastizaade, has landed in legal trouble. A complaint has been registered against Sunny, her co-star Vir Das, and the cast and the crew of the movie. Reportedly, a case has been filed in the Adarsh Nagar police station in Delhi and the matter is currently under investigation. Apparently, the reason for the complaint was that the actors were promoting condom inside a temple in the movie in a very vulgar way. bollywoodlife In fact, according to reports, an Army personnel too had filed a complaint against the film because some parts of the film allegedly diminish the dignity of wives and mothers of the Army men on duty. Rao claimed that the fundamental right of the Army men and women members of their families has been violated in the film which hurt the sentiments of Indian Army personnel and their families. He sought a ban on the movie on the internet as well as in theatres. No doubt, Mastizaade has been the surrounded with controversies ever since it was announced! 18-year-old Marina, a Potterhead from Brazil, tweeted a series of distressing messages one night, tagging the author of the Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling in one of them. @jk_rowling could you please teach me how to scare the dementors that have been living under my bed? i'm tired of being sad all the time pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 im tired of feeling useless all the time pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 im tired of panick attacks and my head aching and those dark circles under my eyes pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 why do i even do this to myself pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 everything looks faded and my head hurts pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 because i try so fucking hard to be that perfect friend or daughter but i cant make anything right pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 i wish i could just disappear pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 pack my things and leave pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 some day i'll do it. pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 some day soon I'll leave this life behind pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 J.K. Rowling replied to the girls message, expressing her support. They're bothering a unique, valuable human being who deserves happiness. Ask for help. Don't fight alone. Big hug. https://t.co/V8ocAHN1Ll J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 8, 2016 Soon after, Potterheads from around the world started tweeting their support to Marina! @mtrssmustdie @jk_rowling was feeling the same, made this meme last year. HP always gave me strength. Hang in there pic.twitter.com/xImEHnkgkh MyTVPC (@MYTVPC) February 8, 2016 @jk_rowling @mtrssmustdie Stay strong, Hogwarts is always here for the ones who need help. 'til the infinity (@nuvoleenocciole) February 8, 2016 @jk_rowling @mtrssmustdie And don't forget to eat chocolate every now & then! *hugs from another person fighting her dementors* Samara Surface (@iwaitandhope) February 8, 2016 @mtrssmustdie @jk_rowling Expecto patronum comes in many forms <3 You are not alone, and we're here for you. <3 Elf (@elfhybrid_) February 8, 2016 @iwaitandhope @jk_rowling @mtrssmustdie Hugs from across the pond, too. Don't be too hard on yourself, either. xox Angela Rynan Durrell (@Rowaenthe) February 8, 2016 @iwaitandhope @jk_rowling @mtrssmustdie It's like the weather. Sometimes you have to brave the storm to get to the rainbow. Chin up! Lori (@whoeveriamtoday) February 8, 2016 @mtrssmustdie Sending so much love and happy thoughts your way Calum McSwiggan (@CalumMcSwiggan) February 8, 2016 Marina was overwhelmed by the love coming her way! you are all so sweet oh my god potterhead love is the best kind of love pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 oh god im going to sleep now with a big smile on my face pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 oh my god i cant breathe i love potterheads and our queen pale emo nerd (@mtrssmustdie) February 8, 2016 Cover image via The Independent There's no Valentine's Day party like a Sanghi Valentine's Day party because on a Sanghi V Day party you get... beaten? reuters For the last 10 years, Bajrang Dal and other fringe activists have marked Valentine's Day by beating, chasing away, and in some cases even marrying off couples they caught on Valentine's Day. But not this year - the gang has given up the path of violence toi Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena have both been asked to not misbehave with couples on the 14th of February this year. They have received instructions not to interfere with couples, the Indian Express reported. The Bajrang Dal's reasoning: there's no hope for couples indulging in "acts" in public areas, as they are similar to nature of animals. Yet, the organisation's normal V-Day scheduling continues, including torching Valentines Day cards reuters National head of Shiv Senas youth wing, Aditya Thackeray, has issued strict directions to not misbehave with any boy or girl on Valentines Day. He does not want assault or misbehaviour with youths. Shiv Sena is against western culture and we have communicated our message during past years. We are not going to assault any couple. If any worker will misbehave or assault any couple, he will be expelled from the party, said Anil Singh, UP head of Shiv Sena. The new sangh on the block, the Hindu Mahasabha is pumping saffron madness into the day of red with full fervour - theyre getting people married. Our workers will move in parks, malls and other public places with white roses on February 14. They will ask the couples, who have attained the minimum age for marriage, to get married if they truly love each other...we will facilitate their marriage at our national headquarters in New Delhi with proper Hindu rituals, Chandra Prakash Kaushik, a self proclaimed ABHM national president told Indian Express. If you dont agree to get married, you still get freebies, with a boring lecture. Those who do not agree to get married or are found under-age, will be given white roses and told that rose day, kiss day, chocolate day and Valentines Day are part of western culture and celebrating them at public place was vulgar, Kaushik added. Much before Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal introduced the 'odd-even' car transport system that ended up de-congesting roads in the national capital, the Bihar education department had been using this formula for rationing space in schools. Reuters A number of government schools in the state are run either in different shifts or on alternate days. Some of these even schedule different timings for boys and girls. All because of inadequate infrastructure. Among such schools is the MD High School at Kanhouli on NH-101 near Baniapur in Saran. This institute runs classes for boys and girls on alternate days it has roughly equal number of girls and boys. Students of both genders attend only half the session. But an unfazed school administration claims it covers the entire syllabus during this period. biharboard When contacted, Saran district education officer Awadhesh Bihari said, "Shortage of classrooms and more than 3,000 students on the school rolls are the main reasons behind taking classes on alternate days." He said the headmaster has been directed to submit proposals for the construction of additional classrooms. "Many schools are facing shortage of rooms and we are trying to improve the situation. We expect things will start improving in the coming days," Awadhesh added. There are other school buildings in Chhapra, either on rent or with their own premises. Some of these buildings are used for running different schools in shifts. These schools have separate timetables for students. If students of one school attend classes in the morning, those of the other school come in the afternoon. "It's a fine example of 'odd-even' system to decongest schools," said a teacher who did not want to be named. The kids do not mind this in the least, as it gives them just three school days a week, with Sundays closed for everybody including teachers. Testing of high quality fake Indian currency notes (FICN) by laboratories across four of country's mints/security paper mills have found them to be no more than a visual imitation, with none of the security features of real currency notes breached. Reuters The task of testing and verifying the current status of security features on FICN was entrusted to CBI by Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi around two months back. The purpose was to check if foreign suppliers of security paper, ink or printing machines to India, who were also supplying these items to Pakistan or China, could have compromised the security features of Indian currency. Fake currency notes seized from West Bengal, Maharashtra and Delhi were sent to laboratories at Currency Note Press, Nashik; Bank Note Press, Dewas; RBI mint in Salboni, West Bengal; and Security Paper Mill, Hoshangabad, to check for the presence of security features found in the original currency notes. The security features of Indian notes include the Mahatma Gandhi watermark, security thread, latent image showing the respective denominational value in numeral, microlettering, intaglio (raised print), flouroscence, optically variable ink and see-through register. oneindia The tests, according to sources in the agencies, found that none of the security features were breached in the FICN. "The technical breach is zero," said an officer who has perused the test results. However, visual imitation was found to be very high, at around 85-90%. The officer revealed that the security thread in the FICN, in particular, looked the same as in a real note, to the untrained eye, but was not made to the real specifications. Also, the optically variable ink looked greenish-blue but was not made with the same chemicals used in the original note. A government officer said the lack of any technical breach of security features in FICN may demolish the agencies' distrust of foreign suppliers of material/equipment for currency notes, who also supply to Pakistan or China. More than three-fourth of the security paper used to manufacture Indian currency notes is foreign-made, imported from multiple suppliers. After years of suffering silently, women from India's Dawoodi Bohra community has taken it upon themselves to end a practice that has haunted them for generations, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). aljazeera They have also started a month-long campaign Each One Reach One in collaboration with Speak Out on FGM. The initiative kicks off on February 6 which is International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation and will go on until March 8 on International Womens Day. "The basic idea behind it is that the sexuality of a girl/woman has to be controlled by the man. It perpetuates the idea that womens bodies have to be altered, their sexuality has to be curbed, she should be denied the right to love, and the right to enjoy sex or even have an orgasm," Masooma Ranalvi a 49-year-old publisher who herself was a victim of the practice as a 7-year-old told The Huffington Post. BBC The campaigners say, despite a huge number of FGMs happening across the community, most of them go under reported because of the fear of backlash. What is FGM? FGM refers to the total or partial removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is recognised internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It is a practice mostly by the Borha community among the Shia Muslims. It is usually performed on girls as young as 6-7 years. The process is done by religious women, midwives or doctors who cut the tip of a girl's clitoris. AFP How is is different from male circumcision? Female genital mutilation or female circumcision is different from male circumcision because female circumcision is damaging to female sexual and psycho-sexual health. Healing from typical male circumcision, especially a newborn circumcision, can take just a few days to a week or so. In contrast, a typical female circumcision, even on a newborn, can take months to heal, and often the damage from the circumcision never really heals, leaving many women with numerous medical problems that can last a lifetime. AFP Why? The procedure is the result of a combination of cultural, religious and social factors within families and communities. The most common reason the community members give for practising FGM is that it moderates a woman's sexual urges and prevents her from becoming promiscuous. pamelageller Countries where FGM is practised According to UNICEF at least 200 million females today have undergone FGM. About 60 million of affected females come from one country, Indonesia, where about half of the girls age 11 and below have undergone the practice. Other countries where it is rampant are Egypt, Ethiopia, Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti and Sierra Leone. In India Even though it was largely un-reported for years, new claims from campaigners state that the inhuman practice was prevalent among the Dawoodi Bohra community in India, mainly in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Dawoodi are the largest sub-sect in Bohra. AFP Rising International Voice In December 2012, the UN General Assembly unanimously voted to work for the elimination of FGM by 2030. Recently Nigeria and Gambia, outlawed the practice. No law against it exists in India. Chhattisgarh village Ninwa gram panchayat managed to achieve what the state has been struggling with for years - creating an open-defecation free (ODF) in just three months. It was a joint effort of the villagers that brought the difference, village sarpanch (head) Girendra Sahu told Business Standard Inspired by the Swachh Bharat Mission Only 77 out of 350 houses had toilets here. I along with panches (village representatives) and group of villagers contacted the remaining 234 houses and convinced them to construct toilets, Sahu said. The villagers were counselled about the ill-effects of open defecation, and then provided a Rs 12,000 grant for toilet construction under the government scheme. The village's next target: cleanliness near hand-pumps, wells and water sources. Pakistani American citizen David Coleman Headley, who is currently deposing before a TADA court in Mumbai, had revealed the links between the LeT and Pakistan's ISI in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. India Today India is expected to nail Pakistan with the new evidence which directly implicates its military establishment for the biggest terror attack the country has witnessed. Reuters Unsurprisingly, Pakistan which has always blaming 'non-state actors' for the attack has come up with the most bizarre defence. PTI According to Rehman Malik, who was the then Interior Minister of Pakistan, Headley was a RAW agent, and he was planted for executing the Mumbai attacks and then India is getting concocted statements from him. He also went on to claim that Headley 's confessions are all a pack of lies and fabricated statements. This is even after Headley who is serving a 35-years jail term in the US for the Mumbai attacks named Pakistan Army and ISI officials including Tahawwur Hussain Rana and Brigadier Riyaz for having direct links with the LeT. After being buried 25 feet under snow for five long days in the glacial heights of Siachen, Lance-Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad survived, excavated from what could have been an icy grave made of tonnes of snow and ice, at -30 to -50 degree Celsius. He's currently in a coma, and there are two theories on how he survived. "He was in shock, severely dehydrated, hypothermic, hypoxic and hypoglycaemic." Twitter "He was immediately resuscitated by the doctors at the postthere for the last five days in the hope of finding survivors with warm intravenous fluids, humidified warm oxygen and passive external rewarming," an officer told the Times of India. The 33-year-old Hanumanthappa "survived in an air pocket", according to one report, after a km wide ice wall crashed on his post (19,600 feet, Northern Siachen Glacier) A senior officer told the Times of India that this was an unprecedented act of mental toughness. "...Even if he was lucky,it requires tremendous mental robustness to survive in such conditions for over five days... I have not witnessed such a thing before," said a senior officer who has served in the Siachen Glacier-Saltoro Ridge region. According to another report, yoga might have saved his life Yoga at 18000 feet, Siachen Glacier. Pic courtesy: Indian Army pic.twitter.com/Z04p0kpTL6 GAURAV C SAWANT (@gauravcsawant) June 20, 2015 We have been told he used to not only practice yoga himself but also help fellow soldiers with their breathing exercises. Medical science can perhaps explain better but we believe yoga perhaps had a role to play in his being able to survive in those conditions, a senior officer told Mail Today. It is unbelievable. In Siachen if you are exposed to nature for more than four hours without taking adequate precautions, chances of survival are slim. There has never before been an instance of a soldier having survived being buried in snow and ice for five days, he added Twitter Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has already declared yoga the winner. In extreme high-altitude conditions, those who practice yoga not only have stronger lungs but their body also utilises oxygen better even when there's less oxygen available in the atmosphere, says Baba Ramdev. Recently in Mumbai, a macaque monkey was captured, tied, and caged after locals filed a complaint. According to reports, the monkey had been stealing food, ripping pillows, and creating a general nuisance for nearly six months. Punit Paranjpe / AFP / Getty Images Even though the residents' woes finally came to an end, the images that surfaced after - showing the way the monkey was nabbed - is not making us feel too good about it. Punit Paranjpe / AFP / Getty Images The chimp was tied by his hands and feet, along with a tight noose around its neck. Punit Paranjpe / AFP / Getty Images But after it was caught by a professional catcher, the residents reportedly celebrated at finally getting the primate caged. Eventually the shackles binding him were removed and the monkey was fed grapes. Punit Paranjpe / AFP / Getty Images Even though the forest officials said that the monkey will be released into the outskirts of Thane - after verifying that it's in a healthy condition - the longing in his eyes is hard to miss. Punit Paranjpe / AFP / Getty Images Karen and Shaun have got to be the coolest parents ever! While most parents struggle to keep up with erratic sleep cycles, this parent duo has already taken their 10-week-old on a globe-trotting expedition, making the most of their maternity leave of ten months! Instagram Esme, their tiny tot, was not even three-months-old when she boarded her first flight and flew to Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland. Instagram Mom Karen Edwards's family thought she was "completely nuts" when she revealed her travel plans. The couple intelligently funded their trip - that cost them 10,000 - with Karen's maternity pay and Shaun's landscaping work in New Zealand, reports Mail Online. Instagram Esme was given her vaccinations twice - once before leaving the UK and another in New Zealand. Karen said that they booked their flights well in advance while the duo was still earning their "full wage". The cost of their trip was considerably reduced by 2,000 as they used air miles, etc. Their trip began in November 2014 and ended in September 2015. But it's not really the end. Karen is planning to take Esme - who is now 17-months-old - on a new trip soon to Thailand, Cambodia, and New Zealand. While speaking about Esme's world adventure, Karen said: "I was thinking about maternity leave and decided I'd like to take her travelling. Instagram "Both Shaun and I were keen backpackers before I fell pregnant and everyone thought we were completely nuts when we said that we were going to take Esme when she arrived. Instagram "She was really well behaved and because she was small it was easy enough to keep her in the harness when we were on the move. Instagram "We have no regrets, she got to experience new sights, scenes and smells as she grew and that is incredible. Instagram "The only time I felt Esme was missing out was not having much socialising with other children. Instagram "However the libraries always have free rhyme classes if you need to socialise your child a little. Instagram "The weirdest part of the trip was actually coming home. Esme hasn't lived somewhere for a long period of time because we were always moving around hotels and rooms. Instagram "It's also harder to find her things to do in London - well, compared to travelling anyway. Instagram "People say having a child ruins travelling, but it really doesn't. Instagram "Obviously there were times, like at night in the hotel room, when you fancy a beer and the baby is asleep, and when you crack it open she wakes, that makes it harder. Instagram "But it's worth it. Instagram "You can still do everything, including snorkelling and diving, but you just take it in turns. I can't imagine having spent my maternity leave any other way." Instagram Well done, Karen and Shaun for giving your little princess a lifetime worth of memories! The Syrian refugee crisis has seen hundreds and thousands of kids losing their homes and childhoods. While several drowned at sea, many who made it past the Syrian border have found new homes. But it's still not the same. It's still not the home they left behind. Pooja Sharafi However, hope is a powerful force that keeps people warm in times of distress. And such is the story of a 12-year-old Syrian boy who recently mailed a letter to the King of Sweden, expressing his desire to meet the man and show him his new clothes. Ahmed arrived in Sweden four months ago with his parents and younger brother. Here's the moving letter he penned, translated from Arabic to English. "Hey King Gustav! "My name is Ahmed and I am 12 years old. I have a mother, a father and a brother. We have always lived in a beautiful house filled with joy in Aleppo, Syria. My dad had a large factory and shops for children's clothing. He bought many gifts and toys for us. My parents had cars and we lived happily until the war started with the sound of missiles, shooting and terror. Dad's factory burned down, nothing is left of it and the joy that we experienced began to cease. I could not go to school anymore because my teacher was killed by a shot right before our eyes. . . . I cannot forget those seconds. They were my worst moments. Pooja Sharafi "My father went into his room to tell Mom that the factory was burning. My mother went out of the room crying. Then my father decided that we had to travel for our safety. Now began my worst days. Early Saturday morning we went to Turkey. We made it in a scary inflatable boat. The water was all around me and the darkness above my head. I was terrified. People were screaming, children crying, my dad smiled all the time to try to calm me down and my brother, but the situation was more difficult than I thought. I talked to myself and said, what has happened to us? Where is my house? Where is my bed and my toys? sputniknews "We arrived to an island. The police took us to a place that is worse than the rubber boat. The crowd was huge. There was a terrible stench. We had to stay with the crowd until the police released us. We were without a home for 15 days. This was the peak of my depression, my grief for mom and dad. They could not do the things they always did for us before. "I always went away to cry. I did not want my parents to see me when I did not want to increase their grief. My mother was crying just like I did, made sure no one could see her. But I saw her. My heart was crushed. "We came to Sweden. I want to meet the Swedish king to tell him about my story. I heard he is a noble king. I carried with me a bag of new clothes to have them on me when I meet the king. "We arrived in Sweden. We stayed with my aunt in a small room instead of our lovely big house. I wake up every morning to see my father in front of the window, sad that he did not have enough money to buy us, the family, what we desire. "Therefore, I would seek to meet with you, the king! "I wish to see you when I'm wearing my new clothes, which I have brought all my way to Sweden to meet you. Sincerely Ahmed, 12 Malmo 2/2/2016" When Ahmed asked his school councellor Pooja Sharafi for the King's address, the teacher was taken aback. When Sharafi asked the lad why he wanted to contact the King, Ahmed replied, "I want to tell him my story". Sharafi agreed to help the boy but also took Ahmed's campaign to social media where they set up a Facebook page called 'Brev till kungen' or 'Letter to the King'. Facebook Sharafi told The Washington Post that he broke down while reading the letter to the king over the phone. Facebook And Ahmed's parents could hardly believe that a 12-year-old boy had written such a heart-rending letter. Well, such is the power of words. And a child's words are only more powerful. Follow us on 5 things ranveer did for deepika to prove he is madly in love with her New Delhi: This time isn't the best one for Bollywood's couples. Many of our favourite pairs have called it quits lately, Ranbir Kapoor- Katrina Kaif, Virat Kohli Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar- Adhuna, to name a few. Amidst all these breaking relationships, there is one couple that is restoring our faith in love - Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone. The Bajirao and Mastani of Bollywood have set an example for everyone. While Deepika is seen a little guarded about their affair, Ranveer keeps doing mushy things which are totally adorable. Before Valentines Day, we bring to you a list of 5 things which Ranveer has done for Deepika lately that prove his love for her keeps growing each day. When he wished her All The Best': Ranveer Singh's lady love Deepika Padukone is in Toronto to shoot for her Hollywood debut, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage' with Vin Diesel. Before she starts shooting for her big Hollywood project, Ranveer ensured he sent her heartfelt wishes in the most unique way. He tweeted a photo of a taxi which had, XXX' written in the back with a message for Deepika. Check out his tweet here: When he received Woman of the Year' award on her behalf: Recently, Deepika was given Woman of the Year' award and Ranveer accepted it on her behalf. He started the thank you speech in a female voice, sending laughs in the audience and then went on to appreciate her. He said, I am really really proud of her. She is a lovely girl. She is so humble in spite of her staggering success. When he touched Deepika's parents feet at Filmfare: Ranveer Singh has accepted that he did not take his relationships seriously before he met Deepika. A testimony of his commitment towards her was when he won the Filmfare award for Best actor for his outstanding performance in Bajirao Mastani' and he touched the feet of Deepika's parenrts, in front of the entire audience. When he let Deepika chop off his moustache: Ranveer can be credited for bringing back the trend of moustache in Bollywood. He was seen donning it for more than a year during the filming of Bajirao Mastani'. On the day the movie released, he let Deepika chop it all off to see the twinkle in her eyes and a smile on her lips. When he protected Deepika from a mob: Ranveer is not just the boyfriend who can't stop talking about his girlfriend, but is also one who saves her from trouble. After the trailer launch of Bajirao Mastani', Deepika was surrounded by her fans. Ranveer then came to her rescue and escorted her safely to her car. Latest Bollywood News Follow us on slapgate controversy govinda offers rs 5 lakh unconditional apology to fan twitter reacts New Delhi: Eight years back When Bollywood star Govinda had slapped Santosh Bateshwar Ray during the shoot of his would be flop film 'Money Hai To Honey Hai', little did the actor imagine that this slap would cost him incessant court hearings and media trials. The 'Hero No. 1' actor on Tuesday offered an unconditional apology and Rs 5 lakhs to Santosh Bateshwar Ray, for his unheroic act. The offer was made in the Supreme Court, which, in the past, has faulted Govinda for failing to act with the grace and dignity of a public personality - the performer was a Lok Sabha MP at the time. However, the Supreme Court insisted the actor must personally apologise to the complainant who wants to prosecute him for criminal intimidation and assault that may land the star in jail for two years. On Tuesday, the judges asked Govinda to meet Rai within two weeks and negotiate a settlement. After the hearing, Govinda declared, "I have immense love and respect for my fans who also wanted me to apologise." There is no need for him to come here. Let him go and meet the complainant and thrash it out, the bench said, giving the star a final opportunity. It gave him two weeks for a conciliation, failing which the court shall hear Ray's appeal on merits. Complainant Santosh Bateshwar Ray's advocate Jatin Zaveri alleged the star had not made any effort to meet his client. He is trying to mediate either through his lawyer or personal secretary, he told the bench. Earlier, a meeting was finally fixed on February 6 but the star had failed to turn up. His secretary forwarded the apology on behalf of Govinda, according to Zaveri. Rai's case was initially quashed by the Bombay High Court, but the Supreme Court took up the case last year. Govinda's lawyers had contended that a video clip of the slap had been doctored, but the court rejected this claim. The Supreme Court had previously faulted Govinda for failing to act with grace and dignity. As expected, Govinda's apology and his compensation had Social Media laughing Latest Bollywood News Follow us on waris ahluwalia accepts airline s apology after racism row Mexico City: An Indian-American actor and designer who says he was not allowed to board a Mexico City-to-New York flight because he refused to remove his turban says he's satisfied with an apology by the airline, Aeromexico. Waris Ahluwalia says he is now just waiting for the carrier to implement special training on how to treat Sikh passengers, for whom the headgear carries deep religious significance. Ahluwalia told The Associated Press on Tuesday that "we're just a few steps away from a lot of hugs." Aeromexico posted a statement on its website apologizing to Ahluwalia. The airline said the incident has motivated it to "strengthen the customer service protocols of our safety personnel in respectful accordance with the cultural and religious values of our customers." Latest Hollywood News Follow us on jnu student clash over event to commemorate afzal guru s hanging New Delhi: The left wing activists of Jawahar Lal Nehru University called a meet to commemorate Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's death anniversary,prompting strong protest from rival ABVP students. The situation turned violent and Police were later deployed on campus to restore order. According to Indian Express,the incident occurred at the tail end of a cultural evening organised by 10 students, formerly of the Democratic Students' Union (DSU), at the Sabarmati Dhaba, against the execution of Afzal Guru and separatist leader Maqbool Bhat, and for Kashmir's right to self-determination. We had earlier granted permission for a cultural evening, because we were not informed about the topic. When we were told it was in favour of Afzal Guru, we had to withdraw. The government of India hanged him after declaring him a terrorist. How could we allow them to organise an anti-Indian programme, The daily quoted JNU registrar Bupinder Zutshi as saying. A poster, which was pasted all across the campus, read: "There will be an art and a photo exhibition portraying the history of the occupation of Kashmir and the people's struggle against it." While the organisers originally got permission to hold the event, it was withdrawn after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) complained to the administration. Interestingly, the commemorative meeting went ahead even after the JNU administration revoked permission for the programme in the wake of complaints from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Outraged at this, the ABVP has called upon its cadre to impose a general bandh on the JNU campus on Wednesday. Latest India News Follow us on big cats at large panic grips as two more leopards spotted near bengaluru school Bengaluru: Just two days after a leopard entered a private school near Varthur in Bengaluru, panic spread as eyewitnesses claimed that two more leopards were spotted at Varthur near the Nilgiris farm. "I have confirmation of one leopard being spotted, but people residing in the area are saying they have spotted two in and around Vibgyor school, a forest official said. Amidst the high drama, the residents set fire and also burst crackers in an attempt to scare away the leopards. It was also said that the leopards tried to enter an apartment in the locality before it ran away into the eucalyptus grove. The big cat was spotted between 9.30 PM and 10 PM in the area, the official said. The official said forest personnel will not carry out any operation at night to nab the wild beast, he said. It is very difficult to carry out operations at night..Officials will launch operations in the morning to trap the wild beast,he added. Officials are asking the residents to follow safety measures by tightly locking doors and windows of their homes and apartments, he said. Meanwhile, the school has declared a holiday on Wednesday, police said. On February 7, a leopard had entered Vibgyor school and had injured three forest department personnel, including a veterinarian, before it was tranquilised after a day long operation. Latest India News Follow us on ranchi shocker school teacher arrested for allegedly killing class vii student Ranchi: A school teacher in Ranchi has been booked along with her entire family for allegedly murdering a class VII student named Vinay Mahato. Apparently, the lady teacher resorted to the gruesome act because the student had a crush on her 11-year-old daughter. Nazia Khatoon, who taught Hindi at Sapphire International School in the Jharkhand Capital, was held as the prime accuse in the murder case of the 12-year-old student and was taken into custody with her husband and two kids. Khatoon, her husband and her two children have been arrested on the basis of evidence gathered during investigations, said Ranchi SSP Kuldeep Dwivedi "It was an honour killing. Vinay was killed because of his affair with the teacher's daughter," he further added. Earlier, in a CCTV footage, the 12-year-old boy was seen walking towards the teacher's residential quarter within the school premises to meet her daughter. "The body language of the boy suggested it was not his first-midnight adventure. The probe took a different course and we unearthed evidence which pointed to the love angle," said a police officer. He was later found in a badly-wounded state lying unconscious on the steps of Khatoon's house by another teacher. He died later that day. The post-mortem report had revealed that the boy was beaten up brutally because of which his liver suffered injuries. He also had severe injuries on his head and stomach. Latest India News Follow us on siachen braveheart lance naik hanamanthappa condition deteriorates New Delhi: The condition of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who was miraculously found alive after remaining buried in snow for six days following the avalanche in Siachen, remains critical. More than a day after the soldier was admitted here, the Army Research and Referral Hospital said in the evening that his condition had worsened 'despite aggressive therapy and supportive care'. "He continues to remain extremely critical with evidence of oxygen deprivation to the brain on CT scan. There is evidence of pneumonia in both lungs," a medical bulletin said on Wednesday. "His multi-organ dysfunction state continues unabated. His condition has deteriorated despite aggressive therapy and supportive care." Koppad is on ventilator in the ICU at the hospital, where he was admitted on Tuesday. An earlier bulletin said the soldier "continues to battle the odds". "... his medical condition remains very critical... The medical team ... is treating him with best expertise and resources available in the world," the medical bulletin said. Family members, including wife Mahadevi and two-year-old daughter Netra, were in the hospital campus, praying for his recovery -- like millions all over the country. Doctors treating the soldier, whose survival is being seen as a miracle, include top critical care specialists, head of the department of medicine, senior nephrologists and neurologists from the army hospital as well as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Asked how he survived the hostile weather for six long days, a doctor from the army hospital said they have no account of what exactly happened. "Only when Lance Naik Koppad gains consciousness, will we be able to get an account of how he managed to survive," the doctor said. UP woman offers to donate her kidney Many offered to donate body organs to help Koppad survive. In Uttar Pradesh, a housewife from Lakhimpur Kheri, 167 km from Lucknow, contacted a local news channel and sought to know how she can contact the hospital to donate a kidney to Koppad. A former sailor, SS Raju, also expressed willingness to donate any organ of his body to save "fellow brother" Koppad. Bollywood celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Shatrughan Sinha, Anupam Kher, Shekhar Kapur and Sunny Deol as well as cricketer Sachin Tendular said they were praying for his recovery. A special prayer was conducted on Tuesday evening at Ganga Ghat in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The famed Dabbawallas in Mumbai offered prayers for the soldier. Koppad and the other soldiers were hit by the avalanche at an altitude of around 20,500 feet. He was found miraculously alive just when the rescuers were beginning to lose hope. The soldier was found conscious but drowsy and disoriented. He was also severely dehydrated and in shock. He had pneumonia and was suffering from liver and kidney dysfunction. But there was no cold exposure related frost bite or bone injuries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the hospital after he was brought to Delhi on Tuesday. So did Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. On Wednesday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi wrote to Koppad's mother Basavva and wished him speedy recovery and a long life. Koppad has served in difficult and challenging areas for 10 out of 13 years of his total service. His postings include Mahore in Jammu and Kashmir from 2003 to 2006, where he was actively involved in counter-insurgency operations. He again volunteered to serve with the 54 Rashtriya Rifles (Madras) in Jammu and Kashmir from 2008 to 2010, and later in the northeast from 2010 to 2012 where he took part in operations against the NDFB and ULFA. He was serving in the high-altitude areas of Siachen glacier from August 2015. Latest India News Follow us on nasa contradicts cm jaya s claim of meteorite causing vellore death Washington: US space agency NASA has said that an explosion in Tamil Nadu that left one man dead and three others injured does not appear to be a result of a meteorite crash. According to a New York Times report, the NASA scientists have claimed that the online photographs of the site of the suspected meteorite hit in a college campus were more consistent with 'a land based explosion' than with something from space. Early reports included images of a crater, five feet deep and two feet wide. Witnesses described hearing an explosion, and police recovered a black, pockmarked stone from the site in Vellore district of the state. Lindley Johnson, NASA's planetary defence officer, told the US daily in an email that a death by meteorite impact was so rare that one has never been scientifically confirmed in recorded history. "There have been reports of injuries, but even those were extremely rare before the Chelyabinsk event three years ago," she said, referring to a 2013 episode in Russia. In addition, meteorites are often cool to the touch when they land, and the object recovered from the site in India weighed only a few grams and appeared to be a fragment of a common earth rock. The US daily also cited a scientist at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics which is analysing samples of the rock provided by the police as doubting if it was a meteorite. "Considering that there was no prediction of a meteorite shower and there was no meteorite shower observed, this certainly is a rare phenomena if it is a meteorite," professor G.C. Anupama, the dean of the institute, told the daily over telephone. Deaths and injuries by meteorites are tracked by the International Comet Quarterly, which notes the locations and sizes of meteorites. Some smash through houses, kill animals and spatter buildings. But deaths have been hard to confirm, the Times said. In 1908 in Tunguska, Siberia, an apparent "airblast" of an object entering the Earth's atmosphere leveled hundreds of square miles of forest and killed two men and hundreds of reindeer. But no meteorites were recovered, the New York Times said citing the quarterly. In one of the largest recent events, meteorites or pieces of space rock, fell in Chelyabinsk from a meteor that hit the Earth's atmosphere in February 2013. About 1,200 people - 200 of them children - were injured, mostly by glass that exploded into schools and workplaces, the Times said, citing Russia's interior ministry. With IANS Inputs Latest India News Follow us on obama administration proposes 860 million in aid for pakistan Washington: The Obama administration today proposed allocating USD 860 million, including USD 265 million for military hardware, for Pakistan in the upcoming US budget. According to the proposed allocation, the funds will help the country fight terrorists, secure nuclear weapons and improve ties with India. While there was no mention of Pakistan in President Barack Obama's budgetary proposals, secretary of state John Kerry in his proposals said the budget includes USD 859.8 million towards sustaining ties with Pakistan and making progress to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat violent extremist groups". "The requested funding will support the country's counter-insurgency missions, and bolster stability, energy access, economic growth, and social reform," Kerry said in a letter accompanying his proposals. "Pakistan lies at the heart of the US counter-terrorism strategy, the peace process in Afghanistan, nuclear non-proliferation efforts, and economic integration in South and Central Asia," state department said making its case for the aid to Pakistan under the overseas contingency operations (OCO) fund. "OCO resources will support critical US activities such as ensuring the safety of Pakistani nuclear installations, working with Pakistan to facilitate the peace process in Afghanistan, and promoting improved relations with India," it said. For Pakistan, the OCO request supports a robust diplomatic presence and critical assistance programmes to advance cooperation and reforms in energy, economic growth, and agriculture, education, health, and stabilisation of areas vulnerable to violent extremism, it said. This includes supporting the government and its people, while maintaining diplomacy and outreach in the face of challenging political and security conditions, it said. The state department plans to sustain the presence necessary to "achieve our essential strategic priorities of combating terrorism and enhancing stability in Pakistan and the region following the transition in Afghanistan." Under the economic support fund (ESF) of the OCO, the state department has proposed USD 400 million to Pakistan. The state department said this will support the US's strategic objectives in the region, including combating terrorism and violent extremism and increasing security, growth and stability within Pakistan and the broader region. "The request will also demonstrate the US's commitment to fostering longterm cooperation with the Government of Pakistan in order to address areas of mutual interest," it said. Under OCO's international narcotics control and law enforcement section, the state department has proposed USD 40 million for Pakistan-funded programmes that will promote stability during the transition in Afghanistan. Proposing USD 265 million under foreign military funding (FMF) which mainly means providing military hardware, the state department said given the transition in Afghanistan and continued terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, it is essential to Pakistan's efforts to increase stability on its western border and within the country. With PTI Inputs Latest World News Follow us on pakistan bans valentine s day celebrations islamists call it insult to islam Islamabad: Lovers in Pakistan looking forward to celebrating this Valentine's Day should brace for conflict. Islamabad, as it turns out, has decided to impose a ban on the Valentine's Day gifts or any promotion of the day celebrating love. The celebration of Valentine's Day on February 14 has been criticized by Islamists who see such celebration of love as an insult' to Islam. The decision to ban Valentine's Day celebrations was taken at the orders of Pakistan's Interior minister Nisar Ali Khan. The ban has, however, not been announced officially. It will be enforced through capital administration and a formal notification will be issued by Islamabad deputy commissioner, an official said. The Valentine's Day activities have often been disrupted in the past by the supporters of hardline Jamaat-e-Islam, but it is for the first time that the state has intervened to ban the festivities of the day. (With inputs from PTI) Latest World News Follow us on pak s growing nuclear stockpile doctrine pose risk warns pentagon Washington: Pakistan's growing nuclear arsenal and its evolving "tactical nuclear weapons" doctrine pose increasing risk of an "incident", Pentagon's top spymaster has warned. "Pakistan's nuclear weapons continue to grow. We are concerned that this growth, as well as the evolving doctrine associated with tactical weapons, increase the risk of an incident or accident," Defence Intelligence Agency Director Vincent Stewart told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Islamabad continues to take steps to improve its nuclear security, and is aware of the threat presented by extremists to its programmes," Stewart said in his testimony yesterday. A Congressional report in January had estimated Pakistan's nuclear warheads to be between 110 and 130 and said that they are aimed at deterring India from taking military action against it. The report on 'Pakistani nuclear forces 2015' by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists had estimated that if the country continues to enrich its nuclear arsenal with the present speed, it will have 220 to 250 warheads by 2025. The 2015 report, authored by Hans M Kristensen and Robert S Norris, said the two key factors will be how many nuclear-capable launchers Pakistan plans to deploy, and how much India's nuclear arsenal grows Meanwhile, Stewart further said that Pakistan will face internal security threats from militants and separatist groups this year. Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan-Pakistan and al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent will remain significant security concerns for Islamabad, he said. "Counterinsurgency operations along Pakistan's Western border and paramilitary operations in Karachi have had some success in reducing violence and are likely to continue," Stewart said. (With PTI inputs) Latest World News Follow us on pakistan a dangerous place for media persons daily Islamabad: Pakistan is notorious for increasing incidents of killings of journalists and is considered one of the most dangerous places for media persons in the world, said a Pakistani daily on Wednesday. An editorial "Media under siege" in the Daily Times said that an attack on City 42 television channel's office in Lahore by unidentified armed men has "further panicked journalists, who are already living under the shadow of fear due to constant threats from the terrorists". So far the police are clueless about the perpetrators of the attack. "In the wake of similar attacks on media offices and personnel in Lahore, Faisalabad and Karachi, this emerging onslaught on the media is becoming more common, with the obvious aim of further stifling its freedom. "It seems part of a broader agenda to put the mainstream media under siege. The journalist community and political parties' leaders have condemned the attack and demanded the arrest of the culprits as soon as possible," the daily said. The editorial observed that the "attack prompted the lawmakers of the Punjab Assembly to move a joint resolution while the journalist community staged a protest demonstration to press for their demands to be provided security". Noting that the profession of journalism has always been a challenging job in Pakistan, the daily said: "Nowadays, media houses are vulnerable to terrorist attacks. It is the state's responsibility to provide protection to journalists inside and outside their workplaces." It went on to say that Pakistan has "already become notorious for increasing incidents of killings of journalists and is considered one of the most dangerous places for media persons in the world". "Not only the government but media managements should also take stringent measures as the scale of the threat is very large and the personnel of the law enforcement agencies by themselves cannot ensure the security of all media outlets." It said that coordinated efforts by the authorities and managements may be the best way forward for the security of media offices and journalists. "Stronger preventive measures and protection must be undertaken while reviewing existing security protocols for possible loopholes. In an environment of fear, the media cannot play its due role, which is critical in countering the terrorists' narrative," the daily added. Latest World News Follow us on slain italian student in egypt suffered inhuman violence Rome: A second autopsy on the body of an Italian found slain in Egypt reveals that the doctoral student suffered "inhuman, animal-like" violence, Italy's interior minister said on Sunday as he pressed Egypt's president to fully cooperate with the criminal investigation. Rome prosecutors have opened a murder investigation into the death of Giulio Regeni, whose battered corpse was found near a highway outside Cairo nine days after he was reported missing in the Egyptian capital. Italy's ambassador, who viewed the body a few hours after Egyptian authorities told Italy about its discovery on Feb 3, had already said the victim showed signs of a brutal beating and torture, and a second autopsy, following one done in Egypt by authorities there, was performed late Saturday in Rome after the body was flown to Italy. Interior minister Angelino Alfano said on a Sky TV interview show on Sunday that he still hasn't gotten his breath back after learning the shocking results of the latest autopsy. Official results, still partial, are being relayed to the Italian prosecutors. The Italian news agency ANSA, citing unidentified sources close to the Italian coroners, said the findings led to the conclusion that Regeni's neck was twisted or struck, breaking a vertebra and leaving him unable to breathe. It said he suffered various other fractures as well. Analyses of tissue and body fluid, which could help pinpoint or at least narrow the time frame when Regeni died, are expected to take several days. "We had to view the results of the autopsy," Alfano said, referring to Italian authorities. Regeni suffered "something inhuman, animal-like, an unacceptable violence," he said. Alfano pressed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to ensure cooperation in the investigation, noting that Italian police dispatched to Cairo on Saturday started working with their Egyptian counterparts on the case. "I am convinced that it is in the interest of el-Sissi to work together,'' Alfano said. ``No one can bring Giulio back to life, but bring the truth to the surface will perhaps be able to save more lives.'' For years, rights groups have accused Egyptian police of regularly torturing detainees. Over the past year, they have also accused them of using "forced disappearances'' _ detaining suspected activists or Islamists in secret without reporting their arrest. The Egyptian Association for Rights and Freedoms documented 314 such disappearances in 2015, according to a lawyer, Halem Henish. Most later turned up in prison, but at least five were found at the morgue, including one with signs of torture like burns and electric shocks. He said the group has documented 35 disappearances so far in 2016, including at least two of whom have died. Regeni had been in Cairo for a few months, as part of his PhD research into Egyptian labour movements. He disappeared on Jan 25 after leaving his apartment to travel by subway to meet a friend in downtown Cairo. January 25 is the anniversary of Egypt's 2011 uprising, and security forces were on high alert and heavily present in the streets to prevent any demonstrations. On Jan 31, the Italian foreign ministry in an unusually candid statement, called on Egypt to put "maximum effort'' into finding Regeni, after saying the young man "mysteriously disappeared.'' After the body's discovery was first revealed, some Egyptian authorities initially attributed Regeni's death to a road accident. Latest World News Follow us on let s ensure parliament s smooth functioning government urges opposition New Delhi: Emphasising that the Narendra Modi government wants a "smooth budget session" of parliament, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said the government is "ready to discuss any issue" with the opposition to ensure "meaningful business in the house". Parliament's budget session will begin on February 23 with President Pranab Mukherjee addressing a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Naqvi said that a number of important bills are to be "discussed and passed in the overall interest of the country" during the budget session. "Over 30 bills are pending in the Rajya Sabha alone," he said, adding that the Lok Sabha also has lots of bills pending and it was "high time" these are discussed and passed. "We are requesting the Congress and others with folded hands not to stop development and reforms in the country," he said, adding the government was "ready to discuss anything with the opposition". The minister said parliament's smooth functioning is the responsibility of "all concerned", and in case the opposition has any problem with any of the proposed bills, the government will listen to it both inside and outside the house. On the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill, the minister said that it should be a reality soon as concerns of the opposition have been addressed and there should be no problems in getting it passed. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu "has been in constant touch with the Congress party and others and it seems they all understand the importance of smooth functioning of Parliament," Naqvi said. Asked about the government meeting leaders of all poll-bound states before announcing the dates of the budget session, Naqvi said this was to ensure that there were no problems for poll-bound states in terms of the session's dates. "It was for the first time in the history of (Indian) parliamentary democracy that before finalizing dates of a (parliament) session, the proposed schedule was discussed with all concerned," he said. The budget session will be held in its traditional two parts, February 23 to March 16 and From April 25 to May, with a 39-day recess in between. The minister, who also deals with minority affairs, said that there was no need for any of the minority communities to be afraid of anything. "Minorities need not feel unsafe under any regime, be it of Congress, BJP or any other political party, as the constitution of the country provides equal rights and safety to everyone," he said. On being reminded that news reports about Dalits and people from other weak sections of society being harassed keep appearing in national media quite often, Naqvi said it was "unfortunate". "We believe that not even an isolated incident of such nature should happen. The government is committed to protect all rights of every individual of the society no matter where he or she lives or work," he said. Follow us on ljp demands president s rule in bihar Patna: The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) today demanded imposition of President's Rule in Bihar alleging a continuous slide in law and order situation in the state under the Nitish Kumar-led government. LJP Parliamentary Board chief Chirag Paswan told reporters his party had decided to keep mum for at least six months since the coming to power of the Mahagathbandhan government but he was forced to speak. ...the way law and order is deteriorating within two-and-a-half months of the new government my party is forced to hit the streets, he said. There is nothing called law and order in the state so there is no other option but to impose President rule in Bihar, he maintained. Chirag, son of Union Minister and party chief Ram Vilas Paswan, was accompanied by state LJP chief Pashupati Kumar Paras. The LJP MP from Jamui said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had reined in criminals during his earlier tenure but after entering into alliance with RJD he cannot check crime even if he wants to. Junior Paswan announced his party would organise dharna in all the districts tomorrow to protest against rapid deterioration in law and order situation in the state. Two days back, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan had also made a scathing attack at the Nitish Kumar-led government in the wake of killing of party leader Brijnathi Singh in Patna. The law and order situation in Bihar has become even worse than jungle raj of 90s, he had said. Follow us on pm modi breaks protocol receives crown prince of abu dhabi personally New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today broke protocol by personally receiving Abu Dhabi's crown prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with a warm embrace, as the latter alighted from the aircraft at the Palam Technical Area. The crown prince, who is also the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising cabinet ministers, senior officials and business leaders. General Sheikh Mohamed is on a three-day visit to India. A special welcome for a special friend. PM @narendramodi personally receives HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Prime Minister's Office tweeted. A slew of agreements, including on defence equipment manufacturing and civil nuclear cooperation, are likely to be signed between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the crown prince's visit. After the India-UAE relationship was elevated to comprehensive strategic partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UAE in August last year, the first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years, there is focus on new areas of cooperation like defence production in India, security, counter-terrorism, in nuclear and space sector, in energy sector, according to Anil Wadhwa, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry. A number of new agreements and MoUs (memorandums of understanding) are proposed to be signed during the visit of the crown prince to expand the areas of our cooperation, Wadhwa said during a media briefing here on Wednesday ahead of the crown prince's arrival. This list is still being updated. I cannot give the number right now but as we speak the negotiations are still going on." The welfare of the expatriate Indians in the United Arab Emirates, numbering around 2.6 million, is also likely to come up for discussion, he said. After Saudi Arabia, the UAE hosts the highest number of Indians in the Gulf, 60 percent of whom are blue collar workers. This is the second highest level visit to India from the Gulf region after the visit of the emir of Qatar in March 2015. The region, which hosts seven million expatriate Indians and is an important source of remittances, has a strong bearing on India's security and stability in its neighbourhood. The UAE is the third largest trading partner of India after the US and China. It is also the sixth largest source of India's crude oil imports. This is the third visit to India by Sheikh Mohamed and the first in his capacity as crown prince. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to call on him later today. On Thursday, Sheikh Mohamed will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan following which he will lay a wreath at Rajghat. He will have a tete-a-tete with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after which President Pranab Mukherjee will host him for a private lunch. Delegation-level discussions will be held here between Modi and Sheikh Mohamed on Thursday evening and then the agreements will be signed. On Friday, Sheikh Mohamed will leave for Mumbai where he will visit the Bombay Stock Exchange and meet Indian business leaders. (With IANS inputs) Follow us on modi government is anti students anti poor accuses rahul gandhi Thiruvananthapuram: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today slammed the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of being against farmers, labourers, students and the poor. He also described the Left Front's ideology as "obsolete". Addressing Congress workers at the conclusion of the "Jana Raksha Yatra", which turned out to be a launch pad of the party's election campaign in Kerala, he took swipe at Modi on several occasions during his 30-minute speech at nearby Shangumugham beach. "You will never see Prime Minister of India with farmers or labourers. You will never see a photograph of Prime Minister holding hands with farmers or labourers," he said addressing the Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram march led by KPCC President V M Sudheeran. Attacking Modi, Gandhi said he had come to power in 2014 elections by "spreading anger among different sections in the state. He divided Hindus and Muslims and created anger in the country". He also attacked the CPI(M)-led-LDF opposition in Kerala and said "the ideology they believe in was obsolete and belongs to the previous century". "Kerala cannot build its future from the vision of last century," he said. Without referring to the solar and bar bribery scams, which has rocked government in the state, Gandhi made it clear that Congress would not compromise on corruption. "Congress party will not compromise on corruption and I want to make it very clear. If there is even a (minute) evidence, Congress party will take strict action," he said as he praised the five-year achievements of the UDF government. "I am happy that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has delivered many of the things he promised," he said. Hitting out at the CPI(M) for its vociferous attack on the government over the bar bribery scam, Gandhi wanted the LDF to make their liquor policy clear to the people. "I have one question to ask to the Left in Kerala. It is simple. I would like them to answer. They should clearly tell whether they will open more liquor bars or close them," he asked. Taking a jibe at the prime minister, Gandhi said Modi had also had made "tremendous promises" to the people and youth in the country, "but failed to keep his promises". Referring to some of the promises made, including Rs 15 lakh to be given to every household in their bank accounts and fair price to farmers for their produce and measures to check price rise, he said, "But the moment he took power, he forgot all the promises." On the prices of essential commodities, he said dal price had touched over Rs 200 per kg and prices of other commodities are "skyrocketing". Follow us on money laundering case ed questions pankaj bhujbal Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today questioned Pankaj Bhujbal, son of senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, in a money laundering case registered against him and others in connection with the construction of the new Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and an another case. Officials said Pankaj reached the agency's office in the Ballard Estate area here and investigators will record his statement under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act ( PMLA). ED had issued summons to Pankaj sometime back and it had also seized his passport then. Pankaj, an MLA in the Maharashtra assembly, has been named in the FIR filed by the agency, besides his father and former state PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal, other associates and entities and his nephew Samir, who was arrested by ED in the same case earlier this month. ED had twice conducted searches at nine premises, including properties and offices, belonging to the senior Bhujbal, Pankaj, nephew Samir and few others. NCP had then described the searches as "political vendetta". The agency's action came days after the Bombay High Court on January 28 sought progress reports from the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau and ED in four weeks on their probe against Bhujbal and his family members. The agency has filed two FIRs against the Bhujbals and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), based on Mumbai Police FIRs, to probe the Maharashtra Sadan construction scam and the Kalina land grabbing case. It has also brought out orders for attachment of three properties with an estimated worth of over Rs 280 crore in the case under money laundering laws. Follow us on plan to extend national highways to ensure road safety nitin gadkari Lucknow: In a bid to decongest traffic in the country, the government has decided to increase the length of national highways from 96,000 km, at present, to two lakh km, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today. "At present, we have 96,000 km national highways or 52 lakh road length in the country. As much as 40% of the traffic moves on these 2% national highways and as a result five lakh accidents take place," the Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping told reporters here. Gadkari said, "Three lakh people get injured and 1.5 lakh are killed in these accidents. The main reason is traffic congestion. Therefore, to save lives of people and diversify traffic, our government has decided to extend national highways from 96,000 km to two lakh km. Nearly 70% to 80% traffic of the country move on this." He said that a formula based on vehicular traffic has been worked out according to which four-lane, six-lane an express highway would be constructed. The minister said in Uttar Pradesh total length of national highways was 8,483 km of which 4,500 km was with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and 3,134 km was with state Public Works Department. "I am happy to tell that in the next two months we have decided to expand this 8,483 km to 17,000 km which is double. Few proposals have been submitted by the state government and others by MPs and MLAs," he said. He said that two new highways would be developed in UP. "First is east-west highway on which we are going to spend Rs 1,400 crore. This will reduce Delhi's traffic by 50% The second one is from Delhi to Dasna, which would be 14 lane, a first time in the country," he said. He said that earlier travel time between Delhi and Meerut, whih took 2.30 hours to 3 hours would now take only 40 minutes. Work on a ring-road in Lucknow at a cost of Rs 11,000 crore has begun and the detailed project report would be ready in two to three months. Lucknow-Kanpur access control highway has also been planned, which would reduce travel time to 40 minutes. He said that 10 projects were likely to be awarded in next three months with a project cost of Rs 4,000 crore. Gadkari said that 10 rail over bridges were being taken up under Setu Bharatam. He said that initially some projects were stalled due to different reasons, but 95% problems have been sorted out at work has started. "Suppose, if we travel by water it costs 15-20 paisa, by rail Re 1 and by road rupees 1.5, therefore its cost-effective. We are spending Rs 3,000 crore on Ganga and will promote tourism," he said. He said that goods could directly be exported to Bangladesh and Myanmar. It would be useful in development of Uttar Pradesh, he added. Follow us on pm modi to review implementation status of cabinet decisions New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will review next week the implementation status of some key decisions taken by the Union Cabinet, including those taken way back in July 2014. Scheduled for February 17, this will be the second such review meeting that Modi will undertake with the Council of Ministers in just about three weeks. The 27 decisions of the Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs whose implementation status would be reviewed include the amendments to the Factories Act and the Apprentices Act, which were cleared over one and a half years ago in July 2014, sources told PTI. Modi had chaired a similar meeting of the Council of Ministers on January 27 as well. Other decisions slated for implementation status review are setting up of a Credit Guarantee Fund for providing guarantees to loans extended under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, operationalisation of Budget announcement of 2015-16 on the Atal Pension Yojana, the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. The Prime Minister will also check progress in the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the Swacch Bharat Mission for urban areas, the Housing for All by 2022 mission, the National Skill Development Mission, the National Health Mission and the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana. Other such decisions relate to the National Ayush Mission, amendment to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014, setting up three new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Mangalagiri, Nagpur and Kalyani and strengthening of the drug regulatory system. The decisions relating to setting up of six new IITs and IIMs, amendment to the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, and the nationwide celebration of 125th birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar will also figure in the status review. Business / Companies by Business Reporter HARARE - Emirates, which flies daily from Harare to Lusaka and Dubai, has marked ten years of operations in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala.Over the last decade, Thiruvananthapuram has emerged as an important passenger and cargo destination for the airline in the region. Since the start of its operations, Emirates carried over two million passengers on the route and moved up to 105,000 tonnes of cargo to and from Thiruvananthapuram."Southern India has always been a key market for Emirates and we are proud to complete 10 years of successful operations to Thiruvananthapuram. We've had healthy seat load factors on the route since we launched the service in 2006, demonstrating passengers' demand for Emirates' unique product and service and our commitment to the market," said Ahmed Khoory, Emirates' Senior Vice President Commercial Operations- West Asia and Indian Ocean."Whether for leisure, business or medical tourism, the state of Kerala remains one of the most popular destinations in India, attracting travellers from all around the world throughout the year. With 12 weekly flights and 17 tonnes of cargo capacity per flight, Emirates continues to facilitate inbound travel to India, strengthen trade links and connect passengers in Thiruvananthapuram to our expansive global network," he added.Located a few miles from the Arabian Sea, Thiruvananthapuram is an ideal gateway to India's traditional Ayurvedic treatments and palm-fringed beaches of the Southern coastline. With a trading history that goes back a thousand years, Thiruvananthapuram is a melting pot of civilisations, all of which have left their mark- from brightly-coloured churches and hill-top palaces to colonial-housed museums and delectable cuisine.Emirates also operates chartered freighters to and from Thiruvananthapuram to meet the market demand during local festivals like Kerala's harvest festival, Onam and its New Year celebration, Vishu. Emirates' Boeing 777 freighter aircraft is capable of carrying 103 tonnes of cargo, with its main deck being the widest of any aircraft, enabling it to uplift outsized cargo and carry larger consignments.Emirates completed 30 years of operations in India in 2015, and has since grown its operations to serve 10 destinations[i] in the country. It is now the third-largest international carrier serving India, operating 10.4% of international capacity in the market.According to a recent study released by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), Emirates' operations in India have contributed over $848 million annually to country's GDP while supporting over 86,000 Indian jobs and generating almost $1.7 billion in foreign exchange earnings.[i] Emirates Dubai- Kozhikode service is currently suspended until further notice. Were excited to announce that indmin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com. A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets. Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials. If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details. US Position on Syria Tilts in Favour of Russian Intervention By Gareth Porter February 09, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " MEE " - The major developments on the Syrian battlefield in recent months have brought a corresponding shift in the Obama administrations Syrian policy. Since the Russian military intervention in Syria upended the military balance created by the victories of the al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front and its allies last year, the Obama administration has quietly retreated from its former position that Assad must go. These political and military changes have obvious implications for the UN-sponsored Geneva peace negotiations. The Assad regime and its supporters are now well positioned to exploit the talks politically, while the armed opposition is likely to boycott them for the foreseeable future. Supporters of the armed opposition are already expressing anger over what they regard as an Obama administration betrayal of the fight against Assad. But the Obama policy shift on Syria must be understood, like most of the administrations Middle East policy decisions, as a response to external events that is mediated by domestic political considerations. The initial Obama administrations public stance on the Russian air campaign in Syria last October and early November suggested that the United States was merely waiting for Russias intervention to fail. For weeks the political response to the Russian intervention revolved around the theme that the Russians were seeking to bolster their client regime in Syria and not to defeat ISIS, but that it would fail. The administration appeared bent on insisting that Russia give into the demand of the US and its allies for the departure of President Bashar al-Assad from power. But the ISIS terror attacks in Paris focused the political attention of Europeans and Americans alike on the threat from ISIS terrorism and the need for cooperation with Russia to combat it. That strengthened the position of those within the Obama administration especially the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the CIA who had never been enamored of the US policy of regime change in the first place. In the aftermath of the Paris attacks, they pressed for a rethinking of the US insistence on Assads departure, as suggested publicly at the time by former acting CIA director Michael Morell. The political impact of the Paris attacks has now been reinforced by the significant gains already made by the Syrian army and its allies with Russian air support in Latakia, Idlib, and Hama provinces. The bombing and ground offensives were focused on cutting the main lines of supply between the areas held by ISIS and the Nusra-led coalition and the Turkish border, which if successful would be a very serious blow to the armed opposition groups. Dramatic successes came in late January, when Syrian government troops recaptured the town of Salma in Latakia province, held by al-Nusra Front since 2012, and the strategic al-Shaykh Maskin, lost to anti-Assad rebels in late 2014, thus regaining control of Daraa-Damascus highway. Even more significant, the Syrian army has cut off the lines of supply from Turkey to Aleppo, which is occupied by al-Nusra and allied forces. By the time Secretary of State John Kerry met with the head of the Syrian opposition delegation, Riyad Hijab, on 23 January, it was clear to the Obama administration that the military position of the Assad regime was now much stronger, and that of the armed opposition was significantly weaker. In fact, the possibility of a decisive defeat exists for the first time in light of the Russian-Syrian strategy of cutting off the supply lines of the al-Nusra front. What Kerry told Hijab, as conveyed to the website Middle East Briefing, reflected a new tack by the administration in light of that political-military reality. He made it clear that there would be no preconditions for the talks, and no formal commitment that they would achieve the departure of Assad at any point in the future. He was unclear whether the desired outcome of the talks was to be a transitional government or a unity government the latter term implying that Assad was still in control. The armed opposition and its supporters have been shocked by the shift in Obamas policy. But they shouldnt be. The administrations previous Syria policy had been based in large part on what appeared to be a favorable political opportunity in Syria. As described by Washington Post correspondent Liz Slys official US source, the policy was to put sufficient pressure on Assads forces to persuade him to compromise but not so much that his government would precipitously collapse. The Obama administration had seen such an opportunity because a covert operation launched in 2013 to equip moderate armed groups with antitank missiles from Saudi stocks had strengthened the Nusra Front and its military allies. American Syria specialist Joshua Landis estimated last October that 60 to 80 percent of the missiles had ended up in the hands of the Nusra Front in Syria. Those weapons were the decisive factor in the Nusra-led Army of Conquest takeover of Idlib province in April 2015 and the seizure of territory on the al-Ghab plain in Hama province, which is the main natural barrier between the Sunni-populated area inland and the Alawite stronghold of Latakia province on the sea. That breakthrough by al-Nusra and its allies, which threatened the stability of the Assad regime, was serious enough to provoke the Russian intervention in September. But given the new military balance, the Obama administration now recognizes that its former strategy is now irrelevant. It has been supplanted with a new strategy that is equally opportunistic. The idea now is to take advantage of shared US-Russian strategic interests regarding ISIS and downgrade the objective of forcing a change in the Syrian regime. A signal fact of the war against ISIS in Syria that has been ignored in big media coverage is that the United States and Russia have been supporting the same military forces in Syria against ISIS. The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) the leading party in Syrian Kurdistan, controls a large swath of land across northern Syria bordering Turkey. Its military force, the Peoples Defense Units (YPG), has been the most significant ground force fighting against ISIS. But the YPG has also fought against al-Nusra Front and its allies, and has made no secret of its support for Russian air strikes against those forces. Moreover, the PYD has actively cooperated with the Syrian army and Hezbollah in northern Aleppo province. It is both the primary Syrian ally of the United States against ISIS but also a strategic key to the Russian-Syrian strategy for weakening al-Nusra and its allies. US NATO ally Turkey has adamantly opposed the US assistance to the PYD, insisting it is a terrorist organization. The United States has never agreed with that, however, and is determined to exploit the strategic position of PYD in the fight against ISIS. But that also implies a degree of US-Russian cooperation against the main armed opposition to the Assad regime as well. The Obama administration is no longer counting on a military balance favorable to the armed opposition to Assad to provide a reason for concessions by the regime. Whether military success against the armed opposition will be decisive enough to translate into a resolution of the conflict remains to be seen. In the meantime, the Syria peace negotiations are likely to be at a standstill. Gareth Porter, an investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy, received the UK-based Gellhorn Prize for journalism for 2011 for articles on the U.S. war in Afghanistan. His new book is Manufactured Crisis: the Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare . He can be contacted at porter.gareth50@gmail.com. Risking World War III in Syria After Saudi-backed Syrian rebels balked at peace talks and the Russian-backed Syrian army cut off Turkish supply lines to jihadists and other Syrian rebels, the U.S. and its Mideast Sunni allies appear poised to invade Syria and force regime change even at the risk of fighting Russia, a gamble with nuclear war, writes Joe Lauria. By Joe Lauria February 09, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Consortium News " - Defense Secretary Ashton Carter last October said in a little noticed comment that the United States was ready to take direct action on the ground in Syria. Vice President Joe Biden said in Istanbul last month that if peace talks in Geneva failed, the United States was prepared for a military solution in that country. The peace talks collapsed on Wednesday even before they began. A day later Saudi Arabia said it is ready to invade Syria while Turkey is building up forces at its Syrian border. The U.N. aims to restart the talks on Feb. 25 but there is little hope they can begin in earnest as the Saudi-run opposition has set numerous conditions. The most important is that Russia stop its military operation in support of the Syrian government, which has been making serious gains on the ground. A day after the talks collapsed, it was revealed that Turkey has begun preparations for an invasion of Syria, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. On Thursday, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said: We have good reasons to believe that Turkey is actively preparing for a military invasion of a sovereign state the Syrian Arab Republic. Were detecting more and more signs of Turkish armed forces being engaged in covert preparations for direct military actions in Syria. The U.N. and the State Department had no comment. But this intelligence was supported by a sound of alarm from Turkeys main opposition party, the Republican Peoples Party (CHP). Turkey, which has restarted its war against Kurdish PKK guerillas inside Turkey, is determined to crush the emergence of an independent Kurdish state inside Syria as well. Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan stopped the Syrian Kurds from attending the aborted Geneva talks. A Turkish invasion would appear poised to attack the Syrian Kurdish PYD party, which is allied with the PKK. The Syrian (and Iraqi) Kurds, with the Syrian army, are the main ground forces fighting the Islamic State. Turkey is pretending to fight ISIS, all the while actually supporting its quest to overthrow Assad, also a Turkish goal. Saudi Arabia then said on Thursday it was prepared to send its ground forces into Syria if asked. Carter welcomed it. Of course Biden, Erdogan, Carter and the Saudis are all saying a ground invasion would fight ISIS. But their war against ISIS has been half-hearted at best and they share ISIS same enemy: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. If the U.S. were serious about fighting ISIS it would have at least considered a proposal by Russia to join a coalition as the U.S. did against the Nazis. The Prize of Aleppo The excuse of the Geneva collapse is a ruse. There was little optimism the talks would succeed. The real reason for the coming showdown in Syria is the success of Russias military intervention in defense of the Syrian government against the Islamic State and other extremist groups. Many of these groups are supported by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States in pursuit of overthrowing Assad. These three nations are all apparently poised for a ground invasion of Syria just as, by no coincidence, the Syrian Arab Army with Russian air cover is pushing to liberate perhaps the greatest prize in the Syrian civil war Aleppo, the countrys commercial capital. The Russians and Syrians have already cut off Turkeys supply lines to rebels in the city. On Saturday, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates joined the Saudis in saying they would intervene only as part of a U.S.-led ground invasion. The Obama administration has maintained that it would not send U.S. ground forces into Syria, beyond a few hundred special forces. But these U.S. allies, driven by fierce regional ambitions, appear to be putting immense pressure on the Obama administration to decide if it is prepared to lose Syria. Though Carter said he welcomed the Saudi declaration he made no commitment about U.S. ground forces. But Saudi Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri told al-Arabiya TV that a decision could be made to intervene at a NATO summit in Brussels next week. Carter said the matter would be on the agenda. The U.S. cannot likely stand by and watch Russia win in Syria. At the very least it wants to be on the ground to meet them at a modern-day Elbe and influence the outcome. But things could go wrong in a war in which the U.S. and Russia are not allies, as they were in World War II. Despite this, the U.S. and its allies see Syria as important enough to risk confrontation with Russia, with all that implies. It is not at all clear though what the U.S. interests are in Syria to take such a risk. From the outset of Russias intervention the U.S. and its allies have wanted Moscow out of the Syrian theater. They seem to be only waiting for the right opportunity. That opportunity may be now forced by events. Former U.S. national security adviser and current Obama adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski said last October in the Financial Times that, The Russian naval and air presences in Syria are vulnerable, isolated geographically from their homeland. They could be disarmed if they persist in provoking the U.S. Turkeys downing in November of a Russian warplane that allegedly veered 17 seconds into Turkish territory appeared to be very much a provocation to draw Russia into a conflict to allow NATO to drive Moscow out of Syrian skies. But Russia was too smart for that and instead imposed sanctions on Turkey, while urging Russian tourists not to visit the country, which has hurt the Turkish economy. A Battleground of Empires As a fertile crossroad between Asia and Africa backed by desert, Syrian territory has been fought over for centuries. Pharaoh Ramses II defeated the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh near Lake Homs in 1247 BCE. The Persians conquered Syria in 538 BCE. Alexander the Great took it 200 years later and the Romans grabbed Syria in 64 BCE. Islam defeated the Byzantine Empire there at the Battle of Yarmuk in 636. In one of the first Shia-Sunni battles, Ali failed to defeat Muawiyah in 657 at Siffin along the Euphrates near the Iraq-Syria border. Damascus became the seat of the Caliphate until a coup in 750 moved it to Baghdad. Waves of Crusaders next invaded Syria beginning in 1098. Egyptian Mamluks took the country in 1250 and the Ottoman Empire began in 1516 at its victory at Marj Dabik, 44 kilometers north of Aleppo about where Turkish supplies are now being cut off. France double-crossed the Arabs and gained control of Syria in 1922 after the Ottoman collapse. The Nazis were pushed out in the momentous 1941 Battle of Damascus. We may be now looking at an epic war with similar historical significance. All these previous battles, as momentous as they were, were regional in nature. What we are potentially facing is a war that goes beyond the Soviet-U.S. proxy wars of the Cold War era, and beyond the proxy war that has so far taken place in the five-year Syrian civil war. Russia is already present in Syria. The entry of the United States and its allies would risk a direct confrontation between the two largest nuclear powers on earth. Joe Lauria is a veteran foreign-affairs journalist based at the U.N. since 1990. He has written for the Boston Globe, the London Daily Telegraph, the Johannesburg Star, the Montreal Gazette, the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers. He can be reached atjoelauria@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @unjoe. Business / Local by Staff reporter Government will secure a medium to long-term loan to clear its $1,1 billion arrears to the World Bank Group in the second phase of an arrears clearance programme with preferred creditors as it seeks to unlock fresh lines of credit.Zimbabwe has an arrears clearance plan to repay by June 30 the $1,8 billion owed to three preferred creditors the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank (AfDB).The plan was approved by creditors on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank annual meeting in Lima, Peru. Zimbabwe owes the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) $896 million.A unit of the World Bank Group, IBRD provides loans and assistance to middle income countries.It also owes the International Development Association (IDA) $218 million. IDA is a World Bank's unit which helps the world's poorest countries. Clinton, Petraeus, Snowden and Manning: The Tail of the Two Americas The U.S. government does not hesitate to imprison those who leak its secrets unless they are Hillary Clinton or some other Big Shot. By Dr. Marsha Cole There is rarely a crime committed by these 1% wannabes that command punishment or rebuke. February 09, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " BAR " - The Obama Administration will hold the dubious distinction as the most hostile presidency towards whistleblowers in the history of the US. The administrations unprecedented enmity towards individuals, such as Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden, who were courageous enough to expose US war crimes, fraud and corruption was met with aggressive retaliation, imprisonment, exile and ham-fisted punishment. Since 2009, the Administration has invoked the WWI-era Espionage Act that carries not only the possibility of life imprisonment but also the death penalty. The administration has sent a clear message that individuals who expose crimes will be severely punished while the perpetrators of the crimes will receive immunity. Such is the situation that we find with Democratic presidential nominee Hilary Clinton who has admitted, under threat of derailing her campaign, of using a private server to receive and respond to over 1,300 sensitive emails while she was Secretary of State. Had Clinton been deemed a whistleblower or not a member of the 1% club she would have joined Manning in federal prison or perhaps Snowden in exile. Instructively, Clinton severely criticized Edward Snowden for exposing state crimes: 'If he wishes to return knowing he would be held accountable and also able to present a defense, that is his decision to make,' the former secretary of state said in an interview with the Guardian. Clinton has called Snowden an 'imperfect messenger' who could have gone about his whistleblowing in a way that would have been less damaging to national security. The administration has sent a clear message that individuals who expose crimes will be severely punished while the perpetrators of the crimes will receive immunity. Clinton later commented that it was sort of odd that Snowden fled to China and Russia, countries that have restrictive cyberpolicies. Furthermore, she said that his leaks helped certain terrorist networks. But contradictions abound and fault lines are drawn regarding who the government prosecutes or who is allowed to run for the highest office in the land. It was reported that a hacker in Serbia had scanned Clinton's Chappaqua server at least twice, in August and in December 2012. It was unclear from the reports whether the hacker knew the server belonged to Clinton, although it did identify itself as providing email services for clintonemail.com. The domain names for Clintons e-mail address were clintonemail.com, wjcoffice.com, and presidentclinton.com. Justin Cooper, a longtime aide to former President Bill Clinton, managed the e-mail system but did not possess a security clearance [emphasis added] although her e-mails contained highly classified and security information. To make matters worse, a cybersecurity expert determined that the [Clinton] server had amateur hour vulnerabilities. The State Department announced Friday (1/30/16) that it will not release 22 emails from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton because they contain "top secret" information. This information comes three days before the critical Iowa caucuses. The State Department noted that 37 pages are now classified at the highest level of government classification. Had Clinton been deemed a whistleblower or not a member of the 1% club she would have joined Manning in federal prison or perhaps Snowden in exile. Nevertheless, Chelsea Manning sits in a federal prison because she exposed war crimes against unarmed civilians in Iraq. According to a recent Information Clearinghouse report: One of the top-secret emails she [Clinton] received and forwarded contained a photo taken from an American satellite of the North Korean nuclear facility that detonated a device just last week. Because Clinton failed to safeguard that email, she exposed to hackers and thus to the North Koreans the time, place and manner of American surveillance of them. Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the former secretary of state, senator, and Yale-trained lawyer had to know what she was dealing with: "There is no way that someone, a senior government official who has been handling classified information for a good chunk of their adult life, could not have known that this information ought to be classified, whether it was marked or not, he said. "Anyone with the capacity to read and an understanding of American national security, an 8th grade reading level or above, would understand that the release of this information or the potential breach of a non-secure system presented risk to American national security." Pompeo suggested that the military and intelligence communities have had to change operations, because the Clinton server could have been compromised by a third party: Anytime our national security team determines that there's a potential breach, that is information that might potentially have fallen into the hands of the Iranians, or the Russians, or the Chinese, or just hackers, that they begin to operate in a manner that assumes that information has in fact gotten out. On ABC's This Week on (1/31/16), one day before the Iowa caucuses, Clinton claimed ignorance on the sensitivity of the materials and stressed that they werent marked. "There is no classified marked information on those emails sent or received by me," she said. Clinton was pressed during the interview on her signed 2009 non-disclosure agreement which asserts that markings are "irrelevant marked or unmarked including oral communications." US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced that the US government has decided not to impose further punishment on former US military commander and CIA Director Petraeus. Another example of government benevolence towards their disciples is the case of General David Petraeus. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, signaling the encircling of the wagons around David Petraeus, announced this week that the US government has decided not to impose further punishment on the former US military commander and CIA Director for espionage for keeping secret and top-secret documents in an unlocked drawer in his desk inside his home. Petraeus allegedly shared those documents with a female friend who was writing his memoir. Unlike Manning, who is serving a 35 year sentence in Leavenworth, and Snowden, forced into exile in Russia, a year outside the familiar walls and perks of the federal executive club was deemed by political insiders as excessive punishment for Petraeus. Excessive punishment? Manning is serving 35 years in military prison and Snowden an undetermined amount of time in exile thats excessive punishment. It is perhaps noteworthy to mention that Petraeus has recovered from his bout in federal service. He now serves as chairman of the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts of the KKR Global Institute. What is remarkable about American democracy is the consistent and perpetual benevolence of the ruling class towards its loyal disciples. Many of these disciples belong to the 99% but characteristically identify and would literally kill on command for the 1%. The reward for their loyalty is straightforward: there is rarely a crime committed by these 1% wannabes that command punishment or rebuke. Police, as agents of the state are granted immunity and rewarded for killing young unarmed Black men and women, investment bankers who nearly tanked the US economy are rewarded with White House cabinet-level positions and generous bailouts from the pockets of working-class communities. Federal employees complaining of racism are eviscerated while their managers receive promotions. The message is clear, there are two Americas one immune from any accountability and the other living in a political and economic purgatory. Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo is the author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated: No FEAR: A Whistleblowers Triumph over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA . She worked at the EPA for 18 years and blew the whistle on a US multinational corporation that endangered South African vanadium mine workers. Marsha's successful lawsuit led to the introduction and passage of the first civil rights and whistleblower law of the 21st century: the Notification of Federal Employees Anti-discrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (No FEAR Act). She is Director of Transparency and Accountability for the Green Shadow Cabinet, serves on the Advisory Board of ExposeFacts.com and coordinates the Hands Up Coalition, DC. Ted Cruz PsyOp For the first time in History, a team specialised in psychological operations is attempting to fabricate a candidate for the US Presidential elections and win him a home in the White House. By Thierry Meyssan February 09, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Voltaire " - Psychological Operations (Psy Ops) are tricks of war , like the Trojan Horse. Under the influence of General Edward Lansdale, the United States equipped their armies and the CIA with these special Psy Ops units, first of all in the Philippines, in Vietnam and against Cuba, then as permanent fixtures [1]. Psychological Operations are far more complex than propaganda, which is aimed only at deforming the perception of reality. For example, during the war against Syria in 2011, allied propaganda consisted of convincing the population that President el-Assad was going to abdicate, as President Ben Ali of Tunisia had done earlier. The Syrians therefore had to prepare themselves for a new regime. But in early 2012, a psychological operation planned on substituting false programmes on national TV channels which purported to show the fall of the Syrian Arab Republic, so that the population would offer no resistance [2]. Just as today, there exist mercenary armies like Blackwater-Academi, DynCorp or CACI, there also exist private companies specialised in psychological operations, like the British company SCL (Strategic Communications Laboratories) and its US subsidiary Cambridge Analytica. In the strictest secret, they have helped the CIA to organise the colour revolutions and are now branching out into the manipulation of the electoral public. Since 2005, they have been participating in the British Defense Systems & Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition, and sell their services to the highest bidder [3]. Concerning Syria, SCL worked in early 2011 in Lebanon, where it studied the the possibilities of manipulating the population community by communuity. Psychological Operations and the electorate In modern societies, the political authorities are chosen by election. That may range from a simple choice between pre-selected candidates according to their personal qualities to the designation of personalities who are offering a specific political project. In any case, the candidates have to rely on their militants or their employees in order to wage their campaign. We know that the winner is always the person who is able to gather the greatest number of militants. It is therefore necessary not only to fabricate a candidate, but also a party or a movement to support them. However, todays electors hesitate to subscribe to an organisation, and employees are expensive. SCL came up with the idea of using behavioural techniques in order to fabricate a political party which would sweep its client to power. Its psychologists define the profile-type of the sincere and manipulable militant, then collect the data from the target population, determine who best corresponds to their profile, and design the most efficient messages to convince them to support their client. For the first time, this stratagem has just been implemented on a huge scale in the United States, with Ted Cruz. Ted Cruzs campaign slogan - TrusTed . Financing the operation Robert Mercer, one of the principle donors to US public life, has indirectly paid more than 15 million dollars to SCL-Cambridge Analytica for them to handle Ted Cruzs campaign [4]. Inventor of a vocal recognition software product, Mercer is today the boss of Renaissance, one of the top investment companies in the world. Between 1989 and 2006, his famous Medaillon fund made an average of 35 % profit per year, at the same time as designing a tax-evasion system for his clients [5]. Robert Mercer has never made any comment about his political opinions, and the US commentators dont really know how to classify this Republican . No-one knows, for example, his position on social problems such as the right to abortion or gay marriage. At best, we know that he does not believe that climate change is caused by human activity, that he clearly opposes Hillary Clinton and his friend Donald Trump, and is close to John Bolton. JPEG - 43.9 kb Source : Bloomberg JPEG - 33.7 kb Source : The Guardian How to cook bacon on the barrel of your gun. The collection of personal data In order to select citizens susceptible of becoming militants, SCL/Cambridge Analytica has secretly gathered documentation of millions of electors [6]. Doctor Aleksandr Kogan bought the data from Amazon, the US on-line sales giant, then paid approximately 1 extra dollar per client for a questionnaire to be sent to them via Mechanical Turk (MTurk). By accepting to identify themselves on Facebook, the internaut allowed MTurk access to his or her personal data MTurk then compiled this data with Amazons information and transmitted them to SCL via Kogans company, Global Science Research (GSR). Despite the fact that Dr. Kogan assured The Guardian that he worked only on scientific research, and used only anonymous data, they are nonetheless today in the possession of SCL [7]. Within a few months, SCL had at its disposition a detailed data base on more than 40 million electors US - without their knowledge. In 2008, the International Court of Justice decided to order the United States to revise the trial of a Mexican who had been found guilty without having been allowed consular legal assistance. However, Ted Cruz, then the Solicitor General of Texas, pleaded before the Supreme Court that a Federal State was not obliged to obey a foreign Court as long as the Treaty signed by Washington had not been transcribed into domestic law. He won, the United States denounced the additional protocol at the Vienna Convention, and the prisoner was executed. The interpretation of personal data Cambridge Analytica then proceded with an evaluation of each profile according the the OCEAN method, as follows : - Openness (appreciation of art, emotion, adventure, uncommon ideas, curiosity and imagination) ; - Conscientiousness (self-discipline, respect for obligations, organisation rather than spontaneity, goal-oriented) ; - Extroversion (energy, positive emotions, tendency to seek stimulation and the company of others, go-getter) ; - Agreeability (tendency to be empathetic and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic to others) ; - Neuroticism (tendency to feel unpleasant emotions easily, like anger, anxiety or depression, vulnerability). For each subject, the study managed to establish a personality graph by using the 240 questions of the NEO PI-R tests (Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness, Personality Inventory - Revised). On this basis, SCL identified the individuals who constitute sincere, manipulable militants, and then elaborated personalised arguments to convince them. One might think that personality studies developed without the subjects knowledge would be too approximate. And yet A brilliant lawyer, Ted Cruz defended the Ten Commandments monument installed at the Texas State Capitol . He drew up the memoires of the attorneys general of 31 states, according to whom the ban on handguns violates the right to bear arms guaranteed by the second amendment to the Constitution of the United States. He also defended the recitation of the Oath of Allegiance to the flag of the United States, One Nation Under God , in public schools. Ted Cruz the candidate The candidate who seeks to be swept into the White House, Ted Cruz, is an excellent lawyer, a brilliant orator and debater. Specifically, he has pleaded several times, successfully, before the Supreme Court of the United States. He is a libertarian rather than a conservative. His father, the Evangelist pastor Rafael Cruz, is a Cuban immigrant who preaches that God gave men of faith the job of governing America . He claims that at the end of times, which is coming soon, God will give the wealth of evil men to the just [8]. Teds wife, Heidi Cruz,was the Director for South America to the National Security Council in the days of Condoleezza Rice. She then became vice-president of Goldman Sachs, tasked with the management of the fortunes of clients from the South-West US [9]. At the start of his Presidential campaign, Ted Cruz generated very few favourable opinions, and the Press commented on his unempathetic character. However, thanks to the help of SCL/Cambridge Analytica, he quickly formed a huge support group, and won the Republican primaries in Iowa. In 1988, Ted Cruz spoke of his ideals in life : Take over the world. World domination, rule everything, be rich and powerful, that sort of stuff . If he were to win the coveted place in the White House, it would prove that it is possible to subvert an electoral campaign by using the techniques of psychological operations. Thierry Meyssan - French intellectual, founder and chairman of Voltaire Network and the Axis for Peace Conference. His columns specializing in international relations feature in daily newspapers and weekly magazines in Arabic, Spanish and Russian. His last two books published in English : 9/11 the Big Lie and Pentagate. Translation - Pete Kimberley Does Erdogan Want War With Russia? Week Seventeen of the Russian Intervention in Syria: And how will Russia react if he triggers it By The Saker February 09, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Unz Review " - The situation with Turkey is rapidly getting out of control: not only have the Turks conducted artillery strikes across the Syrian border, Turkey has refused to comply with its obligations under the Open Skies Treaty and refused to let a Russian surveillance aircraft overfly Turkey. The Russian military has now declared that it had detected signs of Turkish preparations for an invasion. The Turkish refusal to abide by the Open Skies Treaty is an extremely worrisome development, especially when combined with the Russian warnings about the preparation for an invasion of Syria, and the Russians are not mincing their words: There are plenty more indicators and warnings showing that an escalation is possible: the Geneva negotiations have been abruptly terminated, the Saudis are threatening to invade Syria and there are signs that the Syrian army is slowly but surely preparing an operation to liberate Aleppo from the Takfiris, creating a panic in Ankara and Riyadh (so much for the stupid notions that the Russians are not winning or that the Syrian military does not exist). In the meantime, there are plenty of signs that Erdogans entire grand plan for Syria has completely collapsed that that he has no more options left (please read the excellent analysis by Ghassan Kadi on this topic posted today as well as Pepe Escobars take on the same issue). I am not a psychic or a prophet. I cannot tell what Erdogan is really thinking, or whether the Turks will try to invade Syria. But what I can do is to try to make some educated guesses about possible Russian responses to such an event. First, two basic principles: 1) If Russian forces are attacked they will hit back. Putin already gave them that authority and this will happen almost automatically with only local commanders making the final call. In other words, such an exchange of fire would not automatically be tantamount to a full-scale war between Turkey and Russia. 2) If Turkey invades Syria, Russia will act in strict compliance with international law. That means that she will demand an emergency meeting of the UNSC and that much will depend upon what the Councils reaction will be. If the usual gangs of puppets covers for Turkey (which is by no means certain, in my opinion, at least not for very long, maybe a week or so max) then the Russians will then refer to their obligations to assist Syria under the 1980 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the two countries (Russia being today the successor state to the USSR the treaty is still in force) and the 2015 Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Syrian Arab Republic on thedeployment of aviation group of the Armed Forces on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic. In other words, Russia will retain a degree of flexibility to interpret the situation in one way or another. That, in turn, means that much will depend on what the Turks really try achieve. If we are talking about the typical Turkish violation of a national border to attack the Kurds, like what they did many times in the past already, and if that intervention is limited in depth, Russia will probably chose non-military means to put pressure on Turkey. Again, while the crazies in Turkey badly want a war with Russia to internationalize the conflict and force NATO to intervene, the Russians have no interest at all in such an escalation. Just as in the Donbass, the West is trying to bait Russia into a war and Russia is refusing to take that bait. The problem is that unlike the Ukronazis, the Turks have a much more powerful military machine which the Russian cannot ignore like they have ignored the Ukronazi military and various death squads. So if Erdogans goal is just to look macho and flex some muscle, say like what Reagan did in Grenada, then he can probably get away with it, at least for a short operation. But if Erdogan is dead set in having a conflict with Russia, the Russian wont be able to just hunker down and wait for him to calm down. In the latter case, Russia will have a number of escalatory options. The first obvious options is to help the Syrians and Kurds with intelligence. This is already taking place now and will only intensify in the case of a Turkish invasion. The second is to shoot Turkish fixed or rotary-wing aircraft out of the skies. This is an easy option as the Syrians already have some pretty good air defense systems (including some Pantsir-S1, Buk-M1/2E, Tunguskas 2K22 and a fairly robust early-warning system) and a few more or less capable aircraft (possibly including upgraded MiG-29s). The Kremlin can thus enjoy a degree of what the CIA called plausible deniability. The third option for Russia is to help the Syrians with the artillery system she reportedly deployed in the country including 52-millimeter MTSA-B guns, BM-27 Uragan and BM-30 Smerch rocket launchers. All these options would still fall short of a full-scale war between Russia and Turkey. But if Erdogan is determined to escalate further then a war will be inevitable. If Turkey tries to attack Khmeimim directly, then Russia will strike back, no doubt about it. What could it look like? The first thing I would say is that neither country will try to invade the other one. The notion of Turkey invading Russia is self-evidently ludicrous, but while Turkey does fall within the 1000km depth the Russian military is trained to fight in, I dont believe that Russia would ever attempt this. For one thing, and just as was the case with Georgia, nobody in Russia really believes that the Turks, as a nation, want war. If anything, Erdogan is much more of a Saakashvili v2 then a Hitler and he will be dealt with similarly. Furthermore, while during the 08.08.08 war Russia had to protect the Ossetians from the quasi-genocidal Georgians, Russia has no such obligations in Kurdistan. A much more likely scenario is a repeat what we have already seen, but on a much larger scale: if Erdogan really forces Russia into a war, what will happen will be cruise and ballistic missile attacks on the infrastructure supporting the Turkish invasion, the sinking of any Turkish Navy ship involved in this effort, and bomb and missile attacks on Turkish force concentrations, ammo and fuel (POL) dumps and, especially, airfields. The goal of the Russian response will not be to defeat Turkey militarily, but to push back the Turks long enough to force some kind of a ceasefire upon Erdogan. Even if the Russian military is capable of completely defeating Turkey in a war, the Kremlin also realizes that any war between Turkey and Russia ought to be stopped as soon as possible and that rather than defeating Turkey the real Russian objective ought be to defeat Erdogan. For this reason, the Russians, far from being trigger happy, will undertake every imaginable effort to show that they did not initiate the war, even if that means letting Turkey enter into Syria, at least as long as the Turks stay close to their border and do not attempt to change the course of the war. If all the Turks want is a thin security zone inside Syria, I dont see the Russians using military force to deny this to them. They will protest, vehemently, on a diplomatic level, and they will help the Syrians and Kurds, but they will not directly attack the Turkish forces. What about the Saudis? Well, what about them? They cant even deal with the Houthis in Yemen, why would anyone think that they could make a difference in Syria? The Saudi military is a joke, a degenerate repression force barely capable of engaging in anti-Shia repression operations. They can make all the threats they want, but if they try to move into Syria the Syrians, Russians, Iranians and Hezbollah will all try to race each other to be the first one to finally get a hold of these SOBs in teach them a lesson they shall not forget in a long time. Frankly, I simply dont want to believe that Erdogan and his advisors are crazy enough to try to trigger a war with Russia or even to invade Syria. While Erdogan himself is clearly a maniac, I cannot believe that his entire staff is also composed of lunatics. Furthermore, I cannot imagine that the US/NATO/EU would actually support a Turkish invasion of Syria or, even less so, an attack on Russia. Russophobia is great only as long as it does not expose you to a continental war, at which point your self-interest and survival prevails over any ideological notions. At least I hope so. And maybe I am naive, but I want to believe that the Turkish people are not going to just sit back and do nothing while their leader is dragging their country towards a war with Russia. In conclusion, I want to mention one disturbing thing. A Greek elder, a monastic named Paisios, whom the Greek Orthodox Church has glorified as a saint, was known for his prophetic visions. One of the most famous one was his prediction that Turkey and Russia would have a major war which would result in a complete break-up of Turkey and the liberation of Constantinople from the Ottoman yoke (if you are interested by the details, click here and here). Now I quite realize that in our times most people will immediately dismiss such things as meaningless nonsense, obscurantism, superstition, wishful thinking on the part of a resentful Greek, religious gobbledygook etc. But please keep in mind that between the 15th and the 20th century, Russia and Turkey have already fought 12 wars (!). That over 2 wars (2.4 exactly) per century and that the last one happened a century ago. So whether you look at prophecies, past experience or statistics, things look very, very scary, at least to me. And, as Ghassan Kadi and Pepe Escobar have explained, Erdogan is now cornered. That also makes him very dangerous. The AngloZionists are experts at unleashing crazed ideologues (Wahabis in the Middle-East and Nazis in the Ukraine) but that they always seem to eventually somehow lose control over them. I just hope that the American cover of the Turkish regime did not result in the unleashing of yet another rabid ideology Ottoman Imperialism or, if it has, that it is not too late for the US to rein in this lunatic before it is too late. Erdogan and his regime are a threat to regional and even world piece. I dont really care who removes him, the Turkish people or the White House, but I sure hope that his days in power are numbered because as long as he is in power a catastrophe of major proportions can happen. The two arms of the National Assembly (NASS), yesterday, declared that the 2016 budget was full of errors and can therefore not be passed on February 25 as earlier promised. Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje, and his House of Representatives counterpart, Jibrin Abdulmumin, who disclosed this at a briefing, said the budget was fraught with too many errors, which had made its passage into law impossible. We are here in connection with the ongoing processing of the 2016 Budget because these two committees are the ones saddled with the production of the final copies of the budget that would be passed by the National Assembly for onward submission to Mr President for his assent and subsequent implementation, Sen. Goje said. We want to remove all ambiguities, we want to remove all paddings. We want to produce a budget that is in line with the constitutional provision. During the budget defence, a lot of issues based on the padding of the budget, arising from over-bloated overheads and in some instances cases of over-bloated personnel cost. But generally, there has been a lot of issues. The appropriation committee would look at these issues after the whole budget defence and do a very thorough work aimed at doing a proper clean-up of the budget. So in summary, the time-table for passage of the budget is no longer realistic because as appropriation committees of both chambers of the National Assembly, we need additional time to do a thorough job for the 2016 budget, Goje said. Also speaking, the House Chairman on Appropriation Committee, Abdulmumin, agreed that the two committees would have to do a proper clean up of the budget. So we can pass a budget that is implementable and also acceptable to Nigerians. It is no longer realistic because we need sufficient time to pass a comprehensive budget. The President is an individual, the budget runs in thousands of pages, the President will not be able to go through it page by page, Abdulmumin said. The Department of State Services on Tuesday arrested a student of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Abdussalam Yunusa, who was recruiting for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. A statement issued by the spokesperson for the security agency, Mr. Tony Opuiyo, in Abuja said that the suspect was arrested in Kano and that the arrest of the suspect was sequel to available intelligence, which he said indicated the suspects terrorist antecedents and covert drive to indoctrinate and recruit susceptible youths in the country. INFORMATION NIGERIA has put together 3 things you should know about the student Yunusa was a 400-level undergraduate student of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, where he was studying for a degree in Information and Media Technology. He was subsequently radicalized and became a member of an extremist cell, comprising of one Ibrahim and Abubakar Ligali, whom he (Yunusa) revealed was currently undergoing terrorist training in Libya and the cell was funded by one Abu-saad Al Sudani, a media expert with the extremist group. Before his arrest, Yunusa had completed arrangements to embark on a journey to join an ISIS terrorist training camp in Libya, with other Nigerians whom he recruited for the group. Also on 17th January, 2016, in Daura township of Daura LGA, Katsina State, another budding extremist cell affiliated to ISIS, was intercepted by the Service. One Ibrahim Mohammed DAURA, Zaharadeen SALISU and five other elements of the proscribed extremist group, Ansaru, were arrested by the Service. The Borno State government has raised the alarm that the terrorist group have devised a new scheme to lure innocent citizens to their deaths. The state government has since issued a warning to make citizens aware and cautious of this new scheme by the deadly terrorist group. Doing our part in sensitizing Nigerians about this new scheme, INFORMATION NIGERIA has put together the 4 things Borno state government wants its people to know Collaborators and sympathizers of Boko Haram insurgents have devised a means of misleading innocent citizens, particularly women in some parts of Borno State, by telling them to go and make photocopies of their permanent voters card and submit them in anticipation of the sum of six thousand naira to be paid to them by the Independent National Electoral Commission and other political stake-holders. The motive behind this dubious step is to mobilize innocent citizens, particularly women into gathering at business centers and other places to make it convenient for insurgents who have been fleeing from military bombardment, to disguise and embark on suicide missions aimed at taking the lives of innocent persons. The Government noted that with the huge successes being recorded by the Nigerian armed forces, fleeing insurgents who now operate from the positions of weakness due to decline in their numbers, plot suicide attacks on soft targets in order to use less members of their sect to inflict pains on many innocent citizens. Government therefore urged citizens to completely disregard any call for making photocopies and submission of permanent voter-cards as well as any call for them to assemble in any business or any place for that matter as there is no such requirements by the INEC or any institution of Government, unless such is coming from official quarters which will be communicated through recognized media platforms particularly Radio, Television, Newspapers and some established online media houses. The Government enjoins good citizens to spread this public alert using all lawful means including the social media with a view to jointly working against terrorism to enhance our collective security. The Senate is seeking ways of invoking sanctions on former President Goodluck Jonathan and some ministers that served under his administration for appropriating reserved plots of land in Abuja to themselves, in violation of the Federal Capital Territorys master plan. The Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which is leading the call for the sanctions, disclosed that plots of land acquired by Jonathan and his ministers were designated as green areas, flood drains, city buffers, recreation, sewage lines, urban farming and city monuments. At a briefing on Wednesday, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Dino Melaye, said the illegally acquired areas fall within the highbrow Maitama District. Describing the action of Jonathan and his ministers as satanic, Melaye blamed the immediate past former Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, for indiscretion. Besides Jonathan, the committee listed 29 other powerful Nigerians, including former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and former Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, as beneficiaries of the land grab. Some of the beneficiaries have started erecting structures on the plots, which were hurriedly allocated in the twilight of the last administration and Certificates of Occupancy hurriedly issued for the plots. Melaye said, Senator Bala Mohammed, in his bid to satisfy some powerful Nigerians before the end of his tenure, disregarded the wisdom of his predecessors and the vision of the founding fathers of Abuja. He went ahead to implement Messrs Fola Consult Limiteds recommendation by allocating these important features at the Maitama Hills to these powerful Nigerians. It is pathetic to state that one of the allottees has erroneously burst a sewage conduit pipe and the entire area messed up with offensive odour which could trigger off serious epidemic within that location. Nigeria is putting plans in place to hand over the multi-billion dollar Ajaokuta Steel complex in Kogi State to private investors this year as part of a plan to revive Nigerias industrial and mining industries, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has said. Construction of Ajaokuta, which lies on the Niger River and was supposed to have an installed capacity of 5 million metric tons of steel a year, began in 1979. However, work on the complex was delayed as a result of governments failure to pay the builders, Russias Tyazhpromexport, on schedule. By 2004, when it was taken over by Indias Ispat Industries Ltd., it was yet to produce any steel, leading to the Federal Government tevoking the concession agreement in 2008. All outstanding legal issues surrounding the revocation are yet to be resolved, Mr. Fayemi said. Ajaokuta Steel Mill is one of the major issues I have put on the table, Fayemi said in an interview in Cape Town, South Africa, yesterday. Under my watch it will be revived, he said. The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is trying to boost the slowest economic growth in Africas biggest economy by spending on infrastructure and diversifying economic activity away from oil, the price of which has fallen to a seven-year all-time low. In addition to steel, the Minister said the government aims to improve the implementation of mining laws, make available better data on the countrys deposits and act to regulate informal mining. However, due to global rout in commodity prices, mr. Fayemi doesnt expect significant investment soon. The sector has been comatose for some time. We will be ready for the next boom, he assured. Initially the focus will be on industrial minerals for domestic consumption, he said, adding focus will be on limestone for cement production, iron ore for steel, bitumen for asphalt, barium for oil drilling and lead and zinc. The country will also try and attract investment into gemstone mining and will improve data on gold deposits in Zamfara State and elsewhere before trying to attract investors in 2017, Mr. Fayemi, a former governor of Ekiti State, said. An attempt will also be made to revive thermal coal production for power generation. The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Tuesday waded into the controversy surrounding the hierarchy of monarchs in Yoruba land, saying Benin Kingdom in Edo State remained part of the expansive Yoruba race. Oba Ogunwusi made the comment in reaction to a statement credited to the palace of the Oba of Benin challenging the claim by the Alake of Egbaland, Adedotun Gbadebo, that the Ooni of Ife remained the pre-eminent spiritual leader in Yorubaland and environs. The Benin palace in its reaction said the Oba of Benin could and should not be equated to any Yoruba monarch as his stool was superior. It also said the Ooni is a son of the Oba of Benin and his stool, an appendage of the Benin palace. Oba Ogunwusi, via a statement by his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, said he was not interested in any supremacy battle with anyone but that he would continue to put the records straight and avoid distortion of history from any quarters. The Ooni said going by historical evidence detailing the Oduduwa lineage, Benin Kingdom remained part and parcel of Oduduwa House. We in Oduduwa land have always seen and regarded our people in Benin kingdom as part and parcel of Oduduwa House. They are our brothers and sisters, coupled with historical facts to back up this position, Ooni Ogunwusi said. The statement credited to the Alake of Egbaland, did not emanate from us but the reality is that as a highly experienced and well informed monarch, Kabiyesi Alake, who is a bonafide Oodua descendant is entitled to his opinion based on his knowledge and understanding of history, the Ooni said. Let me emphasize for the umpteenth time that Kabiyesi Ooni is less concerned over any supremacy hullabaloo. He is only interest for now in how the sacred throne of Oduduwa can explore measures through which the collective interest and genuine unity among Yoruba and other tribes within the larger House of Oduduwa can be enhanced. This informed his resolve to build bridges of harmony among Yourba Obas. I am resolutely committed to how Yoruba ethnic group can restore its glory and pride of position among other ethnic inclinations in Nigeria and dont want to be dragged into supremacy contest or join issues with anybody. The monarch said he recalled that about six years ago, attempt was made by some people to upturn history during the launch of a book titled: I REMAIN SIR, YOUR OBEDIENT SERVANT, which he said stood historical facts on its head. He stated that If the position espoused by the Oba of Benin Palace in the media is aimed at distancing our people in Benin from the South West and Yoruba, so be it. He, however, added: We still identify with them as our kinsmen, regardless of the attempt to change the course of history. The Presidency has described as misconstrued the various interpretations of President Muhammadu Buharis comments in an interview he granted to the UKs Telegraph newspaper on February 5. The president recently came under fire for reportedly saying Nigerians abroad were engaged in criminal activities in their host countries and by so doing, were battering the countrys image. However, in a statement Tuesday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, noted that the wave of negative reactions to Buharis remarks about the reputation of Nigerians abroad was a result of incomplete understanding of his (Buharis) point. President Buhari was asked about the flood of migrants from Nigeria and the fraudulent applications for asylum put in by people desperate to leave their motherland at any cost, and it was this question that elicited his response, he said, encouraging Nigerians to avail themselves of a full text of the interview, which has now been made available on the Telegraphs website. The presidential spokesman added that it was preposterous for anyone to imagine that the president of Nigeria would describe all the citizens of the country he leads as criminals, when he himself is a Nigerianobviously not a criminaland when there are many Nigerians of honest living making their country proud all over the world. Unfortunately, there are also Nigerians giving their country a bad image abroad, and it is to those Nigerians that the President referred in his comments, he said, adding that people may play politics and online games with the Presidents comments, but the fact of the matter remains that Nigerias reputation abroad has been severely damaged by her own citizens. These Nigerians who leave their country to go and make mischief on foreign shores have given the rest of us a bad reputation that we daily struggle to overcome. Mr. Shehu called attention to the many efforts of President Buhari to clean up the image of Nigeria, such as the war on corruption, stating that acknowledging you have a problem is the first step to preferring a solution. President Buhari is very aware of the problems the people of Nigeria face both at home and abroad, and he is not shying away from admitting them even as he focuses on solutions to bring them to a permanent end. Business / Local by Staff reporter BARCLAYS Bank agreed to pay nearly $2.5 million to the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in order to settle claims related to the violation of U.S. sanctions by processing transactions for government-backed entities in Zimbabwe.According to the Treasury, Barclays processed 159 transactions totaling around $3.4 million from July 2008 to September 2013 to or through financial institutions in the U.S., including the company's New York branch, for corporate customers of Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe, which were majority-owned by people that are on U.S. sanctions lists.The US imposed sanctions on the country in the early 2 000s mostly targeted at Zimbabwean politicians Washington accused of undermining democracy and human rights, and involved asset seizures and travel bans. Among those targeted were President Robert Mugabe and First Lady Grace.But in Tuesday's statement, the US Treasury said Barclays Bank had been fined for processing transactions for sanctioned government entities, including parastatals. The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the ongoing anti-corruption war by President Muhammadu Buhari is not hindering governance. The National Auditor of the party, Chief George Moghalu, made this known to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday. Moghalu insisted that other aspects of governance were being addressed. He also dismissed insinuations in some quarters that the fight against corruption may affect the fortunes of APC in future elections. According to him, the party will not spend its first tenure fighting corruption. I want to disagree with such insinuations. We are not going to spend the four years in fighting corruption. As you know, corruption is being fought and it is fighting back. In the same vein, other aspects of governance are being addressed; governance has not stopped in any sector because Mr. President and his government are confronting corruption frontally. Governance is running side by side with the fight against corruption. Infrastructure is being addressed, issues of the power sector is being addressed, agriculture, science and technology are being addressed alongside fighting corruption, because it is one of the cardinal promises made by the government during the campaign, said the party chieftain. On the partys eight-month reign, Moghalu blamed the seeming slowness of the Buhari administration on the decay inherited from the previous government. We are very much on course. You see, when we talk about these eight months, we must also consider the level of decay, the level of rot that the APC government is confronted with. It will be most unfair for anybody to expect that the rot and damage to the economy, to the Nigerian state, to infrastructure and everything will be repaired in eight months. It is not fair to the government. We all know from what we are seeing and hearing, the quantum of damage is unimaginable. So, we need to give the government all the support, encourage government, pray for the leaders so that they will continue in the part they are following. If you look at it, there is a methodical commitment to actually set objective and that objective which I know is to implement the APC manifesto which is well written and a collection of the reaction and expectations of the people. And once that is implemented, I guarantee you that Nigeria will get back on course. The national auditor of the governing party also appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the government and assured that soon, they would have no choice than to praise the Buhari-led administration. Moghalu said: My appeal is that we should be patient. We are almost there, it cant be worse. Let us be a little bit patient, support government in prayer and by any means we can, so that government can remain on course. I am confident that with what has happened and the target they have set for themselves, I am certain that we will soon get to our destination. Authorities say a Pennsylvania man stole several police badges while he was being held for questioning in a domestic dispute. Police say 26-year-old Robert Dingeldein stole the badges Oct. 30 while being questioned by Irwin police. The small town has all its borough offices in one building, so Dingeldein was held in the mayors office to keep him away from a woman also being questioned in the dispute. Police say they didnt realize that Dingeldein had taken anything from the office until someone else returned one of the stolen badges last month. Police say Dingeldein has since apologized and returned the three other badges he took. He faces a preliminary hearing May 18 on theft-related charges. He doesnt have an attorney or listed phone number. Yahoo! A plot by a syndicate to steal N4.5 billion from the Federal Governments Treasury Single Account (TSA) has been thwarted by the Directorate of State Services (DSS). The secret police bust the four-man syndicate, which was at the verge of hacking into the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) domiciled in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) to steal the money. In a statement on its activities yesterday, DSS spokesman, Tony Opuiyo, said: The gang was led by one Sunny Okoh, a hacker who worked in collaboration with the trio of Uwem Udo Ekpo, a Chief Programme Analyst in the OAGF, Maxwell Ekene, a retired security operative and Dozie Egwu, based in Malaysia and who is now at large. The suspected fraudsters intended to use a software they had sourced and codes released to them by Ekpo to hack government accounts in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and defraud the government of this huge sum. Mr. Opuiyo added that the hacking suspects had been handed over to the EFCC for further investigations and prosecution, stressing that citizens timely information is always helpful in uncovering criminals plans. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has advised the Minister of Power, Mr Babatunde Fashola, to ensure regulatory authorities were not allowed to get away with the 45 percent increase in electricity tariff by promoting compliance with the November 2013 ruling on the matter by two UN special rapporteurs. SERAPs declaration followed a nationwide protest, Monday, by Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC, against the increase in electricity tariff, demanding an immediate reversal of the hike. In a statement issued, yesterday, by its Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, SERAP said: Nigeria is an important member of the UN and have voluntarily accepted its charter and treaties. Therefore, any effort to increase electricity tariff should be guided by the recommendations by the UN and dialogue with organised labour and other stakeholders. The United Nations published the Joint Letter of Concern sent to the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan in which they expressed concerns that access to electricity (and regularity of supply) is a significant problem in Nigeria, and raised eight questions for the government to answer within 60 days, SERAP noted. The letter with reference, NGA 5/2013 and dated November 26, 2013, and signed by two special rapporteurs, expressed concerns that at the end of 2012, Nigeria with a population of about 160 million people only generated about 4,000 megawatts of electricity, which is 10 times less than some other countries in the region with less population. The UN special rapporteurs argued that all beneficiaries of the right to adequate housing should have sustainable access to energy for cooking, heating and lighting. The failure of states to provide basic services such as electricity is a violation of the right to health. The rapporteurs, Magdalena Sepulveda Carmona, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights and Raquel Rolnik, Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, sent the letter following a petition lodged last year by a coalition of human rights activists, labour, journalists and lawyers, led by SERAP. The petition alleged that increase in electricity tariff would have detrimental impact on the human rights of those living in poverty in the country. Other signatories to the petition sent to the special rapporteurs in September 2013 are: the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE); Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ); Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC); Women Empowerment and Legal Aid Initiative (WELA); Partnership for Justice (PJ); Education Rights Campaign (ERC); Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos State Council; Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos; Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja branch; National Union of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), and Joint Action Front (JAF). Veteran Fuji singer, Pasuma Wonder, 48, has been on quite a spending spree in the past few months. Hes been buying cars and property here and there for himself and family. According to a source close to the Fuji musician, Pasuma Wonder recently acquired a Toyota Highlander jeep worth N12m. Last year October, Pasuma Wonder moved into his new house in Omole Estate, Ikeja. The house is located on Babington Ashaye Street, Omole Phase 1, Lagos, and has 5 bedrooms. The house boasts of two large sitting room, massive kitchen, Jacuzzi baths gym and a game arena. In an interview, Pasuma Wonder said I work hard but everyone deserves to live a good life. Pasuma Wonder also shared the news of his new home on his Instagram account. The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said it is working with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to flush out those selling Indian hemp and alcohol beverages in motor parks across the state. The Chief Executive Officer of Lagos State Transportation Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Christian Akioja Olakpe, made the disclosure at a public education and enlightenment programme put together by LASTMA for articulated truck drivers at Naval Park, Marine Beach, Apapa, Lagos. According to Olakpe, driving under the influence of alcohol and drug are major causes of road accidents, adding that LASTMA will not fail to enforce the state traffic laws to the fullest. We are planning to partner with NDLEA to flush out these hangers-around who sell drugs and alcoholic drinks in motor parks. We have also told the articulated truck drivers that when they are strapping their cargoes, they should strap them well and drive at reasonable speed. LASTMA is coming with full enforcement because we are going to include court processes, ticketing and impounding of vehicles and penalising of erring motorists. It will be very tough for those who dont want to key into the change mantra of traffic law in Lagos, Olakpe, a retired police commissioner stated. The suspected recruiter for the Islamic State (ISIS), Abdussalam Enesi Yunusa, who was arrested by the Department of State Security (DSS) on Monday, has been disowned by the Federal University of Technology, FUT, Minna. Yunusa was said to be a 400-level undergraduate student of the University, where he was studying for a degree in Information and Media Technology before he was arrested by the DSS in Kano for his covert drive to indoctrinate and recruit susceptible youths in the country to join ISIS. Disowning the suspected terrorist in a statement by its Chief Information Officer, Mrs. Lydia Legbo, FUT Minna on Wednesday described Yunusa as weak and unserious student. It also said he absconded after the first semester in the 2014/2015 academic session. The said Abdussalam Yunusa was admitted into FUT Minna in 2010/2011 academic session. He was a weak student who last registered in the 2014/2015 academic session but absconded after the first semester. From our records, he is in 300- level student and did not register for the current academic session (2015/2016). His course mates graduated in 2014/2015 and are currently being mobilized for National Youth Service, Legbo stated. The Chief Information Officer, however, commended the security agencies in their efforts to rid the society of deviants. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday arraigned a former Special Adviser to the Kwara State Governor on Millennium Development Goals, Ope Saraki, who is also a cousin to Senate President Bukola Saraki for an alleged N371m scam. LAGOS Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, charged the Federal Government to create enabling environment to attract private investment which is needed to grow the economy. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday evening expressed the desire of his administration to partner with the Federal Republic of Germany in areas of security, transport, technology and development finance to give a quantum leap to establishment and sustenance of businesses in the State. Thisday The Vice-President, Professor, Yemi Osinbajo, has said the Buhari administration will put in place effective primary healthcare centres across the country so as to ensure access to healthcare for all Nigerians. Daily Times Henceforth, visitors to and workers at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, must submit themselves for more rigorous and thorough checks at all entry points to the seat of power. This is a move to beef up security around the President and his Vice and all other occupants of the Villa, in order to prevent unwanted elements from posing security threat to the vast complex. Guardian The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, on Tuesday, said efforts were in top gear to secure list of Nigerians who owned choice properties in the United Arab Emirate (UAE) from proceeds of fraud. National Mirror For a man who looks lanky, whose disposition portrays a man of stern leaning, and whose battle to wrestle power from the hands of its previous custodians on different occasions had always been predicated on his personal life of frugality and asceticism, and a claim of wanting to extend those features to the countrys leadership via sensible governance based on probity, accountability and the need to cut waste, the nation is still at a loss to the kind of man President Buhari has become. Both in his public and private engagements, one might confuse Buharis company with a-day-with-a-mute, except when corruption is brought up for discussion and analysis. Then you see a change in his countenance, his face becomes red. If he had been sitting, he would stand; if he was standing, his uneasiness each time corruption is hinted would make him want to grab his host to exorcise the disease of the heart from him. Thats the Buhari Nigerians honoured with FeBuhari this time last year and a March for Buhari a month later. But it becomes evident that in less than a year since the president got a new home for himself, he seems consumed in the euphoria of the moment. Look closely, something has changed. And nothing epitomizes this than The Budget of Change. As the name suggests, a change in a man whose budgets for 73 years had been frugal to that of a spendthrift, a change from asceticism to hedonism, from scantiness to lavishness, and from moderate to piggishness. With the Budget of Change, President Buhari appears to have fallen into the cesspit of the power condition whose victims hitherto known for infective goodness and some iota of decency leave the ditch forever battling with a messed-up, deformed and whitewashed reputation on their persons. While presenting the document at a joint session of the House of Representatives and senate on December 22nd, President Buhari mounted the platform on the premise of change while at the same time defending opulence, waste, and his governments unwillingness to break away from the shackle of the old order reflective of an indigent personality who wakes up to find himself inside a cash vending machine. A cursory look at the budget reveals stack similarities with those of previous administration; and a thorough one, would leave one with no iota of doubt that the Budget of Change is a fussy sham, a polished document of excessive and unacceptable duplications, a formal way of institutionalizing our maladies, and a document that bears similitude with a vehicle whose Ferrari body sits on a motorcycle propeller. It was a spectacle of contradictions as the Nigerian people found it difficult balancing an equation where the president held the Nigerian Father Xmas, Sambo Dasuki and some previously notable Vagabonds in Power (VIP) in custody for the vicious looting of our commonwealth at the same time wanting to expend N322,421,971 to link a cable to the drivers restroom at the seat of government all in the name of ensuring that our resources are managed prudently and utilized solely for the public good. In keeping with his tradition of ensuring that resources are aligned with governments priorities and allocated efficiently, the development of the mental faculty of vice president would have to be placed above that of the nation. According to a report by Premium Times titled Inside the massive fraud in Buharis 2016 budget, the vice president would read more books than half of the nations federal polytechnics, ditto for every institutions of learning in the country save two. As the second most powerful man in the country, the Budget of Change plans to counter his headaches and stomach pains with N7.54m aside the almost N4bn allocated to health equipment and supplies in the State House Medical Centre where the same vice president has unfettered access to. It becomes apt to ask if an evil spirit was planted in the presidential villa by the Evil Genius whose fear makes every occupant of the property allot to its medical centre, drugs in quantities far greater than those in all hospitals across the country, and health equipment whose quality renders every single one in our health centres as mere mechanical devices. While the people are left at the mercy of natures providence the moon to lit up the dark skies at night, the president would spend over N600m on the installation of electrical fittings on a property whose history of magnificence is echoed by the impossibility of knowing dusk from dawn, morning from afternoon, sunrise from sunset. How else does one conceptualize the misery of the mysterious Budget of Change of Mr. Buhari who, in the build up to the 2015 elections was captured taking a sachet of milo but plans to eat, drink and take his desserts with an amount 733% more than that of his deputy? One wonders how long it would take for the president to drink N114,967,140 worth of 20g sachet of milo! Nigerians have accepted all manner of ostentation and flamboyance from public officials but not at this time when the nation totters on the brink with at least twenty states finding it either difficult or impossible to pay a family man the minimum wage of N18,000. And this is the gospel the president has to preach to himself, his party and his employees in this period when the country is consumed in a precarious situation with annihilatory poverty on one side and excruciating terrorism on the other. With a nation so battered and shattered like ours, the several infelicities and insulting duplications that litter all over the so called Budget of Change would leave our country in a worse state that ever, for the ascension of Mr. Buhari to the presidency like never before raised the hope of every hopeless citizen that at least with a non-thieving head, the Nigerian machine, hitherto characterized with motion without movement would begin a journey out of perdition. But with each passing day, it looks as though the silent revolution is lost or what else is a budget that spends N2,469,986 daily on vehicles than an unfortunate process of wheel and deal? President Buhari had better realise before its tool late that it would be counter-productive to betray his brothers. A brotherhood that was birthed paraphrasing Malcolm X at the Militant Labour Forum via oppression, exploitation, degradation, discrimination, segregation and humiliation meted on us by the Nigerian elites. This budget as it stands, even after its alleged theft, withdrawal and replacement, deserves condemnation irrespective of ones political leaning or ethnic affiliation for it encapsulates a tragic case of what Stokely Carmichael, in his condemnation of racial integration in the United States called insidious subterfuge surreptitiously aimed at selling us a thalidomide drug of change. May we overcome. Modiu Olaguro, a youth corps member, teaches mathematics at Jebba. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @ModiuOlaguro Website: www.ghettosassembly.wordpress. com Embattled president of the Upper Legislative Chamber, Bukola Saraki has recieved the support of the Senate after wide consultation and series of meeting. In days to come, the senate may launch a full-scale war against the Presidency and certain elements of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who they persistently accuse of masterminding the travails of Saraki. Drawing from the Senates reactions to Sarakis trial, INFORMATION NIGERIA has put together 5 reasons why the senate has given its support to Saraki 1. The Senate is of the opinion that the case against Saraki is not about any fight against corruption but simply a case of political vendetta. 2. The Senate believes that until Saraki is proven guilty, he remains innocent as proferred in the fundamental principle in the Nigerian legal system. In light of this they have decided to patiently observe the proceedings until the case runs its full circle in the nations final judicial forum. 3. The Senate said that there is no basis for the call on the Senate President to resign until after the matter is decided in that final judicial forum. Such a call at this time is premature, mischievous and unwarranted, they added. 4. They also called on members of the public to ignore the rantings of a few Senators who having failed to get the wish of their sponsors done on the floor of the Senate are now launching media campaign against the leadership of the Senate. 5. On a final note, they said that the Senate under Dr. Saraki has achieved stability in the legislative institution and do not need any negative distraction at this point. What do you think??? Entertainment / Shows by Staff Reporter The frustrated organisers of Zimbabwe's biggest beauty pageant Miss World Zimbabwe are making contestants swear on the Bible that they've never had nude photos taken.The last two winners of the Miss World Zimbabwe contest have had to step down when nude photos of them were leaked.So this year those in charge are taking a tough line."They'll take oaths holding a Bible upon checking in for boot camp next month," Miss Zimbabwe Trust spokesperson Tendai Chirau said.Models last year had to sign a declaration saying they'd never posed for nudes but that didn't stop Emily Kachote entering and winning the contest before being dethroned. She argued that she'd not knowingly posed for the pictures, which were apparently taken by an ex.Kachote's dethronement followed a similar nude photo leak for Miss World Zimbabwe 2014, Thabiso Phiri.She too lost her crown, though the trust insisted she'd stepped down of her own accord.One of the rules of the competition reads: "Winners of the Miss World Zimbabwe beauty pageant whether a title holder or a runner-up, must not have posed nude professionally or socially in all forms of media."The Miss Zimbabwe nudes scandal opened up a conversation about who was really to blame for Zimbabwe's sex tape scandals, and why the ex-boyfriends who leak photos are not prosecuted.This year's final is to be held on April 16 in Harare.Apart from making models swear on the Bible, the trust is taking extra precautions to make sure they don't lie: if nudes leak during or after the competition, the winner will have to pay back "all the money we will have used on her," Chirau was quoted as saying.Dethroned queen Emily Kachote maintains an active Facebook page -- on which she regularly posts news of other people's sex tapes. Auditions have been limited to the country's two capitals - Bulawayo and Harare - with those outside those cities expected to travel to either to be auditioned."Judging by the response we had last year where some provinces didn't attract a lot of models, we've decided to conduct auditions in these two cities only. Those outside will have to make arrangements to travel to Bulawayo or Harare."Bulawayo auditions will run from February 12 to 14 at the Rainbow Hotel while Harare auditions will be held from February 18 to 20 at the Trust's offices.The scouting team will be considering aspiring queens who in addition to having a clean record, are aged between 18 to 26 years, are at least 1,71m tall and slim, should be single and never been married or given birth and should be able to communicate well in English. The German Embassy in Nigeria held a reception for their president His Excellency Joachim Gauck who is on a 5-day working visit to Nigeria at the Continental hotel on Victoria Island, Lagos, also hosted was Mrs Daniela Schadt. Among the invited guests was TV host Denrele Edun who seized the opportunity to grab a shot with the first couple of Germany. Edun clinched with the First Lady Daniela Schadt. He also taught her some bata traditional dance steps. Edun took selfies with the Germany president and his First Lady for the records. Denrele captioned the moments thus on Instagram: Last nite was a BLUR! Got a special invite from the German Embassy inviting me to a special reception for their President and the First Lady. And so I decked out in my black @toyinokoro sequined suit with red detailing, my gravity defying shoes and all my hair piled on top of my head like the Mount of Sinai! D moment The First Lady Her Excellency, Daniela Schadt sighted meit became a high school reunion. And trust me to sell my market wella! We gisted, laughed endlessly, took pictures & got on the dance floor to rock some bata moves. Im a huge fan already liebe mich einige Daniela Schadt wie kein Morgen! His selfie with German president he captioned: I just couldnt resist. The tallest presence in the room. Colonel Gerhard Klaffus (the Order of the Presidency) even dwarfed me in my sky rocketing heels! Wanna say a huge thanks to the Consulate General of Germany for inviting me to meet their President, his amazing wife and everyone else! Twas an interesting mix of personalities and yes, special shout out to @o_makanjuola , My Indian buddies from Stallion Motors, the United States Consulate General and all the waiters who kept topping my champagne glassThere was no FALL this time! Bis wir uns wiedersehen, machte euch wirklich mein Abend! wo ist mein Visum oooo Denrele Edun is rumoured to be gay but celebrity psychiatrist Maymunah Kadiri claims the red carpet host is nothing near gay. Kadiri said this on the set of upcoming campaign movie, Peppersoup, where the VJ sustained minor injuries to his face after an accident. Source: Naij The management of the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, has said that the arrested recruiter for the Islamic State of Iran and Syria (ISIS) had long absconded from the university. This is contained in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Minna, saying the suspect did not register for the 2015/ 2016 academic session. The statement said the alleged recruiter, Abdulsalam Yunusa, was admitted into the University in 2010/2012 academic session. It also said that Mr. Yunusa was a weak student who last registered in 2014/2015 academic session but absconded after the first semester. It stated that the records showed that the alleged recruiter was in 300 level and did not register for the current session, adding that his mates were presently being mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The State Security Services had on February 9, announced the arrest of a 400-level student of the Federal University of Technology, Minna. He was arrested for being the operational arrowhead of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Nigeria. Source:PremiumTimes Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has said his successor should be able to sustain and deepen tax collection and administration policies initiated by his administration. Following in this path would enable his successor to deliver on peoples oriented programmes, he said. Oshiomhole, whose two tenures of eight years comes to an end by November of this year, spoke on the topic: Dwindling Revenue from Crude Oil: The Challenges for State Governments at the first lecture series of the Correspondents Chapel of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Benin-City. The governor revealed that many persons including government officials, were not paying taxes before the inception of his administration. He, however, said state and federal governments must broaden its tax net and place more emphasis on indirect taxes. Mfr. Oshiomhole further said government must demonstrate a high sense of responsibility and integrity on how it appropriate funds and how the funds are being appropriated for the good of all and sundry in the state. The next government after me should be able to widen and deepen the tax collection regime to be able to deliver on its services to the people of the state. Delivery on services entails the availability of funds and the government should expand the scope of revenue generations in the midst of dwindling oil prices to be able succeed. Government must broaden the tax net and its administration to ensure that the taxable people in the state are all captured in the tax generation process, he stated. The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the April 11, 2015 election in Rivers State, Dakuku Peterside, has alleged that the Supreme Court judgment that upheld the election of and affirmed the election of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate Nyesom Wike as governor of the state, was contrived to legalize electoral violence and rigging. The APC flag bearer made the allegation at a press conference in Port Harcourt, the state capital on Tuesday. Wike, who had his election nullified at the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, had his victory restored by the Supreme Court on January 27. Mr. Peterside had initially accepted the judgment of the Supreme Court and pledged to provide robust and credible opposition to the Wike administration. However, in a sudden turn around, the APC governorship candidate said Mr. Wikes speech at a Church thanksgiving service last Sunday to mark his victory in the court as well as in other fora suggested that he (governor), his party and supporters might have been in the know of what the judgment would be long before the Supreme Court pronounced it. He said despite his acceptance and temperate public comments on the verdict of the court, the governor seemed to have given credence to the pervading doubt being expressed on the judgment in public space, especially in the media about the judgment. Many a Nigerian continues to wonder why PDP and Governor Wikes supporters went on wild celebration across Rivers State as early as 9 am on the Day of judgment even if the actual verdict was handed down at about 6:20 pm of that day, Mr. Peterside said. It clearly suggests that they might have been in the know of what the judgment would be long before the Supreme Court pronounced it. This is coupled with several comments especially on the social media some three weeks earlier such as Thank God there will now be no need for a rerun election.. It is surely ending at the Supreme Court, etc. etc. The former House of Representatives member said information at his disposal confirmed that the governor told some persons he did not mention that he (governor) met with one of the justices of the Supreme Court in Mbaise, a town in Imo State, another one in a hotel in Owerri, the state capital and others outside the country. According to him, the two justices were incidentally members of the panel that decided the case last month. He said, Credible information confirmed that Nyesom Wike had earlier confessed to some persons of having met one of the Justices of the Supreme Court in Mbaise during an important burial, another at Owerri in a hotel and yet others in Dubai and Saudi Arabia respectively. These Justices were in the panel that decided the matter in Wikes favour. However, the most striking revelation by Nyesom Wike is contained in his account at the thanksgiving service last Sunday. He obviously stunned his audience and the watching world when he confessed that when it came to the Judges, Dr. Peter Odili and the wife Justice Mary Odili [a Justice of the Supreme Court] were his advisers. This simply confirmed his earlier statements that he had contact with the Justices after several attempts to reach the Chief Justice of the country failed. It is therefore obvious that the decision of the Supreme Court on the Rivers State Election was not a product of justice but rather a product of compromise and orchestrated contrivance to legalise electoral violence and rigging and, in turn, reward injustice. This calls for serious introspection by our Judiciary and judicial officers. Mr. Peterside said the governor probably forgot that he was on live telecast when he said he had midnight discussions with a former governor of the state, Peter Odili, who incidentally is the husband of Mary Odili, a Supreme Court justice. This shocking confession needs no further explanation except for you and other decent Nigerians to further make your fair conclusions, he said. The APC candidate said while addressing civil servants in Port Harcourt, Gov. Wike exhibited unconscionable indiscretion of the highest order by re-echoing his earlier incendiary statements threatening personnel of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, with death over the forthcoming national and state assemblies rerun elections in the state. Pointing out that the statement threatening INEC officials was the most callous a governor would make, Mr. Dakuku said It is a known fact that Wike promotes violence and believes so much in jungle justice but he forgets that such outlook does not have any place in a civilized society. He also noted that Wikes outburst at the thanksgiving service that blood would have flowed if the governorship election was going to hold again confirmed beyond doubt that the governor was not only behind the orgy of violence during the last elections, but also funded and sponsored it. Peterside also warned the governor to stop verbal attack on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian military. Decrying a statement credited to Mr. Wike challenging the president to bring your Boko Haram soldiers to Rivers State during the rerun, the APC candidate said that kind of statement typifies the persona of Gov. Nyesom Wike as someone lacking in respect, patriotism and character of being a councillor much more a state governor in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He stated further, Let me draw the attention of Nyesom Wike to the fact that it is most callous of him to demonstrate such level of denigration on the gallant officers and men of the Nigerian military who are putting their lives at risk every other day to safeguard the Nigeria state and citizens when he referred to them as Boko Haram soldiers. I vehemently condemn such display of verbal indiscretion against Mr. President and the Nigerian military. Microsoft released Windows 10 version 1511 build 10586.104, cumulative update 9 for version 1511, shipped as Windows Update KB 3135173. You can install it now (Start > Settings > Update & Security) or wait for it to install overnight. Build 10586.104 contains a handful of fixes, including security patches, but that isn't the most important news. Finally, for the first time, Microsoft has published a changelog for 10586.104. It doesn't have details of earlier cumulative updates, so we don't know what was changed before, but the changelog does have high-level descriptions of changes that were made in today's cumulative update. Microsoft says: We're committed to our customers and strive to incorporate their feedback, both in how we deliver Windows as a service and the info we provide about Windows 10. In response to this feedback, we're providing more details about the Windows 10 updates we deliver through Windows Update. You'll see a summary of important product developments included in each update, with links to more details. This page will be regularly refreshed, as new updates are released. That, my friends, is a breath of fresh air. It addresses my biggest beef in the 10 hurdles to Windows 10 adoption slideshow -- one of the most widely read articles I've ever written. Someone, it seems, is listening. The changelog tells us, for example, that this build should fix the embarrassing bug in Microsoft Edge, where the browser stored historic lists of visited URLs while running in InPrivate mode. Security researcher Brent Muir first identified that security leak last September. The changelog also has a link to KB 3135173 itself, which should give us more details on the security holes being patched, and their associated Security Bulletins. (The KB article isn't available as we went to press, but it'll be up sooner or later.) I've installed and used 10586.104 for a total of about 10 minutes and don't see any immediate problems. It's still much too early to say it's relatively problem-free, so those of you using various methods to delay Windows 10 patches should hold off for a few days. But as it stands now, we're looking at a major shift in Microsoft transparency. It's progress. ICP Asks UN O'Brien of Yemen, S Sudan & Somaliland, No C ERF By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, F ebruary 9 -- When U N Relief Chief St ephen O'Brien came to answer questions on February 9 about the UN's new report for the World Humanitarian Summit, Inner City Press asked him about Page 17 of the report, which refers to Ban Ki-moon's Rights Up Front, which is to say, his failure in Sri Lanka in 2009. In 2008 and 2009 in Sri Lanka, OCHA which O'Brien now heads left Killinochchi, and hid reports of the number of people being killed, as Inner City Press exposed. Is it different now, Inner City Press asked O'Brien on February 9, specifically asking him about South Sudan (for example, Mudri) and Yemen: is he aware of the targeting of a UN agency in Sana'a? Inner City Press also asked him why his CERF gave funds to Ethiopia but not Somaliland, given FAO's finding of drought. Video here. O'Brien answered that aid access in Yemen is key, and said there is no legal impediment to CERF funds for Somaliland. We'll have more on this. Previ ously, Jan 17: 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. What to Watch Now Stock Market (and Sentiment Results) HedgeFundTips.com - 11 minutes ago I dont think they will get there without the credit markets forcing them to relent, but lets assume they do. How bad is it? Its so bad that the market has ALREADY PRICED IT IN. 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ZSX22 : 1387-4 (-0.29%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.4631 (+1.50%) ZSF23 : 1395-2 (-0.34%) ZSH23 : 1402-6 (-0.36%) News / Africa by Staff Reporter A 47-YEAR-OLD man who denied his wife conjugal rights for seven months has been divorced in a Lusaka local court.Daily Nation reported that this was after his wife complained that the couple had not made love for seven months because her husband did nothing' after returning from his beer drinking sprees.This was heard in a case in which Mary Phiri of Misisi compound sued her husband, Golden Mumba, 47, for divorce on allegation that he was abusive and that he had chased her from the matrimonial house.The two got married in 1989 and have six children.Phiri told Senior Court Magistrate Daniel Phiri sitting with Magistrates Ackim Phiri and Sarah Nyendwa at Kanyama Local Court that she had never enjoyed her marriage.She said after work Mumba would go straight to a nearby tavern and when she followed him to ask for money for food, he insulted and chased her by throwing stones at her.She explained that Mumba would tell her off that she was not woman enough for him and asked why she followed him.She would then go to the rail line to look for somewhere to spend a night.In cross-examination, Phiri admitted denying Mumba conjugal rights because he always told her that she had a bad odour in her bums and did not want to apologize for such bad remarks.Asked by the court if they had sat down to resolve the matter, Phiri said that they did so on several times and Mumba was found wrong because of his insults.In defence, Mumba said that Phiri did, want to listen to him and that every time he went for work she would also go to spend time in John Laing compound.He explained that he was also shocked to find family planning pills in Phiri's hand bag when they had not made love for seven months.Asked by the court if he would stay with Phiri without making love, Mumba said that he will ask the court to tell Phiri to be giving him sex-"Niza pemphako khoti kuti akazinipasako."Asked if they should be given time to resolve their differences by involving other people, Mumba said he was ready but Phiri said she was tired of her husband.Mumba knelt down before Phiri to ask her to forgive him promising to stop drinking heavily but Phiri refused and stood her grounds.He granted the couple divorce ordering Mumba to compensate Phiri with K5000 with initial payment of K1000 followed by monthly instalments of K300 and to be paying children maintenance fee of K400 per month. Property acquired together to be shared equally.Magistrate Daniel Phiri said that Mumba had contributed to problems in his marriage because of drinking too much beer which resulted in the couple not having sex for seven months.The court also wondered why Phiri was taking family planning pills when they were not making love. The Toyota USA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Toyota Motor Sales USA, and places its giving focus where youd likely guess it would: STEM education. But within that STEM education focus, Toyota (similar to other businesses working in the manufacturing industry) often likes to support environmental conservation, and its giving shows a specific interest in marines, rivers and other natural water resources. The K-12 student set is the Toyota Foundation USA's population focus, and it sets its sights on addressing science-oriented marine and river education and awareness through different programmatic approaches, including curriculum development, teacher training, and student engagement. This is interesting because of the multiple goals this funder is advancing all at once. It's getting kids involved in science, but also cultivating environmental consciousness in the next generation and supporting NGOs in the conservation space. The foundation's approach is also backing the kind of experiential learning that many educators are excited about these days, as a way to foster 21st century problem solving skills. The Toyota USA Foundation recently gave $180,000 to Earth Echo International (Washington, D.C.) for its Water Planet Challenge, a nationwide program that "equips educators and students to take action on environmental issues by providing training and access to interactive tools and resources." The foundation gave another $130,000 to Rocking the Boat (Bronx, New York) for its On-Water Education Program, which "prepares young people for successful transition to adulthood through a wide range of Bronx River environmental research and restoration activities." The foundation also recently granted $125,000 to the Huron River Watershed Council (Ann Arbor, Michigan) to work with middle and high school programs, teaching the scientific study of local waterways as it connects to environmental stewardship. And not to be overlooked: a recent $2 million dollar grant to the Nature Conservancy (Arlington, Virginia) to create the next generation of conservationists, supporting its Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future program. The Toyota USA Foundation has an open, online LOI. You can submit year-round, but the decision makers convene twice a yearMarch and October. Grants are awarded in the spring of every year. In addition to the Toyota USA Foundation, the car behemoth gives to environmental education and marine and river conservation programs through its corporate sides Community Outreach coffers, specifically in communities where it has significant manufacturing activities. These include cities and regions in Alabama, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Texas, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia. These funds typically support more localized community work. Some states and regions have hard deadlines; others are ongoing opportunities. Check out your geographic preference for details. RELATED: There's a lot of talk these days about reducing poverty and inequality. But one gap we've noticed is that fewer funders than you might think focus on supporting new job growth, which is essential to providing opportunity. Entrepreneurs and small businesses, everyone knows, are key engines of prosperityyet often are barely on the radar of foundations. One notable effort in this regard, though, is the New Economy Initiative (NEI) kicked off as a special project of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan in 2007. Ten funders, both local and national ones, kicked in $100 million at that time to help restore the city as an economic leader and create new jobs. Of course, in the interim, there's been big news around Detroit and philanthropyinvolving historic financial commitments by major foundations to bail out and revitalize the city. Still, the New Economy Initiative, which has now been going for nearly nine years, is interesting to look at in its own right. Quite apart from the unique situation of Detroit, the initiative is an important instance of top foundations coming together to tackle the biggest problem facing any number of U.S. citiesa lack of economic growth, jobs, and opportunity. Since the onset of de-industrialization a few decades ago, there have been many efforts in many places to jumpstart devastated local economiesmostly with disappointing results. So we were curious to learn more about how this one was going. The purpose of the New Economy Initiative is to provide support for small businesses and entrepreneurs to give the local economy a much-needed boost and improve the lives of residents. This is a way to support service providers with technical assistance for business planning, providing capital, and connecting businesses to each other. Geographically, this initiative is all about Detroit, so it makes sense that a Detroit-born leader has recently taken the reins. NEI just announced the hiring of its new leader, a woman of color whos committed to making Detroits economy truly inclusive for its populationsomething the city has lacked for a long time. Statistics show that the percentage of women and minorities who start businesses in the city are actually higher than national averages; however, they remain underrepresented in terms of follow-on investments. Only 1.8 percent of investment capital goes to minority and immigrant-owned ventures and only 2.4 percent to businesses owned by women. To learn more about the entrepreneurship challenges faced by women and minorities in Detroit and how philanthropy can step in to ease those barriers, I connected with NEIs new president, Pam Lewis, to ask a few questions. Before stepping into this role, she served as a senior program officer for NEI and had an emphasis on evaluation and impact reporting. In your opinion, what is the current status of Detroit's economy and where does it stand to grow and improve the most? Its no secret that Detroit has struggled in recent years. After the 2008 financial crisis, which was just after NEI launched, unemployment levels in the city rose to nearly 25 percent (and 16 percent across the Detroit region) and poverty peaked at 40 percent. But today, things are vastly improving in the city and throughout Southeast Michigan. Employment is risingindustrial jobs, for instance, have increased by a remarkable 30 percent over the last five yearsGDP steadily climbs, and were finally seeing population growth once again in the city. Just as important, there is a resurgence of an entrepreneurial mindset that is allowing individualsof all backgrounds, economic and educational status; in the city and throughout the regionto consider alternative paths to job and wealth creation. Its a mindset that is paying dividends and diversifying the economy. For example, the demand for entrepreneurial services from NEIs grantees has grown significantly in recent years. Hundreds of thousands of Detroiters participate in entrepreneurial programs, events, and workshops. And today, there are about 4,500 companies receiving support from NEI-backed service providers. Companies from diverse sectorsfrom traditional high-tech areas like clean energy and life science to other sectors like food, construction and creative designare emerging and growing, in many cases, fast. Detroits economy still has a ways to go, but it is absolutely headed in the right direction. Continuing to highlight the value of entrepreneurship and providing an inclusive system of support to nurture it will, we hope, help fuel Detroits ongoing recovery. How has your background and connection to Detroit prepared you to become NEI's new director? I was born in Detroit, and feel a deep connection to Michigan and its people. I went to college less than two hours away at Michigan State University and recently completed an MBA at Spring Arbor University. At the beginning of my career, I pursued engineering, finding myself driven by solving systems-related problems. As an employee at DTE Energy, I focused on process management and continuously improving business operationsnot realizing how much that experience would inform and assist me today. Much of NEIs success lies in identifying, building, and strengthening connections among the various resources that help entrepreneurs convert ideas into successful enterprises. Approaching this work with a systems mindset is critical. Ensuring that entrepreneurs have what they need at a given point in time, that there are accessible on-ramps at every point in the processthis requires a holistic, 360-degree view of the economy and its gaps. Thats why our funding is diverse, and spans business support services, mentoring, capital, real estate, access to markets, and access to talent. Supporting entrepreneurs in this way is akin to process managementonly in this case, the customer is the individual wanting and willing to do what it takes to start or grow a business. As someone who was raised in Detroit and still lives in the area, having even a small part in seeing it return to a thriving region, filled with innovation and entrepreneurship, is enormously fulfilling. I understand that NEI has been a multi-year effort. What will you change within the initiative now as the new director? During NEIs initial phase, we worked tirelessly to support high-tech, venture-backed opportunities, with some early, experimental investments in Detroits neighborhoods. Our second round of investments helped to build a more connected network that continued high-growth support, but stretched further and deeper into the neighborhoods. And now, we are seeing the results from this work, including: More than 8,500 companies that have received assistance to start or grow a business; More than 1,600 new companies that have been started across the Metro Detroit region; More than $600 million leveraged investment to new and existing companies being supported by this ecosystem. We have also seen a tremendous increase in the number of women and minorities who are building businesses in the region, with almost 39 percent of the new companies founded by minority owners and almost 30 percent by women. Going forward, theres tremendous opportunity to more intentionally connect the innovation and high-growth assets with more neighborhood-based business development. In NEIs next phase, key questions well seek to tackle include: How can we use innovation and entrepreneurs to attack seemingly intractable neighborhood issues, while creating the products and companies of tomorrow? How can we bring resources like next generation high-speed Internet into the neighborhoods, and use that technology to grow our own entrepreneurial talent at home? How can we provide more affordable and flexible spaces that support the growth of new companiesensuring that as businesses grow, they stay in the region? How do we better support women and minorities wanting to launch businesses, and ensure they are ready for and have greater access to capital? Focusing on these issues, we can continue to grow our support for entrepreneurs, from the grassroots to the high-growth sectors. Thats a key to Detroits economic successhaving both large companies that serve a global market and create lots of jobs, while also growing the small businesses and neighborhood commercial corridors that create a sense of place for residents. I also understand that NEI is supported by 12 national and regional foundations. What will be your biggest challenge in leading such an extensive collaboration? Its true that when NEI launched, it was an unprecedented approachbringing together national foundations like Kresge, Ford, Knight, Kellogg, C.S. Mott, Davidson, and Surdna, with local foundations such as Max & Marjorie Fisher, Hudson-Webber, McGregor, and our host foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. But the collaboration that is at the heart of NEI has proven to be our greatest strength. Over the past decade, we have shown that philanthropic partnerships arent just capable of achieving impact, but absolutely essential to it. NEIs funders are extremely active in the strategic direction of our work, and too often they dont get the credit they deserve for charting one of the most innovative initiatives in philanthropy. With so much great work being done by these foundations, across issue spaces and around the globe, the biggest challenge is ensuring everyone is informed about what their peers are doing and identifying ways to connect and support each others work. Another challenge, frankly, is realizing that we can only do so much. NEIs work is one piece of a much broader puzzle to revitalize Detroits economy. Our work will continue to be economic developmentdiversifying the regional economy and building a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through that, we hope to have positive ripple effects in areas like education, crime and safety, and more. What NEI programs/projects/strategies are you most looking forward to in 2016? Real estate developer Brexton LLC received approval last week to build a self-storage facility on an empty parking lot in the Brewery District of Columbus, Ohio. The 84,750-square-foot property at the corner of Liberty and Short Streets will include 700 storage units in six stories, with one below ground. The project is similar to another six-story facility the company is building in the city at the corner of Long and Young Streets. Columbus is greatly underserved for [this] luxury self-storage, and this particular neighborhood is off the charts. This is a $9 million improvement, a company representative told Brewery District Commissioners. The half-acre site, owned by Tow Ltd., is near Columbus Brewing Co. restaurant, a Kroger store and Liberty Place apartments. Traditionally known as the Old German Brewing District, the neighborhood includes several historical buildings. Before approving the development, the Brewery District Commission stipulated changes for the color and design of a cornice on the facade, according to the source. Brexton plans to release new renderings of the facility this week. Founded in 2001, Brexton specializes in commercial construction, financing services, property management, renovation and real estate development. News / Africa by Staff Reporter A FREE State woman, who was found buried alive in a shallow grave, is currently recovering in hospital, police in South Africa have said.Daily Sun reported that on Sunday morning, the community found the woman badly beaten and with stones on top of her at a village in Mabolela, in QwaQwa in the Free State, police spokesperson Mmako Mophiring said."The woman was last seen on Saturday evening, leaving with an unknown man at a tavern. It is not yet known what exactly happened and reason for her bad assault," said Mophiring.A case of attempted murder was being investigated. No arrests had been made yet. Update 4/7/16 SSS has promoted Kyle Schmutzler from senior vice president and authorized housing counsel to executive vice president of real estate. Before joining the company in 2004, Schmutzler had been employed for three years at the Indianapolis-based law firm of Bingham McHale LLP. As a member of the companys real estate practice group, his focus was on land planning as well as commercial and residential acquisition and development matters. Hes represented national and regional companies in the acquisition, development and sale of properties. While at Bingham McHale, Schmutzler assisted SSS in the development, finance and purchase of real estate throughout the Midwest, according to a press release. In his most recent role with the company, he was responsible for all legal and real estate related matters, including more than $1 billion in self-storage transactions. His promotion comes at a pivotal time for SSS as it strategically positions itself for accelerated growth in 2016, the release stated. I am excited for Kyles promotion. He has worked very hard and a great deal of Simplys success is due to his efforts, OBrien said. Simply Self Storage has hired three more senior-level executives: Roger Burgin, vice president of business development; Brandon Dickens, vice president of development; and Wylie Klyce, vice president of development. Burgin was most recently the executive portfolio manager at DealPoint Merrill LLC, where he developed budgets and business plans as well as set and managed financial and operational goals. He was also responsible for recruiting and developing talent. Burgin was formerly the regional vice president of operations for Platinum Management Group Inc.; senior district manager for Public Storage Inc./Shurgard Self-Storage; and regional franchise consultant/district manager for New World Restaurant Group Inc. He has a bachelors degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Dickens has more than16 years of real estate experience. Most recently, he was vice president of development for Apartment Investment Management Co., where he was responsible for leading redevelopment and ground-up projects in the Western United States, highlighted by a $250 million, 800-unit apartment community in Venice, Calif. His project oversight included a design team of architects and engineers, entitlements, financial reporting, lease-up to stabilization, and marketing, and permitting. Dickens was also the former development manager for First Industrial Realty Trust Inc. He began his career as an analyst at Catellus Development Corp. in 1999 and was later promoted to project director, a position he held until his departure in 2005. Dickens graduated from California State University with a degree in business administration/finance with an emphasis on real estate. Klyce was formerly a real estate manager for Charlotte, N.C.-based Family Dollar Stores where he was responsible for leadership, oversight and coordination of the companys preferred brokers and developers in relation to the brands expansion. He was also tasked with financial-analysis site selection and operational viability in reviewing and approving new sites. Prior to Family Dollar, Klyce was the head of development of ArgoTrade Inc., where he was in charge of all aspects of development and instrumental in executing more than 50 leaseholds within 18 months. He was promoted in 2012 to vice president, overseeing all departments and field personnel. Klyce was also the director of real estate for Aldi Inc., where he was promoted to district manager in 2006. In this role, he was in charge of the development process, from site selection, entitlement and oversight of construction to store opening. He holds a bachelors degree from Purdue University. We are excited that these best-in-class professionals will be joining the Simply team, OBrien said. Simply Self Storage (SSS), which owns or manages 187 self-storage facilities in the United States and Puerto Rico, named five new senior-level executives and promoted two other employees. The new executives are John Hirschfeld, vice president of corporate strategy; Katya Hristova, vice president of pre-development; Charles McPhee, senior vice president of development; Cameron Urry, vice president of digital marketing; and Rich Windisch, regional vice president. David Welsh and Terry White were promoted to the position of transitional district manager. An SSS employee since 2006, Hirschfeld served as a district manager primarily responsible for field operations in Kansas, Minnesota and Missouri. He was also responsible for leading teams in Illinois and Ohio as well as training newly hired district managers. In his new role, hell oversee the companys information technology, marketing and training departments. Prior to joining SSS, Hirschfeld was as a district manager for Chuck & Dons pet-food outlet. Hristova is an architect with more than 10 years of experience managing and coordinating the design and construction of mixed- use developments, large campuses and institutional projects. She has extensive knowledge of sustainable-building concepts, and was involved in numerous Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) projects while working for design firms in Boston and Cambridge, Mass. Hristova is an active member of the U.S. Green Building Council and Urban Land Institute as well as a Certified Commercial Investment Member. Shes a LEED-accredited professional and has in-depth comprehension of energy preservation, practices and principles. Hristova has a real estate license in Chicago and earned a Bachelor of Architecture with honors from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Shes currently studying for a Master of Real Estate Development at Auburn University. McPhee was most recently senior vice president of development for self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT) Public Storage Inc., where he was responsible for hiring a development team of 17 professionals in Atlanta, Dallas, New Jersey, Seattle and Southern California. Hes built an active pipeline of approximately 60 development projects in major Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Prior to Public Storage, McPhee was executive vice president of development for Catellus Development Corp., overseeing the national development platform for the companys private and public versions. He was also senior vice president of development for several organizations, including Howard Hughes Corp., Macerich Co. and Prologis. Urry joins SSS from self-storage REIT Extra Space Storage Inc. Hes been in digital marketing for 14 years and has experience in agency and the client side of advertising. Urry was recognized as an innovator and for pushing the limits of digital technology during his time at Extra Space, according to an SSS press release. Windisch has more than12 years of self-storage industry experience. In his new role, hell be responsible for the companys self-storage operations in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Puerto Rico. Most recently, he was the vice president of operations for Strategic Storage Trust Inc., a publicly registered, non-traded REIT that changed its name to SmartStop Self Storage Inc. in 2014. While there, he was responsible for overseeing 168 self-storage facilities in 21 states and Ontario, Canada. Windisch holds a Master of Business Administration in finance from IONA College. Welsh has been a part of the SSS team since 2014. Prior to joining the company, he was an area sales manager and operations manager for Dillards Inc., and a market leader with Inkstop Inc. In his new role, hell be instrumental with conversions and adding new properties to the companys managed portfolio, the release stated. An employee of SSS since September 2014, White will also be involved with conversions and growing the companys third-party management program. Prior to joining SSS, he was a senior manager for FedEx Corp. and managing director for the Hair Club for Men and Women. White began working in the U.S. in 1998, following a transfer by TVI Inc. to be the district manager for the Great Lakes area. Each of these key additions bring with them a wealth of experience and industry knowledge to the Simply Self Storage leadership team, said Kurt OBrien, CEO and company founder. We are positioned for accelerated growth in 2016 and look forward to an exceptional year. Im confident these individuals will play key roles in enhancing our brand, growing our portfolio and increasing revenue in the immediate future. Headquartered in Orlando, Fla., SSS owns or manages facilities in 18 states and Puerto Rico. Its properties comprise 14.9 million square feet of storage space. The company ranked No. 7 on the 2015 Inside Self-Storage Top-Operators List. Uncle Bobs Self Storage will expand a facility in Raleigh, N.C., replacing four single-story buildings with a three-story, 27,000-square-foot structure offering climate control. The current property at 2401 S. Wilmington St. is comprised of eight buildings varying in size from 1,800 to 2,625 square feet. When complete, the Wilmington facility will add nearly 21,000 net rentable square feet to a total capacity of 50,795 square feet, according to Diane Piegza, vice president of investor relations and community affairs. The project is scheduled to begin in March with a target completion date of November. Four demolition permits were issued, covering each of the Wilmington Street address numbers associated with the property: 2403, 2405, 2407 and 2409, according to the source. The $20,000 demolition will be handled by McKenna Construction Co. Inc. The Wilmington facility currently offers some climate control, along with vehicle storage, perimeter fencing, video cameras, truck rental and other amenities. The company has two other self-storage facilities in Raleigh. Based in Buffalo, N.Y., the Uncle Bobs brand is operated by real estate investment trust Sovran Self Storage Inc. The company operates more than 500 facilities in 26 states. Its portfolio of owned and managed facilities comprises more than 36 million square feet. @scornettching @NASCARHomeTrack DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 9, 2016) Sarah Cornett-Ching will debut a new marketing partner and a new car number on the track this week, but her familiar drive and determination will be as strong as ever as she embarks on her rookie year of NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) competition. BugBand joins Cornett-Ching and her Race 101 team as a new partner for 2016. The company, which makes an all-natural, DEET-FREE insect repellent, will not only have their logo on her NASCAR K&N Pro Series car, but they will also support her in the ARCA Racing Series and Super Late Model events she will be racing while in Florida. In a continuing effort to provide support to the Tim Horton Childrens Foundation, the Summerland, British Columbia native has teamed up with BugBand and will use that partnership to provide insect repellents to the camp throughout the year. BugBand has a great all natural product that Im proud to say we will be able to give to all the kids who attend Tim Horton Childrens Foundation camp Kentahten this year, said Cornett-Ching. After making three K&N Pro Series East starts last year, Cornett-Ching announced in January that she will race the full schedule this year in pursuit of Rookie of the Year honors. Her car number in NASCAR KNPSE events will be No. 02. The NASCAR KNPSE season kicks off on Sunday, February 14th, with the Jet Tools 150 at New Smyrna Speedway. Its an exciting next step in my career to race under the NASCAR banner just one step away from the Truck and Xfinity level, Cornett-Ching added. However, before taking the green flag at New Smyrna, the Summerland, British Columbia native will return to the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, where she competed full-time last year. She will be making her second start at the world-famous Daytona International Speedway, after debuting in the ARCA Series on the 2.5-mile high banks last year. Last year we came here on a hope and dream, while I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to do it again, this year we enter the weekend with much higher expectations, she said. A top-five finish would be a great way to kick the year off and head to my season debut in the NASCAR K&N East Series at New Smyrna with momentum. Cornett-Ching is currently the only female driver on the entry list for ARCAs 53rd visit to Daytona, which will be broadcast live on FS1 Saturday, February 13th beginning at 4:00pm Eastern. Any company with a product or service that could help Sarah Cornett-Ching support the Tim Horton Childrens Foundation camps, please contact Race101Office@gmail.com for more information on how you could see your name on our car this year. To keep up with Sarah as she makes her way up through the ranks of NASCAR competition this year, follow her on Twitter at @SCornettChing and like her page on Facebook at Facebook.com/SCCRacing. She can also be found on Instagram at @SCornettChing. About BugBands: BugBand is a natural, DEET-FREE insect repellent that comes in a variety of products designed to protect against biting insects. According to laboratory and field studies by the University of Florida in Gainesville, Geraniol, the naturally-derived active ingredient in BugBand Insect Repellent, has been proven effective in repelling a wide variety of insects, including mosquitoes, house flies, stable flies, horn flies, cockroaches, fire ants, fleas, gnats, dog ticks, lone star ticks, and no-see-ums. BugBand insect repellents are manufactured, packaged and distributed by EES, Inc. (Effective Environmental Systems). For more information, visit BugBand.net. CONTACT: Sarah Cornett-Ching Race101office@gmail.com @MotoramaShow @TheNextStepTV TORONTO, ON // FEBRUARY 10, 2016 Expanding on the shows something for everyone theme, the promoters of the upcoming Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo presented by Mothers have booked two special guests for Sunday, March 13 at the show. Trevor Tordjman and Brittany Raymond two of the main stars of Family Channels hit television show The Next Step will be at Motorama to meet with showgoers, sign autographs and take pictures with their fans. Motorama takes place at The International Centre, at 6900 Airport Road, across from Torontos Pearson Airport. Playing James and Riley, Trevor and Brittany are well-known across Canada and around the world for their roles on the top-rated program. Aimed primarily kids aged 8-14, the scripted-reality show follows the highs and lows of an elite group of dancers as they balance the pressures of competition with the trials of growing up. Speaking on behalf of Motorama, Greg MacPherson said, As the father of a 12 year-old girl, Im very familiar with The Next Step, and Trevor and Brittany. When a new episode comes on, its a battle for the remote in our house. Racing is a family affair and were going to have people of all ages at Motorama, so we thought it would be neat to have some celebrities that our younger attendees will get a special thrill out of meeting, in addition to all of the other automotive and racing stars who will be there. The Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo runs March 11, 12 & 13 at The International Centre. For celebrity appearance times and Motorama show details, visit www.MotoramaShow.com. ABOUT THE MOTORAMA CUSTOM CAR & MOTORSPORTS EXPO: The second annual Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo Presented by Mothers takes place March 11, 12 & 13, 2016 at The International Centre, adjacent to Torontos Pearson International Airport. With a footprint of almost 300,000 square feet, the show will be Canadas biggest late-winter celebration of automobiles and motorsports. Announced celebrity guests, so far, include Steve Darnell (Vegas Rat Rods / Welderup), Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Jimmy Shine (So-Cal Speed Shop / Jimmy Shine Work Shop) and Jeff Lutz (Street Outlaws / Lutz Race Cars). For information about the show, including tickets, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, and more, call (416) 962-7223, email info@MotoramaShow.com or visit www.MotoramaShow.com. (Media) For European investors in exchange-traded funds, home is where the heart is. Last year set a new record for inflows into Europe-domiciled ETFs, with investors pumping $82.2 billion into the sector, according to BlackRock, up a third from $61.8 billion in 2014. Although European equities have been hammered by the sell-off in global markets so far this year, inflows continued in January, albeit at a slower pace. European ETFs attracted $3 billion in the month, largely in equities, down from $9.7 billion in December, BlackRock data show. Not only did Europeans invest more in ETFs last year, but they also put much more money into funds focused on their domestic markets. The iShares Euro Stoxx 50 UCITS ETF (DE), which tracks the 50 largest companies in developed euro zone countries, pulled in about $2.86 billion last year, more than ten times its inflows in 2014, when the big money went to ETFs focused on U.S. stocks. In 2014 it was strong flows into the U.S., but 2015 was definitely the year for the Europeans, says Manooj Mistry, London-based head of exchange-traded products, EMEA, at Deutsche Asset Management, an arm of Deutsche Bank. Deutsche, one of the big players in the European ETF market, saw big demand for its funds focused on the broader euro zone and on Germany. Those two segments attracted a total of about $4.5 billion in inflows last year, roughly five times the amount of 2014. Mistry ascribes the interest to growing confidence in the euro zones economy. The European Central Bank launched its own quantitative easing program last year, buying 60 billion ($68 billion) worth of government bonds a month, and in December it cut its deposit rate into negative territory for the first time, even as the U.S. Federal Reserve was preparing for its first rate hike in nearly a decade. We saw a lot of clients who might have been overweight U.S. in 2014 they were adjusting their positions to be overweight European equities and bonds, Mistry says. The growth in Europe mirrors a rising interest in ETFs worldwide. Global inflows last year hit $350.9 billion, also a record, according to BlackRock. And its not just Europeans who are getting into Europe. U.S.-listed ETFs with exposure to Europe saw inflows of $35 billion last year, compared with just $6.7 billion in 2014. European-oriented ETFs have two big attractions for American investors, contends Kevin Kelly, chief investment officer at Recon Capital Partners, a New Yorkbased firm that runs ETFs focused on Germanys DAX and the U.K.s FTSE 100 index. The diverging monetary policies of the Fed and the ECB could bolster European equities, he says. In addition, some major European companies offer compelling valuations, he adds, noting that Germanys Siemens currently trades at just under nine times earnings. Its important for U.S. investors to look at these markets and get exposure to them, Kelly says. European ETFs that focus on the U.S. experienced a sharp drop in inflows last year. The iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF and Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF each attracted about $2.6 billion, down from $6.6 billion and $6.8 billion, respectively, in 2014. However, those ETFs still rank among the largest in Europe. According to Deutsche Bank, the iShares and Vanguard funds remain the largest by assets, with more than $23 billion between them. This stands to reason, fund managers say, given the dominance of the U.S. in global markets. Even though there was a huge focus on European equities, I think broad-based U.S. equity exposure is a core holding for many investors in their portfolio, says Philip Tychon, head of ETF capital markets at Vanguard Group in London. I think its natural to always see interest in that exposure. There has also been interest in other developed markets, such as Japan, where the central bank is conducting its own QE program, says Mistry. Economic turmoil saw funds flow out of a number of emerging markets, notably China, with investors pulling out of Deutsches Europe-listed ETFs that focus on that country. We definitely saw a lot of profit taking going on, and people just reducing their exposure because of uncertainties in China, but we also saw a similar story in other emerging markets, like Brazil and Russia, he says. Its difficult to predict where funds will go in the coming months and years, but wealth managers are bullish on the growth of ETFs generally in Europe. David Hazelton, head of business development at Raymond James Investments Services in London, predicts that retail investors will follow in the footsteps of large institutions by increasing their holdings of ETFs. I dont see anything slowing this down, says Adam Laird, head of passive investments at Hargreaves Lansdown, a Bristolbased brokerage and advisory firm. The popularity of ETFs has increased a lot in Europe, but were still behind where the U.S. is, he says. I think its undoubtedly going to continue. Get more on exchange-traded funds. Legislation to make drug makers reveal how much they spend marketing high-priced drugs has stalled in the Virginia General Assembly, at least for this year. Virginia state senators said the bill wasnt ready for prime time, but was an issue worth reviewing after further study. A Senate panel voted on Feb. 4 to delay consideration of the bill until next year. Virginia is the latest battleground state in which drug companies and health insurers are pitching a high-stakes and high-dollar battle over expensive specialty prescription drugs. Those efforts have so far failed, including in California where a similar bill was defeated last month. The battle features two lobbying heavyweights, both of which have given millions of dollars to Virginia politicians and have a heavy Capitol lobbying presence. Medication costs are now the publics main health care concern, according to a poll released in August by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. High-priced new drugs, including a $1,000 pill for hepatitis C, have alarmed the public. Insurers were hoping to capitalize on the publics concern with legislation that would require pharmaceuticals to publish the cost of developing, manufacturing, and marketing drugs that cost $10,000 or more for a single course of treatment. Backers of the bill, which included some business groups, said more transparency about drug prices would help deter bad actors in the pharmaceutical business from unfairly raising prices. Its a bit awkward when you bring forward legislation that kind of steps on the toes of your friends, said the bills sponsor, GOP Sen. Emmett Hanger. We know very little about how drug companies set prices for the most expensive products. Drug makers pushed back against the bill, saying it unfairly singled out pharmaceuticals for rising health care costs and would inhibit Virginias efforts at growing its bio-tech industry. Jeffrey Gallagher, of the Virginia Biotechnology Association, said if Virginia was the first state in the country to pass this kind of legislation it would send a signal that the Old Dominion is uniquely antagonistic to an industry were trying to grow. Though the Virginia Senate voted to punt the issue this year, insurance executives said they were happy lawmakers did not dismiss the issue out of hand and promised to reconsider it next year. A similar bill in the House has not yet had a hearing but will likely meet the same fate if it makes it to the Senate. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Legislation Virginia Drugs Philip Morris USA should pay for annual chest scans for thousands of longtime Marlboro smokers in Massachusetts because the company sold a defective and unreasonably dangerous product, a lawyer for the smokers told jurors at the close of a trial. Youre about to deliberate about the most dangerous consumer product ever invented, attorney Kevin T. Peters told the panel Tuesday in federal court in Boston. Its a product intended to addict its users and intended to addict children. The jury of eight men and two women heard evidence over eight days in the class-action case, which was filed 10 years ago. They began deliberations Tuesday and will return Wednesday. Members of the class must be at least 50 years old, have purchased Marlboros in Massachusetts and have smoked at least a pack a day for 20 years, for a total of 146,000 cigarettes each. Company attorneys said smoking cigarettes is dangerous but buyers know the hazards of smoking and the product isnt defective. Government regulators have never found Marlboros to be more dangerous than other brands, they said. Company Arguments Philip Morriss lawyer Diane P. Sullivan said Tuesday that people have known Marlboros were dangerous for half of a century and arent buying a defective product. She accused the other side of appealing to jurors emotions over lung cancer deaths. Theyre trying to get you mad at tobacco companies so youll ignore the fact that they didnt have the evidence to support their case, Sullivan told the jury. Marlboros would be defective if they exploded and burned your face, she said. She displayed a picture of cheeseburgers and said if buyers suffer from obesity or high cholesterol, it doesnt mean cheeseburgers are defective. Truth is, addicted or not, people can quit. People make choices, Sullivan told the jury. They havent proved to you that Marlboros are more dangerous than people expect, she said. Rare Case The case is one of the few of its kind to win a judges class-action certification, according to the plaintiffs, and differs from other tobacco suits because the plaintiffs have no apparent symptoms of lung cancer and are not seeking conventional damages. In a class-action case, one or a handful of people sue on behalf of everyone allegedly harmed in the same way by the same defendant, allowing mass representation rather than many individual cases. Two other such cases went to trial in the early 2000s, in Louisiana and West Virginia. Philip Morris, a unit of Altria Group Inc., based in Richmond, Virginia, won both. Other cases werent granted class-action status. Biggest Brand Philip Morris could have made a less carcinogenic Marlboro by using different tobacco and a different filter design but chose not to change the biggest brand in the world, Peters said. Marlboro is what injured my clients, he said. Marlboro is what made my clients in a category that one out of seven is going to get lung cancer. Trial exhibits included images of billboards depicting the Marlboro Man, the rugged cowboy with a rope over his shoulder and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. These were themes that are related to some of the reasons why some people chose to start smoking, psychologist David Hammond testified. The plaintiffs contend that annual screenings would greatly increase their chances of surviving the disease if it occurs. More than 36,000 smokers might be eligible members of the class, according to court documents filed several years ago. Current estimates of the class size are under seal. Plaintiffs have estimated that a screening, known as a low-dose computed tomography scan, costs about $500. That puts the bill for 36,000 tests at $18 million a year. Plaintiffs sought to prove Marlboros dangers by offering evidence that Philip Morris developed a cigarette with less tar and nicotine decades ago but took it off the market when it didnt sell as well. If the jury finds Philip Morris made a defective product and agrees low-dose computed tomography scans are an effective way to monitor for signs of cancer, Judge Denise Casper will hear a second phase of the trial focusing on medical monitoring. The case is Donovan v. Philip Morris USA Inc., 1:06- cv-12234, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts (Boston). With assistance from Jennifer Kaplan. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Massachusetts New York Gov. Andrew Cuomos 2016-17 fiscal year budget plan includes a proposal to expand the ability of certain governmental entities to use wrap-ups for public works projects but an insurance producers trade group warns the proposal could harm New York businesses. The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York (IIABNY) Wednesday urged state lawmakers to reject the measure. IIABNY Chair of the Board Todd Rockefeller said the proposal to expand wrap-ups will hurt New Yorks small business owners. They will lose the freedom to choose their own insurance providers. It will leave contractors uninsured for some risks. It would reward contractors who operate unsafely. It should be rejected, Rockefeller said. IIABNY said Cuomos proposed budget would change a long-standing state policy. It would expand the ability of certain governmental entities and the New York City government to use owner-controlled insurance programs, also known as wrap-ups, for construction of bridges, tunnels and bus facilities. In a wrap-up, the projects owner selects and purchases the insurance for participants in the project. Rather than choosing insurance programs tailored to their own needs, the contractors must accept a program that protects the owners interests, IIABNY said. IIABNY also warned that wrap-ups may leave contractors uninsured for some serious risks. For example, a bridge could collapse 10 years after its completion, and those who are injured may sue all of the contractors who built it. IIABNY said wrap-ups often provide liability coverage to contractors for only two to five years after completion. After that, the contractors will have to pay for their legal defense and judgments on their own. Wrap-ups also may: Leave contractors uninsured for auto accidents on job sites; Force contractors to absorb deductibles larger than they would like; and Leave contractors unprotected if the insurer cancels the wrap-up program during the project. New York banned wrap-ups on public construction projects for good reasons, Rockefeller said. In the past, unscrupulous public officials used these programs to steer business toward their friends and campaign contributors. At a time when the public perceives widespread corruption in state government, this is exactly the wrong step to take. Rockefeller also said wrap-ups ignore the good safety records of some contractors. Ordinarily, these contractors pay lower insurance premiums. This gives them a competitive advantage. He said that advantage vanishes when they cannot factor their lower insurance costs into their bids. Topics New York Contractors A U.N.-blacklisted North Korean shipping company continues to evade sanctions through its use of foreign-flagged ships, name changes and other means of obfuscation, according to a new report by United Nations monitors. The U.N. Security Councils Panel of Experts on North Korea, which monitors implementation of sanctions on Pyongyang, also said the reclusive communist nation has continued to export ballistic-missile technology to the Middle East and ship arms and materiel to Africa in violation of U.N. restrictions. Given the stated intentions of [North Korea], it continued efforts to enhance the scope of its nuclear and missile programs there are serious questions about the efficacy of the current United Nations sanctions regime, the panel said in its latest confidential report, seen by Reuters on Tuesday. North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006 because of its multiple nuclear tests and missile launches. The United States and China are negotiating on the outline of a new U.N. sanctions resolution that council diplomats hope will be adopted this month. Western diplomats told Reuters that restricting North Korean access to international ports is among the measures Washington is pushing Beijing to accept in the wake of Pyongyangs Jan. 6 nuclear test and its latest rocket launch last weekend. Washington also wants to tighten restrictions on North Korea banks access to the international financial system, the diplomats said. In addition to a U.N. arms embargo, Pyongyang is banned from importing and exporting nuclear and missile technology and is not allowed to import luxury goods. Despite its designation in July 2014, Ocean Maritime Management Company Limited (OMM) continues to operate through foreign-flagged vessels, name and company re-registrations and the rental of crews to foreign ships, the panel said. This enables them to obtain access to foreign ports in the region and beyond as well as maritime insurance, a prerequisite for operation, it said. The report said OMM is controlled by North Koreas Ministry of Land and Marine Transport, both before and after its blacklisting by the Security Council. Last year the panel reported on more than a dozen renamed vessels. In addition to the 14 vessels OMM had in operation last year, it has an additional vessel the Hoe Ryong in operation. Nine of 15 vessels operated by OMM are currently in service in spite of OMMs blacklisting and 14 of them have been re-registered, the report said. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; editing by Paul Simao) One lawsuit seeks to replace lead-leaching water lines at no cost to customers. Another seeks money for thousands of Flint, Mich., residents who unwittingly drank toxic water. A third complaint has been filed on behalf of people with Legionnaires disease. While government officials scramble to rid Flints tap water of lead, victims are suing Gov. Rick Snyder, the former mayor, rank-and-file public employees and almost anyone else who may have had a role in supplying the troubled city with corrosive river water for 18 months. The lawsuits accuse them of violating civil rights, wrecking property values and enriching themselves by selling a contaminated product. How can they look at themselves in the mirror? asked New York attorney Hunter Shkolnik, who filed the latest lawsuit on behalf of 2-year-old Sophia Waid. Its an embarrassment for government officials to take the safety of their citizens so lightly. Sophias father, Luke Waid, said he feared losing custody of his daughter when blood tests revealed that she had elevated levels of lead. Those tests were done long before Flints tap water was identified as the culprit in 2015. Lead affects the central nervous system, especially in children aged 6 and younger, and can cause learning problems and hyperactivity. Shes constantly on edge, Waid said of his daughter. Its almost like shes suffering some kind of anxiety. His lawsuit, which seeks an unspecified financial award, is one of at least seven complaints involving Flint in state and federal courts. Its the first by Shkolnik and Detroit co-counsel Brian McKeen, but the lawyers plan more. Separately, 1,700 households have contacted Michael Pitts Detroit-area firm about joining the class-action case he filed in November. The citys supply was switched from Detroit water to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure in 2014, when Flint was under state-appointed emergency management. While key facts are undisputed the untreated river water caused lead to leach from old pipes these cases still are no slam-dunk for lawyers specializing in personal injury. State government has defenses, especially a long-recognized cloak of immunity in certain lawsuits, said Chris Hastings, who teaches at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. Defense lawyers arent going to come in and say these cases dont have any merit based on the facts, Hastings said. Theyre going to come in with narrow, technical defenses that exist regardless of those issues. Courts are good at setting the emotions aside and looking at the law. But, he said, victims can point to gross negligence as a path around governmental immunity. Thats probably the best angle, Hastings said. But its likely, with the wide net thats cast, that a number of defendants will still have a we-didnt-do-it defense. No substantial responses have been filed. In one lawsuit, a federal judge has granted a request from the attorney generals office to give Snyder and state employees more time to explore legal defenses. Snyder spokesman Dave Murray declined to comment, saying it would be inappropriate for the governors office to discuss pending litigation. In 2013, a judge rejected a class-action lawsuit in the District of Columbia on behalf of children who may have been exposed to lead in water in Washington. The lawsuit said the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority hid elevated lead levels from customers and federal authorities between 2001 and 2004, and failed to take steps to remedy the situation. The complaint followed a study by Childrens National Medical Center and Virginia Tech that determined hundreds of children were at risk of health and development problems linked to lead. Virginia Tech is also involved in studies of Flint water. Separately, attorney Geoffrey Fieger is suing a hospital and various public officials over Legionnaires disease, not lead. Genesee County had an extraordinary spike in cases of the waterborne lung disease while Flint was relying on the Flint River for its water supply at least 87 confirmed illnesses, including nine deaths. The more I read and learn about this, the angrier I get. I can no longer stand on the sidelines and watch this debacle unfold, said Fieger, who is representing three people who survived pneumonia and the family of a fourth who died. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits News / Education by Auxilia Katongomara THE November 2015 Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) Ordinary Level results are out with the national pass rate improving by five percent on 2014 statistics.Masvingo had the highest pass rate of 31,9 percent followed by Midlands and Manicaland. Mashonaland East recorded the least percentage pass rate of 22,98 percent.Candidates did better in Mathematics and Science subjects in 2015 than in the prior year. Boys last year managed to break girls' dominance over them, the Zimsec analysis on the basis of gender shows.Grades D and E are now considered as passes. Traditionally pass grades were A, B and C while D, E and U were fails. This year, a candidate who attained grade C is said to have passed with a credit a mark considered above an ordinary pass.The results show an increased pass rate from last year's 22,38 to 27,86 percent with 50,79 percent of the total candidates passing five subjects with grade E or better.Zimsec director, Esau Nhandara, said in a statement yesterday that the results are ready for collection and have been dispatched to regional offices."Examination centre heads have started collecting the results from Zimsec regional offices. We look forward to the usual smooth and expeditious collection of results," said Nhandara."At this level candidates who obtain a grade E in a subject are considered to have passed and are given a certificate grade. Candidates who obtain grade C in a subject are considered to have passed the subject with a credit."In the analysis candidates are described in two parts, one being 'school candidates', the second being the 'private candidates'.Nhandara said there was an increase in the percentage pass rate for school candidates from last year's 22, 38 to 27, 46 this year."The total number of candidates who sat for the November 2015 O-Level examination was 310,917."School candidates who wrote five or more subjects were 156, 418 and 43, 581 obtained Grade C or better in 5 or more subjects, yielding a 27,86 percent pass rate," said Nhandara."Of the 176, 657 school candidates, 156, 418 wrote five subjects and above resulting in 79,457 passing five or more subjects with a grade E or better.This translates to a pass rate of 50, 79 percent. For private candidates, out of the 134, 260 candidates, a total of 9, 055 passed at least five subjects, yielding a pass rate of 38, 97 percent at grade E or better".He said there was a total of 23,235 private candidates who wrote five or more subjects and 2,791 obtained Grade C or better in five or more subjects, which also translates into a percentage pass rate of 12, 01."The rise in the pass rates for the November 2015 examinations," said Nhandara, "could be attributed to a number of factors, such as the Education Development Fund (EDF), the then Education Transition Fund (ETF) where in 2011 and 2012 all secondary schools received textbook kits. There was a one to one textbook-pupil ratio and these resources were used from Form 1 up to Form 4. The cohort of learners who used these books from Form 1 to Form 4 were those who wrote examinations in 2015. These learners had all the basic textbooks from Form 1 to Form 4."In addition to the EDF programme, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education mounted workshops in provinces, districts and even at cluster level through the Better Schools Programme. All these efforts were meant to improve teaching and learning processes in schools. The issue of having qualified teachers in secondary schools cannot be ignored as a contributing factor to improved learner performance during the November 2015 examinations."Explaining why boys performed better than girls, he said this could be because of biological factors to do with maturity."Another notable factor is that female learners engage in domestic chores after school more than their male counterparts and that retards them in studying. There is need for research to be conducted to establish why male candidates perform better than female candidates."But the Zimbabwe Teachers Association president Richard Gundani yesterday said he was hearing of the new grading system for the first time."We find it strange. As veteran educationists we know that an E is only considered as a pass at A Level."He said Zimsec should clarify what the new system entails in terms of seeking jobs and proceeding to Advanced Level.Nhandara said the leakage of a Mathematics paper was contained and did not affect the rest of the candidates."With that in mind, we're pleased to note that the leakage of the Mathematics paper in November 2015 was restricted to a small geographical area that is Harare and Seke."In this case 41 people were implicated and convicted. However, it's prudent to note that of these, only 14 were registered candidates," said Nhandara.He said the 14 candidates have since had all their examination results cancelled and are banned from sitting any Zimsec examination for the next two years, along with the penalties issued out by the courts of law.According to the analysis by the examination mother body, there was a significant improvement in Mathematics (5,17 percent), Integrated Science (10,62 percent) and Physical Science (10,34 percent).These improvements are in line with the government's thrust in the teaching and learning of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. Arkansas highway officials have initiated $2.8 million in improvements with a focus on reducing wrong-way crashes on the state freeway system. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the effort is designed to address the problem of motorists entering freeways in the wrong direction. The changes include replacing more than 4,000 wrong way, do not enter and one way signs at exit ramps with brighter sheeting and installing them at a lower height. The department also plans to put down more noticeable pavement directions and add reflectors on off-ramps that indicate the driver is going in the wrong direction. The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department says that between 2009 and 2013, there were 64 crashes of vehicles going the wrong way, including 13 that resulted in 20 people killed. Another 25 accidents included serious injury. The departments analysis found that 70 percent of the crashes occurred at night and 60 of them involved an impaired driver. Department data says that in the years covered by the analysis, an average of four people died annually as a result of one-way crashes. But in 2015, there were eight fatalities for this reason. One of them occurred late at night and involved an impaired driver. Many of the wrong-way crashes are largely random, although more common on higher-volume routes in urban areas, said Jesse Jones, an engineer who heads the agencys transportation, planning and policy division, in a memorandum outlining the improvements. For these reasons, a system approach to install low-cost safety improvements on Arkansas freeways is warranted. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Arkansas After the bill was vetoed last year, a proposal to allow carrying a concealed gun without a permit in West Virginia passed its first major test this week. The Republican-led House of Delegates voted 68-31 on the concealed carry legislation. Several Democrats and Republicans broke party lines voting on the bill, which now heads to the Senate. Currently, carrying a gun openly like in a holster is legal without a permit in West Virginia. The bill would let people without a permit cover guns in public; for instance, by wearing a coat. Under the proposal, people ages 18 through 20 could carry concealed guns if they first receive a permit and undergo training with live firing. They would be eligible for a tax credit to pay for it. Only a handful of states dont require concealed carry permits. Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin vetoed a similar bill last year because of safety concerns from law enforcement, including the West Virginia Sheriffs Association. He has said he would veto a bill that doesnt address law enforcements reservations. A simple majority of the House and Senate would be required to override his possible veto. On Monday, Republicans cited the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms for why the bill should pass. Some delegates said the current system is about maintaining permit revenue for sheriffs offices. I have not found where (the countrys founders) supported a reasonable or a common sense restriction on this right, said Del. Eric Householder, R-Berkeley. Several Democrats said the permit system works and wondered what was driving the push to get rid of it. The irrational, unsubstantiated, lunatic fear that somebodys going to take my guns shouldnt drive us to pass legislation that makes sure that everybody has several, said Del. Don Perdue, D-Wayne. This years bill would increase penalties for felonies committed with a gun, among other changes. Everytown for Gun Safety, a group funded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has spent in the six-figure range in its campaign against the bill, according to group spokeswoman Kate Folmar. That includes billboards, polling and digital and print ads. Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin also came out in opposition to the bill last year. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Virginia Gun Liability One of the largest apple producers in the United States will pay $272,000 to 20 claimants as part of a settlement resolving sexual harassment and retaliation claims pending before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced. Washington-based Evans Fruit has also agreed to take steps to ensure that the workers do not suffer any retaliation as a result of their participation in the lawsuits or settlement. In June 2010, EEOC filed a lawsuit alleging that numerous female farm workers at an Evans Fruit ranch faced sexual harassment over a period of years. At the time, the agency won a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Evans Fruit and ranch manager Juan Marin for allegedly threatening and intimidating individuals who had assisted in EEOCs investigation. In September 2011, EEOC filed a second lawsuit against Evans Fruit, charging that such alleged intimidation constituted illegal retaliation. Northwest Justice Project represented retaliation claimants who joined as intervenors in EEOCs lawsuit as well as three women in the harassment suit. Both cases resulted in adverse rulings for EEOC and claimants (Case Nos. 10-CV-3033-LRS and 11-CV-3093-LRS, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington). EEOC, represented by its appellate attorneys, took appeals in both cases. Northwest Justice Project also appealed on behalf of all intervenors, with James Lobsenz from the law firm Carney Badley Spellman, P.S. as co-counsel for the sexual harassment intervenors. While the appeals were pending in the Ninth Circuit, the Commission, Northwest Justice Project, and Evans Fruit reached a settlement resolving all claims in both cases. Source: EEOC Topics Lawsuits USA Washington The Lakeside Rural Fire Protection District in Oregon has suspended emergency operations because of a lapse in its insurance policy. Acting fire district chairman Ralph Dotson tells The World newspaper of Coos Bay that the station has been closed and neighboring fire departments are providing emergency service. Dotson says the district recently discovered it has not had insurance on its vehicles or boats since Dec. 31, and also didnt have liability or workers compensation insurance. Dotson says the district is trying to quickly resolve the issue. He emphasized that Chief Dann Barnes and volunteer firefighters played no role in the oversight. Lakeside is 15 miles north of Coos Bay. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Oregon E arrivata lufficialita, dopo una giornata di voci rincorrenti: per il triennio 2018-2021 sara lemittente Sky a godere dei diritti televisivi per trasmettere, in esclusiva assoluta, le partite non solo delle prossime edizioni dellEuropa League ma anche quelle della massima competizione continentale, la Champions. Un pacchetto da favola per il quale la tv satellitare di Rupert Murdoch avrebbe messo sul piatto unofferta giudicata piu congrua di quella presentata dalla concorrente Mediaset. A dare lannuncio dellaffare concluso e stata la stessa Sky che, in un comunicato, ha spiegato che il nuovo format sviluppato dalla UEFA ci consentira di portare ai nostri abbonati un prodotto rivoluzionario per il calcio europeo in Italia. Per la prima volta la UEFA Champions League e la UEFA Europa League saranno insieme in unesclusiva offerta integrata, che permettera agli appassionati di seguire fino a 7 squadre italiane, mai cosi tante prima dora, impegnate nelle sfide con i migliori club europei. Sky: Rafforzata leadership Anche il livello tecnico dellofferta sara altissimo ed e ancora lemittente a rivelare i dettagli: Continueremo a fare innovazione, trasmettendo le partite piu importanti anche in 4K HDR. Questofferta senza precedenti rafforza la posizione di Sky come leader della programmazione sportiva in Italia ed e anche un altro passo importante di sostegno al calcio italiano. Insomma, per i prossimi tre anni, sara unegemonia totale quella della satellitare sul calcio europeo, avendo mantenuto il pacchetto Europa League (gia sua esclusiva) e affiancandola a quello ancor piu appetibile della Champions League ad appannaggio Mediaset dal 2015 al 2018. Sfida Serie A Ora la sfida fra i due colossi delle trasmissioni sportive si spostera sui diritti televisivi della prossima Serie A, per la quale si e ancora in attesa di un nuovo bando che, come annunciato dal commissario della Lega, Carlo Tavecchio, avra le stesse caratteristiche del precedente, andato pero a vuoto: solo una delle offerte presentate per i cinque pacchetti, infatti, superava la soglia minima richiesta dalla base dasta. Niente di fatto, quindi, anche in virtu della stessa Mediaset che, in sostanza, ha disertato il bando (giudicato inaccettabile) non presentando alcuna offerta. La battaglia, anche in questo caso, sara sulle esclusive: del resto, dopo essersi vista scivolare via una componente importante come la Champions, sulla Serie A Mediaset dara sicuramente battaglia. Robo-advisors provide more accessible investing and money management options at a fraction of the cost historically available in traditional models, empowering more individuals to save, invest, and grow money towards financial freedom. But there are several factors to consider when searching for the right robo-advisor to both give you a holistic sense of your total financial picture and help keep you on track toward reaching your financial goals during turbulent market conditions. To make it easier, this unbiased, comprehensive comparison of the top robo-advisors is based on our own proprietary rating methodology that measures cash management, goal planning tools, fees, portfolio management, mobile functionality, socially conscious investing, portfolio construction, and other pertinent variables. Best Robo-Advisors Wealthfront: Best Overall and Best for Goal Planning 4.8 Account Minimum : $500 : $500 Fees: 0.25% for most accounts, no trading commission or fees for withdrawals, minimums, or transfers. Read full review Best Overall: Wealthfront is a leader in the robo-advisor space and takes the crown for Best Overall platform on the market. With a comprehensive suite of investment management tools and products, Wealthfront stands above the rest for those looking for an automated financial solution. Best for Goal Planning: Wealthfront is also our pick for the Best for Goal Planning thanks to extensive goal-setting options, free digital financial planning tools, and robust progress trackers available throughout the platform. On Friday, September 2, 2022, Wealthfront announced that, together with UBS, the companies have decided to terminate the pending acquisition, leaving Wealthfront to remain an independent company. Pros Outstanding goal setting and financial planning tools Variety of account options including 529 plans Tax-loss harvesting applied on a daily basis External account aggregation Path and Self-Driving Money tools let you evaluate tradeoffs of saving for multiple goals and automatically allocate excess cash towards them Cons Fractional share trading is not supported No human advisors are offered Limited chat and service options Overview Wealthfront was one of the first automated investment platforms in the robo-advisor space, launching in 2008 and becoming an industry leader by providing an exemplary digital portfolio management experience. Wealthfront's strength lies in its fully digital experience through a variety of portfolio customization tools and daily tax-loss harvesting. Wealthfronts portfolio management is paired with strong goal setting and financial planning tools such as Path and Self Driving money at a low cost of 0.25%. The competitive price point and high quality of the platform mean that Wealthfront has one of the strongest overall robo-advisor offerings available. One of the most impactful features of Wealthfronts platform is the account aggregator tool. Using this feature, you can see your financial picture in one place and leverage Wealthfronts powerful financial planning, goal setting, and progress tracking tools. This type of comprehensive goal support can make a large difference in helping you achieve financial success. This aspect of Wealthfront is specific to your situation as the model changes to account for changes in your personal financial life. Wealthfronts product suite also includes checking account and spend options so that you can manage more of your money in one place. This includes direct deposits, automating transfers, payments, and mobile deposits. All of this is available whether you use the investment management product or not. A borrow feature is also available through a line of credit for users with a minimum of $25,000 invested to round out the platform. Wealthfront is making a strong pitch for being an all-in-one financial solution for its users, and not just an automated portfolio manager. Interactive Advisors: Best for Socially Responsible Investing and Best for Portfolio Construction 4.2 Account Minimum : $100 - $50,000 : $100 - $50,000 Fees: 0.08-1.5% per year, depending on advisor and portfolio chosen Read full review Best for Socially Responsible Investing: Interactive advisors is our top choice for Socially Responsible Investing, given the significant number of investment vehicles, pre-built portfolios, and screening tools to let you invest in the world you envision. Best for Portfolio Construction: Interactive Advisors is also our winner for Portfolio Construction as it offers the widest range of investment options in the robo-advisor space that serve investors who use several different portfolio strategies. Pros Extensive universe of investment vehicles, including fractional shares More than 50 portfolio strategies Strong investment research and screening tools Socially conscious focus includes sustainable funds, pre-built portfolios, and screeners Cons Some portfolios have high minimums and management fees Website navigation, account opening, and funding is not as intuitive as other robo-advisors No tax-loss harvesting Overview Interactive Brokers is a powerhouse when it comes to serving traders and active investors. The broker launched its robo-advisor platform, Interactive Advisors, in 2007 to serve investors who prefer access to wide-ranging investment options and portfolio strategies while automating the portfolio management portion of their finances. Interactive Advisors offers a unique blend of portfolio options, with self-selection from an extensive investment vehicle catalog at one end of the spectrum to mimicking professionally managed portfolios on the other end of the range. Investment options include mutual funds, stocks, ETFs, fixed income, REITs, ESG, non-proprietary funds, and managed portfolios. The socially responsible focus of the platform allows you to extensively customize your portfolio's focus, such as blocking individual companies that do not align with your values or selecting existing socially conscious strategies from a wide variety of established fund managers like Vanguard, BlackRock, and Wisdom Tree. Interactive Advisors stands out among robo-advisors for portfolio construction on two fronts: One, the portfolios often contain fractional shares of stocks rather than operating solely through ETFs to create stock exposure. Two, you can choose to mirror actively managed portfolios, an option very few robo-advisors offer. Combined with the ability to screen out unwanted stocks and see the impact the omission would have using historical returns, Interactive Advisors is definitely one of the most customizable robo-advisors in the industry. Betterment: Best for Beginners and Best for Cash Management 4.5 Account Minimum : $0, $10 to get started : $0, $10 to get started Fees: 0.25% (annual) for digital plan, 0.40% (annual) for the premium plan Read full review Paid non-client of Betterment. Views may not be representative, see more reviews at the App Store and Google Play Store. Learn More about this relationship. Best for Beginners: Betterment wins our Best for Beginners category due to a very user-friendly experience combined with no Account Minimum ($10 to start investing), practical education resources, and intuitive guidance. Best for Cash Management: Betterment also receives our top choice for Cash Management as its checking account and cash reserve products give users the best option for accessing and moving money in a seamless way. Pros Straightforward onboarding and funding process Aggregation of external accounts No account minimum to maintain, $10 to get started FDIC insured checking and cash reserve account Full transparency into investment strategy before funding Cons Relatively high fees for human advice relative to competitors (Starting at $299 per consultation) Investment options limited to ETFs Overview Betterment is one of the original robo-advisors to challenge traditional investment managers, launching in 2008 and growing to $33 Billion of assets under management. The platform has been intentional about user and asset growth, acquiring Wealthsimples US business in April 2021. Betterments platform is built to attract new investors with $10 to get started, but no account minimum to maintain, while providing a seamless signup experience. Its also easy to set goals, monitor progress, and leverage a variety of straightforward planning tools. Cash management options are very attractive as well, with Betterment Checking and Cash Reserve accounts covered by FDIC insurance and providing transaction functionality similar to traditional banks. The investment platform is able to support many goals and time horizons with different accounts, each with its own investment strategy to ensure you stay on track. This also includes the option to link external accounts to Betterments platform and use financial tools to give you a holistic sense of your financial picture. While Betterment is built with a digital first approach, human advisors are available to provide added guidance for an additional fee. Betterment also pairs a checking account and cash reserve options alongside their investment offering to provide a more complete financial experience. For new investors, Betterment offers a simple solution to manage your money in a larger sense beyond just your investment portfolio. Cash Reserve is only available to clients of Betterment LLC, which is not a bank, and cash transfers to program banks are conducted through the clients brokerage accounts at Betterment Securities. For Cash Reserve (CR), Betterment LLC only receives compensation from our program banks; Betterment LLC and Betterment Securities do not charge fees on your CR balance. Checking accounts and the Betterment Visa Debit Card provided and issued by nbkc bank, Member FDIC. Checking made available through Betterment Financial LLC. Neither Betterment Financial LLC, nor any of their affiliates, is a bank. Betterment Financial LLC reimburses ATM fees and the Visa 1% foreign transaction fee worldwide, everywhere Visa is accepted. Personal Capital: Best for Portfolio Management 4.2 Account Minimum : $100,000 : $100,000 Fees: 0.89% to 0.49% for accounts over $1 million Read full review Best for Portfolio Management: Our choice for Best Portfolio Management platform is Personal Capital, due the firms outstanding tax optimization strategies and unique approach to diversification in the robo-advisor space. Pros Wide range of free investment management tools Account aggregation for holistic asset management Access to advisor or advisor team (depending on account balance) Excellent tax optimization features Strong variety of portfolio strategies and investment vehicles Cons Very high $100,000 account minimum Management fees are significantly higher than industry average starting at 0.89% annually for accounts with at least $1 million Mobile experience lacks some of the desktop functionalities Overview Personal Capitals platform was launched to investors seeking a balance between a digital-only experience and a traditional financial advisor model by pairing smart portfolio automation with access to human consultants as part of the experience. Personal Capital continues to expand its reach as it was acquired by Empower Retirement in August 2020 to pair with one of the leaders in group retirement services. It is worth noting that Personal Capital is aimed at high net-worth investors, with an account minimum of $100,000 and the top tier service for accounts over $1 million. Although it may be out of reach for many new investors, it still scored highest in terms of both automated portfolio management and true diversification. Personal Capitals strength lies in its approach to portfolio management, particularly tax optimization strategies. While tax-loss harvesting is a key aspect of the platform, Personal Capital goes further by considering different account tax statuses when placing assets and featuring tax-optimized retirement withdrawals. Much of Personal Capitals goal planning is geared around retirement which is exemplified by its Smart Withdrawal tool being a primary goal setting focus. Other financial tools such as the Recession Simulator can be used to explore the impact of a market pullback on a wider variety of investment goals. A key aspect of the platform is access to human advisors who can provide holistic guidance across the spectrum of financial planning topics and additional portfolio customization. Personal Capital puts your portfolio plan into action by including a variety of securities such as stocks, bonds, ETFs, alternative investments, cash, and private equity. Separate from cash held in your portfolio, Personal Capital's Cash account doesnt require you to be an investing client and is protected by FDIC coverage up to $1.25 million. This account offers flexible money movement including direct deposit and payments features. M1 Finance: Best for Sophisticated Investors and Best for Low Costs 4.2 Account Minimum : $100 ($500 minimum for retirement accounts) : $100 ($500 minimum for retirement accounts) Fee: 0% Read full review Best for Sophisticated Investors: Our pick for the platform best suited for sophisticated investors goes to M1 Finance because of the extensive portfolio customization options, including investor discretion to choose from over 60 different pre-built portfolios or build their own. Best for Low Costs: M1 Finance also wins the Best for Low Costs category with no fees charged for trading or account management, putting more of your dollars to work by investing. Pros No fees for trading or account management High level of portfolio control Spending and borrowing options complement portfolio management Variety of screening tools to fine-tune your portfolio Expansive portfolio customization options Cons No tax-loss harvesting Limited financial tools and calculators No aggregating of external accounts Overview M1 Finance entered the robo-advisor space in 2015 and achieved $5 Billion in assets under management in 2021, highlighting continued user and asset growth since inception. M1 also has a premier Plus tier that was improved in 2021 by adding a unique credit card product to go alongside other spending and borrowing product options. While M1 stands out for its wide variety of portfolio customization options and investment vehicles to choose from, it also excels in cost containment with no fees for trading or account management. While there are other minor miscellaneous fees for specific account management requests, M1s focus on driving down costs leaves investors with more money in their pockets. On the downside, there are limited financial calculators and goal-setting options available on the platform. There is also no access to human investment consultants, if that is important to you. In lieu of human support, M1 Finance provides a great option for self-directed investors to automate some of the investment management processes without sacrificing portfolio flexibility and control. The extensive portfolio customization features available through M1 are complemented with other account management elements such as a spend option, a credit card, and a smart transfers tool that helps allocate excess cash. Most importantly for this category, the robo-advisors commitment to cost containment and reduction keeps fees from eating into your returns. Merrill Guided Investing: Best for Education 4.4 Account Minimum : $1,000 or $20,000 with an advisor : $1,000 or $20,000 with an advisor Fee: 0.45% annually of assets under management, assessed monthly. With advisor0.85%. Discounts available for Bank of America Preferred Rewards participants. Read full review Best for Education: Merrill Guided Investing receives our top choice in this category by leveraging its expertise to provide a deep educational library of videos, articles, tools, and a goal exploration process that is valuable to investors of all backgrounds. Pros Robust initial goal setting and course correction prompts to keep you on track Expert education resources Excellent planning tools Cons No tax-loss harvesting Proposed investment allocation not viewable until funding is complete Slightly higher than average annual investment fee of 0.45% Overview Merrills Guided Investing platform was launched in 2017 to provide a stand-alone robo-advisor offering that built upon Merrills extensive investment history. Merrill added to this platform by creating a Guided Investing with an Advisor service in 2019 to pair a human element with investing. Merrill Guided Investing takes the Best for Education category thanks to a superb educational catalog that can be tailored to investors of all experiences, backgrounds, and goals. The educational content is offered in a variety of formats, including videos, articles, and goal exploration. Merrill Guided Investing aims to elevate investor knowledge so you can get the most out of the platforms tools and achieve your portfolio goals as well as your broader financial goals. The platform provides education around a variety of planning areas including retirement, saving for a home, travel, general investing, and several other goals. Investors can gain confidence in the likelihood of accomplishing their goals by using tools to simulate investment performance, savings strategies, and financial outcomes. The educational content, tools, and automated investing strategy are available through Merrills Guided Investing digital-only service for an annual fee of 0.45% and on Guided Investing with an Advisor tier for a higher annual fee of 0.85%. Both services allow investors to use ETFs and mutual funds to accomplish their goals. E*TRADE Core Portfolios: Best for Mobile Experience 3.9 Best for Mobile Experience: Our pick for the top mobile platform is E*TRADEs Core Portfolios, given the mobile apps seamless experience and sleek design, including access to the full complement of Core Portfolios features available through your smartphone. Pros Quick, easy sign up process Current E*TRADE users new to Core Portfolios receive expedited onboarding Socially Responsible Investing options Low fees and fund expense ratios Cons Limited goal setting when creating portfolio No tax-loss harvesting No external account syncing Overview E*TRADE is a well-known industry leader in the discount brokerage space, launching their Core Portfolios robo-advisor offering in 2017. When E*TRADEs platform was acquired by Morgan Stanley in 2020, an already robust offering became even deeper. The Core Portfolios mobile experience leverages the expertise of an established brokerage industry expert to provide an easy-to-use automated investment platform. As a result, investors are empowered with the tools needed to manage their portfolios directly from their mobile devices in a way that stands out from the rest of the robo-advisor field. E*TRADEs Core Portfolio manages to bring a streamlined mobile experience by reducing goal setting, questionnaires, and time horizon options. This is an intentionally designed approach so you can quickly and simply manage your investments without extensive portfolio and goal customization. Youll be able to choose a portfolio containing a diversified basket of ETFs. Auto-rebalancing is applied to help keep your portfolio on track, although no tax-loss harvesting is available and customers are unable to consolidate their outside accounts. Investment advisor support is also accessible to help answer questions for both existing and prospective customers. This all comes wrapped up in a very competitive 0.3% annual management fee. Final Verdict There are several strong robo-advisor offerings with strengths in different key areas to help manage your money. When considering which of these platforms might be the right fit, keep in mind your personal preferences, goals, and needs. One significant factor that wasnt part of our rating methodology was investment returns. This was left out due to different portfolio risk levels and allocation strategies between robo-advisors. While many platforms follow passive investment strategies attempting to match the overall growth of the market, offerings that provide additional customizations let you invest in a more dynamic, personal way. Its also helpful to consider platforms that allow for external account aggregation if your investments are held at more than one institution so you will have aligned tax optimization, investment strategies, and goal tracking. We found that Wealthfront offers the best overall experience balancing these options. Next, well look at side-by-side comparisons of the companies we reviewed so you can see where each platform shines through. News / Local by Staff Reporter A descendant of the last Ndebele king, King Lobengula, Zwide Khumalo has condemned ta controversial cartoon published in the Chronicle last week saying it was an "insult to women and Ndebele people".Khumalo likened the "spirit behind the cartoon" to the spirit behind the Gukurahundi genocide of the 1980s.The cartoon by the now suspended Wellington Musapenda depicted two scantily dressed young women engaged in a conversation suggesting that for young girls in Matabeleland and Midlands, prostituting one's body is an alternative to education has been described as "un-Zimbabwean and abominable"."As Zimbabweans, we should change our attitudes and respect each other and uphold value systems such as gender and nationhood," Khumalo told the Bulawayo Press Club on Monday."We cannot be proud of being Zimbabweans when some of us selectively fuel tribalism and discrimination in the name of being part of the majority in Zimbabwe," he said."I am sure there are so many members of the so-called majority that do not subscribe to this horrible behaviour.""I am addressing the general interpretations picked by the people of Matabeleland."That cartoon is abominable. The young Ndebeles in Matabeleland are unhappy. It's not our responsibility to grope for interpretations."We are unhappy. The cartoon was wayward. It's not about his surname. I don't know him. I don't need to know him. I don't want to know him. Even if it was Ndabezinhle Khumalo, I would still be sitting here, saying what I am saying right now," he said referring to the cartoonist. The use of hedge funds in financial portfolios has grown dramatically since the start of the 21st century. A hedge fund is just a fancy name for an investment partnership that has freer rein to invest aggressively and in a wider variety of financial products than most mutual funds. It's the marriage of a professional fund manager, who is often known as the general partner, and the investors, sometimes known as the limited partners. Together, they pool their money into the fund. This article outlines the basics of this alternative investment vehicle. Key Takeaways Hedge funds are financial partnerships that use pooled funds and employ different strategies to earn active returns for their investors. These funds may be managed aggressively or make use of derivatives and leverage to generate higher returns. Hedge fund strategies include long-short equity, market neutral, volatility arbitrage, and merger arbitrage. They are generally only accessible to accredited investors. The First Hedge Fund A former writer and sociologist Alfred Winslow Joness company, A.W. Jones & Co., launched the world's first hedge fund back in 1949. Jones was inspired to try his hand at managing money while writing an article about investment trends earlier that year. He raised $100,000 (including $40,000 out of his own pocket) and tried to minimize the risk in holding long-term stock positions by short selling other stocks. This investing innovation is now referred to as the classic long/short equities model. Jones also employed leverage to enhance returns. In 1952, he altered the structure of his investment vehicle, converting it from a general partnership to a limited partnership and adding a 20% incentive fee as compensation for the managing partner. As the first money manager to combine short selling, the use of leverage and shared risk through a partnership with other investors, and a compensation system based on investment performance, Jones earned his place in investing history as the father of the hedge fund. Hedge Fund Partnerships A hedge fund's purpose is to maximize investor returns and eliminate risk. If this structure and these objectives sound a lot like those of mutual funds, they are, but that's where the similarities end. Hedge funds are generally considered to be more aggressive, risky, and exclusive than mutual funds. In a hedge fund, limited partners contribute funding for the assets while the general partner manages the fund according to its strategy. The name hedge fund derives from the use of trading techniques that fund managers are permitted to perform. In keeping with the aim of these vehicles to make money, regardless of whether the stock market climbs higher or declines, managers can hedge themselves by going long (if they foresee a market rise) or shorting stocks (if they anticipate a drop). Even though hedging strategies are employed to reduce risk, most consider these practices to carry increased risks. Hedge funds took off in the 1990s when high-profile money managers deserted the mutual fund industry for fame and fortune as hedge fund managers. Since then, the industry has grown substantially with total assets under management (AUM) valued at more than $3.25 trillion, according to the 2019 Preqin Global Hedge Fund Report. The number of operating hedge funds has grown as well. There are 3,635 hedge funds in the U.S. in 2021, an increase of 2.5% from 2020. 1:31 How To Legally Form A Hedge Fund Aim and Characteristics of Hedge Funds A common theme among most mutual funds is their market direction neutrality. Because they expect to make money whether the market trends up or down, hedge fund management teams more closely resemble traders than classic investors. Some mutual funds employ these techniques more than others, and not all mutual funds engage in actual hedging. There are several key characteristics that set hedge funds apart from other pooled investmentsnotably, their limited availability to investors. Accredited or Qualified Investors Hedge funds investors have to meet certain net worth requirementsgenerally, a net worth exceeding $1 million or an annual income over $200,000 for the previous two years. Hedge fund investors require a net worth that exceeds $1 million. Wider Investment Latitude A hedge fund's investment universe is only limited by its mandate. A hedge fund can invest in anythingland, real estate, derivatives, currencies, and other alternative assets. Mutual funds, by contrast, usually have to stick to stocks or bonds. Often Employ Leverage Hedge funds often use leverage or borrowed money to amplify their returns, which potentially exposes them to a much wider range of investment risksas demonstrated during the Great Recession. In the subprime meltdown, hedge funds were especially hard-hit due to increased exposure to collateralized debt obligations and high levels of leverage. Fee Structure Hedge funds charge both an expense ratio and a performance fee. The common fee structure is known as two and twenty (2 and 20)a 2% asset management fee and a 20% cut of generated gains. There are more specific characteristics that define a hedge fund, but because they are private investment vehicles that only allow wealthy individuals to invest, hedge funds can pretty much do what they wantas long as they disclose the strategy upfront to investors. This wide latitude may sound very risky, and it certainly can be. Some of the most spectacular financial blow-ups have involved hedge funds. That said, this flexibility afforded to hedge funds has led to some of the most talented money managers producing some amazing long-term returns. Two and Twenty Structure What gets the most criticism is the other part of the manager compensation schemethe 2 and 20, used by a large majority of hedge funds. As mentioned above, the 2 and 20 compensation structure means that the hedge funds manager receives 2% of assets and 20% of profits each year. It's the 2% that gets the criticism, and it's not difficult to see why. Even if the hedge fund manager loses money, he still gets a 2% AUM fee. A manager who oversees a $1 billion fund could pocket $20 million a year in compensation without lifting a finger. Worse yet is the fund manager who pockets $20 million while his fund loses money. They then have to explain why account values declined while they got paid $20 million. It's a tough sellone that doesn't usually work. In the fictional example above, the fund charged no asset management fee and instead took a higher performance cut25% instead of 20%. This gives a hedge fund manager an opportunity to make more moneynot at the expense of the fund's investors, but rather alongside them. Unfortunately, this no-asset-management-fee structure is rare in today's hedge fund world. The 2 and 20 structure still prevails, although many funds are starting to go to a 1 and 20 setup. Types of Hedge Funds Hedge funds can pursue a varying degree of strategies, including macro, equity, relative value, distressed securities, and activism. A macro hedge fund invests in stocks, bonds, and currencies hoping to profit from changes in macroeconomic variables, such as global interest rates and countries economic policies. An equity hedge fund may be global or country-specific, investing in attractive stocks while hedging against downturns in equity markets by shorting overvalued stocks or stock indices. A relative-value hedge fund takes advantage of price or spreads' inefficiencies. Other hedge fund strategies include aggressive growth, income, emerging markets, value, and short selling. Popular Hedge Fund Strategies Among the most popular hedge fund strategies are: Long/Short Equity: Long/short equity works by exploiting profit opportunities in both potential upside and downside expected price moves. This strategy takes long positions in stocks identified as being relatively underpriced while selling short stocks that are deemed to be overpriced. Equity Market Neutral: Equity market neutral (EMN) describes an investment strategy where the manager attempts to exploit differences in stock prices by being long and short an equal amount in closely related stocks. These stocks may be within the same sector, industry, and country, or they may simply share similar characteristics such as market capitalization and be historically correlated. EMN funds are created with the intention of producing positive returns regardless of whether the overall market is bullish or bearish. Merger Arbitrage: Merger Arbitrage or risk arb involves simultaneously purchasing and selling the stocks of two merging companies to create riskless profits. A merger arbitrageur reviews the probability of a merger not closing on time or at all. Global Macro: A global macro strategy bases its holdings primarily on the overall economic and political views of various countries or their macroeconomic principles. Holdings may include long and short positions in equity, fixed income, currency, commodities, and futures markets. Volatility Arbitrage: Volatility arbitrage attempts to profit from the difference between the forecasted future price-volatility of an asset, like a stock, and the implied volatility of options based on that asset. It may also look to volatility spreads to either widen or narrow to predicted levels. This strategy employs options and other derivative contracts. Convertible Bond Arbitrage: Convertible bond arbitrage involves taking simultaneous long and short positions in a convertible bond and its underlying stock. The arbitrageur hopes to profit from movement in the market by having the appropriate hedge between long and short positions. Another popular strategy is the fund of funds approach which involves mixing and matching other hedge funds and pooled investment vehicles. This blending of strategies and asset classes aims to provide a more stable long-term investment return than those of any of the individual funds. Returns, risk, and volatility can be controlled by the mix of underlying strategies and funds. Notable Hedge Funds Notable hedge funds today include Renaissance Technologies (also known as RenTech or RenTec), founded by the mathematical genius, Jim Simons. Renaissance specializes in systematic trading using quantitative models derived from mathematical and statistical analyses. According to Gregory Zuckerman, a special writer for The Wall Street Journal, Renaissance has had 66% average annual returns since 1988 (39% after fees). Pershing Square is a highly successful and high-profile activist hedge fund run by Bill Ackman. Ackman invests in companies he feels are undervalued with the goal of taking a more active role in the company to unlock value. Activist strategies typically include changing the board of directors, appointing new management, or pushing for a sale of the company. Carl Icahn, a well-known activist investor, leads a prominent and successful hedge fund. In fact, one of his holding companies, Icahn Enterprises (IEP), is publicly traded and gives investors who can't or don't want to directly invest in a hedge fund an opportunity to bet on Icahn's skill at unlocking value. Regulating Hedge Funds Hedge funds face little regulation from the Securities and Exchange Commission, (SEC) compared to other investment vehicles. That's because hedge funds mainly take money from those accredited or qualified investorshigh-net-worth individuals who meet the net worth requirements listed above. Although some funds operate with non-accredited investors, U.S. securities laws dictate that at least a plurality of hedge fund participants are qualified. The SEC deems them sophisticated and affluent enough to understand and handle the potential risks that come from a hedge fund's wider investment mandate and strategies, and so does not subject the funds to the same regulatory oversight. But hedge funds have gotten so big and powerfulby most estimates, thousands of hedge funds are operating today, collectively managing over $1 trillionthat the SEC is starting to pay closer attention. And with breaches such as insider trading occurring much more frequently, activity regulators are coming down hard. Significant Regulatory Change The hedge fund industry experienced one of the most significant regulatory changes after the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS) was signed into law in April 2012. The basic premise of the JOBS Act was to encourage the funding of small businesses in the U.S by easing securities regulation. The JOBS Act also had a major impact on hedge funds. In September 2013, the ban on hedge fund advertising was lifted. The SEC approved a motion to lift restrictions on hedge fund advertising, though they still can only accept investments from accredited investors. Giving hedge funds the opportunity to solicit would in effect help the growth of small businesses by increasing the pool of available investment capital. Form D Requirements Hedge fund advertising deals with offering the fund's investment products to accredited investors or financial intermediaries through print, television, and the internet. A hedge fund that wants to solicit investors must file a Form D with the SEC at least 15 days before advertising begins. Because hedge fund advertising was strictly prohibited prior to lifting this ban, the SEC is very interested in how advertising is being used by private issuers, so it changed Form D filings. Funds also need to file an amended Form D within 30 days of the offering's termination. Failure to follow these rules will likely result in a ban from creating additional securities for a year or more. Advantages of Hedge Funds Hedge funds offer some worthwhile benefits over traditional investment funds. Some notable benefits of hedge funds include: Investment strategies that can generate positive returns in both rising and falling equity and bond markets The reduction of overall portfolio risk and volatility in balanced portfolios An increase in returns A variety of investment styles that provide investors the ability to precisely customize an investment strategy Access to some of the world's most talented investment managers Pros Profits in rising and falling markets Balanced portfolios reduce risk and volatility Several investment styles to choose from Managed by the top investment managers Cons Losses can be potentially large Less liquidity than standard mutual funds Locks up funds for extended periods Use of leverage can increase losses Disadvantages of Hedge Funds Hedge funds, of course, are not without risk as well: Concentrated investment strategy exposes them to potentially huge losses. Hedge funds tend to be much less liquid than mutual funds. They typically require investors to lock up money for a period of years. The use of leverage or borrowed money can turn what would have been a minor loss into a significant loss. Example of a Hedge Fund at Work Let's set up a hypothetical hedge fund called Value Opportunities Fund LLC. The operating agreement states that the fund manager can invest anywhere in the world and receives 25% of any profits over 5% every year. The fund starts with $100 million in assets$10 from ten different investors. Each investor fills out the investment agreement with a check to the fund administrator. The administrator records each investment on the books, then wires the funds to the broker. The fund manager can then begin investing by calling the broker with attractive opportunities. The fund goes up by 40% after a year, making it worth $140 million. According to the fund's operating agreement, the first 5% belongs to the investors. So the capital gain of $40 million is reduced by $2 millionor 5% of $40 millionwhich is distributed evenly among the investors. That 5% is known as a hurdle ratea hurdle the fund manager must reach before earning any performance compensation. The remaining $38 million is split25% to the manager and 75% to investors. Based on the first-year performance, the fund manager earns $9.5 million in compensation in a single year. The investors get the remaining $28.5 million along with the $2 million hurdle rate for a capital gain of $30.5 million. But imagine if the manager was responsible for $1 billion insteadthey'd take home $95 million with investors netting $305 million. Of course, many hedge fund managers get vilified for earning such exorbitant sums of money. But that's because those doing the finger-pointing fail to mention that many investors made $305 million. When is the last time you heard hedge fund investors complain that their fund manager was getting paid too much? The Bottom Line A hedge fund is an official partnership of investors who pool money together to be guided by professional management firmsjust like mutual funds. But that's where the similarities end. Hedge funds aren't regulated as much and operate with far less disclosure. They pursue more flexible and risky strategies in the hopes of netting big gains for investors, which, in turn, result in big profits for fund managers. But perhaps what sets them apart from mutual funds the most is that they have much higher minimum investment requirements. The majority of hedge fund investors are accredited, meaning they earn very high incomes and have existing net worths in excess of $1 million. For this reason, hedge funds have earned the dubious reputation of being a speculative luxury for the rich. Running for president of the United States is an expensive proposition. In the 2012 presidential campaign, incumbent Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney each spent over $1 billion, in what was the most expensive presidential election ever at the time, with Obama winning a second term. In 2016, the overall cost of the White House racespending by all the candidatestotaled under $2.4 billion that year (versus 2012s total spending of $2.6 billion). However, the 2020 election blew all previous spending records away. In total, the election cost an unprecedented $14 billion, making it twice as expensive as the previous presidential election cycle. American citizens of every political persuasion may justifiably wonder where all that money comes from and how its spent. Lets have a look. Key Takeaways One major source of funding for candidates is the super PAC, a political action committee that can spend unlimited amounts of anonymously donated funds for their favorite. Candidates can also directly raise funds from donors large and small. Almost half the money raised goes to media advertising; the second largest chunk is for campaign administrative costs. Super PACs A major source of campaign financing is the super PAC, short for special political action committee. A Supreme Court decision in the 2010 case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission allowed these organizations to spend unlimited amounts of money on their preferred candidate. They are not required to fully disclose the names of their contributors, and they are prohibited by the law from coordinating their political activities with their candidate of choice. The money spent by super PACs is part of a presidential campaign, although it technically does not represent money spent by the candidate. As of May 17, 2021, 2,276 groups organized as super PACs have reported total receipts of $3,427,543,995 and total independent expenditures of $2,128,047,603 in the 20192020 cycle. Fundraising According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and reports from the candidates and media, money comes from a variety of sources, including large donors, small donors, and organizational donations. During the springtime primaries leading up to the 2016 election, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton raised about $160 million and the super PAC Priorities USA Action raised over $55 million for her. Assuming a maximum donation amount of $2,700, approximately 73% of Clintons raised funds were large individual contributions. Bernie Sanders, who refused the support of super PACs, raised close to $140 million, and 67% of it had come from small individual contributions, which averaged $27. On the other end of the political aisle, Republican Ted Cruz raised $66 million himself and $52 million was donated to super PACs that supported him. During the primaries for the 2016 election, Donald Trump was largely self-funded, with 70% of his campaign funds coming from loans he had taken out; the super PACs in his favor raised a relatively paltry $2 million. Trump began raising money for his 2020 campaign shortly after he was elected. While some experts predicted that it would be impossible for any candidate to out-raise him, Joe Bidens campaign beat fundraising records and ended up surpassing the Trump campaigns fundraising haul during the final months of the election cycle. In 2020, Biden raised approximately $1,044,187,828 in candidate committee money and $580,113,800 in outside money in getting elected, while Trump raised approximately $773,954,550 in candidate committee money and $313,954,719 in outside money in defeat. (During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump is said to have received free media attention valued at about $5 billion.) How Money Is Spent According to OpenSecrets.org, a release of data by the FEC showed that 48.9% (or $354.8 million) of donations go toward media advertisements, with administrative costs coming in second at 24.6%. Campaign expenses such as consulting, events, and surveys make up 12.8%, and 11.8% goes toward fundraising for donations. Less than 2% of expenditures are dedicated to loan payments, contribution refunds, parties, and miscellaneous costs. The Bottom Line To provide the necessary millions required to run for president, candidates draw funding from donors large and small and rely on super PACs to join the effort through advertising and other political activities. The bulk of the campaign funds collected are spent on mediaprint, broadcast, and Internet advertising. But having a lot of money is no guarantee of a successful run for the presidency, either in the primary races or after the party candidates have been nominated. Detailed monthly data on campaign spending is filed by both major-party candidates with the FEC. Its comprehensive reports on campaign spending are available online to the public. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. What Is Forex Scalping? In the investment world, scalping is a term used to denote the "skimming" of small profits on a regular basis, by going in and out of positions several times per day. Scalping in the forex market involves trading currencies based on a set of real-time analysis. The purpose of scalping is to make a profit by buying or selling currencies and holding the position for a very short time and closing it for a small profit. Many trades are placed throughout the trading day using a system that is usually based on a set of signals derived from technical analysis charting tools. The charting is made up of a multitude of signals, that create a buy or sell decision when they point in the same direction. A forex scalper looks for a large number of trades for a small profit each time. Key Takeaways Scalpers enter and exit the market quickly, making several small trades in the hopes of achieving profits from relatively small price changes over and over again. Scalpers must be highly disciplined, competitive by nature, and decisive decision makers to succeed with these types of trading strategy. Various technical trading systems exist to aid in scalping, many of which are offered directly by online brokers or exchange platforms. How Forex Scalping Works Scalping is not unlike day trading in which a trader will open a position and then close it again during the current trading session, never carrying a position into another trading period or holding a position overnight. However, while a day trader may look to take a position once or twice, or even a few times a day, scalping is much more frenetic and will trade multiple times during a session. Whereas a day trader may trade off five- and 30-minute charts, scalpers often trade off of tick charts and one-minute charts. In particular, some scalpers like to try to catch the high-velocity moves that happen around the time of the release of economic data and news. Such news includes the announcement of the employment statistics or GDP figureswhatever is high on the trader's economic agenda. Scalpers like to try and scalp between five and 10 pips from each trade they make and to repeat this process over and over throughout the day. Pip is short for "percentage in point" and is the smallest exchange price movement a currency pair can take. Using high leverage and making trades with just a few pips profit at a time can add up. Scalpers get the best results if their trades are profitable and can be repeated many times over the course of the day. Remember, with one standard lot, the average value of a pip is about $10. So, for every five pips of profit made, the trader can make $50 at a time. Ten times a day, this would equal $500. Scalping Personality Scalping, though, is not for everybody. You have to have the temperament for this risky process. Scalpers need to love sitting in front of their computers for the entire session, and they need to enjoy the intense concentration that it takes. You cannot take your eye off the ball when you are trying to scalp a small move, such as five pips at a time. Even if you think you have the temperament to sit in front of the computer all dayor all night if you are an insomniacyou must be the kind of person who can react very quickly without analyzing your every move. There is no time to think. Being able to "pull the trigger" is a necessary key quality for a scalper. This is especially true in order to cut a position if it should move against you by even two or three pips. Market-Making vs. Scalping Scalping is somewhat similar to market-making. When a market maker buys a position they are immediately seeking to offset that position and capture the spread. This form of market-making is not referring to those bank traders who take proprietary positions for the bank. The difference between a market maker and a scalper, though, is very important to understand. A market maker earns the spread, while a scalper pays the spread. So when a scalper buys on the ask and sells on the bid, they have to wait for the market to move enough to cover the spread they have just paid. In the converse, the market maker sells on the ask and buys on the bid, thus immediately gaining a pip or two as profit for making the market. Although they are both seeking to be in and out of positions very quickly and very often, the risk of a market maker compared with a scalper, is much lower. Market makers love scalpers because they trade often and they pay the spread, which means that the more the scalper trades, the more the market maker will earn the one or two pips from the spread. How to Set up for Scalping Setting up to be a scalper requires that you have very good, reliable access to the market makers with a platform that allows for very fast buying or selling. Usually, the platform will have a buy button and a sell button for each of the currency pairs so that all the trader has to do is hit the appropriate button to either enter or exit a position. In liquid markets, the execution can take place in a fraction of a second. Picking a Broker Remember that the forex market is an international market and is largely unregulated, although efforts are being made by governments and the industry to introduce legislation that would regulate over-the-counter (OTC) forex trading to a certain degree. As a trader, it is up to you to research and understand the broker agreement and just what your responsibilities would be and just what responsibilities the broker has. You must pay attention to how much margin is required and what the broker will do if positions go against you, which might even mean an automatic liquidation of your account if you are too highly leveraged. Ask questions to the broker's representative and make sure you hold onto the agreement documents. Read the small print. The Broker's Platform As a scalper, you must become very familiar with the trading platform that your broker is offering. Different brokers may offer different platforms, therefore you should always open a practice account and practice with the platform until you are completely comfortable using it. Since you intend to scalp the markets, there is absolutely no room for error in using your platform. If you press the "Sell" button by mistake, when you meant to hit the buy button, you could get lucky if the market immediately goes south so that you profit from your mistake, but if you are not so lucky you will have just entered a position opposite to what you intended. Mistakes like these can be very costly. Platform mistakes and carelessness can and will cause losses. Practice using the platform before you commit real money to the trade. Liquidity As a scalper, you only want to trade the most liquid markets. These markets are usually in the major currency pairs, such as EUR/USD or USD/JPY. Also, depending on the currency pair, certain sessions may be much more liquid than others. Even though the forex markets are trading for 24 hours a day, the volume is not the same at all times of the day. Usually, when London opens at around 3 AM EST, volume picks up as London is the major trading center for forex trading. At 8 AM EST, New York opens and adds to the volume being traded. Thus, when two of the major forex centers are trading, this is usually the best time for liquidity. The Sydney and Tokyo markets are the other major volume drivers. Guaranteed Executions Scalpers need to be sure that their trades will be executed at the levels they intend. Therefore, be sure to understand the trading terms of your broker. Some brokers might limit their execution guarantees to times when the markets are not moving fast. Others may not provide any form of execution guarantee at all. Placing an order at a certain level and having it executed a few pips away from where you intended, is called "slippage." As a scalper you cannot afford slippage in addition to the spread, so you must make sure your order can and will be executed at the order level you request. Redundancy Redundancy is the practice of insuring yourself against catastrophe. By redundancy in trading jargon, I mean having the ability to enter and exit trades in more than one way. Be sure your internet connection is as fast as possible. Know what you will do if the internet goes down. Do you have a phone number direct to a dealing desk and how fast can you get through and identify yourself? All these factors become really important when you are in a position and need to get out quickly or make a change. Choosing a Charting Time Frame In order to execute trades over and over again, you will need to have a system that you can follow almost automatically. Since scalping doesn't give you time for an in-depth analysis, you must have a system that you can use repeatedly with a fair level of confidence. As a scalper, you will need very short-term charts, such as tick charts, or one- or two-minute charts, and perhaps a five-minute chart. Preparing to Scalp 1. Get a Sense of Direction It is always helpful to trade with the trend, at least if you are a beginner scalper. To discover the trend, set up a weekly and a daily time chart and insert trend lines, Fibonacci levels, and moving averages. These are your "lines in the sand," so to speak, and will represent support and resistance areas. If your charts show the trend to be in an upward bias (the prices are sloping from the bottom left of your chart to the top right), then you will want to buy at all the support levels should they be reached. On the other hand, if the prices are sloping from the top left down to the bottom right of your chart, then look to sell each time the price gets to a resistance level. Depending on the frequency of your trades, different types of charts and moving averages can be utilized to help you determine direction. EUR/USD Daily Chart. Image by Sabrina Jiang Investopedia 2021 The daily chart shows the price has reached the 127.6 Fibonacci extensions, at about 1.3975. Clearly, there is a possibility of a pullback to the trend line somewhere in the vicinity of 1.3850. As a scalper, you can take the short side of this trade as soon as your shorter-term charts confirm an entry signal. EUR/USD Weekly Chart. Image by Sabrina Jiang Investopedia 2021 In the example above, the weekly chart shows a strong upward bias of the EUR/USD. The price could be heading back to a target of 1.4280, the previous high on November 4, 2010. 2. Prepare Your Trading Charts A forex scalping system can be either manual, where the trader looks for signals and interprets whether to buy or sell; or automated, where the trader "teaches" the software what signals to look for and how to interpret them. The timely nature of technical analysis makes real-time charts the tool of choice for forex scalpers. Set up a 10-minute and a one-minute chart. Use the 10-minute chart to get a sense of where the market is trading currently, and use the one-minute chart to actually enter and exit your trades. Be sure to set up your platform so that you can toggle between the time frames. Trading System In the system shown here, and there are many other systems you can use to trade profitably, we've included a three-period RSI with the plot guides set to 90% and 10%. Only trades on the short side once the RSI crosses over the 90% plot guide, and the long side once the RSI reaches below the 10% plot guide, are entered. To nuance the signal, it's best to wait for the 2nd crossing into either of the two zones (only take the trade if the RSI goes into the zoneeither the 10% for longs or 90% for shortson the second consecutive attempt. Image by Sabrina Jiang Investopedia 2021 Now, before you follow the above system, test it using a practice account and keep a record of all the winning trades you make and of all your losing trades. Most often it is the way that you manage your trades that will make you a profitable trader, rather than mechanically relying on the system itself. In other words, stop your losses quickly and take your profits when you have your seven to 10 pips. This is a scalping method and is not intended to hold positions through pullbacks. If you find that you can manage the system, and you have the ability to pull the trigger quickly, you may be able to repeat the process many times over in one trading session and earn a decent return. Remember that too much analysis will cause paralysis. Therefore, practice the methodology until it is automatic for you, and even boring because it becomes so repetitive. You are in the business of scalping to make a profit, not to boost your adrenalin or feel like you are playing in a casino. Professional traders are not gamblers; they are speculators who know how to calculate the risk, wait for the odds to be in their favor, and manage their emotions. When to Scalp and When Not to Scalp Remember, scalping is high-speed trading and therefore requires lots of liquidity to ensure quick execution of trades. Only trade the major currencies where the liquidity is highest, and only when the volume is very high, such as when both London and New York are trading. The unique aspect of trading forex is that individual investors can compete with large hedge funds and banksthey just need to set up the right account. Do not scalp if you do not feel focused for whatever reason. Late nights, flu symptoms, and so on, will often take you off your game. Stop trading if you have a string of losses and give yourself time to regroup. Do not try to get revenge on the market. Scalping can be fun and challenging, but it can also be stressful and tiring. You must be sure that you have the personality to indulge in high-speed trading. You will learn a lot from scalping, and then by slowing down, you may find that you can even become a day trader or a swing trader because of the confidence and practice you may get from scalping. Remember though, scalping is not for everyone. Always keep a log of your trades. Use screen capture to record your trades and then print them out for your journal. It will teach you a great deal about trading and even more about yourself as a trader. The Bottom Line The forex market is large and liquid; it is thought that technical analysis is a viable strategy for trading in this market. It can also be assumed that scalping might be a viable strategy for the retail forex trader. It is important to note, however, that the forex scalper usually requires a larger deposit, to be able to handle the amount of leverage they must take on to make the short and small trades worthwhile. Scalping is very fast-paced. If you like the action and like to focus on one- or two-minute charts, then scalping may be for you. If you have the temperament to react quickly and have no compunction in taking very quick losses, not more than two or three pips, then scalping may be for you. But if you like to analyze and think through each decision you make, perhaps you are not suited to scalp trading. In July 2015, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, made headlines across the globe as a landmark historical agreement between extreme opponents. It was a signature foreign policy achievement of President Barack Obama's second term. The accord came after months of preparation and two weeks of final intensive discussions in Vienna, and with eight parties involved, the final result was an agreement with five annexes. The deal was intended to limit Tehran's nuclear ability in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions. It laid out a lengthy process, spanning over 15 to 25 years, that would be supervised by an eight-member committee, including Iran, the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, China, and the European Union. However, the deal has proved challenging to keep intact. In May 2018, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would be pulling out of the deal and issuing fresh sanctions against Iran. However, more recently, President Joe Biden has signaled his willingness to rejoin the agreement, as long as Tehran resumes complying with the terms of the original agreement. Key Takeaways The Iran nuclear deal was designed to curb Iran's ability to produce nuclear weapons, in exchange for the removal of sanctions on Iran. In May 2018, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would be pulling out of the deal and issuing sanctions on Iran. After then-President Trump ordered the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in early 2019, Iran announced its withdrawal from the nuclear deal. Iran Nuclear Deal Background Based on the revelations of an Iranian exile group in 2002, Iran was suspected of having nuclear facilities. Following inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and subsequent discoveries, Iran continued to proceed with nuclear developments despite international opposition. In 2006, the United Nations imposed sanctions on Iran, which were followed by similar actions from the U.S. and the EU. Bitter confrontations then broke out between Iran and the world powers. These sanctionsprimarily on Iran's oil business, weapons sales, and financial transactionshad severely hurt Irans economy. As one of the largest producers of crude oil, prices went through a volatile period as the outcome was largely unknown. The Parties Involved The deal was negotiated between Iran and a group of counterparts that included the U.S., Russia, the U.K., Germany, France, China, and the European Union (EU). The supporters of the nuclear deal affirm benefits, which include the best-possible guarantee from Iran that it will refrain from producing a nuclear arsenal. It was, at the time, an important step toward establishing peace in the Middle East region, particularly in the context of ISIS and the role of oil in Middle East economies. The Main Points To make nuclear bombs, the uranium ore mined from the earth needs enrichment to either uranium-235 or plutonium. Uranium ore mined from the earth is processed via devices called centrifuges to create uranium-235. Uranium ore is processed in nuclear reactors, which transform it into plutonium. Under the deal, Tehran would reduce the number of centrifuges to 5,000 at the Natanz uranium plantabout half the number at the time. Nationwide, the number of centrifuges would reduce from 19,000 to 6,000. The enrichment levels would be brought down to 3.7%, which was much lower than the 90% needed to make a bomb. The stockpile for the low-enrichment uranium would be capped to 300 kilograms for the next 15 years, down from the then 12,000 kilograms. All these measures served to restrict Iran's capability to make a nuclear bomb and would ensure nuclear power usage is limited to civilian use only. Next Steps and Timeline As the deal was finalized, a UN Security Council resolution was agreed upon. By August 15, 2015, Iran submitted written responses to the questions raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about its nuclear program and developments. Additionally, it allowed monitoring of its facilities by IAEA inspectors on or before October 15, 2015. Removal of Sanctions First, the oil embargo that prevented the import of oil from Iran was removed, which was not without its effects. The U.S. and EU lifted oil- and trade-related sanctions. Foreign companies began to purchase oil from Iran; U.S. companies located outside the United States were authorized to trade with Iran; and imports of selected items from Iran were permitted, which had a particular effect on international business. Simultaneously, sanctions on Irans banking and financial systems were dropped. It enabled the immediate release of around $100 billion currently lying frozen in Iranian bank accounts overseas. Other Benefits Immediately after the announcement, government officials from major European countries began visits to Iran to explore business opportunities. Some of the main challenges faced by Iran during the sanction period were Iran's shrinking GDP, high inflation (over 35% in 2013), and the nation being cut off from world economic systems. All such economic challenges drastically improved after the agreement. Lifting sanctions would allow the movement of huge supplies of oil from Iran, which was thought to be sitting on large stockpiles due to years of imposed sanctions. International oil companies like Frances Total and Norways Statoil (now Equinor) operated in Iran for years before sanctions were imposed, changing the tide for those countries and other top oil producers in the world. European car manufacturers like Peugeot and Volkswagen were market leaders in Iran prior to the sanctions. Although a few sectors like auto, oil, and infrastructure had significant interest from foreign companies in the pre-sanction era, the reality was that foreign businesses had limited presence in Iran since the 1979 Revolution. In essence, the Iranian markets had remained largely unexplored by international businesses across many other industry sectors. Key Concerns Former U.S. President Barack Obama claimed that the deal would make the U.S. and the world a safer place. However, concerns remained. Challenges included administrating and monitoring the atomic facilities and developments in Iran. Complete awareness was required about the existing labs, establishments, underground sites, research centers, and military bases associated with nuclear developments. Though Iran agreed to provide the IAEA with higher levels of information and deeper levels of access to all nuclear programs and facilities in the country, the picture remained murky. Opposition to the Iran Nuclear Deal The deal, although welcomed by a larger group of nations across the globe, also had opposition from a few prominent world leaders. Israeli leader Netanyahu said the deal "paves Iran's path to the bomb." His vehement opposition to the deal came on the basis of Irans history of being a nuclear-capable challenge for the Middle East region. Additionally, Netanyahu said the deal was a platform to fund and nurture a nuclear-capable, religious-extremist country, saying a strengthened Iran could hinder peace and security in the region. Former President Donald Trump and Iran After Donald Trump was elected president in November 2016, proponents of the deal feared the agreement, which they saw as a win for world peace, would be in jeopardy. 2018 In May of 2018, President Trump announced that the U.S. would pull out of the deal and by the end of the year had reinstated sanctions on Iran. European countries, including Germany, France, and the U.K. disagreed with the sanctions. As a result, Iran's economy struggled, leading to protests in the streets. Iran responded when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced that the country was rolling back some of the restrictions that had been previously agreed to under the 2015 deal. Iran would stop complying with the caps for stockpiles of enriched uranium. The Iranian president also announced the country would also halt any sales of surplus supplies overseas. 2019 In early 2019, President Trump ordered the killing of General Qasem Soleimani, who was one of Iran's top military leaders. In response, Iran announced it would no longer comply with the nuclear deal that President Obama had signed in 2015. In May 2019, Iran's Atomic Energy Organization stated that they would quadruple the production or output of low-enriched uranium, which was later confirmed by the IAEA as reported by BBC news. President Joe Biden and Iran 2021 President Joe Biden is said to be intent on restoring the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran. According to officials who are working on the deal, Biden and his aides are going through the process of reviewing each sanction that former U.S. President Donald Trump put in place against Iran. (Towards the end of Trump's term, the former President levied more than 700 sanctions against the country.) Ali Vaez, of the International Crisis Group (ICG), was the senior advisor to Robert Malley, Biden's chief negotiator, when Malley was head of the ICG. Vaez has said that "...sanctions that are justified and not inconsistent with the JCPOA, like those that targeted human rights violators in Iran or those that penalized Iranians involved in cyberattacks against the U.S., will stay in place. In recent months, Iran has produced nuclear material that could be used for bombs and has increased its enrichment levels. Both of these actions are violations of the original pact and if continued, would prevent any sanctions against the country from being lifted. The Bottom Line The pros and cons of such a landmark deal were hotly debated. Most views, claims, and allegations were often politically tuned. European leaders still hold out hope that a deal can be reimplemented in an effort to constrain Iran's nuclear ambitions. However, for the time being, it appears that the Iran nuclear deal is on life support. Even in the era of falling oil prices, Saudi Arabia's stock exchange dominates investment in the six-country Gulf Cooperation Council. But international investors looking for new horizons must take note: This is a marketplace only for those with very deep pockets. Key Takeaways Regulations limit foreign investment in Saudi stocks to financial institutions and billionaires. Further restrictions limit the number of shares any foreigner can buy. Investors without the deepest pockets can get exposure to Saudi stocks through a number of ETFs. The Saudi Stock Exchange, or Tadawul, permits only established institutional foreign investors, not individual investors, to trade. A qualified foreign investor, for the purposes of the Saudi exchange, has at least $5 billion in assets under management and has been in business for at least five years. Investors who aren't billionaires can invest more modest amounts in Saudi Arabia and the surrounding region through any of a handful of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that focus on Middle Eastern companies. Examples include the SPDR S&P Emerging Middle East and Africa ETF (GAF) and the WisdomTree Middle East Dividend Fund (GULF). Limits to Direct Investment in Saudi Stocks There are a number of other limits to direct investment in Saudi companies: A foreign investor may own no more than 5% of the shares issued in any one company. All foreign investors (resident or non-resident) may collectively own no more than 49% percent of any company's shares. All qualified foreign investors collectively are limited to 20% of a single company's shares and 10% of all of the shares of all of the companies listed on the exchange. Foreigners who want to invest in Saudi Arabian stocks generally work through one of the global institutions that do business there. Limits on foreign ownership prevent foreigners from gaining majority control of Saudi companies. Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse Group are among the global banks that have offices in Riyadh. These branches act as hubs for brokers and qualified foreign investors that invest in any of the GCC nations. About the Tadawuhl Despite its prominent role in the Arab world, only about 150 companies are listed on the Tadawuhl. The main index that tracks its movements is the Tadawuhl All Share Index (TASI). Not surprisingly, the state oil company Saudi Aramco, said to be the world's biggest company, is among them. Others run the gamut from the Arab National Bank to fast-food chain Al Tazaj and publisher Jarir Bookstore. According to the Heritage Foundation, the Saudi economy has grown only modestly over the past few years due to the reduced prices and production levels of its main export product, oil. It remains one of the top 20 economies in the world and the largest economy in the Middle East. The long slide in oil demand has forced the Saudis to work towards diversifying its economy and encouraging private enterprises not related to oil. It is even dabbling in solar energy. What Is Retirement Planning? Retirement planning involves determining retirement income goals and what's needed to achieve those goals. Retirement planning includes identifying income sources, sizing up expenses, implementing a savings program, and managing assets and risk. Future cash flows are estimated to gauge whether the retirement income goal is possible. You can start at any time, but it works best if you factor it into your financial planning as early as possible. Thats the best way to ensure a safe, secureand funretirement. The fun part is why it makes sense to pay attention to the serious and perhaps boring part: planning how youll get there. Key Takeaways It is never too early or too late to start retirement planning. Retirement planning refers to financial strategies of saving, investments, and ultimately distributing money meant to sustain oneself during retirement. Many popular investment vehicles, such as individual retirement accounts and 401(k)s, allow retirement savers to grow their money with certain tax advantages. Retirement planning takes into account not only assets and income but also future expenses, liabilities, and life expectancy. If you are under 50, you can contribute a maximum of $20,500 in 2022 to a $401(k). 2:30 8 Essential Tips For Retirement Saving Understanding Retirement Planning In the simplest sense, retirement planning is what one does to be prepared for life after paid work ends. This isn't just financially but in all aspects of life. The non-financial aspects include lifestyle choices such as how to spend time in retirement, where to live, and when to quit working altogether, among other things. A holistic approach to retirement planning considers all these areas. The emphasis that one puts on retirement planning changes at different stages of life. For instance: Early in a persons working life, retirement planning is about setting aside enough money for retirement. During the middle of your career, it might also include setting specific income or asset targets and taking steps to achieve them. Once you reach retirement age, you go from accumulating assets to what planners call the distribution phase. Youre no longer paying into your retirement account(s). Instead, your decades of saving begin paying you out. Some retirement plans change depending on where you are. For instance, the United States and Canada each have unique systems of workplace-sponsored plans. How Much Do You Need to Retire? Remember that retirement planning starts long before you retire. The general rule is the sooner you start, the better. Your magic number, which is the amount you need to retire comfortably, is highly personalized. But there are numerous rules of thumb that can give you an idea of how much to save. How much you need depends on who you ask. For instance: People used to say that you need around $1 million to retire comfortably. Other professionals use the 80% rule, which states that you need enough to live on 80% of your income at retirement. So if you made $100,000 per year, then you would need savings that could produce $80,000 per year for roughly 20 years, or a total of $1.6 million, including the income generated by your retirement assets. Others say most retirees arent saving anywhere near enough to meet those benchmarks and should adjust their lifestyle to live on what they have. While the amount of money you'll want to have in your nest egg is important, it's also a good idea to consider all of your expenses. Be sure to calculate the costs for housing, health insurance, food, clothing, and your vehicle/transportation. And since you'll have more free time on your hands, you may also want to factor in the cost of entertainment and travel. While it may be hard to come up with concrete figures, be sure to come up with a reasonable estimate so there are no surprises later on. Start as early as you can on whatever method that you, and possibly a financial planner, use to calculate your retirement savings needs. Steps to Retirement Planning Regardless of where you are in life, there are several key steps that apply to almost everyone during their retirement planning. The following are some of the most common: Come up with a plan. This includes deciding when you want to start saving, when you want to retire, and how much you'd like to save for your ultimate goal. Decide how much you'll set aside each month. Using automatic deductions takes away the guesswork, keeps you on track, and takes away the temptation to stop or forget depositing money on your own. Choose the right accounts for you. Take the chance to invest in a 401(k) or similar account if your employer offers that option. Remember, if the company offers an employer match and you don't sign up, you're just giving away free money. And don't forget to have an emergency fund, which can be easily liquidated if you need cash in a pinch. Check on your investments from time to time and make periodic adjustments. It's always a good idea to make any changes whenever there's a change in your lifestyle and when you enter a different stage in your life. Retirement Plans Retirement accounts come in many shapes and sizes. The rules and regulations for each may be different. Employer-Sponspored Plans Young adults should take advantage of employer-sponsored 401(k) or 403(b) plans. The former is a type of retirement account offered by major corporations. The latter is a similar plan used by employees of public schools and certain charities. Both work in similar fashions. An up-front benefit of these qualified retirement plans is that your employer has the option to match what you invest up to a certain amount. For example, if you contribute 3% of your annual income to your plan account, your employer may match that and deposit the equivalent sum into your retirement account, essentially giving you a 3% bonus that grows over the years. You can and should contribute more than the amount that will earn the employer match. In fact, some experts recommend upward of 10%. For the 2022 tax year, participants under age 50 can contribute up to $20,500 of their earnings to a 401(k) or 403(b), some of which may be additionally matched by an employer. People over age 50 can contribute an extra $6,500 per year as a catch-up contribution. Additional advantages of 401(k) plans include earning a higher rate of return than a savings account (although the investments are not free of risk). Also, the funds within the account are not subject to income tax until you withdraw them. Since your contributions are taken off your gross income, you will get an immediate income tax break. Those who are on the cusp of a higher tax bracket might consider contributing enough to lower their tax liability. Traditional Individual Retirement Account (IRA) The traditional individual retirement account (IRA) lets you put aside pre-tax dollars. This means that the money you save is deducted from your income before your taxes are taken out. As such, it lowers your taxable income and, therefore, your tax liability. So if you're on the cusp of a higher tax bracket, investing in a traditional IRA can knock you down to a lower one. The tax benefit to this kind of account is upfront. So when it comes time to take distributions from the account, you are subject to your standard tax rate at that time. Keep in mind, though, that the money grows on a tax-deferred basis. There are no capital gains or dividend taxes that are assessed on the balance of your account until you begin making withdrawals. The IRS sets limits on how much you can contribute to a traditional IRA each year. This figure is set based on inflation. The limit for 2022 is $6,000. People who are 50 and older can invest an additional $1,000 for a total of $7,000 in 2022. Distributions must be taken at age 72 and can be taken as early as 59. You are subject to a 10% penalty if you make withdrawals before that. You will also incur taxes at your regular income tax rate. Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA) A Roth IRA can be an excellent tool for young adults, funded with post-tax dollars. This eliminates the immediate tax deduction but avoids a more significant income tax bite when the money is withdrawn at retirement. Starting a Roth IRA early can pay off big time in the long run, even if you dont have a lot of money to invest at first. Remember, the longer the money sits in a retirement account, the more tax-free interest is earned. Roth IRAs have some limitations. The contribution limit for either IRA (Roth or traditional) is $6,000 a year, or $7,000 if you are over age 50. Still, a Roth has some income limits: A single filer can contribute the full amount only if they make $125,000 or less annually, as of the 2021 tax year, and $129,000 in 2022. After that, you can invest to a lesser degree, up to an annual income of $140,000 in 2021 and $144,000 in 2022. (The income limits are higher for married couples filing jointly.) Like a 401(k), a Roth IRA has some penalties associated with taking money out before you hit retirement age. But there are a few notable exceptions that may be very useful for younger people or in case of emergency. First, you can always withdraw the initial capital you invested without paying a penalty. Second, you can withdraw funds for certain educational expenses, a first-time home purchase, health care expenses, and disability costs. SIMPLE Individual Retirement Account (IRA) The SIMPLE IRA is a retirement account offered to employees of small businesses in lieu of the 401(k), which is expensive to maintain. It works the same way a 401(k) does, allowing employees to save money automatically through payroll deductions with the option of an employer match. This amount is capped at 3% of an employee's annual salary. The annual contribution limit for a SIMPLE IRA is $14,000 in 2022. Catch-up contributions of $3,000 allow employees 50 or older to bump that limit up to $17,000. Once you set up a retirement account, the question becomes how to direct the funds. For those intimidated by the stock market, consider investing in an index fund that requires little maintenance, as it simply mirrors a stock market index like the Standard & Poors 500. Target-date funds are also designed to automatically alter and diversify assets over time based on your goal retirement age. Stages of Retirement Planning Below are some guidelines for successful retirement planning at different stages of your life. Young Adulthood (Ages 2135) Those embarking on adult life may not have a lot of money free to invest, but they do have time to let investments mature, which is a critical and valuable piece of retirement savings. This is because of the principle of compounding. Compound interest allows interest to earn interest, and the more time you have, the more interest you will earn. Even if you can only put aside $50 a month, it will be worth three times more if you invest it at age 25 than if you wait to start investing until age 45, thanks to the joys of compounding. You might be able to invest more money in the future, but youll never be able to make up for any lost time. Keep in mind that certain federal agencies and uniformed services offer thrift savings plans. Early Midlife (Ages 3650) Early midlife tends to bring a number of financial strains, including mortgages, student loans, insurance premiums, and credit card debt. However, its critical to continue saving at this stage of retirement planning. The combination of earning more money and the time you still have to invest and earn interest makes these years some of the best for aggressive savings. People at this stage of retirement planning should continue to take advantage of any 401(k) matching programs that their employers offer. They should also try to max out contributions to a 401(k) or Roth IRA (you can have both at the same time). For those ineligible for a Roth IRA, consider a traditional IRA. As with your 401(k), this is funded with pretax dollars, and the assets within it grow tax-deferred. Some employer-sponsored plans offer a Roth option to set aside after-tax retirement contributions. You are limited to the same annual limit, but there are no income limitations as with a Roth IRA. Finally, dont neglect life insurance and disability insurance. You want to ensure that your family could survive financially without pulling from retirement savings should something happen to you. Later Midlife (Ages 5065) As you age, your investment accounts should become more conservative. While time is running out to save for people at this stage of retirement planning, there are a few advantages. Higher wages and potentially having some of the aforementioned expenses (mortgages, student loans, credit card debt, etc.) paid off by this time can leave you with more disposable income to invest. And it's never too late to set up and contribute to a 401(k) or an IRA. One benefit of this retirement planning stage is catch-up contributions. From age 50 on, you can contribute an additional $1,000 a year to your traditional or Roth IRA and an additional $6,500 a year to your 401(k) in 2021 and 2022. For those who have maxed out tax-incentivized retirement savings options, consider other forms of investment to supplement your retirement savings. Certificates of deposit (CDs), blue-chip stocks, or certain real estate investments (like a vacation home that you rent out) may be reasonably safe ways to add to your nest egg. You can also begin to get a sense of what your Social Security benefits will be and at what age it makes sense to start taking them. Eligibility for early benefits starts at age 62, but the retirement age for full benefits is 66. This is also the time to look into long-term care insurance, which will help cover the costs of a nursing home or home care should you need it in your advanced years. If you don't properly plan for health-related expenses, especially unexpected ones, they can decimate your savings. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers an online calculator. Other Aspects of Retirement Planning Retirement planning includes a lot more than simply how much you will save and how much you need. It takes into account your complete financial picture. Your Home For most Americans, the single biggest asset they own is their home. How does that fit into your retirement plan? A home was considered an asset in the past, but since the housing market crash, planners see it as less of an asset than they once did. With the popularity of home equity loans and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), many homeowners are entering retirement in mortgage debt instead of well above water. Once you retire, theres also the question of whether you should sell your home. If you still live in the home where you raised multiple children, it might be more significant than you need, and the expenses that come with holding onto it might be considerable. Your retirement plan should include an unbiased look at your home and what to do with it. Estate Planning Your estate plan addresses what happens to your assets after you die. It should include a will that lays out your plans, but even before that, you should set up a trust or use some other strategy to keep as much of it as possible shielded from estate taxes. The first $11.58 million of an estate is exempt from estate taxes, but more and more people are finding ways to leave their money to their children in a way that doesnt pay them in a lump sum. There may also be changes coming down the pipeline in Congress regarding estate taxes, as the estate tax amount is scheduled to drop to $5 million in 2026. Tax Efficiency Once you reach retirement age and begin taking distributions, taxes become a big problem. Most of your retirement accounts are taxed as ordinary income tax. That means you could pay as much as 37% in taxes on any money that you take from your traditional 401(k) or IRA. Thats why its essential to consider a Roth IRA or a Roth 401(k), as both allow you to pay taxes upfront rather than upon withdrawal. If you believe you will make more money later in life, it may make sense to do a Roth conversion. An accountant or financial planner can help you work through such tax considerations. Insurance A key component of retirement planning is protecting your assets. Age comes with increased medical expenses, and you will have to navigate the often-complicated Medicare system. Many people feel that standard Medicare doesnt provide adequate coverage, so they look to a Medicare Advantage or Medigap policy to supplement it. Theres also life insurance and long-term care insurance to consider. Another type of policy issued by an insurance company is an annuity. An annuity is much like a pension. You put money on deposit with an insurance company that later pays you a set monthly amount. There are many different options with annuities and many considerations when deciding if an annuity is right for you. How Do I Start Planning for Retirement? Retirement planning isn't difficult. It's as easy as setting aside some money every monthevery little bit counts. The easiest way is to start contributing through an employer-sponsored plan if your company offers one. You may also want to consider talking to a professional, such as a financial planner or investment broker who can steer you in the right direction. The earlier you start, the better. That's because your investments grow over time by earning interest. And you'll earn interest on that interest. Why Is Retirement Planning So Important? Retirement planning allows you to sock away enough money to maintain the same lifestyle you currently have. After all, no one wants to work right up until the end. While you may work part-time or pick up the odd gig here or there, it probably won't be enough to sustain your current lifestyle. And Social Security benefits will only take you so far. That's why it's so important to have a viable plan that allows you to get the maximum amount of money when you retire. What Other Aspects Should I Consider During Retirement? Retirement planning is such an important part of your financial well-being. But there are other things you need to consider outside of what happens after you retire. Ensure that your finances are giving you the biggest tax breaks possible, so a Roth conversion may be a good idea if you believe you'll be earning some income later on in life. You may also want to consider what happens to your assets after you die, which is where estate planning comes into play. Life insurance can help offset any expenses that you leave behind for your loved ones if you become injured or die unexpectedly. The Bottom Line Everyone dreams of the day they can finally say goodbye to the workforce and retire. But doing so costs money. That's where retirement planning comes into play. And it doesn't matter at which point you are in your life. Sure, you may have Social Security benefits, but that may not be enough, especially if you're used to a certain lifestyle. Setting aside money now means you'll have less to worry about later. Progressive taxation versus flat taxation inspires ongoing debate, and both have proponents and critics. In the United States, the historical favorite is the progressive tax. Progressive tax systems have tiered tax rates that charge higher income individuals higher percentages of their income and offer the lowest rates to those with the lowest incomes. Flat tax plans generally assign one tax rate to all taxpayers. No one pays more or less than anyone else under a flat tax system. Both of these systems may be considered "fair" in the sense that they are consistent and apply a rational approach to taxation. They differ, however, in their treatment of wealth, and each system may be called "unfair" according to who benefits or is treated differently. Supporters of the progressive system claim that higher salaries enable affluent people to pay higher taxes and that this is the fairest system because it lessens the tax burden of the poor. Since the poor have the smallest disposable incomes and spend a higher proportion of their money on basic survival needs, such as housing, this system allows them to keep more of their money. Affluent taxpayers are better able to provide for their physical needs and therefore are charged more. A flat tax would ignore the differences between rich and poor taxpayers. Some argue that flat taxes are unfair for this reason. Progressive taxes, however, treat the rich and poor differently, which is also unfair. Flat tax has one tax rate. Everyone carries the same responsibility, and no one is unequally burdened, rich or poor. Taxes do not discourage high earners from earning more, and the low tax rate encourages the poor to strive to earn more. This reduces the potential deadweight loss of taxation and encourages good work ethics. This system does, however, risk taking too much money away from the poorest citizens. Both tax policies have significant advantages and disadvantages that may prevent them from perfect fairness. As a shareholder, you are entitled to vote by proxy on the big issues that impact a company's financials even if you can't attend the meeting in person. In advance of the annual general meeting of a company or mutual fund, shareholders will receive a package in the mail containing a variety of documents that report financial data and operations results and announce important issuessuch as proposals for changes to the company's share structure or mergers and acquisitions. These are all matters that shareholders or unitholders, the true owners of the company or mutual fund, will vote on at the general meeting. If, however, shareholders are not able to attend an annual (or special) meeting, they can vote on proposals by means of a proxy, one of the documents included in the pre-meeting mailing package. Key Takeaways A proxy vote is a ballot cast by one person or firm on behalf of a shareholder of a corporation who may not be able to attend a shareholder meeting, or who otherwise desires not to vote on an issue Prior to a company's annual meeting, eligible shareholders may receive voting and proxy information in advance of their shareholder vote. Rather than physically attending the shareholder meeting, investors may elect someone elsesuch as a member of the company's management teamto vote in their place. The Purpose of Proxy Voting Shareholder voting is the primary means by which shareholders can influence the company's or mutual fund's operations, its corporate governance, and even activities of social responsibility that may fall outside of financial considerations. It is therefore very important for shareholders to participate in the voting and make their decisions based on a full understanding of the information and legal documentation presented to them. At shareholder meetings, investors with common shares (or mutual fund units) typically receive one vote per share (or unit), unless they own shares carrying additional voting provisions. The votes of shareholders who are absent from a meeting and have not used a proxy card bearing their signature are considered to have abstainedthey count neither for nor against any proposal tabled at the meeting. But proxy voting allows shareholders to vote when they can't attend a shareholder meeting, so investors are quite literally able to own and vote on equities in companies and mutual funds that might be located and registered clear across the globe. In the internet age, investors can not only buy and sell stocks online but also vote their proxy statements. The entire documentation delivery process can be electronically automated. Official documentation is delivered to shareholders in electronic form, and then they log onto the system with a control number or personal identification number and vote for or against the resolutions presented. Proxy Voting Guidelines The internet also greatly assists shareholders in researching their decisions. Numerous institutional investors now post their voting decisions online prior to the meeting date, giving individual investors a chance to see where the large institutional shareholders stand on issues. These same institutions may also provide extensive explanations of their decisions by posting their "proxy voting guidelines." For example, institutions may cast their votes on criteria of long-term value, corporate accountability, responsibility, sustainability, and so on. The most proactive of institutional investors play a sort of champion role in keeping directors accountable for the resolutions that are introduced at important meetings. Not only will the institution establish its model proxy voting guidelines, but if a decision is initially unclear, it will seek additional information from the company itself. For example, an institution might contact management directly to discuss a specific proposal, suggest modifications to the nature of the proposal, or in extreme cases, urge the withdrawal of the proposal in its entirety. Such influence is generally held only by powerful institutional investors, making the institution's role in the proxy voting process invaluable. Innovations to the Proxy Voting System In the wake of much-publicized corporate scandals perpetrated by the management and directors of various publicly-traded companies over the years, more consideration has been given to revisions of the proxy voting systemmost significantly, allowing shareholders to take an active role in introducing resolutions to the proxy. Today, any shareholder (or group of shareholders) who has owned at least $2,000 or 1% of a company's stock continuously for at least a year may introduce a proposal. These proposals are often termed "direct proxy access" and focus most prominently on allowing shareholders to nominate director candidates. On the one hand, this brings fresh perspectives to the board of directors; but on the other hand, lack of experience (among other factors) could cause shareholders to nominate directors who are truly inappropriate for directorship. The Bottom Line Proxy voting is often the sole means by which investors can have a say in the business operations and societal activities of their company or mutual fund. Shareholders need not attend an important meeting in person, but they certainly must make the effort to read and understand legal resolutions and use all available resources to make an educated vote based on their best knowledge and information. News / National by Stephen Jakes Political commentator Rejoice Ngwenya has challenged the ruling Zanu PF to scrape President Robert Mugabe's celebrations as it is a waste of money and time."I suggest that the Government of Zimbabwe defer ALL official commemorations this year (Independence Day, Africa Unity Day, Heroes Day) and also downgrade ALL state burials to ordinary burials," he said. "I also insist that Zanu PF discard its plans to 'celebrate' Mr. Mugabe's lavish 92nd birthday in favour of a simple family event. All political rallies by all parties, annual conferences and congresses must be suspended. Our country needs to raise at least one billion dollars in food relief, so we cannot be wasting money at the same time expecting donations from international donors." You're looking at investing in new stocks or adjusting your portfolio to keep up with the trends in the market. But there are so many different factors to consider. So how do you do it? There are a number of ways you can analyze companies and their stocks. One way to do so is through an analysis using Porter's Five Forces Model, a methodology that looks at external factors within a specific industry. Keep reading to see how these five forces apply to JPMorgan Chase, one of the world's leading financial institutions. Key Takeaways Competition from within the financial industry is probably the strongest of Porter's Five Forces when analyzing JPMorgan Chase. Large groups of retail clients, major corporate clients, and high-net-worth individuals can have a big impact on JPMorgan's bottom line. The threat of substitute productspayment services and peer-to-peer lendingcontinues to threaten the financial industry. The bargaining power of suppliers and the threat of new entrants have minimal impact on the likes of JPMorgan. Porter's Five Forces Model Developed by Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter, the Five Forces Model is a business analysis tool that examines the relative strength of five primary market dynamics that govern competition within virtually any industry. Porter's analysis considers the competition level among the leading companies in an industry, then considers four other factors that affect the industry and the success of companies within that industry: The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of consumers or clients The threat of new entrants into the industry The threat posed by substitute products JPMorgan Chase: An Overview JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is a major global bank holding and financial services company. It is a universal banking company that provides commercial, retail, and investment banking services. It is one of the four principal money center banks in the United States, along with Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Citigroup. With more than $2.3 trillion in assets, JPMorgan is one of the 10 largest banks worldwide. The company, as we know it today, is the result of a series of mergers of a group of major U.S. banks. It is one of the four major banks in the United States, along with Citibank, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. JPMorgan operates as a bank holding company with a number of subsidiaries engaged in the company's four main areas of financial enterprise: Retail banking Commercial banking Corporate and investment banking Asset management In addition to regular retail, commercial, and investment banking services, JPMorgan offers Treasury services, letters of credit for domestic or international payments, foreign exchange, fund administration, and private banking services. JPMorgan had a market capitalization of $261.7 billion as of May 15, 2020. The company reported consolidated net income of $36.4 billion for the 2019 fiscal year. An analysis of JPMorgan Chase using Porter's Five Forces reveals that the company must concentrate on the competition from industry rivals, the bargaining power of consumers, and the threat of substitute products. The bargaining power of suppliers is a lesser force, while the threat of new entrants to the industry is considered minimal. Competition From Industry Rivals Competition within the financial industry is probably the strongest of Porter's model when analyzing JPMorgan Chase. The company not only faces intense competition from the other three major money-center banks in the United States, but there's also a threat from international banks like HSBC and Barclays. JPMorgan faces stiff competition from domestic rivals as well as major international banks on a global scale. The relatively low switching costs from one bank to another intensifies the importance of competition from within the industry, especially in the retail and commercial banking spheres. It doesn't cost muchin most cases, nothing at allto close an account at one bank and open a new account at another one. And to sweeten the pot, major banks extend offers to draw customers away from their rivals. JPMorgan is no exception. New customers can earn as much as $600 when they open a checking and savings account as long as they meet certain eligibility requirements. Overall, JPMorgan deals with industry competition in three main ways: By distinguishing itself in the marketplace primarily on the basis of its history and experience By staying on the cutting edge of offering customer convenience and low-cost and cutting-edge services By acquiring smaller banks, thereby removing some potential competition from the marketplace The Bargaining Power of Consumers The banking industry relies heavily on the bargaining power of consumers. Some have more power than others. For instance, individual consumers, especially those in the retail banking marketplace, have relatively little bargaining power. That's because the loss of a single account basically has minimal to no impact on the company's bottom line. Consider what effect Mr. Jones has on the bank when he decides to close his account. On the whole, the loss of his account won't bother the bank too much. But the bargaining power of large groups of customers is greater because the bank cannot afford to suffer mass defections of depositors. Corporate clients and high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) also have greater bargaining power since the loss of sizable accounts and sources of revenue can more substantially affect the bank's profitability. JPMorgan addresses the issue of customer bargaining power primarily by extending attractive sign-up offers to new clients. It also makes efforts to get existing clients to open additional accounts and sign up for additional services, which effectively increases the switching cost for consumers by making it more troublesome for them to transfer their finances to another bank. The Threat of Substitute Products The threat of substitute products has increased in the banking industry, as companies outside the industry have begun to offer specialized financial services that were traditionally only available from banks. PayPal and Apple Pay, prepaid debit cards, and online peer-to-peer lenders (P2P) such as Prosper.com or LendingClub.com offer a multitude of options that cost JPMorganand other major banksa considerable amount of revenue. So how does JPMorgan keep up? The bank has initiatives that include a division that focuses on small business lending. It also established Chase Pay, its own digital wallet service. The Bargaining Power of Suppliers There are two main suppliers for a bank. The first group comprises of depositors who supply the primary resource of capital, while the second is its employees, also known as the resource of labor. The threat from individual depositors is minimal, just the way it is with the bargaining power of consumers. Major corporate customers, HNWIs, and large groups of depositors, though, tend to be a big threat. JPMorgan's approach to dealing with this force is to try to attract new clients and to increase the extent to which existing depositors hold funds and access the bank's services. When it comes to the bargaining power of suppliers of labor, individual employees have little bargaining power unless they're major executive employees. JPMorgan must address its overall bargaining power by offering an attractive salary and benefits package to retain the best employees. The Threat of New Entrants to the Industry The threat of new entrants from within the financial industry is relatively small. It isn't easy for a new bank to enter the market and try to compete on the same level as JPMorgan. In fact, a new competitor would face a number of significant obstacles, notably the massive amount of capital required, the length of time needed to establish a significant brand identity, and the cumbersome government regulations that apply to the operation of banks. While brand new entrants may not be much of a threat, JPMorgan does have to brace for some competition from already established banks in other countries. For instance, the company must keep an eye out for major banks in developing economies such as China that will eventually compete on an international scale. Gold and silver have been recognized as valuable metals and were highly coveted by ancient civilizations. Precious metals still have their place in a savvy investor's portfolio in modern times. But which precious metal is best for investment purposes? And more importantly, why are they so volatile? There are many ways to buy precious metals like gold, silver, platinum, and a host of good reasons why you should give in to the treasure hunt. So if you're just getting started out in precious metals, read on to learn more about how they work and how you can invest in them. Key Takeaways Precious metals are one way to diversify an investor's portfolio and can act as a hedge against inflation. Although gold is the most common investment in the precious metals sector, it isn't the only one out there for investors. Silver, platinum, and palladium are all commodities that can be added to your precious metals portfolio, and each has its own unique risks and opportunities. There are a number of factors that make these investments so volatile, including supply, demand, and geopolitical issues. In addition to owning physical metal, investors can gain access through the derivatives market, metal ETFs and mutual funds, and mining company stocks. Gold We'll start with the granddaddy of them all. Gold is unique for its durability (it doesn't rust or corrode), malleability, and ability to conduct both heat and electricity. It has some industrial applications in dentistry and electronics, but we know it principally as a base for jewelry and as a form of currency. Its value is determined by the market 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Gold trades predominantly as a function of sentimentits price is less affected by the laws of supply and demand. This is because the new mine supply is vastly outweighed by the sheer size of above-ground, hoarded gold. To put it simply, when hoarders feel like selling, the price drops. When they want to buy, a new supply is quickly absorbed and gold prices are driven higher. Several factors account for an increased desire to hoard the shiny yellow metal: Systemic financial concerns. When banks and money are perceived as unstable and/or political stability is questionable, gold has often been sought out as a safe store of value. Inflation. When real rates of return (RoR) in the equity, bond, or real estate markets are negative, people regularly flock to gold as an asset that will maintain its value. War or political crises. Conflict and political upheaval have always sent people into a gold-hoarding mode. An entire lifetime's worth of savings can be made portable and stored until it needs to be traded for foodstuffs, shelter, or safe passage to a less dangerous destination. The United States has the world's largest reserves of gold, amounting to 8,867.72 tons as of February 2021. Silver Unlike gold, the price of silver swings between its perceived role as a store of value and its role as an industrial metal. For this reason, price fluctuations in this market are more volatile than in the market for gold. While silver roughly trades in line with gold as an item to be hoarded, the industrial supply/demand equation for the metal exerts an equally strong influence on its price. That equation has always fluctuated with new innovations, including: Silver's once predominant role in the photography industry (silver-based photographic film) has been eclipsed by the advent of the digital camera. The rise of a vast middle class in the emerging market economies of the East created an explosive demand for electrical appliances, medical products, and other industrial items that require silver inputs. From bearings to electrical connections, silver's properties made it a desired commodity. The use of silver in batteries, superconductor applications, and microcircuit markets. It's unclear whether, or to what extent, these developments will affect overall non-investment demand for silver. One fact remains: Silver's price is affected by its applications and is not just used in the fashion world or as a store of value. Platinum Like gold and silver, platinum trades around the clock on global commodities markets. It often tends to fetch a higher price (per troy ounce) than gold during routine periods of market and political stability simply because it's much rarer. Far less of the metal is actually pulled from the ground annually. There are also other factors that determine platinum's price: Like silver, platinum is considered an industrial metal. The greatest demand for platinum comes from automotive catalysts, which are used to reduce the harmfulness of emissions. After this, jewelry accounts for the majority of demand. Petroleum and chemical refining catalysts and the computer industry use up the rest. Platinum prices are influenced heavily by the geopolitical conditions in the countries where mining takes place as well as the supply and demand equation. In this respect, prices have been determined, in large part, by auto sales and production numbers. The drop in vehicle production and curtailed demand for autocatalysts (which accounts for a third of platinum demand) during the COVID-19 pandemic pushed prices down. Supplies dropped by 5% and demand increased by 21% during the first quarter of 2021 (primarily driven by the automotive industry), which could lead to an upward tick in the metal's price. Demand in 2022 also increased, but by a marginal 2%. Keep in mind, though, that the rise in no-emission vehicles could put pressure on prices. Supplies dropped by 5% and demand increased by 21% during the first quarter of 2021 (primarily driven by the automotive industry), which could lead to an upward tick in the metal's price. Demand in 2022 also increased, but by a marginal 2%. Keep in mind, though, that the rise in no-emission vehicles could put pressure on prices. Platinum mines are heavily concentrated in only two countries: South Africa and Russia. This creates greater potential for cartel-like action that would support or even artificially raise platinum prices. Investors should consider that all of these factors serve to make platinum the most volatile of all precious metals. Palladium Lesser known than the three metals mentioned above is palladium, which has more industrial uses. Palladium is a shiny, silvery metal used in many types of manufacturing processes, particularly for electronics and industrial products. It can also be used in dentistry, medicine, chemical applications, jewelry, and groundwater treatment. The majority of the world's supply of this rare metal, which has the atomic number 46 on the periodic table of elements, comes from mines located in the United States, Russia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada, Australia, and Finland. Jewelers first incorporated palladium into jewelry in 1939. When mixed with yellow gold, the alloy forms a metal stronger than white gold. In 1967, the government of Tonga issued circulating palladium coins touting the coronation of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. This is the first recorded instance of palladium used in coinage. Metalworkers can create thin sheets of palladium down to one-two hundred fifty thousandths of an inch. Pure palladium is malleable, but it becomes stronger and harder once someone works with the metal at room temperature. The sheets are then used in applications like solar energy and fuel cells. The largest industrial use for palladium is in catalytic converters because the metal serves as a great catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions. This shiny metal is 12.6% harder than platinum, making the element also more durable than platinum. In 2021, South Africa was the largest producer of palladium followed by Russia. Filling Up Your Treasure Chest Let's take a look at the options available to those who want to invest in precious metals. Commodity Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs): Exchange-traded funds are a convenient and liquid means of purchasing and selling gold, silver, palladium, or platinum. Investing in ETFs, though, doesn't give you access to the physical commodity, so you don't have a claim on the metal in the fund. You will not get the actual delivery of a gold bar or silver coin. Exchange-traded funds are a convenient and liquid means of purchasing and selling gold, silver, palladium, or platinum. Investing in ETFs, though, doesn't give you access to the physical commodity, so you don't have a claim on the metal in the fund. You will not get the actual delivery of a gold bar or silver coin. Common Stocks and Mutual Funds: Shares of precious metals miners are leveraged to price movements in the precious metals. Unless you're aware of how mining stocks are valued, it may be wiser to stick to funds with managers with solid performance records. Shares of precious metals miners are leveraged to price movements in the precious metals. Unless you're aware of how mining stocks are valued, it may be wiser to stick to funds with managers with solid performance records. Futures and Options: The futures and options markets offer liquidity and leverage to investors who want to make big bets on metals. The greatest potential profits and losses can be had with derivative products. The futures and options markets offer liquidity and leverage to investors who want to make big bets on metals. The greatest potential profits and losses can be had with derivative products. Bullion: Coins and bars are strictly for those who have a place to put them like a safe deposit box or safe. Certainly, for those who are expecting the worst, bullion is the only option, but for investors with a time horizon, bullion is illiquid and downright bothersome to hold. Coins and bars are strictly for those who have a place to put them like a safe deposit box or safe. Certainly, for those who are expecting the worst, bullion is the only option, but for investors with a time horizon, bullion is illiquid and downright bothersome to hold. Certificates: Certificates offer investors all the benefits of physical gold ownership without the hassle of transportation and storage. That said, if you're looking for insurance in a real disaster, certificates are just paper. Don't expect anyone to take them in exchange for anything of value. Are Precious Metals a Good Investment for You? Precious metals offer unique inflationary protection. They have intrinsic value, carry no credit risk, and cannot be inflated. That means you can't print more of them. They also offer genuine upheaval insurance against financial or political/military upheavals. From an investment theory standpoint, precious metals also provide a low or negative correlation to other asset classes like stocks and bonds. This means even a small percentage of precious metals in a portfolio will reduce both volatility and risk. Precious Metals Risks Every investment comes with its own set of risks. Although they may come with a certain degree of security, there is always some risk that comes with investing in precious metals. Prices for metals can drop due to technical imbalances (more sellers than buyers), changes in supply and demand, geopolitical issues, and other related factors. That said, during times of economic uncertainty, sellers benefit, as prices tend to shoot up. What Are the Benefits of Investing in Precious Metals Over Stocks? Investing in precious metals comes with some benefits over investing in stocks, such as being a hedge against inflation, having intrinsic value, no credit risk, a high level of liquidity, bringing diversity to a portfolio, and ease of purchasing. What Are the Best Ways to Invest in Precious Metals? The best way to invest in precious metals is either to buy the metal outright and hold the physical form or to purchase ETFs that have significant exposure to precious metals or companies involved in the precious metals business. What Is a Disadvantage of Investing in Precious Metals? Precious metals have no cash flow so an individual will receive no income. If an individual holds the outright metal, there is also a storage cost associated with the investment. The Bottom Line Precious metals provide a useful and effective means of diversifying a portfolio. The trick to achieving success with them is to know your goals and risk profile before jumping in. The volatility of precious metals can be harnessed to accumulate wealth. Left unchecked, it can also lead to ruin. The rising cost of traditional healthcare has some Americans seeking ways to access alternatives without busting their monthly budgets. Not all strategies can protect you in case of a medical emergency, though. Keep in mind that some form of standard, Affordable Care Act (ACA)-compatible health plan should still play a part in your healthcare. It pays to shop around for health insurance. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 has lowered premiums for most people with a Marketplace health plan and expanded access to financial assistance for more consumers. Many people who buy their own health insurance became eligible for increased tax credits to reduce their premiums. Insurance premiums for Marketplace plans will dip, on average, by $50 per person per month. Four out of five enrollees will be able to find a plan for $10 or less, after premium tax credits, and more than half will be able to find a Silver plan for $10 or less. As with any consumer product, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Heres what to know about four options that promise to lower your healthcare costs. Key Takeaways Consumers may see some alternatives to the traditional health insurance plan, but they should carefully weigh the pros and cons of these options. You will most likely have to pair a lower-cost alternative with a traditional high-deductible, low-premium insurance plan. Primary care membership plans allow participants to receive care from a primary care physician for a flat fee, usually paid monthly, but youll still need insurance for specialized procedures. Medical services discount programs may offer appealingly low prices that they dont always deliver, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). 1. Primary Care Memberships Some medical practices and independent primary care physicians offer services for a flat monthly fee, rather like a gym membership. This is often referred to as a concierge medical service or retainer medicine. An individual or family can get the usual services provided by a primary care physician, including virtually unlimited doctor visits, blood tests, and pediatric care, all with no co-pay. Of course, such an arrangement does not cover surgery, hospitalization, major injury treatment, or specialist care. Most who choose this option supplement the primary care membership with a high-deductible, low-premium health insurance policy. The advantages to primary care memberships are the promise of almost unlimited access to a primary physician who youve chosen yourself, instead of needing to rely on a specific insurance network. This type of care works best in conjunction with an existing health plan, according to Consumer Reports. One disadvantage: These practices tend to cover a narrow range of services. This means that you will still need to maintain some standard health insurance in case you need specialized treatment or major medical care. Since this is not considered insurance, it lacks the same consumer protections required by insurance regulators, which oversee traditional health plans. 2. Medical Cost-Sharing Programs Participants in programs such as Medi-Share, a Christian health-sharing ministry, pay monthly fees similar to insurance premiums. However, note that health-sharing ministries are not health insuranceand therefore not subject to regulation by state insurance commissionersbut nonprofit organizations. Members pool their resources and theoretically share each others medical costs as they arise. Each member who needs medical services pays an incident fee, similar to a co-pay. The remainder of the medical costs is covered by the pooled fees. The biggest advantage is lower costs. These programs often negotiate discounts with primary care physicians and hospitals to keep costs down. The monthly fee is typically less than traditional health insurance. For people who dont qualify for ACA premium subsidies, these health-share arrangements generally carry less expensive premiums. The biggest drawback is no guarantee that medical care will be covered. Many cost-sharing programs are from faith-based organizations that exclude some services, such as birth control and substance abuse treatment. Some programs dont guarantee that youll be reimbursed at all for any bills (it might be voluntary), and many have very limited per-incident and lifetime caps. Health-sharing ministries are not regulated by the ACA, and they are not required to cover preexisting conditions, cap out-of-pocket costs, or cover essential health benefits. In fact, they have no legal obligation to cover health claims. If youre thinking about a medical cost-sharing program, be sure to read the fine print carefully. 3. Medical Services Discount Cards You may have seen medical discount programs that say you can pay cash for discounted physician and hospital services, prescriptions, or a combination of these. Providers say the discounts can be substantial, up to 80% or more. But beware. Many of the programs are barred from operating in some states, and providers are coming under increasing scrutiny from state insurance regulators as well as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). There are several potential drawbacks to these programs. Keep in mind that these are discounted fee-for-service programs, not health insurance plans. The most common problems with these cards are that consumers believe they are buying insurance or are told that the card will provide insurance, according to a report made to the Florida state insurance regulator. The use of words such as coverage and network of providers can be misleading. Discounts are smaller than promised, and there can be few or no available participating providers, depending on where the cardholder lives, the report found. One legitimate service is a prescription drug discount card, such as GoodRx and ScriptSave WellRx, which are generally free to join and use. AARP also offers such a service partnered with OptumRx. If your own plan does not cover a prescription until meeting a deductible, these cards can be an excellent way to save on prescriptions. 4. Catastrophic Policies Younger adults in generally good health who do not expect to incur much in the way of medical costs during the year might consider a low-premium, high-deductible policy that covers only unexpected major injury or illness. A catastrophic health insurance policy ensures coverage in the event of such unforeseen medical expenses while keeping insurance costs to a minimum. Catastrophic plans cover the essential benefits according to the ACA, but deductibles are quite high. They equal the top limit on out-of-pocket costs under the ACA: $8,550 for an individual in 2021 and $8,700 in 2022. Catastrophic plans can be used only by people under age 30. Those 30 and older may try to qualify based on a hardship exemption. Some examples of hardship include death of a family member or economic hardship. Aside from the main advantage of the low premium, the drawbacks are worth careful consideration. You wont qualify for premium subsidy assistance under the ACA, and these plans do not allow you to set aside money in a Health Savings Account (HSA) even though they have high deductibles. Healthcare Cost Saving FAQs What Is a Drawback of Joining a Primary Care Membership? The biggest limitation is that its not insurance or a replacement for it, Consumer Reports points out. Because just a narrow range of services are covered, youll still need to maintain regular health insurance for any specialized treatments or catastrophic care. This arrangement does not have the same consumer protections required by insurance regulators. What Should You Watch Out for in Health-Sharing Ministries? Many states do not consider healthcare sharing to be insurance, so consumers have little or no legal protection if a claim is not paid, coverage is denied, or the ministry goes bankrupt. What Is a Red Flag in Medical Discount Card Programs? Believing that discount membership programs are equivalent to health insurance can have several negative results, according to one report. People risk facing significant financial and medical consequences as a result of switching from existing health insurance to a discount medical card. What Is the Downside of Catastrophic Policies? Unless you are under age 30, you may find it difficult to qualify. Hardship exemptions include the following situations: eviction, homelessness, facing eviction or foreclosure, bankruptcy, domestic violence, damages to your home in a disaster, or a death in the family that causes you to care for a disabled or aging family member. The Bottom Line Healthcare is expensive, and costs are expected to keep climbing. Even if youre in perfect health today, you cant count on staying healthy or avoiding injuries. If a traditional health insurance policy seems out of reach, research and see what premium assistance you qualify for with an ACA plan. Always do your due diligence when it comes to alternatives. Low monthly fees can be tempting, but you also can find yourself on the hook for substantial bills when a provider that is not an insurer refuses to pay. Its essential to read the fine print, and check reviews online. Many state regulator websites have warnings about misleading language used by discount medical providers. Some providers offer a discount if you pay for services on the same day when you receive them, but you have to ask for it. Some health systems offer financial assistanceeither interest-free payment plans or discounts, typically based on your household income. If youre facing a large bill, always ask about discounts and financial aid. Top News - Investor Idea Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) Continues Acquisition Path With Purchase of ELMS Assets Including Factory in Mishawaka, IN., Enabling EV Production for Retail and Commercial Vehicle Lines BREA, Calif. - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces the US Bankruptcy Court approval on Oct. 13th, 2022 of its acquisition of electric vehicle company ELMS's (Electric Last Mile Solutions) assets in an all cash purchase. Top EV Stock News - Investor Idea EV Stocks Driving Higher: (NASDAQ: $MULN) (NASDAQ: $TSLA) (NYSE: $NIO) (NYSE: $F) Vancouver, Delta, BC - October 20, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Investorideas.com, a leading investor news resource covering EV and automotive stocks releases a special report featuring Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), covering the continued growth of the EV market as government policy and infrastructure plans sync up with consumer and investor interest in the EV space. Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea Breaking AI Stock News: FatBrain (OTCQB: LZGI) Acquires Confidential Computing Platform ZeroTrust to Protect Data Privacy and Accelerate Innovation for Millions of Growth Businesses NEW YORK, NY - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, has acquired the confidential computing and privacy intellectual property (IP) plus software assets of Zero2A PTE LTD ("ZeroTrust Platform"), a software company based in Singapore. Top AI Cybersecurity Stock News - Investor Idea AI Cybersecurity Stock GBT (OTCPK: $GTCH) is Researching the Development of a Machine Learning Driven, RF Cybersecurity System and Protocol San Diego, CA - October 13, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) is researching the development of a machine learning driven radio frequency (RF) cybersecurity system and protocol. Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas: Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by Investorideas.com Newswire: Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire Future iterations of the watchOS could incorporate more clock face options for the Apple Watch according to newly discovered Apple job listings. Apple appears to be recruiting a software engineer to work on the Apple Watchs dedicated clock face team according to the listing. The candidate will have to work with other teams and build not only new watch faces but also complications (data displays) that are configurable in some face designs. Those of you who didnt know, Apple added three new faces when it introduced the watchOS 2 last fall. These watch faces included Time-Lapse, Photo and Photo Album. These were shown when the Watch was first teased in 2014. Since fall of 2015, the only new face that has been made available is an option exclusive to buyers of Hermes models. As of right now, the Cupertino California company is rumored to be working on partnerships with fashion brands beyond Hermes which could be one reason for expanding the clock face team. Generally speaking though, Apple may want to introduce more faces as there dont appear to be any in watchOS 2.2, which might mean that people will have to wait until watchOS 3 to see new options. Apple is said to be possibly making announcements at a rumored March 15 press event, though the focus is rumored to be on physical customization options rather than major hardware or software updates. Well have to wait and see. [Via Apple Pancake Tuesday is over. It's time for 40 days of Lent but what's this Catholic tradition all about and is it still observed in modern Ireland? So youve celebrated Pancake Tuesday and indulged one last time before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. But what will the Irish be giving up for the next 40 days and is the Catholic tradition even still observed in modern Ireland? Lent is a time for fasting, abstinence from meat, and repentance, according to the church. As part of the Christian observance carried out before Easter, it is traditional to give up something youre fond of as penance. Lent in modern Ireland A sure sign of the times, the online Lent Tracker maps the most popular treats being avoided as chocolate, alcohol, Twitter, social networking, and sweets. That list alone shows how times have changed since, as children, our weekly treats of a few sweets on a Sunday would be stored up. Our only chance to break Lent was on St. Patricks Day when we would be allowed one treat. Nowadays, Lent should really be re-named as New Years Resolutions Take Two, when booze and sweets are skipped to curb our every expanding waistbands. What is Ash Wednesday? In western Christianity, Ash Wednesday marks the period when Jesus Christ spent 40 days fasting in the desert enduring the temptation of Satan. It derives its name from the practice of blessing ashes made from palm branches, from the previous Palm Sunday, and placing them on mass goers foreheads accompanied with the words Repent, and believe in the Gospel or Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Who's getting ashes in Ireland? While just 20 years ago it would have been quite usual to see people with their ashes on Ash Wednesday, these days not so. A recent study found that while less than a third of people in Ireland regularly attend mass, some 33 percent said that they pray daily. Meatless Fridays during Lent Another tradition of the Lenten period almost forgotten is abstaining from meat on Fridays. According to the Catholic Church's Canon Law, persons between the ages of 14 and 59 should not eat meat, on any Friday during the year, to honor the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday. Thats certainly one that weve forgotten. However, this ritual is one that some Catholics, nowadays, take up for Lent as a challenge. Read more Guinness-battered fish and chips recipe Charity and devotion during Lent Charity is also an excellent outcome of the Lenten period and anyone brought up in Ireland will recall the ever-present Trocaire box, usually issued by schools to collect small change. The admirable tradition still continues and this money goes directly to the overseas development agency, which aids some of the worlds poorest people. Hot-crossed buns Some of the older customs remain firm favorites. While the proper observance of fasting may have fallen away, hot cross buns are already lining shop shelves in Ireland. Fruity and slightly spiced these buns (with butter and jam) go down a treat with a cuppa but wouldnt you know it based on today's behavior that traditionally these should not be eaten until Good Friday (April 19, 2019). Whether youve forgotten the old traditions or youre sticking fast (excuse the pun) to Canon Law this Lent, whats definite is that no matter where you are in the world, if youre Irish, someone will ask you today. What are you giving up for Lent? You better have your answer ready. * Originally published in 2015, updated March 2022. Are you giving up anything this Lent? Do you still uphold the tradition? Let us know in the comments section. Aer Lingus Vacation Store is offering a once in a lifetime chance to see Ireland in the springtime with a special six night vacation package unlike any other starting in Dublin or Shannon this April. Looking for a value-priced vacation or heading back to the homeland for a quick visit? This is the perfect opportunity for you. The Aer Lingus Vacation Store trip cost is unbelievable for this time of year and extras such as automatic transmission as opposed to manual can be included. They also offer a significantly discounted collision damage waiver compared to purchasing on arrival. You can plan your own dream six-day itinerary or use our helpful hints below for the break of a lifetime. Dont delay, book online at www.aerlingusvacationstore.com or call Aer Lingus Vacation Store at 800-495-1632, Mon-Fri 9am-9pm EST, Sat 10am-6:30pm and be on your way Transportation includes: Round-trip economy class airfare to Dublin (DUB) or Shannon ( SNN ) Manual shift economy car rental with unlimited miles for duration Other Inclusions: All carrier and government taxes/fees/facility charges on airfare The following upgrades will be available during the booking process: Upgrade to automatic car: Includes upgrade to automatic shift economy car rental and unlimited mileage. Additional offers can be added during the booking process or where indicated must be booked by calling Aer Lingus Vacation Store at 800-495-1632. Package is per person based on 2 people traveling. Other packages available for larger numbers of travelers at higher prices. Helpful Travel Tips and Hints Day 1: Depart the United States and relax on an overnight flight to Dublin. Ireland is five hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and most flights from New York to Dublin are around 7-8 hours so youll want to sleep on your flight and arrive in Dublin ready to explore! Day 2: The highlight of this adventure is that you will have complete freedom over where you go throughout your 6 nights in Ireland. You will fly into Dublin Airport and collect your rental car and begin your journey. Dublin is a dynamic city with several different historically significant attractions, along with a vibrant nightlife you will want to experience. Spend a day or two here and be sure to visit St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trinity College (and the Book of Kells!) and the iconic Temple Bar. The Guinness Storehouse is a unique type of tour where you finish at the Sky Bar with a pint of the delicious beer! Days 3 and 4: Galway is one of the most interesting cities on the west coast that you will want to explore. You will want to spend at least two nights here if you are coming from Dublin since the drive will take about two hours. You will be able to visit the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, the Burren or you can check out Kylemore Abbey for a taste of history. The town of Connemara is a quaint town filled with shops and boutiques that you can find authentic Irish souvenirs for your family and friends back home! While in Galway you are also going to want to visit the stunning St. Nicholas Collegiate Church and the Galway Cathedral. Days 5 and 6: Along the Wild Atlantic Way you will find countless spots where you can stop and admire the scenic views of the west coast of Ireland. The Cliffs of Moher offer visitors the most spectacular views of the Aran Islands and Galway Bay. Limerick is home to the legendary Treaty Stone along with King John's Castle. Day 7: If you choose to drive further south you will arrive in the exciting city of Killarney. Explore the breathtaking Ring of Kerry or Dingle Peninsula for some of Irelands purest beauty. Kinsale is nearby and is a beautiful waterfront area, perfect for the summer months. You might want to head a bit east today so you are closer to Dublin airport for your flight home tomorrow. Day 8: Depart Ireland today! You will return your trusty rental car at the airport today. Happy flying! New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will, for the first time ever, march in this years New York City St. Patricks Day parade, the Irish Voice has learned. The mayor, who refused to take part in the parade in prior years due to the exclusion of gay Irish groups walking behind an identifying banner, will likely march up Fifth Avenue twice on March 17. He will join a group that has yet to be determined at the front of the march traditionally, the mayor has marched with the NYPD -- and return later in the day to support the Irish gay group Lavender and Green Alliance which will march in the parade for the first time at approximately 4 p.m. The New York City Council is also expected to have a large contingent marching behind its banner in 2016. For the past two years the council has declined to take part in the parade in an official capacity at the direction of City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito, also because Irish gay groups were barred from marching. The decision by the parade board of directors last September to lift the decades-old, highly controversial ban on a gay Irish marching group has been more than welcome, according to Brendan Fay, the co-founder of Lavender and Green Alliance which also hosts the annual St. Pats for All parade on the first Sunday of March in Sunnyside-Woodside. Lavender and Green sent invitations to de Blasio to take part in St. Pats for All on March 6, and to march with the group when it sets off up Fifth Avenue for the first time on March 17. Fay is expecting de Blasio, members of the City Council and other New York politicians to march in this years St. Pats for All parade as they always do. This year, St. Pats for All will feature two grand marshals, philanthropist Loretta Brennan Glucksman and novelist Colum McCann. We have had tremendous interest from everyone since it was announced last year that we would be marching on Fifth Avenue, Fay told the Irish Voice. He added that Lavender and Green have also extended an invitation to march on the 17th to former Mayor David Dinkins, an ardent supporter of lifting the ban on gay groups since he was in office in the 1990s. Read more: Dissenting voices still remain inside much changed NYC St. Patricks Day parade A spokesperson for de Blasios office would not comment on Tuesday afternoon, saying the mayors parade plans would be released closer to March 17. A parade spokesperson also said plans have not been finalized and declined comment, and Fay said he hasnt received word from the mayors office. In 2014, de Blasio became the first New York mayor since Dinkins in 1992 to boycott the parade. Dinkins had marched in the 1991 parade with members of the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization (ILGO) who were invited to walk behind the banner of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 7 and received a brutal reception from parade-goers, some of whom threw beer cans at Dinkins and the ILGO members. After that, Dinkins declined to march for the remaining two years of his term because ILGO was refused a place with its own banner. Republican mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg marched in subsequent years despite annual protests on the sidelines of Fifth Avenue by gay groups. Democrat de Blasio, however, touched off a renewed focus on the ban in 2014 when he declined to march and a number of parade sponsors subsequently withdrew financial support, including Guinness and Heineken. In 2015, parade organizers shelved the ban on gay groups when OUT@NBCUniversal, the LGBT support group of parade broadcast network NBC, was given a place in the line of march a move that was approved by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who agreed to serve as grand marshal for 2015. De Blasio, however, along with the City Council, remained steadfast in refusing to march until an Irish gay group was given the green light to walk up Fifth Avenue. That happened last September when the Lavender and Green Alliance headed by Fay and Kathleen Walsh DArcy was finally given permission to take part in the parade which since last June has been under the leadership of board chairman Dr. John Lahey. The former chairman of the boards St. Patricks Day Parade and Celebration Committee, John Dunleavy, was a strident opponent of gay marching groups, and in a Facebook post last April vowed that gay groups would have a hard time gaining entrance to this years line of march. Read more: Victory for NYC horse and carriage drivers as de Blasios latest deal falls apart 2016 was a big year for Ireland: it marked 100 years since the 1916 Easter Rising, which put into motion the events that would lead to the Republic of Irelands independence. The celebrations of the centenary were huge. A week of special commemorations in Dublin and in centers of the Irish diaspora around the world; a year full of events, productions, screenings, lectures and, to top it all off, a Liam Neeson narrated mini-series. READ MORE: 50 facts about the 1916 Easter Rising (PHOTOS) If in the midst of all the discussion about the Rising and 1916 you started to realize youre a bit rusty when it comes to Irish history, fear not. IrishCentrals own Kelly OConnell has designed this handy infographic that will set you straight on the leaders and landmarks of the Easter Rising, as well as those executed in its wake. Check out the infographic below, and scroll down for even more information. READ MORE: A guide to the historical facts and moments from the 1916 Easter Rising (PHOTOS) Padraig Pearse - The President of the Irish Republic, the existence of which he declared on the steps of the General Post Office (GPO) on Easter Monday 1916. Under his command, the occupying rebels held out for nearly a week before surrendering. He was executed on May 3, 1916, by firing squad at Kilmainham Gaol. James Connolly - Irish socialist labor leader, founder and commandant general of the Irish Citizen Army who was severely wounded in the leg in the GPO. His injuries were so severe that the British shot him in a chair at Kilmainham on May 12, 1916. Thomas Clarke - The cagey old Fenian and the real force behind the Easter Rising. His nurturing of such young rebels as Sean MacDiarmada, Joseph Mary Plunkett, and Pearse would change the course of Irish history. Naturalized in Brooklyn while in exile, he was the only American citizen to be executed by the British, as a result of the skirmish, on May 3, 1916. The Countess Markievicz Co-commander of St. Stephens Green in 1916 and the first woman to ever hold a cabinet ministry. Read more about Markievicz in Chapter 7, Ferocious Fenian Women. Eamon de Valera - The senior commandant of the Easter Rising who was not shot because of his natural born American citizenship. He would spend much of the next fifty years as either Taoiseach (prime minister) or President of the Republic of Ireland. He died in 1973 at the age of 92. Michael Collins - The legendary IRA leader and the father of the modern Irish state. During de Valeras absence in America during the War of Independence, he systematically created an intelligence network that targeted British agents and spies. On the morning of November 21, 1920, his personal assassination squad eliminated most of the British Secret Service in Dublin. Just over twelve months later he signed the Treaty that created what became today's Republic of Ireland. He died in an ambush in the Irish Civil War on August 22, 1922, at the age of 31. Sir Roger Casement - The last of the sixteen rebels executed for their participation in the Easter Rising. Casements job during the Rising was to land rifles in County Kerry, which turned into an outright disaster. Captured by the British he was brought to London to stand trial. During the trial, his notorious Black Diaries were leaked to suppress calls for his exoneration by such notables as George Bernard Shaw and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The diariesstill controversial to this dayallegedly revealed Casements homosexual romps on two continents. He was hanged by the British on August 3, 1916, in Pentonville Prison in London. W.B. Yeats wrote a poem about him with the haunting refrain: The ghost of Roger Casement/Is beating on the door. Kevin Barry - An 18-year-old medical student and IRA volunteer, he was captured in northside Dublin in an ambush that went awry in October 1920. Despite cries for mercy, he was hanged in Mountjoy Prison on November 1, 1920, All Saints Day. One of Irelands most popular rebel songs was written in his honor: Another martyr for old Ireland, Another murder for the crown, Whose brutal laws may kill the Irish, But can't keep their spirit down. Lads like Barry are no cowards. From the foe they will not fly. Lads like Barry will free Ireland, For her sake they'll live and die. The 1916 Executions The frenzy to execute the leaders of the Easter Rising began on May 3 and continued until May 12. I am going to ensure, said General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell, general officer commanding-in-chief of the British forces in Ireland, that there will be no treason whispered for 100 years. Ignorantly, he began the process that would drive Britain out of most of Ireland for the first time in 700 years. W.B. Yeats in his poem, Easter 1916 remembered the sacrifice of those who rose up and were executed for their efforts: I write it out in a verse MacDonagh and MacBride And Connolly and Pearse Now and in time to be, Wherever green is worn, Are changed, changed utterly: A terrible beauty is born. Besides the aforementioned Pearse, Clarke, Connolly and Casement, the honor roll of martyrs executed by the British in May 1916 includes: Thomas MacDonagh - Poet, author, school teacher, he was the commandant in charge of Jacobs biscuit factory. He was a close friend and associate of Padraig Pearse and taught at Pearses school, St. Endas in Rathfarnham. He was married to Muriel Gifford, Grace Giffords sister. Executed by firing squad, Kilmainham Gaol, May 3, 1916. Joseph Mary Plunkett - One of the most mysterious leaders, he served as the movements foreign minister, traveling to Germany trying to drum up support for the coming insurrection. At the time of the Rising, he was dying of tuberculosis of the neck glands. Michael Collins was his personal bodyguard and aide-de-camp. Hours before his execution he married his fiancee, Grace Gifford, in the Catholic chapel at Kilmainham. Immediately after the wedding he was taken out and shot on the morning of May 4, 1916. (See more on Grace Gifford Plunkett in Chapter 7, Ferocious Fenian Women.) Edward (Ned) Daly - Commandant of the Four Courts. A member of the fiercely Fenian Daly family of Limerick. Brother of Kathleen Clarke and brother-in-law of Tom Clarke. Executed at Kilmainham, May 4, 1916. Michael OHanrahan - Vice commandant to Thomas McDonagh at Jacobs. Executed at Kilmainham on May 4, 1916. William (Willie) Pearse - The younger brother of Padraig Pearse, which was the main reason he was executed. Although he held the rank of captain in the Irish Volunteers, he was not part of the senior leadership. He was a talented sculptor and his work can be viewed at the Pearse Museum in Rathfarnham, St. Andrews Church, Westland Row, and St. Stephens Green. Executed at Kilmainham on May 4, 1916 John (Sean) MacBride - Was on his way to his brothers wedding reception when he ran into the revolution and decided to take part, fighting at Jacobs. Husband of Maud Gonne and father of Sean MacBride, who would go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1974. His hatred of the British-led him to go as far as South Africa to fight against them in the Boer War. Although he was a romantic rival for Maud Gonne with William Butler Yeats, Yeats remembered him in Easter 1916 as A drunken, vainglorious loutYet I number him in the song. Eamonn Ceannt - Co-founder of the Irish Volunteers, he commanded the South Dublin Union during the Rising. Executed at Kilmainham on Mary 8, 1916. Con Colbert - Commanded the rebels at the Marrowbone Lane distillery, not far from the Guinness brewery. Executed at Kilmainham on May 8, 1916. Sean Heuston - A railroad worker, Heuston commanded the Mendicity Institute on the Liffey, holding off the British for several days. The nearby Heuston Railroad Station, where Sean worked, is named in his honor. Executed at Kilmainham on May 8, 1916. Michael Mallin - chief of staff of Connollys Irish Citizen Army, he commanded, along with the Countess Markievicz, St. Stephens Green and the College of Surgeons during the Rising. Executed at Kilmainham on May 8, 1916. Thomas Kent - he and Roger Casement were the only rebels not to be executed at Kilmainham. Kent was executed at Cork Detention Barracks on May 9, 1916. Sean MacDiarmada (John McDermott) - next to Tom Clarke, he may have been the most influential man behind the Rising. He was a master organizer and people were drawn to the movement because of his charismatic character. A former Belfast barman, he was stricken with polio in 1912. Executed at Kilmainham on May 12, 1916. Yeats remembered the executed rebels in his poem, Sixteen Dead Men: O but we talked at large before The sixteen men were shot, But who can talk of give and take, What should be and what not While those dead men are loitering there To stir the boiling pot? The Events: The War of Independence - the name given to the struggle for Irish independence during the years 1916-1921. GPO - The General Post Office, OConnell Street, Dublin, where the Easter Uprising began on Monday, April 24, 1916. It is the most important building in Irish history and is still functioning as an active post office. Kilmainham Gaol - This 18th-century prison fortress is located on the south side of Dublin. In the weeks following the Easter Rising fourteen leaders were executed here by firing squad. There is a riveting, albeit disturbing, tour of the prison and the breakers yard where the rebels were executed and should be on every tourists must-do list. News / National by Staff Reporter THE Zimbabwe Union of Journalists was last Friday humiliated when its application to be considered for special voting was dismissed by the Constitutional Court for lack of merit.In a brief comic hearing that left the court in stitches, Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku had to ask ZUJ lawyer Mr Rodgers Matsikidze whether there was still any need for a full judgment of the decision in light of the glaring reasons."Do you still need reasons for this ruling after the debate we have just heard with you?"Mr Matsikidze insisted that he still wanted the judgment and the court undertook to avail the judgment in due course.Journalists who had attended the case left the courtroom one-by-one when the matter began to crumble. Those who endured the seven-minutes in the gallery bowed their heads in embarrassment.It was the court's finding that ZUJ ought not to have filed the application considering that their argument was similar to that of some Zimbabweans in the Diaspora who recently lost an application for postal voting.ZUJ cited discrimination in Section 81 of the Electoral Act, which entitles civil servants only to special ballot.Chief Justice Chidyausiku said the same section, in the diaspora case, was declared to be constitutional and that ZUJ could have been guided by the decision of that case before seeking to strike it down in its own application.Justice Paddington Garwe brought lighter moments to the courtroom as he asked Mr Matsikidze to justify why journalists should be treated differently from other important workers who would be on duty on July 31."If journalists are allowed to vote by special ballot, what happens to doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, train drivers or even kombi drivers who will be on duty on July 31?"How different are journalists from kombi drivers in terms of their right to vote?" asked Justice Garwe.Mr Matsikidze insisted that the electoral law discriminated against journalists because they would be deployed throughout the country to cover elections on July 31 the same way as the security forces and the Zec officials operate.He argued that the journalists deserved the same special treatment because they were mandated to cover the election and would be out of their constituencies.However, a paid up ZUJ member Phyllis Kachere questioned the rationale behind the application when the special vote had already been conducted."This is just a ploy by the out-going leadership to hoodwink scribes ahead of the ZUJ elections. If they were sincere about this, they would have approached the court a long time ago," said Kachere.She added: "They would have also made representations during the Copac outreach so that it would have been provided for in the new constitution. Chickens are coming home to roost. Let's go to the ZUJ elections and they will see we cannot be duped."Another scribe who spoke on condition of anonymity said ZUJ did not consult its members before filing the application."We do not understand what they sought to achieve by making that unreasonable and pathetic application."We just read about the application in the papers when they should have approached us."They are now putting our profession into disrepute as if we are people who did not attain basic education," he said. By Fiachra O Cionnaith Political Reporter Labour leader Joan Burton has again urged voters to back the coalition in a bid to avoid a hung Dail which could cause a second election this year or a political crisis similar to Greece and Spain. The Tanaiste made said the situation "is not something I would recommend", after the first national opinion poll taken since the election campaign officially began reinforced concerns there will be no clear result from the February 26 vote. According to a poll this morning, Fine Gael are on 30%, Labour 8%, Fianna Fail 18% and Sinn Fein 17%, with Independents taking 15% of further votes. The current standing means no realistic combination of parties is close to forming a majority, other than a 'grand coalition' of Fine Gael/Fianna Fail. If this translates into an actual election result, it would cause a hung Dail and potentially see two elections this year. However, speaking at the launch of her party's childcare policy today, Ms Burton said the result is "not something I would recommend" as it could cause instability like that currently being experienced in Greece and Spain. The Tanaiste also said Irish people wanted to see a coalition government and that undecided voters were likely to only make up their mind in the final days of the campaign - an issue she said would benefit Labour. Ms Burton also said the imminent election is "about the next five years, not the last five years" - a point she referenced repeatedly on RTE's Today With Sean Rourke this morning. While the move may be an attempt to build on the first week's strategy of talking up the recovery, opponents are likely to claim it is also an attempt to move away from the highly controversial austerity measures imposed in the last five years. Meanwhile, Burton has laughed off claims her party is "hiding" Environment Minister Alan Kelly after a week littered with difficulties for the deputy Labour leader. Asked if she is keeping the Tipperary TD away from high-profile launches and if he is becoming the Donald Trump of the race, the Tanaiste said: "The person who would seek to hide Alan - that would be a challenging job." Ms Burton, who added her colleague would launch a housing plan in Limerick tomorrow and is currently "deep in debate with (Independent TD) Mattie McGrath" about constituency matters, earlier told RTE Radio "Alan is Alan, I'm Joan" when asked about their working relationship. Labour's childcare plan includes previously announced moves to extend parental leave to three months which can be split between both parents. It also involved moves to limit childcare costs to no more than 2 by 2021. Day eight of the General Election campaign sees party leaders continue to criss-cross the country. This morning the Social Democrats take to a whiskey museum in Dublin to launch their backing *Irish* business proposals. The Green Party will launch their transport policies in the Capital. Sinn Fein's focus is on workers rights, while Gerry Adams campaigns in Mayo and Roscommon. Fine Gael will focus on a plan for the elderly, as Enda Kenny campaigns in Sligo/Leitrim, Roscommon/Galway and Mayo. Labour's plans for affordable childcare will be released, and Joan Burton will address the farmers association executive council. Micheal Martin is also due to address that event while Fianna Fail party will talk crime and making communities safer. Meanwhile Parents are being encouraged to ask election candidates about their plans for childcare if in Government. Early Childhood Ireland's launching a campaign today aimed at lowering costs for families and paying professional wages to those who work in the sector. CEO Teresa Heeney outlines what they want parents to ask: So theres three simple asks: one that speaks to a childcare subsidy to support the parents of children under the age of three. Second is about enhancing the wages and salaries of the people working in this sector to ensure all of the children in services are experiencing a service that has been delivered by quality trained staff. and increasing the funding in preschool years. The Taoiseach has expressed his full confidence in the Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan. In the wake of the two gangland killings, Enda Kenny has said the Government has provided the resources and facilities she has requested over the past twelve months. Speaking on the campaign trail in Sligo the Fine Gael leader has also ruled out any emergency legislation to tackle gangland: Yes I do have full confidence in the Commissioner. I dont believe that particular special powers are required here. The Gardai, the special units and the emergency response unit have dealt with this in other locations in the country over a period of years and before in Dublin. So I expect that the high visibility, policing that will now follow through, I hope that would yield results. A business leader promoting Anglo-Irish trade has warned of an uncertain future if Britain votes to exit the EU. John McGrane, director general of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce, said while the Irish Government would do its best to establish close ties between the neighbours it would be constrained by the need for consensus with colleagues in Europe. It is not in the gift of the Republic of Ireland as a member of the EU to give that agreement. That can only be given by the EU as a whole so it probably would be authorised with conditions. It seems unlikely that the EU would enable a special deal for the Republic of Ireland with Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK that was at odds with the rest. He gave evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of MPs which is investigating the impact of a Brexit on Northern Ireland at Westminster. Mr McGrane said there were no facts to say that the Northern Ireland economy would benefit from being out of the EU. There is no doubt it will continue to do business and leverage its own competencies. Many of those are enhanced today by virtue of access, European Union membership. Trade in goods and services between Britain and Ireland was worth 65bn last year and 400,000 jobs relied on it. However proponents of an exit maintain that deals could still be struck in the event of an out vote. The Garda Commissioner has said they are considering terrorism as one of many lines of inquiry following two fatal shootings in Dublin. Noirin O'Sullivan has said the force is keeping an open mind - in the investigations into the murders of David Byrne and Eddie Hutch Senior over the last week. An armed Garda presence is expected to remain in place around the city in the coming days - while officers are renewing their appeals for information in relation to both killings. Commissioner O'Sullivan has said all options are being considered: I think that it is very important that we keep an open mind. But certainly we are looking at crime and terrorism, we can rule nothing out at this stage. We are keeping a very open mind, but what is very clear it the people that are involved in both of these crimes, they are criminals. Meanwhile residents living near the scene of Monday night's fatal gangland shooting have been calling for an armed garda response. There was a heavy garda presence in the city last night after two recent gangland killings. Investigations are continuing into the murders of Eddie Hutch Sr and David Byrne - no arrests have so far been made. A west of Ireland road safety campaign is asking to motorists to give up their bad habits for Lent. The Road Safety department in Mayo County Council has said giving up dangerous habits like speeding and tailgating could save lives. By Daniel McConnell, Irish Examiner Political Editor Lucinda Creighton's Renua Ireland has today published the most negative advert of the General Election campaign so far, which focuses on Fine Gael's links with Independent TD Michael Lowry. The hard-hitting video seeks to highlight Taoiseach Enda Kenny's repeated refusal to rule out doing a post-election deal with Mr Lowry until the party slumped in an opinion poll. The two-minute video was produced by the party and marks a departure in tone in the campaign so far. Released on the Vimeo platform, the online ad highlights the findings of the Moriarty Tribunal that Mr Lowrys actions as Minister for Communications at the time of the granting of the second mobile phone licence were insidious and disgraceful. The ad also contains a graphical representation of Mr Kennys recent interview with RTEs This Week. The Renua ad highlights he refused to rule out Michael Lowry in Government eight times during the course of the interview. Controversially, the ad also includes a reference to what Renua claims is the ongoing relationship and contacts between Mr Kenny and businessman and media owner Denis OBrien. The title of the video is Lucinda or Lowry? Renua has said it is willing to join a coalition. Fine Gael sources have made it very clear that they would not like to go into power with Ms Creighton as she and Mr Kenny have endured a rocky relationship and she has been a thorn in his side since he forced her resignation as a Fine Gael minister in 2013 for opposing the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill. News / National by Staff Reporter ZANU-PF secretary for legal affairs Emmerson Mnangagwa has urged Zimbabweans to jealously guard their national heritage in the face of moves by ex-Rhodesians to subvert the country by proxy.Mnangagwa, who is the senior Zanu-PF cadre in the Midlands Province said this as he addressed 10 000 revolutionary party supporters at a rally to drum up support for Zanu-PF National Assembly candidate Justice Mayor Wadyajena at Mutora business centre in Gokwe Nembudziya on Saturday."Now that it has dawned on us that the likes of Morgan Tsvangirai have got a penchant for ex-Rhodesians, patriotic citizens must join the war which is currently obtaining to safeguard our heritage, "he said."We must enjoy the comfort zone of the fruits of our heritage".Mnangagwa said the first step towards political emancipation when the country attained independence was to expropriate land from the few minority whites who owned vast tracts of land for redistribution to the landless black majority.He said this did not augur well with the Britons who then set on a mission to reverse the monumental black gains by looking for puppets among black Zimbabweans to Zanu-PF. "That is how the MDC was formed by various groups like the Westminster foundation and others," he said.Mnangagwa said the Britons had continued their onslaught on national sovereignty."It was their aspersion that Wednesday's election was going to be riddled with violence, so as to discredit it and find reason for their continued meddling on the country's internal political processes. They (The Britons) have been shamed, hence I urge you to maintain the peace which has been the hallmark of Zanu-PF rule,'' he said to wild applause.Mnangagwa urged Zimbabweans to continue defending the revolution."At this stage of the revolution, we will continue to defend our land through peaceful means," he said."That can only be achieved by voting overwhelmingly for Zanu-PF".Turning to a number of youths in the province who have been nominated to stand on the party's tickets in various elections, he said they were the future leaders of the revolutionary party, and should embolden their stance to ensure that the legacy of the liberation struggle is preserved.Addressing the same gathering, aspiring Gokwe/Nembudziya Zanu-PF National Assembly candidate Justice Mayor Wadyajena said they had shut out the MDCs from the province as they were clueless on dealing with developmental matters."We have already rolled out a contingent plan to develop this region and several developmental projects are already running," he said.Mnangagwa later toured Nyatso secondary school two of whose state of the art learning blocks and toilets were constructed by Mayor Wadyajena. Revenue has seized two million cigarettes, worth around 1.1m, at Dublin Port. The smuggled cigarettes, branded 'JIM', arrived into Dublin Port from Vietnam via Rotterdam and were described on the manifest as wood pellets. Follow-up searches were also carried out by Revenue officers at a business premises in Cork. The cigarettes represent a loss to the Exchequer of 900,000. Four Burma military personnel were killed when an air force utility aircraft crashed after taking off from the airport in Naypyitaw, officials said. An information ministry statement identified the aircraft, which crashed in a rice field about a mile from the airport, as a Beech 1900, a 19-passenger twin-engine turboprop no longer in production. Photos of the crashed plane showed that most of its fuselage had burned up. A judge has given doctors permission to perform a caesarean section on a 21-year-old expectant mother detained under the terms of mental health legislation. The woman, who was suffering from a drug-related psychosis, wanted to have her baby as naturally as possible and had complained of some obstetricians being cut happy, Mr Justice Hayden was told. In a report on Brexit, the bank said that the looming referendum had largely contributed to the unexpected weakness of sterling in the early part of this year that had sent the currency from around 70p to 77p. Last year, Irish exporters had benefited from an exceptional constellation of factors, including the strength of sterling and the strong recovery in Britain which had expanded the market for Irish goods and services. Tourism, agri-food, and manufacturing were lifted by sterlings rise to an eight-year high against the euro, bolstering the attractiveness of Irish goods and services for UK buyers, Investec said. The export components of last weeks Investec Services and Manufacturing purchasing managers index releases suggest that this momentum continued into the new year. However, the Brexit vote could have deep implications for sterling and the UK economy, which could affect Irish exporters. More recently, however, cheerfulness has given way to caginess as a sterling sell-off has reversed some of the above advantageous moves, said Investec. A run of weak UK economic data and confirmation of a deferral of Bank of England monetary policy normalisation contributed to the swing. Yet the main driver behind the recent sterling weakness has been a growing appreciation of the risk of Brexit the possibility that the UK might vote to divorce itself from the rest of the EU. "This would have profound implications for sterling and the wider British economy, producing serious challenges for other EU member states including Ireland, In its Irish Export Monitor, Investec assesses that British prime minister David Cameron will not call a referendum unless he is confident that British voters will decide to stay in the EU. However, any delay in calling a referendum will likely extend uncertainty and weigh on sterling as a result. The bank said there are few events in the past to draw on to determine how sterling will trade amid the uncertainty over the vote. If polls suggest that British voters are cold on Europe, he will push the referendum to the autumn. "This will extend the uncertainty, which will be unhelpful for many Irish businesses, said the bank. In its 2016 outlook, the surveyors predict rents for prime office and stores in Dublin will climb 11.7% this year, while the value of office development land after soaring 27% last year is expected to rise this year by 16%. Value of residential development land, meanwhile, soared 20% last year and will rise 12% this year. Among a number of reasons the lack of available finance for developers is contributing to shortages, SCSI said. While some respondents are anticipating an increase in supply in 2017, no new office space has been delivered to the Dublin market for the last five years and as a result demand continues to surpass supply, said Brian Meldon, chair of the commercial group at SCSI. There are ongoing concerns about Dublins ability to continue to attract service sector foreign-direct investment in the absence of appropriate office space. Supply and demand will likely in time come into balance in the office market, but nobody is too sure that this will happen in the residential market. Concerns about the lack of housing for employees should weigh heavily on the minds of Irelands political parties, Mr Meldon said. The review found that: Prime office rents which had already reached 561 per square metre in Dublin would rise by 11.7% in 2016; Prime office rents in Munster will rise almost 6% this year; n Excluding Dublin, prime office rents in Leinster will rise by over 6%; Prime office rents in Ulster-Connacht will rise 5.2%. In retail, the chartered surveyors said rents on Dublins Grafton St soared almost 18% last year. Dublin zone A rents rose 16.8% to 5,247 a meter in the capital and will increase a further 11.5% this year. In Munster, retail rents will increase 8%, by 7.2% in Leinster, and by 4.5% in Connacht-Ulster. Prices for residential development land climbed 19.7% in Dublin last year. Prices also rose sharply in Munster and in Leinster, by over 15% and 10%. The IDA said the capital has done well from foreign- direct investments and more office supply was coming on stream. Any tightness of supply is very much a reflection of the success Dublin has had and much of the discussion around this issue concerns supply in one particular part of the city, said an IDA spokesperson. A slow response from government agencies to the lifting of economic sanctions last month has allowed others to steal a march on tapping into the 360bn economy, Irish Exporters Association chief executive, Simon McKeever, claimed. What are we doing about Iran? he said. Were the only EU country that doesnt have a [trade] mission [to Iran]. "We see opportunities for Irish companies out there in the food and drink sector and dairy sector, engineering, ICT. "We see it in automotive and in the aircraft leasing sector. There are huge opportunities out there; 80m people in the country in the centre of an economic region of about 300m. So we do think the Irish embassy in Iran should be reopened. Speaking on the eve of the associations Export Leadership Forum which runs today and tomorrow in Croke Park, Mr McKeever pointed to the deals struck by Italian and French representatives with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani during his visit to the countries at the end of last month. Italian firms alone signed deals worth $18bn (15.9bn), while French companies were also quick to put pen to paper on further agreements when Mr Rouhani arrived. A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said: There has always been interest in the opportunities presented by the removal of sanctions on Iran, and the Irish Government will do what it can to assist those who wish to explore this opportunity. "It is important to note however that the main Irish sectors for exports to Iran food and medical supplies were never subject to sanctions. State agencies Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland are aware of the market and have already made visits to Iran. "Ambassador Brendan Ward in Ankara, who is accredited to Iran, has also made a number of visits there, combining both political and commercial contacts. Mr McKeever said increasing resources to Enterprise Ireland, IDA, and Bord Bia could help open up access in emerging markets in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. PTFPlusOne Ltd, which was incorporated in the UK in November 2013, has contacted the refinerys current owners Phillips 66 (P66) with a proposal to buy the refinery and its marketing business. The company has made a commitment to retain the refinerys entire workforce, both full-time employees and contractors, which totals approximately 155 staff. PTFs business model for Whitegate focuses on maintaining the refinerys current processes and partially reconfiguring it over time into a green refinery. The company proposes to enhance the existing plant with the gradual introduction of PTFs proprietary technology. PTF is understood to view the refinerys comparatively low level of complexity as an advantage and is confident of achieving significant synergies that will help the profitability of the facility. It also proposes to expand the refinerys facilities over time, which it claims could create extra full-time roles. Phillips 66, through an investment bank working on its behalf, is understood to have invited PTF to participate in a due diligence phase. A spokesperson for P66 yesterday said the marketing process of the refinery is ongoing and that a determination whether or not to go forward with a sale of the business will be made some time in 2016. PTFs interest is the first in the refinery since it was put back on the market in November last year by P66 who failed to attract interest in the facility during an earlier sales process that it abandoned in early 2014. Whitegates future and that of its workforce has been shrouded in uncertainty ever since as an obligation on P66 to operate the refinery until July 2016 draws closer. PTF, which has its head office in London, has contacted Finance Minister Michael Noonan with details of its proposal. A department spokesperson confirmed that representations had been received but Mr Noonan had not met with the company and that it will be a matter for the incoming minister after the general election at the end of the month. The Department of Energy, Communications, and Natural Resources said it had not been contacted directly but described interest in the asset as positive. It is the Governments stated position that the refinery contributes to security of supply, employment and the local economy and the continued operation of the refinery on a commercial basis is highly desirable, a department spokesperson said. While it is positive to hear about the interest in the asset, the sale process is a private commercial matter between the owner and interested parties. Late last week, and as far back as December, Verizon has said yes when asked whether it was interested in purchasing some or all of the struggling company. The largest phone carrier in the US has not hired bankers to conduct an offer and there have been no formal talks, according to the person, who asked not to be identified because Verizons plans have not been made public. Google, Apple, and Microsoft collectively worth more than Russias GDP, have all entered German Klimenkos crosshairs since he was named Mr Putins first internet adviser six weeks ago. In a 90-minute interview peppered with expletives, Mr Klimenko said forcing Google and Apple to pay more taxes and banning Microsoft Windows from government computers is necessary. We are breeding the cow and they are milking it, Mr Klimenko said at the Moscow headquarters of his internet group, which includes blog-hosting and statistics services. Mr Klimenko, 49, is pushing to raise taxes on US companies to help level the playing field for Russian competitors such as Yandex and Mail.ru. His efforts mirror those of governments across Europe and beyond to squeeze more revenue out of Google, Apple, and other multinationals with increasingly complex billing and ownership structures. He already has an ally in parliament: Andrey Lugovoi, one of two former KGB officers accused by a UK judge of assassinating former agent Alexander Litvinenko, a vocal Putin critic, in London in 2006. Mr Lugovoi, who became a lawmaker after Litvinenkos poisoning and denies wrongdoing, is sponsoring a bill that would apply an 18% value-added tax to as much as 300bn rubles (3.4bn) of revenue that the likes of Google and Apple earn each year. The bill lists a dozen categories of digital products and services on which domestic companies pay Vat but foreigners, for the most part, dont, including games, movies, marketplace transactions, and cloud computing. When you buy an app from Google Play or the App Store anywhere in Europe, Vat is charged at the place of payment, but not here in our banana republic, said Mr Klimenko. The proposed amendment to the tax code is one of scores being debated by lawmakers seeking new sources of revenue to plug the biggest fiscal deficit in six years. Plunging oil prices and sanctions over Ukraine have helped prolong the worst recession since Mr Putin came to power in 2000. But the Kremlins issues with Silicon Valley go deeper than finances. In a country where the president has called the internet a CIA project, suspicion runs deep that US companies do the bidding of their government as much as their shareholders. Google, for example, which can track everything, responds to 32,000 requests a year from US law-enforcement agencies but will not answer one from Russia, says Mr Klimenko. We have to consider this as a kind of potential threat to our national security, he said. News / National by Staff reporter Parliament has been urged to look into the fitness of President Robert Mugabe to determine whether he should continue in office.Chitungwiza North MP Godfrey Sithole (MDC-T) raised the issue in the National Assembly while contributing to debate on the Presidential speech yesterday.Sithole said Mugabe should not have returned to work in January, adding he should have stayed on "holiday forever".He said Mugabe and Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko had "upside down and vulgar priorities" where they preferred to enjoy luxuries while people suffered.Sithole said they should take a leaf from Tanzanian President John Magufuli who has cut luxurious spending by government officials in order to solve people's problems. US-based tech company Arrow wanted to come up with a slick advert to grab the publics attention, so they turned to Lego robotics expert Arthur Sacek. Arthur, who picked up a love of Lego in high school, loves to show off his elaborate creations on his YouTube channel. Traders in Paris have reported a sustained weakening in demand for European grain. Egypt failed to to buy French grain at two tenders last week. The 10-day run of falling grain prices is the longest decline seen for French grain in five years. The traders say theyre worried that the EU will struggle to offload its big harvest, with exports from the bloc already lagging 15% behind last season. French wheat for loading at the port of Rouen was offered for sale at a discount of 3 a metric tonne to futures prices, said Pierre Tronc, a broker at French investment company Aurel BGC. Theres really a kind of panic selling, Mr Tronc told Bloomberg press agency. Farmers and co-operative are selling. Why are they selling? They are afraid prices will go down further, so they want to make some margin. Milling wheat for March delivery fell 0.7% to 152.25, the lowest for a most-active contract since July 2010, on the Euronext in Paris. The losing streak for French grain prices is the longest since 2011. The standoff in Egypt began after authorities rejected a French cargo, saying levels of the toxic ergot fungus in the wheat were too high. Then last month, the French agriculture ministry said it would have zero tolerance for ergot in future, sending shockwaves through world markets as exporters complained it was impractical to stop the naturally occurring fungus entirely. Egypt cancelled two tenders last week, one after sellers refused to offer grain and the second because prices were too high. Algeria, Africas second-largest wheat buyer, bought the grain at a very low price last week, Tronc said. The nation probably paid 158 to 160 a tonne, including the cost of freight in a tender that closed on February 3, a figure below the cost futures that day. Aurel BGC said it still has a lot of grain remaining to be sold. Meanwhile, Australia yesterday increased its wheat crop estimate to 24.2m metric tonnes for 2015-16, up marginally from the 24m tonnes forecast in December and 23.1m tonnes a year earlier, the most recent data from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences showed yesterday. With Australian tillage farmers now having fully completed their harvest, most commodities showed increased output figures. However, nationwide canola production reached 2.95m tonnes, compared with the 3m tonnes predicted in December. Barley output may total 8.5m tonnes, up from 8.2m tonnes previously forecast. Most barley failed to meet malting grade as unfavourable conditions affected grain quality, the Australian agriculture bureau reported. However, cotton production may total 546,000 tonnes in 2015-16, compared with a prior estimate of 560,000 tonnes. Rice production is forecast at 305,000 tonnes, unchanged from the December prediction and 58% less than a year earlier, due to reduced availability of irrigation water. The 28-year-old man, who can not be named to protect his victims identity, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to sexual assault of the child on a date between 2007 and 2010. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy noted that the man was an alcoholic and had a dysfunctional background, but said the lateness of his guilty plea afforded him only modest credit. Garda Kevin OHora told Garnet Orange, prosecuting, that the victim and the accused both came from an extremely dysfunctional background and the accused would occasionally babysit the victim while the childs mother was out drinking. The child was later removed to the care of a relative due to neglect. The relative became concerned about the child following a conversation they had and she contacted gardai. The child was interviewed by specialist gardai and disclosed an incident in which she said her cousin had stuck his private into me. She said it happened when she was four or five years old. The accused man has a number of previous convictions and is an alcoholic and drug abuser. The childs relative prepared a victim impact statement on her behalf. She said the accused man had taken the childs innocence and the girl was worried about things no one her age should be. She said she suffered terrible nightmares and was worried people would not believe her. She said the girl was cautious about new people, struggled in new surroundings, and her relationships with men had been impacted by bad memories coming back. She said the girl had gone through torture and she was worried she would continue to bottle up her problems. Tara Burns, defending, said she had been instructed by her client to apologise to the victim. She said he came from a broken family and had a difficult upbringing. He has never worked in his life and has a severe drinking problem. Ms Burns said this was a terrible offence but he was a person capable of compassion and had opted to face up to his actions. She said the man had great difficulties of his own and asked the court for some light at the end of the tunnel. Speaking after a meeting with Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan and her senior officers, Ms Fitzgerald said they would stand down this threat. She announced an extra 5m, which, she claimed, would provide saturation policing in the city. The minister said the funding would also allow for 24-hour armed patrols, which will be the forerunner to a dedicated Regional Support Unit for the city. This unit, which had already been decided upon, would have a staff of 55 once fully up and running. Addressing the media on the back of Monday nights murder of Eddie Hutch in suspected revenge for the shooting dead last Friday of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in Dublin, Ms Fitzgerald said the killings showed a wanton disregard for human life. On the military assault at the hotel, in which three men wore elite Garda-type uniforms and each brandished AK-47s, she said: This is unprecedented in terms of effrontery, for a criminal gang to go into a hotel, with families, with the kind of armoury that they had and the way they were dressed. Report: Dissidents claim responsibility for Regency Hotel shooting https://t.co/0jjeu3sTYk pic.twitter.com/3I4bTTkwbu Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) February 8, 2016 She said the city was now in the grip of a gang feud: We have a cycle of revenge and retaliation. The gardai, with their intelligence and security units, will do everything to prevent a further loss of life, to interrupt this cycle. We will stand down this threat from these gangs and the gardai will have every resource that they need in order to have the kind of saturation policing that we need to see ... on our road networks and in our communities. She accepted once feuds like this start it is very hard to put a lid on them. These gangs are relentless, as weve seen in various criminal feuds in the past, but lets not make the assumption that theyre unstoppable, lets just say theyre relentless. These people are not above the law. Eddie Hutch senior shot in suspected Dublin gangland killing https://t.co/TMaCkIW4y8 pic.twitter.com/3suMxSJpK8 Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) February 8, 2016 She cited the success of gardai in Limerick in 2009 and the saturation policing there, with 24 of the 25 gangland murders being solved. Asked how that kind of policing can be provided, with just 12,800 gardai, as opposed to almost 14,500 in 2009, she replied: The Garda commissioner has assured me that given the support of government that kind of patrolling necessary, and the armed unit can be put in place, actually is being right now. The minister accepted that you cannot have the kinds of staffing cuts as happened since 2010 after the economic crash without consequences for the force. She said gardai put their lives at risk in confronting these gangs and said gangland murders had dropped from a height of 22 in 2010 to three last year. She said reports from the Regency Hotel manager that three 999 calls went unanswered would be investigated. However, she said the first garda car was dispatched to the hotel within minute and all units within five minutes. News / National by Thobekile Zhou The total sum of money which we are looking at which was misappropriated during the last five years was $120 million. That is equivalent to five years of the budget of Parliament. The salary drawn by the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Dube in his last year of service before he was dismissed from the position would have paid the salaries of every single Member of Parliament of this House. Every single Member of Parliament could have been paid just from the salary of one individual. In fact, six executives over a period of five years drew a total of salaries and allowances worth $64 million. The official salaries over the same period of time were $2, 9 million, which means they drew unlawfully $61 million from the resources of the society equivalent to 95% of the amount which was paid to them as individuals. Allowances worth $24 million over five years were paid to 16 staff including a secretary and driver to Mr. Dube. These allowances covered the following elements; educational, board, special, housing, DStv, fuel, groceries and acting allowances, and quarterly benefits. Only 17% of these allowances were taxed. The balance was not taxed and society incurred another $9, 5 million in taxes on these allowances. That means over a five year period, those 16 individuals benefitted to the extent of $34 million. Madam Speaker, the budget for this House this year is $20 million and here are allowances for these ridiculous issues being paid to these individuals. In addition, the holiday allowances paid to Mr. Dube and his family totaled $6 000 per day or $539 000 in three years. In addition, he drew cash loans worth $350 000. He drew travel and subsistence allowances worth $3, 2 million. None of these payments passed through the payroll. In other words, they were not taxed. BULAWAYO South MP Eddie Cross (MDC-T) has said salary drawn by Cuthbert Dube in his last year at the troubled Premier Medical Aid Society was more than enough to pay salaries of every single Member of Parliament.Cross told Parliement on Tuesday that Dube got travel allowance for his private trip to Nigeria to see the Prophet T.B. Joshua.He said payments were also made for relatives, including his son-in-law and his daughter to go on holiday.Below is part of his submission to parliament : The Irish Examiner understands that members of four linked gangs, along with their associates, have been targeted for the high-level Garda attention. Under the plan, drawn up by Garda HQ, officers have identified houses in the Crumlin, Drimnagh and south inner city areas of south Dublin. According to sources, the strategy includes in-your- face policing, such as use of stop-and-search powers and the setting up of checkpoints outside their homes. It is further understood that Garda security intelligence rates the threat of further feud violence as moderate. The four gangs are part of the Kinahan crime syndicate that was targeted in last Fridays military-style assault at the Regency Hotel in north Dublin, in which Crumlin criminal David Byrne, 33, was shot dead. The gangs include one central network in Crumlin, and up to 30 of its associates, along with a four-member grouping, also in Crumlin, and a four-member gang in nearby Drimnagh. The fourth grouping are other associates, thought to include members of the Kinahan family here. Report: Dissidents claim responsibility for Regency Hotel shooting https://t.co/0jjeu3sTYk pic.twitter.com/3I4bTTkwbu Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) February 8, 2016 The developments come as Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan yesterday said the killers behind two gangland murders in four days will be brought to justice adding that the force has combated and faced down such threats before. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald echoed her comments and said the State will stand down this threat but did warn that the city had entered a cycle of revenge and retaliation. As Ms Fitzgerald announced a 5m overtime budget to allow for 24-hour checkpoints and armed patrols, the Government was accused of doing a U-turn on the issue of Garda resources in the space of a day. On Monday, Ms Fitzgerald had said gardai had sufficient resources to tackle organised crime. Commissioner OSullivan said gardai were making significant progress in the investigation into the attack on the Regency Hotel last Friday. While she did not expand, it is understood detectives have made progress in identifying the young gunman who was disguised as a woman. Gardai believe the murder of Byrne led to a revenge attack on Eddie Hutch on Monday night. The 58-year-old taxi-driver a brother of crime boss Gerry The Monk Hutch and uncle of murdered Gary Hutch was shot a number of times by two gunmen, who burst into his home in the north inner city. The two gunmen were part of a four-man gang which managed to evade significant Garda checkpoints and armed patrols in the area. This gang failed to burn out its getaway vehicle, which was found in nearby Drumcondra, and gardai are hopeful this may provide forensic and DNA clues. Faced with questions as to why there were no gardai at the Regency Hotel, the commissioner repeated there was no specific intelligence of a threat. Eddie Hutch senior shot in suspected Dublin gangland killing https://t.co/TMaCkIW4y8 pic.twitter.com/3suMxSJpK8 Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) February 8, 2016 Assistant Commissioner for Dublin Jack Nolan said they had had no specific intelligence that Mr Hutch was at risk. He said a very detailed operational plan would be in place for the funerals. He appealed for the publics assistance on three vehicles linked to Mr Hutchs shooting: a silver BMW 06 G8965 used in the getaway and abandoned at St Patricks Parade; a dark Izuzu or Toyota Landcruiser that the gang subsequently got into and a black Peugeot seen at the scene of the shooting on Poplar Row. Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that he had advised Ms Fitzgerald to assure the commissioner the resources that are necessary for emergency response units and the facilities to do their job will be supplied. Ms Fitzgerald said that a dedicated Regional Support Unit would be set up for Dublin, with 55 staff. News: 6 Judge Patrick McCartan made the order at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following the sentence hearing of a man who robbed the women while pretending to be a client. The judge also praised the courage of the women in trying to stop the accused after the robbery. Mantas Grazevicius, aged 32, with an address in Manchester but from Lithuania, pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment and robbery of the two women at the Clyde Court Hotel, Lansdowne Rd, Dublin, on July 17, 2013. He was convicted on all counts last month. The HEA made the claim following the publication of an independent report into allegations made by three of ULs staff members. The whistleblowers, known only as Persons A, B, and C, had made allegations of irregular financial practices within the university, including irregular expense claims by staff. Person A is identified as a former staff member, while B and C are currently employed at UL but are suspended. The report, published following a review by independent auditors Mazars, found inappropriate expenses claims were made, but these were correctly challenged by staff, addressed by the university, and no inappropriate payments were made. In publishing the report, the HEA yesterday outlined a number of concerns it had arising from the report. It called for an investigation to determine whether financial issues identified are indicative of wider practices within the institution when any such issues are raised. The HEA have a concern that there may have been, or may still be, a culture in the university of inappropriate claims being made, until challenged, it stated. UL rejected this in its own statement, in which it said it would seek clarification from the HEA on certain aspects of its response. In particular the HEAs suggestion that there was or may still be a culture of staff making inappropriate expense claims is not justified, is not supported by the report, and is offensive to past and present staff of the university, the statement read. UL welcomed the Mazars report, which it said is consistent with the universitys position that no financial mismanagement or financial wrongdoing took place. The whistleblowers claims first came to light in the Limerick Leader last September. UL has issued High Court proceedings against the newspaper and its editor, Alan English, when it failed to retract allegations made in its report and issue an apology. The university described the claims made by the newspaper as false and seriously damaging to the reputation of the University of Limerick and to members of its staff. Mr English yesterday said the HEA report vindicated the Limerick Leaders decision to highlight the claims and described the UL response welcoming the report as highly selective. We regret that unlike the HEA response the UL statement fails to acknowledge the notable contribution and public service performed by these women, who have described their experiences as enormously stressful and painful over a sustained period, said Mr English. Their view has always been that in seeking to highlight problems, they became the problem rather than part of the solution. ITS the subject of a pregnancy best seller, a $40 million (37m) movie and the advice is endless online. What to Expect When Youre Expecting has been thrashed out across so many forums that women are in danger of suffering from information overload. But this is hardly the case for women who find themselves at sixes and sevens sexually after childbirth, in a country where discussing female problems is as taboo as eating horse meat. There is no bible to tell you What to Expect When Youre Done with the Expecting. There is no movie to guide you, post-childbirth, on what can happen or not between the sheets. Instead, we have magazines littered with tales of celebrity mums whose physical perfections are undiminished by a 10lb delivery and who leave us with the impression that they are back in the sack as soon as they leave the hospital. For those of us living in the real world, however, reassurance is on the way. It comes in the form of the early results of a groundbreaking Irish study, which gives a clear insight into the sexual problems that can affect large numbers of women in the weeks and months after giving birth. The Maternal Health and Maternal Morbidity in Ireland longitudinal study, with the appropriate acronym MAMMI, is being conducted by Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and is the first in Ireland to examine the health and wellbeing of first-time mothers in the year after giving birth. Deirdre OMalley, a Health Research Board (HRB) research fellow in Trinity, who is responsible for the sexual health aspect of the study, believes many of its findings will give comfort to women concerned about issues such as lack of libido, vaginal dryness and painful sex. My main priority is to get the information [from the study] out there so women can recognise what changes are normal after childbirth, and what changes are not, and to know when to get help if a problem persists, OMalley says. So what is normal? The Mammi stats indicate that vaginal dryness was a factor for a third of the women surveyed, even before pregnancy, a figure that increased to 43% of women three months after giving birth. However, at 12 months post-partum, the percentage affected had dropped back to 35%. These findings suggest vaginal dryness is relatively common, both before and after birth. Mammi also found the percentage of women affected by painful penetration practically doubled three months after giving birth, jumping from 23% pre-pregnancy to 44%. Reassuringly, this dropped back to less than one in five one year after the birth. As OMalley points out, a lot of problems tend to self-resolve. Its only when they dont that women need to seek help, she says. The study asked women about sexual activity levels and found significant changes occurred between the pre-pregnancy period and the 12 months after baby was born. For example, pre-pregnancy, 54% said they had sex one to two times per week but this dropped to 41% 12 months after giving birth. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, the number of women who reported having sex one to two times a month, increased from 14% pre-pregnancy to 51% a year after giving birth. MAMMI, which recruited almost 1,500 women across three maternity sites the Rotunda, Coombe and the University Hospital Galway also asked women about satisfaction with their sex life. Half were very satisfied pre-pregnancy, but this dropped to one in four 12 months after baby was born. The numbers moderately satisfied increased from 35% pre-pregnancy to 43% a year after giving birth. So what does all this mean? As OMalley, who is also a midwife, points out, while women do experience changes in their sex life after having a baby, they may worry unnecessarily that they are the odd one out. They may be asking themselves Am I the only one not having sex? Is there something wrong with me? but if they look at the Mammi stats, they may see that they are actually in the majority, she says. The truth is everyone changes physically, and, often emotionally, as various factors kick in. If you think about it, theres this whole emotional upheaval, particularly for a first-time mum. Then theres the sleep deprivation and the sense that you can only look after baby, and you have this whole new kind of love. And there is often a more negative perception of body image both how women perceive their own body and how they think their partner perceives it. It can all be so overwhelming, OMalley says. The pressure on women to resume having sex can also be overwhelming. The medical advice is to abstain for six weeks after giving birth, primarily to avoid the risk of infection. This applies to both vaginal delivery and C-section mums. But as OMalley points out, for many women, this deadline is unrealistic and international research would appear to back that up. In a study that tracked 1,507 Australian first-time mothers, 45% who had a C-section had sex after six weeks. But only 32% who had an episiotomy and 35% who sustained a tear had sex six weeks post delivery. In the real world, not very many women have resumed having sex after six weeks. Yet you have women believing there must be something wrong if they havent. Thats where our survey can provide reassurance. More than a quarter of women (26%) did not resume sexual activity until three to four months after birth. Mary, who agreed to be interviewed on condition her real identity would not be revealed, is a case in point. She and partner Sean attempted sex about two weeks after being discharged from hospital, but she felt so bruised and sore, she had to call a halt. Sean didnt say much but I know it was difficult for him. All my attention was on the baby how he was sleeping, feeding, if he was too warm or too cold and so on. We made a couple more attempts to have sex in the following weeks but each time I hit a wall of pain. It took about three months before I could have pain-free sex a huge relief for both of us. It had been a tense time, Mary says. It would have made a huge difference if theyd been warned during the prenatal classes that sex may be out for a while, Mary says, but the whole emphasis was on the birth. The couple expected once baby arrived that their sex life would get back on track, but even though the birth was relatively straightforward, Mary felt like her body had been through a war zone she required stitches after her perineum ripped. When normality did return to their bed, Mary still felt things had changed. Once you cross the bridge of parenthood, sex is never the same again. Mary was fortunate in that her post-pregnancy sexual issues did not persist. However, other women are not so fortunate as Olga Cahalane, a senior community physiotherapist for womens health, points out. Cahalane, who works for the Health Service Executive in Cork , treats women of all ages for a variety of womens health issues including bladder and bowel incontinence, prolapse and dyspareunia or painful sex. She has seen a good few women in their 20s, some of whom developed problems after giving birth, but is keen to emphasise they are in the minority. I wouldnt like to scare women off childbirth or give the impression that it leaves everyone traumatised and scarred, because that is certainly not the case. A lot of women who give birth vaginally have a very simple uncomplicated birth. But the women referred to me have issues and have been referred to me by their GP or consultant. These issues range from tears and scarring during labour, to stress incontinence, to the significantly more distressing problem of pelvic organ prolapsed (POP). Where a woman requires stitches, it is likely to be at least three months before she feels like having sex, Cahalane says. For others, the trauma of childbirth is still fresh and the thought of intercourse scares them. A lot of women feel almost numb down there... There is a fear that sex is going to be painful, that there will be no enjoyment, Cahalane says, adding that for many, its a relief simply to be able to talk to someone about their experience. The issue of stress incontinence is one Cahalane deals with regularly. This is essentially an inability to control the urge to urinate. The most common causes are pregnancy and childbirth, during which the sphincter and pelvic muscles are stretched out and weakened. Incontinence can be a great source of embarrassment to women and can turn them off sex. Theres the embarrassment of wetting the bed during orgasm, or when the woman is just relaxed enough for sexual intercourse. Ive had women say Im just not doing it anymore because I wet the bed every time. She advises women to regularly practice pelvic floor exercises to tighten up lax muscle, as well as restricting their fluid intake, particularly caffeine, which irritates the bladder. At the more extreme end of the spectrum, she sees women with POP, a condition that occurs when a pelvic organ such as the bladder drops (prolapses) from its normal place in the lower belly and pushes against the vagina walls). This can happen when the muscles that hold the pelvic organs get weak or stretched from childbirth. Some of the women have no idea what it is. It feels like a ball sitting on their pelvic floor and it can block the entrance of the vagina, preventing sex. When I explain what it is to them, they are usually relieved to find its nothing dangerous like a tumour, Cahalane says. In these circumstances, understanding what has happened helps the woman explain to her partner why sex is difficult for her and that she is not rejecting him. Cahalanes big bug bear is the lack of emphasis placed on ensuring women are aware of how vital pelvic floor exercises are throughout their life. The pelvic floor muscles essentially form a sling to support the pelvic organ. It should be part of the biology curriculum. As it stands, they learn too late, she says. For videos on pelvic floor exercises see: www.mammi.ie/videos.php See page 10 for more on stress incontinence Youngsters are more restricted in their movements than previous generations were, and are spending much more time indoors. Those of us who grew up in the last century, especially in rural areas, were lucky enough to enjoy the freedom of the fields, and most of our play was outdoors. Children seem to have an instinctive love of nature. Just look at the way they are drawn to animals. If that love is nurtured, it will continue into adulthood and make them protectors of the environment. A Heritage Council survey found supervision to be the number one barrier to children playing and experiencing the outdoors, which is understandable given the sort of world we now live in. Today, children are spending most of their time playing at home, or in playgrounds and indoor centres, all of which are closely supervised. Theres a 23% decrease in the number of children who play in fields, a 20% decrease in those who play in wild spaces and a 19% decrease in those who play in the woods, according to the research. At the same time, there is an increase of 5% in children who play in school playgrounds, 7% increase in those playing in school fields, 18% increase in those playing in outdoor playgrounds, and a 41% increase in numbers using indoor activity centres. Sherkin Island Marine Station, in West Cork, which last year celebrated its 40th anniversary, focussed on children from its early days, mounting marine life exhibitions for young people, running an annual environmental competition for primary school children, and giving talks in schools. A massive amount of research has been carried out by the station and an invaluable legacy of data has been collected, says its co-founder Matt Murphy. Looking back over the years in Sherkin Comment, he says he learnt many lessons, the main one being to always question and challenge the conventional wisdom and fashionable belief. It is not always true because the experts, or the media, say so, says Mr Murphy. A simple word, why, can open up a Pandoras box, or Aladdins cave. The scores of volunteers who came to the station over the years showed his faith in young people was totally justified, he adds. They worked in all weathers, late into the night to enter the data they collected. I challenged them, continually reminding them the data would be needed away into the future. A total of 32 players will qualify for the Capcom Cup, including the winners of 11 Global Premier Events, the winner of Evo 2016, winners of Regional Final events, and a number of high-flying players on the Global Point and Regional Point leaderboards. Ireland will host one of the European Ranking Events for the Capcom Pro Tour 2016 as part of Celtic Throwdown 2016 on September 3-4. There will be a total of 12 European Ranking Events with the winner of each qualifying for the Regional Finals where competitors will battle it out for a spot at the Capcom Cup. The handset is available exclusively from Three stores across Ireland for 55 a month with free 4G and All You Can Eat Data. National Sales & Marketing Manager at Sony Mobile Communications Ireland, Ciaran Cleary, said "We have had a great response to the Xperia Z5 in Ireland and we are delighted to bring one of the latest colour styles to the Irish market exclusively with Three." TWO communities that have already seen more than their fair share of gangland violence again face the grim prospect of a prolonged and spiralling feud. So too the gardai who police the areas, who face the return of the dark times of living on a knife-edge, struggling to keep a lid of things, responding to armed incidents and in some cases being shot at and receiving death threats. This is not to mention the priests, community workers and local politicians coping with the grief and trauma of families and innocent children and the wider ripple effects. These are feuds that not only hit the lives of gang members and their families, they cut deep into the fabric of local communities the effects ranging from security fears caused by having neighbours windows shot in, parents scared to leave their kids out on the street, and people jumping at the sound of a crack, or cars screeching, outside their windows. Now the people of Crumlin-Drimnagh and the people of the north inner city again face a pall. Report: Dissidents claim responsibility for Regency Hotel shooting https://t.co/0jjeu3sTYk pic.twitter.com/3I4bTTkwbu Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) February 8, 2016 The murder of David Byrne, a well-known Crumlin criminal, at the Regency Hotel in north Dublin last Friday and Monday nights revenge attack on Eddie Hutch in the north inner city have set the tone for whats ahead. The murder of Eddie Hutch followed the shooting dead of his nephew Gary Hutch in southern Spain last September a killing blamed on the Kinahan gang. The infamous Crumlin-Drimnagh feud ran, pretty much at full steam, for ten years, up to 2010, claiming the lives of 13 young men directly linked to the feud, and three others on the fringes. They died at the end of a barrel of a gun, through the blades of knives, in front of their loved ones and, in one case, after being horrifically tortured. Across the Liffey, in the north inner city, the community there remembers a local feud during the mid to late-2000s. That war, between two powerful family-based gangs, with extensive criminal associations, claimed five lives, as well as numerous near-fatal shootings and grenade attacks. In both cases, the feuding parties lived within earshot of each other. Neither the Crumlin-Drimnagh fued, nor the north inner city feud, were split along geographical areas or turfs. In both cases they stemmed from a mixture of personal disputes, egos, paranoia, and power. Both of the feuds dissipated by 2010, through a combination of significant convictions and imprisonments and the dispersal of gang bosses to Spain. David Byrne was shot dead at the Regency Hotel in Dublin. The hard-earned knowledge of seasoned sources in both communities is that once the violence kicks off, and grievances are ingrained, there is no turning back. The hotel shooting had ensured retaliation, said one experienced garda, but the speed of the response, and the balls of it [killing] a Hutch family member, in his own home sets us on a course of no return. Eddie Hutch senior shot in suspected Dublin gangland killing https://t.co/TMaCkIW4y8 pic.twitter.com/3suMxSJpK8 Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) February 8, 2016 He, along with other seasoned detectives on the southside, thought they had seen the back of feud violence in the area, which includes not just Crumlin and Drimnagh, but also the south inner city, on the other side of the Grand Canal. We thought we had seen the back of this, had put the likes of [gang leaders] in their place, said the source. Now theyre back, gone back to work, and well have to clean it up. What makes the prospect of the new feud even more grim is the seriousness and scale of the gangs involved, particularly the Kinahan crime syndicate. This network, led by family members, boasts serious drug-traffickers and enforcers, based in Spain with associates here. In addition, the network is linked with a series of major gangs, particularly in the Crumlin and south inner city areas. That is their stronghold. In the north inner city, the Hutches are a well-known family, headed by former crime boss Gerry The Monk Hutch brother of Eddie and uncle of Gary Hutch. Another nephew, Derek Hutch, is serving time for manslaughter, armed robbery, and gun crime. The north inner city is the Hutch gangs heartland, and they have extensive criminal associates in the area and abroad, including in Britain. That capability was made clear at the Regency Hotel by the scale of the firepower with three AK47s and the professionalism displayed by the gang. Seasoned gardai told the Irish Examiner at the time of Gary Hutchs murder that the Kinahan network had crossed the line. A source then said that the Hutches had money and very good connections, here and across Europe and that they would not take this lying down. That turned out to be true last Friday. And, after that, another garda said that the Hutches knew there would be a backlash, without a shadow of a doubt. And, that panned out on Monday night. This is one of the citys first major cross-city feuds and three Garda divisions are now on high alert. The body count stands at three. At the moment. And with David Byrnes funeral expected in the coming days, gardai will try to prevent further bloodshed. Focus will then turn to Eddie Hutchs funeral and then to the days and weeks after that. We have 24-hour armed patrols, we have checkpoints, we have overtime, we have our feelers out for information, said one senior garda, but we cant be everywhere, as weve seen, and this aint going to blow over. Thats for sure. Two decades ago, the back of the toilet door was the main forum for students to scribble comments that could leave the reader slightly queasy In the college I attended, one of the toilets hosted what was known colloquially as the Fla Wall. Making it onto the Fla Wall was a double-edged sword. It meant you were hot enough to have been clocked by the lads, but perhaps also just slutty enough or at least that was the rumour put out by jealous rivals. The thing about the toilet door or the Fla Wall was that all it took was a quick lick of paint to erase the cause of umbrage. Twenty years on, and with digital technology firmly embedded in everyday living, things have changed utterly. You cant sneeze without the risk of going viral. Even for those exercising absolute caution online, accepting only friends that they recognise and activating all known privacy settings, there are no guarantees that what you post wont end up going global, with, more often than not, little recourse available. Stories currently circulating in the media about what can happen to supposedly private images are particularly ominous for women. You have the ostensibly dire situation at University College Dublin (UCD) where, it is alleged, a Facebook group involving up to male 200 students has been sharing and rating nude photos of female students on campus. The university is taking the allegations first published in the College Tribune under the headline UCD Facebook Chat Rating and Sharing Photos of Girls they have Slept with Highlights Toxic Lad Culture very seriously. An investigation is ongoing. In an email to students and staff, UCD deputy president and registrar Mark Rogers said the universitys primary concern was to support any vulnerable student victimised by this alleged activity, and that any breaches of the student code identified may result in sanctions up to and including expulsion from the university. Prof Rogers said that the allegations brought into stark focus the prevalence in society of postings and comments online which can cause offence and victimisation including: Bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination. 'A growing problem' UCD Students Union said yesterday that it has met UCD president Andrew Deeks and expects the university to begin consent classes from September a development the union says has been a goal since the instigation of its Not Asking For It campaign in October. Womens Aid weighed in on the controversy yesterday. At the launch of its 2in2u National Public Awareness Campaign on dating abuse, Womens Aid director Margaret Martin spoke of hearing more and more from women about various forms of digital abuse and stalking where technology is being used by abusive boyfriends and ex- boyfriends to monitor and control them, particularly younger women. In addition, they were hearing from women who had been photographed and filmed without their consent, sometimes having sex, and having the images uploaded to the internet or being used to blackmail them. Commonly known as revenge porn, this was a growing problem for young Irish women, Ms Martin said. Its not revenge, its not porn. It is abuse and this type of abuse is one of the deepest betrayals of trust by a boyfriend or ex, she said. Recent events in a large Dublin third-level institution highlights that this type of behaviour is something that young women are facing. What we are hearing is only the tip of a very large iceberg. Mary Smith* (not her real name) is one of the many young women who now finds herself a victim of online harassment, albeit not from an ex-boyfriend. A tech-savvy 23-year-old, who never posted lewd pictures online and with no link to porn sites, discovered to her horror that photos from her Facebook page had been lifted and posted on a website I shall refer to only as CPP on the advice of Paul Durrant, chief executive of the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland (ISPAI), who worries that to give it its full domain address would result in undeserved publicity. Since April 2015, this CPP website has been reported 24 times to Hotline.ie, an anonymous reporting service operated by the ISPAI for members of the public who accidentally uncover illegal content on the internet, particularly child sexual abuse material or activities relating to the sexual exploitation of children. Marys experience is not unlike that reported by Kate Kirwan, 19, who went public last month after she learned that her images were posted on the CPP forum. Both women are from Cork and their pictures appeared on a thread dedicated to Cork girls and women. Last November, a close friend of Marys started receiving emails and Facebook messages of a sexually aggressive nature. They came from a fake Facebook account under the name Tom Rooney. Friends of Mary's had accepted Toms request to be friends. When Mary uncovered the fake account, she added Tom Rooney as a friend to try find out more about the individual behind it. However, her plan backfired. He got access to my pictures because once I saw the Tom Rooney account was sending threats to friends of mine, I added it as a friend, says Mary. In the space of an hour or so when I was friends with this fake account, he managed to harvest the majority of my Facebook photos. Of equal concern to her is the fact that Tom Rooney also has pictures of her that he could only have found in her friends photo albums. In December, Marys friend and the initial Tom Rooney target within her circle received a screenshot of her picture on the CPP website with perverse comments posted beneath. Mary did a bit of digital detective work and is convinced the person who posted the picture, using, inter alia, the handle horneymachine, is in fact the same person posing as Tom Rooney. In fact, she is reasonably confident she knows who the person is and indeed if it is who she thinks, she knows them personally and has provided this information to gardai. Mary also discovered to her dismay that she, too, featured on the CPP website. There are pictures of me on that website from age 15 up to age 21, she says. All are of my face and none are explicit but the comments are threatening and aggressive. One person asked where I worked. Another said: She needs to get raped. The thing that frightened me was the combination of people threatening violence and people asking where I worked, she says. What is driving her crazy, she says, is essentially what they are doing is advertising me to be raped. The last garda Mary spoke to seemed to fully understand the situation, she says. She told me that there is currently a large ongoing garda investigation into this case, Mary says. However, Mary believes Irish law has a long way to go to catch up with online harassment. A solicitor I spoke to said Irish law has not figured out how to deal with technology, she says. Mary has done all she can to deal with the harassment. She contacted the Data Protection Commission but all they had to offer was that it was not clear if the website in question is based in this jurisdiction and therefore the office would have no way of enforcing a request to take it down. She contacted Hotline.ie, as did the Irish Examiner. Mr Durrant said Hotline.ie can only ensure images which are illegal under Irish law are taken down if they are hosted in the Irish jurisdiction. The CPP website is hosted in the Netherlands by Ecatel also known as Quasi Networks LTD (IBC), i.e. the site content is therefore governed by Dutch law, Mr Durrant said. However, where online comments constituted a definite threat of violence against the person, the subject of the threat or their parents/guardians should bring the matter to An Garda Siochana regardless of whether or not the related image is illegal. Mary has also sent a DMCA takedown request to the CPP website through three different channels.This uses stipulations laid out in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) which allow the copyright owner to write to the online service provider claiming copyright infringement and requesting that the material be taken down. Her requests have so far been ignored. Her biggest bugbear, however, is with Irish law. The reality is you have to wait for the guy to take the next step, she says. The way Irish law is, it seems nothing will happen until someone is actually attacked. My fear is that one of the girls on this website will be attacked and we will all know why and nothing will have been done. I cant get my head around the attitude of blaming girls for this problem arising in the first place, for posting innocent pictures that can be turned by perverts into material to masturbate on. It goes back to the old argument: What was she wearing? She was asking for it. If you walk down a street in a public area, you are not asking to be raped. The same is true about the internet. It is a public place and surely we can expect people to exercise the same sense of morality. Because in a way, you can do as much damage on internet as the real world, particularly to someones reputation. * Note added Sept 2021: Mary Smith's real identity is known to our reporter and has been withheld at 'Mary's' request. News / National by Thobekile Zhou A petition is circulating on social media calling for Zanu PF politburo member and Tsholotsho legislator Jonathan Moyo to step down from government.PETITION: WE THE PEOPLE OF ZANU PF WANT PROFJONATHAN TO STEP DOWNWhy the people of ZANU PF should sign this petition1. Jonathan Moyo is Subbortaging the first family and government.2. Prof Jonathan Moyo wants revenge against PRESIDENT Mugabe and senior Zanu PF Party and Gvnt cadres and officials who were involved in Jonathan Moyo's uncle or is it his father Ndabaningi Sithole removal from leadership of Zanu.3. Assassinating Jackie Madondo to conceal pregnancy4. Causing tribal hatred and divisions by proposing a gukurahundi bill5. He is a factional Leader a confusionist and a seperatist6. Jonathan should be removed from both party and government, remember President once called him devil incarnet.7. Warvets want him out.8. Embezzling Ford Foundation money that is co owned by CIA.9. Disrespecting the President and party by pouring grievances to media10. Undermining the sitting Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe by verbal and written insults11. Relentlessly attacking President Mugabe behind his Ngwena Toterm.12.Jonathan Moyo is attempting to usurp the President's duties,powers and responsibilities of deciding the politiburo agenda.13. Playing a fiction Baba Jukwa charactor.14. Spending half his day on twitter than at work Sometimes, theres no keeping the economy going. Fine Gaels plan to fight the general election on the recovery has hit the skids. Pitching yourself as the rock of stability keeping chaos at bay simply doesnt ring true when photographs of men entering a city centre hotel brandishing AK-47s dominate the news. Crime has taken over as the lead issue of the campaign. Two murders, both audacious in their execution and repellent in their brutality, have skewed the pitch. You can have as much fiscal space as you like, but if people dont feel safe on their streets, they are not going to vote to keep anything going. The party of law and order has been caught flatfooted. Once it became clear on Friday afternoon that no gardai had been present at the weigh-in in the Regency Hotel when the gunmen burst in, an immediate response should have been set in motion. Justice MinisterFrances Fitzgerald should have ordered an inquiry. This wouldnt have amounted to a hill of beans, but it might have dampened the fires that began to break out across Fine Gaels campaign. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE How come crime reporters and photographers were in situ to keep an eye on the gathering of people associated with organised crime, yet no police were on hand? Report: Dissidents claim responsibility for Regency Hotel shooting https://t.co/0jjeu3sTYk pic.twitter.com/3I4bTTkwbu Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) February 8, 2016 That is an operational issue, but the perception is that its the Governments fault. Certainly, there is an issue over Garda resources, but just as important, though frequently less mentioned, is the misuse of resources . The Garda Inspectorate report issued on policing last December pointed out that at least 1,500, and possibly up to 2,000, fully training gardai could be taken out of offices to police the country. The report criticised Garda management for not protecting frontline policing, with just 83% of officers on frontline duty compared to 93% in other countries. While the accountability for that situation rests with Garda management, and principally the commissioner, the perception is growing that, as with so many other areas, the Government has ignored crime while pursuing economic rectitude. Back in the mid-1990s, at the dawn of serious drug violence in this country, Fine Gael was also the lead party in government and under the cosh. The murders of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe and journalist Veronica Guerin in 1996 came during a period in which the justice minister, Nora Owen, was subjected to unrelenting criticism from Fianna Fail. The general election the following year saw Fianna Fail wrest the law and order card from John Brutons party. Eddie Hutch senior shot in suspected Dublin gangland killing https://t.co/TMaCkIW4y8 pic.twitter.com/3suMxSJpK8 Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) February 8, 2016 This time around, the issue has arisen during a campaign and has the potential to undermine Fine Gaels message. Throwing 5m at the problem as late as yesterday is unlikely to cut mustard with anyone. Sinn Fein could also ship damage in the fallout from the murders. Again, the partys stance on abolishing the Special Criminal Court is generating waves. In December, party leader Gerry Adams and deputy Mary Lou McDonald raised the court as an issue following the conviction of good republican Thomas Slab Murphy. The courts principal brief until the 90s was to deal with the Provisional IRA and others who had the potential to interfere with juries. Among those convicted in the court was Sinn Fein TD Martin Ferris. A non-jury court is far from ideal in any democracy but, in a small, intimate country, there appears to be no viable alternative to ensuring prosecutions are not stymied. Ordinarily, this kind of thing might not impact on Sinn Fein support. Even the treatment of sexual assault victims Mairia Cahill and Paudie McGahon at the hands of the republican movement didnt affect Sinn Feins poll standing. Nor did the arrest of Mr Adams in connection with the murder of Jean McConville; nor even the defence of Murphy following his conviction. This may be of a different order. Calling for the abolition of a court that is deemed necessary to prosecute individuals who can act with impunity wont go down well in the working class areas where Sinn Fein enjoys a high level of support. The communities which have been devastated by drugs and related crime know how difficult it is to have some of these people prosecuted. Sinn Feins selective championing of civil liberties on criminal justice may well draw an angry response. That, in turn, could come back to haunt the party when transfer votes in particular are totted up on the day after polling. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE The first rescue units were on the scene within three minutes of receiving emergency calls, but with a river on one side and a forest on the other, it took hours to reach some of the injured. Rescue crews using helicopters and small boats shuttled injured passengers to the other side of the Mangfall river to waiting ambulances. Authorities said they were taken to hospitals across southern Bavaria. This is the biggest accident we have had in years in this region and we have many emergency doctors, ambulances and helicopters on the scene, police spokesman Stefan Sonntag said. Deutsche Bahn said safety systems on the stretch had been checked last week, but transport minister Alexander Dobrindt suggested a system designed to automatically brake trains if they accidentally end up on the same track didnt seem to have functioned properly. However, Mr Dobrindt, said it was too early to draw conclusions. The site is on a curve, we have to assume that the train drivers had no visual contact and hit each other without braking, Mr Dobrindt told reporters in Bad Aibling, near the crash scene, adding that speeds of up to 100kph were possible on the stretch. Black boxes from both trains had been recovered and will be analysed, which should show what went wrong, Mr Dobrindt said. We need to determine immediately whether it was a technical problem or a human mistake, he said. The two regional trains crashed before 7am on the single line that runs near Bad Aibling, in Bavaria, and several carriages overturned. The two train drivers are thought to be among the dead, and 50 of those hurt were being treated for serious injuries, authorities said. Each train could hold up to 1,000 passengers and are commonly used by children travelling to school, but because of regional holidays to celebrate Carnival, fewer than 200 were on board in total. Were lucky that were on the Carnival holidays, because usually many more people are on these trains, regional police chief Robert Kopp said. About 700 emergency personnel from Germany and neighbouring Austria were involved in the rescue efforts and about a dozen helicopters were used. Train operator Bayerische Oberlandbahn said it had started a hotline for family and friends to check on passengers. This is a huge shock. We are doing everything to help the passengers, relatives and employees, Bernd Rosenbusch, the head of the Bayerische Oberlandbahn, said in a statement. In Munich, the city blood centre put out an urgent call for donors in the wake of the crash. Eyeing their first wins in a capricious campaign, Republican Donald Trump lashed out at his opponents as New Hampshire began voting in the first US presidential primary. Trump calling on supporters to propel him to victory stunned, appalled, and delighted different audiences as he repeated an offensive remark from a member of the crowd about Ted Cruzs position on waterboarding. The billionaire businessman launched the harshest attacks not just against Texas senator Mr Cruz, who had bested him in Iowa, but against Jeb Bush as well. The former Florida governor was one of three Republicans hoping Marco Rubios recent stumbles had opened a fresh path for one of them to emerge as the more mainstream alternative to Mr Trump and Mr Cruz. Jeb is having some kind of a breakdown, I think, Mr Trump told CNN, calling Mr Bush, the son and brother of presidents, an embarrassment to his family. I think its a very sad situation thats taking place. The enmity was mutual. Vying for votes in Nashua, Mr Bush described his opponent variably as a loser, a liar, a whiner, and the worst choice for president. He blasted what he said was Mr Trumps proclivity for insulting women, castigating Hispanics, ridiculing the disabled, and calling American POWs losers. Mr Trump did get in a shot at Mr Cruz during a massive rally in Manchester. When an audience member shouted out that Mr Cruzs position on waterboarding made him a pussy a vulgar term for coward in the US Mr Trump repeated the term and jokingly reprimanded the woman. The other night in the debate, he told thousands in Manchester, they asked Ted Cruz a serious question: What do you think of waterboarding? Is it OK? I thought hed say absolutely, and he didnt. "And he said, well, hes concerned because some people... A woman near the front of the crowd interrupted by shouting: Hes a pussy! Mr Trump said: You know what she just said? Shout it out, because I dont want to say it. Youre not allowed to say that. I never expect to hear that from you again. Mr Trump paused, looked out at his audience and leaned into the microphone: She said hes a pussy. The audience cheered shouting Trump! Trump! before he gave the woman a mock admonishment. Mr Trump addressed a possible third-party run by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, calling Mr Bloomberg a friend, but acknowledging some of his shortfalls as mayor over property development. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton tried to move past talk of a shakeup in her Democratic nomination campaign andanger over comments by fans that women should feel obliged to vote for her. Barnstorming New Hampshire with her husband and daughter, she worked to flip rival Bernie Sanders favoured critique against her by claiming he, too, had taken big bucks from Wall Street if only indirectly. The US Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department are investigating after the personal data related to thousands of DHS and FBI employees was hacked. The tech website Motherboard reported on Sunday that a hacker, who Motherboard said wished to remain anonymous, intended to dump onto the internet names, job titles, email addresses, and official phone numbers of more than 9,000 DHS employees, and another 20,000 Federal Bureau of Investigation workers. Then, late on Monday, the FBI details appeared online on an encrypted text-sharing website. The details were posted under the message, Long Live Palestine, Long Live Gaza and #FreePalestine. The Site Intelligence Group, which monitors militant media activity, said a pro-Palestinian Twitter account on Sunday had posted a link to a document that contained 9,372 purported DHS employees data. The posted data included DHS employees names, official titles, departments, phone and fax numbers, state and country address information, and official DHS.gov email address, Site said. Site said the hack bore a strong resemblance to earlier breaches attributed to a group called Crackas with Attitude, which had been credited with attacks targeting CIA director John Brennan, FBI deputy director Mark Giuliano, and the Miami police. However, a government official said some data published by the hacker relates to people who stopped working for DHS more than a year ago. However, the FBI database of staff appears to contain every employee up to surnames beginning Je in the alphabet, more than half of the 35,000 people that work for the agency. Peter Carr, a spokesman for the Justice Department, said: The department is looking into the unauthorised access of a system operated by one of its components containing employee contact information. Britains Daily Telegraph reported that one of the hackers who claimed to be behind the latest breaches is a British man and former member of a hacker group called Lizard Squad, which claimed responsibilities for hacking popular gaming systems in late 2014. Hundreds of thousands of civilians could be cut off from food supplies if Syrian government forces succeed in their offensive to encircle rebel-held parts of Aleppo, the UN said, warning of a massive new flight of refugees. Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes and Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, have launched a major offensive in the countryside around Aleppo, which has been divided between government and rebel control for years. The assault to surround Aleppo, once Syrias biggest city with 2m people, amounts to one of the most important shifts of momentum in the five-year civil war that has killed 250,000 people and already driven 11m from their homes. The UN is worried that the government advance could cut off the last link between rebel-held parts of Aleppo and the main Turkish border crossing, which has long served as the lifeline for insurgent-controlled territory. If the GoS [government of Syria] and allies sever the last remaining flight route out of eastern Aleppo City it would leave up to 300,000 people, still residing in the city, cut off from humanitarian aid unless cross-line access could be negotiated, the United Nations Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an urgent bulletin. If the GoS advances around the city continue, local councils in the city estimate that some 100,000- 150,000 civilians may flee towards Afrin and the western countryside of Aleppo governorate. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement it had begun food distribution in the Syrian town of Azaz near the Turkish border for the new wave of people displaced by the fighting. The situation is quite volatile and fluid in northern Aleppo with families on the move seeking safety, said Jakob Kern, WFPs country director in Syria. We are extremely concerned as access and supply routes from the north to eastern Aleppo city and surrounding areas are now cut off, but we are making every effort to get enough food in place for all those in need, bringing it in through the remaining open border crossing point from Turkey. The Russian-backed government assault around Aleppo, as well as advances further south, helped torpedo the first peace talks for nearly two years, which collapsed last week before they even got under way in earnest. Moscow turned the momentum in the war in favour of its ally, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, when it joined the conflict four months ago with a campaign of air strikes against his enemies, many of whom are supported by Arab states, Turkey, and the West. German chancellor Angela Merkel accused Russia this week of bombing civilians, against a UN Security Council resolution Moscow signed up to in December. Russia says it is targeting only Islamist militants. The complex multi-sided civil war has drawn in outside powers, with the US leading a separate campaign of air strikes against Islamic State militants who controlmuch of eastern Syria and northern Iraq. Demonstrators threw bricks from the sidewalk to hurl at police, while others toppled street signs and set fire to rubbish bins in Mong Kok, a tough, working-class neighbourhood just across the harbour from the heart of the Asian financial centre. We have noticed a shift in some members of the public, said Hong Kong Police Commissioner Lo Wai-chung. [They] have an inclination to use violence or radical acts in order to express their opinion. Nearly 90 police sustained injuries ranging from fractured bones to lacerations and bruises and 54 protesters were arrested, Lo said. Hong Kong television showed police officers being beaten with poles and sticks as they lay on the ground. Many protesters and police were also shown with blood streaming down their faces. Police said two warning shots were fired into the air, with pepper spray and batons also used to disperse the crowd. Television footage showed the shots were fired as protesters surrounded traffic police, pelting them with rubbish, bricks, and bottles, and wrestling one of them to the ground. Lo said the life of the officer who fired the shots was being threatened. He also said there would be a full investigation into the incident. The remains of burned bins and flower pots, chunks of brick and broken bottles lay scattered along the Nathan Rd shopping strip, which leads to the harbour at Tsim Sha Tsui. A taxi with shattered windows was parked nearby. The narrow streets in and around Mong Kok were the scene of some of the most violent clashes during protests in late 2014 to demand greater democracy for the former British colony that returned to Beijing rule in 1997. The violence broke out after police moved in to clear illegal vendors who sell local delicacies, trinkets, and household goods from makeshift streetside stalls. The hawkers, a common sight on Hong Kongs bustling streets, quickly attracted a strong social media following under the hashtag #FishballRevolution. Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying said the government strongly condemned the violence. Secretary for security Lai Tung-kwok said police were investigating indications the clashes had been organised. Asia UN: S. Lanka War Crimes Investigation Must Be Impartial The United Nations will not force Sri Lanka to use international judges in investigating war crimes, but any process must be impartial, UN official says. COLOMBO The United Nations will not force Sri Lanka to accept a role for international judges in investigating possible war crimes during the 26-year Tamil insurgency, but any process must be impartial and independent, the UN human rights chief said on Tuesday. Commissioner Zeid Raad Al Hussein, ending a four-day visit to Sri Lanka to assess the investigation, commended some efforts by President Maithripala Sirisenas government but said much still needed to be done. The United Nations says the Sri Lankan military and Tamil Tiger rebels were both likely to have committed war crimes during the war, which ended with a military victory in 2009. A UN resolution calls for all alleged war crimes to be investigated and tried in special courts by international judges. Zeids visit followed comments by Sirisena that foreign participation was not needed for an impartial inquiry. We are not forcing anything on the government of Sri Lanka, Zeid told Reuters. The president has stated his preference, his position. We have stated our preference. Many Sri Lankans oppose foreign involvement, and supporters of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa believe the UN resolution aims to punish the military unfairly. Rajapaksa rejected international pressure for a UN war crimes investigation, and main political parties as well as Buddhist leaders remain opposed to any external involvement. Zeid said the UN human rights body believed that victims would not have confidence in a national mechanism as those tried before have left them disappointed. If whatever Sri Lanka decides upon has the support of the victims on all sides, that is okay with us. If the mechanism is impartial and independent, that is okay with us, he said, sitting in the UN office in the capital of Colombo. Our preference was initially and our preference still is a hybrid type mechanism with international participation. Asia US Intel Warns of Expansion of Terror Groups in Bangladesh Efforts by Bangladeshs prime minister to undermine political opposition could provide openings for transnational terrorist groups, US intelligence says. WASHINGTON The US intelligence chief said Tuesday efforts by Bangladeshs prime minister to undermine the political opposition will probably provide openings for transnational terrorist groups to expand their presence in the South Asian country. Director Of National Intelligence James Clapper questioned Bangladeshs public insistence that the killings of foreigners were the work of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and are intended to discredit the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In written testimony to a Senate hearing on worldwide threats, Clapper noted the claims of responsibility from the Islamic State group for 11 high profile attacks on foreigners and religious minorities, and claims from the Ansarullah Bangla Team and al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent for killing at least 11 progressive writers and bloggers in Bangladesh since 2013. Bangladesh is a Muslim country with traditions of secularism and tolerance but it has become increasingly troubled by extremist violence. Hasinas government has denied that the Islamic State group has a presence in the country, and has accused domestic Islamist groups and political opponents for the violence. Bangladesh has been in political ferment since the run-up to January 2014 elections that were boycotted by opposition parties, and over war crimes prosecutions brought against Jamaat-e-Islami leaders over alleged involvement in atrocities during Bangladeshs 1971 war of independence. Burma Court Rules Out Bail for Detained Former Monk U Gambira A court in Mandalays Maha Aung Myay Township denied bail Wednesday to detained former monk U Gambira, a prominent figure in the 2007 Saffron Revolution. MANDALAY A court in Mandalays Maha Aung Myay Township denied bail on Wednesday to detained former monk U Gambira, a prominent figure in Burmas 2007 Saffron Revolution. Gambira, also known as Nyi Nyi Lwin, was arrested on Jan. 19 in a Mandalay hotel and is facing charges of violating immigration laws. He is being held in Mandalays Obo Prison. Known to suffer from mental health issues, Gambiras family and lawyers had asked that he be released to receive necessary medical treatment. Since we have information that Nyi Nyi Lwin is receiving the required medicine and medical care regularly inside the prison, and theres no remark from prison doctors regarding immediate medical care, I have to refuse bail according to the law, said the presiding judge, Than Win, in court on Wednesday. Despite the courts rejection, Gambiras legal team said they would make another submission for bail at the next court hearing, scheduled for February 16. Im sad that the court denied bail and has mistakenly sued me and detained me. I will try again for bail, Gambira said after Wednesdays hearing, during which the court heard testimony from immigration officer Thaung Dan. We found that Nyi Nyi Lwin went to Thailand over the border illegally since October 2013, said Thaung Dan. However, when questioned by the defense, the officer said he was unaware that the accused held a non-Thai identification card issued to migrant workers in Thailand. The defense team submitted evidence including travel documents, identification and border passes in court on Wednesday. Gambiras legal representatives said the immigration officers claims were not sufficient to base a case on. Since the officer said he didnt know Nyi Nyi Lwin was living in Thailand and crossing the border legally, it is very supportive for the case. Lets see what will happen at the next court hearing after questioning other witnesses, said lawyer Robert San Aung. Burma Mon State Elects Parliaments First Female Speaker Tin Ei, a lawyer and MP from Thanbyuzayat Township, is the first female speaker of one of Burmas 14 regional parliaments. RANGOON Tin Ei, an MP from Thanbyuzayat constituency in Mon State, has become the first female speaker of one of Burmas regional parliaments. Burmas 14 state and division legislatures elected speakers and deputy speakers on Monday, with lawmakers from the National League for Democracy (NLD) assuming the posts in all but two parliamentsArakan and Shan states. Tin Ei, a vibrant 70-year-old, said she learned on Sunday that she would be nominated as the speaker of the Mon State parliament. The selection of the position was finalized on February 8, the first day of meetings for state and division parliaments. While Tin Ei was not aware that she would be the only woman across the country heading a regional legislature at the time of her interview with The Irrawaddy, she expressed pride in being able to represent the women of Mon State. I will have to try hard to be equal, she said, acknowledging the extra responsibility attached to the role. I will also be able to do more on womens affairs. An NLD veteran since 1988, Tin Eis first parliamentary campaign was contesting the 1990 election, but she lost to a candidate from the Mon National Democratic Front. Now a lawyer with 35 years experience practicing law in Mon State, Tin Ei hopes to bring about legal sector reform through the regional parliament. She is currently reviewing the laws enacted by the states previous legislature and assessing why others did not pass. This term, she hopes to put forward legal measures that will encourage peace of mind and less worry for the public. Law is not for the rulerthe laws must be able to make the public comfortable and protect their bodies and their lives, she said. Min Min Oo, representing the NLD for Belin constituency, will serve as deputy speaker of the Mon State Parliament which will feature six female lawmakers, all from the NLD. Nyan Hein, a lower house MP also from Thanbyuzayat Township, has known Tin Ei for over 50 years, and served with her on the executive committee of the NLD in their hometown after the 1988 student uprising. Tin Ei is the kind of person who has persistently worked for democracy, he said. Tin Ei sees the new government as an opportunity to challenge old political beliefs and practices at all levels. Changes need to be made in the system, the administrators and in the public mindset. We have to change our mindset, and live in accordance with a democratic system, she explained. A native of Thanbyuzayat, Tin Ei moved to the Mon State capital of Moulmein on Tuesday to fully devote herself to parliamentary work for the next five years. As a mother of six grown children, she said her political aspirations had always garnered the support of her family, including her late husband. I want to work effectively for the public, and I think I will be more effective through parliament, she said, adding that she hopes to bring dignity to her tenure in the Mon State legislature. Nyan Hein agreed. She can do this more effectively than someone who does not know about this kind of work, he said. News / National by Thobekile Zhou Zanu PF Women's league boss Grace Mugabe has begged party members to stop fighting each other while reprimanding top leadership.Grace made a brief address to thousands of party members at the Headquarters."We have an upper hand as Zanu PF. So why fighting? You stop it!"Quiteness doesn't mean we are foolish. Kure kwemeso nzeve dzinonzwa."Let us forgive each other. Do not take issues outside, let us solve them internally."Focus should be on solving the grain shortages not talking nonsensical issues. We can't spend the whole time discussing disciplinary issues."Vamwe vakutoti vakaenda kuchikoro kunodzidza mavhoko. Stop it," she said in apparent reference to Jonathan Moyo and Chris Mutswanga.On planned bombings and Gushungo Dairy Farm she said : "Why being so heartless? We have sanctions in place and we should have unity of purpose.""We are aware they want to bomb the dairy, kill my children and all. It is not good. They are threatening Mugabe but you know him."He will not be intimidated by words. We want peace so the leadership must get to work. We want the politburo to concentrate on real issues not petty things.One of the bomb plotters, Owen Kuchatawas was on Tuesday slapped with an 11-year jail term for banditry and money-laundering after being convicted of attempting to petrol-bomb Mugabe's dairy plant in Mazowe two weeks ago.Kuchata, 34, was sentenced to nine years for banditry and two years for money-laundering. He will, however, serve nine years after two years were conditionally suspended by Harare regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya.Last week, Kuchata told the court he believed the bombing would have made Mugabe feel the pain that the majority of Zimbabweans were feeling under his rule."In my view, I saw the problems of Zimbabwe as being caused by Mugabe considering the demolition of houses, terminations of employment on three months' notice or lack of action against persons accused of corruption," Kuchata said. Burma Thein Sein Honors Army and Cabinet With Excellence Awards The outgoing president gives 32 out of 33 Presidents Excellent Performance awards to members of his inner circle in Naypyidaw. RANGOON Burmas outgoing President Thein Sein has awarded a final round of honors to his cabinet members and the countrys army chief in Naypyidaw on Tuesday for their work over the last five years. At the ceremony for the 2016 Presidents Excellent Performance Awards, Thein Sein conferred honors on 33 organizations, 32 of which went to high-ranking government and military officials. He said that those who have been involved in the successful realization of the governments reform process were selected for awards. Our governments term will expire soon, but the achievements over the past five years require us to keep working to reach a stage where they are durable, he said. Burma Army Chief Sr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, two vice presidents, the presidents spokesperson Ye Htut, Union Ministers, Deputy Ministers and other government officials were among the awardees. Sr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing received the honor designated to a group which strives to ensure state defense, security, peace and stability. Vice President Sai Mauk Khams award was in recognition of his efforts to upgrade the Yangon General Hospital and for promoting health care services. For the successful organization of the Southeast Asia Games, Vice President Nyan Tun also received an award. Aung Min, of the Presidents office and the Myanmar Peace Center, received recognition for his involvement in the peace process, while Information Minister and Presidential spokesperson Ye Htut was awarded for the transformation of Myanmar TV (MRTV) and state newspapers. Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation Myint Hlaing, Minister of the Presidents Office and chairman of the Naypyidaw Council Thein Nyunt and Irrawaddy Division Chief Minister Thein Aung also received honors for development work. Only one award went to a non-governmental organization, the Yangon Heritage Trust, for their efforts to preserve century-old heritage buildings in Burmas former capital, Rangoon. This year, the presidential awards ceremony was mocked by many on social media who viewed it as an act of self congratulation before Burmas current leadership makes way for a new government next month. The excellence awards have been presented annually since 2012. In previous years, over 480 people in total were selected for the honor, including 21 Buddhist monks. Burma Yangon Heritage Trusts Conservation Efforts Honored A heritage conservation group has been honored with an award for their efforts to preserve century-old buildings in Rangoon, Burmas former capital. RANGOON A heritage conservation group has been honored with a presidential award for their efforts to preserve century-old buildings in Rangoon, Burmas former capital. The Yangon Heritage Trust was honored with the 2016 Presidents Excellent Performance Award along with 32 other groups for striving to develop the countrys economy and the socio-economic life of the people, outgoing president Thein Sein said on Tuesday. YHT was the only NGO among the awardees. The other recipients were government-affiliated groups led by vice presidents, army chiefs, union ministers and high-level government officials, whose activities ranged from successful collection of a nationwide census to the organization of the Southeast Asian Games and Novembers general election. This year, organizations that have made great strides in the successful realization of the governments sweeping reform process are set to be rewarded. Thats why excellent performance awards were presented to organizations for contributing to progress made over the past five years, President Thein Sein said during the awards ceremony in Naypyidaw. YHT founder Thant Myint-U told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that he thought the award shows have managed to raise the profile of conservation and urban planning in Rangoon, as very few people were talking about [Rangoon] heritage protection even three to four years ago. Now, the issues are more well-known and recognized as important. Weve had success, and Im grateful to supporters both inside and outside government. YHTs board and staff have worked very hard these past few years. But we still have a long way to go, he said. Founded in 2012 to preserve Rangoons unique architectural legacy, YHT was also praised by Thein Sein in 2013 for the groups preservation efforts. Since then, YHT has intervened to stop the demolition of pre-1960 buildings in the downtown area and campaigned to stop other new developments that might affect the citys historic character. At the request of the government, YHT drafted a law on urban conservation in 2013 that would help protect the citys heritage. The presidential award came at a time when Rangoon is facing unwieldy urban development, which has prompted calls from observers to rein in urbanization projects that have gotten out of hand and to address the citys lack of systematic urban planning controls. To enforce such controls, experts have urged the president to enact the Myanmar National Building Code and Zoning Plan to ensure building safety and to regulate proper restrictions on land use and building heights for development. Both laws have existed in draft form for more than two years, likely left for the incoming government to tackle. Thant Myint-U said the next few years will be critical and that urban planning in Rangoon is one of the top issues facing the new administration. What we need to do now is make a convincing case, especially an economic case, for why heritage protection must be a big part of future urban planning, he said. Interview Scot Marciel: Theres a Lot at Stake, Certainly The Irrawaddy revisits a February 2015 interview with Scot Marciel who was unanimously endorsed as ambassador to Burma by the US Senate on Tuesday. With the news that the United States Senate on Tuesday voted to unanimously endorse Scot Marciel, presently serving as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, to be ambassador to Burma, The Irrawaddy revisits an interview with Marciel from February last year during his visit to the country. The United States ended a decades-long era of isolation toward Burma when it restored full diplomatic relations about three years ago. Since that time, an ambassador was appointed for the first time since 1990, long-standing economic sanctions were eased and legislation has been amended to allow for more humanitarian aid and limited military engagement. A central figure in implementing those policies, Scot Marciel serves as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of East Asian and Pacific Affairs in Washington, DC, a position he began in 2013 after three years as the US Ambassador to Indonesia. During a recent visit to Burma, Marciel spoke with The Irrawaddy about the state of relations between the White House and Naypyidaw, and the future of US-Burma policy. Please tell us a bit about your trip, what you did and where you went. Im responsible for Southeast Asia at the State Department. So I travel a lot to the region, regularly, all of the countries in Southeast Asia, just to see whats going on, because I work on the policy back at home. We were up in Naypyidaw on Wednesday, mostly meeting government officials and parliamentarians. Then we went out to Shan State. For me its usefulyou know, usually its just Yangon [Rangoon] and Naypyidawits useful just to get out. Its like going to Washington and thinking that you know the United States. So its useful to get out and see a place. And the ambassador wanted to get out and look at a couple of projects, USAID [United States Agency for International Development]projects. We were in Taunggyi, and [some areas] outside of Taunggyi. You served as the US ambassador to Indonesia from 2010 to 2013. How has that informed your long-term vision for Burma? Well, first, theyre obviously very different places. There are a few parallels that were thinking about, for example, the democratic transformation, the movement of the military out of politics, dealing with separatism. I wouldnt read too much into it. I wouldnt say, therefore, do exactly what Indonesia did. You can see some things that worked and some things that didnt. Some Burma policy analysts have been critical of the United States early lifting of sanctions. Has the removal of sanctions been successful? The way we look at it from the administration point of view is that we know what this place was like from 1962 on, for 60 years. When there was an opening, an opportunity for this country to move in a better direction, we thought it was important to do all that we could to encourage that. Thats been our policy from day one. In a response to positive developments heresignificant positive developments herewe waived a number of the sanctions, which I think was absolutely the right thing to do. In light of Burmas stalled peace process, recent allegations against the Burma Army and a series of attacks on ethnic minority rebels, particularly in Kachin State, how does the United States counter the argument that military-to-military engagement is premature and perhaps even dangerous? Well, I would say two things: First, the peace process is obviously critically important to the success of this country and something that we very much support. So weve continually urged the government and all the players to, even when you have incidents, to look into those incidents and investigate them, and try to prevent them from happening. But also to keep the talks going. On the mil-to-mil side, the truth is theres very little happening in the US military relationship with Myanmar [Burma]. There seems to be some perception that theres a lot, but theres a very minimal amount happening, and whatever is happening is designed to try to encourage reform within the military, to help the Burmese military become more appropriate for a democratic country. I know its very early in the engagement, but is there any sign of progress on that front? I dont know, to be perfectly honest. I think the way I would put it is that its going to be driven mostly by what happens internally. We think that a certain amount of engagement, the right type of engagementlike courses on civilian control of the military and international rules on human rightscan play a helpful role as part of a larger process of encouraging reform within the military. I wouldnt exaggerate it, I wouldnt say that a few courses suddenly brings about a dramatic transformation; its meant to contribute. But the main point is that its a very small amount thats going on, its not a significant mil-to-mil relationship. There was an incident in northern Shan State a few weeks ago [in reference to the deaths and possible rape of two young women in an area reportedly occupied by the Burma Army, into which a government-led investigation is still ongoing]. A military-owned newspaper said the Army was not involved and that anybody who claimed otherwise [following the investigation] could face legal action. Could you comment on that? Sure. First of all, whether here or elsewhere, impunity is not a good thing and accountability is essential. Thats a message we push in the region in general, and certainly here. In terms of this particular horrific attack, we have called [for] and stressed the importance of a credible, transparent investigation that results in justice. We have done that as recently as Wednesday with the government in Naypyidaw. Its important, and its important not because America is asking for it, but because its the right thing to do. But also, its essential for beginning to build some trust. Its part of the peace process, its part of the effort of moving forward. Youve got to have trust, and to do that youve got to have some sense of accountability and justice. When you have these discussions with the government about credible investigations, how are they responding? I dont want to speak on behalf of the government, but I think the people we spoke with certainly indicated that they recognize that. I wont make any predictions about what will happen, but they certainly listened and took the point. Moving back to the region more generally, in light of Thailands continuation of martial law, what role do you expect Burma to play as an American partner in Southeast Asia over the coming years? Whatever happens in Thailandand we hope, certainly, that Thailand moves back to democracy as quickly as possiblebut either way our hope is that we can build a good, solid partnership with this country. Working together on health and economics and regional issues, you name it. That said, what is at stake in the upcoming elections? What happens if they arent held in 2015, for instance? Theres a lot at stake, certainly, for the country. This process of reform over the last few years has created a tremendous opportunity, but theres no question that theres a huge amount of work still to do. The elections wont finish that work, but I think credible elections, credible to the people of the country, are essential to begin building more trust and to give people throughout the country a sense that their voice counts, and gives them some faith in the process moving forward. So these elections are absolutely critical. There is no question that successful, credible elections, we would welcome, and would certainly make it easier for us to continue to build a relationship. President Obama stressed the importance of timely elections, which seems to have become more of a priority than constitutional reform. Where does this fall in the list of priorities at this time? First, I think we try to look at what the people of this country are asking for. [You could] argue that, as you build a democracy, its important to have a constitution thats appropriate for a democracy. The president spoke to that. At this point elections look like theyre going to happen in November, maybe late October, so its critical to make those as successful as possible. So were not choosing between the two. I think what we see is elections with a pretty clear schedule, and its very important that those happen. Constitutional reform is on a different track. I dont know when amendments may or may not be passed, before or after elections. How is the US prepared to adjust its Burma policy in the event that the government doesnt fulfill those promises of timely and fair elections, or if the military asserts more dominance over the government? Its really hard to answer that because there are a million different scenarios. As Burma moves forward, has successful elections, continues reform, moves on the peace process, all those sorts of things, that absolutely makes it easier for us to build on our relationship. To the extent that those things dont happen, it makes it harder. Again, its hard to know because there are so many scenarios that could happen. I wouldnt want to make a specific prediction. Just one last question for you, Mr. Marciel. How would you characterize the policy views of Congress and the White House; do they share the same vision and benchmarks of success, or are they at odds? The points Im making are the administrations position, and certainly reflect the White Houses views. Congress consists of a lot of different people, so theres not a uniform view. I spent a lot of time talking to, particularly, staff in Congress, and I hear a lot of those views, as I know the ambassador does. So what I would say is that theres a huge amount of interest in Congress, a lot of people hoping that things will head in a positive way. I think generally there has been support for our policy since the reforms began. Theres a lot of difference on the tactics, and how to respond to specific incidents, certainly, some differing views about how things are going, but I think a lot of interest overall in the success of the country. I have read through all the essays received for the now-complete Humor and Running essay contest announced two weeks ago. Before revealing the essayist who will receive a free entry to the Alaska Mountain Ultrarunning Camp, I first want to thank everyone for taking the time to submit such funny, interesting, and thought-provoking essays. Just as when I did the Why Do You Run? essay contest last year (contest and winner announcement and essay), I ended up feeling like this was a very valuable process for me. It was interesting and eye opening to see humor through the eyes of a few dozen other avid runners. My biggest take away from reading all of these essays is just how subjective humor is. Some essays led to an apex of humor in which the writer clearly thought this was the funniest part of the story, and yet I found myself laughing more at something that happened in the lead up to that point. For some reason, I take a lot of comfort in realizing this. We all clearly have a different sense of humor, and this reality is a big part of what makes each comical situation so worthwhile and personal. Its almost as if we experience these funny moments in an even more deep and meaningful way because so many other people might not find them funny at all. The humor is often ours and ours only. There were also a handful of specific themes that entrants consistently found to be their funniest running moments. Nearly a third of all essays included humor based around human waste, both urine and feces, and our sometimes not-so-graceful ways of dealing with it on runs. Ill spare you the sometimes nauseating details and let you use your imagination on some of the humor depicted in these essays. Nearly as common were essays involving other species. Dogs, porcupines, mice, moose, cows, and even Sasquatch all made it into at least one essay. These essays definitely reminded me of a few funny runs Ive had involving other species over the years, especially one in which I was viciously attacked by a bird protecting her young. It wasnt very funny to me at the time, but I can only imagine now how much I would laugh if I had a video of that moment. Unintended public nudity was also a theme that found its way into a handful of essays. This is another theme that reminds me of a personal story that some might find funny, but that I find to be too bizarre and inappropriate to share here. The final trend that was present in more than one essay was that of humorous injury, if there is such a thing. Falling over logs, running into tree branches, tripping over the tiniest rock in the trail, etc. Ive certainly had my share of these kinds of humorous moments, and Ive witnessed enough of others similar moments that Im guessing this is something nearly every runner could come up with a funny story about. In fact, I think each of these common themes are such an inherent part of running that nearly every runner could think of some funny story pertaining to each of them. The harder part, though, might be coming up with a funny story that other people would universally find funny. Humor is, after all, a very subjective thing. I was also reminded of this subjectivity in how hard it was to select a winner. Our two-person selection panel (Meghan Hicks and I) were surprisingly without consensus in our opinions, so much so that I then asked a few friends for their opinions. I had the final decision that would break the tie between Meghan and I, but I wanted to have a few more readers to make sure there wasnt something funny that I was missing within the subjectivity of the subject matter. This further judging process did even more to reaffirm this reality. One person would respond that a certain essay was by far their favorite and the next person would respond that they thought that essay was not very funny at all. I eventually opted for the essay by Ian Ramsey as the winner. This was a very tough decision, but I ultimately chose it because I think it was both funny and well written. There were a few other essays I found to be just as funny and some that I found to be as well or more well written, but this one had the best combination of these two things, which was our judging criteria in this contest. Congratulations, Ian, I look forward to meeting you this summer in Alaska! Thanks to everyone who participated, and here is the winning essay in its entirety: News / National by Staff reporter The Zanu-PF First Secretary and President Robert Mugabe has appealed for unity and safeguarding of the party's integrity.Mugabe, who addressed thousands of supporters at the Zanu-PF headquarters today, warned some politburo members to stop leaking internal discussions to opposition media saying all grievances should be channeled through the correct procedure in the party.Mugabe expressed displeasure with some senior party members washing their dirty linen in public."Such members are doing a disservice to the stature of the party, government and country that is held in high regard the world over," said Mugabe.He added that members of the party who are aggrieved should seek redress within the party structures.Senior leaders in the party have also been called upon to heed the complaints and grievances and also have self-introspection.On the issue of some members being barred from attending the solidarity rally organised by women's league, President Mugabe directed the National Political Commissar Saviour Kasukuwere to look into the matter, adding that members must never resort to violence.Mugabe commended women for organising the solidarity rally urging other wings of the party to emulate the good organising skills.During the address, he also outlined the various activities he carried when he was AU chairman saying it was the support of the people back home that enabled him to successfully drive the continental agenda. Wednesday, February 10th, 2016 (9:29 am) - Score 49,697 Some of BTs Broadband customers, primarily those who are trying to use the Netflix app on an LG, Samsung, Sony or Panasonic Smart TV, appear to be running into problems with getting the service to work. In many cases the app will return a UI-113 error, which has also been seen on some Humax based set-top-boxes. The problem seems to have started in late January and several related topics can be found on the ISPs Community Forum. Some subscribers have been briefly able to circumvent the problem by logging into and out of Netflix while also resetting their HomeHub, although the fault usually returns and the same trick doesnt work for everybody. Netflix itself has a specific page for the UI-113 error, which simply states: If you experience the error code UI-113 while watching Netflix on your device, it typically points to some information on your device that needs to be refreshed. However the advice given by Netflix to resolve the issue (e.g. reboot the hardware, login / logout etc.) does not deliver a proper fix. The error itself is actually a general one that has been seen in the past on many different devices, with different ISPs, and usually reflects a problem with connecting to Netflixs servers (DNS related perhaps?). But so far this latest issue only seems to be hitting customers of BTs broadband service. A BT Spokesperson said (canned statement): We are aware of a very small number of customers using some smart TVs who are unable to watch Netflix via their televisions built-in Netflix app. Well support manufacturers with their investigations to help resolve specific problems. One of those manufacturers, LG, echoed BTs statement and also added that they were working closely with BT and Netflix to help resolve specific problems (here). At present neither side seems to be taking clear responsibility for the problems and no ETA for a fix has been proposed. Wednesday, February 10th, 2016 (8:44 am) - Score 1,301 One of the worlds largest online payment services, PayPay, has aided Netflix by ending its payment processing agreements with several Virtual Private Network (VPN) providers. But the move could have unintended consequences for secure financial connectivity. Apparently PayPals reasoning for the move relates to its Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which states that the service cannot be used to send or receive payments for items that infringe or violate any copyright, trademark, right of publicity or privacy, or any other proprietary right under the laws of any jurisdiction (i.e. copyright protection). In a canned statement the company confirmed that PayPal does not permit the use of its service for transactions that infringe copyrights or other proprietary rights. Some have now linked (here) the move to Netflixs recent clamp-down on VPNs (here). The current copyright licensing model means that Netflix provides different content to different countries, although using a VPN allows the end-user to mask their real Internet Protocol (IP) address and adopt one from another country. Equally this means that VPNs can also make it harder to track criminal activity, which would be another concern for PayPal. However the Netflix link appears to be supported by the fact that PayPal started its campaign by targeting VPN provider UnoTelly, which some use specifically to avoid geographic Internet blocks. But its also a more general VPN service too and most such companies can be used to avoid at least some geo-blocking measures. UnoTelly Statement On February 3rd, 2016, PayPal has severed payment processing agreement unilaterally and without prior warning. PayPal indicated that UnoTelly is not allowed to provide services that enable open and unrestricted Internet access. As result, UnoTelly can no longer accept payment from PayPal. This development is outside of our control, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. If you believe in an open Internet and value the services UnoTelly is providing, we hope you would continue your subscription by updating your payment method from PayPal to credit card. In many ways the current campaign against geo-blocking via VPN is perhaps the signature of a somewhat out-of-date copyright licensing model that still hasnt been updated for the Internet age, but its one that content providers are often forced to respect. However this is only part of the story because many people use VPNs precisely to help keep their connections secure. For example, people who work remotely for a big business will often be given access to the network using a VPN connection. Similarly if you need to access your bank / PayPal account while abroad and or on a public network, such as via WiFi hotspot or hotel network, then its often wise to use a secure / trusted VPN service to help protect your information. However we must emphasise the trusted part because its easy to forget that unscrupulous VPN providers could also be open to internal abuse. In the meantime there are thousands of VPN providers around and so far PayPal only appears to have targeted a few, although that could soon grow. We should stress that this is not PayPal blocking VPN servers directly so much as PayPal stopping payment agreements with VPNs. Opinion / Columnist "Masvingo has 75 percent of maize being a write off while Matabeleland South has 65 percent write off. 30 percent of the rural communities, which is 3 million people are food insecure and they re-quire food assistance. So we need US$1.5 billion from the private sector and other organisations to support the emergence relief programme," said VP Mnangagwa.The regime has admitted that dams have dried up, while 71 percent of boreholes are malfunctioning and 16 000 cattle have already died. A lot more cattle will died before the next rainy sea-son which in October, nine months away.VP Mnangagwa I hope for the nation's sake that your regime will raise the necessary money so that no one dies of starvation. There is no doubt that the country has been badly affected by the drought; other countries in the region have also been affected by the drought and they too are suffering. We in Zimbabwe must conduct a thorough judiciary investigation into the nation's drought preparedness, especially if there is loss of even one human life due to starvation. There is no doubt that this drought is going to hit the nation very hard causing untold suffering because we were ill prepared for it.The thorough investigation is necessary to establish the facts and lay to rest the generally held believe that the country's man-made problems will have made the effects of the drought worse than it need be. There are two specific areas that must be thoroughly investigated;1) How much grain did the nation have at the start of the drought? Zimbabwe used to be the breadbasket of the region what happened?It is a well-established fact the regime's land redistribution polices has caused serious disruption in the agricultural sectors, which is bad enough. What will make it intolerable is if it turns out that a very significant amount of the land was given to Mugabe and his cronies and not the landless peasants as the regime has maintained throughout was the case.The empty grain silos at the beginning of the drought will therefore be attributed to the in-satiable greed of the politicians who seized the former white owned farms only to fail to put the farms to productive use and thus putting the food security of the entire nation at risk. This year with the severe drought the nation has ended paying dearly for this greed.2) How serious is the country's corruption problem? How much of the $15 billion drought re-lief would the nation have raised from its own resources if the criminal waste from corruption was dealt with the sense of urgency the matter demanded given the seriousness of the drought.According to Partnership Africa, a Canadian NGO monitoring the trade in illegal diamonds, President Mugabe pocketed $2 billion in 2012 alone from the wholesale looting going on in Marange and Chiadzwa. If this is indeed the case then no Zimbabwean need die since the country can fund the entire food relief with $ 0.5 billion left over to save the national herd. What is social engineering? Social engineering is the art of exploiting human psychology, rather than technical hacking techniques, to gain access to buildings, systems, or data. For example, instead of trying to find a software vulnerability, a social engineer might call an employee and pose as an IT support person, trying to trick the employee into divulging his password. Famous hacker Kevin Mitnick helped popularize the term 'social engineering' in the '90s, although the idea and many of the techniques have been around as long as there have been scam artists. Even if you've got all the bells and whistles when it comes to securing your data center, your cloud deployments, your building's physical security, and you've invested in defensive technologies, have the right security policies and processes in place and measure their effectiveness and continuously improve, still a crafty social engineer can weasel his way right through (or around). How does social engineering work? The phrase "social engineering" encompasses a wide range of behaviors, and what they all have in common is that they exploit certain universal human qualities: greed, curiosity, politeness, deference to authority, and so on. While some classic examples of social engineering take place in the "real world"a man in a FedEx uniform bluffing his way into an office building, for examplemuch of our daily social interaction takes place online, and that's where most social engineering attacks happen as well. For instance, you might not think of phishing or smishing as types of social engineering attacks, but both rely on tricking youby pretending to be someone you trust or tempting you with something you wantinto downloading malware onto your device. This brings up another important point, which is that social engineering can represent a single step in a larger attack chain. A smishing text uses social dynamics to entice you with a free gift card, but once you tap the link and download malicious code, your attackers will be using their technical skills to gain control of your device and exploit it. Social engineering examples A good way to get a sense of what social engineering tactics you should look out for is to know about what's been used in the past. We've got all the details in an extensive article on the subject, but for the moment let's focus on three social engineering techniques independent of technological platforms that have been successful for scammers in a big way. Offer something sweet. As any con artist will tell you, the easiest way to scam a mark is to exploit their own greed. This is the foundation of the classic Nigerian 419 scam, in which the scammer tries to convince the victim to help get supposedly ill-gotten cash out of their own country into a safe bank, offering a portion of the funds in exchange. These "Nigerian prince" emails have been a running joke for decades, but they're still an effective social engineering technique that people fall for: in 2007 the treasurer of a sparsely populated Michigan county gave $1.2 million in public funds to such a scammer in the hopes of personally cashing in. Another common lure is the prospect of a new, better job, which apparently is something far too many of us want: in a hugely embarrassing 2011 breach, the security company RSA was compromised when at least two low-level employees opened a malware file attached to a phishing email with the file name "2011 recruitment plan.xls." Fake it till you make it. One of the simplest and surprisingly most successful social engineering techniques is to simply pretend to be your victim. In one of Kevin Mitnick's legendary early scams, he got access to Digital Equipment Corporation's OS development servers simply by calling the company, claiming to be one of their lead developers, and saying he was having trouble logging in; he was immediately rewarded with a new login and password. This all happened in 1979, and you'd think things would've improved since then, but you'd be wrong: in 2016, a hacker got control of a U.S. Department of Justice email address and used it to impersonate an employee, coaxing a help desk into handing over an access token for the DoJ intranet by saying it was his first week on the job and he didn't know how anything worked. Many organizations do have barriers meant to prevent these kinds of brazen impersonations, but they can often be circumvented fairly easily. When Hewlett-Packard hired private investigators to find out which HP board members were leaking info to the press in 2005, they were able to supply the PIs with the last four digits of their targets' social security number which AT&T's tech support accepted as proof of ID before handing over detailed call logs. Act like you're in charge. Most of us are primed to respect authority or, as it turns out, to respect people who act like they have the authority to do what they're doing. You can exploit varying degrees of knowledge of a company's internal processes to convince people that you have the right to be places or see things that you shouldn't, or that a communication coming from you is really coming from someone they respect. For instance, in 2015 finance employees at Ubiquiti Networks wired millions of dollars in company money to scam artists who were impersonating company executives, probably using a lookalike URL in their email address. On the lower tech side, investigators working for British tabloids in the late '00s and early '10s often found ways to get access to victims' voicemail accounts by pretending to be other employees of the phone company via sheer bluffing; for instance, one PI convinced Vodafone to reset actress Sienna Miller's voicemail PIN by calling and claiming to be "John from credit control." Sometimes it's external authorities whose demands we comply with without giving it much thought. Hillary Clinton campaign honcho John Podesta had his email hacked by Russian spies in 2016 when they sent him a phishing email disguised as a note from Google asking him to reset his password. By taking action that he thought would secure his account, he actually gave his login credentials away. 5 types of social engineering Phishing, as we noted above, which also includes text-based smishing and voice-based vishing These attacks are often low-effort but widely spread; for instance, a phisher might send out thousands of identical emails, hoping someone will be gullible enough to click on the attachment. Spear phishing, or whaling, is a "high-touch" variation of phishing for high-value targets. Attackers spend time researching their victim, who's usually a high-status person with a lot of money they can be separated from, in order to craft unique and personalized scam communications. Baiting is a key part of all forms of phishing and other scams as wellthere's always something to tempt the victim, whether a text with a promise of a free gift card or something much more lucrative or salacious. Pretexting involves creating a story, or pretext, to convince someone to give up valuable information or access to some system or account. A pretexter might manage to find some of your personally identifying information and use it to trick youfor instance, if they know what bank you use, they might call you up and claim to be a customer service rep who needs to know your account number to help with a late payment. Or they could use the information to imitate youthis was the technique used by those HP PIs we discussed above. Business email frauds combine several of the above techniques. An attacker either gains control of a victim's email address or manages to send emails that look like they're from that address, then start sending emails to subordinates at work requesting the transfer of funds to accounts they control. How to spot social engineering attacks The security company Norton has done a pretty good job of outlining some red flags that could be a sign of a social engineering attack. These apply across social and technological techniques, and are good to keep in the back of your mind as you try to stay on guard: Someone you know sends an unusual message: Stealing or mimicking someone's online identity and then mining their social circles is relatively easy for a determined attacker, so if you get a message from a friend, relative, or coworker that seems off, be very sure you're really talking to them before you act on it. It's possible that your granddaughter really is on a vacation she didn't tell you about and needs money, or that your boss really does wants you to wire a six-figure sum to a new supplier in Belarus, but that's something for you to triple-check before you hit send. Stealing or mimicking someone's online identity and then mining their social circles is relatively easy for a determined attacker, so if you get a message from a friend, relative, or coworker that seems off, be very sure you're really talking to them before you act on it. It's possible that your granddaughter really is on a vacation she didn't tell you about and needs money, or that your boss really does wants you to wire a six-figure sum to a new supplier in Belarus, but that's something for you to triple-check before you hit send. A stranger is making an offer that's too good to be true: Again, we all laugh at the Nigerian prince emails, but many of us still fall for scams that trick us by telling us we're about to get something we never expected and never asked for. Whether it's an email telling you won a lottery you didn't enter or a text from a weird number offering you a free gift card just for paying your phone bill on time, if it feels too good to be true, it probably is. Again, we all laugh at the Nigerian prince emails, but many of us still fall for scams that trick us by telling us we're about to get something we never expected and never asked for. Whether it's an email telling you won a lottery you didn't enter or a text from a weird number offering you a free gift card just for paying your phone bill on time, if it feels too good to be true, it probably is. Your emotions are heightened and you have to act now: Social engineering scammers play on strong emotionsfear, greed, empathyto inculcate a sense of urgency specifically so you don't stop to think twice about scenarios like the ones we just outlined. A particularly pernicious technique in this realm is a tech support scam, which preys on people who are already nervous about hacks but not very tech savvy: you hear from an aggressive person who claims to be from Google or Microsoft, tells you that your system has been compromised, and demands that you change your passwords right awaytricking you into revealing your credentials to them in the process. How to avoid being a victim of social engineering Fighting against all of these techniques requires vigilance and a zero-trust mindset. That can be difficult to inculcate in ordinary people; in the corporate world, security awareness training is the number one way to prevent employees from falling prey to high-stakes attacks. Employees should be aware that social engineering exists and be familiar with the most commonly used tactics. Fortunately, social engineering awareness lends itself to storytelling. And stories are much easier to understand and much more interesting than explanations of technical flaws. Quizzes and attention-grabbing or humorous posters are also effective reminders about not assuming everyone is who they say they are. But it isn't just the average employee who needs to be aware of social engineering. As we saw, social engineers focus on high-value targets like CEOs and CFOs. Senior leadership often resists going to the trainings mandated for their employees, but they need to be aware of these attacks more than anyone. 5 tips for defending against social engineering CSO contributor Dan Lohrmann offers the following advice: Train and train again when it comes to security awareness. Ensure that you have a comprehensive security awareness training program in place that is regularly updated to address both the general phishing threats and the new targeted cyberthreats. Remember, this is not just about clicking on links. Provide a detailed briefing roadshow on the latest online fraud techniques to key staff. Yes, include senior executives, but dont forget anyone who has authority to make wire transfers or other financial transactions. Remember that many of the true stories involving fraud occur with lower-level staff who get fooled into believing an executive is asking them to conduct an urgent action usually bypassing normal procedures and/or controls. Review existing processes, procedures, and separation of duties for financial transfers and other important transactions. Add extra controls, if needed. Remember that separation of duties and other protections may be compromised at some point by insider threats, so risk reviews may need to be reanalyzed given the increased threats. Consider new policies related to out of band transactions or urgent executive requests. An email from the CEOs Gmail account should automatically raise a red flag to staff, but they need to understand the latest techniques being deployed by the dark side. You need authorized emergency procedures that are well-understood by all. Review, refine and test your incident management and phishing reporting systems. Run a tabletop exercise with management and with key personnel on a regular basis. Test controls and reverse-engineer potential areas of vulnerability. Social engineering trends ISACAs latest report State of Security 2021, Part 2 (a survey of almost 3,700 global cybersecurity professionals) discovered that social engineering is the leading cause of compromises experienced by organizations, while PhishLabs Quarterly Threat Trends and Intelligence Report revealed a 22% increase in the volume of phishing attacks in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2020. Recent research by Gemini has also illustrated how cyber-criminals use social engineering techniques to bypass specific security protocols such as 3D Secure to commit payment fraud. Paving the path for the upcoming Angular 2 JavaScript framework, developers of the popular technology have released version 1.5.0, which improves the process for building applications from components. Developer Pete Bacon Darwin detailed in an Angular blog post how release 1.5.0 serves as a precursor to Angular 2. "In this release we have added features that will enable developers to write Angular 1 applications that are closer to the way that applications are structured in Angular 2," he said. [ Need a JavaScript tool for your dev shop? InfoWorld looks at 17 JavaScript editors and IDEs ready for adoption. | Keep up with hot topics in programming with InfoWorld's Strategic Developer blog and Application Development newsletter. ] Version 1.5.0 enables developers to easily define a component directive via the module.component() helper method. "For example a simple component only needs to provide a template, some bindings, and a controller," wrote Darwin. "For the remaining directive options, we set sensible defaults." Use of components already has been the primary way of building applications with Angular. Lifecycle hooks akin to Angular 2 are featured as well. "If your directive/component controller has a method called $onInit() the compiler will now call it after the component has been initialized and all its bindings have been set up," Darwin said. "This provides a clear place to put the initialization code for your components." Version 1.5.0 also features instantiation of native ECMAScript 6 classes. "Due to variable browser support, this is a volatile feature, so be careful to test on your target browsers before going to production," Darwin warned. Security has been enhanced in the release as well. Due sometime early this year, Angular 2 is a rewritten, rearchitected version of the Google-developed framework. It focuses on speed in rendering and updating pages as well as support for building mobile apps for Google Android and Apple iOS. Development of Angular began in 2009, with the intention of making it easier for Web designers to add extra HTML to code, turning static content into dynamic content. A Seattle law firm considering a class action suit against Apple wants iPhone users whose devices have been crippled by "Error 53" to contact their office. The firm -- Pfau, Cochran, Vertetis, Amala (PCVA) -- said on its website that it is "investigating a potential class action lawsuit against Apple," and asked owners of iPhone 6, 6 Plus and their successors to fill out a form "if you have encountered 'Error 53.'" Attorneys planning on a class action lawsuit often publicize such pleas to locate affected consumers who can serve as the case's plaintiffs. "Think of it this way: Let's say you bought a car, and had your alternator replaced by a local mechanic. Under Apple's strategy, your car would no longer start because you didn't bring it to an official dealership. They intentionally disable your car because you tried to fix it yourself," PCVA wrote. "That is wrong, and we hope to prove that it violates various consumer protection laws in the United States." Error 53 has been in the news recently. The error message appears on iPhone 6, 6S, 6 Plus and 6S Plus devices whose Home button -- which includes the Touch ID sensor -- and/or cable have been replaced by a do-it-yourself owner or a third-party repair shop. Once the error appears, the iPhone is "bricked," or rendered unusable. The error is triggered when users update/upgrade to a new version of iOS -- some reports have attributed it to iOS 9, but reports of the problem precede iOS 9's release -- when connected to a personal computer via iTunes. It's unclear whether updating/upgrading "over the air" -- cutting iTunes out of the loop -- has the same affect. Kyle Wiens, the founder of iFixit.com, whose site has been tracking the issue since late 2014, said over-the-air updates did not provoke Error 53. "I've heard that the over-the-air update just fails, while doing the update via iTunes is what bricks the device," Wiens said in an email reply to questions today. Apple said the error and subsequent disabling of the iPhone is a security precaution. "Error 53 is the result of security checks designed to protect our customers," an Apple spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "iOS checks that the Touch ID sensor in your iPhone or iPad correctly matches your device's other components. If iOS finds a mismatch, the check fails and Touch ID, including for Apple Pay use, is disabled. This security measure is necessary to protect your device and prevent a fraudulent Touch ID sensor from being used." Specifically, Error 53 pops up when iOS's checks determine that the Touch ID sensor and/or cable connecting it to the logic board don't have the proper "pairing." Some users immediately smelled conspiracy, and claimed that Apple is using Error 53 to block customers from do-it-yourself and third-party repairs, which are often less expensive than Apple's own fees -- and in many locales where Apple does not have a physical presence, the only available option. Others defended Apple on the company's support forums when iPhone owners asked for advice on what to do after Error 53 had crippled their smartphones, and blasted the questioners for not having Apple itself repair their devices. "You've voided your warranty and all service & support options from Apple, and that includes this forum," chided "TJBUSMC1973" in a Feb. 6 message on one thread. "Please seek an answer to your query elsewhere. Thank you and have a good day." Wiens decried Apple's practice. "Whatever Apple's reasoning, Error 53 doesn't make us very happy," Wiens wrote last week in a long post to his site's blog. "Owners have the right to repair their products and get them repaired by technicians they trust," he added in his email to Computerworld. Once an iPhone is made inoperable by Error 53, an owner's options are limited: Replace the original Home button (which includes the Touch ID sensor) and original cable, assuming they are still available; or buy a new iPhone. Wiens suggested an alternative. "Apple should be providing a tool for people to calibrate their device to the new [Touch ID] sensor," he said in his email. "Or they should allow the user to disable the [Touch ID] sensor." Users could be required to prove that they were the rightful owners by entering their unlocking PIN. Coincidentally, iFixit and others, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and groups representing repair technicians, recently rebranded the Digital Right to Repair Coalition as the Repair Association. The association has lobbied for pro-repair legislation in several states. Wiens is on the Repair Association's board, and said that the organization had not had any direct communication with Apple over Error 53. The world's largest solar power plant, now live in Morocco, will eventually provide 1.1 million people with power and cut carbon emissions by 760,000 tons a year. The $9 billion Noor Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant could eventually start exporting energy to the European market. The Noor Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), paid for with funds approved by The World Bank, is located in the Souss-Massa-Draa area in Morocco, about 6 miles from Ouarzazate town. It began operation on Thursday. While the World Bank and other development partners provided financial support, the Noor solar plant is a wholly Moroccan project. "With this bold step toward a clean energy future, Morocco is pioneering a greener development and developing a cutting edge solar technology," Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, World Bank Country Director for the Maghreb, said in a statement. "The returns on this investment will be significant for the country and its people, by enhancing energy security, creating a cleaner environment, and encouraging new industries and job creation." The World Bank On the left, phase 1 of the Noor Concentrated Solar Power plant is generating energy. On the right, phase 2 will be completed in 2017 and phase 3 in 2018. Overall, the new Noor CSP plant will increase Morocco's energy independence, create 1,600 jobs during construction and 200 jobs during the power plant's operation, and increase the installed capacity of solar power stations from 22MW in 2013 to 522MW in 2018, according to The World Bank. The plant will be able to store solar energy in the form of heated molten salt, which allows for the production of electricity even at night. ACWA Power A parabolic mirror at the Noor solar power plant in Morocco. Unlike concentrated photovoltaic solar power, CSP plants do not create electrical current through the photovoltaic effect, where particles of light (photons) break electrons free from atoms, generating a flow of electricity. Instead CSP uses either lenses or parabolic mirrors to concentrate the sun's light onto a small point where water or another substance is heated. The heat is used to create steam, which runs a turbine that produces electricity. In the Noor CSP, concave mirrors focus on molten salt, heating it anywhere from 300 degrees to 660 degrees Fahrenheit. BrightSource Energy Much like the Noor CSP, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a concentrated solar thermal plant in the California Mojave Desert. Currently, the Noor CSP can generate 160 megawatts (MW). But as additional phases are completed, in two years it's expected to generate more than 500MW -- enough power to meet the needs of 1.1 million Moroccans. Phase 2 (Noor 2 and 3 plants) are due to open in 2017 and 2018 and will store power for up to eight hours. In all, the Noor CSP plant will cover an area of 6,178 acres. BrightSource The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a concentrated solar thermal plant in the California Mojave Desert. Like the Noor CSP, sunlight is concentrated onto a tower containing molten salt. At full power, the new solar power plant will reduce carbon emissions by 760,000 tons per year, which would equate to 17.5 million tons of carbon emissions over 25 years, according to Climate Investment Funds. The International Energy Agency estimates that up to 11% of the world's electricity generation in 2050 could come from CSP. Morocco's goal is to have 42% of its energy come from renewable resources by 2020. The winners in a broadband industry heavily shaped by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 celebrated publicly this week, as February 8 marked the 20-year anniversary of the law taking effect. The Act a sweeping rewrite of Americas 60+ year old laws governing phone service, media ownership, and more substantially deregulated the telecom and media industries, causing large-scale mergers and a much more centralized landscape. + ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: Cisco boosts, broadens Catalyst switches | US government wants to sharply increase spending on cybersecurity + Jeff Sharp, a spokesperson for the Broadband Coalition industry group, said that the laws passage was a watershed moment for the U.S. and a contributor to what the Internet has become. From enabling networking innovations that continue to reshape our lives every day, to wiring our schools and libraries, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 continues to drive American innovation, investment and economic growth, Sharp said. The Coalition even cranked out a celebratory YouTube video about the anniversary: Chip Pickering, a former Congressman from Mississippi and now the head of INCOMPAS, a pro-deregulation industry umbrella group, worked as an aide to Senator Trent Lott during the Acts passage through the legislature. In a post at Medium, Pickering credited the law with having enabled a wide range of technological innovation. If youve ever used an ATM, an app for an on-demand service, or high-speed wireless connection on your home computer, youve seen firsthand the innovation unleashed by the 96 Act, he wrote. IDC group vice president for worldwide telecommunications research Courtney Munroe said that the consolidation among carriers has been a good thing for business IT users. One of the great ironies of the Act is that this competitive environment has led back to substantial industry consolidation, which is great for enterprises, he told Network World. The scale of a handful of companies dovetails with the requirement of enterprises for centralized national and global [service providers.] IT was interesting talking to John McClelland this week, hearing his views on management after a stint at St Johnston in the mid 1990's. The former Watford defender, featured in this week's club programme, reflected: 'I was honest with players, keeping an ever open door. 'I remembered later that, when I was at Watford, Graham Taylor would say if you had a problem on Monday, I will see you on Friday. 'Looking back, it was a sensible way of going on. If it is serious, you don't mind waiting until Friday. 'And going to see the manager on Friday afternoon, with all the traffic problems when you left, well it had to be important or you would not bother. 'I had players coming in all the time over trial things. I thought you could tell them why they were dropped and all would be understood, but it was an emotinal thing. 'I could argue with them and be okay with them the next day, whereas a lot tended to carry grudges. 'It was a bit of a crash course. The first year was okay but the next year they didn't listen. It was hard to move them on. 'Three teams out of 12 got relegated and, as things were not going well, I said to the chairman I can do without this. I now realise how hard the job is.' Macker went to Perth as player-coach but the manager soon left and the chairman told him he had planned McClelland's appointment 'from the start'. McClelland said: 'The fans didn't like me from day one. I didn't know the Scottish scene that well, which was a bit of a headache. Graham would have a dossier. 'So I was up and down the motorways every night and then you get a supporter asking what are you doing all week? 'All that, and you are trying to play as well. Managers are a different breed.' I understand that, in a recent Evening Standard Property Section of Diary of an Estate, it was revealed that he received an offer of just under 1m for a five-bedroom semi. Apparently it came from an ex-Israeli international, who has also played for Liverpool and Spurs. Now, I would hate to jump to conclusions as to the identity of the man with the near 1m house about half a mile from Golders Green and bordering on the upcoming West Hampstead area. Perhaps if it was confirmed it had a phone in each room, I might actually be 100 per cent certain of the identity. Fans criticise the Vicarage Road end facilities, but it was a definite trip back in time to The Dell. The facilities are definitely circa 1950's. To add to the discomfort of Watford fans, the gutter came apart, pouring rain on them during the game. I don't know what would have happened in the Pressbox where there was no room for a cat, let alone to swing it. 'Hornet Hotline anchorman, Mike Vince, had to stand for the duration and, while interviewing Graham Taylor after the game, a bulb in the adjacent Sky TV equipment exploded like a pistol shot. 'First shot you have had this afternoon,' quipped the cameraman to a Watford official. A Watford fan is irritated by Graham Taylor's assertion that this season proved he does not walk on water. 'He's not getting away with that,' fan Steve told me. 'He does walk on water, he just doesn't do it on choppy, Premiership water, yet.' When the Watford boss was asked about how the players will cope back in the Premiership, he answered the national pressmen, who then asked how Steve Palmer would cope. 'People like Palmer will not let us down at all. I will be pretty confident of the ticks against certain players, the questions marks for others and the crosses that are already against the rest.' Ironic that the town crier, who is on duty at Vicarage Road (see facing page) on Sunday, representing the oldest form of communication, should be contacted by Yorkie, on the newest - his website. The latest editions of the fanzine Clap Your Hand Stamp Your Feet and The Yellow Experience will be on sale on Sunday. Both of them publicise the general intention of 'partying' at Middlesbrough, the final Premiership away game. A grand total of 175 We're out of your league! T-shirts have been sold to fans making the trip (no more orders being taken). One thousand yellow, red and black balloons, courtesy of The Yellow Experience, are available, together with 300 plastic kazoos, courtesy of Blind, Stupid and Desperate and Clap Your Hands, Stamp Your Feet are re-instating their annual Wear Your Shorts day. Face-painting has been organised, and will take place at a pre-match hostelry to be announced. Never mind the football, watching the fans should have passing interest, as Watford lay their travelling Premiership burden down by the Riverside. Watford have their first pre-season friendly on August 2, away to Northampton, whose manager impressed Taylor. Opinion / Columnist The obscured People First (PF) leader, 'Big Sister' Joyce Mujuru is headed for political doom as her counter-parts in opposition politics crying foul as they are labeling her a dictator, before she has even started campaigning for her ambitious aspired political office.Mujuru illustrated an arrogant spirit of rigidity through the PF spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, who recently was frothing gibbering gibberish full of venom which has sent tongues wagging when he is quoted as saying, "Yes, as PF, our candidate is Mujuru. Those who do not want her should bring their own alternative. We cannot go into negotiations without our own candidate."This was a show of false political muscle as PF is dictating the standard operational procedure for the anticipated grand coalition formalities are poised to collapse and crumble, considering that the contending parties are poles apart n terms of how they wish the talks to proceed.PF is accused of boasting as 'Big Sister' and/or 'Big Brother' and taking other parties as junior partners that are supposed to take instructions from their elders. While in actual fact, the negotiations are expected to treat all partners as equals.This precedence set by PF is more than detrimental, and is aimed at throwing heavy spanners into the whole process. It is a pity that Mujuru has started too early to elicit some dictatorial tendencies. That level of political selfishness should be swept to the dust-bins.Besides, some political parties like MDC-T are equally reluctant to bow-down to this buffoonery. Its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai is equally bubbling, considering himself as the most indispensible opposition leader in this country. This is despite the fact that, since formation of MDC in 1999, he has never won any election.This defines the quality of opposition leaders that we have in Zimbabwe that are infamous for lack of vision.Joyce Mujuru was sacked from ZANU-PF for pursuing a selfish secessionist agenda which defied the set-out procedures on such matters. Her insatiable zeal and desire for political office cost her a fortune and destroyed all of her promising political prospects in the country. It is still clear that she holds the same idiomatic way of doing politics. Certainly how can someone be so full of own-self to the extent of perceiving herself as the prime opposition leader in this country?This puts the grand coalition into doubt as Mujuru and Tsvangirai are like water and oil which do of mix. Opinion / Columnist A Zanu PF Matabeleland South legislator Ross Mpofu has boasted that they are living a luxurious life as they roll on latest wheels.In disjointed speech in Parliament on Tuesday, Mpofu said 91 year old President Robert Mugabe should rule for ever."We are better off because we drive Ford Rangers and other latest models but some people died during the liberation struggle," she said.Mpofu said she wished the country was still at war saying some legislators are lazy."Madam Speaker, when I look at some people who come to play here in Parliament, I wish it was during the war."These people should be made to run so that they jump out of the windows. We should be representing people out there. We are not here to discriminate each other."We are not here to play. If you want to play, why do you not just go home and play."We must be here to see how we can remove sanctions and improve the economy of our country."Madam Speaker, people fought for this country and I am saying that the President should have many more years to live."When it comes to education, the President gave us computers all over. He did not discriminate according to parties when he distributed those computers. Our education system has improved more than any other country. He is an elderly person and he has a vision". Opinion / Columnist Mpumelelo Ncube (is a member of the Guta Ra Mwari Religion, South Africa branch) ncube.mpumelelo@gmail.com There is an old age adage indicating that "Ignorance is dangerous but even so when it is not acknowledged". In her article titled "MP Tshinga Dube, there is a big difference between telling a girl-child to preserve her virginity and empowering her to be self" published on Bulawayo24.com dated 09/02/2016, Nomazulu Thata lashes out at MP Tshinga Dube for having spoken in favour of virginity testing. MP Dube had attended a Guta Ra Mwari annual ceremony where he was enchanted at finding out that the congregation practices virginity testing and upholds virginity as a virtue. Reading through her article one developed a feeling that the anger exuded therein was as a result of a host of misconceptions, misinformation and frustration from socio-political and economic issues prevailing in her surrounding. One can always be forgiven if they react out of ignorance but it becomes difficult if such ignorance is imbued with one's posturing as the oasis of knowledge and truth. As a member of the Guta Ra Mwari religion, I thought I should share my understanding of the practice of virginity testing not only within the confines of the religion but also from a cultural perspective.I am quite certain that it is common knowledge that virginity testing is an old-age practice with references even from the bible. The practice seeks to determine a child's sexual purity with the hope of encouraging self-preservation (abstinence from sexual intercourse). While others may argue that the practice has no space in the modern day society, the truth of the matter is that it is more salient now that it might have been then especially at the backdrop of some of the social ills that Nomazulu highlighted. There is a conspicuous reality of young people voluntarily engaging in sexual intercourse at a far younger age that it might have been decades ago. All this happens in in a context of societies that are ravaged by the scourge of HIV and other sexually transmitted illnesses. Not only are our societies reeling from HIV but also issues of early child pregnancies. All of these have a huge impact on the life of the child including dropping out of school, a condition that in-turn subjects them to more vulnerabilities. All these are a precursor to a circle of poverty and diseases which in turn have a number of national implications.Since prevention is better than cure, Guta Ra Mwari then adopts a holistic approach of empowering a young person to look after self in a bid to avert the afore mentioned challenges. The approach includes availing an opportunity to young people to voluntarily participate in virginity testing after numerous pre-sessions of being taught of the advantages of looking after one's self. While historically the practice was largely done on young girls, Guta Ra Mwari affords the same opportunity to both girls and boys. The elders involved in have clear but separate indicators against which virginity for both boys and girls is tested. I suppose this allays the concern on the practice being gender imbalanced. Furthermore, the approach entails a strong emphasis on education where young people are encultured to have high regard for formal education not only to enhance their lives but also as a way of preoccupying themselves as they grow. Education as a preoccupation mechanism comes at the backdrop of both empirical and anecdotal evidence that an idle mind (especially that of a child) is a vulnerable mind. As a result, a child in most cases gets exposed to sex and drugs as the easiest pass-time activities.Nomazulu's concern then is on the categorization of sexually abused children when the rest are viewed as virgins. Child sexual abuse is a genuine concern that as reports of such cases rise, there needs to be concomitant actions to address the blight. Concerted efforts by all sectors of communities need to be galvanised to close space for such cases. While everything else needs to be done against child abusers, it does not follow that those who haven't been abused should shy away from taking pride in their virginity in solidarity with the abused. In fact Guta Ra Mwari acknowledges that sexual abuse is an occurrence that cannot be reversed once inflicted on a child. Then the approach escalates in teachings that acknowledge such cases and even of those children who would have voluntarily chosen to engage in sex with their peers including those whose virginity cannot be determined due to some medical reasons. The teachings go as far as indicating that while virginity is a virtue, it is by no means a measure for chastity. Chastity is the desirable goal for all in the religion, children and adults alike. As such, all children (virgins or non-virgins) are encouraged to abstain from sexual activities and up-hold good morals as one of the very few ways to attain chastity. In this case chastity is the purity of one's soul which is different from virginity which denotes sexual purity. While chastity is the domain of God to make a determination, virginity is determinable through physically clear indicators whose originality must be mantained. By the way, in-light of the various indicators used to determine virginity; it is a myth that sports, bicycle, horse or donkey riding can end one's virginity. Sexual abstinence is encouraged among young people in this way until such time that they are lawfully married to partners of their choice. As such, there is no room for an assertion made by Nomazulu that virginity is ultimately used to cure those who are HIV reactive. One however, acknowledges that Africa has had a number of such cases that are also as a result of ignorance of how HIV manifests itself. Guta Ra Mwari regards such cases as arising from fables and treats them with the abhorrence they deserve. Lastly, there is a lot that the world can learn from some of our indigenous ways of dealing with most of the problems with global stature. The fact that certain things ought to be indigenised does not set us at the periphery of modernisation. Perhaps we need to begin to define modernity to also take into cognisance some our African indigenous practices too. Breaking News: Mount Prospect Man Who Took Life Of Arlington Heights Resident Over Cannabis Gets 60 Years In Prison The U.S. Supreme Court has put President Barack Obamas emissions-reduction plan on hold, in a victory for Kentucky and more than two dozen states that had sued to stop it. Thanks to a five-justice majority on the high court Tuesday, those states do not have to comply, at least for now, with the Clean Power Plan until a lower court has resolved the legal case against it. Under the plan, states would have to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by a third by 2030. But states that rely heavily on coal to produce electricity, including Kentucky and West Virginia, had argued that the plan was unconstitutional. Kentucky is the nations third-leading coal producer behind Wyoming and West Virginia, and much like those states gets the vast majority of its electricity from coal. In a statement, Bill Bissett, president of the Kentucky Coal Association, called the Supreme Courts stay of the Clean Power Plan great news. Bissetts group represents companies that mine 90 percent of the states coal. And in a surprise move of blatant judicial activism , the conservative members of the court granted a stay of EPA rules before any appeals court had an opportunity to review the rules in question.US air is not as foul as recent times in China so why should we worry when cleaning up the air will endanger profits. And Kentucky will continue to lose its coal mines because, well that's just bidness. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. DALLAS, Tex.At just about 11 a.m. Pacific time, the Dallas City Council voted to pass the resolution introduced by Mayor Mike Rawlings which would direct the City Manager, who has charge over the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, "to not enter into a contract with Three Expo Events, LLC, for the lease of the Dallas Convention Center." What that means is that the Exxxotica Lifestyle Convention, which is owned by Three Expo, will not be allowed to hold its convention at the city-owned convention centeran outcome that sets the city up for a massive First Amendment lawsuit. The genesis of the mayor's resolution seems to be from the Hunt family: Ray Lee, the billionaire oilman who owns 30 acres in the heart of the city, and his wife, Nancy Ann, chair of an anti-trafficking organization based in Dallas. On the other hand, however, last week the council had a closed-door meeting with the Dallas police chief, the city's Vice Squad and other officials who had attended Exxxotica's August, 2015 convention in the cityin fact, the same venue currently under discussionand the officials all assured the councilmembers that nothing untoward or illegal had happened during the convention. But apparently, those assurances fell on deaf ears. AVN was able to hear the last part of the City Council hearing, whose venue was filled to overflowing with concerned citizens, and none of the final three speakers, at least, had any love for free sexual speech. "One of the very early lessons I learned in life is, you don't go where you're not welcome," said District 7 Councilwoman Tiffinni A. Young. "This is not something that this city supports. This is not something you look forward to as something for our children to look up to and see around in the community." In response to Young's questions, Dallas City Attorney Warren Ernst assured the council that the resolution would not stop Exxxotica from seeking a venue elsewhere in the city, and also that the city ordinance controlling adult-oriented businesses would not apply to Exxxotica because the convention would be "temporary" rather than a permanent business. Some were also concerned that by calling so much attention to the issue, the council and the convention's opponentsof the 18 speakers who addressed the council, 17 were opposedwere giving the show enough free publicity to guarantee its success. "Now, theyre probably going to be here every year," said District 1's Scott Griggs, "because if the resolution passes well end up in court and itll bring so much publicity, and theyll have an order from a federal judge saying they can. The PR windfall from this has been a shame." "I want to start by first saying that I too am supportive of the First Amendment, and I believe, though, that we can vote in support of the mayor's resolution and still be in support of the First Amendment," said District 13 Councilwoman Jennifer S. Gates. "This isn't a ban. It's not saying that it'sas Mr. Magoo says; thank you for your workthat we can use other case law to say why this is still supportive of the First Amendment. Gates noted that when the council was notified in mid-2015 that Exxxotica would be coming to the convention center, that there was already a contract in place, and that if the council had tried to stop it, it would have been in breach of that contract. Gates seemed to think that in the absence of a contract for an upcoming show, the council was in a better legal position to keep Exxxotica out of the convention center. She also indicated that she was not concerned that enacting the ban would reflect poorly on the council's public relations. "I'm not going to be silent about this," Gates declared. "I'm not going to be silent about an industry that's exploiting women and children, and you know what? If that makes more people attend, then more people attend, but my silence isn't an excuse." "I haven't heard from a single constituent that's come to this microphone today and told me that this is good for Dallas," she added. "I may have heard from a couple emails from a few people, but less than a handful that told me this is a good idea. I've heard from several of my ownyou see those that are listed in District 13and I've heard from lots of them that have emailed me. They don't want it, and you know what? They're aware of the legalities because the Dallas Morning News has done a good job of letting them know that this could put us at risk, and they're still letting us know that they don't want it in our city. "This is a tough vote, and it may make us at a legal risk," she added, "but we've taken challenges on before that meant a lot ot our citizens, and I feel confidentI didn't originally, but now I've heard from the people, I've heard from you today, I've heard from the emails; I feel confident our citizens are telling us they don't want this, it's not what they stand for, and they don't want to take that risk that this can lead to that underbelly current of the exploittion of women and children, and they want us to stand up, so I'm comfortable with standing up with the mayor." The final speaker before the council's vote was District 5's Richey D. Callahan, and he too expressed support for the resolution. "I appreciate all the folks who felt like it mattered enough to come down and exprtess your First Amendment rights," he began. "I'm tired of being silent. We've all been cowed and wher you can't say anything or you might offend somebody. I know they're stepping on your toes but you gotta give them the right. Well, what about my rights, what about your rights, what about our rights as a city? ... When I grew up and I understood the way the law was, I just can't see that the Framers of our Constitution and the writings in the Federalist Papers in no way believe in the unbridled or unrestricted right to allow pornography to be displayed in a public facility. There's something wrongheaded about that... "I want to leave you with this: If you think the display of leather and whips and viewing folks in dominatrix outfits or suggestions of sadomasochism or anything that they're marketingagain, there's three X's in there, folks. You seen it on the billboards. We're not talking about one X, we're not talking about soft porn; they're marketing with those three X's. Now, whether or not they actually do it or not, it doesn't matter. They want you to think that, 'Man, this is real stuff, XXX.' But if you think that's oikay, then you go ahead and support that, but I'm not going to, but I'm really tired of activistic judges and people telling me that I can't do this or I can't do that. Today, if you checked on your calendar this morning, is Ash Wednesday. Perhaps today would be a good day to give up Exxxotica, and maybe for the city of Dallas to give it up too." In the end, it was a close vote, 8-7, but the resolution passedthereby setting the city up for a very expensive court battle. "Well walk straight out of here and into our lawyers office," Exxxotica organizer J. Handy told reporters as he left the council chamber following the vote. "We have already begun seeking the advice of counsel, and will be seeking an injunction against the city of Dallas to let Exxxotica return to the city as planned," said Three Expo spokesperson Daniel Adams. "Even though several councilmembers who voted for the resolution stated, 'We know this is not the correct thing for us to do, against the advice of our counsel and the city attorneys,' and it is their constitutional right, but because of their moral beliefs, they voted for the resolution. We look forward to winning an injunction and proceeding with Exxxotica as planned in Dallas." The convention is reportedly hoping to have a Dallas show by mid-2016. This isn't the first time that Exxxotica has had venue problems. In 2010, the city of Secaucus, New Jersey passed its own ban, forcing the convention to relocate to Edison. Three Expo sued, and Secaucus settled the case in 2011 for an undisclosed amount. "We've faced similar opposition in the past," noted one person familiar with Exxxotica's history. "We know they [the city council] are not doing what they should be doing." UPDATE: In a formal statement released this afternoon, Exxxotica reiterated its displeasure with the vote and renewed its vow to seek legal recourse. "At the special meeting, ministers and citizens spoke out both for and against the expos return to the city-owned Dallas Convention Center with a resolution from Mayor Rawlings for the city-owned exhibit hall to not enter into contract with Exxxotica," the press release stated. "Several council members supported allowing the show to go on, stating that after testimony from the management of the convention center, Dallas Police, Dallas Vice, and other city officials had reported no incidents during the shows debut in the city last year. "Council members, both for and against the May 2016 show, also stated that on the advice from the city attorney, the show had the constitutional right to take place and there were not any legal reasons to disallow or block the event. All council members were advised that the city would most likely be sued by the producers of Exxxotica, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more, and that it would most likely lose. "We absolutely have the right to produce the event at the convention center and the citizens of Dallas have a right to attend," said J. Handy, director of Three Expo, producers of the Exxxotica Expo. "And after todays testimonies, we realize the City of Dallas understands those rights. Its just unfortunate that their personal, religious and conservative beliefs compelled them to make decision which obviously violates the law." UPDATE #2: Here's some pretty good commentary on the situation. By of the A Milwaukee technology consulting firm plans to move its downtown operation to a building on the city's north side. Octane LLC would move from the Gas Light Building, 626 E. Wisconsin Ave., to a building it plans to buy at 4101 N. Port Washington Road, according to information filed with the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp. An Octane representative could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday. Octane is seeking a $72,000 loan from the MEDC, a nonprofit business lender, to help finance its $180,000 purchase of the building and building improvements totaling $45,000. The project's primary lender would be CIB Marine Bank. The firm would relocate its offices to the building, according to the MEDC. It has 24 full-time employees and plans to add an estimated 22 full-time and two part-time employees within two years. The two-story building has about 3,000 square feet, according to city assessment records. Those records list the owner as Pensco Trust. Octane's services include software development, systems integration and business analytics. Its owners are Amy Briscoe and Lynda Hopkins. The MEDC's Loan and Finance Committee is to review Octane's loan request at its Thursday meeting. Facebook: facebook.com/JSBusiness Twitter: twitter.com/TomDaykin Chiropractor Rod Lefler works with back pain patient Dawn Bybee on Monday at Neuroscience Group in Neenah. Credit: Mark Hoffman SHARE Chiropractor Rod Lefler helps patient Dawn Bybee. Lefler is president of the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association. Mark Hoffman By of the The Medical College of Wisconsin would consider developing a master's program for chiropractors if the state creates a new type of health care provider focused on basic spine and musculoskeletal conditions and with the authority to write prescriptions. The medical school stressed that it is not endorsing the proposal. "It's in everybody's best interest to ensure that those who would take advantage of the legislation receive appropriate training," said Joseph Kerschner, a physician and dean of the school of medicine at the Medical College. The prospect of the Medical College's developing a master's program for chiropractors adds a twist to the bill to create a new type of health care provider known as a primary spine care practitioner. It would mark the first time a medical school developed a program for chiropractors, according to the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association, which is backing the bill. The bill has won the support of Sen. Frank Lasee (R-De Pere) and Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin), chairman of the Assembly Committee on Health. Chiropractors would have to complete an accredited master's program and 500 hours of clinical training to become primary spine care practitioners. They would be licensed by the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board and the Chiropractic Examining Board. Chiropractors are licensed only by the Chiropractic Examining Board. "Wisconsin will lead the nation in this sort of program," said Rod Lefler, the president of the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association. New Mexico has an advance practice certification that allows chiropractors with additional training to administer a limited formulary of drugs intravenously and through injections. The Wisconsin Chiropractic Association, which has about 1,200 members, also backed a bill last year to create a primary spine care practitioner. Expanding the scope of practice for chiropractors who receive additional training would lessen the demands on primary care physicians to treat back and neck pain, said Lefler, who works for the Neuroscience Group, a large physician practice based in Neenah that includes neurosurgeons, neurologists and other specialists. Both are common medical conditions. The shortage of primary care physicians in Wisconsin, though, is limited largely to rural areas. The state also has a growing number of nurse practitioners and physician assistants who provide primary care. Lefler estimated that 10% of the state's roughly 2,000 chiropractors might be interested in getting additional training and becoming primary spine care practitioners. The program could consist of a mix of class work and online courses and the clinical work could be done one day a week for about a year. The Medical Society of Wisconsin has yet to take a position on the bill. But the proposal and similar proposals in other states have divided chiropractic trade groups nationally and in Wisconsin. The Chiropractic Society of Wisconsin, a different trade group with about 700 members, opposes the bill. No one in the public is clamoring for chiropractors to be able to prescribe medications, said Jay LaGuardia, president of the Chiropractic Society of Wisconsin. Chiropractors are an alternative to traditional medicine, he said, and focus on a natural approach to healing. "We don't need more people prescribing medications," LaGuardia said. Chiropractors don't try to replicate what physicians do, he said, and the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association's proposal would result in "brand confusion." He also suspects that the Medical College is interested in starting a program because of the additional revenue from tuition. "My theory is a college is business," LaGuardia said. Kerschner, of the Medical College, dismissed the contention. "That's ridiculous," he said. "We've got plenty to do." Most of the school's education programs break even or lose money. Chiropractors with advanced training could be an adjunct to the teams that now provide care to patients, Kerschner said. The Medical College employs chiropractors in its spine care program. So, too, do health systems. "Health care has moved from a siloed approach to interprofessional approach," Kerschner said. But he added, "We are not advocating for the chiropractors to have this enhanced role." The Medical College has only agreed to look into developing a program if the proposed bill becomes law. "We are good at this stuff," Kerschner said. The Medical College has started a pharmacy school at an estimated cost, he said, of $30 million and it is starting a program for anesthesiologist assistants, who work under the direction of anesthesiologists. It also has committed to developing a program for certified registered nurse anesthetists, a type of advanced practice nurse, with Marquette University. "If we are going to have people in the state that need education," Kerschner said, "we will look at how we can partner with people to do it in a good way." Cafe Corazon owner George Mireles sits in the bar area of the building he restored at 2394 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. for the second location of his restaurant. The work took an extra four months and more than $500,000. Credit: Mike De Sisti By of the With the deal sealed on a Bay View building last May, George and Wendy Mireles thought they might open the second location of Cafe Corazon, their popular Riverwest Mexican restaurant, in the fall. Reclaiming the dilapidated building at 2394 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. took an extra four months and more than $500,000 even with George Mireles doing more than half of the labor himself and with friends but now, the building housing Cafe Corazon is restored and ready. The restaurant will open to the public Thursday, and Mireles is glad to have a business where he grew up, in what he called an up-and-coming neighborhood. Mireles said it was "eight months of craziness" in which the entire first floor of the former Johnny's Club Carnival was gutted and a dozen garbage bins filled, 10 of them 40-yard containers. Demolition alone took two months. The building two connected buildings, actually was a mess. "It was Band-Aid on top of Band-Aid on top of Band-Aid," Mireles said. The floor behind the bar was so damaged, he said, he was afraid someone might fall through to the basement. Ald. Tony Zielinski, who represents the neighborhood, called the newly restored building a jewel for Bay View. Zielinski observed that one proposal for the building before the Mireleses bought it had called for doing just $10,000 of work. When George Mireles said he planned to put $500,000 worth of repairs into the building, "I said, 'Welcome to Bay View,'" Zielinski said. A redeveloped building on Kinnickinnic holding a popular restaurant will be another draw for residents, he suggested. "People in this area love walkable neighborhoods." Aside from making major repairs like replacement of flooring, wiring and roof, the owners also made changes such as widening a 36-inch doorway between the two buildings to a 15-foot opening. That included breaking through a brick wall and reinforcing the opening with steel beams. Opening the wall led to the discovery that the floor between the buildings had rotted. The scope and duration of the project grew with new discoveries: When Mireles demolished a bumped-out interior wall, daylight unexpectedly appeared. A light well between the two buildings originally constructed for light and air circulation had been sealed but was leaking for years, leading to rotted wood. Many of the repairs and renovations were neither easy nor straightforward. Another two walls that needed to be removed weren't plaster and lath as originally thought they were Cream City brick. The laying of a new water line required breaking through concrete. "The only thing we kept is the bar. That's original," Mireles said. Even so, it was shortened 5 feet, reinforced, refinished and given a concrete top. "We kept what was good and got rid of what was bad," he said. The new owners also updated the first-story facade; the look, with horizontal wooden boards, is modern. A third building on the property, a cottage behind the two main buildings that dated to the 1920s, was demolished. Throughout it all, Mireles said he found support for the project from Legacy Redevelopment Corp. and Wisconsin Business Development. "We wouldn't be opening there in Bay View without them," he said. The Bay View dining room is painted in the same bright colors as the restaurant in Riverwest, at 3129 N. Bremen St., and decorated with religious artifacts and vintage lights to make the new space feel more lived in. With a capacity of 99, the new restaurant holds about twice as many customers as the Riverwest restaurant, not counting the patio, and it has a much larger kitchen. The Bay View restaurant largely will have the same menu but is adding some new items, such as omelets, breakfast enchiladas and a potato-chorizo bowl for weekend brunch. In Bay View, the kitchen will serve food until 11 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays, an hour later than in Riverwest, and Mireles said he and his wife are thinking of serving taqueria-style fare until at least 1 a.m. on weekends, perhaps starting in March. "We've got the room now," and a late-night menu could draw in moviegoers from the restored Avalon Theater just down the street, he said, noting that Bay View Bowl also is nearby. Bay View reminds him of Riverwest, where the original Cafe Corazon stands, with its artists and small festivals. "I think it was a good fit for Bay View, and I couldn't be happier to be there," Mireles said. SHARE By of the Racine-based S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. said Tuesday it has donated 54,000 units of insect repellent to help Hawaii respond to an outbreak of a mosquito-borne illness. The Hawaii Department of Health reported more than 250 confirmed cases of dengue fever in Hawaii in what is the first outbreak of the disease there since 2011. The repellent will help reduce risk of dengue fever, is being shipped after the County of Hawaii declared a state of emergency because of the outbreak. "We are proud to make this donation to support the County of Hawaii Civil Defense Agency in their efforts to protect needy families against the Aedes species of mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus," said SC Johnson Chairman and CEO Fisk Johnson in a statement. The USS Milwaukee sets sail on last November after being commissioned in Milwaukee. The ship was built as part of a U.S. Navy ship building program that supports thousands of Wisconsin jobs and could be downsized as the ships face continued criticism and remain vulnerable in the militarys budget decisions. Credit: Mike De Sisti SHARE By of the A U.S. Navy ship building program that's supported thousands of Wisconsin jobs could be downsized as the ships face continued criticism and remain vulnerable in the military's budget decisions. The Navy should consider delaying deployment of the new littoral combat ship, and toning down praises for it, until the ship successfully completes more testing, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the panel's top Democrat, said in a Feb. 5 letter to the Navy, made public this week. The Marinette Marine Corp. shipyard, in Marinette, employs about 2,000 people building the littoral combat ships, designed for a variety of missions including combat in shallow, coastal waters. Defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp., through Marinette, has delivered three of the vessels to the Navy: USS Freedom, USS Fort Worth and USS Milwaukee, which was christened in Milwaukee last November. Seven more of the $479 million warships are in various stages of construction in Marinette, while a different version is being built in Mobile, Ala. Altogether the Navy wants 52 of the ships, although Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has directed the service to cut that number to 40 vessels a move that could shorten the life of the ship building program by several years. "It is a little bit nerve-wracking every time this conversation comes up," said Jerry Murphy, executive director of New North, an economic development group that represents industry in 18 counties of northeastern Wisconsin. "The longer the run of this contract, the stronger the workforce ultimately becomes," Murphy said of the shipyard. The littoral combat ship construction is scheduled to continue in Marinette for at least the next five years. However, the ships have faced criticism from McCain and others over their performance and reliability. Carter and his predecessor as defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, both questioned the littoral combat ship's ability to withstand combat. In its annual report on major weapons, the Pentagon testing office said one of the vessels had difficulty in tests at sea defending against swarming vessels, such as those used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards, and that both versions of the ship have extensive reliability problems. With six ships delivered, but "practically no LCS mission capabilities proven" for mine clearance, surface warfare and submarine hunting, "we urge you to reevaluate the deployment strategy," McCain and Reed said in their letter to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. "We expect Navy leaders to acknowledge and close the chasm between aspirations and reality for the LCS," they wrote. Going forward, there's also pressure from the Defense Department for the Navy to select one version of the littoral combat ship over the other, which could take Marinette out of the program. That's an ongoing concern for northeast Wisconsin, especially, where the LCS program has been a mainstay of employment. "Every year we have these conversations. It does give everybody pause to think about what would happen if that flow of work was diminished," Murphy said. Fairbanks Morse Co. in Beloit builds the diesel engines for the ships from Marinette. It also has more than 50 suppliers involved in the program. "Any changes to the LCS program would have a significant impact on our business. In addition to our own business, in Beloit, if there were any cutbacks in the program, it would have a big impact on our supply base in Wisconsin," said Andrew Smith, Fairbanks Morse' marine segment leader. In December, USS Milwaukee broke down at sea and had to be towed more than 40 miles to a Navy base near Norfolk, Va. It was not a problem with the diesel engines, according to Fairbanks Morse. Rather it was a failure of the ship's gearing system, according to the publication Navy Times. USS Milwaukee is still docked in Virginia undergoing repairs, the Navy said Tuesday, declining further comment. The Navy plans to use littoral ships for a deployment in Bahrain in 2017. McCain and Reed say the ships still have significant unresolved issues, and that the Navy's assessments of the program do not reflect reality. "More than seven years after the first LCS was delivered, the (Pentagon) report makes clear the program remains mired in testing delays with an unclear path ahead. Yet we seldom hear from Navy leaders about these challenges and the path to achieving full operational capability." The Navy says it remains confident in the ship's performance, and that there are issues with any new type of vessel. "For this new ship class, we will continue to refine how we train, maintain, operate and deploy LCS based on what we have learn in operational tests, maintenance, and deployments. The first two deployments of LCS have been successful, but we still have work to do in order to better execute the mission for which this platform was designed," Rear Adm. Dawn Cutler, the Navy's chief spokesperson, said in an email. Regarding the exercise involving swarming attack vessels, Navy spokesman Dale Eng said: "In two of the three raid events, a single target minimally and only briefly entered the established keep-out range. In both cases, ship's crew quickly maneuvered to open up the range and achieve a kill on the target. The test events also serve to refine tactics and procedures and the lessons learned in these events are part of that effort." Bloomberg Business News contributed to this report. SHARE By of the The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to halt enforcement of President Barack Obama's sweeping plan to address climate change until legal challenges are resolved. The surprising move by a divided court is a blow to the administration and environmentalists and a victory for business and industrial opponents as well as a coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led states, including Wisconsin. The administration of Gov. Scott Walker has argued that the cuts would fall heavily on coal-dependent manufacturing states like Wisconsin. By temporarily freezing the rule, the high court's 5-4 order signals that opponents have made a strong argument against the plan. A federal appeals court last month refused to put it on hold. GOP leaders and the manufacturing sector described the regulations to reduce carbon emissions from power plants as an unprecedented use of power by the White House. In Wisconsin, Attorney General Brad Schimel applauded the court's decision against the Clean Power Plan. "It is an extraordinary action for the Supreme Court of the United States to grant a stay and is telling of the obvious illegality of the rule," Schimel said in a statement. "It's imperative that we fight back against the federal government's intrusion into the affairs of the State of Wisconsin." Schimel's office filed a brief challenging the legality of the regulations, citing data from the state Public Service Commission showing the rules would heap higher energy costs on consumers and businesses. Saying the rule "clearly exceeds" the president's authority, Walker called the decision "a win for Wisconsin and the other states joining with us in challenging the overreach of the Obama administration." The court's four liberal justices said they would have denied the request. Obama unveiled the rules before the Paris climate talks in December. Supporters of the regulations said carbon reductions will help address climate change and asserted that a shift to more renewable energy sources would produce economic dividends. "We're obviously very disappointed in today's ruling," said Keith Reopelle, senior policy director at Clean Wisconsin, which became a party in the lawsuit, siding with the EPA. But Reopelle said he was hopeful the ruling would cause only a "slight delay." The appeals court in Washington, D.C., is moving on a fast track to hear arguments in the case in June. "We're confident that the outcome of the litigation will confirm the strength and the legality of the Clean Power Plan," Reopelle said. "But in the end, we're confident that the state of Wisconsin and the country will move forward in a transition to cleaner energy." Addressing the decision during a climate change forum in Madison on Tuesday night, Jonathan Patz, director of the Global Health Institute at UW-Madison, emphasized the health benefits of tackling climate change, such as preventing 6,600 asthma deaths. "It's not just energy policy and dollars. We're talking about lives. We're talking about people dying," Patz said. Obama's plan aims to stave off the worst predicted impacts of climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by about one-third by 2030. The compliance period had been set to start in 2022, and many states had been working to meet a September deadline to submit compliance plans to the EPA. In Wisconsin, the PSC said the Obama plan would cost the state $3.3 billion to $13.4 billion between now and 2030, and drive up manufacturing costs and reduce employment. Supporters disagreed with the estimates and said failing to tackle climate change would harm the economy, public health and environment. The rule would require a 34% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions nationally between 2005 and 2030, but sets distinct rules for each state. As a state that relies heavily on coal, Wisconsin had a tougher standard than most: The EPA called for a 41% reduction in Wisconsin's emissions. Cutting emissions in Wisconsin would occur through a variety of measures, including boosting steps to save energy, shifting away from coal and relying more on cleaner energy sources such as natural gas and wind power. Implementation of the rules is considered essential if the U.S. is to meet emissions-reduction targets in a global climate agreement signed in Paris. Obama and supporters also say the plan will spur new jobs in the clean-energy sector. To persuade the high court to temporarily halt the plan, opponents had to convince the justices that there was a "fair prospect" the court would strike down the rule. The court also had to consider whether denying a stay would cause irreparable harm to the states and utility companies affected. The Associated Press contributed to this report Justin Vernon is featured on several tracks on a new mixtape called Deux, sent to early-bird ticketbuyers for his Eaux Claires music festival, returning to Eau Claire County Aug. 12 and 13. Credit: CJ Foeckler SHARE By of the The lineup for Justin Vernon's Eaux Claires festival doesn't come out until Thursday, but a new mixtape offers hints about who it might feature. The tape started arriving in mailboxes earlier this week for fans who purchased early-bird tickets. Pictures of the mixtape track list, and the audio from the tape itself, have made their way online. Among the highlights on the 23-track compilation largely consisting of B-sides, demos and home recordings is an unreleased Bon Iver track called "Haven, Mass" There's also a song called "Untitled 2" billed under the Fall Creek Boys Choir, a moniker previously used by Vernon and electronic artist James Blake. Other artists on the mixtape, and possibly participating in Eaux Claires, include Nathaniel Rateliff, Bruce Hornsby, Shabazz Palaces, Har Mar Superstar, Arcade Fire's Sarah Neufeld and a number of Wisconsin acts, including Jon Mueller, Tom Wincek and Phil Cook. Tenement, the punk band recently profiled for the Journal Sentinel's Wisconsin Bands to Watch, is also featured. Listen to the mixtape below, and when the lineup is announced Thursday, we'll be sure to have all the information. The festival, co-curated again by Eau Claire native Vernon and the National's Aaron Dessner, returns to Foster Farms in Eau Claire County for its second year Aug. 12 and 13. Find out about the week's must-see shows, concert tickets and more in the newsletter "Piet Levy's Music Picks." Subscribe at jsonline.com/newsletters. Piet talks about concerts, local music and more on "TAP'd In" with Jordan Lee, 8 a.m. Thursdays on WYMS-FM (88.9). Astronaut Jim Lovell speaks at a press conference in Milwaukee on Feb. 23, 1966. Lovell was visiting his hometown a couple of months after spending 14 days in space on the Gemini 7 mission. Mayer Henry Maier is at right. Credit: Milwaukee Journal photo By of the Fifty years ago this month, Jim Lovell conquered Milwaukee. On Feb. 23, 1966, Lovell came back to his hometown a little more than two months after he and fellow astronaut Frank Borman returned from space on the Gemini 7 mission at the time the longest (nearly 14 days) manned space voyage ever. His hometown was ready for him. "Lovell moved down Wisconsin Ave. to the cheers of thousands of Milwaukeeans who lined the avenue despite snow and chilly weather," The Milwaukee Journal wrote in a front-page story in its Feb. 23, 1966, edition. "The avenue was bedecked with American flags all the way to the lakefront. Hundreds of Milwaukeeans watched from office windows. Confetti and torn paper rained down on Lovell. "He reviewed the parade while standing on the street at N. 14th St. and W. Wisconsin Ave., saluting each American flag carried past by bands and marching units." Seven marching bands, actually along with a float depicting the Gemini 7 in flight, with City Hall and the Municipal Building as a backdrop. In spots along the route, the Journal reported, people stood shoulder to shoulder, eight deep. "Thank you for a wonderful reception," Lovell said over a loudspeaker, as crowds cheered. "Your city is growing prettier every day," the Journal reported, noting the new additions to the corridor including the Greyhound building at N. 7th St. (now James Lovell St.) and the Marine Plaza (now the Chase Tower, 111 E. Wisconsin Ave.). Although he was born in Cleveland, Lovell grew up in Milwaukee. His wife, Marilyn, is a Milwaukee native. Lovell, his wife and three of their children (the fourth, born a month earlier, stayed home with a nurse in Houston) arrived that morning at Mitchell International Airport. Police estimated the crowd at the airport at about 3,000, including 21 of Marilyn Lovell's relatives, a 15-member civic welcoming committee and the Juneau High School band (Jim Lovell's alma mater). The Lovells had a full day in Milwaukee. Among the stops that Jim Lovell made were at Juneau High, where he talked to students; Marquette University, where he attended an engineers week program and received the Pere Marquette Award from the university's president, Father John P. Raynor; a stop at the Milwaukee Press Club, where he signed a plaque; and the Riverside Theater, where he spoke to more than 2,000 teenagers from 46 area high schools. "I didn't realize what a big day this was until I was riding down the avenue and saw on a theater marquee my name alongside that of James Bond," he told the Riverside audience, according to a story that ran Feb. 23, 1966, in the Journal's "final" edition a sort of "extra" edition added to select papers sold mainly downtown and then the next day on the front of the main paper's local news section. Marilyn Lovell, the Journal dutifully reported on Feb. 24, 1966, was kept busy with events, too. Mary Ann Maier, then-wife of Mayor Henry Maier, greeted Mrs. Lovell with a bouquet of red roses, then hosted an invitation-only "welcome home" reception in her honor. Marilyn Gardner, the Journal's assistant woman's editor, reported that Marilyn Lovell "was gracious and apparently neither hurried nor tired from her busy schedule...(shaking) hands with each of the guests and later (moving) about the room to chat with the women." According to the Journal, the Lovell children were happy about the homecoming, too: They had never seen snow before. And they attended a performance of the Tripoli Shrine Circus at the Milwaukee Arena that afternoon. Lovell told the Journal that he expected to stay on land for a while. But nine months later, he was back in space for the Gemini 12 mission, the last of the pre-Apollo flights, in November 1966. He also was part of the crew of Apollo 8 the first humans to see the earth "rise" during their December 1968 mission, during which Lovell and company movingly read to Earth from the book of Genesis on Christmas Eve. And he led the fateful Apollo 13 mission, in which a malfunction en route forced the crew to jury-rig the ship to make it home safely. (Tom Hanks played Lovell in Ron Howard's 1995 movie about the mission.) Lovell, who turns 88 in March, has made numerous visits back to Milwaukee since the 1966 celebration, including as the keynote speaker at the Armed Forces Week Banquet Dinner at the Wisconsin Club in 2014. And last summer, Lovell and Apollo 13 crewmate Fred Haise, along with a number of NASA mission control veterans, took part in a reunion at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. ABOUT THIS FEATURE The Journal Sentinel's photo archives are testament to the idea that the past is never even past. If you dig deeply enough, you can find images from Milwaukee and Wisconsin's recent history that echo today. Each Wednesday, Our Back Pages will dip into those archives, sharing photos and stories from the past that connect, reflect and sometimes contradict the Milwaukee we know today or at least give us something to smile about. Special thanks and kudos go to senior multimedia designer Bill Schulz for finding many of the gems in the Journal Sentinel photo archives. Justice Shirley Abrahamson (right) is questioning the involvement of recently appointed Justice Rebecca Bradley (left) in a 4-3 Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that expanded police search and seizure authority. Credit: Journal Sentinel files SHARE By of the In a 4-3 decision, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has again broadened an exception to allow police to seize and use evidence obtained from private places without the owner's consent to a search warrant. The dissent called the majority's interpretation so broad as to "swallow the Fourth Amendment," which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. The decision Wednesday was also notable in that Justice Rebecca Bradley joined the majority that reversed the Court of Appeals, even though she had not heard arguments in the case, which occurred before her appointment Oct. 9 by Gov. Scott Walker. She replaced Justice Patrick Crooks, who died in his court chambers Sept. 21, and she is now running for election to a 10-year term against two challengers, Court of Appeals Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg and Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Joseph Donald. In a dissent, Justice Shirley Abrahamson wrote that when Crooks died, the court had heard oral arguments in, but had not decided, nine cases. It heard arguments in another seven after Crooks' death but before Bradley's appointment. The court had not decided any of the 16 cases when Bradley joined the court, Abrahamson wrote. Since then, five of the cases have been decided, and Bradley did not participate in any of them. Having Bradley vote in Wednesday's case, Abrahamson said, seems inconsistent with past practice. Without Bradley's vote, the result would be 3-3, and the Court of Appeals decision, that the evidence should be suppressed, would stand. "No precedent appears to exist in the United States Supreme Court or in this court for a new justice who did not participate in oral argument to participate in the case without re-argument," she wrote. Bradley, in a later interview, said her own research found no rule or precedent to prohibit her from deciding cases argued before she was seated, or one suggesting the approach endorsed by Abrahamson, that sitting justices should vote whether to rehear a case with the new member. "It was surprising to me there isn't a procedure for this situation," she said. She said she listened to recordings of the oral arguments and so has the same information the other justices have to make her decision. Deciding cases of statewide importance is her job, she said. The reason she did not participate in an earlier case that deadlocked 3-3, regarding public records law, was that it was on a direct certification from the Court of Appeals, and the tie vote only sent it back to that court for a decision. In Wednesday's case, she said, the tie would have let the Court of Appeals decision stand without any Supreme Court decision on the issue. "Our opinions aren't just for the parties, they become guidance to anyone who might be affected" by the issues statewide and in the future, she said. Bradley seemed to suggest, but would not confirm or deny, that she intends to participate in some of the other cases that were argued to the court before she joined. "I just can't talk about pending cases," she said. The case decided Wednesday involved a Kenosha police action in 2012. Officers went to Charles Matalonis' house to investigate a possible beating of his brother, who was found bloodied at a nearby residence. Matalonis let them in and admitted fighting with his brother. Officers saw blood throughout the apartment, and some marijuana, a grinder, a pipe and a bong. Matalonis refused to grant the officers permission to enter a locked bedroom. The officers said they would break the door down if Matalonis did not produce the key. At some point, officers found the key, entered the room and found evidence of a marijuana growing operation. Matalonis was charged with manufacture of marijuana and moved to suppress the evidence. The Court of Appeals agreed the search was unreasonable. But writing for the Supreme Court majority, Justice Annette Ziegler found that police were not investigating a crime but exercising their "community caretaker" function by checking to make sure no other injured people were in the house. Justice David Prosser, often seen as part of the court's conservative block, has repeatedly joined Abrahamson and Justice Ann Bradley in dissents that support more limits on the "community caretaker" exception to getting a search warrant. He wrote the main dissent, again joined by Abrahamson and Ann Bradley, who is not related to Rebecca Bradley. Prosser observed that by the time officers entered the locked room, some 20 minutes or more after they had been in the house, there was little reason to suspect someone else was in the bedroom, but plenty of reason to suspect it might house marijuana. The "majority's embrace of a broad, ever-expanding version of the exception risks transforming a shield for evidence encountered incidental to community caretaking into an investigatory sword." CARDIFF, WalesPublic advertisements for Squirt.org continue to come under fire, as the newest controversy is currently underway in Cardiff. Earlier today, the Cardiff council banned ads from the international gay cruising and hookup website and removed posters from bus stops in the Welsh capital city. The ads, featuring two gay men, one with his shirt open, were removed despite being approved by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The removal of the Squirt.org poster and ban on subsequent ads is the most recent incident involving complaints against the companys advertising practices. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) recently removed Squirts ads, while the Netherlands Advertising Standards Board ruled in favor of the ads despite public complaints. The continual backlash to the Squirt.org advertisements raises numerous questions on sexuality, discrimination, and obscenity. In each instance, the advertisements in question were different, yet they all featured two or more men in various states of undress, though never nude. The men are lightly touching in a manner implying sexual familiarity, while the text promotes Squirts service as a way to find non-stop hookups or gay cruising opportunities. Disgusting and inappropriate were two of the words used by Cardiff residents when describing the posters. What is not known in regards to each reaction to our ads is whether people are taking exception to the promotion of casual sex or gay casual sex, said Attila Szatmari, digital business director for Pink Triangle Press, Squirts parent company. Either way, it is very concerning and touches upon a larger issue in society. Our campaign has run in many cities in the UK, including Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London, so we are very disappointed to see the reaction of the Cardiff council based on complaints from a few residents, added Szatmari. Our ads have been approved by the ASA, and weve been adhering to those guidelines completely. With this in mind, we will continue to do everything we can to get our advert seen. Earlier this year, high-profile advertising and promotional campaigns from Squirt.org made headlines in Miami, Toronto, San Francisco, and Chicago. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) recently removed Squirt.org posters from its subway cars and stations despite its policy of tolerance and equality, as reported on by BuzzFeed.com. Bus stop advertisements for Squirt.org were also removed in Miami in 2014, as documented by Miamis Channel 10 News. One of the posters was even vandalized, though the culprit remained unknown until a viral video hit the Internet in September, 2015. In the video, a man identifies himself as a veteran of the United States Marine Corp, before he trashes the poster for being disrespectful. DailyXtra.com reported on the correlation between the incident in 2014 and the video. Wales Online first reported news of the Cardiff council ban. To read the article, click here. SHARE By of the A Milwaukee barber who donates his time and skills to young people and faith leaders in a new chaplaincy program were among those recognized Tuesday during the 67th Crime Prevention Awards. Safe & Sound and LISC Milwaukee, two nonprofits who lead anti-crime and development efforts in the city, hosted the awards. The event was sponsored by AAA Wisconsin with support from the Milwaukee Police Department. Aaron Blathers of Rocksteady Barbershop and Salon was recognized for volunteering at "Barbershop Mondays," a program is run by Safe & Sound, a nonprofit with a mission of reducing violent crime among youths in the city. The program offers free haircuts for young people and a chance for them to connect with adults in a positive way. Faithe Colas, of the Salvation Army, and the police chaplains in Distirct 7 Pastors Alexis Twito, Jessie McSwain and Merrick Watkins were honored for the new chaplaincy program aimed at serving officers, victims of violence and residents in strife-filled neighborhoods. Event organizers highlighted the work of chaplains during a homicide vigil last year when the victim's mother fainted and a person ran through the crowd, prompting panic. The chaplains were able to restore order and peace, according to a news release. Other award recipients include: Outstanding Civilian Contribution Award: Jessica Rodriguez-Jasso, who recorded the license plate number of a car used by fleeing robbery suspects. Her efforts as well as those of her husband who was shot twice led to the arrests of suspect, who had been involved in at least one other robbery. Outstanding Block Club Award: Villa/Rohr Blockwatch Outstanding Corporation or Business Award: Gahn Meat Co., which has repeatedly donated food for District Seven community event Outstanding Individual Involved in Crime Prevention: Cacy Kemp, of Safe & Sound, who is helping to build community-police relations in District Seven. Outstanding Professional Contribution Award: Milwaukee Police Officer Joshua Dummann, who shot a domestic violence suspect who was holding a knife to his estranged wife's neck. Crime Prevention Advocate Award: Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm Outstanding Community Liaison Officer Award: District 2 Police Officers Jesus Gloria & Jose Acevedo AAA Traffic Safety Award-Community: Ulysses Brown, a member of Washington Park Partners who organized residents to develop an informal block club. AAA Traffic Safety Award- Law Enforcement: Milwaukee County Sheriff's Patrol Division Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) rallies supporters in Concord, N.H., after his victory over Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. Credit: Getty Images Reem Al-zubeidi is exactly the kind of voter that Bernie Sanders needs over the next four weeks if the "B-train" is to remain on track when the presidential campaign heads south. Al-zubeidi, 23, is an enthusiastic Sanders supporter. She's contributed to his campaign $9 so far. And this University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee accounting major has concerns about Sanders' opponent for the Democratic nomination, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Sanders seems genuine. Clinton does not. "Have you seen her Twitter?" she asked me as we chatted in the UWM Student Union earlier this week. "She's trying way too hard. It's painfully obvious that she's trying to appeal to young voters." It hasn't worked. The Vermont senator crushed Clinton in the New Hampshire Primary Tuesday, getting 60% of the vote to Clinton's 38%. His numbers were stratospheric among the young, according to exit polls. Sanders got 83% of voters ages 18-29, mirroring his support in the Iowa caucuses. Young Wisconsin voters feel much the same way, based on the last two polls conducted by the Marquette University Law School. Sanders and Clinton will debate at UWM on Thursday night. Sanders may be a grumpy 74-year-old, but he's connecting with young adults like he was 18 again. Young Democrats are expressing their aversion to the same old, same old by gravitating to someone who actually seems to believe what he says. Sanders' proposal to make college free attracts the support of college students, no surprise. But the students I spoke with like his other positions, too, such as his vow to take on the Wall Street banks. Many of them don't like Clinton's coziness with the big money firms who have paid her hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees in recent years. "I don't doubt in any way that Hillary Clinton is a good person," said Nick Truog, a 21-year-old Marquette University student from West Allis. "But when it comes to certain policies that need to be in place, the people she's receiving funding from are completely against that. I think that's just a huge issue." Zion Little, 19, a Marquette freshman from Rock Falls, Ill., gets why people his age like Sanders. But he's skeptical that the guy conservatives derisively call "Senator Santa Claus" can actually make free health care and college for all a reality. Little is a Clinton supporter. "He has great plans for college, which is a massive concern among most people I know regardless of whether they are Democrat or Republican," Little said. "But I don't see any of his ideas actually coming to life." Talk with college students for very long, and you soon pick up notes of anxiety about student debt or jobs prospects. This is a generation that came of age during the soft years after the Great Recession, young people who saw mothers and fathers struggle. Their natural optimism is tempered by worry. One UWM student told me he was fine with Sanders' plan to boost taxes on the wealthy "because I don't think I'll ever make that much." Hillary Laskonis, 23, a Marquette junior from Rockford, Ill., is chair of the campus Democrats. She put it this way: "I think people are just thinking about their friends and family and this kind of unattainable promise we have that if we go to college, we will get a leg up and we'll have access to lot of opportunities and hopefully a better income in our future," she said. "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like a viable goal." After his big win in New Hampshire, Sanders has plenty of cash and an army of passionate supporters. He'll be competitive for a while. "I thought it was great that...I could make a contribution to my favorite candidate, said Al-zubeidi, who is a native of Milwaukee. "It's exciting." But Clinton's political operation is broad and deep and is especially strong among African-American voters in the South, where the race may be decided in March. Sanders may not win the nomination but he already has won something that may be even more important. Like John Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy and George McGovern before him, he has energized a new generation of Democrats. If you're Bernie Sanders, it's great to be 18 again. David D. Haynes is editorial page editor for the Journal Sentinel. Email dhaynes@jrn.com Twitter: @DavidDHaynes SHARE About John Doe Separate but related criminal investigations initiated by Milwaukee County prosecutors have examined events and activities during Scott Walker's time as Milwaukee County executive and as governor. Prosecutors have conducted the probes under the state's "John Doe" statutes that grant extraordinary powers to investigators to compel testimony and maintain secrecy. The first John Doe investigation, begun in 2010, led to convictions of six Walker aides, associates or appointees on charges ranging from theft from a veteran's group to misconduct in office. The second Doe probe, launched in 2012, looked into coordination between conservative political organizations and Walker and other candidates during recall elections. The second probe was halted in May 2014 by a federal judge who agreed that the investigation denied one of the conservative groups' its free-speech rights. No charges have been filed in the second investigation. Walker has denied wrongdoing. See full coverage in John Doe special section By of the Republican lawmakers in Madison have already overhauled how John Doe investigations are conducted in Wisconsin. Now they want the records and the power to arrest prosecutors and others to force them to testify before a legislative committee. A group of GOP lawmakers introduced a bill that would grant the Legislature's access to records from closed John Doe investigations. The legislation, AB845, would create a legislative committee with subpoena power and access to records from secret John Doe investigations at the close of such probes "if such access is necessary or convenient to carry out the duties and powers" of the committee. The bill, which was introduced recently, has drawn swift opposition from a number of law enforcement groups. State Rep. David Craig (R-Big Bend), the lead sponsor of the bill in the Assembly, said the move is needed to ensure John Doe investigators and others in law enforcement are not abusing their power. "It's really secret areas of government that the Legislature really should have oversight over," he said. Madison attorney Lester Pines questioned whether such a law would be valid, saying he didn't believe legislators could gain access to records that have been sealed by court order. "They have no idea what they're doing," said Pines, a Democrat who in recent years has sued over a number of laws enacted by Republicans. "People testify in John Does under promises of immunity and confidentiality. I mean, do they pass bills just to help me make a living? "There would be so much litigation over that, it would make your head spin. It would be a lawyer's delight." The proposed law enforcement oversight committee would also study issues related to technology, such as electronic surveillance devices. Under the bill, the committee could review the transfer of military weapons and surveillance equipment to law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin. Backers are pushing the bill in the final days of the legislative session, and it is unclear if they will be able to gain momentum before the clock runs out. The Assembly plans to end this year's session by next week, though the Senate is expected to meet in March. The measure comes at a time when John Doe proceedings have come under heavy scrutiny from Republicans after a pair of investigations of GOP Gov. Scott Walker's campaign and his aides and associates. Walker and GOP lawmakers approved a bill last year limiting secrecy rules for John Does and eliminating the ability of prosecutors to use them to investigate misconduct in office and other crimes related to politics. The John Doe law allows prosecutors to force people to give testimony and turn over documents. John Doe hearings are often conducted in secret and until the recent changes were made, targets and witnesses could be barred from speaking publicly about the probes. The first John Doe investigation resulted in six convictions of Walker aides and associates for crimes such as using taxpayer resources to campaign when Walker was Milwaukee County executive. Walker was never charged with a crime. The second probe looked into whether Walker's campaign illegally coordinated with conservative groups. The state Supreme Court last year threw out that investigation before it was completed, finding nothing illegal had occurred and ruling candidates and issue groups can work closely together. Craig acknowledged that the proposal would allow lawmakers access to all of the records from the now-closed John Doe II. He said that considering the claims of predawn "paramilitary raids," lawmakers should be able to review how such probes have been conducted to determine whether there were "imprudent decisions by law enforcement." Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and other prosecutors involved with the probe have insisted they acted properly and executed search warrants using standard protocols. The committee would function much like a congressional oversight committee, Craig said. The measure would also allow the committee to review devices being used by law enforcement, such as Stingrays, which simulate a cellphone tower and can be used to secretly track the precise locations of cellphone users without getting search warrants. They can find phones even when they're not in use or when they have location privacy enabled. Originally developed for national security, they have become a powerful tool for local police who promise the Federal Bureau of Investigation they won't acknowledge having Stingrays to anyone else, including judges who might ask what led to a defendant's arrest. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a California nonprofit that advocates for digital freedom and privacy, say the practice, which pulls in all phones in the vicinity, not just the targeted number, amounts to unreasonable search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment. At a public hearing Wednesday on the bill, Jim Palmer of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association warned that a number of the state's major law enforcement organizations have serious concerns about the proposal. Palmer said the measure would likely compromise ongoing criminal investigations, undermine local control and limit law enforcement's ability to respond quickly in emergency situations. He also raised concerns about who would have oversight of the newly formed committee. That committee would have the power to issue subpoenas to people, and anyone who failed to show up could be arrested and brought before the committee to testify, the bill says. Francis J. Deisler (wearing hat) enters the Continental Savings and Loan at 6500 N. 76th St. to rob it on Oct. 4, 1972. Deisler was later convicted and sent to prison for the crime spree. After his release, he received a license in social work from Wisconsin and other states, prompting lawmakers to look at ways to do more background checks on those who apply for professional licenses. Credit: Criminal court file exhibit SHARE By of the A bill that would make lying on an application to become a licensed professional in Wisconsin a crime was passed by an Assembly committee Wednesday but faces an uncertain future as the legislative session winds down. The bipartisan measure was introduced following a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation revealing the state licensed Francis Deisler, a serial rapist and bank robber, to be a social worker. Last month, he agreed to forever give up his Wisconsin license. The bill's author, Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha), said Wednesday the Deisler case shocked him and revealed the lack of consequences for people who lie on an application to become a professional. Allen noted the only punishment for lying was to lose the license. The bill would make it a class A misdemeanor to provide false information on any of the applications received by the Department of Safety and Professional Services. The department licenses more than 230 professions, ranging from barbers to doctors, and issues nearly 40,000 licenses a year. Under the bill, a conviction would carry a maximum penalty of nine months in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. Allen said the bill would "safeguard the integrity of our license process and bolster the foundation of trust upon which our professional economy relies." The bill passed the Assembly Workforce Development Committee on a 10-4 vote. The bill comes as the state begins new limited criminal background checks of a narrow portion of the state's social workers. The checks will be done on 5% or about 500 of the roughly 10,000 social workers licensed in Wisconsin. The current practice is basically an honor system where license applications ask applicants to disclose their criminal records. Regulators do not verify the answers. The background check program is a test and will be launched next year, when all state social workers' licenses are renewed. Rep. Mike Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin) asked Allen what kind of enforcement there is without doing background checks. "I understand you want to deter by having these high fines but if no one is doing a background check on the back side, how do we know if these people are still lying?" Kuglitsch said. Allen responded, "Yeah, that's the question: There is a price you have to pay for 100% guarantee. That is where we have to be prudent and fiscally responsible." He said it would cost $60 million to do background checks on all 371,000 professional licenses issued by the state. Asked after the hearing how the department would learn of violations without widespread background checks, Allen said he would expect those who lie would be reported by peers and clients who learn of their background. Allen also said he would be open to considering background checks for certain occupations in the future but he said it is important to make lying on the forms a crime now. The Journal Sentinel reported last June that despite Deisler spending a decade behind bars for a variety of convictions, including kidnapping and raping a 14-year-old girl, regulators in Wisconsin and two other states licensed him to work as a social worker. After doing his time, Deisler entered the social work field and was licensed in Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. He specialized in treating addicts and sex offenders, launched several social service businesses, and founded a national social worker training and accreditation organization. Reddit Email 0 Shares By Alpaslan Ozerdem | (The Conversation | The Syrian civil war and the refugee crisis it has caused is the greatest humanitarian disaster facing the world right now. But while Europe is often portrayed in Europe as the epicentre of the refugee crisis, the reality is completely different. The forced migration of people from war-torn Syria over the past five years continues to put massive socio-economic and political pressures on the countrys neighbours. According to UNHCR, the number of registered Syrian refugees in these countries has now surpassed 4.5m overwhelmingly concentrated in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. Of these, 1.9m refugees are officially in Turkey, but according to other sources, the number there could be as high as 2.6m. Jordan and Lebanon, meanwhile, are both small and resource-stretched countries, and are struggling to withstand the crisiss incredible political and economic pressure. By contrast, between April 2011 and November 2015, Europe dealt with fewer than 1m Syrian asylum applications. In the face of a drastic spike during 2015, Germany and Sweden have been much more generous in granting asylum to Syrian refugees than other rich EU members, but they are running out of patience as their European neighbours lag behind. In other words, the Syrian refugee crisis may be a serious political issue for Europe, but when it comes to numbers, its clearly Syrias neighbours who are doing the most to deal with this humanitarian disaster. As the fighting in Syria intensifies and outside actors such as Russia increase their involvement in hostilities, the violent chaos that drives people to flee looks set only to increase. New waves of Syrian refugees will continue to reach neighbouring countries. The tens of thousands of refugees arriving on the Turkish border have made their journeys to escape the Assad governments push to retake Aleppo from rebel forces an offensive backed by Russian aerial bombing. Reuters/Abdalrhman Ismail Despite what certain European politicians say, Syrians are doing all they can to remain in their country. Those who are leaving are doing so because their survival is seriously threatened or impossible. Some 7.5m people have been internally displaced but have (so far) stayed in Syria rather than seeking asylum abroad. However, the continuation and intensification of the war in their country after five years of bloodshed, suffering and destruction, is testing the Syrian peoples resilience and their chance of survival if they stay put is diminishing. Until there a political settlement to bring the wanton killing of the civil war to an end, Syrias neighbouring countries and Europe alike must be prepared to accept more refugees. The prospects for any such settlement are as bleak as ever. The latest UN-led Geneva peace talks were suspended on February 3 after struggling even to begin. Theyre now slated to resume on February 25 but the deadlock over which opposition groups can attend is far from resolved. All sides are blaming each other for the failure of the talks, but thats simply not the point. If these efforts continue to fail, then with the reality of more Syrians becoming refugees, the rich nations of the world will need to do a lot more to help Syrias neighbouring countries. This is only not about money. The Conference Supporting Syria, held in London on February 4, raised $10 billion in pledges, $7 billion of which will be dedicated for immediate humanitarian aid. Heartening, yes but altruism is not measured by the number of digits in pledges, but more fortunate countries having the compassion to open their doors to fellow human beings in times of humanitarian disasters. If theyre serious about dealing with the Syrian refugee crisis, the supposed leading advocates of human rights should see it as an opportunity to show their humanity to the world public. Alpaslan Ozerdem, Chair in Peace-Building, Co-Director of Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Related video added by Juan Cole: Euronews: Syria: Tens of thousands fleeing Aleppo remain stranded at Turkey border Reddit Email 0 Shares By Russ Wellen | ( Foreign Policy in Focus) | As time passes, whatever responsibility Americans took for atrocities in Iraq, which are ongoing, has almost completely disappeared. The word genie comes from the Arab jinni. As every child knows, it describes a creature that, when summoned, fulfills your wishes. Doesnt it seem like the United States played a cruel trick when it further westernized the concept of jinni by uncorking a bottle in Iraq and bidding the unleashed genie to effect regime change. Unfortunately, the genie, given its head by the United States, had its own ideas and subsequently lit the region on fire. Its hard to believe, but 13 years after the United States invaded Iraq and the situation isnt much better than when it was at its worst. At Salon, Ben Norton writes: At least 18,802 civilians were killed and 36,245 wounded in the country in the 22 months between Jan. 1, 2014, and Oct. 31, 2015, according to the Report on the Protection of Civilians in the Armed Conflict in Iraq. Another 3,206,736 Iraqis were internally displaced, including more than 1 million school-age children, in the 21 months from January 2014 to September 2015. The study emphasizes that these are conservative estimates, and the actual number of civilian causalities could be much higher than recorded. Moreover, the U.N. indicates that the number of civilians who have died from secondary effects of the violence, such as lack of access to food, water or medical care, is unknown. Thats on the heels of the Iraq War, from March 2003 to December 2011 [when] more than 1 million people were killed a conservative estimate, according to a study by the Nobel Prize-winning organization the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. Aside from the horror itself, whats disturbing is that if confronted with that information, most Americans would likely declare that we gave Iraqis their freedom; what they have done with it is on them. No, what we gave them was a vacuum of a state without legitimate security services after we disbanded its army. Ideally, the likes of George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld would be indicted. The latter are too old to yield any satisfaction in their jailing. But, of course, none of them would ever be indicted because too many Americans are implicated along with them. Even if that did happen, Americans would offload whatever guilt they had been tamping down on to that unholy trio. Via Foreign Policy in Focus - Related video added by Juan Cole: UN Human Rights: Iraq: Almost 19,000 civilians killed Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 10, 2016) - Carube Copper Corp. (TSXV: CUC) announced today that its joint venture partner, OZ Minerals Limited, has elected to sole fund Phase 5 expenditures on the Bellas Gate Project (BGP) in Jamaica. By funding Phase 5, which includes all work to the completion of a feasibility study, OZ Minerals will earn an additional 10% interest in the project. The initial work within the Phase 5 program will comprise close to 2,000 metres of drilling on four priority copper prospects as well as mapping, sampling and ground geophysics on these and other targets. Jeff Ackert, President & CEO of Carube Copper commented: "After many years of diligent exploration work and unwavering dedication by our team, moving into a Phase 5 program with OZ Minerals is a terrific achievement for Carube Copper and its shareholders. We are extremely pleased with the commitment OZ Minerals has shown to our Bellas Gate Project. Both Carube Copper and OZ Minerals see the potential for the project." Once the feasibility study is complete, and a decision to mine is made, Carube may choose to fund its pro-rata portion of the development of the project, or elect to offer its remaining interest (10% or 20%) for sale to OZ Minerals at the then Net Present Value (NPV) as determined by the feasibility study. If Carube does choose to fund its pro-rata portion, it can request OZ Minerals to carry it through to commercial production. This carried amount will be considered a loan at LIBOR plus 3% and payable through production and sale of material. The BGP is Carube Copper's core asset with over eighteen priority copper-gold prospects containing high resource potential. Lengthy robust Cu-Au intersections have already been recorded from the Connors and Camel Hill porphyries. A recent Connors drill hole, CON-14-003, intersected 297m of 0.53% CuEq including 55m of 1.00% CuEq. Copper equivalents are calculated using a US $3.00/lb. copper and a US$1200/oz. gold price assuming unlimited internal dilution and 100% recovery of both metals. See Press Release dated January 11, 2016 (http://carubecopper.com/press/2016/CUC-PR-Announces-Successful-Completion-of-$8-3M-Exploration-Program-January-11-2016.pdf) for a summary of drill results at the BGP. Exploration at the BGP during the first four phases of work by OZ Minerals included: diamond drilling of forty holes totalling 11,028 metres; assaying of 10,537m of drill core and 353 rock chip samples; analysis of 2,892 soil samples; geological mapping of 20 prospects, of which 13 were high priority, and a heliborne magnetic and radiometric survey totalling 1,867 line kilometres. OZ Minerals has spent $8.3M on the first four phases of exploration and currently retains a 70% interest, with Carube Copper holding 30%. The four priority targets to be investigated during the initial Phase 5 program are: Provost Prospect is a porphyry Cu-Au target. It is located on the prospective Southern Alteration Zone trend between Geo Hill and Hendley, both of which host porphyry Cu-Au systems. Soil geochemistry anomalisms suggest a 400m by 400m anomaly area. The prospect area contains a strong to intense density of stockwork veining in volcanic rocks, which include quartz "A-veins" in malachite-mineralized outcrops. The alteration zone is open along trend to southeast. This area will be drilled. Provost Southeast is a new prospective area located 800m southeast of the Provost prospect. Provost Southeast soil data outlines an anomalous copper zone 600m long and of variable width from 100m to 200m. This area will be mapped and drilled. Lucky Valley is located to the northwest of Connors in an intrusive complex interpreted to be analogous to the Ginger Ridge Stock which is host to the Connors Porphyry Complex. Multiple phases of intrusion have been identified in field mapping, including a quartz-feldspar porphyry that contains strong sheeted quartz +/- magnetite veining. Rock samples from this phase contained up to 0.44% Cu and 0.67 g/t Au. A zone of anomalous Cu in soil measuring 200m by 400m has been identified in an area of poor outcrop. Mapping and drilling are planned. Old Woman Hill is a porphyry Cu-Au target. It was the highest ranked Au anomaly from the 1980s CIDA survey at Bellas Gate, with one historic stream sediment sample returning 92ppm Cu and 42ppb Au. Ground truthing has located the historic oxide copper occurrences. Reconnaissance mapping, soil sampling and drilling are planned. Carube Copper has previously announced that it intends to raise an aggregate of $440,000 by way of a non-brokered private placement of up to 3,000,000 units of the Company at a price of $0.08 per unit and up to 2,000,000 flow-through common shares in the capital of the Company at a price of $0.10 per share. Closing is expected to take place on or about March 9, 2016. For more information, please see contacts below. Sample Preparation, Analysis and Quality Control: For a description of these items as pertaining to drill core and soil samples please see disclosures in press releases of January 14, 2015 (http://carubecopper.com/press/2015/Carube-PR-Exciting-Drill-Results-January14-2015.pdf) and October 2, 2014 (http://carubecopper.com/press/2014/Carube-PR-2014-10-02-Hendley-Soils.pdf). OZ Minerals, Carube Copper and Activation Laboratories all have vigorous sample security and quality control programs in place for samples collected in Jamaica. QP Statement: This press release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Vern Rampton, P. Eng., in his capacity as a qualified person as defined under NI 43-101. All references to "$" herein are to Canadian dollars unless stated otherwise. Contacts Jeff Ackert, President and CEO 1-613-839-3258 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Vern Rampton, Executive VP of Corporate Development 1-613-839-3258 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Alar Soever, Chairman 1-705-682-9297 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Darrell Munro, Corporate Administration 1-613-839-0474 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - END PRESS RELEASE - Carube Copper Corp. (TSXV: CUC) is a Canadian exploration company focused on the exploration and development of copper and gold projects in Jamaica and Canada. In Jamaica, two projects, totalling 188 square kilometres in area, are the subject of separate joint venture agreements with OZ Minerals Limited, an Australian copper-gold producer with a market capitalization of over $1B. Carube Copper holds a 100% interest in two other nearby projects, totalling 72 square kilometres. In Canada, Carube Copper holds a 100% interest in three porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum properties, totalling 593 square kilometres within the Tertiary-aged Cascade Magmatic Arc in southwestern British Columbia. Exploration continues on these properties with the goal of joint-venturing them to larger exploration and mining companies. Carube continues to seek opportunities in Canada and the Caribbean for acquisition and development. DISCLAIMER AND FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, and by their very nature involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on currently available information, Carube Copper Corp. provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities may differ materially from those expressed herein. Factors that can cause results to differ materially are set out in the Company's documents filed on the SEDAR website. Even though Carube Copper believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on it, as it may only apply to a disclosed time frame or not at all. Carube Copper disclaims any obligation to update or revise information in the future other than required by law. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NEW YORK CITYThe SDR Show, hosted by comedian Big Jay Oakerson and radio personality Ralph Sutton, welcomed Madison Leigh to their studio this past week. The brand-new MILF performer from New Jersey, formerly known as Samantha Leigh, enjoyed her time on the show with the two hosts. A super sweet, fun chick, and MILF, Madison Leigh came by the studio this week; this was an interesting episode, as a friend of mine came to hang out in the studio again, said Sutton. Last week, the show led to a box-eating contest; this week, Big Jays girlfriend Christine sees a male model hog. Which goes to prove my theory: you never know what kind of genitalia you are going to see on an SDR show. Madison Leigh took everything in stride, and was a super cool guest. To hear the full Madison Leigh interview, click here. Madison Leigh may be followed on Twitter. Fans can follow The SDR Show on Twitter, as well as Big Jay Oakerson, and Ralph Sutton. - T. S. Eliot Thoughts After Lambeth "The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide." Actress Jun Ji Hyun gave birth to her first child, a baby boy, in Seoul on February 10. According to her agency, Culture Depot, mom and baby are both doing well. Jun is married to banker Choi Joon Hyuk, who works at the Bank of America's Seoul branch. Although not a celebrity, Choi does have some well-known relatives. He is the grandson of hanbok designer Lee Young Hee, who opened the Lee Young Hee Korea Museum in New York City. He is the son of fashion designer Lee Jung Woo and the brother of Choi Joon Ho, a member of the k-pop group X-Large. Choi's father runs an asset management company. In true k-drama style Jun Ji Hyun and Choi Joon Hyuk were perhaps fated to meet as they have known each other since they were children.They grew up in the same neighborhood, but lost touch until they were reintroduced by a mutual acquaintance. The couple married in 2012. In an interview she said it was his boldness that won her over. He proposed by telling her to bring her passport on a date. They ended up traveling to Japan where he asked her to marry him. Jun Ji Hyun announced her pregnancy in July. During the summer of 2015 she participated in promotions for the film "Assassination," in which she played a highly skilled sniper. Her last public appearance was at the 2015 Korean Pop Culture Awards in October. She was nominated for five awards and won the President's Award for her role in the historical film. Before appearing in the film "Assassination," Jun Ji Hyun's popularity received a big boost when she starred in the drama "You Who Came From Another Star" with Kim Soo Hyun. In that drama she played a sulky film star in love with an alien. OMAHA Paul Younes, 63 of Kearney and Kearney Hospitality Inc. pleaded guilty to charges related to the unlawful hiring of an undocumented worker, U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced Tuesday in a news release. Younes was charged with unlawful employment of aliens in violation of United States code. He faces a maximum sentence of six months imprisonment and a $3,000 fine. Kearney Hospitality Inc. was charged with harboring an alien and is subject to a term of probation of five years and a maximum fine of $500,000. Sentencing has been set for May 9, the news release said. Youness attorney, Paul Forney, issued a written statement that said; In January 2015 Kearney Hospitality had an issue with one of its employees. This particular employee was not authorized to work under the U.S. immigration laws. Kearney Hospitality Inc., as well as Mr. Younes, accepted responsibility for wrongdoing as the employer. Subsequently, Kearney Hospitality Inc. has implemented corrective measures to ensure this kind of incident does not occur again. Both Kearney Hospitality Inc. and Mr. Younes have entered into plea agreements with the U.S. government. Both plea agreements involve probation and a fine. Gilgs news release said Younes is an officer and director of various corporations which own and/or run hotels in Nebraska including the Holiday Inn Express in Hastings and the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Kearney. Kearney Hospitality Inc. runs the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Kearney. The investigation revealed that Blanca Gama, a citizen of Mexico who was not lawfully in the United States, worked as the supervisor of housekeeping at the Holiday Inn Express in Hastings. In 2014, Gama learned she was under investigation by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. Gama quit her job at the Holiday Inn Express but later met with Younes who arranged for her to work in the housekeeping department at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Kearney under the name Elizabeth Gomez. Younes was aware that this person had previously been employed under the name Blanca Gama, the press release alleges. Younes did not place Gomez on the regular payroll for the Fairfield Inn. Rather, he treated her as an independent contractor even though she was the only person in the housekeeping department who worked in that capacity. Younes later authorized this persons re-hire at the Holiday Inn Express in Hastings under the name Jacqueline Lopez even though she continued to be referred to as Blanca Gama at that location. This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Nebraskans frequently hear that they are stakeholders in the University of Nebraska system, but the states residents might be surprised to know that NUs buildings comprise 70 percent of their state governments building assets. If Nebraskans have a stake in NUs success, then they need to understand that maintaining and modernizing the systems brick and mortar assets are important. That was the message on Tuesday as NU President Hank Bounds explained a building update proposal to the Nebraska Legislatures Appropriations Committee. Its the same panel wrestling with a revenue shortfall of $110 million along with the governors cash reserve requests for $196 million for property tax relief and funds for an infrastructure bank. Bounds said the university is requesting about $400 million for its building initiative to be paid for by issuing bonds, boosting the annual infrastructure commitment of both state government and the university by $11 million each, and hiking tuition by an extra $2 per credit hour. What do stakeholders get in return? According to Bounds, the projects would yield $640 million in total economic output and support 5,200 jobs, but the larger impact could be on student recruiting and retention. The need for quality, modern, functional buildings is as important today as it has ever been, Bounds told lawmakers. We are operating in the most competitive higher education marketplace of our lifetimes. That means providing quality facilities. NU already is highly competitive in cost. Tuition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is 50 percent below the average of Big Ten public institutions. Tuition at NU campuses might be comparatively inexpensive, but Nebraska students desire value in their educational investment, and dont hesitate to scout other universities. The quality of facilities matters. We in Kearney have witnessed tremendous improvements over the past decade at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, with new and modernized residence halls, classrooms and athletic facilities. Also, were looking at a bright future for UNK as the 104-acre University Village project unfolds. Bounds told lawmakers that almost $1.1 billion in building needs have been identified, but NU is asking for just 40 percent of that amount to begin. Lawmakers should seriously consider the request. Nebraskans need a strong university system. Studies show that NUs annual economic impact for Nebraska is about $3.9 billion. Thats a large number. Sustaining it requires an occasional investment. The 2016 Legislature is having a daily filibuster. Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley of Kearney knew this was coming when he decided to shorten by two hours the time a bill could be discussed before a vote is taken. His decision to allow for a cloture vote sooner may be the saving grace of this years gathering at the House of Babble. It all started last year with a freshman class that included some independent thinkers and a few people who just seem to like to hear themselves talk. Never mind that a lot of that chatter is nothing new. Remember, this is a direct result of term limits. Nobody remembers that the topic was discussed at length years ago. As I discovered in years of daily coverage of the Legislature, a stupid idea 10 years ago is probably still a stupid idea. But some people just feel the need to talk about it again and again. At times, such jabber is also accompanied by some unbelievable occurrence off the floor. Take a recent weekend of robo calls from some anonymous source trying to strong-arm senators on a gun control measure. Appropriations Committee Chairman Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha characterized the incident as Reasonable people trying to solve a problem are falling victim to outside political influence and divisive rhetoric. That incivility, that kind of desire to win at all costs, to try to use every ounce of political activity they can to make someone take a vote instead of trying to work and negotiate while protecting reasonable gun owners rights colleagues, Im concerned thats the mentality that some of us have in this body right now, the Lincoln Journal Star quoted him as saying. Fellow Omaha lawmaker John McCollister said the calls were a strong-arm tactic, a bare-knuckle approach more common to campaigns than to the everyday working of the Unicameral. The calls, paid for by Save Our State Nebraska, went to residents in 10 senators legislative districts. In most cases, the calls accused the lawmakers of aligning themselves with Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, a lead opponent of the gun measure who also championed last years death penalty repeal. McCollister, a member of the National Rifle Association, said the call accused him of going after Second Amendment rights. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete, would create one set of gun laws for the entire state. She said she worried that someone from another town might be carrying a legally registered weapon but fall victim to tougher gun control laws in Lincoln and Omaha and get in trouble. The proposal, which would eliminate cities ability to restrict firearms beyond what is included under state law, failed to overcome a days-long filibuster, falling short by a single vote. Thats nearly six hours of time the Legislature will never get back. It was an exceedingly sweeping bill, said Hadley, who joined opponents in voting to block the measure. As written, the bill would have pre-empted local ordinances in Lincoln that ban guns from domestic violence shelters and drug abuse treatment centers, and prohibit a wider range of offenders from possessing firearms than is covered under state law. In Omaha, the measure would have dashed a local law aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of juvenile gang members and a registration requirement that allows police to deny handguns for those who are mentally ill or involved in documented gang activity. Ebke said those local ordinances encroach on Nebraskans constitutional right to bear arms and threaten responsible gun owners who might unknowingly break the law while traveling in the state. Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte called the local laws feel-good attempts that have been ineffective. To her credit, Ebke and colleagues from Lincoln and Omaha worked unsuccessfully to the 11th hour to find a compromise to preserve the local ordinances while allowing gun owners from elsewhere to travel freely without fear of prosecution. But, it was a failed vote for closure that effectively killed the bill for the rest of the session. Now its on to the next filibuster, er, topic. J.L. Schmidt is the statehouse correspondent for the Nebraska Press Association. By Casey Houser, Contributing Writer Share The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement between several countries in the Pacific Rim that was signed by its 12 members earlier this month, could have striking implications for U.S. contact center workers. At this point, the effects of the treaty are not yet in force because they are subject to member ratification. A ratification in the U.S., which the treaty says must occur within two years, could allow U.S. companies that employ government workers to pay those workers less when they are stationed overseas. According to an article at Bloomberg, federal contact center jobs could be moved to Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam in order to take advantage of lower wages. Bloomberg (News - Alert) noted the sentiment of Dan Mauer, a legislative representative for the Communications Workers of America labor union, who said that companies could pay for similar work at just $2 an hour. Compared to the minimum wage in the U.S. ($7.25 per hour at the publishing of this story), that can represent significant savings when spread across multiple employees. A provision in the pact gives workers in Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam the same consideration for government contracts as those individuals here in the states. American companies stationed in the U.S. and any of the countries listed above then stand to see an instant benefit from ratification of the treaty. Organizations lucky enough to already operate in those areas may have additional incentive to remain there. Furthermore, any companies that do not currently send part of their operations to those three nations could begin to take a second look at the idea. Opponents to the trade deal have called out the damage this could do to U.S.-based employment. Employees that live in the U.S., of course, will be able to take home pay to their families and continue to circulate that money throughout the U.S. economy. Those workers in other countries although they would still be completing work for the U.S. government would necessarily take the money elsewhere, into the economies of their own nations. This is not the only international deal, however, that creates a situation in which foreign workers can compete for U.S. federal dollars. Bloomberg points to other agreements that involve larger countries such as Canada, Japan, and Mexico that already place their own citizens on equal footing if they work for U.S. companies that have a presence in those areas. For now, such potential jobs will likely not be lost until past November 2016 after the presidential election cycle. Congress must still approve the deal, and leaders in government have noted that it would be irresponsible to make a move until the political tide in the country has firmed. From here, Congress has two years to consider the TPP provisions and decide whether or not to move forward. Edited by Rory J. Thompson Pump prices likely on the rise in coming months Gas prices are likely to go back up following the OPEC+ decision to cut oil production by 2 million barrels a day, starting in November.... Spindle Items .. ETERNAL HAPPINESS All of us are chasing happiness. None of us wants to be miserable, angry, frightened , depressed or the like. If... Out of the Past 25 Years AgoOct. 22, 1997 Zoning laws in the Town of Tonawanda received much needed updating Monday as Councilman Raymond Sinclair presented amendments in underground... Family fun for everyone Halloween is every kids dream holiday, with costumes and candy, tricks and treats. Some of my favorite memories with my family have centered around Halloween,... By Steve Anderson, Contributing Writer Share Some might think that, once the call center has achieved compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI (News - Alert)) Security Standards Council's guidelines, that's all the security development that needs doing. That's not the case, though, and a new report from Telecom Reseller (News - Alert) looks at why. While there's no doubt that the PCI security standards are powerful protective measures, and the consequences for not being PCI-compliant can be pretty massive, there are a great many organizations out there that can fall under PCI compliance effects and not even be aware of it. Since over 12 million businesses in the United States accept payments with cardswhether online, mobile, or otherwisethe pool of businesses that fall under PCI Data Security Standards (DSS) regulations is likely more substantial than many thought. Moreover, many firms believe that, by using a PCI-compliant partner to process cardholder information for a contact center, that satisfies any PCI involvement, and aren't subject to any potential fines as a result of data breach. That's a misconception that's lost companies millions of dollars, reports note, as third-party payment processors will guarantee PCI Level 1 compliance. That's enough for many organizations, who believe that the connection to a PCI Level 1 organization turns a current solution out of scope in terms of compliance. The problem comes in, however, when a payment is routed from the originator to the partner. If a hacker descends on the system at its weak pointthe non-PCI-compliant pointthe data is still accessed, and it's the organization that didn't have the PCI standards in place that suffers, not the partner organization. Businesses are only exempt if the caller is completely disassociated from a phone system while information is being sent. If the call center can find a way to detach that caller, and then reconnect that caller to the same agent in the same point in the queue, it can be exempt from PCI Level 1 compliance. The processing partner then bears the responsibility, if any, since PCI Level 1 compliance is already achieved. This makes for a difficult situation; the importance of protecting customers' personal data must be vital to an organization in order to ensure its continued operation. It can't fail on this point, as the first time it does, it represents a grave risk of lost business to competitors who will protect data. Worse, the impact to a brand as a business goes from the place with the great stuff to the place that got hacked. That's a recipe for customers jumping ship, so protection isn't a matter of avoiding fines, it's also a matter of keeping customers. PCI compliance isn't just a thing that's done to be a selling point; it's a thing that's done to keep customers safe. Avoiding a whole lot of unpleasantness in fines, fees, and lost customers is really just a side effect, and this makes keeping up with compliance measures vital. Edited by Rory J. Thompson The Chamber of Mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo has welcomes the governments announcement earlier Wednesday that officials have dropped initial plans to amend the countrys mining code. Simon Tuma-Waku, spokesman for the Chamber of Mines, says the government recognized that a more onerous code would drive investors away from an already-stressed market. The assurance given ... by Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu that the current code will be retained has brought clarity and stability to the situation, the spokesman says. With the uncertainty out of the way, the DRC can now return to being a competitive mining investment destination, to the benefit of the government as well as the industry. He says while 2015 was a tough year for the DRCs mining industry, it held up reasonably well in the face of challenging conditions. Copper production was down only 3.3% year on year despite the closure of marginal operations. Zinc also dipped, but cobalt and diamond production was slightly higher. The biggest positive move came in gold, with a 2015 total of 25 tonnes up 30% year-on-year. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Centerra Gold Reports Increase In Year-End Reserves Wednesday February 10, 2016 09:39 Centerra Gold Inc. (TSX: CG) says 2015 year-end proven and probable reserves increased 9% to 8.4 million ounces of contained gold (112.5 million tonnes at 2.3 grams per tonne), compared to 7.7 million contained ounces a year earlier. The company used a gold price of $1,200 per ounce as the basis for its reserve estimates. Officials say the company had a positive feasibility study at its Oksut project in Turkey. As a result, measured and indicated resources on both the Keltepe and Guneytepe deposits were upgraded to an estimated probable reserve of 26.1 million tonnes at 1.4 g/t gold containing 1.2 million ounces of gold at a cut-off grade of 0.3 g/t gold. Meanwhile, now that the Mongolian Parliament has passed a Gatsuurt ownership resolution, we expect to proceed with negotiating definitive agreements and carry out additional exploration drilling to expand the Gatsuurt resource base as well as geo-technical and hydrogeological drilling in support of eventual project development, says Scott Perry, chief executive officer. The addition to reserves at Oksut and Gatsuurt advancing to the next step continues to diversify our operations portfolio and solidify our growth pipeline." By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Anaconda Mining Expands Its Reach In Newfoundland Wednesday February 10, 2016 08:17 Anaconda Mining Inc. (TSX: ANX) says it has expanded its reach in Newfoundland, having entered into an option agreements with Spruce Ridge Resources Ltd. to acquire a 100% interest in the Viking property, which contains the Thor-Trend gold deposit, and the Kramer property, which is contiguous to Viking and contains numerous gold prospects and showings similar in geological character and setting to the Thor deposit. With prior actions, Anaconda says it now controls approximately 6,225 hectares of property in White Bay, Newfoundland. "Our option of Spruce Ridge's gold properties is an exciting transaction for Anaconda as it is the first step out from the Point Rousse project and will add significant resources to our portfolio within striking distance of the Pine Cove mill, says the companys president and chief executive, Dustin Angelo . Our intent is to process any ore mined from this property at the Pine Cove mill so as to leverage our existing infrastructure. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Bert and Mary (Jeffrey Bassett and Missi Patti, back middle) enjoy their jolly holiday. STEVE ZUGSCHWERDT | Special to the Kitsap Sun SHARE Mary Poppins (Missi Patti, middle), with help from Miss Corry (Elizabeth Dangelo) and Bert (Jeffrey Bassett) explains that Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious word. Mary (Missi Patti) and Bert (Jeffrey Bassett) take some time out for a jolly holiday. Jane and Michael Banks (Coco McKinley and Jeremie Sandbeck) are about to be astounded by Neleus (Aspynn Schuster). Neleus (Aspyn Schuster, middle) is astounded by something Michael Banks (Jeremie Sandbeck) has to say, while his sister Jane (Coco McKinley) listens. By Michael C. Moore SILVERDALE Going big was not an option for director Sherry Knox when she took on CSTOCK's production of "Mary Poppins." She said she knew, however, that the exploits of P.L. Travers' "practically perfect" nanny can be told just as well on a smaller scale. "It can be done," said Knox, who directed "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" for CSTOCK last spring, back in the company's former digs in the since-condemned Silverdale Community Center. "That's good, because we really don't have any choice." Indeed, CSTOCK's interim home, the gymnasium at Central Kitsap Middle School, doesn't lend itself to the kind of bells and whistles that can lend to the magic of the show, famously adapted into a 1964 screen musical by Disney, and inevitably moved along to the stage in a version that actually drew more from Travers' original stories than from the movie, which combined live action and animation. But there's still considerable magic to be found in Travers' tale of the dysfunctional Banks family's rescue at the hands of the mysterious, umbrella-wielding Poppins, including the Disney film's wonderful songs like "A Spoonful of Sugar" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," augmented by newer songs written for the stage adaptation. "We have to be a little careful what we do," Knox said, referring to the confines of the CKMS stage and backstage, cramped even in comparison to the defunct Community Center venue. "We'll have actors climbing over scenery to get on and off. "We just have to keep things as simple as possible, and still tell the story." Missi Patti, who was the Narrator in CSTOCK's "Joseph" and has a number of credits with the troupe, will play Mary, and Jeffrey Bassett, one of the area's busiest actors, is Bert. Bassett last worked at CSTOCK as Edna in 2013's "Hairspray," but more recently was seen as the title character in "Scrooge, the Musical" at Paradise Theatre in Gig Harbor. "We got a wonderful cast," Knox said, adding, "If you've got a good Mary and a good Bert, that makes things a lot easier. Missi and Jeffrey are both outstanding." The struggling Banks parents, George and Winifred, will be played by Dale Borer and Pamela Rhodes. Borer is a CSTOCK mainstay who also designed the lighting for the show, while Rhodes will make her debut with the company. Cast as the Banks children are Coco McKinley (the daughter of vocal director Sirena McKinley, a veteran of similar posts with Poulsbo's Kitsap Children's Musical Theater) and Jeremie Sandbeck, who got his CSTOCK feet wet in last winter's production of "Shrek." A number of CSTOCK familiars round out the cast, including Margie Kluth (who doubles as costume coordinator) as the Bird Woman, Elizabeth Dangelo as Mrs. Corry and Judy Batschi as "The Holy Terror." Robin Abille, who was Scrooge in CSTOCK's recent musical version of "A Christmas Carol," completes the Banks' domestic staff, playing Robertson Ay to Amanda Pugh's Mrs. Brill. They'll all perform to a recorded soundtrack, which proved itself a good fit in the gymnasium setting during the run of "Shrek," and put through their dance paces by not one, but two choreography veterans, Diana Lau and Ryan Posey. "There were a lot of big shows (casting) when we were getting started," said Knox, whose cast totals 27. "I was surprised we got so many good people. We were lucky."

Parks officials havenat determined what would be done with the Sakai property if the bond is approved. Little has been done to the property since the Sakai family stopped farming it in the 1970s.

SHARE By Tristan Baurick of the Kitsap Sun BAINBRIDGE ISLAND Bainbridge is getting its Central Park. The islands voters gave strong backing to a $5.9 million park bond aimed at buying a largely undeveloped 23-acre property in a fast-growing part of Winslow. The bond was passing with nearly 69 percent of the vote, according to early election results released Tuesday night. This is an affirmation of the islands desire for parks, park board member Lee Cross said at a loud, celebratory campaign party at Treehouse Cafe. Islanders like what we do, and they want more. The bond required 60 percent approval to pass. Turnout was high Tuesday, with about 46 percent of the islands 17,765 registered voters casting a ballot, which included a Bainbridge fire levy and bond. Both fire measures also were passing. Tuesdays ballot count is one of the best election results the Bainbridge park district has seen in its history, said John DeMeyer, the districts recreation services director. Its overwhelming, said Terry Lande, the districts executive director. The property, a former farm owned by the Sakai family, has long been coveted by park advocates as one of the last large, undeveloped properties in Winslow. The Sakai property is well positioned to serve the same purpose as New Yorks Central Park, according to Bruce Weiland, co-chair of the bonds campaign. It sits between Highway 305 and busy Madison Avenue, and is across the street from Bainbridge High School, Ordway Elementary and the Bainbridge Aquatics Center. Several housing and commercial developments are within a one-block radius. The property has a 2-acre pond, sloping wooded areas and meadows. About 10 acres of flat land along Madison could be developed for park uses. Much of the property would be preserved as open space. Now begins the work, said Lande, referring to a public process to decide the propertys best uses. The district expects to finalize the purchase in August and begin taking public input during the fall. For property owners, the bond will cost 8 cent per $1,000 of assessed value. That means the owner of a $450,000 home will pay about $36 per year. It wasnt until October that the Sakai family offered to sell the property. That pushed park advocates into high gear to get voter approval in less than four months. It was an incredible effort, Weiland said. It was short and very intense. SHARE Jeffrey Bassett By Rachel Seymour of the Kitsap Sun PORT ORCHARD Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Jeffrey Bassett to the Kitsap Superior Court on Tuesday, replacing retiring Judge Jay Roof. Bassett has had a solo practice in Bremerton since 2010, primarily focused on family law, according to a news release from the governor's office. Bassett served as senior counsel at Palace Law Offices. He also has worked as a public defender and practiced at a firm specializing in personal injury cases. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's in English before earning his law degree from the Florida State College of Law. Although Bassett said he had seriously started considering being a judge the past few years, it was something that was always on his mind. His father had been a municipal court judge in Sweetwater, Florida. Bassett's term as judge will start this month. Roof, who retired at the end of January, had served as Kitsap Superior Court judge since 1994. Currently the Superior Court bench has five women and three men, with Judge Leila Mills, born in Hong Kong and educated in England, as the only person of color. Kim Davis places masking tape on a boat as he prepared it for sand blasting in January 2015 at SAFE Boats International. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN FILE By Tad Sooter of the Kitsap Sun SILVERDALE They can be found zipping between Bahamian islands, slicing across Colombian estuaries and patrolling waters off the Rock of Gibraltar. Boats built by Bremerton's SAFE Boats International can be found just about everywhere, from Eagle Harbor to Tunisia. The company has embraced its "international" identity in recent years, looking overseas to expand its client base. For the first time last year, half of all SAFE Boats sales were international. CEO Dennis Morris said the company sees foreign sales as key to growth. "It's a huge portion of our growth plan," he said. "... We intend to grow very substantially over the next three to four years, and international plays very, very heavily into that." Morris spoke Tuesday at the monthly Kitsap Business Forum in Silverdale, as part of a panel discussing international business opportunities for local companies. No Kitsap manufacturer has a more visible a global presence than SAFE Boats, which builds aluminum defense and security vessels. Morris said the company made its first foreign sale about a decade ago. Since then, it's delivered boats to more than 60 countries, with about 2,000 vessels in operation. The U.S. government remains SAFE Boats' major client. Along with boats ordered for the Navy, Coast Guard and other agencies, many of the vessels SAFE Boats builds for foreign governments also are facilitated by the United States as part of the Foreign Military Sales program. Morris said the company is increasingly pursuing direct foreign sales outside that program. SAFE Boats employs about 250 people at its facility in the Port of Bremerton's Olympic View Industrial Park and more than 100 at the Port of Tacoma, where its manufacturing a line of Navy patrol boats. Morris was joined on the panel by Anna Reyes-Potts, general manager of Poulsbo-based manufacturing firm TMF Inc. Reyes-Potts offered encouragement to Kitsap business owners looking to sell overseas. "Even from my office in Poulsbo, it's possible to do business internationally," she said. "It's very doable, it's fun, it's easy, once you get your foot in the door." The next Kitsap Business Forum is scheduled for March 8. Go to www.kitsapbusinessforum.com for information. Klahowya history teacher Tom Coleman holds a sign in support of the Central Kitsap School Districts bond and levy Tuesday afternoon at Randall Way and Kitsap Mall Boulevard in Silverdale. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN SHARE Central Kitsap Middle School teacher Jennifer Day waves to those passing as she and co-workers wave signs in support of the Central Kitsap School District's bond and levy Tuesday afternoon at Randall Way and Kitsap Mall Boulevard in Silverdale. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN By Chris Henry Bremerton School District's capital levy and the Bainbridge Island school bond were passing in preliminary results released Tuesday by the Kitsap County Auditor's Office. So were school support levies in Central Kitsap and North Mason. Bond measures in South Kitsap and Central Kitsap school districts were too close to call, however. SK's measure for a second high school had 59.3 percent yes votes, and Central Kitsap's bond for a new CK High and Middle School had 60.1 percent. The pass rate is more than 60 percent, and many votes that came in Tuesday are yet to be counted, according to the Auditor's Office. But officials in both districts were optimistic. "As of tonight, it's on the right side of the line," CK Superintendent David McVicker said. "It's very positive right now. We'll watch the returns as they come in." "We are so grateful for all the community support we continue to have," said SK Superintendent Michelle Reid, who thanked bond boosters. "We're optimistic that we can still pass this bond." Late returned ballots tend to favor a measure, but there can always be surprises, Kitsap elections manager Kyle Joyce said. A total of 42,534 votes had been counted in Kitsap County as of Tuesday night, 34.5 percent of registered voters. The Auditor's Office projects a turnout between 38 and 39 percent. Joyce expects the bulk of remaining votes will be counted within the next two days. South Kitsap is asking for a $127 million, 30-year bond for a second high school and technology upgrades at South Kitsap High School. The last time the district tried to pass a bond for a second high school in 2007, it failed with just less that 53 percent. Reid was encouraged by early returns that showed support closer to the required 60 percent. Joyce said an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 South Kitsap votes are expected to come in for counting Wednesday. Updated results will be released at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Central Kitsap ran a $220 million, 20-year bond to replace Central Kitsap High School and CK Middle School, and to build permanent classrooms at Olympic High School and Klahowya Secondary School, replacing portables. McVicker sees plenty of hope for the bond given his community's past support of the district. "The Central Kitsap community's got a good history of standing behind its schools, and we're just thankful for the support we have tonight," he said. Bainbridge Islanders gave a 62.2 percent approval rate to an $81.2 million, 20-year bond to replace Blakely Elementary and the 100 Building on the high school campus, with major upgrades throughout the district. The results, though preliminary, bode strongly to stay above the required 60 percent. Bremerton voters gave a resounding yes to an $8.3 million, three-year capital levy to build turf fields at the high school, renovate the high school performing arts center, improve school safety, technology and roofs, and demolish the old East High School. Yes votes totaled 61.5 percent Tuesday; the pass rate is more than 50 percent. In other election news, Central Kitsap's three-year, $68.7 million school support levy was passing handily, with 62.8 percent approval. And North Mason's four-year, $18.6 million levy also was sailing, with 61.6 percent of votes from residents in Kitsap and North Mason counties, in preliminary results from the Mason County Auditor's Office. Both levies needed more than 50 percent to pass. A small number of Kitsap residents vote in the North Mason School District. Levy results for Kitsap voters were 50-50, with 38 votes for the levy, 38 votes against. SHARE WASHINGTON Two recent comments by famous feminists have underscored the inevitable and predicted the foregone: The feminist era of Hillary Clinton, Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright has come to a close. Each heroic in her own way, these three icons of second-wave feminism have reached a pinnacle of sorts, along with the bittersweet recognition that they are sorely out of touch with today's younger women. The world they knew and helped change has produced a new generation no longer as concerned with the issues that animated their mothers and grandmothers. So it goes. Adding possible injury to insult, liberal millennial women are tilting toward Bernie Sanders rather than she who would be the first woman president of the United States. What are they thinking? Albright and Steinem, speaking on different days in different environments, offered comments that are by now familiar: "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other each other," said Albright, who was the first female U.S. Secretary of State. And, "When you're young you're thinking, 'Where are the boys?' The boys are with Bernie," said Steinem, co-founder of Ms. Magazine and iconic leader of the '60s feminist movement. Much bestirring followed on social media. The gist of critics: How dare Steinem insinuate that young women are just chasing boys? And, howdare Albright curse young women for failing to support Clinton! They have a point. But they're missing the bigger point that had these women not cut a path for others to enter and expect to be treated fairly in the workplace and elsewhere, these same young women would, indeed, be following the boys in hopes of inserting an "R" between the "M" and the "S" in their titles, as their predecessors had to. This is the irony, isn't it? For Steinem of all people to suggest that girls just wanna have fun with boys, though not untrue, has lived a life based on quite the opposite premise. It was she, after all, who said, "A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle." Come on, it's funny. And it is certainly true to women of a certain age. Albright's comment, meanwhile, is a well-known and, perhaps, worn-out trope of the former secretary's. Now 78, she might have imagined that her audience at a Clinton rally would have been familiar with it and responded with laughter, as had so often been the case. Rather than cursing younger versions of herself, she was offering a gift in the spirit of Arnold Schwarzenegger saying, "I'll be back," or Ronald Reagan saying, "Win one for the Gipper." Whether some of the young women preferring Sanders to Clinton are also interested in boys, a not-dishonorable distraction, was probably a weak stab at humor, for which Steinem, 81, has apologized. Also, she was talking to Bill Maher on his show, hardly the forum for solemn pronouncements. The more likely explanation, however, is that young liberal women, like their male counterparts, are attracted to the cool old guy because he's promising a dream in which the rich have less and the poor have more. Robin Hood is so awesome. And socialism has always appealed to the young, the cure for which isn't age but responsibility. This usually comes in the form of taxes and children, both of which involve working and sacrificing for the benefit of others, the extent of which forms the axis upon which all politics turns. That Sanders never outgrew his own socialist-rebellious tendencies is vaguely interesting, but not his best recommendation for commander in chief, among other presidential duties. Clinton, ever the adult in the room, may be doomed by her own sober "momliness." To whom do children run to when Mom is no fun? She isn't helped by the two elder women in the room. What is obvious, if bittersweet, is that Steinem and Albright, and possibly Clinton by association, have passed the baton, if without realizing it. Through their temerity and hard work, they've created a world in which their original purposes have become obsolete through acceptance. Millennial women, who reached adulthood around 2000, and those afterward have never known a world in which they were not treated to daily doses of go-girl power. They've never known a time when abortion wasn't an option. They really can have it all, including the choice to not vote for a woman just because she's a woman because, after all, this would be sexist. And no one would want that. Contact Kathleen Parker at kathleenparker@washpost.com. SHARE Chief Steve Strachan, Bremerton Police Department Early education pays off for years In Olympia this session the Legislature continues to discuss and debate the how to meet its paramount duty to fund the K-12 system, and at the same time improve outcomes in our public schools. Complying with the requirements of our Supreme Court's McCleary decision is important, but not the only path to higher graduation rates and improvements in other measures of student success. As policymakers consider all options, I urge them to include increased funding for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) in their plan. Research shows that children who attend high-quality pre-K programs like ECEAP gain a solid foundation in core skills, such as early math, reading and writing. And more importantly, they learn "executive-functioning" skills, such as impulse-control and problem-solving. Research also shows the connection between high-quality pre-K and crime prevention. In a Chicago study, kids who attended a high-quality preschool were 20 percent less likely to be arrested for a felony or be incarcerated as young adults than those who did not attend the preschool. Nearly 10,000 youngsters in our state are left out of ECEAP due to inadequate funding. These kids represent missed opportunities to improve outcomes in our K-12 schools. Investing more money in ECEAP will add value to dollars invested in K-12 by ensuring kids arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed and address the intent of the McCleary decision to make ample provision for the education of all children. Central Kitsap Middle School teacher Jennifer Day waves to those passing as she and co-workers wave signs in support of the Central Kitsap School District's bond and levy Tuesday afternoon at Randall Way and Kitsap Mall Boulevard in Silverdale. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN SHARE Voters weighed in on bond and levy proposals in five of our areas six school districts tonight. Here are the results: Bainbridge Island: 62.2 percent yes, 37.8 percent no PASSING Voters approved an $81.2 million, 20-year bond to replace Blakely Elementary and the 100 Building on the high school campus, with major upgrades throughout the district. Property owners would pay on the bond 36 cents per $1,000 of assessed value ($175 a year for a home valued at $486,000). Pass rate is just more than 60 percent. Bremerton: 61.5 percent yes, 38.5 percent no PASSING Voters approved an $8.3 million, three-year capital levy to build turf fields at the high school, renovate the high school performing arts center, improve school safety, technology and roofs, and demolish the old East High School. The capital levy in 2017 would cost property owners 94 cents per $1,000 of assessed value ($188 a year for the owner of a $200,000 home); in 2018 and 2019, 88 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Pass rate is just more than 50 percent. Central Kitsap bond: 60.1 percent yes, 39.9 percent no TOO CLOSE Voters weighing a $220 million, 20-year bond to replace Central Kitsap High School and CK Middle School, build permanent classrooms at Olympic High School; build classrooms and a gym at Klahowya Secondary School. Property owners would pay on the bond $1.74 per $1,000 of assessed property value in 2017. Pass rate is just more than 60 percent. Central Kitsap levy: 62.8 percent yes, 37.2 percent no PASSING Voters approved a three-year, $68.7 million school support (maintenance and operations) levy ($22.9 million per year). Levy would cost property owners $3.47 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2017; $3.41 per $1,000 in 2018; $3.36 per $1,000 in 2019. Pass rate is just more than 50 percent. South Kitsap: 59.3 percent yes, 40.7 percent no TOO CLOSE Voters weighing a $127 million, 30-year bond for a second high school and technology upgrades at South Kitsap High School. Property owners would pay on the bond 99 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Pass rate is just more than 60 percent. North Mason: 61.6 percent yes, 38.4 percent no PASSING Voters approved a four-year, $18.6 million maintenance and operations levy ($4.65 million per year), costing property owners $2.36 per $1,000 of assessed value. Requires just more than 50 percent to pass. The ODT editorial: It is, in the end, the middle classes who are most likely to take up tertiary education in its various forms, just as they have gained from the costly interest-free student loans. While the policy is to cover post-school education, including apprenticeships, it is not the poor and disadvantaged who will be the primary beneficiaries. Former prime minister Helen Clark basically bribed the electorate with its own money on the student loans and family support payments. Now comes another transfer to help, largely, the relatively well off. It is taking $1.2 billion a year from all New Zealanders and giving it to the people who will be the highest earning in society. There must also be doubts about the price tag being limited to $1.2billion. For a start, it is clear extra spending on free fees will have to be matched by extra institutional funding for increased demand. And the extra demand will be way way more than 15%. It is also true the current system of part-payment the Government still pays the majority share of most courses focuses the mind. Not only are students likely to give more consideration to the value of their courses to them, but it also means more accountability from teachers. Students paying for studies have proved much less likely to put up with second-rate teaching or second-rate programmes. You dont value things as much when they are free. This policy will see a significant decline in quality. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The cast of Bye Bye Birdie comes together for classic musical numbers such as Telephone Hour. special to go knoxville Paul Lynde established himself as a comedy legend through his snarky sense of humor and a series of standout roles in the 1960s and 1970s. He was "Uncle Arthur" on the sitcom "Bewitched," the original "center square" on "Hollywood Squares," and host of one of the most eclectic televised Halloween specials ever. Before all that, he was the befuddled dad Mr. MacAfee in the film version of the Broadway musical "Bye Bye Birdie." My son, Will, has a pretty sharp sense of humor, himself, and often has the center square in any number of our family adventures. This year, for instance, he is graduating high school and preparing for college, a combination that makes for a pretty full-time job. Amid that flurry of activity, he has one of his biggest roles ever in this year's West High School play he portrays Mr. MacAfee in their production of "Bye Bye Birdie." As Mr. MacAfee, he leads the signature musical number "Kids," which asks the immortal question, "What's the matter with kids today?" Every generation asks it, and the answer is usually summed up by The Who song, "The Kids Are Alright." Will got his Knoxville theater start like many local thespians, working with Zack Allen and company at Knoxville Children's Theatre. It seems the bridge between the very young actors there and more veteran entities like the Tennessee Stage Company or Theatre Knoxville is the venerable world of high-school theater. Not all of the student actors will keep pursuing the stage, but the interaction and responsibilities of theater involvement is one of those things that give them that "alright" edge. "The experience has really helped me with teamwork and public speaking," says Will, who is in his third year of West High theater. "It's always been terrifically fun. I particularly love my character this year, and getting to work with my friends to create something great." West High drama teacher Lisa Nelson guides the actors on the path to making "Bye Bye Birdie" a great experience for all. This marks the sixth year teaching theater at West for the 20-plus-year veteran of classrooms across the country. Like her students, she started young. "I've done theater ever since I was a kid," says Nelson. "I performed all through high school and college, and then did community theatre in Hawaii and San Francisco, before moving to Knoxville. After teaching English, speech and theater for many years, I decided to go get my MA in theater production to help hone my directing skills." Her direction helps give a professional air to the months of preparation for West High plays. Each year, students pitch ideas for the following year's play selection. Nelson and team consider the various talents and strengths of the actors to choose a musical that best fits them. The cast of the play meets as a class every other day for 90 minutes, with the bulk of rehearsals taking place during that time. "For 'Bye Bye Birdie,' we learned music and dance numbers in the fall," says Nelson. "The leads come in after school to learn the blocking for their scenes." Along the way, she strives to help her cast maintain energy and focus. "Our biggest challenge is momentum," she says. "Getting the students to have a sense of urgency about preparing themselves for the show, when to them it seems like they have all the time in the world to get ready." It's well worth it when everything starts coming together. "I love watching my students come alive doing what they love," says Nelson. It's also rewarding to present the classic musical to fresh audiences. "This was a Tony Award-winning musical in 1961," she says. "It is still amazingly hilarious and relevant. The characters are familiar and fun, even 55 years after it was first performed. It appeals to people of all ages, with catchy music and laugh-out-loud comical scenes." --- Randall's picks 'Bye Bye Birdie' Teen idol Conrad Birdie travels to Sweet Apple, Ohio, to give a fan "one last kiss" before he is drafted into the Army in the classic musical "Bye Bye Birdie." It will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 18-20, at West High School, 3300 Sutherland Ave. Advance admission is $7 for students, $9 general. Admission at the door is $9 students, $11 general. Love for Love Kitchen Sugar Mama's Bakery will show up like magic with Valentine's Day-themed baked goods including chocolate-covered marshmallows and heart-shaped cookies at noon Sunday at Crafty Bastard Brewery, 6 Emory Place on the north side of downtown Knoxville. Patrons are invited to bring canned and dry goods for donation to Love Kitchen. The establishment will also host a Valentine's Day card-making project, supplying the materials for folks to whip up some heartfelt wishes for their special people. Kukuly and the Gypsy Fuego will perform. For info, visit craftybastardbrewery.com. Save It for Later Knoxville comedians will "Save It for Later" when they record their best material for posterity at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15, during the QED Comedy Laboratory at Pilot Light, 106 E. Jackson Ave. They are ready to hit the comedy festival circuit, and need quality stand-up performance videos for the application process. They invite comedy fans to be their quality audience. Matt Ward will host a lineup featuring Aaron Chasteen, John Andrew Miller, Jeff Blank, Jay Kendrick, Hunter Roberts, Matthew Chadourne, Sean Simoneau, Joe Leeper, Tyler Sonnichsen, Shane Rhyne and Trae Crowder. Admission is free. Noble Rhinos If you wander over to the Knoxville Zoo these days, you might find the opportunity for a more close-up view of the zoo's rhinoceros community than previously offered. Longtime zoo residents Mondo, Polly and Dolly are living in a new habitat near the elephants. Go there soon, why don't you, and marvel at these magnificent giants. Nothing else really looks like a rhinoceros. Admission is "buy one ticket, get one ticket free" through Feb. 29. The zoo is located off Interstate 40 Exit 392. For info, visit www.knoxville-zoo.org. Rebel Wilson, left, and Dakota Johnson star in How to be Single. SHARE By Angela Dawson Rebel Wilson talks on 'How to be Single' Rebel Wilson came to fame in Australia in the TV comedy series "Bogan Pride." For non-Aussies, "bogan" is a derogatory term for someone who is uneducated and unfashionable. Of course, the plus-size Wilson, who created and starred in the series, managed in her unique way to make her main character and all bogans, for that matter hip. It didn't take long for the talented actress, whose career came to her in a vision while recovering from malaria, to be noticed by Hollywood. In just a few years, the 35-year-old has become the go-to actress for comedy, with supporting and scene-stealing roles in "Bridesmaids," "What to Expect When You're Expecting," "Bachelorette" and, of course, the "Pitch Perfect" comedies. Unlike the many boisterous, foul-mouthed characters she has played, Wilson is quiet and much more reserved in person, though her appearance is still eye-catching. For an interview, she is dressed in a light blue denim shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, a white skirt and sexy pumps. She is enjoying a solid and steady career as a comedic actress that has afforded her a fancy lifestyle. Living in L.A. is a far cry from her humble beginnings on the outskirts of Sydney, where her parents raised show dogs and came up with unusual names for their kids. Yes, Rebel is her real name. Wilson does what she does best in the new sex comedy "How to be Single." She plays Robin, a happily unattached paralegal who shows Dakota Johnson's naive Alice the ropes of living a happily single life in Manhattan. She parties hard, has a voracious sexual appetite and doesn't carry any of the baggage that marriage-minded women sometimes bring to a relationship. For Alice, navigating the uncertain waters of New York City's single life is challenging, especially coming off of a long-term relationship with a guy she dated throughout college. Upon meeting Alice, Robin is determined to show the new girl the proper way to enjoy single life, which is her way. Tricks like how to get free drinks at a bar, where to hook up with someone at work and when to text the guy she slept with the night before are all in her book. The R-rated comedy also stars Leslie Mann, who plays Alice's older sister Meg, a single gynecologist longing to have a baby and Alison Brie as Lucy, who thinks she can calculate finding the perfect match on her laptop. The charismatic actress who described her onscreen character Robin as "eternally single, like me," spoke about playing the ultimate happy single girl, doing physical comedy and the joys of working in a mostly female ensemble cast. Q: It's always struck me in modern sex comedies like this that no one ever gets an STD. Your character mentions a disease during the sauna scene with Dakota Johnson's character but that's about it. Wilson: It's called LTIP, but that was just a made up thing for the movie. So, do you think we would be riddled with STDs, our characters? I'm sure my character probably has had one or two, seeing as she has so many one-night stands and gets around a bit. So, I think, yeah. Definitely. Q: You're known for your improvisational skills. Did director Christian Ditter just kind of let you run loose? Wilson: He's German, which was really interesting. He's never done a comedy before. His style is not someone like Leslie's husband (filmmaker) Judd Apatow, which is very improvised. So we would start improvising and he'd be like, "I like it when you just stick to the script." And then we're like, "But in America we make things up and that's normally the better jokes." I was lucky that some of the scenes were cross shots, which means you can improvise. That sauna scene was one of the rare few that was cross shot. But we still added in improvised beats. Christian is a very technical director, so a lot of the shots were carefully set up. But definitely whenever I could I would throw in jokes. Q: What was one of the improvised moments you were most proud of? Wilson: There a bit where we're pulling up the hospital in a taxi, and I say, "The door won't open." That whole scene was completely improvised. We'd done two earlier takes where we just opened the door and ran into the hospital, and I said to Leslie (Mann) and Dakota (Johnson), "Let's do something that they're not going to expect," and so we did this whole thing where we tumble out of the taxi. Luckily, because we were all mic'd, they got it. That was my first day of filming that scene. I really jarred something when I fell forward out of the taxi. Q: Did you really pull Leslie out the car's window? Wilson: Yes, but she's not very heavy. There's a little bit where Dakota opens the door and says, "Guys, it was open." That was really good. Q: Is physical comedy something that is innate in you or did you learn it when you went to comedy school? Wilson: I don't know. I think it's just about going for it in take and not really worrying about your personal health and safety, like when you just run into the middle of the street and jump on a moving taxi. I do like going for it like in "Pitch Perfect 2" I did my own aerial stunts, which are really dangerous. It was really hard, but it's always good with comedyyou want to hit it at a lot of different angles. You don't just want to have jokes. You definitely want to do some physical set pieces and stuff. Q: Of all the characters in the film, do relate to one in particular? Wilson: The thing I like about my character is that she's kind of eternally single which is like me in real life, unfortunately. I haven't met the right person yet. So I really related to that. Also, the overall message of the film is, "Don't be stuck in a co-dependent situation. It's all right to be single and look after yourself," which I think is a really good message. Q: Do you feel sometimes, especially as a female comedian, that you're put into a box? Wilson: I believe I came to Hollywood at exactly the right time, because my first job was "Bridesmaids." I auditioned for Melissa McCarthy's role, but I didn't get it. They liked me, though, so they added me into the film. When that movie became a massive hit the following year, it spawned all these amazing female comedies like "Pitch Perfect." There are these female ensembles where the women can be outrageous and bawdy. Look at Amy Schumer last year in "Trainwreck." That's really a lot of sexual humor and stuff like that. I think now it's becoming the norm. Also the movies are R-rated, whereas before female comedies were more tame than the guys' comedy. But now I'm noticing they are really encouraging us to do R-rated, super-honest, edgy kind of material. Q: You've been part of a lot of female driven ensembles. How important is it when you're working with these women to support one another both on screen and behind the scenes as well? Wilson: When I was coming up in the industry, you were always treated different in those situations and your roles aren't really that good. You always try to make it better, but then you're not really the focus of the film. Whereas a movie like "How to Be Single" or "Pitch Perfect," they have female writers and the female roles are normally written better. I've worked with a lot of great guys as well, but there's something about the female ensemble movies that are more fun in a way because sometimes when you're in the male (centric) movies, you're just playing the wife or the girlfriend, and it's not as exciting. Q: Speaking of Melissa McCarthy Wilson: (deadpan) Yeah, she's not as good is she? Q: Hollywood is so concerned about weight. Do you think there's an advantage to being a plus-size actress? Wilson: There's a whole science to it where if a woman is very, very attractive it's harder to laugh at her. It's also much easier to laugh at a guy than at a woman. I took this class at university called "Comedy and Power" that was very interesting. I remember being a young actress and I wasn't as big as I am now. I was in a play with a girl who was getting more laughs and I was wondering, "What is it? What is it about her?" Sometimes, of course, you use whatever you've got. My physicality is this right now, so I definitely use it. But I think I could lose weight and now I have such a big fan base, I'd just be doing different things. It'd be just as interesting and funny I think. A lot of larger female actresses get pushed into the comedy roles. I don't quite know why. Q: Obviously, you're very funny. Wilson: I try. When I first started acting I tried to do serious, but then people would just start laughing. My family reckons I'm not funny at all. They think they're all funnier and I'm like, "What professional comedies have you done?" But, no, I didn't think I was funny at all when I was growing up. I was a very studious girl, very sensible and responsible, but I think if I really got to know people then my comedy would start to come out. Even when I first started acting, I didn't think I would go into comedy. The first play I did in Australia I really thought I was playing a serious role but everybody just started laughing, so almost instantly I just clicked in and went, "There's something about me that people like to laugh at." Greg Johnson, KNS columnist. State Rep. Dale Carr, R-Sevierville, laughed when asked how he was holding up against the pressure from Hillary Clinton supporters urging him to vote against the school voucher bill before the Tennessee House of Representatives. "Yes, I heard about it," Carr said. Your erstwhile columnist and the good wife got a robo-call over the weekend from the American Federation for Children, a pro-school choice group, asking us to let Carr know we support choice. I wasn't the first to ask Carr about the call. "A friend of mine called me and asked if I knew Hillary was coming for me," Carr said chuckling again. "I told him, 'Bring her on, son!' " Carr is, in fact, getting calls. He was called to meet with Deputy Gov. Jim Henry in the state House, who asked him to join Gov. Bill Haslam in backing the voucher plan. "I vote with my people," Carr said he told the deputy governor. What are his "people" saying? "My calls are 10-1 or 12-1 against vouchers in Sevier County," Carr said. "I'm hearing from teachers, administrators and retired teachers. All the teachers calling are against it. "I will not vote for vouchers. If I support my people, I cannot vote for vouchers." The school voucher bill would allow students receiving free or reduced-price lunches who attend a school in the bottom 5 percent in performance statewide to attend a private school and have state tax dollars pay the child's tuition at that private school. Students in Sevier County, an "exemplary" school system, would not be eligible for vouchers under the current bill. Carr worries about doors being opened that could lead to unintended consequences. He mentioned the possibility of public education funds going to, for instance, a Muslim school, and vouchers being used to recruit outstanding athletes from an under-performing public school to a private school. Plus, should Sevier schools ever falter or the program be expanded, Sevier County could lose public school funds. Carr understands some children in poor performing schools might benefit. "I've been accused of voting for the system and not the students," Carr said. "I'm voting for my students in the future." Carr is candid, though, about the main reason he is able to withstand the outside pressure, not from Clinton cronies but from out-of-state pro-school choice groups. "The Board of Education is the largest employer in Sevier County," Carr said. "Educators put me in office." They're calling. And Carr is answering. Jeffrey Willard Wooten By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel Robbed at gunpoint and just having found her mentally challenged brother dead from an execution-style gunshot wound, Rebecca Garner searched the recesses of her mind for details that might lead to the attacker's capture. "The license plate cover has butterflies on it," Garner told an E-911 dispatcher about the Ford Edge that had just been taken from her by her brother's killer. "Hanging from the rearview mirror is a chain with a little heart." Having described the assailant and thanked the dispatcher for news a helicopter was on the hunt, Garner fell silent for a moment and began to cry. "He's my brother," she cried. "Why?" Jurors in Knox County Criminal Court are being asked this week to answer the "who" of the May 2014 shooting death of Randy George Lands, 44, and the carjacking of his sister and mother. The "why" remained elusive Tuesday as the trial of Jeffrey Willard Wooten, 51, on charges including felony murder, especially aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery, got underway. The Lands family didn't know Wooten. Assistant District Attorney General Kevin Allen offered jurors in opening statements a theory of a surprised burglar but no explanation for why that burglar would place a gun to the back of Lands' head and execute him as he poured a soft drink into a cup of ice. Knox County Public Defender Mark Stephens served up in his opening statement the possibility of a partner-in-crime for his client but neither a denial of Wooten's involvement nor a cause. If Wooten is convicted, Allen then will ask the same jury in a separate proceeding to sentence Wooten to life without possibility of parole. Stephens will seek a chance for parole for his client after a mandatory 51-year prison term should Wooten be convicted of felony murder. Wooten was wanted for a May 1, 2014, robbery at a Gwinnett County, Ga., Waffle House that gained nationwide media attention because the robber wore overalls and carried a pitchfork when, eight days later, he allegedly broke into the Hunters Ridge Way home where Lands, who had the mental capacity of an 11-year-old boy after years of seizure-related head injuries, lived with his mother, Loretta Lands, 80. Allen told jurors Wooten had worked for a neighbor of the Landses. Garner testified she had traveled from Michigan to visit her mother for Mother's Day. The two went to a gym, where her mother was enrolled in a fitness program for senior citizens, and had just returned home when they were confronted by a gunman who took Garner's vehicle. Garner then discovered her brother's body inside the house. Authorities would wind up in a chase of Garner's vehicle, which crashed, soon after. Wooten was behind the wheel, according to authorities. The trial continues Wednesday. MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL Former Pilot Flying J President Mark Hazelwood, left, leaves federal court after being arraigned Tuesday on charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud as well as witness tampering. Seven other Pilot employees were also named in the 14-count indictment. 7 other former employees charged By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel With a planned expansion of an already massive fraud scheme, 2013 was shaping up to be a good year for Mark Hazelwood and an entire Pilot Flying J diesel sales division crew, according to federal court records unsealed Tuesday. "Guys, learn, ask, comprehend," Hazelwood told a team of direct sales staff who were being trained in the "art" of scamming unsophisticated trucking companies of promised rebates. "If you will comprehend the things that are going to go on over the next two days, we're all going to be winners for 2013. We're all going to be winners for 2013." Related document: Indictment in Pilot Flying J fuel rebate fraud case Little did Hazelwood know then that just five months after he gave that secretly recorded pep talk, he would be seated in his office at Pilot headquarters on Lonas Drive surrounded by agents with the FBI and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division or that, nearly three years after that April 2013 raid, he would stand before a federal judge. Hazelwood, who billed himself as "lead visionary and strategist" for boosting Pilot Flying J's bottom line, was arraigned Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Guyton on charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and witness tampering. He is the highest ranking Pilot executive to be indicted since the FBI alleged in an affidavit supporting that April 15, 2013, raid that one of the nation's largest truck stop organizations had been besting its competitors for five years by offering discounts to trucking companies for diesel fuel that the company never intended to pay, at least to the degree promised. Pilot Flying J's board of directors already has admitted via a $92 million criminal enforcement agreement announced by the U.S. attorney's office last year its responsibility. Roughly two-thirds of the corporation's 35-member direct sales staff has either struck a deal for immunity, pleaded guilty with a promise to cooperate or now faces indictment. In addition to Hazelwood, seven others were arraigned Tuesday in an indictment served up by a federal grand jury on Feb. 3 that includes 14 counts. All eight are accused in the overall conspiracy, with some facing additional counts specific to their alleged actions. Not indicted are CEO Jimmy Haslam, who maintains he knew nothing about the scheme, and Chief Financial Officer Mitch Steenrod. Named alongside Hazelwood in the 58-page "speaking indictment" a rarely-used charging device that lays bare the heart of the government's case are the following former Pilot employees: Former Pilot vice president of direct sales Scott "Scooter" Wombold, who is also charged with three counts of lying to agents with the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation Division; John Freeman, who was vice president of sales and who has been identified in an FBI affidavit as the architect of the fuel rebate scheme; Vicki Borden, who supervised various sales support staff; sales representatives Katy Bibee, Heather Jones and Karen Mann; and John Spiewak, who is listed as a former regional sales manager. Ten former Pilot employees have already pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Assistant U.S. attorneys Trey Hamilton and David Lewen are making a case in the indictment unsealed Tuesday for a sales division whose theft was so overt it was written into the direct sales manual and openly documented in Pilot emails and trip reports. Those trip reports, according to the indictment, were the brainchild of Hazelwood and forwarded to him through an unnamed administrative assistant as soon as they were filed. Hazelwood is accused in the witness-tampering count with pressuring that administrative assistant to lie about those trip reports in June 2014, one month after Hazelwood was fired. Citing emails, secretly-recorded meetings and the trip reports, the pair of prosecutors detail not only a pervasive permissiveness of fuel rebate rip-off scheming among the entire sales division but a zeal for it. Examples in court records include this email exchange between regional sales manager Arnie Ralenkotter, who has already pleaded guilty, and Mann over tricking trucking companies into believing they were receiving big rebates on diesel fuel that were, instead, being shaved by the tens of thousands of dollars every month: "Good initiative," Ralenkotter wrote to Mann after she said she cut a rebate by nearly $5,000. "That's what I like to see. It's more fun for you anyway isn't it?" Mann responded, "Yes it is! I've been doing this a lot more and love it! Thanks, Arnie!" "Grab that bull by the horns," Ralenkotter wrote. The prosecutors quoted a Freeman email in summing up the air of invincibility that so permeated the sales staff culture Hazelwood allegedly approved training sessions on how to rip off trucking companies during a November 2012 sales meeting. "I'm more concerned with compiling a list (of rebates) than the actual deed," he wrote. "That's crazy isn't it." 'AUNT BEA PRICING' It was, according to the indictment, a two-part fraud scheme that began in earnest in 2008. For trucking customers who preferred monthly invoices, the sales staff was instructed to simply cut the rebate rip-off from the tally before sending the final numbers to Pilot's billing department. For those who preferred rebate checks, there was what Freeman dubbed the "Manuel," according to court records, in which sales staff manually changed the rebate rate before cutting the checks. Hazelwood outlined in a secret recording of a February 2013 meeting of his top direct sales directors in Orlando, Fla., how to determine which of the hundreds of trucking firms Pilot served would be easy prey. "What we're, what we're really talkin' 'bout is two-tiered customers Customer A, Customer B," he explained in the recording. "Customer A looks (at) every orifice you have. Customer B doesn't even know you have an orifice." The more trusting and less questioning a trucking firm, the better target, he said. At that meeting, Hazelwood proposed an expansion, ordering his executives to examine its customer base for easy marks and compiling a list, the indictment stated. "So why don't we do this, so why don't we do this," Hazelwood said. "Why don't we figure out everybody who's not watchin' his own cost-plus (rebate promised) and who doesn't, doesn't have and let's make sure that we've got that list, okay? And then everybody that does watch, then we got that list." He even had a name for this second round of rebate rip-offs. "Aunt Bea. That's what we'll call this, Aunt Bea pricing," Hazelwood is quoted in the indictment as saying. "We got 'Manuel.' 'Manuel' does a hell of a job. Wonder what percentage of our volume's on Aunt Bea?" The key to success in the rebate fraud game, according to the executives quoted in the indictment? "Sing from the same hymn book," according to regional sales manager Jay Stinnett, another who has pleaded guilty, after he had to cough up money to soothe a trucking firm that learned from a sales associate it was not getting the rebate promised. The indictment called the sales associate's error "mistaken honesty." "Say one thing, do another," Freeman advised, adding the staff could "overcome this rash" of firms that wised up to discrepancies with "smooth talking and a little change." In another exchange, Freeman offered up this wisdom on successfully pulling off the rebate "screw," as it was called in staff emails: "I mean, (expletive), sell it to 'em the way they wanna buy. And then understand that the (expletive) got the ability to know what the hell you're doing to 'em," Freeman said. "Tell him you're gonna do it, or you can tell him there's values, and if he just, if he's gonna butt (expletive) us, then we need to be better butt (expletives)." Hamilton and Lewen make clear in the indictment they will argue to a jury the motive for the fraud scheme was simple greed. Hazelwood, the pair wrote, was guaranteed 3 percent of Pilot's after-tax revenues each year. Each member of the direct sales division earned a commission from diesel fuel revenues. The less paid out in promised rebates, the higher Pilot's revenues and the sales staff's commissions. The indictment details the cases of 11 trucking firms, including one in Rockford. The others were based across the country, from Florida to Michigan to Wisconsin to Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Plea agreements filed last year put the number of victim firms at more than 250. Dozens of trucking firms already have sued Pilot since the 2013 raid. Pilot, which reported $29.2 billion in sales in 2012, has reached a settlement with about a dozen of those to the tune of $85 million so far. FATE UNKNOWN The U.S. attorney's office is silent on whether CEO Jimmy Haslam remains a target of the probe. His attorney, Tom Dillard, has repeatedly said he's had no contact with federal authorities about the state of the investigation against his client. The indictment unsealed Tuesday suggests Steenrod might have been purposely kept in the dark. Borden wrote in an email to Ralenkotter that she didn't trust a particular employee identified as "employee 11" because if that person "knew how we do them, (Steenrod) would know, too." When Ralenkotter suggested that employee's group could "do" the rebates and "send them to us," Borden responded, "But I don't want (Steenrod) to know what happens after that." At Tuesday's arraignments for Hazelwood and the seven underlings named in the indictment with him, Guyton set a tentative trial date of April 11 before U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar, a Kentucky judge who stepped in after Knoxville's judges recused themselves. Hamilton told Guyton that trial date likely will need to be reset. "We've made extensive progress in reaching an agreement" on when he and Lewen will turn over the entirety of the government's evidence to be used at trial to the defense but said a meeting between the two sides is set for March 8 to confirm dates and other details. All eight defendants entered pleas of not guilty and were released under standard conditions, including travel restrictions. Hazelwood, for instance, can travel only between Knoxville and Nashville without prior approval of the U.S. Probation Office. Of the 10 former Pilot employees who have already pleaded guilty, Brian Mosher was the last to enter a plea and the highest-ranking former staffer to do so. Mosher was director of sales for national accounts. The 10 former staffers who struck plea deals in the case all admitted to some form of wire and mail fraud. Each is being held responsible for varying loss amounts and for varying victims. Mosher was hit the hardest, agreeing to a loss calculation of $20 million and a maximum victim count of 250 firms. Those figures boost his penalty range 24 levels as prescribed by federal sentencing guidelines. Probation is no longer an option as a result. A sentencing chart suggests a penalty range of five to 10 years for Mosher. Three other former staffers have been granted immunity and cooperated in the early days of a probe that began in 2011 with a tipster who secretly recorded chats with a sales executive who later turned FBI mole. That mole is widely believed to be Vincent Greco, who was director of sales for the firm's west region at the time. Greco, too, was granted immunity. Sentencing hearings for the 10 who already have struck deals are being held in abeyance as each is expected under the terms of their respective agreements to testify if necessary. Although their respective penalty ranges will be dictated largely by federal sentencing guidelines, prosecutors will recommend for each one a percentage break from those ranges depending on the level of their cooperation. That type of bargaining is done in all cases in which co-conspirators plead guilty and agree to cooperate. Related coverage: Ex-Pilot president, 7 others indicted in diesel fuel rebate fraud (Feb. 9, 2016) Pilot Flying J releases statement on indictment (Feb. 9, 2016) People who have pleaded guilty in Pilot Flying J investigation (Feb. 9, 2016) Did 'Dr. John' start Pilot probe? (March 13, 2015) Feds: Pilot Flying J probe will extend into summer (Jan. 28, 2015) Judge seeks details in reviewing fraud claims against Pilot (Jan. 9, 2015) Jimmy Haslam rejects fraud claims in connection with Pilot Flying J suit (Dec. 6, 2014) Two companies continue to press Pilot lawsuits (Nov. 16, 2014) Pilot Flying J seeks dismissal of fraud lawsuits (Sept. 20, 2014) Freeman on hot seat in Pilot investigation (Aug. 3, 2013) Former Pilot regional sales manager, account manager plead guilty in federal court (July 29, 2013) Three more Pilot Flying J employees plead guilty (June 18, 2013) Exclusive: Pilot Flying J investigation highlights plane deal (June 5, 2013) Pilot mum on Ralenkotter, Judd (May 30, 2013) 2 Pilot employees plead to federal fraud charges (May 30, 2013) Pilot president also under scrutiny (April 27, 2013) Box by box, Pilot Flying J records shed more light on rebate-fraud probe (April 22, 2013) Trucking companies reeling from Pilot Flying J fraud allegations (April 19, 2013) CEO Jimmy Haslam: Pilot 'run the right way' (April 19, 2013) Documents in the Pilot Flying J investigation (April 18, 2013) FBI: Pilot engaged in fraud; Haslam knew of scheme (April 18, 2013) Unpaid rebates focus of Pilot Flying J investigation (April 16, 2013) FBI, IRS raid Pilot Flying J HQ; company 'cooperating fully' (April 15, 2013) Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen, center, listens to students including Zuriya Minor, right, during class at Green Magnet Math & Science Academy on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE By Lydia X. McCoy of the Knoxville News Sentinel Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said she is disappointed the state will have to administer the new TNReady scholastic assessment to students the old-fashioned way with paper and pencil instead of moving forward with it online as planned. "Despite the many improvements the department has helped to make to the system in recent months, we are not confident in the system's ability to perform with consistency," she said during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. On Monday, the first day for its rollout, the online assessment crashed because of networking glitches. State officials said those glitches were new and led to the decision to change the format. "This was a procedural problem with our vendor," McQueen said. "This is not the fault of the districts. At this point, we have problems with the consistency of the platform to actually be able to have a positive student experience every day." The state contracted with Measurement Inc., a North Carolina-based company, to develop the assessment. McQueen said the state has paid the company $1.6 million for the tests' development and there will be no additional costs for printing and distributing the paper tests. The state will also review its $108 million five-year contract with the company over the next several weeks, she said. "Our expenditures to Measurement Inc. are based on what is actually delivered," she said. "Today, we do not have an online platform delivered." Henry Scherich, the company's president, said in a statement Monday's issues were caused by computer server issues and that he was disappointed by the state's decision to move to a paper test. He said the company is moving as quickly as possible to get assessments printed, packaged and shipped to the state Department of Education. Cliff Lloyd, the department's chief information officer, said the online network that connected all the local testing servers became saturated Monday not because of the volume of traffic from school districts, but because of processes that were kicked off by the vendor at an inappropriate time. "These were simply events that should not have been kicked off in a production environment, when you're in a live window, that resulted in the local network becoming flooded, essentially disconnecting the districts," he said. TNReady assesses math and English skills for grades 3-11. TNReady replaces the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, known as TCAP tests. Democratic members of the state House called a news conference on Tuesday asking the state to pause on moving to an online assessment in the wake of this week's technical difficulties. "TNReady is not ready. We are asking Commissioner McQueen to hit the pause button for three years to get all of the new initiative and strategies and policies in place before rolling them out in such a hurried pace," said state Rep. Antonio Parkinson, D-Memphis. McQueen said the paper test will still provide valuable information about students' college and career readiness. "It's important to note that TNReady is still TNReady. From the beginning the paper version was developed alongside the online version," she said. Knox County Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre said on Tuesday district officials were disappointed by the move to a paper test. "We felt strongly that we were ready for the transition," he said. "We felt we were ready technologically, we felt we were ready logistically and we felt we were ready instructionally." McIntyre said administering the tests on paper could look differently in terms of logistics potentially a more narrow testing window. "We are trying to communicate as best we can what this change would look like," he said. "We're going to try and make sure that as information becomes available we communicate consistently and effectively and frequently with all the stakeholders." Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen, center, listens to students including Zuriya Minor, right, during class at Green Magnet Math & Science Academy on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE By News Sentinel Staff KNOXVILLE The Senate education and government operations committees will hold a joint meeting next week to look at the implementation of the TNReady test. Sen. Dolores Gresham, R-Somerville, chairwoman of the education committee and Mike Bell, R-Riceville, chairman of the government operations committee, announced the meeting after this week's decision by the Department of Education to move to a paper and pencil test after the computer glitches on Monday. In a release, Gresham said the purpose of the meeting is to assist the department "with finding solutions to the problems faced with implementing the test." On Tuesday, Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said she has lost confidence in the system's ability to perform with consistency. The state will have to administer the new TNReady assessment to students the old-fashioned way with paper and pencil instead of moving forward with it online as planned. The state contracted with Measurement Inc., a North Carolina-based company, to develop the assessment. McQueen said the state has paid the company $1.6 million for the tests' development and there will be no additional costs for printing and distributing the paper tests. The state will also review its $108 million five-year contract with the company over the next several weeks, she said. TNReady assesses math and English skills for grades 3-11. It replaces the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, known as TCAP tests. The meeting will be at 11 a.m. Feb. 17 in Room 12 of the Legislative Plaza in Nashville. More details as the develop online and in Thursday's News Sentinel. SHARE On Feb. 20, the student chapter of the Wildlife and Fisheries Society at the University of Tennessee will host a wild game dinner as the group's annual fundraiser. And by wild game, they don't mean just turkey and deer. If experience means anything the event has been held since 1969 dishes will include everything from barbecued beaver to baked possum and black bear stew. The potluck banquet gets underway at 5:30 p.m. at the Brehm Animal Science Arena on the UT agricultural campus, building 2506, River Drive, in Knoxville. The public is invited. Everyone is asked to bring a dish if not wild game or fish, then vegetables or a dessert. The donation at the door is $10 for each person, with $5 off for each dish. Uniformed officers, military personnel and children 12 and under eat free. Last year UT's Wildlife and Fisheries Society won the Southeastern Wildlife Conclave held at Virginia Tech. Twenty colleges competed. The competition included a quiz bowl, as well as field events that tested the students' knowledge of animal tracks and wildlife behavior. On Feb. 19, the day before the wild game dinner, members of the Wildlife and Fisheries Society will cook outdoors at the Brehm Animal Science Arena. Joining them will be the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency's cooking team, which specializes in cooking with Dutch ovens. Expect turtle meat, groundhog, raccoon, and maybe crow. In previous years, slow-roasted bobcat has earned rave reviews among the diners. Fish dishes typically include walleye, carp, catfish, crappie and bass fried, baked and pickled. The evening will also include prizes and games and live music. For more information, call 865-974-7346, or email: mwright@utk.edu. SHARE The Creamery Park Grille, 114 Hotel Ave. in Fountain City, was damaged by fire early Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. Flames were shooting through the roof when firefighters arrived. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) Knoxville Fire Department crews battle a fire at the Creamery Park Grille eatery, 114 Hotel Ave., on Wednesday morning, Feb. 10, 2016, in Fountain City. (KFD photo) By News Sentinel Staff KNOXVILLE Crews battled a fire at a Fountain City restaurant early Wednesday, and investigators have determined the blaze appears to be accidental. Around 12:40 a.m. Wednesday, a passer-by reported flames coming from the Creamery Park Grille, at 114 Hotel Ave., according to a news release from Knoxville Fire Department Capt. D.J. Corcoran. When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting through the roof of the business in North Knoxville, Corcoran said. No injuries were reported. After a preliminary review of the property, arson investigators determined the fire started near the soda fountain on the first floor, extended upward between the wooden studs of an exterior wall and moved into the attic area, according to Corcoran. Dr. Kevin Bailey's practice, just next door to the burning structure, sustained some damage as well, Corcoran said. More details as they develop online and in Thursday's News Sentinel. SHARE By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel WASHINGTON Former President Bill Clinton will travel to Memphis on Thursday to campaign for Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Clinton campaign said today the former president will attend an early voting organizing event at Whitehaven High School, where he will lay out what is at stake in the March 1 primary and urge Tennesseans to vote early now through Feb. 23. "In January of 2017, a new president will walk into the Oval Office, and President Clinton knows Hillary Clinton is that tireless fighter Americans need to get things done and protect the progress we've made," the campaign said in a statement. "Hillary Clinton has spent her entire life taking on the toughest fights on behalf of families and children. She will keep American families safe and has a plan to create shared prosperity." Early voting for the March 1 presidential cycle begins today in Tennessee. More details online as they develop and in Thursday's News Sentinel. Bill Clinton will be in Memphis on Thursday to campaign for wife Hillary. SHARE WASHINGTON Former President Bill Clinton will travel to Memphis on Thursday to campaign for Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Clinton campaign said today the former president will attend an early voting organizing event at Whitehaven High School, where he will lay out what is at stake in the March 1 primary and urge Tennesseans to vote early now through Feb. 23. In January of 2017, a new president will walk into the Oval Office, and President Clinton knows Hillary Clinton is that tireless fighter Americans need to get things done and protect the progress weve made, the campaign said in a statement. Hillary Clinton has spent her entire life taking on the toughest fights on behalf of families and children. She will keep American families safe and has a plan to create shared prosperity. Early voting for the March 1 presidential cycle begins today in Tennessee. SHARE By News Sentinel Staff The state's first case of the Zika virus has been confirmed in a person who recently returned to East Tennessee after traveling in South America, state health officials confirmed Tuesday. The Tennessee Department of Health received the confirmation Tuesday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The case was not in Knox County, but health officials would not say in what county it was found, other than to say it was in the eastern third of the state. "We believe more infections are likely as people travel to and from areas where the disease is currently being transmitted," said Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. John Dreyzehner, who said this confirmed case was "imported." At least 35 cases of Zika virus disease have been reported in the continental U.S., but all have been associated with foreign travel. So far, there have been no cases that originated from a mosquito bite in the U.S. Dreyzehner said people considering travel to the growing number of countries where there is evidence of the disease being transmitted to protect themselves from mosquito bites with repellent, mosquito nets, long clothing and heightened awareness. There is not yet a vaccine to prevent Zika virus disease, and there is no treatment other than to treat symptoms. But except in pregnant women, the virus almost always is a mild illness, and for most people testing is not necessary, the department says. About 80 percent of those infected never show symptoms; about 20 percent show only mild symptoms. Increased cases of the birth defect microcephaly have been associated with Zika virus. Microcephaly is a condition in which the head of a newborn is smaller than normal; children may have other health challenges, including physical and speech functions, seizure, hyperactivity and coordination problems. SHARE By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel WASHINGTON The Obama administration apparently has given up on selling the Tennessee Valley Authority. President Barack Obama's $4.1 trillion proposed budget, submitted to Congress on Tuesday, makes no mention of putting the public utility under state and local control the first time in four years such language has been missing from the president's spending plan. The administration appeared to be backing away from its proposal to sell the TVA when it submitted last year's budget. At the time, the administration noted TVA had taken significant steps to improve its operating and financial performance, but said it would continue to monitor the utility's progress toward achieving the goals in its long-term financial plan. Regardless, the budget document for last year seemed to leave open the possibility that TVA could be sold. "The administration continues to believe that reducing or eliminating the federal government's role in programs such as TVA, which have achieved their original objectives, can help mitigate risk to taxpayers," it said. None of that language is in this year's budget, signaling that the administration has finally put the proposal to rest. "I am glad the Obama administration abandoned this ill-advised idea in last year's budget proposal and that it didn't resurface in this year's proposal," said U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. Alexander, a Maryville Republican, had opposed selling TVA, arguing there is no federal taxpayer subsidy for the utility and that selling it to a profit-making entity could leader to higher electricity rates. I think it's fair to say that the two most popular officeholders in Knoxville are Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. The two Republicans win elections handily. If you try to have lunch with either of them, you will be constantly interrupted by people stopping by to say hi or hug their neck. Local political junkies are mildly interested in the upcoming local election season, but they view with horror what many fear could occur in 2018. It is widely assumed that term-limited county mayor Burchett will run for Congress against Duncan. Nobody wants to choose between them. It could be a bloodbath and a rare election between two heavyweights who choose to duke it out. A lot of people have been suggesting that Duncan do something else. There was a rumor around that Duncan ought to take a seat on the state Supreme Court when there was an opening. Duncan was a judge, after all, before he went to Congress. Wouldn't it be great if he was the dean of the Duncan School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University? But Duncan has ignored the hints and my best guess is that he has no intention to retire at present. In 2018 he will have completed 30 years in office. Perhaps that's his goal. Supporters of both men hope so. It's not that Duncan has voted wrong or that people aren't satisfied with his service all of a sudden. His only problem, and I don't know what he can do about it, is "Duncan fatigue." Duncan's father was elected to the seat in 1964. Together they've held the seat 52 years. It was a bit of a shock when political unknown Jason Zachary carried Farragut and Loudon County in Duncan's last race. It hasn't helped him to have his sister in the state Senate and the disastrous foray into the Trustee's Office by son John III. But Duncan remains one of the most popular officeholders around. His constituent service has no equal. He is a fiscal conservative. He also has $1 million in the bank and can raise plenty more as an incumbent. Burchett has a carefully cultivated image as the original good-ol'-boy. Wearing his Carhartt jacket, he fist-bumps his way through lunch at Wright's Cafeteria (you have to buy your own meal, of course). He was an amiable legislator, popular with his colleagues. As mayor, he has held the line on tax increases. He has shrewd political instincts, always finds the right side of an issue and picks his opponents carefully like some former Boston educator who wanted to raise taxes for education. At the same time, he will have built three schools. Remember that he destroyed the supposedly formidable, long-serving Sheriff Tim Hutchison to get elected. The district is more than Knox County. Duncan is popular in the counties north of Knox. Burchett would have to offset his votes there by doing well in Blount County. And in Loudon County, which Duncan lost in the last election. But there are enough votes in Knox County to win, if the margin is wide enough. Duncan is handicapped by the fact that he hasn't had a hard race since his first one and he has never had to go to the mat. But he has a tremendous reservoir of affection among the voters. What he has to overcome is the phrase I heard too many times in the last election: "I love Jimmy, but. ... " Several years ago, I heard a sermon about Lent in which the minister suggested that rather than giving up something, we should take on something. Like kindness. Make it a season of outlandish giving, using your talents or your money or your time to intentionally help your community. The preacher was Presbyterian, not one of the denominations that traditionally observes Lent, at least not in the sense of intentional self-denial. Lent begins today, which according to the Christian liturgical calendar is also Ash Wednesday. The current issue of Christianity Today brings us up to date on who is observing the Lenten season in this country and what they have chosen to give up. Last year more than 400,000 people tweeted that they were observing Lent. The top choices, easy enough to guess, I suppose, were chocolate, alcohol and social networking. Statistician Stephen Smith has tracked Lenten promises since 2009 for a website called OpenBible.info. One of the "giving ups" that makes the list every year, though not the top five, is fast food: McDonald's usually takes the lead of specifically named outlets, but Chipotle Mexican Grill is now the top contender and Chick-fil-A recently surpassed Taco Bell. In the stricter Roman Catholic observance of the Lenten season, there are clearly designated rules too complicated to get into here, but most Christians see it as a time to pick one thing they will do without as part of their reminder of the significance and seriousness of Eastertide. Last week Pope Francis put a new twist on the Lent tradition of giving up things. He suggests that fasting should never become as superficial as abstaining from chocolate or fried foods, but in consideration of the deeper significance of "penance" we should think about giving up something that helps others. He quotes these words of the early Christian mystic John Chrysostom: "No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great." Better than giving up something like sweets or tweets this year, Pope Francis calls on Christians to give up indifference to others. In his annual Lenten message this year, the pope writes, "Indifference to our neighbor and to God represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience." He goes on to describe what he calls the "globalization of indifference:" "Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others. We end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people's pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else's responsibility and not our own." In face of the current state of things, we'd all do each other and the world a favor if this Lent we took the advice of both that Presbyterian minister and the pope by taking on giving up indifference. SHARE The Knoxville branch of the NAACP recently issued a complaint to the Office of Civil Rights concerning the building of Gibbs Middle School. The original Gibbs Middle closed in 1991, and today students participate in busing to Holston Middle. During a news conference, the president of the Knoxville NAACP, the Rev. John Butler, called the new Gibbs Middle "separate and unequal" while emphasizing data that reveal lack of new school development in Knox County within areas with a population more than 5 percent black. While the Gibbs community's concerns about the inconveniences of busing are valid and filled with good intentions, as seen through historical instances of white flight, a new Gibbs Middle could contribute to greater school segregation within Knox County. Despite the NAACP complaint, however, Gibbs Middle's progress will not halt. And neither will Knox County Schools in its pursuit of "excellence for every child." The issue of school re-segregation is more complex than the Holston and Gibbs Middle situation alone. With this in mind, Knox County Schools should actively seek ways to promote diversity within schools. According to University of Michigan research, diverse relationships benefit students by preparing them to interact in an increasingly globalized world. Simply put, greater school integration could provide new levels of excellence for all Knox County students. Consider contacting school board members who could aid in school desegregation by drafting or improving upon district line plans in addition to promoting equality through improved facilities for all students. The vision of Brown v. Board of Education was fueled by a desire for educational equality for all through integration. Similarly, Knox County Schools is fueled by a desire to achieve "excellence for every child" and should pursue this desire accordingly through increased diversity. Jasmine Blue, Knoxville By Choi Sung-jin Korea and Japan, embroiled in the so-called fisheries dispute, have started a legal battle within the World Trade Organization, officials said. The WTO finished establishing a dispute panel in Geneva on Monday, officials at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said. The panel is essential in the settlement of a dispute and leads to a report, they said. As the global trade body has finished appointing three panelists, the two countries will start a legal battle by submitting position papers and facing verbal trials. William Ehlers, board chairman of the Global Environment Facility, will lead the panel, which also has two experts, each on food safety and legal issues. The Korean government banned the import of fisheries products from eight Japanese prefectures in September 2013, for fear of radioactive contamination in the wake of the nuclear meltdown that hit a power station in Fukushima Prefecture two-and-a-half years earlier. Japan filed a suit with the WTO last May and a panel was set up in September. But efforts to appoint panelists failed, forcing the WTO's director-general to appoint them ex officio. It will likely take the panel about a year or more to adopt the report, given the recent increase in disputes, ministry officials said. They said the government will do its best to prove the validity of the ban. By Choi Sung-jin China is rapidly chasing Korea in the automobile and electronics industries to emerge as a menacing competitor, in part by stealing Korea's technology, a report says. Of the 63 technology leaked between 2010 and 2014, 34 cases, or 54 percent, landed in China, said the report on the criminal infringement of Korean businesses' trade secrets involving China, released by the Korea Institute of Criminology Tuesday. In most cases, Korean employees sold the technologies of their companies to Chinese companies or moved to the Chinese firms, taking the technologies with them. The number of people involved in the leaks rose 30.5 percent, from 886 in 2010 to 1,156 in 2013, the report said. For instance, a Korean executive at a Chinese automaker received an email in January 2014 from one of the managers at a Korean carmaker where he had worked until 2011. The email had an attachment revealing core technologies to prevent vehicles tilting and to improve smoothness in manual gearshifts, developed by his former employer at a cost of 8.1 billion won ($6.7 million). The executive, with the help of two other former colleagues, handed over the technology to his Chinese employer, which could improve its vehicle quality quickly. The report noted that Korean companies operating abroad are more vulnerable to technology leaks and most of the cases do not lead to legal suits but are settled through out-of-court mediation or arbitration. Given the statistics deal with only convicted cases, the actual number of leaks may be far larger, it said. "Korean businesses operating in China need to prevent technological leaks and train their employees before such incidents break out," the report said. Shin Dong-ju Shin Kyuk-ho Shin Dong-bin Leadership shaken by poor performance, family feuds By Park Si-soo Lotte Group is being dragged into a dark tunnel with no light visible at the other end. Sales of its key retail affiliates tumbled last year and there is a cloudy outlook for the rest of the year. Its leader Shin Dong-bin is distracted from corporate management to cope with an intensifying leadership feud with his elder brother. To make matters worse, the retail-focused conglomerate recently failed to renew its state-issued license to run a highly profitable duty free store in Seoul, which will cause a sharp sales drop this year. In the latest thrashing, the group faces a full-fledged investigation by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) for alleged false reporting of its affiliates' major stakeholders. The FTC plans to indict Lotte's key executives, including founder and honorary chairman Shin Kyuk-ho, if the misleading report was submitted with wrongful intentions. "Lotte is in an unprecedented crisis with tough challenges on multiple fronts," said an industry observer. "If the company fails to handle the crisis properly, Lotte would find it difficult to maintain its competitiveness in its core businesses." Lotte's struggling in its core retail business appears to have reached an alarming level. Lotte Shopping, which controls department stores and other retail shops, reported a massive net loss of 346 billion won ($289 million) last year due to the protracted economic slowdown and lavish spending on its expansion in China. In detail, Lotte Department Store was hit with a 14.8 percent drop in operating profit in 2015 year-on-year, while Lotte Mart suffered a 61.2 percent drop in operating profit. Experts say the sharp fall could also be blamed on the speedy rise of online retailers, adding that Lotte's further decline will be inevitable in the coming years unless it comes up with a defense against online retailers. The Lotte chairman seems to be determined to do something before it is too late. In December, he cited Coupang, the biggest social commerce website here by sales, as the best example for online retailers during a year-end meeting with senior executives. Given the rarity of him openly complimenting a rival company, analysts expect that the chairman will soon drive forward a plan to make the company friendlier to online commerce. Analysts said Lotte's biggest uncertainty lies in its chairman's ongoing dispute with his elder brother over leadership of the group. Starting in July, the sibling feud has shown no sign of letting up despite the government's intervention and public criticism. Rather it has intensified after challenger Dong-ju, elder brother of the incumbent chairman, filed a package of lawsuits against his younger brother and Lotte to nullify his removal from the company, a step needed to dethrone his younger brother. The younger brother fought back recently, questioning the mental health of his father and Lotte founder Shin Kyuk-ho. The 94-year-old founder will soon undergo a court-administrated mental checkup, the results of which will set a critical juncture for the dispute. The founder, who wields influence on the group's major stakeholders despite having a stake less than 1 percent in the group's holding company in Japan, has taken sides with the dismissed elder brother. In a video clip released on Wednesday by the elder brother, the founder called Dong-ju the "handpicked successor of Lotte Group." Dong-ju and his aides believe this clip will give them an upper hand in the two-way battle, while Dong-bin's side says the sitting chairman took the helm legitimately, thus whatever position the founder takes, the deal has already been done. With the dispute between the two billionaires turning nasty, analysts say the scandal has left the nation's fifth-largest conglomerate vulnerable to unwanted mergers and acquisitions by overseas investors. Under pressure by the FTC, Lotte has revealed the secretive shareholding structure of its holding company, in which the founder's family was discovered to have controlled the conglomerate with a 2.4 percent stake. Citing the data, J.P. Morgan said early this month Lotte could be exposed to the risk of being pressed to sell its affiliates by foreign investors. Shoes and accessories are displayed on an exhibition table for the Spanish brand "Destroy" at the 6th Spain Fashion Exhibition at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Feb. 4. / Courtesy of ICEX By Yun Suh-young Spanish shoemakers' interest in the Korean market is gaining momentum. After last year's second-quarter Spain Fashion Exhibition hosted by ICEX, Spain's trade and investment promotion agency, the shoemaking industry also dominated this year's fair. At last Thursday's 6th Spain Fashion Exhibition held at the DDP, Seoul, 11 of 17 participating companies were shoe manufacturers while four were accessory and apparel brands and two were baby product brands. At last year's exhibition, 13 of 18 participating companies were shoe manufacturers, the largest number out of the five exhibitions. The fairs have been held biannually since 2013. They are exclusive to local buyers, importers and distributors who are interested in collaborating with Spanish brands. When asked why so many Spanish shoe brands were interested in the Korean market, Maria Luisa Aparicio, manager of the Fashion Department of ICEX Spain Trade and Investment, attributed it largely to the barrier-free economic environment. Exhibitors of Desigual, top, and 24 Hrs, bottom, speak with buyers interested in their brands during the Spain Fashion Exhibition held from Feb. 4 through 5 at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. / Courtesy of ICEX "They're interested in Korea because they've sold well in Japan and China so far," Aparicio said. "Since the Free Trade Agreement between Korea and Spain became effective from 2011, Spanish companies started thinking: Why only China and Japan? Why shouldnwe come to Korea when we don't have to pay customs? Besides, Korean people are very sophisticated. They want nice shoes, modern shoes and leather shoes. So we're very happy." Most brands at the fair were, like comfort-shoe manufacturer Pikolinos, seeking a Korean distributor, opting for a corner at a department store or looking to open their own stores. "Pikolinos has its shoes in some stores but before opening the brand's own store, they want to see how it works, what are the styles and sizes of Koreans and whether they can maintain both the independent store and the department store corners," said Aparicio. "In the shoe business, it's less concentrated and we have more brands that are more risky to open in new markets. There are about 12 specialty store chains in Korea, such as Carolina Herrera and Loewe, which are some of the better-known ones. Very soon, there will be more because brands that come with their own distribution channel don't come to fairs." Aparicio believes Spain is particularly strong in shoes because of its tradition of skills. "It's not easy to make a shoe," she said. "It requires a long tradition because it has to fit and not hurt you. It has to be comfortable and pretty at the same time. "Spain has a strong tradition in shoemaking and this is largely because we're very strong with the raw material. We have the knowhow of making very good-quality shoes with leather. Ninety percent of our shoes are made in leather." Spain's shoe and textile industry plays an important part in the country's economy because it exports to 180 countries and 150 million customers. Among its export products, shoes had a 4.9 percent increase last year over the previous year. The export of Spanish fashion items to Korea has increased 49 percent over the past five years and its shoes are being well received in the Korean market. "Our exports to Korea are growing every year from 2013 to 2014, there was a 40 percent increase," said Aparicio. "In terms of fashion, mass merchants such as Zara and Mango are doing well and specialty stores such as Bimba y Lola are also cruising. The Inditex group, which owns nine brands, already has launched Zara, Zara Home, Massimo Dutti, Stradivarius, Bershka, and Pull&Bear in Korea. Desigual, which is very successful all over the world, will be here very soon too." Lawmakers vote on a resolution condemning North Korea's latest long-range missile test, conducted on Sunday, during a plenary session at the National Assembly, Wednesday. The Assembly adopted the resolution with the support of 243 out of 248 present lawmakers with five abstentions. / Yonhap By Choi Sung-jin With parliamentary elections two months away, the ruling and opposition parties went all out during the Lunar New Year holiday to win votes. And North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket on Sunday could not come at a better time for them. As expected, the conservative ruling Saenuri Party lashed out at the repressive regime in all ways imaginable, calling for the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system, the shutting down of the inter-Korean factory park in a North Korean border town and even the nuclear-arming of South Korea. Unexpected was the harshness of rhetoric from the relatively liberal main opposition party. "North Korea cannot maintain its system for long by just developing nuclear weapons and firing long-range missiles without taking care of its people's livelihoods," said Kim Jong-in, interim head of the Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) while visiting a frontline combat unit Tuesday. "I am confident the North Korean regime will be annihilated and reunification of the Koreans will come someday." The expression was so strong that an MPK spokesman had to ask journalists later to replace the word "annihilated" with "destroy itself," pointing out that the former could give the impression the South is about to absorb the North. On Sunday, Kim also said North Korea will eventually "collapse," however hard it may try to develop atomic weapons, if it fails to make people's lives better, recalling that the Soviet Union collapsed even though it had a vast arsenal of nuclear warheads. Pundits said the comparatively progressive party's "shift to the right" appears to have been aimed at persuading middle-of-the-road voters that it is never weak in national security issues. "The left-of-center party wants to dispel its soft image on matters related to North Korea, which has often proved vulnerable to the wind from North,'" an analyst said. Reflecting the dilemma facing the MPK in differentiating itself from the ruling Saenuri on North Korean issues, the spokesman said: "Our party head issued a strong warning against the North but MPK's position seeking peaceful unification remains unchanged." The difference in the two parties' stances manifested itself in the meeting of the National Assembly's Defense Committee on Sunday, which failed to adopt a resolution after a partisan wrangle. At stake were two phrases missile defense and efforts for inter-Korean dialogue. In a draft worked out by the subcommittee heads of the two parties, they decided to call for the government to enhance defense capabilities by, for instance, completing the "Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system" and resuming "dialogue with North Korea" to prevent any further provocations. Some ruling party lawmakers, however, demanded the KAMD be replaced with the U.S. missile shield involving the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system while deleting the inter-Korean dialogue part. "Now that Seoul and Washington have already begun to discuss the deployment of THAAD, the Korean missile shield is meaningless," said Rep. Yoo Seung-min, a Saenuri legislator. Rep. Jin Sung-joon of MPK struck back, saying: "There is no need for Korea to give neighboring countries the impression that Korea is voluntarily becoming a part of the U.S.-led missile defense." After three hours of debate, lawmakers from both sides began to disappear to head to their respective electorates, and Rep. Chung Doo-un, the committee chairman, declared its adjournment at 7:20 p.m. for failing to have a quorum. China, Russia protest talks on THAAD after NK missile launch By Yi Whan-woo North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket Sunday, and South Korea's ongoing talks with the United States over deployment of the terminal high altitude area defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula are fueling concerns that Northeast Asia could spiral into a new Cold War. Analysts said Wednesday that the talks between Seoul and Washington concerning THAAD, the U.S. Army's multi-layered missile shield, could spark tensions between two groups in the region South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, and North Korea, China and Russia. China and Russia have opposed deployment of THAAD although the U.S. claims its primary aim is to protect its troops in South Korea and more effectively deter North Korea's missile attacks. The U.S.-led allies suspect North Korea's rocket program is a cover for tests of U.N.-banned ballistic missile technology. China and Russia say that THAAD's long-rang radar could be used to spy on their military activities. "Both Beijing and Moscow believe that Washington will use THAAD to seize hegemony in the region and they don't' want it to happen," said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong University. "They will help Pyongyang while being uncooperative with Seoul and Washington in imposing stronger international sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime." Park claimed that Pyongyang's two Cold War allies may not cooperate in resuming the six-party talks aimed at halting North Korea's nuclear program. Both China and Russia are members of the dormant nuclear talks, which also include the two Koreas, the U.S. and Japan. Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at Korea Defense, voiced a similar view. A North Korean defector receives surgery counseling at a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam, southern Seoul, with inspector Kim Kyeong-suk, right, attending from Yongsan Police Station, in this December 2014 photo. / Courtesy of Yongsan Police Station By Jhoo Dong-chan Kim Kyeong-suk, left, chief inspector of the national security division at Yongsan Police Station in Seoul, and Sergeant Kwon Ku-kwang. / Korea Times photo by Jhoo Dong-chan A 45-year-old North Korean defector, who identified himself as Lee, was once an elite executive of North Korea's Workers' Party and also one of the closest aides to Jang Song-thaek, then a key policy adviser under the Kim Jong-il regime. In order to prove his loyalty to the regime, his arm was even tattooed with the phrase, "I will march along with our grand leader forever." He also had a Kimilsungia, a violet orchid symbolizing the late leader Kim Il-sung, tattooed next to the phrase. His loyalty was, however, questioned when Jang was stripped of all his posts in the Workers' Party and executed in December 2013, and Lee fled from the North to the South. The trilingual Lee wanted to start a new life here but it was not easy. He wanted to get a job with his fluency in Chinese and Russian but employers treated him like a North Korean gangster because of his tattoos. Even visiting a public bathhouse was a huge challenge for Lee. He then learned that the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul helps North Korean defectors get plastic surgery for free. He visited the police station and met Chief Inspector Kim Kyeong-suk and Sergeant Kwon Ku-Kwang. Kim and Kwon immediately introduced Lee to a plastic surgeon, surnamed Hong. Hong erased Lee's tattoos through three laser treatments in May, July and September last year. "I couldn't even wear T-shirts in summer because of the tattoos," said Lee. "Even enjoying outdoor activities was challenging for me. After erasing them, I could hang around outside freely and even got a job. I deeply appreciate Kim and Kwon's help." Kim first became interested in the plastic surgery project when she was at the National Security Division of Seodaemun Police Station in Seoul. "As I worked in the security division, I found a number of North Korean defectors were very embarrassed about going outside due to various scars and marks of violence they sustained when escaping from the country," Kim said. "So I thought about what I could do for them." Another defector, surnamed Lee as well, was the first to get Kim's help. Captured by a Chinese human trafficking gang while escaping from the North, Lee was sold to a Chinese farmer when she was only 16. She was forced to marry a Chinese man there and was beaten badly whenever she attempted to escape. The man even burned her scalp and breast for punishment, she said. She finally fled and came to Korea in 2009, but a social life here was not possible for Lee because of the burn marks on her scalp where no hair grew. Sympathizing with Lee's situation, Kim looked for doctors who would provide free plastic surgery services for Lee and met Hong for the first time. Hong offered her scalp reconstruction and hair implant surgery. Kim was then transferred to Yongsan Police Station and decided to launch the "appearance improvement project for North Korean defectors" with Kwon in 2014. On July 29, 2014, the police station signed an MOU with the Korean Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. Under the deal, the association promised to provide free plastic and reconstructive surgery costing less than 20 million won ($16,637). Beauty treatments are excluded. So far, a total of 19 defectors have received 28 operations from 10 member clinics of the association. Another 43 are on standby for surgery. "I understand some 28,000 North Korean defectors are living in the South. All of them are potential beneficiaries of our help," Kim said. "Such scars and marks they got while escaping from the North also affect their minds. I hope our project can help them live here as members of society." By Yi Whan-woo The launch of North Korea's long-range rocket Sunday shows that the repressive state has taken a step closer to developing an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, according to officials, Wednesday. Citing the Ministry of National Defense, they said the rocket had a range of 12,000 kilometers and successfully placed the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite into orbit. The observers said the rocket could be used as an ICBM if it can withstand heat up to 7,000 degrees Celsius when re-entering Earth's atmosphere from space. They also said a nuclear warhead could be mounted on the ICBM if North Korea can really miniaturize the warhead, as it has claimed. "The 12,000-kilometer range is far enough to reach anywhere in the U.S., including New York and Washington, if a rocket is fired from North Korea as an ICBM," an official at the Agency for Defense Development said on condition of anonymity. "It's likely that Pyongyang will now focus on making a rocket that can endure high temperatures." The official said Pyongyang's Unha-3 rocket has a range of 10,000 kilometers, and was tested in December 2012. A military source claimed the Kim Jong-un regime is already testing its heat resistance technology. "It is speculated that North Korea used fuming nitric acid (RFNA) in its rocket launch Sunday and it should be noted that RFNA is used when firing ballistic missiles such as the Scud and Rodong," the source said. The defense ministry said it is examining a part of the rocket retrieved from South Korean waters to see if it can withstand high temperatures. "Our findings show that the fairing that separated from the rocket is made of aluminum and covered with heat-resistant materials," a ministry official said. "We're not sure such material can endure temperatures of 7,000 degrees Celsius." The National Intelligence Service said the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite was estimated to weigh 200 kilograms. "I believe the rocket could carry up to one ton of materials," it said. "It's quite possible that North Korea will soon make a miniaturized nuclear warhead that weighs one ton or less." Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo announces the government's decision to shut down the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea, at the government complex in central Seoul, Wednesday. The shutdown of the complex, the last remaining symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation, came in response to North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket, Sunday. / Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki By Yi Whan-woo Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo said Wednesday that South Korea is shutting down the Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC) in North Korea as a punitive measure against Pyongyang's long-range rocket launch and nuclear test. He said North Korea has continued to pursue nuclear and ballistic missile programs in defiance of United Nations' sanctions and has funded these from money supplied by South Korea's investment in the joint industrial park in Gaeseong. Seoul invested 1.19 trillion won ($850.9 million) at both the governmental and civic level since the GIC opened in 2004, including 616 billion won in cash, according to Hong. Of the total, 132 billion won was made in 2015 alone. "We've been trying to ensure that the GIC meets international standards but North Korea instead exploited our efforts," Hong said during a briefing at the government complex in downtown Seoul. "We've decided to completely suspend operations at the GIC to prevent our investment there from being used to develop nuclear warheads and missiles while making sure our enterprises will not be victimized by Pyongyang. "We've notified our decision to the North Korean authorities and asked for their cooperation in pulling out our workforce there. "The government will set up a task force to support our companies accordingly." His comments came after North Korea launched a long-range rocket, Sunday, following a nuclear test on Jan. 6. South Korea and other U.S.-led allies suspect Pyongyang's rocket program is a cover for tests of ballistic missile technology. The GIC was last shut down in April 2013 when the Kim Jong-un regime pulled its workforce there out. A total of 124 South Korean enterprises have 50,000 North Korean employees at their plants in the GIC. Some 184 South Koreans, including company executives, stay there. A Cheong Wa Dae official said that the move concerning the GIC came after President Park Geun-hye 's approval of the measure in line with a conclusion reached at a National Security Council (NSC) meeting, Wednesday. By Rachel Lee South Korea will begin talks with the United States this month on whether to allow the latter to deploy an anti-ballistic missile defense system here, defense officials said Wednesday. According to the Ministry of National Defense, Sunday, a joint working group is set to hold its first meeting sometime this month to discuss appropriate sites and costs for the deployment of the terminal high altitude area defense (THAAD) system. The talks are expected to further ratchet up tensions on the Korean Peninsula with China and Russia protesting the possible deployment. Washington wants to place the advanced U.S. missile defense system in the South after North Korea's long-range missile launch so that it can more effectively defend the South against the North's nuclear and missile threats. The ministry said Maj. Gen. Jang Kyung-soo, director general of the ministry's policy planning bureau and Maj. Gen. Robert F. Hedelund, United States Forces Korea assistant chief of staff for policy and plans will lead the newly formed team as the representatives of Korea and the U.S., respectively. After the North's missile launch, U.S. President Barack Obama made remarks about THAAD deployment to the South for the first time. By Jeffrey I. Kim During Jan. 20-23, the 2016 World Economic Forum was held in Davos, Switzerland. Its main theme was "Mastering the 4th Industrial Revolution." This revolution involves the fusion of technologies across the physical, digital, and biological worlds. It refers to the ongoing transformation of our society and economy propelled by advances in terms of smart homes, intelligent transportation, robotics, self-driven vehicles, drones, 3D printing, Internet of Things (IoT) and others. The IoT allows objects to be sensed and controlled remotely across existing network infrastructure. "Digitization" is the keyword of the 4th industrial revolution. Digitization is to transform existing analog systems to digital systems. Digital technology refers to electronic technology that generates, stores, and processes data in terms of two states: positive and non-positive. Digitization makes possible person-to-person, person-to-machine and machine-to-machine communication. In this way communication and transportation will be faster. Economic efficiency and industrial productivity will be greater. The Korean economy predominantly depends on trade. Along with an ever-increasing trade volume, the number of people visiting Korea has been also increasing. Every day about 150,000 travelers use Incheon Airport. Korea's exports and imports each rank seventh in the world. Against this background, Korea has gained a reputation for providing high-quality airport services. According to the Airport Service Quality Survey, Korea's Incheon International Airport is the best in the world. All imports brought in by sea or air are subject to customs inspections. Contraband is often uncovered as it goes through X-ray detectors. These years, express commercial cargo is increasing rapidly. Express cargo includes commercial documents, high-value intermediate goods such as semiconductors, auto parts and precision equipment that need to be delivered across the border as soon as possible. There are a handful of express cargo companies which handle the delivery of express items on a door-to-door basis. These companies take care of bringing express cargo through the customs inspection process. The Customs Administration Office has not increased the number of inspection officers in years. Instead, they decided to build their own express cargo inspection terminal, expected to start operation on June 1, 2016. According to the Notification on Conduct of Business of Customs Clearance for Express Shipment, Article 3 (Amended May 20, 2014) the Korea Customs Service (KSC) will suspend deploying customs officers to the inspection site run by the commercial express cargo operators. From the date as above, all shipments bound for physical inspection should come to this new terminal for inspection. This has caused serious complaints made by the commercial express cargo operators. The essence of express cargo is fast delivery. This new rule will unnecessarily delay deliveries due to additional shipments from the original inspection site to the new inspection terminal. Not to mention the increased cost and risk of cargo loss! Some of the companies had a plan to expand their facilities and upgrade their existing inspection equipment to accommodate the increasing demand for express delivery services. On the recommendation of the Ombudsman's Office, the KSC is considering changing the rule in such a way that the commercial express operators continue putting cargo through the inspection course in their own terminal if they meet new conditions. The conditions require the express operators to sufficiently upgrade their inspection equipment. They can also build a new inspection terminal of their own if they meet the equipment upgrade requirement. Major express cargo companies have plans to install ambitious high-tech inspection equipment in the cargo terminal. They try to build a new terminal which will surprise their customers by digitizing the entire delivery process from door to door. In their inspection facilities, they install upgraded X-ray machines and an automatic sorting system. They also plan to install a reweighing system which links to the conveyor belt and a tracking number-linking CCTV. Observing this episode, there is no doubt that digitization is expected to spur the express cargo industry not only in Korea but in the rest of the world as well. Jeffrey I. Kim is a foreign investment ombudsman, a presidentially appointed troubleshooter for investors and entrepreneurs from overseas. He earned a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Chicago and taught at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Sungkyunkwan University. Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo leaves his office at the government complex in central Seoul to meet with entrepreneurs who run plants at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea, Wednesday. Hong said Monday that the government may take impose punitive measures related to the inter-Korean industrial park in Gaeseong in response to North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket on Sunday. / Yonhap North Korea faces tougher sanctions By Rachel Lee South Korea's punitive measures against North Korea over its nuclear and rocket tests may include shutting down an inter-Korean industrial complex in Gaeseong, North Korea, officials said Wednesday. Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo said at an emergency meeting Monday that the ministry is looking into all possible sanctions against Pyongyang including suspending or shutting down the Gaeseong Industrial Complex. "The number of South Koreans allowed to visit the complex daily will be reduced to 500 from the current 600-700," Hong said. Asked about any additional sanctions, Hong said he is considering necessary measures to punish the North pay for its provocations and take steps towards denuclearization. Hong's remark triggered speculation that the South may consider shutting down the complex. The complex was closed for about five months in 2013. That April, Pyongyang abruptly declared a shutdown of the complex in protest against Seoul-Washington joint military drills following the North's third nuclear test. South Korean companies suffered financial losses estimated to be about 1 trillion won. A total of 124 South Korean firms are operating factories and employing about 54,000 North Koreans at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, which opened in 2004 as a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation. Along with new sanctions to be imposed by the United Nations against North Korea, South Korea is closely cooperating with Japan and the United States to adopt their own measures against the reclusive country. Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday that President Park Geun-hye spoke on the phone with U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss the North's missile launch and reached a consensus to adopt a resolution for tough sanctions. Park and Obama shared the "view that North Korea must be made to pay a corresponding price" and agreed to "work closely together to ensure that a strong U.N. Security Council resolution against North Korea is promptly adopted," the presidential office said. The U.N. Security Council has vowed to adopt a new sanctions resolution with significant measures following the North's rocket launch on Sunday. "In line with this commitment and the gravity of this most recent violation, the council will adopt expeditiously a new Security Council resolution with such measures in response to this dangerous and serious violation," said Venezuelan U.N. Ambassador Rafael Ramirez, the council's president for February, said after closed-door talks. The 15-member council has adopted four sets of sanctions since Pyongyang carried out its first atomic test in 2006. The restrictions include asset freezes, travel bans and arms embargos. By Chang Se-moon There is an article on Islamic fanaticism that is widely circulating through personal emails. The title of the article is "A German's View on Islam." The article is attributed to Emanuel Tanay (1928-2014), who in 1943 escaped from occupied Poland with his mother and sister to Slovakia and then Hungary. They were liberated in January 1945 in Budapest. He immigrated to the United States after World War II. He was clinical professor of psychiatry at the Wayne State University Medical School in Detroit, Mich. Tanay died on Aug. 5, 2014, following a lengthy battle with prostate cancer. So far as I can tell, however, the article was written not by Tanay, but by Marek. Some say that Tanay was one of the first people who forwarded the Marek's article to a wide audience. On Feb. 21, 2006, Canadian Paul Marek published on his blog Celestial Junk an article titled "Why the Peaceful Majority is Irrelevant." In the article, Marek warned about the dangers of Islamic fanaticism and dismissed as irrelevant the notion that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are peaceful. I have no idea of how much of this review is accurate. Neither do I have any idea of how much of the article currently circulating online is actually written by Marek himself. I do have an idea of how much attention the article attracts from people who are deeply worried about radical Islamic terrorism. It is rather remarkable that the article, which was written about 10 years ago, is even more relevant early in 2016. Let me introduce some of the contents. The article circulating online starts like this: "We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam." Although we all agree that the vast majority of Muslims want to live in peace, you need to continue to read to see what Marek is trying to say. "The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers." The tragedy, according to the article, is to observe that the world is ruled not by the peace-loving majority, but by minority fanatics. Communist Russian fanatics were "responsible for the murder of about 20 million people," although the majority of Russians wanted peaceful life. Chinese Communists managed to kill millions of people, although the majority of Chinese wanted to live peacefully. "The average Japanese individual, prior to World War II, was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing" that included the systematic murder of millions of Chinese, "most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet." The historical lesson is that the vast majority of people who love peace became irrelevant by having remained silent. In other words, "We often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun." In the U.K. and some other European countries, "The Muslim communities refuse to integrate and there are now dozens of no-go' zones within major cities across the country that the police force dare not intrude upon. Sharia law prevails there, because the Muslim community in those areas refuses to acknowledge British law. As for we who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts the fanatics who threaten our way of life." What I personally want to see is for Muslim nations to break the silence and join the forces to eliminate Muslim fanatics, perhaps, for the sake of their own survival. I might add that the January 2016 issue of the Islamic State's online magazine, Dabiq, "targets the terror group's fellow Muslims" and "goes to great lengths to give a theological basis for killing members of the minority Muslim sect that controls Iran and Iraq," according to the Jan. 21, 2016 version of Foxnews.com. Chang Se-moon is the director of the Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies. He can be reached at changsemoon@yahoo.com. South Korea will announce the size of its humanitarian aid to help war-torn Syria at an international donors' conference in London, Seoul officials said Thursday. The exact amount placed for this year will be released at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference in London on Friday, according to the Prime Minister's Office. Lee Suk-joon, a lead officer for government policy coordination at the prime minister's secretariat, left for London on Wednesday as a chief delegate, the officials said. Seoul's pledge came as Syria has been affected by a civil war for the past five years, leaving millions of refugees. The South Korean government has donated a total of US$23.45 million to Syria between 2012 and 2015, according to the office. Participating countries at the donor conference plan to provide an accumulative US$9 billion this year. South Korea is the first country in the world that has transformed into an aid donor from a recipient nation. (Yonhap) By Joschka Fischer BERLIN The start of 2016 has been anything but calm. Falling equity prices in China have destabilized markets worldwide. Emerging economies seem to have stalled. The price of oil has plunged, pushing petroleum producers into crisis. North Korea is flexing its nuclear muscles. And in Europe, the ongoing refugee crisis is fomenting a toxic tide of nationalism, which threatens to tear the European Union apart. Add to this Russia's neo-imperial ambitions and the threat of Islamic terrorism, and comets streaking across the sky may be the only thing missing from a picture of a year shaping up to be one of prophetic doom. Wherever one looks, chaos seems to be ascendant. The international order forged in the fires of the twentieth century seems to be disappearing, and we have not had even the faintest glimpse of what will replace it. It is not difficult to put names to the challenges we face: globalization, digitization, climate change, and so forth. What is not clear is the context in which the response will come if at all. In which political structures, by whose initiative, and under which rules will these questions be negotiated or, if negotiation proves impossible, fought over? Political and economic order particularly on a global scale does not simply arise from peaceful consensus or an unchallenged claim by the most powerful. It has always been the result of a struggle for domination often brutal, bloody, and long between or among rival powers. Only through conflict are the new pillars, institutions, and players of a new order established. The liberal Western order in place since the end of World War II was based on the global hegemony of the United States. As the only true global power, it was dominant not only in the realm of hard military power (as well as economically and financially), but in nearly all dimensions of soft power (for example, culture, language, mass media, technology, and fashion). Today, the Pax Americana that ensured a large degree of global stability has begun to fray most notably in the Middle East and on the Korean Peninsula. The US may still be the world's strongest power, but it is no longer able or willing to play the role of the world's policeman or make the sacrifices needed to guarantee order. Indeed, in a globalized world, with ever closer integration in terms of communication, technology, and as we have recently seen the movement of people, the centers of power are diluted and dispersed; by its very nature, a globalized world eludes the imposition of twentieth-century order. And yet, while a new global order may inevitably emerge, its foundations are not yet indiscernible. A Chinese-led order seems unlikely. China will remain self-absorbed, focused on internal stability and development, and its ambitions are likely to be narrowed to control of its immediate neighborhood and the surrounding seas. Furthermore, China lacks, in nearly every respect, the soft power that would be indispensable if it were to try to become a force for global order. Nor are these times of turbulent transition likely to end in the emergence of a second Pax Americana. Despite America's technological dominance, there would be too much resistance by regional powers and potential counter-alliances. In fact, the main challenge of the coming years is likely to be managing America's declining influence. There is no framework for the retirement of a hegemon. While a dominant power can be brought down through a struggle for domination, voluntary retreat is not an option, because the resulting power vacuum would endanger the stability of the entire system. Indeed, overseeing the end of Pax Americana is likely to dominate the tenure of America's next president whoever that might be. For Europe, this raises an equally difficult question. Will the decline of Pax Americana, which has served for seven decades as a guarantor of Europe's internal liberal order, unavoidably lead to crisis, if not conflict? Rising neo-nationalism across the continent seems to point toward such a scenario, with appalling implications. The bleak prospect of European suicide is no longer unthinkable. What will happen if German Chancellor Angela Merkel is brought down by her refugee policy, if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, or if the French populist Marine Le Pen captures the presidency? A plunge into the abyss is the most dangerous outcome imaginable, if not the likeliest. Suicide, of course, can be prevented. But those who are happily chiseling away at Merkel's position, the UK's European identity, and France's Enlightenment values threaten to undermine the ledge on which we're all standing. Joschka Fischer was Germany's foreign minister and vice chancellor from 1998 to 2005. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate/Institute for Human Sciences (www.project-syndicate.org). The rival parties announced pledges for the April 13 general election before the Lunar New Year holidays, but there were no realistic proposals to address the people's hardships. The Saenuri Party and the main opposition, the Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), announced them without putting much thought into issues at the heart of voters in "Hell Joseon," a new term referring to how tough life is here. Neither party had a competitive edge in alleviating some of the most urgent issues, such as youth unemployment and the low birth-rate. The main opposition party proposed a plan to create 700,000 more jobs and free high school tuition without a clear explanation of how to finance them. The party also proposed to provide allowances of 600,000 won for six months to 50,000 young job seekers, in addition to housing benefits for young married couples. Needless to say, these programs incur huge costs. Presenting such programs without specifying the budgetary means to fund them is completely irresponsible. It was also thoughtless of the MPK to propose an allowance for young job seekers when a similar program envisioned by Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon has already triggered much controversy. The MPK's job-creation plan also lacks logic since more corporations are unwilling to hire new employees with the extended minimum retirement age to 60 starting this year. The ruling party has done no better. Mired in factional disputes, the ruling party failed to present viable alternatives to reduce financial burdens on families, young job seekers and the elderly without retirement benefits. Before the coming vote, people will harshly judge parties that do not undertake their work seriously. They should remember the chaos that the Nuri program has caused. The free childcare program, a campaign slogan of President Park Geun-hye, has pitted the central government against local education offices over who will shoulder the bill. It is the voters' wish not to see a social division caused by populist and unsustainable election pledges. Successive provocations show Kim's faulty judgment For North Korea, there are only two ways ahead. It can either be a poor nation in progress or it can continue to be economically destitute and politically isolated. Its leader Kim Jong-un is showing a fundamental lapse of judgment by making decisions that will perpetuate the latter, launching a rocket only a month after conducting its fourth nuclear test. A chorus of condemnation from the international community ensued because it regards North Korean's rocket launches and nuclear tests as steps toward achieving Pyongyang's ultimate goal of having a nuclear-armed missile. But Pyongyang trumpeted the launch as part of its peaceful space strategy and pledged more such launches. Kim must abandon his goal of becoming a full nuclear power which poses a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and its allies. President Park Geun-hye was right when she said in a pre-launch statement that North Korea cannot survive unless it gives up its nuclear program. Since Kim took power in December 2011, the young leader has vowed to bolster the North's nuclear program and has overseen two of his country's nuclear tests and three long-range rocket launches. After the successive missile and nuclear activities, the heavily-sanctioned country faces more sanctions from the international community, which will only put additional strain on the impoverished country's economy. The U.N. Security Council called the launch of the Kwangmyongsong 4, conducted on the eve of the Lunar New Year on Feb. 7, an intolerable provocation and vowed to adopt a new resolution with "significant new sanctions." With the reckless provocations, inter-Korean cooperation on economic and other areas has also been hurt significantly. It appears to be completely lost on Kim that it is his people and economy that will suffer the most from further international sanctions and deteriorating inter-Korean relations. In his New Year speech, the young leader said that all efforts will be made to make an "economic giant" out of his country. It is time for Kim to recognize that his pursuit of a strong nuclear program as well as a strong economy cannot work. Kim should also reflect on the Soviet experience. So far, Kim has drawn all the wrong lessons from the demise of communism. During the late Kim Jong-il's reign, the North Korean leadership defined the end of the Soviet Union as a military and ideological failure. This is the reason that they place priority on military self-reliance, including an independent nuclear capability, and the ideological dogma of "juche." However, for all their denials, it is clear that the root cause of the Soviet collapse was not the lack of sufficient nuclear weapons and missiles. Rather, it was participation in the arms race against the United States and a lack of consistent attention on efficient economic management that sealed its fate. Unable to create a viable communist alternative to the increasingly appealing model of capitalism, the Soviet regime could not satisfy the people's pent-up demands for the most basic necessities of life. This is the same tragedy that the people of North Korea face across three generations of hereditary succession, because the Kim family regime pinned its hopes for survival on an ill-fated military-first policy. History clearly shows which path Kim must take for a better future for his people and to ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula. By Lee Min-hyung The government may delay its decision to approve a proposed takeover plan of CJ HelloVision (CJH) by SK Telecom after relevant government agencies reached a consensus to undergo stricter-than-expected screening processes for the mobile carrier's proposed deal. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP), which will decide on the acquisition, has teamed up with the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) to review complaints by SK's two rivals that the SK-CJH deal may hurt fair market competition and limit consumer choice. According to sources Wednesday, the MSIP may delay its final decision, though SK Telecom hopes the deal will be approved by April. This contrasts with the official stance by the MSIP, as the agency said, "Nothing has yet to be confirmed about how long it will take for us to make a final decision about the deal, as we continue to look through the submitted documents." The MSIP official didn't specify anything more. This comes amid intensifying debate about the proposed deal, which, if approved, is expected to significantly alter the nation's telecom and broadcasting sector. The opposition, including local telecom rivals KT and LG Uplus, have stepped up their criticism, claiming that the deal will only help SK Telecom strengthen its dominant position in the broadcasting sector because the deal is the combination of the nation's leading mobile carrier and cable TV operator. CJH is also the nation's largest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). If SK Telecom fails to persuade government agencies to approve the takeover, then the MSIP is entitled to grant "conditional approval" with limits in certain business areas. The MSIP source added that the ministry will continue to request SK Telecom to revise the documents, but did not elaborate on how they need to be revised. The KCC said its stance toward the deal will depend upon decisions by the MSIP. "For now, we cannot issue official announcements about the deal, as it depends on the result of MSIP's decision," said a KCC official. "Only after that can we discuss detailed processes regarding it." But the KCC is also expected to take its time before making a final decision, given KCC Chairman Choi Sung-joon's previous remarks in which he said, "The KCC will not be restricted by time, and instead take various measures to conduct thorough document screening." In November, SK Telecom signed a contract to take over CJ HelloVision. If approved, this will allow SK Broadband, SK Telecom's wholly-owned subsidiary, to merge with the cable TV operator. KT and LG Uplus have strongly opposed the deal, claiming it will only hurt the competitive landscape in the nation's media sector. Amid mounting concerns and controversy over the issue, the MSIP held a discussion last week to analyze possible effects of the deal. The MSIP invited professors both favoring and opposing the deal, with both sides clashing fiercely and failing to draw any conclusions. The key issue in the session was whether SK Telecom's dominance will be expanded into broadcasting. Professors against the deal claim that the MSIP should nullify it as the possible impact for the deal will be larger than expected. SK Telecom is operating various businesses such as a telecom and Internet protocol TV (IPTV) by its subsidiary SK Broadband. They said the deal, if approved, will help SK Telecom accelerate its domination into not just those sectors, but also into broadcasting. Tech, retail, tourism, automotive industries worry over possibility of China stiffening non-tariff wall By Kim Yoo-chul, Park Si-soo, Park Jin-hai The moves by the United States and Korea to deploy an advanced missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula as a response to "provocative" moves by North Korea may have a negative impact on business ties between Korea and China. Officials in the tourism, technology, retail and automotive industries said Wednesday that the companies are closely monitoring on how the escalating political tension in Northeast Asia will affect their businesses China the most crucial market for all of them. They said that it seems unlikely that the moves to deploy Lockheed Martin's terminal high altitude area defense (THAAD) system, which is designed to intercept ballistic missiles in their terminal stages, in Korea will have any imminent impact on Korean firms operating in China. "But it does make sense that the Chinese government may introduce new punitive measures against Korean firms in retaliation," an official at one of LG's technology affiliates said by telephone. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se told a group of lawmakers in a hurriedly-arranged meeting during the Lunar New Year holiday that he has no solid knowledge about any counter moves by China against Korean companies. But Yun said Seoul is acknowledging worries about whether the political tension will possibly hit Korean firms. "Things will be complicated. North Korea relies hugely on China for economic assistance and exports. But the situation is not different for South Korea, as China is its biggest single business market. If political turmoil deepens, then this will cost a lot," Hong Soon-jick, senior researcher at Hyundai Economic Research Institute. "After the fourth nuclear test by the North, South Korea filed an official complaint to China. Still, maintaining a solid partnership between South Korea and China is crucial in addressing key North Korea-related issues; however, the current situation asks Korean firms in China to prepare a Plan B," said Sejong Institute researcher Chung Jae-hong. Another garlic dispute?' Samsung Electronics, the biggest foreign investor in China in terms of investment, said it has no official comment on the issue. But sources within Samsung told The Korea Times that top company management is regularly being briefed on the situation at its Chinese operations before taking "any new steps" to keep its businesses running. Trade experts in Seoul said if the situation deteriorates, then Beijing may ask Korean companies to pay more tax, and will reduce subsidies to business projects that Korean companies are heavily involved in such electric vehicles (EVs). "There are worries that a new garlic dispute could occur depending on the situation. Although it seems too far that the free trade agreement (FTA) between the South and China will be affected, China may introduce invisible sanctions such as toughened quarantine processes for agricultural products and quality-checks," said an official at the local trade ministry. By comparison, Seoul introduced a safeguard measure in 2000 against the massive influx of cheap Chinese garlic. To protect local farms, the Korean government hiked the tariff rates to 315 percent from 30 percent. As a retaliatory action, China blocked the imports of high-tech gadgets such as mobile phones from Korean companies. An official at LG, one of the biggest foreign investors in China with LG Display having invested more than billions of dollars to operate a huge display complex in Guangzhou, said the company will team up with Korea's trade ministry to address growing "China risks." The automotive industry is already initiating plans to prepare for the worst case scenario. "Electric buses using Samsung and LG-manufactured batteries were not given Chinese government subsidies. I think this is a part of a retaliatory action against the possible THAAD deployment," said an official wishing to remain unidentified. But the retail and tourism industries remained cautious about whether the political tension will have an impact on their businesses. "It's still too early to say the planned Korea-U.S. talks on THAAD will have a negative impact on Korean companies. But it could happen if Seoul and Washington come up with a concrete action plan that China objects to," said an executive at a retail firm on the condition of anonymity. "Even if the Chinese government adopts any kind of retaliation against Korea, I think it will do little to curb the influx of Chinese travelers to Korea," said a local travel agency executive. "There were several political conflicts that frayed Korea-China ties, but none of them had a negative impact on the tourism industry. The MERS outbreak last year was the only event that actually hit the industry," he added. According to data from the trade ministry, China received 26 percent of the total national exports last year. However, in January this year, exports to China decreased to 21.5 percent from a year earlier. "Korea's four backbone industries technology, steel, automobiles and shipbuilding were already in trouble. This is why the THAAD issue is worth being reviewed," said a trade ministry official. SOLIDWORKS Chief Executive Officer Gian Paolo Bassi speaks during an interview at SOLIDWORKS World 2016 at the Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, last week. / Korea Times photo by Yoon Sung-won By Yoon Sung-won DALLAS SOLIDWORKS Chief Executive Officer Gian Paolo Bassi has pledged to record double-digit growth this year in the Korean market. In an interview during the international three-dimensional (3D) design and engineering fair SOLIDWORKS World 2015, the CEO said SOLIDWORKS believes that Korea still has greater market potential in this sector. "Korea as a market is growing very fast for us," Bassi said on Feb. 3. "Our market share in Korea has been around 10 to 15 percent. But this is still below our potential. I expect we can boost growth next year." SOLIDWORKS' parent company Dassault Systemes has led Korea's 3D design market with its software named CATIA, which is designed for larger and more sophisticated designs such as automobiles and aircraft parts. Despite the recent recession in the manufacturing industry in Korea, the 3D design software business of Dassault Systemes has continued to grow. The CEO also aims at recording $1 billion revenue globally with the SOLIDWORKS software by 2018. SOLIDWORKS posted $597.3 million in sales in 2014 with over 5 million users who operate the SOLIDWORKS software everyday for work. Bassi said the global 3D design market will grow faster in the future thanks to the penetration of 3D printing technologies for ordinary consumers. "Compared to the 2D sector, the 3D design market is growing twice as fast," he said. "The size of global 3D design market is currently around $7 billion. I expect it will grow to $10 to $14 billion in scale in the next decade and SOLIDWORKS can be like Microsoft Office in 3D design." Bassi, who has worked for SOLIDWORKS since 2011, was named new CEO during last year's SOLIDWORKS World event. The CEO said his goal is to lead SOLIDWORKS as a platform operator in the 3D design industry. "My No. 1 goal is to go beyond a computer-aided design (CAD) business and become a platform operator based on business maturity with a diverse product portfolio," he said. "We will provide a platform that helps our clients cooperate with each other in the process of building diverse devices." To this end, Bassi said SOLIDWORKS will diversify its product portfolio while pushing for a wider range of applications such as cloud-based services and 3D printing. During this year's event, the company unveiled a new 3D design rendering application SOLIDWORKS Visualize and the printed circuit board (PCB) design application SOLIDWORKS PCB. It also announced cloud-based updates that will make the 3D design software accessible from all web browsers. "Users will be access to our design applications from tablet computers and smartphones," he said. "This innovation will enable customers to design wherever they are." The CEO said it will also provide migration tools for the companies which used to operate obsolete 3D design software to encourage them to change to SOLIDWORKS. Big Bang's 'MADE' series was the hit of 2015, and now the Japanese version album is taking Japan by storm. On Tuesday, Feb. 9, Japan's largest online music source Oricon revealed that Big Bang's latest Japanese album MADE sold 128,000 copies since its release last week. The album, which was released on Feb. 3, contains a total of 11 tracks, and includes Japanese versions of singles titled "Loser," "Bang Bang Bang," and "If You." The physical album lso comes with a special DVD/Blu-ray disc and contains music videos for both the Japanese and Korean versions of the MADE series singles. This is Big Bang's third time setting a sales record in Japan for the most albums sold in a week. The first was when they released ALIVE - MONSTER EDITION in June 2012 and then again in December 2014 with THE BEST OF BIGBANG 2006-2014. In addition to the album release, Big Bang are holding their Japan concert tour BIGBANG WORLD TOUR 2015~2016 MADE IN JAPAN and will perform on Feb. 23 and 24 at the Tokyo Dome. The group will then wrap up their MADE tour in Seoul performing for three nights at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena from Friday, March 4 to Sunday, March 6. Big Bang next plans to visit China in March for an encore tour starting in Shanghai on March 11 and 12. Big Bang will make stops in eight cities including Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Hefei, and Zhenshou. Get ready for a CL and Alexander Wang collaboration campaign this March. CL (Lee Chaerin) shared a teaser video of her inclusion in the upcoming campaign for the Alexander Wang's Spring/Summer 2016 collection to her 3.6 million followers on Instagram. A video posted by CL (@chaelincl) on Feb 8, 2016 at 11:20am PST "#WANGSS16: Coming soon. @WANGSquad @AlexanderWangNY," CL wrote. Alexander Wang rose to fame as a fashion designer after his successful stint as the former creative director of Balenciaga and his high-profile collaboration collection with mega brand H&M. He has since been focused in pumping out his own fashion line. The video shows a stream of artists, models, and creative professionals that are part of the so-called WangSquad, which even has a dedicated Instagram account that shows a Polaroid shot of each personality. Joining CL in the WangSquad are the likes of American artist-producer Travis Scott, models Diego Villareal and Anna Ewers, and 18 more. CL's inclusion in the upcoming Alexander Wang campaign is not surprising given the idol's fashion influencer status. In recent months CL has appeared and performed at a Calvin Klein event in Shanghai and graced the covers of multiple fashion magazines such as W Korea. The idol is also famously best buddies with Moschino creative director Jeremy Scott and is frequently seen attending fashion shows. Fans are also waiting with bated breath for CL's US debut album, which has been reported to be releasing sometime later this spring. --- Mickey is a writer and digital content creator based in Manila. He is a co-founder of ZAVI App and editor of the small business blog IndieMickey. He has also been bitten by the K-Pop fashion bug - follow him on Instagram @mickjami. The 68th Anniversary of Sri Lankas Independence was celebrated at an event organized by the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva on 6 February 2016 (Saturday) at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) New Building. Over 250 members of the Sri Lankan community attended the event. Addressing the gathering, Mrs. Samantha Jayasuriya, Charge dAffaires a.i. said this solemn event was a celebration of Sri Lankan identity and the rich ethno-religious diversity that all Sri Lankans share. She noted that the Independence Day this year was celebrated at a time when the national unity government under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, has presented to the world a Sri Lanka that is seeking to be a prosperous and peaceful nation, with equal opportunities for all its peoples, irrespective of their cast, creed or ethnicity. Mrs. Jayasuriya, also highlighted the contribution made by the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva through actively engaging with a wide range of UN and international agencies, on human rights, trade, migration, disarmament, sustainable development, intellectual property, scientific research, environment and humanitarian work, over the last year, accruing tangible benefits to Sri Lanka. In this context she commended the Sri Lankan experts who have worked and are working in these organizations for their dedication as well as for their assistance to Sri Lanka over the years, and recalling Ambassador Aryasinhas call on expatriate Sri Lankans and organizations to help in making the 'Declaration of Peace' pledge a reality abroad in practical ways she invited the overseas Sri Lankans and their associations to continue their good efforts to promote peace, prosperity and harmony in Sri Lanka. The proceedings commenced with the hoisting of the national flag followed by the singing of the National Anthem. Two minutes silence was observed in honor of all patriots who have laid down their lives to preserve and protect the freedom, unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. Following the lighting of the traditional oil lamp, multi-religious observances were conducted. Ven. Thawalama Dhammika Thero, Ven. Halyale Wimalarathana Thero and Ven. Halwitigala Sujatha Thero invoked blessings according to the Buddhist religious tradition. Rev. Uma Shankar Kurukkal and Rev. Karthik Ragavan Kurukkal conducted the Hindu religious observances. Mr. A.M. Zawahir conducted the Islamic religious observances. Rev. Vincent Schmid conducted the Christian religious observances. The 68th Independence Day message of H.E. the President was read by Mr. Saman Ganiachchi, Attache (Consular), while Mrs. Mafusa Lafir, Second Secretary read the Message of Hon. Prime Minister and Ms. Sarasi de Silva, Attache (Research Officer) read the Message of Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs. H.E. Mr. R.D.S. Kumararatne, Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) delivered the Vote of Thanks. The official ceremony concluded with the playing of the National Anthem in Tamil. The hosts of the evening were Mr. Nalinda Wijerathna, First Secretary in Sinhala, Mrs. Asha Neeliya, Management Assistant in Tamil and Ms. Dilini Gunasekera, Second Secretary in English. The ceremonial segment of the Programme was followed by a Sri Lankan dinner hosted by the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka. Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka Geneva The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more Christy O'Donnell, who publicly sought support from Gov. Jerry Brown for California's recently enacted End of Life Option Act, died on Saturday at home in Santa Clarita, before the new law could take effect. She died holding the hand of her 21-year-old daughter, Bailey Donorovich. O'Donnell, 47, was a former LAPD sergeant who became a lawyer and an advocate for the right of the terminally ill to choose the circumstances of their death. She had stage 4 lung cancer that had spread through her body. Her brother, Jay Watts, posted the news on Facebook. "On February 6, my little Sister Christy passed away and she asked me to post this as her final message on Facebook, as she wanted everyone to know how Loved, Supported, and Lucky she has been in her Lifetime to have you all in her Life," Watts wrote. The End of Life Option Act was signed by Governor Brown in October and takes effect 90 days from the end of the legislative session later this year. When Brown signed the bill on Oct. 5, she unselfishly spoke of the other beneficiaries: "I'm overjoyed for all the terminally ill in California, who can now relax knowing they finally have the choice of aid in dying as one of their end-of-life options,'" O'Donnell said when the law was signed. "Gov. Brown, you have made me a proud Californian today, knowing I live in a state where our governor acts in accordance with what his people need, want, and deserve: in this case, a peaceful and pain-free death with their family." Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca will plead guilty today to a single count of making a false statement in connection with a federal investigation into county jails, his attorney said Wednesday. You will remember that the FBI in 2010 began investigating the civil rights abuses and corruption in the LA County jails, and that Baca's deputies were caught hiding an informant from his federal contacts. A dozen former sheriff's officials have already been convicted, and the criminal trial is upcoming for Baca's then-top deputy in the jails, Paul Tanaka. Baca always denied knowing anything about abuses in the jail or the evasion with federal investigators, but with questions mounting he announced in 2014 that he would not run for reelection. Tanaka ran instead and was trounced by now-Sheriff Jim McDonnell. Tanaka was indicted by a federal grand jury last year and is set to begin trial next month. Baca had yet to be charged, but media reports say that Baca will be in federal court today and offer to plead guilty to one charge of making a false statement. His lawyer, Michael Zweibeck, said the deal should mean Baca will spend no more than six months in prison. A federal judge must approve the deal, Zweibeck said. Here's a 2014 recap by Celeste Fremon in Los Angeles Magazine of how Baca and Tanaka got out of hand. * Added: George Hofstetter, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, issued the following statement: Former Sheriff Lee Baca deserves punishment for the charge he pled guilty to today. The plea agreement sends a strong message that no one is above the law. There must be zero tolerance for this type of failed leadership. This by no means undermines the dedication and hard work of the more than 9,000 deputy sheriffs who put their lives on the line protecting L.A. County residents. With this admission of guilt, the environment that created this type of corruption is out of the department and we begin a new day of restoring confidence and trust. Added: Statement from Sheriff Jim McDonnell: As I have stated previously when asked about the federal investigation and trial, I have faith in the justice system, and trust that it is assessing the facts of these past events in a fair-minded, accountable manner. I know that the milestones during this series of Federal trials have been difficult for all of us at the Sheriffs Department to learn about. But most important, I have learned through my personal experience with this proud organization that our deputies and professional staff remain focused and committed to moving forward by continuing to perform their essential public service in a professional and caring manner. PRESS RELEASE Obamas Budget Request Slams Fusion and NASA, Again Feb. 9, 2016 (EIRNS)The release, today, of the Administrations Fiscal Year 2017 funding requests (in the overall FY17 $4 trillion Federal budget plan) for the fusion and space programs, holds no surprisesfunding is cut for both programs. For years, the White House has been at odds with the Congress over space policy, and has proposed funding for fusion research with the advice that American scientists do their research on other nations devices. The request for magnetic fusion research is $398.178 million, from a Congressionally-appropriated level for FY 16 of $438 milliona 9.1% cut. No funding is provided for MITs Alcator C-Mod tokamak, with the scientists encouraged to work instead on General Atomics DIII-D reactor (at the other end of the country, in California), and "engage in collaborations with international laboratories." What the budget describes as "continued support" for ITER, is a request for $125 million, which had been at the minimally-necessary $150 million level until last year. For NASA, if the budget is not substantially increasing, either no new projects will be started, or on-going programs will be cut. The Administrations NASA budget request is for $19 billion, down from the FY 16 congressional enactment of $19.3 billion. Each year, the Administration proposes to cut programs or delay them, and the Congress angrily restores some of the funding. The planetary science programs are again cut, this year by $112 million, to a level of $1.519 billion. The InSight Mars lander, which has been delayed by a European equipment problem, may not even be continued, if the money is not found to store it until launch. What will get a loud response from Capitol Hill is the proposed cut of 17% in the exploration programs, which include the Space Launch System rocket, and the Orion crew capsule. At the budget briefing this afternoon with NASA Chief Financial Officer David Radzanowski, it was pointed out by a reporter that this is lowest exploration budget since 2008. At the funding level the Administration has proposed, advanced testing of the Orion vehicle would be delayed by two years, to 2023. But Radzanowksi assured the press that the Congress would add money to keep it on schedule! For years, NASA Administrator Bolden has not been at headquarters to brief the press on the budget release. Today, he was AWOL at NASAs Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, where he delivered his "State of the Agency" report. He repeatedly stated, "the state of our NASA is strong." PRESS RELEASE Obama Plotting a Warlike Situation in East Asia Using the North Korean Rocket Launch as a Pretext Feb. 9, 2016 (EIRNS)Today President Obama spoke by phone to Japanese Premier Shinjo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye, condemning North Koreas actionsnotably its Feb. 7 satellite rocket launchand calling for a strong international response, including a United Nations Security Council resolution. The Korea Herald reported that President Park and her U.S. and Japanese counterparts have agreed to cooperate to ensure that the U.N. Security Council can adopt a resolution for strong sanctions on North Korea for its latest nuclear test and the long-range rocket launch. Todays push by Obama is part of his ongoing development of a war-like stance in the region. Yesterday, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook spoke of wanting the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile deployment in South Korea to proceed. "Without getting into a timeline, wed like to see this move as quickly as possible," Cook told reporters, "We are beginning the consultations now and in the current days with the South Koreans, and we expect that this will move in an expeditious fashion." Americas highly deployable THAAD system fires anti-ballistic missiles into the sky to smash into enemy missiles either inside or outside the Earths atmosphere during their final flight phase. The interceptor missiles carry no warheads, instead relying on kinetic energy to destroy their targets, AFP report noted. China is expressing deep concerns over the proposed THAAD deployment, which it says could worsen the already fragile situation in Northeast Asia. "China holds a consistent and clear stance on the anti-missile issue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Feb 7, reported by Xinhua. "When pursuing its own security, one country should not impair others security interests." In addition, Xinhua also calls attention to the meeting planned for this week to discuss the North Korean rocket launch, to be held in Hawaii, between Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his Japanese and South Korean counterpartsKatsutoshi Kawano, head of Japans Self-Defense Forces, and Lee Sun-jin, the South Korean Army General and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Reaction is already rolling in to producer Scott Rudins announcement Wednesday that he is bringing Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird to Broadway for the 2017-18 season with none other than Aaron Sorkin adapting the 1960 novel. Bartlett Sher, who won a 2008 Tony for South Pacific, is set to direct. The play is far from Rudin and Sorkins first collaboration, with the former producing and the latter scripting The Social Network and Steve Jobs. On Twitter, plenty of Sorkin supporters are eagerly awaiting what the adaptation will yield, though some are more skeptical than others. Advertisement Sorkin has had mixed success in theater. Before 1992s A Few Good Men made him a Hollywood player, the project began its life as a play in 1989, starring Tom Hulce. The show ran for nearly 500 performances and closed in January 1991. Sorkin also wrote The Farnsworth Invention, based on the life of Philo Farnsworth, inventor of the television. The production debuted in December 2007 and closed just 104 shows later. Even with Sorkins stage history, questions plague the adaptation. Lees novel, set in Alabama during the Great Depression, is told from the point of view of a girl named Scout. When her father, Atticus, serves as the defense attorney for an innocent man in a race-driven rape trial, he uses the hard lessons within to show his children the value of humanity and justice. Rudin assured the New York Times that the Atticus featured in the play would be the Atticus audiences knew from Mockingbird, not the books sequel, Go Set a Watchman, in which the beloved character so admired for his social activism has devolved into an unapologetic racist. Other concerns center around notoriously private Harper Lee. The 89-year-old has long been protective of adaptations of her work, and controversy swirled around last years release of Watchman. However, Lees literary agent, Andrew Nurnberg, told the New York Times that this adaptation was precisely what Lee wanted. While [Lee] had always had misgivings about anyone who might want to bring To Kill a Mockingbird to Broadway -- and there have been many approaches over the years -- she finally decided that Scott would be the right person to embrace this, Nurnberg said. Twitter: @midwestspitfire A cars driver doesnt necessarily have to be human: The artificial intelligence behind Google Inc.'s self-driving system could count, according to federal highway safety officials. In a letter posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations website, the agency responded to Googles request for interpretation of several federal safety standards as they apply to the tech giants self-driving cars. As a premise of the interpretation, NHTSA will interpret driver in the context of Googles described motor vehicle design as referring to the [self-driving system], and not to any of the vehicle occupants, Chief Counsel Paul Hemmersbaugh said in the letter. We agree with Google its [self-driving vehicle] will not have a driver in the traditional sense that vehicles have had drivers during the last more than 100 years. Advertisement Analysts said this could make it easier for the Mountain View, Calif., tech giant to roll out driverless cars and could potentially apply to other autonomous vehicle makers as well. It does provide a different definition of the driver, said Thilo Koslowski, vice president and automotive practice leader at research firm Gartner. It could accelerate significantly legislation in all the different states for autonomous vehicles to be on the roads. This is just the latest federal boost for self-driving cars. The Transportation Department said in January that federal guidelines for how such vehicles will operate, as well as a model state policy, would be developed in six months. Not all government agencies are fully on board. In December, the California Department of Motor Vehicles released draft rules for self-driving cars, including a requirement that the vehicles have a steering wheel and a human driver ready to take control if necessary. Googles vehicle design removes conventional controls such as steering wheels and brake pedals because the company believes that giving human occupants access to these operations could be detrimental to safety because the human occupants could attempt to override the [self-driving systems] decisions, the NHTSA letter says. There are still many obstacles to overcome before driverless cars could make a widespread debut on public roads. In the letter, NHTSA said Google also must certify that self-driving technology meets standards developed for cars with human drivers and that the agency itself must have some way to determine compliance. Google might be able to prove that certain standards are unnecessary for a particular vehicle design, though the company has not made such a showing, the federal safety agency said. Google spokesman Johnny Luu said the company was considering the letter but had no other comment. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx called NHTSAs interpretation significant, though he said other hurdles for automakers remain. The burden remains on self-driving car manufacturers to prove that their vehicles meet rigorous federal safety standards, Foxx said in a statement. Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog said NHTSA was wrong to say self-driving technology could be interpreted as the cars driver. In a statement, the consumer groups privacy project director referred to the disengagement reports submitted to the DMV by major companies testing self-driving cars in California that detailed the number of times a human had to take control of the vehicle. Automakers such as Google, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Delphi Automotive reported how many times human drivers had to grab the wheel during the year that ended in November, some occurring as often as once every one or two miles. Googles driverless cars experienced 272 disengagements, or about one incident every 1,244 miles. The robot cars simply cannot reliably deal with everyday real traffic situations, said John Simpson, Consumer Watchdogs privacy project director. Without a driver, who do you call when the robots fail? samantha.masunaga@latimes.com The Flint, Mich., water crisis has been garnering all the headlines lately, but we shouldnt forget its precursor in news coverage devoted to man-made environmental disasters. That would be the 2014 chemical spill into the Elk and Kanawha rivers flowing through Charleston, W.Va. The spill of a chemical known as MCHM, which is used for washing coal and was stored haphazardly by Freedom Industries, left some 300,000 residents of nine counties without potable water for 10 days to two weeks. Somewhere between one-fifth and one-half of the affected households reported that at least one person in the family had become ill from the water, according to a survey led by Purdue University. Hardly a criminal. U.S. Judge Thomas Johnston on William Tis, who was convicted of a criminal charge in his courtroom Advertisement Now the legal consequences are coming due, and on the whole, they show that corporate executives can allow disasters like this to happen with impunity. On Monday, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported that the fourth former executive of Freedom Industries was sentenced for his role in the spill. Federal Judge Thomas Johnston sentenced William E. Tis, a former Freedom director and co-owner, to three years probation and a $20,000 fine. Tis had pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of causing an unlawful discharge of refuse matter. The maximum sentence was a year in prison. Tis was the fourth Freedom executive to escape jail time under the gavel of Johnston, who pronounced him hardly a criminal. Johnston last week fined the company itself $900,000 but acknowledged that theres no way the fine will ever be paid, since the company is bankrupt. A settlement of local claims last year illustrates the scale of the injustice: About $2.3 million exists in company assets and contributions from its offers to pay claims totaling $56 million. Tis and his fellow executives join the parade of business leaders avoiding the full measure of punishment or in some cases, any punishment for their misdeeds. The absence of banking and finance executives from the roll of those prosecuted for the 2008 economic collapse has been well-marked, but theyre not alone. Typically, penalties for corporate wrongdoing fall on the executives corporations which is to say, their shareholders. That simply wont incentivize executives to do the right thing. White-collar criminals are so seldom prosecuted, much less jailed, that its front-page news when an executive faces even watered-down charges. Take the case of Don Blankenship, who was the head of Massey Energy in 2010 when a blast at one of its mines took the lives of 29 coal miners. A federal jury convicted Blankenship in December on a single misdemeanor count of conspiring to violate federal mine safety standards, but cleared him on two felony counts. Hes subject to a fine of $250,000 and up to a year in prison, but he could have faced a 30-year term if found guilty of all charges. In any case, he wont be suffering much; in 2009, before the mine blast, he pulled down compensation of $17.8 million. To be sure, the sentencings on the West Virginia spill arent over: Former Freedom President Gary Southern will be sentenced next week and former CEO Dennis Farrell on Thursday. Like their compatriots, both pleaded guilty to federal charges. Southern, who faces a minimum 30 days and a maximum three years in prison and a possible fine of $300,000, became the face of corporate insensitivity after the spill was discovered when, armed with bottled water at a news conference, he complained that he had had a long day and asked reporters to wrap things up. As part of his plea deal, he received back several assets the feds had seized, including a Bentley auto and more than $7 million in savings. Federal prosecutors also dropped charges that he had lied to them about his assets and the circumstances of Freedoms bankruptcy. Federal prosecutors had moved for minimum sentences for Tis and the other already-sentenced Freedom executives, arguing that they had helped with the prosecutions of their colleagues. In fact, they were all turning on one another. Former plant manager Michael Burdette, for instance, got off with probation and a $2,500 fine after fingering Tis and others, who he said knew full well that a dike designed to contain the MCHM was leaky and in desperate need of repair. Tis and the others then fingered Southern and Farrell. The latter two may have had no one higher up to finger, so perhaps theyll be It. As long as executives who are in responsible positions when avoidable disasters happen continue to get off almost scot-free, avoidable disasters will continue to happen. In Flint, a state official heading the investigation of the water crisis has said that criminal charges up to and including involuntary manslaughter could ensue. Unfortunately, the historical record says otherwise. ------------ FOR THE RECORD Feb. 10, 2:52 p.m.: An earlier version of this article misspelled former Freedom CEO Dennis Farrells name as Ferrell. ------------ Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see our Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com. A masked couple a ghostly, faceless Astaire and Rogers swirls to composer Danny Elfmans ominous orchestral score Serenada Schizophrana. The feathered fans of a Busby Berkeley kickline morph into the Hiroshima mushroom cloud. And doll-like female figures, suspended on wires and manipulated by their male partners, glide listlessly through space to a John Cage score. Such are the arresting images in choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillots Chore, a phantasmagorial fantasia in five scenes that will make its U.S. debut Friday and Saturday when Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo performs at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. Chore" is Maillots discourse on American dance and the political eras that have shaped it. See more of Entertainments top stories on Facebook >> As the director of the French ballet troupe for more than 20 years, Maillot has created both story ballets and non-narrative works that all skew toward poetic Impressionism. Advertisement The motivation for choreographing the 75-minute Chore" came from Maillots desire for a philosophical discussion of how and why we dance. He turned to French writer Jean Rouaud, winner of the Prix Goncourt Frances top literary prize for the historical novel Fields of Glory. Rather than compose a libretto for the ballet, Rouaud concocted the argument and texts that ponder the relationship of Hollywood, ballet and modern dance to major events of the 20th century. Maillot, whose choreography treads the fine line between ballets refinement and contemporary dances slang vocabulary, sees a metaphorical relationship between Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Fred Astaire is the perfect symbol for me of the elegance and lightness of the body (gliding) above the floor without touching the ground a link to classical ballet, Maillot said in a phone interview from Moscow, where he was rehearsing the Bolshoi Ballet in his The Taming of the Shrew before its recent worldwide cinematic broadcast. When Gene Kelly arrived, he grounded everything into the floor so that dance could connect to the reality of everyday life like dancing in the street especially for the huge studios producing musical comedy. Rouaud takes the bipolar nature of American dance beyond the giddy glitter of Hollywood to the spare, sober linearity of modern dance. When life hardened during the Great Depression, society hungered for the delights and defiant denials of the movie musical. But after the grim events of World War II, Maillot said, the world changed forever and the great modern dance choreographers, like Merce Cunningham, all realized we could never dance the same way anymore. As Jackson Pollock created art from chaos, the choreographic modernists fixed their gaze to an intellectual viewpoint. Still, Maillot said, I am a deep lover of dance. And I can be as happy if I see an original Swan Lake as seeing the most daring kind of contemporary work that surprises me. He eschews the need to skewer one artistic style to defend another. This weeks performances will be Les Ballets de Monte-Carlos third Orange County engagement since 2012. Two years ago, the company of 50 dancers presented the American premiere of Lac, Maillots version of Swan Lake, with dramaturgy by Rouaud, at the Segerstrom Center. Maillot has made his mark through the strikingly dramatic visuals. In a passionate moment in his Romeo and Juliet, the Veronese lover belly-slides through Juliets straddled legs. In The Taming of the Shrew, a drunk Petruchio tumbles down a flight of stairs clenching a white rose in his teeth, then yanks Katherine by the jaw into a one-armed, overhead lift and settles her into a submissive pose over his knee. The son of an art professor at L'Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Tours, Maillot thrives on artistic collaboration with designers, composer and writers to bring his ballets to life. A choreographer is nothing without the other artists, he said. You have to learn how to share. We have to forget each other and just serve the idea. Maillot commissioned his brother Bertrand Maillot as well as Yan Maresz and Daniel Ciampolini to write music for three parts of the ballets. Stage designs and costumes were created by Dominique Drillot, a frequent collaborator with Maillot, and Philippe Guillotel, known for his imaginative costumes for Cirque du Soleil. In a historical link, Monaco was a home to Sergei Diaghilevs legendary Ballets Russes, which paired dance with groundbreaking visual artists and composers in the early 20th century. (Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo was established by Princess Caroline of Monaco in 1985.) In Chore, Maillot hopes to examine the history of American dance to determine where the art form stands in the present. I question myself not where we come from but where we are going, he said, in light of the political, sociological and artistic events of history. For the French choreographer, his fascination with dance comes from many angles. Is it my brain? Or is it my heart? Is it my guts? he has pondered for more than 20 years. I dont think I need to get an answer, just to put forth questions about it. Chore" ends with a percussion finale, a sort of primal dance ceremony. Its a way of saying each dance will just be a heartbeat, Maillot said. ----------------------------- Les Ballets de Monte-Carlos Chore' Where: Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday Tickets: $29 and up Info: (714) 556-2787, scfta.org Running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes (no intermission) Vintage punk zines from the 80s. Architect-designed bookends. And a floating library in the middle of Echo Park Lake. The Fourth Annual L.A. Art Book Fair and the various satellite events it has inspired is set to bring dozens of artists, booksellers, international presses, independent publishers and antiquarians to the area around downtown Los Angeles this week for a pop-up market dispensing everything from handmade comic books to rare exhibition catalogs. The book fair, organized by New York nonprofit Printed Matter and held at the Museum of Contemporary Arts Geffen space in Little Tokyo, will feature more than 250 exhibitors, and is expected to draw upwards of 30,000 visitors. This will include art book purveyors from all over the U.S., as well as locations as far away as Norway, Japan, Guatemala and New Zealand. This year, the fair has also inspired a number of off-site events that are as intriguing as the fair itself including nighttime art book parties at the Ace Hotel, an artist reading at the Million Dollar Theater and Sarah Peters floating library installation in Echo Park, where visitors in pedal boats will be able to check out works to read as they float around the lake. Advertisement With so much to do, it can be difficult to decide where to start. Here are nine booths and events not to miss: 1. Preview party Things kick off Thursday evening at MOCA Geffen with a special event featuring musical performances by Moon Uterus (thatd be Mel Smikovitz, Devendra Banhart and Amy von Harrington at the turntables) along with the gender-bendy, punk-inspired band Christeene. A good opportunity to get your groove on while also getting an advance peek at the bookish merch on offer. Admission: $10. LAABF, MOCA Geffen, 152 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles. 2. Historic SoCal zines at Arthur Fournier Brooklyn-based rare book dealer Arthur Fournier Fine and Rare will have an exhibition devoted to the Southern California punk zine FER YOUz. The zine was produced by photographers Brian and Nikki Tucker in the early 1980s and featured images of people, fashion and performances including early shows by bands such as Black Flag, TSOL and the Circle Jerks. Fournier is displaying the original color masters of the zine, along with ephemera from the Tuckers archive. There will also be a limited edition portfolio of the Tuckers photography available for sale. On Saturday at 2 p.m., the Tuckers will be in conversation with Fowler Museum director Marla C. Berns and Black Flag founding vocalist Keith Morris in the area of the book fair known as the Classroom (aka Gallery D). LAABF, MOCA Geffen, 152 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles, arthurfournier.com and feryouz.com. 3. Book nights at the Ace Hotel Read by day, party by night. The Ace Hotel is hosting a series of after-hour events every night that the LAABF is in session in collaboration with various independent booksellers: Thursday night will feature product by 8 Ball Zines from New York. Friday will be devoted to works produced by The Thing Quarterly, out of the Bay Area. Saturday will feature a takeover from the artists at Tunica studio, and Sunday will feature a presentation from Mouthfeel Magazine. Naturally, there will be tunes, as well as projections and other artsy happenings. Thursday through Sunday starting at 8:30 every night. Ace Hotel, 929 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, acehotel.com. 4. Architectural book products The team at wHY Architecture (the office of L.A. designer Kulapat Yantrasast) is making its first appearance at the book fair this year, in collaboration with Art Catalogues at LACMA. For the fair, they will present a series of pieces they call Objects For Book Lovers. This includes elegantly designed bookends and book stands, as well as a series of new works by sculptor Tanya Brodsky. Art Catalogues, in the meantime, will offer a range of new and vintage art books and has scheduled four book signings to take place in the space over the course of the fair. These will be by artists and writers Jonathan Hornedo, David Fiesta, Julia Friedman and Evans Vestal Ward. See the fairs book signing page for times. LAABF, MOCA Geffen, 152 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles, why-site.com and artcatalogues.com. 5. A conceptual record store Los Angeles conceptual artist Allen Ruppersberg has created a record store that features records about records. First, he digitizes obscure works from his own record collection. Then he records these onto blank vintage discs that he both displays and sells online as part of a project called the El Segundo Record Club. The sleeves are all unique. Gallerist Marc Selwyn will have a temporary installation of Ruppersbergs singular record club at his booth at LAABF. MOCA Geffen, 152 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles, marcselwyinfineart.com. 6. Kim Gordons record shop Vinyl is a theme at this years LAABF. Gagosian Gallery is presenting a project by former Sonic Youth frontwoman Kim Gordon, who is paying tribute to Feeding Tube Records, a repository of avant-garde vinyl in Florence, Mass. Naturally, there is a special release album by Body/Head (Gordon and guitarist Bill Nace) which will be covered in unique sleeves created by artists such as Laura Owens, Jim Shaw and Rita Ackerman. The gallerys booth will also feature a listening station and other items from the Feeding Tube inventory. LAABF, MOCA Geffen, 152 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles, gagosian.com. 7. Graffiti zines and altered books SFAQ[Projects] out of the Bay Area is bringing a pile of original books worth combing through. This includes Barry McGees new artist book, Year in Review - Spring Edition, as well as a new large format zine from the train-hopping artist Swampy, and a limited selection of hand-altered books by Mark Flood. There will also be a wide selection of other zines, artist projects and flat works available. LAABF, MOCA Geffen, 152 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles, sfaq.us. 8. Artist readings L.A. arts organization ForYourArt is teaming up with Goodreads to present Everbooks, a series of artists and writer readings at the Million Dollar Theater in downtown L.A. Hosted by Serpentine Gallery curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, the line-up will include figures such as Eleanor Antin, John Baldessari, Kori Newkirk, Lisa Anne Auerbach, Barbara T. Smith and Aram Saroyan, all reading from their favorite books. Friday at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6:30, Million Dollar Theater, 307 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, foryourart.com and goodreads.com. Admission: $5; free to readers of Goodreads and ForYouArt with the code ForYourArt. Reserve tickets via eventbrite.com. 9. Books on a lake For the last three summers, Minnesota artist Sarah Peters has placed a floating library in a lake somewhere around Minneapolis. Its a simple affair a humble wooden platform on flotation devices that dispenses a variety of artist-made reading materials. The whole project comes from the artists own practice: I built a little rowboat a few years ago and we spent a lot of time rowing around, she explains. One of our favorite things was to row out to a lake and then drift and read. The Floating Library is now coming to L.A. The artist has teamed up with the artist-run space Machine Project to create a library for Echo Park Lake, where visitors will be able to float by and pick up and read one of a selection of artist-made and small press books. A good way to enjoy art books on this very sunny week. Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Echo Park Lake, 751 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles, machineproject.com and thefloatinglibrary.org. + + + The L.A. Art Book Fair opens Friday at 1 p.m. and runs through Sunday at 6 p.m. Admission is free. MOCA Geffen, 152 N. Central Ave., downtown Los angeles, laartbookfair.net and moca.org. Find me on Twitter @cmonstah. The family blockbuster Monster Hunt was the biggest movie ever in China with $381 million in theater ticket sales, but what arrived with a splash in its home country barely made a ripple in the U.S. Independent distribution company FilmRise, which acquired the U.S. rights to the movie, hoped that the computer-animated, live-action hybrid would cross over into local Chinese communities and appeal to consumers of fantasy films. See more of Entertainments top stories on Facebook >> Advertisement It didnt. The movie opened in 44 theaters in January to just $21,000 in its debut weekend, for a dismal average of less than $500 per location. It only lasted about a week in limited release. Its probably the biggest movie most people in North America have never heard of, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at ComScore. Chinas filmgoers are highly coveted by Hollywood, which sees that countrys fast-growing cinema industry as an opportunity. Box-office receipts in China, already the worlds second-largest film market, rose nearly 50% to $6.8 billion last year. However, the theatrical flop of Monster Hunt illustrates the difficulty of delivering Chinas homegrown blockbusters for American audiences. Whereas Hollywood pictures such as Furious 7, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Jurassic World continue to draw massive crowds in China, the countrys own movies have met with little success in the U.S. Chinese hit Detective Chinatown, for example, has pulled in less than $500,000 from its U.S. run. Its probably the biggest movie most people in North America have never heard of. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at ComScore Martial-arts action movies tend to have a certain amount of pull, with the 2000 Chinese-language hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as the most striking example. The Ang Lee-directed movie grossed $128 million in the U.S. and Canada. More recently, the kung fu sequel Ip Man 3" has grossed $2.1 million in its limited U.S. release. We were told at the beginning that this was a long shot, FilmRise Vice President Bob Jason said. We never thought it would be that big in theaters, but it generated tremendous awareness. Among the many challenges facing Monster Hunts prospects were mixed reviews from critics and online piracy. The movie hit Chinese theaters in July, so anyone who was interested and had an Internet connection could illegally download the film and watch it on his or her computer or tablet. Originally we were targeting this thing toward the Chinese market, but apparently a lot of Chinese folks have already seen the film, Jack Fisher, president of FilmRise, said in an interview. Monster Hunt was a first for New York-based FilmRise, which has released small indie pictures and documentaries. The firm had hoped to draw people to theaters by releasing the picture in 3-D and 2-D, offering a better big-screen experience that could entice people who have already seen a lower-quality version online. The company partnered with the West Hollywood company Asia Releasing to target the film at U.S. moviegoers, posting fliers in Chinese restaurants, grocery stores and other small businesses. A major social media campaign emphasized the appeal of one of the featured monsters a cute, marshmallow-colored baby that looks a little like a smiling radish. The distributors also used the popular Chinese social media site Weibo to get people excited. The distributor took pains to remove elements that would turn off American filmgoers. A scene in which puppies are put up for sale in an outdoor meat market did not make the cut, for example, out of fear that it would alienate too many people. That was one of the things that was kind of obvious, Fisher said. An older audience might understand that it might be a cultural thing, but for the kids, we decided to take that out. Still, interest was muted, despite efforts to increase turnout. FilmRise executives said they were encouraged by English-language audiences who appeared to enjoy the movies fantasy-action elements and its wacky humor. Having found that the movie wont work in multiplexes, the company plans to shepherd the film into independent theaters around the country for one-time engagements. This weekend Monster Hunt will play at the Film Bar in Phoenix and the Pelham Picture House in Pelham, N.Y. The company is also placing its hopes on the home video market, where executives think the movie will find more success. Were not in a rush to put it out there, FilmRises Jason said. Its going to be a slow build. MORE: China box office: $100 million in a day on lunar new year breaks record With $58.5 million so far, Kung Fu Panda 3' performs better in China than U.S. Review: Monster Hunt is a monstrous mess of borrowed ideas Fox News Channel was the most-watched cable network for results of the New Hampshire presidential primaries on Tuesday with 4.17 million viewers. The audience level fell short of the high FNC set for primary or caucus coverage on Feb. 1, when 4.46 million viewers tuned in to the network for the results in Iowa. See more of Entertainments top stories on Facebook >> Advertisement FNC topped CNN on Tuesday, which averaged 2.72 million viewers in prime time (8 to 11 p.m. Eastern) and MSNBCs 1.74 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen. FNC also scored a narrow victory among 25-to-54-year-olds -- the group advertisers seek the most. FNC averaged 991,768 in the demographic compared with 950,610 for CNN and 493,692 for MSNBC. CNNs Iowa caucus coverage had topped Fox News in the category. Overall, 8.63 million viewers were tuned in to the three major cable news networks for the New Hampshire results, compared with 10.16 million who watched the Iowa numbers come in. The first-in-the-nation primary lacked the drama that likely drove viewer interest in the Iowa caucuses -- where Sen. Ted Cruz scored a surprise victory over Donald Trump on the Republican side while Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders were deadlocked until Clinton was declared the winner the following day. On Tuesday, all three cable news networks were able to call the primary winners -- Trump and Sanders -- at 8 p.m. Eastern time, right after the polls closed in New Hampshire. News organizations are able to base such early calls on exit polling of voters done during the day. Still, all three networks saw substantial gains over the audience levels for New Hampshire primary coverage in 2012. There was only a competitive race on the Republican side during that presidential election cycle. CNN was up most with a 145% gain over 2012. Fox News grew by 86% and MSNBC was up 66%. FNCs coverage was anchored by Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly. CNNs coverage was led by Wolf Blitzer. MSNBCs anchor team consisted of Brian Williams, Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews. DMX is out of the hospital after collapsing in the parking lot of a Yonkers, N.Y., hotel on Monday night, his attorney said Tuesday. The 45-year-old rapper, real name Earl Simmons, didn't have a pulse when authorities arrived, police told the Associated Press. Murray Richman, DMX's lawyer, told the AP that although he didn't know why his client stopped breathing, the performer does suffer from asthma. "Just got off the phone with the DOG . He's good and in great spirits Thanks for all the blessings," collaborator Swizz Beatz tweeted on Tuesday afternoon. It took paramedics about a minute before DMX had a pulse and was breathing again, the New York Daily News reported. TMZ initially reported Tuesday that DMX was revived using Narcan, an opiate antidote, and quoted an unnamed witness as saying the rapper had ingested a powder before collapsing, then updated its account with information from an unnamed family member saying DMX denied taking any drugs, had been experiencing shortness of breath due to bronchitis and had asked for his inhaler he didn't get it in time before collapsing. Police confirmed to the AP that Narcan and CPR had been used to help revive a man in a Ramada Inn parking lot in Yonkers but couldn't identify the man positively as DMX because of privacy laws. The rapper, born in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., and raised in Yonkers, was arrested last June and sentenced to six months in prison over unpaid child support money he said he didn't owe. However, DMX got out two months later after a judge issued a stay of his sentence so what his attorney called "some legal issues" could be worked out. Follow Christie D'Zurilla on Twitter @theCDZ and Google+. Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter @LATcelebs. Flying Lotus is everywhere at this years Grammys, even when you cant see him. The L.A. producer, born Steven Ellison, is up for his first nomination as an artist, a best dance recording nod for his song Never Catch Me. That single, a hypnotic highlight from his well-received 2014 LP Youre Dead!, featured Kendrick Lamar on guest vocals. Ellison also contributed production work to Lamars album To Pimp a Butterfly, a politically charged and jazz-infused album considered a favorite to bring home top awards. FULL COVERAGE: Grammy Awards 2016 Advertisement Ellison was privy to the behind-the-scenes Grammy selection process as a member of the panel determining what records fit in the best alternative music album category. But as a boss of the label Brainfeeder, home to heavily buzzed saxophonist Kamasi Washington and a host of other L.A. artists, he also saw how cryptic the nominating process can be, when Washingtons acclaimed triple-LP The Epic was shut out of nominations in the jazz categories. Five albums deep into his career, the Grammys are finally acknowledging just how far-reaching Ellisons effect has been. I feel like everybody in L.A. is going to get a Grammy if [Kendrick Lamar] wins it. Flying Lotus Im kind of divided on it, Ellison said, laughing at the unknowable nature of why this was finally his year. Its nice to be recognized, but you know, Ive been here. Ellisons first Grammy nomination, however, wasnt in the category he might have expected. His work almost purposefully avoids traditional four-on-the-floor dance music, favoring wild free-jazz breakdowns and sly subversions of contemporary beatmaking. Recent winners like Zedd and Skrillex have hewed much closer to the traditional formula, while the slow-tempo Never Catch Me is more indebted to the stranger corners of hip-hop. Its so weird, right? Maybe they just thought they finally had to give me something, Ellison said. Flying Lotus is up against a juggernaut in the dance recording category in Where Are U Now by Skrillex and Diplos Jack U project, which features Justin Bieber on vocals. To Pimp a Butterfly, by contrast, is almost certain to take home some Grammy wins (the album has 11 nominations, nearly as many as Michael Jacksons Thriller did upon its release). Ellison wrote and produced the albums leadoff track, Wesleys Theory, which also featured funk legend George Clinton and the bassist and frequent Flying Lotus collaborator Thundercat (with additional production work from Sounwave and Flippa). 1 / 16 Click through the gallery to see some of the top Grammys 2016 winners and nominees including Taylor Swift, the Weeknd and Ed Sheeran. Make sure to check out The Times complete Grammys coverage. (From left: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times; Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times; Matt Sayles / Invision / AP) 2 / 16 WINNER: Album of the year, pop vocal album and music video; NOMINATED: Record of the year, song of the year, pop solo performance, pop duo/group performance. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 16 WINNER: Record of the year and Pop duo/group performance; NOMINATIONS: Pop vocal album (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 16 WINNER: Best New Artist (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 16 WINNER: Rock song, rock performance and alternative music album; NOMINATIONS: Album of the year. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 16 WINNER: Song of the year and pop solo performance. NOMINATIONS: Record of the year, album of the year. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 16 WINNER: rap album, rap performance, rap song, rap/sung collaboration, and music video; NOMINATED: album of the year, song of the year. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 16 WINNER: R&B performance, urban contemporary album; NOMINATIONS: Record of the year, album of the year, pop solo performance, R&B song, and song written for visual media. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 16 WINNER: R&B song and R&B album; NOMINATIONS: Record of the year. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 16 WINNER: Country solo performance, country album; NOMINATIONS: Album of the year, country song. (Jenna Schoenefeld / For The Times) 11 / 16 NOMINATIONS: Rap performance, rap/sung collaboration, rap song and rap album (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 16 NOMINATIONS: Pop duo/group performance, pop vocal album, rock performance and rock song (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 16 Nominations: Rap performance, rap/sung collaboration and rap album (Christopher Polk / Getty Images for A+E Networks) 14 / 16 WINNER: Country duo/group performance; NOMINATIONS: Country album. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 16 NOMINATIONS: New artist and country album (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 16 NOMINATIONS: R&B performance and R&B album (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times) Butterfly brought so many elements of Ellisons experimental-musical community together that any major-category wins would also be a mark of their scenes influence on todays pop music and culture. I feel like everybody in L.A. is going to get a Grammy if [Lamar] wins it, Ellison said. He added that an album of the year win would say so much about truth and beauty, that you dont have to make ... repetitive music [to win]. When I first heard the album, I thought, Theyre gonna crucify you! But he went against the grain, which was so brave of him, he said. Ellisons nominations might herald a new era for more experimental electronic music earning Grammy success. His label, Warp Records, has released Grammy-nominated albums for three consecutive years. Each was an ambitious, idiosyncratic document (last year, Aphex Twins Syro won for best dance/electronic album). It means a lot to us that the academy have started to formally recognize these works, said Steven Hill, the head of marketing at Warp Records. Grammys hold added significance to artists from L.A. too, especially those, like Flying Lotus, that have been so central and influential to the citys musical development over the last few years. Lotus and his Brainfeeder label have done so much with artists like Thundercat and Kamasi Washington to develop this perfect storm that is beginning to be felt across multiple musical forms. In the past, Lotus has been fairly candid about his desire for a Grammy and his emotions about who they reward. BT, Chemical Brothers, Groove Armada??? are you serious?? Grammys are a joke, he wrote on Twitter after the 2010 nominations failed to acknowledge his LP Cosmogramma. But this year, he served on the selection committee that helped define what qualified for best alternative music album. While thats a genre label that he admits could mean anything, especially as guitar rock fades in influence on pop, he saw the process as surprisingly validating about the Grammys as an institution. It was educational to see behind the scenes. People are really, really knowledgeable, Ellison said. I always just thought they didnt know about the up-and-comers, but theyd heard everything. However, just because the Grammys have considered a certain album doesnt mean it will still be nominated. Kamasi Washingtons The Epic, which Lotus released on his label Brainfeeder last year, was one of the most talked-about jazz albums of the year while sharing some of the same musicians as Kendrick Lamars To Pimp a Butterfly, including Washington. The album was a commercial success, hitting No. 3 on Billboards jazz charts and selling 35,000 copies, including 6,300 copies of its nearly $40 vinyl edition, according to Nielsen Music. It earned Universal Acclaim status from the review-aggregator site Metacritic, yet failed to earn a single Grammy nomination. If youre not doing My Favorite Things, jazz voters still look at you funny, Ellison said. But there was no other jazz artist out there getting that kind of love and worldwide recognition. I bet [Washington] sold more records than all of the rest of them too. Yeah, it was a super letdown for me. Regardless, given the varied contributions to this years field of nominees by Ellison and the artists in his orbit, this years Grammys feel more dynamic than ever. Boundary-pushing black performers like the Weeknd and DAngelo are also up for top prizes, which stands in contrast to the Oscars, which have been mired in controversy since their predominantly white field of nominees was announced. Flying Lotus has set the template for an omnivorous approach to jazz, hip-hop and electronic music that has long felt fundamentally new and unique to L.A. Now it feels fundamental to the Grammys as well. They definitely need to keep diversifying. They did better this time, but maybe they need to expand the categories to start acknowledging the freaky stuff, Ellison said. These people need a chance. ALSO: Rihanna to perform at Grammys; Anti album heads toward No. 1 How Taylor Swifts Grammy-nominated Blank Space started as a joke Rick Rubin helms new Star Wars album with Flying Lotus, Kaskade and more First, if there is now or ever will be a pasty-faced, bleached blond Liv Moore look-alike doll named Sally Tiny Tears, I want one. Immediately. Second, on the scale of iZombie merchandise suggestions, such a product would rank right up there with branded hot sauce, Seattle morgue paraphernalia and copies of The Upright Position. But I digress only slightly with the recap of this weeks episode of the dram-zom-rom-com, dubbed Physician, Heal Thy Selfie, simply because the scene with a confidential informant who said Liv reminded him of a creepy kids toy was so much fun. Advertisement This brief bit is tucked in, and it zips past, but its a sterling example of what makes this show such a razor sharp, self-aware pleasure. And aside from being a salty piece of comedy, it ties into the larger narrative, with the street-level drug slinger giving Liv and Clive a window into the illicit scene. Namely, he lets them know theres a rival to Mr. Boss whos pushing a more potent, cheaper form of Utopium called Lucky U. Liv figures out who the shady entrepreneur is in the final minutes of this hour, and this intel will be really, really important to our heroes. On to the down-and-dirty of this hour, which sees Liv Moore (Rose McIver) using her own brain to solve a triple murder -- the victims are headless! -- and gives shippers everywhere something to swoon about on the Peyton and Ravi front. Friendly advice: Dont get ahead of yourselves. Major Lilywhite (Robert Buckley) and Blaine DeBeers (David Anders), in their parallel universes, seem to take a few steps forward and several back as their deceptions start to catch up to them. Its perfect that Physician, Heal Thy Selfie is all about the oversharing that defines todays social media, when the show itself revolves around its characters closely held secrets. What they dont know -- what they hide from each other, however well-intentioned -- does hurt them. Liv has no such filter, at least for a while, when she ingests the brain of an unfortunate 25-year-old gal named Madison who was addicted to Twitter and Facebook and Yelp and on and on. The Snapchatting millennial was too fixated on her smartphone to see that city bus coming straight for her. (Resist making any hashtag jokes here). Liv ends up turning into an online influencer who says things like, Of course I grammed it. That fish was on fleek. #SushiObsessed. She takes more selfies than a Kardashian and suspects her crush is up to no good because he has no digital presence. Shes right, but thats because Drake is a double-crossing ex-con zombie with anger issues, not because he doesnt have a Tinder profile. The murder du jour is actually a triple homicide, and the victims bodies are found on a riverbank minus their noggins. What happens to Livs psychic mojo when she cant snack on their gray matter? (Its the first time in iZombie history that shes eaten brains from a non-murder victim). Minus the visions, she and Det. Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin) do it the old-school way, following trails that tell them the victims worked for Mr. Boss. One was his machete-toting nephew. Were they responsible for the apparent abduction of the missing district attorney? Was that the intended payback for the Mr. Boss indictments? And are they copycatting the Chaos Killer, complete with anti one-percenter graffiti, to throw police off their trail? Yes, yes and yes. But somewhere between the plan and its execution, three armed and dangerous thugs end up decapitated by a 40something lawyer whos now in the ether. Sound suspicious? It sure does to Vaughn Du Clark (Steven Weber), who rakes Major over the coals about this incident. If Major had correctly IDd and done away with DA Floyd Baracus, a zombie on the down low, this wouldve never happened. How many other members of the walking undead have slipped through the cracks, Vaughn asks Major, the actual Chaos Killer. And just to flex his evil muscles, Vaughn promises to kill someone every day -- picking from the vast pool of Max Rager trolls -- until Major makes up for his mistake. (He admits he cut Baracus loose from his zombie-hunter web because he didnt want to snatch the guy in front of his young son). This isnt the first time Major gets blackmailed with his own sense of morality, and it probably wont be the last. Poor Major. Peyton Charles (Aly Michalka), newly armed with all the Blaine back story she can stomach, tries to quit her job because shes crossed a line with her snitch. Blaine tries to keep their relationship, such as it is, alive, but his charm doesnt work on her anymore. And Blaine finds out that Peyton and Liv are besties. Theres a crash, and its his worlds colliding, and it doesnt end there. Mr. Boss buries his nephew from Blaines funeral home, recognizes John Deaux as his former lackey and strong-arms him for lost inventory. Blaine is indebted to Mr. Boss to the tune of about $80,000, dating to the infamous boat party and the tainted Utopium that started the whole undead plague in Seattle. His plan to become the local kingpin seems to hit a snag, except this is slippery, slimy Blaine, who bribes a zombie reporter to expose Mr. Boss for his hit on DA Baracus. Blaine, master manipulator, is the king of self-preservation. So where is Baracus anyway? He had been hiding out in his rural cabin, with Liv feeding him random brains and empathizing with his plight. He cant admit he killed those goons, whose heads were stowed in his refrigerator, he cant come clean about being a zombie and he cant resurface because of the looming Mr. Boss threat. What can he do? Major, thinking fast to save as many lives as possible but still keeping his night job a secret from his friends, works with Baracus to fake his death. Into the bottomless zombie freezer he goes! The opposite of cold: Late-night drinking sessions between Peyton and Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti (Rahul Kohli). These two are fabulous together, no doubt, even though theyve never really been together. They werent a couple before -- they were in the flirtatious nascent stages at best -- and they may never be. But its a joy to see them do shots and watch Zombie High, with Ravi comparing her to the Karen Allen character in Raiders of the Lost Arc. And Im that fat Nepalese guy who ends up under the table. Peyton decides to keep her job and moves out of the Ravi-Major compound. Ravi is sad, but his liver is saved. And Liv, through some brain food, sees that Blaine is the pusher behind Lucky U. What does that say about Drake? No more horrible makeovers from his wacky mom? And another budding relationship bites the dust? Poor Liv. U.S. officials see Thursdays attempt to renew negotiations on Syria as a make-or-break moment that could lead to a cease-fire or to a disastrously downward spiral in an already brutal war. World powers will convene in Munich, Germany, including allies of Syrian President Bashar Assads government, principally Russia, and those who support the fragmented opposition attempting to oust him, led by the United States. The goal is to make progress toward an ever-more elusive cease-fire and persuade the warring parties to return to peace talks, which broke down this month, shortly after they had begun. Advertisement See more of our top stories on Facebook >> The renewed attempt at diplomacy comes as pro-Assad forces, backed by Russian airstrikes and Shiite Muslim fighters from outside Syria, are advancing on the northern city of Aleppo, which has been divided between opposition and government control for almost four years. Retaking Aleppo would be Assads most significant victory in nearly five years of war. The pro-Assad offensives increasingly are led by Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah commanders and reportedly include thousands of Afghan fighters recruited in Iran. A United Nations investigation has accused the Assad government of a policy that amounts to extermination of civilians in Aleppo by denying access to food convoys and humanitarian relief. On Wednesday, government warplanes pounded Tal Rifaat, an important rebel-held town 12 miles south of the Turkish border. In Aleppo, Russian airstrikes destroyed two hospitals, leaving 50,000 people without critical care, according to Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S.-led military coalition battling the militant group Islamic State. Another 50,000 people have been displaced, mostly from Aleppo, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, and thousands of refugees are fleeing to the border with Turkey. Were concerned that with the reduced humanitarian access and continued strikes by the Russians and the Syrians, thousands of civilians are suffering, Warren told reporters in a teleconference from Baghdad. The situation in and around Aleppo has become, in our view, increasingly dire. The Syrian governments successful offensives have made Assad and his allies, including Russia and Iran, less interested in a cease-fire. We are all very, very aware of how critical this moment is, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Tuesday at the State Department. Russia needs to join with all of us in understanding that this cannot go on. He said Russias airstrikes around Aleppo are making it much more difficult to be able to come to the table and to be able to have a serious conversation. The Syrian civil war, which has claimed more than 200,000 lives, could escalate if no cease-fire is reached. But the odds of a deal are slim. Diplomats say bringing together the disparate opposition groups from moderate Sunnis to Islamists to Kurds could prove impossible. Many of the rebel groups insist on an end to the slaughter before they sit to talk. There will be no political process if the opposition groups cannot show progress in ending aerial bombardment of besieged towns, Jan Jaap van Oosterzee, Middle East policy officer for PAX, a Netherlands-based humanitarian organization long active in Syria, said Wednesday. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have said they are prepared to send troops to back the rebels against Assad, broadening the war even further. Its unclear how many troops they might commit, where or when. In 2014, Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria but then shifted its military attention to Yemen, where it is increasingly bogged down in a war with what Riyadh says are Iran-backed Shiite rebels. Russia claims to target terrorists in its bombing runs but, according to U.S. officials, actually is killing Assads opponents and civilians. Russian officials have brushed aside such criticism and showed little inclination to cooperate with Washington or other members of the unanimous group of nations that approved a United Nations Security Council resolution in December calling for a cease-fire, a political process and a transition to a new government. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this week his government had given Washington a new concrete scheme for settling the Syria conflict. State Department spokesman John Kirby would not confirm that the Russians had offered anything more than views. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday lashed out at Washington for its refusal to regard a Syrian Kurdish group, the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, as a terrorist organization. Turkey and the U.S. agree on labeling a Turkish Kurdish group, the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, as terrorists, but not the PYD. Are you on our side or the side of the terrorist PYD and PKK organization? Erdogan demanded, a day after summoning the U.S. ambassador in Ankara for a formal complaint. The U.S. needs the Kurds, often the most talented fighters, but also Turkey and risks alienating one side as it attempts to strike a balance within the coalition. The Obama administration is coming under increasing criticism for failing to stop the bloodletting in Syria or even doing enough to protect the very forces it has helped train and arm. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> Newspaper op-eds, including some by recent administration officials, have begun to compare Aleppo to Sarajevo, the besieged capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina that came to symbolize Western inaction in the face of Russian-backed Serbs slaughter of thousands of civilians in the 1990s. Several options are on President Obamas desk, including the deployment of additional special operations forces or the establishment of so-called safe havens where civilians could shelter and receive humanitarian aid without fear of attack. Obama is reluctant to deepen Americas role in another Middle East war, especially in the waning months of his presidency. U.S. officials also argue that measures such as safe havens would require an expanded role for U.S. troops to protect the enclaves. Instead, the administration is focusing on getting a cease-fire and trying to shift the blame to Russia if it fails. We are not blind to what is happening, and Russia needs to contribute in significant ways to sustaining the ability of the opposition and others to come to the table and create an atmosphere within which you can actually have a negotiation, Kerry said. But theyve made that very, very difficult over the course of the last days. Kirby, his spokesman, was even more blunt during a tense, testy briefing when asked what would happen if Russia doesnt cooperate. You have more refugees. You have more violence. More bloodshed. And Syria falls further and further in in this death spiral that its on, he said. There is no other alternative out of that. Special correspondent Nabih Bulos in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report. For more news about global affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson ALSO Shoddy construction suspected in Taiwan earthquake collapse Wild elephant rampages through Indian town, smashing cars and homes Islamic State is the preeminent global threat, U.S. intelligence director says Voters will get a chance on June 7 to decide whether the city should have a higher minimum wage than the $10 an hour required by the state. City Council members voted Monday to place incremental minimum wage increases up to $11.50 on the June primary ballot. The council initially approved the increases in summer 2014, but they never took effect after a referendum campaign gathered enough signatures to require a public vote. Advertisement If approved by a simple majority of voters, the proposal would make the citys minimum wage $10.50 as soon as the election results are certified, then increase to $11.50 on Jan. 1, 2017. Two years later in January 2019, annual increases based on the consumer price index would start to be implemented. The measure would also provide full-time workers with five paid sick days a year, and part-timers with one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. The proposal includes no exemptions for any industry or business. Supporters say the wage hike will help businesses by boosting the buying power of many thousands of low-wage workers. They also say its unacceptable that full-time employees cant afford the basics in San Diego. Opponents say raising the minimum wage will force small businesses to increase prices, lay off workers, search for greater automation and possibly shut close or leave San Diego. Gathering signatures for the referendum in fall 2014 was an ugly process that prompted accusations of improper conduct from groups on both sides of the issue. Eventually, opponents submitted 56,103 signatures to the county registrar of voters, significantly more than the required 33,866 5% of the citys 677,310 registered voters at that time. Before the referendum, Mayor Kevin Faulconer vetoed the wage increase. But council members overrode that veto by 6-3. david.garrick@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @UTDavidGarrick Garrick writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. ALSO Police investigate mans body found in Boyle Heights Teens as young as 14 rescued from sexual exploitation during Super Bowl, FBI says LAPD chief: 16-year-old fatally shot by police had sawed-off shotgun, stolen car After months of responding to calls to save water, Southern Californians say theyve hit a wall. Nearly 9 in 10 respondents say they strongly or somewhat agree that Ive already cut back on water use at my home as much as I can and Theres not much more I can do to save water, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. A majority also said they are willing to decrease their consumption. Advertisement They know what theyre doing [to conserve], and they believe its everything, but when you start giving them other ideas they realize theyre not, said Cynthia Kurtz, an MWD board member. So drought fatigue, in a sense, means theyve run out of ideas, and we need to keep reinforcing that there are other things they can do. Interest in the drought surged last spring after Gov. Jerry Brown imposed Californias first mandatory reduction in water use. Residents ripped out their lawns in record numbers and met the 25% mandate each month from June to September. But recently, statewide water conservation has lagged. Californians failed to meet the 25% mandate in October, November and December, though the cumulative savings remain on target. Many Southern Californians have hoped that a strong El Nino would bring above-average rains and relieve some of the pressure. So far, that hasnt panned out, and rainfall in the region is still below average. Water and Power is The Times guide to the drought. Sign up to get the free newsletter >> The MWD hired EMC Research to conduct the survey, which measured peoples attitudes and awareness of the drought. The researchers called about 1,000 people within the MWD service area during two weeks in December and also conducted an online survey that 800 people took during the same period. A summary of the results was released Monday. The survey found that 62% of respondents said they strongly agree that they had saved as much water as they could, while 26% somewhat agree. Kurtz said the agency will use the survey results as a guide for how to adapt future outreach to changing attitudes. One way to combat so-called drought fatigue, Kurtz said, is to express gratitude for the conservation efforts made so far. People get tired of being told they have to do more, they have to do more, so as part of that message, we also have to thank them for what they have done, Kurtz said, and then promptly push them to do more. Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board, said she wasnt disappointed by the results of the survey because Southern Californians have done well so far with saving water. I would think a significant chunk of those folks probably really have done a lot, and there may be others that probably dont realize theres more that they could do, so its an education and engagement challenge, Marcus said. Tracy Quinn, senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council, agreed that there is an education gap and said it ought to be of concern if people think there is no more to be done to conserve water at home. Its clear that theres a lot more we could be doing, Quinn said, adding that residents continue to use drinking water outside at a level that isnt really sustainable in this sort of new normal California climate. Quinn said respondents might have been focused on ways they have changed their behavior, rather than on more concrete steps such as replacing appliances with high-efficiency products. Theres no act too small, Quinn said. Every drop really does count in this drought emergency. taylor.goldenstein@latimes.com Twitter: @taygoldenstein Join the conversation on Facebook >> ALSO Southland sizzles with record-breaking heat Zombie Target project in Hollywood may get new life from L.A. City Council ICE agents wont be going onto Los Angeles public school campuses The Los Angeles teachers union has long been the most powerful player in local education. But with the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and other well-heeled nonprofits pushing hard to fundamentally change the nature of public education in Los Angeles, enrollment in traditional schools is declining and nonunion charter schools are on the rise. The teachers union needs money to fight back. There are, however, far fewer teachers to pay dues to United Teachers Los Angeles. Advertisement So this week the union asked its 32,000 members down from 45,000 in 2008 to raise their dues by nearly a third, to about $1000 per member annually, and also to allow UTLA to pass on to members any future increases in dues owed to state and national parent unions. The votes will be counted Wednesday. A previous attempt to increase dues failed in 2008, but this time the stakes are higher and union leaders are more hopeful of success. Union President Alex Caputo-Pearl said that the money will help combat a brand of reform that favors operating schools more like businesses for example, by using metrics-based performance evaluations such as standardized test scores to rate teachers. Nationwide, districts have become battlefields over the business model versus more traditional approaches to public education. And Los Angeles, a pro-labor enclave with the countrys second-largest district, is widely seen as the front that could shift momentum in either direction. Los Angeles school board elections, pitting union-endorsed candidates against union critics, are the most expensive in the nation. UTLA also wants money for legal fights. An L.A. County Superior Court judge recently threw out traditional teacher job protections as harmful to students a verdict that is on appeal. And the U.S. Supreme Court is deliberating a California case that could make it more difficult for all teacher unions to collect dues. In both those cases, lawyers hired by teacher unions are up against those brought in by deep-pocketed opponents. The pro-charter side is building its own war chest. A proposal circulated over the summer by the Broad Foundation talked about raising $490 million to enroll half of L.A. students in charters over the next eight years. L.A. Unified already has the most charters of any school district in the nation, and pro-charter forces have become the biggest spenders in school board elections. The union finds itself on the defensive. Thats a good thing to those who criticize unions for obstructing efforts to limit tenure, toughen how teachers are evaluated and expand the types of schools parents and students can choose. Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> Those promoting these changes have sought to force the unions to stretch themselves thin across states, within states and across multiple fights, said Frederick M. Hess, director of education policy studies at the conservative Washington-based American Enterprise Institute. A small, vocal but unorganized group of current and former teachers openly opposes the higher dues. In online posts, some have accused their union leaders of corruption and of failing to protect members, especially older teachers and substitutes. In the union locals newsletter, four members of the unions house of representatives argued against raising dues, challenging the leaderships spending. For 45 years, dues have been tied to a small percentage of a beginning teachers salary. That came to $685 a year until recently, when an across-the-board salary boost pushed the amount to $760. Union leaders insist this isnt enough. More than half the unions budget comes from membership dues and assessments. Most of the rest arrives in the form of rebates from state or national unions, such as the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Assn. According to the most recent available tax records, UTLAs revenue dropped to $38.8 million in 2013 from $43.7 million in 2010. The union was so cash-strapped in the last board election that it borrowed $400,000 from its strike fund, which it is gradually repaying. The union trimmed its budget every year from 2010 through 2013, finishing in the red two of those four years. A yes vote on the increase would base union dues for all teachers on a small percentage of what a mid-career teacher makes. UTLA dues are by far the lowest anywhere that I know of, said Joshua Pechthalt, a former UTLA officer who is currently president of the California Federation of Teachers. A hundred dollars per month and higher is common. Teachers salaries vary from district to district, as does the cost of living. So its difficult to compare dues financial bite. In L.A., a beginning teacher makes as little as $43,000 and veteran instructors can earn about $85,000, Caputo-Pearl said. Elected, citywide union leaders, including Caputo-Pearl, make about $100,000 a year, according to tax filings. In trying to fire up members, Caputo-Pearl talks about battling what he calls the Broad-Wal-Mart plan. Wal-Mart, in his reference, is the Walton Family Foundation, which is bankrolled by heirs to the Wal-Mart discount store fortune. It has provided grants to create and assist charter schools nationwide. Caputo-Pearl is smart to use the boogeyman of Broad-Walton to create enough fear among his members to vote for a dues increase, said Jim Blew, president of Sacramento-based StudentsFirst, which has support from the Walton foundation and frequently opposes unions politically. His finances are untenable, and the only way out is to get more revenue from his members. UCLA education professor John Rogers thinks Caputo-Pearl is making his case. There have been times in the past 15 years when I was not quite sure whether UTLA leadership would use additional funds efficiently and in ways that would have a payoff for L.A. schools, Rogers said. Now, he added, he has more confidence that the union will spend the money effectively. howard.blume@latimes.com Twitter: @howardblume Editors Note: The Times receives funding for its Education Matters digital initiative from one or more of the groups mentioned in this article. The California Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles administer grants from the Baxter Family Foundation, the Broad Foundation, the California Endowment and the Wasserman Foundation to support this effort. Under terms of the grants, The Times retains complete control over editorial content. Join the conversation on Facebook >> MORE EDUCATION COVERAGE ICE agents wont be going onto Los Angeles public school campuses Union files complaint in USC faculty election Charter schools say L.A. Unified is unfairly scrutinizing their campuses Immigration agents wont be allowed onto the campuses of the Los Angeles Unified School District to look for undocumented students, the school board promised with a unanimous vote Tuesday. The new resolution directs school staff members not to let any federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents enter school campuses or to provide them with student data without clearance. ICE officials who have any reason to be on campus -- such as those evaluating schools that offer exchange programs for non-immigrant students -- can visit schools only after their requests have been cleared by the superintendent and district lawyers. Board members noted in the meeting that immigration agents havent come to schools looking for students. Advertisement Students are not actually in danger of being grabbed by ICE agents while at school; ICE considers schools and churches to be sensitive locations and does not carry out raids in schools, said spokeswoman Virginia Kice. But families dont trust the word of the immigration agency, and some were afraid to send their kids to school after ICE carried out a series of raids across the country last month targeting Central American immigrants, said board member Ref Rodriguez, who co-sponsored the resolution. The resolution also gives the superintendent 90 days to create a plan to provide resources and information for undocumented and mixed-status families, including a rapid response network to assist children whose family members have been detained. The network would establish a procedure for what happens to students if they are in school when a parent is deported, their emergency contact cant be reached, and theres no one to get them to and from school. L.A. Unified is following the example of other counties and districts nationwide -- the San Francisco Unified School District recently released a statement reminding families that ICE officials wouldnt be allowed on campuses without a thorough review process, and county leaders in Montgomery County, Md., gave the Obama administration a similar message that they would not cooperate with deportation efforts. Although there were no raids in L.A. last month, residents are concerned because the city has a large Central American immigrant population. So to Rodriguez, the resolution is, in part, a symbolic gesture to tell families that we stand for the safety of our children, he said. These are safe spaces. One major concern for families is what will happen to their children if they are detained during the day and their emergency contact is unavailable. We are afraid to send them to school or even myself to go to adult school, one mother told the board members during their board meeting Tuesday. We need you to make a plan. What will happen if I get picked up? Its important for schools to train teachers and staff to educate parents on their immigrant rights because the home environment affects childrens school performance, said Victoria Dominguez, the education services and policy coordinator for the nonprofit immigrant rights organization CARECEN. To be part of a mixed-status family that is worried about deportation and access to resources is very stressful, Dominguez said. And that stress doesnt stop with the parents. Although the board unanimously passed the resolution, board member George McKenna wanted to know more about the limits of the staff and campuses, he said during the meeting. For example, schools arent able to offer the same level of sanctuary that some churches have promised families. Schools function when school is open, McKenna said. Are we a safe haven when school is closed? Some ICE officials visit campuses if the schools have foreign exchange students with visas to study abroad in the U.S. They check out the schools to ensure that the campuses are legitimate learning environments. But during these checks, ICE officials said, they do not seek or request information about undocumented students. [F]ederal law requires ICE to continuously monitor schools and non-immigrant students by collecting data and conducting site visits, Carissa Cuttrell, ICE Student and Exchange Visitor Program spokeswoman, said in a statement. School districts that block these officials from entering campuses would not be eligible to host international students. School board President Steve Zimmer said in an interview that the goal of the resolution is to ensure immigrant families feel safe in schools, and exchange programs will not be affected. Reach Sonali Kohli on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli or by email at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com. A 1-year-old girl lying in her crib was fatally shot late Tuesday evening by a gunman who opened fire outside her familys house in Compton, authorities said. Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department officials said the gunman got out of a car, walked up to the residence and fired in the direction of a converted garage where Autumn Johnson, who had just celebrated her birthday last week, lived with her parents. Autumn was struck in the head. ------------ FOR THE RECORD Advertisement 11:10 p.m.: A previous version of this article gave the girls age as 3 months. She was 1 year old. ------------ One witness, who declined to give her full name, described hearing several gunshots followed by a woman screaming: They shot my baby. They shot my baby. The witness said she called 911 before walking outside, where she saw the babys sobbing father emerge from the garage with his daughter in his arms. Someone take my baby to the hospital, the father said. Deputies who responded to the home near Holly Avenue and San Marcus Street took Autumn to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood in their patrol car, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Sgt. Ulysses Cruz said. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. Detectives were trying to determine what prompted the shooting and whether it was related to a gang dispute, said Cmdr. Rod Kusch, who heads the sheriffs Major Crimes Bureau. Sheriffs homicide Capt. Steve Katz described the family of the girl as very distraught. Emotions are very high, he said. Rena Burleson said she used to watch Autumn and raced to the hospital when she heard about the shooting on social media. Burleson said when she got there the family was gone so she came to the block where they live to see if its true, and I see that its all blocked off. It just hurts and bleeds, said the Long Beach resident. The girls death quickly reverberated across the neighborhood. Audric Crenshaw, 47, of Carson was in Bible study at a church about two blocks from the shooting. About a dozen other people were in the weekly class at Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship. Crenshaw didnt hear the gunfire but later learned of the girls death. Its not surprising because its the city of Compton, for its name, Crenshaw said with a sigh as he locked the doors of the stucco-walled church. But its surprising to me because its a baby. He said the proximity to violence did not make him fearful. I put my faith in God, not whats in the streets. Young children have been innocent victims of gang violence before. In 2012, a 15-year-old gang member rode up on a bicycle to a family gathered outside a home in Watts. He drew a revolver and opened fire, killing 14-month-old Angel Mauro Cortez Vega and wounding his 21-year-old father. The assailant, Donald Ray Dokins, mistakenly believed the father was a member of a rival gang because of the color of his T-shirt. Dokins was later convicted of murder and sentenced to 90 years to life in prison. The site of Tuesdays shooting, about a block from Roosevelt Elementary School, is one of the more violent neighborhoods in L.A. County, according to crime data compiled by The Times. During the last six months, Compton has had 475 violent crimes, including eight homicides, according to The Times database. The city contracts with the Sheriffs Department for police services. After Tuesday nights shooting, authorities said the gunman got into a dark-colored sedan and drove away south on Holly. matt.hamilton@latimes.com nicole.santacruz@latimes.com james.queally@latimes.com Times staff writers Cindy Chang, Ruben Vives, and Richard Winton contributed to this report. Join the conversation on Facebook >> ALSO Union files complaint in USC faculty election About 20% of BART trains have working cameras -- the rest are decoys LAPD chief: 16-year-old fatally shot by police had sawed-off shotgun, stolen car A body found floating in the waters off Newport Pier was identified Wednesday as a missing Cal State Fullerton student, authorities said. The body of Praveen Galla was found 1,000 feet from the pier in Newport Beach, according to the Orange County coroners office. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. Gallas roommates reported him missing Feb. 2 after he failed to return home, according to the Cal State Fullerton Police Department. Advertisement He had taken an Uber ride on Feb. 1 from Fullerton to the campus and arrived there at 5:06 p.m. A friend reported receiving a check-in notification on his cellphone later that Galla had been in the Newport Beach area, police said. Authorities believe that Galla took a bus from Fullerton to Newport Beach. On Tuesday, lifeguards from Huntington Beach found Gallas body in the ocean. Friends told university police that it was unusual for Galla not to return home, and that he was depressed lately about the status of his student visa, according to Capt. Scot Willey. From what I understand, he was struggling with his studies and was worried about his status in the country, Willey said. His friends said he wasnt suicidal, but was depressed about it. Galla was a second-year engineering student from India. Praveen was a bright young mind and a valued member of our campus, Cal State Fullerton President Mildred Garcia wrote in an email to the campus community. While we are still learning details of the circumstances surrounding his death, we do know that he will be missed. The entire Titan family offers our support to his family, friends and classmates during this trying time. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter. ALSO Babys father may have been target in fatal Compton shooting, authorities say Secret government payload launched into orbit from California base Southern California could feel record-breaking heat for a third day in a row For more than 15 years, Lee Baca was one of Los Angeles most prominent politicians and law enforcement leaders. But on Wednesday, Bacas legacy as the former sheriff of Los Angeles County took a dark turn when he agreed to plead guilty to a single charge of making false statements as part of a sweeping federal investigation into corruption and abuse in his department. Baca resigned under pressure in 2014. But the criminal charge still stunned some observers, who reacted with a mixture of disappointment and gratification that justice was served. Advertisement Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> It is an unfortunate end to lengthy career in public service, said Richard E. Drooyan, general counsel to the Citizen Committee on Jail Violence that examined the misconduct inside the county system. This is a very significant event to charge and convicted a sheriff at the highest level. What this says is the Department of Justice viewed this as a systemic problem of violence and not just a problem with individual deputies. They wanted to hold people accountable all the way to the top, Drooyan said. Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich added: This sad saga is now over for Lee. Hopefully the remaining prosecutions will end shortly so the Sheriffs Department can move forward. Peter Eliasberg, legal director of American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, said Baca demonstrated arrogance and a belief that he was untouchable and ultimately he was caught not for the crimes of deputies abusing inmates, but for covering up those crimes. There were terrible things that went on in the jails for a long time, he said. In terms of people in the jails, what happened to inmates was horrible. He is in large part to blame for that. Chuck Jackson, a former sheriffs chief who oversaw custody operations before the abuse allegations, said Baca contributed to his own downfall because he listened to and promoted the wrong people and they became his information network and advisors. Lee is loyal to a fault, Jackson said. Jackson said Baca did many good things to improve the department, but allowing his friends to do what they liked in the jails caught up with him. It is too bad . He got and made some bad decisions at the end of his career, he added. In a plea agreement filed in federal court Wednesday morning, Baca admitted to lying twice about his involvement in hiding an inmate from FBI agents who were investigating brutality and corruption by sheriffs deputies in the county jails. In fact, Baca ordered the inmate to be isolated, putting his second-in-command, Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, in charge of executing the plan, the agreement said. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Baca also admitted that he lied when he said that he was unaware that his subordinates planned to approach an FBI special agent at her home. In a meeting the day before that meeting, Baca directed the subordinates to approach the agent, stating that they should do everything but put handcuffs on her, the agreement said. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors have agreed not to seek a prison sentence of more than six months for Baca, said Eileen Decker, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, at a news conference Wednesday. Bacas guilty plea demonstrates that the illegal behavior in the Sheriffs Department went to the very top of this organization, Decker said. More importantly, it illustrates that those who foster and then try to hide a corrupt culture will be held accountable. ALSO Babys father may have been target in fatal Compton shooting, authorities say At heart of Sheriffs Department scandal was top-secret Operation Pandoras Box Los Angeles seeks to shut down massage parlors in Eagle Rock, North Hollywood and Wilmington Two Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies struck a deal Tuesday with federal prosecutors that spares them a second trial on charges related to their beating of a handcuffed jail inmate, but cements convictions they lied about the violent encounter. The deal would clear the way for the deputies to be sent to prison. Both sides agreed not to contest prison sentences as long as they fall within federal guidelines that call for the deputies to receive prison terms of about two years. Under the terms of the agreement, prosecutors would not retry the deputies, Joey Aguiar and Mariano Ramirez, on an outstanding charge that they violated the inmates civil rights by using excessive force. In exchange, the deputies would give up their right to appeal a jurys findings earlier this month that they wrote false reports about the incident. Advertisement The settlement would bring an end to the latest in a series of cases in which sheriffs deputies and higher-ranking officials in the department have been convicted of misconduct and abuse in county jails. In deciding to make the deal, officials in the U.S. attorneys office weighed the unpredictable outcome of a second trial against putting the inmate and other witnesses through the traumatic experience of testifying again, said Mack Jenkins, one of the two prosecutors who tried the case. He said the agreement means the case will be resolved far more quickly than if the deputies had filed appeals, which can take years to be decided. We consider this a deal for the defendants but justice for the community, the victim and others involved in the case, Jenkins said. Ramirezs attorney, Vicki Podberesky, said the 40-year-old father of two young children decided to make the deal with very mixed emotions. Ramirez just did not feel he could go through another trial with the possibility of a conviction, she said. On balance, we felt it was the right thing to do. Aguiars lawyer declined to comment. U.S. District Judge Beverly Reid OConnell, who presided over the trial, scheduled a hearing on the agreement for Wednesday morning. Federal guidelines suggest prison sentences ranging from 21 to 27 months for the deputies, although OConnell has the discretion to show leniency or come down more harshly. If she delivers sentences outside that range, the deal allows either side to appeal her decision. Nearly seven years after the February 2009 incident in Mens Central Jail, the case went to trial last month and ended with a mixed verdict. Jurors convicted the deputies of writing false reports but split 10 to 2 in favor of a conviction on whether the force the men used was justified. The deputies were also acquitted of conspiring with each other to deprive the inmate, Bret Phillips, 44, of his civil rights. The deputies acknowledged in internal department reports they wrote at the time that they repeatedly punched Phillips, struck him with a flashlight and pepper-sprayed him in the face. They said Phillips had attempted to head-butt Aguiar and continued to struggle after being pinned on the ground. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Prosecutors argued that Phillips did not try to head-butt the deputy and had done nothing to justify the force, portraying Aguiar and Ramirez as bent on punishing the inmate for acting out. Phillips was attacked, they said, after he threw milk cartons in frustration at being left in his cell and one hit Aguiar on his shoe. Prosecutors said Phillips posed no serious threat because his hands were shackled to a chain around his waist throughout the beating. Discrepancies between medical records that showed Phillips suffered minor injuries and dramatic accounts of a brutal beating from the prosecutions witnesses were troubling to the two jurors who refused to vote guilty on the excessive force charge, the jury forewoman said in an interview after the verdict. Nonetheless, the jurors concluded that the reports Aguiar and Ramirez submitted about the violent encounter, which mirrored each other verbatim in several parts, did not accurately reflect what occurred, the forewoman said. Despite an announcement last week that they intended to retry the deputies on the excessive force count, prosecutors quietly approached the deputies attorneys with the agreement. The deputies and prosecutors signed and filed the deal Tuesday. Both Aguiar and Ramirez were relieved of duty years ago and were not paid as they awaited trial. Once the deputies are sentenced, it is the Sheriffs Departments intention to separate both deputies from the department, a spokeswoman for the sheriff said. joel.rubin@latimes.com Find me on Twitter: @joelrubin ALSO Family of Venice homeless man fatally shot by LAPD files wrongful death lawsuits Anaheim police officer fatally shoots man in park L.A. city, county OK homeless plans, but where will the money come from? After formally complaining that the Los Angeles Unified School District is treating them with increasing unfairness, charter school operators caught a few breaks at Tuesdays school board meeting. The Board of Education did reject one proposal for a new charter, but members approved two others. Backers withdrew four other start-up petitions rather than face an anticipated thumbs-down. In addition, one current charter won its bid for another five-year operating agreement even though the L.A. Unified charter division had called for it to be closed. Advertisement See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Twenty-one charters groups, which enroll about 56,000 students, had complained in a letter sent Monday to district officials. Among the figures they cited: The district approved about 9 in 10 charter petitions two years ago, compared with under half this year. The decisions on Tuesday followed long discussions among board members about the specific issues before them and the handling of charters in general. It was encouraging to see the board seriously and openly examine whether it has been inconsistent in its review of charter school petitions, said Malka Borrego, founder of Equitas Academy and one of the charter directors who signed the letter. She added that charter leaders want to meet with the district to press for clear, consistent guidelines for charter petition reviews. All we want is a transparent and consistent process that supports schools and students. The issue weighed on board member Monica Ratliff, who said during the meeting that she would like to see a review going back five years. She would like to know whether the charter division is handling evaluation and oversight differently than before. I believe we should take all allegations seriously, Ratliff said, adding that she does not assume that any change is necessarily for the worse. The head of the division, Jose Cole-Gutierrez, said the approach has been consistent, based on the merits of charter school proposals and reviews of existing schools. L.A. Unified has the power to authorize and oversee charters for set periods of time, typically five years. And, in rare cases, the district can close a charter for misconduct, mismanagement or violating its contract. But on a day-to-day basis, charters are managed by their own governing boards and receive money directly from state, federal and private sources. There are more charters in Los Angeles than in any other district, and an independent panel of experts recently warned that charter growth could threaten the solvency of L.A. Unified. Most charters are non-union, and charter critics include unions. They say that charters serve fewer students who are more challenging and expensive to educate. Charter advocates include well-heeled foundations and donors, who say continued, rapid charter expansion will improve the education system. The big charter winner on Tuesday was Partnerships to Uplift Communities, more commonly known as PUC Schools. PUC overcame the opposition of the charter division, which said its standard review showed that, based on academic performance, PUCs Excel Charter Academy fell far short of deserving a five-year extension. Excel supporters about 140 packed the board room and waited until well after dark to be heard put forward other statistics that painted a better picture of the middle school in Lincoln Heights. They also presented testimonials from students, parents, teachers and administrators. Such presentations have become a regular and lengthy ritual when the fate of a charter comes before the school board. Follow the Times education initiative to inform parents, educators and students across California >> One board member, Ref Rodriguez, recused himself because he is PUCs cofounder. Four of the six remaining members had to oppose the charter to nullify its automatic renewal. In the end, board members George McKenna, Richard Vladovic and Scott Schmerelson voted against Excel, saying they had no reasonable basis to fault the recommendation of the charter division. Board member Monica Garcia, who represents Lincoln Heights, argued forcefully in favor of Excel, saying that the school offered parents a valuable choice, a small school in a neighborhood where the district operates much larger campuses. We have large schools, and we know when kids need smaller settings thats a real plus for some kids and some parents, said Garcia, who is regarded as a strong charter supporter. If PUC goes away, there is not that option for families. She added: Theres so much data on both sides, and I absolutely understand that staff does what it does. And it is our prerogative to disagree. Ratliff sided with Garcia, persuaded in part, she said, by the quality of PUC schools in her board district. PUC operates 15 schools. The deciding vote was cast last by board President Steve Zimmer, whos been a target of charter advocates. He said the bar had to be high for closing an existing school with a satisfied clientele. He said he was willing to give PUC a chance to make Excel better. His voted resulted in a 3-3 tie, and a five-year renewal. However, Zimmer then opposed PUCs bid for a new charter. He said the organization needs to focus on making its existing schools better, including Excel. Zimmer also alluded to other management issues that he said the organization should resolve. PUC is still dealing with a district review of whether it improperly handled food services contracts, according to district sources. But after 10 hours of meeting in closed and open session, other board members were unwilling to engage in another extended debate about PUC. They voted 5-1, with Zimmer dissenting, to give PUC a new charter for an elementary school that will offer language-immersion programs in Spanish and Mandarin. PUC co-founder Jacqueline Elliot said supporters made sure that the school board heard them loud and clear: They want PUC schools in their communities. Less fortunate was El Camino Real Alliance, which is seeking to take charge of the long-closed Highlander Road Elementary campus in West Hills. That group currently manages El Camino Real Charter High School and wants to add a kindergarten-through-8th grade feeder program. The district opted instead for much less developed district option, an arts-themed academy that would enroll students starting in 6th grade and provide the students the option of obtaining a two-year, community college-level degree. Zimmer said the project was in line with district efforts to reverse declining enrollment. howard.blume@latimes.com Twitter: @howardblume Editors Note: The Times receives funding for its Education Matters digital initiative from one or more of the groups alluded to in this article. The California Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles administer grants from the Baxter Family Foundation, the Broad Foundation, the California Endowment and the Wasserman Foundation to support this effort. Under terms of the grants, The Times retains complete control over editorial content. MORE EDUCATION NEWS ICE agents wont be going onto Los Angeles public school campuses The race between El Nino, and getting the roof fixed at your kids school Supt. Michelle King on frog dissection, STEM and the future of charters at LAUSD A budget deficit at UC Berkeley has hit critical mass and could force a fundamental transformation of the institution, the universitys chancellor announced Wednesday. In a message to Berkeley students, faculty and staff, Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks said a new normal of dwindling taxpayer support would continue to squeeze one of the nations premier public research universities and had prompted a sweeping review likely to bring painful change. Under a months-long strategic planning process, Berkeley will scrutinize its entire workforce, redesign some academic programs, step up fundraising, expand online course offerings and take other steps to cut costs and increase revenue, Dirks said. Advertisement In a teleconference with reporters, Dirks declined to specify areas that might be cut but said officials would carefully choose them rather than impose across-the-board reductions. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> He added that faculty and sports teams would be spared and that officials would aim to make up financial shortfalls in the athletic program through more fundraising. Dirks said the process was aimed at safeguarding Berkeleys core mission of educational excellence, groundbreaking research and public outreach. We are fighting to maintain our excellence against those who might equate public with mediocrity, against those who have lost faith in the need for higher education to serve as an engine of social mobility, Dirks wrote. What we are engaged in here is a fundamental defense of the concept of the public university, a concept that we must reinvent in order to preserve. Berkeley is facing a $150-million budget deficit, amounting to about 6% of its annual operating budget. Without a plan of action, that shortfall is likely to continue, according to campus sources. The financial squeeze is driven by cutbacks in the amount of money the state provides, UC-mandated tuition freezes, increases in pension and healthcare costs, and growing investments in capital projects, primarily for seismic safety. Public research universities nationwide are facing similar problems, as states have dramatically cut higher education spending and shifted the financial burden of a college education from taxpayers to students. The share of a public university degree paid by taxes has dropped to 34% today from 60% in the 1970s, while the share paid by families through tuition has increased to 50% from 33%, according to a new report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The amount of money the state gave the University of California, as measured per student, fell from $16,000 in 2007-08, before the recession, to $10,000 in 2011-12. Meanwhile, tuition more than doubled between 2002 and 2012, according to a 2014 analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California. The state has boosted support for UC by more than $760 million since the 2012 passage of Proposition 30, which imposed a temporary tax increase for education and other services. That support will increase to a cumulative $1 billion by 2016-17 belying Dirks assertion that reduced state dollars for higher education was the new normal, according to H.D. Palmer, state finance department spokesman. He did not, however, challenge Berkeleys budget numbers. Hans Johnson of the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California said he believed the budget woes were real rather than a ploy to receive more state dollars. At Berkeley, the states contribution has dropped from about 50% of the total campus budget in the 1980s to just 13% in 2014-15. Student tuition and fees now account for about 30% of Berkeleys revenue, which is higher than the average for all nine UC undergraduate campuses. UCs freeze on undergraduate tuition rates, set five years ago, is expected to continue until fall, exacerbating Berkeleys financial woes. UC President Janet Napolitano said Berkeley was facing more dire financial challenges than the systems other campuses, in part because of its own well-intentioned campus choices made over time. Among the factors contributing to Berkeleys problems are an aging infrastructure as the systems oldest campus, higher faculty salaries driven by the need to compete with other elite universities, a fundraising operation less developed than, say, UCLA, and building projects that ran over budget, UC officials say. Berkeley officials say they have improved fundraising, bagging more than $3 billion since 2008 from foundations, alumni, businesses and others in their most successful campaign ever. But that was just half of what Stanford raised in a shorter, five-year period. Napolitano expressed support for the review process and said the lessons learned would be useful to the entire system. I have confidence that UC Berkeley will emerge stronger from its comprehensive strategic planning process, ensuring its continued world-class academic excellence and its financial sustainability for the future, she said in a statement. To help raise more money, Johnson said increasing tuition or charging higher rates at elite campuses with higher costs might make sense, so long as low- and middle-class students received sufficient financial aid to cover the hikes. The facultys primary concerns are to maintain the 1,500 professors who are tenured or on a tenure track and to make sure that top-quality lecturers are brought in to help accommodate the 750 additional California students that Berkeley has committed to accepting this fall, said Ben Hermalin, the schools Academic Senate chairman and a professor of economics and business. So far, the faculty has been pleased with the administrations collaborative approach, he said. Dirks called on students, staff and alumni to join the process. Even now, we plan to do what we have always done at Berkeley: lead the way, and continue to serve as a beacon for the state, the nation and the world, he wrote. For more education news, follow me @TeresaWatanabe ALSO Union files complaint in USC faculty election L.A. city, county OK homeless plans, but where will the money come from? Coastal Commission will hear litany of protests today as it moves to fire its executive director The rallying cry went out from the leaders of Los Angeles teachers union: We need more money to fight the rich and powerful forces that want to take over public schools. Members have responded by agreeing to raise their annual dues by about a third, to $1,000 a year. The increase was approved by 82% of those who cast ballots, according to United Teachers Los Angeles, which tallied the votes Wednesday. Advertisement Union President Alex Caputo-Pearl said the additional money is needed to fight well-funded opponents, including foundations and wealthy donors who have sought to reduce teacher job protections, limit union fundraising and spur the growth of nonunion charter schools. See the most-read stories this hour >> As billionaires are trying to cripple unions, our vote sends a national signal that educators are willing to invest more in our unions and in the fight for educational justice, Caputo-Pearl said in an interview. His sales pitch included reminding members about a proposal to move half of L.A. students into charter schools over the next eight years. The fate of that plan, developed by the locally based Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, is uncertain. But charter schools continue to rise in number; L.A. Unified has the most of any district in the nation. Charters are independently operated and exempt from some rules that govern traditional schools. Unions and other critics assert that charters serve fewer students who may be more difficult or more expensive to educate because of serious disabilities, behavior problems, lack of fluency in English or other issues. But charters have proved popular with many families. For the union to make a counter case, it must do more than unite teachers behind whats good for themselves, UCLA education professor John Rogers said. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> They also need to forge deep and ongoing relationships between teachers and the communities they serve, Rogers said. And they need to push for conditions that support the well-being and development of youth inside and outside of schools. Well before the vote, UTLA had used a one-time grant from affiliated unions to hire an organizing director, researcher, community outreach specialist and field organizers. Such resources helped the union win a favorable contract settlement including a 10% raise, said Caputo-Pearl. The money from higher dues will allow the union to keep these workers and add other key personnel, he said. UTLA is about to enter negotiations with the L.A. Unified School District over class sizes and school staffing levels for nurses and counselors. Also on the table is how teachers will be evaluated. Most of the unions 32,000 members are teachers, but UTLA also represents school nurses, counselors and psychologists. The turnout, just over 50%, was high for a UTLA vote, and might partly reflect the increasing number of teachers who cast ballots online. The vote also gave the union, for the first time, the authority to pass on the cost to members when affiliated unions, such as the National Education Assn., raise the fees they charge UTLA. Twitter: @howardblume Editors Note: The Times receives funding for its Education Matters digital initiative from one or more of the groups mentioned in this article. The California Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles administer grants from the Baxter Family Foundation, the Broad Foundation, the California Endowment and the Wasserman Foundation to support this effort. Under terms of the grants, The Times retains complete control over editorial content. ALSO Charter school groups complain to LAUSD, then score some new schools With money tight, chancellor says UC Berkeley must reimagine its future Los Angeles seeks to shut down massage parlors in Eagle Rock, North Hollywood and Wilmington The Supreme Court dealt a surprising setback to President Obama on Tuesday by putting his climate change policy on hold while a coalition of coal producers and Republican-led states challenges its legality. The justices, by a 5-4 vote, issued an unusual emergency order that blocks the Environmental Protection Agency from moving forward with its effort to reduce carbon pollution from power plants by 32% by 2030. The order said the EPAs carbon pollution emission guidelines for power plants are stayed pending a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which will hear the case this summer. Advertisement It is rare for the high court to intervene in a case pending in the lower courts. The brief order suggests that most of the justices have doubts about the legality of the EPAs policy. The order could also be a sign that conservative justices are increasingly skeptical of Obamas use of executive authority. In a separate case this term, the high court will decide whether Obama went too far in issuing an executive action to defer deportation of more than 4 million immigrants here illegally. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. joined in support of the order. The four liberal justices dissented: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. A former Justice Department attorney who has worked on environmental litigation called the order significant. It is extraordinary and fairly surprising, Washington lawyer James Rubin said. The court essentially reviewed the merits before the D.C. Circuit even had a chance to rule on them, something the court has not done before in the context of a rule-making challenge. Its a significant blow to the EPA and the administrations climate change plan. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> The EPA regulations, known as the Clean Power Plan, would set state-by-state targets for reducing greenhouse gases from power plants. The rules would force many states to shut down older coal-fired plants and produce more electricity using natural gas or solar and wind power. Lawyers for West Virginia, Texas and 24 other states sued, contending the EPA does not have the authority under the Clean Air Act to launch a broad attack on greenhouse gases. They filed an emergency appeal at the end of January asking for the high court to put the EPA plan on hold while their lawsuit proceeds. The challengers reminded the justices that they ruled last year in a separate case that the EPA had failed to weigh the $9-billion cost before requiring power plants to eliminate mercury emissions. But because the high court had allowed the rules to take effect while the legal challenge went forward, by the time the industry won, it was too late because the power plants had complied. Their message was that the high court this time needed to intervene early. The appeals court said it would hear arguments in June for the climate case and would probably rule in the fall, during Obamas last months in the White House. Make no mistake: This is a great victory for West Virginia, said the states attorney general, Patrick Morrisey. We are thrilled that the Supreme Court realized the rules immediate impact and froze its implementation, protecting workers and saving countless dollars as our fight against its legality continues. West Virginia and Texas led the coalition of states challenging the EPA regulations. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn., one of several groups that joined the challenge, applauded the courts move. Charging ahead with implementation of the Clean Power Plan would have caused immediate and irreparable harm to Americas electric co-ops, said Jeffrey Connor, the groups interim chief executive. The presidents lawyers had urged the justices to turn down the emergency request, calling it extraordinary and unprecedented. Meanwhile, 18 mostly Democratic-led states, including California and Illinois, filed a brief supporting the administration. In a statement Tuesday, the White House said it disagreed with the courts decision. We remain confident that we will prevail on the merits, the statement said. Even while the litigation proceeds, EPA has indicated it will work with states that choose to continue plan development and will prepare the tools those states will need. The Environmental Defense Fund expressed disappointment in the court order. Todays court decision is unfortunate, but it does not reflect a decision on the merits, said Vickie Patton, its general counsel. She said she was confident the courts would ultimately uphold the EPA plan. Twitter: @DavidGSavage ALSO Islamic State will continue to target the U.S., top intelligence officials say FBI cant figure out how to unlock encrypted phone in San Bernardino investigation Why one consumer advocate blames a mysterious ship for helping keep California gas prices high Even by Super Bowl standards, the constipation ad shown Sunday was an eye-grabber. The main character glances sadly at another middle-aged man who has just come out of a bathroom looking triumphant. If you need an opioid to manage your chronic pain, you may be so constipated it feels like everyone can go except you, a narrator says. Advertisement The black-and-white ad was promoting awareness of a condition known as opioid-induced constipation, a formidable and extremely common side effect of pain medications such as Oxycontin. What many viewers didnt know is that the pharmaceutical companies that funded the ad, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, are hoping to profit from a controversial market that has arisen alongside the nations opioid addiction crisis. The companies have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase the rights to make and sell Movantik, a first-of-its-kind constipation drug for painkiller users that reached the market last year. The ad did not mention the drug. AstraZeneca also gave hundreds of thousands of dollars last year to pain advocacy nonprofits that promote awareness of the condition, according to its most recent financial disclosures from the first half of 2015. Four of those groups put their names on the ad. With pain pill use booming across the country, the U.S. market for treating opioid constipation is projected to reach at least $500 million a year by 2019, according to recent estimates by the market research firm GlobalData. The ad, which has gotten 1.7 million views on YouTube as of Wednesday, has drawn criticism from federal and local officials for not mentioning the issue of opioid addiction. Next year, how about fewer ads that fuel opioid addiction and more on access to treatment, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough complained on Twitter. The police chief of Burlington, Vt., Brandon del Pozo, called the ad extraordinarily tone-deaf. The side effect that big pharmaceutical companies need to be warning Americans about is addiction, not constipation, said Del Pozo, who said the number of overdoses in his city had more than doubled last year compared with the previous three years. If Big Pharma was going to spend millions of dollars to talk about opioids during the Super Bowl, Del Pozo said, The only thing it should be saying is, Watch out, weve created something addictive, were here to help, were all in this together, we need to get you guys off of this drug. Some public figures jumped on the ad as well. Was that really an ad for junkies who cant [poop]? America, I luv ya but I just cant keep up, TV host Bill Maher tweeted. But advocacy groups for pain patients dismissed the criticism and the suggestion that all painkiller users are addicts. I dont know that many people who become addicted who say, Im going to pick and choose what Im going to be addicted to based on the side effect of that drug, said Paul Gileno, the president and founder of the advocacy nonprofit U.S. Pain Foundation, whose group has received grant money from AstraZeneca. Opioid-induced constipation is so unmanageable that many legitimate opioid users quit the drugs and choose to live in pain instead, research suggests. Its scary and really uncomfortable, said Cynthia Toussaint, founder of the Los Angeles-based pain advocacy nonprofit For Grace, who suffers from chronic pain and whose group also received financial sponsorship last year from AstraZeneca. In past treatment, Toussaint said, sometimes she had to choose between being in pain or taking a painkiller and being constipated. Its not fun, Toussaint said. Its a balance whether you take the opioid or you dont.... I take as few as I can mostly because the constipation is so awful. She and other advocates said they backed the ad because doctors and patients dont often discuss opioid-induced constipation, because the condition is embarrassing or not widely known. Pharmaceutical companies have long promoted not only the drugs they sell but also the conditions they are intended to treat. MORE: Get our best stories in your Facebook feed >> AstraZeneca said the campaign is designed to lift opioid-induced constipation out of the realm of taboo and make it a widely recognized problem among doctors and patients. The reality is there are millions of Americans that suffer with this condition, and there has been little dialogue around this, said Dave Fredrickson, vice president of specialty care at AstraZeneca. Fredrickson acknowledged that raising awareness of the condition would inevitably raise awareness of the new drug that treats it. The Super Bowl ad directed viewers to a website, OICisDifferent.com, that in turn offers visitors a link to discover a prescription treatment option Movantik. Fredrickson said traffic to the website had jumped 400% after the Super Bowl. Last year, the drug companies signed up Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee to give personal testimonials about her experience with opioid-induced constipation. Advocacy groups that put their names on the Super Bowl ad said the grants they received from AstraZeneca did not require them to do so and were for other educational projects. They wanted our perspective ... Is it good for people with pain, is it sensitive enough, does it raise the awareness that were all trying to raise together? Gileno said. Penney Cowan, head of the American Chronic Pain Assn., of Rocklin, Calif., said her group which received at least $175,000 in grant money from AstraZeneca in 2015 for promoting awareness of opioid-induced constipation would not have endorsed the ad if it directly promoted the drug. It really was an educational piece to help people understand its OK to talk about it, talk to your health provider, Cowan said. Opioids work by dampening pain receptors in the brain. But the same chemical also dampens similar receptors in the stomach, making bowel movements more difficult. Some studies suggest that 40% to 90% of painkiller users suffer constipation as a side effect. Prescriptions for pain drugs have jumped at least 300% since 1999, with U.S. doctors now writing more than 240 million opioid prescriptions a year. In 2014, officials linked 28,648 deaths to opioid overdoses, and last week the White House proposed $1.1 billion in new funding to expand treatment for what it calls an epidemic. Twitter: @MattDPearce ALSO Beyonce draws outrage and praise for Super Bowl set Eli Manning explains that look on his face toward the end of Super Bowl 50 Cam Newton defends his behavior at Super Bowl news conference: What makes your way right? Chris Christie drops out of GOP race New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whose brand of tough-talking politics was overtaken by the Donald Trump phenomenon, dropped out of the race Wednesday after lagging a crowded Republican field in the New Hampshire primary. I have both won elections that I was supposed to lose and Ive lost elections I was supposed to win, Christie wrote Wednesday, in a message on his campaigns Facebook page. It is both the magic and the mystery of politics that you never quite know when which is going to happen, even when you think you do. And so today, I leave the race without an ounce of regret. Christie never expected to do well in the Iowa caucuses, but the second-term governor had staked his White House ambitions on a strong showing in New Hampshire, spending more than 70 days on the trail there. Instead, he finished a disappointing sixth and last night announced he would scrap a scheduled trip to South Carolina and return to New Jersey to reassess. Christies hopes in New Hampshire were buoyed after a strong performance in Saturdays debate, in which he mocked and mauled Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for repeating a scripted attack line against President Obama. There it is, Christie said, pouncing when Rubio kept repeating the stock line. There it is, the memorized 25-second speech. Since then, Democrats have sent people in robot suits to Rubio events. But while the attack appears to have severely damaged Rubio, who finished fifth, it failed to boost Christie. Four years ago, Christie was seen as a rising star in the Republican party and was courted by donors and strategists who thought he would be a strong challenger to Obama. But his brand took a hit after the bizarre Bridgegate scandal in September 2013, when aides to the governor ordered the closure of an access lane to the George Washington Bridge, in an episode of apparent political retaliation against a Democratic mayor who wouldnt endorse him. Christie also had trouble with many conservatives who loathed Obama and could never forgive the governor for his friendly greeting of the president after Hurricane Sandy a few days before the 2012 election. By the time he entered the race, Christie was overshadowed by the fundraising juggernaut of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and then by Trump, who managed to out-do Christies own brand of frank pugnacity. The reality is that Trump out-Christied Christie, with his bombastic speech and his tell-it-like-it-is behavior, said Brigid Callahan Harrison, a political science professor at Montclair State University. For voters among whom that had some appeal, there was another celebrity candidate to do that. Christie now faces two years left in his term in a state with deep financial problems. To make things harder, he no longer can count on any political leverage with Democratic legislators. The governors approval rating in the state is around 33%, half of what it was at his peak, Harrison said. Christie might have had a decent shot to win the GOP nomination four years ago, when he turned down entreaties from prominent Republican figures who wanted him to run, Harrison said. He thought that moment could be replicated, she said. The reality was, that was his moment, and he didnt have the confidence in himself to take that chance. Before the New Hampshire primary, analysts predicted that Donald Trump would finish first on the Republican side and that Sen. Bernie Sanders would easily defeat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Democratic ballot. So it transpired, but there were also some heartening surprises in Tuesdays results. First the bad news: Donald Trumps victory in New Hampshire, after his second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, is an ominous development. The Republicans and undeclared independents who voted for Trump have entrusted their hopes to a demagogue with no experience in government who demonizes minorities, demeans women and promises to reinstitute waterboarding of suspected terrorists and a hell of a lot worse. That the voters were driven to support him by frustration with the unfulfilled promises of professional politicians is an explanation for their behavior, but not an excuse. In more than one way, Kasich is the anti-Trump. Advertisement But if voters in the Republican primary fulfilled one prediction a Trump victory they confounded another: that they would reduce the race to a three-man contest comprising Trump, the hard-right Sen. Ted Cruz, who finished first in Iowa, and, as the sole representative of the so-called party establishment, the young and comparatively inexperienced Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. That didnt happen. On Tuesday Rubio and Cruz finished well behind Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who scored a solid second-place finish. Like all of the Republican candidates, Kasich is a conservative and a critic of the Obama administration. But, like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Kasich has experience as a chief executive and recognizes the need to compromise with lawmakers. Hes also called for a more humane version of government than most of his GOP rivals; for example, he has eloquently argued against uprooting immigrants living in this country illegally. In more than one way, Kasich is the anti-Trump. On the Democratic side, Sanders impressive victory demonstrates both the appeal of his populist message and Clintons failure so far to galvanize many younger voters, a fact she acknowledged in her concession speech. It also reflects the fact that New Hampshire is more hospitable to Sanders than coming contests in other states including South Carolina will be. But, coming after he finished in a near-tie with Clinton in Iowa, Sanders victory in New Hampshire certifies him as a serious candidate with staying power and an anti-establishment message that resonates as powerfully for many Democrats as Trumps does for disaffected Republicans. That dissatisfaction with the status quo undermines the advantage Clinton hopes to derive from her long experience in public life. In his victory speech Sanders said he hoped that he and Clinton would engage in an issue-oriented campaign, an invitation that she is likely to welcome (especially if it includes a discussion of foreign policy, which isnt Sanders strong suit). Democrats who once feared a premature coronation of Clinton can breathe easy (even if she cant). A longstanding, and valid, complaint about Iowa and New Hampshire is that the early contests in those states short-circuit the nomination process, eliminating candidates before they have an opportunity to make their case to a large and diverse electorate. No matter what the schedule is, early states will always exercise disproportionate influence. But this year at least Iowa and New Hampshire have clarified the Democratic and Republican contests without prematurely culling the field. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook A funny thing happened on the way to Jeb Bushs long-expected disappearance from the Republican presidential contest: He became a better and more interesting candidate. Improbably, he has Donald Trump to thank for it. For much of 2015, after launching his campaign as a presumptive front-runner, Bush watched in miffed disbelief as GOP voters cheered Trumps uncouth braggadocio. Ive got a lot of really cool things I could do other than sit around being miserable, listening to people demonize me, Bush said last fall. That is a joke. Elect Trump if you want that. But as Trumps insults continued, Bushs standoffish pique morphed into slow-boiling anger. Advertisement ------------ FOR THE RECORD: Jeb Bush: A Feb. 10 Op Ed column about Jeb Bushs improved campaign said a 2010 Supreme Court decision allowed super PACs to raise money anonymously. It is an election law loophole that allows super PACs to accept donations from organizations who do not disclose their contributors. ------------ In recent weeks, the former Florida governor has redefined himself as the anti-Trump, out to save his party from the specter of a nominee without qualifications or polish. The newfound mission has given Bush a clear message, an ingredient his campaign had been missing. Along the way, hes shed his politesse to match Trump insult for insult. Donald Trump, you arent just a loser, you are a liar and a whiner, Bush taunted, un-Bush-like, on Twitter this week. In campaign stops across New Hampshire, Bush argued that Trumps candidacy is a danger not only to the party, but to the country as well. At some point in the next presidency, there will be a crisis, he told Rotary Club members in Nashua, N.H., on Monday. Who do you want sitting behind the big desk? Donald Trump organizes his campaign around disparaging people, he added. Its not strong to insult women. Its not strong to castigate Hispanics. Its not strong to ridicule the disabled. And its certainly not strong to call people like John McCain ... losers. The new message appears to have given Bush only a modest boost in New Hampshire, where he finished in the middle of the pack far behind Trump. But tactical advantage isnt the reason hes attacking the businessman, Bush told Politico. I was offended by Trumps campaign, he said. I still am.... You dont insult your way to the White House. Donald Trump: Youre the loser! Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush in Nashua, N.H. on Sunday Before anyone had cast a ballot in New Hampshire, Bush and his aides insisted that he would stay in the race for months to come. This is a long-haul process, he said. Public sentiment, how people feel, will change. It always does. And if you stick to who you are the simple fact is you can win the day. Bush has other reasons to continue, no matter how long the odds appear. His campaign has more than enough money; at the end of 2015, his super PAC reported $58 million in its coffers. He has a serious campaign organization in South Carolina, site of the next primary on Feb. 20. One other factor: Bushs brother, former President George W. Bush, has urged him to stay in. His advice is consistently: Stay the course, be patient, its coming your way, Bush told Politico. (With a Bush in the race, theres always an extra dash of family drama.) So Bush has found a mission and freed himself from caution. Hes even migrated back to some of his original, moderate-conservative positions at least in New Hampshire, where GOP voters are less hard-line than other places. At a town meeting in Bedford last weekend, he sounded almost like a Democrat on the subject of climate change. Look, the climate is changing, he said. We have billions of people that live on the planet. We clearly have an impact. To deny it doesnt make sense. (He added, though, that massive subsidies for clean energy projects dont make sense, either.) In Nashua, he said he wants to overturn the Supreme Court decision that allowed super PACs (including his own) to raise money anonymously. He still favors unlimited fundraising, he said, but he favors total transparency a position that puts him at odds with GOP leaders in Congress. And he said one of his central goals as president would be to restore the lost art of bipartisan compromise to Washington. I dont think liberals are bad people, he said. Bush is still out of sync with tea party voters who prize ideological purity over deal-making. Hes not likely to win many of Ted Cruzs voters, but those arent the voters hes aiming for. Hes trying to peel support away from Marco Rubio and Trump. But when Bush talks about Rubio, his former political protege in Florida, he sounds more disappointed than angry. Its Trump who elicits his hitherto unglimpsed passion. Donald Trump: Youre the loser! Bush declared in Nashua. Hes not merely a candidate; hes an anti-candidate. Bush may not win, but if he succeeds in denying the nomination to Trump, hell count that as one mission accomplished. Trump may yet rue the day he derided Bush as a low-energy loser. doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com Twitter: @doylemcmanus Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook New Jersey Gov. Chris Christies presidential bid apparently died in New Hampshire, which shows you theres not much upside to performing well in the debates -- just a huge potential downside. Sources told reporters Wednesday that the governor was suspending his campaign after his disappointing sixth-place finish in the Granite State, which wasnt good enough to qualify him for the next GOP debate. The debates have been where Christie shined, but the same could be said for Carly Fiorina, who also dropped out of the race Wednesday after foundering at the ballot. Christies best performance came at Saturdays debate in Manchester, N.H., where he issued a sharp but fair critique of the hot Republican candidate of the moment, Sen. Marco Rubio -- someone whod been articulate and fast on his feet at previous contests. Addressing Rubio directly, Christie launched into a 77-second riff on how Rubios lack of executive experience leaves him as unprepared for the White House as (shudder!) Barack Obama was. Advertisement You have not been involved in a consequential decision where you had to be held accountable. You just simply havent, Christie said. The fact is, it does matter when you have to make decisions and be held accountable for them. It does matter when the challenges dont come [in] a list [on] a piece of paper of what to vote yes or no [on] everyday, but when the problems come in from the people that you serve. As President George W. Bush memorably put it, the main job of the person in the Oval Office is to be the decider. His voice isnt just one of 100, its the final one. That slap should have been easy to rebut; Abe Lincoln, the first and greatest Republican president, had been a legislator, not a governor. But Rubio called up the wrong canned response from the soundbite server in his brain, going off orthogonally on President Obama for the offense of not being clueless. Then, when Christie pressed him, Rubio went back to those same memorized lines again and again. It was hard to watch, unless youre the kind of person who likes to mark the precise point at which a campaigns rocket booster disengages and falls to Earth. Again, Christies point was a fair one. As President George W. Bush memorably put it, the main job of the person in the Oval Office is to be the decider. His voice isnt just one of 100, its the final one. That takes an extra degree of fortitude, just as it takes character to hold oneself accountable for the consequences. But its not enough to know that someone has made such decisions. More revealing is how a candidate handled that responsibility. Granted, the stakes are so much higher for a president, a candidates experience as governor or CEO might not provide enough of a clue. Just look at Bush, who was governor of Texas before ascending to the White House. The most consequential decision of his presidency was how to respond to the 9/11 attacks, an event far beyond anything hed confronted in Austin. And, thanks at least in part to the advisors he surrounded himself with, we wound up in a quagmire in Afghanistan (which probably was inevitable, given that the U.S. couldnt ignore the Talibans support for Al Qaeda) and a destructive misadventure in Iraq (which was completely avoidable). And contrary to Christies jibe, Rubio has made at least one consequential decision as a senator: Putting a boatload of political capital at risk, he led efforts in the Senate to pass a comprehensive fix to the countrys broken immigration laws. That was a singular achievement. But as Jeb Bush has observed, Rubio backpedaled furiously from the legislation once the political winds turned and the increasingly tea party-infused GOP became more insistent on deporting all of the 11 mlllion-plus people who are in the country illegally. Not that Christie is the model of accountability -- see, for example, Bridgegate. Theres also the impressive catalog the Newark Star-Ledgers Tom Moran has compiled of the times Christie has failed to come clean about his actions and his plans. (They all lie, and I get that. But Christie does it with such audacity, and such frequency, that he stands out, Moran writes.) Regardless, the exchange was telling. And by pushing Rubios buttons hard enough to make his articulate inner machine glitch, Christie caused the post-Iowa Marcomentum to go poof. Surges come and go in these races, and Rubio may certainly rise again. But hell need to find a better answer to the question about decision-making, even if Christie wont be around to keep asking it. Email Jon Healey Follow Healeys intermittent Twitter feed: @jcahealey To the editor: The conviction for Rowland Heights physician Hsiu-Ying Lisa Tseng strikes me as overly harsh and perhaps even stretches the definition of second-degree murder. (Doctor convicted of murder for patients drug overdoses gets 30 years to life in prison, Feb. 5) It appears that Tseng over-prescribed pain killers for her patients based on their demand for them, perhaps because of their addiction but was she expected to know that? And arent the patients themselves at least partly responsible for their addictions? As the article states, the overprescription of addictive medications has become a national concern because of the quadrupling of overdose deaths from 1999 to 2011. But I may have been a holdout if I were on the jury. Advertisement California law defines second-degree murder in part as a killing caused by dangerous conduct and the offenders obvious lack of concern for human life. It does seem Tseng should have been more concerned about the number of refills demanded by her patients, but is this in itself dangerous conduct? And did she act as if she had a lack of concern for her patients lives? Malpractice, maybe, but murder? Fred Dean, Los Angeles .. To the editor: I applaud both The Times reports and the Los Angeles County district attorneys office for the dedication and investigation it took to charge and bring to trial Dr. Tseng. I am a retired employee of the district attorneys office. I am also the former wife of a man who was found dead of prescription overdose. I found documents that showed a Los Angeles doctor was authorizing many local pharmacies to mail the same prescription to his home back east and then to Northern California. I mailed the findings of my personal investigation to the California Medical Board and the L.A. County district attorney back in 1995. The view then was that it was the victims fault. This trial is a vindication of what many of us survivors have long known: It was the fault of the doctors who turned their patients into addicts. Wendy A. Robinson, Saugus .. To the editor: Why does a doctor go to jail for life because some careless or disturbed addicts overdose on some of her prescriptions, while gun dealers sell lethal weapons with impunity to mass killers over and over and over again? Leo Buxbaum, MD, Whittier Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Authenticity, whether perceived or real, was a big winner in the New Hampshire presidential primary. Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump and John Kasich, in their own very distinct ways, are the three candidates who not only made the best showing, but appeared to be the most comfortable in their own skins. Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, racked up a 20% margin over Hillary Clinton by attracting liberal voters and young people drawn to his call for a peaceful revolution to end the dominance of Wall Street and the super wealthy in American politics and the economy. Clinton worked hard to convince voters that supporting her, the first woman with a serious shot at the presidency, was a revolutionary act in itself, but a majority of New Hampshire Democrats female millennials, in particular did not buy it. Perhaps unfairly, many voters on the left are suspicious of Clintons pledge to fight for progressive causes. They have no doubts about Sanders, though. It may seem odd that the under-30 crowd is so enthusiastic about this aging radical with his stooped shoulders and unruly white hair, but his grandfatherly demeanor combined with an idealism that has not changed since his youth appears to be what appeals to them. He is not slick, he is not fake, he is the real deal. Advertisement Trump, too, is the real deal, even if his candidacy is utterly surreal. Politics has no shortage of giant egos, but Trump may be the most narcissistic person ever to run for the highest office in the land. The candidate stood before his cheering fans on primary night, flanked by his ridiculously glamorous wife and children, and boasted about how he will, through the sheer force of his personality and deal-making skill, fix every problem facing the country. It was a victory tableau that seemed a triumph of the absurd. Nevertheless, he is completely unashamed about it all; the constant focus on himself, the extravagance of his lifestyle, the thinness of his policy proposals, the outrageousness of his schemes to ban Muslims from entering the country, deport 11 million undocumented immigrants and bring back waterboarding. He may be making some of this stuff up as he goes along, but the very improvisational nature of his candidacy guarantees that nothing feels prepackaged by campaign consultants. Trump is Trump, love him or hate him, and, in New Hampshire, enough Republicans and independents loved him to give him a solid plurality in a crowded field. Ohio Gov. John Kasich became the other winner of the evening by edging out the rest of the GOP also-rans and coming in at No. 2. Kasich is about as conventional as they come in the political world, and that may not get him far in a year when many voters are looking for unconventional agents of change. But Kasichs no-nonsense, old-school style is a contrast to the over-rehearsed Marco Rubio, whose embarrassing inability to go off script did serious damage to his performance at the polls Tuesday. Neither does Kasich display the conniving slickness of Ted Cruz or the stiff awkwardness of Jeb Bush. Kasich is unapologetically proud to be a pragmatic, nuts-and-bolts politician. In his celebratory speech Tuesday evening, Kasich was a class act. He talked about his father, a postman who took time to share the joys and sorrows of the folks on his mail route. Kasich suggested that all of us would do well to follow his dads example. If we would just slow down and heal the divisions in our own families he said. Just slow down, look em in the eye, give em a hug. It was a rather homey, intimate thing to be talking about in the midst of the campaign hoopla, but it felt genuine. And genuine was having a good night. With a roar of discontent toward the political establishment, New Hampshire voters sent the presidential contest into what seems likely to be an extended march that will quickly move to territory far less hospitable to Tuesday nights big winners, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. After a riotous eight days that ended with the first successful Democratic insurgent win here since 1984 and the first Republican win ever by a TV host and real estate entrepreneur, the races now diverge. Tuesday marked the end of regional contests and the beginning of a national campaign, with all the financial and logistical demands that entails. On Feb. 20, Democrats in Nevada and Republicans in South Carolina will vote. On Feb. 23, Nevada Republicans will make their picks, and four days later Democrats will compete in South Carolina. Then the race widens to more than a dozen states, many in the South, that vote on March 1. Advertisement TRAIL GUIDE: All the latest news on the 2016 presidential campaign >> And heres what were gonna do, Hillary Clinton said after her loss in New Hampshire, speaking for all the candidates Tuesday night. Now we take this campaign to the entire country. The Republican electorate ahead will be mostly white, as it was in New Hampshire, but different from the suburban Northeasterners who controlled Tuesdays vote. Southern voters care about social issues, meaning the next rounds will mostly be fought on favorable ground for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the Iowa caucuses winner, and, perhaps, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. In Nevada, about half the Republican voters are Mormons or evangelicals, a different face of religion than in the South and the opposite of New Hampshires extremely secular electorate. Trump has led convincingly in early polls in both South Carolina and Nevada, although arguably it is only in the last two weeks that most of the other candidates in the race became more broadly known. Surprisingly, given that his vote tally in Iowa was significantly lower than polls had projected, Trump if anything overperformed on Tuesday, suggesting that he won last-minute converts. Trump has shown considerable strength in some parts of the South. The question for him will be whether he can expand his support beyond his core supporters. He won in New Hampshire by gaining about one-third of the GOP vote. That works well in a field with many candidates, not so well as the list grows shorter. Often, New Hampshire serves as the contest that causes the list to shrink. Not this time, however. That should concern the establishment, nonpartisan analyst Charlie Cook said. While the results were great for [Ohio Gov. John] Kasich, they werent that great for the establishment that badly needed resolution. Indeed, the biggest problem for all of the non-Trump candidates is all of the non-Trump candidates. With three Cruz, Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush bunched just a few points behind second-place finisher Kasich, none has an incentive to get out now. (Only New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie appeared Tuesday to be considering a departure.) Kasich is aiming at later spring primaries in the industrial Midwest, Bush and Rubio are looking toward Floridas mammoth March 15 primary, and Cruz has his eye on March 1 primaries that include his home state. The most interesting fight in the next weeks may be between two men trying to recapture their mojo, Rubio and Cruz. In Nevada, Rubio has tried to claim family status because he lived in the state during his childhood. Both there and in South Carolina, he will be under pressure to prove he can win somewhere in order to maintain his flow of money and support. Rubio and Cruz both have conservative positions on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage and have done well in the sort of evangelical-heavy areas common in the South. But in South Carolina, they will come up against a resuscitated Bush, who will be under the wing of the states longtime, and popular, Sen. Lindsay Graham. Bush also will have the help of his brother, former President George W. Bush, who won a brutal South Carolina primary in 2000. Kasich will try to build momentum but will face challenges. The Ohio governor put all his resources into New Hampshire. While he will certainly gain attention and money from Tuesdays results, the move to a more conservative electorate means positions he has taken, including acceptance of some Obamacare programs, will get more attention. He campaigned in New Hampshire as a supporter of a path to legalization for immigrants in the country illegally, a position opposed by the partys conservative base. Democrats have a simpler race ahead. The ethnic makeup of the electorate will change radically from overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire. South Carolina is 28% black. In Nevada, almost 30% are Latino. In both states those groups represent the key element of the Democratic base. Clintons campaign has expressed confidence -- publicly, at least -- that she would weather tough races in Iowa and New Hampshire and reassert her dominance as the contest turned to Southern and Southwestern states with more diverse electorates. But the results on Tuesday were a difficult turn. One Clinton campaign concern is that Sanders will benefit from the same primary dynamic that aided Barack Obama in 2008: a cascade of support that fell toward him as voters realized that he might actually win the nomination. The situations are different: Obama was a breakout African American candidate trying to appeal to black voters. He never did yank Latinos from Clinton in the Southwest, despite much effort. As a senator from Vermont, Sanders has not had to forge the relationships that would come in handy now with black and Latino voters. But as the New Hampshire contest wore on, he became more adept at expressing concern about issues important to those voters. On Wednesday he is headed to New York to meet with African American leaders. Clinton has been building such relationships for years, and keeping black and Latino voters aboard will be a high priority for her. She also has wielded Sanders past opposition to gun control measures, a subject that may resonate in a state that suffered through the Charleston church massacre last year. For now, Sanders must sell his message of revolution in states that are less liberal ideologically, in addition to being more ethnically diverse. Clinton must calm supporters and blunt defections. And, as she noted in her concession speech Tuesday night, she must seek some way to speak to young voters, including women, that is more successful than what she tried in New Hampshire. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Before the voting was finished here, Clintons campaign announced that the mothers of several slain young black men would campaign for her in South Carolina. Her Sunday visit to Flint, a majority-black city in Michigan whose water supply has poisoned residents, was aimed in part at African Americans in South Carolina. But, as if to lower expectations further on a bleak night, her campaign manager, Robby Mook, released a memo asserting that the road to victory would be long. At the same time as we are competing aggressively in Nevada and South Carolina, its important to understand why the campaign is investing so much time, energy and resources in states with primaries and caucuses in March, he wrote. The reason is simple: While important, the first four states represent just 4% of the delegates needed to secure the nomination; the 28 states that vote (or caucus) in March will award 56% of the delegates needed to win. In other words, as Kasich said in a memorable Tuesday night speech: If you dont have a seat belt, buy one. cathleen.decker@latimes.com For political news and analysis, follow me on Twitter: @cathleendecker . For more on politics, go to latimes.com/decker. ALSO New Hampshire relies on a mix of new and old voting systems Editorial: Trump wins N.H. while the GOP establishment churns With New Hampshire result, Trump is a serious contender, and Kasich is back in the race Hillary Clintons allies in the black community moved aggressively Wednesday to shore up her support with minority voters following her crushing defeat in New Hampshire, as Sen. Bernie Sanders worked to win over the black and Latino voters who will now be crucial to the outcome of the Democratic nominating contest. Sanders lost little time moving from his victory rally in New Hampshire to a new, more diverse arena. The Vermont senator headed for Harlem for breakfast with Rev. Al Sharpton, the well-known black leader and commentator. Soon social media was ablaze with photos of the two eating at Sylvias, a well known New York soul food restaurant. From there, Sanders headed for ABCs The View, where he shared his thoughts about police brutality with the programs 2 million viewers. Advertisement By mid-afternoon, Clinton surrogates in the African American community were firing back, charging Sanders with inflating his civil rights credentials. Hillary Clinton has been a true friend to the African American community for the last 40 years, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), said on a media conference call arranged by Clintons campaign. During that period of time, Bernie Sanders has been largely missing in action. TRAIL GUIDE: All the latest news on the 2016 presidential campaign >> As her supporters threw barbs, Clinton herself lay low, taking stock of the damage caused by her 22-point loss in New Hampshire and looking ahead toward a debate with Sanders on Thursday night. The next few weeks will pose a critical test for both campaigns as the competition shifts from the all-white electorates of Iowa and New Hampshire to racially diverse states whose electorates more nearly reflect the broader population. Nevadas Democratic caucuses are on Feb. 20; South Carolinas Democratic primary is Feb. 27. In both states, Sanders is up against a rival who has deep ties in black and Latino communities and who has also been steadily lining up key endorsements from well-liked minority lawmakers and civil rights leaders for months. The Clinton campaign had long viewed Nevada and South Carolina as bulwarks that would protect it against any unexpected surge by Sanders. In Nevada, the former secretary of State has several advantages, including long-standing ties to Latino leaders and the fact that the states caucuses are closed to independents, cutting Sanders off from a bloc of voters who helped him greatly in Iowa and New Hampshire. Despite those facts, Sanders suddenly finds himself positioned to pose a significant threat. On Wednesday afternoon, Sanders campaign announced that he had raised a record $5.2 million since the New Hampshire polls closed the night before. His campaign has been spending significantly more money on advertising in Nevada than Clinton is, and the infusion of new cash may allow him to continue to out-gun her on the air. David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said Clinton has effectively used her relationships and history with Nevadans to reach out to minority voters. Her campaign has laid the groundwork, he said. Yet Nevada, with its transient population, can be fickle and is already very different than it was when Clinton campaigned there in 2008, Damore noted. We have so much migration in and out of the state, he said. The electorate is always changing here. South Carolina has a more stable electorate, but there, too, Clinton faces a significant fight. Over the last 10 days, Sanders has enlisted 1,000 new volunteers in the state, bringing the total number to 5,000, according to Chris Covert, the campaigns South Carolina director. Theyve knocked on 300,000 doors. The states most influential black lawmaker, Rep. James E. Clyburn, told MSNBC Wednesday that Sanders, a candidate who was virtually unknown in the state only a couple of months ago, has built an impressive campaign organization in that state. Its very effective, said Clyburn, who has not yet made an endorsement. They have a pretty potent ground operation going on in South Carolina. And Im pleased to see that. Clintons campaign is counting on help from many of the states Democratic elected officials. Wednesday, they released an endorsement from J. Todd Rutherford, the Democratic minority leader in the South Carolina House who was an early supporter of then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2008. Even as they fight in those two states, the campaigns are both looking ahead to additional arenas. Clintons headquarters announced, for example, that Chelsea Clinton was headed to Flint, Mich., where her mother had appeared on Sunday. Clinton has taken a prominent role in speaking out for the residents of that largely African American city, whose residents have been poisoned by lead contaminating their drinking water. The state holds its primary on March 8, but her advocacy for its residents may also help Clinton with black voters elsewhere. Allies of Clinton also announced that they were launching a $25-million get-out-the-vote effort aimed at blacks and Latinos. The new organization, Every Citizen Counts, will be able to raise unlimited amounts of cash, and the head of Clintons biggest super PAC will be its advisor. The organizers said their effort was aimed at turning out voters to the polls and defending voting rights. The group will not be engaged in the primary campaign, yet the effort is a reminder to black and Latino voters that Clinton is in their corner. Yet Sanders can now boast his own support from prominent minority figures. He recently earned the endorsement of Benjamin Jealous, the former chief executive of the NAACP, who has been campaigning in South Carolina. Now that [Sanders] is seen as a top-tier contender, well find that candidate Clinton has hit her high watermark, Jealous predicted in a radio interview. She will begin to lose support. How fast and how much remains to be seen. Ta-Nehisi Coates, the prominent black writer and activist also said Wednesday that Sanders will be getting his vote, though not any kind of endorsement. And Sharpton told reporters that he is weighing giving Sanders his backing. My concern is, as the first black family in the White House moves out at the end of the year, our concerns dont move out with them, Sharpton told MSNBC. He added that he would not make a decision until after a meeting of civil rights leaders next week that both candidates plan to attend. For more on Campaign 2016, follow @EvanHalper and @ChrisMegerian MORE POLITICS NEWS New Hampshire primary results >> Editorial: Trump wins N.H. while the GOP establishment churns With New Hampshire result, Trump is a serious contender, and Kasich is back in the race Under a House bill passed Tuesday, the Department of Veterans Affairs would have to look closely at whether its mental health and suicide prevention programs meet the needs of the growing number of female veterans. A study released over the summer found that women who have served in the military commit suicide at nearly six times the rate of those in the civilian population. One suicide is way too many, and the VA, in my opinion, has to make this the highest priority, said Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village), sponsor of the bill. Advertisement Brownleys measure also would require the VA to collect data specifically on how trauma affects female service members. SIGN UP for the free Essential Politics newsletter >> Womens experiences in the military are different than mens -- and certainly their trauma is different, Brownley said after the vote. Theres no data that we know of right now that spells out some of those trends. The bill, Brownley said, is an update to the Clay Hunt SAV Act, which President Obama signed in February 2015. That law mandates that the VA review its suicide prevention programs, provide veterans with financial and medical assistance related to mental health and make information about treatment more readily available. This is an important first step, Brownley said. Its pretty simple and straightforward, but its also a really important direction that the VA needs to go in. The legislation also includes language, sponsored by Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego), that orders the department to set treatment standards for veterans who served in classified or intelligence positions. Its hard enough for veterans who are returning from action to find people to talk to about stuff. That problem is doubled when youre in intelligence, because you cant talk about anything. So it is important to reach out to that community in particular, Peters said. Coronado residents Howard and Jean Somers inspired the measure. They have petitioned Congress to act since their son, Sgt. Daniel Somers, committed suicide in 2013 while waiting for individual treatment from the VA for post-traumatic stress. The House on Tuesday also passed the Career-Ready Student Veterans Act, sponsored by Rep. Mark Takano (D-Riverside), which requires a college program to either be accredited or meet the requirements for state licensing or certification in order to be eligible for GI Bill benefits. The bill is trying to keep veterans from earning a degree under the GI Bill that doesnt satisfy the requirements needed for a career. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> In an attempt to speed up disbursement of veterans benefits, the House also passed by voice vote a bill -- sponsored by Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) -- that would instruct the VA to allow colleges to work together in reporting to the department on a veterans enrollment. Currently, each college has to certify that a veteran student is enrolled before the VA will pay. Calvert said the change would benefit multi-college districts like the Riverside Community College District. I strongly believe that we should take whatever steps necessary to simplify the veterans education benefits our service members earned, he said in a statement. sarah.wire@latimes.com Follow @sarahdwire on Twitter Read more about the 55 members of Californias delegation at latimes.com/politics ALSO Analysis: As a long race beckons, Tuesday winners Trump and Sanders face challenges Coastal Commission will hear litany of protests today as it moves to fire its executive director With money tight, chancellor says UC Berkeley must reimagine its future Im Christina Bellantoni, your morning-after Essential Politics host. And like this primary season, were just getting started. As both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders would say, it was a yuuuuge night. Both men, as different as can be but both attracting angry voters frustrated by their respective parties, claimed decisive New Hampshire victories. With about 88% of votes tallied, Trump led the Republican pack by just over 50,000 votes. In a two-way contest, Sanders prevailed over Hillary Clinton by nearly 50,000 roughly the same number. Advertisement But even though both came in second in the Iowa caucuses one narrowly, the other by a large margin this race is far from over. Want to know what could happen next in the presidential primary contest? Youll need a map. There will be 29 primaries or caucuses held over the next month, along with a host of debates, including the Democratic face-off Thursday night in Wisconsin. And as Cathleen Decker notes, the contests will quickly move to territory far less hospitable to Tuesday nights big winners. For context, remember that the Republican race in 2012 played out until April 10. The Democratic contest between Clinton and then-Sen. Barack Obama eight years ago dragged on through each and every primary and caucus, all the way to the end of the calendar. Clinton ended her bid on June 7, 2008. Its way too early to know if Californians will be so lucky to hold such weight eight years later with our June 7 primary. But Sanders promised to keep on from Maine to California. And no one on either side dropped out. SECOND PLACE LAUNCHES KASICH Ohio Gov. John Kasich claimed 16% of the vote, behind Trump but ahead of a pack of contenders who were still fighting for third place as the clock struck midnight in New Hampshire. Lisa Mascaro writes that Kasich, who ran a largely upbeat campaign, used his victory speech Tuesday to prove his approach was the right one. Something big happened tonight, Kasich said, criticizing the onslaught of negative ads against him. Maybe, just maybe, we are turning a page on a dark part of American politics, because tonight the light overcame the darkness of negative campaigning. He did not mention the super PACs that ran negative ads on his behalf. Noah Bierman spent time with Kasich last summer, and found the governor might have a little Trump in him. COUNTING EACH AND EVERY ONE Team Clinton is going to be talking a lot about one magic word: delegates. Chris Megerian reports on a Robby Mook memo detailing how the team has heavily invested in states that will hold primaries and caucuses in March, when 56% of delegates will be up for grabs. By comparison, the four early states Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina are responsible for only 4% of delegates. The March states better reflect the true diversity of the Democratic Party and the nation including large populations of voters who live in big cities and small towns, and voters with a much broader range of races and religions, Mook wrote in his memo. Dont miss Deckers piece observing that the former secretary of State is sounding both tone-deaf and human notes on the campaign trail. RESULTS AND SPEECHES Track each and every vote on our results page, and see video of the speeches and get caught up on what you missed last night on Trail Guide. If youre more interested in the aftermath, todays Trail Guide will have you covered. FAREWELL TO NEW HAMPSHIRE But before we go, a fond farewell to the Granite States quirky traditions. Mike Memoli found a town that uses a crank handle to capture ballots a practice that might have seemed like state-of-the-art technology, in 1892. Bierman examines some of the more popular beliefs about the Granite State. Independent and well informed? Maybe not, studies show. But one of every eight voters there say theyve shaken hands with a presidential contender. POLITICAL TOURISM Megerian introduces readers to Linda Verraster and John Alkema, who live in San Clemente, Calif., but headed to New Hampshire this week to get a glimpse of the presidential candidates. Its Alkemas third time and his wifes first. They arent alone. Its such a thing, theres even a term for it: political peepers. FIORINA DOWN BUT NOT DONE Former HP chief executive Carly Fiorina captured about 4% of the votes, but insisted in her speech she was leaving New Hampshire with wind at our backs. The music at her headquarters included Tom Pettys Wont Back Down. REALLY NOT GIVING UP Javier Panzar got ahold of GOP presidential hopeful and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore last night, asking his plans after winning just over 100 votes in New Hampshire and just 12 in Iowa. He is not dropping out of the race just yet, Gilmore says. The Virginia primary is March 1. GARCETTI CROSSING THE BORDER FOR CLINTON The Nevada border, that is. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted Tuesday he will be helping Clintons campaign ahead for the Feb. 20 caucuses. STATE TREASURER ALMOST THERE ON 2018 GOVERNORS RACE For state Treasurer John Chiang, the hint was so big as to almost be an announcement. Almost. On Tuesday, he told a group of business leaders in Sacramento that hes almost there on throwing his hat into the ring for governor in 2018. Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers reports the states banker says the decision could come as soon as April. A bid would pit Chiang against Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and maybe others. NO STATEWIDE WATER BOND Myers also reports that backers of a potential $4.9-billion water bond on the November ballot are calling it quits. Though they hope the Legislature will include water supply issues in a natural resources bond measure for the fall, they also admitted that the bumper crop of potential propositions is making things awfully expensive. An extraordinary eleven initiatives are in circulation today, with several more about to enter circulation, water bond backers wrote to their supporters in a letter obtained by The Times. This has driven the price of [voter] signatures to a very high level. TODAYS ESSENTIALS Gov. Jerry Brown lashed out at the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon for blocking the Obama administration effort to cut carbon pollution from power plants. Brown said the conservative majority of justices appear tone-deaf as they fiddle with procedural niceties. Sarah Wire reports that under a House bill from Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) passed Tuesday, the Department of Veterans Affairs would have to look closely at whether its mental health and suicide prevention programs meet the needs of the growing number of female veterans. LOGISTICS Miss yesterdays newsletter? Here you go. Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox daily. And keep an eye on our politics page throughout the day for the latest and greatest. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics? Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com. A former Burbank Unified School District employee, who alleged in a lawsuit that she was sexually harassed and retaliated against by a manager, publicly criticized the districts handling of the decade-long case at last weeks school board meeting. Whether or not you believe me, Danielle Baez told the board members, the message thats being sent to women in our community, to young women that are joining the work place for the very first time, is that if you are sexually harassed while working in a hostile work environment, the message you send while dragging somebody through a 10-year legal battle, is to shut up and go away. NEWSLETTER: Get the latest headlines from the 818 straight to your inbox >> In 2007, Baez, who worked as a secretary, claimed in a legal filing that the then-facilities director, Craig Jellison, repeatedly made unwanted sexual advances, propositioned her, sent her suggestive emails and made physical advances toward her in his office. If you are sexually harassed while working in a hostile work environment, the message you send while dragging somebody through a 10-year-old legal battle, is to shut up and go away Danielle Baez, former Burbank Unified School District employee to the school board The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit went to trial three times, and Baez prevailed in 2013, with her counsel winning $3.2 million in legal fees. A jury awarded her $199,398 in damages in a third trial. Burbank Unified appealed both verdicts but late last month the 2nd District Court of Appeal upheld the awards. The judge in the lawsuit, Mary Ann Murphy, stated that she awarded the legal fees to Baezs attorneys because the districts counsel, Nancy Doumanian, and her firm, missed filing deadlines, failed to make proper citations and made other mistakes that drove up the time it took for all involved parties to work on the case. At Thursdays school board meeting, district critics, including Burbank resident Greg Sousa, propelled Supt. Matt Hill to clarify that the school district has only paid $10,000, with the remainder covered by insurance. Hill, who began his post as superintendent in July, said he would meet soon with the Joint Powers Authority, which insures the district. Our $10,000 payment that is our deductible on this case, Hill said. Now, will the premiums go up and the rates? Potentially. Thats why I want to have a meeting to make sure that Burbank Unified School District, as well as the other districts as part of this JPA, are being represented clearly and accurately. Baez took issue with Hills comments. As a female in this community, when you say, its just $10,000, theres a bigger message being sent, she said. I apologize if I offended you, Hill said. I was not trying to imply, we only spent that, and it was worth that. That was not my intent. I was clarifying a fact, that the districts responsibility was $10,000. Any time were in litigation, the recommendation to move forward is on the superintendent, and that is me, and I will look into this matter, and all matters, with the same care and thoroughness that I would for anybody. Im going to do the same thing in this case as well. School board member Larry Applebaum, who has supported Doumanian for her handling of past cases, said it would be unfair to judge her body of work based on this one case. He offered Baez an apology. Weve all learned a lot, he said, and from this board member, I think an apology for not being more responsive is in order, and so Im making it, and thats the best I can do. Board member Armond Aghakhanian thanked Baez and others for speaking up. I want to make sure people understand you always have the podium here, and we would like to hear what our citizens, our taxpayers, what their concerns are, he said. School board member Roberta Reynolds suggested that the district is in better hands with Hill than with previous leadership. The board went through a great deal to bring Mr. Hill and his transparency to this district, she said, and we are certainly placing our trust and expectation of transparency on Mr. Hill because thats why we hired him. -- Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com Twitter: @kellymcorrigan ALSO: Marinello Schools of Beauty closes Burbank campus Suspensions, expulsions down in Burbank Unified schools Burbank Unified projects drop in student enrollment The homes on Joaquin Drive in Burbank might look a bit like Mike and Carol Bradys mid-century modern split-level home from the Brady Bunch low-slung, offset gabled roofs; brick piers; and exposed rafters with a few glaring exceptions, such as a boxy Cape Cod and ornate Spanish Revivals. Last week, neighbors and other area residents seeking to preserve the character of Burbanks neighborhoods rallied to block a home addition proposal from slipping through and resulting in what they say would be out-of-character with the surrounding homes and an encroachment on nearby residents. NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with whats going on in and around your neighborhood >> The case, which amounted to a disagreement between neighbors who sought the citys help in finding a resolution, raised a number of questions about how the city handles hillside development, which may help to inform the reworking of Burbanks single-family residential design standards throughout the city. Its a situation that has pitted neighbors against one another in the hillside area for more than a year, as George Abboud sought a hillside development permit for an addition he said believes will beautify and update the neighborhood while providing him a place to live comfortably. Next door, Fidel Fayad, an engineer at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, found issues with Abbouds application and other discrepancies he felt revealed a lack of due diligence on the part of city staff in vetting the project. Fayad said the proposed addition was too large, and a threat to his privacy and his view of the Valley. During a hearing last week, the City Council sided with Fayad and a group of activists who have previously lobbied the city to enact policies to prevent what they call mansionization the construction of homes critics feel are too large in neighborhoods where they dont fit. Abboud will have the chance to redesign the project and seek approval again. The project had originally been approved by the citys community development director in January 2015, but Fayad appealed the decision to the Burbank Planning Board, which denied the appeal in September. Fayad appealed again, this time to the City Council. Ultimately, the council was swayed by Fayads presentation and another by a second appellant, Jim Casey, a real estate agent and leader of the group Preserve Burbank, which has fought against mansionization in the city. In a slide show, Casey used the nine-block opening from The Brady Bunch show to demonstrate the 8-to-1 ratio of Brady homes to others on Joaquin Drive. The graphic seemed to help persuade the council. Who in here wasnt thinking, That looks like the Brady house? Councilman Will Rogers asked. Casey said he wasnt against allowing the homeowner to build a beautiful home, but he said allowing the project to move forward as envisioned would diminish the overall beauty of the neighborhood and decrease home values for Abboud and his neighbors. Fayad outlined a number of problems with the project, such as its inconsistency with a covenant in the area, but focused on deficiencies in a city staff report responding to his appeal, as well as a questionable rendering submitted by his neighbor in the application for the proposed addition, which seemed to skew it to look considerably smaller. While some council members questioned whether the house would encroach on Fayads privacy or detract from his view, all said they were unable to find it consistent in size and character with the surrounding neighborhoods. Council members questioned some of the procedures that led to the approval of the permit in the first place and the Planning Boards denial of the first appeal, but the presentation also brought to light several elements of the citys code that were adhered to, but which may be out of date. Casey said its ludicrous how Burbank calculates the allowable size of a hillside home, based on a ratio of floor area divided by lot square footage. On hillside lots, where much of the land may not be suitable for building and therefore probably shouldnt be factored in, it could allow considerably larger homes than intended. Councilwoman Emily Gabel-Luddy said she felt the rules were followed in initially permitting the addition, but she said she has a real problem with some of the rules. She had queried staff about things like calculation of set-back at the project site, which was complicated by the shape of the lot, and staff told her they had followed the Municipal Code in doing so. For example, interim Community Development Director Patrick Prescott said the code does not specify how the city determines predominant character of the neighborhood, or even how to define the neighborhood. Outgoing City Manager Mark Scott said the councils objections were valid and will need to be addressed. He added that the case highlighted the impact of turnover on the citys planning staff, and he argued for the Planning Board to have a more robust part in the process. Prescott said the existing hillside development permit process has not worked well, and people arent happy. -- Chad Garland, chad.garland@latimes.com Twitter: @chadgarland The new exhibit at UC Irvines Beall Center for Art + Technology is a place where art has come to life literally. The show, Wetware: Art Agency Animation, opened Saturday, featuring nine artists who created works of synthetic biology art pieces made out of biological or electronics materials. Amino acids, contained bacteria, enzymes, microbial fuel cells, cell phone motors and other components were integrated into more than a dozen artworks. Nearly all the artwork here is alive, said Jens Hauser, one of the exhibits curators. It is artwork being an organism. It is not art for the market, but for the market of ideas. The food for thought. Three of the nine artists developed their pieces for Wetware during a three-week UCI residency in October and November. British artist Anna Dumitriu and a duo from Amsterdam, Evelina Domnitch and Dmitry Gelfand, were chosen from a pool of about 40 applicants when the university put out a call in July. Originally, the residency program was meant for one artist. But when Wetwares curators, Hauser and David Familian, received the applications and project proposals during the summer, they were so impressed by the talent that they decided to feature more works. During the three artists stay in Irvine, they were paired with UCI researchers to develop their scientific art. This was the first time that our lab has worked with artists, said Elliot Hui, a UCI associate professor who worked with Domnitch and Gelfand in the Hui Lab for biological microtechnology. Art can definitely help communicate scientific concepts, but in a more beautiful and relatable way. The Hui Lab helped generate a liquid solution that would glow for Domnitch and Gelfands piece, titled Luminiferous Drift. The artwork was inspired by images of a swirling, hexagon-shaped jet stream above Saturns north pole. On the exhibits opening day Saturday, Gelfand presented the duos work to guests, using a syringe to pour drops of the solution into bath water in a spinning, cylindrical container. The solution which includes materials such as horseradish enzyme, luminol, sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide glowed on contact with the water. As it spun in the bath, the solution formed a hexagonal shape meant to visualize the same movements above Saturn. The rotating bath and a disc at the bottom are both spinning at different speeds, allowing it to create that hexagonal shape, Gelfand said. We very much wanted our piece to be a guided, sensory experience. Before the duo leaves Irvine next week, the artists plan to build a system that will automatically drip the solution into the bath, Gelfand said. Dumitriu collaborated with UCIs Liu Laboratory for Synthetic Evolution for her artwork, which includes framed sheets of black velvet with yeast imprinted in the fibers and a necklace with beads arranged in the shape of an engineered antibody from the Liu Lab. Lab members often described the antibodys components as being similar to beads. The metaphor inspired the idea for Dumitrius 452-bead necklace, which also contains the 21 types of amino acids needed to make the actual engineered antibody, Dumitriu said. Within each bead is one amino acid, and the beads are arranged in the precise order as in the antibody. I wanted to use these objects to take people through a journey, Dumitriu said. A lot of people are nervous to look at art because they think they dont know how to understand it. But I think the real key is to take time and ask what it is making you feel. Thats how you understand art. The exhibit also showcases the works of artists from Austria, Mexico and the United States. Wetware will run until May 7. Admission is free. The Beall Center for Art + Technology is at 712 Arts Plaza, Irvine. Praising Irvines accomplishments in the past year and detailing expectations for 2016, Mayor Steven Choi delivered a message of pride and optimism in his State of the City address Tuesday night. Addressing traffic congestion concerns and development at the Orange County Great Park, the mayor outlined several road-widening projects and highlighted the parks upcoming state-of-the-art ice facility in partnership with the Anaheim Ducks hockey team. Choi also passionately expressed his desire for the Great Park Cultural Terrace to include a library that he said should be the center of community development. Choi spotlighted community safety, economic prosperity, education and population diversity in his 40-minute speech. Along the way, the mayor acknowledged city government colleagues and leaders in law enforcement, business development and schools. Our success belongs to many people, including community organizations, the private sector, our residents, our commissioners and committee members and our city employees, Choi told the standing-room-only audience in the City Council chamber at the Irvine Civic Center. The mayor noted that for the 11th consecutive year, Forbes magazine listed Irvine as Americas safest city among those with a population of more than 100,000. The distinction is based on FBI statistics for violent crimes reported per capita. The bulk of Chois message centered on a glowing economic outlook for the city that includes a $10.9 million surplus in the operating budget from last fiscal year and a blossoming high-tech industry. Choi has developed the Irvine Tech Valley initiative over the past two years and announced the formation of the Irvine Tech Advisory Council, or iTAC, to help advance the local technology community. The new council will include what he called technology stakeholders. Choi praised the Irvine Unified School District for its students top ranking in standardized state math scores and No. 2 ranking in arts and literacy. He also recognized UC Irvine, Irvine Valley College and the satellite campuses of Chapman, Pepperdine, Concordia, USC and other universities for their efforts in advancing higher education. After what may have been Chois last State of the City address hes running for a seat in the California Assembly this year the mayor discussed why funding for the library is so important to him. Any reputable city with a cultural background and intelligence will have a library as a central focal point of the community, said Choi, who has a degree in library sciences from Louisiana State University. He noted as examples the central libraries in Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Santa Monica, along with those in London, New York and Chicago. Early cost estimates for building and operating a central library in Irvine are more than $200 million. Turkey, a growing travel destination in recent years, has been a repeat terrorist target in recent months. Before you book that Turkish trip or cancel it -- consider these five points. The U.S. State Department is increasingly nervous. On Feb. 4, the agency warned Americans against travel to southeastern Turkey because of an increased threat of terrorist attacks, perhaps from an international terror organization, perhaps from an indigenous one. But not all the trouble is confined to the southeastern area near the Syrian border. On Jan. 12 in Istanbul, a killer in his 20s with Islamic State ties detonated a bomb-rigged vest, killing 10 German tourists and himself at one of the citys busiest tourist spots, the Sultanahmet District. That area, which includes the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, is basically ground zero for travelers in a city famed for its position straddling Europe and Asia. Advertisement Turkish officials have said that the bomber had entered the country as a Syrian refugee. His attack followed multiple terrorist killings last year, including an Oct. 10 bombing in Ankara that killed more than 100. On Jan. 14, just two days after the Istanbul bombing, came a car-bomb-and-gunfire attack on a police headquarters in Turkeys southeastern Diyarbakir Province, killing another five people or more. Government officials blamed that attack on Kurdish separatist terrorists, whose history of clashes with Turkish government troops is long and bloody. Despite a slowdown at the end of the year, American travel to Turkey was up in 2015. Turkish government figures show 798,787 Americans visited the country in 2015, up 1.8% from the year before. And those Americans had plenty of company. Turkeys Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history, its beaches, landmarks and architecture drew 36.2 million tourists in 2015, which puts it among the worlds six most popular destination countries. Its international tourist traffic has doubled over the last decade. Though Turkey is 99% Muslim, its government is a secular democracy and Istanbul (population 14 million) is as worldly as a city can be. In summer months, the waterfront hosts dozens of international cruise ships (although some cruise lines have shied away since August). Budget travelers often assemble itineraries with Istanbul stops because Turkish Airlines typically has some of the lowest prices on transatlantic routes. That said, traffic began slipping in July, and Decembers international arrivals were down 7.29% from the year before, Turkish statistics show. The Russians are backing away. Over the last four years, Turkish beaches became a leading vacation spot for Russians, who were allowed to enter Turkey without needing visas. For most of 2015, Russian visitors far outnumbered Americans. In fact, only German sent more tourists to Turkey. But after the Nov. 24 downing of a Russian military plane by Turkish forces near the Turkey-Syria border, Russia started warning its travelers to avoid Turkey. The Russian news agency Sputnik has speculated that more Russians will head to Cuba, China and Vietnam as a result of the change. Turkey now has enough Syrian refugees to fully populate the cities of San Francisco and San Diego. War-ravaged Syria is Turkeys southern neighbor. And though Turkey has tried to rebuff new refugees, that border isnt especially secure. The United Nations Refugee Agency estimated on Dec. 31 that 2.5 million Syrian refugees had entered Turkey, taxing the countrys infrastructure. Its more than 500 miles from Istanbul to the Syrian border. To the devastated Syrian city of Aleppo, its about 750 driving miles. Istanbul, the hub of Turkeys tourism, is at the northwestern end of the country. The nearest borders are Greece and Bulgaria. The Turkish tourist destinations Bodrum and Ephesus are on the countrys west coast and Cappadocia is central, still more than 300 miles from the Syrian border. Most American tourists never get to southeastern Turkey, where the border is. christopher.reynolds@latimes.com Twitter: @mrcsreynolds ALSO: National park visits are climbing -- especially (wait for it) at Joshua Tree Celebrating our national parks The latest buzz on flying drones in state and national parks: Rules can still be vague Californias national parks: A photographic history seen through The Times archives Among his many ambitious ideas, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to modernize his countrys pell-mell cities and improve its sometimes frosty ties with the United States. Modis plan to build 100 smart cities nationwide brings the initiatives together, with the goal of using technology from the U.S. and around the world to improve the quality of life and environmental sustainability in Indias chronically underplanned urban areas. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Advertisement President Obama pledged his support when he visited India a year ago, and this week a delegation of U.S. officials and businesses is traveling through the country to promote American expertise and products for Modis multibillion-dollar plan. U.S. experts are helping to create the master plan for one of the proposed smart cities, the port of Visakhapatnam, and providing technical support for two others. But there remain lingering questions about Modis smart cities program, including lack of clarity from the government on what makes a city smart and whether India will be able to sweep aside the bureaucratic and infrastructure challenges that have long vexed foreign investors. Greater U.S. private sector investment will depend on addressing the persistent business challenges, Bruce Andrews, deputy commerce secretary, told a news conference Wednesday in Mumbai, Indias commercial capital. U.S. companies and investors around the world need markets with clear [public-private partnership] structures, predictable environmental regulations and strong intellectual property protections. Progress has been made but more can be done. That has been a familiar refrain for U.S. investors for years. Although India began liberalizing its economy a generation ago, foreign investment remains low, particularly in major infrastructure projects. In certain sectors, India requires foreign companies to partner with domestic ones and source large proportions of their goods locally, which critics say has inhibited innovation and development. Hundreds of major infrastructure projects nationwide have stalled or been abandoned. On the whole, despite some showpiece airports and a better transnational highway system, India remains saddled with outdated and insufficient infrastructure and its cities are struggling to keep up with a massive influx of people. A McKinsey Global Institute report recently projected that Indias urban population would soar from 340 million in 2008 to 590 million by 2030. Indias major cities suffer from a lack of urban planning, as was made clear this month when a massive and largely unmonitored trash dump outside Mumbai, home to some 15 million people, caught fire and spread a blanket of acrid smog across the city for several days. Modi, who took office in May 2014 with a mandate to boost economic growth, has promised to ease obstacles to modernization. In December, a government-appointed panel of experts recommended sweeping changes in how public-private partnerships are devised and regulated. Modis central government has earmarked $7 billion for the smart cities program and called on cities to compete for grants by developing proposals based around providing 24-hour water and electrical supplies, state-of-the-art transportation and education systems, emphasizing solar energy and other environmentally sustainable solutions and mobile applications to promote efficient government. Critics dismiss the plans as vague and designed to benefit corporations, and worry the government will build islands of prosperity in the midst of the tremendous poverty that engulfs Indian cities. They run the risk of becoming enclaves of privilege, with private sector representatives already advocating the exclusion of the poor and marginalized through high prices and policing, Ayona Datta, a lecturer at the University of Leeds in Britain wrote in a recent op-ed. Leaders of U.S. companies that traveled to India, representatives of 18 U.S. companies were included in the delegation, say the project presents significant opportunities to sell water purification systems, wireless technology, smart electricity meters and other products to help cities provide better amenities. The Obama administration has been pushing for ways to expand exports to India, which have already tripled in the last decade to $37.2 billion annually. We will not have realized the full potential of our relationship if we do not tackle lingering challenges, particularly in Indias business climate, Andrews said. The companies in the delegation traveling with Andrews included Torrance-based S2 Global Inc., which provides security scanning systems for airports and other major transportation hubs. President Ajay Mehra has done business in India before, recently selling security scanning software for the metro system in the capital, New Delhi, but said the mood surrounding the smart cities project was particularly optimistic. I see a lot of excitement, and were hearing all the right things from the government, said Mehra, but time will tell. shashank.bengali@latimes.com Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia An Indian American actor and designer who was turned away from an airline flight after refusing to remove his Sikh turban during a security check said hes thrilled that Aeromexico is vowing to overhaul its screening protocols. In an interview Tuesday night at a Mexico City hotel where he ended up extending his stay by two nights, Waris Ahluwalia also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support on social media that he believes helped press airline executives to change and apologize. Ahluwalia showed an excerpt from an email that he said came from Aeromexico. The text said the airline had issued a directive to its staff regarding the religious significance of the Sikh turban and planned to ask that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and the Mexican government implement sensitivity training for airport agents on religious headwear. Advertisement Thats all I wanted, and here it is in a few lines its right there in black and white, he said. Im getting goosebumps right now that if this makes a difference for anyone traveling into the country or leaving the country, then it was all worth it. He said the agreement had been worked out by lawyers for Aeromexico and the Sikh Coalition in New York and the deal had not yet been made public. Aeromexico said earlier in the day that because of the incident it intended to revise security protocols to respect cultural and religious values of its customers. The turban carries deep religious significance for Sikh men. Many members of the Sikh community have objected to the practice of frisking turbans, calling it unnecessary in a world with machines for body scanning and metal detection. Ahluwalia, who had traveled to Mexico for an art fair, left his hotel around 4:30 a.m. Monday planning to catch a morning flight to New York. When he checked in he noticed the boarding pass had an SSSS notation on it, which he said he has encountered more than a dozen times before at airports and apparently flags passengers for secondary screening. After passing through the security checkpoint, he said, he was pulled aside at the gate and checked with a wand, a pat-down, and swabs on his belt and bag. Then they asked me matter-of-factly, Can you take off your turban? Ahluwalia said. At that point I said the thing that I always say when Ive been asked that before. I said, I will not be taking my turban off here. Ahluwalia said he was then told he would not be boarding any Aeromexico plane and should arrange to fly with another carrier. He posted about what had happened to Instagram. Word spread rapidly on social media, and within about an hour airline executives tracked him down at the gate and offered him a boarding pass for the next flight to New York. He declined, deciding to speak up as an actor and prominent member of the Sikh community to demand change. That was the moment I realized that if I didnt say anything, if I didnt do anything, if I didnt step out of my comfort zone, that this could happen again to someone else, Ahluwalia said. And I couldnt in good conscience get on that plane knowing that someone else would have to experience this. He returned to the hotel. That night, Aeromexico issued a statement saying it was committed to transporting all its passengers without regard to their religion, social status or gender ... but the airline is obliged to comply with the federal rules determined by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for inspecting selected passengers travelling to the United States. However, U.S. guidelines put into effect in 2010 no longer require air passengers to remove turbans if doing so makes them uncomfortable. On Tuesday, the airline issued a more explicit apology to Ahluwalia for the unfortunate experience he had with one of our security guards during the boarding process prior to his flight. Ahluwalia said he isnt angry with Aeromexico or the agents who turned him away. The only way to combat that is with love, is with tolerance, is with understanding and is with education, he said. He noted he was booked to return home Wednesday on the same Aeromexico flight he was blocked from. The reality of the situation is that it could have happened anywhere and it has happened everywhere, Ahluwalia said. It just so happened it went this far here. Latin America has seen changes and trends in technology over the past years and it has learned to adapt since then, but exciting developments continue to pile up in the region. Many heard and got worried about the shutting down of Yahoo in Buenos Aires and Mexico but a lot remained hopeful of the things to come for tech lovers in Latin America. TNW News noted one of the most anticipated events is the coming of the Sao Paulo Google Campus. It noted that the Google campus in Brazil has been established in the community of Paraiso and is now the sixth learning institution of the company in various places around the globe. The school will be supervised by entrepreneur Andre Barrence. According to IT Forum 365, the inauguration of the campus is expected to happen by the middle of February. In another development, Google Street View has also made rounds in Puerto Rico to improve on the Google Maps searches in the country. Metro said Google vehicles started capturing images in the Latin American country early in January and integrated the photos into the Google Street View database. It also mentioned that residents in Puerto Rico will be able to benefit greatly from this development since they can easily and accurately get directions to their destinations. Along with this, TNW News claimed that tech giant Apple has also added traffic information on its Maps for users in Mexico and Hong Kong to better predict their travel time. Earlier, Apple confirmed that it will open retail stores in Mexico and Argentina and then head to other countries in South America. Sopitas revealed that Apple started hiring a team for the Mexico store last month. Stores in other countries are expected to work closely with the Mexico store, which will be followed by another one in Argentina, MacRumors claimed. Apple already has two existing stores in Brazil -- one in Sao Paulo and the other in Rio de Janeiro. Apple Insider detailed that despite the absence of Apple Stores in the region in the past years, it has maintained online sales and various "country-specific" stores. As for Samsung, TNW News added that it is planning to expand in Brazil, Singapore and Australia to beat the marketing strategies of Apple Pay. Starbucks, on the other hand, has also started a mobile application in Brazil last January, allowing customers to purchase items using their mobile phones, the company's website said. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Five suspected members of a Costa Rican organ trafficking ring are set to face court trial for illegally selling kidneys in Israel, the state Prosecutors Office told the press on Monday. According to Tico Times, the suspects include four doctors from the public Calderon Guardia Hospital and a Greek businessman who owns a pizzeria close by. They have been charged with "human trafficking for the purpose of organ extraction." The illegal activity reportedly took place between 2009 and 2013 where the group used the public hospital, as well as Clinica Biblica, a private clinic also located in San Jose, to conduct the extraction of the organs. Meanwhile, the pizzeria owned by one of the suspects was used as a recruitment area where the "donors" spoke with the pizzeria owner. The "donors" were offered at least $20,000 for each kidney -- a very low price compared to the initially reported price of the organs, pegged at over $100,000. Findings presented by the Prosecutor's Office on Organized Crime revealed that the group had already transplanted at least 14 kidneys to recipients who were mostly Israelis. According to Inside Costa Rica, their leader, who was known by the surname Mora Palma, was arrested on June 18, 2013. The outlet further noted that if indicted, Mora Palma is faced with 10 years in prison for each of the 14 counts of illegal organ harvesting cases, resulting in a total of 140 years of incarceration. Aside from that, he is also charged with 16 counts of embezzlement which might increase his total number of jail time further. The four were charged in 2013 and were initially scheduled to face court in December 2015, another report from Inside Costa Rica revealed. However, it was postponed after two defense lawyers died in two separate incidents: the first killed while riding a taxi and the other, Roy Ching Leiton, died after being gunned down. Prior to that, the trial was originally set for July 2015 but was postponed to November for reasons that were not revealed by the court. Now, the new schedule of the hearing is expected to occur soon, though the exact date has yet to be announced. Organ selling in Costa Rica is an unlawful act and is punishable by law because it presents a threat to human life, especially if done under inappropriate circumstances. "We have information that at least one person died after being operated on in Israel," Attorney General Jorge Chavarria told Inside Costa Rica back in July. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. It seems like Latin America has a new narcotics state with Peru reported to produce more and more cocaine. Vice News reported that the country has competed against Colombia in terms of cocaine production but has not made so many names when it comes to notorious drug kingpins. It noted that in 2014, Peru was estimated to have more than 42,000 hectares of coca plantation -- the main ingredient used to make cocaine. The same report noted that if the Colombia cocaine production is usually distributed to various areas in the United States, Peru spreads it to other parts of the globe like London, Brazil and Tokyo. With cocaine production steadily increasing in the country, it should be noted that coca plantations in Peru are situated mostly near the Ene Rivers and the Valley of the Apurimac. These areas are said to be close to the border of Bolivia, a country also known for producing cocaine. Along with the boom of the cocaine industry in Peru, Vice News claimed that one of the well-known drug lords in the country is Gerson Galvez Calle, better known as his nickname "Caracol." He became famous in the country by the end of last year after it was reported that he was the leader of the drug group called "Barrio King." The emergence of the drug group has since sparked questions among many about how they operate in the country and why the country is slowly making its name as the new narco state. According to the New York Post, the transport and trade of the cocaine happens through an "air bridge," where a plane carrying bundles of cash lands in coca plantations, where the money is exchanged for more than 300 kilos of the illegal drugs. The same report added that the cocaine shipment is then flown to Bolivia. This method of getting cocaine from the country has raised eyebrows among many and highlighted the inability of the government to stop these illegal trades. There were also issues about corruption in the military, with the New York Post claiming that some military officers earn around $10,000 for every flight in exchange for not bothering the air trade. These activities are again slowly making Peru the No. 1 producer of coca among other countries just like in 2013. Insight Crime noted that the United Nations declared that the country surpassed Colombia as the No. 1 cocaine producer three years ago. For that year, the UN reported that Peru was able to produce 340 tons of cocaine because of its vast plantations of coca. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A Mexican crime reporter has been kidnapped in Veracruz. Mexican federal police are working on the investigation. The female reporter was said to have been forcibly taken from her home and has been reported missing ever since. Mexico has long suffered from a string of violent events involving the media. Last year, Ruben Espinosa, a photographer, was murdered in cold blood after fleeing to the safety of Mexico City. The Guardian reported that Espinosa's colleague lamented on Mexico being unsafe for journalists. He also proceeded to decry the impunity in the country. The country has become a dangerous place for journalists and the media, in particular. While there is a committee in Mexico that seeks to protect the rights of reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said that a great number of these violent crimes are swept under the rug. According to the committee, there are many untold stories in Mexico surrounding the deaths of the members of the media. Patrick Timmons, human rights expert, told the publication that the point of these murders was to sow terror into each journalist in the country. Veracruz has been reported to be a dangerous place for journalists, as well as members of the media, as they have become targeted members. It was reported that in Veracruz alone, fourteen media men have been slain since 2010. The missing reporter was identified as Anabel Flores Salazar. According to the BBC, the investigative journalist worked on a freelance basis and was kidnapped from her home in Orizaba on Monday. Armed men were reported to have taken Salazar from her home. So far, there are no leads following Salazar's abduction, although the Repoters Without Borders website said that the journalist was kidnapped by men wearing military-like uniforms. It has been reported that 15 journalists in Mexico were murdered since 2010. Because of this, Salazar is now feared dead. RSF general Christophe Deloire said that the recent kidnapping was "shocking" and that immediate efforts are now being made so as to raise efforts towards her recovery. However, there has been some reported strained relations between the state's governor and the members of the media. Several reporters have felt threatened by some of Governor Javier Duarte's remarks after a warning was given for media men to "behave." Duarte reportedly views the media as having connections with criminal activity. Salazar was said to have worked closely with a member of the Zetas drug cartel and police are currently looking into the case. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Mexican government is doing what it can to put its best foot forward in preparation for Pope Francis' visit. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Chiapas and Michoacan, which according to medical authorities, have the most cases of the Zika strain. Efforts have been made in various parts of the world to contain Zika's spread. In Brazil, Carnival has been in full swing despite the country feeling the brunt of the attacks. President Dilma Rousseff has continued efforts to prevent the virus' spread by eliminating various breeding points of mosquitoes. However, Pope Francis' visit to Mexico may hasten Zika's spread as devotees flock to the country. In a report with Fox News Latino, efforts are being made to protect the Pontiff of Rome's health as well as to prevent the virus from spreading even further. While the papal visit will attract a great number of devotees from across the globe, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has advised pregnant women to avoid travelling to the countries affected with the Zika virus. Jesus Felipe Gonzalez Roldan, who heads the organization's local office, said that the country has taken specific steps in protecting the 79-year old pope's health. So far, Roldan said that Mexico has already started house-to-house campaigns to spray the surroundings. He also added that the government recently launched the aerial anti-mosquito spraying. The spread of the Zika virus has become a cause for alarm across the globe. In Latin America, women's rights are being called into question as women are being advised to delay pregnancy. Countries across Latin America have restricted laws on abortion, including El Salvador and Nicaragua. The Guardian reported that the Catholic Church has remained relatively silent regarding the widespread case of Zika. Pope Francis himself has called for women who have undergone abortions to confess their sins to a priest. He added that facing the reality of abortion is a moral ordeal. Roldan added that the Mexican government will continue these health safety measures for as long as the pope has returned to Rome. There will also be efforts to improve on sanitation, particularly in the areas where the Pope will be visiting. Roldan added that he and his team are hard at work finding potential breeding grounds for the mosquitoes and eliminating them. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Another independent probe on Mexico's missing students revealed "no consistency between the physical evidence" presented by the government to back their claims that the victims were burned on site after they were murdered by a gang. After conducting their investigation on the case, the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team found no evidence that the students were incarcerated in the southern Mexican state. In fact, according to BBC News, the team from Argentina said there were no traces of DNA from any of the missing students anywhere near the dump in Cocula of Guerrero state. The outlet further cited that the forensic experts from the South American country found evidence that there were fires along the site but there were not enough bones to match the number of the missing students. Dubbed as the "Guerrero State Missing 43," the case of the missing student-teachers have become a huge issue against several Mexican authorities who appeared to be covering up what really happened to them. Miguel Nieva, one of the Argentine experts, told the Tico Times that all 19 bones found at the location that was pinpointed by then-Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam "clearly do not belong" to the aspiring teachers. Furthermore, Nieva pointed out that forensic probes on the vegetation in the area show no sign of a recent fire that should have occurred at the time when the students went missing. Based on an in-depth report made by BBC News, the students who went to an all-male teacher training school in Aytozinapa were arrested on September 26, 2014 in Iguala by a group of corrupt police officers. After taking them in, the police allegedly turned them over to a local gang involved in illegal drugs. The authorities then claimed that the members of the gang killed the student group because they thought the students were members of a rival gang. Mexican officials further claimed that evidence of the incineration cannot be found at the murder site because the gang members gathered the victims' ashes and threw them away in a nearby stream. However, the students' family and friends were not convinced that this was the case, with BBC stating that they believe that the authorities "failed to investigate the role soldiers from a nearby barracks may have played in the students' disappearance." This caught the attention of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights who presented a list of recommended course of action for the Mexican government to follow, which includes re-opening the case and conducting a new probe. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. El Nino has been seen as a global problem, particularly in countries across South America. In Colombia, water shortages threaten the country, so efforts are being made in order to address the dwindling water supply. The county's moorlands or paramos in the local dialect are said to be rich in oil and gold. However, the Colombian government has banned mining in the area as it is believed that damaging the ecosystem will cause a devastating effect on the country's water supply. Colombia's mining industry, particularly for gold and silver, has remained a lucrative business in the country. However, with El Nino's effects on the country, it appears that the mining industry has to take a backseat, at least for now until conditions in the country improve. Colombia is already reeling from the effects of El Nino which is reported to last until June of this year, Telesur TV reports. The severe drought in the country has already caused countless forest fires and is expected to take an even worse turn in March or April. According to the BBC, the Colombian court will be revoking around 350 mining licences should the move be pushed through. President Juan Manuel Santos has already appealed to Colombians everywhere to conserve whatever water they can during the coming months. Santos also went on the record by stating that this was by far the second strongest one on record and there is expected to be fewer rains this year. The court's decision to overturn the country's previous ruling allowing the mining corporations to continue their operations until the licenses expired came through on Monday. As expected, the country's environmental activists have supported the move, saying that while it was a bold decision on the part of the government to ban mining in the moorlands, the effects will be great for the country's delicate state. Colombian Congressman Alirio Uribe Munoz said that the court's decision prioritized the quality of life in the country, which in this case means providing adequate water supply to its citizens. Business will have to come second. The country's moors contain vast grasslands and shrubbery which allow water to be contained during the country's wet season and have it released when the dry season arrives. In 2015, the Colombian court has moved to protect 1.66 million hectares of forestland to be off limits to mining activities. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. While the bee population all around the world continues to decline, Cuba is looking to add organic honey as one of its chief exports. Organic honey is valued as one of the country's most successful imports besides rum and Cuban cigars. The Guardian reports that bee keepers in the country have long marketed the country's honey as organic, since they do not use pesticides. Because of the fall of the Soviet Union more than two decades ago, Cuba was unable to afford pesticides, thereby forcing the country to look for an alternative. Now those efforts are paying off as organic honey is now the country's fourth most valuable export. The declining bee population has become a global problem as pesticides have been known to kill bees. Bee farmers from across the United States and Canada have raised their concerns of the effects of pesticides on the bees and the entire honey industry. Since Cubans had to eliminate pesticides entirely, it became a necessity to turn to organic farming. It is only lately that the country has begun to reap its rewards, as the government's policies have not changed. The United States has also eased the thaw on relations in the country and is set to restore diplomatic ties in Cuba. Because of this, Cuban organic exporters are now hoping to see even more opportunities open up for them should the US government show its share of support. It was reported that the country managed to produce 7,200 tons of organic honey back in 2014, which valued about $23.3m. Cuba exports most of its honey to Europe, the data says. Bee keepers in Cuba have a small and natural environment for their bees. The Cuban bee farmers also sell their wares directly to the Cuban government and are being paid at the market price. The Cuban bee keepers are reaping the sweet success of their honey industry. Though they are considered to be small players compared to Argentina and China, Cubans believe that they might have stumbled upon a lucrative market, Delta Optimist reports. While many bee farmers in Cuba believe that the business is just picking up, they are sure it will only get bigger. Many of the bee farms in Havana started off from scratch and are now hoping to reap the rewards of partnering with the United States. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In the midst of peace treaties with Colombia's largest rebel group, the government is fighting a different battle, this time with the National Liberation Army (ELN). The ELN seconds the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in terms of size. The ELN was founded in 1964. Like the FARC, it is a Marxist guerilla group opposing Colombia's privatization of natural resources as well as the unequal distribution of wealth. It is smaller than the FARC though, with about 2,000 fighters in Norte de Santander, Arauca, and Narino states. On Monday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced that the government will be intensifying their fight against the ELN, adding that these intensified operations will be against "all forms of crime arising from [the ELN] presence," as noted by TeleSurf TV. The announcement came after the guerrilla group was accused of attacking a military brigade in the northern state of Aurora, where they were said to have a strong presence. While the ELN did not accept responsibility for the attack, the Colombian army reiterated their suspicions after a primary investigation. Nobody was hurt in the attack, but damage was done to the facilities and three vehicles. This led Santos to offer a reward amounting to $445,000 for the head of the accused mastermind, Domingo Lain, also known by the group as "William." BBC News reported Santos saying, "The ELN is dead wrong if it thinks that with attacks like this it can smooth the path to peace. If they think it will strengthen their position at the negotiating table, they are totally mistaken." It is unfortunate that these types of aggression were recorded at this point. According to UPI, the ELN and the Colombian government were engaging in preparatory talks for more formal negotiations for peace, similar to what the government is doing with the FARC. However, both parties are accusing the other of stalling the process, which adds to their hostility. In 2014, when the peace talks efforts were launched, President Santos did not call a ceasefire between the ELC and the military, demanding instead that the rebel group release two captives as a condition to begin the negotiations. Just a couple of weeks ago, the United Nations Security Council agreed to an unarmed political mission to monitor the bilateral cease-fire between the FARC and Colombia's government, with the final deals set to be signed by March 23. However, while things are going well with the current peace process, even the head negotiator of the FARC noted that unless the ELN strikes a similar deal with the Bogota government, peace cannot be achieved in Colombia. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. When actress Kate Del Castillo helped Sean Penn and Rolling Stone Magazine arrange the interview with drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, she had plans of making a movie based on his life as the leader of one of the biggest criminal lords in Mexico. However, instead of making money in the form of a film, she was instead accused of being in cahoots with El Chapo, and an investigation was filed against her. Still, that did not stop the actress from going on with her original plans. Fox News Latino noted that the film is still in the works, even though this might mean legal trouble for the Mexican-born actress. Del Castillo is going from one drug lord story to another. Previously starring as a drug cartel boss in a television series "La Reyna del Sur," her project about El Chapo's will follow his rise as the world's most notorious drug lord. Mexico News Daily added that Harlan Braun, Del Castillo's attorney, also said that the film will be "done correctly because Joaquin Guzman is part of Mexican history just as the Mafia has been part of the history of the United States." He also said that the treatment of the movie will be similar to other crime stories like "The Godfather," "Once Upon a Time in America," and "Black Mass." Braun shared that so far there has been no sign of US officials investigating his client, although if they are looking into her links with the cartel leader, they won't be able to find anything to implicate her. In defense of his client, Braun explained to Spanish newspaper El Pais that Castillo merely wanted to speak with El Chapo to get some insights for the treatment of the film as well as to get to know the kingpin. As for Del Castillo's involvement in the capture of El Chapo, Braun said that she did not appear to know of Penn's write-up for the Rolling Stone. He said, "She didn't know Penn was going to write for Rolling Stone. Would you meet with El Chapo and approve to have the interview for publication? After the interview, she had no choice about it. Once Penn and Guzman agreed on the article, what was she going to do? She signed off after they had done so." Despite the fact that Penn was the one who did the interview, he wasn't being sought out by officials for questioning, but Del Castillo is still willing to participate as she is not hiding anything. "We're not afraid of anything, because she didn't do anything to hurt anyone. She didn't do this to expose Mr. Guzman," Braun said. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Hulu is looking to offer Netflix some serious competition. The streaming service is now going global, offering international service to go head-to-head against its bitter rival. Tech Radar reported that one of the senior executives of 21st Century Fox has teased of a possibility of Hulu hitting the global market. These plans were dropped in the UK as there was an apparent conflict with advertisers with ITV as well as other broadcasters. Now that Hulu has learned from its previous mistakes, it hopes to work on a more international market, putting itself out there against Netflix. The American online company has tried to make it big in the global market with little to no success. It had become available in Japan, only to have the company sold to Nippon TV in 2014. Hulu has since then been focusing on becoming a more worthy adversary of Netflix, which has recently made itself available to other parts of the globe, such as Asia and the Americas, reports TVB Europe. Netflix has become aggressive as of late, wanting to dominate the international market and branching itself out to all corners of the globe. Netflix CEO and Co-founder Reed Hastings said that the number of countries that Netflix services has numbered up to 190 as of late. While Hulu does not have shows like Jessica Jones available on its streaming service, it has come a long way since its early days. Last year, Hulu has signed an exclusive deal to stream future AMC shows. Hulu chief of programming Craig Erwich regarded AMC and FX as some the most highly watched in television nowadays with shows like "The Walking Dead" and "Fear the Walking Dead." It has also heavily marketed its original programming such as its take on the Stephen King thriller, "11/22/63/" However, Netflix still isn't available in certain territories such as China. Hastings said that the company is looking into ways to make Netflix available in the country. North Korea, Crimea and Syria are also some of the countries where Netflix has not yet been made available. Hulu has said that for now, the company is focusing on keeping things local. While there is an opportunity for Hulu to compete in an international market, the decision will have to lie with the shareholders. The company's decision to compete on a more global scale is uncertain -- the company has some big shoes to fill in order to make it big in the international market. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Zika Virus Update: Brazilian Infants With Microcephaly Could Develop Eye Defects media@latinoshealth.com By Rachel Cruz Feb 10, 2016 04:30 AM EST Microcephalic babies in Brazil are exhibiting new symptoms of the disease. The Zika virus infection could be linked to eye defects, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Ophthalmology. Brazilian researchers have found that infants who have developed microcephaly due to Zika are also showing signs of abnormal ocular activities that include atrophied retina, unusual iris pigmentation and out of place lens movement. The study is the first to discover the abnormalities in the babies, ABC News reported. Over 29 babies with microcephaly were examined for the study and 23 of the moms were confirmed to have had symptoms of Zika infection while pregnant. Of these babies, 10 of the infants developed eye problems like retina damage, mottled pigmentation and tissue degeneration or atrophy, and it could potentially affect the babies' vision as they get older. Of the 10 babies determined, seven had the defect in both eyes. "We're very concerned about this," said ophthalmology professor Lee Jampol via USA Today. "There hasn't been enough testing yet to know what these babies' vision is going to be," he added. "As more babies are examined, we'll have a better idea of the range of damage that occur to the retina." Researchers are not discounting the possibility that the eye defects developed because of other causes like genetics, malnutrition or drug-related problems. The association to Zika is only "temporary" given the range and depth of the virus outbreak. The Washington Post reported that about 4,180 microcephaly cases have been reported in Brazil since October. "This association is still presumptive because definitive serologic testing for Zika virus was not available in Brazil at the time of the outbreak, and confusion may occur with other causes of microcephaly," the researchers wrote in their study. However, researchers are hoping that their latest findings will help "guide clinical management and practice, as we observed that a high proportion of the infants with microcephaly had ophthalmologic lesions," per Medical Express. In addition to other tests to determine Zika infection, it is suggested that babies should also go through a routine eye evaluation with their doctors. Meanwhile, there is still no vaccine or treatment to treat Zika virus. However, CDC recommendations for managing the symptoms include getting plenty of bed rest, drinking fluids to prevent dehydration and taking acetaminophen to combat the fever. CNN cited that pregnant women who have been to known Zika-infected areas, or those planning to have babies but suspect they may have been exposed to the virus, should get tested immediately. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Papal Visit To Mexico 2016: Mexican CDC Prepares to Protect Pope Francis From Zika Virus media@latinoshealth.com By Staff Reporter Feb 10, 2016 05:41 AM EST Pope Francis is scheduled to arrive in Mexico Friday night for a five-day visit to the country's most remote areas. Mexican CDC laid out the steps in order to protect the pope and the public during the visit. During an interview with Mexico City's Universal newspaper, Jesus Felipe Gonzalez Roldan, the head of the country's National Center for the Control of Disease and Protection (Cenaprece), laid out the preparations Mexico is making for Friday's big arrival, Latino Fox News reported. Pope Francis is set to visit remote corners of the country including the states of Chiapas and Michoacan where the Zika virus is most active. According to Roldan, the country has begun aerial anti-mosquito spraying to protect the public and the holy pontiff against Zika and other diseases. The country has also conducted house-to-house fumigation in different localities. The preventive measures will continue way after Pope Francis leaves for Rome, the reports said. "Pope Francis will visit Tuxtla Gutierrez and San Cristobal de las Casas" in Chiapas, Roldan said as reported in Fox News. "We know that in [nearby] Tapachula, there's the problem of Zika, and what we need are preventive actions that we are currently putting into place." The first local transmission of Zika through mosquito in Mexico was first reported in November, according to CDC. Out of the 34 confirmed Zika cases in the country, 24 happened in Chiapas. Reuters reports more details about the pope's visit to the poorest and the most violent corners of Mexico on his first visit as pontiff. One of his agenda is to address the plight of migrants trying to reach the United States. Over the last decade, more than 100,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug wars. There was also a reported incident of 43 abducted students that were apparently massacred in 2014. Allegedly, President Enrique Pena Nieto's government mishandled the investigation. In turn, the relatives of the victims are asking for help from Pope Francis to uncover the truth. Government officials have identified only one body among the remains. The remains were recovered from a garbage dump in the Guerrero in southwest Mexico. A team of international experts investigating the case has rejected the government's conclusion of the events. The families of the victims will be among those attending a mass that will be held in Ciudad Juarez, on the border with Texas. For several years, the city has been one of the violent cities in the world. More so, the pope will also hold a mass with the indigenous communities and will hold a forum with young people in Morelia, the capital of violence-torn Michoacan state. Lastly, he is also scheduled to visit the prison inmates in Ciudad Juarez. The Vatican expects a crowd of at least 200,000 on the Mexican side and of 50,000 on the U.S. side. Check out the video below to know more about Zika virus: Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! 5 Latin Aphrodisiac Cocktails to Amp Up Your Valentine's Day Celebration media@latinoshealth.com By Ivan Menchavez Feb 10, 2016 12:00 PM EST It's almost Valentine's Day and you just can't help but think about what to prepare for your partner. For those who are eating out, a special dinner in a great restaurant will be awesome but, at the end of the day, you just need to spice up your romance even more. What better way to amp up Valentine's Day than to set your mood for a wonderful night with aphrodisiac cocktails. Here are five love cocktails with a Latin twist that should help you drive your passion and desire up to the highest level. Mamajuana. Mamajuana is a concoction from Dominican Republic sold popularly to tourists as an aphrodisiac, according to Dream Travel. This deep red-colored cocktail is made with red wine, rum, honey and natural herbs. A little trivia about this drink is that it's called Mamajuana, short for "Mama, do you wanna?" Avocado. Avocado is not just great as guacamole, but the Aztecs believe that this fruit can boost fertility and stamina. Aguacate y Mezcal drink is a powerful blend consisting of sweet agave nectar, mezcal and honey that should play with your taste buds. For a full recipe, click here. Good Morning and Good Night. Just the name implies that you'll have a great sleep and it's even greater if you'll be sleeping through the morning with your partner. The cocktail uses Tia Maria and cognac as base. The recipe can be found here. Honey. Honey is a natural sweet ingredient that also works as an aphrodisiac. It contains boron, a mineral that is used by the body to break down the female hormone estrogen. At the same time, the mineral is also found to boost the levels of testosterone in the blood, thereby enhancing a man's sexual appetite. This Los Amigos Margarita Cocktail from Chef Alex Garcia of Amigos in New York City should give you a night you won't forget. Between the Sheets. It's obvious that this cocktail will send you and your lover between and under the sheets not only on Valentine's day but any day. According to Mamas Latinas, this mix was created at Harry's bar in New York. It uses cognac and white rum as its base. Head over to Bacardi for the full recipe and you'll find that it's quite easy to make. These cocktail ideas are a great way to end the night guaranteed that you'll sleep soundly with your loved one. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Blood Cancer Drug Pacritinib Withdrawn by FDA media@latinoshealth.com By Staff Writer Feb 10, 2016 05:00 AM EST The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have put a hold on CIT BioPharma Corp's blood cancer drug Pacritinib. Reuters reports that CTI has announced its withdrawal for the drug's application as the FDA has put a full clinical hold on it. Pacritinib is designed for patients with myelofibrosis (MF). Myelofibrosis is a chronic blood cancer where the bone marrow's ability to produce normal blood cells are impaired by the growth of too much scar tissues. According to Mayo Clinic, MF is an uncommon type of chronic leukemia and it can get worse with time. Symptoms include bone pain, fever, easy bruising and bleeding and weakness or tiredness because of anemia. Last week, the company received a notice from the FDA for a partial clinical hold on the clinical studies because of excess mortality and various adverse reactions among patients. According to Street Insider, the partial clinical hold may still enlist new patients or start taking the drug Pacritinib as initial or crossover treatment. Patients who have not seen significant positive changes from the drug after 30 weeks are advised to stop using it. CTI has also been recommended to modify protocols in randomized trials to not allow crossover medications, provide notifications and edit statements regarding the investigation. The numerous deaths were observed during the non-randomized crossover period of the trials after the first 24 weeks of randomized treatment. During this period, patients had the freedom to take the Pacritinib treatment. However, with the full clinical hold from the FDA the patients are advised to stop taking Pacritinib. No patient will also be enrolled or have it as an initial or crossover treatment. Various adverse reactions to the drug include cardiac arrest, brain hemorrhage, and heart failure. "The deaths in PERSIST-2 in Pacritinib-treated patients include intracranial hemorrhage, cardiac failure, and cardiac arrest," CTI said in a statement, as reported by Fierce Biotech. "The FDA made recommendations that supersede the recommendations made by the FDA in connection with the partial clinical hold imposed by the FDA on Feb. 4. "The current recommendations include conducting dose exploration studies for Pacritinib in patients with myelofibrosis, submitting final study reports and datasets for PERSIST-1 and PERSIST-2, providing certain notifications, revising relevant statements in the related Investigator's Brochure and informed consent documents and making certain modifications to protocols. In addition, the FDA recommended that the company request a meeting prior to submitting a response to full clinical hold." Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Tennessee Doctor Performs Surgery On The Wrong Baby media@latinoshealth.com By Ivan Menchavez Feb 10, 2016 05:50 AM EST Tags doctor, Tennessee, Surgery, ankyloglossia, frenectomy What would you do if you found out that your healthy newborn baby was mistakenly taken by medical staff at the hospital and become a patient for surgery? This is the kind of situation that people don't normally hear or see happening. It sounds like a scene in a movie that nobody would have ever thought could happen in real life. But it did! According to a report by Medical Daily, a doctor in Tennessee performed a frenectomy procedure on a child that was supposed to be healthy. It is a surgery to remove the tiny skin flap or frenulum underneath the human tongue. A frenulum underneath the tongue has no purpose and removing it through surgery does not cause any loss of function. It was a mistake that clearly devastated the parents of the child, whose mother, Jennifer Melton, said that the baby did not have any issue during and after the delivery. They were not told that there was going to be a surgery to take out a part of the baby's skin because of an illness. "Essentially they took our child who was 100 percent healthy, no issues at all, out of the nursery and cut his mouth," the mother said during the interview. "At that point I began to cry hysterically." According to reports, it is possible that the doctors at the University Medical Center in Lebanon were supposed to perform a surgery on a newborn child who has ankyloglossia or tongue-tied, but mistakenly performed the procedure on a healthy baby boy named, Nate. According to a report by AOL, the doctor realized that there was a mistake. He said that he mistakenly asked for the wrong infant. He said that he is clearly at fault and apologized to the family of the Melton baby. Meanwhile, Melton's attorney, Clint Kelly, said that the family is not satisfied with the doctor's explanation and they have demanded a clearer answer regarding the situation. "There is no excuse on operating on the wrong baby, none," the lawyer said. "We don't know if the child will have speech problems or eating problems. The concern here is this was a healthy baby that was supposed to leave the hospital, but instead was harmed by the hospital." The hospital did not provide any more comment to the press with regard to the incident because of federal privacy regulations. There were also no reports if the Melton family will take their case to the court of law. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Florida Senator Bill Nelson is calling on the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate why a Royal Caribbean cruise ship sailed into the Atlantic Ocean despite an incoming storm last weekend, per the Associated Press. The "Anthem of the Seas" cruise ship left New Jersey on Saturday before turning back after facing strong winds and waves early Sunday morning. "The thing about this storm was that it was forecast for days. So why in the world would a cruise ship with thousands of passengers go sailing right into it?" Nelson said last Monday on the Senate floor. The National Weather Service's Ocean Prediction Center issued an advance alert four days before the ship sailed last Saturday with an additional warning on the same day. The ship reportedly encountered very strong, hurricane-like winds and waves of over 30 feet. The Royal Caribbean International already released a statement regarding the situation via their spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez. The "Anthem of Seas" suffered damages but no passengers are in serious condition and are expected to be back in Bayonne, New Jersey on Wednesday. "On Sunday, [Feb.] 7, while sailing to Port Canaveral, Florida, Anthem of the Seas experienced extreme wind and sea conditions, with wind speeds higher than what was forecasted. In an abundance of caution, the Captain asked all guests to stay in their stateroom until the weather improved," Martinez said in a statement, per the Royal Caribbean Blog. "At this time, there have not been any serious injuries reported. The ship has sustained some damage to the public areas and guest staterooms, which in no way affect the sea-worthiness of the ship," she added. #AnthemoftheSeas sustained some damage to public areas & cabins, but ship remains seaworthy. Four injuries have been reported, none severe. RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) February 8, 2016 According to FOX News New York, the whole experience was very frightening for the ships 4,500 passengers and 1,600 crews. One of the passengers, Leanne Moskovitz, told "Good Day New York" on Tuesday that she saw 50-foot waves and experienced 150 mph winds. She added that it was a terrifying experience leading her to say her last wishes as the ship was going sideways. Detroit Free Press Executive Director Robert Huschka was also aboard the cruise ship and started posting updates on Twitter. He also described his experience as terrifying but were given some good news as the ship did not lose any signal and Huschka was able to watch Super Bowl 50. An Indian-American Sikh is very grateful that Aeromexico issued an apology for preventing him from boarding a Mexico City-to-New York flight after refusing to remove his turban last Monday. Waris Ahluwalia, an actor, model and designer, is very happy but wants the Mexico City-based airline to have a special training on it employees on how to treat Sikh passengers, per the Associated Press. "We're just a few steps away from a lot of hugs. We've gotten the apology and I'm grateful, and thanks to them for doing that. The next step is to do the training for inspecting Sikhs and others with religious headwear," Ahluwalia said. Aeromexico issued their statement of apology to Ahluwalia on Tuesday via the company's official website. The statement said that Aeromexico is a global airline that embraces the diversity of passengers with strict compliance and respect for the culture and beliefs of customers. "We apologize to Mr. Waris Ahluwalia for the unfortunate experience he had with one of our security guards during the boarding process prior to his flight to New York at the Mexico City International Airport. This incident inspires us to make sure that we strengthen the customer service protocols of our safety personnel in respectful accordance with the cultural and religious values of our customers," the statement said. The Associated Press report notes that the turban is a required clothing for Sikh men. Many members of their community disapproves frisking of turbans as machines for body scanning and metal detectors are available. A U.S. guideline was put into effect last 2010, where passengers with turbans are not obliged to remove it if it makes them uncomfortable. According to CNN, some of Ahluwalia's colleague from the fashion industry reacted on social media with the Council of Fashion Designers of America called it "very upsetting." CFDA President and CEO Steven Kolb said that Ahluwalia is one the nicest guy in fashion and the industry will be supporting him in any decision regarding the incident. It's not the first time the Indian-American actor experienced such prejudice as a Gap advertisement featuring Ahluwalia was defaced in a New York City subway station. The ad had the words "Make Love" on it, but was crossed out and replaced with "Make Bombs." An additional "Please stop driving taxis" was also written by someone on the poster. After half a century of turbulence, it seems like Colombia might finally get some much-needed reprieve. As the country steps forward in a momentous peace deal with FARC rebels, the Latin American nation would also get some aid from The United States of America, according to The Miami Herald. In an announcement on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama stated that he has requested about $450.6 million for the fiscal year 2017 in order to provide funds for Colombia's ongoing battle against the distribution and production of narcotics in the country. The funds would also be utilized in a number of peace-building efforts. Dubbed Paz Colombia, or Peace Colombia, the Obama administration's project stands as the spiritual successor to Plan Colombia, a $10 billion program enacted by the United States in 1999 under the Clinton administration. Designed to fight against insurgency and the drug trade in the country, Plan Colombia was eventually continued by Clinton's Republican successor, George W. Bush, reported Solo News. Though costly and even controversial at some point, Plan Colombia did accomplish a number of things. For one, it is credited with helping the country, which was tainted by extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses, stabilize. Apart from this, Plan Colombia was also the responsible for crippling Marxist rebels in the state, and saving the country from becoming a failed state overall. Through the years, however, it proved quite ineffective to curb the drug trade in the country. The deal was finalized during Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos during his recent visit to the White House. With his administration successfully reaching a significant step towards a genuine peace with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the Colombian president was able to assure the commitment of his American counterpart, reported FOX News Latino. Considering that Colombia would have a significant amount of restructuring that would need to be done, Obama has promised Santos that the United States "will be your partner in waging peace." The U.S. President even praised the efforts of Santos' government, specifically the peace deal that it has reached with FARC rebels, which, it could be said, would be the first real step towards peace in a number of years. "In short, a country that was on the brink of collapse is now on the brink of peace. In Colombia today, there is hope," Obama said. The United States' promise of aid comes at a very pertinent time for the Latin American state. After all, 50 years of insurgency has cost the country dearly, and it would take quite a lot of effort to get it back on its feet. Colombia might have managed to take significant strides towards reaching a peace deal with the country's FARC rebels, but the nation's number two guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN, is proving to be a much more challenging group to handle. Following a recent ELN attack against a military brigade in the northern state of Arauca, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has ordered the country's military to initiate a massive crackdown against the notorious rebel group on Monday. The attack had been initiated in an area where the rebels have been known to operate, reported UPI News. The ELN and the Colombian government has been attempting to engage in preparatory peace talks for the past two years. However, unlike the FARC negotiations, the negotiations with the ELN have not had much progress, with both the rebel group and the Colombian government accusing each other of stalling. With regards to the recent attack on Monday, Santos is firm about his position. Speaking to BBC News, the Colombian president asserted that such actions would not be tolerated. "The ELN is dead wrong if it thinks that with attacks like this it can smooth the path to peace. If they think it will strengthen their position at the negotiating table, they are totally mistaken," Santos said. Apart from condemning the attack, the Colombian president also demanded that the rebel group release two captives immediately, in order for formal peace talks to properly be initiated. Even FARC negotiators themselves have stated that with the current steps the country is taking towards an ever-elusive peace, the ELN must participate in programs that are geared towards ending the conflict. FARC's chief negotiator, Ivan Marquez, emphasizes that importance of the ELN's cooperation. "The ELN cannot stay outside the peace process," he said. The National Liberation Army was formally founded back in 1964, portraying itself as a powerful Marxist guerilla group which was created to fight against the country's proposed privatization of natural resources and the evident inequality of the distribution of land and wealth in Colombia. Though commonly dubbed as Colombia's number two rebel group as a result of FARC's widespread influence and reach, ELN is nonetheless a formidable force, boasting about 2,000 active fighters to this day. It has been alleged that its fighters are distributed in the Norte de Santander, Arauca and Narino states, which are known strongholds of the rebel group. The group has made a name for itself through acts of extortion, drug trafficking, and kidnappings for ransom. The prospect of time travel has compelled people since the concept was first discussed, but with a new breakthrough, the technology could be closer to reality than ever before. After all, there is just something about the prospect of being able to go back or forward in time that really touches something very profound in each person. This is why movies such as the "Back to the Future" franchise became such massive hits. There was just something in the concept that really resonated with viewers. However, real-world possibilities of time travel have been quite elusive. Scientists in the past have expressly stated that it is next to impossible to achieve such a feat. Last January, however, time travel fans received some very good news, after Lawrence Kraus, a physicist from Arizona State University, teased his followers on Twitter about the discovery of gravitational waves, reported The International Business Times. My earlier rumor about LIGO has been confirmed by independent sources. Stay tuned! Gravitational waves may have been discovered!! Exciting. Lawrence M. Krauss (@LKrauss1) Enero 11, 2016 Kraus' study was conducted by scientists from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory in (LIGO) September, 2015. It is set to be published in Nature in the Feb. 11, 2016 issue, together with official press releases that are connected to the discovery. In an email to McMaster University's physics department, theoretical physicist Clifford Burgess confirmed Kraus' findings to a point. The theoretical physicist also stated that he has personally seen the evidence from Kraus' study. "Spies who have seen the paper say they have seen gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger," he said, adding that the LIGO interferometers were able to detect the alleged gravitational waves through a time delay between two black holes, according to Tech Times. LIGO interferometers are primarily utilized by scientists to search for the infinitesimal stretching of space that is said to occur the moment a gravitational wave passed through. Gravitational waves are a very pertinent aspect in the possibilities of time travel. Albert Einstein himself predicted the existence of the waves back in 1916, with the assumption that such waves were extremely important in the understanding of how the universe works. The alleged findings of Kraus's study, provided that they are proven accurate, of course, actually coincide with the recent launch of the world's pioneer gravitational wave detector, LISA Pathfinder. Of course, with an instrument already up in space, it just becomes a matter of pointing LISA Pathfinder in the correct direction. Of course, proving the existence of gravitational waves is but the first step in the real-world possibilities of time travel. However, it is a significant step forward nonetheless. After all, once proven, then the possibility of discovering time travel itself becomes that much stronger. If the study does prove accurate, conspiracy theorists and science fiction fans would definitely have a field day. A new survey showed that Latin Americans in general do not believe the Zika virus can be contained anymore. In general, most of them believe the only solution now is to just have children, at least for some years. The survey, provided exclusively to the Guardian and sponsored by the data analysis firm RIWI Corporation, showed that majority of Laatin Americans do not have faith that the public health officials of their respective countries can do something concrete to eliminate the virus associated with children being born with microcephaly. The survey was carried out online, polling people in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Participation on the survey was voluntary and anonymous. The survey also showed that majority of Latin Americans still do not understand the nature of the virus and are not sure of how it is spread. In Venezuela for instance, as High as 71 percent doubted the government's capacity in handling the outbreak. Among these doubters, 21 percent simply did not know how the government would go about it and 49 percent are sure the government will just fail. A lot of this has to do with the country's weak healthcare system, which is severely strained and lacking in the medical supplies and drugs. Years of mismanagement as well as an unstable economy aggravated the condition of the healthcare system. Speaking with the Guardian, a nurse at public health clinic in the country claimed that they do no even have enough resources to test all their patients for zika. They only have to handpick pregnant women. The same is taking place in Guatamela and Brazill. The survey showed that many do not trust their governments to do anything concrete to fight against the virus. Only 24 percent believed that the government can do anything to combat the virus. A child nutritionist in Guatemala also revealed to the Guardian that the country is just unprepared to cope with the outbreak. In hospitals that may have the best trained doctors, but they severely lack the tools and medicines. In poorer healthcare centers, there is an eve dire shortage of healthcare experts. In Brazil, where the first case was identified, there is an increasing sense of dread and worry. Many believe that this is a threat for years to come. Many women who still want to have a baby think this is a great barricade to their plans. While they do not like it, a study also found that most believe that the most logical solution now is to just delay pregnancy. Although as reported by the Washington Post, many of the Latin American countries are also currently looking into whether restrictive rules on abortion should be changed, in light of the present crisis. Here is a video from WatchMojo News detailing what the zika virus is: Mexican authorities have arrested Juan Antonio Lopez Lopez, Oscar Silver Idael Olmedo Lopez and Arturo Arzate Vargas in connection to the murder of a 7-month-old baby along with his parents outside a convenient store in Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca state, Friday, Feb. 5. The suspects were arrested Monday, Feb. 8. The spokesman of the State Attorney's Office said one of motive of the crime is drug-related, as both parents are allegedly involved in buying and selling of drugs. "A rival drug gang from (the neighboring state of) Guerrero located them and had them riddled with bullets," the spokesman of the State Attorney's Office said in an interview. Oaxaca police officers told the CNN that the Mexican baby, Marcos Miguel Pano Colon, was carried by his 24-year-old father, Juan Alberto Pano Ramos, in his arms when they were both shot and killed. Alba Isabel Colon, Marcos Miguel's mother, was also with them. As reported by GDN Online, people are now urging authorities to do something to control gang violence in Mexico after the picture of the dead Marcos Miguel covered in blood recently became viral on the web. The issue also sparked fierce debate on how Mexicans tend to just accept every negative thing that's happening with mouth closed despite the recent increase of crime rate related to gang violence in the country. Many people can't help but to compare the tragic story of Marcos Miguel and that of Alan Kurdi, the 3-year-old Syrian refugee, who was found dead on a Turkish beach after he was drowned in the Mediterranean Sea last year. Both of their innocent lives have ended because of violence. People from social media have expressed their feelings towards the recent drug-related incident by posting through their social media platforms. A Facebook account called "Solo Acapulco" posted: "Do you remember the Syrian boy? Do you remember how you became indignant and even put a little flag on Facebook? Well, this happens in Mexico, in Pinotepa Nacional to be precise, where drug violence killed this family, including this 7-month-old little angel." Another Twitter user also asked: "Is there no indignation about [what happened] in Pinotepa Nacional? Us Mexicans seem to be more compassionate about what happens to others than ourselves." In the recent years, drug-related violence has rocketed in the state of Guerrero. In fact, last year it has been reported that the state had 2,016 homicides-the highest homicide rate recorded in the Mexican state as to government figures. The violence has extended to Oaxaca, where Marcos Miguel and his family had recently moved. It may not be the best label a country could get, but Peru's cocaine business is actually highlighting the country on the map. According to the VICE News, Peru is now known as one of Latin America's biggest producers of cocaine, and if the business continues to flourish, they may eventually take over Colombia. Peru's thriving cocaine business came to light when Gerson Galvez Calle alias Caracol was nabbed over allegations of running the notorious drug ring, Barrio King. His relationship with the cartel landed him in jail, but was released later on an unspecified bail. Since then, questions about the intensity of Peru's cocaine production rose to a certain level of alarm. Security Analyst Jaime Antezana said, "Everyone here knows it but no one wants to admit it. When I say everyone, I am talking about the establishment. The general population gets it. This is a country where thousands of people, maybe even two million people, live from the cocaine trade in some way." Peru trails Colombia in the list of the highest producers of coca, the main ingredient in making cocaine. In 2014, Peru was able to cultivate a total of 42,900 hectares of coca, with Colombia taking the top spot with over 69,000 hectares of coca plantation. According to the news outlet, fifty percent of Peru's coca plantation is located in the Valley of the Apurimac and Ene River near the Bolivian border. Antezana hopes that the government could get to the root of the plantation's financer and not just low-level drug mules. He said, "The mules and backpackers are the main focus of anti-narcotics strategy. They are on the bottom rung of the ladder, the lumpen proletariat of the industry. Why haven't more big players been taken down in Peru, like in Colombia or Mexico?" Meanwhile, the Belfast Telegraph reported that Michaella McCollum, a notorious drug mule who was in jail in Peru after trying to smuggle cocaine, was recently reported to have been sick while in prison. Authorities, on the other hand, downplayed the severity of her illness, saying that if it was life-threatening, she should already been brought to a nearby hospital. In 2013, McCollum, along with her friend, were sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for trying to smuggle 1.5 million worth of cocaine from Lima to Madrid. Known for his successful escape from Mexico's high security federal prison back in July 2015, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is the head of the Sinaloa cartel which is known as the world's most powerful drug trafficking organization. What made him even more famous was the fact that he was able to escape the maximum security prison not just once, but several times. Born in Sinaloa, Guzman entered the local drug trade back in the 1970's wherein he dropped out of school to focus on drug trafficking. Guzman started out by working for one of the biggest names in drug trafficking, Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, who is the head of the Guatemalan cartel. His first task was to contact drug traffickers in Colombia to expand the cartel's scope in drug trafficking, as stated by BBC. Guzman successfully aced the drug trade making him one of the biggest names in the 1990s after he took over the Sinaloa cartel. Despite being on top of the drug industry however, Guzman was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and was transferred to Mexico's maximum security prison. Joaquin's arrest was not a hindrance to his track trafficking business as he continued to run the Sinaloa cartel behind bars. Though he was imprisoned, El Chapo lived a comfortable life as he managed to pay off the guards watching over him. He's fist successful prison break took place in January 2001, after some of the prison guards helped him plan his escape by hiding inside a laundry cart as reported by CBS News. Guzman was recaptured in February 2014 in Mazatlan as per CNN's report. He was captured after the Mexican marines and the United Stated Drug Enforcement Administration agents decided to work hand in hand to place him behind bars. As for his second arrest, Phil Jordan who works for the DEA and head's EL Paso Intelligence Center stated that El Chapo's second arrest will have a huge impact on the Sinaloa cartel. "It is a significant arrest, provided he gets extradited immediately to the United States, if he does not get extradited, then he will be allowed to escape within a period of time." Though the authorities were quite pleased with their accomplishment in placing Guzman behind bars, he managed to put them to shame after escaping the maximum security prison the second time just a few days later after he was captured by the authorities. As for his third escape, Guzman managed to dig a tunnel leading him out of the maximum security prison by passing though Mexico's sewage system. Guzman continually thrived to escape the authorities several times, but as for his escape, authorities are quite confident that he would no longer able to escape. The 2016 presidential elections in the United States will be not be held until Nov. 8 but the political scene in the country has been pretty interesting. There are two Democrats and nine Republicans who are still in the running for the 58th quadrennial U.S. presidential elections. This week, Republican candidates Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio both showed impressive caucuses scores. Real estate mogul Donald Trump was also on top of the list, with double-digit lead, Business Insider noted. Democrats Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also hold the lead in national polls. So, who has the best chance of making it to the White House? Here a glimpse into where all the candidates stand based on the Real Clear Politics averages of national polls as well as those in New Hampshire and South Carolina, as of Monday. 1. Hillary Clinton (Democrat) National polling average among Democratic voters: 49.3 percent New Hampshire: 40.7 percent South Carolina: 62 percent The former secretary of state has been ranked first due to her formidable performance in polling and fund-raising. Her strength in states with more diverse Democratic electorates is also an advantage. 2. Donald Trump (Republican) National polling average among Republican voters: 29.5 percent New Hampshire: 30.7 percent South Carolina: 36 percent This controversial presidential candidate has taken the political realm by storm. Despite being one of the most highly-criticized candidate, Trump has showed unforeseen staying power. While his position on illegal immigration ignited major backlash, he's still on the victory track. 3. Ted Cruz (Republican) National polling average among Republican voters: 21 percent New Hampshire: 12.4 percent South Carolina: 19.7 percent Cruz may not be a typical politician but he's the best-positioned candidate from within the political sphere. And his surprising fund-raising numbers proved that he will most likely be in the race for a long period of time. 4. Marco Rubio (Republican) National polling average among Republican voters: 17.8 percent New Hampshire: 14.4 percent South Carolina: 12.7 percent Based on the Iowa caucuses, Rubio was perhaps the biggest winner. And as his campaign perfectly played the "expectations game," he came out of the polls stronger-than-expected. 5. Bernie Sanders (Democrat) National polling average among Democratic voters: 36 percent New Hampshire: 53.9 percent South Carolina: 32.5 percent Despite facing daunting challenges against Hillary Clinton, Sanders is still climaxing at the right time. And as the tone of the race changes, Sanders is increasingly taking his shots on the campaign trail. 6. Jeb Bush (Republican) National polling average among Republican voters: 4.3 percent New Hampshire: 11.3 percent South Carolina: 10 percent Once considered as the clear frontrunner, the former Florida governor now sits in fifth amid a jam-packed bunch of establishment-minded candidates. Despite having signs of stumbling candidacy, he remains a dynamic fundraiser who retains significant resources. 7. John Kasich (Republican) National polling average among Republican voters: 4 percent New Hampshire: 13 percent South Carolina: 2 percent Following Rubio's debate blunder, Kasich might have a legitimate chance to rise on top, thanks to his plethora of experience from serving nearly two decades in Congress, which include foreign-policy areas and his time as the U.S. House budget committee chairman. 8. Chris Christie (Republican) National polling average among Republican voters: 2.5 percent New Hampshire: 5.4 percent South Carolina: 2.3 percent Christie has proven his resilience in spite of several attacks from rival candidates and their allied interests. Unfortunately, his poll standing has declined. But since the elections are still months away, the New Jersey governor might come back on top again. 9. Ben Carson (Republican) National polling average among Republican voters: 7.8 percent New Hampshire: 2.9 percent South Carolina: 8.7 percent Carson's campaign has been thrown into disaster a few months ago after the resignation of his top aides. However, it seems that his campaign continues to deal with challenging hurdles. In fact, His national poll numbers have dropped nearly 17 points over the past three-plus months. 10. Carly Fiorina (Republican) National polling average among Republican voters: 2.5 percent New Hampshire: 4.7 percent South Carolina: 1.7 percent Known as one of Clinton's fiercest critics, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO has been stealing attention with her remarkable first lower-tier Republican debate performance. However, her poll standing has dipped over the past few months. While her experience as a business executive can be an advantage, she failed to qualify for last weekend's debate. So, who do you think will succeed Barack Obama as the next U.S. President? Traveling is not only for leisure and relaxation. It is also a way of learning others' culture so going for a vacation when there are festivals is a great idea. Travelers will get to discover new things as they immerse themselves in local culture. And if you are heading to Latin America, Costa Rica is one of the best countries to visit for an unforgettable and unique cultural experience. You can visit the country anytime of the year since there are festivals whole year round. However, if you would like to witness the biggest holiday fiestas to see everything from bullfighting to music fests, know the months when such festivals are held so you can't miss them. Explore Costa Rica and see beyond its luxurious beaches and landscapes. Enjoy its traditions by joining any of these festivities: Palmares Festival This festival is Costa Rica's version of Octoberfest. It is held in the town of Palmares in San Jose. Palmares Festival is one of the fiestas where tourists can experience the authentic traditional Costa Rican culture. Be thrilled with the bullfights, circus acts of international performers and horse parades. And as it is liken to the Octoberfest, the festivities overflow with beers. The celebration runs from Jan. 15 to Jan. 26. Envision Festival Envision Festival is a week of music. People can enjoy the performances of modern and traditional musicians. It is also a week when yoga, food and art are the highlights of the celebration. This is a multicultural festival since people from other countries visit Costa Rica just to take part in this lively fiesta. This year, Envision Festival has been scheduled from Feb. 25 to Feb. 28. El Juego De Los Diablitos The name of the festival translates to "festival of the little devils." This can be experienced in the third week of February. The natives wear colorful masks and costumes which represents the village's known ancestral spirits. Visitors who would like to witness this festivity will get to try out chicha (an alcoholic beverage made from corn), taste various local food and witness the reenactment of the villagers triumph over the Spanish conquerors via dancing. Finally, they can watch spectacular fireworks show as the celebration concludes. Limon Carnaval This one of the most popular fiestas in Costa Rica. This is celebrated just like the Mardi Gras. The festival is held during the weekend of Oct. 12. Expect rum drinking, loud music, dancing and rowdy parades during this festival. Another festival is called Festival de la Luz. It takes place in the second week of December, to kick off the Christmas and New Year's celebrations. Learn more about it through the clip below! Aloysio De Andrade Faria is one of the wealthiest men in Brazil that's featured in Forbes. In fact, he is included as the 12th wealthiest person on the list. With no doubt, Faria indeed has everything a person would desire his entire life. He achieved all that when destiny took control of his life, his respect for his father came in and his passion to reach success has evolved. With a net worth of $1.94 billion as of Feb. 10, 2016, the 94-year-old businessman from Brazil was trained not to be a businessman or someone who can engage in such field. His eyes were completely focused in a life that revolved around the medicine field. He started to train to be a physician and completed his Bachelor of Arts/Science from the University of Minas Gerais, and Master of Science, from the Northwestern University. But fate had shifted his life's course when Clemente Faria, his father, died in 1949. During that time, he realized the need for someone to take over his family's business. That's why after just a couple of years of practicing his skills and profession, he finally gave up his dream as a doctor and pushed through the world his father has left for him. As posted in Success Story, his father's business was a medium sized financial institution located in Minas. Since the transfer of ownership and managing rights, his father's financial business has rocketed in net income and eventually earned the costumers' trust. In 1978, the bank headquarters was transferred to Av. Paulista 1374 and Faria has updated the bank's data processing systems. With Faria's managing skills the bank soon became the 4th most successful financial institution in the Brazil. Later on, during the late 1990s, Faria decided to sell the bank's asset to ABN AmroBank not to retire but to reinvest his money to a new investment bank in New York, which he named the Alfa Bank. Today, aside from banks, he also owns Transamerica Hotels and La Basque which is his ice-cream network. Faria also owns the Latin America's biggest palm oil company, the Agropalma, and the radio network Transamerica Network Communication, which was rumored to be sold to the Universal Church of Kingdom of God. He is also the proud owner of Transamerica Corporation, a business which includes hotels and media groups. Despite having almost all the material things and recognition, Faria still manage to have a humble heart and loves to drive his 1960's Mercedes Benz. With an average of 66,000 additional Latinos becoming eligible to vote each month, the task of accurately polling the fastest growing population in the country has become a challenge. "There is an art and a science to polling in Latino communities," Univision director of special projects Lourdes Torres recently told The Atlantic of a U.S. population that has now swelled to nearly 57 million and which Pew Research Center estimates represents 18 percent of the nation's overall size. All indications point to language, technology and political participation as the biggest barriers. According to Pew Hispanic, nearly three-quarters of Latinos reported they speak either only Spanish or a combination of Spanish and English at home. Because of that, Pew explained a direct translation of the survey questions is no longer enough to assure all respondents understand the questions they are being asked in the same way. Cultural Differences Need Consideration Researchers added that translating all questions must take into account such variables as cultural differences and language nuances. Courtney Kennedy, the organization's director of survey research, stressed questions as simple as "Do you talk about the campaign with people in your family?" could not be translated literally. "In the Spanish language, 'family' tends to include more extended relationships, whereas in the English language when you say family people generally interpret that as immediate family, people that live in your household," she said. "So you could get a systematically different answer for that type of question for Spanish speaking respondents versus English, just because that concept of family is different." The research also found an interviewee's responses to certain questions or even their willingness to participate in any survey at all tended to vary across racial and ethnic groups. Typically speaking, Latinos were far more likely to refuse to answer specific questions or decline to participate in a survey altogether based on a general suspicion of government largely driven by fears of deportation. As for the issue of technology, traditionally pollsters have heavily relied on landlines to conduct their research. As with other demographics, the number of Latino-headed households where only cellphones are used is on the rise, making the task of including Latino representation in any poll even more difficult. As of December 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services reported roughly 60 percent of Latino adults lived in cellphone-only households, compared to about 45 percent of all other American adults. "If you're not including the right percentage of cellphone-only respondents, you're not getting the right picture," said Micah Roberts, vice president of Washington, D.C.-based Public Opinion Strategies. Voter Participation Critical Finally, the level of a respondent's actual participation in the world of politics also appeared to be a significant factor in collecting specific information. "Our participation tends to be lower than African Americans and whites, so sometimes it takes extra calls to find that likely voter," said Luis Miranda Jr., the managing partner at MirRam Group, a consulting company focused on minority populations. He added Americans in general, particularly young Americans, have a low voter turnout rate that is even more pronounced in the Latino community. Miranda concluded that to gain an accurate snapshot of Latino opinions and behaviors, it is imperative pollsters invest in sample lists that include political histories, not just voter registration status. The Latin Post previously reported Pew Hispanic estimated a record 27.3 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in the upcoming 2016 presidential election, when the issue of immigration will be important among the issues debated. Of that number, nearly half of the voters will be millennials between the ages of 18 and 35. There are winners and losers from Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, but almost immediately, the focus shifts to Nevada and South Carolina -- states with prominent minority populations. For Democrats: What's Next for Clinton & Sanders In the Democratic presidential field, Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton with 60 percent to 38 percent, based on 96 percent of the precincts reporting. It was an expected loss for Clinton's campaign, but they already have their eyes set on the next states. Hours prior to Sanders' win, Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook had already acknowledged defeat in the state in a memo to supporters and select reporters. In the memo, Clinton campaigners are encouraged to focus on the March primaries and caucus, where 56 percent of delegates necessary to win are up for grabs. "The first four states represent just 4% of the delegates needed to secure the nomination," Mook wrote, taking into account the Nevada caucuses on Feb. 20 and the South Carolina primary on Feb. 27. "The 28 states that vote (or caucus) in March will award 56% of the delegates needed to win." In the lengthy memo, Mook later wrote, "For Hillary Clinton and her campaign, the March states represent an opportunity to build a coalition of support that's as diverse as the Democratic Party itself. Hispanics and African Americans play a critical role in who we are as a party and who we are as a nation. Many of the most delegate-rich states also have some of the largest minority and urban populations - states like Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Illinois and Florida." "It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African American and Hispanic voters," Mook later continued. "We believe that's how it should be. And a Democrat who is unable to inspire strong levels of support in minority communities will have no credible path to winning the presidency in the general election." Mook said the Democratic presidential nomination process will likely be won in March, not February." For the Sanders campaign, it was the second consecutive voting election to celebrate. Although Sanders lost Iowa, it was by a very narrow margin. But in New Hampshire, Sanders reminded supporters that his landslide victory sends a message to Wall Street, Washington and across America that the U.S. belongs to the people and not super PACs or wealthy campaign donors. "Nine months ago, we began our campaign here in the Granite State. We had no campaign organization and we had no money. And we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America -- a team that defeated Barack Obama here in the Democratic primary in 2008. And tonight, through a record-breaking voter turnout, we won because we harnessed the energy and the excitement that the Democratic Party will need to succeed in November," said Sanders on Tuesday night from Concord High School's gymnasium. Clinton and Sanders' next battle is in Nevada, home to a growing Latino population -- currently at 27.8 percent, higher than the national average of 17.4 percent. For the GOP: What's Next for Bush & Rubio In the Republican presidential field, front-runner Donald Trump maintained his front-runner status by easily winning the crowded GOP field with 35 percent of the vote. Ohio Gov. John Kasich gained momentum as he placed second after receiving 16 percent of the vote, ahead of Iowa caucus winner Ted Cruz's 12 percent. For former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, their next primary -- in South Carolina on Feb. 20 -- will be another battleground state for them after they placed fourth and fifth place, respectively, but each with 11 percent.. Bush and Rubio's campaigns are already working hard to engage South Carolinians. In the Bush campaign, a new radio campaign advertisement was released, titled "Steady Hand." The radio advertisement is perhaps a milestone for the former Florida governor as it features former President and former Texas Gov. George W. Bush. The former president spoke about his brother's experience and plans as the next commander-in-chief "We live in troubled times with the military deployed around the world. We need a strong leader with experience, ideas and resolve. There's no doubt in my mind that Jeb Bush will be a great commander-in-chief for our military. Jeb has dealt with crises as the governor of Florida, and he did so with steadiness, and a calmness necessary in a good leader. He respects the military -- he honors their families. He can make the tough decision to keep Americans safe and our country free. And in a time of crisis, he will be a steady hand," said the former president, before the former Texas governor takes over the ads' narration. Rubio's campaign announced the "South Carolina Veterans for Marco," a team of veterans residing in South Carolina. "Marco Rubio's superior judgment on national security matters makes him the right choice for commander-in-chief," said the South Carolina Veterans for Marco Chairman Steven Siegfried and Co-Chairs David Shimp and James H. Flatley III in a joint statement. "As a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, Marco has a deep understanding of the threats we face. He knows the world is a safer place when America has the strongest military and the knowledge of how and when to best use it. After 7 years of Barack Obama weakening our national security, we do not need a Republican president who brags about voting to cut defense spending. We need Marco Rubio in the Oval Office to rebuild our armed forces and restore America's leadership in an increasingly troubled world." While Democrats hold their Nevada caucus on Feb. 20, the same date will be used for the Republican South Carolina primary. The Republican Nevada caucus will be on Feb. 23, while the Democrats' South Carolina primary is set for Feb. 27. __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. According to President Barack Obama, real opportunities begin with education, which is why it's among his key plans for the $4.1 trillion 2017 fiscal year budget. Obama said his budget plan, which sets aside $69.4 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education, includes an "ambitious goal" for all children to have access to high-quality preschool education, especially for those in low-income families, and it supports policies for students on a path to enter college. Pell Grants and "Ambitious" Goals The president acknowledged that two-thirds of jobs will require some education beyond the high school level by 2020. Thus, his budget seeks to strengthen Pell Grants, allow students to make progress during summer classes, and provide scholarships for those in jail to turn their lives around and enable them to get jobs. Obama also proposed an additional $300 "On-Track Pell Bonus" for students who stay on course to graduate on time by taking approximately 15 credit hours per semester. Obama's budget includes the "Second Chance Pell" proposal for prisoners who have served their time and near reentry into society. The aim for the program is to help transform their lives by offering Pell funding to pay for their college and training opportunities. Free Community College Obama's 2017 fiscal year budget echoes his proposal last year to make community college free for select students, also known as America's College Promise (ACP). With an investment of $61 billion over 10 years, eligible community college students would be able to work toward the first half of either their bachelor's or associate's degree at no cost. ACP would give schools grants for low-income students for up to two years "at zero or significantly reduced tuition." FAFSA The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process could be simplified. According to the budget, in addition to providing FAFSA earlier, the plan is to eliminate "burdensome and unnecessarily complex questions" to ensure students and families access to federal student aid for post-secondary education. Competitive Colleges The budget would allocate $30 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) Innovation for Completion Fund. The funding is an effort to create competitive and innovative strategies for student success, with the hope of increasing the rate of graduation among low-income students and students of color. The plan also includes the "College Opportunity and Graduation Bonus" program, an incentive for colleges with strong low-income student enrollment and graduation rates. Additional Program Funds Obama's plan seeks to allocate $1.3 billion for preschool programs for 4-year-olds, although another $75 billion is proposed for the duration of the next 10 years. To expand computer science education, $4 billion is proposed to create a new "Computer Science for All" initiative. It also provides $15.4 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), which are part of the federal government's effort to ensure students -- particularly low-income and minority students, disabled students and English-learning students -- graduate from high school. LEAs prepare these students for higher education or careers. "The President's budget reflects the Administration's broader efforts to expand opportunity and ensure every child can achieve his or her full potential," acting Education Secretary John B. King Jr. said in a statement. "We have made tremendous progress with record high school graduation rates and more students of color going to college, but we have further to go to ensure that educational excellence is a reality for all students. This budget builds on the Administration's continued efforts to invest in education, from high-quality early learning through college." The proposed 2017 fiscal year funding for the DOE was increased by $1.3 billion, or two percent, from the 2016 budget. For more on Obama's DOE funding information, click here. __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. Amazon got into the cloud early, and continues to dominate with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Now the company is reportedly planning to dominate the ground -- the entire fulfillment process, global shipping and logistics -- with a new in-house division called Global Supply Chain (GSC) by Amazon. If the rumors are true, GSC could edge out delivery companies like FedEx, UPS, and DHL, and present a direct challenge to its biggest rival in China, Alibaba. The move by Amazon is not (yet) official, but it has been rumored for months, thanks in part to a series of secretive deals that hint at Amazon's grand logistical plan. Unlike the company's highly publicized but certainly long-term work on delivery drones, Amazon has been rumored to be quietly acquiring and testing shipping assets since at least last September. For example, trialing an air cargo operation in Ohio as Vice reported, leasing 20 Boeing 767 cargo jets as the Seattle Times reported, and acquiring an ocean freight forwarding license from the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission as the blog Flexport discovered. The Grand Plan Revealed? Now Bloomberg's Spencer Soper has uncovered an internal company document dating back nearly three years that lays out a blueprint for the in-house global shipping operation Amazon may be building (via Business Insider). The 2013 document describes an "aggressive global expansion," as Soper put it, of Fulfillment By Amazon services, proposing the company create a global delivery network to control storage, packing, and worldwide shipping -- the entire fulfillment, shipping and delivery process run in-house, from the factory all the way to the customer's doorstep. That proposal is rumored to soon become reality through a new Amazon company called Global Supply Chain by Amazon, but in 2013 it went under the internal project codename Dragon Boat. That codename hints at what the primary focus of the project is: to dethrone Amazon's chief Chinese rival Alibaba. But the new in-house end-to-end industry could bypass delivery companies in the U.S. like FedEx and UPS, along with the entire industry associated with processing cargo, trade, logistics, and transportation. "Sellers will no longer book with DHL, UPS or FedEx but will book directly with Amazon," stated the 2013 report, according to Bloomberg's exclusive. "The ease and transparency of this disintermediation will be revolutionary and seller will flock to [Fulfillment by Amazon] given the competitive pricing." Big Launch or Quiet Takeover? Before it gets to that point, Amazon reportedly plans to partner with third-party intermediaries in the shipping and delivery process, while at the same time building its internal knowhow, business volume, and global assets, eventually putting those partners out to pasture when GSC is on its own two feet. Amazon hasn't commented on the story, and it remains unknown if the company's global logistics plans are ready to be made public in the near future or not. As with other industries dominated by Amazon, such as its AWS cloud services and book publishing, there's just as likely to be little to no fanfare accompanying the launch of its global shipping ambitions. The company could just quietly begin insinuating its supply chain's reach across the globe -- until before you know it, your packages are arriving at your doorstep exclusively from Amazon trucks. Only then, come the drones. The hits keep on coming for the beleaguered Chicago Police Department, already one of the largest forces to ever come under the direct scrutiny of the U.S. Department of Justice. At a time when the 12,000 members department is already under sweeping review by the DOJ over its policies and practices in the wake of a number of high-profile, deadly police shootings, the Chicago Sun Times reports the city has now been ordered to pay $3.1 million to 47 immigrants who were once denied opportunities to join the force based on discriminatory hiring practices. The rule in question required applicants to have lived in the U.S. for at least a decade. The city already requires all city employees reside within the boundaries of Chicago. City Officials Sign Off on Settlement City officials agreed to the payout after DOJ investigators formally filed suit earlier this month in U.S. District Court charging discrimination. The suit alleged more than 92 percent of all the candidates disqualified by the CPD based on the continuous residency requirement were foreign born. The suit named Masso Khan, born in India, and Glenford Flowers, born in Belize, as plaintiffs. Both men took and passed the police exam in 2006, but saw their applications similarly rejected because of the wayward residence requirement the city had imposed. "Chicago, through CPD, has pursued policies and practices that discriminate against individuals born outside the United States because of their national origin and that deprive or tend to deprive foreign-born individuals of employment opportunities because of their national origin," the suit stated. According to Chicagoist, city officials countered by arguing the additional requirement was instituted to facilitate background checks, with alderman Nick Sposato insisting he still has no problem with the stipulation.having once become the law of the land. "I don't think we did anything wrong," he said. "I mean -- we're talking about a police officer. We need a history. We need to know what these people are like." Part of the settlement now requires the department to hire at least eight of the 47 immigrant applicants, with retroactive retirement benefits for each of them. All of the 47 applicants are slated to receive an equal share of the $3.1 million payout. Laquan McDonald Shooting Sparks Outrage Meanwhile, the ongoing federal probe of the department was largely sparked by the release of dash-cam video showing white police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting African-American teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times in October 2014. He has since been indicted on first-degree murder charges. Mayor Rahm Emanuel quickly moved to remove then police commissioner Garry McCarthy from his post after demonstrators took to the streets in protest marches that ultimately also called for the resignations of the mayor and Cook County state's attorney Anita Alvarez. "We're going to be very thorough, fair and as expeditious as we can be," Vanita Gupta, head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division recently told the Chicago Tribune of her department's investigation. She added discussions with city leaders and attorneys have already commenced with the aim to let people have their say "so all the stakeholders will have a sense of what this will look like in the next months." Chicago's police department has a long and sordid history of abuse. Between 2004 and 2014, the force had to pay out some $500 million in settlements, judgements and legal bills stemming from misconduct cases. Since the DOJ investigation kicked off, CPD has been embroiled in still more controversy. Just hours after the Christmas holiday, Officer Robert Rialmo fatally wounded college student Quintonio LeGrier and 55-year-old mother of five Bette Jones while responding to a domestic abuse call at their West Side apartment residence. According to CNN, LeGrier's father, Antonio, has now filed a wrongful death suit against the city, charging that the officer fatally wounded his 19-year-old son without justification and failed to administer medical support to him as he lay bleeding to death. Several media outlets have also reported city officials have already publicly admitted Jones was an innocent bystander, who was "accidentally struck and tragically killed." Her family has also since filed suit against the city. To alleviate Puerto Rico's financial and health crises, President Barack Obama made a number of proposals for the commonwealth in his 2017 fiscal year budget. According to the budget plan, Obama wants to provide Puerto Ricans with the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a federal tax credit for low-to-moderate income workers. As his budget plan acknowledged, Puerto Rico's economy declined by more than 10 percent since 2006 and encountered over 250,000 job losses. In addition, more than 45 percent of the island's residents, who are born as U.S. citizens, live in poverty. Puerto Rico also has an unemployment rate of 12.5 percent, which is twice the mainland U.S. average. Obama also recognized the Medicaid system in Puerto Rico is fundamentally different compared to the guidelines for the 50 states. He said the current different Medicaid standards resulted in lower quality in care and fewer benefits compared to the mainland U.S. While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provided the island with an additional $7.3 billion since July 1, 2011, the aforementioned fund is expected to run out by the end of 2019. In his budget plan, he proposes approximately $30 billion in Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico that would last for the next nine years. The Puerto Rico Healthcare Crisis Coalition (PRHCC), an organization that has been calling on Washington to address the island's declining healthcare system, commended Obama on his proposal. "We applaud President Obama for putting Puerto Rico on a path to parity on Medicaid Funding. While this is a step in the right direction, the federal government needs to quickly address the Island's underfunded Medicare program," said PRHCC President Dennis Rivera. "Saving the Medicare program is of particular importance as Puerto Rico's aging population continues to grow." "At this crucial crossroads when the Island's healthcare system is on the verge of collapse, Congress needs to act swiftly and approve the budget's Medicaid measure for Puerto Rico," Rivera added. "We call on the same spirit of unity that got us this far as we renew our commitment and redouble our efforts on Congress and Medicare to avert the healthcare crisis at home." In addition to the EITC and Medicaid funding, the budget proposal calls on Puerto Rico to reform its fiscal governance for improved transparency, but all while respecting the commonwealth's status and local autonomy. Obama also wants Puerto Rico to receive the necessary tools to restructure its financial liabilities under the guidelines of a federal court. The budget plan would help craft a broad legal framework for the financial liabilities restructure; the framework would also be used exclusively for fellow U.S. territories. As Latin Post reported, Puerto Rico's debt has climbed to over $70 billion. Puerto Rico Gov. Alejando Garcia Padilla previously acknowledged that the island's request for congressional help is not a bailout but simply wants the "tools" to help restructure. Must Read: Declining Population, Jobs in Mainland US Linked to Puerto Rico's Troubles __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. California Assemblyman Rocky Chavez officially suspended his campaign for the U.S. Senate, reportedly giving the Republican Party a better shot at winning the race. Due to a lack of funding and traction in the polls, the Oceanside Republican announced on Monday that he will exit the race and will instead run for re-election to the California Legislature. He made the announcement just minutes before he was scheduled to appear in the first GOP primary debate Monday night, against two former state GOP chairmen, Dug Sundheim and Tom Del Beccaro, reports The Los Angeles Times. He also released a statement on Facebook promising to continue to fight for veterans and find solutions to California's historic drought. "I will continue to champion our veterans, solutions to our state's drought, long-term energy solutions, and making sure our children and grandchildren have access to a world class education system from preschool to college," said the former Marine colonel in the statement. Chavez's early exit gives his party a better chance of winning the senate seat if GOP primary voters rally behind one candidate. According the rules under the state's top-two primary system, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary this June, regardless of party, will then face off in the general election in November. As a result, Chavez's presence in the race was dividing GOP voters. Without enough votes, the top two Democrats would move on to the general election. "With three Republicans in the race, there was a very strong chance they would split the Republican vote," giving two Democrats a better chance at advancing to the November ballot, said Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney. With Chavez out "those chances have diminished," he explained. As of now, both Sundheim and Del Beccaro are trailing in the polls behind leading Democrats, state Attorney General Kamala Harris and U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County. Harris leads the race with 27 percent, while Sanchez has 15 percent. Plus, Harris has almost $4 million in campaign funds, which is nearly double the amount Sanchez has. In contrast, Chavez earned just 7 percent of support in a January Field Poll and had just $369 in campaign cash, according to the latest federal financial disclosure forums. In addition, his campaign is nearly $43,000 in debt. Chavez was first elected to the Assembly in November 2012 to represent the 76th district, which includes parts of northern coastal San Diego County and the cities of Camp Pendleton, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside and Vista. Before dropping out, the Latino official ran on a campaign of education, veteran's issues and good governance. In an effort to reform the country, Algeria's parliament approved a new constitution that will limit the president's term and recognizing the official language used by the Berber minority. The government of Algeria has adopted a package of constitutional changes that will strengthen the nation's democratic stature. According to Al Jazeera, the reforms are meant to address and relieve grievances from the public in the North African nation. It will also provide a smooth transition amid the health condition of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who is now 78 years old. Senate Speaker Abdelkader Bensalaha said that 499 votes to two voted for the reformation, with 16 abstentions. In 2008, the two-term limit on the presidency was lifted to make Bouteflika run for president for the third time, as reported by Yahoo News. It will be then reintroduced and the nation's president will need to nominate a prime minister from the largest party in parliament. President Bouteflika's engagement towards the public has become rear since suffering a stroke back in 2013. He will be allowed to finish his fourth term, which will end in 2019. On Sunday, the new text is being presented to the senate and the assembly, as reported by the Times of India. Algeria's Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said that history will remember that all people of Algeria have contributed to a renewed republic to which the people can aspire again. The prime minister also praised the president as the architect of the new Algerian republic. However, critics disagree saying the reforms are little more than a show and will not have a huge impact to minimize the influence of the powerful elite, which includes the National Liberation Front Party and army generals that are controlled by Bouteflika. Moreover, the constitution will strengthen the use of Amazigh as the official language of the government, which many activists pushed for recognition for many years. Tanzania police arrested more suspects over the death of a British helicopter pilot. The said pilot was on a mission of tracking elephant poachers and is working for the Friedkin Conservation Fund. According to Yahoo News, the commander of the Simiyu regional police said, they are detaining nine suspects with the connections over the death of Roger Gower, the British pilot who was shot and killed. Gower was working under the Tanzanian wildlife authorities. The victim died on the 29th of January at the Maswa Wildlife reserve, nearby the Serengeti National Park. The official also added, some of the suspects arrested knew the gunman. Three elephant tusks and 29 firearms were recovered while arresting the said suspects involves on Gower's death. BBC News reported, Friedkin Conservation Fund suggested that more arrests could follow. The Texas-based also said suspected gunman and accomplices members of a network providing illegal weapons and smuggling ivory are among those who have been arrested. Tanzania has been identified as a key hotspot for elephant poachers. Dan Friedkin, the group's chairman said, "We are confident that the Tanzanian authorities will investigate and prosecute those involved to the absolute full extent of the law. By bringing these individuals to justice, it will honour Roger's memory," he added. The 37 year old British pilot became a licensed pilot in 2004 and headed to Africa around two years ago, his previous employer Tropic Air Kenya profile says. According to the Daily Mail, he has a brother named Max. His brother sad he was proud of his Gower. His brother quit being an accountant so that he could enjoy his two favorite hobbies, "flying and animals". Gower became an active member of Friedkin Conservation Fund fighting to protect elephants and our wildlife heritage. Gower's family has also invited donations to a fund established in Roger's memory and his efforts that will contribute towards anti-poaching efforts in Tanzania. Former Scotland Secretary Alistair Carmichael may have dodged a bullet to his political career based on strict legal technicality. However, he is still left to face the legal bills for battling the suit. Four constituents brought the electoral action against Carmichael under Representation of the People Act of 1983 according to Daily Mail. Petitioners contend that Carmichael mislead the voters by lying about his knowledge of the leaked Nicola Sturgeon memo. They said that this also reflects to his character as a person and as a representative. In response, Carmichael's camp slammed the suit and called it "politically motivated" given that his is the only Member Liberal Democrat in the parliament. Meanwhile, Scottish Nationalist Party said that while Carmichael survived the purported ousting but it is doubtful if he will survive the effects of a tarnished reputation, Independent reported. As to who should bear the expenses of the legal battle, BBC reported that a hearing has been conducted in Edinburg for that purpose. In the same hearing, Carmichael's counsel argued that if the challenge of the opposing party has been granted, it would be inconceivable for them not to seek reimbursement for expenses against the respondent. In other words, he said that since the suit by the opposing party has been scrapped in favor of his client, the losing party must then bear Carmichael's legal fees for burdening him with the suit. In response, petitioner's counsel contend that the case raised issues of national interest and were successful in arguing several points. Lady Paton and Lord Matthews ruled that the court considers the case a "divided success" and accordingly, they find that no expenses is due to either parties. Given that Carmichael allegedly told a blatant lie on television about the leaked Nicola Sturgeon memo, the court ruled that he shall not be entitled to any compensatory relief. As to whether or not the issue raised is enough to kick him out of the parliament, the Judges disagreed and said that the former Secretary did not commit an "illegal practice." Lady Paton said that she was not persuaded that the lie amounted to political machination. The Iraqi government and military have announced that they have fully recaptured and regained full control of the city of Ramadi, which was previously taken over by the Islamic State (IS). However, the efforts of rebuilding the city are being slowed down as the country is plagued with financial troubles. In a report by Rudaw, the Iraqi military announced that they have fought the remaining IS militants in the past few weeks. The battle was participated by the military and other counterterrorism forces such as the local police and Shiite militia. Last December, most of the areas in Ramadi have been declared to be free from the presence of the extremist group. The military also said in their statement that the main road connecting Ramadi to Iraq's capital, Baghdad, has been recaptured and is already under their control. ABC News reported that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated the people on the liberation of Ramadi. However, the announcement which came a month after Ramadi was first declared free from IS militants is seen as a slow progress especially in ground operations. The governor of Anbar province has also praised the Iraqi military as well as the U.S.-led coalition for their efforts to remove militants completely from Ramadi. He did note that despite being able to have control over the city again after months of IS taking over the area, security and humanitarian issues are still to be prioritized. Accordingly, the city is still blanketed with homemade bombs and improvised explosives. These bombs are preventing civilians to go back to their homes. Efforts to clear the city from the explosives have been slowed down due to lack of funds. Also, rebuilding the city has been a challenge as the United Nations (UN) assessed that around 4,500 buildings were damaged or completely destroyed from the clash. UN's deputy special representative to Iraq, Lise Grande, said in a statement, "The level of destruction in Ramadi is as bad as anything we have seen in Iraq." Grande has appealed for at least $40 million from international donors to help Ramadi, Reuters reported. Ramadi fell to the militants in May of 2015 and was dubbed as the largest defeat for Iraq's military. IS mostly controlled a third of Iraq but was lessened when the U.S.-led coalition began in August of 2014. South Africa's highest court is currently hearing the case of President Jacob Zuma over at least a partial payback for roughly $24 million of government funds used to improve security in his private residence. Protests abound the area around the courts where the hearing is held, with citizens accusing the president and the African National Congress of corruption. President Zuma had his home installed with upgrades including a swimming pool, a chicken run, a cattle enclosure, an ampitheater and a visitor's center, Vanguard Media Nigeria reported Feb. 9. In 2014, the expenses for said improvements equaled to about $24 million, which allegedly were sourced from state funds. A huge demonstration surrounded the court house, with protesters chanting, "Pay back the money," the Times of Malta reported. The protest was happening while 11 judges hear the case for allegations against the nation's head. The protest is being led by leftist group Economic Freedom Fighters, BBC News reported. Some of the rallyists also chanted, "Zuma must fall," in protest. Authorities have surrounded the protesters to avoid violence. Last week, Zuma announced that he will reimburse part of the amount used in the improvements. The statement was in contrast to his previous assertion that he was not involved in using state funds for personal interests. The president's previous proclaiming of innocence is a defense to avoid a court hearing, opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters, claimed. They added that Zuma is trying to avoid wrangling when he gave the State of the Nation address. He is again set to give the mandatory speech this Thursday, Feb. 11. "The president's capitulation is gratifying but it is not enough," Wim Trengrove, a lawyer for the opposition, was cited by the Times of Malta as saying. A call for a hearing, however, was strongly pushed for to set a precedent, news reports noted. Aside from President Zuma himself, the National Assembly is also being investigated for the corruption case. The assembly, which has Zuma's party, the African National Congress, holding the majority of seats, is being held liable for not auditing Zuma's use of state funds. Two days earlier on Feb. 6, a man was shot in the midnight hour in the 1900 block of W. Wardlow Rd., west of Santa Fe Ave. (On Sept. 26, 2015, a man was struck by gunfire in the same general area of Seabright Ave. at West Wardlow Rd.) Four days earlier on Sept. 22, 2015 the City Council's Public Safety Committee (Price, Supernaw, Austin) heard an LBPD report on shootings but made no recommendations and didn't refer the matter to the full City Council. Advertisement Advertisement On Sept 15 and 22, 2015 the Council voted (without dissent) for a FY16 budget, recommended by Mayor Robert Garcia, that failed to restore LBPD's former field anti-gang unit. It leaves LB taxpayers with a budgeted police level for citywide deployment roughly equivalent per capita to what L.A. would have if L.A.'s Mayor and Council cut roughly 30% of LAPD's officers. In August 2012, Mayor Foster first recommended the budgeted elimination of LBPD's field anti-gang unit. The Council balked, funded the unit at half strength for a year, but in subsequent years quietly let it disappear. Then-Vice Mayor Garcia (chosen by Foster to chair the Council's Public Safety Committee in mid-2010) held no hearings on Foster's proposal or any public safety impacts of Foster's budget recommendations. Councilwoman Suzie Price, whom Mayor Garcia named to chair the Public Safety Committee in 2014, has followed that practice regarding Garcia's budget recommendations. Advertisement Advertisement In other area shootings: Feb. 6: 1900 block of W. Wardlow Rd., man is shot (7th dist.) Feb. 2: 2200 block Lime Ave., man is shot (6th dist.) Jan. 24: 1900 block Pasadena Ave., unoccupied vehicle struck by gunfire (6th dist.) Jan. 24: 800 block Walnut Ave.: two vehicles damaged by gunfire (2nd dist.) Jan. 17: 1300 block Walnut Ave. (three vehicles damaged by gunfire (3:30 a.m.) (6th dist.), Jan. 10: 3200 block E. Artesia Blvd. (9th dist.): Man (adult) was found shot multiple times Jan. 9: Chestnut/17th St.: Evidence of gunfire, no persons/property struck (1st dist.) Jan. 1: 1300 block MLK Ave. (6th Council district); no persons hit Advertisement Advertisement Dec. 31: 1600 block Pacific Ave. (1st dist): Man (adult) shot Dec. 28: 14th/Pacific: Gunfire (1st dist) at midafternoon; no person(s) hit, near 14th St. Park skatepark Dec. 27: Willow St./Maine Ave. (7th dist.) woman (adult) is shot in midnight hour Dec. 24: Walnut Ave./14th St., two cars struck by gunfire (6th dist.) Dec. 22: 1900 block Chestnut Ave. (6th dist.): Woman is shot to death in what may have been domestic violence situation. Dec. 21: Atlantic/South (border 8th/9th dist.): Man shows up in ER with gunshot wound, PD unable to locate shooting scene Dec. 20: Santa Fe/21st St. (7th dist.) Man shows up in ER with gunshot wound, cites location, PD unable to locate shooting scene Dec. 19: Shots fired, area Eucalyptus Ave./27th St. (6th dist.), evidence of shooting found but no victim located (a "no hit" shooting) Dec. 13: Junipero/15th St.: Man and woman shot at midafternoon (4th district) Dec. 10: Orange Ave. Just North of Market St.: Man Shot At midafternoon (8th dist.) Dec. 8: 1200 block Loma Vista Dr., "no hit" shooting (1st dist.) Dec. 6: 10th St./Myrtle Ave., man (adult) is shot (6th dist.) Dec. 5: 2000 block Atlantic Ave., man driving car is shot (6th dist.) Dec. 2: 400 block E. Market St., gunfire hits residence (8th dist.) Nov. 25: PCH/MLK: Vehicle struck by gunfire (6th dist.) Nov. 18: 500 block Cedar Ave. "no hit" shooting (1st district) Nov. 12: 1900 block Chestnut Ave.: "No hit" shooting (6th district) Nov. 10: 1400 block Gundry Ave.: Man is shot to death (6th district) Nov. 9: 1200 block E. 52nd St.: Man is shot to death (8th district) Nov. 8: 1600 block Pine Ave.: "no hit" shooting/shell casings found (1st dist.) Nov. 5: Anaheim/Gardenia (just west of Cherry): Man is hit, midnight hour (4th dist. bordering 6th dist.) Oct. 31: 1000 block Olive Ave., man is fatally shot (6th dist.) Oct. 30: 2400 block E. 5th St. (east of Junipero): "no hit" shooting (2nd Council dist.) Oct. 29: 1600 block E. 7th St. (near Walnut Ave.): man is struck/wounded by gunfire (2nd Council dist.) Oct. 27: 14th St. near LB Blvd. A "no hit" shooting just east of the eastern end of 14th St. Park. (1st dist.) Oct. 25: 1000 block Maine Ave. (near Drake Park): Man is fatally stabbed. (1st dist.) Oct. 21: Area Anaheim/Walnut: Evidence of gunfire, no victim located (6th dist.) Oct. 20: 2000 block MLK, man shot/wounded (6th dist.) Oct. 19: 2000 block Magnolia (eastward alley), man fatally shot (6th dist.) Oct. 18: 2800 block E. 14th St. near Temple Ave.: Man (adult) is shot, approx. 5:25 p.m. (4th Council district) Oct. 16: Daisy Ave./10th St., predawn no hit shooting, two suspects allegedly opened fire on two victims as the victims drove by (1st dist.) Oct. 15: Pine Ave./16th St.: man (adult) is shot (1st dist.) Oct. 14: 15th St./Cherry Ave: Two men (adults) hit (4th Council district) [both Oct. 14 shootings at about 5:30 a.m.] Oct. 14: 15th St./Gaviota: Victim is hit (grazed) by gunfire (6th dist.) Oct. 9: 2000 block Olive Ave., man (adult) is shot (6th district.). Oct. 9: 3000 block Delta Ave., shots fired into an occupied dwelling (7th dist., no person hit.) Oct. 6: Man is shot, 2600 block of South St. (border of 8th/9th Council districts) Oct. 5: Man shot, 1900 block of Caspian Ave (a couple of blocks north of PCH, east of Santa Fe Ave., 1st Council district near border with 7th.) Oct. 4: Shots fired, vehicle struck, driver not hit, 1400 block E. 68th St. (9th dist.) Oct. 3: Two men shot, area 200 block @. 14th St. (area 14th St. Park/Pacific Ave., 1st Council district) Oct. 3: Boy (male juvenile) is shot while riding his bicycle, PCH/Golden, border 1st/6th districts) Oct. 2: Man shot, LB Blvd/Bort St. (Coolidge Triangle area, 9th dist.) Sept. 29: Two men (adults) shot in the 2600 block of Delta Ave. (WLB, 7th dist.) Sept. 27: Man shot, area 15th/Daisy Ave. (1st Council district) Sept. 25: Woman shot, 14th St. Park/Seaside Park area (1st Council district) Sept. 25: Man shot, area Artesia Blvd./Minnesota Ave. (9th dist., NLB) Sept. 24: Man shot, area of Seabright Ave. near West Wardlow Rd. (7th district.) Sept. 24: Man shot -- and killed -- in the area southeast of Atlantic Ave./South St. (8th dist.) Sept. 23: Man struck/wounded in the area of MLK/17th St. (6th Council district) Sept. 23: Shooting scene but no victim located, 700 block Cedar Ave. (1st dist.) Sept. 18: Long Beach Blvd/Louise St., two people -- a girl (female juvenile) and a man (adult) -- were shot/wounded by a suspect on a skateboard in the area of Louise St./Long Beach (8th Council district) Sept. 17: A suspect shoots at a security guard in the area of LB Blvd./20th St. following a dispute; the gunfire missed the guard. (6th dist.) Sept. 16: A man (adult) was shot and killed in the 1200 block of Chestnut Ave. (1st Council district.) Sept. 15, A man was shot/wounded in the 2400 block of E. 14th St. (western part of the 4th dist.) Sept. 11, A man was shot/wounded in the area of 52nd St/Elm Ave. (8th dist.) Sept. 10 in the midnight hour, a man was fatally shot in the 2100 block of Pasadena Ave. (6th Council district) Sept. 7: 400 block W. 5th St. (area Chestnut Ave., 1st dist., about 4 blocks north of City Hall): A man was shot and killed. Sept. 7: Butler/Artesia (9th dist.) non-fatal shooting in NW NLB Sept. 3, 1400 block Gaviota (6th dist.), someone fired gunshots at a man (adult) who was driving; shooter missed him but struck his vehicle. Sept. 1: 16th/Pine (1st dist.): Parked vehicle hit by gunfire although no person was hit. Sept. 1: 10th St./Olive Ave. (border 6th/1st districts): Man (adult) hit by gunfire View the discussion thread. blog comments powered by Disqus Recommend LBREPORT.com to your Facebook friends: Follow LBReport.com with: Twitter Facebook RSS Return To Front Page Contact us: mail@LBReport.com Three of Tennessees largest four cities are now searching for school superintendents. Jesse Register retired last June and, after botching the first attempt, Nashville city leaders are intensely helping the Board of Education in a search for the best candidate. In Knoxville and Chattanooga the superintendents have resigned, both under a cloud, and now the leaders of the 2.0 initiative are offering to help the Hamilton County Board of Education find both an interim and a permanent head of schools. In Nashville a glittering cross-section of city leaders is partnering with the school board because all of them just like us in Chattanooga realize we cannot fail again. The Chattanooga 2.0 report clearly demonstrates a dismal picture. Our central office is rife with cronyism, favoritism, and a fractured leadership. The school board has also lost its respect after the last three superintendents the board has selected have each gone down in flames. As a group, our teachers are disheartened, fearful and disrespected. Classroom misbehavior is off the charts. Bullying is rampant, as a district attorneys investigation will soon reveal. So in the midst of such challenges, the Hamilton County School Board has a golden opportunity to include the 2.0 leadership, allow our area leaders to become part of the solution, and form a select committee to help all of us through the storm. It is, quite literally, an offer our elected school leadership cannot refuse. On the field of opportunity, its plowing time again! It is a fact that Chattanoogas people have lost confidence in our public schools. Parents are upset. Businesses that need our graduates are greatly concerned. There is only one bright spot and that is the hope our school board members will embrace a cross-section of other community leaders with open arms, open ears and open hearts. I cannot remember a better opportunity where everybody wins in the end. Make no mistake. The nine elected school board members will select the next superintendent. But with business leaders, legal minds, financial experts and others asking questions and offering suggestions, the selection process will not only be enhanced but also simplified. And the totally transparent process wont cost the HCDE or its board one thin dime. With a budget of over $400 million any of us can see how volunteers from the business and financial sectors in our community would be a godsend. Theyve never wanted to help before; suddenly it has become a mission for all of us to pitch in. None of us knew how bad things have gotten until the 2.0 report, but now what? Suffice it to say, there has never been a drowning man who refused to take an outstretched hand. A huge factor to consider is that the school board, with HCDE funds already strained, can hardly afford to pay for a concerted search for Department of Education leadership. But if the board will call on the 2.0 group, with its foundations and concerned businesses and readily-available resources, they will find not just the help, but added wisdom in the search for the best superintendent we can find. I believe this process could build bridges that would result in some wonderful partnerships that would give our students summer jobs, encourage on-site learning, sponsor events and allow many concerned people to help in more ways than you might imagine. When the Hamilton County School Board meets next Thursday night, I pray chairman Jonathan Smith will have a welcome mat at the door. * * * Donna Horn, a school board member who was quick to object when I worried about the good ole boys on the school board, was well within her rights to protest she wasnt among such a crowd. That is gratifying to know. But what was tragic was that Donna, who once taught math in the HCDE, included the sentence, I retired with 20 years because I would not work under what I would deem a dictatorship, or even better put, under a bully, so I walked out three days short of retirement. Do we need a better testimony of the rancor that we must overcome than that! While I am disheartened that Donna hasnt used her voice on the school board to eradicate the unquestionable bullying of many teachers in HCDE by the GOB, it is absolutely deplorable she had no other recourse but to quit. Whats more, her term will end in August. Why hasnt any other school board member who knew of her ordeal had the courage to confront her bully? The whole thing is incredulous and is a spectacular reason we must all come together to assure the next Donna Horn will never, ever, be bullied. royexum@aol.com The President of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Chapter 673 advised Boyd Pattersons campaign team today that the IBPO voted unanimously to endorse Mr. Patterson for Criminal Court Judge. The letter of endorsement recognized Mr. Patterson as an unwavering public servant for years and his past work with law enforcement to combat violent street gangs in our city. Upon learning of the endorsement, Mr. Patterson expressed his deep appreciation. I am truly honored to receive this endorsement for Criminal Court Judge. Coming from a group of public servants who deal with crime every day makes it especially meaningful, he said. The letter in its entirety reads: The International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 673 proudly endorses Boyd Patterson for Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge. Boyd was imperative in the formation of the gang task force that worked with our department to combat violent street gangs in our city. Presently, as a DA with Juvenile Court, he works tirelessly to effectively prosecute juveniles in a way that utilizes his knowledge of behavioral science in order to affect change in both the juvenile and within the community. He has been an advocate for both officers and victims in our cases before the Juvenile Court and has worked with the Chattanooga Police Department on numerous occasions prosecuting some of our most violent offenders. In all of those times, Boyd has shown a high degree of professionalism, a loyalty and dedication to justice, and an unyielding optimism in all results. With his education and experience, we feel that he is the most suitable candidate for this occupancy. Boyd has been an unwavering public servant for many years in this community and his efforts throughout the years have made our city a safer place to live. Michael Newton, president (CPD) Joshua Austin (VP) Kristoffer Tinney (VP) George Jackson, President (HCSO) Michael Korter (VP) Wesley Chambers (VP) The primary election for Criminal Court Judge is March 1. Early voting is Feb. 10-23. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has made a gift to the Dalton State Foundation in support of student scholarships, College officials recently announced. We are proud to have earned this kind of philanthropic support from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation for our students, said Dalton State Foundation director David Elrod. The local Bank of America and its president, Will Pridgen, have been friends of Dalton State for two decades, and this latest investment in the College demonstrates Bank of Americas outstanding corporate citizenship in our community and their partnership with us in providing unimpeded access to higher education opportunities. The gift will sustain financial need-based scholarship awards for the 2016-2017 academic year. On a campus where more than two-thirds of our students seek need-based financial aid in order to attend classes at one of the most affordable colleges in the country, gifts like those from Bank of America have immediate and long-lasting impact on the institution and, more importantly, in the lives of our students who benefit from this kind of generosity, Mr. Elrod said. Donors interested in learning more about scholarship opportunities at Dalton State may contact the Dalton State Foundation at 706-272-4473 or at foundation@daltonstate.edu. Senator Bob Corkeron Wednesday opened Senate debate on the bipartisan North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act, legislation that will expand and tighten enforcement of sanctions for North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile development and other destructive activities of the Kim regime. We know all too well that the past two decades of North Korean policy from both Republican and Democratic administrations have been an abject failure, said Senator Corker in a speech on the Senate floor. And while there is no silver bullet solution [to address North Korea], it is clear that Congress must play a proactive role in providing more robust policy tools to the executive branch to confront this threat.He said, Our bill sets precedents and puts in place strong mandatory sanctions, and establishes for the first time a statutory framework for sanctions in response to North Korean cyber threatsAfter the careful work over many months by a bipartisan coalition in Congress, we have a piece of legislation that I believe will allow our country, working with our allies, to begin seizing the initiative in constraining North Koreas ability to threaten its neighbors and the world with nuclear weapons while also continuing to focus world attention on the plight of the North Korean people.Complete text of Senator Corkers remarks on the Senate floor is below:Mr. President, I want to start by thanking the leader for bringing to the floor today the bipartisan North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act. This legislation passed unanimously out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to address a critical national security issue the nuclear and ballistic missile threat from North Korea.We know all too well that the past two decades of North Korean policy from both Republican and Democratic administrations, have been an abject failure. And while there is no silver bullet solution [to address North Korea], it is clear that Congress must play a proactive role in providing more robust policy tools to the executive branch to confront this threat.There has been a lot of attention on North Korea in the weeks following North Koreas fourth nuclear test, but Senators Cory Gardner and Bob Menendez demonstrated leadership on North Korea long before recent events.And I want to thank them personally. Senator Gardner, leading, chairing the subcommittee that looks after policy relative to North Korea and Senator Menendez coming together with a robust piece of legislation. I want to thank you for your leadership. Youre [Gardner] new to the committee but certainly not new to addressing problems that our nation faces, and I want to thank you for that.I would like to thank them for their efforts over many months to focus attention on the threat posed by North Korea and to work with Senator Cardin and myself to develop a bipartisan Senate bill.I want to single out Senator Cardin and his staff for the collaborative and constructive manner in which they worked with our team on this important bipartisan piece of legislation.Senators Shaheen and Markey also made important contributions as well.This was truly an all-hands-on-deck bipartisan committee effort to ensure this piece of legislation is one that the Senate, the Congress and the country can be proud of.Over the past decade, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has convened every couple of years at the full committee level to assess the state of U.S. policy toward North Korea.There has been surprisingly little variation in their overall descriptions of the danger and recommended policy prescriptions.Former U.S. officials have all characterized North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile activities as posing serious and unacceptable risks to U.S. national interests.These same officials also all stressed the importance of standing with our close regional allies, South Korea and Japan, in the face of destabilizing North Korean provocations.In addition, they all cited the necessity of cooperating with the international community to deter further North Korean provocations and prevent the spread of sensitive technologies to and from North Korea.They all noted the importance of enforcing United Nations (UN) Security Council sanctions on North Korea, specifically the need for China to exercise greater influence over Pyongyang.Now let me just say this: I am personally very disappointed at the way the UN Security Council is functioning. Whether its Iran where we had two ballistic missile tests [or the North Korea tests], and yet nothing has been done at the UN Security Council level.Most recently, China sent a delegation to meet with North Korea right before this last test in order to try to influence them, and they were embarrassed. Let me say this: the country of China was embarrassed by the fact that North Korea went ahead with this ballistic test. And yet, in spite of that embarrassment, in spite of the fact that it is their neighbor on their border that is conducting these provocations, they still have not agreed to UN Security Council resolutions to put in place sanctions against North Korea. That is very disappointing.And in recent years, U.S. officials have spoken increasingly of the deplorable human rights situation in North Korea, including highlighting North Koreas notorious prison camps.Of course there have been some differences in approaches toward North Korea over the years, particularly with respect to the tactics of engaging North Korea and the appropriate balance of carrots and sticks.Yet it is apparent that the past several decades of U.S. policy are not working.North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities unchecked. They have orchestrated malicious cyberattacks that threaten our allies as well as our own national security. Meanwhile, the North Korean people remain impoverished and subject to brutal treatment at the hands of the Kim regime.I appreciate the complexity of the risks posed by North Korea and their limited options; however, there is certainly more that we can and should be doing to address this issue.Our bill sets precedents and puts in place strong mandatory sanctions, and establishes for the first time a statutory framework for sanctions in response to North Korean cyber threats.The president will be required to investigate a wide range of sanctionable conduct, including proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), arms-related materials, luxury goods (which affect the elite in that country), human rights abuses, activities undermining cyber security and provision of industrial inputs, such as precious metals or coal for use in a tailored set of activities, including WMD, proliferation activities and prison and labor camps.Penalties include the seizure of assets, visa bans and denial of government contracts.But I am also pleased that this bill goes beyond just these sanctions, which by the way are very strong. And I want to underline the word mandatory.It establishes a more robust policy framework, including tools to improve enforcement, and shines a brighter spotlight on North Koreas abhorrent human rights record such as their forced labor practices.The bill requires a strategy to promote improved implementation and enforcement of multilateral sanctions; a strategy to combat North Korean cyber activities; and a strategy to promote and encourage international engagement on North Korean human rights related issues.There are reporting requirements related to these strategies as well as a report on political prison camps and a feasibility study on providing communications equipment to the people of North Korea.After the careful work over many months by a bipartisan coalition in Congress, we have a piece of legislation that I believe will allow our country, working with our allies, to begin seizing the initiative in constraining North Koreas ability to threaten its neighbors and the world with nuclear weapons while also continuing to focus world attention on the plight of the North Korean people.I look forward to hearing the perspectives of my colleagues on the significance of this legislation that I expect will receive wide bipartisan support and eventually become law.With that, I thank you, and I yield the floor to my distinguished friend, Ranking Member Senator Cardin. Afterward, Senator Corker said Senate passage of the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016 (Gardner-Menendez) will provide the U.S. with a robust set of tools to confront the increasingly dangerous nuclear and ballistic missile threat from North Korea. The Senate approved the legislation in a unanimous vote of 96 to 0. North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and launched a ballistic missile last week in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Yesterday in testimony before Congress, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper confirmed North Koreas progress in expanding production of weapons-grade nuclear fuel. Today the U.S. Senate in strong bipartisan fashion gave our country a more robust set of tools to confront the growing North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile threat, said Corker. We can no longer afford to pursue a failing policy while North Korea advances its nuclear capabilities and continues to top lists of proliferators of weapons of mass destruction, perpetrators of cyberattacks, and systemic violators of human rights. This legislation targets a wide range of the regimes illicit activities as part of establishing a more effective and proactive policy to eliminate the danger from North Koreas nuclear program and alleviate the suffering of the North Korea people. Achieving these objectives will require increased vigilance by the U.S. and the cooperation of the international community, especially from China, which must stop preventing the United Nations Security Council from taking further action against North Korea. He said the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016, which was approved unanimously by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in January, includes the following key provisions: Sanctions: The bill requires the president to investigate sanctionable conduct, including proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), arms-related materials, luxury goods, human rights abuses, activities undermining cyber security and the provision of industrial inputs such as precious metals or coal for use in a tailored set of activities, including WMD, proliferation activities and prison and labor camps. The president is mandated to sanction any person found to have materially contributed to, engaged in or facilitated the above activities. Penalties for sanctionable activities include the seizure of assets, visa bans and denial of government contracts. The president retains the discretionary authority to sanction those transferring or facilitating the transfer of financial assets and property of the North Korean regime. The president may waive sanctions, but only on a case-by-case basis. The bill requires the Secretary of Treasury to determine whether North Korea is a primary money laundering concern. If such a determination is made, assets must be blocked and special measures applied against those designated persons. Strategies and Policies: The bill requires a strategy to promote improved implementation and enforcement of multilateral sanctions; a strategy to combat North Korean cyber activities; and a strategy to promote and encourage international engagement on North Korean human rights-related issues. There are reporting requirements related to the above strategies as well as a report on political prison camps and a feasibility study on providing communications equipment to the people of North Korea. The State Department is required to expand the scope and frequency of travel warnings for North Korea. CHANGE has been highlighted at St. Raphaels in Celbridge where the hundreds of people with intellectual disabilities are supported by the St. John of God Kildare Services. CHANGE has been highlighted at St. Raphaels in Celbridge where the hundreds of people with intellectual disabilities are supported by the St. John of God Kildare Services. A recent Celbridge Provincial Gathering, held on Tuesday, June 11, was, in part a tribute to the retiring Provinicial, Brother Laurence Kearns, and a welcome for new CEO, John Pepper, who congratulate Director of Services, Clare Dempsey and her team. Occasions such as these lend themselves congratulations almost by their nature but the work at St. Raphaels to make life as normal and enjoyable for so many was evident. In particular, a film of the many activities and the people involved them, Moving Forward A Celebration of Achievements 2011-2013, was both informative and entertaining. It was enlivened by the outstanding host on the day, Mark Smith, whose own life story reflects many of the good things about St. Raphaels. In 2003, the Leader interviewed Mark on a number of occasions as he competed for Ireland in the World Special Olympics Games. It was always a possibility that those influential Games would have been the only or main highlight for Mark but thanks to Ms. Demspey and the more creative than ever team, as Mr. Pepper put it, a decade later, Mark has had a very full life which includes attending NUI Maynooth as an anthropology student. As Brother Laurence, the retiring Director of Services, put it: There is a great sense of real community here. It is a pity the whole of Ireland doesnt have the sense of community you have here, he added. - Henry Bauress Its annual budget time and the Welsh Liberal Democrats have secured some substantial investment in young people in the Welsh budget including 5000 new apprenticeships, increase in and extension of the Pupil Premium and a young persons bus pass. The full list of Liberal Democrat policies to be implemented is: an increase in the Pupil Premium (aka Pupil Deprivation Grant): in 2016/17 each school will receive 1,150 for every pupil eligible to receive free school meals; the extension of the Pupil Premium to include under 5s, worth 300 per pupil on free school meals; a Young Persons Bus Pass for 16-18 year olds worth nearly 15m; funding for around 5,000 new apprenticeships; 95m capital investment in infrastructure that will provide a strong boost to jobs and the economy; an agreement that no construction of the M4 relief road will start before the next Assembly elections alongside a detailed Environmental Impact Study; extra childcare investment for further education students in Wales who are parents, investing in a pilot scheme promoted by the National Union of Students. Lib Dem Finance spokesperson Peter Black said: The European Referendum question asks Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union? Voters are not being asked whether we accept David Camerons renegotiation proposals or the (draft) European Council Agreement. Nor are we being asked our opinion on the crises in the Eurozone and Schengen areas. Just as Wilsons 1975 renegotiation was promptly forgotten during the 1975 referendum campaign, we need to put Camerons renegotiation behind us. Both were risky exercises to paper over splits within their respective parties. Although Camerons renegotiation is subject to greater public scrutiny than in 1975, the referendum question does not ask us to unpick, let alone approve, it. The Leavers cite the Eurozone and Schengen crises as main reasons why we should leave the EU, yet we are not members of either group. How can we leave groups we arent part of? We are being asked whether we should remain in EU areas in which we do participate. As Liberal Democrats, we know our EU membership benefits us. As part of the worlds largest market, UK firms can export freely to more than 500 million affluent consumers. Each UK household is better off by a net 2,660 per annum in terms of more jobs and foreign investment (CBI, 2013). If we leave, Credit Suisse recently predicted a recession with a 1-2% drop in GDP. Alone the UK, the worlds fifth largest economy with 2% of global GDP, would have less weight in international trade negotiations. The UK would be a less attractive destination for foreign investment as we are no longer part of the worlds largest market with 30% of global GDP. The UK influences and agrees all applicable EU legislation through the participation of our elected ministers in the EU Council and elected members in the European Parliament. Non-members such as Norway and Switzerland have to adopt EU legislation, full free movement and pay just under what we do for access to the Single Market. Do we want to pay and have no say? If we vote leave, we lose control. With NATO, the EU has contributed to spreading peace, prosperity and democracy in Europe. Armed conflict between any EU state is now unthinkable. The UK cannot combat international crime and terrorism, and climate change alone. EU regulation curbs banking excesses, reduces consumer prices, and tax avoidance. EU social legislation provides for more holidays, maternity rights, equal pay and a safer working environment. A vote to leave the EU would throw the future of the UK into doubt. The SNP would likely win a second Scottish independence referendum and the Northern Ireland peace process could be undermined. Our global influence would diminish. The EU without the UK and EU neighbours might be even more susceptible to destabilisation by a resurgent Russia. The leavers are unable to offer, let alone agree, a viable alternative to EU membership. We know what Remain looks like (the present) but we do not know what leave looks like. Eurosceptics are calling for an uncertain leap into the dark. Lib Dems need to broaden the debate and campaign on these merits of remaining in. By answering the referendum question, we increase the chances of remaining in and help build the Fightback. * Nick Hopkinson is chair of the Liberal Democrat European Group (LDEG) and former Director, Wilton Park, Foreign and Commonwealth Office. As we told you on Monday, Tim Farron got representatives from charities, NGOs and political parties round the table today to work on a practical plan for the UK to accept 3000 unaccompanied child refugees who have reached Europe. Among those attending were Save the Children, UNICEF, Islington Law Council, Kent Refugee Action Network, Refugee Council, Homes for Good, Coram, Barnardos, British Red Cross, ECPAT UK, Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign, The Childrens Society, ILPA and the Local government Association. Also, Leader of the Green Party Caroline Lucas MP, Margaret Greenwood (Labour) MP, Heidi Allen MP (Conservative) and Mark Durkan MP (SDLP) came along. Tim told the meeting: The scale of the crisis beyond comprehension, the British government has ignored our calls. We can, and must do more. Plans will now be drafted to lay out a comprehensive blueprint of how communities up and down the country could offer a home to 3,000 children. He added: It is not surprising that media reports focus on the appalling conditions in the Calais and Dunkirk camps. On a recent trip Lord Roberts team saw for themselves how men, women and children live in knee-high mud, and brave the winter weather with little more than flimsy tents to keep the wind and rain at bay. In response to accusations that the British government are neglecting their humanitarian responsibilities, the Prime Minister champions the fact that under the Dublin Regulations, the UK has to allow family members of British people to claim asylum in the UK. Despite the Dublin Regulations, the reality is that virtually no one can access this legal route. Many asylum seekers do not fully understand the unnecessarily complex system, and are unaware of exactly what their rights are; there are even reports of British passport holders unable to enter the UK from the camps. Despite government claims that British officials are present in the camp, these visits are occasional at best and offer no means of beginning an asylum claim. So although many asylum seekers in Calais and Dunkirk (as well as across Europe) have a legitimate legal right to claim asylum in the UK, it is incredibly difficult to access in practice. The French government are also forcing asylum seekers to live in unsafe, unsanitary and punishing conditions. Life in the Jungle is arguably more bearable than life in the rapidly expanding camp in Dunkirk, because since the summer communities have built a theatre, library, and numerous churches, mosques and shops. The majority of people in Calais live in solid structures provided by numerous grassroots groups, such as Help Refugees. Meanwhile in Grande-Synthe, French police prevent even the most basic of building materials from entering the camp because the mayor does not want the camp to expand. Thus, people are denied the opportunity to improve their living conditions, and are forced to live in knee-high mud with few hygiene facilities (many of which are often broken). There are numerous NGOs such as the French Red Cross and UNHCR which specialise in crisis management. These organisations could drastically improve living conditions in the camps at no cost to the government, but French authorities refuse in the vain hope of deterring other migrants from coming to Dunkirk. Of course, dealing with the humanitarian crisis across the Channel is not the sole responsibility of French. As one French grassroots volunteer pointedly asked me: Where are the British in all this? The British government have admitted that the management of the camp both in terms of humanitarian aspects and maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the French Government. The government have effectively washed their hands with the humanitarian crisis, and hidden behind the Dublin Regulations which state that refugees must claim asylum in the first safe country they reach (which is usually Greece, Italy or Turkey). The reality is though, many people in the camps on the French coast (and, indeed, across Europe) want to come to the UK; this makes it, unequivocally, a British concern. Additionally, there are numerous accounts of police brutally beating, gassing and intimidating peaceful asylum seekers without provocation. Reports of police using tear gas against areas of the camp used by children are particularly disturbing. Tear gas is banned during warfare through the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 and the Geneva Conventions. However, use of tear gas can be lawful if used for riot control. Alarmingly though, unprovoked attacks are becoming an almost nightly occurrence. This is treatment youd perhaps expect to see in countries such as Syria or Libya countries run by tyrannical dictators. This is not something you should expect to see in the country with the 6th largest economy in the world. Perhaps equally disturbing is the fact that the international community has so far failed to address this. The British government has allowed this treatment to go unchecked. Whether or not the British government accept more refugees is a separate argument, but it is woefully clear that the UK is ignoring numerous obligations to intervene in the crisis under supranational law, including; the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to name but a few. It is not too late for the British government to intervene in the humanitarian crisis on the French coast. The UK possesses the political muscle to pressure French authorities. Both nations were able to work together swiftly and effectively to protect national interests by fortify the Channel Tunnel complex; there is no reason why the two governments cannot work equally as effectively to tackle the humanitarian emergency. Responsibility for preventing the prevalence of systematic violence, squalid living conditions and the non-existence of legal advice goes beyond moral obligation it is a legal requirement. The UKs response (or lack thereof) begs the question what is the point of international treaties and agreements if they are brushed under the carpet when convenient? As two of the richest and most powerful nations in Europe, the British and French governments do possess the economic capital and political weight to deal with this crisis. Both governments need to get their heads out of the sand, and work together to fulfil their legal and moral obligations. Criminal Court judge candidate Boyd Patterson has been a friend of ours for many years. We are excited to be supporting him as a friend and campaign treasurer. Boyd has the experience to serve in the position. He has litigated thousands of criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to first-degree murder and has conducted more than 50 jury trials. He is the only candidate running who is a prosecutor. He has prosecuted crimes on behalf of victims, including domestic violence, gang cases and selected youth violence cases. Boyd is passionate about understanding what motivates people to commit crimes and how to motivate these individuals to become productive members in our community. He was instrumental in supporting and organizing support for the Gang Task Force. He has helped to organize anti-gang public outreach events within our community and worked with the Juvenile Court judge and staff to implement prevention and intervention initiatives. Boyd is innovative. He developed JuryStar, a nationally recognized iPad app; he has assisted in designing technology updates in criminal courtrooms which has actually helped to save taxpayer dollars; and he has created statewide online networks for trial development and for child abuse prosecutors. Boyd has extensive knowledge of criminal law and truly cares about the crime in our community. He has written many publications, including a courtroom evidence manual which is used in criminal courts across Tennessee. Boyd has a Masters in Psychology was previously a counselor for delinquent/at-risk youth and continues to have a sincere interest in determining ways to turn their lives around. We believe that Boyd Patterson is the best candidate for Hamilton County Criminal Court judge. With his experience, passion, innovation and knowledge, he will truly make positive changes within our community. We urge you to join us in voting for Boyd Patterson. Kari and Jay Hudson Chattanooga * * * In response to Roy Exums article on Criminal Court No Brainier, I think Roy forgot to use his own brain before writing the article. First, Roy's right we have three excellent candidates running for the judgeship post. The public is fortunate that we have such fine men willing to put their names on the ballot. I've seen a lot of opinions for all three candidates, and everyone talks about their man being of high moral fiber. I'm sure Roy and the other letter writers are correct, the men running are good men of high character. But, let us dispense with the platitudes and folksy stories and cut to the chase of the problems here in Hamilton County. Hamilton County is in the mists of a violent, bloody gang war. We have a murder, shooting, robbery or other violent crime - every single day. Just this week, a 16-year-old was just gunned down in East Ridge. Last week, we had a horrific double homicide that is believed to be a gang-related execution and was witnessed by a 5-year-old child. It's a bloodbath out there. We need a dedicated crime fighter on the Criminal Court bench. The only candidate running for Criminal Court judge with real crime fighting experience is Boyd Patterson. Boyd's been prosecuting criminals for 12 years. He's literally put hundreds if not thousands of criminals behind bars. Boyd knows who the killers and rapist in this town are, and his experience as a prosecutor will help us put them behind bars. As a crime fighter, Boyd has dedicated his career to punishing criminals and ensuring that justice for the victims and fairness to the accused have been upheld. Still, his crime fighting efforts didn't stop with his day job. He worked just as hard to prevent crime from occurring in the first place. Not just as the leader of the gang task force, but as a writer, educator and counselor. Boyd's service to our community is rooted in his desire for justice, law and order. Fighting crime has been Boyd's ambition and his life's work. If you look into Boyd's background, even superficially, you will find a man who has dedicated his life to crime fighting. We need a dedicated crime fighter on the Criminal Court bench. Thats one of many reasons Boyd is the only candidate endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 673. They are the public servants fighting crime every day. Which brings me back to Roy's no brainier comment without thinking, Roy fell back to folksy wit and character platitudes and failed to think through our communitys real need a dedicated crime fighter. That crime fighter is Boyd Patterson. Doug Stephens Signal Mountain * * * I spent 26 years as a police officer. During the latter half of that career I had the opportunity to present my part of various cases to Boyd Patterson for prosecution. Through that experience, I found Boyd to be concerned with the truth and what was best resolution for all involved. After his departure from the District Attorneys office to the Gang Task Force, I saw his involvement in the development of methods to track individuals through gang affiliation coupled with the development of programs serving as an alternative to gang involvement. Boyd has also been involved from within the courts and outside the courts in addressing areas such as family violence, drug enforcement, truancy and mental health treatment. These actions serve as proof of his dedication to improving our community from all angles. He has also developed methods to improve the efficiency of the courtroom through technology and I am confident that he would continue to implement ways to streamline the cumbersome processes of the court system. My relationship with Boyd was always through the professional association between the police department and the District Attorneys office. I encourage all those that do not know Boyd on any level to go to his website and see for yourself the credentials that, I believe, make Boyd Patterson the most qualified candidate for Criminal Court judge in Hamilton County. Ed Duke Chattanooga Police, retired AN Educate Together (ET) secondary school in Limerick could lead to students experiencing fewer difficulties at third level. Thats according to Dr AnnMarie Ryan, of the Kemmy Business School, who was speaking at a public meeting designed to gauge public interest in the setting up of an ET school at the new 600-pupil facility planned for the Mungret College site. More than 150 people were at the South Court Hotel for the public meeting, which heard from parents of children of Limericks two ET primary schools, and Gerard OLeary, the principal of Celbridge Community School, one of only four secondary schools with the ET ethos in Ireland. ET schools are unique in that children are accepted regardless of religious beliefs. Decisions are sought democratically, with teachers, students and parents' views all carrying an equal weight. Dr Ryan said: Curiosity is the most important attribute you could have rather than memory. We have first years who have great difficulty in coping and having to give up, or change courses as they have chosen them for the wrong reason. It makes me really hopeful there are these kinds of projects out there, and I feel it will make a real difference when it comes to them engaging well at third level. There were also calls at the meeting for more people to get involved in the campaign committee, with hopes that ET can be awarded patronage of both new schools, in Mungret and Castletroy. SINN Fein Cllr Maurice Quinlivan has said that the "chaos continues" for the University Hospital Limericks emergency department overcrowding rates. Cllr Quinlivan reflected on last Fridays figures released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, which showed that 37 people were left on trolleys in the A&E and additional beds or trolleys in the wards the highest rate in the country, that morning. On Monday and Tuesday, UHL continued to have the highest overcrowding rate in the State; 43 people on trolleys on Monday morning; 45 on Tuesday morning. Cllr Quinlivan said that Government TDs should hang their heads in shame. The policies, which they have supported and implemented over the past five years, have directly created the conditions for crisis at University Hospital Limerick. Fine Gael and the Labour Party have decimated the public health service in this state through a purposeful programme of under investment, cuts and starving hospitals of vital staff and resources. They are going around Limerick at the moment asking people to give them votes to 'keep the recovery going.' I have to ask - where is the recovery for the 37 patients lying on trolleys in UHL today? Cllr Quinlivan is a candidate in the Limerick City constituency. He said that Sinn Fein is committing to 6,600 additional frontline workers, if in Government. THE SUDDEN and tragic death of Gerard Ryan has cast a shadow over the community, said the Castleconnell parish priest Fr Brendan Kyne. The 41-year-old, who was from Keeper View, Gooig, was fatally injured on the Nenagh side of Dalys Cross when he was out walking at 6.15am on Sunday morning. The driver of the car was uninjured. The late Gerard (Jed) Ryan will be buried in Stradbally cemetey after Requiem Mass this Thursday morning at 11.30am. The late Mr Ryan was the beloved son of the late Ger and is sadly missed by his heartbroken mother Ann, sister Roisin, brother Donal, sister-in-law Catriona, brother-in-law Jamie, nephew Ryan and niece Tara, aunts, uncles, relatives and many friends. Fr Kyne said that for his dearly beloved family everything is changed in an instant. Gerard's boundless generosity and goodness was very much part of who he was. His bubbly, good-humoured personality brought joy and happiness to many people. He was a huge Munster supporter and did everything possible to attend their games. He loved walking, especially with his mum. The music of U2 held a special place in his heart. Our thoughts and our prayers are with his family and friends at this time, said Fr Kyne. Mr Ryan was as popular in his parish as he was in his workplace. His passing has been deeply felt by colleagues in Teleflex Medical, Annacotty, where he worked for 22 years. Ger was an exceptional employee but above all he was a fantastic personality. We will miss his smile, his humour, his friendship and his sense of style. Ger will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him and had the pleasure of working alongside him over the years, said Rink Van Der Wal and Maria Quaid, plant and HR managers. Ann Byrnes, Teleflex Gof Society, said Mr Ryan was announced as incoming captain for 2016 which he accepted with great delight. He was all organised for the year and took great pride in his role. He was the life and soul of our annual weekend away trip and had this years trip organised for Mount Juliet in May. Ger was the Rickie Fowler of fashion in the society. He will be greatly missed but will never be forgotten. Rest in peace. THE HUNT Museum has launched its series of exhibitions for the year, beginning with one of historic posters from World War One. The event, which was unveiled last week, reveals an evocative array of recruitment posters, on loan from the Ulster Museum (National Museums of Northern Ireland), Belfast. The emotional pleas encouraging recruitment to the British Army captures the mood of the era as thousands of young men from across the island responded to the call to arms. The exhibition, opened by William Blair, curator of history of the Ulster Museum, reminds us that all the forces of the State creative and political were rallied to respond to the conflict a conflict on an unprecedented scale. The varied posters on display image and text based appealed to all shades of political opinion in the period - nationalist and loyalist, said Mr Blair. Some 200,000 men responded to the call and posters such as these were an important too in encouraging recruitment. Hugh Maguire, director of the Hunt Museum, said that apart from strengthening their ongoing good links with the Ulster Museum this exhibition sets the Easter Rebellion in the wider context of the prevailing discourse early in 1916. In many respects this will make the contrast with our forthcoming exhibition on Ned Daly and Limerick all the more dramatic, said Dr Maguire, noting that one political narrative and culture was interrupted by another. The exhibition is open daily free of charge until March 11 and is supported by a programme of lectures and classroom activities. This exhibition will be followed in March, by an exhibition on Limerick and its connections with the 1916 Rising, based on the Daly papers, which will be on loan from the Glucksman Library in the University of Limerick. That exhibition will run from March 21 to May 15. The course of their exhibitions will change slightly in May, with an exhibition of paintings by the renowned Robert Ballagh, entitled A Terrible Beauty: Centennial Reflection. Their year of exhibitions will close in October with a photographic exhibition by Eamonn Farrell, focusing on power politics, and particular Charlie Haughey and Desmond OMalley. It will run from September 5 to October 16. A retrospective of Celia Holman Lees life in fashion was among the most successful exhibitions held in the Hunt Museum last year, helping to draw in crowds of over 110,000. Footfall in the museum in 2015 remained healthy, though not quite as dramatic as 2014, during City of Culture. Ideally, he said, they would need three to four galleries to hold as much as we would like. Sheriff Eric Watson announced the appointment of Allan Walsh as superintendent of the new Bradley County Workhouse, which will begin construction soon and be opened this year. Plans are for the new facility, to be adjacent to the Bradley County Sheriffs Office, Jail and Courts complex, to hold up to 128 non-violent, low security inmates. A graduate of Bradley Central High School, Mr. Walsh has served the Bradley County Sheriffs Office Corrections Division continuously for 32 years, with 10 of those as administrator of the Bradley County Jail. Most recently, he has held the position of senior lieutenant in Corrections. Mr. Walsh has been certified by the Tennessee Corrections Institute, the organization that oversees all jails and holding facilities in Tennessee, as well as mandatory training for personnel, for 32 years. Sheriff Watson said of Sr. Lt. Walsh, Allan was instrumental in the planning, design and operations of the present Bradley County Jail, as well as the implementation of the Direct Supervision program. He has also supervised the transport and extradition team. His experience in all phases of corrections work uniquely qualifies him to assume the leadership of the new workhouse. Mr. Walsh is a graduate of the National Institute of Corrections in Boulder, Colorado, where he received a Jail Security Audit Certification. He has additional training from the University of Tennessee in Supervision Management and Homeland Security Training, as well as specialized instruction in Fugitive Investigation and Court Security. Most recently, Sr. Lt. Walsh received the 2014 Sheriffs Career Excellence Award. Sheriff Watson said, I am honored that the Bradley County Commission has entrusted my office with the operation of the new workhouse and Im excited that Allan Walsh will be here to oversee the construction and implementation of programs there. In conclusion, the sheriff said Mr. Walsh has long been an asset to the Bradley County Sheriffs Office, and he looks forward to a continued successful working relationship in his new position. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page. Although the Republican legislators who represent Hamilton County are not willing to fully fund the BEP 2.0, they have endorsed sending thousands of your and my tax dollars to private schools. The voucher bill (HB1049) provides the promise of a private school education to students currently enrolled in low-performing schools. Vouchers may provide financial resources; however, vouchers are not the solution. At a time when several school systems are suing Tennessee for inadequately funding the BEP, why are legislators giving their support for the voucher bill? Is it because legislators have joined the pro-private school marketing campaign or because each legislator wants the best for every K-12 student in the state of Tennessee? The issue of school vouchers is a concerted effort to distract favorable support for public schools in Tennessee. Are our legislators prepared to accept the impact the voucher bill will have on students remaining in failing schools? Get behind our public schools and provide full support to our students, their parents, and teachers. After all, offering whats best for the best should be offered to all students. Right? If not, why? Margaret M. Smith, Ed.D. Signal Mountain * * * I have read many of the editorials that lambast the efforts of Tennesseans who would like the opportunity to take advantage of vouchers to send their children to schools other than public schools. How this effort would hurt public schools and how we should, as good citizens, try to support our public schools. The problem is that the people who want us taxpayers to support these schools probably don't have school aged children. Well, I do. And what's more, I pay to send my children to a local private school, and watch my tax dollars go to the very same public schools that I refuse to send my children to. I would like to have a say in where my tax dollars go but I don't. And no, I'm not well off by any means, but I see what my children's school has done for them and in them and that's what sways my thinking and why I send them to said private school. Kristoffer Tinney Chattanooga * * * Also, Ms. Smith, I ask the question why do we have privileged magnet schools where we segregate students, teachers and moneys? Jay Reed Falling Water More than a hundred people in a homosexual relationship have received marriage licenses from Hamilton County clerk Bill Knowles. The licenses were issued from June 26 through Feb. 3, according to a county spreadsheet. The rush to homosexual nuptials was the U.S. supreme courts publication of the Obergefell v. Hodges opinion, which is generally said to have overturned marriage in all 50 states. The 101 gay unions are nearly 7 percent of marriages licensed by Tennessee state government in Hamilton County. Altogether Mr. Knowles licensed 1,469 marriages in that period. The balance of 93 percent are contracted between one man and one woman. July 2 was the busiest day for homosexual unions in the county. Six couples obtained state permission and a license for their same-sex relations, all of which are recorded by Mr. Knowles as lawful and legal, no different than the licenses issued that day to man-woman couples. Rural Reluctance The number of gays in Hamilton County tally at least three times as large as the 1.7 percent of the American population said to be homosexual. Gallup says 3.8 percent of the adult population identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. The rate may be disproportionately in favor of same-sex couples because Hamilton Countys being the seat of a city. Homosexuality is less common in rural America, where marriage is part of traditional and conservative culture. In rural counties near Chattanooga 2.28 percent of licenses have been to gays. - Sequatchie County licensed 67 marriages, none to gays, clerk Charlotte Cagle says. - Rhea County issued 116 licenses from June 1 through Feb. 8, with three being same-sex, according to clerk Linda Shaver. - Bradley County clerk Donna Simpson says 560 marriages of all kind were licensed, of which 14 were between people of the same sex. The period in question is from June 26 through Feb. 8. Obergefell is an attempt by the court majority to reconstruct the mores and perspective of a people who at their nations founding were largely Christian. The project is egalitarian in theory and relies on state power for its accomplishment. What the State Creates, It Controls Homosexuals cannot marry at common law, which is essentially biblical in its holdings about the human race. They marry as a matter of state grant, privilege and permission, accomplishing effectively a right an act and relationship that was a capital offense in the original 13 American colonies. For that is the definition of license. A license is a permission, usu. revocable, to commit some act that would otherwise be unlawful, says Blacks Law Dictionary, 8th edition. A license is permission to do an act unlawful, illegal or otherwise forbidden. Couples who marry under the states authority do two important things against self-interest. They create a marriage bond with three partners, the state being the primary and enabling partner, and thus able to claim important authority over the fruit of that union, namely the children. Secondarily, when a man and woman marry under state license, they forsake the exercise of a right to marry entirely on their own. In asking the state for a permission to wed, they pretend they lack capacity to unite in wedlock until death. Marriage is a common law right because it comes from the creation of mankind. Every man has a right from God to marry the woman of his choosing, and she has every right to accept a man of her choosing. This right exists in every human being, regardless of whether he or she believes in a creator God. Constitutions refer to such rights as unalienable because they are God-given. Homosexuals have no choice in the marriage question except through favor from the state. Gays need permission to do what is unlawful and otherwise a crime. Republicans and Democrats in Nashville have used Obergefell to impose homosexual unions on all. Unlike gays, people in traditional culture or in Christianity have an absolute right to marry apart from any court opinion or any state law. Tennessee law pretends to have deleted the right to marry and having replaced it with marriage through agency of the state. As David Fowler points out in his Feb. 4 Bradley County lawsuit over Tennessees marriage law, the state has made marriage a subject of regulation since 1778. In Title 36 the sovereign declares void any marriage contracted within the state but outside its authority. In other words, state government rejects marriage as an exercise of common law right and views any common law marriage contracted within the state as a nullity. A couple who enters marriage at common law in Tennessee cannot resort to its courts in a divorce. The state in its high-handedness imposes bastardy on children born outside of statutory wedlock. Obergefell aside, marriage law is directory in Tennessee at best, a legal fiction that cannot stand a true assertion of a constitutional rights properly claiming a free course of innocent liberty. Marriage law cannot extinguish unalienable rights to marriage. The state is mere pretense as against any mans natural right before God to marry the woman of his choosing. The states claim to exclusive jurisdiction over marriage in the name of public morals and the good order of society is full of pride. It haughtily denigrates ancient rights that precede state and church. So what is common law marriage? What is its form? Marriage under the constitution is established five ways: Capacity, consent, consummation (sexual intercourse), cohabitation and holding-forth. A state license is a document asserting these conditions are met without anyone having to take the trouble to prove them. State law operates on the premise of power over the citizen. Obergefell and the states capitulation to its revolutionary claims are merely a furthering of that theory of power. Only now state law has been decimated by the federal judiciarys implied preemption by judicial fiat, as Jeff Atherton, Hamilton County chancery court judge, puts it. Acting in line with Judge Athertons eyebrow-raising opinion in August, Mr. Fowler is suing on behalf of minister Guinn E. Green and Bradley Commissioner Howard Thompson, whose arguments suggest a bright ray of light for defenders of marriage. Namely, the return of common law marriage in which lifelong sexual unions between man and woman and these alone are the basis of human society and civilization. Common law marriage is really a form of local economy marriage. It says we can do it here, by ourselves, without outside help, outside regulation and supervision. We dont need Nashvilles laws, TCA codebooks and state approval and consent to appreciate marriage and live it out in practice. We can handle marriage here in Chattanooga quite well enough, thank you. The more power to us. David Tulis hosts a show 9 to 11 a.m. weekdays at David Tulis hosts a show 9 to 11 a.m. weekdays at AM 1240 Hot News Talk Radio , covering local economy and free markets in Chattanooga and beyond. * * * Why did I not need to see who wrote the article "Gays Get 7 Percent Marriage Licenses In Hamilton County, 2 Percent Elsewhere?" I recognized the baleful moan of another religious reactionary crying in the outhouse of his own sanctimonious making. Not content to live alone in his hate-filled hell of tormented orthodoxy, he constantly blusters to turn back the clock to the dark ages of persecution for being different than him. His brand of religious freedom requires that his is the only religious freedom accepted; that his madness be imposed as the Divine Will for he is the mouthpiece of his Divine Tyrant and a willing executioner in that inquisition. The writer and other thumping busybodies, who continually push to stop anyone who seeks peace and tranquility outside the narrow-minded and soul-crushing fanaticism of religious extremism, were perfectly described by a sage of the 20th century. "Puritanism. The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." - H. L. Mencken So along with Mencken and others, I choose to laugh while they froth and the spittle flies. Stephen Greenfield * * * I see no relevance in what Mr. Tulis always rants about. He continually tries to impose his religious beliefs on others, which his theology is totally fine for him and is a fundamental right that he possesses, is what I have issue with. His rights I have no problem with. It's his opinion that his thinking is the only correct way and everyone else is wrong. I do appreciate the statistical data, but again: why is it relevant? If marriage between man and woman is a biblical right, when church and state are still supposed to be separate, and so sacred and sanctified, then why is it that at least 50 percent of marriages between a man and a woman end in divorce? Shall they be stoned like the Bible says? Stoning is as ridiculous of an idea now as someone's defiance of laws and the highest court we have in our system regarding human rights to marry whoever they love based upon their personal religious ideals. Bottom line: if you are truly that upset about and vehemently against gay marriage, then don't get married to someone of the same sex as you. Plain and simple. The only reason gay marriage could effect a heterosexual marriage is if one of the two is gay and hiding or suppressing it. It still has no bearing on anyone else's marriage. Your marriage will not crumble if someone else's fails, Richard Hendricks-Smith * * * Mr. Tullis' letter indicates that he refuses to acknowledge the difference between the secular and the sacred--largely because he does not seem to distinguish between the two. By failing to do so, he also refuses to acknowledge that the Supreme Court ruling invalidates the manner in which the "state controls." His take on this issue unsurprisingly straddles a divide between touting state power and flaunting it in favor of the construct he calls the "Local Economy" depending on which entity supports his position. Finally, Mr. Tullis didn't pause during his composition to consider one key point about the statistic he places in bold type. The "Rural Reluctance" he imagines could have many causes. Perhaps, same-sex couples living in those rural counties might feel more comfortable traveling to Hamilton County for a marriage license? My marriage isn't threatened by this statistic---and neither is his. I'm rather surprised someone took the time to obtain such "data" from the county clerk's office. Will Taylor An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in a Knoxville woman being charged with the attempted murder of a Ripley police officer. At the request of 25th District Attorney General Mike Dunavant, TBI special agents responded to an incident on Nelson Street in Ripley around 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Officers with the Ripley Police Department had developed information about the possible whereabouts of Sequna Copeland, who was a fugitive on the TBIs Top Ten Most Wanted list, and executed a traffic stop of a vehicle. During the course of the investigation, agents learned that the female driver, Stashia Piphus, drove off from the officer who was making the stop. The officer gave chase on foot. Ms. Piphus began driving in reverse toward the officer, who fired several shots at the occupants of the vehicle before being struck by the suspects car. The investigation showed that when two other Ripley police officers arrived at the scene, Ms. Piphus began to drive forward toward them. Those two officers in front the vehicle fired shots at the occupants, striking them both. Ms. Piphus and the male occupant of the car, Sequna Copeland, were both transported to hospitals. Copeland has since been released from the hospital and is in federal custody. The officer who was struck by the vehicle was flown to Memphis for medical treatment, where he remains hospitalized. On Wednesday morning, Stashia Piphus, 26, was released from the hospital and booked into the Lauderdale County Jail on one count of attempted first-degree murder. Ms. Piphus is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, at which time her bond will be set. The Cancer Treatment Fairness Act, SB2091/HB2239, was before the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Tuesday. Committee members heard testimony from a variety of sources about the benefits of the bill that allows cancer patients to get the treatment that is determined by their doctor to be the best option without out-of-pocket costs being a deterrent, said officials. Bill sponsor, Senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro), a cancer survivor, told the committee why the bill is important to cancer patients across the state and why it is personal for him. "I vividly remember sitting beside other patients during my hours of chemotherapy treatments watching them get sick, Senator Ketron said. An IV treatment can take six to eight hours, and as I was going through that process, I realized that for many patients it might be easier for them to take a pill at home. Unfortunately, Tennessee is one of only 10 states in the country that doesnt have a level playing field for cancer patients when it comes to the patients out-of-pocket cost of treatment. Scientists are finding more innovative ways to treat cancer, but in Tennessee an outdated benefit structure isnt always allowing patients to take advantage of those advancements, said officials. Oral anti-cancer medications, which are often available in a pill form, can have fewer side effects than traditional therapies. More than 25 percent of new anti-cancer treatments in the research pipeline are in oral form, making patient-administered therapies an increasingly important component of cancer treatment. For a number of cancers, oral anti-cancer medications are actually already the standard of care with no treatment alternatives, said officials. "Oral cancer drugs may represent the only or best treatment option in some instances, Dr. Jeff Patton, chief executive officer of Tennessee Oncology, said during his testimony to the committee. "Oral cancer drugs play an increasingly important role in my day-to-day care of cancer patients. Traditional treatments, usually given through an IV or injection, are covered under a patients medical benefits resulting in a small co-pay or no cost at all. Oral treatments are usually part of the health plans pharmacy benefit and result in high out-of-pocket costs for patients. This disparity can negatively impact patients taking their medication as prescribed, said officials. Kelly Owens, an oncology social worker for the past 13 years at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, testified before the committee giving senators specific examples of the challenges she helps patients work through every day. I see patients at the worst times of their lives, Ms. Owens said. I see the fears. I see the tears. I hear the agony and anxiousness in their voice when they have to choose to either pay a bill, buy food, or buy their medicines. Just this week I had a patient call crying because she had been without her medicines for one week. These are citizens who work and have insurance. The legislation directs health plans that currently cover cancer treatments to apply the same patient cost-sharing for therapies taken by mouth as those that are administered by IV or injection. It is not a mandate and does not create a new insurance benefit. Leukemia survivor, Teresa Leonardi also testified at the hearing so senators could hear her personal story and struggle with out-of-pocket costs for oral anti-cancer treatments. In the end, this will be a life-long battle, Ms. Leonardi said. Its my hope that we can get these drugs at a manageable cost not just for me, but for everyone in this state, because when you're fighting for your life, you don't need to fight bankruptcy over the out-of-pocket cost of your medication. Studies show that oral anti-cancer therapies, when compared with those administered intravenously, not only help decrease overall health care costs, but they also reduce work loss costs, and improve the quality of life for patients, said officials. Action on the bill was deferred in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee. Rep. William Lamberth (R-Cottontown) is the bills sponsor in the House of Representatives. Illustration of a young black hole, such as the two distant dust-free quasars spotted recently by the Spitzer Space Telescope. More photos of black holes of the universe Don Lincoln is a senior scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermilab, the United States' biggest Large Hadron Collider research institution. He also writes about science for the public, including his recent "The Large Hadron Collider: The Extraordinary Story of the Higgs Boson and Other Things That Will Blow Your Mind (opens in new tab)" (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014). You can follow him on Facebook. The opinions here are his own. Lincoln contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Cutting-edge science is an exploration of the unknown; an intellectual step into the frontier of human knowledge. Such studies provide great excitement for those of us passionate about understanding the world around us, but some are apprehensive of the unknown and wonder if new and powerful science, and the facilities where it is explored, could be dangerous. Some even go so far as to ask whether one of humanity's most ambitious research projects could even pose an existential threat to the Earth itself. So let's ask that question now and get it out of the way. Can a supercollider end life on Earth? No. Of course not. But it's not really a silly question for people who haven't thought carefully about it. After all, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's biggest and most powerful particle accelerator, is explicitly an instrument of exploration, one that is designed to push back the frontiers of ignorance. It's not so unreasonable to ask how you know something isn't dangerous if you've never done it before. So how is it I can say with such utter confidence that the LHC is completely safe? Well, the short answer is that cosmic rays from space constantly pummel the Earth with energies that dwarf those of the LHC. Given that the Earth is still here, there can be no danger, or so the reasoning goes. And that could well be the final story, but the tale is much richer than that short (but very accurate) answer would lead you to believe. So let's dig a bit deeper into what makes some suspect a danger, and then explore a fairly detailed description of the point and counterpoint involved in delivering a solid and satisfying answer to the question. Can the LHC create an Earth-killer black hole? Skeptics have proposed that the LHC would produce many possible dangers, ranging from the vague fear of the unknown to some that are strangely specific. The most commonly mentioned is the idea that the LHC can make a black hole. In popular literature, black holes are ravening monstrosities of the universe, gobbling up everything around them. Given such a depiction, it's not at all unreasonable for people to then wonder if a black hole created by the LHC might reach out and destroy the accelerator, the laboratory, then Switzerland, Europe and finally the Earth. This would be a scary scenario, were it credible but it's not. What immediately follows are the weaker (but still compelling) reasons why this possibility is, well, not possible, and in the next section you will see the cast-iron and gold-plated reasons to dismiss this and all other possible Earth-ending scenarios. The first question is whether a black hole can even be created at the LHC. Alas, when looking at all of the scientific evidence and using our most modern understanding of the laws of the universe, there is no way that the LHC can make a black hole. Gravity is simply too weak for this to occur. Some skeptics protest that one explanation for the weakness of gravity is that tiny extra dimensions of space exist. According to that theory, gravity is really strong and just appears to be weak because gravity can "leak" into the extra dimensions. Once we start probing those tiny dimensions, the strong gravity could perhaps make a black hole. Sadly for black hole aficionados, no one has found evidence for the existence of extra dimensions, and if they don't exist, the LHC can't make black holes. So the entire underlying idea of that particular possible danger is built on a long shot. Yet, even in the unlikely case that extra dimensions are real and a black hole can be created, there is a good reason to not worry about black holes damaging the Earth. The shield against that hypothetical danger is Hawking radiation. Proposed in 1974 by Steven Hawking, Hawking radiation is essentially the evaporation of a black hole caused by its interactions with particles created in the vicinity of the hole. While black holes will absorb surrounding material and grow, an isolated black hole will slowly lose mass. The mechanism is a quantum mechanical one, involving pairs of particles being made near the surface of the hole. One particle will go into the hole, but the other will escape and carry away energy. Since, according to Einstein's theory of general relativity, energy and mass are the same, this process has the effect of very slowly decreasing the mass of the black hole. Even though one particle enters the hole, the loss of the other results in the hole slowly evaporating. This is a tricky point. Most people think of a black hole as the mass at the center, but it's actually both the mass at the center and the energy stored in the gravitational field. The particle zooming down to the center is just moving around in the black hole, while the particle that moves out escapes the black hole entirely. Both the mass of the escaping particle and the energy it carries are lost to the black hole, reducing the energy of the entire black hole system. And the rate at which a hole evaporates is a strong function of the hole's size. A large black hole will lose energy very slowly, but a small one will evaporate in the blink of an eye. In fact, any black hole the LHC could possibly make, via any possible theory, will disappear before it can get near any other matter to gobble up. A simulation of a particle collision inside the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest particle accelerator near Geneva, Switzerland. When two protons collide inside the machine, they create an energetic explosion that gives rise to new and exotic particles. (Image credit: CERN) Strange strangelets Another proposed danger is a thing called a strangelet. A strangelet is a hypothetical subatomic particle composed of roughly an equal number of up, down and strange quarks. Mind you, there is zero evidence that strangelets are anything other than an idea born in the fertile imagination of a theoretical physicist. But, if they exist, the claim is that a strangelet is essentially a catalyst. If it impacts ordinary matter, it will make the matter it touches also turn into a strangelet. Following the idea to its logical conclusion, if a strangelet were made on Earth, it would result in the entire planet collapsing down into a ball of matter made of strangelets kind of like turning the Earth into an exotic version of neutron star. Essentially a strangelet can be thought of as a subatomic zombie; one that turns everything it touches into a fellow strangelet zombie. But there is no evidence that strangelets are real, so that might be enough to keep some people from worrying. However, it's still true that the LHC is a machine of discovery and maybe it could actually make a strangelet well, if they really exist. After all, strangelets haven't been definitively ruled out and some theories favor them. However, an earlier particle accelerator called the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider went looking for them and came up empty. Those are but two ideas for how a supercollider could pose a threat, and there are more. We could list all of the possible dangers, but there remains something more unsettling to keep in mind: Since we don't know what happens to matter when we start studying it at energies only possible with the LHC (that is, of course, the point of building the accelerator), maybe something will happen that was never predicted. And, given our ignorance, maybe that unexpected phenomenon might be dangerous. And it is that last worry that could have potentially been so troubling to the LHC's creators. When you don't know what you don't know, you well you don't know. Such a question requires a powerful and definitive answer. And here it is Why the LHC is totally safe Given the exploratory nature of the LHC research program, what is needed is an ironclad reason that demonstrates that the facility is safe even if no one knows what the LHC might encounter. Black holes are strange regions where gravity is strong enough to bend light, warp space and distort time. (Image credit: Karl Tate/Space.com) Luckily, we have the most compelling answer of all: Nature has been running the equivalent of countless LHC experiments since the universe began and still does, every day, on Earth. Space is a violent place, with stars throwing off literally tons of material every second and that's the tamest of phenomena. Supernovas occur, blasting star stuff across the cosmos. Neutron stars can use intense magnetic fields to accelerate particles from one side of the universe to another. Pairs of orbiting black holes can merge, shaking the very fabric of space itself. All of those phenomena, as well as many others, cause subatomic particles to be flung across space. Mostly consisting of protons, those particles travel the lengths of the universe, stopping only when an inconvenient bit of matter gets in their way. And, occasionally, that inconvenient bit of matter is the Earth. We call these intergalactic bullets mostly high-energy protons "cosmic rays." Cosmic rays carry a range of energies, from the almost negligible, to energies that absolutely dwarf those of the LHC. To give a sense of scale, the LHC collides particles together with a total energy of 13 trillion (or tera) electron volts of energy (TeV). The highest-energy cosmic ray ever recorded was an unfathomable 300,000,000 TeV of energy. Now, cosmic rays of that prodigious energy are very rare. The energy of more common cosmic rays is much lower. But here's the point: Cosmic rays of the energy of a single LHC beam hit the Earth about half a quadrillion times per second. No collider necessary. Remember that cosmic rays are mostly protons. That's because almost all of the matter in the universe is hydrogen, which consists of a single proton and a single electron. When they hit the Earth's atmosphere, they collide with nitrogen or oxygen or other atoms, which are composed of protons and neutrons. Accordingly, cosmic rays hitting the Earth are just two protons slamming together this is exactly what is happening inside the LHC. Two protons slamming together. Thus, the barrage of cosmic rays from space have been doing the equivalent of LHC research since the Earth began we just haven't had the luxury of being able to watch. Now one must be careful. It's easy to throw numbers around a bit glibly. While there are lots of cosmic rays hitting the atmosphere with LHC energies, the situations between what happens inside the LHC and what happens with cosmic rays everywhere on Earth are a bit different. Cosmic ray collisions involve fast-moving protons hitting stationary ones, while LHC collisions involve two beams of fast-moving protons hitting head-on. Head-on collisions are intrinsically more violent; so to make a fair comparison, we need to consider cosmic rays that are much higher in energy, specifically about 100,000 times higher than LHC energies. Cosmic rays of that energy are rarer than the lower energy ones, but still 500,000,000 of them hit the Earth's atmosphere every year. When you remember that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old, you realize that the Earth has experienced something like 2 billion billion cosmic ray collisions with LHC-equivalent energies (or higher) in the atmosphere since the Earth formed. In order to make that many collisions, we'd need to run the LHC continuously for 70 years. Given that we're still here, we can conclude that we're safe. But to be absolutely sure ... The cosmic ray argument is fantastic, as it is independent of any possible LHC danger, including ones we haven't imagined yet. However, there is a loophole that potentially reduces the argument's strength. Because cosmic ray collisions are between a fast-moving and a stationary proton, the "dangerous" particle (whatever that might be) gets produced at high velocity and may shoot out of the Earth before it has time to damage it. (It's like in billiards when a cue ball hits another ball. After the impact, at least one, and often both, go flying.) In contrast, the LHC beams hit head-on, making stationary objects. (Think of two identical cars with identical speeds hitting head-on.) Maybe they will stick around and wreak carnage on the globe. But there is an answer to that too. I picked the Earth because it is near and dear to us, but the Earth isn't the only thing being hit by cosmic rays. The sun gets hit as well; and when a cosmic ray hits the sun, it might make a high-energy "dangerous" product, but that product then has to travel through a much larger amount of matter. And this doesn't take into account that the sun is much larger than the Earth, so it experiences many more high-energy collisions than our planet does. Further, we can expand the number of cosmic targets to include neutron stars, which consist of matter so dense that whatever potentially dangerous thing we might consider will stop dead in the neutron star right after it is made. And yet the sun and the neutron stars we see in the universe all are still there. They haven't disappeared. Safety assured! So that argument is the bottom line. When you ask if the LHC is safe, you have to realize that the universe has already done the experiments for us. If you're a topical expert researcher, business leader, author or innovator and would like to contribute an op-ed piece, email us here Cosmic rays hit the Earth, the sun, other stars and all the myriad denizens of the universe with energies that far exceed those of the LHC. This happens all the time. If there were any danger, we would see some of these objects disappearing before our eyes. And yet we don't. Thus, we can conclude that whatever happens in the LHC, it poses exactly, precisely, inarguably, zero danger. And you can't forget the crucial point that this argument works for all conceivable dangers, including those that nobody has imagined yet. So having established the ironclad safety of the LHC, what then? Well, we absolutely hope that we do make black holes in the LHC as explained, they would be tiny and not gobble up the planet. If we do see tiny black holes, we'll have figured out why gravity seems so weak. We'll probably have established that extra dimensions of space exist. We'll be that much closer to finding a theory of everything, a theory that is so persuasive, simple and concise that we can write its equation on a T-shirt. While we are now assured that the LHC is utterly safe, it is absolutely true that the safety question was important for scientists to investigate. In fact, the whole exercise was a satisfying one, as it used the best scientific principles to come to a definitive conclusion that all can agree is valid. So now we can push back the boundaries of our ignorance, with only our increasing excitement of the prospect of a discovery to distract us. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates and become part of the discussion on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science. Four immigrants, including three adult men and a young teenager, were found buried in cemeteries outside of Rome. Analyses of the teeth suggested the individuals lived during the first to third centuries A.D., and are considered the first individuals identified as migrating to the city during the Roman Imperial era. Heres a look at the excavated skeletons and study findings. [Read full story about the Roman migrants] Ancient migrant The partial skull of a man between the ages of 35 and 50, found in a cemetery outside of Rome. This man lived and died in the capital city of the Roman Empire during the first to third centuries A.D., but he wasn't born there. A new isotope analysis of the teeth of this and other skeletons reveals the first known individual migrants to Rome during this era. Isotopes, or variations of elements, can reveal where a person spent their early years, when tooth enamel was developing. This man's enamel was high in strontium isotopes, suggesting he grew up somewhere with old geology (as opposed to most of Italy's young rocks). Other isotopes point to the Alps or the islands of the Tyrrhenian Sea as a possibility. (Credit: Kristina Killgrove) Long-distance traveler The skull of a second middle-aged man who was probably a migrant to Rome during the Imperial era. Isotopes in this man's teeth suggested that he may have hailed from the Alps or Italy's Tyrrhenian islands, or some other spot with old, non-volcanic geology. Researchers can't know if this person was a voluntary migrant or a slave brought to Rome by force. His burial, however, suggests that he was a low-status person.(Credit: Kristina Killgrove) Cemetery Map A map showing two cemeteries outside of Rome where researchers found evidence of migrants to the city. Casal Bertone and Castellaccio Europarco were burial grounds for the metropolis, which was home to perhaps a million people during the Imperial Era. Burials took place outside the city walls for reasons of hygiene and religion. (Credit: Killgrove K, Montgomery J (2016) All Roads Lead to Rome: Exploring Human Migration to the Eternal City through Biochemistry of Skeletons from Two Imperial-Era Cemeteries (1st-3rd c AD). PLoS ONE 11(2): e0147585. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0147585) Geology of Italy A map showing the types of rocks underlying Italy. Geology can tell researchers where a person came from. In the first years of life, when the tooth enamel is forming, molecular signatures from food and water end up incorporated into the teeth. Some of these signatures, called isotopes, originate in the rocks and soil. Killgrove and her colleagues studied isotopes of the element strontium to pinpoint newcomers to Rome. (Credit: Killgrove K, Montgomery J (2016) All Roads Lead to Rome: Exploring Human Migration to the Eternal City through Biochemistry of Skeletons from Two Imperial-Era Cemeteries (1st-3rd c AD). PLoS ONE 11(2): e0147585. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0147585) Strontium graph This graph shows strontium isotope ratios for Imperial-era skeletons buried in two cemeteries outside of Rome. Most of the skeletons are clustered between 0.708 and 0.710, reflecting the strontium isotopes underlying Rome itself. But outliers on the graph T36, T24, ET76, T8, ET38 and T15 represent skeletons that may have belonged to migrants. (Credit: Killgrove K, Montgomery J (2016) All Roads Lead to Rome: Exploring Human Migration to the Eternal City through Biochemistry of Skeletons from Two Imperial-Era Cemeteries (1st-3rd c AD). PLoS ONE 11(2): e0147585. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0147585) Oxygen graph This graph shows the oxygen isotope ratios of skeletons from two cemeteries outside of Rome. Oxygen isotopes mostly reflect the origin of the water people drink, which can capture information about the climate, elevation and rainfall of the place of their birth. (Credit: Killgrove K, Montgomery J (2016) All Roads Lead to Rome: Exploring Human Migration to the Eternal City through Biochemistry of Skeletons from Two Imperial-Era Cemeteries (1st-3rd c AD). PLoS ONE 11(2): e0147585. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0147585) Comparing oxygen A graph comparing the oxygen ratios of Imperial Roman skeletons with skeletons found in the Isola Sacra cemetery of the city of Portus Romae, which is on the coast of Italy southwest of Rome. The differences in the values reflects the different origins of the drinking water and food of these two populations. (Credit: Killgrove K, Montgomery J (2016) All Roads Lead to Rome: Exploring Human Migration to the Eternal City through Biochemistry of Skeletons from Two Imperial-Era Cemeteries (1st-3rd c AD). PLoS ONE 11(2): e0147585. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0147585) Strontium and Oxygen A plot of strontium and oxygen ratios of people buried in Imperial Roman cemeteries outside of the city. A glance at this graph reveals outliers like T15, a middle-age man with an unusually high strontium ratio, or T36, an adolescent of unknown gender with a high oxygen isotope ratio and low strontium. This teen appears to have come from an arid climate with limestone or basalt geology, perhaps North Africa. (Credit: Killgrove K, Montgomery J (2016) All Roads Lead to Rome: Exploring Human Migration to the Eternal City through Biochemistry of Skeletons from Two Imperial-Era Cemeteries (1st-3rd c AD). PLoS ONE 11(2): e0147585. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0147585) Teen migrant? The frontal skull bone of skeleton T36, which belonged to a teenager between the ages of 11 and 15. This person had an isotope value suggesting that they were born somewhere with an arid climate and geology quite different than Rome's. One possible match, Killgrove and her colleagues reported, was North Africa. (Credit: Kristina Killgrove) Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bill Kilbride announced Tuesday the appointment of David Steele as vice president of Policy and Education. Mr. Steele will be involved in the Chambers support for Chattanooga 2.0 and initiatives related to workforce development. Were pleased to welcome Dave to our team, Mr. Kilbride said. He brings experience and insight to this leadership position at a time when the future of our community will be shaped by the education and policy decisions we make today. Mr. Steele spent most of his career at what he calls "the intersection between education and economic development." He says this role is "the perfect fit." Mr. Steeles career, which started with executive posts in chambers of commerce in the Midwest, includes public policy, economic and workforce development, higher education, public relations and marketing. "The Chattanooga region's capacity to balance pride in the past while also taking bold steps to shape the future is well-established and this is exactly what draws us here," said Mr. Steele. "The partnerships between the public and private sectors have helped to set the bar for cities across the nation and I'm incredibly excited to help write the next chapter in workforce development and public policy. Mr. Steele and his wife, Shannon, a former PR professional and nonprofit executive, will relocate from the Lakeland area of central Florida. Mr. Steele, raised in Georgia, and Mrs. Steele, raised in Alabama, said they consider Chattanooga "the perfect spot." Mr. Steele begins his new role in March. He holds degrees from Ashland University and the University of Notre Dame. The Library of Congress will again participate in Washingtons annual celebration of its gift of cherry trees from Japan with two events during the 2016 National Cherry Blossom Festival. A lecture by Paul Dolinsky, chief of the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) for the National Park Service, will discuss the Witness Tree Protection Program. Japanese Culture Day will feature hands-on activities for children. The events will take place in the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. Both events are free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are needed. The Library will also display selected items from its collections pertaining to the cherry blossoms and other memorable trees and landscapes from April 4 through July 1 in the Thomas Jefferson Building in association with the National Cherry Blossom Festival and National Park Service Centennial anniversary. Japanese Culture Day Saturday, March 26, 2016, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This program, presented by the Librarys Asian Division and the Center for the Book, introduces children and adults to Japanese culture through hands-on origami artwork creation, trying on kimonos and other activities. Cherry Blossom princesses from the last few years will instruct children in the art of tiara-making. At 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., will present Japan-In-A-Suitcase, a program about Japanese life and culture, including Japanese cuisine. Following each of these presentations, Tsuyoshi Takemori of DC Yamato-juku Karate Club will demonstrate karate. The Librarys Young Readers Center will provide an opportunity for children to explore the centers library of current and classic books. Location: Young Readers Center (LJ G29), Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building Lecture by Paul Dolinsky, National Park Service Tuesday, April 5, 2016, noon to 1 p.m. Paul Dolinsky will discuss the National Park Services Witness Tree Protection Program for trees whose history is intertwined with the American experience. He will also illustrate the unique combinations of botany and culture that have been documented for the Historic American Landscapes Survey. The program will be presented by the Librarys Asian Division and its Prints and Photographs Division. Location: Whittall Pavilion, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building The National Cherry Blossom Festival will be held March 20 through April 17, 2016. For more information, visit nationalcherryblossomfestival.org External. The Asian Division of the Library of Congress holds more than 3 million books, periodicals, newspapers, electronic media and a large number of manuscripts from Asia. The collection is the most comprehensive source of Asian-language materials outside of Asia, and covers the area ranging from Japan, China, Korea, Mongolia and the South Asian subcontinent to Southeast Asia. For more information, visit loc.gov/rr/asian/. The Prints and Photographs Division holds nearly 15 million photographs, drawings and prints from the 15th century to the present day. International in scope, these visual collections represent a uniquely rich array of human experience, knowledge, creativity and achievement, touching on almost every realm of endeavor: science, art, invention, government and political struggle, and the recording of history. For more information, visit loc.gov/rr/print/. Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nations oldest federal cultural institution. It seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, publications and exhibitions. Many of the Librarys rich resources can be accessed through its website at loc.gov. A Chattanooga postal worker has been charged by federal authorities with sexual exploitation of a child. Jason Wesley Ford was arrested after TBI officers set up a sting operation in a North Chattanooga house and began monitoring websites like Meetme.com and Kik.com. Prosecutor Terra Bay said they were looking for adults trying to contact teens for sexual purposes. Ford, 38, of 5709 Taggert Dr. in Hixson, thought he was "chatting" with a 14-year-old girl, when it was with two TBI agents. It was testified on Tuesday afternoon that Ford gave almost the same line to both "girls", including asking them to send him nude photos. He sent a photo of his penis as well as a photo of his penis and his face. Dianne Bracken, a postal inspector, testified that Ford, who went by the moniker of "bullettothehead," asked for the nude pictures, saying he wanted to be sure it was "not the cops" he was dealing with. He said, "I don't want to go to jail." Ford asked if the girls had a problem with the fact he was 38. He advised that he had worked at an adult establishment and had access to "toys." Ford chatted with one "girl": "Are you interested in having some fun?" The probation office recommended that Ford be released from jail while his case is pending. However, prosecutor Terra Bay called him "a danger to the community." Magistrate Chris Steger decided to allow Ford to live with a relative at Dunlap. Attorney Paul Bergmann said he would not have access to the Internet. He was placed under a $30,000 bond and electronic monitoring and will have a curfew. Check out our latest E-Edition Accessible anytime and anywhere on your desktop, tablet and smart phone devices. The Lodi News e-Edition is enhanced with the latest digital tools, including RSS feeds, social networking and much more. Check out our latest E-edition! Business & Finance, Health & Wellness, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: February 10 2016 Island Eye Surgicenter, currently on Glen Cove Rd. in Carle Place, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on January 20th for its new state-of-the-art facility to be located at 1500 Jericho Tpke in Westbury. Westbury, NY - February 10th, 2016 - Island Eye Surgicenter, currently on Glen Cove Rd. in Carle Place, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on January 20th, 2016 for its new state-of-the-art facility to be located at 1500 Jericho Tpke in Westbury. Slated to open in the Fall of 2016, the 27,000 sq. ft. facility will accommodate the growing number of surgeons and patients seeking the highest level of technology and surgical care in a facility designed exclusively for the treatment of eye disorders including laser cataract and glaucoma surgery, corneal transplants, oculoplastic/reconstructive surgery, retina surgery and cosmetic eyelid surgery. As a highly sought after research site for many years, the new space will also allow Island Eye to continue to be at the forefront of ophthalmic research. Island Eye and its surgeons have been involved in the development of many new drugs, devices and technologies in its 16-year history. This is a very exciting step for Island Eye, said Robert Nelson, PA-C, Executive Director of Island Eye Surgicenter. For the past 16 years we have been providing the highest level of care to our patients and this new facility, housed with the latest cutting edge technology will offer nothing less, and so much more. We are committed to continuing to be an important part of the healthcare delivery system on Long Island for many years to come. Island Eye has developed both a regional and national reputation as a Center of Excellence in Eye Care. Patients come from Nassau and Suffolk Counties, the NY Metro Area, across the country and abroad seeking the most advanced eye surgical care. Some 40 plus area surgeons call Island Eye their facility of choice to perform routine as well as complicated eye surgery. The Island Eye Surgicenter staff is highly trained and experienced in providing optimal ophthalmic surgical care. Its all we do, and what we do well said Nelson. Island Eye will continue to offer its patients a friendly, comfortable and safe environment where quality and excellent clinical outcomes are routine. The Island Eye Surgicenter located in Carle Place opened originally in 1999 and has seen exponential growth ever since. It will remain open until the new facility is ready to receive new patients. The opening of the new facility in Westbury will bring more jobs to the area. We anticipate that new jobs will be created as we move toward capacity in the new facility, said Nelson. We project that growth will occur over four to five years, and that 15 to 20 new jobs will be created, to add to our current roster of 60 plus dedicated staff. The design of the new Island Eye facility incorporates a wide variety of measures for energy efficiency, including a super insulated building shell, ultra-efficient HVAC systems, low energy lighting, and a large array of solar electrical panels on the roof. According to Richard Hardaway, Principal, Hardaway Sziabowski Architects, Wellesley, Massachusetts: Our firm has designed over a hundred such centers nationwide, and this is one of the largest and most well-equipped. The building systems as well as medical equipment are all designed for the highest level of patient safety and comfort. Although not a small building, sloping roofs, dormers and a porte-cochere give the building a residential feel and appearance. Local dignitaries, business members of the community and Island Eye employees were present at the ceremonial event, which took place on the 3.5-acre project site. Partners in the project include: The First National Bank of Long Island, United Realty, Talisen Construction Corporation, and Hardaway Sziabowski Architects. For more information, please visit their website, or call 516-877-2400. About Island Eye Surgicenter Island Eye Surgicenter is a New York State licensed and Medicare certified Ambulatory Surgery Center and has been nationally accredited by AAAHC (the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care). Island Eye Surgicenter is unique in that it specializes in the surgical care and treatment of eye disorders. The center has made significant contributions in its pharmaceutical and device research activities. Island Eye Surgicenter is also a N.Y. State licensed Tissue Transplantation facility, and is a leader in the field of Corneal Transplantation. Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: February 10 2016 Womens History Month Art & Photography Exhibition. Huntington, NY - February 10th, 2016 - Nassau County female artists and photographers are encouraged to apply to be considered for exhibition in the 3rd Annual Nassau County 2016 Womens History Month Art & Photography Exhibition, to be held on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at 6:00 pm, at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive & Legislative Building, 1550 Franklin Avenue in Mineola, New York. This free event, hosted by Comptroller George Maragos, will feature 50 to 70 of Nassau County's most distinguished female artists and photographers in an effort to spread awareness for the arts. Last years turnout was close to 300 visitors plus 60 artists. During the event, entrants will be judged by industry experts and academic professionals in two categories, fine arts and photography. Judges will include prominent members of the art community with winners in each category receiving prizes. Long Islands Xiomaro was invited by the Comptroller to return as a judge. Xiomaro is a nationally exhibited and published artist, curator, writer and speaker whose work has been extensively covered by the media including The New York Times, Newsday, News 12, The Huffington Post and Fine Art Connoisseur. His photography is widely exhibited at venues such as Harvard University, Long Island Museum, Fraunces Tavern Museum and by members of Congress. His exhibit, Theodore Roosevelts Unseen Summer White House was presented by Maragos last fall at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive & Legislative Building. To apply for consideration and for more information, artists should contact either Barbara Powell or Anthony Genova. Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: February 10 2016 The WSHU Public Radio Group has opened a Long Island News Bureau in Stony Brook, NY in partnership with Stony Brook Universitys School of Journalism. Stony Brook, NY - February 11th, 2016 - The WSHU Public Radio Group has opened a Long Island News Bureau in Stony Brook, NY in partnership with Stony Brook Universitys School of Journalism. The bureau, located in close proximity to the university, will serve as the base for WSHUs Long Island operations. The station is the leading NPR member station in Suffolk County, NY, and will use its new facilities to expand its Long Island news coverage. In a unique partnership with the Stony Brook University School of Journalism, WSHU will provide in-depth, hands-on learning experiences for undergraduate and graduate students. Operating under the guidance of WSHU News Director Dan Katz, interns and graduate assistants will have the opportunity to learn from WSHUs award-winning reporter Charles Lane and from NPR personnel. They will also be mentored by veteran New York City and Long Island reporter Terry Sheridan. Establishing a dedicated Long Island news team is exciting for several reasons, said Katz. Well provide our listeners with more daily news and in-depth feature stories on issues that originate from Long Island. Well also provide solid training to the journalists of the next generation. Howard Schneider, Dean of the Stony Brook University School of Journalism, added that, Were extremely excited about the opportunities this presents for our students. The training and on-air experience they get at an NPR affiliate like WSHU will be invaluable in preparing them to be the next generation of audio news reporters and storytellers. Since it first began broadcasting classical music and NPR News on Long Island in 1987, WSHU Public Radio has become Suffolk Countys principal source of public radio programming. WSHUs news team has long reported on the areas important issues. Charles Lane won a National Edward R. Murrow Awardone of the most prestigious prizes in journalism--in 2009 for his continuing coverage of Latino hate crimes and the murder of Marcelo Lucero in Patchogue. About WSHU Public Radio The WSHU Public Radio Group is a not-for-profit, member-supported station that brings the best in public broadcasting to more than 272,000* listeners on Long Island and Connecticut. An NPR member since 1984, the station airs highly regarded national programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Wait WaitDont Tell Me!, and Marketplace; locally-produced classical music; and its own regional news coverage for which it has won eight Edward R. Murrow Awards and scores of other prizes. Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com Columnists Press Releases Alison Lebovitz encourages others to make the world a better place one step at a time. The activist, author, and WTCI talk show host spoke on Monday before Kiwanis Club members at the Mountain City Club. She began with the Isaac Newton quote, We build too many walls and not enough bridges. To exemplify this, Ms. Lebovitz, who considers herself more of a storyteller than a speaker, said when she rides on planes she tunes out what is going on around her and gets in her own world. This causes her to sometimes think of the missed opportunity she had to connect with the stranger sitting next to her. In light of this she told the story of Stasia Kelly the daughter of the famous clown Weary Willie. Weary Willie, she said, was known as the clown that never smiled. Except for one time. On the day Emmett Kelly the man behind the frowning clown received the phone call his daughter Stasia had been born, a photographer captured the only picture of him smiling. Ms. Lebovitz went on to say that years later, when Stasia was on a plane to go to her fathers funeral, she held the smiling picture of her father in her lap. The man next to her struck up a conversation with Stasia. She told him about her father, showed him the picture, and said this was the happiest day of his life, because it was the day Stasia was born. Ms. Lebovitz said the man went ashen. Then he told the daughter he was the one who took the picture. This story reminded Ms. Lebovitz of how powerful peoples stories could be. She segued into a little bit about her own story how she grew up in Alabama, frequenting her grandfathers segregated, all-black bar called the Red Bell Cafe. She recalled her grandfathers funeral in 2006, and how a woman she had never seen before wanted to say something at the gravesite. The woman allegedly told the crowd that in the 1950s she was a young activist living in Montgomery. One rainy day she was trying to get signatures in front of the Red Bell Cafe when Ms. Lebovitzs grandfather invited her inside, gave her a dry booth, and let her continue her work without asking what she was doing. As it turned out, the woman was helping start a movement that would contribute to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. At the funeral she said Ms. Lebovitzs grandfather had been part of something much bigger than simply giving a young African American woman a place out of the rain. When we can give to others, we get things back, Ms. Lebovitz said to end the story. She said a persons actions caused ripple effects. For example, she talked about her oldest son and how she and her husband wanted him to play a team sport. But instead, her 15-year-old said he was going to start a rock n roll band and be the drummer. But he had never played an instrument, Ms. Lebovitz said. Regardless, the son and his friends started practicing at Ms. Lebovitzs house four days a week. They decided to enter a high school talent show and play the song Free Bird by Lyndyrd Skynyrd. Ms. Lebovitz said she was surprised to discover her son and his band were good, and getting better. In fact, they went on to win second place in the talent show. By supporting her sons band idea instead of forcing him to play a sport, Ms. Lebovitz found her son became happy. His band became his team, she said, giving her an aha moment as a mother about the importance of doing what makes a person happy. How do we become that 15-year-old who has the audacity to try something new? she challenged the audience. The last story she told revolved around Alfred Nobel, the chemist and inventor who patented dynamite. She told how in 1888 Ludwig Nobel died, and the French papers falsely reported Alfred Nobel was dead. The papers allegedly said, The merchant of death is dead. As a result of the mistake, Alfred Nobel read his own obituary and sequestered himself in his home for many days, thinking over the legacy he was leaving as the merchant of death because of dynamite. He decided to change his fate, Ms. Lebovitz said. And, upon his death, he left millions of dollars from his estate to establishments of humanitarian efforts, resulting in his legacy of the Nobel Peace Prize. In closing, Ms. Lebovitz asked everyone in the room to look at the legacy they were leaving behind and change something about it to make it better. She said stop and get to know the people all around. She said, Stop trying to figure out what society expects (you) to do, and figure out what (youre) passionate about, and what makes (you) happy. This way of life will bring positive change in the world, Ms. Lebovitz believes. Over 50 people turned out Tuesday night on a meeting called by County Commissioner Tim Boyd over issues with the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTA), and many took turns lambasting the agency, director Cleveland Grimes and attorney Chris Clem. Commissioner Boyd said at the end of the hour and a half session at the East Ridge Community Center, "If less than 10 people had shown up, I was going to not say anything else about the WWTA. But with this turnout the fight has just begun. I will be holding similar meetings in other parts of the county." Commissioner Boyd said the WWTA is included in the county budget, but he said County Mayor Jim Coppinger "takes the position that we can't do anything about it." He described the agency as one that focuses solely on enforcement "instead of fostering economic development and helping people." Commissioner Boyd said there is no mention of a mission statement or customer service in the agency's lengthy operating manual that he said was drafted by attorney Clem. David Hamill, chief operating officer of Raines Brothers, said the WWTA was launched to extend sewers into the unincorporated county to boost economic development. He said it soon began to take on city sewers from East Ridge, Signal Mountain and elsewhere that had major problems. But he said the WWTA did not have the issues it now has under former director Mike Howard. He said Mr. Grimes came from the enforcement arm of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). He said, "He's certainly not into customer service." Andrew Mullins, who is chairman of the Hamilton County Health and Safety Board, gave an emotional talk in which he told of frequent sewer backups into his home on Prigmore Road in East Ridge. He said he continually sought an audience with Mr. Grimes and finally was given an appointment. He said he waited 45 minutes in his office and noticed a man pacing and looking at him occasionally. He said Mr. Grimes (who he said was the man pacing) finally came out when he told the receptionist he was not leaving until he saw him. He said Mr. Grimes agreed that Prigmore Road was "the worst area of East Ridge" for sewer problems. He said it would cost $60,000 to $80,000 to fix the problem. He said Mr. Grimes said someone would come out to look at the situation, but he said no one ever did. Mr. Mullins said, "So Mr. Grimes and staff, I have a couple of questions. Are you inept in your job and service to the citizens of East Ridge? Are you totally incompetent? Are you just pathological liars or a combination of all the above?" Kay Keefe of Keefe Plumbing said there has been a big expenditure from an $8 per household fee to eliminate leaky sewer pipes, but she has not seen any evidence that the program is working. "Has it made any difference?" she said. Ms. Keefe added, "Maybe they are going about it the wrong way." She said she understands that five field employees had left WWTA. She said she sometimes has to wait eight hours for an inspector to arrive. She said on one occasion an inspector said he could not check the entire job, so she had to wait another eight hours for a second inspector. Ms. Keefe said, "And every time I speak out we wait a lot longer." Robert Kelly III said when he tried to move into a rental unit he was told by the WWTA that the water could not be turned on until the bill was paid for the past two tenants. He said he finally had to wind up paying $400, though he said "it was just wrong." Realtor Nancy Mercer-Defriese said she had a family set to move in, and the WWTA would not unpadlock the water until the $450 water bill for the prior occupant was paid. "This does have to stop," she said. Gene Shipley, a longtime plumber and Soddy Daisy commissioner, said, "We've not even touched the surface on what's wrong with the WWTA." He said the agency "is going to kill development in Hamilton County." Saying he believes the WWTA is heavily in debt, he said he expects that the $8 fee will rise along with sewer charges. He said, "Before long you'll be paying more to flush your commode than to watch television." Bill Foxworth of Roto Rooter said the WWTA "is totally out of control." He said it set local plumbers up for failure in the private lateral program. He said the agency wanted to use its own firm all along. He said one small restaurant was required by the WWTA to put in an over-sized grease pit that cost the owner over $30,000 and was about enough to put the owners out of business. He said he cleans the trap each month and only gathers a small amount of grease. He said, "It's an absolute shame and disgrace." Commissioner Boyd said he believes the WWTA is putting a major damper on East Ridge's potential for a huge development at Exit 1. He said he believes Zaxby's may back out of the project due to problems with getting a permit. He said Life Care Centers of America founder Forrest Preston had wanted to carry out a $30 million renovation at Exit 1 because it was his first nursing home. He said clearance was given by TDEC, but Mr. Grimes then sent a two-page "cease and desist" letter that cut the project to $10 million. Commissioner Boyd said, "There was nothing in the letter on what could be done to make the project a reality." Commissioner Boyd said a bill is before the legislature that would block WWTA from requiring new residents to pay bills owed by prior customers. Rick Carpenter, a longtime WWTA foe, said County Mayor Coppinger "could get rid of Cleveland Grimes. All he would have to do is pick up the phone." No one from the WWTA was at the session except East Ridge board representative Don Seagle, who goes off the board next month. Mr. Seagle made few comments, but Commissioner Boyd said he was sympathetic to the sentiments expressed at the meeting. Sometime before his death in a US drone strike in June 2015, Nasir al Wuhayshi recorded an insiders account of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. As the aide-de-camp to Osama bin Laden prior to the hijackings, Wuhayshi was well-placed to know such details. And al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which Wuhayshi led until his demise, has now published a version of his untold story. A transcript of Wuhayshis discussion of the 9/11 plot was included in two editions of AQAPs Al Masra newsletter. The first part was posted online on Jan. 31 and the second on Feb. 9. The summary below is based on the first half of Wuhayshis account. Wuhayshi began by explaining al Qaedas rationale for attacking America. Prior to 9/11, the jihadists cause was not supported by the Muslim people, because the mujahideens goals were not widely understood. The jihadists were divided into many groups and fought tit-for-tat conflicts with the tyrants. (The tyrants were the dictators who ruled over many Muslim-majority countries.) While the mujahideen had some successes, according to Wuhayshi, they were besieged by the tyrants until they found some breathing room in Afghanistan. The sheikhs studied this situation in meetings held in Kabul and Kandahar, because they wanted to understand why the jihadists were not victorious. And bin Laden concluded they should fight the more manifest infidel enemy rather than the crueler infidel enemy, according to a translation obtained by The Long War Journal. Wuhayshi explained that the former was the Crusader-Zionist movement and the latter were the apostates ruling over Muslims. While waging war against the apostate rulers was not likely to engender widespread support, no two people would disagree with the necessity of fighting the Jews and Christians. If you fight the apostate governments in your land, Wuhayshi elaborated, then everyone the Muslim people, Islamic movements, and even jihadists would be against you because they all have their own priorities. Divisions within the jihadists ranks only exacerbated the crisis, as even the mujahideen in their home countries could refuse to fight. Wuhayshi then cited Abu Muhammad al Maqdisi, a prominent pro-al Qaeda ideologue, who warned that the capability to wage combat in Muslim-majority countries did not yet exist. So, for instance, if al Qaeda launched a jihad against the House of Saud, then many jihadist movements would oppose this decision. Al Qaedas fellow travelers would protest that they were incapable of defeating the Saudi government. And these jihadists would complain they did not want to wage the battle prematurely, or become entangled in a difficult situation. For these reasons and more, according to Wuhayshi, bin Laden decided to battle the more manifest enemy, because the people would agree that the US is an enemy and this approach would not sow discord and suspicion among the people. Bin Laden believed that the Islamic movement would stand with al Qaeda against the infidels. Wuhayshis explanation of bin Ladens reasoning confirms that attacking the US was not al Qaedas end goal. It was a tactic, or a step, that bin Laden believed could unite the jihadists behind a common purpose and garner more popular support from the people. Not all jihadists agreed with bin Ladens strategy. In February 1998, bin Laden launched a Global Islamic Front for Waging Jihad Against the Jews and Crusaders. Wuhayshi claimed that a majority of the groups agreed to the initiative, but some, like the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), opposed it. (However, some senior LIFG members were folded into al Qaeda.) Gamaa Islamiya (IG), an Egyptian group, initially agreed to join the venture, but ultimately rejected it. As did other groups in the Arab Magreb, according to Wuhayshi. (Some senior IG leaders remained close to al Qaeda and eventually joined the organization.) Although Wuhayshi claimed that a majority of jihadist organizations agreed with bin Ladens proposal, only three ideologues joined bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri in signing the fronts infamous first fatwa. In August 1998, just months after the Global Islamic Front was established, al Qaeda struck the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. According to Wuhayshi, bin Laden held a series of meetings around this time, as he sought to convince as many people as possible that attacking America was the right course. Some jihadists objected, believing it would ensnare them in a trap. But bin Laden pressed forward, telling those who didnt agree that they wanted to fight lackeys without confronting the father of the lackeys. Al Qaedas path will lead to a welcome conclusion, Wuhayshi quoted bin Laden as saying. The initiative against the Crusaders continued after the US Embassy bombings, Wuhayshi said, and the number of people who supported it increased dramatically. During this period, the Global Islamic Front launched operations against the Crusaders on the ground and at sea, but the idea to strike from the air with planes had not yet been conceived. The origins of the 9/11 plot Wuhayshi traced the genesis of the 9/11 plot to both Osama bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), who would come to be known as the mastermind of the operation. But he also credited Abdullah Azzam for popularizing the concept of martyrdom in the first place. Azzam was killed in 1989, but is still revered as the godfather of modern jihadism. After the mujahideen had defeated the Soviets in Afghanistan, they considered hitting the Americans, Wuhayshi claimed. Azzam spoke harshly about the Western military camp. Azzam also introduced the jihadists to a new tactic. According to a translation obtained by The Long War Journal, Wuhayshi recommended that people listen to Azzams final speech, in which he reportedly said: God gave me life in order to transform you into bombs. Years later, on Oct. 31, 1999, bin Laden watched as the co-pilot of EgyptAir Flight 990 crashed the jet into the Atlantic Ocean, killing more than 200 people on board. Bin Laden, according to Wuhayshi, wondered why the co-pilot didnt fly the plane into buildings. After this, Wuhayshi claimed, the basic idea for 9/11 had been planted in bin Ladens mind. In reality, the EgyptAir crash came after the outline of the 9/11 plot had been already sketched. For instance, the 9/11 Commission found that KSM presented a proposal for an operation that would involve training pilots who would crash planes into buildings in the United States as early as 1996. This proposal eventually would become the 9/11 operation. In March or April 1999, according to the Commissions final report, bin Laden summoned KSM to Kandaharto tell him that al Qaeda would support his proposal, which was referred to as the planes operation. Indeed, Wuhayshi recounted how KSM and his nephew, Ramzi Yousef, plotted to attack multiple airliners in the mid-1990s. In the so-called Bojinka plot, KSM and Yousef even conceived a plan to blow up as many as one dozen airliners. Wuhayshi recalled how Yousef placed a bomb on board one jet as part of a test run. Their plot failed and Yousef was later captured in Pakistan. Yousef has been incarcerated for two decades after being convicted by an American court for his role in Bojinka and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Wuhayshi prayed for his release. Wuhayshi told a story that, if true, means KSM had dreamed of attacking the US since his youth. When he was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait, KSM wrote a play in which a character ponders how to down an American aircraft. Wuhayshi claimed to have searched for this play online, but he and another brother failed to find it. Still, Wuhayshi insisted that KSM wrote the play, showing he was already thinking of ways to strike America as a young man. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. The Treasury Department announced today that it has added Nayf Salam Muhammad Ujaym al Hababi, a senior al Qaeda leader based in Afghanistan, to the US governments list of specially designated global terrorists. Hababi, who is also known as Farouq al Qahtani, wears multiple hats for al Qaeda. And the governments dossier for him demonstrates that there is no firm dividing line between the jihadists insurgency operations in South Asia and their plotting terrorist attacks in the West. In his key leadership role, Hababi is responsible for planning attacks against US and Coalition forces in Afghanistan, contributing to al Qaedas external operations planning, and fundraising on al Qaedas behalf. External operations means terrorist plots in the West or against Western interests. Indeed, Hababi planned to carry out attacks in the West, including in the United States and other Western countries as revenge for the deaths of senior al Qaeda leaders. He has been consulting on al Qaeda operations worldwide since 2011. Adam J. Szubin, the Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, noted in Treasurys press release that Hababi has a long history of directing deadly attacks against US forces and our Coalition allies in Afghanistan, along with plotting al Qaeda terrorist operations in the United States and around the world. Hababis fundraising activities have supported both al Qaedas international plotting and its role in the Afghan insurgency as well. Since 2010, he has helped raise funds and also had a say in authorizing spending on behalf of al Qaeda. As of 2012, according to Treasury, Hababi solicited funds from supporters in Gulf countries to support al Qaedas external operations and also expected to receive funds from Gulf-based donors for activities in Afghanistan. Treasury lists a variety of ways in which Hababi has been involved in the fighting in Afghanistan since at least 2009. In 2009, he led operations in northeast Afghanistan that included attacks against US military bases. Hababi participated in two attacks against Coalition Forces convoys the following year. He has also overseen the acquisition of weapons, including rocket propelled grenades, for distribution to jihadists in Afghanistan. Suicide bombers affiliated with Hababi have been tasked to attack Afghan bases and Coalition convoys in Afghanistan since 2012. In early 2013, Hababi and his battalion intended to take control of Kunar Province, Afghanistan and establish a base to launch external operations on behalf of al Qaeda. As of 2015, he has been the emir for the Eastern Zone of Afghanistan and, in that capacity, has been responsible for finding a new sanctuary for al Qaeda. Treasurys designation provides clues concerning Hababis role in the insurgents gains last year. He worked on attack plans for fighting in northeast Afghanistan in 2015 and has been in charge of al Qaeda-sponsored training in northeast Afghanistan for several years. In addition, Hababi directed the delivery of funds and weapons to Taliban associates in Afghanistan for use in future attacks. Discussed in Osama bin Ladens files Hababis importance to al Qaeda can be seen in declassified files recovered during the raid on Osama bin Ladens compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011. In a memo to bin Laden dated June 19, 2010, for example, Atiyah Abd al Rahman heaped praise on Hababi. [See LWJ report, Osama Bin Ladens Files: Very strong military activity in Afghanistan.] As I have reported before, we have a good battalion over there [Afghanistan] led by brother Faruq al Qatari, Rahman wrote, referring to Hababi by his nom de guerre. He is the best of a good crew, Rahman continued. He recently sent us a message telling us that he has arranged everything to receive us; he said the locations are good, there are supporters and everything. Rahmans memo shows, therefore, that Hababi has been deeply involved in the relocation of al Qaeda cadres from northern Pakistan into Afghanistan for several years. Another missive found in Osama bin Ladens lair also includes a discussion of the move back into Afghanistan. In a letter dated Oct. 21, 2010, bin Laden told Rahman, who ironically was subsequently killed in a US drone strike, that al Qaeda should relocate as many brothers as possible to the eastern Afghan provinces of Nuristan, Kunar, Ghazni and Zabul to avoid the US drone campaign in North and South Waziristan. [See LWJ report, Bin Laden advised relocation of some leaders to Afghanistan due to drone strikes in Waziristan.] Bin Laden knew that Hababi had cleared the way for his al Qaeda comrades to live and fight in Afghanistan. And Hababi continues to wage jihad there, while plotting terror around the world, to this day. Note: The spelling of certain words (such as al Qaeda) and abbreviations have been standardized throughout this article, including in quotes from the Treasury Department. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. A brand new 45-unit affordable rental development in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood will soon welcome its first tenants on the back of yesterday's formal ribbon cutting ceremony. Dubbed Casa Queretaro, the four-story building located at 2012 W. 17th Street is part of the community development initiative from The Resurrection Project in partnership with the Chicago Housing Authority. Fifteen of Casa Queretaro's 45 apartments will go to CHA public housing while the remaining 30 will be priced to be affordable for families earning up to 60% of the area's median income. Design of the LEED Silver certified building was handled by Chicago's DesignBridge and features angular geometry and a multi-texture facade wrapped around a large central courtyard. Casa Queretaro includes 32 parking spaces as well as an indoor tenant bike room. Aimed specifically at local families, Casa Queretaro represents a major improvement for the surrounding community. The new building is certainly a welcomed departure from the site's previous abandoned silos that often attracted criminal activity, vandalism, and the occasional tire fire, according to The Resurrection Project. Plans for the affordable housing project at the northwest corner of Damen and 17th Street were first presented in 2012 with construction starting in early 2015 after funding was secured. $4 million of the the project's $15 million price tag was funded through TIF money. Previous Casa Queretaro Coverage [Curbed Chicago] Casa Queretaro Fact Sheet [The Resurrection Project] Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here. The Reverie Saigon Curates Luxury in Design Its boldly - and unapologetically - building a reputation as the most spectacularly appointed hotel in the region.Le Courbusiers iconic lounge chair stretches against one window in a suite by GiorgettiI cant think of any other property anywhere in the world that has brought together so many of Italys leading furnishings design brands, said Giulio Cappellini, art director of the Milan-based Poltrona Frau Group and an iconic trendsetter in the industry. Except perhaps a museum.Eschewing the conventional for the extraordinary, understatement for overstatement, and the indigenous for the Italian, The Reverie Saigon celebrated its September 1 debut with a jaw-dropping design thats turning heads everywhere.Indeed, for an October gala event that marked the grand opening, 25 representatives from Italys leading design houses flew in to celebrate what Mrs. Carlotta Colli, the Italian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, heralded as an inspired and unparalleled cultural exchange between Vietnam and Italy. Together, the group represented the whos who of Italian design luminaries, including Luca Baldi of Baldi Home Jewels, Alfredo Colombo of Colombostile, Roberta Giorgetti of Giorgetti S.p.A, and Dario Rinero, CEO of Poltrona Frau Group.The hotels design appeal is a marriage between Chief Architect Kent Luis cool, contemporary tower and its technologically ambitious facade, capable of extravagant light shows, and a room-by-room, venue by venue, showcasing Italys most talented.Visionnaire doesnt furnish rooms of a hotel, only its executive suites, lounges and restaurants A colorful ceiling installation of individual pieces of hand-blown Murano glass reminiscent of the geographic silhouette of Vietnam and accented by VGnewtrends signature, LED-lit crystal and steel Arabesque Egg chandeliers. A grandiose, five-metre long sofa from Colombostiles Baroque-meets-Rococo Esmeralda line, custom-made with purple ostrich leather and a gilded trim and bejeweled by a singular, precious amethyst stone. A Bechstein grand piano, dating back to 1895, that has been reinterpreted by Baldi as art and is on display outside the La Scala ballroom. A striking Russian mosaic veneer of malachite stone and chiselled bronze decorates the still-pitch-perfect instrument. A custom-made, emerald green Baldi Monumental clock that weighs nearly 1,000 kilos and stands three metres (9.8 feet) tall, taking pride of place in the main lobby and reflecting impeccably precise atomic time. In the French fine dining restaurant Cafe Cardinal, a trio of one-of-a-kind wall lamps designed by Brazilian brothers Humberto and Fernando Campana for the Venini brand and created with re-purposed fragments of coloured glass and copper wires. The Reverie Lounge, a bi-level, 542-square metre space exclusively reserved for suite guests and conceptualised by Visionnaire, a company which blurs the line between fashion and furnishings with its sleek and sophisticated glamour design approach. A designer suite by Giorgetti, with furnishings ranging from an elegant canopy bed with a base made from Fiddleback Sycamore to a handcrafted armchair from the brands iconic Progetti line made of leather and Brazilian pau ferro wood. In the Saigon Suite, the Allen dining table and Barrel chairs originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and exclusively reproduced by Cassina, and a Veliero bookcase (Italian for sailing ship), an engineering marvel originally designed by Franco Albini in 1940 and comprising of 1,800 individual pieces. Also in the Saigon Suite, a Pelle Frau saddle leather Isidoro, a trunk-like piece designed by Jean-Marie Massaud for Poltrona Frau (entrusted by prestigious car manufacturers such as Ferrari with the upholstering of their interiors) redefining the guestroom minibar into a chic conversation piece. 12,000 metres of exquisite fabrics and wall coverings by Rubelli throughout, the same 126-year-old Venetian fabric manufacturer which outfitted the private boxes of the famed Teatro alla Scala in Milan and created the handwoven stage curtains for the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.Vibrant mosaics by Sicis of Italy, reminiscent of those found in grand Venetian palazzos, can also be found throughout the hotel from the towering walls of flowers adorning the seventh floor lobby to the white & gold mosaic which lines the winding staircase of The Spa.At first blush, it doesnt seem evident that the hotels decor has drawn much inspiration from its environs. But it has. Vietnamese aesthetics tend toward the bold and the eclectic, attributes most evident in the lively palette of its interiors as well as whats on display in the hotels facade.Cassinas wooden barrel chairs, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, surround a dining table in the Saigon SuiteThe contemporary exterior enabled us to create an extremely sophisticated LED lighting system, undetectable to guests inside, which is the first of its kind in the city, said Lui. The very colorful and ever-changing illuminations each evening are our tribute to the Vietnamese people.Asian symbolism can be found throughout the property however subtle and discreet. At The Royal Pavilion, the hotels fine-dining Cantonese restaurant, an interior marked by red and gold speak to the many countries influenced by China and the belief that the two colors represent happiness and good fortune. The green malachite stone veneer of the grand piano and clock by Baldi were specially commissioned due to its resemblance to jade and all of the positive feng shui that it is believed to bring, including health, wealth and harmony. The hotels peacock feathers logo references tidings of abundance and good luck in Vietnam.A feng shui master was brought in early on to consult on the buildings layout. An L-shape style was chosen to maximize exposure to the southern sun and rounded corners purposely built to offer the best, most uninterrupted views. These unique curves were made using the largest pieces of double-glazed unit (DGU) ever produced in China. And the entrances on Dong Khoi Street, Nguyen Hue Boulevard and the ground floor entrance lobby between the two storied streets were positioned to optimally bring positive energy (chi) into the building and to keep it in.Visit website: Airbnb Lists Replica Of Van Gogh's 'Bedroom' Painting In River North By Rachel Cromidas in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 10, 2016 3:23PM The Art Institute of Chicago has elevated the viral marketing of their upcoming Van Gogh exhibit to an art form. The museum has built a life-size replica of Vincent Van Gogh's famous painting, The Bedroom, in River North, and they're renting it out on the short-term rental website Airbnb. The Art Institute's exhibit of Van Gogh's Bedrooms runs at the Loop museum from Feb. 14 to May 16, and during that time the museum will apparently be hosting Airbnb users at its Van Gogh bedroom in River North for a mere $10 a night. "This room will make you feel like you're living in a painting," the listing reads. "It's decorated in a Post-Impressionist style, reminiscent of Southern France and times gone by. Its furniture, bright colors, and artwork will give you the experience of a lifetime." The bedroom, which is modeled after a painting of the Dutch post-Impressionist artist's bedroom in Arles, France, sparsely decorated a la Van Gogh's painting with a painted wooden bed-frame, red bedspread, a side table with several water jugs and a couple of chairs. The listing advertises that the "entire home/apartment" is available for up to two guests a night, with one bedroom and one bed, a TV (how that jives with the verisimilitude of the 19th-century room is a mystery to us), wifi and kitchen. Vincent himself appears to be the host, and he says he's only charging guests $10 a night "for no other reason than that I need to buy paint. However, I will be happy to provide you with tickets to my exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago." He also says guests will be required to sign a waiver before their stay. The Art Institute has been posting about the bedroom on social media with the hashtag #vangoghbnb. Select dates in February are no longer available, according to the Art Institute, but more dates will becoming available soon. 'Obi-Wan Karen' Lewis Tells Teachers Union To Use The Force Against CPS Layoffs By Rachel Cromidas in News on Feb 10, 2016 8:40PM The Chicago Teachers Union is staring down over $100 million in Chicago Public Schools budget cuts, layoffs, threats of a state schools takeover and an unworkable teachers contract. But somehow union leaders still have a sense of humor, as evidenced by this unexpected video shared on social media Tuesday of CTU president Karen Lewis wielding a lightsaber in a Jedi getup: Obi-Wan Karen has a message for the Board of Ed. The Force is with us!! #faircontractnow Posted by Chicago Teachers Union on Tuesday, February 9, 2016 "No economic layoffs. Enforceable class size," Lewis says in an ominous voice in the video, accompanied by the message: Obi-Wan Karen has a message for the Board of Ed. The Force is with us!! #faircontractnow. Below, a Facebook user who identifies herself as a school counselor describes how she was just laid off. "I just found out that I am getting laid off from a CPS school at the end of the month. I open up Facebook and see THIS?" "Very sorry to hear about this," the teachers union Facebook account replied. "But this post has nothing to do with our ability to protect your rights as a teacher. Please contact your field rep ASAP or call the office at 312-329-9100." Indeed. Fortunately, the video is not the union's only response to the troubling announcement that CPS will cut $120 million from school budgets, in part, officials say, due to the lack of a union contract agreement. The teachers union calls the news "unnecessary and retaliatory:" The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has worked for more than a year seeking a serious contract offer from Chicago Public Schools. After just three weeks of negotiations, the district made an offer that relied on a reduction of more than 2,000 educators from the system, made no provision against subsequent ballooning class sizes and included nothing but the vaguest indicators of where new revenue would be found. More importantly, the terms of that offer would not have impacted the current school year or existing school budgets in any way, so we find CPS reduction in school budgets by $120 million unnecessary and completely retaliatory, and not at all evident of some urgent crisis in our schools. Union reps also said in a statement that the district "has finally begun negotiating in earnest" and that CTU is still working toward a contract agreement. They also called for a "school-by-school breakdown" of the budget adjustments. The public schools' chief Forrest Claypool called the cuts "painful" but essential Tuesday: These painful reductions are not the steps that we want to take, but they are the steps we must take as our cash position becomes tighter every dayespecially as the District relies on short-term financing to pay its bills," a CPS press release from Tuesday says. "We are doing everything in our power to sustain the gains our students are making in their classrooms. Woman Fatally Shot By Stray Bullet While On The Phone With Her Family By Mae Rice in News on Feb 10, 2016 10:42PM Aaren O'Connor, 25, was killed by a stray bullet on Sunday night (photo via GoFundMe) A woman was on the phone with her family when she was fatally shot in the head by a stray bullet on Sunday evening, according to the Tribune. Aaren OConnor, 25, was in the Heart of Chicago area talking on the phone with her father in San Diego when she was shot around 7:30 p.m., according to police. When she was shot, the call cut out, but father, David OConnor, eventually got her on the line, the Tribune reports. She was having trouble speaking, he told the Tribune. She didnt know where she was. She kept saying her head hurts, her head hurts. I thought maybe she was having a stroke or something. Soon after, OConnors roommate found OConnor, fatally injured but still alive, in OConnors car. OConnor was taken to Stroger Hospital, where on Sunday evening, doctors declared her brain dead, according to the Tribune. OConnor was kept on life support long enough to donate her organs. Police have no one in custody for the shooting. Since O'Connor's death, her coworkers have set up a GoFundMe where visitors can donate in O'Connor's name to help at-risk Chicago students study abroad, as O'Connor did. The fund also aims, longer-term, to help at-risk youth "receive the caring and resources they need to choose a non-violent path and open their hearts to others. OConnors father is helping to raise money for the fund, which as of today has raised just shy of $30,000. People need to know whats going on and what kind of loss is taking place here, her father told the Tribune. I want her name and her voice to be the impetus for bringing all this violence to an end." Marie Claire newsletter Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Thank you for signing up to . You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions (opens in new tab) and Privacy Policy (opens in new tab) and are aged 16 or over. Jennifer Aniston, Kendall Jenner, and all the really, really, ridiculously good-looking people... Jennifer Aniston, Kendall Jenner, and all the really, really, ridiculously good-looking people gathered in New York last night, to celebrate the premiere of Zoolander 2. Before the screening had even kicked off, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson instigated a runway walk-off - with real supermodels Kendall, Gigi Hadid and Adriana Lima joining in to give their best Blue Steel. (Image credit: BFA/REX/Shutterstock) New York designers Marc Jacobs and Alexander Wang also attended to give their seal of approval to the movie, as Will Ferrell worked it on the runway as evil designer Mugatu. Jennifer Aniston was out to support husband Justin Theroux (who has written the long-awaited sequel and has a cameo role) plus other major stars from Naomi Campbell to, um, MC Hammer, hit the purple carpet. Here are our 6 favourite (non-joke) looks from the night Kendall Jenner Kendall does the modelling industry proud, striking statuesque super-poses and showing off those pins in her pink satin mini. (Image credit: Variety/REX/Shutterstock) Jennifer Aniston Jennifer works a squared-off neckline with stacks of jewellery and a thigh-high split. (Image credit: ddp USA/REX/Shutterstock) Kristen Wiig Kristen looks incredible in gold Marc Jacobs lace a vintage Hollywood vibe, we think. (Image credit: Startraks Photo/REX/Shutterstock) Naomi Campbell Also in Marc Jacobs, but with a peek of La Perla lingerie, Naomi reminds the next generation of supers who the original is. (Image credit: Variety/REX/Shutterstock) Penelope Cruz Star of the new film, Penelope wore a glittering mesh Balmain maxi, with stunning Rococo embellishment. (Image credit: BEImage/BEI/Shutterstock) Gigi Hadid We think our favourite look of the night, however, was Gigi Hadids, as she did dramatic beauty, vintage hair and a full-on glamorous one-shoulder gown, blasted in red, white and blue sequins. (Image credit: BFA/REX/Shutterstock) See all the looks in the gallery above, and tell us which look is your favourite on Twitter @MarieClaireUK. Leading marine service provider, Marine and Towage Services Group Ltd. (MTS) has supported shipbuilder Damen during sea trials of its latest offshore cabling vessel, Maersk Connector. During the two-week testing period, MTS Vigilant, a Damen Shoalbuster, undertook essential anchor handling work to test the capabilities of the new vessels advanced mooring systems ahead of her handover to end client Maersk Supply Service and charterer DeepOcean. Current and anticipated growth in the offshore energy sector throughout European waters continues to drive demand for versatile subsea support vessels to carry out critical cable laying and interconnection work. These large vessels must be equally capable of keeping position in the deep-water environments of new offshore wind farms and working closer to shore in the proximity of onshore substations. As such, modern cable laying vessels such as Maersk Connector are not only fitted with Dynamic Positioning (DP) to address the challenge of working far from shore, but also equipped with sophisticated multi-point mooring systems making use of a number of anchors to allow increased manoeuvrability closer to shore. Maersk Connector, already has a number of work commitments as a result of DeepOceans recent project awards, including array cable installation on Bligh Bank wind farm, export cable installation on Walney Extension wind farm and bundled HVDC cable installation on the NEMO interconnector project between Belgium and the UK. Both the NEMO and Walney project will make use of a 7-point mooring system that allows the vessel to manoeuvre on a comprehensive anchor spread, facilitating shore end installations. Walney will also make use of the vessels ability to ground out whilst loaded with product for shore end installation. During the comprehensive sea trials of the vessel early 2016, MTS was engaged to provide anchor-handling support as Damen tested and calibrated this complex anchor system, running and positioning anchors as required. MTS Vigilant, the multi-purpose tug deployed to undertake the work, is itself a Damen-built vessel, developed for a range of applications including anchor handling, dredging support and barge towage. As such, the capabilities of the 3009 Shoalbuster were well known to Damen, and MTS longstanding relationship with the boat-builder and ability to quickly deploy the vessel to the test site in the Black Sea saw the firm selected as the chosen operator for the contract. Given the highly demanding nature of offshore energy construction, the versatility and manoeuvrability of large modern subsea support vessels such as the Maersk Connector is critical to the success of a project, said Jon Parslow, Managing Director, MTS. While sophisticated dynamic positioning systems are increasingly being installed on larger ships, in shallower waters theres no substitute for more traditional anchor and mooring mechanisms and the support of smaller tugs and anchor handling vessels is a crucial part of the process. Putting a large new-build vessel through its paces requires the involvement of a number of trusted partners with project-specific expertise, said Tjarco Ekkelkamp, Senior Project Manager, Damen. MTS ability not only to provide the right tool for the job in the right area of the world at the right time, but also to deliver the operational expertise that we were looking for ultimately helped us to complete the sea trials of Maersk Connector on time and to budget. MTS is able to provide global support to the marine industry, with vessels currently stationed in the UK, Mediterranean, German North Sea, South America and Australia. The Port of Hamburg reports higher bulk cargo throughput and strong growth in rail and inland waterway seaport-hinterland traffic in 2015 downturn in container handling. In 2015 seaborne cargo throughput in the Port of Hamburg was 5.4 percent lower at 137.8 million tons. In Hamburg as a universal port, growth in bulk cargo throughput was maintained in 2015. In this important handling segment, total volume of 45.5 million tons represented growth of 5.8 percent on the previous year. In 2015 container handling at 8.8 million TEU (20-ft standard containers) did not reach the previous years total, falling 9.3 percent and significantly lower. Senator Frank Horch highlighted the ports great significance for Hamburg, warning against talking it down: Anybody familiar with the port business will realize that the Port of Hamburgs success cannot be measured solely in TEU. Its success is composed of many elements. What makes the Port of Hamburg strong is its character as a universal port. The Port of Hamburg is actually one of the largest and most varied industrial zones in Germany. Cargo handling, logistics and industry are closely intermeshed here and mutually cross-fertilizing. The port consists of the sum of these numerous and multi-facetted activities, something that cannot be described by throughput figures alone. I most urgently warn you against conjuring up crises. That harms our port and plays into the hands of our competitors. For us, economic fluctuations are nothing new they are part of our business. Nobody disputes that we are confronted by great challenges. But, together, we shall master them! The Port of Hamburg reports around 30 percent local container cargo as well as growing seaport-hinterland container transport by rail, up by 2.8 percent, and by inland waterway vessels, up by 27.5 percent. As an industrial universal port, it performs an outstanding and indispensable function in supplying the local economy at its location and in the region, along with core markets inland. Downturn in seaborne container throughput is primarily attributable to lower volumes handled with China, Russia and Poland. In total, in 2015 something over 800,000 containers (TEU) fewer than in the previous year were handled for these especially important trading partners in container traffic with the Port of Hamburg. Among the ports of Northern Europe, the Port of Hamburg has maintained its strong position on container traffic with the Baltic region. Compared to ports such as Antwerp and Rotterdam, Hamburg reports an around seven percentage points higher proportion of transhipment cargo, explained Axel Mattern, Member of the Port of Hamburg Marketing Executive Board. This is one of the reasons that Hamburg is more seriously affected than Antwerp or Rotterdam by weakness in Chinas foreign trade and Russias economic problems, for example, added Mattern. A large share of the cargoes handled in Hamburg for China and Russia is transhipped via Hamburg, and loaded from oceangoing containerships on to feederships. Container traffic with China down by 14.4 percent and with Russia by 34.4 percent could not be offset in volume by growth in container traffic with other countries such as Malaysia, India, the United Arab Emirates or Mexico. Since the statistics for worldwide transhipment traffic feature the waterside transfer from the large container ship to the feeder or vice versa each time this occurs, any transhipment downturn doubly affects port results, explained Mattern. The fall in seaborne container traffic with Polish ports has also been caused by direct calls by liner container services calling Gdansk direct without transhipment at one of the North Range ports. Such direct calls are always one alternative for shipowners to the transhipment traffic on which the majority of them nevertheless serve such hub ports as Hamburg, for example, said Mattern. Essential for any direct calls are availability of sufficient cargo and ports equipped for handling mega-containerships. At the joint Port of Hamburg press conference, Jens Meier, Chairman of HPAs Executive Board, emphasized the excellent progress of the ports hinterland services in 2015. He said that it is particularly gratifying that landside services as a whole had generated growth, and that with volume up by 3.1 percent at 45.8 million tons, rail in particular had achieved its best-ever result. Good work pays off. With the optimization of our processes we have succeeded in positioning rail as the most important mode of transport, ahead of trucking. That is an outstanding performance in the European context. The figures show just how much potential resides in the intelligent expansion of infrastructure. We shall be further enhancing this potential, stressed Meier at the annual press conference. With a 45.3 percent share of the Port of Hamburgs modal split, rail displaced trucking, the previous leader, which with 42.7 million tons captured a 42.4 percent share. That is unique in Europe and shows that environmentally friendly rail plays a leading role in seaport traffic, said Ingo Egloff, Port of Hamburg Marketing Executive Board Member. In 2015 container traffic by rail also set a fresh record, increasing by 2.8 percent to 2.3 million TEU. More than 200 freight trains reach or leave the Port of Hamburg every day. With 1,100 container trains per week, Hamburg leads ports such as Rotterdam or Antwerp by a wide margin. Hamburg is the European leader for containers transported by rail, and is the top rail port. Among ports in northern Europe, Hamburgs share of containers transported by rail is around 50 percent, while Rotterdams is about 19 percent and Antwerps roughly eight percent, stressed Egloff. He also highlighted the fact that initial transport data indicated that in 2015 inland waterway craft achieved a 27.5 percent advance, transporting 130,000 TEU. In total, in 2015 total cargo volume transported by inland water ships was 13.6 percent ahead at 12.4 million tons. So Hamburg has displaced Cologne as Germanys second largest inland waterway port. On inbound and outbound transport of non-time-critical shipments, and of especially heavy and/or high-volume cargoes, the inland waterway vessel occupies an extremely important position in the carrier mix of our universal port, even relieving other carriers, and this needs to be further boosted, said Egloff. Up by 9.2 percent at 22.3 million tons, grab cargoes dominated in the bulk cargo sector. It was massive imports of coal, 27.3 percent higher at 7.7 million tons, which ensured growth there. Besides the steelworks of Northern and Eastern Germany, customers for these include industrial plants and power stations. Up by 12.4 percent at 9.2 million tons, suction cargo also achieved notable growth. Ahead by 28.8 percent at 4.2 million tons, higher grain exports contributed to the excellent annual result here. Down by 2.6 percent at 14 million tons, in 2015 liquid cargo throughput was slightly below the previous years. In 2015 throughput of non-containerized general cargoes, for example out-of-gauge plant elements and RoRo cargo, totalled 1.7 million tons, remaining 14.1 percent below the previous years. Lower exports of iron and steel hit the export total. In Ingo Egloffs view, continued growth in the number of calls in Hamburg by ultra-large containerships (ULCS), which increased by 27.6 percent to 647, underlines the urgency of implementing the still awaited adjustment of the navigation channel of the Lower and Outer Elbe. We urgently require dredging of the channel so that ultra-large vessels in particular can be more flexibly handled, and transhipment cargo in the Port of Hamburg ensures employment at the terminals, stressed Egloff. The restrictions currently in force on the Elbe limit use of transport capacities of large ships, and are hampering ships meeting and passing, and hence more flexible traffic flow on the Elbe. After dredging of the channel, an ultra-large containership could transport up to 1,800 additional loaded containers (TEU). In 2015 there was a further increase in the number of extra-large containerships with slot capacity of between 14,000 and 19,000 TEU, calls by these being up by 142 percent at 150. Form the safety aspect too, dredging of the channel that provides for a meeting box for mega-ships should produce advantages for traffic control on the Elbe. The Port of Hamburg employs more than 156,000 people in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. With gross value added of 20.5 billion euros, it is also of immense importance for the entire German economy. To keep the universal port on its growth path, in the view of Axel Mattern and Ingo Egloff, in addition to dredging of the channel on the Lower and Outer Elbe, access and dispersal corridors for freight transport by rail, truck and inland waterway craft need to be adapted and expanded. Given the difficulty of assessing the likely development of foreign trade in the ports core markets, it is hard to make a forecast for 2016. The Port of Hamburgs marketing organization therefore regards total throughput at the 2015 level as realistic. Golar LNG Limited has entered into a purchase agreement to sell the Golar Tundra, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), to Golar LNG Partners LP for a sale price of $330 million. In connection with the closing, Golar LNG Partners will receive a daily fee plus operating expenses, aggregating to approximately $2.6 million per month, for Golar LNG Limited's right to use the FSRU from the date of the closing until the date that the Golar Tundra commences operations under its time charter with West Africa Gas Limited. In return, the Partnership will remit to Golar any hire income received with respect to the Golar Tundra during this period. The sale is expected to close in March 2016 and the vessel is expected to commence operations under its time charter with West Africa Gas Limited at the end of the second quarter of 2016. The sale of the Golar Tundra will strengthen Golar's liquidity by approximately $130 million, the company said. The sale has been arranged in accordance with the Omnibus Agreement which regulates Golar's obligation to offer any vessel on charter for more than five years to the Partnership. Costs to book freighters like this one are way down lately. Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images. A low-cost Baltic isn't just for Monopoly anymore. The Baltic Dry Index, a widely watched global gauge of shipping costs, closed at a record-low 293 on Monday, February 8. The index measures the costs to charter large freighters, and many watch it closely, believing it is an accurate gauge of global economic health-with rising costs signifying rising demand, and vice versa. Hence, to them the current drop signifies weak global demand. However, this gauge may not reveal as much about global economic health as is often presumed. In the last economic expansion (2002 - 2007), using the Baltic Dry as a gauge of economic health was valid analysis-commodities-based industries and countries were at the forefront of the global expansion, as chronic underinvestment in mines and oil projects met strong Emerging Markets infrastructure-related demand, driving vast price increases. Shipyards responded to these price signals and constructed a huge fleet of new ships. But before most of those ships ever hit the high seas, the financial crisis struck and demand cratered. After growth resumed, China's massive infrastructure-led stimulus from 2008 - 2010 boosted shipping prices anew. But the supply of vessels was up markedly, too-hence, costs never rebounded anywhere near their records. When the initial bounce off the recession's trough cooled, increased vessel supply overwhelmed demand, driving down prices. The Baltic Dry Index has been weak throughout this cycle as a result, an important point to consider when weighing headlines claiming the gauge shows weak global demand. We also think it is pertinent to note that this index has only existed in its present form since 1984. In that time, it appears to have been very useful in identifying cycles only once. Exhibit 1 show the full history, with false drops (-40% or greater, and unconnected to a recession) circled. Exhibit 1: The Baltic Dry Index and US Recessions, 1984 - Present Source: FactSet, as of 2/8/2016. Further, demand for commodities isn't faltering. It is really much more that supply growth has easily outstripped demand growth, leading many producers to engage in a fight for market share. Consider Australia and Brazil, the two biggest iron ore exporting countries in the world. Both Australia and Brazil saw iron ore export volumes (not prices) to China rise double digits in 2015. Iron ore exports from the third and fourth biggest Chinese suppliers-South Africa and Ukraine-grew 4% y/y and 9% y/y, respectively. Australia's Port Hedland-the world's largest commodity export terminal-sent 32.2 million tons of iron ore to China in December 2015-a 5% y/y gain. While Port Hedland's exports dipped in January 2016, this seems tied to weather disruptions. Supporting the view this is a weather-related dip, note that Brazil's January iron ore exports to China rose. Similarly, Chinese oil imports are up in volume terms, but down sharply in price terms. Demand is fine. The post-2008 regulatory crackdown continued last Friday, when a draft bill on banking reform by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and David Vitter (R-Lousiana) leaked. The bill aims to prevent banksparticularly the biggest banksfrom ever taking another government handout. Or, if you prefer, it tries to fix too big to fail. Though in our view, its a solution in search of a problem and likely fraught with unintended consequences. The legislation has little chance of passing in its present formits pretty extreme, and even bipartisan extreme legislation tends to fizzle in a split Congress. Its also just a draft. Messrs. Brown and Vitter could very well water it down before they drop it in the hopper. Still, the drafts worth a look as it says much about regulators flawed mentality post-2008. The provisions are fairly simple. The US would abandon Basel III and replace it with a 10% Tier-1 capital ratio, and banks with assets over $400 billionthe too-big-to-fail (TBTF) crowdwould face a 5% surcharge. Risk-weighting assets would be a thing of the pastno longer would banks be allowed to hold less capital for higher-quality assets. Instead, all assets would be equal, with US Treasurys requiring as much capital as junk CDOs or Zimbabwean sovereigns. Essentially, banking standards would rewind to the 19th century. This would likely wreak havoc on US banks. Losing risk-weighting would give even the healthiest a big capital shortfall, and banks likely cant fill it by retaining earnings alone. Theyd have to sell assets and/or issue equity, in many cases further diluting shares already watered down during 2008s capital raises. Lending, needless to say, would suffer (see the UK with any questions). That means banks wouldnt be able to help finance economic growththeir core function and a societal necessity. Big firms would be able to raise money on capital markets, but small firms and entrepreneurs would be out of lucka recipe for economic malaise. Compounding matters, global firms could very well decide US subsidiaries simply arent worth the hassle, which would rob our economy of a key input. Overall, those are big consequences for a very misguided endeavor. For one, even Brown-Vitters much stricter requirements dont necessarily remove the risk of bank failures. If confidence evaporates and theres a run, those capital buffers get depleted very quickly. Even well-capitalized banks can fail when trades go bad, and that risk could increase under Brown-Vitter, which would remove banks regulatory incentive to hold higher quality assets. And the government may still feel compelled to throw failing banks a lifeline if officials think its necessary to prevent outright panic in the financial system. The laser focus on TBTF is also off the mark. Consider 2008s bank failures. The biggest, WaMu, had $307 billion in assets and $188 billion in depositswell under Brown-Vitters TBTF threshold. IndyMacthe first failing regional bank to make headlineshad $23.5 billion in assets and $6.4 billion in deposits (and about half that when it failed). GMAC had $189.5 billion in assets, but the bank arm had $32.9 billion in assets and $17.7 billion in deposits. Of these institutions, only GMAC was bailed out (nationalized)the others were bought out. Overall, between 2008 and 2010, 322 banks failed, with a total of around $630 billion in assets. WaMu accounted for about half that. Most banks that went under were teensy. The TBTF crowd, by contrast, largely pulled through. Yes, some had funding squeezes and balance sheet troubles, but those that needed capital raised it from shareholderssomething they were able to do because of their size. Size also helped these banks ride to the rescue in 2008 by buying failed banks assets and liabilitiesWachovia, WaMu and others were absorbed by TBTFs. Some might quibble about TARP assistance, but TARP was designed to try to fill the hole mark-to-market accounting created. That was a regulatory issue, not a size issue, and the funds were foisted upon institutions regardless of whether or not they needed the funds. Today, the TBTFs have pretty healthy balance sheets. The six exceeding Brown-Vitters threshold have Tier-1 capital ranging from 11.75% to 17.9% as of their latest filings. Thats well in excess of Basel standards and where banks were pre-2008. Banks are already making every effort to prevent themselves from going belly up. (Amazingly, when left to their own devices, banks want to do what it takes to be a long-term going concern.) Some argue the problem isnt just that banks are too big to fail, but that theyre too big to jailthat, as Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress last month, if the government prosecuted their allegedly criminal behavior, the economic fallout would be too great. Yet Holder offered no specifics, and theres no evidence the government has passed on prosecuting any US bank due to its size. If they have passed on prosecutions, thats likely more a political choice than an economic one. Theres no evidence prosecuting has automatic economic consequences. UK banks are mired in legal proceedings for the LIBOR scandal, and some have already paid the piper, but economic Armageddon hasnt ensued. As weve said before, were not anti-regulationthe industry needs oversight to ensure transparency and foster prudent management. And TBTF banks may indeed be a greater systemic risk. But by trying to fix that, politicians likely end up doing more harm than the big banks they so fearwhich also do quite a bit of good by using their economies of scale to underwrite the largest loans and projects. Perhaps a better fix would be to foster competition from smaller bankscreate a more flexible system that allows challengers to flourish and grow and give the big boys a run for their money. And to enable that, instead of overreaching like they have since 2008, perhaps our politicians should steal a page from the late Margaret Thatchers playbook and bring back the Big Bang. International Monetary Fund executive director Christine Lagarde. At the beginning of 2016, changes in the structure of the IMF at last came into effect which had been originally agreed in December 2010 under the impact of the international financial crisis. They gave China the third largest place among IMF quotas and meant that the BRIC economies (Brazil, China, India, and Russia) became among the 10 largest members of the IMF, joining the US, Japan, Germany, France, the UK and Italy. More than six percent of quota shares were shifted to developing economics. The reason for the prolonged five-year delay in implementing these necessary changes, reflecting the growing economic weight of developing countries, was that until the end of 2015, the US Congress refused to pass legislation to implement agreements already negotiated by the US government. It is clear what persuaded Congress to change its position. It was China's success in setting up the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the refusal of key US allies, such as Britain, to go along with the US government's calls to boycott the AIIB. This made clear that if the US continued to block necessary reforms in existing international economic institutions, China had the strength to create alternatives and other countries would not endorse US inflexibility. The delayed change in the IMF illustrates China's overall approach to global economic governance. China clearly had not sought confrontation or attempted to bypass existing global institutions for no valid reason. On the contrary, China showed considerable patience when confronted with the prolonged foot dragging by the US legislature. Also, the AIIB from the outset was open to all countries. China showed the same patience in the rather lengthy process by which the RMB was included in the IMF's basket of currencies for Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). These cases confirm that China is pursuing a path of gradually and organically adapting multilateral economic institutions to take account of major shifts in the world economy and only being forced to go outside existing institutions if evidently required changes are entirely blocked. In contrast, the US has recently initiated a new foreign policy path of going outside existing global economic organisations in a confrontational fashion, as seen clearly with international trade. When the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was created in 1995, this was the culmination of seven previous rounds of post-World War II trade negotiations under the earlier General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade agreements (GATT). For half a century, the US had played a leading role in negotiating such multilateral agreements. With the emergence of China as the world's largest goods trading organisation, second only to the US in total trade, the most important multilateral negotiations to further liberalise world trade should clearly involve the US, China and the EU, the three main world trade centres. Instead of pursuing multilateral liberalisation, centring on the WTO, the US instead sought negotiations excluding China, seeking to arrive at agreements with some Pacific countries via the Transpacific Partnership (TPP), and with Europe in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Therefore, while China pursued a strategy of maintaining and developing the framework of exiting multilateral organisations, except in the case where change in these is entirely blocked, the US deliberately initiated a process going outside them. Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. As always, we favor no candidate or party and assess politics solely to analyze how it may impact markets. We believe political bias is blinding and dangerous for investors. Dissolving NAFTA. Breaking up big banks. Capping prescription drugs prices. Eliminating the federal Department of Education. These are just a few policies this year's crop of Presidential candidates propose, and there is probably something for any voter to love or hate. But while candidates often promise big, sweeping changes when campaigning, the realities of American politics constrain them once they become President, and few of their extraordinary proposals end up coming to fruition. Populist campaign rhetoric might stoke volatility, especially as the candidate field narrows, but the risk of actual, radical change appears low. Across the political spectrum, candidates are proposing bold moves they believe will win them votes and build their base. Perhaps some even believe these ideas are good, steering the US in a better direction. Nevertheless, our list above contains ideas many would consider radical. Donald Trump said he would either renegotiate or axe the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), believing it caused US jobs to move to Mexico.[i] He also vowed to impose a 45% tariff on imports from China, to compensate for the supposed economic advantage China gets over the US by devaluing their currency. Bernie Sanders proposes universal health care and free college tuition, as well as a tax on financial transactions to help pay for it. He also said he would break up big banks to end "too big to fail." Hillary Clinton promises to force pharmaceutical firms to spend more on R&D and less on marketing, and both she and Trump want Medicare to re-negotiate drug prices with pharma companies. Ted Cruz wants to abolish a slew of federal agencies, including the IRS and the Departments of Education, Energy, Commerce and Housing and Urban Development.[ii] But Presidents don't have the power to do most of these things unilaterally. Virtually all require acts of Congress. The US Constitution gives Congress the power to impose taxes and regulate interstate commerce, and largely limits the President to enforcing the laws Congress passes.[iii] The president can also issue executive orders (EO) and actions, but they are limited in scope. Presidents can't enact broad statutes, just fine-tune the implementation of pre-existing legislation. Moreover, EOs are subject to judicial review, so if a President oversteps his Constitutional authority, the courts can strike them down (or press the pause button while they review). A President can instruct agencies to not enforce a provision of a law he doesn't like, but abolishing federal agencies or nationalizing industries likely wouldn't fly with the courts[iv]. Also, cabinet departments can reinterpret legislation and use that as a guise to craft new rules, but it's fairly limited, like Treasury's feckless efforts to battle corporate inversions. The Department of Education couldn't just reinterpret an existing law as grounds to eliminate itself. That likely means Cruz would have to have Congress on his side. Ditto for Bernie Sanders, whose trio of ideas all require legislation. Now, the Executive Branch can do some of these other things on its own, but only to a fairly limited extent. A Trump Executive Branch could renegotiate trade agreements, like NAFTA. But when it is done, Congress would need to ratify the amended deal for it to become law. A president can't unilaterally rip up existing trade agreements. A Trump White House could levy tariffs on foreign imports under the auspices of existing legislation and anti-dumping provisions, but if Congress objects, it could quickly pass legislation overriding it. If the objection is strongly bipartisan, Congress would likely have enough votes to trump[v] a presidential veto. As for the Clinton/Trump desire for the government to hammer out a cheaper deal on pharmaceuticals, the government directly negotiating with pharma firms would require legislation. They could try to act through the insurers who offer up Medicare Part D plans, but many in the field suggest this would be pointless, considering they already do negotiate pricing (the very system these candidates argue needs changing). Checks and balances exist for a reason. For all the broad support Presidents have when elected, it's no accident America always picks a diverse band of legislators. The two parties have multiple factions. House members represent constituent interests and horse-trade on behalf of their people all the time, resulting in lots of give and take and watered-down changes. So even if one party ends up controlling the White House and Congress, measures widely viewed as too radical likely won't have broad legislative support. Congressmen, first and foremost, want to get reelected. They tend to avoid supporting policies many see as extreme, lest they alienate certain voting blocs. In 2008 candidate Barack Obama proposed universal health care coverage. But despite his party controlling both chambers of Congress, the idea never advanced. Candidate Bill Clinton proposed universal health care during his 1992 presidential campaign, but 1993's Health Security Act died in the Senate-despite Clinton's party controlling the chamber. In 1980 then-candidate Ronald Reagan proposed drastic cuts in government, but federal spending grew throughout his entire eight-year administration. The realities in Washington also constrain the president from implementing extreme policies. As Bloomberg's Megan McArdle wrote recently, bureaucracy gets a bad rap-most often, deservingly-but it is a powerful check on executive power. Presidents could issue edicts ordering agencies to radically change course, but if civil servants don't agree they can simply keep doing business as usual. That might sound like blatant defiance, but often, it's as simple as "Oops we can't do that thing he said because it violates policy, or we don't have the manpower, let's back-burner it and hope it goes away." Most agencies' day-to-day business is fairly separate from their cabinet overseer. Treasury staff figures out how much debt to issue and refinance at various maturities. Employees of the Department of Education collect and analyze education data and oversee student loan lenders. And Health and Human Services staff work to stymie infectious diseases and prevent food borne illnesses. Because of regulations intended to shield government employees from political pressure, it's almost impossible for the President to fire wide swaths of civil servants and replace them with people more on board with his policies. Former President George W. Bush faced much flack for firing seven US Attorneys in 2006, as opponents claimed the president targeted them for political purposes. Imagine the firestorm that would ensue if President Trump tries to dismiss the bulk of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees because they refuse to implement his immigration policies. It would be huge.[vi] Radical pledges can stir sentiment and volatility. But ultimately markets move most on probabilities, not possibilities, and as we move through the election and inauguration, markets should slowly fathom that, for good or ill, radical campaign pledges probably won't take flight. Mutual Funds, ETFs at Risk of a Run Warns David Stockman In one of his starkest warnings yet, Former White House Budget Director (Office of Management and Budget, OMB), David Stockman has warned that banks and the global financial system remain vulnerable and there is likely to be another global financial crisis which will be worse than the first involving a run on mutual funds and ETFs. Stockman warns in a Bloomberg interview that Deutsche Bank has a $2 trillion balance sheet and they have a net tangible equity of $66 billion. So that is 3% they are leveraged 30 to 1 in terms of net tangible equity. What is whirling around in that $2 trillion nobody knows but I do think that the banks have unloaded the worst of their stuff and today it is in mutual funds and ETFs, today it is in non bank financial institutions, like all these companies that have come up over night to make auto loans by selling junk bonds as a form of capital. This is reminiscent of the first financial crisis and the financial collapse wrought on the world with the subprime mortgage fraud as beautifully illustrated in the must see movie The Big Short. Regarding how mom and pop investors and pension owners are vulnerable, Stockman says The dangers of a run are far more serious now than it was with banks then. Back then, main street banks did not have to mark to market most of their assets and there never was a run on mainstreet banks, it was only on a few hedge funds This time you are going to have a run of $5 trillion or $6 trillion of mutual funds. This time you are going to have a run on the ETFs. There were only $1 trillion of ETFs in existence in 2008. There is over $3 trillion now and they are an accelerator mechanism. When everyone sells their ETFs, the managers have to go out and liquidate assets by selling the underlyings. The underlying assets are not nearly as liquid as the offer that anytime you want to sell your ETF there is a bid. Anytime you want to sell your mutual fund share, there is a bid and I will tell you what that is where the collision is going to come in the market. In another must watch Bloomberg interview, the respected Stockman warned that Deutsche Bank is in difficulty and the CEO is likely lying: In my experience is that when the crunch comes, bank CEOs lie. Stockman reminded us of the deceit and denial that emanated from Morgan Stanley, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers before their collapse: I dont trust Deutsche Bank. I dont trust what theyre saying. And theres reason why the banks are being sold all across the world because people are realizing once again that we dont know whats there [on bank balance sheets]. GoldCore Note: Banks, economists, brokers, financial advisers and other experts did not see the first crisis coming in 2008 and they are not seeing it now. A handful of people are warning about the risks and again they are largely being ignored. Investors and savers will again bear the brunt for the inability to look at the reality of the financial and economic challenges confronting us today. Diversification remains the key to weathering the second global financial crisis. LBMA Gold Prices 10 Feb: USD 1,183.40, EUR 1,052.29 and GBP 816.56 per ounce 9 Feb: USD 1,188.90, EUR 1,061.90 and GBP 822.31 per ounce 8 Feb: USD 1,173.40, EUR 1,050.16 and GBP 810.44 per ounce 5 Feb: USD 1,158.50, EUR 1,035.58 and GBP 797.40 per ounce 4 Feb: USD 1,146.25, EUR 1,027.29 and GBP 782.16 per ounce This update can be found on the GoldCore blog here. Mark O'Byrne IRL 63 FITZWILLIAM SQUARE DUBLIN 2 E info@goldcore.com UK NO. 1 CORNHILL LONDON 2 EC3V 3ND IRL +353 (0)1 632 5010 UK +44 (0)203 086 9200 US +1 (302)635 1160 W http://www.goldcore.com/uk/ WINNERS MoneyMate and Investor Magazine Financial Analysts 2006 Disclaimer: The information in this document has been obtained from sources, which we believe to be reliable. We cannot guarantee its accuracy or completeness. It does not constitute a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any investment. Any person acting on the information contained in this document does so at their own risk. Recommendations in this document may not be suitable for all investors. Individual circumstances should be considered before a decision to invest is taken. Investors should note the following: Past experience is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The value of investments may fall or rise against investors' interests. Income levels from investments may fluctuate. 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The details you are being asked to supply may be used to provide you with information about other products and services either from GoldCore or other group companies or to provide services which any member of the group has arranged for you with a third party. If you do not wish to receive such contact, please write to the Marketing Manager GoldCore, 63 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2 marking the envelope 'data protection' 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. A Bassett home likely is a total loss following a fire early Tuesday morning, according to Bassett Volunteer Fire Department Chief Junior Lynch. Lynch said that his agency received a call at 1:58 a.m. Tuesday regarding a fire at 1818 Trenthill Drive, Bassett. We arrived seven minutes later to find smoke and flames coming from the house, Lynch said. At that time, everyone was out of the residence. Lynch said that Adam Chapman was the primary renter of the property, which he shared with five other family members. One family member was transported to Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County due to smoke inhalation, Lynch said, but he did not appear to be experiencing a life-threatening condition. One of several dogs living in the house died in the fire, Lynch added, but there were no other injuries. The fire was brought under control at 2:45 a.m., Lynch said, and the scene was cleared at 5:15 a.m. The property is still standing, but it was gutted, Lynch said. Its a total loss, Im sure; probably about $50,000 in damage counting the property and contents. The Henry County Public Safety Fire Marshals office is investigating the incident, Lynch said, but it believed that the homes wood stove was the point of origin of the fire. Because the fire began in the early morning hours, everybody was asleep, he said. One of the children actually woke up and discovered the smoke and got everybody out. Later that morning, the Bassett Volunteer Fire Department received a call stating that the fire had re-ignited, Lynch said, but when they returned to the scene at 8:15 a.m. to investigate, they saw no evidence to that effect. Lynch said that anyone using a wood stove for home heating should make sure the stove and chimney are inspected regularly, and they should keep combustible material away from heat sources. Whatever you choose to heat with, do it very carefully, he said. In addition to the Bassett Volunteer Fire Department, other agencies who responded to the fire included the Patrick Henry Fire Department, Henry County Public Safety, the Henry County Sheriffs Office and the Virginia State Police, Lynch said. About 20 firefighters were among that group, he added. You are here: Home Flash Four military personnel were killed and one other was injured after a military-owned plane crashed in Myanmar's new capital of Nay Pyi Taw on Wednesday's morning, the Ministry of Information website confirmed. The B1900 aircraft packed with 5 military personnel including one Major, two Captains and two Lance Coporals, crashed and caught fire near Kyankhin village of Shwepyitha village tract in Lewe township, Nay Pyi Taw. Among them, the injured military staff was taken to a nearby military hospital. Three fire engines extinguished the fire and the cause of the crash was unknown yet. Martinsville officials are proceeding with plans to issue $10 million in bonds to help pay back a state loan that the city has received to finance repairs to a major sewer line. In unanimous votes, Martinsville City Council on Tuesday adopted an ordinance and a resolution necessary to initiate financing for the project. The ordinance is to be considered for adoption on second reading which would make it official at the councils Feb. 23 meeting, and another related ordinance will be considered in March. A public hearing is planned during the March 22 council meeting, but it has not yet been officially set. The city has determined that a 6.2-mile sewer line running from near Fieldale to the citys wastewater treatment plant near Forest Park Country Club needs about $30 million in repairs, based on inspections with video equipment. Installed in the 1960s, the line carries most of the citys sewage, and some from Henry County, to the plant for treatment. The city is focusing first on repairing the lines worst section, about 200 feet along the Smith River near Walker Road that is made of corrugated metal and has collapsed in some spots. Further collapses could cause sewage to enter the river, which could cause environmental problems, officials have said. Martinsville has been approved for a 30-year, no-interest loan of $21.74 million from the Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund, via the Virginia Resources Authority (VRA), to cover repairs to the lines worst sections. "Zero percent money is unusual" to receive from the state, said City Manager Leon Towarnicki. Also, the VRA typically finances loans for 20 years rather than 30, which makes the citys loan even more unique, he indicated. Due to legal restrictions regarding how much debt the city can take on at any given time without first holding a referendum, the loan is to be provided in two installments, the first being $10 million for which the bonds are to be issued, Towarnicki said. In about six months, the remaining $11.74 million is to be loaned, he said. City officials are waiting to hear whether the U.S. Economic Development Administration approves a $1 million grant toward the sewer repairs. If the grant is received, it will go toward the projects second phase, Towarnicki said. Also Tuesday, Mayor Danny Turner failed to convince the council to adopt a resolution asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to investigate a matter involving the Prairie State Energy Campus. Officials have said that Martinsville receives about 15 percent of its electricity from Prairie State, which is in Illinois. Peabody Energys proposed sale of its 5.06 percent interest in Prairie State to the Wabash Valley Power Authority "raises questions about the true asset value of the project," according to the resolution, which Turner submitted to the council. The resolution asks FERC to assess "whether the significantly reduced asset value of the Prairie State project in the proposed sale will create a financial hardship on the 200 communities now paying debt service on an asset that is now valued at 80 percent less than the amount of the indebtedness that the communities are now liable for under their respective power sales agreements." A motion made by Turner to adopt the resolution died for lack of a second. Other council members said they want Towarnicki and city staff members to investigate whether information in the resolution is correct before they consider adopting it. More coverage of Tuesdays council meeting will appear in the Martinsville Bulletin on Thursday. An 18-year-old Axton man charged with the kidnapping and murder of an Eden, North Carolina, man waived extradition in Henry County court Tuesday, but an 18-year-old Martinsville man facing the same charges is fighting extradition, to Rockingham County, North Carolina. Henry County Commonwealths Attorney Andrew Nester said the Rockingham County Sheriffs Office has 10 days to pick up Zachary Wray Haley, who waived extradition. The public defenders office was appointed Tuesday to represent Daquarius Rashawn Martin, who is fighting extradition, and unless Martin changes his mind about extradition, the court will review the matter on March 10, Nester said. He added that extradition could take up to about 90 days if someone fights it. Rockingham County Sheriffs investigators charged Martin, of 755 Stultz Road, Apt. 604, Martinsville, and Haley, of 3743 Irisburg Road, Axton, with the first-degree kidnapping and first-degree murder of Benjamin Alexander Baker of 830 Beck Road, Eden, according to the Henry County Sheriffs Office Facebook page. Baker was found dead in his home from an apparent gunshot wound on Jan. 15. A spokesman for the Rockingham County Sheriffs Office did not return phone calls. Capt. Eric Winn of the Henry County Sheriffs Office said search warrants were executed Monday at the home of Haley and the home of Martins mother, with whom he was living, and that both men were arrested. Officers from the Rockingham County Sheriffs Office were present with officers from the HCSO. Winn said officers were looking for evidence related to the crimes but declined to comment further, because it is the Rockingham County Sheriffs Offices investigation. He said Haley and Martin were arrested without incident. Martinsville Police Chief Sean Dunn said, "The Rockingham County Sheriffs Office contacted some of my staff and asked them to assist with small pieces of the investigation. As always, we were happy to assist." Martin and Haley were being held without bond in the Henry County Jail. The recent strike in Pakistans flag carrier airline, PIA, was a magnificent and extremely significant episode in the history of industrial struggles by the workers in this countrys history. This courageous revolt of the workers once again proved the strength of the working class and its power to stop aeroplanes from taking off, closedown ticketing offices and all other operations of the airline. The initial strike movement began almost six weeks ago, but when the deadline of 2nd February was crossed the workers moved with courage and determination to stop all PIA operations. All flights were grounded by the strike action and the airlines operations came to a grinding halt. Then three workers were killed in the brutal shooting by the state forces and more than a dozen injured, some in a critical condition. This infuriated not just the PIA workers but workers in several other industrial sectors. Such was the pressure from below that the pilots association PALPA also had to join the strike action and refused to fly the aircrafts. For eight days the strike was almost total across the country in every city and town that has PIA offices, airports and facilities. Unfortunately, in the evening of Tuesday 9th February the leadership of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) unilaterally and suddenly called off the strike at a press conference in Karachi. Addressing a press conference, JAC chairman Sohail Baloch announced the decision to end the eight-day long strike and requested "all airline workers to work with full dedication and pay no heed to anyone trying to disrupt flight operations a kind friend advised us to call off the strike," Baloch said. The assurance given to us by the government to resolve issues is enough to make us call off the strike I will meet Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Lahore on Tuesday. We hope that the meeting with Punjab chief minister will be satisfactory and beneficial both for the government and the employees of PIA," said Baloch. When asked by the press if the JAC had retracted from its demands, Baloch said he would "inform the media about the developments after the meeting with the Punjab chief minister. We can revive this airline; we just need some support and guidance. Such remarks stink of capitulation and weakness of the petit bourgeois leaders who didnt believe in class struggle and failed to mobilise the workers of other industries and services sector. This incident once again proves the vital role of the leadership and its political and ideological orientation. During the strike, Prime Minister Sharif, though extremely nervous and shaky, from inside tried to pose to the media as taking a tough stance against the strike and said that there would be no negotiations with the striking employees or their representatives in the shape of JAC. However, behind the scenes desperate efforts on the part of the regime continued. The wily Chief minister of Punjab dispatched his son Hamza to Karachi for the secret negotiations with the leaders of the JAC. Its not an exception but a norm that Shahbaz Sharif, the boss of the provincial government in Punjab and younger brother of the prime minister, often tackles such issues relating to the central government. Such is the internal crisis and conflicts in the PML (N) federal government that Sharif doesnt trust his cabinet ministers to tackle such delicate issue. This episode also lays bare the fear of these capitalist rulers of any movement that is for workers rights and fundamental issues like privatisation when the resistance begins to take the shape on the basis of class struggle He is notorious for his brutal tactics and stick and carrot approach. After all he is the most ingenious scion of a family that rose from rags to riches and is infamous for their harrowing atrocities against the workers in their factories. At the same time it exposes the weakness and fragile nature of this two-thirds majority government of the party of the corrupt and rotten Pakistani bourgeois. After the first two days of this all out strike, pressures started to mount on the striking workers. The reliance of the JAC leaders on the media to generate support for them and dependence on the opposition capitalist parties backfired. The media and the political elite in the opposition, in spite of their cosmetic criticisms of the regime, basically supported the policy of privatisation. The masses were not made aware of the link and the bondage of the demands of this struggle with the problems they faced in their daily lives. Hence the mass mobilisation on a wider scale didnt materialise. The first (PIA) flight to take off since the start of the strike on 2nd February flew to Jeddah from Islamabad on Sunday, February 7th. Once flights began leaving Islamabad airport, it was becoming relatively easy for the government to convince other stations to resume flight operations. Pilots who were working as part of ground crews were asked to take the initial flights, and once that happened, other cities were told to follow suit, a senior PIA official told the Dawn newspaper. This opened the door across the country for more PIA employees of middle grades to cross the picket lines. However, although fissures began to open up, most workers remained firm and continued the strike inspite of threats and intimidations by the regime. Only 20 per cent of staff came back to duty by Monday, despite the governments best efforts to restart flight operations. But it was the arrest of their leaders and falling numbers at the strike camps that finally convinced many employees to come back, confessed another PIA official. Flights could not take off without the catering service, as per international norms, and since PIAs own catering service was completely shut down, the management had to arrange for food from Qatar Airlines at five times the normal price. When the protesters camps were moved away from the airports by the state forces, the government achieved some leverage. This act was executed with force to ensure that when the camp was shifted out of the way, the strike breaking PIA employees could return to work without any hindrance or moral burden. Employees and pilots who operated these flights from Islamabad were also brought to the airport under the protection of Elite Force commandoes. Divisions between pilots, ground staff and other PIA employees also played a part in helping the management resume flight operations from Islamabad much faster than other airports. There was also a clear discrimination in the arrest of the workers from different PIA unions participating in the strike in all stations. A Peoples Unity of PIA union leader said on television, It is no secret that Peoples Unity leaders were arrested, but Air League leaders were not. Peoples Unity is affiliated to the PPP while the Air League is under the Labour Wing of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), which is Sharifs party in power. An administration official speaking on condition of anonymity told the Dawn that local Air League leaders had been in touch with the district administration over the past five days. He said local police were asked to register cases against Air League office-bearers, but were instructed to provide them enough time margins that they could obtain bail or escape arrest. Airhostesses and female workers were harassed and police vans were deployed outside the homes of several employees. These were acts of intimidation to force the workers and technicians to go back to work. Several employees had been offered money and promised promotions and other perks to lure them back to work. There were several engineers, flight stewards and other technical workers who refused to accept the offered financial rewards if they came back to work. Arrests and threats against those refusing to recommence work were in full swing by the administration officials and the police. Even media access was controlled. The airport management at some stations had already imposed a ban on journalists entry, only allowing them to enter when invited by a competent authority. Although the media coverage in general was against the strike, those journalists sympathetic to the striking workers were prohibited from reporting the developments and the rapidly changing scenarios of this strike movement. This act of this democratic government exposed the real nature of these callous capitalist politicians and the dictatorial character of Pakistans bourgeois democracy. The Sharifs and their party are in reality the inheritors of the brutal legacy of the atrocious dictator Zia ul Haq. It was General Gillani, Zias governor and martial law administrator of Punjab in the 1980s, who first brought Nawaz Sharif into politics. The first betrayals came from the pilots union. That was not surprising. PALPA President, Amir Hashmi, said in a television interview with Channel 24 that, pilots had not been on strike and nobody was stopped from resuming flight operations, even though there were concerns for the safety of those who crossed the picket. Hashmi said they were a part of the protest from the beginning, but never supported the idea of a complete strike, "which can have serious consequences on an airline which is already sinking Pilots are part of a professional body, we are not a political party," he said, adding that the PIA strike had turned into a political arena. He infact refuted the bold act of those pilots who had refused to fly after the shooting at Karachi airport. It is ironic that despite the subversive, and cruel role played by the central, and particularly the Punjab government, in ending the strike, Joint Action Committee Chairman Sohail Baloch had suggested as early as 5th February that they wanted to negotiate either with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif or Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. After calling off such a bold and courageous strike, the JAC leaders flew into Lahore from Karachi to have a late night meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The statement of the JAC leaders after meeting was pathetic to say the least. Talking to the journalists, JAC Chairman Sohail Baloch said that, the Punjab chief minister heard the members with patience and the party is returning satisfied. The dialogue with the chief minister was successful as we are returning to Karachi appeased the chief minister acknowledged our right to put forth stance in the issue ultimately the federal government would negotiate with the Pakistan International Airline employees. Shahbaz has vowed to forward committees demands to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. We have informed the chief minister of their reservations over Essential Service Act also. This is an inglorious end, albeit temporary, to such a valiant struggle of the PIA workers. In an article on Marxist.com published on 3rd February we wrote, The strike is another spark that shines a light on the class struggle seething below the surface of a society where the working class, and the mass movement as a whole, is faced by a difficult objective situation and a relative inertia of the class struggle. This requires a much wider and bolder approach by the genuine leaders of the workers. It is an historical obligation of the leaders and trade union activists to support the PIA strike. A united front has to be created to force the rulers into retreat. But concrete action is needed A call for a complete general strike is a given by such a united front of all the trade unions and progressive political forces. For a victorious general strike, the workers and youth of all industries, sectors of the poor students in the educational institutions and poor peasants in the countryside have to be mobilised. Enterprises under public control not only should be defended, but workers must demand that these should be placed under democratic control of the workers. Several opposition political parties leaders are visiting the offices and camps of the striking workers of PIA. All solidarity is welcome, but any intrigue or manoeuvre by political manipulators to make any rotten compromise should be forcefully rejected and quashed. An extraordinary sympathy prevails... This situation may not last long However, this capitulation and retreat of the leadership with the ending of the strike is not the end but can be a precursor of new workers struggles and strikes in different institutions, industries and services sectors. This strike is a striking example of the correctness of Marxist perspectives of class struggle. The PIA workers embarked on this all out strike against privatisation in a period when according to opinion polls 60 percent of the population is in favour of privatisation. This was a struggle against the stream. It put the leaders and parties to the test. The workers will have learnt the lesson of the necessity of forging a united union that can be trusted, with its leaders having a firm belief in class struggle and the historical obsolete and reactionary nature of the capitalist system. This is a setback, but its impact will be temporary and superficial. The prevalent inertia in society cannot last for very long. The strike proved that even in most difficult periods the workers can rise and fight the system and the state. Their strike action can ground aeroplanes, stop trains, cut electricity of, paralyse the state by cutting off the communications networks and can ultimately bring the whole of society to a halt by jamming the wheels of industry and the institutions. However, the most crucial lesson that the youth and the workers can learn from this struggle is that the movement needs a leadership that can fight to the finish and a revolutionary party that can smash the system, its state and transform society. It will be up to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to decide whether Leland Christenson can go ahead with a project he says will provide a place for children with life-threatening diseases to fish. Christenson cleared one hurdle Tuesday night after the Chippewa County Board gave its approval for his plan. A two-thirds vote by the board, which had 14 members at the meeting, was needed for approval. On voting to withdraw the current county land from the forest, the proposal passed 12-2, with supervisors Steven Gerrish and Florian Skwierczynski voting against. A second vote on the swap itself passed on a 11-3 vote, with Supervisor Larry Willkom joining Skwiercynzski and Gerrish voting against. The debate over the land swap drew a capacity crowd. Tuesday nights vote followed an extended public comment period, where six people spoke in favor of the swap and three against. What I like to do with the property is keep it in a trust, Christenson said, adding he wants to bring kids there to fish. I would never develop that property, and it will stay in a trust forever. Attorney Ben Lane of Chippewa Falls asked that the board either vote no or send the swap back to the the countys Department of Land Conservation and Forest Management. That committee last month voted 5-0 to advance the matter to the County Board. Lane said the county has nothing in writing from Christenson. Heather Anderson of the town of Auburn asked the board to hold a public hearing on the proposal. There has been no time for the public to ask questions of him, Anderson said of Christenson. There should be time to reflect on this issue. Whats the hurry? County Administrator Frank Pascarella said the project will not affect one nearby trail. Theres no change to Deer Fly Trail and public access to Deer Fly Trail will remain in place, Pascarella said. With the swap, Christenson will take out two dams on his property and replace them with one larger dam. He said the larger dam will allow for a fish farm and for wild rice to be grown. The DNR will have 60 days to review our application to see if our application is complete, he said, adding this is probably the first time the county has done a land swap. Pascarella said the members of the Land Conservation committee viewed the countys parcel as well as the land Christenson was offering. I thought it was really a good system, Land Conservation Chairman Mike Goettl said. If approved by the DNR, the county will give up 150 acres from the county forest for 180 acres thats owned by the Christenson Family Trust. The countys land is in the town of Birch Creek. The Christenson Family Trusts land is in the town of Sampson. The countys 150 acres were appraised at $285,000 as of Nov. 7, 2015 by Jon E. Gargulak. The Christenson Family Trusts 180 acres were appraised at $337,500 by Lee A. Steigerwaldt as of Jan. 8. In other action: Pascarella reviewed the completion of a new small courtroom for the court commissioners, who handle minor legal cases not handled by circuit court judges. The total cost of the project was $250,000, Pascarella said. The new court opened a week ago Monday. The board also moved up the date for its annual meeting from Nov. 15 to Nov. 8, giving the county clerk more time to inform other local governments the appointment of the tax dollars. Absent from Tuesdays meeting was Supervisor Jared Zwiefelhofer. The following editorial was published in Sundays Wisconsin State Journal: Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald is right that public officials shouldnt hold two big jobs at the same time. It dilutes their effectiveness and prevents more people from serving in higher office. Specifically, the Juneau Republican wants to stop county executives from simultaneously serving in the Legislature. That makes some sense, given that both jobs are considered full-time positions, paying full-time wages and benefits at taxpayer expense. But Fitzgeralds motive for raising the issue now is nakedly political. Thats because the only person Fitzgeralds prohibition is likely to impact anytime soon is a Democrat with a strong shot at reducing Fitzgeralds power. Enter Mark Harris, the Winnebago County executive who ran for Congress in 2014. Harris is a moderate Democrat with a strong understanding of tax laws and budgeting. Hes running for the open 18th Senate District seat, which includes Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. The seat was decided by just 600 votes four years ago, and incumbent Sen. Mark Gudex, a Republican, isnt seeking re-election. So the 18th is expected to be a competitive and crucial race for state Senate this fall. Fitzgerald says he wants to prevent double-dipping, in which a county executive could collect a $100,000 salary for running a county while at the same time earning more than $50,000 for serving in the Legislature. But no one is doing that now. So theres no problem to fix. And Harris hasnt said whether he intends to keep doing both jobs, should he win a Senate seat this November. Fitzgerald and the Legislature didnt stop Bob Ziegelbauer from serving as Manitowoc County executive and as a state assemblyman from 2006 to 2013. We liked the independent Ziegelbauer in the Assembly. But we criticized his double service as too much responsibility for one person. And he seemed to get the point, resigning from the Legislature three years ago to concentrate on his county job. Other state lawmakers who were elected county executives have similarly left the Legislature, including Jim Kreuser in Kenosha County and Paul Farrow in Waukesha County. Yet these men served in both positions for several months before resigning their state posts. Harris is going the other direction running for the Legislature as a sitting county executive. His third county term ends next year. Fitzgeralds bill would force Harris to choose one job or the other if he won a legislative seat in November. Fitzgerald says serving as a top county official and as a state lawmaker would risk conflicts of interest. Thats a stretch. After all, Harris county is the biggest in what would be his Senate district. So his interests would be pretty much the same. Fitzgeralds real motive is preserving his political power. He wants to continue to run the state Senate with a comfortable GOP majority. And the Democrats best shot at gaining a seat is the 18th District, though the Democrats would need to pick up a total of three seats to claim majority control. Fitzgeralds argument that there ought to be a law is weak for a conservative who, in theory, should favor limited government intervention. Fitzgerald should wait until a problem actually exists before worrying about a top-down solution. Voters can pressure Harris to disclose his intentions. Voters are the best judges of whether a politician is spreading himself too thin. Let the voters, not a highly partisan Senate majority leader, decide. Christopher Whiteside MBE is County Councillor for the Egremont North and St Bees Division of Cumbria County Council. The division includes St Bees, Bigrigg, Wood End, Moor Row, part of the Mirehouse area of Whitehaven, and surrounding countryside. He will hold this office until the county council is abolished on 1st April 2023. He is also Chairman of the North-West region of the voluntary wing of the Conservative party. Chris lives and works in Copeland with his wife and family. Books to USA Prisons Project Contact: Rev. Robert Kelley, Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc., 503-287-7457, revkelley@opendoorcommin.org PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 10, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- February 10, 2016. The Publishing Division of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. and its Strong Man Ministries unit announces the "Books To USA Prisons Project" that will send two copies of "The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics" to over 800 Federal and State prison libraries to reach men with the Gospel and teach biblical manhood. To that end, a forty-five day Crowdfunding Campaign was launched on February 1st at www.weraise.wheatridge.org to raise the $9,000 needed to fund the project. The Ministry is inviting Christians across the nation in particular to get behind the fundraising effort. The "Books to USA Prisons Project" is intended to make sure incarcerated men are not left out of what the Ministry believes is God's strategic call for men to come to faith in Jesus Christ and begin the journey of becoming strong men of God in His image. The national project came into being after having the book be received and used by inmates in Oregon and Washington prisons. Feedback from many of those men has been positive. The book and project are part of the variety of ways the Ministry is reaching out to men including in the prisons. There are more than 2.4 million men and women incarcerated in prisons and jails in the United States--the largest number of incarcerated in the world! Ninety percent of those incarcerated are men with black men being six times the number that are white. Being conducted during Black History Month especially and in light of all of the recent problems black males are having with the police, the Crowdfunding Campaign to raise funds for the "Books to USA Prisons Project" along with all of the other outreach activity of the Ministry is timely. For more information about Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. go to www.opendoorcommin.org. Share Tweet Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank. by Felicia Greiff , February 10, 2016 AdBlock Plus is following up its two "Camp David" talks -- "listening sessions" to collect feedback on developing its Acceptable Ads Committee -- with discussions on that topic at assorted U.S. venues, according to a spokesperson. The first one will likely come in Austin at SXSW, which takes place March 11-20 this year. "Camp David Europe" was a one-day event held in London. There was a similar talk held in November in New York, and both aimed to form an independent committee to oversee the AdBlock Plus's Acceptable Ads initiative by late summer or early fall this year, a spokesperson for the company said. Advertisers, ad-tech executives, publishers, consumers' rights groups, privacy and security advocates, technology companies and journalists were in attendance at the London meeting -- but no ad agencies. Several agencies were invited, the spokesperson said, but none were able to make it. Still, the spokesperson said, AdBlock Plus is in talks with several agencies through other channels. advertisement advertisement Earlier this year at the Interactive Advertising Bureau's Leadership Summit, IAB CEO Randall Rothenberg said that when AdBlock Plus registered for the event online, the IAB cancelled the registration and reversed the company's credit card billing. See Rothenberg's full speech here. by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, February 9, 2016 Opponents of Charter's proposed merger with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks told regulators at a recent meeting that the deal poses a threat to online video distributors as well as consumers. The post-merger company "would have the means and incentive to harm established and emerging streaming services, to the benefit of its own service offerings," the Stop Mega Cable coalition says today in a filing summarizing its meeting with the Federal Communications Commission. The group, which includes Dish, Public Knowledge, Consumers Union, the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild, West, adds that the new post-merger Charter "could limit consumer access to a stand-alone broadband service, or raise the price of stand-alone broadband in a way that favors its own bundle of services." Also, the organization says, Charter could "discriminate against competing streaming services while treating its own content favorably." The coalition points to well-publicized reports of consumer dissatisfaction with the cable industry, arguing that the merger would make a bad situation worse. advertisement advertisement "Ongoing price hikes, poor customer service and the lack of choice in the cable and broadband marketplaces" would be compounded by the merger, the group says. It warns that the debt Charter would incur to finance the merger would give the company "every incentive to cut costs by further degrading customer service, limiting investment in new innovations and raising prices." The anti-merger coalition apparently took a harder line at last Friday's meeting than the industry group USTelecom, a former member, had anticipated. That organization, which was present at the meeting, sent out a notice late Friday stating it would no longer participate in the Stop Mega Cable Coalition. "The coalition is no longer aligned with USTelecoms policy positions" the organization stated, adding that it doesn't oppose the merger, but wants the FCC to consider imposing "some common-sense conditions." (USTelecom argued in an earlier filing that the FCC should prohibit a post-merger Charter from giving "undue or unreasonable" advantages to other multiple station cable operators.) Last year, in an obvious attempt to preempt concerns about the acquisitions, Charter promised that it will follow some of the net neutrality rules for at least three years as a merger condition, even if the regulations are vacated in court. The company also promised that it won't cap broadband data, or charge customers based on their data consumption, for at least three years. In addition, Charter said it won't charge content companies like Netflix extra fees to interconnect directly with Charter's servers. Netflix subsequently said it supported the merger. But other online video distributors, including Dish HBO, are expressing concerns. Dish says the deal would leave Charter in a position to undermine Sling TV, while HBO says its Charter could hinder the new HBO Now stand-alone streaming service. For its part, Charter seems optimistic that regulators will approve the deal. CEO Tom Rutledge reportedly told investors last week that the company expects the FCC and Justice Department to give the nod to the deal by March. by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 9, 2016 Chicago-based The Escape Pod has announced Mark Andeer, the marketing guy behind Kmart's "Ship My Pants" and "Show Your Joe" and OfficeMax's "ElfYourself," is joining the agency as CMO. Rather than a typical CMO position, the agency is tweaking the role a bit to include creative development duties for Andeer. Cue the collective groan of all The Escape Pod creatives. Of the hire, The Escape Pod Managing Director Norm Bilow said, "We've worked with Mark in various capacities over the years and have always been equally impressed by his business savvy and his creative capabilities. Mark is that rare talent that can chart marketing strategy and also deliver award-winning creative." Andeer's new role is said to blend traditionally separate business and creative functions, The Escape Pod Creative Director Vinny Warren explained, saying, "When you hire business talent that also has Cannes Lions awards, you include that person in the creative process. We're already a pretty versatile management team and Mark will push our strengths and capabilities that much further." advertisement advertisement Andeer will oversee the marketing of the agency's brand, lead new business efforts, support client account teams and participate in creative campaign development. Of the new role, Andeer said, "The Escape Pod already earns client praise for delivering fresh creative that drives real business results. I'm excited to be part of the broader process." Andeer was most recently interim CMO and VP of creative with Kmart and was previously with OfficeMax where he held the vice-president of brands strategy role. Prior to his corporate roles, Andeer held leadership roles in advertising agencies BBDO in Minneapolis and Lowe in New York. Andeer has earned numerous awards and accolades, including Best of Retail Gold Effie, Cannes Lions, One Show, Graphis, World Retail Awards and Best of Show at RAC. His ElfYourself campaign is included in the Forbes top 10 viral websites ever created. Andeer has a BFA in graphic design from College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan and attended post-graduate at Miami Ad School. NRBTV to Broadcast Presidential Candidate Forums in February NASHVILLE, Feb. 10, 2016 / Candidates from both major parties were invited to participate in the Presidential Candidate Forums. To date, Ted Cruz and Ben Carson have confirmed for Friday, Feb. 26. Additional confirmations are expected for Tuesday, Feb. 23, and Wednesday, Feb. 24, and will be announced at a later date. Each candidate will be interviewed on-stage for one hour by panelists on issues of importance to the evangelical community. The panel will be moderated by New York Times best-selling author and nationally-syndicated radio host "We believe our audience is interested in learning more about where the candidates stand on issues of spiritual and cultural importance," said NRBTV president & CEO Troy A. Miller. "A central part of our mission is to help people think more deeply about their Christian faith and how to apply God's Word to all spheres of life. This is just another way of serving our viewers in that regard." NRBTV is a non-partisan, public interest television channel and takes no position on political candidates. For more information on NRBTV programming and where to watch, visit For more information on the Presidential Candidate Forums or the Proclaim 16 NRB International Christian Media Convention, go to About NRBTV NRBTV (formerly NRB Network) helps viewers learn, know, apply, share, and live God's truth with biblically-faithful programming from well-respected Christian pastors, apologists, and teachers. NRBTV is available to more than 48 million U.S. households on DIRECTV channel 378 and select broadcast affiliates. Programming is also streamed online at About Proclaim Proclaim, the annual NRB International Christian Media Convention, is the largest nationally and internationally recognized event dedicated solely to assist those in the field of Christian communications. The dynamic Exposition consists of around 200 companies and is an active marketplace for those seeking tools and services to expand their organizations. Proclaim 16 will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN, February 23-26, 2016. The NRB Digital Media Summit, a pre-Convention event, will be held on February 22, 2016. For more information, go to Share Tweet Contact: Tina Givens, NRBTV , 615-338-5091NASHVILLE, Feb. 10, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Christian television channel NRBTV will provide exclusive television coverage of Presidential Candidate Forums to take place during the Proclaim 16 NRB International Christian Media Convention in Nashville, TN on February 23-26. The forums are scheduled daily at 1:00p.m. local time at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center and will be broadcast nightly in primetime at 8:00p.m. ET and again at 9:00p.m. PT on DIRECTV channel 378. The broadcasts will also be streamed online at www.nrbtv.org , on Roku and Fire TV players, or via NRBTV's free mobile app for iPhone, iPad, Android, or Windows Phone.Candidates from both major parties were invited to participate in the Presidential Candidate Forums. To date, Ted Cruz and Ben Carson have confirmed for Friday, Feb. 26. Additional confirmations are expected for Tuesday, Feb. 23, and Wednesday, Feb. 24, and will be announced at a later date.Each candidate will be interviewed on-stage for one hour by panelists on issues of importance to the evangelical community. The panel will be moderated by New York Times best-selling author and nationally-syndicated radio host Eric Metaxas "We believe our audience is interested in learning more about where the candidates stand on issues of spiritual and cultural importance," said NRBTV president & CEO Troy A. Miller. "A central part of our mission is to help people think more deeply about their Christian faith and how to apply God's Word to all spheres of life. This is just another way of serving our viewers in that regard."NRBTV is a non-partisan, public interest television channel and takes no position on political candidates. For more information on NRBTV programming and where to watch, visit www.nrbtv.org For more information on the Presidential Candidate Forums or the Proclaim 16 NRB International Christian Media Convention, go to www.nrbconvention.org About NRBTVNRBTV (formerly NRB Network) helps viewers learn, know, apply, share, and live God's truth with biblically-faithful programming from well-respected Christian pastors, apologists, and teachers. NRBTV is available to more than 48 million U.S. households on DIRECTV channel 378 and select broadcast affiliates. Programming is also streamed online at www.nrbtv.org , on Roku streaming players, on Amazon Fire TV, and via a free mobile app for iPhone, iPad, Android, or Windows Phone.About ProclaimProclaim, the annual NRB International Christian Media Convention, is the largest nationally and internationally recognized event dedicated solely to assist those in the field of Christian communications. The dynamic Exposition consists of around 200 companies and is an active marketplace for those seeking tools and services to expand their organizations. Proclaim 16 will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN, February 23-26, 2016. The NRB Digital Media Summit, a pre-Convention event, will be held on February 22, 2016. For more information, go to www.nrbconvention.org by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, February 10, 2016 Beacons are driving mobile coupons and redemption rates are on the rise. Several new studies are out indicating that the growth of beacons around the world is on the march and that when shoppers get a mobile coupon, offer redemption is right behind, sometimes in fewer than two minutes. Beacons add a finer touch to location-based offers, since the small radio-transmitting devices can be located near specific products or in certain departments. Brands have found that coupons with a location element typically enjoy far higher redemption rates than those without. Many major retailers, including Macys, Target and Lord & Taylor, have installed thousands of beacons, many to learn the ins and outs of what works and what doesnt. And the beacon phenomenon is global, with deployments in various locations, based on a study by Juniper Research. Some examples: U.K. -- House of Fraser and Waitrose installed beacons in their stores China Beacons were installed in about 1,500 Pizza Hut restaurants to push coupons Japan Sensoro partnered with Chinese chain store operator Cyber Group to deploy beacons across Japan and the Greater China region advertisement advertisement By 2020, beacons will be used to distribute 1.6 billion coupons, an increase from just 11 million this year, according to Juniper. Another study forecasts beacon growth at retail at 17% a year until 2020. And its not only Apples iBeacon technology responsible, with beacon platforms Google Eddystone and Microsoft 10 also contributing to growth, according to a study by the research firm Technavio. But the global Bluetooth market is dominated by North America, where more than a third (37%) of beacons shipped to retailers globally will end up. As might be expected, the U.S. accounts for most (84%) of the beacons coming to retailers in North America and it also led in overall beacon market share last year. Europe is the second largest region for beacons and the three major markets there are Germany, the U.K. and France, according to Technavio. In those markets, beacons are big in hypermarkets and supermarkets. The growth of beacons is significant since location-based coupons sent to mobile phones work. And based on another recent study, those coupons are quickly cashed in. Some coupons are redeemed in under two minutes, according to the study which was based on an analysis of several thousand campaigns by Koupon Media, which examined how customers engage with mobile coupons. The study broke down redemption rates by product type at convenience stores, with energy drinks leading the way. Here are mobile coupon redemption rates: 43% -- Energy drinks 17% -- Soda 15% -- Juice 12% -- Coffee 11% -- Food 5% -- Candy 4% -- Water 2% -- Snacks Interestingly, the majority (65%) of customers redeem an offer within five minutes of seeing it. And most are very fast, with 58% redeeming an offer within two minutes. Heres the time to redemption of mobile coupons: 58% -- 0-2 minutes 13% -- Beyond a day 11% -- 5 minutes to 1 hour 8% -- 1-12 hours 7% -- 2-5 minutes 4% -- 12 hours to a day In the mobile coupon trivia department, the highest convenience store mobile coupons redemption day is Friday and the peak time is around 5 p.m., based on data from more than 28,000 convenience stores. And we know from numerous studies that mobile shoppers are looking for deals. And many of those deals will be coming via beacon-triggered messaging. And cashing in on those coupons will very quickly follow. by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, February 10, 2016 The 100th installment of New Hampshires first-in-the-nation primary kept the TV networks busy and reaffirmed the exhilarating tone pervasive in the 2016 race. Throughout the state, polling centers were overwhelmed by the number of voters. At some, the definition of being in line extended over a mile down the road from polling locations, due to traffic jams trapping hopeful voters. Despite only 23 delegates up for grabs on the GOP side and 32 for the Democrats, the results will surely shake up the race, particularly in the case of the GOP. Donald Trump had a large win last night with 35.2% of the vote, but the real battle was for second place. Govs. Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich, alongside Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, were all gunning for a strong second place showing. advertisement advertisement Ohio Gov. John Kasich came out on top with 15.8%. Slow and steady won the second place title in the Granite State. Kasich held over 100 town halls, and his team of volunteers arrived from 27 unique states to campaign for the Governor in New Hampshire. The others vying for second had fair results, Cruz picked up 11.7%, Bush 11.1% and Rubio came in at 10.5%. Gov. Chris Christie, who may have trouble breathing life into his campaign, had a poor showing with 7.5%. In the Democratic race, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders pulled off a stronger success than pollsters expected and has captured the momentum his campaign requires to move to South Carolina and Nevada, with a shot at digging into Clintons poll leads. The vote split 60%-38.4% in Sanders favor. Both Democratic candidates had lively audiences when they spoke to their supporters following the announcement of the initial results. They both spoke of one another with respect and deference -- Bernie even making a call for unity in the party, regardless of who the eventual nominee is. With over $10 million spent by the Sanders campaign building a presence online -- more than any other candidate of either party to this point -- his success could expedite a shift to more balanced ad budgets. RocketFuels national politics and advocacy director JC Medici notes: Sanders New Hampshire win is an early indication that the traditional presidential campaign model of TV first may not be the path to victory in 2016. As MSNBC's Joe Scarborough said last night, the overwhelming Trump and Sanders wins show that we are witnessing an electorate in revolt. This election has stirred additional voters from an apolitical slumber, a process that began back in the 2000s and campaigns now have the tools to harness them, going beyond traditional political advertising techniques. There is still a long road ahead. The result on the Democratic side will ensure the race goes on for at least a few more months -- Sanders online fundraising is shifting into high gear. As for the GOP, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorinas poor showings could precipitate their exits from the race. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, February 10, 2016 A Web site for the best-selling children's book series Dork Diaries did not comply with privacy rules, according to an industry watchdog. DorkDiaries.com allowed children to join a fan club, and sign up for newsletters, by submitting their email addresses. But the site failed to take adequate measures to obtain a parent's permission, the Children's Advertising Review Unit of the Better Business Bureau said on Tuesday. The federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act prohibits operators of sites aimed at children under 13 from collecting personally identifiable information -- including email addresses -- without parental consent. The site asked users who provided who signed up for the fan club and newsletter to either check a box stating they're over 13, or to confirm that they asked a parent to read a notice stating that the site retained children's personal information. advertisement advertisement Users who said they were younger than 13 and wanted to join the fan club also were asked to provide a parent's email address. But investigators who tested that function didn't receive a follow up email, according to the watchdog. "COPPA requires an operator to make reasonable efforts to ensure that the parent receives notice," the Children's Advertising Review Unit wrote in its opinion. "Here, a child visiting the site could easily check the box to indicate that the parent ... agrees to the information collection without notifying a parent." A site operator told the watchdog that the fan club and email newsletter subscription had the same function, and that parental notification letters were often delayed because they were sent out manually, according to the opinion. The operator also no longer offers a separate sign up for the fan club newsletter. The site also has updated its age-verification system and now notifies parents "in a timely manner," according to the Children's Advertising Review Unit. by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, February 10, 2016 Amid mounting concern about radicalization and recruitment of terrorists via social media, Congress is urging the White House to create a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism on social media, and lawmakers are now preparing to pass a law requiring the administration to do so. Today the U.S. Senates Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will meet to consider a Senate bill to match a bill passed by the House of Representatives in December, ordering the executive branch to present a counter-terror strategy coordinating the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security, State Department, and FBI, among other agencies. The bill will also require the White House to deliver an update on its social media counter-terror strategy within three months, as well as a report on how social media has served to facilitate radicalization and terrorist recruitment, and the resources and training available to investigators involved in counter-terror efforts on social media. advertisement advertisement Lawmakers have taken up the issue with new urgency following the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, when a radicalized Muslim couple murdered 14 co-workers at a holiday party. The couple, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, had communicated using a private chat app and Malik posted a statement swearing allegiance to ISIS after the murders. Its worth noting that, according to investigators, none of the communications before the attack were publicly visible. Lawmakers are also urging the White House to implement screening of social media profiles as a regular part of vetting visa applicants. However the administration maintains that it has been monitoring social media to screen immigrants and combat terrorist recruitment for some time. Recent counter-terror efforts have included partnership with the companies that operate social media platforms. Earlier this week, Twitter revealed that it has shut down over 100,000 accounts associated with ISIS as part of a larger strategy to deny the terror group access to social media for propaganda and recruitment purposes. For the first time, scientists have pinpointed the source of some severe disease-causing mutations in sperm-producing tubes inside the testicles of healthy men. Share on Pinterest As a man ages, his sperm contains an increasing proportion of cells with selfish mutations, say the researchers. Andrew Wilkie, Nuffield professor of pathology at the University of Oxford in the UK, and colleagues describe their findings in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The authors suggest their work should help us better understand how genetic diseases can arise in children born to parents who do not themselves have them. Men are not born with ready-made sperm cells (in contrast, women are born with all their egg cells). Sperm production starts in puberty, in a tangle of spaghetti-like tubes the seminiferous tubules inside the testicles. Each testicle contains about 400 m of seminiferous tubules. Inside the seminiferous tubules, special stem cells called spermatogonia generate sperm cells. A spermatogonium divides into two cells one that eventually matures into a sperm cell, and the other is a new spermatogonium so the cycle can repeat itself. A mans testicles produce millions of sperm and new spermatogonia every day in this way. At each cell cycle, the DNA in the old spermatogonium is copied into the two new cells the new spermatogonium and the cell destined to be a sperm cell. But every so often, a copy error a mutation arises in the DNA, which carries on in new generations of cells. Proportion of sperm with selfish mutations increases with age Some DNA mutations are harmless, but some are not and can give rise to genetic disorders. But the researchers found that in some cases, the proportion of sperm cells carrying a particular mutation is much higher than one might expect from spontaneous copying errors in spermatogonia. They showed that some mutations that occur in the spermatogonia enhance their own chances of propagating forward they call them selfish mutations. It appears that the effect of selfish mutations is to cause spermatogonia to give rise to more than one new spermatogonium at each cell cycle, each carrying the mutation. Thus, as a man ages, and his sperm production undergoes more cell cycles, his sperm contains an increasing proportion of cells with selfish mutations. The researchers liken the process to cancer, where defective cells grow at a faster rate than healthy cells and eventually form a tumor. In their study, they investigated a rare genetic disease called Apert syndrome that affects the development of the skull and limbs. The disease affects about 1 in 60,000-70,000 babies. Older men tend to produce more Apert mutations The parents of most children born with Apert syndrome do not have it, and Prof. Wilkie and colleagues who have been studying it for 20 years have shown that it is caused by new mutations in a gene called FGFR2 that arise spontaneously in the fathers sperm production. Based on the knowledge of how spontaneous mutations happen, one might expect Apert syndrome to be extremely rare, and indeed it is but, note the authors, cases occur up to 1,000 times more frequently than they ought to on this basis. To find out why Apert syndrome is more common than expected, the team compared sperm from fathers of children with and without the disease and found that both groups had rare sperm cells with the FGFR2 mutation. Coauthor Anne Goriely, associate professor of human genetics at Oxford, explains: The process that gives rise to Apert syndrome happens in every man, meaning any couple could have a child with Apert syndrome, regardless of the health of the parents. However, she says they found that older men tended to produce more of the Apert mutations. The team found that normal men also produce sperm with other mutations that cause lethal forms of dwarfism and other severe diseases. But because there are so many millions of sperm, the chances of a mutation being in a sperm that fertilizes an egg are very low. New evidence published yesterday highlights benefits and harms of using artificial mesh when compared with tissue repair in the surgical treatment of vaginal prolapse. Slightly better repair with mesh needs to be weighed carefully against increased risk of harms. A new Cochrane systematic review published yesterday summarizes evidence that addresses a long-standing controversy in the surgical repair of vaginal prolapse. It will help women and surgeons to make better informed choices about surgical treatment and reinforces the need for careful consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of grafting artificial material compared with using tissue to repair the anatomy of the vagina. A vaginal prolapse occurs when the walls of the vagina become weak and collapse inwards. This can be a distressing disorder as there is a feeling of a lump or bulge low in the vagina which is exacerbated by physical activities. This affects up to a third of women who have had children, as well as those who are overweight or have a chronic cough. Many women undergo surgical treatment to help with bladder, bowel and sexual function. Until the 1990s surgeons used a number of different techniques to repair prolapse such as vaginal hysterectomy or by cutting or repairing different muscles of the walls of the vagina. Following the successful use of tapes for continence surgery and mesh for hernia repair, gynaecology surgeons began to adopt grafting artificial material called a mesh to carry out this operation in the 1990s and 2000s. Over the last few years many questions have been raised about the safety of implanting an artificial mesh. There have been a number of reports of women suffering pain and mesh exposure after transvaginal mesh surgery. An international team of researchers looked at evidence from randomized trials to look at how the two surgical approaches compared. They included information from 37 trials involving 4023 women. The mesh used in many of the studies were withdrawn from use in 2011, and the newer, lightweight transvaginal permanent meshes still available, have not been evaluated within a randomized study. The review found that whilst transvaginal permanent mesh probably reduces the risk that women will be aware of prolapse compared with tissue repair, the overall size of the benefit was small.1 Based on their analysis, 19% of women who underwent native tissue repair compared with 12% women who had permanent mesh repair were aware of prolapse subsequently. This data came from studies that followed women up over periods of between 1 and 3 years. However, there are some major problems reported with permanent transvaginal mesh. The average reoperation rate for prolapse, urinary incontinence, or mesh exposure after mesh repair was 11% compared with around 5% in women who had tissue repair. Permanent mesh is also associated with higher rates of bladder injury than tissue repair, and higher rates of stress incontinence. Across all the studies, 8% of women who had mesh implanted subsequently had it re-operated. In Scotland, the Health minister called for hospitals to consider the suspension of mesh operations until more evidence is available. An independent Scottish interim review reported in 2015 and expressed concern for both the effectiveness and adverse events related to transvaginal mesh for prolapse surgery. A report by the Accident Compensation Commission in New Zealand in 2015 recommended the establishment of a multi-agency registry as a means of tracking the associated complications. Lead Author, Associate Professor, Chris Maher, from the University of Queensland, Brisbane said, 'This is a very significant review informing women about the surgical options available for the treatment of this debilitating condition. It summarizes the evidence of effectiveness of these approaches and their complications. It provides women with more information to make an informed choice about what treatment is best for them." Author, Corinna Christmann-Schmid added, "This evidence underlines the need to balance potential harms against the potential benefits of surgery. One in twelve women who have mesh then require repeat surgery for mesh exposure, and we can expect 7% more women to experience subjective success, when compared with tissue repair without mesh." Women and their surgeons need to discuss these benefits and harms at the time of considering surgery. This is particularly important since the availability of the mesh used now is likely to be different from what was available when the studies were carried out. Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology from the University of Auckland, Cindy Farquhar, commented "Gynaecologists should be wary of adopting new innovations that have not been fully evaluated by clinical trials. This is particularly important as many surgical devices do not require FDA or similar regulatory approvals." Tel Aviv University, Harvard, Technion team suggests a routine blood test can reveal Alzheimer's risk and IQ measurements. Medical professionals have to conduct a long series of tests to assess a patient's memory impairment and cognitive skills, functional abilities, and behavioral changes to accurately diagnose Alzheimer's disease. They also have to execute costly brain imagining scans and even, sometimes, invasive cerebral spinal fluid tests to rule out other diseases. The process is laborious at best -- and subjective at worst. A new discovery by Tel Aviv University, Technion (Rambam Medical Center), and Harvard University researchers takes the medical community a leap forward in the process of effectively screening and diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. The new study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, proposes a new biomarker for cognitive aging and Alzheimer's disease: activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP), the levels of which can be easily monitored in routine blood tests. The study also found that ADNP levels tested in the blood correlate with higher IQ in healthy older adults. The research was led by Prof. Illana Gozes, the incumbent of the Lily and Avraham Gildor Chair for the Investigation of Growth Factors and former director of the Adams Super Center for Brain Studies at TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and a member of TAU's Sagol School of Neuroscience, conducted by TAU PhD student Anna Malishkevich and spearheaded by Dr. Gad Marshall, Dr. Aaron Schultz, and Prof. Reisa Sperling of Harvard University, and Prof. Judith Aharon-Peretz of Rambam Medical Center - The Technion Institute of Technology. A step to early intervention Significant increases in ADNP RNA levels were observed in patients ranging from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's dementia. ADNP levels tested in plasma and serum samples, as well as white blood cell RNA levels, distinguished among cognitively normal elderly, MCI, and Alzheimer's dementia participants. For the purpose of the cross-sectional study, the investigators analyzed blood samples taken from 42 healthy adults, MCI patients, and Alzheimer's disease patients at Rambam Medical Center in Israel. After comparing the ADNP expression in the blood samples, the researchers prepared plasma samples and once again compared the protein levels. "This study has provided the basis to detect this biomarker in routine, non-invasive blood tests, and it is known that early intervention is invaluable to Alzheimer's patients," said Prof. Gozes. "We are now planning to take these preliminary findings forward into clinical trials -- to create a pre-Alzheimer's test that will help to tailor potential preventative treatments." Builds on original research This new research is based on Prof. Gozes' earlier investigation of neuronal plasticity and nerve cell protection at the molecular, cellular, and system level, and her discovery of novel families of proteins, including ADNP, associated with cross-communication among neural nerve cells and their support cells. Prof. Gozes focused on the potential utility of blood ADNP levels as an Alzheimer's biomarker. "The more ADNP RNA found in the blood cells, the fewer aggregates found in the brain of elderly cognitively normal individuals," said Prof. Gozes. "Interestingly, we also found that the more ADNP in the serum, the higher the person's IQ level." These findings are corroborated by a separate study by an independent group that found that the ADNP protein is present in lesser quantities in serum samples from select mild Alzheimer's disease patients. However, in Prof. Gozes' studies, which approach advanced Alzheimer's disease patients, the ADNP mRNA levels in white blood cells dramatically rose above the levels measured in cognitively normal individuals. This finding suggests that dramatically increased ADNP mRNA blood levels in Alzheimer's patients may be either insufficient or damaging. "We have found a clear connection between ADNP levels in the blood and amyloid plaques in the brain," said Prof. Gozes. "Our study is the first to assess ADNP in elderly individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease, and its results open the door for further validation in larger, more informative studies." The researchers are currently exploring larger clinical trials to better determine the ability of ADNP to predict cognitive decline and disease progression. MIPT scientists together with their colleagues from St. Petersburg and Israel have analyzed more than 500 previously published scientific articles and proposed their own approach to the choice of methods used for the treatment of one of the most common cancers. Details are published in the review of the International Journal of Cancer. Researchers from MIPT (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology), St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University and Israel's Ariel University, while making their choice, proposed to use clinical data on the concentration of certain proteins (biomarkers). With this information, mathematical models developed by this team allow making a choice between the conservative treatment (without surgery) and radical (surgical) intervention. Moreover, the authors believe that this approach will allow to select the optimal treatment for each patient. Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers; statistics show that 1 in 26 men and 1 in 90 women are susceptible to this form of cancer. In Russia, the number of cases is estimated at 12,500 per year, and therefore the problem of accurate diagnosis of the cancer stage and proper treatment is important both from a scientific and clinical point of view. With proper diagnosis and timely detection, non-invasive bladder cancer is successfully treated. The tumor practically always begins to grow in the layer of cells that lines the bladder from inside - the epithelium - and if this tumor does not have time to affect the muscle layer, then it is possible to remove it with minimal risk of recurrence. However, if the tumor has penetrated into the muscle of the bladder, then the cancer is called muscle-invasive; the latter is much more active in producing metastasis, and chances of full recovery are sharply decreased. Nowadays, the five-year survival rate for muscle-invasive bladder cancer is 30 to 50% - these figures indicate the number of patients surviving for five years after the discovery of such a tumor. "In this work we correlate the latest clinical, molecular and cellular data associated with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. We use this data for developing a mathematical model of the disease. The ultimate goals of our work are, firstly, the identification of biomarkers and specific clinical parameters by means of which it is possible to accurately determine the stage of this aggressive form of cancer; secondly - the development of individual strategies for its treatment in each particular case," Alexander Kiselev, a professor of MIPT and lead author of the new article. Bladder cancer occurs for various reasons - in fact, we are talking about heterogeneous (non-uniform) tumors with different biochemical and cellular characteristics, different genetic and epigenetic profiles, and all this possibly found in the same patient. Depending on which particular mutations occurred in the DNA of a cancer cell, the tumor grown therefrom may respond differently to therapy. Determining the exact type of tumor (profile) can significantly improve the chances of successful treatment and, at the same time, minimize side effects. To determine the genetic profile means to establish the sequence of nucleotide pairs in the DNA. This sequence determines which molecules of the protein and RNA (ribonucleic acid) will be synthesized. Epigenetic profile refers to a list of active and "silent" genes: if a DNA region or chromosomal protein is modified, then a part of genes will cease to be used. The molecular basis of cancer Normal cells are transformed into cancer ones due to the series of failures at the genetic and molecular level. A key role in this process is played by the so-called epithelial-mesenchymal transition - epithelial cells, which form a layer on the tissue surface, lose their normal structure and fail to respond to chemical signals, which should limit their division and / or cause their self-destruction (apoptosis). This transition is caused by a number of factors - in particular, by synthesis of the increased amount of certain proteins. The process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) resembles the process of the creation of normal cells working in reverse: those initially obtained from stem cells that are characterized by a broader specialization, and can divide a much greater number of times. But if the "right" stem cell does not form a tumor and is necessary for tissue regeneration, the EMT process can result in the occurrence of cancer - mesenchymal cells stop responding to signals coming from the surrounding tissues and begin grow uncontrollably. Proteins which are characteristic for this phase - such as the epithelial growth factor or proteins of the Snail family - can help detect the disease in the very beginning. Another protein that plays a critical role in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer is protein p53. It is known that this protein prevents the transformation of a healthy cell into a cancer cell by triggering a process of self-destruction when DNA is damaged and various stresses take place (in a biochemical, rather than a psychological, sense). This mechanism effectively protects our body from malignant tumors, but it cannot cope with those mutations, which occur within the gene coding protein p53. Such problems are known for many types of cancer; they allow detection of the disease, but do not give the information necessary for the correct choice of treatment. Finally, an important sign of the aggressive muscle-invasive bladder cancer is a change in the concentration of protein Shh. In the developing organism, this protein is essential for differentiation of embryonic cells - but its aberrant expression may be associated with the development of invasive cancer. After analyzing the data, the authors proposed building an approach to the treatment of bladder cancer, as follows: First, all patients are tested for selected cancer development markers - proteins of the Snail family, Shh proteins and others. For this purpose, they perform a biopsy: a small piece of the tumor is pinched off, then that piece is treated with alcohol or formalin - substances which protect it from decomposition. After that, the sample is embedded in paraffin, and then, with the help of a special knife - microtome, the sample is cut into thin slices. In order to reveal the tumor structure, the slices are "developed" by using reagents containing the modified antibodies - proteins capable of binding to specific parts of tissue - antigens. Antigen-antibody reactions occur in our bodies every day - the work of our immunity is based on these reactions. When, for example, germs enter our organism, the specialized cells of our immune system synthesize antibodies that bind to germs and prevent them from spreading. Immunohistochemical studies are based on the same principle. If the antigen is present in the sample, then it reacts with the antibody. This process can be compared to fingerprinting - the surface appears clean, but after treatment with a special powder it shows the pattern of papillary lines. In order to see antibodies, fluorescent dyes are added. Studying the treated slices under a microscope with a set of filters, we can detect the presence of cancer cells; and under high magnification, we are able to observe in detail the location of the studied proteins inside the cells. To find the important tumor development markers, the tissue sample is also divided into many pieces that are spread over the microscope slide. Each of these pieces is exposed to specific antibodies, therefore from a single piece of tissue, we can collect data on many biomolecules. In the end, this allows us to determine the stage of the tumor development, and predict its aggressiveness and invasiveness. At the same time, the multiplicity of samples on one piece of glass makes it possible to select some individual markers, taking into account the patient's medical history and his/her associated illnesses. The obtained qualitative and quantitative data on the expression of specific biological molecules (marker panels) will be used in the mathematical model proposed by the authors, in order to: Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends. Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice. 'Daily Light' for 2,200 Prisoners Nationwide WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2016 / Prison Book Project, of Titusville, FL and Christian Library International, of Raleigh, NC will each ship 1,100 copies of "Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path" to both state and federal correctional institutions on behalf of Prisoner's Path Books of Washington, DC. Prisoner's Path Books, via its fiscal sponsor United Charitable, has launched Written exclusively for men living behind bars, "Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path" incorporates all the morning and evening Scripture readings for every day of the year found in traditional "Daily Light" devotionals. It also serves to counter common prisoner dispositions of dread, despair and defiance with practical Christian teachings on anger, forgiveness, true repentance, restoration and sonship. Author J R Woodgates, who believes "Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path" is helping spark a revival movement in US prisons, says "God is producing a third Great Awakening in America that will bring the largest outpouring of the Holy Spirit ever seen, accompanied by signs and wonders, mass repentances, deliverances and conversions. But it will start among obscure congregations in urban ghettos and remote prisons." Woodgates wrote "Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path" following a brief time spent in federal prison on a pornography charge. Prison Fellowship has placed "Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path" on its recommended reading list for prisoners. Vance Drum, Director of Chaplaincy for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, also endorses "Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path." "This devotional is a treasure. I wish it had been available to me during my time in prison." Pat Nolan, former Senior Vice President of Prison Fellowship/Justice Fellowship "We have the pleasure of hearing praise from many offenders here who have been blessed to read your books and share with us the profound effect they have had on their lives." Chaplain Bill Dornbush, Minnesota Correctional Facility-St. Cloud "From the opening of your book, I was drawn to the strong concept of forgiveness." M. A., Butner Federal Correctional Institution, NC "When I opened the book and read the very first page, I cried." S. P., Riverbend Correctional Facility, GA For more information, visit Share Tweet Contact: J R Woodgates, 202-342-6325WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- During Lent, two of America's largest prison book distributors are sending 2,200 free copies of a comprehensive Christian spiritual survival guide to inmates and chaplains in jails and prisons across America.Prison Book Project, of Titusville, FL and Christian Library International, of Raleigh, NC will each ship 1,100 copies of "Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path" to both state and federal correctional institutions on behalf of Prisoner's Path Books of Washington, DC.Prisoner's Path Books, via its fiscal sponsor United Charitable, has launched a crowdfunding campaign seeking $15,000 in tax-deductible donations to fund the Lenten giveaways.Written exclusively for men living behind bars, "Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path" incorporates all the morning and evening Scripture readings for every day of the year found in traditional "Daily Light" devotionals. It also serves to counter common prisoner dispositions of dread, despair and defiance with practical Christian teachings on anger, forgiveness, true repentance, restoration and sonship.Author J R Woodgates, who believes "Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path" is helping spark a revival movement in US prisons, says "God is producing a third Great Awakening in America that will bring the largest outpouring of the Holy Spirit ever seen, accompanied by signs and wonders, mass repentances, deliverances and conversions. But it will start among obscure congregations in urban ghettos and remote prisons."Woodgates wrote "Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path" following a brief time spent in federal prison on a pornography charge.Prison Fellowship has placed "Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path" on its recommended reading list for prisoners.Vance Drum, Director of Chaplaincy for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, also endorses "Daily Light on the Prisoner's Path.""This devotional is a treasure. I wish it had been available to me during my time in prison." Pat Nolan, former Senior Vice President of Prison Fellowship/Justice Fellowship"We have the pleasure of hearing praise from many offenders here who have been blessed to read your books and share with us the profound effect they have had on their lives." Chaplain Bill Dornbush, Minnesota Correctional Facility-St. Cloud"From the opening of your book, I was drawn to the strong concept of forgiveness." M. A., Butner Federal Correctional Institution, NC"When I opened the book and read the very first page, I cried." S. P., Riverbend Correctional Facility, GAFor more information, visit the book website Majd Jadaan - the sister-in-law of Maher Al-Assad, the brother of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad - is currently a refugee in Jordan and is known as a fierce opponent of Bashar and supporter of the Syrian revolution. On December 1, 2015, she published on the Syrian oppositionist website Souriyati.com an article rife with invective towards Bashar, in which she called him a traitor, an enemy of humanity, a devil, a murderer and a terrorist. She accused him of destroying Syria and massacring its people, and expressed a belief that he would be end up "in history's filthiest garbage heap" and that the Syrian revolution would triumph. Jadaan waving a Syrian revolutionary flag (image: All4Syria.info) The following are excerpts from the article: "O, Bashar Al-Assad - you will be written about in the annals of history... It will be written that you were the son of the devil, that you murdered children, the elderly, and youths; that you destroyed [mosque] minarets, bombed churches, and burned the [Muslim] crescent and [Christian] cross. It will be written that you betrayed, stole, and hawked, and that you enlisted the assistance of the enemies against [Syria's] residents. They will say that you were a pathetic soldier who behaved towards people like a wild animal. It will be written in history that Homs asked Allah to rescue it from you, that Aleppo sought refuge from you and from the devil, that Douma became a sea of blood without beaches, and that, in the age of your betrayal, Syrians were left without homes, schools, or bakeries; without hospitals and without a homeland. It will all be written - but what will never be written is what you and your family falsely claim [about yourselves]. History has already removed the mask from your [face] and theirsOC Allah's curse be upon you until the Day of Judgement, Allah's curse be upon you until the Day of Judgement. Allah's curse be upon you. "I believed that the world would support you to maintain the ideological balance of power in the world. [But] it took me a while to grasp the ugly truth about you, to understand that you are nothing but a lowly, despicable, traitorous soldier, [and] that the entire world toyed with you in order to realize interests that it would have never dreamed of achieving had you and your family not been the lowliest and most savage [creatures] created by AllahOC Allah's curse be upon you and those by your side until the Day of Judgement. No woman has ever birthed a lowly traitor like you. OCYou boast of the support you receive from those who are even lowlier than you. [But it is] we who will boast when they throw you into history's filthiest garbage heap once they have realized their interests by using the cruelty and despicable [nature] of you and those by your side. Allah's curse be upon you and upon them. Despite your and their [actions], Syria is free and will remain free." "True, nations have invaded us - but who opened the door to them, allowing them to invade? Only [you], my greatest enemy and Syria's greatest enemy, the cursed devil, the lowly soldier, the evil murderer, the chief hit man, the savage terrorist, the enemy of Allah and of humanity. May Allah kill you, O murderer. Allah's curse be upon you until the Day of Judgment. "Does your honor[1] see what he is doing? Are you pleased with the murder of the Syrian people, with the destruction of free Syria and with the opening of its doors to everyone and his brother? Who will continue considering you a leader when you have become a willing slave of ones who are stronger than you? History has not known a more despicable and disgraceful person than you... "May Allah kill you, O you who have hurt the honorable and fed upon the interests of the despicable. May Allah kill you, O you who have expelled the most glorious nation and destroyed the most beautiful homeland... "O Ghouta [a region near Damascus], forgive us and curse [Assad] and his supporters. O Homs, forgive us. O Aleppo, forgive us. O free Syria, forgive us, for their wickedness has exceeded all our predictions. [But our] strength and our will have exceeded all their predictions. "It is we who will triumph, as well as truth and divide justice, no matter how long it takes. Syria will be free, free, free." Endnotes: On February 10, 2016, MEMRI VP Alberto M. Fernandez delivered the following testimony to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs/Sub-Committee on Terrorism, Non-Proliferation and Trade: Images: Dabiq Issue 13, January 2016 Two weeks ago, a 15-year-old boy tried to stab to death a Jewish teacher in Marseilles, France. When he was arraigned, he said that he was "ashamed" that he had failed and when asked whether he represented ISIS - he had claimed the attempted murder in the name of the Islamic State - he noted "I don't represent them, they represent me." The San Bernardino attack and the one thousand open investigations on alleged ISIS members inside the United States are ample testimony to the enduring appeal of the Islamic State. A Successful Brand Measured in comparison with most other terrorist groups and insurgent movements, the ISIS brand is a huge success. The fact that it has mobilized tens of thousands to flee their countries, thousands of those leaving very comfortable circumstances in the West, is testimony to the power of its message. It most certainly does represent, as one scholar noted recently, very much a revolutionary, contemporary appeal. Many of the components of this message are not new but the message is nothing if not contemporary. This is a compelling package, which includes a strong Salafi Jihadist ideological component, a political project which is portrayed incessantly as seemingly successful and growing, and a 21st century appeal to substantive and consequential participation aimed at youth searching for purpose and identity in a apparently aimless, empty and hedonistic world; fame and notoriety, vicarious violence, sex, and the end of the world. It is actually remarkable that more people haven't joined and been mobilized given the vast potential pool of recruits existing out there. But what the Islamic State has succeeded in doing, at least for some, is creating a post-modern Salafi Jihadist sub-culture: high tech, cool, ultra-traditional, and non-compromising. The brand is a "condensed symbol" which has multiple layers of meaning, different things to different people and here I can refer you to the work of many researchers and scholars such as Charlie Winter, Will McCants, J.M. Berger, Peter Neumann, Lorenzo Vidino, Javier Lesaca and Aaron Zelin. One of the few good things which have come out of the spectacular rise of ISIS is some first rate research and insight. The fully formed brand as we know it today is really new, about 18 months old, dating from the double blow of June 2014: the fall of Mosul and the declaration of the Caliphate. Despite being so new, its success is complete in that it is now not a specific video or statement that mobilizes but rather the concept or image of the organization that does so. Certainly there was ISIS Spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani's September 2014 message calling for attacks in the West, but aside from planned events like Paris, we see a wider range of inspired individual actions like San Bernardino that are evidently not centrally directed. We know the ideas of "leaderless jihad" and Lone Wolves are not new and we usually shouldn't compare anything to the Nazis, or compare ISIS to National Socialism, but when thinking of the ISIS brand I can't help but think of Ian Kershaw's concept of "working towards the Fuhrer" where individuals felt that they were in a way going along the broad lines indicated by the general stance of the German dictator and not necessarily following a specific order. It is the big idea that mattered, the meaning embedded in the High Concept. One result, clearly, of such attacks is to make the Islamic State look even more ubiquitous, powerful and conquering than it actually is, something that we in the West - including in government and the media - are sometimes unwitting accomplices in helping to suggest. Of course, much of the elements in this spanking new ISIS brand are much older: Salafism is a couple of centuries old. The particular Salafi-Jihadist template that we know is a few decades old. The conflict in Syria, which served as a powerful mobilizing agent for so many young Muslims, is entering its fifth year. And the organization itself, Zarqawi's creation, began in the 1990s and was forged in the crucible of the confrontation with the Americans in Iraq. Zarqawi himself was something of a showman and a video pioneer, he certainly talked about that end-times battle of Dabiq and marked a line independent of Al-Qaeda from the beginning. It also must be said that one element that you don't see in the ISIS brand is much that comes from the way the Iraqi Ba'ath Party did media; some of the grotesque violence, perhaps, but it doesn't look or sound like material put out by any Arab regime. The ISIS of today, which has roots both in Zarqawi and in elements of the previous Iraqi regime, has far superseded both of them. If I was to try to be as precise and narrow in the words to describe the ISIS brand, it would be "Khilafa Rebellion Now." These three words sum up thousands of videos, tens of thousands of graphics and millions of tweets. They encompass the mobilizing appeal to both Westerners and to people who have never set foot in the West. "Al-Khilafa" (the Caliphate) summarizes both the religious and state-building efforts that are unique features of the Islamic State. "Rebellion" captures the youth revolt, the "insurrectionist" nature of the movement, this is a revolt against "the way things are now," the status quo, the mundane both in bourgeois Western democracies and Arab dictatorships. This also rebellion against "the Other," the Jews, the Shi'a, the Christians and all those described in these words of power that ISIS uses: Kufar (Infidels), Mushrikeen (Polytheists), Rafida Najas ("Dirty Shi'a"), Taghut (Tyrant). And "Now" because the call is for action now, it includes a palpable sense of urgency, not something to be done in some fuzzy future. But "Khilafa Rebellion Now" is only part of the problem. Imagine it as the core, the smallest in a series of Russian nesting dolls. The next size doll is that old chestnut, the slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), "Islam is the Solution." Of course, the MB are bitter enemies of ISIS and vice versa. But the ISIS message is one part of a much larger ongoing Islamist ferment, a spectrum of great variety, ranging from contending political Islamist movements to complex regimes to different and divergent Salafi Jihadist insurgent factions. The ISIS message is one part of this larger construct, it reacts to and draws strength from this milieu, from a wider range of beliefs and attitudes within this Islamist spectrum. So for example, when Saudis - who are both key targets of ISIS subversion and also share some of those same Salafi views - promote the over the top sectarianism of media outlets like "Wesal TV" as MEMRI pointed out recently in an exhaustive study, they are in a way helping to propagate elements of the ISIS message. Of course, many Islamists who are bitter foes of the Islamic State share views quite similar to that of ISIS when it comes to the Kufar, Mushrikeen, Rafida Najas, and Taghut. The fact that "Islamism" is now, in a way "fashionable," even in the West is also part of this political stew. And even though the very broad definitions of Islamism and even Jihadism are not exactly the same thing as ISIS, there is a focus and a forward motion on "things Islamist" (this includes people saying bad things about it and obsessing about it) which is useful to ISIS radicalization. "Islamism" and all sorts of (positive and negative) reactions to it and about it are "trending" if you go by the amount of media coverage the issue receives. Just like an extremist political candidate who seems to be doing well, can drag the discourse on certain issues in a certain direction, so does the seeming success of ISIS drag others - rivals, critics and imitators - into a sort of ideological and propaganda arms race. ISIS itself has succeeded in resurrecting, of course, both the concept and reality of Khilafa and Jizya, the historic, humiliating tax imposed on non-Muslims living under Islamic rule. This fierce competition is certainly very clear with the production and actions of groups like Jabhat Al-Nusra in Syria and AQAP in Yemen. And this deadly rivalry could bear fruit even beyond the possible defeat of the Islamic State in its Syria/Iraq heartland given the shakiness of so many regimes in the region. I know that when I was in government as recently as 2013, we hoped that the struggle between ISIS and Al-Qaeda would have them fighting over the same finite pie, as a result discrediting both, but what has happened is that their struggle continues within the context of a growing pie. If "Khilafa Rebellion Now" and "Islam is the Answer" are two of those nesting dolls which have a very clear Islamic connection, the third one which informs that brand, does not. It is something I wrote about recently for MEMRI and someone similar to what anthropologist Scott Atran wrote about in even greater length and that is that while ISIS is one high profile part of a rising wave of "radical Arab Sunni revivalism," it can also be seen as part of a larger trend of a deterioration of traditional culture and deep crisis of authority and institutions occurring most drastically and dangerously in the Middle East but also occurring - to a real if much less extent - in the West. In this reading, a wide range of disparate, alienated or angry elements that have nothing at all to do with the Islamic State- Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party, paramilitary groups, the Far Right, the Far Left, anti-Capitalist extremists and anarchists, the "lostness" of so many people in a changing and seemingly pitiless world - suggest some sort of sense of rebellion and can provide an inkling into some of the pressures and fissures many contemporary societies worldwide are experiencing. This is a clash of civilizations but it is not Samuel Huffington, rather a clash within civilizations happening both in the East and West. If this internal civilizational shaking is even a little bit true, then the disarray we see in the Middle East is not a blast from the past but one possible vision of a future, even our future. I don't mean to suggest that we will ever descend into the brutal depths we see in the region today, but there is little doubt that the globalized, deracinated lumpen youth we see today in many places is at risk to all sorts of very different social and political pathologies. The Islamic State is only one of them, although perhaps one of the most spectacular and strangest ones of all. We see today an Arab Middle East unmoored as most of the pillars of power and authority are shaken but you can read something like, for example, George Mason University Professor's Tyler Cowen's recent utopian/dystopian book "Average is Over" and see the dawning of a future which could drastically change our own civilization if not unmoor it. This may seem a bit something out of a "Mad Max" apocalyptic movie but I am not talking so much about what actually will happen but about how some young people in the West feel, and the ISIS image is, among other things, a lot about feelings and young people. Kinetic Propaganda Breaks The Brand So what to do with this really successful Islamic State brand? It has some real weaknesses despite the impressive success. It is, in a way, part Ferrari and part donkey-cart - with this incredible powerful and shiny image tethered to a less shiny, actually sordid reality on the ground. This ISIS brand is a tremendous media success, the ISIS "state" is also an impressive accomplishment but has demonstrated somewhat less sticking ability than the virtual state online. I have frequently said that the best way to weaken the ISIS propaganda appeal is on the battlefield and that is really true. One thing I watched closely when the Coalition began bombing ISIS in August 2014 to this day was to see how much the ISIS discourse of victory and indomitable progress would have to adapt to account for and explain away the inevitable battlefield reverses. It would be logical to take such a step but ISIS has done little to address this. There are calls, including most recently by Baghdadi, to persevere and stand fast, there are a handful of videos of civilian victims of Coalition bombing, playing the victim card, but not much. The ISIS victory narrative has been sustained by the use of two elements - the actions and growth of the ISIS franchises and these continued attacks in the West such as Paris, which mimic and in a way replace the image of military victory on the ground. This still can be sustained for a while, especially if the continued progress against ISIS on the ground in Iraq and Syria remains slow and gradual. As long as the idea of the ISIS Khilafa, the unsullied brand, remains plausible, it will continue to attract recruits and copycats and spawn terrorist operations focusing on targets of opportunity worldwide. You cannot "contain" the ISIS brand if the ISIS Caliphate is merely contained. Only a few days ago, we read the well-connected David Ignatius say that victory against ISIS will take decades. Obviously this depends on how you define "victory" but I do not think that is the case, as able as the organization is and as much as the region is in disarray. Matthew Levitt and my old boss Ambassador Jim Jeffrey at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy have recently spelled out some commonsense political-military steps on the ground which could accelerate the process of defeating ISIS in its core-Caliphate area. I defer to military experts on what would be the most realistic timetable for accelerating this campaign. Certainly the shedding of the ISIS "proto-state facade" is something to be achieved as soon as possible and will have important ramifications for their power to mobilize. But unfortunately, the sheer number of ISIS supporters, the volume of the organization and its adherents - as propagandists and as fighters - means that the organization's decline back into mere "Al-Qaedism" - a terrorist group targeting enemies in the region and beyond - will take longer than it should. And as long as it has a critical mass of numbers made of up of people of various nationalities, the group will be able to a certain extent, "surge" into wherever in the region governance may collapse or weaken. We see this, for example, in Libya and Yemen. While it is certainly possible that additional pressure in the Middle East on the ISIS state will make it lash out and motivate its supporters in the West to more action like San Bernardino, this pressure can tarnish not just the ISIS brand but disrupt the actual propaganda cycle. This has actually happened in the past such as in 2012 when Yemeni military action against safe havens in South Yemen disrupted AQAP's production of material. You certainly can't produce material about the great life in the Caliphate if your propagandists and support structure are on the run. In any case, there is a problem in that the actual reverses that the Islamic State has suffered from Mosul Dam in September 2014 to Ramadi in January 2016 are rarely if ever personalized or presented in a way that would be appealing or impactful to our target audience - that is to Sunni Arab Muslims or Westernized Muslims living in the diaspora. We have actually never extracted the full propaganda value from these victories in the way that ISIS has actually done so with some lesser accomplishments. The Iraqi military has made some small efforts in this direction in Arabic, some material was produced after the fall of most of Ramadi recently, but it was nothing like the volume, human dimension, immediacy, high quality and multiple foreign languages that ISIS provides in its material. Look at an ISIS battle video and look at anything produced by its adversaries and you will see the contrast. Lowering The Volume In addition to this political-military dimension, another way to weaken the ISIS brand is to interrupt its propaganda cycle. This may seem like bolting the door after the horses have fled the barn but it still has value in cutting up the ISIS online network and blowing up the image of constant volume and production. It is the sheer scale of the ISIS network that gives it some of its power. The distribution system now is well known and is mostly involving a few high-profile platforms such as Twitter, Germany-based Telegram, San Francisco-based Archive.org and Justpaste.it. That is just four key platforms - Facebook and YouTube are somewhat less problematic now. To give you a sense of the rapid rise of Telegram, especially in the past six weeks, for most of 2015 MEMRI mined ISIS material principally from Twitter, followed by Facebook and then YouTube. Since October of 2015, 35% of our material comes from Telegram, 34% from Twitter. 10% from Internet Archive, 7% from YouTube and 10% from Jihadi forums. Facebook as a source declined from 25% to 2%. Telegram today is probably the single most important online safe haven for ISIS. In a recent discussion by ISIS supporters that we at MEMRI monitored, one well-known figure described Telegram as his "hideout" and lamented that he wasn't able to keep up with the many suspensions on Twitter. "Remember Twitter back in 2014 when we hijacked hashtags and spread the news for the entire world," he noted wistfully. It seems clear that Telegram's encrypted chats were used as a platform to recruit people in Southeast Asia with Malaysian police recently arresting several who has been recruited through this particular messaging service. Suspension of accounts and deleting material is not some sort of panacea in the fight against the Islamic State, especially given the larger military and ideological dimensions, but it does strike a blow. Cyberwarfare and better policing of the terms of service of social media companies are not a crutch we should rely on but they are a real tool, even if some ISIS fanboy posts a picture of a cake celebrating the 100th time he was suspended on Twitter. A 2016 MEMRI special report described in detail the developments that have been made over the past few months by the ISIS propaganda network to maintain a high production tempo and respond to an increase in disruption attempts by digital adversaries: ISIS has slowly integrated the whole media apparatus into its own internal structure, from production to distribution. ISIS operatives were always part of the distribution process, passing on the media content and relying on pro-ISIS supporter networks to distribute to a wide audience. However, with disruption making the job harder by shutting down key accounts, ISIS media now needs to rely on more systematic methods, such as robot accounts to automatically distribute content through hundreds of accounts simultaneously and thus reduce the overall effect of shutdowns. High definition videos, as are daily published by ISIS, require broadband connections and large remote storage space in order to be made available to a large public. At this stage of the distribution process, the data flow is concentrated between ISIS media production operatives who are locally holding onto the data, and public hosting services on which they are dependent on for wide distribution. This dependency on free public hosting services is a double edged sword: on the one hand, it makes ISIS less vulnerable to cyber-attacks and allows them to use privacy protecting laws in their own favor; on the other hand, they are subject to censorship and the content may be deleted fairly fast. ISIS operatives need to find a hosting platform where this voluminous, large size data will stay long enough for the entire distribution process to take effect and thus generate dozens of copies of the new material. At that moment, the data has lost its early vulnerability to disruption by opponents. The well-documented use of "bots" - automatic distribution accounts - enables ISIS media managers to rapidly get the links out to primary distributors before any kind of censoring response has been made. For those who seek to disrupt this cycle, the issue is the stemming of the data flow prior to it getting out of potential control within the network. There is a critical, vulnerable point in time when the data is shared but not yet copied in enough different places. The Ideological Fight And USG Efforts The third element - after the political-military and the technical - is the ideological. Here again, what needs to be done seems relatively straightforward if difficult. The difficulty factor is increased, in my view, by the suspicion and ambivalence which this administration's policies have created among key partners, our Sunni Arab Muslim allies stretching from Morocco to the Gulf. Given the current crisis of authority and its profound political implications for these states, it will be difficult to convince all of them to take on the public war of ideas to discredit the very premises of Jihadist Salafism when some of these countries use these same premises for their own ends. On the surface, the rebranding of the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (CSCC) into the Global Engagement Center seems to be nothing but more than a public relations gambit. In the State Department press release announcing it, not one of the responsibilities listed was new. All of them had been within CSCC's mandate and were things CSCC had worked on, with its limited funds, as far back as 2011. According to press accounts, the new Center will no longer be in the direct messaging business, which would mean - if the budget is not increased and remains at the old amount of about $5.5 million - freeing up about $3.5 million a year for the creation of proxies and indirect messaging platforms. Certainly a reasonable increase earmarked for the Center's budget to fund overseas proxies is worth trying , along with solid performance metrics and Congressional oversight. The coordination of counter-terrorism communications efforts, often highlighted as a key part of the old office, or the new office's work, is important. But all too often in government, and including in this particular effort, it becomes a way of prioritizing process over actual results and activity over real forward mention. And coordinating a stagnant or shrinking effort is of limited utility. One way not to do it is - at least not yet - the single public signature State Department effort launched this year. I am on delicate ground here since I had a very small role to play in this process very early on in mid-2014, and I believe that there is a grain of a potentially good nascent effort here, and of course CSCC was intimately involved in this start-up working closely with the Bureau of Near East Affairs (NEA) in the State Department. Launched to great fanfare in July 2015, the Sawab Center in the United Arab Emirates is a largely UAE-funded operation contracted out but also including two American FSOs detailed to the operation. It is, six months after its launch, a bit underwhelming with 2,624 tweets since it was launched. This is like a smaller, more timid version of CSCC's digital outreach team. Although it should have greater freedom to do things that overt USG communications lacked, Sawab so far is missing two things the ISIS brand has in abundance: volume and passion. Reportedly, there were deep individual tensions between NEA and CSCC at the launch of this initiative. One can hope that this initiative will mature and others in the pipeline like it will evolve into something more substantive and be replicated in ways that will be more consequential. I don't want to dwell on it too much because it may seem like Schadenfreude but the USG basically wasted an entire year in the propaganda war in 2015. When I left CSCC in early February 2015, I assumed that the powers that be would go in a radically different direction from me but that whatever they did it would be well funded, politically supported and focused. None of those things seemed to have happened. The apparent micro-managing from the NSC, the risk adverse mentality, and the obsession of form over substance prevailed. One hopes something has been learned from this debacle and that the new leadership will be empowered and given freedom to work, but it is too early to tell. I do want to recognize some of the valuable work CSCC seems to have done in 2015 in facilitating information on ISIS defectors and recanters. It is still early days, but is certainly a very worthwhile effort that should be supported and expanded. Governments receiving returnees from ISIS ranks should find creative ways to incentivize counter-radicalization media outreach as much as integration and law enforcement. And certainly, the leadership disorder at the top does not detract from the dogged and valuable work being done in this field by the dedicated civil servants, Foreign Service Officers, and detailees from other government agencies involved in this effort. Given the importance of Iraq and, especially, Syria, in the ISIS discourse and how it is sold to Western audiences and even non-Western populations distant from the Front, there is real value in empowering Syrian and Iraqi Sunni Muslim voices who can speak directly to wavering individuals outside the Middle East and say to them directly: "I am one of those Muslims whom ISIS claims to be defending and I am speaking from personal knowledge and the image you are being presented of our reality is a false one." Look at the faces of the people talking in ISIS videos, how so many of them speak clearly and directly, stating with uncovered faces all sorts of (often awful) things with tremendous conviction and clarity. This is the power of personal testimony. I noticed a recent effort by the London Police to use Syrian mothers speaking in Arabic in one video to reach out to U.K. populations and that is a small step in the right direction. This is a worthy experiment. The question is whether this can be deepened and individualized to replicate the peer-to-peer radicalization process which is so often a key factor in influencing the actions of new recruits. It should be. There should also be room for a well-funded regional media effort promoting tolerant, liberal Arab Muslim values in contradistinction to the vision of Salafi Jihadism. This is a longer term project that has value in promoting the pluralism, tolerance and open discourse which is anathema to Takfiri Salafi Jihadists like ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Certainly there are enough eloquent individuals - Syrians, Lebanese, Jordanians and others, even in the Gulf and Saudi Arabia - who believe in such a worldview but are rarely empowered by us or by anyone else for that matter, certainly not on a consistent basis and not like the support lavished on a range of Salafi - non-ISIS - media. Again, this is not something the United States can do directly, but it can certainly promote. But attempting such an initiative also underscores a deficit in our counter-terrorism communications efforts. The default for our government is all too often to work with either friendly governments or to contract out our efforts to companies or organizations inside the Beltway. Nothing wrong with that but more is needed. Government should also look to empower and expand the scope of non-governmental messaging platforms and organizations within the Middle East with a goal towards building sustainable messaging efforts against Salafi Jihadists. An ISIS Nineveh video a couple of days ago launched as part of a coordinated campaign on North Africa spent almost as much time attacking Sufi Muslims and liberals as it did in criticizing the political authorities. The Salafi "sea" where ISIS rises from matters and it would seem to me to be good policy to seek to push back on a political and societal discourse which sets the stage for violence. This is not something the U.S. Government can do directly but certainly something that needs to be prioritized. The Islamic State is one prominent and extreme part of a larger trend that inimical to our values and our foreign policy interests. So this is the state of play in bringing down the ISIS brand. It isn't rocket science nor particularly exciting. Despite my profound policy differences with the administration I do see that some of the basic elements needed in this fight are more or less in place, and slowly moving in the right direction, albeit in a weak, confused or poorly directed form. Certainly more tangible progress on the ground against ISIS is not unachievable this year even if we will have to rely on very problematic sectarian or ethnic local forces which do not contribute to solving some of the basic problems of governance and extreme sectarianism and can make it even worse. Turning the ISIS Caliphate back into a terrorist/insurgent group running around in the wilderness of Syria and Iraq and which tries to launch attacks in the West, is not a definitive solution to the problem but it would definitely lead to a qualitative change in its current unique appeal. It removes some, but not all, of the motivation for individual San Bernardino-type action. It particularly damages the concept of the Islamic State as an ongoing concern with a bright future that a young person would want to support. Disrupting the delivery system and ramping up the quantity and quality of the anti-ISIS material being generated on a daily basis are also important steps to blunt the utility and freshness of ISIS propaganda. This revolutionary ISIS brand rose and flourished not because it was so startling effective - it very much is that, in relative terms - but because of the political, military and propaganda vacuum which allowed it to flourish and present a stance and an option - political and religious - that was both extreme and plausible. Working on the former part - the extreme message - is a longer term project, but working on the "plausible" part is something we need to do now and we do have some tools to do so. *Alberto M. Fernandez is Vice-President of MEMRI. 9 Indians have joined ISIS in their fight for world dominion. A lot of planning went into the recruitment and assignment of work, reveal interrogation details and clear hierarchy was set according to the level of radicalisation and other parameters. Nafees Khan 21 He is described as the 'head of finance' at Islamic State-inspired Janood-ul-khalifa-al-Hind. Nafees, according to cops was working as salesman at a tiles shop in Hyderabad on a monthly salary of Rs 11,000. He hails from Mumbai's Nalasopara and came to Hyderabad in 2012 in search of a job. His primary education was at a Telugu camp and later did Islamic studies at a madarasa for 4 years. At Hyderabad, Nafees started a Facebook account during which he came in contact with Rizwan, a juvenile and deputy chief of IS in India, who belongs to Uttar Pradesh. According to Nafees, Rizwan gave him the ID of 'Gumnaam of Syria,' believed to Shafi Armar. Gumnaam motivated Nafees and also taught him how to make bombs using 'justpaste.it'. "I got it printed from a computer shop and kept it in my room. Then I purchased a new GI pipe with both side thread and cap from a shop and got it drilled for inserting wire in it," Nafees is said to have told interrogators. Mufti Abdus Sami Qasmi 46 A fiery orator, Sami is a native of Rampur in Uttar Pradesh and was arrested by NIA and UP police from Hardoi last week. Sami was residing at Seelampur in North East Delhi and was instrumental in motivating youths to join ISIS, advocating its ideology. Sami studied at Darul Uloom Deoband and runs a trust in name of Majlis-e-Tameer-e-Ummat, and 2 madrassas in UP. He travelled to states like UP, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Punjab, delivering fiery lectures to motivate youth for anti-national actions. Sami, in a few of his speeches, made a direct reference to Islamic State. Sami in his speeches will also rake up opposition to author Salman Rushdie, Prophet's cartoons revealed by a Danish newspaper and French journal Charlie Hebdo. He was also in contact with former Indian Mujahideen members, including Shafi Armar alias Yousuf, who is said to have recruited many Indians for ISIS. Obeidullah Khan 33 Son of a retired constable, Khan is a resident of Hyderabad and married. The couple have four children with eldest being 6 years and youngest, 9 months. According to NIA, Obeidullah runs a computer sales and services, shop in the name of Computer Point at Tolichowki in Hyderabad. He was a given an assumed name by Shareef Moinuddin as Abu Talah during the meetings held at later's house in December. Shareef named him after his younger son, Talha. According to NIA, Obeidullah used to service the laptop used by Nafees Khan who also indoctrinated him. He also procured the metal pipe for Nafees for making pipe bombs. From his Facebook accounts, the agency has also extracted videos, photos and posts of ISIS that he either liked or shared with others. Khan was also part of the trip that was organised for Kayaking with an aim to maintain their physical and mental fitness. Mohammed Shareed Moinuddin 54 The eldest among the group of 14 arrested by NIA, Shareef is a native of Hyderabad and studied up to class X. He also worked as an electrician in Saudi Arabia from 1980-97 at a company which had its headquarters at Syria. He came back to India in 1991 and started taking electrical wiring contracts in Andhra Pradesh. Shareef also admitted that he has given financial assistance to the families of terrorist who have been accused of triggering bomb blasts at Hyderabad. According to NIA, Shareef regularly attended Takrir related to jehad and for past two years was in search of a person who can take him to ISIS. Father of six, Shareef came in contact with Nafees Khan in 2015 and invited the group for a meeting at his house in the month of December 2015. According to him, Nafees was declared as the ISIS chief in Telangana. Nafees also demonstrated the making of IEDs at his house and also played a video of ISIS. NIA also seized literature on jehad and ISIS during the searches. According to sleuths, Shareef wanted to "leave India forever and strongly believed that he would get jannat" if he fights under the banner of ISIS. Najmal Huda 25 A native of Uttar Pradesh, Najmal was the 'battalion commander' of the Islamic State-inspired Janood-ul-khalifa-al-Hind. The family of Najmal shifted to Mangalore in 1990 where he pursued his studies but later dropped out from fourth semester of engineering at RV College at Bangalore. Najmal has a diploma in petroleum engineering and has also done piping engineering from Petrocon institute at Mangalore. His father is working as Imam at a local mosque in Mangalore. Described as 'motivator', Najmal was interested in apprising youths about struggle by Islamic State fighters against Bashar-ul-Assad, the military ruler of Syria. Najmaal was attracted towards IS ideology since 2014 and started searching for IS caliphate on Facebook and other social media. He also attended the meeting organized by Nafees Khan, the financial head of the group at Hyderabad. NIA seized a laptop, 7 mobiles, 1 pen drive, 6 SIM cards and a passport application receipt. Mohammad Afzal 31 A diploma holder in electrical engineering, Afzal belongs to Bangalore. He has also done a bachelor of arts in English, Economics and history through correspondence in 2013. According to his interrogation details, Afzal first worked with BHEL in 1999 and later joined private firm in the capacity of component engineer. While switching jobs, Afzal was at an onsite location at Saudi Arabia in 2005 where he remained for 14 months. After returning from Saudi Arabia in 2006, Afzal joined another firm at Bangalore where he was employed as project leader. In December 2014, during his visit to Tumkur, Afzal met one 'Mujahid' during a speech. They started discussing the present conditions of Muslims and ideology of ISIS. Describing one of the meetings attended by him, Afzal says it was organised at hilly area of Tumkur and lasted for 4-5 hours. "It was social meeting organized by 'Mujahid' for doing some physical activities such as trekking," Afzal is believed to have told interrogators. According to him, the discussions were also held to collect 'zakat' funds from Muslims and distribute it to the poor and needy in an organised manner. Investigators suspect that the aim of the meeting was to collect funds for the newly floated IS-inspired outfit. Abu Anas 24 A native of Rajasthan, Anas was arrested by NIA from Hyderabad for being part of the IS-inspired radical outfit. His father works at a beedi factory in Rajasthan's Tonk district. Anas completed his Master's in Computer Application (MCA) in 2015 and also knew ethical hacking. He came to Hyderabad looking for a job in March last year. Anas, according to cops while staying in Rajasthan was influenced by one jammat 'Tehreek-e- Dawat Ruju Ilal Quran Wa Sunnath'. After coming to Hyderabad, he renewed his contacts with Mohd Sherif Monuddin who used to attend the activities of jammat in Rajasthan. With the help of jammat contacts in Hyderabad, Anas got the job of senior consultant in Techno world Group at Hyderabad where he used to earn Rs 30,000 every month. Anas along with other members of the group were planning to go to Syria and join ISIS via Japan. In the month of December 2015, Anas has applied for a tourist visa of Japan. He also said that they decided to go via Japan since the visa processing is easier in Japan. They would have first travelled to Japan and then to Turkey and entered inside Syria. Anas was also part of the group that went for kayaking about 40 kilometres from Hyderabad and also visited Narsapur forest to conduct a reece on January 13, 2016. "The meeting held on January 13 was to understand each other mentally on the elements of 'Caliphate' and acquaint ourselves with selfendurance against the nature," says Anas during his interrogation. Asif Ali 21 Asif, a native of Tamil Nadu was first attracted towards ways of Islam during his initial days with Tablighi Jammat which he joined for 40 days in 2011 at Bangalore. His family migrated to Bangalore when he was of 9 years. Asif's father runs an electric repair business while Asif after giving up his studies in 2011 started working at his uncle workshop of stone polishing where he also met Sohail. "I was impressed by preaching of ISIS and started making enquiries about ways and means to reach Syria," Asif told interrogators. Asif met Najmal Huda who was pursuing his engineering at a college in Bangalore. He later introduced him to one Khalid alias Rizwan and they decided to set up the ISbacked outfit in India. Asif was also part of three meetings which was organised to decide the structure of the organisation. According to Asif, he was assigned the task of looking for like-minded people who want to join ISIS. Sayed Mujahid, a resident of Tumkur was to be head of the organisation in Karnataka. Sohail Ahmed 22 A madrasa teacher, Sohail joined the group 8 months ago and was indoctrinated by Najmal in Bangalore. According to NIA, apart from teaching at madrasa, Sohail also did a part time job of stone polishing company where he came in contact with one Asif Ali who introduced him to Najmal. Sohail is also believed to have hosted one of the meetings of the group at his Mominpura house last year which was attended by at least six members of the group. He also travelled to Hyderabad along with Najmal to organise the logistics of the newly floated outfit. Sohail has studied till class VII and had applied for passport in December. The story of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, the sole survivor of the recent Siachen avalanche, was nothing short of a miracle. The braveheart survived being buried under 25 feet of snow, with almost no oxygen and a demonic minus-27 degree temperature. Some ice sheets were as big as a room and spread over 800 X 1000 meters. BCCL BCCL But the Indian Army would never leave its soldiers behind, and 150 highly trained rescue personnel, along with two sniffer dogs, were sent off for the rescue mission that seemed futile since the beginning. BCCL BCCL A post was set up near the site and Dot and Misha, the two sniffer dogs, were put to work. The team, after spotting the most probable location of Hanumanthappa, started with the gruelling task of breaking through 30-feet thick ice sheets that are usually harder than concrete. Custom-made digging and chipping equipments were used. After this, Army Aviation helicopters, fitted with deep penetration radars capable of detecting metallic objects and heat signatures at a depth of 20 meters, were hurtled into action. BCCL BCCL Hours of relentless digging led the team to Hanumanthappa, who was surprisingly alive. Finding Thappa breathing electrified the team and he was extracted. At the time of extraction, Thappa was drowsy, disoriented and severely dehydrated, hypothermic, hypoxic, hypoglycemic and in shock. Thappa, at present, is in coma and is being treated at the Research and Referral hospital in Delhi. We pray for his speedy recovery! Hindus in Pakistan are a very small minority and account for just two percent (2.4 million) of the total population. And, therefore, like many other Islamic states, the Hindus in Pakistan have had to struggle to get their basic rights. Hindu Marriage Bill was one such law that had been delayed because of inaction for decades. The final draft of the bill (Hindu Marriage Bill 2015), however, was passed by the National Assembly standing committee on law and justice. The bill fixes the marriage age at 18 for both male and female. This is a big achievement for the Hindus in Pakistan as the bill had faced some stiff resistance from most of the factions of Pakistani politics. The bill is expected to be passed this time though because it is being supported by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party. Twitter The chairman of the committee which passed the draft, Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk, was elated with the new development, It was unbecoming of us Muslims in general and the political leaders in particular. We were required to facilitate the legislation, not obstruct it. If we 99 per cent of the population are afraid of one per cent, we need to look deep inside what we claim to be and what we are," he said. It must be noted that the Hindus in Pakistan have faced systemic cleansing since the Partition from India. At the time of Partition, Hindus in Pakistan were a staggering 46 percent of the entire population and have now been reduced to just 2 percent of the total population. The bill had been delayed for many decades majorly because of the fact that passing the bill would acknowledge the prevalence of Hindu minority which the Pakistan government considers a threat to its Islamic agenda and ideology. That the bill has now finally been passed, maybe it will strengthen the Hindu community in Pakistan and give them a platform to fight for equal rights as opposed to their Muslim counterparts. One Thousand Churches BELIEVE: Popular Church-wide Campaign Helps People of All Ages Understand the Big Ideas of the Bible GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Feb. 10, 2016 / "The number one thing people want from their church is help understanding the Bible," said Randy Frazee, senior minister of Oak Hill Church in San Antonio, TX and general editor of BELIEVE. "We designed the BELIEVE experience to help Christians dig into Scripture to answer three significant questions: What do I believe? What should I do? And, Who am I becoming?" "Christians want to think, act, and be more like Jesus," Frazee added. "That's why BELIEVE has caught on the way it has. Christians are experiencing the unifying, clarifying, energizing, transforming effect of reading God's Word and truly understanding and applying it. It's so exciting!" BELIEVE is published by Zondervan, whose 2005 abridged, chronological Bible The Story has sold more than six million copies of its church campaign resources. The Story uses Scripture to chronicle the Bible in 31 short chapters, all of which point to its main theme: the story of God's love. More than 5,000 churches around the world have experienced The Story together, bringing people to a deeper understanding of the Bible's broader themes. "With The Story, we knew engaging everyone from toddlers to seniors with the one grand love story of God would be life changing," said Frazee. "But what we didn't expect was the church congregations' growth. At Oak Hills Church, our attendance grew twenty-three percent that year!" Like The Story, the BELIEVE experience includes books of carefully selected Scripture for adults, students, and kids, and curriculum for every age group. All editions of BELIEVE are designed to be read together as a family, study group, or entire church. "I am humbled by the response to BELIEVE," said Beth Murphy, senior director of ChurchSource for HarperCollins Christian Publishing. "So often, Christians are defined by what we're against. It's wonderful to see churches from around the world and across denominations, unified in this vision of declaring what we're for; knowing what the Bible teaches, what we as Christians believe, and how living out of our beliefs transforms not just our actions, but our character. What I love about BELIEVE is that it gives every ministry in the church the tools for deep discipleship, and lives are being changed." For more information on BELIEVE, go to Randy Frazee, general editor of BELIEVE and lead architect for The Story is available for interviews. Please send requests to Casey Harrell at About Zondervan Zondervan is a world-leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. Zondervan, as part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company's products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, MI. For additional information, please visit Share Tweet Contact: Casey Harrell, Director of Corporate Communications, 615-902-1109, casey.harrell@harpercollins.com GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Feb. 10, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- In less than a year, more than 1,000 churches in the U.S. have decided to BELIEVE. This book-turned-church-wide experience has engaged congregations in every state and in every denomination to better understand the Bible's key beliefs, practices and virtues. BELIEVE takes all 66 books of the Bible and breaks them down into 30 big ideas, for all ages to easily understand and apply their faith."The number one thing people want from their church is help understanding the Bible," said Randy Frazee, senior minister of Oak Hill Church in San Antonio, TX and general editor of BELIEVE. "We designed the BELIEVE experience to help Christians dig into Scripture to answer three significant questions: What do I believe? What should I do? And, Who am I becoming?""Christians want to think, act, and be more like Jesus," Frazee added. "That's why BELIEVE has caught on the way it has. Christians are experiencing the unifying, clarifying, energizing, transforming effect of reading God's Word and truly understanding and applying it. It's so exciting!"BELIEVE is published by Zondervan, whose 2005 abridged, chronological Bible The Story has sold more than six million copies of its church campaign resources. The Story uses Scripture to chronicle the Bible in 31 short chapters, all of which point to its main theme: the story of God's love. More than 5,000 churches around the world have experienced The Story together, bringing people to a deeper understanding of the Bible's broader themes."With The Story, we knew engaging everyone from toddlers to seniors with the one grand love story of God would be life changing," said Frazee. "But what we didn't expect was the church congregations' growth. At Oak Hills Church, our attendance grew twenty-three percent that year!"Like The Story, the BELIEVE experience includes books of carefully selected Scripture for adults, students, and kids, and curriculum for every age group. All editions of BELIEVE are designed to be read together as a family, study group, or entire church."I am humbled by the response to BELIEVE," said Beth Murphy, senior director of ChurchSource for HarperCollins Christian Publishing. "So often, Christians are defined by what we're against. It's wonderful to see churches from around the world and across denominations, unified in this vision of declaring what we're for; knowing what the Bible teaches, what we as Christians believe, and how living out of our beliefs transforms not just our actions, but our character. What I love about BELIEVE is that it gives every ministry in the church the tools for deep discipleship, and lives are being changed."For more information on BELIEVE, go to BelieveTheStory.com . If you are interested in requesting a Church Resource Kit for review, please call ChurchSource at 800-727-3480, or visit BelieveTheStory.com/KitTrial Randy Frazee, general editor of BELIEVE and lead architect for The Story is available for interviews. Please send requests to Casey Harrell at casey.harrell@harpercollins.com About ZondervanZondervan is a world-leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. Zondervan, as part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company's products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, MI. For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com On the third day of his tour of Central European countries, the Alternate Foreign Minister for European Affairs, Nikos Xydakis, met in Budapest with representatives of the Greek community of Hungary. Members of the delegation he met with included the president of the Minority Self-Government of Greek Hungarians, Mr. Koukoumtzis, and the MP representing the Greek minority in the Hungarian Parliament, Laokratis Koranis. Mr. Xydakis listened closely to the views and questions of the Greek community, and he briefed them in detail on developments in issues such as the refugee crisis, social security reform and the current state of the Greek economy. Drawdown days are officially over for the Marine Corps. The service's fiscal 2017 budget request would keep the active-duty force at a steady state of 182,000 troops, a number projected to remain constant until fiscal 2021. The Marines' base budget request of $23.4 billion represents a $169 million increase over the previous year, with an additional $1.6 billion in overseas contingency operations funding earmarked for operations and maintenance, personnel and procurement. The spending plan calls for a significant investment in Marine Corps aircraft. The service plans to buy its first two CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift replacement helicopters at a cost of $437 million as it continues to invest heavily in development for the airframe. The aircraft, which will replace the Marines' workhorse CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters, is expected to reach initial operational capability by fiscal 2019. By 2021, the Corps plans to purchase 40 of the choppers. The Marines will complete a five-year procurement contract for MV-22B Ospreys next year, with plans to buy another 16 of the tiltrotor aircraft. The service also wants to purchase 16 more F-35B Joint Strike Fighters as it prepares to deploy a first squadron of the fifth-generation fighters to Japan in early 2017. The budget includes funding for 24 new AH-1Z Venom helicopters, which replace AH-1W Super Cobras first introduced in 1986. Ground vehicle procurement will also get a boost. As part of a joint program with the Army, the Corps plans to buy 192 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles at a total cost of $113 million, up from 118 of the Humvee replacements in 2016. As development of the Marines' amphibious combat vehicle continues, the service plans to spend about $159 million to manufacture and deliver 32 test vehicles for the future armored personnel carrier. With special purpose Marine air-ground task force crisis response units in the Middle East, Europe and Africa in a constant state of high demand, the budget request also includes full funding for pre-deployment training and a plus-up in spending on ammunition. According to budget documents, the spending plan includes funding for up to 10 infantry battalions, 4.5 artillery battalions, five logistics battalions and 30 aircraft squadrons to participate in the Marines' integrated training exercise program at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. It also budgets for two infantry battalions to participate in mountain training at the Corps' mountain warfare center in California. Overall, the Marine Corps will spend $195 million on ammunition in fiscal 2017, up from $146 million this year. Some mainstay weapons systems will also see an increase in funding, including the high mobility artillery rocket system, which will see funding more than doubled from $16 to $34 million; and upgrades for the AAV7A1 assault amphibious vehicle, funded at $74 million, up from $21 million this year. Stateside, the Marines are investing in a few big-ticket building and renovation projects, including a $30 million recruit barracks and reconditioning center for Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina; $18 million worth of range safety improvements for Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and $110 million to repair and improve a block of 36 family housing units at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. The Air Force on Tuesday released a 2017 budget geared to rebalance the force and counter readiness problems resulting from years of deployments, personnel shortages and sequester-forced spending caps that have cut into modernization programs across the board. At $167 billion, the service's budget is roughly $5 billion more than was appropriated for fiscal 2016, according to Air Force figures that show end strength will remain unchanged from the current year at 317,000 airmen. Funding is designed to meet combatant commanders' needs in part by delaying the previously planned retirement of the A-10 Thunderbolt II now being used for operations in the Middle East. But officials are warning that the money is still not enough to retain a solid edge over adversaries who are "closing the gap in military capability," according to budget documents. On the reserve side, end strength for the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard is basically unchanged for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The Reserve would drop from 69,200 airmen to 69,000, while the air guard would actually increase by 200 airmen when it goes up to 105,700. The Air Force continues to leverage the Guard and Reserve to meet mission, officials said. "The Air Force continues to have significant readiness concerns," the budget documents state. "Though very good at current operations less than 50 percent of combat air forces are proficient in other required mission sets. Moreover, adversaries are closing the gap in military capability." The Air Force reduced from 48 to 43 the number of F-35s it planned to buy next year and also put off modernization and recapitalizing programs in a number of areas, including delaying incremental replacement of its C-130H fleet. "The [fiscal year] 2017 budget request represents a 'pivot point' for the Air Force to continue the recovery to balance the force for today's readiness and the readiness needed 10 to 20 years from now," the Pentagon said in its overview of the budget. While the services did receive some relief from spending caps for 2016 when lawmakers raised the limits, the Pentagon suggests the move may "simply represent a pause to the devastating effects of sequestration level funding that will return in FY 2018." The Air Force's 2017 budget for next year includes $5.2 billion for 43 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters; $2.2 billion toward the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B), up from 2016's $1.5 billion; and $3.3 billion for the KC-46A tanker -- an increase of roughly $3 billion from 2016. The next generation conventional and nuclear bomber remains one of the Air Force's priority acquisition programs. Also critical to readiness is the KC-46A Pegasus tanker. Still under development, the KC-46A is to be capable of handling multi-point aerial refueling of U.S. and allied aircraft as well as handle aeromedical evacuation and cargo and passenger airlift. The budget also includes $906 million next year for 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones. Of that amount $341 million is in the Air Force base budget and the balance from the Overseas Contingency Operations budget, a fund kept separate from the service's budget, exempt from spending caps and used for combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The RQ-4 Global Hawk is in line for $256 million for development and modification work next year but no purchases are planned, according to the Air Force budget. The budget includes no funds for the MQ-1 Predator, which last year was budgeted at $3.2 billion and is being phased out for the bigger Reaper. Bryant Jordan can be reached at bryant.jordan@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bryantjordan. Related Video: The new Defense Department budget proposal for 2017 sent today to Congress drastically increases the cost of healthcare for military retirees under 65 and reorganizes the current Tricare system, but otherwise includes few other major military family program reforms. Under the new proposal the primary three Tricare options -- Tricare Prime, Tricare Standard and the services used by retirees -- would be combined into two basic plans. Like the current Tricare Prime and Standard options, the newly minted Tricare Select and Tricare Choice would continue to offer free services at Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) and require co-pays for services from in-network civilian providers. Like Tricare Prime, Tricare Select would require users to receive referrals for specialty care, while Tricare Choice would operate like Tricare Standard, allowing users to self-refer. Active duty families and retirees could choose between the two plans and pay graduated fees between $20 and $250 for non-MTF care, depending on the service provided. As in the current Tricare Prime system, active-duty families stationed in remote areas far away from an MTF would be permitted to see in-network civilian providers without paying additional fees. The major price changes are reserved for retirees. Under the new plan those users would be forced to pay a yearly enrollment fee through an open-enrollment type process regardless of which Tricare option they choose. Currently, retirees using Tricare Prime pay $282.60 per year for a single person or $565.20 for a family, while Standard requires no enrollment fee. The new system, however, would require retirees pay a $350 enrollment fee for individuals or $700 for families for Tricare Select, and $450 for individuals or $900 for families for Tricare Choice. The increases are part of a $524 billion Defense Department budget request. Unlike recent years, the request includes no major commissary or housing allowance reform requests. Instead, those programs will continue to be impacted by legislation already in motion, including a push to change raise and lower commissary prices on a regional basis and plans to decrease Basic Allowance for Housing each year until it covers only 95 percent of troops' costs. Tricare deductibles would also increase under the proposal. Active duty families under E4 would pay $100 for an individual or $200 for families, while all other users would pay $300 for an individual or $600 for a family. Catastrophic caps would also increase, landing at $1,500 for active duty families and $4,000 for retirees. Future Tricare for Life users would also experience cost increases. Unlike current enrollees, newly qualified beneficiaries over 65 would be required to pay an annual fee of .5 percent of their gross retired pay for 2017, capped at $150 for most users and $200 for those who retired as flag officers. Those fees would increase to 2 percent by 2021, with a cap of $632 for most users and $842 for flag officers. Pharmacy fees would also continue their gradual increase. Currently a 30-day supply of generic medication at a retail pharmacy is $10 while a brand-name drug is $24. Those prices would increase gradually to $14 and $46 by 2026. 90-day supplies filled through the mail order pharmacy are currently free for generics, $20 for brand name options and $49 for non-formulary. Those prices would increase to $14, $46 and $92 respectively by 2026. -- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com The Veterans Affairs Department is seeking to grow its investigating arm next year by more than 100 people. The IG, which is responsible for uncovering waste, fraud and abuse, has itself come under fire in recent years over allegations it underplayed findings related to deaths of veterans on secret waiting lists and, more recently, allegedly skewed an investigation into senior executives alleged to have pushed out of jobs two employees whose positions they wanted. During a call-in session with reporters to discuss the proposed 2017 budget, officials did not link any action or investigation to the $160 million budget request. For 2016 the OIG office is funded at $137 million. "This will allow for more increased oversight of VA programs," said Interim Assistant Secretary for Management and Interim Chief Financial Officer Ed Murray said. He expects the 100-plus new employees to the OIG will improve accountability across the VA. "We believe this [increase] is appropriate given the growing VA budget and the growing number of veterans programs." Officials did not provide a breakdown of OIG's current staffing, though in an annual report to Congress last September the agency said it had 662 employees organized into three sections: the offices of Investigations, Audits and Evaluations, and Healthcare Inspections. It also maintains a contract review office. Deputy Inspector General Linda Halliday, who has been steering the OIG since the previous acting IG resigned last year, reported in September that the IG investigators closed 523 investigations and made 209 arrests during 2015 for crimes including fraud, bribery, embezzlement, identity theft and drug-related crimes, including diversion and illegal distribution. Three people were sent to prison for fraud and bribery, among them a VA supervisor and two contractors, Halliday reported. Lawmakers have taken the IG's office to task, however, over its handling of investigations into the wait-times scandal that came to light in 2014 and, more recently, the case to two senior executives whose punishment for allegedly manipulating the VA's employment system was overturned by an administrative law judge. Overall, the VA is seeking $20 billion more in 2017 than in 2016, for a total of $182.3 billion. The total that includes more than $78 billion in discretionary funding -- mostly for health care -- and nearly $103.6 billion for mandatory programs such as disability compensation and pensions. -- Bryant Jordan can be reached at bryant.jordan@military.com The Marine Corps' top officer recently revealed that some fresh-from-the-factory F-35 jets will come to the fleet with an added feature: his signature. Speaking at an event hosted by the Amphibious Warship Industrial Base Coalition in Washington, D.C., last week, Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said he had visited Lockheed Martin's factory in Fort Worth, Texas the day before to inspect the new Joint Strike Fighters as they rolled off the production line and to meet with Lockheed executives. "I got to sign a few F-35s," he said. On some, he said, he wrote "property of the U.S. Marine Corps." He then acknowledged this might be a faux pas, as some of the aircraft he signed were the F-35C variant -- the Navy version of the aircraft. Other jets received a benediction of sorts for future missions. "[I wrote] 'fly well. Be accurate and on time," Neller said. "Kill the bad man." Neller said the Marines' use of new F-35Bs would change the way the Corps responds to crisis and how it uses the amphibious ships the jets are set to deploy with. "[At the Lockheed Martin factory] there were a number of our pilots that are flying this jet, and we were talking with them about how this is going to change what we do," Neller said. "You always want to do what you do better. But I think we're at a point now where we need to do what we do different." He reaffirmed the Marines' plans to deploy a squadron of F-35s to Iwakuni, Japan in January, 2017, where he said the aircraft would spend time on amphibious ships. "Now we're going to put a 5th generation airplane with stealth capability, able to penetrate most air defenses in the world on an amphib ship," he said. "So what does that do for the doctrine, the strategy, the operational art of the [Amphibious Ready Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit]? I think it changes the whole game." Speaking to Marines in California this week, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the 2017 defense budget request would accelerate F-35 buys for the Marine Corps, enabling the Corps to employ them more rapidly. Neller acknowledged the Corps was still "working through" software glitches and technical issues with the F-35 -- "things that make it almost as much a flying smartphone as it is an airplane" -- but added he anticipates great things from the aircraft. "I think it's going to provide a huge capability to the joint force and the nation and give us a great opportunity to look at how we do what we do -- our business," Neller said. "And it will be better, but it will be different." -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. Related Video: 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... The master chief petty officer of the Navy is preparing to bring 10 other master chiefs to Washington, D.C., to assist in a whirlwind mission to make ratings and titles more gender-neutral and relevant, he said this week. In an interview published by the Navy on Feb. 7, MCPON Mike Stevens said he was recruiting eight force master chiefs and two from current source ratings to help him bring in feedback from the fleet on how to best implement the January mandate from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. Mabus' order comes as the service awaits approval of its plan to open previously closed jobs in the Navy Special Warfare community -- including the elite SEALs -- to women. Some venerable titles that might not pass the gender-neutral test include yeoman, fire controlman, hospitalman, and even seaman. "So [the master chiefs are] responsible to go out to the fleet, to conduct all-hands calls, to solicit email input and other mediums of communications ... to find out what sailors think, what they're talking about," Stevens said. "I would tell you that what's most important is that these recommendations again come from our sailors in the fleet, that these master chiefs are simply the deliverers of that information." The review, which is due to be completed by April 1, will also give the Navy the opportunity to do away with archaic or irrelevant job titles in favor of new ones, Stevens said. "There's some ratings out there where the title of the rating doesn't necessarily align or match very well with the job that [the sailors] do," he said. "It doesn't always have to be about the 'man' or 'men' portion of the title change; it can be a title change because it makes more sense." Stevens noted that Navy ratings have been added, altered or disposed of between 700 and 750 times in the history of the service. A comprehensive review like the current one, however, has not been attempted since the end of World War II, he said. He called on sailors from across the fleet to seek out opportunities to participate in the surveys and all-hands calls and make sure their ideas were heard. "I know that out there somewhere the answer exists, we just need to go mine for that gold," Stevens said. "Our sailors are going to deliver to us what I believe to be remarkable input and recommendations." -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. BALTIMORE -- The Unified Command continued its response to oil sheens Tuesday in the Potomac River near Arlington, Virginia. The Unified Command planned to use a deterring technique Tuesday to keep birds from entering Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary. "The use of small pyrotechnics to deter birds from using particular areas during an oil response is a commonly employed technique utilized by wildlife biologists to minimize the negative impacts of oil to birds and other wildlife," said Peter McGowan, a wildlife biologist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. This technique is scheduled to continue through Friday to allow time for the remaining sheen to dissipate. This is the same technique regularly used at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to ward off birds. "The sheen in the pond is light but still remains, and we want to minimize any potential for additional birds from being oiled." said Cmdr. Michael Keane, the incident commander. Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research is continuing to rehabilitate impacted birds at their facility in Delaware. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services personnel will remain on scene to assist in the capture and recovery of any further impacted wildlife. The U.S. military has no current plans to intervene against the Syrian regime and Russian assault on Aleppo or provide air drops to the starving civilians, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said Wednesday. "The situation in and around Aleppo has, in our view, become dire" but "our focus really is to defeat ISIL, so that's where our focus remains," Army Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, referring to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, also known as ISIL. Warren echoed the policy of the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon that has rejected to date the pleas of human rights groups for the creation of a safe zone or a no-fly zone along the Turkish border to protect thousands of refugees fleeing Aleppo in northeastern Syria. The U.S. has also rejected calls to protect a safe route for aid columns to reach Aleppo. "The United Nations and other humanitarian organizations really have the lead for moving humanitarian relief," Warren said. In a report Monday, the UN condemned the "inhuman actions" of the Syrian regime in attacking Aleppo -- an operation that it said "amounts to extermination." While condemning the indiscriminate bombing by the Russians that has cleared the way for the ground forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Warren said that ISIS fighters were not present in or around Aleppo. "This military coalition is focused on defeating Daesh," another acronym for ISIS. "It's other elements of government that are focused on providing humanitarian support," Warren said in a video briefing from Baghdad to the Pentagon. Aleppo was a city of about 3 million residents before Syria's civil war which has killed more than 250,000 by UN estimates and sent millions of refugees fleeing to neighboring countries and to Europe. Warren said there might be as many as 1 million civilians left in Aleppo, where positions had been static for years with rebels holding about half of the city and the regime holding the other half. Warren charged that Russian airstrikes had destroyed two hospitals in Aleppo, depriving medical care to about 50,000 people. Separately, the aid group Medicins Sans Frontieres, MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said that an airstrike had hit a hospital supported by the group in the southern town of Deraa, killing three and injuring six. The airstrikes against Aleppo put the lie to Moscow's claims that its Syrian air campaign begun last September was primarily intended to defeat ISIS, Warren said. "They claimed they were interested in fighting ISIL but we haven't seen that. They've done nothing but prop up Bashar al-Assad, which we know is the root of the problem" in Syria, Warren said. In Aleppo and in the Azaz district north of the city, the local medical system was collapsing, MSF said in a statement. Several hospitals and smaller health facilities in Azaz and rural areas around Aleppo city were hit by airstrikes in the last two weeks, including at least three MSF-supported hospitals. Many medical staff have fled, MSF said. "Azaz District has seen some of the heaviest tolls of this brutal war, and yet again we are seeing health care under siege," said Muskilda Zancada, MSF head of mission in Syria. "We are extremely concerned about the situation in the south of the district, where medical staff, fearing for their lives, have been forced to flee, and hospitals have either completely closed, or only offer limited emergency services," Zancada said. The UN's World Food Program (WFP) announced Wednesday that it has started distributing food to the thousands of refugees backed up at the Turkish border. Food aid also was convoyed into Azaz, the WFP said. "The situation is quite volatile and fluid in northern Aleppo with families on the move seeking safety," said Jakob Kern, WFP's Country Director in Syria. "We are extremely concerned as access and supply routes from the north to eastern Aleppo city and surrounding areas are now cut off but we are making every effort to get enough food in place for all those in need, bringing it in through the remaining open border crossing point from Turkey," he said. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. The Giants have avoided arbitration with first baseman Brandon Belt by agreeing to a one-year deal, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Hell receive $6.2MM, Jon Heyman tweets. The sides had seemed headed for a hearing. MLBTR projected Belt to earn the exact amount he ultimately received in his second (and second-to-last) trip through arbitration. He filed for $7.5MM, with the team countering at $5.3MM to create a $6.4MM midpoint. Soon to turn 28, the smooth-swinging lefty has been a steady and excellent performer for San Francisco. Since debuting back in 2011, hes racked up just over 2,000 plate appearances with a cumulative .271/.347/.456 batting line and 63 home runs. And he not only delivers a high-quality glove at first, but has shown the ability to fill in at the corner outfield in a pinch. After an injury-shortened 2014, Belt got back on track in 2015 and was running numbers comparable to his excellent 2013 campaign before running into concussion issues late in the year. He is expected to be ready for a full spring, though, and health matters dont appear to be much of a concern for the team. There are indications that a long-term deal could be a consideration. And, indeed, the Giants already struck a deal with fellow 4+ service-time stalwart Brandon Crawford. Belt has always seemed a more tenuous fit in an extension scenario, though, as he occupies a position that could eventually house star catcher Buster Posey depending upon how things progress. The Phillies have acquired infielder Taylor Featherston from the Angels in exchange for cash or a player to be named later, Philadelphia has announced. He was recently designated for assignment by Los Angeles to clear roster space for the claim of lefty Christian Friedrich. New Philly GM Matt Klentak was with the Halos when the organization acquired Featherstons Rule 5 rights and carried him on the active roster for all of 2015 to obtain control. For the Phillies, Featherston could provide a near-term MLB option. After all, Freddy Galvis, Cesar Hernandez, and Andres Blanco hardly constitute the most inspiring up-the-middle unit. More likely, though, hell go back for his first crack at Triple-A after skipping the level in the Rule 5 process. Featherston is viewed as a high-quality defender, and advanced fielding metrics backed that up in his limited action last year. But hes still got some work to do at the plate. Over his first 169 MLB plate appearances, Featherston carried a lowly .162/.212/.247 triple slash. He has shown some pop and speed previously in the minors, however, and the Phils new-look front office obviously feels theres some upside to take a crack at developing. Cuban star Yulieski Gurriel, who reportedly defected recently with younger brother Lourdes Gurriel, may have an easier path to free agency than had been expected. Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald reports that both brothers have moved across the border from the Dominican Republic to Haiti, which is a popular launching point for Cuban players seeking to make it to the majors. (Spanish language link.) Importantly, per the report, the 31-year-old infielder has already established Panamanian residency, which might well provide a faster route to the open market since some hurdles would already be cleared. Ebro provides other interesting details on the situation of the famed elder Gurriel brother, who is apparently looking to take his last chance at playing in the majors in his prime. Though hell soon turn 32, Gurriel is considered a prime talent and will create an interesting market situation remember, quality infielders such as Ian Desmond, David Freese, and Juan Uribe remain unsigned if and when he is deemed eligible to sign. The younger Lourdes, meanwhile, still appears likely to wait until October to ink an agreement, when hell be old enough to fall ouside of international signing restrictions. Here are some more notes on the international market: GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The restaurateur behind the growing chain of Maru Sushi restaurants will open a new Asian restaurant concept on Grand Rapids' West Side. Ando Asian Kitchen will fill the final retail space left in Rockford Construction's mixed-use building at the corner of Bridge Street NW and Turner Avenue. The restaurant is slated to open Sept. 1. The new concept Asian bistro is the brainchild of Robert Song, who opened his Maru Sushi and Grill in Grand Rapids' East Hills district in 2012. RELATED: Dining Out restaurant review: Maru Sushi and Grill in East Hills The menu is inspired by a blend of Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean cuisine. Song says Ando will serve street-style food in a casual atmosphere. It's a departure from the fine-dining menu of his Maru restaurants. Ando's menu will be a mix of small plates ideal for sharing, street-style inspired items and high-quality sushi. The inspiration for the name of the restaurant comes from Momofuku Ando, a Japanese inventor and businessman considered to be one of the creators of instant noodles. "As I strive to offer Asian comfort food at Ando, I thought it was fitting that I pay homage to Mr. Ando, who changed the way we eat," said Song, in a release. Ando is credited with promoting the instant noodle industry in the 1960s by championing fair competition and product quality. Song's new restaurant is a good fit for the West Side neighborhood, says Mike Mraz, partner for Rockford Construction's real estate development division. "Ando will offer a new type of food at an approachable price in a welcoming environment," Mraz said. Song's Maru Hospitality Group operates Maru Sushi and Grill in four locations across the state including Midland, Okemos and East Lansing. A Kalamazoo location will open in 2016. "I picked the location on Bridge Street because I believe in the growth of the West Side and want to play a part in investing in our neighborhoods," Song said. Ando will have a full bar, including 24 taps and seating for 120 people. The space will also feature a four-season room that will provide open-air dining in the warmer months and an outdoor patio. Ando will be located on the ground floor of the residential development with 36 new apartments. It will be next to The Mitten State, a Michigan-themed T-shirt shop, and adjacent to New Holland Brewing Company's 40,000- square-foot brewpub, micro-distillery and full service restaurant. All businesses will open in the fall of 2016. RELATED: New Holland Brewing's West Side project secures $2.1M tax incentive Shandra Martinez covers business and other topics for MLive. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez. WYOMING - The Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department is still accepting organizations and businesses to host booths at its inaugural Health and Wellness Family Expo on March 5. The event will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Wyoming Senior Center, 2380 DeHoop Ave. SW. The expo is set to feature fitness demonstrations, healthy snacks, health screenings, dancing and speakers. About 15 booths have been reserved so far and registrations are still being taken, said Valarie Mester, the city's recreation programmer. She said the expo will be free. The first 100 families through the door will receive a gift. Mester said Metro Health and Gastroenterology Associates of Western Michigan are the expo sponsors. For more information on the expo, email mesterv@wyomingmi.gov or call 530-3164. HHM marquee.JPG ( ) BAY CITY, MI -- Despite the chill of winter, the fires of the Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival's 11th season are burning strong. To stoke the embers further, organizers are planning more installments in the two lead-in series for the main fest in September. Three entries in the Indie Film Series are scheduled in the next two months. The first is "King Jack" on Saturday, Feb. 13, followed by a compilation of 10 short films on Saturday, Feb. 27, and "The Breach" on Saturday, March 12. All screenings start at 4:30 p.m. and are held at the Delta College Planetarium, 100 Center Ave. in downtown Bay City. Admission for each screening is $5. "We started the Film Series a bit earlier than years past," said festival founder and director Alan J. LaFave. "In previous years, we would screen films January through March, but this season we started back in October and will end again in March. There are so few opportunities to see independent film together as a community in our area. Sure, some independent films can be found on Video On Demand, but it's so much more fulfilling to see a film as part of a group. We wanted to offer more opportunities for this to happen in Bay City." For this season's series, film planners branched out a bit in the types of films they selected, LaFave said. "January included the film 'Gueros,' which is a Mexican film, very 'new wave,' shot in black and white, and in 4:3 ratio," LaFave said. "Not a typical film, but no less enjoyable. It was a favorite of mine and Senior Programmer Jay Glysz when we saw it at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2014. Another Tribeca favorite is the Feb. 13 film 'King Jack,' which won their audience award in 2015." Call it a "coming of age" story, but don't think it's a tale you've seen before. Alan J. LaFave, founder and director of the Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival. "King Jack" has an 8.6 star rating on imdb.com. Its synopsis reads: "Jack is a scrappy 15-year-old kid stuck in a run-down small town. Trapped in a violent feud with a cruel older bully and facing another bout of summer school, Jack's got all the problems he can handle. So when Jack's aunt falls ill and his runty younger cousin must stay with him for the weekend, the last thing Jack wants to do is look after him. Unfortunately, no one really cares what Jack wants. Set over a hazy summer weekend, 'King Jack' is a tough and tender coming of age story about friendship and finding happiness in rough surroundings." LaFave lauded the film, calling it an atypical coming of age story. "It truly depicts how a teenager can feel isolated and bullied by family and peers, and the physical and emotional effects," he said. The shorts compilation, titled "It's Not Too Cold For SHORTS," features films ranging from 4 to 20 minutes in length. They hail from such diverse locales as New York, California, Michigan, Ireland and Germany, and their genres include comedy, sci-fic, animation, drama and documentary. The lineup includes "The Struggle of Libations," "Wrapped," "Pink Grapefruit," "Let's Not Panic," "Island Queen," "The Bigger Picture," "Orbit Ever After," "Rabbit Island," "Film's Cool" and "Killer Friends." The animated "The Bigger Picture" was nominated for an Oscar in 2015 and holds an imdb.com rating of 6.8 stars. The last film, "Breach," is a documentary on plummeting salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest. It "looks at our natural world, how it sustains us, and how we need to sustain it," according to the screening's Facebook page. The Conservation Fund sponsored the showing. "The March screening is particularly timely, as it deals with fish farming and other environmental issues threatening our ability to sustain certain species of fish," LaFave said. "It's the very same issue covered recently by MLive regarding fish farming in the Great Lakes. Thanks to The Conservation Fund for supporting our efforts to bring important issues to our community through cinema." On the music side of the fest, the next Indie Music Showcase is slated for Saturday, March 19, at BeMo's Bar, 701 S. Madison Ave., and features a three-band lineup dabbling in the funk, jazz, art, electro and prog realms. Coming back to Bay City for their first time 10 months in support of their latest EP "norepinephrine + dopamine" is Odd Hours. Bookending them are two acts new to the HHM banner -- Earth Engine and VSTRS. All three Detroit-based groups are known for their refusal to be pigeonholed into any single genre, Frankensteining disparate elements into new concoctions. Equal parts post-punk, industrial and glam rock, Odd Hours are experimental to the core, but pepper their songs with myriad earworms. They're a spectacle to behold on stage, with the commanding presence of vocalist Natasha Beste and guitarist Timothy Jagielo's performance-art approach. Earth Engine, a sextet releasing their debut five-song EP in February, merge funk, jazz, and prog rock into a savory stew. Think Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, but with more groove. VSTRS also have penchant for sonic experimentation. Spacey and grinding, psychedelic and pummeling, shimmering and murky, they're like Radiohead mixed with Tool mixed with Smashing Pumpkins, without being too self-serious. They released their eponymous LP in July 2015. Bay City's own vinyl-only DJ crew, the Lightnin' Licks Vinyl Preservation Society, is to keep the music going before, between, and after the bands. The show starts at 8 p.m. and there is no cover. The gig also features a bit of a St. Patrick's Day theme in the form of Brooklyn Boyz Pizza, 507 E. Midland St., donating green pizza and garlic knots. Beyond that, the HHM music committee is planning its first all hip-hop/rap showcase, on Friday, April 8, also at BeMo's. That gig is to feature returning favorites Passalcqua from Detroit, along with their Motor City peer Doc Waffles and Grand Rapids-based Obese Ghost Children. Then, for the third year, an all-day music event featuring approximately 10 artists is taking place on Saturday, May 21, at BeMo's. That event will see the HHM music committee partnering with independent event planner Patrick Ewing's Flattop for the second year in a row. The lineup for that is pending, but expect some of the state' most stellar bands, most of which will be new to the HHM stable of talent. BANGKOK, THAILAND - Madonna had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction at a recent show in Bangkok, Thailand on her "Rebel Heart" world tour. It happened at the Michigan native's Tuesday, Feb 9, 2016 show in Bangkok. During her song, "Material Girl," Madonna wears a long veil. It's supposed to easily slip off of her head. That didn't happen in this instance. Watch the video below to see the wardrobe malfunction. Madonna has another show in Bangkok on Wednesday, Feb. 10 before her "Rebel Heart" tour heads to Tokyo and Hong Kong. The tour wraps up March 20, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. Her "Rebel Heart" tour came to Michigan at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015. This isn't the first time Madonna has had a wardrobe malfunction. She took a dangerous fall after getting caught in her cape while performing at the Brit Awards in February 2015. She got right back up and finished her performance. Edward Pevos is the entertainment reporter for Mlive covering Detroit and Southeast Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter @PaparazzoPevos With the Flint water crisis ongoing, organizers at the University of Michigan Law School indefinitely postponed an event that was to take place Tuesday featuring Gov. Rick Snyder and Kevyn Orr, Detroit's former emergency manager. But the cancelation of the panel discussion about Detroit's bankruptcy didn't stop a group of about 70 mostly U-M students and other Ann Arbor residents from holding a "Snyder's Not Welcome Here" protest outside the law school. The rally went on as planned Tuesday afternoon in Ann Arbor, starting near Hutchins Hall, where protesters gathered before marching along State Street to the Central Campus Diag, chanting "Flint lives matter!" and issuing calls for Snyder's arrest. Rebecca Ahmad-Robinson, a U-M social work student and organizer for the Ann Arbor Alliance for Black Lives, addressed the crowd through a megaphone and gave multiple speeches in front of the law school and on the Diag. "Do black lives matter to Snyder?" Ahmad-Robinson asked the crowd, which responded with a resounding, "No!" "This action is about mobilizing the masses against a blatantly oppressive force in the form of one misguided man, Gov. Rick Dale Snyder," she said. "As he relaxes in his condo here in Ann Arbor, people are dying in Flint because of his decisions. People are suffering in Detroit and other predominantly black places throughout Michigan under Snyder's watch." A large kinetic puppet of Snyder in a prison uniform, with the words "Arrest Me" on a placard, bobbed above the protesters. "We put him in a prison gown and wrote 'arrest me' on him as a way to show what should happen to him," said Zach Kolodziej, a U-M student who helped make the puppet, along with some of his friends. Kelly Garland, a U-M student from Grand Blanc, wore a Flint hat and held up a sign that read "People Over Profits." Garland said the Flint water crisis hits close to home for her, but it affects everyone in Michigan. She's working with the Ann Arbor-Flint Solidarity Network, one of the organizers of Tuesday's really, to mobilize students. "We've been organizing students around the issues, the issues with (Detroit Public Schools), the issues in Detroit, and making those connections to emergency management and eventually Snyder," she said. Dave Murray, a spokesman for the governor, issued a statement on behalf of the governor's office following Tuesday's demonstration in Ann Arbor. "There are people who are upset about the crisis in Flint, and that's understandable," he said. "It was a failure of government at all three levels. The governor is committed to Flint's recovery and making the city stronger for generations to come." As for the idea that Snyder isn't welcome in Ann Arbor, Murray said Snyder, who received three degrees from U-M between 1977 and 1982, has been a resident of the area since the late 1990s, has been greeted warmly, and is proud to live in Ann Arbor. He said Snyder's roots in the community are deep and strong. Tuesday's rally came one day after a petition to recall Snyder was approved by the Board of State Canvassers. Organizers of the postponed panel discussion at the U-M Law School said the event is being rescheduled because they didn't want to distract from efforts devoted to higher priorities in the state, and because of scheduling conflicts. The panel, titled "Detroit Bankruptcy and Beyond," also was to feature Steven Rhodes, the former judge who handled Detroit's bankruptcy, and Gerald Rosen, chief judge of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan and architect of the so-called "grand bargain" during Detroit's bankruptcy. The governor's critics saw the panel discussion as an attempt to glorify the actions of state emergency management, which many believe is what led to the Flint water crisis, as the decision to switch to Flint River water was made while Flint was under state-appointed emergency management. While it was former emergency manager Darnell Earley who oversaw the switch to Flint River water in 2014, the decision was signed by another former emergency manager, Ed Kurtz, in 2013. The State Treasury Department, under Snyder's administration, oversees the emergency manager program. "One month after the switch, Flint residents started to raise their voices about the smell, discoloration and taste of their water," Ahmad-Robinson said as she addressed the crowd on the Diag on Tuesday. "They spoke out, letting people know their water was making them sick. And what was the response of the public officials of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality? To try to silence all of those voices," she said. "Flint residents had rashes, their hair was falling out, and they were told to relax." The Flint City Council's push in early 2015 to stop using Flint River water because of concerns about water quality was called "incomprehensible" by emergency manager Jerry Ambrose, who still argued the water was safe to drink. It was under Snyder's administration that the state's emergency manager law was expanded in 2011, Snyder's first year in office. When state voters repealed the law in 2012, Snyder quickly signed a replacement emergency manager law that included an appropriation making it immune to referendum. "There isn't a city government in Michigan today run by an emergency manager," Murray said on Tuesday, defending the program. "The program and other early warning strategies have helped a number of cities around the state become financially stronger and provide better services to their residents." Tuesday's rally was not only an opportunity for students and residents to speak out against Snyder. It also served as a donation drive for household items for Flint residents. Participants were asked to bring items such as baby wipes, infant formula, and hygiene products, and several of them did, stockpiling items in bins. The rally was co-sponsored by the Ann Arbor-Flint Solidarity Network, Ann Arbor Alliance for Black Lives, International Socialist Organization, People's Water Board, The Raiz Up, The People of Color Collective and National Lawyers Guild at MLaw. "It's clear that Snyder is humiliated, but humiliation won't bring us justice for the many lives that have been affected by his emergency manager laws and the active belief that profit is more important than people," read the Facebook event page promoting the rally. "His humiliation won't bring back the black lives that have been lost to police violence, nor does it bring justice to the people of Flint and Detroit." Snyder is preparing to present his fiscal year 2017-18 budget recommendations at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Ryan Stanton covers the city beat for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com. UM Flier.JPG A screenshot shows a composite sketch of a suspect and a picture of a coat similar to the one he reportedly wore during an assault on Jan. 26 in a women's bathroom on the University of Michigan campus. (Courtesy of UMDPSS) Police want public help to identify a man suspected in an assault on the University of Michigan campus. The incident occurred about 3:45 p.m. Jan. 26 in a women's bathroom in Weill Hall, 735 S. State St., according to a crime alert issued by the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security. A student reported that a man entered the bathroom and forcibly hugged her before she could flee, police said in the alert. An unauthorized, handmade "out of order" sign was found on the restroom door. The suspect is described as an about 20-year-old white man, 5 feet 10 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall. He was described as clean-shaven with a medium build and brown hair. He was last seen wearing jeans and a two-toned, light green and dark green, snowboarding-style jacket. Anyone with information is asked to call University of Michigan police Detective Margie Pillsbury at 734-763-3434. Darcie Moran covers cops and courts for MLive and The Ann Arbor News. Email her at dmoran@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter @darciegmoran. WCC Washtenaw Washtenaw Community College. (The Ann Arbor News File Photo) With more resources being devoted to connected and autonomous vehicle research more training is also needed for workers in the auto industry. One of the first steps toward solving part of the problem is being taken in Ann Arbor. Washtenaw Community College has developed a vehicle to infrastructure technician and engineering program that will train workers in the field on changes in their industry as connected vehicles become more prevalent. "A lot of times when you have emerging sectors, you have people in the field who have a degree, but they need training," said Dr. Michelle Mueller, vice president of economic, community & college development. The idea for the program started when the U.S. Department of Transportation gave WCC a $10,000 grant to produce a prototype of what an online course could look like to train workers in the field. "They were looking for somebody to put a mini module together that had experience or access to resources that were from experts in connected vehicle technology," Mueller said. Because of the college's proximity to the University of Michigan, WCC tapped into the experience in the region that's come from MCity and other autonomous vehicle projects in Southeast Michigan. "We're doing a tremendous amount of research to put us at the epicenter of this technology," Mueller said about the region. WCC then created a program that is now available on the USDT's website that provides training for infrastructure technicians and engineers. Now that this first piece has been so well received, Mueller said she and her team are going to begin working to add more programs that will train workers. If those courses can be added, Mueller said it's possible for WCC to offer a certificate program at the college for connected vehicle training. "It really puts WCC in a unique position as being a leader in the country around the space," Mueller said, adding thecourse would identify skills gaps with workers already working in the field. The first course created is a non-credit offering. Improvements also continue at the college's Advanced Transportation Center where a $4.4 million grant awarded last year to by the State of Michigan is being used to purchase new equipment and improve curriculum in the automotive program. Mueller said new equipment is arriving consistently with a dynamometer expected to be on campus later this week. Updates to the college's welding lab are expected to be finished by July. The upgrades and improvements are being installed during off-peak periods so that students are not directly impacted. Matt Durr is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at mattdurr@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter. SandersPierson.png Clockwise from upper left: Joshua Sanders, Elizabeth Pierson, Zachary Burke, Nicholas Lavigne ( ) ( ) BAY CITY, MI -- Three of four young Standish residents police say ventured south to Bay City to buy cocaine have accepted plea offers, though they may avoid having criminal records. On Monday, Feb. 8, Zachary M. Burke, 20, and Joshua E. Sanders and Elizabeth G. Pierson, both 18, appeared before Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill and all three pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a narcotic or cocaine less than 25 grams, a four-year felony. In exchange for the pleas, the prosecution is recommending the defendants be sentenced under Michigan statute 333.7411. The law allows a judge to put a person with a first conviction for using or possessing drugs on probation without entering a conviction on the record. If the defendant successfully completes his or her probation, the conviction is dismissed and the case is made non-public. The prosecution also agreed to dismiss a misdemeanor count of marijuana possession in Sanders' case. The same plea offer has been made to a fourth defendant in the case, 19-year-old Nicholas A. Lavigne. He remains charged with possession of a narcotic or cocaine less than 25 grams and possession of marijuana and is to appear before Gill on Monday, Feb. 22, to accept or reject the offer. The quartet's charges stem from an incident that happened about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1. Michigan State Police troopers were driving east on Columbus Avenue near Madison Avenue in Bay City when they observed a beige 2002 Dodge car heading in the opposite direction. The troopers initiated a traffic stop when they noticed the Dodge's license plate light wasn't operating, court records show. Troopers identified the car's driver as Sanders, his front seat passenger as Pierson, and the back passengers as Burke and Lavigne. Troopers smelled marijuana coming from the car, they wrote in their reports, contained in court records. One trooper interviewed Sanders outside the vehicle, while another spoke with the passengers. Sanders said they were heading home to Standish after visiting a friend in Bay City. He denied smoking marijuana often, adding he does not have a medical marijuana card, police reports show. Sanders denied having drugs in the Dodge, and said he did not come to Bay City to buy anything illicit, court records show. The other trooper noticed Burke and Lavigne were exceptionally nervous and spotted a cigarette pack between them. Opening it, he found a white powder wrapped in cellophane inside, court records show. The passengers told the trooper they each chipped in $10, giving the cash to Sanders to buy cocaine, police reports show. Lavigne added he had about 2 grams of marijuana in the trunk, which the troopers retrieved, police reports show. Confronted with this, Sanders said the cocaine was his and that he paid $50 for about half a gram. They used the cocaine several hours earlier, he added, according to court records. Police arrested Sanders, but released the others. The seized substances were sent to the crime lab for analysis. In all, the troopers confiscated 1.48 grams of marijuana and 0.15 grams of cocaine, according to the lab report. Gill is to sentence Sanders and Pierson at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, March 21. He's to sentence Burke at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, March 28. BAY CITY, MI -- Already imprisoned for holding up a Saginaw County bank, a 32-year-old man is set for trial on charges that he also held up a Bay County financial institution. The trial of Daniel S. Collazo is to begin with jury selection the morning of Tuesday, April 12. In the event that date doesn't work out, proceedings will instead commence Tuesday, May 10. Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill is to preside. Collazo is charged with single counts of armed robbery and bank robbery. Both are punishable by up to life imprisonment. The charges stem from the holdup of United Financial Credit Union, 4710 Garfield Road in Williams Township, the morning of Aug. 8, 2014. Police at the time said a man entered the credit union and handed the teller a note implying he had a gun. He then fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. A similar crime occurred Aug. 26, 2014, at the Chemical Bank branch at 230 N. Main St. in Freeland, the town Collazo calls home. In that incident, Collazo passed a note to teller stating he had a gun and demanding money, according to police. Police investigating both robberies developed Collazo as a suspect. They arrested him at his home on July 6, 2014. Collazo in Oct. 19, 2015, appeared before Saginaw County Circuit Judge Janet M. Boes and pleaded guilty to bank robbery. In exchange, the prosecution dismissed a count of armed robbery. Boes on Nov. 24, 2015, sentenced Collazo to 22 months to 15 years in prison. She gave him credit for 141 days already served. Collazo is currently incarcerated at the Central Michigan Correctional Facility in St. Louis. Hollywood star Idris Elba has reportedly broken up with his long-term girlfriend Naiyana Garth and moved out of the house they shared. The Luther star is reported to have taken up residence in a nearby flat in South West London in order to remain close to their 22-month-old Winston. It ended very recently and its too soon for her to talk about it," a source close to Ms Garth told The Sun. Theyve kept it very quiet so shes surprised people know already.Its very sad that this has happened while Idris is experiencing the highest points of his professional career and they cant celebrate it with each other." Elba, who shot to fame worldwide after his portrayal of Stringer Bell in The Wire, started dating the 28-year-old make-up artist in the summer of 2013, according to the newspaper. Last month he won two awards at the Screen Actors Guild in Los Angeles, including being named as best actor for his titular role in the BBC crime series, Luther. Elba also picked up the award for best supporting actor in Cary Fukunaga's child soldier drama Beasts of No Nation. Rumours have swirled over his relationship since the SAG awards ceremony, which attended with 13-year-old daughter Isan rather than Ms Garth. After winning best actor for Beasts of No Nation at the British Film Awards on Sunday night, Elba name-checked a number of people in his acceptance speech, but not his girlfriend. When asked if he was newly single, Elba replied: Thats the media for you. The newspaper said a representative for Elba declined to comment when asked about his relationship status. The report came days after Elba was spotted at a New York nightclub with supermodels Naomi Campbell. The pair was pictured leaving the 1 Oak nightclub together. Elba and Campbell became friends in 2014 after the 43-year-old actor took part in Fashion For Relief charity event, MailOnline.co reported. Campbell publicly congratulated him on his SAG Awards win last week, tweeting: "Congratulations @Idriselba you deserve your double WIN. @SAGawards." 10.02.2016 LISTEN This year's edition of the 'Canada Black History Praise Cultural Festival', being organised by Vision 2000 Africa, in collaboration with White Oak Travel & Tour and Media Excel Production, takes place in London on March 19 at the Ghana Presbyterian Church in Toronto, Canada. This year's event, according to the organisers, has been designed to serve as a gospel musical platform for both local and international artistes to display their God-given talents in singing. The event this year will witness musical performances from some selected Ghanaian gospel music icons such as Superintendent Kofi Sarpong, Joyce Blessing, OJ, among many others. Reports available also indicate that gospel music fans in Canada who are in love with Ghanaian gospel songs have already prepared to give the Ghanaian gospel artistes a historic welcome to Canada. This year's edition of the 'Canada Black History Praise Cultural Festival' promises to be an unforgettable and exciting experience that music lovers cannot afford to miss. The artistes for the past years have managed to carve a niche for themselves in the Ghanaian gospel music industry. With a number of awards to their credit, they have all proved to the Ghanaian music fans that are a force to reckon with, one of the organisers mentioned. By George Clifford Owusu Sista Afia 10.02.2016 LISTEN Twenty-four-year-old songstress Sista Afia has said she abandoned her nursing career in the United Kingdom (UK) and came to Ghana to pursue a music career. Speaking in an exclusive interview with NEWS-ONE on Thursday, she said music is her passion and that she will go to any length to fulfil it. I grew up in Accra and Kumasi. I went to Reverend John Teye Memorial Institute and also Angel Educational Complex before relocating to the UK. They dragged me to the UK by force. I was 15 then and I did my high school and university in the UK. I read Nursing but I came to Ghana because of music. That is how serious I am about my music career, she said. The first thing I have in mind is to link up with my country. When I was a kid, I wanted to sing in Ghana. I wanted to be someone who can inspire other people. I just wanted to be in Ghana. Hopefully when things go well, I can go back, she added. I am just a regular girl who likes to sing and do something with my music career. I love music. That's all I can say, she also said. Born Franchesca Duncan Williams, Afia started singing at church programmes and wedding ceremonies while in London. That caught the attention of her manager who later introduced her to Bisa Kdei who has since been helping her. I met Bisa Kdei through my manager and he is a lovely guy. We are just friends. We are cool and we care for each other. Nothing really; we are just working together basically. I have nothing amorously going on with him. We just care for each other; we care as far as caring could reach. He helps me out musically. He produced my songs and did the beats, she said, dispelling rumours that she is dating Kdei. Currently, Afia has two highlife singles titled Krokro No and Are You Ready, which was released on February 1. She hopes to drop an album sometime soon. . However, she craves for women empowerment in Ghana's music industry as she says she is shocked that no Ghanaian female artiste has ever won artiste of the year award at the annual Vodafone Ghana Music Awards. She described it as unfair and said it was about time the ladies in the industry came together and worked extra hard. Ghana music, the girls' category is missing a lot (sic). Even though it is there, it is not there. I think we need to come up and fight and talk more good stuff in our music. We need to run ourselves properly; that's what I can say when it comes to the girls' category because the men have overtaken us and it is not fair. We need to come together, work together and push ourselves up. I don't understand why no female artiste has ever won artiste of the year. There were years when top notch female musicians like Akosua Agyapong were getting awards for what they did. I don't understand why female artistes these days don't get it [the artiste of the year award]. She noted that the music industry could not solely be faulted for the inability of female artistes to win the artiste of the year award in recent times, but female artistes themselves, compounded by the mindset of Ghanaians, were equally responsible for the unfortunate situation. It is always about the men. The people are not focusing on the women and I blame the ladiesI also blame the industry because they are not giving the women chances [to] come up, Afia said. By Francis Addo (Twitter: @fdee50 Email: [email protected] ) Accra, Feb. 9, GNA - As part of its branch expansion strategy to bring its services closer to customers, Access Bank has opened an ultra-modern branch in the business district of Bolgatanga. The Bolga Branch brings the bank's business locations to a total of 45, across the country. This forms part of the Bank's financial inclusion strategy to reach the under-served and unbanked segments of the market in all the regions, an official statement. A statement issued by Nana Adu Kyeremateng, the Head of Corporate Communications of Access Bank, said in serving the financial needs of the surrounding communities within the Municipality, the branch would offer the Bank's full range of business and retail banking products. Other services available to customers are bills payment, e-banking and card services, domestic and international money transfer through Western Union, RIA, Moneygram and Access Bank's Cross Border Money Transfer. Mr Stephen Abban, the Group Head of Personal Banking at the Bank, according to the statement, said at the ceremony that the Bank's aim was to bring banking services closer to its customers, whether it was through digital channels or brick and mortar. 'Our branch in Tamale has been serving the northern sector for some time now and as a result of the feedback from customers, there is the need to branch out further,' he explained. 'The Bolga Branch we believe will make it easier for our customers and the public to transact business with the Bank without having to travel long distances'. Mr Abban said the Bank continuously empowered its customers to cultivate the habit of saving towards their future. He said one of its permanent pro-savings strategy was the 'Change Your Level' promotion. Launched in September last year, the promotion, he said, gave customers an opportunity to save and stand a chance to win many prizes, including an ultramodern three-bedroom house. Both existing and new customers stood a chance to win by depositing GHa200.00 and maintaining multiples of GHa 500 to qualify for two mini draws and the grand draw, he said. GNA Accra, Feb. 09, GNA - The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) says any attempt to review downward the recent increment in water tariffs granted by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) will be unfavourable to the Company's operations. Mr Stanley Martey, the Head of Communications of the GWCL, said the Company which operates 88 plants nationwide spends GH8 on every cubic metre of water processed but sells to the public for only GH1.78. He said the Company produces over a million cubic metres of water on a daily basis for urban areas of the country; and that GWCL was running at a loss; hence unable to undertake maintenance of its facilities due to lack of funds. Mr Martey made these remarks on Monday in Accra during a press conference by the Company in response to calls by labour unions and civil society organisations for a downward review of the recent increases in water tariff by 59.2 per cent and electricity by 67.2 per cent granted by the PURC. He said illegal mining activities along river banks in the country was also having serious repercussions on the operational cost of GWCL, as more chemicals were required for the purification of pipe-borne water. Mr Martey said the recent fish farming activities on the Volta Lake and Volta River was increasing their operational cost as fish meal ends up polluting the water bodies. He said as part of efforts to ensure that all areas within Accra have regular water supplies; a $ 48 million project funded by the World Bank would commence this year. He said an amount of three billion dollars was required by the GWCL to implement 20 major projects nationwide, to ensure that all urban communities in the country were 100 per cent connected to water by the year 2025. Mr Cephas Oguah, the Chief Manager, Corporate Planning, GWCL, lauded the security forces in their efforts to arrest the menace of illegal mining, which he said was impacting negatively on the operations of the Company. Mr Jonas Jabulo, the Chief Manager, Water Quality, GWCL assured the public that water from the Company was of high quality. He said most 'pure water' companies operating in the country were only repackaging GWCL's water and selling them to the public. GNA 09.02.2016 LISTEN Accra, Feb. 9, GNA - As parts of its efforts to bring local government administration closer to the Adentan Municipality, the Social Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (SPEFA) group, has begun series of forums to interact with the citizenry. SPEFA, a component of the Local Government Capacity Support Project, is a network of citizens groups that engages local government authorities on public financial management and provides a learning platform to build the capacity of members to engage meaningfully with duty bearers. It thus provides consistent and high quality support for the development and operation of civil society-led processes in Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies (MMAs). This helps build the knowledge of civil society organisations, community-based organisations and other stakeholders to equip them to engage MMAs and their sub-structures on issues of governance. SPEFA thus provides a platform to engage citizens on several topical issues relating to decentralisation and local government administration, among other matters that are crucial to governance. The series of forums being undertaken by SPEFA provides a platform where 'citizens engage the MMA officials directly with questions, suggestions and clarifications with regard to the development of their communities' usually referred to as Town Hall meetings. Consequently, SPEFA has held a series of interactive sessions with members to update their knowledge on the decentralisation process and to update them on key developmental issues. These relate to development planning, budgeting and revenue management, procurement and asset management, financial reporting and auditing, just to mention a few. These sessions or forums, organised by Intervention Forum (IF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and local capacity builder for SPEFA, in collaboration with SNV and the Adentan Municipal Assembly (AdMA), aim at empowering particularly the citizenry to interact with duty bearers to ensure public accountability that would inure to their own benefits and interests. Representatives of various bodies and organisations such as farmers groups, Persons With Disabilities, NGOs, and traditional authorities, thus take the opportunity to educate themselves on the various functions and activities within the AdMA. This is to ensure sanity in the provision of facilities and projects for the healthy development of the various communities. The Chief Executive Officer of IF, Ms Nora Ollennu who is also the focal person for the Adentan District Citizens Monitoring Committee (DCMC), in her report to close the First Quarter of Phase One of SPEFA, expressed appreciation to all members and local public officials for their invaluable contributions, immense support, and active involvement in making the project a memorable one. She said the Municipal Assembly should work closely with the citizenry to ascertain their perceptions about the services it rendered to them. She called for improved information-sharing to ensure an enlightened citizenry to serve such purposes. Ms Ollennu urged participants to do away with the use of political lenses in dealing with local development issues and consider themselves a unified body of citizens and take advantage of SPEFA platforms to impact their communities. Addressing the Gbentanna Zonal Council meeting early this year, Ms Ollennu stressed the need for the citizenry to know and understand the workings of the AdMA so as to monitor the effectiveness of the local government structures. She declared the intent and commitment of her organisation to deliver similar training sessions in other zonal councils on quarterly basis to ensure that more citizens benefit from the SPEFA project. Mr Frederick Agyarko Oduro, Assistant Head of Department - Local Government Administration at the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), Madina in Accra, during one of these sessions, dwelt on the Local Government System and Service Delivery standards. He educated the group on key areas such as the legislative instruments backing the local government system; structures and functions of local government units; benefits of service delivery standards; channels for securing the resolution of grievances; and redress mechanism for citizen's complaints. Answering questions on the criteria for the delineation of Metropolitan ,Municipal and District Assemblies(MMDAs) he such the decision to create such entities depended on economic viability and population size. In some instances, however, he explained that these criteria had not been followed, resulting in some MMDAs being saddled with genuine development challenges. The group also learnt about the function of the zonal councils and unit committees, which constitute the base of the decentralisation process and the most critical units of the local government structure. Per their functions, unit committees are supposed to notify the zonal councils and the municipal assemblies about local development issues and emerging concerns for actions to be taken on them. Additionally, they mobilise the citizenry for self-help activities. Both facilitators in their bid to reach out to all participants employed both the English and vernacular interchangeably in their delivery. A sign-language expert was also in place to facilitate the communication of the subjects to the hearing-impaired participants at the forum. The people raised a number of issues that needed priority attention at the forum, which was on the theme: 'Making Accountability Work at the Local Level.' During the interactive sessions, the SPEFA members raised many key issues some of which bordered on youth unemployment marginalisation in decision-making. The group expressed concern over the lack of security and food safety, public toilets, lorry parks, education, and waste management. The rest were lack of access roads, bridges and culverts, good drainage systems, basic education, water and sanitation, open spaces for public functions, and health facilities. Participants urged the IF team to make available identification cards for SPEFA members so that they could on the basis of such provisions visit the Assembly's offices and demand access to information. They also called on the Adentan SPEFA Steering Committee to make frequent visits to communities to educate citizens on activities within the municipality. The forums would continue to empower the citizenry to not only appraise the performance of the AdMA but also empower them to learn more about local governance and how the decentralisation process works. This way, the citizenry would become effective stakeholders in the local government system, liaise with public officials and seek clarification on policies and decisions to make the SPEFA concept become a useful tool in local government administration. A GNA Feature by Ray Ankomah Accra, Feb. 9, GNA - The Ga Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana has launched a programme christened 'Ecumenical Praise' to sensitise the public to maintain peace before, during and after the 2016 general election. The event is scheduled to take place on February 27, 2016 at the Osu Presbyterian Church, Accra. The programme would bring together over 1000 Christians within the Ga Presbytery and the public to thank God for a successful year and pray for the nation. Dr Elias Asiamah, Senior Lecturer, Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ghana-Legon, who launched the event at the weekend, said the Ecumenical Praise was a concert organised by the Department of Ecumenical and Social Relations of the Ga Presbytery. The programme, he said, sought to promote good neighbourliness among people of diverse faiths and other identifiable community groups. Dr Asiamah said participants would praise God and propagate the love and fellowship of Christ to the public. He therefore encouraged all and sundry to participate in the programme. Reverend Nii Ashikwei Kuma Ollennu, Resident Pastor, Osu Presby Church, in his sermon on the theme 'Jesus Prays and focuses on his Ministry,' challenged Christians to pray continually and seek the face of God. He urged all to offer genuine prayers with clean hearts, stressing that 'a genuine heart is acceptable to God for answered prayers' He chastised Christians who pray and expect God to answer their requests immediately, and urged them to rather be patient and believe that at the appropriate time, God in his infinite mercies would answer their prayers. GNA 09.02.2016 LISTEN Accra Feb. 9, GNA - A 22-year old driver was, on Tuesday, sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for defiling a five-year old girl in a Kiosk, at Ogbojo Dzai Ayor, near Madina. Okyere's sentence was handed to him when the court found him guilty on the charge of defilement. Okyere had denied the charge during the trial, which began in 2014. Prosecuting, Detective Inspector Kofi Atimbire said the complainant, a worker of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, resided at Ogbojo Dzai Ayor. According to Inspector Atimbire, the convict lived in the same vicinity with the complainant and his family, including the victim. On June 8, last year, the Prosecution said in the morning, whiles the complainant was bathing the victim, she (the victim) prevented her from washing her private parts. The Prosecution said anytime the complainant attempted to stretch out her hand towards the victim's vagina, she held his hand and cried. The complainant became alarmed and quizzed the victim, who then mentioned Okyere as having lured her into his kiosk and had sex with her. The Prosecution said the complainant immediately sent the victim to the Madina Domestic Violence and Victim's Support Unit (DOVVSU) and reported the matter. The complainant was issued with a medical form to send the victim to the Hospital for examination and treatment. He said Okyere was, however, picked by the Police and charged. GNA Zebilla (U/E), Feb. 9, GNA - Dr Patrick Atobrah, the Medical Superintendent of the Bawku West District Hospital, has cautioned health personnel against carrying out abortions in their houses. He said the situation is alarming and urged pregnant women who have problems with foetal movement or any other difficulty to report immediately to the nearest hospital to prevent complications. Dr Atobrah was speaking at the 2015 Health Performance Review of the District health Directorate. The event was on the theme: 'Adequate resourcing of district health services, a key to improving maternal and child health'. The meeting attracted health workers from all 34 health centres in the District and opinion leaders to deliberate on their performance in 2015 and strategise for the year. He said the District Hospital was well prepared to handle emergency cases and advised both health centres and private health facilities to refer cases beyond their control to the hospital. Dr Atobrah expressed dissatisfaction with the behaviour of some major referral hospitals, saying they often delayed in handling emergency cases. Dr Atobrah said the District Hospital currently had no laundry equipment and the only haematology machine serving the whole District, which was acquired about five years ago, had broken down. 'In all the wards especially the pediatric ward mothers are compelled to lie on the floor in the rainy season when admissions at the hospital peaks, this could lead to infections', he said. Mr Benjamin Aggrey, the District Health Director, said the District recorded 14 neonatal deaths in 2015 as compared to 2014 and 2013 when it recorded five and six respectively; and maternal deaths reduced from five in 2014 to two in the year under review. He said teenage pregnancy increased from 7.6 per cent in 2013 to 17.6 per cent both in 2014 and 2015; and supervised deliveries increased from 78.2 per cent in 2013 to 88.5 per cent and 88.3 per cent in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Mr Aggrey commended health workers in the District and called on them to 'work genuinely to enjoy what you earn'. The Health Director expressed gratitude to Naba Yusuf Akebelingo VI, the Chief of Tilli, for providing a four room accommodation block to health workers in his town to aid in health delivery. GNA 09.02.2016 LISTEN Accra, Feb. 9, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court has remanded James Frimpong, a head porter, in police custody for alleged robbery. The accused person pleaded not guilty and would re-appear on February 23. Prosecuting Chief Inspector K. Adu, told the Court presided by Mr Aboagye Tandoh that the complainant is a businessman. He said a year ago, whiles the complainant was putting up his building at Domeabra, in the Greater Accra Region, the accused person was among the labourers, who worked on the building and due to that the accused knew the complainant very well. He said on February, 2 at about 2100 hours, the complainant and his household were watching television when the accused person armed with sharp cutlass forcibly entered the hall and ordered them to surrender their mobile phones, which were placed in an arm chair. The Prosecution said the complainant made an attempt to prevent the accused person from taking away the phones but he was slashed with the machete on his left hand by the accused person and sustained a deep cut. Chief Inspector Adu said the complainant and the family raised an alarm but the accused person escaped with the phones. He said during the early hours of February 5, at about 1300 hours, the accused person was seen hovering around Kasoa-Ofankor by onlookers, who arrested him and handed him over to the police. 'During interrogation he admitted the offence with an explanation that it was the work of the devil,' he added. GNA 09.02.2016 LISTEN Accra, Feb 09, GNA - The suspension of three clinics at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, which has sparked controversy over the expected loss of lives, was due to human error in the purchase of consumables and equipment. Mr Alex Segbefia, Ministry of Health, who visited the hospital on the heels of the suspension of operation of three surgical clinics, said the Ministry would not want to interfere in activities of the Hospital and explained that such matters should be left with the Hospital authorities and its Board to manage. The Public has called on the Ministry of Health to intervene and explain the circumstances. The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital released a statement over the weekend saying, it had suspended operations at the three clinics under the Department of Surgery, which are the Urology Clinic, General Surgery Clinic and Neurosurgery Clinic. Specialists at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital say they cannot understand why the Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital has been closed for the past two years. Dr Hadi Mohammed Abdallah, spokesperson for the Specialists told an Accra radio station that, 'patients needing special surgery now face the real risk of dying needlessly because a building in which their lives would be saved has been under renovation for two years'. According to the specialists, the closure of the ICU has been worsened by the fact that there was also an acute lack of medical equipment and consumables needed for surgery, whiles those on the waiting lists for specialist care keep growing. The Health Minister expressed regret about why the public was now being informed about the suspension of operation of the clinics after two years and called on hospitals to make such information to the public on time. He expressed his condolences to members of the public who may have lost their relatives and friends due to the action. The Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital, Dr Gilbert Buckle, however, explained that the three clinics have been closed for almost two years due to human error in procuring some consumables for the facilities. He was however hopeful that the three would be re-opened in March year. It has emerged that while patients were dying at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for lack of equipment, about GHa700,000.00 worth of equipment was deteriorating in the warehouse of the Hospital. Dr Buckle said some of the equipment does not meet the specifications requested, while some equipment could not be used because they were purchased before the infrastructures were put in place. He said some of the consumables and equipment which remain unused have gone past its warranty period and so makes it difficult to ask the supplier to replace any equipment even if it was faulty. Meanwhile critically ill patients were being re-directed from the neurosurgical ward to the main surgical theatre for treatment, whiles those whose condition were not critical have been asked to visit other hospitals. GNA Accra, Feb. 9, GNA - Management of Royal Bank Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility wing of the Bank, has presented six medical oxygen concentrators to the Police Hospital in Accra. The oxygen concentrators are devices that take in air and purify it for use by people requiring medical oxygen due to low oxygen. Mr Robert Bentil, the Managing Director, Royal Bank, presenting the items to the Hospital, said the objective of the Foundation was to support the needy and vulnerable in society. He said the equipment was to support the Hospital to perform its duty of providing quality healthcare delivery to people. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Samuel Amo Mensah, receiving the items, commended the management of the Foundation for its efforts to improve on quality health care delivery in the country. He said the donation followed a request made by the Hospital to the Foundation. He said with these portable oxygen concentrators, Hospital staff could easily transfer the device to other patients in need. He expressed the hope that with these oxygen concentrators, the Hospital would be able to continue to save lives for the country. The Foundation in December last year, donated six Nebulizers to the Hospital upon request from management. GNA Accra , Feb. 9, GNA - PZ Cussons Ghana has extended the range of its premium Imperial Leather brands from its well-known portfolio of personal wash into total skin care. The company has added improved Body Wash, antiperspirant deodorant roll-ons, Imperial Leather body Lotions, Imperial Leather deodorant body sprays and the Imperial Leather male range. Speaking at the launch in Accra, Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, Minister of State at the Office of the President, in Charge of Private Sector Development and Public Private Partnership (PPP), said the dynamic nature of businesses required that companies be innovative to remain competitive. He commended the management of PZ Cussons for constantly making additions to their product line and giving consumers choice and a rich experience. Mr Pelpuo said the government was working hard to ensure that the operations of the small and medium size enterprises thrive since they constituted about 90 per cent of businesses in the country. It is in this direction, he said, that government will organize a SME fair later this year with the emphasis on how the sector could attract the necessary funding for growth. Ewuraba Adusei, the Brands Development and Activation Manager, PZ Cussons-Ghana, said the company's brand of products had become an obvious choice for consumers despite the cheap imports from Asia. She said despite the difficult economic environment that confronted companies last year, PZ Cussons has remained strong with a healthy 19 per cent growth. Touching on the new products, she said the Imperial Leather antiperspirant deodorant had provided Ghanaians a means to cut out the sweat in a very humid environment. She said with its mild alcohol-free formulae, it ensures a healthy unbroken skin after use and leaves the user with a long lasting fragrance all day. 'Moving with trends, Imperial shower gels were introduced onto the Ghanaian market three years ago and it is by far the fastest growing liquid body wash with 49 per cent market share volume. Obviously this is not a mean achievement in a much proliferated market,' she said. Mr David Afflu, Business Unit Manager, PZ Cussons, said product innovation was one of the key priorities of the company. He said the company has carefully crafted its logo in an ornate gold crown to symbolize the opulence and luxury of the brand. GNA 09.02.2016 LISTEN Accra, Feb 09, GNA - The stabbing to death of the Abuakwa North legislator, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu, on Tuesday, has traumatised many, including school children, who are likely to shun lessons and mourn their benefactor. The First Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Eastern Region, Alhaji Umar Bodinga, expressing shock at the tragic incident, made the observation, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency. 'Today is not a public holiday, but I can tell you that many children, from primary to senior high schools will be on holiday, this is because he funds many of these children's education, sometimes from his own pocket,' he said. 'This is a man who doesn't discriminate, if you are building a mosque or church and you tell him, he will donate GH2,000 plus, not less than that,' he said of him. The MP, popularly known as JB, was reportedly killed by an unknown assailant at his Shiashie residence, in Accra. The Police have launched an investigation into the homicide and promised a thorough probe to bring the assailant to book, having cordoned off the area and collected pieces of evidence, including a ladder, which was believed the attacker used to scale a wall to flee. Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mrs Efia Tengey told the media that five persons had been picked up to assist in their investigations, though she did not give details of their identities. However, sources say a private security guard at the departed MP's residence, who was said to be on duty when the incident happened, was among those picked up. The late Boakye Danquah-Adu was a chartered accountant before he became a public officer. He served under former President John Agyekum Kufuor's Administration as a Deputy Minister for Women and Children Affairs. The legislator, who would have turned 51 in July, left behind a wife and two children. GNA Dakar (AFP) - African states must brace for a long-term fight against jihadist organisations, which are developing new tactics, recruiting more fighters and learning from each other, the US special forces chief in the continent said. "This kind of warfare is long term and there's no shortcuts to it. You've got to stay on course and it requires everybody cooperating. You can't underestimate their ability to resurge," General Donald Bolduc told reporters in Dakar. Bolduc's comments late Monday came as the United States launched an annual military exercise dubbed Flintlock, which will see 1,700 special forces personnel from some 30 countries take part. With jihadists in Africa increasingly resorting to attacks on markets and security forces, the latest round of training would focus on improving police and military preparedness, particularly for urban warfare. "The most important training that we can do is connect that military training to the police," he said. Despite losses in the battlefield, extremists are becoming more "proactive" across the continent, Bolduc warned. "They have transferred tactics, techniques and procedures, particularly in improvised explosive devices, and they have traded ideas and concepts on how to message and present themselves in public, solidifying their ideology and what they stand for." With Nigeria leading a regional offensive against Boko Haram's Islamist insurgency since last year, the group has resorted to carrying out a string of suicide and bomb attacks in and around Africa's most populous country, leaving thousands of civilians dead. In Burkina Faso and Mali, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for deadly attacks on hotels popular with foreigners in November last year and on January 15 this year. In east Africa, Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab insurgents have lost ground since being routed from Mogadishu in 2011, but they continue to stage regular shooting and suicide attacks. - IS 'reaching out' - Bolduc said a key part of governments' fight against jihadists should be "countering the narrative" of extremists, as their rhetoric is an essential part of their recruitment strategy. He meanwhile warned that IS -- to which Boko Haram has pledged allegiance -- now poses a more direct threat than ever in Africa. A US-led coalition has since 2014 been carrying out air strikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria, where the radical group holds large swathes of territory. Now IS "is reaching out to Al Shebab, it's reaching out to Boko Haram, it's reaching out to AQIM. In some cases, it's directly supporting AQIM. It's influencing Al Shebab, it's influencing Boko Haram, not directly supporting it, but influencing it with its ideas," Bolduc said. On Tuesday, Nigeria's intelligence agency announced the arrest of a recruiter for IS who was preparing to go to Libya, which has slid into chaos since the fall of Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Fears have been expressed about a link-up between IS fighters in Libya and Boko Haram as well as Al-Qaeda affiliated jihadist groups in places such as Mali and elsewhere in North Africa. To date there has been little evidence of the use of foreign fighters in Boko Haram's insurgency, which has left at least 17,000 dead and displaced more than 2.6 million people since 2009. 10.02.2016 LISTEN IS THIS THE BELOVED COUNTRY WE ONCE CALLED GHANA? One might think the future chapter on Ghanaian cultural politics has finally been compiled in its totality for posterity only, as it were, for vulgar record-shattering events to surface now and then, necessitating a complete restructuring and reordering of the said chain of events in the draft narrative on national life. The presumed colorful narratology of our erstwhile shared pristine experience therefore takes on a decolored saudade character. What this also means is that the patronizing poetics of political pornography and its logical concomitant of social sodomy come to define the immoral Scarface of Ghanas screwed partisan duopoly. More to the point, the conjugal rights which nations screwed partisan duopoly grants the serenading poetics of political pornography and social sodomy in the evolving Ghanaian political personality gives birth to shocking incidents of exposed genitals in the cultural topology of the public space. Also, the corrupt language of exposed genitals become the vulgar banana our self-styled celebrities and antediluvian career politicians munch openly in the public lavatory of the Banana Republic, a space George Orwell once called Animal Farm. What we are, in effect, saying is that the political poetics of exposed genitals has become the new lingua franca of social identity which some of our de-civilized dead androids and weaselley-wimp politicians uninhibitedly carry around their depraved psychological ghosts. Being in possession of exposed limp genitals in endarkened gingivitis-mouth in Ghanas political space has, thus, become the order of the day in this strange colorful narratology of partisan duopoly, assuming alternate states of emotional metaphor and vulgar literalness in the political geography of Ghana. The political poetics of exposed genitals therefore assumes a stately pestering-stench of effeminate psychologism in the overall immoral activation of political and social badmouthing. It does not occur to those attuned to the primitive wavelength of badmouthing that the surprising element of social and political prostituting in the brothel of Ghanas forced democratic duopoly undermines public decency. ARE GHANAIANS EVOLVING OR DE-EVOLVING? Apparently some are. Apparently some are not. And there are those who are doing so simultaneously. Wisa Greids exposed genitals on stage while performing to a live audience, including officials of the state and other dignitaries, and Wanlov the Kubolors exposed genitals on the Delay Show speak to the degrading character of the dying geopolitical brothel called Ghana. Rather not unsurprisingly, though, none of the public officials in attendance at Greids live performance took flight because, if we should add, their being used to masticating the exposed genitals of political corruption and of the culture of impunity are intrinsic to the national DNA of mortal corruptibility, at least insofar as our politicians. These are the kind of public officials who are also addicted to the exposed genitals in the vulgar lyricism of Rex Omars Abiba, Inner Circles A Lalala Long, and Wisas Ekiiki Mi. It could have been so easy to deploy or dip the erectile phallus of Wisas danceable ekiiki in the suctional motherhood of Victoria Hammahs straightforward pudendum. That was not the case, however. Hammah will unfortunately lose out to her male political animals in the Animal Farm of grand public corruption because, as some may already know, she chose to rather publicly fantasize about the exposed genitals of political corruption in Wisas lyrical pornography, Ekiiki Mi. When for instance, Wisa directed his stand-at-ease exposed genitals at a bent-over female dancers gluteal cleavage his and the female dancers calculated terpsichorean public pornography suddenly made Kens verbally exposed genitals at Afia look like a sybaritic circus where a minstrelsy of political sodomy is performed. Wisas Ekiiki Mi makes Bob Marleys Zimbabwe and One Love and Peter Toshs Mama Africa and Equal Rights look like pornographic gospel tracks in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah. What a country we all call Ghana? The country has become a giant rolling ball of moral confusion, in other words a meteorite speeding past the psychological precipice of moral disintegration and politico-intellectual antiquation. Indeed, the country is in a grave state of moral despair apparently because Kennedy Agyapongs dossier appears to harbor all the rotten eggs of political and social decay, thus explaining in part why the deplorable landscape of Ghanaian partisan politics is what it actually is today. Such a big disgrace to our already-screwed national destiny. KENNEDY AGYAPONG AND AFIA SCHWARTZNEGGAR For a sitting parliamentarian to badmouth a fellow human being, a woman for that matter, in objectionable descriptive labels such as ugly bitch, bed wetter, prostitute, and a slew of unprintable words is, to say the least, the height of psychological primitivism and intellectual indiscipline. Yet in our humble opinion, however, we do not necessarily think Afias unprovoked criticism of Kens verbal attack on President Mahamas family, his mother and brother, called for this level of uninhibited verbal volcanism from her public nemesis. Afia too should have known better than to take the war of verbal vulgarity to Kens turf, because this is not a man who will chicken out of public confrontation since that is what he eats to sustain his perceived sense of social and political relevance. In other words, Ken, an embarrassing blowhard, went overboard with his emotional diarrhea in his delivery of verbal vulgarity to a fellow media personality. Thus, he should have exercised emotional and verbal restraint and not have allowed the situation to get the better of him. Kens intellectual or psychological helplessness occurring as it was under the Sisyphean weight of emotional incontinence is proverbial. Essentially then, his behavior shows everything that is wrong with the public culture of Ghanaian politics. None of this is to directly suggest our endorsement of Afias uninvited intrusion into Kens public badmouthing of President Mahamas family. We want to make this point clear. The point is that President Mahama is a public figure. In other words, he is subject to public ownership in the formal language in regard to the political currency of constitutional exegesis. The presidency is therefore open to public critique from citizens. Let us point out that public criticism of the presidency can take many forms including civil courage, public sentiment, civil disobedience, impeachment, and so on. That does not in and of itself mean public figures should be verbally sodomizing each other in Ghanas new-found duopolistic landscape which has become an eye-sore picture of political pornography. Disagreements could there be couched in a polite language of mutual respectability. In this context Kens threat to release and then to aerosolize the nude pictures of Afia into public space shows a screwed mind that is not in tune with the ethical civilization of public diplomacy. The primitive behavior of Nelson Abudu Baani, Kens parliamentary colleague who called for adulterous women (alomo gyatas) to be stoned during parliamentary deliberation on the proposed Intestate Succession Bill, is no different from intellectual primitivism of Kens misogynistic jeremiad against Afia, a virago-Amazon media personality. But granted, behaving otherwise is not an emotional forte of a jungle socialite such as Ken, a novice political chatterbox, given his long vulgar dossier on awkward and disappointing gaffes and ignominies, thereby placing himself against his emotional quotient. This man is so good at using the exposed genitals of his endarkened gingivitis-mouth to sustain his perceived social and political relevance, a false prophet of verbal sybaritism and emotional voyeurism. However, unless there is concrete evidence that the presidency was engaged in instances of malfeasance or impropriety, or even of nepotism, which may have brought down Kens verbal sledgehammer heavily on President Mahamas family, the former will not be justified in his verbal attack on the latter. On the other hand, we do not know if Afia has insider or privileged information about executive nepotism which the public and Ken may not know about. In the final analysis then, this verbal confrontation between Ken and Afia is unnecessary, unfortunate, and sad. It shows why Ken should not be addressed as Honorable. It shows why he should be recalled. He is destroying the image of the legislature which is already an institution that does not enjoy much respect in the public arena. We will want to submit that the leadership of the NPP and of parliament should sanction him for his untoward childish behavior, for Ghanaians deserve more than a political pornography of verbally exposed genitals in the endarkened gingivitis-mouths of irresponsible public figures. Public figures who verbally sodomize others the way Ken, an emotional wreck, habitually does should not enjoy public approbation. He should learn to keep his exposed genitals in the privacy of his endarkened gingivitis-mouth. Political sissies like him have no place in politics. Misogynistic gang-star political personalities like him should have no place in Ghanaian politics, not to talk of a place in the legislature. Ken is certainly an emotional time-bomb. But regardless of our sympathies for her, a media virago-mermaid, Afia needs to learn to keep her hippo-mouth and her easy gravitation toward the political and social pornography of exposed genitals under wraps. She also needs to learn to keep her hippo-mouth between her provocative thighs away from the salivating glans of Kens exposed genitals in the expressed political pornography of Ghanas divisive duopoly. Kens salivating glans contain sockets of deadly verbal poison. Fortunately, Afias hippo-skin is thick enough to accommodate the slimy trenchancy of Kens deadly verbal poison, we know. We can only plead with her to ignore him. Completely. Reference Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah. Stone Adulterous Women To Death, Says Ghanaian MP. This Is Africa. November 17, 2014. We shall return 10.02.2016 LISTEN "An Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living"Socrates It has become the true realization of most of us living in the diaspora that a time-bomb is ticking in our country Ghana. This particular mishap is in the person of Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a member of Parliament for Assin Central. Incidentally his colleague member of Parliament, Dr Martin Opoku-Prempeh, in a warped way warned Ghanaians of a ticking time-bomb that may blow up anytime. He however, failed to identify the whereabouts of this menace. Ghanaians do not need to look far, but can point out to Dr Opoku-Prempeh that this explosive is none other than his deranged Party member, Kennedy Agyapong. The recent diatribe by this man against a radio presenter, Ms Afia Schwarzenegger, is an example of the attitude and behavior of a man who calls himself a legislator and answers to the title "honorable". It is indeed true that insults and profanities are the true examples of an empty mind. No doubt, he has nothing to offer his constituents from the job for which he has been returned to Parliament for at least four terms. Ken never finds the voice when it comes to deliberating on important national issues in the august house, but would quickly find the voice for insults at his radio station that appears to have been built only for this cause of his. Sadly and shamefully, he is the NPP ranking member on Communication. Here are a few examples of abrasive and reckless comments that Ken has meted out to noble Ghanaians. He has insulted the Asantehene Nana Osei-Tutu; threatened to wipe out from this planet President Jerry Rawlings and his family; threatened Mr Kwesi Pratt if he dared go near the African Regent hotel (Hotel d' Wawa); called for the execution of Ewes and Gas in Ashanti Region; declared war on Ghana; accused President Kuffuor and Mr Kwadwo Mpiani of murder; just to mention a few. Lately, there are audio recordings going viral on media sites about Ken insulting the President of our country and his siblings to the extent of extending same insults to their late mother/step-mother even in her grave. A woman who was part of the effort that built the NPP where Ken belongs and finds comfort. The uncultured and uncouth behavior of Ken is becoming loudly embarrassing to us as citizens of Ghana. Ken is a good example of people who simply passed through both formal and informal education (home upbringing), rather than allowing education to pass through them and mold their character. By his age, one wonders if Ken took civic lessons in school when "Courtesy for Boys and Girls" was the prescribed popular textbook for students. He has turned out a pure and perfect description of a truant, a deviant, maladjusted, and a social and cultural misfit in society. He is a serious embarrassment to the renowned Adisadel College and its alumni, and a severe pain on family pride and honor. He is an example of adults in society whose only life view is adoration of monetary wealth over the cherished priceless wealth grounded in moral and ethical values, and leading exemplary life worthy of emulation by the younger generation. He has become a fecal blot on our wholesome Ghanaian moral and ethical values that are held high in the global community. He carries himself around as the richest person that ever dropped on Ghanaian soil, as if money is all there is to life. Ghana abounds in beautiful institutions of state, elders of society, chieftaincy, religious groups, civil organizations, political associations, many of which endorse high moral and ethical character and frown heavily on characters the sort of Ken. One wonders what say these many agents of change and institutions on matters like this. Much more about what says Parliament, where he belongs, with his other 274 men and women of character. What is the ethics and privileges committee of the august house doing about this untreatable ulcer of theirs? Is it the case that they are afraid of the loose-cannon who would not hesitate to attack them for benefiting from his monetary gifts as he does allege; yet are quick to haul others from society to their chambers? Poor and helpless Nana Akufo-Addo and his NPP leadership cannot find the courage to call him to order. Clearly, they are afraid of what Ken would spew about them if they dare. After al,l he has addressed them as fools and gotten away with it, while respected members of their Party are elbowed out with no justifiable cause. What is rolling out waywardly in the vile tongue of Ken should be a matter of concern for all in society. Kennedy "Ohene" Agyapong is living in conflict to his middle name, living "dis-honorably" against his title, and disgracing his children, family, society, colleagues, political family, and the nation at large. Let us hear from Parliament, while we await some form of sanction on his radio station by the Media Commission. We however, have no doubt that Nana Akufo-Addo and his NPP will keep mute on this one too, as is usual. We dare them to prove us wrong! NDC - USA Dr. Kwabena Adjei, Founder and Chairman of Kasapreko Company Limited [KCL] has been awarded Master Entrepreneur of the Year in the West African edition of the Ernst & Young (EY) World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. The colourful event was graced by business tycoons at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos, in Nigeria on Friday 5th February, 2016. Kasapreko Company Limited is noted for producing the authentic Alomo Bitters drink the brand named by CNN as one of the top 5 emerging brands. Alomo Bitters has seen major success across West Africa and beyond because of its good taste and medicinal properties which was scientifically proven. Recently added to Kasaprekos stable are Kalahari Bitters and Carnival Strawberry drinks. The World Entrepreneur of the Year Award program was created by Ernst & Young to recognize the accomplishments of entrepreneurs with award programmes in more than 60 countries around the globe. Members of this elite community are exceptional leaders who change the status quo, drive innovation, create jobs and transform economies. Past winners of the Master Entrepreneur of the Year category include Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, former Group Managing Director of Access Bank (2011); Alhaji Aliko Dangote (2012); Mr. Austin Avuru, Managing Director of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc (2013); Jubril Adewale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive of Oando Plc (2014). In the wake of all his achievements, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, recently launched a $70m state of the art bottling plant for Kasapreko in Ghana. It is not surprising that the new bottling plant is already churning out thousands of bottles a day of a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks onto the beverage markets in Ghana West Africa and beyond. DSC 5789 DSC 6106 Researchers across the country can now carry out their work faster through the newly launched Measurement, Learning and Evaluation (MLE) unit at the University of Ghana. The unit is a centre where research data can be managed, stored and analyzed locally with robust data security and back-up systems. Whether in Walewale or Techiman, a researcher could forward his or her socio-economic research findings to the unit for analysis and processing, Director of Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Felix Asante told Joy Business. In the past, when a researcher has finished a questionnaire, he/she is compelled to keep it until he/she returns to Accra before getting someone to input and analyse it. However, with the MLE unit once a researcher has finished with an interview, they only have to submit, their data to be analysed. The turnaround time in analysing research findings would be greatly reduced with this new unit. It is open to any institution in the country, in the University of Ghana and any other institution in the world. 10.02.2016 LISTEN Competition Guidelines 2015-2016 Ideas for Action is an ideas competition on financing for sustainable development for youth sponsored by the World Bank Group and the Zicklin Center, Wharton School Submissions are due February 29, 2016 Concept Todays youth will be responsible for implementing the newly adopted 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), approved by the UN in September. The SDGs are an ambitious and transformative set of goals, covering a broad range of interconnected issues, from sustainable economic growth, to social issues, to global public goods. To realize this vision, a just-as-ambitious plan for financing and implementation is needed. In July, UN member states endorsed a financing for development action agenda to support the SDGs, which outlines many action areas and commitments for the international community. Youth engagement and innovation will be critical for success. The Ideas for Action (I4A) competition engages young people around the world to encourage them to develop and share their ideas for financing solutions to deliver the post-2015 development agenda. The competition is intended to help catalyze a global conversation about these important issues from young people all around the world. Conversations happen virtually, over social media networks, and in person, and we hope you will engage with others who also have great ideas to share on how it is to be financed and implemented. Registration and Submission Eligibility: Youth between the ages 18 and 35 from around the world can participate. Team Composition: This is a team competition. Teams must be 2 to 6 people and may consist of multiple nationalities and individuals from different schools, institutions, companies, etc. Registration: Please register your teams at this link before submitting your proposal to the I4A competition. To receive updates and information on the competition and post-2015 agenda you may also want to register all team members on the wider distribution list. Submission: Proposals should be submitted to the I4A email account ([email protected]) no later than 11:59 PM EST on February 29, 2016. Timeline: Workshop: February 5, 2016 (final time location TBD) at the World Bank Headquarters. The session can also be accessed online. Details will be sent out via email. Deadline for submissions: February 29, 2016 Announcement of submissions selected for final round: March 21, 2016* Deadline for final submissions (incl. comments received, if applicable): April 17, 2016 Announcement of winner(s): May 3, 2016 * Finalists may be asked to expand upon their original submissions before final review. Details will be given to selected teams. Submission Requirements Submissions that do not meet the format requirements listed below will be disqualified. Format: " Proposals should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words, with proper citations and references. The word count does not include the appendix, footnotes/citations, or any charts/graphs. Teams should use the template at the end of this document and include a 200-word abstract summarizing the key points of the proposal. " The submission must be in Times New Roman, 12 pt font. " All appropriate information must be cited. " The submission should be sent in PDF or Microsoft Word format in English. Solution Areas: The expectation for teams is to focus on one of the issues below and develop a creative yet realistic and implementable solution that will increase the financing available and/or improve the efficiency and effectiveness of existing funds. Another possibility is to select more than one issue, and develop a solution that is based on blended sources of finance. (1) Domestic Resource Mobilization: improving the ability of countries to collect and direct public resources generated from taxes and/or improve efficiency of public spending. Areas of particular relevance are a. tax policy and collection; b. harnessing sustainable streams of revenue from natural resources; c. subsidy reform; d. improving public sector procurement practices. Example submission topics: Restructuring mineral extraction contracts in Sub-Saharan Africa more sustainable social benefit and financial return; Subsidizing crops of the future: how a change in agricultural subsidies in one South American country can be a lesson to others (2) Better and Smarter Aid: improving how aid is structured and disbursed in light of a rapidly changing donor environment. Areas of particular relevance are a. improving aid disbursement models; b. improving aid transparency and accountability; c. integrating private philanthropy; d. global funds into the greater aid agenda. Example submission topics: A new model for recipient-centric accountability mechanisms in ODA loan programs; Using different results metrics to improve aid project outcomes (3) International Private Finance: improving business environments to attract investment. Areas of particular are a. creating policies that encourage investment, particularly in long time infrastructure; b. mainstreaming the use of guarantees and risk insurance. Example submission topics: Co-financing arrangements as a means to increased roadway investment in Sub-Saharan Africa; Taxes, construction regulation, and urban sewage reform in Southeast Asia; improving project cycle and investment environment to attract institutional investors including sovereign wealth funds; Implementing policies and mechanisms to direct remittances towards development. (4) Domestic Private Sector: mobilizing domestic private capital. Areas of particular relevance are a. creating an enabling environment for business creation and growth; b. increasing access to finance, greater financial inclusion for households and SMEs; c. developing domestic capital markets Example submission topics: A new type of aid: improving small and medium-sized enterprise access to financing via novel national-scale loan instruments. (5) Business and Development Innovations: improving business environments in developing economies via innovative private/public partnership models. Areas of particular relevance are a. grafting and implementing business-led collective action initiatives; b. innovative models of delivering aid using private sector capabilities and public sector resources. Example submission topics: A novel model for new-country investment: using public funds to limit fixed costs of electronic equipment manufacturing; Limiting privatepublic corruption with new public awareness tools in Central Asia For more information about the first 4 options, see the massive open online course on financing for development, the World Bank Paper on Finance for Development Post-2015, and the World Bank Paper on Multilateral Development Finance. For more information about the fifth option, see the Wharton Zicklin Center Business Development & Innovation website. Evaluation criteria: The first round of submissions will be evaluated according to how well teams demonstrate the following four attributes: " Significance:teams should be specific enough that they can go into some level of depth, but significant enough that it impacts a large number of people and/or businesses and nations. " Originality and creativity: teams should present a solution that is original and creative; submissions should present ideas that are either undeveloped or severely underdeveloped in international development research and literature. " Feasibility:teams should include a brief roadmap to adoption that argues for the feasibility of the solution, and addresses any obvious roadblocks; all submissions should be actionable and measurable; based in practicality rather than just theory. Teams are encouraged to tie their submissions to a particular country or region of the world. " Clarity:teams should present their idea in a clear and concise manner. Additional References: " World Bank Group Book: Financing Sustainable Development Ideas for Action " World Bank Group paper on going From Billions to Trillions: Transforming Development Finance http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DEVCOMMINT/Documentation/23659446/DC20 15-0002(E)FinancingforDevelopment.pdf " Coursera massive open online course on Financing for Development https://www.coursera.org/course/fin4devmooc " Addis Ababa Action Agenda: http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/wpcontent/ uploads/2015/08/AAAA_Outcome.pdf " https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/22542/K8401.pdf?seq uence=3 " World Bank Group Web Site on the Post-2015 Agenda: www.worldbank.org/post2015/ " World Bank Group Paper: Finance for Development Post 2015 " Report of the UN Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing " Synthesis Report of the Secretary-General on the Post-2015 Agenda For questions, please email [email protected] Awards The finalists and winners will be selected by a panel of academics and experienced development professionals from public and private sector institutions. Winners of the competition get the opportunity to: " Present their ideas at an event during the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group, " Receive support from a project incubator at the Wharton School, and " Benefit from unique networking opportunities with experts from international development, academia, and the private sector. Suggested Template Ideas for Action Competition Your proposal should include (but not be limited to) the following: 1. Title of proposal 2. Team Name 3. Short Abstract (200 words) 4. Explanation of problem and context: (200-400 words) 5. Explanation of Solution: (700-1,400 words) o Why is it relevant? o What is new about it? o By who, what, how and when would it be implemented? o What is the expected impact? 6. Are there similar examples that can be provided? If so, where and how? Please elaborate. (150-300 words) 7. What are challenges you might confront and how might they be addressed? (200-400 words) 8. Additional relevant information. Total length must be between 1,500-3,000 words to be considered The Driver of murdered Abuakwa North MP, Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu, has been arrested by Police in Accra. The Greater Accra regional police command confirmed the arrest to Joy News Wednesday, bringing the number of those apprehended in connection with the MPs death to six. Police interrogation of all six will begin Wednesday morning. Three men and two women were picked up by the police on Tuesday to assist with investigations into the murder of the legislator. The three men, including the security man at the Shiashie residence of the MP, were in the house when the incident occurred, police said Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu was stabbed to death after some assailants went straight to the MP's bedroom. They used a ladder to enter the home and after struggling with him for a few minutes, they overpowered and stabbed him. NATION EXPRESSES SHOCK AT DEATH OF JB DANQUAH-ADU The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu, was murdered in cold blood in the wee hours of Tuesday, after he had been attacked by unidentified assailants at his residence at Shiahsie, near Tetteh Quarshie Interchange in Accra. AGI WORRIED OVER MULTIPLICITY OF TAXES The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has decried the multiplicity of taxes in the country and said the situation is creating an unfavorable climate for businesses. ECONOMY ON ROAD TO RECOVERY TERKPER The Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, says the economy is on track to recovery and with the assistance of the International Monetary Fund, it is expected that the country would avoid the slippery path of previous election years. SHOCKER! JB DANQUAH KILLED Five persons have been picked up by the police for questioning following the gruesome murder of the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region, Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu, at his Shiashie residence in Accra, Tuesday. AFRIWAVE DEAL STINKS IMANI Policy analyst think tank, IMANI Ghana has revealed that the processes leading to the award of a monopoly licence to Afriwave Telecom Ghana Limited to operate the controversial interconnect clearing house for telecom companies is riddled with fraud. MPS MURDER BREEDS PANIC: GHANAIANS WORRIED OVER GENERAL INSECURITY The brutal killing of the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu, yesterday dawn has heightened the general sense of insecurity in the country following the rising spate of such killings in recent times. NPP SUSPECTS FOUL PLAY IN MURDER OF ABUAKWA NORTH MPP The opposition New Patriotic Party is suspecting foul play in the killing of the partys Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region. TERKPER SWERVES CURRENTS DEBT FIGURE Government is still silent on Ghanas debt level, except to say that the debt (including Eurobond for refinancing) stands at a93 billion, representing 72.6% of GDP (November 2015). GLO MOBILE GHANA IN TROUBLE: NCA GIVES 30-DAY ULTIMATUM TO PAY ALL DEBTS Credible information available to The General Telegraph indicates that Glo Mobile Ghana Limited, a telecommunication company is in hot waters as the National Communications Authority (NCA) chases it to settle its debts. POLICE ARREST 5 OVER MURDER OF MP The police have arrested five persons in connection with the murder of the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu. 5 GRABBED OVER MPS MURDER Five people have been arrested in connection with the murder of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa North, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu, at his residence at Shiashie, East Legon in Accra, Tuesday. ECONOMY IS MAKING PROGRESS MINISTER The Finance Minister, Seth Terkper has said the medium term growth and economic prospects look bright and the fiscal consolidation programme being pursued by government is yielding positive results. ECONOMIC RECOVERY ON COURSE; NO TIME FOR COMPLACENCY TERKPER Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Seth Terkper says government will not be complacent over the gains it has made, as it bids to complete its turnaround of the countrys economic situation which has been dire straits particularly in the past three or so years. HIGH COST OF POWER TOPS INDUSTRY WOES The majority or 53% of the over 500 CEOs surveyed in the AGI business barometer for quarter-four of 2015 cited high cost of power as their number one challenge, followed closely by inadequate supply of the same utility. Upper West Regional Minister, Amin Amidu Sulemani, has given his support to principals and tutors of the various nursing training institutions in the region to discipline deviant nurse trainees who fail to comply with the rules and regulations of the training. There have been some agitations from the front of some nursing trainees in the region refusing to go to clinics and hospitals for their practical work. The regional minister has described the development as worrying, especially coming from people training to save lives. Speaking at the 2015 annual review meeting of the Upper West Directorate of the Ghana Health Services, Alhaji Sulemani stated that to become a health professional is a calling and not a mere job. He adds that there is an urgent need to reform bad practices among some nursing staff to ensure improved health care for patients. Sack nurse trainees who refuse to conform to the rules and regulations of your training. They are coming to kill us; they are not coming out as good nurses. It doesnt matter whether there are in the third or final year, sack them. The nursing profession is not a beauty contest that you can go at will, it is a matter of life and death, the Minister insisted. Acting Upper West Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Winfred Ofosu, warned of the collapse of health care in the region if the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) fails to pay debts owed to health facilities in the region. The NHIA owes health facilities in the region up to the tune 19, 387,891.55 Ghana Cedis as at December 15. The last time some hospitals and clinics were reimbursed was in May 2015. Dr. Winfred also expressed worry over the increasing rate of human rabies in the region where 15 people lost their lives in two years. He called for a collaborative effort to ensure that rabid animals are vaccinated to curb increasing deaths. The Eastern Region branch of the NPP has condemned the murder MP for Abuakwa North constituency, describing it as despicable and barbaric. A release Wednesday charged security agencies to ensure the speedy investigation into this dastardly crime and bring the perpetrators to face the full rigors of the law. Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu was stabbed to death after some assailants went straight to the MP's bedroom. They used a ladder to enter the home and after struggling with him for a few minutes, they overpowered and stabbed him. Read the full statement by the NPP Eastern Region branch below. EASTERN REGION NPP CONDEMNS GRUESOME MURDER OF HON. J. B. DANKWA ADU, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR ABUAKWA NORTH CONSTITUENCY The Eastern Region branch of the New Patriotic Party is in the state of shock and grief about the gruesome murder of Hon. J. B. Dankwa Adu, Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North Constituency. We condemn this despicable, heinous and very barbaric act in the strongest terms it deserves. We call on the Ghana Police Service and the security agencies to ensure the speedy investigation into this dastardly crime and bring the perpetrators to face the full rigors of the law. We take note of the fact that in recent times there have been spates of these murders across the country. It is our belief that when the law is enforced and expressed to its fullest it will serve as a deterrent to other ungodly individuals in the society. In the same vein we call on the government to make the security of every Ghanaian a priority. The party shares the pain and anguishes of the family of our beloved MP most especially his wife and children and the entire party membership and constituents of Abuakwa North. Indeed we have lost one of our hardworking and resourceful MPs who had his constituents at heart. In these difficult and heartbreaking times, we appeal to all our supporters to remain calm as we await the results of the police investigation. We call on all well meaning Ghanaians with any information to report same to the security agencies to help apprehend the perpetrator(s) of this abominable act. Indeed we are traumatised but we know God Almighty is in control. ....Signed.... Kiston Akomeng Kissi Regional Chairman Clement Bonney, Actor 10.02.2016 LISTEN He has been making the news headlines for all the wrong reasons. Well, actually the main reason is that he has unwisely ventured into the realm of a pollster. This is no anomaly because it is about Ghanaian politics, and in Ghana it is self-styled pollsters and prophets who call the shots. At least that is what such people consider themselves. The Electoral Commission is only expected to deliver the results of what such critters claim to be the results of our elections. And to be certain, the stark fact of the matter is that the EC has been having a very hard time credibly delivering on what it alleges to know to do better than everyone else in the country. The EC made such a hatched job of calling the presidential election in 2012 that in the end, it was the Atuguba-presided panel of the Supreme Court of Ghana that converted itself into the Chief Returning Officer in the country. Back then, as most of us vividly remember, the recently retired Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan could not even tell the Supreme Court and the nation at large what constituted either over-voting or under-voting. And yet this man, proudly armed with a doctorate from one of the major U.S. public universities, had been playing our substantive Electoral Commissioner for some two decades. And until his naked warty butts were so scandalously and shamefully exposed, the former University of Ghana political science lecturer had been sporting the magisterial accolade of Africas foremost Electoral Commissioner. He had been jauntily crisscrossing the continent and offering what was erroneously deemed to be a first-rate professional and/or expert advice to his counterparts in countries like Tanzania and Nigeria. Now it risibly turns out that all along, Dr. Afari-Gyan scarcely knew anything worthwhile about what he had been lecturing and pontificating about to his professional associates and colleagues. But then again, why bother with such veritable quackery at all: after all, arent we in Africa where professional and academic titles often have absolutely nothing to do with the talents and capabilities of the personalities who routinely tend to bear the same? Thus, for example, Ghana has a President John Dramani Mahama who was actually selected by the Supreme Court and constitutionally sworn in by the chief of the same. In other words, in Ghana, the Supreme Court is also effectively the electorate. Now, dont ask me what then is the role of the ordinary citizen who has been registered to vote for a new president, and vice-president, every four years and, indeed, actually got to vote with the intention of doing precisely that in 2012, except that the deliberately bumbling Dr. Afari-Gyan decided that it would either be his judgment call or that of the National Democratic Congress-rigged Supreme Court. Either way, the ultimate outcome was bound to be the same. Now, we also learn of somebody called Mr. Clement Bonney, a reportedly nondescript local thespian of some sort, who claims to be the prime beneficiary of policies conducive to the salutary development of the nations creative arts industry that were initiated and implemented by the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress government. For this reason, Mr. Bonney, who is also widely known as Mr. Beautiful, says that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Ghanas main opposition leader, can never be elected President. There is a striking irony here, of course; for as highlighted above, Mr. John Dramani Mahma who in 2008 was elected Vice-President and arch-lieutenant to then-Candidate John Evans Atta-Mills, the man eventually declared President of Ghana back then, has never been popularly elected President of the Republic of Ghana, although he has been imperiously acting as such, and even has been sternly warning the very people who are alleged to have voted him into the reins of governance to cease and desist forthwith from criticizing his government, because other two of the three Fourth-Republican leaders who preceded him, namely, Messrs. Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum-Kufuor, none of the remaining 27 million, or so, Ghanaian citizens have ever acceded to the august presidency via the polling booth. Least of all, Mr. Mahama wants Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Oxbridge-schooled former Deputy-Governor of the Bank of Ghana and three-time Vice-Presidential Candidate of the countrys main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), to steer as rhetorically far away from him and his government as the proverbial distance between Cape Town and Cairo. Now that is a really tall order, indeed. Or isnt it? Well, the fact of the matter is that Nana Akufo-Addo did not win the 2012 presidential election because technically speaking, as well as practically speaking, no presidential election was held in 2012. Or properly speaking, no credible results of the 2012 presidential elections were released to the media in that watershed political season. Mr. John Dumelo, the smooth-talking Trokosi Nationalist Actor, has recently been alleged to have imperiously declared that the Presidency and the Flagstaff House are decidedly no-go areas for Nana Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party. Needless to say, such reckless and irresponsible declarations presuppose that the leadership of Ghanas largest and most progressive political party is poised to passively accepting another epic and deliberate electoral railroading lying supine. God save us from ourselves! *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs Bernard Antwi Boasiako 10.02.2016 LISTEN After carefully studying and analysing the trend of murder cases being recorded in Ghana lately, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party has observed the nation has reached this frightening point because President Mahama hasnt made security his top most priority. Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako believes the lack of commitment on the side of President Mahama to ensure Ghanaians are soundly protected by our security agencies, has motivated murderers to take advantage of the situation. In a statement copied to Peacefmonline.com, the Ashanti Regional Chairman for the NPP charged the president to equip the police and other security agencies with the necessary gadgets and items needed to make them efficient when it comes to tracking down murderers. Below is a copy of his statement: As a country, we have witnessed series of assassination attacks under the leadership of President Mahama and it's about time we come out strongly to ask these few questions as Ghanaians! President Mahama and his NDC and everybody admits that the country has been engulfed with gross corruption, hardships, poor governance and couples of misfortunes but, the least we expected to add up: is the country's security threats and his poor commitment to protect the citizenry. As the commander in chief of our security forces, we think it's prudent to question the president on matters of our safety when we feel unsafe. We can't just sit down with our arms folded to allow these forms of misfortunes to continually happen all because the commander in chief of our security forces is not actively performing his roles. Who knows who is next? Amongst all these unfortunate happenings under your watch as a president, what measures have you put in place to abate a possible reoccurrence considering the under listed unfortunate assassinations attacks on innocent Ghanaians? Feb 09, 2016 ~ The MP for Abuakwa North gunned down by unknown assailants. Jun 21, 2014 ~ The Paramount Chief of the Nanumba Traditional Area, Naa Dasana Andani, killed. 20 Nov. 2014 ~ Nana Adusa Gyapong, the chief of Atwima Koforidua in the Ashanti Region gunned down by unknown assailants. Mar 12, 2014 ~ Nii Ayittey Noyatse, the Joma Mantse, was shot and killed by unidentified assailants. Nov 5, 2013 ~ Paramount Chief of Seikwa, Nana Kwaku Dwumah Ankoana II, assassinated March 13, 2014, ~ Fennec Okyere, manager of controversial hiplife artiste, Kwaw Kese, shot dead. Nov 12, 2015 ~ Vodafone Marketing Officer shot dead in his home at Sakumono Dec 5, 2014 ~ The Branch Manager of Ecobank Ghana at Abrepo in Kumasi in the Ashanti region has been shot dead. 12 Dec, 2013 ~ Stanbic Bank worker murdered in mysterious circumstances. Ghana deserves a leader who cares and for once we ask you to care about us as you prepare to exit power. I believe you must leave a legacy before exiting power and I think you can do that by strengthening, investigating and protecting the citizenry for once in your few months stay in office. I further extent my condolence to the family of J.B Dankwah and the people of Abuakwa North and as well all families who have lost their relatives due to President Mahama's failure to ensure his constitutional mandate of care to the citizenry. I share with you all Signed... Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi) Ashanti Regional chairman, NPP JB Danquah (late) 10.02.2016 LISTEN A Deputy General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Koku Anyidoho has described the murdered MP for Abuakwa North Joseph Boakye Danquah as a decent politician. According to him, he hardly heard the slain MP attacking his political opponents in public like most politicians do in the country. Danquah was stabbed to death at his East Legon residence during the wee hours of Tuesday. The police say they suspect foul play and have launched forensic investigations into the case. Reports say the unknown assailants may have used a ladder to enter the MPs room via his window to execute their plan. Speaking to Fiifi Banson on Kasapa FM Wednesday, the former presidential spokesperson, in a consolation message, said he is confident the police will unravel the mystery behind the killing. JB was not a loud politician, I hardly heard him attacking anyone in the political space. He was just minding his business and doing his constituency work and I believe that is why his people voted for him again at the primaries. "But i remain hopeful that the IGP and his officers at the headquarters will give us some relief by going to the bottom of this matter and apprehend the killer," he said. Meanwhile, the Greater Accra Police command has granted bail to three of the five suspects arrested in connection with the murder of the Abuakwa North MP Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu. A security person and two female house helps of the late MP were released from custody Tuesday evening. The National Communications Authority (NCA) says it has noted with dismay some misleading information making the rounds in the media regarding a contract awarded to Afriwave Telecom for the provision of ICT services (including monitoring of international traffic and revenue assurance). Policy think tank IMANI Ghana had said in statement that the award of the contract was done fraudulent and argued that Afriwave was not deserving of it. In a statement, the NCA said: We are providing information on this contract to the general public and exposing as baseless certain claims that have been made in the media particularly by IMANI. The Authority said the benefits of the implementation of the Clearing House would include a simple, cost-effective, and reliable Points of Interconnection (POIs), as well as helping in a more efficient usage of these POIs. Other benefits are ensuring an efficient method of handling new and traditional interconnects, helping to build local content and encourage innovation amongst others. Most importantly, the Clearing House will also help prevent capital flight and loss of revenue to the government by localising required value added services which are currently being provided to local operators by interconnect exchanges outside the country. Below is the rest of NCAs statement: Background To give a brief background, the Ministry of Communications (MOC) requested from the NCA, policy advice on Clearinghouse, International Wholesale Carriers, Mobile Virtual Network Operators and Fixed Access Service Operators. The MOC then tabled a memorandum regarding the four licences including Clearing house Services to cabinet for deliberation. Cabinet discussed the memorandum accordingly and satisfied with the propriety of the proposed policy, in August, 2014 gave approval for the implementation of the policy. The Ministry therefore conveyed the Cabinet approval to the Authority and accordingly issued a directive to the NCA to implement the policy. The Authority, subsequently met the Board Chairmen and CEOs of the telecom operators in September 2014 to outline and discuss the rationale, modalities, benefits and timelines for the process of licensing the Clearinghouse, International Wholesale Carriers, Mobile Virtual Network Operators and Fixed Access Service Operators. Consultation Process Subsequently, NCA then facilitated a Stakeholder consultation for these four licences, publishing the process documents and draft licence on 5 November, 2014, on the NCA website www.nca.org.gh for comments. Subsequent to the publication of the process documents and receipt of comments, inputs, critiques and/or suggestions from stakeholders, the NCA held a public forum on 26 November, 2014, on the Clearinghouse during which answers and explanations were given in response to all the concerns raised at the forum. To further deepen the transparency of the process, the NCA made a presentation to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communications and explained extensively the need for the implementation of an ICH, its benefits to the Ghanaian economy, the mischief it seeks to cure as well as answer all questions posed. Application Process Upon an open invitation for applications for a licence to operate Clearinghouse services in Ghana, on 2 December, 2014, the NCA received five applications for a Clearinghouse licence from Afriwave Telecom Ghana Limited, Channel IT, Global Voice Group, Prodigy Ghana Limited and Subah Infosolutions Ghana Limited. Each of the five applicants was given the opportunity to make submissions on their bids on 12 January, 2015 and in addition provide answers to further queries. After a comprehensive and transparent evaluation of the bids of the five applicants on the 23 January, 2015, the NCA Board of Directors considered the evaluation report and the recommendations contained therein and endorsed the said recommendations. The Board duly adjudged Afriwave Ghana Limited as the winner of the Clearinghouse licence. Selected Winner Afriwave Ghana Limited, a wholly-owned Ghanaian Company with Laurisia Associates as its integration partner, Huawei and Muecci as its technology partners won the bid to be licensed as the Clearinghouse Services Provider in Ghana for the next ten years. Afriwave provided the most satisfactory responses against four other competitive applicants. The Clearinghouse was expected to be established by May 2015 and be fully operational by December 2015. The Clearinghouse Services will provide the common platform for monitoring volumes of all telecom traffic as per Act 864, reduce cost of interconnect for Service Providers and Value Added Service Providers, enable the interconnectivity with other switches, host Over-The-Top (OTT) services, provide subscriber and equipment identity services as well as transit all national and international calls. Current Status Following Afriwaves success, they were licensed by the NCA for a full range of services which includes monitoring international traffic and revenue assurance. Afriwave, has since installed and integrated their system with that of all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to ensure a continuous and smooth transition period when the contract of Subah Info Solutions ends in May, 2016. It should also be noted that, Afriwave is not being paid for the installation and testing of their system and as such, there has been no duplication of payment or any financial loss to the state. As stated earlier, the essence of this exercise is to prevent potential financial loss to the state that may be occasioned by an abrupt pull out by Subah at the expiration of its contract. NCAs Response to Misleading Information To address the issues raised by IMANI, the NCA responds as follows: The So-called fraudulent tender Imani based their arguments on a draft report. The NCA in the preparation of the report, transposed the scores from Excel to Microsoft Word and noticed that there were some transpositional errors which were corrected to correspond with the original Excel scores. We are not sure where IMANI got their information from, and we would like to plead with the general public to ensure that they get their information from the right sources, in this case from the NCA. Furthermore, we note that even the draft report that Imani has in its possession answers all the questions that they asked, so we are amazed that IMANI fails to make reference to the said responses, however, we will provide some answers below: Non Visit of Operational Location It should be noted that applicants for Licences are not always required to be operational as at the time of submitting their applications, especially for new Licences or new entrants. What the applicants need to submit as per the application process is to demonstrate their technical and financial capabilities. In the past, the NCA, has awarded licences to new entrants who have gone on to operate and have delivered services as per the licenses they were awarded. Lack of Client References or Testimonials IMANI alsostated that there were no client references or testimonials of previous works done in the clearing and general telecom intermediation space. We respond by saying that all applicants again were required to demonstrate this, either by themselves or by their partners and Afriwave partnered with Huawei Technologies, Meucci Solutions and Laurasia Associates. This partnership was evident by letters of commitment and agreements. Evaluation and Selection Process We wish to state that the NCA, in compliance with the regulations mandating it, ensured that every aspect of the process was adhered to. Finally, the NCA wishes to state that its commitment to the people and Government of Ghana is paramount in all its activities. The Authority, takes this opportunity to once again inform the general public that its doors are always open to share information in line with its communication policies. 10.02.2016 LISTEN An incursion into the operational areas of AngloGold Ashanti mine in Obuasi by some illegal miners has forced the company to withdraw all non-essential employees from the ground. Hundreds of illegal miners popularly referred to as galamsey operators have since February 15 invaded the mining site following the withdrawal of governments military protection at the fenced site on February 2. According to the company, this latest invasion of the sitejeopardises the safety of employees and the future of the companys asset. A statement issued by the company Tuesday employees performing critical tasks including underground pumping and ventilation, water treatment, provision of medical services and maintenance of electrical facilities that are on site It has consequently appealed to the government to reinstate the previous security arrangements, as without them, the company's employees and assets have been left vulnerable to attacks from illegal miners who ultimately do not respect other forms of protection. It is important to point out that Ghana Army has a Memorandum of Understanding (Military MOU) with the Chamber of Mines, on behalf of its members, to provide military personnel for deployment at their mining operations, the statement said. It also clarified circumstances that led to the death of one of its employees, John Owusu, who according to the company, had an accident while fleeing an attack by some illegal miners, saying This attack was entirely unprovoked. The company underscored the need for the government, as well as local and regional authorities, to work with AngloGold Ashanti to resolve threats to the viability of the Obuasi gold mine and its ongoing contribution to the Ghanaian economy. The immediate priority should be to ensure safety and security of the mine employees and the mine, it added. tv3network 10.02.2016 LISTEN The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything Albert Einstein The quote above is well understood when the evil being done is very close to you. Last Saturday, the people of Obuasi and its surroundings heard the most traumatizing news ever. The Corporate Affairs Manager, Mr. John Owusu joined the heavenly choir in a very painful way after being run over by a Pick-Up truck that belongs to the Chief Security Officer of the Obuasi Mine. There have been some good people in Obuasi who kept mute for all these years and are now bowing down their heads in shame for what happened last Saturday. When you have Politicians who will do anything for power, then be prepared for such painful results We have been mining in Obuasi for the past 130 years and we still cant even boast of one alternative company that wouldve taken the ever growing graduate unemployed youth in the Municipality. POLITICIANS Mr. Richard Ellimah in his latest write up, ILLEGAL MINING,THE POLITICS AND A NEEDLESS DEATH have said all what I wanted to scribble about the role our heartless Politicians have played in bringing us this far. Politicians have politicized issues of Small scale Mining and large scale mining and this is where wev come at long last Any of the Politicians mentioned in Mr. Richard Ellimahs insightful write up who dare comes out to challenge these facts should be booed and told in the face we cant be toyed with any more. Both NPP and NDC have disappointed the Obuasi youth. After receiving all those Mineral Royalties from the mine,the youth was not thought of for once. When its time for elections they come back to incite the unemployed youth to cause unnecessary confusion. The role of the ever cancerous Ghanaian politics also comes to play in this mess. During the 2008 electioneering campaigns, the then Presidential Candidate of the NDC, the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills promised to "regularize" small scale mining if he got elected as President. Truly from 2009 till 2012 galamsey in Obuasi experienced a major boom, positively affecting the local economy. The unprecedented high price of gold on the international market also fueled this boom. The local miners managed to negotiate a deal with AngloGold Ashanti to mine their abandoned pits. At this stage management of AGA looked the other way as these miners had a field day. This sweet honeymoon however ended when the miners, in a daring move started invading the underground mine of AGA. This move, deemed unacceptable by the company was fiercely resisted. Through the Ghana Chamber of Mines and mainstream media, AngloGold Ashanti launched a fierce battle to "flush out" these illegal miners. Feeling betrayed, the illegal miners directed their anger at the ruling party. At least the former MCE for Obuasi, and now Ashanti Regional Minister designate, Hon. John Alexander Ackon came under a barrage of criticisms for apparently betraying the cause of the local miners. Similarly the current MCE has been reported as also promising the local miners a concession should he get elected as Member of Parliament for Obuasi East. While I will be the first to applaud any move to get local small scale miners a concession, I believe it is dangerous when politicians across the political divide interfere in processes which they have very little or no control over. (Richard Kojo Ellimah,2016) CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS Civil Society Groups in the Municipality who couldve said something about this Illegal Mining and AngloGold Ashanti feud but decided to keep quiet because they feared to be tagged to either NDC or NPP should today bow down their heads in shame. Albert Einsteins quote that opens my write up has spoken to them and I believe they will now re-strategize. Mining and Community relations expert like Mr. Richard Ellimah, Mr. Malik bin Ibrahim, Mr. Annan and other major civil society gurus who had all the platforms to broker peace between the Mine and the small scale miners all feared being tagged so decided to relax and keep mute and this the results. I can never leave out the Media fraternity in Obuasi when Im talking about those who for all this while have been silent for all this while. Some Journalists in Obuasi who have sacrificed the well-being of the people for money should bow down their heads in shame. This write up of mine is not to do blame game but to expose the holes that wouldve being filled if due diligence was done. ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI AND SECURITY In a previous write up of mine earlier this year, I mentioned how AngloGold Ashanti must beef up security, that was when thieves has started invading the wire meshed environment of the Mine and taking away valuables. The Military were brought in from the Uddara Barracks in Kumasi to bring sanity, but for reasons best known to the Security and Sustainability departments of the Mine, they were asked to retreat two weeks ago. AGA should tell us all what transpired between them and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources that made them send the Military back and in a twinkle of an eye what we never thought of happened! They should tell us who made them believe they could still protect the Mine even after the exit of the Military. ARTISANS SMALL SCALE MINERS They say they are legally registered and that AGA should allow them work on their old concessions. AGA tells them to channel their grievances to the government or the Minerals Commission but they refuse. Someone very big in the Municipality who knows only the Minerals Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources can release the concessions, still tell them to pressurize AGA! We thought they were still in the negotiation process, so why the sudden turn around to allow your boys enter cotedor/kaase without the knowledge of AGA? There are no alternative jobs, so the only hope fpr the strong is to indulge in small scale mining. We dont blame them that much but due process should be followed. Some of us who were praying the Minerals Commission will speed up work and grant you your wish are now confused as to keep on praying or stop praying. Government of Ghana So the Commander In Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces who we voted to come serve us, could not protect an investor like AngloGold Ashanti and now the number of unemployed youths in the area is becoming alarming day by day. Only God knows the role they played in scaring Randgold, a potential investor, who we all thought was coming to start operations and cut down on the youth unemployment in the Obuasi Municipality and Ghana as a whole. The President and his Minister for Lands and Natural Resources should bow down their heads in shame. The Small Scale Miners in Obuasi petitioned the President to come intervene and speed up the handing over of old concessions to them on 15th December, 2015. Its being 2 whole months and weve still not heard anything from the Presidents office. The vice President was pulled down here to come commission a lorry station, and the roads were painted and potholes patched for him but when such a serious and sensitive matter came, the Presidency is silent. CONCLUSION I urge the government to step in as soon as possible to do all what they can to bring peace to the Municipality. The negotiations between AngloGold Ashanti and the small scale Miners should produce a long lasting solution. What happened on 6th Fbruary,2016 should never happen again. Long live Obuasi..Long live Ghana The writer can be contacted on [email protected] , 0249542342 The Wuni Zaligu Development Association (WUZDA), an NGO in Tamale, is leading in a WASH Network to engage partners look at activities in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector in the Northern Region for 2016. The forum in Tamale, is expected to look back at the strides of partners in the previous year and cast a light on shortfalls for enhancement and the focus for 2016. WUZDA which is leading this initiative has been keen on raising issues surrounding the WASH sector and providing community members in its operational areas the needed support to approach basic issues of water, sanitation and hygiene at the local level. There are other areas of focus for WUZDA in its community approach to livelihood empowerment support initiatives.Since its inception, the organization has contributed to the improvement of socio-economic and health conditions of members of its target groups in the following: Supported 505 women through Village Savings and Loans Scheme to make them self-reliant., revamping and strengthening of WASH structures in 40 communities to better manage and sustain WASH facilities, enhancing the capacity of 60 Environmental Health and Sanitation staff in the Tamale Metropolis and the Sagnarigu District on sanitation technological options to market and promote household latrine construction and use. The NGO has also established Latrine Sanitation Credit scheme which has supported the construction of 356 household latrines of various types, supported 35 basic schools with water, latrines and hygiene facilities in the Tamale Metropolis and the Sagnarigu District. The organization has supported the Sagnarigu District Environmental Health and Sanitation Department to conduct health screening for food venders and cooks who sell to school pupils. This exercise affected 101 caterers from 43 basic schools. Out of the 101 screened caterers, 48 cooks and caterers were identified with typhoid fever and placed under treatment at 2 health facilities (Rabito clinic and St. Lucy Polyclinic, both in Tamale). In food security approaches, WUZDA has trained 183 farmers on compost development, its management and application. It has also established a 1.2acre land drip for dry season farming, this engaged 28 farmers made up of 16 men and 12 women who are directly participating in the demonstration farm. A video documentary is being developed on that. Through initiatives to keep the public informed about WASH issues and for reason of advocacy, WUZDA has done two years of consecutive and consistent radio campaign and this is happening on two radio stations (Might FM Savelugu, Radio Justice - Tamale). The program with Might FM is dubbed Sanitation Monday where a total of 96 hourly discussions have taken place over the last two years. With radio Justice, a total of 48 discussions took place, the program is dubbed Time with WUZDA and airs every Wednesday. The Wuni Zaligu Development Association has set out not to solve WASH issues for communities but empower them enough to initiate processes in accessing them on their own, through community engagement approaches and advocacy. 10.02.2016 LISTEN The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been hit by two devastating deaths, throwing the entire political grouping in a state of mourning. The first one was the Acting Western Regional Chairman of the party, Ben Kwaw, 56, who died at the Effia Nkwanta Government Hospital on Monday after a short illness. Even before the dust could settle on his death, the party suffered yet another loss with the cold-blooded murder of its Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa North constituency, Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu, in the early hours of yesterday. The always-smiling MP was stabbed to death by a yet-to-be-identified assassin whose footprints were reportedly seen on the walls of his private home, located at Shiashi in Accra. By sunrise, news of his death had gone viral, sending shock waves among Ghanaians, including some of his political opponents most of who wondered how a sitting MP could be murdered in such a manner sending the police and party chiefs racing to the location. Later at a press conference, Acting National Chairman of the NPP, Freddie Blay, could not hide his grief as he was moved to tears whiles expressing heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family as well as party gurus. The mood at the party's Asylum Down national headquarters was that of grief and emotion, with people clad in red and black apparels. Directive Mr Blay has since directed that all party flags at the various levels national, regional and constituency offices across the country should be flown at half-mast with effect from yesterday, February 9, 2016, to Monday, February 15, 2016. . This is in honour of the memory of the late Mr. Ben Kwaw, NPP acting Western Regional Chairman, and the late Hon. Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu, NPP Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North.., he said while conveying the party's deepest condolences to the families of the two. Leadership of the party has therefore called on all party faithful to remain calm in these trying times. Hope The NPP is however, hopeful that the police would swiftly conduct professional investigations into the gruesome murder of the MP so that as its acting National Chairman said, the perpetrators of this horrible crime will be made to face the full rigours of the law. While asking for all to avoid what he termed any form of unnecessary and possibly harmful speculation at this time, Mr Blay also called on the government to take a critical look and revise its policies and strategies towards the growing levels of insecurity and unsolved murders in the country in view of the increasing crime wave in the country in recent times, chief among which are the December 5, 2014 shooting and killing of the Branch Manager of Ecobank at Abrepo in Kumasi and the November 12, 2015 killing of a Marketing Officer of Vodafone Ghana at his house in Sakumono, Accra. He also mentioned the November 3, 2015 murder of the District Chief Executive of Nkwanta South in the Volta Region; the September 14, 2015 killing of Nana Adusa Gyapong, chief of Atwima Koforidua in the Ashanti Region; the June 21, 2014 killing of the Paramount Chief of the Nanumba Traditional Area, Naa Dasana Andani; the March 12, 2014 murder of Nii Ayittey Noyatse, the Joma Mantse by unidentified assailants; November 5, 2013 assassination of the Paramount Chief of Seikwa, Nana Kwaku Dwumah Ankoana II and the March 13, 2014 killing of Fennec Okyere, the Manager of hiplife artiste, Kwaw Kese. Mahama, Akufo-Addo Shocked President John Dramani Mahama also joined Ghanaians to mourn with the family of the deceased MP. Moments after news of Mr JB Danquah Adu's death had hit the airwaves, the president posted on his Twitter handle, Received news of my friend Hon. J.B. Danquah Adus murder with shock. My heart goes out to his siblings, Frank, etc, his wife & children. Presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, also expressed grief over the death of JB, who was a close relation. In interviews granted Peace FM and Oman FM, he prayed that the good Lord would find a resting place for the late MP whiles providing for the young family he left behind. By Charles Takyi-Boadu Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo speaking to the media 10.02.2016 LISTEN The Member of Parliament (MP) for Kpone-Katamanso, Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, has advised his colleague parliamentarians to take their personal security serious so as to ward off any person who might intend to attack them. He described the murder of Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu affectionately called JB MP for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region, as a big blow to him, conjecturing that the wrong MP rather died in that gruesome manner. Mr. Afotey-Agbo, who is the Greater Accra Regional Minister, made the remarks after he had inaugurated the Regional Election Security Taskforce in Tema and returned to his residence at Shiashi in Accra yesterday. Reflecting on the gruesome killing of Mr Boakye Danquah Adu, the minister recalled, He was a very good man that is all I can say. He was not an evil person, diabolical and did not have any hidden agenda. The man was all the time laughing and we always embraced each other. When the news.when the headlines were given and I heard one MP had been shot dead, I was not so much touched until I heard that it was JB Danquah. I exclaimed, how? Nii Afotey-Agbo, head of the Security Council in the Greater Accra Region continued, if there is any MP who will not think of having a sidearm, you should know that you have contested an election which some people lost because of you; there are some who want to misbehave at a point whom you would like to deal with. From Vincent Kubi, Tema Mourners at the residence of JB Danquah. (INSET) Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu 10.02.2016 LISTEN Five persons have been picked up by the police for questioning following the gruesome murder of the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region, Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu, at his Shiashie residence in Accra yesterday. The MP was allegedly stabbed to death while he was asleep around 1:25 am at his residence where he lived with his wife and two children. Those arrested, according to reports, included three men and two women. While one of the arrested persons, Aplaku, is a private security man who has been guarding the house for the past ten years, the others are residents of the area. The assailant, who had his footprints on the walls of the house, allegedly struggled with the lawmaker before he finally killed him. Police reports indicated that the MP received multiple stabs in the stomach and was declared dead on arrival at the Police Hospital. His private security man, the reports indicated, allegedly told the police that he did not hear the struggle that led to his master's death. The murder, which sent shockwaves across the country, has received various interpretations, with some people calling it contract killing. Police Version Briefing journalists at the regional headquarters, the Accra Regional Police Spokeswoman, ASP Effia Tenge, said the police received a distress call at about 1:45 am yesterday from some members of the household of the MP that he had been attacked. A team of policemen were immediately dispatched to the scene where they found the MP lying in a pool of blood in his bedroom. She said he was immediately rushed to the hospital for medical care but doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. His body has since been deposited at the Police Hospital for autopsy. ASP Tenge disclosed that preliminary investigations revealed that the MP received multiple stabs from the unknown attacker, but they were yet to establish the sort of implement used. Deceased's Residence When DAILY GUIDE visited the house of the late MP opposite Ange Hills Hotel at East Legon in Accra, there were scores of mourners, including political associates such as the NPP vice presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and the Acting National Chairman, Freddie Blay. The paper learnt that the MP's wife and their children had been taken away from the house around 6am to an unknown location. A man who claimed to be a personal assistant to the late JB, as he was fondly called, said his boss attended a meeting and returned home around 12:30 am on Tuesday. At that time his wife, Madam Ivy Heward Mills, was sleeping in a separate room together with the children and so Hon JB, after having his bath, also went to sleep, he narrated. The assailant, according to reports, passed through the back of the house and using a ladder which was lying on the compound, climbed to the bedroom which has no burglary-proof and attacked the lawmaker. There were several footprints including bloodstains on the wall leading to the bedroom as well as the back wall of the building when the paper visited the area. The bloodstains trailed the assailant who was believed to have jumped into the next house. Even though police reports indicated that no items were stolen, reports gathered at the house indicated that the MP's mobile phones were taken away by the assailant. . Security Beefed Up There were several police personnel in the house when DAILY GUIDE visited the place. Accra Regional Police Commander COP Dr George Akuffu Dampare and others, including crime scene investigators, were sighted picking pieces of telltale items. COP Rose Bio Atinga, Director General in-charge of Research and Planning, was also at the house. NPP Supporters The Acting Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Mr Freddie Blay, also led a team of party stalwarts to the house for first-hand information about the incident. Mr Blay, in a mournful mood, described JB's death as shocking, but was hopeful that the police would do a good job to bring the perpetrator(s) of the crime to book. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was also at the residence of the late MP together with Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Dan Botwe, the MP for Okere, Papa Owusu Ankomah, MP for Sekondi and others. Residents' Claims Some residents in the area told DAILY GUIDE that they heard the struggle between the MP and his attacker, which forced them out of their homes, only to discover later that he had been killed. The residents alleged that two policemen who visited the scene were in front of the house when the assassin escaped by scaling the back wall. The policemen said they were afraid because they were not sure whether the assassin was armed with a gun as the suspect ran out of the house, one of the residents said. Previous Attacks Three persons, including the former girlfriend of the MP, were arrested and tried for robbery and causing harm to the deceased in 2010. In that attack, the late JB sustained a deep cut on his arm in a struggle which occurred in the bedroom of the girlfriend. The three were later fined by a court of law for causing harm after the charge of robbery was dropped against them. Political Career The late JB Danquah Adu was the Abuakwa North MP from 2000 until 2008 when he lost the seat to the NPP's Prof Samuel Amoako. But he returned in 2012 and won the seat against NDC's Victor Smith, then Eastern Regional Minister. During President Kufuor's administration, JB was the Deputy Minister for Women and Children's Affairs. He was a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Special Budget Committee chaired by the Majority Leader. The Committee considers the budget of Parliament and other constitutionally independent bodies, including the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), National Media Commission (NMC), the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE). By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey ( [email protected] ) 10.02.2016 LISTEN Over the weekend a tragic incident occurred at the Obuasi Mine of AngloGold Ashanti in the Ashanti Region. The company's Corporate Affairs Manager, the affable Mr. John Owusu was reportedly run over by a company vehicle as he together with a group of company officials and journalists were fleeing from rampaging illegal miners who were pelting them with stones. The death of Mr. Owusu has sent shock waves within the mining industry and resurrected the often contentious debate about illegal mining. More significant is the broader discussion of the relationship between small scale miners and large scale operators. That Mr. Owusu, a known advocate of engagement with small scale miners lost his life in the line of duty, and in such a gory manner, makes the discussion even more apt. To get a clearer picture of events it is necessary to put things in perspective. In 1897 Sir Edwin Arthur Cade, a British merchant, acquired a 485 square kilometers of gold mining concession from the Adansi and Amansie traditional authorities. The concession, previously owned and operated by two Fante merchants: Chief Joseph E. Ellis and Chief Joseph E. Biney for seven years, was sold due to British colonial law that criminalized ownership of mines by indigenes. With the acquisition of this concession by Edwin Arthur Cade, no one could effectively mine within the Obuasi area except this British company. Currently the concession spans five administrative districts: Obuasi Municipal, Bekwai Municipal, Amansie Central District, Adansi North District, and Adansi South district. Effectively what this means is that nobody, even with the needed capital, machinery and human resource could do legal small scale mining in any of the five districts. This economic injustice is at the heart of the small scale mining conundrum in Obuasi. Managing such a huge concession (the biggest mining concession in Ghana) came with its own challenges for AGA. For instance the company appeared to be perpetually fighting off invasion by community people who live right within the concession as well as artisanal and small scale miners who had illegally cut out a portion of the concession for themselves. The companys response to this invasion in the past has been to use the military/Police but this also led to serious human rights violations which cost the company dearly. The company then changed strategy in response to public criticism by agreeing to release 273 square kilometres of its concession (almost 60 percent) to the government about three years ago. For residents of Obuasi, the expectation was that this ceded concession would then be made available to registered small scale miners who had an interest in doing legal small scale mining. It has been almost three years since AGA presented its proposal of surrender to the Minerals Commission. However the Commission, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Office of Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) are yet to finalise the process of securing a Surrender Certificate to seal AGAs proposal. While waiting for a response from government, tension between the small scale miners and AngloGold Ashanti continues to escalate. The situation got so bad that at a point the military had to be permanently stationed in the mine to ward off these miners, who were waiting on the sidelines to launch an invasion of the mine. Only last week the military was ordered out of the mine by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, after visiting the mine and satisfying himself that there was no cause for alarm. That decision has proven costly as later events have shown! The Obuasi Artisanal and Small Scale Mining Association has actively campaigned to get a concession to work on. At least, late last year they organised two big demonstrations that attracted thousands of members. Unfortunately the target of these demonstrations has been misplaced. In their petition to the President via the Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi, they have impressed on AngloGold Ashanti to release part of their concession for them to work. This they did, ostensibly unaware that under the law AngloGold Ashanti could not cede off any part of its concession to a third party. Rather than pile pressure on the Minerals Commission to give them a concession, they chose to unjustifiably attack AngloGold Ashanti. This is the stage where the Minerals Commission should have stepped in to educate the local miners on the procedures for acquiring mineral concession. The role of the ever cancerous Ghanaian politics also comes to play in this mess. During the 2008 electioneering campaigns, the then Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills promised to "regularise" small scale mining if he got elected as President. Truly from 2009 till 2012 galamsey in Obuasi experienced a major boom, positively affecting the local economy. The unprecedented high price of gold on the international market also fueled this boom. The local miners managed to negotiate a deal with AngloGold Ashanti to mine their abandoned pits. At this stage management of AGA looked the other way as these miners had a field day. This sweet honeymoon however ended when the miners, in a daring move started invading the underground mine of AGA. This move, deemed unacceptable by the company was fiercely resisted. Through the Ghana Chamber of Mines and mainstream media, AngloGold Ashanti launched a fierce battle to "flush out" these illegal miners. Feeling betrayed, the illegal miners directed their anger at the ruling party. At least the former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Obuasi, and now Ashanti Regional Minister designate, Hon. John Alexander Ackon came under a barrage of criticisms for apparently betraying the cause of the local miners. Similarly the current MCE has been reported as also promising the local miners a concession should he get elected as Member of Parliament for Obuasi East. While I will be the first to applaud any move to get local small scale miners a concession, I believe it is dangerous when politicians across the political divide interfere in processes which they have very little or no control over. So how can this problem be addressed? First of all it is important to acknowledge the monumental failure of successive governments since independence to support the creation of a vibrant alternative industry to multinational mining in Obuasi. This unhealthy dependence on AGA has become so bad that the maxim "AGA is Obuasi and Obuasi is AGA" has gained deep roots in the psychology of the city. Tying the fortunes of the city to one big multinational mining company was not such a wise thing to do. Due to the absence of any viable alternative to mining, the youth in the communities who have already lost their farmlands to mining and cannot also get employed in the mine because of low education and lack of skills, feel compelled to go into illegal mining. The most sustainable intervention government can take to address the negative consequences of illegal mining is to roll out a comprehensive youth empowerment programme. An apprenticeship programme that addresses the needs of youth in the communities should be vigorously promoted to dissuade many of the youth from illegal mining. Furthermore, it should also be possible for interested entrepreneurs with the requisite capital to also legally acquire concessions to mine. This process begins with the conclusion of the surrender process by AngloGold Ashanti. The Minerals Commission should then be able to give out the concession to interested people who want to own mines. Ultimately with time, Obuasi should also get additional mines to AGA. These would be mines that are properly regulated and controlled so that the local economy and the nation derive maximum benefit from their existence. Engaging the leadership of the Obuasi Small Scale Miners Association will be a positive step aimed at reducing the simmering tension with the company. Conflict is too costly. It makes no economic sense for the company to be spending thousands of dollars each year to maintain peace. Added to this is the irreversible damage such conflicts do to the image of the company. A healthy engagement between the two is the way to go. While at it, local politicians should keep their hands off this issue! John Owusu believed strongly in engagement with all stakeholders of the mine, including communities and small scale miners. He successfully participated in several engagements on behalf of the company. His death should not signal the end of this engagement. Obuasi must rise again! The author is the Executive Director of Centre for Social Impact Studies (CeSIS). He can be reached on [email protected] , or 024 451 4559. Murtala Mohammed 10.02.2016 LISTEN The Deputy Minister of Trade, Hon. Murtala Mohammed, has hailed Viasat1 for the prestigious Man of the Year Awards initiative. The annual Man of the Year event is a Viasat1 initiative that celebrates hardworking men who have impacted positively in the field of business, sports, broadcasting, among others. The event, which came off last Friday at the Best Western Premier Hotel in Accra, saw Managing Director of Tullow Charles Darku and Anas Aremeyaw Anas as the Man of the Year and Emerging Man of the Year for 2015, respectively. Commending Viasat1 for championing the initiative, Deputy Minister of Trade Murtala Mohammed, said Even though there are several TV stations that indeed were in existence before you immerged as far Ghana is concerned, we can only commend you and encourage you to do more. This is a giant step. The Deputy Minister also noted that the private sector must always be encouraged as it is the engine for growth. According to him, it is the responsibility of government is to create the enabling environment for the private sector to thrive. So that we can have not just one person being awarded Man of the Year, maybe in the near future, several people will be awarded Men of the Year, because they have contributed positively to the growth of this country. The CEO of Viasat1 Laetitia Royaards through a video message, expressed optimism for a good business year. She said: This year, it is our hope that businesses will thrive and Viasat1 will be your preferred media platform to do business with. On our part, we will continue to work hard to improve on the benchmark we have set as Your Number 1 Entertainer and our quality in programming and content. The Senior Manager of Tullow Ghana Limited, David Nyanteh, who received the award on behalf of Charles Darku expressed his appreciation to Viasat1 for the recognition. Head of Productions at Viasat1, Brenda Antwi Donkor, said the team is still looking out for men who are outstanding and impacting positively in society. Organisers say they believe both winners of the award deserve kudos for their outstanding performance during the year. The Man of the Year is for all men above forty years while the Emerging Man of the Year is typically men under 40 years old. 10.02.2016 LISTEN Instinct Wave Ltd, an events company and publishers of Africa's free premium ICT and telecoms magazine Mobile World, has announced the maiden Ghana ICT Week celebration. The week-long celebration to be held from 16-21 May, 2016 will focus on theme, 'Celebrating ICTs & its Role in National Development.' The theme focuses on the massive impact ICTs/internet has had on the lives of Ghanaians over the years. It will also focus on the future prospects and way forward for the industry. The week will draw together all players of the ICT ecosystem; consumers, network operators, ISPs, the public and private sector and serve as an opportunity to reinforce relationships. A statement issued in Accra and signed by Akin Naphtal, Group Publisher of MobileWorld said, the time is right for the ICT industry to be celebrated for its massive contribution to Ghana's economy. We are proud to host the Ghana ICT Week 2016, the weeklong event will provide a sizzling meeting point for ICT professionals, stakeholders and the general public. The week will also be used to address the global nature of the technology sector and discuss the current and future affairs of ICT in the country, he said. . Mr. Naphtal was delighted that finally a week will be dedicated to recognizing the impact of the ICT industry. It's a dream come true for my team and I. We have spent days and months planning this all important week and we know at the end of it all, the event will achieve its goals. The annual event will also serve as a platform to engage all stakeholders to improve processes in the provision of better services to both citizens and businesses, as well as promote public participation. By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri 10.02.2016 LISTEN Barring any last-minute hitches, the All Peoples Congress (APC) is expected to receive its Provisional Certificate from the Electoral Commission (EC) today. The party, founded by Hassan Ayariga, described as the 'Supreme Leader' of the APC, currently boasts of 170 district offices, 10 regional offices and a national office. A statement issued in Accra yesterday by the general secretary of the party stated that the party was set to receive the certificate at the IPAC Conference Room of Electoral Commission at exactly 1:30 pm today. The statement, while entreating members to attend the function, stated that the ideology of the party is Social Democratic, precisely Liberal Socialism. News of the party receiving its provisional certificate today comes days after the electoral body had dismissed media reports that it had registered APC to operate as a political party. The EC was emphatic that it had not registered any new political party this year, discounting media reports about the purported registration. The Commission in a statement signed by Christian Owusu-Parry, Acting Director, Public Affairs said, The Electoral Commission wishes to inform the general public that contrary to reports in the media, the Commission has not registered any political parties this year. . It further indicated that people who apply for registration of their political parties have to meet certain requirements under the Political Parties Act 2000 (Act 574). According to the EC, Until these requirements have been met and a party has been issued with a final registration certificate, the party seeking registration cannot conduct its activities as a political party. Ayariga's new party shares both logo and name with President Muhammadu Buhari's APC in Nigeria. He formed the party after he had lost the bid to lead the People's National Convention (PNC) to Dr Edward Mahama, the founder, at the party's congress last year. The colours of the party are green, white and yellow while the symbol is a broom with the motto: All Inclusive Governance. By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson [email protected] 10.02.2016 LISTEN Let us look at the scenario this way. Some persons in the Brong Ahafo Region invested in some investment companies operating in the region with provisional licenses given to them by the Bank of Ghana whose other names are, the Government's Bank, Bankers' Bank or Central Bank. For nearly five years, these investment companies operated in the region and paid investors huge interests under the supervision of the Bank of Ghana. Lawyers, Doctors, Military and Police officers, Lecturers, Businessmen and women, Professors, Pastors, Chiefs, Queenmothers, farmers etc did put their hard earned monies into the investment and for some time gained a lot. Out of the blue, Bank of Ghana decided to freeze the bank account of these investment companies, thereby collapsing them entirely. The simple reason was that the investment companies did not follow the right procedure. People who deposited their monies into the investment companies cried foul because they used to see officials of Bank of Ghana visiting the offices of these companies for the nearly five years that they operated and their provisional certificates were displayed in the offices of these companies. Above all, the investors used to see fully armed policemen guarding the offices of these companies day and night. When matters reached the heat level, some youth and investors at Nkoranza in the Brong Ahafo Region demonstrated and cursed the Bank of Ghana and the EC who were preparing to conduct the District Assembly Elections. They invoked the names of more than ten deities to curse the EC and dared them to conduct the elections. The cowards in the EC did not allow them to conduct the elections because they feared the wrath of the deities will visit them. As at the time of writing this piece, both Nkoranza North and South districts have not got any assembly members not to talk of Presiding Members. Your guess as to what is happening at the two district assemblies is as good as mine. In the cause of the hullabaloo, the President, John Dramani Mahama visited the palace of the Drobo Omanhene who told him of the pains of his people who have lost their life savings to these investment companies. The President promised the Omanhene that when he returned to Accra, he will make sure the investment companies paid the monies to the investors. The Chief of Staff Mr Debra also went to Nkoranza to cut a tape to officially open a palace built by the queenmother of Nkoranza, Nana Dodaa Kani and the queenmother seized the opportunity to complain about the attitudes of the investment companies. Mr. Debra told the gathering that had he not come to Nkoranza he wouldn't have heard of the issue and wouldn't have known that both Nkoranza North and South districts have no assembly members. He further promised the revered queenmother that when he returned to Accra he will make sure the matter is solved so that people could get their monies. He said in a matter of two weeks the matter will come to an end. The queenmother told him that he can even use one month because her people are dying with some committing suicide. It has been nearly three months since Mr. Debra made that hollow promise; nothing has been done. Can you imagine a whole Chief of Staff telling Ghanaians that he did not know that district assembly elections were not conducted in Nkoranza? So it stands to reason that the Regional Minister or the BNI did not brief him and these people are still at post. The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr. Eric Opoku too invited chiefs, queenmothers of Brong Ahafo as well as the CEOs of the investment companies and the REGSEC and in the presence of officials of Bank of Ghana a roadmap was drawn for the payment of the monies to the investors. That too yielded nothing. What has muddied the water was what the so-called queenmother did on two occasions to distance the first lady from an accusation leveled against her at a programme organized by ATV to seek the views of aggrieved investors. At one of the three programmes which was organized at Berekum, some of the investors who were staunch supporters of the NDC came out to reveal that they met the First Lady when the investment companies were doing brisk business with people enjoying huge interests and the First Lady told them that the activities of the investment companies were genuine and it was one of the governments way of making sure people get monies in their pockets. They said the First Lady encouraged them to invest in such companies so that the payment of their wards school fees will not be any problem. Her listeners applauded her and thanked the John Mahama administration for coming to their rescue. It has been nearly two months since the accusation was made against the woman but sadly we have not heard anything from Madam Lordina Mahama. Since silence means consent, Ghanaians had the feeling that indeed, the First Lady had made the pronouncement which encouraged the people of Brong Ahafo to invest in the companies. Instead of allowing the First Lady to carry her own cross, a group of women who call themselves Brong Ahafo Queenmothers Association called a press conference to tell the people of Ghana that the First Lady never made the pronouncement. Meanwhile none of them were in Berekum when the First Lady was alleged to have made the statement. Because nobody paid any serious attention to them, they followed it up with a demonstration and cursed Sir John, the former General Secretary of the NPP for alleging that the First Lady indeed made the statement. They also cursed Major (RTD) Derricks Oduro, the MP for Nkoranza North who has been championing the cause of the duped investors. The multimillion questions one is asking are: why are these so-called queenmothers interested in the case? As queenmothers who are supposed to move in sympathy with people within their jurisdictions, are they telling us that they will rather sacrifice their people for the sake of the image of one single person who is alleged to have made a reckless statement which has led to the mess that has been created? Is it true that the First Lady gave them a piece of cloth and GH100.00 each to demonstrate on her behalf as being alleged by the aggrieved investors? It is very unfortunate they will never hear what people are saying about them and the insults being heaped on them on daily basis. There are some unprintable words that people use which cannot be repeated here. Where I come from, chiefs and their queenmothers are so revered that you dare not insult them even when you are alone in your bedroom. Queenmothers are supposed to be like our mothers. When children cry, mothers are supposed to wipe their tears and console them. Not so with the Lordina marauding rented queenmothers who would rather smear pepper into the eyes of their crying children. The handlers of Mr. Mahama and his wife should tell them that gone were the days when chiefs could promise politicians that they and their people will vote for them. In this computer age, people have become so enlightened that immediately you open your mouth they easily know what you want to say even before you say it. The chiefs who have been promising Mr. Mahama that they and their people will vote for the NDC cannot convince even their wives and children to vote for the NDC, not to talk of a whole community. If these chiefs and queenmothers want us to continue to give them their deserved respect, they should move away from this attitude or put off their clothes and don political suits and hit the roads to campaign for the NDC. The framers of the constitution were not fools when they inserted in the constitution that chiefs should not take part in active politics. And did I hear the president say even his illiterate uncle in his village will never invest in the investment companies the Lawyers, Medical Doctors, Chiefs, Queenmothers, Military and Police Officers, Professors etc invested? My brother, this Bole/Bamboi man can insult paa ooo!!! Eric Bawah 10.02.2016 LISTEN Policy analysis think-tank IMANI Ghana has revealed that the processes leading to the award of a monopoly licence to Afriwave Telecom Ghana Limited to operate the controversial interconnect clearing house for telecom companies is riddled with fraud. According to a statement by IMANI, the Application Evaluations Committee that looked into the capabilities of five companies that had put in bids to manage the Interconnect Clearing House (ICH) platform rigged the process in favour of Afriwave. The companies are Afriwave, Subah Infosolutions, Prodigy International Limited, TCMS-GVG Consortium Limited and Channel IT Ghana Limited. At the end of the bidding process, Afriwave was handed the golden spoon and IMANI suspects serious foul play. Rigged Process This whole process was rigged to guarantee a perverted outcome that can be seen from the remarks of the panel in various parts of the report, IMANI alleged, adding, The panel manipulated its own scoring scheme to ensure that Afriwave came on top, regardless of the actual results, and they did so with a brazenness that is almost farcical. IMANI alleged that the Albert E. Enninful eight-member panel instituted by the telecom regulator, National Communications Authority (NCA), had admitted that they had insufficient information to make informed judgements about the financials of most tenders and wondered what informed the total points awarded under debt and equity. It says the entire process that awarded the prized contract to Afriwave should be scrapped and a new one initiated to mitigate the alleged fraud. Ample Evidence As a way forward, the think-tank posited that Now that there is ample documentary evidence of fraudulent manipulation of the tender results, IMANI feels highly justified in resurrecting its campaign against the current ICH policy, and to reiterate its two demands. There is completely no basis to impose a monopoly clearing house on the telecom industry. The ministry should re-open the tender and provide adequate time for best practices to be followed in the evaluation of bids. It should then award three licences for providers of interconnect clearance house services. Free To Decide IMANI said if that was done, the telecom industry should then be free to decide which clearing house provider to patronise and whether to patronise any at all, at least for the next five years whilst the clearing houses build track record and capacity. Foisting what it called 'untested monopolies' on the private sector shall add little value and destroy a vital industry. The group urged President Mahama and the Minister of Communications, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, to act without delay to redeem the credibility of this whole process. Interesting Query Looking at what may be described as padding of scores, IMANI queried, With a score of 0 on equity, how did Afriwave score more than 75% of the points available on debt equity ratio? Why was the final report of the committee not vetted by the NCA for accuracy and consistency of the computations and conclusions arrived at? . According to IMANI, Afriwave was awarded five marks in a section where the total available marks was 1, saying, this is the part where the applicants were to show that their 'operational support team' for the planned undertaking was up to scratch by presenting their CVs. Subah Angle According to the statement, Subah Infosolutions, which also put in a bid, won all the two points available in the Project Implementation Team sub-score, compared to Afriwaves score of 1 and that it was highly irregular for Afriwave to have been declared as having a superior operational support team', given how interlinked the two requirements are. Maximum Sub-score Despite the 'equipment identity register' sub-score having a maximum score of 1, Afriwave was awarded 4 marks against Subahs 1. Despite evidence of Telco Interconnections having a maximum sub-score of 2, Afriwave was awarded 4 marks, IMANI said. The think-tank further said that despite 'topology scalability' having a maximum sub-score of 1, Afriwave was awarded 2 marks, adding, likewise, the requirement to provide a critical bill of quantity could only be scored a maximum of 1; yet, here too, Afriwave was given 2 marks. Extra Points IMANI is of the view that Afriwave was awarded as much as 11 extra points for technical performance it could not have demonstrated since the ratings were above the maximum allowed, observing, The scoring was a mathematical impossibility. Demonstrating its claims in a tabular form, IMANI said that whereas Subah's scores were consistent with the maximum attainable, Afriwave's scores exceeded the maximum attainable for the mentioned criteria, raising questions about collusion and favouritism. Assuming that Afriwave had the maximum attainable for the criteria, it should attain a total score of 6. Rather, it obtained an additional 11 points culminating in a total of 17 points. The statement noted that subtracting what it called the fictitious 11 points from the total score of 78.2 reported for Afriwave Telecom Ghana Limited leaves the final score at 67.2, which is lower than the reported score of 72.7 for Subah Infosolutions. No Assessment In IMANI's assessment, there were no visits whatsoever to any of the applicants' operational locations or premises to ascertain their existing capacity; and there were also no client references or testimonials of previous work done in the clearing and general telecom intermediation space. It also said some of the criteria were blunt instruments of no real relevance to the assessment, explaining for instance that the panel's idea of preventing 'conflict of interest' was to penalise any applicant who might already have a licence with the NCA without regard to the broad range of licences issued by the NCA. By William Yaw Owusu Asoriba , a Ghanaian mobile app and management software for churches startup was named Africas Best Startup at the inaugural Seedstars Africa event recently held in Casablanca, Morocco. Asoriba was chosen as the winner before an audience of more than 300 attendees, local winners from African countries including Mozambique, South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Angola, Tanzania, Senegal and Botswana, over 25 mentors from around the world, and a jury including 500 Startups venture partner Hasan Haider and African Business Angel Network (ABAN) founding member, Alexandra Fraser. Travelling to Casablanca and winning the Best African Startup Award has really boosted my teams confidence and we are inspired to take over the entire African continent with Asoriba, says Nana Agyeman-Prempeh, CEO of Asoriba who earned a Masters degree in Agricultural Engineering while attending the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) where the Asoriba team was formed. The team includes Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Patrick Ohemeng Tutu, Chief Product Officer(Mobile) Jesse Johnson, VP of Marketing & Sales Obed Asamoah Boateng and Chief Product Officer(Web), Saviour Dzage who pitched at Casablanca and brought the trophy home. The cloud-based software which includes a web and mobile app, allows churches to effectively manage their finances and receive contributions via mobile money and cards, seamlessly communicate and engage with members via SMS and mobile app, precisely manage member and church data, and monitor and observe church growth and attendance. The Asoriba team based in Accra has already garnered over 200 churches and 16,000+ members peak on its platform. The Seedstars experience was an opportunity to showcase to the whole of Africa and the world at large, the technological advancement we are bringing to the church. We are highly honored to be crowned The Best in Africa, adds Saviour. Asoriba will next travel to Geneva, Switzerland for a chance to compete for $500,000 equity investment at the Seedstars World Final and Summit 2016 with a field of 55+ startups from emerging tech hubs from around the world. For more information about Asoriba, visit www.asoriba.com Akua Donkor 10.02.2016 LISTEN Eccentric politician and founder of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) Akua Donkor is battling national executives of her party which is struggling for recognition in the country. She is fighting co-founder who doubles as National Organiser, Ernest Berko, Communications Director, Alex Ababio, National Chairman, Kwaku Abankwa and General Secretary, Agyenim Boateng for control of the party. While Akua Donkor claims the four are trying to use dubious means to change the party's constitution to remove her from the party, the party executives also believe she is using her influence in government to sack them from the party. She has also lodged a formal complaint with the police who have since been pursuing the four over the allegation. In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, Madam Akua Donkor denied forming the party with the aforementioned individuals, describing them as imposters who want to annex her party. She also accused flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People's Party (PPP) of masterminding the scheme. Madame Donkor said she caused the arrest of some of the executives of the party during an Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting last year owing to the development. Akua Donkor could however not mention the names of her own national executives when asked to do so. Madam Donkor also managed to use her influence in government to get the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to transfer the case to the CID headquarters even before investigators at the Accra Regional police CID could finish investigations. The national executives of GFP were subsequently invited to the CID headquarters. But the four were unable to honour the invitation of the police in the absence of their lawyer and had to reschedule the appointment with the police. . They however accused Akua Donkor of using her influence in government to get the police to harass and cow them into leaving the party. Ernest Berko, who is also a co-founder of the party, said they would stay to fight for their respective positions until congress is held to take a decision. Mr Berko refuted claims by Akua Donkor that he and other colleagues were not national executives of the party. He showed copies of certified documents from the EC which bore their names as national officers of the GFP. But the police are not forthcoming with information even though Akua Donkor alleged that four officials of the EC had been arrested in connection with the case. Assistant Superintendant of Police (ASP), Obeng Darkwah repeatedly told DAILY GUIDE that the officer handling the case was not available and also scheduled new dates for the meeting. By Charles Takyi-Boadu 10.02.2016 LISTEN The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akyem North, Kwadwo Baah Agyemang, has donated a brand new ambulance to the Juansa Health Centre. He made the presentation last Friday in fulfilment of a promise he made to the health centre sometime ago. Mr Baah Agyemang, during the presentation, disclosed how he was touched by the plight of a sick person who was once being conveyed to the facility in the booth of a taxi sometime ago. He, therefore, decided to use part of the proceeds from his share of the Health Insurance Fund in acquiring the ambulance for the centre, which, he believes, would go a long a way in benefitting the community. Even though I will not be representing this constituency after the next general elections, I can assure you that when Nana Addo comes into power, Asante Akyem will witness more of such projects, he assured the chiefs and people of the area. The MP promised to complete an ongoing clinic project at Wioso by the end of the year. On his part, the chief of Juansa, Nana Agyemang Teatoa, expressed his immense gratitude to the MP for the gesture. Though there is a hospital at Agogo where the MP comes from, he expressed his happiness in bringing the ambulance to the Juansa Health Centre. The transport officer for the health centre equally commended the MP, and promised to make sure that the ambulance is kept in good shape and used for its intended purpose. District Health Director, Rebecca Teni Dukurugu, and other opinion leaders in the area received the ambulance on behalf of the chiefs and people of the area. 10.02.2016 LISTEN The acting Managing Director (MD) of Agricultural Development Bank (adb), James Agbedor has commended customers of the bank for their loyalty to the bank for the past 50 years. According to him, the continuous growth of the bank could be attributed to the loyalty of customers of the bank. He therefore pledged the commitment of management and staff to ensure that customers receive the best of customer care at all branches of the bank. We have customers who have been with us for the past 40 years, 30 years, 20 years etc and this we think is highly commendable, he said. Speaking at a customer appreciation cocktail in Kumasi in the Ashanti region organized by the Retail Division of the bank, Mr. Agbedor commended the customers for supporting the bank in difficult times and assured them of an improved customer focused bank. We have developed a four-year strategic plan which is focused on ensuring that our customers enjoy the best products and service on the market Mr. Agbedor explained to the customers that the decision by the board and management of the bank to embark on the Initial Public Offer (IPO) was to raise enough capital to engage in branch expansions, improve service quality and also a more reliable IT support and security system. Through the IPO, we will raise enough funds to be able to satisfy you our customers through improved quality service and the introduction of new banking products and services, he said. The Executive Head of Retail Banking at adb, Alfred Neneh Akotiah, said the event was part of the bank's programme to appreciate customers who have been with the bank for several years. . We want to show appreciation to our customers, especially our corporate customers who even in the midst of a highly competitive environment continue to see adb as the bank of choice, he said. A business desk report 10.02.2016 LISTEN The Deputy Minister of Defence, Kenneth Adjei has reassured people of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) that government will work assiduously to resolve their accommodation problems. Mr. Adjei gave the assurance over the weekend at the end of the year dinner and dance ceremony at the 37 Military Hospital officers mess in Accra. He commended the staff of the 37 Military Hospital for their dedication and hard work in spite of numerous challenges. The deputy minister said in recent years, the nation has recorded national disasters, disease outbreaks and strike actions which to a large extent stretched the resources of the hospital. The hospitals ability to handle the situation despite all the challenges provides assurance to the people and government that the military hospital is capable of performing under the most challenging situations to ensure efficient healthcare, he added. He said the dedicated and endless hours of service, motivation and focus of staff in the face of several obstacles had been recognised. Mr Adjei said 37 Military Hospital is the base hospital for the country's Armed Forces, National Emergency and Disaster Hospital, and the Level 4 Hospital for the United Nations deployment in West Africa. . It also continues its expanded role of catering for clients and patients from all parts of the country, and serves as a referral centre, he stated. The Deputy Minister said the additional roles call for an improvement in infrastructure and logistics to ensure the smooth running of the facility. He said the country's health sector has witnessed massive infrastructural development and retooling in the past few years which include the construction of new hospitals. Mr Adjei said the soon-to-be completed 500-bed Military Hospital in Kumasi would be the second largest hospital in the country which will improve access to quality healthcare for people in the middle and northern parts of the country, while reducing pressure on 37 Military Hospital. [email protected]/[email protected] By Melvin Tarlue 10.02.2016 LISTEN OUR CONDOLENCES The Progress Peoples Party wishes to express its deepest condolences to the family of Hon. J.B. Danquah Adu, who met his untimely death in the hands of some unknown assailants at his residence this morning. We send the same condolences to the larger family; the New Patriotic Party. Hon. J.B. Danquahs death is a blow to our democracy and also exposes the security situation of our country. It is very disturbing for a Member of Parliament to lose his life under such bizarre circumstances. We implore the Police and the security services to expedite investigation to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to book. It is our hope that, the Police will not be distracted by the political machination or political commentary that will seek to score political points or otherwise. They must treat this crime professionally in order to expose the perpetuators. It is worrying the Police have not given us much comfort in the past in their ability to resolve such murders. Criminals are getting away and the Police must act to assure the citizens of our security. We also ask friends and family to remain calm and allow the Police to complete their investigation. Signed; Murtala Mohammed National Secretary The Accra Regional Police Command Wednesday morning suddenly called off a press conference on the murder of Abuakwa North MP JB Danquah Adu, explaining the case has been transferred. The Police Command said the Police Criminal Investigations Department at the National Headquarters will now handle the case. The MP died yesterday of multiple stab wounds and so far 5 persons comprising three males and two females have been arrested in connection with the killing. Joy News Raymond Acquah who was at the aborted press conference said about 20 journalists were gathered for what the police said will be daily briefings following the politicians murder. But Accra regional police PRO ASP Efia Tenge who announced the decision to cancel the briefing explained national headquarters had directed the transfer. The police are under public spotlight to find the killer(s) of the Abuakwa North MP who was attacked in his bedroom Tuesday dawn. The circumstances surrounding his murder has fueled suspicions that it was a contract killing. The opposition New Patriotic Party has said it suspects foul play in the murder. The party has called on the government to take a critical look and revise its policies and strategies towards the growing levels of insecurity and unsolved murders in the country. But while admitting that the incident was a clear case of "murder on our hands," lawyer and criminologists Prof Ken Attafuah has said suggestions of political and contract killing must not be made at this time. He said the danger of assuming that the murder of JB Danquah was either due to contract or political killing is to foreclose other possible clues He said he is also saddened by the seeming haste with which police investigators have handed the crime scene to the family of the murdered MP. While he will not question the competence of the police investigators, Prof Attafuah believes the police ought to have spent a lot more time in gathering more evidence at the Shiashie residence of the deceased MP. President John Dramani Mahama said on Wednesday that he would commit murder and go to prison if anybody attempted to marry off his underage daughter. The President was condemning the phenomenon of child marriages in Ghana. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 7th Africa Conference on Sexual and Healthy Right in Accra Wednesday, the President said it was unfortunate that such a practice continued to thrive in Africa. He said since there was the tendency for relatives to keep quiet when their underage children were married off, systems must be put in place that alert the authorities for action to be taken. President Mahama said:There is a culture of silence amongst relatives; often when a child is withdrawn from school or married off into a force marriage, we need to establish systems that alert the authorities. ...School authorities must watch out. If a girl stops coming to school, ring the alarm bells, try and find out where the child is and alert the authorities as early as possible so that we can prevent them from being married off, he stated. He continued: I, even as a man wont want to marry a woman I dont love not to talk about a woman. Why should you be forced to marry somebody you have no affection for, and especially a child. If my daughter is below 18 and somebody attempted to marry her off, I probably will be in prison; I will commit murder. Ghana has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates in the world. About one out of four girls believe to marry before their 18th birthday. The Ghana Demographic Health Survey in 2008 indicated that about 25% of women aged 20-24 were married or were in union before age 18 years. Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. Francis Gbeneh, the teacher mistaken for a robber and shot lay supine at the Mampong Government hospital. He felt a spreading numbness through his leg, through his thigh. It was heading for his heart. Sensing that certain death was closing in, he mentally sized up his priorities and reduced everything that matters to his wife and daughter. Tell my wife I love her and my daughter too,his last words before life timed him out. The breadwinner was gone because another breadwinner, policeman mistook him for a robber. Francis Gbeneh, 33 and his brother Timothy Gbeneh, 28, were responding to an SOS from a female teacher on the Mampong Midwifery campus where robbers had reportedly targeted. Chivalrous inclinations awakened, a hero instinct tickled, a rush of adrenaline must have flashed through their blood as they hopped onto a motorbike and sped off to help. A policeman struggling to come to terms with the word professionalism saw no need to shoot to injure the robbers. According to the men who were on the patrol, when they got to the scene they were told the robbers had taken a particular route so as they negotiated a curve they saw a motorbike take off with speed so they tried to stop them, thinking they were the robbers but they didnt stop. They pursued them for some time and the pillion rider turned, so when he turned, they mistook the turning and because he was holding something that appeared to be a weapon, they thought he was turning to shoot them so they shot at them. A horrendously unexpected error has turned a wife into a widow at dawn. Francis is no great man by todays crass standard. But you would not know if you visited the Mampong Government Hospital. A great crowd of teary-eyed students who are on vacation had virtually laid siege there. Those who know him say, Francis has the mentality of humanitarian aid agency. This is biblical good Samaritan with a chalk in class. He has helped students from the Northern region gain access to post-secondary education. He even has students in need living with him, Joy News Ashanti regional correspondent Ohemeng Tawiah reported. Helping those in need is his first instinct and tragically it has become his last. Listen to audio Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|[email protected] Some residents of the Muslim community at Tafo in Kumasi on Wednesday afternoon clashed with some loyalists of the Tafo traditional council over disagreements on a piece of land at the Tafo cemetery. The clashes were said to have resulted in injuries to a number of people. Vehicular traffic in the area was brought to a standstill as a result of the riots. A number of vehicles and other properties were reportedly vandalized. The clashes were said to have been ignited by an order from the Tafo chief for a fence wall which was being constructed around the Muslim section of the Tafo cemetery to be demolished. According to reports, the Tafo chief claimed he was not informed about the construction, and so asked that the construction be halted. On Wednesday, the chief was said to have sent men to demolish the fence but members of the Muslim community protested, resulting in the clashes. The situation remained volatile as of 3pm. Police and military personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order. 10.02.2016 LISTEN The agricultural development bank (ADB) has been adjudged the best in media visibility by the Centre For Media Analysis (CMA); a feat made possible partly due to the banks listing on the Ghanaian Stock Exchange. In a research conducted for January 2016, ADB beat off competition from other industry players to clinch top spot of a log that featured formidable financial institutions like, Stanbic, HFC, Barclays, Ecobank, First Atlantic Bank, UniBank e.t.c The media visibility ranking is a research analysis aimed at gauging how Ghanaian banks are portrayed in the media. In the research, a total of twenty (20) banks namely: ADB, Stanbic, HFC, Access Bank, Barclays, Ecobank, First Atlantic bank, Sahel, Unibank, Sahel Sahara Bank, GCB, GTB, NIB, Bank of Baroda, Capital Bank, Data Bank, First Atlantic Bank, GN Bank, The Royal Bank, Societe Generale Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, UT Bank, GTB and GCB were put under the lights to ascertain their level of visibility in the media landscape .The research used 36 mediums (including online14 ,print 18 and radio 4) to arrive at the findings. In the report, which focused on the top ten, a total of 104 media stories were recorded; out of which ADB emerged tops with an impressive 24 media stories attributed to the bank. Stanbic Bank was left in a distant second spot, with 12 stories .In third, fourth, and fifth spots, HFC, Access Bank and Barclays Bank managed 11, 10, and 9 stories respectively. Pan African giant, Ecobank came in behind the pack closely with 6 stories followed by Sahel Bank who managed 4.Unibank tied with Sahel Bank on 4 while Stanchart was left rock-bottom of the log with a paltry 3 stories. UT Bank managed to tie with Stanchart at the base of the log on 3 while Capital bank, GNbank, NIB, Societe Generale, Rural bank, Bank of Baroda, managed 2. Databank, GCB and GTBank had just 1 story each to their credit. Adverts are an indispensable tool for marketing bank products and services; and how banks take advantage of this medium is very crucial to their success in the industry. As a media researcher, CMA believes that the success of any business is closely linked to media visibility hence its view on the need for banks to pay more attention to their visibility in the media. The ability of the media to reach a wide spectrum of society, presents the banking sector with the best opportunity to imprint brand image in the minds target audience. The Centre For Media Research (CMA) is a media research agency dedicated to generating reliable data and usable information for corporate Ghana through media research. It uses scientific means to analyse data and presents same to corporate Ghana to help it leverage on strategic communication meant for target audience. Educational Resources, a non-Governmental Organisation that has specialised in the area of educational advocacy commenced its activities for the year with its flagship project Hold-a-Hand on 5th February, 2016. The programme started from the Lartebiokorshie Cluster of Schools through some Islamic schools in the Town Council Line area and ended at the Roman Catholic Junior High School in La all in Accra. This initiative which has impacted students of schools in potentially deprived communities over the past six years enables young and successful professionals and leaders of society to inspire and mentor students of these schools in a relaxed classroom atmosphere. Mentors on the day included Mr. Arnold Parker, Managing Director of AFB Bank, Mr. Tonyi Senayah, Chief Executive of Horseman Shoes, Mr. Kwame Addo, Head of Underwriting, Metropolitan Insurance, Mr. Lawrence Lartey, Chartered Marketer, Nii Ayi Tagoe, Broadcaster and Corporate Affairs Executive, GCB Bank, and Mrs. Klorkor Okai Mills, Legal Officer, Ministry of Defence. With different approaches, each mentor stressed the need for diligence, discipline, passion, constant reading, focus and respect for elders. The students were also encouraged to develop their God given talents and to avoid bad company as that is the chief enemy of progress. Above all, the mentors stressed that the students need not be afraid to dream big because that will lead them to work hard and help them stay focused to be successful in Life. Mr. Kwodwo Brumpon, Chief Operating Officer of Educational Resources, who has coordinated Hold-a-Hand for the past six years challenged the students with an essay competition entitled, What I Can Do for Ghana. The student with the best essay will receive an award and the proposals will be transformed into a project for the students. Ringier is restructuring its international market set-up for the beginning of the New Year. On the first of January, 2016 Ringier Africa and Asia have implemented various changes further supporting the strong growth of its international markets, with additional personnel and international support. After a successful 2015 with strong growth across all core businesses and countries on both continents, the accomplishment of important milestones, including the new market entry in Myanmar, Ringier introduced a new international setup which will ensure further growth in quality and efficiency for future expansions. To facilitate this, Leonard Stiegeler, former General Manager Ringier Nigeria & Head of Ringier West Africa has been appointed to the new position of General Manager Ringier Africa. Former Head of New Business Implementation Ringier AG, Florent de Rocca-Serra will take the new position of General Manager Ringier Asia Pacific. Jessica List, formerly part of Ringiers M&A and Business Development team will take the new position of CFO Africa. Jessica Stiles, former Head of Marketing International Markets becomes CMO Africa & Asia. All of these positions will be reporting to the current CEO Asia & Africa, Robin Lingg, who was elected to the Group Executive Board of Ringier AG in December. Julian Artope, current Director Ringier Africa will pursue an MBA by the end of March after four years of building Ringiers African business on the continent. Mark Slade, former Head of the Digital Marketing Agency RDM in Nigeria, will take over the position as General Manager Ringier Nigeria. To further support the rising complexity in Ringiers fast-scaling operations, four dedicated teams were established for each of the African business models: Classifieds, Content, E-Commerce and Digital Marketing. Each will consist of a dedicated team supporting their field in Marketing, Business & Operations and Product Development. Robin Lingg, CEO Ringier Africa & Asia: With the high speed and growth of our digital business in Africa and Asia, we were in need of stronger support structures to facilitate further aggressive scaling of our business. Through this evolution of the organisation Im convinced well be able to further boost and expand our leading market positions in Classifieds, Content, E-Commerce and Digital Marketing across all our markets. We have a proven and highly experienced team of which Im very happy to see so much internally promoted leadership emerge. I also would like to thank Julian Artope, who has been essential for building this organisation on the ground and has been a key part for the success of Ringier. Ringier Africa is the leading diversified digital media company in Africa. It operates more than ten content, classifieds and eCommerce platforms, as well as a digital marketing agency across Africa. Launched on the continent in 2011, Ringier Africa represents the most recent international expansion of the Swiss media enterprise Ringier, which established successful operations in emerging markets in Eastern Europe and Asia since 1989. 10.02.2016 LISTEN A tutor of the Asante Mampong Midwifery College in the Ashanti Region and his brother, painfully lost their lives on Wednesday dawn after they were mistaken for armed robbers by police officers who had been called to a robbery scene. The police officers had been called to quell a robbery ongoing at the school when the shooting took place. Confirming the rather bizarre incident to Citi News, ASP Yusif Mohammed, the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, said the regional police command is saddened by the incident which occurred around 2:00am on Wednesday. He explained that the two men who were spotted moving on a motorbike when the police arrived at the said robbery scene, refused to stop despite instructions from the police. He said in the process, the police fired shots at them after the pillion rider showed an object that looked like a gun. Early this morning [Wednesday] at about 2:00am, there was a distress call from the Mampong Midwifery Training School to the effect that some armed robbers were attacking the home there, so a patrol team was dispatched to deal with the situation and according to the men on patrol, when they got to the scene, they were told that the robbers had just taken a particular route. . ASP Tanko narrated that, while the team pursued the routed the robbers had allegedly taken, they saw a motorbike moved with speed so their thinking was that those were the robbers so they pursued them and tried as much as possible to stop them but they did not stop. He added that the person who was sitting behind the motor rider had something in his hand an object and turned towards the police; so when the person was turning, they mistook the turn to be that he was turning to shoot so they quickly fired. Later on, it was discovered that they were not the criminals but they were people who were running around trying to get assistance for the victims who were attacked by the robbers, he noted. The Police PRO added that the have dispatched personnel to the school to investigate the matter after which the appropriate sanctions will be taken against the officers involved. It's very unfortunate and the regional command is not happy about it. Our condolences go out to the family. The Regional Commander has sent a team of investigators to Mampong to investigate the cause and brief him on the findings. Source: Citifmonline 10.02.2016 LISTEN Traditional leaders in South Africa have expressed disquiet over chief Mandla Mandelas conversion to Islam. The Congress of Traditional Leaders in South Africa (Contralesa) told the BBC that being Muslim could affect his ability to uphold Xhosa traditions. Mandla Mandela, who converted to Islam late last year, got married in a Cape Town mosque last week. He inherited his position as chief of Mvezo in the AbaThembu clan from his grandfather, Nelson Mandela. Contralesas spokesperson Chief Mwelo Nonkonyane said Mr Mandelas new religious affiliation could present a conflict for his subjects. There is nothing wrong with a traditional leader following any faith he chooses but we are concerned about whether he will be able to continue performing his responsibilities as a chief, he said. Traditional leaders are at times called upon to lead thanksgiving rituals for ancestors, which would include presenting slaughtered animals to them in prayer, says the BBCs Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg. Such ritual offerings, which are a key part of traditional ceremonies, are not considered to be in line with the beliefs of many Muslims, our correspondent says. . Mr Nonkonyane says the 42-year-old had already gone against traditional by assuming his wifes culture. According to African tradition, it is the woman that must become part of the family she is marrying into. When she accepted Mandlas proposal, the expectation was for her to adopt the ways of his people, he said. He married Rabia Clarke, his fourth marriage, in a ceremony that was not attended by members of the royal family, leading to reports they were not happy with the union. But Mr Mandela seems content with his decision. Although Rabia and I were raised in different cultural and religious traditions, our coming together reflects what we have in common: We are South Africans, he is quoted as saying at the ceremony. Mr Mandela is also an MP with the governing African National Congress. -bbc As the humanitarian situation deteriorates in northern Syria, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said it is increasing the amount of aid for people caught up in the latest round of violence. It is estimated that around 50,000 people have been displaced, mainly in northern areas of Aleppo province, due to the recent upsurge in fighting. Some supply routes, used for bringing in aid, have been cut. The ICRC works closely with Syrian Arab Red Crescent, which has been delivering much of the new aid, including food and water. The fighting is putting enormous pressure on civilians. The temperatures are extremely low and, without an adequate supply of food, water and shelter, displaced people are trying to survive in very precarious conditions," said the head of the ICRC in Syria, Marianne Gasser, who is in Aleppo. During the past few days, food for 10,000 families has been delivered. Water tanks have also been sent to an area north of Aleppo where an estimated 10,000 displaced people have arrived. More aid, including medicines, will be delivered in the coming days. The increase in fighting has also severely impacted on the citizens of Aleppo city, whose water supply system has been cut. The people are now dependent on more than 100 water points established by the ICRC, the SARC and local water boards.There is also a general shortage of fuel and electric power. "The situation is extremely difficult for tens of thousands of people because of the upsurge in violence. The situation was already desperate for many people before this latest violence, said Ms Gasser. "It is difficult to access many areas because of the fighting. But, working with the SARC and local authorities and groups, we will continue to do our best and deliver more aid in the coming days." The Police Administration is offering GHa10,000 to anyone with information leading to the arrest of Tuesday's killers of the MP for Abuakwa North, J. B. Danquah-Adu. The police are also entreating the public, particularly operators and workers of health facilities, to be on the lookout for persons who may report with fresh knife wounds and report them to the Police. A statement issued by the police Wednesday, which in part conveyed its condolences to the family of the late MP and its commitment to get to the bottom of the murder, said a crack team of investigators has already begun work to unravel the dastardly act, and called for public cooperation. 'The team which is led by a Senior Police Officer from the CID Headquarters, under the direct supervision of the Director-General/CID has commenced its work in earnest, and the public is hereby entreated to assist the Police with relevant information that could lead to the solution of the crime.' 'Whilst encouraging the public go about their socio-economic activities without any let or hindrance, the police are calling on anyone with any relevant information on the incident to report personally to the CID Headquarters, Accra or any Regional or District Police Headquarters, or call Police emergency number - MTN and Vodafone short-code 18555 or 191 on all Networks.' JB Danquah-Adu was murdered in his home at dawn of Tuesday, shaking the entire nation into disbelief and arguments of what may have happened. The police have arrested six persons to assist with preliminary investigations while no one has been able to explain what may have led to the brazen murder. 10.02.2016 LISTEN Episode #61: Citizens are primarily responsible to act as movers and shakers of the demands of good governance and accountability Governance Expert AFRICA IN FOCUS SHOW ACCRA, Ghana Director of Research at the Accra-based Mutatio Institute Marc Amaliya believes that African countries have gone past that era where we can outsource responsibility or cry victim. We govern ourselves now, and we misrule ourselves also. Speaking to E.K.Bensah on the Africa in Focus Show, which reprised the issue of governance in the context of Africas democracy, Amaliya said that, one of the difficulties in the conversation on governance in Africa is the collective cross-comparative way of assessing situations. He believes that doesnt help, because African countries are at different stages of their economic, political, and even social integration. He continues: we still have immensely ethnically-divided societies that constitute States in Africa and we have countries with enormous economic resource-potential, and they are completely aloof when it comes to getting the political systems right. Conversely, we have countries that seem to be at a certain equilibrium, like Ghana, but is completely helpless when it comes to doing things all by ourselves. We still need to be policed. What this tells us, he avers, is that apart from talking about good governance and what it stands for, countries are at different stages in their lives and they need assistance. Pressed by Bensah to explain why countries like Uganda; Rwanda; and Togo are economies on the rise, and delivering results, why can one not say that there is governance, even with the paucity of institutions that exist? To this, Amaliya explained I do not know of anyone who out rightly dismisses the existence of governance, but the reason why there is a need to qualify governance...is because there is such a thing as bad governance. Even failed States, he quipped, have some type of governance. He added whether it is Faure...or Kagame...or Museveni, in their individual stead, these people can claim to a certain sense of legitimacy, a certain source of authority from the people to govern that they remain popular and that they represent the wills of their people. However, there are constituencies that would object to that to the extent that they would be pointing to serious shortcomings in their rule. Amaliya emphasized that, in the long run, any conversation on governance in Africa, especially, needs to acknowledge the role of citizens: we as citizens are primarily responsible to act as movers and shakers of the demands of good governance and accountability, and that seems to be the real gateway to where many countries are heading. There is an appetite and an irresolute interest in citizens to demand this. ENDs The Africa in Focus Show is hosted by Emmanuel.K.Bensah Jr from 14h00 to 15h00 every Wednesday. You can download all podcasts from www.africainfocusradioshow.org . Follow the conversation on twitter on @africainfocus14 , using #africainfocus The Accra Region police have announced a 10,000 cedi reward for anybody who would provide information that will lead to the arrest of the assassin(s) of Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North. A statement announcing the bounty also asked operators of medical facilities to be on the lookout for suspicious character(s) with fresh knife wounds, who may seek medical attention at their facilities. JB Danquah was murdered Tuesday dawn at his home in Shiashie by unknown assailants. He was stabbed twice on his ribs and abdominal area in yet another case of horrifying murders to hit the country. No motive has yet been established for the murder even though three suspects were arrested and later granted bail. A statement released and signed by the Police Director of Public Affairs Superintendent Cephas Arthur said a crack team of investigators has been constituted to investigate the murder. The team is headed by the senior police officer from the CID Headquarters under the direct supervision of the Director-General CID, the police statement said. Superintendent Cephas Arthur said the police are committed to unraveling the mystery surrounding the murder of the MP. But not many are convinced the police would get to the bottom of the case given the avalanche of unresolved murders in the country. On March 12, 2014, Nii Ayittey Noyatse, the Joma Mantse in Ga South, was shot and killed by unidentified assailants. A day later Fennec Okyere, manager of controversial hiplife artiste, Kwaw Kese was also shot dead at his home in Manet. In June of the same year, the Paramount Chief of the Nanumba Traditional Area, Naa Dasana Andani, was killed under bizarre circumstances. Again one Arnold Nii Ofori Tackie was also shot dead in Tema. A Vodafone Marketing Officer, the Branch Manager of Ecobank Ghana at Abrepo in Kumasi in the Ashanti region, and a Stanbic Bank worker were also murdered under mysterious circumstances. The police are yet to get to the bottom of these murders. It is hoped the police will arrest the perpertrators of these heinous crime. The youth hold sticks, matchetes, stones 10.02.2016 LISTEN Ultimate1069.com can confirm that there has not been any arrest following protest by the Tafo Zongo youth over the ownership of the Tafo cemetery in Kuamsi, Ashanti Region. Traditional authorities and the youth are tight -lipped about the situation. The combined military and police personnel have been stationed at the area. vandalised vehicle Aggrieved youth . Curfew Declared The Regional Security Council (REGSEC) in the Ashanti Region have declared Tafo a curfew area on Wednesday evening starting 6pm-6:am. The curfew is being enforced by the Military and the police in the Region starts from Tafo cemetery morgue to Pankrono junction. This comes on the back of clashes between Traditional authorities and Tafo Zongo youth. The DCOP Nathan Kofi Boakye explained that the curfew is going to be enforced rigidly 'and I pray that nobody fall foul of the law'. 'The military and police have taken over very successfully, anybody found loitering around will be arrested by the Police. Tafo is calm now, we are advising everybody to his/her house, so observe the curfew as REGSEC has declared, nobody will be allowed to take the laws into his/her hands,' he said. -Ultimate1069 FBN Bank Ghana Limited has expressed optimism in becoming one of the best banks in the country. To achieve this vision, the bank has re-equipped and re-tooled as part of its rebranding process using the key enablers of technology, branding and resourcing to differentiate FBNBank from its competitors in the industry. Board Chairman, Joseph Yieleh Chireh revealed this at the launch of a second Spintex branch of the bank in Accra which brings the number of branches operating in Ghana to 18. He noted that, with the many financial institutions dotted along Spintex Road one might wonder why FBN Bank Ghana is opening a second branch there. The rationale is that the bank has a strategy to expand its presence in the country in order to meet the increasing financial solutions needs of individuals and businesses operating within this enclave the Board Chair stressed. Hon. Yieleh Chireh added that the opening of a second Spintex Road branch also signals the banks commitment to becoming the clear leader in the countrys financial sector, as well as setting the standard for customer experience and excellence in financial service solutions. Since excellent service delivery underpins the business of banking, FBN Bank is aspiring to attain a top-five ranking in all segments of industry customer service surveys, and reduce customer complaints to the barest minimum. Also, the Managing Director of FBN Bank, Seyi Oyefeso in his welcome address said the bank will be issuing and activating Personalized MasterCards instantly in the country to customers. He indicated that they are leaving no stone unturned to improve touchpoints through which our customers access our services, with the introduction of new solution-based products and services for individuals and the business community. Mr. Oyefeso stated that everything FBNBank does is with the aim of meeting the needs of the Banks different stakeholder groups in order to provide value, meaning and opportunities for them. FBN Bank Ghana emerges from an enviably rich heritage and banking tradition, which has shaped its business to become the clear leader across several markets in Africa and beyond. The iconic African elephant with navy blue and ivory colours has been a symbol of one of the biggest international players in the financial services industry to date. Over the past 120 years, its parent bank, First Bank of Nigeria has served its customers with excellence, impacted positively on the banking industry as a pioneer, and contributed to the growth of the economies in which it operates. Story by Ghana/Myjoyonline.com 10.02.2016 LISTEN Ms Hutton was very pleased that her investments in motherhood were bearing promising fruits for her beautiful 13 year-old had become the toast of her middle class community. Indeed, Adwoa had been a characteristic 'perfect-score achiever; very hardworking, disciplined and studious. She, indeed, was steadily treading the course towards becoming the neurosurgeon that she so proudly dreamed of. 'What else could a mother want from a child?,' Ms Hutton would often wonder in those joyous moments when her daughter would return from school with yet another best record. But the future began to be uncertain for Ms Hutton after her chilling discovery that her daughter had been violated by a creepy intruder on countless times. On that fateful night, Adwoa had left her light on for too long. Sensing that she might have dozed off during her studies, Ms Hutton went to finish off her nightly ritual. And then, it occurred to her to also turn off the power in Adwoa's laptop. However, when the dark screen monitor came alive on her touch, the images that met her eyes shattered the perfect images she had envisioned for her daughter's future. Adwoa confessed later: She had been addicted to pornography for two-years! And Ms Hutton, who believed she had her hand firmly on everything under her roof had been clueless about Adwoa's dark passion. When she overcame her anguish and disappointment, Ms Hutton found herself a new passion: To find clues to stop those creepy criminals to stop corrupting the values of children like her beloved Adwoa. Today, Ms Hutton and likeminded individuals would be pleased to learn that there is an assembly of national and international experts in town with the determination to address her concerns. CONFERENCE From Wednesday, February 10, more than 60 professionals including Information Communication Technology (ICT) engineers, legal experts, human resource practitioners, communications experts and academics would confer and brainstorm on issues related to cyber security and Child Online Protection (COP) and find concrete strategies to make the world a safe place. They have come to join their Ghanaian counterparts from the Cameroon Botswana Swaziland, Uganda , Mozambique Zambia, Burkina Faso , Liberia, Sierra Leone Senegal and Nigeria. Others are from international bodies like ECOWAS and COMESA, as well as private organisations like Microsoft and GSMA. These experts are alumini of the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) and are, therefore, being hosted by the Ministry of Communication with the support of the Institute. USTTI The USTTI was conceived during the preparations for the 1982 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. A visionary, Ambassador Michael Gardner, at that time, asked leaders of major, often competing, U.S. based ICT corporations to join together with senior U.S. government officials to provide diverse tuition-free training for qualified communications professionals, regulators and entrepreneurs from the developing world. The affirmative response was overwhelming and, as a result, the USTTI was launched at the Nairobi ITU conference as a public-private, non-profit partnership dedicated to aggressively sharing ICT knowledge with women and men dedicated to making modern communications a reality throughout the developing world. Since offering its initial 13 tuition-free courses in 1983, the USTTI has expanded its curriculum and by 2015 it is on record to have provided 84 diverse courses. So far some 9,194 women and men from 171 developing countries have graduated from USTTI and are on record to be applying knowledge gained to make modern communications relevant for their countrymen and women. Cyber Security The Internet is rapidly becoming the most critical infrastructure for the economies around the globe. It is the major driver of change in the new world economic order; changing the way we communicate, do business, innovate and even carry the end products to the market. Connoisseurs admit that the Internet has added a new meaning to life. Threats While ICT presents opportunities for development, it also carries a clear and present danger - a faceless setback that undermines the full realization of ICT for social, political and economic transformation. The development and adaptation of ICT has led to the emergence and rise of what is called cyber criminality in the world. This criminality in the form of cyber-attacks targets confidentiality, integrity and any available ICT assets. Specific cybercrime trends include but not limited to, cyber fraud, SIM Box Fraud, Hacking, Botnets & Malware attacks, Data Breaches, Child Online Safety Issues, smartphone security threats, denial of service attacks, phishing attacks, website defacement and ATM fraud amongst many others. Records show that on June 17, last year, cyber criminals attacked the Government of Canada website and brought many of the services down for hours costing the Canadian government hundreds of millions of downtime. Ghana was not spared, as in that same year, 11 government websites were hacked by some foreign perpetrators. Again, in June that year, some flights operated by the Polish National Airline were grounded after hackers attacked its computer systems, thus inconveniencing more than 1,400 passengers. The list is endless as it involves existing and emerging cyber threats and trends whose impact on national and international security cannot be underestimated. It is in recognition of these threats that the two-day capacity building meeting in Accra has been tailored to sort out the threats in the use of social media that appears to threaten the foundations of society in a liberal world. No man is an island Disturbingly, everyone could suffer the consequences of cyber crime; Imagine a nation's vital utility or health system under cyber-attack-or the immediate shutdown of critical infrastructure. Better still, just visualise a disaster or an attack that needs to be communicated by your smartphone, and yet the entire phone network is under attack. The entire system may go blank as a result of cyber-attack. You don't still get it? Again, consider an attack or computer glitch that disables you from accessing the ATM when you need it most. Remedies Fortunately, the Government through the Ministry of Communications, has drafted the National Cyber Security Policy & Strategy (NCSPS) which forms the blueprint of addressing cybercrime and cyber security challenges. The policy documents aims at creating cybercrime awareness whiles ensuring cyber security best practices across both the public and the private sector. One of the central pillars of the document is the development of technical systems and processes to deal with cyber security breaches. Regional and International Collaboration As cybercrimes transcend national borders the cooperation among countries has become essential in facilitating investigations and prosecutions of cyber offenders. Ghana is currently engaging with regional partners such as ECOWAS and the international community on developing and enhancing relevant protocols and treaties to fight cybercrime. One of such initiatives is the ECOWAS Directives on Cybercrime. In pursuant of this particular component on cybercrime, and cyber security, the Minister of Communications, with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) set up the Ghana Computer Emergence Response Team (CERT-GH) to handle cybercrime incidents and implement proactive measures to reduce the risks of computer security incidents, coordinate security incidents and make recommendations for mitigating and /or handling computer security incidents. Likewise, Ghana, being a member of the 146 member nations of the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats, (IMPACT), is benefiting from training and information sharing opportunities. All Hands on the 'keyboard' One thing is clear in all of these: That government is sparing no effort in its zeal to work with other partners to deal with cybercrimes because it cannot win the fight as a lone ranger. And that is why the collaboration with USTTI is very significant. In view of this, multi-stakeholder or collective efforts among different stakeholders; the private sector, telecommunication companies, law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, civil society and individuals are required to address issues of cybercrime and cyber security. Child on line Protection Like Adwoa, children's use of the Internet and mobile technology is increasing, and for many children worldwide, there is no clear distinction between the online and offline world. To them, access to the Internet presents opportunities for education, personal development, self-expression and social interaction amongst others. Yet, the increasingly complex online environment also presents risks to which children are especially vulnerable, such as access to inappropriate content, child abuse, child pornography, hate and suicidal sites, harmful interactions, commercial issues and overuse. Protecting children online while enabling them to benefit from these opportunities has become a global challenge. These calls for cooperation among all stakeholders: parents, guardians, educators, the business sector, civil society, law enforcement and governments. While stakeholders can help children make the most of modern technology, they also have a responsibility to protect them against the risks. The Ministry of Communications is implementing the Child Online Protection programme as a major priority of government. Indeed a Child Online Protection portal has been integrated into CERT- GH to facilitate instant reporting and remediation. Recommendations Creating and intensifying the awareness campaign towards a culture of cyber security must engage the attention of all stakeholders in Ghana and the continent. More so, building capacity of law enforcement and state security agencies; building a credible national identification system to facilitate identification of residents even in cyber space; and the enforcement of existing legislations are also key. Additionally, the standardisation and development of cyber security best practices; collaboration with stakeholders and the involvement of private sector investment in technology driven solutions to address cyber threats and the intensification of regional and international cooperation are necessary. Conclusion Standing strongly with Ms Hutton, the MoC and USTTI would utilise the rich and diverse experiences from capacity building conference to further the innovative ways of handling cyber security and Child Online Protection. Patricia Dovi-Sampson is the Director for Research and Management Strategies at the Ministry of Communication. A GNA collaborative feature with Patricia Dovi-Sampson Accra, Feb 10, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday gave the assurance that African leaders would in the coming years focus on the total reduction of the incidence of HIV and AIDS on the continent. He said the continent was already battling with illiteracy and poverty and would therefore not allow the prevalence of the HIV and AIDS to gain centre-stage in their political progress. President Mahama gave the assurance when he launched the seventh African Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Accra. The Conference, which is part of a long-term process of building and fostering regional dialogue on sexual and reproductive health and rights, would end on Friday, February 12. It is being hosted by Mrs Lordina Dramani Mahama, First Lady of Ghana and President of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) in collaboration with Curious Minds, Ghana, an organisation of young advocates and youth in broadcasting. Participating First Ladies are from Kenya, Ethiopia, Mali, Cote D'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso and Chad. Other First Ladies expected at the Conference are from Sudan, Madagascar and Mozambique. The Conference it is on the theme 'Realizing Demographic Dividend in Africa: the Critical Importance of Adolescents and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights'. President Mahama said although the HIV and AIDS had reduced for some years now, there was the need for governments to focus on mother-to-child education to encourage mothers to go in for voluntary tests that would eliminate the transmission. He added:"Testing positive to the HIV and AIDS is no longer a death sentence and I encourage all of you to do that to reduce the incidence of the disease." The President said with the introduction of Anti-Retroviral Drugs people could live much longer and therefore needed to know their status to enable the health workers to support them to enjoy better lives. On early marriages amongst girls, President Mahama said African governments would continue to support the First Ladies to support girls to stay in school to achieve their academic laurels. That, he said, formed the basis for constructing more Community Day Senior High Schools in deprived communities throughout the country. He said four out of the 123 of such schools under construction in the country had been commissioned and in the coming days more would be completed to admit more students. President Mahama said the completion of those schools would give an extra opportunity to over 240,000 students throughout the country to pursue other courses and skills training programmes. Mrs Lordina Mahama said the future of every country depended on the activeness of its youth, and her outfit would continue to support all youth programmes to achieve their targets in the socio-economic development of the country. Mrs Mahama who would also launch a major campaign towards ending child marriages in Ghana, a programme she is spearheading through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection promised positive support to the youth. On the Ghana Ending Child Marriage Initiative aimed at raising awareness and garnering support towards ending child marriages in Ghana, the First Lady said more information on Sexual and Reproductive Health would be developed to help educate them against negative practices that could retard their orderly progress. Other dignitaries in the Accra Conference are the UN Under Secretary & Executive Director of UNFPA, the Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Africa Union Commissioner for Social Affairs and UNICEF's Deputy Director for West and Central Africa. Also in attendance would be the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa, the President of the International Women's Health Coalition and over 15 Ministers from the Health, Justice, Gender and Youth Ministries across Africa. GNA 10.02.2016 LISTEN Kumasi, Feb. 10 GNA - The Ashanti Regional Director of the National for Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr. Alhassan Yakubu, has roundly condemned the situation where leaders are openly denigrated, derided and insulted. That, he said, was completely unacceptable, alien to the Ghanaian culture and must be rejected. Mr. Yakubu therefore called on everybody not to disrespect people in authority, even if they disagreed with things they did. He was contributing to discussions at separate community durbars held at Ntiribuoho in Afigya-Kwabre and Abuakwa in the Atwima-Nwabiagya Districts. It formed part of the stepped up effort by the Commission to help ease political tension and prevent any nasty incidents ahead of the November 7 presidential and parliamentary elections. These durbars provided the opportunity to promote and encourage active grassroots participation in decision-making to ensure local good governance. A total of 17 districts in the region had so far been covered with support from the European Union (EU). Mr. Yakubu said there was need for all to show tolerance, good conduct and get right with the law to preserve the peace. He used the platform to urge effective cooperation and understanding between assembly members and the unit committees to bring socio-economic progress to the communities. They should work to remove conflict between them and focus their efforts on tackling the felt needs of those they were representing, he added. He reminded the people to make sure that they paid their levies and rates to the assemblies to strengthen their finances and capacity to support development programmes in the various communities. GNA 10.02.2016 LISTEN Suhum(E/R), Feb. 10, GNA - Dr Ekow Spio-Gabrah, the Minister of Trade and Industry, has called for the creation of a platform to ensure that regular information on food crops are made available at any part of the country. He said such a platform could be created through the collaboration between district assemblies, his Ministry and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. This, he explained, would inform agro-processing factories in the country where crops are available and also provide markets for the farmers. Dr Spio-Gabrah made the call at the end of his first day of his three-day working tour of the Eastern Region. He was commenting on the complains of PINORA company which produces orange and pineapple concentrate for export and HPW, tropical dries fruits exporters, whose major concerns were the unavailability of local fruits for their production to meet their demand . Dr Spio-Gabrah said such concerns also create opportunities for young entrepreneurs to start thinking of establishing companies to meet expected needs. PINORA has plans to produce 51,000 metric tons of orange and pineapple juice concentrate this year for export while HPW exported 900,000 metric tons of dried tropical fruits from Ghana to Europe last year. GNA Ho, Feb 10, GNA - Dr. Appiah Denkyirah, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Wednesday admonished Health Managers to reflect current realities in their approaches to tackling challenges in the health sector. This, he said was because emerging realities in the health sector could no longer be contained within the routine mode but by systems that drive activities in a business-like manner. Dr Denkyirah's diagnosis and prescription were tended at the 2015 annual performance review Conference of the Volta Regional Directorate of the GHS. It was on the theme: 'Achieving improved health outcomes through the use of quality improvement approaches'. He said there must be transparency in decision making to ensure real time deliverables. There should also be detailed financial accountability for specific activities to minimize infractions as well as dynamic corporate governance system to deepen the relevance of leadership at all levels of the health delivery machinery. Dr Denkyirah asked Health Managers to liaise and co-ordinate their activities with the municipal and district assemblies to ensure that the citizenry owe health issues at the local levels and thereby taking control of their own health. He reminded the Health Managers that resources would continue to dwindle as a global reality, so the little resources available must be used in an integrated manner. Dr Denkyirah told the Managers that the Service's partners were unhappy at its inability to get commodities to where people needed them most. He said from September this year, 2016, a system of scheduled delivery to all points of need would begin and strictly enforced to meet timelines and minimize the risk of losses. Dr Denkyirah asked the Health Managers to own and domesticate the Social Development Goals (SDGs) which unlike the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is a bottom-up product with a cost to it. He called on Health Managers in the Volta Region to use every available platform to address the alarming trend of teenage pregnancy in the Region. In 2014, 14.5 percent of Ante Natal Clinic (ANC) attendances in the Region were by adolescents under 19 years rising to 15.1 percent in 2015. At 11.2 percent, Ho recorded the lowest of such pregnancies in the Region with Adaklu District coming tops with 23.2 percent. 'One major challenge facing the Region has to do with teenage pregnancy, Dr Joseph Teye Nuertey, the Regional Director of the GHS lamented. He said there was the need for massive mobilization of all segments of the populace in the Region to stem the tide, which has reached overwhelming proportions. GNA Accra, Feb. 10, GNA - Swami Satyananda Saharaj of the Hindu faith has been installed the new head of the Hindu Monastery of Africa. Swami Satyananda Saharaj, a Ghanaian, has been a member of the faith for 35 years and became a disciple in 1985. He succeeded Swami Ghananand Saraswati, another Ghanaian and the first African to be initiated into the Holy Order of Hindu Monks in 1975. The installation, which was performed together with the memorial service (Final Mahasamadhi Puja) of Swami Ghananand Saraswati at the Odorkor Monastery in Accra, saw other branch members from Kumasi, Tema, Cape Coast and Togo in attendance. A biography read by Mr Yaw Tawiah Bio, President of the Accra branch of the Hindu Monastery, said Swami Ghananand Saraswati was in his early life known as Guide Kwesi Essel and was born in 1931 at Senya Beraku in the Central Region. He said Swami Ghananand Saraswati was known for his contribution to the Hindu faith in the country which led to the establishment of five branches in Ghana and Togo. Mr Bio said the deceased has to his credit 15 books on Hinduism and has helped in building the Hindu Monastery of Africa. He appealed to Ghanaians to help sustain and expand the work that His Holiness Ghananand Saraswati left behind. Swami Satyananda Saharaj, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said he stands for national development, unity and peace. GNA Walewale (N/R), Feb. 10, GNA - Basic Needs Ghana, a mental health Non- Governmental Organization (NGO), is providing economic livelihood support to mental health patients and their care givers in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions. The programme is part of an initiative of the NGO to support government efforts in responding to the mental health needs of the populace. The programme started in six communities namely Bugiya, Kunkua, Takorayille, Gbane, Tingor, Nayorko in the West Mamprusi District in the Northern Region where 500 beehives and their accessories were presented to hundred beneficiaries. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, Mr Bernard Azure, the Project officer of the Basic Needs Ghana in charge of the Upper East Region, said the project is being supported by the DFID. He said 300 mentally stabilized persons with their caregivers drawn from the three Northern Regions would receive a total number of 1500 beehives with their complements to enable them embark upon beekeeping activities and cater for themselves. Mr Azure said over the years the NGO had initiated many livelihood interventions including the training of master artisans to train mentally stabilized persons in various trade modules such as sewing and hair dressing. He said most of the apprentices were doing quite well and expressed the hope that after the training, they would be supported to establish their own businesses to generate income for themselves and families. Mr Timothy Dassah Kayelle, the Project Coordinator of Basic Needs Ghana of the Northern Region, said the project had among its components, a campaign against bush fires and addressing climate change issues. He impressed upon communities not to stigmatize mental health patients but to give them the needed support by taking good care of them. Mr Hudu Abubakar, an Agriculture Officer, took the participants through beekeeping and honey production processes. GNA CAL Bank and Prudential Life Insurance Ghana have signed a long-term partnership agreement to jointly develop their businesses in Ghana. The agreement will enable CAL Bank's customers to buy Prudential's high-quality and innovative insurance products in the bank's 25 branches later this year. The collaboration will increase CAL Bank's range of life insurance products and marks a further step in Prudential Ghana's development since its launch in 2014. Executive Director of CAL Bank, Philip Owiredu, said the banks partnership with Prudential will complement an already strong banking business. We are looking forward to offering our customers Prudential's world-class insurance products and services in the near future, he said. Head of Retail and Business Banking at CAL Bank, Samuel Ntow Affum, said: Delivering desirable products and services to our customers is at the heart of our success. This partnership offers our customers a great way to buy an array of innovative insurance products from Prudential which is one of the most trusted insurers in the world. Emmanuel Aryee, Chief Executive of Prudential Ghana, said: Our partnership with CAL Bank will add to the growth we have already achieved and brings us closer to our goal of becoming the life insurer of choice for Ghanaians. We are proud to partner with CAL Bank, one of Ghana's leading banks, and we look forward to helping its customers plan for the future with innovative insurance products. Matt Lilley, Chief Executive of Prudential Africa, said: Prudential has built successful life insurance businesses throughout the world by combining highly effective agency forces with long-term bank partnerships. We are taking the same approach in Ghana. Today's agreement with CAL Bank is another important milestone for our business here and we are excited about its potential. you are here: business Cos margins to outperform industry avg this fiscal: GSK Pharma In an interview with CNBC-TV18, A Vaidheesh, VP, South Asia and MD of India GSK said that companys growth is in-line with the market and expects margins to outperform the industry average this fiscal. Trevor Osborne has been investing in tax-free savings plans for more than 20 years. We started investing in 1995 when we bought our first home, he explained. The house was bought with an interest-only mortgage, so he started saving into an investment plan to pay off the capital at the end of the term. In the last 20 years he has remained invested through some rocky periods, but he says he has been pleased with the overall returns. Osborne has since remortgaged his home, but hes continued to put money into the stock market, via an ISA. In recent years hes also taken out Junior ISAs for his children, as well as a SIPP for each of them. Osborne, who is an IT project manager with Mercedes Benz says: I invest in a mix of funds. We invest through the Fidelity Personal Investing and have tended to stick with Fidelity funds. He says he is keen to keep investment charges to a minimum, so has much of his money in Fidelitys Moneybuilder range. These include index funds that follow the UK, US or European markets. Fidelity also offers low-cost active funds through this range - including its Moneybuilder Balanced and Moneybuilder Global range. The Moneybuilder Balanced fund, which invests in a portfolio of high quality equities and bonds, has a four star rating from Morningstar. The portfolio is 65% investing on equities, which are managed by Michael Clark, with Ian Spreadbury managing the 35% bond split. They work independently but meet monthly to discuss views and overall positioning. Morningstar gives these experienced managers a Bronze Rating. The Moneybuilder Global fund has a three star rating. Its manager James Bateman, who took over in February 2014, has a Neutral Rating. Morningstar fund analysts say: The loss of long-standing manager Richard Skelt weakens this offering, although new manager James Bateman has made a promising start. Passive Funds for Developed Market Exposure Osborne says that in more developed markets he tends to invest in the index funds offered through the Moneybuilder range, but does have some exposure to more active funds when he is investing in less developed areas. Osborne says that one of the most important things for him, as an investor, is how easily he can buy and sell holdings and transfer money from his cash fund into his investments. He says: There have been times when Ive become quite nervous and have wanted to sell holdings quickly. With Personal Investing, Ive been able to call up and shift substantial amounts of money from investments to cash and vice versa. Given the market volatility over the last year Osborne says he has concentrated his own ISA holdings in the UK and Europe. Im fully invested at the moment though, and dont have any holdings in cash. After all they do say be greedy when the markets are looking nervous. However he says he doesnt want to be too greedy adding: Given the current market volatility Im not investing in higher risk areas, like emerging markets and China. Taking a Growth Approach for Junior ISAs However, he says when it comes to his investments for his children Osborne has tried to take a different approach. Ive invested in a mix of European, Japan and China funds on their behalf. With the longer term time frame - particularly on the SIPPs - Im hoping this higher risk approach will pay off. Osborne says while he has dipped in and out of markets with his own money he adopting more of a buy and hold strategy when it comes to his childrens JISAs and SIPPs. With the SIPPs in particular Im looking at a far longer investment horizon. Its amazing really - even small amounts of money have the potential to grow significantly over 50 plus years. Im hoping the current market volatility will barely register as a blip on this timescale. Osborne adds: I initially opened the JISA for my daughter in 2011. It was a good time to buy and the returns have been good on these funds. But although I invested the same amount for my son, born in 2013, this has not proved so successful. There wasnt the strong rise in share prices to start with, and markets have been volatile more recently. Ill have to just wait and see what difference this makes to the overall returns. What funds are in your ISA or SIPP? What has been your most successful investment? If you'd like to feature in Investment Views please contact the Editorial team on UKEditorial@morningstar.com Morningstar's "Perspectives" series features investment insights from third-party contributors. Here, Rob Drijkoningen, co-head of emerging market debt comments on the Neuberger Berman Short Duration Emerging Market Debt Fund, as part of our Guide to Income Investing. Emerging markets have experienced a challenging environment over the past year with fundamentals tested by headwinds related to commodity prices, currencies, and slower growth in China. We believe uncertainties related to China are likely to persist and markets will attempt to find a supply/demand balance in commodity prices. Despite these challenges, we believe emerging markets are in a better position than many of todays headlines suggest. For example, Asia has benefited from being an importer of commodities; also emerging market currencies adjusted to the new realities working like a safety valve, protecting creditworthiness and providing support for dollar based investment possibilities. Overall emerging market sovereign credit quality also remains supported by strong public sector balance sheets, low external debt ratios and large FX reserves. Emerging market corporates have been proactive in efforts to reduce costs, capex and dividends as well as engage in liability management exercises to improve balance sheets. Moreover, new issuance levels remain fairly contained which will provide good technical support to the emerging market debt asset class. Finally, after the recent backup in spreads, we believe valuations for emerging market hard currency bonds are reasonably attractive. A Focus on Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa Investors will face a wider dispersion between winners and losers over the coming year. We believe countries actively undertaking reforms such as China, Argentina, Mexico and Ukraine will be among the winners over the longer term. From a regional perspective, the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region has the largest weight in the portfolio at present, consisting of more than a dozen countries with different profiles. Turkey and Russia are the largest holdings in this region, as we see value in both short-dated sovereigns and corporate names in those countries. On the more defensive side, we continue to hold positions in countries such as Hungary and Slovenia; countries where we see fundamental improvements and which are expected to be less impacted from broader emerging market weakness or further pressure on commodity prices. In Asia, China represents the largest single country weight. Even though the challenges for China are real, we believe the world has more problems with the China slowdown than China itself. We hold positions in high quality quasi-sovereign entities in China, as well as several corporate bonds in sectors like real estate where we see credit quality improving and we think will continue to benefit from policy stimulus. Finally in Latin America, Brazil is our largest holding, as we believe sovereign spreads are attractive versus similar high yield rated peers and more than compensate for the economic challenges and political stalemate. We also find value in the corporate space, such as in the beef sector, as these are mostly exporters not suffering too much from those domestic challenges and profit from the weak local currency. Disclaimer The views contained herein are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of Morningstar. If you are interested in Morningstar featuring your content on our website, please email submissions to UKEditorial@morningstar.com The federal government has placed the Albertan real estate sector in its sights after the recent upsurge in so-called strategic defaults, which have actually weakened the market according to observers. Last observed in the 1980s when mortgage rates hovered around 20 per cent, strategic defaultsalso known as jingle mailinvolve escaping from an in-the-red mortgage by sending the keys back to the funding bank. These actions are usually done out of desperation by those who are saddled with unmanageable high-end properties while coping with job loss and astronomical debts. According to experts, this development is responsible for the spike in loan losses among Canadian banks, and is showing no signs of stopping as of the moment. We're slowly starting to see it in Grande Prairie and Fort Mac. People saying that we can't make a go of it and mail the keys to the bank. In the big cities, not so much because the average sale prices haven't really dropped much, we haven't seen the pain yet. But Calgary is getting pretty tight, Real Estate Investment Network senior analyst Don Campbell told CBC News. Experts noted that this is a uniquely Albertan phenomenon, as the area is the only province in Canada that offers non-recourse residential mortgages on a wide scale. This mortgage type allows defaulters to lose their homes but walk away without any personal liability, which would otherwise merit a court seizure of assets elsewhere. In the 80s, nearly 500,000 residents left their Albertan estates for greener pastures without hurting their credit ratingsa situation that experts fear might make a repeat performance. These non-recourse mortgages could create incentives for some homeowners facing an income shock to pursue a strategic default and thus place further downward pressure on prices, a Finance Department report warned. The U.S. Treasurys recent announcement of its intent to crack down on money laundering conducted by unscrupulous individuals through high-cost real estate transactions has sent brokers and would-be sellers into a panic. According to industry players, the new rules are meant to serve as a dragnet for offenders, but might very well end up spooking legitimate international and billionaire buyers instead. There are people that for whatever reason probably won't buy apartments right now because of these new Treasury laws. I think there will be some lost business associated with this, Elliman broker Raphael De Niro told Curbed. A wealthy individual isn't going to risk ending up on a list somewhere. They can wait six months, added Jonathan Miller, president of a property appraisal firm. The Treasurys geographic targeting orders would compel title companies to identify and disclose the actual individuals who are making all-cash purchases of properties worth at least, and greater than, $3 million and $1 million in Manhattan and Miami, respectively Big buyers arent the only ones that would be affected by the changes, which would go into effect on March 1 and will last until August 7. Luxury brokers and those who are looking to offload their properties are also at risk. Additional regulation is the last thing that we need to hurt potential business that really creates jobs for American workers. This is another layer of difficulty that is going to potentially hurt further development, Extell president Gary Barnett said, noting that criminal elements are more likely to funnel dirty money into artwork, jewelry, and gold than into real estate. Support groups this week -- The Knot Adoption Support Group, 11:30 a.m. today, First Presbyterian Church; Kathy Hagler, Kathy@WTIE.net -- Caregiver support, noon today, HospiceMidland 911 W. Texas Ave., 682-2855. -- Permian Basin Community Service Organization (for individuals, organizations or businesses that provide services to improve quality of life), 11:45 a.m. Thursday, Mi Piaci Italian Restaurant, 2607 N. Grandview Ave., Odessa; 432-210-4234. -- Tourettes syndrome support group, 2 p.m. Sunday, Neuroscience Institute, 3610 22nd St., Odessa; Pam Weaks, 806-438-6601, pzweaks@yahoo.com, or Rene Howell, 806-549-7788. A confidential peer-to-peer support gathering for combat veterans, Tuesday, Midland College Cogdell Center, 201 Florida Ave.; Steve Cree, 770-7469. -- The Helping Hand Metastatic Cancer Support Group meets noon, Tuesday, Texas Tech Physicians of the Permian Basin Clinic, Room 210B. Lunch will be served. To RSVP , call Amber Chavez at 620-1023. Midland Chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), 7 p.m. Tuesday, First Presbyterian Church (Koinonoa Room); Judith Craig, 683-3648. Bariatric Support Group, 11:30 a.m. Feb. 17, ACT Counseling Center, 2445 E. 11th St., Odessa; 272-4333. *** Weekly Meetings Alcoholics Anonymous hotline 580-7868. Narcotics Anonymous hotline 582-2926. Survivors of sexual abuse; interactive Bible study to help deal with the consequences of sexual abuse meets Tuesdays. Child care available; House of Hope, 570-5935. -- Overeaters Anonymous; 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays and 3-4 p.m. Sundays; B&J Plaza, 206 N. Midkiff Road, Suite 1-D; 553-1031. -- Peer to Peer support group for veterans, active duty, guard, reserves and their families, 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Permian Basin Community Center, 401 E. Illinois Ave., Suite 403; Wil Hoggard, 213-5342, william.hoggard@wtcmhmr.org. * * * How sick are you? Midland Memorial Hospital offers a a nurse triage program 68-NURSE. The program is designed to help people determine whether their health situation warrants a trip to the emergency room. Midland residents can call the line by dialing 686-8773. The program is free and available 24 hours a day-365 days a year. Local nurses are available to help you determine the best place to receive care for your situation. 68-NURSE can help you save time and money by directing you to the most appropriate healthcare option, whether its a neighborhood clinic, urgent care center, emergency room or just staying home. * * * Contact your Hospital District representative MIDLAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 400 Rosalind Redfern Grover Parkway, Midland, TX 79701 Phone: 221-1111 Website: www.midland-memorial.com President Russell Meyers 221-1584 Directors -- District 1: Dwain Tomlin, District 2: Dorothea Logan, District 3: Tommy Lent, District 4: Cressinda Hyatt, District 5: Alison King, District 6: Joe Kiowski, District 7: Jeffrey Beard The Heart Institute at Midland Memorial Hospital is known for its commitment and dedication to bridge gaps, integrate evidence-based science, quality initiatives, clinical best-practices and proven guidelines into caring for patients with cardiovascular disease. We have a strong cardiovascular service line with a wide range of services including diagnostic, interventional, surgical, cardiac rehabilitation, heart disease management and cardiovascular wellness events. Along with our highly recognized and accredited Cardiac Rehabilitation and heart failure programs, we offer specialized care to meet all of our communitys heart needs. The Heart Institute consists of two cardiac catheterization labs, one electrophysiology lab, and two cardiovascular operating rooms. Cardiac catheterization Cardiac catheterization is a minimally invasive diagnostic and treatment option that involves passing a catheter (a thin, flexible tube) through the vessels supplying blood to the heart and then injecting dye through the catheter so that the heart can be visualized. Interventional cardiologists use this procedure to tell how well your heart is functioning and to identify heart disease or blockages. Cardiac catheterization enables cardiologists (physicians who specialize in hearts) to: -- Determine the blood flow and pressure in the hearts chambers. -- Examine the valves and blood vessels of the heart. -- Identify heart abnormalities. The procedure is performed in a catheterization laboratory (also called a cath lab). During a cardiac catheterization we use sophisticated, leading-edge imaging technology and implement best practices for patient care before, during and after procedures. Electrophysiology Electrophysiology studies test the electrical activity of the heart to locate where an abnormal heartbeat is coming from. These results can help you and your physicians decide whether you need medicine, a pacemaker, an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD), cardiac ablation or heart surgery. We have one dedicated electrophysiology lab equipped with the latest technology to meet the variety of cardiovascular care needs in our community. Cardiac and thoracic surgery With highly skilled surgeons and a dedicated heart team, we take great pride in the services and the quality of care we provide to our patients. Our cardiovascular operating rooms are equipped with the latest technology and instruments needed to perform a variety of surgical procedures, including coronary artery bypass surgery, insertion of pacemakers and implantable cardiac defibrillators, aortic and mitral valve replacement and repair and other lung and heart procedures. Cardiac rehabilitation Our Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is the only certified program in Midland that has met strict standards of practice by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Our registered nurses hold professional certifications in cardiovascular care. Cardiac rehabilitation provides continuous education and exercise by a team of health care professionals to enable individuals with heart disease, and those recovering from heart surgery to successfully return to an active healthy lifestyle. We also provide free health screens at Casa de Amigos every Wednesday. Heart failure Heart failure affects approximately 6 million people annually. Many people with heart failure lead a full, enjoyable life when the condition is managed with appropriate medications and incorporates healthy lifestyle changes. Because we strive to be a center of excellence for heart care by maintaining safe, quality-driven care to individuals diagnosed with heart failure, we are excited to announce our recent achievement of Heart Failure Accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. This accreditation demonstrates our commitment to bridge gaps and integrate evidence-based science, quality initiatives, clinical best-practices, and proven guidelines into our cardiovascular care processes. Annual Walk for Hearts featuring the Rhythm Run The Heart Institute is where Dr. Joseph Suckarieh performed countless cardiothoracic surgeries over his 20-plus years in Midland. Suckarieh strongly believed in giving back to the community and we continue to honor his name by hosting this event, the purpose of which is to increase awareness of cardiovascular disease, engage the community in physical activity and to raise money to provide quality resources to meet our communitys cardiovascular needs. Held annually as part of the Midland Health Wellness Tour, this event promotes cardiovascular health by offering community members the opportunity to enjoy a casual walk along a designated path or the ability to participate in a chip-timed 5K run. Most recently, money raised was used to purchase scales for people diagnosed with heart failure who could not have been able to afford this vital equipment. Jenny Delk-Fikes is senior clinical manager, cardiovascular services of Midland Memorial Hospital President Richard M. Nixon declared war on cancer in 1971, first in his State of the Union address and then later when he signed the National Cancer Act in December 1971. Forty-five years later, President Barack Obama has announced -- also in a State of the Union address -- a similar initiative against the feared disease. That should be seen as good news not only in America but throughout the world. As important as it has been for the leading nation of the world to aggressively fight terrorism, cancer is a much more deadly killer across the globe. And if there ever was an issue that should be a slam dunk to get bipartisan support, a drive intended to eradicate cancer would be it. Everyone has been touched by cancer. In addition to those who have been diagnosed with it, we have all lost friends and loved ones to it. The American Cancer Society estimates about 1.7 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in America in 2016, and about 595,000 people who have been fighting the disease will lose their battles this year. But on the positive side, hundreds of thousands of other Americans will get the news in 2016 their cancer has gone into remission. And untold numbers of people will avoid getting the disease because they have quit smoking, had a colonoscopy in which polyps that could otherwise have turned cancerous were removed or developed healthier lifestyles. Dr. Otis Brawley, the chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, commented on CNN about the significance of the National Cancer Act of 1971, saying the money it provided helped determine causes of cancer and increased the knowledge of the cellular and molecular biology of cancer. The death rate of cancer has dropped by 23 percent in the past 2 1/2 decades. More patients are not only seeing their cancers going into remission but are living past the five-year survival rates. For those who might be inclined to think the war against cancer that began in 1971 was lost should think again. Theres no way to determine specifically how much difference was made by the initiative, but its safe to say many people who are alive today would have been lost to cancer without it. We believe the effort thats now been launched by Obama similarly will lead to lives being saved and extended in the future. Defeating cancer isnt a matter of curing a single disease. Brawley notes it is more than 200 illnesses. Every piece of research that leads to an effective treatment or a way to prevent cancers from forming in the first place will bring us closer to being a cancer-free society. A recent exciting development is therapy that boosts a bodys immune system to fight cancer. That was the tactic that led to success in former President Jimmy Carters battle against cancer. Obamas choice of Vice President Joe Biden, whose son Beau died last year from brain cancer, will put someone with passion at the helm. Now Congress needs to get on board. The presidents proposed budget is sure to include increased funding for cancer research. Weve said many times the president and Congress need to find areas of common ground and work together. Fighting cancer is common ground that should unite everyone. At-a-glance -- Our position: Cancer was a much more deadly disease in 1971, when Richard Nixon set the nations sights on fighting cancer, than it is today. The mortality rate from cancer has dropped dramatically in recent years, and Obamas national initiative to increase public and private funding for cancer research could improve it even further. Biden, who is leading the initiative, also has a goal of increasing collaboration among researchers. -- Why you should care: Cancer is a scourge against mankind. Every research advance that leads to improved prevention and treatment of it protects Americans just that much more. The new national initiative against the disease has the potential to save lives and prevent suffering. -- For more information: Log on to our website, www.lubbockonline.com, and enter the words Obama cancer in the search box. Deborah Cannon AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Austin police say an unarmed nude teenager was the person fatally shot by an officer in an altercation partly captured by patrol car video. Police on Tuesday identified the person who died as 17-year-old David Joseph. Midland Police Department presented its annual racial profiling analysis to city council during a briefing session on Tuesday morning. Of drivers who went through a traffic stop by a MPD officer, slightly over half were Hispanic and 92 percent of drivers overall were not searched, according to the report. The report featured two charts. One chart indicated that people who identified themselves as white in the 2010 census comprised 64.6 percent of overall driving population, or fair roads standard, and 35.51 percent of traffic stops were white. That same report showed that Hispanics comprised about 26.9 percent of fair roads standards, but 50.76 percent of all traffic stops. African Americans accounted for 7.31 percent of the overall driving population and added up to 12.39 percent of stops. A second chart showed stops broken down by arrest, searches, consent searches and arrests. Out of 8,117 stops, 683 drivers were searched (about 8 percent) and 496 drivers (about 6 percent) were arrested. Across all racial categories, 253 searches overall were consent searches, or searches done after officers asked and were granted permission by drivers. The report said that race or ethnicity was known before the stop in 715 of the incidents, or about 8 percent. Two complaints were filed by drivers. One was dismissed because of lack of substance and one was exonerated after a dashboard camera of the incident was reviewed, according to Tuesdays presentation by Eric J. Fritsch of the Professional Development Institute at the University of North Texas. Fritsch was one of two people who compiled the report for the city. The report included a page that said easy determinations regarding whether or not Midland police officers have racially profiled are impossible because data comprises arrests made by all officers, not individual officers. In short, one cannot prove that an individual officer has racially profiled any individual motorist based on the rate at which a department stops any given group of motorists even when a group of motorists stopped is disproportionate to that groups portion of the population, the report stated. The overall population numbers were not absolute regarding Midlands population because data was derived from census data compiled five years ago, according to the report. MPD Chief Price Robinson explained to city council members that a search conducted once a driver is arrested for probable cause or on a warrant and put in a police car is considered a non-consensual search. Findings also showed that the majority of police officers did not know ethnicity before pulling over a driver for a traffic stop. About 15 percent of drivers stopped were not registered with a Midland address in the 2010 census, the report said. Robinson said that the populations who were stopped disproportionately did not hint at racial profiling. I place more emphasis on if a complaint is brought and if that complaint is sustained, Robinson said. Were not going to watch the 26.9 percent Hispanic and then every month when the stops get 26.9 percent, OK, stop, no more. Were just going to work as hard as we can to do our business professionally, and you know youre going to have to stop people (if) there are traffic violations. The state does not contact the department about the report unless a report is not filed by March, as required by law. Robinson said that any residents who have questions about the report can contact the MPD. Zip code information of drivers arrested was not included because officers do not provide a drivers home address on a ticket. Overall, the MPD was found in compliance with state law requiring a racial profiling report. The MPD instituted a formal policy prohibiting racial profiling, officer training and educational programs and a formal complaint process as well as the data collection. Follow Cassie on Twitter at @Cassie_Burton51 Manchester U.K. dubstep grime crossover outfit Virus Syndicate are back with a new track, "Gimme The Mic," from their forthcoming Symptomatic LP which is due out February 29 via the band's own imprint, Midication Records. Stream it via the group's official Soundcloud below: "Gimme The Mic" marks the MC collective-of-sorts' return since dropping the controversial music video for "Psychopath," which is also featured on the forthcoming full-length, last December. The video, which utilizes found footage of ISIS and other terrorist cells as well as shots of George W. Bush to portray the political message of the single, was banned in all of France. The "Psychopath" single was also banned by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. According to a press statement, France just so happens to be the band's biggest market. Although the band obviously wrote and recorded the track well before the Paris attacks, they acknowledged the sensitive nerve it struck with the French government and subsequently cancelled their French tour plans. They have yet to reschedule those dates. Watch the disputed "Psychopath" video below, but be warned: in light of global current events it may be disturbing for some. After a decade in the business, Virus Syndicate have become accustomed to controversy and synonymous with telling it like it is, so although the band is unable to properly promote the new album worldwide as planned, they are forging forward with the release. So we can now finally announce our new Album will be out on February 29th and is called Symptomatic.. We put at least 12 months of blood, sweat and tears into this can't wait to finally share it! Posted by Virus Syndicate on Friday, January 15, 2016 The new single, as well as the forthcoming album as a whole, also mark the first release completely and solely produced by Virus Syndicate, which serves as a testament to the band's growth as artists over the past ten years. The band, which happens to be the only U.K. act to have been granted permission to cover Pink Floyd's "Money," have had features on HBO's The Leftovers and the John Travolta-starring film Criminal Activities. Additionally, their track "Storm Trooper" featuring June Miller appears on the latest Need for Speed game. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Minus Zero Festival is relatively new to the festival scene, with just one year under its belt, but the fest is looking to make major waves in 2016. On Tuesday (Feb. 9), Minus Zero made a huge announcement that it would be expanding its festival to three new locations, one of which being Winter Park, Colorado, where the two-day show will host none other than Kaskade and Diplo. In the accouncement on Minus Zero's Facebook page, the festival announced its new locations and dates: Denver (April 2), South Londonderry, Vermont (April 9-10) and Wrightwood, California (Dec. 10 and 11). ** ANNOUNCEMENT** Minus Zero Festival will expand to three national resorts this year: Winter https://t.co/tNiJy4Neoj Minus Zero Festival (@MinusZeroFest) February 9, 2016 The addition of three stunning locations is a big step up from last year's festival which took place at Mountain High Resort in Southern California and had over 30 artist perform over the course of two days. With the recent announcement of this year's festival first taking place at Winter Park Resort in Colorado on April 2 and 3, will certainly have fans excited not only because of Winter Park's beauty but the lineup as well. The first of the three Minus Zero Festivals will host the likes of Kaskade, Diplo, Manufactured Superstars, Illenium, N&N, Already Sweaty, Bass Physics, DJ Fury, Lunice, Mike Magic, DJ Shift, J/Adore, Marshall Monica and Sergio Santana. Although the lineups and details for the festivals in Vermont and California have yet to be released, the 2016 Minus Zero Festival, in general, looks like it's off to a great start with what Winter Park show has to offer! Tickets for the Winter Park Festival go on sale Thursday, Feb. 11, at 10 a.m. PST. Tickets are $95 dollars for a one-day pass and $175 for a two-day pass, with VIP and lift tickets also available for purchase. More information can be found via their website here. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Pharrell Williams is getting in to the denim business. Known nearly as much for his fresh style as his sweet R&B tunes and the irresistable hit "Happy," on Tuesday (Feb. 9), Pharrell announced that he is joining forces with massive demin company G-Star Raw as a new co-owner of the fashion house. G-Star Raw was launched in 1989 as a denim company, and since, has grown to be one of the biggest companies in the industry. Pharrell, looking to expand his horizons outside of his musical successess and boost his entrepreneurial endeavors, first partnered with G-Star Raw back in 2014 to introduce his demin line, Raw for the Oceans, which used recycled-plastic to create eco-friendly fabrics. This wasn't Williams' first entreprenenurial project, as back in 2005, he joined fashion icon Nigo (the now Creative Director at Uniqlo) to create the incredibly popular Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream clothing and footwear lines, which both still exist and thrive today. With a solid fashion foundation under his belt, the 10-time Grammy winner, knows a little something about fashion, making him an appealing candidate to become a co-owner of G-Star Raw. Thecla Schaeffer, the CMO of the company reflected this. "In working with Pharrell Williams we wish to continue to innovate by allowing Pharrell to push the boundaries even further across all aspects of our business from creating new product ideas and new visions on sustainability to creating new brand experiences. We're genuinely excited to welcome Pharrell into the G-Star mission in order to reimagine the future of denim together," she said in a statement. On top of my business. As of today, proud to be a co-owner of @GStarRAW pic.twitter.com/dc3YARX0om Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) February 9, 2016 While joining G-Star, Williams noted, "G-Star is an independently minded and forward thinking company. I believe they will be the definitive jeans brand of the 21st century. I am looking forward to be part of that mission and to co-create G-Star's future." 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Music streaming and discovery service SoundCloud has reported its 2014 earnings. Like most tech companies building for the future, the numbers don't look good as losses are mounting faster than revenue, but it is still able to raise money from investors. Revenue for the Berlin-based company increased 53.9 percent to $19.7 million, but its losses nearly doubled to $41.8 million. This largely came from the cost of administrative overheard, which accounted for $54.1 million, up 67.8 percent. Including cost of sales, SoundCloud spent $63.8 million just to bring in $19.7 million - not a good amount on the year. The fast growth in overhead and low revenue means it is burning through its cash reserves, worryingly falling to $16.7 million. It was able to raise another $77 million in 2015, but with this rate of burn, it will probably need to raise more cash in the next six to 12 months if revenue does not rise from ads and subscriptions. In the release, the company says it expects losses to continue for another three years as it signs more licensing deals and invests further in the platform. This is a gamble for its investors who may look for a the company to turn a profit sooner as the tech market has already started to see some of its unicorns start to devalue and firms starts to write down some of their inflated investments. There are encouraging signs for SoundCloud moving forward. These earnings are for 2014, so we don't know how the company did in 2015. They have signed licensing deals with Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, various publishing agencies and thousands of small independent labels. It boastd 175 million users globally at the end of 2014, with that number only growing. SoundCloud has had a difficult time converting its users to paying subscribers, though it hopes to roll out a subscription service at some point this year to compete in the already quite crowded streaming market. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Iowa City, IA. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, has been revising the Coralville Lake Lakeshore Management Plan which is now referred to as the Coralville Lake Shoreline Management Plan. The draft plan is now available for public review and comment. We will be hosting an open house on Thursday, February 18, 2016 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Coralville Lake Office located at 2850 Prairie Du Chien Road NE, Iowa City, Iowa. The purpose of the open house is to informally meet with individuals and groups to discuss the proposed Coralville Lake Shoreline Management Plan revisions. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about how the Corps will manage private development (i.e. boat docks, paths, steps) on public lands and waters. They can ask questions and provide comments to the plan prior to it being formally approved and adopted. During the open house, maps showing current and proposed changes to shoreline zoning will be available for viewing and comment. Corps staff will be available throughout the event to answer questions and discuss the proposed changes. Limited copies of the draft plan will be available at the open house so we recommend it be viewed prior to the meeting via our website or at the Lake Office. The Shoreline Management Plan is not a plan for flood risk management or water level management associated with major facilities such as a dam, gates, a spillway or outlet works. These items are addressed in other documents. For the latest information on the Shoreline Management Plan or to submit comments, please visit www.coralvillelake.org. Interested parties may contact the Coralville Lake Office by mail at: Coralville Lake, 2850 Prairie Du Chien Road NE, Iowa City, IA 52240-7820; by email: coralville.lake@usace.army.mil; or telephone: (319) 338-3543, ext. 6300. We have independently selected these offers and products because we love them and we think you might like them at these prices. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may earn a commission if you buy something through our links. Items are Please enable JavaScript to experience the functionality of this website. - MWEB Sarkodie should have been bigger than ... Columbia Dollar General special meeting by the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors View Photos View Video Columbia, CA Hundreds packed the Columbia Elementary School Gymnasium to make sure their voices were heard regarding the proposed Dollar General store. Nearly 30 people in the crowd wore yellow sashes declaring Keep Columbia Historic making it very evident their opposition to the proposed nearly 9,100 sq. ft. retail store to be built along Parrotts Ferry Road in Columbia. As reported in December, the Tuolumne County Planning Commission voted 5 to 2 against issuing a conditional use permit and site permit for the project. A decision the retailer appealed to the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors prompted Tuesdays special meeting. Four spoke in favor of the store, including the owner of the property, another Columbia business owner and Dollar Generals Representative from Cross Development, Joe Dell, who using a projector showed an updated blueprint for the store stating community suggestions had been incorporated into the new design. We were suggested to add the iron door look, add red brick, and add awnings to make it look like it belonged in the state park. Our intent was never to make the building look like it belonged in the state park, but to actually make it fit within the design guidelines as best we could for Columbia. We feel we have. Then it was the oppositions turn. More than 60 people stepped up to the microphone detailing concerns ranging from traffic, safety for nearby school children, and the impact on existing businesses. However, the main concern centered on the store not fitting in with the towns historic look. Sharon Marovich with the Tuolumne Heritage Committee told the supervisors, As you consider Dollar Generals appeal, please keep in mind that the gateway to the park [Columbia State Historic Park] deserves to be protected from garish, modern and inappropriate building and sign. She noted, Please pay no attention to the siren song of the potential tax dollars trotted out by developers with poorly planned projects. Columbias ambiance and history are priceless. She is the gem of the southern mines and not a cash register for a Tennessee company. Columbia resident Ken Velenta had no trouble speaking his mind as he turned to the developers stating, Look around you. We dont want your store here. With that, the crowd erupted in cheering and clapping. The developer, in a last ditch effort, offered to cut down on the size of the building, which brought plenty of jeers from the crowd. After nearly four hours of discussion, it did not take the board long to make its decision, with District 1 Supervisor Sherri Brennan summing it up saying, Columbia State Park isas significant to California history as Yosemite National Park is to natural resources. I heard someone mention putting a Walmart in Yosemite. I dont think any of us would really ever dream of that. Brennan went on to say, I have not been convinced that this project meets the design review for Columbia I have not been convinced in a way that I would overturn the decision that the planning commission made. The final vote was 3-0 with Supervisors Randy Hanvelt, Evan Royce and Sherri Brennan all opposed to the project. Supervisor Karl Rodefer, who represents District 5, which includes Columbia and District 4 Supervisor John Gray were not at the meeting. As previously reported, both had recused themselves due to conflicts of interest. Groveland, CA This morning the Mother Lode lost a planning commissioner, chamber of commerce and visitors bureau director and one of its most gracious innkeepers all at once. While Clarke Broadcasting is still gathering details, news of Peggy Moselys sudden passing is just now circulating around Tuolumne County, her home for well over two decades, where she made her energy and enthusiasm for the Mother Lode known. Many agree, by all accounts, our community is richer for it. The Tennessee-born owner/innkeeper of The historic Groveland Hotel was known as much for her work to restore the property to its Old West grandeur as her knack for making guests and members of the community feel at home. A former aerospace manager, private plane owner and pilot, Mosely, who earned The Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence for her inns wine cellar selection, enjoyed talking with folks about wine, her teen years attending high school with Elvis Presley, local lore, and numerous other subjects. Informed within the past hour of Moselys death, District 4 Supervisor John Gray, states, Peggy was a great community supporter. She did a lot of things within the community to help people, help different organizations she was always there when you needed her. When I [recently] asked her if she would be interested in serving on the Tuolumne County Planning Commission, she really stepped up and although she was only able to attend a few meetings, her presence was certainly well-received. I am certainly going to miss Peggy and I know that people in the community will miss her also. Gray shares that Mosely recently underwent heart surgery to replace a valve and that he had talked with her over the phone within the past two weeks. He adds that they had also been trading emails up until a few days ago, and that he thought it unusual when she stopped responding. Funeral service information has yet to be announced. February is Crossing Guard Awareness Month, and police and deputies in Orange County are working to improve pedestrian safety. The Orlando Police Department and the Orange County Sheriffs Office have joined forces for Operation Best Foot Forward. During the operation, plain-clothes officers crossed streets at numerous crosswalks in the county to crack down on motorists who fail to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks. The program hopes to enhance driver awareness and help keep pedestrians safer. For officers, its an eye-opening assignment. "There have been a few times where I've been very close to getting hit and that's why you know we have to pay attention. We try to make eye contact with the driver so they know that we're crossing and to be on our toes in case we need to jump back," Orlando Police Sgt. Jerry Goglas said. The long-term goal is to cut pedestrian injuries in half in 10 years. What is the Law for drivers yielding to pedestrians? Just one week after a nearly 9-foot anaconda was found in a Brevard County neighborhood, Florida wildlife officials are asking for the public's help in reporting who might be breeding or buying these nonnative pets. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the stomach contents of the green anaconda indicated it had recently eaten a domestic rat, suggesting that the snake was recently a pet. In early December, another green anaconda was found off the St. Johns River in Brevard County. Green anacondas are nonvenomous but considered the largest snake in the world, according to FWC. Both snakes were euthanized, but only the most recent one underwent a necropsy. However, neither that snake nor the one found along the St. Johns were microchipped, which is a FWC requirement for green anacondas because they are illegal to have unless properly permitted. Now, the FWC is asking for the publics help finding who owned or owns these snakes. "Anacondas can get up to 26 feet, but they are nonvenomous. We just don't want them to be here populating," FWC spokesman Lenny Salberg said. "So we want to take them out as quickly as we can." Typically, anacondas don't do well this far north, because it gets too cold for them. So it's unclear whether they would survive or be able to breed in the wild. However, the FWC doesn't want to take the chance. They are asking for anyone who knows of the possible illegal breeding, possession or release of anacondas or other nonnative snakes to call their wildlife alert hotline at 1-888-404-3922 or email tip@myfwc.com. A 74-year-old wheelchair-bound woman is among 10 people arrested in a heroin ring bust in East Orlando. Two others are still being sought, agents said. At a news conference Wednesday, Orlando Police, Orange County Sheriffs Office and others joined the federal Drug Enforcement Agency in sharing what they uncovered after a yearlong investigation: a network dealing not only heroin, but cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs, as well. They dubbed the operation Deals on Wheels. This organization, were going to conservatively say, was moving about two kilos a month, said Jeffrey T. Walsh, DEA Asst. Special Agent. Guns, drugs and cash were confiscated as agents infiltrated and shut down the ring. Agents said 223 grams of heroin were seized Saturday, and arrests were made as recently as Tuesday. The group was bringing in around $300,000, agents estimated. While investigators are still sourcing the guns, they believe the heroin is from Colombia and that the drug dealing likely reached hundreds of people in Central Florida. Agents: Elderly woman the main heroin seller The operation was run from a home on Bowmaster Court, near Curry Ford and Goldenrod Roads. There, two convicted felons, Henry Torres and Miguel Ortiz-Ortiz, lived with a 74-year-old woman, Ruth Perez-Lopez. The elderly, wheelchair-bound woman was the main seller of heroin at the home, according to agents. The home was outfitted with a high-tech security system; metal bars covered the windows. After making the arrests, agents said that neighbors thanked them for shutting down the ring. Its an inherently dangerous business, said Walsh. It affects everyone who lives around them. Officials: Pill Mill crackdown fueling heroin rise As you all know, heroin is back on the rise, but this time its more lethal, said Deputy Nancy Brown, with the Orange County Sheriffs Office. In the late 1990s, heroin began to impact Central Florida with a high purity, low-cost product, the Central Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Director (HIDTA), Steve Collins, said Wednesday. Based upon that, Congress designated seven counties in Central Florida to be eligible for funding from the Office of National Drug Control Policy. HIDTA has sinceprovided funding for 33 agencies in the region, with an annual budget of $3 million per year. Now what were faced with again is another perfect storm, Collins said. Collins said with the crackdown on pill mills, addicts are moving onto heroin, which is more widely available. Its investigations like this that we need to proceed on and fund, and disrupt the command and control of these organizations, he said. DEA agents said that their new focus and approach revolves around tackling street-level dealers by working with state and local partners, like Orange County Sheriffs Office and Orlando Police Department. They hope that such partnerships can halt the heroin issue -- before it reaches epidemic proportions. Our efforts dont stop here with this operation. Well start up with another one, said Deputy Brown. Hopefully if we keep working together, citizens and law enforcement, well prevent that, added Walsh. The case is now being prosecuted by the State Attorneys Office. Almost a dozen people have been arrested as part of a drug ring investigation in east Orange County, several law enforcement agencies announced Wednesday. (Julie Gargotta, staff) An Ocala man who shot and killed a neighbor who intervened in a fight will not face charges, prosecutors said. The State Attorneys Office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit said Ryan Panzegraf, 33, will not be charged in the shooting death of 32-year-old Michael Thomas Ratliff. On Jan. 24, deputies responded to 5703 SW 108th St. at 1:32 a.m. after receiving a call about a shooting. When they arrived, they learned that Ratliff had been involved in a physical altercation with his girlfriend, Alyse Lazaro. At some point, Lazaro ran to her neighbor's house for help. The neighbor, identified as Ryan Panzegraf, came back to the house with Lazaro. Deputies say another physical altercation ensued, during which Panzegraf shot Ratliff in the chest. Ratliff was taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Prosecutors said they cited Floridas Stand Your Ground Law in not pursuing charges. A student brought a gun to a northwest Orange County high school Tuesday, forcing officials to put the school on lockdown so they could search for it. Officials at Wekiva High School say they were notified about the gun around 2:30 p.m. They say another student learned that a fellow student was hiding a gun in their backpack and reported it. The school was immediately placed on lockdown as deputies searched the grounds. They located the gun and arrested a 17-year-old student. The lockdown ended about an hour later. Some parents are upset however, saying they did not get the call alerting them of a safety concern until after the lockdown was over. "We should've been informed as soon as the situation transpired," said parent Melody Davis. The school's principal sent out the audio message after the lockdown was lifted. In it, she says the weapon was never used in a threatening manner. All after-school activities were canceled for the day. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders powered to victory in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, avenging their Iowa losses to keep the mad scramble of the 2016 presidential campaign alive with dozens of contests to come. A knot of Republicans fought it out for second, an important perch as the campaign goes national, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich breaking through ahead of Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Iowa winner Ted Cruz. It was a disappointing night both for Rubio and his tormentor in the latest Republican debate, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. Election 2016: Latest Headlines, Voting Resources, How to vote in Florida Florida presidential primary coverage March 15 starting at 5 p.m. All presidential results plus your local races Tampa Bay local election results on Bay News 9 Central Florida local election results on News 13 Sanders, the independent socialist senator challenging Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, and Trump, the political neophyte and provocateur of the Republican race, tapped New Hampshire's occasional indulgence in political insurgencies to prevail in the nation's second contest for the nomination. Together they are would-be slayers of the political establishment, and a loss for either one would have been potentially devastating to their hopes. ___ HOW SANDERS WON Sanders attracted a broad coalition of New Hampshire voters, gathering a majority of votes from men, independents and voters under 45, as well as a slim majority of women, according to early exit polls conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and the television networks The polls found that Clinton won the majority of those over 65 and those with incomes over $200,000 a year. The age gap first seen in Iowa, where younger voters backed Sanders and older ones, Clinton, appeared to be replicated to some extent in New Hampshire. After conceding to Sanders, Clinton said she knows she has "some work to do, particularly with young people." The exit polls also suggested Clinton has a struggle being trusted and relating to average people. Nearly half who voted in the Democratic primary said that between Sanders and Clinton, they thought only Sanders is honest and trustworthy. And just over 10 percent said that between the two, only Clinton shares their values. Clinton fell far short in New Hampshire after an unsatisfying hair's-breadth win in Iowa. ___ HOW TRUMP WON Trump capitalized on disaffection and outright anger with Washington, which was more pronounced in the Republican race, the exit polls found. He drew both from conservative and moderate Republicans. His hardline positions on immigration and national security appeared to help him as well. Although nearly 6 in 10 Republicans said they supported giving immigrants in the U.S. illegally the opportunity to apply for legal status, a large minority didn't and two-thirds of Republican voters backed Trump's contentious position that non-citizen Muslims should be temporarily barred from entering the country. ___ THE MAINSTREAMERS Rubio, Kasich, Bush and Christie struggled over who could consolidate the support of moderate or establishment-minded Republicans. Kasich finished second behind Trump, but questions persist about his ability to run a national campaign. Until his famously flustered debate performance at Christie's hands Rubio was seen as the man on the move, with a strong chance to outdistance rivals other than Trump. That didn't happen. ___ THE EXCITEMENT FACTOR Sanders and Trump had it, Clinton and most Republicans didn't. Gail Malliaros-Golec, 64, of Pelham, a Trump volunteer for months, said she knew things were going well when she saw the reaction at the poll site where she was helping out. When cars were pulling in, she said, people of all ages were "honking horns and thumbs up. People just almost causing accidents. Seriously." She went on: "It was like a drug, seriously. People were just so excited." For Sanders, the large, passionate rallies of many months finally paid off. Cait McKay, 29, of Manchester backed Sanders because he's committed to "building a better society for everyone" and "he's not taking the negative ads or the negative stabs at everyone." "I've seen so much from so many people," she said. "I'm excited about the turnout. I'm excited about my candidate." ___ CAMPAIGN IN TRANSITION The close-up campaigning in coffee shops and gyms in far-flung snowy expanses shifts now to bigger states, where those who come out of New Hampshire intact will need the advertising muscle and organizational strength to score big, fast and increasingly at a national level. What's next? Time to trade in those boots and head south and west. After Sen. Bernie Sanders and businessman Donald Trump cruised to victory in snowy New Hampshire, the presidential race sprints on to South Carolina and Nevada perhaps with a smaller cast of characters. A guide to what to watch for on Wednesday, the day after New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary: DEPARTURE LOUNGE: Iowa turned out to be the end of the line for four candidates: Republican Mike Huckabee and Democrat Martin O'Malley had dropped out by midnight on caucus night, and Rand Paul and Rick Santorum weren't far behind. Additional Republican candidates could well head for the exits after New Hampshire. The state was seen as particularly important for Jeb Bush and Chris Christie, who did not finish in the top two. CHA-CHING: Look for a surge in campaign cash for those with strong finishes. Bernie Sanders, who finished a close second to Clinton in Iowa, had his best fundraising day of the race after the Iowa caucuses. Cruz, too, had a post-Iowa bonanza. Now it may be John Kasich's turn. "We have a lot of people who have been promising money if we perform," said Tom Rath, a senior national adviser to the Ohio governor, who finished second among Republicans. "Tonight, we performed." CREATIVE WRITING: Candidate Bill Clinton masterfully framed his second-place finish in New Hampshire in 1992 as a big victory for the "Comeback Kid." Look for the 2016 runners-up in New Hampshire notably Kasich to use similar creative writing techniques to try to put a happy spin on lesser vote tallies. NEW HAMPSHIRE HANGOVER? Plenty of Republicans kvetched after Iowa. Ben Carson complained that false rumors that he was quitting the race, spread by Ted Cruz's campaign, had cost him support. Donald Trump agreed, and claimed he might have beaten Cruz otherwise. Who will harrumph after New Hampshire? PILING ON: Lower-finishing GOP candidates can be expected to gang up on the New Hampshire success stories. That's what happened to the GOP's Marco Rubio after he exceeded expectations with a strong third-place finish in Iowa. WHERE NEXT? South Carolina and Nevada are coming up in the next two weeks. Republican candidates were bound Wednesday for South Carolina, which holds its GOP primary Feb. 20, and Democrats to Nevada ahead of that state's Democratic caucus the same day. Those two states offer candidates their first opportunities to compete for a large and diverse electorate. But first, Sanders' heads to New York City, where he plans to have breakfast with the Rev. Al Sharpton. AD NAUSEAM: The presidential hopefuls and their supporters already are planning to spend $35 million in South Carolina and $7 million in Nevada on TV and radio commercials, amounts that will rise significantly as voting approaches. Big spenders in South Carolina so far are Rubio and his allies, Cruz and his supporters and a super PAC backing Bush, advertising tracker Kantar Media's CMAG shows. Trump also burst back onto TV there beginning Tuesday. ENDORSEMENTS: More will pop after New Hampshire. The Republicans who hang in there will try to snag endorsements from those who bug out. And others may weigh in. Among them: The Congressional Black Caucus political action committee promised to make its endorsement after New Hampshire. Republicans are wondering if South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will pick a favorite. Plans are being finalized for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services Regional Sorghum Program set for March 3 in Plainview. Danny Nusser, AgriLife Extension regional program leader for the North Region, said the free event will start with registration at 8 a.m. in the Ollie Liner Center with the last speaker slated for noon. "Art is good for the soul. Like chili on your food," said comedian and passionate art collector Cheech Marin, speaking at a special press conference at Amarillo's Museum of Art on Tuesday. The conference was to promote the Museum's new exhibit, "The Chicano Collection of Cheech Marin," which is currently on display until March 27. For more than 15 years, Marin's collection has been curated into exhibitions that have travelled extensively around the country in an effort to ensure that Chicano art has its place alongside all other schools of American art. "Chicano Art is American art," Marin said. "And you really can't love it or hate it unless you see it." Marin said he has loved art since childhood, explaining even at the young age of 11 he was a frequent visitor to his local library, engulfing himself in art books. The paintings seen at the Amarillo exhibition are part of Marin's noted collection of Chicano art. Marin, the entertainer, who is well-known for his work in movies, television and improvisational comedy, has been acquiring art for more than 20 years, and he has amassed one of the most renowned collections of Chicano art in private hands. "Chicano art is not based on a type of style. It's not a certain type of painting, like an impressionist. It's a description of a culture told from a myriad of different viewpoints, whether it's cultural, historical, gender-based or humor-based, or even abstract. And these viewpoints come together to make the essence of the Chicano experience in this country," Marin said. Marin has traveled and displayed his art for decades and has picked up pieces from other artists along the way. "The reason I do this is to share this art with you. I can't keep it all at my house," Marin said. Though Marin said Chicano art differs from region to region, the theme is universal. "I got turned on to the painters of Texas because of the other great school of Chicano art in San Antonio. It grew up simultaneously with Los Angeles and San Francisco," Marin said. Once he saw and compared the Texas pieces, Marin said he knew the same spirit was running through the paint. "I started thinking these are related, these are cousins. One is a country cousin, one's a more city cousin. There's the same DNA running through these and they're describing the same thing," Marin said. What they were describing was a culture that was a satellite of Mexico, but something new; a culture that was equally informed by Mexico and America at the same time. "With a keen and eclectic eye, Cheech has acquired a collection of paintings by both established and emerging Chicano and Chicana artists," the museum described. An Evening with Cheech Marin, Perspectives of an Art Advocate was held Tuesday night at the Amarillo Globe-News Center. On Friday, the museum will hold an "art after dark" event with music, food and drink. Admission will be $20 at the door. Admission is free for the Marin Chicano Collection, which will be displayed at the museum through March 27. The Amarillo Museum of Art is located at 2200 S. Van Buren, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. The museum is open from 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free admissions are customary for exhibitions at the museum. Just a few short days ago, talk of the Zika virus, which is linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains and heads, primarily in Brazil and throughout Latin America, seemed like a distant problem. But thats no longer the case. More than 30 cases of the Zika virus have now been reported in the continental U.S. According to the World Health Organization, the time from exposure to Zika, to showing symptoms of the virus, is likely to be a few days. And the symptoms, which last from two to seven days, include fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise and headache. With 12 cases of the mosquito-borne illness detected in Florida recently, Gov. Rick Scott declared a health emergency in five counties in his state. Aside from one case, in Texas, Americans who contracted the virus did so while traveling to affected countries. However, a patient in Dallas was determined to have contracted the Zika virus here in the U.S., through sexual contact with a person who had recently returned from Venezuela. Making matters worse, Brazilian officials are being accused of hoarding disease data and biological material in regard to Zika. An Associated Press report revealed that international health officials were frustrated at Brazils refusal to share enough viral samples and other information to answer the most worrying question about the outbreak: Whether the disease is truly causing a spike in babies born with abnormally small heads. The AP reports, After the storys publication, the World Health Organization sent out a flurry of messages acknowledging that existing data-sharing mechanisms were deficient. Feeling the heat, presumably, Brazilian officials now say theyre sending a set of samples related to the Zika outbreak to the U.S. Zikas march is unsettling to see, of course, particularly for pregnant women or those hoping to become pregnant. And women in those situations are being urged not to travel to Caribbean and Latin American countries. Meanwhile, mosquito repellents are flying off the shelves as people attempt to keep the pests at bay. Unfortunately, it appears theres not much else we can do. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ELMENDORF VP Racing Fuels founder Steve Burns, the Mad Scientist behind the companys logo, started the specialty fuel producer tinkering with volatile chemicals in his parents garage. He now has a booming business with VP gas stations in 24 states and is aiming for even more. VP Racing Fuels has been a niche brand since the 1970s, well-known to racing fans and weekend garage tinkerers. It makes 70 kinds of fuel for everything from dirt bikes to drag racing or vintage airplanes, though even local racers may never have realized that the companys corporate offices are on San Antonios North Side. Racing provides the companys identity, but its recent rapid growth is mainstream selling products to people who need fuel for small engines such as lawnmowers, or who want fuel additives for their commuter cars and trucks. RELATED: An inside look at Rackspace's San Antonio 'castle' And for the first time, its also branding gas stations. Customers in 24 states can now fuel up at 100 VP stations. (For the full article, click here .) We always said the first 100 would be the hardest, said new majority owner and CEO Alan Cerwick, a former Valero Energy Corp. executive. It was Cerwicks idea to brand gas stations as a way to raise the companys visibility and increase the retail shelf space for selling products and hes leading the charge to persuade convenience store owners with expiring contracts to switch their branding from household names such as Exxon, Valero and Shell to VP instead. VP has taken what may seem like an unconventional marketing path, but one that fits its core customer base. It sponsors races of all kinds. Its mascot is a flame-haired Mad Scientist wearing a lab coat. The VP logo appears in racing scenes in Fast & Furious 7 and its employees have made guest appearances on Jay Lenos Garage. RELATED: This is where Rico's makes their nacho cheese, popcorn and other products In January, VP started sponsoring a monster truck in Monster Jam shows, with the debut of the Mad Scientist truck at the Alamodome. The monster truck made a stop Jan. 21 at a newly branded VP Racing Fuels station in McQueeney, which owner Phil Wuest recently converted from a Shell station. An image of the Mad Scientist now bursts from the canopy over the pumps. Theres a locked metal cage outside the store where customers can purchase race fuels. Inside, theres a retail display of fuel additives. As school let out, crowds stopped to take photos with the truck, meet the pit crew and shake hands with the Mad Scientist (a big-headed costumed mascot in the style of the Spurs Coyote). Of Wuests 15 gas stations, three are now branded as VP Racing Fuels, another is being converted, seven are Valero and four are Shell stations. He had reservations about switching to the VP brand and said he struggled with the decision. We were worried when we started that people wouldnt know what the deal was with the brand, Wuest said. But he figured that customers would continue to come as long as the facilities were clean, well-lit and offered cheap gas prices. RELATED: Drums, airplane wings and nude Burt Reynolds, what it's like to work at one of S.A.'s top design firms The VP brand is sold at chains that include NAPA, Tractor Supply and Auto Zone, and is filling orders to sell at WalMart under the SEF label. VP executives said the widespread use of ethanol-blended gasoline which can wreak havoc on yard equipments small 2-cycle and 4-cycle engines when it breaks down has created a larger consumer market for its products. The company is in hiring mode, and is putting up a billboard to attract applicants. It had 141 employees at the end of 2015, up from 108 the year before, and expects to grow to 183 employees this year. The big difficulty we have as a company is maintaining the culture while were growing, Cerwick said. About 10 percent of the companys sales are exports to Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Rim. It recently sent its first shipment of racing fuel to China. Bahrain and Moscow are among its two fastest growing markets. Keith Simmons, a longtime distributor of VP Racing Fuels products, stopped by Wuests McQueeney station to see the monster truck Jan. 21. It was a real mom and pop business for all these years, said Simmons. When I saw this gas station, I thought, Oh were turning into a real thing. jhiller@express-news.net Twitter: @Jennifer_Hiller Dallas-based JMJ Development LLC plans to break ground this summer on a 30-story luxury apartment tower along the River Walk in downtown San Antonio. The tower, named JMJ Towers River Walk, will have 201 luxury apartments and upscale restaurant and retail space, according to a news release from the developer. It will be at 120 Villita Street, across from the Riverwalk Plaza Hotel & Suites. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Monika Rostvold, the Texas State fine arts student who sat nearly naked on campus last semester as a live artistic performance against sexual assault, has carried out another piece that has the campus buzzing again. RELATED: Texas State student sits nearly nude outside library for art project on objectification of women In April, Rostvold became the talk of the university when she sat on the steps of the schools library wearing nothing more than a nude-colored thong, pasties and red blindfold. On Monday, she laid flat on a picnic table outside the student center wearing a bra, panties and covered in Chick-Fil-A waffle fries and showered in ketchup. Like last semester, students took to Twitter to share photos and confusion pertaining to the lunchtime incident. RELATED: Nearly naked Texas State student inspired sexual assault victims, received support from teachers Rostvold explained the reasoning behind her project in a text message sent to mySA.com. "I think the fact that food being craved and satisfied relates to how we satisfy our emotional and physical relationships now a days and just questioning, is this what we want," she said. In addition, she told Texas State's University Star she specifically hoped the discussion surrounding her performance would analyze the effects popular dating apps such as Tinder and Grindr have had on people's outlooks on relationships. People can take whatever they want from my performance, Rostvold told the student-run paper. Im very open to opinions (about hook-up culture). Is it good? Is it bad? Is it healthy? I feel like people were debating and talking about what I was doing, so it got people talking about it. According to The Star, Rostvold was "shaking with adrenaline" at the conclusion of her demonstration. I thought it was interesting how everyone came and ate right off of me, she said, according to the paper. That was very interesting that they were taking away a part of the performance. Tara Monroe, Rostvold's fellow Bobcat who also gained internet notoriety for driving a tiny Barbie Jeep around campus following a DWI charge, weighed in on Monday's happenings via Twitter. "Thank god for this chic fila b----. I'm officially yesterday's news," she said. RELATED: Texas State student rides her Barbie Jeep around campus after DWI arrest, Internet loves it Rostvold's initial live art performance sparked international attention and support from professors and peers, she told mySA.com in the days following. Ive got a few emails from teachers telling me it was a powerful piece, Rostvold said. They said theyre proud of the artist Ive become. mmendoza@mysa.com Twitter: @MaddySkye This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SAN ANTONIO John Lee, who fatally shot an unarmed man on the North Side last week, was not the only uniformed San Antonio Police Department officer at the scene, according to new details revealed in an incident report obtained by MySA.com Wednesday. Authorities had not previously mentioned the presence of a second officer, identified in the report as Officer Brian Bilica. According to police, Bilica did not fire his weapon and is still on patrol. Officer Lee said he believed Antronie Scott, 36, was holding a gun at the time of the shooting, however, the object was a cellphone. RELATED: SAPD chief: San Antonio police officer thought cellphone was gun before fatally shooting man The report does not mention Bilica's exact position at the time of the shooting, or whether he was inside his cruiser or on foot with Lee. An SAPD spokesman said Wednesday morning that a juvenile had been inside the vehicle when shots were fired, however Sgt. Jesse Salame, who heads the department's public information, said that detail was incorrect. Salame said the juvenile was inside an apartment near the scene at the time of the shooting. Scott's wife was in the car and said she witnessed the shooting. According to the report, Lee, an 11-year veteran of SAPD, and Bilica were sent to the 10300 block of Sahara around 6:45 p.m. on Feb. 4. The report said both officers were at the scene when Lee approached Scotts white Mercedes-Benz just before the shooting. The uniformed officers J. Lee #1205 and B. Bilica #0480 approached the vehicle to identify the occupants and locate the wanted felon. (Lee) exited his vehicle and approached the driver side of the (suspect vehicle), the document states. According to SAPD, Lee said that Scott spun around as he approached, and that he saw an object in his hand that he believed to be a weapon. In a press conference the day after the shooting, Chief William McManus said Lee told investigators that he feared for his life, and fired one round at Scott. SAPD spokesman Douglas Greene said Bilica did not fire his weapon, and has not been placed on administrative duty. His statement on the shooting is among many that have been collecting by SAPD investigators examining the case, Greene said. Lee was placed on administrative duty pending an internal investigation into the incident. mdwilson@express-news.net Twitter: @MDWilsonSA Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that a juvenile was inside Scott's car at the time of the shooting. An SAPD spokesman provided incorrect information that led to the error. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate McALLEN A former priest who was a suspect in the death of a McAllen beauty queen in 1960 was arrested Tuesday in Arizona. John Feit, who faces a murder charge in the death of 25-year-old Irene Garza, was taken into custody in Maricopa County,where he awaits extradition to Texas. We felt that we had sufficient evidence to present to a grand jury. It was presented last week, and they came back with a true bill, said Ricardo Rodriguez, the district attorney of Hidalgo County. Garza was a prom and homecoming queen at Pan American College, and the Miss All South Texas Sweetheart 1958. RELATED: Chilling photos taken by convicted San Antonio serial killer revealed On April 16, 1960, Garza visited Sacred Heart Church in McAllen where Feit who was 27 at the time was a priest. She planned to go to confession that evening but never returned home, her body was found days later in an irrigation canal. Feit, now in his 80s, long has been the subject of intense scrutiny in the murder of Garza, a faith-driven school teacher, but was never arrested until now. The case was reopened in 2004 and sent to a grand jury, still an indictment was not returned. RELATED: 20 cold cases of unsolved murders in San Antonio Rene Guerra, the former Hidalgo County district attorney, came under fire from Garzas family for his handling of the decades-old homicide. Rodriguez, who ousted Guerra as DA, was elected to office in 2014, in part, after pledging to revisit the unsolved case. The district attorneys office, McAllen police and Texas Rangers investigated the case against Feit. All I promised was that wed take a further look at it and decide whether we were going to proceed, Rodriguez said about his campaign pledge to the Garza family. anelsen@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District confirmed two more cases of Zika virus in Bexar County Wednesday, for a total of three. The first confirmed Zika case in Bexar County was announced last week. All three individuals who had confirmed cases are now virus-free, said Dr. Anil Mangla, the assistant director of the Metropolitan Health Districts communicable diseases division. All three confirmed Bexar County cases were acquired abroad, Mangla said. Three possible but unconfirmed Bexar County cases in recent travelers are under investigation. The Centers for Disease Control report active Zika virus transmission in Mexico, Central and South American countries, and the Caribbean. As of Feb. 3, there were 35 confirmed cases of Zika virus in U.S. states eight of them in Texas associated with travel, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Your browser does not support the iframe HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later. Though its not transmitted locally, Mangla said hes not surprised cases have turned up in the U.S., where he said officials began testing for the virus around the new year. Any time you test for something you're going to find it, he said. I'm not surprised that we have three confirmed cases, and I suspect that will go even higher just the fact that that we're testing were going to identify it. Zika is mainly transmitted through the Aedes mosquito species, which make up about a third of San Antonios mosquito population, according to Bexar County Emergency Management. The virus also can be transmitted from pregnant mother to unborn child, and transmitted sexually or through blood transfusion. Due to a possible link between infection during pregnancy and microcephaly in the infant, pregnant women are strongly advised to delay travel to Zika-affected areas. If travel is unavoidable they should take extra precautions to prevent mosquito bites. See your healthcare provider if you are pregnant and have traveled to a Zika-affected area within the last 12 weeks, Metro Health said in a statement Wednesday. Because the virus has been found to linger in semen, men who travel to areas that are affected by Zika are advised to abstain from sex or use condoms for three months after returning, Mangla said. The key is, because it's not locally acquired and because our mosquitoes locally do not have the virus, the risk is very very low, Mangla said. If youre not traveling, your risk is very minimal. Metro Health is in contact with local health care providers to make sure theyre up to date on the most recent CDC information, Mangla said. Metro Health advises anyone who develops a fever, rash, joint pain or red eyes within two weeks of returning from travel to Zika-affected areas to see a doctor. The department also has a Zika virus hotline, which can be reached at 210-207-8876. gkaul@express-news.net Twitter: @gretakaul SAN ANTONIO A woman was found with multiple drugs stashed between her thighs after police noticed she was walking stiff as investigators searched a vehicle she was riding in, according to an affidavit. Janice Salas, 28, was arrested early Tuesday on a charge of possession of a controlled substance between 4-200 grams. She was still being processed by the Bexar County Magistrates Office on Tuesday night. SAN ANTONIO -- A Bexar County Sheriff's Office detention deputy indicted last June by a grand jury on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge involving one of his children has been acquitted. A jury Tuesday rendered a not guilty verdict in just under an hour for Ronald Bailey, 39. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate McALLEN A former priest, arrested Tuesday in Phoenix in the death of a McAllen teacher in 1960 is fighting extradition to Texas, authorities said Wednesday. John Feit, 83, is charged with murder in the death by asphyxiation of 25-year-old Irene Garza, who was queen of her high school prom and was crowned Miss All South Texas Sweetheart in 1958. Ricardo Rodriguez, the Hidalgo County district attorney, said his office reopened the decades-old murder investigation shortly after he took office in 2014. Evidence was presented to a grand jury a week ago, and a sealed indictment was returned last Thursday. RELATED: San Antonio serial killer's chilling personal photo collection revealed On April 16, 1960, Garza visited Sacred Heart Church in McAllen where Feit, who finished his seminary training in San Antonio, was a priest. She told her parents that she would return after attending Holy Week confession, instead she vanished, her purse and a scuffed shoe were the only clues left behind. Her disappearance set off frantic a manhunt until her body was found days later in an irrigation canal. Feit long has been the subject of intense scrutiny in the murder of Garza, but was not arrested in the case until now. RELATED: 20 unsolved cold case murders in San Antonio Feit was indicted later that year for assault of another woman in Edinburg. He fled the state and was declared a fugitive before surrendering. But the case against him ended in a mistrial and in 1962 Feit pleaded no contest to aggravated assault and was fined $500. He left the church in 1972 and has lived in Arizona. For decades, the Garza case lay dormant until 2002 when former priest Dale Tacheny told authorities that Feit had confessed to killing a woman in Texas during Holy Week. Father Joseph OBrien, a McAllen priest, told Texas Rangers that hed seen scratches on Feits hands after Garza disappearance. Rene Guerra, then district attorney of Hidalgo County, took the case before a grand jury, which failed to indict Feit, who has publicly maintained his innocence. Guerra came under fire from Garzas family for his handling of the homicide investigation. Neither Feit, nor OBrien or Tacheny were subpoenaed to testify. anelsen@express-news.net Twitter: @amnelsen This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Mexican authorities have captured an alleged financial operator for Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman known as "La Patrona," officials announced Tuesday. Federal police arrested Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia in Culiacan, according to an announcement late Tuesday night. RELATED: 'Beautiful' cartel trafficker 'La Muneca' arrested in Mexico after fleeing Texas in 2013 Valencia, 55, was indicted in Illinois federal court on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering charges in 2014 along with several other suspected high-ranking Sinaloa cartel members including Guzman, according to court records. The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control added Valencia to its Specially Designated Nationals List in November, freezing any of her stateside assets. RELATED: Body of slain Mexican journalist found wrapped in plastic, handcuffed on side of highway Authorities identified Valencia as a lieutenant for Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's son, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar. Valencia, originally from the Mexican state of Michoacan, is also the sister of Manuel Fernandez Valencia, an associated of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and drug trafficker for the Sinaloa cartel. Manuel Fernandez Valenica is currently being held by U.S. authorities. RELATED: Photos surface of new Mexican criminal organization declaring war on powerful drug cartel Mexican Marines captured Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman at a home is Los Mochis on January 8 after a firefight that left one Mexican marine and six of Guzman's associates dead. Guzman's lawyer Jose Refugio Rodriguez told Univision last week that the drug lord is willing to plead guilty to drug trafficking charges in the United States if he is not sent to a "high-security prison." RELATED: 3 men arrested in connection with killing of 7-month-old baby, family in Mexico drug gang shootout jfechter@mySA.com Twitter: @JFreports The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is one of the least-noticed governmental entities in the Lone Star State unless a case becomes controversial. Justices on the court are elected to six-year terms. Three seats on the court are up for grabs this year, and, as usual, they are practically invisible. The appellate court was all Republican for decades until Place 2 Justice Larry Meyers switched parties two years ago. Meyers is the lone Democrat seeking the post, but three Republicans are seeking their partys nomination for Place 2. The contenders are Collin County District Judge Chris Oldner, Harris County District Judge Mary Lou Keel and Collin County District Judge Ray Wheless. Oldner and Keel both have solid criminal law foundations, but Oldner is the better choice in this race. The 48-year-old Oldner was a felony prosecutor in Collin County before being elected as a county court-at-law judge in 2000. In 2003, Gov. Rick Perry appointed Oldner to serve on the 416th District Court bench, where he continues to preside. Oldner is board certified in criminal law, and he has never been reversed. While serving as judge, Oldner has been active in the State Bar of Texas and served on the faculty of the Texas Center for the Judiciary, and he is a member of the American Judges Association board of governors. Oldner would be an excellent addition to the states highest criminal court. Four Republican candidates are seeking the open Place 5 seat, which is being vacated by retiring Justice Cheryl Johnson. The contenders are Bexar County District Judge Sid Harle; former Texas Supreme Court Justice Steve Smith, who is best known for his work in civil law; Burleson lawyer Scott Walker; and Williamson County prosecutor Brent Webster, who lacks judicial experience. We strongly recommend Harle, who long has been recognized as one of the best judges in San Antonio. Harle, a former chief prosecutor in the Bexar County District Attorneys Office, was appointed to the 226th District Court bench by Gov. Bill Clements. He hasnt had an opponent since 1990. Harle has presided over more capital murder trials than any judges in Texas and served a stint as chairman of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Harle also is an adjunct professor of law at St. Marys University and has taught at Alamo Colleges and the University of Texas at San Antonio. No other candidate in the criminal court race comes close to matching Harles qualifications and expertise. In Place 6, incumbent Mike Keasler merits his partys nomination for re-election. He is being challenged by Richard Davis. Kealser has served on the criminal appeals court since 1999, and his experience would provide stability to a court that has seen much turnover. Before his election to the statewide court, Keasler served as a Dallas County prosecutor and was named to the 292nd District Court in Dallas by Clements. Keasler has been active in judicial education. He will reach the mandatory retirement age of 75 in 2017 and would be able to serve only four years of his final term. Lenovo has refreshed its popular ThinkPad X1 Carbon for the year 2016 to enable greater productivity for business users. The third-generation business notebook features a chic, ultra-thin, lightweight design as well as brilliant 4K display, superfast storage options and powerful processors. Where to Buy Lenovo Laptops Jumia.com.ng34,500.00 View Offers Konga.com38,500.00 View Offers Design Last years edition of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon was described as both the lightest and thinnest by its maker. But the 2016 refresh takes things to a new level by parading a slimmer and lighter design. At a weight of just 1.18 kilograms, it is described as the worlds lightest 14-inch business ultrabook. It is lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air. The new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is thinner at only 16.5 millimetres. Yet, in spite of its slimness and lightness, it is built to withstand rugged handling considering the satellite-grade carbon fibre that is used for its construction. Lenovo claims the business laptop has undergone almost a dozen military-grade specification tests. Display When it is time to sit back and enjoy some movies or play games, Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon looks ready to support awesome user experience. Its 14-inch diagonal display boasts an impressive Quad HD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. The antiglare screen is based on IPS technology which ensures wide viewing angles of almost 180 degrees. There is also a Full HD IPS display option. Performance Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is equipped to deliver solid performance to enable business users get things done more efficiently. It is powered by a sixth-generation Intel Core processor (up to Core i7) with vPro, supported by very generous system memory of up to 16 GB. The ultrabook will boot the Pro edition of the latest Windows 10 operating system. For storage, zippy PCIe NVMe solid-state drives, which are said to be 2X faster than SATA SSDs, is provided. The capacity of the drives goes up to 1 TB. Other Specs and Features This ultra-slim notebook is designed to be perfect for on-the-road use with a battery life estimated at up to 11 hours. It offers three USB ports and a microSD card slot as well as support for WAN and OneLink+, which can be used for Ethernet expansion or dual 4K monitors. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon supports Skype for Business and offers solid security with a fingerprint reader and Trusted Platform Module (TPM). Pricing and availability Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon is not yet available in Nigeria. When available, you can buy it at leading online stores in the country. Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Price in Nigeria is expected to range from N250,000 to N450,000 depending on configuration. Yves here. If you are here pronto at 7AM, Links are still a bit light. In addition to being distracted by all the NH primary news, Lambert and I are tying to wrap up a small side project (as in related to NC but not post-generating). Should be closer to normal by 8 AM. New Hampshire Covered In Shadow As Floating Clinton Campaign Headquarters Takes Up Position Over State Onion (David L) Horses recognise human emotions BBC (David L) Birds Deliberately Spread Australian Wildfires Because Birds Are Dicks Gizmodo The Woman Who Makes Prosthetic Pinkies for Ex-Yakuza Members Motherboard (resilc) 9,200-year-old fish fermentation site found in Sweden UPI. Swedish Les: Proud inventors of marinated (rotten) herring Moi: This is called lutefisk and I gather you have to grow up with it to be able to eat it. SolarCitys stock craters on missed guidance, slower growth Fortune. EM: I recently overheard a fellow who used to work there describe Solar City as a financing arm with an ostensibly green-tech firm attached.' North Korean Satellite Passed Over Levis Stadium After Super Bowl Huffington Post Solar-powered drones could deliver goods in rural areas, charged by micro-solar home systems TreeHugger Americans more likely to die younger than people in other developed nations Boing Boing (resilc) So, People Are Getting Nervous About Germanys Biggest Bank Slate Eurobank Panic. I should write this up but I am too wiped. China? Refugee Crisis Argentine Deal With Holdouts Gets Closer Roubini Syraqistan Imperial Collapse Watch Obama Punts Controversial War Account to Successor Defense One (furzy) Big Brother is Watching You Watch US intelligence chief: we might use the internet of things to spy on you Guardian (margarita). Oh, come on. The whole point of the IoT is spying. The officialdom is just trying to persuade you that it really is a big consumer benefit to be able to tell your oven to start heating up before you get home. President Obamas military budget is still one of the biggest ever. Slate 2016. So what are the Clintons going to do the morning after New Hampshire? Double down or find a new strategy? Readers? And New Hampshire has probably produced the best possible results for Trump, by giving also rans who might have dropped out (Kaisch and Bush) some hope. So the likely outcome is continued jockeying for the Who can beat Trump? spot, with a resulting dilution of media and fundraising focus. Informed Citizens and the Mob American Prospect. On health insurance. Supreme Court deals blow to Obama on climate change Financial Times Flint Is Still a Disaster, But Obama Just Proposed a Giant Cut to Water Funding Mother Jones (resilc) Oil Goldman Sachs Abandons Five of Six Top Trade Calls for 2016 Bloomberg An SEC settlement with a twist: This time Monsantos executives pony up too Washington Post Eight Ways to Improve the Feds Accountability Bloomberg Class Warfare Antidote du jour. From Richard B in Birmingham, Alabama: This is Lucy the Wonder Dog, a rescue, now about 6.5 years old. She came into my life just before I was laid off and kept me sane through those early days of freelance and uncertainty. See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. SHARE iHeartMedia said Sherri Griswold Holladay has been named regional senior vice president of sales for the Mid-South Region. Ivette Galarza, director of operations at Redlands Christian Migrant Association, was elected board chair of the National Head Start Association. Events The Southwest Florida CCIM District will hold as marketing meeting at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at The Edison Restaurant, 3583 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. Information: 941-769-3316; rstruthers@ccim.net The Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers will host a training session workshop for local business owners and managers who are considering government contracting with local, county or state government entities at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Housing Authority's location at 4224 Renaissance Preserve Way in Fort Myers. Registration: https://goo.gl/INeChy Honors The National Consumer Advisory Board has named Pediatric Dentistry of Fort Myers' Dr. Tim M. Verwest one of America's Best Dentist for 2016. To submit your business news directly online, go to naplesnews.com/BIZwire or email news@naplesnews.com. One of Valentine's Day's enduring customs is to launch the annual Feast of Love with a dozen raw oysters on the half shell washed down with a chilled bottle of bubbly. The briny bivalves have long enjoyed a reputation as an aphrodisiac. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead) Doris Reynolds Let's Talk Food Doris Reynolds is the author of When Peacocks Were Roasted and Mullet was Fried and a four-part DVD, A Walk Down Memory Lane with Doris Reynolds. They are for sale in the lobby of the Naples Daily News. SHARE Oysters are among foods regarded as aphrodisiacs or stimulants to the libido. In just four days, we'll be celebrating Valentine's Day. This is a time when love, passion, infatuation, courtship and the thrill of the chase are paramount among those with a yearning for love, companionship and romance. Dr. Doris is not here to advise the lovesick on any particular snare other than food. It is my responsibly to pass on to you the effectiveness of vittles and wine in the pursuit of the mating ritual. The most notorious among the fabled lovers of his era was one the Marquis de Sade who was a master at his craft. Take to heart his wise and wonderful advice: "A good dinner can cause a physical voluptuousness." His cohort, Casanova, gave as much attention to his gastronomical conquests as his sexual smorgasbord. A study of his memoirs reveals that he beat a steady path, back and forth from the table to his bed, and food was his personal chose in his much-admired conquests of female chastity. Throughout history, sexual conquests and the rituals of the chase have created fascinating legends about the power of food and drink to incite love and lust. The use of aphrodisiacs go back to ancient times and live on to this day as a sure cure for those who want to but can't. Yet, over the years, I have searched culinary data and records and can find no evidence that these nostrums have worked. In spite of voluminous descriptions of food as helpful in the pursuit of love (or a suitable substitute), no documentary proof is available. But who am I to toss cold water on one's attempt to use food as an allure to seduction? There are numerous foods that are regarded as stimulants to the libido. Even the Bible refers to aphrodisiacs. In Genesis, mandrake is given a four-star rating, and ginseng, which is still popular, was a love potion as far back as 5,000 years ago. However, it is important to understand the difference between an aphrodisiac and a voluptuous seduction consisting of a dinner served in an enticing atmosphere with provocative music, mood-changing wine and a companion who is as appetizing and enticing as the food and wine. Aphrodisiacs, in order to be successful, require time while a Valentine seduction takes only scrupulous planning and plenty of preparation. Being a romantic and of the old school, I foolishly believe that true love needs no aphrodisiacs or other stimulants. One can fall in love while consuming a hot dog or a cup of coffee. When Cupid strikes, it is because of trust, passion and is nourished with kindness, tenderness and mutual respect. That glorious dinner and soft and romantic music just adds pleasure to the relationship that brings unbridled happiness and joy. Just in case you are in a dilemma concerning a relationship that needs a bit of encouragement I stand ready to share a recipe that has the proven ability to incite not only romance but the ultimate result: marriage. Marla Maples Trump found this dish to work like magic. I cannot testify as to its effectiveness and longevity. MARLA TRUMP'S LUSTY OYSTERS WITH GINGER AND LIME Ingredients 6 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature bunch cilantro, cleaned and chopped 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice 2 cloves garlic, roasted and peeled 20 shucked oysters, drained 1 tablespoon olive oil Directions 1 In a food processor, combine butter, cilantro, ginger, lemon juice and roasted garlic and process until smooth. 2 Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square of waxed paper and form into a roll about 1-inch in diameter. If butter does not hold its form, place in the refrigerator until it holds its shape. 3 Place the oyster under the broiler over a medium-hot fire and cook until firm to the touch, about 2 or 3 minutes per side. 4 While the oysters are still warm, top each with a teaspoon or more of the ginger-lime butter, which should melt over the oysters. 5 Serve immediately and pour a glass of the best Champagne. ASK DORIS Q: We have just moved to Naples and many of my recipes have been lost or misplaced. One was a recipe for a simple chicken salad made with tarragon, grapes and a yogurt dressing. Lynn Frochester, Naples A: This is the simplest chicken salad I could find, yet is seems very healthy as well. TARRAGON CHICKEN SALAD WITH CELERY AND GRAPES Ingredients 3 pounds chicken breasts, cooked and boneless, cut into bite-sized pieces 2 cups green, seedless grapes cut in half 1-1/2 cups sliced celery 4 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon Dressing: 1/3 cup plain yogurt 1/3 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 teaspoons sugar or to taste Directions 1 Combine chicken, grapes, celery and 2 tablespoons tarragon. 2 In another small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until smooth. 3 Add dressing to chicken mixture with salt and pepper to taste and combine well. 4 Add the remaining tablespoon of tarragon. 5 Serve on salad plates with lettuce leaves. Serves 6. Doris Reynolds is the author of "When Peacocks Were Roasted and Mullet was Fried" and a four-part DVD, "A Walk Down Memory Lane with Doris Reynolds." They are for sale in the lobby of the Naples Daily News. All proceeds of these sales to the Doris Reynolds-Naples Daily News Scholarship Fund. Contact Doris Reynolds at foodlvr25@aol.com. SHARE Warrior greenies, get out of the way. You've done enormous hurt in this world, you appear prepared to keep it up and it's time to allow people their health, their lives and a chance to fight back more effectively against mosquitoes that have been having at us from ancient times to right this minute. Those insects are presently doing their egregious harm in a new, emphatic way in Brazil and more than 20 other Latin American countries and territories. They are biting people and infecting them with a pathogen called Zika. The virus has been around for decades, but for the first time is believed to be causing a birth defect shrinking the skulls and damaging the brains of babies. It may also cause a syndrome that paralyzes people and it has even sneaked into the United States. The reported estimate is that 4 million people could be hit with Zika by the time we get to 2017. Time to use DDT maybe? Absolutely. As the scientist Robert Zubrin has noted, here is a pesticide that was used during World War II and later to kill mosquitoes and wipe out malaria and other diseases in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia, saving hundreds of millions of lives. Mosquitoes, fighting back, managed to develop resistance to it in some areas, but then something more dramatic happened, giving them an enormous break. Rachel Carson happened. Her factually challenged book, "Silent Spring," happened. The book said DDT, then being widely sprayed to protect crops, would kill off birds, fish and other wildlife and that some spring morning you'd wake up without hearing a single tweet but maybe having been cursed with cancer. That was in 1962. By 1971, Zubrin observes in a National Review article, we had the Environmental Protection Agency, a seven-month investigation and a judge ruling that DDT would not commit the alleged harms. It didn't matter. The EPA banned its use anyway, and another agency said we wouldn't fund foreign projects that used DDT. Other Western countries jumped in with one kind of ban or the other and it became harder and harder for malaria-plagued African countries to get the pesticide as some African scientists signed on in thinking its threats outweighed its benefits. The cost, some contend, has not been just a few lives, but millions upon millions of lives, mostly African children, even though the spraying would be slight and inside homes and present no wildlife dangers. For empirical evidence, consider South Africa. It banned DDT in 1996 and within a matter of years malarial cases had increased by thousands, causing 460 deaths in the year 2000. It reintroduced DDT and had brought malarial deaths down to 94 by 2014. It's true that some other heedful countries have had less success with DDT, sometimes because of inadequate funding, and have had good success with other techniques. It's true, too, that more potential ill effects of DDT have been noted, although there is still not the slightest hint of anything anywhere comparable to what malaria does. What's clear is that DDT is now needed in South America. As noted in The New York Times, one person who favors such weaponry against Zika is Dr. Lyle Petersen, not exactly someone in the uninformed sector of the population. He is the director of vector-borne diseases at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The people who have so fiercely objected to DDT are radical environmentalists who too often push the movement in awry directions and are now doing that on another issue. Some activists are reported by Reason Magazine to be protesting a Key West experiment in which the offspring of genetically modified male mosquitoes are born dead. Brazil is pushing ahead with a program that's succeeding, and meanwhile there's another GMO program that might produce mosquitoes that no longer transport diseases in the first place. Thank heavens for environmentalism it has done enormous good but also for the people who fight back against its extremists. Owner Gino Campobasso sits at a table in his new restaurant, Trattoria per Tutti, in the Ave Maria town center. David Shnaider/Citizen Contributor SHARE By Patricia Sette Gino's Trattoria Per Tutti of Ave Maria is a welcome new addition to our town, an Italian restaurant that's authentic in more ways than one. With its arrival, Ave Maria now has a restaurant whose owners have spent years in the restaurant business and who understand the Southwest Florida market. The trattoria, owned by Gino and Mary Ann Campobasso, is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week in season and has a winning menu that features pizza, sandwiches and salads and an array of Italian dishes. There's beer and wine to sip during your meal, and espresso and cappuccino to sip after. Gino Campobasso's enthusiasm regarding the restaurant's future is as expansive as his plan to extend into the former Scoopz next door. "We'll have a full liquor license and space for private parties. We'll enclose the outdoor section with canvas," he said. As I mull over what it is I find so authentically Italian about this place, I realize it's not simply the fine quality of the food or that so much is homemade, including the sausage, but how it feels like a family-owned restaurant in Italy, one where the locals go to eat and where the owner has a heartfelt need to see that you really, really enjoy your meal and want for nothing. As I interview him, Gino Campobasso displays a heartfelt need of his own that I should not go hungry, and repeatedly encourages me to help myself from his plate. Having Italian ancestry myself, I predict declining won't be easy, and I am correct. When I gently insist I am far too full for the tiniest pizza morsel, he responds, "Have a chicken wing." When Gino Campobasso arrived in Chicago from Bari with his family, just 13 and unable to speak English, he dreamed of making friends; when he grew up and owned Campobasso Construction Company, he dreamed of opening restaurants. "I cooked for family, friends. If there was anything to be cooked, there I was," he said. Eventually, he and Mary Ann moved to Florida and in 2005 opened the first Trattoria Per Tutti in Pebblebrooke. His interest in Ave Maria reaches back to the town's earliest days, when the roads were gravel, and the oratory was an excavated hole in the ground. Now he commutes between the two restaurants, but hopes to make Ave Maria home. "This place is different. It's like you go to heaven and then go back. How many people can say they have God as a neighbor?" he said. "He's watching over me from the church right across the street." The Campobassos, who visit Gino's family in Italy every year, recently had his mother come for a visit. "When I am working, she goes across the street to the church and lights a candle. Then she comes back here. Then she goes to the church again," Gino Campobasso said Although Gino Campobasso's day usually begins by 6 a.m. and ends 11 or later at night, he's never tired. Besides, he says, the rhythms of restaurant life allow him time during the day to visit with Mary Ann, who keeps the books and tends to other essentials. The support he's received from everyone in town is fantastic, he tells me, and he's grateful for the understanding people have shown while he's been training fledgling employees, many of them from Ave Maria University and elsewhere in the town. Our interview winds down; I take some last sips of the espresso I've been enticed into accepting. A passerby remarks how tasty the chicken wings look, and Gino Campobasso lifts up his plate. "Take some, please," he insists. "Mangia." - - - More news and information about Ave Maria can be found in The Ave Herald (www.aveherald.com) which Patricia publishes along with her husband, David Shnaider. A screenshot from the video by Dan Sinclair and David Levin. Via YouTube By Maryann Batlle of the Naples Daily News State investigators are looking at a political operative who explained in an online video how he breached a Lee Supervisor of Elections computer server without permission. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Monday carried out a search warrant at the Estero home of David Levin, recent founder of Vanguard Cyber Security LLC. The state agency would only confirm there is an active investigation. Levin said he was on his way to work that morning when his wife called to tell him he needed to come home. When he returned, investigators were waiting for him, Levin said. They spoke with him for about 15 minutes, then began their search, he said. The state seized thumb drives, his Apple laptop, his Chromebook, his wife's Chromebook and their two smartphones, Levin said. As investigators went through their home, the couple took their young daughter out for a walk outside, Levin said. FDLE investigators "told me they appreciated my cooperation," Levin said. "I was eager to show them what I did so it can be fixed." Levin said that in December, he first "stumbled upon" a security gap in Lee Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington's computer system that could put voters' personal information at risk. Fresh off an online course that showed Levin how to check websites for security vulnerabilities, he tested the Supervisor of Elections site, Levin said. "I was expecting to get nothing," Levin told the Daily News. "To my surprise, it was wide open." One of the people Levin contacted in December about his findings was Dan Sinclair, who is running against Harrington in the Supervisor of Elections race. Levin appears with Sinclair on an online video posted Jan. 25 to a YouTube account under Sinclair's name. In the video, Levin explains that he obtained the usernames and passwords of Lee Supervisor of Elections employees from an online database. Levin told the Daily News that the attack took him less than two minutes. He said the information was not concealed in code a common cyber security practice known as encryption. Levin then used Harrington's own username and password to log into an internal Supervisor of Elections Web page, he said. He attempted similar attacks on the Florida Division of Elections website, which worked, he said, but stopped short of obtaining private voter information. "I was shocked. I knew there was no putting Pandora back in the box," Levin said. Harrington says no sensitive voter information was compromised in Levin's attack. "We are very confident that we have good security," Harrington said. Harrington said she contacted the Lee County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office referred the intrusion to FDLE, which then started an investigation, she said. "We are going to see where it goes," Harrington said. The Florida Department of State, which oversees the state's elections division, said it "immediately referred the matter to FDLE." "Initial reports indicate that the Florida Voter Registration System was not accessed. We take all matters of online security seriously and will continue working with law enforcement and local supervisors," according to a statement. The Lee Supervisor of Elections race has five candidates, including Sinclair and incumbent Harrington. Harrington accuses Sinclair of using Levin's hack to mar her credibility. Sinclair said Harrington needs no help appearing incompetent. "She tries to deflect from the real issues, which is that she has massive (security) holes," Sinclair said. Neither side can agree on a timeline of events leading up to the FDLE investigation. Sinclair said that on Jan. 25, he told Fox 4 reporter and weekend anchor Warren Wright about the hack, before reaching out to the Supervisor of Elections Office. When Sinclair did call Harrington's office that same day, he had to leave a voice mail on another employee's phone line, Sinclair said. "She probably wouldn't have done anything if it hadn't been in the media," Sinclair said. "She's embarrassed." The Daily News requested a copy of Sinclair's voice mail. In an email, Lee Elections spokeswoman Vicki Collins said voice mails "are not kept once they are listened to." Wright referred questions to his news director, Eric Maze. In an email, Maze said the Fox 4 story did run on Jan. 25, but he is "unaware of when Sinclair reached out to Harrington's office." Harrington's office said in an email that the hack had to have happened "sometime prior to" Oct. 1 because that's when the agency debuted its new website. Levin said "there is no way" his intrusion of the Supervisor of Elections Office server happened as early as the fall of 2015. He said the agency's uncertainty points to further "incompetence" or a potential cover up. "They should be able to tell (when)," Levin said. Levin has been active in Southwest Florida politics for at least the last couple of years. He has served as Democrat April Freeman's campaign manager. Last year, he unsuccessfully ran for a seat on Estero's inaugural village council. Levin formed his security firm on Jan. 14, according to online state records. He said Sinclair is "doing pretty much what it takes to win my vote." "I guess you can say I'm a Dan Sinclair supporter," Levin said. But Levin said he acted independently to expose how Harrington and her staff are putting voter information at risk. Sinclair only helped get the word out and fix the problem, he said. "He certainly did get the attention of the supervisor's office." Before getting it, Terry Brennen had never heard of 'flesh-eating' Vibrio After cleaning up after Ian, Cape Coral resident Terry Brennen's scraped leg started feeling hot. Soon he couldn't walk. He's been hospitalized ever since By Melhor Leonor of the Naples Daily News In response to hundreds of comments and over 1,300 online signatures, Collier County school officials voted unanimously to push the start of the upcoming school year from Aug. 10 to Aug. 15. The change was mildly applauded as a compromise by parents in the audience who said that starting Aug. 10 cuts into their children's summer vacations, but who felt that an even later start date say, after Labor Day would have been preferable. In changing the start of the 2016-17 school year, board members also sought to deal with the domino effect of removing instructional days from the calendar. They also took the opportunity to entertain multiple requests from teachers, parents and students for other changes to the calendar. Those requests poured out shortly after school board members unanimously approved a calendar for the upcoming school year on Jan. 12. The next day, a petition on Change.org protested the early start date and in the comments, some also spoke out against a weeklong thanksgiving break and having to procure child care on early release days. Similar comments and other requests also landed on the email inboxes of school board members, in emails to the Naples Daily News, and later, in the form of messages through a district-run portal for calendar feedback. That portal received over 800 comments. The result of a lengthy discussion that engaged nearly every month of the academic year is as follows: Students will still have an early-release day in September, but it was moved from Sept. 20 to Sept. 23. The changes moves the early-release day from a Tuesday to a Friday, which board member Erika Donalds said would be easier for parents. Board member Julie Sprague and district staff sought to keep the early release day because it is an important day for teacher training at the start of the school year. In a win for parents arguing against early dismissals, the number of early release days was reduced from five to four days. The board moved to make Feb. 2 a full school day. It was previously marked as an early release day. Local parent Linda Sonders, who said that a full week off for Thanksgiving can also be inconvenient for parents who generally work on the days leading up to the holiday, also thanked board members for shortening the break. Students will now get a Thanksgiving break from Nov. 23 through Nov. 25. Similarly, students' winter break will start Dec. 22. The previously approved calendar kicked off the district's winter break on Dec. 20. School officials had originally made April 17 an off day for students and teachers to accommodate travel on the day following Easter Sunday, and now added April 14 as an off day to allow families to observe Good Friday. Local parent Mimy Von Schreink-Valenti said that school officials would better serve parents by establishing the school calendar two years in advance. Valenti said that many families plan their years in advance, and that for families where parents are divorced, significant lead time becomes a necessity. "In 2008, there were 365 days in the calendar year. In 2018, there will be 365 days in the calendar year," she said. "We already know when the holidays are. It would be really beneficial for families." FILE PHOTO -- Boaters gather on the southern end of Keewaydin Island on Dec. 30, 2013, in Naples. DAVID ALBERS/STAFF SHARE Curt Clawson By Bartholomew Sullivan WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson took to the House floor Tuesday evening to introduce a bill to permanently protect 17,044 acres between Naples and Marco Island and further south as part of the federal Coastal Barrier Resources System. It was passed minutes later on a voice vote. The area around Keewaydin Island would get federal protection "in perpetuity," and it reduces further development without affecting private property rights, the Bonita Springs Republican said as he stood in front of charts of the territory in the House well. It creates 40,000 continuous acres of protected coastal area threatened by storm surges and wind from tropical storms, he said. It also extends flood insurance to 1,600 property owners. "This is government doing something right for all stakeholders," he said and he told of the area's sea turtle nesting area, spoonbill population and tourism. "This bill will have a permanent, positive impact." In an interview later Tuesday, Clawson said it was a "huge" day for him personally since he was prompted to enter politics driven by concerns over water quality. He said the acreage is, to his knowledge, the largest transfer of land under the coastal barrier law created in 1982. Separately, Clawson also announced Tuesday that he and U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, learned that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will dredge Gordon River Pass connecting Naples Bay to the Gulf of Mexico, a scene of boating hazards for commercial fishing, charters and recreational boats. Clawson said that was a safety matter that he had pledged to get addressed. "It's a big day for Southwest Florida," he said. No companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate but it is expected to be this week. North Collier Fire District (Corey Perrine/Staff) SHARE By Greg Stanley of the Naples Daily News There will be no deal between Collier County commissioners and one of the area's largest fire districts over how to provide advanced life support to nearly half the county's population. Calling the North Collier fire district's latest settlement offer a "slap in the face," county commissioners decided Tuesday to not respond to the district's offer. No vote on it was taken. The fire district's certificate to practice advanced life support is set to expire at midnight Feb. 25. If it is allowed to expire, three county ambulance crews, working largely on overtime, will replace 14 fire district vehicles currently on the streets. County estimates say the contingency plan would cost taxpayers about $1 million more a year, because of overtime and equipment costs, and leave North Naples and parts of Golden Gate Estates with about 80 fewer paramedics who are able to practice a full gamut of procedures. "I'm just surprised and disappointed we can't seem to agree to function together better," said Commissioner Tim Nance. The district's proposal didn't fully meet any of the five conditions county commissioners said were necessary in granting renewal of the district's certificate, said Walter Kopka, chief of the county's emergency medical services department, which runs all ambulances in Collier County. The two sides are furthest apart on two key issues, Kopka said: putting the county's medical director in charge and agreeing to the county's standards on medic ride-time requirements how long and when medics have to remain in an ambulance during a call. In their settlement proposal, fire district officials did agree to hire the county's medical director, but only under the condition that the district's medical director remain on as the deputy medical director. Under the language of the proposal it would be the deputy director not the county's medical director who would be in charge of running the fire district's paramedic program. "It's really needs to be the county medical director who is responsible for determining what procedures each level of responder provides," Kopka said. "But looking at the district's response, they want to retain that for district medical director." The fire district also wants to keep the status quo on ride-times, where fire paramedics only ride with a patient to the hospital if they, themselves, started advanced life support on that patient or if a county paramedic needs the extra pair of hands and requests it. The county would like the paramedic to ride to the hospital every time advanced life support is used on a patient. "It's a very important difference because that's not only an extra set of hands in the ambulance for a patient, but there's a training component to that as well for the medic," Kopka said. North Collier Fire Chief Orly Stolts it's a waste of resources to send a medic to the hospital when it's not necessary. Stolts and several commissioners said they don't expect a deal to be reached before the district's license expires. The matter will likely only be settled through the courts, Stolts said. "We met their requirements," he said. "I'm proud my board was willing to do that because it wasn't easy. I have big concerns about what's going to happen now, because they're using three vehicles to replace the 14 vehicles we have. How can they give the same level of service?" County commissioners had granted the district an annual certificate to train and provide its own medics in each of the past five years. But the commission voted 3-2 not to renew the license this year, saying it fragments care by providing different standards for patient care and medic training in different parts of the county. Fire officials sued the county last month, saying commissioners never gave them a fair hearing, and asked a judge to order commissioners to renew their medic certificate. To practice advanced life support the fire district needs to be willing to comply to the training and quality assurance standards set by the county's medical director, Commissioner Penny Taylor said. "This proposal is just more of the same," Taylor said. "They're going to have their district medical director and pretty much do what they've done in past. It almost mocks what we've offered." In other county business, commissioners rejected a small but growing church's proposal to build its first permanent location in Naples. Summit Church, which formed 12 years ago in Estero, asked to build a 400-seat church on Pine Ridge Road near the intersection with Interstate 75. The proposal, which was supported by the county's planning commission, was opposed by neighbors who live on the small road just south of Pine Ridge who said the traffic, noise and parking from the church would upset the neighborhood. The church needed a supermajority of commissioners to grant approval, but fell one vote short with commissioners Penny Taylor and Donna Fiala opposing it. The neighbors, who had been promised by county officials in the 1990s that no commercial buildings would be allowed to creep into the neighborhood, were owed consistency from the county, Taylor said. "Folks built, purchased and expanded homes based on the promise that there would never be anything else but residential built here," Taylor said. "A promise is a promise. This just wouldn't be compatible with the neighborhood." But churches aren't commercial properties and anyone would be hard pressed to find a church that isn't in or near a neighborhood, said Commissioner Georgia Hiller, who voted in favor of the proposal. "The church I attend is smack-dab in the middle of neighborhood," Hiller said. "It's surrounded on all sides with very expensive and beautiful homes without the walls or buffers or any of the protections that (Summit Church) is offering and, believe it or not, it works well." Pastor Johnny Pereira said the congregation won't get discouraged by the ruling and will keep looking for a spot to build in Naples. "We know there's a place for us," Pereira said. Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush throws a snowball following a campaign event, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) SHARE Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. shakes hands with people at Norton's Classic Cafe during a campaign stop in Nashua, N.H., Monday Feb. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush steps off his bus as he arrives at a campaign event, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. speaks during a town hall meeting with employees of BAE Systems in Nashua, N.H., Monday Feb. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) By Bartholomew Sullivan WASHINGTON Former Gov. Jeb Bush has outraised U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in contributions from Floridians to their official campaign committees and to independent Super PACs supporting the candidates. But Rubio raised more in Southwest Florida for his campaign, Federal Election Commission records show. Bush raised $5.9 million in Florida for his presidential campaign last year, while Rubio raised $4.2 million. In the ZIP codes for areas near and including Naples, Marco Island and Bonita Springs, Rubio raised $314,804 to Bush's $140,636 from individuals, according to FEC reports that show contributions through Dec. 31. But in the battle of the independent expenditure committees, Right to Rise USA, the Super PAC supporting Bush, raised more than 90 times what conservative Solutions, the super political action committee supporting Rubio, collected in the Naples and south Lee County area $1.06 million to just $11,500. Super PACs can raise money from companies and businesses. The Right to Rise USA contributions in Collier County and south Lee County came in the first half of the year. The PAC didn't collect a nickel there after June 30, coinciding with a perceived "low energy" summer and fall for Bush. Retiree Bruce Sherman of Naples contributed $500,000 of the total. Conservative Solutions collected $6,500 from retiree Adele Nevins of Naples in May and $2,500 each from James M. and Patrice H. Schoonmaker of Naples in November. In raising its $30.1 million last year, the super PAC collected only 214 individual contributions nationwide, compared the Right to Rise's 4,490 for its $118 million take supporting Bush. Some of the contributions came from repeat donors. Terry Miller, a Republican strategist and former chairman of the Lee County Republican Party, said Right to Rise's inability to raise money in the second half of the year can be explained a few ways. First, when it was started, Bush could legally ask people for money which, as a candidate, he now can't. It was intentionally "front-loaded," he said. In addition, two political reasons explain the fall off, he said. "I do believe his lackluster performance and his inability to gain any ground has certainly affected his ability, or that political committee's ability, to fundraise," Miller said. "The donor class is not willing to invest into that until they see Jeb getting a little wind behind his sails, which I personally don't believe is going to happen." Miller said some donors are upset that the PAC was used to go after Rubio with negative television commercials. "There was some serious fallout amongst a lot of his donors that that PAC has been used almost exclusively as a Rubio attack dog," he said. Miller said contributions to Rubio's campaign committee reflects his relative strength among "the average supporters, the folks writing the smaller checks, the grass roots people." Chris Ingram, another Florida Republican consultant, suggested the fall off in donations to Right to Rise from Bush supporters in the Naples area might be that it had "tapped out that community," and is giving it a "breather." Donations in smaller amounts to Rubio's campaign committee were not a surprise since Florida's junior senator appeals to the grass roots, he said. Among residents who gave money to Rubio's official campaign committee were management consultant Penny Barbakow ($400); author Karna S. Bodman ($2,500) and dermatologist Charles K. Camisa ($257), all of Naples; Bonita Springs CPA Peter S. Burgess ($750) and Marco Island attorney Robert Burns ($257). Bush's Naples contributors to his campaign committee included Dr. Lawrence B. Bone ($500); Advocate Home Care CEO Philip Debiasi ($2,700); attorney Aaron Schneider ($2,700); Rooney Holdings executive vice president Kevin Moore ($2,700) and former Ambassador Francis Rooney ($2,700). Tulsa-based Rooney Holdings gave Right to Rise USA $250,000 in January last year and another $750,000 a month later, records show. At least 69 Floridians or Florida companies or partnerships supporting Bush each gave Right to Rise USA checks for at least $100,000, newly released records show. Some gave far more. One Miami health care executive gave the super PAC $3.1 million. For conservative Solutions, 14 Floridians gave at least $5.5 million in contributions of $100,000 each or more. Braman Motors in Miami gave it $6 million. Laura Perlmutter of Lake Worth, wife of toy and comics magnate Isaac Perlmutter, gave the super PAC $2 million. SHARE Mike Reagen, Naples Sorey supporter John Sorey deserves serious consideration in his re-election bid for mayor of Naples. Thirteen years ago upon our arrival in Naples, he phoned, out of the blue, and said he had an agenda; he read the news announcement of our coming to Naples and understood we were ignorant of Florida's ecosystem. He invited my wife and me to join him and his wife, Delores, for a day-long slog through the Corkscrew Swamp. But for nearly eight hours, John, a genuinely focused, data-driven, seriously balanced environmental advocate, taught us and explained the importance of preserving our water and ecosystem. At day's end, we were pooped, kind of amazed and very grateful. During the following 10 years, my respect and appreciation for Sorey's selfless efforts to make a difference grew. My job and the two key boards I served the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce and the Leadership Collier Foundation gave me an opportunity to work with business, civic, residential, elected and appointed leaders in our five-county region. In every encounter with Sorey, as his public service in Naples grew, he impressed me, challenged me and inspired me. Direct, very smart, always prepared, sometimes too serious but always honest and balanced, Sorey stands out as a very positive public figure. He sees the big picture and is passionate about advancing Naples our small, signature city with only 21,000 of the 322,000 year-around residents in Collier County while also genuinely caring about the necessity to try to work with all organizations and governments to achieve sustained progress. He is doing a good job and deserves every consideration for a second term as mayor of Naples. Over 100 women were involved in the success of the inaugural Fostering Change Luncheon held February 8 at the Kensington Country Club. The luncheon was organized by Event Chair, Rosemary Hammar on behalf of Friends of Foster Children Forever (FFCF). Proceeds from the lunch will help support the work of the unsung heroes in the foster care community the caregivers. Guests were treated to champagne upon arrival and then greeted by a jazz reception with unique boutique shopping followed by an exquisite lunch. The Style Show featured models, each with their own personal care-giving story, who modeled the latest fashions presented by Chicos from the Village on Venetian Bay. Master of Ceremonies for the style show was ABC7 news anchor, Krista Fogelsong. Sponsors making the luncheon possible were Chicos from the Village on Venetian Bay, eBella Magazine and FineMark National Bank & Trust. The mission of Friends of Foster Children Forever (FFCF) is to focus on the children they serve by providing targeted educational and enrichment opportunities that allow each child to fulfill their potential. FFC, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, works to fulfill the unmet needs of every child who enters, or is at risk of entering the foster care system in Southwest Florida. FFCF will follow the child wherever they are placed. For more information about Friends of Foster Children of Forever (FFCF) or how to help, visit www.friendsoffosterchildren.net or call 239-262-1808. Zonta Club of Bonita Springs will meet from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce office, 25071 Chamber of Commerce Drive, Bonita Springs. The guest speaker is Christine Ross, president and CEO of the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce and Executive Director of the Bonita Springs Estero Economic Development Council. In addition, the group will discuss its Free the Girls project and Woman of the Year Luncheon on April 20. The meeting is open to professional women interested in improving the lives of women and children locally and globally through service and advocacy. Admission is free. For more information or to RSVP, call 239- 434-5134 or visit facebook.com/ZontaDistrict11. Welcome to the Narco News Archives Narco News published original investigative journalism & analysis for 19 years (2000 - 2019) on the "war on drugs" from Latin America, and on social movements, community organizing, nonviolent resistance and election campaigns throughout the world. In 2001, Narco News won the landmark New York Supreme Court case, Banco Nacional de Mexico vs. Al Giordano, Mario Menendez and Narco News; this case extended First Amendment rights to the Internet and journalists who publish on it. The independent online newspaper did not accept advertising but cut a wide swath (Boston Globe), with "hard-hitting reporting" (Fairness & Accuracy in Media), that "broke a string of scoops" (The Guardian), that were "on the mark and well documented" (Washington Post). "The new, independent journalists of the Internet, as personified by Al Giordano" (Electronic Frontier Foundation), who "actually makes things happen" (Gary Webb, 1955 - 2004), invented "the platinum standard in Authentic Journalism" (Barry Crimmins, 1953-2018). You can read more of what the critics have said at www.narconews.com/mediacritics1.html. Here, free to the public, you will find two decades of reports in seven languages, including major drug war scoops by Bill Conroy, the censored San Jose Mercury-News "Dark Alliance" series by Gary Webb, early viral videos from Narco News TV, translations to English of Latin American and other international news stories otherwise unreported in the United States, in-depth reporting on the Obama presidential campaign in 2007 and 2008 by Al Giordano, "the prophet of the Obama paradigm shift" (Vanity Fair), and original reporting by hundreds of journalists from almost every corner of the planet. The nonprofit Fund for Authentic Journalism is currently rebuilding the Narco News site to fix broken links and graphics that too often on the Internet get disappeared forever as the technology of web platforms becomes regularly replaced and must be updated to preserve the history of early online journalism. We beg your patience as we complete this kind of archeological dig and repair of these vital reports and stories. Please consider supporting the preservation of real reporting through the nonprofit Fund for Authentic Journalism, via the donate links at our website: authenticjournalism.org. If you have tech skills and can volunteer to help repair and update this important historical record, please contact Al Giordano at al@organizeandwin.com. Thank you for your readership and participation in 19 years of journalism history and for your support as we continue to support authentic journalism in the present and future. The Fund for Authentic Journalism Tipperary hurler Noel McGrath has been named as the Tipperary Person of the Year for 2015 by the Tipperary Association Dublin. Ardfinnan scientist Dr John Ryan has been nominated to the Hall of Fame and both will be honoured at the Tipp Association awards ceremony in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel on Saturday, March 5. In spring 2015, the Tipperary and national hurling world was shocked to hear the news that Loughmore/Castleiney player Noel McGrath had been diagnosed with cancer. Tipp Association president Liam Myles said this week that the dignified way in which he handled his adversity, the courageous way he publicly acknowledged his illness and more so the way he highlighted testicular cancer and the need for males young and old to be monitored and checked sets him apart as a Tipperary person in 2015. Initially, and understandably, he asked for privacy for himself and his family and the time and space to be allowed sort out his trauma. The respect in which he is held was reflected in how well that request was adhered to. Later on and as he was undergoing treatment he showed great character in thinking of others worse afflicted. He supported the Movember Foundation and became an ambassador for the foundation and, through the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) gave of his time and energy to support the Childhood Cancer Foundation. In these roles and in a number of public appearances he has made a huge contribution to help break the taboo that has traditionally existed around male cancer and testicular cancer in particular. Despite his cancer treatment he returned to the Tipperary senior hurling squad and the reception from all sides - he received on his introduction in the All-Ireland semi-final against Galway will live in the memory of all those watching that game and showed the respect in which Noel is held. Noel showed all that is good about human life when faced with a challenge and he epitomised what the true Tipperary character is about, Mr Myles said. Hall of Fame nominee Dr John Ryan is honoured for his lifetime contribution to and achievements in the field of soil science, education and humanity throughout the world, working to improve the lives of people living in some of the most arid regions of the world and for his contribution to agriculture among the poorest farming communities. He worked in Beirut for 11 years at the height of the Lebanse war and spent twenty years in Aleppo in Syria working in agronomy research and with the poorest farmers. He has been recognised with many prestigious awards. Tickets for the awards ceremony available from Pat Ryan, 11 Foxfield Grove, Raheny, Dublin 5. Tel.: 087 6376663. Email: psoriain@eircom.net (As delivered) Good morning. Today and tomorrow, we will make decisions to strengthen our defence and deterrence. And I expect the Defence Ministers to agree to enhance our forward presence in the eastern part of our Alliance. This will send a clear signal. NATO will respond as one to any aggression against any Ally. We have already significantly enhanced our presence and readiness of our forces. Allies have committed the assets we need for air policing, maritime patrols and exercises. The first six small headquarters or NATO Force Integration Units have been activated. And we are setting up two more in the near future. At the end of last year, we agreed assurance measures for Turkey with AWACS surveillance planes, air policing, an increased naval presence in the Mediterranean and in the Black Sea and we decided to continue the deployment of our Patriot batteries to augment the air defences of Turkey. We are also doing more to deal with hybrid challenges. I am pleased to announce that later today, NATO and the European Union will sign technical arrangements to enhance our cyber cooperation. Our emergency response teams will have a structured framework for exchanging information and sharing best practices. This is a concrete example of NATO and the EU working together to counter hybrid threats. This afternoon, NATO Defence Ministers will have an exchange of views on how we take decisions in the face of hybrid threats from any direction. This will help ensure that we have the necessary tools and procedures in place. And it is part of NATOs continued adaptation. We will also take steps to increase the resilience of our Alliance. In terms of food and energy supplies, and transportation and communications networks. This evening, we will meet with the European Union, as well as our partners Australia, Finland, Georgia, Jordan, and Sweden. We will discuss how we can address together the challenges in our neighbourhood, to the south and to the east. During the course of this ministerial, we will also discuss how NATO can support Allies in responding to the refugee and migrant crisis we see in Europe and close to Europe in the Middle East, Syria and Turkey. We will do so based on an initiative by Turkey. Finally, the US has requested the use of NATO AWACS surveillance planes. This can be done by backfilling national AWACS capabilities. Thereby enabling the coalition fighting ISIL to conduct more strikes against ISIL. I expect that ministers will endorse a positive response to this request. Our military planners will then look into the details. We will conclude tomorrow by a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission. The review Georgias progress in delivering defence reforms and the latest security developments will be on our agenda. Now, Im happy to take your questions. Reuters: Today you are discussing the forward presence why should such a forward presence deter Russia when it has such powerful air defence bubbles in Kaliningrad and in the Black Sea? Would you consider a permanent force in the Black Sea? Thank you. SG: The increased readiness and the increased forward presence of our forces is a response and something which underlines that NATO is ready to defend all Allies against any threat regardless where it comes from. Our deterrence is based on this combination of forward presence combined with a strong ability to reinforce if needed. And what we are doing now is that we are both increasing our forward presence and at the same time increasing our ability to reinforce. This is a multinational force. And having a multinational forward presence is also a very strong signal of unity of the Alliance that an attack or any kind of aggression against one will be met by a strong response from all Allies together in the Alliance. So the forward presence of multinational forces is also a strong signal of the unity and collective defence of the Alliance. WSJ: NATO has defined modern deterrence as a small forward presence. Why is that important? Is it because a small force is affordable or are you trying to be less provocative to Russia? NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: This is because we believe that this is the best way of providing deterrence in a changed and new security environment. And we believe very much that we need to be flexible, we need to be able to reinforce if needed and we need this combination of forward presence and the ability to reinforce quickly if needed. And thats exactly why we are adapting and changing our defence posture. So we do that because we think that modern deterrence is this combination of forward presence and ability to reinforce and we are living in another time than we did during the Cold War when we had hundreds of thousands of troops massed along the borders, facing each other. We are adapting to a changed security environment. And therefore we think this is the best way to adapt to a modern security environment. German TV: Regarding the Turkish pledge: what can/should NATO do concerning the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean Sea? NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: We will discuss that during our meeting today and tomorrow. It is too early to conclude because I think it is important that we have this discussion among defence ministers. We all understand the concern and we all see the human tragedy and all the challenges which are connected to the migrant and the refugee crisis, which we have seen for many years in the Middle East but which has now become a great challenge for Europe. So, of course, when Allied Turkey and also other Allies raise the question of what NATO can do to help them to manage this refugee and migrant crisis, of course we will look very seriously into the request and discuss how we can follow-up and what NATO can do. Deutsche Welle: Have you been in touch with other NATO Allies concerning the German/Turkish request already? And in case there is a decision, is it more likely to be a reconnaissance mission by air or by sea to fight the people smugglers? NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: There have been different kinds of contacts and consultations but we will have a discussion among 28 Allies later on. The questions you ask about maritime capabilities or air surveillance and other kinds of capabilities that NATO possess are very relevant questions but I will not answer to those questions now because thats exactly those issues which we are going to look into and discuss and find how NATO is going to provide some of these assets or some of these capabilities to help cope with the refugee crisis to fight the smugglers. GEO TV: Black Sea security strategy. Romania calls for permanent NATO Black Sea forces. Is it possible to involve Georgia in this strategy? NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: NATO has already increased our presence in the Black Sea and we are following closely the developments in the Black Sea. We have increased our naval presence, we also have AWACS surveillance planes surveilling and being present in Romania, Bulgaria, and close to the Black Sea also in Turkey. We are constantly assessing the developments in the Black Sea including the implications for NATO and then we are adapting and thats exactly what we are doing when we are increasing our forward presence and also increasing our ability to reinforce and our efforts when it comes to surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence in that region. We also work closely with Georgia, a close partner. The cooperation with Georgia, especially when it comes to the implementation of the substantial package is part of a very close partnership between Georgia and NATO. And of course thats also relevant for the challenges that we see in the Black Sea. Amy Harmon Keith Kloor Tamar Haspel (NaturalNews) On September 23rd of last year, Washington Post food columnist Tamar Haspel admitted to receiving "plenty" of money from pro-agrichemical industry sources. (Story by Gary Ruskin, republished from USRTK.org .)Following her admission, I thought it might be useful to report on journalists including Haspel mentioned in the documents we have received from state public records requests.U.S. Right to Know is conducting an investigation of the food and agrichemical industries, their PR firms and front groups, and the professors who speak for them.So far, three reporters come up in interesting ways: Amy Harmon, Keith Kloor and Tamar Haspel.These reporters appear in the context of Jon Entine, who is perhaps the leading PR operative working to promote the views of the agrichemical industry, and its pesticides and GMOs. Entine is founder and executive director of the Genetic Literacy Project, which, along with the PR firm Ketchum's GMO Answers, are the agrichemical industry's two most visible front groups. Entine is also founder and president of the PR firm ESG MediaMetrics, whose clients have included the agrichemical giant Monsanto.Amy Harmon is a reporter for the New York Times. She was part of a Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2001, and in 2008 she won a Pulitzer for explanatory reporting.On September 23, 2013 at 7:44pm, Jon Entine emailed Renee Kester: "FYI, I think I've talked Amy Harmon into doing a Hawaii Hawaii [sic] story. . . and I gave her your and Kirby's email information, so she may call at some point if she indeed pursues this." Kirby Kester is president of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, an agrichemical industry front group.On January 4, 2014, the New York Times published a front-page article by Amy Harmon, titled "A Lonely Quest for Facts on Genetically Modified Crops." The story is datelined from Kona, Hawaii.In 2014, Harmon won second place for the Society of Environmental Journalists "Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding In-depth Reporting, Large Market" for "The Facts About GMOs," a series that included the article "A Lonely Quest for Facts on Genetically Modified Crops."On September 30th, Harmon is scheduled to speak to the Cornell Alliance for Science, a group funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to promote GMOs. The group is running a petition against U.S. Right to Know's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.Keith Kloor is a freelance journalist who has written for Nature, Science Insider, Discover, Slate and other outlets. Kloor has written many pro-GMO articles that have been featured by Jon Entine's Genetic Literacy Project.Kloor is mentioned in two places in the FOIA documents.In one email, Jon Entine refers to Keith Kloor as a "very good friend of mine".In another email, on October 18, 2014, Dr. Channapatna Prakash, a GMO advocate and dean at Tuskegee University, emails Adrianne Massey of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), along with several others, to forward an alert from Lorraine Thelian, vice chairman of the PR firm Ketchum that "the hacker community Anonymous is planning a series of attacks on biotechnology and food industry websites...Trade association and corporate websites of CBI [Council for Biotechnology Information] members are being targeted in this planned attack." Dr. Prakash writes, "Adrianne I have copied Kevin Folta, Karl von Mogel, David Tribe and Keith Kloor here as well."Dr. Prakash cc'd the email to Jay Byrne (former director of corporate communications for Monsanto), Jon Entine, Bruce Chassy (agrichemical industry advocate) Val Giddings (former VP of BIO), Henry Miller (agrichemical industry advocate), Drew Kershen (agrichemical industry advocate), Klaus Ammann, Piet van der Meer, Martina Newell-McGloughlin (agrichemical industry advocate), Karl Haro von Mogel (member of the board of directors of Biology Fortified, a pro-GMO website), Kevin Folta (agrichemical industry advocate), Keith Kloor and David Tribe (agrichemical industry advocate).Keith Kloor was the only journalist who received this email.The email implies that Kloor works closely with the agrichemical industry's prominent advocates.Kloor has written three articles that were critical of U.S. Right to Know's FOIA requests, in Science Insider, Discover and Nature.On March 23rd, 2015, Kloor gave a talk for the Cornell Alliance for Science, which is hosting a petition against U.S. Right to Know's FOIA requests.Tamar Haspel is a columnist at the Washington Post. She has written many columns for the Post defending or praising GMOs that have later been featured by Jon Entine's Genetic Literacy Project.In 2015, Haspel won the James Beard Foundation Award for her Post columns.In June 2014, Haspel spoke to a pro-industry conference about "How can scientists best engage the GMO debate with a skeptical public?" The conference was coordinated by Jon Entine and Cami Ryan, who is currently social sciences lead for Monsanto. The conference was led by two agrichemical industry front groups, the Genetic Literacy Project and Academics Review, along with the University of Florida, which receives major funding from agrichemical companies, as noted in a September 6 article in the New York Times.Haspel also moderated a panel organized by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, which "provides long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina through support of biotechnology research, business, education and strategic policy statewide."In a September 23 chat hosted by the Washington Post, answering a question about whether she receives money from industry sources, Ms. Haspel wrote that, "I speak and moderate panels and debates often, and it's work I'm paid for." Later that day, I asked Ms. Haspel on Twitter how much money she had received from the agrichemical industry and its front groups. She replied, "Since any group believing biotech has something to offer is a 'front group,' plenty!"Is it appropriate for a Washington Post columnist to write glowing columns about GMOs while appearing at such pro-industry conferences? Is it a conflict of interest for Haspel to accept money from agrichemical company interests that she covers as part of her beat as a Post food columnist? How much money has Haspel received from agrichemical industry interests?Some journalists have criticized journalists for "buckraking" on speakers' circuits. For example, former Washington Post Executive Editor Ben Bradlee said, "I wish it would go away. I don't like it. I think it's corrupting. If the Insurance Institute of America, if there is such a thing, pays you $10,000 to make a speech, don't tell me you haven't been corrupted. You can say you haven't and you can say you will attack insurance issues in the same way, but you won't. You can't."Haspel wrote in the Washington Post that she will only speak at events where "if for-profit companies are involved in the event (which they often are), they can't be the only voice. So, I will speak at a conference co-sponsored by, say, Monsanto and the USDA and NC State University, but not an event sponsored by Monsanto alone." However, at the June 2014, conference at which Haspel spoke, no consumer advocates were slated to speak, only pro-industry advocates.On October 16, Haspel is scheduled to speak to the Cornell Alliance for Science, a pro-GMO group that is hosting a petition against U.S. Right to Know's FOIA requests.Haspel has been critical of the U.S. Right to Know FOIA requests. On August 17, on Twitter, she wrote: "The money/time/brainpower wasted on @garyruskin's mean-spirited, self-interested attack on @kevinfolta! Can we move on to something useful?" Others did not agree with her news judgment. On September 6th, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Eric Lipton wrote an article largely based on our FOIA requests especially of University of Florida Professor Kevin Folta which ran on the front page of the Sunday New York Times. The article revealed how Folta, who repeatedly denied ties to Monsanto, in fact had received an undisclosed $25,000 grant, as well as writing assignments from the company, and worked closely with it and its PR firm Ketchum, which ghostwrote text for him and organized media and lobbying meetings for him.U.S. Right to Know is a consumer advocacy group. We try to expose what the food industry doesn't want us to know. We believe it is useful for the public to see how the food and agrichemical companies do their public relations work. That is one way we can help consumers to assess the claims and information they receive from the companies involved in our food production, their PR firms and operatives, and the journalists who work with them.See a full list of biotech "prostitute" journalists and academic shills at MonsantoMafia.com Read more at USRTK.org Zika crisis has false flag political terrorism written all over it (NaturalNews) The latest act of political terrorism on the illusory world stage is yet another alleged disease epidemic this time the "Zika Virus," which officials are warning (just like they did with Ebola) might turn into a global pandemic . And the martial law pandemonium has already begun in Brazil, where government officials have now declared that they can "legally" break and enter into people's homes and private property, if it's suspected that Zika-harboring mosquitoes might be living there.Reuters is reporting that Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has given the official green light to "authorized health officials" to violate personal property rights in order to address the alleged threat, which has been dubbed an "imminent danger to public health." As long as a property is either abandoned or the owners are not present, government officials can literally break in and enter people's homes without warrant or just cause It's a tired narrative that we've seen over and over again, and one that the global string-pullers think they can use at the drop of a hat whenever they feel the need to up their totalitarian agenda a few more notches. In the case of Zika, which appeared out of nowhere as a catch-all scapegoat for escalating rates of microcephaly and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) in newborn babies, governments around the world are once again inducing mass hysteria to strip more freedom away from the common people."Officials are looking for breeding grounds for mosquitoes that can carry the virus, which has spread rapidly over the Americas and particularly in Brazil," Reuters claims. "The World Health Organization is meeting on Monday to decide whether to declare a global emergency."But as Jon Rappoport ofrightly points out, this latest Zika crisis is eerily similar to previous fake disease scares like swine flu and Ebola, which turned out to be overblown, and possibly manufactured, crises designed to push an agenda. One of the most obvious signs of this is the fact that many of the newborns in Brazil that are being diagnosed with diseases or symptoms that the mainstream media is blaming on Zika infection,, Rappoport notes.The two conditions capturing the most media attention in conjunction with Zika microcephaly and GBS are actually conditions that arise from vaccine injections , exposure to environmental chemicals and pesticides , and use of certain pharmaceutical drugs . These conditions area product of Zika, and yet the propaganda distributors are making no mention of the more likely causes of this supposed Zika epidemic."The Zika virus, now being blamed for the birth of babies with very small heads and impaired brains, has been around for a long timelate 1940s, early 1950sand suddenly, without warning or reason, after inducing, at best, mild illness, it's producing horrendous damage?" Rappoport asks. "This is called a clue. A clue that scientific liars are lying."In reality, these unfortunate victims of the current Zika outbreak are more than likely victims of Brazil's gross neglect for public safety, which include its overuse of agri-chemicals; its widespread administration of the TdaP vaccine to pregnant women, despite a lack of safety evidence ; its approved release of genetically-engineered mosquitoes to combat dengue fever; its grossly unsafe pesticide manufacturing industry ; its failure to address widespread malnutrition and lack of basic sanitation; and its continued use of dangerous anti-mosquito sprays."Every fake epidemic is, in part, designed to create fear and induce blind compliance to medical and government dictates," Rappoport notes. "The germ is positioned as the 'tiny terrorist' in this stage play." Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. In a series Nature World News is doing on companies that use technology or recycling to aid nature, we're focusing now on a company that puts together unconventional bouquets. This unlikely florist became a business shortly after co-owner Meagan Chapman's father prompted her, "Why don't you start selling those wooden flowers?" You know, typical father-daughter banter. The result is Eco Flower, a business that saves items from the landfills and produces professional-looking bouquets made from materials that include (yep) wood, bottles, paper and clothing. The company launched in 2014, and it's been wooden flowers for sale ever since then. Other recycled items that go into or enhance these flowers are book pages, burlap, tapioca plant, bamboo, cloth -- and brooches. Certainly, why not. The company also works with local bars and coffee shops in Ogden, Utah to gather recycled wine and beer bottles, which serve as vases for the bouquets. Eco Flower creates bouquets for Valentine's Day -- sure -- but also for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, weddings, and event centerpieces. They're handy as well with the "I'm sorry" and "my condolences" arrangements, they say. And for customization, things can get creative. When designing wedding bouquets, for instance, Eco Flower has used pages from the couple's favorite book to make specialized petals. They also can make flowers out of photos. In terms of future growth, co-owner Alex Ledoux notes: "Our plans for 2016 are to focus on the wholesale side of things -- get into grocery stores, gift shops -- as well as put a larger focus on the wedding industry." Rather than throwing away old clothing, books, or bottles, Eco Flower accepts drop-off donations. If interested, you can call or email Eco Flower to schedule a time. Related Articles Waste Re-Use and Tech: Patent Awarded For Recycled Building Materials Electronic Implants in Plants: They Work and They're Electronic For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). -Follow Samantha on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13 Snowy owls, like Hedwig in Harry Potter, are tall, grand birds of the Arctic. They have cat-like yellow eyes, are about 21 to 28 inches long, and weigh about 4.5 pounds. And they are among several strikingly white animals that, like snowshoe hares, signal by outer appearance that they herald from a Northern land. These owls nest in summers on Arctic tundras across the northern hemisphere: in Russia and the rest of Eurasia, Alaska and Canada. The rest of the year, they often show up in flat, windy spots that seem to remind them of the Arctic. These wide-wingspanned (about five feet) predators are sometimes seen as far from the North as Texas and Florida, and in winter they tend to scatter across the United States' midsection. Starting in 2013, they've shown up in larger numbers farther from the Arctic in winter, and researchers have been keeping an eye on that. The birds have made appearances pretty often in the Boston area and other locations at that latitude, and they especially love the desolate stretches of Boston's Logan Airport. Norman Smith, director of Massachusetts Audubon's Blue Hills Trailside Museum, has been studying Snowy Owls since 1981. He regularly captures, bands with transmitters, and moves Snowies to areas away from Logan Airport. Along with researchers in Eurasia, Canada, Alaska and other areas, Smith is working to learn more about these majestic owls each year. 1. More snowy owls have been showing up farther from the Arctic Circle since 2013. How many have you captured and fitted with transmitters or otherwise studied at Logan? This year we've captured 28 Snowies, last year 49, and the previous year 120. In that year, in Greater Boston we banded 179 of these owls. In a normal winter, we would catch 6 to 10 Snowy Owls, but this winter and a couple previous have been very different than that. 2. Having studied the owls for this many years, what are your theories on why more of them are flying 3,000 miles and more from the Arctic Circle? During the winter of 2013-14, there was an incredible lemming breeding time in northern Quebec. Because lemmings are one of the owls' main food sources, they had much to eat. One owl nest was photographed with 70 lemmings in it, still uneaten.That was a normal-sized nest, handled by one or two parent birds. Lots of lemmings means that lots of baby owls will live and grow larger, then fly to Boston or farther, as far-ranging juveniles. 3. So you feel that the owls are in good condition when they reach here in large numbers? We've found that Snowy Owls generally are in good condition when they reach here, and after we put transmitters on them, we learn that they later make it back to the Arctic. When large numbers of the owls are around, many of them are young birds and they're usually in pretty good condition. 4. What first interested you in these owls? In 1966, Garry Van Wart, who was then the director of the Blue Hills Museum, took me to Squantum, Mass., on Marina Bay and we looked at owls with other volunteers. One of the owls regurgitated a pellet and we dissected it. I was captivated by that. I had liked raptors before, but I became very specifically interested in Snowy Owls. Each bird that you catch and band is as exciting as the first one. 5. What is most interesting about these owls? Where they come from, that they're here. It's intriguing that they come from the Arctic; they come for the winter here and then leave. While they're here, we've learned some things but still don't know other things. We have noticed for instance that they are nocturnal and eat waterfowl over the ocean at night. Using night-vision equipment, we've watched the owls leave the airport and return with a duck or a gull that they eat on the level ground at the airport. 6. What else do you like about your work with Snowy Owls? Since two years old, my children started helping me and became my research assistants, and now my grandchildren are helping. Now three generations are working on the Snowy Owl Project that we started in 1981. While my kids have other careers, they still help out with banding and weighing. One of my grandchildren who is five years old helps collect pellets and band the owls. My mission and goal is to get people to see what's in the world around them. Bringing children to nature in the beginning is the way to do that -- instead of only living in the virtual world with computers and iPhones and everything else. We want to get them into the real world, because it is totally different. Other organizations or collaborations of researchers studying Snowy Owls include: The Owl Research Institute Snowy Owl Working Group Project SNOWstorm Other coverage: Northeast States See Large Influx of Snowy Owls this Winter This snowy owl photobombed a Montreal traffic camera giving the world stunning images of the majestic bird.Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/1.3393343 Posted by CBC News on Thursday, January 7, 2016 For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). -Follow Catherine on Twitter @TreesWhales Hawaii's big wave surf competition was called off early Wednesday after predicted 40-foot swells failed to materialize, but Titans of Mavericks founder Jeff Clark says the surf contest near Half Moon Bay is still on for Friday. "Mavericks is depending on the same storm as the Hawaiian event," Clark said, "but (the storm) was never aimed at Hawaii. We are expecting big waves. It's full speed ahead for us." The sudden cancellation of the Eddie Aikau contest was a disappointment for Bay Area surfing fans who made the trek to Waimea Bay. The competition was last held six years ago, when swells met organizers' strict minimums. The Big Wave Invitational In Memory of Eddie Aikau event began in 1984, but there have only been eight times conditions have been ripe for the competition. "It's very sad," said Bay Area surf fan D.W. Smith. "I was looking forward to it and to see thousands of other people show up only to be disappointed made me feel bad for them as well." #Mavericks #Surf contest founder Jeff Clark says 'still on for Fri' even after Hawaiian event canceled: "Storm strong for #BayArea" RobertHanda (@RHandaNBC) February 10, 2016 Aikau is a Native Hawaiian surfer famous for riding monster waves and saving hundreds of lives as Waimea Bay's first official lifeguard. The swell approaching the islands this week is being fueled in part by ongoing El Nino conditions. "The storm was always going to be a 'glancing blow' for the Eddie Aikau contest, but a direct hit for us (Mavericks)," Clark told NBC Bay Area. The promise of the competition had drawn out throngs of spectators Wednesday morning before the event was called off. The two lane road that snakes along Oahu's North Shore was backed up with traffic as eager spectators rode bikes or walked to the venue. Parking was nearly impossible to come by for miles from the beach. Event spokeswoman and longtime Aikau family friend Jodi Wilmott told The Associated Press on Tuesday that surfers show up at the event to honor the legacy and generous spirit of Eddie. "The surfers invited to this event absolutely understand the prestige of being invited," Wilmott said. "It's about coming together to honor the most famous big-wave rider there has ever been and to do that basically at the Mecca of surfing." As a lifeguard, Aikau is credited with saving hundreds of lives from the dangerous surf of Oahu's North Shore, and he is said to have never had a fatality while on duty. He was a guardian of the bay and any other body of water he visited, Wilmott said, and fittingly so as he was a direct descendant of a Hawaiian high priest named Hewahewa, who was given the task of watching over the Waimea Valley long before Eddie arrived. "He really did share aloha wherever he went," Wilmott said. "He loved to share his own spirit of what being a Hawaiian was. He played music freely and told stories of Hawaii wherever he travelled." Wilmott said when the surf was too big for most in Waimea Bay and the crowds cleared out, Aikau would grab his surfboard and take on the biggest waves around. "His spirit was very caring, very accommodating, very peaceful, and when he would ride it was just a sight to behold," she said. Ultimately, however, Aikau gave his life to the ocean in a final attempt to save others. The 31-year-old Aikau was part of a team that was attempting to trace the route of their Polynesian ancestors from Hawaii to Tahiti aboard the traditional Hokulea canoe in 1978. The vessel encountered rough seas and eventually capsized. Aikau took his surfboard and paddled away for help. He was never seen again, though the rest of the crew was eventually rescued. Some of the best big-wave surfers in the world were at Waimea Bay to compete in the event, including Eddie's brother Clyde Aikau, who is the oldest competitor at 66 years old. He's also the only surfer to attend all of the competitions. The Santa Clara County Vector Control District will spray the skies over Palo Alto with insecticides on Wednesday in an ongoing effort to get rid mosquitoes, which are an increasing problem with the recent winter rains. The treatment is scheduled to start at approximately at 7:30 a.m. in the Palo Alto marsh areas and may continue in the afternoon. If needed, the operation may be extended to to Thursday. The helicopter may make low-altitude passes over trails surrounding the treatment area, so the public is advised to avoid areas where the helicopter is operating. Commonly called the winter salt marsh mosquito, Aedes squamiger lays its eggs in the moist soil in late spring and early summer. These eggs can lay dormant for many years, even after repeated flooding. High tides and seasonal rains, together with the short days and cooler temperatures of winter, cause the eggs to hatch as early as November. This species is known to bite viciously during the day and can fly over 15 miles from its breeding grounds to feed on humans and other mammals. These mosquitoes are known for biting during the daytime rather than dawn and dusk. They are known carriers of viruses like West Nile and Dengue, though not the Zika virus, according to the California Dept. of Public Health. The type of mosquitoes that carry Zika are not native to the United States, though they have been found in California, including in Hayward, Menlo Park and Atherton in the Bay Area. None has tested positive for Zika. If left untreated, a significant number of salt march mosquitoes will likely become adults in early to mid-March, based on current data. The mosquito fly-off may affect residents from the north coastal areas of the county to as far south as the southernmost part of the city of San Jose and east to Milpitas. The aerial treatment is intended to minimize the number of mosquitoes and reduce the risk of mosquito bites to residents in the surrounding communities, according to the district. The vector control district said that about 725 acres will be treated with water-based formulations of what they are calling environmentally safe products: methoprene, an insect growth regulator, and Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis. To learn more about the type of insecticides, click here. For more information about mosquito prevention, go to SCCvector.org or call (408) 918-4770. All three of the Santa Clara University students who had been hospitalized after they were infected with meningitis have been released in good condition, Santa Clara County public health officials said Tuesday. The three undergraduate students who became ill on Jan. 30 were found with the serogroup B strain of the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis, public health officials said. One of the students was discharged on Thursday but the other two had remained hospitalized until now. Public health officials said two of the ill students developed meningitis as a result of a bacterial infection and the third developed a blood infection known as septicemia. Clinics that were a cooperative effort between the university and the Santa Clara Public Health Department, with assistance from the California Department of Public Health, administered 4,923 doses of meningococcal B vaccine to students for free at the university's campus on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday. The vaccine protects against the serogroup B strain of meningococcal infection. Public health officials said the California Department of Public Health, which is using federal funds from the immunization program administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provided the doses of the vaccine for the purpose of outbreak response and control and will provide an additional 5,000 doses next month, when students return for their second dose in the two-dose vaccine series. The retail cost of each dose is usually $160, according to public health officials. Santa Clara University President Michael Engh said in a statement, "We are extremely grateful for the leadership and professional expertise of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. They have been invaluable partners in managing the situation on campus." Engh said, "Our students are our number one priority and the county has been right there with us helping to ensure the health and well-being of our student body." Although many Santa Clara students had to wait a long time to receive their vaccination, public health officials said the scale and speed with which the meningococcal vaccination clinics were set up is unprecedented. Dr. Rana Hajjeh, the director of bacterial diseases for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "We are very impressed with how quickly the vaccine was offered to students. This vaccine is a new tool that can help protect against serogroup B meningococcal disease." Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County's Health officer, said the clinics wouldn't have been possible without the dedication of staff members and volunteers who worked many hours of overtime, including during evenings and weekends. Cody said, "The short amount of time -less than 48 hours between the confirmation of the outbreak and the start of mass vaccination clinics - set a national record for this disease." She said, "I am very proud and grateful to think of the talent, dedication and sheer grit required to make these clinics happen." Police arrested a man, who they said was armed and driving recklessly, Wednesday morning in Berkeley, after he seemed to intentionally ram into a pregnant woman, other citizens and "several dozen" cars, perhaps as many as 30, in Oakland and Berkeley. The man, who police said is a 37-year-old Berkeley resident, hit several private and four police cars. Oakland Police Lt. Chris Bolton said that in Oakland alone as many as eight cars were struck, including two Oakland patrol cars near E. 23rd Street and Coolidge Avenue in Fruitvale. A woman was injured near 39th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard as well, Bolton said. Officers received a report about 8:45 a.m. that the suspect was "actively pointing a firearm at citizens in West Oakland," Bolton said. Added Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson: "Some witnesses said he intentionally looked at them and drove his car at them." Bolton also said the car was "being driven in an erratic matter." Stephanie Chuang Witnesses said the 55-year-old driver with addresses in Berkeley and San Pablo had been armed during the bizarre event, though the handgun was missing when police arrested him shortly before 9:30 a.m. near Ohlone Park in Berkeley on Hearst Avenue. Police said he ditched his car and was walking with his hands in his pockets. After initially ignoring officer commands to stop, the suspect was stopped when police fired a foam bullet at him, Berkeley spokeswoman Jennifer Coats said at a joint news conference. Police say the man faces multiple charges, including felony evading police and assault with a deadly weapon. The suspect's identity was not immediately made public, though Coats said he was known to the department. According to the Alameda County District Attorneys Office, however, the car is registered to a man with a criminal history. He was charged with felony vandalism in 2013 for smashing cars with a baseball bat, officials said. Watson urged anyone whose car was damaged during the spree to call authorities so that they can piece together just how many vehicles were affected. One of the victims was a pregnant woman, she said. Police arrested a man Wednesday morning in Berkeley, after they say the driver of a car seemed to intentionally hit a pregnant woman, other citizens and several dozen cars, perhaps as many as 30, in Oakland and Berkeley. Stephanie Chuang reports. Oakland police tweeted a picture of a the back of the man, who was wearing jeans and red sneakers, shown walking in handcuffs to an Alameda County Sheriff's patrol car. Oakland police were assisted by Berkeley police and the California Highway Patrol, who sent up a helicopter to spot him from the sky. The drama began about 8:30 a.m., and soon after, Bolton began tweeting about a "critical incident spanning multiple locations" in West Oakland. He said the suspect had "intentionally" struck a person and patrol cars. Police later described the suspect vehicle as a black four-door Mitsubishi sedan. Uber driver Duryea Tracy had just picked up a client when the suspect slammed into his brand new Chevy. "He was coming down this street pretty hard," he recalled. "It's crazy, but like my wife said, it could have been worse I could have been getting out of the car when he hit me." Watson said that someone called police just before midnight describing a similar car and suspect to police. Officers are trying to determine if the two are related. Investigators canvassed the area looking for the suspect's gun, but came up empty as of Wednesday evening. "We're all going to have to work together to try to figure out why he was doing this and what led up to this," Coats said. The investigation is ongoing and people with information are asked to call the Oakland Police Department Felony Assault Unit at (510) 238-3426. Note: Here is a breakdown of the methodology behind our data. On a Friday night in December of 2014, Mutahir Rauf was walking with his brother near Loyola University when two men walked up, showed a gun and tried to rob him. The 23-year-old, who was studying at Loyola to be a doctor, tried to grab the gun. Rauf was fatally shot, just one block from Loyolas main Lakeshore campus. Once I saw the tape going up and traffic being redirected I knew something serious had happened, Loyola student Ingrid Heider said. I dont think any of us could have ever imagined it would happen to anyone so close, let alone one of our students, Heider said. It was very shocking. Loyola University sent out crime alerts on the murder and posted investigation updates online. Loyola officials held a prayer vigil in Raufs honor. A memorial still remains, more than a year later. It really could have happened to anyone, Heider said. Yet according to the official crime report Loyola University is required to file each year with the federal government, Raufs murder did not happen. The crime occurred near Albion and Lakewood, which per the Clery Act, is not within the universitys reportable geographical boundaries, said a Loyola University spokesman. Thus, the Clery Act prohibits us from including that crime in the annual safety bulletin. Most every U.S. college or university is required to report violent crime each year to the U.S. Department of Education, as part of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act known more often as the Clery Act. This was named in honor of Jeanne Clery, who was raped and murdered in her dorm room in 1986 by a fellow student at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. Her parents, Connie and Howard Clery, came to believe that campus crime statistics were going unreported or under-reported, and they successfully passed a law in their daughters memory, requiring that any college that gets certain kinds of federal aid must make a full report of crimes on campus every year. As a result, parents and students can now easily look up a universitys crime reports online, and even compare prospective colleges histories of violent crimes -- like murder, rape, assault, and stalking -- and where they happened: on campus, in campus housing, and in other locations defined by the Act. This information can serve as a key factor for many high school seniors and their families, especially this time of year, as students focus in on college decisions. But NBC 5 Investigates looked at the Clery reports for six universities in Chicago and found that their reports vastly understate the levels of violent crimes occurring in and around the schools, because they ignore many crimes that occur in the immediate neighborhoods around the campuses crimes like Mutahir Raufs murder, which occurred right across the street from the school he attended. Loyolas Clery report for crimes on campus, off campus and in public places all record the number of homicides or deaths in 2014 as zero in essence, ignoring Raufs death. Under the Clery Act we are obligated to include crime in our daily log, which did occur and was available online for the mandatory amount of time, as required by the Clery Act, said a Loyola University spokesman. NBC 5 Investigates compared the reports for the six Chicago universities to campus crime logs and Chicago police reports going out two blocks from campus - since many students live, work and socialize in the surrounding neighborhood. By expanding the area to include a two-block radius surrounding Loyolas campus, we found a total of 84 reports of violent crime nearly four times what Loyola reported. For example, where Loyola reported two robberies, we found 19. Where Loyola reported five instances of aggravated assault, we found 16. And where Loyola reported one instance where someone was arrested for carrying a weapon, we found 22 crimes involving weapons. Eleven of those weapons incidents involved handguns all within a two-block walk of Loyola, and one of those resulting in the death of Mutahir Rauf. But Loyola is not alone. At DePaul Universitys main campus in upscale Lincoln Park, we found more than three times the numbers of violent crimes reported to Clery, including 79 burglaries within a two-block area (compared to DePauls report of 11 burglaries). We found 25 incidents involving handguns. And where DePaul reported a total of sixty violent crimes last year, we found a total of 187. Federal law requires that DePauls annual security report only include Clery-reportable crimes, said a DePaul spokesperson. This means that the annual security report will only include crimes that occur with Clery-reportable geography and will only include crimes that fall within specifically defined crime categories. The University of Chicago reported a total of 64 violent crimes in 2014. We found more than three times that number 233 on-campus and within a two-block walk of the school. Where U. of C. reported three aggravated assaults, we found a total of 31. Where U. of C. reported three arrests for weapons, we found a total of 58 crimes involving weapons, and half of those involved firearms. Im not surprised, said Anoushka Chowdhary, a student at the University of Chicago. Students know this. We are told to stay within the campus community. The Illinois Institute of Technology logged 38 violent crimes in its 2014 Clery report. We found a staggering seven times that amount including two kidnappings by going just two blocks out: Two hundred and ninety-two violent crimes last year, including the shooting death of an aspiring artist (not an IIT student) a block and a half from the IIT campus and two stranger-related kidnappings (which colleges dont have to report to Clery at all). The safety of our students, faculty and staff is a top priority at Illinois Tech, said a university spokesman. Illinois Institute of Technology reports any crime that has occurred on any of our campuses in the Clery Report, as required by law. Off campus criminal activity in the surrounding neighborhoods is reported and handled by the Chicago Police Department. Which means that serious, violent crimes that happen just off campus are usually not counted -- like the sexual assault of pregnant nursing student, just blocks from Chicago State Universitys campus, in the fall of 2014. She was putting some books in her car in the trunk and the guy walked up behind her at knifepoint. CSU reported 12 incidents of violent crime that year. We found 236 incidents within two blocks, nearly 20 times the universitys number. All of the universities tell NBC 5 Investigates that they report what is required under the Clery Law. Most institutions that participate in the Title IV, Federal Student Aid programs are in substantial compliance with the Clery Act, said a Department of Education spokesperson. Of course, the Department encourages institutions to exceed minimal requirements and to provide the safest possible environment for students, employees, and the wider campus community. The Department of Education also tells us they monitor and audit schools for compliance with the law. Its quite complicated, said Mike Webster, director of Regulatory Compliance with Margolis Healy, a consulting firm which advises colleges on what crimes must be reported under the Clery Act. The 300-plus page Clery handbook is supposed to help universities decipher the law. More of our clients are trying to do a good job. Its just the complexity is overwhelming, he said. Boundaries aside, we found the University of Illinois Chicago consistently underreported crimes in 2014 which happened directly on campus: Nine aggravated assaults versus 17, for example. UIC reported 13 robberies on campus, but NBC 5 Investigates found 19. UIC reported six motor vehicle thefts on campus, but NBC5 Investigates found 29. UIC provided us with this statement: Discrepancy with crime report totals from other sources may be due to differences in federal crime definitions (used by Clery) and the state crime definitions differences in how different law enforcement agencies tally crimes.. or precise location of crimes. And that often leaves students and parents to wonder if they are getting the whole picture, concerning just how safe a college campus may be. It concerns me because I think these types of incidents should be reported, said DePaul University student Ingrid Heider. MAPS: Loyola University University of Chicago [[368235121, C]] Illinois Institute of Technology [[368234491, C]] Depaul University [[368234201, C]] University of Illinois at Chicago During a town hall meeting with businesses and community leaders in Wheeling, Gov. Bruce Rauner discussed Illinois dire economic situation and stressed the need for the state to try to be average. Rauner toured facilities at IcarTeam, a Wheeling company that deals in industrial controls and repairs, before engaging in a town hall with guests U.S. Rep. Bob Dold and Lt. Gov. Evely Sanguinetti. During the meeting, Rauner said Illinois needs to bolster its economic growth and referred to Texas as an example of how to improve the states business climate. Texas is growing, Texas now pays their factory workers what theyre supposed to be paid, Rauner said. Were supposed to be the pro-employee and pro-union state. Texas is kicking our tail. Illinois has upwards of $100 billion in unfunded pension liability and has been without an official budget since July of last year. John Melaniphy, Wheelings Director of Economic Development, worked closely with the governor to bring Richelieu Foods Inc. to the suburb. According to Melalniphy, Rauner recruited the company personally. This is the first time the village of Wheeling worked with the governors office to recruit a business here, Melaniphy said. Richelieu Foods makes pizzas, said dressings and sauces. Their new 115,000-square-foot Wheeling manufacturing plant is slated to open later this year. Rauner stressed the need free up the resources to balance the budget by creating economic growth through government efficiency, not bureaucracy. Sanguinetti echoed these sentiments, promoting the consolidation of local governments. Illinois has more units of government than any other state, and thats a problem, Melaniphy said. Prior to polls opening for the New Hampshire primary election, a handful of Illinoisans traveled to the state to volunteer for candidates Hilary Clinton and John Kasich. Clinton won the Democratic Iowa Caucus last Monday, beating out Bernie Sanders by less than 1% and earning 23 of the state's 44 Democratic delegates. However, Sanders is expected to take New Hampshire. John West, of Chicagos Gold Coast, has been to five states supporting Hilary Clintons 2016 presidential bid. West will also travel to South Carolina, Texas and Illinois to support the campaign. The spirits phenomenal, West told Ward Room. Theres several dozen volunteers coming in and out [of headquarters] at all times. West also supported Clintons previous bids for the senate and the White House. Shes the most qualified, West said. Shes interested in party building." Helen Lattimore, of Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood, joined West this weekend to help the Clinton campaign by making phone calls and knocking on doors. Lattimore told Ward Room that over 10,000 phone calls were made in a day. Everybody was excited, Lattimore said. Kasich received 1.9% of the votes in Iowas Republican caucus and garnered the support of one of the states thirty available GOP delegates. Kasich is expected to have a more substantial showing in New Hampshire. Rep. Ronald Sandack, a republican representing Illinois 81st district, spent the weekend getting out the vote for Kasich. I was there over the weekend, Sandack told Ward Room. We think hes the best candidate in the field. Sandack lauded Kasichs willingness to work across the aisle and his ability to find common goals and effectively govern. Kasich previously served as chairman of the house budget Committee before becoming governor of Ohio. He had a meaningful and productive congressional career as the lead budget negotiator, Sandack said. Sandack also noted that as Ohios governor, Kasich cut taxes and created a budget surplus as well as 400,000 jobs. Sandack was joined in New Hampshire by fellow state representatives Ed Sullivan, Tom Demmer and Randy Frese. NBC Chicago will have live results from the primary this evening. President Barack Obama arrived in Springfield on Wednesday morning prepared to make history, becoming the fourth U.S. president to address the Illinois General Assembly. Nine years ago was Obamas last time in Springfield for the frigid February announcement of his candidacy for president. Springfield was just as bitter cold for his arrival Wednesday as it was then, but the welcome for the president was warm. "It's great to see so many old friends," Obama said at the start of his address to a standing ovation. "I missed you guys." Obama spoke on unity and bipartisanship before a body in Illinois that has been criticized for exhibiting neither characteristic. The address comes amid a historic state budget impasse in Illinois, something the president did not ignore in his speech. "When I hear voices in either party boast of their refusal to compromise as an accomplishment in and of itself, Im not impressed," Obama said. "All that does is prevent what most Americans would consider actual accomplishments, like fixing roads, educating kids, passing budgets, cleaning our environment, making our streets safe." President Barack Obama arrived in Springfield on Wednesday morning prepared to make history, becoming the fourth U.S. president to address the Illinois General Assembly. NBC 5s Carol Marin reports. The nod to the budget crisis in Springfield received standing ovation from many in the crowd. Most of Obama's speech centered around what he called "better politics" and the need to fix the "poisonous political climate that pushes people away from participating." He continuously emphasized the need for compromise between parties. "In a big complicated democracy like ours if we cant compromise, by definition we cant govern ourselves," he said, noting that "trying to find common ground doesn't make me less of a Democrat or less of a Progressive." White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Obama accepts that his call for better politics will be hard. "It is a lot easier to be cynical than to accept that change is possible," he said. "The president will again call on a politics of hard-won hope." Rauner said in a statement before the speech he looked forward to "hearing (Obama) speak about finding common ground between Republicans and Democrats." "Despite our political differences, the President and I share a passion for improving education, especially for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, a belief in the benefits of term limits and redistricting reform for restoring good government, and a strong desire to see more economic opportunity for all Illinoisans," Rauner said. "I know we can achieve great things for Illinois by having mutual respect for one another and focusing on bipartisan compromise to achieve whats best for the long-term future of our great state. Still, Rauner and other Republicans did not stand when Obama spoke of how collective bargaining is critical to the middle class. It has been nearly four decades since a president made such an address in Illinois, the last time being when Jimmy Carter spoke to the states lawmaking body in 1978. The difference in Obamas visit is that he is the first president to have served in the General Assembly and also address them. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin stood with Obama in Springfield when he announced his historic run for president and arrived with the president as he landed in Springfield. Working together, we can accomplish great things," Durbin said in a statement. "The promise of hope and change that President Obama brought to Springfield back in 2007 can only become a reality if we are willing to compromise and find common ground. Before President Barack Obama made his historic speech to the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield on Wednesday, he first stopped for some take out. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} President Obama grabbed lunch at The Feed Store restaurant in the Old State Capitol Square, located just a few blocks from the State Capitol. The eatery sells sandwiches, salads, and homemade soup, according to its website. AP President Obama couldnt stay to eat his lunch, but he still met with central Illinois residents outside The Feed Store as he headed back to his motorcade. He told a group of people that he bought barley soup, according a White House official. Curtis Means, a high school chemistry teacher, said he "skipped out to see him today, according to a White House spokesperson. Just about an hour before, President Obama stepped off of Air Force One at the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport and begun the farewell tour of his last year in office. Wednesdays speech made President Obama the fourth U.S. president to address the Illinois General Assembly. The last time another president did the same was in 1978 when Jimmy Carter spoke to state lawmakers. An Oxford firefighter was sent to the hospital Tuesday night after being injured while battling a house fire. Crews were called to a home on Christian Street around 9:30 p.m. for a chimney fire. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they were met with heavy smoke and flames, which had spread to the attic. Both people living inside the home made it out safely. One firefighter was transported to a local hospital for minor smoke inhalation and second-degree burns to his neck. The home suffered smoke and water damage. It is not clear whether the family can return. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Warning: The story below contains disturbing content. A Massachusetts stepfather pleaded guilty Wednesday to torturing and sexually abusing his two stepdaughters, and their mother pleaded guilty for allowing it to happen. Justin Ladd, 35, pleaded guilty to 32 counts of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, indecent assault and battery, open and gross lewdness and assaulting a person because of their race, according to the Essex District Attorney's Office. He was sentenced to 4 to 5 years in state prison, followed by 5 years of probation. While on probation, he will have to wear a GPS bracelet. His wife, Anne Ladd, 34, pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless endangerment of a child and two counts of permitting bodily injury to a child for which she has care and custody, the district attorney's office said. She was sentenced to 5 years of probation during which she may only see her children while supervised by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and if her daughters wish to see her. The two girls now 15 and 17 are currently in foster care. "While there is no amount of jail time that would reflect the utter depravity of the defendants' conduct, this agreement spares the victims the additional trauma of a trial," District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said. "As for these young women, who are true survivors, I hope that hearing these people who inflicted such horror admit their guilt helps them to understand that what happened to them was not their fault." Prosecutors alleged that from 2008 until 2013, while living in North Andover, Massachusetts, Justin Ladd repeatedly abused his two stepdaughters, whose father is Dominican, by telling at them if they "aren't white, they aren't right," ordering them to dance like monkeys, throwing them against the wall, hitting them with a hammer, belt or piece of wood, twisting their tongues with pliers, exposing his genitals to the girls, and threatening to have the Hell's Angels rape and kill them if they told anyone. He also reportedly had Nazi symbols painted on the walls of his home and would order the girls to give him the Nazi salute. Some of this conduct allegedly took place in front of Anne Ladd, the mother of the two girls. At one point in 2012, she filed an emergency restraining order against her husband after North Andover Police, school officials and DCF were made aware of what was going on. But she later failed to renew the restraining order, saying she thought the girls were lying. In early 2013, the Ladds were evicted from their home and moved in with Anne Ladd's family in Fitchburg. They were forced to move to New Hampshire in July of 2013 after Anne Ladd's father obtained a restraining order against Justin Ladd. Shortly after, Justin Ladd was arrested and the children placed in foster care. Fast, convenient and delicious. For many bigger towns and cities in Connecticut, the number of licensed mobile food vendors is growing every year! So how do they measure up? How safe are the working conditions and, more importantly, the food youre eating? NBC Connecticut Troubleshooter Jill Konopka has been digging through inspection reports for weeks. Bob Colangelo, of Torrington, said Los Garcia Mexican Fusion in Waterbury has the greatest burritos around! I could tell by looking at their truck that it's very clean, he said. One customer at Long Wharf in New Haven said, I think the food is really good. And in Hartford, near Bushnell Park, Dr. Robert Koorse likes The Whey Station. Ive only had it once and Im back, so that should say it all," he said. Dave Lanese, of the Waterbury Health Department, has been a sanitarian since 2006, and he and three other sanitarians in the city inspect mobile food vendors randomly at least three times a year. Thats why we do inspections unannounced, because if you give them any degree and they know you're coming, they could prepare for it, and you want to see what its like when youre not there, Lanese told the Troubleshooters. Last month, Lanese randomly inspected two trucks. Immediately he came across water troubles at Los Garcia Mexican Fusion. Lanese told the employees, Oh no, turn it on again, see if it works. You gotta try and get this water running over here." Inspectors follow their cities guidelines, along with a state health department checklist. Theyre evaluating for food source and protection, personnel, cleanliness, equipment and water supply. Lanese told the employees, You cant continue unless you get this going, cuz then you cant wash your hands." They are also measuring for proper hot and cold food temperatures too. Before the inspection ended, the water supply started working again. But that wasnt enough. Vendors must earn 80 points to pass. Once you get one four-point violations, you fail," Lanese said. They got three. "One for not having water, one for not being able to wash their hands, and the other one for improper hot holding temperature," Lanese told the Troubleshooters. If the temperature of cooked hot food isnt 140-degree, than you have pathogenic organisms in the food, and thats what you dont want, Lanese added. Garcia was fined $100 People can feel safe about this, because they dont even give you notice, they just show up and you have to be prepared, he said. Across the street at Hugos, there were limited problems. It took Lanese just a couple minutes to sign off here. Hugos earned a score of 97 out of 100. The only things they need to fix are getting a digital thermometer and fixing the exhaust fan. The Troubleshooters poured through thousands of pages of food truck and mobile cart inspection reports dating back to 2014 in Waterbury, Hartford and New Haven. According to the data, the top three food truck violations in the Elm City are: #17 (123 violations) Nonfood contact surfaces designed, constructed, maintained, installed and located. #27 (89 violations) Nonfood-contact surfaces of utensils and equipment clean And #44 (88 violations) Floors: floor covering installed, constructed as required, good repair and clean. The biggest offender in this two-year time frame, according to the Troubleshooters data, is Ixtapa Mexican Tacos, earning 14 violations on two separate occasions in late 2014. The reason we had issues was because of the refrigerator we were using at the time. We had to buy a new refrigeration system. In addition, we switched out our food trucks, the owner told the Troubleshooters. New Haven sanitarians inspect the majority of licensed trucks several times a year. In Hartford, the reports show inspectors stopped by food trucks unannounced mostly once, sometimes twice, per year. The top three violations found in other trucks in Hartford include: The highest, violation #2, with six total: original containers properly labeled. In second place, violation #7 with five violations total: food protected during storage, preparation, display, service and transportation. And #14 (4 violations total) clean outer clothes, effective hair restraints. So bite on this advice, next time you hit up your favorite food trucks, do your own inspecting like this doctor who likes food trucks. I look for cleanliness, always peek in the back and look at everyones hands and fingernails, that kind of thing, Koorse said. That Waterbury sanitarian returned to Los Garcia a couple weeks later and hes happy to report, the truck passed inspection with flying colors. The City of Hartford offered this comment to NBC Connecticut: In order to maintain an itinerant food license, every mobile food operator must pass an annual renewal inspection conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services and citys Fire Marshal. Annual mobile food licenses are not issued until itinerant food operators are able to demonstrate that their units and personnel meet pertinent health and safety standards, such as the ability to control the temperature of potentially hazardous foods, having appropriate equipment for food service and fire suppression. In the past four years, HHS has increased activity with mobile vendors and focused on food handling education. Identification of vendors bases of operation has also been a priority. The death of a teenage girl whose friend claimed she shot herself in Hartford last month has now been ruled a homicide. Hartford police initially referred to the death of 18-year-old Nasashalie Hoy as "untimely" and Hoys relatives told NBC Connecticut there was no way the teen took her own life in a shooting. The Medical Examiners Office has now classified Hoy's death as homicide. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. James Gill told the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters homicide means the death occurred at the hands of another. "Every day, I go to her grave and tell her, 'I'm going to fight for you. Get justice for you, I promise you," Nasashalies aunt, Sandy Roldan, said. While police continue to investigate what led up to the shooting, Hoy's friend, Torrick Maragh, was in Hartford Superior Court on Tuesday on gun charges. Maragh is facing two charges of possession of a sawed off shot gun and remains in prison because he has not made the $800,000 bond. He made his first appearance in court since Hoy was shot and killed. We're still doing some investigating in the matter. I know the state wants the entire file from Hartford police, so we're asking for a continuance for that purpose," his public defender, Victoria Pells, said in court. According to court papers, police called the scene suspicious." Maragh allegedly told officers, She shot herself" and said "Hoy straddled him with a shotgun (and) pointed at her neck before it went off." Hoy's family refuses to believe the claim. Impossible, impossible. She couldn't have done it to herself. That wasn't her, Roldan said. She was always happy, always trying to succeed in life, always working." Though Maragh has not been charged in connection with Hoy's death, at court, a representative of his family told the Troubleshooters he is innocent. Hartford police have no additional comment on the case. Officials with the Dallas County Health and Human Services confirmed Wednesday a third positive test result for Zika virus. DCHHS performed the preliminary test and will refer the specimen for additional testing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The counties two previous confirmed cases of Zika virus involved a person who contracted the virus after having intercourse with another person who recently traveled to Venezuela. Neither of the patients were pregnant and both people have fully recovered. The county's third patient, a 45-year-old person who is not pregnant, is a resident of Dallas who recently traveled to Honduras. [NATL] Global Health Officials Scramble to Fight Zika Virus "Upon returning to Dallas County, the patient was diagnosed with possible compatible symptoms that have resolved. For medical confidentiality and personal privacy reasons, DCHHS does not provide additional identifying information," county health officials said. While sexual transmission of Zika virus is possible, it is primarily transmitted to people by Aedes species mosquitoes. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses the Dallas County cases of Zika virus and what health experts are doing to combat the spread of the virus. The most common symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting several days to a week. The virus can have far more harmful effects on women who are infected while pregnant. Zika has led to reports of microcephaly in infants ad other "poor pregnancy outcomes," according to the CDC. Dr. Seema Yasmin, medical expert at The Dallas Morning News, answers more of your questions about the Zika virus. DCHHS advises individuals with symptoms to see a healthcare provider if they visited an area where Zika virus is present or had sexual contact with a person who traveled to an area where Zika virus is present. There is no specific medication available to treat Zika virus and there is not a vaccine. The best way to avoid Zika virus is to avoid mosquito bites and sexual contact with a person who has Zika virus. How to Protect Yourself From Mosquito Bites Dress in long sleeves, pants when outside: For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent. in long sleeves, pants when outside: For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent. DEET : Make sure this ingredient is in your insect repellent. : Make sure this ingredient is in your insect repellent. Drain standing water in your yard and neighborhood: Mosquitoes can develop in any water stagnant for more than three days. It has been recommended in the past that to avoid mosquito bites you should avoid being outdoors during Dusk and Dawn (the 4 Ds). While this is true for mosquitoes that commonly carry the West Nile virus, other types of mosquitoes that are more likely to carry Zika, dengue and chikungunya are active during the day. When outdoors, no matter what time of day, adjust your dress accordingly and wear insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus as your first line of defense against insect bites. An 83-year-old former priest has been arrested in Arizona in connection with the 1960 slaying of a 25-year-old Texas schoolteacher and beauty queen. The Dallas Morning News The Maricopa County Sheriff's Department arrested John Feit Tuesday. Feit faces a murder charge in the death of Irene Garza in South Texas and is awaiting extradition to the state. The Associated Press reports Feit plans to fight his extradition. Authorities said Garza visited Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, where Feit was a priest, on April 16, 1960. Garza, who taught second grade at Thigpen Elementary School and was crowned Miss All South Texas Sweetheart 1958, had planned to go to confession that evening and never returned home. Her body was recovered five days later in an irrigation canal and her vehicle was found near the church, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. An autopsy determined she had been raped and bludgeoned, The Dallas Morning News reported. Feit was a suspect in the killing but was never arrested or charged. The case was reopened in 2004 but a grand jury did not indict the former priest. Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez said he presented the case against Feit to a grand jury last week. "We felt that we had sufficient evidence to present to a grand jury," he said. "It was presented last week, and they came back with a true bill." [[368296101,C]] The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests the nation's oldest and largest support group for victims of clergy abuse issued a statement saying it was "deeply grateful" Rodriguez had reopened a case his predecessor "refused to aggressively pursue." "We hope that this move brings some hope to Garza's family. And we hope that anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered clergy crimes or cover ups in the Brownsville diocese will call police, expose wrongdoers, protect others and start healing," the group said. According to the district attorney, the next step is to see if Feit will contest his extradition to Texas. It is unclear if Feit has an attorney. The McAllen Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety Ranger Service assisted in the investigation and the arrest. Police said a 36-year-old gunman is in custody after opening fire during a robbery attempt inside a Dallas-area Wal-Mart Tuesday night. [[368299871,R]] Dallas police said the man went into the Wal-Mart in the 7400 block of Samuell Boulevard at about 9:50 p.m., pointed a gun at one of the cashiers and demanded money from the register. When the cashier could not quickly comply, police said the man fired a shot into the floor, causing the cashier and several customers to run. The man then fired several more shots inside the business before running outside. Police said an officer in a nearby parking lot heard several shots and saw a large crowd running out of the store. The officer then saw the man later identified as 36-year-old Marcus Booker walk out, stop and fire a weapon into the air. The officer told Booker to lie down on the ground. Police said Booker stopped, dropped what appeared to be a gun and began to pull off his shirt. A witness and an off-duty Sheriff's deputy helped the officer take him into custody. Marcus Booker was transported to the Lew Sterret Jail and charged with aggravated robbery. No injuries were reported. NBC 5's Todd L. Davis contributed to this report. An investor who lost $1 million in a property deal involving a failed Southlake title company says hes blown away by what happened but is optimistic hell get it back. The company, Millennium Title, was taken over by the Texas Department of Insurance last month when regulators said it had become insolvent, the owner had disappeared and nearly $3 million had vanished from the companys escrow account. It doesnt seem real, said Scott Schambacher, owner of a Keller company that buys and sells property. Schambacher said his company, Avondale Development Group, wired $1 million to Nancy Carroll, the owner of Millennium Title Company. He said the money was supposed to be held temporarily until a property sale involving several buildings was completed. "It was one million to the penny, he said. Our proceeds were a little more than that, so we said, 'Let's round it out.'" Schambacher said he stopped by the title office in December to set up a closing date and realized there was a big problem when he overheard the receptionist talking. "I hear, 'Oh, we don't know where she's at. It appears worse than what we thought. Let me email you something, bla-bla-bla,' and hangs up, he said. And I'm thinking that doesn't sound good." Within a few days, he said he learned the Texas Department of Insurance had seized the company. In court papers, regulators said the owner, Nancy Carroll, had disappeared and that $3 million was missing from the company's escrow account. Another investor, John Herlihy, filed a lawsuit accusing Carroll of fleeing the country after absconding with $1 million of his money. "I was blown away, Schambacher said. I've been doing this 24 years and have never seen anything like this." Now, Schambacher said he cant get any answers about what happened to his money. "From what we were told, that money went out the same day it went in, he said. Now, he doesn't know if he'll ever see the money again. "I'm a pretty optimistic guy because you've got to be in today's world, so we'll see, he said. In emails to NBC 5, Carroll denied the accusations against her and said Schambacher was an investor in Millennium, a claim he denied. She did not answer specific questions about what happened to the money. Carroll also referred NBC 5 to her attorney, Michael McCue of Dallas, who did not return phone calls or emails. Jerry Hagins, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Insurance, said homeowners who had money in escrow with the title company are insured by a state fund. But he said Schambachers $1 million was invested in a special tax-deferred account which the fund does not cover. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders rode a wave of voter frustration with American politics to commanding victories in Tuesday's New Hampshire primaries, adding crucial credibility to their upstart candidacies. Sanders swept majorities of men, women, independents and young people in his win over Hillary Clinton, but faces challenges in the more diverse states that come next on the primary calendar. Trump, appealing to voters seeking a political outsider, could benefit from the persistent lack of clarity among the more mainstream Republicans struggling to challenge him. "We are going to do something so good and so fast and so strong and the world is going to respect us again, believe me," Trump said at a victory rally. Ohio Gov. John Kasich grabbed second in New Hampshire after pouring nearly all of his campaign resources into the state. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio vied for third along with Ted Cruz, the Iowa caucus winner, ensuring all would press on to the next voting contest in South Carolina. Sanders, at his own raucous rally, said his victory sent a message "that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California. And that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super PACs." The enthusiasm behind Trump, a real estate mogul who has never held political office, and Vermont Sen. Sanders, who says he is a democratic socialist, underscores the public's anger with the current political and economic system. Even if neither candidate ultimately becomes his party's nominee, whoever wins that nomination will have to reckon with the voter frustration they've tapped into. Clinton appeared to recognize that reality in her concession speech, echoing Sanders' calls for taking on Wall Street banks and tackling income inequality. But she cast herself as more prepared to make good on her pledges. "People have every right to be angry. But they're also hungry, they're hungry for solutions," she said after congratulating Sanders on his win. New Hampshire did little to clarify the crowded contest among more mainstream GOP candidates fighting to emerge as a challenger to Trump and Texas Sen. Cruz. Florida Sen. Rubio, former Florida Gov. Bush and Cruz battled for third behind Kasich. Throughout the heated primary campaign, Kasich has prided himself on not attacking his rivals. A more moderate Republican from a politically important state, Kasich told supporters Tuesday night that his second-place finish could be an indication that "we're turning the page on a dark part of American politics." The day was a blow for Rubio, who had appeared to be breaking away from the second-tier Republican pack after a stronger-than-expected showing in Iowa. But he stumbled in Saturday's debate under intense pressure from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has relentlessly cast the young senator as too inexperienced and too reliant on memorized talking points to become president. Rubio conceded that the debate may have hurt him in Tuesday's contest and pledged to supporters that his poor performance "will never happen again." Christie, however, didn't benefit from roughing up Rubio. He lagged behind the pack as votes were being tallied and said he planned to return home to New Jersey to "make a decision on our next step forward." Bush was pressing on, declaring that New Hampshire voters had "reset the race." Republican voters were more negative about their politicians than Democrats, with about half of GOP voters saying they felt betrayed by party officials. Trump carried a majority of those who said they wanted an outsider to win, according to exit polls conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks. More than half of voters in the Republican primary made up their minds in the past week. However, Trump's support appeared more sustained, with his supporters saying they made up their minds some time ago. In a sign of Trump's impact on the race, two-thirds of GOP voters said they supported a temporary ban on non-citizen Muslims entering the U.S., a position the billionaire outlined last year amid rising fears of terrorism emanating from the Middle East. Sanders pulled from a broad coalition of New Hampshire voters, gathering a majority of votes from both men and women, independents and voters under 45. Hillary Clinton won the majority of those over 65. Clinton's campaign argues she will perform better as the race heads to more racially diverse states, including Nevada and South Carolina. Both New Hampshire and Iowa are overwhelmingly white states that are far less diverse than the nation as a whole. As polls closed, her campaign manager Robby Mook blasted out a memo touting Clinton's strength with Hispanics and black voters and arguing that a Democrat cannot win the presidency without support from those constituencies. The distinctions between what motivated Sanders and Clinton voters were sharp. The Vermont senator was backed by 9 in 10 voters for whom honesty was important and 8 in 10 who wanted a candidate who "cares about people like me." Clinton, meanwhile, won support from nearly 90 percent of those who considered the "right" experience important in their decision and about 80 percent of those regarding electability as the most important factor. See the full results from New Hampshire. Well, voting is very different in New Hampshire. They have yellow tape at polling locations (yes, the kind you see at crime scenes), that signals where campaigning must stop! Supporters and candidates can be INSIDE the polling locations. So can cameras. We talked to voters seconds after they voted and some said they saw about 20 advertisements on TV a day and answered at least five phone calls. One man said he is excited for the ads to end and looks forward to once again watching ads about cars and beer. Then it was on to a Ted Cruz event. According to the polls, he is in a heated battle for second place with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and former Florida Gov. Bush. But Cruz had questions Tuesday that did not have to do with the race. Here is the background, if you have not already heard. Monday night at a Donald Trump rally a supporter called Cruz a derogatory term. Trump then repeated it in front of thousands of people. Tuesday, Cruz was asked about that and said he would not respond in kind. Here is video or his response to me. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, responds to the use of profanity by GOP rival Donald Trump. Cruz answered the question at a small event at a diner, and I can assure you, there were more cameras than voters. It is really hard getting in there in a tight group like that. Believe it or not, since I am short, sometimes that helps and I can kind of squeeze through. Other times, it is not so easy. Today, my photographer Juan Rodriguez and I were in good places, so it all worked out. Monday night we will be at Cruz's election watch party. Hopefully I can tweet out as many results as possible, but the Internet isn't great here so cross your fingers. The county board of supervisors approved a wide-ranging set of strategies Tuesday aimed at combating homelessness, ranging from increasing housing subsidies to boosting the income of homeless families. Homelessness is "the most serious humanitarian crisis confronting our county today," county CEO Sachi Hamai said. A 12.4 percent jump in homelessness countywide from 2013-15 caught the attention of public officials. Though the results of a recent homeless count are not yet available, the last estimate by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is that 44,359 county residents are homeless. The "unsheltered" population living in tents, makeshift shelters and vehicles has grown even more dramatically, up 85 percent over the same two-year time period to more than 9,300 people, according to LAHSA. A video showing what Hamai called the "critical stakes" featured a family with small children who had been forced to live in their 1997 Chevy Suburban when both parents lost their jobs and a Lancaster attorney who lost his home to drug addiction. "My attitude before I became homeless was, `How could you be homeless?" attorney Don Arnold said of the people he used to pass on the street on his way to work. "Now I understand." The board's strategies follow recommendations by the county's Homeless Initiative task force, established last year when the board committed to spending more than $100 million on the problem. "This plan is ambitious and ... achievable," Hamai said. The 47 strategies drive six objectives, including preventing homelessness, subsidizing housing, increasing income, providing case management and services, creating a coordinated system and increasing affordable housing. Together they are expected to "bring widespread humanitarian relief to our most vulnerable neighbors" and save the county money, LAHSA Executive Director Peter Lynn told the board. The county spends nearly $1 billion annually to provide medical, mental health and social services to homeless people, as well as to pay for the deputies and probation officers who work with the homeless population. About 5 percent of that population consumes 40 cents of every dollar spent, according to county research. The board agreed to prioritize services for those individuals. "A real bed is much less expensive than a jail bed or a hospital bed," Phil Ansell, director of the Homeless Initiative, told the board. The first phase of work, to begin no later than June 30, is focused on strategies expected to have the most impact in the shortest time frame. The county is set to spend $42 million over 12 months, helping 3,500 people off the streets and preventing another 2,000 from becoming homeless. In addition to providing more housing subsidies in a variety of forms, the first phase will include strengthening the shelter system as an entry point to a broader set of services. Phase one priorities also include finding work for those who face barriers such as criminal records or substance abuse problems and making sure that disabled individuals are receiving federal benefits, putting both groups in a position to pay for their own housing. Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Don Knabe highlighted the concerns of domestic violence victims. "In 2015, nearly 65 percent of all homeless women reported that they had been victims of domestic violence. Our ... motion will explore ways to ensure that individuals and families fleeing domestic violence are provided adequate housing and services," Kuehl said. A summit is planned to help pin down specific city initiatives with each of the county's 88 municipalities. The mayors of several of those cities including Inglewood, Lynwood, Lawndale, Culver City, West Hollywood, Compton, Torrance and El Monte joined the board to show their support. "Many hardworking families that have bought into the American dream are literally one catastrophe, unplanned expense, job loss or illness away from being displaced," Compton Mayor Aja Brown told the board. Many of the county strategies rely, at least in part, on city implementation. The Los Angeles City Council has been coordinating with county officials and approved its own set of initiatives Tuesday, projected to cost $1.87 billion over a decade. Mayor Eric Garcetti through a spokesman called the county's plan "bold and visionary." The county strategies are detailed, but the specifics of implementation and the source of funding for future years are yet to be worked out. The board was optimistic. "The plan makes no claim about perfection, but ... we will make substantial progress," Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. New Hampshire voters have a reputation of being free thinkers, but truly independent voters could be hard to find in the Granite State. Undeclared voters in the state are allowed to vote in Tuesday's Democratic or Republican primary, which has made them a valuable get for candidates in both parties. But just because a voter is Undeclared does not mean theyre undecided or dont identify with the standard parties, according to a professor at the University of New Hampshire who has studied voter patterns and interviews with several voters days before the primary. I think youd have a hard time finding a true independent voter in New Hampshire, said Peter Soreff, 73, an attendee of the New Hampshire Democratic National Conventions McIntyre Shaheen dinner in Manchester on Friday. Voters are really either liberal or conservative and theyre basically Republican or Democrat. Elizabeth Arakelian Soreff, of Nottingham, has called voters and canvassed homes for the past month and a half as a volunteer with the Hillary Clinton campaign. Most people didn't answer their phones and of the roughly 20 people with whom he spoke, none were interested in being swayed, he said. Soreff said the idea that independents have enough weight in the primary to determine a candidates outcome is oversimplified as voters have usually made up their minds, at least over which party they most identify. I know were supposed to say we choose the person not the party, but thats garbage. If you go and see how people vote, they usually vote a straight ticket, Soreff said. A recent WBUR poll found that 44 percent of the states voters are Undeclared, a population that pollster and University of New Hampshire Associate Professor of Political Science Andrew Smith says should be viewed as Democrat lites and Republican lites. His center's analysis of polling data since 1999 found just one-third were true independents. While much attention is placed on obtaining these independents votes, such voters are actually the least likely to show up on Election Day, Smith said. People out of the state, the press, and locals as well, are guilty of calling them Independents, Smith said. Thats fine if you understand that theyre not truly independent. If you say Independent for a long enough time, you get the impression that theyre not partisan and not locked in with one party. The truth is, theyre very much locked into one party. Theyre quite partisan with their positions. People often wonder which way independent voters will swing in an election, but thats the wrong way to look at them, Smith said. We should ask ourselves which of the races is exciting those people that are less likely to vote more, the Republican or the Democratic race? The race that is more exciting, especially if its close, pulls out more of those Undeclared voters, Smith said. An exciting race can pull out voters of all parties, though, and may even prompt voters to reconsider where they stand. Crystal Berberich, 41 of Manchester, is a registered Republican, but said she considered becoming Undeclared. I share a lot of views of the Republicans, but I also have a lot of very liberal views as well, said Berberich during her post-run coffee stop in downtown Manchester on Saturday. Im going to vote Republican in the primary because I dont want Trump to get any further and I may vote for a Democrat in the general election. Im so anti-Donald Trump I think that if he was to make it to the final election, I'm hoping you would see some people switch parties. Peter Noonen, of Manchester, is also straddling party lines. Noonen, 44, is the type of open-to-influence voter candidates search for when campaigning in New Hampshire. He has campaigned for George W. Bush, but voted for President Barack Obama. This year his top two candidates are Republican former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders. Elizabeth Arakelian Im a registered Republican, but we have the ability in New Hampshire to go back and forth," Noones said. "It takes an extra five minutes to undeclare yourself and then, if you really feel passionately about someone on the other side of the ticket, you can say, Yes, I want to vote for that person. I've done it before for governor, even for mayor for Manchester. Although Berberich and Noonen are registered Republicans, their open-mindedness suggests a certain independent spirit. Megan Doyle, a political reporter at the Concord Monitor, said that the common theme she has noticed when interviewing voters in New Hampshire is not their partisanship, but their passion. They want someone authentic. They want someone they feel like they connect to, Doyle said. They cant always articulate why they like that person, or what puts them over the edge to support them, but when you get to a primary like this where candidates can line up similarly on issues, Ive noticed voters will talk a lot about passion and character. Thats one of the hallmarks of the New Hampshire primary. Voters are very much putting candidates to a character test here, in addition to grilling them on the issues that they care about. A second carmaker is now promising to replace the dashboards of cars that are melting under the hot Florida sun. Mazda is following Toyotas lead after deciding to extend the warranty to fix the dashboards of hundreds Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 models. The production dates range from 2008 through 2012. Drivers like Johnny Sotolongo noticed the dashboard of his Mazda 3 started to melt back in 2013. The dashboard is shiny and when he touches the surface, pieces of the dashboard stick to him and leave a black mark on his fingers. When its a bright sunny day, the glare is really bad especially if the sun is right above you, said Sotolongo. This month, Sotolongo received a letter in the mail at his Fort Lauderdale home notifying him about the warranty extension. This shouldve been done a long time ago, said Sotolongo. However, the replacement wont happen right away. According to the letter, Mazda has limited parts to replace the melting dashboards. The company is currently working to produce more replacement dashboards. See below for more specifics on covered Mazda vehicles. Melting Dashboards in Toyota/Lexus Vehicles A lack of parts is also the reason many Toyota drivers have been waiting for replacement dashboards for more than a year. After a series of NBC 6 Investigations uncovering the problem, Toyota announced early last year it was extending its warranty to replace the sticky dashboards and side panels of cars and SUVs. There are up to 4. 5 million vehicles affected. See the list below for Toyota and Lexus vehicles impacted. However, many Toyota drivers are still waiting to get their dashboards replaced. Its frustrating, said Lexus owner Paige Bailey. Miami attorney Juan Bauta represents more than 400 car owners in the Miami area alone with melting Toyota dashboards and only a few have gotten them fixed. Im thinking theyre going to run out the clock on everybody, said Bauta. Sooner or later people get frustrated and say Im tired of waiting for Lexus, let me just sell the car, he said. As drivers wait, theyre left dealing with the shiny sight that they call a dangerous distraction. It looks slimy and sticky and so when youre driving in the sun, it creates a glare on your dashboard, said Daniela Perez. She owns a Lexus IS 250 thats included in the warranty extension. Toyotas Response Toyota told the NBC 6 Investigators the slowdown is due to a lack of parts. Some of the dashboards that have to get replaced date back to 2003. Toyota would not address the drivers safety concerns on camera because of the lawsuit that was filed. Instead, they sent the NBC 6 Investigators a statement. It reads: Toyota, Lexus and its independent dealers are committed to customer satisfaction and to helping ensure that repairs taking place through our dashboard warranty enhancement program occur in as timely and efficient a manner as possible. As we have explained to customers, while we have been diligently preparing replacement parts since before the announcement of the program, given the number of vehicles and the range of ages, colors, and sizes of the parts covered under program, the supply for certain design configurations varies by model. Parts replacement is proceeding in several phases, based on model, and we are continuing to increase production levels and provide dealers with replacement parts based upon supply and actual customer demand. Any customers with questions or concerns can contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331 or the Lexus Customer Assistance Center directly at 1-800-255-3987 However, the drivers the NBC 6 Investigators spoke with said nothing has been explained to them. I still get the same run around that the parts are on order, said Bailey. She says shed been told the dashboard would be repaired last summer. The three drivers we talked to all said they hold out hope that their dashboards will be repaired soon. There have been more than 300 complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about sticky, shiny, cracked dashboards in multiple car makes and models since 2012. Most complaints have come from warm weather states primarily Florida, Texas and California. NHTSA tracks complaints and can force recalls on products based on consumer complaints. Complaints for NHTSA can be filed at safercar.gov. Vehicles Affected: Toyota: 4Runner - 2003-2005 Avalon - 2005-2010 Camry/HV - 2007-2011 Sienna - 2004-2010 Solara - 2004-2008 Lexus: ES 350 - 2007-2008 GX 470 - 2003-2008 IS 250/350 - 2006-2008 LS 460 - 2007 RX 330 - 2004-2006 RX 350 - 2007-2009 RX 400h - 2005-2008 Mazda: Mazda 3 - 2010 (produced from October 7, 2008 April 28, 2010) Mazda 6 - 2009-2013 (produced from February 4, 2008-August, 24, 2012) Miami Police say a 21-year-old woman who was reported missing on Tuesday has been found safe. According to Miami-Dade Police, Karen Wright had last been seen Monday at 600 Brickell Avenue. She was found in the 18200 block of Biscayne Boulevard in good condition, police said Wednesday. Her family said she did not show up for work on Tuesday. Police have not released further details on the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. No further information was immediately available. Federal transportation officials might soon be looking into a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that ran into high winds and rough seas in the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend. Sen. Bill Nelson has called for the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the voyage that forced frightened passengers into their cabins overnight Sunday as their belongings flew about, waves rose as high as 30 feet, and winds howled outside. ``The thing about this storm was that it was forecast for days. So why in the world would a cruise ship with thousands of passengers go sailing right into it?'' Nelson said Monday on the Senate floor, according to a news release from his office. The National Weather Service's Ocean Prediction Center had issued an alert for a strong storm four days in advance, Susan Buchanan with the weather service said. The first warning was issued Saturday for possible hurricane-force winds in the area the ship was scheduled to sail through. Royal Caribbean announced Monday that the ship was turning around and sailing back to its home port in New Jersey. No injuries were reported, and the ship suffered only minor damage. ``I was shaking all over,'' passenger Shara Strand of New York City wrote to The Associated Press via Facebook on Monday. ``Panic attack, things like that. ... I've been on over 20 cruises, I've been through a hurricane, it was never like this. Never.'' Sixteen-year-old Gabriella Lairson says she and her father, Sam, could feel the ship, Anthem of the Seas, begin to sway by 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The captain directed passengers to their cabins. There, the Lairsons heard glasses shatter in the bathroom, and they put their belongings in drawers and closets to prevent them from flying across the room. They ventured to the balcony, where Sam Lairson shot video of wave after wave rising below. ``The winds were so strong that I thought the phone would blow from my hands,'' Sam Lairson, of Ocean City, New Jersey, said in an email. ``After that we had to keep the doors to the balconies sealed.'' The ship _ with more than 4,500 guests and 1,600 crew members _ sailed Saturday from Cape Liberty, New Jersey. It was scheduled to arrive for a stop at Port Canaveral, Florida, at noon Monday, then move on to other stops in the Caribbean. But Royal Caribbean said on its corporate Twitter account that the ship would turn around and sail back to Cape Liberty. ``This decision was made for guests' comfort due to weather forecasts'' that would continue to affect the ship's itinerary,'' Royal Caribbean tweeted. Guests will get a full refund and a certificate toward a future cruise. Passengers onboard buzzed happily about that news, Strand said. Gabriella Lairson said that by early Monday morning, people were out and about on the ship, checking out the minor damage in some public areas. Lairson praised the crew and captain. ``They did everything they could to make us feel comfortable,'' she wrote to the AP on Facebook. She said she and her father were a little disappointed the ship was turning around, but she called it ``the best thing for the safety of everyone.'' Fellow passenger Jacob Ibrag agreed. ``I can't wait to get home and kiss the ground,'' said Ibrag, who saw water flowing down stairs and helped some people who were stuck in an elevator Sunday as he made his way to his cabin per the captain's orders. The 25-year-old from Queens, New York, then stayed in his cabin until noon Monday, at one point filling his backpack with essentials in case of an evacuation. Robert Huschka, the executive editor of the Detroit Free Press, was onboard and started tweeting when the inclement weather hit. He told USA Today that the ordeal was ``truly terrifying.'' He described the cruise director nervously giving updates, and he later posted photos of shattered glass panels on a pool deck. But Huschka was among passengers who found a silver lining in the storm. On Monday, he posted: ``The good news? They never lost the Super Bowl signal. Perfect TV picture throughout storm!'' Royal Caribbean gave guests free Internet access and a complimentary cocktail hour, spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said in an email. ``Feeling better after the happy hour they just put on for the guests,'' Sam Lairson joked. And despite her own worries, Strand said her daughter, 8-month-old Alexa, slept through the entire episode. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz took the high road Tuesday in his response to rival Donald Trump's use of profanity to describe the Texas Republican. Trump, the GOP frontrunner, derided his opponents while addressing about 5,000 people at a rally Monday, the day before New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary election. He contrasted his recent statements on bringing back waterboarding to those of Cruz. "You know he's concerned about the answer because well, some people," Trump said pointing to a woman in the audience, "she just said a terrible thing. You know what she said? Shout it out 'cause I don't wanna." Then he said it anyway: "She said, 'He's a p---y.'" When asked about the comment Tuesday in New Hampshire, Cruz shrugged. "Oh, listen. Nothing Donald says surprises anyone. Donald does not handle losing very well. He didn't like that he lost in Iowa and his response often is to simply yell and insult and engage in profanity," Cruz said. "My approach is not to respond in kind ... I'm going to stay focused on the issues. I'm going to stay focused on the substance." Sen. Ted Cruz on Donald Trumps's comments last night " I won't respond in kind . He does not like losing " @NBCDFW #Decision2016 Julie Fine (@JulieFineNBC5) February 9, 2016 All polls in New Hampshire close by 8 p.m. EST. Up for grabs are 23 Republican delegates, awarded proportionately. Cruz currently leads the delegate count with eight to Trump's seven after the Iowa caucus. Both candidates and Ohio Gov. John Kasich earned nine primary votes in New Hampshire's three smallest communities, where residents cast their ballots at midnight. The governors competing for the Republican presidential nomination all tried to outdo each other in time spent in New Hampshire, staking their campaigns on an electorate more moderate and less religious than in Iowa. But when the polls closed on the country's first primary, it was the candidate who barely stopped for a cup of coffee in the Granite State making the victory speech. Businessman Donald Trump, who skipped much of the retail politics for which New Hampshire is known, the intimate meet-and-greets at diners, in living rooms and at town meetings, came out on top with 35 percent of the vote. He captured the lead when he announced that he was running for president and held it throughout the primary race. After winning the New Hampshire GOP primary, Donald Trump claimed he would be the greatest jobs president that God every created. He also stated that the unemployment rate could be as high as 28 or even 42 percent, which is not true, according to PolitiFact. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who finished second, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the fourth-place finisher, both left New Hampshire for the next contest in South Carolina, while New Jerseys Gov. Chris Christie, so often in New Hampshire that he was criticized for ignoring his own states problems, was dropping out. If you look at [Trump's] circumstances, you could say that spending time in the state doesnt matter, and when he did come it was for very large rallies where there was no give-and-take between the candidate and the citizens, said Linda Fowler, a professor of government at Dartmouth College. On the other hand, John Kasich really did show that retail politics can still make a difference. After an invigorating second-place finish, Republican candidate John Kasich addressed supporters in New Hampshire. Kasich began with 2 percent of the voters and ended up with 16 percent in a very crowded field, she said. The governor of a swing state who ran a campaign based on issues instead of insults, he was able to capitalize on his appeal to moderates unhappy with Trump and U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, exit polling showed. [NATL] Voters Head to Polls in New Hampshire's 'First In The Nation' Presidential Primary The outspoken Christie, meanwhile, was overshadowed by the even more brash and controversial Trump, and the New Jersey govenor struggled to gain his footing with voters. He finished sixth in the Republican pack. We came here to say that speaking your mind matters, that experience matters, that competence matters, and that it will always matter in leading our nation, Christie told supporters Tuesday night. That message was heard by a lot of folks and it was stood for by a lot of folks here in New Hampshire, just not enough. Not enough tonight. Hillary Clinton conceded the New Hampshire primary to Bernie Sanders, appealing to his voters in her address by discussing income inequality and Citizens United. Christie, who focused most of his resources on a strong showing in New Hampshire, returned to New Jersey on Wednesday to announce he was suspending his campaign. Bush was pushing ahead to South Carolina despite also failing to stir much excitement around his campaign. At the start of the year, his super PAC, Right to Rise, still had about half of the $118 million it raised last year. The three governors had trouble differentiating themselves, and some Republicans worried that Christie had the least chance of winning the nomination, Fowler said. In the past, retail politics have been critical for candidates Sen. John McCain in 2000 and 2008, for example but at the same time, the field was much less crowded. Meeting voters doesnt necessarily mean theyre going to support you, when they had so many options to choose from, she said. New Hampshires voters famously demand a chance to see the candidates up close. The state makes a case for its first-in-the-country status by pointing to the scrutiny candidates get as they criss-cross the state for the small gatherings. On the Democratic side, the primary winner, Sen. Bernie Sanders, swept the state with 60 percent of the vote to 38 percent for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The two each made about 90 stops in the state, according to necn's candidate tracker. Bernie Sanders won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire, beating Hillary Clinton. He slammed Republican policies and establishment politics for supporting the interests of large donor groups instead of the common interest of citizens. Among the Republicans, in the hours before the polls closed, Christie was claiming to have topped Kasich in days on the ground in New Hampshire and town halls attended. Kasich and Christie each spent about 70 days in New Hampshire to about 55 for Bush. During those visits, Kasich and Christie made 190 stops each at breakfasts, fundraisers, dinners and other events over the course of the campaign, while Bush made 111, according to the necn candidate tracker. Trump, by contrast, had only 46 stops over 30 days, though his campaign intensified its ground game in the final days. We learned a lot about ground games in one week, he joked after his win. Fowler cautioned against drawing too much from Trumps victory, relying as it did on his celebrity. Its hard to generalize because his candidacy is breaking so many rules, not just the one about retail politics, she said. Meanwhile, by Wednesday, Carly Fiorina had also suspended her campaign. She had campaigned heavily in New Hampshire, making 149, stops but came in seventh, with only 4 percent of the vote. Charismatic actor Timothee Chalamet may be on the cusp of stardom with Prodigal Son, an enjoyable, if sometimes formulaic drama from author John Patrick Shanley. Son, also directed by Shanley, is having its world premiere at the Manhattan Theatre Clubs Stage I. Shanley explains in a program note that the play is autobiographical. The marvelous writer of Moonstruck (an Oscar) and Doubt (the Pulitzer and a Tony) once was a troubled Bronx boy attending the stuffy Thomas More prep school in New Hampshire. Thats where this latest work is set. Here, the writers proxy is 17-year-old Jim Quinn (Chalamet), who wins a scholarship to the private school and adjusts to a rigid new life. Most of the story involves Jims interaction with three adults: the stern headmaster; the headmasters wife; and a teacher, played by Robert Sean Leonard, giving an out-of-character performance. Prodigal Son is a concise tale, with echoes of The Catcher in the Rye. Just as in the real world, people arent always who they seem to be. Jim, a prolific thief, gets into all sorts of trouble. For most of Prodigal Son, his graduation is in doubt. Headmaster Carl Schmitt (Chris McGarry, a regular in Shanleys plays) and English department chief Alan Hoffman (Leonard) wrestle with whether the untrustworthy lad is a supernova or a dangerous mess. Chalamet will be familiar to some: He played young Tom in 2014s Interstellar, and was Finn, the vice presidents son, on TVs Homeland. Here, hes a gangly and anger-fueled instigator, erudite, though the dialogue hes given is too polished for even the sharpest teenagers I know. The kid holds forth on subjects ranging from Socrates to Whitman with the confidence of a doctoral candidate, but hes most magnetic when dabbling in insecurity: In comparison to the other guys here, how am I? he asks one adult, in a moment that comes off as genuine insecurity about his physical appearance. Annika Boras is effective as Louise, the headmasters wife, who takes a mostly noble interest in the boy. David Potters does good work in a supporting role as Jims roommate. Leonard, as the closest thing Jim has to a mentor, has motives weve seen in these stories before, but the actor manages to color his character in shades of gray. Seeing Leonard at work on the grounds of a private school may conjure memories of Dead Poets Society. The similarities are purely superficial. The school is romanticized as a dollhouse at the back of the set. Redemption certainly came for Shanley, so theres little question of how things will evolve for Jim. All the performances are good. The writing is classic Shanley: mellifluous, easy on the ears. The story, though, doesn't break any new ground. Prodigal Son, through March 27 at the Manhattan Theatre Clubs Stage I, 131 W. 55th St. Tickets: $90. Call 212-581-1212. Follow Robert Kahn on Twitter@RobertKahn After surviving unimaginable loss, Madonna Badgers path forward was uncertain. "You know, I thought I had to change everything," Badger told NBC New York sister station NBC Connecticut in an exclusive interview. "My whole life basically had been taken away from me." Following the Christmas Day fire that claimed the lives of her daughters and parents in 2011, Badger moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, for a year and stayed with a college roommate while undergoing intensive therapy. She tried her hand at becoming an antiques dealer but didnt sell a thing. What she missed, she said, was a sense of purpose. "So I turned to my friend Kate and I said, 'Look, I have this company in New York, this advertising agency that I've had for like over 20 years and I think I'm going to go back and give it a shot.' In 2013, Badger returned to New York. Today, she is back at the helm of her Fifth Avenue agency, Badger & Winters, where she is forging a new path: fighting for two missions that have redefined her purpose in life. #WomenNotObjects As a veteran advertising executive, Badger worked for major fashion designers and brands, and can readily rattle off telling statistics. "Eleven percent of the creative directors in this country at advertising agencies are women," she told NBC Connecticut. "Women are responsible for 70 to 80 percent of the purchases made in this country. Eighty five percent of women say ... most advertising does not speak to them." Those jarring discrepancies, she said, prove the need for change. Thats why Badger is calling on her industry colleagues to stop using images that objectify women and girls. Its a mission she calls #WomenNotObjects, which is also the title of a viral video her agency created thats garnered millions of views and impressions online since it was posted on Jan. 11. Its based on an idea she first had in 2009 while attending a beauty summit that explored the paradigm of advertising psychology; a project that went on hold after the tragedy in 2011. Now Badger said the memory of her daughters Lily, Sarah and Grace has become the renewing, guiding force behind it. "Three little precious girls," she said. "You know, I would be mortified if they were seeing some of the things that are out there today. Mortified. The #WomenNotObjects video begins with a Google search for "objectification of women." Sexualized images appear in advertisements for recognizable major brands as women mockingly critique them. "I love sacrificing my dignity for a drink," one woman says in the video. "Id sell my body for a burger," says another. Badger said her agency will reject such advertisements and lead by example by putting all campaigns through a four-point test: 1) No women as props, without a voice or choice. 2) No women as solely body parts. 3) No "plastic", unrealistic standards of Photoshopped perfection. 4) The "What if?" test: Asking "What if the woman portrayed here was my mother/sister/daughter/someone I love?" Badger hopes consumers will follow her lead. We can vote with our wallets. You know, that's the way to change the world is to say, 'Hey, I don't like that. Don't talk to me that way. I'm not going to buy that,' Badger said. Search For Answers Taking on the world of advertising isnt the only fight that Badger isnt backing down from. "I'm a fighter, Ive been a fighter my whole life. And I'm still fighting the city of Stamford," she said. "I'm still searching for the right answers there." Fire officials determined discarded fireplace ashes were the cause of the deadly blaze. Badger isn't convinced. "When you look at the photographs ... I mean, it's so obvious that it started in the basement and that it was an electrical fire," she told NBC Connecticuts Heidi Voight. But all the evidence, Badger said, and all her personal belongings were destroyed when the house was demolished within 24 hours. Badger is careful to point out that shes not critical of the first responders who worked to save her family and even served as pallbearers at her daughters funeral. "I believe they did everything they knew how to do," she said. "I believe that." Her fight and her legal action on behalf of her children and parents estates is against city officials. NBC Connecticut reached out to the city of Stamford for comment, including representatives from the Mayors office, building and fire departments as well as the citys legal counsel. Only the mayors office responded saying, due to ongoing legal proceedings, they cannot comment. Fast-moving blaze that gutted old Victorian home in Stanford may have started with a fireplace. The parents of the three girls who died with their grandparents during a Christmas morning fire in Stamford, Conn., struggle with grief as they watch their daughters caskets being carried into the church for their funeral. A gunman fatally shot a sheriff's deputy inside a crowded restaurant in Abingdon, Maryland, during lunchtime Wednesday and killed another deputy in a shootout, authorities and witnesses said. The gunman was killed in the exchange of gunfire not far from the shopping center where the Panera restaurant is located, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. Remarkably, no bystanders were hurt. Police haven't released a motive for the shooting, but the sheriff said he believed the first deputy who approached the gunman was shot "because he was wearing a uniform." The shooter had warrants out for his arrest in Florida and Harford County. The slain officers were described as a 30-year veteran and a 16-year veteran. The sheriff said he had met with both of their families but was withholding their names because more relatives needed to be notified. "This is a tragic day for the Harford County Sheriff's Office," Gahler said. One of the deputies was rushed to The Shock Trauma Center at University of Maryland Medical Center. Video showed an ambulance and sheriff's car escorted by police on motorcycles leaving, apparently taking the body to the medical examiner's office. Police lined each side of the street and saluted when the vehicles drove by. The initial shooting took place inside a Panera restaurant in Abingdon, which is about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore. Sophia Faulkner, 15, said she and her mother were getting lunch and almost sat right next to the gunman. Instead, they chose a booth about 10 feet away because the man appeared "sketchy" and disheveled. He was sitting in the back and hadn't ordered any food, Faulkner and her mother said. A sheriff's deputy was called to the restaurant to check on a report about someone causing a problem. The deputy tried to talk to the man, who was apparently known to workers there. The deputy sat down beside him, asked how he was doing and the man shot him in the head. "I saw him fall back out of his chair and the blood started coming out," Faulkner said. "I didn't know how to process it. My mom said, "What's going on?" and I said, "Get down, someone just got shot.'" "Everyone started screaming'' after the gunshot, and children -- out of school because of snowfall --were running around, Faulkner said. "I was freaking out so much and everybody was running to one side of the store. Families were huddling together. I didn't really know what was going on," she said. "You see this stuff online and in movies and on TV when it happens, but you never think you're going to go out to lunch one day with your mom and it's just going to happen." The gunman fled and witnesses gave officers a description of him and told them which way he was headed, the sheriff said. After at least one deputy caught up with him and shots were exchanged, leaving the second deputy severely wounded and the suspect dead, the sheriff said. "I saw two women and a child run from Panera to our back door. They were hysterical. They said they heard gunshots," said bartender Mike Davis, who was working at the Ocean City Brewing Co.'s Taphouse. "We locked the door and went to talk to a cop. The cop said not to let anyone in. Then, we heard more gunshots, 'Pop, pop, pop, pop,' from down in the shopping center. It was hectic." The sheriff said investigators believe the person acted alone and there is no further threat to the community. "The restaurant was very full at lunchtime," Gahler said. "Thankfully, no one else was injured." The shopping center is called the Boulevard at Box Hill. It has a mix of shops, restaurants, a grocery store and a bank. Yellow tape blocked off the Panera and Taphouse restaurants, but people were coming and going freely at other businesses after the shooting. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the deputies. The First Lady and I send our most sincere thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of the brave deputies who made the ultimate sacrifice today for the community they selflessly served," he said in a statement. "It is my hope that their commitment and dedication to law enforcement and protecting others will be remembered and will forever serve as an inspiration to others. Panera spokeswoman Amanda Cardosi said the company is heartbroken. "Our thoughts and actions now are directed towards the victims and their families. This location will remain closed as we work with law enforcement to investigate," she said. UPDATE: Wawa stepped in to feed students as the dining halls remained closed Thursday. Norovirus may have sickened 100 Ursinus College students, 22 of whom were sent to the emergency room or urgent care late Tuesday and early Wednesday, according to school officials and the local health department. A number of students have taken ill with a stomach infection. We are working with the health department to identify the cause. Ursinus College (@UrsinusCollege) February 10, 2016 Officials with the eastern Pennsylvania college said most students fell ill after dinnertime Tuesday and exhibited similar symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration. Students were taken to various hospitals, including Einstein Medical Center and Phoenixville Hospital. Officials from the Center for Disease Control and the Montgomery County Health Department responded to the hospitals. "It's been miserable," said La'Shante Cox, a Senior at Ursinus and one of the hospitalized students. "It's been absolute misery. I kept throwing up. I kept going to the bathroom and it was an ongoing thing." Thomas Moore, another Senior at the school, had similar symptoms that kept him bedridden for hours. He ate for the first time in 24 hours Wednesday night. "I feel like it would help a little more if we tried to take a couple of days off so everyone could actually recuperate," he said. Phoebe French, another student who fell ill, said she felt strange hours after eating in Lower Wismer, one of the dining halls on campus. French said it will be a long time before she eats campus food again. The latest information is that 88 students have become ill. The health department is continuing to investigate the cause of the illness. Ursinus College (@UrsinusCollege) February 10, 2016 Although a college spokesperson said the illnesses have yet to be identified, County Commissioner Valerie Arkoosh said the symptoms resemble those of norovirus, a gastrointestinal ailment. Norovirus can be transmitted easily from person to person, Arkoosh said, or it can be foodborne. The Ursinus spokesperson said Wednesday that officials are working with the health department to determine how the illness spread. As a precaution, Ursinus shut down its dining halls as health officials continue to investigate he cause of the outbreak. The gym on campus was also closed. "I'm not eating on campus because I'm not willing to risk that everything was cleaned and inspected thoroughly enough to make sure it's safe to eat in there again," said student Karla Pisarcik. Community restaurants and local businesses are partnering with Ursinus College to provide food for students. Classes still went on as scheduled Wednesday though students say they were empty. Officials spent the day cleaning residential and common areas. The college and classes will also be open Thursday. "Good hand-washing is really, really important," Arkoosh said. "Wash any surfaces that may have come into contact with the virus, including sinks and door handles." The incubation period for the virus is 12 to 48 hours, with a median of 33 hours. People who are infected are contagious for a couple days. The illnesses occurred only one day after the death of Ursinus history professor Dr. Richard King. Pennsylvania's embattled attorney general survived a Senate vote to remove her from office on Wednesday as all but one of her fellow Democrats stood by her, defeating a resolution that said her lack of a valid law license had rendered her unable to perform her official duties. The 29-19 vote fell several votes short of the two-thirds required in the 50-seat Senate under a provision of the state constitution that gives the chamber the ability to remove elected civil officers without going through the House-initiated impeachment process. Attorney General Kathleen Kane has been without a valid law license since October and is defending herself against criminal allegations she leaked secret grand jury material and lied about it. She has been dismissive of the Senate process, saying it violated the state constitution as well as the will of voters who elected her more than three years ago. Her spokesman said she was preparing a statement in response to the vote. While the Senate was debating the resolution at one end of the Capitol, the House was voting 170-12 to authorize the Judiciary Committee to recommend whether Kane should be impeached. If the House does impeach her, a trial on her removal would then occur in the Senate. Senate Democrats argued there was not much evidence her suspension has kept the 800-plus-employee agency from operating properly and warned removal would have set a dangerous precedent, giving the chamber the ability to take out office holders with scant evidence and on short notice. "Such a drastic measure, to recommend the removal of a statewide elected official, requires more than maybes and speculation," said Sen. Sean Wiley, D-Erie, who voted no. "It has been made clear to me that the evidence does not lend itself to moving forward with this vote for removal." Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne, a yes vote, said it was in the public's best interests to have someone in the post who can serve as a lawyer. "Kathleen Kane cannot perform as the commonwealth's lawyer," Baker said. "What overriding public purpose is there in retaining a title when she cannot perform the duties of the job?" One Democrat, Sen. Rob Teplitz, supported her removal, and one Republican, Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, opposed it. Kane, the first woman and first Democrat elected as the state's attorney general, faces perjury and other charges for allegedly leaking secret grand jury material and lying about it under oath. Trial is scheduled for August in a suburban Philadelphia courtroom. She also is collecting signatures to get on the April 26 primary ballot for a second term. Alabama health officials say they've confirmed the first travel-related case of the Zika virus in the state. The Alabama Department of Public Health issued a statement Wednesday saying a resident of Morgan County in the Tennessee Valley tested positive for the virus. Acting State Health Officer Tom Miller says more cases probably will show up in Alabama, noting there there are four tests results that are still pending. Given the frequency of international travel to affected areas, we anticipate having additional positive cases. We are working with the medical community to identify high-risk individuals, Miller said. The Zika virus is transmitted primarily through the bites of Aedes mosquitos. These mosquitoes are the same species that transmit dengue and chikungunya viruses. It moved quickly through Latin America before showing up in the United States, most often in people who have traveled. Federal and state officials say cases of the virus have been confirmed in 12 states and the District of Columbia. In the last four months, authorities have recorded close to 4,000 cases in Brazil in which the Zika virus may have led to microcephaly in infants. The ailment results in an abnormally small head in newborns and is associated with various disorders including decreased brain development. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Zika virus outbreak is likely to spread throughout nearly all the Americas. Meanwhile, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance last week advising men who have been to a Zika outbreak region to use condoms if they have sex with a pregnant woman for the entire duration of the pregnancy. U.S. health officials Friday also said the men might consider abstaining or using condoms even during sex with a woman who isn't pregnant. There are some great shows across the spectrum Wednesdat, so you should make sure that you get out on the town. At the Loft, Van and his band Waters return to San Diego with Max & the Moon. Both have played here several times, but they're usually at 21+ venues, so the kids should take advantage and catch this all-ages event. Meanwhile, at House of Blues you can catch Jess Glynne -- who unfortuantely had to cancel from the RAC tour last fall -- or head over to the Casbah for rockers Supersuckers. Ottmar Liebert comes back for a sold-out show at the Belly Up, and Brooklyn party band Red Baraat sweep through Soda Bar. Wednesday, Feb. 10: Waters, Max & the Moon @ The Loft, UCSD Jess Glynne, Conrad Sewell @ House of Blues Supersuckers, the Yawpers, Charlie Overbey & the Broken Arrows @ Casbah Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra @ Belly Up (SOLD OUT) Red Baraat, Euphoria Brass Band @ Soda Bar Taurus Authority @ Bar Pink Gilbert Castellanos Young Lions Series and Jazz Jam @ Panama 66 Idiot Glee @ Whistle Stop Jade Sandra, Jam @ Lestat's Nathan James, Adrian Demain @ Java Joe's Tropical Wednesday with DJ Mo Lyon @ U-31 Open Mic with Jefferson Jay @ Winston's (6-9 p.m.) Club Kingston presents Piracy Conspiracy, DJ Carlos Culture @ Winston's (9:30 p.m.) Walter Gentry @ Humphreys Backstage Live Acoustic Wednesdays @ Gallagher's Irish Pub Family Matters @ Kava Lounge WTF Wednesdays @ El Dorado Open Mic/Open Jam @ 710 Beach Club Hoot and Holler @ 710 Beach Club (10 p.m.) A.O.K. Musik @ Henry's Pub Wild Out Wednesdays @ Spin Rosemary Bystrak is the publicist for the Casbah, the content manager for DoSD, and writes about the San Diego music scene, events and general musings about life in San Diego on San Diego: Dialed In. Follow her updates on Twitter or contact her directly. Valentine's Day may be one of the few times per year that you go out and buy fresh flowers, but that is no excuse for rookie mistakes. The gift of flowers is a reminder that you are thinking of someone and Feb. 14 is an excellent opportunity to send this message. Make that gesture count with these budget-friendly tips for delivering quality flowers that won't disappoint. Opt out of the Valentine's Day up-sell - Almost all floral retailers will create Valentine's Day-specific offers to catch your eye. Those bouquets come with a hefty price tag, and often lack on the stem count you are looking for. Avoid the holiday-specific bundles. [NATL] Best Couples and Familes on the Golden Globes 2016 Red Carpet If in season, head to your Farmer's Market - Get to know a Farmer's Market in your neighborhood before Valentine's Day. Pay attention to bouquet costs when it's not a floral holiday so that you have a baseline before prices increase. Ask a vendor to pre-order for Valentine's Day and lock in a price before the holiday surge. You can feel accomplished come February 14 knowing you already have your fresh flowers and that you have supported local growers. Don't Procrastinate - Many companies offer incentives to place your Valentine's Day order in advance, so that they can get a sense of how much inventory to allocate for the major holiday. Take advantage of those offers and you can save quite a bit - you can also sit back and relax while everyone else is scrambling to find the last red and pink flowers! [NATL] Celebrity Hookups: David Foster, Katharine McPhee Marry Learn how to pick fresh flowers - Chances are that if you are looking at a bouquet and all of the flowers are already open, those flowers were not picked yesterday. We all get stuck on how the blooms look right when we buy them. A real flower pro, though, will know to look for bouquets or bunches where the flowers are still closed. Those blooms are the most fresh, and will continue to bloom for days to come. Do some recon - Sending flowers online? Do all that you can to make sure those blooms are fresh and look good. Check to see where your retailer ships from, and opt for a business that sources flowers from U.S. farms. Floral retailer Bloom2Bloom founder Laurenne Resnik advises, "Whether you're buying online or in store, check for companies with the 'American Grown' or 'California Grown' labels. Farm-direct flowers really do last longer." Unlike most outlets, Bloom2Bloom doesn't change its products just for Valentine's Day. [NATL] Celebrity Baby Boom: Christian Slater u0026 Wife Welcome Daughter Think outside the vase - Don't fall for the cliches this Valentine's Day. Skip the vase and look for companies that keep costs down for consumers by wrapping bouquets in Kraft paper for that farm-fresh look. Remember, just because everyone is advertising red roses this Valentine's Day, doesn't mean you have to buy them. Rananculus and Tulips offer a new twist on an old classic. Not to mention, they are in season in California right now! More content from moneytips.com: Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Their Net Worth States With Highest Property Taxes Preparing For Your Annual Tax Meeting Nine undocumented immigrants were arrested off the coast of San Diego as they sailed into the U.S. on a recreational boat, Customs and Border Protection officials said. At about 10:30 p.m. Monday, a Coast Guard crew reported a pleasure craft had crossed the U.S.-Mexico sea border and was dead-in-the-water near the Ocean Beach Pier. Agents with CBP's Air and Marine Operations sailed to the spot and found an unlit, badly equipped and overloaded vessel with nine people on board, officials said. All passengers were in the U.S. illegally, according to agents. The nine people, as well as the boat's operator and navigator, were taken to the custom's dock in the San Diego Bay. Agents turned them over to the U.S. Border Patrol for processing and seized the boat. A new state report shows California farmers reaping record sales despite the epic drought, thriving even as city-dwellers have been forced to conserve water, household wells have run dry and fish have died. California's 76,400 farms recorded $53.5 billion in sales in 2014, the year Gov. Jerry Brown declared the state in a drought emergency and launched what in 2015 became mandatory conservation for cities and towns. The sales figures are the most recent annual ones released by the state agriculture department. With the punishing drought entering its fifth year, the figures are sure to stoke tensions between farmers on one side and, on the other, city-dwellers and environmentalists, who complain they are being forced to make greater sacrifices than growers. Experts cite two key reasons for California farms' strong showing even in dry times: a California almond boom fed by surging demand from China and elsewhere, and farmers' ability to dig deeper, bigger wells to pump up more groundwater when other sources run out. The state report tracked sales, not profits. Higher costs for water and other expenses of the drought outstripped sales for some farmers, but experts said it is clear many others made strong profits, as evidenced by the rush by growers and corporate investors to get into the almond business and take advantage of a run-up in prices. Jay Lund, a water-resources researcher at the University of California at Davis and an influential voice in water policy in the state that is America's agricultural powerhouse, said the sales figures show that California farmers are doing what they should be doing in a dry spell. "To me it illustrates that you can actually have a fairly good job in managing water," Lund said. Some of those who consider themselves the losers in California's water wars see it differently. "The water they're taking, they're also taking from communities around them -- like us," said Guillermo Lopez, a resident of Fresno County, the state's third-most productive farming county, who was forced to haul water when his family taps ran dry. "We're the ones left with no water." Lopez's family well was one of 2,520 household wells around the state to run out of water because of the drought and overpumping of the state's underground water reserves, according to state figures. Wells in Lopez's neighborhood outside the city of Fresno began running dry a year ago, and his family was forced to buy bottled water until a state relief fund paid to have a large water tank installed next to the home. Lopez said that was about the same time he also noticed farmers nearby pumping heavily from deep wells to irrigate their crops. Wildlife has also suffered, including endangered fish. Federal and state water managers, trying to balance competing demands from farms, cities and the environment, were unable to keep enough water in rivers for California's endangered winter-run Chinook salmon, which have gone through record die-offs. California farmers' record sales come "at the expense of our rivers and fisheries," said Kate Poole, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "There've been vast amounts of water taken away from the environment" by water managers in the drought, Poole said. "It's caused many of our native fish to crash to the lowest levels ever." California just went through its driest four-year period on record. Brown asked California cities and towns to cut water use 20 percent in 2014, then made a 25 percent cutback for urban users mandatory the next year. Californians learned to take shorter showers and let their lawns turn brown. Farmers say that they have suffered in the drought, too, and that the rising cost of irrigating their crops is eating into their profits. Not only are their water costs higher but their power bills have shot up because they're running their well pumps more. "You can't assume all farmers have a new pickup and their wives all have a new Cadillac," said Pete Belluomini, who grows potatoes, onions, almonds and other crops in Kern County, the state's No. 2 agriculture county. The University of California at Davis estimates that more expensive water and other drought-related expenses cost farmers $2 billion in 2014. The state ordered thousands of farmers to stop taking water from rivers last year in rare move that hit even some of those with seemingly ironclad water rights dating back a century. In the fertile San Joaquin Valley, some farms in 2015 received no surface water for a second year in a row and were forced to rely on their wells to irrigate crops. Experts warn that Californians are pumping up groundwater at unsustainable rates, causing the ground during the drought to sink more than a foot in parts of the Central Valley farm country. Heavy demand for almonds in Asia and Europe has spurred a boom in the planting of almonds in California and drawn hedge funds and big corporations into the business. California almond production has doubled since the start of this century, surpassing even grapes in 2011. Environmentalists and others complain that almonds are thirsty crops, requiring about a gallon of water per nut, or more than wine grapes use. Some agriculture experts counter that almonds are exactly the kind of high-dollar crop California farmers should be planting to make the most of scarce water. California farmers have passed the higher costs of water on to consumers, with almond prices soaring from $2.40 a pound in 2012 to $5 last year. The recent state agriculture report, released late last month, shows almonds were the state's second-biggest cash crop in 2014 after dairy. Exports accounted for $4.5 billion of California almond farmers' total $5.9 billion in sales, agriculture officials say. However, the outlook for almond sales has dimmed since 2014, with overplanting by eager farmers and an economic slowdown in China threatening to end the boom. "It's a curious case where the effects of the economic growth thousands of miles away might have more effect than a drought in California," said Lund, the UC-Davis expert. San Diego is known as a hub for craft beer, but according to one well-known beer ranking website, the city is also home to many of the top breweries in the world. RateBeer.com a website that compiles stats and ratings on beers and breweries around the world held its Best Awards Ceremony and Beer Festival in Santa Rosa, California, on Jan. 30 and Jan. 31. There, the top 2015 breweries for each state were named, as well as the best brews across the globe. Of the top 10 breweries around the world, San Diegos AleSmith Brewing Company ranked No. 2, while Alpine Beer Company ranked No. 6. Other San Diego-based breweries that rounded out the top 100 best in the world: Green Flash Brewing Co., Ballast Point Brewing Company, Modern Times Beer and Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey. The top brewers were tallied according to a summary score based on all available reviews on the RateBeer website that includes historical all-round performance and a brewers range of performance across styles. More than 22,500 breweries were considered for the honors. AleSmith Brewing Company also scored another major achievement from RateBeer: it was named the best brewery in the entire state of California. A variety of beers made by AleSmith were also recognized, including AleSmith Velvet Speedway Stout (top new beer release in the world), AleSmith IPA, AleSmith Speedway Stout and Bourbon Barrel-Aged AleSmith Old Numbskull Barleywine (top beers in the world). AleSmith CEO and brewmaster Peter Zien said the accolades mean a lot to the brewery, given that RateBeer is driven by beer enthusiasts. Humility is a highly valued quality here at AleSmith. We love our beers, but prefer to let fans of craft beer do the talking when it comes to our family of ales. So its particularly gratifying to receive such incredible accolades from a consistently reliable, fan-driven entity like RateBeer, Zien said. Meanwhile, Alpine Beer Company also celebrated its sixth place worldwide ranking, posting this message on Facebook thanking devoted fans: "We are thrilled to share that at this past weekend's RateBeer Best Beer Festival, RateBeer ranked us #6 in the 2015 "Top Brewers in the World!" We're so honored to receive this recognition and couldn't have done it without our loyal fans. Thank you all!" AleSmith Brewing Company was founded in 1995 and celebrated its 20th anniversary in production last year by opening a new, upgraded brewery and tasting room in Miramar, located at 9990 AleSmith Ct. The 105,500-square-foot brewery boasts an 80-barrel brewing system with the capability to pump out more than 100,000 barrels of brew per year. Alpine Beer Company opened in the fall of 2002 on Alpine Blvd. in San Diegos East County. In early 2010, the brewery opened a tiny, 36-seat pub. By June 2015, the pub moved to a more spacious, 180-seat location with an indoor and outdoor bar on Tavern Road. To read the full list of top breweries recognized in the RateBeer awards ceremony, click here. A sickened sea lion pup found curled up in a booth at The Marine Room restaurant in Southern California should make a full recovery, SeaWorld animal care specialists said Wednesday. The pup nicknamed Marina was rescued in La Jolla by SeaWorld workers last week and was malnourished, dehydrated and suffering from an eye injury. She now is in a stable but guarded condition, specialists say. In her time at the park, Marina gained four pounds, now weighing in at 24 pounds, and is slowly undergoing a rehydration process. Animal care specialists say they are cautiously optimistic for her recovery. Bloodwork results are encouraging, showing some inflammation, but nothing too worrisome, and no other signs of infection or illness, a SeaWorld news release said. Once she is healthy enough, she will be returned to the wild, care staff say. Somehow, the pup got into the dining hotspot and made his way into a booth with a scenic view of the beach below. Management wasnt sure how the sea lion snuck in, but it appears he spent the night inside the restaurant. When the pup was found, Marine Room executive chef took some photos of the whiskered patron that were liked and shared on Facebook thousands of times. SeaWorld San Diego has been handling many unusual sea lion rescues lately in part due to recent El Nino weather conditions. Southern California, and specifically San Diego County, has been having very high tides and very low tides, and also a lot of stormy weather. These pups are looking for high ground and warm areas for the night, Jody Westberg, a SeaWorld Rescue Team member, said. Hometown Buffet is the subject of a state investigation after six of its restaurants abruptly closed in San Diego, the states Labor Commissioners Office reported. State investigators are looking into whether the restaurant chain violated a law requiring employees to be given notice before layoffs are issued. The law requires that a business with 75 or more employees give workers a 60-day notice before any layoffs. Many upset employees and customers complained on Hometown Buffets Facebook page saying the company had not sufficiently warned employees of the closures. They were referred by the company to their contact page. The Santee, El Cajon, San Marcos, Oceanside and two San Diego locations were among the restaurants closed. The Chula Vista, National City and south San Diego restaurants are still open. Hometown Buffet issued a statement last week that the six San Diego locations were closing after ongoing assessments of individual restaurants. The statement said employees of closed restaurants would be able to apply for positions at operating stores. About 165 faith leaders attended a new U.S. government program at Dallas FBI Headquarters Tuesday to provide security training for houses of worship. In a rare interview, Dallas U.S. Attorney John Parker said churches, synagogues and mosques are uniquely vulnerable. "They want to have a welcoming environment where people can come, and that's at the core of what they do. On the other hand, they have to be very careful about who they let in," Parker said. Recent incidents highlight the challenge for religious leaders. Protesters against Islam carrying rifles demonstrated in November outside an Irving mosque. In June, nine people, including a pastor, were killed by a gunman at a Charleston, S.C., church. The 21-year-old suspect said he was starting a race war. Faith leaders have to adopt a new kind of planning beyond traditional preparations for fire or weather, according to John Smith, risk management director with the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. "The key is to be proactive and plan for it ahead of time and train for it ahead of time, so in the unlikely event something does happen, you're ready and prepared to deal with that situation," Smith said. The Rev. Neil Cazares-Thomas leads The Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, a church that welcomes people of all sexual preferences. "When you realize that places of worship have become unsafe places for many, many people that the FBI reaches out to faith leaders, it's an important way in which we can prepare ourselves," said Cazares-Thomas. The new Texas open carry law exempts houses of worship, but Cazares-Thomas said many gun owners may not know that. He said precautions for houses of worship include measures for buildings and people. "We certainly have to prepare our ushers and the greeters on our doors to be extra vigilant, which is very sad, that we have to have that kind of vigilance," he said. An active shooter drill was part of the training for religious leaders Tuesday. The event for religious leaders was closed to the media. "We're asking them at this session today to talk about the vulnerabilities of their security plan, the things that keep them up at night. And we don't want anything to chill that conversation. We want them to speak openly and freely," Parker said. The U.S. Attorney intends to repeat the program to expand the training to more religious leaders. "This is to get them started. They'll go back to their places of worship and they'll develop security committees and protocols to, not fortify their places of worship necessarily, but make them more secure," Parker said. About a dozen fatal fires in the Washington, D.C.-area since 2013 are linked to hoarding, or excessive clutter inside the homes, according to a review of state fire records by the News4 I-Team. In each case, the high concentration of items inside the houses complicated the search and rescue of victims inside, according to the official notes and records from local fire departments. The fires, all of which drew large responses from local fire departments, underscore the increasing risk to homeowners and firefighters from excessive storage or clutter. State and local fire department leaders told the I-Team they are still trying to measure and study how widespread the threat posed. The recent victims include Pauline Hockett, 72, who died when fire consumed her home in Front Royal, Virginia, in 2013. Hocketts son, Glenn, arrived at the scene shortly after the fire ignited. The amount of stuff (inside) played a role in fueling the fire, he said. Even the best fire department wasnt able to put it down. Marylands state fire marshal said the issue of clutter contributed to at least one fatal fire in Laurel and three more in the Baltimore-area since 2013. In one Baltimore County blaze, a firefighter was killed. Prince Georges County firefighters are training recruits about the hazards and hurdles of combatting fires in cluttered homes. Think of yourself in a sand pit and every time you try to move more of that sand, it just sloshes around you, Fire Chief Marc Bashoor said. Excessive clutter in a home increases the risk of floors collapsing in a fire, Bashoor said. It also slows firefighters from getting inside windows and doors, he said. Every time you try to move something out of the way to get your next foot forward, something else falls down on top of you, he said. Prince Georges County Fire records reviewed by the I-Team show the average time needed to access a victim in the home of a suspected hoarder tops one hour and 20 minutes. The records show the typical average for traditional fires is approximately five minutes. Montgomery County formed a task force in 2011 to help provide assistance to families experiencing the problem of hoarding. A county spokeswoman said the task force continues to collaborate and offers services. Fairfax County also has a committee focused on hoarding issues. Anyone with concerns about the well-being of a person living amid potential hoarding conditions should contact the countys Department of Code Compliance at (703) 324-1300, a county spokesman said. We have several very experienced staff in addressing hoarding conditions and can both help answer questions and refer them to other local professionals, based on their situations, as needed, he said. Persuading a family member who deals with the disorder is challenging, if not impossible, Hockett said. He said he urges relatives to contact fire departments to alert them if they suspect a relative is suffering from excessive clutter so firefighters can address the risk before a fire occurs. (Firefighters) can be checking fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in the house, he said. And perhaps theyll have an idea of what they may have to face. Reported by Scott MacFarlane, produced by Rick Yarborough, and shot and edited by Steve Jones. A plow driver was seriously injured after being hit by a car Tuesday night in Damascus, Maryland, officials say. The Maryland State Highway Administration employee was on foot when the worker was hit by a car at Ridge Road (Route 27) at Hoffman Drive, a Montgomery County fire department spokesman said about 6:40 p.m. The plow driver was rushed to a trauma center with life-threatening injuries. MD-27 still was partially closed as of 8 p.m. Information on the cause of the crash was not immediately available. Stay with News4 for more details on this developing story. Washington's EMS medical director and assistant fire chief has submitted her resignation in a fiery letter that cites "emergency" problems within the department that put citizens' lives in danger. Dr. Jullette M. Saussy told News4 she will resign after just seven months on the job. She said in a four-page letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser that a "highly toxic" culture and "lack of accountability" within the D.C. EMS system delays crews' responses to life-or-death situations. "People are dying needlessly because we are moving too slow," Saussy wrote in the letter dated Jan. 29. "Every time we send scarce resources to low-level calls, we deplete our resources and prolong response times to true emergencies." Saussy cited a stabbing victim, Robert Wiggins, who died after an ambulance took nearly 20 minutes to reach him on Jan. 27. "He suffered a potentially survivable injury, but it took more than 18 minutes for a transport ambulance to reach the 35-year-old man on 37th Street SE," the letter said. "We failed that young man." "Tragically, people die needlessly quite frequently and the majority of them don't make the news," the letter continued. D.C. Fire and EMS Chief Gregory Dean confirmed the ambulance took 18 minutes to reach Wiggins, who died four days after being attacked in an apartment. "That's the same problem we've been having because we don't have enough resources, because they get stuck at the hospital," Dean said Wednesday. "It's why we've said we're going to use a third-party provider to offset that, so we keep some unit availability." As previously announced, D.C. will deploy private ambulances to help reduce some lapses in service. In an interview with News4, Saussy, who previously ran the ambulance service in New Orleans, compared Wiggins' death to the deaths of David Rosenbaum in 2006 and Medric Cecil Mills in 2014. Each man's death was the subject of an extensive investigation into improper care by first responders. Each time, city officials promised change. "Just like Mr. Mills and any other names we could talk about, Mr. Rosenbaum, they deserve to know that their lives are not lost in vain," Saussy said. She objected to being asked to vouch for the skills of more than 700 medics to the D.C. Department of Health and the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. She wrote that she could not ethically attest to the workers' skills when she had not been involved in their training or education, and had not met most of the workers. Her attempts to access medics had been blocked, she wrote. "Not only can I not verify competency, there is no valid indication that they have received any form of real training or continuing education," she wrote. Dean thanked Saussy for her service. "We are working diligently to find an interim medical director," he wrote in a letter to fire and EMS crews. "I want to assure you that all of our plans for EMS reform will continue uninterrupted." Bowser said Wednesday that her administration is working on reforms within the fire and EMS department. "The problems at Fire and EMS have been long documented, in terms of culture," she said. "Can you turn around a culture in six months? Probably not. But we have put in place a commitment to our employees that says you're going to have the equipment that you need and you're going to have the training that we need. We think that turns around culture." In the past year, the Bowser administration has held the first entry-level exam in eight years to hire new workers to the department, put a process in place to use third-party EMS providers to support FEMS and ended a 14-year lawsuit between D.C. and the largest FEMS union, spokesman Michael Czin said. Ed Smith, the head of the union that represents rank-and-file EMS workers, said the union offered a number of alternatives to Saussy's plan for a comprehensive assessment of training and procedures. Saussy's last day on the job will be Friday. An injured man looking for medical attention shot a door at Reston Hospital Center and then fired another bullet inside the hospital Wednesday morning, Fairfax County police said. Police say 52-year-old William Brock went to the hospital with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly after 1:30 a.m. When he arrived at the Pavilion II entrance of the hospital, he discovered it was locked and fired a shot at the door, breaking the glass, Fairfax County Police said. When he entered the hospital, staff saw he was in need of medical attention and tried to help him. "When they went to render aid, he again displayed the handgun and allegedly fired another round, discharged another round inside the hospital," said a police spokesman. "Nobody was hit. Nobody was injured." Staff at the hospital convinced him to put the gun down, police said. It is being held as evidence. Brock, a resident of Loudoun County, was stabilized and transported to another emergency room. He remains hospitalized under guard without bond pending his medical release. He is charged with felony destruction of property and shooting into an occupied building. Reston Hospital Center resumed normal operating status quickly after the incident, police said. For one of the most visible and accessible parts of Boston, the parcel where Kneeland Street crosses the Big Dig tunnel entrance has decidedly humble uses: the headquarters for the state Department of Transportation's metropolitan Boston district, and a Veolia steam plant that feeds pipes heating dozens of downtown Boston skyscrapers. Now the city and state are moving to take bids to redevelop the 5.5 acre site, and they're thinking big - very big. "You're talking about 2 million, potentially 2 million square feet of developable space on this site," Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday. "There are a lot of things you can do with 2 million square feet." In comparison, the John Hancock Tower in the Back Bay is just under 2 million square feet. The addresses of the two sites being put out for bid are 165 and 185 Kneeland Street, about a three-minute walk from South Station. Mayor Marty Walsh said there will be extensive conversations with residents of Chinatown, the Leather District, and the South End about what they want here, what mix of "housing, economic development, infrastructure, buildings, office space, to really kind of energize and make use of the land." Walsh said he considers the location a key to helping the city meet its long-term goal of 53,000 new housing units to meet growing population and demand. French energy giant Veolia owns the steam plant and plans to replace it with a more efficient, less polluting boiler plant built underground, beneath the future development. The Kneeland Street site is just one of multiple state-owned parcels in Boston that Baker's now offering the city for housing and jobs, with others in Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, and other neighborhoods of Boston. Many have been vacant or underused for decades. "This is about inertia," Baker said. "I mean, these parcels sit there because, for one reason or another, there's no proactive strategy to move them and to do something with them." The state and city plan their first community meeting on the Boston project on March 2 at 6 p.m. at 185 Kneeland Street. Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said she hopes to officially offer the site to bidders before the end of the year after citizen reactions have shaped a plan for what to build there. With videographer Anthony Bisceglia A friend of slain Virginia girl Nicole Lovell says the seventh-grader talked of running away and starting a family with the man now charged in her slaying. Natasha Bryant told The Washington Post that Nicole, 13, had called 18-year-old Virginia Tech student David Eisenhauer her boyfriend. Natasha said Nicole described Eisenhauer as "funny and really nice." On Jan. 27, Nicole apparently climbed out of her bedroom window. Her body was found four days later just across the state line in North Carolina. She had been fatally stabbed. Eisenhauer has been charged with abduction and first-degree murder in Nicole's death. Another Virginia Tech student, 19-year-old Natalie Keepers, is charged with accessory before and after the fact and with illegally dumping Nicole's body. Natasha said Nicole met Eisenhauer online, and that she and other friends had worried about Nicole's social media interactions. On a recently recorded episode of "Dr. Phil," Nicole's father said his daughter had recently been grounded from social media for chatting inappropriately online with older men. "You could tell these older guys had fake profiles," her father, David Lovell, told host Phil McGraw, according to excerpts in a release from the show. "Some of the things they said were way too grown up for the picture they had." Nicole's parents took away her phone before Christmas, but she later got it back, he said on the show, which airs Wednesday. Nicole told people she was talking to Eisenhauer, Natasha told the Post, which reported that her father permitted the interview. "She always talked of running away with him," Natasha said. "She used to talk to a lot of older guys. A lot of people told her not to. I told her it's not safe. I told her she was going to be hurt or kidnapped or something." Nicole's mother, Tammy Weeks, has said her daughter was bullied at school. Natasha said many of Nicole's peers "talked behind her back" about a tracheotomy scar on her throat, and Nicole turned to social media "looking for someone who would give her attention and give her some compassion." Authorities have not disclosed any possible motive for Nicole's slaying, and her father seems to still be searching for answers. "How can it go from being my wonderful, happy daughter to she was murdered a few days later? I talked to her about a week before she went missing and everything was normal. She was my little baby girl," he said, according to the "Dr. Phil" statement. Monday night, organizers held a vigil in Blacksburg, Virginia, to remember Nicole. The Roanoke Times reported that more than 100 people gathered in downtown Blacksburg honor Nicole's memory. Light poles in the area were strung with blue Christmas lights, and members of the community held candles throughout the night. Weeks addressed the crowd, thanking the community for their thoughts and prayers and speaking about her daughter, whom she called "Coley." "As I stand here tonight, my family and I are broken," Weeks said. "God, I miss you Coley." Blacksburg Mayor Ron Rordam also spoke at the event, saying the community is strong and standing together. The event was sponsored by Womanspace at Virginia Tech and Take Back the Night, two organizations dedicated to student and citizen safety. Friends and others who know Eisenhauer and Keepers have described them as motivated young people who seemed to have a bright future before their arrests. But at a bond hearing last week for Keepers, Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettit said the defendants met at a fast-food restaurant and carefully plotted Nicole's death. Eisenhauer and Keepers, who both are from the Maryland suburbs in the D.C. area, are being held without bond. Their next court appearance is set for March 28. Defense attorneys have declined to give interviews. A Houston-area couple is accused of forcing a Nigerian woman to care for their five children and home without pay during a two-year period in which she was physically and verbally abused, made to work nearly 20 hours a day and told to sleep on the floor, federal authorities say. Chudy and Sandra Nsobundu were arrested Monday on charges of forced labor, withholding documents, conspiracy to harbor an illegal immigrant and visa fraud. Authorities say the couple seized the nanny's passport, so she was unable to leave. The 38-year-old nanny, whose full name is not given in the criminal complaint, told authorities she was promised $100 per month but has never been paid in her two years working for the Nsobundus in their home in the Houston suburb of Katy. "She regularly endured physical and verbal abuse and was not treated like a human being," the criminal complaint said. Sandra Nsobundu, 50, made her initial court appearance Tuesday morning in federal court in Houston. She was granted an unsecured bond by U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson and was set to be released later Tuesday. Her attorney, Joan Nwuli, declined to comment after the court hearing. Chudy Nsobundu, 56, was set to appear in court Tuesday afternoon. Court records did not list an attorney for him. The Nsobundus each face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Ruben Perez, one of the federal prosecutors handling the case, said after the hearing that the nanny was "enslaved" by her employers. Perez said cases in which immigrants and others are forced to work in homes in harsh conditions as nannies or caretakers are more common than people think. "We know they are out there. When it comes to our attention we'll act on them," he said. The nanny, who was living in Lagos, Nigeria, moved to Texas to live with the Nsobundus in September 2013, according to the criminal complaint. The Nsobundus are naturalized U.S. citizens originally from Nigeria. The complaint said the nanny would work every day from 5:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., couldn't take breaks and had to eat leftovers and not fresh food, including being forced to only drink milk left in bowls in which the children had eaten cereal. She also couldn't take hot showers, according to the complaint. The nanny alleged Sandra Nsobundu repeatedly hit her if she thought the nanny wasn't doing her job correctly. The complaint said Sandra Nsobundu is accused of once striking the nanny across the face with a slipper and threatening to "shoot her and kill her" after not liking the socks the woman had put on one of the younger children. After the nanny found out that she hadn't been paid in two years, she reached out for help and was rescued last October following a tip to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, the complaint said. It's not clear who made the tip. Perez said the nanny is being cared for, but he declined to offer more details about her status. A man suspected of smashing a door to escape after trying to rob a convenience store last week in Methuen, Massachusetts, was arrested Tuesday. Police say Joshua Pittochelli was caught by state police after a brief chase. Pittochelli is accused of trying to rob the Stop Quick Convenience Store Wednesday afternoon. According to police, he showed a knife and grabbed the cash register, but the clerk locked the door and cornered him. Then, police say, he used the register to smash the door and dove through it before escaping in an SUV. Authorities did not say whether Pittochelli had been charged, simply saying that he had been apprehended. The Massachusetts State Police responded to a call Wednesday morning for a large metal object that had fallen onto the Massachusetts Turnpike in Millbury, Mass. According to state police, three people were injured in the accident. Police say Anthony Donaldson, 48, of Roslindale was traveling eastbound in a 2011 Freightliner tractor-trailer when the object fell from his car, hitting a 2010 Subaru Legacy. The operator of the Subaro, a 59-year-old from Wilbraham along with two passengers were transported with minor injuries to UMass Medical Center in Worcester. Donaldson did not stop at the scene and has been charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury crash and a left lane violation. Police determined the object was improperly secured and issued a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration violation to the owner of the truck, Instituform Technologies of Chesterfield, Mo. Gridlock outside Merrimack High School, the only polling location for the roughly 19,000 registered voters in town. "From Exit 11, to this spot, right here, 1 mile, it took me about an hour and a half to go about a mile," said Renee Beijer of Merrimack. The traffic issues started in the morning and continued all day right up until it was time for the polls to close. "This morning I was in traffic for an hour, and then I had to turn around... I give up," Gwen Hurd of Merrimack said. Town officials blame a new traffic pattern. "The way we did it this time failed miserably," Town Moderator Lynn Christensen said. "We really had backups... no matter what we did didn't seem to help." Anyone who was in line by 7 p.m., the scheduled time for the precinct to close, was allowed to vote. But some who turned around didnt make it back in time. "I think that there was a real problem... just in the traffic," said Jacqueline Mullen of Merrimack. Town officials say they got an earful from voters and say they dont blame them for being angry. The town will go back to the drawing board to come up with a better plan for next time. Long lines were also an issue in Bedford on Tuesday, due in part to same-day voter registration. The flow of traffic was cut off at 7 p.m., but anyone who was on the property by then was allowed to vote. German Klimenko, who was recently appointed to be Vladimir Putin's special advisor on all Internet-related matters, already has some big ideas about how Russia should adjust its dealings with companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Google. Seemingly not content to see the smartphone landscape effectively dominated by Apple and Google, Klimenko said in a recent interview that both companies should pay a whole lot more in taxes to the Russian government. "When you buy an app from Google Play or the App Store anywhere in Europe, VAT is charged at the place of payment, but not here in our banana republic," Klimenko frustratingly explained in statements originally relayed by Bloomberg. His solution? A revamp of the Russian tax code that would see consumers slapped with an 18% sales tax on all mobile purchases, an idea which, if implemented, would naturally direct consumers toward alternatives. If the proposed tax changes go through, the report indicates that Apple and Google might lose upwards of $3.9 billion in revenue. Klimenko, 49, is pushing to raise taxes on U.S. companies to help level the playing field for Russian competitors such as Yandex and Mail.ru. His efforts mirror those of governments across Europe and beyond to squeeze more revenue out of Google, Apple and other multinationals with increasingly complex billing and ownership structures. While government officials seeking to pad tax revenue is hardly earth-shattering, Klimenko's opinions on Microsoft are a bit bizarre, as he reportedly wants to ban Windows from all government computers because Microsoft "complied with sanctions over Putin's annexation of Crimea by halting all business with the peninsula..." And without Windows getting in the way, Klimenko further adds that it's only a matter of time before the entire Russian government transitions over to Linux. As for Google, well, Russia government officials have long had something of a hate-hate relationship with the search giant. From Klimenko's vantage point, Google's ability to track users is a "potential threat" to Russian national security. You might also remember that Putin himself, back in April 2014, went so far as to say that the Internet was born as a "CIA project" and was continuing to operate as such. Almost comically, world wide web founder Tim Berners-Lee responded to Putin's statement a few months later, assuring the Russian leader that "the Internet is not a CIA creation." "It was the academic community who wired up their universities so it was put together by smart, well-meaning people who thought it was a good idea," Berners-Lee further explained. What many of us likely suspected, but possibly hadn't gone to the troubleor had the inclinationof finding out for ourselves is that the dark web is full of illegal and dubious stuff, researchers have found. The researchers, who have been studying and writing about encryption policy, sniffed around with a Tor browser and found 1,547 out of 5,205 total websites live on the dark web engaging in illegal activity. Those illicit destinations, uncovered in early 2015, covered subjects relating to illegal drugs, money laundering, and "illegitimate" pornography, the Kings College London scientists write in their Cryptopolitik and the Darknet paper abstracted in Survival: Global Policy and Strategy, a journal. Drugs and violence galore Drugs, including both sales and manufacturing, accounted for the most sites in one genre of website, at 423. More esoteric interests, such as violence, which included hitman suppliers, were less prevalent. Seventeen sites were categorized as "Violence." Those domains not only included hitmen brokers, but also instructional material for carrying out violent attacks. One hitman vendor apparently offered contract killers for hire with the caveat that his team wouldn't do-in top politicians, among other exclusions, according to the abstract. Firearms markets made up 42 sites, and Hacking services 96 sites, the report says. Religious propaganda limited Interestingly, the most unexpected thing they found was that there wasn't much religious extremism. Although there was some extremism. Why? Partly because those religious organizations rely on the public Internet to spread their messages. "The darknet's propaganda reach is starkly limited," the team said. The browser The researchers used the Tor browser, which surfs the hidden network of layers and encrypted relays through which dark web data is passed," explains a recent ExtremeTech article about the Kings College scientists' work. "Each node in the network only knows where a packet just was and where it's going next," ExtremeTech says. In other words, the originating computer and destination website don't see each other directly. The traffic is bounced around the world through rendezvous points, as the neutral nodes are called. The traffic, in each circuit, only sees its entry and exit point, not the whole route. And it's encrypted, too. Tor's other uses Like that, Tor should provide secure and anonymized browsing, which is indeed what many people use it for, not criminal activities, as it's known for. This is particularly the case in countries where governments do not tolerate unfettered Internet use. Tor was famously used by "thousands" in Egypt when the Internet was clamped down in 2011, explains Kings College's Daniel Moore and Thomas Rid, in their paper. So Tor isn't just for accessing the dark web. Its encrypted relays have purpose for political dissidents, journalists, and others too. Darknet is the hidden web, the researchers explained. They describe it as a "distinct network supporting cryptographically hidden sites." But only 3% to 6% of Tor traffic is used to access the hidden sites, they think. And in their paper they are keen to emphasize the legitimacy of Tor's secure and anonymous browsing aspects. "Tor's anonymization function has received widespread support and praise," Moore and Rid say. Moore and Rid used automated scanning software to trawl for the sites they were looking for. There isn't an existing index, like a name server registry. What if Alice and Bob represented countries that agreed to a nuclear disarmament treaty, but neither trusted the other enough to scan a warhead and observe the test results because the scans revealed sensitive information about their nuclear program? In the end, the countries agree to build a fissile material detector that would output only a yes or no to show whether each country dismantled real warheads and not fakes. In essence, that was the scenario for the annual Underhanded C Contest, which tasked programmers with solving a simple data processing problem by writing innocent-looking C code, while covertly implementing a malicious function. This type of malicious program, in the real world, could let states take credit for disarmament without actually disarming. Out of 40 submissions, Linus Akesson won the contest this year and $1,000. He described the task as writing a piece of code to detect the presence or absence of fissile material, allowing Country A to verify that Country B is destroying actual warheads. The underhanded bit consisted of sneaking in some kind of vulnerability that would allow Country B to trigger false positives, and thus destroy only fake warheads. Put another way by Scott Craver, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Binghamton University and founder of the Underhanded C Contest, The code Mr. Akesson developed looks completely innocent, simple, short and readable, and it misbehaves under realistic conditions that can be engineered by an adversary. His approach is extraordinarily clever, and demonstrates how an inspector might be fooled into believing hes looking at a real nuclear warhead that is, in fact, a fake. Mr. Akessons submission shows the importance of authenticating software for arms control verification and monitoring, said Page Stoutland, Nuclear Threat Initiatives (NTI) vice president for scientific and technical affairs. Did you know there are no standards for writing and reviewing code for arms control verification applications? Instead, random selections, blind buys and reverse engineering are all strategies to increase an inspectors confidence in the integrity of the hardware, but there is no consensus on how best to develop trusted software, explained the NTI. Well thats scary, and its not too hard to imagine that if a country wanted to keep its nuclear warheads while pretending to actually destroy them, it might try to pull a nuclear version of the Volkswagen emission cheat test and dismantle fake warheads that were made to appear as if they were real. We really dont want a madman with nuclear capabilitiesoh, wait, too late for that one. While you cant really do anything about it, a wise person would keep an eye on North Koreas nukes. During a Reddit IAmA, Stoutland one of the nuclear and cybersecurity experts behind the contest to develop a program which would trick nuke inspectors called North Koreas recent nuclear test and satellite launch concerning. North Koreas nukes and intercontinental ballistic missiles Concerning might be a little understated, as in the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community (pdf) report, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper mentioned that North Korea restarted its plutonium nuclear reactor and could soon stockpile nuclear weapons. Clapper confirmed that North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and that it has intercontinental ballistic missiles. Additionally, the report noted that Kim Jong Un has purged senior advisors, such as by executing his uncle, to solidify his position and North Koreas focus on advancing its nuclear weapons program. Despite efforts at diplomatic outreach, Kim continues to challenge the international community with provocative and threatening behavior in pursuit of his goals, as prominently demonstrated in the November 2014 cyberattack on Sony, the August 2015 inter-Korean confrontation spurred by the Norths placement of landmines that injured two South Korean soldiers, and the fourth nuclear test in January 2016. The U.S. and South Korea are talking about deploying THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, which could shoot down North Koreas ballistic missiles. In short, we are a long way from disarmament with North Korea, as well as from trusted software for testing and destroying real nukes. Nevertheless, the Underhanded C contest this year will hopefully emphasize the need for care and rigor, not to mention new research, in secure software development for such applications. Columnist Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich). Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). Experts at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) an organization promoting research, risk assessment, knowledge sharing and best practices in the fight against infectious diseases are developing tools to monitor the spread of the Zika virus and are conducting research to gather more solid data to better assess the risks associated with the infection. According to ESCMID experts, researchers need to find evidence on how the Zika virus affects the body, why it is spreading rapidly in the Americas, how else it can be transmitted apart from mosquito bites, and whether it is linked with congenital defects in babies and nervous system diseases. In a review published late last week, researchers including the ESCMID network discussed the rapid spread of Zika virus in the Americas and concluded that the virus and other arboviruses may not only pose a threat to residents of Brazil, but also to attendees of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games in Rio de Janeiro. Meanwhile, ESCMID researchers are also working hard on the development of better diagnostic tools and on improving the monitoring of the virus spread, as they are preparing for a possible outbreak in Europe and the return of the virus to the African continent where it was first isolated in the Zika Forest in Uganda in 1947. An international research team led by Prof. Eskild Petersen from Aarhus University in Denmark executive committee member of the ESCMID Study Group on Infections in Travellers and Migrants (ESGITM) and Prof. Alimuddin Zumla, University College London, United Kingdom, published the review on the Zika virus in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. The paper concludes that molecular analyses of the virus are most urgently needed to understand whether a change in the virus can explain the rapid spread and the association with microcephaly in babies exposed to the virus during pregnancy. Research into rapid diagnostics, treatments and vaccines are underway, the review authors said. Specific and rapid diagnostic tests for the virus will allow better surveillance and assessment of the risk for microcephaly, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and other complications, Prof. Petersen explained. The emergence of Zika virus soon after the Ebola outbreak is yet another reminder for the urgent need for a coordinated global effort to have sufficiently resourced rapid response groups for proactive surveillance and conduct of priority research in emergency situations, Prof. Petersen concludes. Prof. Hakan Leblebicioglu, chairperson of ESGITM, added: Emerging and re-emerging infections usually arise from resource-limited countries and since the infrastructure for diagnostics is not well-established, the timely diagnosis and control of outbreaks are usually late. For this reason, an international collaboration for capacity building of the laboratories and technology transfer is essential. ESGITM board member Dr. Nick Beeching from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine notes that Aedes mosquitoes are widespread in the tropics, including both Aedes aegypti, implicated in the outbreak in Latin America and Aedes albopictus, which is increasingly found in southern Europe. These mosquitoes are already responsible for huge epidemics of fevers due to dengue and chikungunya viruses in the tropics and for smaller outbreaks in Italy and France, so there may be potential for transmission of Zika in parts of Europe too. It is not known whether other types of mosquito that are more common in Europe can act as vectors for Zika virus and research on this is urgently needed. Dr. Beeching points out that only one in five people infected with the virus show any symptoms, so that many people will be unaware that they have been infected. He thinks it is very likely that the virus will return to sub-Saharan Africa soon, as it is already present in an archipelago just off the coast of Western Africa, in the island country Cape Verde. The next stage for the virus might be to move from Cape Verde to Guinea-Bissau, and from there to neighbouring countries in West Africa. It could also be exported to Madeira, which is part of Europe, and which experienced a dengue fever outbreak in 2012, transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes that were already established there. Dr. Beeching speculates. One of the main questions to be answered is why the virus was able to spread so rapidly now and why such huge outbreaks did not occur before. The problem with current prevention techniques is that researchers are working with empirical and epidemiological data, and until the RNA of the virus is analyzed which will take several months we will not know if it is a mutation in the virus or other factors that play a role in the apparent increased occurrence of microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome in the affected regions, according to researchers. Investigations into the associations with central nervous system complications may prove particularly important, including follow-up of patients and babies born to infected mothers to detect other possible sequelae. For European residents there is an infection risk if they travel to affected countries or if they have unprotected sexual contact with someone who has recently returned from an affected area. There is also a risk from transfusion of blood donated by those recently infected. Perhaps more alarming would be if the virus manages to reach southern Europe. Experts are concerned that countries like France, Spain and Italy, which in the past have registered cases of dengue transmission, may be at risk. Dr. Rogelio Lopez-Velez, ESGITM member from the Spanish national referral centre for tropical medicine of the Hospital Ramon y Cajal in Madrid, added: Even in Brazil 25% of the cases of microcephaly showed no symptoms of Zika. If the virus spreads to Africa and Southern Europe, we urgently need rapid diagnostic tests and more information on how long the risk of microcephaly exists after infection. For now however, particularly among female migrants from South America or Europeans visiting Latin America, we need to ensure they remain vigilant when travelling between the two continents. ESCMID researchers also support monitoring of the virus outbreak. The society is a partner in the PREPARE project, where researchers develop tools including clinical research protocols and case report forms, which are systematically used to collect essential data and laboratory results for clinical studies on the virus. In cooperation with PREPARE, ESCMID organizes an educational course entitled PREPAREing for (Re-)Emerging Arbovirus Infections in Europe from 7 9 March 2016 in Thessaloniki, Greece. Early-career researchers from Indonesia, Nepal, Peru, Uganda and Yemen honored for their life-enhancing work in health and nutrition Five researchers have been named winners of the 2016 Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists in the Developing World, in recognition of research that has strong potential health and economic benefits. The winning scholars from Indonesia, Nepal, Peru, Uganda and Yemen are being honored for their accomplishments in nutrition, psychiatry, biotechnology, women's health, bioenvironmental sciences and epidemiology. They are also celebrated for mentoring young women scientists who are pursuing careers in agriculture, biology and medicine in their respective countries. The Elsevier Foundation awards are given in partnership with the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries. The five winners will receive their awards on February 13th during a ceremony at the Gender & Minorities Networking Breakfast at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. The 2016 winners are: Dr. Etheldreda NakimuliMpungu, Makerere University Kampala, Uganda (Sub-Saharan Africa Region) Psychiatric epidemiology: For her work using psychotherapy as treatment of depression and alcoholism in Ugandans with HIV. Depression is a serious problem for HIV patients throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, making it more likely that those patients will stop taking their HIV-antiretroviral medications. Dr. NakimuliMpungu is working with service providers to integrate depression screening with HIV-treatment, as well as to include local communities in discussions of depression to help destigmatize the illness. "A country needs human capital; individuals who are productive members of society," said Dr. Nakimuli-Mpungu. "This innovative model helps people coping with HIV/AIDS to regain their dignity, self-esteem and desire to fully participate and contribute to their communities." Dr. Sri Fatmawati, Kampus ITS Sukolilo, Indonesia (East and South-East Asia & the Pacific Region) Bioenvironmental sciences: For her work analyzing the medical and pharmaceutical potential of plant and fungi extracts normally used in herbal medicine. Dr. Fatmawati has also received the prestigious Pemenang Fellowship International L'Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science for research analyzing substances from sponges that may lead to treatments for malaria, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. "I don't know what the future brings, but I know science is part of my soul," said Dr. Fatmawati. "I hope more young generations will share their life with science for a better world." Dr. Sushila Maharjan, Research Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology RIBB, Nepal (Central & South Asia Region) Biochemistry and biotechnology: For her work using soil microbes to develop medically useful chemicals. Microbes create a great number of the materials used in medicine, including antibiotics. Dr. Maharjan is currently researching bacterial strains from the high-altitude regions of Nepal to identify substances useful for development of new antibiotics, as well as other medically useful compounds. "The most rewarding part of my research is to find novel drugs and antibiotics from Streptomyces bacteria of Nepal that have great potential to combat the emerging drug and antibiotic resistant diseases worldwide," said Dr. Maharjan. Dr. Magaly Blas, Urb Ingenieria, Peru (Latin America and the Caribbean Region) Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Epidemiology: For her work using information and communication technology to solve health problems, particularly sexually transmitted diseases in urban and rural Peru. Dr. Blas also leads the Mama River Programme, training community members to use smartphones to collect basic information from pregnant women and forward this information to a medical ship to schedule visits. "Female leadership in Latin America is growing," said Dr. Blas. "I feel proud to be part of this new generation of women scientists who are trying to make a difference in their country and in the world." Dr. Ghanya AlNaqeb, Faculty of Agriculture, Sana'a University, Yemen (Arab Region) Nutritional Sciences: For her research using chemicals isolated from Yemeni herbal plants for disease prevention. For example, a major focus of her work has been black cumin seeds, which are commonly used as a spice in Yemen, other Middle Eastern countries and India. Her research on these seeds has focused on their effects in protecting the heart from cardiovascular diseases. "Despite all the difficulties we face in our country, Yemeni women have always worked hard to raise the name of Yemen," Al-Naqeb said. "I am very pleased to represent my country with my scientific research." The 2016 Elsevier Foundation awards competition focused on biological sciences (agriculture, biology and medicine) and a panel of eminent scientists selected each winner based on her achievements. The prize includes USD $5,000 and all-expenses-paid attendance at the 2016 AAAS Annual Meeting. This important recognition helps invigorate the winners' careers by providing them with new visibility and extended professional networks, allowing them to engage with colleagues and the public while their careers are still at an early stage. The winners also serve as a source of inspiration for other women in countries where more scientific expertise is a critical need. "The determination, commitment and enthusiasm of these five women is an inspiration to us all but especially to other women undertaking scientific research in developing countries. This award celebrates their excellent science and demonstrates that their hard work has had an impact both regionally and internationally, despite the difficult local conditions" said Fang Xin, president of OWSD. "These are exemplary researchers, and their work has enormous potential to improve people's health and support stronger communities," said TWAS Executive Director Romain Murenzi. "Their work will be widely appreciated for the benefits it can bring to developing countries. Just as important, they will serve as models and as inspiration for young scientists - women and men - of a new generation." David Ruth, executive director of the Elsevier Foundation, said, "Over the past 5 years, we've evolved these awards together with OWSD and TWAS and each year we learn more about the incredible challenges faced by women researchers doing science in low-resource settings. We hope that our awards help shine a light on these emerging women leaders and the important work they are doing in their fields-and what better place to do this than at the AAAS conference where the latest science, issues and leaders come together each year." The Elsevier Foundation Award winners will be giving a talk about their work at the Global Women's Institute, George Washington University, February 11th in a session moderated by Dr. Rachelle S. Heller, Professor in the Department of Computer Science. Researchers at Illinois Institute of Technology and Loyola University have discovered new clues in the 100-year-old mystery of the Frank-Starling law of the heart: What makes the heart contract more strongly at longer lengths given the same level of calcium activation? Diffraction patterns from beating rat heart muscles allow study of thick and thin filament structure. Writing in the February 8 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Biology professor Thomas Irving of Illinois Tech and Pieter de Tombe of the Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine demonstrated that the muscle protein titin plays a key role in the Frank-Starling mechanism. The findings will enable researchers to develop more realistic models of cardiac function and improve their understanding of cardiac dysfunction in heart failure. First proposed in 1914, Frank-Starling refers to the physiological observation that the greater the volume of blood that enters the heart during diastole or normal heart dilation, when chambers fill with blood the higher the blood pressure when more blood is sent out of the chambers during systole, when the ventricles contract. Although researchers have known of the phenomenon for a long time, they have not known how it works. They knew only that the Frank-Starling mechanism does not properly work in people with heart failure; the heart does not pump enough blood. To explore the mechanism, Irving, De Tombe, and their team examined live rat heart muscle at the millionth of a millimeter (nanoscale) level, using small angle X-ray diffraction techniques at Illinois Techs Biophysics Collaborative Access Team (BioCAT) beamline 18ID at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. BioCAT is considered by scientists to be one of the best facilities in the world for muscle diffraction studies. A heart muscle contracts because of interactions between bundles of proteins called myosin assembled into so-called thick filaments with the protein actin assembled into so-called thin filaments. When a nerve impulse stimulates the muscle, calcium is released from stores that can move into the thick and thin filaments. Portions of the myosin muscle then interact with the thin filaments, causing muscle to shorten and generate force. Another important protein, titin, acts like a rubber band that stores energy when muscle is stretched and releases it when it shortens. Earlier researchers proposed that alterations in the titin molecules were connected to heart failure. But they did not know why muscle generates more force for the same amount of calcium when muscle is stretched to longer lengths. Illinois Tech and Loyola researchers found that normal titin molecules pulling on the thick filaments caused changes in thick filament structure that were simultaneously accompanied by changes in the thin filament structure, and these thin filament changes were those normally associated with allowing the muscle to contract. These structural changes were absent in muscles that had longer titin molecules that did not pull as hard on the thick filaments. What tells the proteins that the muscle has been stretched as it would be at larger diastolic volumes, is how much the titin pulls on the thick and thin filaments. This provides an important part of the long-sought explanation for the increased force at longer muscle length that underlies the Frank-Starling mechanism. This is a significant step forward in our understanding of the workings of the heart, said Irving. Although we still dont know what the connections are chemically that transmit titins force from the thick filaments to the thin filaments, we now know that there must be such connections. The next step is to identify this missing link. Reducing the number of men who go to prison could help curb the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in a community, according to research published in Social Science & Medicine. A new computer model developed by researchers at the University of Michigan in the US suggests that reducing incarceration in a community may also reduce the number of sexual partners men and women have, therefore reducing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Men who have been to prison can experience major changes in their sexual behavior when they're released. In a community, this can affect the way men and women interact sexually. The new computer model shows that high rates of incarceration of men increase the number of sexual partners for both men and women in a community. "The model shows that simply removing men and returning them to the community frequently can increase the number of sexual partners that both men and women have in the community," said lead author Dr. Andrea Knittel, who is now at the University of California, San Francisco. "It supports the assertion that mass incarceration has complicated and far-reaching unintended consequences, and may have significant public health implications." Men are incarcerated much more often than women - in the US in 2009, 954 men were incarcerated per 100,000 residents, compared to 68 women per 100,000 residents. Because of this, most research focuses on men. Previous research has shown links between high levels of incarceration in a community and higher rates of HIV infection. Studies have also revealed a connection between incarceration and risky sexual behavior, such as having more than one sexual partner at a time, or a greater number of sexual partners. However, until now, there has been little research into the effect of incarceration rates on the sexual behavior and spread of sexually transmitted infections in a community. In the new study, the team developed an agent-based model - a computer simulation that creates a small community in which 250 "agents" or simulated people can date and have sexual relationships. The team ran the simulation without incarceration to see how many sexual partners men and women in the community would have. They then ran it again with incarceration to see what would happen. They used data from other studies that show when men are incarcerated they have a slightly higher risk of ending a relationship and become slightly less desirable as partners. In the simulation, incarceration increased the number of sexual partners for both the male and female agents. In addition, when the average sentence length was increased, the differences were more pronounced, suggesting that harsher or longer penalties might exacerbate the effect of incarceration. "Our model showed that high levels of incarceration likely play a role in community-level sexual behavior, and are likely detrimental in terms of sexual risk for HIV and other STDs," said Dr. Knittel. "The results suggest that reducing incarceration and creating a more open criminal justice system that supports the maintenance of inmates' relationships to reduce instability of partnerships for men who are incarcerated may have important sexual health and public health implications." Prisons are expensive and overcrowded; there is growing interest in decreasing incarceration to tackle these issues. Dr. Knittel believes computer simulations like the one in this study are a helpful way to model the effects of reducing incarceration at the community level. "The methods are interesting and unique, and offer a digital petri dish in which experiments that would be impossible in the real world are absolutely doable. The results from computational models can never be applied thoughtlessly to the real world, but are thought-provoking and demonstrate what is possible." RICHMOND The new Virginia economy will need trained workers. A proposed credential tuition assistance grant would provide up to $3,000 per training program to fill the skills gap for middle tier jobs, such as machinists, technicians, welders, or plumbers, that require post-high school education but not a four-year degree. Virginia faces a shortage of these certified employees coupled with a high number of factory workers set to retire, many unemployed or underemployed people, and a wounded rural Virginia pocked with empty factories or lots from which industries used to fuel towns. We have never offered assistance for skilled trades, ever. There was a time when business provided their own training specific to certain things. As I said, technology has changed a lot of that, Del. Kathy Byron, R-Bedford County, said Tuesday about the bill shes been working on for years. Gov. Terry McAuliffes administration supported and worked on the bill, which is matched with $25 million in the proposed $109 billion budget being whittled from each side of the General Assembly. Frito Lay hardly has any workers, but they have a lot of machinery that requires someone who knows how to operate that machinery, and its all the ability to understand computers and IT and other things like that, Byron said. The money would follow the student, who would pay one-third of the program cost. Grants could be used at community colleges and other education centers. While the CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association Brett Vassey said about 30,000 jobs are expected to open up as certified factory workers retire, Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones said 175,000 people are unemployed in Virginia. Ive seen statistics that if you add unemployed plus under-employed that number really goes up, Jones said. Middle skills jobs are expected to be 46 percent of all openings from 2010 to 2020, according to a 2014 National Skills Coalition report produced from Virginia Bureau of Labor statistics. More than 20 bills proposed to adjust education from preschool to post-secondary are spread throughout the General Assembly evidence of the desire from constituents and businesses to connect. Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg, who is carrying a related bill, said in an interview last month too many young people who might prefer well-paying technical jobs were corralled toward four-year degrees. Weve got an imbalance. The reality is we, as parents, are stupid, Ruff said. We think our kids ought to go to college. Sometimes we dont even listen to our kids. We push them and push them and push them to go to college because were told that thats the route of success. Both McAuliffe and Republicans who control the General Assembly speak of overall economic development as a high priority. Jones said workforce training is a key component in spreading that effort statewide. This, for rural Virginia, is without a doubt the biggest thing we can do. Because if were going to really attract folks from outside of rural Virginia to set up shop in rural Virginia, well have to give them confidence theyll have the talent, Jones said. Broad economic development needs a wide view, Jones said, including infrastructure investments, such as broadband connectivity, encouraging entrepreneurship and targeting specific sectors, such as cyber security. The bipartisan Go Virginia program championed by General Assembly leadership would create regional councils to enhance private sector growth. Matching bills passed the House of Delegates and Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, an example of an incentive. I think there is consensus building about that fact that we gotta do this in a multitudinous, interdisciplinary fashion, but I will tell you, weve gotta do this for years, to really make resilient sustainable progress, Jones said. Charles keeps them calling for more Kaiso Blues on Woodford Street, Port-of-Spain, was bursting at the seams with a crowd hungry for good music. Charles planned two shows at 8.30 and 10.30 pm, last Thursday, but things did not turn out to be so simple. Patrons enjoyed the first show so much that they kept asking for more and the musicians obliged. Charles started with his 2009 original compositions Douens followed by Andre Tankers Pull the Bull from the movie Bim. The audience was singing along as Charles and his band played. Vocalist Roger George joined the line-up of Anthony Woodruff (saxophone), Leon Foster (pan), K J Marcelle (drums), Clint DeCoteau (bass) and Dean Williams (guitar). George performed Sparrows Maria to the delight of the audience as they sang along with him. Before playing Creole Soul Charles suggested we have better and more efficient inter- island travel, to which the audience agreed. Kayode Charles, 13, then joined the band of musicians with his drum and literally stole the show from the others. Master producer/musician Leston Paul was then introduced and together with Etienne Charles they played Kitcheners Pan in a Minor, a song which Paul arranged. The temperature in Kaiso Blues was rising as the band moved into Barons Somebody with John John on vocals. Charles paid tribute to the composer of the song, Winsford Devine telling the audience of his greatness. Recalling all the musicians who died recently (Junior Noel, Jit Samaroo, Herman Guppy Brown and Raf Robertson) Charles moved into Memories and again the entire audience became the chorus. The Assistant Prof of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University confessed that Trinidad and Tobago is the only place he plays calypso music and the audience sits down. He then invited them to stand up and enjoy themselves as he moved into Scrunters Woman on the Bass. Charles said that was his last song but the audience just did not listen to him as they kept asking for more. Paul keyed in Merchants Rock It and the placed transformed into a fete hall. Roger George re-joined the group and they performed Feeling It, this time the audience was dancing and singing. It was not until George told them they had to leave to make way for the second show that people started to file out of Kaiso Blues. Of course the second show started just on midnight. Body blows in the band If beating on the man was not enough, it was reported that the security officers punched and slapped female revellers in the band when they came to the mans defence. Newsday understands that Alexander was helping two friends locate the band at about 5.30 pm. When they found the band, on Taylor Street, Woodbrook security officers stopped him from entering the band, after realising he was a reveller with Island People Mas. The security officers ordered him to leave, but he did not seem to leave fast enough. As he signalled his friends that he was leaving, other security officers came and began slapping and pushing him. One woman, Naki Tuitt recorded the last end of the licks, after she was also slapped by YUMA security. She described the incident in a post on social media. I asked them not to push him (Alexander), said the reveller, Then they told me I could leave too. I told them I paid so I dont have to. Next thing you know I was slapped to the ground. She continued, saying when she was slapped, another female friend tried to intervene and she was punched by a security officer who called himself YUMA extraction. Seeing that females were being struck down by security officers, another man stepped in, and he was allegedly beaten by at least ten security officers. The video posted on social media depicted the man being slapped, kicked and beaten with batons, as he crouched on the ground, trying to cover himself from the blows. A woman dressed in blue was then seen shielding the man from the licks, as security officers dressed in black hovered over him. In the post on social media, Tuitt demanded that she be reimbursed and the officers that attacked her be charged. A release was posted on social media by YUMA officials detailing the actions that they have taken thus far. We at YUMA have been made aware of the incident. We are in talks with our patrons as well as another affected person and have promised to give this our full attention as weve never had a reported incident like this in our history. That aspect of our security and its extraction protocols are being reviewed. The members involved have been replaced. We are committed to serving our masqueraders and thank them for being with us, the release read. Despite the steps taken by YUMA, the band has been lambasted by persons on social media. This is total madness for being in a band that youre not suppose to be in. Nah man people check this out! Poor, poor, poor on Yuma behalf they need to check with their staff. This is so disturbing, said one. Alexander also made a statement on his social media page, saying that although he had not played with them this year, he will never don a YUMA costume in light of his treatment. Last year was my first and last YUMA experience. the post read, People who pay thousands of dollars for Carnival costumes should not be victims of physical and verbal abuse of over zealous security personnel. Up to press time, Newsday understand that Alexander was weighing his legal options in the matter. There Were Rules on Handling Asbestos. They Were Ignored (Newser) Cramped airline passengers, Steve Cohen speaks for you. The representative from Tennessee plans to introduce the Seat Egress in Air Travel Act on Thursday, USA Today reports. According to Consumerist, Cohen doesn't want to see airline seats continue to get smaller. The SEAT Act would force the FAA to agree to a minimum size. Consumers are tired of being squeezed both physically and fiscally by airlines, Cohen said in a press release announcing the act on Monday. Shrinking seat sizes isnt just a matter of comfort but safety and health as well." He argues cramped seating could slow evacuation efforts in the event of emergencies and increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis in passengers. Cohen plans on pitching the SEAT Act as an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization bill, which the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is scheduled to vote on Thursday. The amendment "faces long odds" to actually becoming law, according to USA Today. Airline passengers have lost about 4 inches of leg room and 1.5 inches of butt room since the 1970s. The smaller seats have allowed airlines to fit more passengers on board while making planes lighter to save on fuel costs. (Read more airline seats stories.) (Newser) New research has made the dizzyingly fast spread of the Zika virus even scarier for expectant parents. Brazilian doctors say that in addition to abnormally small heads, some babies born to infected mothers appear to have eye defects that could seriously affect their vision, NBC News reports. The eye trouble will be on top of vision problems resulting from the brain damage caused by the microcephaly itself, according to researchers, who are still exploring the link between the mosquito-borne virus and a surge in birth defects in Brazil. In another worrying development, China has reported its first case of Zika, which was found in a man who had traveled to Venezuela, the AP reports. (US athletes worried about the virus have been told they can skip the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.) (Newser) ISIS leaders are determined to strike targets in the United States this year, senior US intelligence officials said Tuesday, telling lawmakers that a small group of violent extremists will attempt to overcome the logistical challenges of mounting such an attack. In testimony before congressional committees, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and other officials described ISIS as the "pre-eminent terrorist threat." The militant group can "direct and inspire attacks against a wide range of targets around the world," Clapper warned. Marine Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said ISIS will probably conduct additional attacks in Europe and then attempt the same in the US. He said US intelligence agencies believe the group's leaders will be "increasingly involved in directing attacks rather than just encouraging lone attackers." Clapper, delivering the annual assessment by intelligence agencies of the top dangers facing the country, said al-Qaeda remains an enemy and the US will continue to see cyberthreats from China, Russia, and North Korea, which is ramping up its nuclear program. He also warned that Afghanistan is at "serious risk of a political breakdown during 2016." (Read more ISIS stories.) (Newser) "I'd say your presenter has some explaining to do," one man tweeted Monday. On that day's episode of Crimewatcha news program that's run for years on the BBChost Jason Mohammad put up a mugshot of Viktor Lakatos, who was recently sentenced to 18 years in prison for assaulting an elderly woman, the Metro reports. But Mohammad might as well have put up a photo of himself. British viewers quickly took to social media to point out the resemblance between the host and the criminal. According to the Telegraph, the first person to point out the uncanny resemblance was actually a police officer, who tweeted a screenshot with the caption "That awkward moment..." Another tweet read: "This presenter on crime watch is starting to sweat." The Telegraph states Mohammad seemed "oblivious" to his resemblance to Lakatos during the show. But after it became a "Twitter phenomenon"in the words of New York Magazinehe weighed in on how he kept a straight face: "I am professional." (A wanted man sent cops a selfie to replace his "terrible" mugshot.) (Newser) Police are finally revealing why a bus lurched forward in Indianapolis last month, killing a school principal and injuring two 10-year-olds. A crash report notes bus driver Christine Beeler left the driver's seat without engaging the parking brake, allowing the bus to roll forward, reports the Indianapolis Star. The report adds Beeler was "distracted" with some 20 students on board, per WTHR. Police found no mechanical issues with the bus and nothing to suggest Beeler was impaired. A rep for the Marion County prosecutor's office says the case "is still under investigation" and "a charging decision has not been made." (Beeler says Principal Susan Jordan died a hero.) (Newser) A Black Lives Matter activist is dead after shooting himself outside the entrance of the Ohio Statehouse where he previously attended protests. Police say MarShawn McCarrel II was pronounced dead on the scene around 6pm Monday. "We don't have any evidence to know the reason why he did it," a State Highway Patrol rep tells the Columbus Dispatch. But the Washington Post notes McCarrel's social media posts "oscillated between joy and despair." "I love y'all," the 23-year-old tweeted Monday morning. At noon came his final tweet: "Let the record show that I pissed on the statehouse before I left." Then this Facebook post around 3pm: "My demons won today. I'm sorry." A former teacher describes McCarrel as the student he was proudest of in his 27 years on the job. "I saw him as a shining star in the future of civil rights." Indeed: McCarrel was named one of just 15 Radio One Hometown Champions, attended the NAACP's Image Awards on Friday, helped organize Black Lives Matter protests in Ohio after the shooting of Michael Brown, founded a youth mentorship program, and worked with the homeless. "He had so much to do," his mom tells the Dispatch. "He forgot to take time for himself." A fellow activist says "the statehouse was no accident. We've been working so hard, and yet the conditions for the people in our community ... are still so hard." McCarrel was "an activist to his soul," a friend adds on Facebook. He "fought tirelessly in Ohio and beyond for the rights of oppressed people Brotherwe'll keep fighting. You rest, now." (Read more Black Lives Matter stories.) (Newser) Kim Jong Un has executed another top military official, sources say. Army Gen. Ri Yong Gil, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, was reportedly executed last week after being found guilty of pursuing personal gains and corruption. Appointed military chief in 2013, Ri was spotted in public alongside Kim at inspections of military exercises until last month, sources tell South Korea's Yonhap News. However, he wasn't present at a joint meeting of the Workers' Party and the military from Feb. 2-3, nor has he been seen at celebrations in honor of Sunday's rocket launch. A source speculates that Ri may have disapproved of recent military appointments, per the Korea Herald. Gen. Ri Myong Su, a former minister of people's security, may have taken over his post. "This shows that Kim Jong Un is very nervous about the armed forces," the source says. But an expert tells Bloomberg there are two ways to view the purge: "One argument is that even after nearly five years in power, Kim is still weak, and is wiping out his lieutenants to try and keep a grip. The other argument is that he's strong and is in full control of the army. He can do exactly what he wants with the army and this is a typical move to wipe out the old guard." (Read more Kim Jong Un stories.) (Newser) Schoolteacher and beauty queen Irene Garza was found raped and bludgeoned to death in a canal in 1960, days after confessing to a priest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas. More than 50 years later, that priest has been charged with her murder. John Feit, the main suspect in the case for years, was arrested in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Tuesday and is now awaiting extradition to Texas, reports KFOR. Items found near Garza's body, including a candelabra, were traced to the church where Feit worked about a mile away, while a film-slide viewer belonged to Feit himself, reports the Dallas Morning News. Less than a month before Garza was killed, Feit had also been arrested for attacking a woman at a church 10 miles from McAllen; he pleaded no contest to aggravated assault and paid a $500 fine. During early investigations, Feitthen a 27-year-old visiting priest, per NBC Newstold police he last saw Garza standing outside of the church but failed lie detector tests. Later, two priests came forward claiming Feit made incriminating statements to them before he left the priesthood in the 1970s. A grand jury decided not to indict Feit in 2004, but a jury in Texas heard the case again last week and returned a different verdict, reports KTXS. It isn't clear if any new information was presented. A cousin of Garza, who was just 10 years old when she was killed, says accusing a priest of murder was no easy feat 56 years ago. "It was impossible for a priest to do such a deed. I mean, if you thought of it, that would be sacrilegious," she says. She alleges authorities at the time protected Feit in some kind of "cover-up." (Two murders eerily similar to each other remain unsolved.) (Newser) A toddler who celebrated her first birthday last week saw her life cut short by a gunman who opened fire outside her family's home in Compton, Calif., the Los Angeles Times reports. Officials say Autumn Johnson was in her crib (though neighbors tell NBC Los Angeles she was in her father's arms) in a converted garage Tuesday evening when a man got out of a dark-colored sedan, approached the home, and fired at it. A witness says she heard gunshots, then a woman yelling, "They shot my baby!" The witness went outside after calling 911 and says she saw the dad come out with Autumn, crying and saying, "Someone take my baby to the hospital." Autumn, who was shot in the head, was pronounced dead at St. Francis Medical Center. Neighbors tell NBC the gunman was a passenger in the getaway car. The Washington Post notes police believe it was a gang-related shooting, per a sheriff's department statement Wednesday. "It's not surprising because it's the city of Compton, for its name," a 47-year-old man who was at Bible study a few blocks away tells the Times, though he adds "it's surprising to me because it's a baby." Per Times records, Compton has registered 475 violent crimes over the past six months, including eight homicides. And both the Post and Times document violent crimes that have affected young children in particular. But the Post notes Compton is "not the same place it was 25 or 30 years ago, menaced by gang violence and drive-by shootings" and that it's come a long way since it was featured in NWA lyrics, with recent shootings at "something of a historic low." "When I think about Compton, I think about redemption," Mayor Aja Brown told NPR last summer. (Chicago's shooting stats for 2016 are already jaw-dropping.) (Newser) The FBI is still being thwarted by an encrypted phone in the San Bernardino terrorist shooting investigation. "We still have one of those killers' phones that we havent been able to open," FBI Director James Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday, per the Los Angeles Times. "It has been two months now and we are still working on it." That's making it difficult for investigators to track communication between Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik before they were killed in a police shootout after the Dec. 2 attack. The FBI said last month it was having trouble cracking encryption on multiple phones and hard drives in the case. It's not clear whose phone is still causing trouble. Comey said law enforcement is sometimes unable to unlock phones even after obtaining warrants ordering the phones be opened, the AP reports. The FBI is trying to retrace the couple's movements before and after the attacklast month, investigators said they couldn't account for an 18-minute stretch after the attackand determine whether anyone else helped. At this time, the FBI still has no evidence the couple had "outside direction or support," the Times notes, but other questions remain: Investigators don't know whether the couple planned other attacks, whether anyone knew about the plans for the Dec. 2 attack, or why Farook left a bag containing homemade pipe bombs in the conference room they attacked. The FBI's encryption struggle illustrates what law enforcement has been warning about for more than a yearadvanced encryption methods on some newer phones often hinder investigations, particularly at the state and local levels. (Read more San Bernardino stories.)